The Blog for the Sports Gamer

After Bill Harris said the game was in short supply, I went to preorder and everyone was sold out. Glen said he was going to the midnight release party just to make sure he gets one. I was like $170 for a game? You really think that will sell out? Then when I called my GameStop they said they had oversold vs their supply, I figured even if I wanted the game, I would be SOL.

I was concerned about getting a game that last week I didn’t have any interest in. Yes, I cave to peer pressure. Anyway, I called K-Mart because I figured no one would go there. They didn’t get it (or weren’t going to tell me on the phone). I called the Wal-Mart nearby, and they said they did have it. Let’s just say that when given the choice between a root canal and going to Wal-Mart, the root canal is very tempting to choose. I walk 3 miles through the SuperCenter to the electronics department and of course no one is there, so I have to hunt down an associate. She was very friendly and gives me the game. I couldn’t find the game anywhere else, and it looked like it was the last one in the box (but I’m not sure if it was — she didn’t give any indication). Anyway, all the suckers that hung out at midnight, HAHA. This means you, Glen and Harris. Maybe I’ll even open the box and play it sometime :).

So, with a bunch of credit in hand at Best Buy, I went to the West Madison, WI store last night to check out their midnight opening for Rock Band.

I drove by the store earlier in the day (around 4 to be exact) and saw that there was a person waiting already. It was 40 some degrees and raining and there was a person waiting for a game. Crazy. I figured that if I could get to the store around 11:45 and get in line and get a copy, I’d be ok with that. I had to drive into work last night to work on a few servers, so I figured I would swing by the store and see what was up.

They were handing out tickets as I walked up and I found out that I was number 43 for the 360 version. They had 80 to 90 units for the 360 and 10 for the PS3.

My worst moment of the night came about 2 minutes before they let us into the store. Some girl took out her camera and started taking pictures of the line. The last thing I heard her say was, “I can’t wait to put this on my Myspace page.”

I turned to the guy next to me and said, “Shit. It’s bad enough that I’m waiting in line for a game, but now I’m going to be on a Myspace page too.”

I walked out of the store about 10 minutes after 12 with my Special Edition 360 bundle in hand. There were no more people waiting in line and they still had about 10 to 15 copies of the game left. The employees seemed really surprised that they didn’t sell out. In fact, they started telling people that were waiting to pay at the registers that they could buy some other things as well (Mass Effect, Die Hard 4, etc.)  Trying to add some additional revenue for being open late, I guess.

I didn’t even get a chance to play the game when I got home as this one will require a special setup in the house to ensure that it doesn’t wake the kids when I’m playing it after they go to bed. I’ll try to post some impressions later tonight… but that’s my Rock Band midnight launch story.

Oh, and there are three song packs (Metallica, Police, Queens of the Stone Age) out on the Live Marketplace for 440 points. Single songs for 160.

Thanks to frequent blog reader Bill Abner for this tidbit of information. If you make a $25 purchase at the GameShark store, you’ll be entered to win a next-gen console! Click here for details.

Wow. If I gave this gift to my wife on my first anniversary, she’d divorce me. Anyway Nintendo is “celebrating” one year of Virtual Console with the following three games: Wrecking Crew, Sonic 3D Blast and Super Air Zonk. Was Custer’s Revenge not available for the 2600? Blech.

1. Yes, my Revs lost again. Awful.

2. At least the Patriots put up 56. Heh.

3. I tried the March Madness demo. Has potential but I also said that about NBA Live and then I played the full game.

4. Did I mention the 10-0 Pats put up 56 points?

5. Glen, get Uncharted. You already have plenty of Wii games.

- It’s been about 8 hours… how can Dan not talk about the MLS cup final? Oh, I remembered why… because he’s the only one that cares. heh.

- I think I’m going to try and hit the midnight launch for Rock Band at Best Buy at Midnight tomorrow. I’m weak… the important thing is that I admit it.

- Wow is the BCS picture a mess right now. OSU still has a legit shot at it right now. All they would seem to need is for West Virginia to be upset and they’ll work their way back into the Championship game. Crazy. I’m pulling for Kansas vs. West Virginia. There’s a match-up that no one would have ever guessed.

- I’m about 20 stars into Super Mario Galaxy and I have to agree with Dan. I was annoyed with the gameplay of Super Mario Sunshine, but this game is just as close to platforming perfection as I’ve ever played. Everything works. Each individual galaxy is fun to play (even the evil old-school ones with timing jumps.)

- The Toshiba HD-A3 is on sale at Amazon right now for $199.99 with 10 free HD DVD’s (5 by mail-in, 2 in the box (Bourne Identity and 300) and 3 free ones of your choice.) I missed out last time, but not this time. Now I should be able to move the 360 into my theater without any problems.

- So, I have $50 in credit at Gamestop… Uncharted or a sleeper like Zack and Wiki. Hmmm…

- Haven’t had a chance to try out the March Madness demo on the 360 yet, but I will be giving it a go tomorrow.

If you own Project Gotham 4, it may be a good time to go back to it as the title update adds daily tournaments to the game and makes it a whole lot of fun. Today is Simulation Sunday so you have to play with a manual transmission and everything is on simulation so don’t bump a wall! I qualified dead last (wee) with a time of 1:30, but I’m still in with 2 hours to go. Check it out just by signing into the game!

First off I’d like to thank the guys at RocketXL for sending me a copy of Contra 4 for the Nintendo DS. This game is a true platformer and really shows off some fantastic graphics on the DS. Of course it’s just as @#$@#%ing hard as any Contra game, but really that’s par for the course. It has now taken over the bathroom activities (it was Contra 4 or reading the Colbert book) so congrats to Konami. I can see that quote on their box. “I love this game, I sit on the toilet for hours playing it!”

RocketXL also sent me Buzz! for review. Glad it works on the PS3. It’s a fun quiz game, and I love how the big button lights up. I just wish I could play it online with friends, because my kids aren’t smart enough to play the ‘regular’ version but I’m told there’s also a kids version available, so I might have to try that out.

Last night I got a lot of game playing in: I played Super Mario Galaxy and really it’s the first Mario game I’ve enjoyed in a long time. I didn’t really enjoy SM Sunhine at all but this one is very impressive. Then I played Buzz but you already knew that. Then I played Medal of Honor Heroes 2 and I’m REALLY liking this game. I cannot wait for the zapper this week to see how it will play with it. Rounding out my gaming night I played some Crysis and of course Guitar Hero 3. I played Devil Went Down to Georgia as a downloadable song, and even on easy, that song is insanely long.

 I meant to play some Uncharted but I ran out of time. Being in the retail sector, instead of enjoying the weekend, I had the brilliant idea to open the office at 7am on Friday and I also have to work Saturday so my gaming time is limited. Yuck.

Title says it all, give it a whirl and post comments in the forum.

Like the headline? It was either that or “I wish whatever died in my intestine would be pushed out my ass” because my stomach is downright painful right now. Aren’t you glad I went with the other headline? TMI? Oh well…

 Not a lot of traffic on Saturday but I intend to change that with porn. Just kidding! Instead, I wanted to not talk sports for a moment but instead talk about Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune which is the first OMG you must get game for the PS3 that I’ve played. Think the first Tomb Raider game (that’s superb) with drop dead graphics and pretty awesome gameplay. Definitely a “must buy.”

Now that my son has finished COD4 he’d rather play America’s Army than Medal Of Honor Heroes 2. Personally I like MoH better becuase it’s run and gun. AA is more like uh…real Army with strategy in stuff. ho hum. LOL.

As I take a knee and let the clock run out on the work week, here are some items of note.

1. Today is a release day for America’s Army for the 360. And much to my surprise and glee, Uncharted for the PS3 was also out. It was not street dated, so I picked that up as well today. It’s not too often I luck out like this. My goodness this will be an awesome game playing weekend.

2. How about that Barry Bonds?

3. Bill said he’d stick around the forums as long as we upload porn…or was it NCAA sliders? I forgot.

4. I submitted my TWID column but we’re having some technical difficulties, so for the three of you interested, hang tight, it’s coming.

5. What will be the Mad Catz Weekly Promotion? I’m guessing FREE ground shipping on NBA controllers, or free ground shipping on dance pads. Enter your choice here. Oh yeah, did you hear that Mad Catz bought Saitek? Looks like I’ll now be paid for my columns in Flightsticks.

Sorry for not posting much this week. If the internet has taught me anything, it’s that if you’ve got anything going on at work, it’s best to not say anything about it. So, we’ll just leave it at that.

- I know that there are a few of you out there that are not hockey fans, but either way, you need to take a look at these two saves.

The first one was made by Shane Connelly, the goaltender for Wisconsin’s men’s hockey team. That one happened about 2 years ago, when he was a backup. It’s an amazing save and it was one of the best I had ever seen.

This one tops it though.

There is just something wrong with that kid. The ability that he has to catch and play the puck with the stick while he twisting his body in mid-air is just amazing.

The WCHA reviews any questionable save or goal and I was really glad that they did in this case. It gave the crowd 2 minutes to just applaud him for an absolutely amazing save. It was really great to be in the crowd for something like that. Even though they lost the game, he provided one of the best moments I’ve ever seen in a game.

- As far as gaming goes, I’ve been playing a bit of Super Mario Galaxy this week. It is, without a doubt, the best game I’ve played this year. I’ve put about 3 or 4 hours into it, and have collected 10 stars, and I’m actually upset that I’m not playing it right now. Each level that I’ve played has been incredibly fun. I haven’t felt that any of the game has been a chore either. The game is just so damn fun to play.

I’m hoping I can get a chance to play the two player mode with my wife tomorrow night. I can’t wait to try it out.

- World famous Level Up guest blogger, Bill Harris, was pretty geeked up this week because you’ll be able to buy accessories and other crap for your virtual band in Rock Band. Because nothing says “I’m a geek with large amounts of expendable income… please come rob me,” like a ‘Virtual band’ bumper sticker from Rock Band.

Like Dan, as the game gets closer, I’m getting closer to wanting to buy the game again… but the extra stuff like that, doesn’t interest me in the slightest.

- I’m really looking forward to playing some College Hoops next week. If any of you out there get the PS3 version, let me know and we’ll play a game or two online. I’m not great at the game, but it’s always fun to “meet” some of the people on the site.

- I went to a local tech conference the other day and won a copy of Halo 3. Seriously, they couldn’t have had a game I would have wanted less. It’s still sitting in the glove compartment in my car. Ugh. I guess I’ll end up trading it towards something.

- One more note on Super Mario Galaxy. I found it pretty entertaining when I got my call from Gamestop to let me know that the game was in… because they said that the game was rated Mature. Apparently the ESRB finally determined that the mushrooms that Mario eats are more than fungi.

Apologies posthumously to Mr. Adams.

After three and a half years, it’s time to head on down the blog trail. I leave you in the hands of Dan and Glen. My blog contribution hasn’t been up to snuff of late and I’m just burnt out so instead of just hanging around and posting random crap once a week, I’m going to simply let the people who are running the blog …run it.

My sportsgamer blog email should still work so if you need to reach me for anything, I’m there or at GameShark via wabner@gameshark.com.

I’m sure I’ll turn up on the blogosphere soon–when I actually have something to say.  

Until then, I’m looking forward to playing College Hoops 2K8 on my new totally bad ass 60″ Sony! Woo.

Thanks for reading my silliness for the past few years. I’ve appreciated it. Even the NCAA football flames. Because even though I know I’m right, I appreciated the passion.  :)

–bill

1. If you’re a fan of the Revolution and near Foxboro, the owners of the Revolution are providing FREE round trip transportation to RFK Stadium for the MLS Cup game on Sunday. You’ll have to buy your own ticket though. Now that’s a generous owner. Oh yeah, they also own the Patriots. Sorry, the bus is sold out right now, but you can instead watch the game at the Fidelity Clubhouse at Gillette stadium, which is also free (you have to buy food though)…and you can get your picture taken with all the MLS trophies that the Revs have won…cool.

2. Even if you’re not a huge fan of basketball, you have to take notice of the undefeated Celtics. In the Eastern division of the NBA, isn’t going 7-0 basically clinching a playoff spot?

3. The Red Sox announced a 9% ticket price increase, and if you don’t like it, we have a huge waiting list of people to buy your season ticket.

4. The Bostson Archdiocese today is saying that if you’re voting Democrat and a Catholic, you’re going to hell. And they wonder why people leave the church/

5. Quick reviews: I’m very bored by Assassin’s Creed and enjoying Rayman Rabbids 2. The IGN criticism is valid, but the game’s developers said from the beginning that this really wasn’t a game for one person, so I would take that into consideration when reviewing the game. Me wonders if they shit on Warhawk for lack of a single player game too ;).

6. Thanks for the comment on Rock Band DLC. To me $5.49 sounds just as bad as $6.25, but whatever. On a side note, based on the comments, I have to say I was ignorant and didn’t realize that you could just play the game with a guitar. Now that I’m interested, of course, pre-orders are closed and you cannot buy the full package. You can buy just the game I’m told….so maybe I’ll do that.

7. Thanks to a reader for the tip that Clay Dreslough is giving away Baseball Mogul 2008 for anyone with a valid .mil address as his Veterans Day gift. (Clay didn’t publicize this, but I think it’s worth mentioning). Click here to sign up.

8. Congrats to our blogger friend Bill Harris, who got to guest spot on Newsweek’s Level Up Blog. I can honestly say I knew Bill Harris way back when. One thing I didn’t know until I read the article is that Bill Harris is 46, earning him the title of “oldest gamer I know.” It’s a great read, and surprising coming from the guy who is most excited about the ability to create his own figurine by playing Rock Band rather than the actual game itself :).  Yes, Bill, I finally got that in.

9. Don’t forget to pick up Carcassonne today for the low cost of FREE. It’s TODAY only, so get in there.

Here we go with another all encompassing column:

1. The more I hear about Ron Paul, the more I kind of like the guy. Tell me why I should/shouldn’t like him. Of course being my party affiliation isn’t Republican, I guess I won’t be voting for him whenever the hell the primary is…

 2. Picked up four games today: Crysis (holy crap), Assassin’s Creed (so far looks like IGN was right), MoH 2 for the Wii (surprisingly good), and Rayman 2 (another Wii game).

3. Make sure you get Carcassonne FREE while you can. I hear it’s a great game. I’m getting it now as well. Also there are a ton of LIVE is 5IVE freebies, including all kinds of free themes. Funny how you can download a MechAssault theme, which is interesting considering the game isn’t backward compatible. But MW2: Lone Wolf is, which is a game I think about four people bought — honestly, I didn’t even know that there was a “Lone Wolf” game. It was a long 3 years ago..

4. I will admit Friday Night Lights this year is bordering on the weird — from the 24 Secret Service guy burying evidence, to a HS coach coming back in the middle of the season. Sorry about that recommendation.

5. A new show I’m a big fan of is Chuck, Monday at 8pm on NBC. This is like Alias-lite (in fact the tech guy made an appearance this week as a bad guy). THere’s no deep meaning, but there’s lots of spy-esque stuff along with sexual tension. It’s an interesting take, and of course the fake Best Buy store is great. They even setup a website for it , which you can see here.

6. Anyone try Soldier of Fortune? I was going to buy it today but then I thought “hmm, if no one know sabout this game, it must not be good”…no buzz at all….would love to hear thoughts, if any.