- Look at me making three posts….
Steam’s weekend deals this time around are pretty damn good…
The Complete Freedom Force and X-Com collections for $2 each.
I have the physical copy of Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich down in my basement… but to have it and the original on Steam for $2 is a pretty great deal.
X-Com, was just all sorts of awesome back in the day. Hell, I even had the Playstation version that required the PS Mouse (which I still have somewhere.) Another great deal for 2 bones.
- Just got the following chat message from my wife….
Haag’s 1… Mice 0
One mouse dead. Hopefully not many more to go. Little bastards have been terrorizing our pantry for the last few weeks.
We tried to go the humane route and live catch them and release them, but that didn’t seem to be working very well as they ate through the boxes of about $60 worth of food in the last month.
We will never give up… we will never surrender…. the vermin must not win!
- After a conversation with my wife last night, we realized that we will be finishing paying her student loan off by the end of the year. Add that to a soon to be completed car payment and that clears us $500 a month. Woo. More gaming for Glen.
- The Wisconsin/Purdue game last night was a terrific battle and should be an effort that Badger basketball fans be proud of. Seeing the Badgers go into Purdue, without their 2nd leading scorer, and have a chance to take the game winning shot, was impressive to watch. They did come up short (even though the refs missed a foul call on an attempted 3 pointer with 6 seconds to go,) but still it was a remarkable sign of the character of the team. I would have loved to have seen them win that game, but I’m still impressed by what they did last night.
- Early weather forcasts for the Camp Randall Hockey Classic next weekend call for 32 degrees and snow. Now that’s the kind of weather I want to see for an outdoor hockey game. My wife and I also got tickets to go skate on the ice the night before the game with our daughters. We’re not taking the girls to the game (no way I would subject them to 5 hours of hockey in freezing temperatures,) but I think it’ll be great to see how excited they will be to be on the ice the night before.
- I spent a bit more time with Mass Effect 2 last night and I’m liking what I’ve seen thus far. Probably the nicest change that I’ve seen thus far is the removal of the elevator loading sequences. They were such a drag in the first game and it’s great to see them removed for a, somewhat standard, loading screen. There have been a a few enhancements to the Paragon system where you can choose to do nice (or evil) things by just pressing down the left or right trigger as you are prompted to do so, and while I’ve only completed a few of the “good” ones… I’ve been very tempted by the “bad” ones and have been curious to see where it would have taken my character. Just curious, how often when you play those sorts of games do you take the ‘evil’ route? To date, I’ve never done that. I don’t know why, but the good route always just seems like the right way to go for my characters.
- It’s not very often that Sports Illustrated posts a large article about hockey, but the current issue has a great article about the Lamoureux family and the issues that they’ve gone through raising 6 children who have all gone on to play college hockey.
Having 2 girls that are starting to show some interest in hockey already frightens me to know what sort of effort it is, just as a parent, to be a “hockey dad.” To read the details of how hard these parents worked, and how hard the kids worked, is an incredible story.
- We also got a press release from EA Sports indicating that they are bringing FIFA PC Online to Europe and the U.S. over the next year. Can’t complain about free sports games, right?
New York, NY – January 28, 2010 – 2K Sports announced today that they will give away an unprecedented cash prize in the amount of $1,000,000 to the first person who throws a verified perfect game in Major League Baseball® 2K10, the next iteration of the popular Major League Baseball® 2K series, prior to May 2, 2010. The special contest, available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft through the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system through the PlayStation®Network*, illustrates 2K Sports’ dedication to delivering vastly improved gameplay and pitching mechanics this season in Major League Baseball 2K10.
For more details, click here.
- Man, the weeks really do go by quickly sometimes.
- For the first time that I can ever recall, I have a game from Gamefly within 2 days of the shipment notice. Usually I get games from Pittsburgh, but this time it came from Austin. Not sure if there is a way to set a preference as to where I get my games from, but I have to say that I like this. So, I’m installing Mass Effect 2 as I type up this post.
- So, Jonah is really interested in us putting a podcast together. It’s easier said than done lately, but we’re efforting a few interviews and are working towards our next show.
- I was happy to see Ben Sheets sign a deal with the A’s, but was surprised to see them give him a $10 million dollar deal. If he could keep healthy, he could be a great pitcher for that team, but it’s been six years since he has been able to put a full season together without missing at least a few starts. If he does stay healthy and pitches well, my bet would be that the A’s trade him at the deadline. They love prospects more than they love expensive players, or so the moneyball theory goes.
- So, the iPad… I’ll wait for the 46″ version of it. I’d love to have a driving game where I have to tilt my entire TV.
- ESPN has a nice long interview with Ben Bishop in regards to MLB2K10. If you haven’t heard, they’ve removed the ability to check your swing. So, it does strike me as odd to see this quote from the interview.
Our key goal on the gameplay side was really to bring out that intensity and that drama of the hitter versus pitcher battle.
Sure, you can have the intensity and drama of the battle… just not an accurate representation of what can and does happen in that battle.
I shouldn’t be so hard on the removal of this feature until I try out the game… but that kind of talk always annoys me.
- I would love to say that it was another case of “Favre giveth and Favre taketh away,” but the Vikings really did just about everything that they could to give that game away. You just can’t turn the ball over that many times and not think that the other team will not eventually take advantage of it.
Seriously, two turnovers inside of the 10. Crazy.
Here’s my funny thought to leave you with in regards to Brett Favre. If he doesn’t come back next year for the Vikings… he will have ended his career in Atlanta, Green Bay, New York, and Minnesota by throwing an interception as his last pass.
- We ran into a weird issue with our Madden league. Apparently if you don’t go out and grab their Ultimate League addon, it will invalidate your Online Franchise capabilities. 2 of the members of our league have run into an issue where they couldn’t play a league game after the ultimate league addon came out. Once they downloaded the ultimate league component… it was fine. Very strange.
- As for gaming this weekend, I continued on my RPG kick by playing a good amount of Dragon Quest VIII for the PS2. Just not feeling the sports vibe at the moment.
- I did get to see a great college hockey game on Saturday night between the #1 Denver and #3 Wisconsin. Great back and forth action with the Badgers coming out on top 4-3. The Kohl Center was sold out and the atmosphere was terrific. I just love college sports. So much passion and excitement, for a very reasonable cost. Had a great time with the family.
- Lastly, I have to stop having any doubt in the Badger basketball team. Down by 16 with 11 minutes to go, they respond with a 15-0 run to get close, then come back from being down 8 with 3 to go, and tie it up with 25 seconds remaining, then go on to win it in overtime.
With the win Bo Ryan becomes the second fastest coach in league history to 100 wins (Bob Knight did it in 131 games to Ryan’s 140.) That’s some pretty good company.
- Thanks to all of you that sent the kind words along. She seems to be on the mend and we’re hoping for her recovery to continue as it has to this point.
Back to gaming…
- One of the things that kept me going during the last few days was a book that my friend bought me called ‘Ricky Gervais Presents: The World of Karl Pilkington.’ It’s a collection of segments from Ricky’s podcast recorded back in 2006. Karl Pilkington was the producer and contributor on the show and his view on topics that the discussed on the show is brilliant. The book is great for a short read when you have the time. Each chapter breaks up the segments quite well and the addition of his own drawings really add a lot to it. The book brought a decent amount of levity to the last few days, so I thought I would pass on my recommendation to you all.
- As far as gaming has been… I took along my PSP and kept playing Final Fantasy VIII. I started playing it on (9/9/99 – Dreamcast launch day), but I don’t remember enjoying it as much as I do now. Maybe all of that is due to the fact that I can play it in 30 minute to an hour spurts. I’ve never quite figured out what it is about Japanese RPG’s that I’ve always enjoyed… I don’t think I’ve found many sports gaming fans that like both. I’m sure there is a support group out there for us though.
- I see, via Pastapadre, that EA is looking to add some high school football nicknames to NCAA Football 11. For some reason I don’t think one of the ones I saw on the trip back from Duluth will be added to the list. Still, you can add your suggestions on the EA forums through this link.
- I’ll be back later with more.
I have been out of town since Tuesday morning due to the fact that my mother-in-law had a stroke on Monday evening.
This blog is a very important part of my life, but when family calls, that takes priority over all else.
She is recovering very well and, with some luck, will be heading home soon.
I’ll try to catch up on what has been going on over the last few days today and will try to get some work for the site done soon. I thank all of you for sticking with this site over the years.
Talk to you all again soon.
This Friday, New Star Software is launching New Star Tennis. If you have played New Star Soccer, expectations are high for this game:
New Star Tennis is unlike any other tennis game out there. It couples a fun and addictive game of tennis with a detailed career mode that gives you a glimpse into the life of a young tennis star. Starting out as a 16 year old newcomer to the circuit you must train hard and win tournaments around the globe as you compete on the NSG World Tour. As you earn points you will move up the ranking chart, earning cash and sponsorship deals along the way. It’s not all tennis though! To keep your spirits up you can spend time in the casino, go karting, play darts, or even buy and train race horses!
You can check it out here, and you can preorder for $14.99, but as a special thank you to blog readers, enter code “ilovetennis” and get $5.00 off, making your total only $9.99!
I have not played the game yet, but I expect it to be good. I will let you know after Friday how it is..but the code is only good for preorders…30 day money back guarantee however!
Sony’s official PlayStation Blog has posted the MLB 10: The Show 30 player franchise. Check it out here.
- Sorry for not getting any posts in over the last week. It’s just been too traumatic seeing Brett Favre in the playoffs. (Kidding.)
I was out of town ice fishing over the weekend and work was pretty hectic, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
- The NFL games over the weekend were all pretty sad, with the exception of the Jets and Chargers. I don’t know what it is, but I usually like rooting for the underdogs… except when it’s the Jets. They just annoy me for some reason.
- So, the Badgers split their basketball games over the last week, which isn’t too bad considering they’re playing without one of their best players for the next 3 or 4 weeks. (or longer…) One of the best tests for your team is always dealing with adversity, Ohio State did it earlier this year losing Turner for an extended period of time. Hopefully Wisconsin handles it as well as they did.
- The Sports Gamer Blog Madden league is onto Week 12 and things are pretty damn close. Tennessee and Indy are seperated by 1 game (after 11) and my plucky St. Louis Rams are down by 1 game in the division, behind Seattle after the win this week in OT. (Quite a good game.)
I have to thank everyone for sticking with the league. I can’t imagine running a 32 team league as it’s hard enough to coordinate schedules for 7, but thanks again to all of you participating.
- More to come this week.
Sorry for the length of time it’s taken to chat..we’ve been quiet this week…
.For those of you that didn’t download enough games on Steam during their Christmas sale, this weekend’s deal is Codemasters’ Dirt 2 for the insane price of $20.
If you like racing, you will love Dirt 2.
- Quite the Packer game yesterday. I have to say that I was very impressed by their ability to make a comeback when being down 21 points early in the 3rd quarter. They worked their asses off and put themselves into a position where they had the ball in OT with a chance to drive for the win, but sometimes things just don’t work out.
Still seeing the teams combine for 96 points in the game was pretty incredible. No defense to speak of for either team, but still… great football to watch.
It’s not the best way to end your season, and as a fan it’s a tough one, but I do have to say that the Packers have played in some incredibly entertaining games over the last 9 or 10 weeks of the season. Not a Super Bowl quality team, but they look to be building towards that. Get healthy on defense, get a more consistent pass rush… and you can make a good run.
- So, after my frustrations with NCAA Basketball 10, I decided to load up College Hoops 2K8 last night on the PS3. Thankfully, 2KShare is still up and running and people are creating new rosters for the game (not that it is a huge thing that is needed, but it’s nice to have somewhat updated rosters.)
I played through two games with Jacksonville State with a new Dynasty and… wow… that is what basketball is supposed to feel look and play like. There are legitimate fast breaks when players don’t get back on defense. If you run a full court press, and you are a bad team, you will get destroyed by teams with faster players. Each drive to the basket doesn’t end with your player falling over and the ball rolling on the ground. It’s just a very sound and fun to play basketball game. The recruiting system is a bit wonky and it is annoying that there isn’t any real notification as to the results when you go and visit a player or watch their games, but that’s minor stuff.
The gameplay is terrific and after 2 years.
It’s still $9.99 for the used version at Gamestop, but it’s well worth that and I would recommend it to anyone looking to pick up NCAA Basketball 10 and is in need of a college basketball fix.
- Wow. McGwire admits steroid use. Wonder how this will affect his Hall of Fame chances.
- Pisser. Badgers have lost John Leuer to a broken wrist. Hopefully he can come back in 4-6 weeks and keep in good shape for tournament time. It is his non-shooting hand, so I’m betting that recovery should be a quick one.
Wii Friend Code:
6159 3547 6488 9681
Glen:
Wii Friend Code:
8999 0845 9873 4438
Mario Kart Wii Code:
1633-4596-6492
