I think that some of the people that were excited by the idea of Final Fantasy Theatrhythm might have bought it, played it for a few days, and then sent it to rot in their huge, unfinished game collection. Not judging! I do that all the time. It's just that I'm still in love with this game, and still play it everyday.

I get that rhythm games aren't for everybody, but this one really speaks to me. Sure, it's just tapping and sliding, but its also a journey down memory lane as it lets me (kind of) revisit some of the best moments in Final Fantasy history.

But what really has me coming back is the challenge. I love how they didn't hold back with some of the ball buster levels. Mind you, I've beat this game once already and maxed out several characters with the Japanese version, and I'm almost to the same place again with the US release. I just love it that much.

Am I alone? Or are you still Theatrhythming?

Many of the staff members at Destructoid have animals associated with them. Me? Corgis, of course. If you don't know that, you don't read Destructoid enough.

Also, look at my Pinterest board! http://pinterest.com/dalenorth/i-am-the-corgi-king/

Chad and dolphins. Hamza and sharks. Brett is in love with pandas. Jonathan Ross adores capybaras. Max...likes bears and squid when they come together?

What other ones am I missing?

Related: Our in-office chat this morning should have me telling you to Google 'Ragdoll cats.'

Also, someone should do some custom art showing us and our animals. Like a unified animal attack force.

Do you wear videogame t-shirts? I suppose that's a silly question. Of course you do. I do. We all do. Well, hold on...

I do, but it's rare. Maybe I haven't done laundry in awhile. Or maybe I'm working in the yard, or exercising. I have nothing against game t-shirts, mind you. I think they're great, and wearing them shows my interests, and lets me show some of my gamer pride.

I definitely wore them more in my younger years. I'm getting old now, and I've set into wearing clothing that maybe has a bit more shape or form, I think. Ah, maybe I'm just a clothes asshole.

Anyway, I've noticed that when I do wear game shirts out and about, it opens the door to talking to others about my passion for games, my career, and the industry in general. I think that's fantastic. And it never fails -- I wear a game shirt and someone strikes up a conversation. Love it.

Last night, for instance: I went to a local BBQ place to fuck up some pulled pork and beans (and mac & cheese). I was served and it was good. Later, the guy that prepared my food came out and said he liked my shirt. (I was wearing a Prototype 2 t-shirt that Activision gave me at some event.) I asked him if he liked the game, and he told me it was 'better' than the first. I laughed and told him that was exactly what I had said!

The convo went on as we talked about the hardships the developer is now going through, and then moved onto how much money Activision has. Nice guy, nice talk.

This got me thinking: Why don't I wear game t-shirts more often?

[But I know the answer! They always give me a fucking XL or L. One time I got an XXL. I'm a fucking SMALL. I'm a bony fuck that has no meat on his bones. And what's really fucked is that A LOT of people in my field are thin/bony/small. Why do they always give us large shirts?!?!? Even a Medium looks kind of silly already. I have a damned mountain of L-sized shirts in my closet, never worn.]

So this all happened at Destructoid while "working" today.

NickC:
TECMO KOEI AMERICA ANNOUNCES RELEASE DATE FOR DYNASTY WARRIORS 7: Xtreme Legends

Dale : dynasty Dontcareriers 7

JimSterling: Dale, we'd have accepted Dy-NoWay Warriors for 10 points

Dale: Die, Nasty Borriars 7

JimSterling: Dicknasty Whorers 7

Dale: Va-GAI-NA-sty Horriers 7
your turn

JimSterling: CryGhastly Scurriers 7

Dale: haha

Jordan: Shitty McNipple Tits 7: The Reckoning

Dale: Why-MustThey More-iers 7

JimSterling: Balls 7: Balls

Jordan: hahaha
i would play that

Dale:haha
Franchise Beat Senseless 7

JimSterling: STOP MAKING FUN OF MY IDENTITY THAT GAME IS WHO I AM!

Dale: hahah
THE INTERNET ASSOCIATES ME WITH THIS FRANCHISE SO I MUST DEFEND IT
*protects persona*


JimSterling: VIDEOGAMES ARE ME

Dale: Dynasty Warriors 8: Jim Sterling
Dynasty Warriors 9: No one else at Destructoid is allowed to write about this game



JRoss: gah

NickC: terrifying.

Jordan: hahaha
that looks so ... natural

Dale: hahha
impressive game engine
skin texturing is beautiful
Da-nasty Warrior 7: Tatted Tit Flaps

Jordan: can we make that guy our mascot?
for images
just throw him in every image

Dale:
his name from now on is Da-nasty Warrior

JimSterling: He is Old Man Yakuzatits

Dale: Old Man Yakuzatits is good

JRoss: Leaked screen of Shenmue 3

JimSterling: I might do a frontpage gallery, "Old naked dudes photoshopped into videogames"

NickC: that's not necessary
we're good, jim.
haha

Dale: haha

Jordan: notice how nick didn't say don't do it

I love Las Vegas. Always have, always will. I'm the guy that argues with the locals and tells them that they don't know shit about their own town. Amazing food, amazing sites, beautiful people, great shopping - I could go on.

But this week in Las Vegas is fat nerds with backpacks on. This week in Las Vegas is cold and windy. This week is consumer electronics and weird people. My hands are cracked and busted from the cold and all the hand washing. I've never seen so many 3D glasses and people willing to wear them. Today I found myself eating lunch as far away as I could from the convention center so I could see normal people and hear normal conversations. I heard a convo about someone's house being taken by the bank. It was sad but I liked that conversation because it wasn't about TVs or 'what's goin' on tonight' or whatever. Oh, and by the way: Nothing is going on tonight. You're not getting into that party. No one knows you. No one likes you and that backpack.

I miss about 40% of my appointment times because the travel is so fucking fucked here. You should see the monorail lines. They're an hour long. I had appointments on the OTHER SIDE OF LAS VEGAS that were 30 minutes apart. It takes fucking 30 minutes to walk across the convention center! I show up late, apologize, or try to reschedule. These people sitting in these rooms all day have no idea.

Yuck. I'm going to go wash my hands again.

UmUhUhUmmYouKnow.mp3

This is my tribute to Mr. Browntown himself, Destructoid's own Samit Sarkar. Podtoid listeners have called him out for his abusive use of "um" and "uh" and "you know," you know. Give the mix a listen -- at the end you'll hear a string of all the individual ums and so forth pulled out of ONE episode of Podtoid.

Special thanks to Conrad Zimmerman for the inspiration and the help with the cutting up of audio.