Back Porch Video Games

And now something for the discerning fan: Collinsworth NFL 10.

It makes perfect sense, really. Cris Collinsworth replaced John Madden in the NBC Sunday Night Football booth, and Madden is responsible for changing the face of gaming. So naturally, Collinsworth should have his own video game too.

It doesn't have the bells and whistles of the latest Madden offering, but if you're partial to old-school, hard-nosed football, it'll be right up your alley. It also helps if you still have an Atari 2600 laying around.

Video preview after the jump.

Coverage of Michael Crabtree's deal with the 49ers has largely ignored an important and interested demographic: gamers. Fear not, Madden fans. Happy Crabtree will be added in the latest online update. Just don't expect him to hold onto the ball.

Crabtree gets an 82 rating, making him San Fran's top receiver. But given the newest Niners' online debut, it appears his avatar needs to shake off some rust.

Video after the jump.

Google and T-Mobile have a lot of work to do in terms of PR if they want to catch up with RIM and Apple for a share of the smart phone market. The BlackBerry -- in all its forms -- and the iPhone are, clearly, head and shoulders above anyone else. Which is why T-Mobile busted out the big dogs for their newest myTouch Android commercial.

On the surface, WWE's Cody Rhodes doesn't remind you of his father, the legendary Dusty Rhodes, and that's a good thing. With interests ranging from video games to superheroes, Cody seems to connect with a young generation of viewers, not just the tradition or "Legacy" in which he follows.

FanHouse recently spoke with the 24-year-old about THQ's WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 game, the honor of wrestling at SummerSlam, and his in-depth thoughts on the professional wrestling industry. Read our complete interview after the jump.

Those of you who follow my work here at FanHouse know that I am the furthest thing from any sort of gossipmonger there is. Obviously. And I usually refrain from writing too much about Erin Andrews; she's awesome, of course, but she gets a lot of coverage.

However, my colleague and podcast partner Ryan Wilson pointed out to me that during Andrews' recent interview with FanHouse, she was flashing some serious bling. Bling that just happened to be placed on her left ring finger (close-up after the jump) while she was telling Ariel Helwani that she wasn't interested in him.

It's not easy being the bad guy in professional wrestling. Just take it from one of the legends of World Wrestling Entertainment, Honky Tonk Man, who drew the ire of thousands of fans as an infamous "heel" throughout the late '80s and early '90s.


I had a chance recently to talk with Honky Tonk Man about his thoughts on pro wrestling, Sunday night's 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and THQ's new Legends of WrestleMania video game. We also touched on sensitive topics like heated feuds and pro wrestlers dying before their time.

Occasionally there are photos in ye olde Getty Images account that have no real story behind them. That, seemingly, makes for a perfect time to bust out a caption contest. So, um, yeah, Make With the Funny.

Mike Tyson is universally regarded as "sane." Oftentimes "bankrupt." And, sometimes, "imprisoned." Most recently though, he had to have been recognized by the folks attending the annual (?) Video Game Awards as "fat as hell".

Yes, that's right. The man you see to your right is indeed not Big Mike from the hit NBC show "Chuck" (thanks for the joke, Wilson). That man is Freaking Iron Mike Tyson. And as if being in the poor house, being clinically insane and tossed in a jail a few times wasn't bad enough, he's now tremendously overweight.

At this point I suppose I could make a "Ohmigod he really did eat Lennox Lewis' children" joke, but I think I'm just going to plug my Nintendo in and have a good cry.

Best caption in the comments for Fat Iron Mike wins a free, autographed Sexy Bloggers of FanHouse 2009 Calendar*.

Props to Butter Team for the heads up.

*Still in production

Thanks to the good people at 2K Sports, I recently got the chance to sit down with Celtics star Kevin Garnett. While we spent most of the time dishing about hoops (you can read the full KG interview here), I also talked to KG about what it means to him to be the new NBA 2K9 cover guy. Here's what he had to say, as well as an unprompted shout-out to his history with AOL (he just offered it up, I swear).

FanHouse: "What was a bigger honor, being on the NBA 2K9 cover or being on the NBA Live 2001 cover?"

Kevin Garnett: "2K9 because, you know, you got the number one NBA video game simulation since, what, the last seven years, so it's only fitting that you put a member of the NBA champions on there, so it's, for me, like the perfect year. It's perfect. It's a huge honor, especially where video games are today, man, it's like ... have you seen the game?"

FH: "I haven't ..."

KG: "They've got chest-beating, and obviously, 2K is known for the detailing and the sweat and the HD look and it just seems so real. But this one is even scarier. It's so, so, so detailed, and it's almost like it's real, almost like you can put your hands through the television type of real."

At 9:00 am this morning, about 10 overweight fluffy peoples and I were standing in line in front of the local Best Buy to purchase the new Wii Fit. They honored my pre-order, so I came right back home, gave it a try, and now I am giving you a mini-review.

It's fun. Not fun enough to pay more than retail for on the eBays, but I could see it being something that might help people get healthier and get their entire families involved.

Set up was easy, including getting it out of the carrying case box it comes in. That really shouldn't be a notable thing, but have you opened many toys from China lately? Between the plastic and the wires, it's amazing if you can get through a Christmas or birthday without your hands mangled. But I digress.

After set up, the Wii Fit game that comes with the Wii balance board gives you a body test that measures your center of balance, body mass index (BMI) and body control. The representation of you in Wii Fit is what Nintendo calls your Mii. (My smiling Mii is pictured above, after crushing the ski jump game.)

The notion of a fancy party for a video game seems odd -- why dress up and go out for something best enjoyed while wearing ratty gym shorts in your own home? But EA Sports apparently knows what they're doing, and they hosted a party at Marquee -- a trendy Manhattan night club -- last night for the release of NCAA Football '09.

Several college football stars in town for the draft attended the party, including cover boy Matt Ryan (pictured), Arkansas running back Darren McFadden (interview here), West Virginia fullback Owen Schmitt, California WR/KR DeSean Jackson, and #1 overall draft pick Jake Long.

The release also included a full demonstration of the game on large flatscreen TVs, an upstairs lounge dedicated to press interviews, and -- most importantly -- free drinks! Huzzah!