Andy Laub they call me "The Solution"

This week has been a veritable overload of next (current?)-generation gaming. It all started Sunday when a casual glance the Best Buy flyer revealed that they (supposedly) had the Nintendo Wii consoles in stock that day. I was bummed, because BB opens at 10:00 and it was already 11:15 when I was looking at the flyer, so I was sure I had missed out (again). A tentative phone call led to a “spirited” drive to the store, and by noon I was back home, and for the first time ever, playing a video game that left me physically tired.

As if that wasn’t enough, the 360 has returned as well (as of Tuesday), and proven that it truly is capable of playing the copy of Crackdown that had previously been its downfall. Suddenly I’m left with more games than I know what to do with, all before a weekend where I’ll be away from gaming (which will hopefully be replaced by biking).

So that leaves me with the formidable Wii60 combo, as the cool kids call it, and playing the two back to back reveals an almost polar opposite in their philosophies. But there are some similarities as well in that they both are, uh, white. They also play discs, use wireless controllers, have online stores for more games and/or content, and offer some capabilities beyond just gaming.

The Wii is a great console at a great price point. It’s pleasantly compact and the process of creating a Mii is pretty dang fun, and the experience of seeing your Mii’s emulate your actions on screen is even better. But my favorite part about the Wii, the “wow” moment, was watching my avatar follow my moves through whatever sort of dark magic Nintendo has used to accomplish this. It’s incredibly fun to play a game of bowling or baseball (well, Hitting & Pitching would be a better title) and actually be moving instead of pressing buttons. It helps that Wii Sports is the best bundled game to ever come with a console (that the console actually includes a game is something to be excited about), as it provides an excellent way to orient yourself with the world of motion-based gaming.

But that’s pretty much it. It will be interesting to see how many more games are released with the same appeal of Wii Sports, because a game like Super Paper Mario doesn’t make me think “boy, I’m glad I have this square controller in my hands instead of one of those newfangled ergo-thingies.” So while the idea behind the Wii seems to be gaming oriented, it doesn’t seem to work spectacularly well, neither in graphics nor control, in more traditional games.

That’s where the 360 comes in. Microsoft may try to sell you on its prowess as a media center, but this box plays games, and does it well (except for the part where it broke). 720p beats 480p every time, so the 360’s graphics look great. Additionally (and somewhat surprisingly) the Xbox 360 boasts a menu (the Dashboard) that’s leaps and bounds more intuitive and usable than the Wii’s. We’re talking at or above Apple level here, a feat they can’t seem to duplicate on any of their other products.

Furthermore, while wireless is quite handy, the Wii’s secondary remote seems to disconnect whenever it feels like (namely when exiting or starting a game), while the 360’s behavior is much more predictable; as in, not turning off until you turn it off.

To conclude, because I’ve gone on waaaay too long, the Wii brings experiences to the table that the 360 can’t match, and is a great “supplemental” console. But I’d be hard pressed to call it my favorite; the 360 still takes that title.

Before you click on the link, have you ever heard of Pacific Cycle? If your answer is yes, chances are it’s because you’ve seen them at Target, or perhaps even bought one. But regardless, a Pacific bike is a department store bike, which in the eyes of an enthusiast is not really a good thing. No problem so far; enthusiasts and recreational riders tend to move in different retail circles.

But if you look at Pacific, you’ll see that they also own Schwinn, Mongoose, and GT, among others. All three of these brands have generally been regarded as makers of decently nice bikes, and the fact that they’re all under the same umbrella isn’t a dealbreaker in my eyes. What bothers me is that Pacific’s acquisition of these brands led to the Schwinn and Mongoose names finding their ways onto the bikes sold at Target and Wal-Mart, and that’s the issue. As soon as people see those brands in the sports department of their local discount stores, much of the brand equity, the engineering, the history, and the time spent to promote the brands as real bike manufacturers becomes for naught.

The thing is, if you’re into bikes, you’re inclined to spend a lot of money on a bike. When you spend a lot of money on a bike, maybe a little more than you initially planned, you want to feel good about your purchase. So if you’ve just spent $1800 on a Mongoose then the last thing you want to see is a bike by the same company sitting on the Wal-Mart rack.

So it comes to my attention that my site is looking notoriously run-down, as though the occupant has moved on and left nothing but memories. I can assure you this is not the case. Spring is here, finally, and that means more and more distractions, but hey, what’s a journal for if you can’t make excuses for slacking off?

First of all, my Xbox: still dead. Well, maybe not. It’s somewhere in Louisville, Kentucky according to UPS, but get this: it’s on the return trip. I sent it to them last Friday, they got it Wednesday and it was reshipped on Thursday. So I should be seeing it Tuesday and we’ll find out if it’s really fixed.

In the meantime, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (not the new one) continues to entertain. In fact, you’re lucky I’m here writing this at all, since I’d much rather be playing that.

We are all moved in, pretty much, mostly. There are some still-packed boxes, but who cares? The garage is clean.

Last year I mentioned a niggling desire to own a single speed bike, and so instead of spending billions of money to buy some kind of deathtrap car or motorcycle, I decided instead to make good on that. Oddly enough, the bike I chose is the one mentioned in that post: a 2006 Bianchi M.U.S.S. that was stupid cheap. It too is going to be here soon, as I ordered it online instead of going through the local shop, a decision I’ll elaborate on later.

Speaking of biking, the ride to work is obviously farther than it used to be, but I can still make it in about 10 minutes. So suck it, Grand Ave.

Finally, this site looks like crap, I know. I’m working on a new one, which may be what you’re seeing right now or it may not. It looks bad regardless because one site is decaying and the other isn’t done.