Ok, anyone familiar with Monopoly knows that the Community Chest card reads 200 dollars. Anyway, we all dream of that scenario happening to us. The bank gives us too much money on mistake! 
Well, it turns out that situation has now happened to me. But, there is no to be had. Instead, I'm feeling more like 
with a bit of 
. So here's what happened:
The bank that I've been going to since I was 16 has very rarely made errors when giving me cash back. Just about every time, I pull the envelope out of the tube and count the cash before I pull out of the drive-thru. Just about every time, they've been correct. Well, last Saturday I went to the bank and for whatever reason, I decided not to check the envelope this time, and pulled out and went home immediatley afterwards. When I got home, I just threw the envelope on my shelf, and since I still had cash in my wallet, I never touched it until today.
That's when I counted it and realized it was 100 dollars more than I asked. I checked my deposit slips, and both of them were accurate. The amount I wanted deposited in each was deposited in each. I checked my pay stub and verified how much I got paid, and then redid my math. Sure enough, I had 100 dollars too much in cash back.
I consider myself a good person with good morals. I know the money isn't mine. So why on earth am I contemplating keeping it? It's not like I'm desperate for money. I don't get paid much at all, but at least I make enough to pay my bills and still put in a bit into the savings each check. The first thing came to my mind was, "OOOH! I can buy a new game!" Yeah, it would be nice, but I know I can't do that. For one, I really am dedicated to my backlog. Anyway...
Banks are insured. The 100 dollar loss is nothing to them, but that doesn't matter. My thoughts are of the clerk that handled the transaction. Will she get fired for this? DID she get fired for it already? The problem is, I don't even know the clerk's name. Usually, it's printed on my deposit receipts, but for some reason, it's not there. This will make little difference, though, because I know the bank will easily know who made the mistake.
I will not lie. The temptation to keep this money is very strong. However, I'm a firm believer in karma. I could view this as a gift, but ultimately, it will most likely be a curse. I'm also caring person, so I know if I kept it and knew that someone lost their job of this money, it would eat at me until the day I died. I'm also upset with myself for not checking the cash that very day. I can't believe the one day I didn't check is the day they made a mistake. Now, someone probably got fired all because I waited more than a week to count my money.
I've also created a poll in my board just in case anyone would like to vote on what they would do in this situation. You can vote here. Thank you. 
Here are the games I played and completed throughout 2009.
Battlefield: Bad Company
The Beatles: Rock band
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
DJ Max Portable - Clazziquai Edition
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice
FIFA Soccer 10
Fallout 3
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero: Metallica
The King of Fighters XII
Left 4 Dead 2
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Mushihimesama Futari Ver 1.5
Ninja Blade
Resident Evil 5
Rock Revolution
The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition
Shadow Complex
Street Fighter IV
Tomb Raider: Underworld
From what I played, GOTY would have to be Modern Warfare 2. An obvious choice, i know, but the campaign is a great experience and the multiplayer is endlessly enjoyable, despite cheap tactics and exploits. An honorable mention goes out to Beatles Rock Band, a game clearly made with passion, and it shows.
... or DSi LL as it's refered to in Japan. It's done. Mine is on the way with a couple accessories (hard cover case, screen protector). I got a $50.00 gift card for use on ebay along with a $25.00 Visa gift/debit card. I used both of them to buy my new system and I'm hoping it will all be here over the next week.
I have had a DS Lite for a long time now and when the DSi came out, I considered the upgrade but something inside told me to wait. I'm glad I did becase the DSi LL is the exact same system but with 4.2 in screens. My one complaint about the DS since it first came out was that the screens were just too small. Now, that won't be a problem for me anymore.
For anyone interested, I'll be leaving a full report on the DSi LL as soon as I have had a chance to play it. I'll let you know how everything looks, plays, and sounds on the new system. This will help many of you decide on whether or not you're going to get it as soon as it releases stateside.
I'll keep you all posted.
Merry Christmas everyone. Its been a long time since I posted here in GS. I hope you all got great presents.
N64-
Zelda: Ocarina Of Time, Guantlet Legends ( 3 times ), WWF No Mercy, WWF Wrestlemania, WCW Revenge, WCW/NWO World Tour
PS-
Final Fantasy Tactics ( 8 times )
PS2-
Disgaea (4 times), Final Fantasy X ( 2 times ), Resident Evil 4 ( 3 times ), Lego Star Wars ( 2 times ), Lego Star Wars II, Def Jam Vendetta, Def Jam Fight For NY, Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age ( 2 times ), Shining Force: Neo, God Of War, Freedom Fighters, Harvest Moon: Save The Homeland ( 2 times ), Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers, GTA: Vice City, GTA: San Andreas, WWE Smackdown Vs Raw 2006, God Of War II, The Bards Tale, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, Guitar Hero: Encore Rocks The 80's, Mortal Kombat: Armaggedon, Final Fantasy XII
PS3-
Fight Night: Round 3, Resistence: Fall Of Man, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots ( 5 Times ), Spider Man: Web Of Shadows
XBOX-
Fable, The Godfather, Time Splitters: Future Perfect, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic
XBOX 360-
Saints Row, Aegis Wing ( 2 times ), Halo 3 ( 4 times ), Smash T.V. ( 4 times ), Guitar Hero III: Legends Of Rock, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassins Creed, Def Jam: Icon, TMNT: Arcade, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Army Of Two ( 3 times ), Fight Night Round 3, Burnout Paradise, Viking: Battle For Asgard, Forza Motorsport 2,BattleField: Bad Company (2 Times ), Castle Crashers ( 19 times ), Saint Row 2 ( 3 Times ), Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Fable II ( 2 times ), Left For Dead, GTA IV, GTA IV: The Lost And Damned, Resident Evil 5, Gears Of War ( 2 times ), Midnight Club: LA: South Central, Mass Effect ( 3 times ), Mass Effect: Bring Down The Sky ( 3 Times ), Saints Row 2: Ultor Exposed ( 2 Times ), Saints Row 2: Corprate Warfare ( 2 times ), Dead Space ( 2 Times ), Fable II: Knothole Island, Fable II: See The Future, Mass Effect: Pinnacle Station, Strangle Hold, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 ( 3 Times ), Borderlands ( 2 Times ), Dragon Age: Origins, Modern Warfare 2
3 New songs since my last blog entry! They are: "Light Off Turn Back On", "A New Start" and "Lost".
Check em out here: SoundClick artist: Dan Rhodenizer
Please follow me on Twitter for quick updates - Dan Rhodenizer (danrhodenizer) on Twitter
Become a fan by joining my Facebook Page - Dan Rhodenizer | Facebook
What games are you guys looking forward to??
I hate fanfares, long speeches and explanations. I want to personally thank everyone that I've met these 5 years in Gamespot. I don't want to start posting names, as I'm sure I'm gonna forget some, if not many. I'm officialy leaving Gamespot and this is my last blog, no coming backs, no regrets.
The ones that would like to keep in touch with me, already are friends of mine in Facebook, you will see some of activity there.
The only special thanks I want to say are to all the members and officers of the Soccer Addict Union. Guys, I'm gonna miss you all so much, but you know where and how to find me. The union is now in good hands. If things get nasty, you know where to find me, but no matter what, don't let it die. It would be better to shut SAU if things don't work out anymore, rather than see it dieing.
My base of operations from now on will be Noobfeed in case anyone wants to see what I'm gonna be up to. My username there is ILIAS in case you want to see any blogs of mine.
That's all.
ILIAS, OVER & OUT.
I thought I would wait, before telling people, to see if I would actually keep updating it... and so far I've found I have a lot to say.
Like all my dear former GameSpot friends, I have started posting on a blog elsewhere. It's not for lack of love for this site, it's just because I'm interested in beginning new memories.
I will always be reading, and I will pop in from time to time (as I have here), but I hope to frequently update my blog there, if you are so inclined to read it:
So far it's been about things related to video games, of course, it's about some things that are personal, and it's about working in game development, above all.
Come on, we don't want to leave too large a carbon footprint now, do we?
So yes, I'm done with GameSpot. The last few days have been a total shock, with developments proving ever more farcical. The trust I had for this once great site is no more, and I have no desire to keep coming back. What's the point in giving the site any traffic or hits at all?
There's been some great times here and great people. But this is the end of an era. It's been a blast - why not join me at www.1up.com or www.thevirtualunderground.net. If you can't bring yourself to join another community, you can always message me on my Xbox profile, Meenie Man.
I'll check over your comments until Friday and after that I'm gone for good. Keep up the good fight, and never settle for second best.
I've been on this site for nigh on 8 years now. I've been through three site designs, many reviews, and of course, Trivia Robot (voiced by Jeff).
This is probably the worst moment in the site's history. Or at least, the most shameful.
I have not always agreed with his reviews, (nor Greg's or Alex's), but I have always respected them and at least considered the qualities of their arguments. When Jeff got fired, Gamespot (and Cnet) effectively said "Being honest in a review is against site policy". Jeff didn't say anything that was "off the wall", he didn't bring up stuff from out of left field, and he most certainly didn't say "I don't like this game because Eidos is lining my office with shwag".
Eidos simply didn't make a good game. Jeff pointed this out. Now Jeff has to explain to his bank why he can't pay the mortgage next month.
I have further lost respect for Gamespot for their backhanded story in the news about his severance. I don't for a minute think that either G-spot staffer were actually interviewed. Their quotes reek of spin and PR bolstering.
I also find it shameful that the remaining staff cannot post in their blogs specifically, for fear of losing their jobs. I think Bob, Greg and Adam, who worked with Jeff for a good amount of time have considerably aided the endeavour for thought and information into this matter. Unfortunately, none of them work at Gamespot (or for Cnet).
In the end though, this further proves that Gamespot is indeed no longer serving the people who matter most, the user (people like myself). Gamespot was established to provide the home user with meaningful information as it pertains to video games. Gamespot today it seems, exists to spew advertising from big name publishers, Mountain Dew and Toyota. I'm really quite sick of being branded. It seemed like Gamespot was too, as in game advertising is now something they look at. I really wish they'd look at on-site advertising and say "Gee, maybe our users hate being bombarded on the internet as much as they do in-game".
I suppose my last point was more of a quibble than anything.
If they ever offered Jeff work again, I would hope he turns them down, lest he look like a schill for doing so. I respect his thoughts, find him humourous, and will greatly miss his Points Report. (although he hasn't done one for a while).
I'd stop listening to the Hotspot and watching On the Spot if I hadn't already in probably September 2006. I'll probably shun this website from now on. I'm sorry for the editors and staff remaining, I really do enjoy your work, especially Brian's sports related stuff and anything by Alex. It's your company that has me annoyed. I also highly respect Tim for presumably quitting over this contentious issue. That takes guts. And a lot of grindcore.
Hello there!
I'm Jay
...
*waves uncontrollably and runs away*
But with a big slew of movies that have been released recently that deal with the subject of where we're going (and when we're going to get there), my interest has been rekindled. I've been doing a lot of viewing, reading, researching, bla bla, and I thought I might share some of the information I've come across. Hopefully, you'll find all this as humbling and point-of-view altering as I have. But chances are you'll just find it terrifying.
It's generally agreed that the most serious threat to humanity is humanity itself. I think everybody already knows this, but I had no clue as to how many seperate threats we pose.
Nevermind all the nuclear weapons possessed by terrorist groups and middle eastern countries. The biggest threat comes from right here in the good ol' USA, as well as Russia. Each country has enough nuclear weapons to destroy all humans several times over, and the planet itself. And every expert agrees that they will most likely be set off by accident. Dr. Strangelove is not that far fetched of a concept. All it takes is for one single person to snap, freak out about his precious bodily fluids, and kaboom. No more American Idol.
Speaking of one single person, that's all it'd take to easily wipe out humanity with a man-made, genetically engineered supervirus. Biotechnology has already found a way to "engineer" smallpox so that it kills 100% of all it contacts, rather than the 3% it kills on it's own. If a biologist wanted to, all he would need is a lab and the internet, where the "recipes" for killer bugs are readily available. Technology has made the process faster, and easier. Simply whip up your very own killer virus, open up your test tube in an airport, and sit back, relax, and watch civilization crumble in a matter of days, followed up by humanity itself. If somebody really wanted to, they could make it happen. And ya know, there's kinda a lot of crazies out there.
However, even if man doesn't create a virus to wipe us all out, nature will do it for us. Plagues are as inevitable as earthquakes. They are a certainty. There have been 10 pandemics in the past 300 years, and we are long overdue for another one. The last one was less than 90 years ago, a bug that killed 40 million people worldwide, less than 3% of the people who caught it. Another plague is unavoidable, and depending on it's nature, a vaccine could come too late or not at all, thusly ending all human life.
And then there's the climate change, which is the biggest threat of all, which is happening right now, in our own backyards. I'm not going to get too preachy about this subject, but I am going to paraphrase it. We've already passed the threshold; it is now irreversable. In as early as fifty or 100 years, the poles will melt, the sea level will rise. The coast will shrink all over the world. Cities like New York, London, Japan, will be completely underwater. Mass migrations inland. Overpopulation. Culture wars. Droughts. Famine. Civilization inevitably collapses, and the human race follows suit therafter. Just so we could drive our air conditioned SUVs to the Nascar track.
Okay. Let's say that the human race manages to get it's act together. We outlaw nuclear bombs, guns, and pointy sticks. We go green and eat tofu. Frankly, I don't see much of a point.
In about thirty years or so, an asteroid will come so close to the Earth that it will dip under our sattelites. Then it'll swing back around a few years later, possibly striking Earth. It won't wipe us out, but it will still be devastating. Hopefully it hits Los Angeles. But scientists agree that it is a mathematical certainty that the Earth will one day be in the path of a giant, humanity-ending asteroid, and chances are, there's nothing we'll be able to do about it. Just count down the decades the planet has left to live. And it won't come back to life again for hundreds of thousands of years.
Of course, that's assuming that the sun doesn't burn out first (which it is, slowly) or that the other galaxy which is on a crash course with ours doesn't hit us first.
These are all the obvious things that could wipe out humankind. So much so that there have been several major motion pictures about each subject. But what most people don't realize (which included me), is that there are literally dozens more things that can go wrong, and there will be dozens more as science and technology advance.
For example, there is a a phenomenon that might foreshadow the imminent extinction of the Western Honey Bee. The bee plays a vital role in pollination, and its extinction would severaly disrupt the food chain. Albert Einstein once said, "If the bees should die, humankind would have but four more years to live." Anyway, there are countless other "mini-scenarios" like this. Infertility. Super volcanoes. A black hole. Over-population. Dysgenics (look it up).
So, is everything the human race does, has done, and wants to do completely in vain? I dunno. I kinda find the whole thing amusing. The human race is more flawed than most folks take the time to realize. And as a result, everything man-made, from cell phones to traffic lights, to laws and money, even to broad concepts like "time" and "success," is all inherantly flawed in some way. All this, to me, just seems like part of the big picture. Maybe even inevitable.
While all these cold hard facts are utterly fascinating to me, I'm just as intrigued by the human response to it. None of this information is hidden from us; it's in books, on the net, even up on movie screens. Yet the utter indifference seems to be growing more as things get worse and our chances decrease. Ignorance is, in no way, bliss. Yet people make the concious decision to dismiss the facts, turn the other cheek, crank the A/C, and settle in for a nice reality TV enema. I don't get it. Which is why it utterly fascinates me.
Since I've assaulted my own brain with all this information, the world seems like a very different place to me. Watching TV is a whole new experience. The mall is like a whole other world. And everything's a lot funnier than it used to be. And I mean everything. So, I don't really mind it.
Can you see why I'm so fascinated by this stuff?
Went to the mall, shopping for computer parts, scouting prices on things. (being broke and all) The electronics store where I ussually buy computer bits went under, so they refered me to a place acrossed the street which turned out to be 10 better and MUCH cheaper. Got some RAM for my family's computer, and convinced them to get a new printer. This thing is awesome, it prints 8.5X11 photos to. And it turns out it's a scanner as well, something I didn't even know! I'm pretty freaking excited, since I've been wanting a scanner for just about forever now
All my sketches will soon be uploaded professionally. No more taking photos, and touching up on photoshop to be used.I also may have worked out a deal with my parents. If they buy me a new MAC, then I'll give them my uber large TV and current PC. They work out to about the price of a new mac, if not more, so we all get something out of it. I get my laptop, so I don't have to take my computer with me, and they get my tv and a better PC.
I also got some free money from the government today (w00t) $53 something. Always comes at the best times, I swear. That money is going straight towards birthday, 1 year anaverssary, and possibly christmas as well, for my girlfriend. If there's any left over, I'll get that domain name asap
-------------------
, Gamespot is messed up bad Grrr.
I've finally gotten around to writing this. It may not use big words or very technical language and may have spelling errors but i think you will get the gist of the situation.
Now scientists for many years have been saying that because the usage of fossil fuels has risen more carbon dioxide has been released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a green house gas that helps to trap heat in between the space of the Earth's surface and the atmosphere itself. [Temperature in the many layers of the atmosphere itself vary dramatically. From being some of the coldest measured temps. to the highest.] Now many scientist have been saying that this has lead to an increase in the temperature of the earth's surface which is causing substantial melting of the Earth's polar ice caps. Which in turn will cause the level of the ocean to rise. Now i brought up the ocean for a good reason. Scientists have discovered that off the coast of the Greenland substantial melting of the ice has caused a high amount of fresh water to seep into the underwater division off the coast. Now i say this because in the ocean there is a great current that runs along this path[current distributes heat throughout the Earth]. This current is propelled by the density and temperatures of water. The fresh water usually floats on the surface as it is less dense but then because of temperature change flows to the bottom of the canyon and then again because of temperature change rises to the surface to go back out to the ocean, but since there has been more freshwater recently coming off of the melting glaciers the fresh water makes up a larger percentage of the water in the canyon preventing the new fresh water to travel into the lower parts of the canyon. Scientists believe that if this action continues the Great Ocean currents will shut down. This will cause the distribution of the Earth's heat to become polar. From the poles until about 30-45 degrees of the equator and ice age will occur while at the equator temperatures can become extreme. Now i say all this about an ice age because in chemistry this year i learned that carbon dioxide and minoxide can be broken down into elements through a chemical reaction in ice.
So essentially global warming can lead to an Ice age that will eventually rid the Earth of a massive chunk of carbon dioxide and minoxide which will probably put it in a better position that before but then starting the cycle over. I'm not saying global warming or an Ice age is something good but i just wonder why the two theories of an Ice age and Global Warming remain separated. Scientists continue to ignore what is being proven by nature itself. Global warming seems to be a more natural cycle of the Earth than man people are leading on. So does Global Warming=Ice Age? You can draw your own conclusion but i think i've made up my mind that its most probable that it does.
Well thanks for reading all this and i hope i gave you something to think about! Please leave your opinion about all of this!
So I got a PM the other day, which I only read now, telling me I was in the community spotlight. I want to thank FernandoDANTE, as I had no idea. I guess this explains the mountain of people tracking me, which I was completely confused about. I was wondering why people cared.
This of course caused me to update my outdated "about me" and visit this abandoned blog.
Unfortunatly, I no longer plan on having a union for photography, as I'm no longer as active here at gamespot. Sorry about that.
I will however post one more picture, reflecting what Im doing now.... Boston
Charles river.
Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64
video game console is without a doubt the best video game ever created. The game truly defined what a First Person Shooter (FPS) should be. Before Goldeneye, few people had enjoyed the existing multiplayer shooters, which included the original Quake, Duke Nukem, and other such games. While these previous games were fun, none of them matched the caliber of gameplay, smoothness, and just plain fun that Goldeneye had. In a way, Goldeneye is like the original Super Mario Brothers. Without that game, the video game industry would not be where it is today. Take away Goldeneye, while less dramatic, still takes away a HUGE part of video game history. Goldeneye is the sixth best selling game from 1995 to the present, behind Super Mario 64, GTA 3, GTA: Vice City,and Pokemon Yellow and Blue. It is the second best selling game of its generation behind Mario. Goldeneye truly established Rare as an elite developer, and immensely helped Nintendo get through the N64’s lifespan.
Now I will explain why Perfect Dark sucks. First off, it took them almost three years to remake what was pretty much the same game. They added bots, slightly editable characters, weapons, and a few levels. WOW! What big additions! The game had almost no storyline at all and suffered from EXTREME slowdown without the memory booster, which was sold separately. To its credit, it does have bots, which is one reason I have it, in order to practice my Goldeneye skills when I am by myself (in case any of you are wondering).
In addition, when Perfect Dark came out, other games previously released included Soul Calibur, Super Smash Brothers, and some of Sega’s 2K sports games, among other amazing Dreamcast, N64, Saturn, and PS1 games. With all these games already out, one begins to wonder how Perfect Dark scores so highly, six months AFTER Soul Calibur's release. The game scored tens in gameplay (which was rehashed from Goldeneye) and graphics (which were marginally improved over Goldeneye’s). Also, Perfect Dark slowed down many times more than Goldeneye, even if it had the recommended memory boost. Try playing it with the normal memory and it is nearly unplayable.
Yes, Perfect Dark did add some cool things, but it ultimately does not make the game more enjoyable in my opinion. Bots, for example, were either stupid and easy to kill, or very cheap and impossible opponents. When you play with four players, which is the best type of game, the bots ruin the gameplay by destroying the frame rate. The new game modes, such as King of the Hill (which was just a different colored room), are useless with bots. With the normal bots, they do not even look for the hill, so you are forced to play with the amazing, super-bots. The bots, voice acting, new characters, new weapons, firing range, in-game weapon select, and co-op/counter-op are good additions, but ultimately hurt the strongest part of Goldeneye, the multiplayer.
Perfect Dark is really more of an expansion, but many fail to see this. If the two games were released for the PC, Perfect Dark would definitely be seen as an expansion. I do not see how after about 3 years, people still somehow loved PD as much as Goldeneye. I do not see how its graphics score was as high as it was. If PS2 games suffer now in reviews because of graphical shortcomings, why didn't PD?
Goldeneye has a great single player and a classic Bond story. The controls are not overly complicated, and fit the controller perfectly. The game had great graphics and sound for 1997. Above all, however, it all comes down to the unlimited replay value, and an amazing multiplayer mode, which you can play forever and still have fun.
Goldeneye for N64 is and will always be the best FPS of all time. Not only was it innovative and fun to play, but the graphics and sound were outstanding for its time. There is nothing (feasible, throw online play out the window, its '97) at all that could make that game better than it already is. With game shark codes and hacks still being released by many, the game continues to grow, 8 years after its release. I bet $100 billion that the same could not be said about any other FPS of this generation 8 years from its release. People will move on and play Halo 3, or Quake 4. Perfect Dark Zero will diminish the original's reputation. There will never be another Goldeneye.
In the end, Goldeneye is just a much more fun experience. While other games may age over time and become less enjoyable to play, Goldeneye has retained its value for over eight years, and it will continue to maintain that enjoyable experience. How many other games will you play eight years after they come out? Classic arcade games, 8, and 16-bit games definitely. But what about the more current generations? There aren’t many people playing PS1 games right now. Even the Sega Dreamcast, a current generation game system, has been forgotten by many people, even though Sega has not fully stopped their support of it. Who will play Halo when Halo 2 or 3 is out? Who will play GTA 3 when San Andreas or GTA 4 is out? Not to downplay these games and their influence (especially GTA), but I do not see myself playing Halo over Halo 3 in a few years.
