So I played a bunch of SOCOM yesterday and I think it's pretty damn good. I played the multiplayer first, just because that is what I was most curious about. People have been asking me how easy it was to set up the broadband adaptor and I guess it's pretty easy. I say I guess because I turned around to take the wrapping off the game and by the time I had finished struggling with that little sticker thing on the top of the case Tycho had already set up the BBA and was waiting for me. He said he just had to hit "X" like 5 times and it was done. I logged in and was able to jump right into a game with no problems. The lobby interface is simple and easy to navigate. Once I was in a game I was able to select my weapons load out and then I was dropped in as an observer while I waited for the next round to begin. It took a while to get used to the controls but once I started to feel comfortable aiming and strafing with the analog sticks I was having a blast. The voice chat via the included headset was clear and easy to use. Holding down "O" allows you to speak to your teammates CB style. While most of the conversations centered on the sucking of things or the romantic escapades of my mother, occasionally I found myself on a team that actually used the voice chat to work as a unit.

I gots to get it off my chess.

One of many titles in Wednesday's Festival du Gaming, we are of the opinion that SOCOM: Navy SEALS is pretty good. It also comes with a USB headset for your PS2, which your teammates often use to expound on philosophical topics. Let me summarize every review you're likely to see: Fun game, bad single player A.I. That's really about it. Gabriel will be here to discuss the game in much greater detail, as he is the one that actually owns it and plays it all the time, but I will say that one can have very good time with it. It's true enough that as PC gamers we've seen all of this before. This genre has been refined through years of iteration - however, SOCOM takes advantage of that groundwork. I cannot conceive of a universe where SOCOM would compare favorably with Halo 2 on Xbox Live, but one is out and the other isn't, you know?

Morgan Jaffit - designer on Relic's Homeworld 2 - had this to say. He will be saying things like this at regular intervals until he tires of it, which I hope will be some time from now.

We've been playing Super Mario Sunshine ever since we imported it, but its general release seemed like something to celebrate with a strip. You can get a shine every now and then, socially, and still lead a healthy, active life. It's when getting shines (or "shine-getting") takes over and you lose control that you slip into a place you may need help getting out of. Won't you call us? We're here for you.

NOLF2 Impressions are a go, we'll look into to the poetry later.

With all of the traveling we did this month I got way behind on my import game reviews for our Land of the Rising Fun section. Now that the cons are over I finally had time to sit down and play some games. As always I'd like to thank Travis over at VGD for supplying the games. With that said I give you the "Land of the Rising Fun Hat Trick"

I don't know if you caught the new Transformers: Armada program on Cartoon Network, but maybe we can save you some time. The new show isn't really connected with the earlier series, though it does concern large robots that transform into other things, which I will admit does unite them thematically. The primary addition is "Mini-cons," which are - for all intents and purposes - Pokemon. If I told you that the primary conceit of Transformers: Armada was to see who could catch the most robots, would you believe me? Add some plucky, google-eyed anime kids to the mix, and there's your show: Young, Ersatz Mexicans with Canadian Accents ride Transformer Skateboards and have fun with their Autobot Pals. How art the mighty fallen.

One guy just hit another guy with a pot of boiling coffee! These aren't common Goddamn thugs, they're artists!

The real misery of the situation is that it's too late to do anything about it.

A few people have been kind enough to put up some of their pictures from the Necrowombicon 2002. If you couldn’t make it or you did make it but you can’t remember it because you were hammered out of your gourd, you may want to take a gander at these or even these.

Both at Saturday's LAN party and online, people seem to know how to exit a plane in Battlefield 1942 just fine - however, the parachute phase seems to give them a bit of trouble. As much fun as it is to sing "It's Raining Men," we thought it time for a public service announcement on the topic.

Sean Rogers Extraordinaire wrote in to say Amazon has the best price on Moonbase Commander, if you're interested. Sixteen bucks? Yow!

The official rapper of Penny Arcade - indeed, our rapper laureate - has completed our theme song. It is delicious to the ear. Just clicking on it doesn't seem to work, but "Save As" seems to be just fine. In his mail announcing it, he gave me a link that illuminated the chorus - but alas, I was already lighted sufficiently. C-64 for life.

We got to the Necrowombicon just fine, no thanks to Yahoo Maps - which happens to be the topic of today's strip. Our directions didn't even go to the hotel. They went underwater.

Enterprising hackers have secured us a wireless internet connection for the LAN here. We do appreciate their efforts.