Dear Criterion, Dice, EA, Valve, Infinity Ward, and most other game developers.

Like most other gamers, I grew up on systems like the Nintendo and Super Nintendo. As these systems didn't have the fancy pants online capabilities that the newer consoles have, our only source of multiplayer was having 2 controllers and playing games with the people sitting right next to us on the couch.

For me, this was always with my brothers, and I remember the fun I used to have when all three of us would sit infront of the TV passing the controller around everytime somebody won a race or lost a fight. Everything about it, from the taunting and cheering, to the "OMFG did you just see that?!" moments were all so memorable because we were all sharing the experience together, and it's something that we can still enjoy to this day.

Now why would you want to take that away from us?



I don't know why you're taking splitscreen out of the games you're making, maybe its a cost thing, maybe you want the game to run at its full capacity by only ever using a single screen, or maybe you're mistakenly thinking that people don't care about splitscreen anymore since the introduction of Xbox live. Well, in any case, you're wrong.

Sure, games like Cod4, Bad Company and TF2 don't really work in a one on one local splitscreen scenario, I'll admit that, but Epic and Bungie have had the good sense to realize that maybe 2 people might want to play online without using 2 Xboxes and 2 Tvs. By having splitscreen as an option when playing online multiplayer, you give us the chance to make the experience physically social again (and I don't mean social in terms of the people you're playing against online). I'm talking about actually being able to invite your friends around so 2 or 3 or 4 of you can play together against other people on Live. Now if Halo 3 and Gears of War can do this, why can't you? You've been coding splitscreen into your games for years, so you obviously know how to do it, so why the hell are you stopping now?

Now the second part of my complaint/rant/whatever, is that not only are you choosing to not use splitscreen when it could be very usefull and appreciated in conjunction with online play, but you seem to be phasing it out all together in your newer games. In regards to shooters, this doesn't really matter, but why the fuck wouldn't you allow local splitscreen play in a game like Burnout Paradise?? If there are any kind of games that've always worked in a splitscreen format, its Racing games, yet you decide that the best option is to build an amazing multiplayer experience, and then limit it to only people who play online (and we all know how pleasant the average Xbox live user can be right?).

So. You want to provide the best multiplayer experience for your customers? Well how about you stop building more maps for the time being and start working on how to implement splitscreen in your games. Left 4 Dead seems to have the right idea, so follow suit, let people share the Console when playing together so that they can start sharing their gaming experiences like we used to again damn it!

No doubt you've been hearing the rumours about the XBox Live Spring Update introducing a new 3d interface, and you've probably also heard that this interface will be designed by the people who designed the awesome 3d interactive interface that you see in Minority Report.

A new and innovative interface is something to be excited about, but unless it's implemented well by Microsoft and it is actually simple and convienient to use, then it's going to be nothing but a waste of time.

Thats what I was thinking, but then i remembered that Microsoft are also rumoured to be developing a Motion sensitive device to be used with the 360, and the possibility of it being used for the new interface is very interesting indeed! Just take a look at the system Johnny Lee developed with a simple Wii remote and his own software. If you can imagine a system like this being used with a new intuitive 3d interface on the 360, then you should be as intruiged about what Microsoft are planning as I am.

The UI in Minority report


Johnny Lee's Finger Tracking Mod

The Metal Gear Solid 4 hype train is running in overdrive, and it's fucking working like a charm on me right now.

You see, I've played all the games in the Solid series and loved every single one, with Snake Eater ranking as one of my favortie games of all time, and now that I'm faced with the 4th and possibly last game in the series I've come across a dilemma.
I don't own a PS3. I've never really seen the need for one, as I'm not a massive graphics whore, and the days of each system having a long list of exclusives are long gone. I figured that 95% of games will be out on both systems, so why not stick with just the 360. BUT, I need to play MGS4. I need to own it. I can't stop thinking about it. I even find myself humming the damn theme music in the shower.

It must be mine, yet is it worth paying the price of a PS3 just to play one game?? Would you fork over that much cash for it or would you just hold out?

Just recently, I picked up a copy of No More Heroes for the Wii. At the moment I'm just past halfway through the game, and I have to say that what everyone told me about it was right. The game's fucking awesome, a real throwback to the beat'em ups I used to love while rolling everything related to geek culture into one insane package.
I'm having a blast playing it, but there's something wrong, something that keeps niggling at the back of my mind every time I swing the Wii-mote to perform a BeamKatana attack.

The complete lack of blood.

As you probably already know, the European version of NMH got censored so there's no fountains of blood, no dismemberment, no decapitations, and no splitting a man in half like a log (thanks Manhunt 2). After the initial disappointment of playing the game and turning someone into ash instead of lopping their head off, I tried to look at it objectively. I told myself "So what, the game play is still intact, the story hasn't changed, there's just no red stuff, no big deal", and although this is all true and I still love the game, I still feel slightly let down every time I play the game by the fact the the violence has been removed.

Why? Why should i care if there's violence in a game or not? I don't get it.

I thought about it for a while, and I realized that it feels like a lot of the games I grew up on didn't seem to just contain violence, but that the violence was a major feature of the game. In many instances, it was the only aspect that actually got me to play the game! Think of games like Mortal Kombat, Rise of the Triad (Ludicrous Gibs!), Eternal Champions, Splatterhouse, Carmageddon & Night Trap. Whether they were goods game or not... ok, most of them were not (admit it, nobody ever played Mortal Kombat for the gameplay), I often started playing them just because there was violence and gore, and to a kid at that time, that was fucking awesome.



Maybe it's this boom of gory games that I grew up playing that has given me an appetite for the violence in games I play now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some maniac who plays Zelda wishing that I could mutilate my enemies with blood spraying from their wounds, and I don't buy games based on their level of gore either, but chances are that if theres a good game out there that gives you the ability to hack the limbs off people with various weapons and plenty of blood, then that games awesome factor is increased significantly for me.

Of course, my disappointment with No More Heroes might not be about the lack of violence, but more about the knowledge that I'm playing a neutered, bastardized version of the game you Americans are enjoying, but then again, tell me that being able to finish a combo by slicing a man in half vertically with a Light Saber and then see the blood spray from him Ninja Scroll style wouldn't be fucking awesome.



tldr: The violence being cut from No More Heroes is a pain in the ass, I'm going to get Ninja Gaiden II.

Held at the Evelyn hotel in Melbourne tonight, the first Guitar Hero tournament I've heard about down here is on, so I'm entering it FOR THE WIN (literally). It should be good fun either way, but the main prize for winning the comp is a real Gibson SG, so wish me luck!

Now, I haven't really played GH3 that much, I was always a GH2 champ, but the competition is only for easy, medium and hard modes (the hard mode tournament wins you the Guitar), so hopefully playing in hard mode rather than expert will balance out my inexperience with the songs.

but dammit, it's close!