Back Playin' Black

Ninja Gaiden Black is undoubtedly one of the finest action games ever created. Sure, it has some downfalls, such as screwy platforming elements and some cheap attacks, but for the most part it's pure action gaming goodness. I've been playing it again on my 360 (it's not that badly supported) and I realized that this game plays, looks, and feels better than 90% of what is currently being considered "next-gen."





The game is a true example of what a developer can achieve if they are willing to take some pride in their work and take the time necessary to fully take advantage of a system's hardware. I really can't wait to see how Ninja Gaiden 2 turns out, I just wish they'd put crap like DOAX 2 on the backburner for a while to get NG2 out first.

Does everybody remember how when the initial screenshots were released that many people were claiming that the screens were doctored or not real-time? I couldn't believe how beautiful the game was the first time I fired it up (original Ninja Gaiden, and later Black) on my Xbox. I was even more surprised to see how well it held a high framerate.





For anybody that's been hesitant to give this game a go on the 360, it's fully playable and still really fun. During this release drought, and boy is it going to be a long one, there isn't really anything better to play if you haven't experienced this game. Summer is a great time to tackle your backlog or revisit old favorites, make sure to include Ninja Gaiden Black in your lists.

It's easier to put a DS Lite into your pocket than a turkey sandwich!

In my latest special for DS Advanced, I took Nintendo's popular handheld system, the DS Lite, and compared its thickness to many common objects. The story plays out like a gameshow where you can post your score at the end. There is one little bonus item, however. On the 3rd page of the article, there is a video that compares how much easier it is to put a DS Lite into your pocket than a turkey sandwich. Go, see the results!

Click the image to read the story:

World Cup Fever

Even though the United States came out flat in their first World Cup match against the Czech Republic, I still have the World Cup Fever. I can't help but to track each game online or watch every minute when I'm home. So far it's been a great start and it should make for a fantastic tournament. There seems to be a lot of great teams this year, so Brazil won't have it quite as easy as some people are expecting.

The United States is taking on Italy this Saturday and it should be a great match. I fully expect the US to come out with a chip on their shoulder. Italy is a really good team, but I have a feeling that the US is just a bit more desperate and hungry. Hopefully that translates to a win.

Boycott Blockbuster!

For all two of you that read my blog, it's time that we all join in and boycott Blockbuster. Since I've been pretty weary of Xbox 360 releases, I decided to rent a couple of games before taking the $60 plunge. I dropped by Hollywood Video, my normal rental store of choice, but they had been really picked over and I wasn't about to rent Amped 3, the only thing still on the shelf.

I decided to drop by Blockbuster, a store I already pretty much despise, to see if I'd have any better luck there. Well, to my surprise their shelves were fully stocked, so I picked a couple of games out. When I got up to pay the two games came out to be $17.50 to rent. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It costs $8.75 to rent a single game? I asked the guy behind the counter why the price was so high and he just shrugged his shoulders and said that's the new thing.

Well enough of that crap. I'm done with Blockbuster forever. I refuse to pay 1/5 the price of a game only to have it for 5 days. To make things worse, it's due back before noon on the due date. Who in the world can get to a Blockbuster Video before noon? Don't they realize that people work? What happened to the late PM return time? Basically it's a ploy to get people trapped into late fees. Either you drop it off the day before, take an early lunch, or you get stuck paying the late fee because you have a life. It's a dirty tactic to reap another couple of dollars per rental...simply ridiculous.

So, don't go to Blockbuster. Go anywhere else. Hollywood Video, Netflix, Gamefly, and local independent video stores are probably going to kill of Blockbuster in the end, let's help them speed up the process.