Tron is pretty much unplayable for me unless I am using control scheme C in the most recent XBLA release. I miss the old combo control cabinet.

Shooting grid bugs can be so difficult when you can't aim correctly.

EDIT: When looking for the picture (above) I came across what seemed to be a working, authentic cabinet for a scant $900. You know you dwell in fanboy territory when the object of your desire is a scant $900.

As I have been reflecting upon the games I've played over the last calendar year (and change), I have realized just how much the shotgun has become a staple of great gaming. While the shotgun has been in games since the days of Doom, lately I have been reflecting upon just how much the weapon has become a core feature for modern shooting games. Many of the games I played in the last year came out in differing points in time, but they frequently had Jed Clampett's oil finder incorporated into the arsenal.

Orange Box
The five-games-in-one featured plenty of shotguns in very different ways. When I played Half-Life 2 for the first time in the Orange Box, I was thoroughly impressed by all of the weapons. Besides the pistol (not the magnum) and the gravity gun, the shotgun was my go-to weapon for offing Combine, hunting bugs, or dispatching hunters. The alt-fire, double-barreled blast was a nice touch. The recoil, sound, and general feel of the shotgun was done better in 2004 than some of the games that emerged in 2007. Despite a clear lack of shotguns in Portal, Team Fortress 2 brought the shotgun for both the Engineer and Scout classes. The scattered shot of the Scout's sawed-off carbine fit well with the frenetic, random play style of the class. Similarly, the Engineer's shotgun dealt a satisfying amount of damage, despite seeming a bit too similar to the Scout's aforementioned firearm. Had the turret-builder's main weapon been a bit heartier or offered more oomph, I may have opted for that weapon over the accurate pistol or the hefty wrench during my marathon multiplayer sessions.

Rainbow Six: Vegas
Thanks to the tournament GameSpot had earlier this year, I figured I'd play in the hopes of making it to the finals. When my team was summarily dismissed from competition, I realized I had not only gotten caught up in the satisfying gameplay, but also my personal quest to unlock a seemingly impossible achievement. In the process, I learned to love not only the shield (for all those T-hunt missions), but also the SPAS-12 shotgun.

During my time online I ran into many a player who swore by the shotgun to the point they put a scope on it for sniping. While that may seem a bit excessive, the accuracy, stopping power, and general feel for the weapon was just right. And when something is done right, you want to make it your own.

Mass Effect
Say what you will of the Mass Effect's various problems or hurdles, the gameplay is satisfying and the story is immersive. While I admit to getting a bit unnerved with the gameplay toward the beginning, it all picked up once I purchased the Spectre shotgun. If it wasn't for the excellent sniping I was able to do with the pistol, I am pretty sure I would have never switched away from the shotgun during my first two playthroughs. Through the judicious use of AP, Shredder, and Tungsten ammunition, most enemies become nothing more than speed bumps on the road to mission completion. The shotgun had satisfying stopping power. I never tired of watching enemies careen through the air or ricochet off of crates, walls, or other objects after taking a blast from my trusty HMWSG.

Halo 3
After hours of play, I still haven't been able to detect any great differences between the Halo 3 shotgun and the way I remember the Halo 2 shotgun working. Suffice it to say it has that great tinny ring when it fires. In close quarters and short range, it is a very deadly weapon. Recently I played some very cheap games of halo 3 multiplayer in a very expensive home belonging to someone I didn't know. My friend of Button Mashing infamy proved unbeatable, even when facing off against the deadly buckshot shooter. Perhaps if I was using the Halo pistol I would have fared better . . . perhaps.

Disappointments
Some games have not been so kind to the double-barreled, single-barreled, or otherwise automatic dealer of close-range damage. The shotguns in Cabela's Alaskan Adventure were less than stellar. Some of them were viable weapons, but the smaller-caliber weapons were almost completely ineffectual. I remember trying to kill red squirrels at point-blank range with a 12-gauge; impossible. One of my favorite games of 2007, Lost Planet, had a woefully underpowered shotgun. While it was great for detonating loose or stuck grenades, as a killing weapon, Paul Atreides' name could've done a better job in many instances. This was particularly evident since the rifle and rocket launcher were implemented so well in that game. Hopefully the sequel can redeem itself.

For Sport
For the sports fans out there, I can't really say whether the shotgun plays in Madden 07 were better than Madden 06. I spent the Lion's share of my time with that game simming my way to points. That sounds like a level of detail I will leave to Mister Thomas, Professor Ekbeard, and the fine fellows from SportsGamer to address. Since I have yet to crack open Madden 08 and lack any desire to play either Blitz or All-pro Football, I can't really comment on the shotgun plays in those titles.

The Future is Now
Now that the dust has settled, I am certainly interested to see what comes from this year's hotly anticipated titles. Vegas 2 could very well rest on its laurels and carry over the tried-and-true armory. Hopefully, we will see more innovation besides adding strip clubs to a casino-based franchise. Who knows whether the infected-arm power of Dark Sector will transfer as easily to shotguns as it seems to with pistols. I could go on to name another half dozen 2008 games likely to use shotguns (Army of Two, Dead Space, Left 4 Dead, Bionic Commando, Grand Theft Auto IV, Madden 09), but we'll just have to take a wait-and-play approach.

Have you ever gotten so engrossed in a game/movie/sporting event that all human interaction has become a nuisance? While I wouldn't really choose the term nuisance--those I hold nearest and dearest have said the word holds a certain appropriateness--to describe the irksome-belying reaction I had to any insistance I do something other than play Mass Effect over the previous few days.

While I have previously voiced my anticipation for playing the title, I also became aware of limitations in the presentation. All of my preconceived notions went out the window when I placed the game in the 360 tray. Mere minutes before doing so I recorded a Video Blog celebrating not only the completion of my annual goal, but also the redemption of my completion percentage. Thanks to a fixation with saving the galaxy and playing dress-up with a certain Miss Shepard, I left the video in development limbo.

I waited to begin until my wife was away, then I refused to stop until I had finished. The experience was so assertive in its narrative power as to insist any other notifications be turned off. console PMs went unnoticed, achievement-unlocking announcements went undisplayed, and time as I knew it ceased to exist. Yesterday I emerged from a four-day experience that left me not only wanting more, but also very satisfied. While Kevin Van Ord was spot-on in his review of Mass Effect, I have to say I enjoyed the game as much as he suggested I would.

I remember when he was playing the game in the office. He was somewhere in the middle of a fight on Virmire when I approached. He was obliging of my observing (as I am sometimes wont to do) during his systematic perforation of the Geth. In between turns on the installation catwalks he demonstrated the UI, the various powers, and the weapons within his character's arsenel. The time left me a little disappointed. I had high hopes. But this is a tale of seduction.

On my way home from work that night, I stopped by my local retailer and cancelled my pre-order. Aside from some limited success with Oblivion, the RPG presence on the 360 had been pretty disappointing to my personal tastes. After a while of reading the Mass Effect review, watching others play and reflecting upon the desire inside of me to play a great RPG ultimately led me to add the game to my GameFly queue. Surely a rental would be sufficient. After playing through once, I have immediately embarked on a second run to get my character all the way to level 60 and to explore options in protagonist attitude.

My first time through I played according to my own moral compass . . . to a certain degree. I regretted some of the choices and responses I selected. In the end I had an overflowing pool of Paragon points. This time through, I am already done with Renegade points. Commander Shepard used to be so kind, so empathetic. Something happened to her. She's so arrogant and rude. She disconnects on the council, disses other species' contributions, and gets involved in all sorts of shady affairs. In short, she's far more obtuse.

Regardless of disposition, my time roaming the stars has reminded me how enjoyable good games can be and how easily ideas and philosophies I find to be disagreeable can be mingled with those I find virtuous, lovely, and of good report. Yes, yes, I know that's what the creators had planned, but it is one of the unspoken flies in Mass Effects stellar ointment. I think I need to use some more. . . for medicinal purposes of course.

After some meetings today, I had the chance to spend some time with the Burnout Paradise demo. I really miss the traffic checking. No, I mean I really miss it. I've gotten into a lot of accidents by trying to check traffic into opponents or trying to refill my boost meter. While Paradise handles a bit differently from Revenge, it still looks and feels like Burnout . . . and that is a great thing. The addition of a commentator, DJ Atomica, is a change of pace. Personally, I don't know how prerecorded commentators in a game could ever be good. The fact that I haven't heard, "I can see my house from here" during my play time already means it is a good thing.

I really enjoy the Picture Paradise feature. It may be kind of odd for me to say, but going into a screen saver mode where classic music plays as you get a black-and-white tour of the town is a neat touch. Better than just looking at an idling car in the middle of a road. After all, who doesn't like Mozart's Horn Concerto #4? Seriously. Anything less would just be uncivilized.

Lately I have been playing a lot of games. That really shouldn't come as a surprise, but just so you know, here's what discs I have been spinning in my 360 lately (with the GameSpot scores):

Open Season 5.3
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland 6.6
Scene It? Lights, Camera, Action 7.5
CSI-Hard Evidence 5.5
Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Burning Earth TBD
Puzzle Quest 9.0
Two Worlds 7.0
Meet the Robinsons 6.9

Many readers are now saying to themselves, "Don, you are only playing those games for points."

If that is, in fact what is being said you are half correct. I can't really say I played Avatar for more than 5 minutes. Four minutes of that play time was either sitting in cinematics or sitting in disbelief that I had gotten 1000 points just for hitting enemies 50 times. My time with CSI was much longer and a lot less enjoyable. Thankfully, I discovered how to skip all of the dialogue as I solved the crimes from a FAQ. I suppose for somebody who enjoys CSI as a weekly or daily event, the game may hold more meaning or interest. For the rest of the games, I found something curiously enjoyable about each experience.

Just because a game doesn't score above an 8.0 or a 9.0 out of 10.0 on GameSpot, doesn't mean the game isn't fun. To this day, I have no compunctions saying I enjoyed Robotech: Battlecry. It had its flaws, but it was whatI was looking for. Not everybody spent their adolescence as a raving Robotech fan like I did. I have fond memories of watching the anime, playing the RPGs and even reading the books. Heck, my friend from middle school is finishing up his residency in neurosurgery, but back in the day we watched imported, Macross movies and played imported Macross games on modded hardware. We were hungry for more. When the game came out on PS2, It was all but a system seller for me. Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and FF-X were just holdovers until Robotech emerged. Is my obvious admiration something every person who plays Battlecry will have? No, but since I am in the target audience for the game, I get a lot more out of it.

Whether it is the all-ages-friendly gameplay of Open Season, or the undeniable charm of cutting down all who oppose me in Two Worlds, but I have been having a lot of fun with other niche games I have been playing lately. When an opening game level consists of walking forward, picking up a couple of items and thenwalking up to a giant stuffed animal, I know I am in for a treat. Only once during my play of Open Season did I really feel challenged by the gameplay; the snowball level was a bit frustrating to get enough points to be awarded an achievement. Otherwise, the odd, yet casual, gameplay made for an excellent Sunday afternoon romp while I tried to kick a cold. It was what I was looking for at the time. Four hours of play time and I was done. That was a lot less time than I spent with Two Worlds.

Two Worlds made me appreciate Oblivion all the more. I can't remember playing one game and secretly wishing I was playing another. It's not the annoying characters, poorly executed voice acting, or the dipping framerate that bothered me. I actually wished the excellent item management system had been available in Oblivion. I would have loved to have been able to combine the many many items of the same sort into one more powerful version as I fought through the many locales in Cyrodiil. While the frame rate would frequently dip in Two Worlds, I appreciated the two-second delay each time I felled an opponent. Those were gratifying moments. Neither Oblivion nor Two Worlds have done horse riding right, but the flexibility of the teleport system in Two Worlds was implemented well. Finally, after my character reached level 5, I had no need of money for anything other than learning every available skill in the game. Thus, after learning all of the skills, I had no more use for money.

Puzzle Quest seems to be the clear outlier in the above lineup. I played it on 360 because I lost my coveted PSP version. Despite gushing about Puzzle Quest a lot, I don't think I've touched on the party game fun of Scene It? in this blog. Others in the office have voiced their personal opinions about the game, but my first opportunity to play was at my parents' house. I brought it over and my wife, father, mother, and I all played the game together. It was the first time I think my mother has played a video game in . . . 25 years. I have fond memories of playing our family's Atari 2600 with my father and any friends or family members who would come visit, but to play all these years later with my family was a real treat. None of us knew some of the movies referenced in the game, but it was a kick to see my mom brag about knowing the movie stars of the 50's and 60's so well. Despite the often annoying commentator and music, the game turned out to be a treat to play with family. Hopefully, we can play again soon.

While I have a number of games in my queue right now, none of them are especially highly rated. I am eagerly anticipating playing most of them. Since I just mailed Open Season back, I am expecting Surf's Up to arrive by the end of the week. That should allow me to finish up the 900 points I want from THAW and finish up the task list looming over me this week. Depending on when Squirt--the child, not the game--arrives, I can put Lego Star Wars and Surf's Up to bed so I can savor Mass Effect and Beautiful Katamari over the long holiday break.

In the end, I expect they will all be enjoyable in their own right if enjoyed in the right frame of mind.

When a minister or lay member of the congregation speaks in church, they do not need to cite a definition of a standard term from the dictionary.

Colloqial or slang terms are optional, but may not be widely understood by every generation in attendance.

. . . and while Wikipedia has many valuable uses, it is not the preeminent resource for religious instruction.

Make a video blog of me drinking some year-old potion Bethany had in the office (120 ml of awesomeness!)

Make some more emblems members of the community can get (don't ask, you'll see)

Help squash some bugs

Holiday party?

Coax the baby to be born . . . or maybe the week after that

Finish my term paper on business and the media (no joke)

Get . . . more . . . points. I need to clean out my GameQ to get down to Mass Effect by the 20th. That's only 10 playing days away!!!!!!

I have more to report, but I think I am just going to have to leave those thoughts for later. I am still wrestling with myself as to whether I should pass Jeff in points or not.It just wouldn't feel right, but I can't very well stop playing. It's not like anybody else is within striking distance.

My wife and I finished watching Lost, Season 1. Yeah, Season 1.

We don't really watch TV and we certainly don't have cable, so we aren't really missing much. Lately we've been watching some TV shows we thought we might be missing. We watched the first few episodes of Firefly, some of the old Battlestar Galactica (still my favorite Galactica), and we recently have been trying Lost. It is definitely a strong show. While the end of Season 1 wasn't as full of cliff-hangery as I had expected (it's a clinical term), I am still interested in Season 2 as a lot of people have been telling me it is the high point of the series thus far.

Like most people, I'm a Jack fan, a Locke follower, a Hurley laugher, and a Sayid appreciator. Charlie frustrates me only because Dominic Monaghan protrays the part so well. It easy to see how the decisions the character makes could be real. We all have our own vices we struggle to overcome. We all look to fit in, provide value in some respect, and carve out our own niche when we aren't known for what we've done before. I can seriously relate to that. However much I like to dislike Sawyer, I can't argue he is a compelling character that adds both life and depth to the cast. While I don't want to give away spoilers, I am looking forward to certain cast members going away in the next season or two. Unfortunately, I am not sure I am ready for more people to show up. It is just such a compelling show. I'm glad I don't have to wait forever between episodes.

As for Heroes, I am done until such time Badger says it is safe to return. Last week's episode let me down in a big way. When Tim Surette does his Lost vs Heroes sampling at Comicon next year, I am clearly expecting Lost to come out on top. . . that is if the writers' strike is ever resolved.

As for Comicon, I am interested in not only attending, but also enjoying more of the topics/sessions. While the Bionic Woman session wasn't so bad, the show left a lot to be desired. Wait. Is it too early to get excited about Comicon? I hope not.

While I am still limited as to what I can say, I can safely say the news is out. Jeff is now a subscriber.

He is one subscriber who has earned my utmost respect for his work and the legacy of insightful, funny, and generally trivia-infused content he leaves behind. During the eight years I have spent on the site, he has not only helped bring it to where it is, but also set a clear course for where it can go. Hopefully the hard-working staff continues the legacy he started.

While I only worked in the same office space as he did for a couple weeks, I can say he never betrayed the opinion I had for him after years of community collaboration. Almost two years ago I wrote a recommendation for Jeff. To this day I stand by those words.

Godspeed sir.

While I did not get my own Rock Band setup, I can testify that when Alex says getting four people in a room and jamming together is fun, he is right.

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As my favorite They Might Be Giants shirt says, "Music Self Played is Happiness Self Made."

My kick jump will just have to be saved for smaller venues.