Two years ago, I presented my 50-something year old mother with a brand new Xbox 360 Pro. At first, she didn't know what the hell to do with it. The controller was too complicated and she was convinced that she'd never be able to play a single game on it. 

A few days ago Gamercenteronline reported the following (fake) quote from a supposed employee of Infinity Ward:

“Modern Warfare 2 is set to release early this November, and will be on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. The Playstation 3 is our leading platform for Modern Warfare 2. The PS3 version will run smoother and have slightly better visuals than the PC and 360 version. We’ve been working on Modern Warfare 2 ever since we released Call of Duty 4 back in 2007. We would like to thank everyone who is still with the Call of Duty 4 community. We will be releasing more information throughout the coming months, so be patient.”

Are you fucking kidding me? What developer chooses the PS3 as the "lead platform" for cross-platform games? I can't believe that someone would fall for this, let alone publish it on a news site.  They've now posted an update to the story confirming that it was fake.. they were fooled. I feel bad for all the desperate PS3 fan boys who jumped all over this great news thinking their system was finally getting some love. Major fail.

I won't blow sunshine up anyone's ass. My favorite console of this generation is, hands down, the Xbox 360. And this is coming from someone who adored the PS2 and ran out immediately to buy a 60GB PS3 when it launched. 

The 360 ruled 2006, 2007, and 2008. But the more I look at what's coming in 2009, the more I am beginning to realize that there's nothing exclusive to Microsoft's system that appeals to me this year. Now that publishers are finally starting to move away from the whole timed-exclusive deal, is there  a reason to purchase a single-player game on the 360 instead of the PS3? For me, it's a controller preference as much as a social experience. Multi-player games have always been better for me on the Xbox, and the controller just feels better in my hands. 

So, what's there to look forward to this year, Xbox? We can't count Mass Effect 2, since that's been pushed to 2010.  No Too Human 2 (much to my disappointment), and no Fable 3 or anything. So what do we have? Ninja Blade? Barf. Another Halo 3 spinoff? Yawn.  Please, Microsoft, tell me you have something up your sleeve this year!

Let's get one thing straight. People who create rape simulation games are sick, sick bastards. And the people who buy them?  Possibly just as sick. Get a hobby. One that doesn't involve deviant and harmful behavior.

I recently had the joy of flying from Los Angeles to Baltimore. Aside from the cold ass weather, it was a pleasant enough trip.

At the airport, however, I came across this sign. That sure looks like an Xbox 360, doesn't it? Where's the Wii? PlayStation 3? PSP, even? It seems that in the land of air travel, when you're talking about a video game console, you must be talking about the Xbox 360.  It makes perfect sense when you think about it; after all, the 360 is the top selling console, right? Nope. But it's apparently the most recognizable. 

R.I.P., PSP. Move over for the new king of mobile consoles, the Apple iPhone. Forget the DS - if you want a huge library, variety, and indy games, the iPhone is the way to go. Did I mention that it blows the PSP out of the water?

Surprised that you can get gaming news over at MSNBC?  Remember that MSNBC is partly owned by Microsoft - the fearless leader of our favorite current-gen consoles. A couple of months ago, MSNBC composed a list of the top 5 most anticipated games of this year. Let's see what they came up with.

We think we have numerous choices when it comes to game reviews and news.  But if you've ever taken a look at the source of that news, you may be in for quite a surprise. I'm going to break down a few of the better-known "news" sites out there and let's see where the money trail ends up.

Often, the tutorials in video games focus on the how, forgoing any discussion of the why, a more than necessary component when learning an ability. In fact, how we do things in games has become more or less standard across nearly every genre of game we play. I can’t think of a shooter worth more than the package it’s printed on, released within the last five years, that didn’t use the Left Stick to move, the Right Stick to look/aim and the right trigger to shoot. Mostly, when we booting up a game for the first time, the only things we really need to be taught how to do are the minor actions unique to the game. Even without a tutorial stage, most games could be understood at a base level through simple experimentation by even the most novice of players.