Madden | The Recycle Bin

The day gaming died.

I think today is the day that I finally realized that gaming has died. Well, maybe not died, but it is truly on life support. As long as I was on a roll with some blog updates, I figured I would check out the latest videogame action to see what I wanted to write about. I cruised on over to n4g, and looked around. First I took a glance at the general news page, then the PS3 section, and finally the PSP section. Nothing of interest. Nothing to get excited about. Nothing to make me turn on my PS3.

It has been a while since I played anything. My PSP lives in a drawer waiting for me to recharge its batteries; hoping and praying for a business trip that will let it strut its stuff. My PS3 sits idle, waiting for me to put in something other than a Blu-ray movie. And so it goes.

At some point I have to ask myself WTF is wrong with me? Am I defective? OK, don’t answer that one, but right now I am not sure when I will get close to being enthusiastic about gaming. It has been months since I wanted to play anything. Come to think of it, Madden was the last game I purchased and played (and certainly not $90 collection edition enough to get value for my purchase). I wonder if playing Madden is the gaming equivalent of a cock block.

It may be time to switch gears and pick up something PC oriented. A return to text based simulations such as Football Manager or Out of the Park Baseball. Or maybe check out Spore, Civilization, or some other addictive simulation. Maybe even give World of Warcraft another go. As it stands right now, gaming is on life support. Hopefully sooner or later, it will come back alive and kicking.

PS3. It’s been a while.

How long? I decided to crank up my PS3 today. It’s been a while. I think the last time I turned on the PS3 I was in the process of upgrading my firmware to 2.50. Today, I had to upgrade to the 2.53 firmware.

When I last turned on my PS3, I started downloading the Sep and Oct Qore episodes. Looks like Sep was still in progress, and Oct had not even started. I went into the store and started downloads for Nov and Dec Qore episodes.

Folding at Home is now something called PlayStation Life. No idea about this one. I actually enjoyed folding proteins; not sure about this new Life thing.

I decided to pass some time with Madden; had to upgrade to game data 1.20. My last profile was saved in Aug, so yes; it has been a long time since I fired up the PS3. I decided to play the Falcons vs. Texans, but first I looked for a roster update. No idea where to find those, so I just put in Ryan as my staring QB. Played a quick game on 3 minute quarters and won 13-6. Yeah me! My IQ is still sub 500, but who cares? It is not like I have penis size complex or anything.

I have been out of the PS3 scene for awhile, but I have not really missed anything. Not sure if Bowl season will finally get me going with NCAA Football. Heck, I never gave the second patch a chance.

I keep thinking that the Little Big Planet thing will bring me back to the world of gaming, but I have not really been interested enough to pick that one up. It may be more like priorities, and what is getting most of my free time. Right now, obviously gaming is taking a back seat.

So here’s to turning on the PS3 for the first time in months (literally). May my Qore downloads succeed, and may I actually be in the mood to watch them. Hopefully that hot chick is still hosting because that was really the only reason to watch them in the first place.

Would you believe that this is the first year in forever that I can remember actually not asking for a game from Santa? Seriously. My wife is usually good for a game or three, and she makes sure my mom also throws in one for good measure. I did not even bother putting a game on the Christmas list this year. My how times have changed.

Good gaming to you and yours!

Madden 09 Countdown (3 days).

I was just about to pre-order the Madden 09 Collectors Edition from ebgames, but decided against it because the total price was a shocking $108.58 ($89.99 + $11.49 Next Day Shipping + $7.10 Tax). I decided that I did not need the game next day that bad. Seriously, there was a time and a place where I had to have games on the release day, but it is not like I am doing the Madden Holiday thing.

At any rate I decided to take my shopping pleasures over to Amazon. After all, I have the Prime thing going for me, so next day shipping is cheap (forget the exact amount – something under $4). Plus Amazon does not charge sales tax. The only downside of using Amazon for videogames is that you never get them on release day. Hey, I am sensible; I just talked myself out of needed games on the release day.

Imagine my surprise to see a new shipping option (automatically selected for my happy self): “Release-Date Delivery Aug 12.” That is not the kicker; release-date delivery is free. Wow! You have to love Amazon Prime. I just saved 18.58, which absolutely makes me giddy.

In three days Madden 09 Collectors Edition will show up on my front porch for $89.99. No shipping charges, no tax, no wasted gas going to a brick-and-mortar, no waiting. It is all about me.