Pro-Fun

The most recent selection for Gamespot's User Soapbox was a blog written by TechnologoDoom (referred to as TD for remainder of blog) focusing on a range of reasons why "fun" is not a word that should be used when describing or reviewing video games. TD does claim that there is nothing inherently wrong with the word fun, and that there are situations in which its use is acceptable or even desired. However, discussion of video games is not one of those situations.

TD does make a range of good points throughout his argument, but I feel that he missed some key points of "fun" which has led me to write a friendly rebuttal to his argument. I do not see the word "fun" as threatening or as dangerous to video gaming as TD makes it appear, and "fun" is still a viable word to be used in the discussion of video games.

[Random happy kid I found when I Googled "Happy Kid." Clowns are creepy]

Here's My Rebuttal

1. What is the point of video games if not to create "fun"?

Dictionary.com defines "fun" as "1. Something that provides mirth or amusement 2. Enjoyment or playfulness." Isn't that the point of video games? I know that's why I play them. I play games as a break from the real world. It's a time to get away, and a time to do things that I never could truly do and get away with, such as conqueor an entire town, going on a murderous rampage, or shooting down two helicopters with a single RPG. Video game developers should be trying to make games that are "fun" first, and everything else should great about the game should follow in suit. But what's the point of making a great, beautiful, amazing game if people aren't going to have fun playing it?

Take Eddie Izzard's commentary on British cinema. Izzard refers to it by describing that there's a lot of fine acting and it's beautiful to watch, but the action is just kind of *bleh*. He refers to it by saying that "you can't even eat popcorn to it." That's what a video game without "fun" would be like. Yes it's beautiful, but why would I want to play it?

2. "Fun" can mean more than just "Fun"

Like anyword in the English language, when taken out of context, "fun" loses a lot of the meaning that the writer or speaker may have intended for the word to have. By using tools such as inflection and other contextual tools surrounding the word, "fun" can become more than just its Dictionary.com definition. There's a difference between someone saying, "That game was fun!" and another person saying, "I mean... That game was fun.*Hint of uncertainty in voice*" Taken out of the context of the rest of the discussion, "fun" can become an overly simplistic and misleading term. But, when viewed as a piece of the whole, "fun" can become, or lead to, an adequate description of a gaming experience.

Further, the use of the word fun does not also imply happiness or complacency. Just because one describes a game as fun does not also imply that there is nothing about the game that they would wish to change. In the above quote, "I mean... That game was fun," there are obvious problems inherently implied by the use of the word fun. The speaker would undoubtedly continue on to list why the game was only fun, but also had various problems. So, fun can be used not only to praise a game, but also to highlight it's shortcomings as well.

3. "Fun" is a universal

Worldwide, everyone is able to understand what "fun" is. Is it simplistic? Yes. Is it reductionist? Yes. But, "fun" is a concept that everyone in the world is able to grasp and understand. There's undoubtedly a difference between saying a game was "fun" and a game was "amusing" or "enjoyable," but fun is the easier of those terms to understand on a personal level. And isn't that what we're looking for when you're reading someone else's review? Or listening to them describe a game? Reviews are based on personal perceptions, and "fun" may often be the best term to describe a gaming experience. It could be the story that makes a game "fun" for me, while another individual had "fun" due to innovative gameplay. But, at the end of the day, we would both agree that the game was "fun."

Agreeing to Disagree

The point of this rebuttal was not to poke holes in TD's argument, nor was it to necessarily fully disagree with him. I agree that solely using the word "fun" to describe a game, does a disservice not only to the game, but to the gaming community as well. I urge reviewers and players to delve deeper, to be able to describe the various innovative and beautiful technical aspects of each and every single game they play. But while doing so, I further urge you to have some "fun." For me, that's what video games are all about: Having a little fun. Video games are meant to be fun. That's why developers make them. So, try to go deeper in your thinking than just "fun." Try to define what makes that game fun for you, and then go even further. But don't get so wrapped up in the technicalities of a game that you foget to have fun while playing it. If you're not having fun while playing you're video games, then what's the point?

Happy New Years everybody!!!

When it comes to talking about video game franchises, there are a few titles that come to mind. An italian plumber in a red hat, a little yellow rat that has a weird static charge around him, and a blue rodent that is just way way too fast. Those are just a few. There's also numerous sports franchises such as Madden and Fifa, and the endless list of first-person shooter franchises like Call of Duty, and the more recent emergence of games like Halo and Gears of War (specifically for the Xbox). But what about other franchises? Are there equally succesful franchises out there that just get swept under the rug? Pushed into the dark? Or in this case maybe one of the essential pieces is just lost? That's right, LEGO is one of the most successful video game franchises out there, and a lot of people forget about its success. However, Lego is slowly climbing the list as one of the most successful video game franchises in existence today. Lets look at a few reason why.

1. Great Titles

Lego has developed some great titles by pairing itself with other succesful franchises such as Batman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and (coming in 2011) Pirates of the Caribbean. Lego has drawn a huge fan base by drawing from already well established and popular franchises, all of which are arguably some of the most successful franchises in movie/pop culture history. All they're missing is a Lego Lord of the Rings, right? (I want a cut if they do it! It was totally my idea!)

The most recent of the Lego series, Lego Harry Potter is also shaping up to be one of the most successful. In it's first month of sales, it was estimated that Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 sold 2.7 million copies. I have to admit that I was a part of one of those 2.7 million. That was only in its first months! Lego Harry Potter has continued its success, and with holiday season right around the corner, it stands to reason that the title will only sell more copies. They've even released some great commercials solely promoting the game for the holidays. Not only that, Lego Harry Potter will easily have one if not two more games before its done. The game is a blast, and it's only going to be more successful.

Lego Star Wars is the title that started it all, and gave a huge boost to not only the Lego franchise, but also to the Warner Brothers gaming studios. It's currently 2 games, which has been turned into 3. Lego Star Wars 1 and 2, and then the complete saga, combining the games into one package. The games certainly experienced some increased revenue and sales due to the fact that it was released the same week as Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, and I'm sure some individuals enjoyed getting the end of the story from the Lego version prior to having seen the film. All in all, the Lego Star Wars titles are great, and had sold an estimated 6.7 million titles in early 2009. It can be safely assumed that that number has grown over the past year and a half. And the Lego Star Wars franchise will only become more successful in 2011 with the release of Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars.

I could easily go on to talk about Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, and the other games which led up to the greation of the Lego-movie franchises. However, it seems to be more important to discuss Lego Universe, Lego's MMORPG. To start, the game has received some really great reviews. It seems that people have really been enjoying the multiple aspects of the game. And since it is a Lego game, it can be assumed that this game has successfully opened the world of MMORPGs to a younger generation of gamers. In terms of success, I was unable to find any numbers, but the game does have a $10/month subscription fee in order to play the game. I'm not trying to compare the game to WoW, but if WoW's continued success is any hint to the possible succes of Lego Universe, then the game will be turning a profit very very quickly.

2. Enjoyable Gameplay

The Lego franchise has consistently produced games that have an enjoyable feel and flow to them. The games are always a very good balance between puzzle solving, platforming, and some level of minimal combat. It's always enjoyable to watch your foes explode into little pieces once you've successfully destroyed them. But all in all lego just has a really good formula, and they keep going back to it. The gameplay is also even more enjoyable because the games don't take too many liberties with the stories of the games they're working with. For the most part, you will play through the entire story of the particular franchise you're involved in, just as if you were watching the movie. This gives the player some degree of foreshadowing because they more than likely know what's coming, but also leaves the player excited to see how particular aspects will be incorporated into the overall story. At the end of the day, Lego is just plain fun. It's gameplay also lends itself to be played by younger gamers, which opens itself up to an entire new group of gamers that a lot of games like Call of Duty, Gears, Halo cannot touch.

3. Multiple Platform Success

Lego is not a franchise which has become involved in any type of system wars. Lego has experienced success on the Xbox and 360, PS2 and PS3, Wii, Gamecube, PSP, Gameboy, DS, and PC. This allows the franchise to branch out to all potential gamers that may be interested in playing their games. Unlike other large franchises like Halo, Mario, and Kingdom Hearts that are solely on one console, the Lego games have the potential to be played by anyone, no matter what side of the hardware debate they are on. While it may be true that the Lego games will never outsale games like Halo or Kingdom Hearts on a particular console, when looking at the big picture, Lego will be able to come close to the success shared by platform exclusive games.

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All in all, Lego is extremely successful, and it only seems that it will continue to share that success into the future. Star Wars 3, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, and the subscription fees from Lego Universe will continue to benefit the Lego brand and Warner Brothers Gaming Studio. Lego is estimated to have sold just over 50 million copies of its games, placing it tied for 18th on the list of most successful game franchises of all time. While it is well behind the 240 million copies that have been sold for America's favorite Italian plumber, it's not too shabby. The 50 million figure doesn't count the emergence of Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Lego Universe, or the continued success of other games in the Lego franchise. If I were estimating, I would now place Lego's estimated sales around 55 million, moving it to being tied for 16th place, sharing the spot with the Tom Clancy games series. Lego has been successful, is successful, and in my opinion will continue to be successful into the future. It's my hope that people truly appreciate the Lego franchise and don't forget about it like they probably did their old legos from when they were kids.

Seattle

Yep, Seattle, Washington is the home to a lot of cool stuff. Seattle has given a lot to American culture, and I just wonder how much people actually know about what it's given us. This is NOT an extensive list, but it will be a look at some of the more prominent gifts from the great city that is Seattle.

The Space Needle

The Space Needle is one of the largest landmarks that exists in the United States of America, and also one of the most impressive. It stands at an impressive 605 ft. high, 138 ft. wide, and weighs an astounding 9,550 tons. It can withstand 200 mph winds, 9.1 magnitude earthquakes, and it's roof has 25 separate lightning rods to prevent any damage to the roof of the structure. The structure boasts an impressive observation deck and is home to the rotating SkyCity restaurant. From it's observation deck one can seethe Olympic Mountains, the Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, and Elliott Bay. On an interesting note, a total of 9 people have jumped from the observation deck of the Space Needle. 3 of them occurred in the 1970s and all unfortunately were suicides. The other 6 jumpers have all be Base Jumpers, and 2 of the six were arrested after their stunt since it is illegal without prior consent. I've never gotten to go and see the Space Needle, but it's on my bucket list. So, hopefully I'll get there one day.

Sporcle

Yep, that's right, the internet phenomenon that is Sporcle was founded in Seattle Washington. The founder of Sporcle was driven to create the website based off of his own love for trivia. For those of you who don't know what Sporcle is, it is an internet trivia website. Individuals can go on to the website where they find thousands of quizzes, ranging from the Presidents of the US, to Disney Movie's Opening Lines, to Oscar Winners over the last decade. Sporcle has quizzes added on a daily basis, some of them endorsed by Sporcle itself, while hundreds of others are uploaded by random Sporcle users. Sporcle is extremely addicting, and it's popularity even led to the release of an iPhone app which can be purchased from the App Store. If I begin playing Sporcle, the next thing I know, it's three hours later and I have no idea what happened. But I know that I enjoyed the last three hours A LOT!

Starbucks

That's right. In case you're one of the few who didn't know, Starbucks is based out of Seattle, WA. Starbucks was founded in 1971 and is now the largest coffehouse chain in the WORLD, boasting over 17,800 stores globally. Starbucks sells drip-brewed coffees, espresso drinks, iced coffee drinks, salads, sandwiches, and various teas. Starbucks also has a budding merchandise enterprise, selling Starbucks' coffee mugs, tumblers, and other coffee and tea related items. Starbucks coffee can also be bought and purchased from most grocery stores and from the Starbucks' locations themselves to brew at your own house. Starbucks also has begun to carry various books and CDs which they feel will appeal to their clientele. Starbucks is just as recognizable globally as other US franchises such as McDonald's, KFC, and Pizza Hut. In the 1990's Starbucks was averaging opening a store daily, but due to the declining economy some Starbucks locations have begun to close. Even though I do find their prices to be slightly ridiculous at times, and I hate ordering a "Venti" coffee instead of just ordering a large, I find myself returning to Starbucks over and over again because it's just so good.

Nirvana/90's Grunge Music

For the music aficionado's out there, I know that Nirvana was technically founded in Aberdeen, Washington and NOT Seattle. However, they emerged out of and became popular in the Seattle music scene, so I'm going to count them as being "from" Seattle. First of all, Seattle was the basis of what many people consider to be the evolution of the music industry out of the Big-Hair Era into the Grunge Era of the 1990s. I could talk about all of the bands associated with the Seattle music scene, but Nirvana is the most important (in my mind). Nirvana is one of the most successful alternative-grunge rock bands in history, with their music still being widely popular today. Nirvana gave us such hits as "Lithium," "Come as You Are," "Heart Shaped Box," and perhaps their most well-known song "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Unfortunately, in 1994 Nirvana's lead singer Kurt Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home, with a self-inflicted shotgun wound. Cobain's death has been the cause of much controversy and speculation, most of it revolving around his wife and fellow rocker, Courtney Love. Nirvana was a little before my time, but I've loved listening to their music ever since I was old enough to enjoy it.

Grey's Anatomy

I'm going to indulge in my more sensitive side for a moment and look at Grey's Anatomy. Again, I know it's not actually filmed in Seattle, but Seattle is the setting for the show, so in my mind it counts. Grey's Anatomy is a medical drama that follows the lives of the employees of Seattle Grace Hospital. As with most medical dramas, it focuses not only on the patients the come into the hospital, but more importantly highlights the personal lives and adventures of the hospital's employees. Grey's Anatomy is currently in it's 7th season, and has given birth to one spin-off show, Private Practice. Since it's debut, the show and its cast have won a numerous number of awards, including three Emmy's, and also the 2006 Golden Globe for Best Drama Series. I have to admit that I love this show. My girlfriend got me to start watching it, and now we rarely miss an episode. The series has started to get a little less... interesting but it's still enjoyable. If you have any interest in medicine, I recommend it because the cases they get are absolutely ridiculous and would never occur in real life. But they're fun to watch :D And overall, Grey's Anatomy is a good drama, with a good story, and characters that you can really get attached to. I'm not too much of a man to admit that the show has made me cry before, and if you ask nicely I may even tell you when it happened...

Bill Gates

That's right, everyone's favorite CEO Bill Gates is from the beautiful city of Seattle. Bill Gates has given us NUMEROUS luxuries and I could write an entire blog solely about what he and Microsoft have given us to make our lives better, or at least try to make it better. However, since this is a gaming website, I'll limit my discussion to the XBox 360. Microsoft is not only the manufacturer of the XBox 360 but also a developer of some extremely popular games for the 360 such as the Fable franchise. Not only that, but Microsoft has now given us the revolutionary motion-sensor technology that is the Kinect, the success of which is still to be determined. The Microsoft Headquarters are also located in Redmond, WA which is a mere 24 minutes away from Seattle, WA. As much as Bill Gates may seem to be an odd individual at times, his contributions to the gaming community are innumerable and invaluable. I think the 360 is the best console out there, and it's going to take a lot to change my mind.

Rain

Yep, that's right, rain. While I've never been there, I've talked to people and done the research and Seattle is home to a lot of rain. Well, not a lot of rain but it frequently rains there. It's actually not even on the top 10 list of cities that receive the most rainfall in the US, BUT it rains more frequently in Seattle than in most areas of the US. It just so happens that most the rain falls as a light misting or a light drizzle. On average, Seattle has 201 cloudy days and 93 partly-cloudy days per year. One of Seattle's nicknames is also "The Rainy City." So, while it may not experience the highest amount of precipitation, it is at the top of the list for the frequency of rainfall.

So, a lot of cool stuff comes from Seattle. Starbucks Coffee, Sporcle trivia, grunge rock, and in some ways even the XBox 360 all come from or have origins in Seattle, WA. All I can say is: Thanks Seattle. Thanks for it all!

Where to next? Tune in and find out for the next installment of "A Lot of Cool Stuff Comes From..."

P.S.

If you think I left something out, post it in the comments! I'd love to know what you think deserved to be included!

Over the summer, I picked up Final Fantasy 13, played it for maybe an hour, got bored and went back to playing Red Dead Redemption which was currently taking up the majority of my time.

Then the other night, at midnight while my girlfriend was sleeping in bed next to me, I wanted to do some gaming. I tried some Reach, it just wasn't doing it for me. I popped in NHL 11, still no interest. I was going through my collection and there it was: Final Fantasy 13. The game probably got into my disc tray at 12:50-ish... Next thing I know it's 5:00 in the morning and I still don't want to put down the controller.

All I'm saying is, that the game gets way better the more you play it. By shelving it after an hour, I missed out on everything that made Final Fantasy 13 an actually GREAT game. The graphics, the game-play, the story... EVERYTHING got better the more and more I played the game. It got so much better, that I couldn't wait to play it some more the next day when I got home.

Moral of the story: Final Fantasy games get better with time? NO! Well, yes... But the REAL moral is... stick with the game until your actually IN TO what the game is. I shelved Final Fantasy before I'd even given it a chance to shine for what it is, which is a truly great game. I guess I just need to follow my own advice sometimes...

Just the other day I let a buddy of mine borrow Assassin's Creed 2. His video game selection normally consists of Madden, NBA 2k, MLB 2k, and other sports games. He's not a "jock," he just enjoys sports games. Otherwise he'll play NEW Super Mario Brothers with his roommates on their Wii. But I'm off on a tangent, so back to the main point of the story. A few weeks before this I got him to play Arkham Asylum and he absolutely loved it. He's also a big Batman fan, but he just enjoyed the game. So I figured Assassin's Creed 2 would maybe be a good next step for him. After playing it for maybe 2 hours, his exact words were, "I don't know man. I'm just not feeling it." I told him to stick with it, and wait until he actually got into the game. He was doing all of semi-boring stuff that's important for story development that led up to becoming an assassin, so I told him to wait and if he still didn't like it I'd give him something else to play. I come back the next day and he can't put the game down. He's jumping off buildings, poisoning people, and performing leaps of faith like a pro. He's now finished the game and is actually really excited for Brotherhood to come out. But this never would have been the case if he hadn't just stuck with it.

You have to give a game a chance. They say, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Well I say, "Don't judge a game by its tutorial!" Some of the really "good" games out there, wouldn't be considered "good" if they were rated only for their first half-hour or hour of content. It's what comes later that matters. You gotta really get to the meat and potatoes before you can judge a game and decide whether or not you like it. For me, the dust got knocked off of Final Fantasy 13. My buddy loved assassinating people and now can't wait for the next game in the series. So please, stick with your games! Give them a chance, I guarantee you'll thank me in the end :D

I hear people talk about games they loved playing all the time. "KoToR was great!" "I loved Jade Empire!" "I spent so much time playing Destroy All Humans!" After this discussion normally comes these words: I wish they'd make a new one of those. And some people do truly wish that they'd "make a new one of those." But why? Did they think that the leading lady was a hottie and they just want to see what she can do with a new physics engine? Can their thirst for blood and adventure only be satisfied by that particular game? Or did they simply just enjoy the game and think it warrants a remake? However, what actually makes a game TRULY warrant a remake? I think it should be a game that was almost perfect... Almost that is. Maybe there was just some slight flaw some physics engine that everyone wishes was different. Maybe the game was already great, but this fix would have taken it to the next level. So, what games do I think truly deserve remakes?

Jade Empire(2005)

Jade Empire is a beautiful RPG set in an ancient China-like land far from the normalcy that we see in most RPGs - dungeons, caves, and an overall dismally dark setting. Jade Empire is an open-ended masterpiece that had a vast number of different outcomes based on your actions throughout the game. The game provided an intense and in-depth story that was extremely easy for the player to fall in love with. The game was also just extremely creative. Some people may feel that it just held to a stereotypical Bioware RPG design, but I have to disagree. I thought that this game was groundbreaking. The worst part of the game was its combat system. That was honestly it's only downfall. However, given all of the new software and engines that game developers have at their disposal, they could correct their mistakes and make a game that would stand out for many years to come.

Why it deserves the remake?Bioware slacked on the combat system in the original Jade Empire. Allowing them a second chance would not only provide us with another great game which has a unique storyline and setting, but would build upon what could become a truly successful franchise.

Psychonauts (2005)

Psychonauts got almost everything right. To begin with the game is beautiful. Psychonauts provided Xboxers with a visual experience the likes of which had never been seen! I know that it might not have been everyone's cup of tea, but this is my blog and I thought it looked AWESOME! And the game is just a blast to play. Rolling around on psychic balls, defeating baddies, everything that all children dream of. And it had great character development. Raz is hilarious and Ford Cruller was a great character that loved to pop up in funny places! So, what did Psychonauts miss? Well... The game was too easy. There were really no overly challenging sections of the game. There also wasn't much else to the game besides the story mode. It lacked re-playability, and while it was fun, there just wasn't enough fun to last. But, don't you think it could be awesome now? Can't you just picture the multiplayer battles of psychic agents running around an amazing map disposing of one another using psychic powers and catchy one liners? Maybe give us a "Legendary" mode to provide the hardcore gamers with a little something special?

Why it deserves the remake?Psychonauts was almost perfect but it was too easy and had no re-playability. Psychonauts would go to the next level alone given some harder difficulty levels in the game. And with the popularity of online multiplayer and achievement hunters like myself, Psychonauts Online could be the next great thing! If nothing else it would be a break from the multiplayer where you try to shoot people in the head. Instead, try to flatten them with your psychic energy ball.

The Simpsons: Hit and Run (2003)

One of my favorite games for Original Xbox, The Simpsons: Hit and Run provided me with innumerable hours of delight. The game was just fun, and there's no disputing that. It combined the lightheartedness of the Simpsons with the free roaming and game design of GTA and some of my favorite driving physics I've ever experienced in a game. From the different unlocks that you had in the game and the time that you could spend enjoying the game, it only makes sense that 7 years later this game deserves some form of remake. But why else? Well, Hit and Run was great. BUT it was pretty easy, and it was also kind of short. As with Psychonauts, introducing Hit and Run to the Xbox Live community could create a gaming experience like no other. The game also lacked a little depth. My suggestion?...

Why it deserves the remake?Turn it into more of an RPG! Let the Xbox player play as a new inhabitant of Springfield and let them customize everything from their looks to their job. Then keep the same goofy story line that was present in Hit and Run, but only in campaign mode. Open up the rest of the game to the Xbox Live community and lets see a mix of The Simpsons and Twisted Metal. I don't know anybody that can complain about that! All in all... the game just has potential. And that potential needs to be explored.

And last but certainly not least...

JUST KIDDING!!!

So I know what some of you may be thinking. Where is KoToR? What about maybe Destroy All Humans? To speak on Destroy All Humans, they tried to remake that already... And most of us wish that we could forget that attempt. That game will come in the blog of 360 games that already need a remake. And KoToR... KoToR and KoToR 2 were both AMAZING games. But ask yourselves... Do they really needa remake? To me, KoToR was perfect. I don't know if updated graphics and Xbox Live would really enhance the game for me. And because I hold it in such high esteem, I'd rather see it left alone then turned into a bad remake with a bunch of DLCs. But these are just 3 games that I feel truly DESERVE remakes. Not because they were AMAZING and I want to play them again. And not because they sucked and I feel that there might still be something there to salvage. These games deserve remakes because they were almost 10s... And given what we have now, I feel that they could be and should be 10s. SO given that criteria...

What games TRULY deserve remakes?

So,

Today was pay day for me and I had been thinking about it for a while and I finally decided that I would use a chunk of that paycheck in order to purchase a PS3. My main reason: The blu ray player. My old blu ray player was crap and it was time for a new one. However, being the avid gamer that I am, it didn't make any sense for me to just purchase a $250 blu ray player. I figured spring the extra money and also get something that will allow me to do one of my favorite hobbies. Not only that, but I feel quite confident that unlike my other manufacturer, Sony will continue to make firmware updates for their blu ray players, especially the PS3, but now I will FINALLY be able to actually watch Avatar on blu ray!:D

But after doing some research, I came to the decision that their was only one PS3 game worth buying for me at this time: God of War 3. Given my love of the first two and the amazing reviews, it was the no brainer purchase to me. And I am more than looking forward to playing it. Hopefully, PS3 will continue to release more exclusives that will make the gaming side of the system worth it for me. But I have to be completely honest. When it comes down to it, I will always choose to buy any game possible on XBox. It's not because I think the 360 is superior, or I get a hard on for Microsoft. Hell, right now I'm writing this blog on my MacBook Pro. But The main factor is that all of my friends own 360s. I have only one friend with a PS3, and just like me he also has an XBox and plays that way more. And to be honest yet again, it doesn't make any sense to me. I understand that 360 has been here longer, but I see neither as "superior." But this is a discussion for a different blog post. Maybe my sentiments will have changed after some intense gaming sessions. But Kratos... It's time to get down to business.

I love achievements. To me, the highlight of each xbox game is trying to get the achievements associated with them. It provides something more than the story and more than the gameplay that you can spend hours of time wasting away in front of your tv. No but really, I do love them.

The sad thing is that it hasn't always been this way. I used to just want to play my game, beat it, and then move on. This can be reflected by the fact that if you look at my xbox achieves, some of them are low and some are relatively high. Unfortunately I've gotten rid of some of my games when I still didn't care about them. I've almost considered going back and buying them just to get the achievements. Kind of sad yes?

But for this reason, I feel that Xbox will always have this upper hand to PC gaming. I know that WoW incorporated an achievement system, but no one cares. Then again, no one really cares about XBox achieves either, but I enjoy comparing gamerscore points. I want to catch one of my buddies, but I have a way to go. Any tips? Hit me up!

World of Warcraft... Has it lost its appeal? I've completed the vast majority of current end game content, and then 3 weeks ago my account got hacked, so I returned to playing new titles on my 360. My account is now restored, but I find myself bored and just wanting to play my xbox games. Are the xbox titles better? Or are they just new? Or am I just done with warcraft for now? I don't know the answer, but I hope to find it soon.

So Borderlands... I really really like the game. It's made me enjoy my Xbox again, which hasn't been the case for a while. But I'm kind of disappointed in the DLC. Like The Underdome? It's awful, especially in single player mode. I was able to complete the Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, in 3 hours which was kind of disappointing. And General Knoxx has been the only highlight. For a game that I fell in love with almost immediately, the DLC is nothing short of lack luster. Also if you're reading this and play Borderlands, do you know how to get the I'm on a boat achievement? Tune in next time, same Pat time, same Pat channel