TGIF, video games, and cats

It's Friday. And I'm tired. Probably because I'm making slow but steady progress in the two games that are currently occupying my time. What will you guys play this weekend?

I need to find a good crockpot to sleep in...

Next-next-next-next-next gen consoles

Never before has the progress of technology screwed people over as much as this year alone. It's roughly assumed that technology nowadays can become obsolete at an average of six months, and this generation's console wars is no exception. Now, more than ever, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony want all your video game bucks, and anything goes.

But, what's going on with these new console releases? There's paperwork proof that a new PS3 model may exist for future sales, and some rumors of a new Xbox 360 system coming out by Christmas? Are they trying to annoy us? Well, if they are...mission accomplished, assholes.

So what's the count now? Sony has had four unique systems (20GB, 60GB, 80GB, and the upcoming 40GB), and Xbox 360 has five (Core, the upcoming Core HDMI, Professional, Professional HDMI, and the Elite). And here I thought releasing two different systems at launch was ridiculous enough.

The whole "different-flavor-of-the-month" systems gave me a spin when I was contemplating an Xbox 360 purchase. When I wanted one, the Elite came out. While I was figuring out what the hell "HDMI" was, The Professional system with HDMI came out. Before I consider a purchase, are you done yet, Microsoft? Are you sure?

In the end, they're just making enhanced clones of their own systems and selling them under the same name. Which is absolutely brilliant on their part. Why, you ask? Because then they can claim that their system sold X million units, when actually it's the sum of sales from each different sku. Are the people with Core 360 systems and 20GB PS3s pissed? Probably. Did they sell their systems to get money to buy a better one? I wouldn't put it past them. Was this figured into final sales? You bet your bippy it did.

And what are the differences? Disk space? Different ports? Couldn't they just release some base system and sell add-ons? I would've bought regular hard drive expansions if given the option, or perhaps an extra adapter to use different cables. At least I'll have the ability to control where my money's going, instead of investing it all in one lump sum toward one of four different consoles.

Nintendo has only one Wii out, which is doing great all on its own. The problem, though, is that it lacks the cool accessories that can push its competition level up to the big boys...like a USB keyboard, or external USB hard drive compatibility.

All bitching aside, I just want a new console. Is that too much to ask?

Note: Sorry for today's image. I sorta took out the frustration from this post on the picture.

If video game reviews could talk...

Ever since Zero Punctuation started on the Escapist, I've been going to the site every Wednesday for Yahtzee's take on the victim...er, I mean video game of the week. It's a nice break from reading the same, boring, stuffy reviews I see everywhere. I'd even say it's constructive criticism...if you call ranting a video game review in a British accent for 5 minutes "constructive"...which I do.

I mean, the average web surfer (points to myself) takes collectively 5 minutes tops when reading a review, that's it. I really don't take the time to take in all the carefully edited text, with all its "overall" and "however" points...I read what I want, and then chuck it to the trash like moldy leftovers.

Zero Punctuation practically does it all for me, seasoned with English wit and vulgarity. And we all know when it comes to wit and vulgarity, British comedy is the best. Below is one about the console wars that I didn't noticed until today, but all of his reviews are worth watching at least once.

Playable art - Manifold

Manifold is an extremely short diversion, but the concept's pure and simple - using gravitational anomalies, you navigate your player to the exit. Despite killing only a half hour of my time, the game, in the end, is extremely artsy and relaxing.

Hyping...to the EXTREME!!

I heard Halo 3 is coming out today. Call it a hunch. Heard the game's good, too, which I'm sure it is. Really. I'm just not wetting-my-pants-in-anticipation excited. It's another game's release, and on a system I currently don't own at the moment, so forgive me if I don't exude the giddiness of a high-school girl.

Everything I said above is in all honesty - there is no sarcastic or belittling tone to it whatsoever. I'm just, all in all, not as insane as other fans of the game. And insane they are, lining up for the game for its midnight release.

The one thing I don't get, however, is all the promotion that came out of it - the Halo 3 system, the Halo 3 Zune, and the Halo 3 Mountain Dew drink?? Isn't it just a game??

True, over-hyping a game is nothing new in the industry...but is Mountain Dew now for the "extreme" AND hardcore? Is the Halo 3 gamer drinking this while playing Halo 3 on his Halo 3 system, and then listening to music on his Halo 3 Zune? All while wearing a Halo 3 outfit?

Excuse me while I "Halo 3" hurl.

The "classics," all in one classy controller

So I finally bought a classic controller. I wasn't doing too bad with just the Wiimote and a few NES titles, and the only N64 title I have I was just using the GameCube controller for. But, when it came down to getting Super Metroid (SNES), neither controller would cut it for me.

I guess this is as "Dual-shocky" as Nintendo will get, with its classic controller sporting the dual analogs side by side. Tried it out on Mario Kart 64, with decent results. It's more comfortable than playing with the GameCube controller, and it feels a bit more...well, classic. Still sucks that the Wiimote needs to be attached to it, but it's still not so bad.

But all in all, I'm looking forward to more SNES titles to come out. Any day now, Square Enix
...any day.

Snaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!!

The second-to-biggest news this week at the Smash Bros Dojo site is the addition of Snake from Metal Gear Solid into the roster. After seeing the images of Snake in action, however, I think they should've came with some caption setting up the moment.

"What's that you got there? A 'Super Scope'? Well, lemme introduce you to this!"

"'Fire Emblem' has nothing on my game, you got that??"

"Surprise! It's-a-me...Snake!!"

Now, if he got health from gnawing on other players, that would be awesome.

The "MySims" Show

I've never been much of a fan for The Sims. The idea of wasting your life playing a game about making a life is, by my standards, the very definition of irony. A second definition of the word can be found here, too...aside from their weird variations for living.

I mean, if you're gonna play a game where your character interacts with a community of other similar characters, it's more relaxing when it's something not quite so realistic. From certain popular MMORPGs to odd, candy-filled towns, people enjoy it more when it's something that they can say "what if" instead of "hey, that's me playing on the computer!"

EA took a page from Animal Crossing this time around, though, and made MySims for the Wii. The major draw from this game has got to be the "super-deformed" characters that walk around. Sure, they're suppose to be humans, but we take it less seriously when they're "super-deformed." Like Verne Troyer.

The one thing I wished they implemented was online support. How could they release a Sims game without online support? I would've enjoyed visiting other people's towns and hung around, or the very least offer some sending of presents to other characters on other Wiis. Instead, your character's stuck living by himself, talking with pre-set neighbors. Where have I seen this before?

This post shouldn't have been written

First of all, my apologies for the last post. For some stupid reason, Blogger thought that yesterday's post was a Wednesday's post, when actually it was a Thursday's post. And it wasn't a draft copy or anything, so I don't know how they screwed that up. But, for the record, the previous post was a Thursday's post.

Don't worry, I'll have more than one post today to make up for their error.

Domestic abuse and Wii

The interactivity in Metroid Prime 3 makes me feel all more energetic playing the game - more so than my normal laid back slump with my thumbs making the only movement. I just got the grappling hook and started latching on and yanking off pieces of doors, fragments, and other objects with the nunchuk attachment with finesse. And the Wiimote is awesome for the free aiming; no more holding down the right trigger to aim!

But, ever since I got my HDTV, I've become more aware of the dangers that can occur. I'm pretty safe playing my Wii. I use my Wii-straps at all times, and make sure everyone else does the same...but thoughts of the worst that can happen to my TV still linger.

Not only that, but in general you're swinging around two pieces of plastic. The last thing I want to do is to cast my grappling hook, only to knock my wife in the back of the head. I don't want to explain to officers that I was playing a video game when I smacked my spouse. That would be a stupid reason to get arrested for.

Scan first, shoot later

I love exploring new game worlds as much as the next gamer, but shouldn't there be some logic when deciding whether to kill your enemy or analyze it? In fact, in all Metroid Prime games, this has been an odd issue - in order for an enemy to be completely analyzed, you need to scan it properly. Which takes time. Time that's not paused while the enemy wonders what the fuck you're doing just staring at him while he pumps you full of plasma shots and grenades.

Don't get me wrong - the scan visor in Metroid Prime 3 is absolutely cool, allowing me to manually search for a back story to the main story via idle consoles that happen to have progressive information relevant to my current situations. I just rather use it on something that's not running towards me with the intent to kill.

If any games maintain enemy stats, they're usually recorded almost as immediately as the first confrontation. Rogue Galaxy is a perfect example, where all you need to do is kill the bastards and it's in your battle log.

I guess it's practical to know what you're up against in a fleeting moment to know its weaknesses. You know what's a better way? SHOOT AT IT! If their body doesn't get damaged, then it's not a weakness!

Maybe have the game autoscan the enemy, or perhaps give me enough time to look up the enemy's weak points before it comes barrelling at me with guns blazing. I just don't want my first instinct in battle to "Sherlock Holmes" the drooling beast while it lunges for my jugular.

Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go...I wanna be "Corrupted"

Okay, I give up...for now. I gave it the good ol' college try, but I think I'll have to shelve Metroid Prime 2 and put it on hiatus for now. Metroid Prime 3's draw of Wii-controlled aiming is making my hands itch to no end, and I desire to utilize my newly-repaired Wii as much as I can.

It's not like I don't like the game's format. Having two maps that are mirrors of each other, with slight variation is certainly not a new concept in video games, nor is it one that I wouldn't want to be involved with - it's literally twice the amount of gameplay.

I think the main reason that made me stop was that I was playing a GameCube game on my Wii. Sure, the component cables and progressive scan mode make playing the game all the more awesome, and I don't think I can return to my composite-connected GameCube to continue the light-dark fight.

It's just that...I'm playing a GameCube game on my Wii.

I feel like I did a great injustice to my Wii's triumphant return to my household by playing a game that I should have played (and finished) on my older TV. It's not like I wanted to not play the game; I just wanted to play it in order, so that I wouldn't be in the dark about anything.

Sorry, Echoes...but I need to get my waggle on.

They grow up so fast...

My living room is my domain. It's a treasure trove of treats for my eyes and ears, and I take care of it constantly. And I make do with what I got; if I had just an endtable, I'll make it an endtable with a TV on it, and organize all my media devices in the best possible setup. And, in fact, that was my setup...until now.

This weekend, I assembled a nice TV stand that was given to us as a gift (Thanks, Che!). The instructions weren't exactly Ikea-simple, but the process was relatively effortless and, in the end, we have a glorious TV stand, which you see below.

Unfortunately, I don't have a "before" picture of my TV setup, but "before," my Wii and PS2 were both on the floor. Now, they grace the sides of my HDTV, like guards to the throne. And most of my DVDs and games are off the floor and fill my bottom shelf, like lowly peasants. And my kingdom's a nice, sleek black.

I'm so proud...like father proud. Except my child's a living room.

P.S. Yes, yes, I know...I have no PS3 or Xbox 360. Yet. Thankfully, with my newly acquired space, that possibility is much more open. Mmmmmm, space......

Access denied

It seems my happiness from my Wii's return is stifled by one obstacle - I now have a different Wii code. I completely forgot that with a new system comes a new Wii code. And here I was, happily sending messages to my friends through the Wii, wondering all this time why no one responded to my messages. I wonder if Nintendo auto-sends an updated message to people sending messages to my old Wii, telling them my new code.

So I Skyped, AIMed, called, and emailed my friends that my Wii code's now different.

Good thing I have a game that connects online, or else that last sentence would've made me sound like such a tool...

Gamer's lag

There's no feeling quite like that feeling you get when you return to a game you played eons ago (i.e. a few months) and remember nothing from your last save. I'm talking about the "what-button-do-I-press-to-attack" feeling you get as you watch your character get bitch-slapped by the last enemy you'd expect to kick your ass; the "where-the-hell-am-I-and-what-am-I-suppose-to-do" feeling as you wander the map mindlessly figuring out what your objective was; the "how-the-fuck-do-you-reload" as the sniper head-shoots you from 500 yards.

The fact is, it takes some time to get back into the game's "groove," and it's this precious length of time that many gamers don't want to spend again just to go back into a game that they dismissed a while ago. And with the constant flavor-of-the-month games that are released frequently, gamers don't have much time to thoroughly play and enjoy each game that drops in their lap.

It's important for a gamer to dedicate him- or herself to a game that they truly enjoy; to see it through to the end and give it the respect it deserves. Or, if the game was lost in the fray, to return to it on a timely basis and continue to make progress. I don't think I would have forgiven myself if I didn't finish Okami at all, or if I left Odin Sphere behind for something only half as good. On my plate now are Rogue Galaxy and Metroid Prime 2, with a little DS action on the side.

The only drawback? I don't start new games as immediately as their release dates.

That, and, ironically, I have to stop playing other games to dedicate myself to another.

It's a vicious cycle.

Things gamers take for granted: Thumbs

After watching Heidi play some Yoshi's Island DS, she came to a point where you had to race against the switch block timer and sprint to the top of the cliff before time ran out and the platforms disappeared. 10 minutes of countless failed attempts go by, and then I noticed a flaw in her button control that many gamers take for granted: The thumb-and-joint technique. Y'know, the method of holding down the "run" button with the tip of your thumb, and then, while keeping the "run" button pressed, bending the thumb's first joint to hit the jump button?

I teach her this vital technique, and (after another 5 minutes of frustration and agony) she finally reached the top of the cliff, with congratulatory pats to the back and plenty of self-applause. But it got me wondering...when did people learn to use this?

The farthest I can remember using this is with Super Mario Bros. on the NES, back in the days when, near the end, that's all you can do. You can't possibly make those wide jumps without keeping the B button down while jumping with the A button. Sure, you could employ the index-and-middle-finger technique (controller flat on ground/table, with index finger on the B button, and the middle finger on the A button), but that method required a flat surface as well. And, I don't think there was anything in the manual that told gamers specifically to control two buttons with one finger. Without Shiggy's knowledge at the time, the thumb-and-joint technique became a pivotal point in platform gaming, and, in a wider sense, in gaming evolution.

Without this, many games would've been nigh impossible to complete. For me, Hudson's Adventure Island is a prime example of a game that absolutely needed constant running and perfect timing of each jump to complete the ridiculously-hard levels near the end. (Did I even finished the game? Oh well, I can always get the Virtual Console version later)

So, raise that thumb high in the air, gamer, and give it its obligatory "thumbs up." Without them, gamers would be stuck with DDR games...and we would be ruled by monkeys.

The founding "mother" of bitchin' chicks

So, in that short, short, short Wii absence, I broke out the ol' GameCube and popped in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes to play while I waited. I forgot, though, that it was still connected to my HDTV with composite cables, so it felt a little muddy in the graphics. Made me realize how happy I am now to have component cables for my Wii.

I mean, it's not something new to me. I tested out the component-and-progressive-scan waters the first time when I got my component cables, and was mildly impressed. I guess I had to "walk a mile in the GameCube's shoes" to realize how much a difference it made.

Oh, and I cracked open the Wii game and watched the gameplay screens that play while idle. Oh mama...now I have two visor-wearing games to play through! And you play as a bitchin' chick! How cool is that?

Then again, it's just a label...

That was fast. Super fast. I didn't even have time to miss it. And all the data seems to be back intact - didn't need to use my SD card backup to recover any losses. The only change is the different serial number on the bottom. Sorta like this Wii is my old one's evil twin, except this one has that one distinguishable flaw. And my old Wii is trapped somewhere in a jail, trying desperately to reason with its captors that he is not the one they're looking for, and that if they don't do something fast, his twin will get away with his evil scheme. But they don't believe him, and he gets beat up behind bars, while the evil one sits in front of me, snickering at how everything is going according to plan.

Great, now my Wii's evil. It's Wii-vil! BWAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Eh, it's back. That's all that matters. That, and which game to play now: the old or the new.

[UPDATE]
In case you guys were wondering, my Wii went in for repairs last Friday, and just got back yesterday, Monday - a mere 4 days! (6, if you include the fact I shipped it last Wednesday)

[UPDATE to UPDATE]
Okay, yesterday was Tuesday, not Monday. So, it took 5 days, 7 with shipping. I'm stupid.

Lumines? Lumines...

Okay, I feel I should provide a back story to this, so here it goes:

I bought a PSP when it came out so I could play Lumines. I bought Lumines. Loved playing Lumines. Played Lumines to death. Then played a little Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee. Then went back to playing Lumines. Wasn't interested in crop of games that came out, and played another system more. Much more. Traded PSP and games in for Xbox 360, and then returned the Xbox 360 because I realized I wouldn't have much time playing more games on a new system. The end.

Now that you know that, know that I am again interested in the new PSP slim.

Yes, it's lighter, has video out, and, yes, there are some games now that I'm interested in playing or obtaining. The question I ask myself now is, will I still be playing it after I buy it?

I think I'm a bit more confident that I'll give it more playtime now. That is, if I ever stop playing Lumines...

No Wii for me!!

So my Wii is officially in the shop. Called them yesterday and found out that it has been received. Can't say I'm not bummed, but the way I see it, I have about a week to tie up some loose ends - or, in my case, start some.