The video game world is heating up as the weeks go by. From the slumping sales of the once great Sega to the sales charts domination by The Sims on Playstation 2, there is no better example of a “good” year for gamers. The Playstation 2 has dominated the sales charts ever since it launched a couple years ago. It started with its launch titles all the way up to the console version of The Sims. This console has always made the headlines and has always pushed its competition to the side. Well this year the competition is going to heat up as the Nintendo GameCube begins to deliver more quality titles than ever before. Nintendo’s overall sales last year were down by a lot. This year is looking a lot better for the company. It is all thanks to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and a new iteration of the Game Boy Advance. No one truly knew how big these two products would become but the reality is all too clear now. Many would be lucky if they could even get a copy of Zelda these days as it can’t be found in many stores due to the major sales of its first week. With a new Mario game in the works and the upcoming release of Wario World on the horizon, Nintendo’s future is looking brighter by the second.

    The once great Sega has had a major backlash in recent years. From the horrid sales of the Saturn to the already known doom of the Dreamcast, Sega has not had the best luck. It has been awhile since they owned the game community with its Sega Genesis console that revolutionized the 16-bit generation. Even after Sega promised to become a successful third party developer, sales still were not sparkling. Sega has released many games in the last year for the X-Box which has not generated much in the way of sales. It has gone so far as to hinder the fate of the revolutionary Shenmue saga that had been devised by legendary developer Yu Suzuki. Now Sega is turning their aim towards the Playstation 2 with the release of a remixed version of Virtua Fighter 4. Another factor that foreshadows problems for Sega is the merger with Sammy. In the past Sega has attempted to merge with Bandai but that plan flopped. The future of Sega is uncertain and the future of its wildly popular mascot Sonic is in even graver danger. We all give them our best wishes, but sometimes a step in the wrong direction can ruin something forever.

    My final gibberish of the week is about BMX XXX. Yes I know the story is old but let’s elaborate. The developers at Acclaim basically humiliated themselves by releasing that game. The sales of the game only further confirm that. It basically puts a stamp that says “pigs” on the developers. Even Dave Mirra is angry. He has sued them for a large sum of money saying that it ruined his image. I would not blame him in the least and I would not be surprised if they gave him the money. Duke Nukem and Grand Theft Auto Vice City have taken the limits to a certain level but not that far. An end to these useless games is needed. To make one final note this week. The game wasn’t even that good. Hmm I guess nudity doesn’t help gameplay. Acclaim take note.