So I did end up grabbing Leisure Suit Larry: Box Office Bust yesterday. And I can honestly say, I don't hate it. It's really not that bad. I think it's idiotic that they removed all the nudity, considering that was the entire novelty of the game, and this game can't even pretend to be more than a novelty. The game is obviously broken. The controls are bad, the camera is the absolute worst in-game camera I've ever seen. The camera likes to switch in the middle of a jump, so while you were holding forward as you jumped, the new angle makes forward RIGHT, so instead of jumping from one ledge to another, halfway through, you head right, and fall to your death. The platforming is awful, especially since Larry only grabs ledges 50% of the time. The game just feels unfinished, which I think it was. It was dropped by activision, and I just don't think that they ever finished it before it was ultimately published. If this game had been fully developed, and they had perhaps censored some things instead of entirely removing all the naughty bits, then it would be so worth it. As it is, I'm wishing I didn't spend $20 on it, but I've spent more on far worse games. I can't say I'm hating every minute of it, it's just frustrating.

To begin with, I've been a Larry fan since I was about 14, and I've played them all. It's truly a fun, quirky, and often times funny game series. What made these games even better were the fact that, at the core, beneath all of the innuendos and sexual conquests was an interesting puzzle game in the same vein as the Lucasarts titles of the same time period. With Magna Cum Laude on the PS2, things changed, dramatically. The series creator, Al Lowe (who is in my opinion, a true genius and one of the great innovators of early PC gaming), was cut out of the loop. He wasn't even consulted on the creative process, which is a true shame. Had I known this, I likely would have waited a while, instead of shelling out $50 for it as soon as it came out. (This was one of only 5 games for the PS2 I paid more than $30 for). I was expecting a humorous, enjoyable puzzle game with some boobies, and what I got was a series of minigames masquerading as an adventure game... with some boobies. However, I didn't hate it, I just didn't like it as much as the previous titles. I enjoyed the fact that it was the same kind of humor as classic National Lampoons movies, even if it wasn't as well written or executed, and the game did illicit some laughter from me on occasion. Now with this new Larry game, Box Office Bust, my understanding, is that it sucks so hard. It's only been out a month and a half, has dropped price down to $20. Being a huge Larry fan, I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy the thing. I'm not expecting greatness, but apparently, it's incredibly offensive. So much so that it ceases to be humorous. That's my kind of humor. People don't always laugh at what I have to say, but I do get a reaction. That's all I care about. I expect it to be interesting at least. Going in, I know it's another minigame fest, masked by a shallow adventure game, I know the controls are weak, and I know it's graphically inferior for the XBox 360. These are all things I'm hoping won't get in the way of my enjoyment, because honestly, I like a lot of games that most people hate. So, here we go, I'll be taking the plunge today, and hopefully, I'll at least crack a smile at some of the weird and retarded things my long-time buddy and like-minded individual will have to say. And just for the record, I DO have a girlfriend. :)

Well, I've finally made the leap to the next gen, and I must say, it's looking pretty effin' good up here. I had never expected to see such crystal clear and amazing graphics on my HD television. I'm astonished at how good some of this stuff looks. And the gameplay seems to be the best since the 3D revolution. I haven't had this much fun playing games since the Sega Genesis. Many 3D games up to this point seemed to be lacking the chaos and the adrenaline pumping speed and confusion that was present in nearly every major NES, Genesis, and SNES title. And that's not to mention the incredible gameplay of classic 2D PC titles, such as DooM and Rise of the Triad.

So I just finished The Suffering: Ties That Bind for the PS2. I have to say, I enjoyed it. It was a pretty good game overall. But I hated the f*cking ending. I saw it coming from like, Chapter 2. They played it up like it was some big mystery reveal. I'm not going to give anything away for those of you who haven't played it but want to, but for those of you who HAVE played, I'm sure you already know the "secret" too. F*cking lame.

I picked one of these up a couple months back, and let me tell you, I love it. The buttons feel nice, they're padded or whatever so it's very smooth. I also like the fact that it has media player controls on top so I can go to the next or previous track with ease, which is great for me because I like to listen to music when I game. This thing has made PC gaming just that much more fun for me. Check it out: