First off, I like colors... kind of in the same way Jeff likes boobs.  Anyway, the games I cherish the most aren't gritty or dark or gray... they are primarily bright and cheerful.  That's probably one reason why I would rather play Super Mario Galaxy over Gears of War... well, that and the shooting.  Call me crazy, but I'm not a fan of nearly all of these next-gen shooters... or many last-gen shooters, for that matter.  These drab, brownish-gray shooters didn't appeal to me before, and now that everybody is trying to copy the formula, they come off as generic and boring.  Oh yes, most shooters fall under two categories.

• Space shooter with a protagonist covered in 20 kips of armor, weapons, and other accessories... with a brown-gray color scheme.
• Military shooter set in either World War II or in some near-distant future... lacking primary colors.

Sorry, but my pun machine is in the shop.

So there was a game called The Kore Gang that was supposed to be released for the Xbox several years ago, but it was inevitably canned... but now it's being reborn on the Wii as simply Kore.  So yeah, the Wii gets Kore, but is it for the core gamer?  We'll see, but it looks neat.

Clickies

Yesterday, Gametrailers gave us another top 10 list for us to enjoy and criticize... this time, it's the top 10 hardest games ever.  Not a bad list overall, really... I do own 3 of them and agree with those picks.  It seems I like challenging games, but I haven't mastered any of those games I own.  And for spoilers, Battletoads is numero uno on this list.

Have fun picking apart the flaws in this list.

Seriously, what's with all these great, little games recently?  It seems like everybody is getting on the XBLA bus, or PSN bandwagon... or the WiiWare... er, parade.  Believe me when I say this, there hasn't been a better time to buy great, affordable games than right now.  Seriously, here's what came out in the past 3 weeks for the uninformed.

• Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
• PixelJunk Eden
• Braid
• Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner
• Bionic Commando Rearmed

In recent years, one game has normally kicked off the beginning of the start of the gaming season... and recently, it's a game with a lot of football and even more John Madden.  Yes, with the release of Madden NFL 09, that means many of those games we've been hyping about for the past year or 10 are finally around the corner.

I really, really hope Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have learned a lot this generation about hard drive storage, or in Nintendo's case, what happens when you don't do shit.  Sure, there are some out there with their fancy 360 Elites and PS3s with their external 500 GB HDDs, but for the most part, we got screwed.  Some people are stuck with inferior 360 Core systems and 20 GB PS3s... and the Wii, oh the Wii!  It took me less than a year to fill up the puny 512 MB flash drive.  So, what to do?  Well, we can't do much for now, but what can they do next go-around?  Well, I'll go through that with you now.

Nintendo, hello there.  Let me first say that I like what you're doing with the Wii overall.  The motion-sensing and the brilliant 1st party games?  Magnifique!  However, you guys boned it big time with your little flash drive.  512 MB?  Geez, you could've splurged for a 2 GB if you were going that route... I'd spend an extra few bucks for it.  All I need it for is about 100 Virtual Console games and about 20 WiiWare games, and that's over the course of the Wii's lifespan.  However, all is not lost yet... those SD cards can come in handy and if you allow us to play off of those, that will help.  There is those USB ports in the back, too.  Release a Nintendo brand USB flash drive and your problems might be solved.  I'm going to need at least 8 GBs of storage in order to be happy.

Microsoft, what's up?  Let me first say that I like the direction you're taking, going all hardcore and shit.  I do like what you've contributed to online gaming.  However, you sort of messed up with the Core, Arcade, and Premium models.  Yeah, yeah, I know nobody gives a shit about the Core or Arcade SKUs, but people own them and I'm sure they're not fond of those tiny memory units.  I would've had one SKU, the Elite... that's it.  And if there had to be another SKU, I would've upped the 20 GB Premium to a 60 GB at launch.  I think 60 GBs would be sufficient for everyone.

Sony, yo!  Let me first say that I like... uh... I like the PS2 and how you virtually monopolized the console market last generation.  However, you royally screwed up this generation with your Blu-ray.  Sure, every PS3 has a HDD and they come in a range of sizes, but you didn't think about the mandatory installations, did you?  You can fill up a 20 GB PS3 rather quickly if you decide to buy Devil May Cry 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV, you're almost up shit creek.  I applaud your external HDD support and that helps, but I think you could've scrapped the Blu-ray which seems to be the cause of the problem.  However, since you had to push Blu-ray, I think you could've complemented that with a 200 GB HDD right out of the box to please everyone.

So it's pretty much too late for many, but what to do when the Wii 2, Xbox 720, and PS4 launch?  I think hard drives will be mandatory next time, and must be at least 250 GB or larger... preferably of the solid-state variety if the price allows it.  I also think disc speeds must be faster... since I think Blu-ray will likely be the standard, I think we should see 8x Blu-ray disc speeds next time.  Nintendo has to learn that hard drives are necessary, period.

Now if you excuse me, I've gotta cry over the fact that I had to erase Paper Mario to make room for Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Episode 1: Homestar Ruiner!  That's SBCGfAPE1: HR for short.

We all like our badminton, rhythmic gymnastics, and water polo... but I think the IOC can approve Man Darts for the 2012 Olympic Games.  The people of London would certainly enjoy it.

Like many SimCity fans, I've been very disappointed in the direction EA is taking the series.  Games like SimCity Societies and SimCity Creator have no place in the franchise, but while EA fiddles around with the SimCity franchise, I'm looking to the future... and the future is CITIES XL.

If you don't believe me, just see it for yourself.

Linky dink

Strong Bad is coming next week... and may I say, a jorb well done.

Rumors are flying around the internet about Nintendo and their future console originally dubbed "Wii 2."  Nintendo did confirm they are working on the Wii's successor, but you don't have to be Captain Obvious to know Nintendo is working tirelessly on the next big thing.  Whether they'll scrap the Wii next year like Michael Pachter is predicting... or drag out the Wii's lifespan until it runs out of gas remains to be seen.  The good news is that Nintendo is pushing ahead with a new platform in the future.  However, this raises some questions about what Nintendo will do next?  Will Nintendo add more emphasis on graphics to the delight of hardcore gamers who are spoiled with their HD rigs?  Will motion-sensing return and if so, what enhancements will be made?  Will Nintendo remained focused on the casual market or will they start to appease the core gamers?

• The year 2012 will be huge as Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all release their next-gen consoles around the same time... I'm going to say October for the hell of it.  This will mean the Xbox 360 will surely be dead by 2013, the PS3 by 2014, and the Wii by 2016.  Yes, I think the Wii will be the only console with a 10-year life cycle despite being weak in hardware.  I mean, there are still PS2 games in the works so that doesn't sound that far-fetched.  This is the part where you call me a crackpot.
• The Wii 2 will not be the least powerful of the next-gen consoles... most likely the hypothetical PlayStation 4 will be weaker as Sony goes back to the PS2 strategy... or perhaps experiment with a "2 PS3s duct taped together" strategy.  Nintendo does realize there is a backlash from HD fanboys and by 2012, HD will be a necessity.  I'm expecting all 3 to boost their consoles up to 1280p at the least, and Microsoft might push 1600p.
• Nintendo and Microsoft will dabble in alternative storage.  Sony has their Blu-ray discs and large hard drives, but Nintendo and Microsoft might have to improvise.  I believe Microsoft will go full "Steam" ahead (more punnage) with digital distribution and Nintendo, in a stunning move, will do the same.  I told you I was a crackpot.
• Microsoft will have a motion-sensing controller right out of the box... same with Nintendo, obviously.  Sony, on the other hand, will go the traditional approach yet again after the SIXAXIS failed to make an impact.
• Backwards compatibility will be a priority, but there will be SKUs that will take out that little feature.  The Wii 2 will play Wii and Gamecube games, the "Xbox 720" will play any Xbox game, 360 or not, and the PS4 will at the least play PS3 games, and PS2 games for some SKUs.
• Finally, one of the 3 console makers will pull a SEGA and drop out of the hardware race midway through the generation... my money is on Microsoft as they might shift towards PC gaming.