In the short life of the videogame industry the internet has advanced everything from the way we play to the way we complain. The advent of online reporting has transformed our absorption of the industry from a monthly dose of knowledge courtesy of the well-groomed pages of magazines to the immediate craze of blogs and message boards.

Outspoken Silicon Knights head honcho Denis Dyack lamented to users of the popular online message board NeoGAF that they can have an impact on the success and perception of a game and ordinarily attack without the proper knowledge base. While many scratched their heads at the concept of explaining the faults of those shrouded by internet anonymity, it raises an interesting question.

Is the internet making our industry smarter?

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There are some games that you love and think you could play again and again and never grow tired of any part of the experience. Personally, Half-Life 2 was one of the games- but since playing through the Xbox 360 version of the original 2004 release I can’t but hate some of the encounters.

It happens to the best of us for a number of different games, for me:

• I can play Halo: Combat Evolved a hundred times but would rather sell a vital organ then go through the Library level again
• I can max out every character in Final Fantasy VII but if I have to go through the Freezing Forrest once more I’ll snap
• I can experience the incredible world of Half-Life 2 over-and-over but God help me if I don’t want to punch a dog when I have to go through old Nova Prospekt another time

So why am I bothering? Well, there are certain scenarios in Half-Life 2 that I dislike today that were amazing in 2004. If Episode One and Episode Two are indicators of how Valve has matured as a design company then the outlook for everything they do is as high as The Orange Box’s Metacritic scores.

Episode One and Two pace so well that it shines the annoying parts of their successor under a hot lamp.

The Orange Box is an amazing package, and if the sales numbers are accurate then most gamers already agree.

Plowing through Portal and playing with Team Fortress 2 on the Xbox 360 was great; and great for my Gamerscore!

I enjoyed my time and had better success with the Xbox 360 version of Team Fortress 2 then with the PC version, maybe it’s because I lack the speed of a good PC player, but hell if it isn’t still near broken on Live.

During last week’s show, to which I am now only an avid listener, Jimbo mentioned he wanted a Team Fortress 2 gaming night to happen and I urge you all to pick this title up if you don’t already have it.

Sure I already own the PC version and you might too, but the console version has so much to offer that you should consider it as a holiday gift pick. Jim’s right, we NEED to have a social gaming night with this game ASAP.

But not the PS3 version. That’s like being uppercutted in the genital region with a flaming Shoryuken.

So, what’cha playing this week BBPS-heads? (Also, are their games you love that have areas you’d hate to play through?)

[Ed Note: Believe...I'd never give it up]

Thanks to our friends at This Week in Geek for these picks!

SUPERBAD (DVD)
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: If you missed this during the summer, seriously GO NOW and pick this up. Easily one of the best movies released all summer, it features a pair of geeks on a quest to which we can all relate to at one point or another. Plus it’s got McLovin….this kid might deserve his own spin off movie at some point. Still, great movie, good cast and unforgettable laughs.

Harry Potter: Year 5 HD-DVD/Bluray Set
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: It’s Harry Potter and it’s H friggin D! This summer’s entry into the series was absolutely amazing and now we get to see that wicked magical showdown in HD and it’ll be wicked. This box set is also available in Standard definition too but if your going to go for the gusto, you have to go HD. Also this DVD set comes in a case that looks like Harry’s trunk and that really sells it for me.

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The Orange Box
Available On: PC/X360
ESRB Rating: M
MSRP: $49.99 (PC) $59.99 (X360)
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: Sure the name is stupid, and the cover art needs help. But this pack gives you perhaps the best value EVER in the history of gaming. No bull. What you get here is 4 games that could easily stand on their own. Half-Life 2, Episodes 1 and 2 for HL2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal, which is responsible for multiple internet-memes and in our running for game of the year. Of course this one is violent as all get out, so it’s not for the young’uns, but for the adult on your list, it’s impossible to get more bang for you buck than The Orange Box.

BioShock
Available On: PC/X360
ESRB Rating: M
MSRP: $49.99 (PC) $59.99 (X360)
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: The world of Rapture is as submerged in secrets as it is in water in 2K Boston’s BioShock. Explore a deep and stunning world and attempt to survive as you uncover the reasons you have been brought to the underwater world of BioShock; a title many are touting as Game of the Year. Multiple powers, encounters and endings should keep you coming back to the city ruled by an iron fist and governed by shaking morality.

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Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
ESRB Rating: E
MSRP: $59.99
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Santa Says: It’s not a stretch to say there’s not much worth playing on the PlayStation 3, even though it’s been out for a year. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a gem or two in there that are worth looking at. Enter PlayStation 2 staple Ratchet and Clank, in their first outing on the new hardware. Crazy weapons, lush environments and witty dialogue that people know and love about R&C are in full effect here… and fans of the series won’t be disappointed.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
ESRB Rating: T
MSRP: $59.99
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: One of the best reasons to own a PlayStation 3 this year can found with this release from famed developer Naughty Dog. Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune is a mix between Tomb Raider and Gears of War that delivers on an exciting storyline, interesting characters and competent game play. If you’re looking for a title to showcase the power of the PlayStation 3, the beautiful world of Uncharted will answer your every wish.

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Halo 3
Available On: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M
MSRP: $59.99 (Regular Edition)
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: The epic conclusion in one of the most popular trilogies of all time, Halo 3 is a definite must own for fans of the first-person shooter genre. With the inclusion of (online enabled) co-operative play throughout the entire single-player campaign and a detailed multi-player experience, Halo 3 gives gamers plenty of excuses for playing again and again.

BioShock
Available On: PC/X360
ESRB Rating: M
MSRP: $49.99 (PC) $59.99 (X360)
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: The world of Rapture is as submerged in secrets as it is in water in 2K Boston’s BioShock. Explore a deep and stunning world and attempt to survive as you uncover the reasons you have been brought to the underwater world of BioShock; a title many are touting as Game of the Year. Multiple powers, encounters and endings should keep you coming back to the city ruled by an iron fist and governed by shaking morality.

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Wii Zapper with
Link’s Crossbow Training
ESRB Rating: E
MSRP: $24.99
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: Since the Wii already has a system in place to point and shoot at the screen, it was only a matter of time till we saw some sore of lightgun attachment. Though this one looks nothing like a gun (more like the Super Scope from SNES days) it nevertheless does a bang-up job holding Wii-mote and nunchuck together to provide a cool way to interact with the screen. The game also includes Link’s Crossbow Training which, while not a full fleshed out game, will keep you entertained till more compatible games hit the shelves. True it’s just a hunk of plastic, but it does look cool.

Super Mario Galaxy
ESRB Rating: E
MSRP: $49.99
BUY IT NOW!

Santa Says: Bringing Mario back to top form in his latest platformer almost seemed too easy for the experts at Nintendo. Everyone’s favorite plumber is tasked to save the extremely kidnappable Princess Peach in an adventure that spans the universe. Perfect controls, trademark humor and plenty of pick-ups are just a few reasons why this Mario adventure is not only one of the best Wii titles, but one of the best Mario games since Super Mario 64.

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