Memorable Gaming Moment 2001: The Gamecube

When I think of gaming in the Year 2001, I think of Nintendo's little lunchbox: the Gamecube. I can remember when Nintendo announced the name and my first time seeing the console; it was so tiny. Also, the games themselves were tiny, but the system packed a lot of power. The Gamecube was released three days after the Xbox and I didn’t give a damn about the Xbox; Microsoft did not belong in the game biz. Nintendo was a powerhouse and had a history of bringing us some of the best games ever made. I couldn’t wait for Super Mario Sunshine, but day one I was getting Rouge Squadron II.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2001: Halo

2001 was not only a great year for hardcore gamers, but it was also a year when the world started opening its eyes to gaming as a very real entertainment industry; one that was starting to make billions and was slowly creeping into every household in America. Sony got its production issues with the PS2 taken care of and units were flying off the shelves. Sure, there were bad things that happened; specifically, I spent most of the year mourning the slow death of the Dreamcast (but I already talked about that).

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2000: The Dreamcast

Most gamers remember the year 2000 as the year the Playstation 2 was unleashed upon the world, but I don’t. This is mostly because; well… that whole “unleashing” thing didn’t work out very well for Sony. Manufacturing problems meant that a PS2 was hard to come by for a little while and the system didn’t have any particularly stand-out launch titles. Besides, I was far too busy playing the Dreamcast and tinkering with my PC to turn my attention to a new console. I was convinced that the Dreamcast was the future of gaming and that anyone who didn’t have one in their living room (with a Dreamcast internet disc and keyboard right next to it) was missing out on the revolution. And you know what? In a very painful sort of way, I’m still convinced. Even though I spent hundreds of hours that year playing revolutionary PC games that would end up defining who I am as a gamer, the single biggest memory I have of the year 2000 is clear: the Dreamcast. The whole system; all of its games; every time I looked at that little system, I thought, “This is the future, and the future? It’s a fucking blast.”

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2000: The Sims

The year 2000 was a great year for gaming. The Sega Dreamcast was still just a baby with hopes of bringing credibility back to the Sega brand name. The Playstation 2 would release and turn out to be one of the greatest consoles in gaming history. 2000 also featured many big game releases such as Diablo II, Perfect Dark, Final Fantasy IX, and much more. While all of this was going on, there was one game that captured me like nothing before: The Sims.

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Memorable Gaming Moment 2000: EverQuest

EverQuest may not have been released in 2000, but it was the first time I had a computer that was able to run it. I had heard a lot about this MMO, and having played Ultima Online, I wanted to give this 3D MMO a shot. Sarah, who I was married to at the time, had bought me the game and a graphics card capable of running the game. It took a little bit to get used to how this type of MMO worked. My first character was a Dwarven Cleric. I thought he was a powerhouse as he tore through the evil rat hoard outside his hometown. Sarah started watching me play and she became very interested as well.

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The Sausage Dump #6: Rob Hates You Too

Better late than never eh? This week's episode is a tad short, but it's about quality, not quantity. We are graced by Kari's presence once again and the Mexican is late, but that should surprise no one. I'm really at a loss for words right now and have no idea what to say. Just know that Rob hates me, you, and everything we know and love, including kittens ...unless they're red-haired kittens.

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Games of the Decade: Final Fantasy X

Final Fantasy X was released for the Playstation 2 on December 20^th, 2001; just a little over a year after the release of the hardware. It ended up being one of the best Japanese role playing games ever released on the PS2. I include this game on my ‘Games of the Decade’ list for a bunch of reasons. The main reason is that I can remember key scenes from the game as if I had just played it yesterday. The opening of the game is so strong that it just blew me away when I first played it. I can still remember Yuna and Tidus kissing in the water, and the first time Yuna does the dance to keep away Sin.

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9 Games That Should Have Been Awesome, But Ended Up Sucking

Just as every year is full of surprises; every year is also full of much suckage. There are those special games that little boys and girls get excited for and end up with nothing but a big bowl of diarrhea and disappointment. These are just a few examples of some games that should have been awesome, but ended up sucking the big one; and by big one, I mean my sausage. Please show your love/hate for our personal picks and let us know which games disappointed you.

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6 Games That Should Have Sucked, But Ended Up Awesome

Every year is full of surprises. There are games that end up disappointing and games that leave us surprised with our pants around our ankles. This particular list highlights the latter of previously mentioned games; the games that should have sucked, but ended up being rather awesome. We will post our second list, 9 Games That Should Have Been Awesome, But Ended Up Sucking, tomorrow. In the mean time, feel free to show your love/hate for our personal picks and maybe leave us a comment with some of your own personal choices. P.S. - Feel free to check out the "beta" prototype of a possible fancier setup for future features.

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Podcast Reviews: The Mediocre Show

I have heard about podcasts for years without ever really thinking about what they were. About six months ago, after receiving my first iPod, I actually looked around for some podcasts to listen to and found it hard to know what I wanted. After meeting Big St3ph3n and getting involved with the guys at Distributed Failure, I started branching out to listen to more shows. Through Twitter and Xbox Live, I have heard people mention other podcasts all the time. The Problem is that no one ever really talks about what a show is focused on, what it features or why it's different from others. That's what I am hoping to provide here; Insight on what each podcast is about and my opinion on how well it works. To start this off, here is my review of The Mediocre Show.

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