I don't know if it's some kind of deep-seated PC Gamer prejudice that resides within me or it's simple FACT that I don't like the Wii, even though I own one and my family regularly enjoys it.

I totally admit - the things are a great technical achievement...but sometimes, that's not all a console takes.

The 360 and PS3 (I won't even start on the PC) are leaps and bounds ahead of the Wii in terms of graphics. That's a real turn-off for most hardcore gamers right there.

Case in point - I tried playing Call of Duty 3 on the Wii yesterday. Just as, you know, a test. I stopped playing after a half hour in pretty much absolute disgust. COD3 was a relatively mediocre game, I think, on any platform. On the Wii, it is relative garbage.

The controls are a mess (you have to practically stand right in the open to get a shot off), the AI...don't even get me started on the AI...and the graphics...did a 3-year-old fire up a 3d art program and start waving around the "brush" at random? The game came out last year, I understand that. But then, Crysis came out last year. And it still looks photo-real.

That's not to say that the Wii isn't fun on certain levels (Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Marble Madness or whatever it's called, and Resident Evil 4 are lots of fun) but there are really only a few isolated examples.

The party games are relatively limited...the Rayman Raving Rabbids series and "Smarty Pants" are really the only games in recent memory that have succeeded at handing the players constant fun on a party scale. Maybe I'm wrong about the party games, but then again maybe I'm not.

After a few great launch titles and several wonderful ports, all I've seen is Shovelware (minus Smash Bros. and Mario Kart) and that isn't good for any system.

That's another thing I'd like to talk about: Shovelware. The bane of any console. It will be the absolute death of the Wii (at least to Hardcore gamers) if Nintendo doesn't put a ban on all Hardcore titles before Shovelware buries Wii gamers neck-deep in **** It's a real, very serious problem...and there's very little that Nintendo can do about it.

There's another thing: the console is owned, operated, and therefore a slave to Nintendo's commands. Unlike the PC, it is entirely restricted as to what Nintendo believes is best for the system.....and unfortunately (no offense Nintendo, you've made such a great name for yourself I almost feel bad saying this) their decisions have really started to suck lately.

E3 2008 Press Conference: TOTAL GARBAGE. No hardcore announcements, nothing even really vaguely interesting, just more casual games. Casual, casual, casual. Well maybe Nintendo would realize that they're going to lose a big chunk of their sales soon if they keep this up? Not likely. Unfortunately, even if they do lose that chunk, it's only like 5% of their sales. They'll keep on going, an absolute juggernaut.

As you can see, I don't really think there is a reason to own a Wii right now. just because it has four or five really great games (which, in comparison to other great games on different platforms, really aren't that great) is not enough reason to buy an entire system.

This has been another prophecy of doom from your host, IMaBIOHAZARD. Thanks for viewing.

Player choice is the big new thing in Gaming. Really, I think it's going to absolutely sweep the industry. Most console games have already added in some modicum of player choice, be it in the route their squad takes or the decision to help or destroy an entire nation and all the minor choices in-between.

But that's just the consoles; us PC gamers still have a little bit of time before the wave crashes on the beach. And, with any luck, we can dodge the inevitable bullet that will follow.

However awesome these games can be, however amazing, I doubt that having them dominate the industry is a good thing. Keep in mind I'm not talking about open-world games like Crysis or Far Cry 2 (those aren't harming the industry in any way); they can still tell a decent story. But what I'm really talking about is the fact that most of the stories in "absolute choice" games suck worse than the current state of the American economy.

And believe me, stories are not a good thing to lose in a game. Without a convincing, great storyline, the Half Life series would be relatively forgettable, even when the standard of gameplay is so extremely high. In fact, almost all games that had any semblance of a good storyline would be just little snippets of confusing warfare without a story of any kind to tie the fights together.

And besides, stories are just plain great. Resident Evil, though the dialogue is as cheesy and the voice acting as terrible and cheap as it gets, the overall plotline is absolutely intriguing.

Heed the warning signs; if it hasn't already hit, the absolute-choice wave is on the way. Be wary; not all of these games will be bad, but if this indeed happens, then there will be a noticable loss of quality in said games.

In other news, i've been playing the "Insurgency", "Zombie Panic: Source", and "Zombie Master" mods for Half Life 2 and Left 4 Dead so if you see Pl4t0, you'll know it's me.

Lately, I've been enjoying Left 4 Dead.  I mean, ENJOYING this game.  I honestly think that it desserves game of the year just for how well it achieves the whole zombie-movie feel.  But that's for my review.

Right now, I want to talk about Far Cry 2.  I have been anticipating this game for months, ever since it was announced, and was crushed when it got delayed a month.  This weekend, beginning friday, I sat down and spread over 3 days I spent 11 hours beating the main story.  I didn't get a chance to try out a lot of the side content, but it was so repetitive that I didn't really care.

My point here is that I liked the game enough to not move from my PC (yep, this is a PC GAMING blog) for hours at a time for a game that most people consider mediocre at best.  I want to prove them wrong right here and now, and perhaps allow all you doubters out there to make one of the greatest purchases you may ever make.

The game is an amazing technical achievement; 20 miles of open, beautiful world (I play the game on MEDIUM and it looks FAR better than the average game, at least in my opinion) without a single loading screen.  That's impressive.  They even filled it up with wildlife that just screams realism.  

Speaking of that, the game NEVER breaks your perspective.  You will never get the chance to see your character in third person or even break the first person perspective, so those that like to be reminded you're playing a game, you're about to be heartbroken.  But if you're like me, then you won't exactly be disappointed.  

The gun-shop/armory element (where the diamonds you earn on missions from your various employers are spent to buy new weapons, upgrades, and equipment) is brilliant; if you like Mercenaries 2's weapon stores, albeit without the wait (quite a plus) then you'll be pretty happy.  Oh, and if you buy a gun, you unlock infinite amounts of it that you can take whenever you wish from the armory, which is handy because weapons tend to rust when exposed to elements like rain or...time.

Yes, there IS a weather system.  A slightly underused one, but the rain is startlingly realistic and just feels very atmospheric.  The jungle reacts entirely realistically to every drop.

The story, however, is probably one of the greatest parts.  By now, those that didn't like the game are probably reading this in disgust or outrage, but I LIKED the story.  A mercenary playing both sides and then eventually *SPOILER WARNING AHEAD*

just killing all of your employers

*end spoilers*

is pretty satisfying.  When it reaches the endgame (literally) you just feel that the end is coming; in a big, dramatic way.  The country is falling apart. Bad things are happening that could change/destroy the country.  And on top of it all, you find out the Jackal isn't as bad as you thought he was.  And if you choose the diamond case (you'll know what i mean when you get around 95% completion).......well, suffice it to say the story isn't intense, but it touches some emotional centers of the human heart.  And you find out that, really, you aren't the main character.  In a sort of way.

Buy this game.  Although Crytek would've made the game better (and I think they should make the next one) they did a DAMN FINE job.

In other news, i'll be playing L4D pretty much for...ever.  If you see "Pl4t0" or a guy with nothing but dual pistols running haphazardly into insane danger, that's me.