First, let me start by saying I got an XBox around Christmas, so some of the games I post about are old news for most. But not me. That's why I can pick up quite a handful of games for less than $20 a piece. They're all new to me.


Well, the best pick up so far has been Conflict: Desert Storm II. At first, it was difficult, and I didn't really enjoy it. But then my wife, her sister, and her cousin were over, and we played it all together. That's when I really Got It. Once I didn't have to worry about controlling three other players, it was much easier, and I understood what needed to get done. I think the idea of 4 people sitting down and going through the missions is awesome. The interaction between players is great, and it makes it much more enjoyable.


After that, I started playing with just two other people - my wife and her brother. I controlled two of the guys, and they each had one. I started to get the hang of it, but more than anything, the guy just tailed me.


Then I found out I could send him off on his own. I bought the game used at Blockbuster, and it didn't have instructions, so I didn't exactly get that part of it off the bat. Luckily, a cold Saturday afternoon allowed me to run through the training missions, which taught me how to lead a team.


Now, I enjoy playing alone. I still think it's awesome to play with three or four people, but playing alone is good too. Two people right now would be difficult - my wife says she can't handle controlling two people, and my brother-in-law doesn't have the game, so he can never practice.


Which brings me to my next question. What other games are out there where you can go through a set of missions with multiple players, but you don't have to worry about controlling the ones that are "computer players"? I've heard Halo might be that way (but never played it), as well as some of the Clancy games, which I was a huge fan of on the PC.


Anyway, back to Conflict. The first level was easy - no big deal. I love sniping! Being able to take out the gunners without them ever even seeing me is great. I made the mistake at first of not getting the truck to head up the road, but it wasn't a huge deal (this time).


The second level is quite a bit harder. It took us quite a few tries to get by it (I did this one with three people the first time, but eventually did it on my own too). The tanks really had me for a while. With the first one, I kept taking all of the guys into the same place, and the tank would eventually spot me, and slaughter my guys. We finally figured out the trick is to get on either side of it, and let one side distract it, while the other side attacks. Then came the bombs from overhead. It took a while to find the guys calling those in, but now, it's cake to wipe them out. Then more tanks. It's a long level, but it is fun, especially once you figure out a few things.


Level three was tough for a while. I had no idea where to go. At one point, I had one guy stuck somewhere, and the other guys couldn't get there. By this time, I was able to play by myself fairly well, and we hadn't had a good get together to forge through this level as a team, so I did it myself. "Under Seige" is a good explanation of the level. I lost the helicopter a couple of times before finally beating it. Then I headed the wrong way. Eventually I figured it out, but it took a while.


Level four is another cool level. Sniping all over the place! Other than that, it's fairly straight forward. The alarm going off doesn't seem to affect much, but then again, I am playing the easy level right now. I don't want to give away too much, but here's something useful. Take the truck - well, first clear out an area, then go get the truck. I made it to the end before I realized I needed the truck. Yes, I ignored the suggestions of my teammates who kept saying "Let's go get the transport." I figured, I'm in charge, don't boss me around!


I passed that one the other night around 1:00 AM. No progress on level five yet, other than a brief start, where I blew up the whole team right off the bat.


I'm still looking for another game that I can play as a team with my wife, but for now, I'll just play alone and try to get through this one.