Thanks for the well wishes! My position at Game Informer is a full-time gig. :)

Hey everyone,

I know way back we did an article about Gaming as Therapy that you all enjoyed. A question came up if there was scientific evidence supporting if games helped.  Well, I decided to do some hard reporting and discuss my pain disorder for Official Xbox Magazine. It's in this issue, but they just also put it up online: http://www.oxmonline.com/healing-pain-through-videogames

Just wanted to share it with you all!

Stop fighting, you're both pretty.

True story: If I didn't make him get haircuts, I'm pretty sure he'd be rocking a mullet soon enough. :-P

I'm wondering if the consent form will even hold up because she was under the influence... revenge is never pretty.

Well, El Shaddai and I are much better friends, I am loving it now.  I've warmed up to the combat, and the visuals continue to impress and surprise.  Seriously, the game goes in so many different directions with its environments it's amazing.  Also, some of bigger boss battles are definitely getting my adrenaline pumping...intense in all the right ways. 

Started El Shaddai, the visuals are amazing, but I'm not loving the combat (needs some spice).  Anyway, the visuals sure are trippy; there's definitely not anything quite like it.  I'm just not sure if it's a game for me, I'll play a few more chapters before I decide. 

I've played the game, something about it just makes you want to be a kid again.  It's like watching a Saturday morning cartoon.  <3

I have a pretty good memory of a lot of games I've played.  The NES era is a little fuzzy, but I remember playing Star Tropics, Ninja Turtles, Felix the Cat, and the Sesame Street game! I find that little details slip by after years go by. Earthbound is my favorite games and the most memorable part of it for me was having to stand under that god forsaken waterfall for a certain amount of time (thank you Nintendo Help Line!).  There's also plenty games I'd like to forget. Rule of Rose was so demented.  I can't think about it without getting chillls!

But it is based on semantics, you're taking a very positive article and trying to play the semantics card.  Have you ever heard people saying "wow that was so therapeutic?" There's many things that cater that response.  Therapy doesn't necessarily form a diagnosis, it just helps people deal with their problems in a way that's effective.  Video games could be just as beneficial as me sitting down on a couch and talking to somebody.  I've done just that before and it hasn't nearly produced something effective in the way gaming has...why you ask?  Because in the end, the pain will always be there, it's just me trying to get through it, and gaming is exactly that for me.  You're too caught up in what's the right word that you're sitting here spilling your negativity all over this thread.  I put myself out there with this article, and it's exactly the response that you're giving that makes me regret doing it.  The minute you see one thing to fault with it, you're so swept up in that, that you're missing the point.  

Honestly, a critic wouldn't be doing their job if they didn't list the issues with the high random encounter rate.  It's something you can't ignore, and as someone who reviewed Innocent Sin for another publication, I saw right away that this would turn some people off.  All told, Atlus could have rebalanced the game a bit, I know it would take more time, effort, and resources, but you barely have time to catch your breath between random encounters.  At the end of the day, though, the characters and story are worth it; in fact, I'd say the intriguing characters, unpredictable story, and great dialogue make the game stand out.   I'd even go as far as to say it's better than what we're getting in half our RPGs today.  That shining part of Innocent Sin will be worth some of the archaic gameplay for many, and it's still fun to create personas, however, demon negotiation gets stale fast.  The game isn't difficult, it's just frustrating with the encounter rate, but the thing is, if you know you have a tolerance for it - then you know that flaw won't be an issue for you. The reviews aren't saying not to play it, but they're doing their job at preparing people for what's in store. 

YAY, join in everyone! I can't say that some of us won't kick your ass, but it's worth it for bragging rights.  BRING IT.

Anybody else playing this? It took me some time to warm up to the combat, but I am absolutely loving it.  It's everything I'd want in an XBLA title and more.  The atmosphere is great and the narration makes it a funny little trip.  Also, something about building the world is very Legend of Mana-like (along with the vibrant storybook colors).  I keep finding new things to love about it every step of the way.  I'll admit when I played it at E3 I wasn't wowed, but now that I've really dug into it, I am completely impressed.

This was featured in the demo that I saw behind closed doors.  Readers have been complaining about Lightning not being a focus of the game - worried there's more Serah than Noel than anything.  Liz was just sharing some footage, what's the harm?  This is a long thread, it's hard to keep track of every single video that has been posted in it.

I think it's too early for anyone to speculate how much of the focus will be on Lightning, a lot of people jumped the gun when they saw E3 footage and immediately deemed her a side character (I'm not accusing anyone here, I'm saying what I've seen around the internet).  We don't know that.  Personally, from what I saw at E3, I was getting the vibe that they were going to go back and forth between Lightning's struggles to Serah and Noel trying to find her.  Maybe people wanted to be in control of Lightning the whole time and that's where the disappointment stems.

Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny is looking great!  I really think it will surpass Frontier's awesomeness.  Also, finally found an MMORPG to log some major hours into - Star Wars: The Old Republic.