Migs Created a Blog...How Cute!

Miguel, the whipping boy over at Advanced Media Network, has created his own little blog. It's nice to see people around the world, Honduras in Miguel's case, carving out their own little space in the internet; but this place is destined to become a bastion of tomfoolery and unintentional humor. Visitors to the blog will probably experience a range of emotions, inlcuding (but not limited to): joy, frustration, happiness, love, anger, sadness, elation, confusion, melancholy, beef steak, hate, and shock.

I've added a link in the sidebar to this blog that is destined for fame. Who knows, another Reirom might be in the making...

80 days until E3

Wow, it's less than 3 months until E3 2006. I have received my media badge confirmation and I'm just waiting for the actual badge to show up in the mail. It's going to be great to meet up with the Advanced Media Network staff once more to cover another E3 show. It's too bad our handheld director, Miguel Yanez, and a few other staffers will be at home during the show, but somebody needs to manage the homefront, right Migs?

There is a Sony conference today that will discuss some PS3 news, so hopefully we get a little bit of advance info on what we can expect from E3. As for Nintendo, Revolution demos are supposed to be playable by show time. The big hitters like EA, Activision, Ubisoft, and Capcom are all expected to have Revolution demos ready as well.

Well, in 80 days I'll pack up my DS (Lite), PSP, digital camera, camcorder, and plenty of clean undies to head for Los Angeles.

Killer of a deal on a PSP

Last summer I ended up selling my launch PSP when I realized I never played the thing. I was lucky enough to sell it for the same amount I bought it for, so I figured I could wait to pick up another when either a price drop hit or good software was available. Well, the other day a deal came by that was too good to pass up. For a REALLY cheap price, I was able to score the following:

-Sony PSP Value Pack
-1 gig Pro Duo Memory Stick
-Sony PSP Official Carrying Case
-Ridge Racer
-Lumines
-Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
-Burnout Legends
-Virtua Tennis
-Exit
-Street Fighter Alpha 3 Max w dpad attachment
-Daxter Demo Disc
-U2: Rattle and Hum Movie UMD
-Gripshift (free w/ Rattle and Hum as a bonus)

While I'm sure I'll still be playing my DS far more than the PSP, I'm glad to finally have both handhelds again. The PSP is a great little machine, I just wish a more solid lineup could present itself. There are some gems in the library, but the gap between high quality releases is a bit frustrating (not to mention that half of the releases are upgraded or downgraded ports). Still, there are some upcoming releases that really interest me, including: Gradius Portable, Daxter, Mega Man Powered Up, Ghosts 'n Goblins, and the Powerstone Collection.

Tips for Being a Cheap Gamer

With the release of the Xbox 360 we're seeing a rise in prices for games, accessories, services, and hardware. There isn't any reason to think that the trend will be cut short with the release of the PS3 either. So, if you are an avid gamer, but also budget-minded, I'll provide a few tips on how you can stretch your gaming dollars enough to afford the games you really want.

Buy Online
By shopping online you may not get the game the exact day it's released, but you can usually find a site that will be offering the game for $5-$10 cheaper than in a store. Ebay really is a great place for buying from discount sellers as well. Many eBay sellers buy in bulk and sell their games for a cheaper price than the stores. You can also avoid paying sales tax by shopping online too.

Sell Used Stuff Online - Don't Trade Games In
Unless your store is offering great trade-in deals, you will really make a lot more money unloading your older games if you sell them online. The best places to list your stuff are on half.com, ebay.com, or amazon.com. Usually you can make 3-5 times the amount selling your games online than you can trading them in. Selling games in bundles helps to drive up the price as well. However, if you have rare games, sell those separately to get the max value of each one.

Classifieds
Classifieds are great for saving money on gaming hardware and software. Often times people will be willing to sell their stuff cheaply because they need some quick cash. Certain classifieds will also have people looking to trade games straight across for other titles. I've swapped titles straight across with users from IGN, Advanced Media Network, and the Gaming Age. Trades allow you to break even when unloading a used game in favor for another one.

Buy Used
Many people don't like to buy used games simply for the fact that the case is covered in price tags and stickers from the used game dealer. However, these are easy to get off with the help of either Undu or Goo Gone. You can pick up these products at any local Wal-Mart, Target, etc. Once you've taken of the stickers, a used game is no different than if you bought it new and you've saved anywhere from $15-$25.

Here's a pic of Undu for an example:



Focus on Your Backlog
Before getting every new game that releases, try to get through your backlog of games. By the time you are finishing up the games you already own, those new releases usually have dropped in price $5-$10. It's not always easy waiting to pick up a new game, but you'll get used to it after a little while. Obviously there are certain titles you just can't wait to pick up...

Jump in Late
If you wait for 6 months to get into the next-generation of consoles, you'll be able to get most of what you want used or discounted. By waiting just a little while, you can find used systems, usually with the same warranty as a new one, and the launch titles are half the price that they were when the system launched. This is harder than waiting for the newest games, but the patience pays off. If you absolutely must buy your consoles/handhelds new, you might be lucky enough to catch a price drop by the six month mark.

CAG
Most gamers that buy stuff online knows about CAG. This site is constantly posting online coupons and information on hot deals for videogames. Use this site as a resource when you are looking to pick up some new equipment.

Here's the link: CAG

Patience
The last tip is pretty simple: be patient. Don't be afraid of waiting a couple of days to pick something up. Shop around and find the best deal or wait for price drops. With the rising costs of gaming, it's important to save a few bucks wherever you can.

Good luck, and happy deal hunting.

82 days until E3

I haven't been so geeked up for an E3 show for quite some time. To make the wait harder, I'll be posting random countdown posts up until the conferenced begin on Tuesday, May 9th. This year is going to be huge as both Sony and Nintendo will be letting gamers demo their new consoles.

Not much is known about the Nintendo Revolution, and it doesn't look like Nintendo is all that eager to say much before E3 hits. There might be some little tidbits dropped here and there about the console, but most likely it won't be until Nintendo's E3 press conference until we get the bulk of the details laid out.

Sony's PlayStation 3 still has a lot of unanswered questions as well. There has been several tech demos and concept renders released, but we still haven't seen any actual gameplay trailers. There are rumors flying around about what sort of online service Sony will unveil; many think it will be similar to Xbox Live.

The Nintendo DS should also have a huge E3 showing. Last year was big, but Nintendo will be rolling out the big titles just in time for this year's show. We should get to see near-final versions of the new Super Mario Bros (if it doesn't release by then), Pokemon, Zelda, and hopefully some new surprises.

Just 82 more days...

DS Rom Cartridge

When publishers send out advanced copies of games for either review or preview, they often arrive in the for of rom cartridges. For those of you that might be interested in what they look like, here's a couple of pictures of the Super Monkey Ball Touch & Roll cartridge.

Going to Alaska in August

This summer I'll be heading to Alaska with my dad and brother for a fly-fishing trip. It will be my third time to Alaska, and the fifth for my dad and brother. We fly out to Anchorage on the 11th of August and we'll be there for 10 days. There are few things as exciting as catching salmon on fly rods or flying out to a remote lake where there are millions of fish in crystal clear water.

Here are a few pictures from the last trip:

Losing weight...

Ok, so I've decided that I need to drop about 15 pounds. My goal is pretty simple: lose 15 pounds and keep it off by May. By giving myself so much time I should be able to lose the weight safely and I figure if I can keep it off by forming good habits in that time period.

To make this goal I'm just cutting back on calories and getting regular workouts in. Thankfully my wife is going to be helping along the way...

Here's a picture taken a couple of weeks ago:


In May I'll post a new picture for comparison.

Shadow of the Colossus

I just finished Shadow of the Colossus yesterday and it was a great gaming experience. In fact, had I managed to get my hands on this game last year, it would of had a legit shot at competing for my GOTY. The game is definitely in my top 10 for the PS2.

A few times the camera irked me, and so did some of the controls, but the frustrations were easily drowned out by the jaw-dropping overall experience. The art direction was amazing and the design of the colossi was superb. I just wish that the colors could have been a bit more rich and vibrant, but the washy look did add to the almost dreamlike feeling I had while playing.

I loved how at times I felt guilty for killing off the colossi. Right from the beginning I felt wrong about killing a creature that was just seemingly minding its own, but at other times I couldn't wait to bury my sword into those colossi one more time.

The ending was very interesting. I won't go into details since I don't want to spoil anything, but I've been inspired to go pick up ICO again. I had it once, but when I sold my first PS2 sold on eBay I traded it in thinking it would be quite a while before I got another system.

Anyway, if for some reason any of you are reading this post and haven't picked the game up...DO IT NOW! Don't bother renting, just buy it. Sure, it's short, but you WILL play it multiple times and time attack will extend the the length of this game significantly.

This game is a true masterpiece.

A web site guranteed to make you smile...

If you were a kid in either the '70s, '80s, or '90s, there really isn't a better web site to be found than Retro Junk (http://retrojunk.com), to bring back tons of memories. Retro Junk hosts videos from TV commercials, movies, and TV Show intros ranging from popular to obscure. The site is updated regularly and accepts submissions from site vistors.

Take a look, I managed to waste nearly an hour watching intros from shows like Thundercats, Voltron, Mr. Wizard's World, and classic TV commercials for old toys, games, and food.