THE ONE

Well, it's here...sort of.  Tuesday morning, Microsoft unveiled its next-gen console and successor to the XBox 360, called stupidly simply the "XBox One".  Unless you've been living under a rock (or aren't a gamer), you've probably already heard the criticisms laid against it, and heard the fan outcry.  Yeah, I honestly can't say as I feel a whole lot different.  But as a gaming blogger, I guess I'm kind of obligated to say something about it, right?

BREAKING FREE OF THE CONSOLE WARS

Since the dawn of home console video games, there has always been war.  Bitter rivals competing head to head for your living room space.  There were minor skirmishes early on, with Atari vs Commodore, and the NES stomped the Sega Master System into the ground.  The first real war erupted when the Super Nintendo went head-to-head with the Sega Genesis, and it was bloody.  Lines were drawn.  Friendships destroyed.  Controllers broken.  Blast processing overhyped.  In the end, the Genesis held on and fought the good fight, but the SNES eventually won.  Since then, every generation has had its console wars.  The past few years have mostly seen Sony and Microsoft in an embittered Cold War, with Nintendo ineffectually waggling its sticks around at them, menacingly. 

The problem is that we as gamers and consumers never really had options.  A console is a long term investment, a heavy chunk of change that would last you 5-7 years.  You could pick a side and become a raving fanboy (or girl), you could save up your money and buy multiple consoles, or you could just opt out, build a gaming rig, and become a PC gamer.  Either way, there was nothing in between.  There were very few alternatives to the mainstream, and those we had either flopped pathetically, or just became short-lived beloved oddities (We love you and miss you, Sega Dreamcast).  Even these oddities were an expensive investment.  We never had anything cheaper, smaller, or more convenient. 

Until now.   

NEW FEATURES AND AN ATTEMPT AT A SCHEDULE

So, welcome to the end of February.  So far, the Game-A-Week posts seem to be doing well, but I notice that I've made a habit out of only posting that throughout the week.  I want to post more, offer more content. Frankly, I'm still kinda balancing this blog, the Youtube channel, and the Twitter, and realizing just how much work is involved here.   But I want to keep putting out things for people to read and enjoy, so I'm introducing a few new features and some modicum of a schedule.  

Feedback is not just encouraged, it's practically begged for here.   Let's take a look!  

THE CRANKY OLD GAMER: NOW WITH VIDEO!

It's official, I now have a youtube channel to complement the blog.  I'm still experimenting with recording, editing, and compressing videos right now, but I have a first video up and running.   It's not the most exciting video on its own, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Check it out, subscribe, and I'll keep working on putting up videos!

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!

I love Borderlands.  It's on my list of "games that never get old no matter how much I play them".   I love the world of Pandora, I love the cel-shaded art style, I love the over the top characters, and for fuck's sake I love the loot.  OH GOD, SO MUCH LOOT.   I have long since considered a craft project of making my own CL4P-TP "Claptrap" robot, and for years the text message chime on my phone was Claptrap's "HaHAAA!!!"   Needless to say, Borderlands 2 is incredibly high on my Must Buy list of upcoming games for this year.

SOMEONE SAY...TECHS-MECHS?

So there have been several new videos and  Piranha Games' upcoming BattleTech universe reboot, MechWarrior Online, and I have to be honest...they make me happy in my pants.   Those that know me know that I'm normally not one for playing online games, but with the announcement of TES:Online and now this?  This heathen may become a convert. 

WAIT, SO WHO'S THE PIRATE?

I totally get the fight against online piracy.   I've been an online pirate since I was copying my neighbor's Secret Of Monkey Island discs back in 1993, and have never stopped.  But from the companies' standpoints, I totally get it.  I know damn well I'm doing something immoral and illegal.  I don't justify it.  I don't pretty it up.  I'm just a cheap bastard that doesn't like paying for shit, I admit it.