I dutifully wrote all those names down for no other reason that I had nothing better to do and thought they might be worth keeping. A year later I ran across that list in a sketchbook and thought it was time to do something with it. I separated the names into a couple of different database tables, did a little ASP programming, and the first version of the Rock Band Name Generator was born. The first version didn’t work very well… the algorithm I designed to determine the band name was terribly flawed and didn’t do a good job of tapping the wide variety of words that were in the database.

About 5 years ago I found the code for v1.0 and retooled it to run in PHP. I decided to put a Flash front end on it because, “hey, let’s throw Flash at everything” was my mantra at the time. The second version also didn’t work very well, mostly because the implementation of my Flash front end was really wonky.

Fast forward to last night. I thought to celebrate the release of Rock Band 2 I would dust off those RBNG database tables that hadn’t been accessed in 4 years or so and give them new life. I rewrote the logic from scratch (and got it right this time!), added a randomize feature, threw in a little AJAX and topped it off with some social media tools such as a send to a friend feature and the ability to embed your rock band name into your blog, Myspace profile, etc. via the RBNG widget (shown left).

Yeah, its another dumb web toy like the Sarah Palin Baby Name Generator (I’m Beretta Hockey Palin BTW), but it’s been a pet project of mine for years and I figured it would be fun to finally release it in the manner that I always wanted to. You can visit it at myrockbandname.com. There are still a few features I’d like to add but it’s 95% complete as it stands.

It’s the Friday before a long weekend, and my brain is hard at work debating the merits of something incredibly important.

Which multiplayer rhythm game do I want to buy?

If you follow “band games”, you know that Guitar Hero: World Tour was officially announced by Activision this week and that this incarnation of the shredding classic goes toe-to-toe with Harmonix’s Rock Band, complete with its own drum kit and microphone.

Being a Wii owner, I’ve been very excited about the upcoming June 22nd release of Rock Band for Wii. A lot of people have been complaining about Rock Band Wii’s omission of downloadable content and online play. While those are certainly nice features to have, they aren’t important enough to me to completely discount buying the game on those shortcomings alone.

I was all set for Rock Band, and it was suggested that it would make a great Father’s Day present when the Guitar Hero announcement comes along. Now the dilemma begins.

It’s already assumed by everyone that Rock Band and Guitar Hero instruments will not be compatible. This means that to enjoy both games, you’ll have to own both sets of equipment. That’s a lot of fake plastic instruments lying around. Additionally, I’m told I can’t have both. So, which to get?

I’d like to hear comments, but I’m not really interested in console-based fanboy opinion (ie. get rid of your Wii because PS3 has HD gfx and makes your breakfast for you !!!1!one!). I think ultimately it’s all about the track list, but Guitar Hero’s track list is still under development (I assume) and therefore very incomplete/unavailable.

I’m trying not to consider the fact that I’m stuck in Kaiju Megadome in Guitar Hero 3 on Hard. That’s stopped being fun/challenging and has become a source a frustration that’s left me longing for a new game anyway.

I’m currently in the process of setting up Wii Fit Project, a site where I will conduct the following experiment: “How much weight can a 35 year old designer who’s 40 pounds overweight lose just by playing Wii Fit for at least 30 minutes every night for 2 months?”

I will keep a running diary of my activity and my progress. There will be lots of pictures and video, and hopefully they will start a bit flabby and end leaner and meaner.

Set a bookmark now for wiifitproject.com and make sure to subscribe to the RSS feed. The experiment will begin as soon after May 21st (the US release date for Wii Fit) as possible. If Nintendo or any other party is willing to supply me with an advance copy of Wii Fit I will begin the project sooner.

Wish me luck.

I arrived at home last night to find an unexpected package on my porch from Red Octane, the makers of the official controllers for the Guitar Hero games. Inside I found the Guitar Hero controller faceplate pictured above along with the following note:

For those that don’t know, the Nintendo Wii version of the Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock game shipped with monaural sound instead of Dolby Pro Logic surround sound. For some people that’s a pretty big deal, especially for a game that’s all about the audio experience. Activision/Red Octane recognized this problem and worked with Nintendo to remaster the game disc and offer a replacement disc to anyone who wanted one. My Wii isn’t hooked up to a surround amp in the basement, so it wasn’t that big a deal for me, but I figured I might as well get the replacement just in case I ever decided to put surround downstairs. I got the disc a week ago and figured that was the end of it. They had righted their wrong and made me quite satisfied, especially since I wasn’t that dissatisfied to begin with.

Then the faceplate came, and I became even more impressed. They certainly didn’t have to do that, and it is a nice gesture — the faceplate would normally sell for $15.00. I even like the design. It’s kind of got a Samurai Jack type of thing going on. Much better than the goofy Fall Out Boy faceplates I saw for sale at Best Buy.

I’m a fan of the game and now I’m a fan of the brand (at least Red Octane). Some people still complain about the Wii version’s shortcomings such as lack of downloadable content (which is being remedied we’re told) and flaky online play, but not everyone’s a console fanboy.

Now, Activision just needs to get it together and allow the Wii GH3 controllers to be compatible with the upcoming Wii release of Rock Band in June.

To continue the “unexpected surprise” theme, yesterday I noticed a cup full of single cigarettes at Magazines and Coffee next to the register. As I was getting ready to walk away, I asked if they had much demand for single cigarettes. The owner said they did, especially from people who were trying to quit.

You might say that they’re being an enabler to someone trying to kick the habit, but it’s an unexpected, unique offering and very smart… regardless of how you view the motive.

I also had an unexpected, unpleasant surprise when I saw today that they had put a “For Rent” sign in the window at Magazines and Coffee. I was told that the business is for sale and that if it doesn’t sell, they’ll be gone as soon as an interested party snatches up the property. This is sad news for the Crossroads District and sad news for me, since I get my lunch from there 4 out of 5 days a week. Where else am I going to get a smoked salmon sandwich?

It baffles me as to why they can’t stay afloat. The place is always busy, and they certainly have a core of loyal clientele. If I had to guess I’d say their overhead is too great from carrying too many expensive art magazines and having fancy sandwiches for what basically amounts to a newsstand. I imagine they just can’t make money off the quality of product they’re putting out.

I’ll miss them when they’re gone. I’m a fan of the Magazines and Coffee brand as well. It’s too bad.

As I mentioned earlier this week, we had a Guitar Hero III tournament at work this afternoon. I made it into the second round (playing battle mode) and went down on a sudden death Death Drain playing “Talk Dirty To Me” by Poison. It was close.

I learned something interesting today… there are some Guitar Hero FREAKS at work. I was amazed at the talent they displayed.

Of course, Guitar Hero has no correlation to playing an actual guitar, but it does have a lot to do with rhythm and timing. That’s some talent nonetheless.

A lot of people were talking about some crazy Guitar Hero videos out on YouTube. I was most impressed by these kids 8 and under shredding through songs on EXPERT. Here’s one to get you started. Enjoy.

I’ll record it and post it in a couple of days. I’m sure you were really looking forward to it too.

Instead, I’ll share a couple of interesting books that I’m going to be picking up for Nathan, my son who is due in January.

First Book of Sushi by Amy Wilson Sanger

Robin and I Iove sushi, so we’ll be taking the boy out to sushi restaurants on a fairly regular basis. This book will be good to begin getting him used to the wonderful shapes and colors of different pieces of sushi.

Baby Mix Me a Drink by Lisa Brown

This one’s just fun. And, honestly it’s really more for mom and dad than it is baby (if at all), but I think the idea of it is funny. And after all, it’s never too early to teach kids to mix a proper cocktail.

I bought it, so there’s not a whole lot I’m writing tonight.

I’m practicing for the inaugural GH3 tournament at work this Friday. I’m bringing my rock face.

Of course, every time I go in there, I get enticed into looking at the upcoming titles list, and I quickly scan for Brunswick Bowling only to be disappointed. This time was no exception. However, I did find a title that hadn’t been on the list before that more than made up for any lack of bowling goodness.

Guitar Hero III.

I had been wanting to get a used PS2 just so I could play Guitar Hero, but I’ve held out on the one tiny shred of hope that some incarnation of Guitar Hero would be coming to the Wii. And, not only is it, it’s coming with a bad ass wireless Les Paul controller. Widdly-waaaaaa!

Looks like GH3 is slated to hit all the consoles in late October. Start growing your mullets now.

[tags]wii, guitar hero, gaming[/tags]

Some of the video effects work for the game handled by yours truly. Enjoy.

Pete’s been looking for a Wii for a couple of months… basically 20 minutes after he started playing mine. We found out that Wal-Mart was going to have an undetermined stock at stores in the Kansas City area at 12:01 this past Sunday. The Wal-Mart by his house had a sign up in the game section announcing their availability, so we anticipated the possibility of long lines of people who have been searching for months as well. Around 10:30 on Saturday night we gave up our turns at Wii Bowling at my place and headed over to the nearest Wal-Mart. Luckily, there was no sign at this location, which meant we were the first to arrive. We felt a little silly being the only ones in our little waiting line, but we knew if we were to leave and come back even 15 minutes later we’d probably lose our place. We stayed.

We waited around for about 45 minutes before someone asked if they could help us, and once she learned we were waiting for a Wii, she gave Pete a slip of paper that reserved one of the units for him. After that, we went to a bar across the street for a few beers before heading back around 12:10 to pick up one of the four units they received. The search had ended, and now I wouldn’t have to pack up my Wii and all its accessories any time we wanted to go over to Pete’s house on a Saturday night. Plus, he bought Trauma Center: Second Opinion, which I’ve been wanting to try. Bonus.

Does anyone else find it slightly odd that it’s a little over 7 months since the release of the Nintendo Wii, yet they’re still nearly impossible to find?

A month or so ago I was trying to make small talk with an EB Games employee when I went in to ask if they had any Wiis available, and I suggested that perhaps Nintendo was sitting on a large portion of their stock just to reinforce how popular this console has been compared to the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. I expected a polite yet awkward dialogue about the subject, but this guy acted like I had made out with his mom right in front of him. I finally had all of his bitching and fanboy posturing that I could stand and left the store mid-conversation.

What do you think? Other popular gaming consoles have overcome their stock shortages in less time than this. Especially with the Wii being made of more commonplace components, what could be causing this shortage, if indeed there really is one?

Incidentally, I’ve stopped going to that EB Games location. Big tip… don’t treat your customers like schmucks. Being socially inept doesn’t excuse poor customer service.

// RELATED UPDATE: Ad Age published an interesting article about the wait for Wiis and when that might end.