big news of today: Seahawks aquire Deion Branch in exchange for their first round draft pick. They are now rated #1 overall in the NFL, GO HAWKS!

Cheifsfan55 and I made a bet. If Gears of War scores 9.0 or higher, he will leave SW for 6 months. If it scores below 9.0, I will leave system wars for 6 months. Its on man, its on till the break of dawn

Family Guy was hilarious last night. Best joke ever: "Ill testify against you like I testified against Michael Jackson!"

Prison Break Tonight

Sheep, all fairness here, when it comes to Zelda TP, you have got to slow it down.

The "Zelda Twilight Princess GOTY 2006, Pefect 10/10 sequel to the best game ever" bandwagon is gettin way to full and moving way to fast.

We know its gotten alot of praise, we know it means the world to you because GC hasnt had a good game in 21 months (since RE4), we know its the soul sequel to Zelda Ocarina of Time, and we know that above all, its Zelda.

However, dont you think hyping GOTY 2006 and a perfect score is a bit.....premature? I mean the game isnt out yet, and on top of it Oblivion got a 9.6 which is very difficult to top.

We dont question that Zelda TP will be great, infact we expect it, but hyping a game GOTY and a perfect 10 is only digging your own hyped grave. Some of you remember Halo 2? Alot of people hyped that 10/10 and GOTY for reasons that are just as good as why you hype TP now, and there were alot of complications after the fact because it scored a 9.4, which seemed really low because of all the hype. People got caught up in the 0.6 missing from the score and bashed it and the lemmings to hell because it didnt get a perfect score, completely ignoring the fact that it is infact a killer app AAA game.

So just a friendly reminder here, you can hype too far. Zelda TP has been hyped too far, back it up a notch

yea, my threads own in system wars, just pointing that out

Today, I encountered a sexual predator. It was an experience that statistically every peson aive will have atleast twice, but I admit that doesnt comfort me.

I was at the local target and a woman about 60 years of age was hitting on me. Being less than 20 years old, I was completely stand off, and completely repelled by it. I knew she was on to me when she grabbed my arm and tried to take me with her twoards the exit when the light went off in my head: Dont go out the door. It occured to me that being her small and weak old self, she probably had someone outside helping her take people with her to wherever they were planning on taking me. I promptly left and then I noticed she had left her purse. A guy walking by told me to give the purse to her and I did so reluctatnly, but it was at that point when she again tried to usher me out the door where I could see a man about 50 years of age and who had atleast 50 pouinds on me waiting and watching her outside the door. I quickly went back into the store and called the police, and when the officer arrived I learned that she was with a group of people who were wanted for questioning under accusation of attempted abduction and underage sex.

Really really weird stuff.

Playstation 3, Sonys next bid to the videogame market.

PS3 has promised everything anyone could have wanted from a console: High definition games, a new type of media, great games and above all, its a playstation.

PS2 is the envy of the gaming world, its the best selling, most awarded money making console in the history of the industry. Playstation has become the "Ipod" of videogames, the must have name brand like Microsoft, Apple and Coca Cola. Sony played the market like a fiddle and because of the mastery that went into the PS2, they were sent into gaming paradise, with more cahs and more fame than they knew what to do with.

So now we ask ourselves "who was the moron that messed that up?" And thats a reasonable question. After the PS2, Sony had every advantage that they could have asked for. They had the name brand console with the largest userbase and the most games....and yet somehow, by some horrific mistakes PS3 is currently at the bottom of a hole Sony has dug for it.

Lies on top of excuses on top of delays all burying the PS3 like a deadweight. It didnt start at E3, PS3 has been having problems since day one of planing, and its only become evident as of recent days.

PS3 was supposed to be the developer's console of choice with its untapped power and name brand recognition, but the realitively useless Blu Ray media and impossible architecture have scared away all but the faithful, and at this point, the brave. PS3 was supposed to deliver graphics that would be "like real life", but instead after a long wait we now have the evidence to prove that not only were the beutiful graphics a CG hoax, but the reality is staggeringly worse than anyone expected. PS3 was supposed to, meant to, intended to, planned to, expected to have everything and more.......that was along time ago.

At E306 Sony showed off their problematic PS3 to the world and announced both its fantastically high price point (600 dollars american) and its release date for a worldwide launch in november 2006. Sony also showed a promising but underwhelming list of games, 90% of which wont be seen at launch, many still yet to enter playable form.

So now we find ourselves 4 months after E3 and clearly things have changed for PS3. Playstation 3 will launch with a severely limmited number of units this holiday season (400k in the US, 100k in Japan), not even half of the supply that would be necessary to even scratch the surface of the sensational demand for the console. PS3 has yet to enter mass production fo PS3's, which means to meet their own goal of 1.2 million in the US they will need to produce 20,000 units a day starting this month, so its possible. However, there has been specualtion as to wether or not the PS3 is ready to be put into production, especially since its first production was shut down because the casing for the PS3 was too small to fit the parts, especially the new Blu Ray disk drive. So will Sony have PS3 ready in time, even enough to meet such a small supply? Possibly, but since PS3 isnt being produced right now, we have no way of telling have many of them can be produced every single day, and every day Sony loses more time that could be spent filling demand, the kind of head banging, aggressive demand that only comes once a year.

So ignoring the fact that PS3 isnt just in hot water, its drowning in it, we can move on to wether or not the PS2 has a shot of being number one. If you cant take this like an adult STOP READING HERE, ITS GOING TO GET NASTY!

Fair is fair, and PS3 has a shot, just like 360 and wii do, but its a different shot from an angle that historically isnt the best angle to shoot from. PS3 is playing the expensive but superior hardware game that Xbox played (and lost) last generation, but Sony is betting that the name brand Playstation will pursude the masses to open their hearts, and more importantly their wallets and spill out hard earned cash and coin into their console.

Is charging 600 bucks a stupid idea? Well no not really. Sony can get 5 million PS3's off the line at $1000 and those consumers wouldnt bat an eye because they want a playstation, no matter what it costs. Its also not a stupid idea since its the only one Sony has. Charging any less for the PS3 wouldn't be a gamble, it would be suicide. Sony is estimated to be losing anywhere between 75 and 300 dollars on every PS3 sold at launch, which means the more they can make back on every system the better.With stocks lower than they have been in years and the PS2 at the end of its life cycle, Sony needs the Playstation 3 and it needs it to succeed, but most of all, it needs all of that RIGHT NOW! Simply put, Sony isnt Microsoft, they cant play around wiwth the PS3 and if it fails just throw it down and walk away, for their own sake they need to pour every resource into making it a mega-success or they will never be making PS4.

Can it be done? Statistically speaking, yes and no. No gaming console that has ever been priced over 400 dollars has ever succeeded in the home console market. Theres a reason you never owned a 3D0, and its because you didnt want to spend the 700 dollars it would have taken to own one. It had some great games, but your wallet ached at just the thought of that kind of financial investment for a videogame console. The market is wealthier now, and 600 dollars isnt what it used to be, but its still a feat to overcome. PS2 sells the way it does because its cheap and it has great appeal (GC is cheap but has no appeal, Xbox isnt cheap and has tons of appeal...see the difference?). Even if consumers can be sold on the PS3 appeal (hey its a playstation after all), there is no guarentee they will be willing to pay for it. 600 dollars is in the videogame world and unholy amount of money for anything, and consumers are well aware. Sonys other problem is that consumers do not see PS3 as an investment into Blu Ray. Sony built the PS empire to be about games and great gaming experiences, and Blu Ray or not thats what people are going to expect to pay for with PS3. They can hype Blu Ray all they want, but consumers are going to turn a deaf ear. Playstation is games, not media, Sony doesnt seem to get it.

And even though the Xbox 360 is selling fairly well, its still a sign of doom for the PS3. Xbox 360 sales are lower than expected, and the latest census and information from gamers indicates that the Xbox 360 is TOO EXPENSIVE at 400 dollars, a whopping $200 less than the PS3 premium model. Call me crazy, but PS3 is going to be playing murder before it becomes a success. Its too expensive to be number one in the console race, atleast so far. A price drop and a few choice games can sway the race more than most people realize, but right now PS3 doesnt have the mainstream appeal to fuel demand at that price. PS3 will sell out this holiday season, but not for long after, not long at all.

Sony's bet is that name brand will matter more to the consumer than price. However, PS3 has done an excellent job of making itself look bad, and right now XBox 360 has the same if not more appeal and its 200 bucks cheaper. With no PS3 supply this year, which console do you think will people buy more? That which is just as good if not better and readily availble or that which cant be found? The choice is clear.

Xbox 360 also has a barricade of games comming against the PS3 time frame including Gears of War, Forza 2, Halo 3 and Mass Effect all running up against the one PS3 game that will smove consoles: Metal Gear Solid 4. Based on the sales of MS3, thats not enough to beat the Xbox 360 lineup.

So PS3 is going to lose the console race, atleast for a while. 2007 is going to be a critical year, and if Sony cant get millions of consoles into homes that year and if they dont drop the p[rice by holiday 07, they can say goodbye to the competition that will be steadily leaving Sony behind.

With no european launch this holiday, and the xbox 360 in a commanding lead, PS3 is out of luck right now, but it has a chance. Here is how the PS3 can reclaim some of the dominance that playstation once had:

1. Games that people will kill for - MGS4 isnt going to create lines at teh store in Europe, its a US and Japanese appeal game. Sony has nothing to give to europe and only one game to give to the US. If they plan to succeed they will need killer apps off the line before the end of 2007.

2. Price Reduction - If PS3 is still 600 bucks for the premium model next holiday (after the first Xbox 360 price drop), PS3 will be done for, completely anihillated. 200 bucks can sway a few million to the 360's side, anything more and Sony is done.

3. Forget the Blu Ray - Stop telling consumers that PS3 is a blu ray player, they dont care. Consumers know playstation namebrand to be videogames and videogame consoles, Sony built the empire on that view and thats the only way anyone is going to see the PS3. Sony needs to stop dreaming that people want PS3 for Blu Ray and face the fact that people want playstation for playstation and playstation games.

So Sony will start the race in last place (or second, could happen), and its a very long and steep climb to the top. PS3 needs to do a spectacular job of making its appeal worthy of its price point without Blu Ray being a factor or it isnt going anywhere.

Sony is down but not out, and PS3 isnt finsihed yet. The console race lasts 5 to 6 years, and they have a long time yet to clean house and get rolling.

Now we watch and wait....

this is my made up list of Halo 3 achivements, and its darn good

Campaign Achievements (380 points):

Recruit: Complete the Campaign on Easy Difficulty (25 points)

Veteran: Complete the Campaign on Normal Difficulty (50 points)

Hero: Complete the Campaign on Heroic Difficulty (75 points)

Savior: Complete the Campaign on Legendary Difficulty (100 points)

Partner: Complete the Campaign in Co-Op Mode (25 points)

Legendary Duo: Complete the Campaign in Co-Op mode on Legendary Difficulty (100 points)

Xbox Live Achievements (620 points) :

Road Rage: Splatter 100 opponents over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Hijacker: Board 100 enemy vehicles over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Headhunter: Get 100 headshot kills over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Ninja Master: Get 100 assassin kills over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Sword Master: Get 100 kills with the covenant energy sword over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Brawler: Get 100 beat down kills over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Mercenary: Destroy 100 vehicles over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Demolitionist: Get 100 explosive kills over all multiplayer matches played (30 points)

Two Handed: Get 100 kills while duel weilding over all multiplayer games played (30 points)

Duel Master: Win 100 games of head to head in matchmaking (30 points)

Team Slayer Master: Win 100 games of Team Slayer in matchmaking (30 points)

Team Skirmish Master: Win 100 games of Team Skirmish in matchmaking (30 points)

Hardcore: Win 100 games of Team Hardcore in matchmaking (30 points)

Rumble Champion: Win 100 games of rumble pit in matchmaking (30 points)

Recruited: Reach a ranking of level 20 in any matchmaking mode (20 points)

Accomplished: Reach a ranking of level 30 in any matchmaking mode (30 points)

Decorated: Reach a ranking of level 40 in any matchmaking game mode (40 points)

Invincible: Reach a ranking of level 50 in any matchmaking game mode (50 points)

Killamanjaro: Get a kill 8 enemies with 8 seconds or less in-between in any matchmaking game (15 points)

Veteran of War: Played 1000 multiplayer matches in Halo 3 (50 points)

Who's fault is it that nintendo finds themselves grovelling at the base of the console race beaten by the newbie Xbox and practically begging for mercy? If your answer was anyone other than nintendo, you need a reality check, but we dont have time for that, moving on...

Nintendo has a plan for the next generation, a plan that doesnt work perfectly, but if executed will change the course of gaming.

Nintendo is betting down to their last dime that the consumer in America is sick of playing videogames conventionally, that they are ready to move on to the next age of gaming that doesnt require the pad. Nintendo is hoping that wii will not only attract Japanese support, but that it will swallow up the facination of the US and UK markets as well. Will it?

Impossible to say for sure, but we can most certainly guess, but we need to know a bit about how nintendo got where they are and why the wii is their ticket out of third spot.

1995 - Nintedo fires all cylinders unto their new console "project reality", the N64. While N64 games look a bit like bleeding rocks covered in mudd, Nintendo faught tooth and nail with Sony and was able to push the playstation just far enough away to stay in major contention. N64 ended its race with Sony as the underdog in a 2 man race, but holding over 30% of the market.

2001 - Nintendo dives headfirst into suicide. Its not that we didnt see it comming, its that it happened so quickly, so fast that almost overnight Nintendo was denied the top spot in the console race. The Blueish-Purple kiddy cube with colorful buttons looks more like a preschool toy than hardcore gamer's console of choice, and nintendo has been paying for it for the past 6 years.

Unlike Sony which seems to be making mistakes it didnt make before, and unlike Micorsoft wich appears to be fully prepared for the next gen race going at full throttle, Nintendo has chosen to fold.

Wii is a next gen console, but it isnt in the next gen race, atleast not completely. Because the Wii has such a different appeal, focus and motive than PS2 or Xbox 360, its difficult to say they are competing....exactly. They are paying to capture the same markets, but there are demographics that nintendo and MS are aiming for where they are not in contention with one another.

Nintendos card are all bet on Europe. No joke here, I said that Europe was the next gen battleground, and I wasnt joking. Nintendo has a rich, loving and fond history with Japan, and since they are a japanese company, its all but certain that they will take a 30% split of that market at a minimum with Sony pulling up the rest of the demographic. Nintendo could completely sweep japan, or they could be 2nd to Sony, either way Japan has their vote.

The United States and North America are more difficult reigons for the Wii. Unlike Japan which will completely ignore the 360, North America is the home of the Xbox 360, the console that will give the Wii the hardest time in the states. Despite that, Wii will take SOME part of the NA jackpot one way or another, no matter how large or how small.

And then....there is Europe. The latest polls from EGM and several other gaming magazines indicate that Europe is conscious of the Wii, but not sold on its premise. Wii will launch with Zelda, and follow up with Smash Bros, Metriod and Mario. Unfortuneately, Europe is a bit tougher to crack than most people realize. Unlike Japan which ignores western games and prefers eastern games, and unlike NA which is more recpetive of western games and less receptive of eastern games, Europe has a farily clear split. Europe is the reigon in the world where developer and where the game came from seem to matter the least. GTA sells in Japan, but so does Tomb Raider and Mario.

Nintendo's biggest enemy will be itsself. Relying so heavily on their own first party titles, 99% of which are eastern oriented games will put the wii at a disadvantage. Instead of having the attention and focus of all gamers in Europe, the wii's game appeal is primarily to people who already use a gamecube or a nintendo console, and thats a terrible fate. Wii will need to find a way to break that curse with great games that arent comming straight from the nintendo classics vault, and with so much emphasis on Zelda and Mario, Nintendo doesnt appear to be going in that direction.

Wii isnt bound to Gamecube's fate, and its certainly well thought out, but it is a gamble. Nintendo needs every single gamecube owner to rebuy the Wii to stay in contention with the PS3 and Xbox 360 in Europe and the US, and they need alot of new gamers to adopt the wii willingly if they plan to take second or first place.

Wii also needs instantanteous third party support. Gamecube had one of the best launches ever, littered with third party support as does wii, but Gamecube's poor sales and bad reputation sent devs looking for something else, something better. Wii NEEDS games that arent nintendo games in order to suceed. The only thing GC proved is that Mario, Zelda and Metriod alone cannot make a console great, cant make it number one. Nintendo needs third party support to be kicked into high gear and giving a constant flow of great games both at and after launch long into the future. Xbox 360 and PS3 have far more support, so Nintendo needs support simply to compete at this point.

Of the 3 consoles in the next gen race, Wii is the most uncertain. It has the most potential for success, but it also faces the largest potential for upset and failure. Nintendo is better suited to fight this time around, but from the looks of it they are going to need every single exclusive they can push out in order to be in contention. Currently the Gamecube is over 18 months since Resident Evil 4, its last must have game. If Nintendo even dares to pull a stunt like that, Wii will be finished.

Now we watch and wait.

This just in: Your opinion doesnt count for squat. Not you specfically, but the general you, the people reading this, just know that how you feel is irrelevant. My post below is based on statistical fact and guestimation based on those facts and analysis. Saying to me "OMG its impossible" is fine, but my reponse is simple: Why not? I have a 150 page thread in SW about this and I have yet to get a straight response proving that its impossible or even unlikely. I get alot of "MS cant be the market leader" with no reason to back it up, no facts and not even any reason beyond "They cant be because I dont want them to be". My thread is drowning in the denial of others....