I requested a free issue of Official Xbox Magazine some time ago, since I had an insert for a free issue in my Xbox 360 box. I received the free issue today, and in it were six coupons good at Circuit City. One of them was 15% off any edition of Gears of War, and another was 10% off any game $19.99 or more. They were good until the end of the month (like tomorrow), so naturally I went down to my local Circuit City to buy some games and take advantage of these savings. I said to hell with it and sprung for the "Limited Collector's Edition" of Gears of War, which is $69.99 regularly, but I paid $59.49, which is a little less than the regular version of the game. It comes in a shiny metal tin in a plastic sleeve; and a nice, small hardcover artbook as well; and the 48-hour free Xbox Live Gold trial that you seem to get with every new game nowadays (and the game manual too, of course). My only complaint is the game disc itself doesn't come in a transparent green DVD case. It's in a paperboard book with clear plastic DVD holders on the inside that holds the bonus special features DVD as well. I can probably get my hands on a transparent green DVD case, and I'll just print out the cover that can be found at The Cover Project. Easy enough, and just like the retail version. The other coupon went towards Animal Crossing for the GameCube. It was exactly $19.99 regularly, so I paid $17.99 after the coupon. There were four more coupons, for various percentages off or free $10 gift cards with purchase of certain titles, but none of the applicable games appealed to me (or I already owned them). I took the coupons with me anyway, and distributed them in and around the video game section. If someone wants to buy a game tomorrow, hopefully they'll find the coupon for it mixed in amongst the titles. I call half a dozen GameStop & EB Games outlets every day to check availability of the PlayStation 3 and Wii. I'm confident I'll find a Wii sometime soon, but the PlayStation 3 is a system I can wait for even if I do find one.

So two days ago my father come home from Burger King, and gifts in hand, bought me all three Burger King games. No value meal purchase, just the games. They're not too bad actually, Big Bumpin' and Pocketbike Racer are better than I expected, whereas Sneak King is less than great, but has a high creepiness factor which sets it apart. Worth the $4 each, and they even come in a transparent green DVD case with instruction manual and a 48-hour trial to Xbox Live Gold. Xbox Live Arcade games are $5 each minimum and are only a simple download. Best Buy had their Black Friday sale today. I picked up Amped 3 for the Xbox 360 for $18.99. A fun game, with some strange but hilarious cutscenes and great style overall. I don't do traditional sports games, but all the snowboarding games I've tried have been a lot of fun to play. While I was there, I also bought Transformers: The Movie - 20th Anniversary Special Edition for $17.99. It's been years since I've seen it, and it's about time my nephew see some of the things from my childhood that have endured in my memory. I'm still on search for a Nintendo Wii, but I'm hoping Costco puts together some more bundles where The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess are included. That's all the excuse I need to buy a Wii, that and the stack of GameCube games I've yet to play. Until the PlayStation 3 gets a game or two I absolutely must play, I can wait on buying one.

It probably doesn't even have to be said, but I didn't get either Sony's PlayStation 3 or Nintendo's Wii at launch. I was going to scalp the PS3 anyway, and I'm not entirely convinced that the Wii is not gimmicky. I'll wait a while before getting either; the Wii sometime before the summer, and who knows on the PlayStation 3. The Wii has more games I'm actually interested in. I have a stack of GameCube games I've yet to play (the GameCube is my nephew's), and I recently won a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Collector's Edition on eBay. I never owned a Nintendo 64, so I never played Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask, and I think it's about time I should. On the plus side, I'm playing Gears of War. I didn't believe it, but it does live up to the hype. It's a blast to play; I've beaten the first act and played some multiplayer to gain achievements. I think the multiplayer has some issues to work out, but it's good fun, even when you die. I didn't buy the game, I signed up for a GameFly account, and took a free 10-day trial. I also rented Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie, mostly just for the achievement points. I got 800 achievement points worth out of it (I used in-game cheats) before I put it in the mailbox for return the next day, and I may buy the game when it drops to $10 or $15. I have Viva Piñata at the top of my queue, but I think I'll probably be shipped Enchanted Arms (the next one down) instead because Viva Piñata is still new and in demand. Speaking of achievements, but I've really been getting a lot lately. It took me a few months to break 1000, but at the time of writing, I'm at 2735. I'd bought Cloning Clyde about two weeks ago and I've already gotten all those achievements. I just bought Outpost Kaloki X yesterday but I wish I hadn't, not because Outpost Kaloki X is a bad game, but because I want to focus on playing Gears of War. I want to buy Marble Blast Ultra as well, and I think that's all the Xbox Live Arcade games that interest me right now. We'll see how Small Arms is when it's released this Wednesday.

I went to Toys 'R Us yesterday to cash in on their 'buy 2, get 1 free' offer. I thought I'd walk about with six new games, but I ended up with only three. I picked up The Outfit for the Xbox 360 for $29.99, and Tales of Symphonia for the GameCube for $19.95. I couldn't decide on a third, and I was being rushed by my father who wanted to leave and get something to eat, so I quickly picked up a copy of Super Monkey Ball Adventure (GameCube, $29.99), thinking it was the fun Monkey Ball game I'd heard about. I came home and checked GameSpot's review, and of course, Super Monkey Ball Adventure is the sucky Monkey Ball game. So I have to return it, or exchange it for something else. I'm thinking Animal Crossing, or maybe I'll pick up the Xbox 360 version of Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (what a title). I can't remember everything they had, and I really need access to the internet when buying games; I can't remember how every game is reviewed. Not that reviews are the final word in video games, since The Outfit received a GameSpot review of 6.7/10 (I played the demo and liked it anyway), but I find they're a decent guide to go by. While I was there, I heard about the PlayStation 3 and Wii preorders, and if I got my preorder in, I'd be guaranteed the new systems on launch day. That's all I needed to hear. I was determined to return sometime after midnight and wait in line to get my preorder. So I drove back to the Toys 'R Us around 2:30 AM that night, and there was already at least a dozen people in line. I asked someone when the first people in line had arrived, and he said they'd been there since 6 PM! I said to hell with it and went home. Waiting for both the PlayStation 3 and the Wii would be worth it, but not the Wii only. I'm going to scalp my first PS3 should I be able to get one anyway, but I suspect most people who get one launch day will be listing theirs on eBay. Greed is more powerful than any gaming experience. I'm still somewhat hopeful I'll get a PlayStation 3 and a Wii on their respective launch days, but it wouldn't surprise me if I saw people camping out in front of Best Buy two days before launch.

I stopped by Best Buy a little while ago and purchased Kameo: Elements of Power for $30. I was considering Ninja Gaiden Black for $20, but I should rent it first since I hear it's fairly difficult, although I shouldn't really care about spending $20 here or there. Anyway, the Best Buy employee I asked about Sony's Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii said that they're expecting to get maybe 40 PS3's, if that. He suggested I get there as early as possible, if not wait in line through the night the day before. The Wii should not sell out, but I'll be launch day anyway. Given the limited availability of the Playstation 3, I'm probably going to scalp mine on eBay. If I sell it in December, I'll make twice my money back. The system isn't launching with anything I find to be particularly compelling anyway.

OK, so I'm a bit late (like I am on most games), but I finally bought Halo 2 from Costco today. It even came with Halo 2: The Official Guide, all for only $11.49. That's a deal and a half, and I usually don't care about strategy guides, but I'll take it since it's basically free. I'd prefer Halo 2 on the PC since it's a first-person shooter and those are better played with a mouse and keyboard, but who knows when that's coming out. It took the original Halo two years to make the port to the PC. While I was there, I also bought HBO's original series, Rome: The Complete First Season for $62.89. I'm awaiting the second season, it's one of my favorite series on TV.

I just bought Dead or Alive 4 from Best Buy when I saw it was only $39.99 online. While I was there, I picked up The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for $19.99 and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, also for $19.99. I asked about Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii preorders, but they're not taking any at this time. They said to ask again in October. Oh well, at least I have than enough stuff to keep me occupied until then. I think there's only one more GameCube game I really want, and that's Tales of Symphonia. I haven't found it yet, but I eventually will.

I bought more Xbox 360 stuff at Target (during a no tax day) about two weeks ago. I bought four new games: Burnout Revenge ($39.99), Call of Duty 2 ($59.99), Chromehounds ($59.99), and Dead Rising ($59.99). I also bought the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter ($99.99), the Universal Media Remote ($29.99), and a one year (plus one extra month free) Gold subscription to Xbox Live ($49.99). My Xbox already came with one free month, and I get another two day trial that came with one of the aforementioned games, so I haven't even used my subscription card yet. Anyway, I've spent a whole lot on the Xbox 360, and I was pretty sure I didn't even want one not too long ago. I'm going to buy the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 too, so I'll own all the next generation systems. Like I say, to hell with it. It's what I enjoy for now, so might as well make the best of it.

Forget my previous blog post. I bought an Xbox 360 today, because I said to hell with it, and because I need something next generation NOW. So looks like I'll own all three next-gen consoles, it's not like I have anything else to spend my money on. Project Gotham Racing 3 came bundled with it, along with a second wireless controller, and I picked up Perfect Dark Zero to play. I was considering Chromehounds, but I want to sign up for Xbox Live first, because according to GameSpot, it's better online than solo. I need more games in general; I'd hate for my 360 to become little more than a DVD player much like my original Xbox did for much of its life. Not that it's retired, I'll get some more use out of the old Xbox yet.

- Atari Lynx - Microsoft Xbox - Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo GameCube - Sega Genesis - PC (obligatory) And I'll probably be buying both the Nintendo Wii and Sony's Playstation 3. I'm considering an Xbox 360, but I play my GameCube more than I do my Xbox, so maybe I'll give the 360 a pass and go with the Wii and buy my first Sony console come November.