It's officially here!

The first official posting of Thirty Lives is here. It's also the first day of Wintereenmas.

If you don't already know what Wintereenmas is I suggest you read up on this wonderful holiday that celebrates all that embodies the gaming spirit. It is the Christmas equivalent for video games but last for 7 days (Jan. 25 - Jan. 31). It is a time to partake in celebration, play games, come together as gamers and appreciate the entertainment that they have provided in our lives. Unfortunately this also brings out the people we hate the most - the ones that act like the trash talking 12 yr olds on Xbox Live or PSN dropping nothing but F-bombs and making you wish that you didn't have a headset in the first place.

It's been 25 years since I first picked up an Atari joystick and became ultimately hooked. This week I will be playing tons of old classics on my NES console and reminiscing. And if I have the chance, I may plan a trip to Pinball Wizard this weekend.

So what is this blog going to be about? Everything video games. Mainly video game politics but I will post reviews, news and random banter as well. I'll also post various sales info and any contests that I can find so if you are reading pay attention. You may find something cool going every once in a while.

Wintereenmas will be kicking off this year with the release of Dead Space 2 for PC, PS3 and Xbox360. It doesn't seem to disappoint either. It looks to be as frightening as the original and then some. There are a few new surprises to the game. You still star as Isaac from the first game and you still walk around with magnetized boots. But you now have the option to disengage them and float freely in space. 

Other releases this week:

• Dino Strike (Wii)
• Lord of Arcana (PSP)
• Two Worlds II (PC, PS3, Xbox360)
• Dead Space Aftermath (Blu-ray, DVD)

A great contest is out for Final Fantasy fans out there this week. Head over to Destructoid.com for all the info. You could win a nice bundle of Final Fantasy Tactics games such as the original PS1 version, Tactics Advance and a few others. But hurry as this contest is only open until Jan. 30th.

Enjoy. I'm going to go back to watching my 80's GI Joe cartoons.