Backtrack?!? Moi?!? Never….. (ok Well Maybe)

http://www.barrysworld.com/news/columns.asp?Category=6&Author=82

Backtrack?!? Moi?!? Never….. (ok well maybe) | Comments (2)
Sunday, February 2, 2003, 01:36

Engine room, full reverse!
Anybody that knows me, knows for damn sure that getting me to admit that I was wrong is about as easy as getting blood from a stone…… using a cotton wool bud….. in a dark room….. while hanging upside down from the ceiling….. having small children beat you with sticks like you’re a piñata….. while naked. Basically it’s more effort than its worth.

So if it’s so damn hard, what am I about to confess to being wrong about?

Microsoft’s X-Box

Yes, that’s right. You didn’t read it wrong. The above line does indeed contain the words “Microsoft’s” and “X-Box”. They are not typos, this is the real deal. Yes I’m serious.

Now to understand my backtracking, you have to understand the history. When I first laid my eyes on the X-Box I literally started laughing. You know, like we all did when we first heard somebody had given the Cheeky Girls a recoding contract. Why? The usual reasons of course, I’m sure you all know what I’m talking about;

“You can’t be serious, that thing’s bigger than my house”….. “Will I need to reinforce the floor in my living room before buying that?”….. “Can I order mine now and pick it up in 2005, because by then I should have been working out long enough to `actually` pick it up”….. “No really, where is the actual controller?”

Anyway to skip forward, we’ve been through all the days in 2002 now. Those calendars have all been torn down, 2k2 is dead and buried, 6ft under, alongside all those john doe’s and right beside the Christmas console title releases. Frankly in my mind “stank worse than a rotting corpse” is the only accurate comparison for the Crimbo releases of 2002. Not a single gem, no diamond in this rough. Bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD!

So there I was, it’s January 2003 and, despite the `upcoming` (read as: taking too fucking long to arrive) release of the Sonic Mega Collection, the amount of dust gathering on my GameCube is making such a mockery of its beautiful design that I’m contemplating stamping on it to put it out of its misery. If only I could use it to play the spinky Red Dwarf – Season 1 DVD (if you’ve not got this, GO ORDER NOW & pre-order Season 2 while you’re at it) maybe I’d feel better. Then again, DVD playback was about all my PlayStation 2 had been doing. While I confess that Capcom vs. SNK 2 & Marvel vs. Capcom 2 had forced me to shower my PS2 with a minute amount of my attention, it simply wasn’t enough.

So in summary, Console Freakoid (moi) + Crimbo 2k2 (shite releases) = Loss of faith in Nintendo & Sony (shit, that is bad)

Then it happened, a mate of mine who had owned an X-Box for a while got a copy of MechAssault. I didn’t need to have somebody explain to me why the concept of “big killing robot style machines making pretty explosions” was such a winning one, I was hooked. Did it have something to do with me beating the crap out of my mate, was I under the influence of certain substances that shall remain nameless, I can’t be sure. The only thing that I do know is there and then I decided I was to become an X-Box owner.

So, now on my left as I type, sits my latest acquisition, it’s big, it’s black, it makes a whiney noise….. no it’s not a bloody Doberman for god’s sake! It is of course an X-Box, comprising the Console, DVD Playback Kit (so very gay), Controller S, Live! Kit and MechAssault, with an empty wallet thrown in for good measure.

So, what’s my backtrack? The X-Box is a good console. Yes, it’s fucking huge. Yes if you’re not American the original controller is gay. Yes uncle bill is still a wanker for making extra cash on a piece of shit remote control for DVD playback (what’s new). But the games are good, Live works & is good, Controller S is good. There you go, my piss poor backtrack. I hope you all enjoyed it more than I did, really I do.

Forums….. Consoles….. nah, that’s a shit idea
Started work on a new small project I’ve wanted to do for a damn long time. ConsoleForums.org is now up and running, admittedly in a half-arsed capacity but did you expect anything else. So if you like, Consoles and Forums, well erm click the link!….. woo!…. ok, I’ll shut up now.

Ch3tan`s Gone!
Good buddy of mine in real life, one of the more charismatic (?!?) Counter-Strike admins & all round “in the community” bloke, Chetan has departed from the shores of good ole blighty and headed off for an adventure (with his lass there to hold his hand should the big ole world prove too scary, obviously).

Read about his adventures on his website (which I have to keep fixing because he breaks!!!).

That’s all folks
And with that, I’m outta here.

Remember, watch the skies….. another space shuttle could explode :{
Rob / MYstIC G