FaLaLaLaLa LaLaCa-Ching

Well RuFfNeCk must have loved my last entry because he bought me the Prince of Persia game guide for Christmas...very funny! This Christmas was filled with good homemade food, our new baby of course, my all my non-gaming friends getting the Wii (go Nintendo) and my newest favorite game: SingStar ABBA. Rock on!!!!! As for other gaming, I've been playing a little Beautiful Katamari, wishing they would make another one for the 360 and fix the controls since we can't expect a Katamari game for the PS3 because they don't make games for it anymore (new name: Blu-Ray3 hahahahahaha). I'm also watering turnips and whatnot in Animal Crossing: City Folk while I wait for RuFfNeCk to play co-op with me in Fable II and Halo 3.

The baby is growing like a weed and most people are surprised that I haven't been taking a slew of pictures, posing her with the 360 and so forth. Being the geek that I am, I'm sure I'll get around to it...maybe in 2009...

The Sophisticate and the Lumberjack

I'm convinced that there are two types of gamers in terms of how they play games: the Sophisticate and the Lumberjack.

There are those gamers that like to leap before they look, that live for a machine gun, some grenades and a flame thrower. They dread sniper or escort missions because these missions slow down what they've come to do: kill in large numbers as fast as humanly possible. No time for blocking, typically the Lumberjack likes to hit as many buttons on the controller at once, a "button masher" if you will, and has no time for dilly dally, such as enjoying fine looking scenery or listening to entire conversations before hitting the A button. Kill! Kill! Kill!

Then you have the Sophisticate. They like to make plans before a mission. Getting their weapons nicely loaded, making sure their health is at full capacity and always check out surroundings through the scope on their sniper rifle before moving in for the kill. They prefer to attack from afar and will learn every combo in existence in order to maximize enemy damage when they do come into close combat. They thrill at the knowledge that they must use cunning and hit a button to block enemy strikes. They love the dance of combat: block-two-three, hack-two-three, block-two-three, slash-two-three...

Neither style is wrong mind you, as long as the gamer enjoys the game, it makes no difference how the game is played.

My point is this: the new Prince of Persia game is pretty, has great humor and a good story but I don't dig the combat. I am a Lumberjack and proud of it...

ICandee SMASH!!!

That's Right, Beg For My Forgiveness!

With my 360 due back possibly today, RuFfNeCk showed me the NetFlix feature on the new dashboard. After seeing it, I decided to take matters into my own hands and throw in some truly great cinema with the horrible crap he had added to our instant queue. I wasn't sure that this NetFlix thing was going to be any good and I admit to being somewhat bitter since my 360 commited suicide but all was forgiven when I discovered a gem on NetFlix. A beautiful piece of cinematography that no one should be without. That's right: today RuFfNeCk's 360 will be playing Xanadu. Woo hoo! Go 360!

Wii Wii Wii All The Way To My New Home

Since my 360 has betrayed me, I decided to try out Animal Crossing: City Folk on the Wii. With the exception of being exactly like Animal Crossing and Animal Crossing: Wild World respectively, this is a great game. It's enough like the original Game Cube version to bring back fond memories of many many hours wasted (or used wisely as I like to call it) and enough like the DS version with it's welcomed improvements, that I can see wisely wasting valuable hours on this one as well. After all, it's the only game that keeping us from trading in the Wii anyway...It's all on you Animal Crossing!

P.S.-Insult to injury: RuFfNeCk got in on the new Dashboard beta...UGH!

360 Degrees of Separation

The night of the 360's launch was horrible...at least in terms of the weather. It was pouring so hard that I saw the Ark go by at one point and even Noah couldn't find a 360 anywhere. I was one of the lucky ones, having pre-ordered my 360 at a store where I was known by the employees, so it was a night of hanging out with other gamers and enjoying the excitement of my very first midnight console launch. I bought two games that night: Kameo and Perfect Dark Zero (oh how far we have come). I couldn't join Live that night (due to router issues which was fine since that paved the way for me to meet my husband, RuFfNeCk) but once I hit Xbox Live I was hooked and have been loving my 360 and the Xbox community ever since.

Once we got married, RuFfNeCk was worried that I wouldn't play games anymore (I think he equated it with the whole "no sex after marriage" scenario and I tend to believe he'd be much more upset about the "no games after marriage" than the other...) Then when I got pregnant, he got even more worried because with children come more things to get done and I have to admit that games have been definitely relegated to the "when I get to it" section of my life since ICandee Jr was born a month ago. Even the lure of Fable II (though hard to resist) was no match for my beautiful newborn daughter. Until she finally decided to sleep that is and then it was on! I even tricked RuFfNeCk into taking her a couple times so I could get some gaming in...life was good....

Until, one sad day, I learned my 360's true feelings for the change in my life status. No longer could my 360 stand being pushed aside for another...no more could he take the insult of being passed by without acknowledgement...so almost 3 years to the day, I found this in my living room:

That's right my friends, my day one launch system has left this world for another. I am heartbroken and gameless...(well, I mean I still have the PS3, Wii and DS to play but whatever it still stings...) I feel like the Bumpus' dogs just ran in and tore my Christmas turkey to pieces...

I have never felt so betrayed...so alone...crap now the baby's crying. You better be glad I have a new baby to occupy my time right now Microsoft! I, your biggest supporter! I, your biggest defender! How could you do this to me?! ME?! Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Fable 2 Rules! Oh Right, And I Had A Baby!

Jumping catfish, no blog since August?!?! Whoops! Well, luckily I have a good excuse...I ended up trying to push a baby out for 2 and a half hours on top of the 15 and a half previous hours of uncomfortable-ness so I figure I get a freebie on not blogging for a while. :)

In other news, Fable 2 is awesome! There's some major changes from the first game but it's still Fable...I can't help but remember the first one fondly since it was my first Xbox game ever.

Anyhoo, here's what you really came to see: the most beautiful baby in the world!

It's Raining Games...Hallelujah!

RuFfNeCk's friends from NY came down this weekend for our rocking baby shower and in the down time all we've been doing is playing video games. You'd think that it would get old after a while but therein lies the beauty of video games...they never do...

Mario Kart Wii, Fable II Pub Games, Geometry Wars 2, Rock Band, SingStar, even Boogie Bunnies for pete's sake have all made an appearance over the course of the weekend and I couldn't be happier! It's always fun to settle in with a good video game but there's just something about playing with friends that makes it even better.

Viva la video games!