Another FanExpo has come and gone, and oh the sights there were to see. I attended the Q&A panel with the cast of Reviews on the Run, and even had a chance t0o play Halo Anniversary multiplayer, to witness first hand the gorgeous recreation of one of the original Halo maps (and damn I wish I could remember the name of it).

But I know you don't really care about any of that, you want to see the COSPLAYERS :D And they were p-lentiful this year too. But to start with, I met the ohhhhh so ravishing Lexa Doig, who starred in Andromeda, joined the cast of Stargate SG-1 for it's last couple of seasons, and last seen on the short lived reimagining of V.



And this bombshell was actually there to work, Marie Claude (Claude being her middle name, I can't remember her last name) a model/actress promoting the web series she stars in, heroesofthenorth.com, appearing as her alter ego, Hornet. But guess what? She does do cosplay also on her own free time. I saw this picture of her as a really HOT (ironically speaking) female version of Sub Zero.



As you can see, she's very approachable...



Until you ask for her number :oops: :P







THIS is the reason, the Avengers assemble





This is based on Supergirl from the rebooted DC Universe, taking effect this month.



Say what you will about black leather, I still like the Jim Balent design of Catwoman :)





She can suckerpunch me any time ;)





Soviet Superman, gotta love it.





I've always seen dudes dress up as Commander Shepard, how awesome to finally see a real live FemShep, and based on the new official one no less :D



There's always gotta be Lara Crofts at these things 8)





I wish she was around to accept the trophy for the last Lady of Gaming I did in 2007, when Tifa won it :o



And even more Bioware goodness to follow :)













Best. Costume. EVER :D:D

At E3 we saw the rebirth of Tomb Raider in its radical new reboot. And as I'm sure many have heard on the grapevine, this reboot is happening on two fronts, both for the game series and movie series after Warner Bros. acquired the IP from Paramount a while back.

And like the upcoming game, the movie is supposedly also reaching back in time to the pivotal moment in Lara's life, before she was a world renowned explorer & archaeologist, to witness the gruelling trials that transformed the inexperienced young girl into the bold adventurer we know her to be.

Which then lead to one crucial question; which actress will portray this new younger vision of Lara Croft? One of the most controversial rumours to circulate the net less than 2 years ago, was that Megan Fox would assume the mantle from Angelina Jolie. As someone who's also been active on the Eidos forums for just under 3 years, I can tell you nothing sparked a crap storm quite like this. Most users there were in absolute outrage and were practically burning the rising starlet in effigy.

Now if I was apprehensive about that news, the next rumour turned my blood to ice. The very prospect of my favourite video game heroin being massacred by the atrocious performance of Kim Kardashian made me want to plunge a rusty spoon into my eyes. :cry::cry: Thankfully both rumours were immediately debunked by press releases from both actresses.... whew :)

So who then should don the pony tail? From a considerable list of potentials out there, including Natalie Portman, Anne Hathaway, Gemma Arterton, and Olivia Wilde to name a few prospects touted by various media sites, where still nothing is official or confirmed, there's one in particular I believe is just ideally suited for the role.

And that's SUMMER GLAU! Best known for Firefly and Terminator: SCC, she meets much of the prerequisites the part calls for:

As far as looks and the hotness factor goes, Summer's already got that locked down. No problems here :D She's already got extensive training in marksmanship and sword play that might come in handy for Lara. And Summer is more than looks and physical ability, she's got solid acting talent. Some of what she displays in Serenity demonstrates that she can deliver a performance with the emotional resonance this particular part will demand. Namely in the earlier scenes when Lara is first awakened to her new reality, cut off from her support and left to fend for herself, to experience the terror of uncertainty. In the beginning Lara should start out weak and vulnerable, but over the course of the journey, see her develop and grow in strength and purpose. Basically I see Summer as an actress capable giving the contrasting performance of the before and after Lara.

As an added bonus Summer also has a background in dancing and gymnastics. While that may seem irrelevant I can see how that will translate into Lara's acrobatic skills, so that's another aspect to the physicality of Lara Croft. While it may not figure prominently in this chapter (still being young and before she could formerly train to have such skills), but looking long term across multiple movies, will be a valuable asset.

So from looks, to acting talent, to physical skill, Summer Glau is the all in one package to pull of the best Lara seen on screen. And of course a blog like this is incomplete without pics 8)

In a recent thread in System Wars, where the community was sharing its desktop wallpapers, as expected I had a few designs based on Lara Croft. It's no mystery to anybody who's been on the forums for at least a year that I'm one of the biggest fans of the character and her series, Tomb Raider. Though I gotta also give credit to Lto_thag and AAllxxjjnn on that front as well.

So from this wallpaper sharing, some small discussion about Lara came about, and I was asked (not for the first time either) why I am so enamoured with Lara? What is so special about her? And don't get me wrong either. I still have my appreciation for several other female gaming characters, such as Samus, Kasumi, Joanna Dark, Jill Valentine, and Rayne, just to name a few. So what is it about Lara that keeps me coming back to her?

Oh I know what you're all probably thinking already, "it's the boobs and skimpy outfits, isn't it Adobe?". PLEASE! Give me a little credit here :P There's more cleavage and skin to be had with the DOA cast, and I have yet to adorn a sig featuring any of those characters. Not that I ever complain about cleavage (hey, I AM a guy, lol), but even so I certainly do have more discerning tastes :) Is it how she personifies strength and courage in female protagonists? Again, such traits are found in most female leads, such as Samus and Joanna, also very awesome characters in my book.

But where looks, intelligence, and strength are found in numerous female gaming characters, there is still one additional layer to Lara's personality, and that is culture and sophistication. While her image as a rugged explorer is commonly known, there is so much more. The Angelina Jolie movies got some aspects right, but they were focused on only 1, and kinda presented the character as a tomboy. But as anybody who's been playing the games for years will tell you, she is anything but. It should not be forgotten that Lara comes from an aristocratic background which is as much a part of her life as her exploration quests.

So not only does she possess qualities of athletic hotness and strength, but also styIe and sophistication. While most people see just the outdoors explorer, Lara still embraces her aristocratic heritage, and can really carry herself with poise and styIe. Just see the video below. But even while she dresses herself in elegance and luxury, she's never a snob either. In fact another part of her charm is her down to earth and quite cheeky attitude. Lara's very British wit is a delight to see :)

Best. Entrance. Ever.

I guess what truly sets Lara apart from any other gaming heroin, is diversity. You take Samus for example, she's always in her combat gear. Same with Joanna Dark. Not that there's anything wrong with that mind you, they do look amazing in their outfits and can kick ass with styIe of their own. But with Lara, you can have an action hero, sultry vixen, and ravishing aristocrat, all at the same time. She's an expression of beauty, culture, wit, power, courage, and sophistication, all in one very alluring package. Granted it might not be a fair comparison, given the context and setting of Samus' world doesn't afford her variety in how she presents herself, but there you have it.

Of course everything I deliberated on is based on the old TR games. This upcoming game is based entirely on the pivotal moment of her life that transformed her into what we know her to be today. It remains to be seen how many of those qualities will still be written into the new Lara's characterization. I do absolutely love the more realistic and natural human look to Lara in this re visioning of her character. It's to be expected that the continuity is a fresh start, and while I can accept that the bikinis won't make a return, I really do hope they keep the extravagant evening gowns, not only because she looked beautiful in that way, but again how it represented her cIassy and styIish side to her persona. For any reboot to be successful, a sense of familiarity must accompany the freshness that fans will still be able to identify Lara as Lara.

So to wrap this up, a look at the many faces of Lara Croft :)

Another year, another convention for fans of all things sci-fi, comic book, anime, and gaming. It was a great show, with the biggest turn out I ever saw. Seriously, it was a mad house where I had to push my way through a throng of people to get from one end to the other. I had a chance to play Halo Reach Firefight mode and met world famous video game reviewer Victor Lucas, and the sexy Terminator femme fatale, Summer Glau. There was actually a huge celebrity guest list, but way too many lines to see them all. And I had my priorities of who I wanted to meet ;)

And oh yes, there were many hot cosplayers to be seen. Some weren't as "hot" as others but I still got pictures of costumes that impressed me. And now as you're probably bored with my ramblings, here are the pics.

But before I start with the cosplayers, here's some gaming related stuff. Me and reviewer Victor Lucas, also the show's Blu Ray reviewer Miri Jedekin, and some amazing gear I saw there too, special Tron editions of controllers. Damn I'm tempted to get them, though I also have my eye on the Razr Onza for the 360.

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Check out these cosplayers. The Gears COG soldier was damn impressive. You just had to see it in person, the outfit is huge, just so bulky, he was like a walking tank. When he took his helmet off, he was sweating bullets :lol:
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No convention is complete without Lara Croft :) And you should have seen captain America's costume. The scale armor seen slose up is really impressive.
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You gotta love Star Trek. And I saved the best two for last. Black Widow and Invisible Woman were real head turners in their snug curve hugging costumes. I'll actually be doing a Photoshop job on Invisible Woman to have her fading out from the waist down. Check back soon to see that :)
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I saw Kick Ass on Fri. And truly, I am blown away by what I saw. That movie broke the WIN scale, I mean broke it hard!! :lol:

The trailers gave me the impression that it would take a humorous and satirical look at ordinary people attempting to actualize the fantasy of comic book mythology. But there was so much more to it than just that. This movie really, and in fact brutally honestly, depicts what it would be like to try and fulfil the fantasy I'm sure so many of us have had before.

Never before have I felt such a visceral weight of consequence to taking such outlandish action. With and amazingly honest portrayal of the risk and danger involved, which most comic book movies and even the source comics themselves, only gloss over in favour of glamorizing the heroic exploits of the costumed crusaders, which makes it seem far easier than it would be in reality. The very first time the main character puts on his costume and confronts the car-jackers illustrates this so perfectly, the kind of consequence one would face for defying reasonable thought to ones actions, and how its not all glory or just that satisfying feeling of having done good for the community.

And not only is this movie brutally honest, it is just.... brutal in the more traditional sense of the word. Another thing the trailer doesn't prepare you for is the honesty of violence that crime fighting would entail. This movie de-glamorizes the action of fight scenes, and shows the ugly face of brutality and again, heavy consequence, suffered by both the criminals and the costumed adventurers when this sort of out of control conflict occurs. Especially given the context that the heroes, under their costumes are just flesh and blood like the rest of us. There is nothing clean at all about the "the good guys" taking out the "bad guys" and dusting themselves off for the night.

It's even more striking that Hit Girl, who is only 11 years old, is by far THE most violent character of the whole cast. She holds absolutely nothing back, not with her bladed weapons that leaves no body unmarked, nor her vocabulary. I mean this young lass could give Duke Nukem a run for his money. She is so ruthless, it is both frightening, and much of the source of the morbid comedy of this movie. It's really how realistic this movie is that brings about the dark humour, with that train wreck effect, that you just can't take your eyes away from the carnage, and at the same time you can't help but appreciate this movies honest approach to the genre.

The Americans have ComicCon, and we Canadians have FanExpo, our biggest convention for all things comics, sci-fi, and gaming. Where the stars come to meet their fans, the latest news of upcoming sci-fi events unfolds, and the geeks congregate. And this blog has more emphasis on the geeks themselves, namely those oh so hot cosplayers that bring the fantasies of our favorite comic and gaming vixens to life.
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But before I show you those pics, I thought I'd start with something else. The Grail of Geekdom, TRON!!!!!! Oh yes, I am of the generation that saw this movie when it originally graced theatres in 1982. It was a work of true visionary imagination and the movie that was at the forefront of two frontiers; CGI animation in cinema, and exploring the impact computers would have on our lives. Who knew 27 years ago how much the silicon revolution would shape the landscape of social interaction, media distribution, and even art and culture?
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I don't think I can fully convey just how excited I am that at long last, a true sequel is on its way. And with the tremendous advancements made in the technology the first movie heralded, what was shown at the presentation shows how far Tron has come with an even more breath taking showcase. If you haven't seen the TRAILER yet on the Apple site, go check it out now, in 1080 if you can. Aside from that, there was a slideshow shown of the artist concept renders with how many of the familiar settings of the digital world are even more awe inspiring than ever before. But even better than the images presented, was that the convention had an actual full scale model of the new Light Cycle on display. I don't think my photos can fully do justice to this marvel of vehicle design and architecture when seeing it in person. But here it is;
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And now, without further ado, feast your eyes on the savory HOTTNESS of the cosplayers! :D:D (first isn't so much "hot" but a damn good Link, even though played by a girl)
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I've been a poster at the Tomb Raider forums for a while. Recently a thread was made discussing the possibility that the next Tomb Raider game will be M rated. As you might expect, this caused quite a stir, with the big fear that Lara will be shown nude in the games, though nobody seemed to have any objections to more explicit violence. But while I was composing my post on the subject, it became more than just about Tomb raider, and as much an exploration of the handling of the M rating of games in more general concepts.

So I thought it was worth sharing here as well. Like I said, much of what I say here is directed to Lara, and the Lara fan base, but almost all of it could be applied to almost any M rated game, as well as the sexuality of female video game characters, where the principle is almost universal. And now on to the topic at hand;

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VIOLENCE

The general consensus that seems to be found on these boards is a more realistic presentation of violence is favorable. And I don't think what we as gamers or fans of Tomb Raider are gearing towards is an excess of blood and gore. Certainly not to the extent of Gears of War, God of War, Saw, or a Rob Zombie movie.

What is really desired, pushing towards realism, is the sense of genuine consequence to the actions taking place in the game. We want to feel that when Lara finds herself in a firefight with mercenaries or a savage struggle with the local wildlife, that there is a palpable sense of danger. She should suffer certain injuries and likewise, her enemies must approach her with trepidation, especially when they are aware of her reputation as a force to be reckoned with.

SEXUALITY

Now please note that what I said here is sexuality, not sex. This has nothing to do with turning the franchise into a blatant porn series. But like it or not (as I am aware some of you out there plainly don't like it) Lara... HAS... sex appeal. And quite frankly I can't see why this should be a problem.

The biggest issue I have with the objections to a sexual portrayal of Lara is the perpetration of downright MYTHS. Can we please please PLEASE get past the ludicrous notion that Lara being sexy somehow undermines her being a strong, confident, powerful, graceful, cIassy, cultured, and intelligent woman?

I mean who said a woman couldn't be sexy AND intelligent at the same time? Can't express naughty humor AND witty repartee at the same time? Can't show confidence in her looks AND be cultured at the same time? For all you saying "she's not a porn star, she should be portrayed in only a cIassy way", I rebuke with this; It's true that if she was shown only as a sex symbol it would be a tragic disservice to her and her fans. But I would go so far as to say that her being only a dedicated archaeologist would be just as much a disservice. I want to see a fully dimensional human being, and to me its far more interesting to see complex personality traits that show realistic behaviors than "just the action heroin", which by itself would be flat and dull. To put it simply, why limit how Lara is defined? Someone who is realistically multi faceted is far more interesting and offers much more to amire.

Now there was a note here that "Lara is sexy because she's not trying to be". And this is correct as well. Yet we see her very often in outfits that accentuate her exquisite physique. That would almost seem like she is showing off, but here's why that's not the case. Lara has that aristocratic upbringing and if I understand that culture, women are more often "prim and proper" as the expression goes. But part of Lara's psychology, is that she lives by her own rules and doesn't bend to convention. So when she's going out there looking like she's posing for a fitness babe calendar, it's not motivated by any fulfillment of ego or vanity. It's because she doesn't care to follow the "rules" of what it is to be a lady, and sure as hell doesn't give a damn what others in her society think. She's just doing what she wants to do, with no thought of seeking approval for her looks. And yes, that is sexy as hell. What is also very appealing to me is the range Lara has when it comes to sexiness. She very successfully pulls of beach beauty hotness, athletic hotness, and even elegant and refined hotness. She is diverse and how can that not be seen as enticing on so many levels?

On the related subject of nudity, I feel it IS justified where the context deems it appropriate. I know some of you will vehemently disagree with that, and that it never has a place anywhere. But those are my thoughts. To take a page from the DOA series, what I find very sexy about that is that while it does show provocative imagery, yet never makes use of full frontal nudity. Instead, they take the more creative approach, employing a combination of controlled camera angles and environmental and other props to obscure the full view of the female so you can't see it all even when she's undressed. And I do fully support that this approach has artistic merit.

Of course the question is, would any situation Lara finds herself in entail a circumstance that she'd lose her clothing? Probably not. As stated before, she shouldn't be combating tigers and mercenaries in her bikini. But I suppose you might have those down time moments after or in between an exploratiodan, when she emerges from the shower (was seen in an earlier Core game), or she could be lounging by her pool when some agent approaches her for an assignment offer. Maybe even during an exploration, she sees a lagoon with waterfall, and decides to clean up a bit and refresh herself after getting very sweaty and grimy (again employing the DOA approach to the cinematic), where it would be a reasonable action to take. I mean who honestly enjoys feeling grimy?

So to summarize the sexuality and nudity issue; if we really want it to be handled in a mature manner, gamers need to get past this erroneous notion that the female body and the sexuality aspect of psychology is a "dirty and shameful" thing. It shouldn't be seen as a crime. And remember that point I made of violence? Why do some people want that to be given a respectful treatment with authenticity, but when it comes to human behavior, sex is suddenly not part of the equation of what makes a person realistic? It seems realism is constrained by limiting mores, and it really shouldn't be.

CONTEXT

The final aspect of mature content I wanted to tackle is, well content itself. The very substance of the story, the handling of subject matter in both a realistic and thoughtful manner, and mainly being able to explore controversial and provocative issues. And considering what Lara does for a living, the stories are rife with potential here. I mean she's gotta be pissing off a lot of locals, trespassing into territory that is a sacred part of their cultural history. Or just the heated debates she could get into, trying to expose the "truth" (taken from the story context the writers choose to create for various mythologies) that clashes with peoples deeply held beliefs to the nature of deities and relics. A conflict of knowledge vs faith could provide such rich drama. Though really, I'm just spit balling here, lol.

Then there's the use of language. There was that poll option which never made it in, Lara suddenly dropping the f-bomb left right and center. But we all know she wouldn't adopt that language usage, she far too much a lady for that. But what about the other characters she encounters? She often has to deal with all manner of unseemly people to get leads for what she's looking for. Or how about the mercs she combats in the jungles? Now we would never like to hear this about our beloved heroin - yet is it realistic to expect that they, hired guns not exactly known for refinement, to hold her in the same regard we do? Especially when she is shooting at them? Would it be unrealistic to expect that in the heat of a firefight, they would be screaming the f-bomb at her, not to mention calling her all manner of unsavory descriptions... I'm sure you can fill in the blanks there. Again, we're talking about a ruthless lot, who has no reason to be polite.

For as long as I've had my Xbox 360 console, for a little over 2 years, I've been gaming on just a standard def TV. Mind you it's a 32" Toshiba flat screen with standard component inputs which the 360's component HD cables work with, so I didn't feel I have much to complain about. I mean I could still see substantial difference over the old Xbox1 visuals; the higher poly-count, better rendered textures, advanced lighting, pixel shaders, more expansive environments, numerous on screen characters... all that was as evident on SD as it would be on HD.

I never got to see that crispness and fidelity that 1080 or even 720 lines of resolution offered, and I didn't know anybody with an HDTV and a modern gamig console. Of course here on Gamespot, I can't go a day without hearing about how HD gaming is the greatest thing since sliced bread, hell from what people said, it reivented the way bread is sliced. Of course all this banter had me curious for the longest time what it would be like to experience that first hand.

My main problem with making the transition was PRICE. I would say an HDTV to be of a respectable size, say 27" at the very least (I couldn't even dare look at the price tags of those 50" monsters, lol), along with at least 8000:1 contrast ratio and 5ms response, still costs too much for me today, never even mind what they cost 2 years ago. I am not the kind of guy that can just throw $600 or more on a TV (speaking in Canadian prices). The 32" TV I have now I didn't spend the $500 on yself, it was a family birthday gift to me 2 years ago. So I pretty much accepted that an HDTV would be out of reach for me this entire generation. Maybe when the Xbox 720 came out or about a year afterwards, it would be viable for me. And here I am with a 360 with an HDMI port and the cable already packed in the box, but no HDTV to make use of that. But like I said, curiosity aside, with my large flat screen component, I guess what qualifies as EDTV, I wasn't complaining.

But then there was a subject that kept popping up in threads discussing making the move to HD displays. People who advocated that there really is no excuse since most people online already have access to one. "Just connect your 360 to the LCD you use with your PC, the technology is the same in those larger HDTV's". But even that raised concerns with me, namely, why would I want to downsize my screen area from 32" to a measly 17"? Surely a bigger viewable area is far better for gaming. Did the difference in doubling the lines of resolution really make up for the downsizing of the screen?

Again curiosity tugged at me. I knew there were more dots in my 17" than in my 32" TV. I had to admit, I was considering investigating that avenue, since my monitor was already there. Why not give it a shot, and if I don't think it's that much better, I can always go back to my TV. But when I looked at the cost of picking up the 360's VGA cable, plus a KVM switch so I could share my LCD between my PC and gaming console, I decided it wasn't worth it. Not only that, my 17" LCD is of the old 4:3 aspect ratio, not the 16:9 widescreen, so no telling how the HD display settings would even work on that. Again I just decided I'll keep to SD hook up for my 360.

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Now that brings us to 2 days ago. When I was seeing some online ads at the CanadaComputers web site, I was browsing monitors, because I wanted something bigger for my Photoshop productivity. And I'm seeing a lot of these newer monitors have an HDMI port. hmmmm... could this mean? Why yes, yes I think it'll work. I could use the VGA connection for the PC, and the HDMI for the 360. No need for extra cables or switcher boxes. Just a press of the input button on the monitor and, voila!!

And then I saw the sweetest deal among the inventory. A 21.5" widescreen Benq. 10,000:1 contrast ratio with 5ms response time. And the best part, the very best part? Where other monitors of this size category were designed for 1680x1050, this model actually supported 1920x1080, a resolution usually only found in the more expensive 24" LCDs. It was basically advertised as supporting 1080p display. Oh and all this for the amazing price of $219 CDN, which at the time of my weekend pickup, was being offered for an in store deal of $205. This was just too good to be true! For $205, a price now in my range, I could not only enter the HD arena of gaming, but the very same device enhanced my PC desktop experience and productivity, which just doubled the value of that $205. Much sooner than I expected, the HD solution found its way to me, and killing two birds with one stone.

I am just loving the cleaness and clarity of the pictures I'm seeing. And not only that, and I'm not sure it's related to the resolution jump, but it seems as I was playing Halo 3 and GeoW 2, the control responsive has gotten a boost. I mean I'm playing with the same 360 controller, but the aiming just seems to be tighter, reticle movements more concise, and more responsive when I swing or just try to nudge the reticle, and I can really zero in on those head shots through the scope, even when I was getting a clear view on my 32" SDTV. I can really say, it's nice to be in the club now.

And sweet Lara, what this has done to my Photoshop experience is UNBELIEVABLE :o Anybody with experience with the app who knows how it can be a tricky proposition balancing all those pallette windows. Having to dock a few tabs together, needing to make the switch from one to the other as you're working, while not crippling by any means, sure makes the task of optimizing for the available space in 1280x1024 a constant chore. But now with the widescreen, I have so much space, I have my palletes arranaged in two columns, my layers, channels, history, text editor, color swatches, and more, always visible on the screen. And even with all that I can display a hi-res artwork (8x10, 200-250 dpi) with more of it visible at higher view scale (50% nominally), and see all the small text and images with great detail without having to zoom out too much. It. is. such. a BEAUTIFUL thing, I'm in heaven :)

Hey everybody, not sure what else to open this blog with. Funny thing is, I'm really not that practiced with poetry, though I have read my share. But somehow I was struck with sudden inspiration. Just a vague idea at first which I just took to sculpting into what I present to you now. The title is "Primal Rebirth", and without further ado...

So you been wondering what my teaser from the last blog was all about? What is the greatest SW poll that could ever be done? 2008 GOTY? No, bigger than that. Best game of the generation? Nooo, bigger than THAT.

This is nothing less than the Greatest Game of All Time!!!! Any game, from any gen, from any year, is a contender for this title. Go check it out and vote!!!

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26733143&tag=topics;title