6/25/2006

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

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