In Part 2 of our two part \"Response and Rebuttal,\" our two debaters, Chris Martin and Garrett G have been going at it over the function of videogame violence studies after Chris\' post \"Videogame Violence Causes Subdued Reactions.\" In the premier part, Garrett had accused Chris of having the wrong target for his criticism. Here\'s how Chris responded...

Part 2 of 3 on Microsoft\'s Origami hype-site has been revealed. Do we find out what it really is? Do we get to see a final version of it in action?

\"Meet Xbox 2 (Part 2)\" is the second edition of twoplayer comic, our weekly webcomic based on games and the gaming culture. To take a look at the comic itself, try http://comics.gamesfirst.com. For a comment from the creators, you can read Noah\'s thoughts on the reasons for being an artist, which is apparently hair.

With Christmas getting closer (only 6 days now), it's time to look at what else people here at GF! are wanting for Christmas. Part I held some surprises “ Halo 2 only third on the list? “ as well as the heads up on games some of us hadn't even heard of. After reading Part I, posted three days ago, be sure to read Part II right here.

Richard Garriott. Lord British. I remember reading those names when Ultima Online was first announced, about the time when massively multiplayer games first began to come into realization. The names, both describing the same person, are synonymous with boundary-pressing game design and personal adventure. Professionally he's the founder of Origin Systems, the creator of the Ultima series, the power behind one of the first games to pioneer the concept of massively multiplayer. Having become involved with NC Soft and the incredibly popular Lineage, he's still making waves in the world of online role-playing. In person he's a charismatic fellow in blue jeans who just happens to have a lot of experience turning dreamy fantasies into working reality. I got a chance to speak with Garriot at E3 2002.

Dan Birlew is the author of several strategy guides for BradyGames, including Resident Evil 3 and Vagrant Story, and has been assigned to the SquareSoft roster of games. He has and is covering new Square titles like Parasite Eve II, Chrono Cross, and Final Fantasy IX. Birlew has a reputation for high quality work, and a distinct dedication to his craft. GamesFirst!, represented by yours truly, was lucky enough to sit in on a press roundtable discussion with Birlew and Detra Perry, PR Representative for BradyGames. Also in attendance were correspondants from Just Adventure, GameSpin, GameWeek, and The Computer Show. We all had a really nice, and quite long, discussion, ranging in topics from the nitty-gritty construction of a strategy guide, to linquistic and style considerations, to the future of strategy guides and gaming. It was all so fascinating that I followed up the interview with a few more questions, nagging Birlew about some of the deeper issues involved in gaming in general. You can find the GF! Exclusive Followup to the Dan Birlew Interview here, and keep reading to get the rest.