Now this is how you fix a mistake.

Okami is one of the prettiest games available, but the Wii version shipped with a blemish right on the front cover.  By Amaterasu's mouth you can plainly see an IGN watermark, complete with compass and logo.  Even worse, a quick scan at my local Gamestop the other day showed that the preview box art had it on there too, meaning there was plenty of time to catch and fix this error.  Oops!

It was a silly error, and Capcom is manning up to it with free replacement covers for all.  Head on over to Capcom's website to snag one of three different covers for your game, free for the asking and no receipt necessary.  One is the original art and back cover copy without that pesky watermark or unsightly Play Magazine score, but the other two are full wraparound art without even a Wii logo to mar them.  Prettify your Wii copy or replace the original PS2 cover, they're system agnostic.

While you're indulging in appreciation for Okami's amazing style, it's worth dropping in to Okami Art for a look around.  The art book they're promoting is pretty tempting.

The best baseball man in the biz takes a giant risk in 2008.

I loved MLB 2K7, from its gorgeous visuals to the near-simulation-perfect gameplay (after a couple of slider adjustments) and solid pitching controls. Naturally, I expected a few tweaks here and there to 2K's followup this spring…perhaps a modified (and easier) hitting mechanic, some more nuance in the franchise mode, and even more online options.

Boy, were my expectations way off.

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Despite some brief fun, Umbrella Chronicles is far too shallow.

So, no I am not dead. I was on vacation and got to catch up on some serious gaming including Heavenly Sword (man this is a short game), Folklore (slow moving in the beginning, but gorgeous and interesting), BioShock (all I can say is an all-caps WOW), Stranglehold (I actually got a copy as a gift and am loving it), and Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, which I got to enjoy in 2-player glory all the way through to the end. I had some fun for the first 5 hours or so, but there just isn't enough substance to consider this a great addition to the Resident Evil universe. The addition of 2-player is a major plus and actually made me want to replay missions more often. More guns equals more chances to find all the hidden stuff in each level.

My first and biggest gripe is the lack of upgradeable handgun. It's the most used weapon and one that should be more versatile. Depending on the character, your handgun will be different, but none are too useful on the harder enemies. Another minor gripe? Using counter (which are really awesome for the some of the characters), puts you in closer range to other zombies and often equals getting swiped for some serious damage. Sure you can ready the shotgun and pop a quick headshot if you are lucky, but I was expecting it to be a little less dangerous and a little better at crowd control.

Overall, the game is fun and would definitely benefit from more missions, better weapon upgrades and management, and a cheaper price tag. Worth a rental, but probably not a purchase. It was nice traveling back through the history of the games and I can't wait to see what they do with 5.

Besides consoles, I spent more time on Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness PSP–an absolutely addicting game. I also jumped on the HD bandwagon and thanks to the $98 HD DVD sale at Wal-Mart, now own a couple HD DVDs and am actually wishing HD DVD would win the war (though I'm afraid it probably won't). Let's just say that upconversion on the Toshiba HD-A2 is fantastic and I needed a new DVD player anyway, so I can justify the purchase should HD DVD lose out. I also have decided to get a PlayStation 3 at Christmas time to enjoy all the stuff not released on HD DVD, which is primarily a lot of Asian Blu-ray releases, such as Old Boy, Flash Point, and Paprika. The nice thing about owning the hardware is that Netflix has huge libraries for both, meaning I don't need to own very many at all.

Well it's off to the Netherworld again. 

After eleven long years, I have returned to my happy place.

[Note:  This is not an official review.  Rather, these are just my impressions after a few hours of hands-on time.  If this were an official review, the game would have been awarded an Official GotNext Seal of Absolute Supreme Awesomeness.]

Okay, so last night I get a creepy-yet-somehow-alluring phone call from Mario.  He's calling me on behalf of GameStop to let me know that my copy of Super Mario Galaxy will be available the next day.  Oh, and GameStop is a great place to trade in your used games.  Mario has become quite the corporate shill, it seems.

Anyways, I pick it up around lunchtime today.  The next few hours are brutal as I wait for my day to come to an end.  Usually, the mental image of supple breasts keeps me alert in those cumbersome afternoon hours.  Today, it's a pudgy man with a mustache.  The clock crawls along and I shake with anticipation.

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Barbie was right, math class is tough!

Numbers seem to be tricky things, but a few simple rules can get most people through their everyday lives.  Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are all you really need, thankfully, because if I had to use calculus ever again I'd probably just quit civilization entirely.  Even if someone finds the basics mathematical functions troublesome, calculators are cheap enough that they're given away free with cereal and fast food.  All of which means that there's really no reason for Gamespot to report the PS3 gaining on the Wii in Japan.

I'll admit that it wasn't until Squall pointed it out on the Got Next message boards that I noticed, but sure enough, the headline is completely wrong.  Here's the numbers to prove it.

The numbers from two weeks ago-

PS3:   17,139
Wii:  24,932

Or, the PS3 sold 68.74% of the Wii's total

Last week's numbers-

PS3:  18,785
Wii:  27,502

Meaning that the PS3 sold 68.30% of the Wii's total, or 0.44% less than the previous week.  While it's true that a headline saying "PS3 Registers Barely Noticeable Dip vs Wii in Japan" doesn't have the same ring, it would come with the advantage of not being 100% wrong.