Saturday musings
1. How is it that I have 2 unopened Gamefly games, 3 or 4 new Wii and 360 titles to play and the only game that I'm interested in playing is Puzzle Quest for the DS. This game is crazy addictive, kids. Best puzzle game I've played in years.
2. Final Four thoughts - I won't talk about the OSU game as that's Bill's game to comment on first. I have a question to ask him about the game and OSU as a team, but I'd rather hear his thoughts before I mention them.
As for Florida/UCLA, man... Florida is a great team. Tons of hustle and great outside shooting. They'll be a really tough match up for OSU in the finals.
3. Stranger than Fiction is a terrific film. I had a chance to get it via Netflix rental on Blu Ray and I don't see how more people didn't pay to see this movie while it was in theaters. Will Ferrell was absolutely fantastic. He really shows some great range and I'll definitely be seeing his next dramatic film... probably the silly ice skating one as well.
4. Edit: CC has pulled Guitar Hero for the 360 until Tuesday. They are giving 1600 points with it though. The game manual mentions a pedal addon for the game eventually as well. It'll be interesting to see how they integrate that later on. I'm still holding off for a wireless version of the controller for the 360 before I bite on that one though.
5. Um... thanks Dan. I can't get the image of TV's Uncle Jerry out of my head now. Or the voice. JERRY!!!!
6. I hate that we have to wait another week for the NCAA Frozen Four. Damn basketball getting priority... grrrrr.
MLB 2K7 PS3 Demo Thoughts
Not worth the download time. Keep in mind it's been some time since I've played the game and I've spent almost a month with MLB 07 The Show on my PS3 (using the PS2 game)...everything about the Show is better. My god the animations are just complete ass on this game. The pitcher throws like a girl. It just looks awful.
Hurry up MLB The Show for PS3. I'm dying to play a good next-gen baseball game!
Friday News
Well, I just received my allotment of Portland Sea Dogs tickets. Always a good time to see them, even if they aren't the Orioles farm team.
In other news, as TV's Uncle Jerry mentioned, the MLB demo is out on the PS3. Apparently Thursday is now officially PS Store update day, so that's nice. I really wish it was a demo for MLB The Show but whatever. Thankfully the download was very fast. Didn't even take an hour for almost 1GB.
Trying to get the Shivering Isles update was another story. XBLM must be mauled with the release of the GTA IV trailer or something becuase this time it sat a 1% for a very long time. Then it said it was complete. So I deleted it and re-downloaded, as I'm skeptical that it was done.
I'm off this weekend so I have to catch up on my reviews. Yay!
Playstation store updates
Funny that I would comment on the Playstation store earlier in the week and they would actually get some sports gamer content. They now have the MLB 2K7 demo available for download and I'm grabbing it as I type this. I guess I just have that kind of clout. Being TV's Uncle Jerry does pay off from time to time.
I didn't get a chance to try out and be disappointed by 2K7 on the 360 like most of the rest of you did, so I'll give it a go on the PS3 and see what I think.
Other than that, they added a few videos but nothing to write home about.
More in the comments later about MLB.
Baseball games in Japan
Baseball games in Japan range from the "big head" type of games to the realistic sim type games that we have here.
Gametrailers has posted a couple videos from a new PS3 baseball game by Konami called Pro Baseball Spirits 4. Here's one of them.
The game seems to have the same camera angle of the MLB games, but I think it looks pretty impressive.
I've always found it funny that Konami will make baseball games for the PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360 in Japan, but won't bother trying to license their engine to make the games here. Would anyone that's played them before care to share their comments on the quality of the games?
Why you should read the comments
Glen, aka TV's Uncle Jerry, let me know of a comment from "Chris" who, based on the reponse, I assume works for Sony. (Good thing Glen is here, I'd miss the comment myself! Sorry, Chris) The discussion was about MLB 07 : The Show for PS3.
I guess it would be easier for you if I just told you...and your readers.
Things are going well. We are still working hard on the game. We are getting very close. Personally, I think that anyone that has enjoyed our PS2 or PSP game will greatly enjoy our PS3 version as well.
Thank you Chris for that information. I think we can infer from that the game was delayed because it is still being worked on; something must have happened because it's very rare that Sony puts out an email with a release date (down to an actual calendar day) and pushes it back.
Hopefully the trades will be fixed in the PS3 version and the same league functionality will be there as there is on the PS2. This could be the holy grail of baseball games (feel free to use that quote, Chris). Of course, I am still a bit nervous. I'd much rather it be delayed -- even a year-- and released as a great game rather than say NBA Live 07. .
Keep us in the loop and let us know when it's gold. And feel free to send a pre-release copy my way. I don't ask for much.
Thursday Thoughts
You know as I was listening to Howard Stern on the way into work today, I kept thinking, boy I made a mistake with XM. Even the music on Sirius seems better. Maybe I have newradioitis but it seems pretty good.
I look forward to getting some gaming in this weekend. My son has taken over the 360 and BattleStations, so it makes it difficult (PS3, Wii and 360 are all no the same TV while PS2, Xbox1, GameCube and Dreamcast are on the old school TV).
I don't think there's much new on TV tonight, but the Office marathon sounds good. I kinda like that Andy Richter show...you have to be an accountant to understand, which means it's going to get canned. LOL
Wednesday Quickies – Idol Spoiler
1. Glen, aka TV's Uncle Jerry, let me know about a Kotaku post which says Gamefly is rolling out an East Coast distribution center. All my envelopes, including the one I received today for Godfather on the Wii, still have a CA address. This would be so much better than Fast Return, I am very, very moist.
2. Speaking of Gamefly, if you use their brightspot service you can now save $10 a month. If this isn't a good deal, I don't know what is ($18.95 a month for 4 out)???
3. So Chris Sligh is bye bye on Idol. Not suprised, but a little disappointed. I liked him, but his vocals have indeed sucked the last two weeks, so not surprised..like I said.
3a. Friday Night Lights was awesome tonight. If you didn't see it, you need help.
4. Drank too much wine tonight, so I'm hitting the hay. Sorry it's so game free.
Damn, my electric bill is high
According to this IGN post, by leaving my PS3 on all the time to do Folding@home it costs me $20 a month. (I live in one of the most expensive states for electricity. Hey, no sales or income tax though, so it probably cancels out)..damn, that's expensive. That's like a Netflix subscription.
More OSU Hoops
The reason I wrote about OSU hoops today, and specifically about Oden and Conley was because the bastion of sports reporting integrity, ESPN, came out with a story today about them, basically saying that there's a 99% chance they were going pro based on some anonymous NBA agent source. Not that an agent would lie about such a thing, considering everyone knows that Conley's father will represent both of them in the NBA. Nah...no reason to spread stuff like that right before the Final Four...
This from ESPN "Insider" Chad Ford:
Sources Say Oden Will Go Pro
Chad Ford reports: One prominent NBA player agent, who asked not to be identified because he was revealing confidential discussions, told Insider that he had enough contact with Conley's father, Mike Conley Sr., to be 99 percent sure both Oden and Conley Jr. were coming out."I think Oden really wants to stay in school," the agent told Insider. "However, I think he's feeling a lot of pressure from family and friends that the opportunity to be the No. 1 pick is one he can't pass on. I think Conley Jr. wanted to make sure he was the top rated point guard in the draft before declaring. He didn't want to settle for a mid-to-late first-round pick. With his play in the tournament, I think he's there. Next year, with O.J. Mayo in the mix, he may not be."
Well, it doesn't take long for the fire to spread -- to local Columbus radio and the 'Net. See, Conley has said all along that he was staying for at the very least two years, and maybe more. This is why there was such a stir. Oden, well, we all figure he's gone, but Conley? Personally, purely from a skill PoV, he needs a more reliable 3 point shot. He's a 30% 3pt shooter in college...so as a pro and a deeper 3pt line...well he's not quite Nash-like. He's a 1st round pick right now, but with a solid 20 foot jumper, he's a lottery pick.
Anyway, The Columbus Dispatch came out with this today:
Ignore speculation; Conley will return to OSU, father says
Wednesday, March 28, 2007 4:34 PM
By Todd Jones
The father of Mike Conley Jr. reiterated yesterday that his son intends to return to Ohio State for his sophomore season despite Internet speculation that the Buckeyes' point guard might enter this year's NBA draft.
“Mike is not thinking about going pro,” Conley Sr. said. “Nothing has changed.” Conley Sr. said if unexpected information about his son's potential earnings come forth in April, the family would re-evaluate the OSU freshman's future.
“We could speculate all day long and say, ‘OK, what if a shoe company came and offered Mike $80 million to turn pro?'” Conley Sr. said. “Of course he would re-evaluate it. The chances of that happening are slim. We hear talk all the time that Mike could be a first-round draft pick and the top (point) guard. Only on that information, Mike is going back to school.
“I've never had this discussion with Mike before in his life. In Mike's mind, he's going back to school, and if you said anything different to him he would look at you like you have two heads. Heading to Atlanta, Mike Conley's intentions have always been to return to school, and there's never been any question in his mind of not going back.”
Speculation continues to swirl about the future of OSU center Greg Oden, Conley Jr.'s teammate since the sixth grade, on AAU (coached by Conley Sr.) and high school teams. Conley Sr., awaiting confirmation from the NBA Players Association on his application to become a players' agent, said Oden won't make any kind of announcement at the Final Four about whether he will return to Ohio State or enter the NBA draft.
“I don't want (Oden) to make an emotional decision one way or the other,” Conley Sr. said. “I want him to take his time and look at it, and look at the whole process like he did when he picked a school. I want him to sit back and let it resonate. That won't begin until a week or two after (the Final Four).”
Conley dismissed a report yesterday that an unnamed agent told an ESPN blogger that his son and Oden are both entering the NBA draft this spring. “My main concern is just when someone close to us — me, Mike's mom, Greg's mom, or (OSU coach) Thad (Matta) — says something,” Conley Sr. said. “That's the only time I'm concerned with the issue. Outside of that, it's just people talking.”
No, it's not people talking.
It's E.S.P.N. Employer of Skip Bayless, Mike Lupica, Stephan A. Smith, and Jay Mariotti. And the worst thing to happen to sports in this country.
With that said, watch Conley announce for the NBA after the Final Four is over...heh
Weekly Obligatory Request
There's a new Friday Night Lights tonight and as I always do, I'm begging readers to check it out. This show needs to be back next year. Great show. Thank you.
Hoop Fan Lament
It's hard, or at least a bit weird, being an OSU basketball fan right now. See, OSU is a football school. Don't get me wrong we all love the hoop team -- but football is different and will always remain King of Columbus. And that's fine.
OSU fans are not used to landing players like Oden and Conley. The last NBA quality players to come out of OSU are Michael Redd (who turned into a star in the NBA...he wasn't THAT good at OSU) and Scoonie Penn (who is in Europe). That was seven years ago. Yes, we still contend and win Big 10 titles -- people forget that OSU won the Big 10 last year, too, but this is different. We're used to our basketball players staying at the very least three years (Redd, Jim Jackson) and usually all four.
Now we have Oden and Conley, both of whom are projected as lottery picks and Oden going #1 overall (yes, over Durant). This is all very foreign to us. How can anyone possibly tell these kids to stay in school when they have millions of dollars on the table? I sure can't. I went to school. I have a degree. And here I sit talking to you bozos about video and board games. Granted, there is something to the notion of being the Big Men on campus at the age of 19-20. That would be kinda cool. Still...that's just a crazy amount of money.
Oden's a smart kid who loves college; he's an honor roll student who wanted to be an accountant before basketball took over his life. He's the kind of kid who is extremely easy to root for because he typifies what we want our college players to be: great players and great representatives of the school.
Still, with football -- we all know we have them for at least three years. When I first saw Teddy Ginn run past fast players like they had a piano strapped to their back, I was giddy -- I'd see him in the Shoe for two more years. This is complete selfishness on my part...I just want to see them play for my school.
With basketball, you just never know. It has to be exceptionally hard for an elite level college basketball coach to keep any level of stability. OSU coach Thad Matta knew what was coming (and Oden and Conley have not made anything official, this is just me speculating); Matta's next two recruiting classes are filled to the brim with 4 and 5 star talent including a 7 foot Dirk clone who shoots 3's and can take players off the dribble and a 6'5 shooting guard who just broke the Ohio HS scoring record. OSU isn't leaving the national radar anytime soon.
But when you play with this kind of HS talent, you need to continually bring in top notch classes -- just one off recruiting year and you're program can be set back a year or two (see UConn).
As an OSU man -- this is going to take some getting used to.
Tide of Iron
..has been delayed now until May. That's the third month in a row that FFG has pushed it back, this time due to "potential board warping issues." Yes, board games get delayed just like video and PC games. Small world. ToI looks damn cool though....in a hugely produced really expensive FFG sorta way.
Xbox 360 Elite announced
The worst kept secret became official today. The Black Xbox 360, aka Xbox 360 Elite will be arriving 4/29. Aside from being horribly overpriced, I'd also recommend you pick up the PRP on that sucker. You can also buy the 120GB HD for $179. Yeah that's more than $1 per GB.
Hey Microsoft, just in case you didn't notice, Sony lets me put whatever regular HDD I want in the PS3.
I guess putting the 120GB for $100 wouldn't have made sense no? I mean why do that when you can buy a 120GB internal drive at Amazon for $60! Why not just make people mad at you instead and think, hmm, maybe I'm not totally taking it up the ass at $599 for a PS3...
Unbelievable that a company could be that dumb. $179 for a 120GB drive. Come ON!
Idol Recap
Sanjaya rules. That's all I can say. Phil was pretty good too. Funny how Randy doesn't like a Cure song. I'm really hoping for Morrissey week. The judges wouldn't know what to do. Or Depeche Mode week. That would rock.
Worst of the night: Chris. Both of them sucked. They sucked more than Sanjaya.
I want Sanjaya to stay, who knows what the hell he will do next.
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