Farewell X-Box 360

 
So today I'm finally going to trade my X-Box 360 in to Gamestop since they are giving an extra 50$ trade-in credit and I haven't turned the thing on in roughly a month. I know that any cries and complaints I will express here are almost cliché at this point due to the overwhelming amount of negative media out there about the 360 but I'm going to cry and complain anyway.

I should first state that the 360 in question is actually my third or fourth 360 due to various issues with freezing and the system generally not being built even remotely well. I managed never to get the dreaded Red Ring of Death but that doesn't mean I avoided the other avalanche of issues that plague one of the most faulty products I can think of. Imagine if other items you purchased had a 54.2% chance of failing? Would you drive a car where the odds that it would break down were better than the odds that it would actually work? Having worked at Gamestop for a little while now, I can also attest to this statistic. I don't think I've yet to work a shift where someone has not either traded in a broken X-Box 360 or called about/mentioned issues with one.

However, this is not the reason I'm trading in my X-Box 360 - miraculously the unit is still somehow working - no, I'm trading it in because there simply isn't a reason to have both the 360 and PS3. Like many, I used to simply have the 360 because of the fantastic online capability and party system... but when it comes down to it, I'd rather not pay the eight or nine dollars a month (I'm monthly subscribed for some reason) and enjoy PS3s comparable FREE online.

The only real benefits to the 360 that remain then would be the exclusives and the FPS-centered controller. Well as for the controller, I think I'm going to try this and this. And as far as exclusives go, let's look at what's been planned exclusively for PS3 this year:

Killzone 3
LittleBigPlanet 2
Resistance 3
Infamous 2
Socom 4
Uncharted 3
(just to name a few)

Now let's take a gander at X-Box 360's exclusives:

Gears of War 3
Kinectimals
Umm... Halo Map Packs?

I sure hope X-Box is up to something and has some serious plans for E3 this June because at this rate I think the choice is fairly obvious. But what do you think? Do you have any 360 stories to tell me? Am I just being a ranting fanboy?

P.S. Have a super awesome Playstation commercial:

Lousy Smarch Weather

So here I am again with another Simpsons reference (in case you missed it) because I feel like it pretty much sums up what's been going on here in New Hampshire - lots and lots of snow and rain. Luckily my school hasn't been canceled despite me wishing as hard as I can x_.x. But hey it's March 1st, that's exciting right? I thought I'd just do a quick little update/blog post. I guess the first thing I should talk about is the Academy Awards (and thanks to everyone who came over and watched them - I had a great night!). So I have to say it was probably one of the most unsurprising Oscars I have seen. The King's Speech pretty much swept as everyone expected it to. It was, however, nice to see Inception win best Cinematography (and rightly so). Not too much else to say here really other than the obvious about Hailee Steinfeld being robbed (even though I knew it was going to happen it doesn't make it any less annoying).

Still Alive (and Oscar Picks)

Yes, like GLaDOS I am in fact still alive despite the fact that I haven't posted anything in over a week. Firstly, my apologies on that - I've actually been crazy busy between school and work. Secondly, the Oscars are tomorrow night! I've actually seen more than half of the picture nominees this year (haven't seen Black Swan, The Fighter, King's Speech, or The Kids Are All Right) and I must say I'm excited to find out who will win. I recently watched Winter's Bone and while it was incredibly slow I have to say that it definitely wasn't bad and I can see the nomination for Jennifer Lawrence being justified. Alongside Winter's Bone I also rented Megamind, The Road, and Paper Man (I'll attach links to those so you can follow them to their IMDBs).

Favorite Romantic Movie Scenes

 
So for Valentine's Day this year, since I sadly do not have a Valentine, I thought I would make a short list of my favorite romantic scenes from some of my favorite movies. Please realize that this is not a "Best Romantic Scenes" list - it is merely a list of scenes that I love (though I'm sure I'll forget many). They aren't in any particular order and I think this time (unlike my previous lists) I'm just going to post the video links and not explain why I love them... you should be able to figure it out :P So anyway, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

P.S. Indeed I am a hopeless romantic. I can't help it.
P.S.S. Spoiler alert!

My Arms Get Cold...

Oops, it's once again been over a week since I last posted! I really do apologize for that. I started working on a "Most Anticipated Films of 2011" list but it's taking longer than I anticipated. That and I've actually been really busy with school work. I did somehow manage to play through the last couple hours of Dead Space 2 though and I have to say it's absolutely fantastic. The ending was very well done and it was just an incredibly solid game throughout. I think I can honestly say I've never felt such a real feeling of anxiety and dread while playing a game. The only negative thing I can say about it really is that I probably shouldn't have played on hard my first time through... x_.x

So yes Valentine's Day is quickly approaching. And you know what's sad, I've never had a girlfriend over Valentine's Day :( I know, hard to believe right? What's that? It's not, you say? Well you don't have to be so mean about it. In all honesty it definitely would be nice to find that special someone but I'm hoping that all this waiting will make it that much more worth it when I do find her. And it would be nice to have someone to help my arms from getting cold in this February air. Anyway, I plan on making a special little post on good ol' Saint Valentine's Day so make sure you check back then.

Umm... I think that's basically it. Feel free to comment about whatever comes to mind. Have a great weekend!

Happy Groundhog Day

I almost forgot it was Groundhog Day (who didn't really?). However, Groundhog Day is made that much more amazing because of the movie of the same name starring Bill Murray. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and rent it or buy it.

That is all.

Yeah, It's a Lazy, Dog-Dangling Afternoon

Yeah, it's a lazy dog-dangling afternoon.

So I guess the word of the week here in New Hampshire is "Snow." I think it's finally stopped out there but we've just received another two feet or so to add to the three or four that are already blanketing the state. On the bright side, when it finally stops snowing it looks dang beautiful out in the sun. On the even brighter side, school was once again canceled today which means that it's been another lazy day of staying in my warm pajamas and breaking up homework with movies, TV, and video games.

There's something inherently exciting about finding a new TV show that is really interesting and being able to watch entire seasons. That is why I love you, Netflix. Recently I watched the first two seasons of the Animal Planet series River Monsters. If you haven't seen it and have any interest in insanely large or strange fish then I would highly suggest it (make sure you have a strong stomach too though because it can get gross). The host, Jeremy Wade, is just plain awesome. Not only is he a biologist and "extreme angler" but he's definitely entertaining to watch and most episodes play out in a sort of "CSI" was-this-fish-really-the-murderer sort of way.