I Love/Hate My Xbox 360

I originally purchased the console from a friend in April 2006. He had only bought it a week before, and he found that most of the games didn't appeal to him (he's a definite Japanophile), so he offered to sell it to me with Dead Rising for $340... and he said there was no rush to pay him. I immediately took him up on his offer and began to enjoy a year of gaming bliss until something happened. Can you guess what it was? I'll give you a hint:


Left with no other choice, I packed it up and sent it off to Microsoft. My next step was to hurry up and wait, and after a month I got back a "new" console. I use the term "new" lightly, as my shiny 360 now had a manufacture date of October, 2007. It seemed like my troubles were over, and I could finally go about, you know, playing the darn thing.

Then I started to get dirty disc errors while playing Rainbow 6: Vegas 2. Not just one or two, I mean the console wouldn't read anything. I cleaned the lens and tried again. Nothing. I tried Project Gotham Racing 2. Nothing. I tried a few other games and got the same result. Now I was left with the prospect of having to send yet another 360 to Microsoft, with the kicker being that since it hadn't red ringed me, it was out of warranty. I have to pay for Microsoft's crappy workmanship!

With little recourse, I tried the scientific method: I banged the shit out of it. If it was going to die, it was going to do so on my terms. I tried R6:V2 again, and this time it ran! In black and white. I played for a bit and got tired of the lack of color, so I banged the thing around again. Suddenly, it works fine, and in full color! I guess I showed that 360 who's boss!

If it dies again, I'll have no other option but to send it in and pay the repair tab. This will be the last time though. One more malfunction and I'm giving up the ghost. There's a Playstation 3 waiting for me, and those things actually work. I hear they play Blu-Ray DVDs too!

Sega Superstars Tennis

I mentioned this in the last edition of MEGA Bites, and the more I think about it, the more it irks me. My dilemma is that those who've played the game tell me that it's actually quite good, and that it's rife with Sega goodness. Lamentably, virtually all that goodness is from the 32-bit era on, so the Genesis gets no love here. Gilius Thunderblade and Alex Kidd are present, but where are ToeJam & Earl? They'd be perfect for doubles. Instead, we get every furry creature to ever befriend Sonic The Hedgehog. GG, Sega.

It's Time to Give This Another Go...

A few years ago, I used to have a blog over at 1up.com. At the time, I figured I'd use it to discuss all the different things that were going on over at my site, Sega-16 (http://www.sega-16.com/), and it was something of a challenge to actually remember to update the darn thing. After a few months, I let it die of starvation, and the world of blogging was left behind me forever...

... or so I thought.

Here I am, giving it another chance, and I honestly hope to keep it updated, at least weekly. What is it with people's obsession with blogs? Why do we feel compelled to share out inner thoughts with people we don't even know? Does anyone read these things? I'm not sure who'll be interested, but I look at the bright side: if no one is reading this, then I'm effectively talking to myself, and people will be none the wiser.