Avatar sucked. I was disappointed coming out of the cinema.
Bear in mind, I went into this movie completely fresh. NO REVIEWS, NOTHING OUTSIDE OF THE TRAILERS.
Saw it in 3D, but not IMAX.
Ok, time for pretentious opinions.
$500 million won't buy you an interesting alien world. It won't buy you interesting characters. It won't buy you an interesting script, plot, or story.
Pandora, the world itself, is bereft of creativity. There's hardly a single sci-fi concept here that's kinda new here. It's all prehistoric animals, and blue aliens. And the only blue alien race I care about is this:
Asaris > Navis
Avatar won't be remembered for anything than its visuals. And that's too bad. Because we all used to love James Cameron, no matter how pretentious he has become now.
What did I not like?
This is James Cameron's worst film to date. I know that's easy to say, because all of his films are great. If this was George Lucas, I'd say it's a step up from the prequels. But seriously, what makes James Cameron's sci-fi films stand out? Because they have cool characters and drama to go along with the cool sci-fi concepts and ideas.
My problem with the amazing graphics is (just like Star Wars prequels), if you don't have characters or a story worth investing in, it feels like you're watching a very long videogame cutscene. I was genuinely bored through a good portion of this movie. That's worrying for a film with a world so colourful and dripping in details.
The plot. Why tell Jake Sully to learn how to acclimate to the Navi culture when the military will swoop in anyway when the plan fails? No need for 90 minutes of Jake Sully. When I can predict every single minute of a film, that's just depressing. Jake Sully had a great backstory, with being paraplegic, replacing his dead twin bro. Aaaaaaaand, that's about it. The villain in the film, like really? Even Guile (Street Fighter) looks less stupid! I don't care about any of these characters. The only character worth a damn, even if she's part of the predictable parade, is the Neytiri blue Navi chick. There's some excellent mo-cap work done for her. When she's crying, you feel it.
The Navis. Replace them with Africans, Native Americans, Pocahontas, or any other marginalised tribe, and you've got these aliens figured out. They have a chief, the jockey, the comic relief, the disapproving dad and his hot daughter. It's as generic as it gets.
The sci-fi in this film is just insulting. "Unobtanium", honestly? At least Star Trek tried, with the red matter. You won't even explain how humans jack into the Avatars? Oh yeah, show a generic multi-coloured tunnel. Even the Matrix bothered to show a needle. Ghost in the Shell, a wire. How do the mountains float? I'll admit though, the hair connecting to every living thing was pretty cool.
The mechs? Done way better some years ago, with Matrix Revolutions. Done way better many years ago with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
This is Cameron's Disney movie. In a bad way. The plot, characters, and story are a joke. Good sci-fi films are not good because of their cool ideas or concepts. They're good because there is human drama around the ideas, so we can be attached to the weird stuff. Go watch Solaris, because the idea for it is so weird, and without great characters, story, or drama, that movie would have failed. James Cameron even admits in the Solaris commentary, that he'd never be able to make such a subtle and deeply profound sci-fi film such as it. Oh, how dangerous those words would come to be.
What did I like?
The Navi chick.
The vistas.
Jake's training scenes. The "run, Forrest, RUN!" scene is great.
The 3D. Even though it's not convincing me that all movies need to be in 3D.
Teh graphixxz!
Disappointments of the Year
Aside from the visuals, this is another disappointing blockbuster to add onto the list of 2009. Public Enemies, Wolverine, Watchmen, Transformers 2, Terminator Salvation (I liked it quite a bit), Star Trek (yeah I'm one of those), and now Avatar.
For the people that liked it
Don't watch it again. I don't want you to see the problems with the film, second time round. I don't want my review to ruin the good time you had with the film. You had a great night out with your friends, I don't want to spoil that.
If you enjoyed it, good for you.
I'm already trying to forget this movie, and it's working. Just another forgettable disappointment. Moving on.
This is not me trying to ruin your parade. Honestly, you're the one doing that the second you click on this blog with such a header title like "Avatar - what a disappointment".
What's the sci-fi action film of this year worth watching?
Go buy the District 9 DVD now. It's out!
What else?
Go watch the " 70 Minute review of Star Wars: Phantom Menace". I died in laughter!
Just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy new year. I know I shall be gaming over the festive period, and eating lots, so I look forward to heading back to the gym in the new year and trying to get in shape.
Be well everyone 
Aloha to all, hope you are enjoying the holiday week, getting some time off with family, and playing some games! I have to work till tomorrow and then I'm off for a long weekend. Then next weekend during the New Years holiday I'll be moving to my new apartment, which I'm really excited about.
In the meantime, I've been trying to wrap up Prototype before the end of the year so that I can put it on this year's completion list. I believe that will make 22 games completed in 2009, which is a new personal record - previous best was 18. I had a great year bargain shopping and ended up with alot more games than usual at cheap prices.
Speaking of... I popped into my local Blockbuster again, my little gold mine of gaming lately, and came out with some decent titles, two of which unexpectedly showed up in Gamespot's 2009 awards - 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand and Velvet Assassin. I do appreciate a good mindless shooter and 50 Cent's game received some praise for being just that. Velvet Assassin also got praise from Kevin V. recently, and it was recognized by GS for its atmosphere, and I do like to experience creative settings in games. I know it can be frustrating, but what the heck, I got them both for $10. I also picked up Wanted for $10. I know it's short and not that good, but I liked the movie and want to curve some bullets.
I got an Amazon gift card from my brother and I was thinking of buying some MS points with it. Shadow Complex is on sale for $10 this week and I need to still get the Mothership Zeta expansion for Fallout 3. I am considering getting Need for Speed: Most Wanted for $20 too as a full download. I've been wanting that for awhile but used copies sell for more than the DL price. I should have bought it years ago when I saw it for $10.
In an effort to try and save other gamers money I posted my review for GH: Van Halen as soon as I could today. I tried to get the word out with my last blog post but it didn't get picked up by GS. I tweaked the review so it was better suited for that part of site (which means without my smartass humor). Take a look if you care too.
Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Mele Kalikimaka my friends. Aloha! 
'Twas a while before Christmas, and all through GameSpot,
All creatures were stirring, 'cause happy they're not.
And in the wolves' den they called System Wars
Debates raged hot on what'd soon be in stores.
Yes, the holiday spirit was here for thee,
As long as you damn well don't disagree!
So I suppose it should come as no real surprise
That St. Nick's announcement found skeptical eyes.
He said it was "Presents", and that it was for all.
"For all? For all?" they asked. "What gall!"
Then next they asked, "Is it for PS3,
And then dumbed down to the commoners' Wii?
Or is it built to fit through Nintendo's doors,
And then ported greedily to all the hardcores?"
And they bickered, and argued, and yelled, and persisted
(Forgetting, of course, that the PC existed).
"Shovelware! Shovelware!" said a camp in revolt.
"Triple-A! Triple-A," replied the other, "you dolts!"
Then soon St. Pachter bravely set sail,
Saying that it would surely commercially fail,
But I must admit that I'm not really sure
If anyone cares what he says anymore.
And thus it did go, and thus it would be,
With previews and trailers and hype there to see.
Then the first review of Presents arrived -
IGN smacked it: a stern three-point-five.
"Flop am confirmed!" the first camp did troll
(Ignoring, of course, that the reviewers got coal).
The others sighed and prepared to eat crow
Until GameSpot gave it a nice nine-point-oh.
They, it seemed, had been good girls and boys,
Much to the second camp's exuberant joy.
So the battle raged on, and they fought without fear
As the release date - 12/25 - drew near.
Then as GameSpotters slept in warm, cozy beds,
While visions of ownage danced in their heads,
St. Nick slid down their chimneys with ease
To honor Presents' midnight release.
I had stayed up all night in internet debates,
So I was there when he came at around 3:08.
He gave me a sigh, a look, and a nod,
And then, exhausted, exclaimed, "My God,
Jolly as I am, my patience is tried -
Don't your complaints even somewhat subside?"
And then he went up, again out of sight.
I could hear him yell as his red sleigh took flight:
"On Ninty! On Sony! On Microsoft, now!
On lemmings! On hermits! On sheep, and on cows!
You're very weird folks, but good women and men,
So merry Christmas to all, and a great 2010!"
What an amazing adventure, it was a privilege to have gone and seen it tonight and also going to see it again tomorrow night.
A new direction in movie technology, everyone must see it and the cinema, cause even on my 50" at home, I can never appreciate what I witnessed tonight.
10/10 for me..
Dev
Saw Avatar in IMAX 3D yesterday and it was absolutely stunning. Visually, it was rich with texture, depth and emotion. It really was like traveling to another world, and when I left the theater I felt exhilarated and exhausted, as if I got off a ride at a theme park. The story, while not original, was thrillingly entertaining too, but that's not the draw of this movie, it's merely a bonus to the mesmerizing effects. The Navi people are so well animated and emotive and the jungles they live in are so lush and inviting, that you'll forget they're made by computers. I read one review that said this is as close as you'll ever get to visiting another planet, and I agree. Another review, this one from Gizmodo, said the movie's groundbreaking tech will open the imaginations for new generations, like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, or The Matrix did for older generations (mine was Jurassic Park, I was convinced those dinosaurs were real).
Now it should be noted that I haven't seen anything in 3D since the Spider-Man ride at Universal Studios back in 2004, so if I seem to be gushing, that's why. This was my first IMAX 3D movie and it really did explode my mind–if you've seen other 3D movies recently, your mind may remain intact, though I hear the effects are still amazing even if you're an IMAX 3D veteran. The internet is full of reviews, both positive and negative, and I'm much better at reviewing video games than movies, so I won't take up any more space with Avatar love–just go see it.
One last thing, towards the end of the movie, Sam Worthington's hair grows out and he starts to look like Nathan Drake. If they make an Uncharted movie (haven't played the second one yet, but apparently it's enough like a movie to make an actual movie seem pointless), I think he'd be good, but he's not my number one pick, that goes to Bradley Cooper–to me, that guy is Nathan Drake. He might not look just like him, but I feel like he would nail Drake's personality. Third place goes to Nathan Fillioin. I'd take any of them as Drake, but after Jake Gyllenhaal was cast as the Prince of Persia, there's no telling who we'd get (Wesley Snipes?)
If you're a geek like me and want to see more video game celebrity lookalikes go here. Some of those are pretty funny.
So, some of you may have noticed that have been online here virtually not at all for the past week. This is because I recently got a job! I've been working 7 AM to 3 PM this week, so when I get home, I just want to sit on the couch and relax. Over the summer, a lot of the time I spent online was when my parents weren't home, and this past week, Mom, Dad and I have been riding together to work to save gas since we all work the same shift. Next week, I'll be riding with Dad as my mother will be on a slightly different schedule.
Anyway, more details about my job. I recently was hired at Lewistown Hospital here in Lewistown (shocker...). I've put in several applications there, and was excited to hear that I had an interview. I nailed the interview (or at least I want to believe I did) and I was hired as a part-time Switchboard Operator. This means that I answer the phones for all the people calling in on the main trunk line of the hospital. Which is a lot. Add to that all of the internal requests for paging doctors. And requests for Security and Maintenance. And handling the Consent Forms, Pharmacy Charges and other miscellaneous paper work. There is a lot of responsibility with the job, but I'm actually having some fun with it. I've had three days of training so far, and it's amazing how many of the extensions that I've memorized already.
As a part-time position, it'll mostly be 3 PM to 11 PM and 11 PM to 7 AM shifts, but that's fine. There's a shift differential for 2nd and 3rd shifts, so that works out fine for me. During training, I'm working three to four days a week, but once training is over, it'll be two to three days. The problem with this is that I'm working partially to cover the student loans that have now entered repayment. The total for loans comes out to about $600 a month. Which is a large part of the reason that I'm still living at home. If I work only two or three days a week, I'm not sure how much of the loans I'll be able to pay, which puts more pressure on my parents. They've been great so far, letting me bum around the house during the grace period, but it depresses me to make them pay for some of my loans. The good thing about paying so much per month on the loans is that in 10 years, they'll all be paid off. Hopefully, before long, I might be able to go full-time or something.
On the games side of things, I finally started playing some more. I recently finished playing through Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge on the Normal setting and played through partway of a second time, enough to upgrade all of the planes. For some reason, I think my favorite plane is probably the Pirana. I'm going to start working on a review, probably, though it won't cover the online component. I finally popped in Urban Chaos: Riot Response, about which I've heard a lot of good things. I played the first level a couple of times, and it was pretty solid, pretty fun. I'm looking forward to sinking more time into it. However, there may be some trouble with that. I've had a copy of Phantasy Star Online: Episode I & IIfor probably almost two years, but I've never been able to play it as I haven't ever gotten Xbox Live on my Xbox. Friday night, a friend copied an account to my harddrive, and I've started playing PSO. Ah, so much fun. I'm currently running a RAmar, just to get back into it (I used to play with a couple of friends a couple of years ago).
So, that's most of what's up with me, and if you've read all of this, I'm impressed. You have my thanks.
So... I've posted some good point values before, but this is the first time I've posted it for FREE!
You've got some hoops to jump through and you do have to spend a shred of money but you can usually recoup that on another deal else where (some used game store perhaps)
Follow this link:
http://coupons.target.com/mcp/pd.cfm?encp=bw3Edh8NsU3vzmfu%2BCqxk1gE5kAdfbx6dC45DH8m6FuvNQDwYVl3xOH31DkRj79yzb%2BSNmiA403U%0D%0Ak0Vud5AkAA%3D%3D#
to get to Target's special coupon section.
There is a coupon that says "Free Xbox 1600 Point Card with Purchase of Xbox Hardware"
if you go to print the coupon the site will ask you to install the "target coupon printing" program. They do this so you can't print the file to .pdf and it'll route straight to your printer. Kinda sucks but I've noticed no affects from it.
Print off as many as you like.
Go to Target and head straight to the bargain software section. Buy the cheapest xbox 360 games you can buy (I've seen as low as 4.98 but on average its 12.98, I got ghost busters for 14.98 and i've been told someone found rock band 2 for 12.9.
Get the WHITE 1600 point card. Go to check out and have them ring up the game and the coupon and the point card.
You will get the point card for free!
Part 2, Game Stop has a deal right now where if you trade in 4 xbox 360 games (that have a default trade value of $2) you get a $20 trade in value. Also I have a coupon to get 30% bonus on 2 games traded in (if you need it PM me). If you have an Edge card you will also get an extra 10% on your trade in (but you already know that).
Good luck and happy bargain hunting!
I got a message saying I was nominated for "Gamespotter of the Year". Considering that I hadn't really been churning out content over 09', I was a bit surprised, but I know now that there is only one thing to do. Promote myself! Maybe this is the motivation I needed to get back into blogging.
In all seriousness, this idea of having a "Gamespotter of the Year" is perhaps a bit silly. After all, I know that there are many users who've made some fantastic contributions to the site who aren't on the list.
At least for me though, it's fun to vie for meaningless internet titles, because what else do I have to vie for in old trivial reality.
I really do encourage you to look over this list below and vote (for whomever you like). Even if you don't vote, why not look at some profiles, there are lots of cool users with lots of interesting things to say. Check em' out and be part of the democratic process online.
The following is copied straight from the Gamespot community blog.
How to Vote:
1) Review the list of usernames below. Check to see the reason that the user was the member spotlight and consider if that user is actively blogging!
2) Send a private message to our staff account. In your message, add the username in the subject field and add a period in the message field. Here is an example of what the private message should look like before you send it to our staff.
Please don't add anything but the username in the subject title field so we can insert your username and the person you voted for into a spreadsheet.
Note: The 2009 member spotlights are not eligible to vote in this little activity, but they can notify their friends about it.
Please check each user profile to see if the user is an active contributor and check to see why the user received the member spotlight.
Here are the member spotlights of 2009!
Voting ends January 2, 2010!
P.S. Wootex here, first off, I would have loved to put the links for the other users here, but that didn't seem to work right, so I just had to link you back to the community blog.
Second, I'm well aware that since I marked this as an editorial it will appear on the soapbox, which seems kind of petty since it's mostly just me promoting something I have an active interest in. Well... I would never claim not to be petty.
Well, it's been a horribly long time since I last posted a blog, but this semester has been brutal. Definitely the most challenging yet, and it couldn't have ended any sooner.
I wrote my last exam today (Finance) and hopefully did well on it. If I can keep my GPA above 3.8 I'll be happy, but this semester might be my GPA's demise. I've been on the Dean's list two years running I REFUSE TO STOP NOW!!!
Anyway, it's good to be done, and I'm looking forward to relaxing for a couple of weeks and spending time with family and friends. I'm pretty much done my Christmas shopping which is a small miracle, but I still have a lot of wrapping to do.
Enough about schooling and crap, let's talk games!
When I wasn't on campus studying/doing projects for the last month straight for some 12-14 hours a day, I was playing me some Modern Warfare 2. I went straight online for the first bit before beating the campaign on veteran. The online play is great when it's not being hacked to sweet hell, and there are still some balancing issues, but nevertheless it's a blasty blast that can quickly take over your whole evening. The solo campaign was pretty stellar, albeit a bit tiring due to non-stop crazy moments that had you on an adreniline rollercoaster. I'll probably do a review but might save it and do a video review with the sweet webcam I MAY get from Santa in a few days.
Other than that, I haven't really played much games at all. I will eventually conquer the remaining five or six spec-op missions on veteran with a buddy, and then I'll have more time for Forza 3 and Dragon Age (which Santa BETTER bring me!).
In other news, I've been having fun putting my economics skills to the test on investopedia.com's simulator. Aside from one of my stocks tanking hard today (which is ok, because it'll climb again by the end of the week) I've been making all sorts of virtual money. Gold has been fun to play with: short selling it last week, and buying it up for the increase after that announcement of a 1.5 bigillion dollar deficit for the US gov't next year. It's lots of fun, and great practice for the real deal. The website has a plethora of information to teach you the ropes if you have no idea what's going on, but even for those with lots of knowledge crammed into their head it can be a fun little passtime that doubles as a learning experience. P.S. I totally bought a bunch of Take-Two stock after it tanked -- I'll make a fortune in the long run hahaha.
In any case how are all of you doing? I've been reading blogs here and there but I'd love to know how you've all been. I hope to be more active while on break so look for a bunch of content that could be dropped on this page for the next few weeks.
Have a good one,
XR
Hey, what's up everyone? I just want to let you know that I'm back up and operating here at GameSpot. I apologize for my abrupt absence, but my job blocked GS, and I never had a computer until I recently bought a sweet HP laptop (I highly recommend). Anyways, not a whole lot about has changed, except I've been doing some stand-up comedy for the last year or so. I totally dig it. Other than that, I'm just excited to be back. On the gaming front, I was curious what everyone has to say about Assassin's Creed 2. I'm loving it, but I haven't heard too many people talking about it. Take it easy.
The Zhu Zhu Pets(TM) video game for Nintendo DS is in development now with Black Lantern Studios, Inc., who is bringing forward the brand DNA elements that have made Zhu Zhu Pets(TM) a worldwide phenomenon - arcade action as well as care and nurturing of beloved hamsters!
So one of the "brand DNA elements" for $8 toy hamsters is arcade action? How the hell does that work?
This is a quick personal reflection on the ten games (well, nine games and one series of games) I found the most meaningful and memorable over the past ten years.
SSX: I start here not because this is the least of all the games on this list, but because it's the first. It was very early indeed in this decade when I stepped into a GameStop...it may even have still been a Software Etc...and saw a PS2 demo kiosk showing off SSX. I was sold. With one glance, it seemed clear that the power of the PlayStation 2 was going to enable games to deliver bigger thrills than any console before it. How apt that the development studio for this game was called EA Sports BIG. The PS2 was the first new console of the decade, and SSX was its glorious herald, a speedy, stylish, adrenaline-drenched snowboarding game for the new era. It's certainly true that SSX 2 and 3 improved on the original in some respects, but when I think of SSX, it's that first glimpse of Snowdream that I remember most, the voice of Rahzel mocking and praising me as I boosted my way down the slopes.
Halo: Some of the very best gaming moments I had this decade were spent with friends crowded around my modest television, the screen split four ways as we assault-rifled and pistol-sniped each other endlessly. Halo 2 and 3 took the multiplayer online in a big way, but the best Halo times of all for me were those early days on Hang 'em High.
Burnout 3: What an exciting innovation this game was, building on existing arcade racing game conventions but making crashing and running your competitors off the road a spectacular, visceral part of the gameplay. I consider this the original Xbox's ultimate Xbox Live title. For several months, some friends and I ritually played this on an almost-daily basis,while games these days are unlikely to see consistent online play from us for more than a few weeks. It was also, for me, the first game in which custom soundtracks were an essential feature. I still can't hear certain Death Cab for Cutie songs without them conjuring up images of Burnout 3's environments.
Ninja Gaiden (Black): My favorite skill-based, challenging action game of the decade. When Ninja Gaiden first came out, I rented it and found it difficult to a fault. It was frustrating, not fun. Then the bargain-priced Black came out and I decided to give it another chance. I hit the same wall I had before but kept pressing on and somehow, at a certain point, something clicked, and I just naturally found myself getting better at the game. That sense of just feeling my skills improve, and the results of it--being able to effortlessly slice enemies to pieces (and look awesome doing it) who had previously made mincemeat out of me--was incredibly rewarding.
Metal Gear Solid 4: It's goofy and messy and totally absurd, and I admire the hell out of it. I think it's an inspired conclusion to this totally crazy series, and for all its flaws, I love the fact that it is so clearly Kojima's uncompromised vision. He may be the first auteur of games, and I think the series would have been far less interesting if it was made by committee and some of Kojima's crazier, more self-indulgent impulses had been reined in. It somehow creates a thoroughly satisfying conclusion that ties up all the loose ends, and it unforgettably pits the hero and villain against each other in a climactic fistfight that's also a brilliant summation of the entire series. Masterful.
Grand Theft Auto IV: I Heart Liberty City. Moral choice was a fun gimmick in a lot of games over the past ten years, but many of those games presented those choices in such extreme black and white terms. Grand Theft Auto IV was the first game in which I felt legitimately troubled by some of the choices I had to make, the first game in which pulling a trigger and taking a life often felt impactful and irrevocable. The writing is far superior to what you find in most games, with complex, damaged characters who, for all their flaws, are often trying their best to make a go of it in this ugly world. The cutscenes feature terrific subtlety and are willing to take their time to just observe the characters. For me, its themes of culture, cIass and consequences really work. It ain't The Wire, but for my money it's far and away the best crime story, and the best story of any kind, I've encountered in a game.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door: Mario has starred in many exceptional RPGs throughout the past ten years. This is the absolute best of the bunch. It's charming, inventive, humorous, and even oddly poignant. An absolute delight from start to finish.
The Rock Band series: When I was younger, I was an enthusiastic air guitarist, desk drummer, and sing-along-er. But these are all private, slightly embarrassing expressions of the emotions a song might conjure up in me. One of the biggest, most important innovations in games of this decade is the way that the music peripheral games have taken those private expressions and made them a shared experience. Performing songs with friends in a game like this is an absolute joy, and a totally valid and new way for people to experience music together. In the Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero battle, the Rock Band games are the clear winner for me. The atmosphere and the song lists deliver just want I want in my fantasy fulfillment, and the Guitar Hero games feel a bit crass and soulless by comparison.
And now, my two favorite games of the decade. I can't choose between them.
Super Mario Galaxy and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Super Mario Galaxy is as close as any game has come to perfection for me this decade. It's an absolutely incredible achievement, feeling both like a natural extension of the series' roots, and a totally fresh, at times exhilaratingly innovative experience. The level designs are nothing short of brilliant, and the music, visuals and gameplay frequently combined to foster a sense of ebullient joy in me akin to what I might feel at the most inspired moments of a great Pixar or Miyazaki film.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, by contrast, does not quite approach perfection. Instead, it's a sprawling, audacious, flawed but utterly incredible game. The story is not the serious tale of revenge or forgiveness that you find in GTA IV, but a fever dream of West Coast culture and styIe. The plot lacks focus, but the cast of characters is memorable, and the outstanding voice work (JAMES WOODS!) helps tremendously. And while the story is messy, the setting is unforgettable. I love it all, from the ghetto where CJ begins to the mansions in the hills. I love the small towns and the beaches. I love the huge bridges and the airplane graveyards. It understands Los Angeles hip-hop culture in the mid-90s, and its climax rings true in echoing some of the rage that fueled the Los Angeles riots of 1992.
I can't separate the fact that I've lived in LA for many years from my feelings for this game. Standing in the cul-de-sac where CJ's house is located, I can almost feel the warm Santa Ana winds. But the reason I rank it above GTA IV as one of the absolute best of the decade is not just that its setting is more personally resonant for me. It's also that I simply think it's a bit more fun. For me, this is still the best entry overall in what I consider the definitive game series of the decade.
Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy December 12, 2009 at the Rosemont Theatre in Rosemont, Illinois.
Ok, I have something I have to get off my chest. Gamespot just posted an article on the upcoming Zelda game. Apparently, Nintendo is "trying something new in terms of the structure of the Wii version of the new Zelda game." Now just what those changes mean is debatable, and we'll all most certainly find out at E3 2010. But reading some of the comments, I was surprised at what people are saying about what those changes will be.
First of all, some people seem to want a first person view, something akin to Elder Scrolls Oblivion. I can't agree with this. A first person Zelda game?!?!? 
Seriously?! Although it worked for Oblivion, I can't say that I like it. I didn't like it in Mirrors Edge either, but then again, Zelda and Mirrors Edge are two different types of games. Maybe I'm alone, but if it isn't a shooter, I just don't like the first person view and definitely don't want to see it implemented in a Zelda game.
Second, I have to comment on the control scheme. I played both the Wii version and the Gamecube version, and I have to say that the Gamecube version was my prefered version. Just because it offered a traditional control scheme. Using the Wiimote for fishing and for the bow and arrow was a perfect fit, but I didn't like it when it came to the sword fighting mechanic. Flailing my arm back and forth got old real quick. 
I'm sure that with Wiimotion+ it will give ita broader range of movement, but even with that I just don't like the idea. I am a fit person already, I don't need my games to make me get off the couch and jump around like a nut. Sure it's novel for drunken party nights with friends, but when I want to sit down and get lost in Hyrule, I want a traditional control scheme. I don't want to have to buy a dozen different Nintendo peripherals just to play a new Zelda. I don't want to have to tramp on a Wii fit just to make link walk.
Someone also made a comment that New Super Mario Brothers doesn't offer multiple control schemes, but that's a 2-D side scrolling platformer. Zelda is a full 3-D action adventure game. Smash Brothers, had multiple control schemes, and so do other Wii games, so why can't a new Zelda? This should be a no brainer.
My next point is the story. If major changes are gonna happen to the structure of the game, can we expect something different story-wise? If you have ever played a Zelda game then you know the basic structure is Link starts off as an innocent boy, Zelda gets kidnapped, link becomes a man and sets off back and forth across Hyrule to acquire the tools to rescue her. If changes are going to be made to the formula, here are my suggestions.
Time for a new protagonist. And not so much new, as different. And when I say different, I mean Zelda, or rather Sheik. What if this time Gannon kidnaps a young helpless Link and Zelda must take up the Sheik disguise to rescue Link? Sheik sets out to retrieve the Master Sword and her own unique set of tools, weapons, and abilities to rescue Link. At least for the first half of the game, where the tides turn and Zelda gets caught and Link takes back the hero mantle!
Just my ideas, but who knows what the new Zelda game will have in store. I'm sure it will be a great game no matter what they do.
I will keep this short and sweat, just want to say I am still alive, I hope everybody is doing great and well I have passed my net life to facebook so please if you have a facebook acount add me
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/JpGalindo?ref=profile
It will be great to see you and keep contact will all of you friends!!
still playing, now I have all 3 consoles
loving each day!! the kids are big now!! 
and remember dont suffer from insanity enjoy every moment of it!!
be happy people!!!
No, I'm not back - this is just the quickest way to inform everyone.
I'm Wolfcoyote on the Playstation Network. Right now I only have Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction and Wipeout HD, so add me on and we can maybe converse. Please also remember that I'm available on Twitter for short updates and can be reached via my Gmail account (see my profile). The podcast is also going very well, and thanks goes to Darth_Homer for his participation in the interview (will be posted soon).
James
I'm going to do a series of gaming ideas to liven up some old genre's with new ideas. First up is RPGs.
Nostalgic for the days of pencil and paper RPGs? Miss the companionship of other obsessive nerds? Ready for the next evolution in electronic gaming?
Presenting:
Little Castle on the Borderlands
Featuring:
Role Playing
Slow Leveling
English Accents
AI 'players'
At the beginning of the game a party of virtual dorks will be created to 'role play' the other members of your party. These deep and dedicated AI companions will do all that your remember from your pen and pencils days, other than smell bad. They will:
· Argue with you about your character's actions
· Overact their characters' dialog
· Take hourly smoke breaks (NOTE: this is a functionality of the Xbox 360 hardware)
· Ask to share your pizza
· Inexplicably not show up at game time
· Have annoying laughs and make creepy misogynistic/homophobic jokes
This game uses a system based on 2nd edition AD&D so not only will you have access to weapon proficiencies and be able to cast spells once per day, you'll be using a massive amount of charts, matrices and treasure tables. And don't forget the DM! A virtual DM will keep all the players in line, staying just this side of a nervous breakdown while shepherding the players through the adventure.
So if you're ready for THACO, armor class and psionics, take a trip back to the 80's with
Little Castle on the Borderlands!
Before leaving H heads over to the field service people's office and talks to them to get a status update, since the online case monitor for support cases is close to worthless, but from the wrong side of the scale. He comes back and tells me and Supervisor (S) the field service people have been told the replacement hard drive will arrive late afternoon, and though they would love to help him (they like us) they have no spare drives they can give him.
S frowns and says, "No. We can't have another day like yesterday." I nod fervently in agreement. "Thank you!"
S then tells H that he will not get the day off after all, since we can't have only one Tech Support agent taking calls, and heads over to the Department Manager(DM)'s desk. We see them have a brief conversation, and then DM reaches for the phone. Twenty minutes later our favorite field service tech shows up with a replacement hard drive, and a very amused expression on his face. Apparently DM called the people providing spare parts and, ahem, "upgraded" the priority and emergency level of H's case. So the tech was handed a replacement drive and told to drop everything else and fix this computer right now, before more displeased senior managers called and complained.
The tech of course thought this was hilarious.
