I dunno who actually reads this anymore. Gone are the days in which 25 comments was a small number for me and we broke 70 frequently. Facebook is just that much better than this I guess.

Anyhow, being the Zelda freak that I am, I'm excited for the new DS game Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6dgiMig8Bk

It looks like it'll turn out really well, and it's been confirmed that the difficulty will be upped from Phantom Hourglass.

This excitement has led me to replay possibly my favorite game ever.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

Ya ya I know I always say Ocarina of Time is my favorite game ever but come to think of it I haven't played WW for 6 years and if my memories of it are even slightly correct it's the most fun I've ever had with a video game. I sold it a while back along with all my GCN stuff to get a new guitar, but it's only $18 used at Game Stop so I figured I could pick it up and play through it all again.

I recently started to replay Twilight Princess, another fantastic game, but I realized how long it had been since I played Wind Waker and how it had only been about a year and a half since I played TP last. Then the more I thought about it, I remembered that Wind Waker was the better game, so I halted TP after Goron Mines (one of the best dungeons ever) and switched over to Wind Waker.

Also, I've decided my top 3 video games ever:

1. Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker

2. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

3. Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

Yup..... all LoZ. They're just way too good.

Well we're almost 2/3 of the way through the year so I felt it might be time for an update on the whereabouts of best movies and games of the year. Sadly I haven't bought many new album releases this year, sticking to some older stuff, only really have a top 2.

It was really hard to pick the order of the movies, as I've really loved every one of these. I had to include a tie for 5th just to make it a top 6 really because I couldn't choose . I'm pretty confident in that the top 3 will remain the top 3, although they could shift around a bit, but past that I have no clue which one I like best, so keep that in mind.

MOVIES

5. TIE

The Hangover

The Superbad of 2009. Absolutely pi$$ your pants funny, definitely one you'll want to see a few times.

The Hurt Locker

A stunning, extremely suspenseful film. Without a doubt the best war movie since Saving Private Ryan, and on par with all the great war movies in the last 25 years. I really found it hard not to put this higher up but hey something has to be #5 on a top 5 list.

4. (500) Days of Summer

I actually saw this with my mom on her birthday because she wanted to. I had interest in seeing it, although I was just expecting a pretty good movie, nothing real special. I was treated to one of the best romantic comedies I've ever seen, touching, yet it never forgot how to make you laugh. One I would gladly watch again.

3. Star Trek

Although some people here are saying "Oh, it's shallow, not very deep, blah blah blah," (no offense Lock), but I think you're all forgetting what Star Trek is supposed to be: fun. It was a light speed enthralling blockbuster that got the blood rushing and put you on the edge of your seat. Hell even the critics remembered to put aside harsh criticism and just have a ton of fun (hense, the 83/100 average score). All in all just a hugely entertaining film.

2. District 9

What a year for Sci-fi! The trailers made this movie look like crap. It looked like another humans rule aliens suck Sci-fi money maker. However when the reviews rolled in and it got an average of 81/100, my interest perked up a bit. I was treated to an incredibly original and emotional story, perhaps the best story ever seen in a Sci-fi movie. It mixed drama and social statements (relevant to today I must say) with the hugely entertaining violence Sci-fi is known for. However even with guns that blow people up, and chain guns that gather all the bullets in a giant clusterfukc before exploding at everyone not a Prawn (alien), it was all ignorable when you got into the story. You actually feel for the aliens, and you view them as equal to the people, living beings with lives and goals of their own. More than once did I fear for a prawn's life. By the middle of the film I cared more about the average prawn than all the government b@stards trying to kill it. I'm extremely tempted to put this at #1. EXTREMELY tempted. In fact I'm considering switching it right now. But the #1 is such an amazing film it deserves it at least as much, and honestly I don't know which one I like more.

1. Up

Well shocking isn't it. Ya the fact tht I love anything Pixar practically touches didn't give this away did it? Well I'll go slightly further: this might very well be Pixar's best film yet. It made me cry (first movie EVER to do that), and not only did it do this, but it did it not once, but twice! Okay one time I teared up but didn't cry, the second time tears full out ran down my face, BUT STILL THAT'S AN ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR SOMEONE WHO ONLY SLIGHTLY TEARED AT SCHINDLER'S LIST! Pixar never ceases to amaze me. The first half of the film was the most perfect thing Pixar has ever done. The second half, still amazing, typical Pixar, but they truly outdid themselves on the first half. Well done gentlemen, keep up the good work.

Seems to be a good year for films, so let's check in on the video game report.

5. Mad World

You know it's a good year for games when I start a top 5 countdown with a game that I originally scored a 10/10 and hailed as one of the Wii's best games. Well I've lowered the score to a still superb 9.5 in my mind (because it didn't end up as replayable as I expected), it remains one of the Wii's top games. Nowhere else have I seen such huge amounts of gore, but as they say, the more the merrier!

4. Punch Out!!

If you played this game as a kid, it's one great trip down nostalgia lane. If not, it's a fantastic introduction to one of the great franchises in gaming. Extremely challenging, very addictive, and it just has that great old school feeling. More a puzzle/strategy game than a real boxing game, it interlaces genres flawlessly. Nothing really bad you can say about this game at all. Some could complain about lack of new characters but that's a petty complaint, seeing the old characters come to life in 3-D is better than all the newcomers.

3. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '10 (Wii version)

I'm a bit of a closet golf fan. I don't talk about it much, but I watch any tournament that comes on TV and have always liked playing golf, although I'm not particularly good so I stick to mini golf, and this. The best sports game in years. Ya, in so many years, that it's the best sports game ever made. Absolutely FLAWLESS 1:1 motion control is the highlight. Huge replayability is another huge part of its success seeing how many new modes and courses there are. Start, a career, play a link or two, play disc golf (don't ask WHY), play online, you can even challenge history in past tournaments! What's even better? You can "compete" with the pros in real time during tournaments.

2. [Prototype]

Take Mad World, get rid of quicktime events, add color to the graphics, make another equally amazing story, make a huge sandbox world and add the ability to fly around by shooting blood from your wrists at jet speed velocity like emo Peter Pan (not my quote, but I like it), and you'll get Prototype. I wasn't expecting too much out of this game, just hoping for a good violent game to fill my craving (the Wii leaves a little violence to be desired ya know). However I got one of the most fun games I've ever played. I played this with my friend, trading off every 25 minutes for 15 hours and we didn't get sick of it. At all. Every moment was cherished and when 6:00 AM came, I was disappointed that we kinda needed to stop.

AND NOW FOR #1, THE ONE YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CLUE ABOUT....

1. Little King's Story

If you didn't know this either you didn't read my last blog, your IQ is 15, or you have a severe case of short term memory loss. Yes I all but expressed will to put out and fukc this game in the last blog, so I assume your sick of it. Haven't heard about it? Good, go read the last blog, it'll kill 25 minutes of your life. One of only 3 games I've ever scored an 11/10 (2 actually, OoT was a 12), meaning it pushes beyond perfection (DUH), which basically means if you have a Wii buy it now you total retard what are you doing pi$$ing your pathetic life away reading this when you could be pi$$ing your pathetic life away playing Little King's Story?!?!?!?! It's much better and it should suck away about 60 hours of your life instead of the 5 minutes on this blog. I've beaten the game and for the first time ever, in any game, I'm going for 100% completion (unless you count Majora's Mask as 100% without all the heart pieces, same goes for OoT and TP), which should take upwards of 100 hours. There's not much else I can say, in the words of a wise poster on a thread about LKS "I can't describe things that are too awesome." Just get the damn game already, if you regret it you deserve the looney bin.

*cough cough* So much dust on this old thing. What I made like a 10 word blog on July 20th and before that I don't think I have blogged for months.

Well it seems Shadow, Elmis, and Jacob have all stopped coming here, though seem to be kinda active on Facebook, it's just not the same without having a wide open flame fest that anyone can see. Lock, I see you still on here occasionally... kudos for keeping it kinda alive.

I actually have been on Gamespot quite frequently, but I haven't touched tv.com in ages, and I still won't. I like the more old fashioned look of Game Spot and mp3 better. But mp3 is so dead that I've been the featured user on the front page for about two years now... and no one updates anything, so I've been hanging out on Game Spot. Besides, Nintendo apparently decided they wanted to be nice to me and start making good games, which bring sme to two QUICK VIDEO GAME POINTS. Then I will avoid video games for the remainder of the blog.

WHO THE HELL TURNED ON THE "MAKE GOOD GAMES" SWITCH AT NINTENDO?

Ok seriously, you can't go a year and a half making no good games, or so few that it's not even acknowledgeable, then decide "Hmmm I think we're gonna try to make up for 1.5 years of sh!te by releasing about ten great looking games all within a few months!"

Ya, not cool. I don't have that kind of financial support. I just bought The Conduit a month and a half ago, which was worth it, not amazing but definitely a solid FPS, and in July I bought Little King's Story (we'll get to this one later). Theeeeeen they bring down the hammer, and decide that they have to release a Metroid Prime Trilogy pack! Fukc you I need to buy this, I never played Metroid Prime, got halfway through Metroid Prime 2 then got stuck, and beat Metroid Prime, and would love to play it over again because it's a masterpiece. Okay, okay, it's just one more game, $50, and it's three games in one. Great deal. Now let's look at September... yay my wallet can survive the Wii doesn't have any heavy hitters coming up, other than maybe Muramasa: The Demon Blade and I'm not too keen on a Japanese 2-D platformer/fighter right now, and Dead Space EXtraction which looks sweet but I think I can wait until Christmas or something on... BUT WAIT, CHECK THE DS! SCRIBBLENAUTS, MARIO AND LUIGI: BOWSER'S INSIDE STORY, AND KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS! COME ON I DON'T HAVE $100 A MONTH FOR GAMES! Okay calm down you're getting great games you can't complain. Let's take a look at October. While we're here let's check the DS... nothing, perfect I'll have that month to play whatever I don't buy from September. Now for the Wii... Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, annnnnnnnd... nothing else! Because Red Steel sucked and therefore a sequel will suck right? RIGHT? NO?!?!?! WUDDYA MEAN IT LOOKS GOOD?!?! Lemme see that video... great another $50 or 60 (WM+) to piss away). Well with all these great games coming out you'd think they'd leave December open to some crap for the holidays, so let's hope there's room for other stuff under the tree. Well Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers looks good, but it's after Christmas, so I've got a while, and I doubt it'll even be released until next year, despite what Game Stop tells me. Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks? Awesome, my favorite series, and there's only one game so I can focus on it. Now let's check 2010's lineup. The only hope my wallet has is that they spread Metroid: Other M, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and New Super Mario Bros. at least two months apart and at least in April or later because No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is coming in early 2010, and having recently bought No More Heroes for $18 and recently FUKCING LOVED IT, I'll definitely be getting that. Good looks like there's a good number of games coming out in 2010, not too many that I can't even afford them all... what? More are coming out? Not just the ones on gamestop.com? The Grinder? Golden Sun DS? Monster Hunter Tri is coming over from Japan? WHAT?!?!?! MAYBE EVEN A NEW LEGEND OF ZELDA FOR WII?!?!?!?! A TON OF OTHER STUFF WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT?!?!?! NOOOOOOOO NOW MY BANK ACCOUNT IS DOOOOOOOOMED TOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!

They coulda spread all this out over the last year and a half and with good enough spacing still had enough great games to fill the slots all the way up to 2011. Oh well, I'm being dramatic, I can wait until Christmas, I'll be able to hold off until Christmas on a good number of these.

Speaking of unholy amounts of gaming.....

Little King's Story.

Ooooooooooh I can hear you know. LOLZ WII IS FOR 5 YEAR OLDS LOOK AT THAT GAME LOLOLOL IT SUCKS!!!!

YA WELL FUKC YOU YOU KNOW WHAT'S BENEATH THAT CUTE CUDDLY LOOK?!?!?!

A FUKCING AMAZING GAME

Wii Game of the year? Yes. Game of the year for anything? Yes. Best game on the Wii? Verrrrrry possibly. Best game ever? Not gonna say yes because people will start naming flaws, and how I'm being hasty, but let's say this: it contends for the title as much as any game, and yes, could very well join the ranks of Ocarina of Time as one of my very favorite games, if not the #1 game. I'm sorry it's just I've never played a game for 16 straight hours with a friend who did nothing but watch mesmerized not even caring he wasn't playing, with me loving every moment of it, then having him come over again another day, and willingly watch for another 12 hours straight. And you know what? He loved it again. We both had a great time. Now you're saying I had a better time because he was there? Well I'll let you know those 28 or so hours of gameplay make up a fraction of the time I've played it. And the biggest fraction you can get is half, so I've spent at least 50 hours playing this game. Yet, I still need to fight the final boss. I've done every little side quest, tried to build my kingdom up from nothing to everything even when I didn't have to. I enjoyed every minute of it thoroughly, even when I was retrying King Jumbo Champloon 10 times before I beat him. Even when King Long Sauvage's beard was whacking my men off the mountain was I having a bad time. Not even when I was arbitrarily digging for treasure because we were running out of money was I bored. Not even when a carpenter was taking his sweet time building that bridge and a giant poisonous frog jumped out of the lake and lande on my men, killing 5 of them, was I frustrated... or when there was no frog, was I bored. Not even... well you get the idea.

Every last part of this game is fun. And that's what a game is all about: fun. The problem with today's gamers is that they've forgot that. Someone on the Wii board brought up a point that this was like a N64 game, and at no offense to the game. I didn't think of it, but I realized they were right. This is the kind of return to form games need. It doesn't need to have explosions and guns and gore and t!tties (although I won't lie, the game benefitted from the Long Sauvage princess' gigantic, Earth shaking boobage), it needs to be FUN. And Little King's Story is fun in its most pure form. The Wii's first party releases like Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Metroid Prime 3, and Super Mario Galaxy have all been amazing. You know why? Because Nintendo is the last of the big three companies not afraid to make a "fun" game. Sure violent FPSes (you could make an argument that Metroid Prime 3 is a violent FPS but I think it has something that separates it from the rest) are fun. Sure games like Prototype and inFamous are a blast. But it's games like Little King's Story that made the world fall in love with gaming. Remember the Nintendo 64 lineup? The golden age of gaming? Games like Banjo-Kazooie/Tooie, Super Mario 64, Donkey Kong 64, Legend of Zelda Oot and MM, Conker's Bad Fur Day, and Paper Mario that ruled the shelves. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. There was a reason the N64 was such an entertaining console, it was because rather than needing to be something resembling a bloody porno, the games relied on gameplay, and fun designs that made you smile. That's what Little King's Story has returned to. And apparently there is one other team out there willing to just make a fun game, Cing.

I've also never been afraid to play a game because I'm worried I'm gonna beat it and it'll be over.

I know I ALWAYS overreact, but come on, I played a game for 16 hours, slept for 5 hours, woke up, and played it for 5 more hours after my friend left! How often do you do that? How many games can really grip you for that long? Not many.On the GoTY part, absolutely no overreaction. On the best game for Wii, it is a solid competitor,easily trumps most anything, and it might be better than the other heavy hitters. Best game EVER? We'll really have to see. I don't think we could ever get past the perfection of Ocarina of Time in gaming. Games like Majora's Mask (which is about as good as OoT, but loses a little on the "being new" points, Wind Waker (noticing a trend of Zelda games? ), Twilight Princess (like Majora's Mask, close in quality, but not in originality, which is fine) have come close to the same type of perfection, and games like Metroid Prime, Super Mario Galaxy, Okami (sorry for the lack of other console games, I do believe those 3 superior to any other current console's games though, and Okami is a PS2 game) have found new ways to create near perfection, but I don't know what can top it. I'll tell you one thing though, if it doesn't take it down, Little King's Story is without a doubt one of those games that is grabbing at OoT's ass, trying to grasp perfection (teehee), and only comes up short because it isn't OoT in the first place. Had Little King's Story been released 11 years ago, I have no doubt it would be called one of the greatest games of all time. And really, it deserves such a high title regardless of the year it was released. It is simply a masterpiece that you must experience. Anyone not giving this game at least a 9/10 is really picking away at the game. OH NO LACK OF IR! OH NO SLIGHTLY ANNOYING SOUND EFFECTS! OH NO... err... OH RIGHT. There are no other complaints anyone has made that had some sort of relevancy. I don't need IR, I can deal with strange sound effects, but I CANNOT deal with people picking away at a game for obnoxious reasons and forgetting they're supposed to be having fun, not picking at how bad the mechanics in the table tennis (yes, I sh!t you not, it is in the game) mini game are.

While Little King's Story is receiving massive critical acclaim, an 87/100 average on Metacritic, I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority of people who say this is one of the best games ever. But everyone who can appreciate truly great games, and not just FPSes with fun online, is just afraid to say that a new game that's not a sequel is as good as the older games. Well you know what? I'm saying, Little King's Story is an absolute masterpiece and if you're letting kiddy graphics, lack of IR, or Corobo's squeaky shoes make it an 8.5/10, tough. Seriously if LKS came out for the Xbox 360 (and had been better advertised), IGN would give this game a 9.5 at least and call it the best game of the generation. But of course they're critics, and as such, will say, "no IR Pointing waaaaaaaaaaah blah blah blah -0.5 points". Shut up IGN, it's either the best game for the Wii, or if not one of the 3 best, and it's among my favorite games ever. You don't like it, Sucks, it's my opinion and although maybe not quite as raving as mine, if you play this game with a need for blood and boobs or a craving for pointing at the screen for unnecessary reasons, you will love it.

11/10

HA!

And for once my extraordinarily high scores are justified.

The Escapist : Video Galleries : Zero Punctuation

You will watch now. Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw. Best video game critic ever. Hates the Wii, but he's hilarious.

Also he lives in Austrlaia. Bonus for you people down there.

Nooooooooooow theeeeeeeen.

Did I just write all that on games? Are you kidding me? I was trying to cut back and make those two things quick but nooooooo I'm such a NERD that I just had to write all that.

Anyway, I've been doing a lot of volleyball this summer. Too much volleyball. Way too much.

I've never said that, but all in all I played about 70 hours of volleyball within a month. 7 hours a day at three different camps, totaling up to 12 days. Minus 4.5, minus 5, minus 5, minus 2, so just under 70 hours. That was really a bad idea I must say. Really intense and extraordinarily straining on my body. Don't do that again. Don't do that again. Don't... ah whatever.

All I've done in the music department is listen to half of "Veckatimest" online since no one seems to have it ANYWHERE, which Ireallyliked,definitely gonnahavetobuy,andreplacedcopiesof"Superunkown"and"Axis:BoldAsLove"thatmymomlost.Shereplaced them actually, makes sense since she lost them.

Oh yes I also bought...

and

Both great albums, "RATM" is a little better, but that's what you can expect when comparing one of a bands' first albums and another band's... how many is that now? We will make up a number known as abrytuilj until we know more. So anyway "The Eternal" is a fantastic abrytulijth album for Sonic Youth, while "Rage Against the Machine" is a cla$$ic everyone should, and prolly does, have. Of course you'd suspect me of listening to "Killing In the Name" over and over, but "Bombtrack" gets just as many plays, "Testify" gets close, and "Take the Power Back" might just be the greatest pump up song there is. No better album to just pop in when you're pissed or feel like blasting out your speakers.

Also I have mastered the solo of "Bohemian Rhapsody" because I am just amazing. If you need a reminder of how great the solo is:

YouTube - Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

There, with that extra listen you have just bettered your life because you may have just listened to the greatest song ever. No, not favorite, greatest. Come on it's possible.

And I actually have more news in music than I recalled because somehow this slipped my mind...

34543.jpg 500×333 pixels

Yes my friends, Pearl Jam live. Same place that I saw Smashing Pumpkins, The Gibson Ampitheatre.

There's one big difference between this and the Pumpkins show though:

I'M IN THE PIT!

YIPPE KAI YAY MOFOS!!!(or something to that effect)

Being a member of the Ten Club has its advantages, as does being willing to work over $163 for tickets that only come in a two pack.

October 6th, really psyched. Might have to miss volleyball practice, but it'd be worth it.

Well I've sufficiently tired myself out, as it's 5:04 AM. I have a lot of movie stuff to talk about, but I might as well make a whole 'nuther blog for it. First I'll have to see how many people are even still here to comment.

Goodnight, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, whatever it is whatever time it is where ever you are, have a good.... errr.... time! That's the one. Have a good time.

... day...

You know what that means! Game time! First to name the game I'm waiting one more day for gets a cookie.

No that title wasn't intended as a joke, I just couldn't think of a title. Sorry that a combination of not being in school and playing too many video games has fried my brain (although worth it, I suppose).

Recently I've had nothing too interesting to blog about. I've spent the beginning of summer playing tons of volleyball (winning the final 4-day tournament, giving our team the 1 seed at Junior Olympics), and just sitting around, mostly playing video games. I promised to not mention video games in this blog, but I'm not a man of my word, and it's only one or two paragraphs. If you really actually care I've indicated where the section for games begins and ends.

*BEGIN VIDEO GAME TALK*

First off, The Conduit. I drooled over it forever, waiting impatiently, then finally I get it. Worth the wait? I'm not even sure. The multiplayer is absolutely fantastic. Little to no lag online, a variety of modes make every fight a little different. I could spend hours playing online and not get bored. The single player is just good, not great though. Very challenging and you get to use a great variety of weapons, but like with all FPSes being released today, you do have the feeling of "I already did this in the last level." Nothing really against it, it's the way every modern FPS is (with the exception that critics j!zz their pants over the other ones, not so much with TCon), but it feels like you're getting gipped when you could be playing something else. All that aside, the controls are the best of any FPS I've ever played, the graphics are outstanding for the Wii, and I'm having fun with it. All in all an 8.5-9.3, depending on how it holds up. If I continue playing multiplayer a lot, it'll score high, if I move on within a few weeks, then it'll get towards the lower end. So game of the year so far? No, but best FPS on the Wii, and a definite buy? Yes. But game of the year has been awarded to a new title, one you wouldn't expect out of me.

Wait, an Xbox 360 game as GOTY? That's right. But Dee you don't have a 360 or PS3! Well, no, I don't, but my friend brought his over and we played from (I sh!t you not) 8:30 PM to 5:30 AM, with no breaks, taking 25 minute shifts. It was a desperate attempt to beat the game in one night. Then we slept for 6 hours and played for one more hour. Did we succeed? Not quite, we have about an hour and a half left to go. But did I thoroughly enjoy every last minute I played or watched the game? Yes. Not very often a game that I can play for 9 straight hours comes along. In fact, this game may just have sold me on a 360. I'm looking at some eBay bids, and this one comes with 7 games, and if it doesn't go too high I'm taking it. Having one great system is nice, but you have to settle for a great game every once in a while with one that's just good in between every one. With a 360, I'll constantly have a great game to play (especially with the three great ones that come with the bid, and Bioshock and Mass effect which I'll buy both used). Of course this is all just a plan, I may just stick to only my Wii, seeing as Little King's Story, which is looking more and more like yet another GOTY title stealer as I come closer to getting it. Oh yeah, the release got moved to July 21st, which pisses me off because I should have it right now. But oh well, it will come and I will bask in its awesomeness. If it isn't the new best game of the year for me, then something amazing must've come in between now and then.

I really don't know if they could have made the game more childish looking (or the name more wussyish). All the critics are loving this game, and all of them say that its cover, title, and look are about the most misleading things possible. Jyst check out IGN AU's opening paragraph to their review.

IGN: Little King's Story Review

Oh yeah, and because I felt like it I used a patch to get Crossover Games for free on my Mac, so now I can use Project 64 to play Banjo-Kazooie and Tooie, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Paper Mario, and I got Steam to play The Orange Box. Hey I'm going to freaking Atlanta I need something to keep me entertained. Oh yeah and I got a DSi in exchange for old stuff, playing The World Ends With You on it, fantastic game. Yeah, all that.

*END VIDEO GAME TALK*

So like I said, I have just about nothing to talk about. That explains why all I have to talk about is video games, they're easy to talk about (and fun to argue about) and they kill boredom exceptionally well. Basically they've been filling in the void outside volleyball so far this summer. You see, I have had a practice or tournament almost every day of summer so far, so time to get with any friends and do anything has been minimal. I've spent most of the time just watching TV or playing a game, going to practice, coming back, watching TV or playing a game. Sounds boring, but I love it this way, no responsibilities and I can just sit around and be lazy like a fatass and not have to care since I'm working out a ton. In fact the summer won't really change, I'm playing volleyball almost eveery week this whole summer. Camps, beach tournaments, other sorts of training, I'm doing it all.

Of course this also means I might need a lot of extra music for the time I'm at camps and such, so hit me with every suggestion you have. "The Smiths" wore off quickly because although the music is fantastic, and Morrissey writes good lyrics, his voice is slightly intolerable. Still a good album, but not enough to make me listen to it over and over. With that in mind, I'm open to a lot right now, though I'm craving something moderately heavy. I'm feeling an RATM CD, as that's always good for pumping up, perfect for volleyball. If you can think of anything that'll satisfy this, feel free to blurt it out.

I'm trying to milk this blog a little more, but I really can't get anything more out of it. Sorry if I disappointed you, but then again I don't really care.

I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't been blogging much lately, and when I have there's been heavy focus on video games. Everything else is still going on in my life, volleyball, music, all that stuff, but you all know well I'm a Nintendo fanboy and when they have a strong year I get excited. I'll talk about the goings on at the end, but let's get to something big in the game world: E3.

Well E3 has come and gone again. I think we can all agree that this year was much better for all three of the major companies. The most noticeable improvement for a company was Nintendo's. After their God awful conference last year, they really stepped it up and put on a great show. I'm quite excited about a lot of games they talked about, so I thought I'd make a list of the top ten I'm looking forward to most.

This list was extremely hard to make. Nintendo announced and talked about so many amazing looking games and I could only fit ten, so let's start with ones that didn't quite make the cut, but I will definitely be getting

Honorable Mentions: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS), Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Wii) (I found it hard to not include it, but some of the lower games in the top 10 barely clinched it)

10. Dead Space: Extraction

This is definitely not my kind of game. I'm easily scared, and this game is survival horror in its purest form. But I really can't resist looking into the game. I don't know too much about it, other than you shoot zombies in space in the future, but I know it looks pretty badass.

YouTube - E3 Dead Space Extraction Video

9. The Grinder

While this game will probably be fantastic, deserving much better than #10, so little is known about it that I can't get that excited for it. The graphics are amazing, the gameplay looks intense, and it's coming from High Voltage, who is also producing The Conduit, which is shaping up to look damn impressive. Regardless of how much we know there's little doubt it will be great. I'll certainly be looking at this one as it goes through further development. It already looks stunning in the pre-Alpha stage so I'm excited to see the end result.

E3 09: Debut Trailer

8. New Super Mario Bros.! Wii

No one ever forgets the good ol' days of the cla$$ic Mario platformers. Hours of challenging (or sometimes simple) fun. When New Super Mario Bros.! came out for Nintendo DS, it was welcomed with huge acclaim. Now Nintendo's brought a new idea to the table, a co-op Super Mario platformer, just like the originals, but with four people working to get to the finish. The game was not given a higher spot on my list because it's essentially a new idea polished up with a new feature. By myself, I'd rather play the game for the DS. When I play a game on the Wii I'm playing for a full scale 3-D game. However when the game comes out I'll definitely get it, have some friends over and just go through the game. Definitely a neat idea, but among some other great looking titles, it can't be put too high up. Make no mistake, most other years this would be a top 3 pick, but this year was just such a great year for Nintendo.

YouTube - New Super Mario Bros. Wii Trailer

7. Golden Sun DS

I've heard of the legendary Golden Sun series before, but never had a chance to play it. Now that it's coming to DS, it looks absolutely amazing. I feel like I need to get it. I don't know how my wallet is gonna handle all of this spending, but I'll have to find a way to manage. Anyway, the game looks beautiful, and I could always use a good RPG.

YouTube - Golden Sun DS trailer

6. Zelda Wii

Actually, it's the game I'm anticipating the single most. The new Zelda for Wii is the game I look forward to more than anything. But, nothing has been revealed about the game except this concept art, so I thought it would be unfair to pass up other great looking games and put this so high up. The graphics and controls will be a massive improvement over Twilight Princess, since that was a Gamecube game ported to Wii with tacked on controls. Still, it was a great game, and if it improves as much as I expect it to, this will be one for the ages.

YouTube - News About Next Legend of Zelda for Wii - Part 21

5. The Conduit

Only not put in the top 3 because it's coming out in just a little over a week, so there's not much to anticipate more, it's pretty much here! However I still wanted to give it a shout out. I don't doubt that it could definitely take over as game of the year. I have extremely high hopes for this game. The campaign mode will undoubtedly be fun. I mean FPS campaigns are always at least pretty fun. But even if it isn't as amazing as I expect it to be, the multiplayer will without a shadow of a doubt be the best online experience available for the Wii. One could argue that you could simply go play Halo or something on Xbox 360 or PS3, but the biggest reason I have to play this game is the controls. Being fully customizable, I can fix everything the way I want, make it the way I think game should be controlled. Expect me to be up late when this one comes out next week. Some people may complain that it's just a generic FPS, but that's just what the Wii needs. It doesn't have enough generic FPSs. If that's the only complaint people can find, it will be the best game in a while.

YouTube - The Conduit Multiplayer-Trailer

And now a four-way-yes, four-way, I can't choose one-tie for my most anticipated game of E3 2009.

1. Super Mario Galaxy 2

The first Super Mario Galaxy has become the most critically acclaimed exclusive of the generation, holding a 97/100 average on Metacritic. Needless to say, it's an absolute masterpiece. Absolute perfection. It takes what made Super MArio 64 and Super MArio Sunshine so great and builds on it. With the best power-ups we've ever seen in a Mario game, beautiful awe-inspiring graphics, unforgettable gameplay, and most of all it's unique level designs, hopping from planet to planet with its own gravity, it has earned its place in gaming history. Being a sequel to such a fantastic game, it will no doubt build upon previous strengths, and fix the tiny flaws. The addition of Yoshi looks to bring a new dimension to the game. Only being a direct sequel, and therefore something I've seen before, holds this off from the #1 spot.

YouTube - Super Mario Galaxy 2 E3 2009 Trailer [HQ] (Rate This Game)

1. Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

As you probably know, I am of the humble opinion that The Legend of Zelda is the best thing to ever happen to video games. My two favorite games are both Zelda titles (Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, which I tried to blog about a while ago but it wouldn't work). I was a huge fan of Phantom Hourglass when it came out, and I even spent some time with it today. Spirit Tracks is what I've been waiting for for so long, a new Zelda title. I don't even need further explanation. It's a Zelda game, and will therefore be amazing.

YouTube - Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - E3 2009 Trailer

1. Metroid: Other M

As a huge fan of the Metroid series, and one who once claimed Metroid Prime 3 to be my favorite game of all time (though since I have lowered it down a bit, I was extremely excited to see a new Metroid title. From the get go, I was expecting something similar to the Prime games, a first person adventure (no it's not an FPS, don't argue, it isn't) through space, battling evil using high-tech weapons. I was caught completely off-guard by what I saw. The game runs in both third-person and first-person, switching between an adventure with FPS like action and intense third-person melee and shooting action, that looks more like a choreographed movie scene than a video game. I'm anticipating this game more than almost any other. Yet another game is proving that the Wii has far more powerful graphics than it is given credit for. But what could the other #1 possibly be?

YouTube - E3 09: Metroid: Other M Trailer

1. Scribblenauts

Bet ya didn't see a DS game coming in at #1 for me or Gamespot didja? I don't blame you, there's typically a shortage of great games for handheld consoles. But I haven't seen a concept quite as original and unique as this one in..... well quite possibly my whole life. This was enough to sway both me and Gamespot to put it as best game of the whole show. This time last year, if someone had told you that they were making a video game where you could type in literally any (or 10,000+ if we gotta get specific here) noun and it would appear right in the game so you could use it to solve a puzzle, you likely would have thought "No way in hell is that going to work." How could you program THAT much into one handheld game, even a console game couldn't do that. But they're working their asses off, putting more effort into the programming of this game than possibly any developer has before. In fact, I'm so excited for this game, I traded in my old DS, 6 old Wii games, and 4 old DS games to get a DSi to make sure I could do everything. The DS looks to have a huge next two years, as big as the Wii. Now excuse me, I must start taking bets for who will win in my epic battle of God vs. a metal Pterodactly vs. King Kong (which I happen to be watching now, great movie) vs. a dog vs. a Kraken vs. a pirate vs. Abraham Lincoln/ Yes, you can make that happen in this game. I'm betting on God to win.

YouTube - Scribblenauts Trailer

Also a quick shout out to a game coming out on the same day as The Conduit that I'm also getting, that wasn't mentioned at E3.

Little King's Story

Looks brilliant. It's Pikmin meets Animal Crossing meets Minions.

Just to show I pay attention to other platforms, I'll mention the the two games form the other two major platforms I want to play most.

Xbox 360

Mass Effect 2

I'm begging one of my friends to get this so I can play it. We've settled that he'll rent it and if it sucks I'll pay for it. Oh yeah, and I have to bring food and drinks to his house to play it.

PS3

MAG

256 player online? Yes sir, sign me up. I don't know anyone with a PS3 (mainly because it usually sucks, with a few exceptions), but I'll do my best to try and play this.

Next blog I'll discuss other topics, this took a hell of a long time to make. I promise not to even mention video games in the next blog.

Everyone who gets the opportuinity to, see Animal Collective live. The music is perfection when played live, but not just that, they have a iight show like no fukcing other. Even if you hate them, just plug your ears and watch the light show and all the energy, it's worth the admission fee. If it's any consolation for you Elmis, the opener sucked so I got tortured a little.

Bad picture, but still gives a pretty good idea of it:

Not a great venue in that picture, it all looked much better at The Wiltern, but the giant ball of trippiness is present everywhere, and the flashing synthesizers are going to cause a seizure one of these days.

Judging by other pics, it looks like all the flashing synthesizers (they had sheets over them with flashing lights undernath making them appear in every color of the rainbow, quickly switching on time with the beat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bV92BJhipk

There we go, there are quite a few videos from last night. Not very good audio on any of them, butit's decent and it gives you a good idea of the light show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9nwK0qLtg0

That's all for now. Here's to hoping all other AC fans (especially longer term fans than me) get a chance to see their awesome live act.

...where no one has gone before.

If you have the slightest hint of nerd in you you'll realize that I saw the Star Trek movie. Actually, I saw it twice. I had to visit my dad over the weekend and I promised I'd see it with him, but I already saw it with friends on IMAX for my birthday. So if I was willing to see it twice, and if you have a brain, you've probably figured out that I liked it. Good job. Now for the review.

Star Trek

Well well, Star Trek. The holy grail of nerdy series. In a room of a bunch of non-Trekkies, I doubt many people would have raised their hand if they were asked "Who wants to see the new Star Trek movie?" And with good reason. It's no secret that the last two Star Trek movies have sucked sh!t. I know I definitely wouldn't have raised my hand. But now after seeing it two times, I would raise my hand to go see it a 3rd time.

Star Trek spends no time twiddling around with worthless intro scenes, showing who everyone is, it jumps onto the screen and is filled with massive ships and, an intense battle scene is almost immediate. Of course, there is a plot about this. What do you think this is? Star Wars Episode 1? That's an insult. It's best to not know anything about the movie when you go into see it, but it is a good idea to have basic knowledge of the original series, characters and their attitudes mostly. This is because although the movie succeeds as an individual film, it triumphs as a prequel, what many critics (and I) have hailed as the best prequel ever made. It sets everything up perfectly for the original series to take place. The character's relationships, positions, etc. (minus one new character) are set up exactly in the way they were in the series. Some of the characters' original catchphrases will make old fans tingly inside. "Dammit man I'm a doctor not a physicist." "I"'M GIVIN' IT ALL I GOT!" Sound familiar? (Disclaimer: I do not watch the original series, nor am I a fan of it, but I have seen some episodes and this movie appears to set it up perfectly. If it doesn't, feel free to comment about it.)

But without even knowing it's a prequel, anyone can enjoy this film. It's not just for blockbuster action movie lovers, it's for the indie drama movie fans too. It's this years "The Dark Knight" (perhaps, unfortunately), in the way it is filled with action and explosions that keep you on the edge of your seat, but also a dramatic and deep (at sometimes bizarre) story, about friendship and loss. Everyone needs to go see this. It actually bests all Star Wars movies, bar the original, yes even The Empire Strikes Back, if that gives you an idea of how good it is.

10/10

Definitely the movie to beat so far this year, and it will take something HUGE to dethrone this. Best action movie in ages, yes, this is including The Dark Knight. Given the chance to watch either one again, I'd watch Star Trek one more time. It has the same dramatic depth to it as The Dark Knight, but then on the action side, it's more fun. The Dark Knight had a great plotline, but on the action side, it was overly dark. I liked the darkness of it, it was the only way to do the movie right, but Star Trek achieved a great plot while managing to remain fun. If Star Trek were released last year, it would be #2 or #3 overall, after Slumdog Millionaire and maybe The Wrestler.

When I think about The TDK comparison, it is unfortunate because although it's fantastic and worthy of at least a Best Picture nomination, it won't get one. It will win Oscars for visual editing, special effects, costumes, etc., but other than MAYBE a nomination for best supporting actor (for Zachary Quinto as Spock), it won't get very far. Pity the Academy is too stuck up to see greatness in films like this. Don't get me wrong, I think they usually pick the movie that deserves best pictur emost (and if not, then the 2nd or 3rd most deserving), but it's a shame that any action or special effects automatically disqualifies a movie for best picture unless it's a gangster movie (which for some reason are Oscar darlings).

While I'm on movies, I'll score four others and give a short comment. Not reviews, that's way too much work.

Valkyrie

7.5/10

Interesting story with a surprisingly good performance by Tom Cruise, but it was inconcise and hard to follow. Perhaps the story was just not meant to be a movie. Still worth watching.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

9/10

Although overlong like many complained about, the story is fascinating and the characters actually make you care about them. The story spirals into a very sad and powerful ending, one that everyone knew was inevitable. Unpredictable and undeniably entertaining, it's definitely one worth watching, though not quite among the best films of 2008.

Taken

7.75/10

"I won't tell you Taken is great, but it's great fun." This critic nailed it. The story was intense fun, although some things about it were just nonsense. The odds of such a story actually happening, even under the exact same circumstances, are slim to none. He based tons of his ideas purely off chance, and guess what? They all turned out correct. That doesn't happen. Regardless, it was still a very fun watch.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

9/10

Shockingly funny. Watched it off a recommendation from my dad, who is very reliable. It won't be as funny for everyone as it is for me (although if you're reading this, you probably have as good or better knoweldge than me). You should have a good knowledge of music over the last century if you want to really enjoy it. Otherwise it will just be another unfunny stupid comedy. Also, dare I say the music was great? Particularly the blues at the beginning. The lyrics were obviously intentional trash, but the music was actually quite good. The corny acting, cliche story, and ridiculous foreshadowing of everything bad, all intentional of course, combined with the musical satire all make for one great big laugh. However, if you're a huge Johnny Cash fan and are easily offended, stay away.

I was almost a little embarrassed to like the last one, but I'm not gonna lie, I enjoyed watching it.

While in New York, I picked up some CDs (since the Barnes & Noble there has a whole floor devoted to CDs and DVDs).

"s/t" by The Smiths

Thanks to Shadow for the recommendation, truly a great album.

"Remain In Light" by Talking Heads

Couldn't resist it for only $8, and such a hard to find album too. As well, excellent, just what I'd expect from the Talking Heads.

"Feels" by Animal Collective

It was between this and "Sung Tongs", and after demoing both album over three times previously on playlist.com, I thought "Feels" was the better choice. Also fantastic, my 2nd favorite, after "Merriweather Post Pavillion." Now to buy "Sung Tongs" with that iTunes gift card I have (ew, iTunes, I feel dirty). 3 days until Animal Collective live (sorry to sound harsh and braggy that I get to see them, if it's any consolation for you I accidentally bought the wrong tickets so I don't get floor seats).

I got a ton of good stuff over my birthday too, but this blog is long enough. Maybe I'll go over it next blog.

But one present I'll talk about now is a huge book I got called The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Guitar Heroes: The gastest, the greatest, the best axemen ever! The first section of the book is entitled "Virtuosos", with the description of what separates a guitar hero from a virtuoso

"The guitar hero is the iconic image of rock 'n' roll. Beyond image, the rick-guitar virtuoso is about the playing- the talent, the technique and, above all, the dedication. The dedication involves practising (is that how you spell practicing in another country?) for hours every day, cultivating the talent and the technique, obsessing over sounds and how to create and control them and then putting it all into the context of a performance as part if a rock band onstage. But while the guitar hero inspires the audience, the guitar virtuoso also inspires and influences other guitarists, who can see beyond the image to the dedication and details in the music and the performance."

I thought that was just a neat quote on what makes a guitarist truly amazing. It named 19 guitarists virtuosos, in no particular order I guess, keep in mind this is purely for rock guitarists, explaining why B.B. King, Robert Johnson, and other great blues guitarists weren't put in the book until the blues section:

Frank Zappa

Jimi Hendrix

Jimmy Page

Jeff Beck

Eric Clapton

David Gilmour

Steve Howe

Brian May

Mark Knopfler

Steve Hackett

Steve Morse

Eric Johnson

Eddie Van Halen

Joe Satriani

Randy Rhoads

Steve Vai

Yngwie Malmsteen

John Petrucci

Jonny Greenwood

With no particular order, it's definitely not a perfect list, but this is about one of the best lists I've seen someone make (no not just for the inclusion of Jonny, although I do like that and find this gives me a little more right to say he's great ). Check out the book, anyone who wasn't included in the virtuosos section that you think should have been is definitely somewhere else in the book. Really an interesting thing to pass some time.

Today was my birthday. This was by far the best present I got:

http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/wii/punchout

Sorry Mad World, you were just dethroned for game of the year so far. If you have a Wii, for the love of all that is holy go buy this game now. If not, find someone who does and try the masterpiece yourself. It's even better than the NES cla$$ic from over 20 years ago. Obviously better graphics, but the characters are better than ever (almost all the same, but the added personailities make them more memorable), more replayable, as challenging, as addictive, more engaging, and the controls are great. Ignore any critics saying to play it NES $tyle and pass up the motion controls, the motion controls are just as effective and easy to pick up on and execute, if not better. If you think I'm overhyping something again I really don't give a sh!t just know you have to play this at some point if you were ever a fan of the cla$$ic Punch Out!!, or if you just want a great challenge. The original Punch Out!! was the hardest game I ever played, and nothing has changed since then.

Oh and about it dethroning Mad World, so far I think it has (since Mad Worldwasn't quite as replayable as I thought it would be, still a great game though, maybe down to a 9.5 at worst), but it'll take some time to make a truly accurate judgment.

I want some good sleep now, I'll blog more later. Just thought I'd update you on how games on my top 5 anticipated list were turning out. So far, one of the lower ranked ones has taken #1, and The Conduit, which I expect to be #1 now, is coming out next month. Little King's Story (God could they make the name any gayer?) comes out too and that looks great. Woulda ha dit on my list if I had known.

By the way, if anyone has ANY music suggestions at all, I'm wide open. I havenm't been to the store in a few months and have a ton of money on my hands waiting to be spent.

Sorry every blog has been about video games lately (not that there have been many blogs), it's just the Wii is actually having a great year so far, redeeming itself from last year's almost complete sh!tfest minus a few gems so I'm excited about it. Blogs will be back to normal soon. More frequent too as school comes to a close.

That's right being a fan for 3 months isn't stopping me from seeing 'em live for $45 a ticket at The Wiltern. I accidentally ordered tix for the upper level but I'm tyring to get it changed to pit tickets. Either way it'll be tight cuz the place is so small there isn't a single bad seat. All you longer term fans who don't get the opportunity can suck my nutsack XD.

Oh and by the way, no I don't just have "Merriweather Post Pavillion", I got "Strawberry Jam" and have listned to "Sung Tongs" and "Feels" and will prolly pick them up. I like "Strawberry Jam" about as much as "MWPP" and the other two are both greta and pretty equal, but I like AC's poppier side more. Anyway I got tickets for 'em, you don't (probably), so late.

So I have a pretty good blog I'm trying to post but TV.com decided to be a b!tch and not let me submit it. It'll be a while knowing this site...

... I kill them..."

At the request of Shadow in his blog, I have decided to... well, blog. The timing works out since I just beat MadWorld and I planned on reviewing it when I was done. So withour further adieu, here's my Mad World review.

NOTE: There will be two parts to this review, the first will be an overview of the game and its basics, the 2nd will contain spoilers. If you plan on playing this game, I suggest you skip the 2nd part so you don't ruin the amazing story for yourself. I will now insult your intelligence by telling you that the spoilers begin where *SPOILERS* is written.

Now for my review in the exact style of Game Spot revies, but more reliable XD.

"Jack's Heart Surgery: Your chest will be painless in 3 seconds."

That picture can easily sum up about what you're gonna see in MadWorld: blood, blood, and more blood. Yes, MadWorld is without a doubt ultraviolent. So violent, some could go (or should I say, have gone) as far as saying that it is the most violent video game of all time. And while this may be justified, since ripping people's hearts out with your bare hand and jamming 4 caution signs through someone's face before jamming a trash can over them, then throwing them onto a spiked wall is pretty damn violent, even lightweights can find the violence "cool". I might even say, it is humorous. More than anything though, it's just violent. There's no other way to explain. It's damn entertaining is what it is. I've killed people using heart surgery countless times in this game, and I still freak out at how awesome it is when I get the opportunity to do it. It NEVER gets old. Before you start to think that you basically do the same moves over and over again, I have to tell you, in each level, the environment around you can be used to your advantages. Automatic cutting knives? Toss some b@stard under em and watch the gore fly. Tank of pirahnas? Throw their ass in that tank and watch them die slowly. Pretty much everywhere you look in the game there is some object that you can use to murder your enemies that you won't find anywhere else. Even so, the delicious murders you repeat over and over have flare every time you do them. It might be the suspense, waiting to see what vicious move JAck decides to do, then quickly executing it.

"Caution, this sign is not intended to be shoved through peoples' faces, BUT THAT IS A FUKCING AWESOME IDEA!!!"

"Lose 50 lbs in 3 seconds!!!"

I know the above line is ripped off from a MadWorld ad, but I couldn't resist.

You might not believe it, but the above three pictures all contain about the smallest amount of blood you'll find at any given moment in this game.

Anyway, past just judging the violence, which I'm sure everyone can agree is just awesome period, the gameplay. If the only type of game you enjoy playing are games where tons of strategy is involved, where you have a slow pace to think really hard, having to solve puzzles, and exploit your enemies' weaknesses THIS IS NOT THE GAME FOR YOU! If you SERIOUSLY think that this game looks like a heavy strategy game, I don't know how that brain of yours can even beat a game based on strategy. This is a fast paced beat 'em up brawler. The only strategy involved is how you can use your surroundings to whoop some ass. That involves quick reflexes and creativity more than strategy. Think of yourself as an artist, your weapons and the objects around you as your tools, and blood as your paint. It may sound stupid, but you have the most success in this game if you can quickly scan an area, and invision a way to kill the hoardes of people around you using everything to your advantage, then execute it. If not, hey no biggie, you can still punch them over and over then press B for a quick B finisher (where all the beautiful heart surgery and double dagger seppukus of the game come from), which is rewarding, but doesn't have nearly as big a payoff if you can jam three things over them then shove 7 things through their face then slam them against spikes over and over. You get two big payoffs for that: a lot of points and a lot of blood. Of course you can go around chainsawing people in half, but you'd likely run out of the 30 minute time limit before you actually got enough points to fight the boss. The game is about ****and lots and lots of gore. It's not an RPG or a puzzle game, it's an action game. It's what it's meant to be, and it's what it succeeds at being. Speaking of bosses...

... the bosses in this game are awesome. The strategy is typically the same, dodge their attacks, then run in for a quick hack, activate a power struggle, then follow the on screen motion commands, repeat, but you'd be shocked at how fast paced the boss battlesare. The motions to both activate, and to fight in a power struggle must be performed in a split second or the boss will wail on you. Hey if you get an opportunity to knock out a quarter of their health in one blow, they should too.

All in all, the game isn't nearly as easy as the gameplay videos might make you think. I'm not about to say it's a hard game, but I did have to retry the zombie level about ten times because THE GODDAMN GRIM REAPER KEPT KILLING ME WHILE A ZOMBIE WAS HOLDING ME.. ahem, sorry. It's a nice difficulty level. As the game progresses, it gets much harder, and at the point that you're in Sector 56 (the 2nd to last chapter of the game, staying alive is the main task, killing happens in between, and you usually have to find a way to take them out in large numbers at once or when you try to get a stylish kill someone else will just come up and hit you, then you've got two people trying to kill you. If that's still not hard enough, try hard mode once the game is beat. There's a significant difference between normal and hard difficulties in this game. I replayed the final level on hard after I unlocked the mode, and I beat it, but it wasn't easy at all. The final boss (who I will just say was unexpected and incredible) was tough to beat. Just a few hits from him and I was dead. HE nearly killed me, and we got into a "I kill him or he kills me depending on who wins this" power struggle. The most significant difference, is that in normal, you start with 2 continues, while in Hard mode you start with none. Then add in the enemies being smarter and more difficult to kil, and making their attacks deal more damage to you (A LOT MORE), the game can get pretty hard. Even with the help of the two bonus weapons you get in select levels after beating the game, the Katana and a DOUBLE CHAINSAW (yes, a DOUBLE CHAINSAW), the fear of dying quickly is no longer unique to boss battles, but to the whole level.

"Hey buddy! Hold still! There's a bug on your face! I'll get it for ya... whoops I chopped ya in half, oh well at least that damn bug's gone."

Riddled throughout the streets of Jefferson Island are setups for twisted mini games of mayhem, known as Bloodbath Challenges. The games you'll find are Man Darts, Death Press, Man Golf, Rocket Reamer, Hinabi, Turbinator, and then Man Darts II (same exact thing, but it never gets old), and Death Press II (COMPLETELY different, I'm surprised they didn't come up with another name for it), though there is a chance I'm forgetting some. Basically, the objective of the bloodbath challenges is to murder as many of your enemies as possible using what the explanation, given by, and demonstrated on The Black Barontells you to. For example, Man Darts is hitting people onto a giant dart board using a spiked baseball bat. The board is like a normal dart board, and whereever the sucker who got in the way of your bat lands is how many points you get. You get both overall points for killing them like any other time, and bonus points for the game. In Death Press you, chuck as many people into a shallow pit as you can, then a giant anvil with spikes on it comes down and squashes them. I won't give away all of them, as you should try to experience them for yourself, but I'll let on that everyone is loads of fun.

"Sir! You forgot your head!!!"

I thought I should address the graphics, as some people are unsure about them. A concern I see recurring among a lot of people is the ability to distinguish yourself, enemies, and objects from your surroundings. I'll first say I never had a single problem with this. It's always apparent where youare, and where any enemies are, not only because you can already see them, but because they are the only things constantly moving (bar occasional sawblades and such). THe patterns you see in the game also make it obvious where everything is. Second, I love the $tyle artistically. The black and white $tyle places heavy emphasis on the blood, making it all the more fun to make the red stuff come out. I know it's a little twisted, but I eventually actually was disappointed when the kill only made a small amount of blood, an amount of blood that would undoubtedly mean at least three people had been murdered in real life. A little sick I know, but hey, this game isn't exactly full of sanity. The whole game is about insanity. The sharp comic book look gives it a real edge that is essential to the tone of the game. It looks like an interactive comic book more than real life, which is refreshing in the time where every game is striving to look like a movie. I wouldn't want the graphics any other way.

On a few minor details, the commentators are hilarious. I won't tell any of their jokes now (though I may from time to time in the future, but I assure you, they add a great bit to the game. They aren't a vital component to thegame in themselves, but when you try to picture playing the game without them, the game just seems like it would be less fun. When you think about the idea "Oh sure, some commentators telling jokes, not so necessary," it sounds like you don't need them, but without them there, the game would lose its sense of humor. If you were just brutally killing people to a dark soundtrack, the game would feel incomplete. It would be frightening, which is not what the game is supposed to be. It's supposed to be a mix of extreme violence and comedy. I can't explain perfectly, but they're needed.

Sicne I mentioned the soundtrack, I might as well say that the soundtrack is fantastic. It's mostly underground hip-hop, which really shows that hip-hop/rap isn't dead because of all this terrible mainstream stuff today. It's funky, fresh, and original. I found all the songs on you Tube, so I'll post the link to the search that makes them come up. I suggest "Ain't That Funny" by Sick YG, my favorite in the game, "Ride!!!" and "Get It Up" by Ox, and "Mad World" by Optimus. All great tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=mad+world+gamerip&aq=f

I've seen a worry among some people that the game is too short. The gameplay technically lasts 6-8 hours on timer, but this doesn't include the time you have to spend replaying some levels you die on, and it certainly doesn't count the time you'll want to spend beating it on hard mode, and even after that, the time you'll spend going back through your favorite levels and getting as many points as possible, occasionally using some new weapons. Even before you beat the game, after some levels, you'll just want to play the level over again because it was so damn fun. I know I did. And now that it's beaten, I'm still going back and playing random levels through again, and they're as fun as the first time. I think you could easily get up to 50 hours of true entertainment out of this game because the game in itself, even without tons of bonus features, is so easily replayable. Also, you'll want to have some friends over and compete in the Bloodbath Challenges. Just to add a sense of something new, not just playing the games again, you'll do the usual routine, but then try and kill each other to prevent the other from succeeding.

I was gonna write my own summary of the plot, but this review is taking long enough as it is. So I'll treat you to a Wikipedia synopsis. My opinion of the plot is that it is incredible. Some people feared that plot would be absent in this game, but it ismore than there. It's complex, twisted, and at times, shocking. You learn more and more about Jack and why he's there as the story progresses, andyou come closer and closer to bringing The Organizers down. Now I will insult your intelligence for the second time in a single blog by writing *SPOILER* in gigantic letters.

*SPOILERS*

Just in case you didn't get the memo, there are spoilers in this section.

If you STILL don't get it, you're an idiot and deserve to have the whole game ruined for you. Anyway here we go.

Three days prior to the events in the game, Varrigan City had become a target for a group of terrorists known as "The Organizers", who severed the island city's transportation and communication ties with the rest of the world, and then released a virus onto its population that would kill them in less than 24 hours. However, the Organizers informed any person that killed another would receive the vaccine. The city was quickly transformed into the stage of a reoccurring called Death Watch, with announcers Howard "Buckshot" Holmes and former DeathWatch fighter Kreese Kreeley. The remaining citizens of Varrigan City as well as new hopefuls become the show's contestants, hoping to become the top-ranked fighter in the game and win a large cash prize.

Jack, a man with a retractable chainsaw built onto one arm, enters the games and manages to gain sponsorship from "Agent XIII". The game's organizers, led by Noa, realize that Jack's motive is more than just to win, and learn that Jack is working with someone on the outside. They come to learn that Jack was a former marine and a three-time former champion of previous DeathWatch games, but now seems intent on a mission. Noa surmises that Jack is after the mayor's daughter, who is still inside the city. While they could kill Jack at any time, they realize Jack has become an audience favorite, with many sponsors and viewers betting on his success, and are forced to try to kill Jack while he is in combat.

Jack, meanwhile, saves Leo, a doctor from a hospital that was unwittingly trapped in the city but managed to obtain the vaccine. Jack tells Leo to try to stay low until the games are over, and continues to seek the mayor's daughter. When he finds her, he realizes she's willingly staying in the city to watch and be near to the games. Jack refuses to do anything for her. Instead he seeks to find out exactly how and why Varrigan City became Death Watch, recognizing that there was no way that the city could have been transformed that fast without deep planning. As Jack nears the last battle, Agent XIII reveals himself to be Lord Gesser, an influential figure in politics. Lord Gesser reveals that he knows that the Death Watch games were created to quench mankind's thirst for blood and violence in the absence of war, but admits that this particular incarnation of the games is solely driven by someone's greed, and passes on the name of Springvale to Jack and the Agency.

The rest of the plot can be found in these videos. it's too awesome to hear about. You have to see it.

You'd never guess who the final boss is. I sure didn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Ycuj3LWfA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZXzVPE84Vs&feature=related

In my opinion, the best ending to any video game I've ever played.

*END SPOILERS*

The score? I was considering doing what Shadow said he does, giving a critic score and a personal score. After all, I thought, I'd give the personal score 9.5-10 because it was so fun, and a critic score around an 8 to 9 towards the middle of the game, since it seemed to have a lot of good elements, but I doubted it would have that little extra that made it perfect. But when I reached the end. When the amazing plot came to a close and it was all tied together, like some epic drama movie, I didn't need to anymore. The scores matched.

10/10

This isn't the nostalgia talking. I beat the game a few days ago, and even since, I've still been playing it. It doesn't get old, ever. The game itself is like a great movie. When I bought it, I was expecting a very fun, entertaining, ultra violent game. I got that, but I also got an amazing story added on. It wasn't what I expected. Or I should say it was, and then what I thought it would fail in, it succeeded beyond imagination in. Now, the nostalgia talking, wants me to say this is the best Wii game. That is justified too. I can honestly say this entertained me as much or more than any other Wii game I've played. If I ignore the nostalgia, it's definitely top 5, which is not saying that it's not necessarily #1. It would be hasty to say that it is the best, but there's no doubt that it has a chance.

I can't guarantee you'll love this game as much as I do. Since I hyped it so much, it could let you down. It could REALLY let you down. But if there's even a chance you'll love this game as much as I do, which there always is, you need to play it. If you're unconvinced, but skipped the spoilers, watch the two videos. Knowing the ending is better than never getitng to see it because you didn't play it.

Well I got really in depth with this review, so I'll save everything else I had on my mind for another blog. I want to draw attention to the review more than anything anyway. After all, I DID give it a 10/10, which may seem common with me, but hey most games on the Wii I've played don't get a 10 from me. In fact, there are only about 5 or 6 I'd give a 10. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this review, and further more, I hope you play this game.

...more days...

... not a stranger, I'm an ordinary guy, BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE!..."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozc70JPGRMQ One of quite a few partyish songs that were played at my two person party last night .

So anyway, yesterday me and my friend Chase happened to have silmutaneously occuring boredom. In order to relieve a little of this boredom, he came over to play some video games (what I always do when he's over cuz it's about the only thing we both like to do that we can do at a house). Long story short he ended up staying the night and we were up until 5 AM listening to music, playing games, and watching Simpsons.

Why am I telling you this? Well because it was fun for me, I haven't blogged for ages, and I have nothing better to talk about right now. Well I could mention I got an A on 5 out of 6 finals at school, only B in Geometry which I didn't study for because I had an A no matter what I got pretty much.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvDNMRZLL-0&feature=related (another song at the two man party)

Well again out of my lack of material to talk about, started off playing some Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which after 11 months still entertains me like not much else can. Not much to say about that, I kicked his ass every time, no matter who I played as (though when I was Toon Link or Lucas, my two best, I particularly raped). Lots of fun, but eventually we just switched to Metroid Prime 3 because it's badass. Apparently I erased the data from when I beat it so I just started over, beat the first level, then threw stuff at the TV when I got stuck on the 2nd level. That was the end of that .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NdAUnnU9Ac Probably the strangest song history that I know of, a song that's intended to make fun of the party-hard attitude, but it's become the ultimate party song. I like it this way better XD.

To continue my boring story, I turned on a little Animal Crossing, bought an ass load of stuff and did some fishing. For such a simple game it has loads of replay value.

We then played an endless Mario Party game where I was in 3rd place until the last 5 turns, when I got 4 stars (2 of them in one turn because of Donkey Kong spaces), then 2 more bonus, so I kicked ass AGAIN. I'm pretty sure we played Brawl a little again afterwards, until around 2 o'clock in the morning when I thought it was a good idea to start playing guitar. The way I see it, the sound curphew begins at 10 o'clock, but they never say when it ends, so I just assume it's the beginning of the next day. Still, I'm not a total jackass so I kept it pretty quiet. I wailed a little in the style (and tone of "Comfortably Numb"), for like 20 minutes, then decided to learn...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_9GR9kdZ3o

Ya, awesome riff, really simple, so what better could I really do at 2 in the morning? Speaking of this I've got some new CDs to go over. At the end of the blog. After that, wewent on virtual console and bought Star Fox 64 for $10, which I must say I suck at. Great game, loads of fun, but I'm terrible. Can't even beat the 2nd level. I'll get it eventually, but it's hard to catch on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uQ9W4KexnA I don't know if I can do much better at a prty then with this song. So having only two people in a garage at 3 in the morning rocking to this is pretty sweet .

We thought about watching a movie, but passed it in favor of old Simpsons episodes. Most of the new Simpsons episodes suck hairy c0ck, but those old ones know how to tickle my ribs. Watched the classic "O, Brother Where Art Thou", probably one of the 5 best episodes, and the pretty funny "Bart's Dog Gets an F." All this ended about 3:40 in the morning. I verbally abused Chase (as it usually goes) until about 4:40, which ended in us both laughing our asses off.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU8WxVyG8Kg&feature=related

Anyway that's about th e night went. Good way to save me from boredom, though 5 and a half hours later I was up eating waffles and Chase (who will from now on be called "Cham") was leaving. Not the most sleep I've ever had, but could do worse.

So those new album purhases...

"Merriweather Post Pavillion" by Animal Collective

Already wins for best album cover of the year. I'm loving this album. It beats anything I bought all last year (meaning released last year that I got), which admittedly isn't much, but still, it's amazing. First perfect score of the year.

Standouts: "My Girls", "Summertime Clothes", "Lion in a Coma", "Bluish"

10/10

I'm making good on my promises to get more Beck albums. I have to say this is the best album of last year that I've heard. Scoring would be premature since I've only listened to it two times, but "Gamma Ray" is my favorite song off it.

"Franz Ferdinand" by Franz Ferdinand

Believe it or not, for years, I thought Franz Ferdinand was kind of one of those bands that no one liked and critics didn't like much. I only recently found out that quite a few of my most rleiable friends loved them and critics also adored them. This perked my ears up, and I grabbed this one near immediately. Very very good. I'm going with the mainstream and saying "Take Me Out" is my favorite FF song, but it's not a huge standout among others, as they're all top notch.

I also replaced lost copies of "Badmotorfinger" and "Are You Experienced?".

Well this weekend my inner video game nerd has been enjoying itself quite a bit, so I'm gonna talk EVEN MORE about games. After many long, obsessive days, I beat Chrono Trigger:

I played the Nintendo DS port of CT, which was almost exactly alike, with only a few changes to armor. I have to say, this is not only the best RPG I've ever played, but also one of my 5 favorite games ever, likely top 3! I'll be playing this for a while, even though I've already beaten it. By the way Elmis, I now know why you said Golem Boss is the easiest boss in the game...

Well since I've been saying that this year looks to be a great year for the Wii, I'm gonna count down my top 5 most anticipated games of 2009. It looks like the new Rygar disappointed, and Tenchu 4 was high quality, very good but not amazing. I think I'll grab Tenchu because it just looks entertaining and I want a new Wii game. Anyway, the countdown. Ready?

deadly creatures, madworld, punch out, final fantasy, the conduit

5.Deadly Creatures

Looks like a bunch of new 3rd party crap upon first look, but upon looking at the gameplay, the sotry, and the idea behind the game, this is bound to be great. It comes out tomorrow, though with this one, I'm gonna wait a while before buying it. IT could be amazing, or very mediocre. I don't think it will be bad, but I need confirmation that it is as good as it looks.

4. Punch Out! Wii

I love the original Punch Out! with all my heart. I didn't play it until recently, but the simplicity, thrill, fast pace, and extreme fun got me hooked on it. Now, throw in the Wii controls, and cool looking graphics, and I'm excited. Can't wait to try this one out.

3. Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time

Call me insane, as almost everyone would, but Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles whoops the sh!t out of any other Final Fantasy game in my mind. I like the more fantasy **** story, with more magic and much more entertaining bosses and enemies. The final boss, which I never beat, remains the hardest boss I've ever fought, with the final of Metroid Prime 3 a close 2nd. this great looking follow up is sure not to disappoint. Another game I'm ecstatic for.

2. The Conduit

Looks like us Wii owners will finally get a good FPS. This looks stunning. Graphics look great, gameplay looks fun, and the storyline sounds incredible. I was considering putting this at #1 for a long time, but my sense caught up with me and I couldn't put it ahead of what looks to be the most incredible game of the year.

1. MADWORLD

Wow is about the one word that sums this up most. If you know me well, I'm no fan of ultra violent games, but this looks extreme violence done perfectly right. Humor, creativity, and one of the things I lik est: the fact it looks like a comic book instead of more realistic, graphic killing. The way you can get so creative with your kills is what I'm looking forward to most. I mean, I can stab people with a road sign? Pull their heart out (ew)? Hold them against a moving train? Slam them with a garbage can? Put them in a garbage can then throw them in between a pole and a moving train? Cut them in half with a chainsaw? Hit them onto a giant dart board? Smash them with giant spikes? Slam them over your head then chuck em in a dumpster that cuts em in half? Break their spine over your head? Rip their body in half? And it does it all without looking overly gross for a second, and I have a weak stomach. I can't wait until this comes out. I preordered it and got free overnight shipping from Gamestop.com since I might not be able to go to Gamestop first or second day it's out. Just one more month until I can experience the awesomeness of it. Let's see some videos in the meantime. Actual gameplay at Comic Con in New York, no trailers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L38m47vt_8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WJCe3P4VaQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULDqdkyDQFo

Looks ridiculously entertaining.

Alright I'm out, see ya later.

... we'll keep on fighting 'til the end, no time for losers 'cause we are the champions of the world..."

This is a mini blog intended to inform you that...

MY VOLLEYBALL TEAM FUKCING WON THE SCVA INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT!!!!!!!

Yes, in the 15s division, my team went 8-0 dropping only one game (to win a match you need to win 2 games) to a team playing out of their minds. This is actually the first tournament I've ever won. We got unique shirts that only winners of each age division get, and a clear, fancy, and really tight vase looking thing with a stand saying that we won the tournament (meaning it's the trophy ).

Besides being a huge milestone in my career, this win gives us our status as the #1 team in the country back (after a few weeks as #2), and qualifies us for Junior Olympics Open Division. We played our rivals in the finals, who we raped the first game, 25-12. Second game was tight because of some sh!t calls, but we pulled it out and won 27-25 with an ace to win. I started for 70% of the tournament (more than our other Opposite who played about 50% of the time). The first two days, I was the man. I was the MVP for the 2nd day for sure. I didn't start one match, but we quickly fell behind, so I was subbed in. The second I was in, we had a huge comeback due to a kill by me followed by a huge serving run with a few aces). I hit around .950 yesterday (a good hitter should hit around .400, so in other words, I was insane, made one hitting error and about 19 other hits were all kills, with no hit I had ever being dug by the other team. I actually saved our team twice. Led two huge comebacks which saved us from dropping and led us to victory. Bu the whole team played amazingly in the finals. I didn't play because I was a little off the match before but I have no anger about it. Everyone was amazing, especially our other Opposite.

... but I love everybody else..."

Only two videos quick I wanted to share:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1aQxmYevFM&feature=channel_page

My team. I'm hitting on the left side, though the right side got set. He's a fukcing beast.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILjJDcI2Em8&feature=channel_page

And just something funny.

...two turntables and a microphone..." I expect everyone to know this immediately.

So anyway, yes I'm alive, since 13 days without a blog is a long time for me, although normal for most of you. Merry belated Christmas everyone. Speaking of Merry Christmas, I'm sick of Happy Holidays. I celebrate Christmas so it's what I'm gonna say. Everyone needs to stop getting so fukcing offended, and just say "Thanks," then if they feel like being a little witty, say "Happy Hanukah," or whatever the hell they celebrate. Okay I'm done.

Since I last posted, I've picked up four albums and a lot of Christmas stuff. For Christmas I got lots which I can't be bothered to go over, but a few things were:

DVDs:

The Dark Knight (with a digital copy for iTunes for free)
WALL-E (also that digital copy)
Iron Man
The Godfather Copolla Restoration Set (so awesome, all three movies, and a bonus disc, Godfather Part II is amazing, almost as good as the first one, 10/10)

Video Games:

Animal Crossing: City Folk (AHHHHHH I'M ADDICTED!!!!!!!)
Legend of Zelda: Collector's Disc (just to play Majora's Mask)

A few other things:

Mikasa VLS200 Volleyball (official FIVB beach volleyball)
Clear iPhone case with clear film for screen
Money, gift cards, etc.

Ya, I've also seen a few movies other than Godfather II. Here's all of them (including GF II) with a score.

Godfather Part II



10/10

Frost/Nixon

10/10

Gran Torino



9/10

To say I'm seeing amazing films recently is a massive understatement. The Wrestler and Ben Button come this week for me! I'll have seen all the amazing films recently.

I've also picked up four new albums (three of em were early Christmas presents)

"Airbag/How Am I Driving" by Radiohead



I now have every Radiohead recording that's not just a single. I love this thing as I do all other Radiohead albums. I actually recommend this to everyone (including Shadow, pretty rocking at times).

"Tim" by The Replacements

Well because I loved "Dose of Thunder", and then Elmis tried to use them as an excuse to why I'm not an "indie-kid" (a term which I think is pointless and very snobbish), I decided to grab this. Lot's of good rocking. Pretty hard to dislike.

"Louder Than Love" by Soundgarden



I said I'd get this over a year ago, but I finally got it. I haven't listened to it yet, but I bet it'll be good.

Now, my favorite album I've picked up recently:

"Odelay" by Beck



I've heard a lot about Beck recently. You've all been talking about him quite a bit. But if you want the truth, Futurama made me get this album . Actually, I don't have the album. I got an iTunes gift card, so figured I'd use it to grab this album without the annoyance of driving 20 minutes to get it. But either way, I love it. It's genius. It's so genius, I can actually let Beck off the hook for being a Scientologist, something I've never done for anyone!!!!! Best genre fusion ever. Beck is without a doubt the grooviest man to walk the Earth. I seriously can't control my body from moving with the music, no matter how hard I try. I haven't completely finished the album yet, but if it stays THIS good, it's a 10/10 with no second thoughts. "Readymade" is just starting, and it's already starting to rock. I'll give the lowdown on all of these later.

Anyway, I've only got time to post the bullsh!t right now, no time for much good stuff. I'll see ya all later.

After my failed attempt last time, in which I ruined the whole thing while posting the 2nd to last picture. CURSE YOU MICKEY ROURKE!!!!!

I'm not going to give the normal 5 nominations for each category, though that is the maximum I'll give. I assign just a winner once..

So without further adieu, I give you...

OSCAR PREDICTIONS

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

Nominees:

Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in Milk

Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in The Wrestler

Clint Eastwood as Walt Kowalski in Gran Torino

Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frank Langella as Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon

THE WINNER

Sean Penn

Penn's flawless take on the inspirational and historical man will likely get him the nod.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Nominees:

Josh Brolin as Dan White in Milk

Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight

THE WINNER

Heath Ledger

Obviously Heath's curtain call since death often leads to, ya know, the end of your career. Ledger could not have done a better job putting on a last performance. On top of the dark, engrossing, convincing, and all in all horrifying performance, the Academy will want to honor a legend. They can't pass up his last opportunity. Or could they?

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

Nominees:

Anne Hathaway as Kym in Rachel Getting Married

Mellisa Leo as Ray Eddy in Frozen River

THE WINNER

Anne Hathaway

I haven't yet seen either of the two movies, but the buzz is tremendous, particularly around Hathaway.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Nominees:

Penelope Cruz as Maria Elena in Vicki Cristina Barcelona

also...

THE WINNER

Penelope Cruz

Pretty clearly the winner. There isn't much else to have a shot at it. Her interesting character is sure to stir things up.

(Just for fun) vv

BEST ANIMATED PICTURE:

Nominees:

WALL-E

Bolt

....forget it

THE WINNER:

WALL-E

NOW THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!

BEST PICTURE:

Here I will expand it to 6 nominations because of a wide variety of possibilities.

Nominees:

The Wrestler

Slumdog Millionaire

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Revolutionary Road

AND THE WINNER IS.............

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Call it bias if you must, but this film is the clear frontrunner for best picture in my mind. The academy is basically a bunch of suckers for this film. It's very emotional and exactly what a drama needs to be. Intense, scary, funny at times, and sometimes they just need to make you leave the theater feeling good and happy. It's clearly the most acclaimed film of the year universally, among critics and every day viewers. On Metacritic, it comes 3rd only after WALL-E (animated, never wins best pic) and Man on Wire (which has an 89, but is a documentary, so it won't win). From users, it has a 9.1, higher than even a crowd pleaser like The Dark Knight. Danny Boyle has clearly made an unmatched masterpiece this year.

A PUBLIC NOTE TO ALL THOSE WHO THINK THE DARK KNIGHT WILL GET NOMINATED, OR EVEN WIN BEST PICTURE:

Please, think clearly. No matter how good the movie is, it's a superhero movie, which means it just won't get nominated when surrounded by all these high ****dramas with just as much (and more most of the time) acclaim than The Dark Knight. It's not that it's a crowd pleaser, Slumdog Millionaire is that too (as was Forrest Gump, Gladiator, Lord of the Rings: ROTK, and The Departed). Yes, I love it. I just watched it again since my step-dad bought it on iTunes and it haunts me and shows me the real potential of superhero movies. It's absolutely amazing. But let's use some sense here. Even Mark admits it won't win.

For the record Slumdog is leaning towards becoming my favorite of the yea, though I'd need to see it again to know for sure. As of now it's still tied up with The Dark Knight.

I just wrote a whole blog about Oscar predictions that took 40 minutes. I accidentally dragged a picture to the wrong place and it replaced the whole screen with that page. Looks like I won't be doing that today now !

... two colors in my head..."

What do you do when it's 2:00 in the morning, you can't sleep, and you have nothing else to do? Make a blog.

I have loads of stuff to talk about, but this late, while I can't sleep, my brain isn't functioning well enough to write about more personal stuff. So let's talk bullsh!t.

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2008 SO FAR (PART 1)

I'll do part 2 later.

In no sensical order, just how I put them.

The Dark Knight

TV On The Radio's "Dear Science"

Me making the #1 club volleyball team in the country, SCVC 15 QS

Which also led to one of my heroes really liking me and constantly telling the coach to play more. Love ya Juanchi, in a heterosexual way of course, not a Ricky way (he won't see this obviously, and you won't get the joke, but it's funny for me so just deal) .

Slumdog Millionaire (still drooling over this, I NEED to see it again)

Mudhoney's "The Lucky Ones"

WALL-E

Learning that freshman year of high school is the biggest joke on Earth.

Pepperdine volleyball camp

I've got so much music to catch up on, and a few movies I would like to see soon. There will be three parts to this, one more for current, then one or even two more once I get around to more stuff.

By the way, I think The Dark Knight and Slumdog Millionaire might be tied for my favorite movie of the year. Both such incredible films.

Well enjoy this sh!tty little blog. I'm sure it will amuse some for a minute or so.