The Blog for the Sports Gamer

Well since it’s Mothers Day and Glen is recovering, I think the podcast will wait until tomorrow (Monday). If you want us to touch base on any topics of interest, please post in this thread. Really, we are going to do it Monday. Honest!

What did you do for Mother’s Day. For my mom, I sent her a nice card. For my wife, the kids gave her some very nice gifts, and I bought her an iPhone. Also we went shopping at Target today, where my son gave the nicest gift of all: vomit in the middle of aisle 5. Thankfully, the store manager was very gracious in letting us use a bathroom close by and gave us some clothes to get him changed into (yes, we did pay for them afterwards, but it was very nice to not have to worry about that as well). Talk about screwing up your day. It was completely random. I can’t get the smell out of my nose…whatever part of my nose that is working, that is.

So that’s just another Sunday around here. LOL. Oh NBA 08 for the PS3 is now $14.98 at Target if you’re interested. I just bought MS and Wii points myself. LOL.

1. Circuit City is having some nice deals this week, including:

• Get the Halo 3 Map Pack FREE when you pre-order Ninja Gaiden 2. Only catch is you don’t get the code until the game ships.
• $25 ITunes gift card is $20!
• B1 G1 50% off on Wii games: Star Wars, Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros Brawal, Mario & Sonic @ The Olympics, Mario Kart Wii and Tiger Woods 08.
• No More Heroes, a vastly underappreciated game is $19.99
• MLB 2K8 for PS3 and 360 is $49.99.
• Fight Night Round 3 is $19.99 for PS3

I’m clearing up my Wii space to prepare for Wii Ware. By far one of the stupidest things Nintendo has done with the console is to not allow expandable memory cards to run software, so you are constantly copying to the SD card and going back and forth with games. It is annoying. After all was done, if you leave all the Nintendo channels there (Wii browser, everybody votes, mii channel, etc), I have about 600 block free vs 5800 on my 1GB memory card. Come on Nintendo, let us use are damn memory card.

I’ve been playing a new Konami game on the Wii called Target Terror. I’m enjoying it. It’s an arcade shooting game. Nothing like shooting a barrel full of jet engine gas and seeing people’s limbs go flying. Rated M for that reason, but still fun. I hate the @#$ing Wii Zapper. I much prefer the Nyko perfect shot.

Okay time to go to Target to pick up some more Wii Points for tomorrow — I have a 10% off coupon!

Sorry for the late post, still recovering from MLB Power Pros 2008.

Not much going on right now aside from work. Didn’t play much last night, except had some fun in the Mythos Beta test. Game has potential.

Anyone try the Haze demo yet? That’s also on my list.

So I got the results of my sinus CT scan. Apparently I have mild sinus disease. WTF does that mean? Let me give you the medical diagnosis: “There is mild mucosal thickening in the ethmoid air cells bilaterally. There is nasal septal deviation convex to the left with a septal spur noted” Is that medical speak for I’m chronically stuffed up? Help me out here! And no I haven’t gotten the results actually interpreted by a physician, just reading it off my record.

I guess it’s time to spray some Afrin!

For those new to the blog, there’s one word that fellow former bloggers (Abner, Brakke) and current bloggers hate me using: the word is Moist. It was even so popular, it got on to How I Met Your Mother by Barney.

Alas, I have no other words to describe by far the best press release I’ve seen in a long time: the announcement that MLB Power Pros is coming to the Wii again this year and as a bonus it will come on the DS this fall. Believe me, after the disappointment that was MLB 2K All Stars, I simply cannot wait for the DS game to come out.

 If there’s any bummer, it’s the fact that there’s still no online play. However there will be 40 man rosters!!! Yay! And totally Japanese-Success mode will remain as well as a new mode that sounds a lot like RTTS.

Why 2K doesn’t bring over PYS to the PS3 and 360 is still beyond me but I am thrilled to see it again on the Wii and the DS…and the Wii version is JULY!!!! DS is the fall (boo)! But consider me very happy.

- I just got finished with the Top Spin 3 conference call. If I get the ok, I’ll be posting the whole thing later so you can listen to it. It’s a bit over 30 minutes with Q&A, so it’s not too long. Some of the questions were some pretty good softballs though, although Chase’s question at the end of the Q&A was entertaining.  Edit:  Ok, that was quick.  Here’s the link to the call.

- I’m incredibly geeked up about MLB Power Pros 08. Thank you 2K! Thank you, thank you, thank you! The DS version will be fun to play as well.

- I don’t watch NBA coverage, but I got this link sent to me. Incredibly funny.

- I’m on the road soon. Have a great weekend everyone. I’ll have very limited access to the internet this weekend, and the lake that I’ll be fishing on… still has some ice left on it! (Leech Lake, if you care.) heh. Later all!

Ok, that’s a pretty vulgar open, but I’m incredibly happy that Konami and 2K are continuing with the MLB Power Pros series.

Here’s the full press release.

2K Sports and Konami Swing into Action with MLB® Power Pros 2008

Critically acclaimed baseball franchise gets ready for another season of great family fun

New York, NY, and El Segundo, CA – May 8, 2008 – 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), and Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., today announced the next iteration of the wildly popular baseball franchise, MLB® Power Pros 2008, scheduled to be available for Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system this July, as well as Nintendo DS™ later this fall. As the highest-rated and top-selling baseball title in Japan, MLB Power Pros was available in North America for the first time last year. Its comedic visual appeal of miniature Major League Baseball player models has attracted a dedicated following through its easy-to-use controls and addictively fun gameplay experience.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Konami again, and with the Baseball™ season now in full swing, we’re proud to offer our fans a refreshingly smart and exciting baseball game that is easily accessible for all ages,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Baseball enthusiasts will appreciate the variety of newly added features, intuitive game modes and improved overall feel, and we look forward to hitting one out of the park this season with MLB Power Pros 2008.”

With over ten different exciting game modes including the traditional Practice, Exhibition, League and Home Run Challenge modes, MLB Power Pros 2008 will bring fans closer to the action than ever before. Gamers also get the opportunity to act as general manager and control the destiny of their own franchise in Season mode, or engage in entertaining role-playing story modes such as Success and MLB® Life modes. As general manager, gamers can trade, sign free agents, coordinate practice schedules, purchase new equipment, call up and send down players from the Minor Leagues™, along with other management options to bring in fans, win playoff games and eventually, earn the title of World Series™ champion.

In Success mode, fans can participate in a story-based career of rising players in the Double-A Minor League system trying to improve their baseball skills and make an impression on baseball scouts while also having to balance various situations in their personal lives. Through a variety of amusing training and game challenges, players who complete Success mode will also be able to take their created player files into MLB Life as well, or also play as either an existing Major League Baseball® player in Dream Mode, or start as a rookie in Major League Career mode. As a new feature in MLB Power Pros 2008, MLB Life is another story-based mode that will allow fans the possibility to simulate the exciting life and experience of being a Major League Baseball player over the course of a 20-year career. While continuing to play in games through the regular baseball season, players will also participate in a number of realistic situations such as signing contracts, purchasing houses and cars, making charitable donations, building up relationships with friends and teammates, picking up hobbies and much more.

With easy, pick-up-and-play hitting and pitching controls, along with intuitive Wii functionality, other new features in MLB Power Pros 2008 include support of 40-man rosters, change of ball speed, adjustment of defensive shifts, along with a real-time bullpen check functionality for substituting pitchers. MLB Power Pros 2008 will also support the option for players to import their Wii-based characters, Miis™, from their Wii or Wii Remote™ to become part of the exciting action!

MLB Power Pros 2008, developed by Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc., is not yet rated by the ESRB, and will be available for Wii and the PlayStation 2 system this July, as well as Nintendo DS later this fall. For more information, please visit www.2ksports.com.

Whoa! I wake up to all kinds of stuff.

First off if there’s anything Codemasters knows how to do, it’s racing games, and their latest game GRID, is now available as a demo on the Xbox 360. Can’t wait to check it out.

EA has posted Xbox 360 screenshots for their upcoming games. They are over on Team Xbox, so click here for Madden NFL 09, click here for NCAA Football 09, and click here for UEFA EURO 2008.

Other quick thoughts:

1. If you’re looking for a good sports game on the Wii and already have Power Pros, look to the latest Pro Evolution Soccer. Really a good game a MUCH different than the 360/PS3 versions. Very cool. I think it’s actually better (gameplay wise, not graphically).

2. Boom Blox is pretty fun. Very different type of puzzle game. I’m really enjoying it.

- To follow-up on Dan’s comments… it was very nice to hear all of the positive comments from everyone.  We really do like doing the site the way that we do and we weren’t really planning any big changes, so it’s nice to see that people like the way things are running.  Thanks again.

Along those lines though, I didn’t know we were having a problem with the comment system.  Before we had a spam comment filter in place we had it set so that Dan and myself had approve new comments when they are posted for the first time, so sometimes there was a slight delay before you would see your comments online.  I’m going to change that setting and see if that helps people.  If you are having a problem with the comments system though, please send me an email at glen@sportsgamerblog.com

- I have to say that I’m quite impressed with the Nintendo Channel on the Wii.  My wife is totally sold on Wii Fit thanks to the video they had on there.  (I told her tonight that whenever she shows interest in a game, it’ll be picked up for her… that’s just how I roll.)  Also, I really enjoyed getting to play around with Jam Sessions and Ninja Gaiden for the DS.  I always felt goofy bringing my DS into a store to get some demos loaded onto it, so this is just a much better solution.

- The Brewers appear to be in a total free-fall at the moment.  No hitting, and the pitching has been incredibly disappointing.  I have no idea how long Yost will hold his job if this keeps up.  They just don’t seem to show any fire out there right now.  I thought that win over the Cubs would get them all fired up, but it seems that it took all of the energy out of them to get that win.  Ugh.

- If any of you are still interested in MLB Power Pros, Amazon has dropped the price to $19.99.  Every time you click on that link, Dan’s kids get .01 cents in their college fund.   It’s kind of like Superman 3.

- I’ll be heading out of town tomorrow night and won’t be back until next Monday.  I’m taking a solo vacation and going fishing in Minnesota for the opening weekend up there.  With any luck, Dan and I will be able to record a podcast when I get back.  I’ll try to sneak in a post tomorrow before I head out though.

Just a reminder to our earlier post — pick up the Nintendo Channel. Just for the DS demos it’s worth it. I played the demo of Crosswor”ds” so much that I wanted to buy it today. It wasn’t at my EB though. Oh well.

It’s a much better channel than Everybody Votes or the Mii channels by a long shot.

For the record, I did pick up Boom Blox today. I look forward to playing it after I see Jason Castro get removed from American Idol.

First off I want to thank everyone who wrote in, it’s great to see the support (hey sometimes we all need a little pat on the back)…here’s what feedback we heard:

1. You love the podcasts. Many of you think that we are better than some of the ‘brand name’ podcasts. Seroiusly guys, thanks. We do try to be entertaining and we will continue to try to get some name brand people on our shows. However, don’t hold your breath for Peter Moore. Heh.

2. Many of you want to post feedback, but for some reason can’t post on comments because of a bad login or what not. Glen, can you check on that? LOL.

3. You are glad that I’ve let my love of HDDVD go.

4. Perhaps the traffic is still good but not recording RSS hits. Interesting idea. Glen, check that out. I can tell you I personally LOVE google reader. I like it because that RSS feed can go anywhere. Unlike Windows Live mail which can’t tell if I remotely hit the RSS feed already and therefore duplicates everything, I just go to google.com/reader whereever I am and it updates me with what’s going on.

5. Glen can’t get his DS to connect to his WAP at home. And this guy is an IT wizard? LOL.

6. Some of you want more info on text sims. I have to admit, I’m not hell bent on text sims, but I always enjoy speaking with Clay Dreslough and reliving the glory days. Of course Clay wants to let everyone know that Baseball Mogul 2009 is now available at stores. Hi, Clay :0. Come on our show.

So anyway I want to thank you all for commenting and emailing; they do mean a lot and we’re glad that we can support you like you guys support us. Sniff. LOL.

EA announced Fight Night Round 4, which will have Ali and Tyson. Not due out until 2009 though. Oh well

In other news, who asked about the DS Wireless point — not sure what you mean there? If your Wii is connected wirelessly, why can’t your DS connect wirelesslyl?

Want to grab some new downloads for your Nintendo DS? Grab the new Nintendo Channel on your Wii and you can download games like Brain Age 2, Flash Focus, Crosswords DS, Jam Sessions, Rayman
Raving Rabbids 2 and more.

What’s the catch? You have to allow Nintendo to receive gameplay information on your Wii. No biggie, I mean everyone else does it and it’s a great way to get new DS demos :).

You’ve got to read this lovely press release about EA adding more “stupid” features for the Wii versions of games. I think this quote says it all:
“While versions for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony Corp’s (6758.T) PlayStation 3 will be similar to previous years, the “All-Play” titles will have options to use simpler controls and quicker games.”

So there you have it. All EA sports games for the 360 and PS3 are like last years. Don’t bother with them. But on the Wii you can shove the Wii-mote up your butt for a better game playing experience! How exciting!

This company is driving me freaking crazy.

For those that care, the guy at American Bandstand is wearing a Gino Vannelli t-shirt from his 1976 tour, and believe it or not, you can buy this shirt directly from the Gino Vannelli store. Now you can relive the amazing dancing of the guy from American Bandstand. Click here to order!

If you haven’t watched Tuesday’s American Idol, you need to. It was an amazing trainwreck of a show. These are the least talented final four ever. Seriously, if they sell 10% of the tickets on this tour I would be shocked. Blech!

Oh yeah, and although I enjoyed Syesha’s singing, anyone that compares the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s to say, not being voted off American Idol, has come up with the greatest metaphor ever!