KC Reflections, best Mexican food ever, X06, and 100 movies in October.

Trip to Kansas City went well last Thursday even though we didn't end up with much time. I had printed out directions to Dave & Busters since I wasn't sure where it was, it turns out that Mapquest's directions were a little off having me turn the wrong direction in the last step. The Legends Mall it turns out is a new shopping mall located near the Kansas Speedway race track (Cabela's, Great Wolf Lodge, and Nebraska Furniture Mart are close by too).

We found Dave & Busters after driving around the mall for a bit. The food was excellent (as it was in Denver), and we got the $15.99 Power Lunch special ($10 play card/lunch entree). It looks like D&B pretty much carry the same games at each location, with the exception of 2 Nascar simulator's (most likely due to the proximity of the race track) at the KC location, as well as a roof-top bar. After a couple hours of fun & games we decided to walk around the mall, finding the smallest GameStop ever, it has to be smaller than the Towne East EB Games location locally. I did get a kick out of the Legends store directory listing... Why did they name it GameStop only to refer to it as EB Games? :)

GameStop (NOW OPEN) EB Games specializes in the sale of video game hardware and software, PC entertainment software, and related accessories. EB Games is known for having high-demand titles in stock, maintaining a strong commitment to customer service and providing highly knowledgeable sales associates who are passionate about games.

The next stop was Nebraska Furniture Mart, this place is HUGE two floors of furniture, computers, video games, appliances, carpet, audio/video, CD's, a Quiznos, and a coffee shop. We were there for an hour and didn't finish the first floor, let alone even get to the second floor. Imagine Furniture Row, Best Buy, Ultimate Electronics, Circuit City, and more doubled.

The only downer on the trip was the KC airport, for some reason I found it really confusing to get around (probably didn't help that it was dark out, and I've never been there). My mother-in-law's luggage didn't make it back with her (although I heard they called today saying they had found it and shipped it to her), but she arrived (about 30 minutes late) in good spirits even though she spent most of the day flying.

I had heard from a friend that Abuelos was really good, and decided Friday to try it out. WOW! I had the Fajita Chimichanga, Shrimp chowder, and a very excellent Island Margarita (maybe that's why the food was so good...). I know that's not it, as my wife and kids really liked their meals too.

X06 is over but the Microsoft press conference had some juicy tidbits (although most of the stuff from the Neoseeker post didn't materialize). The HD DVD add-on is $199.99 including a universal remote, and King Kong HD DVD for a limited time. The trailer for Halo Wars (RTS based on the Halo universe) looks awesome, as does the gameplay footage from Assassin's Creed, and Gears of War (check out Xbox360fanboy has links to all of the above.). The only demo we got in Bringing it Home was WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2007 (whoppee!) although there were a bunch of new videos added.

DVDTalk forum is having its "2nd Annual October Horror Movie Challenge" where the goal is to watch 100 horror movies in 31 days. I didn't do this last year, but I followed the thread and it looked like a lot of fun. While I don't think I'll hit 100 movies (3 per day is a stretch) I'm aiming for 31, and my list will be here if you want to follow along. :)

Kannnssaass CITY! Bye TGS, Hello X06, and more.

I'm headed to KC tomorrow, volunteered to pick-up my Mother-in-law from the airport (she took a trip to Germany). I'm off anyway and will be able to spend the day up there, Dave & Busters here I come. :)

Well the Tokyo Game Show has come to an end meaning that the first part of "Bringing it Home" on XBox Live is over too. There wasn't any stellar content put up, but we did get some cool demos (F.E.A.R., Lego Star Wars II, and Fusion Frenzy 2) if you hadn't tried them yet. Major Nelson reflected on his trip, but there wasn't a lot of big news. Moving on around the globe, X06 in Barcelona, Spain starts tomorrow, and Microsoft's press briefing starts at 6:00pm BST (about 11 am here in doodah). Neoseeker forums had this post where someone got 'leaked' information on Microsoft's planned announcements, and lineup. Most of the info is just rumor at this point, as there was not a credited source for the info, Xboxic, and Kotaku have posted their feelings on the rumor post which is worth a glance.

Some of the highlights include:
A Black 360 system for the holidays, in all regions. (I like my white 360, but choices are nice although Spice would have been a better choice. Besides other system colors, what happened to our holiday bundle (system/PGR3/marketplace points/etc.) that all the other regions got?

A launch price and date for the HD DVD add-on $199.99 US with universal remote, on November 24th 2006 (I like Japan's bundle with two movies included, but the price is okay with me considering a stand alone player would cost $400+).

Halo 3 native 1080p, with 50-64 multiplayer matches. (Wow! Don't think anywhere close to that, but it would be impressive.)

Alan Wake shown, and playable on the floor. (I saw a demonstration of this at E3 2005 and it looked phenomenal then. Looked like a Stephen King novel, turned into survival horror.)

Rare to show off Killer Instinct also playable on the floor. (I pumped a lot of quarters into KI, and KI2 at the arcade, really enjoyed the characters and theme of the game.)

The following demos are supposed to hit with the second half of "Bringing it Home" on the Marketplace.

Splinter Cell Double Agent multiplayer (Cool)
Crackdown (Not interested so far)
Forza Motorsport 2 (Doubt it, since it's pushed to next year)
Sonic the Hedghog (This was supposed to be a TGS demo)
Viva Pinata (Interested to see if it captures the Animal Crossing feel)
Need for Speed Carbon (Cool)
Call of Duty 3 (Really Cool)
Pro Evolution Soccer 6 (Football?? no it's Soccer)
Mass Effect (Most sites seem to feel this one will be a no show)

All in all it looks like we have the opportunity to see some good stuff if even 75% of this turns out legit.

Watched Heroes last night on NBC, and I liked it. It's a fantasy series that ask what if ordinary people awoke one day with extraordinary powers? In the previews for the next couple weeks it looks like this is almost going to be a comic book/superhero type series. You can check it out again tonight they are re-running the pilot episode again (excuse me it's an encore presentation.).

Tokyo, more 360 HD, not Wii-mpressed, and more.

Well the Tokyo Game Show kicked off today (9/20) and runs until Sunday (9/24). Like this year's E3 Microsoft is hosting a big blowout of demos, videos, and information through Xbox Live calling it 'Bringing it Home'. MajorNelson has a list of today's content, some of which is localized to Japan (but you did set-up your foreign account already, didn't you?).

Some early news from the Microsoft press conference shared via Kotaku includes info that the HD-DVD add-on will hit Japan on November 22, 2006 for 19,800 yen (~about $169.00 US), and even better a new fall dash update will allow the console to display 1080p games, and movies! Now, unfortunately I'm not one of those that have a 1080p capable display, but it's good news none the less. One more thing that the PS3 no longer has an edge over the 360 in.

The more I hear (and see) about the Wii has left me unimpressed. Before E3 this year I was stoked for the system, but since then the impressions of people that played it at E3, and the Leipzig show have left me cold. I think that the $250.00 price tag is too high especially when they throw in a game that is multiplayer centric, but only include one controller. This is even more peculiar when Japan doesn't get the game (WiiSports) as a pack in, but when sold separately comes packaged with an extra controller(!?) for the same price as a normal game. At this point in time I won't be getting one at launch, unless the demo units (hopefully) available before launch totally blow me away. 1UPYours podcast last Friday (9/15) they have a lively discussion on the Wii information, well worth the listen.

Under the more topic, there is a new DS download station (Volume 3 for those of you keeping track) that includes demos of Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2, Elite Beat Agents, Danny Phantom : Urban Jungle, and Clubhouse Games. Right now all of these are new(!) titles, so this is really amazing. I've been disappointed in the earlier download stations because most if not all of the games were already released. I see a demo as a preview, an interactive coming soon trailer if you will. They are supposed to peak my interest, and wet my appetite so that when the game is released I'm eagerly awaiting it. When the demos show up a month or so after the release I don't care anymore, if I wanted it I've already bought it, and if not by that time I'm not interested in trying the demo because I've already made up my mind. Back to the download station, I've tried Mario vs. DK2, and Elite Beat so far and really enjoyed both, Mario Vs. is almost like a Lemmings game, and Elite Beat is the U.S. sequel(??) to the Japanese Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
rhythm game is fun, although the demo is kinda short. I hear that Danny Phantom is actually like R-Type, and the guys at DualScreen Radio really like Clubhouse Games.

Closing on the new house was today, so I'm farther in debt. :) That's not a bad thing though because I'm excited to move, and both kids are looking forward to changing schools (okay maybe only one, but they both are excited to be getting new rooms.). Work right now is kinda strange because of vacations, and meetings so I'm working different shifts, and don't have a weekend available to move yet. We will try moving bits at a time, but I don't know how fast we'll actually be living there.

The new TV season is in full swing, and there are a bunch of new shows demanding my attention, as well as some favorites. I'll be updating the sidebar list in an effort to track the stuff I watch regularly. Amazing Race (#10 again for those counting) started Sunday night, this season Phil promised the racers things they hadn't seen before, and we got the first one less than 30 minutes in when the first team was eliminated before the first legs pit stop. I find it hard to like any of the teams this time, but I'm going to say that Erwin & Godwin the Asian brothers will be winning team followed by Tyler & James the rehab models, and Rob & Kimberly bringing up the rear.

I'm still playing Saint's Row even though someone came in the other day and ruined the ending for me. :( There is a lot of upcoming releases in Oct/Nov that I'm looking forward to so I need to work through it a little faster. Microsoft announced their 'platinum hits' lineup for the 360, Kameo, Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, and Need for Speed : Most Wanted would be dropping to $29.99 in early October. For NFS:MW this is a good deal, but the other three? Come on, they've been on sale for that price (or lower) already?! Call of Duty 2 for the 360 has sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. alone and it's not a 'platinum hit'? I'm a little disappointed by the price also, I mean $29.99 is 50% off new retail for 1 of them, but the other 3 were $49.99 to start with which is only 40% off (disregarding the fact earlier about sales and so forth). I realize that more of the titles will come from the $60 price point (since Microsoft only has out what 4 titles...) down the road, and maybe $19.99 is too low, but I think $24.99 would have been a happy medium (yes, I'm cheap).

Soon, you can touch the Wii!

Gamespot has this news article up detailing the Nintendo Wii launch in the U.S. The console will be available on November 19th (two days after the PS3 launch for those of you wondering) for $249.99. It will come with a pack-in game Wii Sports which is a compilation of Tennis, Golf, Baseball, and Bowling. Eurogamer has linked to videos from the Japanese press conference showing off the Wii's menu system.

The more I think about it releasing the Wii 2 days after the PS3 is probably a really good idea. Sony's 400,00 units will easily be gone in two days, and all of those people looking will be finding stacks of Wii's. Nintendo isn't trying the 'worldwide launch' meaning that Wii's will be plentiful in the U.S. since it doesn't launch in Japan until the first week in December.

Edit update, USAToday has confirmed the release info, and here is a link to the Japanese press conference on Nintendo Japan (in English with slides, and videos.).

Dashboard lights, and big news .

MaxConsole has a story with a picture of a new 360 dashboard update that should hit sometime in November.

Joystiq's big news turned out to be craptacular! It seems it was a press release from IBM stating that they had been shipping their Broadway chip (used in the Wii) since July. Whoopee.

PS3 woops, big next-gen news, and more Row.

GameIndustry.biz has an article where Sony announces that they will not do a world wide launch (PS3 to be delayed in Europe until 2007), and only 400,000 units will be available in the U.S. at launch.


Joystiq (and other news sites) have an article that they say there will be some big(?) next gen news they can pass along at 12:01am Eastern (11:01pm here in doo dah).

I'm enjoying Saint's Row a lot (so much so that I'm seeing Blue Honda's here in town and yelling West Side Rollerz suck!). Some people are really creative when creating their gang persona I've seen the following examples of Mr. T, and Chuck Norris. :)

Circuit City ask you to bend over, dancing cows, the Eagles baby, and 1upyours!

Okay Kotaku posted this a couple days ago. It seems that one California Circuit City store is charging the low price of $28.99 to install the free backwards compatibility update to your Xbox 360. :( Ummm... yeah.

Finally got around to using my 'raincheck' tickets at the drive-in. If you remember we got half way through Cars before the unpredictable Kansas weather decided to flair up about 2 months ago. We went to Starlite last night, as did a lot of other people, and watched Barnyard, and Invincible. I really liked both the movies, Barnyard had looked funny in the previews, and didn't disappoint. It's one of those animated features that includes enough 'adult' jokes that parents don't get bored to tears sitting through it. I was shocked at the end to find it was a Steve Oedekerk film, whose Kung Pow still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Looking at that credit page on IMDB it seems he actually writes some pretty decent stuff (minus all the stupid 'thumb' features).

The second feature was Invincible based on the true story of Vince Papale. A part-time bartender that got to play in the NFL after a new head coach held open tryouts for the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles. Excellent movie, sure its a overused premise 'root for the underdog', but I really enjoyed it. Highly recommend it if your a football fan, and enjoyed others in the genre like Rudy, and Radio.

I've found another podcast that I enjoy and added it to my listening que. I listen to DualScreenRadio regularly (whenever there is a new episode), and Major Nelson's podcast on occasion (depending on that week's show). Well I found the 1UP Yours podcast a couple weeks ago, and have listened ever since. Great round table group of usually four members who talk smack, and share their opinions on a lot of current gaming issues.

On the Row, bonus content, road trips and mini-marts.

Finally got around to playing Saint's Row last night for a while. Finished a couple of missions, but was mainly just running around trying to find the hidden CD's. Jumped on top of the elevated train and went around the map like I did in the demo (looks better now with all the textures present). Found out this really isn't for kids (I knew that already, but some of things that come out of their mouths...) so I don't know if I can let my daughter watch me play anymore.

Looks like the EB Games/Gamestops may get the bonus content earlier than September 15th like the insert in the game stated. Depends on when they get the updated 360 demo disc, but you might want to check your local store (and take your memory card). The disc has the Funky Fresh Pack available for download which includes clothes, tattoos, and probably more. These items show up when you go into a store in the regular list with an * next to them, but all cost only $1.00 in game to purchase. I've already added some new drawers (tiger stripe), and a couple tats to my homie (a spider, and biohazard symbol), also changed my shirt out to the Gamestop bonus one (call #42637867 on your in-game cell phone).

The new demo disc also has 4 new keys for Dead Rising which unlock 4 more outfits in the game, 4 unlockable cars for Ridge Racer, Adidas, and Kameo theme packs are also included. This disc also has several demo LIVE arcade titles available including Zuma, Wik, and I think two others.

I would have had more time to play Saint's Thursday, but a friend called because he had purchased an Tetris arcade cabinet on eBay, and wanted me to ride along to Edmond, OK to pick it up. So once he found out he could get it, we hit the road about 2pm for fun and adventure. This really isn't funny until you consider he drives a Geo/Chevy Tracker just picture it...

+= ???

It took us a while to get it properly strapped down including 200 Ft. of rope and 2 2x4's, but we made in back in one piece as did the machine. I found that Edmond is really nice it looks like a newer area with very nice houses. I seen my first Wal-mart neighborhood Market which was really strange, it's like a smurf supercenter. They are basically grocery stores with some additional items that you wouldn't normally find in a grocery store. My guess is this it what the Dillon's at Rock Road and Central is trying to be.

Saints in the house, and location, location, location.

Well Tuesday marked the release of Saint's Row on the 360. I've got my copy, but haven't had a chance to play yet. I've heard a lot of positive buzz from people at work, and on the net so I'm looking forward to it.


It's official (not including the rest of the paperwork...) we found a new house, and made an offer. After a wee bit of negotiation we settled on a price, and supposedly will have a new place to live come September 29th. Timing works out pretty well as the Wichita schools end the first 9 weeks on October 13th, so they will go until then (actually the 12th because they are out the 13th & 16th for inservice.) and start a new school that Tuesday. Trying to make the transition smooth as possible. They both actually seem pretty happy about the whole deal, and I'm ready for both of them to ride the bus. :)

Represent the Row, and Lite palette changes.

Saint's Row roughs up the streets on Tuesday 8/29. If you've read any of the back post you know I played the demo a lot, and really enjoyed it. Filefront has a 161 MB video review from GameTrailers up, check it out if your on the fence about the game. The multiplayer looks like it will be awesome with people creating their own gangs (clans?) and taking them online. The EB Games/Gamestop versions of the game have a bonus you can get an free in-game t-shirt, and around September 15th you can get a 'clothing pack' from the in store 360 kiosk. You will have to take your memory unit into EB Games/Gamestop, and download the pack from there (like the Burnout Revenge cars, and themes).

Finally (like we didn't know it would happen...) Nintendo has announced that two new colors will be joining the polar white DS Lite on September 13th here in the states (that evens up with Europe!). Starting then you will be able to grab a new onyx (black) Lite, or a coral pink (pink, duh.) one. I'm not sure on the pink one, unless they are trying to target a female audience (although I don't think the pink GBA SP sold that well). Check out N-Philes for the pics, and announcement.

Mine is this big, red hot poker, 360 playtime, and Leipzig!

TeamXbox has a post about Samsung's newest addition to their LCD HD television, which is to be shown at the International Meeting on Information Displays (IMID) 2006 which opens today in Korea. This thing is huge, 70 inch widescreen supporting 1080p. If you need an HD set look no further, and invite me over often.


Hope you all downloaded your free Texas Hold'em from the marketplace this morning. I was playing poker at 5:15 am (don't ask) not very well mind you, but it was fun and has single player if you don't want to play on LIVE.

GameVideos.com has an interesting video walkthrough of the upcoming 360 accessories shipping this year. Click the page to get larger download versions in WMV, or MOV formats, or just click below.




It looks like the Leipzig Games Convention 2007 runs Thursday-Sunday in Germany. This seems to be the German equivalent to E3. I could only find a link for the 2006 show, so maybe the 2007 one isn't up yet. Just search for 'Leipzig Games Convention' under Google news, or click this link and I already did all the hard work. There should be more news stories coming in the next couple of days once the show actually opens.

F.E.A.R. this, and I (don't) C U.

I got my new Official Xbox Magazine in the mail today, got all the points and unlocked the extras (Dead Rising gamerpics, Japanese demo (see below), and screenshots from Sonic, and Small Arms). Am I the only one that's sick of the Roland advertisements? I'd rather watch 4 60 sec. Commercials (that I've already seen) than these 4-minute pieces of crap.

F.E.A.R - I thought it was great! It looked beautiful, and I loved the atmosphere. I caught myself twice twitch shooting at apparitions. It seems like the AI is really good. I love how they scattered from grenades, and would take positions behind walls then duck and move to different cover. Of course all of this from someone who really wanted to play it on the PC, but the slideshow I ended up with was no fun at all.

Zegapain (unlocked when you get all of the points) - Reminded me a lot of Zone of Enders for the PS2, the graphics were really arcadey/colorful. Pretty straight forward even with all the menus in Japanese (just hit A to progress through the menus). Finished the mission with a B rank, which probably wasn't all that good. I'm not a big fan of the ZoE type games anyway so I would skip this even if it were released here. Here is the Japanese site if you want to take a look.

It seems that some (Eastern states mostly) Toys'r'us stores already have the 360 LIVE Vision cameras for sale. Take into account they have a release date of 9/19/06, but it's unknown whether it's a street date (not to be sold until then), or they have started shipping to retailers already. The most likely scenario Toys'r'us began selling them on 8/19 just mistaking the street date, as they haven't shown up anywhere else. I tried locally but they said they didn't have them in stock (yet), the clerk suggested I try later in the week. These retail for $39.99 and include the camera, manual, (another) headset, 1 month of LIVE Gold, and a download code for UNO.

Sony for the girlie-man, Madden, and Arkansas thieves got nothing on us.

Well it seems that the Pink DS launch (Japanese Famitsu site) went so well, that Sony Europe decided they too needed to release some girlie colored systems as well. So on November 8th they will release a Pink slim PS2, and a Pink PSP on October 8th. So for those keeping score, that's 2 colors in Japan (white/black), and soon to be 3 in Europe (white/black/pink), and here in the US? Yep we get 1. Here's a shot just to entice you...



Well I picked up Madden 07 this morning, couldn't pass up the Circuit City price of $47.99 for the 360. I also couldn't wait until 10am for them to open so I price matched at Wal-Mart about 8am this morning. :) So far it's not too bad (I always preferred 2k's NFL offerings), although thinking about it, this is the first Madden I've ever bought. Haven't got any achievements yet, and it looks like they made them more difficult than last years (which I read were pretty easy).


I thought this story from the Carroll County news was funny (and all too true), here is a snipit...

BERRYVILLE - Two Berryville men have been charged with theft of property for allegedly stealing $1,200 worth of video games from Wal-Mart and selling them next door at the "Game Stop" store.

You mean that sort of thing goes on (in other cities??), I thought that was only here. :)

Microsoft Zune in the buff, okay artistic b&w...

Gizmodo has a article up about the Microsoft Zune (think video Ipod) here. Someone leaked a picture of a Zune prototype unit, and if you follow the link in the Update at the bottom there is some hands on info. I'm assuming this is supposed to be out by Christmas, and word is at work that EB/GameStop will carry the player and accessories.

Free F.E.A.R., and Poker!

Okay, the first one is a little misleading... Sierra has released F.E.A.R. Combat for the PC which is basically the multiplayer portion of F.E.A.R. as a stand alone product. Did I mention it's FREE? You can go to JoinFear.com to get the necessary install key, and links to the 1.8 GB exe file. This would make me happy except that my PC wouldn't run F.E.A.R. worth a crud, so I don't think the multiplayer would be any different. I'm happy it's coming out on the 360 (supposed to be a demo on next months OXM), and heard today it's also been announced for the PS3.


Numerous sites are reporting that Texas Hold'Em on the Xbox Live Arcade will be FREE for the first 48 hours on the marketplace, otherwise after that you will have to part with 800 MP points ($10.00!). Xbox.com had this to say...

Microsoft isn't bluffing: Log on to Xbox Live® within the first 48 hours after launch and download Texas Hold 'em completely free of charge! This full-featured poker title for Xbox Live Arcade on Xbox 360™ will launch on Wednesday, August 23, at 0800 GMT (1:00 A.M. Pacific Time).

For 48 hours only through 0800 GMT (1:00 A.M. Pacific Time) Friday, August 25 a special limited-time only promotion, all Xbox Live Gold and Silver members can download (and own) the game at no charge.

So if your up next Wednesday at 3am Central grab this, if not at least you have 48 hours to get it.

They're coming to get you Margaret... Strap on HD-DVD, and movielicious!

The dead are rising (all over the freaking place) as yesterday was the release of the new 360 game Dead Rising. I think it's been one of the biggest (hyped!?) selling titles yet on the 360, there were quite a few people lined up to get it. Pretty much most of the reviews sum it up correctly great fun to play, but the save system sucks. I haven't had much time to play yet :( and won't have this weekend, but the kids will be back in school next week so I should have some more free time. Check out the penny arcade below. :)




Here is a shot of the Microsoft HD-DVD add-on for the 360, Gizmodo has a link round up of information (or lack thereof) presented at the DVD Forum in L.A. (That Halo faceplate is pretty cool.).


Seen the sneak tonight of Accepted. Didn't have high hopes for this one although the preview looked funny. In the back of my mind I was putting it with Old School, and Van Wilder which wasn't far from the fact. Anyway, I absolutely loved this! Way funnier than I expected it would be, and the rest of the audience seemed to be enjoying it as well. This sneak was evidently not on the same level of advertising as the Talladega Nights sneak, I counted ~20 people in line when they let us in about 6:45pm. When we went to TN we got there at 6:30pm (1 hour before the show) and the line was outside to the corner of the building. We got seated at 7:20pm that night and were in the last group of 8-10 to get in, although there were probably at least 100 more people behind us. Luckily this one was no where near that, although by the time it started the theater had a nice sized crowd ~150 I would guess.

360s bundled up, more rising dead, and musical puzzle games.

Seems like the rumors floating around the last couple of months about the holiday plans of Microsoft are coming clearer. A lot of people were looking (hoping?) for a price drop on the 360 hardware this holiday season, while others were saying the price would stay the same, but you would get additional goodies for your hard earned $399.99.

Looks like the later group was onto something as it looks like our northern ***dies in Canada will be able to pick up the lovely Project Gotham Racing 3 bundle pack starting August 9th.

The pack will still retail for the current premium cost, but will also include a copy of PGR3 (~$39.99 value), 1250 marketplace points ($15.62), and a 3 month LIVE gold subscription (~$19). Not too bad of a bonus, around $75.00 of savings as long as you wanted PGR3.



While our European friends (at least the French ones) will be getting the Saint's Row bundle on September 8th. This one doesn't seem to get the LIVE gold/marketplace points, but they are getting a brand spanking new game. Does it say something negative about their culture when one gets a blood drenched gang warfare game, and the other gets a nice leisurely driving game though?

Of course here in the US we haven't heard anything about a possible bundle pack. I'm sure Microsoft is still deciding what to put up against the Sony PS3 launch in November.

Played a little more (yeah, right) of the Dead Rising demo. I've lost track how many times I've went through it now. Wednesday can not get here fast enough, waiting sux. :(

I have seen a couple sites posting the upcoming release schedule for Xbox LIVE Arcade Wednesdays, and it looks like Lumines Live will be up on September 6th! This will be the first arcade title I've actually used marketplace points on. I already have Bankshot Billiards 2, and Joust, but they were 'download codes' packaged with gold subscription kits, not actual marketplace points.

Talladega, Dead Rising, and sell this G-Unit!

Well I caught the sneak of Talladega Nights : The Ballad of Ricky Bobby Thursday night. I guess it was okay, no Elf by far (my favorite Ferrell movie so far), but enjoyable. It seemed like one of those where they tried so hard it turned out stupid to the point of being funny. There was some good laughs here and there, but I'm happy I didn't pay to see it.

The Dead Rising demo finally hit the LIVE Marketplace on Friday. Woo hoo! I've lost track how many times I played through the demo (it's not very long about 15 minutes if you don't trigger a cut scene to end it earlier) now. Each time was enjoyable, and I'm always finding something new while going through. There are a couple of 'hidden' weapons in the demo including a katana, and a machine gun. There are so many things to use in the demo that I still don't know if I've tried them all, and the demo only houses one wing of the mall (about 20 shops). I'm really looking forward to picking this up next week!

On a gaming related note check out the video from this story at Kotaku! If you ever wanted to work at a video game retailer (or currently do) check it out. :P This one is really over the top stupid (although unfortunately most of it is relevant at any game store) and it's not even that old (2004 roughly). If a perspective retailer showed me this before I started working there I would have to think twice about taking the job. I guess I'm glad we haven't got any Game Crazy's here in Wichita because these people scare me, I sure hope this video has been retired/replaced already. For those who don't know Game Crazy is a subsidy of Hollywood Video, and I believe are usually situated within the same buildings.

Movie time, HD inches forward, and Saint's Row.

Well I've caught up on some movies over the last couple days, first off there was World Trade Center last night. Oliver Stone directed this film based on the true stories of two 9/11/01 survivors. Nicholas Cage plays a NY Port Authority cops that was pulled alive from the tower rubble, and the movie recaps his experiences. Not a lot of 9/11 stuff in the movie, it's more of a character look into the lives of these Port Authority cops that go into the towers to help. Overall I enjoyed it, but definitely not something I would watch over and over again.

Next up was Miami Vice, unfortunately this one was somewhat of a let down. The movie is really dark compared to the tv series, while not a bad thing necessarily, it felt out of place.

Finally I got around to seeing Clerks II this one was the best by far. I seen the original a long time ago, and for the most part have always liked Kevin Smith films. This one just expands on the first one, and really picks on everyone. I don't think any ethnic group escapes some sort of racist slur. A very adult film, but also really funny.

I have passes to see Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby tomorrow so I'm hoping it turns out to be really funny, but Will Ferrel movies are hit'n miss.

I did find an interesting article at ArsTechnica that led me too this story at High-def Digest. There are finally some comparable movies available on both Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD it looks like right now HD-DVD has the visual edge.

I played quite a bit of the Saint's Row demo over the last week. I heard on the net that you could get past the demo barrier (a red wall that encloses the demo area) so spent the better part of a night trying to get through. Finally I came across a video that showed an easy way to do it. While there are a lot of glitches on the other side you can pick up an AK-47 which is a fun gun to tote around, and I think you can enter some of the stores. I'm sooo looking forward to this game. :)

Hello, and welcome to the update. :)

Wow, been over a month since I updated. Lots of little stuff going on but nothing that I was willing to get off my arse and post about.

So lets see, we've been looking for a new house (outgrew ours a long time ago, but hadn't really been motivated to do anything about it.). My wife will be starting a new job soon, and it's even farther NE so it would be nice to be a little closer to that side of town. Have some appointments today so I will see how those pan out. We would like to move before school starts so the kids will start the new year at the proper school, but that August 15th starting date is rapidly approaching.

A lot of new 'summer' series on TV now, and a few new surprises to the ones I always watch (Monk, and the Closer). I really have enjoyed the first 3-4 episodes of Kyle XY (on ABC Family, although now it's also being shown on ABC at the end of the week) a show about this teenager waking up in the woods not remembering anything before that point. He gets taken in by a social worker, and her family. Has some "Lost"esqe moments where each episode opens up a little bit more of his past. I'm also enjoying Blade: The Series, and really liking Psych a comedy/cop show about a fake psychic who joins the police department to help them solve cases. I updated the items on the left side of the page to reflect current reality as some of them were a little out of date. :)

I'm really enjoying the Saint's Row demo (yours free when you pre-order Saint's Row at EB Games/GameStop, or it will be on the August issue of the Official Xbox Magazine. Eventually it will show up on the LIVE marketplace also sometime after the 1st.). This is a next gen GTA clone all the way, but looks good and is a lot of fun to play. I found this video that shows off some of the multiplayer aspects of the game. I can't wait to join a gang, and open up a can of whoop-ass. :P I also really liked Prey, although I heard it was short (single player) it has the 'feel' of those older Duke Nukem games.

Took a couple days off last week and went to Denver, CO. Went to my first Dave & Buster's a cross between Applebee's, and an arcade. The food was great (soup du jour was Smoked Turkey Chowder really tasty, and had a kick to it.) and you can play video games (while drinking alcohol if so motivated.) all in the same place. Come to find out they just opened one in KC not too long ago, makes those 2 hour road trips even more appealing now! We also went through the Denver Museum of Nature & Science specifically to see Body Worlds 2 which was coming to an end last week, but spent pretty much a day looking around at everything. We also went through the Downtown Aquarium which was a great exhibit. The restaurant connected to it was a little pricy (it's owned by Landry's the same company that runs Rainforest Cafe) but the food was good and there is a aquarium that runs down one side of the restaurant. We sit right next to the aquarium glass, and my daughter didn't like the sharks coming by the table. One day we went to Golden, CO just outside of Denver, it was a really nice little town nestled among some mountains. This is where the Coors plant is and they offer free tours, so we took them up on it. At the end of the tour you get three free drinks (depending on your age) in the lounge area. My problem with beer is that I don't like the taste of it. No qualms with alcohol consumption just that damn taste. So I was hoping that maybe they would have something to try that would sway my stance, but their suggestion was "Blue Moon Belgian White" which unfortunately still tasted like beer. :( On the positive side I did find that I like Zima XXX Hard Ice which it turns out is an alcoholic slushee. I really liked the black cherry, and the fruit punch was fair didn't try the orange or green apple. I asked the server who sold them in my neck of the woods, she replied "Graham Central Station" (which of course closed down a while back) but she didn't know that. On an ending note I passed Invesco field at Mile High a lot, boo... Broncos suck.

I updated the movie list on the left side too, but I'm way behind seeing stuff. I hope to catch up today, and tomorrow on some of the ones I've missed (Pirate's, Clerks II, etc.). I did see Lady in the Water last night it didn't really seem like a M. Night Shyamalan film, but I enjoyed it anyway. I read something where he described it as a 'bed time story for grown-ups' he was right on.

Lite Brite! Woops we lost the cargo, and podcast.

Well I got my DS Lite the other day, and I must say WOW this thing is sooo bright. I started putting in my old cartridges to "see" the difference new technology makes. It was amazing, I've found that light setting 3 seems to be the best level for me. Setting 2 seems too close to the phat DS, but man 3 makes the colors so vibrant. I can't use setting 4 for any length of time it's way to bright I see spots when I look away (okay maybe not that bad, but you get the idea).


The nice thing about the vibrant colors is it makes all your old games seem new again. I put Animal Crossing Wild World in and it looks great. My animals were nice enough to tell me that I had neglected them for 3 months, but they were happy to see me and a couple new ones had moved in. There are bugs everywhere, although I'm looking for the "finned" fish like the sharks right now.

All of these snazzy DS Lites lead to one thing, theft. :) Play-Gadgets has a story about a cargo container shipped from Hong Kong full of Black DS Lites on there way to a European launch that went missing. $2.32 million worth of Black DS Lites soon to be appearing on eBay.

I'm still listening to DualScreen Radio, and the current episode 6/10/06 is a pretty good one. There is about an hour rant on Gamestop/EB Games, that is entertaining to listen to. They don't really say anything I haven't heard before, but I found it funny. I've also started listening to MajorNelson's podcast. He works at Microsoft and keeps the above blog, and also is the one that announces all the new content that gets placed on the marketplace. His podcast is mostly about the 360, and he usually has one interview each episode with someone within Microsoft. He has a DS (and loves it) so it comes up from time to time in his show.

I really should post about something...

Been a while since my last post, so I decided it was time to get off my ass and do it.

Took a mini vacation (since I didn't go to E3 this year I missed my "spring break" :( I was getting used to spending some time in California every year.) and went to Branson for Memorial Day weekend. Been there, done that but it was nice just to get away for a while.
Went back to Celebration City this trip, as we hadn't been since it opened a couple years ago. Think of it as a really nice/clean up-to-date Joyland, more of the "carnival" type rides, shops, and they do have a couple of shows. They had added the go-carts, and mini golf to your admission (so you no longer had to pay again once you were inside the park) which was cool. Their big ride is the Ozark Wildcat The ultra-compact wooden coaster reaches speeds of 45 miles per hour and has a toe-tingling 8-story drop with a one-of-a-kind 310-degree spiraling double-down drop, a high-speed swoop turn with a rabbit hop midway and a finale that'll leave you screaming for more! It's pretty cool fairly quick ride, that's a little on the rough side (that may just be me, as I get older it seems that wooden coasters rattle me more.). Probably the coolest thing about CC is the show they have at the end of the night called Ignite the night held in their man-made amphitheater with lawn seating. They created a rock wall canyon that serves as the back drop, with a water pool in front of it with all different sorts of fountains. The show includes stills/video (projected onto the canyon background, and mist created by the fountains), fireworks, laser lights, and of course music. It's kinda hard to describe, but it looks really neat in person.

The next day was Silver Dollar City which added a new area this year called Grand Exposition which is aimed at family rides. They consist of 3 (really) little kid rides, 4 older kid rides, and 3 even older kid rides. By far the best was the Electro Spin (pretty poor video representation, but gives the general idea). It's a giant disc with 24-30 outward facing bicycle style seats that rotates, and rolls back and forth like a pendulum on a U shaped track.

Does freakin' awesome do it justice!? My daughter and I rode this at least 8 times I think, highly recommended.
They still have two really good steel frame coasters though, Wildfire!, and Powder Keg. Keg is the newest, opened just last season. Silver Dollar City's blurb The new $10 million roller coaster sends riders into a thrill zone within seconds of climbing aboard, launching riders from 0 to 53 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. A thrill ride unlike any other in the history of the theme park, PowderKeg combines the shocking speed of the compressed air-launch with spiraling turns, negative gravitational or "G" forces, and "floater" hills at speeds up to 64 miles per hour for a truly wild ride experience.. I really like the "blast off" at the beginning it is amazing, it rivals my favorite coaster Mr. Freeze at Six Flags over Texas.

Okay enough of that, lets see... The Nintendo DS Lite launches June 11th (Sunday) for those of you who forgot. I guess they started arriving in stores about a week ago, and some overzealous clerks put them on the shelf. A couple of message forums I visit were buzzing with stories of people who found them early. I did finally get some "hands on" time with the enamel navy import unit, I like the size and feel of the new unit, but was put off by the casing. It's just like my PSP casing, a finger print magnet. As anal as I am with the PSP I can't imagine how much I would be cleaning the DS Lite. :( The good news is the crappy white doesn't seem to have that particular affliction, so I'm happy with that aspect. The new screens are sooo bright and colorful I can't wait to try some of my older games out on the Lite.

I played through the demo of Titan Quest on the PC (twice!). If you ever played Diablo or Diablo II the game will be instantly familiar to you. The only differences are you deal with more mythology based characters than D&D types. The demo plays really nice, and looks great too. The full game comes out at the end of the month, but if your a Diablo fan at least try out the demo.

As good as Titan Quest looks, it's time to update my PC a little bit. The easiest will be adding a stick of 512MB ram to hit 1GB of memory which is usually the "recommended" quote on all games now. My Nvidia 5900SE is still working okay (I can play Half-Life 2, DOOM 3, and others fine, not at the highest res and settings mind you, but perfectly playable) but its time for some more umph. My video card ***get or "limit" if you will has always been around $150.00 that is my break even line on performance vs. price. I just can't bring myself to pay $300/400 for a video card, so I live a little on the trailing edge of technology. I can also get one more upgrade out of my processor going to 3.06 GHz then that's it my motherboard will have to be put out to pasture. The only game I haven't been able to run lately was F.E.A.R. but since it's coming on the 360 I'll just wait for that, although I'm hoping to get another year out of the upgrades.

A heaping helping of stuff...

Well it's been a while since my last posting (as someone likes to point out, you know who you are...). So here is an info dump of all sorts of cool little tidbits since my last post.

Major Nelson (an excellent 360 blog if you don't frequent it...) posted this info "Want to help the Vista team make sure that the Media Center Extender experience on the Xbox 360 is great?" Then sign up for their beta program, but only if you can answer yes to all of these questions:

* You have an Xbox 360 connected to the Internet
* You have a PC capable of running Vista Ultimate or Home Premium (Read the minimum hardware requirements here.)
* You are over the age of 18
* You reside in the US


MTV2 is running a special called "Gears of War - the Road to E3" that showcases behind the scenes the time leading up to E3 2006 from the developer's view. It was okay don't expect anything great, but it's worth watching once. I also enjoyed some of the marketplace behind the scenes footage with PMS Tart, and PMS Mary Jane.


Okay, I found that Nintendo-Europe posted that the DS Lite will officially hit the European market on June 23rd (only about 2 weeks after the US), but wait they get 2 colours. Yep you read that right White, and Black will be coming to the Euro shores at launch. What the #!@% is up with that NoA????


Circuit City has some amazing Xbox 360 sales starting next week (May 28th-June 3rd) so if you missed some of these now is your chance...

XBOX 360 GAMES:

Table Tennis >>>> $39.99
Burnout Revenge >>>> $29.99
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter >>>> $59.99
NBA LIVE: 2006 >>>> $29.99
Blazing Angels >>>> $59.99
Full Auto >>>> $39.99
FIFA World Cup 2006 >>>> $59.99
FarCry: Predator >>>> $59.99
X-MEN: The Official Game >>>> $59.99
Hitman: Blood Money >>>> $59.99 (Available 5/30/06 at 5 PM)
Madden: NFL 2006 >>>> $27.99
Tiger Woods: PGA Tour 2006 >>>> $27.99

Burnout for $29.99 is a steal (too bad I already have it), although I think I will pick up Tiger 06 for $27.99.

Pondering the E3 press conferences...

Well they've all wrapped up the pre-show conferences and a lot of info was divulged (except by Nintendo who didn't commit to hardly anything.).

Sony kicked off the week with a delayed conference Monday evening. They let it all hang out so to speak, and street dated & priced their new console (Nov. 17 US, and $499.99 20gb version, $599.99 60gb (bells & whistles) version). WOW! After researching the different versions (which didn't last year they say was a bad idea for Microsoft, because it confused the customer?) I found a .pdf with the info. The "core" 20gb version loses the media reader (Pro Duo/SD/Compact flash), WiFi (802.11 b/g), HDMI output, not to mention 40gb of HD space. I don't see the media reader as a big loss, but the WiFi (no PSP<>PS3 connectivity) and the HDMI port (no Blu-Ray DVD true res output) are huge. You could probably add the WiFi back in via USB dongle, but the HDMI port wouldn't be as simple. I think I'll call them the "crippled" and "premium" sets. I wasn't planning on getting one, and this helped me solidify that thought.

Up next was Nintendo's conference which was streamed live through various sites. Unlike Sony "they felt it was in their best interest to keep the launch specifics a secret for a while longer.". All they stated was 4th qtr 2006 you would be playing with your Wii, (sorry, couldn't resist). Then they went on to show off some of the Wiimote game play, and talked about Wiiconnect24 (the console is always on, even when it's off!? Internet connectivity specifically). He mentioned like you have a town in Animal Crossing your not at home playing (say your at work), a friend could still come by your town and leave you a message. So the next time you turned AC on you would see that you had a visitor. They didn't show a whole lot of DS stuff, but did say that by this Christmas there would be another 100 titles available. I was on the fence about picking up a Wii, but the gameplay they showed looked great. If the price is right I'll definitely pick one up at launch (I've heard $249.99, personally I'd like $199.99).

Microsoft followed shortly after Nintendo's conference. There was a lot of game talk including a Halo 3 trailer, and word about GTA 4 being release simultaneous on the 360/PS3 in October next year although Microsoft has an exclusive deal with Rockstar to get "episodic" add-on content through LIVE. Most of the video's shown at the conference are up in the Marketplace (the Halo 3 one was up before it was shown at the conference!) I've checked out quite a few and found some things I'm really looking forward to. On a side note if you haven't checked out the Lost Planet demo, do so now! I love this game. They were tight lipped on the release date for the HD-DVD add-on, as well as the price.

I got up today to find they have updated the Press site with screenshots, and info about upcoming stuff. They are evidently coming out with a 256MB memory unit (about time), and some interesting wireless items including a LIVE headset, and steering wheel. Although there was no mention of the larger hard drive units.

E3 content Ahoy!

Well they just updated the LIVE marketplace content this morning and put up around 12 E3 2006 game trailers, the POSEIDON movie trailer, and the Test Drive Unlimited demo (480MB). So get online and start downloading, I feel sooo sorry for my 360 hard drive this week.

The game trailers are for Bullet Witch, Rain, Medal of Honor Hell's Highway, Dance Dance Revolution, Stranglehold, Battlestations, Dead Rising, Sonic, LotR Battle for Middle Earth II, and a couple EA Sports titles.

Walk towards the Lite, and my 360 blogs.

Well Nintendo announced today that the DS Lite is coming stateside on June 11th for only $129.99 in White only (okay technically Polar White. :( I guess I should be happy they didn't try to shove another platinum version at us, but come on white? I guess I will be importing one now, unless E3 news hints that some other colors are coming very quickly. Looks like the rumor mill was true the old DS should drop to $99.99, and I'm guessing the bundles (Electric Blue DS and Mario Kart/Animal Crossing) will drop to $129.99.

On the bright side of the DS fence it seems Majesco is going to release Cooking Mama stateside. I had watched videos and read quite a bit about this game before it came out in Japan, unfortunately it had way to much Japanese text to enjoy. This almost makes up for the #@*?! White lite.

In other news my Xbox 360 has decided to write it's own blog. Seems like it's insecure, and pilfers through my mp3's when I'm not around. If you would like your 360 to express itself sign-up on the main site.

Overdue, renamed Revolution, E3 Live, new views, and FFXI.

Wow, didn't realize it had been so long since my last update. I guess not a whole lot of stuff going on. The biggest news since last time was that Nintendo decided to call it's new console Wii (pronounced 'We'). Yeah, okay. I personally will be calling it "the console formerly known as the Revolution".


Microsoft has announced that they will be bringing E3 2006 into your living room this year. They have a lot of stuff planned including special downloads, and videos. If you only have a silver account, gold access will be free all week too. This of course will take the place of my pilgrimage to LA since they #*!$^ up admission requirements this year. :(


Part of the last week was spent rearranging my living room because I bought a new TV. 42" of HD widescreen goodness that of course wouldn't fit where the last one was so I had to move all of the equipment around. I will try and post some pics later on, but since it's a rear projection model I'm supposed to let it 'burn-in' for about 100 hours before I start tweaking the settings. I can state that the 360 looks really good and HD content is beautiful, the only thing I haven't watched is a DVD yet.


Well the expansion for FFXI came out and I picked up the 360 version (full game & all expansions) because I really enjoyed playing in the front room sitting in my recliner and playing in HD. I got around to finishing the Blue Mage quest Monday morning so I'm looking forward to leveling that job soon. The new areas I've seen so far look great and it actually took a bit time to finish the quest to go there. Most of the areas are intended for higher level players (60~75) but so far I've done a few quest without dying (insert knocking on wood sound here).

Chibi Robo, movies, KC and more...

I recently tried out a Chibi Robo (GameCube) demo the other day after work, and I must say it was kinda strange but in a good way. It has a very "Japanese" gameplay vibe to it. I had checked it out before release, but came away thinking that it sounded kinda stupid, and it didn't sell very well so I didn't pay much attention to it. I mean who wants to play a game where you clean the house, and cook? After trying the demo though I think it might kinda fun, I just wish it wasn't priced at $49.99. If it had been released at $19.99 I think a lot more people may have given it a chance. Now I'm on a mission to find a cheaper used one somewhere, because we know Nintendo doesn't drop prices on their first party titles very quick. :(

Didn't post about them, but I did go see a few movies a couple weeks ago. Trying to catch up on some. Not working at the theater anymore I don't keep up on everything coming out, it's not like I see the previews 20~30 times a week anymore. Anyway I caught The Shaggy Dog, She's the Man, and 16 Blocks in my catch up attempt. The Shaggy Dog was great, I'm a big fan of Tim Allen anyway so it was really easy to like.

I didn't think I was going to like She's the Man as much as I did. I know I'm nowhere near the target audience (12-18 female??), and I had even mentioned when I first caught the preview that it looked like a remake of Just One of the Guys (1985). The stories did have a lot in common, seemed like they just changed the setting. This wasn't a bad thing though as I laughed a lot during the movie (as did the other guy in the auditorium (not part of the target demo either)). If you have never seen Just One of the Guys, rent it. It's a cheesy 80's flick, but one of my favorites.

Then I finally got around to watching 16 Blocks, it was almost ready to leave the theater so it's probably 2nd run by now. I had caught previews of this one, and probably came to the conclusion most of you had that Bruce Willis is getting kinda old to be an action hero. I was relieved a bit when it started, and behold here is Willis playing an old drunk, dried up police officer (which he does very convincingly!). Turns out that this was really good. I think Willis was great, and this is an above average police drama/thriller. I had wanted to see Firewall when it was out also, but never got around to it. I will probably check it out when it hits DVD, and see which one I like better.

I made a quick trip up to Kansas City Thursday afternoon. Went up to help a friend pick up a rear projection TV he bought on eBay. Didn't really have a lot of time to do too much, ate at Rainforest Cafe because another friend wanted to, (it's a little on the expensive side, especially for lunch) but the food was really good. Stopped in at Isle of Capri casino (I lost $5.00). I don't know what it is about the casinos in KC, but I just don't get that "betting fever" that I feel in Vegas. We had some extra time before we could pick up the set, so we decided to waste some time at the mall. The mall we happened to be close to was Great Mall which it turns out is one of the worst malls I think I've every been to. Stores you've never heard of, and some of the ugliest carpet/decor I've ever seen. I found out the next day that I guess it started as an outlet mall then tried to make the transition to a "real" mall later in life. It failed, pretty badly.

I heard today that Miklotov got an Xbox 360, and he picked up Oblivion. Imagine my surprise when I came home tonight and found a friend invite on LIVE. :P

DS Pr0n stylus... Fox find! and pod this.

Okay just couldn't wait to point out this post at gaming age forums that shows us the following new stylus.



Best DS stylus ever, would I ever use it in public? No.
Japanese only? I'd bet my life on it, no way NoA would produce that...
Best E3 giveaway ever? You bet!


I'm a bad fan. :( Samantha put out a new album (evidently in October 2005) that I didn't know anything about. Angel with an Attitude was released by La Chapelle Records Canada last year. It's a import so I wouldn't have found it locally, but there used to be a time I was on top of everything Fox. :P For those of you who don't know who Samantha Fox is, shame on you!

BTW I got the album last week, I didn't really like the title track but after listening to the tracks (over and over) it's grown on me. I would give it 4 out of 4 stars (because its Sam), really enjoyed over half the tracks. Some of the album almost seems to be trancelike, and I'm so used to Sam tracks being dance/pop that some of the songs I'm still warming up to.


I've added an iPod addition list on the left side that will update the latest things I've sent to my iPod.

GDC tibits aplenty, and onto Oblivion.

The Game Developer's Conference was held this week, so there has been a surge of news (and lack of news on some topics). So here is some of the best...

Joystiq has up a little newsbit about the PS3 being region free (like the PSP) with the only regional coding being on movies. :) Nice.

The following shots are supposedly "real-time" renders from the upcoming Getaway game for the PS3. I will admit they do look sweet.








Check out Playsyde.com to download a CAM video of the PS3 God of War II trailer shown at GDC. Scroll down to the "Direct Download" section and choose a mirror. This looks absolutely awesome, and I didn't even play the first GoW.

Last but not least check out 1up.com article for a video download of the PS3 tech demos shown at the conference. Note: The page seems to have disappeared from 1up, so the link is actually the Google cache of the page. This means the videos may disappear without warning also. So you may just want to try the links below. :)

Windows Media version zipped

QuickTime version zipped


On the Nintendo front there was news, but not exactly what people were expecting. There was no DS Lite US launch date mentioned (if they can't satisfy Japanese demand, I don't see how they could make enough units to launch here). Although I've read they will still make the "old phat" DS dropping its price to $99.99, and selling the Lite for $149.99 alongside the original.

There was also speculation that the Revolution would get a new name, but that didn't happen either. Engadget has a little rumor up about a Japanese slide they got ahold of supposedly naming the system Nintendo Go?

There will be a Zelda game coming out for the DS! Yes indeed big N announced Zelda : Phantom Hourglass. Check out the video.


Finally, Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion came out (even with weather delays... don't ask) for the 360 and PC. I started the game out in the dungeon/sewers where you have to carry a torch to see anything, then I got outside where it was still dark. I thought geez I had seen pictures of this game, it looked a lot better. Well then daylight rolled around, and let me tell you the outdoor environments are beautiful! This has taken over my top spot currently for the best looking 360 game available right now.

Big releases for the 360, more DS Radio, and YADLC...

Well this was a big week for Xbox 360 releases College Hoops 2k6, Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter, and Burnout Revenge all made an appearance this week. I picked up Burnout Revenge, and I decided to try out Full Auto also even though the reviews have been mixed. So far I've played more Full Auto, but since it's only "rented" I don't have as long to play it as I will Burnout. It really is basically Burnout with weapons, and destructable environments. It looks gorgeous though in HD, and is a lot of fun in single player mode. I will post more about Burnout when I get a chance to play it a bit more.

The guys over at Dualscreenradio have put up another show in .mp3 format, that brings us up to episode 4.

The Yet Another DS Lite Comparison is this video that is a nice hands on comparing the DS Lite, and old DS (now referred to as the phat DS).

DS Lite launch a success!

Well with the previous indication early in the week it came as no surprise that the DS Lite launch in Japan went well, and sold out quickly. Pick any of the major news sites and you can read about the launch, and check out pictures. Kotaku has posted a nice round up of all their Japanese launch coverage, and you can also check out some of the entries at DSFanboy.com.

Kotaku also posted a brief news item about a DS Lite kiosk they happened upon and the condition it was in. This was my biggest fear of the white unit. I realize that this is in a public area, and that people would probably not treat it like their own, but still. :(

Finally this Japanese web site put up some comparison pics between the new lite, and other units.

The Race is on! So much DS luvin' its CRAAAZZY!

Well last night my favorite TV show started up again, that's right Amazing Race #9 kicked off last night with 11 groups of 2. In the first 10 minutes I was easily going to root for David & Lori self-proclaimed "nerds' from Manhattan, KS but after about the second "give us a kiss" I was sick. :( I am now rooting for Tyler & BJ the "hippies" from California, I also like the Mother/Daughter team of Wanda & Desiree, but Mother/Son/Daughter teams never do very well.

Okay where to start with the DS info... The DS Lite is now available in Japan/Hong Kong although it seems like there is going to be more demand than product unfortunately. 4colorrebellion has a little article about the Japanese getting in line for a launch system. I hope this doesn't delay my import unit, I'm anxious to see how the launch pans out.

I found the DualScreen Radio site yesterday. They actually put out a DS themed internet radio show, and just recently put out the 3rd episode. I'm still listing to it right now as it clocks in at 3 hours+, but it is interesting and one of the better video game shows I've heard.

The Nintendo rep stated that they are releasing DS Download Stations this month here in the US (mentioned earlier on 2/10), but she didn't know yet where they would be located. I've read that GameStop/EBGames/Best Buy would be the likely candidates (although I can't see all of them getting the stations as some locations have all 3 clumped together). Evidently the Nintendo Store in NY has already set up their station and you can read about this guys hands on report.

On the last note I'm picking up Super Princess Peach for the DS. It has to be the first game I've ever bought that has "Princess Power" printed on the case, and so many pastel colors it's frightening. :) I don't care it looks to be a great platform game, and it will tide me over until New Super Mario Bros. comes out.

I've still been playing quite a bit of Animal Crossing Wild World, and happy to report that the season's have changed and everything is green now. I've noticed some new plants growing in my town clovers, and Jacob's ladder flowers. This should also bring out some new fish, and bugs to catch! I finally finished my dinosaur exhibit at the museum so it's now complete, I'm soooo happy!

DS Lite nudies!

Okay JeuxFrance put up a article about the La Nintendo DS Lite jouable au Japon or the Nintendo DS Lite playable in Japan. :) Evidently they got the heads up from this article at Kotaku. The Kotaku article gives a nice "hands on" review, but check out the photos of the Lite kiosk at JeuxFrance.com. Looks like the screen is going to have the same Wow! factor as comparing the backlit SP, to the old non-backlit SP.

Time for some DS luvin!

Well evidently there was a DS conference yesterday (in Japan I'm assuming...) where they announced a web browser for the DS! Yes, you read that right Opera will be making their browser available for the Nintendo DS. It will come on a DS cart not a firmware upgrade, and you can read more about it here.


Some of the other tidbits gathered were that Tetris DS will be a ***get title in Japan (1,000y=about $9.00) less than a normal Nintendo release. So hopefully when it's released here it may hit around $24.99, which I would definitely pick up. They also announced a May release date of the new Super Mario Bros. in Japan.

Yesterday, of course was Valentine's Day. If you connected to Nintendo WFC in Animal Crossing you got a letter from Nintendo containing a "Lovely Loveseat" part of the Lovely furniture collection. It wasn't anything rare or cool like the Coin we got a while back, but a nice touch. You also received a new bulletin Board entry from Nintendo in your town square.

360 Graphics overload... and #%!@ E3!

Well this has been quite a weekend for Xbox 360 news, first a developer put up a PC<->360 comparison video for Far Cry he said...
Hey Guys,

Want to see how the 360 version looks like ?
Look at this short video : http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=22950

It is suppose to be "internal use only" but I guess it's not a big deal to release it.
We made it to benchmark our version versus the PC one (with all the settings at the maximum).
The link he posted has died already, but you can find the video here or here. Check out the water, simply amazing!

Hot on the heels of that, EA released some in-game footage of Battlefield 360 that is awesome as well.

There is also supposed to be a Nintey Nine Nights demo released on the LIVE Marketplace around March 1st in Japan. Of course you should already have your LIVE Silver accounts set up for Japan, and Europe exclusive content shouldn't you?

On a sad note I just got my admission denial back from E3 2006. :(

They screwed the retail sector this year by distributing "buyer's passes" to each corporation (I'm assuming GameStop, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, etc...) that the home office people are to give out at their discretion. (So... Miklotov if your reading this I really need some help! :) I will try to pursue some other avenues, and hopefully come up with something.

DS goodness aplenty...

Well there's been more details on the DS lite coming in... Nintendo Japan has announced the official launch colors (Crystal White, Ice Blue, and Enamel Navy) that will be available in Japan on 3/2/06. Looks like the preorders are going for ~$169 on most of the import sites, personally I like the looks of that Enamel Navy one. :) I also like how they colored the d-pad, and other buttons to match the console color. The only thing that bothers me is my hands get kinda cramped from playing Animal Crossing for extended periods I wonder if the smaller form factor is going to make that worse? That was my big peeve with the GBA SP too, I preferred the grip on the original GBA so much better.

At the D.I.C.E. conference in Las Vegas big N announced some other juicy upcoming DS goodness. Retailers across the US will get Download Stations in a few weeks, (these will be like the ones currently in Japan, and the one set up last year at E3). The first DS Download Service stations will include free demos of Tetris DS (Yay!), Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day, Mario Kart DS, Meteos, True Swing Golf and Pokemon Trozei, along with a Metroid Prime Hunters video clip.

The news article goes on to announce that Metroid Prime Hunters will have voice chat built-in so that players can talk to each other before/after wi-fi matches.

More FFXI, new HD channel, and the DS goes on a diet!

Well I'm still playing quite a bit of the FFXI 360 beta, and really enjoying it. Now I'm also paying the fee to play on the PC which I haven't touched for at least a month and a half. :( I will probably end up playing my account on the 360 once the final game is released. Supposedly the Treasures of Aht Urhgan expansion will be included with the Xbox 360 version on April 18th (the PC/PS2 expansion will be available that same day). I'm guessing they'll release the 360 version for $59.99 with all of the expansions that's not too bad. I figure ToAU will sell for $29.99 by itself (like Chains did when it was released). I've been reading about the special fan festival that Square is throwing, and they've updated the giveaways section with the "gobbie bag" everyone gets, plus everyone attending will get a "Moggle Rod" in game item. I'm sorry but it just looks cool, no one knows what "power" it will have though.

Cox added another HD channel to their digital cable line up last week, Music HD which is High Def music, and specials. It seems to pull content from MTV, VH1, and CMT, but it all looks great. On the other hand, a lot of the content is only Dolby Digital 2.0? What's up with that? With how many DVD concerts and music videos that there are you would think everything would be in 5.1.

Well Nintendo finally came through on the Nintendo DS redesign (albeit about two weeks later than the 16th...). Seems like those of you who just got a DS are about to feel short changed, not much is known about the new unit other than what people can gather from the product shots (which supposedly not final).

Final Fantasy XI, New demos, and touching is bad!

Well I've been playing quite a bit of FFXI, but not on the PC. I've been playing the Beta for the Xbox 360 that was on a dvd in the latest Official Xbox Magazine. I started in San d'Oria again (big surprise!) and I'm currently a lvl 10 WHM. Since everyone is fairly new (the Japanese 360's came with the beta, so the earliest players were middle of December) it was hard at the beginning because there are so many low level players swarming anything that spawned. I've never seen so many people with question marks by their names running around. :) There is a lot to be said for playing in the front room on the HDTV, sitting in my easy chair.

There is a demo for BLACK by EA for the PS2. I got to try it a bit yesterday and it looks really good, I assume the Xbox version will look even better. This game is put out by EA and Criterion Games, the same force behind Burnout Revenge. There was also a demo for Star Wars : Empires at War PC available the other day on-line. I have downloaded it, but haven't got a chance to play it yet.

On a funnier note check out this video from the upcoming Resident Evil DS game. Forget what Nintendo told you, touching is can be bad!

Attack of the 360 faceplates!

Well I had read before the 360 came out that the faceplates (normally $19.99 (Microsoft first party ones)) would probably end up being pre-order bonus items. I didn't figure this would happen too much just because of the value of the item, I mean most of the pre-order bonus items are usually pretty lame (behind the scenes DVD's, Content CD's (wallpapers, videos, etc), and posters. Some times though you get better items like T-Shirts, or soundtrack CD's.

Well it seems I misjudged the companies as this week I've heard of 2 pre-order faceplates, and one free with purchase. EB Games has Sega's Full Auto up for pre-order with bonus faceplate.



GameStop has THQ's The Outfit available for pre-order with a bonus faceplate also.



Lastly Best Buy had one advertised in today's sale ad. Purchase Call of Duty 2, and receive a free CoD2 faceplate.

Xbox 360 luvin, Suikoden ipod's, and more.

I just ran across this post on the XBox 360 forums. Short version someone went to Japan on vacation, and snapped some pictures. He came home and put up some comparison shots between the real areas, and the same area in Microsoft's Project Gotham Racing 3 for the Xbox 360. All I can say is WOW, take a look at the link above for all the shots.



Some other screen luv from EA's Battlefield 2:Modern Combat




Evidently Mad Catz has announced NFL 360 faceplates are coming. I may actually spring for a KC Chiefs one.




In what has to be one of the strangest pre-order cross promotion items ever, KonamiStyle.jp has a white 4GB Ipod Nano to commerate the launch of Genso Suikoden 1 & 2 on the Sony PSP. It comes with special headphones, case, and of course the Ipod itself. On the plus side it would only set you back about $304.00. :)

There are a bunch of "rumors" floating around that Nintendo will announce a redesigned DS on January 16th. Supposedly sleaker/smaller, and with VoIP (Voice over IP) service built-in. Maybe you'll be able to call your friends while your sitting at McDonald's now. Whatever is announced we should know next Monday.

Also supposedly if you log into Nintendo WFC today through Animal Crossing you'll get a New Year's gift/letter from Nintendo's President Saturo Iwata. All you should have to do is go talk to Cooper, and have him open the gates (ie. connect to Nintendo WiFi) and then go back to your house to get the letter.

New Year, new post!

Well it's a brand new year, happy 2006 everyone. Where to start, hmmm. Work was really kinda hectic the last couple weeks, I remembered why Christmas sucked in retail. :) But, it's all good as its over now and we're settling back to normal.


Xbox 360 demos a plenty
I'm really starting to like the LIVE marketplace (I think I mentioned that before) as they just keep adding new downloads. They added a demo for Condemned, then Quake 4, and just today they added one for Fight Night Round 3 (not that I care about the boxing game, but it's still cool). I would like to see one for Dead or Alive 4 soon, to see how it looks. I tried out the Quake 4 demo tonight and it looks really pretty, I've read bad things about the framerate from various sources though. They make take place later in the game, or maybe in multiplayer which I didn't try yet.

More news as Square-Enix announced that the February issue of Official Xbox Magazine will indeed include the Final Fantasy XI 360 beta. I'm looking forward to playing some FFXI on my widescreen TV, and will probably pick up a USB keyboard to see if that works with it. We should know soon as I think the issue is supposed to hit stands on January 17th, and subscribers may get it before that. It would also be cool if it would support voice chat during gameplay, but I've heard conflicting reports on that. Here's a glimpse at what the DVD should look like...




Animal Crossing DS tidbits...
Okay I've been playing for quite a while now and enjoy it a lot. I joined in for the New Year's countdown celebration, which was cool. I enjoyed the fireworks, and the lights on trees in town. There was no Christmas celebration as evidently Christmas is not PC anymore, so it was removed along with some other holidays in the DS version.

I've collected all of the Snowman furniture so I'm not as obsessed with that now. I've been using the snowballs to lure dung beetles out as they sell for 800 bells to Nook, I'm still trying to catch a pill bug though.

I'm getting better at shooting packages down out of the sky, I think I've done 5-6 now. I know I have to get 15 then should get the golden slingshot. I also "caught" my first shooting star the other night. When you hear it whoosh across the screen you have to hit A, then it will kinda brighten up and sparkle. The next day you will get a present in the mail from Star.

Lastly I got my first resident picture the other day (Bella). I guess when you and an animal become "bestest ***dies" they will grace you with a picture of themselves. I hear they raise your HRA score greatly if placed in your house.

Kansas City!
Ok first off a big thank you to the Broncos for smacking the Chargers (sorry Jason) and keeping our playoff hopes alive! Then a big #%$!&* to the Steelers for spanking the Colts (Whoops! my bad.) Lions to kill them off. :( On a happy note I did finally tie for the win on the last regular season week in the football pool I'm in. :)

Week 1st: Edison, K-Statecat 11 Wins

Not great but hey it's the first time this season I've come out on top.

TV Reality endings...

Well two of my favorite shows finished last week The Amazing Race, and Survivor. I was pleased with the outcome on TAR as I was rooting for the Linz family. It would have been okay if the Bransen's had won too, but since they all 4 have free gasoline for life how much will they save over the course of their lives? I will state frankly that if the Weaver's had won I would have boycotted the show! Not likely, but I'm sooo happy they came in 3rd. :) Plus we got teasers for the next season which starts up again in February!

Survivor on the other hand I was a little bit disappointed. I would have liked to seen Rafe win the million, but glad it did turned out that Danni won (she's from KC what's not to like) over Stephanie. I realize that the 'stunt casting' is to draw in viewers, and I do like Stephanie but you had your shot (and a worthless tribe the first go around) but move on.

Animal Crossing pt. 2, and Xbox 360 demos...

Well I finally got the hang of building a correctly proportioned snowman (it seems the trick is to make one snowball as big as possible, then the second one so it comes up to your characters chin). I have gotten two snowman furniture items so far the couch, and wardrobe. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see what the third one is. I did screw up the other day putting the big snowball on top so he was upside down, and just a little peeved. :) I did win the fishing tournament Sunday with a 45.1" Sea Bass, and have a nice trophy now in my house to commemorate it.

The January issue of the Official Xbox Magazine is out and includes a hybrid XBox/360 disc, on the 360 side demos include King Kong, Kameo, and Full Auto. While I appreciate the approach the King Kong, and Kameo demos are readily available to play on the demo kiosk not to mention the Kameo demo is available through the XBox Live Marketplace. In the magazine there is a FFXI article that says the U.S. OXM will also have the FFXI Beta in an upcoming issue. There has been some new stuff added to the Marketplace (it's been a while since I checked) a Mission Impossible 3 trailer, Lost Continent 360 game trailer, and a FIFA playable demo.

KONG! and more Nintendo Animal wildness...

Well I used my day off to go see KING KONG today. The visual effects were awesome, a couple shots had that fake look, but overall it was stunning. On the other hand with a running time of ~3 1/2 hours I thought it ran a little long. Of course it didn't make a dent in the back log of movies I need to see. :(

I've had 4 new animals move into my town, bringing my total up to 8. I still haven't built a snowman right he's always not "proportioned" correctly. At first I though my town would be full of them because they were still there a day later, but they seem to melt away after 2~3 days. Redd was in town today, and he sold me a counterfeit painting, hopefully my insurance will pay for it.

I called Nintendo Sunday evening about my daughter's NDS, and they offered to fix it free even though it was out of warranty (Yay!). They sent out a pre-paid UPS label, and said it would take 5-7 days to be repaired.

Animal Crossing ramblings...

Well I've had some time to play around with AC:WW DS, and I can say it's pretty close to the Gamecube version. It has that same 'feel' which is a good thing, and they made some minor improvements here & there.

I had another animal move into my town, Snake (although she looks like a rabbit). Anyhoo friend info is below if you want to add me to your list, and don't forget to post yours.

Name=Edison
Town=Rockhill
Code=2405-7903-1237
Native Fruit=Peaches

Here is my current population...

My daughter also got a copy but unfortunately the wi-fi doesn't seem to be working on her DS so she can't do DS<>DS, or a Nintendo Wi-fi Connection. I checked Nintendo's web site and wouldn't you know the 1 year warranty ran out on 11/30/05 (this would be about right because it was my original launch unit). I'm still going to give them a call and see what they'll do about it, as I've heard really good things about their service/support.

Holy news bites Batman, and other ramblings...

Well it seems as if issue 4 of the UK magazine OXM360 is going to have a second cover DVD, that will include a full beta of Final Fantasy XI. No word on if the US version of OXM will include the same, or if the UK one will be region free and playable on a US 360?

According to this Japanese site there was a launch line in Japan for the Xbox 360. Reading through the babel fish translation the first guy in line got there 20 hours ahead of launch (7am 12/10/05) to snag himself a shiny new 360!

It seems as though all of the Tom Clancy Xbox games are now on the backwards compatibility list, this includes the Splinter Cell's, Ghost Recon's, and Rainbow Six games.

Well I finally picked up Animal Crossing : Wild World today for my NDS, and I have finished all the odd jobs for Nook. I've done a little fishing, and tried to raise some bells to pay off my house. My battery must have not had too much of a charge left as AC:WW warned me that it was low and I should save my game soon. I guess they didn't think I would notice the blinking lights, then the solid red one on the DS. :)
My town only has 3 animals right now, Egbert (Chicken), Butch (Dog), and Friga (Penguin). I thought in the GC version your town started with 4, but its been a while so that may be incorrect.

...

My grandma passed away last night at the age of 99. She had been in declining health for the last 3 months, but now I can take comfort that she's in a better place. I'll miss you.

Hazel Belle H.
Born: August 12, 1906
Died: December 5, 2005

360 launched again, and other tidbits.

Friday marked the European launch of the Xbox 360 which was marked with high eBay.co.uk prices, and more pre-orders than units available. Hmmm. Are we noticing a trend? bbc.co.uk has a launch article up which pretty much mirrors our own. It was reported that the European launch got 300,000 units I don't remember how this compared to ours, but that's not a lot of 360's. :( Next week Japan will see it's launch, but I wonder how many systems they'll get. Surely they know that it won't sell as well in Japan, but I predict pictures of units sitting on the shelf there.

The Mercury News blog reports that apparently some Best Buy's had overzealous managers that forced bundles on consumers during the US launch here.

I've been playing a little Mario Kart DS, and although I'm not too good in multiplayer its kinda fun. My friend code is 244873-130950 for those that want to add me to their list (post yours here in a reply so I can add you to mine). Oh, and if Miklotov happens to read this, Michelle wants your friend code if you ever get wireless hooked up. :)