In writing about car-tunes and games and whatnot I try to sound semi-professional (read: not completely retarded), so I’m going to take this as an opportunity to come off as a hyperactive third-grader in an undersized sandbox and just write off the top of my head.

Recently, I picked up a Japanese PS2. It took me a long time, but the reasons behind this purchase were 100% pathetically nerdy. I wanted the new Space Sheriff Spirits game because I’m completely obsessed with anything tokusatsu (Japanese special effects shows. Think Ultraman).

But that bad boy is on backorder now and I’m patiently (read: rabidly) awaiting its arrival. In the meantime, though, I ordered a copy of Chikyuu Boeigun 2 and got it in the mail today. For the unaware, this game is a budget title that’s part of the PS2’s Simple 2000 series; a series that’s already pushed out such riveting classics as Zombie Vs. Ambulance (yes, I ordered that too. More on that when it arrives).

Make no mistake, this game is a STEAL at its budget price. Exciting 1-2 player kaiju-killing action that doesn’t quit fills the disc, and so far I’m having an absolute blast. The first couple of levels have you blowing away giant ants in London and beyond. After that it’s UFOs, huge War of the Worlds-style pods, massive jumping tarantulas and more.

Your basic arsenal consists of an automatic and a bazooka, but there are also vehicles you can hop in. I don’t want to go on and on about the details because in that case I may as well be reviewing it right now (that can wait, right?). I just have to jump in and exclaim what a good time I’m having with this cheapo game. I can’t wait to bust out some co-op and versus tomorrow with one of my friends.

Chikyuu Boeigun 2 is the ding-dong bee’s knees, y’all.

I’ll admit it – many years ago I was hooked (HOOKED!) on a PC game called Panzer General. I’m sure most, if not all, of you have never heard of it (it was circa 1992 after all), but it combined my obsessive fascination with the European campaign of World War II with a nifty turn-based strategy mechanic. I never was much for these kinds of games, but PG just did it right.

15 years later or so, I popped in my brand new copy of Field Commander into the PSP on the train ride this morning, and was immediately reminded those days sitting in front of my PC at 3 AM figuring out just how I was going to destroy that blasted tank unit that was tearing apart my poor infantry.

I know that Field Commander is something just short of a blatant rip-off of Advance Wars, but I am OK with that. Why? Well, for one reason, I don’t have a DS yet (at least until the Lite comes out). Secondly, I am just glad to have a new PSP game that looks like it will be moderately interesting and is not a direct port of some PS2 racing or action game.

Is it good? I have no idea. But it is promising. I have a feeling I’ll be spending more time with it than my 360 this week. I wonder if it will make its way out between sets of the opening act and Pearl Jam tomorrow night. Probably not (my friends will never forget it), but you never know…

Took me awhile to figure out how to get the darn thing working, but now comments can be made by anyone — regardless if they’re a registered member. This means those of you who’ve been lurking and regularly following the various posts from existing GotSpace members can interact.

Simply provide your name and a valide email address, then post away.

So feel to comment — we’d love to hear from you!

No, I’m not talking about that classic Dreamcast marketing… I’m referring to the Xbox 360.

I recently became privvy to 360voice, an exclusive feature offered to 360 users. This goes a bit beyond the usual convention of blogging, simply because well, there isn’t an actual human author behind each of the posts. In essence, the 360 creates posts based upon your online behaviors. If you’re gaming, it will make an entry and if you’re on some sort of hiatus — believe it or not, entries will be made about your absence too. It’s nothing short of awesome and if you’re an actual 360 user, then you really should try it out.

Here’s mine. Seems that my system wasn’t too thrilled that I’ve been out of the loop over the past few weeks.

Posted on the 11th, during E3 week
“definit would tell you I am a patient Xbox 360… little does he know… I have a bit of a temper if I am neglected.”

and

Posted on May 12…while I was still at E3.
definit didn’t play any games yesterday… big loser…

LOL. Perhaps I should go play it before I come to find that it’s gone in search of a new owner? :p

On a side note, I’ve been thinking about something that may ultimately become a problem down the line. If this place picks up and different authors get their own category… what will happen if say everyone on our forums were to register. 585+ categories for each user would be kind of messy… perhaps I should just consolidate to the Community now? In place of that, I was thinking of eventually setting up categories for users to write things for like game news, home/video, comics, etc. In effect, that would be a lot easier don’t you think? Any feedback would be appreciate.

Edit: Just updated the poll on the right — by now, I figure a number of ppl have seen X-men: The Last Stand. Cast your vote!

I’ve been reading the few blogs about gaming and its negative stance in our culture and I’m not really sure what the answer is. I mean, as one of the youngest in my department and working in academics, I get a lot of co-workers with kids who are pretty much against videogames, or they are ambivalent towards them, thinking that there is no positive advantage to playing them.

And then I started thinking, if I had never played a videogame, would I be different? I can’t say that I would. My hand-eye co-ordination is better, my skills at hooking up electronics are better, but what else has playing videogames gotten me? BUT what else has watching TV gotten me? And what about movies and books? I’m going to say something that will most likely get a lot of angry responses, but I’m ok with that.

I have never been changed by playing a videogame. I have been changed by reading books and watching movies. Even TV has the ability to provide historical information, helpful home tips, science information, etc. Sure the O.C. is no better than playing Resident Evil 4. But what about a show on physics, or giving birth, or I dunno, making great macaroni.

And sure reading the latest romance book by Nora Roberts isn’t any better than sitting down with a little Mario Kart. But what about reading Plato, or another historical work, or take your pick. And movies: sure watching X3 is no better than playing the game version, but what about those movies that really change the way you think about life, most recently for me it was Ikiru, Kurosawa’s amazing piece. I’ve felt the same from other films, ones that really challenge us and make us dig deep within ourselves.

We just haven’t seen that depth in videogames yet. Not from Kojima, or any of the hundreds of RPGs I’ve played. Not from Shadow of the Colossus either. But why do they have to fight with these other mediums? That’s the question I want to ask. Videogames are interactive. They give us a level of control unfound in other mediums. In that viewpoint, there is no medium that can compete with videogames. And rightly so. And just because I said I haven’t been challenged enough yet in videogames (and I don’t mean difficulty when I say challenged) doesn’t mean we won’t ever get to there. My point is that videogames need to stop trying to compete with these other mediums and simply form their own path.

I can’t wait for the time when a game will truly give us control. Where we will have the choice whether key characters live or die, based on the decisions we make. Where life inside a videogame will be as confusing, sad, hopeful, profound as it is in real life. Imagine a game with no real beginning and end, but rather an experience that changes as we change. What about a game with no reset. No second chance. One that will truly make us question ourselves. Think of the possibilities. Imagine being put in the situation where your family is kidnapped and it could go anyway. And the story and atmosphere is so well done that you feel it, even though it is just a game. You get to know your kids, your wife (or husband), you get sucked in to the point that you do not want them to die and you have only one chance to keep them alive.

Apply this idea to a number of situations and I think we will see interactive games that really have the depth we are looking for. And though dating sims have been hot for years in Japan, I’m thinking we can do much better. What about the chance to develop real relationships that take us through the course of life. Do we dare even touch this topic with games? Why not.

Why not have each player’s experience with a game be different? Where who you meet and what you do is based on the world around you and the decisions you make, hmmm…sounds just like real life doesn’t it? Except that normal people can step away from themselves and try different things. To understand what it is like to live a different life. You can rob a bank, or run a seedy organization, or cheat on your significant other, or save the world, or whatever. And you would feel the consequences of all this.

This is a chance for us to really use our minds and our hearts. And if we can do that, we can easily surpass the static medium of movies, TV, and books. Right now, gaming is just gaming. Some hate it, some don’t even think about it, but very few give it any sort of validity. But remember, gaming is young. It’s just a baby right now. Give it some time. The best way to quiet the naysayers is to make them gamers too. Or we could just keep offering entertainment. Stuff that is fun, but isn’t ever going to change our lives. We need that too of course, but some of us want more. I think the world wants more from gaming too.