Another week, another plethora of anti-gaming news stories for me to rip apart. I've
always known that ignorance runs wild in the media, but I guess I never fully the grasped
the EXTENT it runs wild until now. (Now refers to anything after-Mass Effect/FoxNews
debacle, or AMEND for short). This personal quasi-epiphany arose as simply this
observation:

"The media knows nothing about video games, yet they report about them all the time.
Who's to say that they ever know anything about anything? As a self-proclaimed video
game expert, I can easily tear apart every inaccuracy they vomit out, but these are only
the discrepancies that are visible to me. I can easily believe that other self-proclaimed
experts in other, lesser fields (economics, social reform, etc.) experience this as well."

Basically, the media exists as a business. Therefore, they're trying to SELL the news to us.
They're trying to compete against other like-minded organizations through product
differentiation. But you can't compete on grounds of accuracy since that can't really be
"proven," as our only source of the news is, well, the news. So instead they opt for
sensationalist stories that appear to be interesting, either in a positive or negative way.
This general disregard/apathy for actual journalistic accuracy is made clearly evident by
FoxNews' lackluster response to EA's recent appeals to the network. As a news
organization, they delivered over 5 minutes of unadulterated fallacies, yet they feel no
need to correct this blatant mistake. Being honest isn't their agenda, making money is.
Based on this conglomeration of past things that have already been generally accepted as
being "the way things are," I've decided to avoid the televised media altogether.

Now, back to the true crux of this entry: the week in the news.

Let's discuss the recent claims of Wicomico County, Maryland officials that gang violence in
their community is solely caused by violent video games and rap music. Their argument is
very convincing:
"In Grand Theft Auto, you score points by killing cops, stealing cars and beating prostitutes.
In the ’80s and ’90s, you didn’t have video games, you didn’t have the violence in the
media, you didn’t have the Internet. It creates a lack of respect for life and makes violence
acceptable."
As a gamer, the first thing that pops out to me is that there are no points in Grand Theft
Auto. You don't earn "points" for anything. Secondly, when you "kill cops, steal cars, or
beat prostitutes" you tend to garner unwanted legal attention, leading to cops, SWAT
teams, and even the military trying to either kill you or take you to jail. One could argue
(albeit somewhat weakly) that GTA games in fact reinforce the legal systems of our society,
as they remind us that you CAN do anything, but there are always consequences.
The very next sentence contains logical misconceptions as well. Video games have been
around since the 70s. Pong was released in 1972. The NES launched in 1985. The
"hyperviolent" Contra launched in 1987. Mortal Kombat was released in 1992. So their
claim that "in the '80s and '90s, you didn't have video games..." is entirely accurate, if you
disregard all the video games that have come out in the past 35 years, which is apparently
what they did.
The phrase "you didn't have violence in the media" also proves problematic, as violence in
the media has been pretty common since the televised coverage of the Vietnam War. Also,
people misinterpret the amount of violent stories covered in the media as being indicative
of the amount of "violence" that exists in our society. This is incorrect (see above), news
outlets are just trying to gain an audience. They'll report stories about people getting
murdered, but not about the 250 million other people who weren't murdered (this is
obviously a mild exaggeration used to illustrate my point, but the moral remains the same.
I also mean no disrespect to murder victims). What about the televised coverage of Desert
Storm in '91? The LA Riots of '92? Without violence, there really isn't any media.
Obviously, the claim that there was no "internet" until the 2000s is just flat out ridiculous.
Development on the internet started in the 50's and 60's. In the early 80's it was basically
in the form it is now, albeit on a much, MUCH, smaller scale. By the early 90's, the internet
was erupting into a national phenomenon. Obviously, its growth rate was small at first, as
the cost/availability of the needed hardware (read: computers) was still sketchy. Once
again, their remarks are totally devoid of factual evidence or even basic historical
awareness. They simply call out our two most recent scapegoats for anything (rap music
and video games) with the hopes of creating some sort of buzz in the media.
Somewhat sarcastically, I can argue that video games would definitely PREVENT gang-
related activities, as you can't indulge in gang-related activities while playing video games.
There's a general push for children to "play outside," but "outside" is where these kids get
into real trouble. Maybe you need to keep these delinquents inside and hooked up to an
Xbox, so that they don't further damage society.

-john

So I regularly visit the blogs of the IGN staff and I stumbled upon Tal Belvin's most recent
post:

http://blogs.ign.com/Tal-IGN/2008/01/27/78492/#comments

I was completely floored when I saw this. There was a distinct feeling of disgust and intrigue.
So I am putting in a order for one of the Bacon Chocolate bars to see what it is like for
myself. Be ready for impressions.

On the gaming side of things I purchased No More Heroes over the weekend. I've played
about two hours of it now and I have to say that I am impressed. The amount of blood that is
in this game is hysterical and the finishing kills are very satisfying. This game just makes you
laugh and it is something the Wii needed.



-Ta

http://kotaku.com/348187/ea-calls-fox-out-on-insulting-mass-effect-inaccuracies

I find it odd to side with EA, but I give them major props for this. This laughably bad report
on Mass Effect pissed me off. A lot. The ignorance was running wild for about ten minutes,
and they wouldn't allow Geoff Keighley to speak.

There better be an apology segment.
I can't wait to see that.

So my fourth xbox360 died just now. For no apparent reason whatsoever. It worked fine for
some COD4 last night, and today it decided that it should give me the Disk Read Error.
My first three 360s all died from 3RL. At least this one decided to mix it up a bit.
Of course this happens as soon as the LIVE issues seem to be calming down.

Well, looks like my PS3 will continue to dominate my game time, as Microsoft can't seem to
sustain any working networking services (LIVE DOWN FOR 25 DAYS NOW) or hardware, as it
will be another month (at least) until I can play another game.

AFLJKJFAFDS

It's also to be noted that they told me to send in my power supply as well as my console, as
this is my fourth repair in the last year. Maybe that'll provide SOME sort of hardware
reliability this time around? Let's hope so.

-john

So 1UP just released some new screens showing that at least two playable Star Wars
characters are set to star the upcoming Soul Calibur IV. My wildest fighting game dreams
have unbelievably come true.
We get Darth Vader.
We get Yoda.
Need I say more?


http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3165334






YES
YES
AND MORE YES

So 2007 is finally at an end, and the gamer community enjoys a sign of relief. Our wallets
definitely took a beating this year, but it was definitely worth it. This was easily the best
year for gaming in recent memory, if not ever. So the brobots are posting up the games
that were especially memorable this year. We're not assigning any numbers or one true
GOTY winner because that shit is worthless.


Bioshock

Bioshock truly blew me away with its immersive environments. The story of Rapture is
truly awe-inspiring. You want to play the game just to further explore the watery depths.
We here at brobots subscribe to the belief that games can be an art form all their own, and
Bioshock reaffirms that belief. What Kevin Levine and Irrational did with Bioshock (notice
how I didn't call them 2K Boston) is truly a beautiful thing and remains one of the most
memorable single player experiences in my gaming career.


Call Of Duty 4

While Call Of Duty 4 doesn't necessarily do anything new, it absolutely perfects the FPS
genre, particularly with its online play, which is perhaps the greatest of all time. The
gameplay is frantic and visceral from start to finish. The online experience system remains
one of my more addictive past times. If you have Xbox Live (or PSN), then you owe it to
yourself as a human being to check this out. You won't be disappointed.


Halo 3

I have grown weary of the constant Halo hate train that seems to patrol most online gaming
communities. Halo 3 is a great game. The single player doesn't hold too many surprises,
but it definitely delivers many "wow!" moments throughout. But as with COD4, the real
meat here is in the multiplayer, which is the most polished online experience to date.
Everything is streamlined to perfection with customization options abound. There are quite
a few revolutionary new features here, such as the Theater and Forge modes, which have
no equal in any other game.


Mass Effect

Mass Effect is probably the biggest game I've ever experienced. The scope is beyond
over-whelming. But in the best way. It might be a little hard for the casuals to get into this
one, as the game literally offers you no guidance. Ever. But it's definitely worth every inch
of the steep learning curve. The dialogue system is incredible. The gameplay is solid. The
story is beautiful. The replayability is infinite. This could be Bioware's best RPG yet.


The Orange Box

The Orange Box is undisputedly the best value in gaming history. Five games for the price
of one. Five incredibly good games. Half Life 2 remains a landmark FPS experience, and
it's two expansions continue those high standards. Team Fortress 2, while suffering from
some sketchy issues on Xbox Live, remains one of the best class-based multiplayer options
available, especially on the PC. But the real jewel of the bunch is Portal. I love Portal. I
can't say that enough. I would gladly shell out 60 for a full version of the game. The
concept itself is innovative, but it's the delivery and style of the game that cement it as one
of my all-time favorites. The writing is the wittiest I've ever encountered. I was actually
laughing out loud, something few games could ever dream to accomplish.


Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction

Ratchet & Clank is one of those rare games that is just a total joy to play. It's so incredibly
chaotic that you can't help but smile when you boot it up. The graphics really do rival that
of a Pixar film, something we've been promised for about five years now. The weapons are
zany, and the experience system is very intuitive. The writing is also top-notch here, being
genuinely funny all around. This really is one of the best action-platformers out there.


Rock Band

When I first heard about Harmonix's new project Rock Band, I have to admit that I was
skeptical. But they delivered and over-delivered. This game is THE definitive local
multiplayer experience out there. Getting a group of bros together to jam the night away
will be one of those experiences you remember forever. You really feel like you're on top
of the world and rocking out in arenas across the globe. And, unlike with GHII and the
more recent GHIII, the delivery of DLC for the game has been solid. Hopefully they'll start
releasing those full albums soon. (Fingers crossed for Weezer's Blue Album)


Super Mario Galaxy

Probably the best description I've heard about Galaxy goes something like this: First there
was Super Mario Bros., and then Super Mario Bros. 3 perfected that formula. Then there
was Super Mario 64, and Super Mario Galaxy perfected that formula. Super Mario Galaxy
is the best 3D platformer ever made, if not the flat-out best platformer ever made, if not
the best game period. The level design is the most innovative I've ever seen. The
gameplay is fun from start to finish. The music is easily the best of the year. My praise for
this game really knows no bounds.


Uncharted: Drake's Fortune

Apart from being one of the true graphical showcases of the year, Uncharted boasts some
seriously solid gameplay. Nathan Drake is basically the bastard child of Marcus Fenix and
Lara Croft, as Uncharted combines the platforming and puzzle elements of the Tomb Raider
series with the stop-and-pop gameplay of Gears Of War. And throw in some solid vehicle
sequences to boot. And it all works. It's like living out an action movie, which is something
I've been meaning to do for a while.


Warhawk

Warhawk is one of my favorite online experiences of the year, and I only started playing a
few weeks ago. I don't have much experience with the PSN, but I know that having
dedicated servers on a console game is pure gaming bliss. The game has a very Battlefield
feel to it, albeit a slightly cartoonish variant of it. There are so many ways to lay damage
to your foes that I often find myself really stuck debating which avenue I want to take. Do
I load up the flamethrower and lay siege to tanks? Do I get on a missile turret and lay
down some heavy AA support? Do I get in a Warhawk and drop clusterbombs to take out
all those ground units? The only real answer is to do them all. A lot.


Honorable Mentions: Metroid Prime: Corruption, Assassin's Creed, Zack & Wiki: Quest For
Barbaros' Treasure