Plugged In the News

On a small side note, I just read that James Cameron's Avatar has beat out his old titan of film making Titanic for the top spot as the highest grossing U.S. movie of all time. Then again people are still b@#$%!ing about how the inflation of ticket prices mean that the gross isn't anywhere near the original value during the time of Titanic, but who really gives a flip? Just something to think about. I know I do.

Alien Lovin'

Happy Mass Effect 2-uesday! A buddy of mine has a massive man-crush on Garrus so that's what really prompted this next entry in the Andy and Brett series. Some might call it an unhealthy obsession but I'm sure there have to be a few others out there with the same dark skeletons. The game itself is by far a vast improvement over the original, correcting all the minor mistakes that plagued the first entry of the trilogy. While some are griping that it has taken a turn more towards a shooter than a role-playing game, everyone should find that Mass Effect 2 delivers the same epic story and action BioWare has become known for. On a side note and a possible spoiler warning...I discovered you can actually have a romantic relationship with Garrus as female Shepard. Tune back in next week when I'll have something of a preview for Batman: Arkham Asylum 2.

Witchin' Good

Allow me to introduce Andy and Brett, two gamers who have opinions to share. They were inspired by the art and characters of Penny Arcade. This first comic is old news but still something I had to comment on. Bayonetta, the Devil May Cry protege, was amazing, fast, fun, and sexy. Problem is the praise is only directed at the Xbox 360 port. The PlayStation 3 version suffered from lag issues, screen tearing, and other mechanical difficulties. The high level of sexual content in the game (Bayonetta's suit is made of her hair for crying out loud) lead me to make this comic about the game while voicing my anger at the PS3 falling out. Check back next week for more comics. Mass Effect 2 is up next!

Plugged In the News

In an Associated Press article it was revealed that the Nintendo Wii would join the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in streaming Netflix movies and television programs. The company has yet to set an official date but those owners of the Wii with broadband internet and a Netflix account will be able to stream movies via disc software provided by Netflix sometime in spring, similar to the Playstation 3. In other news, Mass Effect 2 preorders have beaten out God of War 3's by a couple thousand in sales. The sequel to Bioware's big 360 hit will be out in just another week and anxious fanboys are planning to make Tuesday dusk 'til dawn gaming marathon.

TOP 5 Gaming Farnchises That Should Call It A Day

Most great gaming series end within one or two installments while the material is still fresh. Unfortunately not every franchise gets the same treatment. They are pounded into the ground to get the last cent of market value possible. I've compiled a short list of my own top five game series that need to retire. Remember, this is my own, personal list. Please send me any ideas of other games from your own list.

#5 Super Mario Bros.- I know what you may be thinking. Why would Mario be on this list? It's not that he has been putting out bad games. The fact is the games are nonsense gimmicks to keep the franchise going. Between random sports titles and spin-offs, Mario has left the roots of what made him so much of an icon in the gaming world: a fat plumber that crushes enemies with his own body mass.

#4 Megaman- One of Capcom's most overly abused characters, Megaman has seen more spin-off series than possibly any gaming character to date. In spite of developers' noble intentions by bringing back the classic 8-bit gameplay for download on the major consoles, the blue bomber has had a difficult time staying up to par with the current gaming market. After more than 20 sequels, the little guy in blue needs to retire his buster.

#3 Final Fantasy- What is the purpose of having "Final" in the title if there are already 13 games and counting to the series? For what was supposedly the last effort to stay alive made by Square Soft back in the day, Final Fantasy has quickly become the epitome of all role-playing games to come after it. The games are all good in their own respects though you must admit they involve the same sort of storyline and whining, spike-haired characters saving the world from some sort of evil presence. Again, I love the games but it is still the honest -to-God truth and we all know it...freakin' giant-ass swords!

#2 Sonic the Hedgehog- Few people can claim to love the little porcupine more than I do but that doesn't mean I don't think his recent games have made me regret ever picking up a controller. Now with the 2D Project Needlemouse in the works, Sega and Sonic Team are doing all they can to keep Sonic on life support for just a couple more years. Let the poor guy go down with a little dignity. Between an endless list of sidekicks and terrible game play mechanics, I don't know what keeps me coming back for more pain with each new release. I miss the pure speed of the old days, not swords. Thank you, Sonic and the Black Knight.

#1 Street Fighter/ King of Fighters- Fighting games are one of the few genres of games that can have nearly endless replay value; however, this is all lost on multiple re-releases of the same game with additional content you could have just downloaded to your system's hard drive. The Street Fighter and King of Fighters series are just a couple of the never-ending names on the fighting scene. Regardless of the game's popularity, all I see now are weird and often worthless characters (like Dan) added to the fighting rosters and even more "turbo", "super", and "ex" add-on gimmicks. Hadouken!

Thanks for checking out my list of top 5 gaming series that have past their prime. I stress again, this is my own list. If some game title isn't mentioned here that you think is worth noting, please be sure to let me know. Game on.

Honorable Mentions:
Resident Evil
Halo

Do people find reasons to b@#*! about things

Let's face it, Modern Warfare 2 is one of the best games recently released and even got Fred Meyer to hold its first midnight release since the launch of the Nintendo Wii. It has been praised for its multi-player prowess, graphical beauty and often over-the-top action and rightly so. So what is the issue here? The stupid complaints being brought up about the scene where your player character acts as a terrorist shooting up airport terminal. Having played through the game, I can say that the scene left me a little disturbed but in no way offended me or worse, made me want to go out and try the whole thing myself. The thing we should maybe be more concerned about is why in early Activision testing, more than 50 percent of the play testers mowed down the civilians without hesitation. The scene is designed to show the player the stakes they are to face in the game and the enemy they must triumph over regardless of moral standing. This reminds me of when people became pissed at the early Resident Evil 5 trailers. Its like we starting playing the game show "Is It Racist?" So do people really need to go out of their way to find something to b@#*! about when it comes to gaming? I suppose we just have to see what happens when Metroid: The Other M comes out with Team Ninja's patented "boob physics."

Central Gaming Community

Welcome CWU! Here I will share some gaming lore with the masses each week in the form of previews, reviews, news and top 10 lists all related to the gaming world. Be sure to check in and report on any big finds that may have been missed and share your own thoughts on the selected topic. Keep gaming.