So this will be my last posting for quite a bit. Due to some personnel concerns, I need to be more cautious from revealing too much behind-the-scenes stuff at this stage. I have to admit, one of the main issues is that someone has been pretty proactive in trying to expose who is working on the project. The last thing I want is to get my guys in hot water, because a few still have full-time gigs.

While unfortunate, it's probably better that we lay low for awhile anyways. We are now in the deep mix of trying to build the game, so our hands are full. We'll just shut up, and stay focused on bringing something playable to market first, which provides a much better forum for discussion on the game. We've been having a good time with it so far, so I hope that it's reflected in the game when it's done.

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So I just spent a whole feature talking about the problems of trying to support multiple consoles -- why would we still NEVER, EVER want a one-console future? After reading a number of the comments from Dtoiders on my last post, I'm quite impressed how many people seemed to piece it all together, and see that with just one console, there is no competition.

Competition becomes even more vital in an industry that is technology driven. It's quite amazing that Moore's law, which states that computing power doubles every 18 months, still holds true. This rapid evolution is primarily driven by competition. People are constantly trying to outdo each other. Consoles typically have a shelf life of about five to six years. What would happen without competition?

Probably something like what I'll show you after the jump. 

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There's been some interesting discussion on why the industry would be better off with a one-console future. Even such industry heavyweights as David Jaffe and Dennis Dyack have questioned, in their oh-so-charming ways, why it's better.

As Jaffe asked, "Can anyone explain to me how having one console would be bad for gamers? Or game developers for that matter?"

So rather than ask why we don't have a one-console future, let's imagine a future if we had 10 consoles on the market. Or better yet, let's say 200.

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There's enough brouhaha about in-game ads that you'd thing we were debating something truly controversial (OMG! There's ads on TV! How revolting! WTF! There's ads on my radio station! Damn them!), so I won't go there.  But lately, I've noticed a reversal. I'm talking about ads designed to appeal to gamers. For products that have nothing to do with games.

I'm sure the Dtoid army is about ready to revolt and burn down the tower, conjuring images of a Frankenstein movie. How dare advertisers invade our inner sanctum. And by "inner sanctum," I mean the basement of our parent's house. But I gotta admit, I've seen a couple of ads recently that tickled my funny bone.

Like this McDonald's ad for instance ...

Now, first of all, I want to just point out that the latest McDonald's campaign -- which focuses on the "Dollar Menunaire" -- is overall pretty lame. The concept of reaching out to cheap ass mofos seems misguided, as if we don't already think that Mickey D's food is already bottom of the barrel fast food (is there such a thing as Grade D meat?). Our sister site, Pop Rox USA, goes into more detail on that.

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Considering all of the different types of drinking games there are, I'm surprised there's not one centered around videogames. Sure, you can create your own -- like every time you hear "Welcome to the circus of values!" in BioShock, or every time someone teabags you in Halo 3. But there's no official drinking game where the focus is on drinking, and not gaming.

That's why I decided to create my own. I call it: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Warning:  For all you kiddies out there, you can substitute Red Bull as your drink of choice. It'll leave you completely blitzed, without the urge to throw up on your cat afterwards.

 

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GameStop has come out declaring that 2008 is the year that they start to appeal more to the casual gamer. To quote Daniel DeMatteo, Chief Operating Officer of GameStop, "Honestly, we are having to retool the way we think of things in our stores in terms of merchandising, layout and also customer service because it is no longer only the hardcore gamer walking in who knows exactly what he wants.”

Funny, I was in a GameStop yesterday buying some games, and the same thing crossed my mind. I was so compelled by my experience, that I wanted to write about it even. However, after going through their recent comments to the media, I believe GameStop's solution is missing the point. If you stand in the middle of a GameStop store for 15 minutes, you get a pretty good idea what they need to do to make the shopping experience better. Because that's what I did.

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Well, you gotta give Editor-in-Chief Dan "Shoe" Hsu some credit for stirring up a pot lately, with his editorials in Electronic Gaming Monthly. Though you got to wonder if he's really going to bring the EGM ship down by trying to be so transparent, and so hardlined with his point of view.

What happened to the EGM of old, when it was so much more lively, and less "cyni-jaded"? Which, BTW, is a new word I'm using in Scrabble, deftly combining "cynical" and "jaded."

I'm like a samurai with my tongue. More after the jump.

 

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Before I head home for the holidays to live it up with some heavily spiked eggnog (and foolin' around with old flames under the mistletoe) I thought I'd wish every gamer out there a happy holiday farewell.

2007 has been such a grand year that I wonder how 2008 can top it. I'm talking about the kind of thing that would actually bring together all the fanboys from each console camp, convince them all to lay down their weapons, and hold hands to sing "Hands Across America." Or since it's the holidays, maybe "Don't They Know It's Christmas." Man, I would kill to see Bono, George Michael, Sting, and Boy George perform together again. I wonder why George and George never hooked up ...

Anyways, believe it or not, what I have in this surprise gift above is even better. Hit the jump to tear off the wrapping to unveil this special holiday delight.

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For me, tracking games sales is just as fun as actually playing games -- I can impress friends with "I told you so, this game kicks balls!" or, my favorite "I told you so, this game bites balls"! For those of you who share my passion, here's some shocking news.

Crysis, the absolutely stellar first-person shooter on the PC, didn't break 100K units in the first two weeks of sales. Even more shocking, Unreal Tournament 3 on PC sold less than 35K units in its first two weeks. Some folks have already chimed in on why they think this is the case, but here's my take, which (BTW), is the only take that matters.

As long as you can accept that I used voodoo and an Ouija board in my scientific analysis ...

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[Introducing our newest contributor, Dr. Boa. A videogame industry veteran who's spent years working his knuckles to the bone to bring you some of the games you love, Dr. Boa hopes to bring his own perspective to the masses, and maybe pick up some chicks along the way ... or some pretty dudes. He ain't picky.]

I figure 'tis the season for holiday cheer, and quite frankly there's quite a lot to be thankful for these days as a gamer.

Sometimes, we get so caught up in the latest Internet rumor mongering that it's hard not to become a jaded cynic. From the latest game reviews being "pwned" by advertisers, or how some nutty lawyer is trying to take down Take 2, it's so easy to lose sight of all the good things about gaming.

So here I am, acting as the de facto Merry Bringer with my "+5 Mace of Holiday Cheer." (Yes, it is epic gear.) Enjoy my "top five things I'm thankful for in gaming, and perhaps you'll start to see that twinkle of wonderment that you have deep down inside your little black heart! 

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