Hi :)... how's everybody doing?

Yes, I've been MIA :shock: for awhile... a chance for some time away came up rather quickly, and I grabbed it. So it doesn't appear as if Gamespot has imploded or come to a screeching halt during my absence... but it does look like I've got quite a backlog of reading and commenting to do.

Did anything noteworthy happen while I was away? You know... controversial game reviews, personel being fired or quitting, new fads (like the 5 Things) or emblems I might have missed.

I've lingered ;) here long enough, time to start making the rounds.

I'm sure that a few of you probably don't read the news here at Gamespot. If so, you might have missed one of the strangest :? news items to be featured in the SideBar news blog. Here it is in it's complete form, along with the accompanying photo...

Wii Homebrew Spawns Wiibrator

Well now its worst nightmares have come true... Nintendo's wholesome family console has become an adults-only vibrator in a unique homebrew application by Team DWiildo. Called the Wiibrator, the application runs through the Wii to make the Wii Remote, well, vibrate. Team DWiildo suggests using the Wii Remote jacket, for safety's sake, and instruct gamers to "Not try to use this with either the Wii Zapper or Wii Wheel peripherals."

There are four different "playing levels," in what is described as a "highly advanced technology demo." The team clearly have ideas for where the project is now going, possibly featuring the ability to add a "stimulating" slideshow of images, USB webcam support, and online chat functionality, as well as local multiplayer options to future versions.

Online multiplayer for up to 32 eager participants may also be coming soon. According to the info, "This would make it the first ever widely available tele-diIdonics."

For all you complaining :roll: the Nintendo Wii is too kiddie... is this hardcore enough for you?

This is a Public Service Announcement for all Pokémon fanatics here at Gamespot.

In an EB Games News e-mail dated 16 JUN 08 was an interesting little nugget of information near the bottom which said:

If you have a Nintendo DS and Pokémon Diamond or Pearl, bring them to your local GameStop the weekends of June 20-22 or June 27-29 to receive the rare Pokémon Deoxys... Deoxys is only available in stores for two weekends!

After a phone call, I also found out... not all GameStops will be participating, so I suggest you call ahead to check availability. I'm not sure if this is for the United States only, so I'd suggest my international visitors should check with their local GameStop as well.

Other than that, I hope everyone has a great :D weekend!

It's time once again :roll: for everyone's favorite... the "level up" blog. It took me a little longer than normal to level up (curse you ;) Mario Kart Wii and your addictivness), but I've manage to do it once again. Now, how about a few facts to commemorate the special occasion:

Profile views: 6194 (+1 new)
Total friends: 100
People tracking me: 219
Games in collection: 1036
Blog posts: 56 (including this one)
Emblems earned: 29
Messages read: 292785
Messages posted: 3591
Tags: 7474
Now playing: Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Wii) and Crossword DS (NDS)

I somehow managed to earn not just one, but three shiny new emblems this past level, The first is my new favorite :), and the last was the easiest to earn... I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time :D.

Arena of Brawlers!
The stage was set to hold an arena with the biggest, baddest, nastiest, Super Smash Brothers brawlers of all time. The participants of this the Fight or Flight tournament were crowned with this emblem.

Totally Gangster
From Liberty City to San Andreas, this user competed in GameSpot's GTA-themed trivia tournament. If you think you know GTA, chances are, this person knows it better than you do . . . or lives in the right place to participate.

I Wanna Rock
This user tuned in for the live broadcast of the Guitar Hero III tournament. Whether they love to watch tournaments or they can't get enough rock, we may never know.

As was mentioned several blogs back, I picked up Mario Kart Wii at its midnight release on 27 APR 08... and since then, I have managed to play every single day without failure. What started out as harmless fun :lol: soon turned into a quest of epic proportions :(, that severely tested my patience and sanity... but I succeeded :D. This evening about an hour ago, I just earned my final 3 Star rating. In MKW you'll earn a trophy (1ST, 2ND or 3RD) after completing the 4 races that make up a cup if you do well enough. With your trophy, you'll also get a rating... the standard ones (A, B or C) are fairly easy to earn, but performance above and beyond will earn you anywhere from 1 to 3 stars by your name and be visible while online.

Final cup of 32 completed to earn the coveted 3 star rating.

For those of you that might be interested, here's a few of the interesting statistics accumulated from my in-game license...

Distance Traveled: 14240
Total Race Count: 2105
Total Tricks: 13390
Favorite Character: Daisy
Favorite Vehicle: Dolphin Dasher
Favorite Course: N64 Sherbet Land
VS Rating (VR): 9314
1ST Place Appearances: 1396
% Race Time In 1ST Place: 62%
Item Hits Delivered: 4598
Item Hits Received: 7429

Now that my obsession has ended, I can start getting to bed at a decent hour again and my presence here at GS will be a little more frequent. I've missed a few shows, a lot of news and a few friends blogs... for which I humbly apologize. It's somewhat humorous :lol: if you think about it... avoiding a site dedicated to video games, because your playing a video game.

Over the years here at Gamespot, I've read (and listened too) many blogs regarding music. Generally they are about what's current and cutting edge, or possibly regarding the next big thing that's on the cusp of breaking through to main stream popularity. I'm going to try something a little different :D... former top selling pop songs that have been redone from a different perspective. All chart positions are based solely on the US version of The Billboard Hot 100, and if you click the song title you'll see some rockin' videos. So in no particular order (but I will admit that the last selection is one of my all time favorite songs/videos), here's my list...

Come Together

Originally released by The Beatles in 1969 on their Abbey Road album, this song became a #1 selling single on 29 NOV 69. It has been speculated that the verses, described by Lennon as intentionally obscure, refer cryptically to each of the Beatles. Nine years later in 1978, Aerosmith redid this track for the ill-fated Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band film and soundtrack. Their success was a little less than stellar, reaching a respectable #23 on the charts.

Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)

This song was originally done by the Eurythmics, and was the first single released from their 1983 sophomore album Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)... and on 03 SEP 83 the track reached the #1 spot. The lyrics of the song allude to a search for fulfillment, and the "Sweet Dreams" are the desires that motivate us. In 1996 alternative metal band Marilyn Manson released this single from their 1995's Smells Like Children album. While not attaining a spot on the charts, the remake did become an MTV-staple and helped to establish the band.

Turn The Page

The song was originally released by Bob Seger in 1973 on his Back in '72 album. The original studio version never made the charts, but the live version on his 1975 Live Bullet album is when many people really took notice. Lyrically it's about the emotional and social ups and downs of a rock musician's grueling life on the road... it is generally considered one of the best of many such songs. Heavy metal band Metallica covered this tune on their Garage Inc. released in 1998. Much like the original version, this rendition failed to make the charts as well.

Faith

This track was originally written/performed by George Michael, and released on the 1987 album titled Faith... on 12 DEC 87 it hit the top cop of the charts, and was also the best selling single for all of 1988. Simple and basic, the lyrics document the struggle of not being tempted away from his relationship by a nonetheless attractive third party. Florida's own Limp Bizkit covered this little pop diddy on their 1997 release titled Three Dollar Bill Y'All$. They had little commercial success with either the album or the single, but constant and obsessive touring combined with MTV airplay helped bring this band to the masses.

Hurt

First released on industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails 1994 album The Downward Spiral. This entry in my countdown is a little different than the previous four, because... the first four were pop to hard rock/heavy metal conversions, where as this is rock turned into country. Plus, not to mention this cover received way more attention that the original version. While neither version ever made the charts, Cash's cover did win the Country Music Award for "Single of the Year", "Music Video of the Year" and helped win "Album of the Year" in 2003. The remake was heard on Mr. Johnny Cash's 2002 album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. The pain and anguish that resonates from this hauntingly beautiful rendition, proves how powerful music is as an art form.

I tried to post this yesterday but my ISP was having issues (thanks :evil: Comcast), which led to major frustration on my part. So with a good night's sleep, and by the light of a new day, I'll try it again... I hope you've enjoyed :) all my hard work. Any suggestions for another such blog are always welcome.

"Here Rests In Honored Glory An American Soldier Known But To God"

Today we celebrate the holiday known as Memorial Day, a time for remembrance of all our brave men and women of the United States military who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The true meaning of today seems to be fading with the passage of time. Generally, it's thought to be the unofficial beginning of summer, for others it's just a 3 day weekend and the retail industry uses the day as a promotional tool for sales. But please take a moment today to remember those that have died protecting the freedom that allows you to spend the rest of the day doing as you please... without them none of this would be possible.

One last thing before I go... thanks to the late actor Brandon Lee, I was introduced to a wonderful quote that I feel is very appropriate today. It's from the The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles, which says...

"Death is always on the way, but the fact that you don't know when it will arrive seems to take away from the finiteness of life. It's that terrible precision that we hate so much. But because we don't know, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens a certain number of times, and a very small number, really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, some afternoon that's so deeply a part of your being that you can't even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four or five times more. Perhaps not even. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless."

It's time to take a short break from the fast and furious action of Mario Kart Wii. Now... for record keeping purposes, and my own personal amusement ... here's a few statistics to mark this momentous event:

Profile views: 5560 (+3 new)
Total friends: 128
People tracking me: 214
Games in collection: 1032
Blog posts: 52 (including this one)
Emblems earned: 26
Messages read: 280902
Messages posted: 3152
Tags: 7292
Now playing: Mario Kart Wii (Wii) and Mario Kart DS (NDS)

I've managed to add a new emblem during my time spent on the previous level, it's:

Flag Flyer with nerves of steel! This Halo 3 player competed in GameSpot's Fly That Flag Tournament.

Now... my break is over, and it's time to get back to MK Wii and more racing. Have a great :) weekend!

EDIT: The watchful eye of tinoshke caught an error on my part, which has been corrected... thank you :)!

It's going to be a short blog tonight. I've just returned from picking up my reserved copy of Mario Kart Wii at my local GameStop during the midnight release, and my FC is... 4124-5379-4792.

Feel free to leave your FC in the comment section below, or if your shy just PM me... hope to see you on the track :D.

As most of you know from previous blogs, I've been dealing with thyroid issues... specifically Grave's Disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism in the world. It started out with very mild symptoms, and was actually only diagnosed during testing for another medical problem. Initially... my hormone levels were monitored, and nothing else was done since I was on the lower end of the chart. Eventually I was placed on medication, Methimazole, as a short term solution while determining what course of action I'd be taking. More recently, I've moved on to the next step in the process towards better :) health.

In an attempt to avoid surgery, I went with the Radioactive iodine or RAI treatment option. To the average person, the idea of introducing a radioactive material :shock: into your body sounds bizarre. I'll admit, I was more than a little concerned :?... but as with most things in life, my mind had built it up far worse than it actually was :roll:. In the Nuclear Medicine Department of my local hospital a few final tests were administered, and the results verified... I then drank a small amount of liquid using a tiny straw and was sent home. That was the easy part. The hard part was the following week, and the precautionary measures that had to be followed... isolation and segregation would be a fair description. My clothes and anything I used for eating had to be kept separated from the rest of my family, and washed by itself. No physical contact with anybody :(, and it was recommended that I keep an arm's length distance away from others. Here's my favorite :D part... I was given a card to carry, in case I traveled by air during the next 3 months. Why you ask? Because many airports now have radiation detectors in order to detect the smuggling of radioactive materials that may be used in nuclear weapons manufacture., and apparently the dosage is high enough to possibly trigger the alarm and alert security.

Now I will go once a month for 6 consecutive months and have blood work done to check my thyroid levels. At the end of that time I'll meet with my endocrinologist to determine the next step in the process... which could be another round of RAI, surgery or daily medication for life (if everything goes well the 1st time). So, for now you get a break from the boring medical stuff... but, I'll be back (said while doing my best Terminator 8) impression) to give you another update in a few months.