Author: jcalvert

I had a few minutes to get in a quick game, which is certainly not enough to judge the game as a whole. With that said, just one game was enough for me to determine that the pace of the game and spacing of players was better than the dozen of games I spent with the first PSP FIFA (I am taking a pass on FIFA 06).

Believe me, I have done plenty of FIFA justification over the years, but WE9 is a whole new type of soccer – fans of soccer and portable gaming should be pretty happy. I lost my first game (US vs. Poland) 0-1 pretty handedly. I hardly had any build-up, possession, or shots on goal. I blame that on not reading the game, and trying to figure out the controls on the fly.

On a non-gameplay note, the load times seem rather long. Getting into the game takes a while, and pausing the game to get to the various option screens took several seconds. I have not seen this in any other PSP games, but there is an option to save battery life – looks like it turns off music, crowd noise, and maybe other secondary sound items. I used to have time to figure out if we were talking about a few minutes of battery life, or gaining an extra hour; will be interesting to see what the die-hards find.

More to come as I have more time to play and post.

Welcome to a new month of bliss. Fun stuffs in store – college basketball tournaments galore � about the only time I pay attention to college basketball. Spring Training is in full swing, and that little something called the World Baseball Classic is actually going to make baseball intense in the otherwise calm, warm weather days of camp. The NFL is exploding on itself with serious labor issues – not sure what this means to the Falcons, but rumor has it that Dunn is done, which would serious suck.

USA beats Poland 1-0 today in a friendly; did not get to see it because I was doing the work thing, and no sort recorder for me.

My wife picked up the PSP version of Winning Eleven Soccer for me; what a nice wife. Hope to get a few mins with it after I get the kids to bed. Wonder if I can get her to do the same with MLB 06 tomorrow?

Currently reading “2006 Gamer’s Tome of Ultimate Wisdom” and “The Hardball Times Baseball Annual 2006” – more on each later, but both are worth a purchase.

Happy March!

From the March 3, 2006 “The Sporting News”

Player to watch this fall: Ohio State LB Larry Grant. A junior college star at City College of San Francisco, Grant originally committed to Florida last fall but didn’t meet SEC academic requirements. He signed with Ohio State and likely will start spring practice at middle linebacker. Four years ago, Florida went through a similar situation with junior college LB Lance Mitchell, who eventually signed with Oklahoma and became an All-American.

Are the SEC’s standards really all that? Just another excuse to cheat, I suppose.

On a disappointing note, I just added a digital sports tier to my digital cable setup, but I am not getting the NFL Network. This pretty much sucks because the only reason I added the sports tier was for the NFL Network; ESPN News was an added bonus. Mediacom, my previous cable company, did not carry the network, but apparently Charter does carry the channel. Sort of; well maybe, at least some of the time.

For some reason Charter is showing ESPN Classic in place of the NFL Network during the off season. Charter email support tells me that the NFL Network is seasonal. Not sure WTF that means � the NFL is a year-round league, especially now with the NFL Scouting Combine going on, followed by FA signing period and the draft.

I guess the local Charter affiliate decided it was cheaper to give me ESPN Classic twice because no one cares about the NFL off season. I guess I should be happy that I will get the channel when the games start, since the NFL is adding a decent number of games this season, but it is still a very disappointing turn of events.

Last night I said I was becoming a little loopy about baseball. Case in point, I just ordered The Fielding Bible by John Dewan after seeing it advertised at The Hardball Times and seeing the referenced NetShrine review. Amazon was showing 4-6 weeks to ship, so I ordered it from ACTA Publications’ site.

As I said last night, WTF is wrong with me? Hopefully I will find some time to partake in the nuggets of knowledge to be bestowed by the book.

I am not sure WTF has happened, but I am suddenly taking an unhealthy interest in baseball, specifically statistical books, ramblings on various websites, and actually wanting a deeper grasp of what it takes to “win” OOTPB. I admit I am screwed; it was bound to happen sooner or later – it is not as if I ever stopped liking baseball, just the crap between the MLBPA and MLB Owners groups. I have a feeling my wife is not going to like this turn of events.

Lately I have been reading Baseball Musings, The Hardball Times, and then some. I have also recently ordered The Hard Ball Times Baseball Annual 2006, Baseball Prospectus 2006, and looking at the various Bill James books actually wanting to understand how Win Shares are calculated.

I do not think I have cared this much about baseball in over 15 years. I think I am doomed …

My PS2 has been on the fritz for a while. You know the symptoms; some DVDs skip, freeze, or do not even get recognized by the system. Same for games – sometimes they load, but other times they present that not so wonderful disk read error.

I have not had a ton of time for playing games over the last few months, but when I want to play I do not want to be hampered by a bum PS2. Yesterday was the last straw; I had some free time, but Gran Turismo 4 would not load. So off I went to Best Buy (yes, I hate the store, but it is closer to my house than Circuit City) to pick up a new slim generation PS2.

Of course my wife asked why I was buying one if I am going to turn around and get a PS3. Good question, but who the heck knows when that thing will be released, or even if I would be allotted one in the initial batch (or can even afford the darn thing). This was considered a “family” purchase since most DVDs are no longer playing; no problems convincing Tonya that this was a necessary purchase.

The new unit is amazingly slim; slightly longer than a DVD case, maybe a little wider, and about two DVD cases think. I have heard this about the unit, but did not pay attention because I did not care to get a new PS2 anytime soon. My original (day one release) PS2 made it a good five years; hopefully this one makes it longer. It seems like today’s generation of gamers expect systems to be disposable, but I have Intellivision and Colecovision systems that are still going strong. What gives?

Anyway, I have been happily playing GT4 again; fun driving game, even if the racing is beyond suspect. MVP06 is also in the rotation; as is Taito Legends. I think I am going to order WE9, after I sell WE8 (and others) to cover the cost. Speaking of which, when I was moving I realized (probably for the third or fourth time) that I have an amazing collection of un-tapped potential in my gaming library. Hopefully I will have time to play (and write about) those lost gems at some point.

As Chris has said in his previous posts, we are still here. Lately I have had little time to play games, such is life I guess. I did have my parents keep the kids overnight last night, so Tonya and I could sneak away for a nice Valentines date in Atlanta. The food was awesome – not the typical Columbus fare, and of course a night at a hotel without the kids is worth every penny.

Hopefully I am going to have some game time in the next week or so (one can always dream). Time to catch up on MVP 06, WE 9, Football Manager, and of course Out of the Park Baseball. Interestingly enough, I spent a decent amount of time in the bookstore this morning looking at the baseball section. That was the first time I did that in years. Baseball must be returning to my blood.

Still not sure what all the WoW fuss is about, but if it is enough to cause Chris to drop some OOTP online leagues, then it must be truly addictive.

A couple of days ago I said:

“Carolina upsets Seattle, and surprising Denver hangs on in a close one over Pittsburg. I think Carolina wins because Coach Fox will out maneuver Holmgren and company. I used to like Denver (T. Davis and Elway and Reeves), but not so much these days. I am not a fan of Pittsburg, but I love Hines Ward. I just like Denver at home.”

So I was wrong on all accounts, which is the reason I do not bet on football! I am going to piss off the Pittsburg crowd and pull for the Steelers. I still do not have much respect for Seattle, but they look very impressive yesterday.

I am not sure how many people are actually excited about Nintendo’s next system, but after spending some time this weekend reading about the system, I cannot wait for it to arrive. Sure the controller is a little off the deep-end, but the thing may just work. The backwards compatibility will be a huge win for many gamers my age (and maybe so other demographics). I also think Nintendo’s gaming slant (i.e. this is just a video game system) is going to be a plus because I think the price will be affordable; besides, everyone does not want they gaming system to be a Swiss army knife.

The GameCube does not get much love, but for my money games like Animal Crossing, Super Mario Sunshine, Pikmin, Kirby Air Ride (for my son), two decent Star Wars games, and The Legend of Zelda: Wind Walker provide plenty of unique game experiences not found on any other console. The funny thing is that the GameCube was so easily dismissed by sports gamers, yet some popular franchises such as Madden actually looked better (and some would dare say play better) than their Xbox and PS2 counterparts. My GameCube will remain around for a long time just for the GameBoy adaptor – that thing is money well spent.

I think that much like my current combination of PS2 and GameCube, a next generation combination of PS3 and Revolution is going to be in my gaming future. Of course I have to find time to play all the new games, but that is a different article.

I was going to post this Thursday night, but ran out of time. Apologies if this is somewhat raw …

Thankfully MVP 06 has a very interesting coaching mode. This should be a great option for sim fans, or fans that do not want to play every single game, but want more control than a typical simulate game option. I honestly did not spend enough time with the game to determine how realistic the stats engine is, but a first glance everything looks in order.

In coaching mode you select your starting line up and then you tell your players what to do. Say you are batting … you can swing away, bunt for hit, pinch hit, hit and run, steal, etc. If you are pitching, you call various options such as pitch batter, pitch around, walk batter, sub pitcher, defensive sub, etc. There is even an option to use an outgoing pitcher as the DH; this is great for those pitchers (read stud athletes) that can also hit a ton.

Each play typically takes a second, so you can run through a 9 inning game in no time flat (say 5-minutes or less). As I said, if the simulation engine holds up, this is going to go down as one of the best features in a console baseball game.

After each play is some commentary:

Georgia 1st
LF #21 Grounded out to third,
2B #44 struck out swinging
RF #1 singled to right
1B #33 infield single, RF #1 advanced to 2nd
CF #10 grounded out to second
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors
UGA 0, UT 0

Texas 1st
RF #1 struck out looking
CF #13 struck out looking
SS #2 flied out to right
0 runs, 2 hits, 0 errors
UGA 0, UT 0

This looks promising; maybe not incredibly deep, but it looks like a good start for this new franchise.

There is an interesting box score after the game that includes up to date stats (not sure if ERA and average are just for the game, or if they would reflect for the whole season in Dynasty mode)

Speaking of which, the Dynasty mode allows for a tone of options. I am going to briefly cover a few to give you an idea of how much effort EA has put into this puppy.

The depth chart setting shows your depth chart by position on the baseball field with a breakdown by position.

The pitching rotation allows you to set your pitching rotation; fairly standard.

The batting order options shows graphics with hot/cold zones, including power, contact rating, speed rating, and ratings vs. LHP and RHP.

A defensive alignment option allows you to set lineups for LHP or RHP.

There create/edit player option is off the chart; it will make you have one. Honest. You can set all manner of non game play attributes such as what your players actually look like, but the good stuff is more gameplay related. I am not going to cover it all right now, but you can set a player’s career potential on a 1-5 stars. You can set various attributes such as contact ratings (of course like almost everything else you can set individual settings for LHP and RHP). You can adjust settings such as plate discipline, durability, base running ability, and more. The batter tendencies options look amazing, with the ability to set certain types of pitches (fastball, curveball, etc) – take vs. LHP/RHP, strike vs. LHP/RHP, foul vs. LHP/RHP, etc), and you can set hot/cold zones vs. LHP/RHP. There is a whole lot more; I have only scratched the surface.

You let the CPU optimize your roster.

You can set positional ranking (look at your roster position by position). Not sure how this is different from the depth chart option.

There are others such as options for team goals and challenge items, but I have not had time to look at these yet.

OK, the game is deep. I have only played here and there, and have spent a decent amount of time with the coaching option. I am going to reserve judgment for now, but I will say that so far I am very happy with the game.

I have played MVP 06 NCAA Baseball two out of the last three days. Videogames are fun again; there I said it.

Anchor Steam beer is delicious goodness; costly at about $10 a six-pack, but oh so tasty. Lately I have opted for different cheap beers; the kind of refreshing water with beer flavor types, but Anchor Steam takes me back to my days of being a beer snob.

I have become addicted to That 70’s Show on FX; fun entertainment that is in the perfect time slot (7-8PM) for watching while I read to my youngest son and rock him to sleep. Great line from the other night: “He is soft.” “How soft is he?” “As soft as Liberace at the Playboy mansion.” Juvenile? Yes, but still funny.

Carolina upsets Seattle, and surprising Denver hangs on in a close one over Pittsburg. I think Carolina wins because Coach Fox will out maneuver Holmgren and company. I used to like Denver (T. Davis and Elway and Reeves), but not so much these days. I am not a fan of Pittsburg, but I love Hines Ward. I just like Denver at home.

Nice to see Star Trek: The Next Generation making a run again; weekly at 7PM on G4 TV.

Moving sucks; have to move a dining room set out of storage later this morning. When, oh when will it end?

I have taking up walking to work a couple of days a week. Refreshing, healthy, and saves some money on gas. Walking to work is awesome. 3 miles to work gives me plenty of time to clear my mind and get ready for work. The 3 mile walk back home gives me plenty of time to de-stress before I get home.

Happy weekend!

NCAA Baseball arrived yesterday, forcing me to break my unintentional gaming sabbatical. After getting my PS2 setup and ready for action, I put in NCAA Baseball long enough to get in a couple of innings.

Since I was pressed for time, I selected the quick play option, and selected UGA vs. Texas. I know there are readers that pay particular attention to minute details in their sports games. To be honest, I did not have time to verify rosters, determine if Disch-Falk Field looked 100% accurate, verify that the home and away uniforms were picture perfect, or if Texas’ #1 ranking and UGA’s #74 matched preseason polls. I am sure the Texas ranking is correct, and UGA’s is fairly realistic, but they should be improved over last years barely over .500 record.

Once upon a time all of the above mattered to me, but these days I am fairly content actually getting to play a college baseball game! I did not dive into any of the game setting options, although the game did ask if I wanted to use roster numbers of names (I think these are random generated like NCAA Football).

The load times are very acceptable; pretty much what you expect with a PS2 game, and certainly not overly long. The presentation is nice – the game opens with commentary about the teams, some statistical info, and a description of the starting pitcher’s assortment of pitches. UGA (me in this case) was presented with some info on the starting lineup as my leadoff hitter came to the plate – contact and power numbers. All in all, nice stuff.

If you have followed the game you have read all about the new Load and Fire Batting System. I did not read the instruction manual, so I have no idea if I was approaching this correctly, but before each pitch I pulled back on the right analog stick, and then timed pushing the stick up. The longer I held the stick, the more vibration I would get, so I finally opted just to wait until the pitch was thrown – then I would pull back and flip forward. I had a nice homerun with this approach in the 2nd inning. I was down 1-6 when I turned off the game; after the homerun the announcer made some comment at the end of the inning about how “nicely UGA had made a game of it” (something like that).

I completely screwed the pooch with the new throwing system. The bases are mapped to the right analog stick, so you throw to first by moving the stick to the right. One key here is that there is an indicator around your fielder that seems to show when you should release the ball. To explain, if you hold the stick too long, the indicator turns red and you run the risk of throwing the ball away. I am not sure if this type of system is in other baseball games, but it looks fairly interesting. I gave up a three unearned runs just by practicing throwing the ball around the diamond after a hit (obviously I need some practice).

That is about it after 10 minutes. My first impressions are very positive. For starters we have what appears to be a decent college baseball game. I am sure that gamers that are more dedicated (i.e. they have more time to play) will pick the game a part as they find all sorts of issues; hopefully most of these will be minor in nature. I do not plan to spend much time reading various message boards to see what others have to say – in the past that has been a sure way to spoil a game for me because others uncover things that I would never find.

Hopefully I can live with the game, and enjoy the college baseball experience. It is probably too much to ask (or wish for), but I am keeping my fingers crossed that the game does not have any major issues, it sells reasonably well, and a new franchise is born.

More updates to come.

It looks like my video gaming sabbatical will be coming to an abrupt end later this week when MVP 06 NCAA Baseball delivers the ping of the bat to the PS2. I have been writing for years that I am sick of the crap that goes on between the MLB owners and the MLBPA – yes, I still love the game, but I could do with less of the politics that result from labor disputes, weak drug testing policies, and all the other stuff that goes with the constant bickering between the all powerful players’ union and the owners.

Baseball as a sport is still wonderful; it is not like I do not watch the Braves, keep up with baseball news (I especially love The Sporting News’ baseball coverage), or debate stats with my friends. I am just at a point where I have more fun playing Out of the Park Baseball with fictitious players or historical rosters than playing console MLB games.

In fact, it has been several years since I last picked up a MLB (or MLBPA) licensed game that I kept for a significant period of time (i.e. longer than a month). Each year I am tempted, but somehow I am able to keep my spending in check. There was once a time when I owned each and every baseball game every season, but now I limit myself to one purchase, and typically sale the game on eBay after a week or two of uninspired play. If a really good baseball game ever gets released for the PSP, then my self-imposed sanctions may come to an end, but until then, I wonder if I will ever find my way back to console baseball.

Writing this now, I find it rather surprising that I have made it this long without keeping a baseball game in my console library. What once was a staple of my gaming rotation is now a fond memory, but that is about to change unless the baseball gods just do not want me to play console baseball. It is one thing to keep a man down on MLB, but it is another thing entirely to keep a man away from the bliss of college baseball. I have been begging for a college baseball game for years, and thanks to EA getting the short end of the MLB license stick, we are about to get a huge prize – MVP 06 NCAA Baseball.

I have read nothing except positive press about the game, the new Load and Fire batting system, the game play, ESPN propaganda, the graphics, etc. Of course this is to be expected from the mega sites – they are going to give EA good press. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that the game is actually good, and maybe, just maybe, I will find some time to play some college baseball this weekend.

Of course the interesting test will be to see if I am just down on MLB, as I keep telling everyone, or if I am really just down on console baseball. The latter would be a scary revelation because it may tell me some things about myself that I have been scared to admit � namely that I am no longer a true console sports gamer.

Sports car racing looks to be getting more and more popular in the US. At least I think there is an upwards trend based on snippets I have recently read in Racer magazine and there is a pronounced upwards trend in participation by NASCAR Nextel Cup stars.

It looks like Danica Patrick is adding her name to the mix:

“I think it’s one of those races where you have to stay consistent,” Patrick said at a three-day testing session this weekend. “As soon as I pick up my speed on the track, hopefully that will stay consistent.”

Danica’s statement may be obvious, and this may be old news to racing fans, but I think it is great that more and more US racing stars are throwing their weight behind sports cars, prototypes, and the Rolex 24.