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Every year, much like E3, there is a convention titled the Game Developers Conference. This year, it ran from March 23rd to the 27th. In that time, many new, innovative games (software) as well as hardware were announced. Two of which being new consoles, or perhaps better dubbed as pseudo-consoles, titled the 'Zeebo' and 'OnLive'. Now we shall look over these two "consoles" and examine what may or may not make them come out ahead of the competition, which is their (eventual) goal.
 First, we are greeted by the OnLive service console thingy. I am hesitant to call it an actual console, because it completely does NOT meet the normal requirements for a 'console' designation, in any respect.
Slated for release sometime in the Winter of 2009, this console/system/thingy uses a unique method of playing games; it streams them, taking DLC to a whole new level. What do I mean by stream? Well, there will be 3 ways to play games: 1) On your PC, 2) On your Mac, or 3) On your TV. To play games via PC or Mac, you download a small plug-in for your browser, which you then access an "OnLive Server", which streams your games directly to your computer, never saving them directly to your hard disk. Supposedly, this method of streaming should work flawlessly, as long as your internet connection and computer meet the minimum requirements. To play on your television, you purchase what has been dubbed a 'Mini-Console', which acts like the small plug-in for your browser. According to the developers, the mini-Console will work with all Bluetooth accessories, so you will be able to use your 360 and PS3 controllers to play their competitor's 'console'.
My own impression? Well, to put it rather bluntly, crash 'n burn, unless the streaming works as well as they advertise it. If it does do what it is supposed to, and be able to play in HD (if you have a high enough bandwith), then it might have some potential. I guess all we can do is wait and see what the base price for the mini-console and the service will be. Only time will tell...
And up next, we have *drumroll*
 The Zeebo! Now, what kind of name is that? Almost sounds suspicious... Like Swoopo... Alas! I am off topic!
The Zeebo was developed by more than 12 companies, and is released under the company TecToy, a distributor in Brazil. The console, dubbed as the "First Brazilian Developed Console", is designed to meet the needs of the ever growing middle class in the 'BRIC', or Brazil, Russia, India, and China. In the next decade, it is projected that over 800 Million will join these ranks, having more money to spend on entertainment. At a base price of only 199.99USD, the console is on par with the Wii in terms of price.
One must remember though, that a Wii in these nations costs a fortune. In fact, the Wii, or PS3, or 360 aren't even officially SOLD there! One must import one from Japan, etc. For example, a Wii costs a Chinese citizen about 1000HKD plus Customs. That's about 450USD! The basic reason for the high cost is because of rampant piracy in these countries. It isn't profitable to market in these countries.
However, the Zeebo is changing this. It will be marketed in these countries, and games will be exclusively DLC only, via a Zeebo specific 3G wireless network, like those used in Smart Phones. The perk is that you do NOT pay for this service. You get the 3G connectivity right out of the box. What you pay for is the games themselves.
While the Zeebo looks a lot more 'childish' than the OnLive, its technical specifications aren't that bad, with a 500+ Mhz Processor, 3D Graphics core, and so on. The console has had interest by many major developers seeking to place their games on the system's line up. To me, the Zeebo looks like a good deal for these people in the BRIC, and can introduce a new generation to gaming.
The verdict is... Well, I'd say the Zeebo swoops OnLive off the board. The OnLive has too much that can go wrong, with its streaming technology. The Zeebo has games that you actually download, and get to keep, even if they are digital. If the Zeebo is ever marketed outside of the BRIC, then I would probably purchase it before the OnLive service.
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In the spirit of my "The Best System Ever" series, we, as a community, will choose the BEST video game character... EVER!!! "But, there are so many," one might say... Well, this is where the blog comes in.
YOU! The reader! You will submit 2 Nominations via the Comment box for the "Best of the Best" Poll/Tournament. You will say the character's name, the game or games that they are in (or the series, ie Final Fantasy), and submit. Done! Hopefully, everyone's nomination can get in, provided that we have at least a few duplicates (hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge). Then, rounds will consist of 2 or 4 characters each, depending on the number originally submitted. The poll will progress to the next round after 5 days. Each character that is in a specific poll on a specific day will also be paired with a bio. This bio will have information on the character, as well as a picture, etc.
Now, the clincher; I'm giving you, the reader, the ability to submit a bio to be included in the polls. Granted, it will probably be cut down and reformatted, but you will receive credit, and lot's of it. I do this to cut down on time out of my studies.  Not all bios will need to be submitted, but if people are in a writing mood, then you can shoot me a PM with a bio in it on a specific character that is in any given poll. This will make the poll run a lot smoother, and it gets your name put out there! What a snazzy idea, right?! 
So, to push the snowball down the hill, my two picks are... (drumroll):
-Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog series)
and
-Mario (Mario series).
Let's see those Nominations people, and may the best man (or rather, character) win!
[img width=230 height=87]http://www.rfgeneration.com/images/repository/07362Swoopo_logo.png[/img] is Evil
Everyone wants things on the cheap. After all, we are going through some tough economic times right now. When you see an add that says "Playstation 3 sold for $32.50! Visit now!", you are immediately drawn in. A PS3, for less than list, and it looks legit?! Is this possible?! Well, my friend, I am here to tell you how...
You see, the site we are talking about is none other than Swoopo, which just so happens to be more vile and evil than e(vil)bay itself. Swoopo is a relatively new site, founded in 2005 for German bidders, with it coming to the States in September of 2008. It is not a normal bidding site, AT ALL. See, on a bidding site like ebay, each item is posted by another user. Then, you, the buyer, bids on said item. After that, you pay the buyer, who then pays fees to ebay and ships you the item. That's normal.
This is how Swoopo works:
You are you. Swoopo is swoopo. There is no seller other than swoopo. You buy from the company that is swoopo, not some other seller. Every bid you place raises the price of the item by $0.15, or $0.01, if it is a penny auction. It also, if there is less than 20 seconds left on the auction left, it brings the time back up to 20 seconds. Oh, and I almost forgot... Each bid costs you, the bidder $0.75!
So, we have all of these different factors, correct? What is wrong with this, then? Well, it's the basic fact that, if a penny auction makes it to $175.92, that's 17592 bids at $.75 each, on say, an Item that costs $899.99 for them to buy. That's $13,369.92 income on one item on swoopo's end, which figures to nearly 1400% profit! Meanwhile, 17591 or so people have been shafted because they all payed money to get nothing! Then, the winner has gotten truly lucky, because they managed to bid last and not have anyone else re-bid again, which resets the clock again to 20 seconds.
Well, the authorities in many places have caught on. In England, swoopo was investigated as an unregistered gambling site, and let off the hook. This is where you come in. What are your feelings on this evil, dastardly, bastardly site? Will you sign up, and see if you can nab a deal? If you think so, then you may be right. The chances are slim, but you might just get the deal of your lifetime, or at least, your day.
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When someone says 'Fire Emblem', many Americans and Europeans may not know what you are talking about. The Fire Emblem franchise was introduced to North America and Europe not too long ago, with a Game Boy Advance release titled Fire Emblem, in 2003/2004. Prior to this date, NA'ers and Europeans had only learned of the series via either the import scene, or Super Smash Brothers: Melee, on the GameCube.
But, what many do not know, is that FE has been a long standing, and quite popular franchise in Japan. Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Ken or Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragons and the Blade of Light in English, was released in 1990 on the Famicom, or NES to the rest of the world. On February 17th, 2009, North America was 3rd to recieve this original game (being released on December the 5th, 2008 in Europe) in an all new, remade format, titled Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon.
Utilizing the DS's 2 screen interface, this (practically) new game is incredibly fun to play, and has a wonderful background soundtrack.
Learning Curve:
Quite Easy to start with, but as you approach Chapter 5 - 7, it gets progressivly more difficult. It jumps up to this quite difficult-ness very quickly, instead of slowly getting more difficult.4.5/5
 Gameplay/Story:
Awesome! The story is very fun to read, and you feel as if you are actually part of the game, in a way. I won't spoil it for you, but you basically take on the persona of Prince/King Marth, commanding your forces and Leveling up, to save your kingdom.5/5
Replay Value:
Since I haven't actually beaten it yet, I can't say much on the topic of replay value yet. It seems to me, however, that this would be a game that going back to after you beat it makes it really easy. 4/5
Music:
Brilliant. The music fits the tone of the game amazingly, and the composer did a wonderful job. It also makes great use of the DS's fairly high Audio Quality, sounding very nice even through the speakers. 5/5
To sum it all up, Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is a great game. It has many qualities that make it highly addicive the moment youy begin to play. For the normal DS game price of $29.99, you can get more than your money's worth out of this game.
18.5/20 or 92.5%
Welcome to Ask-a-Blog Numero Dos! Today's question: 'How did you find rfgeneration?'
Fairly simple, but again, let's here those answers! 
My story is *drumroll*:
I spend a lot of time on Google. A lot. A lot a lot. A lot times a lot. You get the idea. The year is 2006, and I am perusing the following search query: "Video Game Collection Organizer". At around, oh, I dunno, page 7 or so, rfgeneration.com caught my eye. I clicked it, looked around, and decided it was nice, and something I would come back to. Bookmarked.
Fast forward to 2007, April of '07. I'm organizing my bookmarks, when I see a logo that I'm not too familiar with. 'RFGen'. Out of curiosity, I click the bookmark, and actually LOOK around the site. I missed a great site, and knew I should join up immediately, and promptly so. My official register time stamp is April 22, 2007, 10:31:31 AM, user number 1263. And I have been hooked ever since. The spring/summer of 2008 is when I really got hooked though, and became an active member in many aspects of the site, including the Forums, Blog, Blog Commenting, and Database...
So, there's my story. How's about your story (if you pardon the colloquialism...)?
'How did you find
[img width=234 height=60]http://www.rfgeneration.com/left.gif[/img] ?'
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![[IMAGE]](http://static.arstechnica.com/assets/2009/03/640-zeebo-thumb-640xauto-3757.jpg){kind=link}
![[IMAGE]](http://cdn.onlive.com/images/1/web_mc_controller.png){kind=link}
![[IMAGE]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/69/Swoopo_logo.png){kind=link}