So I just returned from Gamestop's Game Days sale earlier because my backlog wasn't ridiculous enough. Picked up Persona 3: FES and Valkyria Chronicles (plus an extra 10% off with this month's Game Informer coupon). Need help picking the next game to complete in my backlog:

Banjo & Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts

Never played the original, but I've heard good things about this. However, it seems like a huge time sink.

Bioshock

I'm actually fairly far in the game, but I set it down last October and haven't picked it up since. At this point, I've already met Andrew Ryan, and I'm hunting down some doctor.

Chrono Trigger

Bought this on the DS since I never beaten the original. I gave up after opening all of the time portal stuff.

Dead Rising

Bought this during a B2G1F deal a couple of months ago. I rented it years ago and thought it was hard as balls, but I hope I'm more competent with...

http://pc.ign.com/articles/965/965535c.html

Read that. Soak it in. Breathe in the future.

As CAG Foreplay's resident PC guy, I can't help but geek out about the potential that something like this would bring. It's like GameTap -- only awesome.

Imagine a world where Unreal Engine 4.0 introduces graphics that will melt your face off. Imagine this being available to every PC available. No need for hardware upgrades. No need for spec sheets. You see a new game. You play the new game.

That has always been the biggest hurdle for gamers to adopt PC titles as an acceptable medium. Everyone complains about the cost of hardware and Moore's Law ruining your ability to stay on the cutting edge. With the elimination of these bottlenecks, I can't help but feel giddy about what is to come for the oldest...

Today I found a package waiting for me at home containing:



Lips, Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, Fable II, Gears of War 2 and Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts

All new for about $55.

Sometimes, it's nice befriending the people who work at GameStop.

Quick note: Is it odd that I have yet to finish Viva Pinata, Fable, Gears of War or even ever play Banjo Kazooie/Tooie?

Hopefully the stories of the respective titles won't go over my head...

Anyway, my backlog just got considerably thicker.

... or "How My DS Ended Up Against the Wall".

So I've developed a love-hate relationship with Galactrix. This title still has the same strange addictive qualities that I found in Challenge of the Warlords; however, they decided to muck it all up by overcomplicating things.

Seriously, hacking minigames never work (with the notable exception of Fallout 3). They sucked up Bioshock and Mass Effect. They suck here, too. The only difference is that in order to play Galactrix you are required to complete numerous hacking minigames. The concept is simple: You have a queue of gems that need to be matched within a time limit. If you need to match purple gems, you have to keep going until you match those damn gems. That actually isn't so bad. What's awful is that the time doesn't stop during a matching sequence. Therein lies the rub. If you happen to chain a combo, you lose lots of valuable time. I've had several scenarios where I've only had one gem...

Just got through reading GamesRadar's preview of the new Ghostbusters game.

Makes me giggle a bit.

You see, I've played through and beaten the game over a month ago. NDA, though, means that's all I can say about that.

Just felt like dropping a note...

Edit: ... and brag about how awesome I am.

2nd Edit: Fixed link. Bah. Guess CAG doesn't like tiny url

... and I got my Burnout license tonight.

Knowing that there's a Burnout Elite license makes me want to shoot someone.

Been a long time since I've written anything, so just jumping on a quick note.

Finally retired my Orange Lounge Radio feed today. I had to stop the hurt. After falling a few weeks behind, I spent a lot of yesterday catching up. This is just not a well-made show. The run time is ridiculous, everyone sounds like a dick (especially that Jamie chick), and, most importantly, they are not nearly as funny as they think they are. Three hours of excruciating material is enough to warrant a pazz from me. I think giving the show a shot with six episodes was fair, no? That adds to my retired feeds of Gamertag Radio and Joystiq.

On the flip side, I'm so glad Robert Ashley put up another episode of A Life Well Wasted (www.alifewellwasted.com). Now this is an example of a great show and frontrunner for Best New Podcast. It unabashedly apes This American Life, but Robert does a brilliant job keeping things interesting and entertaining. Now he just needs to make them...

The Wilhelm Scream shows up on Lost.

Last night's episode (entitled "316") at 40:15.

Two shots for everyone.

During a slow time at work, I posed this scenario to my coworkers:

If you were to give one gift to humanity, which one of these would it be:

1. The cure for disease
2. Interplanetary Colonization
3. Clean, reliable and cheap nuclear energy
4. Teleportation

Usual caveats (one choice and that choice negates the availibility of the other options)

I've got a pretty good mix of co-workers (former TeleComm manager, Computer Science degree holder, neuroscience PhD, college dropout, etc.), and sure enough, I received a fairly even mix of answers.

Just curious what you CAGs would pick.

My choice: Naturally, all of the options have various negative effects on economy, so I'll have to ignore what potential fallout may occur from each one. The option that I would most like to see is for interplanetary colonization to succeed. As humankind expands, real estate becomes more scarce. The idea of starting ...

So, I was playing Fallout 3 today and having a grand ol' time. At some point while I was exploring, the game started to stutter and eventually freeze on me. I tried to power it down with the power button located on the box, and, while the audio and video shut off, my XB360 was still running (as well as my HD DVD drive). I made a note that this was odd. A second press of the button shut down my 360.

I disconnected everything (including the HDD). Plugging only the PSU and AV cables, I turned on the 360. Once I reached the home screen, I tried to shut down the box again. Once again, the AV shut down, but the box was still running. I manually turned off the box again. I plugged the HDD back on and tried to clear the cache. Same problem. I tried to play Fallout 3 (from both a HDD start and a disc start), and I was treated to a black screen. Manual shutoff again. I popped in Rock Band 2. Same problem.

Thinking, "Well, if I can't play games, I...

I was in the middle of writing my awards when the news of the 1UP and EGM closure struck. As such, I just could not bring myself to complete them, but I would feel remiss if I didn't at least post what I had as winners and the write-ups that I did. Some thoughts aren't completely fleshed out and some winners don't even have a write-up.

I listen to a lot of podcasts. A LOT OF THEM. I listen and watch podcasts while I'm at work, while I'm driving and several hours after my wife goes to bed.

This write-up is part waving my opinion, but it's mostly to share with you CAGsters a broader choice of podcasts. Please, if you have any shows that you listen to, post them in the comments.



Non-Gaming

WineLibraryTV (www.winelibraryTV.com)

I enjoy a nice glass of wine. Hell, my job consists of a lot of wine tasting. If you enjoy wine or have ever wondered what the hub-bub is all about, I strongly encourage you to check...

Wanting to start a cult, but can't find an alternative to those cool robes during the winter months? Well, Snuggie has you covered!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xZp-GLMMJ0

Seriously, the part where they were roasting marshmellows just left my mouth agape.

Last night, I worked for several hours typing up my 2008 Podcast Awards. I only have a few more entries to finish up and planned on completing them tonight. With fair warning yet heavy denial, tragedy struck today.

Hearst (owners of UGO) purchased 1Up and left EGM in the dust.

I knew this day would come. In the back of my mind, I knew all was not right in Ziff-Davis's world. However, I sat resilient and steadfast, head-shaking and fists clenched. I believed in 1Up and especially EGM; I wanted my favorite publication to weather the storm.

I have read EGM for well over a decade. For a while, I had all four issues of the Sheena MK3 cover. Somewhere, I have stowed the limited edition Final Fantasy X cover. Bubsy? Had it. I learned how to draw a fist from the Sonic 3 cover. Now, those have gone the way of Sushi-X - forgotten relics of gaming's past.

I currently am subscribed to over 40 podcast feeds. 1Up's line of podcast I...

I was typing something up when I saw a commercial for Slap Chop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPKtBM99kAc

I don't know where this tool came from, but I hate this douchebag.

Billy Mays he is not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dvzgLXa-dI

That guy could sell me a glass of his urine.

Here's a direct comparison:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJEKqI1e714

vs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l25oCWDHnQI

And as a bonus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A9fmnAsgdg

Happy 2009, y'all.

So today, I decided to kill some time by swinging by the local Barnes and Nobles to read some comics. I sat down with a copy of Batman: Hush Vol. 1, and, twenty minutes in, some jackhole comes up and starts talking to me.

I know this isn't a library, but I'm still obviously reading something and not interested in anything you have to say.

He asks me if I'm more interested in fantasy or sci-fi books, and I tell him I just enjoy anything with a good story. He tells me how excited he is about the Captain America vs Transformers crossover. He then grabs that book and proceeds to thrust the cover in my face as I'm reading my own book.

At this point, I'm already annoyed, but this kid will not relent until I devour his soul. However, I'm far too polite. He asks me what books I like. Halfheartedly, I tell him that I really love Locke and Key and Walking Dead. He kind've shrugs it off, and tosses a Ghost Rider in my lap saying (and I quote), "There's...

As I've said before, I enjoy a glass of wine. I'm not amazing at wine tasting skills, but I'm always willing to work on developing my palate. As always, my notes are just that: Notes. Don't expect proper grammar or well-structured thoughts.



Today, I felt like going a different route. I tried out a couple of bordeaux's the other evening, but I haven't gotten around to typing them up. Instead, I want to address something that it is imperative for both wine drinkers and novices to experience: Training your palate. Hopefully this week for work, I will be holding a palate training party, so we all can learn more about how to properly taste wines. Through the help of Gary Vaynerchuk's Wine Library TV and a handy flavor wheel (http://www.goodlifeguy.com/Taste%20Tools/bwwheel.jpg), I have compiled a list of things that I will hopefully have for the party.

If you are new to wine or need a refresh course, some of this stuff is pretty important that you...

Home is weaksauce. WEAK-SAUCE.

I have had a few great moments so far:

1. I was sitting in the Home Theater, and there were probably five or six people talking about the "Xbox 3Shitty" and "Tears of Bore". Of course, I'm a XB360 fanboy, so I promptly respond, "Ok. You guys are making fun of the XBox 360, while you morons are sitting here watching a Twilight trailer and Paramore music video over and over again. You do realize that the people on XBox 360 are sitting there with their friends and watching thousands of different movies off of Netflix, right?"

One guy responds, "Uh.. yeah, that is pretty cool."

Owned.


2. I stood around in the Antique Room in Sully's Bar playing various songs over my headset. After a slew of Skynard, Metallica and Sabbath to get the crowd going, I unleashed the beast:

"Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley.
...

So, today I ran into someone from Ensemble Studios (of Age of Empires fame) and spent a couple minutes chit-chatting. Here's what transpired (due to the off-the-cuff nature of the talk, I will not give the name of the person I spoke to):

Treehouse Gamer: So, what's the future of Ensemble? Are they being reabsorbed back into Microsoft and rebranded?

Half of the company is going to become a new studio. I'm not sure what will happen to the other half.

TG: How is Halo Wars coming along?

It's going really, really well, and we're almost wrapped up.

TG: So, a February release date?

I don't think I'm allowed to say, but we are really close to going gold. I don't think you're too far off.

TG: I am a huge Age of Empires fan - are you guys working on the next Age of Empires game?

At the moment, I'm not allowed to say.

TG: So, that doesn't mean you aren't working on one.
...

So, I am now focus testing the new Ghostbusters title.

Kneel down in my presence.

One problem: I'm actually afraid of ghosts.