3. Sports

Surprised? Shouldn’t be. Sports games are huge in college. Football, UFC, boxing, even soccer (or football) is accepted. The important thing about these games are that they are based off subjects that almost every guy can talk about. It even lets the jocks join in and feel comfortable.

2. Shooters

Shooters are hugely popular with the console crowd, so it’s no shock that it would be on the list of most played things at college. Shooters are perfect to play with a group of guys because of the excitement; bullets are flying, grenades are exploding, and people are screaming as their bodies go flying. With 4 player split-screen, the game takes on a whole new life. It can be a fierce competition or, if played in co-op, a bonding experience. Tip: Halo 3 seems to be the most popular, but Call Of Duty has also been known to draw a crowd.

1. Fighters

Yes, fighters are #1. It may seem strange that it beat shooters out, but think about it. Two people enter the game, fight using a system of combos and counters, and one person wins. The controller gets passed around. This simple process is what makes the fighter such an enduring genre in college life. Shooters involve more people and is less intense because of it. One on one, the players are center stage and are cheered on. Mastery of the game invokes gasps as combos are pulled off and everyone bands together to beat that one “crazy” player. Hint: Get a faster based fighter, such as Soul Calibur or Tekken. Slower games such as Street Fighter or King Of Fighters are harder to master, and therefore harder to play. You’re looking for a quick game, not a epic battle.

The transition to collage life comes with its own list of necessities. Body wash, tissues, and Oxi-clean are all examples of things that fall under the must-have category. Laptops, too, are on this list (and recently, have fallen under the must-have category) and as the time came to start buying supplies, I found myself searching for a good laptop. I used to be a PC gamer, but as console games advanced and became easier to just pick up and play, I slowly began playing almost exclusively on the Playstations and Xboxes. Now, looking for a new laptop and knowing that dorm space is limited, I looked towards gaming orientated laptops. I eventually settled on a Toshiba Qosmio, a very nice laptop that fit my budget and came with some sweet built in speakers.

Because nothing says “Note-taking” like flames

With a new gaming laptop, I began focusing on all the PC titles I’ve missed. I started by picking up Crysis: Maximum Edition to judge my laptops true power (because Crysis is the unofficial benchmark tool for any computer’s power). I then picked up ARMA 2 and reinstalled Unreal Tournament 2004. Then, I remembered Steam. I was one of those people who pre-ordered the Half-Life 2 Collector’s Edition, preloaded the files, and drove to the FedEx pickup point because I missed the delivery. When Half-Life 2 came out, Steam was in it’s infancy and unsurprisingly, not very impressive. I soon forgot about it and when I moved on from PC gaming, I heard bits of news about it but never investigated (mainly because my computer, a Dell XPS, was way too old to try and play any recent game on it). Well when I booted up Steam after reinstalling it, I was floored. Games, hundreds of them, popped on my screen. They had certainly updated their library but I was unconvinced, for whatever reason, that they would have either Crysis OR ARMA 2. I was wrong. Both were accounted for, and although the equivalent of the Crysis: Maximum Edition was $20 more than it was at Best Buy, I felt a little stupid. I had passed on an extremely convenient option, not because I was unaware, but because I let my first impressions keep me away. The point is, if you haven’t tried it yet, check out Steam. They have a huge assortment of games and probably have what you’re looking for and they have it without the need to switch discs or drive to a store.

So my games are installed and working, but I’m still kicking myself (just a little) about the Steam incident. Now, I know there is a way to activate your products on Steam and download them through there, but all my CD keys refused to work. Lesson learned, however; Check Steam before you take that drive.

Oh, and it’s free to sign up, so you have no excuse.

In a news report that was as surprising as it was random, it was revealed that the Walt Disney Co. had bought Marvel Entertainment for about $4 billion. This gives Disney control over Marvel’s roster of over 5,000 characters. Despite what the obvious motive might be behind this buy-out (to get a cut of that sweet pie that seems to be coming from comic movies recently), Marvel chairman Morton Handel said that the company plans to honor the remaining contracts.

There are to possible outcomes to this scenario. One is very good and one is very, very bad. They will be discussed now..

The Good: Disney recognizes that Marvel has a very loyal (and some would argue vicious) fanbase and allow them to continue doing what they do best; creating comics with intriguing stories. They use their position to introduce the characters to a younger audience, but without completely dumbing down the qualities that make them interesting. They allow the Marvel teams to continue operating as is and without any major administrative changes that could disrupt the flow off work. They let Marvel keep creative control of their movies and allows them to make the movie that they know their character must be in. Basically, Disney adds to Marvel funding and support (which is the best case in any case of mergers.

The Very Bad: Disney disregards the Marvel fanbase and nudges them to create comics aimed at younger audiences. This comics feature characters stripped of their complex motives and backstories, making them feel one-dimensional. They take talent from the Marvel team and redistribute them throughout the company, while simultaneously inserting their own people into major roles. Disney also takes the reins of the movie department, forcing them to create quick, uninspired movies that can capitalize on comic interest, but not deliver.  Basically, Disney fully absorbs Marvel and stripes the company of the things that made them great/

This is a huge story and should be paid attention to as it develops. While it would be irresponsible to go to the internet and bitch about something we aren’t fully informed about, that is the nature of the internet itself. As for me, I just hope that we don’t get any cross-overs. Kingdom Hearts was great but…

“HULK WANT POLAR EXPRESS!!”

This is a glimpse of how “Game of the Year” editions can be used in a negative way. With TFU, the hype and interest in the game was so high that it became the fastest-selling Star Wars game in history at 5.7 million worldwide. Basically, a whole mess of people bought this game when it came out and in the subsequent months. What did they get? A pretty good, but flawed, game that seriously messed with canon and ended way soon with its “what-if” – scenario. Now, a year later, we can finally see the end to that scenario, but we’ll have to buy the game all over again? That’s not right. It’s like giving the finger to the customer and baiting them at the same time, a practice that has become increasingly common in regards to DLC. Now, LucasArts could be using the Hoth level as a short-term incentive to buy the “Sith Edition” and could very well release it as DLC further down the line. This would make sense and be acceptable, thus rendering this article useless. If, however, LucasArts decides to keep this exclusive and neglect those who pushed the game to its success, then this still stands.

Awesome, but it is awesome enough for another $11?

Now I’m a huge Star Wars fan and I thought the dark side ending opened a whole range of possibilities. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought of Obi-Wan and Luke confronting the Apprentice (apparently the people at LucasArts did). Saying that, I’m not sure if I’ll buy this game or not. On one hand, it offers the chance to finally see “what-if”, but on the other, it represents everything wrong with “Game of the Year” editions and exclusive content to rereleases in general.

What do you all think? Is LucasArts doing a disservice to its fans? Or are they just trying to entice new buyers and those who already sold their copy? Have you thought about this at all or did you already squeeze out all the enjoyment you could from TFU? Leave comments.