The title of this article isn’t an ad for the latest edition of Chris Hansen’s “To Catch a Predator”, instead it’s asking the question about when a game is correct for kids. For the past several years I’ve seen friends and relatives choosing games for their kids. Typically I give no opinion because I think it’s an individual’s choice. My one friend’s 9 year old was allowed to play Godfather 2 and everything in the Grand Theft Auto Series. I disagreed with their decisions but also recognize that a lot of people are going to disagree with mine.

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I would like to evict Activision, specifically Bobby Kotick, for the way they have been treating their developers and IPs the past few years.  The latest debacle involving Infinity Ward is just the final straw that breaks the camels back.

These developers made Activision hordes of cash and the only thanks they get is to make the same game over and over again or else.  Let’s list some of Kotick’s mistakes…..

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UPDATE:  The problem seems to be resolved by the passing of time and not Sony’s technical expertise.

If you own a pre-slim PS3, do not turn it on as there seems to be a bug with the calendar of it’s OS.  It will set it to some random past date and you will not be able to log into PSN, be able to play some games, and your trophies will not sync up.  Sony is aware of the issue and is working towards a resolution.

If you have a slim PS3, you’re good to go.

I was always into small independent stores. I didn’t like Starbucks, I liked South Street Coffee. I didn’t like Borders, I liked Marlow Books. Those of you not in Philly don’t recognize two of those stores because they never grew into chains and the chains eventually killed them. The independents had atmosphere and personality that Borders and Starbucks fake. Over the years I’ve grown to enjoy Borders and Starbucks because that’s all that’s left. But it’s not what I want. I want something more personal and less corporate. I want to support the small business that appreciates it.

Now I have a crisis because Game Zombie opened up 5 minutes from my house. What’s Game Zombie? A cool little store that sells everything game related. They have Dreamcasts and Atari’s in stock. They get new releases on Day 1 but have a huge selection of old games. They do free polishing of scratched disks. They have a game club where kids come in and play after school. They also have a Wednesday night movie showing where people go and watch zombie flicks on their large TV. All in all it’s what I’ve always wanted in a game store. They’re local, personable and seem to have an appreciation for the customer.

But there’s one thing they don’t have, one thing I love, pre-order bonuses. Forget the gold lancer, I’ve never cared about the gold lancers of the world. But I do love Juggernaut in Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2. I do love extra-outfits for Kratos and sackboy (it reminds me of playing with my Barbies growin…nevermind, TMI). I like the guns that you can only get during pre-order (Blackhole gun in Mass Effect 2 ROCKS). So much fun stuff just by putting down my $5 early. And it’s all so pretty and shiny.

And until now I’ve fallen into that trap. I go into Gamestop and I drop down my cash and a few weeks later I walk out with my added toy. But no longer. GameZombie has given me an independent option and I’m going to start taking it. As long as they continue to offer their great services I’m going to give up on all the corporate pre-order stuff and support my local game store.

First, let me apologize up front if I’m crossing any boundaries set by this site’s owners and moderators. Writing for GHR is a privilege that I take seriously–especially with regard to content allowed on this community blog. This blog post is religious in nature, with regard to me and a game I had been playing. My intent is to simply share an experience that occurred to me tonight–nothing more. With this in mind, I invite you to click the jump.

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For FREEEEEEE?

After a few weeks of patient waiting, THQ announced today that the code included in new retail copies of Darksiders will allow you to get a free ($5 shipping) copy of Red Faction: Guerrilla!  Awesome news, and even more reason to go out and buy Darksiders.  Both are great games.  Check out my review of Darksiders if you’re curious.

Offer ends March 7th, and is only good in the U.S.

A lot of game release announcements were made at Microsoft’s X10 event yesterday, (1Up has all the info lined up on their face page) but the “shocker” of sorts was the announcement of the Final Fantasy XIII 360 bundle for North America.

In 1Up’s update write-up of the announcement, here’s what you’re going to get for your $400 bucks (okay, $399.99):

2 wireless controllers
250 gig HD with the Final Fantasy logo etched in
Standard edition of the game
“Exclusive” avatar items

Now, I’m no RPG fan, but I do understand 2 things about this franchise: 1) What a heavy hitter this game is worldwide, and 2) For many years, Final Fantasy titles have been synonomous with Playstation hardware. Much like GTA 3 was an influencing factor for me to get a PS2, those that remember Square’s Final Fantasy games on Nintendo made the jump to the Playstation brand to continue to enjoy a series of games that have gone on to become legendary as industry standard setters in the RPG genre.

I’m no industry insider, but this Microsoft “coup-de-bundle” is the JRPG equivalent of hearing that there will be a Gears of War 3 bundle for Playstation. Not every gamer has jumped onboard for this gen, and I would guess that more than just a few are waiting for Final Fantasy XIII before jumping in. I have no idea what back room deals went down between Square/Enix and Microsoft to get this done, but Microsoft may have stolen Sony’s lunch money when it comes to the future of this franchise. I think it is a mistake for Sony not to bring out a bundle to the US–particularly the Lightning Edition. I would be absolutely shocked if the NPDs following FFXIII’s release reveal that more copies were sold on Xbox than Playstation. Again, time will tell.

PAX East is going to be the first major gaming convention on the East Coast and I am pumped for it. If you’re coming make sure to log into the forums and throw your name up on the GHR Meetup. Currently the following people are confirmed:  GHR_Maverick, Teetocks, GHR_Superman, Full Tilt 101, JDSBlackBox, VinceXombie, SirJMcWild, BulletHound. Between GHR and all the other communities, it should be a great turnout and lots of fun.

If you’re thinking about attending…HURRY!!! AND BUY YOUR TICKETS 60,000 attendees are expected and only 1000 tickets remain.

Note that the stuff below is a partial list of items that have been confirmed. Much more coming!

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Capcom is releasing a movie on Xbox Live in Japan. Unfortunately current stats have only 12 Xboxes sold in Japan so the audience will be limited. I’m hoping it has a US release sometime in the near future!