Fourzerotwo

Punch. Punch. Kick!

Before the Wii came along, I was downloading every bit of Arcade goodies I could get my hands on from the Xbox Live Arcade, but post-Wii launch, it's been getting little love from me due to the Virtual Console and the plethora of NES gaming memories.

However, I am happy to say that Xbox Live Arcade has succeeded to catch my eye once again, you vixen you!According to Kotaku which is according to XboxWorld.nl, which I can't read because I am not bi-lingual despite what doctors might say.... Double Dragon will be hitting down on XBLA in MARCH; for a mere 400 MS points. Not too shabby.

The best part; Online Co-op!

The 2nd best part? Enchanced Version!

Now I'll admit I'll probably play quite a bit on the old school pixelated goodness version, but its always nice to have the option to bump it up to a bit smoother graphics.


Original Graphics [click to enlarge]

Enhanced Graphics [click to enlarge]

Although with 1st party power houses like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Mario Kart 64 in their arsenal, Microsoft will have a hard time competing for my attention from the Virtual Console, especially once Nintendo rolls out original content for the VC similar to how MS does with the XBLA.

Either way, Gamers win! Hooray!

Latest Editions

So with all this Retro Gaming I've been doing, I've been neglecting my Next-Gen games and consoles. It all started with that blasted Wii and its tempting Virtual Console! Damn you!

However, recently I got sucked back into Rainbow Six: Vegas for a bit, and then picked up Lost Planet for the Xbox 360 and Wario Ware: Smooth Moves for the Wii when they came out.

First Impressions?

Lost Planet:
Single Player is cool once you get the hang of it, the alien bug enemies remind me of Starship Troopers [which I love] so its nice to send a shotgun blast to the face of a giant insect attempting to rip you apart. The VC [Vital Suit] mech units add a lot of cool moments to the gameplay as well. Especially when hovering around, trying to get an aim on that sweet sweet weakspot of the alien foe.

Multiplayer wise, I wasn't too impressed. When playing Elimination aka deathmatch aka kill everything, it felt a little bit too much like Star Wars: Battlefront to me. A whole slew of guys running around with no purpose or goal shooting anything that moves. Not even able to really duke it out with one guy, because you'll be fighting off four other guys at the same time.

I prefer a more personal Deathmatch, when you can actually use tactic and have some good firefights, not just all out pointless firing.

I did find one gametype I'm rather fond of though, because it gives some purpose to the mission. Fugitive. Basically, everyone against one guy! It gets good when theres 15 against 1 and he still manages to win.

Team Elimination wasn't too bad either, if you've got a good team and everyone is working together you can get some good matches going.

Overall, I'm having a good time when I play, but I can imagine I'll be through with this game as soon as I fight my way through the Single Player, as Multiplayer is fun, but nothing thats going to keep me playing too far from now when something else catches my eye.

Wario Ware: Smooth Moves on the other hand.

This game is Awesome!

From the moment you start, its crazy fun. With an endless amount of mini-games and different ways to use the Wiimote, I found Wario Ware: Smooth Moves to be my new favorite [mini-game] game for the Wii. Leave Rayman Rabbits and Super Monkey Ball alone... this is where its at!

Basically you play through a load of mini-games as fast as you can, using all types of different gestures and motions with the wiimote. Its great when you have multiple people playing, so that you can laugh at the ridiculous moves they have to do to win some of these games. Great game to play with your friends, spouse, or dog.

All in all, I'm pretty happy with both of them and have added them to the Game Room Collection with glee!

'Dee....Dee....Dee.....Doo.'

The game I personally spent days upon days on, perfecting the perfect backwards ricochet green turtle shot to catch Luigi exactly on the train tracks in Kalamari Desert to ensure the train hit him and secured my lead, is coming to the Wii's Virtual Console on Jan. 29th.

Thats right... THIS MONDAY!

This news comes straight from Nintendo just after the amazing release this Monday of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past! One great game after another.

If Nintendo keeps up this tradition of delivering my favorites week after week, it can't be too long before I'm seeing Goldeneye, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and BattleTanx crossing my Wii's VC.... okay okay... maybe not BattleTanx, but the first two for sure!

Speaking of Goldeneye, I just set up the original N64 version of it in my game room, along with its original strategy guide in mint condition and plan on going through it again in the next week or two, rebeating the speed runs to unlock all the goodies [Big Heads anyone?!].

Not to mention an open invite to anyone interested in heading over to the old den and throwing down in some old school Goldeneye multiplayer.... many Remote Mines will be used.

Before You Read; Watch This!
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/395291/xbox_360_tilt_controller_finished/
[why can't I use embed codes? Why oh why?!]

Very Nice.

This impressive mod of an Xbox 360 controller to include Tilt Motion sensor is from Adam Thole, and according to Adam, instead of using the left analog stick for your movement, you simply tilt the controller. The button feature of the left analog stick is still intact, but you don't need to use it to move your character / vehicle / pov because that is being taken care of by the tilting.

Pretty impressive work there Adam, how can I get a hold of one of these Tilt Axis Controllers?

Well, he's got you covered there too, Adam threw his original creation up on the ole' Ebay for your bidding pleasure, you can throw your hat into the ring for it here. As of the time of this posting, it was already up to $100 big ones.

Have no fear however, Adam claims to be "working on what I can do to meet demand for these things."

That is of course until the Microsoft Recruitment Squad [MRS] swoops in to buy this guy up, in preparation to make this go commercial.

Something we'll see on the Best Buy shelves within the next year? I think so.

[First seen at Kotaku.]

Thats right...

Today is, in fact, Virtual Console Monday for the Wii, and that means new old school games hit our consoles. What game[s] you might ask:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

Personally, I've been recently re-playing the Gameboy Advance version of this classic over the past few weeks and I'm still stoked to get it on my VC.

The game is going for a standard 800 Wii Points which is basically $8 bucks! Pocket Change compared to the amount of enjoyment you'll get out of this SNES golden child.

Along with the SNES classic it looks like Sega has a few titles hitting down as well including: Comix Zone, Bonanza Bros. and Gain Ground. The games are scheduled to hit sometime today according to Kotaku.

I know the first thing I'll be doing when I get home! Boo-yah!

Link: Faces of Evil

Okay... So typically I'm not one to advocate someone getting shot in the face, but I'm always willing to make an exception. That exception? The Phillips CD-i disgracing of our beloved childhood video game characters through the form of failed partnerships.



The Phillips CD-i Video / Game Console

Whoa... nice one there Phillips, with your ginormus VCR lookin' console there.

I know, I know. Everyone was jumping on the CD format console bandwagon, and you just couldn't be left behind, could you?

So heres the beef behind this failed attempt to join the Video Game craze of 1993.

Nintendo had plans for a CD-add on for their then current system the SNES.

They had first went to Sony to set up a deal which later fell through. Leading soon after to the release of Sony's Playstation. After that failed partnership, Nintendo struck a deal with Phillips.

A deal that involved the rights to several beloved Nintendo Characters to be signed over to Phillips for limited use, for a few titles for this new CD add-on. Those characters included Link, Zelda, Gannon, Mario and Luigi [to name a few].

Needless to say, Nintendo decided not to move forward with the CD-add on, and dropped the partnership with Phillips. However, Phillips still had rights to create a game based on those characters. Hence;



Link: The Faces of Evil

A New Interactive Animated Adventure, with absolutely no involvement from Nintendo or Zelda's creators / developers. Instead, this task was handed to Animation Magic, Inc.

Who, in their infinite wisdom, decided to take everything we know and love of our young Hyrulian hero Link and his Adventures, and strip them; then replace them with some horribly written 1980's sunday morning cartoon dialogue, a bad plot line, and oh yeah, its a game as well, so might as well throw in some poorly thought out action / adventure side-scroller gameplay.

Have we killed everything they knew and loved from the original Zelda?... Alright... we're good to go then.



Is that Lipstick and a bouffant?!

Oh, and I forgot to mention. They managed to develop this masterpiece 100% completely in MS Paint.....[or so it would appear]. Way to go doucheholes.



Some of the glorious gameplay...



Oh Link.... you're such a card!

Sadly, Link: The Faces of Evil was just the first of three tragedies to strike the Zelda community in the form of CD-i releases. It was soon following by two more releases bearing the likeness of The Zelda Franchise, including:


Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon

Which is basically the same exact title as Link: The Faces of Evil, except this time Animation Magic, Inc. decided to spice it up a bit and make Zelda the lead heroin! Way to innovate there guys! The results... much the same:


What an improvement!

Now, instead of a young hero in a green tunic, you have a young hero in a Pinkish purple tunic... original...

Considering both of these titles came out on the same day, too many differences shouldn't have been expected. Lastly, however, it seemed Phillips had finally taken the hint. Animation Magic, Inc. was dropped, and a new developer was brought on to round out the Phillips CD-i Zelda series with Zelda's Adventures by Viridis.



Attempting to return to the tride and true formula The Legend of Zelda on NES had perfected, they went for a somewhat over the head perspective, dropping the cartoon-y side-scroller gameplay, and returned to traveling a massive overworld, visiting towns and townspeople to obtain clues before venturing into dungeons.


Zelda's Adventures

Slightly better than the previous two, this one at least attempted to go back to its roots, however you still play as Zelda [hence the title] which I feel is a slap in the face to any Zelda title, as Link should always be the protagonist.

As much as I'd like to say it however, this wasn't the end of the disgracing the CD-i has left in it. Before the evil reign of Phillips CD-i was over, they managed to churn out an equally sub-par Mario title, by the name of 'Hotel Mario'.


Intro Screen to Hotel Mario

Returned is the horribly cheesy MS Paint-esque Animation, along with a complete stray from the foundation that was the NES / SNES Mario titles.

As they did with the Zelda franchise, they went in a completely different direction [my guess; South]. Hotel Mario was a puzzle game, where you would visit different hotels comically named after real hotels, and attempt to shut all the doors while stopping various goomba and koopa troopa looking creatures that enter.


A'looka ovea tha Luigi! Itsa Bargin Bin!

Something tells me this could have done a lot better, if they branded it with the Super Mario Super Show, and sold it as an adaptation of that, opposed to a completely original idea / brand. Then again.. what do I know?

At last... it was over.

The Phillips CD-i met an all too timely end, popularity of the console and its titles died in the US, with it lasting a bit longer in the UK, and eventually everyone moved on to titles they could be proud of, such as The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Super Mario 64.

Now there thats how you innovate a franchise!

[/rant]

Only moments later, Mario was ripped apart by a scantly clad gang of Flight Attendants, School Girls, and Nurses... [if not, then I want my money back.]

If you absolutely do not get this [read this]; It'll explain the inspiration.

For future copyright infringing comics / artwork, check out The Console[r]!

"Sweet Potato Vines!"

Just when you thought typing couldn't get any more awesome. They throw in Zombies to the mix! Didn't see that one comin'..... did ya?!

Well nether did I.

So for those of you, unaware, of the ability to kill the undead, simply by the power of your typing, I'm about to hit ya with some knowledge.


The Year:
2000

A Zombie infestation has taken over a nearby town and island, the citizens are helpless to defend off the relentless Zombie hordes threatening their very way of life [and brains].

Sure, the government could probably come in, out smart, out gun, and out walk these dumb witted lifeless corpses feeding off the brains of the living, but that would be too easy.

Instead... lets send in you!

Have no fear though, young hero! We wouldn't simply just throw you into a city full of undead maneaters without some protection.

Here... take this:


A Sweet Ass Backpack and Keyboard!

Because 'Now You're Playing With Power!'... oh wait.. wrong console.

Okay... you're kinda screwed.

I mean, if we gave you a backpack, then at least you could store supplies, weapons, and other inventory for use in slaying the Zombie horde, but bad news bub. Thats no backpack, its just a sweet as Dreamcast with shoulder straps.... sorry.

Don't worry though, its full loaded with one tight-ass chest level Keyboard.... uh... uh?

Alright! Our budget was tight alright.... Guns and Ammo refused to sponsor this little adventure so we had to go with what we've got.... sheesh... just get out there and lay down some typing devastation alright!


Eat Keys Zombie Scum!

PC! IQ! MP!

Whew... that was close....

In this remake of the SEGA classic Arcade zombie slay-fest known as 'House of the Dead 2', you use the power of the keys to hold back the undying hunger of the Undead.

With each successful keystroke goes a round to the moist soft head of the corresponding zombie. Finish the entire world to take him to the ground, and receive a score / rank for the speed and accuracy of your skillz [to pay the billz].

Type too slow and you're ground beef buddy. If your typing skills aren't up to par however, have no fear, theres help on the way!


@my !!1!1!! H@rry!!1!!!1!

Thank god! Its our Elite... possibly handicapped, Agent backup in the form of two Text to Speech savvy business people. [HELLO. HOW ARE YOU THIS EVENING.]

And here I was thinking we were doom...

This game has it all!

Typing, Mental Retardation, Zombies, Sweet Ass Backpacks...

Seriously, what more could you ask for in a title?

Nothing. The answer is nothing.

Not to mention that, but it has various game modes [Arcade, Story, Tutorial, Drill, Boss Battle, etc.] where you can test your skills against a variety of enemy and challenges. The boss battles are exceptionally fun, considering you're given a random string of words to type out before he attacks.

Successfully finish the series of words [commonly known as a sentence] and block the attack. Otherwise, its AXE TO THE FACE BABY!

My favorite of the series of words that I've come across being:
'Vanilla Ice Cream Hat'
'Give me a poem!'
and finally
'Sweet Potato Vines!'

......

Classic.

If Zombie slaying and human race saving isn't your thing.

Yet you can't get enough of typing games [trust me, I know I can't] then theres still a game for you!


Mario Saves The Day!

Haha... and you thought I could go a post without mentioning my favorite plumber.

Think again stinkwad!

Mario, as Mario does, was not to be outdone by some two-bit Zombie hack. He decided to have his own typing adventure. Use your key-bility to advance through the Mushroom Kingdom, squashing Numbers, Letters, and Punctuation on the side of turtles that slightly resemble Koopa Troopas as you go.



So next time you need to look busy at work, or pretend you're typing up a homework assignment, pop in these bad boys and slay some zombies or save mushroom kingdom while you're at it. Two birds with one stone... Booyah!



Both of these fine gaming experiences can be found on the PC, while the Typing of the Dead is also available on the Dreamcast, as long as you have the Dreamcast Keyboard to boot.

So what are you waiting for, those zombies aren't going to Key themselves now are they!

Go scavenge you a copy of these bad boys... you won't be disappointed... really... they're awesome...

Many many kudos to dko5 for scowering the interwebs to find a downloadable version of Typing of the Dead and sending it over to me this evening for me to lay down some keys on some unsuspecting zombs [zombie + noob = zombs]!

Super Mario Brothers

Two posts back I discussed my growing video game collection, and mentioned that through my search for some of my classic favorites from the NES-era I discovered that there were Four [4] separate cartridges that bore the Super Mario Brothers game for the NES.

Now most of us are aware of the stand alone Super Mario Brothers [see above] and the dual cartridge housing Super Mario Brothers / Duck Hunt [see below]. If you were one of the lucky ones to get some of the first NES systems on the market [1985 - 19870] then you probably had the stand alone, however if you were a little late getting on the NES bandwagon; the Super Mario Brothers / Duck Hunt combo cartridge was released in 1988!


Super Mario Brothers + Duck Hunt

These were the two cartridges most of us had growing up, and were the most widely distributed versions of the game. Now as I mentioned in my previous post, I discovered there was another version of the epic classic which contained, not one, not two, but THREE [3] games on one cartridge.


Super Mario + Duck Hunt + World Class Track Meet

This is the version most of us are less familiar with, if you even knew it existed. This triple threat cartridge was released later on in 1990 within an NES bundle that also contained the Zapper Light Gun and Power Pad.

However, our journey down NES history doesn't end there. It turns out two versions of this cartridge was printed up. Notice on the above cartridge that Mario's shirt is White and his pants are Red; now view the 2nd version of this cartridge below:


Super Mario + Duck Hunt + World Class Track Meet v.2

The 2nd version of the same game had reversed colors for Mario on its label! The reason for this is unknown to me, as well as if this version was the 1st printed or 2nd. I'm going to go with 2nd pressing due to the slightly altered Mario graphic, however if any NES history buffs out there has any additional light to shed on it, please drop me a line, I'd love to know.

Lastly, however; It doesn't end there!


Super Mario Brothers + Tetris + World Cup

Turns out there was still ONE [1] more English version of Super Mario Brothers printed up. Another three combo cartridge, this time dropping Dunk Hunt and replacing it with the ultra classic puzzle game Tetris, and throwing in Nintendo World Cup.

This version, even rarer than the two World Class Track Meet versions was only released in the UK and apparently Australia; Which is where I had to go to snatch me a copy.

I had previously secured copies of the stand alone version, as well as the combo Duck Hunt version quite easily. The World Track Meet 3 in 1 combos were a bit harder to come by, however today I finally tracked them down and was able to score both versions within hours of each other!

Lastly, I could only find ONE [1] version of the 3 in 1 Tetris + World Cup version in the world, and ended up being in Australia. I managed to get it off a nice chap named Clark for a half decent price. The cartridges pictured above are all the ACTUAL games that are currently in my collection.

Thats not the only Super Mario Brothers love my collection has seen this weekend; as if that wasn't enough. I also, while stopping by the store to grab some drinks, ran across the Super Mario Brothers Super Show on DVD [see below]!


Super Mario Bros. Super Show Vol. 1

I don't know how many of you actually watched this show when it originally aired on TV. There is currently a Volume 1 and Volume 2 out on DVD now. I picked up both for some nostalgic TV memories to go along with the overload of nostalgic video game memories I've been living recently.

The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! [wiki] was the only one of the three American Mario animated series to air in syndication. The first and last parts of each episode were live action and showed Mario [played by "Captain" Lou Albano] and Luigi [Danny Wells] living in Brooklyn.

They would soon leap into the animated part of the show where the episodes would focus on various different Nintendo characters and their adventures. Great show, and great memories.

So thats been the progress and additions that have been made over this weekend.

In other news, theres a new site hitting the interwebs entitled The Console[r].

The full-site hasn't launched yet, and I couldn't with good faith tell you when it will, however; if you'd like to get involved with it as a contributor without knowing anything about it other then we're seeking passionate old school and new school video game lovers, then drop me a line.

With that said, its 3:04 AM, tomorrow is Monday morning, and its back to the daily grind!

Can't wait to see what this next week brings...

It has begun...

I've always had the dream of having an amazingly awesome game room, complete with every console known to man, a TV for each, and the walls lined with games to correspond with each of their respective platforms. Ah.... what a dream.

Well, over Holiday I took that first giant leap towards achieving it.

After some digging, some bidding, some buying, some bartering, and finally some stealing. I've managed to accumulate in just 1 short week all of the systems you see above. Which include:

Along with those systems, about 142 games across all platforms, which can be found listed on the right-hand column of www.fourzerotwo.com.

Now given, I did already own some of these systems before this week [i.e. Xbox 360, Wii, Super Nintendo] but the rest I acquired through means of searching the ole' attic back home, some bidding on eBay, and some scowering of a few shops.

The plan is to set these babies up in my new Game Room so that I can relive my childhood anytime I feel the urge.

Meanwhile, I'll be adding new games, consoles, and accessories whenever I get the chance, so if you're a big Vid Game nerd like myself, keep posted for updates as they come.

You're probably wondering. Where's the Turbo-Graphix 16.... the Playstation.... the Intellivision!!

Well, I'm not finished yet. Right now I'm focusing on NES and beyond, and then I plan on hitting up some of the older systems such as Intellivision, Commodore 64, Atari 2600, and likewise.

As for Playstation. No thank you.

There will be absolutely no Playstation product in my game room. That includes PS1, PS2, and ESPECIALLY PS3!! As far as I'm concerning, Sony can eat it. Sorry.

So far I'm missing quite a few hand helds. I made sure to get my original love [Nintendo Gameboy] simply for a little Links Awakening action, and will focus on the rest of the ump-tenth hand helds Nintendo and Sega has graced us with over the years.



Metriod [NES] w/ Yellow Label

Here is one of my pride and joys of the recent additions.

The original Metriod for NES which is already a amazing game, was actually reproduced with a Yellow Label after its original pressing with the Grey [pixel art] label.

The re-pressing is actually harder to come by then the original, go figure, but to be as anal as possible, I made to search out both. I kinda prefer the Yellow label. Regardless, its the same classic game on both cartridges.


Metroid [NES] w/ Gray Label

Some other awesome finds during the birth of my Game Room Collection was the various versions of Super Mario Brothers for NES. Including:

Apparently there are two versions of the SMP + Duck Hunt + WCTM which has Mario with red pants and White Shirt, and then one with Mario with a Red shirt and White pants.

I have yet to come across all four versions of Super Mario Brothers, however thus far I have snatched up Super Mario Brothers standard, Super Mario Brothers w/ Duck Hunt, and then the rest of the Mario collection with the original Mario Bros. [arcade classic]



Sega CD + Sega Genesis

This is what pushed me over the edge and finally made me take the step to start gathering my collection for the game room. While on Holiday I came across a Sega CD + Sega Genesis with about 10 complete games with it. I'm talking boxes, instruction manuals, and discs all intact and in mint condition!

I was blown away that this gem was just sitting in a lonely room back home never being used. So I asked the current owner if they mind parting with it, along with the games, an an unused Nintendo 64 that was laying next to it, and they had no objections.

I then tested them all out, worked perfectly, boxed them up, and shipped them back to California to arrive when I did. How awesome is that?!

After that glorious find, I sought out after the rest! Check out the cool games that were with it under the Sega CD and Sega Genesis section to the right on fourzerotwo.com!

Now I don't plan on obtaining every video game every created at the moment. Right now I'm just interested in collecting the consoles I loved growing up, along with my favorite games on each of them.

If any of you have some awesome little collections going, let me know! I'd love to hear what cool little finds you've made. Meanwhile, once I get all these new consoles hooked up at the ole' house, a Retro Gaming party will be had!

Meanwhile, check out the dynamic lists to the right, because I'll be updating as I find / buy / collect more.

1. Founded Substream Magazine [Feb.]
2. Relocate from Northern Kentucky to Los Angeles, CA [March]
3. Leave the Music Industry. [April]
4. Enter the Video Game Industry. [April]
5. Start at Infinity Ward. [April]
6. Attend E3 Expo. [May]
7. Celebrated a birthday. [May]
   
8. Voted best Xbox.com E3 Blogger. [May]
9. Attended screening of Talladega Nights along w/ Will Ferrell [May]
10. Issue #1 of Substream Magazine hits stores nationwide. [May]
    
11. The release of the Invasion Map Pack for Call of Duty 2. [June]
    
12. Attend Comic Con in San Diego. [July]
13. Plan and Throw the Xbox All-Nighter COD2 party in LA. [Aug.]
14. Interviewed on MTV's Gametrailers and Coin-op TV. [Sept.]
15. Got a new chihuahua side kick and named him Kid Icarus. [Sept.]
16. Call of Duty 2 sells 1 Million Copies! [Sept.]
17. Started a video game related Toy obsession. [Oct.]
18. Interviewed on 'The Rabies Shot' on Totally360. [Oct.]
19. Issue #2 of Substream Magazine hits stores nationwide. [Oct.]
20. Call of Duty on The Office on NBC! [Oct.]
21. My blog syndicated to over 50,000 Xbox360's via XBstream. [Oct.]
22. Got a pre-launched Nintendo Wii! [Nov.]
23. Call of Duty 3 launched. [Nov.]
24. Finished and Launched the new Infinity Ward website! [Nov.]
25. My blog featured on MSN.com as 'Space of the Week'. [Dec.]
26. Returned home for Holiday! [Dec.]
27. Issue #3 of Substream Magazine hits stores nationwide. [Dec.]
28. Started obsession of collecting all past consoles and games. [Dec.]
29. Begun obsession of Ebay. [Dec.]
30. Prepared for a New Year....

Over the weekend, I jumped on the interwebs really quick to check some emails, and was sent this beauty.

A die-hard Call of Duty fan has showed the ultimate tribute to the series by getting part of the cover art tattooed onto his arm. Quite an impressive piece of inking if I do say so myself.

I've since attempted to touch base with the loyal fan who bears the COD mark, but haven't heard back. I figured the least we could do is hook the guy up with some swag!

Anyone else have any Call of Duty related artwork, tats, or other goodies? Feel free to send them my way, I always love to see em'!

Oh' Yes it Can!

After playing some Wii Sports for quite a while last night I realized something, and it finally hit home after coming across this Penny Arcade comic from a few weeks back.

There are for sure two types of Wii Players.

Wii-thargic or Wii-active

I don't know about you, but I'm the Wii-active kinda guy. It could be my over compensating for never participating in actual sports, or just the thrill of full monty boxing in the comfort of my living room. Ahhh.... now thats what I call gaming!

I never really thought of the Wii-thargic style of playing until my good friend Mike came over yesterday to check out what the Wii is all about.

First, lets break it down. What the hell is Wii-thargic / Wii-active?

Well, I made it up, but heres my train of thought:

Wii-thargic:
Derived from the words Wii and Lethargic, meaning inactive or in a sluggish state; used to describe the playing of Wii-sports and or games from a sitting / relaxed position while utilizing small and concise movements of the wiimote.

Where as:

Wii-active:
Derived from the words Wii and Active; used to describe the playing of Wii-sports and or games from a standing / reactive position while utilizing large and exaggerated movements of the wiimote.

The second one... yeah, thats me!

We decided to throw down a quick game of Baseball, and I quickly realized that I was in the presence of a Wii-thargic. Oh... how I was appalled!

To me, 99.9 % of the fun of Wii-sports is getting up, moving around, and really putting yourself in the game. So when I play, I'm up on the feet, throwing fast balls, trying my hardest to nail a home run, and breaking a sweat while I'm at it.

I'm the douche bag that actually goes into a bowling stance, and lifts my leg for balance when I let the baby fly down the virtual lane, yeah.. thats right... I'm THAT guy.

The point is, I'm having a blast doing it!

So that got me thinking, I wonder how many of Me, the Wii-active there are out there, and how many Wii-owners are the Wii-thargic? More likely to sit back on the couch, rest the ol' wiimote on their knee and use just a quick and slight flick of the wrist to get the job done?

Either way, they were some great games, despite me losing most of them, most probably having something to do with my large and exaggerated movement of the wiimote.... more specifically while putting, but whose to judge!

Thats right you lone-gunners out there, you sultan's of slaughter, you one man armies, you unstoppable carnage inducing solo gunman. Your time has come.

You've all shown what you've got when it comes to a well oiled, tactical machine of a squad in some hardcore team competitions and tournaments.

Now its time to throw your communication and squad tactics out the window, because this one comes down to the man. Whose the quickest, whose the most accurate, and most important, whose single handedly brings the skills in an all out 1 v 1 when no one has your back.

For the few and the deadly willing to put it all on the line, and go behind the enemy lines, heres whats up for grabs:

After a year of combat on Call of Duty 2, we want to put the hardcore to the test and see who hasn't let their game slipped, and who once and for all can hold their own. They'll be walking away with:

1st Place Grand Prize:
IW Signed Xbox 360 Console [Premium]
IW Signed copy of Call of Duty 2
Special IW Gift
Nyko Intercooler 360
Nyko Charge Station 360
Nyko Intelligent Remote 360
Nyko Multi-Reader 360
Nyko Power Kit 360
Nyko Game Face 360

2nd Place Prize:
IW Signed copy of Call of Duty 2
Special IW Gift
Nyko Game Face 360
Nyko Charge Station 360
Nyko Multi-Reader 360

3rd Place Prize:
IW Signed copy of Call of Duty 2
Special IW Gift
Nyko Intelligent Remote 360

Now put your chainsaws away, pick up your M1 Garand, and tell HQ that Vegas can wait, because you've got over $1000 in prizes to collect once you put it all on the line in one massive Deathmatch Tournament for the win.

Where do I enlist?

Right here.

When I got word of a volatile terrorist situation in Vegas, I knew I'd have to pull together a top notch squad to live up to the challenge. After days of grueling physical and mental challenges and training, I finally formed an unstoppable Anti-Terrorist Unit.

 Behold!

PVT. Neuman


PVT. 'Stabby' Simpson


PVT. M. J. Molester


PVT. Baby Face[lift]


PVT. [massive head] Riddick


PVT. Walken


Pvt. Governor

Together, this ragtag team of good-doers [excluding Pvt. Molester] will laugh, stab, rape, coo, stare, dance, and debate the terrorists to death, if its the last thing we do.

So stay strong good citizens of Las Vegas.... we ARE coming...

Links:
RB6:V Face Scans
Normal Face Scans

Windows Live Featured Space

A huge thanks goes to the Windows Live Spaces team for choosing my humble blog as their 'Space of the Week'. If you head over to http://spaces.live.com you'll see it gracing the top of the page for a while.

I really appreciate the recognition as well as everyone who takes time to read this little piece of this crazy series of tubes we call the internets!

Thank you again to everyone for everything, now on with the blog.

Melts Faces.

Its true. They do.

I stumbled across this female-fronted 'spunk rock' band in the early 2000's and fell in love with their infectiously catchy and insanely happy-go lucky songs; quickly realizing Zolof is much more than an anti-depressant drug, its an Anti-depressant band! I always find comfort in knowing that when the clouds are out and days gone bad, that you can sit in the car, drive up the PCH, and listen to a band like Zolof The Rock and Roll Destroyer and just be content with life.

So oh how please was I when I was playing some Rainbow Six: Vegas last night and heard 'Argh... I'm a Pirate' come blaring from my television downstairs. "Is that Zolof?! oh my!" I exclaim!

Turns out these rock and roll destroying boys and girls are hitting the big times and are competing to be the New Circuit Breakout artist on MTV2. Much to my dismay, they are competing against another amazing band Halifax; which if you remember, was the the artist on the first issue of Substream Magazine. Oh, the choices in life!

I suppose we threw enough love Halifax's way by giving them their first magazine cover, so I should throw some love in the way of Zolof with a few measly votes.

If you haven't subjected your ear drums to the beats and tunes of Zolof The Rock And Roll Destroyer just yet, then get to it.

Zolof The Rock And Roll Destroyer [Website]

If you liked what you hear, and even if you don't, but find yourself humming "Argh.. I'm a pirate" while quietly cursing under your breath in traffic this evening on your way home, then I urge you to take a minute to throw down some votes for this hardworking band at MTV2's New Circuit Breakout.

While on the subject of bands that melt faces and destroy things. The super heroic The Aquabats will be hitting Los Angeles on Dec. 8th at the El Ray theater; I'll be in attendance for the awe inspiring super musical powers that are The Aquabats, so if anyone else is planning on attending, send me the signal and I'll buy you [insert a venue snack or beverage of choice here]!!

Oh the joys of discovering new music.

Honestly....commercialism has never been so awesome!

So I never thought I'd see the day when Video Games we're so 'cool'.

I'm not one to buy new clothes, infact; I hate it!

I'm one of those guys who likes to be comfortable, so when I find an outfit that makes me feel that way, I stick with it.

My motto is, if it ain't broke, don't fix it... or wash it... or change out of it... or really do anything to it. So I don't.

I've been known to wear the same pair of shorts for a year. Eventually, for some reason [typically climate changes] I'll try something else on, like switching from shorts to pants [which I did this week, w00t!] but for the most part, I'll stick with my 'default' outfit for a while.

That said, I have New Nintendo Shirts!

Look at these babies! They're awesome!

But seriously though, when did Video Games become so trendy? Now I'm not anti-style or trend or anything, wear what you want, and wear what makes you feel comfortable. If you are one of those people who have to follow every trend, then do it! Thats you, but its not me.

So be it to my surprise when I walk into Hot Topic to see if our latest issue of Substream Magazine had hit the shelves yet when I came across a new line of Nintendo Shirts. Now some of them were a bit too commercialized and stylized for my liking, but the two that caught my eye were the Nintendo circa Super Mario Brothers 3 style shirts. Nothing fancy, just straight to the point nerdcore. You can check out all the Nintendo branded shirts here, but I forewarn you, these two are the cream of the crop mister!

They also have some The Legend of Zelda shirts which normally I'd be drooling over, but as I said, regretfully they are the 'too stylized' ones. ::sigh::. Just get to the point, give me a master sword wielding Link in the lower right-hand corner on a dark green shirt. Simple = Happy Me!

Microsoft seemed to have really jump on the Video Game Trend bandwagon, and have really done a great job at it. I noticed quite a few Gears of War and Halo 3 apparel cropping into Hot Topic as well.

With the Holidays just around the corner, I'm keeping my eyes on what other Nintendo style clothes sneak into the market, I may have to update my Christmas list to Santa!

The King sneaks, bumps, and rides his way onto Xbox 360!

The day I've been awaiting for my entire life has finally arrived. When I can walk into a Burger King, order a double whopper /w cheese and a video game which allows me to serve up some whopper ownage to unsuspecting hungry citizens! For just $3.99 + a value meal each, you can add Three royal additions to your gaming library thanks to The King!

He went all out with these gems, and bringing everything you'd expect from an Xbox 360 title. Yes, yes, that means Xbox Live with up to 8 players, Leaderboards, Achievements, HDTV support, and did I mention The King... because hes there... and hes fricken' hilarious!

Thats not even the best part my friends, oh no no no! The King did not stop there when it comes to your gaming needs. Head over to BKgamer.com to sign up for some delicious weekly, daily, and weekend tournaments to put your King sneaking to the test, and by test, I mean random drawling to select a winner. Once you sign up, just jump online for some whopper mayhem and be entered into the contest for each gaming session you participate in! Once its all over, and the burger carnage is over, winners will be randomly selected from all the entires, and one lucky gamer will receive a gaming set-up meant for a King!

Yet, the fun does not stop there! Also add yourself to the mystery man himself, The King's friends list on Xbox Live. Just add BurgerKingGWF to your friends list or sign up via the site for a chance to ham it up with burger royalty. Oh' King... yo so crazy! He'll be selecting certain gamers for a special Game With Fame event, with all the Kings Men [friends list] featured on BKgamer.com.

Enough about that, I gotsta gets me some details on those games, and here they are!

The game is Sneak King, and the object is surprise. Now's your chance to step into the royal shoes of the King himself as you silently unleash hot sandwiches on the hungry citizens of this famished world. All of your covert gaming skills will be put to the test as you take on the role of the slickest sneaker on the planet: The Sneak King.

There's an art to sneaking up on someone and surprising them with a hot, delicious sandwich. You might not know that, but it's true. The average person might just knock on a door with sandwich in hand and yell "Surprise!" but something would be missing from the experience. That something is drama, mystery, finesse. And the King has it all in spades.

Here's your chance to learn the King's magic. Step into his royals hose and learn the cunning stealth that elevates his surreptitious sandwich surprises to an art form. Sneak down alleys, roads, and sidewalks. Surprise unsuspecting burger lovers from inside barrels, pipes, and treehouses. The more you sneak, the more you will gain an appreciation for the methods of the true Sneak King.

The sneaking animations on this game are hilarious, not to mention the victory dance when you achieve a level Three whopper serving! Go Kingy! Go Kingy! Go go go go!





You've been in a bumper car before, right? It's a simple concept: You drive around and smash into people. But in Big Bumpin', there's a catch. These bumper cars come with big hazards like surprise saws, bottomoless pits, and ice patches that let you dole out bumps so bumptastic we hesitate to even call them bumps! But we still do, because that's the name of the game.

Watch out for the King, by the way. Outside the arena he's a gentle guy, but get him in a bumper car and he will mess you up!

Don't worry about skill, this game only requires you to desire to beat your opponents no matter what. That includes using hazards like fire jets and lightning bolts to your advantage. Even if you haven't ever piloted a bumper car before, don't worry. All you need to succeed in any of the five game modes is a little bit of attitude and a whole lot of bumper.





Welcome to the wild world of pocketbike racing: The tiniest and most back-breaking of motorsports. Swing your leg over your Pocketbike Racer and experience the exhilaration only a knee-high motorcycle can provide.

It might look a bit ridiculous, but being this low to the ground does have its advantages. You have a lower center of gravity, so you can take those corners harder and stay stable. Also, if you fall, there's not so far to go. Best of all, your opponents are on the right level to eat your dust.

So choose your 40 pound, 14 horsepower beast, chose a character, and chose from a series of tracks with long straightaways, tight bends, and treacherous hairpins. Then sit back and enjoy the game, knowing you can always Have It Your Way®.

Gadgets Galore:
Unleash havoc on your opponents by filling your Boost Bar. Choose wisely though, because using a gadget empties your Boost Bar, and you won't be able to put the hurt on your opponents again until it's full.

Treacherous Terrain:
Cruise the King's Garden, where you can race and battle amongst the vegetation, or tear it up in the BURGER KING® parking lot, where the virtual employees will cheer you on. Or choose from five other thrill-seeking, BK® inspired race tracks.

Multiple Modes:
Challenge a friend, play solo, or take your game online with Xbox Live®!

For a mere $4 [respectfully], these games are packing more beef than your average Xbox Live Arcade game with just as much fun, and reply value on Xbox Live as them. The pure novelty value of sneaking up on people as The King, riding a mini-bike as a giant whopper, or driving through Fantasy Ranch from the commercials is more than  enough reason to get your little gaming end down to your local Burger King and grabbing all three of these babies!

The King has yet again out done himself with this one! I for one, will see you all online in the virtual BK parking lot!

Issue 3 Hits Shelves Today!

For those of you not familiar, Substream Music Press [SMP] is the single greatest music magazine sold nationwide. Of course, I am a bit biased, considering the magazine was also founded / created by a friend and I back in March, 2006.

Its hard to believe nearly 10 months ago, this magazine was just a crazy idea Marc came up with and called me up to tell me about. Like most crazy ideas Marc comes up with, I was sucked in immediately and down to do whatever it took to make it happen!

Neither one of us knew the slightest thing about how to make a magazine, what we did have, was a lifetime of experience in the music industry, more than a handful of contacts, and some strong determination to follow our dreams.

Soon after, was weeks of just the two of us working 22 hour days in a window-less office, losing track of days / time as we worked to secure interviews, advertisers, design pages, establish partnerships, score distribution, and everything else that is required to make a magazine successful.

Before long, we had a nationwide distribution deal with Hot Topic, snatched some huge interviews and exclusives with some of our favorite bands and record labels, and designed [what we thought was] a stellar magazine that was going to take the music industry by storm.



The Debut: EP Issue.

After weeks of non-stop work; I'm talking wake-up, design for 22 hours, sleep for two hours, get-up, design for 22 more hours. We finally shipped it for print, took a deep breath and sigh, and crossed our fingers.

The first issue of Substream Music Press aka SMP aka Substream Magazine was printed in full-size, full-color, high glossy print and shipped to hundreds upon hundreds of stores nationwide for sale to the unsuspecting music lovers around the nation.

It had its flaws, but over all we couldn't be prouder of what we had accomplished! We were officially magazine publishers / owners. Who else can say that?!

Just prior to release, I relocated to Los Angeles, California.

Soon after, work began on the 2nd issue. It was also apparent that 22 hour work days weren't feasible with our dedicated careers and home life, so additional staff was required.

Marc took the reins and rounded up some of the hardest working, greatest team of writers, designers, and magazine extraordinaries the world has ever seen to start production on the 2nd issue of Substream Magazine.



Issue # 2: HIM

With a new full team, a little experience, some lessons in how to publish a magazine, and a few beginner mistakes under our belt. We were confident that the second full issue was going to set the standard and define what we were all about.

The improvements were vast, and apparent. In design, writing, and overall feel of the magazine. The new team really knocked it out of the park with setting the style and look of what Substream Magazine really was.

The articles were well written, well researched, witty, and sarcastic. Bringing a smirk and a laugh to toilet bound readers across the US.  The success of the first issue allowed us to solidify some valuable partners, contacts, and handshakes that eventually lead to Warner Brothers artist HIM to land their first magazine cover ever, and our place in [Warner Brothers] music history [by history, I mean frame on WB's CEO's desk].

The 2nd Issue featuring HIM, Panic at the Disco, Hellogoodbye, and more hit shelves, and flew off shelves all in the same week. Selling out nationwide, and establishing our community of readers across the country! We knew now, we had accomplished our goal, and it was time to really take it to the next level.

So behold! Issue # 3!

Hitting stores today / tomorrow in Hot Topic stores nationwide, Substream Magazine is taking readers to an all new level with an exclusive interview with New Found Glory, talking about their amazing new album. The first issue to have a flip-cover, and the first issue to include an in-magazine CD sampler with tracks from Drive Thru, Virgin, Thriving Records, and more.

So go check it out! Jump in your car this week, head over to Hot Topic at your nearest mall, and demand your copy of Substream Magazine! Thanks to everyone for being there from the beginning and really supporting what Substream Music Press is suppose to be about. Two guys, with a seemingly impossible idea, and the blind determination to make it come true.

Special thanks goes to the hardworking team of designers, writers, and all around awesome people who work day in and day out to make it happen and Marc for holding it all together and keeping it all on track!

Fall in and listen-up troops.

We've been preparing for this for months and the time has finally come.

Next week, Call of Duty 3 makes its drop into stores worldwide.

We'll be hitting the ground hard on November 7th in the US and November 10th in Europe, and I'm calling up the reserves [and pre-orderers] to a call to arms.

We'll be having a weeklong game-a-thon with the first shot fired on Tuesday, November 7th.

I'll be jumping online that night to meet you on the battlefield and I invite every pre-orderer, reserve, and lucky sob who gets it to join in.

We'll be hosting some massive 24 player matches all week long, each night focusing on exploring a new gametype and all of the new multiplayer maps.

Listen up, because heres the intel:

Play With The Developers Of Call of Duty 3:
Dates: November 8th - November 14th
Times: 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm [PST]

Keep a look out for these gamertags:

Yer – Alex Conserva (Lead Programmer)
Axis0f3vil – Dan Bunting (Producer, MP)
VahnID – David Vonderhaar (Senior Manager, Online)
unitool – Jeff Zaring (Sr. Level Builder)

No need to add them to your friends list, because this is how it will go down:

We will set up a match just prior to 7 pm each night.

Once the match is ready to go, we'll post the name of the session on the forums [link below].

Simply jump onto multiplayer, and do a search. It will pull up a list of games going.

Simply look for the session we posted here, and join in!

Join in on the discussions here!

I Have A Pre-Launch Wii!

I was given the opportunity to get my hands on a Wii before its official Nov. 19th launch in the US.

Of course, as hyped as I am for the Wii, I quickly jumped at the chance and accepted.

I don't have it just yet, but it is being shipped and will arrive well before Nov. 19th.

The nice little bundle coming my way includes:

Nintendo Wii Game Console
Wireless Controller
WiiSports

I can not tell you how hyped I am to get my hands on this baby!

First order of business, is to get it online and delve into the old school goodness that is NES Emulation!



Super Mario Brothers
Super Mario World
Super Mario 64
The Legend Of Zelda
Metroid

All set to be downloaded into my Wii Channel. Nintendo introduces a great user interface for all your Wii needs.

Surf the Internet
Play classic NES, SNES, and N64 games
Create an ingame avatar with Mii Channel
Check news, weather, and more.
Create, share, and view photo galleries and slideshows.

And so much more with Wii Channel.

However, the most use of Wii Channel for me, will be of course the Emulation channels.

I plan on spending countless hours playing through all my favorite NES classics, as well as the golden N64 era games.

I honestly can't wait for this!!!!!



I was able to get a little hands on time with the Wii as this years E3 Expo, as well as a bit more with Call of Duty 3, but I'm anxious to check out the bundled software WiiSports that comes with the console.

Basically a collection of Sports games that take full advantage of the innovative motion censor controller remote of the Wii.

This is really what Nintendo is all about. The fun, laid back, completely silly gaming that we grew up with.

Leave the serious hardcore gaming to PC, Xbox 360, and whatever Sony is doing, and let Nintendo control the Fun!

I can't wait to invite the crew over, gather around the television, and hammer out a game of table tennis, baseball, or golf right on the living room floor!

Oh the embarrassing photos and moments to be had!



Speaking of the Wii-mote. Okay okay.. its the Wii Remote, but Wii-mote sounds so much cooler.

This wireless gem comes with the console I'm getting and is one hell of an innovation.

I admit. At first, I was extremely skeptical about this idea.

When Nintendo first unveiled the Wii Remote and Nunchuk the entire gaming world was in shock!

What is this crazy thing! What am I suppose to do with a wand?!

Well Nintendo showed us, after getting some alone time with the beauty, I saw the genius behind it.

Not all games require or make use of the nunchuk attachment, but some do, such as:



I won't just be enjoying the classic dungeon adventures of The Legend of Zelda, but the Wii is adding a new twist to my favorite video game character of all time, closely matched with Mario, with a new installment of the Zelda series; The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. Sadly, the Gamecube was a sore disappointment to me, and I avoided it like the black death.

With that, meant I missed out on all recent installments to the Zelda franchise [not that any looked to appealing] To me, the last great Zelda adventure was the Ocarina of Time. So as you can imagine, I have a craving for some new puzzles, new bosses, and new Link action!

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is taking full advantage of the Wii's innovations, including the motion censor remote and nunchuk.

Slash the remote to slash your sword.

Aim the remote, and pull the nunchuk back to shoot an arrow.

Hear the noise of the arrow being pulled back, released, and the sound travel from your remote to the television as it hits!

Talk about immersive gameplay!

Its going to take a bit of getting use to, but I think this is just another layer on top of the magic that is The Legend of Zelda. This WILL BE the FIRST retail title that I pick up for the Wii.

Apparently Mario Galaxy won't be hitting store shelves well into 2007, so I suppose we'll have to wait a bit longer to get our next-generation Mario fix.

However! You will be able to get your Call of Duty fix, with Call of Duty 3 on the Wii!



Call of Duty 3 will be one of the few launch titles with the Wii.

Taking full advantage of the motion censor controller with some fun little twists.

Much like I talked about before with Link's bow and arrow. To aim in Call of Duty 3, you'll have to bring up the remote and nunchuk to aim, and line them up.

Bringing the battle to life, with real life aiming and actions.

My favorite has to be the Grenade toss.

Push 'A', and simulate throwing the grenade with the remote and watch that baby fly!

Its a great feeling to sling your arm and see a frag plop right next to an unsuspecting German trooper.



In addition to the weapon handling, there will be plenty of opportunity to use the Wii controller for vehicle controls. Whether its crossing a river in a row boat, where you have to use the controller to row, or driving a tank through a fierce armored battle, you've got everything you need with the Wii remote.

CVG did a great hands-on write up about their experience with the Wii version of Call of Duty 3 also, check it out here.

In conclusion:

I'm stoked. I'll be getting this at some point in the very near future and plan on spending endless hours on both old favorites, and new innovations from the classic series that got me hooked on Video Games oh so long ago.

Anyone interested in coming over and throwing down a Wii challenge, by all means, the gauntlet has been set!

Its on!