Shoot Club is here, Shoot Club is here!

[DavidCPA]

Another nice one Tom.

I forgot Donny too :D

[Troy S Goodfellow]

I know Shoot Club is good when my wife yells down from upstairs to ask me "What's so funny?"

Good job, Tom.

[Jason Levine]

"No, but if Neverwinter Nights doesn't show up, we have to get something, don't we?"

I don't think I've seen a single sentence that defines gamers better than that. Great job, Tom!

[Jaysun]

My favorite quote:

"Besides, check it out, this Capitalism thing isn't even in one of the small boxes. It must be like two years old or something."

Heh.

[Anonymous]

"Is it okay to reprimand a kid for language if the kid isn't any relation to you? I did this once at a Magic the Gathering tournament when some kid said 'goddammit' after I counterspelled his Fireball. In front of about a dozen spectators, he told me to fuck off and untap my damn cards already."

Similar situation happend to me a while back. Fuckin' kids these days, huh?

Anyway, glad to see that Shoot Club's back with a bang!

[mtkafka]

Hehe.. good one. Its nice to know all EB gamestores in a mall are all the same. It feels good to know I'm not alone!

Also Tom waited 4 hours in a line to see Episode 2? HAHAHAHAHAH!!! :lol:

etc

[Union Carbide]

"Sim Theme Park," I say, "It's not even that old. $14.99."

"Yeah, that's how much you cost when Roller Coaster Tycoon kicks your ass."

Best. Bitchslap. Ever.

[Jason Becker]

Well at least I'm not the only one who actually read George's diary stuff. Sad to think I had nothing better to do that read about him potty training his puppies, and hear how great High Heat is over and over.

[Sean Tudor]

"No, but if Neverwinter Nights doesn't show up, we have to get something, don't we?"

I don't think I've seen a single sentence that defines gamers better than that. Great job, Tom!

I used to be like that before I purchased a wife and a house. :roll:

Actually here in Australia our EB's also have stacks of Throne Of Darkness in their bargain bins. Was this game any good ?

[Mark Asher]

Well at least I'm not the only one who actually read George's diary stuff. Sad to think I had nothing better to do that read about him potty training his puppies, and hear how great High Heat is over and over.

Jason, I like George and he's a good writer/editor, but those diaries wandered a wee bit too much at times.

One of the toughest things about writing in a public format is learning how to be your own editor. Its very difficult. Writers tend to fall in love with their writing. It's really hard to cut your own work. It's really hard to separate your interest in a subject from an anonymous reader's interest or lack thereof.

[Murph]

Actually here in Australia our EB's also have stacks of Throne Of Darkness in their bargain bins. Was this game any good ?

Absolutely, emphatically no. I'm pretty sure Tom gave it one star in CGM six to eight months ago (in one of the most entertaining reviews I've read), and it was definitely deserving.

[Rob O'Boston]

I lived Shoot Club today. I went to EB and asked for NWN (after calling all day). They said that it was coming 'tonight' and that the shipment had arrived at one store, and now some guy was driving around delivering to the other stores. He said it was to save on shipping. I wonder if he meant driving around to the other stores in Boston, or if he meant driving around to the other stores in the USA. Cheap bastards.

I stood, holding Sum of All Fears, basically pretending to care, while really just waiting for some guy with arms laden with NWN to waltz in, and all I could think of was Shoot Club. I would still be there, except I told my brother to meet me at home so we could finish Halo (finished at 9:10. What a 'rollercoaster' ending!).

On the walk back to the T (subway) I thought, "Well, at least I'm not the geek with the EBX bag today." I went down to the turnstiles, dropped in my token, and hit the bar at something like 30 MPH. The token had slipped into the coin return slot, and I effectively gored myself in Copley Square T-stop at the busiest time of the day. I believe I went, "Ughhhhhhhhghhg!" and rebounded about 2 feet. Dammit.

Thank God Qt3 has new content to hold me over until tomorrow.

[Mark Asher]

"I would still be there, except I told my brother to meet me at home so we could finish Halo (finished at 9:10. What a 'rollercoaster' ending!)."

Yeah. Halo's ending may be the best ever. I made it after maybe 10 tries with about six seconds to spare. Damn, that was cool!

[Rob O'Boston]

Just saw this at NWN Vault:

"Tom Chick, who writes some hilarious first person accounts at the website "Quarter to Three" has a story..."

Interesting description of Shoot Club.

[Murph]

"Tom Chick, who writes some hilarious first person accounts at the website "Quarter to Three" has a story..."

Interesting description of Shoot Club.

Really seems to be selling it short, doesn't it? At least they included the "hilarious" part...And it'd be hard to describe Shoot Club to someone, I suppose.

Anyway, since I haven't said it yet: Thanks, Tom! Another good one...You never disappoint.

Have I told you that you're my hero?

[Matthew Beaver]

Just saw this at NWN Vault:

"Tom Chick, who writes some hilarious first person accounts at the website "Quarter to Three" has a story..."

Interesting description of Shoot Club.

For some reason, this reminded me of the AT&T Digital cable box directory's description of Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim - "Food items solve crimes." Somehow fails to capture the essence...

-Matthew

[TomChick]

I really appreciate the link, but this drives me crazy:

The website "Quarter to Three" has a story titled EB or Not EB which tells the tale of him and his friend as they go down to their local EB Games store in search for NWN.

I know it's pedantic of me, but I am not the narrator in the story! It's first person fiction. Tom Chick wrote it, but he does not appear in it. Daily Radar used to do that to me all the time. They'd run links that said stuff like, "Tom and Trevor go to Sundance", "Tom and Trevor on Election 2000", "Tom and Trevor blah blah blah".

Thanks for the comments, guys. I'm especially glad to be Murph's hero. :)

-Tom

[Bullhajj]

I know it's pedantic of me, but I am not the narrator in the story! It's first person fiction. Tom Chick wrote it, but he does not appear in it. Daily Radar used to do that to me all the time.

You should make a point to repeat it as often as people make the mistake! I never knew for sure that the stories weren't meant to be autobiographical, even though I believe you may have explained it wasn't really you back at Daily Radar.

I just remember wondering about it when I read the DR tag lines, especially when I happend to know that you were somewhere like Sundance (and then the Trevor and "Tom" story appeared).

I actually think it really matters a heck of a lot that it's fiction, not just someone publishing a web log.

[Murph]

I know it's pedantic of me, but I am not the narrator in the story! It's first person fiction. Tom Chick wrote it, but he does not appear in it. Daily Radar used to do that to me all the time. They'd run links that said stuff like, "Tom and Trevor go to Sundance", "Tom and Trevor on Election 2000", "Tom and Trevor blah blah blah".

Take it as a compliment. All great writers are misunderstood in their own time, right?

[Sean Tudor]

I know it's pedantic of me, but I am not the narrator in the story! It's first person fiction. Tom Chick wrote it, but he does not appear in it. Daily Radar used to do that to me all the time. They'd run links that said stuff like, "Tom and Trevor go to Sundance", "Tom and Trevor on Election 2000", "Tom and Trevor blah blah blah".
Damn you Tom ... you have shattered all my illusions ! 8)

BTW that latest Shoot Club was great. :)

[Rob O'Boston]

Eh. Don't believe the hype. Every last word is true, Tom just wants keep his geek rating lower than it actually is. :P

[deanco]

I thought Tom was Trevor myself. Didn't someone say a writer had to distance himself from his work? (ahhh, looks like the emoticons have suffered a server crash due to overuse.)

Well, whoever wrote it, it was damm funny. And true. And funny. And true.

DeanCo--

[DavidCPA]

I know it's pedantic of me, but I am not the narrator in the story! It's first person fiction. Tom Chick wrote it, but he does not appear in it.

For persons with less than 750 on the Verbal section of the SAT,

pedantic: 1: of, relating to, or being a pendant 2: narrowly, stodgily, and often ostenatiously learned<~concern with detail>

I'm guessing Tom means definition #2.

If Tom isn't the main character, what is his name?

[Don Quixote]

correct me if I'm wrong, but I assumed it was left intentionally vague so that we could relate to him better.

Sort of like in the book/movie Fight Club. We never actually learn the narrator's name- he just cynically referrs to himself as Jack because of the books they found in the old house.

[Dave Long]

...which makes it all the more clear who has seen the film (or read the book) Fight Club before reading Tom's column.

--Dave

[Pie4Foo]

I am enjoy the funnay.

Bestest:

"I don't know. I said I checked Gone Gold, not EB's site. Gone Gold said maybe today. Also, Rich LaPorte had waffles for breakfast this morning. Last night he watched Hardball with his wife and then played Dungeon Siege for a few hours."

[Derek Smart [3000AD]]

Whoa!! You guys are back. Great news!!! (especially with PlanetCrap being sold to the Evil Empire and all).

RE: Shoot Club

ROTFLMAO!!! Man Tom, that was freaking hilarious. :lol:

[MarchHare]

Whoa, what's this now? Derek Smart showing up on a message board without someone saying his name three times and it's not to defend his games from trolls? Whoa, between this and Qt3 coming back, we must truly be near the End Times. :shock:

[Anonymous]

Sure, whatever Tom.. I think nearly all of the members of Shoot Club are really just different manifestations of Tom and his wacked-out surrealistic world.

The problem is, it seems like I live in a part of that wacked-out surrealistic world.

--- Alan

[Anonymous]

Whoa, what's this now? Derek Smart showing up on a message board without someone saying his name three times and it's not to defend his games from trolls? Whoa, between this and Qt3 coming back, we must truly be near the End Times. :shock:

hehe, I was always a regular but rarely posted. Even on the old boards I posted once in a while.

As for the stalking miscreants (sp), I think they've given up chasing me around. At least for now. :)

[Derek Smart [3000AD]]

Whoa, what's this now? Derek Smart showing up on a message board without someone saying his name three times and it's not to defend his games from trolls? Whoa, between this and Qt3 coming back, we must truly be near the End Times. :shock:

hehe, I was always a regular but rarely posted. Even on the old boards I posted once in a while.

As for the stalking miscreants (sp), I think they've given up chasing me around. At least for now. :)

oops, I guess I should login before posting. Sorry folks.

[Anonymous]

"No, but if Neverwinter Nights doesn't show up, we have to get something, don't we?"

I don't think I've seen a single sentence that defines gamers better than that.

No, it just defines obssessive people. Same deal if you're looking for a new record album and the store didn't get it in yet. Or a new movie. Or whatever.