Back from a long break and I felt the need to rant about something that has been bothering me for a little while: Emblems.

Let me just make one thing clear: I like emblems. I make an effort to watch live feeds or participate in votes if there is an emblem involved. However, emblems are not my sole motivation for participating in what goes on at GameSpot. I watch "On The Spot," vote in daily polls, contribute in some of the forums etc. because I want to, not because I'm seeking some reward.

My problem lies with the unnecessary rudeness and pack behavior that accompanies the acquisition of emblems. Why do we behave like this? I find it very bothersome when a new emblem appears and the community divides into the "haves" and "have nots." Many of us are curious and try to figure out the emblem's requirements. Once that knowledge is acquired, too many of us become snide and rude, almost teasing those who do not yet know how to obtain the emblem. I have read numerous interactions among members on the forums and in blogs that become snappish because someone or some group of people jealously guard the requirements of an emblem as if it were the key to a tremendous fortune. When a group of people do this, it may be categorizied as pack behavior.

If someone asks you how to get emblem X or Y, please do not be rude or antagonistic about it. Whether you want to tell that person or not is your prerogative, but make an effort to be respectful when you do. I don't care who has an emblem and whether more or less people have the same one that I do. If someone wants to know how I got one, I'm more than happy to share what I know. If the tables were turned, I hope that person would do the same. In fact, the best resource for all of your emblem questions can be found HERE (all credit goes to SoulReaverCross). That being said, we're all on here to have a good time. The world can be nasty and rather unpleasant at times and there is no need to make this community the same.

Ah yes, the time has finally come. I am on the cusp of entering my journey through level 20: Gamespot's equivalent of the NYC marathon.

I know alot of people complain about how they hate Level 20 becuase it takes so long and that you get barely any percentage points every day. Level 20 is a tradeoff.

In the earlier levels, namely 2-10, your percentage points increased dramatically each day for using the site. After that, many people experienced sporadic level jumps and point increases (most notably the jump from Lvl 15 - Lvl 17). The catch is, you'll be on Lvl 20 for quite a while.

I am going to take an unpopular stance on this, but I welcome divergent points of view. I do not oppose the selling of systems on E-Bay following a launch. Here are my two reasons:

1) You can do what you want with your personal property. The fact is, if you have a shiny new console at launch, you had to take the initiative to have such good fortune. Whether you were one of the first people to pre-order it, or you camped out for days to insure your right to walk away with it, you afforded a greater effort to your pursuit than most others. Furthermore, unless you were the lucky winner of a contest/raffle, you paid full price for your hardware, just as everyone else did, or will. Now that you have it, you want to re-sell it. Ok, nothing inherently wrong with that. It is your personal property and in a free and open society, you may do what you wish with your goods, so long as you do not infringe upon the rights of others. Whether you decide to keep it, sell it, give it away, or smash it even, is your decision and your's alone.  But the price you say! Bloody Murder you scream, he'll re-sell his system on E-Bay for triple what he paid for it. Which brings me to my second point... 

2) Consumer demand is why prices are exorbitant. The prices we see/hear about on E-Bay are a result of the buyers' desire to own said new system immediately. The buyers' motives are irrelevant in my opinion. What is important is the fact that they are willing to pay thousands of dollars for the product. So much of the negative focus on post-launch console sales on E-Bay and other online auction sites is directed at those who sell the systems. However, I think we should ask ourselves why such individuals even have the opportunity to mark up their prized possessions and reap ridiculous profits. The answer is simple: there are people out there who are willing to pay any amount to get one. I've read stories of PS3's selling on E-Bay for $10G's (and even one winning bid of $99 million...yes million, but I am inclined to believe that bid was a hoax). Should we decry these people for paying so much? I do not believe so. We (Americans and most Europeans) live in capitalistic societies where we can buy and sell goods at our leisure for whatever price we wish. If you can't stand someone paying $1800 for a new PS3, it won't affect you when the next shipment arrives and those will still cost $599 at most.

Look at it this way: If your wallet was overflowing, and you really wanted a PS3, would you want someone telling you that you couldn't/shouldn't buy one off E-Bay?

Ok, so I've been debating this for a while now and I finally gave in and bought a copy of Ace Combat 4 (new, and for $18 ). I rented it about 2 years ago and absolutely loved it. The graphics are good, the controls are comfortable and responsive and the plot is solid (and surprisingly emotional). The one thing that I loved most about the game is one of its minor features: the ability to exit the combat zone mid-fight and re-fuel/re-load and then return to continue the mission. Its little things like that which make this such a great game. Ace Combat 5 was ok, but it did not really wow me as much as its predecessor. The plot is ok, and the controls are good, but there is no option to re-fuel/re-load, and the wingman controls are basically useless (they make no real difference during the course of a mission).

On the RPG front, I'm eagerly awaiting the end of the semester so that I can dive into FFXII. I don't have a PS2 in my apartment, and even if I did, I need to focus squarely (no pun intended) on finals and not be distracted by games. Needless to say, FFXII would be an enormous distraction.

And then there is Zelda: Twilight Princess for the GameCube. The more I see, hear and read about it, the more I want to buy it. I have no intention of purchasing a Wii, but I still play my Cube (alot) and since it will get its own version, I'm thinking I just may buy it. However, with Ace Combat 4 and FFXII eating up most of my gaming time come December, Zelda will likely be a January purchase (at the earliest).

Aword about the increase in console software prices in the upcoming generation:

It SUCKS!

I'veread many people complaining about how some first/third party titles will now cost $59.99. Frankly, I agree with them. This hurts the consumer more than most people want to admit.

In the United States, the average $49.99 game, with tax, costs $54.18. Granted, this depends entirely on the state you live in and what the sales tax is, but that is the price I ordinarily pay for a current generation title. In the next generation, it seems we should get used to doling out more of our hard earned income.

Many 360 titles already retail for $59.99 and it seems that a number of PS3 games will cost more as well (for further information, please see "PS3 Games Priced at $59.99" ) Now I know that this is merely speculation at this point as nothing has been verbally confirmed, but it does not bode well for the future of the $49.99 game.

Unfortunately, many users have seen fit to bash others by telling them not to whine or to get a job and that $59.99 is not alot of money. Not only is this disrespectful, it misses the real point, which is: we will be paying alot more in the long run for our games than you initally realize.

For the sake of argument, lets assume that the average PS2/XBOX/GameCube owner bought ten games from 2005-2006 and all were priced at $49.99. Let's also assume that, with tax, the total came out to $54.18 per game. The sum total for those ten purchases, with tax, comes out to $541.80.

Now let's assume that this person now owns an XBOX 360 or PS3 and bought (or plans to buy) 10 more games total, for either one, or the other, or both (I'm omitting the Wii from this little equation b/c we have no evidence to assume a price increase on Wii games) Assuming the same sales tax, the average $59.99 game is likely to cost about $65.00 (rounded up). At that price, the sum total of ten next gen games purchased, with tax,comes out to $650.00.

The difference between the two totals is $108.20. By itself, $108 is not alot of money. However, considering the fact that no gamer lives in a vaccuum, this is another $108 that we do not have for rent, food, utility bills, gas, loan payments, etc. Additionally, thats another $108 that we cannot invest, or put away in a savings account etc.

The point I am trying to make is this: every price increase adds up. Afterbeingset back between $250 - $600 (w/out tax or games) for a next gen console, another hundred dollars in games that you did not have to pay last time around hurts. Having a job doesn't make your purchases any easier, it just means you have to work harder to support your gaming habit.If you are one of the people decrying others who do not want the increased financial burden of purchasing software, would you mind paying $69.99 for a game? How about $79.99?

I for one, will mourn the passing of the $49.99 game. My wallett will too.

The Fanboy Test (which I found courtesy of Faizali86's blog), says that I'm a "Microsoft Hater."  I respectfully disagree. Aside from some of the questions being unfairly loaded and not providing a completely neutral response, I have to contest the results b/c I do not indeed hate Microsoft. I don't own an X-Box or a 360 b/c neither happen to have any exclusive games that I really like (the only exception being Fable, I would love to have that game).

Here are my specific results:

Nintendo Fanboy: 37%
Sony Fanboy: 63%
Microsoft Fanboy: 19%

This means you're: A Microsoft Hater

Currently I like playing the GC and PS2 and look forward to what PS3 and the Wii will have to offer. However, that does not mean I hate Microsoft, just that I'm rather lukewarm to their games. Take the test if you so desire and see how you stack up.