Donk!

There's a beer I tried over Thanksgiving from Belgium called Corsendonk. It was delicious! Beer Advocate gives it a good score. Silly name, though!

When Game Ads Go Bad

This hilarious series of bad game ads is brought to you by writer Scott Sharkey and the folks at 1up. My favorite is the tagline for Crossfire on the Genesis: "Crash Them To Pieces!"

Wii Are Online (Sort Of)

On Sunday night, I tried to get my Wii online. It easily found my router (Linksys), but could not connect to the Internet. I followed Nintendo's support suggestion, and upgraded the router's firmware last night. (Like I know what the fuck that means.) Eureka! It worked. The Wii found that pesky Internet and started downloading system updates. Gee, that download was slow...oops, Wii have lost the connection. Try again later, please!

Apparently, Nintendo's servers are getting crushed by traffic. Couldn't they have seen this coming?

Wii Deliver(s)!

The Nintendo hype machine promised to deliver an awesome gaming experience for everyone, and from what I can tell, they are positioned to do just that.

I got my hands on a delicious new Wii (thanks, Danny!) over the holiday wii-kend, and in one word: AWESOME. Even though I have been to multiple gaming conventions over the past year, I never actually got to play the Wii until Thanksgiving Day. Needless to say, it is everything that you have already read in countless blogs and magazines: intuitive, fun, revolutionary, simple, amazing. And don't just take my word for it; my in-laws had a blast playing Wii Tennis and Wii Bowling, and they wouldn't know the difference between an Octorok and a Goomba! Even my mom bowled a strike in Wii Bowling on her first try.

This goes a long way towards proving that an unthreatening interface, combined with elegant desgin, can bring new people into the gaming fold. Isn't this precisely what Nintendo has been talking about? I was skeptical at first, but now that I've played it, I'm a beliiver.

Here are some thoughts about the games I've tried:

Zelda: You just can't improve on the perfect formula, and this is both a good and bad thing. Twilight Princess does justice to its esteemed pedigree, making it a must-buy. If I were to quibble with anything here, it's that the game doesn't really take much advantage of the new controller. This is probably explained by the fact that the title was originally developed for the Gamecube, and is in fact coming out for that platform early next year. So I can't imagine the headaches if Nintendo really went full tilt with the Wiimote interface. But that aside, this game is just superb. Perfect controls (the aiming works great), awesome story (despite the familiar light/dark world hokum), lush graphics (enough bloom lighting already!) and that quintessential Nintendo magic -- Zelda has it all and then some.

Wii Sports: The best launch title ever? Not only is this game a great showcase for the Wii controller, but it does an amazing job of bringing new gamers to the proverbial table. Sure, baseball is way too simple, but does my mother-in-law want to worry about complicated fielding maneuvers? (The game performs these automatically.) Even boxing, which has been getting some lukewarm response, is really fun despite the unreliable controls. The true standouts are bowling and tennis, the latter of which is so much fun, you could probably play it for hours with your friends. I can't even imagine simultaneous four-player matches! You could OD on the Wii madness.

Red Steel: I've only played a little bit of Red Steel, but I enjoyed it. Yes, the controls are a bit goofy. But I look at it as a good start. Frankly, FPS games have become so cookie-cutter that I'm just pleased to try something different. The real challenge is preventing arm fatigue, something I've also heard about in response to Call of Duty. Even though your character in Red Steel probably looks like a total nutjob as he flails his gun hand around all over the damn place, the game is still a good time experience. Ubisoft, as usual, delivers top-notch production value and some really great (if only half-realized) ideas. I look forward to seeing this genre evolve on the Wii in the next six months or so.

That's it for now!

Sony: Uh-Oh

Well, the New York Times is decidedly underwowed by the PS3.

Measured in megaflops, gigabytes and other technical benchmarks, the PlayStation 3 is certainly the world’s most powerful game console. It falls far short, however, of providing the world’s most engaging overall entertainment experience. There is a big difference, and Sony seems to have confused one for the other.

You have to take complaints about the online service -- which has just launched and is free -- with a grain of salt. But the games are another matter. On the tube, G4's X-Play program gives the PS3 launch titles lukewarm to subpar reviews, while the Wii launch titles recieve nearly universal praise.

Sure, I'm a Nintendo loyalist, but I think Nintendo is offering a very different product than either Sony or Microsoft. That said, it seems like the PS3 will have an uphill battle through 2007 if it hopes to beat out the 360 in North America.

Pii.U.

Well, no Wii for this guy.

I'm disappointed, but I can't say that I'm too upset. I know I'll be able to get one eventually. If nothing else, I'm pissed at Sony, Nintendo and the retailers for calling this thing a "launch". If I can't have a reasonable expectation of getting your product without having to get up at 4 am or placing myself in a situation that might get me shot, your product really isn't available, now, is it?

(Go into Target and check out the lovely Wii display, which reminds consumers how Nintendo's new console is THE hot item for Christmas! Then look at the empty display case -- tumbleweed -- and wonder what the fuck they are smoking.)

Footnote: what a stupid, greedy, consumerist bunch Wii are. Even more depressing that I'm a part of it. Can I have my console, now?

The Great Beyond

I had the pleasure of seeing Kid Beyond open up for Imogen Heap last night at the Tabernacle (thanks, Benjy!). You ought to check this guy out. He builds songs, via a sampler, in realtime on stage -- using only his voice. And the guy is like the best beatboxer I have ever seen. Check him out on YouTube, sideways!


As for a gamer connection, Kid Beyond actually performed some of the vocals on Guitar Hero II.

Cartoon Network Korea

Cartoon Network is live in Korea!


From the release:

Launched on November 11, 2006, Cartoon Network is a 24-hour kids' multi-genre entertainment network in Korea which brings together a unique mix of new and recognized programming to Korean kids and their families. Languaged in Korean, the Network provides a diverse mix of quality content drawn from acclaimed production companies from around the world including Japan, Korea and Cartoon Network's own library -- the world's largest cartoon library consisting of more than 14,000 Warner Bros., MGM, Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Originals series and shorts. Cartoon Network is a joint venture between Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) and JoongAng Ilbo (JAI).

Good thing the Koreans like them some MMOs!

PS3 Launch Line-Up

A local Kotaku writer reports about lines for the PS3 at a local Atlanta Best Buy. According to the post, pretty much everyone there is planning to resell their new console on eBay. I love the kid who is going to sell his "to help pay for college" -- you know, they have jobs in book stores for that, dude.

At the very least, this console launch stuff is ridiculous, and at the worst, downright anger-inducing. It's just like those ticket scalpers who buy concert tickets in bulk and then resell them at higher prices to the fans who just want to go see the show at a reasonable price. It crushes my spirit, and it makes me mad. Simple as that. Isn't there a better way to do this?

I like the reader who comments that Sony should just sell the consoles directly on eBay. I'll do one better: fuck eBay. And fuck Best Buy, Toys R Us, EB and all the other asshole retailers, for that matter. Just sell the damn thing on Sony.com. The fulfillment costs can't be that much more than shipping the damn thing worldwide on boats and trucks. But what do I know? Of course, you'd have greedy bastards lining up online, too.

Don't buy a new console for a marked-up price on eBay. Just don't!

Game Journalism Roolz

Kotaku points to an interesting piece in the Escapist about games journalism. More of a roundtable discussion than anything else, it features some of the smartest dudes in the biz. Self-indulgence quotient: remarkably low.

New Spider-Man 3 Trailer

"This could be the end of Spider-Man."

Well, I doubt it!

K-Fed: Okay, Fed

Seriously?


It's awesome that the end of Britney's marriage to K-Fed (who could have predicted that one?) is stealing some of the election news thunder. What a country!

This Federline dude is fascinating. Like all great comic characters, he seems to take himself 100% seriously. What's even more amazing is that the song ("Lose Control") is not horrible. People just want to say it's horrible, because that's what you're supposed to say about a dimwit like K-Fed, but it's really not. I can easily envision an alternate universe in which this song is a chart-topper. It hits every hip-hop cliche right between the eyes.

Poor guy. He's probably up to his gold necklace in debt, and he'll be earning minimum wage by the time Britney gets married again...if he doesn't kill himself first. Another amazing Hollywood punchline.

Jaws Unleashed: Great White Hit!

This breaking news came in earlier today from Majesco:

Edison, N.J., November 7, 2006 – Majesco Entertainment Company (NASDAQ: COOL), an innovative provider of digital entertainment products and content, today announced that retail shipments of JAWS Unleashed have exceeded 500,000 units worldwide since its release on May 23, 2006 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and PC. In addition, Majesco has also announced a price drop to $19.99 for all three platform skus in North America. The video game is developed through a licensing agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.

That's pretty fucking unbelievable. But, as my friend Brad explains, the game is "unbelievably awesome!" How apt. Any game with a flying shark gets my vote.

Elmo's Song

Gizmodo reports that some dude turned an Elmo guitar into a working Guitar Hero guitar. Rock!

Guitar Hero II came out today! Did you get your copy?

Free iTunes Downloads

Sure, the iTunes store has some great stuff for purchase, but there's also a lot out there gratis. And I'm not simply referring to the "Let's Talk About My Socks (Explicit)" podcasts! Smart marketers know that nothing says "try my brand" better than F-R-E-E. Of course, Apple would prefer its customers to be of the paying variety, so its really hard to find the free stuff...

Thank you, Mr. Internet! Check out this site for a growing list of free content in the iTunes store, both in the US and internationally. There may be some inaccuracies, but that's the only price you pay for F-R-E-E.

And if you're in a buying mood, maybe purchase the South Park WoW episode! I did!

GameTap Summary

The fun site Gamers With Jobs has an excellent (and accurate) review of GameTap for your reading pleasure. Here's the soundbite: "Like everything else about Gametap, it's horribly marketed on its own merits, but in and of itself it's brilliant." Word!

Thanks to Gideon for the head's up.