I HAVE NEWS FR YOU. VIDEO GAMING IS NOT LIKE IT ONCE WAS. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN YOU BOUGHT A GAME AND YOU PLAYED IT UNTIL IT WAS BEATEN - BROKEN - OR BORING. YOU PLAYED IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND THAT WAS THAT. THE ENTIRETY OF THE GAME WAS RIGHT THERE IN THE CARTRIDGE. WHAT I AM TRYING TO SAY IS YOU BOUGHT THE GAME AND YOU PLAYED IT JUST TO PLAY. THERE WAS NO OTHER INCENTIVES TO THE THE SUCCESS OF THE GAME OTHER THAN PERSONAL BEST BEATING OR A LOCAL IN HOUSE RIVALRY. THIS WAS IN AND AROUND THE 90'S I'D SAY. NOWADAYS - IN THE YEAR 2000 AND BEYOND - MOST GAMES AND THEIR ENTIRETY ARE NOT AVAILABLE WITHOUT INTERNET ACCESS. NOWADAYS YOU BUY A GAME AND IT HAS DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT. THIS EXCLUSIVE WEB RELATED CONTENT INCLUDES LEVELS, WEAPONS, ARMOR & VARIOUS OTHER SECRET STUFF. SO WHEN YOU BUY A GAME NOW (59$+) YOU TYPICALLY ARE NOT GETTING THE WHOLE GAME. I THINK THATS A BUM DEAL. ALSO, THE GAMING INDUSTRY HAS CREATED AN ONLINE GAMING MERIT BASED "ACHIEVEMENT" SYSTEM. THE MORE GAME SPECIFIC TASKS YOU COMPLETE THE MORE GAMER "ACHIEVEMENT" POINTS YOU ARE AWARDED. THIS GAMER SCORE IS THEN BROADCASTED PUBLICLY TO ANY AND ALL GAMERS TO SHOW YR GAMER-IZM, YR ONLINE PROTO COCK. I'M DOWN WITH THIS SYSTEM. I HAVE TO ADMIT ITS PRETTY COOOOL. YOU CAN SEE HOW SUCCESSFUL YR FELLOW BUDS HAVE BEEN IN COMPLETING THESE TASKS AND EVEN COLLABORATE WITH OTHER GAMERS TO COMPLETE THESE TASKS. PRETTY SICK. HOWEVER WITH THIS NEW COOL INCENTIVE BASED SYSTEM OF GAMER POINTS AND ACHIEVEMENTS COMES THE DARK SIDE OF DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT. YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE ACHIEVEMENTS INSTEAD OF COMPLETING THEM - PAY TO HAVE THE GAME BEAT ITSELF.... I KNOW THIS SOUNDS CRAZY BUT ITS REAL. INSTEAD OF HAVING THE SUPER MARIO PRO COME OVER AND HELP YOU BEAT THE 6TH CASTLE YOU CAN NOW JUST PAY BOWSER TO FUCK OFF. WHATEVS. THATS TOTALLY BONKED.
-DUSTY