…and I’m not just talking about the brown pants/brown socks combo the Cleveland Browns sported tonight in the “national spotlight” against the Giants…

Yes, they made a game of it, but the damage was done when it was first team against first team.  The Browns fell down 30-3, and were absolutely beaten like a rented mule by the Giants in all of phases of the game in the first quarter. 

Last year’s suprising record was a product of a weak schedule.  Those opponents really masked the Browns’ weaknesses.  This year, the schedule is much tougher, and I doubt they’ll pass the test.  The pundits are thinking playoffs; I’m thinking 4-12.  This team is weak in the secondary and linebacking core, can’t pressure the quarterback, and has no depth in the rushing game.  I hate to say it, but they will be exposed.

As a lifelong Browns fan, it’s tough for me to like this team.  My college allegiances run deeper, and I really am not a fan of Winslow, Edwards, Quinn, or Davis.  I don’t like the Coach, either, and I’ve never been much of a Jamal Lewis fan, stemming from his prior trouble with the law.  How do you root for a team you really don’t like?

Hopefully, I’m wrong in my assessment, and they’ll put it all together and have a successful year.  If not, at least I can take the reigns in NFL Head Coach, get rid of the players I don’t like, and build a winner my way.

One good note tonight was the performance of former Zip Domenik Hixon.  He had three touchdowns in the first quarter - 2 catches (one was absolutely fabulous) and 1 return off of a safety kick.  Dare I say he’s the best Zip in the NFL right now?  Good for him, even if it was against “my” team.  As I said before, my college allegiances run deeper…

I was recruited by everybody coming out of high school (well, virtually, in NCAA Football 09 for the Xbox 360).  As a running back, I led my team to the state championship, although I didn’t really put up eye-popping numbers (no games over 200 yards rushing, for example).  Trying to keep it as realistic as possible, I chose Ohio State, because that’s what I would’ve done in “real life” had I been that kind of football player.

So, I go to Ohio State as the 4th string running back.  I want realism, and this aspect pleases me.  I’m almost 200 points away from 3rd string, meaning I have my work cut out for me, as I should.  I honestly don’t expect to see the field this season, especially considering the lack of substitutions by virtual Tressel while simulating games - even in blowouts against lesser competition.  After completing every practice for about 4 weeks, I finally beat out Maurice Wells for third string.  It turns out, I only need 10 additional points to supplant Brandon Saine, which I complete during the same practice week.  It should be another 200 points to get past him!

The previous game, Heisman candidate Beanie Wells tore his hamstring which put him on the shelf for 10 weeks.  In his stead, Brandon Saine ran for 290 yards, averaging about 10 yards per carry.  Nonetheless, heading to #5 rated Wisconsin (we’re undefeated and #1 at this point), I get the start.  I just don’t think that would happen in real life.  I haven’t proven a thing, and moving up the charts was really more about attrition for me than talent (even though my ratings are “99″ in speed in close to that in acceleration and agility, which is another complaint I have - I’m too good for a freshman who performed like I did in “high school!”). 

So, I start, and have a good game in another win.  I had 90 yards rushing on 18 carries, and 48 yards receiving on 8 catches.  Saine did get 4 carries, too, but he earned much more than that in my opinion based on the previous week’s performance.  I was expecting to go along for the ride to the National Championship, hoping to maybe see some action as a kick returner.  Now, it looks like I’m starting at least until the bowl game (I’m about 160 points away from beating out Beanie, which might happen, but it shouldn’t, realistically).

I get that the game is geared for the pick-up-and-play crowd, but if I wanted to jump right in and be a star, I would’ve went to a smaller school.  Given the Buckeyes’ depth chart and talent level, I should’ve spent almost the whole season as 4th string, and then moved up to 2nd string the next year since the two Wells graduate.  I would expect to push Saine sometime in the middle of my sophomore year into my junior year.  Now, it looks like he’ll be backing me up for the long haul.  This disappoints me, because I value realism in my sports games.  I want to feel a sense of accomplishment when I earn my spot on the depth chart.  I guess my only two options are to start simulating practices, or changing the difficulty level to Heisman from All American.

That said, I really am enjoying my virtual success.  I think I’ll take my man to the NFL in Madden, too, which is a super-cool feature.

It’s nice to end on a good note…  Gameshark has posted my Top Spin 3 review for the 360.  As I’ve eloquated here in the blog, Top Spin is an outstanding game - especially if you’re familiar with how to play tennis.  Your footwork, racket preparation, timing, and aim all factor into the quality of shot that you hit.  Plus, there’s an excellent player-creator and a pretty deep career mode.  Count this as one I’ll be getting for my collection, as should all tennis players/fans.  When 2K delivers, they deliver in spades!

(Sorry for no link - Gameshark is down right now.  I’ll edit this post and add it later.  If you go to www.gameshark.com when it’s back up, you’ll see the review on the front page, if you’re interested).

EDIT:  Click here for the review.

It’s been a fun ride for 18 months, but I can no longer commit the time necessary to complete reviews for a “professional” website.  Looking at the kids’ upcoming schedules for this fall, plus with us trying to sell our house, makes it pretty tough to get in the required hours by a deadline to complete a quality review.  As the kids get older, my free time is going to continue to dwindle.  I just don’t want spend all of “my” down time reviewing games - especially if they’re ones that don’t interest me.  I’ll still do plenty of gaming, and I’ll still offer thoughts and maybe a review or two on this blog, but without the pressure of a deadline or at the cost of my time that needs to be spent elsewhere.

I really enjoyed the experience, though, and it really was the fulfillment of one of my goals/dreams.  I guess I can check that off of my personal “bucket list.”  Bill Abner and the rest of the Gameshark staff were very supportive and great!  As a matter of fact, Bill offered to bring me back into the fold if/when I’m ready, which I really appreciate.  I don’t think I’ll be taking him up on the offer, but it was nice of him anyway.

The MAG should continue as normal.  As a matter of fact, I may be posting more gaming stuff than before, since I’ll be spending more time with games that interest me, and playing more games with my kids and friends online.  For example, my son and I had our first Guitar Hero showdown tonight, and the old man beat him 3 out of 4!  It was a close battle, but more importantly, a fun one.  It helps that I knew the songs, so I was a little better on the rhythm, although he’s played GH significantly more than me.

Also - I couldn’t resist - I picked up the Madden Collector’s Edition for the 360 today.  I got it mostly for Head Coach, but I’m sure my son and I will be having our own little “Madden Nation” tournament of sorts.  I’ll be sure to post some thoughts on both Madden and Head Coach as I spend time with them.

So, thanks to my friend Jason of SGN, I’ll still be able to write about games here at the MAG.  I won’t get paid for it, and I won’t get games for free anymore, but the extra time I’ll have for myself and to spend with my family will be worth the loss of a few dollars.  Now it’s time to see where else life will take me, and to see if I can scratch some other items off of my list…

We were up in Akron this weekend for my niece’s birthday party.  We also got to spend an evening alone, as the kids went to grandpa’s, which is a rare treat!  On the way home, Melissa and I decided to take the kids by the old alma mater to show them the stomping grounds of our young adulthood…

The University of Akron has changed - a lot!  There is now a full practice field on campus, as well as a new indoor practice facility.  The baseball, softball, and soccer fields have also been re-done, and are in close proximity to the other athletic facilities.  Also, Akron is buidling an on-campus football stadium, and we walked right up to the construction site to see the progress.  This is big, because in the past the team practiced and games were played (and are played through this year) at the Rubber Bowl, which is about 5 miles off campus.  We also walked by some of the new colleges and dormitories, and visited my former living quarters and our former hang-outs on campus.  Overall, it was a neat experience, and I wanted my kids to get an idea of what going to college is like.

As a bonus, the Zips happened to be practicing in their outdoor facility.  The field itself is basically just surrounded by a chain-link fence, with a few gates for coming and going.  On the other side of the fence, we were literally just a few feet (and right next to, if we wanted to be) the players.  We got to observe a lot of drills first-hand, and listen to the coaches and players as they moved quickly through their paces.  Fortunately, there wasn’t a lot of bad language.  Towards the end, we got to see the offense and defense do a little scrimmaging.   I was excited for my son, because I wanted him to see what major college athletes look like (even the “little guys” are big, believe me).  He commented that they were so much faster than they look on TV.  There was some physical play going on, and I think my son learned a little bit about “game speed.”

Obviously, I was also scouting out the Zips, and they were impressive in a few areas (defensive line, running back), but worrisome in others (defensive backs, quarterbacks).  I was really disappointed while watching our QB’s throw the ball.  Needless to say, I don’t think we have anyone with an NFL arm.  Hopefully, they’ll get the job done when the season starts, though.

I’ve been getting into this “LLAMA” (lower league management in Football Manager) thing lately.  Since the version of the game I’m using is called “Worldwide Soccer Manager,” I thought it would be cool to see if I could open up every league in the world (in the game) to play and see where it leads me.  It’s something like 51 nations and 117 leagues, and I’m using a “medium” player database, starting in January of 2007.

Although I like the concept, I think I might be a little too ambitious.  The game moves slowly at times - especally when doing things like setting up the manager shortlists.  So far, I’ve played a week, and I’ve gotten job offers from eight clubs in the Swedish Division 2, two clubs in the South African First Division, and one offer for the First Division in Malaysia.  I applied for 99 jobs, all of them in the lowest division of a country only.

The Malaysia job is looking good.  It pays three times or more than what the other clubs were offering me, and I have something like a 30,000 seat stadium (as opposed to 300 or something).  I’ll wait a couple more days to see what else comes up, if anything.

I don’t know if I’ll seriously pursue this endeavor or not.  I may try it but cut the number of countries and leagues in half, or something.  It’s too bad it doesn’t move faster on my new laptop - this could be incredible!  Or, it could be a bit overwhelming.  Time will tell…

I don’t think I need to write much about Guitar Hero - who doesn’t know what it is and who doesn’t play it?  Well, up until last night, I was part of the latter category…

First of all, I’m an actual guitarist.  I’ve played on stage in front of crowds of several hundred people.  I’ve written songs.  I’ve recorded in two different studios.  On the local level, to some degree, I’ve “lived the fantasy” of being a guitar hero.  Back in my teens, in the hairband heyday, we covered everybody from Billy Idol to Ozzy Osbourne, and I played the leads at least well enough so that they sounded identical to the original to the untrained ear.  What could I possibly gain from guitar hero?

Well, not much, but it is fun.  Plus, my son is taking up the guitar, and for him, it’s a pretty good lesson on rhythm and timing/accuracy.  Since he is young and impressionable, I’m pretty selective as to what I let him listen to.  I picked up “Guitar Hero Encore Rocks the 80’s” because I know most of those songs and they’re pretty harmless.  Other versions of the game have bands that I don’t know, or songs that I don’t like.  He’s only 11, so I want to keep an eye on which tunes bounce around in his head.  Plus, being a Christian, I’m certainly aware of some of the satanic imagery associated with the title, although I know that the game isn’t using it for that purpose - it’s just a tongue-in-cheek view of the rock and roll world.  Plus, I can show him how to play some of those songs on a real guitar, and he actually practiced for over an hour today because he was inspired to learn by the game.

And, although I don’t play much anymore (I got rid of most of my equipment), I must say to some degree that I’m inspired, too.  Some day, I plan on purchasing some recording equipment and software and hooking it up to my computer.  Then my son and I (and the PC) can make some beautiful music together.  Okay, it may not be beautiful, but it will be ours, and it will be fun!  Plus, he doesn’t pay much attention to the arts otherwise, so it’s a pretty good way to expose him to something other than computers and sports (he does read a lot, however).

In short, I get why everybody loves this game.  As a matter of fact, I will probably complete it myself.  I just won’t be getting up on stage anymore, except virtually.  I’m too old for that.

…about the new X Files movie “I Want to Believe”…

We sent the kids to their grandparent’s house Saturday night and took in dinner and a movie.  Being fans of the old X Files television show, we thought we’d take in the new movie for a fun nostalgic trip.  We were not disappointed.

The new movie really plays out like an earlier episode of the series, with Scully and Mulder solving a bizarre crime with a paranormal twist.  How we get there is a little different, though, because neither Scully nor Mulder are currently associated with the FBI.  They each are leading their own lives (and then some), and are pulled into the case.  Both experience a tentativeness and reluctance to pursue this type of work again, for different reasons and to different degrees.  Those familiar with both characters will appreciate the development in their personalities and a deeper revelation of who they really are.

I’m not going to go into great detail, but the bottom line is that the movie is better than what the critics are saying.  Fans of the show are going to feel right at home with Scully, Mulder, and the storyline.  And, thankfully (to some degree), there’s no mention of the old convoluted alien-takeover-smoking-man plot, save the fact that Mulder is still looking for his sister.  Much like the current television show Lost, the X Files got too confusing for its own good.  Hopefully, it’s not too late for Lost to bring it home, but I digress. 

I will also mention that the true nature of Scully and Mulder’s relationship is revealed, and it’s a bit surprising, but it will definitely satisfy many of the fans of the old show.

The bottom line is that you really don’t need to be familar with the whole X Files premise to enjoy the movie.  It’s a good combination of mystery, macabre crime, action, and story-telling.  Although I may be a bit biased, I think it’s a solid 3 out of 4 stars for fans of the show, and 2.5 out of 4 for those that exposed to the show previously.  It gets a little long at the end, but is otherwise a quick, entertaining way to spend 100+ minutes of your time.

I played a couple of games with my Zips today…  First off, to shake off the rust, I took on Notre Dame in South Bend, and won 28-20.  I’m playing on All-American, using 7 minute quarters, with minimal slider adjustments save for the penalties.

It was really a game of two halves, with ND dominating the first, and my Zips taking over in the second.  Concerning the most reported issues with the game, the CPU QB was 23-29 with two picks, while I was much less accurate and threw 4 picks (all my fault - no CPU “cheating” here) and 2 TD’s.  I did have a pick-six, too, which was the difference in the game.  I ran about as well as I thought I would, given the Zips quality backfield.  Notre Dame couldn’t muster much of a running game, though, and I can’t really tell yet if it’s part of a continuing problem for this franchise or the product of bad recruiting by coach genius at ND.  I did manage two sacks as well.  The punt return game is really flawed, especially if you call for a block.  You’ll have 30 yards between you and the first defender when you make the catch.  It’s a little better when you call a punt return.  Kickoff returns aren’t as bad, but you’ll rarely see a team start inside of the 30. 

My next game was against Wisconsin, and it was part of my online dynasty.  I lost 34-17.  The result was realistic, because if I would’ve played a perfect game, I would’ve had a chance at the end.  Often in “real life,” it’s depth and consistency that are the biggest differences between the “big boys” and the mid-majors.  I could not stop P.J. Hill, as he rambled for over 140 yards on 21 carries (as I’d expect in real life).  I couldn’t muster a running game at all (save one 16 yard TD run), and lost the battle in the trenches on both sides of the ball.  I did not get a sack on defense, and the Wisconsin QB went 15-20 with two picks.  I threw 3 picks and no TD’s, and we each had a “pick six.”  I’m a little concerned about the interceptions returned for touchdowns, but it’s not as pronounced as last year’s version. 

Regarding other dynasty features, I really like the new ESPN news headlines, and the “quick call” feature in recruiting is a big time saver.  Now I don’t have to manage each call to each recruit; I can just set a time limit and decide when to offer a scholarship. 

Despite the obvious issues, it was still a fun game, with big plays and big hits.  The action is much smoother and quicker, with a bevy of new animations and pseudo gang tackling.  The bottom line is that I love college football, and although this game lacks in authenticity, it’s still enjoyable so far.  And, I could have fun with the deep dynasty mode (despite the skewed QB stats) even if I never set foot on the virtual gridiron.