Pinball FX2

Do you have fond memories of those smoky arcades back in the '70s? Where rock music blasted through the overhead speakers, pinball machines were lined up one right next to the other, so close that you were almost holding hands with the guy playing the machine next to you? The thumping sound every time you pressed the flipper button? The "ding ding ding" when your ball kept hitting the bumpers?

Yeah, I don't either.

No, I'm kidding, though by the time I was of the age to go into an arcade like this, I was usually more interested in the video games than the pinball machines.

I played my fair share, though.

Pinball FX2, an Xbox Live downloadable game on the Xbox 360, definitely helps bring that feeling back.

(Thanks to RunDLC)

And my review of it is here, on the new site I'm blogging for.

Check it out and let me know what you think! If you're a pinball fan, you have to buy this.

You Don't Know Jack is on the iPhone/iPad!

I know that many of my readers have iPhones or iPads, and they love to play games on them. Who wouldn't?

For those trivia buffs out there, one of the best console/PC video trivia games has just come out for both devices. You Don't Know Jack has arrived!

The format of the game is that of a fictional game show, hosted by the ever-irreverent Cookie Masterson (voiced by Tom Gottlieb), and you are playing for lots of money. The faster you answer each question, the more money you get (or lose, if you get it wrong). There are also question variations, such as "Dis or Dat", where you're given seven names and you have to choose if the name is one category or another (as pictured above). Each game consists of three rounds, two 5-question rounds and then a "Jack Attack," where you can win big money. The object is...wait for it...to win the most money!

I reviewed the console version of the game on my Video Game Revue blog (check it out if you like video games!). This is a bit stripped down compared to the consoles, but surprisingly not as much as you would think.

First, there is no multiplayer, which is the mainstay of the console games. I guess it might be difficult to do over a 3G network, though. I don't know. I hope they're able to implement it at some point.

Secondly, there is no "Wrong Answer of the Game." In the console version, each episode is sponsored by some wacky product (banana toaster, anyone?). One wrong answer in the episode goes along with that product in some way. If you choose it, then instead of losing money, you gain big bucks! That's not in the Apple OS version.

Each episode is self-contained, meaning you will never see those questions again unless you play the same episode. No repeats! That's been a major problem in video trivia games for many years.

With twenty brand new episodes, completely different from the console/PC version, how can you go wrong? Especially when the questions are so timely? A Rebecca Black question? A question about Elizabeth Taylor's death? Am I asking too many questions? This is a game full of questions, so how can I be?

More episodes are promised as well.

At $2.99 ($4.99 for the iPad version), this game is a steal!

And it's hilariously fun to play.

We now return you to our regular, non-video game blog.

New Video Game Blog

And it's mine!

Yes, I have heard the feedback. It's amazing, though. I love video games so much, and yet hardly any of my fans on this blog actually like them, or at least like reading about them. The video game posts on here have gone over like a lead balloon, at least for the most part.

Mainly for that reason, I'm now moving most video game posts, and all video game reviews, to my new blog, Dave's Video Game Revue. I will probably, at least for the near future, cross-post those reviews to Game Informer Online, but I won't be posting them here any more.

That doesn't mean there won't be any mention of video games here, of course. If there's something similar to my last two posts (Kinect in the Operating Room and Nintendo DS in the Arts Class), they will go here.

But a game review? Or talking about a video game issue? That will go over there instead.

I've copied the game reviews that I've posted here over to there so I have some starting content. They include bBattlefield: Bad Company 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Comic Jumper and more.

So hopefully I won't hear any more "I don't read your video game posts" comments, since they won't be here to be not read.

But for those of you who are interested, I hope you check it out.

And go ahead and follow it too. You can follow most of the same procedures that you can use to follow this blog.

Surgeons using Xbox in the Operating Room

That's what one hospital in Toronto is doing, anyway, on a limited trial basis.

According to The Edge, Sunnybrook hospital in Toronto has begun using a hacked version of the Xbox motion-control device called Kinect to make surgeries more efficient, and potentially more beneficial to their patients.

For those of you who don't know (and many of my regular readers don't), Kinect is an Xbox peripheral where *you* are the controller. The system has a camera that tracks your movements, allowing it to process what you're doing and put it into the game. Unlike the Wii and the Playstation Move, you're not holding anything. The camera is reading *you*, not what's in your hand.

Bringing the Nintendo DS to the Classroom

There has been a lot of talk about video games and children. Much of it negative. A lot of it positive too, especially in regards to how they can be learning tools.

We even talked about it on one of our podcasts.

It looks like Nintendo's branching out a bit into the educational software area, though.

According to Games Radar, Nintendo's inserting itself into the Arts classroom. (They apparently have already had a number of Wii consoles be used in gym classes for fitness).

"Nintendo has just announced a partnership with the National Art Education Association. The initiative involves selected schools throughout the US, which will receive DSi XL systems and multiple copies of the game Art Academy. Unlike most painting or drawing games, Art Academy is actually marketed as a game that can teach players real-life art techniques."

The game actually looks pretty cool.

It supposedly will help with combining colours, sketching, and things like that. This concept really works well since the DS has a stylus and a touch-sensitive screen that will let you draw and sketch with it.

Back in my day, there weren't any graphics-heavy games that were also educational, though I do remember a pretty good politics simulator and a good business one that we played in FORTRAN class (I miss Mr. Jones).

But what do you think of using video games in classrooms like this? Good idea? Thin edge of the wedge that will lead to more violent games?

Is it really that far from Art Academy to Pokemon? And then, heaven forbid, Donkey Kong Country?

God save us!!!

The Obligatory "Saucy Wii" update

After my initial post about it, were any of you chomping at the bit to pick up that "racy" new game called "We Dare?" I know I had to almost physically restrain my friend Raquel from standing in line for it when it comes out.

Sadly, it may not happen.

According to Games Radar, after the trailer was released, Ubisoft cancelled the game in the UK.

Apparently, there wasn't any problem with the 12+ age rating (and after reviewing it and thinking about it further, I can't totally disagree, as most of the "raciness" is in the minds of the players and what they do with the game). It was the trailer and the target market that caused the uproar.

Really? An uproar? I think we over here just rolled our collective eyes at it and said "this is stupid."

Is the US next? Should it be?

And should they be encouraged to cancel it by an outraged public? Or outraged investors who think that this is a waste of money and nobody will actually buy it?

For your viewing pleasure, here's the original trailer again (and I hope this actually remains available this time).



And make sure you check out the Games Radar page I linked to. It's hilariously cutting.

Also, according to Game Informer, Ubisoft has been banned from doing online ads for the game in Europe. The ads were called "misleading".

Curiouser and curiouser!

The Wii gets a little saucy - Western Society collapses

The Nintendo Wii, that family gaming platform extraordinaire, is becoming a bit more...spicy.

As is the Playstation Move, but I don't care about that. Nobody's buying it.

Ubisoft has just released a trailer for a "flirty and fun" (my quotes, not a quote from the actual press release) game called We Dare.

This is the look on my face after I got done with it.

Yes, it was that awful.

In the immortal words of kids everywhere, "Ewwwwwww, gross! Try this!"

Meaty Masochism

Hi. I'm Dave, and I'm a Meat-aholic.

(Hi, Dave!!!)

No, I'm not talking about a good steak (though that is totally awesome too). I'm talking about the video game Super Meat Boy.

Not only do I love the game, but I can't stop playing it despite the fact that it continues to beat me and beat me and beat me and beat me and...well, you get the idea. Instead of saying "enough of this! I'm playing something else!", I stare at the TV screen, thumb throbbing from pushing buttons, and say "more, please?"

Yes, this is the evil person that's treating me like this. And it's wrong. So wrong. Yet it's also right. So right.

So just what the hell is Super Meat Boy, anyway?

Splosion Man - Running toward greatness, one explosion at a time

I've never really been much of a "platformer" gamer. I never played the various Mario games; Donkey Kong was enjoyable at the time, but I hold no real fond memories of it other than as just one of the many coin-op games I played as a kid.

Recently, however, I've been getting into some of the more recent platforming type games. Comic Jumper kind of got me started. I've now gotten used to the frustrating aspect of playing levels again and again, learning the patterns of the jumps or enemies, trying to make that one perfect series of jumps to get to the next level. Trying, and often failing miserably. Until finally, it works!

Twisted Pixel, the creators of Comic Jumper, did another platformer last year, called Splosion Man. In Comic Jumper, you can actually "buy" a couple of extra Splosion Man levels, so after completing that game, it was almost a given that I buy this one. (Keep in mind that this is only available on Xbox Live Arcade, though, if this intrigues you)

(Looks happy, don't he?)

After finally completing the game, I'd have to say that Splosion Man is even more worth the money than Comic Jumper was, because it doesn't have the same flaws. It's a very back-to-basics platforming game with modern graphics and concepts.

Favourite Arcade Memories?

A couple of video games posts today, just to lighten the mood from a very serious week.

This is for the older folks here, though the rest of you can take part too (see below).

Many of us love video games. Some people have some very fond memories of their first console, be it SNES or PS1 or whatever.

But some of us go back even further, and remember vividly the time when the arcade was the favorite hangout for masses of kids. Back when it wasn't Chuck-E-Cheese, but Showbiz Pizza.



And back when they had video games there instead of just Skeetball and Dance Dance Revolution (or whatever the hell they have there now...do they even have a few video games?).

Back when Aladdin's Castle was king.



And Dragon's Lair was the cutting edge.



I grew up on coin-ops, playing them even more than my Atari 2600.

I have a lot of fond memories of hanging out for an hour or two at the local arcade at the mall, playing tons of different games. Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Missile Command and Space Invaders, and so many others.

But my fondest coin-op memory is not actually from an arcade.
It's from where I worked in high school.

My senior year of high school, I worked at Ganzo's, a Mexican restaurant in Davenport, Iowa. As an aside, if you're ever in Davenport and have a hankering for Mexican food, you have to stop in there...it's delicious, and I stop in there whenever I'm home.

Anyway, there was always a couple of video games in there (still are, actually, with Galaga last time I was there), and I would go in to work sometimes an hour early and play one game in particular: Operation Wolf.



This game was so awesome, and it was one of those that would let you continue if you put another quarter in before 30 seconds was up after you lost. I played that thing almost to the end, pumping numerous dollars into it. It was really hard to stop and go to work at the allotted time, but I was a conscientious kid. I couldn't play after work because I was in high school and had to get home, but  I loved that game to death.

So what are some of your favorite arcade (or just coin-op) memories?

And so you young whipper-snappers don't feel left out, what about your favorite console memory?

Call of Duty - responsible for a baby non-boom?

I've seen a lot of Call of Duty articles recently due to the recent launch of Black Ops (I haven't read that many, but I've seen them).

There is one that did make me just stop and stare for a minute.

Did you know that Call of Duty is keeping people from having sex?

According to The Sun in the UK, that's definitely happening.

Comic Jumper - Jumping from comic to comic

I wasn't sure about the new XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade) game, Comic Jumper, put out by Twisted Pixel. A quick download of the trail version, however, quickly put that uneasiness to rest. It was funny, had some good side-scrolling action, and gave me that old-style arcade game feel (except updated).

Twelve hundred Microsoft Points for this? That doesn't seem too bad. I quickly plunked down the credit card (ok, I just hit "purchase points" on the Xbox Live, but let me take a little creative license) and bought it.

Now that I'm finished with it, I'm of two minds. I'm glad I bought it, but I think if I had to do it over again, I would wait until it comes down in price or hits the "Xbox Live Deals of the Week" bin.

Let's get the story out of the way first.

You play as Captain Smiley, hero of your own comic book.

Except that everything's going wrong, interest in your comic has waned to the point of non-existence, and you've been cancelled. In order to build up the funds for a resurgence, you have to guest start in a few other comics to rekindle your popularity. Sounds simple, eh? That big star on your chest is Star, your wise-cracking sidekick who happens to have a man-crush on your arch-nemesis, Brad. He also doesn't think much of Smiley, often making sarcastic remarks. Your assistant, Gerda, gets you your jobs and basically alerts you when you're losing health during the game (it gets annoying after a while, as you'll see below).

You end up adventuring through three issues each of three different comics: a fantasy-based one, a Silver Age 60's era comic, and Manga!. Thus, you essentially have nine levels after the intro level. Then you have one final level to get through, making ten in all.

Arcade Gaming Shrine - an excellent song about old-school video games

Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a big fan of Dan Americh, even since he's gone to the dark side over at Activision.

One of his side projects, just for fun, is Palette-Swap Ninja, something he does with a friend of his, Jude Sutton. Taking actual songs and creating video game songs out of them, with both Jude and him playing the instruments and Dan singing.

Here's the wonderful song Halo (All I Play-Oh), which I include here because it seems appropriate with Reach just having come out (sung to the tune of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Snow (Hey Oh)"):



One thing I love about this is that they always try and keep not only the cadence, but also the rhymes themselves consistent with the original song. The "Viva Pinata" song is based on the old Pina Colada song ("If you like pina coladas, getting caught in the rain...")

But the reason for this post is because they just released a video for their latest song, "Arcade Gaming Shrine."

This song speaks to any old-time gamer, with so many blasts from the past that I almost cried with nostalgia.

Ok, I didn't almost cry, but I *did* relive some old video game memories. Everything from Elevator Action to Pac-Man, Defender, Zaxxon, you name it, it's in there.

Us old farts probably will get the most out of it, but it's a good song even for those youngun's out there.



What kind of video game memories does it bring back for any of my high school friends? (Yeah, like they're reading this LOL)

Here's the page on the Palette-Swap Ninja site where they talk about how the video was filmed. A lot of the people dancing in the background (as well as featured in a shot or two) are from one of my favourite video game podcasts, "Talk Radar".

It's a treat, and I hope you old-time gamers, like me, love it as much as I do.

In-game advertising. Hate it? Or REALLY HATE it?

Activision's Bobby Kotick has been taken to task (Ok, that's putting it mildly) for a lot of the things he's said. It's funny how nobody ever broadcasts the things he says that most gamers actually agree with.

One of those statements is in regard to in-game advertising.

I was catching up on the One of Swords podcast (Dan Americh's Activision podcast), and in one of the episodes, he mentioned this when talking about Kotick's statements at a Merrill Lynch event back in September. While this statement was endlessly talked about:

""Bungie are a very unusual company. They're probably the last remaining high quality independent developer."

This statement wasn't really talked about much:

"There was a time where we thought advertising and sponsorship was a big opportunity, but what we realized is our customers are paying $60 for a game or paying a monthly subscription fee and they don't really want to be barraged with sponsorship or advertising," Kotick explained.

"So being very respectful of our audiences, unless it's something that's really authentic and will enhance the game experience, we're generally not going to include something in the game. There may be future opportunities where you might offer a consumer an advertiser-supported experience so they wouldn't have to pay for it. 

"But as long as our audience is paying $60 for a game or a subscription fee I think we're going to limit the amount of advertising or sponsorship incorporated into a game."

I would have thought that would be bigger news.

See, I *hate* in-game advertising, even as I realize that in this day and age it may be hard to get around it. I really disliked the blatant Verizon and Energizer advertisements in Alan Wake, though I do understand the need for it (the "Can you hear me now" joke was a bit over the top, though).

That being said, I don't mind it if it's in context, partially because I also don't like the way films and games get around not using product names.

Have you ever noticed some movies that didn't sell in-movie advertising to a company, where the family is sitting around a table drinking "Cola" rather than Pepsi or Coke? Or at a bar where they're drinking "beer" rather than a brand of beer? Or, in movies and TV shows, I really hate those soda machines that just say "COLA" or "SODA" on them, rather than being Coke or Pepsi. I find that distracting too. It's just a needless reminder that this isn't the real world, which can harm the immersion I like to feel in the story.

I also don't like "fake" ads, like those used in some sports games. That just pulls me out of my suspension of disbelief too, as I no longer feel like I'm playing as the Steelers or as the Iowa State Cyclones in the real world.

Wow, I sure am picky, aren't I? So what do I want in regards to advertising in games?

1) I want in-context ads

If you're playing a skateboarding game, I would expect ads for skateboarding stuff, or stuff that is inherent to the skateboarder culture (since I'm not in that culture, I have no examples). Or I would expect to see beer advertising, as well as other advertising, at sports venues.   Considering how often you're using batteries in the game, I guess Energizer was fine for Alan Wake, but this brings me to my next point...

2) Don't throw it in my face

I really hate it when, in a movie or game, the camera suddenly does a close-up on a product, so that the brand name of the product is prominently displayed for 3 seconds or so, before moving on. Can you make it any more obvious?

Or maybe a cop standing over a dead body says to his partner "I'm going to call this in on my Nokia SC-2000 Smartphone that has everything from a 2000 mega-pixel camera to a holographic projector! Hey, why don't you check his pockets while I'm doing this?"

Background advertising, where you can clearly see the Apple logo on the computer (but the camera isn't intently staring at it) is great! I don't mind that at all. But don't make it so obvious that the viewer/gamer just rolls the eyes.

3) Don't overdo it

This can be context-sensitive too. Sports venues have a *lot* of advertising, so it might be a little more understandable in a sports game. But don't have 5-10 different sponsors for your 10-hour game, throwing blatant product placement at me right and left. I want to enjoy your game, or watch your movie. I don't want to have my head reeling because of all the advertisements being thrust upon me at once.

Did you ever see the movie Wayne's World?

They did a wonderful parody of the overpowering product placement in movies that was taking place at the time, all while getting that same product placement in the movie!

 

 

If you're going to do it, why not have fun with it?

I realize that this is all pie-in-the-sky stuff, and that I will never be totally satisfied. In-game advertising is here to stay.

But I love that somebody as powerful as Bobby Kotick has come out against its overuse.

Ummmm, on second thought, can we get another advocate please?

Thank you.

Are you a gamer? Are you lonely? Here's something that might help

Yes, fellow gamers, GameCrush has launched!

This service allows you to play your favourite games and have some female companionship! Unless you're married, of course, in which case the female companionship you're actually getting is probably complaining about you playing games instead of painting the living room or something.

I kid! I kid! That's a dirty stereotype that I'm not going to propagate. Too late? Oh, ok. Never mind.

Anyway, Gamecrush lets you play games with women who are also playing your games, allowing you to talk to them while you're playing, socialize with them, or whatever else you want (and whatever else they're willing to do). You can play everything from Facebook-style social games to Halo Reach, and talk to a cute woman while you do so!

And ladies, you're not left out. There are some male "play dates" on there too, for your playing pleasure.

According to Mashable (my favourite tech and social media blog):

"Users of GameCrush have four basic options for making connections with PlayDates. The Arcade is for casual gaming, The Arena is for serious gaming, The Academy is for learning “tips and tricks” from PlayDates and The Edge is this service’s version of a red-light district.

There is a catch,of course. PlayDates don’t crush their controllers for free; it costs
$0.60 per minute to have a pretty girl sniping with (or at) you."

Yes, this is a pay service (you didn't think you'd be getting this for free, did you?). And how much do you want to bet that, eventually, "The Edge" will cost more than the other areas?

However, it can be pretty lucrative for those PlayDates, who can get paid $20+ an hour to play with these guys (I don't know if the male PlayDates make anywhere near that much). It can all be good, clean fun, or it can be a bit more edgy and adult (though doing that while playing Call of Duty just seems...odd). I guess you can tell what type of woman you're getting from the PlayDate name and the picture provided, eh? (I guess this is where I should warn you that a couple of the profile names, and a *lot* of the PlayDate pictures, aren't necessarily safe for work)

The way it works is that when you find a PlayDate, you invite them to join a game (on the site, I assume). Once they accept your invitation, you hook up in a video-enabled chat session. If you're playing a game on a console, I suppose you have to be sitting at your computer so you can take part in the web cam session while you're playing the Xbox (or whatever) game on your TV. You join on Xbox Live, PSN, or wherever you're playing the game.

Note: This does not work *through* the console's online network, and isn't affiliated with any of them whatsoever.

Ok, all of that being said, what does it say about us as a society that something like this might become popular? Are we turning into a world of shut-ins where we get our jollies at home rather than going out and meeting new people?

I said in an earlier post, back in May, when this was only in Beta:

"Would I have done this if it were available when I was single (and if I
had been playing games back then, of course)? I don't know. I might have
tried it out. It not really *that* much money (the equivalent of buying
a woman a drink at a club). However, I can see it becoming as addictive
as any of those chat lines where you pay $3.99 a minute to talk dirty
to some other hot babe ("hot babe" in Fantasyland, anyway). It might get
really expensive, really fast. "

Honestly, my opinion hasn't really changed. I guess this fulfills the same adult niche that those chat phone lines fill, only for gamers.

But I still think it's sad.

What do you think? Do you think it will be enormously popular?

You don't have to say whether you'll use it or not, though you're more than welcome to!

(Note: Some people may find this post familiar, as I did post about it back in June.)

Video games responsible for pets run amok?

Yes, now you can blame video games for your pets going berserk.

Don't believe me? See this article from the Daily Mail in the UK (h/t: Games Radar) that reports on a 9-year-old girl in the UK whose lip was bitten off by a bull mastiff, allegedly because the dog heard another dog barking. Megan Walker was playing Nintendogs on the Nintendo DS at the time, and I guess her dog was barking, setting off the vicious attack.

According to the Mail:

"Megan Walker's family say a friend’s bull mastiff cross went berserk when it heard barking on a Nintendo DS game.

It dragged Megan, nine, off a sofa as she played the virtual pet puppy game Nintendogs.

The dog sank its teeth into her face, bit her several times and ripped off her top lip.

Quick-thinking police officers put the piece of lip on ice and surgeons were able to sew it back on.

"I think this game should carry some kind of warning,' said the girl’s grandma Jean Taylor.

'People should be told not to play it when there are dogs in the room.  I blame the game for what happened to Megan. If they hadn’t been playing it I don’t think the dog would have gone for her.'"

Really? Is it really the game's fault? If the bull mastiff was set off by the barking in a video game (I've never played it, so I have no idea how "realistic" the sounds are), wouldn't the dog be set off by the sound of *any* dog barking? Sure, if the barking's outside, the dog won't necessarily attack a person. But it sure would be a good indication that something's wrong with the dog, wouldn't it?

People should know their dogs enough to realize that there might be a problem. Megan was apparently at a friend's house. Shouldn't that family have known that the dog would be set off by barking? Or are there so few dogs in the neighborhood that it's never been an issue before?

No, I'm not necessarily blaming the family here (though I know it sounds like it). What I am saying is that it's ridiculous to blame the game, especially to the point of saying "there should be a warning on the game!" (At least Grandma isn't calling for an outright ban on the game...there's a first!).

I do think that, if you own a breed of dog that is known for violent actions (pit bulls, etc), you should be more aware of the personality of your dog, especially around other people. They may be trained well to respond to you, but what if you're not there? Should you make sure your guests are aware of things? Or just make sure you never leave your dog alone with guests?

Incidentally, I love how they slide this little tidbit in to the end of the article:

"Ms Melville was unavailable for comment, but it is understood that she told police that Megan may have kicked Saracen and that is why he attacked her."

Gee, wouldn't that change the complexion of the entire story? But no. Let's sensationalize the game aspect instead.

Colour me not-surprised.

Grandma's buying me an M-rated game!

During my recent trip to Iowa, there was a hilarious incident that I feel I must share.

The wife and I were at a local shopping centre, and she wanted to look at some clothes. There was a video game store just a few stores down, so rather than hover over her while she looked, I decided to head down there just to see what was happening and to browse around.

After telling the two guys there that no, I'm from Canada, so pre-ordering Halo: Reach there would be counter-productive, they left me alone. I was just looking at all the titles they had, seeing if there was anything I wanted to pick up, when a young kid (maybe 12?) came in with an old woman; obviously, Grandma was taking the kid video game shopping!

I was the only other person in the store, so I listened a bit while the two guys (obviously bored, so happy to try and sell something to anybody) talked to the new customers. They talked for a bit about other game suggestions, and then the kid blurted out "What about Mafia 2?" My ears perked up and I listened more intently.

Now, for those of you who don't know, Mafia 2 is an M-rated game about the Mob in the 1950s. There's lots of swearing and bloody violence in it. I'm not sure if there's nudity in the actual game, but one of the collectibles is 50 Playboy magazines from that era, complete with centerfold.

To the guys' credit, they did warn the customers about that, in detail (mentioning everything, including the Playboys). There are no ERSB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board, the organization that rates games so that parents know what's in them) issues because Grandma's there, of course. While they weren't actively discouraging the kid, they were pointing out everything that could be potentially harmful so that Grandma could make an informed decision. (This included me chiming in and showing my ignorance of 1950s Playboys, when I said that you don't necessarily see everything, and one of the guys said that no, some of them you do actually see everything...see how innocent I am?)

Anyway, they talked about having seen the demo for the game (which includes 5 of the Playboys, actually), and Grandma asked where the kid had seen that. He said over at a friend's house (great friend!) as it's available for download on Xbox Live.

The following sentences (paraphrased, because they are from memory) actually came out of Grandma's mouth during the decision-making process.

"He's probably heard and seen it all before."

"Maybe your dad can play it with you." (or maybe it was "before you," as in he can check it out, I can't remember)

"Don't tell your mother." (to which the kid replied "I'll play it at your house!")

This, of course, kind of contradicts the "don't tell your mother" comment, unless she expects Dad to keep it secret too.

Grandma happily bought the game for her grandson and they walked out the door. She was very uncertain the entire time (or seemed to be, anyway), but ultimately she decided to do it.

After they left, the three of us just burst out laughing, with one of the guy's saying "I wish I had a grandma like that!"

To be honest, I was quite shocked. Granted, it was a different age (I am 40 now!), but not only would neither of my grandmas even have considered buying me this game at that age, they would probably have been actively disappointed if they discovered that I was playing it after having got it through some other means.

After leaving the store and meeting up with the wife, I told her the story, and we had a laugh. It is funny.

But it's also sad, in a way.

Blood Bowl - Oh the Memories!!!

During our recent trip home, I bought two games: Prototype (which I haven't played yet) and a game that I've been playing almost non-stop since we got home, Blood Bowl.

Obviously, this post is about Blood Bowl because I haven't even played the first one yet! Oh, yeah, and there's that whole "blog post title" thing too.

Blood Bowl is a video game based on the long-running board game of the same name. I used to play it with a friend of mine back in grade school or junior high, so you know how long it's been around!

It's set in Games Workshop's Warhammer universe, but this is a game of football, not role-playing fantasy battles or anything like that. And when I say football, I don't just mean the football you're all familiar with (though there are a couple of elements that are the same).

No, I'm talking about no holds barred, smashmouth football where a team will do anything to get into the end zone. And I do mean anything.

It is called "Blood" Bowl, you know.

How much gaming is too much?

Is it bad to play games for...3 hours a night? Ten hours a week?

How about 20,000 hours in 5 years?

A gamer is suing NCsoft, makers of Lineage II, because he became so hopelessly addicted to the game that he couldn't function.

Iowa State Football Blog

For those of you who may be interested, I'm going to be blogging my NCAA Football 11 Iowa State Dynasty. The blog is going to be reported as if the team is being covered in the newspaper, so the articles will be game recaps, recruiting news, stats, etc.

I welcome comments, of course. Whether it's about the results themselves, suggestions, tips, or anything else you might want to leave.

Otherwise, just sit back and watch me take the Cyclones to the National Championship. You know it's going to happen.

It's simply titled "Dave's Iowa State Dynasty" so it should be easy to find.

Hopefully the new blogging features that EA has added to the game will help me keep up with the blog. We'll see how long it lasts.

Let me know what you think!

(and yes, I realize that of my potentially regular readers, there's probably only one person interested in this, but who knows how somebody may find this blog?)

8/15/10: I've taken down the blog, for a number of reasons. First, I'm kind of over-extended, so while it was kind of fun, I was having trouble keeping up with it. Secondly, since nobody's reading it anyway, what's the point when it feels more like a chore to do anyway? If it was being read, then it might be a fun chore. But it wasn't, so it wasn't a fun chore.

Now I can go back to playing the game just for the sake of playing the game.

And yes, that means that this officially lasted about a week or so.

Yay, me!!!