1. Sony's PSPgo has been the subject of much criticism prior to its release. Which criticism do you feel is most valid?

Its price is too expensive: 35 percent (2,748 total responses)
The inability to play UMD games already purchased is disappointing: 35 percent (2,729)
The device is largely redundant to the existing PSP: 23 percent (1,761)
None of these; the device is fine, it's not a replacement for the existing PSP: 7 percent (580)
7,818 total responses

Equal numbers complain of the price and the lack of UMD. Both are heavy barriers to the Go's adoption, but we didn't ask "Why are you not buying the device," just what the most valid criticism was. This means, theoretically, that for some the lack of UMD does not matter as much as the price, and vice versa. But taken together, if the Kotaku readership is any indication of the core gaming crowd, the PSPgo has two hard strikes against it.

2. Based on what you've seen and read, which motion control system do you feel will be best integrated with its console's offerings?

None of these/Don't care: 27 percent (2,134 total responses)
Microsoft's Project Natal: 26 percent (2,085)
Sony's Motion Control: 24 percent (1,866)
Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus: 23 percent (1,799)
7,884 total responses

3. Which motion control system are you most interested in playing?

Microsoft's Project Natal: 39 percent (3,072 total responses)
Sony's Motion Control: 26 percent (2,068)
None of these/Don't care: 26 percent (2,067)
Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus: 9 percent (701)
7,908 total responses

4. Based on your personal gaming tendencies and preferences, do you feel that motion control systems:

Would not be relevant to the games I play: 42 percent (3,307 total responses)
Would detract from my enjoyment of the games I play: 22 percent (1,725)
Would enhance my enjoyment of the games I play 21 percent (1,682)
None of these/Don't know: 15 percent (1,167)
7,881 total responses

5. How do you feel about motion-control games?

I enjoy them, but I enjoy standard-control games more: 46 percent (3,621 total responses
I do not seek to play these games, but I enjoy them when invited to by a friend: 26 percent (2,076)
I do not enjoy motion control games, and do not want to play them: 14 percent (1,109)
I enjoy them and seek to play games that utilize them: 7 percent (580)
Not sure/Don't care: 6 percent (449)
7,835 total responses

This paints a strongly indifferent picture toward motion control games, as paradoxical as it sounds to say that. Your opinions of, basically, the best motion control system are all in a statistical dead heat - including "Don't care," the overall leader. Given an opportunity to play any motion control system, readers chose Project Natal, reflecting the base's strong preference for the Xbox 360. The Wii's stark underperformance in that question indicates either a disaffection for the console or the lack of perceived novelty in its control scheme after more than two years, and probably both. But the final nail in the coffin is that 42 percent of the readership simply doesn't care for motion controls; a supermajority finds them either irrelevant to the games they play, or that they detract from them.

6. Which platform do you enjoy the most?

Xbox 360: 36 percent (2,835 total responses)
PlayStation 3: 30 percent (2,359)
PC: 23 percent (1,841)
DS/DSi: 5 percent (359)
Wii: 3 percent (226)
PS2: 3 percent (223)
PSP: 1 percent (66)
Mac: 0 percent (30)
iPhone/iPod Touch : 0 percent (18)
7,957 total responses

We asked this as a control, just to establish console preferences and to see if they were consistent with previous answers. In large part they were.

7. Which statement best reflects your opinion of the Scribblenauts "Sambo" controversy?

It was blown out of proportion by the games press: 37 percent (2,850 total responses)
It was not offensive content, and merited no discussion: 30 percent (2,289)
Other opinion/Not sure/Don't care: 20 percent (1,570)
It was a controversy manufactured to harm a good game: 5 percent (424)
It was an insensitive error that deserved an apology: 5 percent (410)
It is a consequence of the lack of diversity in game development: 3 percent (204)
7,747 total responses

No surprise here. The controversy over Scribblenauts - writing "Sambo," a racial slur in the U.S., produced an item that looked like a watermelon - was almost immediately rejected by the commentariat on sites and forums that reported it, with many expressing the strong feeling that it was a gotcha-game invented by a gaming press with not much else to do. Only 5 percent, however, thought it was actively brought up to knock Scribblenauts down a peg.

8. What is the first word that comes to your mind for this game: Halo 3: ODST?

7,120 total responses

Unfortunately, I thought our polling software would aggregate responses using the exact same word, showing at least the top two or three words. Instead, the percentages are all 1/7120th. Scanning the list, "meh" appeared to be a popular choice. "A horse being flogged because it worked once," was another more specific expression of things like "redundant," "overrated" and "cash cow." "Expansion" and "expansion pack" also reflected a disappointment with ODST's singleplayer campaign. Positives included "awesome," "amazing," and "fun." Unfortunately, I simply can't tally up the percentage of positive words versus negative or indifferent. Thanks for participating in this question, but we can't use its kind in the future.

Look for more questions Oct. 10, as we continue to flesh out the habits, preferences and trends among the Kotaku Gamer.

This week we seek to measure your attitudes on the PSPgo, whose pre-release has been marred by retailer unhappiness, criticism of its price point, and disappointment in its lack of UMD support. We're also interested in your feelings on motion control, as 2010 figures to be the year when all three major consoles will have some type of full featured system. Finally, two games we've written about provoked a great deal of reader reaction in comments about them. Approval ratings will attempt to crystallize how you feel about both.

Editor's note: For one of these we're experimenting with an open-ended answer capability. An explanation will precede that specific question below.

Again, you will not see the results of these polls after you vote. They will close tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. U.S. Mountain Time. We will publish the results and an analysis the following Thursday evening.

For this next question, because of the limitations of our poll service, we had to include at least two forced choices. These have been identified as null; do not check either of them. Click the third radio button and type your answer in the space provided in the third field.

As I said, the answer to some of these questions might seem painfully obvious, but the goal here is not to create some surprise majority answer. In fact, sometimes the surprises can be in the minority answers. Let's have a look at what you had to say.

1. On which network do you most frequently play games online?

Xbox Live: 38 percent (4,585 total responses)
A PC network: 35 percent (4,251)
PlayStation Network : 25 percent (2,971)
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection: 2 percent (272)
12,079 total responses.

Xbox Live's strong showing is not shocking, considering its head start on console multiplayer and the fact earlier surveys have borne it out as Kotaku readers' preferred system. What is unusual is the distant third place for PSN, and the strongly competitive showing for PC multiplayer gaming. In our past survey, PCs rated 19 percent for the most-enjoyed platform, with PlayStation at 32 percent and Xbox 360 at 41. What's that mean? Either there are a lot of PC multiplayer gamers who'd rather be on their console, or a lot playing their PS3 for singleplayer only, and doing multiplayer on another platform. My bet is on the latter.

2. How often do you download game demos?

One to three times a month: 40 percent (4,729 total responses)
Less than once a month: 34 percent (3,960)
Once or more per week: 18 percent (2,097)
Never: 8 percent (977)
11,763 total responses.

Given all the coverage we do here of demo releases, it's easy to see why Kotaku readers seek them out at least once a month. One in five go grab a demo four times a month or more, which indicates a hardcore gaming interest across many genres and a willingness to try the latest and greatest.

3. What is your primary reason for using an online service?

Multiplayer gaming: 65 percent (7,617 total responses)
Purchasing games or content: 16 percent (1,917)
Accessing demos or free content: 14 percent (1,583)
Accessing multimedia (music or movies): 5 percent (599)
11,716 total responses.

OK, I admit, this is a big-duh question. A good third of the readershuip, however, use their online service for something other than multiplayer, and that's a trend that will only grow as digital distribution and content delivery becomes more robust. Now, on to the games.

4. Do you want to play Braid?

Yes: 57 percent (6,579 total responses)
No: 43 percent (5,021)
11,600 total responses.

As a linear platformer with no DLC add-ons, the strong majority who give Braid a thumbs up are definitely rewarding its thoughtful design, story, production values, and stature within the indie community.

5. Do you want to play Marvel vs. Capcom 2?

Yes: 43 percent (5,043 total responses)
No: 57 percent (6,614)
11,657 total responses.

A little surprised this fighter is in the minority so soon after a well anticipated rerelease on both console services. Of course, one could look at it from the other side, which is a previous-gen fighter as a paid download title is doing well to get 43 percent.

6. Do you want to play Fat Princess?

Yes: 55 percent (6,384 total responses)
No: 45 percent (5,232)
11,616 total responses.

The PS3's zany capture-the-flag exclusive is going strong 45 days after its release, with a solid majority interested in what it has to offer. A new map-pack undoubtedly helps, but for certain much of the score is based on the game's overall appeal.

7. Do you want to play Mega Man 9?

Yes: 38 percent (4,449 total responses)
No: 62 percent (7,137)
11,586 total responses.

Another two-way view. Mega Man 9 is more than a year old, so the 62 percent who are done with it is not unexpected. But the numbers who want to play it still are not that far off from Capcom's other downloadable title here, MVC2.

8. Do you want to play Castle Crashers?

Yes: 60 percent (6,982 total responses)
No: 40 percent (4,579)
11,561 total responses.

Castle Crashers' 60 percent approval rating is a sign of solid respect - the highest of any downloadable title surveyed - and helped by its continued development. Three weeks ago it released a new content pack that added characters and weapons.

9. Do you want to play Battlefield 1943?

Yes: 48 percent (5,509 total responses)
No: 52 percent (6,069)
11,578 total responses.

Here is a surprise for me. Battlefield 1943 was a roaring success from day one - the fastest selling downloadable game ever, with unbelievable playtime statistics on the first day of release. Can it really be so played out that a majority say no thanks two months later?

10. Do you want to play World of Goo?

Yes: 48 percent (5,611 total responses)
No: 52 percent (6,080)
11,691 total responses.

A wildcard entry here, World of Goo is the only downloadable exclusive to the Wii and no other consoles, although it is definitely helped by a strong PC user base. Remember those two platforms, PC and Wii, accounted for about 20 percent of the "preferred platform" votes in earlier surveys. World of Goo still rating nearly a 50 percent approval might be a vote on its reputation, but it's still a vote of confidence.

Look for more questions this Saturday, as we continue to flesh out the habits, preferences and trends among the Kotaku Gamer.

No doubt many of these responses will break down along our earlier platform preference results. Remember, the point of answering a survey isn't to declare a winner, but to know an answer. In this case, an answer in the minority might still get a sizable enough percentage to be intriguing or revealing.

Again, you will not see the results of these polls after you vote. They will close tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. U.S. Mountain Time. We will publish the results and an analysis the following Thursday evening.

1. Do you want to play Fallout 3? (any platform)

Yes: 72 percent (12,052 total responses)
No: 20 percent (3,393)
Not sure: 7 percent (1,207)
16,652 total responses.

2. Do you want to play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion? (any platform)

Yes: 55 percent (8,756 total responses)
No: 36 percent (5,822)
Not sure: 9 percent (1,456)
16,034 total responses.

3. Do you want to play Fable II? (Xbox 360)

Yes: 51 percent (8,218 total responses)
No: 39 percent (6,243)
Not sure: 10 percent (1,565)
16,026 total responses.

Right out of the box we can see Kotaku readers are not hostile to role-playing games. All three here earned majorities with low not-sures, meaning respondents have heard of, considered and reacted to these games, and most like them. It helps, granted, that these are three of the biggest RPG names in console gaming, and that they were western produced. But had any of these come back with a No we'd know there's a serious disposition against this genre.

4. When it is released, do you want to play Final Fantasy XIII? (any platform)

Yes: 64 percent (10,584 total responses)
No: 23 percent (3,772)
Not sure: 13 percent (2,105)
16,461 total responses.

5. Do you want to play Dissidia: Final Fantasy? [PSP]

Yes: 35 percent (5,656 total responses)
No: 51 percent (8,208)
Not sure: 14 percent (2,276)
16,140 total responses.

6. Do you want to play Persona 4? (Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, for PS2)

Yes: 37 percent (5,986 total responses)
No: 47 percent (7,498)
Not sure: 16 percent (2,585)
16,069 total responses.

Final Fantasy XII's strong positive is likewise a no-brainer. And while most do not want to play Dissidia or Persona 4, I think their numbers are actually pretty damn strong considering what they have to overcome. Dissidia's a quasi fighter/RPG, and it's on the PSP, which a minority own and barely nobody claimed as their favorite platform. Persona 4 is on a previous-gen console only, and the franchise is fairly representative of the esoteric qualities of a JRPG. And a good third of the readership still wants to play both.

7. Do you want to play EVE Online? (PC)

Yes: 13 percent (2,109 total responses)
No: 73 percent (11,776)
Not sure: 14 percent (2,242)
16,127 total responses.


8. Do you want to play a console MMO?

Yes: 35 percent (5,717 total responses).
No: 46 percent (7,406)
Not sure: 19 percent (3,414)
16,257 total responses.


9. Do you want to play World of Warcraft? (PC)

Yes: 28 percent (4,550 total responses)
No: 65 percent (10,517)
Not sure: 8 percent (1,233)
16,300 total responses.


10. Do you want to play City of Heroes/City of Villains? (PC)

Yes: 15 percent (2,410 total responses)
No: 71 percent (11,400)
Not sure: 14 percent (2,245)
16,055 total responses.

Here's where it gets ugly (and where Mike Fahey silently weeps). Warcraft is a big no, 2-to-1. City of Heroes fares worse, and maybe I should have asked about Champions Online. But with a plurality not diggin' the console MMO concept, I doubt its numbers would have been much different. Finally, for whatever reasons - maybe it's griefing, maybe it's bank runs, maybe it's bank heists, maybe it's the fact the thing is such a huge time suck it has an IRL governing council - practically nobody is interested in EVE Online.

11. What is the biggest barrier to your enjoyment of an RPG?

Boredom associated with mundane tasks: 40 percent (6,369 total responses)
Time commitment: 25 percent (3,907)
Some other reason: 19 percent (3,000)
Unfamiliarity with the game's continuity: 7 percent (1,043)
Singleplayer-only: 5 percent (811)
Lack of action: 5 percent (725)
15,855 total responses.

12. What is the greatest quality of an RPG?

The game's storytelling and plot: 51 percent (9,173 total responses)
Development of your character: 27 percent (4,856)
Focus on choices, rather than reflexes or action: 12 percent (2,201)
Deep replay value: 6 percent (1,138)
Some other reason: 4 percent (674)
18,042 total responses.

Put simply, RPGs are a meaty game experience but the size can be a little intimidating. Mundane tasks and time commitment are your biggest turnoffs, but it can be argued that they're fundamental to a genre that is more about choices and inhabiting a character's life than it is nonstop action. In the strengths, everyone seems to agree the RPG delivers on its storyline promises, and the customization/creation/progression of a character is usually a satisfying experience.

Look for more questions this Saturday, as we continue to flesh out the habits, preferences and trends among the Kotaku Gamer.

Again, you will not see the results of these polls after you vote. They will close tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. U.S. Mountain Time. We will publish the results and an analysis the following Thursday evening.

Thanks again, and here are this week's questions:

Last Saturday's survey covered your attitudes about the latest Batman title, from Rocksteady and Eidos, as well as your platform ownership and favorites. We then asked your feelings on seven titles, some of them shooters, not all of them world-beaters, to derive what it is you do want to play. Here are the questions and results:

1. Based on what you've seen and read, would you stop playing your current game to start playing Batman: Arkham Asylum?

Yes: 66 percent (8,646 responses)
No: 23 percent (3,000)
Undecided: 11 percent (1,394)
13,040 total responses.

2. Based on what you've seen and read, do you plan to purchase Batman: Arkham Asylum?

Yes: 61 percent (7,445 responses)
No: 21 percent (2,625)
Undecided: 18 percent (2,234)
12,304 total responses.

Sometimes you have to ask a question even if you know the answer. Batman: Arkham Asylum has benefited from rave reviews, skillful marketing, and previews that have been very well received. Judging by the comment histories on Batman stories, many of you planned on picking this up the day of release, and these numbers definitely bear that out. But we will be revisiting Batman in later surveys, as it is a singleplayer game, to see what kind of staying power the game has.

On to some questions about Kotaku readers' gaming lifestyles.

3. Which of these platforms do you own and/or play games on? (Check all that apply)

PC: 9,250 total responses
Xbox 360: 8,277
PlayStation 3: 7,634
DS/DSi: 6,814
Wii: 6,492
PS2: 6,460
PSP: 5,104
iPhone/iPod Touch: 3,300
Mac: 1,854
55,185 total responses. Multiple responses allowed.

Unfortunately, our poll service didn't provide a number of unique respondents to this question. So percentages are meaningless here, which is why they weren't included. Nor is the poll service capable of breaking out multiple ownership, i.e. the percentage who own PC and 360 and DS, the percentage who own Mac and PS3, PSP and PS2, etc.

The median total response for this survey was 12,330. If we assume that many individuals responding here, the total breaks down like so: PC is owned by 75 percent of respondents; Xbox 360: owned by 67 percent; PlayStation 3: 62 percent; DS/DSi: 55 percent; Wii: 53 percent; PS2: 52 percent; PSP: 41 percent; iPhone/iPod Touch: 27 percent; Mac: 15 percent. Again, that adds up to more than 100 percent because of multiple ownership.

Just eyeballing the pageviews for high-readership stories around here, this is not much of a surprise. Everyone owns a PC (or a Mac), because everyone had to connect to the Internet to answer this survey. Then comes the two core consoles. The DS's edge over the Wii may be because of its longer production history. The PS2's dead heat with the Wii shows that console's remarkable longevity and users' attachment to it and its deep library of great games.

The survey also implies there are 10 percent who own neither PC nor Mac - likely these are respondents who may own one or the other but have no games for it or do not consider it a gaming platform.

This is all interesting, but here's the question to put a finer point on things:

4. Which platform do you enjoy the most?

Xbox 360: 41 percent (5,033 responses)
PlayStation 3: 32 percent (3,906)
PC: 19 percent (2,359)
DS/DSi: 3 percent (363)
Wii: 2 percent (266)
PS2: 2 percent (257)
PSP: 1 percent (86)
iPhone/iPod Touch: <1 percent (46)
Mac: <1 percent (28)
12,344 total responses.

No multiple choice allowed here. The 360 came away with a decisive plurality, and the PS3 is in a strong second place, well in front of PC games. The totals for the others are so low as to suggest that they - the Wii included - play a predominantly adjunctive role in Kotaku readers' gaming lineup. Except for Apple, which is nonexistent.

5. Do you want to play Madden NFL 10? (any platform)

Yes: 12 percent (1,525 responses)
No: 81 percent (10,017)
Not sure: 7 percent (824)
12,366 total responses.

These next seven questions cover games released this year that, while not game-of-the-year caliber, arrived with tons of hype and/or brand recognition. They touch a diversity of genres too. Despite the fact Madden NFL 10 is probably the best version to date, and has been reviewed very positively, the game tanks here. This is likely a matter of genre preference, and the fact sports gamers are not well represented in the readership.

6. Do you want to play Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood? (any platform)

Yes: 24 percent (3,006 responses)
No: 55 percent (6,849)
Not sure: 21 percent (2,579)
12,434 total responses.

The sequel to Ubisoft's 2007 western gets a pretty strong thumbs-down. This is interesting because we're a shooter-heavy crowd around here, but you're not into this one. Whether that's because of its sub-genre, or that its the sequel (or prequel) to a game that didn't get rave reviews, who's to say.

7. Do you want to play The Conduit? (Wii)

Yes: 16 percent (1,984 responses)
No: 70 percent (8,661)
Not sure: 14 percent (1,741)
12,386 total responses.

Here's a game that got nearly a year's worth of hype or discussion, is also an FPS, and is designed to appeal to Wii core gamers - and you want no part of it. Just because it has a crosshairs and a gun doesn't mean our readers want to play it.

8. Do you want to play Killzone 2? (PS3)

Yes: 52 percent (6,341 responses)
No: 37 percent (4,532)
Not sure: 10 percent (1,268)
12,141 total responses.

The high negative suggests a fanboy effect against the PS3's premier shooter. But Killzone 2 still rates a majority approval, and taken in light of the console ownership data, there are probably a good number of 360 owners who do respect the game's quality. It would be astonishing to see a AAA, 90-rated first-person shooter get a poor score here, five months after release, regardless of its platform.

9. Do you want to play Halo Wars? (Xbox 360)

Yes: 19 percent (2,337 responses)
No: 72 percent (8,821)
Not sure: 9 percent (1,081)
12,239 total responses.

Neither the Halo brand nor the fact this is the biggest-selling console RTS to date makes much of a difference. It's either still an RTS, or it's still Halo, and a supermajority reject it for those reasons

10. Do you want to play Wii Sports Resort? (Wii)

Yes: 38 percent (4,638 responses)
No: 51 percent (6,261)
Not sure: 11 percent (1,299)
12,198 total responses.

The 51 percent negative for Wii Sports Resort sends a pretty strong anti-casual message from the readership. The gameplay variety and motion control aspect seem to do little to overcome our posture that we like our games deep, we like them to have narratives, and we like them to have guns and shooting.

11. Do you want to play Rock Band: Unplugged? (PSP)

Yes: 17 percent (2,150 responses)
No: 73 percent (9,065)
Not sure: 9 percent (1,161)
12,376 total responses.

In our comments, rhythm games' love-hate rep generally revolves around simulated instruments versus playing real ones. (Well that, and Guitar Hero's perceived overexposure). Rock Band: Unplugged has no simulated instrument. On the PSP, it might be a novel way to interact with your music, but as a game, you've said no thanks, quite clearly. The 73 percent negative is also not much of a surprise considering the PSP's earlier numbers (roughly 41 percent owned, 1 percent most enjoyed).

Look for more questions this Saturday at 7:30 p.m., U.S. Mountain time, as we continue to flesh out the habits, preferences and trends among the Kotaku Gamer.

For this poll, we're looking at how you feel about Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is due out on Tuesday. Also, by popular demand, we're surveying what gaming platforms you own - you may check more than one - and then which one you prefer the most. That's necessarily a single choice only, sorry. Finally, there's a spread of games, some exclusive, some multiplatform, for you to deliver a play/no play verdict.

"Do you want to play" now replaces "Is it worth playing," as this poll's basic "approval rating" question. You do not have to own the console if a game is exclusive to one. You are free to interpret the meaning of the question. Do you want to it play it just once? To completion? Do you want to play it with friends only? All of these are valid. It's an all-things-being-equal question.

Again, you will not see the results of these polls after you vote. They will close tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. U.S. Mountain Time. We will publish the results and an analysis the following Thursday evening.

Thanks again, and here are this week's questions.

Our poll covered attitudes about Wolfenstein, which dropped on Tuesday, and then four multiplayer console exclusives from gaming's class of 2007, plus three multiplatform games released around the same time. More than 15,000 of you responded, which is impressive, and I know you'd like to see the results. So here they are:

1. Based on what you've seen and read, would you stop playing your current game to start playing Wolfenstein?

Yes: 23 percent (3,593 responses)
No: 56 percent (8,711)
Undecided: 21 percent (3,357)
15,661 total responses

2. Based on what you've seen and read, do you plan to purchase Wolfenstein?

Yes: 18 percent (2,361 responses)
No: 55 percent (7,233)
Undecided: 27 percent (3,586)
13,180 total responses

There's not that much to say here, other than the Wolfenstein reboot has failed to really capture the imagination. The fact that 56 percent wouldn't put down whatever they're working on now to play it is a very strong negative. And another 55 percent who say they wouldn't buy it means a hard verdict has already been reached, and was likely formed well before the question was asked.

3. Is Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) still worth playing?

Yes: 38 percent (5,201 responses)
No: 40 percent (5,422)
No Opinion: 22 percent (3,000)
13,623 responses

We're going to tweak this type of question this weekend because, as a reader pointed out, "still worth playing" implies that the game was "worth playing" in the first place - a value judgment the respondent may not share. But for now, the general feeling is that Brawl, nearly two years after its release, is played out.

4. Is Team Fortress 2 (PC) still worth playing?

Yes: 65 percent (9,042 responses)
No: 15 percent (2,050)
No opinion: 21 percent (2,896)
13,988 total responses

Valve's commitment to keeping Team Fortress 2 fresh with consistent updates has given the franchise an enviable reputation for quality. It's 15 percent "not worth it" score was the lowest of any title surveyed last weekend, which includes Modern Warfare and BioShock.

5. Is Warhawk (PS3) still worth playing?

Yes: 16 percent (2,313 responses)
No: 37 percent (5,351)
No opinion: 47 percent (6,759)
14,423 total responses

Some might have felt Killzone or Killzone 2 should have been here. Here's the problem. Killzone is on the PS2, is four years old, and lacks the multiplayer scope of shooters in this group. Killzone 2 is barely six months old, and this grouping was calling on games from the class of 2007. The same problems left out Resistance: Fall of Man and Resistance 2, as Res 2 went out last November and moots Resistance, which is a year older than the games in this grouping. So we were left with Warhawk as a kind of imperfect representative of a PS3 exclusive from two years ago, and the shoulder-shrugging 47 percent no opinion shows. It, rightly or wrongly, points up the PS3's most glaring weakness in the release window surveyed: Catalog size, especially in exclusives. We'll revisit Warhawk later, but promise that questions in the meantime will reflect more of what PS3 gamers are playing right now.

6. Is Halo 3 (360) still worth playing?

Yes: 43 percent (6,472 responses)
No: 41 percent (6,069)
No opinion: 16 percent (2,366)
14,906 total responses

In light of one million unique users still playing this game's multiplayer every day, Halo 3's narrow "Yes" plurality can likely be attributed to polarized views about the title's perceived importance, or lack of it, to gaming at large, and its close association with both Microsoft and the Xbox 360. In other words, a fanboy effect. Again, this is an unscientific survey with opt-in respondents coming from a specific readership, so no one expects 100 percent. But we're very opinionated around here, and these numbers seem to reflect more a weariness with the game's exposure than its quality of gameplay.

7. Is Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (any platform) still worth playing?

Yes: 69 percent (9,197 responses)
No: 19 percent (2,504)
No opinion: 13 percent (1,713)
13,414 responses

Modern Warfare pulling the highest "still worth it" rating is likely a no-brainer to many. But where the full-bore Team Fortress multiplayer experience is only available to PC gamers, Modern Warfare emerges as the multiplatform standard-bearer for multiplayer shooters. How Modern Warfare 2 pushes this number will definitely be worth watching later in the year.

8. Is Assassin's Creed (any platform) still worth playing?

Yes: 34 percent (5,029 responses)
No: 49 percent (7,252)
No opinion: 16 percent (2,425)
14,705 responses

Repetitive gameplay and the pending release of Assassin's Creed II are probably what is dragging down a game that was, generally speaking, still favorably reviewed during the time of its releases.

9. Is BioShock (any platform) still worth playing?

Yes: 69 percent (10,765 responses)
No: 21 percent (3,232)
No opinion: 10 percent (1,573)
15,570 responses

Interestingly, the final question got the second-most total responses, just 100 fewer than the first. It suggests a heavy participation by folks who wanted to vote, scroll down and comment and not spend much time in the middle. But BioShock still tied for the highest positive rating of any of the seven surveyed - even two years later, singleplayer only, and with a sequel on the way soon. The landslide response speaks to the game's depth of experience and enduring impact on games as an art form.

Those were last week's questions; we'll have a new batch of Kotaku Approval Ratings questions for you this Saturday. To all who participated, thanks.

And while this method of feedback is open to spamming, fanboy manipulation and all sorts of other bad behavior, let's put it out there and see what happens. If it proves useless or gets abused, we'll end the feature.

Approval ratings are a concept most closely identified with, of course, politics, and how the governed feel about the job being done by their leaders. I'm not going to ask your opinion of publishers, as nearly everyone has some negative feeling toward them, but rather about games.

Kotaku Approval Ratings will examine, at at least attempt to, your mood about certain games prior to their release, immediately after their release and review, and then periodically thereafter.

Additionally, it will ask for the readership's long-term posture on certain games, exclusive (or with content exclusive) to a single platforms, and some multiplatform games, all of these more than two years old.

Like the question "Do you approve of the job so-and-so is doing," this doesn't ask for anything deeper than a gamer's feeling about a title, either long established, or currently in the news. The results have been hidden from view to discourage voting for a specific result. I'll report the percentages next week when the tracking poll continues.

As certain games enter the news, or as certain trendlines become uninformative, other games will be rotated in and out.

Already then, time for the first Kotaku Approval Ratings polls. These polls will close in 24 hours 7:30 p.m. U.S. Mountain time, tomorrow.

For starters, your feelings about Wolfenstein - the game that is being released this week, not previous versions.

And now, your feelings on some older games:

Thank you! These results will be reported next week, with another set of questions.

Filling out the list we have Super Mario (none of this normal Mario bullshit) with 21%, Lara Croft with 16%, with Donkey Kong, Pac Man, Link, Max Payne (what?), Pikachu, Niko Belic, and Blanka taking up the rear. Hit the jump for the percentage breakdowns.

SONIC TOP DOG HEDGEHOG

A bright blue, spiky-haired, lightening-fast hedgehog has beaten not-so-Super Mario, cyber-babe Lara Croft and giant ape Donkey Kong to the title of the nation’s favourite video-game character.

Over 500 UK gamers voted in the poll to mark the launch of London Games Festival, which is expected to attract over 100,000 computer games fans to the capital this week.

Ahead of his appearance at the Festival, Sonic the Hedgehog, the official mascot of computer giant SEGA, was crowned the most popular video-game character of all time collecting nearly a quarter of all votes (24 per cent). Super Mario and Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft came second and third gaining 21 per cent and 16 per cent of the vote respectively.

The UK’s top ten most popular video games characters are as follows:
1. Sonic the Hedgehog (24 per cent)
2. Super Mario (21 per cent)
3. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) (16 per cent)
4. Donkey Kong (11 per cent)
5. Pac Man (10 per cent)
6. Link (The Legend of Zelda) (5 per cent)
7. Max Payne (4 per cent)
8. Pikachu (Pokemon) (3 per cent)
9. Niko Belic (Grand Theft Auto series) (2 per cent)
10. Blanka (Street Fighter) (1 per cent)

Other (3 per cent)

The purported boomerang mod:

The boomerang from CES in January:

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PS3 Batarang on Hackaday [forums.benheck.com, thanks Wakka]

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Tingle is a small, masculine fairy who shares a name with a common auto-erotic accessory aimed at women. His game is called Tingle's Freshly-Picked Pink-Coloured Rupee Land... a clear euphemism for Tingle's Freshly-Picked Clitoris. You'd have to be a lunatic to ignore all that and come up with the notion that Tingle's gay.

Still, Nintendo has apparently been keeping abreast of the whole "Is Tingle A Homosexual?" debate and has decided to more scientifically gauge American gamer's reactions to Tingle via a poll on their website. "Do you think he's gay?" is not a question on their politically-correct questionnaire. But here's an unrelated question:

Rupee Land incorporates a unique gameplay system in which everything costs Rupees — the trick is that you never know how you need to pay. What do you think of this system?

I think the exact same thing of it now that I thought as a backpacker of a similar system being employed all throughout the Middle East: it totally sucks. Florian Eckhardt

Over the past few days, we've seen a handful of Japanese polls surveying interest in the Wii and the PlayStation 3. Thus, we've decided to conduct our own poll, which should be insightful for all of five minutes before some insane fanboy monkeys with it, skewing the results. But those five minutes of purity will be bliss. So, let us know what you're buying. Me, I'm getting both a Wii and a PS3, because I am incredibly materialistic. You? Brian Ashcraft

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So what does the Japanese game developing community think of the PS3? The latest issue of Japan's Ge-Maga asked a number of questions; the polls are in. It's not looking too great.

• 90.29% of Japanese developers think the PS3 is too expensive. One developer: "It's more expensive than my rent."

• 56.31% hate Sony's two SKUs. "There are fears that confusion will develop amongst users and retailers."

• 55.82% don't think the launch title line-up will sell the system.

• 62.13% of all game devs think that the PS3 won't sell 6 million units by March, 2007. Um, yeah. No duh. That's because Sony's not going to be able to make that many.

I don't really mind continuing to beat up on Sony, but my fists, man, they're starting to get tired. Florian Eckhardt

Japanese Negative on PS3 [IGN]

Over in the U.K., ads that use pre-renders CGI footage are coming under fire. Earlier this year, Call of Duty 2 was yanked from British television after consumers complained that the in-game visuals did not match the commercial's. The country's Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre was unaware of this practice.

"If this has happened in the past, it's happened without our knowledge. We ask all companies whether any imagery used is from the gameplay or is CGI footage from the game before we pass an ad for broadcast. The system is based on trust," said BACC's Matthew Baily.

Advertisers, BACC continues, are not being entirely honest with the use of CG, which is often generated just for the advert. Currently, spots for G.R.A.W. and Commandos Strike Force carry disclaimers that the images are "not in-game footage." Folks in the smoke and mirrors advertising world are surprised. "People have always used CGI sequences to advertise games, and I've never seen it as a massive problem," stated Uber Agency director Richard Benjamin.

Let's hear from y'all out there. Tell us whatcha think.

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More Here [MCV UK] viaGuardian Gamesblog