So I hope everybody had a Merry Christmas and all that jazz. My Christmas was a little low-key this year because my older sister just got married a week ago. Yeah. But that's okay, really. There's not a lot I even want that badly. I already have so much. It's good just to use Christmas to reflect on the real stuff - Christ's birth and the meaning of that. It's nice.

A couple of my good friends just got Wiis. At least, their families did. I don't know that either one actually owns the thing, but they're the primary gamers in their families, so that's okay. They both have profiles, actually, and their libraries are updated by...me...because I like that sort of thing. CrustyPustule and Smellersmell are both of them. I don't think they get on much, so I wouldn't bother writing them notes. They both have great collections, though.

If I've registered your Wii Number and you've done the same, be sure to check out your Mii Channel, because I have sent you my updated Mii. His name (and mine) is Andrew. Feel free to send me a message anytime, and definitely send me your Miis so I can paste them to the address book and make it look all lovely. (JordanElek and jesus_knight, I already have yours so don't worry.) Anybody who registers my Wii Number, be sure to alert me so I can get yours. If you think you've told me, but your Wii doesn't think so, PM me so I can be sure. I want as many people to beat up in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as possible.

I wish everybody a most happy new year and I look forward to seeing what 2008 will bring.

I just have one little question, and I kind of want some help with it. See, I bought Half-Life off Steam, and considering it's an old game and all, I can cut it slack on the presentation and such. But why do people rave about it? The completely first-person thing is about all it has going for it! The controls are really awful, and the enemies are mostly pansies. Come on - how freaky can head crabs be, huh? I think I'll play through the whole thing just to be safe, but I really prefer my console shooters like Perfect Dark, GoldenEye 007, Halo, etc.

Also, I played the demo for Half-Life 2, and not only was I completely confused, but I think I actually got motion sickness and a headache from it. And I had absolutely no fun with the gravity gun. I'm thinking that if (when) I get a 360 sometime in the next couple of years, I won't be picking up The Orange Box. Of course, maybe it is that I'm playing it on the PC, and I hate PC shooters, but still...I felt like throwing up! Games have never done that to me! I imagine Portal would be the same. Count me out! I'll stick to CoD4 and Halo 3. Yeah...that's all theoretical, though. In a couple years I'll get the 360 for Banjo-Kazooie and Resident Evil 5. Ooh, and Bionic Commando, if it turns out alright. Yes! It'll be good.

So yes, I have a Wii. Let's face it, though. The biggest "next-gen" (or rather, current-gen) stuff is on the PS3, PC, and Xbox 360. That's not to say there aren't fantastic games for the Wii - they're just not the big, awesome upgrades that I'd quite like. But I can't afford all that other stuff - college does that. So what am I doing? I've got a PS2 lying around at home and three weeks of Christmas break. The PS2 has a HUGE library. So...that's my plan. I'm playing PS2 games.

What am I going to be playing, though? Well, here's a glimpse of some games I've picked up or revitalized a love for.

• Tekken 5
• Burnout 3: Takedown
• Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
• Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
• Devil May Cry/Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
• Final Fantasy XII
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

I'm also checking out some PC games that are older, so they're guaranteed to work on my laptop. I bought Half-Life on Steam for ten bucks, and my friend is loaning me KotOR, so I'm all set. Got WAY too many games to play.

Ah, okay, so I've played a lot of games this year, especially on the Wii, that I haven't gotten around to reviewing. I've rated them, but I think I want to write a full-fledged review for all of them. Among these games is WarioWare: Smooth Moves, Super Paper Mario, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, and...that may be it. Check out my profile soon for the reviews and rate them, if you will!

Well, I'm just one for lucky video game hookups! First, I got some EA dude to send me 5-6 PS2 games, brand new. Now, I was browsing my local GameStop (previously EB Games) and I found the DMC 5th Anniversary Collection. It was their last one, and only $30. That's $10 a game. Granted, DMC 2 is garbage, but I added it up, and to get 1 and 3 on Amazon, plus shipping, would be the same price. And that's crappy used copies. So I'm quite pleased. :D

I've had a PS2 for six years now, and I have yet to even try online play. I'm going to get a brand-new slim PS2, and I want to start playing some Metal Gear Online, SOCOM, etc. My question for anybody who knows about this stuff is basically, what is required? The slim one I know can hook straight up to an ethernet port and such, but I'm wondering if there's something I need to do to set it up. Also, what USB headset works well? Is the Sony one good? I just need to know what the best options are here. Finally, which SOCOM game is the best for entry-level? Thanks.

Okay, this is an idea that's been thrown around a bit, but I want to cover it myself. Once Brawl is all taken care of, the DS deserves a unique iteration of the series. There are two games out in Japan that have proven that such a game can work remarkably well - Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars. Due to licensing issues, these games will never see the light of day in the US, so I think this would fill its place perfectly.

Now, I don't just want some half-baked Super Smash 64-type game. I would like crisp 2D animation, unique modes, upgradeable abilities, online play, a slightly different feel, and exclusive characters. They could possibly even update Brawl to interact with the DS game, offering unlockable content and stages not found in the Wii game. A story mode with RPG-esque progression would be immensely popular.

If Nintendo actually mostly copied the Jump Stars formula, of course pasting on the Super Smash gameplay and feel, it would be incredibly awesome. It's really something that the DS deserves. It's time Super Smash became a serious franchise across all Nintendo platforms.

I didn't want to do a blog on Jeff Gerstmann. I was sick of hearing about it. But after listening to the Hotspot, I realize that there's a lot of things people have said and insinuated that have been so wildly inaccurate and based on speculation, rather than fact. I just want to clear up some of these things with those of you who do not know.

Myth: Jeff's review for Kane & Lynch: Dead Men was directly involved in his firing.

Fact: No, it had absolutely nothing to do with it. Face it, people - it was just bad timing. Jeff had many unpopular reviews over the years, and was not afraid to complain about crappy games or express disappointment in games that didn't live up to their potential. Why would Kane & Lynch be any different?

Myth: GameSpot's reviews can no longer be trusted.

Fact: As it turns out, GameSpot itself had nothing to do with Mr. Gerstmann's firing. CNET, the managing site for GameSpot, was responsible. We will never know all the reasons due to legal restrictions for these people. And dang it, we really don't need to know. Something happened, whether it was justified or not, and Jeff is gone.

Myth: GameSpot conspired against Mr. Gerstmann

Facts: Nah, turns out the entire GameSpot family is completely ticked off about this thing. They all love Jeff and would never fire him. Again, it was CNET. None of the GameSpot dudes wanted him fired.

So there. That's my schpeal. That's all I have. We'll miss Jeff Gerstmann, but it's not the last we've seen of him. Deal with it, folks. Knock off the conspiracy theories already.

...are gonna stink. Really. I have my biology final on the 13th, and a chemistry final on the 14th. Meaning I can't waste any time on games for a while. Dang it! My classes do end on the 7th, though...I'll be so busy anyway. And then the cost of student fees for next semester is going to kill me. I'm going to take a jazz piano course, which costs $207.50! I'm sure there's books I have to get as well. Geez...well, forget about a PSP for a while. I have enough games to play, anyway. I just cleared out Super Mario Galaxy (the bonus is awesome!) and I've rekindled a love for Super Monkey Ball...kind of. And then there's Lunar Knights, and I want to replay Castlevania: DoS. So, I'm fine for now. I do own Lumines because I found it cheap. Maybe I could make a profit off of it. Whatever. I'll decide when next year settles in and I possibly get an on-campus job. Yeah...

Hey, I've been thinking about it for a while, and I've decided I want a PSP because I love portable games so much. I've played almost everything good on the DS and GBA, and I can't go back to the older stuff. I've added great stuff to my wish list, and I want the piano black PSP 2000 (slim).

So basically, I have a few questions about it.

• Is there an easy or cheap way to get a memory stick?
• Does the MP3 stuff work well?
• Is it easy to put stuff on the PSP - videos, music, etc.?
• Anything else I should know about before making the investment?

Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated. If there's any games in the future that are big for PSP that I don't know about, please suggest them as well.