What I mainly remember was how my jaw hit the floor when I first played GTA3, because I didn't know what to expect, I just knew it was a game with a lot of cussing that my parents didn't want me playing, sort of the same as when a kid at school stole a Playboy from his dad. Even if you really don't have any interest you have to go out behind the portables and look at it. But I played GTA3 and really enjoyed it for it's gameplay, and the satire is something I gradually started to get as I got older.

I don't think there's a trade show on Earth that isn't a marketing bonanza.. And unfortunately, games is an industry, nothing can be done without some guy in a suit showing people a spreadsheet. That flight could have been worse though.. Tip for Canadians, never bring up the fact that you're Canadian on an American flight, unless you want to spend 5 hours explaining that NO there aren't death panels and that parliament doesn't take a break every 2 hours for coffee and timbits, but that yes we consume the most donuts per capita and that's why we rock. Sorry!

As things are going, we'll next have lawmakers wasting millions arguing over whether we should wipe standing up or sitting down, and in what direction, and imposing fines on any retailer selling a bidet to a non-foreigner.

@Ragnawind - There are actually no laws restricting sales, what you are experiencing is the industry self regulating itself, and doing a really excellent job of it.

It's too early to say how much blame should rest on Sony, we simply don't have the facts yet, and most people are jumping to conclusions based on rumors. However, there is no doubt that the way Sony is handling the matter is no good. "Shut up and wait, we're working on it" doesn't go down well with most people. Sony should offer a concrete date that gives them more time than they need, and when they bring the system back on they can claim it as being early.. People can deal with a wait if they know at least it will end, but claiming it will be back online soon and then breaking their word quickly erodes trust and gets people more angry than they were before.

PC really should be looking better than it does. Console centric industry = toilet paper.

So a 360 slim will pay for itself in 40 some years is what they're saying? And I thought people who bought a hybrid to save money on gas were idiots..

most of the stuff coming about right now (3d, motion controls, social gaming)... none of these are new ideas anyone remember the virtual boy? didn't think so... well that was the first crack at 3d gaming, and stereoscopic images have existed since the 1830s.. motion controls, they tried that with the ps2, and to some extent it has existed for ages in arcades, even duck hunt could be considered an example of motion gaming.. and social gaming? isn't that just an mmo? what i'm trying to say is that all this stuff is just old dogs trying to do new tricks, and pass it off as being something revolutionary, which to me says that the big players in the gaming industry are out of ideas... so the future of gaming may just be rooted in the past. one thing that does seem to be in the future though and developing strongly (and i wish it wouldn't) is dlc... i HATE, hear that again, HATE, buying things over the internet. hard drives fail, servers screw up, content you've paid for dissapears. couple this to internet providers lowering bandwidth caps and speeds to try and protect their interests in brick and mortar distribution of movies and games and it becomes an expensive nightmare for consumers.. what we want to see is new ips being created and an end to the shameful practice of appealing to the stupidest consumer you can find

been running 7 for about a week now and i'm extremely impressed, had a driver issue with my 25 inch lcd but i've managed to get it working now, i don't use my comp for games but the 3d apps i use have run just as well as they did on xp and load up twice as quickly, and i love the new taskbar. and a huge plus for me anyways, 40 dollar student edition :D m$ has done this one right

if we all said no to anything lacking creativity, no to more guitar hero type games then publishers would have to stop making this garbage, the gaming industry is like skateboarding, bmx, music genres, movies, everything else, when it starts to become mainstream it loses everything that made it special, im telling you, money ruins everything :) oh well, lets hope for some change in the next 5 years back towards real creativity in games.. and what these publishers seem to be forgetting is that if they really put some effort into a game, it will show, and people will support that