Will

"true true, but at least BestBuy dont 'OPEN' their games"

You'd be surprised. They don't gut games like GameStop, but they also don't have a problem selling something as 'new' that's been opened for any number of reasons and resealed. You think GameStop is the only place that has a machine that can shrink wrap things?

Like I said, some of you guys get on GameStop because you think you know. Take my word for it, you don't. In my opinion, as someone who's actually worked behind the scenes at a couple of these places, GameStops are usually the lesser of many evils.

"The employee said they get to take 'new' games home to try them as long as they treat the discs good (so they can still be sold as new)."

No they don't. What they can do is check out a copy of a used game, assuming they have more than one used copy of that game, and take it home and play it. And they can only have one used game checked out at any time. That's one of the biggest perks of working there.

They can't, under any circumstances, take how new games, even gutted copies. That doesn't mean some employees don't do it, but those guys are definitely in the vast majority because it's strictly against GameStop's rules. You'll find guys that ignore rules like that everywhere, though.

My buddy, who manages a GameStop, and I joke about this a lot.

I supervised a warehouse at a Best Buy for a couple years. If you guys had any clue what goes on in those places, you'd be *thrilled* to buy one of those gutted copies of new games at GameStop, because those things are a hell of a lot more 'new' that factory-sealed copies of games at places like Best Buy.

During the holidays at my store, we'd get over 100 boxes just from UPS, one of at least 4 deliveries I'd get before noon. I had maybe two hours to receive over 1,000 individual media products. That sort of schedule didn't afford us the 'luxury' of treating the games the way you guys would expect 'new' games to be treated. There was a relatively high chance of something getting damaged in the case, of the 'sanctity' of the 'new-ness' being damaged, but we didn't really care, you could just bring it back and exchange it.

So yeah, when me and my buddy talk about this stuff, we laugh. Because a lot of people get up in arms about a gutted copy of a new game, claiming that it's no longer 'new'. When in reality, and I don't mean this to be disparaging, merely frank, the reality is that if you guys knew what happened to your games, especially factory-sealed ones, before you got them, you'd be very happy to buy your new games from a place like GameStop because there's such a small chance of anything happening to those games, even the gutted copies.

"Best written piece I have ever read on Joystiq. Was a pleasure to read."

Absolutely agree.

"fl0w this week, and Tekken 5:DR the next? And I think Q-Bert is in there at some point as well if you like your retro arcade ports."

And compare that to Geometry Wars, Mutant Storm, Small Arms, RoboBlitz, Heavy Weapon, Marble Blast, Cloning Clyde, Assault Heroes, etc. And there's over a dozen good retro games, most of which have been updated with things like co-op, online play, etc.

And again, in terms of announced titles yet to be released, the Live Arcade's offerings absolutely trounce other similar console services in terms of new, original stuff.

Don't get me wrong, the Live Arcade isn't perfect. But it seems to be the one service that draws the most criticism, and that blows my mind. Hell, the Live Arcade is pretty much thee reason we are seeing and will continue to see these sort of small, fun, mostly indie games on all of our current and future consoles.

"Do us a favor. The next time you don't have anything to offer, just give it to us straight. Don't play cute about failing to meet the demands of your audience for the umpteenth time."

Yeah, because the Virtual Arcade and PlayStation Store are doing great bringing us fun, original content like... and...

Seriously, say what you will about the quantity of Live Arcade titles. Its lineup, in terms of new, original stuff, trounces its console competition, and based on the announcements made regarding new, original stuff, that trouncing doesn't seem like it's gonna stop anytime soon.

I just can't wait for the day when the Virtual Console and PlayStation Store are held to the same standard the Live Arcade is, because oh boy, there's gonna be a fanboy free-for-all then.

Justin, GET OUT OF MY HEAD!

I haven't played either of those PC games, and I'm just digging into Devil Summoner, but otherwise those are almost my thoughts exactly. That was weird to read.

If I were to do a top 5 list, Wii Sports wouldn't be anywhere near it. At all. I wouldn't even let Wii Sports look at my top 5 list. I just think it poorly replicates the actual sports while adding nothing to the experience. But I also play tennis and hate bowling, and since those seem to be the two most popular games in Wii Sports, my opinion probably isn't surprising.

My game of the year? Suikoden V. Seriously. No other game this year engaged me as much as that one did. Story, gameplay, characters, it was all there.

Runner-up would probably be Oblivion. That was the only other game this year that really had me hooked.

Gears was really good, but it was just too short. The gameplay was definitely there, but the rest of the experience felt a little barren.

As someone who enjoys actual tennis, I'd play Virtua Tennis or even Top Spin before I'd play Wii Sports tennis.

Sure, Wii Sports tennis is a decent replication of the game, assuming you believe the game to consist entirely of swinging your racket and hoping the ball does what you're thinking. Seriously, you can't move your guy, shot selection is ridiculously limited, they've pretty much taken any and all strategy and skill out of the game. I think the control scheme has potential, but Wii Sports tennis is a joke of a serious tennis game (and my serious tennis game, I'm talking about one made for the crowd that would actually buy a tennis game, not one made for the crowd that just wants to goof around with a tennis-like game and their buddies for a few minutes).

Granted, you can't swing your arm around with any of the prettier tennis games, but assuming you're not above replicating real world actions with specific button presses, you can actually play a much more realistic, deep game of tennis with almost any other tennis game out there. And that's not even taking into account the fun in playing a career mode.

I don't want anyone to think I'm completely busting on Wii Sports tennis. It's fine for what it does, provide a brief tennis-like diversion to those that aren't too concerned with the quality of the tennis. But the idea that it is best tennis game out there, the only one people should look at if they want a tennis fix, that idea is pretty far-fetched.

"New experiences are not possible if the focus is on more realistic graphics."

Really? Driving through a tunnel full of 1,000 realistic zombies was pretty new to me, much moreso than pretending like I was swinging a tennis racket.

Or how about the conversation system in Mass Effect, made possibly largely by the 360's ability to offer very realistic facial animations. Stuff like that will bring emotional engagement to a completely new level.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the Wii, although it's gotten little play for me since it came out. I just don't buy into the idea that it's the only system whose strengths are capable of offering new experiences to gamers. The key will be what experiences developers choose to create with each systems' strengths.