For the first time in a looonng time, I am actually excited for the future of the Wii. Just this week we've been privy to some great stuff, such as Steven Spielberg's Bloom Blox and of course, WiiWare. The former proves that third party developers really can make great games for the system. Anyway, for those of you that have missed something, WiiWare is Nintendo's download service for original games, sort of like XBLA and PSN. And it's off to a great start!
You wouldn't expect Nintendo to cater to independent developers, to do anything that helps them. What the fuck does Nintendo care about some upstart company trying to push their zany and non-conformist ideas? Right? Well, apparently I was wrong. In fact, I'd say Nintendo seems to be the most open to independent companies and their strange ideas. Take a look at WiiWare. Some of the shit coming out of there in the future looks incredible, and not to mention fresh and original. (Of course, I could still be wrong. I don't know what the fuck Nintendo thinks or how it conducts business)
We already received one of these original games this week, in the form of LostWinds. In this wonderful and beautiful little game, players use the Wii Remote to manipulate the wind, which helps this little guy with a big head get around. It's a platformer, but it's all done in 3D and it features a wonderful art style. It's very easy on the eyes. And while it's not the most mind blowing mechanic ever seen in gaming, using the Wii Remote to manipulate the wind is a lot of fun. I would say games like this wouldn't have a chance of release if not for services like WiiWare or XBLA. What publisher would package a 2D side-scroller like this on a disc for 50 bucks, even if the game was expanded and was made longer? Now, some say it's a short game, but I wouldn't know. I haven't finished it yet. I've been too busy with another great little game: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles:My Life as a King.
Now, I know I was talking about independent developers and one of those, Square Enix is not. But that doesn't change the fact that you probably wouldn't find this game on either XBLA or PSN. It just doesn't seem like it would fit. Anyway, the game is made of win. Sure, it's very casual leaning and you won't be seeing any action or anything you'd expect from an FF game, but here I am straight up addicted to it. So much so that I haven't touched GTA since WiiWare launched. I am on Day 80 out of who knows how many, and I am in love. Unlike other "resource management" games, this one doesn't force you to get too deep and invest too much thought. It's simple and quick, and as a bonus for Final Fantasy fans, it features a lot of imagery and designs you'll recognize instantly. The most exciting part for me was meeting the Mooogle Stiltzkin, who I remember well as the traveling mog that gave me awesome deals on items in Final Fantasy 9, my favorite of the series.
Side note: I downloaded about 8 dollars worth of DLC for this game. I am officially Square Enix's bitch.
If the WiiWare service can continue pushing out games of this caliber on a steady basis, they can count me as a fan. This is a very exciting time for independent developers, and for gamers also, it would seem. I can't wait to see what they've got in store in the future.
And just as food for thought: Can anybody honestly say that either the PlayStation Store or XBLA will be able to truly compete with Nintendo's offerings in the future? Nintendo already has the Virtual Console, which has quite a few gems on it not to mention (hopefully) many more classics on the way. And now they've got WiiWare. The future actually looks bright for Nintendo Wii owners. Perhaps this console will finally come into it's own critically and not just financially. We can only hope so.
* Worth 1000 Pts. So sorry, no Final Fantasy My Life as a King, which is a great game. Sorry.
Yes, it's time for a contest. But first, a confession, because I almost felt bad about doing this: Some of you may remember that I've held a few contests in my time here at a Dtoid, as a way of giving back to the community. In my last one, which I won't link to because I'm lazy, I remember mentioning somewhere that I would be holding a contest for a Wii Points Card. I even PM'd Reaprar and he (she?) agreed to distort some photos for me to use in the contest. But I never got around to it, and then of course I got let go from my job and haven't been able to come on here as often, what with my wife playing WoW all the time.
So, I used the Wii Points Card for myself, to download Lost Winds! But I only needed a few hundred points for the game, and a few hundred more for some DLC for the Final Fantasy WiiWare game, which is awesome BTW. So I've decided to give the other 1000 Pts away!
Here's how it works: The winner of the contest will have a game of their choice worth 1000 Pts or less "Gifted" to their Wii. We'll have to swap Friend Codes and all, but we can take care of that later. And don't worry, I'm not going to stalk you online with my Wii. Nintendo took care of that with Friend Codes.
And how do you win? Simple, and I really don't care how blatant this blog whoring is, but all you've got to do is make me laugh. That's it. Post a funny comment or picture in this blog, and the one that makes me laugh the most will win.
You can enter starting at 1:30 PM EST and ending at 10:00 PM EST tonight. That's it. I'll take a look throughout the day, since I won't be going to work, and I'll look at them all over again sometime tonight or tomorrow morning and then PM the winner. That's it.
I would have loved to give away the full amount of points, but I'm unemployed and need Teh WiiWare. It's made of so much win, and I'm really excited about the future of the Wii.
Having seen the story on the front page regarding WiiWare launching today (too lazy to link) , I decided to dust off my Wii and check out what was available. While I agree with Nick Chester that the platforming title LostWinds does look very interesting, I decided to let the fanboy inside get the best of me and settled on the most expensive game of the bunch, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles:My Life as a King.
Now, keep in mind, this game is more expensive than the majority of games you'll find on PSN or the XBLA. It cost 15 fucking dollars, and that's without considering the Nintendo Pay to Play bullshit you can download. Yes, the game has a warning before you download, which informs us that the game uses the pay to play service. While I haven't checked out the extra content, it seems that you won't need to spend any more actual cash to complete the game. That could change, but for now it seems safe.
As for the game, well, what can I say? It's clear Square Enix is really trying to crack the so-called "casual" market here, as you won't be doing a whole lot. There is absolutely no combat, which I expected but I was still somewhat disappointed when I confirmed this myself. What you'll be doing is building houses and other types of structures such as bakeries and weapon shops, to name a few. To build these, you'll need to gather resources. I can't think of what it's called off the top of my head, but you'll primarily be concerning yourself with just one thing: Some kind of magic resource needed to build everything. To get this stuff, you'll send out adventurers to explore areas, defeat any monsters or bosses, and then collect the resources and return home, usually in one day. You'll need to send the right adventurer for the job, which is based on their level and their stats. If there is only one job needed to be done,l you can either send adventurers out to explore and level up, or send them home. If you send them out, it costs 15 gil a day for them to adventure.
So what you have here is basically a very light and casual resource management game of sorts. You'll encounter moogles and other FF stuff as you walk around your little kingdom, so if you're a big Final Fantasy fan than there is definitely something here for you. There seems to be some sort of story underneath it all, but I haven't progressed far enough to know for sure. I'll be sure to let you guys know if anything changes in the future.
As it is, I find myself strangely attached to this game. I feel like I've found a new addiction, which is odd considering the game is so damn passive. You get the feeling you've done nothing when you turn it off, but it's fun, for some reason. I can't quite say it's worth 15 bucks, as I haven't spent enough time with it, but it seems like a decent value when you consider the game features GameCube quality visuals and some nice art direction. Not to mention heavy amounts of text, but I never really got tired of reading. Shame there's no demo.
PS: On a side note, I just wanted to point out the hassle it was downloading this game. It clocks in at around 250 blocks or so, which forced me to delete Star Fox 64 and Super Mario 64. Sure, you can download them again, but it's a pain in the ass to have to do all this bullshit. 512 MB is not enough room.
Now before people start telling me that I'm giving the likes of Jack Thompson and Glenn Beck fodder for their foolish crusades and rants against gaming, hear me out. While I fully expect the title of this blog to grab people's attention for both good and bad reasons, it's never a wise decision to comment before reading.
Anyway, where to start? Ah yes, my son. He's 2 and a half years old now. Good boy and all, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that he has inherited either his mother or father's genetic deficiencies. He's most definitely got ADHD or something like that. It's not that big of a deal either way. He's also a smart little sucker, as you'll find out soon enough. Read on.
So last night started like any other would, with me bringing my children to bed at about 8PM. My daughter soon fell fast asleep, but my son wouldn't go to bed. He kept getting up and running downstairs to harass me while I tried to play some GTA IV, which I haven't been able to do the previous two days. After getting him to sit down, I contemplate turning off the system so he doesn't see Niko Bellic go on a murderous rampage or at the very least, me crashing a car into some pedestrians because I forgot to use my brakes properly. That happens a lot in this game. Anyway, I never got the chance, as he used my momentary distraction to his advantage and controller-jacked me. He wanted to play daddy's game.
Now, under normal circumstances, I'd have taken the controller away. The only thing I've really ever let him do is wave the Wii Remote around to make Mario spin attack in Super Mario Galaxy. But I had actually just crashed my stolen Turismo right through some sort of fence and ended up at the beach. There weren't many people around and I had no weapons. He doesn't know how to drive. I decided to let him play. What could go wrong?
Apparently, everything imaginable. I tried to teach him some buttons, which he picked up remarkably well. Within minutes, he knew how to jump and punch using square and circle, respectively. But then he decided that he wanted to act his age and try a little experimentation and exploration. He pressed the Triangle button, which of course automatically walks you right into the nearest car. He then discovered which buttons move the car backwards and forwards, and while he had trouble holding each button down, he eventually managed to drive the car right into the water.
I fruitlessly tried to grab the controller but by the time I wrestled it away from him, Niko was swimming with the fish. Permanently. Luckily, he had to no clue what was happening at that point.
Either way, we had a lot of fun. Before he killed Niko, we spent a lot of time just learning the buttons, about 45 quality father-son minutes actually. He kept laughing hysterically when he realized it was him making Niko jump and punch. It was the coolest thing he'd ever seen. Now, some might have a problem with him learning to "punch", but then again it's not like he hit a person in the game. He was shadow boxing pretty much.
I would be really nice if I had the option to turn off people or crowds in the game, so as to allow him to drive wherever he wants, but then again, he can't quite seem to figure out the analog stick. His hands are a bit too small to use the buttons and the analog stick together at the same time. So he just kind of drives forward and backwards, or just sits there and jumps and punches the air. He also loves to tell me the colors of all the cars and other objects he sees. He's amazing.
It's amazingly cute to see him in action, but I must admit I also get a bit scared when I see just how involved he got with such rudimentary actions in a game. I've never seen him sit still and pay attention for so long. All told, we played almost two hours, and then he finally went to bed. Then, I played some multiplayer. It was generally fun, but nothing amazing.
Anyway, I just wanted to share that with you. After the initial drowning, I found some sort of empty lot. It's not big, and I can't for the life of me remember where it is for future use. Whatever the case, I see no problem with my son playing this game so long as I'm watching and he doesn't have weapons and he can't run people over.
He's only 2 years old. What's the worst that could happen?
Like most of you, I've been playing a lot of GTA IV the past few days. It's been a great experience for me so far. Not everything is perfect, but the story and narrative are just so damn well done, I can't put the controller down. But enough about that. I'll give my thoughts on the game another time.
Right now I'd like to focus on what appears to be a giant problem for Rockstar. Tonight while playing, my game froze. After turning the system off and on, it froze again, this time during a loading screen. From there, I made a few more attempts, each time getting the same results. I was very disappointed, to say the least. I thought perhaps it was due to the extensive amount of time I've had my PS3 on for. Maybe it needed a break from running highly complex code and all that jazz. Who knows? I figured I'd worry later, and decided to switch between watching baseball and basketball.
My wife soon took over the TV to watch "27 Dresses", which prompted me to get the fuck off the couch and visit Dtoid, which I haven't been able to do nearly as often as I'd like to since being rendered unemployed. Upon checking out Yoj1mb0's Blog, I discovered in the comments that community member Shipero was having the same problem, and like me he had also given up for now.
Deciding that this couldn't just be a coincidence, I decided to hit up the NeoGaf forums, where I noticed a few comments about similar problems. Next up was Google, which yielded this result. My worst fears were confirmed. This wasn't my PS3, which of course would also be complete and utter fail, but the game itself. I looked for a fix, and I finally came across the official answer from Rockstar Tech Support.
Now, besides the fact that it's a sprawling 12 step process, this fix also requires you to delete your save file. Sorry Rockstar, but that is unfucking-acceptable. I have invested a lot of time and energy into this game already. Sure, I may not be close to beating it yet, but I've put way too much time in to start over now. While I've had a great time with the game, I know that playing through what I've already done is going to be a total fucking chore. Partly because I know what happens already, and partly because I'm a bitter fucking prick.
I know a patch is probably on the way eventually, but I want to kill prostitutes and policeman right now, not next week.
Rockstar, I applaud you for the amazing job you did in creating this masterpiece, but this needs to be fixed ASAP. Not cool guys.
First I get laid off, then the 360 breaks, and now no GTA IV. I can has good day?
I don't know if any of you have seen these pictures before, but I sure as fuck haven't. They look absolutely stunning as usual. But don't take my word for it -- Take a look for yourself:
I'm not sure what's going on in this one, but it seems Ryu is swinging some sharp objects around and cutting bitches up! Looks like fun......
Again Ryu is swinging a cool weapon around and making a big mess with all that blood. This shit is looking exciting!
Decapitations are always good.
As with previous pictures and video, monsters feature prominently in this game, especially purple one's with green blood spouting from every orifice, or at least the one's you'll create as Ryu. What really gets me is that last one up there. If you'll notice, Ryu is on the fucker's head! And he appears to be very small in comparison to the beast he is fighting. I guess they are planning on keeping up with the previous game's boss fights, which were both punishing and rewarding.
All I know is this: Big Ass Monsters + Ninjas = WIN.
Also, decapitations and severed limbs.
Of course, since Konami is releasing Metal Gear Solid 4 in June, MS and Tecmo have decided, it would seem, to go head to head and try to steal some of Sony's thunder. The game is due in the first week of June, right ahead of MGS 4.
While it's great for gamers overall, now I have to beat Ninja Gaiden 2 quickly, so I can concentrate on MGS4. Fuck.
OK, so it's not the worst day of my life for real. That honor lies with the day of [sarcasm]my wedding[/sarcasm].
But anyway, I think God hates me. At work, my hospital is currently undergoing a change in ownership, and of course the fuckers are looking to let people go. So they let me go. They would have preferred to fire older workers, but the union prevents them from doing so. I'm last on the seniority list, so I'm gone. I'm not so pissed about all that, but the fact I drove 40 minutes only to be told immediately that I was being let go. Couldn't they have called me, considering I'm going to lose some money and gas is so expensive? I don't think it was a classy move, telling me to my face. That, and the fact that I've payed thousands of dollars in Union dues and they couldn't do shit for me.
But whatever. I'll collect unemployment and play a fuck-ton of games now I can afford to stay awake all night. Energy isn't required for kids, as mine are pretty well behaved. But here's the part that makes it the worst day ever, or a close second:
My 360 has red ringed. TODAY, OF ALL DAYS, WHEN I WAS SUPPOSED TO PICK UP GTA 4 TONIGHT!!!! Not only that, but I was 3 days away from the 1st anniversary of my first red ring of death. Not to mention that I originally bought the fucker on the first day of May, 2 years ago. Each 360 has lasted exactly one fucking year. It's infuriating. And of course, the cocks at MS will tell me that I'm going to get a NEW 360, but in truth, I'll most likely receive a refurbished system from 2005. That's what my first replacement was. It was manufactured in November 2005, which is an older model than I originally bought. Can you believe that shit? Of course you can, I know.
Luckily, the fucktards at GameStop assure me they have enough PS3 copies to switch my pre-order over, so I should be playing tonight anyway. I guess it's not so bad, as apparently the PS3 version is technically superior.
I feel like writing a letter to MS about how they lost out on the 7 dollars or so they would have received had I bought the 360 version like I originally intended to. And to tell them they suck. But what's the point? I'm gonna get my refurbished 360 and move the fuck on with life, because there's nothing I can do. I would boycott the 360, but that would only hurt me in the long run, as Gears of War 2 is certainly not coming to the PS3.
Life sucks.
Also, it's amazing when I think of all the times I've left a comment on someone's blog telling them of my fear of the RRoD on the day GTA 4 comes out. God must really hate me.
Last week I posted a blog detailing my 5 favorite boss fights, and it went over quite well with you guys. At least I think so. Anyway, being the bored person I am, I thought perhaps I would once again create a list. Everybody likes lists, right?
So today I'm going to tell you a little bit about my favorite opening levels or intros. Again, this will be a Top 5 list, partly because I'm lazy and partly because I have a bad memory. And if you disagree or agree, be sure to let me know in the comments. And be sure to watch the videos, because as you'll notice, I'm bad at describing things. So, without further bullshitting and interruption, get those flamethrowers fired up, because here's the fucking list:
Number 5
Final Fantasy VII
Author's Note:This is the best I could find. It does not show the actual gameplay that follows the video, but that's all I could find right now.
While this barely qualifies as an opening "level", like other games on this list, this sequence really sets the tone for the game. The opening FMV was beautiful at the time, and Cloud came off like a total bad-ass, hopping off the train and acting like a total jerk. All he seemed concerned with was getting the job done, and the job was kicking ass. While Barret and the rest of the crew were concerned with saving the world, you could tell from Cloud's demeanor that this would be a very different game. Sure, the cover of the game already let us know it's Cloud's game, but this opening sequence cemented that into our brains. I knew right then and there that I would love this game. And besides all this, back in 1997 this was the most amazing thing many gamers had ever seen, this cinematic approach to storytelling in a game. Games were changed forever with the release of Final Fantasy VII.
Number 4
God of War 2
While I considering putting the first game's opening level on here, I decided that this level merits the inclusion more. Whilst the first game had you battling a Hyrdra, this level takes things a bit further and throws a giant statue thing at you. The level design isn't anything special -- it's standard GoW. But besides all the generic baddies you'll face, you'll also have to battle that giant statue multiple times throughout it all. The boss battle is a lot of fun, especially the context sensitive button pressing sequences, which let you climb on top of the boss and stab him in the fucking eye! Beyond that you'll meet Zeus and he even stabs you! You won't find many games that begin with your death at the hand of Zeus. It's an epic level to be certain, and like the first God of War, this opener really sets the tone: Once again, Kratos was in for some epic shit!
Number 3
Resident Evil 4
This video is really bad quality, but that's YouTube.
While technically this sequence isn't the start of the level, it's definitely meant to be your intro into the terrifying world of Resident Evil 4. Surrounded by murderous villagers who are seemingly bent on your destruction, the name of the game here is Fear. Unless you are a zombie of some sort yourself, this part is sure to get your heart pumping. And just when you think things can't get any worse, the sound of a chainsaw is heard in the distance. The first time I heard that chainsaw revving, my heart skipped a beat. I literally jumped out of my fucking seat! As with God of War, this opening sequence truly sets the tone for the rest of the game: You're so fucking fucked.
Number 2
Metroid Prime
Part 1
Part 2
This is actually an odd inclusion for me, considering I personally don't enjoy Metroid games. I know, I know, blasphemy! They're just not for me. But being a Nintendo fan and hurting for something good on the GameCube, I took the plunge all those years ago and bought this game. Who wouldn't? The review scores were incredible and that was enough for me. But anyway, to the level. This game starts out with a real bang. The first level is action-fucking-packed, something I did not expect when I turned it on. I was pleasantly surprised. Everything just seems to come together in this level. The pacing, the level design, the enemy placement - It's all fucking perfect. Unfortunately, the rest of the game did not follow suit. True to form, after this level the exploration was amped up and my weapons and gear lost, and I promptly became bored. It's a shame really. If Retro Studios had made an entire game that played just like the first level, I probably would have loved it. But that's just me, and I'm an impatient bastard who craves instant satisfaction. Still, amazing opening. I wonder how much fun the game would have been for me if I had been able to keep all the weapons and shit........
Number 1
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Part 1
Part 2
Yes, this is it. My favorite opening of all time. I'm sure it seems odd after seeing so many newer titles on the above list, but this one takes the cake in my eyes. The game starts, as I'm sure many of you will recall, with Link waking up after hearing Zelda's voice in his dreams. Weaponless, our hero Link runs out and makes his way towards the castle. Unable to enter through the front (duh), he finds a secret entrance in the bushes to the right of front gate. Down below, he meets his Uncle, who hands him a sword and shield and tells him to protect the Princess, or something of that sort. And from there, we start our journey. But unlike so many other games, we actually get to start the game off by rescuing and escorting the princess out of the castle to her secret hideaway, Sanctuary (The Church). Being about 6 years old or so when I first played this, I was completely enamored. I felt like a true Hero after making it out of the castle with the princess.
And that's certainly not a bad way to start a game.
Well, that's it for another edition of "Because everybody likes lists". I hope you weren't too bored. Hello? Wake up! WAKE UP!! Asshole.
While sitting here bored at work with nothing to do, I decided I'd try giving Sony a call just now. Why would I call them? Brace yourself and get ready to laugh at me, for I have probably ruined my Metal Gear Online Beta chances, regardless of delays.
I've been kind of busy lately at work and home, and besides all of my personal issues, the Mets have been winning some baseball games. So my Dtoid time has been down to a bare minimum, and it's been the same for my gaming. So I didn't even try downloading the beta until last night. Everything on that side went smoothly. I put the code in and started downloading. But about 3 minutes in, my wife decided to boot up WoW. My PSN connection was lost.
And apparently, so was the download. I've looked everywhere for some way to resume the download, but to no avail. And when I try and enter my beta key again, it tells me that I've "already used this pre-paid card the maximum number of times". Yeah. So, I'm probably fucked. I'm going to try Sony again later on. I figure if anyone can actually help, it's them and not Konami. Of course, it is possible I just fail at life and am completely missing something here. Very possible....
Oh well. If I'm fucked, I'm fucked. It's only a beta in the end.....
But anyway, to the advertisements! Perhaps this isn't new, but it's the first time I've encountered anything of the sort. While being run through Sony's support robots, I was forced to listen to a 30 second advertisement for Gran Turismo 5 Prologue! Now, I've got no problem with that game, and the advertisement itself doesn't really bother me. I just though this was kind of strange. Whenever I call MS, I'm usually greeted by some obnoxious asshole who's name I can't remember. He's not really there, of course, but he annoys the shit out of me. Still, he's not much worse than the real live MS support people. They're evil bastards. At least Sony's pre-recorded phone personality is a female with a normal voice. In fact, her voice is refreshingly normal. I'd hit it.
Is this a new thing? Or is it common? I could have easily missed something like this with MS support. I'm usually ready to kill someone when I call them.
Now, I'm sure many of you clicked on this blog expecting to see some blatant fanboy bullshit, but thankfully I am not one of those creatures. Instead, this blog is about sports. In particular, baseball. Although I'm more of a football and basketball guy, I absolutely love watching baseball, especially live. I'm hoping to get to both Shea and Yankee Stadium before they close at the end of the season. I love the Mets.
But anyway, this is Destructoid, and we are here to discuss games. I recently picked up MLB 08: The Show for the PS3. What's interesting to note here is that this game is actually a PS3 exclusive. If you want to play baseball on the Wii or 360, you're stuck with 2K's offering. So, although many of you probably didn't even notice it, this is actually one more reason for the casual fan, the "Joe Gamer", to pick up a PS3.
Why? Because it's a great baseball game. One of the best I've played in a long time, in fact. Certainly far better than last year's The Show, which was practically a PS3 game. The graphics have received an overhaul, and it shows. The player models are very nice looking, and the animations are second to none. A very large amount of players seem to have done motion capture for this one, or at the very least they must have had people replicate the real players. If you're a baseball fan, this is very important. It really takes you out of the experience when Orlando Hernandez looks like John Maine during a pitch.
The basic nuts-and-bolts gameplay hasn't changed much from previous years, and this is a good thing. The pitching is simple yet effective, employing a basic meter mechanic. You also have the option of point and click pitching, which actually works very well. I prefer this old school method, if only for it's simplicity. Fielding is handled well on the whole, and you never feel ripped off by anything. When a ball is hit, it's a mix of automatic and manual controls, as sometimes you'll just catch the ball and at other times you'll need to make a slight adjustment. Basically, if you play a good game and make the correct changes to your defensive positioning, it will most likely pay off. If you don't understand baseball, you'll fail. Hitting is a decent representation of the real thing. You'll aim the left analog stick to where you think the ball is going to go, and then you can use either a contact or power swing. Pretty simple and basic stuff, but at least they seem to have nailed the mechanics of it all by now. It's all about timing and positioning. And good eyes.
I haven't even tried out the supposedly amazing "Road to the Show" mode, in which you'll guide a rookie created player through a season. It's one of the main selling points, and I'm eager to try it out.
But in the end, it is only a baseball game. I will play it a lot, to be sure, but it's mostly there for drunken and stoned nights out visiting friends. In the swing of things, having this as a PS3 exclusive won't make much of a difference, but it's another choice that ther systems don't have. And that's always valuable, no matter what the genre......
So I've been here for a few months, was a lurker for a while. I achieved Internet fame for being a douchbag as Whiteboy0869, then switched to Kobewan0824 and furthered my status as King Douchebag. But I'm now EternalDeathSlayer. As for not being a douchbag, well that's not up to me. But I try.
Anyway, my name is Daniel, I'm 21 years old. I've been playing games for a long while now, and do consider myself a "Hardcore Gamer", if you will. Unfortunately, I have limited playing time in my current situation. Fortunately, I do have two wonderful kids, and they are the reason for my lack of time. I love them to death and would do anything for them, even stop playing games(Blasphemy!). They're just that awesome.
My Son, Elijah:
My Daughter, Christina:
The Children and I this past Halloween
That's us. My wife is shy. Also, probably playing WoW. Fucking Fail.
But anyway.....I own a PlayStation 3, a Nintendo Wii, and an Xbox360. I prefer the 360 over the others, but I love the PS3 Dtoid community. You should join us if you haven't already. Also, no RROD on your PS3. Either way I love them all. Even the Wii, in some red-headed step child way.
My Favorite Movies (in no particular order): GoodFellas, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, American Pyscho, Jaws, Requiem for a Dream, Punch Drunk Love, and many, many more. Also, check out Amelie!
It's the only French movie I will watch. It's great.
Favorite Books: I'm not a big reader anymore so this is it: American Pyscho, Requiem for a Dream, Last Exit to Brookyln, and all of the Harry Potter books.
My Favorite Games, in order I think (It changes a lot):
10. Final Fantasy VII
9. Super Mario World
8. Gears of War
7. God of War II
6. God of War
5. Super Mario Bros. 3
4. Chrono Cross
3. Chrono Trigger
2. Final Fantasy IX
1. Resident Evil 4
And there you have it. I love Destructoid and it's amazing community. I'm never leaving. So Sorry.
Also, because it's good for a man's health (and a woman's):
