Nintendo Baby

I apologize this post has been so long in coming, especially since I know everyone has been on the edge of their seats waiting for…the 2007 game collection year in review!

2007 saw me buy a total of 98 games, which is a 17% reduction from the previous year. Dollar totals increased though (by about 10%), mostly due to the purchase of the PS3 and PSP Slim. Discounting hardware, the average cost/game of about $20.50 was almost identical to the previous year. Here’s a chart summary of both totals:

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The above is a breakdown of games per system. Unsurprisingly, the DS is far in the lead. 2007 saw my DS game collection pass 120 games – this year will see it pass 138 (my GBA total) to become the system for which I have the most games. 2007 also saw the ‘retirement’ of the Gamecube, as I doubt I’ll ever buy another game for it. The one Gamecube game I bought in ’07 was Odama, the microphone-based pinball simulator (which I played for about an hour and put away…). One pleasant surprise in 2007 was the re-emergence of the PSP as a viable system. I was ready to write it off at the end of 2006, but the good games finally started coming and it had a good year. This will continue in ’08, which has already seen some stellar releases for the system (Patapon, Final Fantasy 7: Crisis Core, R-Type Tactics).

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The dollar totals are above. Please don’t add them up and make rash judgements about my spending 🙂

Excluding gifts (which I value as zero in my database), the least expensive game I bought in 2007 was Piyotama, the download-only game from the Playstation store, which cost a mere $2.99. The least expensive packaged game was Quick Spot, a DS puzzle game bought brand new at a CompUSA closing sale for $4.98.

The most expensive game purchase (excluding hardware) of 2007 was World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade Collector’s Edition which was purchased shortly after midnight on the day of release and cost $80 and nearly much more, since I fell on ice on the way back to the car and landed painfully on my wrist! The game on which I spent the most in 2007 was easily World Of Warcraft, since my account was active for 6 months (about $90) on top of the cost for the expansion.

The best game of the year, at least that I bought? That’s a tough call, and depends on what mood I am in. Contenders would certainly be World Of Warcraft (PC), Osu! Tatakae! Ouenden 2! (DS) or Monster Hunter Freedom 2 (PSP). I’ll leave you all to decide which one I enjoyed the most 🙂

2002… 2004… 2006… ?

Momo and Izumi 2.jpg < Momo & Izumi

I’m really bored of not being in Japan.

Here’s a video of me (not safe for work due to language) taken during our 2004 trip.

And no, this doesn’t mean you can start using foul language in the comments 🙂

Grand Master

Gary Gygax, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons, died today at age 69.

The effect he has had on the entire game industry (starting with pen and paper and moving into computer games) is incalculable. If you have ever played any sort of role playing game, you owe it to Gary Gygax. Heck, if you’ve ever played a game with hit points, his influence was there.

I owe an awful lot to Gygax’s imagination.

Rest in peace, Mr Gygax…