I'm getting too old for this....

[puppetmaker]

I think I am getting old and am about to check the length of my trousers.

There are two gaming systems due to come out any day now. One is the PS3 and the other is the Nintendo Wii (pronounced Wee I am informed not Why?). Then there is grand mal seizure Elmo, excuse me the 10 anniversary edition of Tickle Me Elmo. Interestingly enough my kids are not asking for any of them. I have been reading articles about people camping out for that (think best Gollum voice) preeecious which will transform their lives. How will it do that you may ask. Apparently because they plan to that the precious and put it up on E-bay and making enough money to put their kids through college, pay off all their debts and buy a new house.

Let's take the case of Tickle me Elmo. In stores if you can find one the toy is $39.95. On Ebay right now it seems to be going for about 60.00 for the low end and 80.00 for the high end plus shipping. So if you have one to sell you are making 25 minus the posting fees. Now consider the amount of time that you spent in line not being able to do anything else except wait to buy the doll. How much is your time worth? And how many of these people are buying in hopes of selling at a higher price during Christmas? The bubble is going to burst on this as of December 23rd since if someone wants it for Christmas that is the last day you can get it shipped to them in time for absurd amounts of money.

Now there are already reports of massive problems with the electronics on the PS3 and it was also announced that the PS3 unlike the PS2 won't play all the games of the previous model. Yeah, I know the graphics are gonna kick ass but still I think the graphics on my PS2 kick major ass. So people are gambling that they will have the one that works that they can sell for lots of money. And if it doesn't work well then they have to find a replacement unless they carefully word their sales pitch that they will not be held responsible if the thing doesn't work. Now where do you go to get a replacement since there are no units to be had? Your guess is as good as mine.

We know less about the Wii other than it has a wireless handheld that moves as you move your hand. I guess the Star Wars lightsabre duel on that game is going to be a real pain to play. But still people are betting on other people wanting to spend exorbitant amounts of money on something that may not work and can't be replaced until early 2007.

Frankly I don't have any interest in either system. I am a turn based role player. I don't have (never had had) the coordination to play first person shooter games. Weird I know. I can puppeteer with best of them but I am crap at video games. I found this out at early age while playing pac-man. So a lot of these new games are not easy (try impossible) for me to play now. I liked the previous Final Fantasy games but am unsure if I can even play the new one. There are great games out for my gameboy but some that I would have played I have not bought because of the real time element which makes it very hard for me to get very far in the game. Fortunately I do have a number of games I have collected over the years that I can play and have fun playing so the video system I have right now does fine for me. And maybe that does make me old but at least I won't be sleeping in a tent this weekend for a hunk of plastic that might or might not work.

I am grateful for the video systems I have that do work.

Comments

[auroraceleste.livejournal.com]

Nintendo has a pact with the devil. I swear. That's the only thing that could make me buy three systems in a row just to play Legend of Zelda in some form or another. I'll probably get the Wii (yup, wheee!) when they put out the new Zelda, but I'm not sure if I'll like the new wand thing or not.

You might like Zelda, though, it's puzzles not shooters. I don't do good with shooters either. I loved Final Fantasy X and X-2, but I'm watching Lou play XIII and I'm not sure if I'm gonna try it or not. It seems more real-time, less strategic.

Ironically enough, my favorite system right now is the old-school Nintendo emulator on my computer. Nothing like playing Mario, Mario 2, or Mario 3. Donkey Kong, Burger Time, A Boy and his Blob, Dr. Mario . . .

[heartnut.livejournal.com]

*lovingly pats her own systems*
Atari 7600
NES
SNES

None of which work, of course... I need to sell them as a lot on Ebay with all the games. The only reason I keep them is so I am legal in running an emulator on my laptop, I think.

[tru2myart.livejournal.com]

"grand mal seizure Elmo"

ROTF!!! You had me at that line. :D

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Have you seen that thing in action?

Even Kevin Clash is calling it that off the record.

[readinggeek451]

I love it, too.

[autographedcat.livejournal.com]

I have a PS/2, of which the only game we've ever actually continued to play was Dance Dance Revolution. (To be fair, that's what we bought it for).

Few of the other games I've bought have the replay value of any of my old Atari 2600 games.

[billritch.livejournal.com]

Since I am MUCH older than you, K., I can say with authority -- you are getting old. :) However, even the 20somethings I know are not standing in line for PS3s. I think it is some sort of fraternity hazing ritual or something.

Now I understand queuing up days in advance for a movie (care to say Serenity?) -- but not a gaming system. Hell! The games haven't really even been released yet.

My most recently purchased gaming system is an Atari 2600. I love Ms. Pac Man and Centipede. I hate Doom et al.

[ghilledhu.livejournal.com]

The games I like are things that involve no shooting at all: "Guitar Hero" (You have to hit the notes in a song as you perform it; the audience responds to how well you're doing), the "Katamari" games (you...roll stuff up into giant balls. Really! It's surprisingly fun and addictive), and "Okami", which I actually have just been watching darthsatyr play. It's got some fighting of demons, but primarily you're a Shinto god who's descended to purify the land. You actually get points for making trees burst into bloom.

Oh, and I love you for that "Grand Mal Elmo" line!

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

thank you thank you I'll be here all week. try the veal.

"Grand Mal Seizure Elmo" -- XD -- *high fives*

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

If you're feeling evil, seek out a copy of Squee's Wonderful Big Giant Book of Unspeakable Horrors by Jhonen Vasquez. One of the "Meanwhile..." stories in it is about the Tickle Me Hellmo. I'll spoil no more.

Re: "Grand Mal Seizure Elmo" -- XD -- *high fives*

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

I have a signed copy of that book.

I remember the first time I unpacked JTHM from the box and flipped through it to see if I needed to bag it before putting it out on the rack and laughing myself silly at the concept.

[chris-walsh.livejournal.com]

I've finally been inducted into the Cult of Jhonen: I've been immersing myself in Zim and Squee for about the last two months (a time when I've really needed to laugh, and the Zim episode with the dogfighting planets made me laugh harder than I had in ages, so bless him for that). How did I not start paying attention to this guy earlier?

[puppetmaker40.livejournal.com]

Until Zim hit, he flew under the radar. I hand sold him to a lot of my customers who became fans of his work.

[readinggeek451]

You and I *are* old: we remember Pong. [g] (I also remember it was a lot more fun on the old TV with the non-working vertical hold.)