Okay, I’ll admit it. It’s only been a few days since release and I’m utterly enamored with Gears of War. There’s simply nothing quite like it. There’s been a tendency of late for naysayers to limp-wristedly smack the hands of reviewers that have been handing out near perfect scores, citing their reasoning as something obscured by glasses tinted with gorgeous graphics and nothing else.

Sure, the graphics are amazing, but I’ve never been one to stick around playing a game just because it looks nice. The gameplay is fantastic. Using the A button as your go-to ninja action control creates a completely different beast than what most shooters provide, especially in the online arena.

The campaign is an action fan’s dream. Environments range from the dilapidated cityscapes that everyone will come to associate with the visuals, to rain-drenched factories and mines that fold into locust hives buried deep underground. The oft talked about “Stop and Pop” shooting tends to transition from slow and strategic to fast and frantic in a second’s passing, as enemies hop over barriers and flank their way to your location. Though their AI can be sketchy at times, as they’ll occasionally hide behind a barrier unwavering as they get lit up by your ammunition, their brute strength is enough to keep firefights blazing for a long time.

Gears of War rewards crafty fighting tactics with its melee maneuvers, especially the chainsaw bayonet. Make your way around that stationary gunner and cut right down the middle. This translates so well into online play that it’s ridiculous. The smaller 4-on-4 game type creates more tightly knit teams that are encouraged to play intelligently, distracting opponents while another runs in for the kill. It’s far separated from the gung-ho every-man-for-himself style of most shooters.

Variety is the name of the game, really. The five acts in the single player mode never seem repetitive. There are a few really interesting boss battles, a vehicle level, etc; there’s just always something happening here.

The bottom line is that I’m online playing this pretty much every night of the week, and you should be too. If you see the gamertag Moldilox running around on XBL, shoot a message and I’ll try and be gentle with the chainsaw.

I want a PS3. I want a Wii. I want them NOW. Not six months from today, or a year. NOW.

What makes it so frustrating is that I have a job and family - therefore I can’t wait on a line for 14 hours - and, for the moment, have the purchasing power to pay retail price for both of these fine machines.

And yet, there is simply no way on God’s green earth that I will be able to get one.

That, my friends, makes me disgusted with everyone and everything.

So it looks like the ESA has a very minor role as to who gets to attend the next iteration formerly known as E3. According to Gamespot, game publishers will hold the power as to who’s invited and who’s not.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6161151.html

Meanwhile….

In what can only be considered one of the most strategic, pre-emptive business moves to grace the 360 this year, Microsoft announced several agreements were established with CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, UFC, Warner Brothers Home Entertainment to bring an initial lineup of over 1,000 hours of hit TV shows and movies to Xbox 360 gamers in the U.S. by the end of the year. But that’s not all; the 360 will also be the first video game console to officially offer standard, high-def and movies via the internet which gamers can purchase and watch as often as they like… all at the touch of a button.

And here’s the kicker, it’s coming sooner than you think. Starting Nov. 22, the 360 will unveil multiple full-length TV shows as downloads to own as well as movies which consumers can rent for download via Xbox Live. So what’s on deck? For starters, hit shows including Aqua Teen Hunger Force, South Park Robot Chicken, the all-new remastered 1960’s Star Trek in HD glory, CSI, Avatar, UFC, and NASCAR. As for movies, look forward to some of the hottest movies including Mission: Impossible III, Nacho Libre, Superman Returns and The Matrix.

“This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone, said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it.”

What’s especially cool about this announcement is that you don’t need the standard Gold membership to enjoy partake of all this digital goodness. Anyone with a broadband connection can obtain a free Xbox Live Silver membership and download the content via Xbox Live Marketplace (more details can be found here.

Sony will undoubtedly have plans to offer a similar digital distribution services with the PlayStation 3… among other things. Recent online and print articles have been relatively teasing about that we should expect “extraordinary” features over the course of time. We’ll just have to wait and see. For now, Microsoft beat them to the punch.

On another note, what does this mean for HDD manufacturers? Or rental franchises like Blockbuster Video? The advent of on-demand services can’t be good news for them. The initial agreements with industry giants like Paramount and CBS is HUGE news — more agreements are bound to follow.

In any case, between this and my recent DVR-service… I’m going to be fully immersed with all this digital on-demand programming to the point that my usual devotion to gaming may never be the same again.

A game reviewer, ideally, is objective.  He takes what a certain game does and weighs it on its own merits and flaws without being a total loser fanboy saying ‘well it’s not as good at GTA60.’  There’s an inherent danger there in being overcome by a title, and having it influence how you view other games.  I don’t avoid games, Mandrake, but I do deny them my essence.

That’s why I’m trying to avoid Gears of War.  The high price tag is helping a lot there.  I don’t really expect the gameplay to be outstanding, but the visuals… how will I be able to look a PS2 game in the face after seeing such lush ruins at 720p again?  Even these small streaming videos are almost too much.  Once I played Morrowind, my standards for open ended games, and how much content could be packed into a game, had risen up a number of notches.  Now GoW looks like it’s going to sucker punch me in the visual spot.

I’ve got to rally until the Playstation 2 generation is finally over.

A study by the NPD shows that sampling games before you try them is the most significant factor in the final purchasing decision. Knowing this, it’s sad how many games there are out there, and how few of them you can try-before-you-buy without renting. We nurse our lack of sleep and hangovers by talking about Oizys’s adventures at PMX, some Cosplay and Concerts he saw, and our general weekend and Halloween adventures.

Download the podcast here!
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/GotNextNewsOfTheWeek/~5/44192076/gotnext_127.mp3