Time to Start Over

Hello faithful readers.  I know the wait has been long, but worry not, Super Dope Gaming is back.  Holidays have a way to crush ambition and leave you feeling more alone than ever.  Video games on the other hand always give you something to strive for.  A goal.  So thank you, video games, for giving all of us gamers an alternative to the soul-devouring holidays.  On a brighter note, we now have a whole new year to look forward to, with many hopefully fantastic games on the horizon.  Nintendo may have another great year ahead it, what with the 3DS likely to come out sooner or later, and the next iteration of the Zelda series, Skyward Sword, set to hit shelves.  Of course, Sony has the next Uncharted, which looks fantastic, and Little Big Planet 2 which has a score of 93 on Metacritic.  That's already impressive.  Then, for Microsoft, Kinect should really be taken advantage of this year and we should see some really exciting ideas for how to implement the peripheral.  Outside of the hack videos, that is.

So you see, the new year comes with much promise for you gamers out there.  We should all be excited about the future.  I know I am, but I'm in love with video games.  What with all the new gadgets and games that make my heart race.  Oh, so dreamy.  If only I was a millionaire, I would pay off my school loans and then blow the rest on more games than I could ever hope to play.  Maybe something's wrong with me, but I like it.  The point being that if you were, for some reason, disappointed with 2010, then look forward to 2011.  It's a wondrous time for gaming, so ignore all those troubles out there in the real world.  No one wants to hear about such downers.  Forget about all your strife and grief over lost relationships, going broke, or losing your house, it's time to appreciate what you do have instead of everything you don't.  Did you lose some (most) of your money in Las Vegas last month?  Play some Resident Evil to make it seem like you're striking back at the soulless husks of casinos.  Girlfriend or boyfriend dump you? Play some Pokemon to have that special bond between you and something that can NEVER, EVER LEAVE YOU.

You'll never leave me, will you Bulbasaur?  Not like that b**ch Karen.

Gaming has a way to make your life better.  Just plug in the latest game you're obsessed with and go at it.  Soon enough you'll forget all about giant oil spills and not getting exactly what you wanted for Christmas.  Look forward to the new frontier and ignore the fact you're going to have to drop out of school and become a McDonald's drone.  Maybe you even have to move back in with your parents, in that small town you hated, get that job you swore you'd never do and reconnect with your old friends who piqued in high school.  That's alright; there are princesses to save.  Surely there's going to be something amazing in the following year that will make everything wrong seem all better.  If that something won't come out until the next holiday season, then you can throw yourself into all the previews and speculations.  What else is better than creating an idea of something in your head that cannot possibly happen?

People celebrate the new year in order to forget old acquaintance and never bring them to mind.  You must also forget the sins of gaming past and look towards the future of gaming.  Sure, there are still games made seemingly just to take your money, but you have to look at the brighter side of gaming.  Pay attention to games that are coming from some big franchise, like Mass Effect 3, to predict which games will be worth the time and money.  Also, don't forget to read all the reviews you can.  People like me, who happily spend time playing games so that people can learn from my mistakes, write for your needs.  Here at Super Dope Gaming, we rely on the people who rely on us.  We play through some shovelware, but mostly we like to tell you about the games that are Super Dope and can offer a great experience.  By the way, look forward to new things coming to this site in the new year.  There are always things turning in the minds behind Super Dope Gaming.

 Mostly kittens.

Just remember, Dope Gamers, there is a silver lining of Uncharted or Zelda for every dark cloud of Lost in Shadow (which had such potential).  Don't give up hope for the next big gaming development that's sure to wow you in ways you've never thought of.  Keep watch over Blizzard for Diablo 3 and Eidos for Arkham City.  Personally this is what works for me when I want to forget about things too horrible to think about.  So right now, I'm mostly excited for those upcoming games, even though I spent most of the break going through the "Humble Indie Bundles," which were good, but only about four out of ten were really great experiences.  In other words, don't worry about life, just play some video games.

Time Passes But Love Never Dies

As I sit here, drinking my tall, cold, plastic cup of chocolate milk, looking through old photos of friends whom I never talk to anymore, I realize that many things have changed in my life over the years.  I've moved from the Central Valley, down to Santa Barbara and then way up to San Francisco.  I've gained and lost numerous friends, fallen in love (twice) and even got into a couple of car accidents.  All of these experiences have changed how I live my life or how I view others.  My tastes have changed as well.  I now have a much broader appreciation for films, books, music and, not surprisingly, my family.  I've heard that the only constant in life is change.  In my experience this seems about right.  Although, there is one thing that has never changed -- something I can't imagine ever changing:  my love for certain videogames.

My favorite game, which has been mentioned several times on this site, is over a decade old.  It came out on the Nintendo 64, a system with the most awkward controller and a catalog of games that comes up short when compared with its main competitor, the PlayStation 2.  Countless other games have come out on about a dozen home consoles and hand helds, but few have earned the right to be compared with that one N64 title.  At least, according to me.  The Halo series has now become a blockbuster franchise with near-perfect multi-player capabilities.  Super Mario Galaxy has redefined the platformer genre.  World of Warcraft has over 12 million people willing to pay a monthly fee in order to give up their own lives and play a game.  I wonder how many people who have played these games will name a classic throw-back title as their favorite, and possibly as the best, game of all time.  Do these titles always rest on pedestals while we maintain some kind of grand illusion about them?  Would our favorite games be worth going back to after so much time has passed?  Would they stand the test of time or fall by the wayside along with other, outdated games?

 At one time this was the pinnacle of technology in our civilization.

There are some who can call a game "great" simply because of the nostalgia it brings.  Memories of a time without paper work or dead lines.  This may be enough of a reason to play a game, but certainly not enough to judge whether or not a game is great.  I loved playing Pokemon Snap with a group of friends a couple years ago, but I know I would never play that game alone.  Not again.  We see this type of thing happen all the time.  We're probably all guilty of hearkening back to the good ol' days about something or other.  You can barely turn on the news without hearing how things have gotten so much worse over time.  Well, this is actually the best time to be alive since the beginning of time.  So grats on that.  Even with videogames, technology is racing forward.  Have you seen the Kinect hack videos?  They're amazing.  Think of the possibilities.  I get excited every time I think about the future of gaming.  I don't know what's next, but I know I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for it.

Now, with all these new fangled doohickeys coming out from the woodworks, I'd still be shocked if any of them replaced my favorite game.  Let me remind you at this point that it came out on the Nintendo 64.  Others my age, or older, have favorites from the original Nintendo Entertainment System.  What does it say about all the new hardware if they can't compete with games that came out before 3D was even an option?  I try to judge the game based on it's own merit.  When I look back, I don't focus on the good memories of my family watching me progress through each area; I look at the story, the difficulty and the gameplay.  I should try to be as objective as possible.  We all should when discussing the quality of any title.  But here's the real question, if we're so sure that nothing will compare with our old favorites, why play new games at all?  Why not just keep playing those top classics and be content appreciating the quality of an age long since passed?

And the crowd goes silent as I go for my 10,000th straight win...

I'm willing to bet that we always hope the next game will be our new favorite.  No one gets into a game with the thought of how terrible it'll turn out.  People want to be entertained.  Whether that's by some old favorite from childhood or the newest game to hit the shelves I don't think people care.  Every time I pick up a Zelda title, I want it to be better than Ocarina of Time.  I want that experience of playing a game I know is amazing from start to finish.  I want another game I would judge with a perfect score.  I hope that the games of tomorrow surpass those of yesteryear, but, knowing that the majority of games are average and good only for a week-long rental, I don't have any expectations, just memories.

Giving Thanks to Gaming

Soon, one of the most fattening days of the year will be upon us.  Thanksgiving is usually seen as a time to be grateful for what we have, who we have in our lives, and what we're lucky enough to do with our lives.  This is done by eating a giant meal with our families and loved ones and maybe saying a word of thanks before digging in.  Some families have traditions for this day: to go around the table and give thanks, the father cutting into the turkey, watching hours of football with an unbuckled belt.  Whatever your personal tradition, Super Dope Gaming hopes you each have a lovely Thanksgiving, full of joy and laughter.  For those gamers out there, more concerned with getting to the next level than with what part of the bird you get to eat, here is a selection of games that you should not only be thankful for, but also ones that you can share with others.

1. MarioKart Wii

The game that keeps on giving, even after all the courses have been memorized and you've become a pro at drifting.  No, not with DLC; MarioKart Wii allows for a rewarding experience through 32 tracks, half of which are taken from previous MarioKart games and updated; split screen multiplayer, competitive online matches, a leader board, fun and exciting items, and more characters to play as than ever.  This game, like it's predecessors, is most enjoyed when playing with friends -- just make sure they know what they're doing first, racing against beginners is never fun -- and having several hours devoted to finding out who's the better kart driver.  The courses aren't too challenging, which means more people can get in on the action, but some of the most difficult challenges come from catching up to your friend after a blue shell.  This game is always a fun time with a small group and works best when people just want to have fun and forget the serious nature of other games.

2. World of Warcraft

I know, I know, it's an MMO and a lot of people don't have it or don't want to pay the $15 a month subscription fee.  I don't blame you.  But what could be better than getting a group of your friends online and setting up a PvP raid against the Alliance?  It's been a long time since I played WoW (it was back before the first expansion) but the best memories I have of my 60+ days of play time are the ones where I took a trip to Ironforge and sneaked around, ganking low-level noobs.  I was cruel.  Of course, there have been battle grounds for a long time, places where there can be a point to the pointless slaughtering of others, but the best situation is going to the lowest leveled, contested area and griefing the rival faction with your friends, hopefully there with you at a LAN party.  Ah, memories.

3. Super Smash Brothers Brawl

Another Wii game, but deservedly on this list.  Not too many people can keep up with the fast pacing of Melee, and there are some who won't go near the clunky, unbalanced mess that is the original Smash Brothers, so that leaves the latest iteration of the series.  This game has pissed off "hardcore" fighter fans since it came out, but does much to improve on accepted greatness.  Brawl offers a roster of 35 characters and 41 stages, which is more than enough to add the required depth for more serious players and a great way to bring in people whose favorite characters may not have been in the games before.  The game offers a Co-op mode, the subspace emissary, which is a pretty big let-down, really, but the game shines when it's a group of four going at it on random stages.  You can make it more competitive by getting rid of items and, if you're playing against someone without much experience, you can add a handicap to make it easier.  If you want crazy fun, create your own stage with lots of traps and spikes, then turn on items to very high and watch as sh*t hits the fan.

4. Secret of Mana

An oldie but a goodie.  If you want retro fun with a great game, then look no further than this classic gem.  Secret of Mana allows for two or three (with a multitap) people to play in what is usually a single-player genre.  This SNES game does what most RPGs now don't even do: have each person control a member of your party.  It's perfect and I don't know why it doesn't happen in each party-gathering RPG.  Taking down run-of-the-mill baddies to a giant moth-thing and then a giant bat-thing with your friends instills a great feeling of accomplishment in each person.  Leveling-up is also a feel-good experience during which you can be cheered on by your friends for now being able to kill enemies in a single hit, or be berated for having chosen the cleric.  Clerics are lame.  The game loses a few points for having only three characters, but gains it all back and more in the stellar gameplay.

5. The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures

This game is both the longest-titled on the list and my personal favorite.  It holds a special place in my heart because A Link to the Past is one of my favorite games (Ocarina of Time is still better) and I have great memories with my friends.  The story is different, but the visuals and the dungeons are taken frame-by-frame from the SNES version.  It's hands-down the most difficult to arrange with your friends since, in addition to the game, you need four Game Boy Advances or SPs, and also a connector cord for each to plug into the Gamecube.  These are not easy to come by, but once it happens, it's a thing of magic.  Top-down, multi-player Zelda action.  My friends and I have taken a weekend off just to take the time to get through the game.  There isn't a lot of difficulty for fans of the Zelda series, but there is a ton of carnage.  Each player can hold an item (some of which can be upgraded) and use that item to attack other players.  You got bombs? Blow up your friends.  A Roc's feather? Jump up and slam them.  A hammer?  You know what to do.  Then, at the end of each level, you can vote for the best and worst "hero" to further honor or denounce your friends.  I would still love to play this game, but my God, are those connector cables a b*tch to find... and three other gamer friends.

Time for Something Completely Different

I can't tell you why people play videogames, merely offer suggestions.  Maybe it has something to do with escapism, the need to have something out of the ordinary -- a distraction -- in our routine lives.  Maybe it's a way to find a few hours of entertainment not found in other forms such as reading a book, watching a movie or even playing a board game.  To some, perhaps they are nothing more than a way to kill time.  The reason I take the time out of most of my days to sit and play a game is that I want a unique experience.  I want something that makes me look back fondly on my time with that game.  There are not many games that achieve this.  I don't mean to say there are only a few good games in the world, but rather to offer the question: how many games have you played that made you feel good about yourself?  I imagine not too many.

I aim, more directly, to question the feelings inspired through videogames.  There are games that can shock and others that can impress, but what games are there that make you feel at peace?  Serenity is not a common goal of game developers.  People usually want action and excitement, coupled with blood and gore, to make them feel more than human.  Things presented in videogames are almost never things found in reality.  Is that true also for what the videogames inspire in us?  Surely you can be proud of your life's achievements just as easily as you can of your gaming achievements.  I also have no doubt that a game can create feelings of love within the player or feelings of hate.  Are these feelings different because they're triggered by a world of fantasy?  What is your own perception of life if not a fantasy?  Videogames can imbue us with feelings that are perhaps more real to some than their actual lives.  But back to the feeling in which I am most interested: peace.  I don't know of many games that can be considered peaceful or even calming.  Flower comes to mind, but only the first half, and also an old Flash game called Boomshine, which involves some strategy and possibly frustration.  I obviously don't know of every game, but I would indeed be shocked if there was such a game that could bring about acceptance and peacefulness.

Videogames are inherently active.  You can't have a game where the point is to be at peace.  There is no game that doesn't require some amount of action, even if that action is balancing on a small piece of plastic, as in the "meditation" minigame of Wii Fit Plus.  Even if such a game existed, I'm not sure if it would then fit the definition of a "videogame."  There are games that simulate life.  Games like Second Life, EVE Online (for a futuristic lifestyle), or even games like The Sims can open up worlds with no set objectives or stories that drive the player to some end-goal.  These games are marvelous steps for gaming in a direction not usually treaded by other developers.  Players seem to care about their characters or online jobs more than they care about other people in the real world.  But then again, who defines what's real?

The act, if one can call it such, of being at peace is not possible in videogames and, commonly, not an option for people in their lives.  Serenity is possibly not an option for people who do anything other than attempt to gain a grand sense of acceptance and tranquility.  It may be unfair for me to hope for that feeling to come from videogames.  I think I feel the most calm or peaceful when I'm sitting comfortably, reading for personal enjoyment and accompanied only by silence.  It's a wonderful feeling to have nothing to do other than taking the time to enjoy yourself.  I have heard happiness defined as "the state of wanting nothing," but I'm not sure whether I agree.  There are times when I want to do nothing, times when I want nothing. Those are not times when I feel happy, but lethargic and bored.  Videogames are able to influence a person's life; I would argue much in the same way a novel or film could also influence someone.  Can these mediums cause a person to be happy?  Is there a game that allows people to want nothing?  I'm not sure that can ever be the case.  One must find certain things in life and nowhere else.  I would suggest "peace" as one of those things.

Duty Calls

Apparently, the Call of Duty franchise has been around for quite a while.  This latest addition, Black Ops, is a grand testament to the series’ strength and the knowledge gained through years of experience developing First Person Shooters.  I’ve only played one other Call of Duty and that was years ago.  It’s not much to say that this game is a marked improvement over my previous experience.  Although, this is a beast of a game.  There were times when my laptop slowed because it couldn’t take all the action.  This is the only game for which that’s ever happened.  To be fair, I don’t exactly have the highest end, gaming laptop.  I own a Dell.

Anyway, Call of Duty: Black Ops tells the story of “Mason,” a CIA covert agent who gets assigned to kill people – in order to protect America, of course – throughout the world and its various wars.  As you probably have heard, there is a little hiccup over someone famous getting shot during the game.  I don’t care about it and, I think the level headed will agree with me when I say, people need to understand it’s just a game.  There are worse things, more gruesome kills at least, that happen to a number of other individuals.  The gameplay actually occurs when Mason is recalling his past actions to a group of silhouetted men who are torturing him to get answers.  You’ll have to play through the game to find out what exactly those answers are and how they lead Mason to his current situation.  I say the gameplay “occurs” because I couldn’t help but feel as if I was watching a movie during most of the game.  There are in game “cinematics” that involve you in some way, but never more than slowly approach this person and take him out from behind.  Most often, it’s a simple one button press and the game then takes over.  It’s less than a quick-time event, but the game is clearly not trying to make them challenging, rather, I’m sure the purpose is to make it all feel like one is in the middle of a Hollywood Blockbuster.  For my own part, I appreciated the effort to make the game more than a common FPS.  The cinematic feel of the game lasts through its entirety and it’s enough to separate the game from other, dime a dozen shooters.

This f**king guy...

As I implied earlier, the visuals are incredible.  I was impressed every time I looked at the sky, saw countless bullets flying by, or watched as I blew up what looked like an experimental rocket ship.  Any sound other than explosions or gunfire was a little hard to hear and, to be honest, I didn’t even pay attention to it sometimes because all I wanted to do was find cover and kill more Russians.  This game is intense.  I died so many times just while playing it on “regular” difficulty that the option to “lower difficulty” on the menu screen just seemed to taunt me.  I don’t know if that’s a theme with other Call of Duty games or if I just wasn’t used to the way the game plays out, but I was very happy with the game’s take on such arduous tasks.  Mason isn’t a super hero or some cybernetically enhanced marine and you can tell you’ll need to find cover every step of the way if you’re not a hardcore FPS fan.  It makes the game less appealing and harder to approach for the general population of the gamer community, but I’m sure most gamers know what to expect from a game like this long before they ever pick it up.

In the end, for the gamers who don’t feel the need to own a dozen different shooters, Black Ops isn’t too different from previous games of this type.  Mason’s story of a forgetful CIA killer is a nice touch and I’m happy to have this game as an addition to a genre which isn’t known for its cerebral qualities. Also, as expected, the game supports online multiplayer, which I don’t feel the need to discuss because Modern Warfare 2 set the bar pretty high and Black Ops does much in the same way.  There is also a mode simply dubbed, “Zombies,” which has you doing what you can to survive a wave of, you guessed it, Zombies.  This is not a mode that’s needed to make the game better, but it is a lot of fun and a welcome extra.  You won’t get anything too new with this game, but you will have a great time trying to figure out what’s exactly going on and trying to kill a seemingly endless hoard of enemies.

4.5/5 Near Perfect Score! Almost Super Dope!

Gameism: The Doctrine of Judging Others Based on Their Gaming Practices

How often have you basked in the all-encompassing, reflected light from a new gaming disc?  To whom do you listen during such great, historical events such as E3 or the GDC?  What are the games in which you are most interested?  Forget those questions for now; they don't matter.  What does matter is how what you do -- how you act -- reflects on you.  If I go around punching children and stealing from blind people, chances are I am not a good person.  If I have a gaming blog and look forward to reading other gaming blogs, I would say it's a safe bet I also play videogames.  Maybe something just as likely is that spend large amounts of time playing these games and forgo anything else.  This is all fine and good, but what about the types of games you buy?  Well, that probably says something about you too.  How about the consoles?  Do you think each console defines who that gamer is?  I hope not.  Don't be a Gameist.

One day, I will punch these children.

Let's begin with real life in a generic sense: type of console.  I have a Wii.  I do not have an Xbox 360 nor a PS3.  Since I have a Wii, maybe you can assume I'm a casual gamer and that I love playing games like Wii Sports or Farmville.  Or that I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to gaming since anyone who owns a Wii is either 73 or 7. If you think these things, you are one of the flawed Gameists.  Similar to Sexists and not as traditional as Racists, Gameists have their own preconceived stereotypes for different kinds of gamers.  For my own sake, I hate games like Farmville.  I could never stand to play any Facebook game and I only play Wii Sports after being dragged into it by the actual casual gamers.  I have Team Fortress 2 and Mass Effect 2 on my PC hard drive.  I love those games.  But there are some people out there who willingly accept Wii gamers as childish and it's almost to the point of defining them as not actually gamers.  Personally, I have not been a victim of this prejudice, but the victims are out there.  Do what you can to help the less fortunate.

When it comes to the PS3, you may guess these gamers are skinny Asians -- or people who wish they were skinny Asians -- who spend most of their time playing expansive and vastly time consuming JRPGs like the Final Fantasy series.  And, of course, these people always have some new JPOP going in the background, right?  Well Think Again!  I have friends who own a PS3; one is white, one is Jewish and another is Mexican.  None of them take more pleasure in Japan than is appropriate.  What is wrong in the minds of these Gameists that such prejudices exist?  Do they just listen to the representatives of the products they own and never hear anything from the other sides of the aisle?  Are these people set on categorizing everyone into these narrow stereotypes that limit other gamers?  It seems like it sometimes, it seems like it indeed.

 One of these people own a PS3, the other owns a Wii.  You Decide.

And what about the Xbox 360 owners?  Are they all shooter-obsessed bros, who buy cases of "amp" and insist every time they die is a lucky shot?  Does each Xbox 360 gamer yell into their headset, swearing and hypothesizing about another's sexual orientation?  Well...  Well, Okay, some are more true than others, but you get the idea.  What console one owns does not, for the most part, determine what kind of a person one is.  But those damn Gameists and their Gameism.  How do they think they can lump so many people together and make them faceless embodiments of a specific type of gamer?  Let the gamer community unite under one flag and realize that, even though we are all different on the outside, we are all the same on the inside.  Every gamer is a gamer because of their love for videogames.  Let us extend that love to one another and Stop this senseless Gameism.  Is this the dream of which Dr. King spoke?  Is this what the honored Veterans have fought and died for?  I can honestly tell you, without a doubt in my mind, that answer is no.  Thank you, everyone, and don't forget to do what's best for the gaming community.

Non-Violent Does Not Mean Non-Good

For those of you who don't know, which I'm sure is not many of you, the Supreme Court -- like really, the Supreme Court -- has been hearing arguments on violent video games.  Strangely, this case started in California, one of the most liberal, free-thinking states out there.  Think about it.  Where do you go if you want to escape being persecuted for your crazy-ass lifestyle?  California.  More specifically, maybe San Francisco.  That's the reputation we have at least.  Anyway, I am more than confident this case will come out with gaming on top.  The courts have always sided with free speech, so if they started censorship with videogames, it wouldn't make much (any) sense.  With that being said, I am not here to talk about violence in videogames.  That's been done.  I am here to talk about games that don't have violence at all.  Games that have a protagonist, in some form to be sure since someone must be controlling something, but do not seem to have any antagonist.

Now, truthfully, an argument can be made for a protagonist and antagonist in every game.  Tetris: the player vs. whoever sends you down blocks; Flower: nature vs. pollution/industrialization; Sim City: the city vs. the world.  There are games that are more directly concerned with the hero defeating the villain, but, as you can see, there are also games that feature conceptual enemies.  Games where you may even hesitate to call them enemies.  Would it be a bad idea to have more games like these?  These games are more than one person defeating several armies worth of minions; they force you to attempt to understand something more complex than "bullet goes into head, I win."  Ok, maybe not Tetris.  That one is in a whole other genre with games that are more puzzles than anything else, like Peggle or Monopoly.  I would venture to say that these are all great games.  You may balk at Monopoly, but how many times have you played it?  How many years has it been around?  The answer to both of those question is "a sh*tload."

This is so exciting! I LOVE games without any action!

I would like to see more of these games.  Games like World of Goo, Braid, or flOw should fill the stores, both real and online.  I've gotten tired of games where I can mindlessly defeat mindless hordes of poor-operating AI.  Sure they can still be fun, but less often intriguing and rarely original.  Maybe that's because I am not an FPS gamer.  I prefer games like Mario or Zelda to Halo or Call of Duty.  "Adventure" just has a much nicer ring to it than "First Person Shooter."  I own a Wii, but I do not own The Conduit and I will not own Conduit 2.  There is no appeal for me in these games.  Surely, those shooters are the only kinds of games that would be under scrutiny if videogames lose the aforementioned case.  I guess my gaming tastes would still be satisfied if this happens, despite my moral outrage.  Good-ish news for me then.

Everyone else who has different views than me, however, will still be at a loss, right?  Not necessarily.  Perhaps this would give them the perfect chance to broaden their gaming experiences.  I know two people who live together and both have Xbox360s; between them, there is not one non-FPS title.  This disgusts me.  I cannot go to their house and watch them play anything because it's all the same, whether they're shooting aliens or terrorists.  If you absolutely refuse to acknowledge that these games are too similar, think about the controller set-up.  Is the right trigger always shoot?  Is A always action and B always melee attack?  It's the standard control scheme now in place for most shooters.  One could seamlessly switch between several games and not lose a step.  But to go from Flower to Sim City or from Peggle to Minecraft?  Who will see any connection between those games?  As a side note, Minecraft can be switched to "peaceful" if you just want to build without any annoying enemies sneaking up on you in the dark.  Maybe it's not possible anymore to have such variation in FPS games.

Oh Man! This game is WAY better than that other, generic shooter we just beat!

The point here, if you haven't picked up on it already, is that you don't need violence to make a game good.  You don't even need to have a strong antagonist.  If the title has innovative gameplay, addicting mechanics, and/or a fascinating experience, that's more than enough to make an enjoyable game.  People who can't get enough of gunning down endless enemies should be aware that there are other games, most of which are rare gems in the gaming universe.  It's not often one will find something like Flower or Minecraft, but it seems games like Halo have become a dime a dozen.  Whether that's something that needs to change in game developers or something in the gaming community, I cannot say.

The Fun of Creation Block by Block

People sometimes ask me how I stay so relevant to the gaming industry and the community itself.  The simple answer is that I do not.  I, as well as all my writers, have so, so much to do.  Some of us have things we cannot avoid -- Julian Horan, for instance, lost his computer to a rampaging virus, most likely from, let's be honest, all the porn.  Others have time consuming activities to do during the day, which I believe are called "jobs."  And still there are some who attend school in hopes to, one day, find one of these unheard of jobs and life comfortably for the rest of the foreseeable future.  Now besides all of these incredibly reasonable excuses, there are also ones like having spent too much time in search of diamond to build a pickax, in order to mine obsidian, in order to build a blast wall that can withstand large explosions.  There is a chance I have used that last one.

For those of you who do not know by now, Minecraft is an amazing time waster that gets more addicting the more you play.  I personally held off on buying the game, despite all the acclaim and the low price of $15, because I am not a creative person.  Suuuure... I can write about videogames and other such things for which I have a wealth of knowledge, but if you put a pen and paper in my hands and tell me to draw someone, it will be a stick figure with not-quite-circular eyes.  If you want me to play you a piece by Mozart, expect to hear something along the lines of several car alarms going off at once.  So you can understand my resistance to play something which relies heavily on your ability to create.  But, from here on out, I will cease to describe Minecraft to you and simply relate my experience.  This is because merely explaining what the game is about does not do it justice: mine things, craft those things to mine new things, build.  There is no story, there is no point.  Just build.

And build, and build, and build.

Before I got into the game, I decided to check out some videos on YouTube, while my girlfriend was beside me falling asleep, of all the amazing things people have done that I could possibly, theoretically, steal.  After understanding my inadequacy better, I looked for what normal people would do.  I mean, really, you build a base to escape monsters during the night, build a better base, build a house, build a better house, then build whatever you want, one block at a time.  Sounds repetitive and complicated.  I don't know how to build a house.   Then something amazing happened:  my girlfriend and I both became enthralled.  We kept wanting to see what people would build, how they would get materials, where in this MASSIVE (trust me, it warrants all caps) world they would explore.  It actually ended up with her buying the game and us having a combined world, in which there is a glass house on the top, one block of a mountain, a black house with a "lava-fall" near the highest point of the sky, and seemingly endless caves which my girlfriend loves to explore.

Goddammit I refuse to lose my sh*t again!

For the first, oh, dozen hours or so, I was clearing away a giant area in order to make a farm.  Soon, I realized animals would actually disappear after a while, even if I ever managed to get them inside the fences.  So, back I went to the caves beneath my base.  I have four large chests, after owning the game for about a week, all filled with rock and dirt; another filled with sand and coal, and one more filled with random things like flint, glass, animal products, etc.  Only within the past day or two have I started to build.  It's disgusting how much time I've spent mining for minerals and smelting them.  Which, to be fair, is still far less than others who have apparently dedicated their lives to the game.  Often have I died and lost everything in my inventory (once, that included diamonds), but have always remade everything and returned to the lava pit or to where those damn skeletons and their arrows killed me.  This is all in single-player mode, mind you.  If you get the IP address of a server, you can go online and see what others have built and/or grief them.  I advise everyone to fork over the money (or get your girlfriend to) and experience this game for yourself.  It can still get boring and you may lose interest, but I'm sure you'll get your money's worth.

4/5 Near Perfect Score! Super Good!

Video Game Voyeurism

Do you like to watch? I do.  I’m always happy to watch people going at it, trying to finish, get all those good feelings that come during and after.  Sometimes it’s even better than being personally involved.  And always much easier.  If you’re like me, then you know how good it feels to sit back, relax and enjoy watching other people play some videogames.  Maybe it’s just me, but there are some games that I like to watch more than I like to play.  Some games just aren’t my forte, but are definitely fun to passively experience (watch).  Does that make me less of a gamer or more of one?  I don’t know how many people out there have the same amount of love I have for video games or if anyone else enjoys them on as many levels as I do, but this is one of the ways I would like to share.

To start, let’s talk about “let’s play” videos on YouTube.  For those of you unaware of this phenomenon, it’s a small group of people who record themselves playing videogames and supply commentary.  Whether they play games already beaten or play a “blind” playthrough is up to them, but it’s almost always entertaining, save the user who is sometimes annoying.  That’s a win-lose situation, though, since the commentary is sometimes the best part about watching these videos.  Now I’ll be honest, I’ve watched several games from beginning to end in this way: Super Mario Sunshine, My Life as a Dark Lord, and *ahem* God of War 3.   Of course, it’s not the same experience as playing them yourself, but you get the story, see the gameplay and even feel confident enough to talk about the game as if you actually played it.

 Having never played this game, I remain confident about how I feel towards it.

What does it say about the people that take the time to watch these videos?  With YouTube video limits, one must watch these games in 10 minute segments, often with an introduction and conclusion to each one.  I cannot tell you how much I hate the phrase “welcome back folks” now that I’ve heard well over 100 times in a single day thanks to one user.  If you’re not into watching and would rather get the full experience of the game by playing it yourself, then that makes perfect sense to me and, for most games, I feel the same way.  But there are systems that a lot of people don’t have, with games on them some would love to play, and these videos allow a great luxury.  For a more functional use, they provide a way to see if you’d like to buy a game.  If reviews aren’t enough (you bastard) then you can always check out gameplay videos through the “let’s play” users.  This is probably the most depressing way to spend one’s time online, but it’s definitely a time killer and it definitely makes me want to keep watching.

As for the more personable, friendly way to watch games – someone playing next to you on the couch – it’s much more akin to playing the game yourself.  You can talk to your friend and help solve the game’s puzzles.  If you’ve already beaten the game, you can give your own commentary to the current player and help guide them through.  The downside to this, however, is that the person playing may be terrible.  With YouTube, you can always skip ahead and find a part you’d rather watch, but with people on your couch, you better be ready for some awful gaming skills.  I can tell you from experience that you should never allow your girlfriend to “try out” a game in order to have something in common with you.  That’s just a cute spin on hours of frustration.

"Honey all you have to do is c.mk cancel to hp hadouken supercancel into hp super.  I don't know why you can't get it"

Then there are those games that just aren’t worth the total time it takes to play them.  Games that can be watched out of the sheer entertainment, but should probably never be played.  Often, when games have bad gameplay, it comes off even in the videos through YouTube.  I have laughed hysterically for a number of videos on account of the poor game design and, on occasion, because of the commentators themselves.  Other games must be watched with someone playing it next to you if they are to be tolerated.  The Pokemon games come to mind.  Who would really want to watch a video of someone level-up from zero without anyone to talk to?  You may think that people who watch “let’s play” videos have so little to do that it makes them sad to think about.  Well don’t tell me that, I don’t want to think about it.  I enjoy watching games be played, especially games that I can’t play myself for some reason (e.g. cost, not having the right system, laziness, etc.), and I enjoy watching games and contributing to the player so, in a way, we’re playing together – and that’s when things really get hot.

Value: What the Hell is That?

What factors go into one’s purchase in a videogame? Perhaps more generally, this question can be applied to any type of entertainment product that one would purchase: dvd purchases, cds. If this holds true, then there is an innumerable amount of journal articles, and well-informed research amongst a plethora of other academic material that regards this subject. But I’m going to tackle this subject anyway.

What makes a game worth purchasing? What makes something a “rental” instead of a “must-buy”? Our dear reader, may already be aware of what makes a title worthy of a purchase to them… However, in talking to Mr. Gregory Allen today, I could not (nor could he) pinpoint what makes a title worth buying to people. Logically, I have decided to chalk up our inability to articulate our thoughts as assured variability in one‘s purchasing decisions. Thus, this article was born.

As a disclaimer, I’m sure that even any resident frat-tastic business major would be able to tell you all about purchasing factors in their Buying Stuff 101 class. However, because I’m ignorant, not willing to do research to back up the ensuing discourse, and overall prideful in my non-broity, I will instead put forth this article of jumbled opinions in what will hopefully and craftily disguise itself as well-thought purchasing theory. Let us go forth:

This guy knows what I'm talkin' about.

The title that directly inspired this discussion with Mr. Allen was the recent Wii release of NBA Jam. Upon discovering that this homage to the mid-1990s had been recently released, I inquired to the good deity, Mr. Allen, about how much he figured the title to be worth. Allen played coy, and said he was unsure of the retail price -- a modest and humble action such as to not make me self-conscious of my merely terrestrial intelligence.

With a quick click or two on sites more established and respected than this here blog, I found that this Wii title would be retailing at the standard new release price of $49.99. “Oh, that’s not worth it.” I remarked. Allen, once again ignoring his omniscient abilities, asked me why this was so. I quickly ruminated (read: immediately made stuff up) about how the game didn’t have enough modes, wasn’t as deep a game as a title I would be willing to pay $50 for, and that it was just ripping off a game from 15 years earlier.

Now whether this holds true for NBA Jam is immaterial as I have no vested interest or bias against that title and it merely served as a jumping off of sorts into the realm of purchasing factors to a consumer. Regardless, all of my baseless attacks on the well-received title [an 82 on metacritic] was hinting at the well-accepted adage that the title in question would not warrant a purchase because I would not play it enough. As I remarked to Sir Gregory Allen (knighted on September, 11th, 2001 -- confusingly lost in the headlines of that day), I had pondered about possibly buying this title as I could envision myself enjoying this game at a party while under the influence. Under the influence of the responsible narcotics such as methamphetamine, heroin, and unadulterated cocaine.

Smack, Crank, and Fun Videogaming: These three all go hand in hand.

So far, I have managed to successfully imply two ideas in this post of mock dissertation: a game’s value is a function of time played and that I merely use drugs on a recreational and social basis -- and nothing more. Surely, I would be inclined to agree with time played as one of the more important factors in determining a game’s worth. But like most well-written scholarly articles, I will now attempt to undermine that sentiment and everything else I had previous established in the remaining lesser half of this post.

People who trade games most usually have not played the title much, if at all or have already beaten or completed the game. Ignoring the well-intentioned and possible third alternative of one trading in their games in order to secure more cash in order to furnish their meth habit to enjoy the next round of NBA Jam at an upcoming party -- both of these cases exemplify the player having no further intention of playing their former titles. Thus, no further time played brings them no value. Yet, most gamers have a collection of games that they keep even after reaching their expectancy of no longer playing said game. One does not trade in all or even most of their games once they have been played to their fullest extent -- whatever that may be at the players’ discretion. What is it that compels a person to hoard a disc that would better serve the consumer by trading it in at its highest market value rather than allowing it to become a playground of dead human skin, plant pollen, and textile fibers? I would argue that the reason that games that make the leap from smack fund to attic afterthought is enjoyment.

Value of a game is a function of enjoyment derived by the consumer. Furthermore, one who enjoys their game is likely to spend a higher amount of time with said title. Thus, the enjoyment model accounts for the apparent truism of more time played equals more value to the consumer. Additionally, the enjoyment school of thought provides an explanation for the exceptions of titles that are rarely played but maximally enjoyed (determined to be worthy of purchase by ‘Joy Theory‘ yet not by “Time is Money Philosophy“). Here are two complementary examples provided by my Nintendo and sports game-laden gaming career:

On the day of Mario Kart’s release, people that use me due to my fervent interest in all things videogames and anti-diabetes [read: friends] visited my residence (which I honorably shared with the celestial Gregor(y) Allen Poe) and proceeded to game for the next 8 hours. Although known for my inability to be joyous and uncanny mastership to become irritable with all persons even remotely affiliated to me, I had fun. This day in itself made the purchase of Mario Kart Wii worthwhile to me even if I had not played the game as much afterwards (admittedly that was not the case).

On the other end of the spectrum, NCAA Football 2004 was probably the game I spent the 2nd or 3rd most playing time in my life -- logging in 180 hours worth of transforming UCLA, Ball State, and Army into inexorable juggernauts. These programs played with the same kind of force and fury that choo-choo trains do when they meet unsuspecting hobos sleeping on railroad tracks. I would argue that this game was beloved to me not because of the amount of time that I poured into the game, but because of the enjoyment it poured into my life. The countless championship seasons, the 4-star recruit of DaMarcus Washington who perplexingly joined my Ball State program coming off a winless season (it was my first off-season with them -- there‘s no way I‘d lead a team to that kind of futility), down to one of the more sincerely cherished moments of my life -- my late Uncle cheering on my 2-loss UCLA team to a near-senseless comeback against the Miami Hurricanes for the National Championship in the Rose Bowl, exacting virtual revenge for us Bruin fans to the real life nightmare of December 5th, 1998.

How many hobos do you think Thomas the Train has viciously steamrolled throughout his choo-choo train career?

If you, dear reader, reject these two counterexamples then perhaps the two dimensions of time-value and enjoyment-value may prove to be inextricable. Maybe one can vouch for other factors. Brand Loyalty is the basis for my Metroid: Other M purchase and I derive value from it although I did not play it as much (and arguably not enjoy it as much) as most of my other $50 titles. Still, I value the title because it a part of my Metroid collection. Others may buy games out of social pressure because they are hollow, insecure people. These adolescents/failures of adults need to buy Medal of Honor or they risk ostracizing their self from their fellow poser compatriots. Value can perhaps also appreciate over time by means of discovering common games that one’s friends have played. This phenomenon of value is usually at its peak when the group blissfully basks in a gluttony of nostalgia and groupthink, adamantly agreeing that the game is tragically underappreciated.

Alas, I have run out of time and will leave that last concluding paragraph woefully underdeveloped. My dues have been paid and I’m off to go have hot wings with a friend. Maybe you’ll hear from me again -- maybe not. But I do leave you with this:

Don’t buy NBA Jam. Drugs are expensive enough.

Video Games Made Me Do It

By now, we've all heard about the latest crime that has some connection to videogames. We, as a community of gamers, all have our own opinions on violent games. There are questions every gamer should ask themselves: does realistic violence make a game better? Should there be any limit to the violence in games? Does the violence in games affect anyone in real life? These questions are not easy. One must take into account various games and even companies that seem to pride themselves on being violent. More than that, what about those of us who play games and sometimes think to ourselves, "this game would be a lot cooler if i could kill these people"?

I'm not about to start a holy war against violent videogames (after all, my favorite one ends with the hero stabbing someone in the face). Nor am I going to assault the companies that create these games or the gamers who love them. People with a sane and sensible mind know that each person's actions are their own. Some things are just that obvious. Can any game legitimately be called a "murder simulator" for real life? Of course not. No more than Monopoly being able to be called a "business simulator". Will that stop people from claiming such absurdities? Of course not. What's important is that we all see games for what they are at their core: entertainment.

That may sound like I'm lowering the very essence of gaming down to the depths of reality television, but I assure you it's quite the opposite. Like many other gamers, I feel there is no reason not to put games into the same category as "art". But there is no game whose purpose is "to be art". Games are meant to affect us in some way and usually meant to be enjoyed. Same thing can be said with cinema and, frankly, most of what's considered art. This is a slight digression, but I want to be clear: Video games can no more inspire these horrific acts of violence than cinema, literature, or even paintings. Was anyone murdered after watching Leon The Professional? Did anyone go insane after reading Poe? Does anyone dream of what haunts the person in Edvard Munch's "Scream"? Should having a bad diet also be reason enough to commit murder?

The gaming community is not a group to be generalized on account of the few people who commit violent crimes and also play videogames. I often use the word community when referring to gamers as a group because... well, that's just the best word to describe us. Anyone who's ever been to a LAN party -- hell, anyone who's ever even played multiplayer (on the couch or online) can see why the word "community" is especially fitting. We gamers play well together. It's to the point now where even the lack of co-op or online play makes the game's overall score worse. Gaming is getting more and more mainstream, and the community expects developers to know we have friends, and we want to play some videogames with them. Personally, I even thoroughly enjoy watching other people play. I know when I invite some pretty ladies over for a game of Mariokart, I want them to have fun. I, like the designers of these games, want the people who play them to enjoy the experience.

There is no question as to whether or not videogames can influence people. This blog and countless others are testaments to that. If games had zero influence, there wouldn't be anyone trying to get into the videogame industry. No designers, no programmers, no critics. I'd be out of luck. Will people be more likely to break the law if exposed to violent games? I would whole-heartedly say No. Almost every game has a protagonist fighting against the antagonist (Tetris just squeaks by on that), and most games in general have someone or something dying (getting killed) or have the protagonist finding items lying around, often in someone's house, which means that they're stealing from helpless NPC innocents. If games made the morals of gamers fall away, then, with the gaming community as large as it is, I'm shocked more and more people aren't becoming vigilantes. ...Oh. Shit. Nevermind.

Flower

There are few things in this world that are worse than going to bed frustrated over a video game, such as cancerAIDS. I’m sure many of you know what I am talking about. That one impossibly difficult boss who smites you one second after you spawn. That door that requires a key you searched everywhere for but still cannot find it for the life of you. Or maybe just getting humiliatingly reamed without mercy in a versus match of Left 4 Dead, Brawl, Counterstrike, Mario Kart, or what have you.

YOU'RE TEARING ME APART, BLUE SHELL!

You begin to obsess over these obstacles and how much of your precious time you have dedicated to everything that it just seems to be a complete waste. You’re a failure. You suck at life. You suck at taking care of your dog that just starved to death because you forgot to feed it. Well, hopefully not that last one. If you don’t understand what I’m talking about, you’re just too damn proud to admit it. Jerk.

These trials and tribulations are also what make a majority of video games so enjoyable. It can provide that feeling of relief like after finishing a ridiculously hard final exam; once it’s done you never have to deal with it ever again.

Knowing this, imagine a game developer talking to a big gaming executive as he tries to pitch a game that has little to no migraine inducing hardships, and which is not specifically geared towards kids. And it’s centered around botany:

Exec: “Lemme get this straight. You’re a flower petal…”

Guy: “Yes.”

Exec: “Okay. And your goal is to float around collecting other flower petals…”

Guy: “Right.”

Exec: “Is there a time limit or anything?”

Guy: “No, you go at your own pace.”

Exec: “Any characters? Story arcs? Boss fights?”

Guy: “Not really, kinda, and no. You just kind of float around collecting petals.”

Exec: “Float around collecting petals…”

Guy: “Yes.”

*Stony silence. Exec stares straight through guy.*

Guy: “You’re a flower petal.”

Exec: “No, I get it. Would you like some coffee?”

*Executive stands up and grabs coffee pot.*

Guy: “I’m actually not much of a coffee—“

*Exec unloads pot of boiling hot coffee on guy’s head. Guy’s face starts melting off.”

Guy: “OH MY GOD WHYYYYYYYY?????”

*Exec takes out cigar from his jacket’s inside pocket and starts smoking.*

Exec: “You people make me sick.”

That might be a somewhat exaggerated account of what happened, but the premise of the game discussed actually exists. It’s on PS3 from the indie game developers at thatgamecompany and it is named Flower and it deals with flowers! None of the traditional structure from typical challenge based games is to be found here. Exposition through dialogue or text is also nowhere to be seen. Instead, the game relies completely on telling its simple nature appreciation story through its serene images and soothing music. The result is one of the most relaxing, stress relieving, and simplest games ever made.

The game starts in the room of a decrepit city apartment where a wilted flower sits on a windowsill.

Once the flower is selected, it takes you to a valley that is riddled with various dead spots of grass. The goal is for the player to control the wind (all by tilting the controller) to blow the single flower petal through the environment to collect as many petals as possible. When the special flowers are collected, the dead patches in the valley come to life. This is the goal in every level, the main feature that changes being the environments explored. The levels lead the player eventually into a bleak, colorless industrial city overgrown with broken power lines and jagged metal clusters. After the six levels are complete, your apartment is now in filled with glorious color with a view of industry and nature living in perfect harmony. Yay!

The real world is a stressful place, so I found myself playing Flower for a good period of time, just letting it wash over me as I would decompress from another fruitless day of applying for jobs, even when my parents would glare at the television confused and worried about what I was doing (their expression pretty much asked “When are you going to kill something?”). The graphics look amazing, especially on a high definition television when every color on the spectrum is splashed on the screen. The soundtrack, which is synchronized with the pace the player plays the level, is also impressive and just full of that positive energy. In many ways this game is just like throwing in a tape of nature sounds, or better yet, being thrown into a roomful of puppies (or kittens, your choice)! I even felt compelled to complete all the PS3 trophy challenges, shamelessly giving myself another excuse to play the game.

If you are looking for a game that will not cause you any grief (because we are all such fragile beings *sniff*) and would like a wholly original gameplay experience then I could not recommend Flower more. If you want to blow $#%* up, decapitate zombies, or beat someone into a pulp, this game might offend you.

4/5 A Beautiful, Relaxing Game. Pretty Dope!

Super Dope Battle: Retail vs. Online

I come to this point, fellow videogame lovers, like many people: after the final straw. Recently I bought Red Steel 2 used from Amazon. It was about $20, so I couldn't pass that up. It's on my "really should play" list. I was mostly looking forward to this game because I have yet to try out the motion plus attachment (I know, I know, but Wii Sports Resort just wasn't worth it for me). Much to my disappointment and infuriation, when I put the game in the disc was "unreadable." So after trying everything I could think of for the next 15 minutes, I surrendered to the faulty game. It had won. I was broken. Forced to retreat to Amazon and appeal for a refund, I found myself trying to remember the last time I had such resentment for a mere merchant.

In my younger years, I would frequent the local Gamestops and Best Buys in order to browse through their larger-than-mine collection of games. At the time I thought this was the only way to buy games. Never would I dare order it online; that would run the risk of being damaged in transit. And how could I ever return it if I got the wrong (or a faulty) item? Now I know that it's very easy to return an item online. Just like when dealing with actual stores, you must keep everything. Luckily, the online version doesn't come with a too-easy-to-throw-away receipt; it does, however, come with a box in which it should also be returned and a processing request which must be printed and shoved into that same, original box. But as we all well know, the worst thing about shopping online is not the hassle of a possible return.

The length of time spent waiting for your shipment is sometimes unbearable. For Red Steel 2, I was bursting with anticipation, which meant the 5-7 business days lasted about 5-7 months. To add to this, I'm just naturally a very impatient person. I'm bothered every morning by how long it takes me to get to work - it's a ten minute walk. But in all fairness, no one in our instant-gratification society of today enjoys waiting a week to use the item just purchased. "I paid for it now, so I should use it now." Not an uncommon opinion.

On the lighter side of online shopping, you can almost always guarantee a cheaper price. I've been to a few Gamestops since I returned Red Steel 2 and the used version is always at least five dollars more than from Amazon. Of course, few need to be lectured on the evils of the greedy Gamestop company. I know I've been rather proud of myself before for deciding not to use that store ever again. Within the last weeks, I've spent an increasing amount of time just browsing their used games. "Maybe I can get a good deal on something that got good reviews. Maybe some obscure, sleeper hit." Good luck with that.

It seems as if it's an even trade off. Pay more for instant gratification. But with pre-orders, you can play the new game the day it comes out and without anyone asking if you'd like to join any newsletters or hear about any kind of "reward card." Does this make stores obsolete? Why would anyone choose to get their videogame from some busy, line-filled mall when you can just sit in your room and have it, literally, hand-delivered? I used to think I had no more use for these shops, now stocked with nostalgia more so than anything I'd want to buy. And yet I come back to them now, as if I never felt ripped off by buying an expensive used game. This is because I'm tired of waiting. I feel now that if I could find a copy of Red Steel 2 that was less than $10 more, it would be spinning in my Wii by the end of the hour.

I realize everything I've said really just applies to the used games. When it comes to new games, I've mentioned the "same day it comes out" pre-order plan. Then with the systems themselves, I can't imagine preferring to buy them online. For those I still have my old paranoia of something, somehow, getting damaged. I want to delicately carry my system, like a newborn, coming home for the very first time. Portable consoles are the same way. I would never rely on the U.S. Mail to hold a 3DS with as much care as someone who wanted one. I can bet the thought, "Well, it's heavy so it's also probably tough" crosses their mind.

Here I am at this impasse. Should I return to the retail gaming world and spend some extra cash? Or can I be patient enough (and cheap enough) to get my games online? Red Steel 2 was the first defective game I've gotten through the internet, out of countless other items that worked perfectly. I've also received a defective game from a mall distributor - for which I lost money since I had thrown away the receipt and they could only return 60% of what I paid the day before. So clearly neither are perfect, but I'm wondering about the opinions of others. Do others have videogame online-shopping horror stories? Does anyone always prefer to walk in and hand their cash over to such an avaricious company? Will one eventually take all the business away from the other? I'll leave you with these questions to ponder while I personally try to get Gamestop to lower their prices by reading customer reviews off of Amazon.