Don S. Davis played the character of General George Hammond on the TV show Stargate SG-1, and was a regular cast member all the way until the end of season 7. He made several guest appearances between the time frame of season 8-10, and will also appear in the upcoming DVD release Stargate: Continuum, thus summer.

Don S. Davis died on June 29th, 2008 of a heart attack. I've been a big fan of the Stargate franchise for a few years now, so I just wanted to pay my respects to him, as he was a great character of SG-1, and one of my personal favourites.

Rest in peace.

DO WANT.

I was sort of half-running into my bedroom, when I SLAMMED the right side of my right foot into my computer chair.

My small toe is now projecting outwards to the right.

Extreme pain is imminent.

TO THE HOSPITAL MOBILE!

A While back when I finished Deus Ex, I stated that I would probably post some more well-thought out final impressions of the game. I never did this, and have instead opted to just write a review for the game instead. I figure if I try to go into too much detail after I've already finished the game I'll probably end up writing enough material to have a complete review. That being said, I've written a review for Deus Ex, and if you want to know what my thoughts are on this game, or are interested in playing it yourself, then here you go:

Games like Deus Ex are a rarity in the current gaming world. It's not often that you find a game like Deus Ex that completely pushes the boundaries of established gaming genres. CIassifying Deus Ex as a first-person shooter might seem appropriate at first glance, but would wind up being a horrible, horrible miscIassification. That doesn't necessarily mean Deus Ex would qualify as a blatant role-playing game either. In all honesty, trying to assign a genre to Deus Ex is kind of a fruitless endeavor because you would only be restricting yourself in what you would expect from the experience. Deus Ex is as varied as you will allow yourself to think it is. If one really had to cIassify Deus Ex as something it by all means would definitely fall into the RPG category, but borrows heavily from other gaming genre mainstays like the FPS and adventure genres.

So what exactly is so interesting about an eight year old PC FPS-RPG hybrid? Well that's hard to say, pinpointing one exact reason would be foolish. At first glance Deus Ex doesn't really seem like much, but underneath its dated graphics engine is one of the most interesting games ever created. Deus Ex takes place in the year 2052 in a bleak dystopian future where a large portion of society lives in complete poverty. You take control of nano-augmented agent JC Denton who has just begun working for the United Nations' Anti-Terrorist Coalition (UNATCO). Soon after you commence the game you'll see that the society of the future isn't too welcoming, as homeless people wander the streets, and Rebel faction's operate frequently under the nose of the government. You'll even soon learn about a disease known as the "Gray Death" which is ravaging the world's population, with the vaccine seemingly only distributed among the government and the wealthy. As always, things aren't always as they seem, and eventually some of the game's many plotwists will take effect, and JC Denton will have to decide who he can trust, and what he needs to do. Deus Ex largely revolves around real-world conspiracy theories and the game takes place in fictionalized futuristic versions of real-world locations, such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and even Area 51.

The main attraction of Deus Ex is the freedom of choice. There are so many different ways to go about your objectives that no two people will ever have the exact same experience playing through the story. On many occasions completing every objective isn't even necessary, and by skipping objectives you can actually change the way the story progresses. There is naturally a set path that the narrative takes, and it always winds up in the same place, but the way you go about getting there can always be different.

As an example, one of the first things you will notice is that many of the conversations you can have with the game's NPCs generally always have several different options of text for you to choose to reply with. Whatever you choose to answer with will change the course of the conversation, and the game world can and will change based on what you have selected in these conversations. This is not only evident in conversations, but also evident in mission objectives too. Many characters' lives are in your hands, and depending on how you go about your objectives, these characters may live or die based on what you do, without you even realizing it at first. Because of this, whether a character lives or dies can completely change certain aspects of the story as it unfolds further into the game. These are part of the benefits of playing Deus Ex multiple times because you may not have even realized the first time that said character can live instead of being killed off in the first half of the game.

One of the most interesting factors of Deus Ex is the player's ability system. From the main menu screen you will be shown a skill menu with several different abilities that you can upgrade with skill points. Regardless of the fact that JC Denton is a nano-augmented agent working under the United Nations, he won't be good at anything until you upgrade his natural abilities. This is part of what makes the world of Deus Ex believable, because going up against ten enemy soldiers at once isn't exactly an easy feat until you've had advanced training with certain abilities, and have several augmentations activated. A perfect example is that the first choice you have to make in Deus Ex is choosing an additional weapon from your brother Paul Denton to take with you on your first mission. Do you take the mini-crossbow for silent take downs, the sniper rifle for long-distance combat, or the rocket launcher which would come in handy against enemy mechs. If you choose the sniper but have gone untrained in the rifles category, sniping your enemies will prove to be a frustrating and difficult task. There are many abilities, including but not limited to: computers, swimming, pistols, heavy weapons, rifles, low-tech weaponry, lock picking, electronics, and many others. Maybe you want to be an elite computer hacker and control enemy turrets, and shut off security cameras? Improving your computer skill can let you do this. You can even hack ATM machines and steal money from them.

The skill system can lend itself to be frustrating to newcomers because they may not be used to the traditional elements of RPGs where your character isn't really any good at anything until you upgrade their abilities. Whereas in a regular shooter the character is really as good with weapons as the players' own abilities. In Deus Ex the skill system has four levels, untrained, trained, advanced, and mastered. An untrained agent is clumsy and relatively incompetent with this ability but can use its basic abilities. A trained agent can use these abilities slightly more efficiently but pulling off a clean headshot with a sniper rifle still won't be a cake walk. It isn't really until you reach the advanced level where JC Denton will really shine with a particular ability, such as being able to alter gun turrets to target his enemies instead of himself with the computer skill, or being able to have perfectly steady hands with a sniper rifle with the rifles skill. It's at this point where you will really start to define who you want JC Denton to be, based on your playing styIe as you decide which abilities you want to increase to the advanced and mastered levels while leaving the others behind.

Skills are not the only thing you'll have to decide on while playing through Deus Ex, seeing as how JC Denton is a nano-augmented agent, you will be able to find and install various augmentations into certain parts of JC Denton's body to enhance his abilities. JC Denton can install a total of nine different augmentations, and each time you install an augmentation you'll have to choose one out of two different upgrades that will be installed permanently. For example, you'll have to decide whether you want to have the ability to run perfectly silently, or have increased speed and jumping height and distance. Choosing run-silent will allow you to be much stealthier and grant you the ability to sneak up on foes for a silent take-down. On the other hand, with the increased speed and jumping ability you are granted to ability to quickly evade opponents, rush them for a quick attack, and even dodge some of their attacks. You can even try pulling off some fancy Matrix-esque roof-jumping stunts if you manage to get it to the max level, by jumping from roof top to roof top in certain locations. This is just one of many unique abilities, and there are a ton of different ways that you can combine your augmentations based on your own playing styIe

When it comes to the actual game itself, Deus Ex does follow a linear path. That being said, the way you walk this path is completely up to how you want to play, and the choices you choose to make. All of the pieces are in place to allow the player nearly complete freedom to go about however they so choose to, and that's a part of what makes Deus Ex such a unique and compelling game.

As is the case with all video games, Deus Ex does have some flaws. The most noticeable is that the graphics engine is horribly dated. That being said, Deus Ex was already starting to look somewhat dated in the year of its release. Regardless of this fact, if you've ever enjoyed any older games, then you shouldn't have too much trouble adjusting to Deus Ex's dated appearance. The old saying remains true though, graphics don't necessarily indicate the quality of the game's gameplay, and that is entirely true with Deus Ex. One of the most troubling factors of Deus Ex that can deter from the gameplay experience is that the AI can often behave in some bizarre ways. Enemies tend to "dance" when they engage you in combat, by firing at you while running in circles. It's kind of weird at first, but eventually you get used to it. Even then, combat in Deus Ex for the most part is completely optional, but it can occasionally be frustrating to engage an enemy when they behave in such an odd manner. Another factor which from personal experience remains true throughout the majority of the game is the trial and error gameplay. This generally is only applied to combat situations, but there will be numerous times where you will be confronted with what appears to be an impossible situation, which will take you many different attempts until you find one that works for you. This can occasionally be a little bothersome, and at times can make the game feel slightly unforgiving. It must be stated though, that even Deus Ex's flaws can occasionally deter from ones enjoyment of the game, they are generally largely inconsequential to ones enjoyment of the experience as a whole.

Fortunately Deus Ex will provide you with an audio experience that is relatively pleasing to the ears. This is mostly prominent in the game's musical score which is mostly consistent and entertaining throughout. The most noticeable themes would definitely have to be the Main Title theme, the Hong Kong Streets theme, and the Paris Combat tune. The voice acting in Deus Ex is for the most part solid, but you'll find that often certain minor characters sound incredibly bizarre. This is most noticeable in Hong Kong and Paris, where a large portion of the population all suffer from cliche accents that apply to their specific country. This is understandable, and when done right can help immerse the player in the game, but occasionally the voice acting is just down right bad. Thankfully the main cast is all mostly very well acted, and the script remains solid and interesting throughout

When it comes down to it, Deus Ex admittedly has some faults, but the entire experience as a collective whole goes above and beyond these faults which in the grand scheme of things, are minor and inconsequential to one's enjoyment of this amazingly intricate game. If you've ever felt like current games were lacking something in the imagination department, then Deus Ex is definitely a game you'll want to play. The conspiracy-themed storyline is engaging and compelling, and you'll genuinely find yourself wanting to uncover the mysteries behind the evil plots of the corrupt government organizations. Who knows, maybe along the way you'll even uncover the origins of the Illuminati, or find the centuries-old gold of the Knights Templar.

Score.

Today brought about some very emotional news for me.

Trevor Linden Retires After 19 NHL Seasons.

If you don't know who Trevor Linden is, and/or what the NHL is, Trevor Linden is a hockey player, and was the captain of the Vancouver Canucks from 1990-1997. He was traded away in 1998 after the team changed management, but returned home in 2001 curtosy of Brian Burke (another new manager). Linden was in the NHL from 1988 to 2008, and I watched him play for my entire life (I was born in 1988 ). The 1994 Stanley Cup run will always be one of my greatest all-time memories, and I was only 6 years old.

Thank you Trevor, thank you for all the great memories and being such a great role model and a fantastic person. I will never forget the impact you have had on my life, and it saddens me that one of the greatest human beings to ever exist on this Earth will never hoist the Stanley Cup above his head like he so deserves.

Trevor is drafted by the Canucks at age 18.

Linden becomes the youngest Captain in Vancouver Canucks history, a title he would retain for 7 years until being traded by new management.

Linden and Mclean celebrate after a hard earned victory against thew New York Rangers in Game 6 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, forcing a game 7.

Linden is awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy.

Several years later Linden returns to the Canucks sporting a new Jersey and becomes an assistant captain which he would retain until the end of his career.

Morrison and Linden express their forbidden love for each other?

Linden scores on Dallas Stars' goaltender Marty Turco to win Game 7 for the Canucks in the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoff's Round 1, while sporting the retro jersey (first Jersey the team had in the 70s)

Linden scores on Giguere, the Anaheim Ducks goaltender in Round 2 of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Linden returns once again for the 2007-2008 season, sporting yet another new look with the team, this time to honour the retro jersey.

Linden celebrates a victory with goaltender Roberto Luongo.

Two of the greatest Canucks to play the game side by side.

Linden visiting terminally ill children at the hospital.

Linden waves to the fans as they salute him on April 5th, 2008. It was believed to be his last game, but he had not yet made any announcements.

Trevor Linden leaves GM Place for the last time in his career.

I think I can speak for Canucks fans worldwide, when I say that we will never forget what Linden has done for this team, and this province. I look forward to seeing #16 raised into the rafters of GM Place where it will remain until the end of time.

I just finished Deus Ex and saw all 3 endings of the game.

Aside from some of it's flaws, Deus Ex is probably one of the best games I have ever played - and one of the most memorable gaming experiences Ive had in a long time.

More people need to play this game.

I will probably post better formulated final thoughts on Deus Ex later.

That's it for now, bed calls.