In what I'm sure will be one of dozens of E3 press conference impressions blogs, I am going to share some of my thoughts after watching the "Big Three:" Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony strut their stuff on stage over the past two days.

Granted, I may not have the consoles for most of the games I will be talking about, but that doesn't mean I can't be just as excited about them as other people, so bear with me here…

Microsoft –

--I was thrilled to see even the smallest of teaser trailers for the South Park XBLA game. I literally squealed when it appeared.

--Need for Speed continues with Undercover – I look forward to learning more about this one, as NfS is one of my favorite franchises, no matter how overdone some people may think it has become.

--Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise – After watching the TV show a few times, I have developed a fond appreciation for these little guys. The original game is one I definitely want to play, and this is no different. My attention was especially caught by the piñata card feature that seems to resemble Eye of Judgment, in that you hold a piñata card up to a camera, and voila – instant in-game version.

--Midnight Club: Los Angeles – This is one I am mildly interested in. I had fun with the first game back on the PS2, but even though the racing there was fun, my main source of entertainment instead came from slamming into pedestrians and watching the ragdoll physics send them 20 feet into the air. Well that, along with the female pedestrian in the London section of the game that would scream all sorts of gibberish when you got close to her, gibberish that would send me into giggling fits that would last for long stretches of time. Seriously, there would be times that my mother and I would be crying from laughter after listening to this particular stretch of sound effects, but that's just my being easily amused, I guess.

--Fable 2 – While I heard a lot of positives about the original Fable, I also heard just as many (if not more) negatives, with most of those negatives concerning unfulfilled promises on the part of Peter Molyneux. However, this is one that (barring any unforeseen circumstances) will be appearing at Gen Con next month, so I was really excited to see that the demo of the game appeared to be a lot of fun. I definitely look forward to getting my hands on this one come August.

Nintendo –

--Pokémon Ranger sequel mentioned – I think the five year old inside of me just jumped for joy.

--Animal Crossing: City Folk – Now the adult me just jumped for joy. After spending countless hours tending to my towns on both the GC and DS versions of the game, this is literally the game that could make me open my wallet for a Wii.

--Spore Creatures – Since I know I will probably never be able to play the PC version of the game, seeing as how my PC is a steaming pile of crap, I am happy to say that this seems like a viable alternative.

--Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars – Ok, Brandy, try to stay calm; you know how bad the GBA GTA was…Must. Stay. Calm… But it's GTA!!! *insert fangirl squeal here* I am going to try my hardest not to get my hopes up for this one, as I definitely fear being let down, but either way, I will be trying my hardest to get a review copy of this or something, even if that something means buying the game at retail.

Sony –

Alright, yes, we get it…2008 is apparently the year of the PS3. You didn't have to tell us that many times for it to sink in. And was it just me, or did anyone else find the majority of Sony's conference downright, dare I say it, boring? I seriously almost fell asleep once they got to the section of trailers for the PS2 showing the same Madden and Tiger Woods crap that we've seen for years (sorry sports fans, but apart from the very short bits on Mercenaries 2 and Yakuza 2, I couldn't have been more apathetic).

Now, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Sony as an overall company. Hell, I own more games for the PS2 (100+) than I do for any other console, so please don't start any elitist or fangirl crap on me here; I'm just trying to say that the conference really wasn't what I was expecting, as apart from the Resistance 2 footage (which was cool), everything else was pretty dull.

Granted, I'm no real businesswoman, so I can't say what I would have done to make it better, but at least the hinting of a price drop would have been nice (and no, the 80GB deal doesn't count, as I'm still not paying $400). I know Sony said "no price drop," but that's a crock of **** in my very humble opinion, unless Sony wants to continue eating even more than the 3.3 billion dollars that they've already lost with their newest endeavor. As Denis said, talk about shooting yourself in the foot…

However, there is one bit of praise I can shoot Sony's way, and that's the addition of Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) into the major Sony family as a whole. SOE is a current staple at Gen Con (I had the privilege of meeting quite a few of the gang last year), and I am looking forward to seeing them again this year. That being said, DC Universe Online looks to be shaping up pretty nicely, so I'm definitely looking forward to seeing this one in real life as well.

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So, that's that! I look forward to reading all of your reactions on the conferences as well!

Until next time all!

A quick blog today, wishing all of my American friends a (late) Happy 4th of July! As usual, my mom and I went downtown to watch the fireworks show, and I wanted to take a second to show you some of my pictures from the event, including a 30 image collage I made this afternoon:

Told ya it would be a fast one - Until next time all!

Edit: GrrlGamer updated today - I've got two new reviews for ya'll: Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 (GS Version) & Virtual Villagers 2: The Lost Children (GS).

*Sorry for the wall of text*

After a long hiatus, I am back today with another edition of Brandy's Bargain Bonanza. It's been, let's see, around 7 months (yikes!) since I did my last edition (a couple of days after Black Friday in Nov. 07), but I guess this is just one of those times to say better late than never and move on.

While I've found many bargains in those seven months, I usually found them using tips I had already shared with you, and therefore didn't really see the point of making a Bonanza after them. However, yesterday, I found a copy of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team for the GBA for $7.48 after implementing a technique I've used from the very beginning, that being "showing extreme patience."

This tip comes with multiple parts, and will get pretty complicated from here on in (one of the other reasons I've never discussed it before). I'll try my best to explain things in as great of detail as possible, but before we get into it, we need to discuss a couple of reasons why games (or other items) go on clearance in the first place. That is, when items go on clearance at most retail outlets, it's usually because they either A) are outdated and are going to be replaced with other merchandise or B) didn't sell well, and the stores want to make whatever profit they can from them.

When it comes to Target, my most frequent stop, case A is normally the reason. And being that I am a Pokémon fan from way back, it should be easy to understand my excitement when, after heading to the back corner of the store a few weeks ago, I saw Red Rescue Team boxes lined up by the dozens… literally. This in itself brings me to the first part of my tip. I should say now, however, that these next few paragraphs are pretty specific to the Target franchise itself, since my experience with other stores' "behind the scenes" practices isn't as high.

Your initial reaction to a clearance sale should be to count how many of the item is on clearance, and to try to determine how long the item has been on the shelves at its regular price. For video games and movies this is pretty simple, as you can either look on the back of the box for a copyright date, or use your memories from years past as a reference. If the game is newer (say, released in 2007), obviously demand will be higher (in most cases) than if the game was released in say 2003. It's all about supply and demand here.

After determining these two factors, you then look more carefully at the price. Normally, the initial clearance prices on games are 30% off. Then, it jumps to 50%, then 75%, and finally 90%, if any copies remain. By determining what percentage level you are currently looking at, you can make a rough estimate as to how long the game has been on clearance already, which can help greatly in your decision making process.

For Target, there is normally a stock worker who comes in one or two nights a week specifically to mark down clearance throughout the store. This means that at any given time, if I am looking at a game that is on clearance for 50% off, then that means that it's most likely in its second week on the clearance rack, since stock remained after a week at 30% off. Likewise, if a game is 75% off, it's most likely in its third week on the shelf, since it would have passed through a week at 30%, and a week at 50%. I hope you all are still with me here, because I'm about to combine everything into one.

After counting the number of copies on the shelf, and making a guesstimate as to the current demand for the product, and after deciding how long the game has been on clearance to begin with, you can add all of these steps together to determine if you should buy the item or not. Of course personal desire will play a role in this, but I'll go on from here as if you have a "general" desire for the game. That is, it's probably on your wishlist, but somewhere near the bottom.

Obviously, the more copies available at any one price point, the less likely I would be to suggest that you buy the game. That is, if the object is only 30% off, and there are over 24 on the shelf (as there were in my case about Red Rescue Team), you should probably wait to make a purchase. However, if there are only one or two copies of the game, even at 30%, you probably shouldn't wait. It all comes down to you asking yourself one simple question – "Are there enough copies on the shelf that I believe there will be at least one left next week when it flips to 50%?" In my case with Red Rescue Team, the answer was yes.

Move a week forward and we get to 50% off. With an original price of $29.99, Red Rescue Team is now $14.98, and there are still at least 20 copies on the shelf. Looks like my guesstimate about demand was pretty good. By waiting a week, I've already saved myself $6, since the game is now $6 cheaper at 50% off (still with me?). However, the game is still in large supply on the shelf, so we go back to my question. Do I think that at least one copy will remain a week from now? My answer was still yes.

Jump to yesterday, three full days after the game had moved to 75% (I had forgotten about the game until then – yikes). Four copies still sitting on the shelf, this time at $7.48. By waiting this long, I saved myself over $22, with this savings requiring nothing more than a little patience.

Of course, waiting the third week, or even the second week, in a clearance sale is going to be a bit of a gamble, with the risk being larger in some cases (depending on demand), but as I said before, it all comes back to your own individual desire for a game. If someone was desperate for that same title, I would never tell them not to buy the game at $21 (30% off) if they felt there was a chance the game would sell out by the second week.

While all of this may seem really complicated at first, let me reassure you. The good thing about this tip is the fact that you are only going to get better at it in time. After looking at your local clearance racks more closely, obvious trends will undoubtedly develop in terms of when items change in price, allowing you to better develop your purchase strategy. Heck, you could even look at random items in other departments and play a mental guessing game to hone your skills. This way, you're not actually losing out on an item that you wanted, if you happen to be wrong (which I have been in a few situations, but just a few ).

So, there you have it. With a little patience and some detailed observation, you can learn to save yourself a lot of money simply by waiting to pull out the cash. In the end, you're still most likely going to end up with the item you desire, but will have spent less cash to do so, and who can argue with that?

In closing, I'll add that yesterday I also picked up the first season of CSI for $17.99 on a temporary price cut. Another bit of patience stopped me from buying the game at $25 when it was on sale a couple of months ago, and I saved $7 in doing so. Yay!

Thanks to all those who actually take the time to read this, and if you need me to clarify anything, I'll be more than happen to do so!

Until next time all!

Yay for more bullet formatting! We'll get to my blog title reference (see: Pokémon) in a minute, hehe.

-- As I mentioned in my last blog, I wanted to find a way to take a picture of my PS2 games (since their current circular configuration doesn't port well to photography), and eventually just gave into the most conventional idea, that being to lay them all out. Here is the result (I highly suggest clicking on the photo itself, as its Flickr page has details on all of the games):

-- GrrlGamer updates again for you – Check out my reviews for Virtual Villagers 3: The Secret City (GS Version), and The Last Wish (the book that inspired the PC game The Witcher).

-- Finally received my letter from the Dean of Ball State today commemorating my addition to the Dean's List for the Spring Semester. As I mentioned in a previous blog, I knew from the beginning that I would be on the list, but the official letter is appreciated.

-- Received Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 in the mail from Namco the other day. After playing for a couple of hours, my first impressions sum up as such: Really annoying sound effects played through the various very repetitive mini-games that constitute the majority of gameplay. There are two pretty fun mini-games, however, that remain fun, that is, even after accounting for their repetitive nature. One is the ice cream shop, which has you decorating sundaes with sprinkles, etc. a la Cold Stone Creamery, while the second is the Piano Lessons activity which lets you play c!assical tunes like the Turkish Waltz and the Minuet, among others. Makes all of my time playing around on the keyboard seem a bit more worth it now.

-- Got a review code to play the full version of Virtual Villagers 2 from LDW. My review for the third game will go up in a few days, and since Didi reviewed the first game some time ago, we decided to fill in the hole. So, that gives me something else to look forward to.

-- Forced myself into going into GameStop today, as I received a notice in their newsletter saying that this weekend (and next) they would be giving away free Deoxys in Pokémon Pearl or Diamond. Apparently, I missed out on getting some special Pokémon at Toys R Us a few weeks back, so I wasn't going to let it happen this time. It probably looked pretty funny – a grown woman walking in with her DS asking for a Deoxys, but the guys were nice about it anyway. Oh, I also picked up a set of Donkey Konga bongos for $4, since my niece and nephew always want to play with me, but I never let them touch my original bongos for fear of them being damaged.

-- Whelp, that's about it for now – hopefully it won't take as long for me to post another blog as it did this time: 18 days! Yikes!! Just goes to show how mundane life can get over the summer, hehe. But I'm enjoying it anyway!

Until next time all!

Yay for bullet formatting (and rushing to post before storms hit)!

- GrrlGamer updated; three new reviews from yours truly: Brainiversity, MYST DS (GS Version), and SNK vs. Capcom Card Fighters DS (GS).

- Last GrrlGamer update had my review of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time (GS), but for some reason I forgot to post it until now.

- Next update: Virtual Villagers 3 (lots of fun) and a book review of the Witcher novel "The Last Wish."

- Gen Con planning coming along smoothly. Offers for personal tours from companies like Fantasy Flight, along with a bunch of demo opportunities in the works.

- As per a request in my last blog, I added some pictures of a small portion of my games, collectibles, etc. to Flickr. Most of the other games from consoles like the 2600, Intellivision, Genesis and so on are in storage, and my PS2 games are on a turnstile-like rack, so I'll have to think of another way to photograph them. I'll be sure to let you all know when I do. Here are a couple of them anyhow (above link has more):

- More screenshots from the Sims – lots of downloaded themes, customized with floors, walls and other items from places like SimGrrl, among other sources.

- I know there's more to say, but the clouds are getting darker as I type, sooo… Until next time all!

While Memorial Day is technically a day to remember those who are no longer with us, I know that many of us, myself included, tend to use the day as more of a grill-out / party occasion instead, so with that in mind, I hope everyone (non-Americans included) had a wonderful day today! As for our family, my mother and I spent the morning engaging in a real American festival: a car show taking place in my old hometown of Eaton. Here are a couple of my favorites (the second being so special because my mom used to drive one just like it):

Afterwards, we headed out to my grandmother's house, and had a good down-home meal comprised of hamburgers, hot dogs, sloppy Joes, green beans with bacon, macaroni salad, and a few other items. I didn't eat everything of course, but what I did have was sure yummy.

But I want to go back to the car show for a minute so I can bring in the reason why I included the second part of my blog title. During the show, we wandered past the Boy Scout building and saw they were having a large yard sale inside to support the troop. I ended up finding seven games which pushes me over the 500 game mark (504 to be exact)!

Godzilla: Save the Earth (Xbox) - $2.00

Test Drive Off-Road: Wide Open (Xbox) - $2.00

Robots (Xbox) - $2.00

Blowout (Xbox) - $1.00

Capcom Arcade Hits Volume 2 (PC) - $0.50

Beyond Pearl Harbor: Pacific Warriors (PC) - $0.50

Shrek 2 (GC) - $1.00

So, what do we do to celebrate my having over 500 games? I'm not quite sure. At first, I was thinking we could all post random videos or jokes to make ourselves laugh, but I've already talked about a few different things in this blog and don't want to add another (after all, if we start looking at funny internet findings, no one will care about what I have to say anymore ). So, that being the case, everyone post here how you think we should celebrate, and we'll put something together before my next blog!

Until next time all!