By SHEA McCLELLIN

McCLELLIN99.SOTL.com

Hey everyone, it's great to be back and I'm happy you're checking in.

First off, let me congratulate the winner of my autographed jersey in SOTL.com's contest. It's going to Stephanie Ulloa, who's a big Bears fan. (Her twitter handle is @Ms_StephyU.)

I know for all my other Bears fans out there it's sad to say our season didn't go a bit longer, but I know our team is already looking to work hard this offseason to improve our game. I also want to say thank you so much for all of your support this season. It truly made my rookie year memorable. I also want to thank Coach Lovie Smith for the opportunity he me gave this year.

Now that I have more free time I'm looking forward to catching up on some new gaming features or really anything I have missed in the last few months.

One thing I had not looked into much was the downloadable games on Xbox, so I decided to check it out. The first game that caught my eye was NBA Jam: On Fire Edition. Yes that old arcade-style game from way back in the day, and it was only $15.

Once I downloaded it I did some exploring and liked what I saw. Specifically, I liked the idea of the ARENA mode, which is an online tournament game mode. This will make for some fun times with some of my old teammates. Specifically, dunking all day on Tyrone Crawford.

Once I started to play on my own I instantly had a flashback when I saw the odd graphics that included players having huge heads and tiny bodies. But don't be fooled. This game has evolved.

The biggest change I noticed is the ability to switch the player you are playing as, because in the older versions you would only be able to change your player at halftime. Now, you can switch whenever you want during play.

One element I'm a bit undecided on is that the game isn't as easy as I remember it. There seems to be more strategy than just dunking and blocking now. This is probably for the best, but when I was shaking off the rust I was somewhat taken aback.

Well, that is all for this edition. Thank you again for all of your support this season, and most of all thank you for reading!

BEAR DOWN!

By SHEA McCLELLIN

McClellin99.SOTL.com

Hey everyone, I hope you all have had a great holiday season so far! This year especially, with the horrible shootings that have affected us all, I hope that you had a chance to create some good memories with your family and loved ones.

As for football, I'm pretty pumped we are still in the playoff picture.  We had to win in Arizona and we got it done. Those road games are the toughest ones to win.  I was slowed down a bit, but I felt good about my game versus the Cardinals.  One thing I have learned as a rookie in the NFL is that every team is so talented that you cannot let down your guard no matter what the opponent's record may be. 

I'm especially grateful for having the opportunity to share my passion for video games with you all via this blog!  I have heard some great suggestions from you guys about video games to feature. For those who have not read each one of the blogs, here are some of the notable games I reviewed in 2012:

Madden '13 – This game raised the bar for all Madden games to come with their new Infinity Engine that made the game more realistic than ever by using "true player impact and authentic momentum transfer." If you do not have this game in your collection, you need to get to your local dealer ASAP and pick it up. For those athletes out there who love competition this is the perfect game for you guys!

Halo 4 – The newest edition to the Halo franchise that was taken over by 343 Industries for the first time. Halo 4 delivered as the past games had, and reminded us why Halo is such a great game.

Assassins Creed III – The third edition to this franchise took us through colonial America and made it easy to lose yourself for a few hours. 

Looking forward to 2013 there are definitely some notable games that I will be keeping my eyes peel for. They include:

Gears of War: Judgment – The fourth edition of Gears of War, which is said to have two new multiplayer modes. 

Grand Theft Auto V – The newest edition to the Grand Theft Auto series and the first since 2008.

Madden '14 – It will be intriguing to see how the game will be developed further around the Infinity Engine. 

This list is very short, but that's because I want you to tell me what games you are looking forward to in 2013 in the comments section. 

Until next time,take care and happy New Year!

By SHEA McCLELLIN

McClellin99.SOTL.com

Hey everyone. I hope you all are all doing well! I'm sure you've heard over and over that on Friday, Dec. 21, the world is supposed to end, because that is when the Mayan calendar ends. Accordingly, I was asked to make this week's blog end-of-the-world related. So I decided to write about the last video game I'd play, should doomsday actually come. 

For me, I'll dig deep into my collection and get the game that changed video games for me -- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

I know this game came out almost a decade ago and I would have to pull out the PS2, but hey, I might as well enjoy my last video game ever. Plus, I'm guessing there won't be many people driving over to play multiplayer games anyways, so I chose a classic that opened up the video game world to me. 

I loved being able to do pretty much anything I wanted in GTA. It was as if a shooting game and racing game had come together. Think about it. I would go on crazy missions and steal awesome cars, and I wouldn't have to waste time getting to know the game.

Ideally, I'd try to see how fast I could get on the military-wanted list, you know, by taking a joy ride in a jet. This game really has it all, perfect for my last game.

Fortunately for us, I don't think the world is going to end anytime soon, so I won't have to actually make this decision. 

Thanks for stopping by and reading this edition of my blog. I'm going to get back to focusing on getting healthy and helping the Bears finish strong. 

Happy Holidays!

By SHEA McCLELLIN

McClellin99.SOTL.com

Hey everyone, I hope you are getting in the holiday spirit.

As the temperatures drop in the Chicagoland area I have seen more and more outdoor ice rinks popping up, and that got me thinking about hockey. Of course the NHL is in the middle of a lockout, but that didn't stop EA Sports from releasing NHL '13. 

As with the previous versions, this game is great to play with a group of friends, or during family gatherings. Either way, this game is a must-buy if you haven't already. (And yes, I know I'm a little late to this bandwagon.)

Much like Madden '13, this game has more of a realistic feel to it. And don't be fooled -- you can't just hit "shoot" and expect the puck to go in the net. This game really forces players to work on directional shooting and passing. If you are the tiniest bit off the game will not assist you in getting the puck to the right places. 

The directional shooting and passing is pretty tough at first, but you should catch on after a few games. If you're still having some trouble I highly recommend doing a few practice rounds working on shooting and passing. It will really give you a good idea of what you need to do. 

But I do prefer two elements of past games that have been eliminated in NHL '13.

First, the half goal has been eliminated. What do I mean by this? The half goal -- aka "halfie" -- was when the play was called dead and you shot for a goal anyway. This is a minor thing, but it was helpful for shooting and also a topic for trash-talking with your opponents. Halfies didn't actually count, but they made for fun with a group.

The second element I'm not wild about is that you can't push players or knock them down after the play. I know this isn't allowed in real hockey and I discourage dirty play in real life, but in the video game I loved to mess with my opponents by knocking over their goalie. It's just another way to get in their head during gameplay, and it's all in fun.

This also made opponents feel the need to protect their goalie.

Those two elements are disappointing to me, but I'll live. So if you can, be sure you pick up this game so you can get a bit of hockey while things are at a standstill with the real NHL. 

I have to give a shout out to everyone who has been supportive all year, whether through social media, or just on the streets when walking by.

I could not have envisioned a better place for me to end up than in Chicago. 

Until next time, take care and Bear Down!

By SHEA McCLELLIN

McClellin99.SOTL.com

Welcome back everyone! Seems like the season is going by so fast.

We have made it to the fourth quarter of the season,  as coach Smith says, and I can honestly say I have learned so much and enjoyed every minute of it. Of course I know we still have many challenges ahead of us, but I'm optimistic about our team. 

I haven't had too much time to review new games because of work. But I took a little time on my day off to review a new game I also wrote about earlier in the season. This week's game highlight is Assassins Creed 3. I know it has been out for a while, but I had been chomping at the bit to play this game because of all of the great things I had been hearing about it. 

That said, I was a little worried when I picked up this game that it wouldn't live up to all the hype. But that turned out to not be the case at all.  It was a pleasant surprise to see that the staff at Ubisoft did more then live up to all the high expectations. 

This edition of Assassins Creed starts in colonial America, just before the Revolutionary War. The plot takes a little while to unfold and get good, but the in-depth detail of the different events surrounding the American Revolution is pretty impressive. All from the perspective of Connor Kenway (aka Ratohnhake), a member of the Mohawk tribe.

As you play through the game it takes you through the war and then to the earliest days of our nation. I found it to be an extremely interesting time period to be playing in, which made it easy for me to get lost in the game for a bit. This game is truly a great way to pass time. 

I know this is not this first thing that comes to mind for wanting to play a video game, but I enjoyed being able to explore and run around colonial America more than the usual Assassins Creed missions and gameplay. I know I had heard something about most buildings being historically correct, but please don't quote me on that because someone could have made that up.

If you are looking at this game from a gamer stand point, and not a historical stand point, I could definitely see where this game gets slow for those who are accustomed to high-action games like Halo.  

One of the features I really enjoyed and have to mention is Frontier Hunting.  As someone who grew up as an outdoorsman in Idaho, I really appreciate the way the developers of Assassins Creed 3 went into detail about all of the intricate aspects of hunting in the colonial era. The tracking, setting traps and catching prey all took a lot of skill. (I even like how Assassins Creed 3's main character Connor says a traditional Mohawk tribe prayer after killing his prey.)

I guess in a way Connor and the modern-day defensive player in the NFL have some things in common. It takes a lot of skill and hard wok to catch our prey, in my case the quarterback. Was that too deep? (Haha.)

Either way, as far as interesting games go this has to be one of my favorites. You can learn something new about the game every time you jump on.

I would recommend this game for everyone, especially if you have time to pass a few hours watching the plots of Assassins 3 develop.  

Take care everyone, and please keep on rooting for the Chicago Bears as we head down to the stretch. We will continue to work our hardest to make sure we reach the potential our team has. 

Let me know if you guys have any cool stories about some games you have recently tried out in the comment box. I will start trying to reply a bit more now that I am getting used to my rookie schedule and routine. Thanks again for checking.

By SHEA McCLELLIN

McClellin99.SOTL.com

Welcome back again to my return readers! If you're new, welcome, and I hope you like what you read. 

This week I'm so excited to share with you a completely different type of game, a mobile device game. Yes, I know they are often over looked as video games, but I'm telling you I'm hooked on this game called "Bad Piggies" by Rovio Entertainment LTD, the makers of "Angry Birds."

This game is considered a prequel of "Angry Birds," but instead of being the birds you are the pigs. 

The point of this game is to design vehicles to get the pigs through an obstacle course to get the pieces of the map. Later, that will help you steal the birds' eggs and will make them angry. 

What is very cool about this game is you have all different parts -- be it boxes, wheels, motors, balloons, etc. -- to help you figure out how to get from point A to point B. 

One thing I prefer about this game in comparison to "Angry Birds" is you don't have to achieve all three stars on a level in one turn. That means you can use different methods to get a single achievement, so you can be as creative as you want. 

This game does make you think about weight location and when you will need to speed up. And it's truly a great way to kill time, if you're waiting for a dentist appointment or traveling. 

Well, that is all for this edition. I hope you get some time to download this game and try it out. Please let me know if you think I should check out any specific games.