Donate I just got through listening to a podcast where they were graciously promoting the Child's Play charity. For those of you who may not know, this is a charity founded by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins(or Gabe & Tycho) of Penny Arcade, that helps bring games and other items to children's hospitals. Ever since its inception in 2003, donations have increased each year and hopefully this year will be no different.
This will be my second year participating and I couldn't be happier being a part of it. These kids need something to take their minds off of their unfortunate circumstances. I remember when I was in a hospital for months with a pituitary tumor (Cushing's syndrome) and I would ask the nurses if I could have a chance to play the N64 or PS2. Any chance I could get to play something, I took that opportunity because it was a fun outlet. I even asked my mom to bring some games from home for whenever I had a system in my room. I don't think I realized at the time how much I appreciated having that outlet because it helped make rough times a bit easier.
It is really easy to donate. Just head over to the Child's Play charity website and choose a hospital to donate to. Each hospital has a wishlist with items to choose from. Games are as little as 10 bucks so don't worry if you can't afford much. Every little bit counts. Books, toys, and movies are also available so there are plenty of choices.
Again, any kind of support you can give is greatly appreciated. Tell your family and friends. Thanks for reading! Any questions, leave 'em.
Also, feel free to mention any other charitable organizations here that you support. =D
So I was playing around with NXE for a bit this evening and I must admit, I was quite impressed. I created my lovely Conan O'Brienavatar and perused the new interface that is replacing the old blade system. I think everything looks wonderful and is very easy to navigate. Unfortunately I do not have a Netflix subscription, so I wasn't able to explore this potentially amazing feature. However, the real reason I was so eager for this update was the ability to install games to my hard drive. I have one of the older systems and my disc drive is essentially shot to shit. It has scratched way too many of my games. It is kinda like my 360 has Parkinson's and is reading my discs with a switchblade. It sucks. I was banking on this feature to essentially fix my disc read error problems and possibly prevent me from needing to purchase a new console all together.
Any who, I have been terrified to play Gears of War 2 for the past week because I really did not want it to get scratched. Every time I booted it up, it sounded like my console was gargling nails. You can probably imagine the relief that I felt after finally being able to download it without having to fret for future gameplay experiences. It took a little less than 10 minutes for the game to download. Afterward, I wanted to check how much space I had for my next download. It turns out I only had 5.6 gigs left on my 20GB hard drive. Gears 2 took up a whopping 6.7 gigs. I checked the rest of my library to see if I could stuff anything else on my HDD and the only games small enough were Condemned: Criminal Origins and the Orange Box. Yes, the disc with 5 games on it is less that 5.6 gigs. Ain't that some shit?
Want to ride beasts with me from the sanctity of your hard drive?? That'll be 6 gigs, bitch! These are the results for most of the games currently in my library that I tested.
I figure you already know most of this by now, but nevertheless I enjoy bringing redundancy into your lives. So to any fellow 20 giggers who were looking forward to this feature, start deleting old game saves and underplayed demos or start saving coins for that 120GB overpriced brick of bullshit. Unfortunately, you're going to need one to really enjoy this.
Note: Sorry I didn't have the likes of a Fallout 3 or Fable 2 to test, but I think you can guesstimate from the sizes of GTA4 and Mass Effect.
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My outlandish weekend in a list of loves and hates because I have a migraine and can only think in bullet point segments. I apologize in advance for possible incoherence, foul language, and lack of structure.
I love Clive Owen and Paul Giamatti, but Shoot 'Em Up is a stupid fuckin' movie. Therefore you both fail and I am a dumbass (or a trooper?) for sitting through that piece of garbage.
I hate how many Joker's came to my door on Halloween night. Creative much?
I love Raisinets, but I hate the fact that they look like gerbil poo.
I hate when your friends think it's funny to keep a secret from you for 3 days and when you finally find out, the secret sucks balls.
I hate my friends for that.
I love Gamefly. What the hell took me so long to sign up for this?
I hate going to Best Buy and looking at the PS3's that I can't afford, but I love the cashier that looks like Ralph Macchio.
I hate store clerks who think I am an inconvenience for asking them questions.
I love going to Rutgers at 1 a.m. for fat sandwiches, but I hate the assholes who work the truck.
I hate getting lost in Trenton at night.. yeah, Trenton.
I love being the only sober one at every party, but I hate driving belligerent drunks around because I don't drink.
I hate my friends for that.
I hate guys with ponytails. You're not cool doods!
I love funny cat videos. Like CocoNelly. I guess I'm officially addicted to adorable kitties?
I hate getting abused by my step-brother at Power Stone, but I still love my Dreamcast.
I love the Mirror's Edge demo. More please.
I love getting an extra hour of sleep. Even when it's the weekend and it doesn't even matter.
I hate not having enough time to listen to all of these great podcasts.
I love/hate fantasy football. Depends on the day I suppose... today I love it.
I love MLG and can't wait for Vegas. Str8 to take names!
I hate Bill Maher.
I love reading all of your blogs, guys. Even if I don't comment as frequently as I should, I try to read all of them. Keep up the great work and take care!
It is really unfortunate that this wonderfully orchestrated piece of goodness isn't going to be in the final game. I wish they could have found a way to remove the lyrics and retain the music, but I am nothing but supportive of this decision. I hope people realize why this was done and are not being too naive about the situation, but rather open-minded.
I don't see this as a reason to sell a console. To be honest, I view the Wii as a secondary console. Most of the Wii owners I know, have the system in conjunction with either a 360 or a PS3 serving as their primary console. Great Wii games seem to appear far less frequently than they should, but once you find one, it serves as a quality and unique experience that the other major consoles can't convey. If the Wii is the only system you own, then I wouldn't imagine you to be concerned with this situation, as I don't see you as that hardcore of a gamer (no offense). If you own the Wii with another console, I wouldn't recommend selling it because the value you will get in return is unequal to the experience you are giving up. But of course, this is just my opinion!
I just want to say to everyone who claims Denis Dyack brought this on himself, leave it be. Can you really fault a developer for standing by his product? Too Human has been his pride and joy for the past decade and I believe his sincere enthusiasm for the game is truly admirable. Personally, I love to see developers such as Dyack and Peter Molyneux, who are enthralled by their own creations. Their excitement is what gets me excited to play their games. Sure, Dyack might have made a few missteps with addressing the public criticism, but his intentions were just. I have not played the retail copy of the game, but I certainly plan to at some point. I enjoyed what I played of the demo and the negative criticism of the game isn't going to stop me from forming my own opinion. I just hope Dyack doesn't get too discouraged by the negativity, but rather uses it as incentive to produce an even better sequel, whenever it may come.
Owned by the GAF?So Too Human releases tomorrow and I am very curious to see how it will be received by both the game critics and the general community. After playing the demo, I must admit, I found it to be quite enjoyable. Despite the general consensus of Too Human being a Diablo derivative, I have never played Diablo before so the experience was a new one for me. It controlled similar to that of a dual-stick shooter and I wasn't expecting it to click with me as well as it did. I also enjoyed how vast the environment was. Every time the camera would pan the area, I felt as if I was apart of an epic adventure and something large was looming around every corner. I know Gears of War 2 and Resistance 2 are preaching scale, but I hope Too Human delivers in that aspect as well. With the depth of customization, superfluous amounts of weapons, and drop-in/drop-out cooperative play, I think I will be purchasing Too Human at some point this week. I hope everyone gives this game a chance.. I know I'm glad I did.
Side Note: Tales of Vesperia, Infinite Undiscovery, and Mercenaries 2 are all going to be released by the end of this month. How the hell am I supposed to play all of this shit? My pile of shame is going to be very deep by year's end.
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Michael Phelps retracting his fins after winning gold in the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay. The Olympics is the pinnacle of athletic accolades. It doesn't matter whether or not you fancy gymnastics, judo, or rowing. The truth is, this occasion boasts a compilation of the most exciting, able-bodied men and women in the entire world. I couldn't fathom the training regiments that are required to compete on the Olympic level, but I truly enjoy witnessing the end results (the Men's Gymnastics Final was a marvel to watch and I am going to assume that most have already witnessed the Men's 4x100m Freestyle Relay via some sort of media outlet). Unfortunately, (with the recent cloud of performance-enhancers) the mass appeal isn't as profound as it once was, however, the notion of national competition is still an easy premise to get behind. As of this post, the United States leads the overall medal count with 20, closely followed by host country, China (16), and South Korea (10).
There is no purpose to this abbreviated blog... other than being an open love-letter to the Olympic games, of course. We are only a few days in and I have already observed a copious amount of exciting coverage (who would have guessed Women's Handball was so engaging?). I suppose all I can say is, to those who might write off the Olympics at first glance, give it a chance (or several) throughout the week and see if something doesn't draw your attention. With over 30 different disciplines, there is something for everyone. Currently, basketball and swimming are getting the bulk of the mainstream coverage, but the meat and potatoes (Track and Field) has yet to commence. Names such as Tyson Gay, Asafa Powell, and Usain Bolt are looking to make their mark on the track and take the title of "World's Fastest Man." Here is a to new, clean gold medalist! ... Allegedly.
In the meantime, I will contine to overindulge in Olympic coverage until I find myself in a patriotic coma. Stay tuned for my in-depth analysis of the Equestrian Team Show Jumping final!
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