Yesterday marked when Blizzard finally let people in to the highly anticipated sequel to what appears to be South Korea’s national sport, Starcraft.  I got my invite and as soon as everything was done downloading and installing, I dove right in.

One of the things that Blizzard has been talking about releasing along side of Starcraft II Is the new Steam/Xbox Live-like Battle.net system. It’s definitely a nice set-up and I can’t wait to see how well this integrates into the other games this will connect with, World of Warcraft and Diablo 3.

After spending a considerable amount of hours in the past few days playing Starcraft I, the way the sequel looked struck me more than it would have otherwise. Everything is how one would expect an 11 year old game who’s graphics have been updated to fit today’s standards would look. If anything, it seems to have a bit of future proofing.  My PC is a pretty powerful one and it is not able to handle the High settings without a considerable amount of lag.

The gameplay remains to be something I’ll have to comment more on later since I haven’t had a chance to play more than two matches so far. But before I get back to playing, here are a few screenshots.

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inFAMOUS
The only game that wasn’t a sequel in my top three was Sucker Punch’s first Playstation 3 offering this generation, inFAMOUS. The Sly Cooper developer’s first foray into the open world style of gameplay turned out to be a higly enjoyable one. I hadn’t previously played a game where you could be an absolute prick and it leading to the game actually being easier than being a hero. If you’ve listened to any of our podcasts, you would know how much that kind of thing appeals to me. On top of that, the super-powers, the ease of which Cole scaled buildings, and the interestingly ridiculous plot helped make this the first game I’ve given a 5/5 to in my short span as a reviewer. It’s also one of the only games in quite some time (probably since Chrono Trigger) that I’ve actually played through a second time, definitely earning it’s spot in my top three of 2009.

Assassin’s Creed 2
While the first Assassin’s Creed disappointed me with repetitive missions and side jobs that only served as a way for me to get more achievements, Assassin’s Creed 2 remedied these problems for me. By removing the investigation sequences before assassinations and adding a currency system to upgrade armor, weapons and your town, Ubisoft has alleviated the main issues I had with the games predecessor. The monetary rewards gave me more of a reason to do random side missions this time around, where before they just seemed to exist for achievement purposes. Some annoyances with the way Enzio so easily leaps in the wrong direction during timed missions almost kept this game out of my list, but this problem was easily overshadowed by the time I finished the story.

Uncharted 2
Naughty Dog’s epic sequel to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune had me in awe from beginning to end. It’s cinematic presentation that could only be made possible by the well-chosen camera angles and the characters were brought to life by some of the best voice acting in a video game that I’ve heard in a while. These things combined with plenty of moments that had me saying my favorite four letter words in ways other than the usual expressions of anger (even though the impossible amount of bullets the enemies could take before dying would have my roommates say otherwise), brings Uncharted 2 to the top of my list.

Arsen Nazaryan

UFC 2009 Undisputed
While the rest of my list took some thinking to do, THQ’s first attempt at an MMA title blew me away. Sure, the game had its issues and glitches with the overabundance of load screens and the meager online play which didn’t give you an option of what level opponents you wanted to fight but the bottom line is: they proved that an MMA title can be ridiculously successful. So much so that EA changed their mind about MMA not being a sport and decided to add EA Sports MMA to its long list of sports franchises. Undisputed proved to be one of the most enjoyable games of 2009 and I clocked in at least 20 hours before letting the game go (mostly due to the complex ground system that took me quite a bit to get used to). I still play it from time to time and with 84 fighters there’s much to do. This is a well deserved success for an excellent representation of the martial arts world. Now, please make it twice as good in 2010.

Borderlands
I know, I know, it’s not the freshest of concepts. There’s almost nothing you can say that is original about Borderlands: shooter RPGs have been around since Mass Effect and BioShock and those titles had more feel and content than Borderlands (better stories, of course). Despite this, however, at least Borderlands offers some of the BEST co-op gunplay an RPG or shooter could offer. Quests are extremely fun to do, but they’re ten times as fun with friends. Add in the mind-numbing amount of guns and statistics you have to track and you have got yourself one incredible title. Borderlands may have been created from a recipe of success, but it’s intriguing art style and hours of fun make it a top choice on my list. Gearbox is a very promising group of individuals and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next. Oh yeah, did I mention the DLC packs they’ve been putting out to support the game? Strong, consistent, and satisfying gameplay will always win.

Assassin’s Creed 2
The hardest thing for me to do was to choose between Assassin’s Creed 2 and Uncharted 2. You see, Uncharted 2 wasn’t necessarily a revolutionary game in terms of gameplay and content, but it told its story very well and engaged the player on a different level than other games that came before it. And with its multiplayer and co-op, the game’s personality and content made it an easy pick. On the other hand, Assassin’s Creed 2 has a crapload of stuff to do. Instead of simply shooting, the gameplay felt different and refined. The battle system and exploration were enticing and gallivanting across the rooftops of the different cities of Italy proved to be a much more successful creation in my eyes. Sure, AC2 capitalizes on the successes of its predecessor and extinguishes its failures but Uncharted 2 does the same. The difference between the two? Assassin’s Creed 2 was a story that involved a lot of depth and its towns and areas were built magnificently. While Uncharted 2 is only millimeters away, Assassin’s Creed 2 will have to be one of the best titles of 2009 and bless Ubisoft for making such a damn good game.

Jene Wallace (sweatyapple)

Uncharted 2
I liked the first Uncharted, but the second one is possibly one of my top games of all time. It’s better written and voice acted than a lot movies out there. The ease of controls makes climbing around second nature. While there’s nothing particularly new or ground breaking about it, for me, games are all about having fun and I had a blast. The visuals were breathtaking. Good balance of fighting and puzzle solving.

inFAMOUS
I hadn’t heard anything about this game when I bought it, so it came as a real surprise when I ended up loving it. Who thought the power of electricity could be so cool? The storyline was okay, but I loved the comic style interludes and gameplay was awesome. There was a nice variety of villains to defeat and powers to choose from. Traveling around was convenient, what with rail grinding and electricity-flying, which was important considering the scale of the world. The ability to choose if you were good or evil is always a favorite of mine.

Batman Arkham Asylum
My review pretty much said it all, but just to reiterate: the concept of not killing for the entire game is pretty unique, considering how much damage is being dealt. It really sells Batman as a character. This was also the first game I’ve ever enjoyed being in stealth mode. All the gadgets were well done and I enjoyed the free flowing combo fighting. The character designs were awesome. It offered some puzzle solving, but didn’t force it on you if you felt like skipping it. The game got a little repetitive for me, but overall I definitely enjoy it.

Matt Shafeek

Plants Vs. Zombies
Anyone who may have dismissed this game because of its casual appearance  (or based on its publisher and devloper, PopCap) is missing out on one of the most addictive, strategic, and just plain fun games of the year. PvZ takes a decidedly fresh take on the tower defense genre and makes it simple and accessible for anyone, while having an incredibly deep level of customization and variety. That’s to say nothing of the games style and charm, which it oozes. I loved every minute I played this game, and believe me when I say I put a LOT of time into it. The only flaw in this game is that you eventually run out of things to do after about say, 50 hours of playing time. Not too shabby for a $20 game!

Assassin’s Creed 2
Well how about that. They should put a picture of this game in the dictionary under the word “refined.” They took everything good from AC1, improved upon it, took out everything bad, added some great side quests including building up your city, new actual worthwhile collectibles, and a fantastic story that kept me interested the entire time! The first Assassin’s Creed set up the framework for a great franchise, and the sequel really fleshed it out. While it starts off a bit slow, the game most certainly rewards you for your patience. And hoo-boy what an ending! (Spoiler alert, I haven’t actually seen the ending yet) A solid recommendation for any gamer.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
Since I was a child, I’ve wanted to be Batman. Actually, that’s not entirely true. It was Superman until 1989. But once that first movie came out, I realized how much more I wanted to be Batman, and I never looked back. Capturing the feel and the essence of being Batman was a challenge that many game developers have tried and failed at…until now. Arkham Asylum nails everything I love about being Batman (the gadgets, the stealth/badassery, inspiring fear, the great villains/world), and combines it with everything I love in a great video game (compelling narrative, visceral combat, a world to explore, lots of side-quests and challenges to master). The script from Paul Dini and the voice work from Conory, Hammill et al were just icing on the cake. A true joy and I honestly cannot wait for the sequel to see what they do next.

Honorable Mentions:

Resident Evil 5 (which was on the list until just a few days ago!), super fun but unfortunately not as much of a leap as AC2, and Shadow Complex, which was also incredibly fun from beginning to end, but just didn’t quite make the cut.

Frank Hunter

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
With a story that redefines the word “epic” and an ongoing multiplayer mode with endless challenges and various game types, Modern Warfare 2 would have climbed the pile of First Person Shooters to sit at the top even without all the hype. It follows a predecessor that blew the genre away a few years back, and continued to do the same into 2009. Modern Warfare 2 improved on the first installment in almost every way, offering customizable rewards and killstreaks, clan support, more weapons, sticky grenades, you name it. Covert Ops mode also provides a very enjoyable cooperative experience for two friends gaming in the same room, the way it used to be done. I only wish Activision would allow for split screen cooperative play online, but even with this flaw Modern Warfare 2 is an addictive and enjoyable game experience.

Assassin’s Creed 2
Going into this game, I had my suspicions about being an assassin in Renaissance Italy. It seemed a strange choice of setting, but as soon as the game got going, my doubts were gone. The scenery is very accurately recreated and stunningly beautiful. All the characters, those drawn from true history and those not, are rich and very deep. The voice acting is beyond good, using the Italian language and true accents. Nothing sounds fake. And, the game’s biggest selling point, is that it has improved upon the original in almost every way. It’s almost as though Ubisoft built Assassin’s Creed to be a springboard so that they could launch into this sequel full force. There are countless side quests and contracts, rewards and puzzles and incentives. There’s a hidden true story about what’s really going on in the world of Assassin’s Creed, and unearthing all that would just be the tip of the iceberg among the fabulous story that was crafted for this game. This is an RPG in an action game’s clothes, and it is worth every penny if you are not the multiplayer type. Hours of material, smooth gameplay, and the well-crafted story easily make this a game of the year.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
As an old fan of the stealth action genre (oh no! the truck has started to move!), the prospect of sneaking around as the caped crusader was intriguing to me indeed. He is, after all, the ultimate ninja, but with superhero games getting the shoddy treatment they traditionally get, it became a matter of whether or not Eidos could break the mold. And they did. Arkham Asylum is not only a successful stealth action game, one which gives you the feeling of immense power while in the dark, but has provided what is arguably the first very good superhero game. The graphic design gives Arkham a very unique look, while at the same time holding onto some bit of nostalgia by bringing on the voice cast from the old Batman cartoon series. For a character that is constantly jumping and swinging from rafters, Batman is very easy to control, and has a slew of moves and gadgets that are used seamlessly. Though combat is a little simplistic, it flows so nicely and has enough variety that it’s fun to watch. My only problem is that I would have enjoyed a few more unique boss fights (most seemed like just fighting a slew of normal minions at once) but that’s small beans when it comes to everything that Arkham Asylum is and the success it has seen in an area that has never really seen it before.

And there you have it. According to us, it seems like the majority of the best games of last year came at the end. Thanks to Modern Warfare 2, however, things could be changing, with 2010 looking front-loaded with great games. Now all we need is for the summer time to be flooded with more top tier titles and we’ll get to be broke all year round.  I can’t wait.

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Karpyshyn, who got his start writing for Wizards of the Coast, went on from KotOR to do writing for Mass Effect, a new sci-fi universe, to write several novels in both universes (as well as some original concepts), and is now hard at work on the new MMO, The Old Republic. I recently got the chance to send Drew a few questions about his past and current projects. While he (like Lucasarts) remains very tight lipped about the new project, his answers help shine some light on the insight of one of the most creative minds the sci-fi genre has seen in recent memory.

Frank Hunter: You have become a big name in not only Star Wars, but science fiction writing as a whole. What were the early influences which shaped your tone and style?

Drew Karpyshyn: I read a lot of Stephen King as a kid, along with Asimov, F. Paul Wilson, David Eddings and Terry Brooks.

FH: How long have you been a Star Wars fan?

DK: I saw the first movie when it ran originally in theaters, back when I was
seven years old. For the next 3 years I went out for Halloween as a jawa,
so I guess I was hooked.

FH: What do you like to do in your spare time, when you are not bending science-fiction universes to your whims?

DK: I golf, watch sports and play Magic the Gathering whenever I want to unwind.

FH: What does it take to come up with a good science-fiction or fantasy character name? Do you just roll a 20-sided die, or does a lot of thought go into it?

DK: I’m terrible at names. Darth Bane was a pre-existing character, and
Commander Shepard was a name created by the entire creative team at
BioWare, so I can’t even take credit for them. Basically I just jumble
letters around until I get something I like.

FH: What are you currently reading?

DK: Back issues of Golf Digest. I’m also about to start a novel called “Go Go
Girls of the Apocalypse”, but I haven’t cracked the cover yet.

FH: Were you the person who chose to set the *Knights of the Old Republic*series in the time it was set?

DK: The main creative force behind KOTOR was a man named James Ohlen – the same man behind the upcoming Star Wars MMO. The time period was mostly his idea.

FH: In writing the plot for this game, you have been pivotal in creating much early Star Wars history. How does it feel to be responsible for so much in a universe so large?

DK: I’m honored that the backstory we created has been incorporated into the
greater Star Wars universe. It’s almost like we’ve snagged our little
piece of immortality.

FH: KotOR 2 received disappointing reviews at best. What are your comments on the game, if you played it at all? If you were involved in that project, what might you have done differently?

DK: I really felt KOTOR 2 suffered from a lack of development time. It took
several years to make the original, but the sequel was demanded in only 1
year. Games are so complicated now that a 12 month development schedule
just isn’t realistic.

FH: Do you feel any deep association with Sith culture? You choose to write on main characters like Darth Revan and Darth Bane, so one can only wonder if you sympathize with the dark side.

DK: I wouldn’t say I sympathize with them, but I do like to think I’ve given
them a fresh perspective. Remember, in most good stories the villain has
to believe that he’s the hero.

FH: Who would win in a fight: Darth Bane or MacGyver with a cortosis-laced tire iron and 2kg of sulfur?

DK: I think Richard Dean Anderson is getting up there in years, so I’ll take
Bane.

FH: The universe of Mass Effect feels very much like that of Star Wars. Was this deliberate, a result of being so involved with Star Wars projects, or unintentional?

DK: I think both Star Wars and Mass Effect evoke primal archetypes in the
sci-fi genre. It’s easy to see similarities, but on a high level you can
tell Mass Effect was influenced by movies like Blade Runner, Alien, Aliens
and Terminator more so than Star Wars.

FH: Was the project significantly more work because you created the universe, or would you compare it to KotOR?

DK: The work is different. In Star Wars, much of what we did was try to work
our own ideas into the existing universe. It required us to be flexible
and adaptable. With Mass Effect, we literally started with a blank page,
so we had to do everything from scratch.

FH: The Mass Effect universe has a number of unique species in it. Is there any race you are particularly fond of?

DK: As anyone who’s read Ascension can probably tell, I like the quarians.

FH: One of the game’s few criticisms was its underdeveloped side quests. Are you planning to address this criticism for the sequel?

DK: BioWare has a well earned reputation for both quality and listening to our fans. Rest assured: Mass Effect 2 will be better in almost every
conceivable aspect of the game.

FH: Can you talk in any detail about the work done to extend the Mass Effect universe outside the original game?

DK: I can’t say much beyond mentioning my novels, Mass Effect: Revelation and Mass Effect: Ascension. If you’re a fan of the game you should read these
novels – they really help to flesh out the universe.

FH: MMOs are notorious for not being story-driven. Plots are paper-thin and characters are rarely memorable. What are you and Bioware doing to right this for The Old Republic?

DK: BioWare has always been an industry leader when it comes to story driven games, and we’re taking all our experience and applying it to the MMO
genre. I can’t get into details (wouldn’t want to give away our secrets),
but fans are going to be blown away.

FH: What else is being done to set TOR apart from industry norms? There is a lot of hope that this game will be the something new we’ve all been waiting for.

DK: Unfortunately I’m not at liberty to discuss details of TOR. You’ll have to
wait for official press releases.

FH: The devs have recently come out about how much dialogue will be involved in this game. How much help do you get when writing dialogue for a project of this scope?

DK: The writing team for most BioWare games ranges from 4-6 people. For TOR we’re already over a dozen writers, and we’re still growing. The scope of
this game is beyond epic.

FH: How much control can you manage to keep over such a script?

DK: BioWare’s been working with large writing teams for quite a while, so
we’ve figured out how to keep everyone on the same shared vision.

FH: Have you played any MMORPG games in the past? What classes do you tend to enjoy playing? What class will you be playing in TOR?

DK: I can’t really talk about the classes in TOR. As for other MMO’s, I’ve
been so busy developing games over the past decade that I rarely get to
invest any serious time in playing them.

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To start with the bad though, I think it’s important to keep in mind that Cryptic Studios, the company behind Champions Online, is also the company that developed City of Heroes/Villains. Unfortunately, this shows. There are a lot of similarities between the games. The feel of the playstyle is very similar. How your character moves or flies in Milennium City is very reminiscent of how your character moved or flew in Paragon City. The character creator, while it does include countless different costume possibilities, feels like a more convoluted version of the one in the City Of franchise (which was already pretty complicated to master). For a game that is priding itself on customization, I don’t feel I can make my costume that much more personal than I could before. I can edit minute details like how thick my hands are or how deep my chest concavity is, but those spikes on my shoulders are still stuck dead center. I can’t move them around. I can’t put that chest detail higher up by my collar. In short, I can’t edit the things that I would actually want to edit with free reign over my costume. Maybe more of these features are coming, maybe they are not, but I think complete customization means something more than I am actually seeing here.

Speaking of customization, another selling point of the series is the ability to customize the look and feel of your powers. For example, multiple superheroes may have a sort of “Force Push” power. But, while one may fire a green force wave from the palm of his hand, another may project a pink one from the center of her forehead. Focus points and colors are adjustable (focus points on some powers, colors on all) which is very nice. Unfortunately, this could also fail to help set the new title apart. The City Of franchise has recently announced Issue 16, their sixteenth free expansion, which should be doing the same thing within their game. So much for new ideas.

Let’s leave the tired similarities alone for now, lest you begin to think that Champions has nothing going for it. As for customization, there are a few features I saw that I liked. First, you can mix and match power sets at will. Do you want to be a gunslinger who can shoot telekinetic bolts from his face? Sure, why not? Do what you like, and  look as weird as you want to. That kind of freedom is perfect, and I am glad to be able to create the kind of hero I want. Secondly, you get a travel power very early into the game. Right after the tutorial in fact, and they put a lot of effort into allowing you to travel the way you want to. The staple modes of transportation still apply (jumping, flying, etc.) but you do it the way you want. If you are a technology based hero who flies with rocket boots, you can set that, and you will look different than a natural flyer. They have also added several available travel powers like grapple swinging and tunnelling which are ever so much fun to play with.

The animation style is very comic-book esque. It looks like Cryptic used cel shading techniques to set the characters apart from the environments, and it has a wonderful effect. You feel like you are reading a graphic novel that pops right off the page. This is coupled with interesting explosion effects and icons that make me feel like Adam West will be jumping out of the Batcopter any minute to kick Burgess Meredith’s pudgy little penguin ass. Holy animation Batman!

As for the missions, we start to see some things here that are more reminiscent of World of Warcraft than anything else. You pick up missions from quest givers scattered around the world, which is pretty staple.  In a nice twist to keep things straight, the minimap and world map indicate with a green circle exactly where you can find the objects or enemies to fulfill a certain quest. I found this system immensely useful, as I am always trying to multitask quests and often getting myself turned around doing so.

Another interesting feature (recently seen in Wrath of the Lich King) is the inclusion of instanced zones. For example, Milennium City isn’t the game’s only locale. Right now the Southern Desert and the Canadian Forest are included as well. If you choose to take your hero over to the Southern Desert, you will initially  find it an irradiated wasteland. You must take steps to clean the place up (which includes an epic battle with a supervillain inside a desert vault, just by the way) and when you are finished, the desert will revert to its usual, sandy self. Naturally, you will only be able to play with other heroes who are on the same stage of the zone’s progression as you are. This may prove inconvenient if you are introducing new players to the game, but I doubt Cryptic, the creators of the “Sidekick” system, are allowing that problem to go unchecked.

All in all, the experience of Champions Online, although not entirely unique, is very fun. But, don’t take my word for it! Cryptic is opening up the beta tomorrow, August 14th, to 50,000 lucky fans who happen to get to Fileplanet first. You can also get an invitation to the beta by pre-ordering the game, so pick your poison. Instructions for getting involved are on Cryptic’s Website.  Have fun my friends, and remember: with great power comes great responsibility.

…Marvel, pleae don’t sue!

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5. Chrome Hounds: I know that it isn’t that old of a game, but in my opinion they were onto something.  I have always been a fan of the customizable mecha fighting games.  However, where Chrome Hounds caught my attention was with its inclusion of tactical squad based combat where you fufill different roles.  Creating your own squads for you and your friends can be fun as well.  I know I always loved raining destruction on people in my heavy gunner hound standing next to the commander who spooted enemies for me, all the while knowing that even with the two soldiers and the scout hunting down the enemy in the field that I was safe with our defender keeping watch on our backs.  That’s just an example of the tactical combat allowed.  Even better is the online mode allows you to play other people in squad based combat but also effecting the outcome of a war online between three nations that occurs over a month and then resets at the next month.  More hound roles, more nations and expanded gameplay is good enough for a sequel to me…

4. The Shenmue Franchise: I loved the storytelling of these games, it was fantastic how you experienced everything on Ryu’s quest to avenge the murder of his father.  The second game left a lot to be explored in the plot and I know many a fanboy who is still disappointed by the game being incomplete.

3.Crackdown: I know there are still rumors flying around that this game may still receive the sequel treatment but I want to express it anyway.  I know many people bought this game at first for the inclusion of the Halo 3 multiplayer beta with it, that being said I think many people were very pleasantly surprised with the game inside.  While short on plot, there’s something just great about throwing cars at people 100 yards away.  I hope this sequal sees the light of day someday cuz I know I would buy it in a heartbeat.

2. Super Smash Brothers Melee: This is where some of you esteemed readers may become a little confused.  I know that Brawl exists, I however do not think it has anything to do with the smash brother’s franchise.  Too many characters were changed in ways that turned off many of the devoted followers of Melee.  That being said brawl is a much slower game then Melee, however, this is not a critique of brawl so we’ll speak as if it doesn’t exist.  Whoever first came up with the idea to pit all of Nintendo’s superstars against each other is a true genius.  It worked in the first game and again in Melee.  A few more characters could be included but even then I don’t think the gameplay should be messed with much, just an update to the newest generation of systems.

1. Jet Set Radio Future: I have always been such a huge fan of this game.  Nothing to do with my usual tendencies but more to do with up until that point I had never played anything like JSRF.  I walked into it expecting a skating game like the others I had played before.  The last thing I expected was a plot and innovative gameplay that focused more around races and spraying graffiti then doing tricks.  In fact the tricks serve no more purpose than to keep you moving quickly.  The cell shaded graphics back then made it flashier and prettier than most games out at the beginning of the Xbox’s career.  Then there was the soundtrack from it which fit the weird plot of the game as well as it’s Japanese punk style perfectly.  I know rumors of Jet Set Radio Next have been around for years but I hold little hope at this point..

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5. Day of the Tentacle: The toilets are actually called Chrono-johns and are used to transport characters and items need to thwart the threat of the Purple Tentacle. All we need now is Doc Brown in his garbage powered delorean.

4. The Sims Series: Available in a number of tasteful styles, the commode plays a serious part in the survival of your sims, or the annoyance of your sim’s spouse who has to clean up the mess after a blockage when you fell asleep eating pizza on the front porch. So much like real life, it’s eery.

3. Hitman Franchise: In true Hollywood fashion, the shiny domed genetically engineered assassin shows his true prowess by following conveniently full bladdered Workers, Security Guards, Mafiosos and Henchmen into the mens bathroom and incapacitating them to acquire their uniforms as disguises and dragging their unconscious or dead bodies in the nearest cubicle and leaving their heads soaking in the bowl. If that’s not a distinguishable M.O. I don’t know what is.

2. Duke Nukem 3D: The star of the 90s classic as well as the missing but presumed dead title in eternal development, Duke Nukem Forever, has lots of witty one liners, but none are as thorough or to the point as when you stop the bathroom of a strip club and relieve yourself. Classy.

1. Half Life 2: Despite all the intellect and engineering abilities of Gordon Freeman, nothing seems to amuse this Scientist Superhero than to use the Zero-Point Energy Field Manipulator with a snazzy kohl’s bowl and turn it into a potty launcher to slay Combine soldiers with a well placed ‘Head’ shot.

There you the top five toilets to play with when you’re not playing videogames on the john.

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In case you haven’t seen, the warning label would read:

WARNING: Excessive exposure to violent video games and other violent media has been linked to aggressive behavior.

Considering there has actually been no casual link found between video games and violent behavior in teens (the U.S. Department of Justice found that since 1993, the year that Doom was released, violence in juveniles has actually gone down 77%), it’s fairly obvious that Congressional members still have no understanding of this form of media and nothing else to pass useless bills on.

The American Sociological Association also uses this graph to conclude that there is no direct link between the two, stating:

“If we want to understand why young people become homicidal, we need to look beyond the games they play,” Sternheimer says.

Placing the blame on video games exonerates the environment that a child lives in that might nurture violence: poverty, instability, family violence, unemployment, and mental illness, Sternheimer argues.

“It is equally likely that more aggressive people seek out violent entertainment,” Sternheimer says. “After adult rampage shootings in the workplace, which happen more often than school shootings, reporters seldom mention if the shooters played video games.”

Like most First Amendment violating bills pertaining to video games that are attempting to be passed, I’m guessing this one will not make it through. Hopefully with a President leading the way that seemingly both understands and is not afraid of video games, these outrageous bills will soon be a thing of the past and parents, not the government, will be responsible for what media their children consume.

Sources: Bureau of Justice Statistics, American Sociological Association

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