During New York Comic Con this past weekend, I talked to the brand manager for "Overlord: Dark Legend" about how the Wii title will fill the void for Nintendo's hardcore gamers. Read more...

On Thursday I...

*Manipulated "Metal Gear Solid 4" very, very briefly. As in five-minutes-briefly. I watched somebody else play for 45 minutes. Controls were a sensible evolution of the series' previous schemes. Graphics were impressive even for someone who has seen all the trailers and gotten used to the look. Cut-scenes were as spirited, compelling and hilarious (intentionally!) as ever. Still need to read my Non-Disclosure Agreement to see what more I can say and when I can say it.

*Played a tiny bit more of "Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core" (Or is it "Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII"). I am hoping that the game won't let me spam the X button to victory the whole time. If it's that easy I can't commit

*Bailed on "Overlord," the "Pikmin"-meets-"Fable" Xbox 360 game that has been a pleasant surprise discovery. So why'd I bail out if I was having fun during my first five or six hours with the game? I saw a report that publisher Codemasters is probably making a sequel. Given the rough edges on this first "Overlord" -- a strange checkpoint system, a lack of an in-game map and, most importantly, controls and A.I. that don't allow the player to effectively guide a diverse group of goblins -- I feel like I should wait for the second draft.

*Fell in love all over again with "Super Stardust HD," thanks to the game's new downloadable expansion. Is there a more impressive use of the PlayStation 3's processing might than the game's new survival mode? [EDIT: I meant "endless mode," which is far more impressive.] At 10 million points, I started seeing a level of detail and frenzy that I had never seen before in a twin stick shooter or anything else.

Next: Back to "Universe At War" and "Super Mario Galaxy" this weekend?

On Wednesday I...

• Started "Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core" and had a very poor initial impression, which I will detail more tomorrow. (OK. One thing can't be held back: Is there a "Final Fantasy" that has a lead character who doesn't whine? Have they made that yet?)

• Finished "God of War: Chains Of Olympus" after experiencing...

The Official Stages Of Tough "God Of War" Boss-Battling:

1) eager first attempt

2) pathetic second, third, fourth attempt

3) doubt that I can ever get past the boss

4) anger at the developers for making it so hard to pass the finish line after all the progress I had made in the game

5) hope that like other "God of War" games it would offer me the chance to drop down in difficulty

6) disappointment/cheer that it didn't do that

7) blinding rage that the pre-boss-battle cut-scene is unskippable EVERY TIME

8 ) finally a breakthrough in recognizing the boss's pattern

9) victory.

• Got most of my goblin army burned to death in "Overlord."

• Played several EA Casual games at a press event, including the mobile versions of "Scrabble," "Merv Griffin's Crosswords," and "Boom Blox." Also played the Wii version of a multi-platform game that I can't talk about until next week. While playing the mobile "Scrabble" game I learned that "MALER" is not a word. You know, as in "more male than you" -- doesn't count. Really.

Next: I hopefully find my PS3 power cord so I can play that system again. And I will try to play "Crisis Core" and like it at the same time.

Over the weekend I…

• Finished "Kane & Lynch," making the complete scumbag decision at the end. I believe it cost me the chance to play an extra bonus level, but I did what Kane would do. I can't compromise his morals for mine, can I? Now that I'm done, I can re-consider Jeff Gerstmann's review. He described it as "a revenge tale where you don't actually care if anyone actually gets their revenge." That's a pretty good assessment.

But good gameplay can compensate for any flaws in a game story, right? "K&L" had some fun set pieces: man vs. dumptruck; jeep vs. taxiing plane. But the cover system and the friendly squad AI were inferior to what I've experienced in other games. I can't say I'm shocked at the content of his review. At least now I know for myself.

• Battled through a couple more levels of "Universe At War." In the middle of the three campaigns, the framereate finally got bad. I pushed through it and just love controlling the Hierarchy race's walking battlestations and walking factories. Commanding them really is a 2008 must-play experience. 
   
• Got closer to the end of "God of War: Chains Of Olympus," a game that continues to sell me on something I never thought was possible: epic grandeur on a handheld. I know that the idea of PSP as portable PS2 led to some poor development choices, but I do hope that we will not only get PSP games that feel small in the future. The PSP can render spectacle. I'd love to see more.

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