Hey,
I know, I know, the bungie thing wasn't earth shattering, or even very important. But, there were several nuggets of info tucked in there, so I'm going to briefly point them out, and then sign out for Decemberween as I play all my new XBL games (PGR2, MechAssult1, MK: Deception, UC2: Liandri Conflict, Sonic Heroes, Sonic Mega Collection Plus, Mario Kart DS, Doom 3, and that's just the one I know)
The most obvious one was that by March, volume 2 of the H2 soundtrack will FINALLY be released. (i.e. Get your Limewire ready!!) But there was something else in there. Read this quote straight from the update.
"But ironically, the way we're prototyping aspects of this next game mean that even some gameplay tests, demos and experiments, are surprisingly polished and playable. We're all in the giddy position of being "forced" to play moments and elements from the next project."
I know it's not much, but their next game (Halo 3) is playable. Which means that at least their working hard on it sooner than they did for H2. Which means that maybe, just maybe, Halo 2 will be the BTTF3 of the Halo series, and H3 will reclaim the former glory of the original.
But don't count on it.
I'd like to wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, A Happy Kwanzaa, A Merry Ramadan, A Happy Boxing Day, A Happy Proclamation Day, and A Happy Decemberween.
Only 2 days until I rush to the games I've been waiting for since Black Friday!
-Pudge
Friday, December 23, 2005
Thursday, December 08, 2005
8 Days Remaining?? Cryptic Bungie Message
Hey
A quickie update today, just passing on some news. Most of you don't know this, but I happen to be an occasional online buddy of Ninja on Fire, the Bungie person that makes playlists for H2. I was the first one to suggest the idea for Team ActionSack, as well as the inventor of the Brutality gametype. I also had a hand in getting Rumble Needlers into Rumble Armory. I logged in today to MSN Messenger and his personal message was "8 Days Remaining". I wondered what that meant, and we had the following conversation.
Pudge says:
Hey
Pudge says:
Know your busy
Pudge says:
but what does 8 days remaining mean??
Pudge says:
If you can, hints would be cool
Pudge says:
If you can't, that's ok too
Ninja 0n Fire says:
It's 8 days until December 16th.
Pudge says:
oh
Pudge says:
...
Ninja 0n Fire says:
It's a Friday, my favorite day.
Pudge says:
that's good
Obviously, something big is happening on the 16th, and he can't tell anyone about it. Maybe Bungie's new project revealed? Maybe something else? Who knows. But now I'm psyched.
Halo 3 here we come!
-Pudge
A quickie update today, just passing on some news. Most of you don't know this, but I happen to be an occasional online buddy of Ninja on Fire, the Bungie person that makes playlists for H2. I was the first one to suggest the idea for Team ActionSack, as well as the inventor of the Brutality gametype. I also had a hand in getting Rumble Needlers into Rumble Armory. I logged in today to MSN Messenger and his personal message was "8 Days Remaining". I wondered what that meant, and we had the following conversation.
Pudge says:
Hey
Pudge says:
Know your busy
Pudge says:
but what does 8 days remaining mean??
Pudge says:
If you can, hints would be cool
Pudge says:
If you can't, that's ok too
Ninja 0n Fire says:
It's 8 days until December 16th.
Pudge says:
oh
Pudge says:
...
Ninja 0n Fire says:
It's a Friday, my favorite day.
Pudge says:
that's good
Obviously, something big is happening on the 16th, and he can't tell anyone about it. Maybe Bungie's new project revealed? Maybe something else? Who knows. But now I'm psyched.
Halo 3 here we come!
-Pudge
Saturday, December 03, 2005
The Needler Song
Just a quick little thing I just found on the web.
The Needler Song
I was laughing so hard when I found this, cause the needler is my fave weapon on H2, and that's how my friends treat me.
So from one Needler fan to the void of empty web space, Enjoy!
Pudge
The Needler Song
I was laughing so hard when I found this, cause the needler is my fave weapon on H2, and that's how my friends treat me.
So from one Needler fan to the void of empty web space, Enjoy!
Pudge
Second Verse, Same as the First, or the Xbox 360 Launch Bullshit
Hey,
I don't have an Xbox 360. Surprised? Don't be. Microsoft decided to take it's dedicated Xbox fanbase on a ride and only trickle a small amount of 360s into the states (440,000 to be exact). That might look like a big number, but considering that the average store got 10 consoles to sell to the mobs of people camping outside, it was a disaster. It's not like this hasn't happened before. The launches of the Dreamcast, and N64 were also short on consoles, and you couldn't get a PS2 until a year after it's release. But this time it's Microsoft, so it's not just a miscalculation, it's a deliberate marketing ploy. What follows is 2 weeks worth of frustration and venting about Microsoft's lame ass tactics
First, about the launch in my small town there were about 50 altogether and a lot of people didn't even get their pre-orders. I was planning on our Wal-Mart along getting 50, therefore satisfying the demand there, and then I could pick up one early morning on the 22nd. Sadly, our Wal-Mart got 15, and everyone rushed to Target, which got about 30. I didn't have a chance, and I was mad for a few days. Then I heard some of the stories and I was cheered up.
I heard from my lucky friend who was 13th on line at Wal-Mart (she got there at 3PM on the 21st) that the first person in line was a Granny. She walked in at 8AM, set up her beach chair, cracked open a novel and her knitting and sat there over 12 hours. That's dedication for ya.
I've also been hearing about several errors in the 360s. Which was bound to happen, cause again, we're dealing with Microsoft, who couldn't get a OS working glitch-free the first time if they were programming an Atari 2600. I've heard people who can't get their Live accounts transferred, people who's games are being scratched by the console, overheating issues (which dates back to the original Boxx), and all sorts of other stuff.
Look, I think that Microsoft shot themselves in the foot for doing this. They are already losing $125 a console, so why wouldn't they wanna make as much money as possible? Also, think of all the games that will go unsold, and the parents who will just get something else for Christmas instead. Plus, they knew that the 360 was gonna sell out on launch day anyway, so the ploy was unneeded. It just doesn't make any sense to me.
Anyway, enough ranting. I'll get mine in January or late this month the earliest, and I'm getting several new games for Christmas to hold me over (Mario Kart DS, Doom 3, MK: Deception). And from what I've seen it will be worth the wait.
-Here's to all those dedicated grannies!
Pudge
I don't have an Xbox 360. Surprised? Don't be. Microsoft decided to take it's dedicated Xbox fanbase on a ride and only trickle a small amount of 360s into the states (440,000 to be exact). That might look like a big number, but considering that the average store got 10 consoles to sell to the mobs of people camping outside, it was a disaster. It's not like this hasn't happened before. The launches of the Dreamcast, and N64 were also short on consoles, and you couldn't get a PS2 until a year after it's release. But this time it's Microsoft, so it's not just a miscalculation, it's a deliberate marketing ploy. What follows is 2 weeks worth of frustration and venting about Microsoft's lame ass tactics
First, about the launch in my small town there were about 50 altogether and a lot of people didn't even get their pre-orders. I was planning on our Wal-Mart along getting 50, therefore satisfying the demand there, and then I could pick up one early morning on the 22nd. Sadly, our Wal-Mart got 15, and everyone rushed to Target, which got about 30. I didn't have a chance, and I was mad for a few days. Then I heard some of the stories and I was cheered up.
I heard from my lucky friend who was 13th on line at Wal-Mart (she got there at 3PM on the 21st) that the first person in line was a Granny. She walked in at 8AM, set up her beach chair, cracked open a novel and her knitting and sat there over 12 hours. That's dedication for ya.
I've also been hearing about several errors in the 360s. Which was bound to happen, cause again, we're dealing with Microsoft, who couldn't get a OS working glitch-free the first time if they were programming an Atari 2600. I've heard people who can't get their Live accounts transferred, people who's games are being scratched by the console, overheating issues (which dates back to the original Boxx), and all sorts of other stuff.
Look, I think that Microsoft shot themselves in the foot for doing this. They are already losing $125 a console, so why wouldn't they wanna make as much money as possible? Also, think of all the games that will go unsold, and the parents who will just get something else for Christmas instead. Plus, they knew that the 360 was gonna sell out on launch day anyway, so the ploy was unneeded. It just doesn't make any sense to me.
Anyway, enough ranting. I'll get mine in January or late this month the earliest, and I'm getting several new games for Christmas to hold me over (Mario Kart DS, Doom 3, MK: Deception). And from what I've seen it will be worth the wait.
-Here's to all those dedicated grannies!
Pudge
Friday, September 16, 2005
And you thought the Boomerang was bad, or Nintendo's Revolution Revealed
HeyNintendo has done it again. They've screwed themselves. Royally. What you are looking at is the new controller for the Nintendo Revolution. The "Revolution" is a TV remote. A friggin' TV REMOTE. Ok, to be fair, it's a very special TV remote. One that can be used as a kind of mouse. It can move up and down, left and right, and back and forth. But still, it's a TV Remote.
Now, all sorts of questions come to mind. One of the first for me is how the hell will this play Mario Kart 64 and Legend of Zelda, since one of the best features for the Revolution was supposed to be backwards compatibility? Answer? Meet the Wavebird 2.0.
Now, this is only a mockup of what will be most likely the most used accessory for the wand (as I like to call it) This is a controller shell for the wand that will let you play Gamecube, N64, SNES, and even Revolution games in a more standard way. Notice I didn't mention NES, because the remote can just be turned sideways and work just like an NES controller.
After you get over that, your next question is, how will this affect Nintendo's new games for the next-gen. How will Mario 128 and SSBM Online work when there are only 4 buttons on the controller (A, X, Y [a and b in the mock up] and a hidden B button just like Z on the N64 controller) and a D-Pad. Especially when you can only press X and Y by holding the controller a certain way. Well, this is where it gets a little scary. SSBM is particular has been known for it's precise controls, but with all aiming controlled by waving a wand in the air, you can kiss your dreams of the perfect Smash Bros. game online goodbye.
There are good things for this controller though. If nothing else, I can finally play Metroid Prime instead of struggling with the archaic structure of the Gamecube version. Speaking of FPS games-
This device is the Revolution Joystick add-on. It has two trigger buttons and will make FPS a good play on Nintendo's console. But, Nintendo doesn't make FPS games. They've made two in their entire existence. Either Geist is getting a sequel, or Metroid is the only game that will benefit from this cool design. The Joystick is going to be bundled with the system and will probably work with every game that doesn't have another accessory instead.
Which brings me to the next good thing about it, we will see some unique add-ons for this controller. The big N has already said that DK Bongos and a new Zapper light-gun is in the works, with more to come. We will probably see a microphone, steering wheel, or maybe even a revival of the Power Glove! Seriously though, that is the one thing that gets me excited about the wand.
Now that I've thought about it, I don't really think it's a bad idea. Just not as a main controller. Why couldn't it be an accessory to a more standard controller. I know it will work great with FPS games, RTS games, some sports games like baseball. But what about a new Mario game? I can say right now that it will definitely be awkward controlling the Italian plumber with just a wand and a joystick.
I'm afraid that Nintendo will go too far and design games for the wand, and not games that use the wand. Let me explain. I'm sure you've played WarioWare: Touched for DS? That game is designed just for the touch screen, every mini-game uses the stylus. When I first played it, I was kinda disappointed that they didn't have at least one category of games that were controlled like the GBA original. Now, think of a game like Four Swords Adventures. It used the GBA as a feature of a larger experience, instead of running with the gimmick. And that's what I don't want to happen, for this new controller to become a gimmick. If it does, then I don't think that Nintendo will last past the current generation.
May I be proven wrong and have to eat my words
-Pudge
Friday, September 02, 2005
Saturday Morning Cartoons and why they're going to die
Hey,
I know that most people don't care about stuff like this, but I've always been a huge fan of Saturday Morning Cartoons. After a week of school, kids wake up early and are bored. Before they get older and can leave the house, they need something like Saturday Morning TV to entertain them. It works like primetime TV. Instead of "Did you see what happened on the OC last night?" the third graders say stuff like "Did you see who Yugi defeated on Saturday?" Sadly, due to several factors spiraling out of control at the same time, Saturday Morning may be no more, and sooner than you think.
1.The FCC's ridiculous regulations on both content that must be edited, and so called E/I show requirements. On Saturday Morning cartoons, no one can die, no one can be seriously injured, no one can say crap or heck, every kind of firearm must have the sound effect of a laser gun.
2.Anime. Sadly, instead of coming up with original ideas, Saturday is taking the best Anime aimed at teenage boys (Shaman King, One Piece, Pokemon, etc...) and hacking it up in a dub that is rarely even close to the original and tries to aim it at everybody from 5 year old girls to 14 year old boys. You have already heard my gripes with 4Kids, the company that makes most of these dubs. You can find one of these dubs in every half hour of Saturday morning, and FOX's morning (4KidsTV) is 95% of it (the only exception being TMNT)
3.24-Hr. Networks. Kids can be entertained every minute of the day by Nick, CN, or Disney, so it's that much harder for Sat. Morning to compete. Instead of stepping up to the challenge and making their shows truly special, they badly mimic the popular cable cartoons and sometimes even run reruns of them (Teen Titans, PPG)
4.Mergers. with mergers happening left and right, the owners of networks like CBS, NBC and ABC came into possession of kid centric cable outlets. So, for their Sat. Morning programming, they just show lite versions of the cable network's shows. (if you were wondering-CBS=Nick, NBC=Discovery Kids, ABC=Disney)
You might be thinking, who cares? The kids can watch everything now. They get their own channels. That's enough. NO, it's not enough. Saturday morning brought many wonderful cartoons to the world. How good would the Spider-Man movie have been without Spider-Man, the Series on Fox? Where else could small franchises like Sam & Max or The Tick or Ghostbusters have gone with a cartoon show? Would there be a Game Boy without the success of Pokemon (which was a GOOD dub for the first season) on Kids WB? The answers are that it would be a very different place if Sat AM cartoons weren't there, and, god damn it, I wanna see the next TMNT or Pokemon explode on Saturday morning. Not get decent ratings on CN.
-May you always enjoy the weekend as I do
Pudge
I know that most people don't care about stuff like this, but I've always been a huge fan of Saturday Morning Cartoons. After a week of school, kids wake up early and are bored. Before they get older and can leave the house, they need something like Saturday Morning TV to entertain them. It works like primetime TV. Instead of "Did you see what happened on the OC last night?" the third graders say stuff like "Did you see who Yugi defeated on Saturday?" Sadly, due to several factors spiraling out of control at the same time, Saturday Morning may be no more, and sooner than you think.
1.The FCC's ridiculous regulations on both content that must be edited, and so called E/I show requirements. On Saturday Morning cartoons, no one can die, no one can be seriously injured, no one can say crap or heck, every kind of firearm must have the sound effect of a laser gun.
2.Anime. Sadly, instead of coming up with original ideas, Saturday is taking the best Anime aimed at teenage boys (Shaman King, One Piece, Pokemon, etc...) and hacking it up in a dub that is rarely even close to the original and tries to aim it at everybody from 5 year old girls to 14 year old boys. You have already heard my gripes with 4Kids, the company that makes most of these dubs. You can find one of these dubs in every half hour of Saturday morning, and FOX's morning (4KidsTV) is 95% of it (the only exception being TMNT)
3.24-Hr. Networks. Kids can be entertained every minute of the day by Nick, CN, or Disney, so it's that much harder for Sat. Morning to compete. Instead of stepping up to the challenge and making their shows truly special, they badly mimic the popular cable cartoons and sometimes even run reruns of them (Teen Titans, PPG)
4.Mergers. with mergers happening left and right, the owners of networks like CBS, NBC and ABC came into possession of kid centric cable outlets. So, for their Sat. Morning programming, they just show lite versions of the cable network's shows. (if you were wondering-CBS=Nick, NBC=Discovery Kids, ABC=Disney)
You might be thinking, who cares? The kids can watch everything now. They get their own channels. That's enough. NO, it's not enough. Saturday morning brought many wonderful cartoons to the world. How good would the Spider-Man movie have been without Spider-Man, the Series on Fox? Where else could small franchises like Sam & Max or The Tick or Ghostbusters have gone with a cartoon show? Would there be a Game Boy without the success of Pokemon (which was a GOOD dub for the first season) on Kids WB? The answers are that it would be a very different place if Sat AM cartoons weren't there, and, god damn it, I wanna see the next TMNT or Pokemon explode on Saturday morning. Not get decent ratings on CN.
-May you always enjoy the weekend as I do
Pudge
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Mega 64, or I just found another reason G4 sucks
Hey,
Sorry about not posting, school started and I had to do a lot of work and organize clubs that I run and other crap. I'll try to get on during the weekends. Look for the second half of the Vacation post whenever I get a 3-4 day weekend. Or when I get sick. Or whatever.
Anyway, I'll start out with a link. Watch this...
http://videos.somethingawful.com/mega64/theme.mpg
Watched it yet? If it's choppy, just let it run once and then run it again. Anyway, this is the theme song for a ill-fate cable show concept entitled Mega 64. The show was to have taken old and new video games and put them in real life. Don't know what I'm talking about? Then go here...
www.mega64.com
Here you will find skits about games like Tetris, Shenmue, and Metal Gear Solid. Go ahead and watch them. I know you want to. Come back when your done.
Ready? OK. Now one more link for you. It's on the site so you might have seen it. Go here
http://www.mega64.com/g4demo.htm
Watch that video and read the article. Amazed? G4 could of had this as a TV show. I could only imagine. But, because G4 is run by brainless suits, we get this instead...
http://www.g4tv.com/fastlane/index.html
Remember Fastlane? No?
Of course you don't. Fastlane was a failed Fox show from 2003, introduced in the same season as Method and Redd as a way to "get with" the hip-hop crowd. Never worked.
So I pose the question... Why would a failed show made by Fox to appeal to teens work now? What are they thinking. Their logic couldn't be worse. It's like putting 1+1 into a calculator and expecting 4 to come out. And when it doesn't come out that way, they ignore the calculator and think 1+1=4 anyway. I mean, if I was put in charge of G4 and wanted to bankrupt them, I would do the same thing that they are doing right now. I just don't get it.
We also get a new late night block showcasing Sex, Dumbasses, and Anime, the Barbed Wire Biscuit.
http://www.g4tv.com/barbedwirebiscuit
OK, WTF is a Barbed Wire Biscuit? And what the hell does it have to do with a Jackass Ripoff, Anime Unleashed, an Internet cartoon, and a Sexed-up version of Cinnimatech?
You know what's sad? If it was still TechTV, I would of watched the Happy Tree Friends show and the Anime show. But, just like you don't go to a terrible movie for a 20 sec cameo, you don't watch an evil channel for an hour. Sorry G4, but you don't get my ratings! And I don't care if I turned around one day and you were the perfect Video Game Channel. Because you turned Mega 64 down, and denied video game fans everywhere of that greatness, I will never, ever, watch G4 of my own will again.
-May all Tetris blocks find their home someday
Pudge
Sorry about not posting, school started and I had to do a lot of work and organize clubs that I run and other crap. I'll try to get on during the weekends. Look for the second half of the Vacation post whenever I get a 3-4 day weekend. Or when I get sick. Or whatever.
Anyway, I'll start out with a link. Watch this...
http://videos.somethingawful.com/mega64/theme.mpg
Watched it yet? If it's choppy, just let it run once and then run it again. Anyway, this is the theme song for a ill-fate cable show concept entitled Mega 64. The show was to have taken old and new video games and put them in real life. Don't know what I'm talking about? Then go here...
www.mega64.com
Here you will find skits about games like Tetris, Shenmue, and Metal Gear Solid. Go ahead and watch them. I know you want to. Come back when your done.
Ready? OK. Now one more link for you. It's on the site so you might have seen it. Go here
http://www.mega64.com/g4demo.htm
Watch that video and read the article. Amazed? G4 could of had this as a TV show. I could only imagine. But, because G4 is run by brainless suits, we get this instead...
http://www.g4tv.com/fastlane/index.html
Remember Fastlane? No?
Of course you don't. Fastlane was a failed Fox show from 2003, introduced in the same season as Method and Redd as a way to "get with" the hip-hop crowd. Never worked.
So I pose the question... Why would a failed show made by Fox to appeal to teens work now? What are they thinking. Their logic couldn't be worse. It's like putting 1+1 into a calculator and expecting 4 to come out. And when it doesn't come out that way, they ignore the calculator and think 1+1=4 anyway. I mean, if I was put in charge of G4 and wanted to bankrupt them, I would do the same thing that they are doing right now. I just don't get it.
We also get a new late night block showcasing Sex, Dumbasses, and Anime, the Barbed Wire Biscuit.
http://www.g4tv.com/barbedwirebiscuit
OK, WTF is a Barbed Wire Biscuit? And what the hell does it have to do with a Jackass Ripoff, Anime Unleashed, an Internet cartoon, and a Sexed-up version of Cinnimatech?
You know what's sad? If it was still TechTV, I would of watched the Happy Tree Friends show and the Anime show. But, just like you don't go to a terrible movie for a 20 sec cameo, you don't watch an evil channel for an hour. Sorry G4, but you don't get my ratings! And I don't care if I turned around one day and you were the perfect Video Game Channel. Because you turned Mega 64 down, and denied video game fans everywhere of that greatness, I will never, ever, watch G4 of my own will again.
-May all Tetris blocks find their home someday
Pudge
Monday, August 01, 2005
Now Entering Intercourse, or Pudge's Vacation Killtacular Tour Completed
Hey,
I'm finally back from Vacation, and now that I gained a few levels on H2 (21 in Slayer and yes I know I suck), watched all the good new stuff on my TiVo (the season finale of Robot Chicken was a stinker), and shipped off my mom to the hospital (some kinda stomach thing, I'm not worried she's always sick like this), I have time to right about my Vacation. HERE WE GO!
Our first stop was Nashville, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Although that might have to do with the fact that we didn't actually see any Nashville sights. I'm not sad though. There was a HUGE mall connected to our hotel and we were there 75% of the time. The day we weren't there, we were at a zoo. Zoo was okay, but the mall was awesome. I saw Batman Begins as promised, only better. I saw it on IMAX. AWESOME EXPERIENCE. I was so amazing that my mom got nightmares from the Scarecrow. She woke up in the middle of the night and screamed SCARECROW into my dad's face. Anyway, the Imax Experience is beyond words, you just have to see it to believe it. Otherwise here are some other less notable things.
I'm finally back from Vacation, and now that I gained a few levels on H2 (21 in Slayer and yes I know I suck), watched all the good new stuff on my TiVo (the season finale of Robot Chicken was a stinker), and shipped off my mom to the hospital (some kinda stomach thing, I'm not worried she's always sick like this), I have time to right about my Vacation. HERE WE GO!
Our first stop was Nashville, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Although that might have to do with the fact that we didn't actually see any Nashville sights. I'm not sad though. There was a HUGE mall connected to our hotel and we were there 75% of the time. The day we weren't there, we were at a zoo. Zoo was okay, but the mall was awesome. I saw Batman Begins as promised, only better. I saw it on IMAX. AWESOME EXPERIENCE. I was so amazing that my mom got nightmares from the Scarecrow. She woke up in the middle of the night and screamed SCARECROW into my dad's face. Anyway, the Imax Experience is beyond words, you just have to see it to believe it. Otherwise here are some other less notable things.
- Paying way too much for a Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich at the BK at the mall. It was like three dollars more and I STILL had to take it back because it wasn't plain. (I almost always eat chicken sandwiches plain. Unless of course there is Spicy Buffalo sauce. One of my many quirks)
- I scored both Twisted Metal 3 (PS1) and the Clone Wars/Tetris Worlds disc that came with Xboxs a long time ago for less than $10!
- I also got an Xbox Memory Unit for $25 bucks. Total Ripoff. I can't even save all my H2 Custom Gametypes on it. (I have a lot)
- Finally, you remember that my dad was on a business conference which is why we were in Nashville. He promised that we could go to the Rainforest Cafe on the last day at Nashville. We didn't get to go because he told all his teacher friends that he was going to go to a concert that was the same night. His principal tells him that she will be going to the Cafe that night. Long story short, we didn't go and he got Rainforest Cafe pamphlets in the steering wheel the rest of the trip.
We then made a quick stop in Asheville, Bill was still annoying (ex. When he was driving us to a restaurant, he stopped at a grocery store just to point out that this is where my Aunt Paula does all her shopping). Nothing really interesting beyond that.
Our second stop on the Killtacular Tour is Philadelphia. We stayed in a really fancy Hilton Hotel with free Wi-Fi for my laptop. We had a whole lot of fun there, took a couple of walking tours (including a nice night tour where they project images on buildings and re-enact key events of the [American, Not Nintendo] Revolution. Awesome High-Tech Nerd stuff) I also tried a Philly CheeseSteak (tastes really good with mozzarella and Maranara) Highlights include-
- Watching a concert by the Philly Pops and seeing independence Hall lit up for the first time in, like 5 years. You had to be there, but we were all singing and dancing on the lawn by the time it was done.
- Doing all the requisite Tourist stuff like seeing the Liberty Bell. I was very impressed at just how state of the art all the museum stuff was. I heard later that it was installed only a year ago but still, it was very cool.
- Speaking of state of the art, if you're ever in Phillie, check out the National Constitution Center. I guess it was installed with all the other exhibits a year ago but it was awesome. Not the kind of museum that anyone would get bored at. It had interactive exhibits all about the Constitution and at the end you could sign the Constitution digitally surrounded by life-size statues off all the original signers.
- Meeting Ben Franklin. Really. Someone that lives in Phillie is so good at being a Franklin look alike, that it's his job. He provided the voice of Ben on the night tour mentioned earlier and I even shook his hand as he strolled down the street dressed in the part and carrying a plush Bald Eagle. (Guess he changed his mind about the Turkey thing)
I should also note that Live 8 was in town the day I got there. Lot of crowds for that, so we didn't really see downtown. Linkin Park was across a bridge, and I couldn't go. That was a little bit of a bummer.
Edit just for the Dark Elf-It's been way too long, so I'm gonna post from memory the other things I wanted to say in this post.
We went to Hershey PA, or Chocolate Town USA as they call it around the nation. We did all the usual touristy stuff (toured the factory, made a tin of kisses that we didn't buy cause it was a rip-off). But the best part was going to Hershey Park. I really didn't want to go to Hershey Park as it seemed like a Six-Flags kinda place, and I don't really like roller coasters. Well, it sorta is that and for most of the day I was bored. But then I got to the back of the park, which is dedicated to Water rides. They are some the best water rides in the country. I spent 3 hours in that section getting soaking wet, and I had a better time than I had ever had at a water dedicated park. The highlight was the Roller-Soaker, a small roller coaster with people squirting water at you from the ground out of giant cannons. To retaliate, you have a huge bucket of water attached to your car that you can dump at any time. A lot of people used theirs for the helpless people waiting on line, so this is a water ride experience the whole time through. If you ever get a chance, definitely check this place out.
We also went to Amish Country and did more tourist stuff like tour an old Amish town and a house. But there was even something good in Amish Country. A place called Intercourse PA. Yep, a town named after sexual relations. It was an Amish town through and through, but all the signs were funny. I have pictures at http://www.gamezionfl.com/gamezionflforum/viewtopic.php?t=193 for anyone interested. As a side note I got some awesome cheap comics at that pretzel factory, which is probably why it's my favorite.
The final stop on my tour is the requisite Orlando visit, and this year we went to MGM Studios and Disney Quest. We were gonna go to Blizzard Beach, but it was raining again. It's almost like a joke in our family, cause we've had rain check tickets that don't expire for this place since I was 6. My parents keep saying that they will be a family heirloom, but I expect we'll use them eventually. MGM was the usual stuff, but Disney Quest had been much improved since last I encountered it. Last time I went, there were a lot of VR rides, but it was over quick and you got bored easily. Disney realized it, tore out the worst ride, and filled the space with 100 arcade machines on Free Play. Not crappy ones either. Marvel vs Capcom 2, Tekken 5, Soul Calibur 2, Crazy Taxi, a wall of Pinball Machines, a room full of retro games like Galaga and Tron, the list goes on. I'm a big theme park buff, and now that I know what kinda place Disney Quest is, I'll go there every chance I get, and I recommend it to any gamers looking to relive the arcade experience.
That's it for the Killtacular Tour, and I hoped you like it Darwin.
-May I write about next year's summer before December 06
Pudge
Friday, July 29, 2005
You Gay Hoe, or why one of the worst Anime dubs ever is going to show up on Toonami
Hey,
If you didn't know, I'm a huge fan of Toonami, Cartoon Network's Premiere Action Animation block. Even if you've never watched it, you've seen it's effects. This block brought us Dragon Ball Z(the non-otaku's anime, being produced into a movie by Fox), All Gundam Shows (even thought they don't get along with Bandai [Gundam's parent company] anymore), and The DC Animated Universe (They showed B:TAS and S:TAS, and premiered Teen Titans, Justice League/Unlimited and Batman Beyond). It spawned Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's alternate channel that airs every thing from Family Guy to Neon Genesis Evangelion (Just announced, I can't wait to finally see that show), all because the guys at Ghost Planet Industries (now Williams Street) did so well making Toonami. Without Toonami, anime wouldn't be the revolution it is today.
Well, lately Toonami has been going through and identity crisis. Until about a year ago, Toonami aired every weekday from 4-6. Well, the head honchos down at CN (abbreviation for Cartoon Network I can now use in all my articles. You've been warned) decided that Toonami was drawing too old a crowd to be on weekday afternoons. They had been testing waters with a Saturday Action Block (called the SVES, Saturday Video Entertainment System, always liked that name) and it got enough ratings to warrant moving Toonami to Sat. Nights. That way Toonami's ratings could be more focused on Teens than the 11 year olds they were catering to in the weekday timeslot. So April 17 2004, on one of the best nights of TV I ever watched, Saturday Toonami premiered with this schedule...
7.0 PM - Duel Masters (a parody of Yugioh)
7.5 PM - Toonami In-Flight Movie - "Bionicle: Mask of Light (soon replaced by Jackie Chan Adventures, Rave Master, and Astro Boy)
9.0 PM - Jackie Chan Adventures (soon replaced by Megas XLR, awesome Mecha show)
9.5 PM - Yu Yu Hakusho (one of my favorite animes)
10.0 PM - Dragonball GT (Okay sequel to Dragonball Z, really hit or miss)
10.5 PM - Gundam SEED (Best Gundam since Gundam Wing)
That's a pretty good schedule once it stopped playing movies. All the shows are new and there is something for everyone. Toonami's schedule has always been ever changing and good shows like Rave Master and Rurouni Kenshin came and went. Sadly, good shows were also cancelled (Megas), shoved into 1:30 AM slots (Gundam SEED), got serious (Duel Masters, just finished it's second season. They added a plotline to the show and now it feels like your watching Yu-Gi-Oh! lite) or delayed indefinitely (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Now, thanks to Kids WB and 4Kids(the two factions that own Sat. morning. One is owned by CN's parent company Time Warner and the other has made the most popular Sat. morning shows in history [Pokemon and Yugioh] and is the only reason Kids WB still exists. That's the reason CN doesn't have a sick Sat. morning schedule) wanting to put every show that is even a little popular on CN, we get this schedule tomorrow's Toonami.
7-Transformers Cybertron(haven't seen it yet, doesn't bode well considering the last two Transformers shows [Armada and Energon] were half done pieces of crap)
7.5-Yu-Gi-Oh! (obvious)
8-Teen Titans (Good Show, but reruns 5 times every day and Currently airs on Kids WB. That's overkill)
8.5-The Batman (Terrible, slang ridden attempt to modernize the Batman of '94. Currently airs on Kids WB)
9-Justice League Unlimited (Good Show in reruns)
9.5-Zatch Bell (Anime ripoff of Shaman King, The dub makes an already bad show worse by aiming it at 11 year olds)
10-One Piece(One of the worst dubs in recent memory, right up there with Kights of the Zodiac and CardCaptors. Currently airs on 4KidsTV)
10.5-One Piece(This episode in particular combines 6 episodes of the Japanese version, That's a movie and two shows mashed into 30 min.)
The worst thing is that Yugioh will get ratings on the block, just because it's Yugioh and the kids will watch. Saturday Toonami was supposed to be for High School kids. What self respecting Freshman would watch Yugioh? The 10 PM hour was supposed to be for un-edited anime and TV-PG shows, not stuff that they srhow on 4KidsTV every Saturday morning. It's just disgraceful. There has never, in the histoy of my watching of Toonami been a point in time where there is nothing I will watch on the block. Until now, that is. You just can't let a company that is named 4Kids program a block that is trying to be everything but for kids, and the CN execs just don't get that. Toonami has reached a new low, and it can only get better from here.
-May you never feel the way I will feel tomorrow.
Pudge
If you didn't know, I'm a huge fan of Toonami, Cartoon Network's Premiere Action Animation block. Even if you've never watched it, you've seen it's effects. This block brought us Dragon Ball Z(the non-otaku's anime, being produced into a movie by Fox), All Gundam Shows (even thought they don't get along with Bandai [Gundam's parent company] anymore), and The DC Animated Universe (They showed B:TAS and S:TAS, and premiered Teen Titans, Justice League/Unlimited and Batman Beyond). It spawned Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's alternate channel that airs every thing from Family Guy to Neon Genesis Evangelion (Just announced, I can't wait to finally see that show), all because the guys at Ghost Planet Industries (now Williams Street) did so well making Toonami. Without Toonami, anime wouldn't be the revolution it is today.
Well, lately Toonami has been going through and identity crisis. Until about a year ago, Toonami aired every weekday from 4-6. Well, the head honchos down at CN (abbreviation for Cartoon Network I can now use in all my articles. You've been warned) decided that Toonami was drawing too old a crowd to be on weekday afternoons. They had been testing waters with a Saturday Action Block (called the SVES, Saturday Video Entertainment System, always liked that name) and it got enough ratings to warrant moving Toonami to Sat. Nights. That way Toonami's ratings could be more focused on Teens than the 11 year olds they were catering to in the weekday timeslot. So April 17 2004, on one of the best nights of TV I ever watched, Saturday Toonami premiered with this schedule...
7.0 PM - Duel Masters (a parody of Yugioh)
7.5 PM - Toonami In-Flight Movie - "Bionicle: Mask of Light (soon replaced by Jackie Chan Adventures, Rave Master, and Astro Boy)
9.0 PM - Jackie Chan Adventures (soon replaced by Megas XLR, awesome Mecha show)
9.5 PM - Yu Yu Hakusho (one of my favorite animes)
10.0 PM - Dragonball GT (Okay sequel to Dragonball Z, really hit or miss)
10.5 PM - Gundam SEED (Best Gundam since Gundam Wing)
That's a pretty good schedule once it stopped playing movies. All the shows are new and there is something for everyone. Toonami's schedule has always been ever changing and good shows like Rave Master and Rurouni Kenshin came and went. Sadly, good shows were also cancelled (Megas), shoved into 1:30 AM slots (Gundam SEED), got serious (Duel Masters, just finished it's second season. They added a plotline to the show and now it feels like your watching Yu-Gi-Oh! lite) or delayed indefinitely (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Now, thanks to Kids WB and 4Kids(the two factions that own Sat. morning. One is owned by CN's parent company Time Warner and the other has made the most popular Sat. morning shows in history [Pokemon and Yugioh] and is the only reason Kids WB still exists. That's the reason CN doesn't have a sick Sat. morning schedule) wanting to put every show that is even a little popular on CN, we get this schedule tomorrow's Toonami.
7-Transformers Cybertron(haven't seen it yet, doesn't bode well considering the last two Transformers shows [Armada and Energon] were half done pieces of crap)
7.5-Yu-Gi-Oh! (obvious)
8-Teen Titans (Good Show, but reruns 5 times every day and Currently airs on Kids WB. That's overkill)
8.5-The Batman (Terrible, slang ridden attempt to modernize the Batman of '94. Currently airs on Kids WB)
9-Justice League Unlimited (Good Show in reruns)
9.5-Zatch Bell (Anime ripoff of Shaman King, The dub makes an already bad show worse by aiming it at 11 year olds)
10-One Piece(One of the worst dubs in recent memory, right up there with Kights of the Zodiac and CardCaptors. Currently airs on 4KidsTV)
10.5-One Piece(This episode in particular combines 6 episodes of the Japanese version, That's a movie and two shows mashed into 30 min.)
The worst thing is that Yugioh will get ratings on the block, just because it's Yugioh and the kids will watch. Saturday Toonami was supposed to be for High School kids. What self respecting Freshman would watch Yugioh? The 10 PM hour was supposed to be for un-edited anime and TV-PG shows, not stuff that they srhow on 4KidsTV every Saturday morning. It's just disgraceful. There has never, in the histoy of my watching of Toonami been a point in time where there is nothing I will watch on the block. Until now, that is. You just can't let a company that is named 4Kids program a block that is trying to be everything but for kids, and the CN execs just don't get that. Toonami has reached a new low, and it can only get better from here.
-May you never feel the way I will feel tomorrow.
Pudge
Thursday, July 28, 2005
There's Something about Halo
Short little nod to a webtoon I found about a month back. Any self-respecting Halo fan should check it out. Click on the title to view it. After your done with that, watch this as well.
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/202286
Awesome stuff.
Oh, and come back tomorrow or the next day. Then I will post my response for Cartoon Network's decision to put YUGI-FRIGGIN-OH on Toonami. I'm pissed as hell!
Till Later
Pudge
Edit-Just to avoid confusion, watch this before you watch the above link. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/202039
http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/202286
Awesome stuff.
Oh, and come back tomorrow or the next day. Then I will post my response for Cartoon Network's decision to put YUGI-FRIGGIN-OH on Toonami. I'm pissed as hell!
Till Later
Pudge
Edit-Just to avoid confusion, watch this before you watch the above link. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/202039
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
GTA's Coffee is HOT, or why the Senators should SHOVE IT
Hey
I'm still working on my huge Vacation Killtacular article. It's in draft form. It also doesn't help that I took a small side trip to Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. But, in the mean time, I have to write something about all the hoopla around GTA: San Andreas and Hot Coffee and Senator Clinton (I thought we were finally rid of them..., at least they're better than the Bush Bros. Why does Jeb have to rule my state!!!)
A quick and unnecessary recap for Morons-In the code for all three versions of GTA:San Andreas, there exists a sex minigame. Apparently, Rockstar decided not to add it in the game, but since it was already in there, they couldn't take it out without seriously messing up the code and adding a lot of time and money to development. So they made it so that you couldn't get to it in the game. Well, some idiot modders found it in the game and made a mod that would unlock the game. Now, the ERSB has changed the rating from M to AO and Rockstar is taking a lot of heat from the Senators/parent Groups/Mindless Zombies that agree with the news.
Well, I think that Rockstar is a little to blame for this. Instead of admitting that this was put in the game, they said that this was modded content that was not in the game originally. That would of been fine if it was true (Nude mods exist for everything they can get away with on the PC, try typing Nude The Sims into Google) but, sadly it was a lie. Not sure why they did that, and if they didn't lie, this game would probably still be M. They kinda shot themselves in the foot. But I still don't think they deserve the heat they're getting. They did everything they could to make sure that nobody got this in the finished product. Other people do this, I mean the ATV was a lock for Halo 2, but they took it out almost last minute. Instead of taking it out completely, they reworked the code to make it the Spectre (which, as I've mentioned before, looks weird compared to the other vehicles). I just think this is the senators taking advantage of a situation that will make a lot of people mad and totally against video games in general (God, I feel bad for the kids that are gonna have to put up with that). It's always one step forward and two steps back with the public perception of Video Games...
At least this comes a little late to do any harm to the games sales, except possibly the Xbox version (which thankfully has been given the GTA shaft for the last time!). But if you don't have the game now, don't expect to get it for a long time, cause I seriously doubt most places are even going to bother with the edited version come this fall. I hope your lucky enough to have a good game store like EB or GameStop, or your outta luck.
-May all of the Video Game skeletons stay in the closet from now on
Pudge
I'm still working on my huge Vacation Killtacular article. It's in draft form. It also doesn't help that I took a small side trip to Ft. Lauderdale yesterday. But, in the mean time, I have to write something about all the hoopla around GTA: San Andreas and Hot Coffee and Senator Clinton (I thought we were finally rid of them..., at least they're better than the Bush Bros. Why does Jeb have to rule my state!!!)
A quick and unnecessary recap for Morons-In the code for all three versions of GTA:San Andreas, there exists a sex minigame. Apparently, Rockstar decided not to add it in the game, but since it was already in there, they couldn't take it out without seriously messing up the code and adding a lot of time and money to development. So they made it so that you couldn't get to it in the game. Well, some idiot modders found it in the game and made a mod that would unlock the game. Now, the ERSB has changed the rating from M to AO and Rockstar is taking a lot of heat from the Senators/parent Groups/Mindless Zombies that agree with the news.
Well, I think that Rockstar is a little to blame for this. Instead of admitting that this was put in the game, they said that this was modded content that was not in the game originally. That would of been fine if it was true (Nude mods exist for everything they can get away with on the PC, try typing Nude The Sims into Google) but, sadly it was a lie. Not sure why they did that, and if they didn't lie, this game would probably still be M. They kinda shot themselves in the foot. But I still don't think they deserve the heat they're getting. They did everything they could to make sure that nobody got this in the finished product. Other people do this, I mean the ATV was a lock for Halo 2, but they took it out almost last minute. Instead of taking it out completely, they reworked the code to make it the Spectre (which, as I've mentioned before, looks weird compared to the other vehicles). I just think this is the senators taking advantage of a situation that will make a lot of people mad and totally against video games in general (God, I feel bad for the kids that are gonna have to put up with that). It's always one step forward and two steps back with the public perception of Video Games...
At least this comes a little late to do any harm to the games sales, except possibly the Xbox version (which thankfully has been given the GTA shaft for the last time!). But if you don't have the game now, don't expect to get it for a long time, cause I seriously doubt most places are even going to bother with the edited version come this fall. I hope your lucky enough to have a good game store like EB or GameStop, or your outta luck.
-May all of the Video Game skeletons stay in the closet from now on
Pudge
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
Pictures of Intercourse
gamezionfl.com :: View topic - Pictures of Intercourse
Hey! I'm finally back from Vacation. Well, actually I just got around to writing. I will post a full-blown article about my Vacay sometime soon, but in the mean time, here is some pictures that I posted on the Game Zion (my home, for those who didn't read the first post) Message Boards.
Hey! I'm finally back from Vacation. Well, actually I just got around to writing. I will post a full-blown article about my Vacay sometime soon, but in the mean time, here is some pictures that I posted on the Game Zion (my home, for those who didn't read the first post) Message Boards.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Vacation Posts, or why I won't post anything in the next month
Hey
To the -2 readers I have out there, I wont be posting anything for a while. I'm going on Vacation. I figured I'd post a little about my Vacation today and when I get back, I'll post about how much fun I had (or lack thereof)
First we're heading to Nashville, home of country music (AKA:Music that makes your ears burn) and the twangiest people on the planet. My Dads at a conference there, which means we all get a free hotel :), and each of the other members of the family get to pick out where we're going for each of three days. My little sis already picked out going to a huge mall (big wow), so that means that I get to see a double feature at the movies (Batman Begins and 4, although I have no faith that the latter movie will be good). Next Mom picked that we go to a movie!!! (I guess I'm not going to the movies at home this year) We will go to see Bewitched on her day, since it comes out around her birthday and she always liked that show. I don't mind, cause Will Farrell can carry any movie in my opinion. For My day, I don't really know yet. It will probably be the last day and I will see what my options are before deciding. I'll tell ya when I get back (although there's a 85% chance it will be some kind of arcade-like atmosphere)
Next on the agenda is going a little ways down to Asheville (no I'm not making this up). We go here every chance we get because My Uncle and Aunt both live up here. My uncle is a hard working local musician that lives in the mountains (cool place to hang out, even if he does have big dogs that like to lick you.) My Aunt is a... Well, I forget. I know she lives in a small out of the way house with her boyfriend. His name is Bill and he is the most amazing person you could ever talk to. He really doesn't listen, nor care about what you say. It's amazing. He's a do-it-yourself junkie and he talks about that a lot to everyone (even my little sis). When we try to bring up something to him, he nods, maybe grumbles, and then talks about his thing again. Amazing Guy...
Next, we're going to Amish Country and Philadelphia. Now I know the Amish can't read this, but no offense anyway. The Amish kinda creep me out. I mean I know some people have really strong feeling about computers and tech in general, but still using an outhouse? Also, there must be in-breeding sometimes considering there aren't that many people in a village, and there is a stereotype of the Amish boy who wants more out of life. Personally, I would just kill myself, but that's just me. Anyway, this was my mom's idea and it's a good thing I have both a DVD player in the Van and my Nintendo DS to keep me company.
Finally we take the yearly trip down to Orlando to go to a couple of theme parks. This years agenda is Disney MGM and Animal Kingdom. I'm particually excited about going to MGM this year, as I've finally mustered up the courage to go on Rock'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. I'm not really a thrill ride person, but I figure I might as well since I loved Revenge of the Mummy and Doctor Doom's FearFall on last years Universal Escape visit.
See ya in a Month when I go over all the horrors and happiness of my Vacation.
May all your vacations end up as good as mine looks to be!
Pudge
To the -2 readers I have out there, I wont be posting anything for a while. I'm going on Vacation. I figured I'd post a little about my Vacation today and when I get back, I'll post about how much fun I had (or lack thereof)
First we're heading to Nashville, home of country music (AKA:Music that makes your ears burn) and the twangiest people on the planet. My Dads at a conference there, which means we all get a free hotel :), and each of the other members of the family get to pick out where we're going for each of three days. My little sis already picked out going to a huge mall (big wow), so that means that I get to see a double feature at the movies (Batman Begins and 4, although I have no faith that the latter movie will be good). Next Mom picked that we go to a movie!!! (I guess I'm not going to the movies at home this year) We will go to see Bewitched on her day, since it comes out around her birthday and she always liked that show. I don't mind, cause Will Farrell can carry any movie in my opinion. For My day, I don't really know yet. It will probably be the last day and I will see what my options are before deciding. I'll tell ya when I get back (although there's a 85% chance it will be some kind of arcade-like atmosphere)
Next on the agenda is going a little ways down to Asheville (no I'm not making this up). We go here every chance we get because My Uncle and Aunt both live up here. My uncle is a hard working local musician that lives in the mountains (cool place to hang out, even if he does have big dogs that like to lick you.) My Aunt is a... Well, I forget. I know she lives in a small out of the way house with her boyfriend. His name is Bill and he is the most amazing person you could ever talk to. He really doesn't listen, nor care about what you say. It's amazing. He's a do-it-yourself junkie and he talks about that a lot to everyone (even my little sis). When we try to bring up something to him, he nods, maybe grumbles, and then talks about his thing again. Amazing Guy...
Next, we're going to Amish Country and Philadelphia. Now I know the Amish can't read this, but no offense anyway. The Amish kinda creep me out. I mean I know some people have really strong feeling about computers and tech in general, but still using an outhouse? Also, there must be in-breeding sometimes considering there aren't that many people in a village, and there is a stereotype of the Amish boy who wants more out of life. Personally, I would just kill myself, but that's just me. Anyway, this was my mom's idea and it's a good thing I have both a DVD player in the Van and my Nintendo DS to keep me company.
Finally we take the yearly trip down to Orlando to go to a couple of theme parks. This years agenda is Disney MGM and Animal Kingdom. I'm particually excited about going to MGM this year, as I've finally mustered up the courage to go on Rock'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. I'm not really a thrill ride person, but I figure I might as well since I loved Revenge of the Mummy and Doctor Doom's FearFall on last years Universal Escape visit.
See ya in a Month when I go over all the horrors and happiness of my Vacation.
May all your vacations end up as good as mine looks to be!
Pudge
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
Tech TV R.I.P. or Why I Hate G4 SO MUCH!!!
Hey
I posted this on a message board a couple of days back, and I haven't updated in a little while, so here is my rant about G4
What irritated so many people about the ultimate demise of Tech TV? It because they said it was going to be a fair merger. Before the fusion, they showed G4 shows on Tech and vise versa. Then they made the name of the channel G4TechTV and basically put every show from TechTV on weekends. The TechTV shows (out of respect) removed all TechTV logos from their sets. But the G4 shows still used G4 microphones, called the website G4TV.com (including a show called that), and just ignored the fact that the Tech shows were there. Oh, and did I mention that when they first merged, G4 fired every single worker of Tech TV (even Adam Sessler) and made the re-apply for their jobs. You can tell that they didn't hire many Tech people back in the new Tech shows and slowly but surely they canceled every single Tech TV show except for X-Play (which is now more comedy based that review based and basically unwatchable compared to the old hit or miss X-Play or the godly old Extended Play) Finally when only X-Play was left, they renamed the station back to G4TV and called it a day.
It is so obvious that the station is run by clueless suits. They try to appeal to horny teens by making a digital fashion show. They appeal to hip-hoppers by putting on car shows (and I quote "with cars you want and girls you can't have"). They put on an award show because people like award shows (and believe me, if you thought the Spike TV Game Awards was bad... think Cosplay Fashion show and a CGI Mario accepting an award with bad VA and corny puns)
The only show I can watch on this horrible hybrid is Judgement Day. Not so much for the reviews (which go from saying that Graphics and Sound was nice and then quickly saying that the gameplay sucks at the end, to giving Bad Boys: Miami Takedown a good score because it's a budget-priced title) but for the rare games they highlight in the Buried Treasure segment and just for a laugh sometimes (not at the jokes). How I yearn to take a video game show seriously again. But the ultimate Video Games show (Extended Play) is long gone. That show used to review good games like a real review, and only make fun of the bad games (hilarious examples from the X-Play days (only because I can't remember Extended) Aquaman for Gamecube and Pokemon Channel) and I agreed with every review. Oh well.
So that is my long winded rant of an explanation at why I call G4 the MTV of gamers.
I posted this on a message board a couple of days back, and I haven't updated in a little while, so here is my rant about G4
What irritated so many people about the ultimate demise of Tech TV? It because they said it was going to be a fair merger. Before the fusion, they showed G4 shows on Tech and vise versa. Then they made the name of the channel G4TechTV and basically put every show from TechTV on weekends. The TechTV shows (out of respect) removed all TechTV logos from their sets. But the G4 shows still used G4 microphones, called the website G4TV.com (including a show called that), and just ignored the fact that the Tech shows were there. Oh, and did I mention that when they first merged, G4 fired every single worker of Tech TV (even Adam Sessler) and made the re-apply for their jobs. You can tell that they didn't hire many Tech people back in the new Tech shows and slowly but surely they canceled every single Tech TV show except for X-Play (which is now more comedy based that review based and basically unwatchable compared to the old hit or miss X-Play or the godly old Extended Play) Finally when only X-Play was left, they renamed the station back to G4TV and called it a day.
It is so obvious that the station is run by clueless suits. They try to appeal to horny teens by making a digital fashion show. They appeal to hip-hoppers by putting on car shows (and I quote "with cars you want and girls you can't have"). They put on an award show because people like award shows (and believe me, if you thought the Spike TV Game Awards was bad... think Cosplay Fashion show and a CGI Mario accepting an award with bad VA and corny puns)
The only show I can watch on this horrible hybrid is Judgement Day. Not so much for the reviews (which go from saying that Graphics and Sound was nice and then quickly saying that the gameplay sucks at the end, to giving Bad Boys: Miami Takedown a good score because it's a budget-priced title) but for the rare games they highlight in the Buried Treasure segment and just for a laugh sometimes (not at the jokes). How I yearn to take a video game show seriously again. But the ultimate Video Games show (Extended Play) is long gone. That show used to review good games like a real review, and only make fun of the bad games (hilarious examples from the X-Play days (only because I can't remember Extended) Aquaman for Gamecube and Pokemon Channel) and I agreed with every review. Oh well.
So that is my long winded rant of an explanation at why I call G4 the MTV of gamers.
Monday, May 23, 2005
My Flaming Wish, or What they should add in Halo 3
Hey
Ya know, I've been playing a lot of Halo 2 lately (GT-NeedlerFanPudge), and I've also been reading the site that is linked to this post. (Click on the title or this www.halo2sucks.com) Anyway, I don't think Halo 2 sucks, but it could have used some more work like the site says. I have a different opinion than most people do, so I'm going to list off the stuff they should change in Halo 3 to improve my fave game of all time.
-Fuel Rod in Multiplayer-This is just torture. I had so much fun with the Fuel Rod on Halo PC, and they didn't even make it for Multiplayer in Halo 2. I know the Campaign Fuel Rod was overpowered, but come on. You create the game, so power down the Fuel Rod, even if just for Multiplayer. I mean they could still do it as Downloadable Content if they wanted to, but they probably wont. But in Halo 3 they have to add it.
-Flamethrower-This is just wrong. At least put it in Campaign like the Fuel Rod. I agree that the PC version was kinda sucky, but make it like a more powerful Human Sentinel Beam and you got it covered.
-New vehicles-Spectre doesn't count as a new one in Halo 2 BTW, because it's a Warthog that was put in at the last minute. If you look at it long enough, it looks funny compared to the rest of the Vehicles. At least put the ATV in there (which should have some sort of gun on it by the way, not just a transport. Maybe a couple of chain guns on the sides.) I'd like to see at least some of the following for Halo 3. Pelicans and Phantoms, Shadows, ATV, Kestrel (rumored flying machine similar to Banshee), and Maybe some kind of attack helicopter as a human banshee.
-Needlers-Ok, as my GT states, I'm a huge fan of the idea of Needlers. The idea of a little thing sticking in your opponents and exploding is so cool. But, as everyone knows, the Needlers suck. Now I've gotten pretty good with the Halo 2 Needlers on maps like Beaver Creek and Midship, but the Needlers still need either a speed boost for the needles and/or a shorter fuse once the needle pierces the armor to make it the great weapon it should be.
-Assault Rifle-Now I know a lot of people don't miss the AR or think that duel SMGs are good enough, but god dang it, I still think there is room enough for the original bullet hose. Maybe for use in games without duels or just as another weapon, I would like to see both the SMG and the AR in Halo 3.
-Plasma Rifle-Speaking of old weapons, if you bring back the AR, why not bring back the original Plasma Rifle with stunning? Now, it wouldn't look like the current Plasma Rifle, but if Bungie could put in a two handed version with the stunners, that would be great.
-New Weapons-I would like to see some more Forerunner weapons like the Sentinel Beam. Well, not like the Sentinel Beam, but other weapons made by the Forerunner. You could work into the story that either MC or the Arbiter finds an abandoned Forerunner armory and now have access to all new kinds of weapons. One of these weapons could be a weapon similar to the ElectroTool seen in TimeSplitters. Another cool weapon that I saw in a H2 mod was the Beam Shot, an Elite version of the Brute Shot with a beam sythe that fires smaller Fuel Rod shots. I loved playing with this weapon and would like to see it in H3.
-Old Maps-The old maps that should make a return in H3 are Hang em' High, Lockout, Blood Gulch OR Beaver Creek (but not both), and Derelict (or Midship, it's H2 equivalent).
And that is my opinion on what new stuff should be in Halo 3.
-May you never be stuck playing Sentinels on Matchmaking
-Pudge
Ya know, I've been playing a lot of Halo 2 lately (GT-NeedlerFanPudge), and I've also been reading the site that is linked to this post. (Click on the title or this www.halo2sucks.com) Anyway, I don't think Halo 2 sucks, but it could have used some more work like the site says. I have a different opinion than most people do, so I'm going to list off the stuff they should change in Halo 3 to improve my fave game of all time.
-Fuel Rod in Multiplayer-This is just torture. I had so much fun with the Fuel Rod on Halo PC, and they didn't even make it for Multiplayer in Halo 2. I know the Campaign Fuel Rod was overpowered, but come on. You create the game, so power down the Fuel Rod, even if just for Multiplayer. I mean they could still do it as Downloadable Content if they wanted to, but they probably wont. But in Halo 3 they have to add it.
-Flamethrower-This is just wrong. At least put it in Campaign like the Fuel Rod. I agree that the PC version was kinda sucky, but make it like a more powerful Human Sentinel Beam and you got it covered.
-New vehicles-Spectre doesn't count as a new one in Halo 2 BTW, because it's a Warthog that was put in at the last minute. If you look at it long enough, it looks funny compared to the rest of the Vehicles. At least put the ATV in there (which should have some sort of gun on it by the way, not just a transport. Maybe a couple of chain guns on the sides.) I'd like to see at least some of the following for Halo 3. Pelicans and Phantoms, Shadows, ATV, Kestrel (rumored flying machine similar to Banshee), and Maybe some kind of attack helicopter as a human banshee.
-Needlers-Ok, as my GT states, I'm a huge fan of the idea of Needlers. The idea of a little thing sticking in your opponents and exploding is so cool. But, as everyone knows, the Needlers suck. Now I've gotten pretty good with the Halo 2 Needlers on maps like Beaver Creek and Midship, but the Needlers still need either a speed boost for the needles and/or a shorter fuse once the needle pierces the armor to make it the great weapon it should be.
-Assault Rifle-Now I know a lot of people don't miss the AR or think that duel SMGs are good enough, but god dang it, I still think there is room enough for the original bullet hose. Maybe for use in games without duels or just as another weapon, I would like to see both the SMG and the AR in Halo 3.
-Plasma Rifle-Speaking of old weapons, if you bring back the AR, why not bring back the original Plasma Rifle with stunning? Now, it wouldn't look like the current Plasma Rifle, but if Bungie could put in a two handed version with the stunners, that would be great.
-New Weapons-I would like to see some more Forerunner weapons like the Sentinel Beam. Well, not like the Sentinel Beam, but other weapons made by the Forerunner. You could work into the story that either MC or the Arbiter finds an abandoned Forerunner armory and now have access to all new kinds of weapons. One of these weapons could be a weapon similar to the ElectroTool seen in TimeSplitters. Another cool weapon that I saw in a H2 mod was the Beam Shot, an Elite version of the Brute Shot with a beam sythe that fires smaller Fuel Rod shots. I loved playing with this weapon and would like to see it in H3.
-Old Maps-The old maps that should make a return in H3 are Hang em' High, Lockout, Blood Gulch OR Beaver Creek (but not both), and Derelict (or Midship, it's H2 equivalent).
And that is my opinion on what new stuff should be in Halo 3.
-May you never be stuck playing Sentinels on Matchmaking
-Pudge
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Bushido VS. Ninjitsu-The Real Story of Kamigawa
Hey
Saviors of Kamigawa previews are now running on www.magicthegathering.com and like usual, I'm thrilled to see the uber-powerful 3rd set mechanics. Epic looks so sweet. But then I look at some of the other stuff. Saviors is going to be a whole set designed to keep cards in your hand and be powered by the big hand you got. um...yay. That just seems a little boring. But, then again, that seems a perfect fit to what has been a pretty underwhelming block.
Now don't get me wrong, I like some parts of Kamigawa (my samurai deck kicks ass, and I run 5 Akki in my goblin deck). Samurai and Ninja are cool, and there are a couple of good goblins (Ben-Ben and Kikki-Jikki). But, the main theme of the block is lacking for me. Spirits. Oh and Legendary creatures. The block just seems all over the place. Unlike Mirrodin Block, which focused on artifacts through ALL its themes. Kamigawa has Spirits and Spiritcraft, and the Legendary creatures (which had nothing to do with Spirits, even though there were legendary Spirits. That felt more like a necessity so the changing of the legend rule made sense.) Then of course as we dig into the minor themes, we have
Demons and Ogres-Nothing to do with spirits and doesn't support legendary
Samurai-The human side of the conflict with spirits and supports legendary Samurai. Good.
Nezumi-again, no support for either major theme and bleeds into samurai
Moonfolk-almost non-existent, I still haven't pulled one and have no idea what they do
Foxes-Support for legendary
Ninja-This kinda goes into another minor theme
Blocking-Bushido and Ninjitsu even each other out to make this block combat heavy as well.
I just think that they should have put a little more focus into the block, and made the spirits a little less omnipresent. It seems that every pack I get is 90% spirits. I have a spirit deck, but it's only kinda fun and doesn't see much play.
Back to the topic at hand, Saviors makes the block even MORE complicated... Plus, it has no Ninjas! Why!!! How could they go so wrong after making a masterwork like Mirrodin block. (The way I see it, having cards good enough to ban is a good power level. Then, every time you get a pack, you really need at least one card.) Here's hoping that Ravinca has a better outcome than Kamigawa.
-May your next mulligan be far away.
Pudge
Saviors of Kamigawa previews are now running on www.magicthegathering.com and like usual, I'm thrilled to see the uber-powerful 3rd set mechanics. Epic looks so sweet. But then I look at some of the other stuff. Saviors is going to be a whole set designed to keep cards in your hand and be powered by the big hand you got. um...yay. That just seems a little boring. But, then again, that seems a perfect fit to what has been a pretty underwhelming block.
Now don't get me wrong, I like some parts of Kamigawa (my samurai deck kicks ass, and I run 5 Akki in my goblin deck). Samurai and Ninja are cool, and there are a couple of good goblins (Ben-Ben and Kikki-Jikki). But, the main theme of the block is lacking for me. Spirits. Oh and Legendary creatures. The block just seems all over the place. Unlike Mirrodin Block, which focused on artifacts through ALL its themes. Kamigawa has Spirits and Spiritcraft, and the Legendary creatures (which had nothing to do with Spirits, even though there were legendary Spirits. That felt more like a necessity so the changing of the legend rule made sense.) Then of course as we dig into the minor themes, we have
Demons and Ogres-Nothing to do with spirits and doesn't support legendary
Samurai-The human side of the conflict with spirits and supports legendary Samurai. Good.
Nezumi-again, no support for either major theme and bleeds into samurai
Moonfolk-almost non-existent, I still haven't pulled one and have no idea what they do
Foxes-Support for legendary
Ninja-This kinda goes into another minor theme
Blocking-Bushido and Ninjitsu even each other out to make this block combat heavy as well.
I just think that they should have put a little more focus into the block, and made the spirits a little less omnipresent. It seems that every pack I get is 90% spirits. I have a spirit deck, but it's only kinda fun and doesn't see much play.
Back to the topic at hand, Saviors makes the block even MORE complicated... Plus, it has no Ninjas! Why!!! How could they go so wrong after making a masterwork like Mirrodin block. (The way I see it, having cards good enough to ban is a good power level. Then, every time you get a pack, you really need at least one card.) Here's hoping that Ravinca has a better outcome than Kamigawa.
-May your next mulligan be far away.
Pudge
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Mommy, There's Linkin Park in my Halo!
Hey
Have you heard the rumors about the Xbox 360? Besides the really good stuff that has been coming down the pipe, like wireless controllers and headsets and better Live options which are all confirmed. I'm talking about Custom Soundtracks. You know? The little-used option of the Xbox that allows you to listen to your own music during games by downloading a playlist to the Xbox Hard Drive. Well, according to the same press conference that brought us the "HD Era", all Xbox 360 games will be required to have custom soundtracks.
Now you must be saying to yourself, that's definitely a good thing. Why not make this feature that was almost never used available on a more widespread basis? That's what I thought too, at least originally. But then I thought about it a little. Think about this scenario that almost all Xbox players have played through.
You just finished the first level of Halo 2. The Master Chief is about to jump into space and give the Covenant back their bomb. Then, as your planting the bomb, you hear... "Cause I'm BREAKING DA HABIT TONIGHT".
Kinda ruins the moment doesn't it. Now I'm sure that this scenario wouldn't happen and big name games like Halo will still have it's wonderful score play as you make your way to destroy Delta Halo in the next game (hopefully). But I wonder how the mandatory thing would work with Halo. Would they have an option to play music during Multiplayer (very distracting if combined with the Team Chat) or maybe just during certain parts of the game (ex. As you pass by a Marine camp, you can faintly hear one of your music tracks playing over a radio). Something like the previous example would be cool, but it would also be a false promise to anyone who would want to play Halo with their own music. It would be a total disaster to have it play your music automatically, but it just seems weird to give the option at all. I mean who doesn't like the wonderful melodies of Halo?
Also, I wonder if smaller 3rd party games wouldn't even bother making a soundtrack. They would just automatically play the music you've downloaded onto the Xbox 360's Hard Drive (which every serious gamer will have). That may be a good idea in some cases (like MechAssult 2's disturbing and distracting alt rock playing during the boss fights. Not that I don't like Alt Rock (fave kind of music) but it seemed a little much for that game.) But, I always thought that the music of a game was key to its enjoyment. Stuff like the themes for Mario, Tetris, and Zelda will never die. So are we missing out on the next classic video game tune so we can listen to our CDs?
Who knows, maybe I'm overreacting. But, It's something to think about.
-Here's to hearing the classic tunes of the Future!
Pudge
Have you heard the rumors about the Xbox 360? Besides the really good stuff that has been coming down the pipe, like wireless controllers and headsets and better Live options which are all confirmed. I'm talking about Custom Soundtracks. You know? The little-used option of the Xbox that allows you to listen to your own music during games by downloading a playlist to the Xbox Hard Drive. Well, according to the same press conference that brought us the "HD Era", all Xbox 360 games will be required to have custom soundtracks.
Now you must be saying to yourself, that's definitely a good thing. Why not make this feature that was almost never used available on a more widespread basis? That's what I thought too, at least originally. But then I thought about it a little. Think about this scenario that almost all Xbox players have played through.
You just finished the first level of Halo 2. The Master Chief is about to jump into space and give the Covenant back their bomb. Then, as your planting the bomb, you hear... "Cause I'm BREAKING DA HABIT TONIGHT".
Kinda ruins the moment doesn't it. Now I'm sure that this scenario wouldn't happen and big name games like Halo will still have it's wonderful score play as you make your way to destroy Delta Halo in the next game (hopefully). But I wonder how the mandatory thing would work with Halo. Would they have an option to play music during Multiplayer (very distracting if combined with the Team Chat) or maybe just during certain parts of the game (ex. As you pass by a Marine camp, you can faintly hear one of your music tracks playing over a radio). Something like the previous example would be cool, but it would also be a false promise to anyone who would want to play Halo with their own music. It would be a total disaster to have it play your music automatically, but it just seems weird to give the option at all. I mean who doesn't like the wonderful melodies of Halo?
Also, I wonder if smaller 3rd party games wouldn't even bother making a soundtrack. They would just automatically play the music you've downloaded onto the Xbox 360's Hard Drive (which every serious gamer will have). That may be a good idea in some cases (like MechAssult 2's disturbing and distracting alt rock playing during the boss fights. Not that I don't like Alt Rock (fave kind of music) but it seemed a little much for that game.) But, I always thought that the music of a game was key to its enjoyment. Stuff like the themes for Mario, Tetris, and Zelda will never die. So are we missing out on the next classic video game tune so we can listen to our CDs?
Who knows, maybe I'm overreacting. But, It's something to think about.
-Here's to hearing the classic tunes of the Future!
Pudge
Monday, May 09, 2005
Introduction to a Madman
Hey.
I've wanted to start a blog for a long time now, as I am a very opinionated person. I'm glad I finally stopped being lazy and started it. I guess I should introduce myself to the net. I am Pudge. That is my chosen name and the only one I will use as I want to remain anonymous.
I live in a very small town, and (as the description says) my home is a place called Zion, a gamer's paradise, an oasis in my desert of a town. Now just to warn everyone before hand, I'm very bad at being frequent. What I mean is that this blog most definitely wont be updated every day. But I will post things maybe twice a week, and try to make it long enough to sustain people's thoughts and interests until the next post.
The topics I will post about will be mostly random, as I like almost any kind of geeky thing you can think of. Some faves include Star Wars (not a Trek kind of guy, although Khan kicks ass), Marvel (DC is too boring and also too all over the place with Superman being in ten places at once. Although I do enjoy the occasional Batman when one of his teenage teammates isn't being introduced or dieing), and Xbox (although Gamecube is a close second. PS2 and the sad PSP are dead last and I would only buy one to replace my 1995 vintage PS1). The only geeky things I can think of that I don't like are PC games in general (too slow and too life consuming, although I find that Xbox Live is consuming too much of my life right now), cosplay (SO CREEPY), and RPGs (same reasons as PC games, although I must add to the list that they are either like extended hack and slashes or slow as molasses turn-based games to me).
(Note: I'm not going to make any appollogies, if I hate something with a passion (ex. G4, MTV, Pop Music, Reality Shows) I'm gonna bash it with all my might.)
Oh and about the name, that's just something I came up with that goes with the more crazy side of my personality that probably won't be shown on this blog as much as I'd like. But my friends (and enemies) know that I only need a bottle of Mountain Dew (The Elixer of Life) to make me extremely hyper, and maybe more annoying than people would like. But I can't help myself sometimes.
Until I find something interesting to say
-Pudge
Edit-Here are some contact details if anyone cares
www.gamertag.com and www.bungie.net MB Name-NeedlerFanPudge
XBL Gamertag-NeedlerFanPudge
www.toonzone.net MB Name-InvaderEd77
Names around the internet-SkullRaidramon, Mewman77, KingVegeta77
AIM Name-SkullRaidramon
Yahoo! Name-KingVegeta77
MSN name-
santaman17@hotmail.com
E-mail (please use this E-mail or just leave comments)
needlerfanpudge@gmail.com
I've wanted to start a blog for a long time now, as I am a very opinionated person. I'm glad I finally stopped being lazy and started it. I guess I should introduce myself to the net. I am Pudge. That is my chosen name and the only one I will use as I want to remain anonymous.
I live in a very small town, and (as the description says) my home is a place called Zion, a gamer's paradise, an oasis in my desert of a town. Now just to warn everyone before hand, I'm very bad at being frequent. What I mean is that this blog most definitely wont be updated every day. But I will post things maybe twice a week, and try to make it long enough to sustain people's thoughts and interests until the next post.
The topics I will post about will be mostly random, as I like almost any kind of geeky thing you can think of. Some faves include Star Wars (not a Trek kind of guy, although Khan kicks ass), Marvel (DC is too boring and also too all over the place with Superman being in ten places at once. Although I do enjoy the occasional Batman when one of his teenage teammates isn't being introduced or dieing), and Xbox (although Gamecube is a close second. PS2 and the sad PSP are dead last and I would only buy one to replace my 1995 vintage PS1). The only geeky things I can think of that I don't like are PC games in general (too slow and too life consuming, although I find that Xbox Live is consuming too much of my life right now), cosplay (SO CREEPY), and RPGs (same reasons as PC games, although I must add to the list that they are either like extended hack and slashes or slow as molasses turn-based games to me).
(Note: I'm not going to make any appollogies, if I hate something with a passion (ex. G4, MTV, Pop Music, Reality Shows) I'm gonna bash it with all my might.)
Oh and about the name, that's just something I came up with that goes with the more crazy side of my personality that probably won't be shown on this blog as much as I'd like. But my friends (and enemies) know that I only need a bottle of Mountain Dew (The Elixer of Life) to make me extremely hyper, and maybe more annoying than people would like. But I can't help myself sometimes.
Until I find something interesting to say
-Pudge
Edit-Here are some contact details if anyone cares
www.gamertag.com and www.bungie.net MB Name-NeedlerFanPudge
XBL Gamertag-NeedlerFanPudge
www.toonzone.net MB Name-InvaderEd77
Names around the internet-SkullRaidramon, Mewman77, KingVegeta77
AIM Name-SkullRaidramon
Yahoo! Name-KingVegeta77
MSN name-
santaman17@hotmail.com
E-mail (please use this E-mail or just leave comments)
needlerfanpudge@gmail.com
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