Portions of the following have been adapted from the movie The Big Lebowski to reflect on the current situation here at GameSpot.

The Stranger (Sam Elliot): [voiceover] "Way out west there was this fella I wanna tell ya about. Goes by the name of Jeff Gerstmann. At least that was the handle his loving parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. See, this Gerstmann, he called himself "Mr. Gamespot".

Now, "GameSpot" - there's a name no man would self-apply where I come from. But there was a lot about Mr. GameSpot that didn't make a whole lot of sense. A lot about where he lived, likewise. [Because make no mistake, Jeff lived for GameSpot.] But then again, maybe that's why I found the place so darned interestin'. See they call GameSpot the "City Of Sellouts"; but I don't find it to be that exactly. But I'll allow it as there is obviously at least one there [Larson]. Course I ain't never been to IGN, and I ain't never seen GameTrailers. And I ain't never seen no Master Chief with his damned helmet off, so the feller says. But I'll tell you what - after seeing GameSpot, and this here story I'm about to unfold...well, I guess I seen somethin' every bit as stupefyin' as you'd seen in any of them other places. And on the internet, too. So I can die with a smile on my face, without feelin' like the good Lord gypped me.

Now this here story I'm about to unfold took place in late '07 - just after the time of our conflict with Lars-dam and the Eid-raqis. I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? Sometimes, there's a man. And I'm talkin' about Mr. GameSpot here. Sometimes, there's a man...well...he's the man for his time and place. He fits right in there. And that's Jeff. Jeff, from GameSpot.

And even if he's a gamer - and Jeff was most certainly that. Quite possibly the biggest gamer in all of GameSpot, which would place him high in the runnin' for biggest worldwide. Sometimes there's a man. Sometimes...there's a man. Well, I lost my train of thought here....aww, hell I've done introduced it enough."

---

After this past week and the emotional rollercoaster it has been for GameSpot's staff and community, it's difficult to tell when we will ever have a sense of normalcy around here again. Long-time users and newbies alike are leaving in droves. Thousands of others have canceled their Total Access subscriptions in an angry attempt to "stick it to the man". And trolling GameSpot haters are coming out of the woodwork to gloat in what they hope is the site's last ghasp. I for one would hate to see it end this way. Too much time and effort from so many different people has been invested into GameSpot to see it go down like this.

I know what many of you are probably thinking: "Why should we support or trust GameSpot/CNET/etc after what's happened?" Well, there are many rational reasons. First of all, none of us (including the entire GameSpot staff it seems) know what REALLY went down, aside from Jeff and the powers-that-be. Yes, there are numerous "coincidences" that point to some shady dealings going on behind the scenes, but until we hear from Jeff himself, none of those rumors have been confirmed by anyone with real credibility. We may NEVER know the whole story. However, after listening to the most recent HotSpot and hearing the sincere feelings of the remaining GameSpot staffers, I'm really beginning to believe that this was just one big misunderstanding.

Once the story broke that Jeff had been fired over a single review, the internet gossip-machine went to work and before anyone knew what had happened...it had hit the fan. We were outraged! We were furious! We were canceling subscriptions! We were spamming forums! We were leaving for other websites! I should know since at first I was one of you, just as outraged as the next guy. It's only human nature. But was it all truly warrented? I'm beginning to think it wasn't.

Why would you abandon such a great website and community for a blunder that in all likelihood was completely beyond their control? Regardless of why or how Jeff was fired, I'm sure he wouldn't want to see the site he spent 11+ years of his life building reduced to rubble. Sure it's romantic to think that GameSpot would go down in a blaze of glory without Jeff; He was an icon here at the site. But I sincerely doubt that's what he would want. As many of the staffers have already pointed out, Jeff is going to be just fine. He's literally become an overnight internet celebrity for getting FIRED. Think about that. He's already seen as a martyr by some...and he didn't even die. Wherever Mr. GameSpot decides to go, he will have plenty of loyal fans right there waiting for him. I'm sure he'll be just as successful, if not more-so, wherever he ends up.

However, out of respect for the remaining staffers, who are forced to clean up a mess they didn't even make...and more importantly, out of respect for Jeff and what he helped to build, I don't think we should abandon GameSpot. We can support Jeff wherever he decides to go while remaining here, continuing to build upon (perhaps rebuild is a better word at this point in time) what he started. Of course we will miss him. As the Dude might say: "That rug really tied the room together." Jeff was GameSpot's rug. He tied everything together. We'll never replace him, but we'll never replace GameSpot either. So why let it go?

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Walter Sobchak (John Goodman): "Jeff was a good gamer, and a good man. He was one of us. He was a man who loved GameSpot... and his friends. And as a gamer he explored the beaches of video game lore, from Hyrule to San Andreas and... up to... Pismo. He was fired, like so many young men of his generation, he was fired before his time. In your wisdom, Larson, you took him, as you took so many bright flowering young men at Khe San, at Langdok, at Hill 364. These young men gave their lives. And so would Jeff. Jeff, who loved gaming. And so, Jeff Gerstmann, in accordance with what we think your parting wishes might well have been, we commit ourselves to keeping GameSpot alive, which you loved so well. Goodbye, Mr. GameSpot."

The Dude (Jeff Bridges): "Walter...what the f*** does Vietnam have to do with anything?"

"What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?"

Just one of the many memorable quotes uttered by the maniacal mastermind, Anton Chigurh, in the new Coen brother's film, No Country For Old Men, based on the novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy. As you can probably tell from my avatar (The Dude from The Big Lebowski), I'm a huge Coen brother's fan. With such cl@ssic movies as O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Fargo under their belts, and the almost unanimous high praise No Country received from critics, I was really looking forward to seeing this movie.

It begins with a somewhat typical narration by Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) over slow panoramic shots of the Texas/Mexican border. Soon after this opening sequence, we are introduced to one of the main protagonists of the film, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). Hunting in the middle of this desolate wasteland by the Rio Grande, Moss stumbles upon a drug deal gone horribly wrong. With blood and bodies strewn everywhere, Moss finds a truck full of heroin and a sole survivor (but not for long), a gut-shot Mexican who begs him for some "agua" (water). Moss informs the man that he has no water to offer and asks for the where-abouts of the last man standing, "el ultima hombre". After receiving no answer, he sets off and eventually finds this man, dead under a tree with $2.4 million in cash nearby. Thus, the chaos begins.

We are introduced to the primary "villain" of the movie, Anton Chigurh, played marvelously by Javier Bardem, in a scene that is as brutal as it is calculating. After witnessing his brutality, we immediately realize that this man has no remorse, no conscience, no pity...for anyone. But Chigurh is not your typical Hollywood "badass". He's more Hannibal Lector than Terminator, and we learn this through the display of his obvious keen intillect and ingenuity. His ability to track his prey is uncanny, and it's scary to see that someone so intelligent could also be so sadistic. One of the most memorable scenes occurs early on in the film in a small gas station between Chigurh and the old store clerk/owner. The scene is almost relentless in its intensity, but not due to any amount of violence. The dialogue between these two strangers simply creates so much tension that you literally can't take your eyes off the screen.

Obviously, the movie cannot keep up such a rapid pace; it almost feels like a long roller-coaster ride with the vast changes in tempo and mood through-out. The scenes with Chigurh chasing after Moss and the money are nothing short of nail-biting, while Sheriff Bell's laid back monologues are the polar opposite with his slow reflections on life and the evolution of the world around him. It was difficult to stay involved in both plotlines due to their polarity, despite the powerful performances by their respective actors, but I think that's because this is a movie that is meant to be experienced more than once to be fully appreciated and understood.

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed with the latter third of the movie, though. I don't want to spoil anything, but the Coen's took a strange route when handling one of the more important "events" in the novel/movie. It almost seemed like an after-thought to them, as the "event" occured off-screen. However, I've learned it's best not to try and understand the Coens and their quirkiness, as it will only leave you scatterbrained. That said, some will say that the last 30 minutes destroyed an otherwise marvelous film, but I beg to differ. This movie, like the book, was not meant to fall into typical, Hollywood cookie-cutter formulas, and the Coen brothers are not your typical Hollywood writers/directors. The ending, like the movie, is not what I expected, and as such I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. However, I can still honestly say that this is one of the best movies I've seen in a long, long time, and it is a must-watch for anyone who can handle the violent and somewhat depressing subject matter.

At the very least, you should see the movie just for Javier Bardem, who gives an Oscar-worthy performance as one of the most memorable movie villains of the last decade. Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin are also spectacular in their respective roles, and had it not been for Bardem stealing the show, I could easily have seen Oscar nods for them as well. Overall, I would rate this movie an 9 out of 10. It is indeed a superb movie, but it's not without its flaws.

The tagline says "There Are No Clean Getaways", and I can assure you that in this movie...there are none.

With the unbelievabley rapid growth of the internet, it was no surprise that the video game industry would try to capitalize on it. Online multiplayer gaming has exploded over the past decade, first on the PC, and now on consoles like the PlayStation 3 and Xbox360. Anyone with an internet connection can enjoy playing other real live gamers from the comfort of their sofa or favorite easy chair. Voice chat has also become prevalent, which allows friends from across the globe to have a laugh or talk some smack in real time. But something has started to change. Video game publishers and producers have had a revelation so to speak, in the form of downloadable content.

These publishers have finally realized how much money can be made from games they have already sold to the consumer. Why settle for the one time fee of $50+ when you can keep nickle and diming them? It seems now that your purchase of a video game is merely its "introductory price". Take for example the monstrously successful Guitar Hero franchise and its steady devolution. The original Guitar Hero scored a 9.0 and an Editors' Choice award here on GameSpot, while the sequels Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock and Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80s received an 8.9/8.7, 8.0/7.5, and 7.0 respectively. While these are not BAD scores by any stretch of the imagination, they illustrate a steady decline in the quality, and more importantly, the progression of the franchise. But why haven't these games progressed?

Well in short, because they don't have to. These games don't need to improve on an already winning formula for one important reason: the music sells itself. Essentially with Guitar Hero and the upcoming Rock Band, the game publishers are selling you a karaoke machine for which you can buy more songs. Why try to figure out which songs the consumer would like to have, when they can decide (and more importantly, PAY) for themselves? Take a look at the details for the downloadable content for Rock Band. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Rock Band will still feature preselected three-song packs for download, but they will instead cost $5.49 (440 Microsoft points on Xbox 360). Songs will also be available individually for $1.99. Harmonix has said future songs will be sold individually for as little as $.99 (80 Microsoft points), and as much as $2.99 (240 points). However, "the vast majority" will come in at the standard $1.99 price point."

$1.99 for a song that you can't play on your computer or MP3 player, or burn onto a CD. That's a bad deal any way you slice it. What's worse, is judging from the early list of downloadable songs, the publishers are deliberately holding back the best material instead of including it on the original game disc. Metallica, The Police, David Bowie, Radiohead, and Black Sabbath are just a few of the big name bands that are on the preliminary downloadable content list for Rock Band.

Have they taken it too far for the sake of turning a bigger profit? Or are we just jealous that we didn't think of it first? Regardless of the controversy, many thousands of people, including myself, are going to purchase Rock Band and plenty of its downloadable content. While this obviously adds some welcomed replay value to an already great video game, I don't think we should have to pay for something that could have easily been included with the original game. Maybe we should just start advertising video games as "Fun Sold Separately".

As the video game industry blossoms and expands, competitive gaming has become a more visible and more lucrative enterprise, even moving into mainstream media and television. The First Person Shooter genre alone has bred thousands of would-be "professional" gamers who's dreams of fame and fortune drive them to be the best in the world. Sports, strategy, and fighting games also have their own "cyber athletes." What was once thought of as just a hobby or fad has become a billion dollar industry.

Since it's inception, the World Cyber Games has featured the best players in the world competing in front of millions for their share of the substantial price money. WCG is now entering its seventh year, and the purse has more than doubled in that time, from $200,000 (US) in 2000 to $462,000 (US) in 2006 (WCG wiki). The Cyberathlete Professional League has already given out over three million dollars in prize money. Companies such as Major League Gaming sponsor young players with lucrative contracts and market them to the masses. Some professional players, such as Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, even have their own brand of custom video game products, ranging from mouse pads and ID tags to video cards and mother boards. Now more than ever, gaming can truly become one's career, but can anyone be "pro"?

First of all, what makes a gamer "pro"? Is it winning highly publicised tournaments? Is it topping the online leaderboards? Is it literally making a living on your winnings? Many will beg to differ on this definition, but I think what makes a "pro" gamer is not their paycheck, but their skill. I might be wrong, but I'm sure there are many, many amazing video game players out there that don't make a dime off of their "abilities". They simply go about their day, owning the masses in between nine-to-fivers.

For a gamer to make a serious paycheck, he or she first of all has to play a popular, recently released multiplayer game. You can't get paid dominating a ten year old game, unless you live in Korea and play Starcraft. You can't make money playing with yourself either, at least not gaming. The most lucrative games are usually from established franchises. Halo, Unreal Tournament, Madden, and FIFA consistently have high dollar tournaments hosted in their names because they are played by the masses and support high octane, high skilled competition. Well what about the other games?

There are plenty of other exciting, highly competitive games that don't get the financial support and media coverage they deserve; either due to their lack of fanbase, or because the marketers don't believe it to be a "watchable" game. Despite popular belief, gaming can be an exciting spectator sport given the right audience. Even video games less popular than the Halo's and Madden's of the world can produce incredible drama. Watch and listen as the crowd erupts at Evolution 2004 after this amazing comeback during a Street Fighter match. It's akin to what one might here in a professional sports arena, albeit on a smaller scale. The prize money in this competition was substantially less than a Madden or Halo tournament, but are the players any less skilled? What about the players who don't compete in tournaments but still top the online leaderboards? A player reaching the pinnacle of their respective game shouldn't require a paycheck to validate the achievement.

So now that I've clarified my position on what makes a gamer "pro", I'll return to my original question. Can anyone be "pro"? How does one become the best is the world at a video game? Is it talent or is it simply shear practice and willpower? Some will say it comes from the right hardware and too much free time, while others might believe that true gaming talent can't be learned. I tend to be in the latter group. Sure with a top of the line computer or console and eight hours of practice a day, you could probably get pretty good at any game, but would you be the best in the world? Probably not. Something separates these select few from the rest of us average gamers. Maybe it's as simple as having more accurate hand-eye coordination. Perhaps it's their intelligence...or lack there-of. (I keed! I keed!) Whatever it is that makes a gamer "pro", not everyone has it. They are the best in the world for reason, but you know what I always say...better lucky than good.

Maybe I'm just a picky guy, borderline obsessive compulsive even, but I enjoy reading well written and visually pleasing posts, blogs, and reviews here on GameSpot. If a post lacks decent formatting and flow, then I tend to skim over it, or worse yet, skip it entirely. I don't consider myself elitist, but if someone doesn't take the time to convey their message in even rudimentary English, I figure I won't take the time to read it.

I understand GameSpot is an international website, so I'm not pointing fingers at those non-English speaking members. I'm simply referring to posts, reviews, and blogs that not only have spelling, grammatical, and typographical errors, but sometimes lack any coherence whatsoever. So I'm here to help everyone out, and show you some easy tips for making a better post, blog, and/or review here on GameSpot.

1. Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation if at all possible. I know this might sound minor to some people, but this is probably the most important part of a post besides its overall idea. If you don't at least use correct spelling and grammar, many people will not understand your post, and thus your message is lost to them. Punctuation is more of a pet-peeve of mine, but it helps to convey the flow of your writing much better than when it isn't present. Periods should be used at the very least, but commas are also important to flow and tempo. In the end, there is no substitute for proof-reading, but spelling and grammar checkers can always help.

2. Use paragraphs. It's difficult to read fifteen lines of text in a row without a break in the page, especially with longer posts and smaller fonts. Paragraphs should also be used in blogs and reviews to break up ideas and keep an overall structure to the writing. A good rule of thumb is to have about 5 to 7 sentences per paragraph, but you certainly don't need to follow that suggestion. Just try to keep your ideas broken up and structured, and don't have too many lines without any breaks. Spaces in between paragraphs can also be a nice touch, as the whitespace gives a break for the eyes.

3. Don't be afraid of HTML. Hyper Text Markup Language, or HTML, is supported in all of Gamespot's reviews, blogs, and forums posts, so don't be afraid to use it. Contrary to popular belief, it is not difficult to learn, and many of its features can be utilized through Gamespot's posting user interface. Using this interface you can alter font styles, paragraph formatting, insert links and even images into any post. Try playing around with some of these features next time you're posting and see what they do. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

4. Use images! Images can really spice up your posts, blogs, and reviews especially, so I recommend that you use them whenever appropriate. You can find many images simply through an internet search engine, such as Google or Yahoo, but GameSpot has an abundance of images hosted on the site that can be referenced as well. To find an image's path, right-click the image and select Properties. A window should open up which shows the image's Location, which is the URL you will use when inserting the image into one of your posts. Don't forget to reference where you got the image if it is not your own!

5. Use hyperlinks. Links add another dynamic to your posts, reviews, and blogs. You can reference and refer to other material without having to clutter up and lengthen your post. One quick tip: when using hyperlinks, set your Target to "_blank" for an added user-friendly touch. For example:

[a href="http://www.gamespot.com" target="_blank"]GameSpot[/a]

The previous link will open up GameSpot.com in a new window rather than the leaving the current page. This feature is extremely handy with blogs and reviews as it allows users to browse other content without having to lose their place. (Remember, with HTML you must use greater-than and less-than symbols rather than the brackets.)

6. Don't go crazy with formatting. When it comes to formatting, less is more. Just keep things nice and clean. Use bold or italics in place of different colors or fonts. Having multicolored text and dancing images in your posts can really be a strain on your reader's eyes. Custom fonts are usually a no-no as well, since most of your readers won't have the font on their computers anyways. Go easy on the emoticons, abbreviations, and slang as well. Contrary to popular belief, not everyone knows what lol, rofl, imo, tldr, and the like mean.

7. Above all, have fun with it. After all, it's just the internets!

Once again, this is not an attack on those that don't abide by these posting "rules". These are simply suggestions that I believe can help other GameSpotters convey their thoughts and ideas with more coherence and style. What about the rest of you? Do you have any pet-peeves when it comes to other people's posts. What suggestions would you make to improve the overall posting here at GameSpot?

Got paid on Friday. Went whitewater rafting on the New River on Saturday. Rumaged around GameStop on Sunday. I decided since the new job pays well, I can afford to spend a bit more on games now. I'm going to pay off bills and build up some savings before I make another major gaming purchase, which will most likely be an Xbox360, but for now I figured I would pick up some of the more expensive games I've been meaning to buy. Here's what I got:

$39.99

$29.99

$26.99

Now I just need to figure out which one to play first. Of course, I have about 10+ other new games and as numerous unfinished old games in my collection. I need to get all of them played before I cave in and buy a Xbox360 and spend the rest of my days enveloped in BioShock.:lol:

Well, it has certainly been a while since I have posted on the ole blog-erino, so I figured I would have a decent little update here in the dog days of summer. I'm pretty sure everyone else is experiencing the same blistering weather as me, but it has been un-Godly hot here in Virginia for the past few weeks. It's pretty much been 95+ every single day. I enjoy a hot summer day as much as the next guy, but sometimes enough is enough. On the bright side though, I just started my new job/career and I sit indoors in the A/C all day long. :lol: So far I'm really enjoying it, and the people/boss are extremely laid back.

But I digress. The real reason I am posting is to show off a few new games and emblems I've acquired recently. First of all, I've been foraging my local GameStop some more, and I picked up the following games:

$9.99

$9.99

$6.99

So I finally picked up a baseball game, which I've been meaning to do the last 5+ times I've visited GameStop, but I never really saw any games that were up to snuff, so to speak, and I didn't want to "settle" for something mediocre, knowing I wouldn't play it. I also added my first DMC game to my collection. I know, I know. Blasphemy, you say! Better late, than never I guess. I also picked up Paper Mario: TTYD because I was looking for a new GameCube game to play, and it received a great review from the main man himself, Greg Kasavin, which is about as good an endorsement as a game can get in my opinion.

But, that's not all! During a major room-cleaning session I stumbled upon some old PlayStation games that I apparently hadn't sold/trade away. There were a few duds and lackluster games, but I did actually come away with a some solid, playable games. I've decided to keep them and add them to My Collection, if only for nostalgia purposes. Some of them might even be worth another play through. Here are the games I found:

With the addition of these games to My Collection, I picked up a couple of new emblems: "Good Taste", for my obvious impeccable taste in video games (just kidding), and I've also joined the ranks of "PlayStation 2 Aficionado". Don't worry though, I'm no fanboy. I'm just a diverse gamer who's low on funds at the moment. :lol:

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For the connoisseur of fine games.
Those with good taste are judicious about what games they add to their impressive collections, and would be reluctant to pollute their rows and rows of cl4ssics with anything approaching average quality. Ask these fine individuals for advice on what to buy next, because chances are, you won't go wrong by following their guidance.

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Beats workstations
PlayStation 2 aficionados gravitate towards Sony's ubiquitous console for their gaming entertainment. And why shouldn't they? You got some kind of a problem with the PS2?!

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Also, over my massive consumption of Everything E3 2007, I got bumped up to the rank of "Tagger King". Yes, I've finally summited the mountain and it is good. I won't lie though. My tagging has slowed down considerably since then, but I don't plan on copping out all together. I'll still tag the news items I read, and I'm sure I'll get back to tagging games once GameSpot gets that feature working again.

Tagger King
Awarded to those who've exhaustively used with the tagging system, enabling themselves and others to make it a whole lot easier to find certain content.

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Anyways, I'm off to bed. One downfall to doing the whole career thing is no more late nights during the week...unless I want to pay for it in the morning. Luckily, my job isn't too stressful or physically demanding, but the mind needs its rest as well. Hope you're all doing well. Until next time, the Dude abides.

What do I mean by new-old? Well, basically these games are all new to me (save for GTA3), but they aren't brand new games, they're used. I took a trip out to my local GameStop today to see if they had any good deals on used games, and I ended up finding some real steals in my opinion. Here's what I picked up:

$3.99

$4.99

$6.99

$9.99

All of the games came in their original cases/packaging with the booklets, posters, and instruction manuals included. I'm kind of obsessive about having all of the original packaging and booklets with the used games that I buy. In fact, the only reason I bought GTA3 (which I already have) is because it included the original instruction booklet and poster, both of which I was missing. I figured I was willing to pay the measly five bucks to get my hands on those things, even if I already had the game. I'll probably just end up trading in the other copy now anyways.

As you can see though, a few of these games are pretty old (especially Medal of Honor: Frontline), but I've been trying to build up my PS2 game collection before they all disappear entirely. It's funny, I've been meaning to finish the many older PS2 games I already have in my collection, but I keep on buying more games before I can get around to it. But I guess you can't beat getting four solid games for under $30. Nope, you can't beat that with a titanium-plated nightstick. :lol:

So I spent the better part of three days eating up and digesting as much of the E3 2007 content as possible. Being that I'm currently unemployed and all of my buddies work, I was able to consume quite lot of content ... basically all of it. So of course, I was rewarded by GameSpot for my severe laziness with four new emblems. Go figure. Anyways, here they are for your visual pleasure:

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Virtually There: E3 2007 Microsoft Conference.
Awarded for giving up your evening to tune into GameSpot's live broadcast of the E3 2007 Microsoft press conference on Tuesday, July 10.

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Virtually There: E3 2007 Nintendo Conference.
Awarded for waking up early/ditching work to tune into GameSpot's live broadcast of the E3 2007 Nintendo press conference on Wednesday, July 11.

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Virtually There: E3 2007 Sony Conference.
Awarded for skipping lunch to tune into GameSpot's live broadcast of the E3 2007 Sony press conference on Wednesday, July 11.

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My life for Footage!
These special viewers caught all three days of GameSpot's live stage show at E3 2007. Now if we only put subliminal messages into our broadcasts, we'd have an army to take over the world...

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So there you have it, the four new emblems I received for spending countless hours watching live video feeds from E3 2007. I didn't really skip lunch, or work, or even wake up early, but thanks anyways to GameSpot for supporting my sloth!

I leveled up the other day, completing my first post Level 20 level, and made it to the coveted rank of "Blaster Master". I think if I could pick a level to idle at for eternity, it would probably be this one. Blaster Master was one of the greatest games of the NES generation, possibley all-time, and is still fun to this day. The story was positively absurd. In fact, it might be the worst in the history of gaming, but the gameplay was spectacular. It was so good, that it more than made up for the atrocious plotline. The upgradeable weaponry and the mechanics of the tank were fresh and exciting at the time, and the platforming element was top-notch. Hell, you could even get in and out of the tank if you wanted. Sweetness.

This game completely monopolized my NES and television set for days on end in my early childhood. If you want to know more about Jason and his escaped frog, I recommend you check out Games That Rock: Blaster Master on YouTube, a tribue video to a cl4ssic game from a cl4ssic gaming era.