In Games TM Magazine, it is reported that 80% of the general gaming population never finish their games. At first , it sounds like a ridiculous amount, but after some asking around of my own, it seems rather accurate. About 75% of my students who play games, never finish them. Most of my friends start games, getting as far as the last boss sometimes, then quit.

While I understand not finishing a bad game (why waste your time), I simply don't understand the practice of playing through a game, only to stop at the end. What kind of masturbatory torture is this? Clearly, the game was good enough to go this far! Why stop now?

Look at it this way too: if you really enjoy a particular title, would you not want to get the most out of it? What about the fact that you just spent $50 on a great gaming experience? Would you not want to get your moneys worth? Again, the aforementioned behavior hurts my brain even more after discussing these issues.

So, do you beat em, and if not, why?

SNK, simply the masters of the 2D fighting genre, have a had an amazing track record of fantastic game after fantastic game. Samurai Spirits, Last Blade, King of Fighters, Metal Slug. The list goes on. Since 1990, SNK has both developed and published their own work, with no deadlines to answer to. Only the desire to make great arcade games that are done when they are DONE! 

Now, with all this greatness, there must be the occasional slip up. The one or two games that really don't live up to the legend (See the Art of Fighting Series). Well my friends, SNK has delivered their turd in the form of Neo Geo Battle Colosseum.

This title could have been fantastic, joining fave characters from top SNK games into a smorgasbord of fighting goodness. But alas, we are left with the most lack-luster experience SNK has ever delivered. Everything about it feels as though all their inspiration had been stolen while asleep. Anything you would expect from the fighting gods is missing here: exciting game play, beautiful graphics, perfect control, groovy music. All gone. As Ralphie from X Mas story once said : "Son of a b***h!"

After two hours of play plagued by inconsistent control, horrid load times, and boring interaction, I decided that this was their red-headed step child that should be locked in the basement (wait, I'm a red-headed step child). every company with a great reputation has these (Beat Down anyone?), but I can forgive them for that. It just became a larger disappointment in that you have realistic expectations from certain developers.

Oh, well. They have Samurai Spirits 6 coming to make it up!

Every year has some let downs that take you by surprise. Here are some that generally iritated me this year:

1. Soul Calibur 3

AKA Rock em' Sock em' Robots. SC3 falls back into the patters that plagued the original SC: Poor Balance, Targeting moves with no penalty, and the ability to rape your victim on the ground. I guarantee you: If I knock you down, you will not get back up.

Soul Calibur 3 is like a very, very Beauitful Woman. With aids.

2. The Warriors

What a great idea for a game. Unfortunatley, no one seems to understand that like most Rockstar games, the control is questionable. Poor hit detection, no hit indication, and the control of a lost rabbit make for a very, very sad experience.

3. MK Shoalin Monks

let me say, I do like this game. It's a great beat-em up, and a fun co-op experience. Unfortunatley, it falls into the "artificial length" category. While not as annoying as some, it still loses points for being a tiny game, with lots of back-tracking.

4. Neo Geo Battle Colosseum

See my next blog.

Thats it for now folks.

Yep, your head turns to Boba Fett!!!

Thanks to everyone who came, preserved their bodies with Little Debbie's, enjoyed my wife's wonderful cakes, and Dorked out!

I was thinking about what held my interest best this year, and I came up with the following games:

1. Devil May Cry 3: Simply a fantastic Masterpiece. Satisfying and immaculate.

2. Psychonauts (XBOX): Shame on you for not buying a copy!

3. Lego Star Wars (PS2): Positively the most fun game in years. I may have to call it best of the year for such giddy joy it brought me.

4. King of Fighters Neowave (ARC, PS2): Best KOF since 95.

5. Guilty GearXX  #Reload (PSP): What a wonderful marvel in the palm of your hand!

6. Vampire Collection (PS2): Finally, the entire arcade perfect series on one disc, zero load time.

7. The Senko: (PS2) Best Beat em' Up this year

8. TMNT 3 (PS2): A pleasant surprise. If you dig the Beat em' Ups, you'll dig this.

9. Akumajo Dracula (PS2) (Castlevania: Curse of Darkness): Never mind the reviews, this is one quality 32 hour game (if you are a completest), with solid, solid action.

10. Shadow of the Colossus (PS2): The must play game of the year. One of the greatest experiences you can have in the world of games.

Good stuff folks.

Next time: Disappointments of the the year.

Now, now. Get your mind out of the gutter! What I'm talking about is the length of games. Dig it?

I'll start by saying something that most will probably at first find strange. Here it is: I HATE LONG GAMES.

Now, you might think: huh? Why would you, sir, not want more bang for your buck? Allow me to explain. Many games these days, feel they should last around the 10 hour mark, In fact, any shorter than that, and the game gets cut down for "being too short". To remedy this, game developers have the choice to add more, exciting and functional content to thier creation, or use artificial means to extend the duration from start to finish.

So, what is this "Artificial Length" I speak of? Artificial length, is when a game adds hours to game play not by added and inferential content, but by means such as needless back-tracking, qwests for "the keys to the door", and elaborate puzzles that are void of direct game play enhancement or momentum. Think of it as "Filler".

Now, I don't mind some key and item fetching, but often times it takes you away from the main focus of the game. Perfect example: Nano Breaker. It could have been a great simple hack n' slash, but instead the game gets bogged down by needless searching to open doors, all while NOT cutting down the baddies. Now, if the game had you cutting, cutting, cutting all the way, then it might be OK, but no, the "Open door" filler not only adds hours of needless running around, but it takes you away from the only satisfying element of the game.

Some games can get it right: Devil May Cry 3 has some key searching, but it has you hacking almost all the way through. It keeps the main focus of the game, even during the extended durations of "Getting around".

Simply put: don't give me filler. If you need to make the game longer, give me more of what is inherent to the games nature. Also, the hours from start to finish are not the only way to explain a games length.

Shin Contra: Takes an hour to beat, but uh, add about 20 to get to that point.

Give me content, not filler.  

I am of the opinion that one should have some idea of what they are getting into when purchasing anything when a substantial dollar amount is required. Games, indeed have a dollar value that needs a bit of thinking before one buys. The Average game is $50 these days, and that can eat a hole into someones pocket quickly.

This brings me to something that has gone far beyond a mere annoyance: Folks who don't know the name of the game they just bought.

I was having a conversation where the individual attempted to inform my of his purchase: Devil May Cry 3. He simply said: "Yeah, I got that one Devil Game! It's awsome! The dude with the coat kicks ass, and that other dude in Blue looks cool to!"

Now, I would like to think this man isn't a complete idiot, so I give him a chance: "What game again?" All he could say was : "You know, that one Devil-Game with the red guy!" Nothing more, nothing less. The Devil Game, with the Red guy. He gets an f even for trying.

It seems to me, that not only do I have more than a vague idea of what a game might cost, but I'm pretty sure I at least know the name of the game, much less the name of the main character. Here, we have someone who spent $50, on a game he can't seem to recall very well. Does this person even deserve to spend money? I think not. It really isn't to much to ask of such a thing. He gets an f in money management.

Well, I think I'm going to play that Turtle game, followed by the Ninja Game, maybe a bit of that meat and bready food afterwards, after I type on thes letter-thingy.

Nothing I love more than some testosterone embellished alpha-male trying to find some shred of manhood in his ability to beat a game or game mode that is universally truly, truly hard. Of course, they must add "Yeah, it was easy." Ninja Gaiden Black on Master-Ninja mode? Easy. Devil May Cry 3 on Dante Must die Mode? Not hard. Shin Contra? Nothing. 

The truth is this:

I'm not impressed by people who can beat easy games. I am impressed by people who can beat hard games/modes. In other words: you will impressing me by beating a hard game, and owing up to the fact that it was hard. When someone goes up to the challenge of thrashing a game like Gradius 5 without dying, does it, and says: "Man that was HARD, but I beat it!" then, and only then am I impressed. If the person said it was easy, then eh. That's nice.

My point is this: Guys who try and seem like great gamers by calling a hard game easy really need to check thier manhood somewhere else. Nope, this isn't the rant of someone who sucks at games: I myself, am a pretty good gamer. Not to toot my own horn, but I beat Devil May Cry 3 on Dante Musit die mode, and I'm proud to say that it was one hard, hard, HARD challenge. Yet, I did it. I can beat Ninja Gaiden Black without dying, and it's a great challenge. Not very easy my friends, and I'm more than willing to admit that. In other words: I take pride in beating a hard game, and I acknowledge that it was indeed, hard. 

These guys who love to make everything sound easy, aren't earning any points. If it was easy, then they had no challenge, therefore nothing to brag about. Nothing to work for, nothing to gain. It's a bit like tattoos: part of the experience, is living through the pain to initialize yourself with a life-long symbol. After you do it, you feel as though you accomplished something significant. Then walks in Mr. Lead-Follow-Get-out-of-the-way: "Nope, these didn't hurt!"

I feel trully bad for these individuals. They missed the ENTIRE experience. Literally no-pain, no-gain, just like a game (man, I can rhyme).

Why, why, WHY is it that after all these years, game conclusions seem to be about as well thought out as organized religion? So many times has a fine game met an abrupt, and simply lack-luster ending to what often times is a great game. Great intro, great cinemas, disappointing ending! Example: The original Ninja Gaiden: great, lengthy, satisfying ending that made us feel like we really, really accomplished something. Example: Devil May Cry 2, Dante's ending: Drives off on his bike. The end.

I'm not saying that older games had better endings. Rampage for the NES was a two-hour destruction fest, only to be greeted at the end with a poorly spelled "Congrdulations!" Viewtiful Joe has a great, upbeat ending that not only makes you feel genuienly good, but also tops off the experience and sends you merrily on you way. It seems that endings in games can't follow a consistent line of quality among various titles.

Now, that's not to say that we only play games for a great finish. Rather the opposite, it's the experience of the game itself we crave. Yet at the same time, we tend to look towards rewards for our hard work, be it small bits of animation after downing an especially vicious enemy, or that incredible item that enhances our characters abilities. Even mastering a particular hard spot in Shin Contra is a reward, but a nice satisfying ending not only is a great pat on the back, but it can also top off a game's presentation and story elements.

This bings me to Shadow of the Colossus: one of those games that not only is a wonderful experience, but concludes with one of the best endings I have yet to see in a game. 28 min long, it not only gives you a feeling of accomplishment, but it truly acts as a fine curtain to a great story. 

So why is it that companies seem to miss this final stage of a game so, so many times?  All I ask for, is a rewarding ending to games that deserve them. I'll be honest: I like a long ending with some nice content. Few games hit it, soo many don't. In the end, do you really care?