For anybody wondering if I made it home alive, you can breath a sigh of relief. For those of you who did not attend or watch Player's Ball, you missed out. I say that only because I was live, in-person . . . in the local vernacular, "Dude, I was there."

The tournament of tournament TV, the stage demos and interiews of On the Spot, and the unbridled riffing of the editors and producers all combined to make last night's event the best of the live events.

G.A.M.E. offered the first legitimate opportunity to rub shoulders with the GameSpot staff, but it was really big and seemed to be a couple days too long. Despite a wide range of artists in attendance and games on display, some of the attendees I talked to couldn't help but feel finished after a few hours. The selection of games, music, and movie trailers was wide-ranging and prolific, but the Moscone Center just seemed a bit too big. The games section of the floor was great, and packed very close to the GameSpot stage. The editors and producers did a great job of mixing and minging. G.A.M.E. was the first face-to-face meeting with Ryan Mac Donald, Jeff Gerstmann, Bob Colayco, and Greg Mueller. One might even call G.A.M.E. the last gasp for breath the N-Gage ever took. Out of the 20-ish stations, I was the sole user. It was really quite sad considering Nokia's booth representatives had nobody to talk to but themselves.

After Hours was an excellent streamlining of the G.A.M.E. formula. One night and one night only! The San Francisco Pier scene has never been the same since GameSpot and the accompanying community descended upon it. Multiple cameras, multiple artists, and multiple opportunities made After Hours a great event to watch. While i did not tune in from home, I did watch the coverage after it was over. The interactivity provided by questions, cameras, game feeds, and the undeniably awesome Homercam made for quite an evening. Viewers got emblems, attendees got emblems, but how can you really go wrong with a games event in a pier warehouse? The food was quite expensive. I was glad my wife packed us snacks.

Last night's Gamer's Ball was a hoot. The food was free, the games were available and the experience was rich. . . even if Rich wasn't there. I played all the games on display. Playing Rock Band was pretty fun. One of the dudes from Team Professional Skills tried to sing along with Kiss, but he proved to be no Paul Stanley. I then took my turn as Matt Sharp on "Say it Ain't So." I convinced a team to play a cherished Pixies track, only to meet with disappointment. Since I was relegated to guitar for all three tracks, the game seemed a lot like Guitar Hero; no surprise considering the developer. Of course, Guitar Hero III seemed like Guitar Hero II, er too. As Caro and I discussed the premise behind Need for Speed ProStreet, we both concluded this year is the year to skip Need for Speed. It saddens me since I was really hoping for less sim and more Most Wanted. Unfortunately, from what I played, it seems like less Safari and more Track. While I was hoping Orange Box would be in attendance, I understand not all wishes come true. The bar of the club was converted into a game-playing bar. Personally I didn't feel there was any great loss. Chatting with Tom Magrino, Kevin VanOrd, and the irrepressable Vinny Caravella had to be the staff highlights of the evening. Though I spent time chatting about site history with Sam Parker, I can say I am about to have some more of that right about . . . now.

Ricardo, Aaron, Vinny, and Brian just left the CNET building. I wonder where they are going. Regardless of the destination, the CNET walls are incapable of holding Brian in . . . especially with the resurgence of the beard.

I am wrapping things up at work and getting ready to take a ride on the Reading Railroad for the ultimate game/life imbalance physically possible. While others eschew sleep for days to play, an old man like me looks upon a trip to San Francisco as an effort to play games after dark.

Some of you know this already, but despite being a frequent poster on the site, a rich history in theatre, and being told I have a "bright future in sales," I am actually an introvert. Cityscapes more than a block away from a train-, subway-, or parking-station location scare me. I grew up in the sprawl of the suburbs. The hustle and bustle of downtowns are a rush for some but offer a bit of anxiety for yours truly. At night I like to wind down with some movies, games, or unfettered time with family. To rub shoulders with my friends from GameSpot, tonight I will delve deep into the urban scene of mystery, murder, and mayhem to see the latest games, fraternize with online friends, and keep myself from becoming another statistic.

While you may misconstrue my comments to be counter to the well deserved hype surrounding Player's Ball, I am actually writing as a testament to how much I am looking forward to this event is. Please tune in and look for me in the sea of people. I won't be making use of the bar, but I will playing.

I'll post more after I return.

Signed,

-Professor Homebody

Before shoving off to work yesterday morning, one of my old roommates joined GUS and I for some online Halo 3. We played some ranked matches, took a few hits, then decided to close out the session with a cut-throat game of Juggernaut. After playing the games, I collected a few images and uploaded them to my Bungie profile. Seriously, in 2007 there is no excuse for not being able to upload pictures, films, or other content for competitive multiplayer games to a community site.

After playing Big Team Battles the other morning alongside TVR, Justin, MX, aliens, and Peldon, aliens sent me some pictures of our killing spree. Ah, good times.

Below are a few pics I snapped from the final Juggernaut session:

Yeah, that's me dying in a cloud of pink mist, courtesy of an old friend.

And here I am after providing an unexpected beat-down on an adversary.

. . . and regaining the Juggernaut title.

While I don't have any pictures, The Hitman himself, Tom Bowen, and I tackled some Team Doubles last night with some fairly impressive results. While I didn't win any VIP awards, we certainly made a good team as we fought crime . . . er, The Red Team in string of intense matches.

Last night I sent Peldon a film I created of me getting a triple kill. Thus far, I have unlocked two of those trophies in Free-for-All Ranked matches, but have yet to unlock the achievement. I'm not sure what's going on, but it is nice to be able to save a film of my accomplishment, even if I don't have the achievement to flaunt. If you have some pictures you are particularly proud of, send me a link. I am happy to leave feedback.

I'm looking forward to tonight's Community Game Night. Hopefully I can get some good pictures of beat downs and being beat downs.

Every game needs a soundtrack and every vehicle needs a radio. During my first evening playing Halo 3 (last night) GUS and I descended upon somebody else's room in order to play. Turns out there was quite a crowd. While playing a Team Slayer match on Sandtrap, our team piled into one of the elephants. We weren't really interested killing once we fired up the elephant and started rolling four-deep through the level. Once I observed it was a pretty slow ride, the rest of the team lit up with their own renditions of Foghat's hit Slow Ride. We then spent the majority of the match rolling around the level with one guy blaring the song through his headset.

Not only will Halo 3 now be synonymous with Slow Riding, but it will also be a flagship for user sharing opportunities. Considering the video playback features included in the game are top-notch among current titles, Halo has done a lot right with allowing users to make the experience their own. The only problem? Car stereos don't work. I realize driving is a full-time job and all, but couldn't we turn on the car stereo when we drive? Granted the Warthog has a fine horn, but the Elephant is devoid of anything for the driver to do besides lumber along at an unimpressive, though daunting, 15 miles per hour. Driving that vehicle should be replete with additional compensation for the pilot, including (but not limited to) piping his custom soundtack out to his teammates.

It's just a thought.

. . . Take it easy.

Like many, I bought Halo 3 during opening day yesterday. To be honest, I don't know what my wife did with it once we got home. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me right now. I am focused on finishing more of the multiplayer achievements in Vegas, completing Call of Doodie 2, and getting ready for the return of classes this weekend than I am finishing the Master Chief's fight for him.

Truth be told, the whole reason I picked upHalo 3 when I did was to play it cooperatiely on Legendary with some of my college friends. We have always been big into multiplayer gaming and Halo 3 was the next on their hit list. Once one of them gets back from traveling in emerging markets, we can roll four-deep through the wide world of t3h Haloz.

Word on the street is I will probably be darkening CNET doors again this week. Final word has yet to arrive. While I can't really talk about it right now, I have to say I am excited by the myriad of things our friends at GameSpot.com and TV.com are working on. Some of you may have heard about GameSpot's Players' Ball. If you haven't, you won't get any information out of me. You can be assured I will be there. What's not to like about games in a club?

If you were going to be up at the CNET offices for an afternoon who would you choose to do lunch with?

For me it was a no-brainer: Tim Tracy.

It was a pleasant day in the City of San Francisco. We had a short walk down to Subway and a long chat about games, live feeds, and just how bullet-proof a 360 warranty could be. All-in-all a fun time was had by all.

While I had exchanged private messages with Tim over the years, he and I had never really had time to talk aside from my well-wishes one afternoon as I was being escorted around the building.

In case anybody is wondering, Tim is very much the pleasant, affable individual he appears to be in his videos. He was kind, easy to talk to, and honestly one of the most genial individuals I have shared lunch time with in a while. While I am currently chilling in the CNET lobby before another meeting begins, I wanted to be sure and share this great experience while I had the chance.

Thanks Tim!

No. It's real!

See the trailer, expect the unexpected.

UPDATE: If you haven't seen the first part, this may not make sense.

At the behest of an Internet celebrity, I checked out a video of the character customization process for Mass Effect. That was when I remembered the hours of fun I had playing KotOR. I am a sucker for character customization. Maybe it was the years and years of Pen-and-Paper RPGs I played from adolescence to adulthood. You could make your character look any way you wanted. You could outfit that avatar with any awesome armor within the reach of imagination and in-game cash. The trouble came when you, or your especially artistic friend, had to bring that imagined individual to reality on a piece of paper.

For me the sign of real next-gen gaming is the depth of the experience, not so much the digital detailing in the environment. The scope of Mass Effect alone makes a case for immersive, next-generation candidacy. Today, I saw brought to life what I have told focus groups for years . . . the power to the player comes in the ability to make your character and feel like you are part of a world. Bioware is now keen to deliver the Universe. Granted, the options I've seen in the character creation tool are arguably limited, the ability to drop that custom character into the main situations of the galaxy-spanning plot, are farther reaching for me than the stars of the simulated heavens.

The depth of customization has been something that has grown on this generation of gaming platforms. Need for Speed Carbon let you choose your cars, trick out the bodies, apply paints, and ensure the righ body kits fit your sty1e. Forza 2 delivered a deep livery and component customization feature. After downloading and playing the demo for Juiced 2 yesterday, I can say THQ and Juice Games have seen where the new standard is. Arguably the options for cars in new racing games should be endless. For CaRPGs, that's what I would expect. For traditional RPGs, I now expect the same level of customization for Human, Twi'lek, Covenant, Krogan, and other races set to appear in upcoming RPGs and action games. Really, isn't that what the mod community has been indicating for years?

As humans, we are consistently comparing what has come before to what is out, offered, or experienced today. When the last game we played allowed us to fully customize our car, we then expect the next game we purchase to have that feature. When the last game enabled us to choose the color, fabric, and quality of our attire, any lack of those options will be met with disappointment or ridicule. Those are merely some of the topics used to berate developers and communities these days.

Every aspiring game designer or artist has probably tried their hand at making a custom skin or character design for a game. When I was in college I saw a great Quake III skin. It was Darth Maul. The designer had done a beautiful job designing, animating, and polishing the appearance . . . right down to the death animation of Darth Maul being cut in half. I remember thinking how great it would be if I made a skin so I could play deathmatch games as one of my PnP RPG characters. In Neverwinter Nights I went to great lengths to customize many of my characters. I made their clothes, colored their weapons, but bemoaned the lack of options to create my own designs etched into the blades or adorning the attire.

As consumers, I doubt we really realize the staggering up-front development hours and costs that go into producing and publishing a game. Building visual customization options requires a lot of art, a lot of recombinant-ready options, and a lot of work. Artists, riggers, programmers, and other developers require money for their service. The artistry for many options may not match the requirements for each character design. For instance, every voice option available for a character requires that one voice actor or actress record the dialogue for all of the possible dialogue paths. With a game boasting hundreds of hours of gameplay, the voice acting costs by themselves could raise the required copies for a game to ship in order to justify its creation. While costs of development is a topic for a different day, the demands of a consumer base (namely me), make the costs a factor in whether those features are included.

It's my hope the design dreams of yester-year will arrive in reality this year. Already titles slated for release are incorporating deep character-, vehicle-, and item-customization options. As these features become standards, I am sure many consumers will rejoice and most developers will agonize. For me, I eagerly anticipate looking at my custom-built, female protagonist in Mass Effect for many, many, many hours.

*achievement unlocked*

Any day now. . .

We will have the answer on the revamping of life, the universe, and everything. Then we will just need to determine what the question is.

UPDATE: Heard from two parties today. Things are looking up. Thanks to everybody offering support!

If you are on my XBL friendslist, you probably got a PM from me asking for help with the dreaded Master of Ceremonies achievement. While I am openly soliciting assistance for this that way, if you are interested in getting the achievement either tonight or tomorrow at noon (Pacific), let me know. This should be a lot easier to coordinate and complete than that pesky NBA Live 07 achievement. PM me if you are willing to help me and stay online to help others to unlock this Rainbow Six Vegas achievement.

EDIT: Let me apologize. . . straight-up to all of you magnanimous people who came to help me. I apologize for the verbal nonsense that the people attempting to run the matches were spewing. hopefully tomorrow at noon (pacific) we can get critical mass from GameSpot and avoid the idiocy encountered tonight. I sincerely apologize if I have violated the kindess and trust you placed in my efforts to organize this event in cooperation with xbox360achievements.org.