It hasn't become official policy, yet. But with Gabriel's afternoon whiled away with kids' movie tie-in title Surf's Up - followed by a raucous Pokemon Tournament that saw his Monferno victorious - well, it would be easy to come away with that impression. It's a dangerous genre, games for young people, as it's practically defined by cramped budgets and shoehorned licenses. It is also much more unassuming, much lighter fare, and doesn't delight in abusing the player as more "sophisticated" games do. I suppose that has its own appeal.

It's hard to believe but we're really only a couple months away from PAX 2007. We'll actually be choosing our 20 Omeganaughts on the 15th of this month. That's this week so if you want a shot at being in the Omegathon, you need to register for the show by this Friday. As usual Omeganaughts should expect to have all their gaming skills put to the ultimate test in a three day no holds barred battle Royal cage match. Well we don't have a cage, no one has to fight in a cage. All the other stuff is true though. The gamer that manages to survive will be rewarded with a trip for two to the Tokyo Game Show and $5,000 is spending money. Not bad for three days work.

I know it sounds silly but Surf's Up is actually a really fun game. I know it's supposed to be for kids but we picked it up last week and had a blast with it here in the office. It's sort of like Mario Kart meets Tony Hawk on the ocean...with penguins. You have this super fun track out on the ocean with crazy jumps, rails to grind and obstacles. The entire time your trying to navigate this track a massive wave is devouring it. So your racing your opponents and the wave and trying to do tricks all at the same time. I don't know if it sounds as good when I explain it. It's just a really fun game and I recommend you find a way to give it a try.

The game actually came with a ticket for the movie so we took Gabe to see it this weekend. I highly recommend the film as well. We sawShrek 3 recently and that felt like a bunch of voice actors and animators collecting a paycheck. It was one of the dullest movies I've ever seen. Surf's up on the other hand was a blast. Visually it was a real stunner and packed with absolutely beautiful animation. It was also crazy funny. Sometimes when you watch an animated movie it feels like all the actors sat in a room by themselves and recorded all their lines independently of one another. In Surf's Up it felt like all the actors were in the same room and they all had a script but it wasn't a big deal. They were all improvising and playing off each other. I haven't laughed that hard at an animated movie since Ice Age. If you have kids don't miss it and if you don't have kids grab the DVD when it drops.

-Gabe out

This has been simmering on some tertiary heat source for awhile, and it may be time to serve it. When a classic game is re-released for digital delivery, by what criteria are they being reviewed?

We grabbed a couple demos yesterday afternoon to see if we were missing anything, specifically Tenchu Z and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and came away with the expected comic materials. I think Tenchu Z may get explored in a more robust fashion in Monday's strip, but after the loading is complete the demo flashes up one of those screens that is completely grown over with control instructions. It wasn't even an especially bad one, and there are very, very bad ones, like the one in the demo for StarFire Saga V: Laserion. It was merely an assault on the mind, paralyzing in its way.

Keek directed me to a radical (and potentially even "badical") article on BioShock over at Gamers Wif Jobs.  I've been wondering about the recent PR shift the game has gone through, because I don't just keep hearing that it is a "shooter first," but I keep hearing specifically that it is a "kick-ass shooter," even though it's a game where you learn about Objectivism underwater while helping jealous composers get revenge.  I've never doubted that the game will be great, by whatever road it reaches that greatness.  The recent WWE slant just had me curious about whether I'll be able to perform a suplex in-game. 

You may not think that is important, but it is totally important.

(CW)TB
 

Obviously there's a lot of you guys out there. A few million easy. I try very hard not to use the site for evil but occasionally I can't help it. This is one of those times.

On June 29th the iPhone drops. I know I know it's only 2G but let's all just agree that I'm a gadget whore and move on. I've spoken to a couple people at Cingular stores and what I'm hearing is that I have a better chance of giving birth this month than of getting my hands on one of these phones. So I'm turning to you. I'm not asking you to kill or riot (yet). I just need to know what I should do if I really want to buy one of these on the 29th. 

I could also use some help obtaining a Beautifly. I understand I need a Wurmple to evolve into a Silcoon. However that takes place at level 7 from what I understand and I can't seem to find a Wurmple lower than 10 or 11. I thought I might need to breed a baby Wurmple but then I still run the risk of it evolving into a Cascoon rather than a Silcoon. Am I on the right track with the breeding idea and if so is there anything I can do to ensure I get a Silcoon? Also I am a huge pussy.

-Gabe out

There are more substantive (read: impenetrable) tabletop wargames, but you can have a lot of fun with Clix if you are able to stop buying them long enough to actually play. Halo ActionClix have been announced for awhile, but when we sat down to write the strip yesterday we were looking over some pics of the final models and felt confident that we had discovered today's topic.

Metahumans, as the RNACorp Sensitivity Guide suggests, present "opportunities" that sometimes appear to be "challenges." They have unique contributions, often sharp contributions to the abdomen, that can bring value to shareholders.

Fabulous, life changing products are now available in our store.  I won't bore you with the testimonials - stalled, wasted lives virtually resuscitated but the power of our healing dorkwear.  I will simply present you with irresistible garb and then draw back, my noble purpose at a close. 



And, also



(CW)TB
 

The comic started out as a style guide for forums, similar to the recent style guide for gaming journalists - but while we were looking over the Lair boards at GameFAQs, we found that material already in place there was deluxe in every respect. We simply took the opportunity to elevate it.

But if you haven't seen it yet, you should - Street View in Google Maps.  Holy F-ing S.

(CW)TB
 

Given Gabriel's swayzophilia - currently controlled by medication - we couldn't really be expected to let this one go without comment.

I'm glad I spelled it wrong.  It means there may still be hope for me.

(CW)TB
 

it's a budew, not a bedew.

-Gabe out

I don't know how we've been able to avoid Pokemon for so long. It was only two weekends ago that Porkfry got a Pokedex for his birthday, and I can remember that as his palm slid affectionately over the cover that I shivered. A spiritual sight seized me, and from the thick manual I could see eight black legs wrap around his trunk. One side of the book was a plain of seeking red eyes, and from the other sprung twelve starving umbilicals that sniffed for new prey.