The Doctor’s Weekly Prescription

During this time of year we see a lull in game releases and gaming stories. E3 has come and gone and most major releases are waiting to come out during the holiday season. With that we as gamers search the Web, watch twitter, and listen any news we can to catch a glimpse of some new information. Outside of one cool announcement, the first trailer for Batman: Arkham City, very little happen, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened.


The Cool

As I said above Rocksteady released their first tease of Batman Arkham City. Seeing that Arkham Asylum was on the list for many Game of the Year awards in 2009 and getting a peek at the entire city makes this game a most desirable. We once again get Mark Hamill back as the chilling voice of The Joker and there is little doubt that the story will be gripping

I just hope that Rocksteady focuses on what made Arkham Asylum great and only develop a single player campaign. Nothing is worse then when a game developer tries to add a lame multiplayer to a great single player franchise. Far Cry 2 is a great example of a game that had a very good single player, but due to its horrid multiplayer received mediocre reviews.

The Lame

It was announced that Fable III would not be using Kinect at all. So what happen? I thought Peter Molyneux was all excited to showcase his “masterpiece” and take advantage of Microsoft’s latest creation. In the end I’m glad he is avoiding the potential disaster that is Kinect. We all know that Microsoft cannot make hardware. Zune, Xbox 360, and others have all had major issues in their infancy. Ol’ Pete may just be making one of the smartest decisions he could by allowing Fable III to be just a game and not Microsoft’s chance to showcase their new toy with a legit game.

The “who gives a crap”

Apparently Activision doesn’t want to feature females in their games and it seems people have an issue with this. Are we really going to question a company that produces the best selling console games and the number one game on the PC? I know it’s not right to be sexist in gaming…wait did I just say that? Gaming is one of the most sexist industries you will find.

Have you seen the females in games? Almost everyone of them have perfect proportion, wearing next to nothing and for some reason always available for a roll in the hay. My ugly ass character from Mass Effect 2 took care of business with two of the most digitally attractive females in games. How is that even possible? So keeping with the gaming world’s focus on the male fantasy Activision is going to focus on what made them successful: male characters that the “typical” male gamer can indentify with. If people want to change that...have a developer make a game with a female lead that sells.

Makes me wonder….

So Crysis 2 has been delayed until the spring. Crytek has said that will allow them to polish the game more. If the game wasn’t polished then why release a tentative date? I think the truth is that the self proclaimed “Halo Killer” may actually be afraid to go mano a mano with Halo: Reach. At first I wasn’t even impressed with Reach, but after watching the videos they have been releasing I wouldn’t want to put my foot in my mouth and get destroyed in sales.

Halo: Reach looks huge and an almost surefire hit. Crysis was a great PC game, but to take down the king on his home turf is a task most developers would pass on especially if you are trying to introduce your franchise to a whole new group. The bad new for Crytek is they are now going to compete with Gears of War 3.

Ten thoughts I had this week

1. Do people post stuff on Facebook just to be annoying? I know the messages are not directed at anyone in particular, but why do you think anyone gives a crap about whether or not you are going to workout.

2. I still don’t understand why people wear anything denim not called jeans. Denim shorts and shirts are perhaps the ugliest things any human can put on.

3. As much as I hated Leonardo Dicaprio as a teen, I have yet to see him in a bad movie. Every role he has played has been done well and the movies he is in are not only good, but a good “popcorn flick”.

4. After watching Toy Story 3 for a second time, I will be very disappointed to see them not get nominated for best picture.

5. Football has finally started!!! Thank god! I find other sports to be rather boring, but NFL and NCAA are a gift we should all embrace during the fall.

6. My power company sucks. You would think that a company that specializes in providing power in Florida would be able to keep my electric on during a heavy rain storm with very little wind.

7. So I can play as Taliban in Medal of Honor. I guess this is a big deal, but I have already played as a Communist and as a Nazi so add that the list of awful groups I have been cast as in a game.

8. My wife told me she was grabbing something to eat at Ikea…I asked if they gave her the components of the sandwich and she had to assemble it herself…

9. Out of all of the super stores Target is king.

10a. I just saw that I have a pathetic 6 followers on Twitter…please take a moment to add me to follow @CrosseyedDoc

10b. Splinter Cell is a great game…Ubisoft did themselves a disservice by sending out that god awful demo.

10c. Nothing beats Taco Tuesday…

10d. Disney is the happiest place on earth.

10e. I don't get why people are rude to the customers because they hate their job. Its not my fault your job sucks.

So in a small effort to influence the world and add some culture I will be giving some weekly recommendations…

What I am Playing: Splinter Cell: Conviction - this game a very good game. If you played the Demo and decided to pass then you are missing out.

What I am listening to: Aesop Rock: None Shall Pass

What I am watching: True Blood - Going strong on its third season this anti-Twilight vampire show just keeps getting better.

Movie you should see: The Big Lebowski - I judge anyone who hasn't seen this Coen Brothers gem. Funny, well acted and just a great movie.