[QUOTE="rragnaar"]You could tape a fake mustache to the TV.SmashBrosLegend

Amen. I'm glad I wasn't drinking anything when I read that.

Halo Chronicles, if you didn't already know, is a project from famed director Peter Jackson and Bungie for what is believed to be an episodic downloadable game that is supposedly a new way of playing that is more cinematic than your average gaming interface. Reportedly you will not play as Master Chief, but he will have a role in the game, which is not a sequel but takes place in the Halo universe at some time (maybe during the trilogy, maybe not; we don't know yet). This is one of the most secretive games out there, with no hands-on or eyes-on impressions. But the name Peter Jackson has inspired a lot of interest in the end result. More info

Heavy Rain is a much-hyped-yet-heavily-guarded game from the makers of Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit and also is supposedly quite innovative in its narrative approach to gaming and will offer a new way to experience gaming. It is dubbed The Origami Killer and there are theories that its about a serial killer that you have to stop. Rumors say that those that have seen the game are utterly blown away by what it is doing. More info

Both of these games are dubbed "interactive movies", which has had a bit of a stigma in the gaming space, but Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit helped show that it IS a valid genre (I haven't played, but I'm going by what others have said). But these two games seem to be HUGE titles for their respective consoles. So will these games usher in a full realization of what an Interactive Movie Game can be, along with the requisite commercial success, or are these going to be simply more niche experiences that most will not enjoy because of their lack of true "gameplay"?

I discussed this subject a while back (and got shot down a bunch). I still stand by my comments there, though.

http://www.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=26156443

Yeah, I played Halo 3 and Mass Effect and echo the TC's comments.

While Halo 3's story was a bit tough to follow the first time (after 3 playthroughs its actually really good), it always resonated emotionally with a combination of cinematics, score and some choice dialogue (yeah, some was cheesy but some was effective). Of course if you never invested yourself in the characters or only cared about rushing through the campaign for the achievements or ending, then its doubtful the story or events mattered much at all.

Mass Effect's story is much larger and indepth and resonates VERY well. Make sure and take your time and enjoy all the nuances of it. If you don't read the codex entries or continue to ask questions, you'll miss a lot. The story of the Krogans in particular was really something that dug a lot deeper than most games (or even movies) attempt to do.

I have yet to play Bioshock beyond the demo, but I've heard good things about the story (well, except the last 3rd of the game and the ending).

I'm glad that stories are really trying to move us emotionally now. I can only help the medium.

Halo 3 isn't my favorite game, but the mere FACT that you and I agree there are better games out there, doesn't make it a fact that there are better games out there. Maybe I get too caught up on people trying to state their opinions as facts, and maybe I just get too caught up on people trying to crap on threads with lame overused words like 'overrated'. If you tried to do a search for 'Halo 3 Overrated', Gamespot would explode. People in your camp have expressed their opinions to a point where it is tiresome, but that doesn't mean that all of you are right. It just means that there is a large contingency of people who get annoyed with games that they don't appreciate getting attention and having success.rragnaar

Um ... wow. Insert slow clap. That's like one of the best responses I've ever heard to a relentless Halo basher. I've put most of them on mental ignore, but at least there are some out there that can still represent.

Regarding the OP, though, I finally read both pages of that article and found it to be a very interesting juxtaposition of how gamers have splintered into two general groups: enjoyers and complainers. One looked for what to enjoy in Halo 3 the game and the other complained about what Halo the phenomenom has become. And they both mention CoD4 in the expected way as well: the Halo 3 fan still recognizes what makes CoD4 fun and great while acknowledge that it is largely by-the-numbers and the Halo 3 hater lauds CoD4 for the handful of things it does fantastic while ignoring the bigger picture. Its all become so typical now that it bores me.

Its sad that so many refuse to see past their own preconceptions to see why Halo 3 is such a great experience and a marvelous game. Yeah, it sold extremely well, but the backlash against its success unfortunately blinds many gamers from the efforts of the developers to truly make a compelling gameplay experience. Oh well.

Don't hear many talk about M.U.S.H.A. but it just popped in my head today and I'm now listening to music from it and, oh man, this is great stuff still. Game had great graphics and was a relatively fun shooter with great weapons (which made it a bit easy too, but I digress). The Genesis is reknown for having great shooters, but this one doesn't get mentioned very much. Any love for it out there?