What's New

Hey guys, it's been awhile.  yeah, I know, the Mass Effect review isn't posted yet.  But just so you know, I'm almost done the gameplay part of it, which is the first of the two more difficult parts.  But then again, you guys know that I don't pull any punches.

Speaking of not pulling any punches, I'm about 16 hours into Final Fantasy X, and frankly...I don't like it very much.  Ever since Final Fantasy 6, the games have been so restrictive, and not having a world map to save on whenever you like - thus forcing oyu to rely on save checkpoints - is very frustrating when you have things to do.  As far as I can tell, it does eventually become less linear, however...I personally dislike the direction the game has taken.  The sphere grid, however, is a pretty slick character development tool, so at least there's one thing about the game that I like.  I also dislike most of the characters, especially Tidus and Rikku.

I also finished Splinter Cell: Conviction and Rage.  I'm on the fence regarding SC:C;  the stealth mechanics are there, but the title's far more of a shooter than anything else.  Oh, if only there was another Hitman game out before this one, maybe it would have attempted to compete.  Rage is absolutely gorgeous, but it starts to wear down in the latter half of the game and the ending blows.  The minigames, however, are quite enjoyable, especially the card game that's a new spin on War.

Further, I finally got the chance to play and finish Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Bayonetta.  I have to say, these two are must-plays.  Bayonetta to simply just experience it, and Deus Ex: Human Revolution to...well, live it.  Absolutely amazing game.

That said, beyond the ME review, my workload now consists of Final Fantasy XII, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 3 (have played and beaten 2 and 4) and earning a few more achievements in Dynasty Warriors 7 and Skyrim.

So, play safe, have fun and keep hoping because that ME review will eventually get finished!

A Worthwhile Gamestore...And No Mass Effect Yet

Hey guys,

In my travels, I came across a gamestore in the 400 Market in Innisfil, Ontario.  Unlike the other larger store in the 400 Market, this guy doesn't jack gamers, and his prices kick the crap out of what you'll find on EBay. 

His store is called Video Games 101, and he has a site, http://www.videogames101.com/ which, while a little basic, is definitely worth checking out. 

The guy has a passion for gaming, not just selling, so give him a gander the next time you're in the area on a Saturday.

And...yeah, no review yet.  It's coming, though.  I swear.

Its-a Comin'!

Alrighty then.  So, I've gotten off of my tuchas and started the Mass Effect review.  No word of a lie.  It is in progress.  I swear.  Next up will be another review coming...not sure if I'll give the treatment to Metal Gear Solid 4, Hunter The Recking: Wayward or if it will be something else entirely.  Maybe I'll do Darkstar One?  We'll see. 

Then after that I will - I promise - get onto finishing No More Heroes so that I can review it.

I swear on Buster's ashes.

Gem Number Next

So I finally had time to sit down with Bladestorm: The Hundred Years war.  I've had it since just after Christmas, but I haven't had the time due mostly in part to a) getting accustomed to my new job and b) buying it in the middle of Darkstar One (which I highly recommend, by the way). 

Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War is an original IP in a similar vein as Dynasty Warriors.  However, the similarities end at embellished history and melee combat.  You play the role of a mercenary who participates in real and fictional battles during the Hundred Years War (which, if I remember right, was 113 or 114 years long).  You'll meet real and fictional characters including The Black Prince (Prince Edward of England - not to be confused with Edward II, the son of Edward I, aka Longshanks) and St. Joan of Arc while kicking ass in the name of whatever currency is in fashion at the time. 

Combat is very different in that you control ranged, melee and cavalry support units.  However, you need to unlock different books which you'll find in battle or purchase to use these units.  Further, units are upgradable.  Or you can choose to go it alone, although that isn't recommended.  Hell, you'll get beaten like a baby fur seal in the off-season.

Each unit and equipment type also has special attacks associated with them, so it's worthwhile exploring the different units.  Plus, there's a balancing act between different equipment types and different units, and some of the unit special skills actually mitigate some of these deficiencies.

As far as I can tell, the game is a match of capturing control points, but there are "special requests" that you can complete.  These are usually a matter of beating certain officers or a fetch job of some sort.

So far, I'm finding the difficulty is starting to curve upwards somewhat steeply, so there's either something I'm missing or I'm rushing a little too hard.   Either way, the game is a lot deeper than the "professionals" laid it out to be.

I've also started to play through some of my PS2 games.  I finished Hunter The Reckoning Wayward.  So far, best game structure of the series, but the graphics and controls are utter garbage compared to the XBox games.  This seems more to do with the deficiencies of the PS2 controller, but it could also be that the devs dicked the controls to push the game out sooner.  That is a possibility. 

I've also played the PS2 port of No One Lives Forever.  So far, it's alright.  The dialogue is right out of Black Adder and Monty Python, though, so it adds a great touch of British Humour.

In truth, I've played a little bit of all of my PS2 games; Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XII, NOLF, Taito Legends 2, Killzone, and HTR: Wayward.  Final Fantasy X, from what I've played, is same crap different day - cool cutscenes, humdrum combat reminiscent of the extremely overrated Final Fantasy VII.  Final Fantasy XII, however...that's looking to show some huge promise.  Taito Legends 2 is an awesome compilation with a terrible menu interface that's about as user-friendly as a beartrap closed on your ankle and Killzone really is pretty mediocre.  I can't believe Sony had the chutzpa to sell that dreck as a Halo-killer, especially since Halo was no longer the shooter to beat by that time.  Halo 2 was, and it's hardly a game that requires much talent to beat, at least insofar as the singleplayer campaign was concerned.

Next up, I want to find the PS2 port of Deus Ex as I hear that it's quite competent.

After Bladestorm, I'm probably going to get to work on my PS3 backlog.  I need to finish Little Big Planet and Resistance 1 and 2.  After that, I'll take on Killzone.  I know Killzone 2 is good; the first 5 minutes of that were infinitely better than the first 5 minutes of Killzone 1, and I'm not just referring to the visuals and horrid audio, but if one can, it's better to tackle a series in proper order.  Couldn't be helped with Hunter: The Reckoning.

Yeah. Right. About that.

Right, I just more or less ripped the design of Metal Gear Solid 4 a new one and haven't reviewed Mass Effect yet.

Okay, here's why:  The rippage of MGS4 was a blitzkrieg on crappy story telling (and seemingly unfocused).  This is because I can't give the game a fair review due to my biases against the style of storytelling...and the unnecessary amount of it.  I do not care for soap operas.  No, this is not a disclaimer; I may write an actual review of MGS 4.  You can like it or not.  But I think it's about time I lay my biases bare, because I will call out stupid components/mechanics of games when I see them.

And, just so you all know, I was finally able to grab a PS2 with FF X and XII.  Not expecting to necessarily enjoy X a lot, but XII looks extremely promising (and is the first FF I've been looking forward to since VII...and that was quite a disappointment to me).  I alos got Hunter The Reckoning: Wayward, so the trilogy is now complete.  Plus a few other goodies, including NOLF.  Don't know how the gameplay will turn out, but the dialogue's right out of Black Adder and Fawlty Towers, so at least the humour looks promising.

Being that I'm finding a little more time to do things in, I will hopefully have the ME review up in the coming weeks.  Need to beat the game again...I've kind of forgotten most of it other than that the series rips off Alistair Reynolds' Revelation Space series (although the two sidestories have so far been better than the main trilogy).

Anyway, keep safe and see you all soon.

Metal Gear Solid 4 Under My Belt

Okay, now before I start, let me say this:  MGS fanatics, walk away.  Now.  What I have to say will make you very upset. 

I have played several of the Metal Gear games from the NES up until today.  Beaten most of the ones that I've played except for the original MGS.  It isn't that I don't care for the graphics so much as the gameplay is a little too overly convoluted and, like every game in the MGS series, far too much value on story.  And Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is no different.

Visually, it's stunning in many details, although I notice frequent framerate drops, and many of the stealth actions of the previous games are...dumbed down.  Not to mention that the whole sneak-through-a-base thing is more or less paid lip service and the key-anditem-hunting game that actually helped make the series enjoyable is gone (mind you, I haven't played Snake Eater yet), and instead feels more like a fratboy actioner with firepower on demand.

However, the game is a lot of fun, when you're playing it.  When you're not playing it, it's because you're watching a 20-30 minute cutscene depicting cool stuff that you aren't actually doing (well...for the mostpart...won't spoil the one cool thing you do actually get to do).  Many of the boss fights are by the numbers - mostly because it's little different than any other MGS game. 

Now, luckily, you can skip the cutscenes, but then you don't know what the hell is going on.  And if you don't have time to screw around, you miss the whole point of Kojima's alleged masterpiece (and yet I've read Tom Clancy books more complex).

The shooting is rock solid, although I found the stealth left much to be desired.  While the weapons on demand was a pretty cool feature, it felt unnecessary, especially when a lot of the guns essentially did the same thing and it was more or less a matter of picking your favourite model. 

I think that the idea of aging Snake was pointless.  I realise that it is supposed to add another dimension of depth, but it really didn't.  The stamina bar and how it was used, however, did.  It certainly helped increase the tension in a boss fight or two.

As far as level design goes, all of the stereotypical locales are there, plus a nod to past games.  This really did not impress me, although it may be because I've read and experienced too many modern-day techno-thrillers.  However, desert, jungle, tundra...it kinda sounds like a Ghost Recon game.

In short, as a storytelling vehicle, Metal Gear Solid 4 is a great fan service, but a slap in the face to the average gamer.  It is artificially lengthened by way of semi-interactive cutscenes that rarely progress the story so much as try to make characters look cool and throw in what seem to be contrived emotional bonds (e.g. token romance side-storylines).  This adds a level of superficiality that really denegrates the game as a game.  I realise some people might view it as art...but if it is, it's little more than David with a dress and cockring.  As offensive as that sounds, the whole point is that it's dressed up for the sake of dressing it up; underneath, it's still the Statue of David, and it doesn't need those things - especially when they're gaudy and unnecessary.  i.e., the game underneath is excellent, you just have to remove the fluffy excrement piled on top by a misguided director.  At least he was kind enough to give you the tools to get around them.

So, I sincerely hope that the next Metal Gear game incorporates story that you can read instead of needing to extrapolate it from deliberately paced cutscenes.  It needs to be told more efficiently, or at the least, the resources need to be on hand in an efficient manner in the game.  Because if I play MGS4 again, I'll be skipping those cutscenes; they're just too long for people with lives.

Wow, It's Been A Long Time. And Oh...I Guess I Owe You Guys An Apology

Hey guys, it's been...what, almost three months, eh?  Yeah, I kind of got a job working for a computer company called Canada Computers.  I sold some stuff, helped customers through system builds, it was fun times.  Now it's over.  On the bright side, I have more time for Thrown Controllers again...so I guess I owe you all a review...I'll get around to Mass Effect, soon.  I promise.  I've already beaten it anyway.

So, that said, I guess it's time for an update.  As you all know, I'm a huge fan of Fallout: New Vegas.  So, I guess I should let you in on some opinions about the expansions.

Okay, so, the first one, Dead Money:  Dead Money pissed a lot of people off, I can see.  Probably because it was pretty GD hard.  I actually rather enjoyed it because it was the only challenge I was pretty much getting without playing with the difficulty settings.  The add-on was pretty good, but to be frank, the new waepons and whatnot were pretty mediocre.

Up next is Honest Hearts.  What can I say about HH?  Well, for starters, it's too short.  It's maybe about 2 hours long, and if you finish it, it pretty much dries up the sidequests right then and there.  Unlike DM, you can go back.  Also, the weapons and items you get from HH are very, very awesome.  A little too awesome, but great nonetheless.

Old World Blues is pretty much the best of the bunch.  Not only because it's not two hours long, but it has an interesting story and most of the goodies are VERY awesome.  HH awesome, but you'll actually need the firepower. 

And finally, Lonesome Road.  Lonesome Road is okay.  It falls somewhere between DM and HH...more towards HH.  There are some overly cheap encounters, and I really find that most of the equipment is inadequate for most of the later encounters.

Now, as an aside, I did also DL the Gunrunners' Arsenal Pack, and I have to say...It's an essential.  It really is.  Some of the stuff is just gear that Fallout players need to have, like the Bozar.  I'm not saying it's amazing, just, you know, for continuity's sake (Fallout 2 fans know what I'm talking about). 

The expansions themselves are also essential for people who care about loose ends; the expansions will do exactly that.  Not sayin' which loose ends, but unlike Fallout 3, NV has far more loose ends to tie.  If you have the game and the cash to burn, it can't do too much harm; it's another 20 or so hours of play.  On the other hand, if you  don't have the game, wait until the Game of the Year Ed. comes out; it's much better value.

So, what's new:  Well, I caved and bought a PS3.  I currently have Metal Gear Solid 4, Little Big Planet and the first two Resistance games. 

I like MGS4 quite a bit.  While still an inferior stealth title to Hitman: Blood Money and Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, it is still an excellent game.  There are things about it that I don't like, though - namely stepping away from the item collecting to get around the environment.  I'm at Chapter 3, and I'm not seeing anything like this.  I really enjoyed this as it gave me a tangible sense of progress, and it really made you use your memory faculties.  I'm not saying it's immaculate (Metal Gear on the NES is proof of this - but it's also like 18 years before MGS), but it certainly increases the depth of the game and gives it an adventure feel.  This style of play is sadly lacking.  I also dislike the 20 minute+ cutscenes.  Kojima, you are a hack.  Period.  Luckily, the game doesn't suck.

Little Big Planet is very charming, and one thing I really like about it is there always seems to be something new about it.  It was designed this way, I realise that, but few games that are deliver so well.  And my girlfriend, K, absolutely loves being able to dress up Sack-Boy.

I've played the Resistance games for all of ten minutes each, so I can't really give them a thorough evaluation.  However, they don't immediately impress me.  They feel like something caught between Halo and Call of Duty, so I think a closer inspection is required.

Now, recently, I've been playing Skyrim, and anyone tracking me on Facebook or Raptr (Rabbi_Voody for those interested) will see this in spades.  My initial impressions are fairly negative as far as RPGs go.  Skyrim has done away with a lot of the stats that make TES a lot like DnD, which I know is a major piss-off to many fans.  Regardless, it's actually a very good game.  And that's all I'm going to say because I'm not going to spoil anything for you - which is why I'll be giving the Resistance games a fair go.

And yes, I did wait for it in line on the Midnight Release.  Won't be doing that ever again; November plus sickness (which turned out to be strepthroat) equals really damned bad.

I also got a taste of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, and I have to say...it's alright.  I can't figure out how to lean, though (only played it briefly), which is pretty major in tactical FPS's.  It's pace is insane.  I like that.  I was introduced to it by way of my friend Jason D, who's more into wargames and such.  And also competitive sports games.  I can definitely see him getting NHL 2K12.  Hopefully it's a lot better than 2K9, which has one hell of a learning curve (of course it is; the later ones always are, claimeth EA).

And finally, for all of the Halo fans, I have played Halo: Anniversary Edition.  Didn't finish it - actually only did the first chapter.  I'm saving that for a co-op playthrough with my friend Jason S; he bought it for me specifically for that purpose.  And possibly playing on Live, which I did to see if it was old Halo redone.  It's not.  It's just Halo Reach, which actually caused me serious disappointment, but at least Halo Reach plays closer to classic Halo insofar as multiplayer is concerned, what with the shields and health.  Halo CE with no shields is very, very, very, very fun to play.  It's almost as fast - if not exactly as fast - as classic Doom.

And that is my gaming life over the past couple months in a nutshell.  More like a busted nut.

Well, take care.  I hope to see you all again soon.

Adventures In FanExpoLand

Adventures In FanExpoLand

Hey guys, on Aug. 27th, K. and I went to the Toronto FanExpo. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's a huge cult convention that combines gaming, sci-fi, horror and anime. Celebrities come to give autographs, and there's an arseload of collectibles you can buy.

My initial reason for going was to get Lance Henrikson's signature on my copy of Red Faction 2 (ironic because I'm actually doing a review for Mass Effect, another game he provided voicework for)...but that didn't happen. The reason was because...well, I couldn't afford to blow $40 on an autograph. So...I'll wait until I can.

Anyway, being that I was there, I figured I could actually look at the gaming side of things. Ubisoft and Warner Interactive both had booths. Warner had posters up for The Lord of the Rings: War in the North and playable demos of Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 and Batman: Arkham City. Both looked fairly interesting, but I was honestly disappointed that there wasn't a demo of War in the North, too.

Ubisoft was showing off a playable demo of the new Assassin's Creed title, Just Dance 3 and a new game geared at what looks like training someone how to play a guitar. Pretty neat, actually. Unfortunately, I did not see a demo of the new Ghost Recon game, despite there being many posters littered about. However, I was really surprised that there wasn't demo material for Far Cry 3. Quite dismayed, actually. Especially considering that there was recently a new gameplay video on XBL. Hopefully it won't be a sleeper like Far Cry 2, which was an absolutely fantastic game.

There was also a Nintendo booth with 3DS's in full swing, although I wasn't able to actually see what was being played because it was basically the back of cube van, and of course, it was packed.

And finally, we come to the grand finale: The EB Games/Gamestop “booth”, which took up ¼ of the entire convention space. There were demos of Uncharted 3, the Halo CE remake and a new Disney game for the 360.

The whole event was sponsored by G4, Rogers (one of the three major media providers in Canada) and Gamestop, which is why an unnecessarily large portion of the floor was occupied by them. I hope that their presence is much more subdued next year. Gaming doesn't begin and end with those shills. It's not like they actually make the games they sell.

So, I thought the gaming section was pretty lacking. There were no local independent developers and neither EA Canada nor Bioware were present. And the only game-seller that could be considered “Canadian Content” was Zellers...oh wait, no, they're owned by Target.

I was also hoping to run into the guys from Reviews on the Run – they're one of the few pro reviewers I trust – but that didn't happen either. Oh well.

All and all, kinda neat – there were some pretty awesome costumes and the people were very nice. I'd like to thank John Waters on behalf of my girlfriend for being such a mensch and I'd like to thank the staff for being so helpful...even when they sent us in the wrong direction.

That said...gamers, unless the Reviews on the Run guys are there next year and/or you're a huge fan of everything else...you might want to avoid it until they get their priorities straight.

I'm still going to go next year. I didn't have enough time to play around with the gaming exhibits, so I'll definitely be doing that next time. I just hope that it's more than just Gamestop and their pets of the month because gaming is a lot more than Warner, Ubisoft, Disney and The Big Three (MS, Sony, Nintendo).

Get Your Art Out of My Hobby

Date: 08/26/2011

By: Nate

Gaming has been announced as an art, yadda yadda yadda – or “big friggin' deal”. I already said my piece about it. While it seems that gaming has magically gone from being hobby to an art form over night, , I need to ask, “At which point did it actually stop being a hobby?”

I mention this as sort of a counterpoint to Duke Nukem Forever, which I've recently just played and grudgingly had to put down because I'm working on not one, but two long games. Yes, it's crass. Yes, it is extremely offensive. However, it is not a one-string banjo like many of the games that are raised on a pedestal these days.

To be honest, I found it strange that Duke Nukem Forever's gameplay was considered archaic. Halo has relied on relatively similar gameplay since 2001, and Duke Nukem 3D is a throwback to that, perhaps. But it's also a hell of a leap. Can you name me five shooters that are as interactive as Duke Nukem Forever? I can, and most of them are Build games (13 – 15 years old), and the others are the Deus Ex titles. If interactivity and varied gameplay with tight controls are an issue, then I think there's a much greater problem with the review scene than reviewers' memories.

Sure, intense interactivity may be a throwback, but it's certainly not archaic. Why? Because it immerses you into the environment by making you part of it. Unfortunately, that big button on screen does kind of take away from it by taking you out of the experience, but at least that experience is there.

The point is, the magazines need to check something called integrity. Lambasting something for being archaic – when it's not – is a great example. As a matter of fact, I would say that most “modern” shooters are archaic simply because they're even simpler than their 2D and 2.5D (e.g. Wolfenstein 3D and Doom, respectively) counterparts because they reduce gameplay to two components – completing an objective on a rail and slaughtering the bad guys.

Obviously, few titles use irreverence as a selling point. The last Serious Sam came out around the same time as Doom 3 – although Sam is much more innocent than The Duke.

However, going after the sense of humour because you're stuck on your morals (or political correctness – even worse) is also a cop-out; this is an M-rated game that, so far, is making Super Troopers look like a mature romantic comedy.

That said, we come to the point of satire as a humour vehicle, because, let's face it...Duke Nukem is a satire of “all that is man” - or hypermasculinity. Much like a Heavy Metal concert, Duke Nukem 3D is a piss-up of the core patriarchal values – debauchery, misogyny, bigotry, decadence and substance abuse. And Duke Nukem, like Judas Priest (the guys who started the hypermasculinity trend when singer, Rob Halford, sang onstage in his cruising attire) is just a caricature. And yet the Filthy Fifteen list did indeed exist (which also included Twisted Sister and Madonna).

So why the ambivalence? It's satire. It's a grand joke at the expense of something else. Satire is sometimes considered an artistic expression, and even moreso when delivered by way of humour. Someone isn't trying to put together a blacklist to protect their precious army shooters, are they? Either way, “Thou dost protesteth too much.”

Regardless, this creates a problem. These attitudes set a precedence, and an alarming one. You see, way back in the day, games like this would have been well received because they don't follow the norm, and they actually offer the gamer an experience beyond finding a key, hitting a switch and killing a room full of bad guys. Or, in today's shooters...just hitting a switch and killing a room full of bad guys.

Unfortunately, this attitude also shows politics in action, this time an attack on something being ridiculously politically incorrect for the sake of being just that. An important component of art is the freedom of expression, and while we are free to be critical of that expression...a little honesty goes a long way. Honesty rarely has any truck with politics. Unfortunately, it's also vice-versa. Unfortunately, there's something else that's being omitted...it's a game. Fictional characters and all.

Hell, I've read things far more crass and potentially incendiary than this (Virtual Freedom and Chocolate Jesus come to mind), and neither of these were panned when political correctness was still valued.

At the end of the day, we don't want politics in our reviews. We never did. We just want a clean, honest opinion as to whether or not a game is fun to play or not and why. We do not want mewling about how a game's sense of humour is odious because it violates social mores when you're clearly looking to pan it when you have nothing else to go on. I've actually played the game and I can honestly dispute all the crap that the alleged pros have spewed about the gameplay, as can anyone else who has actually played it. So it really only comes down to one thing: Pretense.

I can't stress this enough: It's a hobby. More importantly, it's a hobby with a culture, and that culture has its own feelings and opinions. Gaming started off as a hobby, and regardless of the monikers added to it, it will always be a hobby. It's now a recognised art form, but it's still a hobby. I'm not trying to denigrate it, quite the contrary. To be honest, while many hobbyists have their own pretenses, they're not nearly as douchy as the critics who claim to be an authority are.

Readers who actually pay for the dreck you people spew do not deserve this attitude. It doesn't make better games, it doesn't make publishers more ethical. What it does do is it alienates the majority of us who game because we do it as a hobby. Even worse, it alienates people who make those games. Most gamers aren't prancing art critics hell-bent on making sure the world follows their opinion (that would fall to the fanboys, an inane minority), and most devs work damned hard to put a quality title out.

If you want to bring some class to reviewing, how about changing your attitude to something more down to earth? Then maybe the rest of us can take you seriously - instead perceiving you as a grand satire of our own culture. We already get enough of that from soccer-moms, ignorant politicians and media-crazy lawyers.

Just give us honesty and integrity. Like Duke Nukem, they're old concepts that work great and, more importantly, still stand and deliver. I can't say the same for politics.

Metal Gear Review Is Up

Hey Guys and Gals,

The Metal Gear (NES) review is up.  You can find it here.  Enjoy.  Bear in mind that I did play it on an FC Twin (an NES and SNES clone), but that does not cloud my review as I have played it on an original NES before.

So, what's next?  Well, I still have to co-ordinate with Russell from The Real Life Gamer for another podcast.  The goal will be to further expand on my AAA Games Length commentary (it's the post previous to this one, called "AAA Games Too Long My Ass"). 

Also, the Mass Effect (360) review is coming fairly soon.  It is due at the end of the month as I recall.

I'm currently playing Darkstar One by Kalypso games on my 360.  If you're yearning for something from the halcyon days of space sims, this one might be up your alley.  It's fairly uncommon, so far that I can tell, but it's definitely worth a rent.  I'll go deeper into it soon to see if it's worth the buy.  Although...I only paid $10 for it...so...yeah.

I also found a wicked bargoon:  Castlevania II: Simon's Quest for - I kid you not - $5.  Granted, it was loose, but it goes for $30 or $40 loose on EBay, so I think I got a good deal, what say you?

Oh, and I'm getting rid of some games.  Most are for the original XBox, but I'm also clearing out some of my SNES stuff that I no longer play.  If you're interested, let me know.

That's all the news that's fit to print.

So, take care, hope you enjoyed your weekend and don't do anything I would.