Olympics

I just can't get into the Olympics anymore... I thought, at first, that maybe it's because the games are dominated by pro athletes now, instead of amateurs chasing their dreams. However, I've come to realize that it's really the events that I don't like. The Olympics are full of events, not sports.

Let me get this out of the way... I do respect everyone's abilities to compete at their respective events. I may not enjoy or understand these events, but hey, to each his own.

That said, I'd actually like to see some sort of game at the Olympic games. The half-pipe? Figure skating? Ballroom dancing? Synchronized swimming? I think you get my point. Everything is a dance competition, not a competition. I appreciate everyone's artistic talent, I just don't see the place for these things in the Olympic games. Some may balk at the Luge and other similar events, but at least those are timed races, where artistic impression does not impact the outcome. I just don't like "subjective" games, I guess.

To top it off, they're officially removing Baseball and Softball - two legitimate games - from the Summer Olympics! Honestly, I couldn't care less... Bring on the World Cup, which is now by far my most-anticipated world competition. Things definitely have changed since the "miracle on ice."

Making a Difference

Many times, celebrities are the first to respond in the wake of a tragedy. It warms my heart when I see the many actors, professional athletes, writers, etc. make significant contributions to aid those that have suffered. For example, many from this group were the first to donate after the tsunami, or even more recently, after Katrina struck New Orleans.

Well, I'm happy to report that another celebrity has taken up a worthy cause. Pamela Anderson is now allocating all of her resources to remove the bust of Colonel Sanders from a Kentucky government building. In her esteemed opinion, KFC is cruel in the treatment of chickens.

I have to say, I agree with her. I wouldn't want to be slaughtered, plucked, and deep-fried, either. But, those chickens sure do taste good!

Ghost in the Stall

Long time readers of this blog - that would be me, and maybe one other person - may recall some of the harrowing restroom experiences I've endured since changing jobs and relocating to the "new" building. I had one such experience today.

My "normal" restroom was out of commission, due to janitorial personnel allegedly cleaning my satellite office. I went to the alternative establishment, next to the call center, and subsequently subject to much more traffic, unfortunately of the regenerate male youth archetype. Anyway, it was early in the morning, so it wasn't very crowded. And, I was alone in the restroom; or so I thought.

As I undertook my daily business, the toilet in the stall next to mine flushed. And flushed again. And flushed again. And again. It probably flushed fifteen times in the five minutes I occupied the adjacent facility. I pondered what situation could require fifteen flushes. Was there someone in there with major bowel problems? Was someone trying to discard evidence of some sort? Was the deposit stuck to the container? It would be improper to inquire as to the situation next door, so I waited a bit. After exiting my new field office, I observed that the door was ajar! The toilet - one with one of those infrared sensors - was flushing all by itself, with no one or no thing in there, at least visible to the naked eye. I can only conclude that the ghost of "Turd Ferguson" (bonus points to those that can recall my source for that name) was having a difficult time managing the toilet. At least it happens to those in the netherworlds, too...

Must See TV

ESPN... The total sports network...

Guess what ESPN 2 was showing all day? Reruns of previous National Spelling Bees! Maybe I missed something, but when did spelling become a sport? Or Poker, for that matter?

How bad is it for hockey when ESPN refuses to renew your contract, yet they show this crap?! Yeah, when flipping between bowl games, I want to see Sandy "Spellcheck" Simpson square off against Danny "the Dictionary" Dorfman in a blood and guts, single-elimination, knockout stage, battle royale to the finish to see who the best memorizer, er speller, was in 1997.

Boo-Yeah!

Somebody Wants Maurice Clarett

No, it's not the NFL, nor the CFL, nor NFL Europe. He's wanted right here in Columbus... by the Columbus Police Department, that is! Evidently, he must've made some New Year's Resolution! I heard on the radio this morning that he is wanted in connection with an armed robbery that took place around 2:00 AM in an alley behind the Opium Lounge. (Hmm, I wonder what goes on there?!) The report is that he allegedly flashed a handgun and forced two others to give up some of their personal property to him, and then fled in a white SUV.

It's a good thing he had a get-away vehicle, because after his trip to the NFL combine, I don't think he would've made it on foot!

By the way, I hope the rest of you have a better 2006 than the one that's shaping up for Mr. Clarret...

Mother of the Year

I was in EB Games today, and observed a young man no more than twelve years of age, with a wad of cash in his hand, and his mother in tow. He approached the counter, and in his yet-to-mature voice, asked the clerk for Blitz, the League. Recalling Bill Harris's rants in regard to the failure of the ESRB ratings system, I eagerly observed the transaction. The clerk looked at the mom, and advised her that this was a mature-rated game. Success! See, it does work!

The mother read the back of the box, verbalizing something about violence and drug use, and handed the box back to the clerk. Her little man in training basically said "pretty please," and she replied, "Oh, go ahead, it's not like I'm going to get the Mother of the Year Award."

No ma'am, you are not...

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a happy holiday!

For those of you with primarily boys 8 and older, let me recommend a pretty cool game I picked up for my son for Christmas: Heroscape. The basic premise is that you actually build your own battlefield out of pre-cut hexagonal pieces, or create one based upon the maps included with the game, choose your armies from all kinds of "heroes" throughout history and fiction (Airborne troopers, Vikings, Samurai, mechs, etc.), and play against each other to accomplish the mission objective. Cards document the range, movement, attack, and defense of each "hero" type, and dice rolls determine the outcome. Pretty cool stuff! There are also expansion sets available. I can see my son and I playing this one on rainy days for many months to come. Why didn't they have cool games like this when I was a kid?! I digress...

I hope you got everything you wanted!

And, please allow me to wish you a Happy New Year!

Who Says the Gamecube is for Kids?

While doing some last-minute shopping at Meijer this afternoon, I decided to browse through the video game section to see if there were any good, last-minute, deals. Unfortunately, nothing caught me eye, but that's beside the point. While working my way down along the glass cases, I approached a young man (I'd say in his early 20's) playing Mario Soccer on the Gamecube. As I scanned the shelves beside him, I actually heard him cursing at the game, commenting in regard to Mario not being the position he was supposed to be in (although, those weren't his exact words).

The Gamecube, a "kiddy" console? I guess not! I have to wonder about someone expecting Mario Soccer to be a realistic simulation of the sport, though. Hmm... How long before Man United signs Donkey Kong?

What Makes a Game Great?

To some, it might be the game's composite rating at GameRankings. For others, it might be the graphics, or ultra-realistic gameplay, or Xbox Live compatibility, or something else. For me, a game is great when I think about it constantly when I'm not able to play it. There is just something about these kind of games that challenges me, frustrates me, and rewards me to the point where I'm preoccupied with it throughout the course of the day. It inspires me to search various message boards, GameFAQs, and other websites scrounging for information to improve my approach, tactics, and strategy. Games like these make playing video games a worthwhile investment in time and money as a hobby for me.

For what it's worth, of the games I'm playing now, NCAA Football 2006, FIFA 2006, Baseball Mogul 2K6, and to some degree, Operation Flashpoint, are great games, by my above-mentioned definition. Heroes of the Pacific and Jade Empire (two of my other recent acquisitions), eh, not so much. I'm eager to get into Fight Night Round 2, but I haven't as of yet. My only problem is I don't have time to be preoccupied with so many quality titles! Oh well... the life of an employed father-gamer...

Even More FIFA 06

I played around with career mode today, and it's pretty cool. You have three variables that are impacted by your performance and your actions (more on that in a minute): job security, team chemistry, and fan support. How much you win, and how you respond to media inquiries and other requests, as well as your financial performance, affect your job security (on a scale of 0-100). Don't let it dip too low, or you'll get fired (which happened to me)! In addition to your wins and reputation, how much you charge for tickets (low, medium, or high) affects fan support. Lastly, where you play players, who you play, and how you juggle the roster through transfers and signings impact team chemistry, which (supposedly) impacts player performance.

Periodically throughout the season, you will receive e-mails from management, questions from the media, and special requests (like visiting the sick child in the hospital). You're given a list of choices to respond to the inquiry, and what you choose can positively or negatively impact the three aforementioned variables. Football Manager fans are yawning right now, but I believe this is uncharted waters for console "football." EA has really made strides to add some of those extemporaneous features that mainly only text sims offer. They're not nearly as fleshed-out, but I appreciate the effort, and it adds to the immersion.

Other niceties include the ability to upgrade your coaching staff, which (supposedly) has in impact on the dynamic player ratings (they change game-to-game), and the ability to send a scout to different regions in the world to locate and sign players (outside of the transfer window, to boot). This all costs money, and your only sources of revenue are the sponsor contract you sign and ticket sales, so solid fiscal strategy and planning plays a role, especially considering that you'll want adequate funds for when the transfer market opens up. The one thing I don't like is that when you upgrade a coach (on a scale from 1 to 10), it actually gets rid of the old coach and gives you a new one. Realistically, during the season, there would never be that many coaching changes. I'd prefer to see some type of licensing system (like the real FIFA uses) instead, but it's a minor detail for me.

As I mentioned, while simulating my first year, I actually got sacked after a fairly long losing streak. The game simply simulates to the end of the season, and then you're back to where you started - taking a job, signing a sponsorship contract, and so forth. My friend Adam will be delighted to hear that his beloved Hartlepool welcomed me with open arms after I failed miserably with my less-than-adequate Columbus Crew! It is a game, though, and it wouldn't be fun if it were TOO realistic!

FIFA Quirks

All is not perfect in FIFA land, as I've found a couple of things that bother me...

First of all, I haven't found a way to turn off the "auto switch" on defense. Many times I'll be controlling a player, working my way into position for a tackle, and the computer switches me to another player. Or, I'll use the "A" button to manually switch, and get someone trailing the play by several yards. This is another example of player control where WE is far superior to FIFA. It shouldn't be this hard to control my players when playing defense.

The second niggling thing for me are the camera options. I fell in love with the "End-to-End" camera in practice mode, getting comfortable facing the goal with the majority of the field in front of me. However, when playing my first game in career mode, I noticed that the orientation doesn't change, so for half the game, I see the majority of the field behind me, not in front of me. It's too darn hard to play offense that way. So, I had to switch to the "Sideline" camera, which forced me to change all of my stick movements by 90 degrees, and didn't show me as much of the field. Needless to say, it's time to go back to the practice for me. A positive of the "Sideline" camera is that the speed is better represented, but there is a bit of stuttering from time-to-time.

Again, I'm still happy with FIFA, but it frequently reminds me that it's not WE on the pitch.

Viva la FIFA

Disclaimer: Although I really enjoy soccer, I'm still learing the game. These impressions are based upon my less-than-intermediate knowledge of the sport, so those of you with more experience and understanding my have some different opinions. If so, please feel to offer your thoughts in the comments section!

I've put in about 3-4 hours with FIFA 06, and I must say, I think this is shaping up to be the finest version of EA's FIFA that I've ever played. Yes, it's still the little brother of Winning Eleven in terms of gameplay, but it is definitely improving. Add in the off-the-field stuff that WE lacks - specifically, licenses (yes, I'm a license whore), and online play - and I think FIFA is a nice compliment to any soccer lover's collection.

The biggest change is that your teammates and opponents appear to behave much more naturally and realistically this year. Your defenders will creep up into the attack. The opponent will seek you out defensively, as opposed to standing still until you run into their "zone of coverage." Also, the set pieces appear less like structured one-on-one contests and more like team plays, and the defenders scramble to get the ball out of the penalty area. Goal kicks still don't travel as far as I think they should, but maybe it's just that I need to improve my understanding of the power meter. Given the six pages of instruction in the manual, I'm pretty sure I still have a lot to learn with the controls. At least EA included a practice mode, and about 1 minute's worth of tutorials (why can't they do something like NCAA Football '06? I digress.).

FIFA really falls short of WE on the pitch in two main areas, in my humble opinion. First of all, the ball just doesn't move as freely as it does in WE, especially when using the through ball to kick the ball into space. It still seems like a string is attached to the ball, to some degree. Also, although FIFA has decent player control options with First Touch, the Pace button, and the Move Stick, it still doesn't seem as uninhibited as WE. WE just has more move combinations available, and I think it does a better job of limiting what the lesser players can do with the ball on their foot.

It's still early in the game, and I have no idea how well balanced it is, but so far, I'm liking it. The 15 year career mode is very enticing to me, and I can also play out the World Cup by creating a knockout tournament, so with a little effort, I won't need to purchase a whole new version of FIFA as I get caught up in the World Cup frenzy. For $39 new, I think I'm going to get my money's worth.

More Good Distractions

Here I was, just a couple of weeks ago, all set to bury myself inside of College Hoops 2K6, and maybe even attempt to write a big review of it, like the good old days. I was off to a pretty good start, and then, if you've read any of the previous posts, ran into some obstacles; although they've been for the good of the family, so I'm not complaining.

This weekend, I had Christmas with my family. Santa was very good to me, and I got Operations Flashpoint Elite, Heroes of the Sky, FIFA 2006, and Fight Night Round 2 for Christmas. With so much gaming goodness, I don't think I'll be writing a thesis on College Hoops 2K6 any time soon! Counting College Hoops 2K6, I've got 5 brand new games to sink my teeth into! I was already up to 2:00 AM last night just getting my feet wet with my new titles (man, Flashpoint is hard!), and I loved every minute of it. I haven't played like that for a long time...

My plan now is just to continue to share my experiences here on all of these great titles, plus undoubtedly some good Christmas stories with the kids, reactions to the goings on in the world and the world of sports, and some family stories. I'm excited about gaming again! I'm not sure where it will carry me, but I plan to enjoy the ride.

The Return of the Cadavaliers

Here I was, excited about the Cavs this year, thinking they added enough spare parts to LeBron to legitimately compete. After starting pretty strong, they've now lost 5 out of 6, and 7 out of the last 10, including a 100-94 loss at home to the lowly Hawks! I'm now sitting through a 16-4 run by Denver to put them ahead 35-33, at Cleveland. I still think they need a legitimate PG and PF, as Snow has seen his best days in Philly, and Gooden just isn't tough enough. A guy like Artest would be a perfect fit for Cleveland's needs, but I don't want that clown here. I guess, in some weird way, I feel better "losing with integrity" than winning with jerks like Artest. It's a long season; we shall see what happens.

I haven't played much NCAA Hoops lately. With my wife just going back to work full-time (yeah!), Daddy has had some extra duties. I get a little break this weekend, so hopefully I can get in some games. I must also admit that I've been distracted by Baseball Mogul 2K6. I read Moneyball again last month, and I'm determined to "Billy Beane" my Tribe to a World Championship! And on the Manager level, I don't have much to work with, just like real life. I am approaching it a little differently, by watching every game, and monitoring the daily transaction wire, as opposed to "simming" weeks at a time. The game has some quirks, like the Reds releasing Shane Reynolds, who was making $316,000 at the time, and then re-signing him the next day for $2,000,000! No wonder the Reds suck! Seriously, though, I'm enjoying it as the best "GM Simulator" on the market. Good stuff.

Of Great Philosophers

"Why do today, what you can put off 'til tomorrow." - some great philosopher dude

Technically, I have until the end of the quarter to take my insurance exam. Next Monday is not the end of the quarter. Through the wonders of technology, I was able to re-schedule my exam for the afternoon of the 29th, which officially makes this exam the last work-related thing I will do in 2005. I hope to go out with a bang!

Now, I can pace myself a bit (I am about half-way prepared), and allow adequate time for the more important things in life, like TV, video games, sports, eating until I explode, and falling asleep in my easy chair...

Back to School

Our company provides us the opportunity to further understand the industry in which we operate by sponsoring our participation in "Insurance Education." There are many organizations in the insurance world that provide certifications, licenses, and other industry-related educational opportunities that are recognized within our business community, and to some degree, by the public at large (for example, a person who holds a Certified Financial Planner license). These courses aren't "mandatory," but they are usually good for the employee's resume' when he or she tries to ascend the company ladder. Plus, quite frankly, insurance isn't the easiest business to understand, so these courses do give employees the ability to see the "bigger picture" more clearly in relation to what they do individually, and what the company does on the whole.

Anyway, since my recent history with the company has been in technology and training, most of the extemporaneous education I completed was in relation to technology (A+ certification, MOUS certification, etc.). I really enjoyed learning this information and applying it to my position, so it wasn't very difficult for me to get motivated to study. However, now that I'm in the Life Insurance side of the business, my "industry education" is back to learning about insurance (specifically, Life insurance this time).

I'm having difficulty making time to study! Soccer season is over, so theoretically, I have more time for my leisurely pursuits. But no, I have to crank out a chapter a night to prepare for an exam in 6 days! Man, I didn't plan that very well. Plus, there are going to be some openings for a promotion at the end of the month, so I need to make sure my resume indicates that I've successfully completed some of this training, so the pressure is on to succeed. This weekend, I'm going to my parents' to celebrate Christmas, and I know that I'm getting at least three new video games. What to do, what to do!

Well, at least the test is multiple choice, er I mean, multiple "guess," in my case!

I Can Spin Again - sort of

After poking around the GameFAQs boards for College Hoops 2K6, I did discover that you can force the dribbler to spin, using an alternate controller configuration, by holding the turbo button down and executing the "pro hop." However, the only drawback is that the player will pick up his dribble at the completion of the move. Therefore, you can't use the spin dribble to evade the defender, unless you're looking to shoot. "Alternate A" controls give you the spin move (actually, the "pro hop" move) in lieu of the option of directing another player to cut. At first, I thought I'd have to choose between the two, and frankly, I liked both options. However, "Alternate B" moves the option to direct another player to cut to the "X" button, and since I'm using the stick exclusively to shoot, this control scheme works out for me. It's all about choices, baby!

I fooled around more in Coach mode for my "test" dynasty today, and I really think I'm going to like it. I'm a veteran of the Flex offense, so naturally I chose that playbook. I'm also a big proponent of man-to-man defense, and combining that with options for the amount of pressure to apply to each player, and when to double-team each player, there's a nice level of control over how your team defends. I didn't even mention the zone and press options, which are plentiful. I really enjoy calling the shots on the fly, and trying to exploit matchups, all while watching the games from the sideline. I'm convinced I'll be running concurrent playing and coaching dynasties.

So far, I'm liking everything I see about this game, but again, I've got a long way to go...

NCAA College Hoops 2K6 - Entry #2

I spent some more time today attempting to get my bearings both on and off the court. I do think they did a solid job with the Drills in practice mode, as I was able to get much more comfortable with dribble moves, playing defense, shooting and shot timing, and passing. My use of the "shot stick" has improved as well, as I'm trying to use it exclusively to fire up the rock. Also, I think it works quite well on defense, as it's nice not have to move my thumb to the buttons to attempt to steal or block a shot. I'm still a little "iffy" on the lack of precise player control in terms of ball-handling, but it looks like I'm just going to have to deal with the computer-controlled decision to crossover or go behind the back as I work the left stick and the right trigger. I have yet to see a spin move, which is still troubling me. That said, after a little practice, I'm really liking everything else about player control and movement, both offensively and defensively.

I spent more time in the in-game manual, and the more I read, the more impressed I am with the depth of the "Dynasty" mode in this game. Off the top of my head, I truly don't think they've missed anything. Obviously, the execution is still up in the air for me, but it's as deep as a text-sim off the court. Combine that with strong on-court play (so far), and this game has the potential to be a top level sports game! That is, assuming nothing wonky goes on with all of the depth and gameplay options. I am hearing some things that concern me a bit, but the question is are the problems going to be big enough to ruin this title for me. I hope not. Every game has quirks and mistakes, and it's up to the individual user in regard to their tolerance level. We shall see.

It wasn't clear from the manual if you could play a Dynasty game in Coach mode, so I set up a "test" dynasty to see how things work. Again, the depth is impressive, as I had to sign my assistant coaches, choose a school (I am "testing" in Career mode) modify lineups, make red-shirt decisions, recruit, and so forth up to the first game. Sure enough, when I selected to play my first game, I had the option to play or coach (you can also simulate games to speed through the season, if you like). I'm really thinking I'll be playing a "Coach mode" dynasty right along with a dynasty where I play all of the games.

I should mention that there are lots of options and sliders to work through. Hopefully, the game plays pretty good at default. If not, by the time I get around to playing it, I'm sure someone else will have figured out the perfect set of settings, which is apparently some kind of science. I'm happy that at least I have the option to customize my gameplay experience, if need be.

That's all for now. Honestly, I still have a lot to get my arms around, but I think I'll have fun doing it.

Daddy's Girl

My daughter… She's 6 1/2 years old, and she truly is my little baby doll. She's everything you'd imagine and want your little girl to be. She takes ballet, she sings, she loves to draw and color, she writes her own books - and tapes the pages together to make a binding, she plays sports, she dresses up, and she loves to tell stories and jokes. I could go on and on, as most fathers could when speaking of their children. Like most dads, I have a few terms of endearment for my little angel, like "Princess," or "Gorgeous," or "Love."

Just the other day, she surprised me once again. She raced upstairs excitedly, which she normally does to give me some of her artwork, or to ask me to look at her new invention, but this time it was to talk of one of her own personal accomplishments. She was so proud of herself, she was glowing!

"Daddy, I set a new record for kills with 23!"

Another thing my baby girl does is play video games, and she set a personal best in Star Wars Battlefront II. I even came up with a new term of endearment for her: "Crazy Killah." That's my girl - artist, dancer, singer, comedian, athlete, beauty queen, scholar, writer, and dispatcher of Rebel scum. I couldn't be prouder!

NCAA College Hoops 2K6 - Entry #1

It's been a while since I've been into a basketball video game. The last one I gave any significant time to was Inside Drive 2004, which happens to be the best hoops video game I've ever played. I toyed with some other titles the last couple of years, but none grabbed my attention quite like ID 2004.

I've been hearing a bit of a buzz about NCAA College Hoops 2K6. There were some things I really liked about last year's title, in my brief time with it. Since I'm getting that old writing bug again, I thought it would be fun to kick off my reviewing rebirth with this title. I also thought it would be kind of fun to keep a running diary of my experiences with it, until I pen the review.

After coming home around 6:00, eating dinner, doing some housework, watching the basketball Zips in one of their rare TV appearances in my area, and watching Lost, I finally squeezed in an hour or so with NCAA 2K6. I did read the manual last night, however. I am one of those dinosaurs that actually likes to learn as much as I can about the game before picking up the controller, as opposed to others that disdain the manual and prefer the kinesthetic learning method. Given the state of today's manuals, I completely understand that approach, but I digress.

The first thing I attempted to do was learn a little bit more about the game before stepping out on to the virtual hardwood. In the Extras section, I found the training video to be very helpful, as it gave a pictorial representation of what I gleaned from the manual. Being a manual guy, I also appreciated the expanded in-game manual, which gave a more in-depth set of instructions for gameplay and features.

One other helpful section was the Drills in the Practice game mode. EA did a great job with this in NCAA Football 2006, and a feature like this is long overdue for basketball games. I only did a couple, but they quickly helped me get my bearings before taking my Zips up to Bloomington for a few minutes against IU. I'm looking forward to delving into this mode much more deeply in the near future, before any kind of "dynasty" or "season" play.

Once I felt somewhat comfortable, I felt it was time to check out the gameplay. What happened to the "juke stick" or the spin move button? Although you can do some crossover moves with the left-trigger and the left stick, I really missed the precision control of the ball-handler that a game like ID 2004 offers. However, that ball control was replaced with the "shot stick," which does appear to be implemented very well. I love the ability to control how I shoot - whether I go up with the left hand, or attempt to power dunk over my opponent! The use of the stick, combined with the apparent elimination of the "force field" effect that has plagued many a basketball game, really gives you a feeling of control in the paint, as opposed to just queuing up a move and watching the action. At this point, it seems like a pretty fair trade off to me.

I also love the addition of the lead pass button. No more do I have to watch my 3 man stop on the break to catch the pass, and then decide to resume his run to the basket. In addition, when combining the lead pass button with the left trigger, your players attempt to execute an alley oop. When timed correctly, this is one of the more exciting plays in the game. Color me impressed! (By the way, I got pretty good at this in the Fastbreak drill - yet another reason to spend some time practicing).

One other thing I investigated a bit was Coach mode. Part of me really enjoys the tactical aspect of sports, and I've spent some time as a high school basketball coach, so this mode intrigues me. With the ability to call plays, make substitutions, assign match-ups, set double-team criteria, change up the press, etc., it appears that you really can do what a "real" coach does during the game. I'm intrigued by this. If it's implemented well, I may run concurrent dynasties as a player and a coach!

Well, that's enough for tonight, but I can tell you that I've barely scratched the surface of NCAA College Hoops 2K6. My football Zips play for the MAC championship and a bowl bid tomorrow night on ESPN, so I may not spend much time gaming tomorrow. However, this title has my attention, and I plan on giving it several more hours over the weekend. Stay tuned for the continuation of my journal!