Covert Operations? Yeah, right.

How does a video game franchise based on covert-ops get leaked all over the internet?

Autobots have descended upon us

Say the phrase "Robots in Disguise" to any male from the age of 15 to 35 and they will most likely respond to you with a single word.

Take two potions and call me in the morning

Ok people, for reasons I will not disclose, my girlfriend had a REALLY bad day today. I mean, make you want to punch a puppy bad, (no it wasn't due to her monthly guys) this was a genuine bad day. The one thing she had been looking forward to was going out to see Rusko tonight, and when we found out that the venue sold out before it even opened you can imagine how upset she was. We decided that her leaving the house would be a horrible idea, as the stars had already aligned to ensure that she’d get mugged, in a car accident, or thrown in jail. Naturally, me being the sensitive and caring boyfriend that I am, I told her that tonight we could play any video game she wanted out of our library. (I know, I'm the best boyfriend ever. right?) With her it’s always Katamari Damacy for PS2 or Resident Evil 5 on the XBOX 360. Tonight she opted for the bubbly infected over the King of the Cosmos. Something interesting happened just before we were about to start. She received an invite to play with an old friend over XBOX Live. After a bit of coaxing I convinced her to give it a go, as she never gets a chance to play with her friends online. (I had games to alphabetize and wires to rubber band anyway.)

Now the really interesting part is that I got to witness social gaming from an outside perspective. She and her friend had a really nice time interacting with each other. They talked about what was new in their lives, old boyfriends that sucked, school, work, and even got a little bit of a competitive banter going between them. I was surprised to see that even though she'd been in a really bad mood for most of the day, after an hour of gaming with a friend she was all smiles again (coincidentally it was also cute seeing her rock a Turtle Beach headset). I've heard about people coming home and unwinding with a video game after a long day but it was never really my thing. However, to witness it first-hand I have to testify to the relaxing power of gaming. Resident Evil 5, with its awful techno multiplier soundtrack, somehow managed to put her mind at ease, even if only for a little while. Will her problems be there later? Of course, but it’s nice to see that after a night of gaming with her buddy she’s in a better mood.

Moral of the story: Sometimes a little gaming co-op can be just what the doctor/wizard/oracle ordered to get your hearts back in order. Remember, sometimes you need to just sit back and enjoy the pixels.

Ninten-Doh is at it again...

First, let me start by stating that Nintendo gets the award for best video game company...of 1989. Like many of you, I have fond memories of my NES as a child. Although Nintendo has been a driving force in the video game industry, it is also it's own worst enemy.  Recently Nintendo confirmed that it would be dropping the price of Wii again to $150 on May 15th.  While this seems of no great consequence, it shows how desperate the company is becoming to try and push systems. The Wii, already being the cheapest of the 3 major home consoles, will now come bundled with Mario Kart as an added incentive... you know, in case you haven't played it for the 9 thousandth time.

Folk's I've said it before and I'll say it again just in case you guys missed it the first time: NINTENDO IS DROWNING.   For many years now, Nintendo has been guilty of many crimes against its core audience and they're starting to feel the long-term effects.  Don't get me wrong I'm all for innovation; (i.e. motion gaming) however, Nintendo has been putting out the same game formula for far too long.

Observe and embrace:

Nintendo 64 = Insert Mario title, Zelda, Mario-Kart, Mario Party, Starfox.
Nintendo Gamecube =Insert Mario title, Zelda, Mario-Kart, Mario Party, Metroid, Kirby, Smash Bros.
Nintendo DS = Insert Mario title, Zelda, Mario-Kart, Mario Party,Metroid, Kirby, Nintendogs.
Nintendo Wii = Insert Mario title, Zelda, Mario-Kart, Mario Party,Metroid, Kirby, Super, Smash Bros.
Nintendo 3DS = Insert Mario title (coming soon), Zelda (coming soon) Mario-Kart (coming soon), Nintendogs, Starfox(coming soon).

Same hero, new console. 

....I think your starting to get the picture, I'm not even going to go into the Gameboy.

If it isn't bad enough that Nintendo keeps basically selling you the same game every year, they now have perfected some ridiculous scientific formula to make its audience by a new handheld almost yearly as well.  See DS original, DS Lite, DSI, DSI XL, 3DS.

Don't worry, these will be outdated by the time you finish this article.

Couple all of this with the fact that they single handedly brought back the shovel-ware of the 80's and that 3rd party development is still on the fence about how they feel about the 3DS and Nintendo's future console's as a whole, and Nintendo as a company has a shaky foundation at best.

Now that they've announced that a new home console will debut in 2012, don't be surprised if any and all of the aforementioned titles find they're way back onto a "new" console, all while costing you the same $50 bucks.

Finally, let me just give Nintendo a quick suggestion to help (because why stop giving my opinion now):

Put out an HD system that has a solid multiplayer platform (no more of this friend code nonsense), remake (not recode) the majority of your untapped 80's classic's that made your library the definite console to have, and stop catering to the "family friendly" audience and allow for more mature rated games (this will greatly improve 3rd party development and will help to not alienate the "hardcore" gamers).

I personally refuse to do a barrel roll and let Nintendo burglar my wallet until any of these things begin to happen. However, once it does, Nintendo can make the check out to "Infinitecontinue" for all the wonderful financial advise.