Still, the original NES was an equal opportunity gamer, and there was something for everyone, both core gamers and casual gamers had games to enjoy, and enjoy they did. Yes Nintendo marketed to males mostly because they were the majority of the audience, much in the same way professional sports still appeal majorly to males. However, plenty of girls, and even parents, played games as well, as I had grown up with this in the 80's when I was playing the NES. Nintendo's major problem has always been it's attempt to appeal to strictly one audience or another. This was almost unavoidable back in the 16 bit days with increased technology demanding a drive for more mature gaming, which would inevitably drive away casual gamers. But there's not excuse now. Gaming has become available for everyone, with mass appeals for all. Certainly the core community will always drive the gaming market, since they are the ones who shell out cash for every COD game that comes along, but nearly everyone I know right now has participated in some way in gaming. It's not going to be universally accpted, of course, but the majority of people have. Now it's time for the companies to meet the demand and cater to both audiences. There's no reason to pick and choose. Nintendo needs to learn this for their next console and deliver another Resident Evil 4. Let's not forget that Gamecube was once the proud, sole owner of this game....2/2

While I agree with some things, the majority of it I have a hard time with. Gaming is no longer a fringe hobby. It's a globaly accepted form of entertainment, even if it isn't something done by everyone. Nonetheless, nearly everyone will get a controller in their hands at some point. That's, obviously, exaggerated, but the point stands. When Atari made their debut, and there was all this family gathering, there was no core gamer. The industry hadn't been around long enough. It was an amusement attraction. Certainly, we saw the beginning's of an industry, but Nintendo is where core gaming began. Atari offered amusement games, and much like a carnival, they weren't for everyone, but everyone could enjoy the. Nintendo offered the same thing, but with a much deeper experience that divided the audience further. Those who didn't want to engage in epic quests or long challenges didn't. But there was an audience that did.... 1/2

...But, this is a company that used to thrive in rpg's, many of which were the pinnacles of storytelling. The SNES alone had numerous rpg's with incredible stories to them. However, Nintendo abandoned this in favor of gameplay gimmicks, like the Wii's motion control. Given the choice between that innovative control and more old fashioned story telling games, I would choose the later. Even the N64 contained more story driven games. Now, that isn't to say that Nintendo completely lacks these kinds of games. Eternal Darkness still reigns as one of the greatest horror games ever created, with an incredible and haunting story. Unfortunately, Nintendo seems more content to cater to a massive audience instead of focusing on both heavily story driven and adult games coupled with their younger and non-gamer audiences. And this is why Nintendo, who was once the undisputed champion of console gaming, has to compete with two other major players in the console market.

Their systems are all fine and dandy, but where Nintendo fails is in the department of storytelling. They have continued to produce the same kind of family-friendly fare, even in their greatest franchises, which remain that: family friendly. Anyone and everyone, from a young boy to an old person can pick up a Zelda game and play it. And yet, they miss a valuable market of games with increasingly more cinematic and deep levels of storytelling. This is why games like Uncharted, Heavy Rain, Metal Gear Solid and even newer Final Fantasy games won't be found on any Nintendo consoles anymore. Certainly, they still control the handheld market, and their handheld systems are worth buying (even the 3DS will be worth buying when better games are released for it)....1/2

Technology and production values have also helped push the story in games. The FF series is a good example. Before FFX, while FF stories were good, the production values of FFX really brought the characters to life and their emotions came forefront. While VII certainly did do a good job of bringing out a story to life, FFX created a deep connection with it's characters through sound and facial emotions. Though it could be argued that as deep a story today were told yesterday, a game like Heavy Rain benefitted from it's technology greatly. The more games become cinematic in presentation while remaining deep in gameplay, the better stories we will find.

I have been saying this for years, how important story is. In fact, my main focus when it comes to games are on those with story. So it generally boggles my mind how hard it is for most games to be good at this one thing. The best example I can think of a good game with a great story is Deus Ex. You talk about how a game isn't just about plot, but about the world that surrounds it and the gameplay that ties in with it, and that's a perfect example. That is where mythology comes in. A game with a good mythology allows players to explore it, and the best games have the mythology tie directly into the gameplay. In Deus Ex, you are able to explore the futuristic city of NY and observe the people's hardships, as well as interact with a few. You can choose a style of gameplay, and this affects how the story unfolds. 1/2

...Sure, he's a lot of things, but one of them is definitely sexist. Of course, we also shouldn't take it seriously. It's meant to be humorous I can understand why someone would take it seriously. There are people who are sensitive to these types of things because of history and personal reasons. It would be like making a bunch of racist jokes towards black people and not expecting them to get mad. But for those of us that can take it with a grain of salt, recognize how unrealistic and vile it is, and still laugh at all the silliness and cliches; we should be able to play the game and recognize the obvious sexism and still have it be okay.

Context is fine, but Duke Nukem is, in fact, a sexist game. In fact, the entire series is sexist. Certainly, in his universe, where everything revolves around Duke, it's a sexist universe. Women are there to please Duke. The opening to Duke Forever is evidence enough. The dude has two women who, for all intents and purposes, are pleasuring him. But you have to compare the game to our own reality. It's how we often judge things. Often games are cool based on how they compare to our own reality. We dig Call of Duty because it takes us into a world that is similar to our own, but is something not easily accessible. And it does so in a way that is easy to get into. We enjoy Duke Nukem for the very reason why so many hate it: because it takes us to a world that is filled with so many things that, in our own world, are wrong. And one aspect of this world is that women are helpless and are treated like objects. You can certainly assume that Duke treats everything that isn't about him in a sexist, racist, and disrespectful manner. But, a large point is made to show how Duke treats women. This point is very much in line with a typically cliche male fantasy, which is that women serve men in every way they want to be served. I'm not with the naysayers about Duke being a terrible game. In fact, I am a huge fan, partly because I find all the cliche macho things that take place in the series absolutely hilarious. But, even I can't deny that Duke is sexist...

Despite the positives that may come from all of this, and what Sony SHOULD do, they still have a right to protect their hardware and software. If they don't want it to be open to people messing with it, then that's what they want. We're also not talking about people who do this for innovation. That is a small percentage compared to people who simply want games for free. You also have to take into account the times. Back when Budge did what he did, the industry was still small and looking for innovation. Budge revolutionized the industry. The same cannot be said for what Hotz would do. We don't live in a time when people can revolutionize something just by making it open and free. We live in a time when unprotected systems means losing money. If Sony let this continue, they would lose money. At least this way, they won't have more and more people using this master key to do whatever they want. The simple fact of the matter is, Sony is protecting their assets.

I'm going to wait for a price drop and a ton more games. $250 is a lot of money for a handheld and the 3D is a gimmick in the face of good games. So, I'll wait to see if there are any games released that make this a really worthwhile deal.