I may have ranted a lot about Pokémon Pearl, but that was a game that while wasn't particularly good, it wasn't exactly a bad game. Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, however, is a very bad game. I know, I'm as surprised as you are. The design of marching a toy in a straight line to a door, in retrospect, is not a good plan for a game. This is the worst game I've played on the DS, including the Break 'Em All, the Metroid Prime: Hunters Demo and Pictochat. Ok, Pictochat only because it's free. By the way, GameSpot's stretching it saying there are "more than 80 different stages". There are 72 stages, and if construed, 82 including boss battles. My Full Review Lowest player review score by more than an entire point :) I think that may be my harshest tag-line yet :lol:

Having just completed Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2, I decided to open up an old DS game and played some Meteos. I quickly noticed how much I sucked now. But there was something more troubling than my inadequate puzzle skills--I was having control issues. I was too often selecting the wrong block, but this had not happened before. I thought perhaps it was my eyes screwing with me, but I couldn't really play with one closed eye, so that didn't solve anything. However, using the old DS fat tiny stylus actually seemed to immediately correct the problem. Maybe it's my accuracy with each, or more likely, a slight change in thickness of the tip. Either way, this is a strange and annoying little difference. Seeing as how 80% of DS users seem to have made the DS Lite upgrade, has anyone else noticed this in any games, particularly Meteos? Another oddity in a game I've been playing is in Forza Motorsport. This one I didn't notice right away because races seem to be decided before they start--if you have the best car you win, otherwise you don't. Anyway, I noticed that while in first place, I seemed to be able to pull away from the pack entirely, picking up leads of several seconds. However, the weird thing is that when in second or third, the leader seemed to pull way ahead. It's not as if I was being constricted by other cars, either. It really seems as though there's rubber band AI, only backward. Rather than going faster when behind, they go faster when ahead. I've tested this in the same course with the same cars, and I see no other explanation. Explaining why the developer would do this is another story. May as well ask if anyone has played Forza and noticed this. Oh, and PS2 memory cards are overly difficult to find.

As has happened before, due to infrequent visiting of relatives, I get dated gifts at random points in the year. The stockpile at my aunt/grandparent's house of random christmas/birthday gifts has been tapped to the following results: -Xbox (includes Forza and Fuzion Frenzy) -PlayStation 2 -Mario Party 7 -Super Smash Bros. Melee (Happy Labour Day Yarcofin!) -Pokémon Gale XD (points for having a title with "XD" in it) So as if I didn't have enough games to play, that has just opened up literally thousands of games. Off the top of my head, the Metal Gear Solids, Final Fantasys, Halo 2, Ninja Gaiden Black, one of those Capcom fighter collections, perhaps a DDR game since I can connect my RedOctane pad to it, God of War. Definite overload. My blog posts are prolific! I guess I should take this chance to take recommendations, although with so many options, it will probably come down to what's cheapest.

Making a new banner and new name for my blog, I made the decision to segment my blog by creating a new one dedicated to me rambling to myself about chess (thusly you won't have to deal with it here anymore XD). http://nxf7.blogsavy.com/ I plan to cover as wide of variety of topics as I can, including learning how to play and the fundamentals of strategy to puzzles to master games to my own games. I hope also to span into chess software and engines. So far I have two entries, one on an opening sacrifice called the "Fried Liver Attack" and its variants, and a second post on a win I just had against the Chessmaster engine, The King, with annotations. In the odd chance that anyone is interested, I'd enjoy the feedback.

I have a tendency to wander over to the System Wars forum once I've exhausted the new threads in GGD and/or the Wii forums, but it may be time to give that up. CaseyWegner (long-time System Wars moderator) has managed to propagate the idea that PC factors into "winning" the system wars, including, moronically, sales. Given the hardware changes significantly yearly, as well as there being no way to track gaming PC sales, this is pointless, and despite Casey's insistence, is not precedented. Until the Wii passed the Xbox 360, not once was it ever stated that PC won last generation. Or Beat the original Playstation. Or the SNES. Apparently, also, the only deciding factor in "winning" is now the games, as rated by GameSpot. Good thing it's impossible to look up what games scored 9.0+ since the start of a generation because of GameSpot's craptacular search system (which used to actually be useful). This aside from genre subjectivity (PSP sports iterations, Fifa AA for three years count as three AA titles?), there's also 9.0+ vs 8.0+ vs 7.0+ etc. What do you need to decide who "wins" the games? Apparently just that "PC wins" and there's no way to argue. Just ignore that there are virtually no fighting games, platformers, or JRPGs. Hey, as long as I upgrade so I meet the minimum requirements for Bioshock, I'll be able to play Crysis when it comes out, right? RIGHT?! I think I'll take this chance to also bring up that the page 5 glitch is back. Half the time in a topic, it only lists up to page 5, and I have to enter the page manually in the address bar to get passed it.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption Awards: -Great Sequel -Sharp Control The Bad: -Some of the contextual actions don't control all that well -Streamlined controls make things a little too easy and a little less adventurous GameSpot on Dialogue in Wii Games: "Voice is used too sparingly" [Super Paper Mario] "in this day and age, for a game whose story is as much a factor as this one's is, it should have all been spoken." [Twilight Princess] "The voice acting is fine, though its presence does reinforce just how effective the ghostly silence was in the first two Prime games." [Metroid Prime 3: Corruption] It all makes perfect sense! I'm so lucky to be able to read GameSpot reviews And so does this: Super Metroid - 8.5 The Good * Loads of weapons and armor to collect, and plenty of aliens to shoot at * Colorful 16-bit graphics and somber music convey a spooky atmosphere * The smooth pacing means you're always collecting new items or facing new enemies * You'll feel compelled to play again after you've beaten it. The Bad * Nintendo waited 13 years to let us play Super Metroid again. But guess what? Nailed the Metroid Prime 3: Corruption review 9 months ago! My predictions list had it at 8.6, and under the new review system, that rounds out to 8.5 :) Oh, and I played that final game in my Rybka match.

After an epic 248 moves, the fourth, final and deciding game in the Zurahn-Rybka match has resulted in a draw. The most moves played in a tournament game was Nikolic vs Arsovic for a 269 move draw and that was only because the 50 move rule was at the time a 100 move rule. What's ridiculous is that the game was drawn after 40 moves, but because I couldn't get Rybka to go for threefold repetition (it sees itself as ahead but there's no way to advance, so the game long-term was actually drawn) I tried to reach the 50 move rule, which is that if there have been no captures or pawn moves in the previous 50 moves, a player may claim a draw. After 49 straight moves without a capture or pawn move, Rybka moves a pawn. Then after another 40+ did it again. Eventually it ended in insufficient material. My analysis of the opening was very accurate, still working out that I couldn't find a winning line. I'm very interested now in following the line of 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 because of just how difficult it is to get any counterplay. The Sicilian is the most popular opening, which is initiated by black so it can't be outright losing. Java HTML/JS Rybka wins the match by a score of 2½ - 1½. I finished with an outing of +0 -1 =3.

I thought I'd post one blog in here before the final game of the match. I've been evaluating numerous Sicilian lines resulting from 1. Nc3 c5 and have arrived at some interesting results. One is expecting, as it played in the English, the early development of a bishop to a cental position (in this case, Bc4). If this happens, I see about 4-5 likely lines through about 15-20 moves, one (perhaps the best by both players and even most likely to occur) results in a draw, which I'll post here: 1. Nc3 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. e4 Nf6 (or alternatively playing e4 first, then Nf6) 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. O-O g6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nxd4 8. Qxd4 Bg7 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd1 Ng4 11. Bd4 e5 12. Be3 Qh4 13. h3 Nxe3 14. fxe3 Bxh3 15. gxh3 Qg3+ 16. Kh1 Qxh3+ 17. Kg1 Qg3+ 18. Kh1 Qh3+ 19. Kg1 Qg3+ 20. Kh1 Qh3+ 1/2-1/2 Everything is forced after 11...e5. Actually, even e5 is forced, so if Rybka is so inclined and chooses 11. Bd4 (Unforced. There are reasonable alternatives) then that's it, the game is drawn in 11 moves. Better are probably 11. Bf4 or Bg5, however, if Rybka plays Bd3 earlier, it would seem it is ill inclined to do so. In fact, if I am correct--which I believe I am--in expecting the line 1. Nc3 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. e4 Nf6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. O-O, d4 is the clear best continuation, which makes moves 6 to 8 forced. Basically, if this sequence occurs: 9. Be3 O-O 10. Qd1, I have a draw, which I will take despite it meaning losing overall. However, the Queen has a couple fine alternatives to d1 on move 10 and the Bishop could just as well end up on g5 on move 9 (a line I also frustratingly analyzed). I initially evaluated 7...Bg7 instead of 7...Nxd4 because it is the more common and best play in the pattern of this d4 exchange in the Sicilian; however the unique position of the game proved to have several complications that would make everything much harder for me, and really worse overall, which little wiggle room. The both fortunate and unfortunate thing is that the exchanges lead to greater drawing chances. Despite being tempted to switch to the Caro-Kann given my struggle to find a line in which I feel I have legitimate winning chances, I will stick to my instincts and go with the opening (hopefully, Rybka does need to comply with the first few moves) in which I am most experienced. Call it cautious optimism that I can pull out a draw. Just for the sake of it, I give 40% drawing chances, 10% winning, 50% losing. That's better than I would have given myself coming in.

The reverse of Game 1, I gained a strong advantage in the opening through lines I described yesterday but only managed a draw. Java HTML/JS As I annotated in the game, I could have drawn after 24 moves and almost blew it going for the win. Computers are tough :cry: The English Opening seemed to cause Rybka many problems, so tomorrow I hope to get into the Sicilian opening which is basically the English with colours reversed. Rybka favours 1. Nc3, but I think I can transpose into the Sicilian Najdorf variation after 1...c5 2. e4 d6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6, although 2. Nf6 and 4. d3 are both very possible variations I may have to face. I'll also look into the alternative of transposing into the Caro-Kann defence which typical lines include 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4. I need a win tomorrow in order to draw the match. I finally have a reason to think it's possible after the very effective opening strategy today. Game 1: Zurahn-Rybka ½ - ½ Game 2: Rybka-Zurahn 1-0 Game 3: Zurahn-Rybka ½ - ½ Rybka leads by a score of 2-1.

Rybka takes game 2 for a 1½ - ½ lead. I'll need a win tomorrow to still have a chance at winning the match. Java HTML/JS I'm a sucker for a kingside attack, so I didn't castle early and thusly was crushed after 7...Qc7 eventually resulting in the pin from the rook. on e1. No more opening blunders, tomorrow I'll be playing my go-to opening of the English (1. c4) in expectance of the responce 1...e5 continuing to presumably 2. Nc3 Nc6 (Rybka prefers most often to develop the c-file knight early) 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Bc5 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O with solid position. I'm also very partial to the Ruy Lopez as seen in Game 1, but I barely squeaked out a draw and was very confused as to how it got so bad so fast. I'll take a draw if I can get it, even though it means giving up winning chances. What is beneficial about this line is that it's the closed variation of the English Opening, which limits the effectiveness of computer calculation. Additionally, chess engines tend to find the English as either equal or favouring black, but that is only a veil -- there's no way to maintain that equality as black if white is willing to draw, which means either Rybka could potentially be forced to draw or take a subpar line.