Only 19 more days until E3 mania hits, and as most have inquired in recent discussions - I am excited!!!!!!!!! It's true, I am really looking forward to this year's expo and have great expectations of what awaits (but more on that in our upcoming pre-E3 feature).

So - the column's back. Why the hiatus? Is it back for good, and most importantly - how many of you REALLY missed it? I suppose all of those questions deserve an answer (especially the last one - feedback is great!) I can't speak for the others who at one point or another, delivered a timely edition of their personal (mis)adventures. TNL is Reno, sure we miss it (shoot, I do, but Reno doesn't listen to me anymore). Riisuke's Retribution? Definitely, I admit that its absence has left me solely with little reason to tease Rii-kun about his affinity for caps lock.

As for my own editorial corner, the reason was - I hate you all...just kidding. I've literally been enveloped with my own passion and ambition for the site. As the saying "all work, and no play" - that was me. Heck it still is, by considerable margin. To put it simply, writing a column just felt impossible, and for the past few months - I was simply burnt out. Come to think of it, I was feeling burnt out overall (could ya tell? Bet ya couldn't, nyah nyah.) Ya, so anyways...a lot of things got put on the back burner, and the routine was basically - update, work, sleep; not necessarily in that order.

I even tried an online journal for awhile (which in some respects is akin to the Fight Club maxim - you don't talk about it). I tried it for a bit, didn't work...and just let it silenty die. Anyways, it's been nagging me that the site reverted to a cookie-cutter format, the type that failed to offer any type of features whatsoever. If you've been following the pace of content over the past few weeks, then you've caught the team feature known as The Weekly Haul (we um...are supposedly going to change the name for difference of opinion, haha). And this is just the beginning, we have a few more different features in store during the remainder of the year, among them which include this very column. Friends, readers, and those random influential forces gave that needed push to get things rolling again.

(Gee, I feel like I am on that online journal thingy...)

Well, truth be told - this particular column is a column that wasn't actually contrived, but more like a brainstorm. The fact is - there's a LOT on my mind, but to throw it all at you at once, would basically have me typing for a good two hours (ok, that's exaggerating...four hours seems like enough). So...how's about we wrap this up in a New York minute? (Ok...not really)

The future of TNL

5 years on the net and counting. At some point, things can easily grow stale and fortunately, we've got no intention of heading down that route. Out of the 70,000 readers a month, I am sure many of you can relate what it's like to work on an online site. You've experienced the growing pains, the perks, the bad games, the hate mail, but in the end - you do it all for fun. We intend to keep that perspective in mind (sometimes, even I forget). Look for a few more changes to come, some subtle, some drastic - but all for the benefit of our our dedicated readership. Stay tuned.

Ready Set Gamer

Just minutes into the development of this column, did I get an email from RSG regarding a recent referral promotion I participated in. Many have described it as a 'pyramid scheme'. Whatever. It's a website which is dedicated to awarding gamers, not those who only have a passing interest. Yes, this site is made for folks like you.

I won't throw you any BS, I was skeptical when I first heard of the company. I got the emails, and with my busy schedule - didn't even address it right away. But after a discussion with one of the reps, and entering their recent promotion which RSG was giving away a free PC - what did I have to lose?

One of the staffers related "You actually won something from one of those [things]?" Ya, living proof...I was selected as one of the winners (15th place as a referral agent). Basically, visitors go to the Ready Set Gamer web site, and sign up for an account. I had the option between a Gamecube memory card or Munch's Oddysee for Xbox. I chose the latter - quite excited since I've heard SO much about the game but have been too lazy to dig into my wallet and buy a copy. Perhaps now, I can even dish out a review?

(I'd like to take this moment to also thank those who were among those on the forum who signed up...I dedicate the game to all of you!) :)

For more information on Ready Set Gamer, or to get involved, click here.

The groove in your heart...

Although officially not retired from tournament scene, I've recently jumped back into the network of events. The most recent being a weekend tournament in Flushing Mall, featuring Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Capcom vs. SNK 2. In attendance was a few of the regulars from the Queens establishment, along with one of East Coast's dominant players - Arturo Sanchez (we usually refer to him as "Furby", but I think he despises the name now)...

I considered the event to be somewhat - ghetto. The set up was like playing in a bus terminal. We were using a monitor that was being held by one of those ceiling racks. I didn't appreciate having to look up while playing (bothered my neck)...and to make matters worse - I hadn't slept at all. The first game up was Super Turbo, and I was elected (by random powers that be) to go first...against a player who've I've dubbed "Flushing Valle" - peaced out by his Ryu skillz put me into the losers bracket. My second match was against an occassional player who visits CF, who was also put into the losers bracket. The first match was Chun vs. Guile, which I won. Then, he chose Chun Li as a counter character and tied up the bout 1-1. LOTS of throwing ensued. I wasn't too thrilled about losing and used a few "A3" tricks to get the win. But, just my luck that "Flushing Valle" later faced me, when he finally went into the losers bracket...only to put me out for good. I was disgruntled mainly for the fact that I tapped my Fierce button SOOOOO many times to get a throw out (or a reversal), which of course - did not work to my benefit. Ya...I lost. Things happen - "Furby" of course, took the title (with the glorious pot winnings of - $20)

The CvS2 tourney felt a bit less exciting, but perhaps it's because I still haven't completely warmed up to it yet. Arturo pretty much went through this tourney uncontested. The Flushing crew demonstrated some decent stuff - A and K Groove in particular, which respectively made my battles exceptionally difficult. Heh...I referred to one A-Groove combo, as "scrub combos" - since to me, it looked so basic. (I can be so jaded sometimes). In both events, I placed 7th, which isn't all that great considering that roughly a dozen players entered. Next time, I intend to get more rest and aim for Top 3. But to my own credit, I was able to earn some APEX points, which is the new tournament ranking system for all participating competitors throughout the country. As I enter more tourneys, I am hoping to demonstrate a much tighter performance, and thus earn a higher ranking - all in the spirit of competition!

There's another event coming up in Connecticut this weekend, hosting a tournament respectively for CvS2 and Alpha 3. Will the resident Capcom aficionado come out successful? And most importantly...will he get any sleep (much like he needs now!!!) These questions and more will be answered next time in another exceptionally exciting column known as Bahn Unplugged.

Until then...

Game On!

··· Bahn