My plan yesterday was to walk to a GameStop, reserve a copy of the Playstation 3 version of Mirror's Edge (for the free runner's bag), and on the way back eat dinner at a Subway restaurant and go grocery shopping.

The weather had other plans.

There was heavy rain early in the morning, and though it was night when I went out to do these errands and I thought that the rain had long stopped, I took an umbrella to be safe.

A good decision. I felt raindrops immediately after I got outside.

But it was a light rain. It was enough rain that I needed to open my umbrella, but it was no reason for me to change my plans.

After walking about two blocks, the rain and wind picked up and I saw lightening.

I was starting to feel uncomfortable, but I was already outside, so I decided to continue on my way.

Another block and my umbrella became useless. It was above my head, but it was not helping me keep dry. My shirts and pants were soaked, and I could feel water moving around in my shoes with every step. (At least I was smart enough to wear my watch with a metal bracelet; otherwise I would now be in need of a new watch strap.)

The rain was now coming down so fast and hard that it looked like it would cause some buildings to flood—and as I heard on the news when I got home, it did.

Then the tornado sirens rang.

There was no way that I was going to walk four miles to GameStop in this weather, but I felt that I had to do something. I was stubborn. If I walked home without accomplishing any of my errands, I would have "lost" to the weather.

I was about a block from a Subway. I thought about going inside, eating and declaring victory against the weather, but the place was packed (probably more because no one inside wanted to go outside in the then current weather than because a lot of people were eating there). In my then current condition, I did not want to sit so close to so many people for a relatively long period of time.

Besides, I was out of soap and fruit, and low on milk.

I walked three more blocks in the still increasingly heavy rain, wind and lightening to the grocery store. When I got there, I saw what must have been at least 30 people standing just inside the exit, waiting for the rain to slow.

One woman, who appeared to be in her mid- to late-20's, could not help but laugh at me as I entered the store.

At least I was wearing dark clothing—a charcoal gray dress shirt; dark brown heather T-shirt and black, non-pleated chinos. I saw someone else who got stuck in the rain wearing a white shirt. You could see his skin underneath.

But I was in. Victory over the weather was now a foregone conclusion.

I walked down the aisles, my shoes making squishy sounds with every step, leaving a trail of water behind. One employee noticed, looked angry (probably because he was going to have to mop up after me), but tried to show a sense of humor about it by attempting to talk to me about it.

Alas, I was too wet, cold and exhausted to think coherently and carry on a conversation. I didn't say anything to him, nor to the cashier who (I think) said pretty much the same things. I hope that I didn't come off as rude.

And after I paid for my groceries, I walked home. The rain and wind (but not the lightening) had slowed considerably since entering the grocery store, but I was still glad that I chose to buy fewer items that I normally would. It was still raining hard enough that I needed to hold my umbrella above my head, which meant that all grocery bags had to be held in one hand.

Victory over the weather had been achieved.

Unfortunately, it seems that the weather is a sore loser. I successfully walked to the grocery store and back in severe weather, but now many of my cell phone's buttons and keys perform incorrect functions or do not work at all, lights are lit for no reason, the touch screen asks to be re-calibrated randomly and frequently and it turns on for seemingly no reason (whether in standby mode or turned all the way off). Also, my portable music player is displaying the text "Firmware Problem" with an icon of what appears to be a Windows dialog box above it; I cannot even turn the player off because its buttons and USB port are not responding to anything.

Now if you will excuse me, I am busy. I plan to sneeze nonstop for the next two days, and when I am finished with that, I may need to buy a new mobile phone, portable music player and pair of black casual shoes that look like black dress shoes.

My games wishlist currently has six games on it.

This is probably the lowest that it has ever been.

My tracked games list is more than five times longer, and I may end up buying some of those, but my interest in the majority of my tracked games is slightly more than indifferent.

I am not losing interest in video games. I am becoming increasingly discriminating in which ones I buy.

I am getting older. I do not have as much free time as I used to. I do not want to spend that free time playing video games that are good but about the same as ones that I have already played, are good but nothing special or would be good if not for frustrating flaws.

Today, when I play a video game, I want an original experience, with few frustrations. Every time.

(As you can imagine, I have become cynical about video game sequels.)

Just a few years ago, games like Soul Calibur IV, Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty, Rock Band 2, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Wii Sports Resort, Dead Space and at least 20 more upcoming games that I will not list because reading a list is boring would have been"must own" for me simply because they are part of existing series or otherwise similar to games that I have already played.

And while familiarity and nostalgia have their appeals, when they wear off, all that is left is been there, done that.

I would probably initially enjoy all of the games that I listed, but after a few hours I would get the feeling that I had essentially already played these games before and then never touch them again. That's a waste of money.

This is why I am overly excited about Mirror's Edge. Yes, the game appears to be little more than Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time only in the first person and taking place in contemporary Singapore instead of ancient Persia, but Mirror's Edge's appearance makes it "feel" original.

I am getting tired of playing video games that take place in dark 'n' gritty urban environments or organic fantasy worlds. Even when it doesn't feel forced, it feels common. Mirror's Edge; by taking place in a bright, colorful, modern, clean city instead; is a breath of fresh air.

Oh, and there is also that thing about being a financially responsible adult.

As you get older, you realize that there is more to fiscal responsibility than staying out of debt. It is also important to build up savings in case of an emergency and so that you do not have to work until you die.

A few months back, I was seriously considering buying a number of DS and Wii games. Before I could purchase any of them, I broke down and bought the watch that I had been lusting after forever. I could afford both the watch and the games, but I did not want to be forced to work a few extra years because I chose to buy both.

When the financial hit of the watch passed, I decided that the games were no longer worth it. Too much time had gone by. It was better to wait for the next "big" games.

If you are wondering why I have Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS on my wishlist despite listing Final Fantasy Chronicles (which includes Final Fantasy IV) and Final Fantasy IV Advance in my game collection, and demanding original experiences, it's because it is Final Fantasy IV. I will never get enough of Final Fantasy IV.

On February 11, 1960, Jack Paar, then host of The Tonight Show, four minutes into the night's program, angry at NBC censors, said, "I am leaving The Tonight Show. There must be a better way of making a living than this. You have been peachy to me always," and walked off the set, forcing announcer and sidekick Hugh Downs to finish hosting the night's show.

On March 7, 1960, Paar returned to The Tonight Show and began the night's show by saying,"As I was saying before I was interrupted, I believe my last words were that there must be a better way of making a living than this. Well I have looked, and there isn't."

I feel like Jack Paar must have felt on March 7, 1960.

In spite of GameSpot's ethical issues, both known and alleged, there is no better Web site for video game coverage. I have looked, and there isn't.

Blatant opinions (not just bias) in news stories, a lack of fact-checking, reviews that do not give readers enough information to decide if a game is for them, snarky comments and generally unprofessional writing and attitudes.

These things are to be expected from almost every video game Web site.

But not GameSpot.

This is why I have returned.

Regarding GameSpot's alleged ethical issues, I do not know what to believe anymore. I am not an insider, but I have heard stories from credible sources claiming that Jeff Gerstmann's firing was deserved and that the aftermath was nothing but a public relations disaster.

But a public relations disaster is still a disaster. People believe what they want to believe, regardless of the truth. If a public relations crisis is not resolved quickly and in a satisfying manner, perception becomes reality.

There was never a satisfying resolution to this pubic relations disaster. GameSpot parent division CNET never gave people a good reason to believe that Jeff Gerstmann's firing was not due to pressure from advertisers. No executive took the fall (CNET Entertainment Executive Editor Josh Larson was let go as part of a downsizing months later, but by then it was too late to change opinions), a commitment to editorial independance and integrity was never proclaimed and half of GameSpot's editorial staff quit, some mentioning Gerstmann's dismissal as the reason.

I have trouble trusting all I see and hear on GameSpot as a result.

Take the changing of Grand Theft Auto IV's review score, for example. When the score first appeared on this site, it was 9.5 out of 10. When the review was posted, the score changed to 10 out of 10. If not for the Gerstmann fiasco, I might have believed, without question, GameSpot Editor in Chief Ricardo Torres' claim that 9.5 was never intended to be the game's final score and that its appearance on the site was an accident, but due to the Gerstmann fiasco (and rumors I have heard of Grand Theft Auto series publisher Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive pressuring media outlets to give Grand Theft Auto games the highest review scores possible), I will forever wonder why the score changed.

Prior to Grand Theft Auto IV, GameSpot had given 10 out of 10's to four games, the last in 2001. Since then, GameSpot had gotten tougher in its reviews, and review scores overall had dropped.

GameSpot awarding Metal Gear Solid 4 a 10 out of 10 so soon after Grand Theft Auto IV's 10 out of 10 does not help. Maybe their reviewers and GameSpot's editorial staff genuinely believe that these games deserve 10's. Maybe they don't. I would have trouble believing anything that someone from GameSpot or CNET had to say about them, whether defending the scores or claiming that they (the scores) were inflated due to pressure from management, publishers and/or advertisers.

In short, I am back, but I am not enthusiastic about it. Do not expect to see much, if any, content from me on this site unless GameSpot offers to pay me to write it. If you are interested in seeing my writings, about video games and other subjects, you will find them on my personal blog, pentagen.org. (Yes, "pentagen" is intentionally misspelled.)