That time of year . . .

Much like Powerpuff, I am starting to get that football itch. The NFL season is almost here (about damn time!) and my need to play some videogame football is starting to reach its peak. So much so that I even played some Madden 2006 for the 360 this weekend.

This game was just a weak, weak effort by EA. It was far from complete and far from being a next generation football title. I remember initially enjoying the game upon playing it for the first time. I guess it just felt drastically different from Madden - and that is a good thing. I want a change. But over time, the game was just damn boring. It felt shallow. Every game felt just like the last and when you're playing a franchise, that is a game killer. Every opponent felt the same, the game has ZERO atmosphere and the presentation is the worst the series has ever had. I think the original Madden did presentation better.

So, like I said, I fired it up this weekend and tried to continue my Dolphins franchise. I couldn't even complete one game, I had to turn it off in disgust. It's just bad. Player movement is horrendous. It doesn't feel right. Player interaction is pathetic. The radio announcer is awful, and there is no intensity in the game. You get the same lame-ass view of the defense and the QB walking to the line EVERY play. It gets old after the second time. I'm not even going to go into player interaction or tackling, because I have commented on that a million times before.

So, after my miserable experience this weekend trying to play Madden 2006 again, why am I excited for Madden 2007? Do I really believe these things will get fixed? Not really. In fact, I know for the fact we have the same lame radio announcer, no tv style presentation, still no gang tackling . . . yet I am excited? Am I that much of a football addict that against all reason I still hope Madden 2007 plays a decent game of football?

Yes I am. I'm a sucker. I'm a junkie. I'm buying Madden 2007, I'll enjoy it for a few days, and I'll probably be on here after a month complaining about the same exact issues. Then we'll repeat it all next year.

Ah yes, it is great to be an NFL football fan and a gamer.

FOOTBALL

Well I read the NCAA 07 review. Very typical of EA, tweak some things here and there but do not add all the things people want into one version of the game. This ensures fans will be back next year, this philosophy sucks... People just should not purchase this game at all, until they make the game the way its suppose to be..

It appears as though 8/22 is the big day for Madden 07, I can't wait!! My class will be done by then and I can start thinking about the fun kind of x's and o's.

Also there is some major drool factor occurring looking at those psp and graw pics from Tanis. Lucky man !!!

Stuff

I've been sick with a stomach virus for the last four days. Not fun. Anyway, here's some stuff I've been meaning to write about but have been too sick to crawl to the computer for.

- The NCAA 2007 demo is out on the Marketplace. Florida vs. Florida State. I've played the demo about 3 times and I don't know what to make of the game. Why? Because you get fucking 1 minute quarters, that’s why!!!

Why does EA do this? Every damn sports demo (aside from Fight Night) is so compressed that they are practically unplayable. You'd be surprised how fast those quarters go, even for an EA football game that lets you fly to the line to call plays.

This is very annoying. Hello, EA, the point of a demo is to try and convince the player to buy your game. In order to do that, you have to provide enough substance to make the game look like a viable option. 1 minute quarters just doesn’t cut it. I can't get a drive going and I am forced to change my play calling to a two minute drill. I can't get a feel for the game this way. Also, why don't you have instant replays in the demo? Manual ones? Again, the more you handicap the demo, the less impressive it is. I hate to beat a dead horse, but look at the Fight Night and Lost Planet demos (the two best demos available for download). Both are extremely polished and offer an experience that lasts longer than four minutes. Get with the program EA, these crappy 1 minute quater demos suck serious ass.

- There are a few new cool videos on the marketplace. One is a behind the scenes of Halo 3. They don't really show you anything new (just some new camera angles for the current trailer) and they don't give you any story or gameplay details, but still an entertaining watch.

The second video is a "behind the scenes" look at Mass Effect. All I can say about this video is . . . WOW!!! It has surpassed my expectations. This game looks simply amazing. Amazing. Really, if you haven't seen this, go download it now.

- I'm all up in Oblivion again. This is game is fantastic. I've now logged in around 120 hours and I'm not even close to finishing the game. Nor am I bored with it. I have never played a game for that long. It is safe to say this game is well worth the $70 spent for the collector's edition.

Lately however, I have been getting some dirty disc errors while playing. It has only happened with Oblivion and is getting annoying. When I look at the disc, it tends to look a bit more scratched than what is normal for my games (I am VERY careful with them). Don't know how that happened. So, now I am just making sure I save more just in case.

- I also started playing Halo 1 again. I think it was the behind the scenes Halo 3 video that did it. I decided to replay Halo and Halo 2. The game is still fun today, although it takes some getting used to after playing part 2 for such a long time. Your shields take longer to charge up, you have health to worry about, no dual-wielding, and I keep wanting to pick up the energy sword after I kill one of those Elites.

- I got my 2GB memory stick duo for the PSP. Now if I could just figure out how to put songs in it . . .

- I've managed to get some quality games of GRAW co-op in. And like I have said, you need friends to do it. I recently started playing with my buddy Avalon and setting up a match is as simple as 1-2-3. Now, if I was trying to find a match to play in by myself, I'd probably still be looking as I write this.

GRAW co-op is a blast.

Alright, that's it for me. I need to go lay down. I hope I'm back to 100% soon, because this damn virus is annoying the hell out of me.

GRAW . . . I hate you . . .

Ok, I have just about given up on GRAW on-line. As if it wasn't hard enough to find a game, now with the new downloadable content - which I will NOT be buying at its ridiculous high price of 1200 MS Points ($15) - it now makes finding a game impossible. Every match you find requires the DL Content. So my chances of finding a lobby to play in went from slim to none.

The sad part is, I enjoy GRAW multiplayer. It looks and plays completely different from the single-player game. And I like the way it looks and plays. For some reason I even prefer the animation of your character in the multiplayer game more than the single player. The character model might not be as detailed, but I just prefer the way he animates.

It is so sad in fact, that I have resorted to playing the co-op campaign levels . . . by myself. Yes, last night I played the Temple level all by me onesees. It was fun. But harder than CoD2 on Veteran. Well, not really, but since dying once ends the level, making it to the end requires a ton of patience. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, but after dying for the 4th time (40 minutes into the level) I had to stop playing. It can get frustrating. Powerpuff!!! We gotta play man!!! Co-op!!!!!!

I'll try to pass the first co-op mission today. I hope it is easier than Temple. Maybe I'll add a few respawns to cut down on the frustration. It is not like I am going to get the achievement playing by myself anyway.

Wednesday Blues

Wow, it sure does suck when the 4th of July lands on a freakin' Tuesday. There is nothing like coming to work on Monday, having Tuesday off, then coming right back to work Wednesday.

All day yesterday it felt like a Sunday and now my internal clock is all messed up. Today feels like a Monday . . . but really it is Wednesday.

I'm confused. I just want to be home right now playing Oblivion in my pajamas. Yes, I finally started playing Oblivion again.