Following my little rant about Sonic Unleashed yesterday, my wife chose to have her say as well; she’s not pleased, either, and is a little less kind towards our blue friend than I. Read if you wish, and be warned that there’s a smidge of language, but I wanted to point out this part:

I guess I was taken in by the infamous Sonic Cycle, which is interesting because I thought I was aware of the writing on the wall after Sonic Adventure 2. This is the first time in ages I’ve given the Blue Streak a moment to redeem himself in my eyes.

Sure enough, Sonic ran in and only had time to belt out “HEY, WATCH THI–” before he tripped, hit the ground at 300 MPH and exploded.

You’ve got to admit, that’s a funny visual.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Now here is an interesting premise for a movie I would love to see: The Man Who Sued God. From Wikipedia:

The Man Who Sued God is a 2001 Australian movie in which Billy Connolly plays Steve Myers, an ex-lawyer who sues God because his boat is struck by lightning, and his insurance company refuses to pay, claiming it to be an act of God. By claiming to be God’s representatives on Earth, the Christian churches and Jewish synagogues are held to be the liable party, putting them in the difficult position of either having to pay out large sums of money, or prove that God does not exist.

Anyone know if this is available in North America? Sadly, the article lacks the details many of its brethren contain on releases and availability.

For those wondering, the subject came up in the comments of this post on The Consumerist, wherein someone who works at a store next to a Target had his vehicle struck by an errant shopping cart, only to be told by the manager that they “weren’t responsible” for the damages.

Speaking of The Consumerist, I just want to congratulate them on their recent purchase by Consumers Union. Glad to know the site will continue on.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Alrighty folks, I’m back, and now I’m trying to catch up with stuff that’s gone down in the time I’ve been away. And I figure what the hell, I may as well bring you all along for the ride.

On that note, a thanks to for bringing “2008: The Year the Geeks Took Over” over at Cracked.com to my attention. It’s a pretty good read, and a lot of it rings pretty true, though there are some annoying parts as well, namely where some slow-to-adapt older generations try to berate us. Nuts to them.

Looking back… 2008 was one hell of a ride after all, wasn’t it?

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

IGN has added a new article to their DS section, titled Why Nintendo DS Sucks Online. Pretty much cuts right to the chase, that. In any case, it has some valid arguments.

What do you think? I have to agree on it being tough to find a good match in some games, but I’m more concerned with the Wii’s online ability… or lack thereof. If there was just some way to make a better service, even a pay service with improved connections for even games that have already been released, i.e. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I would be all over that.

I also favor the idea of Club Nintendo integration– I’d love it if there were a profile wherein everyone could not only see what games I’ve owned since whenever, see how long I’ve been subscribed to Nintendo Power, but also see what I’ve accomplished as well. Admittedly, I’m no Achievement Whore, as the vernacular seems to have dubbed it, but I do completely and wholeheartedly support the concept.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

more lol celebs!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

more lol celebs!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

more lol celebs!

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

more animals

So it’s not a cat. Talk to them about it, not me.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

The trailer for this was originally released just prior to Halloween, when the video itself would have been a good, appropriately holiday-timed release to help build up hype for the game. Instead, three weeks after Halloween and after Sonic Unleashed for the PlayStation 2 and Wii has hit shelves, they finally decide to release it. Oh well.

If you’re interested, the official website with higher-quality version is here.

Much like “The Subspace Emissary” in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, I like the nearly speech-free delivery here. Which is funny, given how much I love hearing and identifying voice actors. Nonetheless, I like this style of Sonic.

And by style, that includes the art; SEGA and Sonic Team kept creeping closer and closer to “way too damn real” for Sonic‘s style, at least for my liking; they’ve really scaled it back a bit, and the art director for Unleashed speaks on IGN about getting the game’s aesthetics juuuuuuuust right. In my opinion? That mission is accomplished, if nothing else.

So far, the Wii/PS2 version is sounding like a drag, with somewhere around three or more nighttime Werehog stages for every daytime Hedgehog stage, plus some cut stages and features. According to Toby Barrett from Bumbleking, the divide for the 360/PS3 version seems to be closer to about 50/50.

At the very least, I’d like to rent this.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”

Today, Mr. Miyamoto discusses how he believes that casual gamers do get into hardcore games, as well as the distinction between the two.

In addition, he shares his three rules of parenting, at least where video games are concerned. It’s something I think a lot of parents would do well to read and consider. He also mentions where he can be lenient, and clarifies his previous comment regarding “excessive violence” in video games.

–LBD “Nytetrayn”