It's been a sort of uneven week on the gaming front. Observe:

• Goozex: After finally getting my first game in trade (PGR3), the time elapsed for another game I was scheduled to receive (Call of Duty 3) and I had to inform Goozex that I'd gotten the shaft. What's odd is that when I submitted my feedback there was no "We're sorry, we'll give your trade credit back" or "Hang on while we investigate the problem." Maybe that is forthcomig, but at the moment I'm kind of left hanging without a game or the credits.
• PGR3: It looks nice and has a very good sense of speed to it. The interface is very clean and the controls are tight. But, in the end, you're just driving a car around a track in one of only a handful of cities that all pretty much look the same because all you have time to see are the guardrails. I guess I'm just not enough of a car geek to appreciate the game and while I do enjoy zipping around a bit, I have a feeling the game will be back on my "Available" list in Goozex within the next two weeks.
• Gamefly:  I'm a little confused because I used my $5 coupon to purchase a pre-played game (Splinter Cell: Double Agent)--primarily because the Goozex trade credit for that game is worth a heck of a lot more than I ended up paying for it . And Gamefly got the game to me in less than three days. But when they send me my rental games, like the one I'm waiting for now (Battle for Middle-Earth II), it takes a minimum of one week to get to me. What's that about?
• Splinter Cell: Much like Metal Gear Solid, I loved the first Splinter Cell game and generally disliked the sequels. I don't think I even played the single-player mode in Chaos Theory but got it mostly for the co-op which I ultimately just found kind of frustrating. I did work through a lot of Pandora Tomorrow, but I felt it was a shadow of its predecessor. So I didn't have high hopes for Double Agent (like I said, I got it mostly for the trade value), but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed playing the first mission. Maybe fourth time's the charm?
• XBLA: I downloaded a bunch of trial games. Sometimes I don't understand developers' strategy with the trial modes. Texas Hold 'Em, for example. Now I enjoy playing poker but I'm not some fanatic about it and when it comes to video poker I can usually enjoy a half hour or so. As far as I can tell, the only thing missing from the trial game is career mode (yawn) and multiplayer. I get that many people are really only going to be interested in multiplayer, but to allow trial downloaders to play the single-player game pretty much as long as they like seems kind of counter-productive. I cannot imagine paying for the full version of that game. I tried Eets which was interesting but not enough to hold my attention for longer than the trial lasted and also Lumines which practically put me to sleep. Boring techno music plus boring puzzle game equals a big pass from me. Aegis Wing I did like but I think I need to read the directions or something because I seem to be missing some key element of the game based on the way people online are talking about it. What's all this about linking ships?
• Podcasts: I've been listening to some gaming-related podcasts while I do some busy work and it's clear to me that the quality levels of these things vary drastically. Penny Arcade's Downloadable Content podcast is consistently entertaining but inconsistently delivered; 1Up Yours is very good but sometimes they labor over certain points too long; Major Nelson's podcast is alright but it's kind of like a drinking game--every time he lapses into marketing-speak, take a shot. Then there is the XBox 360 Fanboy podcast which had the host yawn right in the middle of it, and loudly. If he can't even keep from boring himself, how am I supposed to keep listening?
• Gamecube: I've finally decided to retire my Gamecube, which means pulling it out of the entertainment center and finding a place for it in the garage. Goozex has sucked up almost all my remaining GC games (leaving only Metroid Prime which at this point I doubt I could give away) including the disappointing Twilight Princess so it really serves no further purpose. It's kind of sad since I've owned and enjoyed nearly every system Nintendo has released and unless the Wii really starts to evolve into something much more up my alley this may be the first generation I pass on Nintendo's offering.