The Fryhole

So yea, I didn’t make it out to the stores I wanted to last night…  Why?  My Pants, my pants they ripped, yup took the butt right out, luckily I was in my car at the time…  So yea no flashing for no one!

So failing any pants mishaps I hope to hit Toys R Us and Super Store tonight… du du dun

But on a happy note, in an evil and funny sorta way… I know that South Side Future Shop got 92, Nintendo Wiis.  How do I know this?  Simple Geoff was number 93 in line.  Ouch.

Just a brief update, I went to three stores last night for my Wii search. Alas I just found sold out signs, oddly Future Shop didn’t even have its Wii display set up yet. I wasn’t the only one there looking either. I listened in as a FS lackey told another like me, that the Wii was sold out, and it would be next week before they were likely to have anymore in.

But thats ok, the less money I give to future shop they better. Although I did buy DVD’s there, so I didn’t really help with my own boycott.

Zellers was also sold out, they were my long shot, I did however get a calender there. Thats right I am a consumer whore, I check a store for a Wii, and I buy other stuff. Oh well this calender was of care bears drawn by Satan him self. So awesome, its like my dreams, only in calender form.

So tonight, I think I will hit Toys R Us, on the off chance that they got so Wii in their weekly shipment. As well maybe superstore, cause I need food for my home. As well I can get Andrew that Transformer I was bugging him about earlier.

So to further my Wii quest, I have yet to actually go to a store. So there is no shame in my lack of Wii. Although all online venders seem to be sold out.
But as noon approches, the question is, when will the stores be restocked? I know Toys R Us gets their shipments in on Tuesday, but what about Walmart, EB Games, Future Shop, Bestbuy, Zellers, Super Store, London Drugs?

I hope to check out the Leduc Wallmart and EB Games today, maybe just EB, but we shall see.

Anyway I poached this from a news.com artical, and its the best thing I have heard all day. Other than a student insulting my WoW playing, Yea who has half their Teir 2? Yea not him!

“As part of the entertainment, Nintendo hired a company which has two people riding around on Segways, each of which is decked out with a flat-screen TV and a Wii. The two will roll–literally–up to a group in line, stop, and while hovering there, allow those in line to play games wireless on the Wii.”

Wiispect my Wii buying skills!

Today is the day of the Wii, and I don’t have one…

serves me right for not getting on any pre-order list.

This is my plan is to hit stores after work this wiik and see how long it takes me to get the Wii!

For honor and Wii!

So Andrew and I have been investigating japanese game centres… otherwise known as arcades (in North America).  They’ve got the standard games, of course (Tekken, Soul Calibur, Foosball, House of the Dead, etc.); and they also have a stunning number of the “crane” games where you:

1. Guide the grabby-claw with a joystick.
2. Press the button to grab the item under the claw.
3. Hope that the claw picks up the item and if it does:
4. Hope that you can safely maneuver the claw to the proper drop point for the item, and if you can:
5. Profit!!!

The first weird thing that we saw is that they seem to have a lot more feminine-oriented arcade games.  I’m not sure what happens in them.  They look sort of like photo booths, but they have curtains all around them; and I haven’t dared to even approach one (nor has Andrew).  So, some girl somewhere go check them out and let us know what they are about.  You’ll be sure to recognize them; as they are pink.  With many flowers.  Ponies are often involved as well.

What really grabbed our attention are the games that are “more” than any that we see in North America (typically), though.

The first of relevance is a mech-combat game that looks insanely in-depth.  Each player has their own P.O.D., which is a totally-enclosed chamber that the player sits in (presumably with screens on all sides and amble controls) from which they control their mech.  Normally there are groups of about 4 of these.  What I assume happens is that a group/guild forms a team of 4, which then all go to this location and each of them climb into a P.O.D., so that they each control one of the 4 mechs.  Then they join up with their opponents across the network (a red-vs-blue sort of idea) and duke it out; their team of mechs against their opponents.  I wouldn’t be surprised if the P.O.D.’s were voice-linked as well (remember, they are enclosed — when a player is inside you cannot see any of what they are doing or hear anything from within), to aid in the team-play.  Outside of the P.O.D.’s, spectators can view what is going on by way of a large screen that displays the map that the mechs are combatting on (each mech represented by either a blue or a red dot and that mech’s name) and intelligently “zooms in” to view action as it occurs (i.e. on firefights).  It looks very cool.  Andrew and I haven’t tried it; as it would take a far better understanding of the Japanese language than I have (and quite possibly more players than just us two); but it looks great.

The second relevant thing is that many arcade games over here let you actually save your progress on a card.  The first time that you start the game; it prompts if you want to use a card.  If you have one; you just insert it and pickup from where you left off.  If you don’t, then the machine will make you one for a small fee; or you can choose to continue with no card at all (in which case your progress will not be saved).  Seriously, these cards are everywhere — shooting games, racing games, etc.

The third, and by far the most exciting of the things that we have seen, also has to do with cards.  Specifically, it appears to be a strange combination of CCG and arcade game.  So far we have seen football, soccer, mech-combat (gundam), warlord-combat (samurai, as in Dynasty Warriors), and role-playing (as in D&D or other similar RPGs) implementations of it.  The basic premise is that each player has a station where they sit down and produce a deck of cards (their personal deck of cards).  In front of them is a black matte surface that looks sort of like a mousepad and is roughly 2 feet by 2 feet.  In front of that is a screen, and there are various accoutrements/slots/buttons on the side.

The player picks out the cards that they want to use from their deck and place them on the black matte surface in front of them, insert their coins, and the game initializes.  Using the warlords game for an example, the screen shows a scenario (i.e. besieging a castle), with either a computer (or, I expect, an opposing player) playing one side and the seated player playing the other.  The player’s units on the screen take up positions matching the cards on the play surface.  I don’t know what they use; but there is some manner of instantaneous detection of what card is where, and what each card represents; and it is instantly portrayed into the game on the screen.  So the player arranges their cards on the surface, and the screen shows their starting formation; and then the player OKs it and the game starts.

Basically what it boils down to is a tactical combat, where players move the cards on the surface, which relays to movement on the screen, and then all the units attack each other and finally (eventually) a single victor arises.  Special attacks can be carried out by using the buttons to the side; and I suspect (though I am not sure) that the formation and relative locations of the units may play a role in what special attacks can be launched when.  It also appears that the winner of the game receives their loot as booster packs of cards, which can be used to supplement their deck; and I think they also have a personal card that keeps track of their experience, progression, etc.

In some cases, the game goes even further — in the gundam one, not only are there individual stations, but there is a huge screen/combat map in front of all of them that displays the current state of the world between the two sides (players need to choose one of two sides to play on) with markings for contested areas and combat zones; and the players work at fighting the other side to try and win the entire map for their side.  Judging from the number of individual combats visible on a single combat map; I would guess that the game is completely networked; as well, so that the game centres all play in the same (dare I say it?) consistent world.

To be blunt, it is phenomenal.  I’d never seen anything like it, and all I really want to do is to try and play it — but the language barrier and the threat of spending too many hours and too much money are stopping me from doing so.  Andrew’s the same way (particularly with the mech/gundam version).  If these games ever come to North America, I think we’ll be in trouble.  All that is saving us right now is the fact that we don’t really know how to play; and that we are leaving the country in a few days. 

I did purchase a starter pack of the warlord CCG/arcade game, though — more as a souvenir than as an actual attempt to play.

Anyways, I’ll leave that there — very cool game centers over here. 

Its not an addiction, I can quit anytime…

PG13 post…

Alright, I joke a lot about my WoW addiction. I have also chatted to a few guildies about it as well. So I thought I would bring it up as a fun topic. While I don’t think WoW is physical addiction, and I doubt that leaving cold turkey would put a person in a spell of crippling withdrawal. There is still something to be said for the community, relaxation, and challenges that the game presents us with, that keep us coming back for more. As well I don’t presume to even suggest this is an important topic with the many other much more deliberating addictions out there. The intent of this is not to make fun of or mock any one who has ever dealt with a real addiction. I’ve have never turned tricks for WoW gold… yet

With that all in mind, I thought it would be fun to discuss, some of the crossovers between WoWlife and RL. IF not feel free to ignore me

You know that feeling when you click on the a flight point, just as you realize you forgot to do something before heading out. Well at work, as I was leaving to visit a site, as I clicked the elevator button to close the door, I had a quick panic attack. ‘Crap I forgot poison.’

You know when you are asleep yet kinda awake? I have a reoccurring dream during that phase that I have fallen asleep during a raid. I have to force myself to remember downing the final boss (usually Jindo), before I can go back to sleep. The worst was when I had a cold, and my fever induced dream actually invented a new set of epics that were perfect for me, but since I had fallen asleep during the roll call, they were DE’d. That was a nightmare…

…of course I feel for the guildies that have fallen asleep during raids. I have also read/heard of guildies being kept up at night for fear of being late to raids.

I see guildies…
So a few of us are from Edmonton… Edmonton is a small enough place, that I am sure I know all the Ed guildies somehow. With that in mind, I tend to arbitrarily decide random strangers are, guildies. How do you turn to the couple behind you in the theater and ask ‘Duchat? Zenoiba?’. I am used to being looked at like I am crazy, but hate being rude .

I hold me shift key (Push to talk button) while on the phone.

To many of my instant messages start with /r

There is a bar in Edmonton, called The Old Strathcona Hotel, or The Strat… I was out with some friends, and they asked ‘So after this are we going to the strat?’ to which I replied ‘Live or Dead?’.

Anyway sorry for being long winded, I am sure we have all forgotten to talk on the phone, skipped supper, sleeping, or entire weekends, due to WoW.

/ignore nickle

Rogue, the class your Grandma doesn’t want you to play.

Nickle: Hi Grandma, how are you!

Grandma: Fine fine, say Nick, whats this World of Warcrafting I hear so
much about these days?

Nickle: Oh you mean World of Warcraft, its a online fantasy game.

Grandma: I read, that it promotes witchcraft, and causes people to stop
going to the washroom, people have even been found dead at their keyboards.

Nickle: No, no worries Grandma its a harmless addiction.

Grandma: Alright, just so long as you don’t play the Rogue class, bunch
of backstabbing, underpowered DPS, raid wipers, they are.

Nickle: No, I um… play a paladin! salvation all the way!

Grandma: Salvation FTW, nick, salvation FTW! I’m glad your not one of
those non raid benefiting, vanishing when scared rogue whiners. Rogues
nerfed? they should just remove them from the game.

Nickle: But…

Grandma: No buts, they steal good equipment, from more use full, fury warriors, feral druids, and hunters. They have no buffs, no raid utility, and all their skills, are useless in end game.

Nickle: Of course Grandma, I am glad I’m not one of those damn rogues {under breath:
Rogues pwn all}

So… this Super Mario Bros game is… wow. Roger and I ran out and bought DS Lites and Super Mario Bros in a ‘package deal’ (they weren’t actually being sold together for less money so we had to buy them at the same time and use our imagination) this last week. Worth every penny — I’m playing it more addictively than I did Super Mariokart DS. Not sure what it is… I never particularly like the original Mario Bros games when they were on the ’standard consoles’; but this DS version is the shiznit.

It could be that you get to grow really, really giant (which to my knowledge you could never do in the originals), or it could be that I’m just giving it more of a chance than I ever did with the original console-based ones. Yesterday I actually got my Wolf into armor on a level 1 mission in EVE, because I was distracted hopping about trying to get that last giant golden coin for a level and I didn’t notice the 7-8 Serpentis that seemed to take exception to my presence. That would have been an expensive mistake, considering the Gistii Type-A I just put on it.
Anyway, back to Super Mario Bros. Nintendo always has the little touches, and they haven’t missed out here. When you close the DS (without ending the game), Mario says “Bye-bye!” and when you open it again he says “It’s a me! Marrrrio!” Silly and meaningless? Perhaps. One thing that it does do, however, is bring you right into the game. There’s no delay between opening up the DS and starting to play (unless you end/quit the game — I’m talking about using sleep mode, here). You are in-game, and Mario is alive and well and it’s time to find the princess and there’s no time to spare — all as soon as you open the DS.

Not sure if it works that way for others, but Mario’s speech on opening the DS really delimit game-play for me — both the start and the end of it. I’ve heard that it takes people a fair amount of time to switch between tasks, and I wonder if Mario’s speech actually helps this process along by focusing the mind on the task at hand (and releasing it again).
It’s the little details that really make a game, isn’t it? All the koopas base r belong to me.