The Post About Why I Won't Be Updating Every Day

Hey there, reader. You may be wondering why the posting is getting sparse. I'll give you a couple of reasons.

Reason 1) It's getting closer to finals for classes, which means that I've got a heavy load of homework on the horizon.
Reason 2) I'm getting sort of tired of my RSS feeds telling me everything about GTAIV and nothing else. I understand why the game is important/good/cool/controversial/etc., but enough is enough.
Reason 3) I really want a copy of Mario Kart Wii, but alas, rent comes first.

I thank you for checking in and updating, and please, feel free to comment and let me know what you'd like to read about. OK? Thanks.

PlayStation Nostalgia

In 1995, the PlayStation was released. In 1996 sometime, my family got one. It was amazing. Before we got copies of Twisted Metal or the totally-radical Revolution X, however, we only had the developer demo that came with it. The developer demo really didn't have any games to test out. It was just an excuse for the developers of the PlayStation to show off their mad designing skills. Here's a YouTube video - I suggest skipping around frequently so you can get the full gist of the demo.

And here's the tragedy - my brother and I loved it. I mean, we would fight over who got to walk around as the tyrannosaurus rex and who got to make the 3D cone turn into a brick 3D cone. And that music! Why did we love it? Because the graphics were revolutionary, awesome, and lest we forget, tubular.

That was 12 years ago. How I long for the days of playing Final Fantasy VIII while listening to my brother's live Metallica album. Come on, otherwise I couldn't get pumped enough and when I'd summon Ifrit, he'd would only do half damage. And if I didn't have enthusiasm, there would be no chance of Odin showing up just in time to save me.

Obama Gets Pokémon Endorsement

I don't know how people decide which candidate to vote for in today's Pennsylvania primary, but I hope it goes something like this:

Just so you know, this doesn't necessarily reflect my political views.

Chicago's Video Game Advertisement Conundrum

I was born and raised in Huntington, but I currently live in Chicago. Here's what's going on on this side.

This is a Chicago Transit Authority bus in Chicago, Ill. It's how I get to school every day. When I look at an advertisement on the bus, I tend to think that I'm not too easily sold on the sandwich they're waving in my face while I try not to fall onto the little old lady standing next to me. However, some Chicago officials believe that these ads are WAY more persuasive than you'd think.

According to Chicago's local Fox News affiliate, the CTA is going to take down all of their Grand Theft Auto IV ads - an ad campaign that can't be cheap. Why? Because the governor and the president of the CTA believe that it's a negative influence on children.

I see these ads every day. I see stickers on newspaper boxes down the street that say GTA IV. I have never been compelled to run out and buy it immediately. Yes, kids may be more influenced by an advertisement than I am, but is this really necessary? Isn't it up to the parents as to what the kid is playing? Are these advertisements worse than subjecting kids to the violent nature of being on the train during rush hour?

It's noble, but is it really necessary?

Microsoft: Don't Buy GTAIV for the PS3

When Grand Theft Auto IV is released, it's heading out for the 360 and the PS3. Apparently, the PS3 version has a 5-minute install time before you can initially play the game. How do I know that? Microsoft told me so.

In an e-mail to users, the Xbox Team points out that in the time you could take to install the game, you could have all ready boosted a dozen cars on the Xbox. That's cold as ice, Microsoft. Let's keep it clean, shall we?

Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe

So far, the confirmed line-up includes Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Batman, and Superman. The game will probably play along the lines of a better version of Marvel vs. Capcom. There are no fatalities this time around - I doubt DC Comics was cool with the idea of The Martian Manhunter having his heart ripped out (in other news, I just had Plastic Man-related nerdy fits).

Anybody else looking forward to Kano vs. Hal Jordan? Oooooh boy this is going to be fun. It's coming out this fall for the PS3 and 360.

Will The Sims Ever Learn How to Cook?

You'd think by now it'd be a science to these guys. Put the food in, start the timer, let the timer go off, and promptly remove the food from the oven. No lollygagging. Don't fall asleep while you're cooking, don't watch TV, don't dance, and no hanky panky with your neighbor. Just wait by the oven, maybe do the dishes, and get the food out of the oven. End of story.

But they won't learn. Otherwise, the lives of The Sims would be as boring as ever. You need fires and spicy romances to keep things interesting.

EA announced today that 100 million copies of The Sims have sold worldwide. Or, in Sim speak, "Huh buh, huh buh ruh buh buh huuuh (word balloon above my head with The Sims box)."

Does that plus sign above your head mean that you're excited about this news are that you're happy to see me? Wait, you want to talk about soccer? That's a total minus sign. No! I don't want to dance!

The Fab Four Debut a Song on "Rock Band!"

That's right - Mick, Vince, Nikki and Tommy are releasing a brand new song exclusively on Rock Band. Mötley Crüe, baby!

If you were wondering, I really don't care much for them. Really, the only hair metal band song that I ever really, legitimately got into was "Photograph" by Def Leppard. "Saints of Los Angeles" released yesterday on the Xbox Live Arcade and will release tomorrow on the PLAYSTATIONStore. The song will join the likes of "Simple Man" by Skynyrd, "Message in a Bottle" by The Police, and "Call Me" by Blondie. "Saints of Los Angeles" marks the first song to be debuted on Rock Band.

I'd make a "Kickstart My Heart" pun, but it's way too early for that.

Iron Man: PS3 and 360 Exclusive Suits

That's the PS3 version.


And that's the 360 version.

And I'm still excited.

The Xbox 360 Wiimote (i.e. the "Newton")

In an attempt to get little girls and the elderly to play the 360, Microsoft is developing their own Wiimote. That's right, not just some third-party Wiimote like device, but a Wiimote to be developed by Microsoft.

To get us to stop calling it the "360 Wiimote," the codename of the thing is the "Newton," named after Sir Isaac. There are no set dates or plans or photos of the thing yet, but we'll see how it turns out. Because as we all know, it only turns out for the best when somebody capitalizes on somebody else's awesome idea.

A Video Game Story that the Media Keeps Forgetting About and Remembering

"Hey boss, I've got a story idea."
"What is it, Johnson?"
"There's this game that helps kids lose weight. There's a local kid that lost a bunch of weight by playing this game."
"You're lying. I don't have time for this."
"No, really boss! It's a video game and it's good for kids."
"You've lost your mind!"
"I haven't boss, it's called (insert game title here)!"
"That's brilliant! Why didn't they think of this before?! Run that story immediately, son! We're breaking the story of ages!"

Aaaaaand scene.

I don't mean to be a cynic, but if there's anything that I've learned, it's that video games + anything that doesn't lead to adolescent violence = a miraculous news story of ages. USA Today did a story about Dance Dance Revolution in 2004 about the weight loss opportunities the game provides for younger kids (six years after the game initially came out). Today, The Clarion Ledger came out with an extremely similar story about the game.

Have any of you guys heard about Wii Fit? It's new, it's timely, and it still helps kids lose weight. Why don't you start playing that story before ten years pass?

Again, I apologize for being the neighborhood cynic.

Nyko Rocks Out...with peripherals...so I guess they don't really rock out at all...

In November, Nyko released some peripherals for the Wii, the Perfect Shot and Net Connect. The former is a hollow gun that will tote your Wiimote (see the Wii Zapper) while the latter is a peripheral that allows Wii users to connect to the Internet with an ethernet cable (no wireless, no problem). Well, those suckers are at it again with the Frontman guitar. Not unlike the wireless guitar they released for the PS2 editions of Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II, the new controller is compatible for the PS3 versions of Rock Band and Guitar Hero III. There's even a little switch that flips between Rock Band mode and GHIII mode, so your PS3 won't get confused. Aww.

I'm no expert with Nyko. They make some handy little devices that make gaming life a little easier - like the Net Connect or the Wii Charge Station - but this controller will cost you $59.99. If you only have one game or the other, I wouldn't waste my money, but this controller could come in handy if you have each game and need a second guitar.

But do these things work better? Do they increase your rocking potential? Just wondering.

Here's to you, Nyko - picking up the slack for inconviences across the gaming world.

An Elegy to the Pokérap

So last week, I was going through some boxes of old stuff in my closet and came across my Pokédex, seen on the left. Upon initially receiving this treasure for my birthday one year, I scoffed at it. Why do I need an electronic device that holds the names of all the Pokémon? I knew them all. I caught them all. At one time, in middle school, I could recite the entire "Pokérap." I also had a very full collection of Pokémon cards, some of which were Japanese versions that hadn't yet been released in North America, and named my character in the game "Ash" even though that's technically the bad guy's name in the Japanese version. I loved my copy of Pokémon Blue.

So after buying (and beating) Pokémon Yellow, the first game that I owned to utilize the glorious GameBoy Color, I sort of fell out of touch with the Pokémon universe. Like many things in a kid's life, it was an expensive habit. I was buying pack after pack after pack of Pokémon cards, and that adds up to about a year of college that my parents could have paid for. I kicked the habit, moving on to collecting records and books, having clearly learned my lesson.

Today, there are a documented 493 Pokémon. I think the genius of the game was how nearly endless it could feasibly be. Alas, time has jarred my memory and I have no memory of the original 151 Pokémon, with a few unforgettable exceptions, and there are an additional 342 that I don't know. They even briefly replaced Brock with some guy named Tracey in the anime. Sheer foolishness.

I am currently nostalgic for Pokémon. I suppose, good reader, that I need your help and your Pokéwisdom. I want to play Pokémon again, but have already beaten Pokémon Blue and Yellow. Where should I turn to? I have a DS and a GameBoy Color, so I'm open in both of those categories. I'd prefer a game that still gives me some Mr. Mime options, but I'm flexible.