I'm a dad, I think I've mentioned that on here in the past. This sometimes makes it hard to find time for videogames. I fine myself playing less often, for shorter periods. It's funny I used to just breeze right on through most games. Hell I just hit 33 hours in Super street fighter iv and I've had the game for a few months now. It almost seems like my games are longer now. Just a random though.

Well completed From Dusts story mode, and I'm halfway through the challenges. The Challenges are amazingly devious. I also went ahead and picked up a copy of Bastion, which so far is amazing. I've been having a blast in who knows where.

Wow I haven't been here in a while, busy with life I guess. I've been playing a good bit of From Dust since it launched yesterday morning, it's a really amazing game. After I finish that up I'm going to grab a copy of Bastion and get down :D. I'm really excited about bastion! Another baby on the way, that'll make two come the end of september. I'm super excited about having a boy to pass on the knowlege to. My daughter, she's four now beat the first level of Sonic 4 all by herself today, I was proud, haha probably a bit more proud then I should have been, the conversation went like this. "Hey hit pause" She does "High five!" It's been a good day.

The price of games these days is prohibitive to say the least. I have found myself on more than one occasion sitting in an electronics aisle or an electronics dealer wondering if I should buy the latest game, or if I should hold off a while until I can get a used copy? I am not cheap, I do not have a bad job either, I make enough to get by. It seems the older you get though the more you have to look after, I've got bills, and a daughter I would rather spend my money on. I am wondering how important is it to have the newest games? I wonder how many people out there really have to have a game the day it launches? I've only ever played one game the night it launched, that was Final Fantasy XII and that is only because my room mate bought a copy and had to work the next day. I find myself going back the last few weeks and playing everything from Jade Cocoon and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, to Secret of Mana and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. To be honest, I have had alot more fun playing these games than I have newer games. Recently I have played Call of Duty and Halo etc.. and none of these games have the same pull for me as the older ones. How do you feel about the costs, and would you rather play the latest or a solid older game?

Finally got around to playing marvel ultimate alliance, awesome game if you haven't played it. Didn't like it until I got to captian americas sidequest throwback, four outfits per character, special abilities like what, mmmmmhhh.... goodness

I used to laugh at the idea of making games that were casual gamer friendly, and I also used to consider myself a hardcore gamer, but now adays I think I wouldn't describe myself that way. I have a wife, baby, job and shcool to tend to most of the time so I don't find myself playing games like final fantasy twelve for five to six hours at a time. I guess I'm more into bite size gaming nowadays. Games like gran turismo four and soul caliber are where its at for me lately, I can sit down for thirty minutes to an hour and save whenever I want, I don't have to worry about scrambling to find a save spot in those types of games. Really all in all what I'm trying to say is I find the trend lately that is making games not only good for the core gamer but also for the weekend warrior guys like me y'know, especially nintendo lately.

I've been looking through all the wii games on gamespot and on the nintendo and sega websites, and aside from the ports and some other few exceptions the wii is not only going the route of luring in casual gamers, it really is also catering to the core gamer at the same time, the decision to make a machine that wasn't quite as powerful as sony and microsofts monsters was a good one the more I read about the technical specs, suggested retail prices, and the overall market share. It seems the wii isn't out to prove it is on the cutting edge of graphics or to brag about hd or 1080i etc.. it really seems nintendo is focused on a good gameplay expierience and not just eye candy, which I am afraid has been the fall back for not only game consoles but popular media in the last decade or so (do I need to mention the last three installments of star wars or do you get it?). The way the motion controls are being utilized by nintendo and all the third parties involved is awesome, they are all being used just the way they should be, everything I have played so far makes sense, it isn't pick up a controller and learn the buttons, it's pick up the remote and nunchuck and do something that comes naturally, finding a system my wife could pick up and play with little to no problem was proof enough that nintendo had it right... I'm ranting now, I guess I'm just saying as a guy that hasn't historically been a nintendo fan boy I am very impressed and respect the intuition of nintendo so much right now.

So I've been playing alot of super nintendo/super fanicom role playing games lately, due to my new plethora of semi-legally acquired games (roms) and I've realized that I missed out on so much early on in my gaming life by sticking to the big name games, i.e. mario, megaman, etc.. I never took the time really to play anything other than chrono trigger and some of the final fantasy's I suppose it all goes back to the age and demeanor I was at whenever I first played those games thought right? Heck, back then final fantasy mystic quest was good to me. I'm going through earthbound for about the second time now in the last year, and also the two breath of fires that are inexplicably addictive, and so on and so on, to the point where I feel I'm probably spending more time with the past generations of games more than I am even looking at all the new stuff everyone is oohing and awwing about. Hmm. That was my little speil, nostalgia is a weird thing.