What I want in Skyrim Dawnguard.

So Skyrim's first DLC is coming out this summer.  We know nothing about it other than it's name, Dawnguard.  So we can expect one of two things from this.  Either a hand full of new missions with a singular location or a huge new map section (like Point Lookout in Fallout 3).  It's more than likely the latter given how long it's been since Skyrim came out (typically DLC takes a couple of months to come out, but this will be like 8 months after Skyrim came out).

So new missions, characters, and more than likely weapons (like the rumored crossbow) will be a sure thing.  What else should make the cut in terms of new content?  I've only been playing Skyrim for a month, maybe more.  I was playing LoZ Skyward Sword and Arkham City, so it took me a while to get around to it.  Here my wish list for the DLC:

1. New Shouts:  I haven't gotten all of the shouts yet, but I will by the time the DLC comes out and I want more (with Kinect support... I heart the Kinect support in the update).  I want the shouts to do drastic new things.  I may come up with my most wanted non existent shouts.

2. A new house:  I'm about to buy my Solitude house and I hope it's beastly.  My Windhelm house is almost full of displayables and my Whiterun house has been full for a very long time.  I know there are like one or two other houses I can purchase, but I want a new one... with book shelves lining the walls and like 20 mannaquins.

3.  New Level up Branches:  This is sort of a new thing for Elder Scrolls, but they need more branches as well as a level cap raise.  I don't think they'll do it, but a more dynamic shout leveling up system or branching level up system would be cool.

4.  New Guild or Two:  Companions, Dark Brotherhood, Mages' College... there are several guilds, but they need a couple more in the DLC.  Maybe a new Arena or something totally new. 

5. Civil War specific references:  Whether you sided with the Imperials or the Stormcloaks (or neither if you haven't completed this storyline), should be referenced and maybe even alter some of the missions depending on which side you took.  I was sore that the Imperials tried to execute me at the beginning, so I sided with the Stormcloaks... of course then I found out they were intolerant overly religious dicks, but hey, can't win them all.

That's more or less things that may not get into the DLC, but I'm hopeful.  I know there will be a level cap, new weapons, locations, missions, but some of the other stuff may not be a sure thing.  I guess we'll find out when more's announced.  I don't typically post gaming/movie news unless I have an opinion on it, but I'll think about expanding my topics.

Bulletstorm Review (Xbox 360)

   Bulletstorm is a First Person Shooter with a lot of gore and a lot of attitude.  It follows the leader of a band of futuristic rebels that were betrayed by their commanding officer.  Originally they were assassins, until they found out they were killing innocent people to keep the government's dirty secrets.  The leader, Grayson Hunt, attacks the flagship of the Conferderate fleet in a drunken rage.  In the process maroons himself and his teammate Ishi Sato, who is now a cyborg due to his injuries in the crash and is always fighting the AI that makes up part of his brain, on a formerly Confederate run planet called Stygia.
  You end up fighting the General's troops, the local life, as well as some mutated monsters that prove to be challenging along the way.
  The mechanics of the game work pretty well, but what sets it apart from other FPS' in a real way is the SkillShot system.  You can kick, slide into, or leash your enemies into a slow motion free fall, where you can kill them in unique ways that earn you points.  In an RPG-esque style, you can then upgrade your weapons with those points.  Points can also be earned with non-slow mo techniques as well.  The environment ends up being a weapon for you as you progress.  From construction rods, cliffs, explosive barrels, cacti, and many other methods, the world around you will allow you to finish your enemies off in entertaining and extremely violent ways.
   The story is relatively interesting, but tends to drag a little towards the end.  The dialogue is really, really, vulgar and hilarious.  I love the prattle between the characters as you play the game, and I ended up having to pause the game, run upstairs and tell my roommate about what was just said... and he didn't really care... sigh.
  The multiplayer consists of beating campaign sequences in speed runs and posting the times online, and a horde/firefight type mode that lets you kill waves of enemies as a group or pair, and opens up more avenues for co-op Skillshots.  This was a smart move, because the mechanics of this game doesn't lend itself to a vs. mode and against CoD or Halo, the online vs. FPS market is cornered.  If BStorm had a vs. mode, the population would die out within a couple months like most multiplayer modes do (see Ghostbusters or Dead Rising 2).
   In the end, Bulletstorm is a decent shooter that brings a lot of style, as well as newish gameplay mechanics to the table, and at $30 right now, is a steal.

4.2 out of 5 Skillshots (my favorite is Vertigo... not gory, but satisfying)