I mean it sincerely when I say, this editorial has made me question my ability as a communicator. If you choose to mull through many of the responses, you'll find a great many allusions and accusations that, frankly, aren't true. Quite a few totally understand what I'm saying here (I don't think it's the least bit hard, personally), but it's lost on at least as many others. I'll just say there's a reason I said, "This problem is so much bigger than Gears of War. By all that is good in this world, I hope people see it; hope they recognize the trend," in the last paragraph.

Feel free to read, discuss, and debate. If you completely disagree with me (which nobody should, because I'm basically crying out against gamers volunteering themselves to be ripped off), feel free to say as much. I usually put up with more than GameSpot's Terms of Use require, but a fair few have crossed the line from being a little adversarial to downright rude. Please, don't be one of those people.

Finally, I don't need anyone to come in and say, "if you don't like it, don't buy it," because that is exactly what I'm saying to begin with.

I've spent enough money on my XBOX 360, its accessories, and Gears of War alone to have wiped out almost every last penny of my debt. I could have used it as a fat down payment on a much-needed vehicle upgrade. Maybe my kids' savings would be that much happier. Instead, I chose to take the plunge; to conquer my frugal ways; to invest in something that I love to do, and put the other options on the back burner.

No good deed goes unpunished

The price we pay for retail games has gone up along with the price of the consoles, yet the games are habitually stipped of elements and features so that they can be sold bit-by-bit later on down the line. After downloadingbothofthe available map packs, I've paidtoo close$100 for Gears of War for comfort. One hundred dollars. No extra peripherals, no sweet controllers, posters, or other collectibles (unless you think the special features disc and the totally inconvenient metal case for the game make up for it, which they don't). Instead, we get news that the game that convinced us to drop over $500 to buy a console is being ported to the PC with all the content originally built for the 360 packed right in!

That's right. No need to download anything else at extra cost. Just one quick easy payment, and what are the PC folks getting? *gasp* A whole entire game. Imagine that. Getting a full game at full price... it almost seems like a bargain nowadays, and that is nothing short of insulting.

It's not that the PC version of Gears of War, the game that I loved like a brother, is getting additional content, it's that said additional content will, reportedly, NEVER be available for me on the 360. If I ever want it, I'll have to shell out for the PC version of the game. No wait, let me say that again - I'll have to shell out for the real version of the game. The $100 I've spent on the game so far? The crazy sum spent on the unreliable hardware? Bah, that was just good enough to net the demo. Gotta pay more to get the "extra" stuff.

Oh but wait! Taking a step back, I remember that it's not "extra" content at all - it's content that was originally intended to be in the game, but was omitted. Thanks to the magical novelty of microtransactions, the good people at Epic/MS were able to sell what should have already been mine at additional cost. Adding insult to injury, they called it "new." And now that I've spent an unholy amount of time milking out those damn 10,000 kills for that measly 50G achievement, I find out the people who haven't already invested in the game - the people who didn't help the gamepush consoles; the people who didn't make the game a record-breaking smash success - are getting the great big thank you from the developer that's become an industry darling.

This problem is so much bigger than Gears of War. By all that is good in this world, I hope people see it; hope they recognize the trend. Did you know that according to Game Informer magazine, GHIII could have downloadable content available the same day it's realeased? Seriously. It expands into every facet of business, it seems, and now it's taking over gaming. We camp out overnight to pay more money for craftily dissected content. We gobble up downloadable "new features" knowing it's a ripoff, and we just accept the status quo. This generation sucks, and that's final. What makes it worse is that people recognize that it sucks, but they still eat this stuff up. Whatever. Not me. Not anymore. I'm telling you right now, these problems are not going to end. Not this generation, not next, not ever. "Play games for as long as they amuse you," I've always said.

Nintendo, Sony, and especially Microsoft: I am not amused.

Let me show you how I push my wood.

Over the past few years, EA has continually impressed gamers and critics alike by implementing dual-analog controls in the most unlikely places. They brought us razor-sharp pugilistic action in Fight Night Round 3, reshaping what many expect from boxing games. Then, quite recently, the Madden series was given the dual-analog treatment, allowing for more precise tackling options. Love 'em or hate 'em, EA has been innovating within established genres, and for the most part, folks have been eating it up. That trend continues with Skate, a game set to undermine Activision's longstanding monopoly on the skateboard game sub-genre.

The game kicks off with a clever intro in which your character gets mowed down by a bus while skating. This live-action video is basically just an excuse to introduce the pros repping the game, but it's creative and funny. It also provides a humorous explanation as to why you're create-a-skater-ing in the first place. The list of customization options on offer is regrettably slim and illogical. Oddly, you can tweak the minutest details of the face (for attaining that perfect gap between eyebrows), even though you spend most of the time looking at your skater's back. Then, when selecting the things that have a relevant impact on your skater's appearance, like hair and clothing, you're given almost nothing to work with. Many of the shirts, for example, are placed in the inventory multiple times, albeit in different sizes. Pants and shorts are also sparsely varied, with the biggest decision coming down to what shade of blue you want your jeans to be. Once you settle on a look you dig, you get set up to learn how to play.

In the simplest terms, the "flick-it" dual-analog control system has you moving your character around with the left stick, and doing tricks with the right one. So, to crack an ollie, you move the right analog stick down, then flick it straight up. To get a kickflip or heelflip, flick it up and to the right or left, depending on your stance. Simple, and sophisticated. The system's possibilities are initially intimidating, but once you learn about five "flick-it" variations,you've got the foundation for the entire trick list. There's enough variety in what's there to get creative and not have to repeat tricks too often, but there are also plenty of other tricks that very easily could have been implemented, but weren't.

Pushing either the X or A button makes your skater push forward with his left or right foot, respectively, and gets you moving. A light tap sets you on a gentle stroll, while a harder press gets you coasting faster. You can grab the board in the air or on the ground with a press of either shoulder button, then adjust and tweak your grabs based on what you do with the analog sticks. Finally, to get grinds into your game, all you have to do is build up some speed and hop onto whatever it is that needs grinding. The right analog stick comes into play here as well, allowing you to manipulate the board in the air to land specific grinds. Besides the approach and ollie, grinding is on autopilot, meaning you don't have to have the foggiest idea what grind will come out when you land in order to be successful. Same goes with the flip tricks. It's possible to memorize the movements and nail specific tricks on demand, but it's also rarely necessary. "Messing up" in Skate doesn't always win you a face full of 'crete, it usually just means cleanly performing the wrong trick, which is a forgiving penalty. This gives you the freedom to learn and experiment while you're off completing challenges, earning coverage in skate magazines, and earning sponsors.

San Vanelona is a really sweet-looking pretend city thanks to a combination of realistic graphics and fantastic art direction. The small ramp in the rec center would be just as functional if left unadorned, but it's dolled it up with cool graffiti work just to make you smile. The graphics team didn't have to etch treads into the bottoms of your skater's shoes, then add colorful designs that differentiate the kicks, but they did. If your wheels stopped turning during an ollie, you might have never noticed, but as a special treat, EA made sure they keep rolling. Suffice to say, besides the unimpressive character faces and the occasional texture that's not quite right, the graphics are detailed and impressive through and through.

Further enhancing the immersion is the impressively accurate array of sound effects. Ollies make their distinctive "pop" off the pavement, and sound just like they do on a real street. You hear that familiar clip-clopping as your wheels pass over the cracks in sidewalks, but over the rough texture of the street pavement, they make a rumbling, crunching whir. Land a trick a little roughly, and your wheels scrape the pavement in a grating, but totally authentic way. You get different sounds when grinding over a stone ledge versus a marble one, or versus a steel rail. It's all so natural that you might not even notice. Then, once you do, it's stunning. All things considered, aside from traces of spotty voice work and the rather eclectic soundtrack - which includes everything from raging metal and punk rock songs, an obscure (but pretty cool) Reggae hit, and even a Rick James dance joint - the audio is on point.

As great as Skate is, it has some nasty little snags that can, and often will, make it needlessly frustrating. The prime culprit is the camera. In a move to give the game a styIish look, the camera is set down low at your skater's feet, replicating the angle often seen in real skateboarding videos. It's a pure winner in that respect, as it delivers an intimate, close-up view of the skater's shoes on the board, which allows the many impressive visual flourishes to draw you in. But it's just not practical. You don't need to admire the detail work in your shoe strings during a run; you need to line up grinds, dodge traffic, and 360 hardflip over the old lady who's fallen and can't get up. You don't need to see the underside of your board when you drop off that giant wall, you need to see - wait for it - the ground beneath you. Not only is it occasionally disorienting, the camera adds cheapness to an already demanding game, and there are no options to change it.

The next most oppressive offender is San Vanelona's innumerable zombies (most people would call them "pedestrians," but I'm not convinced). Admittedly, without them, the city would be a lonesome place, so as long as you don't put them under any level of scrutiny, they're rather pleasant. Give it some time, though, and you can't ignore how cuttingly stupid they are. They wander about aimlessly in unwelcome numbers (upwards of one), convening in hapless areas that couldn't possibly have anything to offer, save the opportunity to hinder something important from happening (like you completing one of the many difficult video challenges). Come barreling down a sidewalk like a madman, and they never even hint at trying to get out of harm's way, even if you're approaching head-on. Inch past them at a snail's pace, on the other hand, and they dive away like you're wielding a sword. Whenever you're just skating around with no immediate goals, it's easy to remain emotionally neutral where they're concerned. But once you dive into the challenges, hating them to some degree is inevitable. Try and resist the urge to slam kickflips onto them when they're down. You'll succumb.

When it's all said and done, though, Skate's high moments more than make up for its low ones. The innovative "flick-it" control scheme puts an organic spin on things, and it feels so good that once you're accustomed to it, there's a realistic likelihood you won't see yourself going back to the control conventions set in place by the Pro Skater juggernaut. You can also take your skills online to compete in races or trick battles, or to just lollygag about with your buddies. One of the game's cooler features lets you record and edit your own skate videos then share them online on EA's servers. In short, Skate's got a lot to offer both online and off, and it's a long stretch more than a mere step in the right direction. It's a well-polished, innovative, and refreshing design approach in an area where real competition is long overdue. Players looking for more than instant gratification and zany stunts take heed. The make-believe skateboarding utopia that is San Vanelona - complete with all the big gaps, sweet handrails, backyard pools, and grumpy security guards - she is your oyster, and you're going to love it.

I was playing a rankedon "Own the Spot" match yesterday, and one of the guys took first place in round 2 by scoring 1,327 points on a trick. We laughed at how close he was to scoring 1,337, and joked about how cool it would be to win a match with that score. Then, on my next turn, I did. I admit, I'm mostly posting this for my own self-indulgence, as it's a short vid and I have my doubts about how well anyone can actually see my score, but it was a pretty cool occurence I thought was worth marking down.

Careful, I cuss.

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THPS can't do this. I love it.

I haven't forgotten about those of you in my last blog, I promise. Skate got in my way.

Alright, thanks to everyone who played along and answered the questions. Now I'm going to take what you said and try to interpret them. Please note, first, that I'm not a clairvoyant, and that's not what I'm trying to be. When my buddy did this with me, he was pretty accurate in breaking down my responses and telling me about myself. I found it interesting, so I tried it on a few people, and I was always quite accurate myself. That said, there's no guarantee I'll be right all the time - or even at all - so bear with me.

Like before, it's probably a good idea to wait until you see the response I direct to you in this blog before reading anyone else's. Same goes for their subsequent responses or any dialogue that follows. This will help mitigate your thoughts from getting clouded before I have a chance to break down your answers, providing the best opportunity for me to form a fully objective analysis, and reaction from you. Whether I'm really, really accurate or completely off base, by all means, let me know. It's just for fun anyway, and I promise if my interpretations are correct, I won't be mad or the slightest bit embarrassed.

__________________

Let's go. First up, Elraptor.

Although you would never forsake your education altogether, you're not one that particularly enjoys school. You recognize that it is vital to your future, but it's cumbersome, and in a lot of ways you're ready to be through with it so that you can concentrate your efforts on the things you actually want to do. Chances are, without education, you probably can't begin to do said things, which is slightly annoying, but totally worth it, for you.

You view your family as being more or less "average" (probably in the economic sense), but still very strong. There's a definitive lack of unity among the members. In this case, it could be a geographical separation, but I'm inclined to believe there are some burned bridges involved. It could be angst between one of your parents and, say, one of their siblings, or it could be divorce. All differences aside, you love your friends, but nobody comes before your family.

You know exactly what you want from a significant other, for the most part, but you leave a little room for surprises. Your perfect someone has contrasting traits. For example, they might be strong, but sensitive; firm, but gentle. You probably value long-lasting relationships over short ones, and either long to learn the other's secrets, or to fully expose your own, if only to that person.

When things go wrong, you tend to believe it's because someone, perhaps multiple individuals, have created something specifically to impede your progress. It's probably frustrating, and I bet you often find yourself questioning the motives and intelligence of the population at large. That said, solving day-to-day problems, whether big or small, boils down to applying your resources in the most logical way, and handling things yourself instead of waiting for someone else to figure them out. You've got plenty of tools at your disposal, but you rely mostly on your smarts.

Whether you're religious or not, you believe that one day, life is going to be peaceful and serene. More than that, you believe that even when joy is at its peak, there will be new things to explore and learn. That, I presume, is your most exciting, promising hope of all.

Sweet, I was right a little bit!. Pretty neat, ain't it? I'll go back and explain what each thing is supposed to symbolize after I'm done analyzing everyone's answers, though I doubt it's too difficult to decipher. And yeah, what was with the word "hope" there, anyway? Weird.

__________________

Alright, up next, PAJ89.

I'm not sure how old your are, PAJ, but for the sake of this entry I'm going to assume you're in middle- or high-school. I'm saying that because, unless I'm mistaken, you view most of what you learn in school as being rather pointless - a sentiment not uncommon among people in that age range. Another reason I say so is because I get the distinct impression your favorite thing about school, hands down, is the social aspect. You get along with pretty much everyone, and when it comes right down to it, you'd rather trudge through cIasses and be around your peers than to quit and never get to see them.

You're probably very straightforward in relationships, rarely hesitating to let the other know exactly where you stand. You don't attach easily, and if the other person can't handle that, it's their problem. They can either deal with you exactly as you are, or move on.

You tend to hate being in the thick of chaotic situations, possibly to the point that you don't even like big parties. When you find yourself in those situations, you like to find the fastest way out. If it means coming right out and asking someone how to get the hell out of there, that's what you'll do. For you, getting back to your comfort zone - probably involving yourself, maybe a few friends, and some fun things to do - is more important than goofing off with finding new solutions. I'm also going to guess that you're one of those gamers that will use a walkthrough or FAQ depending on the situation. Basically, if it's a game you are only marginally interested in, but feel absolutely compelled to finish, you might take the hints. However, if it's a game you totally dig, you'd probably rather struggle with it than get the answers handed to you.

Your ideal "afterlife", as it were, is the direct complement to your obstacle. Nothing pleases you more than having order and stability. It's not that you're this old fun-hating cad, but that you like to feel like you're in control of your surroundings, or at least be able to gauge them accurately. You're the kind of guy that is only as social as you feel like being, and when you're ready to be left alone, that's it: you're ready to be left alone.

So far, so good. Not a bad set of guesses for two different people. Let's see if I can keep it going.

__________________

Now, Glaze45.

You know the potential value of education, but right now getting it is just "one of those things." Maybe you'll use it someday, maybe you won't. One way or the other, you're willing to make room for it, just in case it's vitally important later.

My guess is that you're probably a very introverted person because you might feel like a bit of an outcast. This troubles you because, quite simply, you like who you are and see no reason for anyone else to feel otherwise. Many of the people around you are concerned with almost nothing but popularity, it seems, and you don't understand why. Things would be better if people would see you for who you are and be a little more open-minded - this thought occurs to you almost daily.

When things are bad, you often feel like you're fighting against the odds. It's as though your opposition has all the cards and has stacked the deck against you. You rarely try to sidle out of confrontations, you don't try to ignore them, and you don't look for alternative means to cope. You've got a "fight fire with fire" attitude, either because it's always worked for you, or because you don't see any other way to be.

You're not a pacifist, but if you had three wishes, you'd be willing to use one for world peace. You hate that some people are ostricized for what amounts to petty differences, and if everyone could get along and work together, that would be perfect.

A friend of mine asked me these questions while I was in Japan a few years ago, and now I'm asking them to all of you. Make sure you answer them all in order, and do so before reading any other replies, including those from me. It's also best if you respond to each part before moving on to the next one.

You're walking along a path when you discover a key. Describe the key.

What do you do with it?

You continue walking and find yourself in a forest. What is the forest like?

Beyond the forest is a body of water. Describe it.

After passing the body of water, you encounter an obstacle. What is the obstacle?

So, how do you pass it?

What do you see beyond the obstacle?

9,352 referring to how many ranked kills I've accumulated in Gears of War. 24 referring to the approximate amount of hours I played on my latest grind - virtually nonstop - to jack the number so close to 10,000.

Sleep? No... tonight I Game Beat.

I swear, if my core gets any harder, it'll crack.

P.S. I'm dizzy.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)- I know it's got a late-August release date, but I'm broke so an early September purchase date is the best I canshoot for. Under most circumstances this might be an annoyance, but considering all the other games I want to get, I might be just as well off putting this one on hold for a bit. Fat chance.

Blazing Angels 2 (360) - I downloaded the demo and was pleasantly surprised. I'm not exactly sure what this game has that other flying games don't (like the first one, which had a blase demo), but I like it, and I'm pretty much settling in with the fact that I gotta have it. It's got a nice arcadey feel, but it also feels really authentic. Oddly, I wasn't nearly as interested in Ace Combat 6 after playing its demo. Maybe because I see those kinds of jets in real life a hell of a lot more than I want to.

skate. (360) - I've been watching this one for almost as long as there's been news for it, and after playing the demo, there's no way I'll want to wait a moment longer than necessary to get a full version. It's got some seriously cool tricks and a great control scheme, sans the insane monkey business from the Hawk series. Unfortunately, it's got a lot of the dialogue annoyances in common with the Hawk games, and the bails still look ridiculously stupid 99% of the time, but when things are good, they're reallygood. Hopefully I can squeeze in some good sessions when I take breaks from...

Eternal Sonata (360) - This is another one I've been eyeing for a long time now, keeping far more current on it than Blue Dragon which I've always figured would be a ho-hum RPG that wouldn't keep my interest. I checked out the demos for each, and I was pretty much right: I fell in love with Eternal Sonata, and never bothered to finish the Blue Dragon demo. It's not often I get a hankering to play an RPG, so I want to pick this one up before the urge subsides. Thing is, how do you play anything else when you're all wrapped up in a good RPG? Prediction: Editor's Choice from GS. Editor's Choice or GS is teh biaz.

Blacksite: Area 51 (360) - The demo for this was really short, and kind of uninspired. The trailer, on the other hand, was creative and exciting. In many ways I'm sure it'll be "just another shooter", this time with aliens, but something tells me it's going to have some seriously intense moments in the campaign that'll make it memorable. Watch the trailer. Between this and Halo 3, this one looks a helluva lot more exciting, am I wrong? I might hold out on this one till the end of the month. If I'm lucky it'll have a late September release anyway.

Medal of Honor: Airborne (360) - Damn demos... when the hell did I get so interested in shooters, anyway? I don't know, it might be that they're just getting cooler. In this one, I started off by parachuting into some town that had become a battlezone. It was night-time, and there were people yelling and shooting. So far, besides the parachuting part, this could be any FPS in the world, but there was something that clicked with me and made me want it. It made me. Thank god CoD4 isn't due out until November, because judging by the trailer... *sigh*

So what's all this tally up to in dollars? Shoot me... I don't even want to know.

How lucky for me. I took a trip to GameStop yesterday with the intent of replacing my ruined GHII disc, and they had Metroid Prime: Corruption playing in the Wii kiosk. The guy playing it, a store employee, apparently couldn't figure out how to beat the boss the demo had set him up against. The store manager told the guy to let me have a go at it, since, somehow, she knew I'd probably be able to solve the problem. My reputation for unstoppable gaming amazingness precedes me.

I've been hesitantly optimistic about Prime 3 ever since hating Call of Duty 3 on the Wii with all my heart. It showed me how much can go wrong in the world of first-person shooters when wagglefied. Then again, this is Prime, after all, so knowing that Nintendo wouldn't allow something horrible to happen to its baby, I kept hope alive. From the short time I spent with the game, it looks like I was right. The controls felt pretty natural, except that turning was just a little sluggish. Having to move the cursor all the way to either side of the screen to turn Samus didn't help matters. All the same, it didn't take more than a few turns before it started to feel like it was happening without my thinking too much about it. Perfect.

Upon starting, I was already face-to-face with whichever (mini-?) boss the other guy couldn't beat. The first thing I noticed were two glowing red orbs on the monster's shoulders. Hmmmm... what to do? *rolls eyes* I started blasting away at them, and sure enough, the boss started taking damage. Well, I didn't actually look at his life meter right away (which looks identical to the ones from Prime, I came to notice), but his screaming and all that made it clear: his glowing red orbs were just like the glowing red orbs of any other boss in gaming.

His attack pattern was extremely simple. First, he shot a purple laser beam at ground level that I had to jump over using the B button. It's a little weird pulling the "trigger" on the Wii-mote in order to jump, but it works and like the aiming, doesn't take more than a few seconds to get used to. His other attack was a similar purple death breath, this time shot out of his mouth directly at Samus in a big cloud. Being experienced with the first Prime game, I automatically knew I had to lock onto him and dash left or right to dodge the attack, and so, instinctively, I pulled on the nunchuck's Z button. That's where things got a little wierd. Instead of locking Samus onto the boss, the screen simply froze, allowing me to perform the dash I needed to do, but preventing me from perfectly circling around the enemy. At first, I thought I was doing something wrong, but then I remembered reading something about a "free-aim lock-on" system (or something to that effect), and realized it was supposed to do what it was doing. It was a curious trade-off: I could freeze the screen and aim at whatever I wanted to, which was great, but I couldn't maneuver around the boss' attacks and hammer him in the weak spots without having to dash, recenter, lock the screen, shoot, dash, repeat. The slower pace of Call of Duty 3 would have been perfect for this screen-locking system, but in Metroid it was a little cumbersome. Hopefully, the old-fashioned lock-on system from the first Prime is available and I simply overlooked it.

I wound up beating the boss by firing shots at the purple globs he sent floating my way during his last attack type. This, as it turns out, was what the first guy couldn't figure out. I can't say that I blame him, though, because I just shot at them to prevent them from pelting me in the face.That they ricochetedoff my shots and attacked the boss was the perfect side-effect I never predicted. Once he was dead, I was free to move on and explore the world. Only problem was that I couldn't figure out how the hell to open the door that, presumably, led me to... anywhere else. I tried pushing all the different buttons on each side of the Wii controller, and eventually accidentally scanned the door, receiving a message that told me what countless shots and a few wasted missiles had already confirmed: the door can't be blasted open. I next tried scanning a couple of the other items in the room, anticipating either unearthing a clue, or the door magically opening by me researching it, but to no avail. I tried and tried, but I couldn't figure anything out. Nothing. Well, I figured out that the C button makes Samus go into Morph Ball mode, and that no matter how much you push it, it won't change functions to open stubborn doors. This was also when I noticed the cursor kept slamming itself against the right side of the screen, and that even readjusting my position didn't make it stop. I'm holding out hope that this won't be a problem when I'm playing the game here in my home in the coming days. Although I'm quite sure that A) I was overlooking something really simple, and B) the obligatory first-level tutorial I'll play through will alleviate future confusion, I was disappointed at how unnatural and wonky things suddenly felt. I've been gaming for too long, now, to ever feel the need to look down at whatever controller I'm holding. During the boss fight, I didn't have to. Just trying to scan a damn terminal, I did. Bummer.

I'm still predicting really good stuff from the game, though, especially if the traditional Prime lock-on system is intact. If not, the game will still be a hot item, and one of the few reasons besides RE4 Wii (I hear) and the Virtual Console to have a Wii. Looks like I'll have to re-borrow mine here in the next few days.

I used to have a really cool big screen TV, but it died. Rest in peace, old friend. Then, I was stuck borrowing a crappy 20" lo-def clunker that made tiny words impossible to read. Now? Now I've got a slick little off-brand 32" 720p work of glory that I picked up for under $600. Wanna see it? Click the vid. You also get to hear me ramble about playing through Gears of War's insane campaign with Dutch_Mix, get a glimpse of "Frankenstick", and watch me fumble about as I deliver my impromptu commentary. Lucky!

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Flagged as inappropriate, just in case anyone is offended by the words **** or ***.