We’re doing out part to kick off the biggest global sporting event of the year — the 2008 Summer Olympics — by launching a greuling trivia contest based around the Olympics. Dozens of fanatic sports bloggers have contributed some very challenging questions (we hope you’re up on your fencing trivia!). A gold medal prize of a Nintendo Wii stocked with sports games awaits the winner. Find out more about the prizes, the rules, and the great sports bloggers that helped us build this brain-busting challenge.
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Video game blogger Rain Anderson set down his controller for a few minutes to give us the up-down-left-right on everything gaming. As the founder and managing editor of That VideoGame Blog, Rain and his team of writer/gamers post up to the minute gaming news and more. Rain discusses his hopes for the future of consoles, what old games he’d like to see resurrected, and what titles he’s given a big “Game Over.”
Q: Explain to us a little about That VideoGame Blog and how/why you started the site.
That VideoGame Blog was started after I realized I wasn’t quite happy with what I was doing. I started thinking about where to venture next when someone suggested that since I like to play a lot of video games, maybe something in that field. A year later, TVGB was up and running and a few months after that, a number of great people had joined me in writing about stuff that we all love.
We offer daily news, (p)reviews, interviews, event coverage, articles etc., and we’re just getting started — with all the things we’ve already accomplished in the few short months we’ve been doing this, we’re looking forward to lots more.
Q: Of course we’re going to ask this…what is your favorite game and platform?
Obviously each platform has its pros and cons but if I had to choose one as things are today, I’d pick the Xbox 360 simply because of the amount of new quality titles that are available for the system. I’ve been a PC gamer since the early ’90s, but things are a bit quiet on that front right now, and the PS3’s/Wii’s libraries aren’t quite there yet for my tastes.
As for games, I can’t seem to tear myself away from GRAW 2′s multiplayer. And single-player wise, it’s hard to think of anything more majestic than Mass Effect at the moment, which in my opinion is one of the greatest examples in recent memory of what a videogame can be and evolve into.
Q: Were you shocked when you first heard that Grand Theft Auto IV outsold Halo 3 and set a new record?
I wouldn’t say shocked since GTA IV is available on both the 360 and PS3, so the number of potential buyers was of course much higher than was the case with Halo 3, but maybe a little pleased since now we have something else to look forward to that would smash GTA IV.
Q: What was the biggest letdown game that you played this year?
There aren’t really any that I want to complain about this year (yet), but I can’t get around last year’s Assassin’s Creed - a technical masterpiece was brutally butchered by not having anything much at all for the player to do. The game world was really a marvel and a total blast to explore, but once you’ve seen all the cities, it’s basically ‘Game Over’ excitment wise. The rest of the time you’re forced to do the same exact things over and over again. Fun to enjoy in little bursts here and there, but unfortunately that effectively kills the immersiveness.
I personally even feel gamers were a bit misled as to the nature of what the game was. Definitely my biggest disappointment of this console generation.
Q: What is the next gaming release that you’re most excited about?
If I had to pick just one then it would without a doubt be Beyond Good & Evil 2. The original game is all kinds of cool and truly one of the games that didn’t deserve the brush-off it got from the consumer. But next to that, the new Prince of Persia has really grabbed my attention as well. And Mass Effect 2, and BioShock 2, and Too Human, oh I could go on and on here..
Q: Guitar Hero or Rock Band?
Neither.
Q: What’s your favorite movie based on a video game? If you could make any game into a movie, what would it be?
I’d be lying if I said I’ve seen them all, but out of those that I have seen, I’ll have to go with a tie between the original Resident Evil and Tomb Raider movies, even though I think both failed to capture the feel of the games. As for what movie I’d like to see made, I’ve been actively playing a game in the Ghost Recon series ever since the original PC game was released in 2001, so I have to say a Ghost Recon movie, Black Hawk Down style.
Q: So, do you have a Second Life character? If so, what does he do that you don’t or can’t do in your real life?
I don’t have a Second Life character. But if I did, he’d be a pimp. A huge zebra hat wearing pimp. With a cane and a cigar, naturally. And he’d look like Jean-Luc Picard. Yeah, that sounds about right.
Q: How do you think the public’s view of gamers is changing with the widespread popularity of videogames?
The public are becoming gamers themselves at a rather rapid pace, so I hope in a very positive direction 
Some people still look at games as something for the kids, but most seem to be coming to terms with the idea that videogames are just another form of entertainment, and a great one at that.
Q: If you could bring back an old school videogame and remake it for a new platform, which would you choose?
Doom. I feel that Doom 3, while a solid game, just didn’t get it right. ID Software recently announced that they’re looking for worker bees to work on Doom 4, so I have my fingers crossed the next Doom will end up being more true to the original.
Q: If you could create a videogame based on a movie or television show, what would it be?
I’d like to see a Battlestar Galactica game that doesn’t suck (I’m pretending the Xbox LIVE Arcade and PS2/Xbox games never happened). They need to put the BSG franchise in the hands of a competent developer, quickly. A well made title based on the reimagined series would really be something to behold, there’s just so much awesomeness there to work with.
Q: What are some of your favorite places to get the latest gamer news for your blog?
I can’t say that we have any certain place that we check regularly, we get news wherever it happens to come from. But since the biggest sites update most frequently then they also tend to be the biggest sources. Overall, I’d say it’s a healthy mix of press releases and news from other sources.
Q: What do you see (or would you like to see) for the future of videogames and platforms?
I thought long and hard about this but things are changing so fast in this industry that it’s nearly impossible to make a valid guess. Even people who do the guessing for a living tend to get it wrong more often than right, so I’ll skip the ‘what I see’ part of this question and leave that for [industry analyst] Michael Pachter to answer.
But what I’d like to see is Sony and Microsoft getting their act together the next time around. The quality of the 360’s hardware should have been better to avoid the failure rate issues, and same goes for the PS3’s software, it just wasn’t good enough out of the box. If both systems were launched a year later, I believe these issues wouldn’t have existed, so I hope they’ll take their time in the future and release products that their clients won’t have to struggle as much with.
But overall, I think the industry is in great shape. 2007 was a great year for gamers and 2008 looks to be just as good. There’s never been a better time to be a gamer.
Today we’re happy to announce the addition of our new category Video Games! Wait, you say, I thought this was a site for people to talk about TV? Well, yes… and music, and movies, and the internet, and celebrities. And now, video games. We like variety. We’re digital entertainment omnivores and we know you are too. So dive in… take that next step beyond just talking about your favorite show or actor… let the community know what else you’re into. It might be thing that helps spark interest in that show you’ve been raving about if they see you have other interests. Are Sci-fi fans gamers? What kind of music are they into? Are those heavy metal lovers gamers? What shows do they like? I sense a community love connection about to happen… or at least, more good debate.
The Video Game category is set up like the rest of the site, by title. So, while there’s not a way (yet) for you to say rate X-Box vs. wii vs. Playstation, you can rate the games themselves. As with everything, we’ll keep adding complexity and detail as we go forward. Thanks again for helping us grow.
Play nice and drop us a line if we’ve missed a game.
Recently, a MrHairGel (not his real name), a member of the Hey! Universe (I’d call it the Hey! Nation but we have users from more than 20 countries) made a case for H!N to have a Games tab next to the TV, Movie, Music, Personalities, and Internet categories we have. Pretty much everyone agreed, and we mentioned that we’d be incorporating that upgrade in a future revision of the site… soon! What we’re sorting out, as you can see from the post, is how we should format the section (by game or game system?). We think we have it sorted out pretty well, but we’d like to hear from the true enthusiasts out there. Send us your ideas/wish lists for how we could do a Games section on Hey! Nielsen. What sites do you visit? What works on those sites? What features don’t they have that could be useful across all the topics on Hey! Nielsen? I will also gladly accept any tips that would improve my Pong playing. Post a comment and let us, and everyone else, know what you think.
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