It's alright now- dry your tears, Efrucht is here!

AND SOOOOO.....

(I posted this in the forums, but it was so long that I thought I'm better off saving it in the form of a blog as well)

According to this CNET article:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-10007014-17.html

The article basically says that MS should buy Sony's game division if it ever wants to compete with Nintendo.

The gaming division is still an important component in Sony's broad strategy, but it's simply not as important as it once was. With huge losses that may or may not turn to profits, Sony is in an awkward position. Should it simply wait and see what happens or should it go to Microsoft now and see if the company is interested?

And why wouldn't it be? By acquiring Sony's games division, Microsoft effectively eliminates the major competitor in its space and can increase its presence overseas -- a major sticking point for the company.

Wow, CNET.... Just wow. I've never read an article this ignorant before.

It is this attitude in gaming that really bothers me. Why do some MS fans feel that MS should use it's deep pockets to buy exclusivity for multiplats and to steal away everything from Sony? To some people, like me, the PS3 was a deeply thought out investment. To hear people saying that MS should use monopoly tactics fills me with RAGE, because they are basically saying "Screw everyone who has a PS3! As long as I get the games and they don't!" Then they stick out their tongue and go off to pop their collars and get drunk and drive.... I'm joking.  >_>

Regardless, their whole position is infantile. It would be awesome if more games were multiplatform, I think everyone should be able to play as many games as possible. Certainly, that is in the best interest of the developers. And it used to be this way during the times when there were two main systems dominating the market. No matter which you chose, you had a HUGE library to choose from and many developers put games on both, at the same time even *gasp*. When I hear about all these timed exclusives and other BS, I wonder if MS's monopolizing tactics that screwed over the PC industry will end up screwing over the game industry in the same way. Linux is better than windows in every conceivable way, but because MS monopolized the gaming industry using it's deep pockets, OpenGL and Linux struggle to get any sort of gaming support. You are naive to think that MS will not do the same with the console gaming industry.

Despite my own angst about Microsoft trying to ruin my gaming experience, this article is just plain incorrect. Sony's gaming division is alive and well. No, the PS3 is not selling as well as they had hoped. So what? That's what happens when something is that expensive, and the PS2 is still a viable gaming platform. The XBOX and GC are not, so fans of those companies were forced to upgrade, unlike PS2 owners. That is why the PS3 does not sell well in N. America. I say, just give it time.

Or.... why not just play the games. If devs made games for the sake of artistic expression, we would be much better off. Sadly, the trends show a decrease in creativity in the industry. For every shining gem, we got hundreds of generic action games, and it is really deppressing.

How to make a marketable action game:

1. License the Unreal Engine. Normal-map everything to hell and back.
2. Add generic buff character with generic buff attitude
3. Add generic bad guy. Just copy and paste from any other game, nobody will care. Even if AI sucks. Nobody will care. Multiplayer is all that matters.
4. Make sure your texture artists paint in greyscale. Remember, real life is Grey and brown. Color is just communist propaganda!!!
5. If the main character is African American, make sure he says racially offensive things like "dawg" and "b****" in every sentence. it's called comedy.... So what if nobody finds it funny. >_>
6. Don't worry about plot. Multiplayer is all that matters.
7. Don't worry about single player campaign length. MP is all that matters.
8. Don't worry about sales. MP player is all that matters.
9. Don't worry about global warming and children starving in Africa. Multiplayer is all that matters.
10. Repeat step 10
11. ???
12. PROFIT

A quick look at these games can reveal to you that the developers were in this solely for the money. No art, no labor of passion and self-expression. No creativity. Money. That's all things are about now and I'm glad that Nintendo is still around to prove to the world that ingenuity sells better than generic action. 2008's Mario Galaxy should have proved to the world that games can be about fun and inventiveness, and still sell well. Still we get games day after day that look like they were made by perverted teenage boys or serial killers. This is what happens when a monopoly is beginning to occur. As one system gets outrageous market share, devs realize whatever they put on it will sell well regardless of quality. This is offset by having different consoles to choose from. More competition means better games for all of us gamers.

To make a long story short, this article is stupid, and the writer needs to get off his high horse and realize how ludicrous his statements are.....

/rant

This will be my first general purpose blog! HOW EXCITING!

Soul Calibur IV

Upcoming PS3 Games

Upcoming 360 Games

Upcoming Wii Games

Life in General

A spot for our PSN name, Gamertag, Wii friend code, brawl friend, code, etc. Similar to Lists, where we can make custom ones, and they display in huge print so it can't be missed! Also, perhaps a way to display PSN and Live cards? Maybe even Steam?

Every console fills a niche (spot or occupation) in the gaming world.
Think back to last gen, when the PS2 filled the "variety console" niche. The Gamecube never had a chance. In order to be successful, the Gamecube should have taken the variety console niche, but it couldn't because the PS2 already had that position, and nothing could knock it out of that spot.
Then came the XBOX. Which, like the Gamecube, was only marginally successful, stopped dead in its tracks by the PS2. This was the food chain of the last generation of consoles, with the PS2 occupying the "all-in-one" gaming niche that made it the ideal choice for both developers and gamers.

This generation, things are different. The Wii has fleshed out its very own niche: the casual niche, and NOTHING will unseat it. It has no competition. Congrats to Nintendo! The "variety console" niche is still being occupied by the PS2, thanks to incredible planning by Sony.
So that leaves the other gaming niche, the "hardcore" niche.
The 360 filled this spot with alarming speed, but for some reason it did not dig in. Microsoft made several big mistakes that kept the 360 from wholly occupying the hardcore niche (you already know what they are), and that is why MS should be scared about what is happening now. The PS3 is gaining momentum on the 360 at such an alarming rate that the 360's position is quickly becoming harder and harder to defend. With Sony planning to keep PS3 support for ten years, you have to stop and wonder, what will happen when the PS3 eventually unseats the 360? The prospects don't look good.

When Microsoft releases their next console,  they may find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Both the PS3 and the Wii will have the gaming niches completely filled, and any console Microsoft releases will be successful under only one condition: it creates a new niche for itself to fill.
They could create a new niche in the way that the Wii did, by creating a radical new control interface or some new way to play games that consumers will find irresistible.

If MS does dump 360 support withing the next couple years, 360 owners might have to buy a new console, while the PS3 fans will still be enjoying theirs. The new console would not get a lot of gaming support, because everyone would be developing for the PS3 and Wii.
Don't worry, because as I said there is a flip side. If MS successfully creates their own niche, then things will get very interesting, but in a good way! They will not have to worry about competition, because they will have the niche all their own.
Looking at current MS trends, it is easy to see where Microsoft is making mistakes. They have copied the Mii's from Nintendo, have several drafts for a Wii-mote like controller, and still charge for XBOX Live, despite having no rational justification to do so. By copying the Wii they are attempting to invade Nintendo's niche, and there is absolutely no way the Wii will be beaten. By charging for Live, Microsoft shows that they view a gamer as nothing more than a tool. If Sony and Nintendo also feel this way about gamers, then they hide it very well.

Anyway, lets wrap this up....
For the time being, the 360 is a decent piece of gaming hardware taht is both satisfying and well received. As time goes on, expect this to change drastically. As Blu-ray becomes the new game-storage standard, and developers are able to fully utilize the power of the cell,  the PS3's massive life cycle is brought to a reality, and Microsoft will need to make some big decisions. If it makes the wrong ones, it will no longer remain a competitor in the gaming arena.

Sony and Nintendo are no fools to the market, they invented it.

I hate to say it, but I'm hyped for a fighting game...
I'm torn between renting this game first or just straight-out buying it! I have played the Gamecube version of Soul Calibur three and had a blast, so I know I will love this one!
I desperately need a fighting game (even though I am terrible at them!), so I will be checking out this game when it comes out tomorrow in the U.S.! If you are getting this game too, message me so we can play together!

EDIT: I ordered it, should be coming in the mail any day now....

This little How To will show you how to "plug your headphones" into your video game console, so to speak. This is great for people who have relatives in the house, or who need greater immersion in their games. It will also save you lots of money on a fancy sound system, too. Before reading on, make sure you are using RCA cords with your console, not any of the other cords, or it might not work ( I haven't tried it with those). Lets begin!
You can pick up all of these parts from your local Electronics store, all of it for under $5.

1. The first things you will need are two RCA "female to female" adapters.
2. 

   1. The "female to female RCA adapters" are also called "RCA Barrel Adapters"
   Next, you need a RCA Audio to Headphone Converter. If the headphone part is male, then you need to go to step 3. If it is female, you are done!
3. Finnaly, you will need a female to female Headphone converter.

4. 

   

   2. The RCA Audio to Headphone Jack
   Now, plug all of the components together. They will only fit together one way, so your job is cut out for you! Observe the completed converter photo.
   

I downloaded the PixelJunk Eden Demo off of PSN the other day...
Friends, this game is like crack.
Scratch that, this game is crack. It's digital crack.

*spoilers*
I just saw the finale for Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Avatar has maintained a level of quality and story-telling excellence that few other animated series can compete with. In many ways I am satisfied with the finale, and at the same time I feel slight pangs of sorrow because the storyline has been brought to an end, yet there is so much left to be told. Part of me wants to see another series in the same universe, but the other part of me knows that milking the series is an ill-advised course for a show of this caliber. If they could maintain the breadth of vision and superb quality, then I would implore them to make more, but under closer scrutiny, anyone can see that the major loose ends have been tied up. Now that Aang has full control of the Avatar state, he is virtually unbeatable.