I've always wanted Monkey Island: Special Edition on Xbox Live, but I never got around to spending 800 msp on it. Christmas day it was discounted 50% and I had to be crazy not to seize that opportunity. I never played the original game so it was an entirely new experience for me. I always liked these point and click games since I first played Broken Sword on the Playstation. It really puts your knowledge to the test. First playthrough I completed it in a little over 7 hours. I got stuck bad twice and I didn't want to use hints. It took me a while to figure out I can manually pick up items and then it took me some time to figure out I can 'open' items. I decided to do the speed run for the full 200G and I did it in 1 hour and 15 mins. A lot faster than I expected. Switching the visuals and gameplay to the original by simply pressing a button was a really nice touch and very often I compared the original to the re-make. This was one of those commercial games that's often laugh out funny, a real gem. This has to the be the best 400msp I ever spent.

The Countdown to 2010 has begun and I still haven't posted my GOTY 09. I'm still undecided, but I managed to cut my list to 3 games. I have yet to make a definite decision. It's really hard. Later in the week I'll post about it.

I read a Kotaku article that was an interview with EA's CEO John Riccitiello where he discussed the possibility of making money off pirates by selling them DLC. This sparked up some of my recent thoughts on how I feel about DLC and I wrote up a lengthy comment about it. Maybe it wasn't entirely on-topic, but I submitted it anyways. I figured I'd copy/paste it here too:

I don't pirate games, but the existence of Day 1 PAID DLC sure as hell makes me want to.

I can understand "expansion" content. I can understand day one patches and updates. I can also understand entire games being digitally distributed. What I refuse to support is having to pay for content that SHOULD of and COULD have been on the disk.

Isn't it somewhat implied that when you go to a store and buy a game that you are getting the entire game, not just a piece of it where you end up having to buy the rest piecemeal?

Don't advertise a game to me that shows all this great stuff that I want to play to then turn around and hold it back until I give up more money AFTER I already tossed down money at retail. (I admit this doesn't really happen but my paranoia and untrust for big companies makes me angry that it might).

The idea of having packed in free DLC codes even ticks me off. We are really close to the point where entire boss fights will be left out as day 1 DLC.

If there is one thing I hate more than anything in the corporate world it's micro-transactions. Years ago it was called "Nickel and diming", but that didn't sound very nice so they sent marketing teams at it.

Anywho... rant over.

I have to say, being away from GameSpot for so long is unfortunate, but that doesn't explain why my writing history just up'd and blanked out. That kinda sucks...

[-Edit-] Whoops... seems that GS was messing with me again... everything is still intact...

Oh well, the world keeps on turning and everyone continues to game. I might not have online, but some how that didn't stop me from picking up a copy of Modern Warfare 2. Extremely silly of me no doubt, but since my Black Friday mission to pick up a dirt cheap flat-screen TV was unsuccessful, I grabbed the game for 30 bucks instead.
Besides being the same thing I remember MW being amazing at (online that is) the game is pretty fun even through the campaign. Most people play shooters for one portion of the game, I on the other hand adore all the efforts that gone into MW2... its like the perfect Tom Clancy story with tons of toys!

Sitting here at the library with nothing to look forward to this evening kind of deters me from really leaning into this current rant, so I'll keep it brief for anyone crazy enough to keep reading whatever I end up whapping on this germ-infested keyboard. Dragons Age is awesome. The Vikings are still a strong football team. Snow is really not all that bad. Working on your birthday is common, but it still sucks. And last but not least... women... the best way to describe them is like fire. They keep you warm, but they can also burn ya

Best wishes to all my fellow gamers as we trudge our way into 2010. I sure miss bs'ing with yaw online.

This emblem shows that youve submitted a bracket for GameSpots Greatest Game Hero competition. Lets get in there and fight!

A lot of things has changed since the last time I posted something here. I am still attending school, and everything is going pretty well there. I passed my mid-point review, so that means I am 50% done with the program. I have also become involved with a few comic projects, and they have kept me busy.

Other than tons of work, there is really nothing new to report. So, hopefully I will get to play some games and write a review or something... but my interest in video game has dropped considerably... games just don't seem to be all that fun any more. I guess when you are constantly worrying about other things, such as work, then there is really no way to relax and enjoy a video game.

Been a while since my last blog post. Nobody's fault really; things get busy and other priorities take precedence, c'est la vie. However, the momentous event that occurred a few weeks ago was so special to me that it required some kind of commentary on my behalf.

Back when it was first announced that a modern Ghostbusters game was in the works, I was thrilled beyond words. The Ghostbusters were my childhood heroes. I watched the Real Ghostbusters cartoon series growing up and loved the first film - even though it scared the dickens out of me when I saw it at age three. The second film was just as exciting and to this day, I refuse to make any decisions as to which of the two may have been better.

Anyway, as the game went through its production dramas I was filled with hope and despair in equal measures as it was delayed, re-vamped, dropped by Activision, then recovered by Atari. When the final release date was announced as June 16, 2009, I knew there was a God. Not only was the game of my dreams finally coming out, but it was going to be released on my birthday.

I would have preferred to make this post on the release date itself, unfortunately, I was out of town at the time and without internet access. My sister picked up the game for me as a present and had it waiting for me when I got back. I finished the campaign just yesterday and felt utterly fulfilled. The game had its strong points and weak points just like every game does, but nothing can compare to the feeling of living the adventure with your childhood heroes.

When someone asks you if you're a god, you say YES!

I finally came round to getting together the money to buy a 360, I'm pleased I did it though, the online has come along a lot since I sold mine and the new dashboard is nice to. I bought the arcade version for $200 from Gamestop, I didn't have the money then and there for a premium but I'll buy a hard drive and headset pretty soon anyway. I only really want one game right now and it's skate 2, in about a week or so I should have that.

I got a new tv for my room which is one of the reasons why I bought the 360 so I have it hooked up via HDMI to my 22" Samsung HD LCD tv. I then have my ethernet cable running from my 360 to my macbook which has let me get on live which is nice, Idefinitelywon't be spending money on a wireless adapter now anyway. I downloaded this connect360 application for my mac to which is nice because it lets me view my pictures, videos and music really easy through the cable, I downloaded the torrent to so I didn't have to pay the $20, I think I've saved myself a bit of money today haha.

I also recovered my gamertag so add me on live at MX Gurl please

Within the next two weeks I'm hoping to have skate 2, a gold membership and a headset and then the next thing after that will be my hard drive. So yeah I haven't been on here for a while but I thought I'd let people know to add me and such.

Multiplayer.....ever heard of it? There's no doubt in my mind you have, and I'll venture a guess that you have gone as far as to play have played a multiplayer game before. Of course I'm just being sarcastic here! Multiplayer is HUGE, it's practically a pop-culture phenomenon. It has even changed the way our video games are structured. They're good fun and all, increasing the longevity of our beloved titles so they don't just go back onto our dust collecting shelves, but what ever happened to the single player experience? Is it me or has it become a mere afterthought?

I remember multiplayer was something only PC users experienced and the idea was still taking off. That left console players with single player games only, and oh what good campaigns they were! Long. Engaging. Literally amazing stories that sucked me in and would not let go till I hit the power button, and when I did, I was sad! I'm sorry if I'm sounding a bit dramatic, but flashes of Sonic 2 and FF8 are coming to mind when I think about the Single player exp. Mario 3 and Vagrant Story! The slew of new games that have come out in the past year or so now have great single player experiences but they're not THAT great if anybody knows what I mean. Part of this, I feel, is due to laziness on the developers part. Knowing that they can just make a few maps and balanced characters and guns they can just release a half baked product and know that multiplayer would be there saving grace.

I would like to take the time to talk about a few of these culprits. First up is COD4. Yea you read that right! "But I'm a roustabout, that single player exp was SICK!" ANd i'd say you're right! BUT how long was it? I mean really? Yea multiplayer was grat, and revolutionized how multiplayer is played but a six hour campaign? Really? Six hours? I mean what the heck? My question I present to you is, if multiplayer had still not been invented yet, or implemented on consoles, would this game had gotten the reviews it did? MOst likely not. Multiplayer was it's saving grace, unless you're the kind that likes to chuck out $60 for a six hours game, maybe 24 if you like to get the acheivements. So keeping that in mind I just want developers to start thinking about the quality of their single player campaign and ask themselves "without multiplayer is this still a quality game worth releasing?"

Another game that comes to mind would be Halo 2. I know for a fact people were disapointed in that game, but it's saving grace was it's multiplayer. They expanded upon the original design so it was a fantastic multiplayer exp, but everybody complained about the lack of a quality single player campaign. I would think it's safe to say that what got people into halo in the first place was it's fantastic single player experience and the bonus was you could increase the longevity of that game by playing Lan parties with friends. Eventually the LAN parties dwarfed the people just sitting by themselves playing the single player portion, but the initial love for everything Halo I believe came from the single player campaign.

It's not that multiplayer is bad. I personally don't like it, and never found the fun in it. I chalk it up to the maturity level of most the people I come across. The pre-pubescent teenagers really irk me sometimes and completly withdrawls me from the whole experience and reminds me that I'm playing a video game, rather than providing a cathartic escape, saving me from my hum-drum droll that is my existence Games these days have become too short boasting on the back of the box that it has an A-MAZING multiplayer exp and I for one have seen through their cheap BS and tire of it. Bring back my amazing stories! Bring back the lengthy, cinematic cutscenes that made me fall in love with the heroes. And stop chucking out sequel after sequel every year making my precious single player exp an afterthought making it ride on the coat tails of it's multiplayer component!

Hye, i'm may not popular in this blog or something, but i 1 of the most longest stay in GS n i still do login but ONLY reading and watching news of video games, that shame other are more good. Maybe this year i go a little further like review the game, or active in forum or just add comment. Anyway, i still love GS!

RROD stroke the poor thing when i was playing my favourite Arcade game... My warranty expired on the 22nd and yesterday was the 26th so you know how bad i must feel right now

Guess I'll just stick to my good old PS3...

1. Beat MGS4. What a game, what an ending, the first 10.0 on Gamespot that I fully agreed with!

2. Bought this year's madden, meh...

3. Playing WOW still and can't wait for WOTLK.

4. Fallout 3 looks good, real good.

If I still have a job and the U.S. economy doesn't implode, I should be buying all the new titles soon.

Figonamotry

For those of you who haven't guessed from my lack of updates here is the official: I don't have time to check/update any more post. I have been working a lot (still) and I still love it. Add to that the fact that I do work in Video Games now and so I try to curtail what I do post to avoid sounding like I'm speaking for my company (I'm not, any opinion expressed here is my own solely) and/or accidentially commenting on something where I have more knowledge than is publically availible.

No, I won't reveal which company I work for, but I've helped on several games and I couldn't be prouder of where I'm at today.

Thanks to all for the good times and I wish I could check this more often, but it is amazing that when you love your work you actually do work harder and more.

*hugs to all*

Dawn

Hey guys, I thought I'd keep you posted as I'm going to be compiling a list of my favourite women in games. To clarify, favourite means characters that have amused, inspired, or impressed me, rather than write about a DOA Voleyball jug-a-thon.

To tell you the truth, its hard to make such a list since women are not very prominent in video games, but there are certain characters that have stood out from the scantily clad, bouncing sterotypes, and in the next few days I'll post it in the next blog.

You may not agree with my choices, but lets be fair, its MY choice, and so I expect you to respect my opinions, but primarily I hope to entertain you, since I believe the women I describe are original and fun to read about (and look at, if you really are into that).

Anyways, talk to you all soon, and be sure to check back in the next few days.

Peace

magic_dragon

not a lot to say really except that my 360 is now on its way to M$ for repair. Also my school work has suddenly become a lot harder after christmas which is a bummer, i have also just started my chemistary coursework which will be fun to do the experiments.

Also between the 11th-15th of februry i am away in a place called slapton in devon i think, for a geography trip to study rivers and the coast, its going to be a lot of fun and very wet.

Today i have done bit of housekeeping with my games, i have added on the games i have recently bought and got for christmas and added the games that i want including, BURNOUT: PARADISE ,which comes out in 2 days time AND I CANT WAIT, i love the burnout series and i cant wait to play it in an open world.

on a pc gamer note everyone that owns a pc download a game called WAR ROCK its a very good online fps shooter set in the mould of CoD4, you have you team deathmatch and a 1 hit kill mode.there is a good selection of maps split into obvious groups close combat, urban and battle, there are vehicles in it and be careful in capable hands these can turn a match. there are also 5 class's engineer,medic,sniper,assault and heavy trooper, their names give them away but i will explain the to you.

Engineer:can use special hand held weapons and can heal vehicles.

medic:same has engineer but heals people

sniper: obviously is the only class that uses a sniper rifle, also buy a decent pistol like the mpk5.

assault: the easiest class, choose from a wide range of guns, run in and shoot before you get shot.

heavy trooper: the vehicle destroying class, armed with rockets and vehicle mines.

you get exp and dinar (the money) to level up and to purchase newer and better weapons as a starter i would suggest the m4 or ak-47 for assault and the aug for sniper and the mpk5 for the second weapon slot for all class's.

so there we go hope to see you soon on war rock and burnout: paradise.

o and remember its all fun and games untill somone looses a bollock.

~master renagade over and out~

Got 8 games and $30 Edge card from GameStop. And socks. The games are...

1. Rock Band - PS3

2. NCAA 07 Football - PSP

3. World of Warcraft - PC

4. World of Warcraft The Burning Crusade - PC

5. The Simpsons Hit & Run - PS2

6. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie - PS2

7. Backyard NBA Basketball - PS2

8. Backyard NHL Hockey - PC

So that is all the games and it's like... For = I love it. For = OK. For = It's good to have. For = Is LOL funny. For = It is the thought that counts.

I'll see you on Rock Band...

This must be one of the most unique games ive played this year... PORTAL makes excellent use of the half life 2 engine (perhaps THE best use of it?)

I know this isn't the first time it has been done, but just the sheer atmosphere and crazy puzzlesolving makes this a one of a kind.

Well, kind of a shortie today, but im off for now. Gonna play it again on the harder difficulty... perhaps with some commentaries?

I'm making a note here:

HUGE SUCCESS

(The cake is a lie!)

While game quotes don't usually have the same social impact as movie quotes, and in most cases, the best quotes in gamesare those you laugh at, however,I've compiled a list of the most significant, memorable, laughableand poorly translated game quotes ever spoken or read, if you have any to add, please do so.

"The Gods of Olympus have abandoned me." - Kratos, God of War
"Huh, D. K., Donkey Kong!" - DK Rap, Donkey Kong 64
"Athena, you conspire against me?" - Kratos, God of War II
"I'll open the door, I've got the code." - Dom, Gears of War
"The La-li-lu-le-lo" - Scott Dolph, Metal Gear Solid 2
"I am Turok!" - Turok, Turok Dinosaur Hunter
"I am Error" - Man, Zelda II
"I'm looking for some sailors." Ryo, Shemue
"This is it, this, is your story." - Auron, Final Fantasy X
"Somebody call for an exterminator?" - Ghost unit, StarCraft
"...was seriously wounded, but the soul still burns!" - Announcer, Soul Calibur
"Ahhhhhhhh yourself!" - Sam, Serious Sam
"Welcome, Stranger!" - Merchant, Resident Evil 4
"Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman, rise and shine." - G-Man, Half-Life 2
"Goliath Online" - Goliath unit, StarCraft
"The cake is a lie" - Wall writings, Portal
"For the horde!" - Horde NPCs, World of Warcraft
"YOU'RE WINNER" - Big Rigs
"Falcon Punch!" - Captain Falcon, Super Smash Bros.
"I feel asleep" - Guard, Metal Gear
"It's super effective!" - Pokemon
"Do a barrel roll!" - Peppy, Star Fox 64
"Quad Damage!" - Announcer, Quake III: Arena
"Snake? Snake?! SNAKEEEEE - Otacon, Metal Gear Solid 2
"Get over here!" - Scorpion, Mortal Kombat
"It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all outta gum!" - Duke Nukem, Duke Nukem 3D
"Sir, finishing this fight." - Master Chief, Halo 2
"War. War never changes." - Narrator, Fallout
"M-m-m-monster Kill!" - Announcer, Unreal Tournament
"Hadouken!" - Ryu, Street Fighter 2
"All your base are belong to us!" - Cats, Zero Wing
"Finish Him!" - Announcer, Mortal Kombat
"Thank you, Mario! But our princess is in another castle." - Toad, Super Mario Bros.
"It'sa me, Mario" - Mario, Super Mario 64

Tis that wonderful time of year again when the leaves change color and the air turns as crisp as a newly opened video game. Halloween is around the corner, and it's only fitting that we as game enthusiasts snuggle ourselves in games appropriate for this grand of holidays (we really should get the day off)

Without further banter, I give you, groovy games to play for the Halloween Holiday:

1. Silent Hill 2: A letter from Silent Heaven (PS2)

If you have never experienced the psychological horror that a Silent Hill game has to offer, then this is a good place and time to start. No need to play the first, as this one is a stand alone, but if it peaks your interest enough to try the others, PLAY THEM IN ORDER! Grab the greatest hits version, as it has extra content not found in the standard version. Emotionally taxing and genuinely disturbing, Silent Hill 2 is a must for the season.

2. Splatterhouse 2 (Genesis/Megadrive)

Still the goriest and most violent game to grace a console, Jack Thompson would jump on this like a randy teenage boy on prom-night. I mean, name another game where you cut up aborted fetuses hanging from their umbilical chords? And to think, this game was originally released in 92!!!! Challenging game play, tons and tons of blood, guts, brains, decapitation, ghosts, and everything to give you a good time for M-rated candy muncing!

3. Shadowgate (NES, GameBoy Color)

This old point and click adventure game still gives me some chills down the spine. Creepy music, and some rather gruesome death descriptions still make this a perfect horror game in my book.

4. Castlevania 4 (SNES)

Still my favorite Castlevania, the perfect blend of dark ambiance and an incredible music score make this stand above the rest. The game just drips Halloween atmosphere. Perfect when played at Midnight. Grab the Japanese version if possible: It's un-edited.

5. Medieval (PSone, PSP)

Throw in a sprinkle of Tim Burton, Ghosts and Goblins, Maximo, some good British humor, and you have a rather silly but fun game for the season. Not the best game in the world, but appropriate.

6. The Splatter Action (PS2, Japan only)

Part of the simple series on Japan (Vol 64), this beat-em-up has you play as a rather adorable little boy with a pumpkin for a head. Armed with your fists and chainsaws, you go level by level turning equally adorable baddies onto a bloody mess! Ahh, I love the irony!

7. Zombie Vs. The Ambulance (PS2, Japan only)

Also a Simple series game (Vol 95), and made by the same folks who brought you the Splatter action. You drive around in a (guess this) ambulance saving infected victims and bringing them back to the hospital before they go all brain-hungry on you! However, on the way, you get to power up and improve you vehicle by....running over zombies over, and over again! Body parts fly, blood splatters, and your newly acquired front-bumper-blade slices bodies like a knife through a sternum! Good times!

8. Fatal Frame (AKA Zero, PS2, XBOX)

Based off of actual events, the Fatal Frame series does a wonderful job of introducing an audience to the Japanese view of the paranormal. This is one of the few series of Horror games other than Silent Hill to actually make you uncomfortable, creep-ed out, and give you reason to sleep with the light on.

9. Ghouls and Ghosts (Genesis, Megadrive, Arcade)

Punishing game-play, pissed-off bosses, and an undeniable Halloween charm put this one on the list. Nearly any game in the series is worth checking out (including Maximo), but this one happens to be a personal favorite.

10. The Onechan Bara 2: Puru (PS2, Japan only)

Yep, another in the Simple series line (Vol 101). Girls in bikinis cutting up Zombies with swords. Do I really need to say more?

11. Otogi 2 (XBOX)

A horribly under appreciated game, a blend of hack-n-slash meets Japanese mythological horror with perfect control, interesting characters, and a rather dark edge make this game worth trying. Not too many games have a portion of the main characters kill themselves at the onset. Impressive graphics, wonderful Gagaku score, and a genuinely beautiful view of Japanese action horror make this a perfect game for October.

So, there you have 11 of my favorites. What, no Resident Evil Baroque? For me, I like horror to remain in the supernatural element. Once you begin to explain through science as to why you have zombies roving the town, it loses it's fright-factor for me. It becomes more sci-fi than horror. Not that sci-fi can't be horror (Alien) but I just like the genre more....ethereal.

How about you fine folks? Got any fave horror games to share with us?

Happy Hallows-eve!

-Baroque-Legacy

YAY!!! I cant wait for this...i never got into it when it first released on the PC but then it came on the original XBOX aand i got it and loved it ..I never finshed it but then wanted to go back to it at the start of the year but couldnt pull my self to go back to last gen (I know its weird but i adore the graphics of this gen) then i slowly forgot about it. NOW..THE WAIT IS NEARLY FINALLY OVER *Plays Lord of the Rings Music* .. I pre-ordered 2 copys at Harvey Norman last week and its the best 200$ bucks iv spent on 2 games i think. I will play one and keep the other in safe keeping because after all HALF LIFE will be remembered forever. Anyway Episode 2 looks fqantastic and i have never played Episode 1 so im in for a treat. Next week i will be playing all 3 episodes HL2,HL2 EP1, HL2 EP2 untill there complete (about 18hours) then go back to playing PGR4 which is released in Australia tomorow...which ill be picking up and playing for 1 week until the 18th.

I hope you all are as excited as i am

If I were to ever find a document containing Sony's official procedure for making announcements I think I'd find something relatively similar to the title of this article written on it. To any ravenous Sony fanboys that are already primed to leave a negative comment without even having read the rest of the article, go over to my collection page for a second. Go ahead, I'll wait right here. Did you see the Playstation 3 and PSP games in there? Yeah, I own both, so don't go flaming me for being an Xbot or...whatever asinine term you use for Nintendo fans.

It goes without saying that everyone looking forward to the PS3 was taken aback when Kaz Hirai dropped the "599 US dollars" bomb on us back at E3 2006 (cue Lex Luthor). Six hundred dollars was an absolutely absurd price and even though a lot of us (myself included) paid it at launch we did it begrudgingly. Analysts and everyone else kept calling for a price cut on the PS3. They all said that $600 was too high and that in order to compete and create a larger install-base Sony would have to cut the price at some point. Naturally everyone was excited when Sony announced that the price of the 60 GB PS3 was dropping from $600 to $500. That was still $100 more than the high-end Xbox 360 but hey, $100 is $100. As was expected, interest in the machine increased and a huge sales spike followed. Sony had seemingly done something right. Then we all find out that what we thought was a price cut was really a liquidation sale. Sony made the announcement that production had ceased on the 60 GB and that when they were gone they would be replaced by a new 80 GB that cost...599 US dollars. Did I mention that the hardware emulation had been replaced with extremely sub-par software emulation?

Like its giant obelisk console counterpart, the PSP hasn't been the easiest sell either. In both the United States and Japan the system was consistently outsold by the DS Lite, typically by a wide margin. Sony figured that, hey, if Nintendo can release a remodeled system, so can they. Thus at E3 2007 the world was introduced to the PSP-2000, colloquially known as the PSP Slim. The announcement was great for Sony as they unveiled a system that offered numerous improvements, the best two being improved battery life and shorter load times (the two things most decried on the original PSP). Well, the load time improvement remains, at least for newer titles. However, the battery life improvement wasn't as advertised. Sony explained that the PSP-2000 would indeed have longer battery life...if you were using the PSP-1000's battery...huh? Even if you weren't like me and didn't trade in the original PSP toward the new PSP thus leaving yourself without a PSP-1000 battery, the PSP-1000 battery was too big for the PSP-2000. So, if you actually had an original PSP battery to use it would stick out and make your system lop-sided. You'd also have to order a special battery cover from Sony in order to cover it. Lastly, this is probably just me being upset over not paying attention, but Sony also announced a video out feature that would allow PSP owners to play PSP games on their TV. However, you have to have a progressive-scan TV for this to work. This means that SD television owners (the majority of TV owners) cannot make use of this feature but hey, at least we can watch UMD movies on our TVs. Yeah, as if most people own any.

I don't think this next one counts as announcing good news and then messing it up so much as it counts as Sony throwing salt in gamers' wounds. Lair was a game that almost everyone who owned a PS3 was looking forward to. It was an aerial dragon combat game from the makers of Rogue Squadron and it looked amazing. Now, I've never played Lair but general consensus claims that the game's controls are more or less broken. However, that's not the point. Despite not announcing anything good, Sony proceeded to step 2 anyway and sent out a reviewer's guide for Lair. Yes, it wasn't that Lair was a bad game, it was just that every professional reviewer in the industry, you know, people who play games for a living, wasn't playing the game correctly. Wow.

Though I could personally care less, most gamers were upset by the fact that the PS3 controllers would lack any kind of force feedback. Sony told a couple of different lies as to why this was. They told us that the tilt-sensor wouldn't operate properly with rumble weights and they told us rumble was a last-gen feature that wasn't important anymore. However, we all knew that they just didn't want to pay up to Immersion. Well, Sony eventually did pay their settlement to Immersion and the rumble-capable PS3 controller rumors started flying. Sure enough, one of Sony's big announcements at the Tokyo Game Show was the DualShock 3, the Sixaxis with rumble weights they had previously told us was impossible. Now I'm sure you must be thinking, "What's the black lining on that silver cloud?" Well, North America and Europe aren't getting these controllers until Spring 2008, whereas Japan gets them next month. There's no logical reason why Sony would be doing this. Accessories are not games; they do not have region codes and they do not need to be localized. You could import a Japanese DualShock 3 from Japan next month and it would work with your non-Japanese PS3 (unless Sony devises some stupid way to region lock accessories). I understand that these things have to be manufactured and shipped, but if they have enough of them to launch the controller in Japan next month it shouldn't take them six months to get a launch supply for North America and Europe manufactured.

After the whole liquidation sale debacle, gamers everywhere have been waiting for a real price drop for the PS3. Recently, rumors have been circulating that Sony would be announcing a 40 GB PS3 and, at least in Europe, they have. The system, as stated, only has a 40 GB hard drive, it only has two USB ports instead of four, and it no longer has the card readers. That's not so bad right? It also has no PS2 backward compatibility. Yes, you read that correctly. I don't mean that it just doesn't have the Emotion Engine, I mean it has nothing. You put a PS2 disc into that system and it will have no idea what it is. Sony's hilarious reason for this? They claim that few people really use it and that it isn't a feature most people look for when buying a PS3. Ha, ha, and indeed ha. Do they even have any idea what gamers think of their system? Did they not hear the ire of European gamers when they launched the PS3 with its shoddy software backward compatibility? Did they not notice how many people were scrambling to get a 60 GB when it was announced that the 80 GB wouldn't have the Emotion Engine? Sony knows that the PS2 had the greatest and largest library the last generation but they claim that they don't need to rely on that library anymore because the PS3 is going to have a whopping 65 game available by this holiday season. Wow, 65 whole games? So how many of those are licensed titles, available on other systems, or just bad? Never mind the fact that PS2 games are still being made. Granted, Sony doesn't have the Wii advantage here. A lot of people skipped the Gamecube so the Wii being able to play the whole Gamecube library was a selling point. Odds are anyone interested in the PS3 is probably one of the 100 million PS2 owners out there. Still, there's nothing quite like buying a brand new, super powerful system and having to leave it's predecessor hooked up so you can play its superior game library, right?

Looking at their track record I don't think it's any surprise to anyone that Sony is in last right now. They started with two high priced systems, announced pseudo-price drops and have released way too many iterations of a console that's less than a year old. On top of that, it seems that everytime they announce something that makes gamers feel better about them they jab us with a cattle prod as soon as we turn around. At least we still have Final Fantasy and Metal Gear, right?

Comment Response 1: staley6565: So you read all of the "walls of text" and couldn't find a point anywhere, huh? Did you try reading the title and the first paragraph? I'm going to assume you didn't less you wouldn't be complaining about my lack of a point. My point is simply that Sony's PR has been terrible this generation (which, if you notice in the comments, other readers were able to infer that). Everytime they announce something that sounds like good news they immediately follow it up with something bad or something that takes away from that news. As for my "simple history of things", those are what most people like to call support. You know, making a claim and backing it up with examples and facts instead of just spouting of baseless nonsense?

Secondly, you claim that lack of backward compatibility is not a big deal if you already own a PS2. Have you considered things like clutter or lack of inputs? For example, my TV has three inputs in the back, and one is taken up by my DVD player. That leaves me with two open inputs and given that I have 7 systems that need them, I have switch boxes connected into them. Fortunately, when I got my PS3 I was able to simply replace my PS2 with it. Had I not been able to do this all of my slots would have been full and if I ever had the need to install something else it would have come down to swapping cords. A minor annoyance, but an annoyance avoided by my backward compatible PS3. That's not even taking into consideration the amount of electrical outlets I need. Secondly, there's the issue of shelf space. Using myself as an example again, I have six spaces for my seven systems. As it is my Dreamcast has to rest on top of my Xbox so everything fits (though with your ideas on money you'd probably just recommend that I buy a bigger house, more on that in a second). Then you proceed to put words in my mouth, claiming that if Sony didn't release the absurd number of SKUs that they do that I'd be complaining about them forcing us to buy things. Let me start off by saying that I've never complained about Sony forcing anything on me. I didn't complain about it in this article and I've never complained about it elsewhere. In fact, and I'm not alone here, I hate the multiple SKU system so many seem to be embracing. I'm sure most remember back when systems came out and they only came out in one version. If you went to a store and asked for that system you got a system that was the same as every other one.

Not to mention the fact that software emulation would not bring up the price of manufacturing the hardware. Also, just last year Sony was calling bacwkards compatability a core value that was vital to their brand.

You end on a note that is just ignorant, claiming that $600 is not a lot of money in "the real working world." Wow. I'm not sure going to college and working part time in a grocery store counts as this "real working world" that you refer to, but I'll use myself as an example once again. I make roughly $150 a week working the hours that I can. Every week I deposit half of that toward my tuition and take out 25 for gas money. Then I pay $100 for my car insurance bill at the end of every month. This means that every month I make around 150-200 dollars that I don't have to spend on bills (so that's 3 months for me to earn "not a lot of money"), and I don't have anywhere near the amount of bills people in the real world have. Yeah, maybe you have a high paying job that allows you to drop $600 on a luxury and not even bat an eye, but saying that $600 isn't a lot of money just makes you sound like a pompous fool.

Comment Response 2: Charlie2688: Holy crap man.You do realize people are going to read the comments you post right? Grammar and mechanics are your friends. Using the right words might help too (hint: accent is not synonymous with accept). You start out by saying that I'm acting like Sony has wronged me personally...yeah, whatever. Then you tell me that articles like mine are the reason that people have a negative attitude toward the PS3 and can't explain why. What do you think all that text up there is? Oh look, it's me explaining why Sony has such a negative image right now. I'm also curious as to when exactly I bashed the PS3. As far as I can tell I was pointing out flaws in Sony's marketing department the whole time.

You then claim that everyone has forgiven Microsoft's problems. This is something you do throughout your entire comment. You're trying to attack me and yet you lump me in with every Sony hating fanboy out there. Anyway, it's called being relevant and being inspired to write something. The height of the 360's Red Ring issue was over the summer when the warranty program went into effect. Why would I write about something that saw the height of its news coverage months ago? Sony just announced their new, non-backward compatible PS3 yesterday and that news inspired me to write this. Trust me, everyone hasn't forgiven Microsoft. Hell, there are people out there who haven't even played Halo 3 yet because they're waiting for their consoles to be repaired.

You tell me to look at some of the brilliant comments (a category which your comment does not fall under) here on GameSpot about backward compatibility. So people screamed when Sony focused on backward compatibility and people screamed when they stopped focusing on it? Here's a crazy thought, do you think that maybe those were different people screaming both times? Obviously if you have no interest in the PS3's library you're not going to buy one just to play your old PS2 games. However, if you're like me and are interested in the PS3 but also have over 100 PS1 and PS2 games with limited system space then backward compatibility is obviously important to you. Plus, the backward compatibility issue is another example of Sony directly contradicting themselves as they are so apt to do.

You follow that up by telling me to accept (or accent, as you put it) the fact that I'll never be happy with what Sony does. Again, lumping me in with the Sony haters. If you notice I actually own a PS3 (something, based on your collection page, you can't say I might add) and yeah, I have some problems with it but not because of Sony's PR tactics. Why would I have a problem with the console because of Sony's business practices? You go on to follow step 2 of Sony's announcement procedure and completely contradict yourself. You accuse me of forgiving Microsoft for all their flaws and then go on to say that Sony's negative image isn't their fault its the fault of all the people complaining about the PS3. Why do you think people are complaining about the PS3?! Oh wait, it's because it's cool to hate Sony, right? It has nothing to do with any of the mistakes they've made so far this generation? Also, the reason you don't hear people complain about the 360 as much is because the Red Ring of Death is the only major thing people tend to complain about and Microsoft has taken steps to correct it. They spent 1.7 billion dollars to give every 360 owner a three year warranty and they just started releasing new systems that have all of the cooling components they should have had since day one. Sony even has Microsoft beat in this department! They have a better built and more powerful system than Microsoft does. The only reason they attract negative press is because they keep lying to us and contradicting themselves.

Lastly you speak of Lair and I'm not sure you read that paragraph right. You say people like to knock it without having even played it and that wasn't even what I was talking about. I talked about the ridiculous assertion that Sony made claiming that reviewers had all reviewed the game wrong. Here's a math tip for you. You claim that if so many people played Lair at a friend's house that it would be number one in sales. Other than the obvious fact that it wasn't, if all those people played it at a friend's house that means they didn't buy it.

You conclude your rebuttal by saying that blogs like mine will never help change Sony's negative image. You know what will? If Sony stops pulling crap like I've described above.