I find it difficult to put into words how sickened I am by the current state of play within gaming. The three major console manufacturers are busy flexing their technological muscles, showing us who can make people look like the biggest prats in their own living room – an invisible skateboard ramp here and a twelve year-old imaginary friend there – all the while failing to realise that nobody actual wants to move about while they play.

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When I first clapped eyes on the initial images of PSP Go, I was considerably unmoved. And now it seems that retailers are becoming equally pessimistic about the launch, having forecast a retail disaster earlier this week. Things are not boding well for PSP Go.

As reported on Gamer Limit, these independent retailers are becoming concerned by an apparent lack of interest towards the console, after it failed to attract any pre-orders whatsoever. And it’s not hard to see why.

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I severely dislike the “rhythm game” genre. Ever since Dance Dance Revolution came out, I’ve always found the genre to just be a bit ridiculous. I’m a real musician and I already like to dance – making DDR, Guitar Hero, and Rock Band seem a bit superfluous – but there’s a much better reason, in my opinion: In these games, all I’m doing is pressing buttons to my favorite songs.

There is only one rhythm game I’ve ever played that actually had a thoroughly interesting concept to me: Gitaroo Man. Originally released to obscurity on the Playstation 2 way back in 2002, it got a re-release four years later on PSP. Now, to be honest, I don’t think Gitaroo Man’s gameplay is that great, either; but it certainly got me closer to enjoying a rhythm game than the “big three”  ever did.

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Ah, the internet poll: How worthless you are. Cheaters will cast multiple votes on you by refreshing the page or using proxies. You are easily skewed and meaningless as a measurement of anything. Ron Paul is a perfect example on how internet polls shouldn’t be taken so seriously. He would single-handily win them if they actually represented voter intention, but the same didn’t happen outside the internet world.

If you’re like me, who frequents many gaming sites, you’ll notice that most will have some sort of poll. I take my time to vote for my favorite, but at many occasions, my choice isn’t in the lead. It won’t change my opinion towards my choice or prove anything meaningful. Internet polls basically serve as a form of entertainment (GameFaqs’ “Greatest Game of All Time” poll is a perfect example), but to fanboys, they are truly serious business.

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Gamers are growing up, and as a result, so is gaming. Sitting on the top of a mountain after what was almost a ferocious rise, our once marginalized hobby has hit the mainstream. But at what cost? Have we allowed the rest of societies’ ills to flood in and kill the simple pleasure of playing a game, mirroring the same corruption of music and film?

I wrote earlier this week about bloggers and main gaming sites taking shortcuts, churning out simple content to pull hits and fill chunks of dead air on slow news days. Following on from that, my sights are set on Olivia Munn, presenter and “journalist” of G4’s “Attack of the Show” and the furphy around her appearance in, and subsequently also on the cover of, Playboy.

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For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been struggling through a drought of new PC games. But instead of randomly purchasing new titles, I decided to go back and play two of my favorite RTS titles: Warcraft 3 and Empire: Total War. During the nostalgic moment, I noticed one distinct element; they both implement the hero system.

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that heroes are important to the RTS genre. On the other hand, it is a concept that is often overlooked. It’s an idea that seems so basic, but at the same time, it gives the genre a much needed boost. For this week’s Soapbox, I will be exploring the relationship between Player and Heroes. Read more… »

Dearest Blizzard – I have a problem. You see, I’ve developed an unhealthy addiction to Starcraft 2 – never mind the fact that it’s yet to be released – I can’t be bothered to consider such minutia. I’m much too busy re-watching Battle reports, and then absorbing, digesting, and analyzing the excreted remains of every morsel of information you toss my way.

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The thing about great graphics is that they have a habit of being too good. There they are in glorious 1080p, slapping you in the face and squeezing your bum cheeks until your eyes water with joy. In some cases, the detail is such that you’ll feel like you are leading a double life – a part-time human with a job, an angry cat and phone bill and a part-time supercharged weapon of death, wreaking havoc on slimy things with red eyes. It’s a good life if you can get it.

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After E3, many of us are excited to see the finished products of many of the unbelievable games that were shown on the show floor, behind closed doors and press conferences. I know for sure that around my house one game in particular has been getting alot of attention and play time. Turns out this game is already out and could be described as the gateway drug into gaming. Peggle fever has arrived.

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Okay, I can only speak for myself when I write this; but drinking is awesome. Drinking is even more enjoyable when you are with a group of your buddies, all laughing and making jokes about penises in your intoxicated state. What could make this scenario even better? The answer is videogames; however some games are far better suited to drunken people than others. Not only are they more fun to play when drunk, but they can lead to hilarious situations often involving injuries such as broken bones or a Wii-Mote in the bum.

I’ve spent some time mulling this over and thought up some games which should be inducted into a new gaming genre: the Drunk and Dangerous genre. Check them out inside! Read more… »

The mantra “co-op makes everything better” is true to a certain extent, but gamers and developers have not yet scratched the surface on the benefits of quality cooperative gaming. In 2008 publishers such as Treyarch, Valve, and Behemoth provided us with three examples of incredibly enjoyable cooperative gameplay.

My favorite three so far? Well…

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It is a commonly established fact among gamers that we are fiercely defensive of our favorite games. Such loyalty leads to countless message board flame wars and fanboy crusades over which game did what the best. These “debates” never lead to any sort of satisfying conclusion, each side turning a blind eye to the opposing argument; or as much of an argument one can make when fumbling between 1337 speak and heinously butchered English.

With the advent of Final Fantasy XIV at this year’s E3 convention, heated discussions of this rather stubborn brand have sprouted up across the internet. This time players of World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI have engaged in a futile, yet seemingly unending dispute of what this new MMORPG from Square-Enix will offer fans of these vastly different games.

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