Wild Wednesday Round Up!

This morning I had something on my mind that I wanted to post on the blog... Then another thing popped into my head... and another, and now I can't even remember what my original thought was!

So here's a quick look at November 19, 2008!

IT'S A WOOT-OFF DAY!
Yep, time once again to spend a whole day or two pressing the F5 key to refresh the Woot page in hopes of scoring great deals on all kinds of stuff, from mp3 players to Roomba robot vacuum cleaners! And if you're REALLY lucky, you may score a Bag o' Crap for a buck!

If you have absolutely no clue what I'm talking about, I've covered this before.. Just click here! Then head over to Woot and get all your Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving!

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First off, Today is the Nintendo Wii's 2nd Birthday! Hard to believe it's been two years since that successful, early morning trip to Fred Meyer... I still love the Wii, and it's just gotten better with the WiiWare downloadable games. With the exception of my daily WiiFit, and occasional online Mario Kart battles, most of my recent Wii Time has been spent on the dowloadable games such as Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People and Dr. Mario Online Rx. If anyone else out there has been bitten by the Dr. Mario bug, we need to swap friend codes and play some brutal deathmatches together!

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Finally, this morning gave me the best laugh I've had in a long time... On Wednesdays and Fridays, Kaylee gets up early and plays racketball with me at the Y. This morning, her shoe had dog crap on it. Not only did it smell HORRIBLE, but it was dropping little bits of nastiness in the court. After trying to play for a few minutes, she went to the bathroom to clean her shoe off. Wanting to keep my heartrate up, I ran on a treadmill for a few minutes. Thinking she should be back soon, I wrapped up the running, and grabbed a paper towel to blow my nose. (is there a NON-allergy season??) The nearest garbage can is right by the entrances to the locker rooms. I went over and tossed my used paper towel in the can, and looked over to the locker rooms to see if Kaylee was coming out yet... Sure enough, she was! Ummm.. But something was wrong...

Kaylee came out of the Men's locker room... The look on her face when I pointed that out was priceless!! And then she said "I wondered why the bathroom looked so different..."

Good job Kaylee.. You've boldly (and unknowingly) gone where no woman would (knowingly) want to go!

New Portable Hotness!

Nintendo had their Fall Press Conference last night (well, it was 1:30 in the afternoon in Japan...) and unveiled a highly anticipated and often-rumoured update to their hugely successful DS!

I got my DS Lite for Father's Day a couple years ago, and have loved it! It still gets used several times per week... But this update looks extra-tasty! The screen is a bit bigger, the overall unit is a bit slimmer, there's a camera (actually two cameras), a web browser (as opposed to the add-on browser to the current DS), a music player with SD slot, and the battery charges faster than the current model.

It hits Japan in November... There's no U.S. release date yet, but I'm hoping it makes it here around the same time!

update: it's not due in the U.S. until "well into calendar year 2009" because the current DS Lite is still selling so well. Oh well, my current DS Lite is still thoroughly meeting my portable gaming needs, I just like shiny new things!

Shake It Up!

Don't bother clicking on play, it's not an embedded video. It's just a still shot from a promotional clip Nintendo put out for their new WarioLand game, "Shake It!" Only problem is, I think that Mr. Wario is shaking things a little too hard...

Click Here to watch the clip on YouTube. Even if you're not into video games, this is 100% pure marketing genius!!

UPDATE: Youtube's page for this video was broken for a while right after I posted this, but it's back up now!

MORE UPDATE: Watch it more than once. You'll see much more stuff!

Music Monday - Living Room Idol

This week's column takes a look at a wonderful combination of two things I already love on their own... Karaoke and Video Games!! And not just any video games, but my beloved Nintendo Wii! (you know, the one I stood in line for at 5:00 in the morning back in November of 2006... yeah that one...) It also adds to the mix, the American Idol experience, something to kick the Karaoke game up a few notches! Here's how we were introduced, and subsequently hooked, on this game...

Saturday night, my niece Alicia and her husband Daniel came over for an evening of fun with the Brinkerhoffs! Along with themselves, they brought one of their new favorite pastimes:

Cindy and I hadn't played this game yet, but read about it on Alicia's blog and were very eager to try it out. After a few warmup rounds, it was time for a 4 way American Idol Tournament! I had done very well on my warmups, so the group decided I had to play on the "hard" setting to even the playing field.

ROUND ONE:

At the end of round one, I thought I was going to be just fine with that arrangement! I had sung "Copacabana" and nailed it! Simon said that he hated the song, but that I made him love the performance. Paula (who I think was drunk) blabbed on about how I'm a natural performer, blah, blah, blah, and Randy called me a Dawg who Brought It, Yo. Ummm, Thanks Mr. Jackson! The girls did really well that round too, but poor Daniel was told by Simon that he "invented notes that had never been sung in music before..." But round one didn't have any eliminations so we all went on to round two.

ROUND TWO:

By now I was feeling pretty comfortable in the game... I decided to tackle the Phil Collins classic, "In the Air Tonight." BAD. SONG. CHOICE. Not that I couldn't sing it, but without warning, it started IN THE @#^%#$ MIDDLE OF THE SONG!!! I'm all poised to sing a nice, gentle "I can feel it..." and suddenly the words on screen are "Well I remember..." Took me a couple lines to transition to that part of the song, but then I did ok. At the end, Randy said that I started off weak, but brought it together at the end yo, dawg. Simon & Paula said it was a bad song choice... I agree! What I didn't expect was that it would be my LAST song choice! I was eliminated in round two!!

I was playing as Scott, by the way. To help understand the situation, Soo Ling = Daniel, Angela = Alicia, and Sammy = Cindy.

ROUND THREE:

It turned out to be an all girls final, because in round three, Soo Ling Daniel joined me on the couch to watch the final showdown... it was JUST like Fantasia vs. Diana in season three! WOW! The DRAAAAAAMA!!

ROUND FOUR:

Okay, so we settled in for the Girl vs Girl smackdown. Angela Alicia was up first, and she did pretty good. All the judges were impressed!

Finally, Sammy Cindy got to give it her best shot, and didn't just do well... She nailed every single note in the song, earning a DIAMOND rating! What's more, she did it on what I had hoped would be MY signature song....

Still, since Angela Alicia had done very well in all the prior rounds, it was really hard to guess who would come out on top. And we'll find out.... Right after this word from Coca-Cola! Oh wait, no, that's one way that the game is better than the show, you don't get Seacrest building up the tension just to cut away to a commercial... We got the results right away, and the winner was...

Representing the home team, the winner and June 28, 2008 American Idol, it's...

CINDY BRINKERHOFF!!!
WOOOOOOOO!!! (the crowd goes wild)

I'm still kinda miffed about getting cut so early in the game, but I'm working hard to improve my chances for next time. How, you ask? Since the game was brought over by visitors??

Oh, don't you worry, dear readers... We are now the proud owners of our OWN copy of Karaoke Revolution American Idol!! And we'll welcome any challengers who want to take on the CHAMPION!! (...and her husband...)

Friday Funny, Courtesy of Woot!

I realize this is two videogame related posts in a row, but this one's funny enough to justify that repetition.

Look back in time to the Christmas season of 2006. Within days of each other in November, both Nintendo and Sony introduced their new-generation video game consoles, at very different price points. The Wii came out at $250 and instantly sold out, and remained sold out not only through the season, but pretty much through Memorial Day 2008, with not too many signs of slowing down. The PlayStation 3, in $500 and $600 flavors, sold out at launch, and was somewhat scarce throughout the holiday season. But it never seemed to have the difficulty staying on shelves as Nintendo's entry did.

On December 22, 2006, the mighty Woot got their hands on 80 of the low-end PS3s, and made them their item of the day. Sure, they sold out in 4 minutes... But it certainly wasn't due to Woot's marketing efforts! This is what their writeup started with:



Looks nice enough, they were doing overnight shipping with Saturday delivery to make sure you got it in time for Christmas... Oh, but look underneath the picture of the console - a clever little text bit hinting that Woot may not be 100% behind their product.

Right below the picture, as always, lies their description.
(you'll probably need to click it to read it full size)



Okay, so that in itself is one of the funniest things I've seen on Woot, or anywhere else. But the real punch line is if you clicked the image of the PS3 at the top of their page, instead of a large, detailed image, you got this:


And that, dear reader(s?), is why I love Woot!

(the original Woot listing is still available here)

Let The Good Times Shake

We picked up Wii Fit yesterday, and I'll be writing up a comprehensive review after we've had a few days with it. So far, I am 100% impressed with it! Last night Cindy, Kaylee and I set up profiles and did a few balance and yoga games. If you don't even know what I'm talking about, just check back in a couple days and all will be clear.

In the meantime, here's what just might be the next must-have game for the Wii...

The Wii Just Keeps Getting Better!

I like some things!

One thing is the Nintendo Wii.


Another thing is Strong Bad, from HomestarRunner.com.


Now imagine, just imagine, the two coming together in a 5 month series of episodic gaming through the Wii's upcoming WiiWare download service... No need to imagine, because it's happening!!

The WiiWare service launches May 12 (almost sounds like someone's birthday...) and I've seen lots of promising looking games announce for it, but nothing that got me smiling like this one!!

All the details are here. Now I just have to wait... At least I have vacation to occupy myself!

Gotta Get It!

Coming on April 27, yet another compelling reason to own a Wii!



That clip makes me say loud and clear:

Let's Rock!

OK, so here's Part Two of my plea for more Wii friends. Our nephew Mathew has not only swapped friend codes with us, he also got Guitar Hero III, so we can rock each other's socks off! But here's the thing: Not only do we need to swap console friend codes, we also need to swap Guitar Hero III friend codes. We've done it, but in case anyone else has the game, I'm gonna throw our code up here to spread the Rock as far and wide as possible!

The Brinkerhoff Guitar Hero III Online Code: 044418044927.

Please make a note of it!

Wii Need More Friends!

I knew when I was waiting outside Fred Meyer at 5am on November 19, 2006, that it would take a while for enough people I know to join the Wii Party. And the supply issues haven't helped any... But now it's starting to seem like everyone who really wants one has one, so I'll just put out a little reminder that Sharing is Good! And with games supporting online multiplayer finally starting to come out, it's the time to beef up the Wii address book in order to share the good times.

So here once again, is our Wii code:

5855-9926-3488-7983

The way Nintendo set it up, it only works if both sides register each other, so if you want to join up, put your info in the comments and I'll get it entered on our end.

P.S. I got Guitar Hero III for Christmas, and would LOVE some online play...

Please Fasten Your Wrist Strap!

It's been a while since I've found a good nintendo related video... This Wii parody is one of the best I've seen yet. Now, if only those airfares were actually that low for anywhere I wanted to fly!

What Xylophones Were Meant To Do

There's been a trend over the past year or two, of video game music being recognized and performed as the well written and insanely catchy compositions that they truly are. There was a tour last year where a full symphony orchestra performed a full length concert of video game themes through the ages, accompanied by a large screen showing the games the tunes came from. I'm telling you, something like that would get me excited to go to the symphony!

Then there was a clip a few months ago with a teen violin virtuoso performing the theme from "Halo", which looked cool, but since I'm not a hardcore first-person-shooter video game player, it didn't really mean much to me. Instead, I've spent my video game time playing the games which emphasize FUN over violence. Who's the hero of that genre? Mario, of course!

And his games always seem to have great musical backdrops... Including "Super Mario Bros. 2", which had a particularly bouncy and hummable soundtrack. So now we have Christine, who is quite handy with her Xylo-Mallets, giving Mario's vintage digital tunes a fresh new sound - but despite being fresh and new, it's every bit as toe-tappingly addictive as it is in its classic 8-bit glory. Hit play above, and enjoy. Happy Friday!

Wii Tennis Better Than Real Tennis!

The Wii is apparantly one of the great equalizers in life... The clip below shows Conan O'Brien putting the smackdown on real-life tennis star Serena Williams. The best part? After watching it, I'm pretty sure I could take her too! Viva la Wii!

Picture of the Week - Snow Art Edition!

So the weatherman is saying that we're gonna have snow tomorrow... I hope we get enough to make some Raving Rabbid SnowBunnies!!

This was created as part of a contest at video gaming blog Kotaku... Lots of other fun entries, but none that I loved as much as the psycho snowbunnies!

You can check 'em out here.

Why Wii? You Have To Ask???

By now you all know that I stood in line on the morning of November 19 to get a Ninteno Wii console at launch. I'd just like to let anyone who was concerned know, that I have zero regrets!! This system, more than anything I've ever played, just oozes fun! It's fun that starts with the console itself. Even without popping a disc in, you can have fun making characters called Miis, which can look like yourself, your friends, your enemies... And then share them with other Wii owners via the console's internet connection. The Miis then populate various games, including Wii Sports, which was bundled with the console. Remember how I said you can make a Mii of your enemy? Well Wii Sports has a boxing game. It's like therapy to beat an offending Mii senseless!! FUN THERAPY!!!

At launch, knowing that Wii Sports was included, we only bought one other game. We chose Excite Truck, an off-road truck racing game that is the most fun driving game I've ever played. I was torn between it, and Rayman Raving Rabbids, but went with what I felt was the safer bet of a racing game.

Then last week a friend (who has made and shared some great Miis) let me borrow his copy of RRR. This game is the craziest, most fun game I've ever encountered. In fact, if I'd seen this trailer before launch time, RRR would likely have been my launch title.


So far, all three Wii games - Wii Sports, Excite Truck and RRR are not just fun for the person playing them, but for anyone else in the room as well. The first night we did Wii Boxing, Ellysa worked up such a sweat she had to hit the showers afterward!

So my request now, is that everyone needs to get a Wii!! Then we can link 'em all up, create a big ol' family of Miis, and turn out a great big happy Wii Party!

Oh Yeah, And Our Friend Code...

Well, I was so excited about having a Wii, that I forgot to give out our Friend code! Any other Wii owners out there who want to join us in online gaming, or share Miis together, or who knows what else will eventually be added, here's the code for the BrinkerWii:

5855-9926-3488-7983

Wii would like to play!

WE GOT Wii!!!

YES!! Behold the crappy camera-phone imagery showing my Wii ticket this morning! I was number 17, and Fred Meyer had 29 to sell. This was my first time ever buying a console at launch, and it was FUN!!

After going back and forth on wether we'd actually get a Wii at launch, or wait until later, it really felt like it was going to be later. Certainly, that was the fully responsible way to go... But then last Monday or Tuesday, Cindy and I were in Target, and watched the demo video at the Wii kiosk, and when they showed "WarioWare: Smooth Moves," even she got excited, and it became clear that it was ON! (note: I resisted the temptation to say "shii" in that last sentence, but it was hard)

So anyway, after church on Saturday night, we heard an ad that Fred Meyer was doing a midnight release... Stopped at our normal FM, and they weren't... they only had 19 systems, and were opening at 7am, their regular time. Hmmmm.... A Line wasn't allowed to form until 11pm when they closed Saturday. I thought about coming back and camping for it, but just wasn't sure... Target already had 30+ people camped out, and they were rumoured to have 51 systems. Iffy. Real iffy. Then an amazing thing happened - while I was talking to the electronics department, Cindy was across the way in the shoe department. (Everyone: "No, Really?") She'd found a pair of boots she really liked, but they didn't have them in her size. So the brainstorm hit, let's go check with the FM in University Place! It's only a little farther from our house (in the other direction) so we were off. While she found her boots - which they had! - I went over to the electronics department and roughed 'em up a bit. Or actually, humbly asked how many consoles they were getting. Unlike our regular store, which had an exact number and all the details, this store was really wishy-washy. They said they had "around 40", but that the number was only a rumour. WHAT?? It's way too close to release time to play these stupid games!! HOW MANY??? Well, they weren't spilling that info. But when I asked if they expected many campers, the answer was like angels singing... "nobody's allowed to camp out here, and if they try, they won't get a system."

CHA-CHING! I'ma Get Me A Wii On Launch Day!! I did some speculation and decided that getting to the store at 5 would be a safe time. It's the same time I get up for my weekday workout, so no real shock to my system. When I got there, I was 17th in line, and naturally, most people ahead of me had been there since approximately 11pm the night before. Oh well, nothing that guy told me Saturday night was accurate. Whatever, I'm 17, so even at the other store it would have worked.

At about 6:20 or so, the manager came out, announced that they had 29 systems, and handed out the highly covetable Wii pink slips. (again, I resisted the temptation to call them Wii Piink Sliips. You should be proud of me) Me, and the three people in line near me that had been getting to know each other all gleefully tucked them away safely in pockets, wallets, purses... and the checked on them about every 3 minutes to make sure they hadn't evaporated!

A few minutes after that, an amazing thing happened: Cindy drove up, with hot chocolate!! This was huge, because she made it clear that I was on my own doing the crazy 5am Wii thing... But she couldn't resist - or wanted to make sure I didn't go buy-crazy - and came to join us.. She got right into the community of the moment, laughing and joking with the group in line.

The last 15 minutes seemed to take FOREVER, so when the manager came back and opened the door at 6:57 ONT (official Nextel time) a cheer came up from the whole line! Interestingly, many people were shouting "Woo!", but I didn't hear anyone shouting "Wii!" or even "Wheee!" I thought about it, but wasn't about to win the prize for biggest dork at the launch...

So, minutes later, we left the store with our Wii, an extra controller, Excite Truck, and a 2000 point Wii card. Setup was a breeze - I really like the feel of the Wiimote! I got it on my network, downloaded the updates, and then used my points to buy Mario Brothers. Not Super MB, but the original "flip the turtles over and knock them off the screen" Mario Brothers. Then I popped in Wii Sports and Pwned the opposing team at a game of baseball.

I LOVE THIS SYSTEM!!! Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!

Target + Nintendo = SO COOL!

So I've already made it very clear that I love Nintendo. I am incredibly excited for the release of the Wii in a few weeks... And Target is one of my favorite places to shop.

Now these two have teamed up to bring the coolest gift card in the history of gift cards, the glowing Wii card!

I've never been that big on gift cards, but I want one (some?) of these!! Like, enough to get one each time I go to Target, just to pay for my stuff and keep the card!

Don't forget, gift-giving season is just around the corner!! =)

wii will rock you - this Thanksgiving!

I've been waiting for over a year for this. Nintendo Finally Announced the date and price for the wii! Even better, it was a webmaster at the Seattle PI who spilled the beans about 12 hours before the news was supposed to break.

Bottom line: The wii will drop November 19 for $250. That's exactly half the price of the low-end playstation 3. And I'm a complete believer that the wii is more than twice the console that the ps3 is going to be. There was really good press in the News Tribune for it yesterday, and nearly everyone who's come into contact with this marvelous device has had equally glowing things to say.

So... $250 is the very top end of the price range that all the wii watchers have been hearing about. I would have preferred $200 even. With the virtual console, they'll make their money back very easily anyway. (allows you to download the last 20 years of nintendo, sega and turbo-grafx games!) The article states that it will ship with "wii Sports", which includes baseball, golf and tennis. However, it also supposedly only comes with one controller, which will likely push the out-of-the-store total up over 300 just for something that even two people can compete on.

Hopefully at tomorrow's Nintendo Press Conference in New York, they'll announce that the P-I got it all wrong, and sell it for $199. Hopefully. I'm not holding my breath though...