Unbox this!

This past week for Ski11z wasn't as epic as the week before. Heck ... 4 great titles, all before release? From Battlefield 3 (review incoming), to Uncharted 3 (also incoming) and Saints Row: The Third and Skyrim a week ago, this week was going to have to hit it HARD to top it.

Well, I have to say, the Skyrim sent ripples through cyberspace, catapulting my subscriber base on YouTube from under 50 subscribers to well over 600 subscribers - all in less than a week. The unboxing video for Skyrim? Sitting pretty at 35K views in just a week. Insane.

So, here's my newest video - the unboxing of Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword as well as THQ's uDraw game, coming to the Xbox 360 and the PS3.

Oh and THQ let me upload my unboxing video of Saints Row: The Third today - w00t!

Enjoy!

Coming in second ...

F1 2011
Developed by: Codemaster Studios Birmingham
Published by: Codemasters
Available: NOW
Rating: E for Everyone
Genre: Racing/Driving

WILLIAM PHILLIPS
SPECIAL GUEST REVIEWER

F1 2010 was Codemasters’ first attempt to take on the world-renowned racing series that has swept the globe for just over 60 years. It had the potential to be a great game, but when it came out, it was just a little disappointing. It was as if some of the intensity of driving a car that reaches top speeds of nearly 210 miles an hour was lost. The game was plagued by bugs that would destroy your progress and force you to start from scratch, which was extremely frustrating.

So this year, Codemasters released its second iteration, F1 2011, which feels like F1 2010 except it fixes most of the problems that were in the first attempt at taking on F1.

2011 includes the brand new KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) and DRS (Drag Reduction System), two brand new systems that encourage passing. This creates an interesting strategy, as players must decide when using KERS will give them the best speed advantage against their opponents. Also you can (literally) watch your tires wear away as you race when, after about five or six laps on super soft compound tires, you can start to see blistering as the tires struggle to maintain absolute grip.

Perhaps the best addition to this game is the inclusion of safety cars, which come out whenever there is an incident on track, such as a major, race ending collision that will lead to a full course caution. The one thing about the safety car is that you really won't see it that often. The only appearances it ever made was while I was racing on tight street courses such as Monaco, Valencia, or Singapore.

Codemasters definitely found a way to make the new version of F1 more exciting than 2010. At one point, I found myself actually digging into the thumb stick trying to get the maximum turn out of the car.

Perhaps the worst thing about this game is that it requires one to have a “VIP Pass” to play the multiplayer, which is an attempt to force people who buy used games or rent games to pay for multiplayer. This feature is becoming prevalent in nearly every game coming out lately and will most likely crush industries such as Gamestop, which rely heavily on used games as part of their revenue.

With all the improvements added to F1 2011, it still doesn’t feel as polished as it should be. For a game made by the guys who created the hit series Dirt, one would think that this game should have been fantastic. But when you realize you could play numerous other racing games such as Forza 4 or Gran Turismo 5, it seems F1 2011 is going to become another game on the shelf until it gets traded in at Gamestop ... or any other place that will take it.

The verdict? 8 (out of 10)

What we're rockin': Skyrim edition

This weekend, it's all about getting my Krip walk on in Saint's Row: The Third and doing my dragon-slaying thing in Skyrim. I'll be also wedging in some Skyward Sword and taking uDraw for a spin with the babies.

So, what are YOU playing this weekend?

Stay safe and be blessed! ;)