The Recycle Bin

Happy New Year!  Hope everyone has a healthy, prosperous, and joyous new year.  Me?  We celebrated last night cooking some beef ribs (really, the only type of ribs worth grilling), drinking Champaign, watching Favre (maybe) wrap up a wonderful career, and of course warcrafting.

Today is more of the same.  Semi traditional New Year’s day lunch (black-eyed peas with egg salad, smoked ham, and green beans as a substitute for collards.  Football; lots of football.  More Champaign and other adult beverages.  Hopefully more warcrafting.  Getting the baby room ready (in-between commercial breaks and halftime shows).  Maybe wrapping up with some more grilling this evening.

Happy New Year!

It is official.  I am a WoW addict.  So says my wife.  The last couple of days I have played with several groups of people, the most memorable of which was a five-party team (mage/myself, rouge, hunter, warrior, and another mage) and a three-party team (mage/myself, and two hunters).  The game is leaps and bounds more fun when playing with a group.  It is not that is that bad of a game when going solo, but playing in a group (at least a good group) is a great experience.

I have been playing WoW at the expense of every other game in my library.  It is so bad that I am seriously considering a major closet cleaning, and just keeping to a few basic games that I “have to have” when I am not playing WoW.

It is still hit or miss when joining a group; you never know what you are going to get.  When the experience is – let’s say ‘mature’ – then there are rich rewards (not to be confused with loot), but when the group is not so ‘mature’ then it just down right sucks.

My only other real complaint is that I accidentally mailed some items to one of my other characters, but I misspelled the name, so someone else got my mail!  That pretty much sucks, and the WoW support was not much help.  They said there was nothing I could do, but the mail may be returned after 30-days if undelivered.  I guess it is not that big a deal; I just figured a couple of items would be worth more to my hunter and priest compared to the silver it would fetch my mage on the Auction House.  Life goes on.

I am not sure where addicts sign up, but I can see me spending some serious time with this game.  The game is plenty deep, so there is always something to learn, and there is a wealth of info available on various web sites.  The one thing I have not discovered is the secret to finding good groups and a good guild.  I suppose that will come with time.

The Horns and Dawgs both overcame early deficits, to take their respective bowls – The Alamo and Chick-fil-A Bowls.

“Georgia finished an up-and-down season with three straight victories over ranked teams, a first for the program. The Bulldogs (9-4) salvaged an otherwise disappointing regular season with wins over No. 5 Auburn and No. 16 Georgia Tech.”  (source:  AP)

I had no idea that Georgia had never beaten ranked teams back-to-back-to-back.  Hopefully the wins will help set the tone for great seasons in 2007.

Congratulations to both teams.  Hook ’em!  Go Dawgs!

Tonight UGA gets to bounce back from a disappointing season in the Chick-fil-A Bowl (formally and endearingly the Peach Bowl).  We took the kids to the Georgia Aquarium yesterday, and it was packed; filled to the brim with Virginia Tech.  I would say the Hokie gear out numbered Dawgs gear by an astounding 5:1 ratio, and that may be an understatement.  While this may more or less be a home game for the Dawgs, do not expect a totally partisan crowd.

VA Tech is favored by 2.5 points, which led my eight-year old to ask “How can they win by 2.5 points?  That is impossible!”  I did not get into the betting thing with him.  Everyone is expecting a low scoring game in this one, but I think that is way off the mark; expect a high scoring game, with one of the teams starting to pull away late in the third quarter.  I really think that Georgia has bounced back from the ups and downs of this season, so I am going with the homer prediction of 33-17.

Am I addicted?  Maybe a little.  In the last 7-9 days I have managed to take my mage from level 16 to level 21 (half way to 22).  Some of the quests are harder playing solo, but I have managed to hook up with some helpful folks.  I have also ran into some of the unhelpful sorts.; typical juvenile behavior.

In the last few days I had a couple of fun moments.  Fist, I sold some swiftthistle on the auction house for 4.75 gold.  I have no idea what it is used for, so I have no idea why it is so in demand, but with 34 gold in my pocket, I feel rich.

Another fun moment was watching a Tauren enter Dun Algaz as I was traveling to the Wetlands (Menethil Harbor).  I decided to follow this nut to see what would happen; I was kind of curious to see if this was the type of player that triggers all the ‘local defense under attack’ messages.  I think Tauren got tired of a Gnome following him, so he started intentionally drawing orc towards me by firing arrows in their direction.  After I decimated a couple of orcs, the Tauren grew tired of the game, and left.  Good stuff.

Tonight I decided to visit the Elves (or at least I thought I was going to visit the Elves), so I took a boat from Menethil Harbor to Auberdine.  After a couple of quests and a jaunt in a Cliffspring River cave that resulted in my death and ultimately some satisfying strategy to escape and complete the quest, I started traveling.  I finally called it a night in the eastern area of Ashenvale after I kept seeing 27+ level nasty things.  I just looked at a map and realized that I should have taken another boat to see the Elves and I was fairly close to Orgimmar (I assume life would have been hell if I made it that far).

All in all, I am having a great time with the same seeing what is next.  I think I need to find a guild that has a lot of players around my level, because I am not sure how much harder the game gets without having someone around to help.

Another day brings us three more bowls filled with mediocrity, and uninspiring match ups.  The first three bowls this year have proved not so much fun for college football fans.  I think we could have all done with out these match-ups; maybe scrap all three games and give us TCU vs. BYU, which would have been a lot more appealing. 

On to today’s games.  First up is the papajohns.com Bowl featuring South Florida vs. East Carolina.  To be honest I do not know a lot about either school, but how can I go for purple pirates?  Besides, South Florida is probably the second best team in their state, so USF is the pick.

Next up, we are blessed with the New Mexico Bowl featuring New Mexico (at 6-6 they really deserve this invitation) vs. San Jose State.  I am going to go with New Mexico, only because I have to make a pick, and playing at home has to be worth something.  But seriously, why even both scheduling this bowl game?

Finally we have the Armed Forces Bowl, which features Tulsa vs. Utah.  I guess this one could be interesting, if both offenses get their game on, but once again you have to ask why play this game?  I am sure it is important to the schools and their respective fans, but what is the point?  I would rather watch tonight’s NFL match-up then this garbage, but alas, I do not have the NFL Network.  Tulsa is the pick.

I am 2-1 with my picks, so do not bet the farm or anything.  Besides, with match-ups like these, it is more about flipping a coin then scientific prognostication.

Another day, another bowl we could care less about.  The first four years this bowl was around, North Texas represented the Sun Belt, and posted a 1-3 record.  Last year Arkansas State did not fare much better.  This year Troy will try to shock the world and show that the Sun Belt Conference Champion is better than a middle tier Conference USA team.  Not going to happen; Rice will win.

I am not even sure if Troy (formally Troy St.) has ever played in a bowl and it has been over 40 years since the Owls last sniffed a bowl appearance.  I am not sure what the line is for this one, but I have to believe that a mediocre C-USA team is 8 points better than the best the Sun Belt can muster.

I read this one was spawned by ESPN to give them something to show besides poker and strong man stuff.  So we have (19) BYU vs. Oregon.  I am not that high on the PAC-10 (east coast bias and all that) and who cares about the Mountain West Conference or BYU (well, besides BYU fans and past NFL QBs)?  Actually, this may be an entertaining game, but it is not something that people are going flock to watch (besides all those BYU fans).  I think this one will be high scoring; maybe 42-33 for BYU.

We can get to the reasons behind the lack of posting later, but for now, Bowl season starts in less than ten minutes!

I am not really sure what the Poinsettia Bowl is, or how teams get invited, but it is what we have to get us rolling into Bowl season.  I know that Northern Illinois has a tailback that is supposed to be very good (so says recent SI and Sporting News articles), but I am going with the team from Texas.  TCU by half a dozen.

Here’s my 2006 video game review.

Most surprising gaming moment – I dug up and reconnected both my Xbox and PS2. I’m playing games with my eight year-old daughter and having fun. Nothing really appeals to my adult tastes, but so far my weekends are spent playing Open Season and Legos Star Wars II.

Most disappointing release – This is an easy category. Out of the Park Baseball 2006. Hands down. No challengers. So much potential was ruined by a company that does not understand the target market. Hopefully the patch in 2007 will fix a number of lingering issues. When will you know it’s time to invest in OOTP 2007? When there are online leagues switching to it in much larger numbers than are playing OOTP 2006.

Game I purchased I wish I had time to play – Civilization IV. I actually purchased a collector’s edition and pre-ordered it. It’s still on my computer (I think) but haven’t gone past the tutorials. Sad.

Game that keeps on giving – World of Warcraft. Easily the greatest game ever made in my book. As I continue down the road to more end game content, it just keeps getting better and better. And just when you think things couldn’t improve any more, the latest patch adds more fun to the mix. World worker productivity will probably suffer greatly on January 16^th when The Burning Crusade is released.

Things gaming related that surprised me this year (non gaming moment related) – I did not visit Gamespot once this year. Didn’t read a single review posted on a gaming web site. And I “discovered” that the PlayStation2 has quite a collection of family friendly games.

I just ordered Final Fantasy XII (Collectors Edition) as a belated b-day present from my wife, and God of War (I hear it is awesome) and Gun (‘waste of a perfectly good whore’ thing).  Hopefully I will actually play this loot.

I have not finished Final Fantasy X yet, so maybe this will inspire me to try to get to the finish line.  While God of War is not something I typically play, I have ready enough about it that I have to give it a go; plus it is now a Greatest Hits title priced at $19.99.  Gun?  Seem interesting, and someone at work said it was worth playing, so when I saw it for $9.99 at EBGames.com, I decided to pick it up.  Seems overly gung-ho that I will actually find time to play all three to a level that is worth the price of admission, but keeping my fingers crossed that I somehow come close.

Actually I do not have a lot because I do not have a lot of interest in the Xbox 360, I am sitting on the PS3 sidelines, and I am waiting for non-bundle availability of the GameCube 1.5 (er, Wii).

I have written about this before, but much like the PS3, the Xbox 360 does not have anything that has caught my attention with a game that I *have* to have. I have seen some previews for Lair (by Factor 5) that look promising, but not $600 promising. Gran Turismo HD? No so much; I mean I love the GT series, but I have to see more CPU cars, with better AI before I upgrade for the sole purpose of playing GT.

I am excited about the possibilities of new sports experiences with the Wii, but I am not excited enough to buy into one of the stupidly expensive bundles. Why pay $600 for a bunch of crap games, accessories, magazine subscriptions, and such, when I can just wait a couple of months? That is my stance, and I am damn sure trying hard to keep to my guns on this one.

I have been reading rumblings that with the success of the Live marketplace, and Sony’s attempt to do the same with its online service, we are going to see more pay-to-play content. EA is talking about gamers paying extra for the content that we have been buying year after year – more modes of play, classic rosters and uniforms, special stadiums, etc. The sky is the limit here. I think I could live with paying for some ‘upgrades’ every few years because it would be like paying extra for a ‘special edition’ version every 3-4 years, but why would I want to for 80’s Falcons rosters and uniforms and Fulton County stadium with every release of Madden? For years, lots of us have been complaining that EA releases a new Madden game engine every 3-4 years followed by tweaks and minor roster upgrades. Now they are going to capitalize on the masses. I have skipped Madden the last two years; why upgrade when I have a perfectly fine version of the game (Madden 2005 super secret special collectors edition)?

Making matters worse, Sony is talking about release two versions of Gran Turismo. I know I just said that I was not going to pay $600 for an updated, prettier version of GT, but still, I have to comment. One version with pretty much nothing, and another versions that has most everything. Either way you have to spend money to download all the cars and tracks that we have come to expect in each of the four previous versions of GT? No thanks.

Lingering like a stale fart? Pretty funny stuff from Bill Simmons

The Falcons are like the new Barbaro. Just tell me when they’re officially alive or dead.

The Falcons have a realistic chance at the wildcard, but I figure they have to win three of four against Tampa Bay, Dallas, Carolina, and Philadelphia. I can see them pulling off wins vs. Tampa Bay (maybe, but it is a road game and the Bucs always play ATL strong), and maybe the Eagles. After that, I do not see them beating Dallas, and Carolina is going to take it to the Falcons after their opening season debacle.

Keeping my fingers crossed, but I do not have a lot of hope for the remainder of this season. Once again it comes down to the receivers ability to catch the ball, and a banged up defense’s ability to stop the run.

I love it! Rodriguez tells Alabama “Ah … no thanks. And don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.” Beautiful!

The only thing that will satisfy Tide fans is for Bryant to return from on high and he would probably get fired after three years. Mike Shula may not have had much in the way of a vision, but there was no point in dismissing him if a backup was not fully in the AD Mal Moore’s pocket. I think this coaching search will be the fifth one since Stallings left the once proud school 10 years ago. Mike DuBose, Mike Price, and Mike Shula were all dismissed. Then there was Dennis Franchione who decided to jilt ‘Bama for Texas A&M; could not have happened to a better school.

No, I do not care much for Alabama, and the funny thing is that all the Tide faithful cannot imagine why no one wants the job. But really, why would anyone want a job where you are constantly compared to the standards of a man long dead? A man who the alumni would rip to shreds if he dared make the same mistake as Shula, which was a 6-6 record following up a brilliant 10-2 record the previous season. Bear once had back-to-back 6-win seasons, but that bit of Tide history has long since been forgotten.

Will be fun to watch how much more this can unravel.

I hate to admit this, but I’ve been trying to find a Nintendo Wii for the past four days. What a sad, sad tale I must tell. May of you know me as the anti-console guy. No denying that. My defense is that my youngest daughter and I started playing Legos Star Wars II and Open Season on our old Xbox. Since she (unlike my oldest daughter) seems to be hooked, I figured a nice Nintendo Wii this Christmas would cement our father/daughter relationship forever.

If only the damned college students here in College Station, Texas would give me a break!

I decided to try and find a Wii on Monday – when they physically sold out at Toys R Us on Sunday (I found this out Monday morning). Ok, no problem, the kid can hang. So I start visiting every retail store I know of that sells the game. Nothing available, so on to Tuesday.

Walmart decided to let the world know they will have Wii’s on December 6^th. Every college/high school age kid in College Station is in line the evening of December 5^th at both our Walmart and Super Walmart stores. The store let everyone know that they would go on sale at 8:00 AM. I thought I was being smart by heading out of the door at 6:00 AM and driving to the Super Walmart. I arrive at 6:30 AM and another bleary eyed older person (another dad) was in the electronics department. I asked one of the sales clerks about the Wii and she informed us that a line had already formed. Ten boxes were arriving and 13 college/high school students were in line. Crap!

Wednesday – I am so disgusted with Walmart I decide not to buy a Wii.

Thursday – I decide to give it one more shot. I visit all of the retailers again, and nothing is available. I walk into Best Buy and there must be 20 PlayStation 3’s in a stack. Not many people are buying them. The floor sales person seems insulted when I ask him if any Wii’s have come in. I don’t know who is buying PS3’s, but if they are available in my town, then that is not a very good sign.

Friday – one last shot. Ok, technically I am going to Houston tomorrow (where there is a larger non student to civilian ratio) and will look. But I have little hope. Gamestop had three come in and, you guessed it, eight scruffy college/high school students in line to get them. One of my store clerk buddies at Toys R Us (I’m a regular visitor at this point) tells me that he thinks some are coming in today, but not sure when during the day. I hang out for an hour (man, toys have changed since the 1970s) and decide to give up.

There you have it. I hate Circuit City. If you have a friend working there, you will know exactly when the Wiis are coming. Same with Gamestop, although they claim not to know when they are coming in when you chat with the floor clerks. I have no friends working at Circuit City or Gamestop. Toys R Us seemed to be the only store that non-college/high school have any hope finding a Wii during a random visit.

You know the main reason I want a Wii? Nintendo understands that for a certain demographic, we just want a few fun games to play with our children. That’s it. Take a look at the “family” games offered by Xbox 360 or PS3. Not very many, if any at all. I will stay with the PS2 and Xbox for now and wait for a Wii to magically appear at this point.

But, you never know!