Is Microsoft coming out with their own portable? Just maybe, according to IGN. It's probably inevitable, as just about everybody has at least once tried the handheld market. Whether or not it will be a huge flop is anybody's guess, although my bet is if they can put Xbox live on it, it will be awesome.
I realized last week I talked about Love Monkey, but haven't really given my thoughts now that two episodes have aired. I really like it. It's got great music, and is one of the better "dramadies" to come along in awhile, there's certianly nothing else good at 10 pm on Tuesdays.
Season 2 of Firefly?-You can help make it happen, just click on the link and fill out the survey. I think the show continuing in any form is a great idea, and if it takes off, could lead to a whole new choice for shows not wanting to deal with the pain of being on a network.
Bubble, the first movie ever to be released on DVD roughly the same time its in theatres (should be out on DVD Tuesday) is out this weekend, but apparently a large number of theatre chains refuse to carry it cause they feel this kind of idea will hurt their already shrinking bottom line (you know, instead of trying things like quality releases and lowering prices so you don't have to take out a mortgage if you want soda and popcorn...) I don't have high hopes for this, but it'll be interesting to see if it succeeds.
I am sure glad The Matador is playing at my cineplex this weekend, the other choices just seem ridiculously dismal.
First, there's Big Momma's House 2-Which just seems to further justify that Martin Lawrence shouldn't even have a career. Seriously, when the last entertaining thing you pulled off was Bad Boy (and your co-star has managed quite a few hits since then) over a decade ago, you either need to reinvent yourself or just quit. I used to cinsider him the poor man's Eddie Murphy back in his early years, now he's more like the poor man's Tim Meadows.
Then there's Annapolis, which just looks like an awful remake of Officer and a gentleman, and also has an inspitring %6 rating at rottentomatoes.
And Nanny Mcphee, which looks perfectly all right for the kids, but seems to hold no adult appeal whatsoever.
And finally, FREE GAME OF THE WEEK: Duckhunt 1945-A fun (but challenging) little mix of Duckhunt and Call of Duty!
1/26/2006
1/24/2006
Mergers, mergers everywhere!
Well, it wasn't too unexpected, but Disney now owns Pixar. Which is awesome, especially with Eisner out of the way, this will hopefully mean that all the upcoming sequels to Pixar's previous efforts won't suck.
But the big suprise is the sudden merger of WB and the UPN, apparently broadcast TV ain't big enough for two godawful networks. The new channel, CW will debut in the fall, the obvious hits will stay-Which means Everybody Hates Chris, Veronica Mars and Smackdown will stick around, so I'm satisfied. but seriously, the general lineup of both channels is horrendous, I don't think a merger will help all that much.
Did you know Rick Moranis has a website? Did you know Rick Moranis was even alive? Better yet, did you know Rick Moranis recently released a Country Album? You can get it either via itunes or his website. It's just very odd that after so many years of obscurity this is how he tries to make a comeback. It is also suppossedly out in actual stores Febuary 7th.
Think Xbox live is successful with a little over 1 million users? Nintendo has 3 million using their wifi service for the DS, even though it's only been active since November and currently only has 3 titles (Mario Kart, Tony Hawk and Animal Crossing). Hopefully Nintendo realizes the way to keep this up is to realize a good variety of compatible titles. They seemed to have missed the boat on obvious ones like bomberman, let's hope upcoming titles like Worms and the rumored DS version of FF Chronicles really take advantage of it.
And finally the 100th Episode of Scrubs is on tonight. The 100th episode is landmark because it essentially means that you were at least for some time a succesful series, and for shows that seem to struggle to stay on the air like Scrubs despite their brilliance, it means that much more that they made it to this landmark, Here's hoping there's plenty more great episodes on the way....
But the big suprise is the sudden merger of WB and the UPN, apparently broadcast TV ain't big enough for two godawful networks. The new channel, CW will debut in the fall, the obvious hits will stay-Which means Everybody Hates Chris, Veronica Mars and Smackdown will stick around, so I'm satisfied. but seriously, the general lineup of both channels is horrendous, I don't think a merger will help all that much.
Did you know Rick Moranis has a website? Did you know Rick Moranis was even alive? Better yet, did you know Rick Moranis recently released a Country Album? You can get it either via itunes or his website. It's just very odd that after so many years of obscurity this is how he tries to make a comeback. It is also suppossedly out in actual stores Febuary 7th.
Think Xbox live is successful with a little over 1 million users? Nintendo has 3 million using their wifi service for the DS, even though it's only been active since November and currently only has 3 titles (Mario Kart, Tony Hawk and Animal Crossing). Hopefully Nintendo realizes the way to keep this up is to realize a good variety of compatible titles. They seemed to have missed the boat on obvious ones like bomberman, let's hope upcoming titles like Worms and the rumored DS version of FF Chronicles really take advantage of it.
And finally the 100th Episode of Scrubs is on tonight. The 100th episode is landmark because it essentially means that you were at least for some time a succesful series, and for shows that seem to struggle to stay on the air like Scrubs despite their brilliance, it means that much more that they made it to this landmark, Here's hoping there's plenty more great episodes on the way....
1/20/2006
Truly Sucktackular
Pretty accurately describing the only new big release out this weekend, Underworld: Evolution. I mean, c'mon, the original was not only a box office flop, but one of the worst pieces of trash I've seen in the last few years. Plus, they essentially stole the plot from Blade: Trinity and threw in werewolves. Real original. Brokeback Mountain is finally opening in town this week, so I'll probably catch that if I'm up for it.
Seems Sony is finally getting at least a little interested in a universal online system as they are taking polls to see what the actual interest is. Thing is, MS has way too big of a head start in this area. They have plenty of experience and time to fix out most bugs, it'll take Sony years to get to this point, so they may as well hold off til the next generation and introduce smething really spectacular.
Finally, I am really getting into Mario Kart Wifi matches, playing several a week, but it seems at least the Japanese gamers have found a really cheap little glitch on the rainbow road track-this is a track you can fall off, which obviouly puts you way behind, but I've seen several Japanese players deliberately fall off, get plucked back off, and end up well ahead of everyone else. Just a word of warning if someone seems to keep inexcplicably getting ahead even though they should be dead last...
Seems Sony is finally getting at least a little interested in a universal online system as they are taking polls to see what the actual interest is. Thing is, MS has way too big of a head start in this area. They have plenty of experience and time to fix out most bugs, it'll take Sony years to get to this point, so they may as well hold off til the next generation and introduce smething really spectacular.
Finally, I am really getting into Mario Kart Wifi matches, playing several a week, but it seems at least the Japanese gamers have found a really cheap little glitch on the rainbow road track-this is a track you can fall off, which obviouly puts you way behind, but I've seen several Japanese players deliberately fall off, get plucked back off, and end up well ahead of everyone else. Just a word of warning if someone seems to keep inexcplicably getting ahead even though they should be dead last...
1/17/2006
ROCKSTAR! ALL YOUR GAMES ARE BELONG TO JACK THOMPSON....NOT!
Recall Demanded
January 16, 2006
by: Matt Saunderson
Action will be taken against Take-Two unless The Warrors, Manhunt, and GTA are removed from stores by 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday.
Miami, Florida-based Attorney Jack Thompson has demanded that Take-Two Interactive announce a recall of all copies of The Warriors, Manhunt, and Grand Theft Auto (all versions, all platforms) from all retailers by 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday. The demand was issued in a letter to Take-Two CEO Paul Eibeler.
In the letter Thompson mentioned the beating of three homeless men in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida last week by two teenagers who may have been inspired by games featuring baseball bat beatings such as Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, and The Warriors. In the attacks, one victim was killed by the teenagers.
In the letter, Thompson stated the following:
Your company has made and distributed the most popular violent video game series of all time: the Grand Theft Auto games. In these GTA games, beating innocent people to death with baseball bats is a featured entertainment activity. our company has also distributed Manhunt which features the same kind of virtual reality baseball bat beatings. This game is so sociopathic that it has been banned from certain countries. Additionally, your company, during this past holiday buying season, launched the incredibly brutal "brawler" game called The Warriors, which also features death by baseball bat. The Warriors is based upon the 1979 movie of the same name that was yanked, in effect, by Paramount Pictures because of all the copycat violence it was spawning.
You also know, Mr. Eibeler, that huge numbers of academic, scientific, and medical studies prove that violent video games like this, when played by teens, lead to specific acts of teen violence. There are no studies that rebut these findings. You also know that your company has designed and marketed the aforementioned violent games for sale to minors. Your company even went so far as to embed explicit sex scenes in the GTA: San Andreas game which criminal deception resulted in a vote of 355-21 by the US House of Representatives to condemn your company's acts. That also garnered you the "Worst American CEO of 2005 Award" by MediaWatch.
Thompson has threatened to "proceed to secure appropriate remedies against" Take-Two if the games are not recalled by 5:00 PM tomorrow. Given Take-Two's past failures to stop the release of violent games, it is unlikely that they will follow Thompson's advice and recall any of the three games in question. We'll keep you updated.
source: Jack Thompson
Well seeing as it's now roughly 7:40 pm on the West Coast and there's been no breaking story, I'd say your BS bluff has been called Mr. Thompson. Jesus fucking christ, I gotta admire the guy's tenacity, but at some point someone has to sit him down and show him just how much of ass he's making of himself.
And Thompson's new favorite title. 25 to Life hits stores today, but judging by the rather harsh reviews, I daresay it'll be a flash in the pan at best, just like most other crappy "urban" titles
Did you miss the best 4 hours of television this weekend? Then do yourself and favor and find a good place to download the premiere of the 5th season of 24 so you can catch up for next week. I keep thinking they really can't keep the quality up, but it gets better every season, and you never see any of it coming.
In addition to my regularly highly acticiapted new Scrubs episodes tonight, I am also very interested to see Tom Cavanagh's new show, Love Monkey. Anything Tom does is pretty brilliant, I'm sure this show will be no different.
Word is Johnny Depp is being considered for the role of the Joker in the highly anticipated Batman Begins sequel. While Depp is an amazing performer, I just don't think he's right for the Joker. The Mad Hatter or the Riddler maybe, but I think Adrien Brody would make a far better choice, and his name has come up in previous casting rumors. Course, nobody can really touch Jack Nicholson's original portrayal, it'd be awesome if the could just cast him again, but I don't think he's physically capable of that kind of role anymore.
Ok finally, a new feature that I came up with over the weekend, FREE GAME OF THE Week: Fire Man-Incoming Storm: A very awesome clone of the old school Mega Man games.
January 16, 2006
by: Matt Saunderson
Action will be taken against Take-Two unless The Warrors, Manhunt, and GTA are removed from stores by 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday.
Miami, Florida-based Attorney Jack Thompson has demanded that Take-Two Interactive announce a recall of all copies of The Warriors, Manhunt, and Grand Theft Auto (all versions, all platforms) from all retailers by 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday. The demand was issued in a letter to Take-Two CEO Paul Eibeler.
In the letter Thompson mentioned the beating of three homeless men in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida last week by two teenagers who may have been inspired by games featuring baseball bat beatings such as Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, and The Warriors. In the attacks, one victim was killed by the teenagers.
In the letter, Thompson stated the following:
Your company has made and distributed the most popular violent video game series of all time: the Grand Theft Auto games. In these GTA games, beating innocent people to death with baseball bats is a featured entertainment activity. our company has also distributed Manhunt which features the same kind of virtual reality baseball bat beatings. This game is so sociopathic that it has been banned from certain countries. Additionally, your company, during this past holiday buying season, launched the incredibly brutal "brawler" game called The Warriors, which also features death by baseball bat. The Warriors is based upon the 1979 movie of the same name that was yanked, in effect, by Paramount Pictures because of all the copycat violence it was spawning.
You also know, Mr. Eibeler, that huge numbers of academic, scientific, and medical studies prove that violent video games like this, when played by teens, lead to specific acts of teen violence. There are no studies that rebut these findings. You also know that your company has designed and marketed the aforementioned violent games for sale to minors. Your company even went so far as to embed explicit sex scenes in the GTA: San Andreas game which criminal deception resulted in a vote of 355-21 by the US House of Representatives to condemn your company's acts. That also garnered you the "Worst American CEO of 2005 Award" by MediaWatch.
Thompson has threatened to "proceed to secure appropriate remedies against" Take-Two if the games are not recalled by 5:00 PM tomorrow. Given Take-Two's past failures to stop the release of violent games, it is unlikely that they will follow Thompson's advice and recall any of the three games in question. We'll keep you updated.
source: Jack Thompson
Well seeing as it's now roughly 7:40 pm on the West Coast and there's been no breaking story, I'd say your BS bluff has been called Mr. Thompson. Jesus fucking christ, I gotta admire the guy's tenacity, but at some point someone has to sit him down and show him just how much of ass he's making of himself.
And Thompson's new favorite title. 25 to Life hits stores today, but judging by the rather harsh reviews, I daresay it'll be a flash in the pan at best, just like most other crappy "urban" titles
Did you miss the best 4 hours of television this weekend? Then do yourself and favor and find a good place to download the premiere of the 5th season of 24 so you can catch up for next week. I keep thinking they really can't keep the quality up, but it gets better every season, and you never see any of it coming.
In addition to my regularly highly acticiapted new Scrubs episodes tonight, I am also very interested to see Tom Cavanagh's new show, Love Monkey. Anything Tom does is pretty brilliant, I'm sure this show will be no different.
Word is Johnny Depp is being considered for the role of the Joker in the highly anticipated Batman Begins sequel. While Depp is an amazing performer, I just don't think he's right for the Joker. The Mad Hatter or the Riddler maybe, but I think Adrien Brody would make a far better choice, and his name has come up in previous casting rumors. Course, nobody can really touch Jack Nicholson's original portrayal, it'd be awesome if the could just cast him again, but I don't think he's physically capable of that kind of role anymore.
Ok finally, a new feature that I came up with over the weekend, FREE GAME OF THE Week: Fire Man-Incoming Storm: A very awesome clone of the old school Mega Man games.
1/13/2006
More wacky Thompson antics
You know, you give somebody enough rope and they usually hang themselves, and how Jack Thompson can be taken seriously after his most recent antics is anybody's fucking guess.
In a recent inerview, Thompson compares himself to Eliot Ness, and then calls the industry itself worse than Al Capone, because they "target" children. Of course, because advertising to kids is far worse than mass murdering & racketeering...
Oh but there's more! 25 to Life, the latest GTA clone, hit stores next week, and Thompson is telling California authorities to not only seize all copies of the game, but also to destroy them, like any good book burning.
The penal code he mentions in the letter goes as follows: "Any person may abate a public nuisance which is specially injurious to him by removing, or, if necessary, destroying the thing which constitutes the same, without committing a breach of the peace, or doing unnecessary injury."
Under Thompson's interpretation, he could personally walk into a store and destroy these games since he considers them so dangerous to himself and the public at large, you know why he won't? Cause He's actually a fucking coward and a hypocrite and knows he will be called on his bullshit if he tries it.
Moving on to happier news, I did initially think after a few months I may not have much reason to hold onto my DS, with not a whole lot on the horizon but IGN has a great preview of one of my favorite game series coming to the system : WORMS!. Seriously, if this game isn't Wifi when it comes out, Nintendo needs to pull its head out of its ass. It's bad enough that Bomberman is available for the system and doesn't support it. Then again it goes hand in hand with Nintendo giving half-assed support to all of their potentially cool add-ons.
Despite the fact the Uwe Boll's latest tour de force, Bloodrayne, amassed a whopping 1.5 (and that's being optimistic) million opening weekend, he just keeps chugging along. Word is he is currently reading through the script for the Metal Gear Solid movie in the works and is on the list of potential directors. Now, I'll grant you that the dialogue and acting in a MGS game is actually probably on par with any of Boll's films, but that doesn't mean he should do a film adaptattion of it....
And finally some quick earlu summations of this weekend's releases:
Glory Road: Have you seen ANY sports film ever? Then you've seen this.
Tristan & Isolode: Is it a bad sign that every time I've seen the trailer for this "tearjerking" period love story, I laughed my ass off?
Last Holiday: I'll admit, when I saw the initial previews, I was ready to right this seemingly hokey comedy off as pure trash, but it's getting a fair amount of solid reviews, so I won't go right out and say skip it, but I'll probably wait for video all the same.
That's it for today, I will definitely update these weekend as there are at least a couple other things that have happened this week I want to get into.
In a recent inerview, Thompson compares himself to Eliot Ness, and then calls the industry itself worse than Al Capone, because they "target" children. Of course, because advertising to kids is far worse than mass murdering & racketeering...
Oh but there's more! 25 to Life, the latest GTA clone, hit stores next week, and Thompson is telling California authorities to not only seize all copies of the game, but also to destroy them, like any good book burning.
The penal code he mentions in the letter goes as follows: "Any person may abate a public nuisance which is specially injurious to him by removing, or, if necessary, destroying the thing which constitutes the same, without committing a breach of the peace, or doing unnecessary injury."
Under Thompson's interpretation, he could personally walk into a store and destroy these games since he considers them so dangerous to himself and the public at large, you know why he won't? Cause He's actually a fucking coward and a hypocrite and knows he will be called on his bullshit if he tries it.
Moving on to happier news, I did initially think after a few months I may not have much reason to hold onto my DS, with not a whole lot on the horizon but IGN has a great preview of one of my favorite game series coming to the system : WORMS!. Seriously, if this game isn't Wifi when it comes out, Nintendo needs to pull its head out of its ass. It's bad enough that Bomberman is available for the system and doesn't support it. Then again it goes hand in hand with Nintendo giving half-assed support to all of their potentially cool add-ons.
Despite the fact the Uwe Boll's latest tour de force, Bloodrayne, amassed a whopping 1.5 (and that's being optimistic) million opening weekend, he just keeps chugging along. Word is he is currently reading through the script for the Metal Gear Solid movie in the works and is on the list of potential directors. Now, I'll grant you that the dialogue and acting in a MGS game is actually probably on par with any of Boll's films, but that doesn't mean he should do a film adaptattion of it....
And finally some quick earlu summations of this weekend's releases:
Glory Road: Have you seen ANY sports film ever? Then you've seen this.
Tristan & Isolode: Is it a bad sign that every time I've seen the trailer for this "tearjerking" period love story, I laughed my ass off?
Last Holiday: I'll admit, when I saw the initial previews, I was ready to right this seemingly hokey comedy off as pure trash, but it's getting a fair amount of solid reviews, so I won't go right out and say skip it, but I'll probably wait for video all the same.
That's it for today, I will definitely update these weekend as there are at least a couple other things that have happened this week I want to get into.
1/09/2006
Wifi Madness
So I did pick up the Nintendo Wifi adapter today and while the setup was a tad frustrating, I was able to fully enjoy getting my ass whopped by some Brit across the pond in Mario Kart. Now I just have to figure out what other games to get to really take advantage of this (I swear I'd stay away from Animal Crossing after it sucked away over 6 months of my life on the Cube, but the new one for DS looks very tempting, and there's always Bomberman if it's got a solid amount of users...)
I've spent the last few days getting torrents of Scrubs seasons 3 & 4 on my computer(I will buy the DVDs once they are available) and it's really in my opinion the best show on TV. It manages to have complex characters and deftly handle great zany comedy and drama like no other show currently on TV. Which leads into my next subject-Why the hell isn't NBC putting this brilliant show in its highly promoted new Thursday night lineup? Nothing is wrong with putting both The Office and My Name is Earl in there, both brilliant comedies, and Four Kings shows potential, but if they don't move it when Will & Grace makes its long overdue exit this May, the execs are seriously smoking something.
Since there were no good movies this week, I checked out Hustle & Flow, which was a really amazing movie with great all around performances and I very highly reccomend that you check it out on Tuesday.
Finally, it seems that the real attraction for the 360 is Live Arcade, with all the great classics its offering with online play-Joust, Gauntlet and now Street Fighter II. If I do get one any time soon, I may just get the online arcade stuff rather than the mostly unimpressive overpriced selection they currently have.
I've spent the last few days getting torrents of Scrubs seasons 3 & 4 on my computer(I will buy the DVDs once they are available) and it's really in my opinion the best show on TV. It manages to have complex characters and deftly handle great zany comedy and drama like no other show currently on TV. Which leads into my next subject-Why the hell isn't NBC putting this brilliant show in its highly promoted new Thursday night lineup? Nothing is wrong with putting both The Office and My Name is Earl in there, both brilliant comedies, and Four Kings shows potential, but if they don't move it when Will & Grace makes its long overdue exit this May, the execs are seriously smoking something.
Since there were no good movies this week, I checked out Hustle & Flow, which was a really amazing movie with great all around performances and I very highly reccomend that you check it out on Tuesday.
Finally, it seems that the real attraction for the 360 is Live Arcade, with all the great classics its offering with online play-Joust, Gauntlet and now Street Fighter II. If I do get one any time soon, I may just get the online arcade stuff rather than the mostly unimpressive overpriced selection they currently have.
1/06/2006
You just don't hassle the Hoff!
Yeah, David Hasslehoff has nothing to do with my post, but I thought him actually sporting that shirt was a riot and far more interesting than this fairly dead week in entertainment.
CES-The Consumer Electronics show is going on right now, but probably the biggest news is the fact of no news on the PS3 from Sony. Although it's hardly the big event it used to be, CES is still the last major expo before Sony's suppossed spring launch, and there has not been word one about PS3. This is making a 2007 US launch seem all the more likely (although I'm willing to be they will rush it ot in time for the holidays, bugs and all).
Things have slowed to a crawl on the videogame release front as well-Dead or Alive 4 is pretty much the only noteworthy game out at the moment. All reports are that it's a very solid on-line fighter with stunning graphics, but I personally will probably be waiting for the next Virtua Fighter game before I jump back into the fighting genre (or Super Smash Bros. for the Revolution, whichever comes out first).
And once again, we are in the bleak winter months for movies. Hostel looks promising enough, with a stamp of approval by Tarantino, but that smells like just a bad publicity stunt. Gamers get their first movie in awhile in Grandma's Boy, which looks incredibly horrid with all the bad obvious jokes thrown in (like old people getting high, gee that's new...).
But of course the true cream of the crop is obviously going to be the latest from cinematic auteur Uwe Boll-Bloodrayne, which looks like it was shot in the local park with about $200 budgeted for effects. I know this guy exploits tax loopholes in order to get movies made, but how he keeps attracting anything other than E list talent (namely Ben Kingsley for this one) is beyond human comprehension.
Ok, that's it for today, I'll update again this weekend, hopefully.
1/01/2006
I wanna know Japanese and I wanna know it now!
Why, you ask? Because those lucky bastards in Japan are playing Kingdom Hearts 2 right now. This is easily my most anitciapted game of the last few years, and to know that it's finally at least out in some form in a huge source of joy. But of course, that leaves the question of when the hell is it coming out here? Hopefully summer at the latest. I may be putting a lot more playtime into Kingdom Hearts now in preperation.
The only other thing of note is that it seems NBC has finally gotten a little smart with its schedule and is moving two of their best shows to its formerly unbeatable Thursday night-The Office and My Name Is Earl. Both Excellent shows and a wise decision. But of course NBC snubs the best show they have-Scrubs. This easily deserves a prime Thursday night slot along with the other shows. Hopefully when Will & Grace ends this season (which is long overdue, that show has been awful for years now), NBC will wise up and give that slot to Scrubs next season.
That's all for today, Happy new year!
The only other thing of note is that it seems NBC has finally gotten a little smart with its schedule and is moving two of their best shows to its formerly unbeatable Thursday night-The Office and My Name Is Earl. Both Excellent shows and a wise decision. But of course NBC snubs the best show they have-Scrubs. This easily deserves a prime Thursday night slot along with the other shows. Hopefully when Will & Grace ends this season (which is long overdue, that show has been awful for years now), NBC will wise up and give that slot to Scrubs next season.
That's all for today, Happy new year!
12/30/2005
You can touch it, down there....
Ok first, sorry for not posting for over a week but I decided to take an impromptu vacation from the internet in general while I was visiting my family aside from checking my email, and in general entertainment news slowed to a crawl. Moving on today's header refers to what was easily my favorite present from Santa: The Nintendo DS. And more specifically referring to this very amusing VG Cats comic:
I don't have Wifi, but I was able to try it out at a friends house with Mario Kart and its pretty cool and suprisingly fun when you don't have to worry about some jackass using racial slurs or whining since you can't talk to them. You can order a part from Nintendo that's far cheaper than a wireless adapater that you just hook into a usb port on your computer (assuming you have DSL of course) but I may wait and see if I get more games that take advantage of wifi play before I justify buying it. Mario & Luigi: Partners in time is also an instant classic for anyone looking for a good rpg with a solid challenge. But so far I do not have any games that make extensive use of the stylus, but I'll look for something as soon as I get down to my local gamestore.
I also got Guild Wars for the PC, the main attraction of this MMORPG is that unlike every other one out there it's completely free. My experience so far is limited, but it just seems not all that different from WOW although it's entirely possible that I may just have played to much of that game and need an MMO break in general. Which leads to my next topic-for the time being, I believe I am done with the World of Warcraft. Going on endless high levle runs into dungeons is just about the only thing you can do at my level in the game and not only is it extremely tedious to get a good solid group together, it's just starting to seem like a chore. I still have about two weeks before I get billed again, so I may give it another shot before I finally decide to cancel, but odds are I'll be taking a nice long break if not a permanent one.
I did manage to catch several movies in my brief time off. First up-King Kong: I thought it was a brilliant hollywood epic that even at three hours doesn't feel stretched with brilliant performances by almost everyone. Unfortunatley Jack Black shows no adeptness at playing it straight and comes off as a cartoon villain with shifty eyes for pratically the whole film. But I highly reccomend it.
Then there was The Ringer: Possibly the biggest suprise on my end because I was expecting this movie with Johnny Knoxville to be horribly tasteless, gross and unfunny to boot. After all, it is about a guy who pretends to be retarded in order to win the Special Olympics and get a big payday. It manages to skip all three of those, never treating disabled people with disrespect and still managing to be fairly entertaining. The plot is fairly predictable, but it's probably one of the better comedic bets right now.
That leads into the other comedy I saw-Fun With Dick & Jane: It's a perfectly alright comedy with a moderate amount of laughs, but they just played it a little too safe for my tastes when they could've really used this opportunity to either completely rip on big buisness or make a really biting comedy about desperate people with seemingly few options. Not bad, but probably could've been much better.
And finally Munich: This is a movie everybody should probably see. It's shocking, powerful, and extremely well done. But be warned that it is a very heavy movie and really starts to drag the last 25 minutes or so. But this would seem to be an easy oscar favorite for all the important categories.
That's really it for today, but I promise to update tommorow or Sunday. Until then, do yourself a favor and GO BUY THE SERENITY DVD.
I don't have Wifi, but I was able to try it out at a friends house with Mario Kart and its pretty cool and suprisingly fun when you don't have to worry about some jackass using racial slurs or whining since you can't talk to them. You can order a part from Nintendo that's far cheaper than a wireless adapater that you just hook into a usb port on your computer (assuming you have DSL of course) but I may wait and see if I get more games that take advantage of wifi play before I justify buying it. Mario & Luigi: Partners in time is also an instant classic for anyone looking for a good rpg with a solid challenge. But so far I do not have any games that make extensive use of the stylus, but I'll look for something as soon as I get down to my local gamestore.
I also got Guild Wars for the PC, the main attraction of this MMORPG is that unlike every other one out there it's completely free. My experience so far is limited, but it just seems not all that different from WOW although it's entirely possible that I may just have played to much of that game and need an MMO break in general. Which leads to my next topic-for the time being, I believe I am done with the World of Warcraft. Going on endless high levle runs into dungeons is just about the only thing you can do at my level in the game and not only is it extremely tedious to get a good solid group together, it's just starting to seem like a chore. I still have about two weeks before I get billed again, so I may give it another shot before I finally decide to cancel, but odds are I'll be taking a nice long break if not a permanent one.
I did manage to catch several movies in my brief time off. First up-King Kong: I thought it was a brilliant hollywood epic that even at three hours doesn't feel stretched with brilliant performances by almost everyone. Unfortunatley Jack Black shows no adeptness at playing it straight and comes off as a cartoon villain with shifty eyes for pratically the whole film. But I highly reccomend it.
Then there was The Ringer: Possibly the biggest suprise on my end because I was expecting this movie with Johnny Knoxville to be horribly tasteless, gross and unfunny to boot. After all, it is about a guy who pretends to be retarded in order to win the Special Olympics and get a big payday. It manages to skip all three of those, never treating disabled people with disrespect and still managing to be fairly entertaining. The plot is fairly predictable, but it's probably one of the better comedic bets right now.
That leads into the other comedy I saw-Fun With Dick & Jane: It's a perfectly alright comedy with a moderate amount of laughs, but they just played it a little too safe for my tastes when they could've really used this opportunity to either completely rip on big buisness or make a really biting comedy about desperate people with seemingly few options. Not bad, but probably could've been much better.
And finally Munich: This is a movie everybody should probably see. It's shocking, powerful, and extremely well done. But be warned that it is a very heavy movie and really starts to drag the last 25 minutes or so. But this would seem to be an easy oscar favorite for all the important categories.
That's really it for today, but I promise to update tommorow or Sunday. Until then, do yourself a favor and GO BUY THE SERENITY DVD.
12/13/2005
Return of the King
Although I will cover King Kong in this post, today's header is about the return of another king-King Graham. The legendary King's Quest series is making a comeback, and it's all thanks to the fans. The new game is completely fan made, which makes it thankfully completely free. I will be anxiously awaiting the release of this one.
Played Halo 1 & 2 until your eyes bled out and still need even more? Fans come to the rescue again-Halo: Zero, a free 2D prequel made for Halo fans, by Halo fans. Obviously not nearly as sophisticated as it's big budget counterparts, but an impressive and fun little game nonetheless.
Working Designs is officially dead. While they were merely a publishing company, they were responsible for bringing a lot of great games over here with wonderfully done translations (i.e. the Lunar series). But the persident, Victor Ireland said he did want to pursue options on the 360 after his bad experiences with Sony, so this may turn into a positive if seeing more Japanese-developed titles on the 360.
And finally, King Kong is out tommorow. All signs point to this being one of the few remakes that not only does not suck, but even outdoes the original, pretty much cementing Peter Jackson as a true genius rather than some guy who just got lucky. I will most likely be seeing it Sunday, and fully expect it to rock. But Jackson's big hits have all been based on well-known previous material so far, I'd like to see him tackle some original material.
Played Halo 1 & 2 until your eyes bled out and still need even more? Fans come to the rescue again-Halo: Zero, a free 2D prequel made for Halo fans, by Halo fans. Obviously not nearly as sophisticated as it's big budget counterparts, but an impressive and fun little game nonetheless.
Working Designs is officially dead. While they were merely a publishing company, they were responsible for bringing a lot of great games over here with wonderfully done translations (i.e. the Lunar series). But the persident, Victor Ireland said he did want to pursue options on the 360 after his bad experiences with Sony, so this may turn into a positive if seeing more Japanese-developed titles on the 360.
And finally, King Kong is out tommorow. All signs point to this being one of the few remakes that not only does not suck, but even outdoes the original, pretty much cementing Peter Jackson as a true genius rather than some guy who just got lucky. I will most likely be seeing it Sunday, and fully expect it to rock. But Jackson's big hits have all been based on well-known previous material so far, I'd like to see him tackle some original material.
12/09/2005
Greatest. Game. Ever.
Just what will be the greatest game ever? BRADY BUNCH KUNG FU. I know it's mobile, but the sheer audacity and orignality of this idea totally rocks. Can we do the same thing with the Cosby show?
So I may actually start liking EA again. Although they haven't really supported Nintendo in the past, according to the big N they are very excited about the Revolution and it's wacky new controller. I'll wait and see if this actually translates into something cool, but if you can get the biggest game company in America in your corner, that's a good starting point. I have also heard the Revolution will easily be the least powerful of the next gen consoles, but if that equals a relatively cheap system (I'm guessing $250) and keeping games in the $50, I'll be happy to throw most of my money their way.
Pretty much the only major release this weekend is the long-awaited debut of Chronicles of Narnia. I'm excited but also a little hesitant, as Disney's history with live-action films is not pretty, and the ads do make it seem like it's more of a LOTR wannabe than its own film.
I did see Aeon Flux last Friday and surprisingly it did not suck. I'm not saying run to your nearest theater and grab a ticket, but it's not a bad option if you've seen just about every really good movie and are just looking for a decent way to kill some time.
All right, that's all for today, but I'll try and be back this weekend.
So I may actually start liking EA again. Although they haven't really supported Nintendo in the past, according to the big N they are very excited about the Revolution and it's wacky new controller. I'll wait and see if this actually translates into something cool, but if you can get the biggest game company in America in your corner, that's a good starting point. I have also heard the Revolution will easily be the least powerful of the next gen consoles, but if that equals a relatively cheap system (I'm guessing $250) and keeping games in the $50, I'll be happy to throw most of my money their way.
Pretty much the only major release this weekend is the long-awaited debut of Chronicles of Narnia. I'm excited but also a little hesitant, as Disney's history with live-action films is not pretty, and the ads do make it seem like it's more of a LOTR wannabe than its own film.
I did see Aeon Flux last Friday and surprisingly it did not suck. I'm not saying run to your nearest theater and grab a ticket, but it's not a bad option if you've seen just about every really good movie and are just looking for a decent way to kill some time.
All right, that's all for today, but I'll try and be back this weekend.
12/01/2005
Bring me the head of Roger Ebert!
Seriously, how this lazy fatass became America's premiere critic is beyond me, but he should at least be smart enough to not blast a medium he knows little to nothing about. Yet this does not stop him, as seen by this recent exchange:
Unlike the lost hours on such brilliant films you gave thumbs up to like "The Honeymooners"? I love when some out of touch old guy rants about something he knows nothing about. As far as being a waste of time? You sit on your ever enlarging ass at the theatre for hours on end evaluating exactly what would be a good waste of our time. Award-winning composers like Danny Elfman have done videogame music, genius. As far as making us as a society more cultured, civilized and empathetic, video games actually have a better chance of doing that in terms of potential than a movie or book. As you yourself said, movies & books take authorial control, meaning that they take a specific viewpoint and train of thought. Games are getting to be less and less like this, where you have much more direct control over your character's actions and how that affects the world around your character (just look at all the games where you have the choice of being good or evil). Unlike movies or books, they do not tell you what to think, they increasingly let you decide for yourself. There are fluff videogames and there are serious videogames, just like with books and movies. You have strictly based your opinions on the admittedly numerous bad films that have come out of Hollywood based on the medium, but if someone would actually take a game with a solid story and adapt with a crew that was seriously committed to the project (which is hard for ANY film to accomplish these days), you would see a different result.
Moving on, the only film opening in wide release this weekend is Aeon Flux. What are my early thoughts? I have a free pass to this movie and I'm still not sure I want to waste the time to see it. The TV series was an incoherent mess with rather gross sexual undertones, the fact that it wasn't screened for crtics doesn't bode well either.
My Xbox 360 is officially sold, but I do plan on getting another eventually, and a big determiner of exactly when might be when these awesome skins become available:
Ok, that's all for today, I'll probably post again before the week's end however.
Q. I was saddened to read that you consider video games an inherently inferior medium to film and literature, despite your admitted lack of familiarity with the great works of the medium. This strikes me as especially perplexing, given how receptive you have been in the past to other oft-maligned media such as comic books and animation. Was not film itself once a new field of art? Did it not also take decades for its academic respectability to be recognized?
There are already countless serious studies on game theory and criticism available, including Mark S. Meadows' Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative, Nick Montfort's Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan's First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game, and Mark J.P. Wolf's The Medium of the Video Game, to name a few.
I hold out hope that you will take the time to broaden your experience with games beyond the trashy, artless "adaptations" that pollute our movie theaters, and let you discover the true wonder of this emerging medium, just as you have so passionately helped me to appreciate the greatness of many wonderful films.
Andrew Davis, St. Cloud, Minn.
A. Yours is the most civil of countless messages I have received after writing that I did indeed consider video games inherently inferior to film and literature. There is a structural reason for that: Video games by their nature require player choices, which is the opposite of the strategy of serious film and literature, which requires authorial control.
I am prepared to believe that video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful. But I believe the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art. To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.
There are already countless serious studies on game theory and criticism available, including Mark S. Meadows' Pause & Effect: The Art of Interactive Narrative, Nick Montfort's Twisty Little Passages: An Approach to Interactive Fiction, Noah Wardrip-Fruin and Pat Harrigan's First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game, and Mark J.P. Wolf's The Medium of the Video Game, to name a few.
I hold out hope that you will take the time to broaden your experience with games beyond the trashy, artless "adaptations" that pollute our movie theaters, and let you discover the true wonder of this emerging medium, just as you have so passionately helped me to appreciate the greatness of many wonderful films.
Andrew Davis, St. Cloud, Minn.
A. Yours is the most civil of countless messages I have received after writing that I did indeed consider video games inherently inferior to film and literature. There is a structural reason for that: Video games by their nature require player choices, which is the opposite of the strategy of serious film and literature, which requires authorial control.
I am prepared to believe that video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful. But I believe the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art. To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic.
Unlike the lost hours on such brilliant films you gave thumbs up to like "The Honeymooners"? I love when some out of touch old guy rants about something he knows nothing about. As far as being a waste of time? You sit on your ever enlarging ass at the theatre for hours on end evaluating exactly what would be a good waste of our time. Award-winning composers like Danny Elfman have done videogame music, genius. As far as making us as a society more cultured, civilized and empathetic, video games actually have a better chance of doing that in terms of potential than a movie or book. As you yourself said, movies & books take authorial control, meaning that they take a specific viewpoint and train of thought. Games are getting to be less and less like this, where you have much more direct control over your character's actions and how that affects the world around your character (just look at all the games where you have the choice of being good or evil). Unlike movies or books, they do not tell you what to think, they increasingly let you decide for yourself. There are fluff videogames and there are serious videogames, just like with books and movies. You have strictly based your opinions on the admittedly numerous bad films that have come out of Hollywood based on the medium, but if someone would actually take a game with a solid story and adapt with a crew that was seriously committed to the project (which is hard for ANY film to accomplish these days), you would see a different result.
Moving on, the only film opening in wide release this weekend is Aeon Flux. What are my early thoughts? I have a free pass to this movie and I'm still not sure I want to waste the time to see it. The TV series was an incoherent mess with rather gross sexual undertones, the fact that it wasn't screened for crtics doesn't bode well either.
My Xbox 360 is officially sold, but I do plan on getting another eventually, and a big determiner of exactly when might be when these awesome skins become available:
Ok, that's all for today, I'll probably post again before the week's end however.
11/26/2005
That's a whole lotta turkeys
Did I miss something? I always thought Thanksgiving was a prime time to release big studio pictures and the first year-end oscar contenders, so what is with the dreck coming out this holiday weekend? Ok, everybody could smell the pile that Yours Mine & Ours was a mile away, but you need something for the kids who already saw Harry Potter. I just feel sorry for Dennis Quaid & Rene Russo slumming it in a crappy large family comedy that was played out last year with Cheaper by the Dozen (which was a perfectly all right film, but has a ridiculously unecessary sequel coming out next month).
Rent & Ice Harvest seem to have all the right tools (directors who have done good previous work, stellar cast), but even the most positive reviews on both films admit they are largely flawed attempts. And Just Friends seems like yet another waste of the usually funny Ryan Reynolds, who needs to start picking some smarter roles.
And the only other news worth mentioning is another tragic passing in the entertainment industry. Mr. Miyagi, Pat Morita has passed away. The guy had a long history of good work, but was obviously best known for the Karate Kid movies. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
That's really it for today, hopefully I'll have some time to update Saturday or Sunday though.
Rent & Ice Harvest seem to have all the right tools (directors who have done good previous work, stellar cast), but even the most positive reviews on both films admit they are largely flawed attempts. And Just Friends seems like yet another waste of the usually funny Ryan Reynolds, who needs to start picking some smarter roles.
And the only other news worth mentioning is another tragic passing in the entertainment industry. Mr. Miyagi, Pat Morita has passed away. The guy had a long history of good work, but was obviously best known for the Karate Kid movies. My condolences go out to his family and friends.
That's really it for today, hopefully I'll have some time to update Saturday or Sunday though.
11/22/2005
To play or not to play
Yup, I got my 360 at midnight. I pretty much immediately listed it on ebay. But, being the rabid gamer that I am, it is taking plenty of will power to just let it and Perfect Dark Zero just sit in my room unopened. I just have to keep reminding myself that it will be worth it in a couple of months when I can most likely get one and a few games at a good used price.
Thankfully Dragon Quest VIII is keeping me very occupied so far. It really is old school in all the good and bad ways. good ways in that it has great focus on story and characters, bad in that you can only save at churches in towns, no auto-mapping and you have to go to church to determine how close you are to a level up.
I did see both Goblet of Fire and Walk the Line over the weekend, and definitely reccomend both. Goblet of Fire was pretty good, but anyone who read the book will notice a lot missing, which may hurt it for the hardcore Potter crowd. Walk the Line features oscar-worthy performances from both Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon (who do all their own singing and sound great), my only problem was this had sort of a deja vu feel as it pretty much follows the same path as Ray (poor & traumatic childhood, quick rise, lots of affairs, nearly ruined by drugs then makes a big comeback).
Ok, that's really all for today, but I'll talk about this week's movies either tommorow or Friday.
Thankfully Dragon Quest VIII is keeping me very occupied so far. It really is old school in all the good and bad ways. good ways in that it has great focus on story and characters, bad in that you can only save at churches in towns, no auto-mapping and you have to go to church to determine how close you are to a level up.
I did see both Goblet of Fire and Walk the Line over the weekend, and definitely reccomend both. Goblet of Fire was pretty good, but anyone who read the book will notice a lot missing, which may hurt it for the hardcore Potter crowd. Walk the Line features oscar-worthy performances from both Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon (who do all their own singing and sound great), my only problem was this had sort of a deja vu feel as it pretty much follows the same path as Ray (poor & traumatic childhood, quick rise, lots of affairs, nearly ruined by drugs then makes a big comeback).
Ok, that's really all for today, but I'll talk about this week's movies either tommorow or Friday.
11/18/2005
Well, I guess I won't be sleeping in on Tuesday then....
Okay, apparently there was a funny little mix-up and it turns out that yes I will be getting my 360 launch day. My reaction was somewhat akin to Balki Bartokomous doing the dance of joy. It was definitely an unexpected feeling, since I wasn't that pumped about the 360. It's the irritional gamer in me. The same one that I can normally keep under control cause if I didn't I'd max out my credit cards on just about every game system out there. The irritional gamer in me wants the 360 if for no other reason that it's a new system with new games. Luckily my rational side is a lot stronger and realizes that if I wait till a solid library of games I want are available for it (which at this point looks like next fall), I can probably get a used one and some games at a very good price. The only systems to date i have bought at launch were the Xbox & the Gamceube and although I don't regret the actual purchase, I regret not waiting about 7 months because they both dropped $100 in price and head a decent library rather than the meager launch lineup I was initially stuck with.
I've only devled a little bit into Dragon Quest VIII at this juncture, but my initial fears have been laid to rest. The characters are still a little to reiminiscent of Dragonball, but the world looks gogreous and the system is a classic turned-based one that actually does just enough to stay away from being archaic. But like any good rpg the real treat is the characters (who have some of the best voice acting I've heard in a long time) and the beautifully realized world you explore. This may actually be one of the last good traditional rpgs. so those who are fans of that dying sub-genre may want to pick it up.
Contained within the DQ VIII casing was a playable demo of the long awaited Final Fantasy XII, and boy are things different. I'm not even really sure how to accurately describe the rather bizarre battle system here. Actually I guess it would be somewhat akin to that of an MMORPG, where you sort of have turns, but eveyrthing is still pretty much done in real time and you engage enemies on the field map rather than go into some battle stage. It takes a little adjusting, but I like what I've played so far. FF XII is months awaym though, so we'll see what if any fine tuning will do to it.
I've only devled a little bit into Dragon Quest VIII at this juncture, but my initial fears have been laid to rest. The characters are still a little to reiminiscent of Dragonball, but the world looks gogreous and the system is a classic turned-based one that actually does just enough to stay away from being archaic. But like any good rpg the real treat is the characters (who have some of the best voice acting I've heard in a long time) and the beautifully realized world you explore. This may actually be one of the last good traditional rpgs. so those who are fans of that dying sub-genre may want to pick it up.
Contained within the DQ VIII casing was a playable demo of the long awaited Final Fantasy XII, and boy are things different. I'm not even really sure how to accurately describe the rather bizarre battle system here. Actually I guess it would be somewhat akin to that of an MMORPG, where you sort of have turns, but eveyrthing is still pretty much done in real time and you engage enemies on the field map rather than go into some battle stage. It takes a little adjusting, but I like what I've played so far. FF XII is months awaym though, so we'll see what if any fine tuning will do to it.
11/17/2005
Guess I can sleep in on Tuesday....
So, I just came back from my local Gamestop today after picking up Dragon Quest VIII, and I've been told that even though I reserved my 360 over 5 months ago, I won't be getting one on launch day. My local Gamestop is only getting a measly 12 units. I'll most likely get it within a couple of weeks after launch, but there's always something special about being able to get something on launch day. I'd probably be more pissed if I had allowed myself to get all psyched about the launch, but since I'm pretty much still set on selling the sucker anyways, that just hopefully means I'll sell it in time for a happy new year rather than a merry Christmas.
Moving on two very big movies are out tommorow-Walk the Line and Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. I'm going to see the first showing of Goblet of Fire tommorrow morning and I can't wait, I've enjoyed every Potter film so far, and they seem to get better with each successive film, this one looking to be no exception. Walk the Line looks excellent as well and has good word of mouth, so I'll probably try and catch it this weekend if I have the time and energy. That's it for now, but I'll probably do another update this weekend.
Moving on two very big movies are out tommorow-Walk the Line and Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire. I'm going to see the first showing of Goblet of Fire tommorrow morning and I can't wait, I've enjoyed every Potter film so far, and they seem to get better with each successive film, this one looking to be no exception. Walk the Line looks excellent as well and has good word of mouth, so I'll probably try and catch it this weekend if I have the time and energy. That's it for now, but I'll probably do another update this weekend.
11/15/2005
Over 220 launch titles?!?
Well, technically speaking, that's what the Xbox 360 will launch with. Note that only 18 of these are actual stand-alone 360 titles though:
Not quite enough you say? There will also be a nice mix of titles in the Xbox live arcade for download come launch day including classics like Joust & Gauntlet (which if I've heard correctly, can be played on live against other people, that's pretty fucking sweet). So there will be something for just about everybody come launch day.
A few reviews are up already as well, and so far the killer app appears to be Project Gotham Racing 3, which I have seen in action and looks amazing, but it's still a car game and I'm not a car guy. Perfect Dark Zero has not been reviewed yet, so we'll have to see how that goes.
Two rather noteworthy rpgs hit this week for the PS2. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood & Dragon Quest VIII.
Magna Carta oddly enough has nothing to do with the famous document that is its namesake, it is more along the lines of games like Shadow Hearts, with a dark twist and an interesting timing system instead of your traditional rpg bouts. I said my piece awhile ago about the really poor demo of Dragon Quest VIII, and while I stand by my views of the demo, reviews across the board have been nothing short of stellar, so I am very tempted to pick it up.
Sonic's other archenemy, Shadow the Hedgehog, also gets his own game out this week. Again, I still have an issue with giving a character from Sonic's stable a gun as that not only doesn't really fit the traditional gameplay, but obviously disposes with the rather light-hearted feel of the series. it does sound interesting that they've added a whole pick your side element, but in reality the last good Sonic game was for the Sega CD, and I feel that won't change here.
One other thing before I go. Eddie Guerrero passed away this weekend. I admit my interest in the WWE has waned greatly the past few years, but I always made sure to watch any time Eddie Guerrero was on. He was a brilliant athlete, and although I can't claim to know him personally, seemed like one hell of a guy. He overcame being a minority, a cruiserwieght, a car crash and a long addiction to painkillers to get to his spot in the WWE the last few years. He will be sorely missed and my deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and the millions of fans like me who would give just about anything to see him lie, cheat and steal just one more time.
- Amped 3 (2K Sports)
- Call of Duty 2 (Activision)
- Condemned: Criminal Origins (SEGA)
- FIFA Soccer 06 Road to 2006 FIFA World Cup (Electronic Arts)
- GUN (Activision)
- Kameo: Elements of Power (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Madden NFL 06 (Electronic Arts)
- NBA 2K6 (2K Sports)
- NBA LIVE 06 (Electronic Arts)
- Need for Speed Most Wanted (Electronic Arts)
- NHL 2K6 (2K Sports)
- Perfect Dark Zero (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie (Ubisoft)
- Project Gotham Racing 3 (Microsoft Game Studios)
- Quake 4 (Activision)
- Ridge Racer 6 (Namco)
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 (Electronic Arts)
- Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (Activision)
Not quite enough you say? There will also be a nice mix of titles in the Xbox live arcade for download come launch day including classics like Joust & Gauntlet (which if I've heard correctly, can be played on live against other people, that's pretty fucking sweet). So there will be something for just about everybody come launch day.
A few reviews are up already as well, and so far the killer app appears to be Project Gotham Racing 3, which I have seen in action and looks amazing, but it's still a car game and I'm not a car guy. Perfect Dark Zero has not been reviewed yet, so we'll have to see how that goes.
Two rather noteworthy rpgs hit this week for the PS2. Magna Carta: Tears of Blood & Dragon Quest VIII.
Magna Carta oddly enough has nothing to do with the famous document that is its namesake, it is more along the lines of games like Shadow Hearts, with a dark twist and an interesting timing system instead of your traditional rpg bouts. I said my piece awhile ago about the really poor demo of Dragon Quest VIII, and while I stand by my views of the demo, reviews across the board have been nothing short of stellar, so I am very tempted to pick it up.
Sonic's other archenemy, Shadow the Hedgehog, also gets his own game out this week. Again, I still have an issue with giving a character from Sonic's stable a gun as that not only doesn't really fit the traditional gameplay, but obviously disposes with the rather light-hearted feel of the series. it does sound interesting that they've added a whole pick your side element, but in reality the last good Sonic game was for the Sega CD, and I feel that won't change here.
One other thing before I go. Eddie Guerrero passed away this weekend. I admit my interest in the WWE has waned greatly the past few years, but I always made sure to watch any time Eddie Guerrero was on. He was a brilliant athlete, and although I can't claim to know him personally, seemed like one hell of a guy. He overcame being a minority, a cruiserwieght, a car crash and a long addiction to painkillers to get to his spot in the WWE the last few years. He will be sorely missed and my deepest condolences go out to his family, friends and the millions of fans like me who would give just about anything to see him lie, cheat and steal just one more time.
11/11/2005
Jumanji in space, what a brilliant idea!
Ok, Jumanji was by no means a brilliant film, but it was kind of a fun stupid big effects movie. But Zathura is exactly what it sounds like-wacky adventures playing a board game that takes place in space instead of a deadly jungle. It's gotten suprsingly solid reviews so far, but it really just looks annoying to me, especially with the two annoying kids in the lead.
But Zathura seems like a better bet than this week's other releases. Derailed-With Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston is just gonna be another one of those mysteries that just twists and turns til nothing makes any sense. Pride & Prejudice-another crappy Jane Austen inspired pile that is once again about upper class vs. lower class and how love gets over all that. And finally, 50 cent doing his best to follow in Eminem's footsteps with Get Rich or Die Trying. I'd actually be interested in seeing that if I could ever understand a fucking word the guy says, he just mumbles everything.
The only noteworthy game release i haven't already touched on this week is Suikoden Tactics. This reperesents a new direction for the series, but maybe not in a good way. It counts down the massive character list by half and while it does away with all the horrid things in the last entry, it also ditches the cool things from previous episodes in the series with it's focus on turn-based strategy. But then again I could use a solid SRPG so i might at least give this one a serious look.
All right, that's really all for today, but I'll try and update again sometime this weekend.
But Zathura seems like a better bet than this week's other releases. Derailed-With Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston is just gonna be another one of those mysteries that just twists and turns til nothing makes any sense. Pride & Prejudice-another crappy Jane Austen inspired pile that is once again about upper class vs. lower class and how love gets over all that. And finally, 50 cent doing his best to follow in Eminem's footsteps with Get Rich or Die Trying. I'd actually be interested in seeing that if I could ever understand a fucking word the guy says, he just mumbles everything.
The only noteworthy game release i haven't already touched on this week is Suikoden Tactics. This reperesents a new direction for the series, but maybe not in a good way. It counts down the massive character list by half and while it does away with all the horrid things in the last entry, it also ditches the cool things from previous episodes in the series with it's focus on turn-based strategy. But then again I could use a solid SRPG so i might at least give this one a serious look.
All right, that's really all for today, but I'll try and update again sometime this weekend.
11/09/2005
Annie get your GUN
Ok, so after thinking on it a little while, I've sort of decided that not talking about the games coming out every week doesn't really work either, so I'll compromise and talk about games that I give a rat's ass about, so this particular entry will also somewhat focus on catching up on releases the last couple of weeks.
But first, I'll talk about this past weekend's films. I saw both Jarhead & Chicken Little. Jarhead was a very solid film with really strong performances. Especially Peter Sarsgard in what should be an easy supporting actor nomination. It actually manages to be very different from most other wars films because it speaks of the boredom of war. It's all about the endless waiting and anticipation of action that never seems to come.
Chicken Little was suprisingly weak. Maybe there is some special spell that Pixar knows to crank out magical films one after the other, but nobody else can really seem to create films that are not only visually impressive, but have memorable and endearing characters as well as good stories. Chicken Little lacks all of that in spades. It's poor story seems like several bad ones cast together, his sidekicks are about as generic as they come, and the laughs are few and far between, which is saying a lot when it's only 77 minutes long. The opening box office was expectedly strong, but I hope it dies quickly so Disney at least learns that you shouldn't be able to get away with flashy crap like this and label it "entertainment".
This weekend's films don't look too promising either (I'll get into why on Thursday), but I can highly reccomend two recent video releases for you to check out instead-Millions, a brilliant family movie by Danny Boyle about two boys who discover a bag full of stolen money; and Refer Madness: The Musical-A brilliant sendup of the original cult classic with lots of funny song & dance numbers thrown in. Either of these films would be a good bet for this weekend.
Want to play a 360 game now? Not only do they have display kiosks at Walmart & Best Buy, but some 360 games have already hit the shelves-Kameo is already out. All I'm gonna say is that it would really suck to buy the game and not be able to get a 360 on launch day. The 360 controllers are out too, but they have a function-they are also PC compatible.
Alas, any lingering shred of doubt about selling my 360 dissapeared with the quiet delay of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion into the next year. I think this is a true blow to the 360 launch, as a lot of people I know were sold on that game alone. Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of stellar-looking titles for launch (Perfect Dark Zero is looking better by the day), but for me that was the killer app, and now I can most certainly wait.
Now, catching up on past releases: I am extremely tempted to buy City of Villains. It just sounds cool (especially with my credit for Oblivion just sitting at Gamestop) to have your own fort and legions of doom, not to mention battling City of Heroes players (although from what I've read the Heroes far outnumber the villains right now, which could lead to obvious problems in PvP. But I'm certainly not done with Warcraft and the last thing I need is another huge time suck like it. I'll probably hold off til I'm bored with WOW(which may happen relatively soon since i'm nearing the level cap and the expansion isn't out til July), but there are severa MMOs that look extremely interesting now (I've always wanted to get into Final Fantasy XI) and plenty on the way (Dungeons & Dragons is finally getting its own MMO early next year).
The latest James Bond title also came out recently from EA, and like most EA titles, it's big on presentation, and lacking in sunbstance. I'm not shocked but dissapointed that EA has chosen to mine old titles Goldeneye & From Russia With Love. The Bond titles sucked for years. The first good one in a long time was the original Everything or Nothing. It really seems like the last few years EA has been sitting on nothing but their past laurels. It may not be anytime real soon, but eventually that's going to really kick them in the ass. And I will be laughing when it does.
I also recently played Soul Calibur III & Spartan. Soul Calibur is an excellnt game series, and the third one doesn't really change that. The probably is that it barely changes anything. The new modes are repetive or pathetically boring, the new characters don't really add anything, and where the hell is online play? The underlying engine still rocks, but you can buy Soul Calibur II and get the same experience with better modes. In Spartan I was just lost. You are one soldier in a huge crowd and although you get really cool manuevers, just try pulling something fancy off when enemies are gangbanging you left and right. It's much more effective(though admittedly really dull) to just hack through everything). Plus, it has escort missions, which are the ultimate evil in gaming.
But the most recent releases this week and last week mostly focus on guns, lots of them. War freaks can get their war on with several different titles-Star Wars Battlefront 2, Call of Duty 2 and Battlefield 2. SW: Battlefront 2 seems like the best bet if for no other reason than you can not only fight in space but kick major ass a a Jedi. Plus, modern day or historic war games are a dime a dozen. Oddly enough, futuristic ones are few and far between.
GUN, Activision's attempt to do something other than Tony Hawk games also comes out this week. They are selling it as a GTA style game in the old west, but I've seen the gameplay and the reviews seem to concur that's it's not nearly as deep or offers as many hours as other "sandbox" titles.
Finally, a new Matrix game hits this week. And it finally lets you play as Neo. The problem is that will anyone care? The original Matrix game was pure crap. The Matrix online is a massive failure, and most fans felt burned by the rather lackluster sequels. Who knows, maybe this will finally redeem the franchise.
Ok, that's really all for today, but i'll be back tommorow for sure.
But first, I'll talk about this past weekend's films. I saw both Jarhead & Chicken Little. Jarhead was a very solid film with really strong performances. Especially Peter Sarsgard in what should be an easy supporting actor nomination. It actually manages to be very different from most other wars films because it speaks of the boredom of war. It's all about the endless waiting and anticipation of action that never seems to come.
Chicken Little was suprisingly weak. Maybe there is some special spell that Pixar knows to crank out magical films one after the other, but nobody else can really seem to create films that are not only visually impressive, but have memorable and endearing characters as well as good stories. Chicken Little lacks all of that in spades. It's poor story seems like several bad ones cast together, his sidekicks are about as generic as they come, and the laughs are few and far between, which is saying a lot when it's only 77 minutes long. The opening box office was expectedly strong, but I hope it dies quickly so Disney at least learns that you shouldn't be able to get away with flashy crap like this and label it "entertainment".
This weekend's films don't look too promising either (I'll get into why on Thursday), but I can highly reccomend two recent video releases for you to check out instead-Millions, a brilliant family movie by Danny Boyle about two boys who discover a bag full of stolen money; and Refer Madness: The Musical-A brilliant sendup of the original cult classic with lots of funny song & dance numbers thrown in. Either of these films would be a good bet for this weekend.
Want to play a 360 game now? Not only do they have display kiosks at Walmart & Best Buy, but some 360 games have already hit the shelves-Kameo is already out. All I'm gonna say is that it would really suck to buy the game and not be able to get a 360 on launch day. The 360 controllers are out too, but they have a function-they are also PC compatible.
Alas, any lingering shred of doubt about selling my 360 dissapeared with the quiet delay of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion into the next year. I think this is a true blow to the 360 launch, as a lot of people I know were sold on that game alone. Now, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of stellar-looking titles for launch (Perfect Dark Zero is looking better by the day), but for me that was the killer app, and now I can most certainly wait.
Now, catching up on past releases: I am extremely tempted to buy City of Villains. It just sounds cool (especially with my credit for Oblivion just sitting at Gamestop) to have your own fort and legions of doom, not to mention battling City of Heroes players (although from what I've read the Heroes far outnumber the villains right now, which could lead to obvious problems in PvP. But I'm certainly not done with Warcraft and the last thing I need is another huge time suck like it. I'll probably hold off til I'm bored with WOW(which may happen relatively soon since i'm nearing the level cap and the expansion isn't out til July), but there are severa MMOs that look extremely interesting now (I've always wanted to get into Final Fantasy XI) and plenty on the way (Dungeons & Dragons is finally getting its own MMO early next year).
The latest James Bond title also came out recently from EA, and like most EA titles, it's big on presentation, and lacking in sunbstance. I'm not shocked but dissapointed that EA has chosen to mine old titles Goldeneye & From Russia With Love. The Bond titles sucked for years. The first good one in a long time was the original Everything or Nothing. It really seems like the last few years EA has been sitting on nothing but their past laurels. It may not be anytime real soon, but eventually that's going to really kick them in the ass. And I will be laughing when it does.
I also recently played Soul Calibur III & Spartan. Soul Calibur is an excellnt game series, and the third one doesn't really change that. The probably is that it barely changes anything. The new modes are repetive or pathetically boring, the new characters don't really add anything, and where the hell is online play? The underlying engine still rocks, but you can buy Soul Calibur II and get the same experience with better modes. In Spartan I was just lost. You are one soldier in a huge crowd and although you get really cool manuevers, just try pulling something fancy off when enemies are gangbanging you left and right. It's much more effective(though admittedly really dull) to just hack through everything). Plus, it has escort missions, which are the ultimate evil in gaming.
But the most recent releases this week and last week mostly focus on guns, lots of them. War freaks can get their war on with several different titles-Star Wars Battlefront 2, Call of Duty 2 and Battlefield 2. SW: Battlefront 2 seems like the best bet if for no other reason than you can not only fight in space but kick major ass a a Jedi. Plus, modern day or historic war games are a dime a dozen. Oddly enough, futuristic ones are few and far between.
GUN, Activision's attempt to do something other than Tony Hawk games also comes out this week. They are selling it as a GTA style game in the old west, but I've seen the gameplay and the reviews seem to concur that's it's not nearly as deep or offers as many hours as other "sandbox" titles.
Finally, a new Matrix game hits this week. And it finally lets you play as Neo. The problem is that will anyone care? The original Matrix game was pure crap. The Matrix online is a massive failure, and most fans felt burned by the rather lackluster sequels. Who knows, maybe this will finally redeem the franchise.
Ok, that's really all for today, but i'll be back tommorow for sure.
11/04/2005
Did the Mouse lay an Egg?
Today's question won't really be answered til monday, but a whole lot is riding on Disney's Chicken Little, their forst computer animated film without the seemingly infallible Pixar touch behind it. I'm sure the kids will flock to it, but unless it's in near record numbers, Pixar will be laughing all the way to the bank as Disney will desperately try to lure them back. But I think the real question is, just what the hell has happened to Disney animation over the last decade or so? Their last truly venerable animated hit before Pixar came along was The Lion King. There has been an undervalued gem or two since then (Emperor's New Groove), but otherwise the House of Mouse has released many tepid offerings that appealed to neither kids or adults (Treasure Planet, several forgettable Winnie the Pooh films, etc.). The quality of the animation itself hasn't died down, but that's probably part of the problem-too wrapped up in how a movie looks than whether the characters & story is actually interesting. Maybe the recent shakeup at Disney is a long overdue sign of change-only time will tell.
This weekend's other big offering will tell whether people are tired of war stories-Jarhead features an acclaimed director (Sam Mendes) and a stellar cast (Jake Gyllenhal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard), but it may be an all to often visited view on war from a soldier's perspective, especially in a time when people are pretty tired of war.
That's really all for today, I'll definitely update again tommorow or sunday though.
This weekend's other big offering will tell whether people are tired of war stories-Jarhead features an acclaimed director (Sam Mendes) and a stellar cast (Jake Gyllenhal, Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard), but it may be an all to often visited view on war from a soldier's perspective, especially in a time when people are pretty tired of war.
That's really all for today, I'll definitely update again tommorow or sunday though.
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