In all of this obscure 2D and old school flavored gaming fever, I recalled a stupid video I saw a few years back on youtube. It was a parody of the Angry Video Game Nerd. The Happy Video Game Nerd, he called himself, and while the video is embarrassing and gimmicky, he showed me a gem. A game I'd never gotten to play in my childhood. Back in those days when there wasn't much of an internet and most people didn't have a way to access it, it was all word of mouth and magazines. So I'm not surprised I'd never heard of a little game called Metal Storm. Look it up. It's truly badass and even ahead of its time in some ways. 
 
I'm gonna be taking a look at a few old games retailers this Sunday. Wish me luck.

Haha I'm blogging about a blog I haven't blogged yet. And fuck that word "blog". Sounds like a method of vomiting. 
 
So first of all- I have a new rare handheld game I'm obsessed with: Rhythm Tengoku for the GBA. Not released outside of Japan. Now before  anyone says "Just get Rhythm Heaven!" I'd like to point out that I'm more of a fan of button presses for rhythm games than I am of touch screen controls.  More news on this as it develops.
 
And also I plan on writing a pretty extensive blog on games I haven't finished yet and also making a list of them. It's Thanksgiving week so maybe I can clear some of them out, finally.

For as much as I've complained about the trade-in program at Gamestop, lately things have been looking up. Their new program, I feel, is definitely a step in the right direction. I don't know if they're using the term "beta" as a gimmicky term to draw more people in, but I'd say so far so good. It's cool that my purchases are tracked and that the points actually translate into deals and offers.
The real reason that i'm writing though is that, occasionally, having a used games specialty chain really comes in handy. Most of the really rare recent-old-gen games that I've looked for I've found reasonably priced at Gamestop. If I don't wanna pay 200 bucks for a copy of Tactics Ogre on ebay, I have an option. That option was to send the only copy for 100 miles from across the state to a local GS where I picked it up for less than 10 dollars. I'd call that a win. Recently, I've scored copies of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Advance Wars Dual Strike, and Contact for cheap. Again. WIn.
No need to seek out garage sales, craigslist, ebay, anything sketchy.
I'm currently giving the "pickup@store" thing a try. More on that as it develops. The game in question is Castelvania Dawn of Sorrow- which, since its disonctinuation has become exceedingly rare. I will say that I wish the stock info was updated more regularly.

If Konami would do another Castlevania Double Pack but for the DS. Put in Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia and it would be perfect. I am currently trying to track those games down. Both are discontinued. So sad. Maybe I'll throw this at Konami ha.

So having recently purchase the excellent FIFA 11 and having gotten more comfortable with it, I decided to do the next logical thing: Create a Pro and try to make him awesome. I start of course by creating myself and making him mirror my favorite player: David Villa. I even put him on FCB. I make these choices because I am a noob and this is what feels familiar, comfortable, and accessible to me.  
 
Ok now that all the leg work is out of the way, I start a season. My first game ends in a 8-0 shutout with my character scoring 4 of the goals. Next game is 5-- with my charcter again scoring 4 of the goals. The next game, I get overconfident and sloppy and have to really bust it out but my character ends up pulling FCB past the tie with 3 goals in the 2nd half, leading us to a 5-2 victory. I also end up getting Abidal red-carded due to my agression. 
 
 I briefly note, and I usually don't even notice this, but my guy's stamina is pretty low. Like bottom fifth of the bar low. 
 Then the thought "dude, this is a sports sim, and you ran him into the ground." popped into my head. 
 
 Sure enough, I get an email from the coach stating that, due to my level of fitness, I will be sitting out for the next few games. I become very upset as I realized I would spend the next 20 minutes watching a calendar get marked off day by day, and then having to choose "Skip Match" and watch a screen where the game results are simulated. 
 
 Ugh. 
 
I watch Barcelona win 1-0, then tie 1-1, then lose 2-1. Then I get an email saying Puyol was injured during practice and would have to sit out. That guy is my best defender. Then an email saying Pique was suspended for 5 games. 
 
 I am quickly feeling very lost and very desperate.  
 
But there is hope! An email from the coach acknowledging that he had taken me out for a few games, and that now  he wanted to see what I was made of and not to let him down. I eagerly advance to the next match. "This time, " I tell myself "don't be a hero."  I play somewhat more responsibly and get in a modest 2 of the 4 goals in our 4-0 shutout. No fouls, no red cards. Overall a decent game of football. 
 
I am awarded with an advancement from Reserve to Club Member status.  
 
I am overjoyed.  My feelings of being slapped in the face are wiped clean and I have an even greater appreciation of the game. 
 
And now having processed all these emotions, I need sleep.

A lightsaber that doesn't cut things into little smoking segments every time it connects isn't a lightsaber. It's that simple. Give Starkiller a baseball bat- it's probably a better weapon. Imagine a shooter where the guns don't shoot bullets, they shoot marshmallows. And according the dev's that doesn't matter because the grenades are so kick-ass they'll wipe out a room full of dudes. Kinda makes ya go "Ehhhh" doesn't it? 
I'm just curious- why doesn't Lucasarts just remove lightsabers from the game? It's just the principle of doing something half-assed that gets me. You could just have the Starkiller be a Force adept and dismiss lightsabers altogether. 
That said, the sequel looks a hundred times better than its only rental-worthy predecessor.

This happens once a year for me. I hit the wall. I get sick of shooters. Third person or first person, I have little desire to dive in.  
I usually detox with some old school 2d stuff or JRPGs. This year I left Mass Effect 2 and  BFBC2 for Limbo, Scott Pilgrim, Pokemon Platinum, Heart Gold, and, of course, Dragon Quest IX. I don't know if I just get sick of the mood, the lack of original style, the similarity between mechanics going from game-to-game or what. But I gotta have some sort of archaic-feeling, yet charming games that swallow hours whole with ease.  
And I don't have to do it alone, which is nice. I've hooked up my li'l bro with all the DS necessities (after he got me back into Pokemon) and now I got a DQ buddy. Which, if you dread JRPGs, can probably make you reconsider (review forthcoming). Playing and RPG co-op really redefines the experience.  
Life is just filler moments between picking up my DS, kicking back, and being immersed in days of old. Try it. 
 
Does anyone else tire of franchise, etc. and switch over to another genre, franchise, etc.?

So Sega just announced a re-release of Sonic Adventure coming to the XBLA.I know, crazy, right? 
Sega re-re-re-re-re-releasing their mediocre blue mascot's formerly decent games is really starting to just wear on me. It's so sad. It's as if Sega keeps pleading it's case like a sweaty, nervous drug addict begging for more money- "Hey, guys, uh remember when we were good?! Please remember when we were good..."  
And even worse? People eat that shit up. They do. They buy it. Does nobody still have a Genesis or a Dreamcast laying around anymore? Really? You've gotta go give Sega another 10 or 20 bucks so they can keep pulling this shit? So they don't have to come up with new ideas or actually be good enough at what they do that they shouldn't have to be playing on our nostalgia? Come on.  
And they keep talking like this new XBLA episodic game they're coming out with is this new revelation. Like Sonic is finally back or something. The Sonic Advance game and the SOnic Rush games are pure Sonic games and are actually quite decent. Well decent until you realize that the Sonic games always just devolve into a speedy platformer on auto-pilot with  a boss fight at the end. 
 
 
Update 9/23: 
So I just listened to the Bombcast and wow, they really trashed SA. Not just because it sucks, but because Sega wants you to pay an extra 5 bucks for the DX stuff that a lot of people thought was going to the the version they released. Sonic Adventure DX was not a piece of DLC originally, it was an entire game. The fact that they ported the original version and then expect people to pay for the "DX content" is super shitty. So have fun bending over and taking another one from Sega all the people who wasted their time defending this re-release.

Are there any good DSi Ware games to be found on that thing? I'm looking at reviews, but I was wondering if anyone's had any firsthand experience with any of the titles.

I'm writing this blog as more of a series of impressions than a straightforward review. 
 
Dragon Quest IX- I got you for 20 bucks new, and I feel like I cheated the system. 
 
I'm a newcomer to the series and all info seems to indicate that it's largely different than any other entry in the series. With that in mind, DQIX felt a lot more forgiving and friendly than any other JRPG I've played in the past 5 years. I must admit though that when a game starts me off with a character-creation toolset that I find amusing or enjoyable in any way- that's a strong first impression. 
 
I was also roped in with Akira Toriyama's signature and familiar art style. The animated intro (a bit of a ritual for me, watching the intro to a game) is just beautiful. I know, especially in Japanese games, that the more beautiful and stunning the intro, the less exciting and saddening it will be when the gameplay includes zero percent of it. In DQIX's case, they actually put a decent effort into making turn-based battles a little more exciting with various camera angles and character movement. And they're mercifully fast-paced and never randomly-generated. 
 
And getting through the story doesn't feel like an endless grind, either, thankfully. I'm only a few hours in, but so much has happened. I'll try and keep this spoiler-free when I tell you that I like the whole guardian angel (or Celestrian, as they're called) introduction. The things you do and the people you help actually make you feel as if you have a role to play, and in a role-playing game, I'd say that was pretty important. And then after the story really kicks you in, things just get better.  
 
The game has a very user-friendly quest system. It's got a good balance of challenging, yet not frustratingly-confusing questing. The environment in  which you'll be adventuring is a pretty one. Arguably one of the best-looking games the DS has to offer. The music and old school sound effects also have their own charm that remind of games of old. 
 
As my adventure progresses, I find myself wanting to get deeper into the experience. I'll have a legit review maybe around hours 15 or 20 after I've unlocked the whole class-system deal. But so far, it's becoming one of my favorite DS games in record time. 
 
Go get a copy today.