I can’t put my finger down on why I did it, but I did something I said to myself I wouldn’t do.

I plopped down money for Mass Effect 2, even though I hadn’t played the first game, and I was saving that money for White Knight Chronicles on the PS3.

I was hoping Allods Online would curb my gaming needs for a little while, but as polished as the game happens to be right now, I had to leave it. It felt too much like WoW and Warhammer Online, and even though I loved the price point of FREE, I feel like I don’t want to play WoW or WAR right now.

Instead, what I wanted was either Everquest 2, or something completely new. Apparently, that meant an impulse to go to the local gaming store after my night class and purchase Mass Effect 2 before closing time.

I’ve left Astral Ships behind for Spaceships, and I think I can be happy with that. I actually never got to finish Dragon Age: Origins, but perhaps this game will be a little more engaging for me (and with the free Blood Dragon Armor, I’m hoping I like it even more).

On another note, I also found out that Yvonne Strahovski, who plays Sarah Walker on Chuck (one of my favorite shows on television right now) actually plays a part in Mass Effect 2. If the cover art is any indication, I’d say she’s playing the Miranda Lawson character who’s on the front of the box.

I’m going to dispense with the puns, and just say it straight. I’m going into Allods Online blind, with no idea of the game other than the fact that there’s a race that fights in threes here.

Brannagar of Corpse Run was offering beta keys for the game, so I decided to take him up on his offer. Since my Everquest 2 trial is done, and White Knight Chronicles and the EQ2 expansion won’t be out till next month, there wasn’t really anything to write about on the blog unless I played something else.

Hence, the attempt to download Allods.

Here’s to hoping the game plays well, and I hope to catch a bug or two, just so I can be responsible and be a part of the noble effort to make a game better than it already is.