Excited for the future after the avalanche of today's news.

It took three stores, but I found a Wii on Saturday two days ago and I'm so far quite happy with the purchase. I've only got Tiger Woods '08 but I'm hoping to have Metroid and Zelda by Saturday, courtesy of gamefly. I've managed to hold off on getting any virtual console games but I'm guessing it won't take long for that to change (despite owning more than a dozen TG16 games and knowing where to go to get emulated software...). Actraiser is looking pretty sweet right about now.

An unexpected, unwelcome visitor came knocking at my door two nights ago, known to most as the red lights of death. While my 360 has froze while playing each of the hundred plus games I've sampled, I'd always clung to the notion that since my console wasn't manufactured for launch that I'd escaped this depressing predicament. I've been looking forward to spending the upcoming holiday weekend immersed in the best release to date of this year, Bioshock. Now I'm sitting here drowning my sorrows in booze, wondering if I can find (and afford) a Wii.

What's an achievement addict to do?

R.I.P. 360 #1

April 3, 2006 - August 28, 2007

I've never spent much time on the forums here, or any other site for that matter, but after a few days of browsing the various topics and their associated comments I can say without doubt that I will no longer bother to participate in any discussion that doesn't specifically pertain to how to accomplish a specific task in a specific game.

What a bunch of juvenile, uneducated, attention grabbing drivel!

An idea just occurred to me that could potentially give more import to XBOX 360 Achievement Points and their associated profiles: allow the picture assigned to any given achievement to be designated as the gamer picture in one's gamer profile once that achievement is unlocked.  This widening of the selection of profile pictures would lend much towards the individualization of said profiles.  The icon representing one’s gaming avatar would speak to that individual’s skill in or commitment to a particular title rather than their willingness to contribute over and above the price of admission to the publisher’s coffers. 

If Microsoft is committed to innovation in the field of gaming, they will heed this suggestion!

I cannot remember the last time I gamed for more than eight hours consecutively.  And then there was Prey with its psychotic spread of Achievement Points, programmed for maximum sustainment of the high of earning AP.  Before I knew it, the ungodly hour of three a.m. had rolled around.  Way past bedtime, in a triumphant stupor, I called up my gamertag profile to learn that my run was worth 400 AP over twenty-two achievements.  Earlier that morning, I skimmed ninety points off of PGR3 by buying all of the Lamborghini's and Ferrari's in the game.  I have had higher scoring single days, but not from games that have to be played...

Just six hours after succumbing to exhaustion, I'm sitting here pondering the delay of much needed apartment cleaning by another week.  Big points are so close, so very close.  But I told myself last week that it can't go for more than another seven days.  The points... I can already taste the sweet, delicious points, their nectar running down my chin. 

Does anyone know a good cleaning service?

I just finished Half Life 2 for the first time.  Maybe I have ADD.

Made the 195 mile round trip to downtown San Francisco this afternoon for GS's big event.  I bought the ticket a couple of months ago at a discount and wasn't entirely sure if I'd make the effort to check it out.  Money is especially tight these days.  It only would've been a ten dollar loss had I chose to be lazy and not go, less of a hit than the tank of gas taking the excursion would require. 

I woke up early and, for a change, well rested, rearin' to go.  As nine approached, I was reviewing the list of games playable at the event and wasn't all that impressed.  I even own a few of them.  I decided to divert myself with driving around town looking for a 360, hoping against hope to get lucky.  An hour later and my credit card still wasn't maxed with its purchase, not to my surprise. 

Later in the morning, watching the day's first scheduled GS broadcast, I realized that there wasn't any reason I shouldn't be there to see it in person.  It's not like I had to fly in from Chicago only to get my ass handed to me by the site's director on stage.  By 12:30, I'm barreling west on 80, feeling that manifest destiny.  I love going into the city, always feeling enlivened by the fresh sea air and both awed and inspired by the familiar skyscape.

Checking in was quick and painless after arriving so fashionably late.  The first thing that attracts the eye when walking into the main area is GS's stage, front and center.  I thought, right on, this is just where I left off at home.  There weren't all that many people gathered around it; you could get comfortably close to the crew.  The first editor I spotted offstage was Greg Kasavin, one of the few hands I had wanted to shake.  Being that he almost looked busy and that I'm quite shy, I decided not to bother any of the GS crew. 

It was an interesting experience to see these internet celebrities of sorts in the flesh for the first time.  I've been a fan of the site for years, relying on and often espousing its editorial decisions.  I've also worked as an editor and have daydreamt about joining GS's ranks in the game journalism/broadcast industry. 

A quick run down of everyone else I noticed, and in most cases stood right next to:  Jeff, Jason, both Ryans, Rich, Ricardo, Justin, Bryan, Bethany, Carrie, Homer.  If I would've elected to bother you, I would've greeted each of you with properly pronounced first and last names and made a brief expression of my gratitude for your efforts.

That being said, the themed game areas were rather lacking in atmosphere, and, more disappointingly, there was a large number of game kiosks marked out of order and a further assortment that didn't work outside of that.  It's understandable that problems will occur with this type of equipment and public exposure but there didn't appear to be any effort under way to bring anything offline back on. 

Those kiosks that were in working order were largely unavailable at any given moment.  Though I perhaps could've been more patient, I believe I can count on one hand the number of games I actually played.  And while the LCD displays were nice, it looked like component cables were used sparsely, if at all.

All in all, the novelty of an afternoon in the city and seeing trusted voices in gaming in person made the trip worth my time (and the ten dollar price of entry).  I don't, however, think I'll be planning any vacations around future iterations.

Personal tilt on a traditional grading scale:  B

The lull is over.  The weather's finally feeling like fall, and, more importantly, today is the last day of my first stint of unemployment.  While I'm not looking forward to getting up early in the morning, having a job not only means that I'll be able to pay my rent legitimately, it also puts a $400 carrot at the end of the proverbial stick: the xbox 360.  Maybe it's time to put in that pre-order...

October is now more than half over, and I am still playing the waiting game - waiting for one employer to remove the "prospective" label that is currently before all of them.  I'm fairly certain that the wait is nearly over, though.  I can't wait for this to be the case, giving me the minor justification needed to purchase whatever game my heart and thumbs desire.  Not that being without a source of income prevented from charging copies of We Love Katamari, Far Cry Instincts and F.E.A.R.  Hey, at least I know what my priorities are!

It's a bit disappointing to me that F.E.A.R. is such a resource hog.  I upgraded to a middle of the road graphics card last summer and simply cannot justify dropping several hundred more on a newer one with more muscle.  Bleah.

Randomness:  I like the newly redesigned site here; F.E.A.R. is actually sending shivers down my spine in game; waiting for Shadow of the Colossus via gamefly; eagerly awaiting the 360's launch (but haven't committed to a preorder - shouldn't MS be ready to grace every home in the country with their sleek new console?).  It's also kind of funny to me to see how long after the promised 4:00 pm PST that this site actually gets its daily update and corresponding video.  If only I had journalism experience, I would've sent my resume to GS months ago...