Unless you've been living in a soundproof box for the past 40 years or so, you may have heard of a little thing called "Star Trek." Now, whether or not you just rolled your eyes at the first sentence of this post, bear with me and keep reading for a minute as I extol Star Trek Online.

Ever since the words "Star Trek" and "Massive Multiplayer" were uttered in a sentence together for the first time, my brain has been hooked on the idea of a Trek MMO. No, it is not because I am a huge fan of the show (which I am) or even because I think the setting is cool (which it is) but because I can simply not think of a Intellectual Property that is better suited to this genre.

Trek has innumerable elements going for it that create the perfect MMO world... exploration, pre-built alliances, cooperation, diverse alien races, differing locales, a focus on overcoming obstacles in various methods that don't always (but sometimes) involved blowing things to pieces, and a constantly growing world. Add to this the massive Star Trek fanbase, and you're left with a staggering level of pre-built goodness that can be exploited.

Of course, hopes are only one piece of the pie, as anyone who watched Perpetual's core breach (sorry, couldn't resist) can attest to. A good team is needed, and I for one am ecstatic that Cryptic scooped up the Trek license. Their initial work looks amazing, and their presentation at this year's Star Trek convention in August was awesome.

I know the game is a ways off, but anyone who has even the slightest interest in the science fiction genre should check this game out. Star Trek online could be one of the most immersive and driven game worlds ever created, and I for one will be there to see it happen.

"Energize!"

I'm sure that there are some out there feeling more than a little nervous about the upcoming DC vs MK game, but so far everything I have seen looks pretty awesome.

E3 brought a few gameplay reels to the surface, and the new "test your might" in-game mode looks AWESOME. The sight of Batman smashing Sonya through several walls made me a happy man...

Like Marvel vs Capcom before it, look for this title to breathe new-life into both franchises if it kicks-ass. The Marvel/Capcom alliance lasted for several games, and made for some great gameplay, so hopefully this one follows suit.

Game Informer (the magazine) had a great cover story on this game last month. It looks pretty awesome... I gotta say. I have no idea what Rock Band/Harmonix has up their sleeve for a sequel, but they will have some very serious competition. Some highlights:

-) GHWT will be a full band game, just like Rock Band.

-) They are promising big changes to the drums. The drums have 5 contact points (3 heads and 2 cymbals) and have velocity sensitive pads. They have said that each head has 4 different sounds based on speed of impact, so you can lightly tap or wail away. They have also said the drums are quieter (the material) so that they don't thwak as loud and distract the other players.

-) They are promising improvements to the guitar. There may be some kind of new free****mechanic or other control option, but they are being very hush hush about it until it is patented/liscensed.

-) They are brining in a new "world tour" mode a la rockband, where they promise that you won't get stuck hearing the same songs over and over. They have also stated that your avatar can play 4 insturments, (ie switch between instruments), and that difficulty can be changed mid-venue if you get stuck. It also sounds like multi-player will be present in the tour mode.

-) The character editor is improved, a la rockband, but goes deeper and matches Neversoft's previous entries with facial construction, warping, tatoos, etc.

-) You can make your own guitars by combining bodies, necks, fret boards, etc.

-) **One of the really big new features is the music studio. You will be able to create songs in multiple ways, allowing players to create a massive base of music. The article didn't say anything about people sharing created tunes, but you figure that would make sense. This would, obviously, create a near limitless amount of tunes for the game.

All in all, I was really blown away by what they are working on. While GH3 was not my favorite, Neversoft has been making games for a long time and knows how to be competitive. Hopefully the game will be insanely awesome.

I will, in all likelihood, get this game when it comes out, as I am crazy about Rock Band and would love to see some significant improvements like they are talking about. It is supposed to be coming in Q4 of this year.