I Return to You, IN TECHNICOLOR!

Hello again, geekwads. Yes, it's been awhile. El Fox has been AWOL, distracted mostly by another miniatures game from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Also bidding for my attention is a certain little Dual Screen gaming console and it's addictive cast of go-cart racers.

Also, I haven't been in a ranting mode. LET US FIX THIS.

Allow me to start with Heroclix, since this is a Heroclix board. I honestly have not touched my figures nor played a game since shortly after the release of Legacy. I've simply grown tired of the mechanics of the game, and while my love for colorful characters in tights remains, playing with them in their small, rule-laden plastic forms has lost its appeal. That said, I hear that Gentlegamer and Friends are actively trying to convert that other miniature game's rules into something playable with our comic book heroes. If you have not checked the project out , I highly recommend you do so. The very thought that you could have a Thing figure with an actual power titled 'It's Clobberin' Time!' should fill your soul with glee.

My other entertainment piece of choice has been something that, at inception, I admit to ridiculing. 'Two screens?', said I. 'What silly folks they be'. Nevermind a touch screen and a microphone; these things had no place in the video game world. Then, one year later, I started hearing things. Things that made me look a little closer. A new Castlevania, reputed to be Symphony of the Night's true equal? Wi-Fi online gaming...on the go? Surely, I heard wrong.

I took the plunge. $170 later, I was mesmerized by Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. The hardware is purportedly on par with the Nintendo 64's gaming engine (the DS sports two processors, actually), and applying that power to a 2D Castlevania worked wonders. It is a beautiful game all around.

I followed it up with Mario Kart DS, eagerly configuring my unit to log into my wireless router for some online fun. Let me tell you this right now: You have not played Mario Kart until you race online. There are people on there who apparently do NOTHING but play this game. They ate me up and spat me out, until I found out what Rival mode was. Apparently the game can seek out opponents of your skill level, based on similar win/loss records. BRILLIANT.

Naturally, if you have a DS and Mario Kart, I might just be available to race against you. Then you could, you know, tell people that you know me.

So, that's where I've been. How about you?