Although 2008 is fast drawing to a close, there are some games I cannot wait to get my hands on. Even though the announcements for big titles for 2009 have barely started, it also already holds promise. Let's take a look at my future addictions...

2008-

What more needs to be said about this one? Killer graphics, an improved cover system, new weapons and executions... This is a must-play for me.

After the f-bomb that was Sonic the Hedgehog for the 360, I'm a bit reserved about this one. It does look to be an improvement, minus the whole werehog beat-em-up aspect. It looks like a Sonic should look, bright, colorful, and fast. Now if the controls can keep up with the speed we might have the best 3D Sonic game since Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast back in 1999.

2009-

I've been playing Resident Evil since the original came out on the Saturn. I lost a bit of faith in the series with the release of titles like Code Veronica (no decapitation in a RE?!?!?!) and Survivor (read: AWFUL!), but then titles like Resident Evil GCN and Resident Evil 4 reminded us fans of what made this franchise so great in the first place- atmosphere and enemies. Resident Evil 5 looks to improve on what made RE4 so great- improved controls, gritty graphics, better story, large environments, more weapons... This looks to be one of those rare sequals that improves on the sequal before it...which should equal AWESOME!!!

Let's be honest here, there are other games that I have interest in. The games listed here are the games I intend to have the first day they're available. The list of games I have interest in and might pick up at a later date include-

Fable II

Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood

Guitar Hero: World Tour

And lastly, two other games I hope to see come out in 2009-

Doom 4

Wolfenstein

So, nearly five months after we separated, my ex-wife and I are divorced. As anyone who has been in such a situation knows, the finality is a burden, but also a blessing. Our marriage began 8/7/06 and ended 5/27/08. So, where does an Xbox 360 play into this? She got me one as a wedding gift April of that year. Here's the irony- it also died on the day we divorced. Isn't that something else? My marriage and my wedding gift both end on the same day! Talk about coincidence. Honestly, I was more distraught about my 360 dying than getting a divorce. Perhaps that's because my 360 treated me better than she did? I could turn it on anytime I wanted (see also *creepy*), it didn't leave dirty dishes, clothes, and trash all over my apartment, it didn't argue with me, and it didn't treat me like trash. It gave me hundreds of hours of gaming goodness ranging from Castlevania: Symphony of the Night to Uno and everywhere in between. I made some good friends on Xbox Live. It was there whether I was in a great mood or wanted to punch someone in the throat. Ultimately, it even lasted longer than my marriage.

In closing, to my ex-wife, I hope you sober up and realize some of your potential. That and good luck meeting another dude who will put up with your crap like I did.

To my 360- rest in peace. You did good to last longer than my marriage.

I know many of us gamers have problems with titles for the aforementioned consoles costing $60 for standard releases and $70+ for special editions, etc. Most of us usually don't mind paying the extra money for a AAA title like a Gears of War, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, BioShock, Grand Theft Auto IV, etc. These titles have production values through the roof in all areas. Their graphics are amazing by any standard. Gameplay is either revolutionary or redefines that genre in some way. Music and sound effects are crisp with excellent recording methods utilized. Controls are spot-on and natural within the genre.

Ok, so if these companies (Epic Games, Infinity Ward, 2k, RockStar) know these titles will sell at astounding rates and they stand to make a substantial profit from this, why do they still charge the $60 price tag? Do they have to do this to offset the so-called cost of next-gen development and make a reasonable profit? Absolutely not. They charge that price because they know fans will pay it.

Take Grand Theft Auto IV for instance. Clearly, this is an amazing title. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are the #1 and #2, respectively, games of all time on gamerankings.com. In one weeks sales of this title exceeded $500 million. Would it hurt RockStar games to have sold the title at $50? Maybe a few million, but when they've already made over $500 million, would it hurt them? Doubtful. How about Cliffy B buying a sports car with a six digit price tag? What about the consumer? While I also doubt they had complaints about paying $60 for the game, I doubt they would have complained if the game only cost them $50. Personally, I find this whole situation morally apprehensible. A company charges the standard price, knowing they will make massive profits off it. So while gamers like myself work 30+ hour weeks, live in an apartment, pay for everything themselves, drive a car with a four or five digit price tag, and attend a university full-time these big-wigs can buy more sport cars, live in larger and more luxurious dwellings, hire more domestic staff, and retire whenever they choose and still take vacations whenever they choose to wherever they choose for however long they choose. I know that creating games is their job, but why should I have to wait for the price for a title to come down because I can't afford it. Not everyone can afford to spend $60 on a game whenever it comes out. We have to budget.

Instead of charging $60 for a game because it's the norm, how about showing a little loyalty to the consumer. Perhaps we could buy more games if they were cheaper. Don't cut the quality, just the price tag. You'll still make more than enough profits from titles such as the aforementioned to offset selling them $10 cheaper. Who knows, you might even sell a few more because they are slightly more affordable to the average consumer such as myself who has to make sure all bills are paid, vehicles are running, they have clothes to wear, and food to eat. Putting us in a potential where we have to choose between a game and new clothes or eating is downright sickening.

The Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade, and Playstation Network all offer retro titles (NES-N64) for download to your storage device. For this post, I'm going to talk about the Virtual Console. There are many classic titles available, ranging from Ninja Gaiden and Mario from the NES to Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Prices range from $5 for an NES title to $12 for a N64 title. Sounds fair right? Not so much. Take for example the three Ninja Gaiden NES titles available for download. Each one will cost you $5, so $15 for all three. However, with a little work, you can have all these games for less. I'm talking about Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox. Not only does this amazing Xbox title only cost ~$10 (EBgames and GameStop), but you can unlock all three NES Ninja Gaiden games by collecting all 50 Golden Scarabs. Doing so will unlock the original game, and completing other tasks will unlock the other two. Another rip-off? The Sonic the Hedgehog titles. Each one will cost you $6. To download all the Sonic titles available (Sonic, Sonic 2, Sonic 3, Sonic 3D Blast, Sonic Spinball, and Dr, Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine) will cost you $48. You can pick up the Sonic Mega Collection (+), get all these games and more, and spend about $20. Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? To think, even the rule of buying in bulk applies to video games. Pay more for a single game, pay collectively less per title for a compilation. Beware downloadable services. Make sure the game(s) you want to purchase isn't/aren't available elsewhere at a lower price first.

Ok, yet another news article of brilliance. On March 19th, 2008, a Japanese man stabbed a man to death. The same gentleman went on a violent spree on March 23rd, 2008. He stabbed eight civilians at a local mall. Seven of them were seriously injured, and one died. Found in his bag was a copy of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and some cards from The Eye of Judgement. He is also known to be a fan of Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, fighting games in general, and Final Fantasy.

The article found here shows an "expert" as stating that he learned of the weak point of the human body through fighting games since most of his victims were stabbed in the neck. Ok, seriously, GET OFF YOUR SORRY-ASSED SOAPBOX YOU IGNORANT, RAVING, BIASED, INCOMPETENT JACKASS!!! Video games do NOT explain violence. If they did, there would not be any violence in recorded history prior to the 1970s. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't there been violence throughout all of human history? Individuals who act on violent behaviors such as this are clearly psychologically unstable/unhealthy. The criminal was even quoted by police stating, "I just wanted to see what it was like to kill. It could have been anyone." Yet, some "experts" quickly blame video games based purely on circumstantial evidence. Oh, shut the hell up already.

Here's an idea for these "experts." How about you do some research on the effects of violent media? Yes, younger individuals are more susceptible to acting out scenes or lyrics found in violent games, movies, and music. That said, those who have psychologically matured and are stable are generally able to discern between fantasy and reality and not act on violent impulses. Perhaps they should research the cathartic effects of violence on these healthy individuals. The research is out there. For those who are unfamiliar with the term cathartic, it means having a pacifying or calming effect on an individual, a mean of emotional purging. Perhaps that explains why we play so many shooters and violent films fascinate us so. We know that we should not act on violent impulses, so we seek a medium that allows us to safely express our aggression without acting out against others or committing such acts as mentioned above.

Bottom line- do your homework. Experts, of all individuals, should know to seek all available information before making a statement of conclusion. Perhaps these individual need to accept the fact that violence is a part of human behaviors. No single medium can explain acts of violence. Video games cannot explain this any more than they explain Columbine. The reality of the situation is that some individuals are simply unable to control and not act on violent impulses. Research even supports that violent media can prevent violent behaviors. How about looking some of it up before you blame media?

How about looking at the social and family structure of these individuals before assigning blame? Is there a history of substance, alcohol, physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional abuse? How about a previous psycological diagnosis? Family history of violence? Direct exposure to violence through non-family relationships or interactions?

Look for primary causes and positive correlations before trying to prove false positives and illusiory correlations.