finalkross

I have to disagree about the lack of coverage. This game is getting a lot of deserved hype. I got to play it at E3 and am currently writing a preview for it on for the site I write for. The Scribblenauts love is strong and is not going to die.

Last night a Staff Writer for a gaming site I freelance for asked if I was planning on attending E3 this year. That e-mail followed a few hours later with a request that I go. Now I am put into a tough situation and looking for advice.

Before the e-mails, I had no intention on going nor did I even think about it. I was already asked by the site to cover two other events this year (GDC Canada and PAX) so going to E3 was never a thought considering the staff writers were already planning on going. Now that it seems that I am needed in LA, I am really contemplating taking the flight down to attend the event. There are just a few problems with this. First off, I would have to pay my own flight to LA. A flight from YVR (Vancouver) to LAX would set me back around 500 dollars plus a hotel room for a few days. Second, I would have to take time off my regular full-time job to do this. While I have plenty of vacation days available, I was trying to save them for a trip either to Brazil, Spain or Sweden later this year. I know I would only take 3-4 days off work, but considering my plans for a longer trip, I would need those days. Lastly, this wouldn't be really a vacation as I would be working twice as much as I already do. From all the 'horror' stories of the hectic schedule at E3, it's like working 18 hour days.

But at the same time, I see this as a great opportunity for me to interact with others in the press and the industry; making contacts and getting my name out there. I think that alone is worth everything, but I am still bogged down by the other issues. I have time from now until June to save up for the flight and my expenses; I am even trying to see if Freelance Business trips are tax deductible. The fact that I also get to see and possibly sample some of the biggest titles for the rest of the year and for 2010 is another factor that cannot be ignored.

The largest hurdle seems to be hotel accomodations. At this moment, I think finding a hotel in LA for the event might be difficult. I am going to see how much a hotel room would cost for those few days. In fact, I am going to see if any of my buddies from Vancouver want to tag along to LA for those days. They wouldn't be able to attend E3, unless I managed to 'sneak' them in, but they could use the time to sight see. I've been to LA before, so this wouldn't be a huge thing for me to do again. Again, the cost would be a problem for them.

I need to make a decision before tomorrow evening. I have already registered myself with the ESA, I just need to have the site e-mail them my credentials to prove that I do in fact work with them. I am very much leaning towards going but I do have my reservations. If you were given the opportunity to attend the largest event in the industry, would you do it? Any advice or tips about this would be much appreciated.

GameRadar is also saying the Mercenaries mode is not online - that's two sites. Wait until the game is out before you attack them...if you're correct on Friday, then you can attack them.

I along with a few others that I know are Trophy Addicts, but we haven't had the opportunity to show them off. Sony is finally giving us that ability starting tomorrow with the introduction of Online Trophy Profiles.

Yes, this is clearly a late thing and something that Xbox has been doing really well for a long time (day one) but I am glad that Sony has finally caught up with that ability. I am anxious to post my Level 6 Trophy Status and be able to easily compare my collection with my friends.

Head over to the PlayStation Blog to see further details!

I would say the opposite. Don't listen to negative feedback unless it's from a credible source (ie. Editors or Trained professionals). Fanboys who will attack your views should not influence your future decisions and writings. If you really want to experience the best of reviewing, ask to review a game with little or no background knowledge of it. You experience the game with fresh eyes and your score is coming straight from the heart.

I really hope these pictures do end up being used as proof that Gamers are out of shape - it would really solidify the stereotype!

Hey, if Fanboys didn't exist, Soapbox's like Adam Sessler's wouldn't exist and the job of a journalist would be boring. It's the joys of society.

What I really like is that Killzone 2 will push publishers both on the 360, PS3 and PC to push the limits with their next release. The industry needs games like this if they hope to make money.

Nice ideas but one 'problem' with remakes is that they rarely bring back the same memories or as effective as they were when the first came out. Earthworm Jim would be a good game to bring back, but unless they did something unique for HD gaming, it wouldn't be a seller. What really scares me is that most 'remakes' on your list would actually be better suited to be remade for portable consoles rather than for the PS3 or 360. I would love a FFVII remake on the PSP since it would complement Crisis Core. Road Rash would be a good game to instead of remaking, just releasing a sequel for next gen. If you just want a remake, again, portable is the way to go.

I was in Japan back in December and I noticed that there is a significant different in gaming culture from Japan and the West. Japan is consumed with Portable and Arcade gaming while in North America, it's all about playing in the comfort of your own home.

Most people, in Tokyo specifically, people spend more time out of the house so development companies are focusing their resources on portable games that can be enjoyed while you travel the 1-2 to and from work/school. Arcades are popular because they are everywhere, games can easily be played alone or with friends and again, since people are away from homes for so much of the time, the focus on making popular games for the consoles is not #1 priority.

You can look at the numbers and you'll see it. We westerners enjoy to play at home while Japan looks at gaming as a social function. Because of that, games that are popular here (shooters) are not as popular as games over there (card based games and RPGs). We can't really say 'our ideas are better' but that tastes are just significantly different.

I think Star Ocean 4 would have been on my list, but I never played a previous one, and I believe it's only a timed-exclusive, same with The Last Remnant.

I plan on playing the Halo War Demo, but again, it will have to really impress me - I am going into that game with very low expectations.

Halo: ODST should be good multiplayer wise, but I am also looking for a good single-player game - hence why I'm slowly leaning towards actually getting Killzone 2 even though I was 'meh' with the first and the PSP version didn't interest me.

I don't know too much about Ninja Blade, might take a look

I do expect some sort of DLC to arrive on PS3 and PC for GTA IV, but I don't know if it's going to be Lost and the Damned. I did hear that RockStar are trying to set up something for those two, so it is possible, but I still look at the Lost and the Damned as being exclusive.