Okay, so I first played Prince of Persia yesterday. Yes. . . I know I am late. I picked it up as part of the Platinum collection X-Box titles. From what I remember the title was slow in sales but high in ratings. After all these years (one and a half), I figured I should play it. For a $19 title it plays very well, and was well worth my time, money, and patience. The character animation was incredible, the sound was impressive, and the graphics. . . well, extraordinary for their time. Still, PoP holds up very well. The control scheme took some getting used to, and I still haven't adopted all of the moves available to me, but that is what playing it again is for.

Unfortunately, with the wife sleeping I missed the plot and audio of the cutscenes. Hopefully I can pick that up again on another play.

I must say the Prince is quite acrobatic. One of these days I'll figure out how to run across walls

It's true, I saw it.

When I was in Southern California I found Lumines. Only two copies, compared to the massive quantity of other PSP titles. Hellboy still taunts me with his ineffible--nay, diabolical--eye candy. It's bad enough I have become enraptured with the infernal story from the comics, but to have a glowing, real-life movie made of everyone's second-favorite hellspawn makes the fact I still haven't seen it completely abhorrent. Add in the fact that owning a PSP is only worth two things right now: Playing Lumines and watching movies my wife won't watch with me. So. . . that is why I still don't have one. I just need another reason to tip the scale.

There is that one I still haven't returned after the conference. I could retain it for myself. Unfortunately that is not the way to go when your relationship with your wife is predicated upon love, trust, and sharing. However, if the time limit on returns were to . . . expire, I would then be left with a PSP. Work won't let me expense it, my wife won't let me justify it, and I can't really support that habit.

So, until the PSP drops to $99 and Lumines is in the triple-platinum hits display, I won't be enjoying any PSP goodness. Until then I will continue to keep the vigilant eye open for Lumines. I just hope I don't cave on my budgetary resolutions like I did with the Gamecube. The might of both Metroid Prime and Wind Waker proved to be too much for me.

So, after procuring four PSP systems it turns out we are returning at least three.

After all of the work I went through to get those machines, nobody wanted them. Well, that is not true. Nobody who won the raffle wanted the machines. They wanted a digital camera more. . .or an iPod. People. . .can you believe how foolish they are. I guess I misunderstood the market segment. I thought surely at least one out of four middle-aged attendees would choose the PSP over an iPod or camera to give to their child upon their return. Similarly, the hip young things would clearly choose the MP3-, game-, and video-playing device over other gadgets.

That's okay. I was wrong. I guess there really is no way to predict poor taste.

It was just so sad when I returned the PSP last night. That wasn't the way I wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Woah.

I heard it was slick, but the resolution of the screen was unimaginable. The clarity, the precision. . . it was marvellous! On top of that, I played Lumines. Unimaginably great. It truly is the best puzzle game since Tetris!

Before I start waxing all effusive, I had better get some sleep. Mid-market breakfast comes early in the morning.

Okay all y'all I'm here to blow your mind.

I had lunch with a marketing exec from Sony. He didn't reveal any trade secrets or anything, or blow the cover on the PS3. I find it interesting how in the dark corporations keep their employees prior to major releases. When the individuals responsible for setting up and managing the booth don't even know what will be announced or shown in said booth by execs, something is amiss.

Now I understand all of the hush-hush policies and need to keep secrets secret, but surely you can provide more details than at such-and-such time so-and-so will speak to provide a major announcement. Given, what is appropriate to talk about with me (not a Playstation employee) is very little, or completely consigned to past topics, I would think the PR and Marketing guys would be at least the second people to know what will be discussed. But I guess not.

I considered the history of the PSP to be amusing conversation, particularly the part about how Sony employees had to fend for themselves in trying to acquire their own units. . . just l;ike the rest of the consumer world. When you are expecting to deliver 1,000,000 units in the first 24 hours, surely you can provide up to 900 more for your employees, if they wanted to secure one for themselves. Nope.

Even EA makes games available to their own.

That is just the way it goes I suppose.

So, I was at CHI 2005 the other day talking to the R&D boys from Microsoft Games, and I asked them if we were going to see variations on games.

Not just any variations did I ask about but the variations of content. Remember that awesome game Drakan: Order of the Flame? Yeah I do too. I loved that game. Especially since I could tone down the gore. All of the sudden I could take that gib-filled M game and turn it into a Teen-friendly adventure game.

I wish I could do that with Halo. . . for the kids. My brothers in law are coming out to live with us this Summer. They are all excited at being able to play Halo with me, but my wife won't let them. In their home M-rated games were not to be found. She also holds that in our home they won't even be allowed to play T games. Not much gaming will be going on then.

I guess they can play Katamari, or Lego Star Wars. . . or something. I'm sure I can dust off my Gamecube and we can all play some Mario Party together. That'd be fun! Unfortunately, we will just have to see.

However, if content of games could be toned down (a la the recent bill president Bush signed to allow consumers to do some after-market editing of their movies) that would be ideal. When asked about this feature the guys at Microsoft looked at me like I was crazy. The artists would never allow that, and that feature would not justify the extra time prior to release to build it in.

Too bad. I could go for some better sanitizing of my entertainment media..

Never underestimate what a person with a union will do to enlist you. . . as if mere membership offers any rewards other than perceived popularity.

Are you part of a union?

I am.

How many people are in it?

20.

Well, I have 36 in mine, I guess you aren't as popular as I am.

It is like a bad episode of Dawson's Creek.

So, with the wife being sleepy sick, I guess I'll have to spend some quality time with Lego Star Wars again. . . assuming it is coming home.

Love you honey!

Too bad about the broken nature of Wrestlemania XXI. If the WWE, NWO, GLOW, etc weren't such a broken form of entertainment, I would be more disappointed. Nevetheless to the consumers who were looking forward to that game and got a rickety contraption, you have my condolances. I suppose this is another case of the slick exterior being unable to hide the broken interior.

When I was younger i almost thought the WWF was cool, heck Rowdy Roddy Piper was awesome. . . any man willing to wear a kilt in public gets kudos. However, over the short space of time when Hogan's heroes left Saturday morning cartoons and Saturday morning chores took over I lost interest in wrestling entertainment. Half-naked, oiled-up guys taking each other to the mat is not entertainment for me, in terms of game or television. I fall into a different category of game player nowadays, and from a slightly snobbish perspective, I am a more discriminating player of games as well.