I believe that there's what they call a "false start"

Well, that plan kind of failed... Entirely. I think this deserves some explanation...

I'll be moving in two months (Pretty much exactly two months, actually) and I'm pretty stressed out about it. I've never moved before, and I don't really know what to expect during this whole deal.

So then, to make a short story shorter, I'm stressed out and it's affecting my ability to think for extended periods of time. What does that mean for the blog? That's hard to say. For most bloggers this would mean a temporary drop in update frequency, but that's not exactly possible in my situation (Unless I want to start deleting posts, but that's just insane).

So... I really don't know. There very well could be less than a handful of posts between now and August (Yeah, I know, huge change from the norm, huh?). Even if that's the case, though, August will bring many good things. I'll finally be getting my 360 online after the move, meaning I'll be able to fully experience all my new games and actually get to review them. Good things will come of this, I assure you!

In the more immediate future, I hope to make some time for a few smaller articles in the next week or so. Just keep on gaming until then, folks!

A bit of news *UPDATE*

The Golden Duck Awards may be a little late this year due to unforeseen delays arising from holiday preparations and the like. The article is currently a little more than half-written, and due to go up tomorrow night. Usually this wouldn't be a problem, but I am going to be very busy tomorrow, and I'm unsure if I'll be able to finish them on time. I will, of course, do my best to do so, but I cannot promise anything.

I'd also like to apologize for the lack of updates so far this month. As I said (And you are no doubt aware of), the holidays are approaching, as well as all the associated work and anticipation associated with them. On the bright side, in addition to this year's Golden Duck Awards, another article is on the way, and should be out by the end of the year.

That being said, it's time for me to get some sleep. I must be off in the morning, and I'd like to be rested for tomorrow's trip. Heck, I'll probably end up sleeping on the subway anyways. Anyways, goodnight, folks. I hope to see y'all later tomorrow.

*UPDATE*: I'm so sorry, but I am just too tired out from the trip to finish the Golden Duck Awards tonight. I'll probably have an hour or so of free time available tomorrow, and I'll do my best to finish things up within that time. Again, I apologize, but continuing to write while barely being able to keep my eyes open just wouldn't make for a very good article, would it? It's generally a better idea to be conscious while writing, I find.

Poll #96: "What do you think of Wii MotionPlus so far?" results, no new banner, additional textual screen-filler

"It's amazing!" 2 votes (11%)
"I like it" 2 votes (11%)
"I don't like it" 0 votes (0%)
"It's terrible!" 1 votes (5%)
"I'm indifferent/don't know yet" 1 vote (5%)
"I haven't tried it yet" 11 votes (64%)

I'm surprised so many people haven't tried it out yet! Well, at least those who have tried it seem to enjoy it. Except for that one guy... What's his deal?

As for this week's banner... There isn't one! I figure almost nobody saw it last week anyways, so why replace it? Also, I'm tired.

Moving along to this week's poll, the question is "DS Lite or DSi: Which do you prefer?" Both systems have their advantages, but what's your preference? To be honest, I can't pick one. I hope most other voters are more decisive than me!

Now, about the utter lack of activity here... I'm feeling much better now, so things will certainly be picking up very soon. I will write something this week, no question about it. Just not now, because it's 2:32 AM. But soon!

Poll #95: "Do you prefer 2D or 3D platformers?" results, banner, a word on recent activity

"2D" 7 votes (36%)
"3D" 5 votes (26%)
"I can't decide" 7 votes (36%)
"I'm not into platformers" 0 votes (0%)

It seems that those who aren't indifferent tend to lean in the direction of 2D. I guess you just don't forget those early days of Super Mario Bros.!

This week's banner is based on that funky-fresh Zelda concept art the internet has been chewing on for the last month. Is she the living version of the Master Sword? Or is she maybe the queen of the fairies? Hell if I know... Or care. I just want the damn game!


For this week's poll, the question is "What do you think of Wii MotionPlus so far?" It's been out for a little while now, so those who've picked it up probably have quite a bit of play time to base an opinion off of. Personally, I'm waiting until Wii Sports Resort, so I can't really say. Perhaps you have had a chance to give it a go, and if you have, let everyone know how you feel! And if you'd like to elaborate on your choice, you can always drop a comment!

Now, you've no doubt noticed that preceding this poll results post is another poll results post... Preceded by another (Not counting that little paragraph in between). To put it briefly (And to spare you all the details), I've been unwell lately. I've been unable to concentrate on much the last little while, including my love of gaming. And when I'm not gaming, I'm not coming up with article ideas. I'm feeling somewhat better as of today, but I've got a little ways to go before I'm back to normal. Don't worry, folks, I wasn't in some sort of crippling car accident and I don't have cancer or anything. It's just a... Well, I suppose you could say it's a condition I have. Nothing deadly, nothing like that, relax. Just something I'll have to deal with over the next little while.

As I said, I've been feeling a little better, so I would expect I'll have something written and posted soon. Don't expect anything big, but it'll be something. Hopefully I can keep things running smoothly from there. Now, though, I'd better be getting my sleep. See you all again soon... Sort of. I really don't actually see any of you ever. Awkwaaaaaaaard...

Well, so much for that.

Back on this blog's second "birthday", I said the following:

May those droughts be a thing of the past, and the one thing to be left behind in this new year!

As you can tell by the fact I haven't written anything other than poll results in over a week, I've failed utterly at leaving that behind. Not for a lack of trying, though, as I have seven article fragments sitting in wait, but I just can't figure out how to finish them. In short, I have author's constipation, or rather, writer's block (Take your pick). I suppose it could be worse, though. Chris Livingston hasn't updated in four weeks. Let's just pray I get over my writer's block in a more timely manner!

I won't make any promises as to when the words will start flowing again, but rest assured I'll be doing my best to restore activity... As I frag people in Team Fortress 2. While some people take showers to clear their minds, I'm the guy who's decloaking behind them and pulling out my knife. "PEEK-A-BOO!"

I don't freaking believe this

So, I sat down today, all ready to go, got out all the materials I needed to get writing, stretched my hands over the keyboard, and...

BZZRT!!!

The freaking power goes out. No, really. Check these out:



See any lights on? Aside from the one emergency light in that lobby, not a single light was on in my apartment complex for a solid 4 1/2 hours. The plaza across the street was dark, the condo building behind us was out, and just about every house up the street was powerless, too. You wanna hear something really crazy, though? You want to know what caused all this trouble?

A freaking tornado. In Toronto. Right after the power went out, wind ripped through the driveway and blew everything everywhere. A kiddy pool I've never seen before in my whole life is under our balcony. I heard on the radio that some guy's 160 lb. dog nearly got blown away. There were reports of funnel clouds and tornadoes all over southern Ontario. So yeah, I got owned by a tornado. How was your day?

Needless to say, I'm in no mood to right (Anymore >_> ). I managed to pick up Excite Bots earlier today, and even though I said I wouldn't play it until after I finished this article, I need to let off some steam, so yeah, nuts to that. I'll get writing tomorrow after we finish house-hunting (Yay!). Oh, and if you want an apology for this delay, I got nothing. Next time you see a tornado, though, feel free to ask it for one.

Oh, and if Mother Nature's reading this on her godly Blackberry, I have one thing to say: I won't be forgetting this, old lady.

Posting is indeed inbound

Sorry about the silence over the last few days, folks. I was feeling under the weather, but now I'm just about all better. I managed to pick up MadWorld on Wednesday, but I really haven't been able to concentrate on it well enough to form any sort of opinion as of yet, aside from the fact that I have a new appreciation for jet engines. I'll do my best to get a good session in with it tomorrow, so expect some impressions later in the evening.

Sorry about all this delaying and absence, folks! Believe me, I don't like it either. Time for it all to change!

Previous article deleted due to massive sucking

Rant deleted. I'm a whiny bugger.

EDIT: As you can see above, I decided to forget the break and just write when I wanna. So then, basically back to business as usual.

This week = Boned

Yeah, I don't even know what happened this week. I wrote Monday's update, and all of a sudden it's early Saturday morning. Real sorry about all that. The review mentioned on Monday's still coming, I assure you. I'm expecting to get started on it tomorrow, and then it'll be up when it's done, probably Monday at the latest. Sorry about this utterly craptacular week. Just watch this crappy little video I made until it's up. Believe me, I could seriously watch this for three days straight. I'm freaking crazy like that.

(WARNING: Insane Final Fantasy VII fans may want to look away! Then get a life!)


Oh, and I'm on Twitter now, but I mostly just write replies, so nothing to really look at. But hey, follow if you want. Maybe something magical will happen.

Finally, playing Garry's Mod with the guys who made Idiots of Garry's Mod is fun, if deafening. Never ask to hear djy1991's mating call. Wait, actually, do ask. It's a life-changing experience. And by that I mean you'll go deaf and become extremely aroused all at once. So yeah, Monday, I guess. Bye.

No update tonight

I'd say sorry right now, but really, it wouldn't matter all that much. I've said that word so many times here that it's pretty much lost all meaning. I just don't get it... Writing is just about the only thing I do, and most of the time I can't even get that going a measly three times a week. I thought I'd hit a good patch, too, with two, decent-length articles published back to back. I thought Hey, this week's going pretty well. And then... This. I've hit a slump. It's the time of year, I think. Around now I'm not allowed to buy games for myself due to Christmas coming up, so I don't have many new gaming experiences to write about. Sure, there's Animal Crossing: City Folk, and even the copy of Race Driver: GRID (DS) I picked up yesterday, but... I don't know. I just can't think of anything substantial to write. Still not ready to review City Folk, and doing an impressions article on a game released four months ago just feels like a total cop-out. I just don't know what to do, really. I always feel like a total jerk whenever I fail to update.

...whatever. Sitting here and whining about it all isn't going to make it any better. I'm gonna go to bed now. I've got stuff to do in the morning, and I'd like to be rested for it. Monday? I'm not even going to think about it right now. I'll just leave Monday until Monday, and that's that. This weekend... I ain't gonna think about anything. I'm gonna do some crap tomorrow morning, put up the Christmas tree on Sunday, and do absolutely nothing else the rest of the time. Sounds like a good plan to me...

Well, you guys just ignore me over here as I have an epic battle with emotion and writer's block. Sleep now...

Poll #66: "What do you think of the Animal Crossing series?" results, banner, news

"It's all fantastic!" 7 votes (25%)
"I like it" 7 votes (25%)
"So-so" 6 votes (22%)
"It stinks, it stinks, it stinks" 1 vote (3%)
"It needs a major revamp" 4 votes (14%)
"No comment" 2 votes (7%)

While I sort of agree that the series could use a bit of an overhaul, I'm fairly happy with it overall. Judging by the above votes, I'm not alone.

This week's banner? Nothing new. In fact, it's practically nothing at all. Just the sad little logo sitting up there all alone. The only two submitted banners have a few problems with them, so I'm letting the artists touch-up and resubmit their work.

And hey, about tonight's post... Yeah, yeah, you know what's coming. It ain't happening tonight. I unexpectedly have to go all the way to the other side of the city tomorrow in the morning, and I need to be rested. Toronto? Yeah, not a small city, and the buses aren't exactly stellar (Though they've apparently improved recently, I still don't like 'em). At least I'll be taking the subway partway... Maybe I'll catch up on my sleep then.

Well, that's that. (Insert usual string of "SORRY"s right here)

Rest In Piece, Pooky

At about 1:35 PM today, my cat Pooky fell asleep for the last time. She was diabetic, had a tumor in her head, and a possible second tumor in her foot. She wasn't happy anymore, so we had her put down just minutes ago.

We first got her in the latter half of the 1990s when a family friend decided they couldn't care for her anymore. Since then she's been a beloved part of our family, and not having her around anymore is almost more than I can bear. It was a very difficult decision to make, of course, but it had to be done. We all agreed that her sad times were outweighing the happy, so it was decided that now was her time to rest.

Even with four humans and four cats still in this house, it will always seem empty without her. Rest well, Pooky. Goodbye.

I hope you all understand how difficult this is for me, and that you respect my decision to take the next few days off as a sort of "grief leave". You may not treasure your pets in the same way, but to us they're like family. Like brothers and sisters, daughters and sons, and losing one is every bit as difficult as losing a human relative.

May Pooky rest in peace, and may she be taken good care of in her new life on the other side. Goodbye, girl. I'll miss you.

No update tonight

Really sorry about this, folks, but I just can't write for beans tonight. I thought I had an idea, then it fell through, then I thought I had another, but it practically disintegrated. I think it's best I call it a night-Or, seeing as it's 2:06 AM, a morning. Sorry about all this drama and crappy updating over the last little while, my life's been kinda hectic and messed up. If I could do something about it, I would, but I can't. I won't bore you with the details, except to say a lot is going on. I tell ya, I don't know how some of these bloggers manage. Heck, looking back at my insane every single day including weekends schedule I used for a few months last year makes my head spin. Maybe I'm just not as inspired as I used to be... I have been gaming less lately.

Augh, I'm starting to bore you with details now. Okay, I'm going to sleep now. I will do my best to have something ready for Wednesday, I swear.

Until then, y'all have a great time.

Random Babbling 4: It's been a long time babbling

I've really not been feeling like myself lately, and I've had a lot of trouble concentrating on much of anything. My mom thinks it's the change of seasons affecting me, but I'm really not sure. Anywho, I can't concentrate enough for a real article tonight, so here's a few random things I feel like saying.

-There are now an additional two big reasons to buy Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayers, and they are both in this picture. Can't find them? Here's a hint: Boobs. Hey, sex sells.

-It's really funny killing people and stealing cars in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas while listening to the in-game country radio. Nothing like running down cops while listening to "Heeeeeeey good lookin'... Whaaaaaaaat you got cookin'?"

-Garry's Mod is infinitely replayable. Just when I think I've seen it all, I log on today to find Father Grigori spinning in mid air, some random junk flying out of his chest and a whole lot more flying out his ass. Gotta love that Garry's Mod.

-The election happened. Obama won. This is awesome. That's all I'll say here about it.

-I suppose I should be scared that a big-eyed bobblehead for Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed stares at me while I sleep, but then I just pull the covers over my head and try to ignore it.

-Can you all stop complaining that we haven't seen the next Mario yet? We haven't had more than one main Mario game on a Nintendo home console since the days of the SNES, and I doubt that'll be changing now.

-As for Zelda Wii, give it until at least 2010. If it ain't out by Christmas 2010, then you can start whining.

-My Nintendo 64 died on me, and now I want to play Ocarina of Time again. My luck blows.

-Other than Garry's Mod and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, I really haven't been playing anything lately. I've been messing around in Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga a bit, too, but not quite enough to be considered "playing". Dammit, Animal Crossing: City Folk, come out already!

-Wikipedia: The bane of my attention span. Go there to look up one thing, then end up on a page about Al Bundy. I'm not sure how it happened either. Heck, I didn't even like that show very much.

Well, I suppose that's it for tonight. Sorry for the lackluster updates, folks. I'll try for something more notable on Friday. Until then, y'all stay healthy and such.

Discuss This Article On The Forums

Poll #62: "Do you think Rare will make any more games for the DS?" results, banner, last week recap

"Yes" 8 votes (28%)
"Maybe" 9 votes (32%)
"No" 1 votes (3%)
"I have no idea" 10 votes (35%)

I've so far found that Rare puts a good amount of effort into their DS games, and I'm very excited at the thought of more coming down the line. Come on, Rare, let's see some more DS goodness! Can I hear a "yes" on Banjo Kazooie DS remakes?

This week's banner is from forum member ryanrab1, and it's in celebration of Grand Theft Auto IV's upcoming PC release. I had an absolute BLAST playing this game on my cousin's 360, and I can't wait to pop it into my PC!


Now, about last week. As you can tell from my previous post, it was set to be a pretty insane five days. It certainly met my expectations, to say the least. Monday and Tuesday were full of cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning, and Wednesday was just about as life-derailing as having someone cleaning out your cupboards can be (Which, actually, wasn't that much). Thursday was the craziest day of the bunch, but actually quite far from the worst. Besides the hectic nature of shuffling the cats about, Thursday was actually quite fun! We spent the whole day at my cousin's house, playing various games on his 360 and having a generally good time. Not bad at all! As for Friday, it was pretty uneventful besides the cat's appointment. She actually didn't do too badly at the vet, but she's probably still going to be put down sometime this week. Not an easy thing to go through, but it's for the best...

Alright, enough of my personal blathering, let's get back to business here. This week's poll is appropriately Halloween themed, with the question being "Have you ever gone Trick or Treating as a video game character?" I kinda went as Ash Ketchum once waaaaaay back, but that's as close as I ever got. So... No, I never did. I should have, though! How about you?

Alrighty, new article will be up in a little bit.

No posts, no banner, no nothing this week

This upcoming week is going to be one of the most hectic in my entire life. On Wednesday a company is going to come into my apartment and "clean" it (We're still not sure what that means). Then, on Thursday, another company is going to come in and fumigate the place. That means me and everyone else in the house has to stay out of the house for six hours following the spraying. So we've gotta send all the cats to a kennel (Yes, even the sick one), and find a place to hang out while everything cools off.

Now, in order for all this to go down, we have to get rid of a lot of the clutter in our house. That means cleaning out EVERYTHING. Today I filled two and a half garbage bags with junk from my bedroom alone, and I still have two more stuffed drawers to go through (And the closet... Haven't opened that in years). So yeah, that'll take up all of tomorrow.

Oh, and Friday? It's basically judgment day for the sick cat. It's the day when we decide whether or not to put her down this weekend. She's going to the vet, and after her appointment, the doc will tell us what they think. She has a tumor in her head, as well as a possible second tumor in her foot. And where there's a few, there's usually more. So it's not looking good.

Also, my mom's out on business now, and won't be back until Wednesday evening, leaving my sister, her fiance and I to fend for ourselves. Chores usually divided among four people are now divided among three, meaning more dishes, garbage runs, cat litter-cleaning and cooking for all of us.

Basically, my schedule this week is:

Monday: Clean, do tonnes of chores
Tuesday: Clean, do tonnes of chores
Wednesday: Let the company clean, do tonnes of chores
Thursday: Get the heck out of here
Friday: Weep

As you can see, I have a lot of stuff to deal with this week, and I just can't concentrate on writing, nor can I play a game enough to even make up a review in my head. Everything's happening this week. At least it's already partway over... But the worst is yet to come.

I hope you all understand and respect my situation, and decide not to charge at me with torches and pitchforks like last time.

So no posts, no banner, no nothing. I'm just going to extend the poll deadline, and that's it. Otherwise, this week in One Duck's Opinion history is already over. I guess I'll be back on the 27th...

...if I'm lucky.

Sorry, no post tonight (Or Monday, but that's different)

I'm really sorry about this, but I've been unable to think properly today. I just learned that one of my cats has an infection in her foot that may require surgery. Now, she's an older cat, and she already has a brain tumor and diabetes. She's already really sick, and if it turns out that her foot will require partial amputation... We're going to have her put down. We don't want her to suffer through surgery and recovery in her old age. It's hard, but it's the choice we've made.

We're hoping that the infection will go away, but there's always the possibility that it won't. This news is really getting to me, and I just can't concentrate on anything serious right now. Thinking about an article and putting it together just isn't happening tonight.

Now, I may be feeling more like myself tomorrow. If so, I'll write a little something then. If not, I won't be seeing you until Wednesday. Why Wednesday? Monday is Canadian Thanksgiving, and I'll be spending the day with my family, relaxing and eating copious amounts of turkey, potatoes and other stuff.

Again, sorry about not updating tonight, but you can see why I've decided this. If all goes well, I should have a good, lengthy review for you on Wednesday. Thanks for understanding, folks.

No update ton- er, this morning

Yeah, so... No article tonight. It's past 2:00 AM, I'm tired, and my brain is, well... Fried. I think it's best I just don't try to write something tonight rather than write something incredibly bad. Well, I suppose you can giggle at the above image for a while, then ponder how incredibly accurate it is. Or you can make up your own here and laugh it up a bit. Laughing's nice. So's sleep. So... Goodnight. Something good on Wednesday, I assure you. I've got it thought out, but too tired for it tonight. So, uh... Stay tuned or something.

Evolving One Duck's Opinion

I'm not sure how to put this, so I hope you understand what I'm about to say. One Duck's Opinion is going to be changing a little. Before you freak out, allow me to say that I will still write, I will still give my opinions, and I will still review and comment on video games.

What's going to change is the formerly narrow subject pool. From this day forward, One Duck's Opinion will no longer be almost entirely about Nintendo. As I've said before, my two main gaming platforms are Wii and PC. Thus, One Duck's Opinion will start to feature more coverage and discussion of PC-related news and reviews. Again, I will still talk about Nintendo, but computer-centric articles are going to be added into the mix. Adding a little RollerCoaster Tycoon to the Super Mario, some Half-Life 2 to the Metroid. Well, not literally, of course. Those combinations would make terrible cross-overs.

I don't wish to alienate any of my established readers here, so if you are angered or upset by this change, please let me know. It's just that I have changed a lot over the last fifteen months, and I feel the blog has to evolve with me. I hope you can all respect and accept this change, as it is something I feel I have to do. As of late I've been playing almost nothing but PC, and it's beginning to occupy my mind more than Nintendo and their games. I still have a love for the consoles made by Nintendo and the games available for them, of course. I still play my DS and Wii just about every day. It's just that the computer in my bedroom is starting to take up a larger slice out of my gaming pie.

If this change meets with negative reception, I'll reconsider, I assure you. I don't want to disappoint anyone out there who likes the blog in its current form. As for now, though, I feel it's a necessary change. I hope you can all accept this happily.

One Duck's Opinion will return this Friday with a brand-new review and renewed enthusiasm. Well, I will, at least. Until then, I hope you all have a great time doing whatever it is you do. This is PsychoDuck, signing off.

Yeah, I suppose you saw this coming.

No article today. Oh dear. Sorry, I guess. I don't know, saying sorry means to little now, considering how many times I've said it. I dunno about this schedule deal anymore... I gotta think about some stuff. Something on Wednesday is a target for me, so keep an eye out, I guess.

The Duck Has Spoken.