The do not call registry does work, for the most part, at least with the more scrupulous telemarketers. However, charitable organizations are not bound by the registry. That said, nearly all will gladly stop calling you if you ask politely to have your number removed.

@erichg14: Clever.

One of the major advantages of the color system (and with letter or number grades, however arbitrary) is that they allow a quick read of reviews. I understand, philosophically, why Kotaku has essentially abandoned "scoring" games in any way.

They need to figure something out with the Indie games. Despite adding some better ways to rate them, it's still a mess. What they need is a more elaborate way for users to describe the game and rate it's various components, and perhaps user reviews (ala Amazon).

@thenino85: I completely agree about Bioshock. You know what really killed it for me though? The goddamn "Pipe Drain" hacking puzzles every five minutes.

@acamas: You'll encounter the evil tomatoes soon, if you haven't already.

Final Fantasy XIII visuals. I can't call the game itself overrated, because plenty of people disliked it. But I found the art direction to be insipid beyond the main characters. Easily the worst bit are the goblins, who look like donuts with boxing gloves, not that it mattered, because the battle system is so frantic…

@StarkRavingMad: I'd say the single player, especially the story, is overrated. I've never understood how people managed to identify with (or even identify) the characters. The story is unimaginative and the single player is a bit too chaotic to really involve me.

Or I can stream Netflix and other web content with a 360 or Ps3 for the same price, without needing a cable or satellite television contract. Tversity, Play-on, and Ps3 media server (which will actually deal with MKV and subtitles) have all become incredibly easy to use programs that rarely, if ever, fail.

@velvet396: Totally. It's just so wrong for right now. I also don't get the whole portable hardcore multiplayer gaming angle. Mobile games need to be broken up into short chunks by necessity. Who's going to marathon some WoW time or an FPS while on the train?

@Settings: Heh, yes. I think that's true in general on forums — people feel the need to contribute with comments like, "Sony Suckz!" when you ask how to repair your Playstation.

This won't see the light of day.

The worst work email I have to deal with is the non-reply reply. This is when I write a complete, thoughtful, and simply worded question (or response) and receive a reply that addresses only the first sentence, or nothing in my email at all.

@—Core—: Agreed. At this point JPEG is synonymous with "picture" for most people.

@Retsaot: I agree to an extent. It's wrong to label him as a sex offender, as that's absolutely a mischaracterization. But, it seems fair to give him an equivalent punishment, as his boss would have been stigmatized as a sex offender if the perp had never been caught.

This is a bit of a snotty post. "Visceral" means the virtual reality on screen translates into a clear emotional or psychosomatic response (when the swords clashed on screen I "felt" my arms vibrating). If followed up with specific details, it's a fine word that often applies to video games.

@DWD: I was thinking the same thing, though at the same time digital camera technology is improving so rapidly (dynamic range, photo resolution, etc.) that I can certainly see this being perfect for a consumer application at least, in addition to the obvious security uses.

@arionfrost: I couldn't disagree more. Capcom has gone from an eh company for me to my most beloved Japanese developer. They've released some of the best titles of the past couple years and have listened attentively to fans.

Do I still have to hope the game's in stock, find parking, pay sales tax, and be inside a K-Mart?

@TuxBobble: That sounds about right (focusing on online play).