Tech Review

Before I start my review, let me answer some questions that I'm sure are gnawing on your liver:

Will the fact that my friend designed and markets the game influence my review?

Yes, but negatively. You see, I find the Yikerz! inventor irritating. He's somewhat of an outcast in our gaming group. Whoever is DM (never him [shudder]) most often relegates him to the gruff looking for adventure at the keep and bends the rules so that his initial "test of prowess" is usually the last we have to deal with his seriously defective characters (Gnome thief-illusionist: I've never seen one of those before). God help us if he survives the initial encounter and we have to endure one of his "authentic" gaming brogues ("Not bl[oː]dy likely"). Although we pride ourselves on our rationality, gameplay with him deteriorates to such a state that we sometimes fear the otherworldly retribution of Gary Gygax (RIP).

Wow, Aristotle was right- catharsis can generate a serious rush. Mean? Don't worry; he doesn't read this blog. He's probably on some Russian gaming forum asking how to avoid magic missiles ("What if I drink two potions of Dex?").*

Why is Yikerz! in the "tech" section of your blog?

Yikerz is based on a concept called "magnetism" invented by Benjamin Franklin. The casual reader of American history is unaware of this fact because Franklin's role in making magnetism readily available to the consumer is overshadowed by Franklin's discovery of electricity one week later. Indeed, electricity occupied almost all of Franklin's interest forthwith.

It wasn't until Dutch master Nicola Tesla built upon Franklin's novelty to invent the swinging magnetic ball set, which the generous Tesla named after his inspiration, Sir Isaac Newton, who, flattered upon hearing the news, sent him a box of soft cookies.

Tesla was able to smuggle an original sketch of his Newton's cradle in the interior of an android he invented for the purpose. Prescott Bush had the other copies destroyed.

Not content with bringing joy to millions of middle managers, Tesla toyed around with the Newton Cradle until he found a way to provide the world with a limitless source of magnetic ball-generated energy. The solution to humanity's most pressing problem never had a chance: Prescott Bush got wind of the discovery and goaded GM into firebombing Tesla's laboratories in Prague after Tesla couldn't come up with the protection money, forcing Tesla to take a job in America designing elevators for Bill Pullman.

Bill Pullman, elevator magnet

Why the exclamation point?

It's shorter than "Yikerz, the game that engenders strong feelings and astonishment."

Yikerz!

The Review:

So, how's the game? I must forgo my Schadenfreudian delight today, as Yikerz! is actually the best non-nerdy (girls can play too) game I've encountered since Jenga.

Why?

There may have been a time when I was willing to pour through pages and pages of rules to play a game, but that's definitely not today. I was actually dreading some kind of Eva Mendes-like learning curve when my friend invited me to a Yikerz! tournament at his house. I was fully immersed in Yikerz! within ten minutes.

Eva Mendes

To play, you open the small triangular bag containing the figuratively fossilized sweat of my friend's brow; take out the four squares, twenty magnetic thingies, and the two page instructions; peruse the rules; and divide the magnetic blocks between the players. You then take turns placing the pieces the squares until one, the winner, rids himself of his last shiny block.

Fun? Well, yes. Simple? Yes, and no. Yikerz (sorry, exclamation point got stuck) is that rare game, like Checkers, that's easy to understand, yet deep enough and with sufficient variability to last a snowed-in weekend in the mountains.

Reconfiguring the squares serves the dual purpose of changing difficulty levels and impressing your friends with your pseudo-origami skills. A steady hand is necessary, but a strategy is required to become proficient: You need to know the properties of the pieces to move the other players' far enough from your potential resting spot to avoid a "collapse," or a joining of blocks. You can place the blocks on their sides- there's really a lot to do here.

Or, you can do what the youngest Asymmetric staff member, Antonio (8) did and just play with the blocks. He spread the blocks out on the carpet and crashed one piece into the middle, creating a very satisfying chain reaction.

Anyways, it's a good deal and I'd be willing to guarantee that you'll find some aspect of Yikerz interesting.

Warning!

There are other games based on magnets. I haven't played them, but I'm sure they suck.

*My friend is actually a nice guy and soon-to-be husband (err, to somebody else).

**For the Yikerz song I wrote for my friend, go here.

***Wiggles 3d Yikerz site here.

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This ad for some online game called "Evony" keeps showing up on my sidebar. I'm all for mixing two (or three, in this case) things I enjoy. On the other hand, I feel kind of patronized. Yes, I clicked on the ad, the only one or two of mine I ever have, but I didn't feel good about it.

Evony has at least two nice features.

My son's had a PSP for a couple of years now. It's annoying to see him try to play it while were out at dinner and, much worse, while were walking, but he seems to enjoy it and, more importantly, can put it away for extended periods of time. He plays Yu Gi Oh and some racing game. He doesn't use the internet, which is virtually impossible on a PSP anyways.

My daughter never plays it. Yet, when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she said "a Nintendo DSi." I read some reviews and then a few more, and pretty soon, I actually became kind of interested. Certainly, this was a purely squid reaction- the looking at specs and features- as I've never played them and God knows I don't have time to start. Anyways, I came up with this quick, non-expert comparison:

Games: If you prefer Pokemon over Yu Gi Oh, then Nintendo is the way to go. If you prefer the other one, then vice-versa. I think Nintendo games tend to be more youth-oriented. Apparently, Yu Gi Oh is a mature, sophisticated cartoon compared to Pokemon.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Gx Tag Force 2

Pokemon - Diamond Version

Internet: Both have Wi-Fi. The PSP requires you to input text and select links thought buttons while the Nintendo lets you use a stylus, which is 100% easier. The DSi also has parental controls, eliminating a parental worry.

Music: The PSP lets you play the common formats. You have to convert your mp3s to AAC if you wish to listen to music on the Nintendo.

Movies: PSP can, DSi, nope. This is a huge advantage, I think.

Convenience: The Nintendo can download games. You have to carry cartridges for the PSP.

Gameplay: Both systems allow players to play against owners of the same system and game.

Extras: The DSi has a camera.

It should be noted that most of the functions above can be done on a phone, although internet might force people to pay for a costly data plan if the phone doesn't have WiFi.

It's a tough choice. I'd say most kids would prefer the ability to watch movies on a long road trip over being able to browse the internet more conveniently at a coffee shop.

What do real experts say? That I'm dead wrong. Nintendo sells far more Nintendo DSs than Sony does.

By the way, this site will let you find the Cheapest Nintendo DSi .

Nintendo DSi + 2GB SD Card Bundle

PlayStation Portable (PSP) Value Pack

PSP 3000 Core Pack - Black

I received an email from Pajamas Media telling me that PM will dissolve it's blog network, of which I'm currently a part. Some have weighed in on the demise of the blog section of PM. Atlas Shrugs makes the point that PM should have only had conservative content. I don't know. I remember hearing that only 8% of people actually enjoy reading contrary opinions, but I doubt that the few liberal articles in the main section and liberal blogs on the blogroll like Balloon Juice caused so much psychic pain to the PM surfer that he would have had to click away in horror, never to return.

Protein Wisdom is worried about his future financial viability:

What this means is that as of April 1, I am officially out of work. So save going to a pay model, this site will likely have to shut down.

Although they don't have Sitemeter on their site, I calculate that PW gets about $100.00 a month from PM. That's nothing to sneeze at, but anybody who can write a topic sentence should be able to scratch by with $100.00 less, and that's assuming that he won't be able to replace his income with adsense or some other blog advertising service. I, for one, call your bluff, Mr. Wisdom, and bet that you'll be blogging in April.

Scorned Gates of Vienna, the first blog I ever read and one of the few bloggers who actually replies to emails from blog newbies, is serving itself a large cup of Schadenfreude.

I liked being part of PM. They paid me some money, published an article of mine, and gave me a sense of pride at having been deemed acceptable to them as a writer. I've also met many of the PM people at Blogworld and found them very nice, especially Aaron, Ed Driscoll, Sybilla, and Stephen Green.

Here was their problem:

Pajamas Media has seemed ashamed of its reason for existence, being a hub for independent-minded conservative blogs by the kind of writers who may not have the connections or time to make it in mainstream media, but who nonetheless have talent.

PM aspired to be more National Review Online than even NRO. NRO is a collection of articles by world-class conservatives who didn't start out as bloggers and a very popular blog, the Corner, itself attractive for its conversational tone and fun banter.

For the time being, Pajamas Media is a collection of articles written by people who, except for Victor Hanson, neither go on television nor write for magazines or newspapers; in other words, by people who are only successful in the blogging world. There are a few internal, but otherwise completely independent and isolated blogs in its "PajamasXpress" section. The "Network Bloggers" section is nothing but a blog roll. There's no sense of community. Nobody talks or links to each other. There's no forum; not even a place where you can see what PM bloggers are writing.

The front page of Pajamas Media should have been a collection of the best blog posts of the day, as chosen by somebody with good taste.

Roger Simon, PM's founder, didn't realize that the most successful new media opinion site, the Daily Kos, is a collection of posts- it feels like a blog. Real Clear Politics is similar in that it's a one-stop view of the what's hot in established-opinion articles. Politico and Huffington Post are close to what Pajamas Media wanted to be, but Politico is more of a news site than an opinion one, with real reporters, AP headlines, etc., and HuffPO centers around an aggregated blog.

If Roger Simon had made a site like Robinson and Long, which is essentially a feed aggregator, he'd have saved tons of money and gotten a lot more hits.

PJTV prospects:

Ironically, the most interesting thing on PJTV is VodkaPundit Stephen Green's segment where he "reads all the blogs so you don't have to." In other words, he's kind of "aggregating" all of the best blogs, Now there's a great idea!

Anyways, I still like Pajamas Media and I hope they do well. I'll subscribe to PJTV for a month and let you know if it's worth it. I'll have a link to their blogroll on which I hope to stay. If they need my puss on TV, I'm there.

Plus side:

PM's ads are in php which means that they use more resources than Adsense's HTML ads. They also have other effects which slow down my site.

This article on Gamespot says that the new, slimmer PSP will get a TV tuner. It only works in Japan right now, but you know how it is in capitalism-supply and demand and all that. It'll be here eventually.

I think it's a good idea. The PSP already functions as a Wi-Fi enabled web browser (although it's torture without a keyboard), primitive PDA, movie and music player, and, of course a game platform. As it stands now, however, movies for the PSP are expensive and ripping your DVDs to the PSP can be a pain.

Being able to view something on your PSP without prior preparation can be a very nice thing.

If my son were able to catch an episode of YuGiOh in the back seat of the minivan, let's say, it could cause a chain reaction that would begin with allowing his siblings to travel un-tortured (or un-enhanced-interrogated), making them quiet, thereby, which would then provide for a peaceful trip for his father, and, finally, get his mother of his father's back for yelling. And that's the nice thing.

It could be a blessing for those adults who prefer television to magazines too. It'd be much better to watch TV on a PSP than a cell phone and if you don't mind what non-geeks think, PSP TV can be a convienient thing to whip out in waiting rooms and long lines. If universal health care passes, everybody'll be carrying one.

This could be a good idea.

I was going to ask "Why don't they have a Wii style controller for PC?", but I decided to not to advertise my laziness and perform a search instead. I came up with this article. It says one is on the way. It's this kind of flexibility coupled with the recent ease with which one can connect a computer to a big-screen TV which still makes the PC the platform of choice in the Guirado residence.

Here's some more:

PlayStation 3’s SIXAXIS has six degrees of tilting freedom, and the Wii-Mote offers tilt and motion tracking capabilities, but new technology from UK peripherals specialist In2Games could create a level playing field for all gaming platforms; from console to PC.

Named Gametrak Fusion, it uses a patent-pending ultrasonic and RF system to track the motion of a Wii-Mote-style controller, using a small base unit on the floor in front of the player. A 3D accelerometer in the controller also provides data on absolute position and orientation.

Combined together, the company claims it is both more accurate and more flexible in terms how it can be applied to games than Wii’s technology. For example, it offers better range and isn’t affected by ambient lighting conditions. Perhaps more interesting however, because the USB-based system is expected to be available for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC platforms, it will provide a potential secondary market for publishers who have developed custom games for the Wii’s hitherto unique controller system. Indeed, In2Games’ managing director Elliot Myers goes so far as to refer to Fusion as providing Wii emulation, albeit with the proviso that it’s more capable.

This story has the Wii beating th other two consoles. Some of my friends bought the Nintendo Wii as soon as it came out and I thought then that it would be the most successful (honest). The reason was simple: The Nintendo Wii was the most fun of the three. Not only was it the most fun, but it allowed a whole new group of gamers to play.

Let me explain. I, and I assume millions around the world, lack whatever necessary finger dexterity is necessary to play quick reaction, twitchy games (first-person shooters) competitively. The Nintendo Wii's legitimately revolutionary gyro-motion control divorced game play from finger control, allowing you to use your whole body in natural movements (Not to be sexist, but I get the feeling that the better half of the population would fall into the group that prefers the whole-body approach). When you think about it, how ridiculous was it that your gaming success depended on one physical trait, finger control?

That one feature counted more than Playstation three and X-Box's higher resolution, faster processors, next generation movie playback (HD-DVD and Blu-Ray), and even greater game selection. The one other feature Nintendo couldn't compromise on was online play and they didn't; the features are pretty much the same across all three platforms.

Indeed, it was as if the folks at Nintendo decided, "you know what? let's just make a game system that's fun" (the name makes sense now, doesn't it?). Let me go over the wisdom of that decision:

1. Only super-squids (let's say maybe 10% of the gaming population) care about the high end features. Most people just want to turn it on and play Super Mario or Dragon Quest. Complication can actually hinder fun as anybody who's ever used technology knows.

2. People don't care about playing movies on their game console. Most people have stand-alone DVD players or can get one for the cost of the special at Domino's if they don't already use their computer. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD aren't compelling technologies either. People are happy with DVD.

3. Music on game consoles? Please. Consumers have about 23 things they can play Mp3 on already.

4. High resolution is nice, but it requires a high resolution screen. They're getting more popular, but still make up only 20% of U.S. households. Think about that. Eighty percent of people, even if they cared about high resolution gaming, wouldn't even be able to enjoy it. Besides, many kids play console games on the second or third family TV, which are much less likely to be HD.

5. Game selection is an advantage when there's one game that everyone has to have. Today, games are pretty much the same. Most gamers don't need to have Brother's in Arms especially. They just need a WWII shooter.

To sum up, the Nintendo people made a wise decision in focusing on game play. They not only allowed a whole new segment of the population to enjoy video games, but made lots of money. Good for them.

By the way, would I allow either three in the Guirado household? No.

This site has a detailed comparison of the different consoles.

Playstation 3

Wii players. Notice women like to play too. Smart.

Yeah, right.

Below is an advertisement for the Wii which illustrates Nintendo's marketing approach. It's a little racy, and I know some of my readers would get offended. Don't watch if girls in tight shorts offend you. I'm serious.

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