Some of you know my 360 is still out for repairs. I'm not going to lie, it has been hard. I haven't gotten an achievement in a week. My goal of repairing my completion percentage by year's end is just not going to pan out at this point.

With all the free time, I found an opportunity to get a group together to role play. When talking with Badger, we both correctly identified it as a bad habit, more specifically an addiction. Right now I call it a good thing. I've been trying out D&D 4e. I am impressed and a bit put off by how everything has been juiced up over the awesomeness that was 3rd Edition. Encounters are designed for five players, instead of the formerly standard four. Every character has a litany of powers to unleash upon foes at a moment's notice. For months I had been following Penny Arcade's drop down the role-playing rabbit hole. To hear that Gabe has now started his own campaign, was . . . surprising.I don't know what he has to show for it, but the party in my campaign has secured a legendary artifact, crashed an airship, cleared a mansion of Kobold dragon worshippers, had their tank gutted, contracted a serious disease, nearly been blown up on a riverboat, and crashed said boat back at the port of origin to find a dragon has decimated the town. If that wasn't exciting enough, that has all happened just in the time it has taken to get to level 2. *Ding!*

What has come as even more of a surprise was my own fall. My brothers in law have all been playing WoW or on 10-day trials. Thanks to them and a working trial code from Bethany, I jumped on the Proudmoore server after a full day downloading patches. In one bender, I nearly made it to level 8. Since I didn't really know what to play, what character to create, or why I should choose something else, I made a Night Elf Warrior.

Huzzah. I don't think this will be sticking like it has for others, but I am intent on finding out what people like about this World of WarCraft-ing.

Now if you will excuse me for the next nine days, I need to wait for my 360 to get back and I have an epic battle that can only be decided by rolling dodecahedrons.

With the 360 out for repairs, I have been trying to find stuff to do. Without train rides to work, I haven't been visiting Facebook as much as I used to. Today one of my meat-world friends posted a list that amused me. i reprint said list with my entries below. . .

SUPPOSEDLY if you've seen over 85 films, you have no life. Mark the ones you've seen. There are 239 films on this list. Copy this listand paste this as a Note. Then, put x's next to the films you've seen, add them up, change the header adding your number, and click Publish at the bottom. Have fun!

(X) The Rocky Horror Picture Show
(X) Grease
(X) Pirates of the Caribbean
( ) Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
( ) Boondock Saints
( ) Fight Club
( ) Starsky and Hutch
(X) Neverending Story
(X) Blazing Saddles
(X) Airplane
Total so far: 6
(X) The Princess Bride
( ) Anchorman
(X) Napoleon Dynamite
(X) Labyrinth
( ) Saw
( ) Saw II
( ) White Noise
( ) White Oleander
(X) Anger Management
( ) 50 First Dates
( ) The Princess Diaries
( ) The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Total so far: 10

( ) Scream
( ) Scream 2
( ) Scream 3
( ) Scary Movie
( ) Scary Movie 2
( ) Scary Movie 3
( ) Scary Movie 4
( ) American Pie
( ) American Pie 2
( ) American Wedding
( ) American Pie Band Camp
Total so far: 10
(X) Harry Potter 1
(X) Harry Potter 2
(X) Harry Potter 3
(X) Harry Potter 4
( ) Resident Evil 1
( ) Resident Evil 2
(X) The Wedding Singer
( ) Little Black Book
( ) The Village
( ) Lilo & Stitch
Total so far: 15

(X) Finding Nemo
(X) Finding Neverland
( ) Signs
( ) The Grinch
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre
( ) Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
( ) White Chicks
( ) Butterfly Effect
( ) 13 Going on 30
( ) I, Robot
( ) Robots
Total so far: 17
( ) Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
( ) Universal Soldier
(X) Lemony Snicket: A Series Of Unfortunate Events
( ) Along Came Polly
( ) Deep Impact
( ) Kingpin
( ) Never Been Kissed
(X) Meet The Parents
( ) Meet the Fockers
( ) Eight Crazy Nights
( ) Joe Dirt
(X) King Kong
Total so far: 20
( ) A Cinderella Story
( ) The Terminal
( ) The Lizzie McGuire Movie
( ) Passport to Paris
( ) Dumb & Dumber
( ) Dumber & Dumberer
( ) Final Destination
( ) Final Destination 2
( ) Final Destination 3
( ) Halloween
( ) The Ring
( ) The Ring 2
( ) Surviving Christmas
( ) Flubber
Total so far: 20
( ) Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle
( ) Practical Magic
( ) Chicago
( ) Ghost Ship
( ) From Hell
(X) Hellboy
( ) Secret Window
( ) I Am Sam
( ) The Whole Nine Yards
( ) The Whole Ten Yards
Total so far: 21
( ) The Day After Tomorrow
( ) Child's Play
( ) Seed of Chucky
( ) Bride of Chucky
( ) Ten Things I Hate About You
( ) Just Married
( ) Gothika
( ) Nightmare on Elm Street
( ) Sixteen Candles
( ) Remember the Titans
( ) Coach Carter
( ) The Grudge
( ) The Grudge 2
(X) The Mask
( ) Son Of The Mask
Total so far: 22

( ) Bad Boys
( ) Bad Boys 2
( ) Joy Ride
( ) Lucky Number Slevin
(X) Ocean's Eleven
(X) Ocean's Twelve
(X) Bourne Identity
(X) Bourne Supremecy
( ) Lone Star
( ) Bedazzled
(X) Predator
(X) Predator II
( ) The Fog
( ) Ice Age
( ) Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
( ) Curious George
Total so far: 28

(X) Independence Day
( ) Cujo
( ) A Bronx Tale
( ) Darkness Falls
( ) Christine
(X) E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
( ) Children of the Corn
( ) My Bosses Daughter
( ) Maid in Manhattan
( ) War of the Worlds
(X) Rush Hour
(X) Rush Hour 2
Total so far: 32
( ) Best Bet
( ) How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
( ) She's All That
( ) Calendar Girls
( ) Sideways
(X) Mars Attacks
( ) Event Horizon
(X) Ever After
(X) Wizard of Oz
(X) Forrest Gump
(X) Big Trouble in Little China
( ) The Terminator
( ) The Terminator 2
( ) The Terminator 3
Total so far: 37

(X) X-Men
(X) X-2
(X) X-3
(X) Spider-Man
(X) Spider-Man 2
( ) Sky High
( ) Jeepers Creepers
( ) Jeepers Creepers 2
(X) Catch Me If You Can
(X) The Little Mermaid
( ) Freaky Friday
( ) Reign of Fire
( ) The Skulls
( ) Cruel Intentions
( ) Cruel Intentions 2
(X) The Hot Chick
(X) Shrek
(X) Shrek 2
Total so far: 47
( ) Swimfan
( ) Miracle on 34th street
( ) Old School
( ) The Notebook
( ) K-Pax
( ) Krippendorf's Tribe
( ) A Walk to Remember
( ) Ice Castles
( ) Boogeyman
( ) The 40-year-old Virgin
Total so far: 47
(X) Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring
(X) Lord of the Rings The Two Towers
(X) Lord of the Rings Return Of the King
(X) Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
(X) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
(X) Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Total so far: 53
( ) Baseketball
( ) Hostel
(X) Waiting for Guffman
( ) House of 1000 Corpses
( ) The Devil's Rejects
( ) Elf
(X) Highlander
( ) Mothman Prophecies
( ) American History
( ) Three
Total so far: 55
( ) The Jacket
( ) Kung Fu Hustle
( ) Shaolin Soccer
( ) Night Watch
(X) Monsters, Inc.
(X) Titanic
( ) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
( ) Shaun Of the Dead
( ) Willa74
Total so far: 57
( ) High Tension (Haute Tension)
( ) Club Dread
(X) Hulk
( ) Dawn Of the Dead
(X) Hook
(X) Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe
( ) 28 Days Later
( ) Orgazmo
( ) Phantasm
( ) Waterworld
Total so far: 60

( ) Kill Bill Vol. 1
( ) Kill Bill Vol. 2
( ) Mortal Kombat
( ) Wolf Creek
( ) Kingdom of Heaven
( ) The Hills Have Eyes
( ) I Spit on Your Grave (aka The Day of the Woman)
( ) The Last House on the Left
( ) Re-Animator
(X) Army of Darkness
Total so far: 61
(X) Star Wars Ep. I The Phantom Menace
(X) Star Wars Ep. II Attack of the Clones
(X) Star Wars Ep. III Revenge of the Sith
(X) Star Wars Ep. IV A New Hope
(X) Star Wars Ep. V The Empire Strikes Back
(X) Star Wars Ep. VI Return of the Jedi
(X) Ewoks Caravan Of Courage
(X) Ewoks The Battle For Endor
Total so far: 69
( ) The Matrix
( ) The Matrix Reloaded
( ) The Matrix Revolutions
(X) Animatrix
( ) Evil Dead
( ) Evil Dead 2
( ) Team America: World Police
( ) Red Dragon
( ) Silence of the Lambs
( ) Hannibal
Grand Total: 70

. . . Really I am not sure why these movies are even the determinants of lifelessness. When i took a film art course in College, I watched at least 40 movies not on this list. It also seems that the list hasn't been updated since sequels like Spider-man 3 and The Incredible Hulk came out.

Either way, I had to hang my head in shame for watching The Hot Chick with my sisters in law and my wife during vacation. . . in shame.

It is amazing what you can find when you are randomly scraping the Internet for content. Who knew after 35+ years it would be Paul Dini to bring Gatchaman back. sure there was that OVA, but this is an epic movie!

Details are here courtesy of IMDB.

Just to be clear, I don't think this Paul Dini project is related to Gatchaman 2000 or the SMAP-featuring trailer that's been floating about for years.

But it does have a brief bit of footage floating about. It looks like that bit is part of a longer trailer. Perhaps we'll see more than just Joe's car and the ship before the April 3 release date.

Any of you know anything about this film? Anybody besides me looking forward to it? Wait, any of you remember watching Battle of the Planets or G-Force?

Thanks to everybody who sent kind personal messages and heart-felt condolances during the chat today. For those who may not know, today a bunch of GameSpotters got notice that their jobs were being terminated. While I am one of them, I want to make something perfectly clear: I may not be working at GameSpot after Friday, December 12, but I will not be leaving.

Staffers and fellow moderators ought to be warned that I will still be in chats, still sending in comments, questions, and puns to On the Spot, The HotSpot, and the myriad of other interactive opportunities that will continue to be available on the site.

I was part of this community before I was ever in charge of it and I will continue to be part of it despite being relieved of responsibility for it. There are a multitude of talented, competent individuals who remain employed by GameSpot's parent company (CBS Interactive). I have confidence in Kevin, Brendan, Brian, Justin, Shaun, Chris, Sophia, Tom, and the rest of the awesome edit team I have come to love. They consistently labor to ensure the best gaming content on the Internet (read: THE WORLD!!!! ) makes it to GameSpot.

Despite problems that we see on the site, the development, and production teams labor night and day to work out bugs, fix problems, and ensure new projects make it to the site for our enjoyment. Truly they are the unsung heroes of the site.

I have nothing but respect for the Marketing, PR, Sales, Data, Business Development, and other teams who work on the site. CBS acquired a talented group from many vocational interests.

What this layoff boils down to is a need for some of us to leave so the site can continue. GameSpot provides jobs, content, and enjoyment for many. As somebody who has enjoyed all three blessings, I can only hope and pray those who remain in leadership capacities will be wise in balancing the need for revenue with the need for a return on the user's time.

As somebody who is hours away from completing an MBA (master's degree in business administration), I understand the need for profitability. I am keenly aware of why and when restructuring is needed. IN the interaction I had with my boss (who is ultimately responsible for the execution of that restructuring) I never had any reason to doubt that trade-offs were made and difficult choices had to be evaluated.

For those who remain at GameSpot they deserve nothing less than appreciation over the coming months. Their jobs are about to become a lot harder. Some people are being tasked with carrying the responsibility of completing the work formerly performed by five people. That is no easy responsibility.

Being a veteran of last year's drama, this year's ups-and-downs, my first E3, and a host of gnarly challenges, I can safely say GameSpot was in good hands during those times. Now I continue to have confidence in those who carry the mantle and you should too. GameSpot is more than Aaron Thomas, more than Don Francis, more than any other individual. GameSpot is the Community. As that Community is watered, so it shall grow. With strong processes to protect it and management interested in its survival, we can expect to see GameSpot around for a long, long time. I hope to continue to see it blossom and grow again.

Little did I know (since I don't really watch TV these days, sorry CBS) that The Late, Late Show has a new (to my recollection) host: Craig Ferguson. At the opening of his show the ex-punk drummer, the former UK comedy show host, and new late, late comedy show host has a bit of a monologue about a town in which I used to live. Check it out, but beware of coarse language, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, old-timey references, and other stuff that may/may not be funny:

It didn't hurt he ragged on Los Angeles, but I did enjoy how he made all kinds of observations about what made that town such a delightful place.

. . .and for the record, I would've posted a link from an official CBS source, but we didn't have one available.

I was pretty stoked to read a lot of user questions during today's Prince of Persia marathon:

[video=6201803]

Thanks to everybody who watched and to those who sent in questions.

My wife and I went out to visit my parents today. It was fun. Not just because we got to see each other, but also because my wife and I got the old band back together. That's right Electric Knife is touring once more!!!

Some time ago a friend from Activision lent us his copy of Guitar Hero II. We formed a band and were very sad the day we had to return the game. It should be no secret my wife got me the full Rock Band 2 set up for Christmas. Since it came early we can play from time-to-time when we visit my parents' place.

She was on drums and I was on vocals. After we fixed the HD lag we did a lot better. Today we rocked out and played from the top of the San Francisco set to the bottom. While she never enjoys games (especially if I am playing instead of providing undivided attention her direction), she was really getting back into the groove. I am hoping we will get to play some more during our impending holiday break.

I'll see if I can get some pictures uploaded. While I don't have pictures of her getting 96% drums on a song whilst nursing, I do have a picture of me singing Today by Smashing Pumpkins while I was holding my son after he spit up on me.

Happy Thanksgiving and a pleasant Friday!

Don't let the headline fool you, this rumor is not responsible for the heinous economic fits the global markets have been suffering from. The greater economic writing has been on the wall for some time. If you didn't believe the Prophet's counsel over the last 10 years, you weren't alone. Most people laughed at the secular voice of warning too:

Thanks to Badger for the link to the video!

Yesterday's Sunday Driving discussion was full of economic topics, much to Danny's dismay. But really, why does the economy affect us? If the economy declines, there is less money available to people to spend on consumption, which video games are a part of. That decline in consumption means game companies have to be more judicious in their publishing decisions. I would expect that over the next four years, the industry will be making drastic changes, including some unpopular cutbacks. I would expect other franchises (besides Aliens) to end up on the cutting room floor as work, money, and savings all dry up in the coming years of relative famine. My only hope is it doesn't get so bad that we see a 1930s type of decline. . . especially since we're already trending into a late-70s/early 80s state; it was that decline that arguably led to the demise of the original Atari.

I saw the following video and thought of so many people. I love you all dearly, but I think we are a bit spoiled. . .

As an American, I can safely say Americans are spoiled.

As a member of the human race, I can say humans are innately selfish.

As somebody who likes to think he is enlightened, I think we could stop and show more gratitude and awe for what we have and the amazing progress we enjoy.

Wow, Jake just signed on to Xbox Live. That's amazing.

If you missed last week's On the Spot, we had some great games on there:

[video=6201128]

While Sophia and I did a demo of You're in the Movies, the review is currently being written. Those of you on my XBL friendslist have probably seen me playing. The mad-cap antics born from that [game] should be included in the review.

Also, this weekend, I finished NCAA Football 07. I made some progress on NBA Live 08, but have concluded the last two achievements just aren't worth my time right now, but may be in another three months. thanks to this weekend's basketball and football, some Vigilante 8 on Friday, and some of the aforementioned movie madness, I was able to cross the 80,000 gamerscore threshold. That's okay I suppose.

I've actually found my score really doesn't matter to me. It's all about the completion percentage. Right now I am at 85.61%. If we adjust that for gamertag pollution (from poor insertion decisions by me and others), I am at 87.47%. That's better than where I was this time last year. Although, I still have yet to make much progress on Chromehounds.

Still looking forward to playing The Force Unleashed, the new Prince of Persia, and Need for Speed Undercover during the upcoming holiday break, but Chromehounds and Table Tennis need to get some more play time. I am just not satisfied with the amount I have yet to finish there. That is particularly true of the last challenge I need to complete in Age of Booty. One challenge, 9 online wins, and I'll be done. Oh, if only I had the time. . .

Now, if you will excuse me I have some work to do.