Technology has vastly improved the face of gaming. Games look very real, sound very real and are so quick and responsive that you might as well be playing in real life. The computing power, speed and storage of current machines are so vast that computer chess programs are virtually unbeatable (by humans) and can look so many moves ahead that they can play out the whole game in seconds. So why are we still having problems with AI?

Back in the day I had a game on my Apple IIe called Curse of the Azure Bonds, a AD&D game. Combat was turn and hex based. It was fun. One day I met a mage named Akbar and he joined my party as an NPC, not under my control. I was excited as he had the potent spell fireball which could take out several enemies at once. In our first battle he ran right up to the enemies (outrunning my fighters who were encumbered by heavy armor) and cast a fireball. Sadly, he incinerated himself in that first blast and I realized it would be a waste of money to resurrect him, as he was programmed to do such idiocy every time.

Skip forward 18 years and I am playing Half-Life 2. True, these allies are not quite as dumb as Akbar. But they love to run over lasers to activate turrets. They continually run out into the sights of snipers. They run in front of me when I am trying to shoot or throw a grenade. And worst of all- they don't listen to orders! One guy even says: "You have the environmental suit, you take care of these turrets." And yet they still hang around. I tell them to stay in this other room while I deal with the turrets. A few seconds later, as the bullets start flying, I hear the cry "There's Freeman, follow him!" and they run out of their hidy hole to get slaughtered.

One of your erstwhile allies... Oops, wait. No, he's actually much smarter.

Problems similar to these are found in almost all games that include allied AI- how often did Wrex stand there shooting a wall or the back of your head in combat? It was annoying how many times I had to restart a checkpoint in COD2 because an ally had run into my sights as I was lining up a sniper shot. I believe that Akbar's problems could have been easily remedied, but the transition to 3-D and real time combat has made programming allies a lot more complicated. Mass Effect actually did a good job of mitigating their ally AI failures by making it impossible to hurt eachother. Someday soon they will make an AI that actually works in a realistic, and helpful, fashion. I hope this achievement will get the notice it deserves from the gaming press.

A while ago I acquired 2 free games. I had gotten 2 $10 gift cards to Target at work for winning a Jeopardy thing and in a safety raffle. When I saw that the Simpsons game was discounted to $12.49, I knew I had to get it. The other game I got was Culdcept Saga, which was the 3rd game in a buy 2, get one free deal at GameStop.

The Simpsons Game was awesome, though I have already beat it, which is a testament to how short it is. I still have a bunch of collectibles to find, and these seem to be the frustrating part of the game that the reviewers bashed- the camera gets in the way when a lot of fancy platforming is involved. However, the writing is some of the best I have seen and had me in stitches during the cut scenes. And the mass of awesome quotes from the populace never gets old as you wander around town. This is definitely the best Simpsons game ever. I also own Hit & Run, which had almost as good writing, but the gameplay was much more annoying due to the fact that the driving sucked in that game, and driving was about 90% of the game (akin to GTA series).

Culdcept Saga looked like a game I would love. I was addicted to Magic: The Gathering back in the day, and this looked similar. And it is similar. The only problem is that it is incredibly.... sloooooooooowwwwwwwww......

Playing a single match against a single player takes upwards of an hour. Playing a match against multiple players takes two to three hours. You can't even skip a battle that you are not involved in! The worst is when you are playing the campaign and you have a match against multiple players. And you don't win, so you have to repeat the whole thing. ARGGGGGG! Talk about being as bad as horrible checkpoints.

And the rules are incredibly deep, even for a guy like me who prefers thinking, slow games to skill/twitch games. I had to play the first battle 4 times before I won (since there are so many little spots in the rules that don't make sense and a lot of things that aren't explained at all).

To cap it off, Culdcept is incredibly stingy with Gamerscore. I've played many hours already and have unlocked a total of 4 achievements for 20 points. Ugh! And a lot of the achievements are for multiplayer games that will be almost impossible to finish- what 4 people are going to have 4 hours for a match? Of which only 1 will win and get the achievement?

Anyway, the art is great (with plenty of almost-nudity), the story is uber-Japanese and forgettable. And after playing it I would have chosen a different game for my freebie.

(note: In looking for tasteful yet sexy images for Culcept Saga on Google images, my own Gamespot blog site came up! Is that cool or what?)

In the past month or so, three people that I used to have a deep respect for have said some things that can only be described as crazy.

First was Geraldine Ferraro, the first female candidate for vice president. First she said 'Obama is only where he is because he is black'. Well, duh. Everyone is where they are because of who they are. If you are trying to say he is winning because he is black, because of some sort of 'affirmative action' vote, you've got to be crazy. And now she is claiming that sexism has killed Hillary's chances at the presidency. So he's actually winning due to sexism and backwards racism? Uhuh. Bedlam Asylum called and they have a bed ready. But in reality, it sure looks more like you are making excuses, grasping at straws for anything to make your favorite not lose.

Second was Hillary. She added to the sexism charges, and in the same breath, claimed there was no racism happening in the campaign. WHAT? What exactly happened in West Virginia and Kentucky? And you're the one claiming that you are the only one who can get whites to vote for you. Of course sexism and racism are both present in this country and they are affecting the elections. To believe otherwise is to live in a fantasy land.

And now, finally, Bill Clinton. Sure I was losing respect due to his obvious race-baiting comments made previously. But now he claims the existence of some vast conspiracy, a grand 'coverup' that was stopping the public from learning the truth about his wife's campaign. Yes, Bill, there is a coverup but I promised my alien overlords I wouldn't tell anyone.

Yes, it seems likely that a lot of whites might not vote for Obama in the general election. There are still a lot more whites in this country than any other race. But I am willing to take that chance and vote for someone I believe in (and who hasn't embraced a lot of politically easy policies like anti-gaming laws and the Iraq War). Yes, I am white and I will vote for someone who isn't like me. And I am hoping that enough whites are like me and can look beyond his race.

I can't predict that he will win, but I can hope.

Edit: There are about a million other insane people with positions of great power in the US government that I have not mentioned, including Joe Lieberman (why did Gore force me to vote for this guy?), Clarence Thomas, and, of course, the delusional-in-chief, George.

*side note* I was waiting for my Xbox to return from Texas today, as well as for the guy to come aerate my lawn. My brother-in-law was asking me to be co-signer on a sizable loan (that I know he can't afford) and it was stressing me out, so since my daughter is at school, my wife suggested a child unfriendly activity. So, of course as I was just about to do some magic, buck naked, the doorbell rang. Arg! Talk about timing.

Fallout: Cast of Characters

Fallout was full of interesting and funny characters. Some of them are going to make an appearance in the upcoming Fallout 3. Let's take a look at the character types and then I'll give my estimation of what chance they have of returning in Besthesda's sequel.

1. Human Characters:

Vault Dwellers: These are the people, and their descendants, who sheltered in vaults while the nuclear bombs were falling. They are healthy and have a high technology level, but are rather naive and soft compared to the people outside. The main character in the original Fallout was The Vault Dweller, sent into the wasteland to retrieve a water chip by the Overseer (who turned out to be a major butt-hole). Vault dwellers wear jump suits with their vault number printed on the back and are all issued Pip-Boys, the wrist computer that has the smiling icon of Fallout as its main avatar.

The Overseer. Wouldn't you just like to explode his head like a melon?

Chance of returning: 100%, since we know the protagonist will be a vault dweller.

The Enclave:The other group untouched by the war, they are even more xenophobic than the vault dwellers. The descendents of the remnants of the US government, they planned to exterminate all people outside the enclave since they have been exposed to radiation and are slightly mutated, not true humans any more. Lead by the criminally insane President of the United States (probably a descendent of Bush) they are the hidden enemy of Fallout 2. Unfortunately, their technology exceeds even that of the Brotherhood of Steel.

President Richardson. He actually looks a bit like McCain, doesn't he?

Chance of returning: 10%. The Enclave wasn't as popular or well developed as other factions in the game, but Fallout 3 is set in Washington DC so I'd think there would be a small of chance of seeming them again.

Town Dwellers: Descendents of those who survived outside of vaults and are now living in small towns that they have built. These towns have a frontier feel and the people are a bit rough and lawless. You will find a tough mayor/sheriff looking to take out some local thugs and/or slavers and probably a mad doctor/scientist who is running some questionable experiments. You will probably have a quest to do with fixing an irrigation pump or otherwise saving their crops.

Chance of returning: 100%

City Dwellers: These are people living in the ruins of big cities like LA or Reno. They are full of many more disreputable people than the towns, such as drug dealers (and addicts, lots of addicts), gangsters, hookers, mob bosses and religious people. My favorite religion was the 'Hubologists' (Scientologists). We have celebrities! You are encouraged to come to a gathering to meet Juan Cruz and Vikki Goldman (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman). And yes, you do get to kill them. I know I did.

Myron. A dork who made it big. He idolizes you, and lets you abuse him mercilessly.

Chance of returning: 100%

Tribals: The protagontist of Fallout 1 was not allowed to return to the vault, so he founded his own town. Unfortunately, that town regressed to stone age technology and subsistance farming. When you start Fallout 2 as the descendent of the original Vault Dweller, you are the only one with technology (the Pip-Boy) or real clothes.

Sulik is trippy. In a Jar-Jar Binks sort of way.

Chance of returning: 25%. I'm not sure this fits in with the gritty realism they seem to be looking for in Fallout 3.

2. Former Humans

Ghouls: These used to be people but have been exposed to so much radiation that they have turned into something.... else. They are immune to radiation and old age, but can't reproduce. Some have had their brains completely fried and will attack on sight (called feral ghouls) but others are friendly and have formed cities of their own.

Harold. The friendliest ghoul in the world. He appeared in both Fallout 1 and 2.

Chance of returning: 100%. But for Harold, I'd give only 75% chance. He can't die of old age, but Fallout 3 is set on the east coast, thousands of miles from where Harold lives on the west coast.

Mutants: The main enemy of Fallout 1, these were humans transformed by a virus worthy of Resident Evil. The Master (who was also transformed into something even more hideous) is on a campaign to transform everyone, believing this to be the only way humanity can survive the realities of a world destroyed by nuclear war. Unfortunately, they are sterile (all except one) so the Master's plans fail (with your help). Mutants and super-mutants are massively strong and well armed, but disorganized and leaderless without the Master.

Marcus, a mutant who has managed to integrate into human society. Voiced by Michael Dorn (Warf).

Chance of returning: 100%. Though I am not sure any of them will be friendly like Marcus was.

*side note* My Xbox returned while I was writing this. Woohoo!

Edit: Hmm I just realized there are a bunch of typos. And I totally left out a bunch of groups like the Brotherhood of Steel and the Followers of the Apocolypse. Anyway, the Brotherhood will definitely be back but I don't think the Followers will (they were more of a religion).

Edit 2: I also meant to put in a section on non-humans such as Dogmeat, Radscorpions and Deathclaws. I believe all 3 of these will be returning in Fallout 3, perhaps even intelligent Deathclaws.

Fallout 1 and 2 had a lot going for them. They were riotously funny, the characters and story were well developed, and combat was gory fun that anyone could master.

But my favorite aspect of Fallout has to be the SPECIAL system.

SPECIAL stands for Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. At first glance, it is the same as stat systems we have had in RPGs since the 70's. And it is the same, except that it was implemented into every part of the game to an extent never seen before or after.

Strength has obvious effects, like doing more melee damage, busting down doors and wielding bigger weapons. This is the same in every RPG. But in Fallout, differing strengths could lead to a myriad of different dialogue choices and NPC reactions being available. These could change the course of your game.

Endurance was the same way- it affects your HP and how much damage you might take from radiation or other poisons. But there was also a delightful side quest where you could be recruited to be in a porno flick. And if your endurance isn't up to snuff... it doesn't turn out so well. But at least you can still be the fluffer.

And Intelligence was my favorite. An intelligence of 1 would leave you, literally, speechless. A modern caveman grunting through conversations. And an intelligence of 10 would give you not only a plethora of skill points but it would open up literally dozens of side quests and conversation trees. It probably doubled the length of the game as compared to the 1 intelligence character.

All of the stats were fun, and shaped the game in different ways. You couldn't ignore a single stat without some pretty big consequences.

Fallout 3 seems set to change a lot of what made Fallout 1 and 2 special. But Bethesda has promised to keep the SPECIAL system intact. If they can keep its deep influence on the game world, I will be satisfied even if it is Oblivion with guns.

This is a bit embarrassing but I am going to confess something to you; maybe someone else out there suffers from the same problem as I do. And since I don't know any of you in real life I won't feel quite as embarrassed telling you this.

As you may know, I work the night shift. When meetings are scheduled that we have to attend they are generally in the morning, maybe 7AM or later. By this time, I am always groggy from being up all night and when the meeting starts I tend to do head nods. But that is nothing compared to what happens when I get up to leave the meeting.

We wear scrubs to do our work so I am basically dressed in pajamas. As I stand up, half asleep, I almost always have a bad case of morning wood. So I have to make some excuse to sit back down and not follow my co-workers out of the meeting room. This sometimes does not work as there is often a meeting scheduled for the room immediately after ours is finished. So far I do not think I have been noticed as I have managed to muddle around while furiously thinking unsexy thoughts. But it is only a matter of time before I either don't notice because I am too sleepy or I am forced from the room before my problem has subsided.

Anyone else ever have this problem?

During the 16 months I knew my best friend, he was in perfect health. There were no warning signs. In fact, we interacted on the night of the 29th and everything was fine.

But by this afternoon he was dead.

Tonight, I am in mourning for my Xbox. It looks like Yeah_Write will get a reprieve from our little gamerscore competition since I won't be able to get any achievements for a while anyway.

No, it's not the red ring of death, though I half wish it was since then it would at least be covered by the 3 year warranty. No, it's the 'unplayable disc' error. No matter what disc I put in, the Xbox can't read it.

So maybe 360 isn't dead, maybe someone out there knows how to fix him. So if you do, could you please help me?

Edit: For those of you who haven't figured it out, no person I know died on April 30th. I was referring to my Xbox.

My daughter and I have been playing a lot of Guitar Hero 2 and 3.

I love the songs on the setlists. All of them, with one exception.

The final song on Guitar Hero 3 is The Devil Went Down to Georgia. I like the original of this song, but the version in this game has to be the worst I have ever heard.

I don't care that Charlie Daniels is all PO'ed that the game is perverting the message of his song, he should be complaining that the version included just sucks.

Dear Lord,

Please let the Democratic primary end! At this point, I don't care whether it is the girl or the boy. I just want to stop suffering. I want to see an end to the mudslinging among two candidates who are virtually identical (policy-wise). I don't want to see more ads that would make Karl Rove blush. I beg you, Lord, to pacify these viper tongues, or at least point them at John McCain. My blood pressure has been rising and I can barely sleep any more.

I know, Lord, that I haven't been the best Christian, but if you see fit to ending this campaign of terror, I promise I will start to attend church more regularly than just Christmas and Easter. And maybe send us Jesus again so he can run in 2012 on a 3rd party ticket?

Of course, we'll have to play down that he's Jewish. That might scare off some voters. And they'd probably crucify him (not literally this time) for being of Middle Eastern descent. Oh well, maybe we can find someone without so much baggage.

Gamespot recently posted a preview of Fallout 3 called Fallout 3 impressions.

Fallout 3 is definitely my most anticipated game of 2008. However, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding it due to an unfortunate comment by a developer describing it as 'Oblivion with guns.' This has led most of the Fallout faithful (or at least the most vocal of the faithful) to decry the title, call for boycotts and generally malign the game before it is even released.

Now I have played through Fallout 1 & 2 multiple times and I love all the things about it that don't match with Oblivion: lots of Dark Humor, well developed characters and a strategy based approach to combat. But I am willing (and eager) to give the game a chance as I believe that Bethesda could do great things with the liscence, and, even if it is Oblivion with guns, it will still probably be wicked fun.

The Gamespot preview was called 'Impressions', but gave nothing of the sort. I am desperately hungry for opinions and actual impressions from someone who has actually seen parts of the game, but this preview merely described what was shown and offered nothing more.

I know the problem with previews and I usually keep to the rule of avoiding them (since they are uniformly upbeat and can convince the eager to buy a substandard product. See the previews for Hour of Victory and compare them to the final product). But this time I broke this rule- I was tricked by the word 'impressions'- however this preview seemed even more bland and PC than previous entries I had read. Is Gamespot really hurting this badly for writers?

Edit: After reading IGN and Gamesradar's previews of the same material I have a clearer picture. Both offer better descriptions of Character Creation, Dogmeat and combat. IGN's seems to offer at least a bit of possible problems but I like Gamesradar's preview the best because he actually described how he feels while playing and his actual impressions of the game.