Fanboys sort of wear me out. Is that the hip term to use these days? Fanboys? As frequently as these slanderous titles are doled out, I try my damndest not to use them. Video gamers have grown up being an ostracized group of degenerates, as far as the greater public is concerned. I believe that we should ban together, rather than bring one another down. Sure, our industry is boasting billiions now, but it wasn't when I was playing Megaman 2, I'm sure of that. Perhaps some gamers out there, infallible as they believe themselves to be, think that their opinions are so profound that they should be delivered with a little high-school angst. Should be given with an "I'm-smarter-than-you" air, which might earn them the right to be pingeonholed into an unpleasant characterization. I wouldn't want to be labeled so.  Maybe fanboyism should stop. It won't. I certainly won't stop it.  But I think such people promote disillusionment amongst gamers. And that's bad.

And that is exactly what I want to aimlessly dwell upon for this installment of my blathering. Competition. Among our ranks. Originating from the age-old debate (debacle?) borne of Nintendo and Sega, of "Which system is better?", this question has provided a tangible rift among us. Healthy, perhaps. It led to bruises as kids, and now drunken arguments as adults. And hey, you need something to fuel that need for passion. That need for belief in something. Nothing promotes that moreso than a fistfight at the age of 12 over which NHL '95 is better. Genesis or SNES. I'm choosing to remain silent on that one. However, to keep the ancient war alive, here's some screenshots. Have at you!

But it's too far now. I work at a video game depository. I won't specify. A big one. Anyway, I continuously encounter people who are vying for the PS3's demise. "PS3 sucksIt's overSony's already trying to make a PS4I hear Sony's going bankruptThe graphics aren't even that goodThe system freezes all of the timeblahblahblahblah." It is exhausting to listen to. However, it is depressing to listen to, moreover.

Choose a favourite. Fine. You like ingenuity. You like interactivity. You appreciate unprecidented online support, and benchmark next-gen titles. You appreciate cutting edge, so to speak. You appreciate loyal developers (or not-so-loyal?). Fine. Play what you wish. But I would never want to see the failure of a console. Any console. And I'm unsure as to why you would. Why would you? You deem yourself a gamer? Playing since the womb and all of that? Your Troll Hunter is level 70. You know who Commander Keen is. You allowed Sonny to waste the Death Angel. You think you know the industry and support it? I disagree. Wholeheartedly. Because anyone who legitimately backed something they idolized would not want to see facets of it failing. Dropping out. Dying. Let me put that one in there again: dying.

I never owned a Dreamcast. I hardly even played one. But I'm still bummed that it didn't succeed in North America. Because it tried, damnit! Sega tried! And ultimately failed. They can't all make it. Simple as that. However, the more that make it, the better we, the gamer, are for it. This isn't Calculus guys, seriously. The more systems there are to own, the more games there are to play. I like playing games, don't you?! I like eating gravy and meatballs out of a can on a friday night while I'm knee-deep in an rpg's story. Knee-deep in stealth game precision and tenacity. Knee-deep in a First-person shooter bloodlust. I like not having girlfriends. Okay...well, maybe not so much.

Wait...women distracted me. Where was my point?

Halo isn't the best FPS ever. GTA didn't originate open-ended gaming (ever play Fallout?). But they're still both great titles.

Variety is the spice of life. The video game industry is where it is today because of our support. The gaming market started out as a smelly little unappreciated faetus. Our support allowed it to grow and grow and grow into the juggernaut it now is. Videogames are captain of the football team (I wonder which Madden is better...?) because of us. To wish for a console's failure is turning one's back. It's surrendering support. You may wish for as much ruin to rain down as you want. I won't join you. No one should.

*note: sorry if these NHL screens are inaccurate to either the system or the year (they were surprisingly hard to find). I'm taking google's word for it, as it was too long ago to figure it out by my own instinct. Feel free to call me on it.

I enjoy everything that I have read so far in regards to Naughty Dog's upcoming project, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Hope I got that title right. What is it about certain publishers that allows them to gain your respect (and hard-earned greenbacks) so effortlessly?

There's that looming prescence of big business again, ransacking villages and coughing up coins (pennies, mostly). Donned in its pinstriped suit, immaculate from a distance, I'd say that big business should be making all us wee gamers sweat just a little bit.
I've been silent for quite some time on the issue, though I did cry doom and demarcation for all of us gamers, siting things such as movie liscences and E3 invites. I received some response, which was very exciting for me, as I expected none. I managed to stand on the user's soapbox (thank you to whomever I need to thank for that), and then I went underground.

Now I'm back, much to the rejoice of none. Not sure why I returned. I think it's all of this exclusitivty that Sony once had that it now seems to be misplacing here and there. Frequently. As though Sony's (lined?) pockets are full of holes, through which game liscences can slip. And anyone walking behind Sony during their daytime comute will come across these forlorn franchises, which they can pick up at will. Much to Sony's chagrin, perhaps, Microsoft seems to have the same bus route.

Devil May Cry?! That's a big one. Now, I've never really touched the liscence, and although I think Dante no doubt looks cool in his garb, I guess I just played Oniumsha. It wasn't a purposeful avoidance. Sadly, you can't play em all. But it's a surprise to me. All of these titles are just jumping ship. And the Capcom representative in question answered the whole issue quite simply: "It's an oppurtunity for more money." I'm obviously paraphrasing. Oh, here's the article, for anyone who hasn't read it yet.  

So, if you've trudged through my wandering thoughts this far (tahnk you), you may be asking for a bloody point. Not sure I have one. I've simply realized something that many of you may have realized a long time ago: third-party games being exclusive to a particular console may be a thing of the past. Entirely. Is that necessarily bad? No, in fact, it could be quite the opposite. I certainly believe that those who have limited access to games should be able to play everything. I hate the idea of anyone being unable to delve into a fabulous game due to a silly thing like cost (I just upgraded my PC for the last time...). I suppose I just liked the idea of certain systems being known for certain games, and though I understand that first-party titles will preserve this tradition to a degree, it's somehow not the same.

As I said, I'm yet undecided as to whether or not this new fad is a good thing or a bad thing. I simply implore all of you to keep an eye on this trend, and to debate for yourselves whether or not it's something we want to see. I would love to hear any opinions you people may have. Especially if they have a direct train of thought, which I cannot boast for myself.

The idea of Final Fantasy being on the 360 is strange, but then, it's not like it originated on the Playstation either, now did it?

Oh, and to cover my ass, legally speaking, I obviously found these pictures online. I had nothing to do with their production or creation, etc. etc.