So, you kids think you have it soooo bad? Try this on for size

The coming of the virtual console,
It never ceases to amaze me how those of us from the atari/nintendo generation of gamers were able to make it without downloadable content. We were all amazed at the first site of extra levels/maps/player skins/game fixes on the original xbox. Game manufacturers currently have gone so far as to issue full games (xbox live arcade) for download onto a console with no need for a disk, Id like to think that sometime in the future, a disk will no longer be necessary and that all games will come in a digital foremat. Oblivion is the first next generation game to hint at using this feature to full advantage, and if implemented correctly, would truly bring about a never ending game and quite possibly an ever expanding world. Rare has gone so far as to implement cooperative campaign (something that many gamers have begged and pleaded with bungie to do with the award winning halo 2 to no avail) which I believe is no small feat. I hope that with this next generation of games, we shall see even more of this in the future as it not only extends replayability, but also increases the life of the game if we have more to do with a SUCCESSFUL game.

The downside to the digital age of games, is it removes the stress on the quality control of some of the developers. A prime example that comes to mind is ghost recon advanced warfighter for the 360. The game by default is by no means anything to sneeze at. However as always, there are those that push the games to their limits and do things that no programmer intended to be done with the game. This results in glitches that did not show up in gameplay testing. Sometimes these glitches do absolutely nothing to gameplay, other times they can be critical and can swing a battle one way or another. With the advantages of digital content, it appears as though game developers are pushed to get the game out rather than ensure that all factors are dealt with before release, knowing that fixes can be implemented later on.
------------------------------------------------------------
I would like very much to touch on the issue of the gaming public at large, history has proven to us that en masse, the human race is not the most organized of species. Collectively when pointed towards a common goal, we are capable of doing things that truly boggle the mind. Sadly, with any online gaming, as a general rule, we are the epitomy of disgrace.

I am referring to trashtalkers, cheaters, standbyers, glitchers, animostic modders (I know that modding and true modders are artists that are capable of doing wonderful things), racists, and glitchers. I have only to say this. There will be many ideas that halo 2 has done that will more than likely be implemented into future games, proximity voice, non-dedicated hosting via forcing host, modification of maps and physics engine with the maps on the hard drive, etc. I hope that proximity voice will not be included on future games, or will only be included as a selectable option. If you are striving for a new plateau in gaming, then I would reccomend that you hire actual gamers to test the games, rather than having the developers test the games to make sure that all things are agreed upon and would also more than likely raise the quality of gaming in general. Nintendo itself back in the nes/snes days used to go to temporary agencies to hire gameplay testers from outside the company, which obviously enough, ensured that the games were of the highest quality. One can only hope though.
------------------------------------------------------------
On a final closing note, Id like to discuss the hotly debated topic of "balancing" of weapons, spawn camping, and some of the more intricate levels of fps multiplayer gaming.

BALANCING
One of the more popular areas of debate in the area of gameplay is the "balancing" of weapons. Much talk has been done in many of the premiere fps style of games. For those of you not in the know, there is an organization called major league gaming. Their basis of arguement is for balanced weaponry, gameplay, and skill. Initially, I was against this organization, however since trying out their gametypes,I feel there is indeed a creedence in this arguement. Once again, I think that this is the ideal that I feel will be strived towards in the future of gameplay, but will remain an ideal that is to be blunt, unachievable. War is in its own nature an unbalanced thing to begin with. Weapons intrinsically have their strengths and weaknesses, these variables are commonly adjusted by such things as rate of fire, reload times, and availability. It is my opinion that once again, much of this may be alleviated by the developers actually speaking with the gaming public at large while the software is still in beta phase. Through feedback from gamers before release, a better sense of balance may be achieved that would be beneficial to both parties.

SPAWN CAMPING
Ahhh, the one thing that is so hotly contested. If it were not for the strong opposition on both ends and the complexities therein, where to begin to come up with a solution becomes quite the in-depth query.

Many solutions to this have been proposed, from limited invincibility, to a seperate spawn room. Some call it nuances of gameplay, others call it cheap and underhanded. Conker in my opinion (though rampant with spawn camping in its online gameplay) had many plausible solutions. From an armed automatic weapon over the spawn room, to limited invincibility, to selectable respawn points, I feel that this game (had it not been an online flop due to lack of updates to gameplay and dlc) hit on many positive alternatives to counter spawncamping. I agreed with conker on many points of their spawning tactics, but I feel that a little more steps to delve further would have been beneficial