Why I hate Kinect

OK, so "hate" probably is too strong of a word to use in this situation. I can say without hesitation, though, that I'm not a fan of the soon-to-be-released Xbox 360 peripheral.

Why? Honestly, it has nothing to do with me being anti-Microsoft or anti-Xbox 360. (Hell, I plan on buying an Xbox 360 before this generation is over--assuming the system drops below $149 at some point.)

I know I've made fun of Microsoft's "me too" (or maybe I should say "Wii too") Kinect ads and games (Kinect Sports, anyone?), but that's also not what has kept me from getting behind the company's controller-free product.



No, my problems with Kinect are: 1) the peripheral seems to be a buggy work in progress, and 2) the games--with the possible exception of Dance Central--seem boring and uninspired.

Granted, I've yet to go "hands on" with Kinect, so it's possible that both of the above-mentioned "problems" (especially the first one) will be proven to be anything but after it launches on Nov. 4.

See also: 'It's déjà vu all over again' and 'Let's try this again ...'

The best first level ever?

If someone asked you to name the best first level in all of video game-dom, which one would you choose? Nathan over at videogamesarerad.com believes the following is the only answer:



You know what? I agree with him 100 percent, as Super Mario Bros.' World 1-1 does a better job of introducing people to a game's mechanics and rules than any other "first level" I've played.

If you have a minute or two to spare, I'd highly recommend visiting videogamesarerad.com to read Nathan's thoughts on the matter.

I've gotta say, this looks great

When Nintendo of America announced the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns a few months ago, I think I reacted with a shrug and an "eh." (Or maybe it was a "meh.")

Anyway, I wasn't all that interested or impressed, despite the fact that I very much enjoyed the three Donkey Kong Country titles that were released for the SNES way back when.

That said, my cynical attitude toward the game faded somewhat after watching the following trailer:



Actually, it may be more accurate to say my attitude went from "eh" to "hmmm" after watching the trailer above. (I'm an exceptionally emotional person, aren't I?)

It wasn't until I watched the following preview, courtesy of IGN, that the game had my full attention.



Pre-order: Donkey Kong Country Returns

10 video games that made my life gayer (#6): Super Mario 64

Shigeru Miyamoto and his team at Nintendo of Japan sure hit it out of the park when they moved Mario into the third dimension, didn't they?

I remember being absolutely amazed by Super Mario 64 when it was unveiled at Nintendo Space World in 1995. A year later, after receiving a Nintendo 64 and a copy of the game as a birthday gift, I was even more amazed as my college roommate and I played through it during a wintry Thanksgiving weekend.

The fact that my roommate played it at all was amazing in its own right, as he was (and still is, I believe) otherwise completely repulsed by the idea of playing video games. (He's a twink, what else would you expect?)

If that doesn't speak to the game's accessibility, I don't know what does.

I didn't include Super Mario 64 on this list because it's accessible, though; I included it on this list because it's enjoyable. In fact, I'd go so far as to say it is one of the most enjoyable games--if not the most enjoyable game--I've ever played.

The aforementioned roommate and I played an awful lot of Super Mario 64 that year, and the next year my new roommates (all five of them) and I played it even more--and all the while we had huge smiles plastered on our faces.

Sure, we liked how the game controlled and looked and sounded (especially that wacky, hillbilly-meets-Mario "Secret Slide Theme"), but what kept us coming back for more (and more and more and more) was that the game was fun with a capital "f."

See also: all of the previous '10 video games that made my life gayer' posts

On being an anal-retentive game collector

Hello. My name is Bryan, and I'm an anal-retentive game collector. (All together now: "Hi, Bryan!")

I know, that's not as bad as being addicted to drugs or drinking to excess, but it's bad enough. After all, it causes me to spend a lot more money on games and systems than I should.

Take, for instance, the complete-in-box Famicom cartridges (below) that I recently bought. Although I believe I got them at a good price, I certainly paid more for them than I would have had I bought them "loose" (without boxes and manuals).



The same will be true when I finally break down and buy a trio of PC Engine games that I've been eyeing up for some time. If I weren't so anal retentive, I could pick up loose copies of Gekisha Boy, Mizubaku Daibouken *and* Parasol Stars for little more than it would cost me to buy a single PS3/Wii/ Xbox 360 game. Instead, I'll probably end up spending that amount (or more) on each of them individually.

I used to be similarly anal when buying systems, but I've loosened up a bit in recent years--i.e., I no longer automatically turn up my nose at them if they don't come with their original boxes and manuals.

OK, I've owned up to my shameful, anal-retentive ways. How many of you are going to do the same?

Note: this post originally appeared on my other gaming blog, iwasateenagepcenginefan.wordpress.com