Due to Kaz Hirai's recent comments about the Wii, I can't help but wonder why the need for this "rebuttal" at all? I mean, when you reach a certain status in your company does it require you to lose all common sense as well? This sort of tit for tat, elementary, school yard pissing contest is just so unnecessary. First of all simply turning around comments that your competitor already made about you is just stupid. Plain stupid and childish. He might as well just have said "I'm rubber you're glue..." blah blah blah...you know the rest. As much as I prefer Sony over Nintendo or Microsoft at this point I can't help but cringe every time some knuckle head from Sony opens their mouth. People can see through the spin, the bullshit and propaganda. We don't need to be coddled or reassured especially when that patronizing is a rephrasing from some other knuckle head spokesperson from your competition.

""We don't look at [the Wii] as being competitors. They're a different world and we operate in our world - that's kind of the way I look at things."

Bullshit, Kaz. Whether you want to admit it or not Nintendo is both your competition and Microsoft's because they are competing for the same marketshare as you are. Ergo, competitors.

As for the 360 his comments are more accurate and if you don't think so you only need look back to the original Xbox for proof. MS does not stand by its products. Which is why I will not support them. I was burned badly with the first Xbox and that is a mistake I will not make again with the 360. It disgusts me that MS dropped support for the original Xbox like it was a red-headed step-child so they could focus in on the 360 all in the name of greed. When you think about it what was the original Xbox but merely a huge BETA for the 360. All the features that the 360 is celebrated as innovating is thanks to the original Xbox introducing and all the suckers (me included) that were foolish enough to support MS in its early days and who then were promptly kicked to the curb once they announced the 360.

And this is what a lot of 360 fanboys don't understand; they fail to grasp this concept because they haven't had it happen to them yet. So they keep running their mouths and talking shit about how much Sony sucks this gen and how the PS3 is a glorified Blu-Ray player. Nevermind the fact that the PS3 has the same damn multiplatform games as the 360, and its 1st party games such as MGS4, LBP, Gran Turismo, God of War, Uncharted, KillZone, and Resistance are somehow inferior to the 360's stable of Gears of War, Fable, Mass Effect, Halo and Forza. There may be more for each console but those are the most notable titles I can think of off-hand. Seriously, though, besides Gears and Halo, what else does MS have for killer apps? Even at that there is derision amongst Xbox fanboys which franchise is better: Halo or Gears. It's comical and sad at the same time.

I could go on but that would just be redundant. The point is, Kaz, don't worry about having to defend the PS3. It is a solidly built machine. Whether or not it will last ten years has yet to be seen. That can both be a blessing and curse depending on what happens technologically in the future. But the PS2 lasted a good eight years and is still going strong. The PSX lasted a solid five years. At this point I rather trust Sony's track record than Microsoft's. At least I don't have to worry about my shit breaking or giving me a RRoD out of the blue one day.

Has to be one of my favorite actors today. I also think he is a truly underrated actor given his extraordinary range and ability. Watching his movies I am constantly amazed at his ability to fully envelope a character to the point that I forget who I'm watching. Especially in some of his more "mundane" roles like Commissioner Gordon from The Dark Knight when compared to his more eccentric role as Zorg from The Fifth Element. His most recent role is that of a Jewish rabbi in the movie The Unborn. There are a lot of actors I like and enjoy watching, but Gary Oldman is one that I can definitely say is one of my favorites.

The many faces of Gary Oldman:

Dracula (Bram Stoker's Dracula)                                                             Commissioner Gordon (The Dark Knight)

Sirius Black (Harry Potter)                                                                            Ivan Korshunov (Air Force One)
                                                       
Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (The Fifth Element)                                   Stansfield (The Professional)

So I just got back from seeing this excellent movie by the man, Clint Eastwood. If you were hesitant about seeing this movie before let me save you from expending anymore wasted  synapses firing thinking about it: Go see it. It concerns a man dealing with internal demons and trying to make amends with his past, present and future, and who finds himself quickly becoming a role model to a young neighborhood boy threatened with getting involved with a local gang. There's also a surprising amount of comedy injected throughout the otherwise serious tone. The movie is heartfelt and sincere in its message of personal sacrifice and definitely a must-see if you have any interest at all in cinema. I was going to write a review but it's too late right now and my brain isn't working that well at composing thoughts in a proper manner. In short, go see this movie.

We all know about the big name games for the upcoming year, but what about those titles that don't get as much attention? Here's my top five list of "Under the Radar" games slated for '09 which I'm interested so far. Some of them you may have heard of and others you may not; or you may have heard of them all. I don't know! So here they are in no particular order:

5. Singularity - Platforms: PS3, X360, PC - Release: 2009

Developed by Raven Software, I didn't even know about this game until last night when I read an article about it in this month's issue of Game Informer. Taking inspiration from 1950's sci-fi and the paranoia created from the Cold War between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R., Singularity's fiction is culled from the existence of a real-life element, E99, called Einsteinium and is of little to no practical interest. But set in the game's world E99 contains an unusual energy which Soviet scientists in 1950 unlocked and exploited to create machines that generated massive amounts of power and had amazing abilities. However, an ill-advised experiment had catastrophic consequences and was the cause for an explosion on the island where the experiment was taking place which has caused severe ramifications to time itself. Details about the story are scarce other than that. Not to be billed as just "another FPS" your character acquires a device called a "TMD" (or Time Manipulation Device) that allows you to manipulate time both in the present and in the past. You use this device for exploration, puzzle solving and even in combat. You also have access to a veritable stable of FPS guns such as pistols, SMGs and shotguns as the developers don't want to pigeon-hole players into just one way to play. You can easily use the TMD in tandem with your arsenal, or you can go in guns blazing; the choice is left with the player, although utilizing the TMD has its benefits such as learning more details of the backstory as well as finding ammo and health.

I could go on but needless to say the game looks promising and interesting; and that's just going off of screenshots alone.

4. Bayonetta - Platforms: PS3, X360 - Release: Fall '09

Coming from the mastermind of such titles as Okami and Devil May Cry, Hideki Kamiya's next game is definitely unique: Take a hot librarian looking chick, cover her in her own hair for clothes and have her battling evil angels in a parallel dimension. Bayonetta is a witch that can use her hair to perform magical attacks turning it into a giant fist, stiletto or even a dragon! Suddenly the ability to use guns and swords seems superfluous in this game. Again, not much is known about the story at this point but it does seem to have an interesting supernatural premise. Bayonetta spends the majority of her time in a realm that's invisible to the average person. While she is able to see people going about their daily lives, they can't see her or whomever she's fighting. However the destructive effects of her battles do leave repercussions in the real world.

3. The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena - Platforms: PS3, X360 - Release: Mar. 3rd

What's better than getting a hi-def remake of one of the better games from the first Xbox? Getting a second game for free! Because that's what AoDA basically is as it follows the events immediately after Escape from Butcher Bay. Also, the overhaul of the visuals from EfBB are not the only improvement: Enemy AI and raw mechanics have been tweaked as well including a nifty new radial weapon-selection menu and thoroughly re-worked audio. It's appearing that AoDA is going to be the definitive version to get come this March.

2. The Witcher: Rise of the White Wolf - Platforms: PS3, X360 - Release: Fall

When the The Witcher was released on the PC in 2007 it turned out to be an unlikely hit. Now console gamers will be able to get their hands on this offline RPG. "There are still a lot of gamers out there who've either never heard of the gmae of just can't play it because they don't have a gaming-capable PC," says CD Projekt senior designer Jakub Stylinski. "We want as many people as possible to experience The Witcher, and that's probably the leading factor in our decision to make Rise of the White Wolf." This console version is more than a simple port of the original version. New character animations, enemy AI, and redesigned boss fights are all in the mix. And while the team is making tweaks, the overall story and quests will remain intact. Considering the game can last anywhere from 40-100 hours depending on how deep players get into the sidequests, that should offer a substantial amount of material.

1. Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Squad - Platforms: X360 - Release: Feb. 10th

This one just sounds and looks too crazy to pass up; unfortunately it is listed only on 360 for now. Although there is a Wii version releasing on the same day which will contain a different story and gameplay. Like a B-Movie turned into a game, Squad has campy written all over it. Take scantily clad girls, give them samurai swords and unleash a horde of zombies in need of dispatching. You start out with basic attacks, but the more zombies you mutilate the more you gain experience which, in turn, leads to being able to customize your skills and abilities. And the fact that the characters are clad all in bikinis is not just for show, but actually serves a gameplay purpose as vice president Okajima Nobuyuki explains: "In order to bring out the power of the Imichi it is necessary for the girls to drench themselves in tainted zombie blood." I tell ya, those Japanese are FrEaKs! :P

Since 1Up is apparently kaput I figured I'd migrate over here. It's funny, but I've moved from GameSpot to 1Up and now here; although I knew about this place for a while I just never took the time to join. After the whole debacle at GameSpot with "Gerstmann-gate" is the final straw that broke the camel's back in my decision to move over to 1Up exclusively. Tonight, however, I find myself again "packing up" and relocating to another site in lieu of the most recent news over at 1Up that they have been taken over by some company I've never heard of before called UGO. After UGO decided to fire the majority of the editorial staff thereby making 1Up no longer the base for journalistic integrity I figured it's time to move on.

Oh well. New year new game site, I suppose.