Okay, I am out. I'm heading off to pick up my Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence Limited Edition.

Despite the sheer volume of PS3 revelations today, the only incentive to acquire one, is still MGS4. I'll wait for the Sustenance release.

UPDATE: When I went to retail location to pick-up my Limited Edition MGS3:S, they had no record of my Limited Edition version. They tried to tell me I had the regular version. This was the guy who took my preorder! Fortunately, (for them) they had an LE left over. So, I got my LE, and the documentary. No heads rolled, everything came out well, but I will probably not be darkening their door again.

I was really hoping Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence would be available today at my local retailer (from whom I pre-ordered the limited edition). Unfortunately, I think I will need to wait for tomorrow. Disappointing, but true.

I have checked in with said retailer every week since the beginning of February to see if the Documentary disc had arrived. Thus far, they keep saying discs will only be given out on the day of release, with the pre-ordered game. That seems to be a break in the incentive's purpose. You give away a take-home for those who pre-order. . .

I have heard of some abuse of that tactic though. Many people, not interested in the game, pre-order to get the freebie, then cancel their order to get their money back. What subterfuge!

The MGS3:Subsistence video review was great. It felt a lot like On the Spot, but more focused on that one game. I'm interested in seeing if my two questions will be archived in the permanent review. It should be a trip to go back and listen to those questions after making prime use of the online gameplay. All-in-all, it only made me more excited for the game.

Since I haven't played MGS3 yet, I am hoping it will not disappoint . . .

The new Mega Man Powered Up is just so cute! I am glad they added the feature of playing the original Mega Man the original way. The original was maddeningly difficult.

Also, Final Fantasy X-2 has some moments that just make my tooth hurt, but I admit the visuals are toothsome.

I have to admit, I like this correlation. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to Subsistence as much as the next Hideofan, but sometimes I need something sweet to go with the salty.

Even though I never get sports games anymore, despite the reasons Mr Pachter provides, Super Mario Strikers is another candy-covered game that is delicious to the taste, but should only be consumed in moderation.

What else out there is sweet . . ?

No sooner do I finish my finals than I am back to infiltrating military complexes in MGS:Substance. I wanted to refresh myself in anticipation of the release of Subsistence on Tuesday.

Now that this quarter is over I can finish up Final Fantasy X-2 and run through MGS3 in a period of three weeks. That is time management! Funny how neither of those games are on the X-Box. Perhaps I will simply leave the X-Box at my parents' house for my father's enjoyment, until next I return.

Enjoy dad.

I dusted off Final Fantasy X-2 last night. Strange how. . . relevant it is. The music and general post-70s funk factor Square-Enix incorporated into the game was great. It really, really worked. I look forward to continuing my play. The whole open environment of it is a bonus.

My wife asked which of the outfits she should get. I can't say any of them are attractive. Contextually I suppose they work, but in reality have no appeal. . . That's all I choose to say about that.

I can't explain why, but I've really been taken with the whole excavation in the desert. Who would have thought trolling around sand dunes exhuming machina. . . er, machine parts would be so fun? I'm glad FFX-2 didn't take itself too seriously. It has some meat to it, but the style is really fun. . . and that is what games should be.

What has holes in the top, holes on both sides, and still holds water?

. . .

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. . .

. . .

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. . .

Yup, a sponge.

Amazing how long it takes me to figure it out.

Muncie, Indiana (home of a polytechnic) has delivered the MidWestern rap for all to enjoy: http://www.lazymuncie.com/ . . .with Garfield, the cat. Goooooooo Eagles!

In the history of console gaming one can argue, the party who wins one generation may not win the next. As a disclaimer, I am not saying one console is better than another, merely the numbers of [game and console] units moved indicate a certain result.

Just to provide my hypothesis, the company in red is the platform I see as the victor for the console generation:

Atari 2600 v. Commodore 64 v. Intellivision

NES v. Sega Master System

SNES v. Sega Genesis

Nintendo 64 v. Sony PlayStation v. Sega Saturn

Sega Dreamcast v. PlayStation 2 v. XBox v. Gamecube v. EA

Yeah, EA won this generation. They released games on every enduring console, and brought in more revenue than Sega (who did release a console, but didn't get Madden). In most businesses your partners are frequently also your competitors. EA proved to be a match for a couple first-party publishers by delivering their product to multiple consoles.

I understand the debate over who won the SNES/Genesis match-up continues to this day. Unfortunately, even the revenue or household penetration figures are not adequate enough to declare a clear victor.

Since few interactive media aficianados even consider the next generation to have commenced, it is too early to call a winner, or even mention the players. Microsoft's charge to retail has put them in the pole position, but is it enough to gather sufficient momentum to win the race? Will Sony's online service be able to compete with XBox Live? Will Nintendo concede defeat, or will their Revolution save them from console obsolescence?

We shall see.

Just registered for next quarter. I am looking forward to my marketing class. Unfortunately, the whole CFO/Financial management thing isn't terribly compelling, but this is where we learn about proper trading tactics for using Stocks, Bonds, and other assets to do your financial bidding.

Kind of ironic that the CFO of Enron testified against his boss today. If this is a movie, I hope that isn't some portent of things to come.

I posted my Pursuit Force review. Hopefully it is as informative as possible. I'm curious though how some people award feedback for reviews. If you have any feedback, please let me know directly, I am certainly willing to accept constructive feedback.

Okay, I am off to a grad-school hosted speaking engagement. If you are in the market for an MBA and you are looking at my particular institution, I'll see you in Alameda County tonight. . . No, really it is worth it.

My wife and I spent a relaxing Sunday evening with some friends last night. Our daughter acted up, which is out of character, but par for the course when we are with those friends. It was fun to see our daughter was taller than the children 3-9 months older than she is. Daddy is proud of his tall girl.

After a great potluck dinner, we sat around chatting about everything from crashing very expensive cars, to the Godfather, to the important things in life.

While the topic of games came up more than once among the guys, all assembled were mutually horrified and impressed by the extensive domain knowledge I exhibited. Truly, I am in the wrong industry. But I suppose that is why i still have my job when the more enticing employers are laying off in droves.

One of the guys last night has become a permanent fixture at EA. I was able to see his project at the low point, but have no interest in the much-hyped title which is slated for an impending release. Not to say his work is of a poor quality, nor that the title won't move mountains. Simply put, the game is not my kind of game. Nevertheless, I wish his title success because he worked on it.

Man that was some great teriyaki chicken.