I am sad Brett Favre retired: A Rope of Sand

Sorry for the day off, I am actually trying to post everyday now. I will probably post twice today to compensate.
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There's a few reason why I didn't post yesterday and let's get to the one that will probably resonate with me for the longest.
My favorite sports player ever, Brett Favre, retired yesterday. I'm still not really believing it.
It all started when I was in the food court with Lauren and she was like, "Hey look! Brett Favre's on TV!" and I looked over and what did ESPN say?
"Brett Favre to retire from NFL"
and it also said something about being on the phone Desmond Howard which really makes me wonder if Jamal Reynolds wasn't available or something. Desmond Howard was with the team, for what, a Super Bowl? Like fucking seriously, they could've been able to contact someone with some kind of bigger connection to Favre than Desmond fucking Howard. Doesn't Shannon Sharpe work for ESPN? Just call his ass up and be like 'put your brother on the line'.
Anyway, Favre's retirement put a somber tone on the entire day and still has me being all mopey still. He was an institution. He's been the starting quarterback for the Packers since I was 4 years old. That's a long ass time!
He will be missed from week to week, but he left a lasting legacy that will probably not be forgotten.
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I had a philosophy paper due today which I was working on during the majority of my free time yesterday. So that ate up my potential blogging time.
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I also had to deal with intramural sports bullshit including a group of defectees and the loss of our potential team captain to said defectees. So, if you're interested in being the captain of an intramural soccer team, lemme know.
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4 days til Brawl...

Cleaning Out the Refridgerator (or How I Learned About Virtual Console Economics)

I've been having a problem as of late. Whenever I go to download a game off of the Wii Virtual Console, I look at an ever-shrinking number of artificial "blocks" that make up my Wii's Storage System.
I remember, a long time in the year of 2006, thinking to myself as I download Bomberman '93 and Sonic the Hedgehog, "Damn, that's a lot of room. I'm never going to fill this up."
I was wrong.
Dead wrong.

Right now my Virtual Console list stands at 24 strong:
NES (11): Adventures of Lolo, Bubble Bobble, Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden II, Ninja Gaiden III, Punch-Out!, Startropics, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 2, Super Mario Bros 3 and Wario's Woods
TG16 (2): Bomberman '93 and Chew Man Fu
Genesis (4): Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine, Gunstar Heroes, Kid Chameleon and Sonic the Hedgehog
SNES (3): Super Castlevania IV, Super Mario World and Super Metroid
N64 (5): F-Zero X, Kirby 64, Mario Kart 64, Pokemon Snap and Sin & Punishment

And, my fridge has almost filled up. Soon I'm going to have to make tough decisions for my Virtual Console future. What game on this list would be my first to go?
I have my thoughts. Some of these games aren't neccesarily classics and were perhaps accidental purchases made in a drunken stupor (only Chew Man Fu falls into that category. It was my birthday, I drank a few White Russians, I bought a racist video game) but I have a little bit of sentimental attachment to all of them. After all, I bought them and the amount of crap you have to go through to get this shit (connecting to the internet, buying points, downloading the game) means it wasn't exactly easy.

I guess the point of this could have been summed up in a small sentence:
Get off your ass, Nintendo, and make a fucking Wii harddrive!!!!!

Also, 6 days til Brawl.

UPDATED 3/4: I forgot Pokemon Snap. Also, I refrained from doing this earlier, but here is my grand total of Virtual Console expenditures (including NJ sales tax): $186.18
So, for the price of Rock Band, I bought the Wii rights to 25 games.
In a sadder post, I might go in depth into my Rock Band spending.

I think I have today's post figured out...

The Hills Are Alive...

I saw the Sound of Music at my old high school. That was cool. The set was, I believe this is the only term for it, dope as hell. The Von Trapp house was ridiculous. Bravo stage crew. I am proud of the people I once worked with and the people who I don't know.
Personally, I think the show sucks dick. It's a terrible terrible show, but this was a good performance of a bad show, much like Gypsy. My fondness for fabled 'classics' of musical theatre wear out once the plots are shown to callous attempts at leading into another song.
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March Mustache Madness has begun and I am now clean shaven for the first time since early January. Good luck to all involved with this ridiculous idea.
Remember, trimming is allowed but only to accentuate whatever facial hair you're focusing on.
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It's March 1st, so that means Brawl is only 8 days away. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so pumped...
Like, for realz, I am so damn pumped.
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I beat Professor Layton. Haven't finished all the puzzles in it yet, but the main story is complete so the urge to play it is a little dulled. I'll still kick back and knock out puzzles whenever I get an oppurtunity. The game is amazing and the replay value lies in the depth of the extra puzzles.
You might not technically replay the game, but there is a lot to do.
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I'm kind of pissed at Harmonix but in a very good way.
The leaked DLC list for March was scheduled to have a stupid Thrash pack to kick off the month. I was happy as a pig in shit for this because I want to stop buying songs for the game as I think it is slowly driving me broke.
However, they happen to announce 6 Grateful Dead songs and while I am not a deadhead, Lauren's kind of into them and their music might be fun in a stoner Rock Band sort of way.
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I really wanna play Brawl...
Like, now.
*sigh*

The Recurring Sakurai

I figure I'll keep up with the random musings until I decide what to do with writing in this blog. I might try to do focused articles or keep this up.
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West Virginia is not a real state. It is a vortex where people think they are in West Virginia, but they are really in Alabama.
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Professor Layton is truly like crack. I am in love with everything about this game and I've had fucked up puzzle dreams to prove it.
Coincidentally, these dreams are separate from the infamous dream I had last week where I dreamt that I was sick and went to my 11 AM class...and then realized I was still sleeping and woke up...and then didn't go to 11 AM class because I thought I already went. I was also very delirious and sick. (see two posts ago when I said I was 'sick and at work').
Anyway, Layton rocks the house and I just witnessed the most balls to the wall cut scene in a DS game since anything from Contra IV. It involves a top-hat-wearing professor, his apprentice, what appears to be a pier and a ferris wheel.
If you have a DS, buy this game.
If you don't have a DS, buy a DS and this game.
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Masahiro Sakurai has now become my favorite living video game developer. He sits at that throne just on top of Miyamoto (Mario, Zelda, Nintendo), Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Series) and the dude who made Rez. Naturally, my favorite video game developer is Gunpei Yokoi, but he died in a car accident, so what the fuck, world? The poor man was hit by a car shortly after he was let go by Nintendo because of Virtual Boy. It would have been so pimp if they had some big reunion and then he made Ultra Metroid or something with a better title and then we could all sing and dance and not have any more war.
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So anyway, I've been digging Sakurai lately mainly because of his work on Brawl and the Dojo blog. He also created Kirby at the age of 19, which is really an inspiring feat, or would be if I wasn't turning 20 in 3 weeks. So now I'm in the 'usually eschewed by sports players' feeling of failure because I haven't made my Kirby yet...
*sigh*
I think I'm going to play more of Kirby 64 when I get back to my room...
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Fuck the naysayers cuz they don't mean a thing!
Kirby 64 is surprisingly good. I remember playing it a long time ago and been a little underwhelmed...not sure why. It is definitely not as deep as Kirby Superstar, but it has its own charm that makes it better than your average game. What can I say, Kirby's adorable. You can't tell me you don't smile when he does his cute lil arm wave and says 'HIIIIIIII!' in Smash Bros.
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Sakurai also was a part of the team that made Adventures of Lolo, which is probably the Professor Layton of the NES.
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What the fuck happened to Jake Plummer? I know he's retired, but for fuck's sake. He grows one playoff beard and goes off the deep end.
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I think if I invite mc chris to one more Facebook event of group, he'll actually go....either that or he'll defriend me...
Also, does anyone remember how fucking awesome Adult Swim was back in the day? Old Sea Lab, ATHF and Brak Show are sadly unmatched these days. Venture Bros is the only show that hearkens back to that era.
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I wonder what games Sakurai will make after Brawl?
I think he's done with Nintendo and he's going to work with his new company, Sora. I very much anticipate his next venture.
Just like I anticipate the next Professor Layton game as I'm closing in on the end of the first one.
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I mentioned my favorite game developers (referring to singular people), and now I feel like mentioning my favorite development companies. Nintendo, HAL Labs, Intelligent Systems, Game Freak, Tecmo (circa Ninja Gaiden I,II and III and Tecmo Super Bowl), Silicon Knights (except Dyack is kind of a cocky prick), Harmonix, Square (circa FFVI, SMRPG and Chrono Trigger), Sonic Team (before whatever point they went insane), Next Level Games and Level 5.

Being sick at work sucks donkey dick. Which, coincidentally is a possible way of how I have this killer sore throat right now.
Or it could be from the cold and wind going down my throat and my immune system finally wearing down after a season of fighting the wintery weather hardcore for a week and then being like 'eh, too many layers' and sending myself out onto the frozen tundra of William Paterson with nothing but pants, shoes and a jacket.
If there is anything illegible in this post, I blame Wayne Hall, for all I've eaten has been at that grimy place of food stuffs.
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You wonderful readers witnessed history the other day. My Y: The Last Man and Barkley posts were restructured into semi-legitimate newspaper articles for one of the P.O.S. bi-weekly newspapers at my school. I will continue to use this as a testing ground to see if I have enough bullshit to write about on a topic to turn it into article length.
My next topics for writing are going to be two of these four: Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Darjeeling Limited, Justice League: New Frontier and the new Murder By Death CD.
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Some notes on my brief play time with Professor Layton:
-It's like Phoenix Wright with no court and all logic puzzles.
-Has a very nice European animation style (Think Tin Tin or Triplets of Belleville)
-Puzzles sometimes thread on 'holy fuck this shit is hard' territory but for every one seemingly impossible puzzle, there are at least five that make you feel semi-smart instead of totally retarded.
-If there ever was a game that made you feel like you were mentally challenged, this would be it.
-Great characters
-See the Game|Life PSA at the end of their coverage of Brawl.
-If you own a DS, you owe it to yourself to buy this game.
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I've reached the point of a highly anticipated event when I stop following a normal calendar and just state the day as "Today is 19 days away from Brawl".
If people recall, I wrote a week and a half long poem about Rock Band (See the 12 Days of Rock Band) because of my anticipation for the game.
Will Brawl get the same treatment? I'm not sure. Will I write about it a lot? YA GODDAMN RIGHT! There's a huge difference between Brawl and Rock Band. Rock Band is noisy and I can't play it every moment of the day. Brawl can be a rather noiseless game if needed, so I will probably stop playing the game for classes and a few hours at work so I can catch up with schoolwork.
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Roger Clemens is fucking guilty.
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Heroes is a fucking kickass show. I finished Season One the other day and I am avoiding beginning Season Two because I know its only 12 episodes and that there will be no new episodes until at least September.
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I downloaded "El Scorcho" by Weezer and "Sex Type Thing" by STP from the Rock Band DLC Treasure Trove. El Scorcho is fantastic and Sex Type Thing just makes me think of the Weird Al Polka that it is in.
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Today I bought Ninja Gaiden III off of Virtual Console. I've actually never played the game and I am very excited to cry and piss and moan while playing it because, after playing it for 15 minutes before I had to go to work, I could only manage to get to the second half of level two. Fucking Tecmo and their ridiculously hard games.
There's a reason I haven't played the new Ninja Gaiden and that is because I know how hard the originals are and I don't feel like fucking crying in 3D. Crying in 2D is tough enough.
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For anyone that got to the end, I have a question of beardly proportions. I have some semblance of a beard going on and I am giving you, the reader, some options as to what you, the reader, think I, the writer, should do with it.
A) Just go all Grizzly Adams with it
2) Shave it so I look like a 14 year old instead of a 17 year old
c) Make it a Goat
D) Grow a 'Stache
5) Leave the burns, chop the rest
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Nearing 18 days til Brawl...

Y: The Last Man is over *single tear*

My Super Smash Bros Brawl predictions were right.

Albeit I can't take credit for them as I merely read a lot of rumors and than speculated on what seemed the most legit and likely, but regardless, its sweet.

Words cannot express how much I am looking forward to this game.

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Y: The Last Man wrapped up today with issue #60. I wish I could delve into everything that made this story amazing and perfect, but that's the play and I wouldn't want to give it away.

All musical references aside, this comic series easily trumps every other comic series I have ever read. To summarize, it is about Yorick, a 22-year old slacker who, along with his pet capuchin monkey Ampersand, becomes the last man on Earth when a plague hits the world and kills every male creature. The 60 issues that detail this story follow Yorick and his two caretakers, Agent 355 (a member of the secret Culper Ring) and Dr. Allison Mann (a geneticist) and Yorick's eventual run-in with adulthood. There's a bunch of sex, ninjas, pirates, monkeys, tits, Amazons, a bunch of pop culture references and exotic locales. It's amazing.

I threw up a PDF of the first issue for all of youse peoples reading enjoyment. Read it, tell me what you think.

Anyone who has finished all 60 issues, talk to me. I need someone else to talk about this.

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I think that is everything relevant going on right now.
As far as gaming goes, my habits continue to be my other part time job as I seem to fit time and feel like I should play (not saying I don't enjoy it, but there's so many fucking games I want to play).
This week has been Mario Strikers Charged return to glory. I sat down on two consecutive nights and finally beat the Crystal Cup and unlocked Diddy Kong. Now all that is left is the insurmountable wall of the Striker Cup. I will probably put the game down and come back to it again in a few months.
Eternal Sonata is currently on my gaming backburner. I haven't had the time for an RPG as of late and thus I've been focusing on my short play session games. I'm stuck at Fort Fermata which, from what I read, is the place where everybody stops because its a weird/tricky/confusing/stupid puzzle and everything looks the same and because I put the game down for a while, I don't know where to go. Pending on when time frees up, I will probably sit down with a walkthrough and churn through that part and then continue my Chopin-inspired journey through a music-referencing world.
Rock Band, as per usual, gets a lot of play. Not as much as it has in the past, but once a week there is usually a DLC song or three that demand me to buy them.
I downloaded the Adventures of Lolo, Bubble Bobble and Startropics on Virtual Console. Lolo is hard as shit, I think I am on floor 6 of 10. I'm on the final boss in Bubble Bobble with Lauren. I plowed through Startropics' first two worlds and now the game actually gets mildly challenging, so I have to be awake while I play now.
I'll probably be playing some more Super Smash Bros Melee as Brawl approaches. Melee will benefit from what I will dub "Guitar Hero Syndrome". "Guitar Hero Syndrome" is the phenomena where you play a game a lot, regardless of quality, because you are anticipating a similar game or sequel. GHS has occured with Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy, Rock Band and now, Super Smash Bros Brawl. It is dubbed after Guitar Hero because I personally think Guitar Hero III is a shitty, shitty terrible game and the only reason I bought the game was because Rock Band wasn't out yet. Basically, I spent $100 on GH3 for a wireless guitar and Contra IV.
But apparently GHIII has Journey, so it's just a shitty terrible game.

Super Smash Bros Brawl Character Theories

Well, there is one week til the Japanese Brawl release...and 44 days til the American release.
*coughcough*BULLSHIT!*cough*
Anyway, I figure I'd throw my hat into the ring for the veritable character bonanza going on. It's almost like my NFL playoff predictions (where I am 7-3 this year) where I place my bets and get no monetary value...just self-satisfaction or demoralization.

Before I get into that, I'll make a brief comment on my NFL playoff predictions. I aced Wild Card weekend (even though I still rooted for the Redskins, I knew the Seahawks would win) and then I bombed in the AFC in the Divisional Round. Then the Packers loss made my record 7-3. If I pick the Super Bowl correctly, than I beat last year's record of 7-4.
My pick for the Super Bowl will be in similar fashion as my AFC Championship game pick. I'm picking the Patriots but will by no means be disappointed if the Giants win.

Alright...Brawl character speculation time...
I think there will be 35 characters. This rumor has circulated and while there could be some doubt, it is a number that makes sense.
Now for the list...

Confirmed
1. Mario
2. Link
3. Kirby
4. Pikachu
5. Yoshi
6. Bowser
7. Samus/Zero Suit Samus
8. Peach
9. Ice Climbers
10. Fox
11. Zelda/Shiek
12. Donkey Kong
13. Pit
14. Meta Knight
15. King Dedede
16. Ike
17. Olimar
18. Snake
19. Sonic
20. Lucas
21. Wario
22. Pokemon Trainer
23. Diddy Kong

These 23 are all confirmed by the wonderful Smash Blog

Practically Confirmed
24. Ness
25. Jigglypuff
26. Lucario

These are practically confirmed by a leaked Japanese video with a screenshot with their picture. Look it up, its on the internets.

27. Luigi
28. Captain Falcon

The final two unconfirmed originals. These guys will be in it.

My Thoughts
29. Ganondorf
30. Falco
31. Marth
32. Mr. Game & Watch

Ganondorf is close to the practically confirmed list. Falco makes too much sense to come back. Marth was a well liked character and I think we'll see two Fire Emblem characters and I think he is the only other logical choice. Sakurai loves crazy shit, so G&W is shoe-in...similarly to why we see 3 Kirby characters and a bunch of things that echo Kirby Air Ride.

33. Wolf
34. Wind Waker Link
35. R.O.B.

I am picking up these 3 mainly from speculation. Wolf would be cool as hell if and only if he is different from Fox and Falco in ways other than a different speed. He has potential to be a bad ass character. Wind Waker Link might be a pipe dream but I think it is a really cool idea to have a character that is done in a drastically different style and it seems something that is just crazy enough to work. Give the guy some Wind Waker abilities and you are not getting much of a Link clone. R.O.B. is a rumor but with his inclusion in Mario Kart DS, it doesn't seem too far enough. I have no fucking clue what his moveset would be though.

As for the characters that are cut...
Roy is the Fire Emblem character that time will forget.
Mewtwo had his movie and now he is old news. Lucario 'replaces' him in my mind.
Pichu was a pile of shit anyway.
I loved Dr. Mario, but there's no point for him as he is a clone.

There you have it. My picks for the remaining characters in Super Smash Bros Brawl. I'll review these before the American launch mainly because there is a FUCKING MONTH AND A HALF GAP!!!
Fucking Nintendo...

Big Road Trip, Big Brawl Delay, Big Game

I am currently in a state of exhaustation as I just completed a marathon week long car trip that began and ended in my home in Central Jersey. It also included stops in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Delaware.
I am fucking tired.
I also got to see my cousin's beautiful baby boy (he's now a month old), see other family I haven't seen on a regular basis and hang out with Lauren's awesome friend, Steph.
And I am still fucking tired.

Super Smash Bros Brawl is delayed for the second (arguably third) time. The original launch date was the Wii launch which was the fault of a laughable dickhole remark by Nintendo president, Satoru Iwata. The comment just being a big scam to get Super Smash Bros creator to come back to Nintendo and make the third game.
The second delay was from the original launch date of December 3rd, 2007 to February 10th, 2008. Many people cried over this (I am included) and Nintendo used the revelation of Sonic as a playable character to shadow this blow.
Now we are at the heel of the third delay. February 10th, 2008 to March 9th, 2008. Once again, Nintendo announces a new character to mask the dismay. However, they forgot no one gives a shit about the guy from Pikmin, and everyone is fucking pissed. (Author's Note: I actually enjoyed Pikmin and think that his character is cool, albeit not Sonic cool (or Sonic good. I stopped at a Sonic on the way down to Florida. Holy shit, that food is good.))
But let's look at the good. This delay will only mean that the launch will go smoother and the game will have more polish. Maybe new things won't be added, but everything should work to perfection.
The bad? Well, Japan still gets the game this month and they only had a week delay as opposed to the month delay that America gets. Lord only knows when Europe will get it.
Aw fuck it. It's just a marketing ploy by Nintendo of America to release the game in a dead month closer to Easter and have more Wiis and games to ship out the door because everyone and their mother wants this fucking game.
I will wait eagerly for this game until March 9th. I don't care, they can delay this game again and I'll still be here wagging my tail thinking it was delayed because I'm not house trained yet.
Next fucking topic.


The Green Bay Packers are, currently, the second best team in the NFL (standings-wise). I was being mighty cocky trumpeting the team early in the season but ya know what? I wasn't too far off. Regardless of what happens this weekend, this team far exceeded expectations and right now they have a damn good chance of making it to the Super Bowl and a legitimate chance of winning it.
I am happy. I hopefully will be happier, but I am really happy right now.

Oh yea, tell all your friends. This is getting updated regularly again.

13 Days Til Rock Band

I sit here at my place of work with just under 13 days until Rock Band comes out.
As most of you might be aware, I am just a little bit excited for this game.
As a treat to all of my reading faithful, I will post once every day until the game comes out. The post might not be anything about Rock Band (it probably will) but I will write something everyday until the game comes out.
So from November 7th until just before the clock strikes midnight and closes out November 19th, be prepared.

So anyway, Rock Band has done some cool things before it has even come out. For one, it has gotten me into Rush. Tom Sawyer is an amazing fucking song. I always liked YYZ in GH2 and have never really hated on Rush. I knew Neil Peart was a great drummer and that, according to Dave the Lighting Guy in Orgazmo, Geddy Lee is 'the best bass player ever'. It wasn't until I played Tom Sawyer with the Stephen Rockers at Rock Band Tour Philly that I truly realized how awesome this band is. I can't wait to play Tom Sawyer a lot and attempt to beat the song on Expert on drums.

Super Mario Galaxy is sneaking up on me. Its also not receiving the credit from me it deserves. I've put Rock Band on this outrageous pedastal when the game that is being compared to Super Mario Bros 3 just kind of chills waiting for me to be like, "Oh shit, that came out today. I guess I'll buy it. *shrug*"
I've yet to read a negative thing about Mario Galaxy and I hurriedly downloaded Super Mario Bros 3 on Virtual Console to get myself mentally prepared. While I am saddened by the lack of Tanooki Suit, I'm joyous for the 3D Fire Flower and the various other power ups. I am currently planning on watching the Wizard at some point in preparation. I could always do some weird shit and look at pictures of Rilo Kiley and then feel really awkward when I watch the Wizard and Jenny Lewis appears in all her tomboy-prepubescent manner. Oh, and apparently there's some fucked up date rape video where Fred Savage kills DJ from Full House. Chalk that up there with Ryan Reynolds being 12 years old with a drunk mom in a Canadian after school special.

Steve Rock (Sly Rocktar of Stephen Rockers fame) tried to talk me into getting Call of Duty 4 because apparently the game just totally rapes Halo 3. All the hype I've read points to this statement being true, but I just can't bring myself to buying another first person shooter, considering I barely play Halo 3 right now and haven't even beaten campaign (its not that it was hard or anything, I just don't care. If I sit down to play Halo 3, its usually for multiplayer). Also, I'm already overwhelmed by games coming out. I've gone over it in the past. This month is fucking packed. And there's already at least 3 games that I can think of that are already out that I really want to buy. This is going to be the best offseason of gaming ever for me because I'll probably have the likes of Mass Effect, Zack and Wiki, Assassin's Creed and NiGHTS to keep my busy. Although Brawl comes out in February and Mario Kart Wii comes out in Spring...
What the fuck! Is there even an offseason anymore? I need an offseason! How the fuck else am I going to keep up with gaming.
Oh yea, that span of 2-3 years when the next generation of systems come about and everything is dead...

I need more allowance! Yodel-lay-he-hoo!

Its been quite a while since I actually finished a post. I just cleared out my back log of 3 half-written posts that were never finished. I shall now summarize them for you.
1) A dissertation on what games I should buy
2) I play Guitar Hero a lot
3) Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law got delayed til next year because Capcom realized 18 million other games were coming out in November.

Speaking of that, I'm pretty November 2007 might be one of the busiest months in gaming history. While there is no big launch of a new system, its the first time since gaming arguably became mainstream that 3 systems have been running at full speed.
That is, if we argue that gaming didn't become mainstream until about 2002-2003, when Gamecube was already declared dead by the general populous because its one mainstream title, Super Smash Bros Melee, had come out 2 weeks after launch. I'm still of the opinion that the majority of people that saw the original Twilight Princess trailer thought it was coming out on a new console since Gamecube was already being completely ignored by every company except Nintendo.
But anyway, November is fucking busy...and we are currently 2 days away from it.

Now this is where I go into the three previous posts that were never officially posted.

We are currently coming off the release of Guitar Hero III, which I'm pretty sure will top Halo 3 in sales, except it won't officially be so because GHIII is coming out for 5 different systems and that means there are 5 different SKUs.
On that note, Guitar Hero III is a wonderful game. A game. That's all. Its no longer the revolution that Harmonix joyously brought us two years ago. I can see why Harmonix left it. I'm having a lot of fun with this game but, in my opinion, it brings nothing substantially new to the series and genre besides new songs. The battle mode is cool but it makes it less of "OMFG I'm playing guitar!' and makes it 'Oh shit, I gotta get the power-ups!' I've made this comment to a lot of people but it still holds true: I'm waiting to fail a song and hear the Mario Game Over music.
Although the boss battles are very fun, but I'd much rather just have it be a straight up face-off.

So anyway, the month of November is almost upon us and there is a veritable maelstrom of games coming our way.

The first week (Oct 28-Nov 3) offers some fun options that might sucker the person who is unaware of the grander things to come.
Manhunt 2 (Wii, PS2) comes out just in time for Halloween and for a short time following the end of the controversy this game provided, I wanted it. Then I saw the new trailer and heard the testicle-crunching scene was removed. Sadness...
The Simpsons Game (A lot) is also coming out. I think in time for the DVD, but I have seen no mention of the DVD in my all-internet, little-TV-watching world.
Battalion Wars 2 (Wii) is one of the latest in the long line of games Nintendo doesn't advertise. I'll be honest, I fucking forgot this game was even coming out. Whatever. If you like RTS', you'll probably like this game.
Viva Pinata: Party Animals (360) also hits stands this week. Downloaded the demo at Lauren's behest. Its terrible terrible Sonic-and-the-Secret-Rings-Mario-Party-copy crap. When is Viva Pinata DS coming out anyway? We need that game like we need water. A lot.
Virtua Fighter 5 (360) comes out too. *yawn* Played the PS3 demo many moons ago. Not a big fighter dude. I am looking forward to Street Fighter 4 though. Mainly because my fighting game preference comes from nostalgia (Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Marvel vs. Capcom and Super Smash Bros)
So there's week one. This is light and I'll probably only purchase the Simpsons Game, but not right away. I recommend BWII for anyone who enjoys RTS and Manhunt 2 just simply doesn't excite me anymore.

So Week 2 (Nov 4-10) begins...
Call of Duty 4 (360, PS3) comes out and this game looks fucking awesome. However, my FPS quota has been filled with Halo 3 and thus, I'm passing (for now) on what appears to be Halo's only FPS competitor.
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) looks to be only must-almost-buy of the week. I remain a bit hesitant because Sega has done nothing but break my heart over the years but, like a beaten girlfriend, I keep on being optimistic that they're going to change. This game should be solid because of Nintendo's minor involvement, but NiGHTS worries me.
Fire Emblem (Wii) is released in the same demographic as Battalion Wars. It fits the bills for the game Nintendo forgets they are releasing. It just seems to be no improvement from prior Fire Emblem games and thus, I remain unexcited. They're good games, but they're just not for me anymore.
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (A lot) looks to be a solid upgrade for the series. This has always been a series I wanted to get into but can never justify spending a lot of money on it and usually always end up skipping on it. I will probably buy this game in a year or two when a November is not as packed as this (will it ever happen?).
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Some Ridiculous Subtitle (PS2) comes out and promises to be the best golf-fighting game ever.
Interesting note: Viva Pinata hits PC this week. Since my strength lies in consoles, I had no idea of this. If you don't a 360 and own a decent computer, buy this game.
The only game this week that demands my money is Mario & Sonic, but even that might swallowed up by my zest for the coming weeks...

If this month were a movie, this would be the beginning of a two part climax (ew...sticky). Week 3 (Nov 11-17) brings about the most games and is the week that the delayed Harvey Birdman was originally going to come out.
The headliner of this week is obviously Super Mario Galaxy (Wii). This will be a possible Game of the Year and is on an elite level all of its own. Its Mario and it controls wonderfully and from my brief experience with the game, it elicits that magical feeling that one gets whenever he plays Super Mario 64 (which I'm pretty sure is required to be played before you graduate high school now).
Contra IV (DS) rounds out the must-buys for the week and will probably frustrate me until the day I die (which is hopefully years from now. I've got to be able to stay alive until 311 becomes classic rock and is featured in Rock Band). Trust me, this shit is hard.
Assassin's Creed (360, PS3) is a game that would probably be a sure purchase for me at any other time of the year. However, it comes out a week before Rock Band and the same day as Super Mario Galaxy and Contra IV. As much as Kristen Bell's vocal involvement compels me to buy this game, I might have to pass.
Rayman Raving Rabids 2 (Wii) should be infinitely better than its predecessor. This game has no identity crisis anymore. It knows it is born to be a multiplayer game and it shall run with glee through the grassy fields.
Soul Calibur Legends (Wii), while not the fighter we all wish it would be, is still should be an amazing game that delves into the highly involved story that Soul Calibur apparently has. I think Raphael is in it and it will probably include some sort of demonic blade thingy.
We'll follow up Soul Calibur with an actual fighting game. DBZ: Budokai Tenakaichi Gibberish Jap Speak 3 (Wii) is going to once again show the world how a non-Smash Bros fighting game is done on Wii. And its going to be online. Allon, please buy this.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii) represents the shooter game that probably will have the least frustrating controls of any Resident Evil game ever. I wish I would buy this day 1 and shoot shit all the time. However, I need more allowance.
Beowulf is supposed to be bloody as fuck. Cool
Luxor and Puzzle Quest come out for Wii this week. A Zuma clone and probably the coolest puzzle/RPG hybrid ever? These will be must purchases in the lull of spring/summer.
This week basically has two games on the innovative pieces of work Nintendo is championing. Super Mario Galaxy and Contra IV overshadow every other good game coming out this week. I don't have enough time to play all this shit!

This second to last week (the climax/falling action of our epic) is ROCK BAND WEEK!!!!
ROCK BAND COMES OUT AND WILL RULE THE WORLD WITH A METAL FIST WITH PUNK AND CLASSIC ROCK AND A LOT MORE.
I'm buying Rock Band this week. Duh.
Link's Crossbow Training (Wii) sees release this week. I will buy this, but only because its 20 bucks.
Mass Effect (360) is going to be amazing, but its not Rock Band and I won't play it yet. I wish I had time, but alas, Rock Band is more important than the spiritual sequel to KOTOR.
I probably missed games this week, but after mentioning Rock Band, I stopped focusing on this and started daydreaming about Rock Band.

Week 5 is a shitty denouement. Nothing of note comes out.

So...the month's tally comes to:
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games $49.99
Super Mario Galaxy $49.99
Contra IV $34.99
Link's Crossbow Training $19.99
Rock Band $169.99
Grand Total (+Tax) $347.70

That's an entire paycheck at my job and then some.
Fuckin' titties, man. Fuckin' titties...

Bionic Jack Black and Actual Feelings

Since I last left you, there has been some awesome news revealed as well as some shitty news.
Luckily the shitty news came first this time instead of last week when Nintendo revealed Sonic and then quickly announced the 2 month delay, thus putting a terrible dirty taste in people's mouths and some coal in their stockings.

Shitty news: Rock Band Tour Dates in Philly, NYC and Rutgers are apparently all cancelled. However, Philly has been rescheduled for Nov 1-4. So all is not shit.

Now on to the good news.
Bionic Commando, the NES classic with the exploding Hitler head, is being reimagined and coming out for 360, PS3 and PC. While not as wonderful as the possibility of Wii Commando and desperately lacking Nazis, this game looks to be visually stunning and should be teh awesome. I like the way the story appears to be going with the original game seeming to happen in some kind of fuzzy past or at least that is the way I take it. Basically some Bionic Commando saved the day years ago and is being framed for crimes and now after some terrorist attack he is the world's only hope. Whatever, I played Bionic Commando for the good gameplay and laughable story. So keep up the good work.

On the same note of good news, everyone should go check out the trailer for the video game Brutal Legend. The rough plot of this game is apparently a roadie (voiced by Jack Black) has to save the world by fucking slaughtering demons.
Totally a must buy.

Lauren got Beautiful Katamari yesterday and its as crazy and Japanese as I expected. If you fail something the game yells at you and is all like, "What do you think you are? A video store clerk? A screenwriter?"
Which makes me laugh, because its yelling at me.
Holy shit that was a wonderful segue into a soliloquy about how I'm unsure of what the fuck I want to do with my life.
I mean, I have no musical talent, so the immediate answer to that question (I wanna rock) is out.
I had that whole dream of being a writer. Living off crumbs and writing and eventually rolling in stupid rich money. I wanted to make movies and write fiction. In an ideal world, I would do that.
However, this is no ideal world and Shakespeare's got to get paid, son.
The whole screenwriting/moviemaking shit isn't worth it. With the advent of everything that's going on and the ease of making dumb movies and the popularity of the 'slacker' genre that I would probably be pidgeonholed in thanks to Kevin Smith's success, it would just be a very poor decision unless I had that drive to do it like I did in my youth. (I know I am still technically in my youth, but when I say youth, I mean non-monetary concious days (which are long behind me)).
Thus I raise myself a better question. Why in the fuck am I an English major if I don't want to be a writer? Well, dear reader, if you've been reading all these shit that I've been writing in this here blog, I obviously totally want to enter video game journalism. And I think I'm going to go for that. While I am in college and that means I can change that idea over and over and rework it until I graduate and have to find some means of getting money steadily, I think it is a sound idea.
Movies aren't as much of a focus of my world anymore. I love watching them and quoting them, but its fallen into more of a hobby of mine than anything else. Video games kind of became my job a long time ago thanks to the Video Game Programs and they still remain my chief hobby. Most people check CNN and shit when they wake up in the morning. I stay up until 3 AM to see the Smash Blog update and then wake up in the morning and check 8 different sites to see their opinion on it. And then check 8 more to see more video game news.
I'm done for now because I can't think of where to go next on this, but be prepared for many other 'What the fuck do I wanna do with my life?' rants in the future.

Brawl is Delayed. Here's The Bright Side.

There is none.

Yes, Super Smash Bros Brawl is delayed until February 10th, 2008. That sucks balls. However, after watching the videos from today's Media Summit, this game is fucking godly. I can't wait.
One thing that stood out: Entrances are back.
So yea, more on Brawl tomorrow.

The Bright Side to Brawl's Delay.
That's what I've been searching for all day. I'm trying to get over the game's delay and it sucks.
Let's look at other games coming out that will help the wait to Brawl be more fun.

1. Rock Band (XB360/PS3)
Rock Band will be amazing and is now set to be Game of my Year since Brawl is delayed.

2. Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Now that Brawl is delayed, Mario Galaxy will sell more than carloads, it'll sell boatloads. I feel as if this game needs more recognition as once the Bee fervor died down, its been kind of sameness. Mario Galaxy will be amazing (and not delayed)

3. Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law (Wii/PS2/PSP)
The show's over but the game has just begun. Phoenix Wright with voice-acting and more comedy? and Capcom-references coming out of every orifice? Bitchin'

4. Contra IV (DS)
Fuck yea! Bring the spread gun!

5. Beautiful Katamari (XB360)
Rolling shit is awesome/

6. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Cock (XB360/PS3/Wii/PS2)
GH is awesome. Not quite Rock Band but still solid.

7. Mario & Sonic At the Olympics (Wii/DS)
Sonic's in Brawl, but he was in this shit with Mario first. Should be a solid fun title. Good Olympics games are usually fun.

8. Mass Effect (XB360)/Assassin's Creed (XB360/PS3)
Now that Brawl is delayed, I might actually consider buying these games!

9. Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 (Wii)/Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)/Soul Calibur Legends (Wii)
These games too...

10. Eternal Sonata (XB360)/skate (XB360/PS3)/Dewy's Adventure (Wii)/Zack and Wiki (Wii)/The Simpsons Game (XB360/Wii/PS3/DS)/Geometry Wars Galaxies (Wii/DS)
Fuck...
this delay sucks because now I'm probably going to buy more games because Brawl won't be there to own me.
Rock Band might not be able to withstand the duress of suppressing my wallet...

In Other News... (Nintendo Conference)

Kirby Superstar DS = amazing
Only thing better would be that and Kirby Superstar on Virtual Console. Actually, if it comes out for DS, that might dash our Kirby Superstar VC hopes.
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Super Mario Stadium Baseball is coming out for Wii. The official subtitle was also announced. SMSB: Hitting and Pitching Balls to Bats In A Simulated Mario Baseball Setting.
(Note: Super Mario Stadium Baseball is the Japanese name. Mario Strikers Charged is something like "Mario Smash Football ChargedROFLCOPTER!" in Japan or something)
(Other Note: The game will rule and hopefully not be overshadowed like Mario Superstar Baseball)
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Mario Kart Wii is coming out in Spring 2008 and apparently will have motorcycles. Well, at least its not two people per kart.
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WiiWare (original game content released over the internet) is coming in March 2008 and will launch with a side-story sequel to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles.
The games I care about that are hitting WiiWare? Dr. Mario and Bomberman.
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Disaster: Day of Crisis has apparently not been cancelled. Still don't know what the hell it is about.
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Wii Music looks to be the sequel-in-spirit to Wii Sports.
Wii Fit is irritated by that statement, but hey, yoga's a little 'mo-ish and the game and the balance board are looking to be about 10 dollars south of Guitar Hero.
However, Wii Fit is coming out in December in Japan and probably around then in the US. That stupid fact makes the Brawl delay a lot more likely.
Although maybe Wii Fit will come out in January in America and Brawl will come out in the US in December.
Holy crap I want Brawl to come out this year...
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Timesplitters 4 has been announced.
If it comes out for Wii, Halo 3 might have a challenger.

Sonic the Hedgehog is in Super Smash Bros Brawl...but at what cost?

Yes, for all you internet-vidiot sad sacks (like me), you know that at around 3 AM this morning, Sonic the Hedgehog was revealed to be in Super Smash Bros Brawl, thus spinning the circle of events that began with Electronic Gaming Monthly making a wonderful April Fool's Joke about a dubious secret to unlock Sonic and Tails in Melee.
I'll get to my minor complaints and questions about Sonic's involvement later, but first we have more pressing issues.

Super Smash Bros Brawl is appearing to not be coming out on December 3rd, 2007. It might not even be coming out in the current year.
I blame Sonic. You can blame Nintendo. Whatever. This sucks.
Currently the game is scheduled to be released in Japan on January 24th, 2008 which makes that a better sticking point for when the game will American soil.

As depressing as the fact that Brawl is likely missing the holiday season and I'll only have its compatriot for the best game ever made in the modern era (Rock Band) to wipe my tears (it won't be too hard to wipe my tears on the ginormous drum set), this might be for the best.
Yes, I just said a delay might be for the best. Way to go, Miyamoto, your age-old adage is too true. "A delayed game is eventually good, a bad game is bad forever"
I implore you, dear reader, to go http://www.smashbros.com/en_us and watch the most recent trailer (if its not on the front page, go to the notices tab) and just be amazed at the sheer beauty and scope of this game.
You've got your multiplayer with more improvements than you can shake a banana peel at.
You've got your in-depth single player (and co-op) affair with boss battles and story.
You've got your stickers for sticking and your trophies for trophing.

This game will fucking rock your world whether it comes out now or next year. End of story. 'nuff said.

Now back to Sonic...
My main complaint with the ol' Hedgehog is this. What the fuck else does he do besides jump on enemies and spindash? Like for serious. He's just quick and can turn into a ball. I think he's a great addition to the game but what are his special attacks going to be outside of 'jump in air, curl into ball, hurt people.' I guess he could dash or something like Foxco's dash in Melee.
Whatever, Sakurai is the shit. I have complete faith in his design.


Goddamn I hope its not delayed...

Video Game Quadrathlon II Announcement

Here is a world exclusive Video Game Quadrathlon II Announcement
The third game in our second bi-annual tournament will be...
Worms Armageddon

That makes 3 of the 4 games public knowledge and makes them:
1. Super Smash Bros Brawl (Wii)
2. F-Zero X (N64)
3. Worms Armageddon (DC)
4. ?????


This is for Billy...
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/zeropunctuation

Seemingly Random Musings

Video Game Program tomorrow at the Hopewell Library at 12 Noon - 4 PM. Be there!
It'll probably be focused on Halo 3, but Wii will be present and so Melee will probably be played.
However, the Guitar Hero Playing Device (PS2) is not making the trip. Hopefully Steve Rock will bring his guitar for the 360 version so GH will be made available.
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I still really want to buy Skate (360). The demo will occasionally pop up in my fucked up Halo dreams and then like, I'll be doing kickflips and grinds with Master Chief and Elites. I liked it better when I'd play some puzzle game a lot and then go to sleep dreaming of playing Dr. Mario or Mean Bean Machine. Well...at least I'm not dreaming about Bioshock...
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Bioshock is fucking fucked up. Fuck.
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I hope NiGHTs 2 (Wii) doesn't suck. I've always wanted to play more of the game but never thought the entry fee of an entire Sega Saturn was worth it.
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Mario and Sonic Olympics should salvage the crap that Sega's been putting together. Fencing excites me and so does the fact that its both mascots in the same freaking game. If this game can get to half-Warioware proportions, I'll be content.
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After playing a lot more 360 in recent weeks, Nintendo really needs to get their internet shit together. Virtual Console is hot shit but online play? downloadable content?
I've been having a ball with my 360 because of those two things. I've been downloading demos, playing games online, downloading content...
Albeit this will overturn as Halo 3 wears out, I've played a lot more 360 in the past month. My Wii playing has been delegated to these things:
1. Melee (Gamecube game)
2. Sin and Punishment and F-Zero X (Nintendo 64 games)
3. The occasional drunken Warioware game (alcohol influence)
4. Metroid Prime 3, which got shoved aside once Halo 3 came out and appeared to outMetroid Metroid in its second level with all the fucking backtracking. Although MPrime3 outHalo'd Halo with its opening scene with the spaceship getting attacked.

So my Wii playing has been older games and drunkeness primarily.
My 360 playing has been generally new and sober.
With the advent of GHIII (which 360 won my purchase) and Rock Band, there will be a veritable brawl...
waitwaitwaitwait
Super Smash Bros Brawl is coming out for Wii.

Oh fuck, Nintendo wins.
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Go Yankees.
Packers are still the best team in the NFL.
Woo!