I was never paid to give my opinions on video games, and as a marketer for the gaming industry, I try and live by the motto: If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

With an industry-wide increased focus on the casual game market, I was worried this year.  I was less enthusiastic about E3 2010 than I had ever been for an E3.

Luckily, there were enough core games shown to make a top 5 list.  I wanted to point out my favorites from the press conferences that I saw (Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, Nintendo, and Sony).

1. LittleBigPlanet 2 - the sequel to one of my favorite games of this generation.  The creation tools have been upgraded, and some of the game levels they showed during the trailer were amazing.  Sony’s really embraced this idea of make.believe.
2. Medal of Honor - Positioned as a Call of Duty-killer, I am a big fan of how EA focused the experience of Battlefield Bad Company 2, so I am excited to think what what they can do with MoH.  I enjoyed Modern Warfare 2, but the multiplayer kill-based reward system was frustrating if you weren’t a great player.
3. Gears of War 3 - As an Epic Games fanboy who had the honor of working with, and getting to know many of the people who worked on the game.  Beast mode is a really cool take on Horde too!
4. Twisted Metal - despite denying that he was working on it, Sony announced that David Jaffe’s Eat Sleep Play studio was, in fact, releasing the next-gen remake of the classic.  On one of our very first dates, my wife and I played Twisted Metal 1 in my basement.
5. Bulletstorm - This game reminded me of a cross between Serious Sam, and The Club - two great games that had s style, and a personality.  The way in which you get points for stylized killing is right up my alley.

I have had a handful of XBLA codes for the past few years.  I need to get rid of them, so 1st come - 1st served.  Enjoy.

• RR82W-HMWQ2-4YBVG-XG7BW-8WYDG
• BPVQ7-977CP-92QVK-4FPK3-X7RXQ
• J7Y46-M4QBC-HJCXQ-H9GF4-WBQ28
• DVRDJ-HCCPM-777T4-4C8G9-TCB9G
• HHPMX-PWPM3-8DHKC-J2Y2X-QRD23
• D6YVK-4GC2F-XQVCC-PMFTJ-XTBDB

If the codes are all used up, you can still get the game on the Xbox Marketplace, or on Amazon.  Seems to be $5 USD on either.

America ran for about 100 years on the idea that you will grow up, graduate, get a job, and generally be taken care of by that job.

That changed - faster than any of us expected, when the recession hit a few years ago.  Currently, unemployment is the highest its been in 20 years.  There’s no such thing as a stable job.  There’s not nearly as much incentive to slave away 60 hours a week for your employer - especially in a time when they cannot guarantee your job stability.

I picked up The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferris on the recommendation of a friend.  I am now singing it’s praises, and recommending it to my friends and family.

You don’t have to desire international travel to appreciate the tips in this book.  You don’t have to want to become an entrepreneur, or start a dietary supplement business.  The biggest take-away I had was the idea that your time has a value.

If you save $50 by spending 5 hours on a brain-dead task, it’s not saving you $50 if your time is worth more than $10/hour.  The book is filled with great information, tips, tricks, and resources to allow you to take your time back, and live for yourself rather than for your employer.