It's been almost an entire year since the last time I submitted an entry on my blog here, but that isn't a bad thing here. What it really means is I have been so busy playing games that I haven't had the time to waste on pointless blogs that no one is going to read anyway. In fact, I'm beginning to believe this whole blogging thing on Gamespot is merely for the individual user's own posterity since people rarely comment on anyone's entries with the only exceptions being those users here that are extremely high ranking...which leads me to believe that many of those that comment there are merely doing so because kissing someone's butt sounded like a good idea to them. Pucker up and have fun!

Ok, so what have I been doing for the past year you say? Well, here we go:

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts

Gears of War 2

LocoRoco 2

Nights: Journey of Dreams

Samba de Amigo

Halo 3

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart DS

Star Ocean: First Departure

Star Ocean: Second Evolution

Okami

Shadow of the Colossus

Ico

Jak and Daxter

Tomb Raider Anniversary

Tomb Raider Underworld

Ace Combat X

Resistance 2

Little Big Planet

...jeez this list is long and that isn't even the half of it!

The bottom line is this: it's been a wonderful year of playing games at my own pace and only playing games that I feel are worth spending my time on. This is exceptionally important considering how valuable my time is since I'm getting older and with every passing day, it seems my responsibilities increase and I have less time to devote to gaming or anything else recreational for that matter. Make no mistake...I am not complaining about it at all. I have just had to learn to weed out the games that are wasteful of my time, particularly those that are multiplayer-centric and waste so much time online you could easily fit in 6 more games in the same amount of time.

So...will it be another year before I return to blog again? Obviously no promises here, but I sure wish someone was interested in what I had to say...maybe even enough to give me a paid position writing a column or two, but we all know that would never happen, right? Maybe? Hopefully...?:D

Well, until the next time, have fun with your games and play what YOU like, not what everyone else says is good because let's face it...what you like may not be the same as what everyone else likes. March to the beat of your own drum...or whatever instrument of digital destruction you choose, and most of all, HAVE FUN DOING IT!

Today, I thought I'd touch on a subject that many of us think about from time to time, but many of us really never take the time to investigate a little further. I'm referring to games that go outside the mainstream definitions of an actual genre.

We've become all too familiar with genres like 2D and 3D platformers, first person shooters (FPS), role-playing games (RPG) and real-time strategy (RTS), but games like Parappa the Rapper, Dance Dance Revolution and Samba de Amigo are not so easily defined. Does this make them any less appealing? Judging by their sales, absolutely not, yet many of these games are still scoffed at and made fun of by this testosterone driven industry of digital mayhem.

The whole purpose of bringing this subject up in the first place is simply because while looking at the Wii previews today on Gamespot, I noticed a new title called "We Cheer" set for release later this year. I must admit that I was a little taken back by the notion of a cheerleading game, but I'm also very open to titles that do something different.

To back up that claim, I actually bought Samba de Amigo. "Well that's not really that big of a deal...so did I" you say, but did you also purchase not only 1 set, but 2...TWO...sets of maracas to play the game? I sure did! I've also owned many of the titles in the DDR line, to include DDR Mario Mix for the GameCube. How about Donkey Konga? We have 4 sets of bongos...I don't know anyone else with even 1 set of bongos! Obviously Guitar Hero was a must for me...and we have half a dozen guitar controllers in the house on their own stands.

That's just me...I live for the game that provides a little something different and my selections haven't been limited to wacky controllers with purchases like flOw for the PS3 and Elite Beat Agents for the DS. Admittedly, my taste in games is a little out there, but as long as I'm having fun, I could care less what anyone else thinks.

So...back to the reason for this blog entry. I think we all owe it to ourselves to look into these games as well. Up until the time Super Mario 64 hit the market, no one had ever seen a 3D platformer. The genre title just didn't even roll off the tongue well back then, but now everyone is trying to surpass the high standards Nintendo set with that game. Without taking that chance, we never would have had Super Mario Sunshine or Super Mario Galaxy, the Banjo-Kazooie series and countless others that have been every bit as enjoyable, if not as good, as SM64.

Depite the wacky premise of "We Cheer", I'm definitely intrigued by the premise of the game. Even though it'll be squarely aimed at pre-teen and teenage girls, to watch the video suggests there is a level of technical difficulty that will make even grown men cry! I'm not even kidding here folks...watch the video and see for yourself. The only thing I can compare it to is the challenging footwork of a DDR game transferred to your arms while holding 2 Wii remotes. Some of the movements were coming so fast while I was watching the video that I can easily see I'm going to get my butt handed to me in this one!

I guess we'll see where the development goes with this one over the coming months, but I'm guessing a fall release just in time for the start of the football season would be appropriate, given the core material for the game. And yes...I intend to purchase this one, not only for me, but also, so I can get a few laughs watching my wife play the game.

To look at it another way, if funny-man Will Farrell can play the part of a cheerleader, I can certainly find a few good reasons to get down with this title screaming:

GIMME AN 'F'

GIMME A 'U'

GIMME AN 'N'

WHAT'S THAT SPELL?"...you get the picture! :P

I think this one goes without saying, but Okami has finally arrived on the console it was destined for all along.

The PS2 played as a wonderful host to one of the best games ever made with the arrival of Okami on the system in the fall of 2006. Sadly, the game only garnered sales of around 300,000 worldwide despite winning numerous "Game of the Year" awards and a closet full of awards for outstanding visual design, storytelling, gameplay, soundtrack and God only knows what else.

The game was steeped in ancient Japanese mythology and gamers might have avoided it simply because they really didn't understand it. But really, there is nothing to it. The game is as good as any Zelda adventure ever dared to be and the rich storytelling, in addition to the incredible art throughout the entire game, make this title second to none as far as complete packages are concerned.

It also didn't hurt that the game featured one of the longest quests for a game of this type. With well over 50 hours of gameplay, not including the side quests, this game could easily get you over 80 hours of gameplay and at $40, that equates to 50 cents per hour. You just don't get that anymore unless "WarCraft" or "Halo" is included in the title, and it's possibly the best departure from mainstream gaming in recent years.

I'm proud to say that I now own both versions of the game, but with the improved graphics (480p, 16:9) on the Wii and the celestial brush techniques mapped to the Wii remote, this game is truly at home on Nintendo's "little console that could".

I really hope you give this game a shot at your money. Sure you can blow up vehicles and buildings or kill 100,000 enemy aliens bent on the destruction of humanity, but it is rare that you get the same feeling from a game that seeks to restore color and life to a world overtaken by evil. Give it a try and let me know if you feel the same. Happy gaming!

I know this question is very broad and possibly vague, but it really is a question and a topic worth looking into.

I remember cutting my teeth on the Atari 2600 and fortunately, they were baby teeth considering how terrible those graphics, as well as the gameplay many of those games featured. From there, and starting with the NES, many of us would agree that began the Golden Age of videogaming, but what is it about the 8-bit and 16-bit generations that we owe some of our fondest gaming moments?

To answer this question, you might actually have to transport yourself back in time. Now, I'm not saying I know of a time machine that can actually send you back through time to accomplish this, but anyone can do this. Simply drag out that dusty old 8 or 16-bitter, jam a cartridge into the slot and let's get some research done here!

Upon initial examination, it would appear that the graphics have lost an edge to the newer generations of systems that have followed. What is also expected is that the sound and physics have improved to the point of reality in current generation games. All of these things are to be expected, but spending a little more time with some really good older titles like Donkey Kong Country or Yoshi's Island reveal a charm in character design that has been lost on today's offerings. What is also apparent is with the advent of 3D gaming, developers have become lazy in thinking that 3D set pieces littering the levels will fool the gamer into thinking the game is better. Well, I'm here to tell you that is not the case...at least not with this gamer.

The 2D sidescrollers may not have pushed reality or the things that could be possible in a 3D game, but the developers had to be more imaginative in order to have their title stand out above the rest. Don't get confused here...there are some shining examples of 3D gaming out there, but the experience is greatly different from that of the good 2D sidescrollers and it might not have as much to do with the number of dimensions of the gameplay as it is with other factors.

One of the things I remember about how much fun I had in those days of gaming was the excitement of discovery. If you are wondering what I mean, think back to a time when you didn't have the internet, YouTube or even a strategy guide to tell you where all the hidden secrets of the game were located. Now imagine you doing something "outside the box" as many gamers do when they are bored with a game and begin asking the question..."what if". What if I complete this level in a certain time? What if I go without dying for the entire game? What if I collect every single doo-dad in the game?

Now, also imagine that you did one of these things and you received a reward of some sort. That feeling you got from doing it all on your own could never be matched with doing something a hundred times over with the help of a strategy guide or the internet readily available at your fingertips.

The point I'm trying to make here is the use of the internet, whether it's merely for checking out a video of someone completing a challenge in a game or using it to get through your adventure step by step, really takes something away from the game you are playing. In the old days, there were no guarantees that you would finish the game. If you were good, you would finish it and if you weren't, then you probably moved on and played something else. With today's easy access to the internet, it seems that gaming is losing it's novelty in the sense that there is no real sense of accomplishment in anything you see accomplished.

It really is unfortunate that the internet age, as well as the focus on online gaming and making single player content mere filler for the online experience, is ruining what used to be a more engaging experience, at least for me. I think this is really the reason many of us hold on to our older games and return to play them from time to time...a chance to relive those golden days of gaming and a longing for a return to the way gaming should be!

Thanks for reading!

Welcome to the latest installment of my, for lack of a better word, "anemic" blog. I really should get more into this considering how much I can talk and usally have to say. So, without further adieu...

In considering what to write about for this new blog entry, I thought about a great many things. We have a great political debate going on with the democrats that is rife with double-talk, back-stabbing, lies, corruption. Wow, it sounds like bad reality television to be honest with you, which I usually refrain from, but it's like watching a wreck in the sense you just can't turn your eyes away from it. Very intriguing...but not the subject of this blog.

No...in fact, this blog post covers what many of us as gamers love dearly and simply take for granted. It's not graphics. Graphics have almost become equal to real life and honestly...how much more can be improved? Sound is also not what I am talking about, but that too has improved to the point that realism is simply boring. Physics...the same. No, what I am about to talk about is so simple that it's likely your friends will still see the lightbulb over your head long after this screen has been shut down and you have moved on through your day.

It should come as no surprise to you that I'm an absolute fan of Nintendo consoles and games. I have been for 20+ years now and there is no shame in that. I don't consider myself a fanboy, especially since I also own an Xbox360, PS1 and PS2. I simply love good games and many of them are not the most popular titles on their respective systems, but I love games that push art and make the player think.

I have been a fan of Nintendo for so long that I have forgotten what actually drew me to their games in the first place, but fortunately, while responding to a post on the Nintendo Players Union, I had a "eureka" moment while responding to a thread showing off new pics of Mario Kart Wii. Let me preface what my point is with an analogy.

McDonald's is one of the largest corporations on the face of the planet. Almost everyone on the planet has at some point in time eaten a McDonald's hamburger or had McDonald's french fries or...gasp...have had both, in which case you should check your cholesterol levels. Ok, getting back on track here...McDonald's hamburgers and fries are in no way considered the "best". I have eaten better burgers...I have eaten better fries...I have bought both for less and have even paid more for burgers and fries than those McDonald's offer. So, what is it that McDonald's has that brings people back over and over again?

The simple answer is consistency! Yep...simple, effective consistency. This is also the driving force behind your money working for you. Consistency is the basis of all greatness. If you don't believe me, look at any athlete...any band...an actor...anything at all and you will see that everything that is considered good has a basis of consistency. The simple fact of the matter is, when someone goes to McDonald's, no matter where they are on the planet, a McDonald's hamburger will be exactly what they expect and that is exactly what they will get.

The same holds true for my beloved Nintendo. Nintendo has managed to craft games that may seem formulaic, but the games are consistent. Very little has changed in the 20+ years since Mario jumped on that first Goomba's head. You can still control him in mid air, you can still see him wearing his overalls and signature red cap, you still get the happy-go-lucky tunes that drive you to the finish. Not much has changed outside of the graphics and even that is pretty standard across the board for Nintendo games.

Look back at any franchise created by Nintendo and you can see that the quality is consistent throughout all of the games. Feature sets have been improved over time, but the core gameplay mechanics have remained largely unaltered. This is something many others have emulated with some degree of success, but not everyone gets it right as often as Nintendo has.

So, after all of these years, what makes Nintendo the powerhouse it has become is not that the games are the best. Metroid is not the best FPS game around, and no one would say that Mario Kart is the absolute best racing game ever made, but the simple fact is, you know when you open up the case for that new Nintendo game, you know what you are getting yourself into. It's as comfortable as putting on an old worn in pair of blue jeans and looks just as good to everyone. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that it was so easy to see this all along but maybe we have forgotten what it was that made Nintendo games so appealing.

You can keep your fancy multiple core processing, physics processors and HD graphics, but those things are like wearing a $5000 Italian suit...eventually, you will shed that suit to slip into a pair of comfortable jeans so that you can relax and have some fun!

Yes...just as the excited school boys scream "FIGHT" when the bully faces off against the proverbial nerd, so it is with Super Smash Bros Brawl. Except...this time, the nerd fights back and is going to put a serious ass-whoopin' on that bully!

Super Smash Bros Brawl has been so long in the making, it seems like it's been an entire hardware generation since we saw Melee come out...what? You mean it has been almost 6 and a half years!??! Wow that is a long time to wait for what will arguably be the best installment in the series, but it honestly looks like it was worth the wait!

I've been away for quite some time (Nov was my last blog entry here) and I blame it all on the PS3. It's been an incredible winter with Resistance, Uncharted and Orange Box riding inside my PS3 for most of this time, but it looks like I'll be back in full swing with the Wiimote now...heh heh...get it? Full swing...ah, nevermind!

Anyway, it's great to be back and monkeying around with you guys and gals here on the G-spot! Now, put yer dukes up and let's GET IT ON!!!

WOW! Adding games to the "collection" is very time consuming. I spent almost 3 hours adding what I have here, which is just about everything I can find in my house at the moment. I guess the good thing about this is it keeps an account of my library without me having to go to every nook and corner of the house to figure out what titles I have and what I am still looking for. Luckily though, my collection isn't so big that I can't remember the majority of the titles I own. I've seen some of you out there...you know who you are...with your 2000+ game collections! I wish I had problems like that :P

Ok, now that I have my collection updated, I am looking for something else to do to make my profile more attractive to visitors. I guess in a weird sort of way, this might be similar to what it is like having schizoprenia with me typing this text, probably only so that I will read it. I'm guessing as long as I don't start flaming myself or arguing with my own blog posts, I should be alright and will not need to start any medication or be comitted to some state hospital.

Well, since there isn't much else I can accomplish here today without wasting a significant portion of my day off, I'll be off to explore the galaxy...yeah, you know what galaxy ;)

I'm homeless...or rather forumless...after Nintendo decided to do away with their NSider boards. I was a forum user there for about 4 years and since they removed the boards from the site, I have been wandering aimlessly looking for a new place to call "home".

I guess it doesn't hurt that I've also been a regular reader of the Gamespot site so it's by no accident that I ended up registering a profile here at Gamespot.

A little bit about myself. I've been a Nintendo fan for 21 years since the NES first arrived in 1986. I remember spending my lunch hour skipping meals to play Super Mario Bros. in the Walmart electronics center where I was working at the time. Ever since then, Nintendo has always had a special place in my heart, but nothing could compare to the first time I played Donkey Kong Country.

I still remember the exact day!!! It was July 7th of 95 and I was preparing to entertain with a barbeque because it was my son's birthday. We were in Germany at the time and gaming over there at that time was both scarce (in the amount of titles available) and extremely popular (because we had one television channel to watch unless you paid $50 a month for cable which had 13 channels...what a deal huh?).

A friend of mine at the time brought over his SNES to kill some time while we were grilling and he popped in Donkey Kong Country. I'm not sure I ever made it back to the grill that day, but I've been a huge fan of DK ever since.

Ok, so how did I come up with the name "Kaiser"? Easy! The German word for King is "Kaiser" and since KingKong is a little too cliche, I thought, why not use Kaiser instead of King and voila...KaiserKong was born...or whatever it is when an avatar is created.

Anyway, my son and I still play Nintendo consoles with 2 Wii's, 2 DS Lites and an N64. Sure I've taken a break from the Mario factory and played my share of the Halo series and some of the best titles on the PS2 such as Okami and Shadow of the Colossus, but I always return to gaming the majority of the time on Nintendo consoles and handhelds.

I'm not sure if this is widely accepted or even noticed here on Gamespot due to the insanely huge amount of users here, but I intend to throw in some reviews of my favorite games (yes...Donkey Kong games included) in hopes that many of you will continue to give those 16-bit games a second look from time to time. Very few games have been as fun as the what was common place on the 16-bit systems and it would be a shame to completely forget our rich videogame past.

That's enough for now. I'm off to swing on some vines and krack King K. Rool's ka-noggin! See you out in the jungle ;)