I think that Starship Trooper bugs should be an option in many more games. Tired of koopas? Starship Trooper bugs. Tired of templars? Starship Trooper bugs. Tired of pidgeys and spearows in the tall grass? Starship Trooper bugs. Tired of Starship Trooper bugs? Add more Starship Trooper bugs. The possibilities are endless!

"At some point, Nintendo has to step boldly into the future, without the rope of frayed memories holding it back." I like that line very much.

@xolivierx I was thinking more like a light hearted Golden Sun. I think that I will have to buy this game.

You make an interesting point about the episode format of The Walking Dead. Monkey Island did something similar and it worked out well (I thought). Unfortunately for Valve, they are having trouble counting past 2. I suspect the primary delay for HL2 Episode 3 is a high-level Valve conversation that goes something like: "Episode 1, episode 2, episode 5!" "Three, sir." "Wut?" "Three, sir. Three is after two." "No it isn't." "Yes it is" "No it isn't." "Yes it is!"

A good read, Tom, although you neglected any mention of the rapid increase in pirated games and how publishers struggle to adapt. I'd like to hear your thoughts on the matter.

@deathwatch28 @amdreallyfast lols; I don't mind COD games because they seem to be well built, but I'm not interested in them either. I WOULD like to see if Activision could make some new IP of an entirely different genre, but that's like asking a department building to move. Its foundation is already pretty solid and isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Maybe COD is like racism. The only way to have it go away is to stop talking about it, as per Morgan Freeman's advice.

With the advent of smart phones and tablets, ignorance and stupidity and rage can truly come from anywhere, at any time. To quote Dr. McCoy, "It's a miracle these people ever got out of the 20th century."

@ad1x2 But, but the children! To quote Yes, Prime Minister, "We must do something. This is something. Therefore, we must do it."

I thought that the ESRB was already legally binding, so I guess I don't mind it as long as game reservations also fall under "selling". I heard a story from a friend of mine that he met a kid in a game store who had pre-ordered a game but was unable to claim his purchase because he was underage (my friend helped him out). Still, it is quite possible to fake your age online.

A good friend of mine has StepMania and he played that to get in better shape. He would always top of the exercise with the Rock Lee theme that was adapted for the game. That song burned over 9000 calories in one play through.