You know, Nintendo's funny.

It's no secret that they do the same things all the time.  However, it's becoming harder and harder to get mad at them for it.  As Ms. Petit so eloquently put it, they're bringing the color to what has been an increasingly colorless gaming landscape.  The new anti-gravity mechanic for Mario Kart 8 looks crazy, and that they're bringing the proper questline format to a home 3D game with Super Mario 3D World is a great relief after so many collect-a-thons.  A new Donkey Kong Country game is also welcome.  Also, MEGAMAN IN SMASH BROTHERS!

Then there was Bayonetta 2, which looks bloody spectacular.  I'm a bit skeptical as to how two-player will work in a Devil May Cry style game (that would have been better suited to a Vanquish 2, I think), but if anyone can pull it off, it's Platinum.

The thing you saw from Nintendo was color.  Color in their games, color in their presentation style, just color.  They weren't trying for gritty realism.  It doesn't suit them, and I for one am glad of it.  Yeah, they've beaten Mario into the dirt, but considering what the rest of the industry has beaten into the dirt, perhaps that's just Nintendo carving out a niche for themselves, and no matter how many times Mario gets whored out, at least it's not another dudebro game.

And looking back, I think I can live with that.

And to think I was down in the dumps just a couple days ago!

I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to take part in the next gen because of DRM practices. I was convinced that I was going to have lots of time on my hands between Wii U games.  I was wondering if I could even call myself a gamer in good faith.

Then Sony came yesterday at E3 and, with force and clarity, said that they were not following MS' playbook.

They have my thanks, for with one blow, they've revitalized my interest in gaming and made me excited for the generation to come.

$399 w/500GB HDD

No online checks

No borrowing/preowned restriction

Everything is as it should be.

I've never been so excited about the future, knowing that there still exist people at the top of these companies that understand what gamers want.

The PS+ online requirement is a bit of a bummer, but if Sony can get PS4 online to the level of XBL Gold, then it'll be worth it.  More important, however, my games on the platform will be mine!

Today, without a doubt, is Sony's day to shine.  They've earned my loyalty yet again.

In my last blog post, I said that I wouldn't be buying the XBone due to its DRM stance, and that if the PS4 followed, I'd only be playing my Wii U, emulators on the Ouya, and my backlog.

However, let's be real, at some point there have to be new entertainment options.

TV's mostly crap, and cable companies have set it up so you have to pay hundreds of dollars for channels you'll never watch just so you can get to the one or two you give a crap about.  Not only that, the best TV shows tend to end up on Netflix, Hulu and DVD/Blu-Ray anyway, so those subscriptions are probably better than cable.

Obviously, the movie industry isn't rushing to abandon physical media, and it's becoming more and more clear that they're more likely to throw their lot in with streaming services as a rental substitute than anything else, with the fragmentation between Netflix, Amazon, Ultraviolet (Warner's service) and Hulu will ensure that Blu-Ray and DVD won't be going anywhere until a format that can fit 4K movies enters the mainstream.  Not only that, but prices aren't anywhere near as prohibitive as gaming is, meaning people like myself won't be scared to try new things the way they most certainly will in the DRM console future.  Movies seem a fine alternative for thoughtful entertainment if you're willing to venture outside of the Hollywood system every once in a while.

Music, hell, that's even easier to get into.  Thanks to the rise of MP3 players, all the major digital music stores are DRM-free.  Not only that, but there are thriving musicians outside of the top 40 fluff.  From Icelandic metal to urban rap and R&B to pop, there's almost certainly things to get into if you're willing to do the occasional venture outside the comfort zone, and both Youtube and Daily Motion have made it easy as all hell to preview music before buying it.

Books, well, those have a history going back ages, and for those who like to read, there's a nearly endless variety of stories you can get into.  Hell, books are what helped establish "tween girl porn" as a legitimate artistic pursuit.  If you want it, take a look.  It's (likely) in a book.  Hell, even comic books/manga are a sweet diversion, if you can get over the stretched-out story-lines and/or over-abundance of men in tights.

I'll probably dip my hand into many of these pursuits over the next few years as gaming turns its back to those of us who value consumer rights, but what about you, my CBS Interactive friends?  Assuming you're similarly unwilling to enter the Orwellian console future, where will you be moving your interests to?  Where do you plan to go in your post-gaming life?

No.

Just no.

Now I haven't posted much lately because, frankly, I've not had much to say.  Why waste time on nonsense, right?  Well, Microsoft gave me something to say, and that something is "no."

Now, I'm sure you all have seen the Xbox One, and I'm sure I'll get at least one or two posts defending that piece of anti-consumer garbage (especially when I put this on Giant Bomb), but I'll say it anyway since it's my blog and I can do whatever I like.

It doesn't matter what games are on it.  It doesn't matter how many wonderful features they add.  The deal was broken when they announced it would be Kinect mandatory, online mandatory, and encumbered by DRM, I made my decision.  Obviously, this is all about breaking the used games market, and that's obviously the game industry's right.  However, smart consumers have the right to say "naw, I'm good.  I'll sit this one out."

The problem is that this is all a move to force people onto a peripheral that no one liked in the Kinect, and in kowtowing to the misguided tactics of EA.

Now, let me expouse one important truth.  The reason gaming is a bottomless pit of money is not because of used games.  It's not because of piracy, at least not on the consoles.  The reason for gaming's status as a nigh-impossible industry to make steady profits in is that, once you get past Call of Duty, you basically have an industry that spends like Hollywood to serve a market the size of the comic book industry's.  With the exception of Nintendo and a few other small 3rd parties, the game industry has reached the point where a company can stare in the face of three and a half million copies of a game and call it a failure.  And with costs ballooning and the market narrowing due to DRM that many can't even use, that three and a half million is going to get harder to reach.

You know, it's funny.  Some time back, I asked you all to ponder what we should sacrifice for higher quality graphics.  Well, Microsoft has provided a potential future.  We are now being asked to sacrifice all consumer rights in exchange for a modest improvement in graphical quality, and now we're at a crossroads in gaming.  This is where we, as a whole, decide whether we're going to take a stand, turn our backs on this nonsense, or bend over and prove that we'll buy anything, no matter how hard we're screwed.  Thankfully, at least the UK is showing early signs of standing on the side of common sense,

Also hilarious is how Sony's facebook obsession and Microsoft's anti-consumer agenda have driven me to the Wii U, a system that I wasn't too hot on just months ago.  Guys, your system announcements aren't supposed to be driving me to the competition.  That's not how it's supposed to work.

That said, I understand that, barring Sony saying "we're not doing any of that MS crap" with clarity and force, that I'm not going to be doing a lot of gaming - or at least next-gen gaming - for the forseeable future.  Nintendo's not going to get a ton of 3rd party support, and even if Nintendo seriously ramps up first-party output, I don't expect to buy nearly as many games as I used to.  It's sad, but sometimes it's just time to move on.  I guess we'll always have Paris, eh?  And at least I'll have more money.  Maybe I can get back into anime or something.  Or maybe start reading some comics.

Or maybe not...

It's interesting, the reaction to Tom McShea's recent Gamespot article about Nintendo's Wii U woes. It's interesting, because it highlights the opposing wills that grip this hallowed hobby of ours.

On the one hand, people always complain about an unwillingness by the media to ever speak negatively about a game or game company, regardless of what they may or may not have done.

On the other hand, whenever someone dares criticize an industry figure, especially one of the industry's sacred cows, the feedback received in response is almost always a solid block of blind defense by those incensed by the mere idea that their idols might be imperfect.

It's an interesting spot for games journalists to be in. The audience has made its desires clear, but the desire itself is confusing: Be critical, but only of things that we have already decided to hate. Now, I don't know about anyone else, but that just sounds bloody boring. I always wanted people to challenge my preconcieved notion, not out of a desire for controversy at all cost, and certainly not out of a blind allegance to ideology. I believe that looking at facts in an objective manner and coming to a point of view, even debating it (in a polite and constructive manner) is critical to creating interesting, entertaining and thought-provoking content.

Now I'm not going to deny that gaming media is sometimes shady as all hell (notice I said sometimes). We all have witnessed the worst of it, even if the details would only emerge years later. However, I have to wonder, does the gaming public help? Do we send mixed signals?

I honestly think we do. Any time someone says something that gamers may not agree with, they're almost certain to be overrun with enraged replies, no matter how well-thought and tempered the commentary may be. At the same time, accusations of favoritism run rampant, with many convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that the industry is bought out.

However, what if it's not the game companies that the media is afraid of, but the fans? Games journalists need an audience as bad as they need games access, and it's just easier to be positive than negative.

Personally, I welcome Tom McShea's content and his insight, and not just because I agree with him in this case. The man has things to say, and he's not a snarky tool like Alex Navarro about it. There's NOTHING wrong with having an editorial opinion, as long as it's clearly marked and doesn't insult the user. I hope more people learn to tolerate opposing viewpoints that are presented in a constructive manner. Lord knows debate is lost.

Well,women in gaming talked to Klepekabout that stupid Dead Island Riptide statue, and the response in the comments section were mostly as expected.

It's disheartening that so many gamers have such a vitriolic, hateful view of anyone who speaks out against disgusting shows of blatant sexism in this industry.

It shows three undeniable truths about the industry.

1) No matter what the ESA wants to tell us, it seems pretty obvious that the overwhelming majority of gamers, once you get outside the mobile space, are male. If it was anywhere near parity, you wouldn't see this tribal reaction by gamers.

2) Most gamers, at least those who go on websites like this, would rather push us women out of "their man-cave" than have a serious discussion. It's rather like the sports fandom, really.

3) Men working in the gaming industry mostly don't care about this issue until the non-gaming media uses it to make the industry look bad and the government comes knocking.

With this in mind, it shouldn't shock anyone that there are scads of gamers trying to downplay or even defend the shameful display by Deep Silver and Techland here. However, while the mostly male gaming audience's reaction surprises me not one iota, the lack of industry men standing up and saying "WTF are we doing?"

Not to say there aren't male gaming voices out standing up against this nonsense, otherwise we wouldn't have Klepek writing the article in the first place. However, it seems that when sexism-related articles featuring gaming personalities' views are published, 99% of the time it's from women, and at least one of them in every other article has one woman staying anonymous because she fears backlash.

Is it really that difficult to find men in this industry who give enough of a crap to say that maybe it's not okay for sexism to run rampant in this industry? Is it so one-dimensional?

This whole blog post might seem strange coming from a Valis fangirl, but that series was never as condescending as most games seem to women today, at least the few that deign to have female characters at all.It is possible to be sexy without resorting to tired objectification,it is possible to make women that are both empowering and alluring in this medium, indeed, this medium is capable of so much more, even within its established genre, if the gaming industry made even the slightest efforts to appeal beyond the base.

Now, let's not get it twisted here. I'm no advocate for making women in games sexless,lest the setting calls for it. To strip a woman completely of her sexuality solely in the name of inoffensiveness is a form of sexism in and of itself. And no one will ever convince me thatthere aren't sexualized male charactersin gaming as well. However, male characters aren't anywhere near as pigeonholed as women intostereotypicalarchetypes. The reasonThe Bosswas such an amazing character was that, despite her being clearly female was that she was never reduced to being a "game woman." She was devious, conniving, motherly, introspective and ruthless in equal measure. However, if MGS3 were helmed by anyone other than Hideo Kojima, The Boss would have almost certainly been made a guy at some point in development, because 90% of decision makers in this blighted industry can't wrap their minds around the idea that a woman can be something other than T&A fanservice.

I'm probably going to get ripped a new one by anyone who sees this, but you know what? I don't care at this point. I just felt angry and needed a place to vent. I'll get back out of your man-cave now.

Why am I not surprised?

Why am I not surprised that the Wii U would have such an abysmal showing?

Nintendo has, once again, proven that they are incapable of exciting anyone unless it's by trotting out their tired old fanboy-bait franchises.

They started off with a showing of Pikmin 3, the long-awaited sequel to the GameCube cult hit. Then, it went downhill in a damned hurry.

The Big N doubled down on 3rd party games this year, and that proved both disastrous and predictable. Outside of the meh-looking ZombiU, the third party games were all ports. Mass Effect 3, Ninja Gaiden 3, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, yawn, yawn, yawn. Nothing that really says to me "GO BUY A WII U!" All this tells me is that Nintendo's in for one hell of a rude awakening when the eventual next iterations of the Xbox and PlayStation come out.

Nintendo's first party offerengs aside from Pikmin were, you guessed it, an orgy of Mario. TWO New Super Mario Games (one for 3DS which looks suspiciously like a re-skinned Wario Land attempt, and another on the Wii U). Paper Mario. Luigi's Mansion. It continues to pain me to see what was once the most creative company in the industry playing it safer than 3rd parties. It's like they don't understand what made their efforts on the NES, SNES and N64 so special, and are instead content to ride out their recognizable characters until the heat death of the universe.

At least they're publishing Lego City Undercover. Score one game that's a bit out of the mascot wheelhouse.

After that, we get the online theme park, NintendoLand. I won't bore you with the details, save to say... Minigames. Mascot-themed minigames.

Again, I'm faced with the possibility that I am simply no longer in Nintendo's demographic. I'm not in my tweens. I don't get all starry-eyed at the mere mention of one of their mascots. Their gimmicks (indeed, anyone's gimmicks) fail to appeal to me. Maybe I just keep paying attention to Nintendo in the vain hope that someday, somehow, they'll recapture the long-gone glory days, and that they won't have to rely on constant nostalgia-mining.

Perhaps it's time I stopped deluding myself.

As you may or may not know, E3's in full swing. We've had outstanding announcements and somewhat lacking showings, as is the norm for the show. However, this might be the very first time that that a studio got closed down on Day 0.

Now, while I didn't pay much attention to EA's presser because, well, it's EA, I did catch that they got their hands on the UFC license, one of the few that hadn't become a burden for THQ over the years during their transition from licensed garbage factory to legitimate, viable studio. People were wondering how, exactly, THQ would react. I don't think anyone expected their reaction to be on the same day, but lo and behold....

THQ confirms that today?s announcement regarding the UFC license transition will affect the company's San Diego studio, THQ vice president of communication Angela Emery told GamesBeat. THQ is working closely with those relevant staff to either find possible employment within the company, or potentially with EA.

Well, that was fast, to put it lightly. By "effect," of course, THQ means "close." That's right, THQ closed a major studio of theirs at the start of E3, as though they expected it not to be noticed. It almost succeeded, too. Well, almost. Otherwise I wouldn't be typing this out.

Now, studios close and open pretty much all the time now, so I'm not surprised. Also, THQ isn't exactly doing well. They seem to be sprinting on the track laid out by Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick. So yeah, no surprise THQ's closing a studio, especially one that was apparently working on the next UFC game, which obviously will no longer be required.

What does surprise is the timing. E3. The busiest three days in the whole damned gaming industry, and certainly not the best time to announce a studio closure. While most would probably think that THQ simply hoped to sweep this under a mountain of game announcements, the other shoe had to have been expected to drop when Dana White stepped onto the EA stage. THQ came off as reactionary, as though they didn't know that they'd lost the UFC license until the EA presser and immediately fired anyone related to UFC in a bid to stem the bleeding. Considering how contracts tend to work, they have to have at least known that the UFC wasn't coming back at some point before the EA announcement. Whether this is a poor attempt at sneaking it past the media or yet another show of gross incompetence, we may never fully know, but it doesn't look good.

Hopefully they turn things around. Or at the very least, that Volition finds a home that's not EA.

So, the PlayStation conference beat the Microsoft conference easy. More than that, it established that Sony's still in it for the long haul for the PlayStation 3. They rarely strayed from games, and filled me, as a PS3 owner, with tons of confidence!

Starting off, Quantic Dream announced their latest game, Beyond: Two Souls, and showed off even more of their amazing real-time rendering tech. It remains to be seen if this will be a game rather than a QTE drill, but it's great to see Sony catering to niche markets and to their continued commitment to prestige titles.

Next up, PlayStation All-Stars revealed to be coming out on the Vita, one-upping Nintendo (who has never released Smash Bros. on handheld), and showing off the cross-compatibility between the Vita and PS3 versions. Also, two new characters were revealed: Nathan Drake and a Big Daddy (Bioshock). It'll be interesting to see who the next characters are.

Continuing, we have Assassin's Creed 3: Liberation, a Vita-exclusive game which will be part of a hardware bundle later this year. Also, an Assassin's Creed 3 hardware bundle will be introduced for the PS3, including exclusive DLC. Also, Assassin's Creed 3 will have something decidedly different: Naval battles. It'll be interesting to see how an assassin ends up captaining a ship, but the fights look fun.

Also announced for the Vita was Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, an apparently Vita-exclusive Call of Duty game. Unfortunately, nothing was shown.

Vita's finally getting Youtube! And PSOne Classics! Took enough time, holy crap.

Let's get past the smart phone talk (which is like, WTF?) and the Wonderbook (which looks amazing for a 6-year-old, but not something I was interested in).

Lastly, we were shown that God of War: Ascension does indeed have single player mode, and had a bone-chillingly awesome demo of The Last of Us. Seriously, check out a replay of the conference just for that. That's one way to end a show.

There were a few things that surprised me. I honestly expected to hear more about the Vita. While Jack Tretton promised 60 titles this year for the Vita, we really only learned about Assassin's Creed III: Liberation and Black Ops Declassified. I hope the rest of the show has more Vita stuff. That pearl white Vita looks pretty dope, but I'm also surprised it's a WiFi-only unit. Something tells me the 3G version did especially poorly.

Also, while that Wonderbook looks like a sweet application of the Move controller, it does seem like it'd be expensive. Do the books also need discs to be in PS3s? What will be their price? That's to say nothing about needing a Move for Book of Spells.

Lastly, while I didn't expect a Vita price drop, I DID expect a price drop on memory cards. Given Sony wants us to do more downloading, the memory cards are going to get in the way.

On the whole, though, thank God they didn't have quite as much in the way of non-gaming talk as Microsoft did. Another strong showing for Sony at another E3.

Well, Microsoft's presser is done and over with, and here's some thoughts.

There seemed to be more actual gaming going on this year than in the last two, so Microsoft seems to be learning a bit. While there was plenty of non-gaming application being touted, there weren't really any "all right, so now I can listen to Justin Bieber" moments.

No child actors - I can't even begin to express my gratitude. 2010 and 2011 were both depressing Xbox showings and those were huge factors. The show for Wreaketeer or whatever it was called was pleasantly brief as well. Fable: The Journey still looks like hot garbage, but then again, it's a Fable title.

Xbox Smartglass? More like Xbox Dumbass. Why the hell do I want to be going back and forth between a smartphone and my movie/game? I don't know about anyone else, but personally, I rather enjoy concentrating on whatever I'm doing. Especially in a game like Halo.

Ubisoft showed just how busy they can make a UI with the Splinter Cell: Blacklist demo. Seriously, I half expect them to show of "User Interface: The Game" at their own conference later today.

Tomb Raider looks **** awesome. Definitely picking that up next year.

Why was Usher performing? Was that supposed to be a demo of Dance Central 3? Hell, at least Joe Montana was actually pretending to play Madden - they didn't even try to hide the publicity stunt that was Usher.

I wonder if those ESPN services are still only going to be for people with ISPs that are actively participating with ESPN...

And of course, Call of Duty: Black Ops II. Looks like fun, though the charge gun is a wee bit silly. Still, refreshing change of pace for the series, and I can't wait to see more.

So yeah, Microsoft. Not an embarrassment like 2010 and 2011. Good job this year!