Kevin's Corner: This week, the PlayStation 2 reigns supreme!

Oh, it's not a worry. We're here to try to address these things, but it's hard to keep up with requests about specific games. Hopefully, at least this blog will help you know where we are with various tasks, and give you an idea of what games are making their way onto our PCs and consoles.

giglya, please see above, where I explained that this isn't meant to be a "when will thios review be up" Q&A. We haven't overlooked Soulstorm.

giglya, please see above, where I explained that this isn't meant to be a "when will this review be up" Q&A. We haven't overlooked Soulstorm.

Blaxploitation, this isn't a Q&A in which we tell you when a review is coming, though we will undoubtedly be touching upon those issues. However, I know that Pro Evo for the Wii is being reviewed.

In the spirit of bringing you all the fun and wonder on my review's plate, I bring you news from my corner of the GameSpot offices, where a wall of windows shines upon me and I can bother Stanley Lin by simply turning my head and complaining.

I plan to take some time to speak to some of the more general questions that arise in the weeks to come, as well as to provide some insight into the process of actually writing a review. For now, however, I'd like to talk about the games sitting on my desk, and some quick behind-the-scenes flashes.

Assassin's Creed (PC)

Expect to see this review published today. There is a bit of backstory to share, however. We received code last week, though it was provided on a standard DVD, rather than in a retail box. When installing it, I encountered an installation error that I was able to bypass; however, the corrupted file caused the game to lock up when I tried to enter Jerusalem. I talked to Ricardo, and Ubi rushed over a retail copy, which caused the same error on a different file. As it turns out, my Phillips DVD drive has problems with certain games, including Turning Point, Lord of the Rings, and other titles. Installation on another work machine as well as my home PC was flawless.

It's important to note that reviews editors never have direct contact with developers and publishers about games we are reviewing. Whenever circumstances like this arise, my superiors are the ones that handle it. I've had other issues crop up, and even had publishers and developers contact me directly about reviews. In turn, I always hand these over to Ricardo. It's shielding in its most necessary form, because it ensures that the developer doesn't know who is reviewing their game, and ensures that I can play the game without any kind of undue feedback or pressure.

The PlayStation 2 Quartet: Silent Hill 0rigins, Heavenly Guardian, Persona: FES, and Mana Khemia

Yesterday, a user sent me his concerns regarding the lack of PlayStation 2 coverage, which he took to mean as a slight against the platform and an unspoken decree that we plan to ignore PS2 games. Far from it! We're short staffed, which means priorities have to be shuffled, but no one should take this to mean that we're dismissing the PlayStation 2 as a living and breathing platform.

Silent Hill 0rigins (or, as I spell it, Origins, with an "O" and not a zero; our policy is not to cater to contrived naming conventions, such as with SH: 0rigins, Driv3r, and skate.) for the PS2 will post today as well. My weekend was spent mainly with Assassin's Creed and Origins, and I think it will mark the first time I have written two reviews that post on the same day. Heavenly Guardian and FES are both on my desk, yet top be unwrapped. We're not yet sure how we will handle FES, though it is possible it will see a full review. Mana Khemia is, for all intents and purposes, Atelier Iris 4, and we don't even have a copy in house. Justin has requested someone to pick it up on our daily GameStop run.

Okami (Wii)

We're fortunate enough to have a pre-release copy of Okami. Depending on how efficiently I can handle the other games on my plate, we should be able to have a review up for release day.

Opoona (Wii)

I am not sure how this Nunchuk-controlled RPG turned out, but Lord knows I can't wait to find out.

Obscure: The Aftermath (Wii)

Actually, there are PS2 and PC versions of this game as well, though we were only sent the Wii version. I will play as soon as I can, and follow up on the other platforms with Justin and Ricardo.

So six games are in my current review rotation. Time to spin the roulette wheel and see where the ball lands!

In the spirit of bringing you all the fun and wonder on my review's plate, I proclaim news from my corner of the GameSpot offices, where a wall of windows shines upon me and I can bother Stanley Lin by simply turning my head and complaining.

I plan to take some time to speak to some of the more general questions that arise in the weeks to come, as well as to provide some insight into the process of actually writing a review. For now, however, I'd like to talk about the games sitting on my desk, and some quick behind-the-scenes flashes.

Assassin's Creed (PC)

Expect to see this review published today. There is a bit of backstory to share, however. We received code last week, though it was provided on a standard DVD, rather than in a retail box. When installing it, I encountered an installation error that I was able to bypass; however, the corrupted file caused the game to lock up when I tried to enter Jerusalem. I talked to Ricardo, and Ubi rushed over a retail copy, which caused the same error on a different file. As it turns out, my Phillips DVD drive has problems with certain games, including Turning Point, Lord of the Rings, and other titles. Installation on another work machine as well as my home PC was flawless.

It's important to note that reviews editors never have direct contact with developers and publishers about games we are reviewing. Whenever circumstances like this arise, my superiors are the ones that handle it. I've had other issues crop up, and even had publishers and developers contact me directly about reviews. In turn, I always hand these over to Ricardo. It's shielding in its most necessary form, because it ensures that I can play the game without any kind of undue feedback or pressure.

The PlayStation 2 Quartet: Silent Hill 0rigins, Heavenly Guardian, Persona: FES, and Mana Khemia

Yesterday, a user sent me his concerns regarding the lack of PlayStation 2 coverage, which he took to mean as a slight against the platform and an unspoken decree that we plan to ignore PS2 games. Far from it! We're short staffed, which means priorities have to be shuffled, but no one should take this to mean that we're dismissing the PlayStation 2 as a living and breathing platform.

Silent Hill 0rigins (or, as I spell it, Origins, with an "O" and not a zero; our policy is not to cater to contrived naming conventions, such as with SH: 0rigins, Driv3r, and skate.) for the PS2 will post today as well. My weekend was spent mainly with Assassin's Creed and Origins, and I think it will mark the first time I have written two reviews that post on the same day. Heavenly Guardian and FES are both on my desk, yet to be unwrapped. We're not yet sure how we will handle FES, though it is possible it will see a full review. Mana Khemia is part of the Atelier series, and we don't even have a copy in house. Justin has requested someone to pick it up on our daily GameStop run.

Okami (Wii)

We're fortunate enough to have a pre-release copy of Okami. Depending on how efficiently I can handle the other games on my plate, we should be able to have a review up for release day.

Opoona (Wii)

I am not sure how this Nunchuk-controlled RPG turned out, but Lord knows I can't wait to find out.

Obscure: The Aftermath (Wii)

Actually, there are PS2 and PC versions of this game as well, though we were only sent the Wii version. I will play as soon as I can, and follow up on the other platforms with Justin and Ricardo.

So six games are in my current review rotation. Time to spin the roulette wheel and see where the ball lands!