Read the whole article here: mobilegamereview.blogspot.com

So how the heck did this game get billed as a 40 hour gameplay experience?"

itbusiness’ list of technology visionaries includes the guy who invented a way to store data in a portable form–and who almost got demoted as a result. It recognizes the woman who popularized the term "bug" after a moth flew into a computer relay. And it acknowledges a genius who might have saved modern gaming by inventing Jump Man.

So it’s time to pay homage where homage is due. Here’s the 50 most important people in the recent history of technology–the most critical players (including a few forgotten heroes) who’ve been instrumental in crafting the last 50 years of technical innovation.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being ridiculously biased here. I didn’t really follow the philosophical junk that Hideo (Kojima, head of the Kojima Productions development team at Konami and Metal Gear director) tried to mix in with the storyline either, and it became a bit of a confused mess. MGS3 players will have noticed the greater injection of emotion into the proceedings of the tale of Big Boss, and in MGS4 the prescription is even greater."

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2001 ELSPA Ltd Entertainment Software (All Prices) Week 24, 2008

1: METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

2: LEGO INDIANA JONES: ORIGINAL ADVENTURES

3: GRAND THEFT AUTO IV

4: MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES

5: DR KAWASHIMA’S BRAIN TRAINING

6: RACE DRIVER: GRID

7: WII PLAY

8: SPORTS ISLAND

9: SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION REVOLUTION

10: WII FIT

Many gamers would have you believe that Nintendo is responsible for the flood of casual gamers and non-gamers who have been introduced to the videogame industry. While I agree that Nintendo is succeeding greatly as they focus their effort appealing to new and untapped audiences, I disagree that they are the ones that encouraged growth in this direction in the first place. Nintendo is taking advantage of the foundation another company had already lain. The true leaders of this gaming revolution are in fact, none other than Sony with its PlayStation 2.

Unlike Nintendo who has shaped their current image to appeal to a new audience beyond the core gamer. Sony insists that their main focus has always been the core gamer. However, while Sony was saying one thing, they were doing something entirely different by encouraging and supporting the development of certain games that were definitely not part of the norm.

It’s no secret, Sony followers would bend over backwards for a title that pays fan service to their favorite PS characters. Sony, who has been a main player in the home console world for the past fourteen years, has had their share of memorable characters appear on all three of their respective systems. If done correctly, a quality fighting title featuring all of the Playstation’s most memorable characters, from Kratos to Parappa, would undoubtedly be an immediate hit. Granted, many of the characters who gained notoriety on the Playstation platform are now owned by others companies and have since gone multiplatform, so it narrows down the list quite a bit. In the meantime, here is ReelGamers’ choice for the Sony Smash Brothers roster:

1. Kratos (God of War)

2. Sly (Sly Cooper Series)

3. Monkey (Ape Escape)

4. Ico (Ico)

5. Rico (Killzone)

(Roster continued after the jump…)

-ReelGamers.com

All terribly epic isn’t it? But the fact is that mankind has told stories for thousands of years. Gaming is just the latest evolution of the narrative method, but is it more Spot the Dog and Jackass: The Movie than War & Peace and Schindler’s List?

This article discusses the different types of narratives and storytelling in gaming and compares and contrasts this to stories in films and books.

It explores the potential of stories in gaming and looks at the limitations that prevent gaming from reaching this full potential.