What's it all mean? 

Man, it's been a while since I've slapped up some commentary here on GotSpace. A while back I had vowed that my feisty post was supposed to be indicative of a return of my old column, the B-Side, but work and school obligations have kept me… Busy. That isn't to say that I haven't had plenty of free time. I've just chosen to spend it playing a lot of games; probably more than I had been playing in years. I'm not sure what triggered this sort of renewed vigor — maybe it was the slew of fall releases — but the new year ushered a new beginning for my unhealthy love affair (or obsession…) with "chasing the critters on the digital wonder-box." At least that's what my father would call it.

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DaveB sounds off once again.

So yeah… It's been a while since I've added my two cents to the dialog taking place here on GotSpace. You know, I've been sitting around, biting my tongue, and basically ducking and dodging every request by Bahn to contribute my thoughts and analysis. But you know what? The past few days have more or less pushed me beyond the precipice of temptation. I've reached critical mass, I've got some stuff I need to share, and… There is no and. Just a request for interested parties to listen.

The first order of business in this revival of the "B-Side" has to do with the delay of Grand Theft Auto IV into "Q2" 2008. I think I speak for a lot of people, and the gamer in me, when I say this sucks. Oddly enough, the rational side of me tells a different story. It realizes that we really haven't seen much of the game. Usually with an upcoming GTA, we have months and months of screen shots, trailers and impressions. With IV, so far, we've had two trailers and maybe 15 screens. Something didn't smell quite right with its release looming mere months away. Taking that into account, this delay does not come as a surprise. And you know, I guess on the bright side, all of the really cool games coming out in the fall will no longer be overshadowed by it. Why do I think that its release would have overshadowed a lot of great games? Well, because I see GTAIV as being the first dramatic evolution in the series since GTAIII. While Vice City and San Andreas both had their merits and both did their "thing" equally as well, they didn't feel as earth-shattering as III did. IV, on the other hand, reeks of evolution. It oozes advancement. The game is going to be incredible. And as much as this may take away from my credibility as a critic on the series, this will be the first GTA game I buy. I've got my uber edition reserved because I love swag. 

Moving right along…

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That is, getting “banned” from a video game message board I frequent. By my count, I’ve spent a collective two months of the past six banned for making derogatory comments about the PlayStation 3, its lineup, and the douchebags who think it’s the best thing since sliced bread. It seems like the mods on the board have absolutely no sense of humor, just plain don’t like me, or perhaps a bit of both. What was my latest offense? Saying I hope Namco officially announces an Xbox 360 version of the upcoming Tekken 6. The reality is my hopes aren’t all that out of line, as Soul Calibur’s finest entry was a multiplatform release, and the most recent Ridge Racer was on the Xbox 360 first; the PS3 only got a director’s cut of the exact same game. The fact is, PS3 exclusive games have diminishing returns written all over them, because the PS3 is on its way to becoming an overpriced flop like the Panasonic 3DO; only difference is the 3DO didn’t have as much hype or a successful predecessor.

Virtua Fighter 5 was PS3 exclusive until a 360 version was announced. Even though Konami won’t admit it, I smell a 360 release on the horizon for Metal Gear Solid 4. Oh, and remember the PS3’s crown jewel of its hype crown, Assassin’s Creed? Yeah, on it’s way to 360 as well, in much better form I hear. Mark my words, whichever mod brought down the hammer will be eating crow when Tekken 6 on the 360 gets announced. Until that time, I fold four of my fingers and raise the one in the middle, widely grinning, knowing in about two weeks, I’ll be back in the saddle.

When I wasn’t taking time out of my busy day to piss off fanboys, I’ve been spending quality time with Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin on the Nintendo DS. After logging an obscene amount of time and spewing forth a grab-bag of curse words, I wrapped up the regular story mode of the game. Though it seems that a lot of the reviewers have been a little harsh on the game — Jeremy Parish, I see you — I have to say I enjoyed the game as much as Dawn of Sorrow. Though its charms are different, they’re equally as plentiful; especially some of the unlockable bonuses completing the game brings to the table.

I’ve also been continuing my quest in Twilight Princess on the Wii, which I’m roughly at 23 hours of play, and on a pretty tricky dungeon. While the game did get off to a slow — dare I say snail pace of a — start, business has picked up, and the game is quickly clawing its way to the top of my favorite Zelda games. It’s got a tall order to topple A Link to the Past, but sometimes there are games that are just too classic and transcend so many barriers that it’s not possible for their status to ever be tarnished. That won’t stop me from enjoying Twilight though, not by a long shot.

Sometime I plan to spend quality time with Gears of War, but it seems like I almost have to ask permission to use the television to play my games. The reason? My fiance is obsessed with The Sims 2, which she snagged for the PlayStation 2. I’ve watched her play a few hours of the game, and I’m not seeing the charm of what’s basically a virtual Barbie Dreamhouse.

Then again, if I understood the charm of Barbie, I’d have bigger problems… But that’s neither here nor there. Nintendogs did a good job of pushing my luck as an upstanding member of the straight male population. Of course let’s face it, everyone loves puppies.

I feel as though I should post something profound for what might be (can’t remember…) my first ever post here on the Got-Next blog, but I’m a big fan of whims; often times I live my life on ‘em. So in the spirit of that, I’m going to tell you something: Gears of War makes me feel like a bad-ass. Not your average bad-ass, but a Steroid-injected hardened bad-ass with a pocket full of shells and a handful of grenades. I knew the game was good, but I had no clue just how good until last night.

My first session (of many) playing Gears involved me and my best friend trying out the two-player co-op campaign. From my initial kill to watching my friend use his gun-mounted chainsaw to carve a Locust like a turkey, everything about it impressed me. Dare I say a game hasn’t impressed me in the malevolent way that Gears does since God of War. Everything about this game just exudes awesomeness, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a douchebag or a PS3 fanboy; though I suppose the latter has a touch of douchebag in ‘em by default. While some will argue that the 360 has had several killer apps that warrant buying a console — Oblivion and Call of Duty 2 are both candidates — Gears of War doesn’t just suggest that you should get a 360. It compels you to buy one, because, well, it just kicks ass.

And PS3 fan bashing aside, did I mention how awesome the game is? I love it, and at this very moment while I wait for five o’clock to roll around and the work day to end, I’m already contemplating the joy to be derived in my next round of Gears. It’s almost like waiting for Christmas day.

Not to be outdone, my Wii also got some evening playtime last night as I continued my quest in the Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess. I’d rather not have people cry “spoilers!” and point the finger at me, so I will just say that I’m at the part in the game where I’ve finally gotten the Master Sword; that carries its own air of bad-ass, in and of itself. As someone who didn’t care for The Ocarina of Time — I would say hated but I can’t hate a Zelda game — I’m pleasantly surprised at TP in general and the direction of its narration and story. I was almost certain I was going to hate the non-human segments (hey, we all know about the wolf angle by now), but I actually found that I enjoy those. Color me surprised.

A friend of mine likes to say that Nintendo copied Okami with the whole wolf angle, but you know what, he’s one of those friends who’s notorious for being an opinionated dick, so I pay him no mind.

Well anyway, I’ve been ranting and rambling and totally lost track of the time. Looks like the ol’ lunch break is winding down, so I should get back to work. It’s what they pay me for, after all. So until then, I bid you all adieu.