I don’t know how I feel about the current state of our Federal government.

On the one hand, I think Stephen Harper has pulled way too much sleazy crap during his time in office. I don’t like how he’s more interested in playing politics than doing what might be right for the country. I’m also not naive enough to think he’s the only one who does this. But he’s the most noticeable, since he’s been in power for the past couple of years.

I kind of like that yet another backhanded maneuver actually backfired on him. It just couldn’t come at a worse time for the country. With all that’s going on, and on the heels of an expensive election, are we really in a position where Parliament should be on hiatus for yet another two  months?

I’m a liberal, though not a Liberal, if you get my meaning. I don’t blindly vote for the Liberal party. And that they would pull something like this right now — in our financial crisis; right after an election; right after they’ve asked their current leader to step down — it’s just as bad as all the underhanded moves the Conservatives have made.

I’m losing faith. I really wish I felt like my elected officials were more interested in representing me and my needs, rather than playing political chess and doing absolutely nothing to hide that fact.

On the up side, Beedle the Bard just arrived. Oh well…a small victory.

Hey look, I’m back!

This holiday season is effing ridiculous, as it seems to be every single year. And I know everyone says this…but this year feels like the worst (best?) yet. For the first time in a long time I’ve had to practice some real restraint and remind myself that there’s no way I’ll play every holiday game I want to play, and thus there’s no reason to buy every holiday game I want to play on launch day.

Plus, as usual, I’m playing a bunch of older stuff, too…

Animal Crossing: City Folk

Leave it to Nintendo to sell the exact same game to the same people for the third time. What kills me is this isn’t even really a GameCube game, but an N64 game. And yet, I can’t put it down.

I love the new Wii microphone. Again, leave it to Nintendo to lag far behind every other manufacturer when it comes to online implementation, and then show up and give us something we didn’t even know we wanted. Not having to wear a headset and still being able to chat with a bunch of folks at once is just fantastic.

The city segment of City Folk isn’t really grabbing me much, but I do love the ability to visit other folks’ towns online. Animal Crossing – just as good as it ever was.

Duke Nukem 3D

I’ve been whining for a Live Arcade release of this game ever since Doom showed up on the service ages ago. And now that it’s here, my love affair with this game has been rekindled. I’ve never been a huge FPS guy (though I’ve become a bit of one out of necessity and the nature of the console trends), but Duke Nukem 3D grabbed me almost immediately back in the day. I’ve played through this game on so many platforms, and I’m almost finished playing through it once again on the 360.

Final Fantasy III

My quest to get through all of the Final Fantasy games slowly continues. Upon my triumph over FFII, FFIII is next in line. Not only have I never finished this game, but I’ve never actually spent any real time with it. I’m still having a hard time seeing past the N64 graphics — especially knowing how beautiful this game would be on, say, the PSP — but I’m coping. The pace at the beginning is just ridiculously slow, though.

Mario Kart Wii

I’ve decided that I really need to get some of my Wii backlog out of the way. But with the crazy amount of holiday games this year, I don’t want to commit to something as meaty as, say, Zelda or Mario or Metroid, so Mario Kart it is. I’m just about finished the 100cc races, and I have to say I’m starting to get a bit bored.

NASCAR 09

I’m halfway into my first Nationwide series, and on track to at least finish in the top 5 in points. It took me two seasons of Craftsman Trucks to get my first championship, with a grand total of 15 wins. Despite all of this game’s problems, it’s so much more playable than NASCAR 08 that I have no problem devoting loads of time to it.

It’s also the first game that I installed on my Xbox thanks to the NXE. Now that I play a lot of my games at night, after the wife and offspring have gone to bed, I’m really appreciating how much quieter the 360 runs when it’s not constantly accessing the disc. But the installation did introduce a weird bug to the game, where entering pit road during a practice session just kind of breaks the whole thing.

Resistance 2

Let me go on record and say that the first Resistance did absolutely nothing for me. In fact it’s one of the reasons I think I was so underwhelmed by the PS3 right from the start. Resistance 2, however, has so impressed me that I’ve put every other holiday release on the backburner until I finish it.

I’m about two chapters away now, and enjoying almost every minute. Some of the design valleys are very confusing, as you’ll get really awful levels bookended by absolutely fantastically designed levels (Idaho and Chicago are simply amazing).

One thing that does kind of disappoint me is that the 1950’s setting seems so inconsequential this time around. WIth the first game the hook was kind of that it seemed like another WWII shooter, except with a major sci-fi element. Resistance 2 really could be taking place at any time…especially considering the fantastical weapons included. It doesn’t take away from the game, but it’s kind of sad to see that the potential the time period offers just isn’t realized.

Oh well. Back to the game.

So I’ve just finished doing something I don’t normally do — wasting a significant amount of time on a game that I really didn’t find all that much fun.

I consider myself a big Final Fantasy fan, mostly because I began my (somewhat cooling) love affair with the Japanese RPG when I played the original Fantasy on the NES. I remember buying the game at Toys R Us during a family vacation to New England (no TRU’s in Halifax back then), and practically memorizing the maps, bestiary poster, and instruction booklet long before I got home to actually play the game.

But there are quite a few FF games I’ve never gotten around to beating. I’ve spent a lot of time on a few of those, but FFII is one that I’ve just never had the willpower to take on, what with the ridiculous and punishing leveling system it employs.

Nonetheless, I soldiered on over the past month, witnessing first-hand milestone moments like the original introduction of Cid, the series’ first Chocobo, the first constantly rotating party system, and the first real injection of the overly dramatic style subsequent games became famous for.

Overall, I can honestly say it’s my least favourite of the Final Fantasies. Well…I’ve always said that…but now I feel like I have the right to say it. Know what I mean?

Now it’s on to Final Fantasy III on the DS. That is, if I can ever find it.

One thing I want to say, though — I popped in Final Fantasy IV DS just for larfs as I neared the end of FFII. And wow…does FFII look a million times better than FFIV. Sure, IV looks great for a DS game, but that’s the problem. DS games still look like warmed-over N64 cartridges to me.

So last post I pounded my chest about how the player one podcast was about to reach its 100th episode without missing a week.

Of course, this week we didn’t publish a show — the first time that’s happened in 92 episodes. While not getting the 100 streak is a bit of a bummer, I’m still pretty impressed that a few guys who live in such radically different locations managed to put together over 90 weekly shows in a row with very few hiccups along the way.

Either way, we’ll be back next week with Episode 93. Looks like 92 will forever be a lost episode…kinda like Leisure Suit Larry 4.

Yeah…I suck at keeping a weblog. Not as bad as my podcast co-hort CJ (who hasn’t updated since the Pet Rock was a hit), but still.

So what’s happening with me? Well, the podcast is still doing fantastically. Player One is nearing its 100th episode, and we haven’t missed a week yet. We’ve built up a fairly nice little community on our message boards, as well. As I move further and further away from the video game industry on a professional level, it’s really nice to have this little tie stay firm. Plus it’s even better to be able to rap with a couple of old friends every weekend, even if our lives have taken us to radically different places, both personally and geographically. Oak Brook seems like such a long time ago.

Especially since we found out that we’re expecting baby #2 sometime early in the new year. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing our first bundle of joy home. Now that bundle is readying to be a big sister. And she’s doing so by becoming more and more independent each and every day, pushing mommy and daddy’s buttons constantly just to see what she can get away with. Those cute little eyes belie the criminal genius I’m sure lives just beneath the surface.

On the gaming front, I’ve decided it’s high time I finally work my way through Final Fantasy II. The PSP version has been calling to me ever since its release. I’m currently a few hours in and having real trouble staying motivated. But I willget through this, I swear!

I’ve been getting paid to write videogame reviews for something like 10 years now. And I’ve seen a lot of idiotic crap in response to things I’ve written — the most famous of which was the fallout from the 9.5 I awarded Chrono Cross in the pages of EGM. The odd death threat still finds its way to my inbox even now…it’s gone down in nerd history as one of the most notorious reviews ever written.

But today I was perusing comments made in reaction to my recent Haze review on X-Play. One genius decided that my review was tainted; that I’m totally biased against the PlayStation 3. His “proof?” At one point in the review, I mention the game made me so frustrated I wanted to fling my expensive DualShock 3 controller through the nearest window (or something along those lines). This person says that my calling the controller “expensive” proves my anti-PlayStation bias, as the controller is similarly priced (and apparently LIGHTER) than an Xbox 360 controller.

Honestly, how can you even argue with logic like that?

Apparently when I let my old website lapse, some Japanese sex toy dealer took it over. I’m just assuming that’s what all the text on www.gregsewart.com is selling based on what a few different people have told me.

Anyway…I’m back! It’s been some ridiculous amount of time since I’ve blogged in any form, thanks to lots of different developments in my life over the past year. I’ve gone to — and graduated from — school; my wife and I went and had a baby (she’s turning 1 next month); I’ve co-produced over 80 episodes of the Player One Podcast with Phil and CJ; and I’ve moved and started a new job in television.

What will I post here? I’m not sure just yet. It’ll likely be some gaming, some racing, some television, and some life in general. Hope folks decide to visit!