Yes, the first episode of Telltale Games' new Monkey Island series is free as a gift for Talk Like A Pirate Day today, Sept. 19th. Awesome stuff... go get it now, it IS today only!
The art style isn't so great really (the 3d style...), but hey, it's Monkey Island. I can't complain. :)
Quote:Nation’s ill-advised to follow Mass. plan
By Michael Graham | Thursday, September 17, 2009 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Op-Ed
The canary is dead.
Massachusetts, the model for the ObamaCare universal insurance plan, is the canary in the health care coal mine. Yesterday, its obit appeared on the front page of both The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe-Democrat.
Both papers reported that our Commonwealth Care reform isn’t working as planned. A new law that was supposed to control costs and drive prices down (sound familiar?) has instead sent costs soaring.
Under the “beta” version of ObamaCare here in Massachusetts, premiums have jumped 7 to 12 percent just this year. That’s about twice the national average - and it’s bad news for Bay State families who were already paying the nation’s highest premiums. If the swine flu season turns ugly, our premiums could go even higher.
As Tim O’Brien of Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Boston office put it, “Reform has had some unexpected results.”
I wonder if this guy’s covered for Chronic Understatement Syndrome.
And it’s not just premiums that are rising. Massachusetts has accomplished the president’s goal of insuring the uninsured. More than 400,000 have joined the ranks of the insured (half under free or subsidized plans), leaving merely 3 percent of our population uninsured. That’s the good news.
But the hair-on-fire bad news is how much this is costing taxpayers. A plan that in 2006 was projected to cost “a small amount of new money in the first few years” according to the Globe-Democrat (Chronic Understatement Syndrome strikes again!) is costing more than $1 billion today.
Why? Because as Massachusetts discovered, when you give people taxpayer-subsidized insurance, they buy it! And they’re going to do the same at the national level. Only it will be worse for ObamaCare because about 15 percent of the country is uninsured - a far higher percentage than we had in Massachusetts.
Just check this math from health policy expert James C. Capretta: A family at 200 percent of the federal poverty line - $44,100 for a family of four in 2009 - would be required to sign up with insurance costing about $13,375. Under the plan put forth by Sen. Max Baucus, the family’s premium would be capped at about 8 percent of their income, or $3,538. The rest of of the cost - nearly $10,000 - would be paid by the federal government.
That’s 10K per year, per family. And by “federal government” he of course means “The Department Of Grab Your Wallet And Cough.”
Massachusetts passed health care reform to bring down our costs, but families who were paying $650 a month three years ago are paying close to $1,000 now.
Reform was supposed to help taxpayers. But according to The Wall Street Journal, the state’s “overall costs on health programs have increased by 42 percent (!) since 2006.”
Reform was supposed to get more people insured, and it has. But it has also made insurance so expensive for non-subsidized middle-class families that they’re forced to drop coverage.
That’s what’s actually happening here in the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Lab. So why would anyone want to replicate this mess at the national level?
The reason coal miners got canaries was so if the poor thing keeled over, they could save themselves. Please, Mr. President, check the canary before it’s too late.
Anyone up for a fiscal disaster?
Of course, I believe national health care could work. I propose that it be funded by taxing the incomes of all supporters of the concept at about 75%.
But of course, as you expect from Lucasarts this decade, it's broken and worthless. They removed the soundtrack. In a game with an amazing one. Evidently figuring out how to make the CD audio soundtrack work without a CD in was far too hard for poor Lucasarts...
Oh, they didn't fix any bugs at all either, so if you have any problems running it on your modern computer (and many people are, even though my disc-based copy works okay), tough luck.
Just announced yesterday, for DSiware (download only), with the first part coming late this year.
If there's one GBC game I should have bought after the GBA came out, it's Shantae. The game's so hard to find and expensive now, and from playing the rom a bit at some point it is a great game... but no, from mid '01 to mid '03 I didn't buy any handheld games. You'd think that because I didn't have a GBA I'd buy a few of the GBC games of late 2001 or 2002, but no, I didn't, the last GBC game I bought new was Zelda OoS in July or August 2001. Oh well... I'll own it sometime anyway. But anyway, this is pretty good news, WayForward's been trying to make a new Shantae game for a long time now. There were failed GBA and Gamecube efforts, and then more recently hints at a WiiWare one... but now it's DSiware. Kind of annoying, I wish it was on card, but oh well...
NINTENDO'S HOLIDAY LINEUP HAS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Find Great Gifts for Everyone on Your Shopping List
REDMOND, Wash., Sept. 15 - As summer draws to a close, the air begins to chill and people begin to turn their thoughts to holiday gift lists. Whether the people on your list have been playing since the 1980s or only since last week, Nintendo has you covered. The Wii™, Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo DSi™ systems have a huge selection of games for everyone on your list, including many that you won't find anywhere else.
"This extensive lineup will keep players busy throughout the fall and into 2010," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "Shoppers know that Nintendo offers fun for everyone in the household."
Upcoming Nintendo-published games for the Wii console include Wii Fit™ Plus (Oct. 4) and New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii (holiday 2009). These games will join the current hot seller, Wii Sports Resort™, which comes with the new precision-control Wii MotionPlus™ accessory. Fans of portable games will enjoy Pokémon™ Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (Oct. 12), Style Savvy™ (Nov. 2) and The Legend of Zelda™: Spirit Tracks (Dec. 7) in addition to the just-released Mario & Luigi™: Bowser's Inside Story, all playable on both Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.
The changing autumn leaves will be in good company with some new colors for the Nintendo DSi system and the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk™ controllers. New White and Pink Nintendo DSi systems made their debut on Sept. 13, while a Black Wii Remote controller and Wii MotionPlus accessory package will be available this holiday season. A Black version of the Nunchuk controller will be sold separately as well.
Third-party publishers are supporting Nintendo platforms with impressive quality and wide-ranging titles. Wii exclusives like Dead Space™ Extraction from Electronic Arts and FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS® from Square Enix will provide thrills that can't be found elsewhere. At the same time, Nintendo DS owners are anxiously awaiting another powerhouse release: KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS from Square Enix. And Activision's Band Hero™, available on both Wii and Nintendo DS, features compelling interactivity between the two hardware systems through wireless connectivity.
Below is a partial list of upcoming games for Wii, the WiiWare™ service, Nintendo DS and the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. Note that game titles and launch dates are subject to change.
2K Play
Dora the Explorer™: Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom™ - Fall
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day - Fall
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey™ Circus - Fall
505 Games
My Ballet Studio - November
Baby and Me - November
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Animal Planet Vet Life - Sept. 15
Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance 2™ - Sept. 15
Cabela's Big Game Hunter 2010 - Sept. 22
Rapala We Fish - Sept. 22
Bakugan® Battle Brawlers ™ - Oct. 20
iCarly™ - Oct. 20
Madagascar Kartz - Oct. 20
Mountain Sports - Oct. 20
Hidden Mysteries Titanic - Oct. 27
Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers - Oct. 27
Jurassic Hunter - Oct. 27
DJ Hero™ - Oct. 27
Chaotic™: Shadow Warriors - Nov. 10
Hot Wheels™ Battle Force 5™ - Nov. 10
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®: Reflex - Nov. 10
Tony Hawk®: RIDE™ - Nov. 17
Band Hero™ - November
Guitar Hero® Van Halen® - Dec. 22
Aspyr Media
My Baby and Me - Nov. 17
Atlus U.S.A., Inc.
101-in-1 Party Megamix™ - Oct. 27
Trauma Team™ - Spring
Shiren the Wanderer™ - Spring
Capcom® Entertainment, Inc.
Spyborgs™ - Sept. 22
Resident Evil®: The Darkside Chronicles - Nov. 17
City Interactive USA, Inc.
Chicken Riot - November
Combat Wings: The Great Battles of WWII - January
Art of Murder - March
D3Publisher
Family Party: 30 Great Games™ Outdoor Fun - Sept. 22
Astro Boy®: The Video Game - Oct. 20
THE SECRET SATURDAYS™: BEASTS OF THE 5TH SUN - Oct. 20
BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE™: Vilgax Attacks - Oct. 27
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Winter
Destineer
We Wish You A Merry Christmas - Oct. 13
Buck Fever - Oct. 20
Alien Monster Bowling League - Oct. 27
Marines: Modern Urban Combat - Nov. 3
Satisfashion - Nov. 17
Rec Room - Nov. 17
Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Sing It: Pop Hits - October
Princess and the Frog - November
Electronic Arts
MySims™ Agents - Sept. 22
Dead Space™ Extraction - Sept. 29
Spore™ Hero - Oct. 6
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ Pajama Party - Oct. 20
SimAnimals™ Africa - Oct. 26
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ FRIENDS - October
NERF 2: "N-Strike"™ Elite - October
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 - October
FIFA 10 - October
Need for Speed™ Nitro - Nov. 17
EA SPORTS Active™ More Workouts - November
Knowledge Adventure
JumpStart® Escape from Adventure Island - Nov. 1
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
Walk It Out! - October
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories - November
Storybook Workshop - November
Karaoke Revolution - November
Ultimate Party Challenge - November
DanceDanceRevolution Hottest Party 3 - November
pop'n music - November
Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 - Q4
LucasArts
Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ - Oct. 6
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2™: The Adventure Continues - Fall
Majesco Entertainment
Our House: Party! - Sept. 22
A Boy and His Blob - Oct. 13
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 - Oct. 20
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - Dec. 1
The Daring Game for Girls - Holiday
Mastiff
Shimano Xtreme Fishing - Sept. 29
Remington Great American Bird Hunt - Oct. 27
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc
Dragon Ball®: Revenge of King Piccolo - October
Food Network: Cook or Be Cooked - November
We Cheer™ 2 - November
Nintendo
Wii Fit Plus - Oct. 4
New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Holiday
Playlogic
Sudoku Ball Detective - Sept. 22
SEGA®
Wacky World of Sports™ - Sept. 22
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™ - Oct. 13
Planet 51 - Nov. 17
Jambo! Safari:™ Animal Rescue - Q4
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ - Feb. 10
Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll™ - Early 2010
SouthPeak Games
My Baby First Steps™ - Holiday
Sushi Go Round™ - Holiday
Square Enix
FINAL FANTASY® CRYSTAL CHRONICLES®: THE CRYSTAL BEARERS® - Dec. 26
Storm City Games
The Island of Dr. Frankenstein - Oct. 6
Vegas Party - Oct. 27
Bermuda Triangle: Saving the Coral - Nov. 9
Tecmo
Family Fun Football™ - Sept. 29
THQ
The Biggest Loser - Oct. 6
Cars Race O Rama - Oct. 13
Marvel® Super Hero Squad™ - Oct. 20
WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010 - Oct. 20
SpongeBob Truth or Square - Oct. 26
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Game Time - Oct. 26
World of Zoo™ - Oct. 26
All Star Cheer Squad™ 2 - Oct. 27
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter - Oct. 27
Daniel X - Jan. 12
World of Outlaws: Sprint Cars - Feb. 2
Ubisoft
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs™ - Sept. 15
Where's Waldo®: The Fantastic Journey - Sept. 22
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles™: Smash-up - Sept. 22
The Price is Right ® 2010 Edition - Sept. 22
Family Feud® 2010 Edition - Sept. 29
CSI™: Deadly Intent - Oct. 20
Monster 4x4™ Stunt Racer - Oct. 27
Rabbids Go Home™ - Nov. 3
Academy of Champions™ - Nov. 3
Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage - Nov. 8
Just Dance™ - Nov. 17
James Cameron's Avatar™ The Game - Nov. 24
Your Shape™ Featuring Jenny McCarthy - Nov. 24
UFO Interactive Games, Inc.
Army Rescue™ - Sept. 29
Rock Blast ™ - Oct. 20
Arcade Shooter: Ilvelo - Oct. 27
Geon Cube - Oct. 27
Smart Series Presents: JaJa' Adventure - Nov. 10
Vir2L® Studios
Medieval Games™ - Oct. 20
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Scooby-Doo™! First Frights - Sept. 22
Where the Wild Things Are - Oct. 13
Game Party® 3 - October
LEGO® Rock Band™ - Holiday
SCENE IT?® BRIGHT LIGHTS! BIG SCREEN!™ - Holiday
XSEED Games
JU-ON: The Grudge - Oct. 13
Valhalla Knights: Eldar Saga - Fall
WiiWare
Aksys Games
BIT.TRIP VOID - Q3
BIT.TRIP series (3 additional titles) - Q4, Q1
Broken Rules
And Yet It Moves - Q4
Frontier
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias - Q4
Gameloft
Ghost Mansion Party - Q3
The Oregon Trail - Q4
Natsume
Moki Moki - Q3
Harvest Moon: My Little Shop - Q4
Nicalis
Cave Story - Q3
Night Game - Q1
La Mulana - Q1
NinjaBee
The Amazing Brain Train - Q4
Nintendo
You, Me, and the Cubes™ - Q3
Eco Shooter: Plant 530™ - Q4
Nintendo/TPC
Pokémon™ Rumble - Q4
Press Play
Max & the Magic Marker - Q4
React Games
Archon: Classic - Q1
Taito
Arkanoid Plus! - Q3
Team Meat
Super Meat Boy - Q1
Telltale Games
Tales of Monkey Island™: Lair of the Leviathan - Q3
Tales of Monkey Island™: The Trial and Execution of Guybrush Threepwood - Q4
Tales of Monkey Island™: Rise of the Pirate God - Q4
Nintendo DS/Nintendo DSi
2K Play
Dora the Explorer: Dora Puppy - Oct. 26
Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: New Year's Celebration - Oct. 26
The Backyardigans - Oct. 26
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus - Fall
505 Games
My Ballet Studio - November
Discovery Kids SpiderQuest - November
Dream Diary - November
Picture Perfect Hair Salon - November
IL2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey - Sept. 15
Activision Publishing, Inc.
Marvel™: Ultimate Alliance 2™ - Sept. 15
Animal Planet Vet Life - Sept. 15
Bakugan ® Battle Brawlers ™ - Oct. 20
iCarly™ - Oct. 20
Madagascar Kartz - Oct. 20
Barbie™ and the Three Musketeers - Oct. 27
Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®: Mobilized - Nov. 10
Chaotic™: Shadow Warriors - Nov. 10
Hot Wheels™ Battle Force 5™ - Nov. 10
Band Hero™ - November
Aspyr Media
Fighting Fantasy™: The Warlock of Firetop Mountain - Oct. 26
City Interactive USA, Inc.
Sushi Academy - Oct. 13
Chronicles of Mystery: Curse of the Ancient Temple - Oct. 27
Animal Country: Life on the Farm - November
Party Designer - November
Art of Murder - February
Jewels of Sahara - March
D3Publisher
Astro Boy®: The Video Game - Oct. 20
THE SECRET SATURDAYS™: BEASTS OF THE 5TH SUN - Oct. 20
BEN 10 ALIEN FORCE™: Vilgax Attacks - Oct. 27
Kamen Rider Dragon Knight - Winter
Destineer
Satisfashion - Nov. 17
Disney Interactive Studios
Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure - October
Disney's A Christmas Carol - November
JONAS - November
Princess and the Frog - November
Electronic Arts
MySims™ Agents - Sept. 22
Spore™ Hero Arena - Oct. 6
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Fashion Show - Oct. 20
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Fashion Mall - Oct. 20
CHARM GIRLS CLUB™ My Perfect Prom - Oct. 20
SimAnimals™ Africa - Oct. 26
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ CITY FRIENDS - October
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ COUNTRY FRIENDS - October
LITTLEST PET SHOP™ BEACH FRIENDS - October
HASBRO FAMILY GAME NIGHT 2 - October
FIFA 10 - October
Ignition Entertainment
Nostalgia - Oct. 20
Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc.
WireWay - November
LucasArts
Star Wars® The Clone Wars™: Republic Heroes™ - Oct. 6
Star Wars Battlefront™: Elite Squadron™ - Nov. 3
LEGO® Indiana Jones 2™: The Adventure Continues - Fall
Majesco Entertainment
Our House - Sept. 22
Sideswiped - Sept. 29
Cake Mania® 3 - Oct. 13
Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 - Oct. 20
Cooking Mama 3: Shop and Chop - Oct. 27
My Hero: Astronaut - Nov. 3
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel - Dec. 1
Dawn of Heroes - Dec. 1
My Hero: Firefighter - December
The Daring Game for Girls - Holiday
NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc
Dragon Ball® Z: Attack of the Saiyans - November
Nintendo
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Oct. 12
Style Savvy - Nov. 2
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - Dec. 7
NIS America
A Witch's Tale - Oct. 6
Atelier Annie: Alchemists of Sera Island - Oct. 27
PopCap Games, Inc.
Bookworm™ - Dec. 1
SEGA®
Bleach:™ The 3rd Phantom - Sept. 15
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games™ - Oct. 13
Phantasy Star™ Zero - Nov. 10
Planet 51 - Nov. 17
Jambo! Safari:™ Animal Rescue - Q4
Sands of Destruction™ - January
Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing™ - February
Infinite Space™ - Spring
SouthPeak Games
Montessori Music™ - Oct. 20
My Baby First Steps™ - Holiday
Sushi Go Round™ - Holiday
Crime Scene™ - Holiday
Square Enix
KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS - Sept. 29
SPACE INVADERS EXTREME™ 2 - Oct. 20
THQ
James Patterson Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion - Sept. 15
Fabulous Finds - Sept. 21
Just in Time Translations - Sept. 21
The Biggest Loser - Oct. 6
Cars Race O Rama - Oct. 13
Marvel® Super Hero Squad™ - Oct. 20
WWE® SmackDown® vs. Raw® 2010 - Oct. 20
Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader: Game Time - Oct. 26
World of Zoo™ - Oct. 26
SpongeBob Truth or Square - Oct. 26
Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter - Oct. 27
MX vs. ATV™ Reflex™ - Holiday
TOMY Corporation
NARUTO Shippuden: Ninja Destiny 2 - Sept. 15
Ubisoft
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs™ - Sept. 15
Where's Waldo®: The Fantastic Journey - Sept. 22
The Price is Right® 2010 Edition - Sept. 22
Family Feud® 2010 Edition - Sept. 29
Battle of Giants™: Dragons - Sept. 29
Imagine® Salon Stylist - Sept. 29
Imagine® Sweet 16 - Oct. 4
Imagine® Zookeeper - Oct. 6
PETZ® PONY BEAUTY PAGEANT™ - Oct. 13
Imagine® Fashion Designer World Tour - Oct. 20
CSI™: Deadly Intent - The Hidden Cases - Oct. 20
Jam Sessions 2 - Oct. 20
PETZ® DOLPHINZ ENCOUNTER - Oct. 27
Might and Magic® Clash of Heroes® - Oct. 27
Imagine® Artist - Oct. 27
C.O.P. The Recruit™ - Nov. 3
Rabbids Go Home™ - Nov. 3
Imagine® Babyz Fashion - Nov. 3
Fairyland Melody Magic™ - Nov. 8
Style Lab™ Jewelry Design - Nov. 10
Style Lab™ Makeover - Nov. 10
PETZ® NURSERY - Nov. 10
PETZ® DOGZ® TALENT SHOW - Nov. 17
PETZ® HAMSTERZ® SUPERSTARZ - Nov. 24
James Cameron's Avatar™ The Game - Nov. 24
Virtual Play Games
Junior Brain Trainer - Nov. 10
Junior Classic Games - Nov. 10
UFO Interactive Games, Inc.
Smart Boy's Gameroom 2® - Sept. 29
Smart Girl's Playhouse 2® - Sept. 29
Smart Kid's Mega Game Mix™ - Sept. 29
Reversal Challenge - Oct. 13
Balloon Pop - Nov. 12
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Scribblenauts™ - Sept. 15
Scooby-Doo™! First Frights - Sept. 22
LEGO® Rock Band™ - Holiday
Where the Wild Things Are - Oct. 13
TouchMaster® 3 - Oct. 27
XSEED Games
THE WIZARD OF OZ™: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road - Sept. 29
Nintendo DSiWare
Gameloft
Uno - Q4
Hudson Entertainment
Bomberman Blitz - Q4
Nintendo
Art Academy™: Second Semester - Sept. 28
Art Style™: DIGIDRIVE™ - Q4
Electroplankton™ (10 titles total) - Q4
Picturebook Games™: The Royal Bluff - Q4
Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon™ - Q4
Sparkle Snapshots™ - Q4
