My ideal portable would be an oldschool gamer's dream. It'd play primarily mini discs like the GCN (If this was truly ultimate, it would be able to play PS2, PS1 and XBOX games as well) be backwards compatible with the entire DS/Gameboy line, and have a virtual console including as many old platforms as possible. I still want my hard copy media though. 
 
With this, I'd finally be able to play Super Metroid on the go.

For the first time in 11 years, an expansion MLS team is making the playoffs. I couldn't be happier. After securing a berth with a 3-2 win on the road against Kansas City, the team gets to come home and bask in the home confines of Qwest Field as they play against Dallas FC. It wasn't an easy game, as the Sounders had to overcome a 2-1 deficit early in the second half. But plugs by Roger Levesque and (ugh) Nate Jaqua sent them to their second tournament in a matter of months (after winning the US Open Cup in September). 
    
Its about time the city had something to celebrate, after 2008 culinated in utter disaster for the Seattle reigon. The Seahawks had their first losing season in over a decade while missing the playoffs for the first time in five years, the Mariners became the first team to lose 100 games with a payroll of over 100 million, and the Huskies went winless. Worst of all, the NBA packed up and left on the way to Oklahoma city, removing the only major pro sports title since the defunct Seattle Metropolitans Hockey team won the original Stanley Cup.  
Thankfully, 2009 seems to be a year of rebirth for the city. The Mariners rebounded to compete for a playoff spot, the Seahawks are in the race once again despite another bunch of injured players, the Huskies were ranked earlier this year after knocking off USC, and now it has all culminated in a playoff spot for the expansion Sounders. The team has overcome injuries, flopping, and a rash of red cards earlier in the season to be tied for second in points in the league, all while setting records for attendence in MLS. The 30,000+ they've drawn per game would rank high even in the EPL. 
Now the hope is that the team can make it to the MLS cup. They'll have to survive a few weeks of playoffs, but the final game will be held in Seattle regardless of their participation. With their performance in the Open Cup earlier in the year, it's not out of the realm of likelyhood that they could be playing in front of 67,000 on November 22.

As some of you may know, I work in the journalism industry. Yes, I am a member of a dying breed, the paper and print writer, following in the footsteps of such communication luminaries as Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Perhaps that is why I (a sports writer) was asked to cover the opening ceremonies of the new LGBTQ resource center, featuring a performance by "Coco Peru". The guest of honor did a bit of a comedy routine before the ribbon-cutting, which even as a straight male I (and the rest of the audience) found quite funny. Afterwards however, I was to go backstage to interview the "woman" herself. She was very nice, but it sure was an odd experience to ask her questions about her career while watching her take off her wig (revealing a shaved bald head) and remove her silicon pads. Just odd. 

Over the last few weeks I've finally had an oppourtunity to play some of the games I have in my massive unplayed catalog, and decided to essentially eliminate the rest of my XBOX 360 collection (save for NFL Head Coach and Dead Rising). Coincidently, all three games have a sequel coming in the near future (or are already out).
 
  First: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 
I wanted to love this game. I have recently found a new connection with the Marvel universe, and so I picked the game up expecting it to really do justice to both my favorite characters and to the RPG genre. It only sort of got it in both respects. Leveling up didn't do a whole lot to your characters abilities and didn't happen all that often. Powers were the biggest disappointment, as some didn't work very well and others didn't even seem very character specific.  Even after finishing the game I never quite got used to the controls, especially the superpowers and squad commands. The presentation was great in some spots, but horrible in others. All in all, the game was about as average as a game about superheroes can be. I may still play Fusion despite my qualms, since it goes over the Civil War storyline (the source of my returned Marvel love) but I think I already know what to expect. 


Second: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
 You can chalk up another first person shooter that i'll make an exception for. My dislike for the FPS is well documented, but a few like Bioshock and Fallout 3 defy the odds and become among my favorite games overall. Modern Warfare doesn't reach that upper echelon, but the experience was enjoyable overall, specifically the later half. The flashback sniper mission in the USSR was a great level, as was the final bit where they stormed the nuclear facility. It of course looks good, and uses sound well. The levels are well designed, and I almost never had any problem figuring out where I was supposed to be going. The only faults I could find were in the inconsistent difficulty and occasionally impossible enemy fire. I most likely won't touch the sequel, but I have little doubt it will be just as good. 
  

Third: Assassins Creed
 Assassins Creed is an odd little game. On the one hand, there are so many things about the game that frustrate and annoy me, between the inconsistent enemy detection ability, repetitive gameplay and occasionally unresponsive controls. I do want back the hours of my life that were wasted redoing missions after Altair jumped left-forward rather than forward. At the same time though, the story was interesting, the kills were VERY satisfying, and the game may be the best looking of the generation thus far. Seriously, it is a good looking game. I really enjoyed the endgame as well. Some people when talking about the combat deride it as just waiting to counter, and I'm sure that worked fine, but I think people that use the full arsenal get much more out of the game than those who don't. I'm really looking forward to the sequel. 
     
By the way, if anyone has a better name for this blog (I plan on making a series) let me know.

IGN just did a bit on the games coming out in the next few months. Not all of them look great, but others may be day one purchases. Which ones look worthwhile? 
 
Day one purchases: 
Phantasy Star 0. A revolutionary handheld online multiplayer game
The Saboteur. Played at PAX. lots of fun, and lots of freedom regarding how to play. This one is good folks
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. Looks like the best pure horror game since RE2
Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces: Unique control scheme plus based on great movie and has gotten great reviews

Do want: 
 A boy and his Blob: 2D platforming goodness   
Brutal Legend: the demo at PAX was a good bit of fun, and the humor was top notch 
Demon's Souls: Looks fun
Resident Evil 5 PC: Technically I already own it, because I won it at a Capcom launch party in Seattle, then gave it to a friend

Could be good:   
Assassins Creed 2: The first one was fun but got stale. I want to continue the story, but the game needs to be good.
Dirt 2: Haven't tried many rally games  
Dragon Age Origins: Haven't seen much about it, but the hype makes it sound exciting 
Gran Turismo: Not a huge racing fan, but this does look nice.  
Half minute hero: The idea intrigues me, but I need to see some more info  
Halo 3 Odst: It 's halo, but i'm still willing to give it a chance
Persona: How much has it aged?
Rabbids Go Home. I need to see more gameplay. 
Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. I really liked Umbrella Chronicles, and this should be more of the same.
Tatsunoko vs Capcom. I am looking forward to seeing who the extra characters are.   
Uncharted 2: I played it at PAX, and while the shooting elements seemed great, the acting was Crimson-Skies level corny and the climbing segments were more boring than similar bits in Assassins Creed

 
Don't want:  
Borderlands: Despite the new art style, this game does not interest me.   
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2: The first one was a lot of fun, but shooters just aren't my thing
Dead Space Extraction. Played at PAX. it's lacking intensity, and the shooting wasn't particularly fun. 
 Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter. I'm not yet sold on the depth. 
Jak and Daxter: Don't hate me, but i've never cared for the series
Littlebigplanet: Were I working on this game, I would have removed some things in order to keep multiplayer 
Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution 3: I've really enjoyed this series of fighting games despite lacking a lot of knowledge on the series, but the continuous roster adjustments (every year?) really force me to wait until they've shown every character. 
New Super Mario Bros Wii. Looks like a great party game, but i can't see the solo adventure being much fun. 
Spyborgs: I just got done playing Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1. didn't like it much. This doesn't even have marvel going for it. 
Zelda: Spirit Tracks: I've already got a DS Zelda. I don't need another..  

 
Giant duds: 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Smash Up. Played at PAX. it's lacking interesting attacks.  
 
No Idea: 
Ju-On: The grudge. I don't know much about the game other than the box art and source material 
 
I may have skipped a few, but in general the ones that aren't here I don't care about.