Button Mash This

In honour of Valentine’s Day… it’s all about playing TOGETHER. Sharing means caring with my list of multiplayer favs for love day. So grab your significant other and snuggle up whilst competing in these video games built for two.

RACING GAMES
Guys love cars. And the Burnout series has been satisfying the male desire to virtually destroy expensive shiny things for years now. I love the Burnout games because the focus is not necessarily on better performance, but rather on total and utter destruction… the worse driver you are, the better! So it seemed like an appropriate choice for couples who are always ragging on each other’s driving skills. Take the fighting during rush hour gridlock off the highway and re-direct that road rage into happy co-player explosions instead. There’s loads of different versions to pick up — Burnout 3: Takedown and Burnout: Revenge for the consoles or Burnout Legends and Burnout Dominator for the PSP handheld — each with their own levels of greatness. But if you really wanna blow their minds away and get that heart racing, you may wanna try out the newest game to the franchise, Burnout Paradise.

FIGHTING GAMES
When your girl doesn’t know how to play video games but she makes an effort to play with you (because she loves you!), she’ll just mash her thumbs all over the controller until something happens on screen. For this reason, fighting games are perfect for mutual entertainment. While you’re trying to impress her by remembering some complex intricate button combination for the ultimate finishing move, she’ll just be wailing away relentlessly with little regard to strategy until she wins — and she will because those damn button mashers always win! And you’ll think it’s adorable because you’ll just be glad it wasn’t one of your buddies who totally tore your virtual torso into pieces! Who better to own your sorry ass anyways? When it comes to this genre of games, 3D is where its at. So try a Soul Calibur title. And if you managed to get her hooked onto it long after February comes and goes, then keep in mind Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out on March 9 for the Wii.

RHYTHM GAMES
I have yet to meet anyone who will not try a rhythm game. This genre is a special breed amongst gaming culture because it’s easily the most accessible and it appeals to the masses by seducing you with classic licensed music that puts everyone in the mood. Why not serenade each other in a SingStar duet or bust out your sexiest moves on Dance Dance Revolution. But if you’re both up for the sweaty challenge, than nothing beats neverending rock sessions playing Guitar Hero or Rock Band.

Still haven’t found the right present for your special someone? Just get them a DS already, seriously. Even if they have never mentioned it before or showed any interest. Trust me. I’m convinced it’s THE best present in the world and no one can resist this handheld king. 5 year olds play them. 35 year olds play them. Boys and girls play them… together even… and online even if they live far away from each other, ideal for the long distance relationship troopers. It’s also perfect for commuters, so they’ll have something keeping them occupied while travelling on the bus or subway to your house. With a HUGE catalog of software currently available in every style and flavour you could possibly imagine, there is bound to be at least a handful of games your love will just adore as much as you. Be warned though, they may end up spending more time with it than with you! <3

So at the beginning of October, Walmart was celebrating their anniversary sale. One of the big deals that they had going for them was the PSP core pack on sale for 180 CND. It was a $40 dollar savings and they had them in stock, so I grabbed one. So for the last month and a half I have been sitting on this thing deciding if I wanted to keep it. Before leaving the store, I asked what the return policy was on the PSP and they told me 90 days. Enough said.

So last night, I decided it was time to cash in on the PSP. I suppose I could have sold it on ebay or something, but I decide it was just best to return the darn thing. Can you believe I owned a PSP for over 6 weeks and didn’t even open it. In all reality, every though the PSP is pretty darn sexy to look at, there wasn’t enough draw there for me to justify the purchase. I have an iPod and I have a Nintendo DS, so having a PSP as well, was pretty much overkill.

So I walk up to the Customer Service counter to make my return and the woman looks at me, the box and the receipt. She then calls over someone from the electronics dept to come take a look. According to them, the return policy on a PSP is 30 days, but at the store I bought it from they told me 90 days. Judging for the look on their face, I’m not quite sure if they believed it when I said I wanted to return it. What was even more puzzling to them, was the fact that the box had never been opened. I even told them that several times. Finally, the clerk decided to open the box and check the contents. Of course it was all in there, (”hello I didn’t open it”). They eventually decided to offer me the return, but not without a little fuss. What really surprises me is that although I purchased the product via debit card, they insist on giving you cashback.

So ya, don’t look at me funny because I returned a PSP, I’m sinking it back into Nintendo accessories. Let’s start with Gamecube controllers and a memory card. Let me just say, that it is sweet that I can now play Gamecube games on the Wii. SWEET.