I was going to write about something completely different for this week’s Gamespotting journal entry but then this dropped in my lap…

I got an iPod a few months back and have been busy filling it up with music from my CD collection but, up until last weekend, I hadn't tried downloading anything off the iTunes music service yet. I'm not really sure what took me so long because now it's taking every ounce of will I have in my body to stop buying and downloading music. Here's a quick look at what I downloaded over the weekend:

Green Day - American Idiot

What's this? Nine minute tunes on a Green Day album? Instrumental sections? A *cough* concept record? Luckily Billy Joe & Co. pull off all of these things with aplomb on this new disc. The crunch that has become their trademark (and fostered a million clones) is still present, as is Billy Joe's gift for criminally catchy melody.

Brian Wilson - Smile

The legendary followup, nearly 40 years in the making, to the Beach Boys' masterpiece Pet Sounds is as densely packed with vocal harmonies as you might expect, and brings together that 1960s surfer boy mentality with some present day studio and performance mastery, defining a sound that bridges both time periods wonderfully.

Richard Bona - Munia (The Tale)

I caught Richard Bona on tour with guitarist Pat Metheny a few years ago and was blown away. In addition to being a world-renowned bassist, Bona is a gifted singer and percussionist. With Metheny, he only played only one song on bass the entire night (spending most of his time on percussion), and still stole the show with his passionate mastery of every musical instrument he touched. This is one of his later releases and is filled with driving rhythms and beautiful vocals.

Queensryche - Operation: Mindcrime

Now I'm dating myself. This metal opera is a minor masterpiece from the late 80s and I happened upon it by accident while browsing iTunes. I hadn't heard it in years and was surprised (nostalgia notwithstanding) by how good the album works as a self-contained piece, without really sounding that dated. Sure, some may balk at Geoff Tate's screeching vocals but the songwriting, performances (especially the drumming of Scott Rockenfield), and production makes this a classic in my book.

Has Sony finally thrown in the towel in this console generation’s online wars? Accounting for the recent news surrounding the Gran Turismo serie, the answer may be yes. Not that Sony ever really had a chance to begin with. The company has generally treated online gaming as a mere afterthought, as complicated setups, clumsy interfaces and, worst of all, middling performance seem to be the norm. A few Sony titles shown through the din of online mediocrity, SOCOM and its sequel being the brightest of the bunch. The ace-in-the-hole however, was the certainty of SCEA’s premiere racing title--Gran Turismo 4--and its corresponding online mode scoring the company some much needed online cred.

Then came last week’s Tokyo Game Show, where Sony made their shoulder-stooped announcement that online functionality in GT 4, a selling points since the game was announced, had been removed (presumably so the game could make a critical pre-Christmas shipping date, currently targeted as December 14). Online racing, according to the Sony reps, would be held back for a new entry in the Gran Turismo series, tentatively to be released in 2005 for the PS2; "tentatively" being the keyword. Judging by past results, however, "2005" might turn into "2006" (or later) and "PS2" might just as easily morph into "PS3".

Even limited online capabilities, such as racing against downloadable ghost cars (as in the Xbox title Project Gotham Racing 2) or posting top times to central servers (a feature found in 2000’s F355 Challenge for the Dreamcast, for God’s sake) would have been a welcome addition to GT 4. As it is, we’ll be stuck racing the doofus AI, taking time trial laps around the gorgeous tracks, two photo modes and something called "B-spec" mode--where you don’t actually drive the cars, which sounds about as fun as a chastity mode in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

On the other hand, the exclusion of online racing isn’t a show-stopper for me. After all, what was promised? Six cars on track at one time? A nebulous online "community" concept that hasn’t yet taken shape? Games like PGR 2 and the underrated TOCA Pro Race Driver 2 have already trumped GT4’s promised online features, and both were released months ago. Also, don’t forget a little title known as Forza Motorsports, the Xbox racer which promises to take the fight to GT 4 on its on gear head turf--with online functionality built in.

Because of the notoriously aggressive mentality of the series’ AI-controlled opponents, it’s pretty difficult to consider a Gran Turismo game a racing title. It’s a damn fine driving simulation, maybe the best of its kind in the past decade, but its racing "engine"--for lack of a better term--is pretty flawed. Opponents take practically identical lines each lap, are nearly immune from bumping and scraping, and are completely willing to play bumper cars all day long with you. The AI that Polyphony Digital has hyped ever since Gran Turismo 2 has never really made its appearance. Whether it will do so in the fourth release in the series remains to be seen. Maybe we’ll see it with Gran Turismo 4.5, or when Gran Turismo 5, or 6 comes along, Until then, I’m happy to play it as a driving simulation series; and will scoff at Sony’s attempt to hype it as anything but. In this case, the fruits of their developmental labor speak far louder than their marketing machine.

If this--the removal of the online capabilities from one of their premier games of the holiday season, a flagship title no less--isn’t the online console gaming equivalent of Sony raising the white flag, I don’t know what is. An online Gran Turismo for the PS2 will likely either be a slightly re-tooled version of GT4--similar to what developers Wow Entertaming did with Sega GT 2002 (the offline version) and its semi-sequel Sega GT Online (same offline game, more or less, but with online capabilities), or a brand new title. Based on the development cycles at Polyphony Digital, which are better measured in geological spans of time, it would not surprise me in the least if Gran Turismo 5 arrives on our shores on the Playstation 3.

I vividly remember waiting in line in front of the Playstation Store at the Sony Metreon, the morning Gran Turismo 3 A-spec was released, excited as hell to be finally playing the newest in a series that, next to the Final Fantasy games, I’ve probably put more hours into than any other Playstation game. The exclusion of online racing from GT 4 is disappointing but, in the end, maybe it was a good idea, especially if that mode was bound to be trumped by currently released games.

The playing field has changed. As my colleague Jeff said, online racing is a near standard in every other racing game of this console generation. Because of this, the burden is now re-doubled on SCEA and Polyphony Digital, as delaying online play in GT 4 means they will have to do something revolutionary to even be noticed the next time around.

Just in case you were still on the fence about whether the Olympics suck, I present to you Neve and Guz, official mascots of the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic Games:

Oh and, yeah, the Olympics still suck.

Maybe if Tiger Woods played this year’s version of his videogame, he’d regain some confidence and improve his real-life golf game. After all, successful links play in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 doesn’t take much more than a good sense of relative distance and a quick button-mashing finger for power boosting and ball spin control. Who knows? Maybe it’s just the sort of thing Tiger Woo (as he’s known around the GameSpot offices) needs to get off the schneid.

I had the opportunity to check out the game for a preview I wrote and was surprised at the progress I had made after only a few hours with the game. After three rounds of play at my first PGA Tour, I was 20-under par. Granted, this was before I had turned on Tour Difficulty--which both increases the difficulty level by turning off the caddy advice feature and decreases the shot options you have when in the rough. Nonetheless, the game’s challenge level, even at Tour difficulty level, leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, once you’ve figured out the game’s swing mechanics, you’ll find yourself blowing through tour events with ease. What challenge there is comes from the level of one-on-one competition you face, such as PGA Tour pros Jim Furyk, Vijay Singh, and John Daly.

In addition, Tiger Woods 2005 rewards you early with good old-fashioned cash. You can use it to buy fun stuff--clothing, a new set of sticks, various accessories--or more substantial upgrades to your golfer’s attributes such as driving power, ball striking, putting, and spin, among others. Win a few PGA Tour events, string together some nice endorsement deals, and you’ll quickly have a stack of greenbacks and, as a result, a golfer that can regularly drive more than 310 yards and can sink putts outside of 20 feet with relative ease. The game rewards you with a lot of success early on in the game, maybe too much.

I’m really of two minds about this type of “quickstart” mentality in games. On one hand, the sense of accomplishment in rapidly earning new items or powers can be a great motivator, especially as you’re learning a game with a complex control system. That said, the law of diminishing returns emerges at some point; sooner or later, you get to the point where earning new stuff is no longer exciting but merely another screen to click through as you make your way to the next race, battle, or golf hole.

On the other hand, some titles eschew early reward and err on the side of frustrating complexity. Another golf title, Links 2004, was a game whose controls (particularly involving the putting game) were difficult to succeed with for all but the most dedicated. In that sense, it was certainly closer to the real game of golf, where frustration, agony, and profanity fill out your Sunday foursome. Despite the realism, however, the game too often fostered a sense of discouragement that made it hard for me to keep coming back for another round.

I’m picking on golf games here, but the concept applies to practically any game. Titles that get it right, such as Burnout 3, find that ephemeral balance between reward and compelling game play. After all, you don’t necessarily want to keep playing Burnout 3 to earn the next Assassin Coupe, you want to play it because it's an edge-of-your seat, neck-sweating thrill ride. With Tiger Woods, one can’t help but wonder if all the money you earn so early in the game--and the apparel, attributes, and accessories you can buy as a result of that success--is merely a red herring meant to distract from a golf game that, while fun, is too easy to engender lasting appeal.

It can be argued that features such as Tiger proofing and the Tiger Woods version of Create-a-Course (which is really just combining a number of your favorite holes to create a dream course), not to mention the online play, will keep gamers satisfied for a while, perhaps even until the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 drops. However, the idea of playing online with opponents who regularly shoot 15-20 shots under par per round--a distinct possibility this year, once the game finds its user base--doesn’t really thrill me.

The essential challenge, and essential reward, of any game is the battle against yourself, not the competition. In golf, it’s about fighting the course and the conditions, and the ever-changing vagaries of your swing and stance. The challenge for a developer is to find that balance; that abstract, teetering mid-point between keeping the gamer engaged both with encouraging reward and compelling game play.

I just secured my tickets to see one of my favorite bands, Canada's The Tragically Hip, on October 7 here in San Francisco. I caught them for the first time during their 2002 tour supporting their excellent CD In Violet Light and, if anything, I'm even more excited this time around; partially because they are without a doubt one of the most exciting live bands I've ever seen but also because I love their new work, the raw, fiery In Between Evolution even more than their previous effort. The songs from this CD will absolutely incinerate in a live setting and I personally can't wait to hear them.

Gord Downie, in addition to posessing a truely unique vocal style, is a fantastic lyricist and an absolute sensation on stage. My wife, who is not really much of a Hip fan, even made a point to comment on Gord's commanding stage presence when we caught them last time. The band mixes up the set list every night so that each show is an individual experience. That there are few better places to see live music in the country than the Fillmore is icing on the cake.

Long live Das Hip!

10-9

Auburn beats LSU in a defensive shocker. God, I wish I was at Toomer's Corner right now!

During my first week at GameSpot, I spent two days in Washington D.C. to appear as a guest on National Public Radio’s morning news show, "Morning Edition." Being in our nation’s capital was certainly a thrill and interacting with the professional and enthusiastic crew at NPR (at least one of which is a hardcore sports gamer – shout out to my boy Ralph!) was wonderful. Everyone seemed thrilled to have us there, shooting the breeze and talking Madden 2005.

The show’s host, Steve Inskeep, was gracious and funny; an all-around nice guy with a sharp wit and an easy on-air manner. Through his guidance, the entire interview went smoothly. However, there was one moment that stuck with me long after the interview was over.

In addition to discussing the Madden franchise in general, my goal was to give Steve a quick tutorial of the in-game mechanics of Madden 2005 and see if I could get him up to playing speed by the time the interview ended. Yet as we placed our headphones around our ears, sat in front of the mics, and grabbed our respective Xbox controllers, the ON-AIR lamp was lit and the first words from Inskeep’s mouth was a question gamers have heard all too often:

"Do you ever feel like you’re wasting your life?"

I stifled a sigh. Not that one again.

My first reaction was to give him the long answer: While, I do spend a good portion of my leisure time playing videogames, it is not my lone pastime. I’m also an avid reader, a part-time musician, and even have a bit of acting experience on my hobby resume. I’ll never be confused for a Renaissance Man but, at the same time, I’m no mouth-breathing couch sloth either. Games aren’t my entire life, I wanted to say, just a significant portion of them.

In the end, I bit my tongue, swallowed the bile, and replied with a simpler and less vitriolic response: "No, I’m not wasting my life. I love videogames and this is my passion."

Why do we, as gamers, often feel a need to apologize for--or be embarrassed by--our hobby? Perhaps a better question is: Is the general public’s perception of gamers and the gaming industry as progressive and positive as we would like to believe? Industry pundits like to throw around statistics comparing the gaming business, from both a revenue and quality standpoint, to the movie industry. On the surface the numbers make a good case but the comparison falls flat when viewed through the lens of public perception. There’s a certain attitude people have about the gaming industry, and gamers in general; whereas bookworms and film buffs have no such stigma attached to their respective hobby.

Would Inskeep have asked a professional book reviewer or film critic if they were wasting their lives? Probably not. But when you think about it, these individuals are not that professionally different from anyone here at GameSpot--just like us, they devote a large portion of their life to a relatively narrowcasted cultural pursuit and offer their opinions accordingly. Few would accuse them of wasting their lives. If an intelligent and informed guy like Steve Inskeep thinks, however firmly his tongue is planted in cheek, that I’m wasting my life, it probably should come as no surprise that those who are less well-versed have attached a negative view to games and the people who enjoy them.

Personally, I get fired up when I talk about games--with anyone, at any time. Similarly, I think that anyone with a brain and a heartbeat can be an ambassador for the gaming industry. Do you have a friend or acquaintance who consistently scoffs at your obsessive solo Halo explorations? Invite the Doubting Thomas over for a session of multiplayer madness and show him the finer points of the game, up close and personal. Let him hear first-hand your enthusiasm and your passion. Is your significant other questioning your Pikmin 2 habits? Sit him or her down on the couch and make them go through a level or two, challening their problem-solving and logical reasoning skills. You just might change their mind.

Everyone who enjoys videogames as a hobby is, in effect, the "face" of modern gaming. As such, we can all have a hand in spreading the good word about our hobby to the rest of the world. If we want to stop apologizing and truly help the industry evolve to wider acceptance, we have a responsibility to put our best face forward.

OK, for those of you who heard the tail end my NPR interview yesterday know I got 0wn3d by the host on a fourth and long play. I've really got no excuse for this outrage, except my own hubris. Let me break it down for you on a play-by-play basis.

First of all, it's important to note that what you heard on the radio was spliced pretty heavily. A lot of the "gameplay" footage was taken in the Madden tutorial mode, as I was showing the host some basic offensive sets, how to run the ball and how to pass. In fact, there's only two clips from our actual game, a big fumble I caused on the very first play of the game and the shameful TD I gave up at the end. Because our time in the studio was limited, we only played one posession; once that TD was scored, we had to shut down the XBox and move on so I had no opporunity for revenge.

Anyway here's how it broke down:

1) Steve Inskeep chose the Colts and I chose my beloved Chicago Bears. He won the toss and elected to receive. After a decent return, he began his first posession.

2) Deciding to teach him a lesson early, I called an all-out blitz on the very first snap which, luckily for me, caused a fumble deep in his red zone. I recovered the fumble and prepared to score quickly.

3) After a running play or two of moderate success, I was threatening his goal line and decided to get a bit fancy on him. Instead of continuing with my solid run game behing Thomas Jones, I called a half back pass into the end zone. As you might expect, the coverage in the end zone was excellent and Inskeep's Colts picked me off in the end zone. Colts ball back on their 20 yard line. No need to panic, I told myself, I'll just stuff him again.

4) The next three plays were basically fruitless for Indy. I can't remember the exact plays as they happened but I seem to remember one pass being batted down and dropping Peyton Manning on another play. Regardless, Inskeep was stuck with a fourth and long, deep in his own territory. As you heard in the segment, I asked him if he would like to punt or go for it and, being a baller (or is that a cheeser?), Inskeep decided to go for it, despite the near-insurmountable odds.

5) Now, the thinking man would have simply called a zone coverage and waited for his desperate toss in the air, batted it down and taken over possession with a great opportunity to score. Unfortunately, I am not a thinking man. In that instant, I became the exact opposite: I was the Cheeser Avenger, determined to take out my revenge on Inskeep as punishment for the never-punting, always-bombing, cheesers who dominate NFL online games these days. I decided to bring a massive blitz against him, including my safeties. Dreams of sacking Peyton in the endzone and grabbing a safety dancing in my head.

Worst of all, I even called my shot on the air, "I'm bringing the house against you, too!" Obviously, I was stunned when he completed his pass to a streaking Brandon Stokely, even more so when I realized I didn't have a safety anywhere near him to chase him down. All I could do was shake my head and laugh as Stokley took what was basically a dump pass 80 yards for a score.

A friend of mine , after hearing the show, said he thought I LET Steve score that touchdown at the end, trying to be a nice guy. Unfortunately, that could not be further from the truth, as my competitiveness is second only to my pasty white skin as my most dominant genetic trait.

Karmic retribution, that touchdown was. It made for great radio but, as I reflect on it a few weeks removed, I know there are some important personal lessons to be learned there. Humiliation is not the point of victory, no matter the setting. Victory is its own reward and all those other Vince Lombardi-ish proclamations. Karmic freakin' retribution.

Next: Part 3 -- Are you wasting your life?

Just a quick note this morning: My interview for NPR's "Morning Edition", which I taped two weeks ago, will be airing Tuesday, September 13 (also known as tomorrow). Check your local listings for time and station. The interview centered around sports videogames and, in particular, the Madden NFL franchise. There were a few surprises during the interview that I'll play close to the vest for now. Rest assured I'll provide the full skinny later on in the week.

If you can't catch the live broadcast, the show should be available on the Internet. Check NPR's Morning Edition site for more information.

Next: A crying shame