I spent the day biting my nails anxiously, waiting for word.

Word that I’d gotten approved for my loan.

And I did. I get the money tomorrow, and by next week, I should be the proud owner of a brand-new MacBook.

I’m very excited about this, just very, very tired from the day of playing the waiting game. And it was the most awsome waiting game EVER.

I meant to turn in a review last night. I didn’t send it until just now. The reason for my lateness? I went out at 8:30 last night and dropped $1500 bucks on a spankin’ new Samsung LCD from CC. The only thing I found close in quality was the high-end Sony of that size and it was close to $500 more. Needless to say, I am in love with the TV.

I plan to spend tonight tweaking all the settings and getting my Momitsu DVD player running (gotta pick up a DVI to HDMI converter). PS2 even in interlaced component looks really good + there’s a game mode that enhances the picture. Much better than my early generation CRT HDTV in the living room. Ghosting is really minimal and kicking on progressive mode really made the games shine. I can’t wait to try out the PS3 on this thing.

…is considered racist?!

Apparently so, at least to some UK people:

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=65860

This baffles me - am I somehow insipid? Too stupid to see the ‘obviously racist undertones’ in this game? I bought it a few days ago on a whim, after playing the demo and having so much fun with it. I normally don’t import unless I know the game won’t reach the states, but Loco Roco had left such an impression with me - uninhibited fun. You see bright colors, cute characters, listen to delightfully catchy songs and chorus lines. It’s simple to learn, difficult to master, and of all things, reminds me of old puzzle ball games I used to have as a kid. You know…the tiny plates where you’d have to tilt and roll the silver balls from one end of the maze to the finish? Like that - only with song, dance, and happiness.

But pervasive racism? Not once did I see that…am I simply insensitive, or is the whole world becoming too touchy for its own good?

Last week I came one step closer to achieving my goal of becoming the ubernerd. Playing video games wasn’t enough; nor was writing about them. The more I venture into the world of gaming, the more I want to be around them. On the inside I’m a 400 pound man feeding off the dead carcasses of every game I’ve ever beaten, and I’m only getting fatter. My appetite is never satisfied. So to ensure I’d die of a virtual heart attack, I did the only thing I could. I got a job at EB Games.

Getting the job was easier than getting rejected by a beautiful woman. It took little to no effort at all. As the English fellow with the accent thick as your moms cottage cheese thighs rang up my trade-ins I asked if they were hiring. The other guy behind the counter (whom I later found out was the manager) replied with “We’re always hiring. You want an application?” I resisted my natural instinct to look at him like he was stupid and said “Sure”. After I finished my business I went out to the car, filled out the application, slipped in a copy of my resume, and walked back into the store where the manager immediately flipped through it and told me to “hold back a minute”. What followed was the easiest job intererview I’ve ever had in my life.

When the manager got done looking over my resume he said he was ready to offer me a job right then based on what he saw desprite the fact that I have no retail experience. He hired me for three reasons:
I’m a gamer
He could tell that I’m clean (meaning I don’t smoke pot)
He liked my attitude.
I’m going to have to disagree with that last one. Ask anyone I know. I’m a complete asshole. Fortunately I’m a terrific actor. Brad Pitt’s got nothing on me, besides the millions of women that would have sex with him. That’s the only thing that seperates us.

Starting today I’ll be hounded by nerds, mothers who have no idea what they’re looking for, and the occasional female gamer. I’ve stepped on another stone of opportunity and now all that’s left is a life of celibacy.

So I got an updated response about my recent “issues” with Wikpedia… As some of you may recall, the entry’s removal was executed without haste and considered a site that wasn’t “notable enough” to exist on their grand site. Now I’ve learned from another member that this apparently is “link spam” (yes, that was their exact words).

While I don’t wish to create any ruckus with similar online gaming sites, I found it interesting that entries for IGN, 1up.com and even The Adrenaline Vault all have live, active entries there. Naturally, I took some time to thoroughly investigate their policy and procedures, ultimately coming up with one resolution: this is bullshit. I even fired back another inquiry, despite the bleak possibility of a effective resolution to come of this — like say, being able to republish the aforementioned link on their site.

[shrug] I guess you have to be a widely known commercial operation to earn a place on Wikipedia. Anything else is considered inappropriate and spammy. Thanks for violating my rights as an author guys!

…in other news, I’m sure a number of you have noticed that it’s been ages since I’ve done a review. Well, there’s a reason for that: I don’t enjoy them anymore. Wait, let me revise that… I don’t enjoy writing them right now. Something about the whole process bugs me a great deal as of late. I endeavored to gain some clarity from my peers, which in effect, stumped a number of them and by that, I mean, they simply didn’t know what to say. I’ve been giving a LOT of thought to how reviews are typically composed. Many tend to deliver what can be best summed up as a “laundry list” of facts. Authors insist on telling you every nick and cranny, which may be great for some, but I find the majority of gamers merely want you to get to the point. And kudos to those that are talented enough to balance the degree of information and effectively be entertaining in the process. There are a lot of writers out there that have difficulty doing this. At times, it’s not their fault — writers are exposed to a gamut of awful games and almost rarely want to exercise a level of optimism. They just want to say “it sucks” and move on with their lives. Yet even if a game shows extrordinary merit, writers often have difficulty being able to channel a certain quality that will ultimately keep people coming back: personality. You may laugh, but I’m willing to bet that you can literally count all of your favorite writers quicker then the time it takes you to finish reading this sentence. (That’s ok, I didn’t think I was on most of your lists anyway) [grin]

Anyways, getting back to myself… I’ve simply reached a point where I’ve been seriously considering moving onto something else other than game reviews. Not just for GotNext, but perhaps in general. While there are huge advantages for having your own outlet to sound off, I tend to find it even more rewarding writing for high-profile outlets. Why? Well exposure for one… not to mention you can find gain a lot of experience working with other writers, often picking new methods to expand and improve your own style. There are a few places that I’m looking to branch out to — and before you start thinking “OMG, he’s leaving GotNext!” — rest assured, it’s bears little impact on this site’s continued existence. Really. I’ve been also thinking about moving into other types of reviews… hardware reviews and similar gadget-related genres like cell phones, laptops and such. I’m just feeling like perhaps it’s time to expand a bit further beyond video games. I’ve dedicated myself to video game enthusiast writing for about seven years — a bit of change couldn’t hurt.

Speaking of changes, I’m going to shift gears and spend some time coming up with some new sketches. You can check out my gallery at bahndotcom.deviantart.com. Till next time.