How jaded have we become in today's gaming world. With the pathetic nature of Haze and many games like it (heck, even Bad Company looks like a COD4 clone), it's hard to appreciate a game. Most of the time you're grinding through a game because it has little else to offer you. Even so-called "hardcore" gamers find themselves rocking to Rock Band, Guitar Hero, and Boom Blox (or even Wii Sports) instead of completing Okami or other last gen gems. I even spoke with a "hardcore" gamer that is starting on Metal Gear Solid 4 without having played Metal Gear Solid 3. What? In the summer doldrums you just can't find an extra 15 hours?

This final statement is significant because we no longer appreciate quality games. In an on-going effort to keep up with the likes of the gaming media and critics, we're looking too far into the future. GTA IV and MGS4 were HUGE releases that got tons of coverage...then the games came out and it was all over. Should it have been? Really? I feel that these two quality releases, and the fact that most of my friends who own one or both of these releases but haven't played much of them, prove that we're too interested in the next best thing and don't appreciate the greatness of what we already have. I'll take the Pepsi challenge (which is a gut-check instant opinion, for those that missed that pop-culture gem) of Metal Gear Solid 4 or Ninja Gaiden Black against most current gen games out right now. We've gotten too much crap lately that the clutter has made us blind to actually enjoying a game and not mindless churning of yet another hack-n-slash or FPSer.

I like games that attempt to emulate reality, but only to a point. It's great in MGS3 that when you haven't eaten and your stamina is low that your stomach actually growls. I also like in GTA IV that you can watch TV, listen to your own radio stations, shoot the $hit with friends, and even occassionally run a taxi mission. These are little tweaks to a game that give it realism and personality, but aren't too close to the real world that I feel I'm actually working (see this week's 1up Yours! podcast for a very realistic review of Deadliest Catch). Just like the real world, these games contain AI that actually act like real people. In MGS3, if they see you moving, they will come check it out and call all their buddies to get you. You don't get a triangle that shows their viewing distance or angles and if you run around in plain view, they will see you. This adds a realism that comes with it much difficulty, which is where I think we lose most current gamers. Blame it on achievement points, cut scenes, short games, or just a busier life; today's gamers do not like challenge. I'm curious to see how well Ninja Gaiden II does and how few people even try to beat the game on Mentor or Ninja level; I'll bet you anything the number is small. Games are meant to be challenging, and sometimes its even welcome. Call of Duty 2 was EXTREMELY hard and there would be days I felt I was never making progress, but I grinded my teeth and stuck to it and eventually found my way to the end. I felt accomplished and my 1000 GS was not part of the accomplishment (however I was proud to be able to show it to everyone). Even though the difficulty of COD4 was slightly nerfed, it still had some hairy sequences that reminded me yet again of what true aggressive anger toward a video game AI was. Even thought COD4 is one of the best-selling games of all time, most of the people playing online have not beaten it on Veteran. What the hell? You complain that prestige mode on the 3rd go around is getting a little tiresome, why don't you go a few rounds with the computer AI and tell me how old it's getting! Wake up people, get used to a "continue" screen and die a little. It'll be good for you. You need to be challenged.

Masterpieces like Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto IV, The Orange Box, and even Assassin's Creed will take a long time to get finished with. GTA IV should be a solid 50+ hours to explore everything. You should not be bored with these games yet, and if you are and have played them that much, maybe it's time to get a second hobby, huh? Go on a jog, write a story, even start a video game podcast (that'll kill a night or two of gaming, I assure you!). The summer is the time where there are few releases, and although it started with a bang for all kinds of players with Lego Indiana Jones, Ninja Gaiden II, and MGS4, the rest of the summer is pretty...lame. GH: Aerosmith's leaked track listing is poor, even to an Aerosmith fan like me! Alone In The Dark has some very poor initial impressions. I think the only thing I'm looking forward to is Too Human, which premieres AFTER most schools are back in session (although since I'm not a student, it's all the same to me). I think its time we go back and appreciate what I like to call "neo-retro games". These are games you probably missed from last gen, either because they were too time consuming or because they came out just as the next gen was emerging. Take a few of these games and really get down to playing them. They will take time. They will be challenging. Some WILL NOT have achievements. Just give them a try and stop wasting time on crap like Viking for a mere couple hundred points. Again, these are games you should play if you haven't already.

-Shadow of the Colossus
-Metal Gear Solid (1, 2, or 3), get the boxed set and play them all! Only $30.
-Bully (any version)
-Okami
-Resident Evil 4 (any version)
-The Orange Box
-Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem
-GTA: Liberty City Stories or Vice City Stories (they're on PS2 also!)
-Condemned: Criminal Origins
-Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (perhaps the best next gen title yet)
-Assassin's Creed
-Ninja Gaiden (any version, preferably Black)
-Stubbs The Zombie: Rebel Without A Pulse (now an XBOX Original!)
-No More Heroes
-God Of War 1 & 2

There. That list, if you beat them, regardless of what system you have, should keep you occupied all summer. If you're hardcore, at least until the end of June! Don't neglect playing greats like R6 Vegas 2, COD4, and Halo 3/Resistence to kill some great FPS multiplayer deathmatch hours. If you blow through all that, then why not completing the entire World Tour in Rock Band (check my achievements, I did it).