Can You Dig That?

It's here...

2009-02-15T23:50:00.000-08:00

Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages, Street Fighter 4 is here. I got my import copy in the mail this past Friday and I just have one thing to say:

STREET FIGHTER 4 IS MUTHAFUCKIN' TIZZITE!!!!

That is all.

It's almost over...

2008-12-23T22:48:00.000-08:00

Call me scrooge if you want but I'll tell you..I don't really care for the holidays.

As a child and a young man I thought they were great. The family, the friends and the gifts I loved all of it. It's in adulthood that I began to loose the taste for Christmas. I think allot of it is the commercialism. No wait that's most of it. X-mas is a business theses days. Companies do their best the last quarter of the year to get into your wallet. The crazy sales and 4 A.M. openings are crazy. I absolutely HATE black Friday. I think it's terrible. The only thing I look forward to is seeing how many Walmart trampling took place that day. Which just goes to show you how bad people are to one another to save a buck. Like this year there was a shooting in front of a Toys r us somewhere. The Only good thing was that both people killed each other...two less assholes on the street for next year, right? Okay that might be a bit harsh but damn, violence at a toys r us? What the hell.

There is a slight renewed interest however since the birth of my son. He's still too young to really know whats going on but i look forward to those good years where he gets excited and I see how much happiness I can bring him. I'm still cynical about the rest of what Christmas entails.

Well, I'll just keep my fingers crossed for the next 48 hours or so. I'm going to do my best to keep out of trouble. Until next time my friends....

We're in the fall

2008-11-04T19:54:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody! So October has come and gone already and we're left with some great games in it's aftermath. I'd like you to know that out of the six games I bought in October I opened all but two.
I think my favorite so far would have to be Fallout 3. At least it's the one I'm into the most. The game is pretty good. It's the first RPG i've picked up in a long time. It's actually kind of overwhelming at first. The land is so vast and all of it is open to you right at the beginning. I think I've been playing for 10 hours or so and I don't think I'm even close to finishing it. The story is good and the game is nice and violent so I have no real complaints so far.

I started little big planet a few days ago and that's okay so far. I think I'm still waiting to have my "moment" with that game though. Everybody has been really high on the game even way before it's release. I get the feeling that I'm supposed to fall in love with the game right away but so far it hasn't happened yet. I like it don't get me wrong but it just hasn't happened yet. My wife and I even started playing it together and she likes it. In fact She enjoys really playing with me. She might like it more then I do but I don't know.

I just have the same complaint everybody else it having. All these games, not enough time. Like I've spent the last two or three nights up until like 2 AM playing Fallout. It takes something pretty special to make me stay up that late to play anything. I try my best to concentrate on one game at a time. Two tops. It's the best way for me to get through them. The year will end I still won't have them all complete. There still four more games for me to buy this year. Two of them I'm really looking forward to. I'm mostly hyped up for Left for dead. I'm also looking forward to MK vs. DC universe which I had my reservations about at first but after seeing some screen shots and reading some previews I'm looking forward to it. I've decided to pass on Prince of Persia. I'm just not feeling it right now. That and I've given the game industry enough of a donation this year.

You'd think with all these cool games that I wouldn't be so eager to get to next years games so quickly. But yeah I am. Street Fighter 4 comes out in February! Hell if it hits Japan before the US you better believe I'm importing it! I'm not being left out of this one. You can't forget Resident Evil 5 in march. What about the game that I was looking forward to this year more then any other game and got dropped by it's publisher. Thats right, Ghostbusters! Which I guess has been picked up by Atari games yet they have yet to make an official announcement about it.
I really hope they say something soon.

So that's it for now, I have to check back in with election coverage. Until next time...

The Fall is upon Us....

2008-10-15T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Fall is here! You know what that means. More game releases then you can shake a stick at! I've already bought three, and one of them has pissed me off. Fortunately I will have plenty of selection in the weeks to come.

Fall is great after all. I love the weather the most. Tonight it's brisk outside. And when I was cruising around tonight is was about 55 degrees or so. Perfect weather my friends! It gets dark early which is nice too. The one thing I don't like is all these god damn games coming out within days of each other. I've already dropped almost two hundred bucks on new games in about a span of seven days. Uhhh. But as I always say no one ever said being first had to be cheap. Plus I just can't help myself. For years when I was a kid I had to make choices about games I got. Now that I'm an adult and have income, I want it all darn it! Okay, maybe not everything, but the games I want.

So far I've gotten my feet wet in two games, Silent Hill :Homecoming and Dead Space. I got Silent hill last week. My initial impression is that the game is good so far. I don't find it as creepy as Silent Hill 3, which is my favorite even though everyone else swears by number 2, but it's good non the less. Only thing is, I've probably been playing for about 5 hours or so and I've already found a puzzle pissing me off. It's one of those puzzles where you have to slide the pieces around to make the picture but I can't seem to do it. Even though the last time I tried was several days ago. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

See, I have this bad habit of not going back to games. What I mean is that I'll play a game, get to a point where I can't go any further and stop playing it for a long period of time. More then likely shelving it and never touching it again. Sometimes I go back later, but then I have to start over again because It's been so long and that can be discouraging. I own quite a few games, and out of my entire collection, I would have to guess that I've finished about two thirds of what I own. Or sometimes game just keep coming out and rather then finishing one before starting another I open a new one and the old one gets shoved to the bottom of the pile. It's terrible I know. It's not like these things are cheap after all. What other hobby do you spend sixty bucks a hit on something and never finish it? Even worse, I own games that aren't opened at all. What would you say if I told you that I owned a Call of Duty 4 SEALED that I bought on release day and I have the receipt to prove it? Yeah it's that bad my friends...

Anyhow, I tried Dead Space tonight. AWESOME!!!! This game is great. Only played about an hour but let me tell you this game is the shit, plain and simple here. EA has a winner and it's not the Sims or Madden. It's violent, controls well and looks awesome. I can only imagine how sweet it looks in HD. (Sadly I only have a regular TV but it works.) Not too far into that too make a complete judgement but I'll keep you posted. I don't think it will disappoint though.

In some great news, it broke today that Ghostbusters got picked up by Atari for and 09' release!!! (http://www.destructoid.com/aykroyd-confirms-ghostbusters-picked-up-by-atari-2009-release-107736.phtml) All I have to say is fuck yeah man! I was so pissed that this game got cut by Activision/Blizzard in favor of Spyro and Crash Bandicoot. I was looking forward to this game more then any other game coming out this season. Really. More then Fallout 3, more then Gears 2 and more then Resistance 2. To hear that we'll see it eventually is great. I got really worried when I heard that THQ picked up the new 50 Cent game. (Really now)
After all the first one was embarrassing. So I'll sleep better tonight.

Well that's all I got for now. Next week I got like three games coming out next week. Don't know how I'm going to manage. I guess I'll figure it out. Anyhow, everybody enjoy your games.

Post E3 post

2008-07-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, okay so here I am once again. It's been awhile and so much has happened. We're here after the E3. I wasn't that blown away by E3 this year. You have allot of people speculating that after the less then stellar performance of the show this year it might not return next year. Which who knows, could be a good thing.

First off, G4 showed us the press conferences from the big three. And they were commercial free this year, after promising us they would be last year and then having commercials happen. Anyhow, I'd least the least impressive to me at least was Nintendo's showing. They through some facts at us about how Wii is outselling everyone else, showed us a demo of Wii ski which utilized the balance board, mentioned a new Pokemon game for the DS and concluded the show with Wii Music. They demoed that with a bunch of executives playing not hat great. With the exception of Miyamoto which I'm convinced was the ONLY one on stage who knew what he was doing but was drowned out by everyone Else's badness. They also showed Animal crossing for the Wii.

In all honestly some of the stuff they showed was cool, but I wouldn't buy any of it with the exception of Animal crossing and if I had to pick and choose I could go without that for the time being. They just didn't wow me. Most of the stuff was for that casual audience. Oh yes and how can I forget Wii resort. A game along the same line was Wii sports. They're next colossal money maker. Did you know that Wii play is still like one of their best selling games? And it's not that good. Uhh. Everyone was expecting that big break out title. Kid Icarus? Nope. Punch Out!!! nope. Perhaps a mario or Zelda title? In development from what Reggie says. They have allot of people disappointed this year. In my opionion rightfully so. I don't clock in may hours on my Wii anyway. It's a great machine don't get me wrong. However I could go the rest of the year without buying anything Nintendo at retail for the rest of the year. It's sad really.

Microsoft was pretty good. The best of the show. They demoed allot of games, Gears 2, and Fallout 3 stand out the most. Which buy the way the demo of Fallout convinced me to get it.
They also had a fair showing of their casual games. The one demo of "In the movies" sticks out in my mind. Another situation of executives demoing games on stage which they just shouldn't do. It utilizes the 360 vision camera and you like act out certain things with some Friends and then at the end they piece them together and you make like a "B" movie you play back and watch. That was okay I guess. It's nice that the technology has come this far but it's not my bag.
Then the big thing was a new interface coming this fall. That was cool too I guess. I was just bitching about how the current 360 interface like hides the custom themes you can get and almost makes it pointless to have a picture or something in the background because the blades and the ads get in the way too much. Now it's simpler to navigate. Supposedly however I read somewhere that it's ripped off from some other device that uses a similar method.

Sony was the second place holder. They did an impressive presentation with Little big planet which convinced me to pick that game up. They showed a trailer of God of War 3 which didn't tell people anything other than it's coming. They reminded us about the PS2 saying they're still some great games coming out for it. Which honestly I'm picking up one more title for the PS2 before the year is over. Overall I thought it was a good presentation. It gives me faith that Sony still has some tricks up it's sleeve.

I really didn't take much from E3. It only convinced me to pick up one more game this fall which I hadn't thought about. Everything else I knew about. G4 showcased some demos but I really didn't watch them. I'm just happy the whole thing is over. Now I'm just ready form all these great games to come out. Well, my brain is ready, my wallet isn't.

The Red Ring of irritation

2008-07-10T08:09:00.000-07:00

Me again. I'll begin by saying that my 360 which I've owned for a year and a half has fallen victim to the dreaded red ring of death or rrod as it's called in allot of circles. At first I was in denial. In my mind i was like, I take care of my consoles. I treat them like children. Hell you could argue they get better treatment then my car. So I would never have that problem with my 360. That kind of thing happened to other people, right? Oh so wrong.

I wasn't that upset by it a t first. I mean, MS has a decent approach to the problem, you call them up, tell them the problem and they send you a box and hopefully two weeks to a month later you get your console back repaired, or a refurb or something. Hell I didn't even have to call them up, if you register the serial number with your windows live account you can request a repair over the Internet so you never have to talk to anybody.

So it's a fairly simple process to begin with. I'm still waiting on the box they're supposed to send but it's cool, I just started the process on Monday. We'll see how long it takes them do something with it once they receive it. From what I've read there are three things they can do, fix the console you've sent them, give you a refurb meaning someone Else's box they fixed or send you a brand new console. I like option one and three, but I don't like the idea of getting someone Else's console. Why exactly? I don't know. Call me weird but getting the box back that I sent would be cool because it's mine. I bought THAT console. (Trust me, I've recorded my serial so I know)
Getting a new box would be cool because well that means it's a new one just for me. I'd still miss my old one anyway. But If I got a refurb that means it's been "fingered" by god knows who. I know they clean it off and all but still. Don't get alarmed, my not a germ-a-phobe or anything I just like my new stuff BRAND NEW. Hell with as much as it cost me, that's the way I want it. If I get my box back then great, it was mine to begin with.

My point about all this is that at first I wasn't upset about it. Truthfully, I don't put many miles on my 360. I had bought Ninja Gaiden 2 recently and was playing that off and on but I had metal gear and was engrossed in that. Before that however, I BARLEY played. Seriously, like I was lucky if I turned it on maybe once a week? And Xbox live arcade was stale and I can't tell you the last game I downloaded there. My good buddy has a 360 and we were playing Battlefield 2 but my disk got scratched a while ago and I hadn't played since. Anyway, I got to thinking about it, and I started to get upset about it. Microsoft sacrificed quality just to be first in the next gen race. That's terrible. I've had allot of consoles and I've never had issues with any of them, until MS started making them. My Original Xbox sometimes had issues with the disk drive but not always. So then here comes the 360 and a year and a half later it craps out on me...what the fuck?

I've even read stories about people having two three and even four different 360s. That my friend is where I draw the line. I decided that when I get my console back if it craps out on me again. I will not but another one right away. I have standards and why the hell should I compromise them? It's not my fault that they built a shoddy machine. I really don't have high hopes that after I get it back it's going to last long but I'll at least let them try.

I'll admit it, I prefer Playstation. Now before you go blasting me, I am not a FANBOY. Far from it. Both MS and Nintendo have some great games on their respective platforms and I think that's great. But I just like my PS more. I but multi platform games for my PS3. I recently have only been buying the exclusives on the 360. Come to think of it I think all my games on 360 are console exclusives. Hmmm...

I just think what they did wasn't right. I applaud them for trying to fix it but hell it took them quite awhile to even admit there was an issue. Keep checking back as I will keep everyone posted on it's progress. until then....peace.

The best game yet....

2008-07-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, so here I am, back from another long hiatus in your face with more thoughts about life and gaming. Allot has happened to me since my last post but the first things I want to touch on, is Metal Gear Solid 4.

What can I say? The game is a masterpiece. I love practically everything about this game. It made me oh so glad I have a PS3. I was a great conclusion to a great game franchise. It wraps up everything story wise and explains it all. I've only gone through it once, but I plan on going back through it again very soon. I decided to go through the first three games and then go back and play it again. Which now I'm at MGS3: Snake Eater which in my opinion is good but I find it frustrating.

They took away the soliton radar! Yeah, that great radar from MGS2 and the original MGS that helped you out immensely when it came to enemy placement and layout of where you were was taken away. Now I realize that it's supposed to be the 1960's and story wise (and I guess technologically) the radar wasn't invented yet, but couldn't you amuse me then? The whole deal is this, you spend allot of time in the Russian jungle, so you rely heavily on camouflage to fool your enemy's and slither by undetected. That's fine, but the radar still would have been a GREAT help.
I mean you get other things to help you out, like a directional microphone to listen for things at distances, and they do give you a motion detector and sonar, but with the exception of the microphone, the other two are battery powered and they just don't work as well. You really have to rely on your senses in the game, which looks great and sounds great too so you really are immersed in the atmosphere. Now combine all these tools well, and you can survive. I don't know if it's me, but even with all these tools, I just can't play this game well. You want proof? I bought the game when it first came out in 04'. I went through it once, and that's it until now. So it's been what, almost four years since I went through the whole game again? I realized though the story in this one is really good it's just a matter of having the patience to play it through that's all. I spend most of the game in alert mode I promise you. And half the time I get so frustrated with trying to hide and creep that I just try to run and gun through certain parts which doesn't really work all that well most of the time. I'll get through it again though unless is pisses me off anymore.

I also took a hiatus from buying retro games. Haven't been into Vintage Stock (a local shop that buys and sells allot of old games, music and movies) in over a month now. I was obsessed at one point. There are three stores close to me and I was making rounds once a week. It was getting expensive too. The store is great though but it's a crap shoot every time you go in there. You might find something really great but allot of times you don't find much at all. You have to go in there often to see what they have. I made a few great finds in the last month or so though but they were on Ebay. (I still hate ebay) I found a top loading NES deck and a copy of Viewpoint for the Neo-Geo. Two things I've been chasing for years with no luck.

So I put classic gaming on hold for a bit because there were allot of current gen games coming out. Last month I picked up three, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden 2. It was a pricey two weeks for me. Still haven't opened DBZ So I'll let you know how it is at some point.

Next week is E3. The gaming industry's big who-ha of the year. I can't wait for it to be here, so it can be over just as fast. Oh, don't get me wrong I think the whole show is great and all, but that's all anyone can talk about the week before and the week after. Lets just get the games out there, you know?

That's all I got for the time being. I'll do my best to post more often next time. Until then....

I'm through talking about it

2008-05-03T21:25:00.000-07:00

Okay so as you can see I'm posting on May 3rd and GTA4 has been unleashed on the world. The reviews are in and it's getting perfect scores left and right. It's the best release in a long time and already sparking talks of game of the year. (Yes in May) So why am I blogging and not playing? Because I need to say something. I'm tired of people talking about this game. Ever since it's release allot of my gaming news sites have had stories relating to this game one way or another.
Hell the day of it's release that's all anyone could talk about. But what I'm tired of reading about is all the negativity about the title. There are parents groups and all kinds of groups pissed off about this game and I think it needs to stop.

What can be said that hasn't already been said? Yes, so you can drive drunk, pick up prostitutes and kill drug dealers. Got that part. And I understand some points. but honestly must we keep on about this?

You've got allot of people talking about how this game shouldn't be played by anyone, adults or other wise, but then you have a larger segment that's just concerned about the kids. And what about them? Alright, Yes, I have no problem with the fact that children shouldn't play the game, those who can't handle it, but the game isn't marketed or designed for kids. The fact that kids get their hands on it anyway doesn't surprise me. Kids are always getting there hands on things for adults. I for one did, and I turned out okay. When I was growing up as a young teen kids around me were getting booze, pornography and drugs. Same goes for today. I got my hands on Smut when I was young and were exposed to a liquor a few times but these things happen.
I came from a good home. First off I had 2 parents in the home which today seems like an achievement in itself, they both worked to pay the bills and overall did a good job of raising three kids. We never had to worry about a roof over our heads and no food in the refrigerator. Yes my home life was good. On the flip side, I got ahold of smut and like I said was even offered a beer or two. I never touched the beer (I don't even drink now) but I still got stuff I wasn't supposed to have and that's not to say I had bad parents.

It all comes down to the parents. Just raise them right. Now when my son turns 15 or so , and if he wants the latest game that violent (probably GTA 8 or something like that) and I think he can handle it then yes I;d let him have it. If he was going to turn into an arsonist or something or other, I think the problem would come from myself as a parent and not a game. If he had issues he wouldn't play it at all.

I know I hit on allot of topics here but I just wanted to get a few points off my chest. So, for those of you who own the game great, stop reading this and go play...sakes...

A Fever Pitch

2008-04-26T21:55:00.001-07:00

Here we are, just a few mere days from the release of Grand Theft Auto. Incredible, isn't it?
It's very hard for me to believe. I like many others thought we'd never get this far. I look very forward to this. I think this is one of those times I'm glad to be around for in the game industry.
Forever will I remember what I was doing or wasn't doing when GTA4 came out. You know whats going to be surreal though is holding my copy in my hand. You can't help but feel bad for games like MArio Kart that come out tomorrow and anything else that comes out in the next like month because it will be overshadowed by GTA. I almost decided not to get Mario KArt cuz' I know I won't spend enough time with it even though when has not having enough time to dedicate to a game stop me from buying it. Hell I still have a brand new SEALED copy of Call of Duty 4 from launch day that hasn't seen the light of day. Shit, they just released a Game of the Year edition of that game! Everybody is saying it's the best shooter period.

Everybody is doing like a midnight opening to celebrate. I however am not attending. Why? I hate crowds. I figure If I go later on Tuesday, probably Tuesday evening, almost everybody who's going to pick their copy will have done so at like midnight. So maybe I can avoid a bit of a crowd and confusion, I hope.

It's funny, I was reading on gametrailers a forum post form this 14 year old kid who didn't have a job and had like five bucks left and needed advice on how to get money to buy GTA. I felt so bad for him! Now see this is the type of sh*t i was talking about awhile ago, you know about how it sucks to be a kid. I remember what it was like. Parents who don't just buy you stuff for the hell of it so you have no choice but to trade in your old stuff to get new stuff. Thankfully I had the best grandparents you could ask for who spoiled us rotten but here is a kid who probably is a good guy, gets good grades and just needs a little help getting new games to do what he enjoys.

Ahh well. So, a bid thee farewell for now. Hopefully I'll check in soon. Hell who am I kidding, no one will be reading, everyone will be playing GTA from now until the next one comes out...

Collecting is an Artform

2008-04-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know I was supposed to bring you my thoughts on the biggest games of 08' but I'm going to take time out to talk about the "bug" that's bitten my lately.

As some of you know, I collect games. It's just what I like to do. Lately Its consumed me. I have a bit of a vendetta against Ebay. I don't like it. First off, I don't like the idea of "competing" with people to buy stuff. I like the comfort of being able to walk up to somebody who's got something to sell, plunk down my cash and walk away with it. It's that simple. Yes, there are some great deals to be had there, and things can get more expensive there too. There are also some great "one-of-a-kinds" on there too. I'm sad to say that I broke my own promise to myself and in the past weeks I've been a bit obsessed with hunting down game relics on Ebay. I'm happy to say that I've since calmed down and now I only check occasionally and hopefully I can phase it out all together.

It doesn't help that I'm a little bitter that I got beat out of an auction that I thought I had wrapped up a few weeks ago. Yeah, I had it won until like the last two minutes what I was outbid by like 2 bucks. Yeah I'm REAL bitter about it. But then my ego was soothed later when I got a great deal on a Neo-Geo cart. But it just pisses me off and it's too damn competitive. It really get bad when you start winning and now you're hooked, looking for your next win to get that "fix". I'll be the first to admit the high that's to be had after you win, especially when you get something on the cheap like I did. I've come to my senses though and I still hate the site.

I'm actually trying to chill out on collecting for a little while. I've got enough current releases to worry about. I can't be concerned with the past for now. Even though I love nostalgia. I think a part of my collecting is the memories each game brings back. I can remember things that were going on around me when I was playing some of those games. Like the first super Mario Bros. I remember staying in my room for hours playing that game when I first got it. And like playing my Saturn brings back memories of my first job. I bought my Sega Saturn with my first two checks what I was 15. Lets see that was 13 years ago?

Some acquisitions are to satisfy the inner child in me. Like the Neo-Geo I got like 4 years ago or so. I never had one as a kid. and hell neither did anyone else in my neighborhood growing up. They just cost too damn much. Like $600-$700 bucks! Which I would say in unheard of except for something called the PS3 but we won't go there. So yeah I finally got one cuz' I never had one as a kid. Got it for like $150 bucks. I'm still chasing a few carts but damn there sill expensive even after all these years.

Alright well I'm done rambling for now. Everybody enjoy your night.

Jacking Cars Never Felt or Looked this Good!

2008-03-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all. With epic releases being given to us through out the year I thought I would start by talking about them one at a time. The first big one, GTA 4.

We're exactly 4 weeks away from it's release as of Tuesday, April first 2008. Rockstar has been working the gaming public into a frenzy with trailers and screenshots. And let me tell you from what I've seen this game looks off the chain. They're even talking about 16 player multiplayer and there are quite a few game modes. Details are scarce about it though. Lots of sources are guessing about it, but no one knows allot for sure.

This is just as epic a jump as when the series went from the last one on PC to GTA3 for the Playstation 2. I think we need to take a step back and think about this for a second though. I've said it from the beginning, this game I think will be epic in every sense of the word. I believe we're headed into GTA overload with this installment. That same feeling we got when we played GTA3 we're about to have again. You know what I'm talking about. I think Rockstar probably hasn't messed with the formula too much, tried to fix what players were griping about and just improved a great deal on what was already good. We're about to experience Liberty City the way it's meant to be experienced.

I for one am beyond psyched for it. It's surreal to think we're only a little more then 4 weeks away from release. We've been reading about it and watching trailers for so long I thought we would never get to this point. This release might eclipse that of the Halo 3 release. Now will I go to my local Gamestop at midnight to get it if they do it? I would consider it. (Probably not, it's going to be a zoo and I'd rather just wait until the next day so i can get in and get out) This will be a defining moment in gaming, just like when GTA3 came out.

Next time I think I'm going to talk about the release of one of my favorite franchises. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Later....

The Best year ever?

2008-03-23T17:47:00.000-07:00

Okay so like I haven't added anything in awhile, sue me. Christmas has come and gone. Hope everyones holiday was good. Now that the formalities are out of the way let's talk about what was an exciting first quarter in the video game world. I'll begin by saying that I'll just touch on a few things and in future posts I'll elaborate.

One of the most exciting things to happen and the first things was the announcement of a Ghostbusters game! When I found this out my inner child hit the roof! This is a dream come true.
From the coverage I've seen so far this game looks like it will be good. Nothing like the horrible game for the NES that we all remember, or would like to forget. They even have the original cast from the movies coming back to do voices and even write the script! They are dubbing this the "third installment" of the series. Basically what they're saying is that since a third movie will never be done, this is what it would be like if we did it. I have a feeling a third one will be done, but like when all the actors are too old so like they'll introduce it to a new audience and everyone will think it's great my my generation and the ones before it will think it sucks because they'll get new actors and stuff. (that was a mouth full)

We've also got release dates for some of the biggest hits landing this year, like Metal Gear Solid 4. They also announced Gears 2 for the 360 which should be cool. Lets not forget Grand theft auto 4. The good part about all this? It looks like we're getting a steady stream of releases peppered thought the year. Fall is already looking good, even this early. I mentioned Gears of War 2 confirmed from November but also in November is Resistance 2! Two big shooters going head to head that month. Namely two console exclusive shooters going head to head. This should be very interesting. The message boards are only going to get worse by that time. The fan boys are already drooling.

Lastly, but surely not least is the announcement of STREET FIGHTER 4! Yeah you heard me right, I almost fell out when this news broke. I believe we've known about this since January. There was allot of talk whether it would be 2-D or 3-D. The verdict? It's kind of both. The developers have assured us that it will play like the street fighter we've known and loved. I've seen the screen shots and while some don't care for the new for the art style they've chosen, I think it's cool, and as close to 2-D as we're going to get for the time being.

So yeah, there's been allot of big things happening so far and the year has just started. I can't really tell you what I'm more excited for in the coming months. Also, I've decided to post release dates of some of the more popular games, or games that I look forward to. I must warn you, some the the dates will probably come form the Gamestop website. I'll try my best to get dates from reliable sources. Until next time...

Heeeeeyyooo!

2007-12-09T19:25:00.000-08:00

It's me again. I'm here and Christmas is almost here. It's been a little while. I seem to keep running out of time in my days lately. I usually love these shorter fall days but with the birth of my son this year, I could probably use a little more sunlight.

So whats going on these days...I hope everyone survived their Thanksgiving. Mine didn't go off so hot. I know that there are allot of shortcuts you can take but I took one too many with the food this year. So next year, I'll cook the right way. The Midwest has gotten battered with all kind of ice over these last few days which sucks. I love the cold weather, I believe it's my natural habitat but ice stinks. Snow is okay though.

So yeah, as you can see by my side pane that I've started to play manhunt 2! Yes!!! I've only completed the first three stages but I must say so far I thinks it's a great game and misunderstood by most. And yes, it's still gory even though it is "censored". Like I said though, you get my full unadulterated review upon my completion. Perhaps when I make my next post I'll have finished it. (what are the chances of that?)

As far as the gaming industry goes the releases are now slow and steady. This week the PS3 gets a few good ones though. It turns out the Orange box is actually pretty damn good on the PS3. Area 51 comes out this week as well. Now the crowd is very mixed about that game. Allot of people are saying it sucks and it's broken. Some are saying it's a good first person shooter and that's it. It does most things right but it doesn't do anything spectacular either. I think I'm going to pick this one up, but I'm not sure. Is $60 worth it for just a "good" shooter?
I'm not sure yet. It's not like I still don't have plenty of things to play. Still haven't played COD4 yet.

None the less, well that's all I have to say for now. I'll keep everyone posted on my game playing status as it gets better.

Later days

A little of this...a little of that

2007-11-24T19:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah. Here I am. Back to drop some more knowledge on you.

Okay, so whats new in the gaming world this past week. Well, Rock band was released. The reviews say it's great. I expected no less. I just made a post requesting information on the supposed supply problem that was going to happen. I haven't been looking but it comes as no surprise that supply wasn't going to meet demand. I'll keep you posted on that issue.

I just read the article in Game informer about the new Ghostbusters game. From what I've read it's going to be even better then I had first hoped! It's a good read. Mentions that the original cast are going to reprise their roles and do voicwork and Dan Akroyd and Harold Ramis are going to write the script. I think they will raise the bar on what a game based on a movie should be. How many other movie based games have the actors doing their voicovers? Try practical none. This should be great and I think it's going to be a long wait until next fall.

I'm still behind in my game playing. I think this week I might have logged in maybe 5 to 8 hours of total game play. Uhh, I'm pathetic I know. I've tried my best not to let stuff interfere with my game playing but to no avail lately. I still have brand new copies of Call of Duty 4 and Manhunt 2 to open and explore. The reviews on Manhunt are still across the board. The x-play review gave it a 2 out of 5. The Game informer review gave it a 7.75 out of 10. Like I said before, I will make my final judgement late after I play the game for myself. I like reviews and I like to see what other people think about games. There are a few sources that I consider highly. X-play is one of them. Reviews aren't always right though and this is one game that I will not allow the thoughts of others to influence my own.

Oh, and speaking of games I haven't played, I just started Super Mario Galaxy this past week. Only played it for a few hours but so far so good. I still think it will make GOTY. It;s different from allot of other stuff that's out there. We'll know soon enough though. Oh, and fuck those Spike TV game awards.

Alright. Well it's late and that's it for me. I'll do my best to post more this week. Until then...

Here I am

2007-11-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! Sorry it's been awhile. Life caught up with me, you know? My son can be a full time job. Apparently I won't have made a post everyday for "blogging month" or whatever the hell it is. It's alright though. I'm pretty much back into the swing of things and hopefully I'll have a string of new posts for awhile.

So what new, ahh yes. A few days ago news broke that there was going to be a new Ghostbusters game coming for the big consoles next fall. Now I thought the game was still in the planning stages or something. Come to find out, today some game play footage was released.
All I have to say is....HOLY SHIT!!!! This is the game I've been waiting for.

I take my childhood seriously. I have allot of fond memories of watching cartoons on Saturdays with my brother and being into everything else that kids my age were into. One of those things were Ghostbusters. It would have to be my absolute favorite show from my childhood. I watched all the shows and had all the toys, quite honestly those were some of My favorite years. Sadly, no one ever really made a GB game worth a shit. There were two games for the NES and one for the Genesis. The First one for the NES was bad. The second one was a little better and the one for the Genesis was okay. (Never spent much time with that one though) It's one of those franchises that has a great premise and one paper should make for a fuckin' awesome videgame. Yeah well it never really happened like that.

To get an idea real quick about series that should have made great games but doesn't take Sonic the Hedgehog. ever since he stopped making games for the Genesis you could argue they've never been that great. The latest flop was the Sonic game that came out for the next-gen consoles. Yeah, they sucked real ass. Everything from camera issues to just plain old bad game play just made some of us think that Sonic has had it.

Anyway, back to the Ghostbusters games. Personally, I think this is "freakin' sweet". This could be the fix I've needed. I mean ever since the cartoon ended and they stopped making the toys, I've felt kind of empty. I wish I had a game to go back to that could remind me of my great days being a kid and watching the show. This could be the chance to make my childhood whole. I just might be able to die a happy man. (I told you I hold my childhood dear)

The other side of the coin is that this could go totally wrong. Like for instance the Transformers game based on the movie. Sucked. I hate when people stain certain elements of my younger days. JUst like Transformers. Or what they did to the Ninja turtles. We all know that a developer can take some of the best elements of a game in progress and stitch them together to hype you up and make something look great. Months later, you plunk down your hard earned sixty bucks only to find out it's total crap. Once again someone has abused a licence. Even though a big plus of this game is they got the original cast of the movie to do voice work as well as script work. Which makes me feel real good about it. So the chances of it being crap have been reduced. It's also supposed to be a true sequel to the movies. Which means maybe we'll see something besides stuff from the first two. Which if they were done right I wouldn't mind playing through them either.

So as you can see I'm completely stoked about this project. Only catch? We have to wait until next fall! Which means that the industry is already loading the cannons for next year. Even though I don't think next fall will be quite as epic as this. The whole year overall is looking good though. SO far we have:

Super smash Brother Brawl (feb 10, Wii)
Metal Gear Solid 4 (Summer, PS3)
GTA4 (Summer multi platform)
God of war 3 (Fall?)

Yeah the last one is just a rumor now. At least the release part is. So if they spread this out like they say then I just might have more money in my pocket at the end of next year.

Anyhow, that's all I have for now. I'll attempt to keep the posts coming.

Later days

Not Much to Say

2007-11-10T18:08:00.001-08:00

So yeah , I know I was supposed to do a post on the benefits of adulthood, however that can wait for some other time. I realize I have a few topics still to cover and I haven't forgotten about them. I'm just kind of out of gas for the time being. Tomorrow I'll hopefully have plenty to say. Until then enjoy your evening. Don't forget to watch all the football you can. I'm stocked to see the Giants Vs. the Cowboys. Should be a good shoot out. Stay tuned.

Later days...

They just don't make em' like they used too...

2007-11-09T21:08:00.001-08:00

Welcome back to the show. Tonight's topic? Is there more to my lack of game play then I thought.

To begin, as many of you know I've been playing games most of my life. I fell in love with Super Mario Bros. for the NES and haven't looked back. I've been through several console cycles and owned most of them. I had a SNES, Genesis, Turbo Graphics 16, N64, Playstation, Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Turbo Duo, Playstation 2, Xbox and Gamecube. Now I currently own all "current gen" consoles. Looking back on it now...wow. I had allot. Did I mention I own a 3DO? Now out of all those consoles sadly I do not have my Original SNES and my NES. Unfortunately being a kid you don't even have a grasp on "nostalgia". You just want new and now and give away old and yesterday to have it. Of course looking back on it now I wish I never sold My SNES, d'oh!

So games have been with me through all my major life changes. I can't honestly say I've had a good gaming appetite. Getting my first job was a blessing as I could keep up with everything without having to wait for Christmas and birthdays. Which is one of the reasons why I enjoy adulthood. (Trust me, I have an entire post dedicated to my love for being an adult) Even now after moving out of my parents house and being on my own for the past six years or so, my games are right there. I've recently gotten married and had my first child. (Which if you click on my wife's blog, she'll be happy to show you pictures) I still game, but less.

Now I know your first thought, life has just gotten busier. Well, that is true. My kid is a handful at times, but still a good kid and now I have a marriage that needs attention. That's not it though. My wife is very supportive of my gaming habit and likes to watch me play. She knows it;s important to me. My kid? Well, I must say I've not a pro yet, but I have him under control. We spend a good amount of time together and for now as long as his basic needs are met he's great. I enjoy TV, but for the most part it sucks. I pay for 200 channels or so, and 190 of them are sheer crap. I live my life in re-runs.

That leaves me time, so why am I not playing?

To be honest, I don't know. Like I could be playing as I write this. My son is sleep for the night. My wife is sleep for the night and TV bites. I love writing this but I could have made an entry sooner, or tomorrow. I keep up with the current hits. I just bought FEAR files, Manhunt 2 and the Orange Box to name a few but out of those games, two of them remain in store bags SEALED.

It could be the industries fault for not producing more original content. After all, I just bought three new first person shooters. (FPS) I love them and all, but isn't the theme the same? Kill the bad guys, find ammo and health and complete the level. Repeat. Obviously everyone tries to put their own twist on it but it boils down to the same idea in each.

Now I'm not trashing the genre. Like I said I love it. I'm just saying, however.

So maybe it's that reason games don't hold my attention. It's all the same so to speak. Or is it because I'm growing up? This by far is my worst nightmare come true. Maybe it doesn't hold my interest because I'm not interested in them much. Now this can't be. Why would I continue to throw away my money, $60 at a time? I definitely wouldn't have all three current consoles. One or two perhaps but not three. I still read the magazines and check a few websites for headlines and insight into the industry. I even joined a forum! Yikes! Since when do I care about other people's opinions. (especially gamers these days) This can't be.

So we've eliminated time constraints, growing up and originality. Whats left? Hmmmm.....

LAZINESS

These game companies made sure to put a feature on this round of consoles that I believe console players have been after since the very beginning. The ability to turn the console on and off with the controller. And with wireless controllers becoming standard, that's even less reason to get off the couch. Next time around they might put a DVD changer in it so you could load like 3 to 5 games in it and rarely have to change it out. So am I just too lazy to play? Could be. A good example of this would be when I put my son down for a nap I have some time to myself. Great time to put some miles on the PS3, right? Wrong, I take the chance to sleep. It's true. My son took about three short naps today. I slept during each one. I've never been a heavy sleeper before and I like getting up early to go to work. As long as I get those five or six hours I need, I'm good to go. Not lately. I just need more. I guess it's because of my kid but he's doing really well sleeping through the night, so I don't know.

All these sound like good theories. Maybe I'll never know. Perhaps I should just keep rolling with it. I should just play at the pace I like to play at. I don't consider myself any less of an avid game fan because I don't pull all nighters to play and while everyone else finished Bioshock in a weekend, I've still got to finish. It's still my passion and I still love to do it just as much as did ten years ago.

That's all I got for tonight. The next entry I'll dabble a bit on why I like being an adult and how it ties in to games.

Later days...

No good game will go unplayed

2007-11-08T21:11:00.000-08:00

Since the beginning of this fall's game releases I've bought several games. There are even more hits coming out that I will not buy myself for a few reasons. Income isn't necessarily the problem, I just have allot of games on my plate as it is, and between now and Christmas (when I've asked for games of course) I won't have finished them all.

We'll start with the games I'm passing on. I played the demo of ratchet and Clank recently and it won me over. Now I missed all three of the first games on the PS2. Don't ask me why, I just never played them. Probably because I faced the same dilemma I face now. SO I played the demo and I decided that I need more of it, but I just can't get it now.

Next up, Kane & Lynch. From what I have read of previews and seen in demo movies. This game looks off the charts. Done by the same people who do the Hitman series, I don't doubt that this game won't aim to please.

Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008. I love wrestling. Not lately, but it's in the blood. My family has been into the WWE since I can remember and since then it's become apart of who I am today.
Even though the show sucks recently. (Recently like the past couple of years) Vince could give a rats ass with what the fans want to see, it's what he thinks is funny. Plus they have allot of problems going on within the company with all the substance abuse scandals and such. Anyways, the games have always been fun and if I can't enjoy the weekly shows I at least want to get my fix somewhere, right?

Now I'm choosing to pass on these games because I have like four of the more recent titles left to finish and some to start! Manhunt 2 for instance, yeah been stoked about that game since it was revealed. Even with the censorship, still wanted to experience it for myself. Even skipped my class that night to get it. I got it alright and it's been in the same spot since. Beautiful Katamari? Fell prey to Half Life 2. Been playing HL since. Still not done with that one either. Bought Guitar hero 3. It ran me $100! I just scratched the surface on that one.

Next week is the release of the highly anticipated Super Mario Galaxy. Along with Dragon Ball Z: Tenchiachi 3 and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles. Oh, along with Assassin's Creed and Kane and Lynch. So you see? I'm committed to about $150 bucks next week as it is. I can't do this much longer. Plus I want to leave my wife something to get me for Christmas.

I'll keep you posted on my progress. I'm about to add a new list to the side of my blog. About the Games I'm playing now will be the games I've finished recently. That list won't be as spectacular.

Tomorrows post will discuss the idea that I just got writing this post. Why I can't seem to finish games anymore. Is there a bigger problem then all theses release dates running so close together? Am I growing up? Or even worse...growing out of games? My passion?

Later days...

GOTY

2007-11-07T21:32:00.000-08:00

I won't get too deep into this topic because there are still a few high profile titles to be released and reviewed but I look forward to the game of the year.

This year is an especially tight race. We've got so many big name titles coming out, and some already out that it's disgusting. I just watched the review on Gametrailers of SMG (Super Mario Galaxy) They gave it an 9.8. Granted we've still got like six days before the general public get their hands on it so they can weigh in but I'd say it's one of my top three to get GOTY. The 360 GOTY will be tough too. Like I said, I choose three games that I think will be GOTY:

Super Mario Galaxy
Halo 3
COD4

I do believe that the Orange box deserves an Honorable mention though. If there was an award for most bang for your buck, it would have it hands down for sure.

My pick? Man it's a REAL tough call. Halo 3 is hot but in my opinion doesn't bring anything new to the table. Now before people start booing me, I DO NOT HATE HALO. I just don't dig it. I love shooters, but this one doesn't appeal to me very much. I think it's great that any game has fanatics like this one does and breaks into mainstream media in a positive light for once, since almost every time a game is on the news it's for something negative. (That's another post)
COD4 is another shooter and true like Halo I guess you could argue doesn't bring much to the table new either. But SMG? Man in the review (which you can see on Gametrailers.com) they call this epic. I believe they mentioned "redefining a genre". You don't hear that very often anymore. If I had to pick now it will be SMG. Ladies and gentleman, if that review holds true, I think they (meaning Nintendo) might have just reinvented the wheel.

So like I said I don't like sharing my thoughts on this topic too early cuz' we still got some titles to come out. Assassin's Creed and Rock Band are just two of them. However, after X-mas you better believe all bets are off, and you people will get the real deal from me. Until we meet again...

I'll pen you in for 10 AM

2007-11-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

WARNING: EXPLICIT CONTENT!!!!!

So today I'm on Gametrailers.com and I'm a member there. (Check the link) Occasionally they have a topic that's worth my opinion. Today there is a gentleman on there talking about how his lady wants him to game less. I guess he's lost his 360 until tomorrow and now she wants to impose limits. He claims all he has been doing is watching TV since it's departure and she calls that an "improvement". So he calls upon his fellow gaming brothers to ask what limits do anyone else has on the amount of gaming done at any particular time. It's mostly aimed at the older audience, which I am.

The comments were all very funny and they all had the same theme. If she's going to try to control you, then cut the b*tch! I find this incredibly funny and I didn't quite expect this much of an out pore. You've got people claiming that games come first before girls. (Which you could argue that there is something terribly wrong with that statement) Now I don't know about that. I believe it boils down to control and someone feeling neglected Vs. the actual games themselves. He could have been bowling as much as he's playing games and the problem would be the same. Or would it? After all, she claimed watching TV was an "improvement". So it could be about the games.

My take? Well a relationship expert would encourage compromise and that scheduling may not be that bad an idea, but f*ck that $hit. If he's been gaming long time then they were there first. If you don't like it, though titties. I may sound immature, but it's true. I've been with my wife for six years or so before we got married and she knew that my game playing came with the package and still wanted to be with me after the fact. (That's why I love her so!)
Had she told me to quit or tried to limit me on my game playing, there is the door lady!
Especially if him and his lady arn't serious and shes just the flavor of the week or something.
There is no shortage of women out there, gentlemen. What one won't tolerate you can find three others that will.

Now I know what you're thinking. I'm talking big $hit right now, but would I follow my own advice if my lady tried something like this tomorrow? I would definitely have a problem with it since I take care of all my other responsibilities. It's my way of unwinding, my outlet if you will. There are much worse things I could be doing. Like watching TV all the time...sakes...

Four seasons

2007-11-04T20:25:00.000-08:00

Is it me or are there a shitload of games that have come out in the last two months or so? The onslaught is relentless and November has only started.

I've picked up most of the hits. I think we can all agree that there is something for everyone. It started with Bioshock in August for me. Awesome game. At the time to me it the easy game of the year. Then everything else came out and confused me. I still haven't finished it though for various reasons. A family being one, and more new releases being the other!

I'm going to say what allot of people have said lately, don't developers realize there are four other seasons besides fall? I mean okay so here comes Christmas and it makes lots of money for allot of companies, but wouldn't some games far allot better if there wasn't so much competition? There are already allot of games that are going to get ignored because of bigger hits. I personally am thankful that some games got pushed back. Like GTA4. I'm busy enough as it is, like I need another game to make matters worse for me. You got allot of people pissed about the SSBM delay. (Super Smash Bros. Melee) It's a good thing people, trust me. It Just means that if you thought things couldn't get any better this fall, wait until winter and spring!

With all these great games, one has to wonder how next fall will fair. Think about it. You've got games coming from the big franchises either this fall, or early to mid next year. So there won't be a Halo, a Super Mario Galaxy or Call of Duty next fall. So when Christmas comes around next year what will there be to ask for?

Later days...

Manhunt 2

2007-11-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

So there there is allot of shit going on about the release of manhunt 2. To make a long story short everyone is saying it's too violent and it's even banned in a few countries. I have a great deal to say about this topic and I promise you that I will. I've gotten my hands on a copy of the game and have yet to play it. When I play it and finish it I swear you will hear the absolute truth about the game, the violence and anything else associated with the topic. However I can't offer the best opinion about the game until I've had the opportunity to sink my teeth into it.
Later days...

Okay....

2007-11-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

So, I made a deal with my girlfriend now wife that I couldn't make post everyday for the rest of this month. Thus here I am, begining at the begining. I'll be talking about a variety of subjects, mostly about the gameing industry. (One of my true passsions) Not very much about wrestling becuase wrestling sucks ass right now really bad. In fact I don't think it merrits a discussion at this point. As well as life events, since my last post on July 22, I've had a son and gotten married. What a busy year! So, Hopefully after this month is gone I'll be back into the swing of things and keep making entries. So, with that in mind, here we go!

I'm back....

2007-07-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Yeah thats right, I'm still alive, and I'm back so stay tuned!!!

The New Face of ECW?

2006-06-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Wrestling has been pretty interesting lately.  This whole ECW ordeal has shaken the WWE up quite a bit.  Some of it good, allot bad.  I like the idea of a third brand for the WWE, but only if done correctly.

I didn’t see last years One Night Stand.  I’m sorry I did.  For the clips I saw afterwards of it looked pretty good.  At the time I could have seen it, but I just didn’t trust it.  ECW had been closed for a while and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.  So last years comes and goes and of course I don’t pass up this next one.  So I get it and it was a great show in my opinion. The crowd was awesome!  I don’t think the crowd at Wrestlemania was as good.
Even though the ECW crowd was only like 2500 people, but still.  They ate John Cena alive!  Some of the chants were funny as hell.  I don’t think I’ve heard anyone chant “F you” to Cena so loud.  On top of that when John Cena through his shirt into the crowd and they kept throwing it back the crowd was going nuts!  The whole night was pretty entertaining.  Worth my $40 bucks?  Sure.

So after that great Sunday night, and a good Raw, I had high expectations for the debut of the show on Tuesday night.  Boy was that a waste of time.  I don’t get it.  First off all they had was an hour, which was all right.  But they wasted so much time.  I understand that they want to recap the PPV from Sunday, but it should have been just that.  They showed the entire Jerry Lawler Vs. Taz match. Which even though it was the shortest match on the card they still shouldn’t have bothered.  Then what the hell was the deal with that bitch Kelly, I think, deciding to tell everybody that she was going to strip for us later in the show.  Which anyone with even a shred of common sense knows isn’t going to happen, cable or no cable.  So later in the show what do they do?  Waste 10 minutes with this tramp “teasing” us.  Look, I like my porn and my wrestling in two separate entities please.  She’s no different then any other stripper they can find.  I think there was less then 30 minutes of real wrestling on the show.  To start the show we had the promo with RVD, Cena, Edge and Heman.  Which the outcome was predictable.  Now Heman has to go to Raw for redemption next week.

As some point the idea is for the branch to stand on it’s own two legs.  They can’t spend
All there time going after Raw.  Personally I think the brand is in trouble if they keep up the way their going.  Okay, so I’ll cut them some slack cuz’ it was their debut back on TV.  But they need to do something.  They do have the star power to make something happen.  I’ll admit it’s not the same ECW without the Duddley boys and New Jack.  I give the promotion a year before the plug gets pulled.  Which is sad really.  But once it leaves this time I think we should just leave it buried.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.  Keep it real people…

So yeah...

2006-03-16T16:12:00.000-08:00

Well hello there people! So yeah it's been quite some time, about four months now and allot have happened. I'm happy that I survived X-mas and it left just as quickly as it got here. I hope everyone got what he or she wanted. My New Year was all right. All I have to talk about today is a few tidbits here and there. I apologize for not having more compelling issues to talk about.

I don't know about you, but Howie Mandell is great! For those not in the know...he hosts Deal or No Deal on NBC. I watched it when they aired it for about a week back in December, but since they decided to bring it back I've been hooked. For the most part I hate modern TV. I'll be blunt, it downright sucks. Now I love TV. All the old stuff. TV Land is my savior. So it's kind of refreshing to find something modern that I like to watch. Oh and cartoons of course. My old lady doesn't like the fact that I watch so many cartoons I think, but whatever. We'll just see how long it lasts. My luck since I've found something good to watch and they can it a week later.

The gaming industry is abuzz lately. Sony FINALLY decided that they would admit to a delay in launching the PS3, which by the way I'm convinced they've known about since oh, I don't know, before Christmas. It doesn’t surprise me one bit, and I'm actually happy about it. It gives me time to save more money. No, I don't have a 360. Had to cancel at the last minute cuz' I couldn’t come up with the scratch. But it's all right, there isn't a "killer ap" on the 360 yet anyway. There are some pretty cool things on it, but nothing I must have. One of the big titles they were hyping up so much, perfect dark zero, turned out to be not all the great anyway according to the articles I've read. Adam and Morgan said it was average but opinions very greatly. As far as other reviews I've seen nothing that says "holy shit I've got to pimp my wife to get this!”

What bothers me the most about the entire launch is that M$ still says that the launch was a great success. I have a huge problem with that. When you can't keep up with initial demand the months later, and then had the nerve to cut the initial number of consoles available at launch in half about a month before, I'd say it was less then stellar. Okay so it wasn't a debacle. But come on, there are consoles still on the shelves in Japan. So tell me this, why don't they take those consoles and bring them here? It only makes sense to me. Now Sony decided they're going the "worldwide launch" rout. Which to me is a disturbing trend. I have no problem with waiting to get the console after the Japanese. Okay, so I'm not the typical impatient gamer. But it doesn't bother me. I still think it's not over. I trust Sony; they know what they're doing. I just think that plans will change the closer we get to November. Well okay so that’s like all I have to say at this point. I'm sure my luck I'll probably end up not making an entry for another four months but I'll try to get better I swear.

Until then people...

360 degrees..of insanity!!!

2005-11-30T19:21:00.000-08:00

All right, so it’s here already. Next generation gaming has happened. Some think it’s great; others are waiting for all of the heavyweight contenders to arrive. Personally, I’m eager for all of them. After all I am a gamer, tried and true so naturally I’ll get everything. However something bothers me about the 360.

What exactly? How about this frenzy (to put it lightly) that Microsoft has caused. I don’t know how many of you have heard or seen, but getting a 360 has turned into a treasure hunt. Now I say that Microsoft is to blame partly because of the rumors going around that Microsoft deliberatly cut shipments to increase demand. Stores not only can’t keep them on the shelves, they don’t have any to put there in the first place! I read about the launch day incidents. Everything from near riots in parking lots to people attempting to hold up EB games stores to get one, it’s all ridiculous. An article posted on Gamespot.com yesterday mentioned about how JCPenny’s website was selling the Ultimate 360 bundle for $800! Double the retail price. On top of that it wasn’t shipping for two weeks! Yikes.

I realize that gaming has grown since the release of the PS2. I remember having a PS2 on reserve at my local EB Games and having to wait a few weeks afer launch to get it due to shortages, but I was cool with that. I still ended up getting it earlier then they said due to some dropouts and cancellations. The launch line-up wasn’t even that great. I had Tekken Tag tournament first and that was it until February, and I got it in early November! Which brings me to my point that the 360-launch line-up isn’t stellar in my opinion. Unless you’re a sports fan which dominates the release schedule. Fighting game fans like myself are left hanging, as DOA4 which everyone thought would be a launch title didn’t make it and last I checked it got pushed back to like December 14th or so.

Where am I going with all this? Well, I think the moral of all this is that people should be patient. I know I am. For those parents and “extreme” game enthusiasts who decide they should pay $3000 for a 360 from EBAY more power to ya’. Personally I’m going to wait until after the holidays, February or so when you should able to pick up a 360 from the shelves. And hopefully by the they have at least one “killer ap”.

Three hundred sixty degrees of gaming

2005-11-01T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm back and it has been some time. And the worst part about it is that I haven't had that much going on in my life so I have no real excuse for not posting anything. There's no time like the present, right? So I begin today talking about next gen gaming. I for one am a HUGE gamer. I spend a percentage of my yearly income on games and accessories. My girlfriend probably doesn't like it this way, but they've been around me longer then she has! (Sorry honey!) Anyhow, so like here we are eagerly awaiting the next entries from the big 3, Microsoft, Sony and Sega. (kidding) No really I mean Nintendo. First up is the XBOX 360. I've tried to read allot about it and so far I have a kind of wait-and-see attitude. From some of the screenshots I've seen of some of the games they look incredible. I saw some shots of one of NBA games on it and it looks fabulous. For years the line between the way TV and games look has been blurring and now I think in the next few years when developers can really harness the powers of the consoles we won't be able to tell for real.
I actually am kind of upset. The original XBOX was taking off and doing well. They were getting the consoles out there, and last Christmas I'm sure they did real well as Sony had a hardware shortage on their new model PS2. Microsoft boasts about how XBOX live is 1 million strong and I think that's cool. And now here comes the next big thing. Honestly I was hoping they would have awaited a little longer. I mean anybody who is familiar with the industry knows that first doesn't mean much. If anything I think it mean you might have to work harder. The best example of this is the early demise of the Sega Dreamcast.

I would just like to say that I loved the dreamcast and still have mine hooked up like it just came out yesterday. I had one on release day (9/9/99). Went to my local EB Games as 6 A.M. to get mine, too. I think I dropped about $1,000 that day on games and accessories. And I don't regret it now. I just hated to see it go when it did. It was a fighting game fan's dream come true.
Until just recently it was the only console to have Street Fighter 3. The Capcom Vs. Series was real big. Not to mention the Sega arcade games that came home. It was great. People just didn't give it a chance though.

But back to Microsoft, I've seen pictures of the console and a few games and I don't doubt that it will be a great console and maybe not at first. Like quite honestly, there isn't a launch game that excites me all that much. With the Dreamcast launch I was pumped about Soul Caliber and Power Stone just to name a couple. The PS2 launch taken Tag Tournament was what I couldn't wait for, but now with the 360 there isn't that must have game to me. Now, will I have one on launch day? Yes. Why? It goes back to my first point, I'm addicted. I'm also a collector of sorts and plus I want the ability to say I'm one of the first. Plus If there is a hardware shortage there's no way you'll be able to find one (at least inexpensively) easily which brings me to the point of price.

When I first heard about Microsoft making a bundle right out of the factory I got a little worried, but then when they announced the contents of the bundles and price points, my fears subsided. There's the "core" bundle which just has the console, corded controller and a few hookups for like $299 then there is the extreme bundle which includes all the fun stuff, like hard drive, headset and better composit cables just to name a few things for like $399. Of course you're getting hosed if you buy the core bundle as the accessories they've included on the more expensive bundle alone would cost like $150 bucks more. But those are reasonable prices, now these other companies who want to make these crazy bundles and charge like $800 and up are insane! I read an article somewhere on the internet that a store had a bundle that included as HD-TV and a sound system for more then 2 grand! That is absolutely absurd! Most gamers are on a budget. I pay for my own games, as well as rent, food and anything else I want, who in their right mind would pay that? But hey, I'f they get people to buy it, good for them, for me I got my $399 bundle and I couldn't be happier.

I actually revieved a phone call from my local EB Games a few weeks ago saying that there store will open at midnight November 22nd to kick off the launch. Will I be there? Nope, I have to work if I want one after all so I have to wait until I get out. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited about the whole thing. I'm, not as excited as the PS2 launch however.

So all in all, gaming is headed into the future whether we like it or not. There are some marvelous breadkthroughs to come. Just have your wallets ready.

I'll be back...

2005-09-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yeah, so it's been some time since my last post, but so much has happened in my life. (Okay, so I haven't really been doing much, but I'm lazy). So I know that all of you people are looking forward to my opionons on stuff, but sit tight. I'll be back soon, more opionionated then ever.
Until then...

Don't hate the game...

2005-05-02T17:44:00.000-07:00

Alright, so it's been awhile since my last post, but I havn't forgotten about everybody. I have so many ideas and things to talk about I get overwhelemed sometimes and then I don't compose anything. I have the guts to do so now, so here we go with another rant.

Tonight it's video game violence. I'm proud to say that yes I am a game addict and I enjoy every minute of it and wouldn't change it. I spend a portion of my yearly income on games and have been playing games since I was in third grade and got the 8 bit Nintendo Entertainment System for christmas that year. Ahh, those were good times. I remember spending several hours in my room playing that thing, not moving to eat or do anything else productive. Ever since I picked up that controller I haven't put it down. Now back then, video games were considred "kids toys". They were enjoyed by a younger crowd for the most part and more then likely you were considered a nerd if you were an adult playing them. You had great games like Super Mario Brothers and Mike Tyson's Punch Out! to name a few. The graphics by todays standards were primative by todays standards but there were hours and years of fun to be had. And I think even the most violent of topics that were made games then, wern't depicted as too violent. I mean you had crappy movie games like Friday the 13th. Now of course the movies are gore fests but the game wasn't bad. No blood to be found if I remember right. I really didn't here any parents complaining about that game.

Then I remember the 16-bit era of gaming, when Sega's 16-bit Genesis had the throne then. Thats when violence began to take center stage as Mortal Kombat came to home consoles I think in 1995 or so. The Genesis version had all the blood and gore anabled with a code, while Nintendo bitched out at the time and decided to "sanatise" their release by replaceing the bllod with "sweat" and toning down the fatalities. A mistake which they did not make the second time around when it came time to bring Mortal Kombat 2 home. Even thinking back to those games, I still considered that "kid stuff". Nothing they couldn't see in a good horror flick or on the 9 o' clock news.

Nothing really comes to mind in the 32-bit era of major importance other then graphics were getting more realistic with fast changing and inexpensive technology. The Playstation established itself and today is a household name. Which kid these days doens't have a Playstation or PS2? Now you have the Ultra powerfull X-Box and PS2 and man have we come along way since the 8-bit NES! yeah you got grand theft auto and now one of the big deals is N.A.R.C. which allows players to take drugs like crack and weed for game enhancing effects.

I took you down memmory lane to get to my point. Video games aren't kid stuff anymore. Yes, I'll be the first one to tell you there violent and there is more sexuality being displayed. But look at the facts, the game playing public has grown up. The people who played the 8-bit Nintendos are now in their 20's or so. Obviosly our tastes have matured. You have all these parents and activists out there bitching about how our children shouldn't play games like GTA. Yup, you're right they shouldn't so don't buy them for your ten year old then, and get pissed off when you ask him how his day was and he says he just spent the afternoon picking up hoes and then beating them up and takeing them money back in GTA. The ratings system was etablished by the ESRB a few years ago and I must say it's accurate and informative. And now sellers have posters and flyers all over the place explaining them. And even if you go to the right resller (Eb Games for life!!!) they'll be happy to assist you with any concerns or questions.

For those groups who think that games should not include violent matter alltogether need to awake up. We're adults making the decision to buy the games so we have the right to buy it.
This problem isn't going away anytime soon, graphics will get better and cheaper. Some people already have a hard time telling the diffrence between a real football telecast and John Madden football. The key here is simple, Knowledge. Parents, stay informed about the games your kids want. Do research and ask questions. I think one of the craziest things I've seen is when GTA San Andreas was first released I went to my local EB Games to wait in line with everyone else.
A few people in front of me was this lady who looked older but I paid her no mind. There was this little kid sitting to the side of the line and I figured it was just some dudes little brother and he got stuck waiting with him. Nope, it was the ladies kid! Couldn't have been more then 10 years old, she was waiting to get a copy of GTA for him! Come on people! Would I let my 10 year old play GTA? probably not, the old lady would kill me! But the point is that I know whats going on.

I'll sum up this rant I'll put a spin on an old phrase, "Don't hate the game...hate the playa".

Raw is snore

2005-04-06T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ahh yes, pro wrestling. I've been watching it most of my life. In fact most of my family has been watching with me. I know I don't fit the stereotype-wrestling fan. I'm not a hick and I don't drink beer but I've stayed with it for so long, hell I feel I've been more then faithful. I've endured countless; "you know its fake, right?" from everyone and it never faded me a bit.

I was there before Stone Cold, before the Rock and before Shawn Michaels was the heartbreak kid. And I'll admit it was pretty good before it got popular and then it took off. From 98-2001 or so it was everywhere, and the shows were great. I've even gone to see the shows live and there isn't anything like that feeling. Sat second row ringside at a smackdown taping years ago, which was awesome. I could sit here all day and recall some of the greatest moments in wrestling history. From the entire Austin/McMahon feud to the Rock and Mankind battle. And I could argue all day long about who I think is the best wrestler today but that is another story.

Sure life was good and Raw was sensational every week, even beating out Monday night football for a little while. I kept up with WCW, but only for laughs usually. But it all had to end sometime, or did it?

Let's be honest here people, wrestling today SUCKS. At least I think so. Yeah it's got its moments but for the most part the product stinks. I think the whole thing started when the buyout happened. On March 26th, 2001 Vince McMahon announced that they had bought WCW. Which being a long time WWE fan I thought was stupendous at the time. That’s were they went wrong though. See, they lost competition. They lost the need to compete. At first it was dope though, a wrestling fan's dream come true. We got to see all the dream matches. The Rock Vs. Booker T was a big one for me. And it was cool. But then it got old. They kept the titles from both factions so there were like 10 or so different titles rolling around, which got ridiculous pretty quick. It was nice to see the rock as WCW champion though. At any rate then they decided to split the brands and cut the rosters. Real bad move. They were going o make Monday night Raw and Smackdown two different shows with different rosters. At first they really f'd up with that one. Splitting up long time tag teams like the dudly boys and the APA. We all knew the Bubuh Ray Dudly couldn't survive on his own for long. And at some point Devon joined his bro back on Raw anyway.

They’re too many Pay-Pay-views these days as well. They try to charge like 35 bucks each month and some months there are two. Yikes! I don't know why the WWE thinks we're made of money. I shell out too much good loot and cable as it is. (See previous post) Two PPV's with a lukewarm product at best doesn't cut it for me. Wrestlemania was 50 bucks. Yeah I caved and got it and it was actually a good show. Worth 50 dollars? Not really, I'd pay 40 easy.

Those god damn horrible Divas! Okay, yes I'm male and I enjoy the female figure just like anybody else, but if I want to see a half naked woman, I'll go get a porno mag. Wait, and they'll be totally naked! Seriously, I have no need for them with my wrestling and they spend way too time on TV. The worst was the "Raw diva search" contest that the WWE held a few months ago. The grand prize was a wwe contract worth $250,000 for one year. So for like three months they had these bimboes dancing around in the ring for about 20 minutes each segment each week on Raw participating in stupid events to make you vote for them. Boy, what a waist of 20 minutes. I honestly think they didn't think they could fill two hours with action so they thought that we would be cool if they came out...sure.

All this about Raw and I didn't mention Smackdown once. That show is alright. It's got allot of the younger talent that for the most part I have no real intrest in. I like John Cena and a few others but thats it really. I think the real problem I have with that show is it gets slow paced in the middle. I find myself watching the first 20 minutes, turning the channel and then turning it back the last 20 to watch the feature match up.

All right so I'm rambling a little, but they point is the same. Wrestling is bad and yet I keep watching. The glory days with the Rock and Stone cold are over. Well, Austin claims to back back but I'm sure he'll leave again soon enough. Yet I keep watching. I can't help it. It's like and old friend that comes to visit every Monday and Thursday nights. Will the product ever improve? I can't say. I think without someone to compete against we just might me screwed worse then Bret Hart in Montreal and have to deal with the 30-time champion HHH. I'm thrilled.

More Crap at 11

2005-03-30T20:53:00.000-08:00

You know it amazes me. I shell out plenty of good cash to my local cable company every month but the quality of the cable is terrible.

Let's face it people, TV these days bites. I know some people out there don't want to admit it but I said it. There is hardly anything worth watching on Tv anymore. I know what you're saying, just like what my girlfriend says, If there isn't anything on TV then shut the cable off. Oh how I wish it were that simple. I spend allot of my free time in front of the TV. I work early in the morning so for the most part when I get home I'm tired and I just want to lounge around. Even on my days off, If I'm not watching it then I'm playing my video games. (One of my other passions in life) So of course I need some TV. Let's be real, Tv is so saturated with all this reality crap it's disgusting.

One of the horrible shows that comes to mind is fear factor on NBC. How stupid is that? That's right, I enjoy spending my Tv viewing time by watching some dude drink a mixture of pig brains, horse intestine and rooster testicles thrown into a blend for fifty grand, and not even a definite fifty grand, a better shot at fifty grand. Right. It amazes me the lengths people will go. A famous wrestler, the Million Dollar Man said it best, "Everybody's got a price". I didn't think much of that until this crap.

I think Fox has to be one of the worst culprits, coming up with such garbage as "My big fat obnoxious fiance" and that show where the families swap mothers or something. That's crap with a capital "C". Every time I turn around, they've come up with some new reality show, each new one worst then the last. At least CBS has stuck with the same ones for awhile now, like Survivor and Big Brother. Not that those are any better, they're still terrible. Now I'll admit I've given them a shot. My girlfriend loves big brother and CBS does a new one every summer. I watched the last one for the most part, but I hate myself for it. That show in paticular strikes me because it shows just how bad people can be towards one another for a couple of bucks. Lying, cheating and stealing are the name of that game. Hell, I experience just how bad people can be to one another every day when I go to work (I work in the service industry) and I'm not getting half a million bucks for it, that's for damn sure. I'm not even going to begin to mention the dribble that is American idol.

And what about MTV? My god, I think I found bigger perpetrators then Fox! I remember when MTV used to be about music videos. I remember growing up at my mothers house and the local cable company finally carrying MTV. I used to watch it all the time, FOR THE VIDEOS!
Now it's all about junk like the real world, the real world/ Road rules challenge and MADE to name a few. My girlfriend like the Real world/Road rules challenges, but once again it's just all about watching how bad people can be for money. Worst of all on the challenge shows it's like the same 20 people that were on the last one! The real world concept was kind of cool at first thinking about it now. You take seven strangers, put them in a house and watch them co-exist.
After the eleventh show and location the whole idea gets old. You've got the same stereotypical people on each one. The gay guy, the angry black guy, the nieve girl form the small town and if you're lucky, you get a gay black guy. What about MADE? How much bullshit is that? They find young teenagers and make them something they're not. I remember one where they took the nerd girl and made her prom queen. IN NO WAY IS THAT HOW IT WORKS!!! The nerds are the nerds, enough said. The prom queens are the super popular ones that date the football captain. Mind you, they've done this same type of episode three different times or so, just different place with different people. Or what about when they tried to make this guy, who's completely uncoordinated into a basketball player to make his school team? One could argue that hey, they're just trying to unlock these people's hidden potential. Trying to give them better self esteem and a chance to do something that they couldn't accomplish on they're own. Great, just don't waste TV time doing it.

So let me guess, you're next question is what do I watch. CLASSIC TV for the most part. Thank god for stations like TV Land and Nick at night. And TBS is big on showing old stuff too. The best Tv came out of the 70's. 80's and early 90's. Television was a much better place when all you had on where Sitcoms, game shows and you're night time dramas. And let's not forget cartoons all morning on Saturdays which now are a thing of the past but once again I won't go into that mess until a later post.

I also watch G4 TV as you can see from the link because, well, I'm a game-a-holic to say the least. I absolutely Love XPLAY and watch it like all 5 times it comes on during the day.
I must confess however that I do have one guilty pleasure that I watch that is reality based.
I watch Maury. Yeah, I see the smile, looks like I don't hate reality TV as much as I claim, right? Well I'm convinced that some of that is scripted anyway, so it doesn't count. I also enjoy my WWE Tv. Those shows are also for the most part in the toilet as far as quality is concerned.

Do I see a light at the end of the tunnel? Will Tv ever be what it was years ago? No and No. At least in my lifetime anyway. This reality stuff unfortunately isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I have to deal by keeping my Tv on the same three netwoks I always watch. My GF's aunt brought up a point that perhaps some has to die before people will learn, I can only hope.

In the beginning...

2005-03-29T18:40:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is my first crack at blogging. At first I thought the whole thing was kind of dumb.
My girlfriend has one for knitting and had made a few friends from it. But after some convincing, I decided to give it a shot. I'm going to use this as a soapbox like so many others. I'm going to warn you know, I'm very opionated. I'll talk about everything from Celebrities to politics; religion to pornography, nothing to off limits to me. I'll tell you what's cool and what isn't. I might even give you insight on what it's like to take a walk in my shoes.

I know everybody isn't going to agree with me (that's my favorite part of all this!) but that's free speech for ya'! Even if I've got your attention for five minutes and you think what I have to say is terrible, hey great. If you read and agree with me, awesome!

So pull up a chair and open your mind, you just might learn something.

Number One

2005-03-28T18:41:00.000-08:00

This is mearly a sample post.