Double Jump Spirit

January 12th, 2012

Some friends have started their own podcast and I need to take a minute to not applaud them but get some facts straight about my gaming reputation.

December 31st, 2011

Competition only makes you stronger

It’s true what they say, that competition only makes things better. To end what has been a pretty exciting year, my friend Jared and I competed in an all-day video game marathon. I ended up winning big but I owe it all to my opponent.

December 7th, 2011

Many weeks, many posts, just not here

Things have slowed here at Morning Toast since the summer. Since I started writing for TMA Toys & Games, most of the video game and toy topics I would talk about here have gone there, but I need to stop being so lazy and find other things to talk about. Pretty soon that shouldn’t be [...]

May 10th, 2011

Chinatown Fair, an arcade documentary

Caught a post on Joystiq about Arcade, an upcoming documentary on a “legendary” New York arcade called Chinatown Fair. Not being in New York, it’s obviously just a name to me but seeing the trailer made me smile…and weep.

May 2nd, 2011

8-Bit Generation documentary

I’ve read a lot of books about the history of technology and video games. The internet, IBM, Apple, Microsoft, Nintendo, Atari, Chuck E Cheese…they’re all connected and it’s a wonderful story no matter how many times I read it. But if there’s one thing I like more than reading, it’s watching TV, and a new [...]

February 11th, 2011

Why Guitar Hero died

Guitar Hero is dead because of one reason: lack of music. If game consoles are only as good as the games made for it, then a music game is only as good as the music you play in it. Guitar Hero failed to support their game as much as Rock Band. That’s why I gave [...]

January 7th, 2011

Playing games, making games

I’ve been making my own video games since I was in 7th grade. I’ve always loved the challenge of building a game in the hopes that it can entertain a few people. Creating something that people can enjoy and have fun with is extremely motivating and rewarding. So to help keep me motivated, I’ve decided [...]

March 2nd, 2010

Finally, Wipeout on the Xbox, kinda sorta

I used to be a Playstation gamer. The PS1 and PS2 days were a good times for gaming. Sony ruled the roost and never looked back. We all know that changed when the Xbox 360 and then PS3 was released. The PS3 had everything going for it - except a decent price. All but hardest [...]

February 14th, 2010

Darwinia+ makes herding cats fun

You know the term “it’s like herding cats”? Well, herding cats has never been more fun than it is in Darwinia+ on XBL Arcade. It’s a great balance of RTS, puzzle game, and God sim. But I was surprised it ended up being a full title in my library.

January 31st, 2010

Trials HD, a true Excitebike

Trials HD from the Xbox Live Arcade is another title saved by having a big TV. When I played the demo on my old TV, I just couldn’t get into the experience. The graphics were too dark and too small. But now, they’re awesome. This is game is what you’d get if Excitebike was really [...]

December 22nd, 2009

Paper telephone can save your party

Paper telephone was introduced to me by a friend during a party that had reached that critical point when everyone was gathered but had nothing much to do. Finding an activity that is fun for everyone is tough. Video games don’t work, trivia doesn’t always work, cards are a shot in the dark…but paper telephone [...]

December 18th, 2009

Alien Breed Evolution, where’s Sigourney?

I saw Alien Breed Evolution on the XBLA release list and it looked like my kind of game. I never played the original version, so I got the demo and quickly found it is my type of game - shooting, aliens, spaceships…and not to mention a nice $10 price tag.

December 9th, 2009

Finally getting to settle the score

The lack of the arcade culture is something I’ve written about many times before. It’s something I long to see come back since I’m too young to have been there during its prime. The world on-line gaming scene makes it hard to be a local champ, so that leaves the only fun competition between you [...]

November 27th, 2009

The new TV, part 1

Outside of a house and couple cars, the new TV we bought over Thanksgiving is the single most expensive purchase we’ve ever made. Last year we wimped out. This year we were determined. Best part is, no one had to get up at the crack of dawn to get a good deal.

November 23rd, 2009

Modern Warfare 2, shameless action delivered

I know I’m a little late getting this one out, at least if two weeks is late, but I need to give props to Modern Warfare 2 for actually delivery a sequel that is far better than I expected.

September 23rd, 2009

Being a paintball noob

Playing paintball is one of those things I always wanted to do as a kid but never got around to doing. I always viewed it as an activity that was too expensive (and it is) and I also figured I’d be really bad at it and “die” quickly, sucking whatever fun there was to be [...]

August 25th, 2009

Video game hype works and I hate it

I hate to admit it, but video game hype works on me. Ever since I got my Xbox 360 I’ve been sucked into video game hype like never before. With a slew of good games coming out over the past year, I’ve become a sucker for getting games when they come out. And I don’t [...]

August 22nd, 2009

XBL Arcade games need DLC too

The arcade games on Xbox Live are typically pretty cheap, usually under the $20 price point, which makes them very appealing for cheap gamers like myself. But in the age of downloadable content (DLC), gamers expect a longer shelf life for games…even the cheap ones. Too bad developers are seemingly overlooking the DLC for arcade [...]

July 11th, 2009

Battlefield 1943 and a little Magic go a long way

I admitted being wrong about first-person shooters when I got Call of Duty at the beginning of the year, but never did I think I would find a new, decent shooter for under $20. But wait, there’s more! I have actually found two great games, both under $20, which to me is the cheapskate gamer’s [...]

June 13th, 2009

Chasing Ghosts, beyond King of Kong

If you’re a gamer then you have seen King of Kong, or at least you better have. A tale of one man’s quest to fight evil and become the Donkey Kong champion. King of Kong was a quasi-documentary, really only showing probably one side of the tale, but nonetheless it is extremely entertaining (even if [...]

April 28th, 2009

When arcades created heroes

I was over at 8bithacks.com reading a post about the Street Fighter arcade days and it had me thinking more about the impact of the loss of local arcades. Beyond the loss of honest to god face-to-face socializing, the baron arcade landscape robbed every small town of their local arcade hero.

March 21st, 2009

Geeks vs. Geeky

We had a pretty good discussion about geeks and nerds on the latest CAVEradio show in relation to a little web project I’m starting with some of the CAVEcrew. The project is all about geeky stuff, but local geeky stuff. I’m tired of seeing local “lifestyle” magazines about trendy restaurants, indie music, and where to [...]

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