Geeks are an odd bunch. We fight with each other constantly about if what we like is as good as we say it is. Sony fan boys will boast that their system is better then the Xbox is.  Xbox fanboys will call the Wii a child's toy.  And a PC gamer will call them all simple minded.  But despite all the infighting, all the forum flame wars, we are one people.  As geeks we support each other in our endeavors, even if we try to prove ourselves superior while we do it.

The inspiration behind This Weeks Geek is the amazing speed that Double Fine Adventures got funded.  Tim Schaffer and his company, Double Fine, decided they wanted to make a classic point and click adventure game.  There was one big issues with this though, Tim Scaffer wanted to make sure he can make the game his way.  He does not want to be held down by what an investor thinks should be in the game.  He did not want to have to work on their schedule to make sure they get a return on their investment.  This left him with one real option, crowd scouring the money. Tim setup a Kickstarter for the game with a goal of (I think at least) $440,000. Eight hours later he was funded.  As of now he has made $1,700,000 for his game. We also have Notch who may be funding Psychonaughts 2. Geeks support geeks.

But support within is not all we care about.  We as a people have heart.  This is seen in both Childs Play and Extra Life. Between these two charities geeks have donated millions of dollars to help kids.  Child's Play is a direct charity to Children's Hospitals world wide and in 2011 earned $3,512,340.  Extra Life on the other hand is a 24 hour gaming marathon.  You get pledges for each hour you play a game.  These pledges are then donated to the Children's Miracle Network. Both of these charities show we care about the world that we are in, and that we want these kids to have a chance to play future games.

So how do you support your fellow gamers?  All the examples I have given are monetary based, but that is not the only way. Do you read forums to provide authentic help to people in need? Do you write actual reviews to let people know which games to buy / avoid?  Sound off on how you help your fellow gamer.

You may have noticed that we did not have a podcast this week. Due to schedule conflicts we were unable to record one. I did feel bad about it though, so I am giving you all a bonus This Weeks Geek. Our focus for this article is prepping for game sequels, mainly Mass Effect 3.

Now in the event that you live under a rock, or just plain forgot, Mass Effect 3 comes out on March 6, 2012 with a demo coming out February 14. The Reapers have arrived to harvest the galaxy, and only one man/woman can stop them, Commander Shepard. It had been about two years since I last played Mass Effect 2, and when I did not all of my team lived. Mordin, one of my favorites, failed to survive the mission after a shot to the head. I contemplated going to a save file just before the suicide mission to make things right, but I have also purchased a fair amount of DLC since my last visit to the Normandy. With this in mind I made the decision to start a new game. This would allow me to survive the suicide mission and experience new content. While this was my reason for playing again, I had forgotten how much fun this game is. I realized how much I missed the gameplay, the voice acting, and the story they are telling. By starting again with such a large gap between plays it feels like a whole new game. I am also getting reminders of some of the more subtle plot points. This makes me really pine for Mass Effect 3.

There is a downside to playing a game that was so great so close to its sequel though. I am already hyping up Mass Effect 3 to be game of the year material, but now I will have a fresh image in my mind of how good the series is. Many people wanted Uncharted 3 to be better then Uncharted 2, but they were so close to the same that some were not as enamored with the third game as they hoped to be. I slightly worry that I may disappoint myself by not having the game as fresh as possible in my mind. I worry that it will be too much of the same. I may also find that in playing the second game, I will have burnt myself out on the gameplay. This could cause me to put Mass Effect 3 on hiatus for a bit mid way through the game.

For good or bad though, I have started my preperations.  How do you prep for a sequal? Do you play the series through? Do you read wikipedia pages to refresh yourself with the story?  Or do you just look at the media hype and await the day of the release? Share you rituals, or lack thereof, in the comments. I look forward to reading them.

Day one downloadable content (DLC); more and more games are finding one way or another to include them in your games.  Mass Effect 2 did it with the Cerberus network, Mortal Kombat did it with their restricted access to online play, Catwomen in Batman: Arkham City and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is doing it with House of Valor faction quests.  Now all this DLC has been free to people that have purchased the game new; but used buyers have to shell out for the content.  Is this a fair or are publishers purposely restricting game content to make more money on their products?  That is the focus on This Weeks Geek.

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Image © Wizards of the CoastEveryone has a hobby or two that they enjoy working on in their spare time. But what happens when you start taking on several time intensive hobbies all at once? That is when you reach hobby overload my friends, and that is the focus of This Weeks Geek.

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Do you ever have an issue with playing a game that you know is supposed to be good; a game that by all rights is a great game, but you just can't get yourself to interested in it?  I recently started playing Saints Row The Third on the PS3.  My friends have said it is a funny game. Reviews have said that it has great gameplay and is extremely entertaining to play. However, I have a hard time staying interested in it because of the type of game it is. Since this is the only reason I can think why I'm not enjoying this type of game for what it is, means that I'll have to talk about some of my game history.

How can I not like this?The gameplay in the Saints Row series is based (loosely) on the GTA series.  This is a series that has never once interested me.  I have not played GTA III, Vice City, or San Andreas, so you get where I am going with this right? Now at its core, Saints Row uses the same open world formula as GTA; which envolves stealing a car and killing people at its core.  The game setting is present day with the average person present.  Saints Row may not take itself seriously, but it is close enough in game play and style to GTA that the humor isn't enough for me to separate them.  I'm trying to find the motivation to keep playing Saints Row The Third, but a current era game without some fantastical element is not my normal draw.  I enjoy typically enjoy superhero games (inFamous), fantasy games (Skyrim), or high technology games (Mass Effect).

So you see my problem with Saints Row The Third?  It is a truly great critically acclaimed game, that just does not scratch my gaming itch.  I know that others people have games that give them similar issues.  ZeldaQueen is a an RPG fan that never got into The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for example, but what games do you have issues with?  Sound off in the comments.