Imma run amok with this one. Random tidbit you didn't know about me (other than who I actually am, heh): I'm good at Scrabble. And I still don't qualify as a nerd at school. It's quite refreshing. Here's a tip to be able to excersize "nerdy" activities, without looking like a nerd: don't do them or talk about them around girls, or around guys if its something that most of them would consider nerdy, Scrabble included. So all of my guy friends know that I have a Dreamcast and love it, and maybe a handful know that I know that QINTARS is playable in Scrabble, and would qualify as a bingo. I have my Dad to blame for introducing me to this evilly addictive game. Now to punish him, I'm pretty much better than him at the game. I'm not gonna say entirely but we're about 60/40 right now. Okay, other news. For the third year in a row, I've done my Christmas shopping almost exclusively online. Face it people, shopping for other people, at least if your a guy, is snorzville. There is something satisfying about thinking of something to get your grandma on the fly, searching it on Amazon, and ordering that sucker and never worrying again. The few dollars extra you pay for that service is nothing in comparison to the tedious walks, lines, and stores you'd have to wade through at the mall. Malls are evil places, something I discovered when I went with my now ex-girlfriend and her 3 friends to Pentagon City mall. There are still pictures of me cowering in the corner while they forced me into Victoria's Secret etched into my retinae. Let's talk about Rainbow Cotton. Easily the most ill-recieved game in the Japan only Cotton series, and a black eye in the Dreamcast's good import library. I bought this game and surprisingly liked it. The control was a little touchy, but as long as you came to understand that small movements were to aim, while big movements of the analog were for sweeping dodge moves, I became pretty good at the game. However, the games code is disturbingly unstable, enough to warrant a patch, something that was very possible given Dreamcast's online connectivity. The game crashed at least 10 times, something unacceptable given the fact that saving is only for the options, and not actually for the arcadey single player mode. Eventually I beat it. Here's the deal: this game is actually fun (although it doesn't stack up to that other "shooter" Rez), and it oozes atmosphere and style, but the unstable code is what really hurts this strong title. Thus I gave it a 6.9 rating instead of something in the high sevens. However, I've tried a few copies of this game, and they all have the same amount of bugs. Still, the fact that there are multiple routes, it has a great sense of style and Japanese-quirkiness, and the great sound work makes it a pretty good pickup for your import library. Finally, I think it should be announced that I finally own an arcade stick, and it makes a world of difference for some games. While it hurt a few games, most noticably the shmups due to slightly loose sticks, and Power Stone 2 because of the strange layout, most of the games were a lot better with the stick I used (Blade Twin Arcade Stick). It also has some neato features, such as built in rumble (on both sides so you could isolate it on one players side), turbo buttons, a VMU slot, and the fact that it is essentially two arcade sticks in one made it well worth the 30 bucks I laid down for it. Finally, I leave you with a question: why do men have nipples?

I'm knee deep in homework right now, so, staying true to my teenager role, I'm dodging my responsibilities and writing instead. Hip, hip, hooray! Anyway, I got **** on my mind, man. I'm enamored with Test Drive: Le Mans. Somehow, in the nearly three years I've owned a Dreamcast, I've managed to avoid this game. I saw it often enough at Gamecrazy, but the 14 dollar pricing always made me steer clear, more so since I often saw it in those one dollar deals on EvilBay. Foolish, on my part. Luckily, last week Gamecrazy had another 3 used games for $15 bucks deal, so I swept in and finally got my grubby, cheeto-encrusted fingers on Test Drive (along with Ultimate Fighting Championship and a little game called Armada). While I've barely touched the others, not that they are bad games, because they both offer rich gaming moments as well, I've been in love with Le Mans. It's amazing how much Infogrames affected the Dreamcast, bringing both the best (Le Mans) and worst (TD6) of racing to the 'Cast. Le Mans coulda, woulda (nope, not shoulda) been a port of the mediocre game on the PS and PC, but its been entirely revamped. The graphics really showcase the Dreamcast's power, boasting the color rich textures that the Dreamcast is known for, and some really impressive light mapping and weather effects. The cars aren't especially poly-heavy, but the mapping and texturing does a good job of tricking the eye into thinking its got a lot. But c'mon people, this is a blog not a review! So why am I mentioning Le Mans. Because it is one of those rare games that, for better or for worse, get stuck in mind. For tomorrow, I have a essay due, a calendar, 5 worksheets, and a test to study for, but all that's stuck in my mind is Test Drive (and Wolf Parade, an exceptional band in the semblance of Modest Mouse, but much better, and much more Canuck). So please, if there is a merciful soul here, tell me I'm wasting my time and to get back to work on the history paper I'm writing (or thinking about writing). Curse you, Infogrames and Melbourne House, curse you!

First blog. I have a myspace, but hell, I'm not gonna blog on that! Who cares what emo teens think about me? But gamers, oh, my fellow gamers, I come here to spill out my guts, use my hands to try and pick them back up, and spoon them all back in again. Here the basics. I'm a 15 year old sophomore attending T.C. Williams High School ("Remember the Titans"), and I am a big gamer. It is pretty high ranked up there with my hobbies, including drumming, writing, soccer, listening to music, and, of course, utilizing my boyish charm to seduce the lady-folk. While I'm lacking in the "age" catagory, I have a bit of videogame experience behind me. I remember being 6 and plugging away at the Saturn for hours. I remember feeling bad when I saw scantily clad women in Duke Nukem 3D. I remember playing Indiana Jones for hours. However, at home, I was a PC enthusiast through and through. Only a straight-jacket and some nerve gas could keep me away from No One Lives Forever. I went on a PC buying frenzy, picking up whatever game looked remotely entertaining (and even some that didn't, as long as they we're in the bargain bin) and playing it for hours on end. At the same time, I still got exposure to console games, through my friends, especially my neighbor, Stephen, who had a Genesis. At least three times a week I'd make the short walk to his house and we'd plug away for hours at his game box. I eventually bought a Game Boy Color, and with it, a subscription to Game Informer. Being a foolish young lad, I only scrutinized the handheld reviews and previews, a move that would later haunt me, but more on that later. I've always had an affection towards the underdogs, and thus, their glory days long since past, had a leaning towards Nintendo and Sega consoles and games. Unfortunately, despite having a lot of knowledge of games, I was unable to unleash my console gaming beast until recently, due to my strict, school-oriented parents. After my Game Informer subscription cancelled, I managed to mysteriously "lose" (according to my parents) almost all of my saved up magazines, except for one, the September Dreamcast premiere issue. Having little else to read (Dicken's classics? Or Dreamcast?) I read all about the games and thoughts on the little gaming box that almost did. Even after it had stopped being produced, seeing pictures of Soul Calibur and reading about quirky titles like Seaman and Samba De Amigo kept me interested in the console. I also had a close friend who had once owned one, and fond memories of Worms Armageddon and Sword of the Berserk were rooted in my mind. Eventually, when it's price dropped to a mere 50 dollars, I had to take a stand. I struck a deal with my best friend: a Dreamcast console, controller, and Soul Calibur game for the game XIII for the Xbox console. Guess who got the better deal? The console flame was lit, and I sent off running. As of now, I have about 50 different Dreamcast games, all legit (except for Propeller Arena and Half Life, which are unreleased titles). The Dreamcast is truly an awesome console and boasted an amazing games library, despite its comparitavely short life span. It was the first console to be truly online, and had some hallmark games. (From gamerankings.com) In its two year life span the Dreamcast had 6 top-50 overall ranked games. In comparison, the Xbox and PS2 both had 8 despite having over twice as much production time, and the Gamecube had even less than the DC. Now, my computer, old and weary, is no longer fit for gaming, but my Dreamcast uberconsole is still trucking. Hopefully, this marks the beginning of a long and wonderous relationship (mmm...cheese).