PS3 games will cost you....ONE MILLION DOLLARS!

Well, that's exaggerating the point a bit, but look at this vague but alarming quote: "Generally Speaking, over the past twelve years or so, there has been a consumer expectation that disc-based games are maybe $59 on the high end to $39 on the low end. So, what I can say now is, I think it would be a bit of a stretch to think that we could suddenly turn around and say "PS3 Games now $99.99." I don't think consumers expect software pricing to suddenly double. So, the quick answer is that we want to make it as affordable as possible, knowing that there is a set consumer expectation for what software has cost for the past twelve years. That's kind of the best answer I can give you. So, if it becomes a bit higher than $59, don't ding me, but, again, I don't expect it to be $100".

Probably the biggest gripe of anybody entering the next generation is the higher cost of games, especially when those games aren't really delivering anything that makes you think it's worth the higher price. Now, Sony's are most likely going to be even costlier (my guess is $70), and my guess is they won't deliver an experience worthy of that cost (and game companies wonder why the used market is so popular...).

Superman Returns was simply an excellent movie. The performances (especially Routh as Superman, nearly as good as Reeve in the role), effects and story were all top notch. I've probably been spoiled by the comics, but the finale was a little mundane. It might have been better to pair Luthor with a villain that could physically match up with him (but that's what sequels are for).

Ok, the only other movie opening this week is The Devil Wears Prada on Friday. And while Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are two fine actresses, I really have no interest in seeing a movie about an uber-bitch that runs a magazine. Seems like ground that's been tread before (like in any movie about the fashion industry).

And the reason I'm talking about it now is this will probably be my last post for this week, as I'm moving from the abysmally hot city of Chico to the supposedly abysmally rainy city of Seattle (whenever I tell someone I'm moving up there, they always respond "you know it rains a lot?", REALLY?!?). But never fear, I should be up and posting again by Monday at the latest, possibly Sunday if I feel up to it. But in the meantime, here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Balloon Duel

The Superman that almost was

Well it's been about 20 years, but Superman is finally coming back to the big screen in Superman Returns. Though I admit the initial trailers didn't impress me that much, the buzz has been fairly good and I'm seeing a sneak preview tonight, so I'll let you know my thoughts tommorow. But more epic thatn any villain Superman has ever faced was his long and bizarre battle back to the cinema. You can check out the really, really long story here. But I'll post some brief "highlights". Superman as Neo. GAY ROBOTS! No Flying or red tights! Giant polar bear fights! Ashton Kutcher as Superman! A giant mechanical spider! No one would put something that ridiculous in a movie, right???







But luckily, Bryan Singer finally got his hands on the project, and chose what in the end always works best for comic book films: sticking to the basics. Superman is a timeless character, much like Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, or Spider-Man. He may go through periods where people consider his unrelenting goodness and heroics (as oppossed to more vengeful or amoral heroes) uncool, but part of why he works is that he isn't changed on the public's whim that's going to change next year anyways(or at least when is, the fan reaction is usually so negative that he's quickly changed back).

All right, that's all for now, but here's the SCRUBS CLIP OF THE WEEK:

Resurrection is trendy

Proving once again that there's no such thing as cancellation, Futurama is coming back on the air with at least 13 new episodes. Granted, two years is a long wait, but it'll be well worth it for this very under-appreciated series.

Aaron Spelling has died. Obviously the guy was a huge influence on TV and pop culture, with shows like Charlie's Angels, Starsky & Hutch, Beverly Hills 90210 & Dynasty all his creation (and that's just a few). Granted, nothing he made was particularly moving or insightful, but nothing's wrong with fun trashy drama and this is one of the few guys who truly shaped what TV is today (for better or worse). I actually kind of shudder at the thought that now Tori Spelling may be in charge of the Spelling empire...

Sega celebrates two rather noteworthy anniversaries. Sonic, the one-time challenger to Mario's mascot throne, turns 15 today. And it's actually very sad to see such a promising franchise go so far downhill the last generation. I mean, he hasn't had a good console title since Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast. And it's pretty obvious to see what the problem is-The focus of the games has been less and less on Sonic, and more on his cuddly forgettable pals that are aimed at the under 10 set. It's hard to believe now, but when Sonic came out, he was essentially aimed at teens-he had an attitude, was impatient, and had a blatant disregard for old fat guys in plumber outfits. Now he seems like some old guy still tagging along with young kids. He either needs to step aside and age gracefully, or really give it a go at truly reinventing himself. Luckily, Sonic's new title for the Wii, Sonic Wildfire, seems to be long overdue a step in the right direction.

And secondly, it's the 20th anniversary of Sega's first entry into the console market, the Sega Master System. Considering how badly it was smashed by the NES, we're probably lucky we got to see the Genesis in any form. I think I only knew one kid back in the day who had one, and generally speaking, the games weren't too memorable even if the system was more powerful. There's a lesson in there somewhere for you Sony.....

So, did you think the Wii would just use your standard memory card for storage? Maybe, but it's apparently just one of several types, the main one being SD disks. What this essentially means is that in an era of $100+ hard drives or ridiculously overpriced memory cards, the Wii will be the only system to offer multiple and cheap ways to save your stuff. Just another point for the Wii having the biggest installed when all is said and done. I mean even MS & Sony have said you should buy a Wii (of course after you buy their system), if most people heed their advice, it's a very easy win.


That's it for today, but here's your FREE GAME OF THE WEEK:Galatic Gravity Golf, and I leave you with a TERRIFYING MESSAGE FROM AL GORE

Master of the Universal Remote

Adam Sandler will probably continue to defy all logic by having another hit on his hands with the already critically reviled Click. Despite not having a entertaining film since The Waterboy nearly a decade ago (Longest Yard was easily the worst movie I saw last year, yet it somehow grossed just over $158 million). I think the concept is sound enough, but it seems from the previews that this is a concept that really goes nowhere, and none of the jokes in the previews were even remotely funny (no pun intended).

Would Sony be where it is today without the mega-franchise Grand Theft Auto? Sony crazy man and co-Chief Operating Officer of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Jack Tretton seems to think so. Because GTA isn't the biggest mega franchise of the last generation or anything and isn't the sole reason many people who conisdered gaming uncool bought a PS2. There's pretty much only one franchise that comes close to selling those numbers these days, and that's Halo, which is a 360 exclusive. GTA isn't anymore, and in fact will have exclusive episodic content on the 360. And I'm sure Take Two, the developers of this reveloutionary franchise that did in fact help propel the PS2 into a leadership foothold in its early days would be so pleased that Sony has dismissed them so easily...

Furthermore, is Sony even going to be relevant in the near future? Buisness magazine Buisness 2.0 seems to think not. And granted, their reasons are pretty sound, and I'd love to see Sony fall flat on their face in both the console & dvd market, but saying Sony & Kuturagi especially are pretty much on their way out is a bit premature before their admittedly troubled next-gen formats even come out, as Sony has a long history of crap hardware that has sold extremely well (Beta & UMD notwithstanding).

Ok, somehow, it completely slipped by me that the 4th season of Newsradio has been out for a while, so I picked that up today, therefore completing my Newsradio collection (I try to pretend the abysmal 5th & final season did not exist). Other shows about wacky office employees only wish they could have had a run half this good (NBC's The Office may get there, but it's only had one brilliant season so far, we'll have to wait and see if they can keep it up), I highly reccomend you pick up all 4 seasons of this classically underrated sitcom.

Finally, to go out with a laugh, here is John Stewart, coming to the defense of gamers and once again proving that idiot politicians just have no fucking clue...

Out with the Old.....

Notice anything different? I've really been wanting to do something more drastic with the style of this blog for a while, just never seemed to really have the energy or time till today. So after searching pre-created templates for several hours and finding none that I liked, I sorta made my own half-assed one. The collage is completely my creation(using Picasa, which is a wonderfully simple, easy & most importantly, FREE program you can use to make collages like the one that serves as my background) and I just used a different blogger template with a darker color scheme that I liked better for the rest. What I didn't realize was that resetting the template would also delete all my links, so I just simplified the whole list, added a few in, took a few out (if I left someone off who reads this blog, contact me and I'll add you in). Most of these are way more well-known then my little blog anyways, so if I've made someone a new fan of Penny Arcade or Gorillamask or whatever, let them know so hopefully I can get a few more hits in return.

Ok, moving on, want to check out some of the adventure classics of yesteryear, but don't want to have to scour ebay & the internet itself for the games & the right software to run it? Never fear, You can download completely free VGA remakes of KING'S QUEST ONE, TWO, and THREE for free at those links and they'll run great on your modern hardware and look way better than the original version anyways. If you've never experienced these, you owe it to yourself to try out the classic gameplay (puzzles that require actual thought! Haven't seen those in over a decade!) and any of us who remember these timeless classics will want to experience them again. I can only hope some creative programmers with plenty of free time start doing the same to the Space Quest series(although a couple fan games were made, which you can download here & here).

Well, it looks like Uwe Boll has his first official opponent lined up-Richard Lowtax (from Something Awful, which has published more than a few disparaging articles about Boll) has apparently gotten an invite for Boll's exclusive fight club of people he's not afraid to beat up for saying his movies suck. I'd still love the opportunity to take you on in a steel cage match, Mr. Boll...

Ok, that's really all for now, since I haven't really slept since Monday night thanks to updating the blog's new look after I got home from work and desperately need some shut eye, but I'll probably be back later on in the day if anything newsworthy breaks. In the mean time, here's the SCRUBS CLIP OF THE WEEK:

A Special Video for all the dads out there

Well, technically it's Monday, but this video is for all the fathers who get home from a long day every day and just want to let off some steam: DAD'S HOME!

I did see both Cars & Nacho Libre this weekend. Nacho Libre was fairly mediocre, essentially Jack Black spouting off in a bad Mexican accent for 90 minutes with nothing else. Cars was enjoyable, and looked fantastic, but pounded in its message a little much and not quite up there comedy-wise with Toy Story or A Bug's Life.

Like most kids of the 80s, I grew up reading Mad Magazine, but I've barely been aware it existed since I was a teen. But they may have finally written their best article ever: The 50 worst things about video games. Pretty much every single item is spot on. I only wish this was onr their joke articles, most of these things seriously make me question why I even bother playing fairly often...

Proof games are helpful to you? Meet Brad Coleman, 18-year old pro NASCAR driver. How'd he get his mad skills? He says it was VIDEO GAMES! Eat that, Jack Thompson!



Ok, that's it for today, FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: BASE JUMPER

Learning your roots

Relatively new to the gaming scene, but want to act like you know at least as much as the next ignorant lifelong fanboy? not to worry, your buddy Eric has got some great cliff notes for the uninitiated: Gamepro just released a pretty good feature on The 11 most groundbreaking controllers ever (what, no love for the ridiculously complicated Steel Battalion controller?). Then, 1up has a lovely in-depth article on the "innovations that changed gaming forever". And finally if your eyes aren't too glazed over, head over to Thumbgods for a slightly incomplete but more than sufficient evolution of the home console. This should be more than enough to bluff your way through just about any geek meet.

Moving onto this weekend's movies-Keanu Reeves & Sandra Bullock star together for the first time since Speed in The Lakehouse. I think the concept is interesting enough, but can anybody guess how this impossible love story of two people living in separate times end up? It's times like this I need to remind myself that Keanu Reeves does not suck, and luckily, someone has 40 perfectly good reasons he doesn't. Anybody who has both Bill S. Preston, Esquire & Buddha on their resume deserves serious lifetime props.

But that may be the brightest spot out of mostly surefire duds. Fast and the Furious was a stupid but enjoyable popcorn film. 2 Fast 2 Furious was just another example of Paul Walker's horrendous acting. And now, for the 3rd movie, they move it to Japan with a whole new guy. Well, it worked for the Bad News Bears, right (oh wait, no it didn't)? The saddest part is the are apparently already planning part 4, which may or may not include the return of Vin Diesel.

And speaking of sequels nobody asked for-Garfield is back, and they just decided to essentially steal the whole story from The Prince & The Pauper. Not a bad basis, but as someone who could barely stand 20 minutes of the abysmal original, here's hoping this fat lazy furball who hasn't been funny for over a decade in any format is hauled off to the pound once and for all.

Finally, the only movie that has a bit of real promise this weekend-Nacho Libre. The mere idea of Jack Black being a Mexican Luchadore is genius, and it is from the same guy who brought us Napolean Dynamite, but the lackluster previews and family-friendly PG rating (not too mention it's a Nickelodeon product) give me great pause. I still haven't gotten around to checking out Cars just yet, so that may be my best option this weekend.

But. let's end this post with the newest trailer for one Summer movie that is pure guaranteed awesomeness: TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY

Uwe Boll wants to kick my ass

Well, not just my ass, but generally the ass of all his critics. While I'd happily accept, I'm pretty sure I only wrote one article in my blog specifically devoted to how much he sucks last year, and he's obviously looking only for really thin and shrimpy critics, with that 150-190 lbs. requirement (I think Richard Roeper fits, lets get him in there). Nevertheless Mr. Boll, I will openly state that as long as you provide the expenses I would gladly kick your ass in a boxing ring, or preferably, a steel cage with tables, ladders and chairs thrown in.

So, moving on to even more ludicrous news (if that's even possible), what the next big reality show about? Cats. That's right, CATS. Now, I like cats. I've had several, and they were all great. That being said, I would not watch a show where the idea is just to see how they behave in some "cat version of Disneyland" as they are calling it. Just makes me more thankful I'm not giving cable TV any of my money.

Ok, that's all I really got for today, but here's the SCRUBS CLIP OF THE WEEK:

Let there be Lite

Today is the Official Launch Day of Nintendo's DS redesign of their latest portable, the DS Lite. It's sleeker, but the real advantage is how much brighter the screen is (course, I haven't heard anything on how much that'll shorten the amount of time you can go without recharging it). 1up has a great long feature on the system here. I have a strong stance against buying systems you already own, so I won't personally be picking one up since I'm perfectly happy with my standard DS, but if you've been pondering getting one, now is definitely the time. Although, if you haven't already pre-ordered one, it may be near impossible to get..

I haven't seen Cars yet (I'll probably catch it sometime this week) but I did manage to watch Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which I highly recommend, as it's a tremendously funny riff on cliched action films with brilliant turns by Val Kilmer & Robert Downey Jr.

Weird Al is still alive? Yep, and he's got a new single, a fairly brilliant parody of James Blunt's "You're Beautiful", titled "You're Pitiful".

That's really all I got for today, but let's end the week with a fun video: ROLLIN WITH SAGET

Baby, you can drive my car

Pixar, possibly the most successful movie studio in history, releases their newest guaranteed smash tommorow, Cars. I don't think every movie of theirs is great, but their box office track record is undeniable, while othe animated films seem to be roughly assembled with nothing more than a wing and a prayer, Pixar tends to bring something new and fresh just about every time that actually appeals to the whole family, and I'm fairly positive Cars won't be any different.

But for that senior citizen crowd, there's always A Prarie Home Companion. Seriously, is there anybody under their mid-50s who even knows this is based on an old radio show? The only reason I know is cause my dad is a huge fan and used to torture me with it on long road trips. The cast looks inspired enough (Kevin Kline is pure gold in anything), but Altman hasn't had a seriously good movie since Short Cuts, which was nearly 15 years ago...


FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: SUper mario Sunshine 64

He who laughs last...

Probably the only reality show I'll readily watch, Last Comic Standing, made a miraculous return from the grave last week. Probably the hardest thing in the universe is stand-up comedy, and this show proves it week in and week out. I don't have any favorites quite yet, but some will hopefully emerge as the contestants get cut down. Right now, I can honestly say everybody that made the initial cut was pretty damn funny, which is a first. If you value honest to goodness comedy, you need to watch and support this show.

Ever wish you take your PS2 or Gamecube with you wherever you go? Well have a little ingenuity like the guys who made the Top 10 Strangest Custom Gaming Systems. Some really interesting ideas on there, if only they'd mass market them...

And do we have another Jack Thompson in the making? although John Rosemond stays away from extremes like saying all gamers are murderers, he does say that they are dangerously addictive to children. Now, I'm going to say something, somewhat surprising here-he's partially correct. Much like TV, you let video games act as a babysitter, and yes, children become bored doing anything else and get addicted to them. But this is where that thing called parenting comes in. It's the parents job to moderate things like this and get their children interested in other things. Totally removing games from their life is not the answer.

Ok, that's all for now, Last Comic Standing is just about to start!

Hit Men & Gamers are basically the same

Ah, leave it to Jack Thompson to make these wonderfully long and unrelated leaps of absolute non-logic. In his latest departure from reality, Thompson enlightens us with such gems as : “Nobody shoots anybody in the face unless you’re a hit man or a video gamer.” Right. I'm sure Al Capone & his cronies trained on video games, or Al Qaeda's top agents for that matter. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Thompson, generally speaking, Hit men do in fact, NOT SHOOT PEOPLE IN THE FACE. It's messy and makes the mark harder to identify, therefore making it harder for said hit man to prove he killed the person and earn his money. Hell, if the Hitman games have taught me anything, it's that preferred methods are things like poison or strangulation. And if you have to resort to shooting, it's usually high up/far away with a sniper rifle on a very specific point in the head, not blowing up their face point blank. But I could also learn this crap by watching the myriad of movies based on hit men or books for that matter, yet I do not. Could it possibly be because like most gamers I am a reasonably well-adjusted person who will never go out and commit a violent act strictly due to video games? What honestly really worries me about the story, though, is that the police apparently took Thompson's claims seriously since they actually seized the suspect's games as evidence. If anything, this provides evidence for some BS insanity defense. I really wish somebody with some fucking stones (either Jon Stewart or Pen & Teller would be a great choice) would take this scum on and really show what he is-An opportunistic lying ambulance chaser desperate to get his name in print on the air, stretching out his 15 minutes as long as possible.

Moving on, with tomorrow being 6/6/06, some are predicting an apocalyptic day (would be nice if I could sleep in because everything has been burned to ash), but movie-wise, it means yet another remake nobody asked for: THE OMEN. The original film is one of the few horror classic that I think truly deserves it's status, as it still holds up surprisingly well. But remakes are rarely halfway decent to begin with, and this seems like a pointless straight remake to cheaply cash in.

That's really all for today, but I'll almost certainly be back tomorrow, meanwhile, here's the SCRUBS CLIP OF THE WEEK:



And, a fun little fan movie: CONSOLE WARS: EPISODE IV

Curing the Summertime Blues

Ok, sure, there are plenty of ways to fill your summer. Lots of new movies come out, catch up on reading, actually go outside once and awhile (shudder). But hey, I'm a TV junkie, and despite networks refocusing to deliver long overdue original summertime programming, most of it isn't worthwhile (especially since I don't have cable). Luckily there is a completely free solution to anyone with a decent internet connection (meaning higher than 56K). It's called Peekvid, and it's a completely free & legitimate collection of TV shows. Some web-based, some straight from network & cable TV, as well as lots of anime and independent videos. You can waste lots of hours watching episodes of your favorite old shows, or discover completely new ones. The only downside is that the collection is rather sporadic, so it's not the best way to catch up on entire seasons that you missed.

I did see The Breakup on friday, and overall I'd reccomend as it's a solid comedy that doesn't go the typical Hollywood route. But I felt it could've been a bit better if the characters weren't so civil to each other.


All right, that's all for today. Until next week!

It's not me, it's you

This weekend's biggest opening examines what happens when a relationship goes really wrong in The Breakup. Anniston & Vaughn seem like guaranteed comedy gold, but the reviews have not been to kind. I'm probably seeing it later today, so I'll let you know my thoughts on Saturday or Sunday.

One film I did see this week and enjoyed quite a bit was Over the Hedge. It was a really fun and funny film, and the characters manage to be engaing rather than annoying like in most animated fare these days. Special mention shoudl go out to Steve Carrell, who actually bothers to not use his own voice and create a character, rather than not only the rest of the cast, but nearly every other animated film where known actors are simply being themselves.

Moving on, are games really a dangerous addiction? Apparently some people in Europe think so. I think this is possibly the most ridiculous fucking thing I've ever heard. They compare it to gambling, but gambling can make you lose your house and get your limbs broken from loan sharks & bookies. This is hardly an equivalent. And as someone who considers himself a lifelong gamer-I have never gone into serious debt or missed a day of work due to gaming, and have a healthy circle of friends I often hang out with and do things other than play video games with. I really don't know how anybody justifies much less encourages this bullshit.

And that's really all I got for today, but as usual, here's the SCRUBS CLIP OF THE WEEK:



And also THE FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: SHOPLIFTER