Posted December 31, 1969 by Scott Parrino

March is done and over with as we head into April and look forward to new releases.

Iwata?s announcement talked about how Nintendo in the last twenty years changed and what hasn?t. Of course, the ways games are made have changed along with the technology, but Nintendo still remains part of the entertainment industry. Probably what I saw as ?wish I was there? event was that Iwata gave a Nintendo DS to anyone who had a birthday that week. While my birthday isn?t until October, I would make it up that my birthday was that week. Hey, you?d do the same thing right?

The new user interface for the Xbox is probably one of the best I?ve seen and will definitely be a big help for the gamer. Not only will it improve your online experience, but your overall gaming experience. You can easily have your own kind of music play over games as well as have a ?finger print? via your gamer card. This will store information about you so that other players can see what kind of a gamer you are and play a game with you if they find you acceptable to their (or your) preference. This looks like it'll be a welcome addition for Xbox'ers who love to play online and meet interesting people and either beat them in races or frag them.

Also, be sure to check out the 5th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards to see if any of your favorite titles make the pick and to see other awards that were given for other aspects in gaming. Not just games were awarded, but also individuals who gave their time to create these masterpieces. Just as I thought, Half-Life 2 got a lot of awards.

In terms of reviews and previews, not since November of 2004 have I seen so many. With such anticipated titles reviewed like God of War (PS2), Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 (PC) and Need For Speed: Underground 2 (XBOX). Getting games to review for GamePlasma has always been a great experience, as I like to call it a ?mini Christmas?. I?m sure all the other writers and editors feel the same way when they receive that package with GamePlasma on the tag.

Our writers and editors always look forward to being able to do previews on upcoming games. This month we were able to get chances to try out titles such as The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction (XBOX), F.E.A.R. (PC). One of the more interesting titles that we have on video preview is Gamecube?s Geist, where you infiltrate bodies of other characters to use them to your advantage, creepy/cool isn?t it?

Some interesting features this month were added as well. One that caught my eye (as well as some of you guys I?m sure) is Girls in Gaming. While I have yet to get my girlfriend to sit down and play Doom 3, Girls in Gaming is a non-profit organization that tries to attract more females to the industry.

We here at GamePlasma are always hard at work at bringing gamers and readers like you quality reviews and news. A new addition we have on the site is the GamePlasma Staff Page so that you can get in contact with us to give us feedback (or even fan mail). Personally I?ve been waiting for this to happen. This page will soon evolve into full profiles for each staff member so that you can see the faces behind the names and information on them!

There are times where GamePlasma receives games that either surplus or part of a give-away. Well, now we have enough to give you the reader a chance to win some! We will be conducting weekly contests to win a game for free! And it?s not going to be some old title; we?re talking about recent hits. This weekly contest will be trivia, so brush up your game history and information!

I?m sure a lot of you are wondering about GP2.0 and its progress. So far everything is coming along nicely and from what I?ve seen for the new layout and graphics, it will definitely blow you away. Each console/handheld will have their own unique design for their page and information will be presented a lot better.

E3 is coming up soon in May and the staff here at GamePlasma can?t wait for the trip. I think the reasons we are all excited is to finally get the staff together in person in one large group and meet our fellow writers. Be sure to stick around for our on-site coverage and videos of the new hardware and software goodies coming out for all you gamers!

Scott Parrino
Editor in Chief
GamePlasma.com