This may be one of the silliest video game reviews you'll ever read. Certainly it's one of the silliest I've ever written. Perhaps a tad pointless as well. But this game may end up being something of a minor landmark, and I wanted to talk about it before the moment passes.

Air Hockey-e is a gratis release for the GBA e-Reader. It was available at Toys R Us locations when the e-Reader was released, completely free for the taking. The -e games are an interesting experiment from Nintendo, the same people who brought you the Game Boy Camera, N64 Microphone, ROB the Robot, and the Game Boy Printer.The good news about Air Hockey-e is that it's only one card, two scans... unlike most of the e-Reader games.

So that's two points for Air Hockey-e. It's free. And it's fully contained on one single trading card.

For about a month now, I've been snapping cheap pics of my current purchases/favorites and putting them in that left hand column there. (Just like Wil Wheaton!) Fills out that table column nicely, I think. They're pretty obvious: Last Book Read is the last book I actually read, Last Game Bought is the most recent gaming purchase (video or otherwise), and Last Great Comic is the last comic I read and enjoyed. Here's some recent books that just missed being included on the cam.

Somewhere along the line, I became a Nintendo fanboy.

I wasn't always this passionate. In fact, I've never owned a NES or SNES. But my N64 proved to me that Nintendo knows how to make great games, and even if they don't make a "Nintendo" game personally, they utilitize the abilities of development houses that also know how to make great games. As an over-reaching, heavy handed, blanket statement, Nintendo's family of games are superior to just about every other brand out there. This has been something I learned, not something I blindly repeat. Like I said, I never cared much about Nintendo's games until I began to play them. Mario Party, Pokemon Crystal, Starfox 64, Mario Tennis, Pokemon Snap, Ocarina of Time... the list goes on and on.

Super Mario Sunshine continues that tradition. It's a beautiful example of GameCube power, an amazing example of level design, and a charming example of style and presentation. That's not to say that there's chinks in the armor, but even with a clutzy camera system and a typically weak Mario plot, SMS is a high standard for video games in general.

For years, I have had a fairly complex Magic filing system; two of each card in a color-coded binder and the rest in a regular card box. For slightly less years, I haven't even played the game. I sidelined into Middle Earth and OverPower, evolved into Doomtown and Pokemon, and briefly toyed with 7th Sea and Dragon Ball Z. Magic was left in the dust. I was never very good at it anyway.

But those Magic binders (six of them, one for each color plus one for artifacts/multicolor cards) have been eating up a lot of shelf space that I'd rather use for genuine books. So this week I disassembled all the binders, and I've been alphabetizing all the cards into the boxes.

This reunion with my Magic collection reminded me how much I dispised the flavor text on many cards, which generally reads like a random line from a sixth grader's custom Dungeons & Dragons scenario. Why does every single character in Dominaria have to talk like they're doing a One Man Show down at the VA? All this filing has also reminded me of the Llanowar Elves, who have been the victims of a WOTC flavor text upheaval.

I've been "seriously" playing the Doomtown CCG for better then a year now. (Thanks Joe....its all your fault!) Thanks to my friends, I have a basic set of common cards and have begun to figure out not only the intricate details of playing the game, but even building my own rudimentary decks! I must say, that while I continue to get crushed when I play (even against my GF), its the most enjoyable card game I have ever played.

So I've subscribed to an email list server, in hopes to find out more about the game and its rules. In my mind, I thought I would be able to ask questions in a safe environment, and learn from others sharing their experiences with the game.

I'm on the run. New name, new town, new life. They call me JoeForever (spelled J-o-e-infinity symbol) and I have just moved into Adamsvil, a town in Animal Crossing.

At approximately 10:00pm September 17th, I left the big city and began to melt into the countryside. On the train to Adamsvil, I met a simple cat named Rover. Already I am suspicious... a cat with a dog's name? When I reveal that I have no place to live, he slips to the back of the car and calls a "friend" of his named Tom Nook. Sounds like a scam, and when I meet Tom, I figure out why. My new crib costs 18,000 Bells, and Nook expects me to work for him to pay it off.

My reputation is starting to grow. In three days, I have had no less than three townsfolk leave Adamsvil. Grizzly the Bear, Baabara the Sheep, and Friga the bitchy elitist bird thing have all moved east to Holliday. They each sent me a kind farewell letter, but I can read between the lines: They're afraid of my growing power.

Perhaps they're the smart ones; getting out before I really take over. I've already begun to dominate the local arts scene, the Adamsvil Museum. So far, 100% of the Insect, Fish and Fossil exhibits has been donated by me. I figure after a few more donations, I'll engineer some press that describes how benevolent and giving I am. Come off as a real bon vivant. That's how you grease the wheels... the Harvest Moon festival is this Saturday, and I plan to put in a real slick appearance, all handshakes and smiles.

Now that both Rhonda and I are heavy into Animal Crossing, we're open to receiving/trading items if anybody is interested. Our names and towns are in the graphic below; just go to Nook's and select Other Things to get a gift code for one of us. We'll do our best to reply with a code for you!

Today we're going to talk about persuasion.

As I climb the ranks and secure my fortune, it's important to keep firm control on the locals. I know from experience that strongarm tactics will only get you so far, and I don't have the kind of backup I usually enjoy to persue that tact. So this operation requires quite a bit more subtlety.

With only a week in Adamsvil to my name, I've already learned to make myself invaluable to my neighbors. Mitzi needs to get her Game Boy back from Cesar? I'm on it. Weber wants me to deliver some clothing to Cobb? You bet. It may seem like low work, but what's actually happening is that I'm breaking down their relationships. I'm ruining their pre-established friendship networks from within. And with a smile on my face. I will become the center of their existence.

I find garbage disposals have a unique and fragrant odor, much like some of my third grade students who only wash their bodies on days ending in the letter Z. One particular garbage disposal stands crisply out in my memory though - the one we fed crappy Magic cards into after we set them on fire with vanilla insence. This achieved two objectives: mask the stench of last week's brocolli-cauliflower-turnip casserole my mother was so fond of, and to rid the greater New Jersey area of useless Magic cards.

Pardon me Chris, can you pass another Cyclopean Mummy?

Fast forward to the present, where Doomtown has happily and quite sufficiently replaced Magic as my TCG of choice. From my point of view, it's enjoyable playing a game where the entire outcome is not primarily decided by the first lot of cards you draw. Let's face it, many times in Magic you knew whether you had won or lost right after the initial shuffle and pull.

I considered Crazy Redd's visit a wake-up call.

You see, out here in the sticks, it's easy to forget that players can still be played. The locals are all so agreeable and naive, handing out items like the Nook-n-Go isn't just a short walk away. But Crazy Redd...

Apparently he blows into town every so often, selling rare furniture. He sets up a tent, puts on his smarmy salesman act, and waits for the starry-eyed morons to wander in.

And I was one of the starry-eyed morons.

Monday is the day of the raffle.

Tom Nook clearly still controls the supply lines in this town, despite my best efforts. His store is re-stocked with different items every day, and although many Animals have complained about the inconvenience that causes, they remain loyal customers. Me too. He must also have a scheme going with Sow Joan, the turnip lady. I bought 20 turnips from her at 103 Bells each, and Nook has been valuing them at 70-80 Bells each all week. I smell corporate dishonesty. Someone is Nooking the books here.

Back to the raffle. You have to have 5 tickets to enter, and rumors abound that this is a good way to score NES games. My suspicion is that Nook might actually spirit the winner away to a magical amusement park and they'll never be seen again. Tom Nook's "The Raffle."