Last night I updated the Wii (15 minutes), the PS3 (20 Minutes), and the Wrath of the Lich King Beta (40 minutes). The night before, since I was on vacation when the patch was released, I updated the Actual World of Warcraft application (1 hour) and had a system update as well (15 minutes). I know that there's also newPSP firmwareout there, and that I'm going to have to buy and apply theRock Band 2 Export Patchpretty soon.

It is official: I now spend more time updating games than I do playing them.I'm not a Gamer anymore; I'm merely an Updater.

I wonder how many people, like me, are picking up Diablo II again in anticipation of the third one. Honestly I never finished it the first time around. They started throwing runes and jewels and Horadric Cube recipes at me and it seemed easier to learn the Actuarial Tables for Fiscal Year 2001 and Pi to the 1000th digit instead. "Combine the Wha, Teh and Fuh runes in the Cube to create a list of combinable runes..."

However I'm spoiled by World of Warcraft's user interface, especially when my marathon session to get to the Lower Kurast checkpoint ended abruptly. I hit escape and accidently clicked on "save and close", leaving both loot and charms on the ground and ensuring I would restart the game from about 2 hours behind through waves and waves of uninteresting but deadly demonic Fetish Dolls. Wait...isn't the reason I'm not playing WoW because of the repetitiveness?

OTOH isn't repetition one of the main tenets of modern video game design?

Remind me why I play games again...

At the Giants/White Sox game this past weekend, they played the typical organ tunes ("Charge!") and drum beats to get the croud cheering.And then suddenly I realized every time the drums beat:

Boom, Boom, Boom-Boom, Boom

I reflexively said:

Pon Pon Pata Pon.

"And in the bottom of the eighth, the Zigaton Crabs are down with three, the Eyeballs up with seven..."

OMG

OMG

EARTHBOUND ON THE WII

OMG

...

OK. This is not proof yet. It's not a product release. And it's not a rerelease on the DS, which is what I would really love. But you know, I'll take what I can get. Of course, the title of this blog is Familiar With Disappointment for a reason...

...

...

OMG

*Starts breathing in paper bag*

We were watching the Daily Show last night when a Grand Theft Auto IV commercial zipped past us on TiVo fast-forward. Strangely, the Boyfriend (who is not a gamer) stopped, rewound, watched the thing, and then paused and looked at me. "Do we need to get the new Grand Theft Auto game?" I asked. He got that funny look on his face he sometimes gets when he wants things and said "...maybe."

I wonder if his friend at work got it yet--the mild-mannered one who they nicknamed "CopKiller" after GTA3 came out...

Several people on our gay gamers board and on my friends lists have made borderline- to fully-obsessive comments about it.

It sounds like this time, Rockstar made the game with actual crack cocaine in it. That's my only explanation.

Wait, so this update means I'll be able to play PS2 Games on my PS3 now without them looking like crap?

SCEA is enhancing the PS3 user experience by enabling PlayStation and PlayStation 2 games to be upscaled to HD resolution, up to 1080p. Cla'ssic games as well as recently released titles can now be enjoyed like never before.

I suppose this means I'll have to dust off the PS3 tomorrow. It's the platform that people seem most surprised that I own, even moreso than the XBox (my anti-Microsoft reputation is pretty widely known.) And while I only bid on the XBox at a silent auction because it was cheap, we got the PS3 essentially by accident while hunting for a Wii. ("Honey, I just put a PS3 in my Amazon shopping cart. Should I check out with it?" "Eh...sure; might as well since it's in there." As you can see checking out at Amazon is always a dangerous proposition in our household. "Wait, why is that CD costing me $6000?") Just owning one right now seems like it makes you have to be either an apologist or an activist for it.

Which is all fine and dandy; but if Okami still looks like doggie poop after this update, I may start referring to the PS3 as different (but related) type of "accident."

It's always a good day for Mac gamers when there's a Blizzard release or announcement, because they really do seem committed to making simultaneous releases for Mac and PC. Getting a major title that I can play on my home system is magical, like Christmas. (Until I get a Mac that can dual-boot into Windows, at least.)

I'm also very happy that the big Blizzard announcement was for Starcraft II, because I am absolute crap at RTS games. I'm happy because I already have too many games to play; another Diablo and I'm not sure what I'd have to do...quit my job, maybe. I'm safer this way; I won't be able to say, "Can't come in this week either...I've still got the Zerg."

Right Side of Brain: The PSP Core System is having its price reduced tomorrow!!!

Left Side of Brain: So? You've suspected they were going to do that for months now. I'm almost surprised they didn't do it before Christmas.

RSoB: But the price is coming down! Want Pretty! Want Pretty Now!

LSoB: Now? We're busy now.

RSoB: Want New Toy Now!

LSoB: You don't need a new toy. You have too many toys already.

RSoB: You're talking crazy now. There's no such thing.

LSoB: ORLY? How many Wii games do you still have in their shrinkwrap?

RSoB: Um...four, maybe?

LSoB: FIVE, genius. Not to mention the Gamecube, PS3, PS2 and XBox games you've never played.

RSoB:You know I was never good with numbers.

LSoB: And besides which, all you ever seem to do is play World of Warcraft anyway.

RSoB: Yeah, but I just got my pretty pony made entirely out of bones and...

LSoB: That's not the point. Why do you need one?

RSoB: My Boney Pony? Duh, so I can ride...

LSoB: (Interrupting) No, goofus. Why do you need a PSP?

RSoB: Oh...well duh, more platforms means more games! It's got pretty graphics.

LSoB: True, it's output is pretty impressive for its size. But don't you want to wait for the smaller, redesigned version?

RSoB: ...

LSoB: ...

RSoB: Want Pretty Now!

LSoB: Oh, you're hopeless.

Wrist: (to Wallet) Shoot me now.

Wallet: (to Wrist) Tell me about it.

Bladder: Oh, don't you dare.

My, quite a number of gay gamer meetups here in San Francisco this week. (Presumably because of the Game Developer Conference.) The boys and girls at Gamers Experimentations are meeting up at the Pilsner Inn on Thursday; then Saturday night there's an identical meetup at the Pilsner happening with the folks who bring you GayGamer.net. (Back when I first moved to San Francisco, I knew and went to the same clubs as the editor there. Sweet guy. Who knew we'd both come out as gamers?)

Thankfully I live within convenient stumbling distance of the Pilsner, which is also a nice place to hang out. Has an outside patio; isn't pretentious; isn't a total pickup joint; clean; and quiet enough to talk and be heard. I realize most of the Gamespot audience probably doesn't have these images in their minds when they think of gay bars" but let me tell you...most of them are pretty ordinary, just like straight bars.

There's something delightfully geeky about standing in the back patio of a gay bar (playing whatever dreadful music is on the jukebox--Cher, Madonna...you know the stereotype) and getting wireless games of Mario Kart on with your friends. The looks on the faces of the other patrons is priceless--from "who let these kids in here?" to "OMG, is that Mario Kart? Blue Shells FTW!" (We prefer the latter.)

Now I just have to figure out if the Boyfriend will come to either event (or if I'm going to be over my cold enough to go.) Or if I can make it to three other cocktail events this week as well without checking in to rehab.

(Number of new games purchased) +1 = Multiplier of how much busier my work / business / social schedule will become