Five Reasons Why Next Generation Gaming is Awesome

Okay, please note that all of this is coming from someone who does not own a next generation machine (Yet), but who has played all three consoles, and who is very knowledgeable of video games in general.

1. Graphics - Okay, let's get this one out of the way. Yes, graphics are going to be awesome and amazing, and judging what we've seen so far, the 'Uncanny Divide' is closing (Google it if you don't know what it is). Characters are becoming more and more lifelike every day. Just seeing BioShock, Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect, Halo 3, and even Gears of War tells me that games are going to be uncanilly realistic very very soon.

2. Sound - There is nothing like wearing 5.1 surround sound headphones and playing games like Halo 2, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, or Doom 3. It sounds awesome, and at the same time (In the last two games listed) creepy and very eerie. After graphics and gameplay, this is the most immersive facet of next-gen gaming.

3. Gameplay - Alright, nothing makes a game great like gameplay. As much as I love the story in Halo and Halo 2, if they hadn't nailed the gameplay, it would have changed an awesome game into a mediocre game. This right here is more important than graphics, more important than anything in video games right now. If you can't nail gameplay, than your game isn't going to be the best that it can be. Sure, I play games with less than perfect gameplay, but you have to, because otherwise you'd only play liek five games a year.

4. Storylines - I think that this generation is opening up a lot of avenues for stories to be told in games. Now sure, some people are sticking to tried and true concepts (Call of Duty 2/3 anyone?), but even now and definitely in the future, developers are going to be taking advantage of the advanced storytelling opportunites that features like great graphics and sound give them.

5. Multiplayer - To be honest, I can't stand splitscreen co-op, system link co-op is okay, and I can't stand deathmatch and things like that, I personally prefer single player. However, I cannot deny the importance of online, and even offline, versus modes and even co-op. A lot of people that I know play online, especially Halo 2, and even though it's really not my area of expertise, no one can deny its important place in gaming today, as well as the important role it will certainly play in future console wars.

There you go, those are my thoughts. Anyone who reads this, please leave a comment, because I'm desperate to know if anyone has actually seen my blog. Thanks.