In between posting my God of War III review and watching episodes of The Pacific on HBO, I got invited to preview a first-person shooter in San Francisco. That’s where Capcom had journalists flying in to check out Lost Planet 2 in nearby San Mateo. Because the one-day event was south of the Bay City, I didn’t get a glimpse of The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz or any of the other iconic landmarks. I was lucky enough to see these famed places once before in a 1996 family vacation and, knowing that this is the unofficial capital of videogames, I’m sure I’ll be back in San Francisco several times this year.

I did get to check out Capcom’s North American headquarters, however, and I met a lot of the people involved with the company along with fellow videogame journalists. We literally broke bread with the staff at a bruschetta-filled dinner, which was a nice change of pace from the cramped office demo rooms, like the one in which I tested out Grand Theft Auto-like MMO APB earlier in the week, or uncoordinated expo halls, like this month’s 3D Gaming Summit. In addition to networking, I got a chance to question Capcom Community Manager Shawn Baxter about the upcoming first-person shooter. The video is embedded after the break.

My most recent trip was to report on UFC Undisputed 2010 in Las Vegas. At the Ultimate Warrior Gym, I got to tangle with my videogame journalist brethren and learn the basic moves of this full-contact sport from some of the stars of MMA. Learning kicks and punches in the cage, a bunch of different, bruise-resulting pins on the mat and punching and blocking maneuverings in the ring was fun and put us in touch with what happenings in the videogame. But the best part had to be the morning workout. Performing an exhausting number of move sets with two dozen videogame journalists, who were either overweight or underweight, was a sight to see and an experience I’ll never forget. Read my UFC Undisputed 2010 vs 2009 comparison here and watch my video interview with THQ’s Director of Production William Schmitt after the break.

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I accidentally dropped my iPhone 3G at a gas station outside of Utah during the course of my 2009 Roadtrip. Apparently, my phone, keys, sunglasses, credit card and gas cap were just too much to handle. Face down, the glass screen exhibited a couple of noticeable cracks when I picked it up, but it was otherwise functional. Eight months later, wear-and-tear built up and the cracks enlarged, so I purchased a iPhone screen replacement from Amazon.com and tested my do-it-yourself skills. This $12 alternative sure beats a new $200 iPhone when a new model is two months from being unveiled. But I must caution you: this is not for amateurs as many things can go wrong and result in a more-broken iPhone.

Luckily, I’m good with my hands and was able to replace the cracked iPhone while recording the entire process in HD. The video above is sped up so that it’s only 60 seconds long and set to the fast-paced classical tune Sabre Dance.