First off, happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, especially my own! She doesn't read this column, but if anyone asks, here I am on the record wishing her a happy Mother's Day. A very sincere wish it is, too. Love you, Mom!

On a more relevant topic, all the E3 troops have come back from the show, and they're all laying on the ground with little rivulets of drool coming from their mouths. They keep muttering something about Metal Gear Solid 2. Apparently it had a nice showing at E3, or something.

Have yall heard anything about this?

I'm not much of a graphics connoisseur, but the light sourcing in MSG2 looks incredible. The flashlights kick my tooshie.

Big props go out to Konami for having so much footage from this game; it's nice to see that not everyone pulled a Square and didn't really provide much new information or sights from their most anticipated game. While Final Fantasy IX currently retains the title of "Game AK Most Desires," several people are thinking "Final What?" right now. Konami did a crackerjack job of promoting their goods and getting excitement drummed up.

I'd agree that Sears and Wards aren't huge players in the video game market, even though you could argue that they must get SOME video game business, or else they'd stop carrying the games.

I think companies might be more worried about the precedent it sets. Other stores may or may not follow suit, but the simple fact that a major chain won't sell them is bound to at least make some companies think things over a second time.

If anything, it's a reflection of American society and the current worry that violence in video games is a major factor in the actions of teens that were raised on games. But, on the other hand, as one reader ("Lonely Sweedish" to be exact) said, "This whole thing will blow over like Vanilla Ice."

It's hard to say exactly how companies will react to the actions of another company. But it was important enough to be reported, because someone out there thinks it's a good idea.

And I know some people that are still big Vanilla Ice fans...

Assuming that you're an adult, you're right, no one should be allowed to tell you what you can and cannot see. If you want to watch someone smoke, then, by all means, go for it.

On the other hand, no one has the right to tell a company that they can't release a game as they want. If Konami wants alter their own game to make it more suitable for all ages, that's their right. It's their intellectual property.

To continue on to another level, no one has the right to tell a company they have to sell a product. If they don't want to sell a product because of its contents, that's their right.

I'm not against altering games so that parents feel it's something their children should play. I think it makes sense from a business standpoint, which is what companies are most worried about. However, it is disappointing that the game isn't necessarily depicted exactly as the original artists and creators wanted it. My personal ideal solution is to make two versions, but that's not that practical.

Details are very important, you are most correct. But even without certain details, a game can be superb and enjoyable.

Unless, of course, you sit and think to yourself, "this isn't exactly the way the game was meant to be! I can't like this!"

Just relax and go with it is my advice. Don't sweat the small stuff. Blah blah blah. I understand your ire, I just don't really agree with it. Chris might be more sympathetic. I am sympathetic toward your lament that it might be 2 years before we see MGS2. Let's hope it comes out a lot sooner than that.

I thought about censoring out the word "damn," but decided that'd be silly. Anyway, I agree that parents should be more responsibile for their children. But the fact of the matter is that a lot of parents aren't. That means that someone else, and thus everyone else, has to do the parenting instead. That means that games often don't come exactly as they were designed.

Would my parents have let me buy a game rated M when I was a 12 year old? Heck no. They wouldn't let me see PG-13 movies until I was 13, and no R rated movies until I was 17. Maybe they were too strict, maybe not. Regardless, they followed the guidelines and made decisions for me that they felt were in my best interests. And while I thought that was horrendously uncool at the time, that's just the way things were.

As an adult, I'd love to be able to play games exactly as they were meant to be seen. But I don't think that everyone (and here I mean kiddies -- sorry youngsters out there, the game will still be cool when you're older) should be allowed to. Since some parents don't take the time to monitor what their children are exposed to, other parents feel the need to try to regulate and keep the childrens' best interests in mind.

It's a sad chain that reflects itself in much more serious ways than video games. It's really too bad.

Aww. I feel loved. Send mail anytime, buddy!

Ah ha! I knew there'd be some out there... it appears to be a big Weezer fan! Thanks for the information, I'll be looking for that album this winter.

I'm heartbroken that Andy is leaving the show. I'm also in denail. Please don't go, Andy! Stay with Conan! You're the best comedy duo on TV since Balki and Larry!

That tab works as a pretty good exercise in fingerpicking! I'm not familiar with the song off the top of my head, but it made for a good exercise. Thanks!

That ad always taunts me. It's funny, though. One night I had a ton of homework to do, so I decided to go to that irritating site and click a lot. And lo and behold, I got a chance to play the actual punch the monkey game. And believe it or not, I won! I put in my address, then promptly went to look for new and exciting ways to procrastinate.

I had long forgotten about punching the monkey, but a good six weeks after the fact, a small package arrived in the mail containing a stuffed monkey. Hooray! The moral of the story? Click on GIA ads!

Closing Comments:

I think I might have contradicted myself here and there during all the censorship debates, but oh well. I get confused easily. Kind of ironic, though, that the subject drifted to parenting on Mother's Day. It was all good debate, though. I bet Chris wants to get his two cents in... and he wants to hear yours. So send him mail. Happy Mother's Day, again!

-Andrew Kaufmann