macserv

Battles, I agree that first person play can add realism and make a game more immersive, but it just doesn't work for a hardcore platforming game. Take any first person adventure — Metroid Prime for example. There's a lot of jumping, but most of it doesn't involve any precision, or you have a grappling hook to help you.

I'd say that you and I go in two directions on this game... I'd like it to become a more pure platformer, and you'd like it to be a first-person shooter (it's not stereotyping, it's fact... if you add more gunplay and multiplayer, it would definitely switch genres to FPS).

Perhaps both tastes could be easily satisfied with some conveniently-placed options for view mode and game mode.

I love a lot about the game (I especially like the art style used... the clean color palette and smooth lines are refreshing in an era of dirt brown, sepia, and gray tones), and I think that the concept could probably be very successful... gamers like platformers, gamers like next-gen concepts and design.

But M.E. violates a cardinal rule: You don't mix heavy platforming with first-person gaming. In a game that involves precision jumping, landing, and grabbing, you need to be able to see the player's legs and arms at all times. Otherwise it becomes impossible to gauge, in one or two attempts, the timing of a jump, or when to grab, or if you're lifting your legs at the right time to clear an obstacle. This problem plagues M.E. almost as much as its brevity... it's way too short.

Make it longer. Make it 3rd-person. Give it a much richer, more detailed story. Then you've got a seller on your hands.

Want it to sell more? 3 words: Make it downloadable.

I wouldn't buy Burnout: Paradise until it showed up as a PSN download. Yeah, it took a while to haul it through the 'tubes, but the lower price and convenience made it a good value to me.

Same goes for Valkyria Chronicles: If it shows up on the Playstation Store (preferably priced $10 or $15 less), I'm sold.

When this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're gonna see some serious shit.

Seriously... why the heck wouldn't they just create a downloadable app for the PS3 and make it available free via the PS Store? Do the same for XBox. Making a Windows app is just lazy.

It's just as forbidden by the Bible or Torah for the word of God to be used in this way too. But hey, it's open season on Christians and Jews.

If the mainstream press gives the PS3 this much attention because they think Sackboy is cute or charming, wait until they get a load of EyePet.

No, it was "...arrr belong to us." Get it? Internet meme, AND pirate joke! Hysterical, M I RITE!?

I don't think it matters which game HAD better gameplay. What matters is the next version, and GH clearly has the innovative edge this time. The drum set has three pads and two cymbals (5 discrete inputs) while Rock Band still has 4 pads. The GH:WT guitar adds touch-sensitive areas to do pitch bending and other effects. No such changes to the RB guitar.

Based on that, and GH:WT's new gameplay elements (battle of the bands, etc), I was pretty much sold on GH over RB this time around. The song list was the only potential sticking point, and now that's clearly no concern. Add-ons will only make the picture prettier.

I fully expect the fine developers at Harmonix to leapfrog Guitar Hero with new innovations sometime in the not-too-distant future. For now, though, Activision wins.

If it actually added discrete cymbals to the game, it might be worth three bills. I can see how some people would appreciate the attempt at added realism, but simply throwing in boom-mounted triggers for the yellow and blue toms doesn't do much for me.

I want to use the cymbals as part of the game, not just do it if I feel like it. That's probably the biggest reason I'm looking forward to GH:World Tour.