So I stumbled upon this at my old forum stompin grounds. One of the talented folks at Joystiq came up with a Flash recreation of the user-avatar system based on what we'll all be doing with the Wii!!! (Click here to check it out).

Below is an attachment created by our very own, Rocca (Patrick Butler). So yes, you too can virtually create a character based upon your likeness.

And here's a pic of myself that I created.

Try it out! Enjoy!!!


Click to enlarge

(Yes this blog title is an indirect knock on Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" song... which I'm almost ashamed to admit that I actually like now. Oh noes.)

Now that I'm starting to settle back in a "normal" groove, it should be noted that my interest in drawing has not been neglected. It's been great to hear from a few people that have been keeping an eye on me (you know who you are!) The latest feedback comes from my newly added DA buddy, Hypes whose support has been particularly encouraging. I'm going to have to think up something special or something to do for him as he's pointed out that much of my stuff has a unique cuteness to it!

Meanwhile, I've been trying to get back into my gaming sessions on a regular basis. Yesterday I spent time with Test Drive Unlimited, a new game published by Atari. It's pretty cool for those of you who dig RPG-style elements in racing games. It didn't do much for me although the customization options and ability to get behind the wheel of real-life vehicles is a great touch. I took the new Saturn Sky for a test-drive and think I've found my new dream car for when I grow old and retire. I joked the other day with my fiance that the only cons to the car is apparently, it's not a convertible and it can only seats two ppl. That means we could never give our friends any rides, unless they sat inside the trunk. *L*

So here's a somewhat silly question -- but who's looking forward to the Wii? No really? I mean, the buzz is pretty high from what I can gather. Nintendo has really played their strategy out well and I'm just counting the days (Nov. 19 still seems so far away). I'm eager to get my hands on Super Mario Galaxy, Excitetruck and Metroid Prime 3. WiiSports also looks nice, if only for the fact that it will make for an awesome party game with friends and family. And I can't forget to give a nod to Zelda: The Twilight Princes in spite of the fact that we may well not end up seeing it this year. I ain't trying to jinx things -- but we all know how Nintendo has been with their "unexpected" delays. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

In other news, I'm supposed to get back my car sometime next week. Its absence is... so painfully apparent whenever I take the Dodge Stratus (the rental) out on the road for my weekly commute. Ugh... MUST. GET. BACK. CAR! I've finally got over the fact that in a matter of days, I'll be forking over a nice chunk of cash just to get it out of the shop. I was especially grateful to have some support from a very good friend -- a miracle that I never saw coming. Really put a smile on my face. And speaking of smiles... I'm rather curious to see what MS has loaded on the Marketplace. Right now, they've got a "Bringing it Home" campaign dedicated to the Tokyo Game Show and X06. At the time I posted an article and went online-- there wasn't too much available, making me wonder what was taking so long for them to present the "exclusive content". If I recall correctly, the press release proudly spoke of getting access to content before it was posted anywhere else. Hmm... I must of missed it.

My guess is that it's all going to be time-released over the course of the next several days. So yeah, while the stuff we'll be getting IS free -- we're still better off going to the usual sources for in-depth impressions.

I downloaded NBA 2K7 last night and man, this game is making me love video game b-ball all over again. Last year's version was awesome, but 2K is taking the visuals and gameplay to a whole new level. My impressions wouldn't really do it justice, so drop over to IGN or 1up as I'm sure they've got some extensive reports... or if you're lucky -- perhaps one of our guys will show some editorial love and bang out a review when the game makes its retail release.

Wow -- amazing how much you can start writing once you get going. It's nearly 11 p.m. and I've still gotta tend to my laundry and use the last hour to get in a quick gaming session on 360. Till next time!

September 14th started out like any other typical day. Routine. Woke up at 10:20 a.m., washed up and got dressed to drop off my fiance for her 11 'o clock shift, giving me about a half-hour extra time to make my usual hour commute to work. It also happened to be raining, but up here in Connecticut -- that's especially typical for this time of year. The drive up to commute today would ultimately be a day I'd never forget.

My Saturn Ion 2 got banged up in its first car accident. [Edited for those of you who may be thinking that I'm talking about the classic console.]

I was about 15 minutes away from my job when I approached the final exit heading to Boston (2E leading to I-84). I was going appox. 40-45 mph when the car suddenly started to skid - - leading to my initial reaction to ...slow it down a bit. Mistake. The car drifted and I couldn't regain control of the vehicle or reduce my speed. My options were limited and I didn't want to do anything drastic... but it wouldn't matter soon as I was fast approaching the guardrail on the left. "I'm going to crash." was all I could think.

And I did. Within 60 seconds, my Ion had went head-to-head with the guardrail and lost. So much for being early for my shift. My head was spinning. My first car and already going through its first accident within 3 months. I wasn't able to get out on the driver's side and was forced to use the front passenger door. Inspecting the damage, which at the time looked much worse than I thought -- it was clear there was NO way I'd be driving the Ion anytime soon. The body panel on the driver's side had been ripped off... the control arm and axle was broken... the tire and rims were shot and the bottle holding the windshield fluid was totally busted. My heart sunk. While it normally takes awhile for a towing service, I was fortunate to literally have one tailing me seconds before the wreck. He had asked me a few questions like the make and year of the car (which as some of you know is a 2006 model). "Oh, well you're totally covered by the warranty then." I nodded. Although this was definitely good news, my utmost concern was how I'd be getting to work from this point on. As you can imagine, I was in a bit of shock during the whole ordeal, making a quick call to my dealership, followed by the insurance company to make a claim. Meanwhile, the tow truck driver was endeavoring to lend me a hand, advising me that I definitely did not want to have the state police involved with the decision-making process where my car would end up. Speaking of which -- they gave me a ticket by the way (infraction: unreasonable speed. WTF? As if I hadn't already been through enough as it is.)

The whole incident totally soured the entire day. It turns out that I didn't have rental coverage on my plan which sucked because I'd end up having to pay out of pocket on-site. I ended up taking the driver's advice to have it tow to his company's site and checking into a rental agency (Budget) to get some substitute wheels (2006 Dodge Stratus -- white) for the time being. But there still was a matter of where the Saturn was going to end up; what I'd be paying out-of-pocket (if any) for the towing and most importantly, where/when was it going to get repaired. Well, it all worked out in the end much better than I could've anticipated. The driver from the towing service really went the extra mile for me. We ended up having the car towed back to a body shop a few exits away from my hometown (which was a lot better than having it left somewhere that was over an hour away). The shop actually was networked with my insurance agency who are contracted to give priority to my vehicle and work on it daily. I didn't have to pay for the towing expense either (which was great, cuz that shit gets expensive). The insurance agency sent down an rep to inspect the vehicle to calcuated the estimate damages (hint: it's a lot) while the owner of the body shop and I talked a bit while retreiving some personal items from the Ion. "It's not as bad as it looks", he said, assuring me that things could have been a LOT worse and I'd be driving it very soon. Prior to the accident, I was somewhat uneducated as to the proper course of action. But after all this, I've definitely gained a much better understanding in the event that I end up going through this again. [knock on wood]

While it's understandable that I'd be bitter about the incident, I'm extremely grateful that I wasn't hurt. In the end, that's the most important thing to keep in mind. It's also encouraging to know that I won't be without my car for too long -- slated to be available at the end of this month. It's only been two days and I'm already missing the Ion... Which reminds me, it's only officially referred to as the Ion.... I ended up giving it a nickname after my fiance, her friend and my soon-to-be sister-in-law had been discussing how every vehicle should have a name.

I went with a classic name from my childhood: Optimus.

So we've upgraded our forums, but we lack the community level to help break it in. LOL. GotNext has been up for about two years and it's already facing the sad reality which many gaming enthusiast sites big and small face: sporadic forum activity --- or worse, none at all.

While it's been difficult to remain optimistic, I haven't given up just yet. My hope is that over time, some of the lurkers will decide to emerge from the shadows and start to interact with us. I'd like to think that GotNext is a fine site (and not just because I'm the founder). It's backed by a great group of passionate people who truly enjoy what they're doing.

The forums just needs a jumpstart from people who just want to "shoot the shit" about games, movies and all that. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? I'd like to think so.

I'm willing to do whatever it takes to create that community -- right now, we're still in that flower bud stage with dreams of blooming into something bigger. Anyone wanna bring a water can and help us grow? ^_^ Here's the URL: http://www.got-next.com/board... *points*

Bleh, now I'm starting to sound like a street peddler.

Of course, I'm always open to hearing your thoughts and feedback...

There's a good explanation why my activity on DA just suddenly came to a halt. I've been going through some rough times. It's nothing life-threatening, but it's a matter that involved my immediate household. The good news is that I'm on the verge of getting back to normal and hope to start getting back to drawing once again in the weeks to come.

I see there's over 31 new deviations and 13 message awaiting me, so perhaps this would be a good time to get back into the flow. Who knows, maybe I'll sketch up something today. There's still that matter of a Chibi Rose pic I was working on... but to be honest, after talking with Chaos-Shadow, I may just make another attempt to redraw her; only this time, she'll be cuter!

What's everyone else been up to?