The Stupid Gamer

Later this week we’ll be getting a big update to Rock Band in the form of the Rock Band store. This will make buying DLC for the game much easier, and provide much more solid details on what individual songs offer. While browsing the song selection, you’ll be able to sort alphabetically by song, alphabetically by artists, genre, and year released. The store will also give you details about how difficult the song is, how each instrument is represented within the track, and more. And most importantly, you will now be able to preview songs before buying! Check out the screens below.

In addition to the store being released and a few minor bug fixes, Harmonix has also announced that a patch will cause downloaded songs to load up quicker, so you’ll no longer have to wait through that “Loading Additional Content” screen each time you want to jump in and start playing. Pretty nifty, huh?

Oh, and they’ve sold over 6 million songs. Wow.

Obviously the hot title this week is Rainbow Six Vegas 2. It should be interesting to see how the game affects Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 as far as online play goes. PS2 owners can spend the next little while catching up on the Metal Gear timeline by picking up the Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection. Here are the rest of the releases:

Xbox 360

• Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Sega Superstars Tennis

PlayStation 3

• Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• Hot Shots Golf 2: Out of Bounds
• Sega Superstars Tennis
• Karaoke Revolution: American Idol Encore Bundle
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot
• Eye of Judgement Biolith Rebellion 2 Theme Deck
• Eye of Judgement Biolith Rebellion 2 Booster

Nintendo Wii

• Sega Superstars Tennis
• Worms: A Space Oddity
• George of the Jungle
• Pro Evolution Soccer 2008
• WWII Aces

Virtual Console

• Spelunker (NES)
• Super R-Type (SNES)

PlayStation 2

• Metal Gear Solid: Essential Collection
• Sega Superstars Tennis
• Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends
• Singstar 90’s

Sony PSP

• World Championship Cards
• DT Racer Refueled

Nintendo DS

• Sega Superstars Tennis
• Diary Girl
• Fantasy Aquarium
• Lost in Blue 3
• Go Pets: Vacation Island
• Championship Pony

Some people love them, others simply tolerate them…it’s the NPDs. This month things are looking pretty similar to what happened last month, except for the PSP has fallen back a bit. Microsoft needs to get rid of the Arcade pack (new ‘tard pack?) and just get the version of the system out there that everybody wants (the Pro). Until they do that, they’re going to continue to limp in sales, because nobody is eager to pick up the lesser version of the 360 at this point. Software looked great on the 360, as always. Call of Duty 4 is just an absolute beats, kicking out almost another 300,000. After this long, it’s great to see that game continue to steamroll the charts. Anyway, here are the numbers:

Hardware
Nintendo DS - 587,600
Nintendo Wii - 432,000
PlayStation 2 - 351,800
PlayStation 3 - 280,800
Xbox 360 - 254,600
Sony PSP - 243,100

Top 10 Software
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360) - 296,200
Devil May Cry 4 (360) - 295,200
Wii Play (Wii) - 289,700
Devil May Cry 4 (PS3) - 233,500
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Wii) - 222,900
Mario and Sonic: Olympic Games (DS) - 205,600
Lost Odyssey (360) - 203,600
Turok (360) - 197,700
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2) - 183,800
Rock Band (360) - 161,800

There are no words.

Cue the X-Files music…now!

Yesterday I posted about a possibly haunted Ms. Pac-Man machine out in Boston that a Craigslist user was just giving away. Well, by the end of the day the “seller” of the machine had stated that somebody had claimed it, and nobody in either the BYOAC or KLOV forums (two very prominent arcade collector sites) had picked it up, so I figured we’d never hear about it again. I was wrong, however, as a new Craigslist ad popped up for a free Ms. Pac-Man in the same area, just in a neighboring town. Here’s what the ad said:

READ ENTIRE AD: free aracde game

Reply to: sale-604098211@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-03-12, 3:51PM EDT

Free arcade game Ms Pacman. We got this game yesterday from CL. The owner warned us this was haunted and based on what we experienced last night we don’t want this in our house anymore.

Game is in our backyard and under blue tarp. THE FIRST person who picks it up gets it. The person who takes it must understand this is not a joke but that this is serious.

WE WILL NOT ANSWER YOU E-MAILS OR QUESTIONS. WE DON”T WANT TO GIVE OUR ADDRESS OUT TO THOUISANDS OF STRANGERS. WE WILL PICK ONE PERSON, WE WILL CONTACT THAT PERSON ONLY. WE WILL REMOVE THE AD FROM CRASGS LIST WHEN THIS MACHINE IS GONE.

———————————————-

So, it appears that the plot has thickened. Hopefully this time it ends up in the hands of someone who I can contact for firsthand info. Would you take a gamble on this?

After leaving Gamespot, Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis started up Giant Bomb. Now, as all good gaming sites do, they have started a podcast and you can listen to the first episode now, found here: Giant Bombcast Episode 1

I haven’t listened yet, but I’ll be sure to and give my thoughts on it shortly. Good luck, fellas.

Popping up on Capcom’s Japanese Street Fighter IV site yesterday was a fuzzy image of a new character for the series. The character, currently given the name El Fuerte, looks to be a power type character. Here’s the image that was posted on the site:

You can’t tell much from the pic, but it appears that the character is wearing a mask. Some are speculating that he’ll be a lucha libre type of fighter, but no specific details have been released as of yet.

Mario Kart will be coming to North America on April 27th. The wait is nearly over, and Brawl should be holding everybody over just nicely. According to early previews and hands-on reports, the game plays very well, even if it is a tiny bit on the ugly side. The game does run at a solid 60fps, however, so the sense of speed should be excellent. With full online play support, Mario Kart on the Wii is sure to generate a big buzz upon release.

So kiddos, get out and get your preorders taken care of. We’ll definitely be sharing our friend codes when the time comes. Also, in an upcoming Stupid Gamer podcast, we’ll be sharing our Brawl friend codes. Feel free to send yours in via email or post them in the comments section.

So two things showed up on my porch today. On one hand I had Super Smash Bros. Brawl, a game I have been highly anticipating for the past two years, and on the other hand I had what was within box #1.

Note: You can enlarge each pic by dragging and dropping it to your address bar.

Well, what was in the box?

Yep, it’s the Vectrex that was on its way! Here’s what else was in the box (8 games with their instruction manuals and overlays, the Vectrex manuals, and all the original packaging):

It looks quite comfy next to my Virtual Boy! The system is in absolute mint condition and all the games are a blast to play. Each overlay is in perfect shape as well. I really feel lucky to have come across such a great find. Ah, the Vectrex buzz…it’s like music to the retro gamer’s ears.

So in the end, who won? Well, I have to admit that I actually spent a good hour with the Vectrex before I touched Brawl…so please don’t give me too hard of a time. Impressions on Brawl will come soon.

This is definitely one of the strangest things I’ve come across during my days browsing through message boards. It’s not so much disturbing as absolutely fascinating. Here’s the basic story, followed by a few links.

BYOAC forum member, JMB, shared with the forum that he had come across a Craigslist posting offering up a free Ms. Pac-Man cabinet. Yes, somebody was willing to give away one of the most sought after and beloved arcade games of all time. All that was required was that somebody come by and pick it up. In fact, here is the listing word for word:

arcade game: Ms. Pac Man

---

Reply to: sale-601115305@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-03-09, 11:20PM EDT

full-size stand-up arcade game.

Ms. Pac Mac.Works well, in very good condition.

MUST BE ABLE TO PICK-UP at 9:00 AM TUESDAY MORNING.

---

JMB contacted the “seller” to see if it was still available, if he had any pictures, and why in the world he’d be giving away a free arcade cabinet. Here’s the reply he was given:

“When I bought this machine the previous owner told me it was haunted. I laughed, didn’t believe him, because I didn’t believe in that sort of thing.

Got a bad feeling the day it was delivered. Game started on its own in the middle of the night several times, had a tech service the machine three times (very pricy housecalls), but he couldn’t find the problem.

Three-year old daughter started talking about the “man in the video machine”, didn’t think much of it, then my wife saw a dark figure move across the basement and into the machine. She ran out of the house, would not return until the machine was out of the house. I moved it to my business garage (two miles away), and several times I have opened the garage to find tools missing or scattered, things tipped over.

This is why I am giving away a $1000 machine for free.”

I don’t know so far if anybody has claimed the machine, but I’m secretly cheering for somebody from the BYOAC or KLOV forums to pick it up so we can find out whether or not this Ms. Pac-Man is in need of a old fashioned exorcism or if paranoia is just playing with people’s minds. Whatever happens, it’s definitely something the seller believes in, because you don’t simply throw away that kind of money, and surely don’t tell somebody that what you have to offer is haunted, unless you feel morally obligated to do so.

Original Craigslist posting: Haunted Ms. Pac-Man?

BYOAC Forum Thread: Where the story is unfolding.