Guess Who's Back?

For years, I've always said the most difficult times for a gamer were between the releases of baseball games and football games. You're hitting the dog days of summer, there's no new sports games to play, and you're spending more time outside of the house than you are in it. This year, that the lull hit a little earlier than expected. I've been on a self-imposed console gaming hiatus for over 2 months now. Sure, there are times when real life gets in the way, but in the past I'd always find time to yuck it up on Xbox Live with some friends, or squeeze in an offline game of some sort. That hasn't been the case during my hiatus, and, frankly, I miss it. So, I'm here to officially announce today that I am snapping out of my funk.

I know what you're thinking, who really gives a crap? That's understandable. However, believe it or not, this is important to me. I've been a gamer for roughly 25 years, and I've never taken a break that has lasted this long. While everyone's been enjoying some of the next-gen's best over the past couple of months, I've had games like Metal Gear Solid 4, Grand Theft Auto IV, and MarioKart Wii collecting dust on my entertainment center.

Today is a happy day. The sun is shining. NCAA 09 is already in my hands. I am back. No longer will you see CSully8 (is that my name, it's been a long time) log on to XBL to just play Lego Star Wars. This news strikes fear into the hearts of many. Well, mainly Greg Callaghan, who's been ducking me in NCAA football for years, and John Enoch. That's right Johnny, the master of the slap pass is back to force you into NHL 08 retirement. You should take Dave Roberts' advice, "if you can't beat them, join them". That's right, Dave, I went there.

DISCLAIMER: I know the Internet can be a sensitive place. The majority of my remarks were made tongue-in-cheek.

What's More Important? Fun or Bug Hunting?

I've noticed a trend over the last few years with major game releases, especially the NCAA Football games, and it's not a good trend. Every year, everyone hunts and hunts to get the game early. They drive all over the country and call every store within a 300 mile radius to try to find it. People even create fake vouchers to try to get the game early from the big retailers. Is it because NCAA Football is that popular of a game? Maybe but there's a bigger reason. Most people have become QA testers now.

They get the game early and immediately try to be the one who found the first glitch, so they can get "fame" on a forum as being the guy who found the "game killing" bug. Sure, if there's a major issue, it's warranted, but 99% of the time, it's nitpicking or finding something so little or improbable that most would never notice it unless it was brought to their attention. Examples, I saw videos posted on Operation Sports of defensive backs taking the wrong routes to allow a catch, then running to make a tackle. I could have played the game for 4 years and never noticed that on my own. I won't mention any others, as you'll have to hunt to find that video, but why ruin anyone's fun? I stopped reading the bugs/glitches forums yesterday, even then I wasn't even paying much attention to what was being reported. What's almost even better, is the fact that some people have sliders out already. I mean, the game isn't out yet, you've had it not even a day, and you already have created a full slider set?

I'm too old to be like that, I just want to have fun. NCAA 09 has given me that, and it's been a blast to play from the game speed to the in game sounds (you can use your own music for situations in game). It's everything a football game should be, sure, it's not perfect, but what game is?

I've read threads and blogs where some people played a game or two, then go into full on simulation mode, simming season after season to see what the stats would be like. Seriously... how many of us really care what the stats look like in the year 2029? If that bothers you, I wonder if gaming is really a hobby for you or not.

Now there's bugs popping up with the rosters in the game, locking up, and what not. You can ask how I can not care about that...well, it's simple, I don't. Simply, because the XBox 360 version has a full set of rosters out. Now, if I had the PlayStation 3 version, yes I would be upset, but I don't. I do feel for the PS3 users out there though, so that's a bug I can accept as truly legit.

Last year, I used the first set of rosters released for almost 8 months of playtime. I knew they weren't perfect, but once you start editing and playing, things get messed up. I guess I'm just easy to please.

All I ask, if you buy the game, try to have fun with it and not playing it the whole time looking for bugs. I'm sure you'll have more fun in the end. I do at least.

NCAA Football 09 is Here

Thanks to a good friend of mine, I received NCAA Football 09 last night for the XBox 360 a full 4 1/2 days early. Gave it some good play and so far, I'm thoroughly in love with the game. I also loved 2008, but it's college football..in July, what's not to love!

Anyway, I and a few others with the game have been giving impressions on our forums, come check it out. And a comprehensive impressions blog will be going up later in the week. Until then, here's some videos I uploaded to EASportsWorld last night.




4:30 PM Edit - Added the best play I've ever seen in a videogame for football.

10 Good Questions with Mike Snider aka Giggas2

Mike Snider aka Giggas2 aka Harry Potter (you didn't think we'd remember did ya Giggas) is the youngest member of our staff and brings a unique and fresh perspective to the blog. He's posted about gaming as well as a post on Linux that I had to open an online dictionary to understand. He's a "wizard" with a keyboard (sorry bro, I had to do it) as well as with a game controller. Here's 10 Good Questions with Giggas2.

Question 1: Tell us a bit about yourself. How old are ya? What do you do for a living? Are you married, any kids running around, etc?

I'm (newly) 20 years old. Yeah, that sounds too old for me. Currently, I'm a student at college, pursuing a B.S. in Computer Science, with a minor in Math. I also work for the CS Department, proctoring (tending to) labs on campus, along with (apparently) contract work. I'm creating a website for the Political Science department. Anyway, I'm not married, although I've been with my current girlfriend for more than 3 years, and I plan on making that much more than that.

Question 2: How long have you been gaming? First system? First game?

The first game I ever played was probably Super Mario Brothers for the NES, which was my first system. My cousins (4 years older and 7 years older) had gotten bored with it, and gave it to me for Christmas when I was 5. I latched on for dear life to the train and never gave up. In a weird twist, I ended up giving the older cousin my Xbox (original) and the younger cousin the old NES... he said he wanted to play SMB. Cycles, man, it's all in cycles.

Question 3: Favorite game for PS3, XBox360, or Wii?

Wow, what a tough question. Currently, I'm really enjoying LEGO Indiana Jones, but my fav. game for 360 would probably go to Rock Band. It's so varied, along with a constant barrage of DLC. For Wii, it has to be Mario Kart Wii. It's so much fun to pick up and play with a bunch of friends.

Question 4: Favorite Sports game for PS3, XBox360, or Wii?

College Hoops 2k8. Nothing (except NBA 2k8) comes close.

Question 5: Which is your favorite of the next gen systems and why?

360, also, without a doubt. The Wii is fun, yeah. But I get much more playtime out of my 360. I think it's those damn achievements. Plus I'm a member at 360voice.com, and I'm trying to get one of each badge. I'm a stat junkie.

Question 6: Favorite sports teams in each of the major sports

NFL: Jaguars (their great uniforms switched me over when I was 8, great players kept me)
NCAA FB: Virgnia Tech Hokies (how can you not be a Hokie when you grow up in Blacksburg?)
NBA: Washington Wizards (MJ's the man, and when he made his stop in Washington, I figured it was worth staying with)
NCAA BB: Hokies/Radford University Highlanders (still a Hokie, and probably will be until RU gets decent)
MLB: St Louis Cardinals (Big Mac's chase brought me)
NHL: Detroit Red Wings (I was a huge Dominik Hasek fan)

Question 7: Best live sporting event you've ever been too?

I haven't been to all that many, but my favorite (although it's a huge stretch to call it a sporting event) was WWE Armageddon 2007. I went with David Lint and we had a good time. Especially that Four-Way Ladder Tag Team Championship match. What fun!

For "real" sports, I suppose it would have to be when I got to sit in the 7th row and watch MJ on his last hurrah with the Wiz. I think it was against the Hornets, and he single handily put up about 40, and crushed them. To see your childhood idol do that... wow!

Question 8: Favorite athlete of all time?

Wow, that's really tough. I'll give you 3 from each sport, how's that?

Baseball: Big Mac, Pujols, David Eckstein (I dunno, he's just got what I like, moxie)
Football: David Garrard, Byron Leftwich, Ernest Wilford (COME BACK, ERNEST!)
Basketball: MJ, Gilbert Arenas, LeBron James
Hockey: Miroslav Satan, Dominik Hasek, Chris Chelios

Seriously... it's been so long since I followed hockey...

Question 9: What are your other hobbies besides gaming?

I like programming and looking at interesting statistics. Also, I like watching the Food Network and not cooking anything off of it, [adult swim], listening to Weezer (and other good bands, check out my last.fm page: last.fm/user/giggas2), being different, and playing by no one's rules, not even my own.

Question 10: Pete Rose: In or out of the Hall of Fame?

It was way before my time, but yes, I believe he should be in the HoF. Statistically, he should, and that's all that should matter.

E3 2008

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) begins next week and will be once again televised on G4TV. I'm interested to see what Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all have to say and show for the rest of 2008.

Usually there's some big announcements, and with the console race being as tight as it is (between the 360 and PS3 anyway), it should be entertaining to see what the companies have to offer. I'm expecting big things, so I'm also expecting to be disappointed.

I guess we'll see next week. What are you expecting from the show?

Below is the schedule that G4 will be airing (since most of us won't be in attendance), so set those DVR's!

Monday July 14th
1PM ET – Half-hour pre-show followed by the entire Microsoft Press Conference – live and commercial free on-air and online.
6PM ET – EA Press Conference - Live streaming coverage on G4tv.com
7PM ET – Two-hour E3 Preview Show featuring the following DEMOS:

• Fallout 3
• Fable 2
• Halo Wars
• Ghostbusters : The Videogame
• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Tuesday July 15th
12PM ET – Live on-air and online streaming, commercial free coverage of the Nintendo Press conference
2:30PM ET - Live on-air and online streaming, commercial free coverage of the Sony Press conference
5:30PM ET – Ubisoft Press Conference - Live streaming coverage on G4tv.com
6:00PM ET– Live three hour E308 Special featuring the following DEMOS:

• Gears of War 2
• Resistance 2
• Killzone 2
• Rock Band 2
• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
• Prince of Persia
• Street Fighter IV
• Lord of the Rings: Conquest
• Dark Void

7:30PM ET – CAPCOM Press Conference - Live streaming coverage on G4tv.com
11:30PM ET – ACTIVISION Press Conference - Streaming coverage on G4tv.com

Wednesday July 16th
5:30PM ET - KONAMI Press Conference - Live streaming coverage on G4tv.com
6PM ET – Live three hour E308 Special featuring the following DEMOS:

• Resident Evil 5
• FarCry 2
• LittleBigPlanet
• Dead Space
• Spore
• InFamous
• Mercenaries 2: World in Flames
• Left 4 Dead
• Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe
• Crysis: Warhead
• Shaun White Snowboarding
• Deadly Creatures

Thursday, July 17th
6PM ET – Live three hour E308 Special featuring the following DEMOS:

• Mirror's Edge
• Madden NFL '09
• Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.
• Tom Clancy's EndWar
• Project Origin
• Banjo Kazooie
• Face Breaker

Friday, July 18th
7PM ET – Attack of the Show E3 Wrap-up Special
8PM ET – X-Play “Best of E3” Special

Free Rosters for NCAA Football 09

NCAA Football 09 "officially" hits stores on July 15th. Some of you, well, many of you will find the game early as NCAA Football mania has begun. People are calling stores, harassing Walmart employees, and scouring the Internet for any store that may release the game a day or 2 early. With that, this year's version of the game will have the EA Locker feature where you will be able to easily download rosters from any user.

Many out there are going to try to charge you for rosters. Why? The answer is, simply don't pay them. Rosters and should be free, especially now with the easy to use EA Locker. People who are charging for the rosters, making profit off the names of the players could eventually ruin it for all of us. The NCAA doesn't pay the athletes who play the real game, I don't think they want anyone, besides themselves that is, profiting off the players.

With that being said, below is a flyer to read and print out, hand them out in line at Gamestop while waiting for the game. Or give them to Gamestop's to hand out themselves. It's simple, don't pay for rosters! Also following the flyer is an interview that Shaun Hough conducted with the man behind the free roster movement, Victor Vasquez AKA Fairdale Kings.

And now for the interview. Thanks Shaun for doing this, we as a community appreciate it.

20 QUESTIONS WITH FAIRDALE KINGS

There are two kinds of sports gamers. The first is what we call the casual gamer. The second is what is known in the community as the hardcore gamer. This article is probably going to appeal to the latter. As a hardcore gamer we all are always looking for ways to make our games more realistic, whether it’s adjusting sliders or naming our rosters so that instead of hearing “#28 runs for a TD!” we hear “Wells runs for a TD!”. Who amongst us really wants to look at rows of endless numbers when we can see the real players in our game? The fact is that most of us love having the real players in our game but don’t love the process of inputting the thousands of names to get those names into our games. Well that is where Fairdale Kings comes in. If you’re a member of the NCAA community and you do NOT enjoy spending days on end typing in countless names, but you do enjoy playing with said names, then you no doubt have heard of the name Fairdale Kings when it comes to rosters for the NCAA football series.

As one of the premier roster makers in the community I have personally known Fairdale for a few years. Like many of you I thought he just bought the game, input the rosters and that was that. There is a lot more to it than that though (as you will see). There is a lot of preparation and behind the scenes things that go on that I found fascinating as I got to know Victor better. I recently sat down with Fairdale Kings, real name Victor Vasquez, and did some Q&A so that the community could get to know the man and the process behind the rosters just a little bit better. I’d like to express my personal appreciation for Victor agreeing to spend the time in this interview to kind of pull back the curtain for the community and let us learn more about the roster creation and distribution process.

A little background before we begin 20 questions though. The first part of Victor’s nickname that we all know him by, Fairdale Kings, comes from the fact that he hails from Fairdale, Kentucky, a small city in southern Louisville. The second part of that nickname comes from the fact that in NCAA there was always a generic team in the Create-a-Team mode called the Kings. Combine those and you have Fairdale Kings. He’s 34, has been married for eight years and has two children (both fans of NCAA by the way!). He not only is a fan of Louisville on Saturdays, he also graduated last year with a Bachelors degree in English. He is still attending Louisville and working toward a degree in education. And Victor doesn’t just play football on his Xbox; he’s also been an Assistant High School football coach for the past 14 years. And in an interesting note about his high school coaching career: he coached current NFL player and Cincinnati Bengal fullback Jeremi Johnson, a fact which I found really interesting. And now that you have a little bit of background on Fairdale Kings we can begin our 20 questions.

Where did you come up with the name Fairdale Kings?

I've been using the FAIRDALE KINGS moniker online since 2002. The name originated from the Create-a-Team days on Madden and/or NCAA Football. There was always a generic team named the KINGS... so I took my hometown Fairdale and always created the Fairdale Kings. That name carried over and became my online persona.

Why do you do the rosters?

I do the rosters for myself. I can NOT play an NCAA Football game without having every player named. It's a bonus that I am able to share the rosters with the community.

When did you first complete an entire roster set and do you recall if you distributed that set to the NCAA community?

I began editing players on NCAA Football 99 during the original PlayStation era. I remember you could save 12 teams to each roster file. I think that I had ten memory cards full of roster files. I would share all my hard work with my buddies and they would share the roster files with their friends at college. With the debut of NCAA Football 2003 on the Xbox console I began distributing my roster file to the NCAA community.

How long before the game is actually out do you start the process of preparing to do the rosters?

I begin preparing for the rosters in early May.... two full months before the game actually releases. This year I have collected a spring media guide with roster information for all 120 Division I-A football teams. I try to get access to the same type of resources that EA will be using to formulate their roster base. That information is usually taken directly from the spring rosters.

Do you write, call and/or email the schools and ask for information?

In the past I've actually had to email some schools and request spring media guides, rosters and depth charts. This year I was given press credentials to use the official football media website and access to all 120 Division I-A spring media guides.

How do guides like Phil Steele’s and Athlon’s figure into your rosters, if at all?

I purchase all seven regional magazines that Athlon Sports releases every year as well as purchasing the national editions released by Phil Steele, Lindy's and Athlon. I use these annual magazines to compliment the spring media guides that are issued by each team. I try to use as many resources as possible to my advantage.

How early do you typically get the game and do you get it from EA directly?

I typically receive the game one week before the “official” release date. I actually received NCAA Football 06 directly from EA because I was a member of the community leader's program. Recently I haven't heard anything from anyone associated with EA.

Do you play the game at all during the creation of the rosters process?

I will not play the game at all until I have completed the roster process. Once I am in the lab and begin working on the rosters I am in the zone and I have one goal... name every player on the roster file.

What do you believe is the toughest part of doing the rosters?

Probably the sleep deprivation. I will work almost non-stop for four or five days before I begin to crash.

Do you ever edit attributes and/or equipment in addition to names?

The only thing that I edit is the names. My objective is to accurately name the default rosters. I will edit one player's equipment for the sole purpose of identifying my roster file and making it unique. This Easter egg is then shared with the various NCAA community leaders.

How do you prepare your work area for the roster input week? Do you buy a lot of Mountain Dew and snacks? Do you do anything special for your room setup in general?

I do make a few special arrangements to the lab. The most important thing is that I have to be comfortable. I edit the rosters on a 42” HDTV and usually have a 32” HDTV that I play movies on. Those late nights can become very long and the movies prevent me from going crazy. During those really long nights I drink a few cups of coffee.

What do your wife and kids do during the time you are working on the rosters?

They stay as far away from me as possible. (LOL) My wife is pretty understanding and she usually takes the kids outside to play. They will spend a lot of time in the swimming pool, too. For four or five days I'm isolated from the world including my family.

Related to the last question what do they think of you spending all of this time on a video game?

My wife has always been very supportive of my love for the NCAA Football series. My eight year-old son loves playing NCAA Football, too. During the process of inputting player names he will always ask me, “Are you almost finished, dad?” He's dying to use the rosters just like the rest of the NCAA gaming community.

Do you still get joy out of doing this or is it more of a "habit" because you're "the roster guy" and it’s expected from you by the NCAA community?

I love editing rosters. I would not put forth so much time if I did not enjoy what I was doing. If it ever became a job I'm not sure that I would do it anymore. Regardless if anyone else ever used my rosters I would be putting forth the same effort for my own personal roster file.

Do you ever feel like giving up and simply not finishing? What keeps you going?

With over ten years of experience editing rosters I have never felt the urge to give up or quit. I can not play the game without knowing the name of each player. That motivation drives me to complete the process of typing in over 8,000 player names. The joy that I feel when I can finally play the game each year is unreal.

About how many total hours from start to finish do you guesstimate that you put in on the rosters in regards to actually physically typing them into the 360? And what is the most hours in a row do you recall that you’ve ever just sit and typed the rosters in?

I will physically type in player names for 80-120 hours. On average it usually takes twenty minutes to name every player for one team. If I can edit a team in fifteen minutes I am in the zone. During the course of editing rosters for NCAA Football '07 I actually edited rosters for twenty-eight hours straight. I actually completed the rosters four days before the game was “officially” released that year.

From hearing the same NCAA menu music all the time do you ever get to the point where you are humming the songs without even realizing it?

The very first thing that I do is turn all menu music OFF. Those songs will wear on you if you have to listen to them over and over again.

If someone doesn’t have the Internet at home, how does that person get the rosters for his 360/PS3?

If you do not have the equipment to download rosters from the internet or if you don't have access to the EA Locker there are still options available. You can mail your memory card to me and I will transfer the rosters to the memory card OR you can purchase a memory card directly from me.

About how many memory cards would you say you process each year?

I processed over 1,500 memory cards last year. From that number probably one-third was memory cards purchased directly from me. My local post office loves me.

Is there an estimated time frame this summer for your rosters to release?

I hope to have my rosters completed by the July 15th release date. Of course, that will depend on whether or not I receive an early copy of the game again this year. That is never a guarantee. For the past three years I've been lucky and my contacts have made sure that I've had the game early. I'm keeping my fingers crossed this year.

Have you ever heard from EA about your rosters or your work on their product?

No. I have never had any contact with anybody employed by EA. I would love to visit Tiburon Studios in Orlando and talk to the producers and play the early version of the game. My old website had over 20,000 registered members and I leaked information on the game before any other site and yet I could never receive an invite to a Community Leader's Day. I envy those guys that play the early build of the game.

You have a new website, can you tell us a little bit about it and its status? Can people go there now and sign up yet?

The new website is Fairdale-Kings.com and I will be continuously updating the site until NCAA Football '09 is released on July 15th. The site will provide relevant information regarding how to acquire rosters this summer. In the past everyone has downloaded my rosters using a Datel Transfer Kit or used the memory card method. This year EA has incorporated the EA Locker method. Beginning this year you can enter my Xbox Live gamertag, FAIRDALE KINGS, and access my roster files through the EA server. It has never been easier to enjoy my rosters for exhibition games, dynasty mode or competing online.

Do you have anything in general you want to say to the community?

I just want to thank the community for their continued support over the years. I also want to remind everyone to update their bookmarks and add Fairdale-Kings.com to your list of favorites. REMEMBER: There are free roster services available. Don't be misled by individuals that charge $20 to mail-in a memory card or to download rosters created by myself. I'm always glad to accept a donation for my time but there are no hidden charges or fees to obtaining my rosters. FAIRDALE KINGS is the trusted name concerning free NCAA Football rosters every year. I look forward to seeing many of you on the virtual gridiron again this year.

In closing, one of WNR's close friends, PastaPadre has already completed his rosters and placed them in the EA Locker. So whenever you get the game, no matter who's rosters you use, they will already be out there.

Good luck hunting the game down!

Not Your Typical Superhero

Will Smith's latest July blockbuster, "Hancock", hit theaters last week to a monster opening of over $100 million dollars. Once again proving why Will Smith owns the July 4th holiday weekend with previous hits like "Men in Black", "Independence Day", etc. So, the question remains, is it good? I saw it Saturday night, so I can try to answer that question.

First off, this is not your typical superhero movie, as Hancock is not your typical superhero. He doesn't want to be a hero, nor does he really care about what he does. Now he does put people behind bars and saves innocent people's lives, but at what cost?

The first scene in the film is Hancock chasing down 3 criminals. With the capture and arrest, he causes millions of dollars of damage to the city. The people of Los Angeles hate him, the media hates him, and it seems like Hancock hates himself. This is pretty much what was expected, but how it's played out is done well to give you that feeling.

This all changes once he gets a public relations guy in Jason Bateman. Bateman's character has the goal of changing the public perception of Hancock, and making him a liked superhero like the fictitious Superman or Batman. I know what you are thinking, Hancock is fictitious as well, but hear me out. As this goes on, "Hancock" is pretty much a comedy. I had a lot of good laughs in the first hour of the movie. Making the first two acts very enjoyable, funny, and fast paced. Then something changes and the problems pop up.

It's almost as if two writers wrote this movie. The third act begins, and the tone changes. The movie becomes much more serious, and dark, and this is what leads to the films biggest issues. There's no real way to end the movie with the direction it was going, so they did okay with the tone change, but it was still abrupt to me. It's almost as if the movie was confused on what it wanted to be. Is it a comedy or a drama/action film? I still don't know but lead more towards the comedy side as it worked better during those times of the film. There's a scene during the credits that puts it back into the comedy vein, but it didn't save it. I can't give away too much without giving away major plot details, when you see it, you will see what I mean.

"Hancock", through all that, was still enjoyable. Not nearly as bad as some early previews stated, and not as good as I expected when the first trailers hit, but still a solid summer flick. I would give it a 3/5 as a review score, but could see it going to a 4/5 after a few viewings.

I recommend seeing it as there are some classic lines in this movie, without spoiling, the train scene and the bully scene. Not to mention the scene during the credits, listen closely to Hancock's name being called. Not many caught that one, but I laughed out loud. So, if you want a fun ride before the new Batman movie hits theaters, check it out. He's not Batman by any means, he's an entirely new take on a superhero, which to me helps the movie overall. It's a quick 90 minutes, just with a lousy third act.

If you see it, let me know what you think. Am I off base or spot on?

Happy Independence Day

The Staff at WNR would like to wish you and yours a happy Independence Day. Enjoy the picnics, fireworks, and BBQ's and please be safe out there.

We'll return on Monday.

(Editor's note - Thanks to Dave Roberts, I wanted to add a video for today as well)

10 Good Questions with John Enoch aka JohhnyTheSkin

John Enoch aka JohnnytheSkin is perhaps the most diverse of all the writers for WNR. While my focus for WNR is strictly gaming, John has written about everything from DS games to Brazillian Steakhouses. He's been a welcome addition to the staff and brings a diverse background as well. Here's 10 Good Questions with JohnnytheSkin.

Question 1: Tell us a bit about yourself. How old are ya? What do you do for a living? Are you married, any kids running around, etc?

I'm 26 and for the last three years have been a stay-at-home dad. After graduating with a Civil Engineering degree from small Division II Colorado School of Mines. I worked for a time as a Field Engineer with the Kansas Department of Transportation but left due to financial constraints and witnessing nine terrible fatalities that will haunt me forever. During the ensuing job hunt, my wife found a fantastic job and since we wanted someone home to raise the runt, I took up the task.

I've been married six years this past May to my wonderful wife [or as some kindly call my "sugar mama"] Sarah whom I met in the most romantic of places, Physics lab. We have a four and a half year old boy genius named John, the fourth in my family line...though not a "fourth". There just wasn't enough money for him to inherit.

I've also moved way too much in my life, first as a military brat and four times in the last three years. We've finally settled into a suburb of Saint Paul, MN and feel "home".

Question 2: How long have you been gaming? First system? First game?

While I started gaming on my dad's old Atari 2600, my first system was the Nintendo Entertainment System, which I received for Christmas in 1986 while we were overseas in Turkey. I played the pack-in 'Super Mario Bros. & Duck Hunt' for way too long, along with the subsequent sequels and the Castlevania series.

Question 3: Favorite game for PS3, XBox360, or Wii?

It's a toss-up for me between 'Mass Effect' on 360 and 'Uncharted: Drake's Fortune' for PS3. I've always loved BioWare's RPG's despite their glitches and problems, and the sci-fi yarn of a planned trilogy had me hooked from the start. I've also gone through it twice to see both endings and will tackle a third playthrough before the sequel.

'Uncharted' frankly blew me away with the animations, story, and graphics. Even with the Naughty Dog pedigree, the game still managed to surprise.

Question 4: Favorite Sports game for PS3, XBox360, or Wii?

'NHL 08' hands down. I wasn't a fan of the Skill Stick when it was first introduced in 07, in 08 however, it just felt natural. The AI played a pretty good game of hockey requiring actual knowledge of the sport and the inclusion of the AHL made franchise play amazingly deep. The best addition however was "Online Team Play" or OTP. Playing 3v3 with friends (and the brief 6v6 after a patch) is the most fun I've ever had online bar none.

Question 5: Which is your favorite of the next gen systems and why?

I'm tempted to say the Playstation 3 due to my love of Blu-ray and backwards compatibility with a nod towards current and future exclusives, I have to vote for the 360. I never took my gaming online until I purchased the 360, so playing online sports and shooters was a new and enjoyable experience...except with randoms. The single player games like the aforementioned 'Mass Effect', 'BioShock', and 'Oblivion' were all time suckers and I bought all the multi-system games for the 360 for the ease of voice chat and Xbox Live.

My Gamertag "JohnnytheSkin" comes from a nickname my buddy and future best man gave me when we were back in college, as I would shave my head in order to save a few bucks. Not for books or tuition, however...

Question 6: Favorite sports teams in each of the major sports?

As a military brat I kind of take license to pick teams from across the country, so I have to explain:

NFL: My favorite team is the Denver Broncos as I grew up there from late elementary school through college, so it was my hometown team. I also follow the San Francisco 49ers as the first football game I readily recall was Super Bowl XXIII, watching Joe Montana lead his team on that spectacular fourth quarter drive for the game winning touchdown.

NBA: The San Antonio Spurs as I was/am a HUGE fan of David Robinson for both his on and off court actions.

NHL: The Colorado Avalanche from the moment they touched down in Denver after leaving Quebec. Super Joe and St. Patrick were Gods in the metro area for a while.

MLB: I like the Colorado Rockies for the "hometown" reason though I'm pissed that they finally had success after I was long gone. I also follow the Cleveland Indians only because of the 'Major League' movies. The fact that I paid enough attention to see them become winners after being lovable losers was pretty cool.

Question 7: Best live sporting event you've ever been too?

Not sure if it was the "best" but it's certainly my most memorable. My dad and I went to a Broncos preseason game against the Colts in the early '90s, back when the team still had their orange jerseys. The seats were about 20 rows back off the 30 yard line. The only negative was that it started pouring and we were in the concourse at the old Mile High when the Broncos scored the game's only touchdown. All we got for our sopping wet blue money was a couple more field goals in a low scoring game.

Question 8: Favorite athlete of all time?

"This one's for John"

John Elway, one of the top three quarterbacks of all time. Watching an entire city rally around a player, and then having his team FINALLY win the big one in a game where his helicopter spin for a first down was immediately seared into the minds of every viewer. The fact that he didn't play that great and Terrell Davis won the game notwithstanding. The fact that they repeated as champs the next year, with Elway winning MVP, cemented him as my favorite athlete of all time. Him going out on top, to the land of car dealerships and high priced steakhouses, was well deserved.

Question 9: What are your other hobbies besides gaming?

I'm an avid home theater buff and as some of you may know, I have a terrible track record with HDTVs. Not that they were cheap displays, I'm just the one in the 2 - 5% failure rate. It's actually amazing that I've only had one 360 die. I'm also a huge flim fan and my wife and I watch numerous movies as well as TV dramas like 'Lost' and 'Heroes'.

Other hobbies include cooking, grilling, reading graphic novels and sci-fi/fantasy. I'm also a political junkie who has seen his politics drift from the hard right in college to independent left after the birth of my son.

Question 10: Pete Rose: In or out of the Hall of Fame?

No. Despite the stats, the fact that he bet on baseball while managing the Reds is inexcusable...even if he never bet against his team. The fact that he came clean after 15 years of repeated denials only makes the admission worse, as it's an attention grabbing headline meant to elicit sympathy.

I also think there's no place for modern day cheats like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens in the Hall either. "Steroid Era" or not, to deny and defame your accusers while the evidence mounts is cowardly and should not be rewarded. Keep your inflated stats and records, but stay out of the hallowed Hall.

The Deadliest Snore... er Catch

I have to admit. Every Tuesday, I set my VCR (yes - no TiVO or DVR yet in my place) to tape one of my favorite reality shows around, Deadliest Catch. To me, there is nothing like watching an hour of people going through torture, battling the elements, and hauling in crabs. I can thank my dad for turning me onto the show. But it seems that with every show or movie that comes out, a video game is not too far behind. Sure enough, I saw an advertisement for the "Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm" video game.

My first reaction was "cool". It would seem to be a change of pace from the world of role playing games, first person shooters, and sports games that fill my lineup. I mean, what could be better than fishing for crabs, right? And the day I picked up my copy, it was the last one on the shelf - which in my mind means one of two things - a) it's a sleeper, big hit game, or b) they only ordered one, and I am the sucker buying it. Sad to say, I came to the conclusion that it was the latter.

To start with, I thought the game would have the "big guys" that you see across the screen on TV. Sure, there's the Northwestern, piloted by the (famous?) Sig Hansen, and the Corniela Marie with the "big man" Phil Harris (if your not a viewer of the show - these names are probably meaningless to you). But that was about it. I was disappointed to find no Time Bandit nor the Hillstrand brothers anywhere in the game. There are three other boats, that to me, I never even heard of. However, you can edit any of the ships to different colors, or names that you wish. (I just wish they had a size and shape editor- that too was lacking).

Well, I could live with that. But how is the "nuts and bolts" of the game?

I would have to say this game turned out to be as exciting as watching your front lawn grow. In the several attempts to actually enjoy the game, I found myself falling asleep at the helm. In one word, it's TEDIOUS! They first start you out on some tutorial missions. One of them, you have to race another ship to the entrance of the harbor. WOW! Imaging two crab boats racing at top speed of 5 knots (and yes, they do go that fast in the game). It took me about 15 minutes to complete that. UGH! Other missions, they show you how to plot your course and "plant your strings". But it gets complicated. Now mind you, the only thing basically you do in the game is pilot the ship - THAT'S IT! The computer handles the launching of the pots and the other chores on your boat. You simply steer, and command your crew to be ready. Exciting, isn't it?

Not for me, thanks! I never even got the chance to start a season yet (which you actually unlock once you complete the tutorial missions), nor face the furry of the Berring Sea. Alaskan Storm has already sailed back to the shelves of a local GameStop.

This game did have potential. But I think potential left the building as soon as the idea was pitched for the game. If crab fishing was this boring, how did they get a TV show? I would only recommend this game if a) you enjoy watching nothing for hours, b) have nothing better to do for a day, or c) have nothing else better to spend your money on.

XBox 360 DRM Tool Released

Finally, Microsoft has released the XBox 360 DRM tool. If you don't know what that is, well, I'll explain.

When you download games and videos from XBox Live, they are tied to your gamertag. Now when your 360 dies (and it will at some point), the licenses for those items don't carry over to your new system, as they are also tied to the system ID. So if you aren't connected to XBox Live, you can only play a demo of a game you may already own, or if you have a second account (as I have my wife on my 360), she can't play the games at all unless I'm also logged in (and for some games, that's not possible).

So today, Microsoft finally released the DRM (Digital Rights Management) tool. I just used it, took less than 5 minutes and all the licenses are now tied to my new 360. Make sure when you start the process that you are also on your 360, as it goes much quicker. You will have to re-download anything you didn't already have the license for, which shouldn't take too long, as I'm only going to re-download when I need to, but it's nice to know that every game, movie, tv show, etc are now all tied to my newest 360. One final note, this can only be done once per year, which is about the rate of my 360's dying, so that's ok with me as well.

Good luck!