The Mole: Weekend Edition

Now you can headbutt people in the chest too! - You know how you're coach used to say "Be the ball"? Well now you can "Be the head". Who's head? French soccer star and head-butter supreme Zinedine Zidane of course. At www.addictinggames.com you can play a game where you act as Zidane and hit opponent after opponent in the chest with your melon. It's high comedy.

Aside from the Zidane game, the site has a number of other fun games and other things to play with. My personal favorites are the Ultimate Peter Griffin Soundboard and Family Guy vs. American Dad Kung Fu.

Can't get enough Madden - Madden NFL 07, coming out August 22, will have a special Hall of Fame edition available for the PS2 and the Xbox 360. Just in case the game isn't enough, here's what you can pay an extra $10 for.

PS2
PlayStation 3 Unveiled—G4TV provides a sneak peek at the making of Madden NFL 07 for PlayStation 3 with exclusive gameplay footage, content previews, and more.

Hall of Famer: John Madden—A career retrospective highlighting Coach Madden’s days as Oakland Raiders head coach and award-winning calls from the broadcast booth.

Inside Madden Studios—ESPN’s Trey Wingo delivers game production insights and exclusive interviews with the team behind the game.

Exclusive Music Interviews—The hottest acts featured in Madden NFL 07 reveal the inspiration behind their music.

Xbox 360
Everything above, except "PS3 Unveiled" is replaced with this: Madden Nation, Season One—Heroes are born and dreams are shattered in the eight-part mini-series. Revisit the complete first season of the original ESPN program.

Is this worth an extra $10? Maybe, it just depends on how big of a Madden fan you are.

Addicted to Achievements - The game might not be out for a couple of days but the Achievement Points for EA's NCAA Football 07, my soon to be new favorite game until Madden 07 comes out, are already available. Study them now so you can figure out the quickest way to earn all 1000 points.

1. Throw 4 TD Passes in a Game - Throw 4 touchdown passes in a single game. (15pts)
2. 350 Total Passing Yards - Pass for 350 or more total yards in a game. (15pts)
3. 200 Total Rushing Yards - Rush for 200 or more total yards in a game.(15pts)
4. No Fumbles in a Game - Do not fumble the ball in a game. (15pts)
5. No Interceptions in a Game - Do not throw an interception in a game.(15pts)
6. Win by 21 - Win a game by 21 points or more.(10pts)
7. Pass to 5 Different Receivers - Complete a pass to 5 or more receivers in a game.(10pts)
8. 100 Yard Receiver - Gain 100 or more receiving yards with a single player.(10pts)
9. 100 Yard Rusher - Rush for 100 or more yards with a single player.(10pts)
10. Complete a 30 Yard Pass - Complete a pass for 30 or more yards.(10pts)
11. Complete a 60 Yard Pass - Complete a pass for 60 or more yards. (20pts)
12. Break a 30 Yard Run - Break a run for 30 or more yards.(10pts)
13. Break a 60 Yard Run - Break a run for 60 or more yards.(20pts)
14. Allow No Sacks - Do not give up any sacks in a game.(15pts)
15. Intercept 2 Passes - Intercept 2 passes in a game on defense.(15pts)
16. Recover 2 Fumbles - Recover 2 fumbles on defense in a game.(15pts)
17. Return Interception for a TD - Return an interception for a touchdown.(20pts)
18. Return Fumble for TD - Score a touchdown after recovering a fumble on defense.(20pts)
19. Make 4 Sacks - Sack the opposing quarterback 4 or more times in a game.(20pts)
20. Held Under 200 Yards - Hold the opposition to under 200 total yards.(10pts)
21. Held Under 100 Yards - Hold the opposition to under 100 total yards.(25pts)
22. 2 Sack Player - Make 2 sacks in a game with the same player.(10pts)
23. Score a Safety - Score a safety on defense.(30pts)
24. Shutout - Prevent your opponent from scoring any points in a game.(30pts)
25. Punt Return for TD - Return a punt for a touchdown.(15pts)
26. Kickoff Return for TD - Return a kickoff for a touchdown.(20pts)
27. 50 Yard Field Goal - Kick a 50 or more yard field goal.(25pts)
28. 50 Yard Punt - Punt the ball 50 or more net yards.(15pts)
29. Block a Punt - Block a punt.(25pts)
30. Block a Field Goal - Block a field goal.(25pts)
31. Score 35 Points - Score 35 points or more in a game.(15pts)
32. 500 Total Yards - Gain 500 total yards or more in a game.(25pts)
33. #1 Offense - Have the #1 ranked offense in a dynasty season.(25pts)
34. #1 Defense - Have the #1 ranked defense in a dynasty season.(25pts)
35. Undefeated - Go undefeated during a season in dynasty mode.(10pts)
36. Conference Champs! - Win a conference championship game.(10pts)
37. Heisman Memorial Trophy - Win the Heisman Memorial Trophy with a player on your dynasty team.(25pts)
38. 5 Star Recruiting - Sign 8 or more 5 star prospects in your recruit class.(25pts)
39. Bowl Win - Win a bowl game in dynasty mode.(10pts)
40. National Champions! - Lead your team to a BCS championship in dynasty mode.(25pts)
41. Dynasty Trifecta! - Win the National Championship in three back-to-back seasons in dynasty mode.(50pts)
42. Mr. February - Have the #1 ranked recruiting class in a dynasty season.(25pts)
43. 60 Year Dynasty (Ouch!) - Complete 60 years of Dynasty.(100pts)
44. Perfect Game - Bowl a 300 Game.(40pts)
45. High Score - Option Dash - Score 15,000 or more points in Option Dash.(40pts)
46. Win Tug-of-War - Win the Tug-of-War mini-game.(40pts)
47. Junior Varsity Level - 250 gamerscore in NCAA Football 07. (0pts)
48. Varsity Level - 500 gamerscore in NCAA Football 07. (0 pts)
49. Secret Achievement
50. Secret Achievement

The Mole: Xbox Live Arcade new releases, EA commits to the Wii

Xbox Live Arcade Games - Well its about time. After being teased like a kid with no money in a candy store, Microsoft will finally release some new classic arcade titles for Xbox Live Arcade. It started yesterday with Frogger (which I tried last night and it brought back some fond memories) and continues every Wednesday until August 9 with a new title being made available every week. Each game has a free demo and the complete version can be purchased for about $5. Here are the games and their release dates.

July 12 - Frogger
July 19 - Cloning Clyde
July 26 - Galaga
August 2 - Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting
August 9 - Pac Man

A pretty good list to be sure but this of course brings up the question - WHERE THE HECK IS CYBERBALL?!? The greatest robots-playing-football arcade game of the 1980's needs to come out soon. Xbox Live Arcade is incomplete without it.

EA Announces 6 Custom Designed Wii Games - Earlier today Electronic Arts revealed six new games that are in development for the Nintendo Wii. Madden, Need for Speed, Harry Potter, Tiger Woods PGA Tour, SSX and The Godfather will be designed specifically to use the Wii's innovative controller.

How will it work? I have no clue but I certainly am curious. EA will be announcing additional titles for the Wii in the coming months.

The Top 5 Games on the PS2 and DS

A few days ago I listed the games that I thought were the best games you could get right now, today, on the PC and Xbox 360.

Here are my picks (with a little help) for the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation 2.

PS2

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence - I've always been a huge fan of the Metal Gear series and with this updated special edition that came out in March, I appreciate the series even more. A new camera angle and online mode make this a super game.

2. MLB '06: The Show - After the MVP series from EA went the way of the dodo, baseball needed someone to step up - which is exactly what this game did. The best baseball game on any console. Of course it doesn't hurt that my boy David Ortiz is on the cover.

3. Fight Night Round 3 - While not nearly as pretty as its Xbox 360 cousin, the game play on the PS2 version is just as good.

4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories - Yeah, I know. I've complained about this game in a blog before. The graphics aren't pretty and the soundtrack sucks. Still, its a GTA game and I'm addicted to the world of GTA.

5. The Godfather - Any time a game can put me in a movie as great as The Godfather, I'm in. This game has great game play, exciting missions and nice graphics.

Honorable Mention: Kingdom Hearts 2, Winning Soccer Eleven 9
Total Garbage: Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure

I play my share of DS games but I thought I should defer to an expert. In order to get a more accurate view on the Nintendo DS scene I had my 12-year old son Connor ( a devout DS gamer) share his views on the best games out right now for the DS. My comments are in italics.

DS

1. Super Mario 64 DS - Its just like the original N64 version but with way improved graphics, new areas, 30 more stars, 3 new playable players and a fun multi-player mode with up to four people at a time. (Great game but the star collecting can be very time consuming.)

2. New Super Mario Bros - Wow! What a fun game! If you've played Super Mario World on the SNES, you'll notice a similarity. The worlds are now 8-12 levels long instead of 4. Though there are still 8 worlds. Like Super Mario World, the secret finding can be very frustrating. Other than that, it has great graphics and fun gameplay. (Personally, I would have put this game as #1 but I'm old school.)

3. Metroid Prime Hunters - This is another chapter of the seemingly endless series. I've only played the demo (I'm a cheap Dad, what can I say) but it looked fantastic. The demo I played was great fun but the controls were frustrating. Get ready to curse at your double-screened gameboy until you figure out the controls. Not that I would curse. (At least not in front of me.)

4. WarioWare: Touched! - It may be a weird, cooky game but really who can resist moving a baby with a stick so he can whiz on a fire to put it out. Or even popping balloons! So it is weird and a little cheesy but its still a really fun game. (Once again, proof that parents need to be aware of what games their kids are playing.)

5. Tetris DS - Everyone knows the catchy theme song to the original Tetris. This game offers other themes, like Mario, as well. You can still play the same Tetris game everyone loves but you can also get a new challenging mode called mission mode. Here you are commanded to clear 3 rows in a row or clear 2 rows with the green piece. Or if you're really bored, do puzzle mode and solve totally impossible Tetris puzzles. So all in all, a good game. (I really like this game as well but would've ranked it much higher. My wife and son have competitions with this game. You know its pretty good when you can get your wife to play a game.)

Looking forward to: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

The Top 5 Games on the Xbox 360 and PC

What is up?!? I hope everyone had a great 4th. I took a little time off and I'm now ready to get back to it.

There are some great games coming out within the next few months but before we get bombarded with tons of new console hype, I thought I'd take a little time to discuss the best games you can play right now, this very minute. There are plenty of solid titles out there and if you're looking to get an Xbox 360 or if you're not quite ready for a console upgrade yet, this is information you can use to feel good about extending the life of your system.

Over the next two posts I'll cover the Xbox 360, PC, PS2 and the Nintendo DS. Why these consoles? They're the most popular and have the best games. I left the Xbox off since it has many of the same games as the 360 and if its not on the 360 they are often backwards compatible. I also took the liberty of not including any game older than 1 year (sorry GTA, Halo and Metal Gear franchises). Lets get started.

Xbox 360

1. Elder Scolls IV: Oblivion - This game is just mind blowing. The graphics are top-notch, the options are endless and the game play is so deep, you could take a month off work to play this game and still not do everything available inside.

2. Call of Duty 2 - Do you know when you have a great game? When you keep telling yourself that you need to spend more time with it, like a family pet or something. That's how I feel about this game, like I neglect it. Yes, I need psychiatric help.

3. 2006 FIFA World Cup - I'm sure this game is higher on my list than it is for most people but I don't care. This game is a lot more fun than the last Madden on the 360 was and right now I'm still caught up in World Cup fever.

4. Project Gotham Racing 3 - I'm not really into racers but this game has changed my mind. Beautiful autos, some sweet garages to put them in and challenging but still fun game play make this game a blast.

5. Fight Night Round 3 - This game makes my top 5 because its the most fun game to play with your brother after a night on the town. Or so I read somewhere.

Honorable Mention - Table Tennis, NBA 2K6, Top Spin 2, MLB 2K6
Looks promising but haven't spent enough time with - MotoGP, Hitman: Blood Money
Overrated now that I've had time to think about it - Perfect Dark Zero

PC

1. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Is this a coincidence? No way! One of the reasons why the 360 version is number one is because it plays almost exactly like its PC cousin. Great game no matter what system its on.

2. Civilization IV - A brilliant strategy game with a beautiful presentation and best of all, narration provided by Mr. Spock himself.

3. Half Life 2: Episode One - Incredible game play with great voice acting and dialogue. Too bad its so short.

4. Call of Duty 2 - What's the deal with PC games and numbers? Can no one figure out a creative way to name a game anymore? I guess it doesn't matter as once again a game on both the PC and 360 makes the top 5 list.

5. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 - Once again, a game on my list that might not be on most others. For some reason I really prefer to play this game on the PC.

Honorable Mention - Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth II, Age of Empires III
Looks promising but haven't spent enough time with it - Condemned: Criminal Origins
Completely overrated - Anything with the words "The Sims" in it.

Now its your turn. Did I miss one of your favorites? Let me know.

The Rant: Get that vacuum cleaner out of my pocket Mr. Kutaragi

"Its probably too cheap." President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment on the $600 pricepoint for the PlayStation 3.

"The first 5 million consumers are going to buy the PS3 even if it didn't have games." Sony Computer Entertainment Europe CEO David Reeves.

Arrogance. That's the first word that popped into my head when I read those comments. I don't know what bothers me more, the fact that Sony thinks their product is a bargain at $600 (lets face it, no one is going to buy the low-grade $500 version) or that SCEA Europe CEO David Reeves is probably right. Yes, Sony has brand loyalty on its side. But is brand loyalty a good thing. As a former PlayStation fanboy who was loyal to a fault my answer is no. Am I saying the PS3 won't be an awesome machine? Am I telling you it won't be worth the money? Am I saying I won't buy one anyway? No. What I'm saying is that gamers need to be smart consumers and not buy something just because of your history with a device or because you feel loyalty to a gaming company. Do you honestly think your loyalty is going to be rewarded? Hell no! Nobody from Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft is going to be sending you a Christmas card thanking you for buying their system. You won't be getting any discounts and reduced prices on games because you've owned a PS1 and a PS2 and are now buying a PS3 and Bill Gates won't be stopping by to play games with you if bought an Xbox and now own a 360.

Gaming manufacturers aren't loyal to you, so you should feel no remorse about switching platforms if you so choose. We all have our personal preferences but when deciding on a next-gen console, here are a few things to consider.

Blu-Ray vs. HD - The biggest reason why Sony is so much more than the Wii and the Xbox 360 is because it can play Blu-Ray DVD's. These players will normally retail for around $1000 so if you're buying a gaming console/Blu-Ray player for $600, its quite a bargain.

The big question: Are DVD's going away anytime soon? If you think DVD's are going the way of VHS tapes within the next year or two, having a Blu-Ray player might be important. But as of right now, there doesn't seem to be a big push in Hollywood for the formats to change. In addition to that, no one in the entertainment industry can seem to make up there minds on whether the new format will be HD or Blu-Ray.

The answer: Right now having a Blu-Ray player just doesn't seem that important when shopping for a gaming console.

Which system is truly next gen? - I'll be honest, I think I initially underestimated the Nintendo Wii. I think its low price point and high curiosity factor will make it a system most gamers will own along with either an Xbox 360 or PS3. Its also, at least visually, not on the next level with Microsoft's or Sony's offerings either. This leaves you, if you're looking for the best gaming console, to choose between the PS3 or 360.

The big question: Which system, if any, is better than the other? I'm leaving the Wii out of this argument because the two heavy hitters are the Xbox 360 and the PS3 pure and simple. But which one is better? I guess that depends on your definition of "better". To me, better means superior graphics, top notch online offerings and a better game library. Since the PS3 isn't out yet this is almost impossible to answer...but lets try. Judging from E3, the graphics on both systems seem almost identical, so that's a push. Sony hasn't given any real details about its online presence, other than to say it will most likely be free. I'm sure they'll take some heavy cues from Microsoft in this department, which would be a very good idea. That leaves us with a better gaming library. Sony has the Gran Turismo and Metal Gear franchises. Microsoft has Halo and it appears Gear of War will be huge. Everything else will be the same. Although the announcement of GTA 4 coming out on both consoles at the same time was huge for Microsoft.

The answer: As of right now these systems don't seem to have any major differences that would make you pick one over the other...except the $200 price difference.

How much do you want to spend? - This is the second most important question you need to ask yourself when choosing a console (I'll get to the most important in a minute). If you spend an extra $200 bucks on the PS3, you're counting on the development of Blu-ray discs and that as time goes on that the more powerful PS3 will eventually make games that are visually superior to the Xbox 360. If you buy an Xbox 360, you believe that the next video disc format is probably another console generation away, like dealing with an online service you know is outstanding and believe that visually both consoles will be more or less equal.

The big question: Which system is a better value?

The answer: That depends on what you want. If you just want to play fun games, its the Wii. If I want something that plays next-gen games and DVD's, I go with the 360. If I believe I'm making an investment in Blu-ray and I have the money, I grab a PS3.

Okay, enough screwing around. How do I choose? - That's easy. The most important factor when buying a gaming console is the games themselves. And this is a question only you can answer. Are you a diehard Metal Gear fanboy and can't live without it? Than the PS3 is for you. Do you like fun, innovative games and love Mario so much you dressed as him for Halloween? You need a Wii. Are you anxiously awaiting Halo 3 more than your wedding day? Grab an Xbox 360.

The big question: Alright Mr. Know-It-All, what do you own?

The answer: I currently own a PS2 and an Xbox 360. My son's getting a Wii for Christmas so this leaves me with the question of the PS3. I'm going to get one for reviews. No, The Gazette doesn't buy consoles for me. I have to buy them on my own. But would I buy one if I didn't have to? Yes, but only after the price drop. Right now there is nothing out there to make me believe that the PS3 is going to be superior to the Xbox 360. The Blu-ray factor just doesn't sway me into spending an extra $200. If they were the same price, that would be a different story. Of course my opinion could change in the coming months and could drastically change after I actually own a PS3. Should any of this matter to you? No. My gaming situation (didn't want to wait for the PS3, had problems with the PS1 and PS2) is probably different than yours. I'm certain that no matter what console you choose will be thouroughly enjoyed. Just don't let brand loyalty sway you. I'd drop my 360 like a bad date if it started to give me problems. I spend too much money on gaming to put up with inferior games or products. I hope you feel the same way.

The Mole: Xbox Live Unplugged

In case you were wondering, I have no idea why the last post is on the blog twice. It's some weird glitch and I can't get rid of it. Here's the latest news.

Arcade Me - One of the coolest features of the Xbox 360 is the Xbox Live Arcade, a bunch of fun games that can be downloaded online for a small fee. Those games have now been put together as its own seperate game called "Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged" that will sell for a tentative price of $39.99. The release date is set for September 2. The list of games hasn't been confirmed but judging from the box art for the game on the right, it includes: Geometry Wars, Wik: Fable of Souls, Bejeweled, Hardwood Backgammon, and Texas Hold'Em Poker. What I want to know is - where the hell is Cyberball!

Oh great, just what I always wanted - Nintendo has announced that the DS Lite will be available in "Noble Pink" in Japan starting July 20. There was no announcement on when/if everyones favorite color will be available in the U.S.

This game just keeps getting better - Showing how to keep a great game fresh and relevant, Activision recently released five new multi-player maps for the Xbox 360 version of "Call of Duty 2". The pack is currently available for 800 Microsoft Points (about $10) on Xbox Live Arcade and includes the following locales: Antonville, France (Crossroads), St. Louet, France (Newvillers), Amaye sur Seulles, France (Normandy), Alam Halfa, Egypt (Decoytown) and Rostov, Russia (Harbor).

Since "Duty" (tee hee, I just wrote duty) came out Activision has released 9 multi-player maps. Sheer brilliance! Here is a game that came out in November of last year and through its excellent game play, superior graphics and frequent updates remains one of the best games on the 360. This is the way gaming companies show that they still care about a game, and gamers, after its been launched. I know for a fact I'll be snapping up "Call of Duty 3" when it comes out this fall, if only because I know Activision will keep adding content to an already great game. This is how Xbox Live Marketplace should be used. Now EA should follow this lead by offering updated rosters and player rankings on its sports games.

The Grading Scale

Project Gotham 3 Racing and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - The only two games to ever earn an A+.





Over the last couple of weeks I've been getting some emails asking me about how I grade games. Nothing angry or belligerent, just people who are curious as to what makes a game an "A" game or what makes a game a "D" game. So in order to clarify things and because I don't want anyone confused, here is my grading scale.

A+ This is white whale of video game review games, the perfect score. I've only given out two of these bad boys and both games deserved it. Essentially, if you see this score, it means you should leave work immediately (with no explanation is best) and drive to the store and pick it up. You're life is incomplete without it. In fact, take a few days off to spend with your new best friend.
Life Expectancy: You'll own this game until your system is obsolete (or longer).

A Unlike the A+, this means you can live without this game but probably shouldn't. You need to pick this game up quickly but you can wait until your lunch break. This game will cause you to ignore your wife/girlfriend/significant other for the next few weeks, so make sure to start a fight with that person when you get home so you have an excuse for sleeping on the couch.
Life Expectancy: 1 year

A- Another must have game. With a grade like this you might want to call your favorite gaming store and make sure they have a copy so you can pick it up after work. This will be a game you play a few times through and truly get your money's worth.
Life Expectancy: 6 months

B+ Now things are getting tricky. The B's run the gamut from need-to-buy-game to really good rental. A B+ means that even if you aren't a fan of the genre (ie Sims) you might want to pick it up because its a surprisingly fun game. For diehard fans of a genre that gets this grade, you really should pick it up.
Life Expectancy: 3-12 months

B This grade goes to games that are fun but are missing one or two key elements that prevent it from being a really good game. Its still a solid grade but there is a little something incomplete about it. Fans of this genre (ie Madden) will simply overlook its deficiencies and buy it anyway. Others will be slightly disappointed.
Life Expectancy: 3-10 months

B- This grade is for borderline rental fodder. There are 3-5 key elements that this game lacks and because of this only diehard fans will actually drop some coin on it.
Life Expectancy: 1-3 months

C+ The C's are rental games, pure and simple. The symbol after the C just tells you the games level of suckitude. A C+ game is like meeting a girl in South Padre Island during Spring Break. Fun to hang out with, share a few laughs, but you both know you're time is short and thats fine with both of you.
Life Expectancy: 1 week

C I call these "Eh" games. As in "Are you going to rent The DaVinci Code?" "Eh, maybe. If I find a few bucks in my couch."
Life Expectancy: 3-5 days

C- This is a "I can't believe I rented this crap I took it back to the video store one hour after I rented it" game.
Life Expectancy: 30-60 minutes

D Lets not mince words here, this game sucks. This game is an abomination and an insult to the greatness of gaming. There are no pluses or minuses here because there is no need. This game is flat out garbage, avoid it like Michelle Rodriguez in a nightclub. You don't want your name attached to it in any way shape or form because you will be teased mercilessly by your friends and probably even your wife/girlfriend will make fun of you. The only reason it isn't an F is because I hate to totally demoralize the work that people put into making a game. Just like every person in the world, no matter how evil, has to have one redeeming quality - every game has to have at least one somewhat redeeming element.
Life Expectancy: Zero, don't even look at the box, it may ruin your eyesight.

F I have never actually given an F so I'm not exactly sure what the criteria would be. But if you ever do see a grade with this, run. Chances are its one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

Lost Treasures

There is just not enough time in the day for all the great games out there. With new consoles coming out every few years and new games coming out every week, its sometimes easy to forget about some of the best games ever made and the fact that we should never, ever forget about them. Why should we never forget? Because they were so damn fun and mark important times in our lives.

I bring this up because my son reminded me of something the other day. He was out with his grandma doing some yard sale shopping. This was odd because usually he manages to avoid this kind of activity. Being dragged all over town, looking at some lady in rollers and slippers who wants $10 for a scratched Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass album with your Grandma is not a great way for a 12-year old to spend his time. But on this day my son got lucky. At one particular sale he found an old PS1 in good shape and the Yardy (My term for those people who have yard sales every single weekend) was selling it with a bundle of games, one of them was Metal Gear Solid.

My son was telling about this over the phone (I was out of town at the time) and he kept telling me about the game and how much fun it was. Throughout the weekend he'd call me and ask for some tips on how to beat a certain level. I couldn't tell what surprised me more - the fact that my 12-year old son was impressed by a game made in 1998, or the fact that I remembered all the levels and how to beat the game.

When Metal Gear first came out, I was completely and totally hooked on it within the first 10 minutes. The storyline was complelling, the voice acting was perfect and the game play was like crack. I hadn't been this addicted to a game since Super Mario Bros. I still remember where I bought it, what my old house looked like, how little my son was and that I was about 10 pounds lighter. My son bringing up Metal Gear was like opening a time capsule, it brought back a flood of great memories. Of course this doesn't happen with every game, there are just a few games -Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt, GTA III, Madden '94, Spider-Man on the Atari 2600, Britney's Dance Beat - that will always hold a special place for me. Its like hearing a song from a great summer long ago and having sweet flashbacks.

So what are your lost treasures? What games do you fondly remember? They don't have to be classic games to have had a strong effect. Even if you just became a gamer and you bought a 360 and Call of Duty 2 blew your doors off, it doesn't matter. Tell about a game that moved you.

The Mole: Madden Sings, Blizzard stings

Madden Rocks Out - Getting on a video game soundtrack is a big deal for up and coming bands. It provides great exposure to a captive audience forced to listen to some band they never heard until they turn of the music option. Here is the song set for Madden 07, to be released August 22.

30 Seconds To Mars - Battle Of One, AFI - Summer ShudderAl Fatz - Came Down, Anti-Flag - This Is The End (For You My Friend)Atreyu - Ex’s And Oh’s, Audioslave (okay, I have heard of these guys) - Revelations, Bishop LaMont feat. Chevy Jones - The BestCartel - Say Anything (Else), Cord - Go Either WayDamone - Out Here All Night, Dashboard Confessional - Reason To Believe, Dynamite MC - BounceFeezy 350 - Playa What, Glasses Malone - Right Now, Hit The Lights - Until We Get Caught, Keane - Is It Any Wonder?Less Than Jake - Still Life Franchise, Lupe Fiasco feat. Jonah Matranga - The Instrumental, Matchbook Romance - Monsters, Omnisoul - Not Giving UpRise Against - Drones, Riverboat Gamblers - On Again Off Again, Saves The Day - Head For The Hills, Shorty Da Kid - Get Loose, Spank Rock - Backyard Betty, Sparta - Future Needs, Taking Back Sunday - SpinThe Panic Channel - Teahouse Of The Spirits, The Pink Spiders - Easy Way Out, The Rapture - WAYUH, The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - In Fates Hands, The Sleeping - Don’t Hold Back, Trae - Real Talk, Underoath - Ever So Inviting, Wolfmother - Woman

Blizzard make you pay - Blizzard finally revealed their plans for a paid character transfer for realm transfers in "World of Warcraft". Transfers will cost users $25 per character, and users can only transfer the character once every six months. Users will only be able to transfer servers with similar game types - PvP to PvP, and PvE to PvE, and character must be level 10 or higher. No word yet on when the transfer option will be available.

Sony execs pants catch on fire - Jack Tretton, Co-COO of SCEA, had some interesting things to say about the Grand Theft Auto franchise in an interview with TheStreet.com, an investment news website.

"No, I don't think it hurts us. No, I really don't," Tretton said about the next GTA game being released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 on the same day. "There's no question that having the Grand Theft Auto franchise helped us a lot and helped us sell some units, but I don't think the battle would be any different with or without Grand Theft Auto," he continued. "The days of locking up exclusive content from a third party and having that be key to your strategy is really a dangerous road to go down because I think with the cost of development, not many developers can afford to do exclusivity," Tretton said. "So, really what defines the uniqueness of a platform from a software standpoint are the offerings that you have from first party."

Liar, liar pants on fire. Jack, its nice of you to try and downplay the importance of the GTA franchise now that its not exclusively yours but lets be completely honest. GTA is to Sony what Halo is to Microsoft...or at least it was until E3 when Microsoft announced it will be getting "GTA: Nome, Alaska" the same day the PS3 does. Sure GTA wasn't exclusive but tons of gamers are addicted to the franchise and wanted it the day it came out, not 6 months later when it was released on the Xbox. Its a big reason why those gamers who toed the line between an Xbox and PS2 bought a PS2. I know things are hard enough over at Sony, what with your new system costing at least $200 more than other new systems, but stone up and admit that it sucks but you'll have some other good games. Or better yet, admit that Sony should have found a way to buy out Rockstar the way Microsoft bought out Bungie.

Well that didn't take long - It took only 35 days for New Super Mario Bros. to rack up sales in excess of 500,000 in the United States. That's a rate of more than 20 every minute since the game went on sale May 15, according to Nintendo.

More Nintendo News - The Opera Web browser for Nintendo DS will be released in Japan on July 24. The DS browser will initially be sold online only at a price of 3,800 yen ($33), and come with an additional memory expansion pack. Nintendo has not yet announced release dates for a browser in the U.S. and Europe.

Interview with OXM's Francesca Reyes

Here's the extended version of my interview with Francesca Reyes. The short version of which was in last Saturday's Gazette.

Chris Slate, Editor-in-Chief of the Official PlayStation Magazine gave his point of view on the future of gaming. Its only fair that Francesca Reyes, Editor-in-Chief of the Official Xbox Magazine, throws in her two cents. Here’s my interview with Ms. Reyes.

TT: Now that the Xbox 360 has been out for a few months, in hindsight, what has Microsoft done right and what could they have done better in launching their new console?

FR: Microsoft did a phenomenal job in getting the console hyped pre-launch, so that going into the actual release of Xbox 360, there was a lot of demand. They met it with a really solid and varied launch list of games – it seemed that there was something for pretty much almost every type of gamer out there. They also really scored by having the Xbox Live Marketplace service up and running from day one with Arcade offerings and other downloadable content. You didn’t even need to have an Xbox Live paid membership to access the content, either – it was available with just a broadband internet connection! But with all that demand and all those games offered up, the hardware supply was completely outstripped with customers being turned away without a system for weeks and months after the launch. That was the 360’s most crippling challenge during its initial months – luckily, Microsoft was always aware of it and was continually trying to meet demand. Thankfully, now – those shortages are a thing of the past.

TT: At E3 Bill Gates made some bold claims - a 10 million unit head start on the PS3; Xbox Live linking console, PC and Mobile gamers; 160 games available for the 360 by years end, a turkey for everyone on Thanksgiving. Are all of these goals realistic? And if so, would it be enough to knock off Sony for console supremacy?

FR: Honestly, I don’t know about “knocking off Sony for console supremacy” – but those figures and claims made at the Microsoft E3 press conference were really impressive, on their own. I’m not sure where they pulled the figures from, but I don’t think it’s too far-fetched. If there are roughly 3.5 million Xbox 360 systems already out there, it’s not too much of a stretch to think that they’ll be able to at least double that (or triple it) with all of the great games, services, and features they announced by year’s end. Am I saying they’ll do it? I really don’t have an answer, but it’s not impossible and I’d love to see them achieve those numbers for sure. If anything, I’ll be an incredibly happy Xbox 360 owner and gamer – and really, that’s all I can ask for, Thanksgiving turkey or no.

TT: Does the 360 need Halo 3 to compete with the Playstation 3?

FR: Well, it really all comes down to the games in the end. You can have the most souped-up console in the world, but if you don’t have the triple-A titles or the quality and variety in your games library – that system will just collect dust under the TV. Halo is one of those games that defined Xbox and I’d bet money that it’ll do the same for Xbox 360 – but as far as it being necessary to compete with Sony’s system, well…just think. There’s no Halo 3 this year. PS3 is coming out by year’s end. I think Microsoft has finally found that even though Halo 3 is any MS console’s bread and butter, having a string of really awesome exclusive titles that include games like Gears of War (which totally rocked E3, I thought) is equally as powerful if not more so since it offers up multiple gaming experiences. But that’s not to diminish Halo 3’s importance. If there’s one title, by name alone, that can go head to head with whatever the competition’s got cooking, it’s Halo 3. And I think that Microsoft has been really smart about how its handled the series so far – and I know I’m super excited about the game based on just what they showed in the trailer at E3. That’s kind of the magic of games like Halo 3 – they offer up experiences that go beyond just being a game. And that will always sell a system, no matter which one it’s on.

TT: Xbox Live Marketplace has turned out to be one of the coolest features for the 360 (I'm still anxiously awaiting the release of Cyberball on Xbox Live Arcade). Was downloadable content, retro games and movie trailers just meant as filler or is it all part of Microsoft's plans for world domination?

FR: This is just my opinion, but I think Microsoft was being really forward-thinking in terms of Xbox Live Markeplace. Just think of how wildly successful online shopping has been, or how the numbers for services like iTunes have skyrocketed over the past few years. Digital distribution is really the future in terms of merchandise, to some degree, and Marketplace is no different. And for products like games, it just makes sense, especially now that hard-drives are a given when it comes to consoles. As far as Arcade and downloadable content – I think Microsoft really struck the market with the right product at the right time. Timing is key. After all, Arcade was around on the original Xbox but didn’t take off the way it has until the launch of Xbox 360. Streamlining the interface, making paying for content incredibly easy and giving the entire service a ridiculously accessible appeal all contributed along with having a larger hard drive and storage space for the content to be saved to. Everything just came together so incredibly smoothly and the public was ready for it.

TT: I will now play just about any 360 game, even if it stinks, just to earn Achievement Points. Are collecting these points for bragging rights a good or a bad thing? Please tell me its a good thing.

FR: Oh, most definitely a good thing. Everyone here was a bit skeptical about the whole Achievements and Gamerscore features before 360’s launch – but, boy, were we wrong! Now all of us in the office are addicted to seeing how many Points we can eke out of each game we play! It’s that whole reward system – now there’s a really tangible way to prove your “hardcore-ness” or to show off what you were able to accomplish. It’s just a really addicting, smart way to entice gamers to push themselves and try every game on the system. How I wish they had them for some of the games I’ve played in the past! I didn’t get to brag enough about finishing some of them! Haha.

TT: For most gamers, working for a gaming magazine would be just as cool as designing or testing games. How on earth did you get such a great job (required education, work experience, etc) and what percentage of your workday is spent playing games?

FR: Seriously, I lucked out getting into this type of job. I started out working at Sony for PlayStation doing technical support, but I really wanted to write about games. And the opportunity came up and I went for it – it really just sorta happened. I had a degree in English and had been going to school for a post-graduate degree when it all came through. It was really a combination of good luck and timing, in the end. And I guess that’s pretty much most of life and opportunities. My best advice for someone who wants to get into this part of the videogame industry is to be persistent and be open to trying everything. This specific area of games is very small, but it’s very flexible. Try starting out by writing articles for a fansite or keep a blog – be willing to really promote it to your friends, to forums, and to people in the games industry. Also be willing to take some harsh criticism and work on improving your writing, your social skills (a lot of this job is working with a team and with loads of people) and your savvy with knowing good magazine craft and of course the games, themselves. Try to attend as many gaming events as possible and get to know the people running the shows both in front of and behind the scenes. It honestly does help to know the right people. But don’t get discouraged if it takes a long time or you end up pursuing a different aspect of the industry in the meanwhile – never underestimate how far your passion for games and writing will take you.

Interview with PSM's Chris Slate

Here's the full interview with PSM's Chris Slate, part of which ran in last Saturday's Gazette.

At the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Sony came out with loads of information about the PlayStation 3, set to release this November. To get a better grip on Sony’s upcoming plans (and because I’m nosy) I interviewed Chris Slate, Editor in Chief of PSM: Independent PlayStation magazine.

Terry: The Playstation 3 was originally set to be released this Spring but to no one's surprise was pushed back to November. Will this help or hurt Sony?

Chris: Probably neither, in the long run. Obviously they weren't ready on many fronts to launch in the spring, so trying to push it out then would have been a disaster (no good games ready, unpolished hardware, etc.). Not launching until November will have given Xbox 360 a full year's head-start, but since Microsoft had so much trouble getting hardware out for the first six months of its head start, their lead will still be within Sony's reach come the holidays. Of course, with PS3 shortages are almost a certainty, it would take Sony a little while to catch up to 360 sales even under the best scenario for PS3.

Terry: At E3 Sony gave some specifics (price point, specs, packaging info) about the PS3 and as expected the retail price is higher than for a comparably equipped Xbox 360. How will this affect the PS3/Xbox 360 console battle?

Chris: This is massive. Sony's gambling everything on the fact that people will see the value in getting a Blu-ray movie player with the PS3, but that format hasn't even launched yet; only hardcore videophiles or game fans have even heard of it. There's sure to be a big marketing push, but in the end, what does Blu-ray offer that people can't already get with DVDs? Just a prettier picture, really, and that's only if you've got a HDTV. Even then, most people won't spot a notable difference between a $40 progressive scan DVD player running in 480p and a Blu-ray movie running in 720p. 1080p is only slightly nicer looking than that, and very few TVs can display that resolution right now. This isn't like the jump from VHS to DVD, where the difference was much clearer - it wasn't just the sharper image, it was the fact that you no longer had to rewind a movie, you could skip to different chapters, the addition of extra bonus features, a wider selection of priced-to-own material, and the fact that a single DVD disc is easier to store. Again, all Blu-ray really offers is a somewhat sharper image. Right now, my personal feeling is that both the Blu-ray and competing HD-DVD formats are stop-gap upgrades, like how laser disc came between VHS and DVD. Consumers are resistant to this type of change, when they already have invested so heavily in DVD - not that they have to get rid of their old movies (these new players will still play them), but right now they're fine and happy with DVD. If Blu-ray does take off, Sony will be proven to have made a very shrewd move, and Blu-ray alone could put PS3 at the top. If it doesn't take off though, then Sony is stuck with a game console that - in the cheapest configuration - costs half a grand. That's $200 more than Xbox 360, and likely $300 more than Nintendo's Wii.

Terry: What can Sony learn from Microsoft's Xbox 360 launch?

Chris: I would have thought that the lesson from the Xbox 360 launch would be, "Don't try a worldwide launch -- you just won't have enough units." Sony could be in an even bigger pinch because, not only are they having to get production rolling on a new game system (which is always tricky), but they're also dealing with manufacturing their new and unique Cell processor, and PS3 will be a first-generation Blu-ray player. You'd have to think that the possibility for manufacturing errors is larger than normal, so they can't just rush these things down the line. And, with 360, there was almost zero demand in Japan, but that market will go crazy over PS3. I'll be very surprised if, at best, PS3 is only as scarce as the 360 was last Holiday season.

Terry: Sony has been pretty quiet about its online plans. What do they need to do to compete with the well established Xbox Live and the 360's Xbox Live Marketplace?

Chris: They've made a really smart decision here, in that they won't charge to play games online (Xbox Live costs about $50 annually). That's important because it's very unlikely that Sony will be able to match the robust feature set of Xbox Live anytime soon -- Microsoft has too big of a head-start. I expect a very bare-bones online network at PS3's launch, with more features added every few months.

Terry: What PS3 exclusive titles are you most excited to see at launch and what do you think could be the PS3's Halo killer?

Chris: Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man is Sony's big first-person shooter at launch, and it looks really pretty. It plays well too, and will have a massive online multiplayer component. What stops it from being an obvious killer-app though, is that it's a pretty standard FPS. A very well-done one mind you, but when people upgrade to the next generation, they want to see something new and fresh. Sony's other big title, Incog's Warhawk, should be another solid game with robust online features. Those two will be key for PS3 during its launch window. PS3's really big guns though, as of right now, are unquestionably Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII, both PS3 exclusives. MGS4 won't be out until late 2007, however, and the wait for FFXIII may be even longer than that.

Terry: For the average gamer, working for a gaming magazine would be just as cool as designing video games, testing games and getting a booth babe to acknowledge their existence. How do you go about getting a job like yours and how many hours a day does the average gaming scribe spend gaming?

Chris: The gaming hours depend on what your exact role is - as Editor-In-Chief, I unfortunately have to play most of my games at home. Our other editors, though, play a lot at work and after hours - they can't review a game until they've beaten it. It is a dream job, but it's not always nirvana - just imagine being forced to play your most hated game through to completion. Not that we're complaining, mind you :) As far as the best way to break into something like this, well... a degree in creative writing, journalism or something similar is a big plus, but by no means mandatory. What we really look for is a good work ethic, a deep passion for and knowledge of gaming, and writing skills good enough to communicate clearly. If I were to try to break in today, I'd start my own videogame website or blog, really dedicate myself to keeping it updated and polishing my writing skills, and then I'd use the my site as a kind of resume to seek out freelance work from other, bigger sites -- especially the big names like IGN, Gamespot, Games Radar and 1-Up. Once you get in that freelancer circle -- if you're good, easy to work with and meet your deadlines - you'll have opportunities from there to network and get a job at a magazine or a videogame company, most likely as PR. It also helps to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, or one of the few other places where a lot of game publishers and press are located.

The Inside Scoop

While doing some copy editing at The Gazette this evening I caught a glimpse of the Life section for this Saturday's paper. In it are my interviews with Francesca Reyes (editor in chief of the Official Xbox Magazine) and Chris Slate (editor in chief of PlayStation Magazine).

I spoke with both of them in May after E3 and we discussed upcoming titles, new console launches, expectations on the future of the Xbox 360 and the PS3 and a few other things.

Everything looked pretty good in the paper but due to space restraints the interviews were shortened a bit. Make sure to check out Saturday's paper for the abridged version. In case you miss it, on Monday, on this blog, I'll post the full version of the interview I had with Mr. Slate. On Wednesday I'll post the full interview with Ms. Reyes. Its good stuff. I hope you like it.

Top 5 Suckiest Movies Based on Video Games

When the console video game boom took off in the early 90's, Hollywood looked to cash in by turning gamers favorite titles into movies. The early results were terrifying and some films were so bad that the concept of the video game movie almost went the way of Britney Spears career - extinct. Here are the Top 5 biggest offenders. Note that cartoons and anime are excluded from the list. This is just for live action duds.

1. Street Fighter (1994) - Starring: Jean Claude Van Damme, Raul Julia, Kylie Minogue.
Plot: After months of fighting, a multinational military force called the Allied Nations has managed to enter the city of Shadaloo. The AN is fighting against the armed forces of drug-lord turned General M. Bison (Julia), who has recently captured a couple of dozen AN workers.
Bison makes his demands in a live two-way TV broadcast with William F. Guile (Van Damme), the commander of the AN forces. If he is not paid $S20 billion in three days he will kill the hostages.

Why it sucks: Four words - Jean Claude Van Damme. Aside from Bloodsport the "Muscles from Brussels" never made a good flick (okay, there are a couple of hot scenes in "Double Impact" but the rest of his films stink). Then we have the wasted talents of actor Raul Julia and singer Kylie Minogue. After this stinker Kylie disappeared for a few years before making a comeback. Good thinking, let people forget you were in this disaster.

2. Super Mario Bros. (1993) - Starring: Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper.
Plot: Spike and Iggy kidnap Daisy while the Marios were fixing the pipes. Luigi accidentally grabs Daisy's magical necklace. They plunge into a rock face and tumble down a wide canyon. They end up on the other side and find a place that's not Brooklyn.

Why it sucks: The first movie ever to be based on a video game had nothing to do with gaming and had a lot of facts from the game wrong. The dialogue was cheesy and the costumes on Mario and Luigi looked ridiculous. Throw in an over the top performance by Dennis "I just got out of rehab and I'll take any work I can get" Hopper and you have one crummy movie. Sure my Mom made me take my little brother (who was 10 at the time) to see it but that doesn't mean I had to like it.

3. House of the Dead (2003) - Starring: Nobody you've ever heard of.
Plot: Set on an island off the coast of Seattle, a party attracts a group of college students and a Coast Guard officer. Their party is interrupted by zombies and monsters that attack them on the ground, from the air, and in the sea, ruled by an evil entity in the House of the Dead.

Why it sucks: Let me introduce you to Uwe Boll, a movie director well known in gaming circles for two things - directing movies based on video games and sucking at it. He frequently changes the movie so much that it has absolutely nothing to do with the game its based on. His flicks are almost always box office failures.

4. Wing Commander (1999) - Starring: Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard
Plot: The movie follows the story of Christopher Blair (Prinze), a young pilot assigned to the TCS Tiger's Claw. He and the crew are given the mission to buy time for the Confederation's fleet to set up a defensive line to protect Earth and to help stop the invading Kilrathi armada.

Why it sucked: The dynamic duo of Freddie Prinze Jr. and Matthew Lillard. This actually had the makings of a pretty good B-movie sci-fi flick except for these two lunkheads. These guys should never be allowed to make a movie together. Need further evidence? Go rent Scooby Doo, Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleased and Summer Catch.

5. Bloodrayne (2006) - Starring: Kristanna Loken, Michelle Rodriguez, Ben Kingsley
Plot: A huntress named Rayne (Loken), who is an unholy breed of human and vampire called a Dhampir is trained by a secret agency called the Brimstone Society which hunts down and eliminates supernatural threats around the globe, Rayne is confronted by the deadliest of all creatures, the powerful and evil Kagan, King of the Vampires (Kingsley).

Why it sucked: Did you not read the plot? Does this not sound insane to you? Are you not shocked that Sir Ben Kingsley would star in a flick like this but pass on Christopher Moltisanti's gangster movie (Sopranos reference). Oh yeah, this was also a Uwe Boll flick.

The Mole: Buyer Beware

Things that make you go hmmm - Say hello to Minnesota state representative Jeff Johnson. This man is responsible for Bill HF1298, which fines underage gamers who purchase M or AO rated games but not the retailers who sell them. How much will minors get set back? $25.

I disagree with this for a number of reasons. First of all, if you're going to fine someone for something like this (I have no idea how this could possibly be enforced. Are cops going to be posted outsite Best Buy checking kids bags?) make it hurt. When I get a speeding ticket I know I'm probably going to hand over $100 or more, that sucks. I say little Billy should get a $1000 fine. That would teach him to pick up Grand Theft Auto.

Second, this bill is stupid. The onus on what kids buy is on the parents and the retailer but mostly the parents. Sure kids have some responsibility but kids will push limits, kids will do stuff that makes them look cool (like buying a game everyone is talking about), kids will want stuff they are not supposed to have. Retailers are responsible to only sell games to the age appropriate customer, that's their role. But parents are the ones who give their kids money to buy games, so if little Billy gets away with buying Playboy: The Mansion because he looks 18 but is only 13 whose fault is it?

This is just another example of parents not taking responsibility for their own kids. If my 12-year old owns a game he isn't supposed to, its my fault. As his parent, it is my responsibility to know not only what games he is playing but what music he's listening to, what movies he's watching and what he's reading. I'm not going to go all George Orwell on him but if I'm dropping the money, I want to make sure its going to something age appropriate.

There's just too much of this crap nowadays where parents are afraid to know what their kids are into because they don't want to crowd their kid. I know what this feels like, I don't want to be an overbearing parent either, my son's in middle school for crying out loud. Its an awkward age. That being said parents shouldn't be afraid to know about their kids interests and hobbies, its our job. Get over it.

So here's what you do. When you take your child to the store look at what they are buying. Read the ESRB rating on the box, they're simple to figure out. Don't take the kids word for it that its "not that bad" or "Timmy's Dad bought it for him" because unless you played it yourself you have no idea if its age appropriate or not. Still confused? Ask the store employee. They'll give you a straight answer. Get involved in your child's gaming purchases and better yet play games with them. You may think you're getting in the way of your kids fun but you'll probably find yourself having some fun together.

Duh! - Silly me. I was looking for GTA: Liberty City cheats for the PS2 and totally spaced out that they were probably the same as they are for the PSP. Here are a few below.

UP, SQUARE, SQUARE, DOWN, LEFT, SQUARE, SQUARE, RIGHT - Weapon set 1
UP, CIRCLE, CIRCLE, DOWN, LEFT, CIRCLE, CIRCLE, RIGHT - Weapon set 2
UP, X, X, DOWN, LEFT, X, X, RIGHT - Weapon set 3
L1, R1, TRIANGLE, L1, R1, CIRCLE, L1, R1 - Money Cheat ($250,000)
L1, R1, CIRCLE, L1, R1, X, L1, R1 - Full Armor (Blue Bar)
L1, R1, X, L1, R1, SQUARE, L1, R1 - Full Health (Red Bar)
L1, L1, TRIANGLE, R1, R1, X, SQUARE, CIRCLE - Never Wanted
CIRCLE, X, DOWN, CIRCLE, X, UP, L1, L1 - Cars Drive On Water
L1, L1, LEFT, L1, L1, RIGHT, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE - Spawn Rhino
L1, UP, LEFT, R1, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, DOWN, X - Perfect Traction
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, CIRCLE, CIRCLE, X, L1, R1 - Bobble Head World
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, X, X, SQUARE, R1, L1 - Upside Down Gameplay
UP, UP, UP, TRIANGLE, TRIANGLE, CIRCLE, L1, R1 - Unlock multiplayer skins
X, Square, Down, X, Square, Up, R1, R1 - Calls closest Ped to come hop on/in your vehicle.

The Rant: Rockstar is Slipping

What the heck is going on with Rockstar? Known for cutting edge games, two of their most recent releases are showing major chinks in their once dent-proof armor. GTA Liberty City Stories for the PS2 and Table Tennis for the Xbox 360 are damaging Rockstar's rep.

I'm excited anytime I can get a chance to play around in the world of Grand Theft Auto. At least until I played Liberty City on the PS2. Essentially a straight port from the PSP game of the same name, Liberty City lacks the interesting characters, first rate voiceovers, and humorous writing gamers familiar with the franchise have come to expect. But that's not even the worst part!

The graphics, never a strong suit of the GTA franchise, are downright hideous. The game is dark, the environments lack any kind of detail and frame rate problems abound. It reminds me of taking a small picture and blowing it up, everything looks fuzzy and murky.

Throw in short, uninteresting missions and the fact that Rockstar didn't add any licensed bands to its radio stations (something done with great affect in San Andreas and Vice City) and you have a game that lacks the attention to detail die-hard GTA fans like myself have come to expect. The $20 price eases the blow but I still feel cheated. Liberty City just doesn't feel like a real GTA game.

Then we have Table Tennis. Read that again...Table Tennis. That's right, the bad boys over at Rockstar decided to fill the huge gap in the ping pong gaming market (What? You didn't know there was a giant market for ping pong games?!?). Forrest Gump must be wetting himself with excitement.

Unlike Liberty City, the game looks amazing. Detailed player models, stellar crowd effects and sounds. This is what a next-gen game should look like. The only problem is...ITS TABLE TENNIS! Was the license for croquet taken? When does the new badmiton game come out?

Here's my theory: One night Rockstar's Sam Houser was entertaining friends at his house. Down in his game room, Sam and a few of his buddies were pounding beers while breaking in his sweet new table when one of them half-jokingly suggested turning ping pong into a video game. Sam, in a drunken stupor, thought the idea was pure genius. He called one of his lackeys at the office and told them to start production on the game. Sam later passed out and forgot all about it until the game was released in May.

To quote Slim Pickens in Blazing Saddles "what in the wide wide world of sports is going on here"! When did Rockstar lose their attention to detail and just try to make a quick buck?!? When did they lose their stones and decide to make games only played in people's basements?!?

You're getting lazy Rockstar. You've built up a ton of good will due to your success with the GTA series and to a degree you've earned it. But you're better than that! You changed the face of gaming with the development of free-roaming game play. You made gaming attractive to adults by portraying mature material with a sense of humor. You made the only games I can think of that could be classified as "dark comedy". But now you're slipping. Other gaming companies are taking your ideas and improving on them. Many GTA clones have come out already with mixed success but eventually, if you don't get your head on straight, you're going to get left behind. Saint's Row is looking awfully good, so is Scarface.

Rockstar, you might be a little overconfident. You might be thinking that the gaming world can't live without you. You're wrong. Don't believe me? Than look no further than Halo 3. It was thought that without Halo 3, the Xbox 360 couldn't survive but it has. Don't make the same mistake. Unlike Bungie, you don't have Microsoft to save your ass and you have no other franchise to lean on if interest in GTA fades (and no, Midnight Club won't do the trick).

Its time you woke up Rockstar. Get back to your roots. Its time you took back your role as the gaming worlds bad boy because right now you look more like Justin Timberlake than Lenny Kravitz.

That cat has claws...and cheats

Yeah, I know. There haven't been many cheats on the site lately. I've been looking but the market is slim. I was searching for some codes for GTA: Liberty City Stories that just came out on the PS2 (for reasons I won't get into now, but none of them are good, the game will get its own post in a couple of days) but came up with cheats for these recent releases instead. Enjoy.

X-Men: The Official Game (Xbox and PS2) - Enter this code at Cerebro files: up, down, up, down, left, right, left, start -Nightcrawler's danger room

Right, Right, Left, Left, Down, Up, Down, Up, Start - Iceman's Danger Room level

Down, Down, Up, Up, Right, Left, Right Left, Start - Wolverine's Danger Room level

Da Vinci Code (Xbox and PS2) - Go to codes at the options menu then type the code in:
Phillips Exeter - One Hit Fist Kill, Sacred Feminine - Double Health, Vitruvian Man - Infinite health, Apocrypha - All Visual Database entries Unlocked, Et In Arcadia Ego - All bonuses Unlocked, Clos Luce 1519 - Level Select, Royal Holloway - One Hit Weapon Kill

Coming up in the next week or so: A new article entitled The Rant, The Top 5 All-Time Worst Movies Based on Video Games (get your lists ready so you can add them on), interviews with the editors of The Official Xbox Magazine and The Official Playstation Magazine.

Top 5 Gaming Websites

Thanks to the internet, gamers can connect on all sorts of levels. There's something online for everyone. While there are tons of sites for specific games, I thought I'd share my favorite (besides my own) general gaming sites with you.

Terry's Top 5 Gaming Websites

1. jinx.com - This site for "gamers, geeks and hackers" has a great assortmen of hats, tees and sweatshirts made just for gamers. Don't worry about buying something offensive, only other gamers will get it.

2. worldogl.com - The Online Gaming League is the place to go if you're a PC gamer and want to get connected with other nerds just like you.

3. mmorpg.com - If you are a MMORPG (Massively-Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) nut, there is no better site. Check out the latest MMORPG news, get connected with other gamers or buy some gear.

4. slashdot.org - Slashdot is "news for nerds". Go here to check up on the latest gaming and technology trends.

5. rottentomatoes.com - Most people know this site for its scathing movie reviews but Rotten Tomatoes also has a great gaming section with tons of user reviews, articles and screenshots.

Honorable Mention: ign.com, kotaku.com, achieve360points.com, bungie.net and buzzcut.com (run by Denver Post gaming columnist David Thomas)

The Mole: And the wiener is...

Most Likely to Succeed - Last week I shared the nominees for the Game Critics Best of E3 2006 Awards. Here are the winners with little tidbits of info from some of the judges.

Best of Show: Wii (Nintendo) - It's a good thing Nintendo got the name change of its next console out of the way before E3. With the shock of that announcement mostly over, the company proceeded to become the talk of the show (and possibly a fire hazard for the LA Convention Center) by inviting audiences to get their hands on an impressive lineup of fun and interesting software for the Wii...not to mention that wild controller. People practically stampeded to try it out--either that or they waited in line for hours. Yet most of them seemingly still came away more excited than ever by Nintendo's weird, inspired vision for how gaming could be different. Some important questions remain about how the Wii will finally turn out, but by giving E3 show-goers a taste of what playing games on the Wii will be like, Nintendo seemed to gather much more momentum for the system's launch later this year. So despite how many great-looking games were on display at this year's show, the Wii stood out as the single most exciting and remarkable new product at E3 2006.
- Greg Kasavin, Executive Editor, GameSpot

Best Original Game: Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC) - With Spore, storied game designer Will Wright is taking “god” games to the Nth power, creating an original game that we expect will devour many hours peeling back its many layers. Wright didn’t stop with his ingenious game parameters that let you nurture your characters from amoebas into interstellar explorers. He takes the game online in a stealth mode that uploads other players' creations so that we can explore the strange new worlds and new civilizations that they create – without the hassle of actually dealing with them. As the guys on the TV ads for Guinness beer say, “Brilliant!”
- Mike Snider, USA Today

Best Hardware/Peripheral: Wii (Nintendo) - Set aside your potty humor for a sec (Nintendo's Wii wins "Best Hardware"? Too easy...) — this console's legit! While its competitors are improving (bigger, better, prettier) on what's already out there, Nintendo is moving the game console experience in a different direction altogether. The Wii — with its funky motion-sensing and sound-emitting controller, always-online awareness, and retro-friendly virtual console — promises new, totally fresh gameplay experiences that will appeal to the young and old, hardcore and casual, and even the "cool kids" who won't mind looking like idiots while frantically waving a piece of plastic in the air. Can one machine really do and be all that? The three-hour lines to see Nintendo's Wii at E3 seem to indicate, "Hell yes."
-- Dan "Shoe" Hsu, Editor in Chief, Electronic Gaming Monthly

Best Console Game: Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360) - The hype machine's been in motion for a full year on this title, but it took an E3 hands-on multiplayer demo to prove that Gears of War packs as much substance as style. The demo had players take up arms as either the Coalition of Ordered Government (COG) forces or the nasty, subterranean race known as the Locusts. A few of the many features that set GOW ahead of the action pack include a context sensitive cover system for ducking and crouching with the tap of the A button, and an atmospheric, jittery 3rd person camera. In short, a great-looking, unique and fun as hell game sure to be blowing up the Live servers come Q4. Oh, and that chainsaw bayonet? A thing of beauty.
-- Alex Porter, Senior Editor/Producer, MTV Digital

Best PC Game: Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC) - When Spore won Best PC Game last year, it was at least partly a vote of faith. With not much gameplay to go on yet, the Game Critics judge were nevertheless blown away by Will Wright's audaciously ambitious game design, which finds you evolving from single-celled organism to interplanetary space traveler. At this year's E3, Spore was much more "real"-- and, guess what? It wins again. Once again, no PC game at the show came close to matching Spore's originality, scope, and breadth of design. As Will Wright personally demo'ed the game--creating a creature, spawning, forming a society, building a city, venturing into space and beyond--you could hear audible gasps from the packed theater, as it became more and more clear that what was once just a cool idea is fast becoming an even cooler reality. Spore was *the* event for PC gamers this E3, and thus an easy call for Best PC Game.
- Jeff Green, Editor in Chief, Computer Gaming World

Best Handheld Game: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo for Nintendo DS) - The Legend of Zelda franchise is pure gaming gold, and who better than Nintendo knows how to buff up its 24-carat richness. Anybody doubt that Phantom Hourglass would shine for DS? Amid stiff and deserving competition from Nintendo's own DS product line this game cast out all the proper hooks with a rich storyline, impressive cel-shaded graphics goodness, and innovative touchscreen gameplay to haul in E3 honors. Phantom Hourglass will pick up where the GameCube’s Wind Waker left off, and nothing could be finer for Zelda fans. Despite the obvious difference in processing power the graphics were spot on, but creative touchscreen action is what will make Phantom Hourglass shine. Frankly, as far as E3 demos went, this version even matched up well against Twilight Princess for the Wii.
-- Wes Nihei, Editor, GamePro

Best Action Game: Gears of War (Epic Games / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360) - Who knows what it is about certain games. Is it how they look? Maybe. Is it how they play? That’s a lot of it. Is it the talent behind the project? Possibly. But there’s no doubt about it, some games just manage to magically capture the gamers’ imagination like no others. It’s what we like to call the “it” factor. Halo has “it.” Metal Gear Solid has “it,” and no one can deny Gears of War its rightful place as the “it” game of E3 2006. From the game’s mysterious dilapidated sci-fi aesthetic to its arrestingly intense spin on futuristic shooter gameplay, Gears gives us that twinge in our bellies – that twinge we got when we first stumbled on the Flood in Halo, discovered a secret cave in Zelda or carjacked our first sedan in Grand Theft Auto. It's a rare game that accomplishes this feat in such early form, and for this reason, Gears of War deserves every bit of the attention it's receiving.
-- Francesca Reyes, Editor in Chief, Official Xbox Magazine

Best Action/Adventure Game: Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft Montreal / UbiSoft for PlayStation 3) - Few games at this year’s E3 screamed “next generation” more than Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. From the first glimpse of its big gorgeous graphics (the screen shots are true in-game, not “target”) through its Prince of Persia-meets-Thief gameplay, Assassin’s Creed provides an excellent taste of what the PS3 can and will deliver. Ubisoft’s A-team – the Montreal Studio – is creating Assassin’s Creed like the blockbuster it wants to be: an epic Crusades setting with a super-acrobatic hero in an intriguing storyline that has some surprising twists yet to be revealed. The character design, both main and NPC, is noteworthy. Ubi Montreal has always brought a deep sense of gravity to their main characters (when climbing, jumping and fighting, there’s a real-world “weight”) and our assassin is no different as he traverses buildings and leaps from rooftop to rooftop with believable effort. Ubi is upping the NPC role by making them reactive. When our hero runs through crowds, he has to do it quietly and carefully; too much bumping can upset the wrong people, people who’ll turn on him and slow him down – or worse.
- Tom Byron, Editor in Chief, Official PlayStation Magazine

Best Role Playing Game: Mass Effect (Bioware / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360) - With no less than three previous titles winning this very category (Baldur's Gate in 1998, Neverwinter Nights in 2000-2002, and Jade Empire in 2004), veteran RPG developer BioWare is at it again in 2006. This year they wowed RPG fans at E3 with Mass Effect, the first in an already-announced trilogy of sci-fi RPGs. With a deep storyline, incredibly detailed environments, full character customization, and branching conversations that have a profound impact on gameplay, BioWare isn't straying too far from the formula that has made them RPG champions in the past. However, what they are doing differently is refining all of these elements to create what looks to be one of the most elegant and well-designed RPGs we've ever seen. BioWare is throwing a few new bits into the mix, such as real-time squad-based combat with a tinge of RTS styling as well as creating a world where realistic facial animations and eye movements are important gameplay elements, even if the alien denizens are all digital. Expect a return of the ethical choices that we saw in Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire as well, only this time it's not just on a personal level -- it extends to your squad mates, who may leave your party depending on where your morality meter swings. From what we saw at E3, Mass Effect promises to be more open-ended and in-depth than any BioWare RPG to date, and that's saying a lot.
-- Talmadge Blevins, Editorial Director, IGN.com

Best Racing Game: Excite Truck (Monster Games / Nintendo for Wii) - Nintendo and Monster Games have traded in dirt bikes for off-road trucks in their first arcade flavored racer for the Wii. As Nintendo strives to get everyone into playing their games, both the hardcore and casual gaming set can easily adapt to Excite Truck's control scheme. Subtracting the nunchuck, everything is easily controlled using the Wii remote's tilt functionality. While visually not the most stunning game speeding to Nintendo's new console, Excite Truck is all about addictive fast-paced racing, dynamically changing landscapes, turbo boosting, huge air, and colossal crashes - Yosemite Sam mud flaps not included.
-- Billy Berghammer, Managing Editor, Game Informer Online

Best Simulation Game: Spore (Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC) - It’s just not fair. The other nominees in this category didn’t stand a chance against the most ambitious sim ever conceived. We refer to some games as virtual worlds - Spore makes that term seem hopelessly inadequate. Will Wright and his team at Maxis are creating a virtual universe that’s absolutely staggering in its scope. This year we got to see it in a lot more detail, and we got a much better sense of how it, like the Sims and Sim City before it, employs simple rules and procedures and intuitive tools and interfaces to create an amazing diversity of emergent play experiences. Spore is shaping up to be a game that you could literally spend a whole lifetime exploring. Intelligent Design is a reality…at Maxis, anyway.
-- Chris Baker, Wired Magazine

Best Sports Game: Wii Sports (Nintendo for Wii) - If there was a game at E3 that truly demonstrated Nintendo's vision for its new console, it was Wii sports. Simply put, it's a new way to play sports at home – Wii Sports is quick to pick up, super intuitive, and can be enjoyed by anyone. Making use of the Wii remote (and only the Wii remote), Wii Sports encompasses three sports favorites – tennis, golf, and baseball – and for each, it's all about waving the remote to interact with the game. You actually swing the remote to hit a ball...What could be more natural? It's, like, actually playing sports but without the potential for [serious] bodily injury. Wii is really well suited for simple games, and at E3, this is where Wii was at its best.
- Sam Kennedy, Editor in Chief, 1UP.com

Best Fighting Game: Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory / Sony for PlayStation 3) - I was so taken aback by Heavenly Sword that I declared this supercharged action-adventure-fighting game my best in show immediately following the demo. More than just a pretty face, Heavenly Sword features a rich storyline told via first rate voice talent, along with a mixture of intense, diverse combat and adventure. Beyond its amazingly detailed and animated leading lady -- whom at this moment I believe to be the ultimate female video game heroine ever created -- the choreography of the arena fighting battle on display at E3 was beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It's like God of War fused with Hong-Kong cinema. And the depth, lighting, and all around character model integrity sets a new standard for real-time visuals.
-- Dave Halverson, PLAY Magazine

Best Strategy Game: Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games/THQ for PC) - Chris Taylor enjoys his role as the comedian of the game industry. But underneath that facade is a hardcore real-time strategy gamer. With Supreme Commander for THQ, Taylor's Gas Powered Games is out to show that the RTS genre still has much to offer gamers. The vision for Supreme Commander is to create a game that has the scale and scope for huge battles fought by vast armies with futuristic weaponry.
- Dean Takahashi, San Jose Mercury News

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game: Guitar Hero 2 (Harmonix / Red Octane for PlayStation 2) - Six months before the Wii stunned E3 audiences, Guitar Hero proved a well-designed game with a custom controller working [bad pun alert] in concert could instrumentally change things for the better. And like a great rock show, casual observers and hardcore enthusiasts were left wanting more. The promise of 55 new songs for Guitar Hero 2, and new co-op modes featuring rhythm and bass guitar, all but guarantee more fan-trampling anticipation in our rush to get our hands on this sequel. The working multiplayer version of Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" on the show floor was, in retrospect, an early indicator for judges' votes in this category.
-- Tom Russo, Editorial Director, G4

Best Online Multiplayer: Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC) -Initially released in 2003 as a free, standalone download, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was a highly compelling, top-tier multiplayer modification. Now, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars takes all the juicy bits from the first game – tight, objective-based maps, well-balanced classes, multi-mission campaigns, performance upgrades through experience – and adds the joys of vehicular combat, two distinct warring factions, Quake's futuristic setting, and the ability to drop assets directly onto the battlefield. And powered by an improved Quake IV engine, it's a phenomenal visual treat. Easy to jump into, but extremely deep, Quake Wars was a massive hit on the E3 show floor and promises to be just as successful when the war begins online later this year.
- Richard Greenhill, Editor in Chief, Yahoo! Videogames

Activision Wants You...Or Your Voice Anyway - Activision announced a new contest looking for voiceover talent to be used in their upcoming game, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Winners will get the opportunity to be the voice of Bruce Banner or Jean Grey. The two contest winners (one male, one female) will also each receive a grand prize that includes an Xbox 360, a copy of Marvel: Ultimate Alliance on the platform of their choice, a Stan Lee-signed Marvel: Ultimate Alliance poster and official Marvel: Ultimate Alliance playing cards. Ten runner-up contestants will be chosen for additional prizes, including their selection of any of the Activision titles launched in 2005. For more information, head to http://www.marvelultimatealliance.com/news.php?id=200&cat=all_news&page=1#headline. The audition period ends July 23.

Pretty as a Picture - A majornelson.com update stated that Xbox Live Vision Camera will be released September 19th in both North America and Europe. No price has been announced. The new device will allow users to video conference in such games, as well as send photo messages and take pictures to be used as their Gamer Tag picture. Now we're talking! I'm going to send so many obnoxious pictures to my brother, it'll shut his 360 down.

Calling all Halo 2 gamers!

Think you're a Halo stud? Why don't you put your money where your mouth is? Game Crazy is sponsoring a Halo 2 tournament at Fat City Entertainment Center in Littleton Saturday June 3rd at 1pm (Yeah, I know its short notice, so sue me).

Registration is $15 with a $5 discount for Game Crazy MVP members and the proceeds benefit the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. The tournament is for gamers 12 and up. First prize is a 6-foot resin cast Master Chief statue valued at $2500. Prizes will be given to the top 3 players based on overall win percentage.

If a Colorado Springs gamer wins, I'll post a picture of you and your new best friend on this blog. If you need more information call the tournament hotline at 303-463-1986 or visit www.fatcityinfo.com. Good luck!

Top 5 June Video Game Releases

Pic: Is there anything more exciting than being a simulated Andy Reid?


Ah yes, summertime. Home of sunburns, blockbuster movies and some stellar video game releases. While we have to wait a month or two for Madden and NCAA football, there are still some good games to be had. Here are the ones I'm most looking forward to.


Terry's Top 5 Video Games for June

1. MLB Slugfest (Xbox, PS2) June 5 - Standard baseball video games (and real baseball games) can get pretty dull, hopefully Midway's offering will liven things up a bit.

2. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (PS2) June 5 - Sure this has been out for awhile but only on the PSP. Its about time Rockstar gave gamers a chance to play this on a larger screen. Quit screwing with your fan base Rockstar!

3. Moto GP 06 (Xbox 360) June 13 - Everything I've seen on this motorcycle racing game for the 360 looks amazing. Hopefully it'll play as good as it looks.

4. NFL Head Coach (Xbox, PS2. PC) June 20 - I know I shouldn't judge a game by its cover but Super Bowl win or no, I'm not sure if I can buy this game with troll-look-a-like Bill Cowher on the cover. He might scare off all of my other games. I have no idea if this game will suck or not but I'm certainly curious about it.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (PSP, PS2, DS, GBA, PC) June 27 - I loved the first movie and I'm pretty sure I'll like the second but can Disney make a game out of this that'll have all the fun and excitement of the films? Maybe.

The Mole: Enough news to choke a donkey

Wii News - Last week Nintendo finally announced the price of its new system...sort of. Officials from the company confirmed the Wii will not exceed $250 (or 25,000 Yen for those of you in Japan). The exact launch date and the titles available at launch were not disclosed.

Get Lost - Ubisoft announced an agreement with Touchstone Television to make a video game version of the hit TV show Lost. The game is scheduled to hit stores in 2007 and hopefully won't be as bad as the X-Files video game.

About Damn Time - Microsoft will finally be making an Xbox Live Dashboard update available later this week. The long awaited update (at least for me) includes the following:

- Downloading files in the background, the option to boot directly to the dashboard and friends knowing if you're idle.
- The download will take less than a minute to download and apply. Users not on Xbox Live will be able to get this update in future game releases.
- An additional Media and Entertainment menu that will include new categories for New Releases, All Media and Entertainment, Movie Trailers and Short Films, Television, Music, Sports, and More,
- Gaming Community Videos, Game Tips and Support Videos, and optional Ipod support.
- A new games option will organize your downloads, Xbox Live Arcade games, demos, and video and trailers for games.
- The new update will allow you to download files in the background while you play retail games, watch movies, and more. Users will be able to queue up to six downloads at a time, and if online multiplayer matches begin your downloads will automatically pause and start up after you're finished.
- A number of improvements along the video, music, and DVD playback front. For movies, there will be a new DVD bookmarking feature, so if you stop a movie in the middle to play a game, when you pop it back in you’ll be able to start back up where you interrupted the film.
- On the music side, if you’re browsing through your music and decide to do something else, the 360 will know where you stopped browsing. This will be particularly helpful for those who search through massive lists of music stored on their networked PC or iPod.
- The content will include imbedded software to support the upcoming Xbox 360 camera, which enables video chat and shooting pics of yourself to be used as your gamer picture.

Halo 3 - Designers at Bungie have not only been playing through a single player level of one of the Xbox 360's anticipated games, but daily multiplayer tests are going on right now. I took this off of Bungie.net:
""Paul Bertone, one of our lead designers, let us play something that blew our minds. That was single player, and from a mission very early in the game. And one that takes place before the events seen in the E3 trailer, but Lars, one of the new(er) multiplayer designers, has a regular multiplayer test in session now - that happens every day - and with surprisingly polished-looking graphics, although I'm told a lot of the textures and decorator objects are just placeholder at the moment." Does this mean Halo 3 will be ready by the PS3 launch??? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Best of E3 - Just in case you were curious (and I'm sure you are) 38 gaming publications hand out the Game Critics: Best of E3 awards. Below are the list of nominees with winners being announced May 31. While these games aren't out yet, it gives you some ideas of titles you should be looking forward to.

Best of Show- Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC and Xbox 360)- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)- Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)- Wii (Nintendo)

Best Original Game- Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC/Xbox 360)- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)- LocoRoco (SCEJ/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)- Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)- Wii Sports (Nintendo for Wii)

Best PC Game - Crysis (Crytek/Electronic Arts for PC) - Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC)- Hellgate: London (Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai Games for PC)- Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games/THQ for PC)- Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)

Best Console Game- Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC and Xbox 360)- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studios for Xbox 360)- Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)- Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Handheld Game- Elite Beat Agents (Inis/Nintendo for Nintendo DS)- Killzone: Liberation (Guerrilla/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)- LocoRoco (SCEJ/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (Kojima Productions/Konami for PSP)- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo for Nintendo DS)

Best Hardware - DS Lite (Nintendo)- Logitech G25 Racing Wheel (Logitech for PC)- PlayStation 3 (Sony Computer Entertainment)- Wii (Nintendo)- Xbox 360 Wireless Headset (Microsoft for Xbox 360)

Best Action Game - Crysis (Crytek/Electronic Arts for PC) - Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC)- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studios for Xbox 360)- Lost Planet: Extreme Condition (Capcom for Xbox 360)- Resistance: Fall of Man (Insomniac/SCEA for PlayStation 3)

Best Action/Adventure Game- Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft for PlayStation 3)- Bioshock (Irrational Games/2K Games for PC and Xbox 360)- God of War 2 (Sony Santa Monica/SCEA for PlayStation 2)- Super Mario Galaxy (Nintendo for Wii)- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo for GameCube/Wii)

Best Fighting Game- Heavenly Sword (Ninja Theory/Sony Computer Entertainment for PS3) - Mortal Kombat: Armageddon (Midway Games for PlayStation 2/Xbox) - Tekken: Dark Resurrection (Namco Bandai Games for PSP)- Virtua Fighter 5 (Sega for Arcade/PlayStation 3)- WWE SmackDown! vs. RAW 2007 (Yuke’s/THQ for 360/PS3/PS2/PSP)

Best Role Playing Game - Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix for PlayStation 2)- Hellgate: London (Flagship Studios/Namco Bandai Games for PC)- Mass Effect (BioWare/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)- Neverwinter Nights 2 (Obsidian/Atari for PC)- World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard for PC)

Best Racing Game - Excite Truck (Nintendo for Wii)- Formula One 06 (Studio Liverpool/SCEE for PlayStation 3)- Gran Turismo HD (Polyphony Digital/Sony Computer Entertainment for PS3)- MotoGP 06 (Climax/THQ for Xbox 360)- Test Drive Unlimited (Eden Studios/Atari for Xbox 360, PC, PS2, PSP)

Best Simulation Game - Microsoft Flight Simulator X (Microsoft Games Studio for PC)- Sid Meier’s Railroads! (Firaxis Games/2K Games for PC)- Spore (Electronic Arts for PC)- The Movies: Stunts and Effects (Lionhead Studios/Activision for PC)- Wii Music Orchestra (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Sports Game- Madden NFL 07 (Tiburon/EA for PS3 / Xbox 360)- Madden NFL 07 (Tiburon/EA for Nintendo Wii)- NBA 2K7 (Visual Concepts/2K Sports for Xbox 360)- NCAA Football 07 (EA Tiburon/Electronic Arts for X360/PS2/Xbox/PSP)- Wii Sports (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Strategy Game - Company of Heroes (Relic/THQ for PC)- Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth II (EA for X360)- Medieval 2: Total War (Creative Assembly/Sega for PC)- Supreme Commander (Gas Powered Games/THQ for PC)- World in Conflict (Massive Entertainment/Sierra for PC)

Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game - Elite Beat Agents (Inis/Nintendo for Nintendo DS)- Guitar Hero 2 (Harmonix/Red Octane for PlayStation 2)- LocoRoco (SCEJ/Sony Computer Entertainment for PSP)- Lumines II (Q Entertainment/Buena Vista Games for PSP)- WarioWare: Smooth Moves (Nintendo for Wii)

Best Online Multiplayer Game- Battlefield 2142 (Digital Illusions/Electronic Arts for PC)- Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC)- Gears of War (Epic Games/Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)- Huxley (Webzen for PC/Xbox 360)- World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Blizzard for PC

And you think you're a hardcore gamer?

There's commitment and then there's COMMITMENT. The picture on the right is a sign of the latter.

While strolling through Colorado City with the Mrs. today, checking out Territory Days, my eyes almost popped out of my head when I saw this tatoo...on a woman no less.

Amy (her last name was too hard to remember and I didn't have anything to write it down on) allowed me to take a picture of her right arm bearing the ever famous Nintendo logo.

This just goes to show that gaming has no age limits (Amy is in her early twenties) and crosses all genders. If you ever meet Amy, buy her a drink. And if someone from Nintendo sees this, could you send her a game or something? I think she's earned it.

Why the Wii Will Fall by the Wayside

Lets set the record straight, the Nintendo system is a kid system pure and simple. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a moron. If you don't believe me, just let the greatest games in the Nintendo history speak for me - Mario Bros, Duck Hunt, SuperSmash Bros are all directed towards kids. Sure there have been some exceptions (GoldenEye, the Zelda series) but as the popular saying goes - it is what it is.

I don't have a problem with this - kids need simple, fun games to play and I'm not cool with my 12-year old playing Resident Evil. I don't want him joining the Trenchcoat Mafia when he's in high school. My issue with Nintendo is two fold, they're foolishly reaching out to older gamers and that hideous looking controller is an abomination.

Now normally I'm all for a gaming company taking risks (Microsoft sure took one by jumping into the video game console market in the first place) but why can't Nintendo leave well enough alone and stick with what works. They own the 8-15 year old age bracket, so why confuse consumers with un-Nintendo like titles such as Project Hammer and Disaster Day of Crisis, obvious attempts at reaching the adult market. Isn't it already a crowded enough place with the PS3 and Xbox 360? You have a niche Nintendo, you are unique, play on that. Use the family angle, the other two companies can't.

As for the controller...Nintendo owes me some money. I was checking out the Nintendo Wii website and they called it the "Nunchuk Controller". This is what I called it on this blog February 8th. I expect some royalties Mr. Iwata! Besides thieving the name, I just don't see how this controller will be appealing to adults. Much like the Eye Toy appeals to kids because its amusing to see yourself jumping up and down on your TV, waving around a controller is only going to be fun for the youngin's. The average gamer is 30 years old and I don't see this being a big selling point for that age group.

What I'm trying to say Nintendo is stick with what got you here. Challenging Microsoft and Sony is like an 8-year old trying to pick a fight with his 16-year old brother, brave to be sure but not really a good idea.