Some holiday gaming insights

A few realizations I had while taking more time than I have had in a while to play videogames over the holidays...

Grand Theft Auto IV is better than I remembered, probably because the recent mini-backlash amongst some videogame writers has had me focusing on the flaws, particularly the weak writing later in the game (a feeling emphasized when all three of Variety's freelance critics listed it as either "disappointing" or "overrated"). But as I got to know Brucie and Roman and the McCreary brothers again, went on a motorcycle chase all over the city (including through the subways), and got in a car accident on a bridge that sent Niko hurtling through a windshield and into the river, then simply swam to the other side of the river without the game losing a beat, I remembered all the amazingly awesome things about this game that nothing else in 2008 matched.

The World Ends With You, which I gave a try on the recommendation of several critics, including one of our own, is not my kind of game. Given what a hard time I had with the old school RPG elements of "Fallout 3," perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that I really couldn't engage with the old school JRPG elements of this game. And the new stuff, like the d-pad rhythm based combat, really didn't work for me. I can't even say the game is bad, since I spent only an hour with it, which I found unbearable.

Nintendo's Wii is not such a dust collector after all. I admit I didn't engage with a lot of the best selling Wii games this year -- "Wii Fit," "Mario Kart," "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" -- so I thought I was of the "there's nothing good left on the Wii" camp that seems to be growing. But then I looked at my top ten list and realized three of the titles, including my no. 1, were Wii exclusives, and a fourth was also on PC, but I played it on the Wii. And then I played some more of them all and realized that while I still play 360 the most, the Wii has at least as much to offer me as the PS3.