I found some pictures on the internets and my imagination took over.  Some time ago I wrote about how games like Beyond Good & Evil and Sonic don’t succeed because their respective franchises didn’t mature with their audience?

Nintendo’s Mario is the exception and not the norm.

What IF Mario went adult?  Not adult doing Dallas but adult Resident Evil…

Meet Bowser.

I would much rather go with the animated look than the realistic for sure.

A gory Mario?  Ever?  Only if the mod scene ever finds the motivation.  I WOULD like to see a scary/bloody/animated platformer.  Will the new Prince of Persia quench my thirst?

I hope so.

Have you guys seen the video yet?  It’s on XBox Live and all over YouTube.  I will post a link if you can’t find it on your own but I have faith you will have no trouble whatsoever.

It doesn’t show much fans didn’t already expect.  If you’ve seen the techdemo and the artistic announcement video then you know exactly what you are going to see in the sequel.

Many comments on the internets are complaining about how similar this game looks to its predecessor.  Honestly I am not phased by it.  I thoroughly enjoyed what the first one had to offer.  It was a short, action-packed story with innovative gameplay (unoriginal as it may be) and very fun multiplayer.  As a full-time employee and a homeowner, that was the perfect formula for a satisfied gamer.

This new game offers minor changes.  We can assume the following from the announcement sneak peek.  "Larger" maps, more enemies on screen, new weapons, the ability to use enemies as body shields, and ButtonSmashing (sic) chainsaw battles.

From what we have seen already, I believe it is safe to assume that this game will score slightly lower than the first because the gaming media is going to claim it is more of the same.  Perhaps it is.  But the fact remains at least for me, the first game was so much fun, I wouldn’t mind playing through it again.  Its a plus that the storyline will continue and there will be new features.

Of course we come to the inevitable question that follows.  I wouldn’t mind playing through it again, but would I mind paying full price for it again?  To be honest, I’m not so sure.

As much as I hate to admit it, the fact that the game looks the same, does have an effect.  If it looks the same and the physics are more or less the same, could this title just be a huge expansion instead?  Does this title warrant a number 2?  The rumors about the next Spring update include hard drive installations might make this possible if not, slightly less difficult.

Tomb Raider: Legend and Anniversary were supposed to do this.  They didn’t for whatever reason but if I could pay $40 for the sequel if I own the original, that would be really cool.  Unlikely, but cool.

Epic has been known to be generous to their fans, lets hope they continue this tradition.

I write a lot.  As some of my few but treasured constant readers may know, sometimes I write too much.  GameSpot had me in their User Soapbox cycle for a while.  What I had to do was limit myself to writing once a week.  I was cranking out 4 - 5 editorials a week without enough time to write down every other topic idea.

This developed a good habit.  I would write a blog then sit on it for a few weeks or so.  If I still felt it was something worthwhile I would post it.  That would also give me a little time to do a little more research or proofread it once more.

More often then not, what I write would become obsolete the week after I wrote it so I all my effort was in vain.  Out of curiosity, sometimes I like to go back and sift through my recycle bin.

Back in December just before Christmas, on the 20th to be exact, I wrote a blog titled 2008 - Forthcoming Anticipation.  I was right about a few things I predicted and wrong about some others.

Setting aside all humiliation concerns, I am posting it here.  I hope you enjoy a good laugh at my Burnout Paradise mistake.  I have added some commentary as well.

2008 - Forthcoming Anticipation (Redundant, I know.)  12-20-2007

2007 Has come and gone and in its wake has left a huge crater.  A slew of incredible, highly anticipated games which many thought would either never see the light of day or simply not live up to expectations have finally been released into the wild.  Are there any good titles left for 2008?

As we all recover from the beating our wallets took this Christmas season, is it too early to start thinking about the future?  It is hard to believe that yes, there STILL are some great titles on the way.  It amazes me to think about the fact that some AAA titles are still in the waiting room.

It MUST be an mind-blowing year to catch yourself saying things like, "OH YEAH!  Gran Theft Auto IV is coming out isn’t it!?!"

I compiled a short list of games that I will be looking out for next year.  Feel free to add any you think I missed.

Afrika - Why?  Well, today’s consoles are capable of incredible graphics.  We have yet to see a game where you can just sit and admire the graphical power of a console.  Its always just flying by.  It would be refreshing to see a game designed to push realism to its limits without worrying about weapon balancing.  Of course I wouldn’t pay $60 for this experience but a $10 - $40 virtual walk through an Afrikan wild animal park might be fun.  Hell I paid more for Planet Earth on Blu-Ray.

Alan Wake - Nearly as mysterious as Afrika, I can only imagine that this game is a mystery-style game along the lines of Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit.  I’m hoping its not Condemned without the fighting aspect.

Grand Theft Auto IV - Framerate and graphics aside, I have faith that this game will be fun.  As repetitive and unoriginal as this series is, I have to admit there is a guilty pleasure each and every single time they release a new version…err, sequel.  - The game has released and my opinion hasn’t changed.  The most finely tuned out of 6! GTAIII iterations.  (GTA3, V.C., S.A., L.C.S., V.C.S., GTAIV)

Fable 2 - I am truly excited about this one.  The music, the environment.  The backstory.  Something about this original game really pulled me into the game universe and an HD (hopefully heftier) version of this game would be welcome.

Mario Kart Wii! - Always quality, always fun at parties.  - Short and plain, just like the game.  Still true.

Saint’s Row 2 - I don’t consider myself a graphics-whore but I put screen shots of Saint’s Row and GTAIV side by side and I like the latter better.  I don’t know if it is the road textures or the vehicle paint jobs but it looks prettier.  Besides, I’d rather roll in an imitation Chevy Impala than a Citation.  - Saint’s Row 2 isn’t out yet, but I have a feeling I am not too far off course with these assumptions.

Soul Calibur IV - I still have a special place in my heart for fighting games.  Though I would prefer a storyline that doesn’t require any drug use for you to understand, the band-aid backstory isn’t enough to sway my interest in this title.  It has a powerful feel and sharp graphics.  The audio could use a little tweak.  The sword "clanks" always sound like they are played through an 8-Bit audio card.  - Little did I know Star Wars would invade this universe.  There goes my hope for a more cohesive storyline.  My fingers are still crossed for better audio.

Street Fighter IV - Not much news, some new moves hinted at in that stylistic watercolor video release a few months ago but I would love a return to the classic formula.  I always like the EX series because they remained faithful to the 2d gameplay of the original despite its lackluster reviews.  - 2D formula and some slightly modified moves like we suspected.  Not many surprises other than those new Final Fight type characters.  This is not a bad thing.  When Street Fighter became a Circus Juggling competition I lost interest.

Bully - Let down when the XBox version of this game was dropped in favor of the PS2, I didn’t bother to pick it up.  If it is released on the 360…(with achievements. …I will pick it up on day one.  - Boy did I start this one on the right note.  Let Down is the key term.  I didn’t pick it up on day one since GTAIV was following so closely behind.  I am glad I didn’t.

God of War III - Will Jaffe have anything to do with this product?  If so, how much influence does a development head TRULY have?  Can a PS3 version of God of War I & II be enough to make this title a success?  Or will they have to change the game to bring it to the next level?  Heavenly Sword set a pretty high bar in presentation, God of War with Heavenly Sword quality animation and voice acting would definitely be something I would be interested in.  Whatever they do, I hope they stay away from multiplayer.  If they want some online functions, perhaps something more along the lines of what Ninja Gaiden did.  Selectable characters would be nice.  The time seems ripe for the introduction of another character even though it wouldn’t quite fit into the storyline.  - Still hoping though I’m not sure about a 2008 release.

Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 - I never liked this series before the series came to the 360.  A lot of action, interesting mechanics and top notch graphics kept me playing the original for a good while. The online play showed promise but it really wasn’t rewarding enough for me to keep playing.  - I may be renting this once I complete the huge library of games I own.

Wipeout HD - PS3  This game is taking too long to come out.  Seriously, the formula is there.  Perhaps they are waiting for an in-game XMB to support music replacement?  I would be afraid to crack open the machine to swap out the CD’s like we did with Wipeout XL on the original Playstation.  - This game is taking too long to come out.  Wait, what?

echochrome - PS3  This title is original enough to have me interested but I’m not sure my interest will make it through the game’s entirety.  I like puzzle games, but…  - The demo is out.  I downloaded it for both the PS3 and the PSP.  I have yet to try it though.  It doesn’t exactly scream excitement so I’m not anxious to play it.

God of War: Chains of Olympus PSP  Will we ever get the title that will take advantage of the unlocked processor?  A repetitive yet fun action game with a formula that seems designed for portability.  No need for camera control (hopefully) will free your hands for the intense action.  Hopefully slowdown won’t be an issue.  - Some slowdown, but GREAT on the PSP.  Wow.  It seems harder in some parts to me than the original on the PS2.  It is more forgiving though with contact detection and health.

Wipeout Pulse - PSP  A PSP sequel too long in the making.  I thought for sure we would be looking at yearly releases and who are we kidding, during those first couple of years the PSP could’ve used more A-List titles.

Games Due Next Year that I’m not excited about.

Burnout Paradise - The last 360 release really left a bitter taste in my gaming soul.  The cement trash bins and exceedingly difficult perfect requirements left me puzzled.  This game was so fun just a year ago, what happened?  Then the new one comes out.  Open world much like Need For Speed.  There are a lot of things to do, well I should say, there are a few things to do, a lot of times.  Seems cool, but in the shadow of games like Mass Effect and Rock Band…its definitely not anything I’m paying full price for.  Maybe next year.  - I have to admit the game news media had a lot to do with my change of opinion.  I tried the demo and I wasn’t sold on it.  The online play is what makes this game solid.  I really dislike the point to point races but its all part of a greater, better package.

Gran Turismo 5: Prologue - PS3 - Lets call this interesting, not exactly "exciting."  Car damage on some models?  Show some confidence and stand up to those manufacturers!  "Your car will not be represented in THE car sim, period!"  The slim packaging, potential for a per automobile charge "feature" and all around mid-90’s formula has me losing interest in the series after every iteration.  - I am still disgusted by Poliphany Digital’s refusal to include car damage or at least semi realistic physics in what they refer to as a sim.  I bought this game because my PS3 is hungry for something, anything. 

Haze - PS3 I don’t understand the hype behind this game.  It seems to me that if Haze and TimeShift merged, together they may become a complete product.  - Ouch.  What a slam.   I still stand by it though.  From the uninspired mechanics to the meh character design.  Its not just greys and browns, we have YELLOW!!!!

Killzone 2 - PS3  Cool character design for the enemy characters.  Resistance meets Gears of War? I am just curious to see which side will eat Crow.  Those who claim hype or those who are betting this game is a system seller.  Unless this game gets awards, I’m not even renting it.  - Sony hyped this game up so much I think they may have doomed it to fail.  If it isn’t spectacular, the gaming public will eat it for lunch.

Sports - Any Football/Basketball/Soccer/Hockey/Baseball sports game.  Not a huge sports fan but I DO know how fun they can be with a good group of friends.  I still don’t see why we would have to buy more than one each generation.  What it offers to me is enough to buy only one each generation, if that.

The internets are abuzz, as expected.  There are complaints, there are raves, there are rants and all around LOUD people all excited about this game.

I played it for another few hours last night and walked away unimpressed.  I want to like this game a lot.  Don’t get me wrong, it is fun.  But I don’t see this revolution everyone keeps referring to.  It really does seem like more of the same.  I wonder if the hype will ever wear off the general gaming public or they are seeing something I am missing.

The game is densely packed they say.  Well the buildings do seem closer together alright.  You can’t really drive as fast and as far for as long as you used to, which isn’t always a good thing to advertise.  I haven’t seen as many buildings you can enter as I was led to believe by the gaming media.  I’m only a few hours in which may be the reason.  Perhaps my opinion on this matter will change as time goes on.  I sure hope it does.  I’d hate to think I’m missing out on all the Game of the Year fun everyone else is having.

Achievements don’t seem that inspired so far.  I got one for starting the game pretty much.  I accidentally got one for evading five-0 for a few minutes with a maximum wanted rating.  40 points!  I was testing the speed limit of one of the faster cars.  Since driving on the road without some collision is out of the question, I took the vehicle into the subway system.  I am still early in the game so I don’t have access to the other boroughs.  I don’t know what their reasoning is for blocking off the bridges.  :S  It seems like they didn’t even give it any thought.  The first time the Liberty City bridge was blown up during your accidental rescue.  This time around I have yet to hear a reason.

Some of the issues people are having with the game include the games horrible graphics.  I am glad I am not the only one to notice this.  The framerate is bad but functional but what really bothers me are the terrible shadows.  Especially under the train tracks.

Remember the rumors and concerns regarding why the game was only being shown on the 360 and not the PS3?  It appears as though Rockstars solution to the "rumored" framerate issues on the PS3 were solved by dropping the resolution.  The PS3 version of GTA IV is not running in "full HD" 1080p or "true" HD 720p 2xMSAA like the 360 version.  It is running at 640p without antialiasing.  Some fanboys though are claiming that it still looks better than the 360 version.  :S

I don’t really care, the game is fun.  But it doesn’t feel that much different than GTAIII/San Andreas/Vice City.  It is definitely a lot more sexual though.  The health boost prostitutes are much more graphic than they used to be.  Do they have to be for you to get the idea?  I don’t think Rockstar had to be so graphic to sell this game.  It was a guaranteed blockbuster.  Why would they include stuff that would only get them more media heat.  Strippers?  Fine if they are in the background but to be able to go, sit and watch them?  Why really?  Do you get points?

I don’t mean to question the morality of an adult game.  I am just questioning their reasoning as a developer.  Hentai software is out there, but you rarely find a GOOD game with adult content.  I just question their motives since this is a good developer and a good game.  They didn’t need to shoot themselves in the foot like this.  It was already going to sell.

I have found the motorcycles a lot more manuverable than the cars and trucks.  That is my vehicle of choice for now.

I don’t know anyone personally that has had the game lock up on them but I feel for those that have.  I am interested to find out what percentage of total GTAIV copies sold are having this issue.  More importantly, what percentage on each console.

Tonight I will try to play online a little.  I won’t be playing too much though, I don’t want to ruin any surprizes.

I bought the XBox 360 Grand Theft Auto IV: Special Edition. 

(Product is not exactly like in the picture.  The bag doesn’t have the yellow zipper tags, is 18" long and the CD "case" is actually a cardboard pocket like your typical magazine subscription demo CD pack-in.)

My wife, brother-in-law and I even waited in line at our local GameStop.  I brought it home, opened it up and played it a bit.

The lock box will not serve any purpose in my home but I like the bag and the key chain.  The soundtrack is a surprising plus.  I expected a limited 4 song "sampler" but this CD has a total 16 tracks.  Non of which are all that great mind you but in this day of the RIAA witch hunt, non-DRM is non-DRM.

The bag is a lot smaller than I thought.  I was hoping for a bag the size of the one Niko was using in the trailer.  Something big enough for your typical bank robbery cache of weapons, or Rock Band equipment.  Its still about the size of a small sleeping bag so it is big enough to hold more than a couple of sweaters.  Something interesting about the bag.  It has the Roman Numerals MCMXCVIII engraved near the zipper.  1998.  I guess this places the game date?  Why engrave it on the bag?  What is the significance of it?  The original GTA was released in 1997 so that isn’t it…

As for the game.  I see perfect scores on many websites.  I don’t know why.  The game is fun but it definitely doesn’t seem perfect by any means.  I see some major issues already.

The game is ugly.  The textures, the colors, the backgrounds, the shadows, the cars, the people…

Character control is weird.  Sure the character flows more, "naturally" but that also means you have to sacrifice some responsiveness.  It feels like your character is riding around on a really slow unicycle.  You are steering him around, not running around.  So you lose that jerkiness that comes when you would move your character into odd locations i.e. on objects like boxes and beds and such but at what cost?  There is no analog control even though you use the analog stick.  You tap A if you want to run.

Vehicle control is nonexistent.  Claims of more realistic driving are unsubstantiated.  These cars drive as if the roads were covered in ice and luke warm snot.  I couldn’t possibly be going faster than 30 mph and the car couldn’t turn a corner to save its life.  You have to learn to use the e-brake for nearly every turn if you want to handle these boats.  I can only imagine what the terrible, terrible races will be like.

The camera seems to lag behind a few turns.  Good luck taking a non-collision u-turn.  This game is lauded for its indoor areas.  The few that I have gone into are cramped, making the camera face a random wall most of the time.

If you played the demo (or the full game) of Kane & Lynch then you know what to expect when it comes to foul language.  I’m not offended by it but some people might.  At times it seems unnecessary.

The story, which is what truly matters, is GREAT.  I couldn’t emphasize that enough.  I am intrigued and I am hungry to experience more.  I want to see what happens.  The other GTA’s were great in the beginning but the storyline caused me to lose interest.  Aliens?  Area 51?  Meh.  They don’t belong here.  An original Russian Mob(?) story grabbed me right from the beginning.

I hope this game keeps it interesting enough to convince me to finish this game.

As an owner of all three systems I cannot help but first make a comparison between what all three have to offer with their respective downloadable games.

The greatest thing that the XBox Live Arcade does successfully that the competition hasn’t quite duplicated well, is the standard additional features they include.  Even if it is a straight port of an arcade classic, they always integrate it well with XBox Live.  Be it online co-op or simple leaderboards.  The fact is that you never feel alone, even when you truly are and none of your friends are even online.  You could always compare scores, try your hardest to surpass your friends and wait for their response once you do.  A level of camaraderie and competition has come to the general gaming public that previously only the best gamers in the arcades were lucky enough to experience.

I never thought I would say this but I think there are simply too many games available in the Arcade.  Let me rephrase that.  There are too many low-quality games in the Arcade.  Our demand for more software may have forced Microsoft to lower the bar a little too far.

Ever since the success of Uno I was fully expecting a bum-rush of other card and board games to swarm the Arcade.  Monopoly, Life, Sorry, Reversi/Othello, Scrabble, Risk…  Something more imaginative than multiple chess titles.  Enough with the two-stick shooters, get back to the classics!  If they don’t want to do straight ports then perhaps they can re-imagine the original games.

Picture Cranium with mini-games replacing the clay molding or using the camera for the charades portion.  If Microsoft is truly interested in the mainstream audience Nintendo is reaping so well, then they need to go after those mainstream board games.  You know Nintendo won’t be getting online cooperative play right any time soon.

Microsoft, now is the time to strike.

Not intentionally trying to be a sensationalist, I must admit that I don’t like this “N guy” all that much.  He seems to have gained the public adoration after sticking it to “the man” with his bet against Jay Allard back in 2004.  Call it hating, call it jealousy, call it whatever you want, I just don’t like N’Gai Croal.

I don’t usually agree with him and I don’t like the way he writes.  Sure I know I’m not a Peabody winner myself but sometimes you can’t really read his stuff without pausing and trying to figure out what his original point was.  A big fan of the comma myself, I realized whilst reading his article that we should limit its use and that of its close friend the parentheses whenever possible.

It seems as though the gaming community has accepted this gai simply because he has apparently broken into the mainstream media by getting a job reporting on video games with Newsweek magazine.  He had a guest appearance on the 1Up Yours podcast during which the regulars were quick to break out the kneepads.  Although well spoken, I still didn’t agree with many of the things he had to say. Perhaps I don’t feel like he has paid his dues.

This opinion of him didn’t form until after I had read some of the stuff he has written and listened to him speak on 1Up Yours. I am not a fan of the N’Gai club.  I Am I alone here?