Saturday, July 2, 2011

Odds 'n' Ends


  • It's my birthday on Monday. The rumors are true; having fireworks each year on your birthday doesn't suck. Today, I used some birthday checks that arrived early to purchase a shiny, Bronze DSiXL! I've wanted one for a long time but didn't have the disposable income to justify it. I know it's just a big DS (I don't much care for DSiWare or the camera), but the screen is so nice! And it fits it my hands better. And I flippin' love the location/style of the volume and power buttons. Also, the d-pad, shoulder and start/select buttons feel better too.

    So, yea, I guess it is a major upgrade for me!

    I kept my black DS lite because I don't think the $40(?) trade in is worth the sentimental value. We've been through some good times together! ... so very many Pokémon.

  • I know one of the employees at a nearby GameStop. I brought him 10 copies of this flyer from Operation Rainfall. He said he would cut 'em up and leave 'em out for people. It's one of the busier GameStops in the area so hopefully it helps just a little bit! You should do the same in your area!

  • In the early days of this website, I used to spend a lot more time pointing out the faults of mainstream gaming media. An easy source for media faux-pas has always been Kotaku.com. Eventually, I was able to break the cycle and just stopped visiting that cesspool all together.

    However, some respectable sites I frequent still relay Kotaku's "stories" for god knows what reason. So recently, I came across these two gems and wanted to give my quick responses ...

    "Gamers, Let's Stop Hating Each Other"

    You know, I completely agree with the underlying sentiment of this article. Too bad it comes from a site that has spent years cultivating the very hatred discussed in the article!

    Which Wii Game Did GameStop Refuse to Accept for a Trade-In?

    This next article comes from part-time (very small part) journalist and full-time moron, Stephen Totilo. The article is only one paragraph so, go ahead and give them a hit and read the thing.

    Back? Good.

    So, the story was about a GameStop's incomplete computer records, right? Then how come Stephen closes by inviting his readers to "Insert your own jokes about Wii games below...." ?

    Looks like his position as full-time moron won't be jeopardized any time soon.

    I know I'm preaching to the choir, but we need to get the word out that gamers deserve more mature, unbiased journalism!! If you frequent sites like those, speak up! The silent majority just needs brave souls to lead by example. So, any small thing you can do is a big help!!

4 comments:

Maxi said...

Well first of all Happy early birthday Sage.

I'll see if I can send out some fliers.


Yeah that Kotaku article is just trying to look like the good guy when they clearly aren't.

Also even if they were actually good guys the second article completly contradicts the first article you linked to Sage.

coffeewithgames said...

I understand the frustration when it comes to sites like Trashtaku.

They are HUGE sites, that could be providing all kinds of coverage and interviews with developers, and yet...they do troll articles for hits, on a constant basis.

Kotaku isn't alone though, as I really feel most of the large sites are very little other than recycle centers...all they do is take press releases and trailers and post them up, with very few interviews and "pieces" other than opinion pieces such as, "Top 10 Wii U Games We Hope For."

I will say though, the one thing about Kotaku I like is that their reviews(though I only read them rarely), don't have scores...

I have debated for a long while now about doing reviews, and can't land on a good format, so I just keep rotating the "idea" on the roaster, but I don't necessarily like "scores" on games.

NinSage said...

I completely agree, coffee.

Kotaku is not the exception, it is the rule. There is so much work to be done in game culture it's not even funny.

And you provide the perfect solution; they could easily focus on in-depth coverage and behind-the-scenes access but instead they choose to be lazy and churn out 10 no-thought flame-bait articles a day instead of one article of real, unique substance.

... it's almost like they are the journalistic equivalent of shovelware! =P

I also agree highly on the lack of scores. You'll notice that around these parts we merely do "Recoms." That way, we can just talk about games we LIKE as opposed to complaining about every little detail wrong with a game.

The scores are also meaningless on most sites. It's all so tainted. People are upset if one game gets a 9.4 and another get a 9.3.

Hmmm, I wonder why that is? Oh yea, it's because the same media has conditioned gamers to treat their personal niche of a hobby like a friggin' sports team!

*sigh*

... thanks for posting, friend. =)

Whachu playin' lately?

coffeewithgames said...

Whachu playin' lately?
http://www.coffeewithgames.com/2011/07/june-brewed-coffees-consumed-games.html

That was for June, this month has been crazy busy already, I have a post that should be going up later today on the crazy beginning to July.
BUT, I have been playing some Monster Hunter Tri this past week, still trudging through the single-player campaign...each time I say, "I think I only have three more monsters...two more monsters...", I end up finding more I have to fight!

Anyway, happy late birthday...it seems to be a great day for bdays...more LATER!