The SoapBoxers

Nintendo Announces New Wii – Will The Craze Be As High?

Let me start by saying I’ve never been a big Nintendo guy. In fact, I’ve never owned a Nintendo anything….I’ve always been a Sega/Playstation guy. When the Wii came out in 2006, I didn’t want one. Actually, I refused to get one….and then my wife brought one home. I know where you THINK I’m going. I played it and fell in love. WRONG! I’ve played it a hand-full of times and I’ve never been a fan. The graphics are not of the same quality that the Playstation 3 (my preferred gaming system) is. It’s hard to beat the PS3’s blu-ray player and overall game play quality.

This week, Nintendo announced that a Wii successor will be introduced in 2012. No specific details have been announced regarding what the new version of the Wii will be capable of, but the one rumor I’ve seen is it will be high definition capable. Given how advanced gaming systems and televisions have become in the last few years, HD is almost a requirement.

But what else will the new Will be capable of? Will it be capable of playing dvds, like the PS3? Will it have an internet browser like the PS3 (I’m not 100% sure it doesn’t now, but I’m 90% sure it doesn’t)? The current Wii has around 80MB of memory….will the new Wii have more or less, or will the produce different models with different memory options? Most importantly (to me), will the Wii be more friendly for sports games enthusiasts (Madden, MLB: The Show, NBA 2k)?

That’s a lot of questions, I know, which is really all the announcement left us with – questions. Nintendo says that there will be a playable version of the new Wii at the E3 Expo in June 2011. I can remember back 5 years ago when the original Wii became available for sale. It was nearly impossible to get one anywhere! The Wii was the first gaming system of its kind, with the motion controllers. Will the second version of the Wii have such a high demand? Only time will tell….but one thing is for sure. My wife is sure to get one, without asking me of course!

 

A little over 2 years ago, I became hooked.   I finally became one of the millions that joined the huge time killer known as Facebook.  Nope, didn’t get hooked on Facebook.  Through Facebook I found a game by the name of Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap games.  Many of you have probably heard of it, and maybe even played it.  The object of the game is to swap “gems” to match like colors/shapes, at least 3, to cause an explosion with more shapes dropping in from the top.  The more you match, the more points you earn.

Matching 3 gems is the most basic.  This will eliminate those 3 gems, and more gems drop into the game field.  Matching 4 gems will create a “power gem”.  Once you then match that power gem into a set of 3, it will explode and eliminate the gems that surround it.  If you match 5 like gems, it creates a hypercube, which you can then use to eliminate whichever color gem you choose, by swapping the hypercube with that gem.  You also have the chance to multiply your points by 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, and so on, by matching random gems throughout the game.

Oh, I almost forgot, you’re also under the intense pressure of a game timer, 1 minute to be exact.  The game keeps track of your stats, or how many times you’ve reached certain point levels.  Below are my stats:

As you can see, I’ve played the game A LOT!  9,085 to be exact.  I know you’re thinking “man, he spends a ton of time on Facebook!”.   Nope, I actually don’t.  A couple of months after finding this wonderful game through a Facebook app, I received an iPod Touch for Christmas.  What was the first app I downloaded?  You guessed it….Bejeweled!!

I can (and do) literally play the game anywhere I want.  It’s so easy to just play a couple of quick games because they only take a minute each.  This is, by far, the most addicting game I have ever played.  If you haven’t heard of it, or played it, or both, I highly recommend you do so.  That is, if you’re ready to be BLITZED!!

Last week I made my triumphant return as the weekly entertainment contributor after many months off. I know this will make all of my regular readers sad, but I’m going to contribute from a different angle this week.

Let me say beforehand, I’m not trying to prove anything, and I’m definitely not trying to preach to anybody, so please don’t take it that way. I’m simply going to write from the heart, and am only doing so as a way to help myself – whether that be to grieve or to mourn I do not know. You’ll understand more once you’re finished reading.

I’ll start off by saying my dad wasn’t the healthiest guy in the world, having suffered from several heart attacks, a quadruple bypass open heart surgery, and a leg amputation in the last 10 years or so. Since his heart failure and leg amputation in 2006, he’s had monthly checkups, just to make sure everything is still running ok.

Fast forward to the day before Thanksgiving, 2009. After going to a local VA clinic for his blood work, they noticed that his blood was nearly 5 times thinner than it should have been, and they also noticed that his skin had a yellow “tint” to it. His doctor urged him to go across the street to the ER to get checked out because something was clearly not right.

After a few tests and some medicines, the doctors concluded that he had either gall stones, which are very painful, or he had a tumor, which was blocking some liquids in the gall bladder / pancreas / liver area. He had absolutely no pain, so the diagnosis was a tumor. Since it was the holiday, they wouldn’t be able to go in and do a biopsy until the following Monday, but that would give them a very clear picture of what was going on.

After taking the biopsy, the doctor informed me that it was obviously cancerous and had spread to the lymph nodes. We need to meet with an Oncologist to discuss our options.

So, we met with a surgeon at the VA hospital in Indianapolis (my dad received all of his medical care from the VA). The tumor was surrounding the blood vessels of the pancreas, making surgery to remove the tumor impossible. The only other option was Chemotherapy. He would get started on Chemo ASAP, as pancreatic cancer is one of, if not the most aggressive form of cancer. His Chemo option was to do 1 treatment per week through an IV, along with taking a pill form twice a day. We’d do that for 6 weeks, do another CT scan, and see if it was eliminating any of the cancer, stopping it from spreading, or doing nothing at all.

Those first few treatments were extremely rough. He got very sick, just like most Chemo patients do. But, through it all, he stayed as strong as ever. When we went back for the 6 week scan, the doctor explained that they cancer had spread to his liver, and the Chemo treatments were doing nothing at all.

Now it was time for plan B. Another Chemo. This time it would be in the form of pills only – 4 in the morning and 4 at night. Do this for 6 weeks and then do CT scan #2, with a 3 week checkup in between. The first 3 weeks went just fine. Dad did lose some weight, but that’s normal. At his 3 week checkup, the doctors decided that he was still healthy enough to do another 3 weeks of Chemo treatments, so he did. That’s when everything started to change. He just started getting “weird”. Kinda like he was just not really there.

The bottom dropped out on Sunday, July 11th. In my daily trip down to his house, I found him lying in bed, like a zombie. He had no idea what was going on or even where he was. I eventually called 911, and the EMT’s talked him into going to the hospital to get checked out. Once there, the nurses said his blood pressure was extremely low, something like 50/20. He hadn’t eaten in a few days. Wasn’t really going to bathroom. Deep down, I knew that none of this was a good sign.

They eventually moved him to a room in the ICU. The plan was going to be to run some tests, then possibly put him on kidney dialysis to try to regain some function. When my wife and I left Sunday night, he seemed ok. He was still responding to everybody. We left around midnight and would come back up the next morning.

When we got there Monday morning he seemed a little worse than the night before. He was still responding, but not as often and he seemed extremely irritated. After sticking around for a little while, the docs were going to run some more tests so we left and were going to come back later in the afternoon. Around 5 that night, I got a call from the nurse that we needed to get to the hospital ASAP. Dad was no longer responding and was not doing well at all. After seeing him when we got there, I knew he was in bad shape. The nurse explained to me that they could still do the kidney dialysis, but at this point that would be a form of life support. She also explained the kidney doctor didn’t think that was the best option for him.

Now came the hardest, yet easiest decision I’ve ever had to make. Knowing how the last week had been, how much pain he had been in and how miserable his life was becoming, why drag it out for no reason, when he would have no good quality of life. I made the decision to not do dialysis, and to take him off the medicines that he was on for his heart, liver, etc. She informed Shana and I that it wouldn’t be long without those medicines, and it wasn’t. I’d say no more than 30 minutes.

I couldn’t have been more thankful that the nurse called us, because I got to be there with him during his last few moments, and that’s something I’ll never forget. It was July 12, and it’s been more than 3 months, but I still remember it like it was yesterday.

I lost not only my dad, but my best friend. He chose to raise me from the time I was born as he and my mother got divorced soon after I was born. To this day, I have no relationship with her. But I couldn’t be more thankful that he was willing to raise me as a single dad without blinking an eye. He was always the coach on whatever sports team I played on and he was my sports watching buddy. We saw each other nearly every day, whether it be just going to each others’ house to hang out or going to Menards to walk around mindlessly and look at stuff. When he wanted to do that, it drove me crazy. I’d just think how can you keep coming to the same place and keep looking at the same stuff for hours. Yet, I want nothing more than to do that now.

I don’t know that I have a “goal” from this article, but I do know that the cheesy saying “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone” could not be more true. Finding out that my dad had pancreatic cancer, I knew that the odds were against him. And you try to prepare yourself for something like this, but as I found out, there is absolutely no way to prepare. When you lose somebody who is not only a parent but a best friend, it hits you like a ton of bricks.

I think about him every minute of every day. Growing up, I was always too embarrassed to give him a hug, or to tell him that I love him. I’m thankful that in the last few years, I got over that. Every time I saw him, I made sure to give him a hug and to tell him that I love him. Who cares what people think! We had a lot of talks during our trips to Indianapolis for Chemo treatments, but to this day I still feel like I never had closure with him. I always avoided sitting down and actually having that GOOD talk with him. When I say I’d do anything just to talk to him one more time, I really would. I’d just want to thank him for everything he did for me. For raising me like a lot of fathers would not have done. For instilling in me the qualities that I have today and am proud of. Without him, I don’t know that I’d have any of those qualities and have no idea where I’d be in today’s world.

I don’t know that I’ve ever gone through the grieving process before his death. I’ve lost other people that were extremely close to me, like my Grandmother and an Aunt. But ironically, my dad was the person I went to for support. To listen to me or to spend time with me to take my mind off of it. In this situation, he’s the person I would’ve gone to, but he’s not there. So I guess I just have that feeling of being lost. Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful wife who has been there for me for the past 3 months and has been wonderful with listening and helping me with everything. But that doesn’t take away the pain from his passing.

I’ve tried different ways to “deal” with it, or to grieve, and I’ve been unsuccessful so far. I guess I’m hoping that this article will help, if only in a small way. I’ve been told that getting feelings down on paper will help, so we’ll see.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! Next week we’ll get back to the fun and exciting entertainment article!

Way back in May of 2009, I posted my very first article … hoping to become the very best entertainment blogger ever. Well, I’ve only contributed a total of 2 articles (both very good, I might add) and have had a very long layoff since my last one.

Well, today marks my triumphant return as a regular contributor for all of your entertainment news and reviews!!

For those that don’t remember, my plan is simple. Review all of my favorite TV shows, movies, video games, etc, with an occasional mix of vacation destination reviews. Today, I’m going to give you the most honest feedback on one of the best video game franchises ever, Madden Football (for Playstation 3).

Like I do every year, along with thousands of other people, I made sure to pick up my copy the day it was released. I wasn’t, however, one of the crazies that stood in line for hours to pick up a copy at midnight so that I could stay up for hours, call in sick to work, and play Madden all day long.

Just like in years past, the game has gotten so good that you think there’s no way they can make any significant improvements over the prior year’s game. There is one very significant change to the game this year, though, that makes it an overall better experience. The addition of Gameflow to the game not only speeds up game play, but also takes away the massive confusion of a team’s playbook. Gameflow analyzes everything from what down it is and how many yards you need for a first down to what the score is to pick the best play for your current situation.

In previous versions of Madden, you had an entire playbook at your disposal. There are literally hundreds of different plays in a playbook. Most of the time, I’d find myself continually running the same handful of plays throughout the game, because they were the easiest to find or because they worked the most. Doing that really took away from the realism of the game. Do coaches really call the same 3 plays, over and over? No, they don’t.

So, having the computer call plays for you not only adds to the realism, but also speeds up game play as you’re not wasting 15-20 seconds every play by frantically searching a playbook to call the perfect play. You simply press X at the end of each play to utilize the Gameflow function, the play call pops up on the screen, and you’re good to go. You do have the option to audible to a different play, or even have the option to look through your team’s playbook. So nothing was removed from the game to add the Gameflow option. So far, I love the Gameflow option. The computer really does make the correct play call in most situations. I’ve rarely had to audible or call a timeout due to a terrible play call.

As far as graphics and game play, there were some subtle changes, but nothing drastic. Overall, Madden did it again with a great game. Easily, in my opinion, the best game available for any system. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 9.5, because there’s no such thing as the “perfect” game!

Want to pick up a copy of Madden 11 and put a few coins in Bob’s pocket at the same time? Buy from Amazon using the links below. Bob gets a small commission, but your price stays the same.

Available on: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP, and PS2

Official Guide

I’ve played video games my whole life. Everything from an Atari 7800 to Sega, to Playstation (1, 2, and 3). Ever since I started playing, I’ve loved sports games. I just couldn’t seem to get into the role-playing games. My two favorite sports series of all time are Madden football and MLB: The Show.

Right now, it’s all about The Show, all the time. The previews for the game were spot on. “The best baseball game ever made”, they said. It is, by far, the most realistic baseball game I have ever played.

Infielders getting eaten alive by bad hops, bad throws, hitting streaks, pitching streaks, hitting slumps, and pitching slumps, it’s all there.

Being an avid Cubs fan, I obviously have to pick them in the Franchise mode. The ballpark is almost like you’re really there during a game. The ivy isn’t green in April (because it’s really not) like in all the other games. The rooftops are actually realistic on the game because they have people in them!!

Players argue and get ejected. Umpires have personalities. With certain umps you can hit corners all day long and not get a call. With others, you can hit spots 6 inches out of the strike zone and get the call.

It’s easy to get mad at the game because you go back to the days when “the computer cheated”, but when you take a step back and think about it, it’s real. And that’s much better to appreciate in a game than simply “winning”.

Have I mentioned how deep the game is? You actually have a 40 man roster that you have to keep control of (which can be extremely frustrating at times, but again, it’s real). The game actually includes compensation picks in the game from free agent signings. Speaking of free agency – the days of throwing a ton of money at a high profile free agent and him automatically signing with your team are over. Frustrating? Absolutely. Real? YES! It’s like a player on this game is smart enough to know what a good situation is for him and takes that instead of the highest offer.

I enjoy the game so much that I actually play all of my teams’ games. Typically I just get bored and simulate through a season until the playoffs and/or the off-season and just manage the team. Now, with MLB 09: The Show, I can’t stop playing!

Speaking of, I think I have a game to play…..

Today is the debut of the weekly entertainment column.  The Soap Boxers welcomes Bob Inferapels to the staff.

Being the entertainment guy, I’ve struggled with what exactly I want to cover each week. Do I want to cover every show I watched over the last week, or do I want to pick which one I liked the best that week? Or, do I want to mix weekly shows with movies and video games?

After much debate with myself (you should’ve been there for that), I’ve decided that I’m going to combine all of the above, to keep all of my favorite readers coming back…..I currently have zero, but I’m sure that number is set to multiply over the next few weeks!

Since the first “episode” in my series, I figure I’ll cover what shows I try to watch regularly and why. So, here goes (in no particular order):

The Big Bang Theory (Monday nights, 7 Central, CBS) – The show is in its 2nd season, and I have to admit I wasn’t sold at first (it was very hit and miss). It’s a quirky/geeky comedy that stars Johnny Galecki (most famous for David on “Roseanne”) as Leonard, Jim Parsons as Sheldon, and Kaley Cuoco (Bridget on “8 Simple Rules” ) as Penny.

Leonard and Sheldon are physicist roommates and live across the hall from Penny, the ditzy blond who is a waitress at The Cheesecake Factory. Episodes revolve around Leonard and Sheldon, along with physicist friends Howard (in his 30’s and still lives with his mother) and Rajesh, trying to overcome their social differences. Like I said, it’s quirky and geeky, but has become increasingly more funny with each episode.

Criminal Minds (Wednesday nights, 8 Central, CBS) – Like the CSI series (you’ll see this next on the list), but different. Rather than investigate crime scenes to find the killer(s), the cast of Criminal Minds works for the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and focuses on the criminals’ next move.

The team is led by Hotchner, a no-nonsense kind of guy who seems to be the smooth talker that can most easily gain the trust of anybody. Dr. Reid is the youngest of the group, and is nothing less than a genius. Derek is the tough guy of the team. And I have to mention Penelope, the “behind the scenes” computer guru who can find everything from the last place you used your credit card to when you last went to the bathroom.

CSI – Miami (Wednesday nights, 9 Central, CBS) – The only CSI that I really try to watch anymore (I’ve never really been a fan of CSI: New York and I’ve lost interest in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation / Las Vegas since the addition of Laurence Fishburne).

The star of the show is David Caruso as Horatio Caine, the hardcore boss who has a chip on his shoulder and all but guarantees to catch the bad guy.

Those are the 3 shows that I’m trying to watch on a regular basis. In future weeks, I’ll do my best to critique what I thought of the most recent episode, along with a slew of other entertainment type thoughts…..