Progress Report- The Road to Glory- NCAA Football 10

I've decided that I want to keep a written record of my quest to become National Champion and Heisman Trophy Winner in NCAA Football 10 (Xbox 360), so I will post updates here as I see fit.

I decided to play as a quarterback again this year, thanks to my successes in NCAA Football 09. Again, I went with an option quarterback even though this doesn't really bode well for when I go pro (if I decide to go pro, of course). But, that is what I have the most fun with, so an Option QB is what I decided on. I blazed through the first two rounds of the high school state championships, and then was delivered a dose of reality in the semi final round. But, we were able to hold on and win both the semi finals and the finals to become Michigan High School State Champions! I became a highly sought after five star recruit, and every college in the nation was willing to offer me a scholarship (literally).

I decided that since I will be attending West Virginia University in the fall (in real life), that there was no better place in the world to be than in Morgantown, WV as the second string QB, so that's where I signed. After just the first week of practices, and the first game against a FCS team, I won the starting QB position, with an overall rating of 91 and a speed rating of 89 (only second on the team to the starting HB).

As a starter I have now beat the East Carolina Pirates, the Auburn Tigers, and the Colorado Buffaloes. West Virginia University is now 4-0-0, and ranked #9 in both the Coaches Poll and the Media Poll. We've actually received one first place vote in both polls also!

I was named Player of the Game for all three starts, and last week (against Colorado) I received my first Big East Conference Player of the Week honors.

I will keep posting updates as I play along this season, and the following seasons. My goal this year is a National Championship bid, then, once I am a sophomore and onward, my goal will remain the National Championship, but I also want to add a Heisman Trophy to the mix.

If you have any questions about my progress, or anything at all, just post a comment or email me!

Thanks for reading.

First Impressions- NCAA Football 10

At 10:30 this morning I pulled up outside Blockbuster on my way to work. I was welcomed by two (very loud) fire trucks blocking the entrance. I wasn't sure what to do, but I knew I wanted to rent NCAA Football 10 for the Xbox 360 before work, or I would never find it before my game pass runs out this coming weekend. So, I pushed through the firemen (read: asked them if it was safe to go inside), and demanded that the nice girl let me rent NCAA Football 10 (read: asked if they had it in stock after staring at the other games and not finding it for ten mintues). She opened the box of shipment, and I became a very happy man. NCAA Football 10 had arrived, and it was all mine to play...after I got out of work, of course.

NCAA Football 09 was the greatest college football experience I had ever found. For the first time in the years I had been playing Madden and NCAA, NCAA trumped everything Madden had to offer. I played NCAA 09 religiously until Madden came out. Then, I played a couple games of Madden and came crawling back to NCAA because I missed the option plays, and the speed that NCAA offered. Campus Legend made my entire summer (going into and through fall, and most of the winter) a memorable one. My USF Bulls team (where I played starting QB for 3 seasons) kept getting shafted out of the National Title game (after 3 undefeated seasons, but our prestige kept us out), and after I won the Heisman Trophy twice, I decided not to risk a bad injury in my senior year, and head to the pros (aka: Madden 09). Well, I'm still a Buffalo Bill, and I have yet to finish my rookie season because Madden just doesn't have the spark, and the energy that NCAA Football 09 has.

Why in the hell did I tell you all of that, you ask? Well that's simple- because NCAA 09 was so good, and the fact that EA hasn't been able to sell me on the new features, I planned on skipping NCAA 10 and going straight for Madden 10. But, thanks to the game pass and my determination to fight flames and ridicule (from Blockbuster employees), I am able to play the game free of charge on release day! Now, let's get to the real reason you're here|

NCAA Football 10 (Xbox 360)|

First things first, this game looks even better than last years effort. The player models (though not necessarily accurate to the real life counterparts) are very detailed, and look unique. The fields and stadiums are gorgeous, and they even added a marching band to the pre-game. But, the graphics are quickly outshined by some of the new features in this years edition.

The big draw for NCAA 10 is the customization that TeamBuilder allows. TeamBuilder is an online feature (from your web browser on your computer) that lets you create fantasy teams, or other college teams that are not in the game and import them into NCAA Football 10. You can customize the team colors, upload or create logos, fully set your playbooks, and decide what type of team your new school will be. This can add a huge amount of replay value to the game for those that love customizing, and will appeal strongly to those that enjoy micromanaging their teams playbooks.

Another new feature which wasn't really talked about (at least I never heard of it) is a mode called Season Showdown. Season Showdown allows you to pick "your team" (you know, the college you graduated from, or simply the one you root for), and as you play games with said team you will either earn or lose points based on your performance (sportsmanship counts, so running up the score will lose points for your school). The cool thing is, your points are added to a pool of everyone else around the country who chose the same school, and the race is on to determine the #1 team in the country. You can earn points online, in Dynasty mode, and even in Family mode and Play Now modes, so every play counts.

My #1 feature from last year is back in, but it has a name change- Road To Glory is the new Campus Legend mode. A very cool addition to this is a video package that comes up every so often. If you allow ESPN to follow your career through the high school playoffs, and your eventual college days, it will automatically save the big highlights throughout the game, and you will be rewarded with a great video package narrated by Erin Andrews, with commentary on your performance from Kirk Herbstreit. It will even keep your stats once you start playing as a starter in college. This is really just a minor addition...but I absolutely love it. It reminds me of NFL 2K5's halftime video packages. Very well done on EA's part.

BUT, the biggest improvement in NCAA Football 10 has got to be the small gameplay enhancements. There are so many little things that have been improved on that it truly makes this game worth its $60 price tag. From bobbling catches, to improved AI blocking on offense, and from higher camera angles during pre-snap when you look at your play, to cleaner and crisper blocking, running, and tackling animations, and highly improved AI, EA has truly blown me out of the water with the steps forward they have taken with NCAA Football 10. Which, to be honest, is unfortunate, because my game pass runs out later this week, so I will be forced to buy this game.

First impressions are very important, and I can say with confidence that NCAA Football 10 has given me a wonderful first impression. This is not just NCAA Football 09 with TeamBuilder; this is NCAA Football 10, and EA makes sure you can not, and will not mistake the two. NCAA Football 10 is an excellent choice for any college football fan.

Go Mountaineers!

Thanks for reading.

4th Down, 8-bits to Go | Week Three Post Game Show

Be sure to check out the game on YouTube before you read any further because there will be spoilers!
First Half
Second Half

4th Down, 8-bits to Go | Week Three | Test Number One?
If we can call the Miami Dolphins the first real test of the season for the Detroit Lions, the Lions have definitely passed. Unfortunately, not with "flying colors" as the saying goes. The Dolphins brought there A game to Detroit this weekend, but I think the coach forgot to tell them that they were expected to play four quarters of football, not just three. After two quarters had been played, the Dolphins were right there, only trailing by three points thanks to the heroics of the Lions kicker Murray when he nailed a very long field goal attempt with only two seconds remaining in the half. The Dolphins looked good, especially HB Paige, and "all they had to do" was stop Barry Sanders from scoring on the opening drive of the third quarter. But, that is much easier typed than done, and Barry Sanders was able to run in his third TD run of the game on that drive, making it a ten point game. The Dolphins stuck in there until the fourth quarter hit, when Paige fumbled the ball for the second time in the game, and the Lions recovered (and scored another 7 points afterwards).

In reality, the Lions, once they took their first ten point lead, never gave the Dolphins a chance to get back into the game. And that is exactly what the Lions coach talked about after the game: "in the locker room I reaffirmed to the men that Murr's (FG Kicker Eddie Murray) field goal at the end of the half was huge. They're smart guys, they knew that already, but I had to stress it again anyway. When you know you've got so much talent on the offensive side of the ball with Barry Sanders and Rodney Peete, you know that when you get the ball to start the second half, the points are yours to be had- the only way we won't get those points if we don't want them bad enough. Football is simply a game about who wants it more. We proved these three weeks that we wanted it more, and it hasn't been more important in the late stages of a game than it was today. I'm proud of our effort today."

The media again asked him about "running up the score", to which his reply was a laugh and a walk to the exit.

Next week the Lions play the Indianapolis Colts who are off to a surprising 2-1-0 start. Let's see if the Lions can't take bring them to a very usual .500 next week. Join us then!

Injury Report|

• Richard Johnson missed week three after going out last week. Campbell took over his position at WR again this week.

Week 4 Indianapollis Colts (2-1-0) @ Detroit Lions (3-0-0)

Thanks for reading.

First Impressions- Bit Boy!! and bit.Trip: Beat

Today I decided to take a chance with the WiiWare (I've only downloaded Mega Man 9 due it's crazy hype when it came out) and I downloaded Bit Boy!! and (the one game I have been wanting to download for a while now, but just haven't turned on the Wii to do so) bit.Trip: Beat. Both games will run you 600 points each, which is why I was willing to give them a chance. What are my first impressions? Let's find out|

Bit Boy!!

First impressions had me saying "thank goodness I knew what I was buying". Bit Boy!! is a high score chasers game, and that seems to be the extent of it. I will repeat- Bit Boy!! is a game where the goal is beating the high score! But, dammit, it's unique. If you're unaware of Bit Boy's premise let me fill you in (as best I can do). Bit Boy!! takes you on a journey through the different eras of video gaming- the first world is 4-bits (Atari style), the second world is 8-bits (Nintendo style), then 16-bits (Super Nintendo style), and you get the idea, all the way to the 3D world of 128-bits. So far, I have played up until 16-bits (Super Bit Boy!! it's called), and I am enjoying the trip down memory lane as Bplus has done a great job of taking the specific characteristics of each generation of gaming and putting it into Bit Boy's design.

The object of Bit Boy!! is to go around a map/maze and collect items (ala Pac-Man) without getting hit by the enemies. It starts out in very small maps, and it gets bigger as the generations progress. This game is not easy. I haven't played it long enough yet to label it as hard, but I can definitely tell you that it is far from easy. Again, the goal is to get the high score, so there are fruits and other various items around to collect to add to your score aside from the items that are necessary to move on. You have three lives, and once you get into 8-bit land, you can start attacking enemies (with a very limited number of attacks). You can continue, but that drastically lowers your score, so obviously you want to avoid continuing whenever possible. There are no online leaderboards, which you might think would come standard on a game about getting the high score, but Bplus has left this out. But, I have heard word (thanks to Frog!) that they're is an online forum to post your high scores on the Bplus website. This can add to the spirit of competition if none of your friends own the game.

Overall, my first impressions of Bit Boy!! are very good. I look forward to going through the rest of the game, and then to start competing for the high score. There seems to definitely be a strategy in this game, and it's going to be fun to start figuring out more than I already have. I like Bit Boy!! quite a bit, and I think Bplus has delivered a very good, if not great, WiiWare title. Give it a try if you like high score games.

bit.Trip: Beat

Aaaahhhh, bit.Trip. I first came across this game while watching a stream on Backloggery, and I was intrigued ever since. I love music...I love old school games...I should LOVE bit.Trip! Well, let's just say this is the first game (that I can recall) that once it began, I just started smiling, and couldn't stop until I finally got a game over. This game is a blast! The music is stellar, and controls are intuitive. Gaijin Games has made a masterpiece here (and I've only played it a little while so far), and I am very glad that the Backloggery stream introduced me to to this gem. This game, again, I feel focuses on attaining a high score (even though they are no online leaderboards here, either), but I hear that there is an ending to the game to play for (correct me if I am wrong, please).

bit.Trip: Beat is kind of like if Pong and Guitar Hero had a love-child; it's a rhythm game through and through, and you are in control of a pong-like bar that goes up and down by twisting the Wii Remote. You have to bounce the objects back to the other side of the screen as the come at you in time with the music. That's really all there is to it. The game starts out very simple, and heads to the crazy level quite quickly. This, too, is not an easy game, but one that, with practice, can be mastered. bit.Trip: Beat is unique, the music rocks, and it simply made me smile. For 600 points, even though it's short (from what I have read about it at least), it's very worth it. Great job, Gaijin Games!

With 1200 points spent today (though I added 2000 points afterwards) I think I did a great job of taking advantage of the special games the WiiWare has to offer. These are both fun exclusives that deserve a play.

Please feel free to agree or disagree with me by posting a comment or sending an email. And, please correct me if I have any inaccuracies in my posting above; I know I am not perfect.

Thanks for reading.

Psymin Psays| Peggle (iPhone) Review

I just submitted this review for the iPhone version of Peggle to GameFAQs, and I figured I would post it here for anyone who is interested.

| Peggle is the definition of "Almost Perfect" |

Peggle, although it’s less than two years old at this point (originally released in 2007 for the Windows platform), has taken the world by storm as the new puzzle craze. It can now be found on Xbox Live Arcade, Nintendo DS, Mac OS X, iPod Touch, as a mini-game in World of Warcraft and the platform I am reviewing it on today, the iPhone. What may be even crazier is the fact that, until it’s release on the iPhone, I had never played the game. Thanks to the game going on sale one weekend (down from $4.99 to $0.99), I decided to give this craze a chance. I can tell you, with certainty, that the craze Peggle has created is warranted. Here’s a quick review for you|

Presentation|

The game takes longer to load than a lot of the other apps I have used, but after the (roughly) 20 second load time at start-up, the app runs smoothly until you quit it. The menus are set up well, and the start menu is inviting. Peggle presents you with four game modes (adventure, quick play, challenge, and duel). From the start menu, you can also choose to fiddle with the options, watch replays (explained later), or view your stats. I really have no complaints about the presentation. Everything is laid out clearly, and Peggle looks good doing it.

Score| 10 out of 10

Graphics|

Peggle is very bright, vibrant, cute and pretty. Its use of color leaves nothing to be desired. The graphics are very cartoony, and that’s exactly what a game like Peggle needs. All eleven characters in the game are very well drawn, if not too detailed. The graphics are almost a moot point in a game like this, unless they enhance the gameplay and entertainment of the puzzle game, and that’s exactly what Peggle does. The level designs never get old or boring (even though the background is generally just a still image), and fit the theme of the world you are playing in perfectly. The only minor complaint I could muster would be a lack of detail in the character designs, if I were forcing myself to find a flaw. Peggle even has a color blind mode where the special pegs are marked by shaped instead of colors for someone who is colorblind!

Score| 10 out of 10

Sound|

In a puzzle game like Peggle, sound plays basically the same role as graphics do- they’re only important if they add to the game. Again, Peggle’s sound effects are “just right”. The different characters draw unique sound effects (when hitting the green pegs), and the “bing” of the ball is exactly what it should be. Another excellent feature of Peggle is the fact that I can turn off the in-game music (and sound effects), and listen to my own music from the iPod half of my iPhone. Again, no complaints.

Score| 10 out of 10

Gameplay|

Now that the easy sections are out of the way, how will the meat of Peggle stand up on the iPhone?

The object of Peggle is to rid the board of all the orange pegs using only the ten balls you are allotted. However, you can earn free balls in various ways, and you will have to in the later stages. The best puzzle games are the simple ones, and you can’t much simpler than Peggle- make the orange pegs disappear by hitting them with your ball. It sounds easy, and it starts that way. But, the difficulty ramps up all the way until the end. One of my few complaints about the game is how dependant it is on luck. Skill is involved, but luck plays a huge part in the game.

The controls, though they are touch screen, are very intuitive, and I only found myself having minor problems with ball placement being precise. But, you can zoom in, and it makes the touch interface work better for when you are trying to line up that perfect shot. So, probably the most important aspect of Peggle on the iPhone, the controls, work very well. This was one of my concerns going in (and I am sure one of yours also), but Peggle was able to wash that concern away just minutes into the first world.

One of my favorite little features of Peggle is the ability to save replays and watch them later on. After you make that ridiculous “off the wall, off the bucket, hallelujah” shot, you can watch the replay, and save it to show off to friends later! This is a small feature that is an awesome addition.

I want to quickly explain the characters- there are eleven characters that you can play with through the game that will each give you a unique special ability (such as precision shot, spooky ball, or flower power) to use when you hit the green pegs in a level. This adds a very fun aspect to the game, and allows the game to feel different with every new world that you open up.

Again, simplicity is key to puzzle games, and Peggle is just that- extremely simple. This is one of those games that takes a minute to learn, and a lifetime to master (and plenty of luck).

Score| 8 out of 10

Replayability|

This is Peggles strong point. This little game packs a huge punch. Adventure mode contains 55 levels to play through, with eleven different characters to play with (five rounds with each character). Then, after you complete that mode, you have Duel mode, where you can play multiplayer against the computer or a friend (passing the iPhone back and forth). There’s Quick Play, which is pretty self-explanatory, and there is a Challenge mode where you are trying to finish different challenges (such as “complete this level with more orange pegs than usual”). Even though Peggle is an iPhone game, it can last you a very long time. It probably took me about 6-7 hours just to complete the Adventure mode by itself.

Score| 10 out of 10

Peggle is the epitome of an almost-perfect puzzle game- it’s simple, addicting, fun, and challenging. If luck were less of a factor, this would have been perfect. But, it’s about as close as any iPhone application I have ever played. Peggle is almost perfect. I only paid $0.99, which is an insanely good deal, but even if I had paid $4.99, I would say the same thing. Buy this app!

Final Score| 9 out of 10

Thanks for reading.