Breaking: Over A Month Before Launch, Nerds Already Forming Line For New Nintendo Product

Yes, today is the official start of pre-ordering for Nintendo’s new Wii console, which goes on sale on Nov. 19. (On a side note, that Wikipedia page for the console is protected, which means people who are extremely loyal to Xbox, Playstation or Nintendo have been getting into edit wars over it. Hilarious. I love people.)

And Phillyist is on the case, snapping this photo of those in line at the Gamestop at around 8:30 this morning:

Awesome. Better get those pre-orders in, boys, before they sell out! (Yes, I know, consoles tend to sell out ridiculously quickly, even in pre-order. That doesn’t mean I can’t make fun of these guys. Plus, if I discourage people, then maybe I can sneak in and get one.)

It’s Time To Pre Your Wii, Philadelphia [Phillyist]

Philadelphia Crimes: Blame The T-Shirts

It appears that, as we quickly approach fall, fine citizens of Philadelphia are finding new and exciting reasons to commit crimes.

Case in point: Uhh, where to we start? I think a charticle is in order.

• Here. Here’s a good starting point. Tyrone Spellman, 25, has been arrested and charged with murdering his 17-month-old daughter over a video game. This brings up so many questions — and not just “What game were they playing?” But it’s all answered by this one little paragraph:

“His confession was she pulled the cords in the game, the system is — the box itself — fell, and he was upset and then responsible for paying for the game, so he hit her in her face twice,” [mother Mia] Turman said, adding that Spellman also allegedly slung the child over a chair.

We’ll avoid the debate about whether losing your Madden save is worth killing over.

• Of course, sometimes the crimes aren’t so strange. They’re fairly normal. The pregnant woman who allegedly tried to buy crack has been released on $150 bail. (The same woman who also pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter of her son in 2002.)

Here’s the kicker of the NBC 10 report: “City cops see mothers-to-be involved with drugs frequently.” Oh, goodie.

Police: Pregnant, Crack-Carrying Mom Let Off The Hook [NBC 10]
Mother: Father Killed Child Over Video Game [NBC 10]

Boom! An End To Gun Violence!

Tomorrow marks the release of Madden 2007, the latest version of the ubiquitous football video game that last year did $289 million in sales.

But, according to the Inquirer, it’s not just a great way to waste time and improve those hand-eye coordination skills. No, Madden 2007 could make the world a better place:

It was this passion that led Rod Lane, a Hackensack, N.J., middle school teacher and a national tournament organizer, to push for a national Madden holiday, all for a good cause. He will be promoting his idea at the Cheltenham Square EB Games store late Monday. The store has the highest number of Madden reservations in the area, a good place to gain recruits.

“A Madden holiday could be used to do a number of things,” Lane said. “Take Philly, for example. Look at all the kids involved in gun violence lately. I’d be willing to bet some hard money that most of them play this game. Maybe the hook is to get them participating in tournaments and then get them into something else positive while we have their attention.”

Later, Lane is going to end teen pregnancy by doing a really neat trick in Super Mario Bros.

Almost time to stand in line for Madden 07 [Inquirer]

Self-Indulgent Post Alert: Tecmo Super Bowl Ad

Okay, this is only going to appeal to, say, male readers under 27 or so — yeah, I know those stereotypes aren’t exactly true, but whatever — but we spent about 30 minutes laughing about this last night, so it’s going on the blog. Hey, it’s Friday.

This random YouTube video is a homemade ad for Tecmo Super Bowl.

We’ll spare those of you who are trying to figure out what a football and/or a Nintendo are and throw our thoughts after the jump.

More »

‘Inquirer’ Turns To Underrepresented Nerd Fanbase

In an apparent effort to boost readership of nerds, the Inquirer covered the live video game concert held Saturday night at the Merriam Theater. In all fairness, this looked pretty cool, but for Inky reporter Rob Watson, it was apparently heaven.

The concert features live orchestras performing the music of video games from Pong to Halo, which is fairly nerdy in itself. But, when you write this, you’ve eclipsed even my nerdiness factor:

Thankfully, I wasn’t alone as other fans of these old school games made their voices heard in the audience.

“Tell me that’s not Dragon’s Lair up there,” a gamer asked his friend in front of me. “That game took all of my allowance for years!”

Me too, brethren, me too.

Coming soon: Inquirer special edition ‘Magic: The Gathering’ cards.

Call ‘Em The Fightin’ Phils

apologize for missing this yesterday; it’s simply the greatest lead of the year so far, and the second reference to Mike Tyson’s Punch Out! and the Phillies in media reports this season.

Thanks to Todd Zolecki in yesterday’s Inquirer, we have this lead:

MILWAUKEE - Charlie Manuel took more shots to the solar plexus than King Hippo in the video game Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out when the Phillies stumbled to a miserable 9-14 start last month.

And, hey, David Bell kinda looks like Glass Joe, doesn’t he?

Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Report [Inky]
Feb. 24: Charlie Manuel loves him some ‘Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!’

And Here’s Some More Free Advertising

Here’s how the story goes: Video game company creates awful, awful video game. Not in content, but in playability, fun, etc. It falls by the wayside and is forgotten… unless it has some sort of controversy attached!

And such is the case with 25 to Life. In the game, a sort of Grand Theft Auto clone — only really, really bad — you can play as either a cop or a “gangsta,” with lots of violence, swearing and predictable results. It got an average rating of about 40 percent from reviewers. Needless to say, it’s bad.

But it came out in January. It’s pretty much forgotten by now. Until the DA of Delaware County suddenly decides to organize a boycott of it!

Yes, he’s a little behind — but here’s where it gets really old. He’s asking people to sign a petition in protest of the game. The petition, organized by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, is to be presented to a hearing in Congress on video game violence (sigh).

Er, sorry, was to be presented, since the hearing was March 29. So, basically, signing the petition now does nothing — except that this KYW 1060 news report gave the game some free advertising.

Look for Delco DA Mike Green to call for a boycott Ice-T’s “Cop Killer” any day now.

Law Enforcement Officials Urging Boycott of “25 To Life” Video Game [KYW 1060]
25 to Life [GameRankings.com]
25 to Life Petition [NLEOMF]

Blogicized: Tolling the bell, or a similar bad pun, &c.

• With David Bell getting older and less healthy, could he really be done? Maybe that’s why he always looks so sad. [Beerleaguer]

• If you pay your credit card bills too well, Homeland Security might need to know. [The 14th Windiest State]

• This Friday at the Kimmel: “You can’t tell me you’re going to miss Beethoven 7, Strauss Til and Carter & Lieberson??????” Well, are you??? [Kimmel Center Blog]

• Celebrities die; one man writes edgy funny obits. [Johnny Goodtimes]

• A Philadelphian is fighting obesity one Hadoken at a time. [Phillyist]

Finally, a way to introduce those sagging Olympic ratings

A new online game could probably be a big hit for Vancouver 2010:

With Philadelphia Will Do and puppy curling, you ain’t getting any work done today.

Puppy Curling [Games Arcade via Deadspin]

Blogicized: Ride or die

• Yay! Ecstasy doesn’t make you depressed! It does have the unfortunate side effect of usually making you look like a total jackass, but, hey. [The Trouble With Spikol]

• Philadelphia photobloggers Brad of Phillyskyline and Mark of All Proper had an opening for their show at Day by Day last night. It’s fantastic, you should check it out.

• When your house is hit by a car twice in a year, it might be time to move. Stay away from the infield at Daytona when picking a new place to live, too. [Metroblogging Philadelphia]

• Ladies and gentlemen, a guy who’s both nerdier and cooler than all of us. Enjoy. [Joystiq]