I told my kids that they can start playing Tetris for extra credit. After all, when has playing a videogame been considered a good thing?
Researchers have found regular playing of the game can improve complex planning skills, critical thinking, reasoning and language. Tetris requires players to think quickly by slotting various-sized cascading blocks into homogenous shapes on the screen.
I wonder how much longer it will be until something like Need for Speed is a substitute for driver’s ed?
I wrote the following this morning, but for some reason forgot to post it. Now the game is here … so there you go!
I got a notice last night from Amazon that my Deluxe Edition of Demon’s Souls shipped last night. Have to love that Prime Release Day free shipping service! On Metacritc, Demon’s Souls is still rated highly – 89% based on 25 reviews. Will be interesting to see how actual gamers rate this one.
After failing to fix the leak in my .22 Marauder, I decided to send it to Crosman for repairs. For what it is worth, I would like to say that despite these problems, I am overall very pleased with the Marauder. This is my first experience with a PCP, and I think the Marauder provides good value for the money. The biggest plus is that the Marauder is very quiet, which makes for perfect backyard shooting.
In a perfect world I guess you could make a case that a brand new $500 airgun should not have any issues, but considering that I have been able to enjoy the Marauder, learn about basic PCP maintenance, and Crosman offered me free shipping, I cannot complain too much. Hopefully the repaired Marauder or a replacement with be back in my stable fairly soon.
Not that it matters, or changes my bitterness over the call, but today the SEC said that the call made against A.J. Green for excessive celebration was a bad call.
“We looked at it from the TV recording of the video and looked at it quite a bit from a different angle than [the official] had,” said Rogers Redding, the SEC’s officials coordinator. “This was coming from the perspective from the field of play. But we concluded that the video did not support the call.”
The NCAA, or maybe just the SEC, needs to take a long hard look at these celebration penalty calls. Let the kids play; stop affecting the outcome of games.
Is the PSPgo already in trouble? In the UK that could very well be the case. According to Worth Playing, the new Sony handheld has already received a price cut.
Barely three days after its launch, the PSPgo has already received a £25 price cut at major retailers such as Amazon.co.uk, Game.com, HMV.com and Play.com.
Assuming this news is correct, that PSPgo must be a total flop in the UK. A price cut at this point is not only unprecedented, but it also shows that the unit was overpriced simply to help retails gain some margins with the absence of physical games to sell for the PSPgo.
Then we have this bit from PSPWorld …
So far we have only anecdotal evidence to go by as we wait for more detailed hardware sales numbers at the end of the month. But among those retailers that have agreed to stock the PSP Go, sales do not appear to have been brisk after those customers who pre-ordered picked up their machines. Without a launch party to speak of or a much needed UMD transfer program, the device does not seem to have strong backing from Sony in North America. One retail store manager writes that ‘so far this thing has been a colossal failure. Since launch we sold one (1) PSPgo. That’s three days of sales and only one unit sold. We sold 20 DSi’s the day it launched, for comparison.’ Other accounts from stores around the United states have been similar.
American chart tracking publication VGChartz estimates that the PSP Go would around 30,000 units during its first week on sale in the United States. These are decent figures, but certainly nothing to get excited about when compared with the Nintendo DSi or the recent success of the PS3 Slim.
If these numbers hold up, it will be a huge blackeye for Sony. Not only was the price point not acceptable, but Sony screwed the pooch by not offering a UMD trade in or transfer program. Throw in the fact that PSPgo does not even offer longer battery life and you have no reason for current PSP owners to “upgrade” to the PSPgo.
Looks like a major flop is looming for Sony. Of course there is probably some 10-year program, but I digress.
Last week I wrote that I was considering purchasing Need for Speed: SHIFT, which was on sale at Best Buy for the low, low price of $39.99. I knew I would not have time to play the game, and while the price could not be beaten, and my guess is that it will not be that low again anytime soon, I just could not justify the purchase.
The funny thing is that a few years ago I would have made the purchase. After all, how could I not afford to get a game that was $20 off?
I decided to leave well enough alone. Besides, I have plenty of other games that are begging to be played. I still have a ton of reply in Ferrari Challenge, and while I do not play Formula One Championship Edition a whole heck of a lot, it is still a blast for running hot laps. Of course there is also Gran Turismo Prologue; except for the pretty graphics, I enjoyed the PS2 Gran Turismo 4 more, but alas, that one got broken by my youngest son.
Continuing on with the game that I do not get enough time to play, Madden 10 is wonderful. When I do get in a game, I really enjoy the experience. This year’s release has to be the most fun I have had playing videogame football in years. Probably back to my NCAA Chronicles days with North Texas; to me, that says something.
I also have Demon’s Souls on the way this week, and of course FIFA 10 later this month. As it stands there just was not enough room for SHIFT even with the $20 discount.
These days I realize that free time, much less videogame time, is at a premium. I spent Sunday afternoon shooting my adult airguns. I had a good time, I got to enjoy the great outdoors (well, at least my backyard), and the kids had a good time playing safely away from my modest shooting range.
Another week of college football, another week that shows the polls absolutely make no sense. Besides the fact that I am a Georgia homer, how in the hell does Georgia fall out of the AP Top 25 after a tough home loss to #4 LSU? Georgia lost the game in the final minute and the reward is to be booted out of the Top 25? You have got to be kidding me …
Georgia is out of Top 25 for first time since Dec. 3, 2006, after losing a 20-13 thriller at home to LSU. But with Southeastern Conference rivals Auburn and South Carolina moving in, the SEC now has six teams ranked, including three of the top four for a second straight week.
Not that I am bitter, but I am just saying that the polls completely suck.
I have not posted any .22 Marauder groups, so I decided that a post or two was in order. I got in a lot of trigger time yesterday (and am still getting more today) as I tried various things to fix my leaking Marauder. While I do have a problem with my Marauder, there are a couple of positives to point out. First, using the Hill hand pump has given me a ton of exercise! If I stay with the Marauder and PCP, I can see the light (almost) of going scuba. Second, I really like the Marauder. For backyard shooting it is a ton of fun; that repeater is just silly – load up four clips, and blow through 40 pellets in a manner of minutes!
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I know these results are not by any stretch great (probably average at best), but for my purposes I think they are pretty darn good. First, I was shooting in the 2200-1900 psi range, so I am not coming close to maximizing the potential of the gun. Second, I was shooting at about 65 feet from a sitting position. In other words I bet the results would have been better off a bench. The top view is a picture of ten shots. If you take the time to count the holes, you will notice that I landed five shots in the center hole around the crosshair. Not too shabby!
In the early days of the Marauder I was getting a load failure about 1 out of 20 shots. This eased to 1 out of 30, and now I cannot think of the last time this happened. The problem occurred when the bolt got stuck and did not load the pellet properly, or maybe even loaded two pellets! I am not sure if this was a breaking in period, or maybe just user error since this is my first repeater.
All in all, except for the problem with the leak, I am pretty pleased with the Marauder. It is a real treat to shoot in the backyard.
One of my winners was Georgia; err, rather I took LSU and the points. I am still pretty bum’ed about Georgia’s 20-13 loss to #4 LSU; that one was just hard to take. Not sure I am up for a summary. I know I said I did not expect Georgia to win the game, but they had it in their grasp and let it slip away which is bitterly disappointing.
I entered this weekend’s SEC action 20-13. The South Carolina game was off the board, so I ended the weekend with more misses (Mississippi St, Tennessee, Vanderbilt) than wins (Alabama, LSU) which bringing my total this year to 22-16.
This is the second game this year (Oklahoma St was the other) were the officials directly affected the outcome of the game. I cannot believe that Georgia got called with a bullshit celebration call after A.J. Green put the Bulldogs ahead with only 1:08 left to play. Say what you will, but that call directly affected the outcome of the game. It is not realistic to expect the kids to not celebrate after such a big play, but there was absolutely nothing excessive about A.J.’s celebration with his teammates.
Without the call LSU may still have won the game, but the referees made it that much easier for LSU by shortening the field by 15 extra yards. Un f’ing real!
It looks like my new .22 Benjamin Marauder has a leak, which sucks considering this was my entry into the world of PCP. Plus I cannot seem to stop the bleeding.
It looks like any time I pump the gun over 2000 psi, the pressure slowly (or not so slowly depending on how these things are suppose to work) dwindles down to 1800-1900 psi. This is a very consistent pattern. I have pumped the crap out of the Hill hand pump the last 18 hours just to verify the problem.
Instead of sending the gun straight away to Crosman for repairs, I decided to take things into my own hands to see if I could actually get thing leak beat. First, I tried to tighten the nipple fill area, and while it could be tighten a little, that did not help things. Next I separated the action from the stock, and then got really brave and barrel band. I decided to degas the gun and remove the gauge (really just removed the gauge assemble). Everything looked in order; o-ring was there, so not sure what else needed to be inspected.
I then started pumping from 0. 25 pumps followed by a brief period of rest. It took 250 pumps to go from 0 psi to 2300-2400 psi. Good grief was that a lot of work!
Notice that at the very end the psi started going down; leak city, which is more than enough to make me no I am not crazy – the gun does lose pressure rapidly. I left everything alone to take my middle boy to soccer, and then the family to lunch. So after about 3 hours of rest, the Marauder gauge now shows just a tad under 2K.
I am not sure where to go from here. I was hopeful that the degassing (it was very loud) would blow out debris that may be causing a problem, but it looks like that did not fix my issue. I do not think the fill nipple is causing the problem, so maybe that means I need to mess around a little more with the gauge and gauge adaptor.
I am too damn sore (seriously) to do any more pumping today; that Hill pump will put some hair on your chest! I hate degassing again just to play around with the gauge, but short of that I am not sure what else I can do other than sending this to Crosman and letting them sort out the problem.
As we head into Week 5, I am 20-13 on the year. This weekend I will be using the betED lines for my picks. On with the show!
3 Alabama at Kentucky
The Tide rolls into Lexington favored by 16 points, and I think they can do just that, and bring home a 35-17 victory.
21 Mississippi at Vanderbilt
I think everyone and their crazy black sheep bastard uncle living in attic knew Mississippi was over rated. At the same time Vanderbilt has let me down a little this year. Mississippi is giving up 10 points, and part of me wants to say this should be a 13 point game. Maybe I am going against the grain on this one, but I do not think Ole Miss covers; I am going with Vanderbilt and the points. Not to win mind you; just taking the 10 points.
S. Carolina St at South Carolina
This one is off the board for good reason. Of course the fighting chickens will win easily, but the question is by how much? I say 35 points.
Texas A&M at Arkansas
This one is pretty much a pick ‘em. Harkens back to the old Southwest Conference days. I do not like either team in this match up; personal preference and for picking purposes. The Hogs are giving up 1, and I guess I will go with a mediocre SEC team over a mediocre Big-12 team.
25 Georgia Tech at Mississippi St
I do not see how the bumblebees can be favored by 5.5, unless everyone thinks that the Western Bulldogs played way over their heads last week against LSU. I am going to take Mississippi St and the points. Not sure that they will actually win, but I think they can cover.
Auburn at Tennessee
Around here the popular pick seems to be Auburn by a good 10 points, but the line calls for Tennessee by 2.5. Seems kind of strange to me. Lord knows I hate taking Auburn, and Tennessee is just as bad. If I remove the emotional part of this, I think that the home team wins by 3, which means they cover.
4 LSU at 18 Georgia
To me this is the shocking line of the week. How are the Dawgs favored by 3.5? Does this mean that at #4, LSU is way over rated? It is not as if the Bulldogs are a Top 10 team. Georgia has struggled mightily in every game, and this one will not be different. Because the defense is so suspect, I can see another 38-33 type of game, but it pains me to say that I have to take LSU and the points. Of course I want a Georgia victory, but I have my doubts. I hope they prove me wrong!
Go Dawgs!
Over the last couple of days, IGN has run a couple of interesting articles. First, a general how does everyone on the IGN stuff feel about the PSPgo article. Second, an entertaining op-ed on the PS3.
PSPgo
The overall impressions for the PSPgo were heavily weighted on the negative side. Not that anyone said the new system sucked, but almost everyone questioned its price point.
Ergonomically it feels a bit wonky, but I’m sure I could get used to it. The nub feels smoother than my 2000, but I don’t know that I can get behind the d-pad—don’t think it’d work well for fighters. The go feels a ton more portable than the other PSP models, and that’s awesome. Just not $250 awesome.
I may pick up a PSPgo when the price drops or my PSP-1000 dies, but then again I may just pick up a PSP-3000 (or once it is released PSP-4000), which would be a better value for my money.
PS3
While I do not necessarily agree with all the points in the PS3 article, I think this clip sums it up pretty well:
Look, if Sony hammered out $300 Slims back in 2006, they would’ve taken a bite out of the Wii’s market share, never mind the 360. But in the cold light of 2009, all they can look forward to is a long, painful war of attrition against the Xbox. The “Everything Box” can’t even count on Blu-ray money anymore, since brand-name Blu-ray players retail under $200 nowadays. They might chip at Microsoft’s 7-8 million install lead, but eroding it completely could eat up the PS3’s entire 10-year life cycle at best.
Unless something major changes. Such as Sony breaking their ten-year plan to release the PlayStation 4. Or, at the risk of repeating myself, they actually meet the potential of the technology already in place. In the meantime, Sony’s going to stumble a bit more and, so sorry, some of that will be at the expense of You, The Gamer.
Sony cannot really wait a long time for the PS4. At the same time they cannot rush out a new system for fear of alienating their current fan base and all those new PS3 Slim owners. Kind of a piss poor position to be in, but in the end they brought this on themselves.
I am not going to do much posting today. In fact, I have not done a whole heck of a lot of news, notes, and comments this week. My little guy is sick, and my wife does not fell well – hopefully all seasonal colds type stuff.
On top of that, I just do not have anything interesting to write about today. Sure, the PSPgo launched today, but to be honest, I have already shot my wad a couple of times on that topic. I guess Vick landing a Nike deal is somewhat interesting, but I am not in the mood to expand on that one today. Heck, I could have even gone for a T&A Thursday update with the Black Rain strip tease video that was “leaked” this week, but not enough time for that topic.
Friday is almost here. Enjoy!
As we are on the eve of the North American launch of the PSPgo, I question how well this “upgraded” system well sell. As is often the case with game reviews, the negative aspects seem to garner a louder voice than the favorable reviews.
In the case of the PSPgo, as I looked on N4G last night and this morning, the negative sentiment seems to be mounting. For example,
It is apparent that much like the PS3, Sony believes that the PSPgo can be priced at a “premium” however, unlike the PS3, which at least offered Blu-ray and backwards compatibility across the entire PSX and PS2 library of games, the PSP has no such premium factors. The PSPgo does not even offered improved battery life, which to me seems to be a travesty.
