I love the Godfather movies, and I loved the Godfather game. I've played the PS2 and Wii version (Wii version was much improved) and they are great. There's a lot of hate I notice in the comments on the GFII trailers, but I don't care. I know that the game is loosely based on the second film, and takes some liberties, but I'm wondering what they are going to do after this one. I have some thoughts.

One thing they could do is use the flashback scenes from the second film as a game unto itself. Play as Vito Corleone and rise to power against Don Fannucci and the Black Hand. Start your businesses, etc. Maybe put some constraints on the violence since much of his power was gained through trust. Keep the violence for sure, but maybe there are more penalties for it. It would be a prequel game. Godfather II: The Beginning or something.

Not sure how they could base a game on Godfather III, but I'm sure they could. Maybe you play as Vincent Mancini/Corleone or maybe it picks up after the end of the film and it can be an open world for the Corleone family, where you will control the destiny and are not constrained by the plots of the films. I dunno. I think there is definitely room for more games after this in the Godfather series. I hope that this one is successful and this can be a decently long running franchise.

I'm not sure if anyone reads my blog. Probably nobody does. That's OK. I wanted to make an announcement anyway. Something very important in my life. I am now a father. My wife gave birth to our beautiful son on Monday, January 14th and we are a very happy household. A gamer in training, this boy will appreciate the classics. It's an amazing, indescribable feeling being a dad. Although my wife and I have been married for nearly 8 years, and he's only been here a little over a week, we can't imagine our lives without him. :):D

The Virtual Console on the Wii is a great idea and I have taken advantage of it. The games on the old Nintendo systems, the Genesis, the TurboGrafx-16, and now the Neo-Geo almost makes the Wii purchase necessary by themselves. It could be more, though.

I think that the VC should be a one stop shop for all kinds of old-school games that many people have never had a chance to experience before or just can't play them on the old systems due to the age of the systems, cost, repair, etc. I think the VC should offer games from the Atari systems (2600, 5200, 7800, Jaguar), Colecovision, Intellivision, 3DO, Magnavox Odyssey, etc. With all the different controllers out there and the ones that Nintendo is currently producing, special retro controllers could be made available for these types of games. An all in one system with a library of classic games all across the spectrum of gaming history. That's what I want.

Don't you love it when politicians feel the need to legislate morality? Whether it's censoring music, video games, movies, or smoking, the politician knows what's best for you and how you should spend your money. Is smoking bad for you? Of course. But why does Washington or any of the 50 state capitols believe that it is their job to stop you from doing it? Because they want to control you. I'm not a "Big Brother is Watching You" conspiracy theorist, but these things that have been going on are ridiculous. They tax those of us that have worked hard and made something of ourselves in order to "redistribute" to the lower classes. That's right. Punish those who are making money. Normally I would blame this on the Democrats, but the Republicans are doing much of the same thing. They've jumped on the global warming nonsense bandwagon and want to legislate morality as well. Last night I heard that several states were banning the game of tag from grammar schools because kids might feel the need to push or hit other kids. Heavens to betsy! How did we ever survive before without these restrictions?

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/02/school_bans_game_tag_after_students_complain/

This last mess with Manhunt 2. Where do I begin? There is a ratings system. Good. Some games contain content that require certain ratings. OK. Manhunt 2 got an AO. Fine. Oh wait, we can't have that. Manhunt has to be edited in order to receive an M rating so it can be released on Sony and Nintendo's system because they won't allow AO games. Why then is there an AO rating in existence? AO is to video games what NC17 is to movies. The children. Won't somebody please think about the children. Here's a thought, let their parents think about the children. That's what the ratings are for. Enforce the law, sure. If someone sells an M or AO rated game to an underage kid, take care of it. If someone lets an underage kid into an R or NC17 film, take care of it. But let's stop pretending. Many of the same people that are complaining about the government doing this or that are the same people that seem to need the government to take them by the hand and lead them around.

Take responsibility for yourself and your children.

:x

Sometimes I am just bored and troll video game sites. (like you don't) So I found one that had a little trivia test on my favorite Mario game of all time.  So I took it. I got a 100% on the Super Mario Bros. 2 test!

Click here! to take it

I got a 100% on the SMB Series test!

Click here! to take it

I stumbled onto this website a few weeks ago, and it is a great site, but small.  It needs members.  Anybody reading this blog is obviously interested in games, so please join the site and help make it what it could be.  I am a regular contributor to that site, and I invite everyone to become a part of it. The site is http://www.gametraderworld.com/ and following is their official press release:

 

NEXT GENERATION TRADING FOR NEXT

GENERATION GAMES

Game Trader World Promises a New Community with a Fair Deal for Your Old Video Games. With the release of the Xbox 360 last year and the Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii to be released next month, the next generation of video games is upon us. Every few years, new video game systems come out to take advantage of the latest technology, but one thing that hasn't really changed for the 30+ years that video games have been around is what you can do with the games once you finish them.

Most people will just return to the store, which usually offers to buy it back for a small fraction of the purchase price and sell it used for slightly less than a new copy. If you happen to have a friend who wants your game and he has one that you want, you can just swap them, but how likely is that?

Now with the advent of GameTraderWorld.com, you can have access to a trading community that spans the nation. Created and developed over 9 months by recent George Washington University graduate Mike Festa from Melrose, MA, GameTraderWorld.com is the 'Ultimate Game Trading Community'. "The idea is simple", Festa says, "we want to allow gamers from all over the country, many of whom already know each other from other online communities, to be able to safely exchange games with each other as if they lived down the street." With the next generation consoles built to be played online, gamers across the country are already playing together and forming friendships while sharing a common passion. For example, Xbox Live, Microsoft's online service for Xbox and Xbox 360, has over 4 million members, including over 60% of Xbox 360 owners. Nintendo and Sony will be offering similar services.

GameTraderWorld.com invites gamers to create a free account and to build their reputation by interacting with the community. The website offers a wide variety of features, including forums to chat about games, game reviews, a games collection and wishlist, a friends list, and user ranks and awards. Users create listings of games they want to trade and indicate a price and/or games that they would be interested in exchange. When a user finds a game listed that they want, they make an offer and choose to pay or to give one of the games that was requested. The user who made the listing can choose to accept the offer based on how much they trust the person requesting the trade. Game Trader World charges a modest 99 cent transaction fee and each user pays the shipping. Being an avid gamer, Festa knows all too well the pitfalls of the current game trading status quo. "As a kid I remember having 10 Super Nintendo games that I had finished and were just sitting on my shelf. I brought them to a local game store and was frustrated by the paltry value that they assessed; nevertheless, I went home with 4 used games in exchange. About a month later, I brought those same games back and returned home with just one game. After finishing that game and feeling nostalgic, I traded it with my friend for one of the original 10 games that I had. After that day, I swore that I'd never trade another game. But now, with GameTraderWorld.com, I can break that promise with satisfaction."

Game Trader World allows users to trade their video games online in a community built around creating trust. The 'Ultimate Game Trading Community' can be found on the web at www.GameTraderWorld.com and is officially launching on Friday, November 3rd.

 

 

 

 

 

I have a Wii.:D

If you haven't heard, Goozex is an online used video game trading peer to peer network.  If you are interested in buying used games, and they have everything from PSOne to the current generation, then this is a great site.  You register and add the games that you will be willing to trade/sell and they are assigned point values.  After completing a trade, you get points based on that game which you can then use to buy other games.  It's a nice system that I hope to see grow in the near future to include older games going all the way back.  Check it out!  You won't be sorry!

http://www.goozex.com/trading/asp/join.asp?idr=4484415549

 

Now that the Virtual Console is up and running, I'd like to see more systems added to the mix.  All the Nintendo systems were a gimme.  It was nice to see that the Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 were added.  There are many other old time systems that should see releases on the Wii.  I'd like to see games from the Atari 2600/5200/7800/Jaguar, Colecovision, 3DO, Saturn, Vectrex, and Philips CD-i.  Why not?  The Wii could become a retro gamer's dream come true.  Other old fashioned looking controllers could be released to play these older games.  Just my opinion.  8)

I WANT A WII!