Another day, another dream to chase.

• Members from Cheap Ass Gamer have launched an effort to supply the troops in Iraq with video games to pass the time, according to 1UP. Because, you know, the first thing a soldier wants to do after losing their platoon brother in a firefight is to replay it all over again, but it’s a great gesture nonetheless.
• More news from 1UP, where they talk about the recently announced characters in the highly anticipated Street Fighter IV, as well as provide some commentary on the gameplay mechanics. I must admit I was never much of a fighting game jockey, and regularly got my ass handed to me by social degenerates who were more adept at mastering double-digit combo moves in King of Fighters than at mastering their interpersonal skills. But hey, Blanka - I loved that guy.
• I love debates about scoring games. More 1UP-ness news as they are soon going to be revamping their scoring system to show letter grades (A+ to F) instead of numbers. Good or bad? Again, it’s all subjective. I know of some people that would be very pleased with a D, but the overachieving schoolkids might give it a miss if it’s anything less than an A-.
• An IGN review of Assassin’s Creed: Altair’s Chronicles, the DS-prequel of last year’s hit. I didn’t really like how the whole thing looked. Of course, there’s no comparison between this and the respective 360 / PS3 versions, but it feels more like an elaborate mobile phone game enhanced for the DS. Then again, I sleep on public transport rather than game the commuting hours away…
• Aussie fans of MGS will be disappointed to know that they will not be receiving the special “Essential Collection”, which is being released in North America. It consists of “Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation, Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence for the PlayStation 2. To celebrate their rerelease, all of the packaging has also been redesigned by artist Yoji Shinkawa.” Sounds like a great package for those that have heard of but not played these classics, but if you’re a die-hard fan you would have already purchased these and played them several times over.
• More GameSpot news, where they report that the Dallas Business Journal accidentally “confirmed” Duke Nukem Forever for 2008. However, after some clarification by 3D Realms, the title was quickly changed from “confirmed” to “possible”. Don’t you love it when you’re interviewing someone and they add as a little postscript, “Oh, that’s off the record”?
• More Yahtzee goodness as he delivers a Call of Duty 4 review.
• More mindblowing atrocities as PS3 owners need to wait up to 25 minutes to get DMC4 installed on their consoles. Be still, my beating heart. Capcom have suggested that, while it’s installing, you “go make a sandwich and grab a soda”…bitch. Plus, if you really loved Capcom, then you’d stir its fucking eggs.
• And then there was soon to be a game based on the movie Juno, and I put out my eyes.
• Finally, here’s a little article about how game dev grads in the UK are having a bit of trouble finding work, thanks to the abundance of gaming-related courses and not enough demand to soak up all the young talent.

There, that should keep you occupied for a bit.

For some people, games are just filler.

They breeze through titles in a couple of days, make some snide comments about how it failed to meet expectations, and eventually dismiss it as another minor molehill successfully overcome. These people would be the very same to proudly proclaim that they have never paid for a game in their life.

I, on the other hand, led a humble childhood. Having a game purchased for me was not unlike mana from the gods. I would play my Gameboy cartridges over and over, wearing the contacts down to the nub. I would relish every detail of the experience, every nuance on the screen and every midi byte burning into my memory. I respected games for what they were back then, and couldn’t help but spend more time on my cousin’s computers than with my actual flesh-and-blood cousins.

Nowadays, in a world where there are walls, rows and stores worth of titles to pick and choose from, it’s all too easy to think, “Geez, there are actually a lot of games to get through and yet I only have so many hours in a day. No time to hearken back to yesteryear - let’s focus on the here and now and play the same formula but with sexier pixels.”

And you would be right for thinking that - there are many quality titles to play on multiple platforms, but only so many hours in your day and only so many dollars in your wallet.

But (to flog a dead horse further) they just don’t make ‘em like they used to. Games try so hard to be “cool” and “novel” that some have managed to blur the distinction between quasi-realism and enjoyment. Being Xbox-less on my trip, I decided to install Quake 3, Deus Ex and GTA: San Andreas on my laptop.

I had almost forgotten the joys of strafing into railgun headshots and juggling bots with rockets. I had almost forgotten the intricate detail that was offered by Deus Ex, and remembered why the upcoming title was exciting me. And I remembered the simple joys of a sandbox environment, and how most of the other offerings were cash cow ventures, abusing the formula until there was only skin and bones left (although there have been some excellent exceptions).

These are games that, even when I return to them years later, I still find I enjoy immensely. And there are certainly more titles in the past than in the present.

It’s not necessarily the fact that old games are better than new games simply because I’m a cynical old prick (and I’m not all that old compared to a majority of other gamers, either).

I think it’s the fact that standards have dropped - there are no longer just “hardcore” gamers, but casual gamers who think that the flashing lights are neat and that those karaoke-esque games are unique enough to spend $90 on. I think that we are being promised the world but we are left with a sour taste in our mouths. We are given descriptions like “the spiritual successor to (seminal title)” and “it’s like (pioneering title of its genre), but with more awesome graphics”.

Have we peaked too early? Have we, as gamers with years and years worth of experience, set the bar too high? Is anything less than the classics of yesteryear doomed to failure? Are we now too quick to brand new-age titles as “filler”?

I have faith. I’ve seen a few timeless games come out, tempting me to install it just one more time and relive the good memories and the “Fuck, yeah” moments.

I believe we will see more games that will turn from a molehill to a mountain, and impress even the most bitter cynic. And I’ll pay for it, and wear the contacts down to the nub.