BTUI (Buying Things Under the Influence)

I kind of decided to buy Boom Blox: Bash Party while tipsy the other night. It turned out to be a great decision as the game is spectacular, but it got me thinking about buying things while drunk or in other altered states.

I've often joked about my list of games that I'm just waiting for a drunk night to go and buy. Currently, this list is two games strong:

• Cho Aniki (A homoerotic TG16 shooter on Virtual Console)


• Pong Toss (that beer pong WiiWare game)

(Random Musing: the lead singer in Coheed and Cambria sounds like Geddy Lee. It's weird.)

Those two games have populated that list since last fall and I've still yet to buy them. It could be that the Wii's interface to buy games (especially with a credit card) requires too much effort for a drunk enough version of me to operate, but maybe I have some restraint. Obviously not enough restraint for a $40 retail game, though. I confuse myself.

I think I would've been more likely to buy things while drunk on Xbox 360 because it saves my credit card info. I probably have bought a few Rock Band songs that way, actually.

I have actually purchased a game on the Wii's Virtual Console while drunk, though. I bought Chew Man Fu while drunk, and that game fucking rocks. It's this weird ball-rolling puzzle game for TG16 that's on the Virtual Console.

I don't really have any more steam for this thought, though. I'm spent.

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Boom Blox: Bash Party is fucking fantastic, though. I really recommend it to anyone with a Wii because it's got got the best multiplayer this side of a Nintendo game. There's so much variety in the gameplay. I'm 20% into the game and already I've gone through five different gameplay mechanics. And there even seems to be advanced versions of each gameplay mechanic as you master the first batch.

The most interesting one thus far is definitely the underwater mechanic. They fuck with the physics and have underwater physics and they require you to throw gems up to the surface before they hit the ground. At first, they're all stationary and it is easy. Soon, there's all sorts of other blocks around and a fucking octopus swatting at your shit. It's fucking intense. There's a space level, too, but I haven't gotten there yet. I'm pumped for it.

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Tomorrow is my fiancee's hyphy party. Should be a good time. I imagine we might ghost ride a whip and listen to some E-40. Perhaps we'll drink hyphy juice. Idk. I just wanna keep it treal.

For now, it is time to debate whether or not to go to bed, or boot up the Wii and play some Boom Blox or try out the Munchables.

Intro, E3, and My DSi

I don't know how long this will last, but I'm going try to reboot this P.O.S. into some sort of game journal with occasional distractions (like my token summer movie musings and such).

Anyone that's a fan of more abstract weird shit, go to the Venkman Suite, which is my community blog with my now fiancee and our two best friends. Its not updated often, but whatever.

If you like reading even more abstract shit, read my fiancee's blog about...well, just read it.

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I went to E3 last week. Words can't really describe how insanely awesome and tiring it was. All I'll do for now is link you to Nintendo World Report's coverage of it, which is insanely robust. I will be contributing to a post-E3 feature soon, so I'll keep you posted on that.

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I've been loving the crap out of my DS lately as I picked up Nintendo's The Legendary Starfy on Sunday and downloaded WayForward's Mighty Flip Champs and Nintendo's Mario vs. DK: Minis March Again. All of them are pretty fantastic. I'm getting near the point where I can write up reviews on MFC and Mario vs. DK, so look for that on NWR soon (I'll try to throw up a link).

I'm really liking Starfy though. It reminds me of an underwater Kirby with better level design. It's pretty simple, but it's got this undeniable charm and surprisingly good sense of humor. It's been kind of a cakewalk, but it's been a wonderful contrast to the difficulty of Mighty Flip Champs. I can't wait to see what other powers Starfy will get and see what other bosses there will be. The bosses are easy, but I love how they terrorize not just one level, but an entire world.

My DS will continue to get love as I await the arrival of Atari's Ghostbusters DS for review.

Although that pesky lil Wii will be getting some love as well thanks to the coming storm of The Munchables, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (hopefully), Let's Tap, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, and maybe Indiana Jones Wii.

Top 5 Xbox 360 Games of 2008

I work for a Nintendo website, so my Xbox 360 and the games I buy for it are rarely talked about.
That being said, I need some soap box to stand on so I can tell the world my top 5 Xbox 360 games of 2008.

#5 - Prince of Persia

A fucking beautiful game that looks similar to a watercolor painting. I thoroughly enjoyed its 10+ hour adventure and I don't have much to complain about besides the fact that the game plays itself a bit.
The ending is awesome, though.

#4 - Mirror's Edge

I really love this game despite its evident faults, such as questionable combat and frustrating deaths. The single player story, while short, is very enjoyable and brings about a different kind of platforming. The time trials are where the game shines and I eagerly anticipate the DLC at the end of the month.

#3 - Fable II

There's some Sims stuck in my open-world adventure game! The sheer amount of content in this game is astounding regardless of the short main quest (that I still haven't completed but watched my roommate complete). It would easily claim the top spot if it weren't for the amount of repetition and the lame bosses.

#2 - Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts

There's some vehicle creation in my platformer! While some might hate on the change of pace in this game, I loved it. With a wealth of different things to do, this game easily sucked me into its crazy world. Rare still has a sense of humor. Yay!

#1 - Left 4 Dead

Party game of the year. Valve once again proves that they are probably the best developers in the world (at least for FPS) by making a zombie-killing with only four levels that are different every time. Easily accesible, lots of challenge. Wonderful.

Game of the Forever: Rock Band 2 - I can't really compare this to any other game. I love Harmonix and I love Rock Band.

Top 3 Downloadable Games (XBox 360)

#3 - Sega Soccer Slam - Best Xbox Original EVAR! (I know Psychonauts is really good...)
#2 - Braid - Fun game, lots of pretention
#1 - Bionic Commando: Rearmed - Beautiful remake of a great game. Multiplayer? Awesome!

Games That Missed the Mark

Fallout 3 - I played this and then realized how much I don't really like Bethesda games. No offense, I respect them for making huge games and all, they're just not my bag.

Grand Theft Auto 4 - All GTAs are the same to me. I really only like fucking around in them. I don't care for the monotonous story.