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.

Wreck it for the Old School Ralph

I’m sure you’ve already seen the trailer for Wreck It Ralph (and if not watch it now).  But as I’m seeing Zangief and Bowser sitting AA style with other classic video games characters, I couldn’t help bubble inside with nostalgia.  I could go on for days with all of the “classic” cartoons from my youth; i.e. Thundercats, Voltron, Silverhawks, Bravestarr, and so on and so for.  But have you tired watching any of these shows recently?  Let me save you some time, they’re terrible and in most cases they’ll ruin your admiration for the show.  This, however, is not the case with video games.  You can go play Super Mario Bros. 3 right now and still enjoy the hell out of the game.  Now I’m no scientist, but you can test this theory with what I call the “Kid Test.”  It’s a really simple test; simply sit a kid down, between the ages of 3 to 9, and see if they can handle six minutes without asking to leave, making fun of everything and everyone, or launching themselves out the window.  Luckily for us gamers, many of our classics stand the test of time and are still enjoyable experiences.  Even though Mario, Sonic, Bill "Mad Dog" Rizer and Lance "Scorpion" Bean (Contra's original heroes) have been recreated and updated throughout the years; their original titles are still benchmarks for today's game community.

NCAA Coach Profile: Week 3

In our final entry of our coach profile we take a look at the youngest Love brother, Adrian Love.

Adrian obviously grew up surrounded by talented football players, but surprisingly he was not as invested as his brothers before him.  Adrian was always a talent on the field; able to play multiple positions, even at a young age.  Adrian’s biggest problem was he didn’t like to practice.  His teammates liked to call him Cold Case because he was no where to be found during practice, but during the game he was a cold blooded killer.  Fortunately for Adrian, his brothers were able to get him focused on all aspects of the game and he flourished because it.  Unfortunately for him, Arlington High School was no longer the football factory it once was, so local recognition was all he achieved.  After dominating on both sides of the ball on an inferior team (playing DE and TE), Adrian decided to join Bill Lynch’s Indiana Hoosiers.  Lynch said that Adrian was one of the most cerebral players he had ever coached.  During his senior year, Adrian just missed out on winning the John Mackey award due to tearing his ACL.  Unfortunately with his injury coming so late in the season, Adrian dropped completely off of everyone’s draft board.  Fortunately, the Niners took a flier on him (at the behest of former Niner scout Antwan Love) in the 6^th round.  Unfortunately, Adrian tried to come back from injury too soon and was unable to stay healthy enough to stay on the field.  During rehab, he started to coach his nephew’s Pop Warner team and realized that coaching was also a passion.  Although playing time was limited during his NFL career, Adrian stayed focus in film sessions and drained his coaches of every drip of knowledge he could mine.  With the success of his older brothers, Adrian was able to parlay his skills and join Antwan and his battering Blazers in 2010 as receivers coach.

“I’ve consistently shown that I can step out from the shadow of my brothers and shine and this will be the year I prove that. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to prove I deserve to be here.”