Garfield Games: Why do you exist?

Thankfully, my parents have never "caught me in the act"...and why is he so happy about it?

How many of you as a kid were really into Garfield?  ok...How many of you were into Ninja Turtles, Pokemon, Batman, Power Rangers, Transformers, Disney Stuff, or even Barney?  That's what I thought.  Some characters manage to spawn a franchise title on just about every system, and the Garfield games that have come out over the years continue to baffle me.  Is there really a market for these games?  Do they really sell enough copies to warrant sequel after sequel on each generation of systems?  I know there's a niche market for certain games and characters, but I don't really see any hipsters telling me they were into Garfield before I was and I've probably never heard of him.  No, I've heard of him, and he's frankly, kind of stupid. 


I've put alot of thought into the mindset of software distributors and why they release these types of games(yes, I'm really that bored).  There's loads of articles out there if you're really curious as to why companies continually release what's known in the industry as "shovelware" it's profitable, but most agree it hurts the console or platform in the long run.  I kinda think shovelware is neat to collect, as it's different, quirky, and responsible for my favorite game of all time...

Haters gonna hate

I don't always play DS, but when I do I ride HorseZZZZZZ ya'll.

Another update, go check this out

Mr. Insanium is giving away some awesome nerdy stuff, like the #1 issue of Alien Vs. Predator, go check his blog out. 

http://crackinstuff.blogspot.com/

Also, if you want me to add your blog to my feed on the right side, leave it's address here, I get alot of traffic so it should help you out <3

Sequels, and why they suck: Snake's Revenge

 Back in action bro's!  Regular updates coming again after this date.  Looks like I am going to start making this blog thing a full time (second) job for me!

I'm a big fan of the Metal Gear series of games, and I love Metal Gear for the NES, and Playstation.  This however is a little known game released for the NES system in 1990.  What alot of people love about the Metal Gear games is designer Hideo Kojima's masterful game play, and storyline.  This However is not that game.  it was developed without his knowledge and oversight, thus resulting in a dumbed down version of the original.  What else can I say so here's a quote lifted directly from the man himself: "Snake's Revenge was a "little crap game."  When the guy responsible for the rest of the games in this amazingly successful franchise says this, you know it sucks.

Early example of "shovelware"

I need ideas for games to review so any suggestions in the comments please!

California Extreme 2011

 Just thought I'd give some publicity to a really cool event I like to attend every year.  It's the California Extreme classic arcade and pinball convention.  It's a huge event in held in Santa Clara that showcases tons of refurbished, and new classic arcade machines, most of which are free to play.  Last time I went I played the arcade version of the "Journey" game which actually had the soundboard installed and played Journey tracks when y9ou beat all the levels.  Very awesome, If you're going to be in or around the Bay Area in July I highly suggest you check it out.  Here's some stuff from their website http://www.caextreme.org/

"Arcades were once a fixture on the American urban landscape, and games were plentiful in rural cities too. The closest heir of today is the so-called "Family Entertainment Center", which is populated with a myriad of devices designed only to take your coins quickly and leave you with a pile of tickets, which you exchange for cheap, trashy toys. This is entertainment? California Extreme was born with a desire to share fun coin op games that are in the hands of private collectors, and to hopefully spread the word that pinball machines were once plentiful, and that videogames were not synonymous with "martial arts" and violence. Buy/sell/trade! The show is a great place to bring games you want to sell, and also a good place to add to your collection, or even start it! Not all games will be for sale; many collectors bring games to show (or show off!) that they would never sell. So .. Can I play the stuff? Yeah .. Everything is on free play. You can play from the moment you arrive until we shut off the power at closing -- Play as many games as you want, in whatever order you want to. There are *HUNDREDS* of games, all set to play for free. This is a your chance to try those older games, or the newer games that you'd never put money into in an arcade. There are also many games that never got produced, and are very hard to find."

It's going to be held July 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Santa Clara.

Please go out and enjoy your Saturday guys!

Game Store Tips: Volume 1

Ahh the wonderful world of the Game Store.  It's a necessary evil for us gamers to venture out into the wilds and pick up our favorite FPS, RTS, RPG, or STD (Just kidding, you can't get an STD from your hand) at one of the many fine retail establishments at our local malls and suburban shopping centers. Or perhaps Microsoft sold you another overheating piece of garbage that you have to replace every 6 months. Regardless, these can be scary places, and if you're unprepared, your local Game store manager will play you like a cheap Rock Band plastic Drum set.  Spending most of my adult life either working for or frequenting these places, I am offering some useful tips on how to navigate these fuming, cesspools of nerdery.


1. Always have a girl trade in your used games.

Yeah I know, no girls on the Internet, but they do exist IRL, I promise!  This doesn't have to be a girl you're romantically involved with(hahahahahah) or even someone you're friends with.(lol) Find a girl who's willing to sell your old stuff because trust me my friends, they will get more store credit, more cash, more mouth-breathing from the employees, and maybe even some free merchandise in the form of leftover promotional items, and gaming gear.  Don't believe me?  Every time a hot girl would come into my former store, I would flirt with her, be extremely helpful and like I said give away free stuff.  This is similar to those losers who buy girl's drinks at bar in hopes of getting laid, but the difference is, it didn't cost me any money. 

Pro Tip: Ask your attractive and successful brother's (your parent's probably love him more) girlfriend, or your cousin +1 if she even remotely looks Eastern.

2. Don't buy the store Discount card, ask other customers to use theirs.

This saves you 10-15 bucks, and pisses off the employees because it cuts into their commission pay.  Alot of people don't realize that those discount cards they offer for frequent buyers or traders can be used by anyone willing to swipe their card for you.  In your face, Capitalism!


3. Learn to Powergame

Polwergaming is essentially beating a game as quickly, and efficiently as possible, abusing exploits, and conquering all foes in a matter of days or hours. All Game Store's have a return policy, usually any game you buy can be returned within 7 days for a full refund.  Use this to your advantage and stop enjoying video games and start OWNING them.  You are better than that RPG sitting over there next to the pile of Coke cans, so why let it beat you? This can save you a ton of money in the long run if you don't care about actually owning a game long-term.(Realistically, 99% of games progressively go down in value the moment you take the shrink wrap off, I don't care how cool that $120.00 dollar "Collectors Edition" looks)  there's no use in letting a game sit around for a month after you beat it and only get 15% of what you payed for it when you can get the full value by simply staying up until 5am for a few nights(Social life be darned) and embracing the philosophy of Forever Alone.

More tips when I feel like it, Enjoy your Friday night
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