Everything else is lost to me, Mass Effect now owns my soul. It's really so good, my only complaint is the shooting gameplay and the skills/powers don't sparkle like the KoTOR lightsaber stuff, but really what would?

From what little I’ve seen of Super Mario Galaxy I can say that it is truly a marvel. Once again M challenges us to think of platforming games in a completely different way, with Mario 64 it was with 360 degree movement and explorations in what felt like 3 dimensional space. Now with Galaxy we’re treated to a vision of spheroid space. I was a bit discombobulated by it at first but I adapted to sheer enjoyment minutes later. My only worry is the difficulty. I was never great at Mario 64 and I died twice at Galaxy’s first boss before getting that good good star collect. Still I doubt my future failures will stop me from enjoying this one of a kind experience for hours to come, after I’m through with Mass Effect.
And why am I focusing on Mass Effect? Firstly, it has most of the elements that titillate me most in gaming. Secondly the first couple hours of Assassin’s Creed didn’t wow me. I don’t particularly enjoy the Prince of Persia jumping thing and the combat seems needlessly joyless. The environments look next gen but everything else resembles more of the same. Still I’ll be glad to give it a go after Mass Effect and Galaxy.

Edit: hours later after a work shift but before I could post this I found myself wondering about Assassin’s Creed. It’s highly likely that I’ve already guessed the plot but in execution it could still be fulfilling. So that’s a good thing for AC.

Edit #2: a great quote from Gabe at Penny Arcade: "Imagine what an open ended sandbox title must look like to a reviewer especially right now. How many games do they have piling up on their desks? A game like Assassins creed isn't meant to be played under a deadline. You shouldn't be trying to beat it as fast as you can so you can move on to Mass Effect or Mario Galaxy. As soon as I gave myself a deadline all of a sudden I understood all their complaints. It was like a fucking Escher painting. I had put myself in their shoes and suddenly the landscape flipped and I could see games from their perspective. In the end I wasn't angry at them for their bad reviews. I actually just felt bad for them."

Over the course of the next 2 days I shall have in my possession all which I desire from the gaming world for the foreseeable future. Super Mario Galaxy will be in my sweaty grip today, possibly Assassin’s Creed as well. And on Thursday I will have an advance copy of Mass Effect courtesy of the magnanimous pAjAmO. This nicely coincides with my school term coming to an end in a week, or less if I can finish the final paper sooner, leaving me ample time to reacquaint myself with childhood memories of an Italian plumber who’s a star at jumping on mushrooms. And then to discover how next level these next gen games truly are. Say all you want about the commercialism of Christmas. If you’re a lover of toys it’s still the most wonderful time of the year.

Norman Mailer has died. I haven't yet had a chance to read any of his stuff but I thought he was the second star of the documentary "When We Were Kings" just behind Ali. I'll remember you whenever I say "fug".