This is one of the smartest cartoons on TV right now. It's really clever, self-aware, and funny, without coming off as too campy.

So they're just going to ignore the fact that in the last three months, Avatar — a scifi action flick aimed at men — became the most successful film in human history? That would seem to blow their quaint little "xbox factor" theory out of the water.

@Kimochi Sama: That's the business world for you. Smacking around the competition for their misfortunes is part of the job.

@authorityzro: He may be looking to go after a different user base. It makes sense, if he wants to build Last Story into a big franchise, to start with the Wii, which has the most users and the most first-time gamers. If it succeeds, it may be a lot of people's first expsoure to RPG's, and that could create a huge…

@Leukocyte: Well, the name "Final Fantasy" comes from the fact that Square thought they were going to go out of business after making the first game. Its surprise success saved the company.

What works for a first person shooter isn't going to automatically work for an RPG. It sounds like they've been trying way too hard to pander to US gamers, and in the process they're losing sight of what made FF so popular in the first place.

@TrackerTrem: LET'S FIGHT, LIKE GENTLEMEN.

Finally, SF3 gets some love from Capcom. Awesome.

I'd say Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist are far more stand-out Bones properties than Darker Than Black.

@hoboninjapirate: Just because you're old doesn't necessarily mean you have to be close-minded about technology. Look at all those stories about seniors who have never played a game in their lives getting into the Wii, for example.

@cjlopez: Whatever. I for one can't wait to play Map Screen: The Video Game

In this issue: We ask actors about video games!

@Rebochan: One or two isolated reviews doesn't change the fact that on average, this game is getting lower reviews than any previous title in the main series. Kotaku isn't under any obligation to print every review that comes along. Interesting, though, that your conspiracy theory is based on the unfounded prediction…

@comtar: And it's not like Square hasn't attempted a non-linear RPG before. FFX-2 had multiple paths, endings, tons of optional quests, and the ability to tackle most quests in different orders. And it got great reviews (arguably better than it deserved) in Japan.

Sounds like Toriyama is making excuses. Especially when you consider that the response to FF13 from Japanese gamers can be considered lukewarm, at best. So, are all those Japanese gamers coming from a "western perspective" as well?

@battra92: A lot of people respect them BECAUSE they stopped doing live shows in order to focus on the music itself. They turned down literally millions of dollars (in 1960's money, no less) they could have made doing concerts because they wanted to be more free to experiment artistically.

7 isn't really revolutionary, it's basically Vista, without all the things people hate about Vista. There are some nice new features, though nothing world-shaking. In short, it's just a damn fine operating system. It's no wonder people are switching. 7 is the true successor to XP.

Sorry, but violence is completely natural. It may not be morally acceptable in this day and age (and it shouldn't be) but one of the reasons why acts of violence have never been eradicated from our culture (or anyone else's) is because violence is one of the most common things in nature. Most predators would starve to…

Gundam vs. Giant Robo. Crazy retro 1960's robots are go!

"New hardware" is a delightfully vague term. It could mean a new console to succeed the Wii. Or it could mean a new Wii gadget (like the vitality sensor) or even just an upgrade of an existing product (a more sensitive balance board, perhaps.)