I Made It Into The Wedding Beta!

My dearest fiance RuFfNeCk was rabid about getting into the COD4 beta. And I mean rabid...He even signed me up in hopes that both of us would get in. Well, I'm happy to report the following:

1. We're getting married today and yet I still found time to blog (I'm so dedicated to the 2 people that read this blog).

and

2. I made into the COD4 beta and he didn't...Suck on it Honey!


The beta is awesome, in a few hours the wedding will be awesome and all is right with the world...

Told You So!

It's so nice to have my feelings about games validated. Especially when it concerns the Excellent Game Psychonauts, which I try to get people to buy on a regular basis. Of course, what makes it even better is when said validation is put in such a witty witty way...

Please to enjoy

Demo Derby

In between getting ready for the wedding (2 weeks!) and watching "Rock of Love" on VH1, I've been demoing a couple a games here and there and I have to say that some have been great and some not so much. One of my favorite aspects about gaming these days is that there usually are a lot of demos available for you to try before you spend your hard earned money (or allowance you get for free...I miss those days). Here's what I've been trying:

Beautiful Katamari: While some say this demo is too short and others say "WTF is this?", I say I still love Katamari and the simple 3 minute demo was glorious! I think what made this demo even better for me was the knowledge that I was playing on my 360...where there will be achievements! Online play! Beautiful HD graphics (?)! I'm actually really excited to hear the "all new soundtrack!" as the Katamari games get my vote for best soundtrack any day...

Hexic 2 (or whatever they call it): I am all about some Hexic: it's free, it's fun and I have played many hours of it (I think it's still the #1 game on my 360's blog). So when RuFfNeCk said, "Honey, Hexic 2's hitting the XBLA!" I knew it was going to be a good day...and then I downloaded the demo. Know how Coke and Pepsi keep coming up with all of these cockamamie flavors, like this one has vanilla, this has vitamins (yeah right), this one tastes like dirt...and while they may be legit flavors that do taste great, part of you can't help thinking, "What'd they change it for? The original was great!" Thus, my feelings about the new Hexic. It's not that the game is bad...It does have a battle mode which seems cool and maybe I'm just getting slow in my old gaming age, but it has so many different things you can make now (create a line? What the hell does that mean?!) that I was never sure what went where and why that explosion just happened and what I'm suppose to do now with the red thing I just "created". Add to that a board that seemed far away now for some reason and washed out graphics where I have trouble seeing and I'm one step away from shooing kids off my lawn with a broom. Unless you all feel the same way and then it's the game's fault...In conclusions, meh.

Bioshock: OK, I didn't really play this demo and those of you who read this blog at all know I am too wussy to play scary games. However, that doesn't stop me from watching RuFfNeCk play scary games and he played this demo...a lot. And I watched him play it...a lot. So far, best looking game ever and I don't really mean the graphics. I love the whole art deco 50's thing they've got going on...the look is great, the music is great, the creepiness is creepy and I am going to love watching RuFfNeCk play this game. We're thinking of decorating the game room in art deco and do some sort of mural on the walls to look like Bioshock (without the corpses everywhere though). But this demo...wowowowowow.

Yo Ho Yo Ho A Goomba's Life For Me

With just a couple more weeks until the wedding, starting a new job and trying to not be overwhelmed by the monster that is Disneyworld (our honeymoon destination), gaming has not been much of a priority for me sad to say (although once this blasted wedding is over, look out September Games, woo hoo!)

But I shouldn't complain, since my life could be a lot worse...like a Goomba's life for instance:

Zen and the Art of Doing a Whole Lot of Nothing

Well, once again Spaces has changed. I no longer have my pink font option and it took me a good 2 minutes to realize that the "add" function to write a new entry was right above the old entry....Silly MSN...stop changing! Tongue out

In other news, I have been slightly ignoring my games lately in favor of 2 activities I used to do often: read books and go to the movies. Specifically, I saw the midnight premiere of "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" (otherwise known as "Harry Potter and everything but the Order of the Phoenix"), I finished "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" a couple of days ago (satisfying end to the series for me) and tonight RuFfNeCk and I are headed out to see the midnight premiere of "The Simpsons Movie" (woo hoo!) and last but not least we're going to the drive-in with friends on Saturday to see "Transformers" and "Harry Potter and the Order of etc and so forth". Should make for a fun time.

I did pick up Oblivion for a while the other day but just ended up running around and then quitting to play Animal Crossing Wild World. (Yes, I went back to my town...took me forever to clear the weeds!) Ah well...good times...

ICandee's Top Five: Retro Games Edition

My new favorite website: retrojunk.com. Why is it my new favorite site? Because at 30 years old I am already retro and apparently this is where my childhood has gone to die (or be fondly remembered, whatever). But what makes this site really great is that they have a commercials section: woo hoo! Nothing better than cheesy commercials from days of yore...ahhhh, smell the moldy smell of materialism...Therefore, please to enjoy

ICandee's Top Five: Retro Video Game Commercials

1. Super Mario Bros 2 (NES)-I realize that for Mario purists this game was a travesty, but my brother had this game and I do remember loving it (I could choose to play as Princess Peach!!):

2. Ms. Pac-Man (Atari 2600)-Oh yeah baby, this was craptacular! My favorite part of this commercial however is the "Ethel Merman" Ms. Pac-Man singing "Don't you know, I'm more than Pac-Man with a bow!".

3. Atari's "Buy One Get One Free" campaign-Ah valley girls...where would the 80's be without you? This commercial makes me mortified to have grown up in the 80's and yes, I did talk like this sometimes...God help me, I did...

4. The Legend of Zelda (NES)-Best part of this commercial: "Whoa, nice graphics!". The rapping nerd is a nice touch too though. "Your parents help you hook it up!"

5. Nintendo Power Glove (NES)-Ah yes...the power glove...I guess we can't laugh too loud, Nintendo did change it to a remote like shape years later...

 

And there you have it, my top 5 video game commercials: retro style. Ever notice that video game commercials these days aren't really directed at kids anymore? I'd like to leave you with this last gem from the good 'ole days...A Super Mario Bros 3 cartoon entitled "Kootie Pie Rocks" wherein Princess Peach goes to see her favorite music group...Milli Vanilli.

OK, now I'm off to see if all of my E3 goodies are done downloading yet. If everyone could pause their downloads so that mine may finish, I would greatly appreciate it.

A Little From Column A, A Little From Column B

With E3 beginning, every blog and their grandmother is going to be writing about what's going on, therefore I am not going to bring you up to the minute news on E3...mainly because I don't get paid to do that so I'm not going to do it (in your face Corporate America!)...I'm also still bitter that I'll never be a booth babe since they decimated the size of E3, so although I will be watching, reading and waiting, there are hundreds of other fabulous blogs you can read for your news. I'm here to bring you the non-news...so hang on to your controllers because here we go!

1. I played my first PC game last night! American McGee's Alice. I must say that it's fabulously creepy and has a very cool art style. Only problem is that the whole "W-S-A-Damn I Can't Do This" controls that ruined it for me. I was backing Alice up like a Mac Truck trying to get her to turn around and ended up getting stuck in some sort of slime lake that I couldn't jump out of (I kept forgetting to move forward with "W" after hitting the space bar to jump) while stupid card guys pelted me with a fireball or something. You know, (at least for me) PC gaming is like driving a stick and console gaming is like driving an automatic. So a little practice is in order but it's a bruise to the pride when you can't play a cool game only because your fingers won't cooperate.

Interesting side note: As we're looking through all of RuFfNeCk's PC games to decide what would be best for me to try, he noticed that "Alice" is rated M for "Animated Violence and Animated Blood and Gore". Then he noticed that Call of Duty is rated T for "Blood and Violence". Ummmm...wha?

2. TMNT for the 360-Yes, yes a virtual shooting achievements in a barrel type of game, but it is fun to play. It's also even more fun because I rented it free with my Blockbuster Online monthly coupon that I can use on a game or movie. Woo! (I just realized that there's quite a bit of product placement in my blog as of late...I think I'm due some sort of compensation...or at least an article written about me called "Gaming and Blogs: Have Advertisers Gone Too Far?")

3. I was a member of Face Book for about 2 minutes before I was lost in a sea of confusion and deactivated my account. Sorry guys, I just don't get it...Do I have to use "W" to move forward? :P

4. Wowowowowow-I got my second achievement in DOAX2 the other night: all of Kokoro's suits. Woo hoo! Is there an achievement for most hours wasted in a game for nothing? Ah who cares-second achievement!!!

There's more but I'll save it for next time...Game on y'all (and a very merry E3!)!