jcalvert

Wii HD

I have not been paying too much attention to videogame related news lately; however this story from CVG (via N4G) caught my attention. At some point the Wii will go HD …

“In terms of what the future holds, we’ve gone on record to say that the next step for Nintendo in home console will not be to simply make it HD, but to add more and more capability,” he added.

“We’ll do that when we totally tapped out all of the experiences for the existing Wii and we are nowhere near doing that yet, so lots of ongoing opportunity for the consumer in the current generation.”

It will be interesting to watch what Nintendo does next. As far as I can tell the Wii is still selling like hotcakes. Obviously Nintendo is carefully planning their next move, system upgrades, etc, and I could not see Nintendo following the GameBoy, GameBoy Light, GameBoy Advance, GameBoy Advance SP, DS, DS Lite, DSi cash cow. Maybe. The handheld gaming demographics and what will fly in terms of system “upgrades” has to be completely different. I doubt that most moms are going to run out to “upgrade” their Wii to a better looking Wii.

This is not to say that graphics do not matter. I am not a complete dumbass; after all I spent my review writing days lamenting gameplay over eye-candy. Now I am a graphics whore! Not really, but I actually get the mass market a lot better than I did when I was an arrogant, elitist, anti-establishment reviewer.

What will Nintendo’s next system offer? First, the Wii name and Nintendo brand recognition. Second, better graphics. What else? Continue to work on motion control improvements? Continue with GameCube and Wii backwards compatibility, and maybe offer some sort of upscaling similar to what the PS2 did for PSX games? I am not sure if the Wii audience really cares about an online gaming experience, but there is room for improvement in this area.

I am not sure what the Wii 2 could do to improve the gaming experience. Nintendo has a massive gold mine in the Wii installed base waiting to be tapped by Nintendo, but that is about the bottom line, not gaming. I love Nintendo’s games, but as a system, other than going the GameBoy Light path mentioned above, the Wii is a dead-end gaming platform.

Glavine back with the Braves?

According to the ajc.com, the Braves are in some sort of talks to bring Tommy Glavine back to the Braves organization. In what capacity remains to be seen.

The 305-game winner has been in discussions with the Braves about a possible position with the organization that could include duties ranging from front-office work to instructing players in the minor leagues and perhaps even some broadcasting.

“I’ve talked to Tommy several times since the season ended,” said Braves president John Schuerholz, who said talks were still in the preliminary stage. “It’s always been in our mind that ultimately, eventually something like this might be a possibility.

The unconscionable behavior by the Braves towards Glavine last season still leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. No telling how Glavine feels right now about the way the Braves treated him; kicking him out of the organization, to the curb like a discarded tallboy can was simply unforgivable.

If Glavine wants to remain in baseball in some capacity, I hope the Braves will do the right thing this time, to make amends for the way they handled things last year. It would be too much for me to take to see Glavine show up as a pitching coach, consultant, etc for any team other than the Braves.

Todd Grantham DC at UGA

Mark Richt finally convinced someone to take the defensive coordinator job at the University of Georgia. I guess $750K will land someone sooner or later! Todd Grantham, currently the d-line coach of the Dallas Cowboys, is set to become the third highest paid assistant in all of college football.

Now the question that looms for Dawgs fans everywhere – is Grantham a good hire? According to the ajc.com,

Grantham, 43, started his coaching career under Frank Beamer at Virginia Tech (1990-95) and then coached under Nick Saban at Michigan State (1996-98). Since 1999, Grantham has coached in the NFL.

I know next to nothing about Grantham, but he has been under some solid college coaches and from a defensive perspective, Wade Phillips is no slouch. Apparently Phillips thinks very highly of Grantham.

“It’s been great having Todd,” Phillips said. “He’s contributed a tremendous amount to the defense. He’s grossly overqualified to be a defensive line coach. I knew he would be a coordinator pretty quickly or even a head coach. I think he’s got all those qualities. We really appreciate what he’s done and he’ll finish up strong here.”

Knowing next to nothing about the Dawgs’ new DC, I have to say that I like the hire. He is young, and as previously mentioned, has worked under some top notch talent. Keeping my fingers crossed that Grantham is very successful with the Dawgs!

Friday Coffee Break – NFL Playoffs and Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 1) on Blu-ray

I’m sipping on a cup of the delicious black nectar of the gods, contemplating the upcoming three day weekend. The weekend will be fun filled and action packed; well maybe not so much action, but undoubtedly fun.

For starters my youngest son turns three on the 19th. It’s kind of amazing that the little bugger is growing up so quickly. We are going to have a b-day party for him – Backyardigans is the theme – on Saturday.

NFL Playoffs
We should have some great NFL playoff action on Saturday and Sunday. I’m pulling for the Cardinals, Dallas, Indy, and the Jets. Unlike college football where there is some sort of pent up stupid pride for the SEC, as if victories by Georgia’s rivals somehow make Georgia look better, I have no such emotional attachments with the Saints. I do not want them to advance! Thus says the life-long Falcons fan. Dallas because my dad was a huge Cowboys fan, and they are a distant second favorite team. Indy because I like Peyton Manning, and finally the J-E-T-S, Jets!, Jets!, Jets! Because for some inexplicable reason my seven-year old likes the Jets. Go figure.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 (Blu-ray)
I have been working my way through Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1 (ST: TOS) on gorgeous Blu-ray. I finished the first three disks; all episodes, bonus materials, etc. One of the more interesting features is something called Starfleet Access (so far on disk 1 and disk 3):

Disc One begins with Starfleet Access for the episode “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” a feature that “grants you security clearance to explore Starfleet Command’s Database.” This supplement features a diverse selection of “Trek” Producers, Writers, Historians, and Authors, including Michael and Denise Okuda, appearing throughout the show in a picture-in-picture window discussing the story, props, characters, score, updated effects, and more.

I would rather have a full commentary track, or at least more picture-in-picture discussions. With that said, what is included in fascinating.

If you are a fan of ST: TOS you owe it to yourself to pickup this collection. The material holds up great, mostly because the stories are well-written, and the characters are captivating and diverse. Of course the special effects are somewhat cheesy looking by today’s standards, but the producers have done a great job of upgrading the special effects to have a more modern look and feel. Purest should not be alarmed; the episodes in all their 1960’ish effects are included for your viewing pleasure. Highly recommended!

Happy Friday!

Spider-Man Reboot?

I thought someone was pulling my leg. Instead of filming Spider-Man 4, with established stars Tobey Maguire (a great Peter Parker) and Kirsten Dunst (and extremely, and I do mean extremely, hot Mary Jane), we are going to get a reboot in 2012.

It is not that I am afraid of a reboot, completely with plenty of teen angst, but at this point it seems a trifle unnecessary. Give Spider-Man 4 a chance to close off the series, and then reboot.

It just seems much too soon to be showing Tobey the door. Oh well, I look forward to what the new crew has to offer. Hopefully the new folks responsible for the reboot will stay true to the comic.

Thursday (Is Not My Fun Day) Edition

Sparse updates today. Have to head to work in a few minutes, which will mean no news and notes, comments, or rants until later today. In other words, slow news day.

Hold the applause.

Mini Falcons Update – 2010 Draft

It is never too early to start thinking about the draft (reason for this update). The Falcons will get the 19th or 20th pick; a coin flip with the Texans will determine the order. Toolbox.com has a handful of mock drafts.

The Falcons have to go defense with their first couple of picks; remember they traded away their 2nd round pick for Tony G. I am not sure that this draft will have a shutdown CB; those are rare. The Falcons will be in good shape if they can find a solid CB that can start right away and anchor the secondary for years to come. The Falcons also have to get better on the d-line, speaking of which, it looks like Peria Jerry’s rehab is going well.

They say Jerry is taking part in a rigorous rehab routine at their facility virtually every day. He’s mostly working on strength and flexibility. He is not running yet, but that appears to be the next step.

It would be a huge win for the Falcons if Jerry can be back to full strength by the start of the 2010 season.

Atlanta still in World Cup running

Atlanta, GA is still in the running as a host city for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup (assuming U.S. wins the bid).

“It’s interesting to contemplate that Atlanta could be one of the few cities to host an Olympics and a World Cup,” Atlanta Sports Council President Gary Stokan said. He led the committee to secure Atlanta’s place among the finalists. “It shows how Atlanta has become a player on the world sport’s scene because of it’s infrastructure and airport accessibility.”

2018 seems like a long way away, but I am keeping my fingers crossed, regardless of Atlanta’s inclusion, that the U.S. secures one of these bids.

The Kiffin Fun Never Stops

Did Lane Kiffin just dash for USC after one year at Tennessee? Good grief! Talking about ridiculous. Tell me again why the football players should have to sit out a year if they want to transfer?

McGwire sings. Does anyone care?

Yesterday’s sudden revelation from Mark McGwire that he actually used, dare we say it, performance enhancing drugs, steroids, human growth hormones, and Pepsi, is enough to make me yawn.

Who cares? It didn’t take anyone with any great sense of intelligence to realize that McGwire was juiced up on something. At the time, there may have been whispers; everyone turned a blind all because supposedly chicks liked it when Mark went long.

Now we care. As a society we are just a bunch of losers with double standards. God forbid that someone cheated. Now what? Where to from here?

There is an interesting ESPN poll that raises some of these types of questions – Hall or no Hall? Asterisk next to McGwire’s records?

So why do we care? We care because baseball’s records are a sacred cow – almost holy in a non blasphemous sort of way. Because of McGwire and others during the steroid era, we have no idea which records are legitimate and which ones are frauds. In the mid to late nineties, baseball fans were desperate for some good news – McGwire’s epic homerun launches and the great homerun chase of 1998 with Sammy “I never used steroids” Sosa delivered.

Like a bad night of drinking, we now regret our enthusiasm. We all unknowingly slept with the enemy. There seems to be no way to go back in time and wash it all away; make it as if it never happened. How do you put an asterisk next to some of the players, without having a complete list of everyone that indulged in a little self gratification in the name of health? After all, according to McGwire and others that have come clean, they never took any happy juice in the name of cheating.

Limited Update Tuesday

Not sure that I am going to have much time to post today, so just in case …

“Give me a diablo sandwich, a Dr. Pepper, and make it quick, I’m in a god-damn hurry.”

Almost forgot, happy Tuesday to you!

Enjoyable 4E DMG2 Review

I always enjoy a good review. In fact, regardless of my hobby du jour, when I am searching, research, and reading, I always appreciate a finely crafted review. Such is the case this Game Cryer’s review of the 4E Dungeon Master’s Guide 2:

In many ways, this is a true sequel. For example, what seemed to be lacking in the first book was rules for creating traps. This book includes an entire section detailing that particular process, as well as giving additional examples. DMG 2 also provides rules for creating themed monsters and templates for classes in the Player’s Handbook 2. On the other hand, this book is also a venue for Wizards of the Coast to backtrack on previous inadequacies. There’s an extensive chapter on Skill Challenges, providing lots of variation and concrete examples. If you’re critical of the company, you might wonder why this wasn’t included in the original Dungeon Master’s Guide. And then there are areas that, while I gladly welcome them, could easily fall under errata, such as revised formulas for calculating the defenses of Solos and Elites.

If you are already playing (really DM’ing) 4E, you probably already own this guidebook, and while I was not making a purchase decision based on the review (I already own this supplement), I did greatly enjoy the review.

Looking Forward to this Weekend’s Playoff Action

Last weekend offered up some entertaining football. I am glad I stuck with the Green Bay/Arizona game. Unlike the Eagles, Patriots, and Bengals, the Packers where able to make a stunning comeback attempt. This weekend all the home teams are favored to advance.

Dallas at Minnesota (-2.5)
Dallas is hot – I like their chances over Minnesota, but if the Vikings live up to their potential they could roll all the way to the Super Bowl. I just don’t see it happening.

Arizona at New Orleans (-7)
New Orleans was the class of the NFC – I don’t like they way they slacked off at the end. I understand trying to get everyone healthy, but I don’t believe you can just turn it on at will. Arizona has the offense to go toe-to-toe with anyone. If they follow the game plans that Atlanta almost executed in their upset bids over the Saints, I think the Cardinals can pull off the upset. Of all eight teams left in the playoffs, the Saints are the ones that I want to lose. Always a Falcons fan until the bitter end!

New York at San Diego (-9)
While the Jets have the defense to stop anyone, I just get a feeling that the Chargers will do everything right to move on to the AFC Championship game.

Baltimore at Indianapolis (-7)
Speaking of good defenses, the Ravens looked damn impressive in their win over the Patriots, but the Colts are a different team. I do not see the Ravens shutting down the Colts.

A second heaping helping of Christmas …

Or what I like to call the NFL playoffs. What a great time of year! I told my kids this morning before church that getting to watch the playoff yesterday and again today, not to mention the next couple of rounds leading up to the Super Bowl on Feb 7 is obviously another sign that God loves us very much. Why else would we get an extended Christmas present?

Georgia finishes season unranked

Adding insult to a difficult year, UGA was not ranked in the year-ending polls. This was the first time since 1996 that the Dawgs garnered no respect from the pundits.

I am certainly not going to argue that the 8-5 Bulldogs had a great year, but they did lose to (at the time) #9 Oklahoma St, #4 LSU, and #1 Florida. Of course the Dawgs also took it on the chin to Tennessee (Chick-fil-a Bowl losers) and Kentucky (Music City Bowl losers). Victory highlights included South Carolina, Arkansas, Auburn, and #7 Georgia Tech – all Bowl teams.

The bottom line is that a 5 loss team is not going to end the season ranked, but when you crunch the numbers, it’s not all doom and gloom. Here’s to future days!

Go Dawgs!