Nintendo has got to be pissed!

Have you checked out my gamertag at the top of this blog lately? That is my Xbox 360 gamertag which is basically like a gamer business card. It tells you my name, what games I've played recently, and my achievement points, which is like a running score of achievements from each game I've played (hint: over 10 thousand is a lot for a casual gamer, but is nothing compared to a real hard core gamer). Now the real question is how did I get my Nintendo Wii Avatar as my picture for my Xbox 360 gamertag? I didn't. That's my new Xbox 360 Avatar.

A couple weeks ago the Xbox 360 gave every single customer a free gift. They gave us the "New Xbox Experience", also known as NXE. The NXE is nothing more than a polished up version of the Xbox operating system. When you turn on the Xbox, the menu system that you see before you start off in a game has been completely overhauled. Instead of a sterile menu system full of tabs, it's now a smooth scrolling exciting list of choices. But there is more to it than just polish, there is some serious muscle behind this as well.

One of the biggest new options available to Xbox users is the availability to stream NetFlix movies right to your Xbox with your NetFlix account. It's crazy easy to use and the movies come out great, the only downside is the choice of movies available to you. Don't expect to stream the new IronMan movie, because it isn't there. But if you want to see the 5 year old Pursuit of Happiness, then you are in luck. The other main feature, as you can see above, is Xbox new inclusion of Avatars, and Nintendo has to be pretty pissed off.

This is just a complete and blatent rip off of the Nintendo Mii's. You create these avatars the exact same way you created the Nintendo Mii's and they look identical as well. But what is really going to piss off Nintendo is the Microsoft will implement these avatars much better than Nintendo ever will. From the very beginning they already put the avatars into existing video games that you can play against other avatars across the globe. You wanna jump into a game of Uno with you avatar? No problem, I'll meet you there with my avatar and drop a "draw four" card right on your head. I've even heard that they are coming out with an Xbox version of the game show "1 vs 100" where your avatar goes up against 100 other avatars from around the globe. Just awesome! Also, when Microsoft has special events, they will release customizable attaire for your avatar. Want your avatar to wear a special Gears of War 2 shirt? No problem, it's available for a limited time.

You know what the best part of the New Xbox Experience is? It was completely free and no one asked for it. Microsoft just rewarded it's loyal customers with this new functionality because they felt like keeping ahead of the curve. Playstation 3 is coming out with it's version of the NXE called "Home". We'll see if it holds up, because right now Xbox has set the bar pretty high by ripping off Nintendo completely. They took Nintendo's innovation and improved upon it and implemented it better than Nintendo ever could hope for.

I for one, love it.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

'Tis the Season Shopping Guide

Last week was Thanksgiving and I hope you all had a great one. However, that holiday is behind us and we now have to start looking toward the upcoming holidays. It may seem surprising, but we don't have much time to go and grab our gifts for our loved ones. There are only three weeks before Christmas. So, I'm sure that you are already getting gift ideas for all of those gamers out there in your lives. If you are very unfamiliar with what is out there, then let the 30 Year-old Gamer help you out a bit with this very quick holiday gaming guide.

Xbox 360

The Xbox 360 has a great amount of games available to it this year. This list can go on and on, and you really can't go wrong with any of the new releases. This season has some of the best games I can ever remember. But let me just hit some of the big hitters here.

Gears of War 2 - I've talked about this game at length in my last blog. The game is excellent, but it's very violent, graphic, and has major adult language. Keep this in mind for the person you are getting it for. If they aren't of age, then pass on this game. Trust me, it's violent.

Left 4 Dead - Talking about violent, and you're probably talking about Left 4 Dead. The game starts in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. The world is over taken by the undead and you and three buddies are all that are left. Your only job in this game is to survive. The game plays like a bad B Horror movie, but that is this game's charm. The game play is excellent and there is nothing quite like playing with three friends and screaming at them to come back and help you as a horde of zombies pin you down to eat you alive. And if your friends are anything like mine...they'll leave you there to die. Thanks buddies!

Fable 2 - This is an excellent Role Playing Game that is for all ages. It plays out like a Disney game where the main character has tragedy strike him at an early age and the rest of the game is just a challenge and adventure. But what separates this game from the rest is that your decisions in this game really affect your character and the outcome. If you are a dick, you become a dick in the game. You want to go evil, go evil my friend. You want to play the hero, then play the hero. It's all up to you, and it's all good.

Fallout 3 - This is another Role Playing Game but it's definitely more adult than Fable 2. This game takes place in a post-nuclear holocaust Washington DC. The visuals of running around the DC wasteland is fantastic. The game is created by same people who created Oblivion: The Elder Scrolls, which is by far my favorite RPG of all time. And I don't usually play RPGs. They just aren't my type of game. However, Oblivion was so good, that I could definitely saddle up for one more adventure in a DC wasteland. Sign me up.

Nintendo Wii

Wii Fit - Nintendo didn't really release many games this year, but the ones they did are all family friendly and most are pretty good. The biggest one they released was easily Wii Fit. Here is a game that comes with a balance board and has you go through some major exercises in an effort to actually get the gamer in you into the best shape you've ever been in. From everything I've heard, this game really kicks your ass too. So if you like the exercise tapes in the living room kind of workout then this is definitely for you.

Mario Kart Wii - It strikes me as kind of funny that there are still Wii owners out there who don't own this game. What are you kidding me? This is the best game on the Nintendo Wii. It's simply the most fun you can have on the Wii without playing Wii Sports. It plays like all of the other Mario Kart games, it's simple for everyone to learn, and is a blast for all ages and all gamers out there. Without a doubt, it's a must buy.

Playstation 3

Little Big Planet - PS3 had sort of a tough year. It never really met its full expectations and only have a few console specific titles that are must buys. Little Big Planet is definitely one of them. It's the unique game of the year. You control mini sock puppets that you create and with the help of friends try to get through a map that is created by real life gamers as well. As they come up with more devilish and sadistic ways to have your sock puppets stumble as they get to their goal, the game get funner and funner. Great for everyone and a must own PS3 title.

Resistance 2 - This is PS3's version of Gears of War 2. If the game is half as good as GOW2 then it is an absolute must own. But again, like GOW2, this game is adult and meant for adults only. If you have little kiddies out there, have them play Little Big Planet instead.

Multi-Console

Madden 09 - Simply the greatest football game ever created. But have no doubt, this game is realistic and realistically hard. You will need to know a lot about football, offensive schemes, defensive packages, and strategy if you hope to have any success during the season in this game. Madden features great graphics and commentary and if you are a football fan, then this game is like crack it's so addictive. John Madden brought his A Game to this game.

Rock Band 2 - How can we talk about the holidays without the biggest games of the season, Rock Band 2 and Guitar Hero? Rock Band 2 is the sequel to last year's monster smash. The good news is that if you bought last year's huge game with the drums and guitars, you won't have to repurchase the instruments. All you need this time around is the video game which features an incredible play list and downloadable content (for extra money of course) that will keep the entire family happy until next Christmas.

Guitar Hero World Tour - Guitar Hero realized it got it's ass kicked last year and didn't want to go that route again, so they came up with their own instrument package with a drum set (where did they get that idea from?). If you just want to play with the guitar that you got from last year's game, no worries, you can. You don't need the whole instrument package to play the game. However you will be missing out, because who doesn't want to do a drum solo? Either way, regardless which game you decide on, both Guitar Hero and Rock Band are can't misses and I'm sure both companies will be raking in the dough this Christmas.

Regardless of what games you choose from the above list, I'm sure the gamer in your life will love it. And they will think that you are a very knowledgeable and informed gamer, when in reality all you did was just do a little web blogging. Happy Holidays!

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

All Geared Up!

Tomorrow will mark the one week anniversary of the release of Gears of War 2. It's a hallmark event. I'm so in love with this freaking game I think I might pick up flowers on the way home tomorrow and give them to it. But before I get into the game and my ridiculous obsession with it, let me first back up by telling you about it.

Gears of War plays like a modified first person shooter. You spend most of the time running around in a third person perspective (camera behind the main character), but when you get into combat you can zoom into a first person perspective (camera inside the main character's head) for more accurate shooting. This whole process works very smoothly. This of this game like a brother to Halo 3. And if Halo 3 is the honor student of the family going to an Ivy League college, then Gears of War is the older badder brother who joined a motorcycle gang that runs guns to Mexico.

Make no mistake, this game is not for the kiddies. It's for all of the 30 year old kids out there who still get a kick out of ridiculous violence.

The story is basic, but it works well. There are a bunch of monsters called Locust that come from underground and are wiping out humanity. You play a bad ass named Marcus Fenix who is a cross between John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and The Rock. He fights in the army and is a one man wrecking crew. The story is about the humans taking the fight to the Locust and there are cool plot twists and enough story to keep you interested throughout the game.

But the true joy of the game is the combat itself. It plays almost exactly like the first game where you have to hide "in cover" behind walls and debris to protect yourself from enemy fire. And there will be plenty of enemy fire. There are a lot of enemies and they are all tougher and smarter than the first game. The weapons you get to defeat them vary from flamethrowers to grenades, and from bow and arrows to sniper rifles. Of course the star of the show is the main weapon which is called the Lancer. It's a heavy machine gun with a chainsaw for a bayonet. If an enemy gets too close then just rev that baby up and cut the guy in half.

I've played the game about half way through the story mode, and it's very well done. The game does a great job of pulling you in and out of the game and into cinematics very well. You feel from the very beginning that you are in for one hell of a highly produced ride, and it doesn't disappoint. The characters and voice acting is great. And the visuals of the game are of course some of the best on the system. But the bottom line is the game is just a ton of fun to play.

Oh and there's the online multiplayer, which is just as much fun if not more so than the story line. Playing online actually takes some real strategy. You just can't run around and shoot everything that moves or you will die a quick gruesome death. They've added plenty of new modes and each of them is excellent.

I actually picked up the Limited Edition version of the game. It's $10 more and comes with some fun features like a behind the scenes disk and picture book. But to be honest, I spent the extra ten bucks for the bigger box. This game is excellent and deserves the extra recognition on my shelf with my other games. Don't get me wrong, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a great game, but it's no Gears of War 2, and no one walking into my house should ever confuse the two, and thanks to this box, no one ever will.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

Politics and Video Games

Today is Election Day for this great country of ours and it's a day that I've always enjoyed. It's a day where as Americans we put our voices to work and we show the entire world it is possible for us to elect a leader without bloodshed. It's truly a time where we can be proud to be an American and I hope all of you out there do go out and vote today. Now, I'm not here to talk about politics, and that's a good thing. There are enough of those people out there. I'm here to talk about video games. However, it is possible to talk about both.

Now video games are not a major political issue, nor should they be. There are plenty of other issues that are facing the world that are just a bit more important. However, the major issues that are facing the world do affect the world of video game directly. Specifically, the economic crisis that is facing the nation.

Right now it can be said that we are in the middle of a recession. The only question is whether it will be a minor or major one. Regardless of the answer, the impacts will directly affect the video game world. It can be said that independent smaller companies have created some of the best original video games ever. Whether it was Goldeneye created by Rare, Half-Life created by Valve, or Grand Theft Auto created by Take Two, it is the independent creative smaller developers that have led to some of the most break through video games we enjoy.

However, in this current economic crisis, it's these companies that are most at risk. It costs a lot of money to develop a video game. There development and production costs, as well as marketing and distribution costs. If a game is not completely proven with an embedded customer fan base, it may have a hard time securing financing for development. That leaves these smaller companies out in the cold.

Looking toward next year specifically, I feel that we will see more and more big company video games. It will be more Electronic Arts and Activision. It will be more Guitar Hero and Rock Band titles and spin offs. It will be more Madden and NFL Head Coach. And if it doesn't turn around quickly expect to see titles like Halo: The Early Master Chief Years and Gears of War: The Cole Train Chronicles. It will be more retread of old games than anything you've ever seen.

So whoever gets elected today, listen closely to their policies to help the smaller and mid-size companies. If these companies don't receive some relief, the next 18 months could be some real bad times in the video game industry.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Gameflying Through the Summer

So I kept my word and I joined the rank and file of the Gamefly customers a few months back. If you are unfamiliar with how Gamefly works, it's simple; think Netflix with video games. For just $25 a month you can rent up to two video games at a time and hold them for as long as you like. To Gamefly's credit, the service works great. There is a wide selection of games and they get them to your door really quickly. Here's the problem I've had with Gamefly. All of the games I've rented (except for Call of Duty 4) all have been between mediocre and down right shitty. I guess the reason is because if the game is great, I would buy it anyway.

So for the last 3 months, I've spent almost $80 to have the joy of playing some crappy games. Here is a quick review of them ranked from crappiest to not so crappy.

SoulCaliber 4 (Xbox 360)

This is seriously one of the worst video games I've ever played. To be fair I'm not a real fighting game kind of gamer. But this game is just awful. You can play as one of a bunch of generic fighters that wield just huge ridiculous weapons. You fight through a a bunch of other generic fighters and then for some reason, you fight a boss and the game ends. It takes all of ten minutes and all you had to do was hit the Y button over and over again to win. What a waste of time. And look, I'm not searching for incredible realism or anything, but when a monster of a man hits a 4 ft 10 inch woman over the head with a sword the size of a Jeep, I'm expecting a little more than her to jump back up with only 10% of her health depleted.

I've also heard that this game is great to play against someone else. But these battles just turn out to be who can hit the Y button the fastest. It just plain sucks, and adding a Star Wars character to the game doesn't help it at all. Avoid this game at all possible costs.

The Simpson's Game (Xbox 360)

I'm a huge fan of the Simpsons which is why this game isn't completely awful. The game puts you in control of all of the Simpsons family. The game plays like an episode of the show where Bart finds a copy of the Simpson's game and by reading the manual he and his family get video game powers. From that point forward they find themselves in funny situations where they have to use their powers to save Springfield. Throughout each story they constantly make fun of the video game industry. I was laughing hysterically each time I stumbled across a "video game cliche" and would unlock an achievement. "ooh, an exploding barrel. How original." You even get an achievement for pressing the start button. Classic.

But that is pretty much as far as the game goes. The actual game play is pretty boring and repetitive. It's just a standard platforming game, with basic puzzles and boss battles. And the story itself is so splintered that there really is nothing that keeps you pressing forward in the game. After playing the game for a few hours, I felt like I had seen everything this game had to offer and I sent it back to Gamefly. Too bad too, because there were some pretty funny scenes, like a stage where Mr. Burns wanted to cut down an entire red wood forest to make one extremely expensive toothpick.

Lego Indiana Jones (Xbox 360)

I think you pretty much know what to expect out of this one. It's Legos and it's Indiana Jones. It's really a can't miss, except it kinda does. First of all, this is a great family game. It's a great game to play with kids and parents alike. Kids will get a kick out of the Legos and parents will love the Indiana Jones nostalgia. They pay a great amount of fan service to Indy fans as well. You'll play all the classic scenes including the fight with the big bruiser from Raiders of the Lost Ark who got a little too close to an airplane.

The only real issue I have with this game really isn't with this game at all. I guess it's with the Lego games in general. I feel like I've been there and done that. It seems like I've done all of these puzzles before with the Lego Star Wars games. It's the same push this block here, dig up these blocks here, put these pieces together there and a door opens which you get to go to another room then repeat as necessary.

Also, Indy's whip is completely useless and feels very tacked on. I mean you'll walk onto a screen with just your whip and 7 Nazis with guns will come running from the other side and kill you before you can even get to them to hit them. It's like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

I beat the Raiders of the Lost Ark stage and I might go onto The Temple of Doom, and again I might not. The game is fun, but I always seem to decide to do something else than continue playing it.

Resident Evil 4 (Wii)

Besides Call of Duty 4 this was by far the best game I've rented from Gamefly. Although the graphics are definitely last generation, it's still genuinely horrifying to play this game. I haven't played this game long, only like 4-5 hours, but the story is deep and involving. It's a game that at only $30, I could easily see myself picking up to own.

Basically, you play as a cop who is in search of the missing President's daughter. You get a lead that she is being held in this eastern European village in the middle of nowhere. So when you go to investigate, you realize the villagers are completely homicidal and there are degrees of horror everywhere. The atmosphere they create is excellent, and there are scenes that are so exciting that when they finish you really want to take a break and relax.

The only downside is the controls. Using both the Wiimote and nunchuk controllers to move and aim and fire is very awkward and I've found myself dying many times because I just can't seem to get the controls right. In fact, after a few hours of playing the first time, I found my arms hurting because of the awkward position I had them in to use the weapons I had.

But it's a good game for the Wii which is rare, and it's the only game out of the bunch I have any desire to actually own which is even rarer.

I'm not sure if I'll continue my Gamefly membership. There are a lot of good games coming out over the next couple of weeks and if my schedule remains as busy as it has been there won't be much time to play. If my time is limited in playing, then I would rather play a good game then rent another crappy one from Gamefly.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

The Gamer is Back...sort of

Hello devoted readers (all three of you). The 30 Year-old Gamer is back for a quick stop over into his blog. It's been over two and a half months since I stopped back here and I would like to say that a lot has happend over that time the but the honest truth is it really hasn't. At least nothing has happend in my video game life anyway.

Over the past two months my video game life has consisted of renting games from Gamefly and playing them pretty irregularly. In fact, a few days ago I was able to play for about four hours and it was the most I had played in at least four weeks. So it really hasn't been that I've neglected my blog (although I have), it really has more to do with the fact that I haven't played any real games.

However, there are quite a few topics that are on my mind as of this moment about video games, so I decided to stop back by my blog and jot a few of them down.

Now, I promise you the reader (all 3 of you) that I will stop by here at least once a week for a quick or long note to let you know what's up in the video game world, or at least give you my perspective on it.

So, I apologize for being away, but I'm back...for now anyway.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

30YOGamer Top 5: Favorite Video Games

We really truly are in the middle of the dog days of summer. There really is nothing to talk about in the video game world except rumors and opinions on video games that aren't going to be released for months. And since I don't really feel like doing that at all, I think I'll start a new type of entry into the 30 Year Old Gamer blog called "The 30YOGamer Top 5". It's exactly what you think it is. Every so often, I'll just give you my opinion of a top 5 list of something. This week, why not start out with the biggest list of them all. The 30 Year Old Gamer's Top 5 Favorite Video Games.

Now I've played a lot of video games in my life. My video game life started before the original Nintendo was released. The first system I ever owned was a Commodore Vic 20. I wanted the Commodore 64, but my parents wanted me to learn, so they got me a keyboard the size of a Buick that could play Frogger and it was called the Commodore Vic 20. So, I've played a lot of games and I think that these 5 games have probably had the biggest impacts on my video game life, and thus make the Top 5.

#5: Outrun (Arcade)This was the first land mark, mind blowing game I've ever played. I was probably 8 years old and my parents would take me to this restaurant in a neighboring town where they could kick back a few bottles of wine. (yes, you read that right.."a few") So, while they were "relaxing", they would give me $10 in quarters and I would go over to the Outrun video game and waste the night away.

This game was revolutionary at the time. It was a stand-up machine with a steering wheel where you drove a convertible cherry red Ferrari Testarosa (still one of my dream cars to this day) and with a blond riding shotgun, you raced through 6 very hard timed levels and tried to go from one side of the coast to the next. There were two cool twists. The first was that if you drove off of the road, the steering wheel shook violently. Now I know every game does that now, but back in 1986, this was the coolest thing I had ever seen. And the other very cool thing was that at the end of each stage there was a fork in the road where you could go left or right and depending on which road you took, the next stage was either harder or easier.

It was on this game that I fell in love with video games and when my parents asked me a year or so later if I wanted a Nintendo Entertainment System or a Sega Master System, I chose Sega because they had Outrun and I played it for years, and that's why this game is easily a Top 5.

#4: John Madden Football (any system, any year)Its about 4 years later and I've now graduated from a Sega Master System (8 bit) to Sega Genesis (16 bit) and I feel like the coolest kid in the school. It was around this time that a small company (at the time) called Electronic Arts made the best sports game of all time, John Madden Football. Before this game, the benchmark in football games was Tecmo Bowl. That game used real players names and real teams, but it was nothing like this. Instead of moving side to side on the screen you went from the bottom to the top of the screen allowing yourself to see up field and pass to open receivers. The game had a full roster of players on and off the field. It was the most realistic sports game I had ever seen.

After the success of Madden, Electronic Arts quickly went into every other sport creating the very awesome NHL Hockey, PGA Golf, and Celtics vs Lakers Basketball. They went through probably the best marketing campaign I've ever seen. They would show you clips from various sports. They would show the football hitting an upright of a goal post, or a hockey puck hitting the post. They would show a three pointer and a dunk. And then they would show you everything again, but this time in their various video games. They would end the commercial by simply saying "EA Sports. If it's in the game, it's in the game."

I bought every single one of them.

Since then I've played probably 10 seasons of Madden, two seasons of baseball, three full hockey seasons, and one entire PGA season. I've probably owned 5 versions of Madden between then and now and it looks like I'm about to own another one in a couple weeks. Any game that's so good that you have to buy over and over again year in and year out has to make my Top 5.

#3: Metal Gear Solid (Playstation)

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, this game was just revolutionary when I first played it. I'm in college and when I'm not drinking at the bar, I'm studying or playing cards. My game playing time was limited to only the best video games. So when I tell you that this game was so good that I played it all the way through three times, it's saying something.

I won't go into the details about this game here, as I already did in an earlier blog. But let me just say this. I went to my local GameStop a couple weeks ago and asked them if they had a copy of this game in a used bin somewhere. I figured I could pick up a cheap copy and play it on my PS2. The guy looked at me with a very strange look, like I just asked him where his Commodore Vic 20 games are. He basically said that I should look on Ebay for that game. The next day I did just that and the only copy of the original game I saw had a current bid of $18. Here's a game that over 10 years old and I've played and beaten it three times being sold for about $20, and I seriously considered placing a bid. Yeah it's that good and a definite Top 5.

#2: Goldeneye 007 (Nintendo 64)Oh my God what a great game! I know what you are thinking. "Didn't you just tell us that all video games based on movies suck?" Yes I did. However, this is the one huge glaring exception. This game is considered the father of first person shooters on a console system. Up until Goldeneye a first person shooter was only on a computer. You would use your mouse to aim your weapon. However the Nintendo 64 was unique in that it had the first analog joystick for a console. This made the whole experience much better.

Now the single player game was identical to the movie. Scene for scene you basically ran through the movie. Normally, since you've seen the movie this would suck. But since this is a James Bond movie the whole experience was pretty cool. It was very cinematic and just a joy to play through. But where this game really shined was in multiplayer.

Multiplayer games weren't really all that popular around this time. The only competitive multiplayer experience was really if you were playing a game like Madden. However, this game allowed 4 people to run around an environment and shoot the crap out of each other for like 5 minutes or 25 kills, which ever came first. In college, this game was like crack. People would line up around someone's room and wait for their turn to play. We had entire nights revolved around Goldeneye tournaments. The top two players could stay on the game and the bottom two would have to give up their controllers. Whoever could play the game the longest would win. It was fantastic. We would break the controllers long before we ever got tired of this game.

It would easily be my favorite video game of all time except for...

#1: Halo 2 (Xbox)

This is a true story. About three years ago I visited a friends house to play some poker. Before we started to play, my friend decided to show off his Xbox and this game called Halo 2. I had only heard of the game and I heard some good things. We played the game for a couple hours and I immediately fell in love with it. That weekend I went straight to my local GameStop and bought a refurbished Xbox and Halo 2 with the Halo 2 strategy guide. Over $250 invested for one video game. Looking back....still an excellent decision.

This game is that good. You've probably heard a lot about Halo and the Halo franchise. For gamers, this game represented everything that was great about games. You could play the game yourself, or you could play the game cooperatively with a buddy. Myself and the 30YORoomie beat the game in a weekend. When we finished, we just started right over again. And then there's the online multiplayer. We called up my buddy who first showed me the game, and started playing him online. His time with the game and experience showed from the very beginning as he would run around and hunt me and my roomie. It was ugly how bad he would beat us, and it didn't matter. That's the true sign of an excellent video game. It's kicking your ass and you are having so much fun you don't care.

When Halo 3 was released last year, I was one of the first in line with my preorder. Just ask the 30YOGF. I don't think she's ever seen me as happy as I was skipping out of my local Best Buy with my game in hand. I know that both Halo 2 and 3 were very hyped, but I don't care. I love them both and am happy to call Halo 2 my favorite game of all time.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

What's Up With Wall-E?

Yesterday during my daily visits to gaming websites and blogs, I came across this little piece of news. Apparently the video game "Wall-E" based on the hugely successful movie, is not nearly as successful. After one month of release, the video game has only sold 114,000 copies. That's not a good number. For comparison purposes, Guitar Hero Aerosmith which has been out just as long, has sold about 500,000 copies. And if you remember from one of my earlier blogs, GH Aerosmith is not very good. So the question is "What's Up With Wall-E?"Well, it's not the character. Wall-E is awesome. The movie is fantastic. It is one of Pixar's best. It's right up there with Finding Nemo and the Incredibles. Wall-E was very successful in the theaters making over $200 million since it's release. And it can't be the marketing. Wall-E is backed by Disney, which is just the biggest marketing juggernaut in the history of corporate America.

No, the issue with Wall-E is a lot more fundamental. It's a video game based on a movie, and these games just aren't very good. You can look back at prior video games based on movies and see they also weren't very successful. Last year we had a lot of video games based on successful movies and all of them failed. Games such as Transformers, Spiderman 3, and Pirates of the Caribbean all were gigantic failures.

There are a few reasons for this. The first is because the game developers are basically handcuffed when it comes to the content of the game. The movie studios have very strict guidelines when it comes to licensing their content. The video game has to stay very true to the movie. Take Wall-E as an example. The first 20-30 minutes of the movie, Wall-E is stuck on a completely deserted Earth collecting trash and trying to clean up the planet. Now in the movie it's very entertaining due to Wall-E's reactions to everything. Now try playing a video game where you just move around an empty wasteland picking up trash. Sound even remotely interesting?

The second main reason for the issue, is the game is too closely related to the movie. You just spent $8 dollars to go see the movie which you just enjoyed. Do you really feel like shelling out another $50 to play through the entire movie scene by scene? I mean you just saw the freaking thing, you know what's going to happen next. There's no suspense and no reason to play the game. Without having ever played the game, I'm betting Wall-E falls in love and finds his way into space. I know, because I've seen the movie.

The final reason why video games based on movies aren't very good is because the game play is not very good. The games aren't very innovative and they are very glitchy. There's nothing worse than moving Wall-E around Earth and he accidentally gets stuck on a pile of garbage he can't get out of, because the developers didn't beta test the game thoughougly. Now, it's not their fault. The game developers don't have a lot of time to create the game. They are given their instructions from the movie studio maybe 6 months before the game has to be released. And in that 6 months, they have to create the game and then test out all of the glitches before the game is released the same time the movie is. Remember, the game has to be released at the same time as the movie. I mean there would be no market for the game if it was released 6 months after the movie.

And I feel bad for Wall-E. He's a great guy and deserves to be treated better than this. I would have no problem playing a completely original Wall-E adventure. But that would take too long and too much money to create and publish. So unfortunately Wall-E is stuck in a very mediocre game that is being marketed to idiots who don't know any better. But now you are not one of those idiots. You are a more informed gamer, just like the 30 Year Old Gamer.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Monday Morning Review: Army of Two

I picked up Army of Two a little reluctantly a couple months back when it was first released. I had won an online poker game where I won a $25 Amazon gift card and decided that I would use my new found money to purchase a new video game. My decision was between Army of Two for my Xbox 360 or God of War for my PSP. With a little encouragement from my roommate I decided to go for Army of Two, and I have never regretted it.

Army of Two is made by Electronic Arts in an effort by the company to get away from everything sports. It's about these two guys who work for the Army and decide that it's stupid to go where the are told for a reason they don't understand. So, they quickly realize that it's much more rewarding to work for a private security company and go around the world and fight for apparently the most honorable thing in the world...money. That's right, you play two guys who are hired mercenaries and travel to the biggest war zones in the world and basically kill bad guys.

Let's first start with the bad things about this game. The story, while enjoyable, is really stupid. The story revolves around the trend of privatizing our military. Where apparently our army fails, these two guys can come in and clean up with very little problems. uh...right. The enemies that you fight in this game couldn't be more stereotypical, and that just goes to show how stupid some people really are. There is literally a scene where you are on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan and you are being attacked by suicide bombers. These "suicide bombers" are men with beards and turbans on their heads running straight at you with explosives on their chests and their arms in the air screaming something in Arabic. Shoot one in the chest, and they explode long before they get to you. It's embarrassing how stupid this looks. Especially since the cut scene just before this shows footage of September 11th. To think that our military is facing anything this stupid on the ground in the Middle East is insulting to them and us.

Ok, now that's out of the way, onto the good...the gameplay. You play as either one of these two mercenaries and either the computer or another buddy plays as the other guy. The first time through this game, I played with the 30yoRoomie and it was a great experience. I personally love playing games cooperatively. It's a great feeling where you two have to work together to overcome an obstacle. And in this game, it's absolutely imperative that you work together.

First, there is a system in the game in place called Aggro. What Aggro basically means is that the computer enemies will focus their fire on the guy who's firing the most. So say for example, you are playing with a friend and while you are taking cover, your friend decides to run straight out in the open firing at anything that moves. Well the computer enemies will then focus their fire on your friend cutting him to ribbons, and leave you completely alone. Sometimes in the game that's a strategically important option. If for example you need to flank around a machine gun nest, then your friend can run around like an idiot. While everyone is focused on him, you can easily sneak around behind everyone and shoot the machine gunner in the back of the head. It's pretty cool.

The second time through the game I played with the computer as my buddy. In most games like this my biggest complaint is that your computer buddies look like they are doing a lot, but in truth they are hitting nothing, and it's up to you to kill all 562 enemies while your computer buddies are just hanging back. Not in this game. If the computer is your AI buddy, you can bet he's kicking just as much ass as you. Don't feel like going into a room first? No problem, send the computer guy to do it. You control all of his actions. Tell him to charge, hang back, regroup, kick ass, or stay low. It's all up to you, and for the most part he's very responsive. It's very innovative game play and it's a joy to play.

The game moves along at a very quick exciting pace. Just when you start to really get into the game and enjoy it, it's over. Army of Two will take about 20 hours to beat. The game and cut scenes look brilliant and the story is enjoying, except for the times where it's stupid to the point of insulting. Either way, for those of you who liked Gears of War and other hardcore shooters, this game is very enjoyable and worth a look.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)

For us gamers, this week is a very exciting one. It's the week of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, also known as E3. It's this week where every major company in the video game industry presents it's upcoming software and hardware to the press to create an initial buzz before those items are released. Way way back in the day, it was E3 that gave the world it's first look at the original Nintendo Entertainment System. In the past few years it was E3 that showed us our first look at the Xbox 360, PS3, and the Nintendo Wii. It was never even called the "Wii" until E3.

On the software side, E3 has not only introduced us to the games that we now know and love, such as Halo, Metal Gear Solid, and Grand Theft Auto, it has also allowed us to play those games very briefly. It was two years ago that we first saw someone step on stage and swing a wii-mote to hit a virtual tennis ball. Today, it's the ultimate craze.

So this week is this year's E3, and there really isn't a lot of hardware to talk about. There are no new consoles or crazy gadgets. This year is all about software. New games to play on your PS3, 360, and Wii. I've been following the coverage and here are a few games that have really impressed me so far that look to be released in time for this holiday season. For your viewing pleasure, I've put the E3 trailers for each of these games on the right.

Ghostbusters (PS3, 360, Wii, PS2)

This game looks like a ton of fun and will definitely be on my buy list. The game is a brand new story line for the Ghostbusters where you play a new recruit on the team, hired by Egon and Ray to try out all of their new equipment that they feel is just too dangerous for them to test out. The story has some familiar scenes and enemies but also has a lot of new content as well. What I am really impressed with is that the story was completely written by Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis and the game has the full cast back for voice work including Bill Murray. I loved Ghostbusters growing up and if this game is half as decent as the trailer looks, the I will love the game as well.

Gears of War 2 (Xbox 360) Oh hell yeah! When the first Gears of War was released two years ago, I said that this was the reason why we play video games. The sequel looks like it is going to take that game and put it on Red Bull. There are a lot more enemies, and the battles look a lot more epic than the first, and that's saying something. They mention that this game will have a much more detailed storyline than the first, which is awesome, since the first game I thought the story was pretty lacking. The trailer looks incredible, definitely check it out.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Xbox 360, PS3)

Ok, so I'm a big Star Wars fan. You caught me. I grew up watching the movies and I love all things Star Wars. Having said that, this game looks great. The game takes place between Episode 3 (the last movie) and Episode 4 (the first movie). You play as Darth Vader's apprentice and you are learning all the ways of the dark side. You start off as just the baddest bad ass in all of the galaxy, and then you start to get tempted by the ways of the Jedi. This is a complete reversal of the movies where you start good and get tempted by the dark side. I think the game looks awesome and I can't wait to play it.

Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)
This is a role-playing game that was created by Bethesda. This is the same company which created the game Oblivion a couple years back which took about 100 hours of my life. With the same quality as that game, they've created a post-apocalyptic US. The bombs have dropped and you are stuck in the wasteland of what is left. The game looks awesome and if it's as in depth as Oblivion was, then this will be a sure winner.

Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

Here's another that is just freaking awesome and definitely on my buy list. In this game you are in a team of four and you are stuck in the middle of a zombie apocalypse. Those zombie apocalypses seem to be happening a lot lately. But in this game, you have to work together with 3 buddies to get your whole team out of the horror. You can't leave anyone behind. Only together will you survive. I personally love co-op gameplay. It's just a ton of fun for me to play with buddies and get through games together, and I love the fact that this game is completely revolved around that idea.

Nintendo Wii

One of the things that I'm definitely disappointed in so far at this year's E3 is the Nintendo Wii. Now I love my Wii, but the biggest issue I have with it is the fact that there are no real good games for it. I think it's very innovative, but the game developers are having the hardest time releasing it's full potential, and this year's E3 is just more of the same. They have announced no good games at all for the Wii. The Nintendo press conference sounded like an analyst meeting. They did nothing but talk about pie charts and bar graphs of how sales are through the roof. And while every other developer is coming out with a ton of new games, Nintendo sits there with nothing. Very disappointing.

PS3

There are some really good looking games for the PS3 coming out, including Resistance 2, which looks to be just a huge title and the debut trailer for God of War 3. I played the original God of War on the PS2 and it was very well done. The way that you fought through old Greek mythology was just fantastic. This God of War is the first on the PS3, so hopefully it will be fantastic, but I don't think it will be released this year.

Also, I'm very happy that the PS3 has decided to lower their prices. This is great news. As the PS3 becomes more affordable, then it will become more popular. That means better games. Although I'm an Xbox guy, I definitely don't want to see the PS3 fail, and with this E3, it looks like they are really starting to hit their stride.

Now I'm sure I'm missing some games, but these are the ones that I'm keeping a close eye on as we move toward Christmas. Maybe if I'm a good 30yoGamer for the rest of the year, Santa may stick one or two of the titles above in my stocking on Christmas. I guess I'll just have to wait and see, I just hope the wait isn't too bad

Until next time,

- The 30 Year-old Gamer

Monday Morning Review: Guitar Hero Aerosmith

If you've been counting, Guitar Hero Aerosmith is the 37th Guitar Hero game released this year. They squeezed it in nicely between Guitar Hero Elton John and Guitar Hero Abba. And let me tell you, if you pass on this Guitar Hero, you aren't really missing anything.

As you read from a previous blog, The 30yoGF and I are huge fans of the Guitar Hero series. We play at least a few songs just about every weekend. And with me being from Boston and all, the 30yoGF thought it would be just a perfect decision to pick up the latest in the Guitar Hero franchise, Guitar Hero Aerosmith.Now to be fair, the game isn't awful. It is Guitar Hero after all, so even on it's worst days it's still better than playing Wii Play. The way the game plays is pretty cool. You are basically going to play through the entire Aerosmith career, starting at their very first gig at their high school. Each segment starts with interviews from the band about what each gig meant to them and their career, which is pretty cool. It sort of puts the whole thing into perspective. Then the segment starts with you using the standard Guitar Hero characters as the opening band for Aerosmith. You play a couple cover songs, and then it's Aerosmith's turn. You then play as the famous band itself and play their songs. It's here where the game falls off the rails.

The biggest problem with the game is that the songs just aren't that good. Each segment has about 3-4 Aerosmith songs. Some of them are very good, like the Run DMC version of Walk this Way. However, there is just way too much filler. Sure, there are some bad songs in GH3 and GH2, but they are few and far in between. There is a segment in GH Aerosmith where you are playing internationally, and 3 of the 4 songs are just flat awful. They make you want to just sit on your couch and get through them as fast as possible.

Also, there really aren't a lot of songs. There are about half as many songs in this game as in GH3, and when half of those songs suck, you really feel like you kind of got ripped off. Remember, this game costs just as much as GH3. Let's also not forget that all of the graphics are identical to GH3. Except for the Aerosmith characters, there is absolutely no difference at all. If you are playing one of the non-Aerosmith songs, you would have no idea if this is GH3 or GH Aerosmith, except for the fact that this song sucks.

And if you don't like Aerosmith? Forget about it. There would be no reason at all to ever play this game. If you do like Aerosmith, then it's entertaining but not much more. So if you have beaten Rock Band, Guitar Hero 3, and all of the downloadable content and are still looking for more, then go out and rent this one. It's not worth your money to buy it at full price. And this advice is coming from a guy from Boston who grew up listening to Aerosmith.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

This Space For Rent

Now that I'm done with Grand Theft Auto 4 and have left Liberty City in my rear view mirror, I find myself asking the question, "now what do I play?" Since we are in the Dog Days of Summer, I've decided that now is the time that I will go back and play some of the games that I may have missed along the way. Now the list of games that I would like to play is long indeed. So this past weekend I went with the 30yoGF to the mall to grab some lunch, which was just a ruse so I could stop by my local GameStop and pick up a used video game. Hopefully, one of the ones on my list. What I found was disappointing indeed.

Now I'm seeing commercials all over the place from GameStop for people to trade in their used video games to GameStop for $15. So I'm thinking to myself, "if they are buying these games for $15, then they must be selling them at a very nice discount." Like many other times in my life, I'm dead wrong. Below is just a short list of video games that I interested in playing and their GameStop new and used prices.

Call of Duty 4: New $60, Used $56 ($4 off)

The Simpsons Game: New $30, Used $27 ($3 off)

The Orange Box: New $40, Used $35 ($5 off)

So let me get this straight, a video game that they purchase from a 16 year old kid for $15 they then resell for $56, for a profit of $41. Nice. And from a customer perspective I the opportunity to purchase a game that is over 1 year old for $56 or I can pony up the extra $4 and buy it new. That's awesome. What a deal.

Needless to say I walked out of GameStop empty handed and disappointed. Because while I would really like to play The Simpsons Game, I don't really feel like spending $30 on a game that I'm probably going to play for a week and then never touch again. So I find myself seriously considering an avenue that I haven't walked down since I was in high school, renting.

That afternoon I took a short drive to my local Hollywood Video to rent a couple video games and spend the rest of that afternoon playing. As I'm driving to the store I'm thinking how awesome it will be to play Call of Duty 4 or Orange Box. I'm imagining how great the feeling will be as I pick up Battlefield Bad Company and tear up the online multiplayer.

As you can imagine, this trip also ended in severe disappointment. They had absolutely nothing to rent. I mean nothing! The 30yoRoomie and I were debating whether we should rent Nascar 08 (they've already released Nascar 09 which was out of stock), Ghost Recon 2, or Splinter Cell Double Agent. All of these games were originally released 1 or even 2 years ago. Games released within the past 6 months? Forget about it.

We ended up renting Nascar and Splinter Cell and to be fair, we are having a lot of fun with both. Nascar is a surprisingly good game, with some very difficult driving mechanics and races that are very rewarding. Splinter Cell is a very intelligent spy game with some serious difficulty issues if you've never played a Splinter Cell game before.

This is a new found joy of renting for me. Now I get to play games I wouldn't have even touched before, and I don't have to shell out the money that GameStop is asking. So what I plan on doing over the next day or two is go online to a game renting website called GameFly. GameFly works just like NetFlix. For a monthly fee, you can rent any game you want and keep it as long as you like. When you are done, just send it back and they give you another to rent. I'm having a hard time debating if the amount per month ($16 for one game at a time, $22 for two games at a time) is worth it. For right now, it definitely seems like it is, however when Christmas rolls around and I've got a pile of new games to play, maybe not. But I think I'll give it a shot and I'll let you know how I feel about it in a later blog.

So in the immediate future I'm going to start knocking some of those games off of my list. And don't judge me because of the games I play. They all can't be first person shooters. Sometimes you need to play a Lost: Via Domus or a Boom Blox. Sometimes it's ok to rent a crappy game. This way I'll appreciate the better games that much more.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Now Leaving Liberty City

This past Sunday was a landmark event for me. At around 9:30pm, I defeated Grand Theft Auto 4. It was a long ride that started the day GTA4 was released and now has officially come to an end 8 weeks and 40 gaming hours later. So this week, I wanted to just take a quick minute and look back at the city that I'm now leaving in my rear view mirror and give you my final thoughts on Grand Theft Auto 4.

This is the first ever Grand Theft Auto game that I've beaten. Every other GTA game I've played, I felt got very repetitive and thus I got bored with the game and eventually, I put the game down and never touched it again. This game from the very beginning was different. I know a lot has been said about the graphics and the city, but it definitely bears repeating. This game is one of the best looking games I've ever seen. Liberty City is an incredible reflection of New York City. The streets are alive and all of the key landmarks in New York City are in the game. You truly feel like you are interacting with a real life city. And this is important because when the missions in GTA4 become repetitive (and they do), it's the city that keeps you going. It's so much fun travelling from one point to the other that you completely forget that this is your 72nd time going over the Brooklyn Bridge to kill someone.


Another huge praise to this game has to go to the supporting characters. Each one is very different and your relationship with each character is some of the deepest that you will find in a video game. Each character has one major flaw. Whether it's your cousin Roman's lack of a spine and gambling problem, or it's Derek's huge drug problem, it's as if each character is in search of some redemption and it's up to you to help them get there.

The story itself I found to be great, although it definitely has flaws. The beginning of the game is very slow. You start the game right off the boat and spend the first hour basically driving people from one place to the next. You might as well call the game Grand Theft Chauffeur It's pretty boring at first, but then picks up quickly. The game then slows down a lot just before the end. The last dozen missions are basically the same and you start to get the feeling that the designers just put these relatively useless missions in there just to extend the game. But it's all made up for in the end with a terrific ending with a major decision that's needed to be made that will drastically affect the outcome of the game. My major flaw with the game is the main character himself, Nico Bellic. Just so we're clear here, Nico is a sociopathic killer and should be shot in the head as soon as possible. He basically goes throughout the game really disgruntled and when a random person he just meets suggests he goes kill someone, he just goes right out to do it. There have to be at least 40 missions that start like this...

"Nico, I need you to travel to X and kill Y. Take care of him for me."
"Oh I don't know. Why should I?"
"Because I'm asking you to. Do it for me!"
"Ok."

Throughout the game I had to rack up a body count in the hundreds, including many cops. By the end of the game I was a walking armory and anyone that so much as looked at me wrong would get a bullet to the head without a second thought. Say I was trying to steal a car and the driver was stupid enough to yell at me...BANG! Or I'm driving down the sidewalk to avoid police and someone was walking on that sidewalk...BANG! Or say I crash land a helicopter in mid-town Manhattan and the police have the audacity to try to arrest me...BANG!

Nico Bellic is easily the worst main character in the history of gaming. His motivation is either money or revenge and the path to both is death.

But the monotony of those missions were really outshined by the few that were very memorable. There is one in the middle of the game where you rob a Bank of America and you have to shoot your way out of the bank in Manhattan against a sea of police. The only way to escape with your buddies is by jumping into a subway station and running down the tracks in the tunnel. Awesome! In another mission, you have to interrupt a prison transfer by stealing a truck and blocking off the Lincoln Tunnel and then hijack the truck and escape the cops. Awesome!

Overall, the single player campaign was an absolute joy to play and the game will be remembered for a long time after I leave Liberty City. If violent crime games is your sort of cup of tea, then this game is a must buy. However be warned, this game is much too graphic and adult for the younger gamers. Leave this kind of mature game for 30 Year Old Gamers out there.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July!

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Living Room Hero

So it's about a week ago and the 30yoRoomie and I are just finishing up a four hour tour on Rock Band. He was playing lead guitar and I was lead vocals. Our band name appropriately titled "Gin & Juice". And as I'm standing there in my living room, sweating, barely able to speak, and swigging down a beer, two thoughts came to my mind.

1. Jon Bon Jovi has to be a woman
2. I am a Rock God!!!!

Rock Band is now my third dive into the world of rock. The whole thing started over a year ago when Guitar Hero 2 came out for the Xbox 360, and with knowing no one who had ever played the game before, I bought the game because I thought it looked cool. Man, I had no idea. Now just like every other Living Room Hero who first picked up the guitar, I had no idea how to play. The idea of using all four of my fingers on Medium difficulty while still strumming in time seemed just impossible at first. But after making a complete fool of myself for a good long while, I finally got the hang of it and started rocking out like a God.
Then came this past holiday season with the famous Rock Band vs Guitar Hero 3 battle. Just so you know where I stood on that battle, I basically gave everyone I've ever met Guitar Hero 3 for Christmas. I had nothing personal against Rock Band. But it just seemed ridiculous to me to spend $170 on a single video game, regardless of the cool toys that came with it.

And for the next five months, the 30yoGF and 30yoRoomie and I have had a great time rocking out to both Guitar Hero 2 & 3. In fact, the final battle at the end of Guitar Hero 3 against the devil playing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is still one of the greatest video game final bosses ever!

So now we are in the Dog Days of Summer, and my friend "The Paperboy" agreed to lend me Rock Band. I've heard great things about this game and so I had to give it a shot. Sadly, he doesn't have the drum set, which I'm still dying to play. But let me tell you, even with just the guitar and the mic, the game is intense.

Here I am thinking that the hardest part of this game is going to be the guitar, but in fact, singing is really, really hard. Now, I'm absolutely no vocalist. I have a hard time carrying a tune in the shower, let alone belt out some of the notes in some of these songs. But damn, if it isn't fun trying. And for those of you out there like me, who can't hit a note with a sledgehammer, the only way to play this game is to give it everything you got. If you sing half-assed, you'll quickly find yourself booed off stage and your guitarist pissed off that he has to save you yet again.

So now I sit here reflecting on all of those three games and my overall thoughts on them. First, the Guitar Hero games are much harder. There are many songs that are shared on both GH3 and Rock Band, such as "Mississippi Queen" and the guitar part on Rock Band is stupid easy compared to GH3. Also, I'm not a huge fan of the way that on the World Tour part of Rock Band, you keep playing the same songs over and over again. I've pretty much had my fill of "Blitzkrieg Bop." But all of that is outweighed by the sheer fun of playing together in a band in Rock Band. I can't even imagine the joy of playing with four buddies in the same room together. Also, talk about a family game night. Dad on the drums, Mom on the bass, and the kids on lead guitar and vocals. That's what I'm talking about.

But looking toward the horizon, not all is roses for the Guitar Hero / Rock Band series. They are quickly going to burn themselves out. If this isn't a fad, I don't know what is. First let's look at the sheer volume of games.
1. Guitar Hero (PS2)
2. Guitar Hero 2 (PS2, Xbox 360)
3. Guitar Hero: Rock the 80s (PS2)
4. Guitar Hero 3 (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii)
5. Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS)
6. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PS3, 360, Wii)
7. Guitar Hero: World Tour (PS3, 360, Wii)
8. Rock Band (PS2, PS3, 360, Wii)
9. Rock Band: Rock Revolution (PS3, 360)

On top of that is all of the constant downloadable content, that's available for all games, and you can see that the market could get tired of this real fast. It may quickly get to the point where people will have spent more money on these franchises then they did for their systems. I mean if this keeps up then they will run out of quality songs, won't they?

But in the meantime, I'm going to take my guitar and my mic. I'm going to move the tables in my living room and set up my mini stage. And then I'm going to rock out like I've never rocked out before. Because nothing says badass quite like a 30 year old gamer with a plastic toy covered in stickers playing a cover song from Weezer! Oh Yeah!

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

Portable Potential

So I was just checking through some of my video game blogs the other day when I came across this quick little statistic. Here are the video game console sales for the month of April, according to NPD Research group:

1. Nintendo Wii - 714,000 units
2. Nintendo DS - 414,000 units
3. Sony PSP - 192,000 units
4. XBox 360 - 188,000 units
5. Sony PS3 - 187,100 units

I found this statistic amazing. Not only did the Sony PSP outsell both the Xbox 360 and Sony PS3, but the Nintendo DS sold more units in April than both the 360 and PS3 combined! Wow! That's an amazing statistic. Now I know that there are a lot of kids out there with a Nintendo DS. In fact, I believe that every single kid in the US has one, if not two. But I had no idea it was this large! And how about the Sony PSP? I would never in my wild imagination think that they would outsell either the 360 or the PS3, let alone both of them.This made me think a little bit about my own PSP and how much I use it. Now, I've owned my PSP for what seems like forever. I have probably 15 games for it, ranging from the original Lumines to brand new Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core. And for most of the games I have, I love each and every one of them. I even have a bunch of movies that I can watch on my PSP and when it comes to travelling, there really isn't a better portable entertainment system. I absolutely love it!

And I've seen how many kids play their Nintendo DS's, and its obvious that they love them as well. so here is my question. Why isn't portable gaming getting the press that it deserves?

Seriously. It looks to me as if this is truly where the money is being made in the video game industry. The systems are selling like hotcakes and the users seem to love the systems that they use, so what gives? I think the answer is the stigma of portable gaming. Think about where you have seen people playing video games in public. Is there any situation where that is looked at favorably?

For the Nintendo DS, the only times I've seen that played in public is with kids under the age of 13. Despite what Nintendo is trying to tell us in the commercials, I don't know anyone who owns a Nintendo DS and is over the age of 15. For the PSP, I've seen definitely older gamers, but no one over the age of 25, and it's always either on a bus or on a train. Have you ever seen anyone pull out a PSP in a restaurant or waiting for an oil change? Uh no.

Personally, I only play my PSP in my bedroom behind a closed locked door. A couple months ago I actually started carrying my PSP with me to work and out on the town to see if I could actually find times to play. The result was that I could actually find a time to play, but it would look ridiculous. Can you just imagine the scene? I'm sitting at a bar having a few drinks with the 30yoGF and she goes up to go to the bathroom. While she's gone I turn on my PSP and when she returns I'm half way through the 1st quarter of a game of Madden. Uh, I don't think so. The 30yoGF is very understanding when it comes to my video game playing, but she isn't that forgiving.

Recently, Apple has announced downloadable software for their Iphone, which includes games. There really hasn't been a lot of talk about this, but I believe that this is going to be huge. If the games are comparable to the PSP or DS and you can actually play the games without actually looking like you are playing the games, I think people will jump all over it. If I was Sony, I would be particularly worried, because they are going directly after the Sony PSP customers.

Will it be a Sony PSP killer? I don't think so. But if the games are good enough, you will definitely see those console sales numbers fall dramatically. And then maybe I might be able to get in a couple snaps with Tom Brady while the 30yoGF is in the restroom. "Oh sorry Sweetie. I was just checking my email."

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer

The Dog Days of Summer

I've never truly been a summer person. I have very fair Irish skin, so believe me when I tell you that the sun and I have never been the closest of friends. But a crazy thing happened to me about two years ago. I found myself outside playing softball two days a week, and then golf two days a week, and then going to a BBQ every other week, and before I knew it, I was really enjoying summer. I was having a blast playing softball for a couple hours and then gulping down draft beers for a couple hours after that. It was just the time of my life.

I was trying to remind myself of this fact yesterday afternoon during the third inning of a 28-15 drubbing, as I was burning from the inside out in a balmy 103 degree humid afternoon. As I was sitting there slowly getting skin cancer, all I could think about was going home and sitting in my air conditioned apartment, drinking a very cold alcoholic beverage, and continuing my adventure through Liberty City, in Grand Theft Auto 4. At this point I'm about 2/3rds of the way through the game when it occurred to me...

What am I going to play when I beat this game? Oh that's right...nothing.

That's right folks, we are in the dreaded Dog Days of Summer. In the video game world that means there is going to be absolutely nothing coming out for months. There will be nothing to play, and even less to talk about. You think I'm kidding? I just took a quick browse through GameStop.com and here is what is coming up on their hit list.June 23rd: Battlefield: Bad Company

"Battlefield: Bad Company drops gamers behind enemy lines with a squad of renegade soldiers who risk it all on a personal quest for gold and revenge!"

Nice, I sure haven't played this game ever before. I'm sure this isn't like any other standard war game. You might as well have called it, Clone of Duty 4. June 24th: Alone in the Dark

"Players control Edward Carnby, the main character from the original Alone in the Dark, on a thrilling journey through a dark and terrifying re-creation of New York’s Central Park where Carnby must discover the truth behind a dark conspiracy."

This game looks a little cool with the idea of each stage being it's own 30 minute TV show-like horror episode. But this is more of a rental than anything else. I mean when you tear through this game in like 6-10 hours, what are you going to do with it? Play it again? You know where all of the scares are. June 29th: Guitar Hero - Aerosmith

"Gamers will experience Aerosmith’s GRAMMY winning career, from their first gig to becoming rock royalty, in a way that no other entertainment vehicle offers. "

I love Guitar Hero, and I'll get into more detail on that in another blog, and I was initially really excited about this title. However I took a look at it again and this is a little ridiculous. The graphics are the exact same as Guitar Hero 3. And for $60, you get 12 Aerosmith songs and 8 other songs. You get classic Aerosmith songs such as, "Mr Salty", "Moving Out", "Make It", and "Draw the Line." I'm from Boston and I don't even recognize these songs. I'm starting to think the Guitar Hero franchise is starting to be whored out just like Nintendo whores out Mario. July 29th: Soul Caliber 4

"Swords and Lightsabers will be drawn as NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc. and LucasArts today announced that iconic Star Wars characters will appear in Soulcalibur® IV."

Speaking whored out, here comes Yoda and Darth Vader in a middle ages type fighting game. The original Soul Caliber was released over 10 years ago for the original Playstation and it was ground breaking. Now, this is a game that is released during the Dog Days of Summer and will be soon forgotten.

This doesn't even mention all of the other Summer Movie Video Games including Wall-E, Hellboy 2, and The Incredible Hulk which will all suck, as all movie video games do. And don't even get me started on the Nintendo Wii, which has literally NOTHING coming out for it. I mean if all you own is a Nintendo Wii, I would jump all over the opportunity to buy Rock Band or GH: Aerosmith. Seriously, what else is there? With the huge sales in video game consoles over the past 12 months, and everyone's interest at an all-time high, this could be the most disappointing season ever for video games.

And to be honest, I don't know why. The gamers now who are mostly playing these games are older than they have ever been, and they don't need the seasons to judge when they can and can't play games. I understand that people like myself tend to spend more time outside during the summer, but on days like yesterday when I'm on fire, I really would like the opportunity to spend a few hours indoors enjoying the new hot video game release.

So instead of looking forward this summer, I plan on looking backward, and I suggest you do the same. I'm going to take these next couple of months and I'm going to catch up on some of the big video games that I just didn't get time to play over the winter. I'm looking forward to a little Rock Band, Call of Duty 4, and maybe the Orange Box. So you can go ahead and spend your $60 on rarely heard Aerosmith tracks, I'm going to use that money for a drum kit and rock out to Rock Band. That is if my sunburn goes away first.

Until next time,

- The 30 Year Old Gamer