Read it and weep Last Action Hero fans.

The square-jawed one with the wrinkly wife wants to resurrect an anti-game bill that would ban the sale of M-rated games to minors. Although I agree that GTA and DOA: XBV should stay out of the hands of people who've yet to grow hair in the nether-regions, this just comes off all wrong considering Arnie has the highest kill count in a movie (Commando, which I could be wrong about, but he did slay an entire militia). When is this argument going to die (preferbly with self-detonation as Arnie leaps off the screen just in time to avoid getting blown up)? Aren't major retailers already carding people? Hell, they even card kids who want to buy a T rated game! As I've said in previous blogs, the ESRB needs to step up to the plate and start fining retailers who sell M-rated games to minors. They need to set up some kind of secret shopper program. They can even hire local area kids for part-time jobs to just roll around local stores and attempt to aquire an M-rated game. Sounds simple to me. Keep it out of the the government and law enforcement's hands. I'd like to think they have better things to do than punishing a high school kid with a part-time job at Best Buy. What am I saying? The government wants to control every thread of our life, and eventually they do. Oh well, good thing I'm old enough to buy M-rated games. Sorry tweeners!

Say that five times fast. A lot of people say that this fall will be the best time to be a gamer. There are so many great and highly anticipated games coming out that are sure to fill any gamer's plate. This week is a perfect example, and I for one am so full from all of this gaming wholesomeness that I'm about ready to cough it all up. I'm still running through Rapture trying to finish Bioshock when I get a handful of games this week that are throwing me through a loop. I preordered the new Tiger Woods game, Blue Dragon, and Metroid Prime 3. Of course all three of these titles come on the same day. I have to squeeze four excellent titles in with school, work, and pooping. I haven't slept in two nights. I'm suprised that this post is even halfway legible. I'm sure anyone reading this might be in the same boat I'm in. The worst part, or best part if you're a glass half-full person, is that this is only the beginning. Halo Rock Band Guitar Hero Lair Heavenly Sword Eternal Sonata That's all my feeble, extinguished mind can muster for now, but I'm sure that there will be two dozen other must-play titles this fall. I need to win the lottery...

This time last year, we were all eagerly awaiting the releases of the Sony Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii. It was truly a great time to be a gamer. The library for the Xbox 360 was just starting to take off with earlier releases such as "Oblivion" and "GRAW." Every 360 owner was wondering if the soon-to-be released "Gears of War" was going to be the game that would knock "Halo" from the throne (or at least tide them over until "Halo 3" hit store shelves). Who could've known that almost a year after the release of the PS3 and Wii, we would see such things as fist fights, killings, and robberies over the PS3? Who could've known that Nintendo would be primed to take back the title of "Console King" with its Wii selling like hot cakes; still almost impossible to find sitting on store shelves? Who could've known that titles, previously considered Sony exclusives, would find their way onto an Xbox 360 console? Who could've known, that at the time, when PS3s were selling on EBay for thousands of dollars (much less than a year later) can now be found in plentiful surplus on store shelves for $499? I really feel sorry for all those people who paid 3-10 times the retail cost of a PS3 just to be among the first to have one. Who could've known, at the time of its launch, Microsoft would be sent into red-alarm panic mode after thousands (possibly millions according to some reports) of its Xbox 360 systems started bricking on loyal customers? Two years, an extended warranty, and a billion dollars later, no one truly knows what's causing their beloved chainsaw simulators to die so unexpectedly. Who could've known that a simple gameplay mechanic such as flicking your wrist would send moms, dads, grandparents, nursing homes, and fanboys alike scouring the country looking for anyone selling a Nintendo Wii. Now, this will be primarily a 360 vs. PS3 post, and I intend it to be. However, the Nintendo Wii cannot be ignored. Its massive installed base, its extremely wide demographic, its simple gameplay interface, and the overall amount of fun Wii owners are having in their living rooms has to be noted for several reasons. 1.) Nintendo has almost as many Wiis sold in less than one year than Xbox 360s sold in almost two years. 2.) The Nintendo Wii is still the hottest selling piece of gaming hardware. Ask any retailer how many Wiis they sell compared to the other two systems in a given week, and chances are probably good that the Wii outsells both the 360 and PS3 combined in one week. 3.) The Nintendo Wii is the only game system in the history of the world that could make the most hardened, grizzled, and meanest old man get up off of the couch and play a couple of rounds of bowling with the kids, all with a smile on his face. I'll give you a personal example. I live 650 miles from my old man. Whenever I come home, I better have my Wii on my person, or I'm not walking through the door. This is the same man who unplugged my N64 while I was watching the ending cut scene for Star Fox 64 after I beat it for the first time; just because I wanted to wait till the credits rolled to take my clothes out of the dryer. I'm still peeved about that. That game has no save points! 4.) Let's face it; everyone loves Mario, Link, and the rest of the N crew. There is not (maybe with the exception of Master Chief) a character as beloved, known, and universally marketable as Mario found on the other two consoles. (You can market Master Chief, but probably not to six year olds). The Nintendo Wii has quickly established itself as the soon-to-be console king, all without having a killer library that goes along with such a rapidly rising console. With the exception of Link, no other starring Nintendo cast members have made their appearance on the Wii, but they will this fall. For a system with the best of last-gen graphics, a moderately exciting library, and absolutely no online game play, the Wii has taken the industry by storm. With such a large installed base (and continuing to sell very well), third-party developers have no choice but to produce great titles for the Wii, or developers will miss out on the soon-to-be biggest slice of pie. That's my four cents on the Wii. You can't talk about a 360 vs. PS3 debate without mentioning the impact of the Wii. Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 has numerous advantages over the PS3. 1.) It's cheaper. A couple of hundred dollars can be a big deciding factor for many people looking to choose one console over the other. 2.) It has a more expansive next-gen library. With the 360 being released a full year before the PS3, 360 owners have had more titles to choose from, and many of those titles were released after the "Launch window," a term the industry gives to games that are released during the first few months of a console's release. The bulk of launch window titles don't really push the hardware limitations of the console, and are usually quickly and sometimes shoddily produced to meet the launch window timeframe (looking at you Perfect Dark Zero). The titles released six months to a year after a system's launch are considered second-generation titles. These games have had more time in the cooker with the final console development kits, allowing for more quality and quantity. Perfect examples on the 360 would be Oblivion and GRAW; both released six months after the 360 launch. 3.) Best. Online. Service. Period. For free-of-charge, gamers can download demos, movies, and game enhancements such as free multiplayer maps. For a few dollars a month, gamers can compete against each other, a fee many gamers are willing to pay just to frag their friends. This combined with a simple interface to locate, chat, and add new friends, and Microsoft has given their customers an almost perfect online system. 4.) One of the best times to own an Xbox 360 console is...right now. I'll address the problems with the 360 in a second, but Microsoft is starting to make 360s with cooler running chips, which have previously plagued the console. These cooler-running consoles should be arriving on store shelves shortly if not right now. This combined with the inclusion of an HDMI port, price cuts on all three Xbox 360 SKUs, and the release of some of the most anticipated games (Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Halo 3, just to name a few) in recent memory occurring in the next few months, and this will fall will be all about the 360. 5.) Microsoft is willing to spend just about any amount of money necessary to ensure that it has exclusive titles, if not a shared release of titles with the PS3. Titles that were previously considered PS3 exclusives are now heading to the 360 as well (Assassin's Creed, Devil May Cry 4, and Ace Combat 6). Microsoft is even spending tens of millions of dollars to guarantee exclusive rights for downloadable content for the upcoming GTA 4. With all the positives about the 360, it is not without its own share of issues. Obviously the biggest thorn of thorns in Microsoft's side is the dreaded "Red Ring of Death." I feel sorry for Microsoft. Two of their biggest products come with less-than-palatable nicknames when something goes wrong. For the 360, it's the "Red Ring of Death," and for its flagship Windows OS, it's the "Blue Screen of Death." Ever since the launch of the 360, Microsoft has been flooded with calls from owners that are experiencing hardware failures. At first, Microsoft stated that hardware failures fell in line with the expected 4 to 8 percent for new hardware launches and that Microsoft was doing everything in its power to fix or replace busted 360s in a timely manner. All was quiet for a few months until the web exploded with forum posts, petitions, and generally negative comments from owners having hardware failures and getting nothing from Microsoft, because the one year warranty had expired. Very quickly, almost overnight, major media outlets and gaming publications started reporting on a massive failure rate in 360 hardware. The highest number reported (from reputable news organizations) has been 1/3 of all 360s sold have failed. This, by any stretch of the word, is "undesirable" for all parties involved. To Microsoft's credit, they have done everything they can do as a business to fix this problem. They're replacing older chips with smaller, cooler-running chips, they've extended the 360 warranty from one year to three, they pay for shipping when customers need to send away to have their 360s fixed, and they've invested over one billion dollars to get themselves out of this rut. However, despite everything they're doing to fix this problem, there are still a few dark clouds hanging over Redmond, WA. First off, Microsoft has yet to come out with a public statement identifying the problem that is causing 360s to fail. Even worse, they haven't said whether or not the systems sitting on store shelves right now are considered to be "fixed 360s." How would you feel if you ran out to buy a 360 right now because you desperately want to play Madden and Bioshock, only to have your console crash on you? Another, somewhat recent complaint has been the amount of time it takes to repair a bricked 360 and whether or not consoles fixed by Microsoft are actually "fixed." There have been several complaints from 360 owners upset with the amount of time required to fix a bricked 360. Again, how upset would you be if your preordered Bioshock just arrived in the mail, only to have to send out your 360 to get fixed? Some gamers have had to wait for weeks on end to get their systems back. Even worse, some "fixed" 360s have bricked again or even on multiple occasions. Some reports online have revealed the plight of "bad-luck gamers," 360 owners who have sent their consoles back to Microsoft for repairs only to have them brick a third, fourth, fifth, and even a tenth time, or more. So, even with this huge problem, the sales of the Xbox 360 haven't really been affected. Consoles have been selling pretty steadily since this time last year, and sales only look to get better with the recent price drops and anticipated releases this holiday season. Playstation 3 Sony is kind of in a strange place with its PS3. On one hand, it's the most powerful console available, and on the other hand, the 360 and Wii outsell it with well over a 2:1 ratio. However, owning a PS3 does come with obvious advantages. 1.) Without a doubt, the PS3 is the most powerful system on the market right now. The graphics and sound of the best Xbox 360 game pale in comparison to a mid-range PS3 title. A racing game with predictable gameplay and bare bones game mode options such as Motorstorm can give the best looking and playing 360 game (Gears of War) a run for its money in the graphics department. The power of the PS3 can keep the system afloat through the next generation Xbox console. 2.) The PS3 can play every Playstation branded title dating back to the PS1, for now. As soon as the 80 GB SKU takes over, software emulation will take effect, and PS3 owners may experience some of the same pitfalls that 360 owners have with a somewhat hit-or-miss ability to play last generation titles. 3.) Sony's online service is free and starting to look interesting. Not only do PS3 owners not have to pay a dime to Sony in order to duke it out online, gamers are slowly but surely warming up to the soon-to-be-released Playstation Home service. The new service looks promising, but many gamers are taking a wait-and-see approach before crafting their own virtual lofts. 4.) Sony's next generation Blu-Ray player is in every PS3. Not only are gamers getting the most powerful HD games available, but many of them are watching half-naked Spartans duking it out in glorious HD right now (according to recent "300" sales numbers). Blu-Ray discs give game developers three times as much space as DVD-9 (currently used on the 360), allowing for more content that can't be replicated on other consoles. There are reports that the racing title "Dirt" was stripped down for the 360 because of the disc capacity difference between Blu-Ray and DVD-9. 5.) Like Microsoft, Sony has slashed the price of its console; however, it comes with a catch. The 60 GB PS3 now costs $499 (formerly $599). However, this SKU will be phased out; soon to be replaced by a new configuration, already on store shelves. The new version comes with an 80 GB hard drive, a copy of "Motorstorm," and features the use of software emulation to play last gen Playstation titles; all for $599. So if you were sitting on the fence about purchasing a PS3, it may be wise to get the 60 GB one now before it's phased out, especially if you still plan on playing last-gen Playstation games. Like with the 360, you can't have positive without the negative, unless you have Jessica Alba, then it's all positive. 1.) Is it just me, or has Sony come off a bit.........over-the-top egotistical the last couple of years. Yes, the PS2 ruled the world, and technically with its installed base, still rules the world, but I think the massive success of the PS2 has gone to Sony's collective head. If you have access to it, check out Sony's E3 press conferences from 2005 and 2006, before the PS3 even came out. Just listen to Kaz and Phil every time they talk about the PS3. It's one thing to show pride in your product, and to set some expectations, but to me, it sounds like they feel that every PS2 owner was going to upgrade to a PS3 just because PS2 owners were loyal to the Playstation brand. Obviously, almost a year later, this isn't true. Between the cockiness exuded by Sony officials and the just flat-out idiotic slip-of-the-tongue moments, I'm personally kind of put off by the Sony heads right now. We wouldn't have even known about Sony's plan to phase out the 60 GB SKU if a couple of Sony officials hadn't opened their mouths. Talk about a way to kill off what little buzz you had going for your product. "We're slashing prices on current configurations and even adding more options for consumers to choose from...........but we're phasing out all but the most expensive model in the next few months." How ridiculous is that turn of events? 2.) Without question, the more immediate problem many consumers have with the PS3 is price. There hasn't been a home console this expensive in quite some time. The last time a home console went for at least $600 (3DO), it died off before the production plant had a chance to shut down for the weekend. Many gamers are put off by the high price, especially when most of the third-party games available on the PS3 are also available on the 360. The wide availability of third-party software coupled with the fact that Sony officials have publicly stated that they will not fork over extra cash for exclusives has caused a lot of fence-sitters to jump on the 360 and/or Wii bandwagon. With the obvious price problem weighing down Sony, there have been some bright spots. Blu-Ray movie sales are outselling competitor HD-DVD sales two to one. The price cut on the 60 GB model has increased sales numbers for Sony by almost two-fold with some retailers. Sony's outlook for 2008 and beyond does look promising. Metal Gear Solid 4, Killzone 2, and the next Gran Turismo will surely be system sellers. Those along with highly anticipated "off-beat" titles such as Little Big Planet are creating some serious buzz. That is one thing Sony has done right that Microsoft has not. Sony has laid out some of its plans for 2008 and beyond, Microsoft has not. At this year's E3, Microsoft focused all of their attention on this holiday season, which to them started with the recently released Madden '08. I don't blame Microsoft for doing this. I can't remember the last time one console had so many highly anticipated titles over a four month period. So they're spending all the marketing dollars they can to get as many 360s sold this holiday as possible. However, in doing this, no one really knows what the future holds for Microsoft. No one knows what games they'll be playing on the 360 next year. We have an idea of what'll be available on the PS3 in 2008, and right now, next year looks more promising for Sony than Microsoft. For next week: I honestly don't know. Usually I'll come across a topic to write about from my cruising of the forum posts and news items, but nothing stands out to me right now. Does anyone reading this have the peanuts to give me some inspiration? If not, then next week's post will be about my toenails. Hopefully for everyone's sake, it won't be about my toenails because I can seriously write a college thesis on my white-tipped weapons.

This is just a sampling of the game-based movies that were released over the past year: Transformers: The Game (56% review rating collectively on gamerankings.com, over 800,000 copies sold collectively) Superman Returns: The Videogame (49% review rating collectively on gamerankings.com, over 300,000 copies sold collectively) Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (42% review rating collectively on gamerankings.com, 150,000 copies sold collectively) X-Men: The Official Game (55% review rating collectively on gamerankings.com, over 300,000 copies sold) Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (57% review rating on gamerankings.com, over 460,000 copies sold) Sheesh... Do people really want to step into the boots of Jack Sparrow that badly? Now I know that most of these copies went to children under the age of 13, but really? 460,000 copies? Really? Really? Since the dawn of time, movie-based games have been universally known to be atrocious; the vilest of vile; the crap of the crop; the crap of the crap. I think you know what I mean. Then why do people still buy these games? Obviously most are either dissatisfied or get bored with most of these titles as many copies wind up in the used game bins at the local Gamestop. Most of these titles are over too quickly, contain more bugs than the Amazon rainforest, are chock full of boring and/or repetitive missions, and are overall just not worth the $50-60 price tag. Recently, it seems like we're bombarded with a crappy movie-based game title every week. Also, many of these games can't capture the same look, feel, and imagination of their film counterparts. I don't know about you, but I don't think Harry Potter and his friends spent hours on end running up and down the stairs at Hogwarts in the movie, but in the video game, Harry is the stair master champion of the world. Again, most of these games are purchased by mom, dad, or the grandparents who don't really have an idea of what a fun game is. Hell, half of the time, mom and dad can't even remember what system the little tyke plays with. So when mum and pop roam around the big and scary game store, what do they see? Grand Theft Auto (too much adult-themed content)? Halo 2 (looks too challenging)? Pirates of the Caribbean (Hey, he liked the movie. He should like the video game)? In this particular situation, I blame the sales associate at the store. Instead of recommending a better quality game that's appropriate for the little guy (like GrimGrimoire, Crush, or a handful of Nintendo originals), they just keep their mouth shut, and ring up a game that will probably be resold to them in a couple of months. What do they care? A sale is a sale; no difference. Blame also has to be levied on the movie studios who demand that the companion game be released on or closely around the release date of a movie. The typical Hollywood movie is in production for 18-24 months. The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion was in production for at least three years. By the time that the movie is announced as being in production to the time that a developer starts the initial production on a game is at least a few months. That gives the developer two years at the most to produce a video game from concept to completion. No wonder why there was that lawsuit a year or so ago against EA for worker overtime compensation. Speaking of developers... Would we have Assassin's Creed if Ubisoft didn't make TMNT, King Kong, Surf's Up, or a dozen other licensed games? Maybe. Maybe not. People buy these games and a substantial amount of revenue is derived from making movie-based games. So as long as people keep buying them, developers will keep making them. However, there is a growing trend that is looming over this genre. As I stated before, it seems like we get a movie-based title every week. This is also the year of the sequel for both movies and video games. Pirates sequels, Fantastic Four sequels, Shrek sequels, and many others. Then we have GTA sequels, racing sequels, and sports sequels. Many of these titles are starting to grow stale with many filmgoers and video game enthusiasts alike. It's starting to impact both industries. Movie attendance is down for many of these sequels compared to their previous films. This fall, it will be interesting to see how Madden, Need for Speed, and Metroid do in sales compared to year's past, especially considering the amount of highly anticipated original titles coming out (such as Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Blue Dragon, etc). I personally can't wait to see how the future Shrek movies and videogames are received. As always, comments are very much appreciated, and I will respond to you. I post this blog every Sunday night/Monday morning. If you have a topic you're interested in and want to discuss, drop me a message. If the topic is used in the blog, I will give you proper credit in the blog either by user name or real name or both (your choice). If you have a well-rounded profile, I will mention a particular blog post, video post, etc. that other readers should check out on your page. For example, the next blog post will be next weekend. Please submit any of your topics or ideas by this Friday evening, 9pm PST for consideration for that week's post. My ultimate goal for the blog is to provide a thoughtful, intelligent response to whatever the topics of the week are, and to hopefully inspire you to come up with your own response to the topic. Again, your comments are appreciated. For next week: Xbox 360 or PS3? This is probably the most debated topic in gaming right now. There are a lot of people who are extremely passionate about one over the other, and there are a lot more people who are regretting purchasing one over the other.

It's creeping up on election season in the good ole USA once again, and I think for the first time ever (if not the first time in a long time) we have what seems like dozens of potential candidates to choose from. One surprise, since the candidates started declaring their presidential bids months ago, has been the rise of republican candidate Mitt Romney. He practically came out of nowhere with sophisticated yet practical speeches and public appearances that have many of his supporters comparing him to the late President Ronald Reagan. In early May of this year, Romney started giving speeches that included his feelings and desires on how families should raise their children, the sanctity of marriage, evil-doers in the home, etc. Among those so-called evil-doers is...you guessed it...video games. Here are some snippets of what Romney had to say regarding these residential threats: Mitt Romney says in early May: "Pornography and violence poison our music and movies and TV and video games. The Virginia Tech shooter, like the Columbine shooters before him, had drunk from this cesspool." In a campaign video Romney released in July: "I'd like to see us clean up the water in which our kids are swimming. I'd like to keep pornography from coming up on their computers. I'd like to keep drugs off the street. I'd like to see less violence and sex on TV and in video games and in movies. If we get serious about this we can actually do a great deal to clean up the water in which our kids and grandkids are swimming." In a campaign speech after the video was released, Romney said: "...(He) promise(s) to crack down on retailers who sell adult video games to kids..." After negative reactions towards the video and his campaign speech, the Romney camp issued a press release stating the following: "Governor Romney Will Punish And Fine Retailers For Selling Excessively Violent And Sexually Explicit Video Games To Minors. While the current system of voluntary self-regulation of video games has improved, we still need to do more to protect our children. There must be strong punishments and fines for retailers that sell violent and sexually explicit video games to minors." Romney is not alone in his views. Senator and democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton took up issue with the Grand Theft Auto series, stating: "Children are playing a game that encourages them to have sex with prostitutes and then murder them. This is a silent epidemic of media desensitization that teaches kids it's okay to diss people because they are a woman, they're a different color or they're from a different place." Let's see...who else? Barack Obama returned a donation from former head of ESA Doug Lowenstein in 2006, and told people at an Austin, TX event to "turn off the Game Boy's." Despite Romney being the most vocal anti-game advocate in this election, many candidates are quick to jump on a hot-topic bandwagon if it means it will garner votes. That's the politics of...well...politics. For gaming, it's been this way since Kano ripped out the very first heart from his very first victim. I've always asked myself one question since the very first game-related controversy I can remember (the Kano heart-ripping simulator): When exactly can government step in and...govern...what entertainment medium we, the people, expose ourselves to? Personally, I don't think government should step in on any video-related medium. The only forms of entertainment that the government should regulate are mobile forms, such as theme park attractions. They shouldn't be able to tell me what I can and can't watch, can and can't listen to, or can and can't play using my 360 controller. I should make that choice. If I had children, I would make that choice for them; I would be the government of the household. I shudder to think of the day when the US government bans a game or movie or some other form of media that I want to experience. If that happens, I'm moving to China...at least I'll get to watch Rush Hour 3. I said at the end of last week's blog that I agree with part of Romney's views. The view I'm speaking of is that of strong punishments and fines for retailers that sell "mature" rated games to minors. Now for the most part, many retailers, such as Best Buy and GameStop, card their customers when a "M-rated" game is purchased. Best Buy has even gone so far as to advise their appropriately-aged customers at the time of purchase that, regardless of who the end user is, the game they are buying is intended for adults and not recommended for children. There are government programs in place that regulate tobacco, firearms, alcohol, drugs, etc. There are laws in place that will, if violated, heavily fine establishments that sell or give the previous items to minors. Restaurants and bars can even have their liquor license revoked as part of the punishment. Yet in a game such as Grand Theft Auto, the character controlled by the player (which could be a child), can fire weapons, steal cars, use drugs, drink beer, and even have sex (if you happen to have the Hot Coffee mod). If I had a kid, I wouldn't want him/her playing a game like GTA. Yet, technically, they can stroll into a brick and mortar store with the right amount of allowance money and buy an "M-rated" game without me knowing it. I believe the government should levy fines on retailers that sell "M-rated" games to minors. Unfortunately, in order for that to happen, the government will have to step in and regulate the games industry. Ideally, they would just partner with the ESRB and just allow the current ratings train to keep right on rolling. However, this is the US government, and they won't regulate anything without controlling it. This brings me to the ESRB. This organization really needs to step it up before there is enough public outcry over some future controversy which will allow the government to step in and take over. The ESRB needs to prove to everyone (retailers, government, and the public) that they have the bull by the horns. They need to prove that they can truly self-regulate and not just slap some letters on game boxes. They need to be the group that punishes retailers, performs investigations into shady business practices, and overall, be the regulating body that it should be. We cannot allow the government to regulate what entertainment mediums we choose to expose ourselves to. Never forget that government officials are elected officials. We hired them; we're the boss, the CEO, the general, the pope...the regulator. They shouldn't make one decision that affects us without our approval first. What do you think? Should the government step in and regulate the industry? Should the ESRB step up? Is this entire thing just nonsense and you're not even voting anyway? As always, comments are very much appreciated, and I will respond to you. I post this blog every Sunday night/Monday morning. If you have a topic you're interested in and want to discuss, drop me a message. If the topic is used in the blog, I will give you proper credit in the blog either by user name or real name or both (your choice). If you have a well-rounded profile, I will mention a particular blog post, video post, etc. that other readers should check out on your page. For example, the next blog post will be next weekend. Please submit any of your topics or ideas by this Friday evening, 9pm PST for consideration for that week's post. My ultimate goal for the blog is to provide a thoughtful, intelligent response to whatever the topics of the week are, and to hopefully inspire you to come up with your own response to the topic. Again, your comments are appreciated. For next week: Movie-based games. With the exception of half of the Star Wars library and a game starring Vin Diesel, most movie-based games are atrocious. We all know why they suck, but someone must be buying these games, and if not, why are they being made? Most importantly, what other, underlying purpose does the creation of movie-based games bring to developers? Find out next week.

[UPDATE 1--8/09/07 Epic has counter-sued Silicon Knights for various reasons including the potential theft and miuse of Epic's "Unreal Engine 3" technology. Read about it here:

Link to GS news story

Just an attempt by Epic to muck up the water in this case or does Epic have actual evidence to support their claims? It's a little early for any kind of a judgement right now.] First off, I've decided to change the name of this weekly blog from "The Thinking Gamer" to "Finding the Key." The reason for this is because of a conversation I had with JudasFire about why he hates RPGs. I think his feelings about RPGs relates to a lot of themes in the gaming environment. I'll get started with this blog in a second, but I imagine, however, that you're dying to know what was said. By the way, I'm quoting him word for word. Him: "I hate RPG's." Me: "Yeah, why is that?" Him: "They take too long to do anything." Me: "What do you mean?" Him: "It takes three days to find the door you need to go through; three more days to find the key you need to unlock the door; three more days to backtrack to the door to unlock it with the key it took you three days to find." Good stuff. This blog, for those who didn't read the primer from last week, is all about an average gamer's response to the goings-on the gaming world. If you have your own definition of what an average gamer is, check out my collection and now playing list and compare it to your own beliefs. I usually get about three hours of gaming in per day. This time is usually spent rotating between various platforms. For example, I just finished Final Fantasy VIII a couple of nights ago (finally; after about a seven year hiatus), I'm currently playing Quake 4 for the 360, Texas Hold 'em and UNO on XBLA, Twilight Princess on the Wii, Final Fantasy XII on the PS2, Metroid Prime for the GC, Psychonauts for the Xbox, and Final Fantasy V Advance on the GBA. Take what you want from that. but enough about me; let's get this started. I won't concentrate on specific games unless it's significant (i.e.: the "Hot Coffee Mod" in GTA: SA). However, for this week, I will talk about Too Human and Gears of War, both for the 360. If you haven't heard, Epic (creator of Gears of War and Unreal Tournament) has gotten themselves into some hot water with other developers over problems stemming from Epic's "Unreal Engine 3." In this particular instance, Silicon Knights, creators of Too Human, is suing Epic Games. You can read the whole Gamespot news article here:

Link to GS news story

If anyone can remember way back to May of 2006, Silicon Knights provided E3 attendees with a glimpse of Too Human. If you can also remember, Too Human didn't exactly receive any E3 "Best of..." awards. What was shown wasn't much, and what wasn't shown was a polished game that was due to ship just a few months later in fall of 2006. It's now August of 2007, and Too Human may not make the holiday calendar for this year either. Silicon Knights says Epic's to blame. The main tidbit that stands out in the suit is the timeframe that Epic had to deliver a complete engine to Silicon Knights. In the contract signed between the two companies, Epic was to deliver the engine within six months of the release of the final development kits for the 360 and PS3. This meant Epic needed to have a working engine ready for use for the 360 by March of 2006. Here's where this story gets interesting. In the suit, Silicon Knights claims that Epic sent them a working engine one year after the Xbox 360 was commercially released to the masses in November of 2005. This means Silicon Knights received the engine sometime in the fall of 2006. I did a little research on this, and I found a discrepancy on this time frame. At E3 of 2006 (in May), Silicon Knights made it widely known to the media that stopped by its Too Human booth that game was running on a "heavily modified Unreal Engine." I can't find anything that specifically says which Unreal engine the game was running on, but after taking a look at the Too Human videos from E3 2006, I have to imagine that they were using Unreal Engine 3, albeit an engine in an almost rudimentary form. If this was the case, Silicon Knights would have had their hands on the engine in question sometime around the end of the timeframe that Epic was supposed to have sent it to them. If that is indeed the case, then Silicon Knights might be SOL on this portion of the suit. I'm not entirely sure though as I haven't found what specific Unreal engine was used though. Maybe someone can find out and post it in the comments. Another portion of this suit involves Epic's lack of "customer service" for its Unreal Engine 3. The suit says instead of supporting its licensing partners, Epic has used its fees to develop its own competing products "while simultaneously sabotaging efforts by Silicon Knights and others to develop their own video games." This essentially means Epic was too busy making Gears of War to assist other developers that were trying to make games using its engine. Silicon Knights might have a red-hot jealous temper due to the fact that Gears of War practically has a 1:1 ratio for games sold to systems owned in North America. What Silicon Knights is trying to say is that while they were struggling to make Too Human, Epic was spending the money they made from the Silicon Knights contract to make Gears of War. Another sore spot is that gamers can easily take screenshots from Gears of War and compare them to screenshots from Too Human and laugh at the fact that the two games look nothing alike even thought they use identical engines. At the time of the release of Gears of War, Too Human graphically paled in comparison. That can be very embarrassing; not to mention the fact that Too Human has been delayed so many times that most gaming websites now post a release date of TBA. Obviously, there's a problem here. Silicon Knights has been making games for years. I highly doubt that all of a sudden, their developers forgot how to make games. After reading the suit, doing a little research, and seeing the many responses from the gaming media, I've come to this assumption: Epic didn't provide proper support for its engine. Look at other games that are using the Unreal Engine 3 that have been delayed: Mass Effect (original release date: Holidays 2006.) Bioshock (original release date: spring 2007.) Turok (original release date: fall 2007. Now scheduled for spring 2008.) These are just a few of many others. Some games have even been completely scrapped. Now, I know, games get delayed all of the time. This could just be coincidence, right? Maybe, but with this lawsuit, I wouldn't be surprised if we see a few misguided forum posts or slip-of-the-tongue comments from other developers talking about what a pain in the rear using the Unreal Engine 3 is. There is one part of this lawsuit that is a little out-of-hand. As part of the penalty, Silicon Knights wants Epic to surrender all profits from the sale of Gears of War. That's a little extreme. I highly doubt that will stick. If anything, the judge will have Epic pay proper compensation to Silicon Knights for time and money lost developing the game, assuming that Epic failed to deliver a working engine by March of 2006. Currently, it looks like Silicon Knights is creating Too human off its own in-house engine. However, no one really knows what the current status of the game is as Silicon Knights did not present Too Human at last month's E3. For me, and I would imagine for you, I just want to play good games. Too Human sounds like an interesting game. It's a shame it's not on store shelves already. However, I would rather see a polished, bug-free game than something that was rushed out to meet the holiday demand. So hopefully Silicon Knights can produce a high-quality game, and if Epic is at fault, get due compensation to help them make such a game. I just hope that the battle to come doesn't get too ugly. What do you think is going to happen? Will Epic have to surrender profits from Gears of War sales? Is this lawsuit without merit? Will Epic buy Silicon Knights (it's a long shot, but this is a business, and you never know)? As always, comments are very much appreciated, and I will respond to you. I post this blog every Sunday night/Monday morning. If you have a topic you're interested in and want to discuss, drop me a message. If the topic is used in the blog, I will give you proper credit in the blog either by user name or real name or both (your choice). If you have a well-rounded profile, I will mention a particular blog post, video post, etc. that other readers should check out on your page. For example, the next blog post will be next weekend. Please submit any of your topics or ideas by this Friday evening, 9pm PST for consideration for that week's post. My ultimate goal for the blog is to provide a thoughtful, intelligent response to whatever the topics of the week are, and to hopefully inspire you to come up with your own response to the topic. Again, your comments are appreciated. For next week: It's getting close to election time, and as always, a politician (or two...or more) looking for the fear vote feels that games are killing children, turning people into zombies, etc. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says "I've proposed that we enforce our obscenity laws again and that we get serious against those retailers that sell adult video games that are filled with violence, (and) that we go after those retailers." Get ready to be shocked: I completely agree with him. Find out why next week.

Hello all, I'm planning on starting what hopefully will be a weekly column called..."The Thinking Gamer." It will cover mulitple gaming topics, usually two or three topics per week. These topics will lean more towards an average gamer's (that would be me, of course) view of the industry, view on gaming politics, where the industry is going, and other misc. rants and raves. I'm going to try and refrain from spending an entire blog post on one particular game unless it has some kind of special significance. New posts will appear every Sunday evening/Monday morning. Comments, as always, are very much appreciated. I will respond to any comment posted. If anyone wants me to address a paricular topic on the blog, please leave me a message. You will be given proper credit in the blog either by user name or real name (your choice) if your topic or rant makes its way into the blog. If you have a well-rounded profile, I will mention a particular blog post, video post, etc. that readers should check out on your page. For example, the next blog post will be next weekend. Please submit any of your topics or ideas by this Friday evening 9pm PST for consideration for that week's post. My ultimate goal for the blog is to provide a thoughtful, intelligent response to whatever the topics of the week are, and to hopefully inspire you to come up with your own response to the topic. Again, your comments are appreciated.

NO ONE! (Okay...maybe Nintendo) (I know there's like 12,000,000 of these "Best of E3" posts. I'm trying to provide a fresh take on it). This is long, so make sure you hit the bathroom before proceeding... First thing I need to get out of the way... Major props as always to the Gamespot crew for knocking out another great week of E3 coverage. I'm sure the new format and the fact that some of the exhibits were scattered all over the place provided a set of headaches. I, like probably many of you reading this, checked out some of the coverage on other sites and even G4 (thank the Lord for live, streaming coverage of the Microsoft conference on Gamespot. I probably would have shot my TV when Sessler cut out of Halo 3. Good job Sess.). Of course Gamespot had the best coverage. It's also nice to chat with some of you losers about what's going on as its happening. Anyway, enough of the a$$ kissing...let's get on with it. I'm writing this approx one week after E3 because I wanted a chance to re-watch (?, is that a word; in that case, re-watch is trademarked to maddog95376. Do not use without the express, written consent of Major League Baseball.) the conferences and some of the videos and stage demos. That, and a heck of a lot has happened in the week after the end of E3. Peter Moore, you will surely be missed as the annual MC of the Microsoft press events. I don't think I've ever seen an executive willing to make a total a$$ of himself in order to promote or create hype for something. First the tattoos and now rocking out on stage with a cheap plastic guitar. You truly do rock Peter. At least he no longer has to answer questions about the 360 warranty and why so many of these things are breaking. I was kind of disappointed in Microsoft’s press conference. They highlighted games that we already knew about or knew what to expect. It was nice to see new trailers of Mass Effect and Halo 3, but where’s the new stuff? Surprise me. I don’t want to hear about other games on other platforms that are now coming over to the 360 (i.e. Devil May Cry). We already kind of knew that. I want to see original IP’s. At the very least, I’d like to know that new games are preheating. Just come out and say “Gears of War 2” in 2009 or (Name of new IP) in fall of 2008. That would have been nice. I just wasn’t surprised by anything Microsoft had to present. Nothing they showed was groundbreaking. No doubt they will have a great holiday season this year with Halo 3, GTA 4, Bioshock, and Mass Effect just to name four of at least a dozen good titles. Overall, the Microsoft press conference was kind of...blah. Nintendo’s press conferences are always fun. Whether or not you’re a fanboy, there has to be some level of enjoyment in watching the latest exploits of Mario, Link, and Samus. Nintendo always presents itself as accessible to everyone. Unlike Sony’s number-crunching slideshows that will put you to sleep, Nintendo puts on a show that’s fun and truly makes you wish you were there. Wait a minute...What’s this...Ten minutes of number-crunching slides...brought to you by Nintendo? I guess it will be a little different this year. Besides, if Reggie is “happy,” chances are, you’ll be to. I really have to hand it to Nintendo. This time last year, most of the gaming community was laughing at the Big N over the decision to change the name of its new console to “Wii,” and many critics felt that the motion-sensing controller would be gimmicky (some still feel this way). A lot of people wrote Nintendo off before the Wii had a chance to perform. Right now the Wii and DS are topping the sales charts, and Nintendo is laughing their way to the bank. I think we all know what to expect from Nintendo by now. I know going into it, I’m not going to see games like GTA unveiled at a Nintendo press conference. I’m going to see trailers and demos for the latest Mario and Metroid games. It was nice to finally get street dates for those games. Honestly, that’s all I was really hoping for from the Nintendo cap this year. Then they go and announce...Wii Zapper? This was a nice surprise. This thing looks kick-a$$. An updated version of Duck Hunt better be on the horizon. And Mario Kart...with its own little wheel...that’s cute. Can’t wait to play that game in two years. Okay...WiiFit. As ridiculous as this thing may look, as ridiculous as you may look playing this thing, this will be huge for Nintendo. My only worry is that the mini-game trend on the Wii is looking pretty stale in the eyes of many people, me included. I’m afraid this will be another Wario Ware with a nifty controller. However, based on Nintendo’s market, this thing will sell a ton of copies. Who am I kidding, my fat a$$ will probably shell out for it too. Going into E3, Sony (in my eyes) was making all the wrong moves. From the price of the console, to the lackluster library, to the cocky attitude many of Sony’s execs we’re displaying, Sony really turned into a sour note for me. I felt that if Sony really wanted to make up some ground with gamers, they needed to lower the price of the console, and they needed to have the best E3 press conference ever. Well, they got it half right. Based off of fresh numbers, the 60 GB PS3 has increased in sales by %135. That’s a lot when you sell hundreds of thousands of consoles every month. In my eyes, Sony always has the best press conferences in terms of presentation and surprise announcements. This year however, Sony was lacking. I give them kudos for finally giving gamers a look at actual Killzone 2 gameplay footage, but other than that and the cool MGS4 trailer, the rest of the conference was simply forgettable. Seriously, I have nothing else to say about the Sony press conference. I’m already excited about Little Big Planet and the Home Network, but nothing much has really changed since they were unveiled earlier this year. I thought this year’s E3 was really deprived on many levels. I don’t know if it was the change in show format or what, but this definitely didn’t feel like E3. If I had to pick best E3 press conference this year, I’d have to go with Nintendo. They had the biggest out-of-left-field surprises with the zapper and WiiFit, and they had street dates for the games people really want for the Wii. There’s no doubt that the 360 will have the best holiday season this year, just because of the sheer amount of sure-fire titles they’ll have on shelves. Nintendo will sell well only because the DS is the hottest thing since fire and the Wii will most likely sell out again this holiday season. Sony is going to fall flat on its face yet again. There’s almost nothing on that system from the last holiday season and there’s almost nothing coming out this holiday season that justifies a $500-600 kick in the wallet. Unless you have an HDTV and the money to burn, there’s really no reason to own a PS3 right now. Talk to me again when MGS4 and Killzone 2 come out. On to the best of: Best 360 game: Halo 3 Best PS3 game: MGS4 Best Wii game: Super Smash Brothers Biggest surprise: (tie) WiiFit and Wii Zapper Biggest Letdown: lack of surprise announcements from Sony and Microsoft What happened to: Too Human (a week after E3, obviously we know why) Best Developer: Ubisoft Most anticipated game that’s not a sequel: Assassin’s Creed Best E3 moment: When Peter Moore pressed the pause button during the Rock Band stage demo Here's hoping that next year's E3 will be much better.

I think it's time for a change... I love Gears. I love Halo. I love Doom. I love Ratchet & Clank. These are great games, maybe considered among the best ever for their respective genres. I've been playing games for twenty years. To me there's always been a common theme for most games. There's been a common theme in place since the birth of the home console era. This theme has been heavily relied upon by developers and publishers for years because it sells well, regardless of the platform the game is on. This theme has to do with the game experience for the individual player. Here's the theme: The player is given a character to control (or in some cases, the player is allowed to create a character). Then the player is given a weapon, a set of weapons, or, in some cases, a set of powers. The character is placed in a level (with the idea being to clear a set of objectives to reach the next level) or the character is placed in some kind of open environment (a la GTA or WOW). Then the player has to accomplish goals, clear levels, or even reach a certain score to beat the game. However, the one thing that most games have in common is this: Kill the enemies. The player is given weapons and/or powers usually for just one purpose: killing bad guys in order to clear goals and levels and eventually the game. Now don't get me wrong. I thoroughly enjoy chain sawing bad guys in Gears as much as you do. I enjoy sniping enemies from across the map in Halo. I enjoy laying the final blow on a boss in one of the Legend of Zelda Games. To me, when I finish a game, I feel a sense of déjà vu. It feels like I've been essentially doing the same thing for twenty years: killing bad guys in some form or another. The thing that excites me most about games is not looking towards the future, but actually looking at the progressions of gaming's past since the 8-bit era. Thanks to Nintendo and, more specifically, Miyamoto, the introduction of story, themes, and feeling attached to a character started to permeate gaming. Thanks to the introduction of CD-based gaming, more specifically the original Playstation, characters now had a voice. Now environments had some depth to them. Games didn't have to look like colorful cartoons anymore. More importantly, the original Playstation, the Sega Saturn, and Nintendo 64 featured, almost entirely, 3D based games. We can now look, explore, and play completely in 360°. At that time, more than ever, gamers could experience just about any imaginable environment. As gaming hardware has progressed over the years, up to this point in time, we've seen major leaps and bounds in graphics, sound, gameplay, and online connectivity. You can easily draw side-by-side comparisons to Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XII, and the to-be released Final Fantasy XIII. The game, at its core has pretty much remained the same. Thanks to improved hardware, these games have seen increased graphics, sound, and gameplay features...but the game has essentially remained the same. You can look at Doom when it was originally released then look at the recent release of Doom 3. The game, in the technical fashion, is completely different...but you still play as one guy from the same perspective, with a plethora of weapons, with a group of levels you have to clear, and with a bunch of bad guys you have to kill. Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the Final Fantasy series and Doom games, but I think we're due for a change of the guard. I can sum up my opinion with this: I believe games have been following in the footsteps of the Madden development path. Every year, EA releases a new Madden game. Essentially the graphics remain the same per platform (maybe with a few animation tweaks here and there), there may be a few gameplay tweaks, there may be a few tweaks to the user interface, there may be a few tweaks to the game modes, and then they usually throw in a new feature or two with every release (like the Hit Stick or using the right analog stick for juke moves). Every year I buy Madden, and after a few months of playing it, usually the only update I find useful is the up-to-date rosters. Yet every year I buy it, and every year EA gets richer around the month of August. It seems like games, and not just sequels, are just updates of previously released games. It seems like some developers say, "Hey, Medal of Honor is a cash crop for EA, let's make a similar game." Then a couple of years later, we get Call of Duty. "Hey, Super Mario is a cash crop for Nintendo." Then we get Sonic the Hedgehog (soon followed by Crash, Jak and Daxter, etc.). "Hey Final Fantasy is a cash crop for Square." Then we get .hack. Now I understand this is a business, and developers and publishers are going to do what they think will make them the most money, even if that means taking a known game, making some tweaks, then calling it a new game. Sometimes this works (GTA leads to Crackdown and Saints Row); sometimes this doesn't work (GTA leads to True Crime). It's as if developers and publishers just take what's known and juice it of all it's worth. Every now and again, someone takes a risk. Every now and again, someone leaps off of the deep end to try and bring a new experience to the masses. Games like Guitar Hero, Rez, and Katamari Damacy. Some of these risks pay off (like GH and KD), and some do not (like Rez, despite being hailed by critics like Gamespot). Although I fear that those risks, like GH and KD, are starting to follow the path of Madden; all to make a profit. I'd like to see something new. I'd like to see something that will make other developers and publishers start to think about ways of copying this new thing. I'd like to see new genres. I'd like to see games that obliterate the line between gameplay and storytelling. When I think of games like Halo and Zelda, I think of the gameplay experience. I don't think about the characters and the story. The one time, in my mind, that characters and story rose up above gameplay was when I played Star Wars: KotOR. That game was completely driven by the story, the characters, and the actions your character took while completing various missions. What you did affected the story, how other characters responded to you, and even the game's conclusion. Rarely have games done this. Typically, games force you onto one path. If you don't follow it step-by-step, you don't advance. I can't stand that. Sometimes that path works; other times it could be annoying. When I play what everyone usually considers a great game, like, say Half-Life, I sometimes get annoyed with locked doors that remain locked and areas the game won't allow me to explore for the sake of exploring. I want to see everything. If there's a door, I want to walk through it (or break it down if it's locked). I think that's why GTA is appealing to a lot of people. Gamers will say it's cool to steal cars, shoot at pedestrians, and get chased by the cops. I think gamers like GTA because, unconsciously, gamers like the freedom to go wherever (although there are buildings with doors that remain locked). So...after all of this ranting...here's my point: When will we get to play a game that has great story-driven elements, where we're free to explore the environment, where other NPC's are impacted by the player's actions and decisions, and where we don't have to completely obliterate everything in sight in order to advance the game. To the death with linearity and repetitiveness! When do we get to put down the guns, knives, and keys to the tank in order to solve problems using feeling, intelligence, and decision-making? Are games like this a risk for developers? Probably. Just ask the developers of Ico (which is a great game, despite using a blunt object to defeat enemies just to open a door. Do yourself a favor and play it). I think these kinds of games are possible now more than ever before. With the technology where it is now, this is absolutely possible. Games like Roboblitz, for the Xbox Live Arcade, that have excellent graphics, that are somewhat produced quickly compared to retail games like Gears of War, and that are cheap for consumers ($5.00 to $10.00), should be looked at by developers as a means to test out possible risks. I'm sure there are game developers out there, and even independent studios, which have off-the-wall ideas for games but could be tempted to shelve them due to the financial risk involved. Now with Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Store, and the Wii Virtual Console, some of these ideas should be realized. Developers could make episodic games (if need be), that will help maximize profits. Gamers, I would imagine, would be more likely to plop down $10 for a digital download every three months, than they would be for plopping down $60 in one shot for the whole experience. For developers, imagine selling ten 3-5 hour $10 episodes, or selling the entire thing for $60. I would rather buy the $10 installments, because it seems like an impulse buy, and it's more convenient because I know exactly how long I'd be playing each episode. I don't have to ask myself if I'd be able to finish a game like Oblivion 120 hours into it. Now's the time for the risks to be taken. Now's the time for something new. Now's the time for a completely original experience. Now's the time for a new era.