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Yeah, sure, so it's supposed to be beautiful this weekend; sunny, mid-70's, all that crap. All the more reason to sequester yourself in a library basement and play videogames all weekend, right?

RIGHT!

That's right, it's our last off-season tournament weekend, and we've got an awesome lineup of events planned that's got something for everyone in the cool recesses of the basement of the Downtown Library. First, on Friday night, 6/29, from 6:00 - 8:45, we'll have a cool combo event as we host simultaneous all-ages tournaments in Guitar Hero II and Pikmin 2, with separate prizes for the winners of each. Enter one or both competitions, and rock out while you attempt to out-marshal your opponents with your legions of Pikmin in one of the GameCube's most underappreciated battle modes.

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Sorry guys, but there's a big storm a comin', and our equipment is not rated for wet/dry use. Taste of Ann Arbor is still going strong, but we've had to take down our DDR equipment before the next storm comes. However, don't despair: our next all ages DDR event is just a month away: Sunday, July 1, from 1 - 4 PM at the downtown library. Also, don't miss our simultaneous Guitar Hero 2 / Pikmin 2 tournaments Friday Night, 6/29, from 6-8:30 PM, and our massive 5-hour Super Smash Bros. Regulation Throwdown, Saturday, 6/30, from Noon - 5 PM. Plus, our Pokémondays Summer Tournament Series starts Monday, 6/25, from 1 - 5 PM at the Pittsfield Branch. See you soon!

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OK, the off-season plods on. While we eagerly await the All Ages Mario Kart tournament coming up Friday Night, May 25th, let's talk about another new GT feature we discussed back at the planning meeting that EJK and I have been talking about: Player Ratings. The idea is to provide a quick, uniform way to tell both overall and game-specific skill and achievements. Read on to check it out.

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It's spring break in Ann Arbor, although you sure wouldn't know it by looking outside. Avoid feeling depressed about the miserable weather this week by sequestering yourself in a windowless room filled with noise and flashing lights as we set up our gaming kit for a week of Open Play and Tournaments!

The action starts with three afternoons full of Open Play and DS Fest for all Ages, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 4/11-4/13, from 1-4 PM in the Multipurpose room of the Downtown Library. Come play Mario Kart, DDR, Wario Ware, Monkey Ball, Retro Collections, and more, or bring your own Gameboy or DS and square off against your friends on your favorite games.

Then, we've got a tournament-filled weekend, starting with a Guitar Hero 2 tournament Friday Night, 4/13, from 6-8:30 PM. We'll provide the guitars and the big screen, so show up and be ready to shred...

On Saturday, 4/14, from 1-4 PM, we'll have an All-Ages DDR Tournament, including a special prize for the best Adult/Child team, plus more open play.

We'll wind up the weekend with our first ever Wii Sports Tournament on Sunday, 4/15, from 1-4 PM, for Adult/Child Teams! We'll start with Tennis, and the winners will advance to Baseball or Bowling if time allows... so find an adult and drag them in to expose them firsthand to the Wii phenomenon. Bring your Wiimote with your Mii loaded if you've got one!

It's a busy gaming weekend at AADL... hope to see you all there!

Groundhog 2

We have a MySpace page! Right now we're only friends with Tom, and he has 161,157,683 friends, so we have a lot of catching up to do. So check it out, post what you think, and spread the word!

*And check out the White Stripes's album White Blood Cells, because it's really good.

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Ok, based on some of the ideas we talked about at the planning meeting and our experience with pools at the throwdown, I'd like to propose an alternate qualifying system for the 2007 Super Smash / Double Dash Championship Season, based on set qualifying pools instead of randomized qualifying heats. Read on to find out what I've got in mind.

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Midwinter Break is almost upon us, and that means videogames at the library! We've got a great schedule of events lined up for you, starting this Friday night with a Super Smash Bros. Melee Regulation Throwdown for Ages 13+, From 6-8:30 at the Downtown Library. Read on for full rules for this event. Then, on Saturday, 2/24, from 11-5 PM, we'll have our second annual Retro Octathalon for All Ages, an 8-game high score contest featuring great classic (pre-1990) games. Then, on Sunday, 2/25, from 1-4 PM, our DDR tournament series continues with an All-Ages DDR Tournament.

But that's not all! The games continue into the week, with a pair of Pokémon Tournaments from 1-4 and DS Fest / Open Play Events from 4-7, on both Monday 2/26 and Tuesday 2/27. So, if you're stuck in town this break, stay warm with gaming, food, prizes, and some serious competition at the Downtown Library! Read on for full tournament details.

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Welcome back to the world of AADL-GT! Some weeks have passed since the tumultous Grand Championships and the end of the 2006 season; now it's time to look forward and talk about what worked and what didn't going into Season 4. If you want to be a part of this discussion, please join us this Saturday, 2/10, from 1-4 PM at the Pittsfield Branch Library behind the Ice Cube on Oak Valley Drive. We'll have plenty of open play, food, spirited discussions, a preview of the 2006 GC DVD, and your chance to be interviewed for bonus features on the disc. Please note that aged-out players (Seniors) are absolutely welcome at this event; your experienced input is invaluable to us, and we especially want to get interviews with as many graduating players as we can. We hope to see you all there! Read on for some items I'd like to discuss.

My improbable conversion to a Poke-Mom was foretold a decade ago, when both Pokemon and our son Michael were born. My conversion was completed the week after Christmas 2006, following full immersion in the music, color and magic of the four-day holiday Pokemon tournament led by Eli, a near god in the eyes of Poke-moms, dads and kids.

Eli was managing library technology, while acting as tournament commentator for crowds of kids and parents at the downtown library: “Rayquaza’s Hyper Beam attack was a powerful hit against Swampert . . . Ohhhhhh! Swampert fainted!” Eli’s dramatic, deep-voice Poke-narration sealed my status as a Poke-mom of Great Conviction. I wasn’t there for the whole tournament, but I definitely saw and heard enough to absorb the spirit. For my full report, click on read more below.

nintendo ds

Bored during school vacation? Come to the first every DS Fest at the Downtown Library Multipurpose room on December 26, 27, and 28 from 5-8 PM. Bring your Nintendo DS and any game you want to play like Star Fox Command, Advance Wars DS, New Super Mario Bros, or Big Brain Academy for an impromptu tournament among friends. Eight gaming stations and DDR will also be set up for drop-in open play.