Archive for March, 2010
The Backlog: The Return of The Doug edition
Mar 27th
All things must end eventually, but the saga continues. Doug just touched down in Portland after a whirlwind tour of Asia over the last month. Aaron, on the other hand, broke down and purchased a new Xbox to replace his very dead one. And I’ve finally decided to pull the plug on a game I’d been looking forward to for years — a game that left me frustrated, confused, and bored out of my mind.
These are bittersweet times for the Silicon Sasquatch crew. Now hit that jump link so I can get back to weeping into my beer while I continue this Gilmore Girls marathon. It’s all I have left.
Sasquatch PSA: Who wants a bonus when buying a new Xbox 360? You do.
Mar 22nd
BFFs
I just learned something about myself, not more than 15 minutes ago: It’s apparently easy to break down my willpower when there’s a lonely and Xbox-shaped dusty void in my entertainment cabinet. I just placed an order on Amazon.com for a new Xbox 360 Arcade to replace my red-ringed console. I’d been waiting for a potential price drop, and with additional rumors swirling about a “slim” Xbox I was even more hesitant toward the idea of purchasing a replacement system. Microsoft’s advertising slogan asked me to “jump in,” but I had cold feet. That is until today, when Amazon began a fantastic promotional deal for the entry and upper-level Xbox models.
Now, we’re not being paid by Amazon to mention this. Wish it were so, but it’s not the truth. Yet despite the lack of shady corporate handshakes, in which rolled up $100 bills are exchanged, we at Silicon Sasquatch feel it’s only right to let our fellow gamers who are in search of a new Xbox 360 know about this deal. It’s great.
From today until this Saturday, March 27th, Amazon is offering two tiers of gift cards when you purchase a particular Xbox console (sorry: refurbished consoles and the Final Fantasy XIII and Splinter Cell Conviction bundles are exempt). The Arcade will net you a $25 digital card to the online superstore, while the extra-beefy Elite (coming in Winter and Spring varieties) will come with a $50 code. The link for the offer is right here, but the deal specifics need to be repeated for clarity’s sake: You, of your own volition, must add the appropriate gift card to your shopping cart in addition to your preferred console. Amazon won’t give you a code if you just order the console by itself. Don’t worry: the $25 or $50 is discounted at checkout.
Hopefully this is of use to gamers out there who are replacing a broken console like I am, or those of you who have yet to purchase an Xbox console at all.
Now if we can get Amazon to do this kind of deal for the PlayStation 3 and Wii, I’ll be a happy camper — and not of the online multiplayer first-person shooter variety; no one likes them.
The Backlog: Did Anyone Drink Green Beer? edition
Mar 19th
Saint Patrick’s Day was Wednesday. I’m sure those of you still nursing your hangovers won’t have forgotten the holiday already, but I’m trying to be conversational here, all right?
Though I’m of partial Irish descent, I’ve never felt the need to “act a fool” in the name of the motherland during March 17th festivities. It doesn’t mean I’m against getting intoxicated while listening to Flogging Molly; events in my life just haven’t amalgamated to make such things happen.
Also, a note about Irish fashion: Requiring the adornment of green garments on St. Patty’s Day is quite the intolerant and abuse-inducing tradition — those who don’t are assaulted with a barrage of pinches, punches and ridicule. We Irish are weird.
This week’s update will be a mostly one-man show starring the gaming exploits of Mr. Nick Cummings. I’m still without a new Xbox, because even the slightest chance that the U.S. Xbox 360 Arcade will be dropped in price à la Canada’s current discount is enough to make me wait it out for a couple weeks before handing over the charge card. Otherwise, I’ve been playing the hell out of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 — to the detriment of my usually calm composure. Doug is still out and about in the Far East, but I’ve included his most recent tweet in an effort to include him anyway.
The Backlog: Dammit, Seriously? edition
Mar 15th
I am become death.
It’s happened again. At the tender age of four, my Xbox 360 Pro 20 GB model, bought in March of 2006, passed away this Saturday at 7:55 p.m.
Because my console has been out of warranty since last June — extended for an extra year after I payed to repair the then-not-free E74 error in 2008 (I was reimbursed a few months later, to be fair) — I would have to pay the standard $100 fee to fix the infamous Red Ring of Death. Instead of going down that road again, I’m saying “no” to Microsoft’s repair service and purchasing a brand new Arcade system. I’m hoping that an extra Ben Franklin will result in owning a quieter console (with HDMI capability!) that won’t fail four years down the road. Perhaps I’m a fool for trusting to hope?
And no, this is not the time to tell me to buy a PlayStation 3. That would be insensitive to the memory of my plastic and silicon-chipped comrade. Plus, I still have a lot of games to play on my Xbox — Final Fantasy XIII among them.
So, Friday’s Backlog was missing due to various other issues, and the Xbox failure only exacerbated my inability to post. Nick is a busy man who is also learning the ins and outs of the Valve Hammer Editor and the Unreal 3 Engine, while Doug is still off enjoying Asia’s cultural zeitgeist.
We’ll post our regularly scheduled Backlog this Friday, sans hardware failure. Maybe.
The Backlog: Life During Boretime edition
Mar 5th
There’s not much to say this week. Doug and Aaron are both on trips of varying intensity and length, and I’m once again at the helm. But I’m not jealous! There’s a quiet dignity to be found in staying at home, you know. And it saves money. Really, it’s the only reasonable way to live in these uncertain times.
Yep.
I mean, what kind of person would really want to go on a whirlwind tour of Asia for a whole month? Doug. Doug’s the guy. And, wow, big deal — the first weekend with amazing weather in the Pacific Northwest. “Hey everybody, we need to go party at the coast now!” That’s definitely what Aaron said when he left to go party at the coast with his totally awesome and probably quite attractive friends.
But no. I’m fine. I’m fine! Just, you know, read this thing and leave me to my unbridled joy.