Gana go in reverse order, cause I think it is important to clear the air.

Nixxon decided to try to post a RLPIX of me. It was a good attempt, but as the picture below shows, Photoshop (or Paint even) is a powerful tool, and with great photo editing power comes great responsibility. Nixxon should have known better...

So now, I present the pic that Nixxon stole my head from. I warn you, this pic may be a little graphic for some of the younger audience (like Auto).

As you can see, he simply cut my head out of this shot of me on the beach, back when I was a life guard, and added the body of a boomkin. Which, while awesome, it totally unrealistic. And he should be ashamed.

But I am not one to hold grudges against people with very small penises, so...Moving on...

Champions Online...

Danz gave it a pretty harsh review...sorta...well...he actually gave it a great review and then said don't buy it...I didn't really get that. But it's ok, cause Danz is a sexy, Beetles-hating beast, so I forgive him.

But seriously, CO is a great way to help releive a little stress, and once you get to around 20 (half of max level) the challenge of the game picks up significantly, you have to start making very wise power choices, your powers need to combo a lot better, and block becomes your only real means of survival.

So if you like super heroes, then you should give it a try. Or if, like Nixxon, you wear tights in real life, so you have no desire to wear them in a video game, than it probably isn't the game for you. The decision to buy this game should be much less about the game play (although obviously that should factor at least a little), and a lot more about how bad ass you think it would be to make your own super hero from scratch. If you can imagine your very own super hero, then you will probably love the game. Like Danz said, there is something pretty awesome about pretending to be Super Man and beating the shit out of countless little henchman with Super Strength, Laser Vision, and Ice Breath.

And finally, Netbooks...

I got one today. Gana see how it goes. Got a 30 day money back on it if I don't like it, but I think it will be awesome. No DVD drive, but that is about the only suck part. I know it won't play anything cool like WoW or CO, but it will be nice to have. And the thing weighs like 2 pounds with the battery, no joke. It is tiny.

Anyone else got one of these things? I wana get the most out of mine if I am gana keep it, so if someone else had expereince with them, good or bad, let me know. And if someone knows a good way to get some awesome older games onto a DVD-less comp, also let me know. I am thinking Pirate Bay and GoG are gana be FTW. Maybe Steam too, so I can get Plants Vs. Zombies...that game is the shit.

So that is it, another fantastic blog by me! Keep up the good work, Me!

I'm Ron Beargundy, you stay classy Azeroth.

So I have been playing Champions Online a bunch lately. Fun game, definitely no WoW-Killer, but totally amusing...

But I have noticed something while playing it...People are uncreative boobs...

I swear to god, the next time I see a cheap wolverine knock off or a stupid samurai or a god damn chick running around nearly naked with absolutely no concept I think I am gana scream! Just cause you name your character Wolveeene or Wolferine, or Wolverain doesn't mean you aren't breaking Champions costume and naming clauses in the EULA and it doesn't not make you a total dumbass.

Seriously, this game has what is EASILY the most robust character generation software of any MMO ever released. There are like 50 sliders for your face, 50 for you body type, and like 50 million different costume pieces. And for Christ's sake, if your really at a lose for ideas, there is a randomize all button that you can use to give you ideas. It makes competent, color matching, costume appropriate heroes (so it isn't completely random).

Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of AWESOME costumes out there. Most of them are way to hard to describe (aka, they are unique and beautiful, or really really really ugly snowflakes) and I should take screen shots, but I always forget (or I am being pummeled in the PvP arenas by the snowflake and I don't have time to take a ss before I am a little red smear on the floor...god damn I am bad at PvP).

So I guess the point is, next time you see something creative, be it a piece of art or music or a cool looking character in an MMO, stop and appreciate it and realize that the person who made it is part of a tiny minority of people on this earth who actually have an independent bone in their bodies. Artists, of any type, are a rare, dieing breed, and they should be applauded for their efforts to stand out and be different.

I'm Ron Beargundy, you stay classy Azeroth.

Not you guys...The other Haters...The Haters of the World of Warcraft.

I am sure you guys know a few. People who hate WoW and everything it stands for. Me, I got a friend who plays FF11 (as many WoW haters do, I have found). He swears up and down that WoW is terribad and he doesn't know why anyone plays it. But when I ask him specifically what it is about the game that he dislikes, he can never come up with anything (except Gnomes....why all the Gnome hate?)

He is just a Hater. For whatever reason, he, and many people like them, think it is somehow cool to hate whatever is popular at the moment. He doesn't really have a reason, he doesn't really have a purpose for the hate, he just hates.

And then there are other people, like one of my other friends. He has played WoW since beta, just like me, and he still plays all the time. Yet he is constantly hating anything new they put out. Just yesterday he was telling me how horrible the next xpac looks and how he will definitely stop playing WoW when it is released. And I just smiled and reminded him he said the same thing about WotLK and BC before, yet he plays on. He is also a Hater.

Now I am not saying FF11 is a bad game. Never played it, so I can't comment. I am also not saying that the new xpac doesn't have things I am not overly thrilled about. I am not hating on anything, though. I, like most of you I imagine, am willing to give it a chance and I trust in the track record of Blizz to not mess anything up too bad.

And I am not saying there aren't other fun MMO's or other fun games out there. There are tons of good games and many good MMO's. Warhammer is a lot of fun, I played that for a while. Champion's Online is coming out in a couple of days. I got it preordered. I am sure it will be tons of fun too. Not too far in the future, there is Star Wars: Old Republic. That game gets me so excited I pee a little every time it is mentioned.

But do I think I will ever stop playing WoW, just cause another MMO comes out? It's possible. It is also possible I wake up tomorrow and find I have the ability to fly. Possible, but not likely. Other games are fun, they are a great way to curb WoW-related burnout, and they are a great thing to mess around with on patch/server maintenance days. But WoW always seems to come out ahead when it comes to a side-by-side comparison.

Sometimes it is content, other times it is lore, other times it is game-play mechanics, other times it is just plain old polish, but WoW always seems to have the lead on other MMO's. And they are quick to grab any popular feature of another MMO and make it their own (guild levels, exp in PvP, and Wintergrasp all seem like elements pulled straight out of Warhammer Online's Greatest Hits list).

Maybe that has something to do with the massive, high-quality team they have working on WoW. Maybe it is cause they have a metric fuck ton (not to be confused with the English Standard fuck ton), of money to throw at problems. Maybe it is cause their guys are the most passionate/creative when it comes to making an amazing MMO. Maybe it is a little of all that and more. But whatever it is, WoW (almost) always seems to get it right. And that is what keeps them growing, even after they hit ludicrous numbers of subscribers.

WoW is king. And it's good to be the king. And their ain't nothing wrong with liking the very best. So the next time you run into a Hater, just remember, they are all sound and fury, signifying nothing.

So play on, WoW lovers, and don't let the Haters get you down.

I'm Ron Beargundy, you stay classy, Azeroth.

...you're setting up your WoW mouse, checking it for comfy-ness while surfing the internet for info on the new WoW Non-Combat Pets (NCPs), while watching Blizzcon coverage on a live feed, AND talking about the Blizzcon coverage with a friend on the phone via Blue Tooth.

That is where I found myself this afternoon. Kind of an odd sensation to be basically doing 4 WoW related things at once, with none of them being actually playing the game. It got me thinking. How much of my life revolves around WoW? And is it too much?

I spend most of my day at work talking about WoW (with my boss and co-workers, who all play), or looking up WoW-related items on Mobile Armory or the 3G internet on my iPhone. What can I say, I work at a slow pharmacy.

When I get home, Monday-Thursday, I raid. Raid starts no more than 1 hour and 30 minutes from the time I get home, and sometimes it is as little as 1 hour after I get home. After raid, it is RIGHT to bed with me, because I get up at 7:30am, so that I can get all my dailies done before I got to work at 11. Friday nights I generally spend with my girl, but Saturday and Sunday are basically straight WoW-fests.

My roommate and best friend summed it up nicely today. He raids in a very progressive/serious guild. He said that even though he raids much more hardcore than Severance, he plays much less WoW than I do. And I realized he was right.

So you will see me on a little bit less. Sure, I will be there for raids, and the occasional all day play session. But a little more time away from the most addictive substance on the planet (WoW) might not be a bad idea for me. And maybe y'all should check to see if a little extra time away might just be the ticket for you too. Doesn't have to be a permanent life-style change (lord knows I can't stay away for too long or I get the sweats), but it never hurts to make sure you're not overdoing it.

So here is to NOT getting that next Achievement. Here's to NOT farming more Champion's Seals. Here's to NOT grinding out that 100th NCP. Here's to getting out in the Real World™ and doing things, or, at the very least, playing a different video game. LOL!

I'm Ron Beargundy, you stay classy, Azeroth.