My biggest problem when it comes to playing video games is finding the time to be able to play them, if I had it my way I would be playing them 90% of the day. Unfortunately I have to participate in the real world as well...lol but one relief is handheld gaming, being able to play games in the gaps when you dont have to be responsible but cannot get access to your PS3/Xbox 360. Handheld devices like the PS Vita, the Nintendo 3DS and iPad have provided me with the much needed break from reality that I otherwise wouldn't get.  With this in mind, I would like to see the capability of handheld gaming expanded to the point that all future games consoles be handheld. Imagine, the newest console being small enough to play in your hand while you are on the move but also being powerful enough to play the most up to date games. It wouldn't be just limited to handheld gaming though, new leaps in wireless connectivity will enable you to connect a small transmitter to your handheld which would send a signal to a HDMI receiver in the back of your TV, ultimately transmitting the image to the television, turning the handheld into a games controller, controlling the game on the TV. Imagine never having to stop playing; you're in the middle of playing a game and the wife walks in and demands the TV so that she can watch one of her soaps or reality programmes, rather than having to stop playing you just remove the transmitter from your handheld and carry on playing in the palm of you hand while she watches TV. Sadly I can't see this ever happening, especially as a large portion of the gaming community has yet to embrace handheld gaming but I can always dream.

Since Square Enix came out with Final Fantasy VII in 1997 they have found it icredibly hard to emulate the success that the game achieved. FFVII is considered by many FF fans, including myself, to be the best FF game ever made; the games that have been released since have always been compared to VII and have suffered as a consequence. FFVIII, in particular, was one of the most disappointing FF games, fans of the series greatly anticipated the release of VIII believing that it would be better than VII. Unfortunately Square Enix felt it was necessary to overhaul the battle system, makes the characters more lifelike and create very uninteresting characters. Square Enix did manage to redeem themselves somewhat with the release of FFIX but it was short lived as the next installment, FFX, was probably one of the most annoying FF games of all time, with a cliche story of a young mans angst against his father, severely irritating music and yet another battle system change. Final Fantasy XII had many admiral qualities but still fell short of the standard that VII set, however XIII has proved to possibly be the franchises saving grace. It features a battle system and character customisation that is almost as unique as that in FFVII, the storyline is gripping and fast paced, thanks to the fact the 3/4 of the game is set on a linear path, opening up at chapter 11. Although some of the characters have the ability to irritate, mostly Vanille, they are by far some of the most interesting characters an FF game has ever had. Furthermore, the levelling process is one of the most simplistic and interactive levelling systems ever featured in an FF game, which is a massive improvement on many of the previous over complicated systems. Obviously FFXIII has its critics, which game doesn't, I'm sure VII had its critics but in my opinion FFXIII is the first since VII that has truly been an enjoyable experience. Many FF fans are asking for a remake of VII but this is something I would not like to see, I dont need a great game to be remade into this generation of graphics to enjoy it, thats exactly why its a great game because its still playable today. Instead of a remake, Square Enix need to combine the winning formulas of VII and XIII to make FFXV the incredible game it could be.

I bought my PS Vita for all the potential that it promised, certainly not the launch titles. However, since getting one, progress has been slow, remote play looks like its never going to happen, PS1 support still hasn't arrived and we still don't have any games worth shouting about. What has been announced as future game releases so far have not managed to excite me or many other Vita owners. With Gamescom one day away and the promise that Sony will be making many announcements regarding the Vita, including the rumour that PS1 support will finally have a date set, I am now in a position where I am wondering whether I will still want my Vita once the Gamescom conference is over. The truth is, I probably will sell my Vita if I dont hear the things I want to hear at Gamescom as I feel the money I would get for it would hold more value than what the Vita currently offers. I might even get a Nintendo 3DS with the money (shock, horror). I will be tuning in live to the Sony Conference tomorrow at 6pm UK time with fingers crossed!