VIDEO GAMES: The Vita is amazing and I love Gamestop.

As you may have heard yesterday, over 3,000 Gamestops around the nation now have the Playstation Vita available to demo. Apparently some of the locations will only let those who have pre-ordered the system get their hands on it, but my local Gamestop wasn't so stingy. The Vita was set up on a nice little display about halfway back in the store. Just another example of the massive underselling that has already plagued this clearly incredible system. Unless you read silly blogs like mine or visit gaming sites like IGN on a daily basis, you're probably not aware that an incredible, brand new handheld system hits the market in two weeks. Sony, for some insane reason, has remained nearly mute about their newest product and it's a shame that the Vita likely won't get the attention it deserves. You can now enter to win a Vita by buying a "$5 buck box" at Taco Bell but most Taco Bells no longer give you the actual box with the order where the code for the promotion can be found. After spending about an hour with the system today I can tell you, this deserves your attention and your money.

In my limited time with the Vita I managed to check out Little Deviants, Fifa 12, Uncharted: Golden Abyss and a game that used escaping a factory to showcase some of the Vita's new features (I think it was called Escape Plan). Little Deviants made nice use of the back touch screen which I guess I hadn't fully comprehended until now. Yes, you can touch the back of the Vita to make things happen in the game. It's weirdly satisfying and works much better than you'd expect. Fifa 12 looks gorgeous and plays very similar to Fifa on the PS3 and 360 which unfortunately meant confirming that I suck hardcore at soccer games. Uncharted is where the system shines though. The playable level has Drake waking up at the bottom of a burning building where he must scale the crumbling interior to find a way out. As a 360 owner I have always suffered from massive Uncharted envy and the fact that I'm too poor to buy a Vita for some time ensures that that envy will continue.

While it may not look like the PS3 on a small screen, the Vita boasts some impressive visuals. The 5" OLED screen has responsive touch capabilities and readily sucks you in with its brilliant graphics. In my opinion, Sony has found the perfect size where the handheld is still small enough to fit in your pocket but the game play is clearly superior to the miniscule iPhone and Android screens. The analog sticks work well and feel more responsive and sturdy than the 3DS circle pad and all of the buttons feel natural. My time with the system actually got me to feel a radical urge to trade my 3DS for a Vita (I f**kin love my 3DS).

Not only did my trip make me excited for the Vita, but it reminded me why I hope that used games don't become a thing of the past. I love Gamestop. Say what you will about used games and the way the industry works, the fact that I can walk into a Gamestop at any time, check out a new system, put down a pre-order for an upcoming game and chat for over an hour with an employee about gaming in general is something I am extremely thankful for. I've yet to find a Gamestop where the workers aren't passionate about what they're selling; and although we may not always agree on certain games or systems, they always seem ready to talk about this common interest that we all share.

So what did I learn today? The Vita may go down in history as the worst represented, best developed system of all time and I hope Gamestop is in it for the long haul.

VIDEO GAMES: Will you preorder Mass Effect 3?

Bioware has gone ahead and revealed the preorder bonuses that millions of people will get when they inevitable preorder Mass Effect 3, perhaps the most anticipated game of 2012. By preordering from any retailer you'll get a M55 Argus Assault Rifle, from Gamestop you'll get N7 Warfare Gear which includes N7 Defender Armor and N7 Valyrie Assault Rifle, and lastly those who preorder from Origin will receive an AT12 Raider Shotgun. Personally I'm a fan of awesome preorder rewards and since I haven't played the first two ME's I'm not sure how excited people will be about these rewards. Will you be preordering this one? And if so, which place has the most intriguing reward?

VIDEO GAMES: Bleh.

Well the circle-pad addition for the Nintendo 3DS titled the Circle Pad Pro will be coming to stores in February. It sounds like the contraption actually fits snugly on the system but not only does it make the distance to the a,x,b,y buttons a little awkward, apparently the analog stick will feel either more or less stiff than the stick on the 3DS. I still have no intentions of buying this thing unless a game I desperately need in the future calls for it. According to Gamestop it will run for $19.99 which is not a bad price.

VIDEO GAMES: Xenoblade Chronicles is coming to America!

Does that phrase not mean anything to you either? Yea I knew it sounded familiar but couldn't realize why everyone was so excited until I looked into it. Apparently Xenoblade Chronicles is an incredible RPG Nintendo title that, up until now, has only been available in Japan. It follows the story of Shulk as he wields the incredibly powerful energy blade called Monado. He battles against the evil Mechon to protect the world that he loves. As I look deeper into the game I am once again becoming upset that I sold my Wii. Xenoblade will be a Wii exclusive and the screenshots look absolutely gorgeous. The game is set to hit the states in April next year and a leaked image has suggested that Xenoblade Chronicles may actually be a GameStop exclusive! This would be interesting and a massive grab for GameStop as it sounds like Xenoblade has a pretty massive following who wants it here in the states. If the leaked image is correct, then Xenoblade will hit GameStop shelves on April 3, 2012!

VIDEO GAMES: GameStop is doing anything but lying down.

With the recent acquisition of Impulse and Spawn Labs a few months ago, it was clear that GameStop had something in mind to make some noise in the gaming industry. Well it sounds like that noise will come in the form of a GameStop tablet that focuses primarily on gaming. It's no secret that tablets are the future and I think GameStop is making a brilliant move by getting out of the gate first with a tablet that is specified for playing games. This, in addition to now buying and selling Apple products, is great news for GameStop as it continues to look more and more like they will find ways to stay successful as physical games begin to exit the market. Well done GameStop.

For much more info, check out the full article on 1UP HERE!

VIDEO GAMES: GameStop has an iDea about how to stay alive.

I've talked before about how desperately GameStop is going to need to come up with some new methods of business in the near future as physical games become less prominent with the glory of direct download. Well it sounds like the top dogs at GameStop aren't oblivious to this idea because they have announced that they will start selling Apple products! Everything from iPods, iPhones and iPads will soon be available for purchase from GameStop. They are also now accepting Apple devices for trade in effective immediately. It is rumored that they will begin selling Apple products when the iPhone 5 hits shelves which is rumored for early October (nearly confirmed). I think this is a great move by GameStop and I think they're going to need several more great moves to secure the future of the company. I really hope they do because I love GameStop.

VIDEO GAMES: GameStop made a boo boo...here's their band aid.

As you may have heard earlier this week, it appears that GameStop had removed some of the OnLive certificates from brand new copies of the pretty highly anticipated Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Well, I don't know about you, but when I buy a game that is brand new, I kind of expect to get everything it's supposed to come with...I'm a little more picky than most I suppose. Needless to say, quite a few PC players weren't exactly thrilled the GameStop's bold move. Is bold the right word? So in order to appease those players, GameStop has announced today that customers who purchased the Deus Ex PC version will be eligible for a $50 gift card to the store as well as a "buy 2 get 1 free" coupon towards used games. This is kind of a bummer since GameStop is already going to have to be extremely careful about how it does business in the future as more and more games are becoming direct downloadable and the idea of physical games on discs is starting to dwindle. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we won't see games on discs anymore in 5 years time, but maybe 10-15 years down the road we'll make all our gaming purchases online. Anyways, hopefully the $50 and the coupon is enough to ease the suffering of those who didn't get all they paid for with Deus Ex since I still love GameStop.

Full story on GameInformer HERE!

VIDEO GAMES: Gamestop about to push for staying relevant.

We're getting closer and closer to the idea of a video game in physical form being obsolete. We already directly download all of our iOS games straight to our phones and a healthy amount of great games are available to grab straight onto your console or PC without ever having to leave your chair, couch, bed, etc. Well this is obviously bad news for Gamestop, a company that buys and sells new and used games. So what can they do? They can buy Spawn Labs and start a direct downloading service in order to compete, that's what. According to GamesIndustry, Gamestop is looking to start the beta version of their service before the end of the year and would like to release the fully functional system by the middle of 2012. If the prices are right, this may be just what Gamestop needs in order to stay in the game. I really hope they do because Gamestop has been great to me over the years.