When I heard they were making a "hip-hop samurai adventure" with a bunch of big name producers, I was expecting FLCL with rap music. Instead we got the greatest intro song ever tacked on to basically a Bebop rehash. I'm cool with that, but at the same time really disappointed. The soundtrack could have been legendary, like, I was expecting a lot more rap, instead of just one track. Like, FLCL was so great because it was basically a 3 hour long music video, that's what I was really hoping for Champloo.

I got a couple thoughts...

Home Grown! The Beginners Guide to Understanding the Roots Volume One and Two. None of it is really new, it's mostly b-sides and remixes from the Roots, but it's still fantastic. Black Thought is an amazing lyricist and has a great voice and cadence for rap, and Questlove and the rest of the band are phenominal. They bring in blues and jazz vibes, and some great samples, to make some potent hip hop.

Matisyahu - "Live at Stubbs" deserves some mention. It's so uplifting and spiritual, his voice carries a lot of power. It's Hasidic reggae, but I think everyone can appreciate how good it is for your soul.

Sigur Ros - "Takk..." because it is just beautiful.

Overall, I thought this yeah was pretty weak musically. I wish I had some punk or metal I could rave about, but I haven't heard anything really truly great.

I'm on episode 8, and I like it so far. I like it because nothing really happens. It's got a real Walden-esque quality to it. In that way it kind of reminds me of the first few episodes of Haibane Renmei (minus the wings and halos). The show has no ninjas, no explosions, no giant robots, no freaky supernatural stuff, no magical girls, no harem drama, no sci-fi and no confusing plot! Just a wonderfully peaceful life in a small beachside town. I'm not wild about the art style, which is pretty average, and some of the voice actors are annoying. In other words, a great concept that was passably executed. I give it a pretty solid B-.

If by promising, you mean which is going to win the war, probably the PS3 only because it's Playstation. All they have to do is crank out uninspired sequels, I mean, everyone's already flipping out over MGS4 because of some videos. 360 doesn't stand a chance without Japan, and Nintendo has the unfortunate designation as a "kiddy company."

If by promising, you mean which is innovative, different, market changing, and exciting, I'm going to say the Revolution. I guarantee you elements of their controller technology will be adopted by Microsoft and Sony about a year after the Revolution's release. The console will be inexpensive, and if the games are cheap also... I have dreams of $200 console and $35 games. Plus it'll have Mario, Zelda, and Metroid.

Remember, everyone thought the PSP would make the DS look silly, but the DS is laying a massive smack down on the PSP in terms of compelling software.

However, none of this changes the fact that I'll be buying all three.

So here's the problem. How do you prove something is true? Well, I have a degree in mathematics, so I tend to think about most things in that context. When you prove a theorem in math, you pretty much take definitions and occasionally other theorems (which have already been proven) and apply them to the problem, do some hand waving, and end up with a page or two of chicken scratches that will verify a statement as either true or fasle based upon the arguments.

So how do you prove definitions are true? You don't, that's why they are definitions. This is the problem with using logic to determine truth, it only works if you buy the definitions. See also the Turing Machine argument. So therefore everything has to be relative, right? Unfortunately, that philosophy falls apart also. I'm sorry that I'm not explaining these two statements more fully, because its something that you can't explain in a paragraph, or a page, or most likely a book.

I think there is absolute truth. I don't know what it is, I don't think anyone knows what it is, and i don't think anyone will ever know what it is. I think of truth like a mathematical limit. As you approach infinity, you get very close to a number, but you never get there. Likewise, in the limit of existance, we will get very close to finding the truth, but we'll never quite get there.

The point I'm trying to make is that it really doesn't matter all that much if there is absolute truth or not. If something works, use it until something works better.

New Rocket Knight Adventures would be hot, forget MGS and work on that.

What I want more than anything is another Jet Set Radio and another GunValkyrie. I know they're not that old, but they're dead franchises, and they're the two best games on Xbox by a mile. I would kill for a 2D Jet Set Radio on the DS, the graffiti mechanic would own with the stylus, and after playing Sonic Rush with their grind tricks, I think it would own.

Here's a couple more: Lunar 3 (Lunar DS was trash), Phantasy Star 5 (this online thing just isn't cutting it), a new Streets of Rage, an AKI developed wrestling game with the TNA license (like the old WCW/WWE games on N64, best party games ever), and umm... Earthbound much?

Basically, give me something 2D. I want the glory days of 16 bit, and the Saturn we had to import. There's a reason why some of us paid $120 for hour long Neo-Geo side scrollers, something that I wish more developers would tap into today. But I doubt 20 hour cinematic snore-fests are going out of style anytime soon.

By far and away, Jet Set Radio Future. Just a great mix of hip hop and electronica, the essence of the street, baby. That Professor K was one awesome DJ, playin' nonstop hot beats on the greatest radio station ever. Can we have a sequel, already? I know Smilebit is nonexistant, but damn it Sega, get off your butts and do something right!

Honorable mentions: Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Gunvalkyrie (yet another game that was tragically underplayed and needs a sequel) and Super Metroid.

I'll guess the ps3 will weigh in at $500, and hells yeah I'm buying one even if it costs more. I'm a console-neutral early adopter, and I'll pay whatever MSRP I have to for whatever console I need.

I take any news about the ps3 with a grain of salt. It's not out yet, and no one is really sure when it will be. It's common knowledge that sales of consoles never make money. Microsoft taking a buck twenty five hit is expected, and I remember reading that the ps2 lost $140 on it's launch. I fully expect Sony to take into account Microsoft's actions in the next year, and price their console accordingly.

Microsoft is getting a jump on the next generation, but I don't know how well the Xbox 1.5 will compete with the ps3 into the future. Maybe the price is right, but if price was everything, why is anyone bothering to buy a 360 when you can spend *less than half* on a ps2? If the ps3 was comparable to the 360 on the hardware level, we wouldn't be having this discussion, Sony would have screwed up major. But as it stands, Microsoft's decision to jump the gun might be genius or it might bite them in the butt. It's too early to tell.

Sorry, I'm getting into a slightly off topic rant here, but all of this discussion could be moot. Games themselves are getting too expensive to produce, and if this doesn't change, it won't matter what the ps3 costs. Shelf space is small, so companies have to make bigger and bigger games with bigger and bigger expectations to take the relatively small slots at Best Buy. After they've spent millions on development and the game tanks, developers will be pushed out of business. Games need to be shorter, less expensive to produce, and in fewer number. Publishers are too dependant on the blockbuster hits, they need to learn that overall, the non-hits outsell the hits (at least that is the case in the music industry). But this requires that big box stores stock older and out of the mainstream games. Any store has last years music and last years movies, but do they have last year's games? Probably not. Sony's rental and resale lockout technology and Microsoft's increasing some game prices to $60 are the kneejerk response to this problem, but it's just a bandaid for a hemorraging wound. Business models need to change.

Before Master Chief, there was Samus Aran. Know thy roots.

Also, no one has mentioned Sonic the Hedgehog! He was also more recognizeable than Mickey Mouse at one time.

I don't like tolerance, I feel that it has a negative connotation. To me, it says "you can think what you want, that's fine, but my opinion is superior," or "I'm just going to let you think that way." We should be accepting to different ideas, debate them fairly and be open to change. I don't think tolerance lets you do this because of the air of superiority inherent in the term. Which is not to say we can't agree to disagree, or that different points of view can't be equally valid, or for that matter, that one point of view can't trump another.

It's an interesting question when you think about it. How can you compare beliefs and opinions? Personally I believe in the scientific model, that the best way to strengthen your beliefs is to actively challenge them. In my opinion, that should be the standard, rather than simple tolerance.

I liked how he cheated. He'd like, grab a chair while the ref was down, then he wouldn't even hit the guy with it, he'd just throw it at the guy and then fall down, feigning being hit. The ref would see Eddie on the mat and disqualify the other guy. That was great stuff.

I'm pretty hardcore into Magic, Been playing for like 9 years. I frequent PTQs and Trials, made top 8 a couple of times, but no wins. I win infinite local tournaments, though atmittedly my local metagame is really really weak.

I think Vs. is kind of lame, honestly. It feels like Magic-lite to me.

Both of my selections are from FLCL. The first is Ninamori's shirt (I think it was a hoodie) that says USSR on it. The second is Naota's shirt that says 90 with a degree symbol and a picture of a right angle. I have a math degree, and I dig Marx, *shrug.*

I have four words for you: New England Clam Chowder. When I'm sick I eat a can of that with a slice of Brownberry bread, the really hearty whole grain stuff with a bunch of butter. Then I hit the vitamin C really hard. Medicine is a last resort, I'm kind of a hippie that way.

The last few cds I bought were "Takk" by Sigur Ros, "You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having" by Atmosphere, "Beautiful Lie" by 30 Seconds to Mars, and "Vheissu" by Thrice. They're all really good, but I'd say Atmoshpere is probably my favorite out of those four. I picked it up because one of my friends said he was awesome, and since the last time I listened to this friend I got the excellent Eyedea and Abilities cd, I listened to him. Atmosphere is also from Minnesota, gotta support my home team. The other three I bought because I had their first/older albums and liked them.

My folks are all cool with anime. We've watched several shows together, Trigun and Cowboy Bebop, all the Miyazaki Movies and some others. My dad really really liked Ghost in the Shell, he's a huge Sci-Fi fan, and he was pretty interested in End of Evangelion even though he hasn't seen the series yet. And my mom thinks Love Hina is hilarious, how random is that?

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up, and I'm 23. I remember what Ant (props if you know who he is) once said: You could be washing dishes or be President of the United States, it's all equally stupid to me. I totally agree with that statement, and I believe there is too much emphasis on what your career is going to be. I went to college to take cool classes and expand my mind, not to get a job. What do I do with my Mathematics degree? I work as a biller at a stationary printing company part time, and do freelance art and eBay the rest of the time. And I'm planning to participate in National Novel Writing Month, so that might end up making some cash someday.

Most wanted for me is a toss up between Magna Carta and Dragon Quest VIII, with Kameo Elements of Power for 360 a close third. It's a little early to call it a most wanted, but Seiken Denetsu 4 sounds incredible. I can't imagine what playing a Mana game with the Havok physics engine from Half Life 2 will be like. Also, I really want to see how Nintendo Revolution games will use that controller.

This is hardly a big deal. Heaven forbid you have to play through your old games again. Oh no, I have to play Guilty Gear for hours on end to unlock everything! What a punishment... curse Sony! Also I'm quite confident that someone will release a DDR pad also, and I wouldn't be surprised if you could copy over old save files to new memory sticks. Seriously, this is hardly an issue. More of an issue is the 360's "sort of" backwards compatability.

Also, about the price, new consoles always sell at a loss. Well, unless you're 3DO, but look how far it got them. It was rumored that Sony lost between $100 and $150 on the first generation PS2s. I've seen an article in Play Magazine that suggests Microsoft will lose about $70 per console on the first generation 360s. I'd put money on PS3 being between $299 and $399.

This happens every generation of hardware. People say the sky is falling and then 3 months later we're all happy little gamers. My mantra is "ignore everything until you get it in your hands."

I'm probably going to be pinned a Nintendo fanboy for saying this, but... Nintendo rehashes are better than 90% of games that are released. I agree that it's frustrating that the best the DS has to offer is a decade old remake. However, Nintendo is Nintendo. They don't particularily cater to the 3rd party, and they never have. They have an incredible library of in-house characters to play with, it's no secret where they make all their money. Nostalgia is really big right now, and remakes sell very well. Nintendo is kind of a wiry one too, just when you think they're done, they bust out something revolutionary like Metroid Prime or that ridiculously gorgeous new Zelda that's on the way. Call me a fanboy if you want, but I don't think the well is dry.

Also, the whole "kiddy game" argument is so tired. Is an E rating a scarlet letter? Am I supposed to feel uncool for purchasing something that doesn't have guns in it? Because if that's the case, why do you play videogames? Is it for fun, or for status? I believe Nintendo believes in the former, and more and more developers unfortunately believe in the latter.

Well, Halo is the obligatory purchase. Jade Empire is really good, has literally *reams* of spoken dialogue, in addition to being visually stunning. Personally, I'd suggest getting Jet Set Radio Future and Gunvalkyrie. You can probably find them for really cheap, since most people passed them over. I'll warn you that GunValkyrie is unbelievably hard, in fact, the learning curve is probably exponential, but it's one of the best games I've ever played. JSRF is just cool, there's really nothing like it, and probably will never be anything like it again. Also, Panzer Dragoon Orta is kinda cool, if you are into that sort of thing. Sudeki is kind of a charming RPG, but it's not all that deep. Probably best for a rental.

i guess if I had to pick 3 games, it would be Halo, Jade Empire and Gunvalkyrie.

GunValkyrie for Xbox. Only the truly dedicated will find the glory that is this game. It's a game that rewards perfection and punishes you when you do anything less. This is the kind of game that the oldschooler in me absolutely loves.

Batman because, correct me if I'm wrong, he has the last bit of Kryptonite. Superman gave it to him in one of the cross over comics so that just in case Superman went crazy again, someone would be able to defeat him.

Lunar 1 is fan-tastic. Lunar 2 is less good in an absolute sense, but the gameplay is more polished which I think makes it slightly more palatable. However the characters are just not as good. They try hard... GBA Lunar is not so good, no real reason to play it unless you for some reason are unable to get Lunar 1. Curse them for making DS Lunar, because now I have to buy a DS. Bother. Still really pumped about it though.