GTA IV is coming out tomorrow.................

Carcassonne Carcassonne Carcassonne! That’s just about all I play all of the sudden. Who knows what started it? This little addictive bastard has been living quietly on the Xbox hard drive for months, not doing a darn thing. Maybe that’s what ticked it off. Now, it is boring itself into my skull, forcing me to play it daily, and think about it when I’m supposed to be doing other stuff (like actually updating this site!)

How many times have you heard the phrase “easy to learn, difficult to master”? Well, that certainly applies here. Pick up a tile, place it in a legal spot, place or place-not a follower. That’s it. Ah, but that’s how it lures you in. Once you start doing that, you begin to see what each tile placement, each tile rotation means to you, and to your opponents, because each and every one can have a drastic impact on the game. Finishing off a nice city, surrounding a Cloister, or, perhaps most importantly of all, adding a farmer to a new or existing field; all of these items heavily sway to flow of the game, and the final outcome. And, while you think you see it all, think you see the entire game board, you only see it as you want to see it, and something you missed will cause much consternation down the line. It’s like that. It’s actually simple layers of strategy. But it can be maddening. And it is a lot of fun.

So, I think my wife is a little disappointed with me. I have been playing Professor Layton on the DS, and asked her about one of the puzzles. Together, we solved it. But I only asked her about one. That was it. I have a feeling that she wanted me to ask about more of them, so that we can solve them as a couple. But, a lot of them are either a) easy enough to be solved quickly, or b) visual in nature, so that both of us would have to be looking at the screen. Now, often we are sitting on the couch with each other, but not always. Screen sharing isn't an easy option every time. Such puzzles tend to get solved by me, quietly. Politically, this may not be my best move. It's more a feeling than any hard evidence, but after being together for eighty-some odd years, those feelings are more reliable.

What is everyone playing out there? I'm in and out of PES 2008 and the Wii, slowly getting started on MLB The Show on PS3, and need to get back to Ratchet and Clank, which is fun and colorful. Thinking about asking for Guitar Hero III for my birthday.

A recent article at CNN , about autistic people being able to better express themselves in Second Life, is one of the best examples to date of to potential that lies within video games. While SL can only loosely be defined as a video game, its introduction would have been greatly delayed without the development and popularity of the virtual worlds of EverQuest and World of Warcraft. While the use of online worlds as a means to provide a community for the physically disabled has been reported on many times over the last few years, having someone extend that out to mentally challenged individuals is fairly new, and very welcome. You have to wonder why it took this long for that idea to take root, or at least become accepted. Having an outlet for people who have difficulty expressing their emotions via their body must be an amazing thing for them, not unlike finally being able to speak a language that you been surrounded by for a long time. Will we see virtual communities populated entirely by autistics? Or will they feel courageous (if that is the right word) enough to join the mainstream ones like WoW or PlayStation Home? However it pans out, you can thank video games, and the technology they derive from, for this new realm.

An article at Next Gen reminded me of a recent debate over the future of Nintendo consoles. Jamie was talking about the day when his two year old son gets old enough to be playing games, that he would probably be looking at the Wii 3. I don't think that we are going to be seeing a Wii 2 (Wii II?), much less a Wii 3. With the median age of Wii buyers and players trending upward more and more each day, Nintendo has to know that the majority of this group isn't part of the "upgrade, upgrade, upgrade" mindset that most of our readers share. These are people that are just going to want to play their few games, mostly bowling and golf (when a good title finally appears on the machine. We Love Golf anyone?) In fact, without the Brain/Eye/Ear/Etc. Age/Training/Etc line, they won't be buying many more games at all. Mostly they will be getting new games as Christmas presents from younger family members. Of course, word of mouth could cause their peers to seek out these newer titles. But either way, the idea of a new Wii, maybe with 1080p graphics and 5.1 digital sound, is not going to be appealing to this demographic. And as such, I can't see Nintendo spending the time and money to create what would amount to a Wii Advanced.

So, after 5 years of EQ, and 3.5 years of WoW, what is going to be my next obsession? So far, no other online games have interested me. Fantasy roleplaying is obviously my preferred niche. What I'd like to see is a game that's challenging, somewhat between EQ and WoW in terms of difficulty. And a game that allows you to group, but also allows you to solo by being able to play two or more characters at once, through the use of macros or split screens. I'd prefer a serious fantasy theme, rather than the tongue-in-cheek attitude of WoW.

Well, enough wishing. It's time to go level yet another character to 70. Hmm, I haven't played a gnome warlock yet...

Is anyone else having a hard time getting into Mario Galaxy? It's fun once I start playing, but at the same time it can feel like a chore. "Here you are, here's your goal." It almost seems like you are just running down a checklist, ticking of each star as you get it. The game has a systematic, linear, almost scripted feel to it, and while it is fun to do once I get going, it's not a game that I can't wait to get back into. The mechanics, the control, and the variety of things to do, try, and find are certainly not lacking, and the production values are, as with all games from the big N, second to none. So, then, why can't I find the spark? Maybe the formula has been played out. Mario 64, and the underrated Mario Sunshine, both played out the same way: go get a star, then get another star, rinse, repeat, then finish off Bowser. Have I played that one too many times by now? Or is it GTA's fault? While the basic "mission" structure is at the heart of both games, is Mario in need of an overworld that will allow players to run around for hours on end, having fun without ever need to go after a single star?

Pro Evolution Soccer is a name that thrills the hearts of soccer gamers everywhere, and for a good reason. Widely recognized as the most authentic soccer game available, it never fails to secure high marks from players and reviewer alike, and seems to always outscore the FIFA games. Well, a new version has landed on the Wii, and while it may turn away a bit of it's existing fan base, you be be sure that it will bring around a whole new crowd.