Dare to Play the Game
Posted in: Dare to Play the Game, News and Opinions by Michael Durr on November 1st, 2006
A shortage, some Arm Wrestling & feeling that Road Rash – Welcome to the Halloween candy that is missing its wrapper known as Dare to Play the Game.
Welcome to another edition of Dare to Play the Game. I’m your host that wants a woman, not some little girl who had grow up in daddy’s little world. Yeah cause those little girls get me in trouble. Anyhow, how are you folks. I’m writing this on halloween and I tell ya I already had 7 kids and I’m outta candy. *light off*. …very other year, I’ve had like 2-4 kids tops if any. Of course daddy doesn’t have a date for halloween and I just sit around twiddling my thumbs.
Ode To Morgan Webb
Morgan in a nice red top and some kicking jeans. I think I actually have jeans like that. Well mine aren’t that tight. And I don’t look particually cute and sexy in mine. If people are looking at me all in my jeans, its probably so they pick me out of a lineup in case of an “accident”. I wonder if there is a contest out there “Win a date with Morgan”…I think in the disclaimers though they would find some way to rule me out from entering.
Quick news stories of interest
Japan gets even fewer units.
What’s worse than 100,000 units at launch? How about 80,000? The Nikkei Keizai Shimbun morning edition reports today that due to component shortages, Sony will have only 80,000 units ready for the PS3’s 11/11 Japanese launch. This cuts back by a fifth the initial launch target of 100,000.
The lack of digits in that number is even more staggering when you consider that the PS2 sold out of nearly a million units when it launched back in March of 2000.
Having lived through a few weeks of attempting to obtain a PS3 pre-order, we’re not too surprised by the lowered shipping numbers. Allocations disappeared quickly at online retailers that were brave enough to start pre-order programs. The online arm of media retailer Tsutaya ran out of units in 6 minutes according to Nikkei.
Mainichi Interactive reports today that Sony, anticipating potential PlayStation 3 shortages for the year-end sales season, has come up with a means of keeping from missing out on potential sales. In place of actual systems, potential PS3 owners in Japan will be able to purchase a voucher guaranteeing a system early next year.
As far as we can tell, this plan concerns only the Japanese market. A good thing, as the whole raincheck thing probably wouldn’t go over too well on our shores.
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA, oh right this is awful news, or it just strikes me as really freaky funny. Seriously, first of all; no longer is Japan only getting 100,000 units, now its 80. And second Sony has the gaul to actually try to issue rainchecks. How is Jimmy (or Jimmy-San) going to feel when he opens up his christmas present and sees a piece of paper that reads good for one PS3…in 2007. He’s is going to cry his head off. Boohoo to Sony for this one. They really want to up-end any chance of people getting a system don’t they?
Xbox 360 Sells Like Hotcakes
Aussies fork out the dough for Microsoft’s console.
It’s been just seven months since the Xbox 360 touched down on Australian shores, and according to some recently released figures courtesy of Microsoft and GfK, the console is padding out Microsoft’s global domination fund quite nicely.
Since launch, over 100,000 Xbox 360s have been purchased by Australian gamers – a record number for a full-sized video game console. Additionally, 400,000 pieces of software have been purchased since launch.
In a show of corporate muscle-flexing, Microsoft also noted that Sony’s PlayStation 2 sold 78,000 consoles and 190,000 games over the same period of time after its own launch.
Well Microsoft doesn’t mention the Australian market has grown by leaps and bounds since PS2 was a hot commodity. However, this shouldn’t detract from the fact that the 360 does seem to be doing better than the XBOX was when it first came out. This is honestly very good news for Microsoft and they should be celebrating (how Bill Gates does that is his own business, but it probably involves a vault like Scrooge McDuck and copies of Windows Vista at his disposal….and not his wife). Sony needs to worry and quick. Big Bill is going to be the #1 system unless PS3 becomes really something special.
Reasons the Sega Genesis was better than the SNES
Road Rash series
Road Rash, the series that could possibly classify as the answer to the trivia question of what game should have been a slam dunk to enter the current era of videogames but didn’t. I mean, this series is begging for a Burnout like re-do on the Playstations and X-Boxs of the world. The idea was that you were on a little motorcycle traveling thru the countryside. But you would run into other motorcycles that would try to beat you up. With bats, and chains and other their own punches and kicks. There was the police too who loved to pull you over. THe music was always kicking and it had an addictive quality to be sure. The Genesis sported the first three versions of this great game. It did later make appearances on the original PS and 3do but to lackluster response. (The 3do one was really good). They are also going to show up on EA Replay for the PSP, but not on a system people actually play *smirk*.
Retro Game of the Week
Arm Wrestling – Arcade
Points to anybody who actually remembers this game in the arcades. Coming from the same great minds as Punch Out, this game pitted you as the little guy who could put other people’s arms through tables like he was Stallone in Over the Top. It’s kinda easy to see why Arm Wrestling never caught on as a genre for video games…but this was a fun 15…20 minute game for sure. Quite simple arcade interface and lots of funny faces were sure to be made and witnessed as you tried to defeat people like Texas Mac and Mask X (who was really Bald Bull from Punchout).
PS2
ATV Off Road Fury 4
Need for Speed: Carbon
Strawberry Shortcake: Adventures in the Land of Dreams
Final Fantasy XII
PSP
Battle Zone
Death Jr – The Root of Evil
Killzone Liberation
Mind Quiz
Need for Speed: Carbon Owns the City
Powerstone Collection
Every Extend Extra
Lumines II
XBox 360
FEAR: First Encounter Assault Recon
FIFA Soccer 07
Need for Speed: Carbon
World Championship Poker: All in
XBox
Need for Speed: Carbon
Gamecube
Need for Speed: Carbon
DS
Konductra
Need for Speed: Carbon Owns the City
Tom and Jerry Tales
Chicken Little: Ace in Action
Scurge: Hive
That’s so Raven: Psychic on the Scene
GBA
Need for Speed: Carbon Owns the City
Tom and Jerry Tales
Scurge: Hive
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
Cartoon Network Camp Lazlo
Cartoon Network Foster’s home
Seriously if there is one title you got to have this week, you know which one it is. I mean Strawberry Shortcake is the bomb! *crickets* *silence*…okay we know the only title worth jack this week is Final Fantasy XII. Those tins I’ve seen online are pretty sexy indeed and not too badly priced. My only question is how short supply are they going to be? Are we talking like Metal Gear Subsistence limited or like the Collector’s Edition of Madden limited? (The former, I’m interested).
Some Final Thoughts and Mutterings
So anyway, I did buy Marvel Ultimate Alliance and XMen the Game for PS2 last wednesday. I did snag the last copy of XMen. Daredevil is a secret character in all versions, but I haven’t gotten the code to work to unlock him yet. Why is it that Wolverine always seems like the baddest ass character? Seriously, there is no game with him in it, that he isn’t like that. Oh well, have fun folks, I’ll certainly try too,(slip slip; slip of the lip, I like the way you move your hips, loose lips sink ships, the way you move, you don’t miss..there you had your Ratt fix for the week)byie kids.
As Always,
Kedrix of Aldrianian
(*The Forgotten One*)
