A sequel to Mario Baseball? Here is the link. $10 says that this is the title that Nintendo has been talking about as their next big thing after Mario Kart and Wii Fit. Another non-Mario game starring Mario characters....grrrrrr! I'm just gonna write "Nintendo Mario System" on my Wii with a Sharpie if all they can do is rehash the Mario Universe. So far we have Warioware: Smooth Moves, Super Paper Mario, Mario Party 8, Mario Strikers Charged, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart Wii. That's 7 out of 21 Nintendo published titles for the Wii. (one third!) That's 7 Mario Universe games for the Wii in a year and a half. Oh, they are so full of originality over there at Nintendo...:roll: The worst part is that I own all of them except for Mario Strikers Charged and am going to purchase Mario Kart even though the reviews are coming in with it being good but not great.

Now add in Mario Super Sluggers and you can see the transparency of the Wii. No originality. This is the reason that my 360 and PS3 get used and my Wii collects dust even though I have a large library of games for it.

I wonder how many Mario games are under development for the Wii and DS right now? 5? 10? I give up. Nintendo, you fail. F- Another Mario Tennis and Mario Golf are sure to follow....

Well, the title is pretty clear. I'm not leaving GS, but I'm no longer going to contribute to the forums. They have nothing to offer me anyways. I already know pretty much everything that is going on in gaming and learn nothing from the endless merry-go-round ride that the forums provide.

This was going to be a rather long post, but I decided to keep it short and sweet. My parting message to the forum members and mods is this: Not one of you, myself included, gets paid for anything you do on this site. Lighten up the mood. Games are supposed to be about FUN, not pointless arguing or moderating people for having an opinion. The last time I checked the only ones making $$$$ off this site are CNET and the GS Editors. I would put money on the average GS Editor making around $25,000 a year, and that is a kind estimate. They probably make less......

And remember, the time you spend in the forums could be used to play games, be with your family and friends, get outside or any number of things.

Good bye. (For now)

Every damn year it's the same damn thing. January through middle of April we get maybe 3-5 games worth purchasing across all 3 platforms. Wash, rinse, repeat. This is so lame. I HATE having to spend $600-$800 a month on games from June through November every year. It's disgusting. Why can't the damn release schedule be balanced? Oh yeah......Summer Break and Christmas.....almost forgot, lol!

Well, at least the drought is almost over and I'm very happy about that! So far this year I have only purchased 14 games across the 3 platforms. That has to be an all time record low for me. This year has been pretty tame so far. But the end of April brings us.........

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue- I will gladly fork over my $40 for less than 1/5th of a game as long as the online play doesn't disappoint me. This still looks good for what it is, it's too bad that they couldn't give us more for what boils down to a $40 demo/beta test.

Grand Theft Auto IV- I always buy these....they are fun, hopefully they fixed the broken aiming controls that have plagued the series for the last 7 years!

Mario Kart Wii- I'm kind of skeptical of this one. I will buy it......oh yes......but I can't claim that it will surpass Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart 64 to become the greatest Mario Kart to date.

Then May is a ghost town........*tumbleweed* with the exception of.......

Midnight Club: LA- We'll see about this one. I'll buy it, but will I play it?

Haze- Barring ANOTHER delay, we'll just have to see if this one has the legs to run in an overcrowded genre that already has too many big names.

Followed by the blitzkrieg style of the June schedule........

TOO MANY DAMN GAMES! June is gonna set me back $500 in all likelyhood. It's like Christmas is puking on Summer.

They REALLY need to rethink these release schedules sometime in the next few years. I can't keep this up forever and I doubt anyone else can either!

*This was from a discussion between myself and Symphonycometh about shovelware on the Wii and Nintendo fanboyism, it got interesting*

(Me)I may buy more 360 games than PS3 games this year, but I agree that the lineup for the PS3 is more robust this year than the 360s or the whatyamaycallit......man I forget because I only buy like 1 game a month for it.....is it the Wii? LOL! I'm actually rather happy that the Wii is getting almost nothing worth picking up outside of Mario Kart for the next 3 months. My reason is because I have 12 other games I want to get over the next 3 months and they are for PS3 and 360! Wooot! Their getting all my monies!

Wait, i'm not supposed to be excited about that? Der.....whoops! Keep being proud of your PS3! It's getting a ton of quality software right now and through the next few years........with no Zs or Xs in ANYTHING! But yet the fanboys sit back and boast about console and game sales to put down the PS3 and 360.

Well of course crappy games are selling well with the Wii's installed base sitting at like 20 million! One minute on gamerankings.com proves that over half the games on the system are **** And then they go on tirades about how critic scores don't matter! Man, I've been reaeding EGM for the last 20 years and if they say a game is good they have been right. If they say a game suck balls they are right. "But the press is against the Wii becuzezez it iz 'Wii'nning!"

Right........that's the same conspiracy crap that the Microsoft kids used when the original XBOX got bashed around for the first year and the Sony kids used when the PS3 got bashed all over during its first year. People even tried that one with the Dreamcast even though the gamerankings scores clearly show that for a system with barely over 200 games it managed to have 142 games rated above 70/100!

Yet the Nintendo camp still sits in absolute denial! They think that Truxezez and Horsezez and Agatha Christie are just fine. Well good! If that crap has to wind up somewhere it's better than on the PS3 and 360. Especially because both of them combined do not even have HALF the amount of clunkers the Wii has to its name!

How about this? Lets compare the Dreamcast to the Wii right now! The DC was only supported for a crotch hair longer than 2 years, I would know as I have 50 games for it, lol!

Ok, Dreamcast had 142 games rated 70/100 or above and Wii has....drumroll please.......60! WOW! Ok, let's compare it to PS3!! They are only a few days apart in length on the market! And the PS3 has....drumroll please.....78 titles on the market with a score of 70/100 or better. Who is better now? Hmmm? LOL!

(Symphonycometh)

Ouch man, just ouch. We have a Wii as well. (As I may have hinted at somewhere in my life. lol.) But I will never deny the fact that they have almost nothing to offer me at this point and time. Luckily for the Wii, Brawl came out and will save them all the way until the next gen! LOL.

~Sad.

*And there are the cold hard facts that the fanboys use every excuse in the book to deny. It is official, the PS3 and Sega Dreamcast are better than the Wii. It is also worth noting that 201 games for XBOX360 have scored above 70/100 and 101 Sega Saturn games have scored above 70/100 at gamerankings.com. So, naturally they are better than the Wii as well. I did not bother to stack the Wii up against the scores of the original XBOX, PS1, PS2 or any Nintendo system as it would have lost out there as well. But you Nintendo fanboys will be happy to know that the Wii did beat out the 3DO which only had 44 games scored 70/100 or better. The 3DO also happened to be the closest ranked system. That's pretty good for a console that only had 77 titles! :P*

*UPDATE 3/28/08* Went back and checked on EVERY OTHER home console. They all own on the Wii in number of games that scored 70/100 or better outside of the 3D0, Sega CD, 32X and Jaguar. Hmm, Wii have a problem.

Recently I've been getting into some spats on the Wii board for calling people out on their fanboy rants and blind loyalty. One look at my gaming collection, including pics that I have uploaded to the site, shows that I am the ultimate fanboy target aka "Manticore". The problem with that label is that I don't feel superior for owning nearly every console that has hit the market over the last 20 plus years. Sure, I may not have a 3DO, Jaguar, CD-i or Virtual Boy......but those systems were terrible! Would I love to have a Neo-Geo, TG-16 or Master System to join the rest of my large catalog? You bet! I've passed on buying those consoles at fair prices several times because I can't see myself actually sitting and playing them much. Many of my older consoles are just for show more than anything. I had great times with them, but have to keep moving forward. So, while I do have a huge collection, I don't look down on any particular platform or company with a feeling of superiority. Why would I? They have my money the last time I checked. Doesn't that mean that they got me? LOL!

If you can't afford a system there is no problem with that. I have money, but I am not "rich" and could always use more income to fuel my wants. That's the thing......they are WANTS, not NEEDS. Nintendo fanboys turn up their nose at PS3 and 360 and say that they don't want them. Is it due to the price? PROBABLY. Would they take the system and games for free and play the hell out of them? OF COURSE! Now take that same scenario and interchange the words Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft in any order that you like and my point is made. All 3 consoles offer great games! Only someone with a severe sociopathic tendency would not take any of the 3 current gen consoles and play them if they were free.

But they're not......and some people accept that and buy what they can afford and don't resent the other systems and bash them all over the boards while insanely defending the console that they could afford. GAMING IS A RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE HOBBY. I pay my bills first. I am saving for my wedding. I take vacations. I attend sporting events and sit in expensive ringside seats. I am grateful for what I have! When I am kicking back in front of my $3000 HDTV or listening to my $3500 sound system in my car I know that I am very fortunate to have those things.

My message to the fanboys, especially the Nintendo ones is this......Stop acting like children. Grow up. Your time to own things will either come or it won't. Cross that bridge when it comes. I'm 28 years old. I may not be an old man, but you could stand to learn a lot about compromise if you would listen to what I'm saying instead of putting your fingers in your ears and shouting "LA! LA! LA! LA! LA! I can't hear you!"

That's not childish at all.....

Big shout out to Symphonycometh! He's 18 and carries more maturity than I do at times! Follow his example.....or not.

Here's my history with EA and Take Two, just so you can know the score and then read from there.

First off, I love the GTA, Midnight Club, Manhunt and 2K Sports series and great new properties like Bioshock, Bully and Table Tennis. 2K has also distributed great games like Oblivion, Prey and The Darkness.

From the EA camp I have always enjoyed the Burnout, SSX, Need For Speed, Tiger Woods, Def Jam, The Sims, 007, Strike and Road Rash series. EA distributed many great games in the 80's and 90's for smaller studios.

Most people see EA buying Take Two as some kind of Armageddon that will destroy the game industry. I thought so at first myself, but then I REALLY thought about it. Here is what is going to change.

1. 2K Sports games have been pretty bad the last 2 years besides the always exceptional NBA 2K games. EA will task Visual Concepts with taking over the NBA Live series. 2K Basketball WILL live on. The mediocre 2K baseball and hockey games will go bye-bye. Topspin will remain as EA has no tennis game. This will improve EA Sports. EA is not buying Take Two so they can throw away Visual Concepts. No sane developer would get rid of such a talented group. They will use them for sure for basketball and possibly even football or EA Sports Big.

2. Rockstar will continue to make their murder games. I like them, but am not insanely in love with them or anything. I may own them, but am rather casual in my play of them.

3. Ken Levine's ego trip will continue and we will get Bioshock 2. The first was great and I can't wait for the second. Truly a work of art......I guess that gives Levine a reason to be eccentric!

4. Midnight Club will continue. EA will space it around Burnout and NFS to ensure all 3 sell well.

5. Bully will get a sequel. It has a lot of potential and EA will not ax it.

6. Any developer published by Take Two but not owned by Take Two will turn to EA or Activision.

At the end of the deal all I can say is this.....WHAT IS SO BAD ABOUT THIS? One word: Nothing.

I'll just keep this short and to the point. Since picking up No More Heroes, House of the Dead 2 and 3: Return and Super Smash Bros. Brawl my Wii is finally get a workout after a few months of sitting after the Christmas season. Hooray! When I do have other time I find myself spinning MLB 08: The Show in my PS3 and playing Call Of Duty 4 multiplayer on my 360. I grew weary of Halo 3. Level 42 Colonel is as good as it gets for me as I'm not willing to put a ton of effort in just to get to Level 45 so I can be a Brigadier.

So I'll just stick to my newfound fondness of my Wii and play my little baseball game on PS3 and shoot people in the face in COD4 because that is making me far happier than Halo 3 ever did! I'm a gamer again! Now it's time to put this huge game library to use!

Here is the wikipedia page for what a fanboy is. I am sick of people on Gamespot throwing the word around and twisting it just because a person prefers a console over another or because they can only afford one console and can't have all of them. After reading this you will see that we are all "fanboys" because we share one thing in common. The love of video games. As long as you love games, who cares which system you prefer to game on?

Background

Stereotypical fanboys are attributed with a devotion to the creators and principles behind a work with which they are currently enthralled. Fanboys are noted for a very emotional attachment to their chosen subject. They will readily engage in debates about their chosen subject.

As electronic entertainment gained popularity, the term became increasingly applied to video game and television addicts. As a result, a subculture emerged which readily labeled itself as "fanboys." Within this group, more effort is taken to fit in with a perceived standard, resulting in a more outgoing attitude, even among those with insecurities. This outgoing stance is often felt to be abrasive by those not involved in the culture as deeply. The term originated in comic book circles, to describe someone who immersed himself in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. The term is most commonly associated with adolescent and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex.

The term fangirl, while similar, often carries slightly different connotations. The term fangirl is often applied to any enthusiastic female fan, regardless of obsessive qualities or not, and is often used with overtones of "teenybopper".

[edit] History of fanboys and the term

The term "fanboy" is most commonly associated with adolescent and teen males but can be applicable to any age or sex. The term originated in comic book circles to describe someone immersed in the fictional worlds of comics and the culture of comics fandom. Common subjects of reverence by fanboys are specific: TV shows; movies; music; anime; comic books; cars; video game consoles, video games and MMORPGs; and computer operating systems, hardware and software.

Popular depictions of Fanboy stereotypes include the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons and columnist Larry Groznic from the satirical newspaper The Onion. In the songs of the fannish parody musician Luke Ski, many characters proudly consider themselves fanboys.

The earliest published uses of the word "fanboy" have been dated to 1982. One reference is to the cover of the "Official Underground and Newave Comix Price Guide". On this cover page are sketched overweight, overzealous comic book collectors wearing T-shirts that state "Fanboys of America," who are describing the extreme measures they would go to, including moving to San Francisco, to preserve their comics.

Also published in 1982, a comic strip appeared in Jim Engel and Chuck Fiala's "Fandom Confidential" comic. In the strip, Jim and Chuck met comic artist/writer John Byrne and collapsed into "mindless paroxysms of adoration." The John Byrne character responded that they were "a couple of fanboys in bondage" (a play on words referring to a Monty Python sketch in which an Elizabethan era character reads what she claims to be a new Shakespeare work called Gay Boys in Bondage". [1] Another early use is in a smart-aleck editorial reply by "Ambush Bug" to a letter in his comic in 1985.

Point made.

I just got back from Virginia Beach last night, so I finally got to pick up Smash Brawl today. 2 days after release!?!?!?!? Dave, are you losing it? NO, LOL! I was just really busy. I'm glad I got it now and it's great. Now I just need House of the Dead 2 and 3, Mario Kart Wii, Worms: A Space Oddity and that will pretty much wrap things up for Wii games until late summer/fall. I wish there were more quality games for the system, but what can I do? I have 21 games now. I am supporting it heavily.

Not much is on the PS3 front for me until Gran Turismo 5: Prologue hits on 4/15. For 360 all that I am going to be picking up is Condemned 2 sometime this month and Grand Theft Auto 4 on 4/28. I hate this time of year as far as the lack of quality releases, but hey, at least I have Smash Brawl for Wii and MLB 08: The Show for PS3!

Here I was minding my own business playing a little Burnout Paradise when my friend Andy messages me to play Call Of Duty 4. Multiplayer games on Live are the reason my Gamerscore is a hair under 13,000 even though I have 168 games for 360.

So I hop in with him and we have a couple good matches followed by a couple bad ones which included the host ending the game and booting us from the room because our team was winning by 250. That just makes me sick. When I'm losing I take my medicine and don't gripe about it or quit or any of that childish garbage.

The next few matches after that were loaded with childish antics and people on my own team giving each other crap. XBOX Live is just getting more stupid and I would really be much happier if I just pulled the ethernet cable out of the back of my 360 and never put it in again.

Microsoft and Sony both should have a separate division for gamers 21 and up so that we can cut down on some of this crap. No one wants to hear whiny little 12 year olds and punk teenagers running their faces in an anonymous environment. EVERYONE knows that these kids weigh 100 pounds soaking wet in reality and they would not dare call anyone the words they use online to their face.

And a little enforcement of M FOR MATURE would be nice....I don't want to play with kids. I am an adult and want to be in the company of other adults so I can play a clean game and have a good time. Online gaming is ruined for me. Children these days have ZERO maturity. Nice parenting, huh?