My friend, Callidus, bought a Wii yesterday and brought it over for us to try out. I have to say, I'm impressed. And jealous. I honestly can't see myself sitting down to play it solo, with the current batch of available games. However, it is the ultimate multiplayer console.

Callidus didn't pick up any extra games for it - Twilight Princess wasn't in stock and he couldn't justify the $50 price tag on Super Paper Mario. So, we fired up Wii Sports.

Tennis and bowling were easily my favorites of the bunch, followed by baseball. I really didn't care for golf or boxing all that much. There was much flailing, sweating, and near-collisions in my tiny living room. Even my wife got in on the action, by kicking my sorry butt in a round of bowling. I managed to salvage a little dignity by beating her at tennis.

The Wii is definitely now on my wish list. Although, I awoke this morning with a very sore shoulder from all the tennis we played. I've never had a console make me feel so old and decrepit before.

I'm not a fan of Frank Miller's work. I only watched fifteen minutes of Sin City before turning it off. I've never cared for his writing in comic books and graphic novels, with the exception of The Dark Knight Returns and All-Star Batman and Robin - the latter being helped out immensely by Jim Lee's amazing penciling. So, keeping my distaste for Miller in mind, I really didn't have high expectations for 300. I also can't tell you how faithful it is to the original graphic novel.

That being said, I have mixed feelings about the movie itself. In my opinion, 300 is equal parts awesomeness and awfulness. The story is engaging and the battle scenes - simply put, they are the most amazing fight scenes ever filmed. The cinematography, choreography, and stylization combine to make them gloriously beautiful. The camera never cuts away, so you can see every move the Spartans make. One of my pet peeves in action movies is using camera tricks and poor lighting to mask the fact that there's not really all that much happening on screen. 300 is a shining example of how fight scenes should be filmed. If you liked the battle scenes from Troy, Gladiator or The Last Samurai, prepare to be blown away by similar scenes in 300.

Now to the awfulness. There seems to be an increasingly popular trend in movies these days of showing the viewer bizarre and disturbing images. The more bizarre and disturbing, the better. The trailer for Grindhouse, which was shown before 300, is a good example of where this trend is going. Maybe this works for some movie-goers but it only serves to take me out of the moment. Several times during 300, I was engrossed in the story and then abruptly found myself thinking, "What the...? What kind of sick, twisted mind thought this up?" And just like that, I was taken out of the story and realized I was watching a movie.

Judging by the popularity of slasher flicks and movies like Sin City, I'm probably in the minority on this one. But I just don't need to see old, diseased inbreds licking the face of naked, drugged, young girls or naked amputees seducing deformed hunchbacks. I guess it comes back to another of my movie pet peeves. The female form is a work of art and I've never enjoyed - or seen the purpose of - mixing nudity with gore. Somewhere along the way, nude scenes and horror scenes merged into a new amalgamation. I can deal with each on their own, but this new form of bloody/deformed/violent nude scene just doesn't work for me.

You may have noticed I haven't really mentioned the acting in 300. That's because it takes a back seat to the visuals. Everybody does a great job of projecting their characters without getting in the way of the true star of the movie: the action. Gerard Butler is compelling as King Leonidas and carries the lion's share of the movie's dialogue. David Wenham's narration adds to the feeling that you are watching an epic tale of bravery.

It's hard to give this movie a final verdict. Without the frequent scenes that took me out of the movie, this would have been a fantastic film. I guess I would recommend this film to fans of the genre, but with some pretty big reservations.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old.

I am boldly going where few dare to tread. I am going to attempt to list my 10 favorite games of all time, as originally posted on the Chaos Internet Gaming Center Forums. Let's set some ground rules:

• These are favorite games, not necessarily best games. Sure, there might be better games out there than Rastan but I got a lot of enjoyment out of that loinclothed barbarian.
• I've included brief explanations behind each selection.
• This list is SOOOO subject to change.

10. Rastan - Arcade
Rastan came out when I was still in middle school (yes, they had video games back then). I spent many an hour in my local arcade, attempting to beat just one more level. This game alone is the reason I bought the Taito Legends compilation.

9. Guitar Hero - PS2
Unless you've been living under a rock (no pun intended), you know what this game is. If you don't, and you own a PS2, run, don't walk, and buy it. It's that much fun. The upcoming sequel looks to improve an already fantastic game.

8. Road Rash II - Genesis
One of the few Sega Genesis games I consider to be a 'must buy'. This game has it all: a great sense of speed, the ability to knock other riders off their bikes with chains, nice single and multi-player modes, and a catchy soundtrack.

7. Ridge Racer - PS1
Long before The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift descended upon us like a plague, there was this gem. A true step up from previous generation racing titles, Ridge Racer for the PS1 offered drift racing goodness to the masses. It was also the first game to let you put in your own music CD after loading the game, allowing you to race to your favorite tunes.

6. Super Mario World - SNES
Mario, Mario, wherefore art thou, Mario? Living fondly in my memory, that's where. There's really not much to say about this one. You know how great it is. It sucked away too many hours of my life to not make the list.

5. Mortal Kombat II - SNES
I think this was the first game I ever pre-ordered. Not only did I pre-order it, I scheduled a tournament at my apartment and actually awarded the winner the special dragon pin that came with the pre-order. You know, considering how anti-social I am, it amazes me how many of these games are on my top 10 list because of their multi-player aspects.

4. Killer Instinct - Arcade
I spent WAY too much money on this one in the arcade. Not only did I drop a ton of money to play it, I spent a fair amount in gas money to get to the one area arcade that had it. I would love to someday own the actual arcade machine.

3. Final Fantasy III - SNES
The first truly epic game I ever played and my introduction to the Final Fantasy series. With an amazing story, music, and characters that actually made me feel for them, this game alone is reason enough to own a Super Nintendo. I can't imagine RPGs getting any better but my friend assures me that Chrono Trigger tops it. I'll find out soon enough, as I recently ordered Final Fantasy Chronicles.

2. Resident Evil 4 - GameCube
I loved the original Resident Evil, terrible voice acting and all. After reading many glowing reviews of RE4, I decided to buy a GameCube just to play it. Good choice. It was easily the most fun I've had with a console game in years. Great story, voice acting that puts most other games to shame (especially the original RE), tight controls, pulse-pounding action, and just the right length. I no longer own my GameCube and I'm afraid to buy the PS2 version because I don't want to take the chance that anything might tarnish my first experience with RE4.

1. World of Warcraft - PC
What can I say about WoW that hasn't been said a hundred times before? This is more than just a game. It's a phenomenon. There's a good reason WoW boasts more than 6 million subscribers. I resisted trying this game for well over a year because I was playing Dark Age of Camelot and City of Heroes. Once I did finally try it, I was blown away. It is so much better than any other MMO I've ever played, it's almost in its own genre. This game is so good, I defy anyone to not get hooked - even non-gamers. Now, if I could just figure out a way to kick everyone else off my server...

There you have it. My 10 favorite games of all time. Like I said at the beginning, this list is very much subject to change. Games that barely missed the cut: Super Mario Kart (SNES), Tetris (GB), Pokemon Snap (N64), Unreal Tournament (PC), and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)

Below is a list of my favorite games for each system I've owned. Originally posted on the Chaos Internet Gaming Center Forums.

Atari 2600
Combat
Runner-up: Pac Man
Honorable mention: Breakout

Atari 5200
Pac Man
Runner-up: Defender
Honorable mention: Pole Position

NES
Super Mario Bros.
Runner-up: Castlevania
Honorable mentions: Super Mario Bros. 3, Legend of Zelda

Sega Master System
Afterburner
Runner-up: Space Harrier
Honorable mention: OutRun

SNES
Final Fantasy III
Runner-up: Super Mario World
Honorable mentions: Super Castlevania IV, Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts, Mortal Kombat II, Top Gear 2, Rock 'N Roll Racing, Killer Instinct, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario Kart

Sega Genesis
Road Rash II
Runner-up: Kid Chameleon 
Honorable mentions: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadowrun, Flashback, Shining Force, ToeJam & Earl, World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Earthworm Jim,  Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun, PGA Tour Golf II

Gameboy
Tetris
Runner-up: Super Mario Land
Honorable mention: Gargoyle's Quest

Gameboy Color
Pokemon Trading Card Game
Runner-up: Pokemon Pinball

Dreamcast
Soul Calibur

N64 
Pokemon Snap
Runner-up: Rogue Squadron
Honorable mentions: Goldeneye, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, Killer Instinct Gold, NFL Blitz

PS1
Ridge Racer
Runner-up: X-COM: UFO Defense
Honorable mentions: Warhawk, Super Puzzle Fighter II Turbo, Bottom of the 9th, Tekken, Doom, Mortal Kombat 3, Final Fantasy Tactics, Resident Evil, Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, Twisted Metal

Xbox
Halo
Runner-up: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Honorable mentions: Halo 2, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, Dance Dance Revolution

PS2
Guitar Hero
Runner-up: Final Fantasy X
Honorable mentions: SSX, MLB '06: The Show, Onimusha, Madden 2004, God of War, Devil May Cry, MVP Baseball 2005

GameCube
Resident Evil 4
Runner-up: Tiger Woods '06
Honorable mentions: Rogue Squadron II, Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

GBA
Advance Wars 2
Runner-up: Sonic Advance 2
Honorable mention: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

DS
New Super Mario Bros.
Runner-up: Brain Age
Honorable mention: Mario Kart DS

Now, you may be saying, "Hey moron! Where's Ninja Gaiden, Mike Tyson's Punchout, GTA, Chrono Trigger, etc, etc?" I will now admit to you my secret shame. I have never played those games. I know, I know. It's on my to do list.