360 and PS3 have a lot of life left in them. With focus on gameplay, online play, and less on improving graphics, I think both systems will last longer than the standard 5 years. In the 90s, everyone wanted better and better graphics, so companies were obsessed with making the next best thing. Now, games have evolved past that (like movies have evolved past CGI showcases), and gamers want new ideas, good stories, and originality). Those can all be achieved with these systems. Yes, I'd like a 360 that plays Blu Ray, or a Wii that has a Hard Drive and HDMI, but it would be the same system.

There is really no reason to upgrade because with connection to a network and updating, these systems naturally have a longer life than past systems. I think it's a really good thing. No reason to spend close to $1000 on another system and tons of peripherals, when these systems are doing great, and have a longer life because they are connected to WWW and can be expanded. Plus, it's even less desirable in this economy, to have to worry about upgrading. Even if an upgrade did become available, it would have less games, less features, and most importantly, less users and therefore less community, right off the bat! Mix that with the fact that less people would be buying due to a bad economy, and it could be a real disaster. In previous generations I always found myself asking for more, this is the first generation I can honestly say I'm pretty satisfied. I think this generation will probably last as long as the NES did, if not longer. Mainly because, again, the fact that they are connected to the net allows for more room for expansion, and a much longer life.

What do you think? With advances in gameplay, original ideas, story, and less focus on purely technical upgrading, do you really think we need an upgrade in 2010, or even 2011? Or are you satisfied with the way things are?

Normally I'm not one to re post anything like this, but I think in this case, it's a nice way to get to know the community. That quickly brings me to #5.

5. This is my very first time re-posting anything on the internet, whether it be a list, a chain letter, anything.

4. I am a diehard MMORPG player. Yep, it's true. I've played more EverQuest 2 then I care to mention. Ah, what the heck, I'll mention it. I'll put it in perspective. You know how most lengthy RPGs, or other long console games for that matter, have a playtime of around 40-70 hours? Well, I've played my main Everquest 2 character, Fortai, for 68 days, 16 hours, 13 minutes. And that's only one character, in one game. It probably exceeds 100 days if you add those characters together. I have other MMO characters as well, although Fortai is probably my most played. 68 days, and you wonder why some people say it's addicting. I haven't played in over a month though. I dare anyone to tell me a game that you've logged more than 100 days of play time with. Okay, maybe Woody and Battletoads. Also, I don't play World of Warcraft.

3. I used to volunteer answering phones for Suicide/Crisis prevention. I also used to volunteer for the WWAC, which helps fight AIDS in Africa. 2 very draining jobs, to say the least. I slept well at night, though.

2. I don't like the same things most people like. That is, I don't drink. (I've probably had less than 10 drinks in my life, and I am 28 years old). I also don't like sports very much (this includes real life, and gaming). On major topics, I almost always find myself disagreeing with the majority, and siding with the minority. This has made me an outcast in some ways, but I refuse to change to "fit in."

1. I've never had a cup of coffee, or coffee in any form (except coffee ice cream).

Well there you go, 5 facts about me. Honestly, this blog may not serve a huge purpose, because people who don't know me probably aren't too interested in these facts, and people who do know me more, probably already know these facts. Still, I think GameSpot has some wonderful people on it, people that I'd love to get to know.

Take Care.

Happy 2008 everyone, and thanks for your questions. It was probably not a good idea to post a Q&A blog on Christmas Eve, a time where not many people would see it, but here come the answers as promised.

NeoJedi:
What is your most anticipated game of 2008?

Thorpe89:
What title are you most looking forward to next year?

I honestly can't say what game I'm looking forward to most in 2008. It might be Smash Bros Brawl, it might be GTA IV, or Little Big Planet, or perhaps Fable 2 (please don't disappoint me!), but I'll tell you what I WANT in 2008. I want a game to completely blow me away, that's not an upgraded sequel, that's not a franchise, that has an awesome story, and that's genre defying. Is that too much to ask? Perhaps. But I know that games now, more than ever, have the ability to be art. They have the ability to ascend past the realm of programming, into a world where the sum equals much more than its programed parts. When a game makes it past the hurdles of technology, it can become something great. Portal came close, but Bioshock did this last year, in my opinion, and was one of my two favorite games of 2007. Super Mario Galaxy, was my other favorite for a very different reason: It made me realize the part of me that enjoyed playing games 15-20 years ago, will never leave me. Let's hope 2007 was just a small indication of what the gaming industry is capable of.


Atillite:
what is your view on thermo neuclear energy and the negetive effects it can have on our planet in 3 or less words

"We're all doomed"


SteelAttack
Do you like groins?

No I don't like groins. I love groins. Do you really have to ask?


That's it everyone. Make 2008 a great year. 2010 is just right around the corner. Weren't we supposed to have hover bikes and hyperspeed by now? I feel like we're falling way behind.

A couple quick things:

I wanted to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday. No matter what you're doing, I hope it's magical.

I also wanted to create my first Q & A blog. Yes, it's a blatant ripoff of what so many others are doing, but it's an opportunity to get to know someone a little better. So go ahead: Ask me anything! Anything! (well, almost anything). I'll answer it in an upcoming blog in a week or so. It might be a video blog, I haven't decided yet.

Have a safe holiday. Peace.

Hey all.

Today is my birthday. I was in Target, I saw a PS3, I had my credit card, you know what happens next!

My PS3 ID is: liquidsol. Please comment with your PS3 IDs also! It is also located in my profile along with my Wii number and my XBL gamertag.

I mainly bought the system to have a Blu-Ray player, that plays games... not as a video game console, that plays movies. I'm sure I'll be playing more games on it in the future though. I am a home theater guru, and I was sick of seeing all those movies in beautiful HD, that I didn't have access to. Are there any games that anyone recommends that are not available on the 360 or PC? I will be buying "The Darkness," and I am also looking forward to the many good games that the PS3 has in its future. I am looking forward to see what I can download. Anyone recommend anything from that also?

This month I will be first and foremost buying Mario Galaxy and Mass Effect.

Take care, everyone. Peace.

It's been a while since I wrote a blog, so I thought it was about time. Keep in mind these are just my random thoughts, going off into random tangents is to be expected.

My last blog mentioned that I got a new job. I am still at that job. It has been going pretty well. I've since got a raise and a promotion. The bad part is, is that it is still not a move forward in the direction I wish to be going, which is ultimately game design / media. Although it's not in the correct direction, it is still a move forward, and it puts food on the table and pays the rent. Game design has still been my hobby though. I've still working on an RPG tentatively called "Adventure" that I have been working on for the last 2 and a half years. Someday, someday, I will finish it. One major thing has changed since my last blog though, and that is that I moved to an apartment that is much closer to my job. This new feeling of independence is both liberating and overwhelming at the same time. I Love it. I do miss my previous home though. You see, I live in the Bay Area, CA. My previous home was on the peninsula. There, I could just go lay on the beach in the middle of the night, or go on a random walk through the forest covered hills. I never realized how much that kind of thing was needed, until I left it. I can still get back to it, it's only an hour away. It's hard to get away though, when you have to be, all, like, responsible and stuff!

With my job, I've slowly been becoming accustomed to an office environment. The one major thing I've discovered is that High School never ends, it really doesn't. A song from "Bowling for Soup" pretty much sums it up. "The whole damn world is just as obsessed with who's the best dressed and who's having sex. Who's got the money, who gets the honies, who's kind of cute, and who's just a mess." It just hammers into me a sad truth: I don't think I'm compatible with most people. I know I've said this a million times, but I prefer a small group of intimate friends, as opposed to a large group of "acquaintance" type friends. Quality over quantity. Otherwise it's just… noise… and I'll find myself closing my ears, until the right person signals to me that everything is quiet, and it's going to be okay. Having said all that, it still is kinda funny watching the office dynamics unfold into a tragic soap opera.

Oh yeah, this is Gamespot. Like many people, I bought Bioshock, and like many people, I'm enjoying the hell out of it. I've never felt the need to rush through it, and that's a sign of a great game: when you want to explore every area, examine every enemy, hear every sound, and do everything. The game even has some nice, and sometimes controversial, quotes: "I believe in no God, no invisible man in the sky. But there is something more powerful than each of us, a combination of our efforts, a great Chain of industry that unites us. But it is only when we struggle in our own interest that the Chain pulls society in the right direction. To Chain is too powerful and too mysterious for any government to guide. Any man who tells you different either has his hand in his pocket, or a gun to your head."

That's just one of the many quotes in Bioshock that really had me thinking. I even found myself agreeing with many things that were said by the game's main villain, Andrew Ryan. I think villains are the most interesting characters in games and movies, but only if they are multi-dimensional, meaning you can go so far as to sympathize with them, even if it's just a little bit. If you haven't played through Bioshock, I highly recommend you do. Keep your volume up and your eyes open. Don't rush through it. Doing that would be like running through one of the greatest museums after paying 60 bucks to get in.

I also just played through and beat Super Metroid for what seems like the 10th time. This time it was on Virtual Console though. Ever since Actraiser was released on it, I've been awaiting all games for the SNES that carry a Square or Enix tag. Those games are simply the brightest shining games in history.

You may notice that my friends list was cut in half from about 100 to 50. I'll probably cut it in half again. If you're even reading this blog, you're unaffected. I'm just moving people off this list who I've NEVER talked to, and have no idea who they are. It's hard to track blogs and leave comments for gamespot friends, when I am tracking people that I don't talk to.

Peace and take care!

Nick

Hey Everyone. I have not been on Gamespot very often in the last week. The good news though, is the reason for that is because I got a new job this week. I'm working for a credit card company, handling disputes, customer service, etc. I know, it has almost NOTHING to do with my ultimate career, and the degree I got in College (BFA in Motion Pictures and Television). Thankfully I have opportunities to work in their marketing department, which would mean producing videos. If nothing else, it's a JOB, which is very needed right now. My ultimate goal is to work editing media or game design. There is a lot of work like that here in the Bay Area... Electronic Arts (EA Games) is 15 minutes away from my house, Pixar and Lucas Arts are also very close. I've been working on trying to get an internship for one of those places... I will let you know what happens!

Gaming wise, I have mostly been playing classic games lately. I have not played a "new" game for about a month when I played Gears of War (except recently I had a very short experience with Wii Play). I have been enjoying some old games though, now on the Virtual Console. I beat Kid Icarus (without cheating, as the old passwords no longer work). I'm working on Super Ghouls N' Ghosts, and Ocarina of Time. I might be buying Crackdown for 360 soon, but I think it's best to wait until my Bank Account has a more... healthy number in it.... before I can start buying new games again.

Take care everyone.

Nick

UPDATE:

Went to Frys today and exchanged my Xbox 360. I got a new one, and thankfully everything is back to normal (got to keep my old hard drive so everything remains in tact). Good customer service, Microsoft, so far.


Well, unfortunately just a week after getting my Xbox 360, it is having technical issues. After an hour troubleshooting with customer support it seems there is a problem with the console, for it won't recognize my wireless controllers anymore. I went through all the troubleshooting steps, and I have been instructed to get it replaced where I bought it, which I will do tomorrow. The store will probably have to call Microsoft to verify, but that isn't a huge deal.

This actually is not as bad as it sounds, because I will get to keep my hard drive, and replacing it at the store is not as bad as having to send it in to Microsoft. This is just a 2 day set back basically.

It is sad though, because I just got Oblivion and Gears of War, and I hardly have had time to jump into them yet. I wanted to review them, but I'm not going to yet, because I have hardly played either of them. Both of them will definitely be getting a 9+ score from me though, based upon first impressions.

So basically, if you wanted to humiliate, destroy me, then dance on my corpse in Xbox Live, you are just going to have to wait another couple of days, for I will be too busy humiliating myself, playing Wario Ware on my Wii. :-P

Take care :-)

Hey gamespot friends. Just wanted to let you know I FINALLY got an Xbox360. My gamer tag is "Liquid Essence" so please add me if you would like. My gamer tag is on this profile. I only started up today and my score reflects that, but I'll be doing a lot of online gaming soon.

I've been behind on the reviews and my thoughts on games, so look for my thoughts/reviews on these games that I'm currently playing, soon:

Gears of War - Soon
World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade - Playing
Yoshi's Island DS - Reviewed
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Reviewed
Wario Ware Smooth Moves - Soon
Viva Pinata - Playing

Take care! :-)

Well, I got a Wii. What a great system. Although I am not too impressed with the user interface of the system, nor impressed with what Nintendo is offering so far, the controls are much better than I thought they would be. The Wii Remote seems natural, and after playing through Zelda and Wii Sports, and I am very excited to see what future games have to offer control wise. If Nintendo doesn't have online play or graphics going for them so far, at least they have gameplay and interesting control.

After playing around with the Wii user interface, I have to say I am not very impressed. The UI seems very simplistic, yet counter intuitive. The e-mail system is nice, but I feel like when I'm in the UI, that I'm using a 35 inch Nintendo DS. I am optimistic though, because there is room to grow, and it is very easy and hassle free to get online with this system. On top of that, the downloadable SNES, NES, Genesis, TG16, and N64 games REALLY get me excited about what will come out in the future. I know it can be excellent, and I'm pretty sure that Nintendo will make it that way. I just put up reviews for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports, and Everquest 2 Echoes of Faydwer if you would like to read them. Here are short versions:

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
I thought this game was Amazing and simply the best Zelda game available. Sure, the graphics and sound are not what they could be (I still think that giving our hero Link a voice, would be a bad thing), they still shine in the Artistic department. Although I think the gamespot review of this game was a little harsh, I respect the opinions of the reviewer. I think any review that someone gives is bias, and I think it's foolish to think otherwise. We are human, there is no possible way we can be 100% objective, and frankly, I wouldn't want to meet someone who could. Overall this is a suberb, immersive game, that mixes the best of classic and modern gameplay. Read my full review for more info.

Wii Sports:
Simple, yet fun. The controls work, they really do. It's really amazing what the Wii Remote can do. A very ideal game to be included with the Wii system. There is however NO EXCUSE for this game not having online play. It is the perfect game for it, and the fact that it doesn't have online play, it the game's biggest downside. Read my full review if you would like.

Everquest II: Echoes of Faydwer:
One of the best MMOs out there. I'm not scared to say it, but better, deeper, and more immersive than WoW. I think the community makes the game, and if you want to play with a more mature and adult community this is the Fantasy MMO for you. I've got more info in my review.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and has a wonderful Christmas holiday. Take care and Peace everyone.

I think I just went from level 15 to 17, but I'm not completely sure. Strage. All I can think of is it's compensation to make up for the level 20 glitch which I will soon be experiencing, but instead of both of those, GS should just fix this bug once and for all.

Enough about that, more about Wii. Nothing that was anncounced really surprised me. I was expecting it to be around $250 and to come out around Thanksgiving in the USA. That doesn't mean I'm dissapointed, I haven't been more excited about a system since the days of SNES and Mario 64 for N64. Everytime I buy a Zelda game on the first day they come out, I am always completely immersed in it, and hopefully when I'm done with Zelda, Metroid Prime 3 will come out to keep me even more busy. I can't wait for this system. The idea of playing NES, SNES, Genesis, and N64 games on this makes me tingle inside. The only thing I have been turned off by so far, is the user interface Wii menu system, seems a little clunky to me and not very intuitive. Plus they are bragging about how it can show the Weather forecast. That is all well and good of course, but it's being presented like it's a revolutionary idea. I shouldn't prejudge though, until it comes out. I am very excited about this system.

It has been a slow few months for me in the world of games, but that is about to change. So many great titles are coming out this fall, I don't know where to start. I don't know if you watch MMORPGs closely, but I am really looking forward to the Everquest 2 expansion, and Vanguard, which both come out soon. As for DS, I am looking forward to many games, but mainly FF3 and Castlevania. As for PS3, I have no hate for that system, and nothing personally against it, I just don't have the money for it right now, and there are so many other games that are higher priority for me.

Let it begin.

Well I'm back from Europe after spending the last month traveling in it. It was a wonderful trip... very busy though, as in only 4 weeks we had to drive through Spain, then Italy, then France, then Germany, and finally through the UK. We drove 5,000+ miles in all! It was so refreshing to see and experience something different for a change. Although the trip was great, it ended with a rather hellish time at Heathrow airport in London. There's been some problems there lately and it caused mucho delays!

Although I'm glad to be back, the reality of being home has set in, which means looking hard for a job this week (thankfully I already have an interview set up), and lets just say I'm not looking forward to the Europe credit card bill that will be coming soon.

Lately I haven't been playing many new console games lately. I've been playing a lot of MMOs like EQ, EQ2, WoW, and Guild Wars, and classic NES, and SNES games, but I just haven't been impressed with anything coming out on consoles lately. I wish I could hit a Fast Forward to November button, so there would be many many great games out. (Zelda TLP, and Metroid Prime 3 where the hell are you???).

My new banner is just a placeholder until I have an idea for a better one... I was just getting really sick of seeing "nickscho" up there in plain white letters, so I changed it to "Nick" in plain red letters! :-P

Take care all...

Well I am leaving for Europe this Saturday and I will not be back until August 20th or so. In that time it will be very difficult to get on gamespot, which is just sad because that means I can't comment on your awesome blogs. Europe will be a wonderful experience though, and I can't tell ya how excited I am about it. Take care everyone, have a wonderful summer :-). Peace and Love.

Nick

I really need to make my first video review blog but I haven't had too much to review lately! It's kind of slow for games, so I've been replaying a lot of old ones. I've been playing Brain Age but my brain age isn't getting better and the game is getting boring quickly. Plus I think the game is getting mad at me, lol. Yeah, the game gets a little mad when you don't play it for a while, those who play know what I mean ;-).

I've been playing a lot of MMOs lately (EQ, EQ2, WOW, Guild Wars), but I'm ready for some expansions already! I think Summer is not the best time for games because we are meant to be outside, enjoying the weather! oh well....

Well I will be heading to Europe next month (late July), and I will be gone for a month. I'm going to Spain first, then Italy, then France, then England, and then home to good old California. I will miss commenting in and reading all my gamespot friends' blog posts when I'm gone!

Well I've been checking up a lot on E3 lately, on this website, and some others. I have to say I am pretty impressed so far, mainly with Nintendo, because they are the only company offering something original. Nintendo has the most games at E3, and the best games.

Microsoft: Microsoft is doing pretty average in my opinion. There is nothing that really stood out for me except Halo 3 and Fable 2, and I was expecting both of those games. There were no surprises other than those. Don't get me wrong, those 2 games are going to be AWESOME, but everything on 360 is a slight upgrade of something on XBOX. I want something new and exciting.

Sony: PS3 is a powerhouse, and the price proves that. Unfortunately Sony had the worst showing at E3 in my opinion. I used to be one of the biggest Final Fantasy fans of all time, but when FFXIII was showed, I felt absolutely nothing. I don't know why that is, perhaps the magic has been gone since FFX, perhaps the awkward visuals to FFXIII did not belong. Whatever it was, the game just didn't do it for me. Like I said, PS3 has the potential to be a powerhouse, but the lack of good games (I'm sure that will change), and the price are a problem.

Nintendo: Nintendo is having the best showing at E3 in my opinion. To me, it's all about the games, and gameplay. And all the games for Wii, and DS, just looked FUN. Pure FUN. That is what is important in gaming, and I'm thinking the Wii will deliver that. I can't wait to try out the controls. One thing I was dissapointed about those, is that the visuals only look slightly better than Gamecube. Sure, Gameplay > Graphics, but I was hoping for a bigger upgrade. For plain and simple fun though, I think Nintendo is going to be the king at launch. However, that might change in the future, I don't underestimate Sony or Microsoft, so we will see.

PC: MMORPGs are one of my favorite gaming genres. WoW, EQ2, and Vanguard all look like they are doing great on the PC, and I can't wait to see all the content that will be added in all these games.

I'll have a list of my favorite games of E3 after E3 is over.

Well I finally hit Level 11, but my Top 1000 reviewer emblem went away! I quickly reviewed some games to get it back up, but it didn't work. I then discovered that is was not an accident, and Gamespot is changing the reviewer recognition system. That should be interesting, I am excited to see what they come up with.

Not much video game news in my life. I have been continuing to play Metroid PH, Oblivion, and Tetris DS. I even started playing WoW again and started a Druid. I'm also still playing EQ2. So many games. I think the next one I will buy will be New Super Mario Bros. for DS in May, I'm not sure if anything great is coming until then, we'll see. I kinda want to try that Brain Age game for DS though, gotta sharpen the brain! Hehe

For the next 2 weeks, I will be paid to eat cookies! Yeah that sounds strange, but I am in a testing group for a testing agency, testing cookies. This is not as good as it sounds, because since we are "testing" cookies, some of them are REALLY bad, and we have to write about a page about each cookie, and discuss them. But hey, it's getting paid to eat, which is nice.

Till next time.

I was lucky enough to get my hands on 3 great games, that all came out this Monday: Oblivion for PC, Tetris DS for DS, and Metroid Prime Hunters for DS. These are my first impressions, since I think it's a little early to give reviews on them (especially Oblvion)

Tetris DS:
This is classic tetris, there are many different modes of play. If you like Tetris, and you like the idea of online Tetris multiplayer, get this game. The online play is limited though, there are only 3 modes of play that you can do, and finding a 4 player game can lead to a lot of waiting. Overall it's a fun game, if you have friends, or wifi.

Metroid Prime Hunters:
Excellent. The one player game is a little more action than exploration, unlike the previous Metroid games. There are puzzles, and objectives, but it's more action. The bosses can repeat, and the gameplay can get repeatative though. I can't believe I'm saying anything bad about a Metroid game, because all the others were 10s in my book. The online play is the main reason to play. Matchups are fun, and you can create battles with the rules you set (there are MANY modes of play) if you have friends online.

Oblivion: (PC Version)
Everyone knows how excellent this game is, so I'll get the not so good stuff out of the way. The interface menu system is a little counter-intuitive. It can sometimes be difficult, and frustrating to navigate. Okay I'm done witht the bad stuff... Where to start... this has got to be one of the deepest and most immersive RPGs I have ever played. Imagine if it was an MMO. I know I haven't even scratched the surface though, so I will review it in the distant future, and not play 5 mins, then review it, like many others are doing.

3 Great games. If you have the money, get them in this order: Oblivion, Metroid, Tetris. You won't be dissapointed I think.