No Mo Madden?

So today is the day Madden NFL 13 drops and for the first time in my adult gaming life, I won’t be playing Madden on release day.  It hurt to type that, but I’ve seen the writings on the wall for some time now but it’s still eating away at me knowing I’ll be Madden-less for the foreseeable future.  I had today already scheduled off 3 months ago, but due to supernatural forces, bad luck, and well…life; I’m consistently removing all FB and Twitter friends who even mention Madden today.  So now, I’m in bitter-beer face, full blown hater mode to everyone who’s playing or will be playing Madden before me. 

 I mean I could always drive 12.9 miles to the closest Blockbuster, but with gas at $3.99 a gallon I’ll pass on that (plus they’ll probably close as I’m driving there).  Looks like Redbox is an option as well, but I’d rather play the demo than spend $2 a day on a game would be impossible to return.

Fingers crossed I won’t be in hater mode again this October when NBA 2K13 and Assassin’s Creed 3 drops on 10/2 & 10/30 respectively.



Maybe Gamers Aren't All Nuts!

I know I’ve gone in on the gaming community for their bitching and moaning, but it looks like maybe I need to eat a little crow.  The two most recent situations of civil unrest came from Mass Effect 3 (which I’ve already covered) and from NBA 2K13.  If you hadn’t heard 2K is including the Dream Team in this year’s game but at the time with one noticeable omission, Scottie Pippen.  And for you uniformed, Pip was one of the most versatile defenders ever and one of the original Top 50 NBA players. 

Once this was announced 2K and Pip were bombarded with backlash over the decision.  With the ME3 end game unrest I thought it was a bit overblown, but BioWare listened to their devoted (and somewhat deranged) fans and released an “extended cut” June 26^th to expand upon the events that unfolded throughout ME3.  Like Bioware, 2K listened to their fans (as did Pip) and they were able to come to an agreement and get their Wonder Twins on and bring us “form of Dream Team!”  So thanks social media for allowing gamers to have a voice, now whether you listen to it or not is up to you.

Et tu, Redbox?

I’ve got to get this off my chest…F*CK YOU BLOCKBUSTER!  Seems pretty harsh, but because of them and their terrible business model, I’m stuck renting games from Redbox and Gamefly.  I’m happy I still have an option to rent games, but I was a STRONG Blockbuster supporter, so much so that they knew me by name. For me, I subscribed to their Game Pass option for $14.99 a month and was able to rent 1 game out at a time which meant I was playing a new game almost every week.  Now I’m stuck with the ugly girls at the party because all the hot girls dropped out.  For some this might not seem like a big deal, but in a span of three years I’ve had a total of five Blockbusters close on me within a 5 mile radius (and two within 3 miles of my job). 

This is like getting superkicked through a glass window or fumbling the ball on the two yard line, only that it continues to happen Groundhog Day style.  The funny thing is that for the last six months, I’ve been dealing with Gamefly and Redbox without a care in the world…that is until I rented Max Payne 3 from Redbox.  So when I rent the game it says “Disc 1 only” and like a big dummy I just assumed that Disc 2 was for multiplayer, but NO once you hit Chapter 6 it’s time to switch to Disc 2! 

I sat silent for awhile before letting out a bloodcurdling obscenity that I’m sure my boys could hear outside.  Why in the blue bloody hell does Redbox think this is smart?!?  So even though I have Max Payne 3 at the top of my queue for Gamefly, I know I won’t be seeing it for quite some time.  I just received The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings last week (luckily I got both disks) but The Witcher came out in April so it only took four months to receive my #2 ranked game.  I’m just not sure that is worth the $17 investment, when I can’t even come close to getting the games I really want.  I know I’m one of the few who actually loved Blockbuster so a lot of my ranting may be falling on deaf ears, but damn I miss the good ole days when I could just stroll into the store and pick what game I wanted.

G3

We're getting closer to the start of G3 and there is still plenty of time to donate.  This weekend (starting today), you can get a free weekend of Xbox Live Gold and for those with extra MS lying around you can donate them as well.  Don't forget, you can also show your support and help me reach my goal by donating here.  This Saturday, I will be doing my part by gaming and donating and I hope to see you make a difference as well.

Nightmare on 360 Street

So I woke up this morning, thinking I would get a quick game of NCAA Football in before work, but to my dismay when I pressed the X guide button I got no power from the 360!  I’ve had this happen before but it usually just meant that the power cord has come loose and a quick jiggle would give me power.  But today was different, not only did I jiggle the cord, but I unplugged everything numerous times with no power.  Normally, I wouldn’t trip on this but for anyone who drives or has driven a hooptie knows that any small problem can turn into a big problem quickly. Given Microsoft’s history with hoopties, I was afraid I was experiencing a new issue with my Xbox.  By now everyone is aware of the “Red Ring of Death;” which I’ve had 4 different times, but I’ve also had my disk drive stick, and the laser head died off completely. 

Now fortunately, I was able to get power back to my Xbox and I haven’t had any issues since, but the thought of being a Wii-only player for an extended amount of time scared the shit out of me. 

And for me that is no bueno.

Gaming and Giving for Good!

As you know, I’m a stern believer in the power of video games and now I’ve aligned myself with G3 (Gaming and Giving for Good) in support of the Children’s Miracle Network to put my (and your) money where my mouth is.  On August 18^th, I’ll be gaming for a cause and with your help we can help bring these kids a small miracle.

If you're interested in donating, please go here or if you're interested in participating please go here for registration.