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I know there’s plenty of game news out there today, but I just want to take a second to talk about something that I’m sure affects most of us. I think it’s safe to say that our sources of entertainment extend beyond video games, to films, for example. And I think it’s also safe to say that the majority of films out there aren’t worth the money it costs to go to a theater these days. Other than not throwing away our hard-earned cash on terrible flicks, there’s not much we can do about that. But this weekend, we as gamers might be able to at least eliminate one of Hollywood’s newest excuses for poor films: blaming low ticket sales on a huge video game release. And that is why, people, I implore you:

Go see Iron Man this weekend.

The thing is, Hollywood has found a new scapegoat in video games. It’s true the video game industry has grown to almost rival the movie industry, but it seems studios and analysts have found this to be a good way to excuse bad films. Last year, in the wake of Halo 3’s release, box office sales seemed to take a dip, which some film executives attributed to the game’s success. What they didn’t seem to consider was that the theaters were at the time flooded with dreck like The Heartbreak Kid and The Game Plan. As such, those same people have already been predicting poorer-than-expected ticket sales for the Iron Man film solely due to GTA IV’s nearby release date. I’m sure most of us can see the major flaw in this logic, and that is exactly why we must prove Hollywood wrong. Read the full article

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We’ve all been watching the hoopla surrounding Grand Theft Auto IV this week. Heck, you can’t avoid watching it. It’s everywhere.

Like most of you, I made my way over to a local retailer Tuesday and picked up my copy. I brought it home, sat through the 4GB install on my PS3, and then leapt in. Judging from the perfect scores that have been thrown at this game like panties at a Wayne Newton concert, I expected to be completely blown away.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t. In fact, I was amazed how much like the previous editions of GTA it was. Now, I’m not one for messing up a good thing. The truth is that I like GTA IV, just as I’ve enjoyed previous iterations of the series. The problem is that it’s receiving perfect scores for a less than perfect game.

Grand Theft Auto IV is basically GTA III with a new character, a lot more voice acting, and an admittedly stunning graphics makeover. It really does little to nothing new, and leaves me wondering if perhaps the preview copies came with some sort of awesome swag we should know about.

This is why I distrust rating systems for games. Games like GTA IV (and Halo 3, etc…) are hyped into the stratosphere, given perfect scores, and then at release are found to be good, but not the shining gem of perfection we were all led to expect. Why can’t people just be content to say something like, “Wow, this game is pretty good, and it’s fun, but it’s really just the same old GTA again. I’d give it a nine.”

No, they have to spout off about how glorious it is, and wax eloquent about its majesty, only to leave us who didn’t play it prior to release feeling somehow slighted by the actual game we receive. Therein lies the tragedy: A good game leaves the gamer feeling somehow cheated because he isn’t experiencing the rapture the previewer obviously did.

Let me reassure you that GTA IV is a good game, even an excellent one. It’s just not perfect, and therefore, not a ten.

Everybody who has ever played a video game can attest to the fact that the majority of the female characters in them are usually not horrid beasts whose appearance is so revolting that you want to gouge your eyes out. Usually, if a female character is insulting to our senses it is because they are either a zombie, some sort of enemy we are suppose to detest or they are the overly plump mother figure. The heroines, or the damsels in distress are usually pretty easy on the eyes – for a pixilated figure – and the fandom that surrounds Lara Croft, for example, can attest to this.For years on end, men have had their Dead or Alive chicks, Lara, the Final Fantasy babes, any female in Soul Calibur, and pretty much the whole gambit of scantily clad women in the RPG genre. This has always been okay with me, because I am not a prude and I understand that developers and the demographic that they cater too are mostly male. Men like to look at voluptuous women oozing with sexuality that can handle a broadsword with as much tender loving care as they would a helpless kitten. It is a scientific fact that men are stimulated visually when it comes to the opposite sex – therefore, if a game developer wants to include a female character in a game that wears nothing more than a thong, pasties, thigh-high boots and fishnet stockings – go for it! It does not offend me in the slightest.

I do however, have one request from developers: Why not make your main protagonists just as easy on the eyes as the women? I am not asking you to put them in a codpiece or have them in costumes that make them look like nothing more than a reject from a Village People casting call. I am not even asking for you to make them “really, really, ridiculously good-looking”. I just think it would be wonderful to have nice looking men who are just as easy on the eyes as their pixilated female counterparts. Handsome heroes in video games are few and far between and while Duke Nukem may be a bad ass, his resemblance to Howie Long only disgusts us to be quite honest. Solid Snake may be one of the most awesome heroes of his genre, but he is no Sam Elliot.

Because of the lack of hunky men in video games, I set out to find some that I personally though might fit the “handsome” mold. I shared my findings with some female friends who are also gamers, and they agreed with me on my selections. With more and more women taking up gaming as a hobby, if you are going to include a hot chick, make her counterpart just as hot. I have picked some of the hunkiest gaming heroes that have so far graced our TV screens, and while there are not that many, the ones I have chosen – to me anyway – are the ones who are easiest on the eyes.

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While I’m working behind-the-scenes at FileFront & Gaming Today, I use twitter on a daily basis since I find it’s a great way to get to know people from the gaming community without actually chatting with them. During my day, I get twitters from hundreds of people. The things I read vary from simple daily going-ons, to more specific comments or ideas about gaming. One discussion in particular got me thinking. Should GTA IV be a rental or a purchase?

I personally have been a member of GameFly and other services similar to it, and I enjoyed the service until they cancelled my subscription due to too many games gone missing. That isn’t the issue here though. The reason why I decided to write this article to address a very popular trend among people who rent games: Renting GTA IV or triple-A titles altogether.

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By the time this is posted, most of us will already have a copy of GTA IV in our hands. Ah, don’t ya just love that new game smell? I know I do, and nothing is more delicious to the senses than unwrapping a video game that you just KNOW is going to be worth the wait and the cost. All the hype aside, the GTA series has never disappointed us, because we always get what is advertised - the same heaping helping of vicarious, antisocial behavior that we would never be caught dead doing in public. Every time a new GTA game is released, we know what is inside the packaging only the storyline and graphics get better every year.Another thing we have come to expect with a new GTA game, is the controversy surrounding it – and this year, GTA IV was no exception. Between the back and forth from both the EA camp and the Take-Two camp, the irrelevant lawyers sending hateful letters to corporate Mothers, and the rating debacle in Australia – this year was basically just like any other year. Full of GTA drama.

This past Friday night, I had a few of my female friends over for a little pow-wow, and while we were enjoying our many pitchers of Sangria, our topic of conversation turned to gaming. You see, I have only a handful of female friends, the rest are all male, and each section of my peer world is drastically different. My male friends are all hardcore gamers; the majority of my female pals cannot really be considered gamers, save for one. Yeah, sure, they play video games – but not on a daily basis like I do, and they most definitely do not live and breathe this form of entertainment quite the way I do.

Anyway, back to the subject here, our slightly drunken conversation turned to gaming, which eventually led us to the topic of GTA IV coming out. In my half-lit stupor, I decided to record the conversation for posterity and transcribe it the best I could for you, dear readers. However, before I get to the strange tête-à-tête between drunken women, let me give you a bit of background on each one of them.

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Earlier in the month, Jenni Lada over on Gamertell listed eight great video game role models for women. Jenni’s main focus was on the RPG genre, and while I thought her list was fantastic I thought it would be great to compile a more comprehensive list that would span all gaming genres. Not knocking her post in anyway, I promise - it actually inspired what I set out to do with my own. So a hearty thanks goes out to Jenni for inspiring me.

Lara Croft and Samus Aran, in my opinion are overly exalted in gamer’s eyes and many other female gaming characters could and should be considered better role models than some. Usually female characters in games can be put into the same category of those Dead or Alive girls - of course, they are not meant to be role-models but are instead the video game equivalent of soft-core porn. What I would like draw attention to, are the unheralded female heroines that grace our PCs and consoles that seem to always get the short end of the stick when it comes to being adulated by the gaming masses.

Here, in my opinion are great female role models in gaming and while this list omits many that should get the acknowledgement they deserve, they can’t all be listed - so if you feel I omitted anyone, please feel free to mention said “wonder woman” in the comments section.

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Sam and Max Season Two
Developer: TellTale Games
Publisher: TellTale Games, GameTap
Price: $34.95 (free for GameTap subscribers)
Platform: PC
Category: Adventure
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Release Date: April 11, 2008

I actually wrote up my impressions of the first two episodes of Sam and Max Season Two when the games first started coming out regularly again. Eventually though, I realized that there were only so many ways I could say “if you liked the previous games, you’ll like this one.” So I decided to wait until the full second season was out and give it a full rundown then. The fifth and final episode in Sam and Max Season Two was released last week to a hungry audience, so how does the second season stack up to the first? Well, er, if you liked the previous Sam and Max games, you’ll definitely like these. Read the full article

If I were presented with a list of all the many sub-genres that could fall under the umbrella of MMO games and was asked to order them from the most interesting to least interesting, I think I’d have the typical mainstream reaction. Orcs, elves and magic – anything of that nature will always interest me from a fiction standpoint, so it seems like I’d be naturally drawn to World of Warcraft and Lord of the Rings Online. While I do currently play WoW, and have stints where I’ll forego sleep and food to play it late into the night, it’s a casual game for me. I might go days without playing. LotRO was my fantasy game; an open-world game set in the universe of The Lord of the Rings was honestly my one definitive dream game for many years.

So it’s now surprising, to say the least, to look back on the past several weeks at what game has occupied more of my time than anything else during that span. Goal Line Blitz is played through your browser and is almost entirely text-based; it’s basically an American football MMO. It’s still in beta and has many shortcomings. The concept is one of those things you say, “Oh, that sounds neat” about and never pay another second of thought to.

Instead, GLB is occupying my mind all the time and it’s got me glued to my computer seat. Read the full article

Dark Sector
Developer: Digital Extremes
Publisher: D3 Publisher of America
Price: $59.99
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Category: Action
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Intense Violence)
Release Date: March 25, 2008

Dark Sector unfortunately suffers from a gaming ailment that I’ve begun referring to as “Gears of War Syndrome.” You see, Gears of War really nailed the whole “third-person, cover-based shooter” genre over a year ago; so much so that any title with similar gameplay since can be labeled as being “good…but not as good as Gears of War.” Army of Two has this problem, Kane and Lynch has this problem (among many others), and Dark Sector also has this problem. Even while playing the game, I found myself trying to pull off some moves from Gears of War — like blind fire — and was disappointed when I couldn’t. That’s not to say Dark sector is a bad game; it’s just mostly all been done before and better.

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I come bearing a warning for anyone with an Xbox Live account. Do not, I repeat, do NOT under any circumstances purchase the newest XBLA title, Mr. Driller Online. Normally I might call this sort of article my “impressions” of a game. But due to the severe awfulness of Mr. Driller Online, I’m calling this a “Public Service Announcement.” I honestly feel that this sort of warning goes right up there with “Only you can prevent forest fires” and “This is your brain on drugs.” Some of you may think that piece of advice is fairly obvious, but I wish someone had warned me before I plopped down 800 Microsoft points for possibly the worst XBLA title I have ever experienced. Read on as I explain why Mr. Driller Online should only be sold under the counter in back alleys and dingy fast food places.

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Tuesday was the day the internet went cuckoo. April 1st has always had a strange vibe to it. Some believe it is a day to kick back and have a few good laughs, but I see it as a day where you can’t trust anyone or anything. Nothing could have been more true of this past April Fools Day though, as it seemed the entire internet had come up with their own special practical joke. At first, it was pretty fun to come across some fake trailers and news bits poking fun at current events and the like. Unfortunately, it kind of began to wear thin as the day went on, and it seemed like every other website suddenly thought they were the cleverest bunch in the whole world. Still, some of them I have to admit were just classic. Thus, I’ve constructed this list of the Top Ten Online April Fools Jokes that I saw that day. Continue after the break for a glimpse into internet April Fools Day insanity.

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Gamers are celebrating Jonathan Coulton’s “Still Alive” being released as a free download for Rock Band. Most of us were introduced to this quirky composer when after Valve’s Orange Box was released, or more accurately, after beating the Portal game. Since then “Still Alive” has become the theme song for the slightly mad, love sick AI, GLaDOS as part of the end credits for Portal.

For those of you unfamiliar with machinima it’s the use of CGI, often from game engines, to create machine cinema. Many machinimators combine video games and music that allow them to express their love of both forms of media by creating music videos. I’ve been a fan of machinima since I was first introduced to it. I’ve even endured those primitive examples from the old MTV Video Mods show. However there are many better examples of this creative media such as the popular Rooster Teeth series Red vs. Blue based on the Halo series.

Machinima.com has been around since 2000 and hosts many great videos as well as tips on how to produce machinima yourself. However since “Still Alive” just came out, I thought I’d concentrate on Jonathan Coulton’s songs and some of the machinima based off of them like this gem.

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Rainbow Six Vegas 2
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Price: $59.99
Platform: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC (in April)
Category: Action
ESRB Rating: M for Mature (Blood, Strong Language, Intense Violence)
Release Date: March 21, 2008

Someone once said “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” (and an advertising firm soon trademarked it). I doubt whoever said that was talking about terrorist cells and international conspiracies, but man those seem to flock to Sin City in the new Rainbow Six Vegas 2. This being the sequel to the smash hit Tom Clancy title, expectations are understandably high for this follow-up. Even more so since the team behind this game has said this is their final excursion, because they’re tired of working with Vegas. Well frankly their apathy shows through at times, particularly since this feels like the same old Rainbow Six Vegas, just with a few changes. But still, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. My full impressions after the break. Read the full article

I have a problem. It’s not a serious addiction, in fact its much the opposite of an addiction. I can’t commit.

If the subject of my problem were a woman I’d be the very picture of a man who wouldn’t commit – frequent hot dates with a possibility of long term relationships are tossed to the side in search of the next shiny object or attractive game setting. I dawdle between games like a child with free run of a candy store and no oversight. I just can’t seem to find that special game to break me of my wanderlust.

Now you might not think this a serious problem, I mean after all, who doesn’t play multiple games? But my issue goes beyond rotating pastimes to keep from losing interest. I have a staple game I play – Guild Wars – mostly because its free and doesn’t require a huge commitment of time or energy to hop into any of its settings and grind out a few missions or quests. Guild Wars is like the partner who dislikes your wandering habits but lets you come home whenever you feel like it because it knows it’ll always get what it can while you’re around.
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I posted recently about a so called “Co-Op Bill of Rights,” which was a concept inspired by Penny-Arcade and then run with by Microsoft employee Ozymandias on his blog. He threw together a list of features that co-op games must have, and then ones that would be ideal but aren’t necessary due to the time/effort/technical requirements they require. It’s nothing official of course, and it’s likely never going to be something that impacts how developers spend their time. More recently, he posted up a more finalized version with the help of various comments from around the ‘net that his initial article called for.

This got me thinking about features that all games simply must have. It irritates me to no end to go pick up a new game, assume something about the game and then come to find out that a blatantly obvious feature or option is nowhere to be seen. I asked for feedback from readers and friends, and I’ve come up with my own Bill of Rights. It’s not necessarily focused on features that have to be included, but more often functionality and design choices in games. Some of it will overlap with Ozymandias’ list, but that’s only because these are things games absolutely must do.

I’m looking for feedback, so if you think I omitted something or something made the list that shouldn’t have, share in the comments. This is by no means intended to be a finished piece, but more of a building block. And, as long as I’m admitting my faults, this doesn’t apply only to games, but game-related things, as well.

And just to make sure things are clear, I’ll give out examples of games that did it either well – guised as a Dick Vitale “That’s awesome, baby!” – or poorly – a Charles Barley “That’s turrible.”

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Game designer Adam Maxwell, who has worked on Auto Assault and Dirty Harry, recently reworked a blog post for Gamasutra which is entitled “The Case Against Writers In The Games Industry.” With an intriguing enough title, I read through his piece and walked away thinking that a writer must have stole Maxwell’s girlfriend at some point; I couldn’t possibly disagree with him anymore than I do.

His main points are that a writer takes time away from development of a game’s core mechanics, his or her contributions won’t make a game good, and a writer’s linear work is at odds with a designer’s non-linear work.

Maxwell also claims that a designer who also has the ability to write is much more valuable than a writer, which is true to an extent. I completely can understand why you would want a multi-talented individual on your staff; someone versatile is always an asset. (Just ask Ron why he hired me. I do wonderful papier-mâchés.) But, that argument doesn’t take into account two things. Read the full article

The Sims franchise is one of the most popular and lucrative of the PC games. Over 98 million Sims games have been sold to date and versions of the games are available in 22 different languages.

The series began as an offshoot of Sid Meier’s SimCity. The player controls a simulation of people’s lives in a suburban household in a SimCity neighborhood. This “digital dollhouse” , as designer Will Wright calls it, caught on and spawned seven expansion packs which are still selling today.

The Sims 2 added 3D graphics and new gameplay features to challenge players. Sims now age through 6 stages of life before growing old and dieing. Players must manage not only physical needs but guide their Sims in achieving Life Goals and Aspirations by fulfilling new Wants and Fears. Subsequent expansions added an attraction factor into the equation and another stage of life between teen years and adulthood for college students. To date most of The Sims expansions have been adapted to some degree for The Sims 2 allowing Sims to open businesses, adopt pets, go on vacation and have lucrative hobbies. There have been seven expansions and eight Stuff packs with new clothing, household objects build objects.

Now EA has announced a new revolution in what has been dubbed as strategic life simulation video games, The Sims 3. The details have been covered before and you can check them out out elsewhere on Gaming Today. The recent announcement that The Sims 3 was on its way immediately caused me to groan and gripe. It isn’t bad enough 2/3rd of the women in my house are obsessed with this game, but there is more coming. That led me to analyze why people found the game interesting in the first place.

What I want to know is why so many people are so fascinated with a game where you spend so much time telling simulated people to eat and go to the bathroom? Read the full article

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors
Developer: SquareEnix
Publisher: SquareEnix
Price: $49.99
Platform: Wii
Category: Action/Adventure, FP/RPG
ESRB: “T” for Teen
Release Date: 2/19/2008

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors takes place in a town that lies at the foot of Avalonia Castle. There, a young man enjoys a peaceful life with his lecherous father until his sixteenth birthday approaches and he must take the Walk of the Worthy. This is a trial of strength, which all young Avalonian males must undergo upon coming of age. As the main character, you will need to put all of your training in the ways of the sword into practice if you are to pass the test, and take your rightful place amongst Avalonia’s warriors. Sounds like your typical RPG doesn’t it? Unfortunately the storyline is the only thing typical about Dragon Quest Swords.

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[Note: This article was originally posted on my personal blog. Due to the popularity of it, I decided to share my story with the readers of Gaming Today. Enjoy!]

It was a pretty weird day here in Northern Jersey. There was tons of wind, but it wasn’t as cold as it normally is, at least during the day. But of course, the sun set and the wind remained, leaving it cold. Really cold.

I preordered Super Smash Bros. Brawl months in advance. Probably almost half a year or so. Saying I was excited about the upcoming release would be an immense understatement. Super Smash Bros. was a game I have always loved playing simply for the fact that you have no idea how the rounds are going to go in the game. One minute you could be beating the snot out of your opponent, and the next, he’s got a bomb or a hammer. Once either of those hits you, you’re pretty much done for.

I arrived at the local GameStop around 9:10 PM since they informed the people in the tournament that the latest we could be there was 9:30. I of course decided that I really had nothing else to do that night, so I might as well throw my hat into the tournament. The way I saw it, I was playing Smash Bros. earlier than the people online. I’d be getting a tiny crumb of that sweet sweet Smash Bros. goodness.

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