The evolution of virtual pets

What once started out as a few black pixels on a key chain shaped like an egg known as a Tamagotchi has now evolved into a furry little creature that is cuter than a dog and easier to clean up after than a goldfish.

The first company that really pushed the envelope was Nintendo.

I've had a great deal of love for virtual pets since the beginning and up until now my favorite was Nintendogs. I mean what's not to love about a virtual pet that can't run away, can't get hit by a car, and doesn't require any real work?

The interactivity of the Playstation Move has now made a huge leap into the lead of digital doggies and created an environment that will fool your brain into thinking that your pet is real and worthy of actual love and affection. An animal of their own is exactly what Sony's created. It's fur waves gently around like real hair as you blow dry him after his/her bath.

The camera that's included with the PS Move puts you and your family on the big screen and allows your Eye pet to jump all over you and interact with anyone sitting with you on the floor.
The vibration controls mimic the physical sensation of the interactivity.

My favorite part was being able to draw an airplane and then watching my new friend draw a similar one and then hop on and fly away with.

To further cement the bonding experience the two of you have to work together to beat various mini games like popping as many balloons as possible.


Rating: Epic Win!

Call of Duty: Black Ops

One of my favorite series' of games is Call of Duty, so when I saw the trailer for Black Ops I was left with mouth gaping wide. I couldn't wait to reserve it let alone own it.

Needless to say the next day Game Stop got my $5 deposit and I took to the net. I tortured myself daily with trailers and forums until I couldn't take it anymore which made me take to my older versions of COD.

I "trained" for weeks in eager anticipation of the release of Black Ops. The night of the launch I was there at 12 am in the freezing cold despite the fact that my 360 caught the red ring of death the night before.

I changed my reservation to the PS3 version and went on my way.

At first when I put the game in I thought I was watching a demo or trailer for a different game. I was waiting for it to end as I saw my Avatar attempt to annihilate Castro. WTF is this??

This isn't what I was expecting at all. There's something very 1990's doom generation about this game that makes me think I just flushed $65 down the toilet + the other $35 that I wasted on renting a PS3 until my 360 gets fixed or I end up buying my own PS3.

If you are a COD fan who enjoys the historically accurate "story mode" then wait until this game goes down in price. If you're a fan of the multiplayer then go ahead and grab your copy. The multiplayer itself has so many fantastic new options including the wager matches where you can wager points that you have earned in other modes.

I like being able to customize weapons and modes, classes, clan tags, etc more in this game than the other versions but I think all in all COD misses it's mark. From what I can see so far, the hype wasn't worth what I paid.

Rating: FAIL

Season 1 of Married With Children

Is available on Netflix. It's interesting to see the progression of the show from the pilot to the cultural phenomenon that it became.

Finally got an annual xbox live subscription!

I've been a paid member before but never been able to really afford the annual subscription. I'm a member of the working class who doesn't make very much dough, but I do enjoy random treats as much as anyone else.

I'm on sick leave from work for another couple of months and trying to break up the monotony of nothingness that comes from being able to only lie on the couch or in bed.

Amazingly enough Xbox Live has come to my rescue. I love you 360 even though you betrayed me by coming down in price the day AFTER I bought you. Such is life.

If you don't have a 360 you should really get one. The price won't be coming down again for quite sometime!