This almost makes me want to play the game, on second thought no it doesn’t, but it’s still a funny commercial.

Why does Japan always know about cool stuff before us? The following video is about this foam being developed to use in protective clothing. It can be stretched just like putty but when you hit it quickly it becomes a solid. The best part is when they hit the guy with the shovel!!



I don't know if this is for real, but it’s deceivingly believable!

So my lunch was halted abruptly as I was handed a package with a robot head drawn on the side. I suddenly realized it had came, my package from Dtoid Headquarters (gamers’ Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory). Contained within was my brand new copy of Timeshift for the Xbox 360, oh and did I mention it was free, mohahahahaha.....tear tear...I love you Mr.Destructoid. So many emotions and feelings, happy, joyful, superior, horny...wait scratch that last one. Anyway here I am with the game and my new shirt. I promise I won’t rush the stage though!!!!









Thanks Dtoid

In this video from the VGAs on gametrailers.com, you can see Mr. Destructoid himself rocking out behind Heidi of The Hills, during the Homerun derby Trailer. So WTF why didn't Mr.Destructoid get a swing at It. I'm sure he would of crushed Tony Hawk's 8 home run record.



*Note the apperance is around at 2:26 in the video

The following is a editorial letter I wrote to the National Post in response to Father De Souza's Article "Lessons Learned-The crack cocaine of the electronic world."

A Real Lesson to be Learned

In recent years, there has been an assault on the so-called perils of videogames, fuelled by irrational articles like Father Raymond J. De Souza’s “The crack-cocaine of the electronic world.” Videogames are no different than movies and music, all of which should be enjoyed in moderation. To believe that videogames are an uncontrollable addiction on the same level as illegal drugs is absurd. Everyone should realize that in life there are priorities and that videogames should come after them, and even then one should balance them with healthy activities. Parents should play an active role with their children by playing games with them, whether it is videogames or outdoor diversions like sports. As well, they need to be instrumental in providing a healthy lifestyle for their children which, if done right, can include videogames.

I am very saddened by the perpetuation of misinformation by people who clearly don’t understand the issue that they are talking about. How can one truly understand something with relatively no experience about the issue? Father De Souza has played one videogame and that was over 16 years ago. Would you let an illiterate tell you the downfalls of reading? Father De Souza makes many narrow-minded statements in his article which can only be explained by his ignorance of the true idea behind videogames—that they are realms of fantasy. Just as how a book invites us into a different world so too can a videogame.

Also, parents should ensure that their children play games that are age appropriate. The Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) puts ratings on ever game, just like movies. Just as one wouldn’t show an R rated movie to a twelve year, neither should one let them play a mature rated game. The gaming consoles themselves actually have features to assist in this; the Nintendo Wii has setting which can let you lock out games with a certain ESRB ratings (i.e. no Mature rated games); and the Xbox 360 provides a feature called the parental timer, which allows parents to choose how much time a day their son or daughter can play.

Videogames are a media that is not going away, it is a staple in this generation, like the computer, cell phone, and internet. None of those are going anywhere. So instead of shunning them, get involved, get informed.

Mike M of Toronto, ON

So after a one year wait the Video Marketplace (or Video Store as it’s now called) has finally arrived in Canada. So I hopped on Xbox Live right as it launched at 7pm eastern standard time (Dec 10th) to take a glance at the selection, and pew eww it was a stinker. The only really decent flick was 300 and I’ve already seen it 3 times. Here’s the list of Canada Video store launch titles. You would think with a year to prepare they could have gotten some better titles ready for launch, instead they have went the route of, lets win them over with a bunch of horrible movies, “that will show them we care and are sorry about the massive delay.”

However, it doesn’t end there. To show us how much they really loved us they’re charging higher prices for these movies. Instead of the standard US prices of library titles of 240 in SD and 360 in HD and current titles of 320 for SD and 480 for HD, they’re charging library titles at 300 in SD and 440 in HD and current titles at 440 in SD and 580 in HD. Beyond this Microsoft points themselves are more expensive in Canada as well. So if I wanted to download 300 in HD here in Canada it would cost me $8.12, as opposed to $6.00 in the US. This is ridiculous, when the Canadian dollar is so close to parity with the American dollar. Why not charge everything in US dollars and just make us have to convert or online money into US dollars. While all the videogame retailers have dropped their prices in Canada to match the American prices, Microsoft still wants to give the Canadian gamer the shaft, thanks a lot MS.

While the Video store hit Canada on December 10th, 6 days prior to that the fall update hit Canada and the US. Interesting to note though that through some matlockery, I have discovered at least two significant differences. One being that my Free Stuff section in Xbox Live has no free stuff in it, it’s completely empty. While US accounts contain some Doritos nonsense (*Note, I thought the free stuff thing would have cool gamer pics, who the hell wants advertisement gamer pics and themes. I want free ones from games and movies, sadly I have neither).

Secondly, my Canadian account does not have the Inside Xbox news feed. How I am suppose to get the low down on Microsoft propaganda?

Going back to the Video Store, I must say that until MS steps up their game I’m not going to be using their video download service. If you can offer me the arcade games for the same price, why can’t you offer me the movies at the same price? If you can’t offer quality movies at acceptable prices, then you’ll never get the video store a user base in Canada, especially when bit torrenting and P2P sites/programs are legal here.