[WARNING: Excessive use of bad language and violence against common household items] Anyone who has had a taste of online gaming will know that there are some seriously strange people out there. Join any American game however and you will usually be treated to an absolute barrage of high-pitched, whiny, disrespectful little monsters who do nothing but scream and shout about how they are going to own you and how everytime you owned them was only because of lag, luck or a whatever else they can think of. I have posted a video after the jump that is not what I would call "office friendly" as it involves a young american kid who has possibly the worst anger management problem that I have ever seen and his language will not impress your boss, so you have been warned. It really got me wondering about these kids, at the risk of sounding like all of our parents I ask: What has happened to the kids of today? ...The guy above might seem a little familiar to you, it's because there was a previous video up a while back of him playing Halo 3.... Games are supposed to be about having fun but it seems that so many people have just gotten so obsessed with proving their amazing skills that the concept of gaming for fun seems to be lost altogether. It's a sad day to see a young person having such an incredibly bad time with a game when we all know that we should all be relaxing and enjoying it.... He spills coke, further breaks his headset, cracks his Halo 3 poster and in what must be the most amazing moment of self-pwnage, actually manages to get the microphone of his headset shoved halfway down his throat (See it to believe it - 5min 18 secs in).... I myself have been having some frustration problems with control schemes and online issues with some of the more recent games but to take it out like these guys do is utterly ridiculous.... This sort of play is getting out of hand to the point that there are a few games that I have at the moment that I am playing online with public international matches because I am so tired of the guys who want nothing but to win, that I would rather suffer with a second of lag and play with a bunch of Japanese folks who just want to have some fun. It really does make a statement that I would rather play with people that I don't understand, with a second of lag, rather than have to sit through round after round of players who only use cheap tactics, camping and assorted other methods so that they can top the scoreboards. Thanks to all of those people, I just stopped playing a lot of the games that I really enjoyed and have now resorted to only playing with close friends that I know I can relax with.... It means that if I want to play online with random people, I don't get to choose between the hardcore no-fun bunch or the relaxed games just trying to have some fun. So the next time you are playing a game and being a douche-bag, try to remember that it's all about having fun. If your concept of fun is sitting in a corner surrounded by trip mines, up a hill with a sniper rifle and every sort of cheap trick you can think of to get to the top of the scoreboards, then you need to have a slap sent your way because nobody likes it and no one will go to be thinking about how cool you are.

If you have a PSP, but missed out on Loco Roco, then you really missed out on something quite special. If you have a PSP and didn't play it because you thought your friends would snicker at you, then you really should be ashamed of yourself. Loco Roco is fun, happy and interesting to say the least and the sequel is nearly here. You can't watch this video and tell me that it doesn't look like its going to be a ton of fun and a bag of laughs.

The issue that we all face is that with game prices being what they are, not everyone can afford to splash out on every game that interests them and in many cases, gamers and consumers in general are left to the opinions and impressions of a game reviewer to let them know whether or not a title will be worth their hard earned money.... As a game reviewer, albeit one that is fairly new to the game, I understand that I have a responsibility to our readers to give them a fair and truthful impression of my experience with a game. Even though experiences will change from person to person, we still have the ability to explain the games' positive and negative sides and give the reader a good idea of what he will be getting himself into if he decides to purchase that game. While all the above is required for a game reviewer to do a decent job, there is one thing that reviewers seemed to have forgotten, an important element that makes up the very reason that we play games in the first place: Fun.... Is it because the gaming industry has grown so much, adding more pressure to reviewers as they realise that their words are being read by more and more people everyday?... More importantly, most gamers actually get the time to fully experience the games that they play as opposed to being hammered with a ridiculous deadline that destroys any chance of allowing the reviewer to actually enjoy it to it's fullest. We also need to ask how important any technical aspects of a game are and whether or not they give us sufficient reason to recommend or condemn a game. Now we all know about the age old debate of how important graphics are to a game but I am speaking about something completely different.... While I would never defend a company that has not done a great job of ensuring a flawless experience, one must wonder whether or not a few minor issues are enough to completely shoot down a game, especially if the game is still a whole lot of fun. One has to wonder if some of the seasoned reviewers out there have actually fallen so deep down into the business side of the gaming industry that their views have become jaded. If you take the new Lucasarts effort, The Force Unleashed, you will see that many reviewers have claimed that the gameplay is no fun and that the force powers don't feel as fun as they should. Back in the real world, I have now had the chance to speak to a couple of everyday gamers who have been playing through the game and to tell you the truth, I have yet to meet anyone who hasn't told me that they are having a nothing but a great heap of fun with the game and the force powers.... Reading through many of the review summaries on Metacritic, I have to wonder what reviewers are so scared of lately.... What I am seeing lately is that I will read through two dozen review summaries that all leave me with a positive outlook on the game.... EGM and 1UP have now switched to a letter grading system (A+, C- etc.) because they feel it gives a better indication of the games' worth and also puts it into a grading system that many of us can relate to.