I started this as a comment in Ryu's blog, but it was getting too long, so I made a separate blog out of it all.

To quote Burch and DAvis- "Deal with it."

First (and off-topic), I want to say something about the word "fanboy" itself.

It sort of pisses me off.

I mean, what's wrong with being a "fan"? What's wrong with being a "boy"? I mean, that's most of us, right? The truth is, most of the people we call "fanboys" (or who call others fanboys) aren't really videogame fans at all. Sure, videogame fan can have their preferences and favorites, but any true fan of the medium would never "swear allegiance" to just one videogame console. If they did, they'd miss out on too many great games.

I think we should think of something else to call "fanboys", like "haters" or "shit-breathing fucking haters". It's the dislike of videogames (usually the ones they don't have) that make "fanboys" so irrritating, not the fact that they are fans or boys. To use the term "fanboy" in a negative way just feels a little like self hatred to me. Like I said we're all fans here, and most of us are boys, so why would we want to turn "fanboy" into a dirty word?

Take the movie Fanboys (seen above) for instance. It's about Star Wars fans, and it makes them look like sweet, dedicated, lovable dudes, devoid of hate or malice. There is nothing in there about being biased against Star Trek fans or bashing The Matrix for not being "hardcore" enough. The term "fanboy" in other areas of geekdom, doesn't mean "mean spirited, biased dickhead" like it does among videogame fans. I think that may be because other types of "geeks" aren't quite as self-loathing as videogame fans sometimes are.

Which puts me back on topic. I think a lot of the people we call "fanboys" are really, really self loathing. I mean, these are people that get so worked up about the fact that their taste in videogames isuniversally approved of that they feel the need to fight it out on the internet with other videogame fans who have just slightly different tastes than theirs. I know that to a Sony fanboy or a Nintendo fanboy, the difference between the two companies may seem huge, but to most people it's like arguing about what's better, llama farts or donkey farts.

OK, not really. I just wanted an excuse to type "llama fart", but you get the picture.

My point is, what does that tell you about the the self esteem of a "fanboy" that the need to constantly put others down in order to build themselves up (in their own mind, anyway) and fight their fear of not being perfect? Those are all signs of someone with "little ego strength" as they say in the psych world, and are meant to be pitied, not further belittled.



On the other end of it, some people who only buy console per generation and go on to "fight" to prove that their console is the "best", do so out of genuine investment in the evolution of videogames. These are the "fanboys" who take their stance in "the console wars" to be more like a democrat of a republican takes on an election. If they go about their self appointed tasks properly, they don't completely ignore the strengths of the other party, but ultimately, they still want their philosophy to win.

That's because with videogames, these "wins" matter. The kind of game that becomes dominant in the market right now may continue to be dominant for a long time, or at least, that's what the opinionated fan sometimes believes. As someone that loved 2D games (and still do), I admit that I was quite the raving "fanboy" in the mid 90's, when 2D games started to die out and polygon based graphics started to take over. I didn't want my favorite types of games to become extinct, and sadly, they did anyway. All my letters to DieHard Gamefan about how Street Fighter Alpha looked better than Tekken 2 did nothing to stop the tides of gaming's development. Yes, I was a sad, angry panda at that time, thought I've since learned to shut up and just love 3D fighters for what they're worth.

Anyway, that kind of near-complete extinction of an entire genre is still possible with videogames, because videogames are the only form of entertainment that is still really, truly evolving. All genres of film, music, books, even fine art have all pretty much established themselves by now. The same kinds of movies made big money in the 70's still make money now. The same types of books that people wrote in the 60's are the same that people write in today. Styles change over the years, but the at their roots, the genres of romance, drama, horror, and comedy are still the same, and still all have a place in entertainment.

Videogames aren't like that. There has been a constant evolution in videogames since the start, and certain genres have more or less died out over the course of that evolution. When games first got big, it was games like Pac-Manthat sold, then Super Mario Bros, then Street Fighter II, then Final Fantasy VII, then Metal Gear Solid, then GTA, and now Wii Fit; all them totally different types of games, all steps forward in the evolving face of videogames. With that level of variance in the "dominant" gaming genres over the past 20 years, fans are going to see the medium as a malleable, dangerously fragile thing; one that could change into something they don't like at all any time.

That's why I initially didn't like the 360. I saw it as a representation of everything I didn't want gaming to become; overpriced consoles focused on online, monthly pay-service games with "realistic" graphics and inflated "blockbuster" budgets. Since then, I've come to really like the 360 and what it represents, but that's because it now costs $199 and has games like 'Splosion Man, Geometry Wars, Castle Crashers and Braid.

That said, I don't think anyone, from the niche' genre fans to the online FPS fans to the "blockbuster game" fans to the old-school platforming fan has anything to worry about these days.

We're all "winners" now.

Just about every genre of game can become a hit these days. That's why I think this is really the golden age of gaming. To have Uncharted 2 and Critter Crunch both get great reviews and sell very well (by early reports anyway), and both on the PS3, and both come out in the same month shows me that today, every type of game has a chance in today's market.

So on one hand, I understand why some people get heated about their favorite kind of game and the chance that it will eventually becoming extinct, but I also think that that kind of thinking just isn't necessary anymore.

I think it will probably be a few years before "fanboys" figure that out though.

So, I deviated from the mean today and didn't purchase Uncahrted 2. No, I didn't run out of money, and no, I didn't get my legs severed in a brutal, legendary car crash. I just chose against buying the game, despite its Metacritic average being in the low 90's and despite my trusted friend and colleague Nick Chester's assurance that everyone who likes action games will enjoy it. Yes, despite all that, I still don't believe that Uncharted 2 would be worth $60 of my dollars.

How can this be, you ask? Doubtful of my logic, are you? Well, feast your doubting, skeptical eyes on this question; does the fact that the majority of the reviewers who chose to review Uncharted 2 later went on to enjoy the game mean that, in fact, scientifically, statistically speaking that I have a "very good" chance of enjoying the game as well? Is that how reviews work for you the majority of the time?

In my experience, the answer is generally "no". For example, most film reviewers have rated Raiders of the Lost Ark as the best Indiana Jones movie ever made. I happen to feel (oh wait, sorry) think that Raiders is in truth and fact, the most creatively dry and poorly crafted film in bunch. My personal favorites are Temple of Doom (specifically, Shortround kicking the crap of multiple crazed cultists, and a heart being magically ripped from a man's chest) and the fourth one (for the aliens, tribesmen that live inside solid rock, and the psychic Russians).

So, what does this mean? Does this deviation from the majority of "professional, Hollywood movie reviewing journalists" mean I have "bad taste" in movies? Maybe it does. Could it also mean that, from my perspective, to make a ridiculous, totally unbelievable Indiana Jones movie that still causes you to care about the characters is a greater sign of skill than to make a safer, more crowd pleasing period piece about World War II, Bible stuff and "father/son banter"? Could it be that Hollywood action movies, like videogames, are sometimes liked, and sometimes not liked, depending on people's "tastes", and that these tastes are forever tied to one's perception of "quality"?

I know, I know, it's bold theory. Like nothing you've ever heard before, I'm sure. But wait, I'm not done. Answer me this; what if the quality of a videogame, like Hollywood movie, may be impossible to measure in a quantitative way? Like, let's sat that one film reviewer gives the movie Citizen Kane four stars in an honest, totally and unequivocally unbiased review, while another equally unbiased reviewer gives the same film only two stars. Does this mean that the second reviewer is exactly two stars less accurate, and therefore, less qualitatively skilled at reviewing films as the first reviewer?

Maybe.

Could it also mean that many, many film reviewers are afraid that other people would perceive them as bad reviewers if they gave Citizen Kane two stars, ruining their careers in film critique masters forever? Could such stakes lead them all to claim to recognize the brilliance of Citizen Kane, while secretly, even subconsciously not believing that the movie is particularly well made at all?

Could the Emperor, in fact, be a naked man, and could the simple child indeed be the best videogame reviewer of them all?

PERHAPS




So yeah, I didn't buy Uncahrted 2. What did I buy then? Well, for $30, I bought The Grudge game on the Wii. So far, it has impressed me, but not totally. I got genuinely more skeebed out from the first levelthan I did from either American Grudge movie. That's at its best. At it's worst, it's just plain silly, but on the whole, it's good stuff so far.

Here's some highlights.

* All controls are done with the Wii remote; point to aim the flashlight and turn your character, press A for actions, B to move forward, and down on the C-pad to move backwards.

* Player 2 can activate new scares for player one to deal with, but only every fifteen seconds. These scares range from the totally lame (badly rendered cockroaches covering the screen for two seconds) to the unsettling (bloody paper suddenly flies at the player, a ghost's face half-appears in the lower corner of the screen) to the genuinely creepy (dead croaking girl suddenly flies upside down from the top of the screen to the bottom, or her face flies at you from out of nowhere, filling the screen as she screams)

* Scripted scares are more generally frightening than Player 2 controlled scares. For example,sometimes you'll see the little Grudge ghost boy run just into sight then disappear in seconds. One time you'll get the patterned Grudge croaky cell phone call. It may all sound old, but this stuff works just as well here, if not better, than it did in the movies.

* The graphics are really good for a budget game. The environments so far are better than those in the relatively impressive Dead Space: Extraction. It's cheating a bit because the lighting obscures so much, but on the whole the setting has been more convincing and unsettling in The Grudge.

* Sound effects, such a bangs, bug buzzing, screams, and Grudge croaking all work extremely well, at least, on a Stereo TV. I imagine on a surround sound set, it would work even better.

* Two ways to die so far- one is by running into Grudge girl and failing a to escape her (semi-QTE style), the other is by running out of batteries for your flashlight. You are constantly running out of battery life, and therefore, are always are pressured to move forward.

* The character moves really slowly and clumsily. This might frustrate people with low attention spans.

* There are secret items in every level, find them all and unlock a new stage.

* The game is scary to watch, but it's definitely more scary to play..

In conclusion, I'll be really surprised if I don't get my $30 worth from the game. They'd really have to screw up the rest of the levels for this game to be a total failure.



I also bought A Boy and his Blob today for $40. Great game so far, much harder than I thought it would be. I've only beaten the first two levels and two unlockable bonus levels, so I don't have much to go on yet.

Here are my thoughts (beware of first half-hour spoilers)-

* The premise is way stranger than I thought it would be. The boy in the game has no identifiable family. He lives alone in a giant, kick-ass tree fort. After the multiple blobs (many black and evil, one nice and white) crash land nearby, the boy goes out to investigate. He seems to instinctively know that the white blob is awesome, and trusts him %100, even after the black blobs tried to kill him on the way to the crash site. On the other had, the white blob isn't so sure about the boy . After some coaxing (meaning, after the boy says "C'MERE" a few times), they become friends, and the game begins in earnest. All this transpires in playable segments; no cut-scenes to speak of.

* The controls take a little getting used to, and its weird that you can't aim with the IR pointer where you want the boy to throw jellybeans, but otherwise, everything is smooth playing.

* I died quite a few times on bonus level 2. You have to think quick, pre-plan, and have good reflexes to survive.

* Beating bonus levels unlocks behind the scenes production art, which you view directly while playing the game. This goes a long with the seamless, menu-free, cut scene-free nature of the game. It's very effortless and classy.

* The game looks beautiful, and definitely feels retail quality. In some respects, it looks even better than Muramasa.

* The new voice for the boy is well done, with a lot of variety. It's rare to hear him say "BLOB!" or "C'MERE!" in the exact same way twice.

So yeah, loving both games thus far. Maybe when I'm done with them, I'll borrow Uncharted 2 from somebody and see if my opinion and Nick's are at all similar in this case. I hope they are, because he clearly had a great time with the game.

I should be so lucky.

Anyone else notice that the amount Wii-hate on the internet has really died down recently? It used to be that you couldn't go five seconds on a gaming blog without reading stuff like "The Wii isn't a game console, it's a toy" or "All Wii games looks like shit always all the time" or "I sold my dusty Wii because it has no games and it's not a gaming console and it waggles and I hate it and Nintendo abandoned me because they didn't go HD". These sorts of comments were bound to show up in any post about any Wii game, sometimes written by readers, and sometimes by the bloggers themselves. When I first started reading Destructoid, it seemed like I every other post was a Summa written Wii-bash. I don't miss it, or him.

These days, Wii bashing seems to be on the decline. Though there will always be a few noisy crickets, I reckon that I've seen more "Man, this almost makes me want to buy a Wii" and "That game looks fun, I hope it gets ported to a system I own" sort of comments in Wii posts than ever before.

I wonder why this is?

A few guesses-

* The Wii is getting more "hardcore" friendly games than it used to (Metroid: Other M, Sin and Punishment 2, FF CC The Crystal Bearers, Dead Space: Extraction, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, No More Heroes 2, Muramasa, etc)

*The fact that the Wii is only sort-of kicking ass in "the console wars" instead of totally kicking ass. Becoming less of a threat makes people less afraid, and therefore less angry (thanks Yoda!)

* Most people realize that even if the Wii doesn't go on to outsell the 360 and the PS3, that it has already has "won" the philosophical side of "the console wars", as seen by Microsoft and Sony adopting as many of the Wii's attributes as possible (avatars, motion controls, etc.) Why bash a console that's already "won"?

* You can't make fun motion controls when your console of choice (360 or PS3) is adopting them as fast as it can.

* People grew up.

Those are my theories, what are yours?



I don't know why, but quite a few people have approached me via email over the past week asking if I know anything about Dead Rising coming to the Wii again. Is that because of my notoriously positive review of Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (I still say it's a great game for $40), or because Frank West was recently announced for Tatsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars? Or maybe it's because of all the Dead Rising 2 news that came out of TGS 09?

Regardless of why, people are asking me to confirm rumors about Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop 2, or something like that. These rumors include reports of a whole new game, following Frank West and his continuing battle against the undead, to that of a simple down-port of Dead Rising 2.

For my money, the way to go with more Dead Rising on the Wii is to stay away from ports. I know it sounds like stating the obvious, but it needs to be said; put some decent money into Dead Rising Wii this time, and make the game look and play as good as RE4: Wii Edition, and you have something that would sell. Make the game a non-port starring Frank West, and I'd be just as excited for Shop Till You Drop 2 as I am for Dead Rising 2.

I've asked Capcom for confirmation or denial of these rumors, and if I hear anything, I'll let you know.



So, I'm back on TV this month, but this time it's local to New England, and only for a few minutes. Andy McCarthy, the producer/director/editor of all the videos I've done for Dtoid, and Chris Linnane(a good friend of mine named), managed to get a show made for NESN. It's called The Batter's Box, and it premiers Monday, Oct 12th at 6pm EST (that's tomorrow!)

It's a game show about Red Sox trivia, which to me, is a terrible thing. I am very easily annoyed by sports and have a general dislike for the Red Sox. Despite that, I still enjoyed the show. The host is really funny, and it's certainly more interesting that watching an actually baseball game.

OK, that's it for this quick-blog. Hope you're having a good long weekend!

So, Wii Fot Plus is better than I thought it would be. Of the top of my head I can think of about five times that the game has already blown my mind-

1) Using a Mii of my real life cat to attack a giant robotic mole

2) Getting crushed by a giant log while on a obstacle course located many miles above the earth

3) Entering a Wind Waker-esque cave while in-cased in a bubble, then being lit on fire

4) Having the balance board recognize how hard I was "flapping my wings" in the chicken-suit flight game, despite the fact that I didn't wasn't holding a controller in either hand

5) Being attacked by a Mii of Kevin Bacon dressed in snowman armor

Wii Fit Plus does a lot to embarrass other developers and their half ass attempts at balance board development. Really, a lot of these games are fantastic, as good if not better than those found in Wii Sports Resort. The biking in particular is notably better, as the same activity was actually in Resort. It's much more fun in Wii Fit Plus.

Will Wii Fit Plus change the minds of people who have already decided that they hate the game and everything it stands for? Well, if they are excited at all for Natal, then yeah, it just might. I really hope that 360 developers play Wii Fit Plus, particularly the obstacle course, bicycle, segway, skateboard, snowball fight, and chicken suit games. A lot of the other games are fun too, but those five feel particularly innovative. They take full-body motion controlled gaming into all three dimensions, something I'm not sure I've experienced since Prop-Cycle. This isn't just leaning left and right to bounce a soccer ball off your head, this is exploring a 3D space without using a controller at all.

Seriously, the chicken flight game is totally insane. I still can't believe it works.

That said, if the game were even ten dollars more, I'm not sure if I'd recommend it. For the most part, this is just Wii Fit again, except with 15 new games, 6 new exercises, a calorie counter, some custom options for personalized work outs, and the ability to make Miis of your pets.

I'm not going to lie though, making a Mii of your pet then sicking it on giant bastard moles is pretty satisfying.



I've been having a lot of awesome videogame dreams lately. The first I plan to try and recap is a reoccurring Resident Evil 6 dream.

The game takes place in a future where zombie outbreaks are semi-noraml, though they aren't OK. They're a global threat and everyone is terrified. Suicide "zom-bombers" are showing up in crowded places, on the private jets of public officials, etc, and biting down on G virus tooth caps, becoming zombies, and scaring the fuck out of the planet.

There are drugs to treat the virus now, but they are in high demand, and no one knows how well they will work, of if the batch they got was real or bogus. This makes every situation the player is in a potential death trap; death from zombie, or death from fear-driven, homicidal humans.

The protagonist of the game is a US Agent that's been promised retirement in a zombie-free underground camp if he takes out a terrorist cell in the Middle East. The game starts with him having a crowd of angry, terrified people bust into his apartment, searching for G virus repressing drugs. You can try to kill them, but if you do, they'll likely over take you, take your gun, and kill you.

Instead, you have to try and squeeze by them, get to the Embassy and regroup. In my dream there were like, 50-100 people all crowded together in the halls, yelling, crying, screaming, some trying to stick together, some completely "every man for himself".

As you're squeezing through them, you hear screaming. People start to try and push past you more aggressively, trampling those in around you, knocking you around in a what is effectively a giant human blob.In the chaos, you notice someone right next to you is grabbing onto another person in the crowd, and blood cascading into the air from their embrace.

No camera move is made to draw attention to this, no musical cue suddenly hits to signify it's importance. It's just a zombie eating a guy, right next to you, and you're stuck there. You can try to push through the crowd, but for all you know, some of them are zombies too, and or have just been bitten and soon will be zombies. You can draw your gun, but that will draw attention to you, and the crowd may try to steal it, kill you, etc.

In my dream, I quietly killed it with the knife by grabbing it from behind and severing the head from the body. Then I had to decide if I should kill the newly infected guy that the zombie had just been chewing on, help him, or just try to get the hell out of there.

Then I woke up.

I don't know if the game sounds as fun as it was in my dream, but trust me, the way I dreamt it, it was a lot of fun. I hope that with RE6, Capcom tries something totally crazy like this. To bring back zombies, and put them in the general public instead of in a sealed off mansion or a police station, could be an incredible time; something that could only be done with the 360/PS3.



I've been thinking about 2010 a lot lately. I'm really excited for a lot of the games still to come this year, but overall, 2010 is where my heart is.

Sin and Punishment 2, Dead Rising 2, Sakura Wars Wii, Super Street Fighter IV, No More Heroes 2, Tatsunoko Vs Capcom:UAS, Metroid: Other M, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Super Meat Boy all have me totally jazzed.

Is it just me, or does it seem like 2010 is a totally different looking year than 2009? So much super! It's shocking to see the pre-fix come back with such a vengeance.

Actually I feel like there a lot of other games coming out in 2010 that I care about, but I'm suddenly blanking on them. Maybe they are the same games you're excited about.

What game of 2010 do you give a crap about?

*For the first time ever, I really got to thinking about Natal (I know, welcome to last June, right?). I mean, I've given the new controller some thought before, but just today I really imagined actually owning the thing. I officially don't get it.

No buttons? At all? How the hell is that going to work?

Now, I'm not the biggest fan motion controls in general; most of my favorite Wii games involve only occasional motion controls, or no motion controls. Having a big button to press under your thumb is just such an instant, thought free control method. I can't imagine in ever being replaced by a completely motion-controlled system.

For games like that soccer goalie demo thing and a Katamari game, I could see the Natal working great, and maybe they'll make some sort of one-or-two button controller to go with it for more traditional games. That's something I could get behind. In the meantime I just don't see how Natal is going to work with the games I play.

I know this sort of Natal-confusion is old news, but I just wanted to throw it out there to see if any of you smart people can make me feel better about "The future of gaming".



* Are you excited for this week's soon-to-be-posted "games of the week" weekly post? I sure am.

Here's a sneak preview- I mention how I'm pretty confused by Sony's "modern day" first party line up. Why did Sony abandon all of it's PS1 era IPs? Hasn't Sont seen how successful Nintendo has been with reviving their classic franchises? Don't they see that guys like me who grew up on Jumping Flash, Parappa the Rapper, and Ape Escape are now grown up, brimming with nostalgia-lust and excess cash?

The fact that my favorite part of MGS 4 is that dream sequence, and that I spent more time with Jumping Flash 2 and UmJammer Lammy last week than I ever wanted to with InFamous and Uncharted 2, should tell Sony something. A lot of long time gamers like myself in the 28-35 age bracket may be more interested in the way they used to make games that the Hollywood style stuff they're putting out these days.

Start by making a Smash Bros' style crossover featuring Somy IP from the past ten years. That will sell millions, and re-introduce people to all the old Sony IP people have forgotten about. Then branch off from there with new Parrapa, Ape Escape,Jumping Flash, and Gitaroo Man games, and watch the PS3 reach a whole new demographic.

Not gonna happen, right? Ah well, at least I have the Last Guardian to look forward to.



* So, Snake and Sonic made a guest appearances in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. To return to favor (maybe) Sega has made quite a few exclusive Sonic games for the Wii and DS, including that crappy Mario and Sonic Olympics crossover series.

As for Konami... they got nothing. I know that Sony is funding the forever-in-limbo Metal Gear Solid movie, but does Kojima have blow off the Wii entirely? Why not port Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker to the Wii? As much as I enjoyed the PSP demo of that game, I'd probably enjoy it a lot more on my TV with a Shattered Memories-style graphics bump and pointer controlled aiming.

Or how about a remake of the first Metal Gear for the Wii? Even if it just got the ReBirth treatment on WiiWare, that would be better than nothing. A full retail release utilizing the Metal Gear Solid 3 engine would be better, but beggars can't be choosers.

If Resident Evil games sell on the Wii, and if Konami is willing to remake Silent Hill on the Wii, is it so crazy to think that the little white shat box could get some sort of Metal Gear game as well?

Am I the only one who'd like to hear Hayter voice Snake's in his original adventure?

God damn it, I've got a splitting headache and I really want my sheets, but I aint going to bed until I tell you about these two games.



* Arkanoid Plus if s WiiWare game that costs 600 Wii points. It is consists of the exact same levels of the original Arcade Arkanoid, plus it has a time trial mode, 2-player, and a couple of other extras.

- It also has new music, which sounds shitty and bad. To be more specific, it sounds like stereotypical, soulless, idea-less techno music. I'd turn it off.

- The game doesn't use any motion controls, which is sort of dumb. They worked so well in Bit.Trip Beat that you'd just assume they'd be implemented here. That said, the d-pad controls work fine. You can even adjust the speed of that little Tylenol thing (Vaos? Valos? I can't remember...). It's nothing spectacular, but nothing to complain about either.

- For 200 Wii points more, you can download 61 new levels, which contain a whole new boss. I haven't beaten them all yet, but so far they are way more interesting than the arcade-based levels. The graphics are also a little prettier.

-In summation, it's nice to have arcade Arkanoid in my life, even nices to get the 61 new levels. I'm glad I bought it. I think it may be worse than the XBLA version though, so if you have that, don't get this.



* Dead Space Extraction came out today, and in someways it's pretty surprising, in others it's exactly what you'd expect.

- I was surprised by how closely the game comes to looking like the original Dead Space, and even Bioshock at times. Very moody set design here. The first few seconds of gameplay really caught me off guard. I thought I was playing the 360 Dead Space. The graphics do slip in and out of PS2-looking territory no and again. Overall though, the game is fun to look at.

- There is a lot more psychological terror than I figured. There aren't any "real" monsters (necromorphs if you're nasty) for the first half hour or so, but still plenty of death and trouble. There is a scene a little past the middle of the second chapter that really took me aback. It's sort of like crazy-scope of Eternal Darkness, except turned up a notch, and with a crowd. There are also quite a few Bioshock moments with lumpy people going crazy. Everyone's going crazy in this game. Anyone could be the next killer. Again, pretty fun stuff.

- There is tons of story so far, way more dialog than there are enemies. People are talking to each other all the time, then suddenlt trying to kill each other. For the most part, the acting is quite good, and there is already one character that I really hope survives for a while.

- They probably wont survive, because so far, no one is safe. Anybody could die at anytime.

- I'm much more frustrated with the game being on-rails than I thought I would. I like on-rails games just fine, but I really want to get out an explore this world. I really hope they make another story-based, co-op Dead Space like this that's a FPS or 3PD sequel to this game, even if they just end up using a lot of the same graphics. It would still be worth it.

- The music is well written, but sometimes poorly placed. It will be filled with adrenaline-inducing gusto when nothing really scary if happening. That's the exception though, not the rule, but still, those exceptions really stand out sometimes.

- The cross-hairs are a little too big. They'll sometimes obscure an enemy that's really far away.

-This game takes itself extremely seriously.

- Challenge mode is a lot of fun so far, very arcade-y.

- The game includes at least 6 "digital comics" from the Dead Space IDW run, drawn by Ben Templesmith. Those six comics together would have cost at least $15, so that's a deal right there.

* Ok, that's it, I gots to get some sleep!

Good night, y'all.