More Monday notes
- The Gamefly coupon is gone. Thanks to those of you that asked for it. I'll let you all know when I get another one.
- I finally picked up a new PC last week. We had a good deal on an HP workstation here at the office and I've managed to put together a decent AMD system for about $600. I ended up going with a Nvidia 9800GTX+ for the video card. Anyone have any thoughts about those? I went back and forth on that and an ATI card... but in the end... I just gave up and picked the Nvidia.
It is funny though that the major cost component of the system was the video card though. Oh, I remember when processor and memory used to be important...
This will be my first personal 64-bit system though, so it'll be interesting to see how that all works out for me.
- I'd spend some time talking about the Badger basketball game yesterday, but I only saw a few minutes of it... and when I heard that they blew a 12 point lead in the second half, that would only make it worse.
- I'd also talk about the Wisconsin hockey game that I went to on Saturday night, but since they didn't really play a hockey game... it's hard to talk about it.
- Ok... back to work.
Early Monday notes
- For those of you that haven't had a chance to read up on the MLB2K9 conference call, Pastapadre has a great recap on his site.
I have high hopes for MLB2K9, mainly for the fact that I think that competition causes innovation. Without a good product from 2K, Sony's MLB franchise could stagnate. That's just my opinion though.
- Speaking of MLB09: The Show, a few guys over in the Operation Sports forums have already put together some custom sound packs for the game. You have to love that people are already putting the time into this feature.
- Outside of the world of sports games, I finished up Mass Effect for the 360 late Sunday night. It's kind of nice not buying new games at this point... as I'm actually getting back to the games that I started forever ago. Next up... I think I'll try to get through Bioshock.
- It's a pretty exciting week for new games though... Puzzle Quest: Galactrix and Killzone 2. Then all the baseball games next week. Have I mentioned how much money I've saved by not buying games?
- Oh, speaking of that... I got a $5 Gamefly coupon this week... if anyone wants it, just drop me an email.
Just in case..
You’re interested in MLB 2K9, GameStop is offering free overnight shipping if you buy it today….
Taking Stock
It’s hard to believe we are only 9 days away from new baseball games. Of course the only one I care about is MLB 09 the Show. I’m going to rent MLB 2K9 but seriously I have my doubts. If Microsoft was smart, they’d pay EA to do a baseball game and release it as a first party game. It sucks if you have a 360 right now and want to play baseball.
I keep thinking … “from the makers of MLB Stickball comes a new baseball game..” uhh, pass. And at first, I liked that game. Boy was I a doofus.
I have a 10/1 connection but right now any speed tests that I run outside of my cable ISP shows my speed is like 2/.8…WTF…Netflix now says I’m basic..blech.
Maybe it’s just the snow. I am tired of snow.
Play Ball
I’m really getting excited with all the buzz on MLB 09 the Show. MLB 2K9, well, that’s another story. Blech. From the company that brought you MLB Front office? No thanks.
For those that missed it, there’s another patch on NHL 09 by EA for the PS3 only (at least right now)….this game is one of the best I’ve played and I highly recommend it. I just wish we’d have a college hockey game.
If you’ve been reading you probably already have heard about the ads in MLB 2K9..WTF…so much for realism. I find that, in the words of Charles Barkley while getting a BJ, “terribuhl”.
Time to catch up
So, I'm getting an oil change and figure it's time to catch up.
Crazy business at work has kept me running all over. Sorry for not posting more. I was planning on posting last night but fell asleep after reading a book to my daughter...then had to work again...such is life.
- When I've had time for gaming, here's what I've been working on...
- Call of Juarez. The western genre has been horribly neglected and I had high hopes for this title. I can sum up my feelings for the game with the following words.... box stacking. On the 3rd episode, you're stuck in a barn... while guys are outside waiting to get you...of course they wait for you to stack up your boxes until you can climb out.....meh.
- The Bigs. Wow. This really surprised me. I know that Dan has raved about it for a while...but it's a great arcade baseball game. I'm enjoying the rookie challenge mode as well. Good stuff.
- After falling apart for the better part of a month...the Badger basketball team has really turned it around... the big test this week is the game against Michigan State.
- No Favre talk.... just can't do it.
All Your Base…
If you have a Nintendo DS, you must pick up Retro Game Challenge. The game is fantastic. You are sent back as a child of the 1980s to play retro style games and complete challenges.
In order to help you complete the challenges the game wizard who turned you into a kid is also a kid himself and can’t believe you were zapped back in time. He buys “gamefan” magazine, which has all of the tips and tricks you need. The parody of EGM is perfect, right down to the guy named like Dan “Shoe” Hsu, who decides to leave the magazine to become a J-pop star.
Seroiusly, they put thought into this game to create an “editor’s note” that is akin to a real print magazine.
This game can get repetitive with the challenges, but man, what a homage to games of the 80s. Kudos.
MLB 09 The Show on Qore
If you subscribe to Sony’s Qore magazine, you’ll see a feature on MLB 09…it’s not the best feature ever, but it still gives you some nice videos on how the lighting is introduced in the game.
I did find it funny that they show Soriano of the Cubs hitting a HR about 23 times, while they are talking about RTTS – which is usually played with a created player – whatever.
Still I can’t wait for this game. In the mean time back to my new favorite game, House of the Dead Overkill.
HOTD Overkill is Awesome
I bought House of the Dead Overkill for the Wii and boy, there’s a reason it’s M rated, but it is awesome.
Initial quotes from the game:
“I’m gonna rip your mother f#$%ng balls off”
“ever gonna tell me what that f@#$ing g stands for?”
Please be safe G…this rules.
I’m Very Sorry (and I’m a Tool)
Boo hoo, poor A-fraud. Does anyone else believe that this guy stopped in 2003? I don’t. I just guess he found a way around the tests.
I love how he comes clean now as if he’s doing the right thing…I bet he did the same thing to his wife, right up to the point his wife caught him banging Madonna. I bet he was very sorry about that, also.
Well he didn’t say that Miguel Tejada told him it was B-12 when he shot it in is butt, so I guess there’s that.
Blitz: The League 2 – $19.99 at Gamestop
Dan and I both enjoyed the game quite a bit. That's a great price for the 360 and PS3 versions.
Monday Morning Fun
I had this long post on here, and then my power went out last night. I completely lost it and since I use Windows Live Writer, there was no draft available. Oh well. I can’t remember what I wrote, so I have to recreate things.
- Did you watch the Grammy awards? It was an interesting show. I didn’t realize about the Chris Brown/Rihanna issues until after…the U2 song was okay – I was hoping for better sound but it’s the first time they did it live. Jonas Brothers weren’t bad. Taylor and Miley were pretty good.
In other news, we are finally getting a nice flow of games this week – FEAR 2, and NHL 3 on 3 hits the 360 this week. I recommend the game – it is cheap in that you only get single one off games rather than a league or tournament, but it is still a lot of fun.
I did enjoy my brief time with MLB 09…now I’m thinking about getting the PSP version as well…..
More game deals…
Tecmo Bowl: Kickoff (DS) - $9.99 at Best Buy with your Reward Zone card. (In Store)
Also, the biggest deal of late on the interwebs seems to be Amazon's deal where you buy the Lost and Damned expansion for GTA4 and get 3 months of Live for free.
Also, the first Guitar Hero bundle for the DS is $19.99 at Toys R Us this week, along with the 12 month Xbox Live card for $29.99
Fun with Amazon
You know how Amazon sends you follow up emails based on what you purchased? I received an email with the following subject line today:
“Accessorize Your Amazon.com Xbox 360 Live 12 Month Gold Card plus 1 Month Bonus Purchase”
Yes, how will I ever accessorize my live card? Perhaps with an Xbox 360 that I already own?
Saturday notes
- Finished up Puzzle Quest on the DS last night. I just felt like I just had to be done with it. It's fun to play in spells, but long term... I'm having more fun with things like Mario Kart DS.
- The Killzone 2 demo on the European PS Store is terrific... but incredibly short. The visuals for that game are amazing. Also, the AI on display is quite impressive.
- The demo for MLB09: The Show for the PS3 seems to be just about the same as the the 08 versions. I did have a laugh when I heard the announcer state that it was partly cloudy, and the sky was perfectly blue.
One thing that I did notice was an awful throw from the 3rd baseman when I made a bad play on the ball. Nice to see that you pay when you make a mistake.
- In movies.... Slumdog Millionaire is terrific. Wonderful story. Well worth your time.
The kids are loving Kung Fu Panda in our house. I hadn't heard much about it when it came out, but it's a favorite in our house... Ska-dusch!
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