New Year, New Games to Play, and a Look Back

In just under six hours, Pacific Time, the year 2010 will be over. It's been a pretty big year for me: new home, new relationship, new responsibilities at work, and a brand new blog that has been so much fun to work on (as infrequently as my brethren and I make the effort to do so).

2011 is poised to be a stellar year in the gaming industry. The first full year of the Xbox Kinect, the arrival of the Nintendo 3DS, a metric ton of stellar first- and second-party exclusives for the PS3, and who knows what else is on the horizon. In the next week or so, I'm going to share my thoughts on what I envision as the Year of the PlayStation (shocking, right? Me, writing about PlayStation). But before I do that, I thought I'd share what games I played this year, and what still need to play more of next year:

Games Finished
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed II
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
Enslaved: Odysssey to the West
God of War
God of War II
God of War III
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Guitar Hero 5
Heavy Rain
inFamous
Red Dead Redemption
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves

Games Played But Not Completed
3D DOT GAME HEROES
Battlefield 1943
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Brutal Legend
Burn, Zombie Burn!
Civilization V
Critter Crunch
Flower
Ghostbusters: The Video Game
God of War: Ghost of Sparta
Grand Theft Auto IV
Gran Turismo 5
LittleBigPlanet
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2
MLB 10: The Show
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe
Mushroom Wars
Shatter
Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions
Transformers: War for Cybertron
WipEout HD
Zen Pinball

That's WAY too many games in a year! But just wait, 2011 looks packed too! And there's still a lot of games out there from before I bought my PS3--and quite a few from 2010--that are still worth a look.

What did you, my gaming friends, feast upon in the virtual world for the last 365 days? Let us know!

Weekly Roundup 12/13/10: Dreams of Brotherhood Dance in my Head

One feature I've been mulling for a while is a weekly take on what is new in my life, specifically in terms of media. What am I playing, what am I reading, what am I watching or listening to? The Weekly Roundup isn't meant to be anything in-depth or drawn out, just what I'm up to in my regularly scheduled life, and a place for you to talk about what's on your radar as well.

Weekly Roundup #1, 12/13/10

What I'm Playing: Assassin's Creed Brotherhood (PS3), Gran Turismo 5 (PS3), Shatter (PSN), God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PSP), Civilization V (PC)

What I'm Watching: Inception, Heat, Reservoir Dogs, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, GameTrailers TV

What I'm Reading: Star Wars Fate of the Jedi: Vortex, Game Informer, IGN.com (Uncharted 3, Elder Scrolls V coverage)

That's it for this week. Pretty slow week for me, with Christmas coming up, work getting busy, and a room to get settled into. Let us know what you're playing, or watching, or whatever, in the comments below!

Demo Derby: Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Tomb Raider.

Do those words send a shiver through your... umm, veins? (That's appropriate, right?) Do visions of Angelina Jolie dance in your head?

Crystal Dynamics, creators of the classic Tomb Raider franchise, have brought our favorite buxom British archaeologist back for another romp. But hold on to your tank tops and short shorts, folks, cuz this is Lara like you've never seen her before -- top down.

Lara and Toltec

Wayback Flashback: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune Review

In honor of the announcement of Uncharted 3 this morning, here's my thoughts on the first installment of the PlayStation-exclusive franchise:

My first home entertainment gaming console was the Sony PlayStation. The first major game that had me, and my sister, and any friends who were over, transfixed to the ol' boob tube was Crash Bandicoot: Warped. My sister and I would play for hours, trying to one-up one anothers' progress, fighting over who had first crack at the controller as soon as we got home from school. Aside from Mario and Sonic on our friends' old NES and Genesis consoles, Crash was the first console mascot that we became invested in, thanks to the awesome developers at Naughty Dog.

 PlayStation's first mascot... not quite an Italian plumber, is he?

Uncharted 3 Officially Teased, Premiering at Spike VGAs

The first Uncharted was really the first major hit on Sony's current gen console. The second Uncharted was the biggest game of 2009.

And now we have a third Uncharted to look forward to. Announced via Twitter by GameTrailers TV host and Spike Video Game Awards producer Geoff Keighley, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception seems slated for a 2011 release window. According to the exclusive Entertainment Weekly first look, Uncharted 3 will follow Nathan Drake in the footsteps of his ancestor Sir Francis and T.E. Lawrence--the historical figure who the movie Lawrence of Arabia was based on--in a new setting for the series: the desert.

For more on Uncharted 3, check out the VGAs this Saturday on Spike, Entertainment Weekly, and follow Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) on Twitter. And while you're at it, follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/JamesTSkywalker for all your Gamerology needs!

Further links:

IGN - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Unveiled

Game Informer - Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Revealed

DC Universe Online PS3 beta opening to PlayStation Plus subscribers

Okay, I laid it out pretty clearly when I started writing here that among my two great loves are my PlayStation 3 and DC Comics. So of course I'm highly anticipating the Sony Online Entertainment MMORPG DC Universe Online, which was originally planned to see a release in November but has since been pushed to early 2011.

The PC beta keys have gone out to select gamers (our own Gamerologist among them), but PS3 users have been left wondering when their time will come.

Well, thanks to The Official Playstation Blog, we know now that the DCUO PS3 beta will be coming very, very soon--exclusively for PlayStation Plus subscribers. Yes, like the Killzone 3, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and Dead Space 2 betas before it, DCUO will be exclusive to PS+ subscribers before the end of the year.

So... is $49.99 for a year of PS+ (or $17.99 for three months) looking any more enticing? They're certainly filling their beta testing quotient. Look for a feature soon on my experience with the new PlayStation subscription service.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West Review

Do you like Uncharted?

How about The Matrix?

What about ancient Chinese poetry? Does that float your boat?

If you've checked at least two of those three boxes, then Ninja Theory's first non-exclusive IP Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is the game for you! Written by the mind behind 28 Days Later and directed by and starring the man behind Gollum and King Kong (literally; not Peter Jackson, unfortunately), Enslaved is a fun, beautiful, challenging game -- that unfortunately just doesn't satisfy completely.

Resisting "Monkey's hanging around" joke 

Written Gamerology: Splatterhouse

You play rick, and hes fucked. Rick finds himself bleeding to death from a chest wound on the floor in a strange mansion. He doesn't know where he is, or why hes dying. He only thinks of his girlfriend whose being dragged away by an insane doctor. All that's left for him to do is listen to the creepy mask laying in front of him. Its speaking to his mind. Its telling him to put it on.

Are we fans of the 3d beatem up? YES! This is that standard game however. The design is simple. Kick the crap out of monsters and move on. Get points and level up your hulking monster to beat more stuff up. Its a very basic formula that works. They spruce it up with weapons and a good camera but its basic in the end.

The game play is also standard fair with a few minor alterations. As Rick we fight using light and heavy punches. There is a ram, a throw, and monster attacks as well as a monster mode the player can transform into. The biggest notice is the monster attacks. Rather than healing over time or picking up regenerative items the player heals using the monster attacks. These attacks require blood. So the player is left to decide between healing or going all out brute force.

Ever force a hand through someones body? Rick has now. There are buckets of blood in this game. The look and feel of this is almost laughably fake. Not in a bad way but there is so much blood it feels like being at a horror movie set. The whole mansion and other dimensions visited in the game really all speak for themselves. We found tiny gems of artistic glory everywhere. However, the heavy metal seems a little over done and after you've seen one persons terrible death animation there are no more surprises. Also, there is a particular creature that dies so horrifically I had to kill them without the special animation.

Horror and excitement. That's what this game wants the player to feel. Did we? The game does a few things wrong. It had a few bugs where we'd kill a boss but die for no reason. The difficulty is unfair at times going from easy to monstrously too hard. And once the three to six death animations have been seen they are very repetitious. Is the game worth it? Yes. A solid story with a few bugs here and there but over all a very engaging fun but bloody experience.

Happy Video Game Nerd?!

The art of amateur reviewers online seems like a science now. With places like Cinemassacre, thatguywiththeglasses, and the spoonexperiment we have plenty of places to go for the common mans content. There is even this blog called SuperGamerology floating about. The Angry Video Game Nerd started it all and his clone the Happy Video Game Nerd is just as awesome. Sometimes we need to be reminded that games can make us smile. Thats what this guy does.



HVGN
Enjoy your Thanksgiving! Eat a bunch of Turkey for us!
Keep checking back for more editorials, reviews, and content.

ps - Splatterhouse gamerology soon!

Editorial: The Exclusive is dead... Long live the exclusive!

Back in August, I composed my eulogy for first-party exclusive content (I also wanted your thoughts on it... *crickets*)--the upcoming multiplatform efforts from Bungie, Epic and Insomniac are just another sign that the days of single-console development are waning. The Exclusive, as we knew it, is dead.

It is my pleasure to report, however, that the Third-Party Exclusive is alive, kicking, and ready to reignite the Console Wars.

There can only be one...

Hey Gamerologist, Whatcha bloggin?

Sometimes, we just need to kick back and relax with some videos about video games. They don't have to be reviews. They dont have to be topics of critical interest in the video game world. They're just funny. Ashley Burch, Anthony Burch and their father Papa Burch are all hilarious. Take the time out of your day to sit back ,relax and just laugh.

Video Games | HAWP | Adventure Games Part I

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Video Games | HAWP | Adventure Games Part II

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

HAWP is amazing. Find more of their hilarity here!

As always, questions, comments, concerns are welcome.
Long live video gamery!

L.A. Noire First Trailer--drool...

RockStar Games is well known for producing amazing titles (see my Red Dead Redemption review for one example; and if you haven't heard of a little series called Grand Theft Auto, you've either a) just been born or b) been sharing a cryogenic chamber with Walt Disney and Ted Williams).

But beyond their major sandbox titles, they have produced some other memorable games (Max Payne, Bully, Midnight Club) that have also been pretty well received. Their numerous studios are working on a bunch of titles right now, including Max Payne 3, a PS3-exclusive online spy game called Agent, and of course Grand Theft Auto V. But their next big release, originally a PS3 exclusive but which has since gone multiplatform for the Xbox 360, is L.A. Noire. Developed by Team Bondi, L.A. Noire has been in development for a few years and is FINALLY getting close to a Spring 2011 release. Check out the trailer, courtesy of GameTrailers.com, and enjoy:

Video Games | L.A. Noire | Debut In-Game Trailer HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

Any fans of AMC's "Mad Men" should recognize Aaron Stanton, aka Ken Cosgrove, as the game's protagonist. I am really, really excited for this game--feel free to post your thoughts about the trailer below!

Demo Derby: echochrome ii

So you've got my thoughts (and The Gamerologist's) on PlayStation Move. Verdict: it's got some potential.

But what good is potential if it isn't realized by talented developers? For potential realized, look no further than Japanese developer Game Yaruoze's echochrome ii. The first Echochrome, also a PlayStation Network-exclusive, was a puzzler that used the SIXAXIS/DualShock controller to rotate shapes to create platforms.

It's not easy being a shadow...

Confession time: I haven't played the first game. (Limited budget, other titles to play... sorry y'all.) And I probably won't, even if echocrome ii is phenomenal. And that's mainly because the control mechanics for echochrome ii are SO unique and impressive. And FUN! The basic concept of the game is simple: the Move controller works like a flashlight, illuminating a darkened room that is filed with three-dimensional, colored objects. Your goal is to lead a little shadow figure from its starting point to an "Exit" by using the shadows created by those shapes to form paths.

Just be glad you're climbing up its back!

There is usually a pretty clever design that each level presents to discover the goal; one of the demo levels involved using the shapes to create a snake figure who's back served as stairs for my shadow character to climb. The Move controls are really intuitive and present some very fun challenges to the gameplay mechanics. Next to Sports Champions, the folks at Game Yaruoze may have made the best use of the peripheral, and the challenge and design of the game easily makes this a more interesting game than the aforementioned launch title.

echochrome ii comes out sometime before March 2011, and I can already tell you now that it will be a first-day purchase for me on the PSN. If you're looking for a game that could be Move's system seller (and a downloadable title, to boot), keep an eye out for this.

Next for JTS: This Monkey romps around the Urban Jungle...

Written Gamerology: Turok

In the far future man kind battles on different planets throughout the galaxy. A group of mercenaries called the Whiskey Company has just been assigned to terminating Wolfpack. This Wolfpack group is a group of military based assassins. Turok is an ex-member of that pack. He and his new found allies must defeat the Wolfpack and kill there leader. But is Turok really a double agent?

Ugabooga-ohgodhesgotachaingun!

Turok is a everyday first person shooter. There arent any curve balls thrown in with controls thankfully. The weapons however are pretty standard and average which is a disappointment. Besides that, much of the game has Turok relying on his knife which is cool but inappropriate againt dinosaurs. The flow of different combat difficulty is also off. Dinosaurs die in an almost conveyor belt fashion while the human merc enemies will continuously kill Turok.

The gameplay suffers because of the design. The knife is a one his kill against all the dinosaurs in the game except the T-Rex. This makes what should be the most exciting part about Turok incredibly mediocore. However, then the game pits enemy mercs against the player in vast quantites. While slightly more balanced than the dinosaurs, its still frustrating to die to an overabundance of baddies.

Knife beats dinosaur every time.

The jungles of unknown dinosaur planet will leave gamers asking why quite a bit. Sometimes Turok finds himself in thick jungle. Other times in vastly obliterated clearings. The planet never had people on which the storyline points out. Yet Turok will find broken freeways and remnants of city areas in many different locations. Visually the game isn't terrible to look at but it won't turn many heads either.

Turok is meant to be a dinosaur killer. This revised idea of Turok is interesting but it needs work. The knife is a dinosaur heart magnet. Enemies swarm the player too easily. Graphically the game is only decent. Nevertheless, there are good qualities to be had if one could overlook the shortcomings. Turok is worth about 10 to 14 dollars at most.


Feedback? Comments? Concerns?
We'd love to hear from you!

Hiatus Defeated!

Hello again my followers, lurkers, and denizens of the net.

Thanks for keeping up with the blog. I as well as Hybrid and Skywalker appreciate it.

I am in a better place than about a month ago. I missed video games so very much. Now its time to catch up!

With that written, let more Gamerologys commence.

If you have any comments, questions, concerns, requests, feedback, or death threats please let us know.

Gamerologist Hiatus Maximus (hopefully Minimus)

Good morning, bloggie denizens.

You may have noticed a, shall we say, dropoff in content during the month of September. Both the Super Gamerologist and I have been rather lax in our updates, reviews, and general gaming goodness.

Well fear not! My next full blog should be up this evening, followed by not one, but TWO Demo Derbies, so you'll have some new content to chew on before too long.

But I also have to relay the news that I will probably be the only posts you'll be seeing for a while. Due to familial obligations and circumstances, our resident Gamerologist will be indisposed for a time.

Hopefully he'll be back soon. In the meantime, check out our older posts, and look forward to my next entries this evening.

Live Long, and May the Force be with you!

Move Your Body: PlayStation Move Thoughts

PlJust to be forewarned, this blog will probably run a little long, as it will contain thoughts on the Move controller itself, the launch title Sports Champions, and my thoughts on motion games in general. On with the show...

Motion gaming.

Ask 100 gamers, and you'll probably get flamed on a message board, melee'd repeatedly in an FPS, possibly the victim of a drive-by Wii-moting.

But you will also get a better-than-half response from a growing segment of the gaming world that sees motion games as the future of interactive entertainment. The Nintendo Wii is the best selling console of this generation, with almost 80 million consoles sold worldwide--almost more than it's two more "grown up" competitors, Xbox 360 (42 million) and PlayStation 3 (38 million, all as of July 2010), combined.

It's little wonder, then, that said competitors are working to take a bite of the Wii's casual audience... in their own unique Sony and Microsoft styles. Where Wii made the control your motion machine, Microsoft's Kinect makes your body the instrument of destruction, using a camera system to capture your every move. So far, we've seen a couple of interesting party titles and a smattering of games catering to the 'core' audience... and not much else from a system that launches in November.

Meanwhile, Sony went for a middle ground. Having already released a motion camera (twice, with the PS2 Eye Toy, and the PS3 Eye), and experimented with adding motion-sensitive interface to their primary controller with SIXAXIS, Sony wheeled out the culmination of those efforts just two weeks ago with the (yes, boringly named) PlayStation Move.

The Future of Gaming?

You know me a little by now. I'm a PlayStation fanboy, for sure, so you know I went and bought the new controller as soon as I could... and by that, I mean opening day. Because I did not have the PlayStation Eye, I opted to purchase the (currently) only available bundle, outside of the new 320 GB console/controller/game package, which included one Move controller, the Eye, the Sports Champions launch title, and a demo disc. In addition to that, I purchased a second Move controller (I pre-ordered the second, which was fortuitous as the GameStop I bought from had already sold out extra Move controllers by the time I was able to pick up mine after work) and a Navigation controller (the counter-point to the Wii nunchuck).

The PlayStation Eye: yep, just like it sounds.

So with all of that added up together, it's a pretty significant buy-in investment ($99 for the bundle, another $50 for the second controller, and $30 for the Nav controller). Slightly higher than the buy-in price for Kinect, which (allegedly) can support more than two individuals at a time. The question becomes: is it worth the expense?

My answer at the moment: we'll see. Admittedly, like any new platform, it's all about the games. And right now, the games just aren't there, especially for the core gaming audience. The controllers themselves are very, very solid. Unlike the Wiimote, the Move conforms very well to an adult hand; it's functional, and stylish, even with the ball at the top--but the ball is so necessary to the accuracy of the controller. Using the Eye, it tracks the color of the ball in 3-dimensional space: the size of the ball is calculated by the camera to determine where it is in relation to other objects, and provides an level of detail that the Wiimote just hasn't been able to capture. Having played Sports Champions and a few of the demo titles, the controller is definitely as accurate as Sony has claimed. And Sports Champions is a great introductory title, just as Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort were great for the Wiimote and the Motion Plus add-on.

Sports Champions and controllers, a match made in Sony heaven

But at launch, the rest of the software (based on what I've read, and what I've heard first-hand) just isn't up to par. Tiger Woods 11, EA's perennial golf game which usually scores higher on the Wii version than on the PS3 and 360 versions, was given a lazy port that just doesn't have the nuance that could be added. I've heard that the new John Daly's Pro Stroke Golf makes better use of the Move controller, which is saying something if John Daly can best Tiger Woods at ANYthing. And face it, when EyePet and Tumble--a kids game and a downloadable title--are the standout non-packaged launch titles, you're not going to draw in your primary audience.

There are some games coming down the pipe that could make the Move a valuable accessory. Killzone 3, SOCOM 4 (which was supposed to come out not long after launch, but has since been delayed to 2011), LittleBigPlanet 2 (also delayed to 2011), Sorcery (the E3 presentation that stood out as a Harry Potter-game-done-right) the Sly Cooper collection, and patches to MAG, Heavy Rain (already available) and others could be the products that drive in the hardcore. But all of these are Sony-exclusive titles we're talking about. It's the third-party publishers, and their willingness to adopt, and perfect, the use of Move controls, that will ultimately make or break the platform. How many gamers would run out and buy a Move/Nav controller bundle immediately if they knew that they could pull off headshots easier in Call of Duty: Black Ops?

PlayStation Move is a great controller. It looks great, it feels solid, and it really does work well. But only time will tell if Sony's jump into motion gaming was a move in the right direction, or if they they're four years too late to the party.

Next up from JTS: Demo Derby #2--the Move's killer ap?

Demo Derby: Enslaved

Ok, new feature time! The PlayStation Network, XBox Live Arcade, and even Wii Ware from time to time, allow users to download demos of upcoming titles. Of course demos have been around for ages, a way to whet the appetites of gamers hungering for the next big, new thing. Here at the Skywalker Lab of Gamerology, we're going to give you our hands-on impressions of the latest, hottest, and most anticipated games via newly available demo downloads. Welcome to the Demolition-free Demo Derby!

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has been a game that I've followed since I first heard about its development around March. From the makers of PS3 launch title Heavenly Sword, the Ninja Theory crew has gone multiplatform for their second outing with Enslaved. (And, for those who paid attention to last week's Tokyo Game Show, they will also be working with Capcom on the re-imagination of the Devil May Cry series with DmC.)

Yesterday, the playable demo of Enslaved went live on the PlayStation Store (Xbox Live Arcade should be getting it soon; the PS Store update went up a day early due to maintenance today) and I made sure it was the first thing I downloaded as soon as I got home (after also having to download PS3 firmware update 3.50... 3-D movies, here we come).

The demo is short, maybe ten minutes for anyone reasonably familiar with the basic controls of a hack-slash like God of War or the aforementioned Devil May Cry. Face buttons for standard and heavy attacks, jump, block, and so forth. All pretty standard, which made it very easy to jump right into the demo. The graphics are vivid and crisp, and the movement and action of the characters is believable and presents well in the limited time played.

As for the level presented, it's apparently the first 10 to 15 minutes of the game, and if this is any indication of how the rest of the game will play out, we're in for a heck of a ride. The pacing is frantic, as our hero Monkey is desperately racing to escape the slave ship he has found himself on, while being thwarted (and aided, in a way) by another escapee, the beautiful and tech-savvy Trip (who borrows several physical characteristics [red hair, green eyes, lack of clothing] from Heavenly Sword's protagonist).

Presenting just a little bit of everything that you expect from a good third-person single player campaign--story, fighting, platforming, and some spectacular visuals--Enslaved's demo is a MUST download if you enjoy the genre. I'm just afraid this little tease will just keep me in suspense for another two weeks while we wait impatiently for the release date.

Next from JTS: We like to Move it, Move it...

*embedded image courtesy of IGN

Should I Move or Kinect?

When a request for my opinion on a new system or controller is made, I rush to answer. Recently the PS3's Move and the Xbox360's Kinect were shown at PAX. I was asked to post my personal thoughts on them and distribute that knowledge to you. Here is a video to sum up most of my thoughts.



The lack of interest shows it all in my opinion. Gamers see the gimmick right away. When you create something to capitalize on an already saturated market, consumers will notice. The Move and Kinect are a uncreative way to get more buyers for motion controls. Had they been produced earlier these products wouldn't be such a noticeable ploy. Nevertheless, I find it to be a more expensive Wii either way. On top of that it ensures more shovel ware which no one actually benefits from. So, will you Move or Kinect?


Tell us what you think below, ask questions, or make requests. We love the feedback.

Check out the SpoonyExperiment and the other great links on the page!

Written Gamerology: Deathspank

Whose Deathspank? Hes an adventurer, a champion, and a hero without equal. Deathspank searches for The Artifact. This artifact is a magical device of untold power held in mystery. This is his lifes work. Only Deathspank, the vanquisher of evil and consumer of tacos can use its power for justice. Justice is his only concern.

Deathspank is an action rpg full of justice. This means slaying monsters for experience and loot. Deathspank also travels the map killing monsters. The player should have a simple experience though. Every face button has a purpose chosen by the player. These buttons can be healing items or powerful weapons. Deathspank only grows in power as the game progresses. That last fact is half the fun.



This game has a fun unique aesthetic. The voice acting is hilarious throughout the game. Visually, the game has a storybook style. Its a pop-up with cardboard cut outs for houses and trees. Nevertheless, Deathspank has an evil demon we must mention. Musically this game is lacking with one long song. Its not terrible but not memorable either.



Downloadable games aren't new. We expect a significant value out of downloads. 15 dollars is a pittance for this excellent game. The voice acting is hilarious, the aesthetic feels fresh, and the constant action is fun. Deathspank does lack when it comes to music. But, this is a heroic title that deserves your attention.

We'd love to hear from you. Comment and send us feedback.

Editorial: Death of the Exclusive

NOTE: As we move forward into the future of SuperGamerology, expect a few changes in my content. Firstly, my Reviews and Wayback Flashbacks will be considerably more succinct--though longer versions will be available for viewing at another venue, these will still be full reviews. Also, look for video reviews in the future as well. With my Editorial posts, I will be examining the gaming industry from an outsider's perspective, and one with little knowledge of the inner-workings of game companies, game design, and the like; and actually, I consider these less "editorials" and more "collaborations." So please, bear with me and see these as an opportunity for discussion and debate.

The Death of the Exclusive

In the 1980's, Mario was the symbol of Nintendo's rising dominance in the video game industry. SEGA gave us Sonic the Hedgehog in the late 80's and 90's. PlayStation introduced Crash Bandicoot. And Xbox brought us Master Chief. These were, and most still are, the symbols of exclusivity: iconic characters available only on these particular consoles.

Exclusivity is a trait not uncommon in the world of media. Superman and Batman are the property of DC Comics, Mickey Mouse is the creation of Walt Disney and still the signature of its company, and surely Skywalker Ranch speaks for itself. But nothing sells a video game like an exclusive. My PS3 plays this, your Xbox plays that, his Wii has these games, her PC can do that one. Fanboys squabble all the time about who has the better lineup, and it has surely raged since the days of Atari and Commodore.

But the days of the exclusive seem to be coming to an end. There will always be first-party developers, for I don't believe we'll ever see Samus and Master Chief going toe-to-toe against the Helghast. But this generation of gaming has seen many first-party developers move to a multi-platform approach. Just this year, the announcements of major studios Bungie (Xbox) and Insomniac (PlayStation) beginning to develop for publishers other than Microsoft and Sony was a huge shakeup in the gaming world (even more so with Bungie's deal with Activision coming on the heels of a contentious situation between Activision and in-house studio Infinity Ward). And seeing other powerhouses like Bioware purchased by Electronic Arts seems to be the start of a whole new world where every gamer will be able to play whatever they want on whatever console they choose.

The questions becomes, is this good for the gaming industry? Or more importantly to us, is it good for the gamer? What does the lack of exclusive content mean for the end of this generation, and what will it mean when we see the eventual next generation?

Can Xbox survive without Gears of War? PlayStation without Uncharted? Nintendo without Zelda? Is this something that the industry needs, or will this ultimately damage both hardware and software sales?

Discuss in the comments below, and come back in a few weeks for a follow-up.

Upcoming Games

Video game come out every week. This is good since it means an abundance of new games for us to experience. Here's a few games that we are looking forward to playing.


Splatter House has been sitting in dust for far too long. First made for the Turbo Grafx, Splatter House took everything about the action beat-em up genre and made things sickeningly gory. Rick is back, his girlfriend is missing and a certain evil mask wants to help.


World of Warcraft has taken the mmorpg market by storm while holding most games in its grip. DC Universe Online is a different genre with a far different game play style. Superhero mmos aren't exactly over populated yet. DC is also easily recognizable. This gives the game a historical edge much like World of Warcraft. It makes sense, which gives the player a stronger feeling of who they are in the game.

Fable and Fable 2 are distant memories. To some they were far too linear and forgettable. To others a masterpiece. We'd like to see the game play become for more expansive like Oblivion. A main story to hold the game together and side quests with goals that massively the main character. So instead of just playing a hero, player a thief hero who is chased regularly by the law or other heroes who'd like the bounty on his head.

There are far more games coming out that we should turn our heads towards. Comment below and let us know what you're waiting for.

Written Gamerology: Afro Samurai

"Did I wake you mutha fucka?" - Ninja Ninja

In the Afro Samurai world there are many headbands and they signify the best fighters in the world. If a person should hold number 1, they are referred to as a god among combatants, killers, and assassins. Afro Samurai's father was number one. That was until a cowboy mutant gunslinger named Justice shot him in the head. Now as number two, Afro seeks sweet, pure, and bloody revenge.

During our thorough play through we found the gameplay to be very generic. You'll notice the game explains itself in the first level. The functionality is simple, the map buttons are your basic attacks, the movement is fluid, and Afro does have a movement list longer than most street fighters. Every villain, other than cheap bosses, will fall to Afro's katana in only a couple hits. In addition, there is an instant kill that works in combo's which makes the game far too easy.

This samurai's presentation is lacking a bit. The cell-shaded colors are fitting for a video game based on an anime and the locales are varied and unique. However, the levels are fairly small and the enemies are recycled abundantly. The funky samurai beats save much in the way of appearance though. Rza has definitely given this game a funky soul!

Should you buy it? The answer is: probably not. Afro Samurai has many fun-filled moments of action slashing in it. There's gruesome bloody death galore as well as several funky filled bass beats. Nevertheless, once the generic combat and recycled enemies in small levels becomes apparent, the player soon realizes they don't have much to accomplish. I'd suggest renting this game if interested, but don't buy it for more than 20 dollars.

What do you think of the review? Leave us some feedback! SuperGamerology loves the feedback...

*Edited by The Hybrid

Written Gamerology: World of Warcraft

Pretty Damn Epic.

There is a place called Azeroth with many races who battle for power. The alliance and horde, two factions with races that share mutual hatred for one another, vie for control. However, both groups have a common enemy to defeat whether its evil forest trolls or undead kings riding frost dragons. No matter what side the player chooses, he will be a citizen with dreams of end level greatness and loot. Who doesn't like phat loot?

Who will you be?

World of Warcraft was designed with simple and standard WASD controls. The game play is designed to be strong in any situation. If the player is more inclined to go it alone, playing solo is an option. But, this game is very streamlined for small parties and large assault raids. Also, for newcomers, World of Warcraft can be daunting at first but the tutorials are very helpful.

Newcomers to the World of Warcraft will also like the aesthetic. It's a beautiful game. The visual design of this mmorpg is definitely far from a generic place. Fantasy is a far overused genre. Blizzard has a unique world and they've made the world of Azeroth vividly imaginative. Nevertheless, the one major flaw with World of Warcraft is that the music is forgettable. It's not terrible for the ears by any means, but it's not as distinct as the music in Blizzard's earlier games.

Warcraft II
vs
World of Warcraft

The most important question is this, "Is World of Warcraft worth the money?" The answer is up to the player. The game is worth the money, but admittedly it drags on. Moderation is the name of the game. SuperGamerology played this game to level 74, which means we got a strong grasp of the game sicne there are only 80 levels to play.The basic game starts at 20 dollars and that gets you up to level 60. The expansions range from $20 to $40 each last we checked (there are 2 of them). And this does not include the monthly fee of $14.95. Overall it can be pricey, but it has its pros and cons (Big community and game play versus $money$). It's worth checking out the basic game with the free month game play.

Looking for more information on WOW?
Feel free to comment and suggest what you'd like seen on here soon.

*Edited by The Hybrid

My Footage Got Stuck in the Mud

When I started trying to get video game footage for vlogs, admittedly I was clueless. In addition to that, there were too many random sources trying to explain how to acquire console footage. Finally as I'd sifted through the muck, there was a simple explanation. Here is a sample of the captured game play for Bionic Commando on XBOX 360. Please keep in mind this is mostly a quality test. We just believe the public deserves an honest inside look at our work.

I like how I died like a punk right before it ended.

After last minute replies to anyone who gave me suggestions, we went with getting footage over a purely written blog for the wealth of content. We decided quite quickly not to ask for footage unless it was our own. This process is partly personal and gives you, the viewer, a unique perspective of the gamerology.

So again, this is a test for our footage. SuperGamerology would love suggestions on games or systems that you'd like reviewed. Old or new, it's all gamerology to us.

*Edited by The Hybrid

The Editor Has Joined Your Party....

That is right folks. This blog now has an editor to unleash hell upon all of these writers' poor grammar. Ok, so they aren't THAT bad, but it could always use a second opinion no matter what. I will post every once in a while with news or possibly reviews, but mostly I will be editing.

It's time to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of gum.

Written Gamerology: Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

There are millions of women in the world and Scott Pilgrim finally found one. The catch is Ramona Flowers, his new love interest, has 7 ex's that want to make her love life a living hell for anyone she would like to date. If Scott wants her heart, he's gonna have to step up his game and defeat them.

Scott Pilgrim is a retro beat'em up game at its heart. Punishing enemies in your way while collecting the coins they spit out when defeated is the overall design of the game. Once the player has moved to the end of the level, an evil ex awaits to battle it out with the chosen character. The sweet addition of shops along most of the levels adds a slight layer of depth to the game. It's a tried and true formula.

Didn't you get his email?

The formula for the aesthetic and score are that of a pure old-school pleasure. Fully pixelated backgrounds with 8-bit beats draw the player back into the 80's. This presentation feels fresh in today's saturated world of next-gen graphics and orchestral scores. Anamanaguchi's chip-tunes brings life to this already exciting game.

Aurora (Meet Me in the Stars).mp3 by ✰ ☃ ANAMANAGUCHI ☃ ✰

The gameplay is almost an afterthought. However, it's not at all complicated or nonfunctional. Players won't have trouble moving their characters around with D-pad and face buttons, which is reminiscent of the classic Nintendo controller.

Simply put, Scott Pilgrim is worth the money. A ten dollar download such as this shouldn't be passed up. There are a few hiccups here and there in the difficulty when starting this game, but it's all for a playing standpoint and not a functionality issue. Go check this out for a preview: Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

*Edited by The Hybrid

Mass Effect 2 coming to PS3

Direct from GamesCon 2010 in Cologne, Germany, EA just announced that Mass Effect 2 will be coming to the PlayStation 3 in January 2011.

No word yet on the first game making its way to Sony's console.

UPDATE: According to published reports elsewhere, EA has no plans to bring the original Mass Effect to PS3, as Microsoft was the original publisher of the game (before EA bought Bioware).

Live Long and May the Force be with you!

*Edited by The Hybrid

Technical Malfunction

If you saw my last vlog, there would be little doubt in your mind that we need a better way to get video game footage on the site. I've found out how one would go about getting footage from a video game. Now the new issue after getting the hardware is making all of it work. It seems my cables are not compatible with the recording device we acquired. However, we here at SuperGamerology command post have our top engineer on the case.

This is our engineer. Yes, he's a trained professional!

What does this mean exactly? Soon we shall have glorious video blogs. The vlogs of legend! At the very least we will have some vlogs that have decent game footage. Thanks for your patience loyal fan base.

*Edited by The Hybrid

Red Dead Redemption Review

Rockstar Games is known as one of the most innovative and creative studios in the gaming industry. While Take Two Interactive's lucrative development hub is responsible for hits such as Max Payne, Midnight Club, and the (in)famous Grand Theft Auto series; Rockstar also produced a game in 2004 for the original Xbox and PlayStation 2 called Red Dead Revolver. The property, purchased from Capcom in 2002, was moderately successful and opened up a new area for the San Diego-based development team to explore: turn-of-the-century American frontier.

The original Red Dead Revolver, according to what I know, was a fairly linear shoot-em-up game taking place in the late-19th Century when the West was still untamed. It did not feature Rockstars' flair for open-world environments and was received moderately well by critics and fans (Metacritic gives the game an aggregate rating of 73 out of 100). But give Rockstar six years, build on the engine that made Grand Theft Auto IV a success, hype the hell out of it, and you'll have a pretty good game on your hands.

While sharing a title with Red Dead Revolver, Red Dead Redemption is more of a spiritual successor to the original game than an actual sequel. The story takes place in 1911 as the old West is making way for the new West. This is done symbolically by the first automobile being offloaded from the riverboat which brings our main character to the start of his journey. John Marston is a troubled fella--sent on a shady mission by a shady government organization to hunt down shady characters; John's gunned down before his story barely begins... and that's where it gets interesting. Red Dead Redemption is an immense game with a story as big as the countries (yes, countries, plural) that it explores. A single player campaign can last anywhere from 15 to 25 hours depending on whether you want to partake in quests from strangers, collect bounties, play some cards, or just explore the Wild West. The game world can seem immense and empty, but despite the vast stretches of desert around you, it is packed with things to do.

And what a world it is. In my previous review I remarked on the detail of Arkham Asylum and how the developers made every piece of the small island feel unique and extraordinary. Rockstar see's your detail, and turns the dial to 11. The world of Red Dead Redemption is so fully realized, you won't want to leave your console. Each area of the map has its own unique features and characters. And exploring the extensive map will only lead to the discovery of one amazing vista after another. Just take a stroll on your Hungarian Half-Breed out into the hills of Cholla Springs and watch the sunset over the vast desert before you, you'll quickly realize that this game is as much a delight to the eyes as it is to the trigger-finger.

You'll be working that trigger-finger quite often though if you stick to the roundabout story missions. The majority of missions through the middle part of the game involve some heavy gunplay, which should be familiar to anyone who has played the Grand Theft Auto IV or any of its iterations. The shooting mechanics work quite similarly with the L2 trigger aiming and R2 firing. One of the main components of Red Dead Revolver did make the leap to the current gen "sequel" is the Dead Eye aiming. Using R3 (pressing down on the Right analog stick) allows you to, in effect, slow down time and 'paint' your targets which allows you the quick-fire shooting that was so glorified in classic spaghetti westerns of the 60's. Dead Eye can make quick work of your opponents, of which there are many throughout the game, but with the auto-aim mechanic engaged it isn't a necessary tool in your arsenal; just a very, very useful one.

Speaking of spaghetti westerns, I cannot finish this review without mentioning the sounds of Red Dead Redemption. This game is, hands-down, one of the most well cast and effectively composed video games I've played. It was hard to find a weak spot in the voice acting throughout any part of the game. Though if I had to choose, one of the characters you meet at the very end of the game can tend to wear a little thin, especially after you've completed the campaign. Also, each main character has their time to shine. It helps that the dialogue in the story is well-crafted and doesn't try to be showy or overwrought with unnecessary exposition. But the real treat of the game, and one that goes easily unnoticed, is the music. Drawing from the music cues of Ennio Morricone's classic work, the music is the unsung (no pun intended) hero of this game.

Multiplayer has been a major function of Rockstar's arsenal and Red Dead Redemption is no different. Rather than limiting your map from the get-go as the single player campaign does, Red Dead Redemption's multiplayer opens up the entire game map from word one. This allows it to serve as your multiplayer lobby from which you can launch traditional multiplayer staples like Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and adding new twists like Gold Rush (a unique take on Capture the Flag). The "free roam" lobby also has its own challenges and quests you can explore, with more on the way through free and payable DLC. The ability to explore the map in free roam before getting to certain areas in single player is definitely welcome and allows players to get a feel for where they'll be heading in the future. But the multiplayer provides a completely different game that is worth the price of purchase on its own.

The game is not without its flaws however. The "driving" mechanics, a staple for games from the developer of Grand Theft Auto, are tricky, touchy, and take some time to get used to if you're familiar with Rockstars' previous outings. In side-by-side comparisons, the PS3 version does seem to be a little bit softer on the graphics side of things when compared to the 360 edition. And in both versions there are some unfortunate bugs that, among other things, have caused horses to fly, entire towns to spring up out of nowhere when you're riding around, and (in my own personal experience) turning a full table of poker players inside out. But these occurrences are not frequent, and Rockstar has patched the game to cut down on the few times they do happen.

If you've never played an open-world game before, Red Dead Redemption might be the game for you. It is far from the crowded and cramped feel of city-worlds like GTA4 and inFamous. Red Dead Redemption takes you on a journey to a simpler time, when the men were men and damsels needed saving--unless you chose to hogtie them, put them on the back of your horse, and put them on a train track to earn one of the most horrifying Trophies/Achievements I have ever heard of. This game has everything you could have wanted in a western, and with controls that are easy to use and characters that you will find yourself invested in, I have no qualms recommending that you pick this game up for whatever console you might happen to own. Red Dead Redemption is, so far, my favorite game of 2010.

*Edited by The Hybrid

Wayback Flashback: Batman: Arkham Asylum Review

Note of introduction: As I begin my foray into blogging, I'll be reviewing the titles that I've been playing since I returned to the world of gaming. Some of them may have come out within the last month, some may be several years old. The reviews of games that have come out within the last five months, or in calendar year 2010, will just be labeled as reviews, while anything older than five months, or (in the case of my first cache of reviews) pre-2010, will be my Wayback Flashbacks. I'll be starting with the game that brought me back to gaming...

Batman: Arkham Asylum was the first major game release from UK's Rocksteady Studios, subsidiary of Eidos Entertainment, coming out in September 2009. And if you were looking for a way to make a massive splash in the gaming industry, taking one of the most popular superheroes of all time, following the release of the most financially successful superhero movie of all time the previous year, and pinning it all on a game that weaves together fantastic graphics, engaging gameplay, and a story from a popular Batman veteran, Arkham Asylum certainly made the right kind of waves for Rocksteady.

Written by Paul Dini (Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Streets of Gotham) and featuring Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Mark Hamill (The Joker) reprising their roles from the long-running animated series, Arkham Asylum brings the gamer into the creepy, noir-ish world of Gotham City, specifically to the titular mental institution home to Batman's most famous villains. Batman, having escorted the Joker back to Arkham, is trapped among a hodgepodge of Arkham psychopaths and Blackgate Prisons sociopaths as his antagonist has "gloriously" sprung a trap for the Dark Knight, leading to one of the longest nights of Batman's life.

Running around seven-hours on Normal difficulty, with several more hours to spend searching for hidden items and trophies, Arkham Asylum's story is solid through-and-through, even if the boss battles tend to work the same way (excluding the game's final two confrontations). With a combination of button-mash beatdowns on nameless thugs and intriguing faceoffs with the likes of Killer Croc and Poison Ivy (and some truly inspired, if repetitive, Scarecrow sequences), there are few flaws in Dini's script. What helps matters most is the excellent voice work from veterans Conroy, Arleen Sorkin (Harley Quinn) and especially Hamill.

But just running around as Batman in a packed story isn't enough for the Rocksteady folks. The intense focus on detail in this game is evident from the very first moments you flip on your console, and makes Arkham Asylum one of the best looking games of this generation. When you're running through the mad-cap annals of the institution, Batman's cape flutters behind; as you search cells for clues to what the Joker is planning, Easter eggs from all corners of the Batman universe pop up; and when you exit the Asylum for the first time to gaze out over Arkham Island, you get a clear sense that the developers had a passion for their subject matter, cramming this environment with gorgeously textured landscapes and meticulously detailed interiors. With the exception of the Uncharted games, you may not find a more rich and detailed world on any console game, period.

As for the Bat himself, this is exactly what fans of the Caped Crusader were hoping for in terms of total immersion into the hands, feet, and mind of Bruce Wayne. While you start off with just your trusty Batarang and your fists, the way that Arkham Asylum utilizes the strengths and skills of Batman are incomparable to his previous digital outings. Relying on a simple four-button layout of Strike, Counter, Stun and Run/Evade on the face buttons, with additional combos and gadgets unlocked as you gain experience and upgrade your inventory, sliding into Batman's shoes is very easy. If I had one complaint about this game, it would be regarding a feature called Detective Mode. While it doesn't necessarily "break" the game, I found my reliance upon this mode to detract somewhat from the experience of the surroundings, as this all-encompassing mode serves as Batman's 'sixth sense,' allowing him to see around and through solid objects to identify threats, picks up hard-to-notice clues in the environment, all while distorting the coloration of his surroundings into a blue-tinted view that completely nullifies the greatest asset of this game, the stunning surroundings that encompass Batman's world. Hopefully the just-announced follow up, Batman: Arkham City will correct this, either by limiting the use of Detective Mode, or somehow eliminating it altogether.

Despite that minor quibble, Arkham Asylum is a well put-together enterprise. The character interactions feel natural, the voice acting is roundly excellent with few exceptions, and the design and feel of the game's playground is engrossing. On both the PlayStation and XBOX versions of the game, there were some minor issues with syncing lip movements to dialogue, and there would be the occasional screen tearing, but these issues (which were few and far between) do not lessen the impact of this fantastic game. Rocksteady eschewed the trend of most modern games by not including online multiplayer or co-op gameplay, but their inclusion of multiple unlockable and downloadable challenge rooms, including the ability to play as the Joker in the Stealth Challenge rooms, provides for extended gameplay beyond the completion of the single player campaign, and online leaderboards to compare yourself to the most skilled Dark Knight devotees.

With no local or on-line co-op or multiplayer modes, Rocksteady had to provide a solid and engaging single-player experience that can hold the attention of today's ADD-addled gamers for almost ten hours of gameplay. Mission accomplished. A top-notch story, challenging combat and stealth arenas, and a faithfully-detailed world populated by classic and beloved characters, people waiting for a video game adaptation of The Dark Knight need look no further than Batman: Arkham Asylum. This is the game that comic fans have been waiting for, and hands-down one of the best releases on any platform in 2009.

Putting Your Best Footage Forward

Something Ive never done before is get any type of footage for a video game. This was my first attempt at it. I put my Mac in front of my tv and hit record. However, not only is the screen to light and obscured but my isight also records everything as if it was a mirror image. So my characters in the game are moving to the left instead of the right.





This was alot of fun and Ive also enlightened myself on how to actually get footage thats visually satisfying. Be sure to check back here for more funny videos, articles, links, raves, reviews, and anything else we feel like writing about.

The Sound of Music

In the video game world, music is very important. In many cases the music and sound effects to a lesser degree carry weight inside a players game. If the music seems out of place it can thoroughly destroy a game. At the very least it can ruin a players experience. If this seems hard to grasp try to think of the game Halo for a moment. Imagine Master Chief hitting the planet and instead of the awesome orchestral rock score being the background music, hear "Im Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred as chief starts fighting the covenant.



While completely hilarious to daydream about, the epic feeling of Halo wouldn't be quite as legendary.



So, to celebrate great music in video games I introduce my followers and newcomers to OCRemix. This website's artists seek out good video game music and turn it into a remix all its own. Hit this site up.

Ps: Hit up this site while youre at it and check out RealTalk.

SuperGamerology

Gaming Is...

Upfront, I must confess my biases. It is my belief that all good writers should, in order to inform his reader, while in turn earning their trust.

1. I am a Star Wars fanboy. No ifs, ands, or buts about that. I am proud of this fandom, and will explain its' genesis to anyone who asks (just not right now).

2. DC Comics... if anything could come close to my love of Star Wars, it would be my love of comics, and most especially those from Detective Comics Entertainment. Batman, Green Lantern, Power Girl, the list goes on... DCU Online is going to take up FAR too much of my free time once it launches in November.

3. There has been no better show on television in recent memory than Lost. And I will personally fight you if you say otherwise!

4. Finally, and most pertinent to this blog, I am a PlayStation gamer. In my childhood and teenage years, my family owned and I played on four gaming console, not including personal computers: the SEGA GameGear handheld, Nintendo Game Boy Color handheld, Sony PlayStation, and Nintendo GameCube.

Fifty percent of my consoles were products of Nintendo, but I would say that 90 percent of my gameplay growing up was on consoles and handhelds from that company. Whether played with friends at their homes or borrowed consoles at my own, I grew up with Mario, Donkey Kong, GoldenEye, Rogue Squadron, and (more recently) Wii Sports. It helped that the products of one of my other obsessions were heavily featured on Nintendo consoles, as LucasArts pumped out several classic games in the 90's for Nintendo (Shadows of the Empire and Rogue Squadron topping the list).

But with age comes maturity, and my first (and, so far, only) console purchase in adulthood has been the PlayStation 3. My reasoning is this: a) blu-ray movies--Sony made 'em, and this was my primary reasoning for buying a PS3--I love films, and with Sony's victory in the HD wars, the PS3 became the ideal meld of two loves; b) I owned a previous Sony console, and based on that experience, as well as familiarity with a roommate's PlayStation 2, I had confidence that my purchase would be a worthwhile one; c) a growing buzz around PS3's first-party software appealed to me, as I had little love for XBOX exclusives such as Halo and Gears of War; but games like Uncharted [modern day Indiana Jones], inFamous [superhero], and Heavy Rain [noir-ish mystery] appealed to me more.

So when I'm reviewing games for this blog, or expounding upon gaming culture, understand that it comes from a bias towards the PlayStation systems. I will review PC games as well, and multi-platform titles, but there will be few--if any--XBOX 360 or Wii reviews coming from this reviewer.

As always, comments are welcome. Live Long, and May the Force be with you.

Greetings and Salutations

Hello, Internet-land. James T. Skywalker*, here! That's right, you saw the name... your friendly neighborhood clone, hero of not one, but TWO galaxies!

Of course, by day, I'm just mild-mannered Brien Bell, a 25-year-old Star Wars fan, comic book reader, and--as you might have guessed--video gamer. Since 1999 I've been known as James T. Skywalker on about a dozen different websites, including the Official Star Wars Site, starwars.com, where I have served as a forum moderator since 2002.

I am currently working two jobs while trying to find time to get back to school to finish my degree (maybe I'll create a poll, once we get some followers, to decide exactly what that degree will be). In the meantime, my life is pretty great: good friends, good games, and hopefully some good feedback from you, the reader.

So here we go, James T. Skywalker joins the Super Gamerologist. Let the mayhem begin!

Live Long and May the Force Be With You!**

(* This name is not related to any person, real or imagined, and is not endorsed by Lucasfilm Inc., 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, CBS Productions, or any entity or subsidiary related to Star Wars and/or Star Trek.)

(** Ok, maybe that was somewhat related to both aforementioned properties. Think they'll mind?)

Free MMORPGS

Ive been stuck in Starcraft 2 world for the last two days. Its been an awesome ride thus far and I want to finish it. Starcraft 2 up for gamerology? We shall see. However, Id like to take this moment and mention free games online especially mmorpgs. Lately Ive been spending my time looking at these games because they have some great features in them. One feature is obvious and that's they are free. They don't cost a glorious cent. In fact they don't cost the player anything. The second feature for some of these games are that they are comparable to some of the best titles in the genre. Without these indie games offering free software the market wouldn't be quite as potent. And with that written, if you'd like to experience any free mmorpgs or just great games in general check out these two websites.

Gamer Stiker Mario 1989 a by ~xIvanCorex on deviantART

MMOHut and RetroGamer are just a few of the awesome content heavy websites for free games.

TheGamerologist