Yesterday we lost a great to the fantasy fiction world. Robert Jordan has passed away from heart complications caused by amyloidosis. Jordan was in the middle of writing his final book in the Wheel of Time series: Memory of Light. While in the hospital and still in fair condition he is quoted as saying “I’m getting out notes, so if the worst actually happens, someone could finish A Memory of Light and have it end the way I want it to end.” The decision whether to posthumously complete the book has been left to his wife Harriet and Tor Books president Tom Doherty. I hope your legacy is completed in a fitting manner, RJ. Rest in peace.

News: If you haven’t heard, France has said Europe needs to prepare for war. Let me repeat that… France as said that European Union countries need to prepare for War. Why? Well the new French president, Nicolas Sarkozy has a much more hard-line stance towards Iran and the possession of nuclear arms. The exact statement was that if Iran develops a nuclear weapon, there will be war. Political analysts are saying that due to Sarkozy’s stances that US relations could improve. Go figure.

Halo 3: There may be clan support by Halo 3 launch yet. Some rumors have been leaked over some semi-legit sources. It’s possible a September 25^th dashboard update might include the Clan Support menu that is XBOX Live wide. This would also include the plug in support that Halo 3 would need for clans. In a word: awesome… if true. The good news is we should here more soon when the dashboard update is officially announced. More details here.

Video Games: I await Eternal Sonata, it looks very pretty and fun to play – plus it might be fun for a wee bit before the Halo emerges from its dread cocoon of life sucking goodness. I have been watching some Mass Effect trailers. Now, part of me feels like my best buddy – I don’t want to get too hyped up because of previous failures. After watching some of this though, it is very difficult to not get excited. Some of my favorites here:

·        New Character Creation seems to indicate that you can also play a female character. This is very important for getting wide demographic sales.

·        Some of the prettiest stuff in the game may be galaxy exploration. The map is fantastic!

·        This is one of my favorites, and negotiation and interrogation… sort of. Be sure to watch to the end. Dave, your option is finally here.

Video Games: Well I finished up Bioshock last weekend and the game delivered in its entirety. There is a protection mission, but there is not penalty for failure. I did take this as a challenge though and made sure not one splicer got their bloody little hands on my ward – not one hit. I also got my 1,000 points in one play through – around 25 hours. This was sixty bucks well spent. The game has a 60 second ending but may be one of the most touching I’ve ever seen (yes, I got the “good” ending). Overall, Bioshock is one of the best games I’ve played on a modern platform, hands down.

News: Well in case no one has heard, Steve Fossett is missing. Fossett is the millionaire that’s been involved in breaking most of the aviator and world speed records through his 60 some years. My favorite feat though is the round the world trip in a hot air balloon. He’s lost in a downed airplane somewhere in Nevada. I hope they find him alive. Half of me still thinks he might turn up at a gas station some 1000 miles away and use a payphone to say – “Here I am!”  

Halo 3: Gearing up for the event. Plan is the have the dangerous four person commando team take on the prophets on Friday September 28th – starting in the morning. Yes, I have taken the day off work. Pray to whatever power you hold dear that this 4 person co-op thing works! If so – it will be the coolest thing ever! Regardless, this game is going to break every sales record.