I loved this game. Straight up loved it. I loved the first one too, and this one just expanded on that. Seriously, I think this is my favorite new series from this generation. Here's my spoiler-free review.
This game picks up right where the first one left off, continuing the story of Desmond Miles. At the beginning of the game, Desmond and Lucy (who now looks a lot less creepy and a lot more like her voice actor, Kristen Bell) break out of the Abstergo building and get back to an Assassin safehouse to do more digging into the past. This time, instead of the Crusades-era Middle East, we visit Desmond's ancestor Ezio from Renaissance Italy.
This game doesn't feature a hub, like the original's Kingdom. Instead you can pay to travel directly to and from any city you've already visited. Yes, pay. There is a money system in this game, and it actually adds a lot to the game. There are a ton of different things you can buy. You can buy an assortment of main weapons and small weapons. As opposed to the standard sword and short blade you had in the first game, you can now pick from a number of different kinds of swords, each with different stats, or even hammers. You can also pick a number of different daggers. There's even a cestus you can buy to give your fists an extra wallop. Aside from the weapons there are a number of different pieces of armor you can buy and a handful of upgrades to your item pouches. Need more throwing knives? Buy a bigger knife belt.
There are other things to buy, also. You can spruce up your home by buying paintings, or change the color of your outfit with various dyes. Or you can choose to spend money improving your home town by renovating the buildings there. The best part is, spending money on most of these things adds to the value of your town and therefore increases your income. If you keep up with it, by the end of the game you'll never want for money. It's very similar to the system used in Fable II.
In fact, I'd say this game is very much like a cross between Fable and Grand Theft Auto. The gameplay itself is pretty much exactly like the first Assassin's Creed, which is to say nearly perfect. The Fable part comes from the money system, and the GTA part comes from the mission structure. In the first game you got your missions directly from the head of the Assassin Order, and you went and carried them out with some help from the local Assassin's Guild. In this game missions pop up on the map and you go to them and start them, very much like GTA.
I loved this game to death, but there are still a few flaws. First, the control is still missing that little bit of polish that would make it perfect. You will wind up running up walls you didn't mean to, or getting stuck climbing structures in spots you shouldn't. It's a minor irritation, but I hope they fix it for the next game. Plus, some of the combat has issues. The timing needed to pull off counters is demanding sometimes, and doing some of the new special moves like throwing sand in people's faces or sweeping people (both of which have achievement associated with them) can be tricky to pull off in actual combat. Also, there's not as much Desmond in this game. There are only three times in the game you get to control him, the beginning, the end, and around the midway point of the game. Some people may find that a plus, but I enjoyed the Desmond breaks in the first game. Each one was like another little clue to what was going on.
Speaking of which, this game features some nasty puzzles! This was one of my favorite parts of the game. Hidden throughout the programming of the Animus are twenty glyphs, placed there by the mysterious Subject 16. Before he died, 16 apparently figured out the truth behind the Pieces of Eden and what the Templars have been doing with them throughout the centuries, and he left the information behind in these glyphs. When you find one, you have to figure out a puzzle, then you're shown a snippet of video. After you finish all twenty puzzles, you get to see the whole video and discover the truth of the Pieces' origins. These twenty puzzles, loaded with information on the Templars' nefarious activities, easily provided the creepiest moments of the game.
I'll say it again: I loved this game. If you liked the first one, you'll definitely like this one too. It's better in almost every way. Now please, please Ubisoft, bring on Assassin's Creed III! I need to know what happens next!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Another quick update
I just wanted to let anyone know who is interested, the reason I haven't updated in almost a week is because I've been glued to Assassin's Creed II. I should be finished with it in a few more days, and I'll post a review for it then. Thanks for your patience.
Quick wrestling update
I only managed to catch a little more than half of Impact again this week, so I'm not going to do a full review. I don't even remember much of what happened. It was good to see Kaz get out of that stupid Suicide costume and return to action as himself. I also really enjoyed seeing Hogan give Abyss his ring and that pep talk. I hope this means the true Monster Abyss will be back soon.
The big news of the week is that starting early next month, Impact will be moving to Mondays! I haven't been a big fan of Raw in almost ten years, but I still seriously doubt that Impact can stand up against them. I see this as a potentially very bad move for TNA. From what I've read around the internet, I think a lot of people agree with me that Hogan is taking the company in the wrong direction, and moving them to Mondays might just sink them for good.
Wouldn't it be crazy if we learned five yeas from now that Hogan was working for Vince McMahon the entire time to run TNA into the ground?
The big news of the week is that starting early next month, Impact will be moving to Mondays! I haven't been a big fan of Raw in almost ten years, but I still seriously doubt that Impact can stand up against them. I see this as a potentially very bad move for TNA. From what I've read around the internet, I think a lot of people agree with me that Hogan is taking the company in the wrong direction, and moving them to Mondays might just sink them for good.
Wouldn't it be crazy if we learned five yeas from now that Hogan was working for Vince McMahon the entire time to run TNA into the ground?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Game review - Gears of War 2
I wasn't a huge fan of the first Gears of War. I thought it was a fun game, but the multiplayer held little interest to me, and as a result I was finished with the game once I completed the campaign. Gears 2, however, seemed like a much better game to me. I can't really explain why, since the two games play almost exactly alike. I just had a lot more fun with Gears 2. Maybe it's because the achievements were a lot easier in Gears 2. I only managed to get 100 points out of the first Gears, but I have 585 so far from Gears 2.
If you haven't bought this game yet and you're interested in it, be sure you get the Game of the Year Edition! It comes with all of the download content, giving you access to like 19 extra multiplayer maps, an extra campaign mission, and 750 more achievement points. I found mine brand new for $30, so it's totally worth it.
I haven't had a chance to play the multiplayer yet, but I have a lot of friends who play it so I'm sure I will soon. I did play the training missions against bots, and it seemed cool. The new Horde mode, which basically pits you against waves and waves of enemies, is very cool but almost impossible to play alone. You need friends for this.
Whichever kind of gamer you are, if you stick mostly to campaign missions or play a lot online, this game has you covered. And for the price it is these days, you can't go wrong. Check it out.
If you haven't bought this game yet and you're interested in it, be sure you get the Game of the Year Edition! It comes with all of the download content, giving you access to like 19 extra multiplayer maps, an extra campaign mission, and 750 more achievement points. I found mine brand new for $30, so it's totally worth it.
I haven't had a chance to play the multiplayer yet, but I have a lot of friends who play it so I'm sure I will soon. I did play the training missions against bots, and it seemed cool. The new Horde mode, which basically pits you against waves and waves of enemies, is very cool but almost impossible to play alone. You need friends for this.
Whichever kind of gamer you are, if you stick mostly to campaign missions or play a lot online, this game has you covered. And for the price it is these days, you can't go wrong. Check it out.
Movie review - 28 Weeks Later
I like zombie movies, but I don't like it when zombies can run, so I never saw 28 Days Later. My buddy Shin DT wanted to watch the sequel, 28 Weeks Later, and he told me I didn't need to see the original to see this one, so I decided to check it out.
Overall it was a decent movie, but I have serious issues with any horror flick where the horror comes about due to sheer stupidity. Apparently the infection from 28 Days Later was wiped out, and London was safe to occupy again. Except that it wasn't really safe, and the government was bringing people back into the city before it was totally cleaned out. Why? Why in God's name would you bring people into a city that was infected with a zombie virus before you were absolutely sure it was totally clean? Why would you, as a civilian, want to move back into such a city?
And of course, the infection breaks out again when two kids sneak out of the military quarantine zone (again, stupid!). But once you get past the stupidity, it becomes a pretty decent zombie flick. Even though the zombies can run. I prefer Romero's shambling horde, but this was good enough that I'll try and check out the original 28 Days Later when I can.
Overall it was a decent movie, but I have serious issues with any horror flick where the horror comes about due to sheer stupidity. Apparently the infection from 28 Days Later was wiped out, and London was safe to occupy again. Except that it wasn't really safe, and the government was bringing people back into the city before it was totally cleaned out. Why? Why in God's name would you bring people into a city that was infected with a zombie virus before you were absolutely sure it was totally clean? Why would you, as a civilian, want to move back into such a city?
And of course, the infection breaks out again when two kids sneak out of the military quarantine zone (again, stupid!). But once you get past the stupidity, it becomes a pretty decent zombie flick. Even though the zombies can run. I prefer Romero's shambling horde, but this was good enough that I'll try and check out the original 28 Days Later when I can.
Friday, February 12, 2010
TNA Impact review - 2/11/10
I only managed to catch the last half of Impact this week. I have to say, though, that I don't really feel like I missed much. The news I continue to read about Hogan's thoughts about TNA have me thinking I may have to quit watching. I might wind up following Smackdown instead of TNA, which is kind of a depressing thought. I haven't actively followed a WWE product since 2001. Anyway, on to the review of the half of Impact I managed to catch.
First off we had a handicap match, Angelina Love and Tara vs. the Beautiful People. The Beautiful People win due to their numbers advantage and willingness to fight dirty. The Beautiful People really need to work on their in-ring skills, by the way. They're probably the weakest link in the Knockouts Division right now. Decent match overall, though.
Next came Desmond Wolfe and Hernandez vs. Ken Anderson and Kurt Angle. This match apparently was made because all of these guys will be in the Eight Card Stud Tournament. Anderson and Angle win, though they didn't get along very well. This match was filled with talented wrestlers, but for some reason I found it kind of hard to pay attention to. I don't remember much of the details.
Those were the only two matches I got to see. The rest of the show was filled with more shouting between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, and the revelation that Eric Bischoff would be the special guest referee at their match. At the end of the show we saw Kurt Angle come to the ring and call out the Band. Scott Hall and Sean Waltman came out and beat Angle down with brass knuckles. Then Hogan came to the ring, acted like he was going to help the Band beat Angle some more, but instead turned on them. The show ended with Hogan helping Angle to his feet. I'm sure this segment would have been more meaningful to me if I had seen the beginning of the show.
Considering this was the Impact before Against All Odds, I would have expected more. I know I only saw half the show, but just two matches? And no real main event, on top of that. Very poor, TNA, very poor. Please don't make me switch to Smackdown. Pick it up, guys!
By the way, just to let you all know ahead of time, I will not be getting Against All Odds. It's pretty rare I order any pay-per-views these days.
First off we had a handicap match, Angelina Love and Tara vs. the Beautiful People. The Beautiful People win due to their numbers advantage and willingness to fight dirty. The Beautiful People really need to work on their in-ring skills, by the way. They're probably the weakest link in the Knockouts Division right now. Decent match overall, though.
Next came Desmond Wolfe and Hernandez vs. Ken Anderson and Kurt Angle. This match apparently was made because all of these guys will be in the Eight Card Stud Tournament. Anderson and Angle win, though they didn't get along very well. This match was filled with talented wrestlers, but for some reason I found it kind of hard to pay attention to. I don't remember much of the details.
Those were the only two matches I got to see. The rest of the show was filled with more shouting between AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, and the revelation that Eric Bischoff would be the special guest referee at their match. At the end of the show we saw Kurt Angle come to the ring and call out the Band. Scott Hall and Sean Waltman came out and beat Angle down with brass knuckles. Then Hogan came to the ring, acted like he was going to help the Band beat Angle some more, but instead turned on them. The show ended with Hogan helping Angle to his feet. I'm sure this segment would have been more meaningful to me if I had seen the beginning of the show.
Considering this was the Impact before Against All Odds, I would have expected more. I know I only saw half the show, but just two matches? And no real main event, on top of that. Very poor, TNA, very poor. Please don't make me switch to Smackdown. Pick it up, guys!
By the way, just to let you all know ahead of time, I will not be getting Against All Odds. It's pretty rare I order any pay-per-views these days.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
1 vs. 100 - 2/10/10
Sorry I haven't updated in a while. We've had some pretty heavy snow lately here in the Cincinnati area, and I haven't really had much to do. Not anything blog-worthy at least.
I have been playing some 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live, though. After making a handful of top 100 appearances, I managed to actually get into the mob during one of the live shows. I'm the first person I know to get in, so I was pretty happy about that. I made it a little more than halfway through before getting stumped by some question about when the postal service started using zip codes.
Tonight while playing extended play, I set a new personal best. I had a streak of 34, and actually held the number one position for a long time. I wound up missing two questions near the end and got bumped down to sixth place, but I still made the top ten, which is very cool. My brother Sawdust almost made the top ten as well in that game.
By the way, I may have mentioned this before, but my 360 has been broken for some time now. I've sent it away to be fixed, and should be getting it back anytime. So expect me to start posting more game reviews soon. There are a lot of titles I need to catch up on.
I have been playing some 1 vs. 100 on Xbox Live, though. After making a handful of top 100 appearances, I managed to actually get into the mob during one of the live shows. I'm the first person I know to get in, so I was pretty happy about that. I made it a little more than halfway through before getting stumped by some question about when the postal service started using zip codes.
Tonight while playing extended play, I set a new personal best. I had a streak of 34, and actually held the number one position for a long time. I wound up missing two questions near the end and got bumped down to sixth place, but I still made the top ten, which is very cool. My brother Sawdust almost made the top ten as well in that game.
By the way, I may have mentioned this before, but my 360 has been broken for some time now. I've sent it away to be fixed, and should be getting it back anytime. So expect me to start posting more game reviews soon. There are a lot of titles I need to catch up on.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saints steal the Super Bowl
I want to try and be brief here. I know there are a lot of hardcore fans out there with blogs who can dissect this game a lot better than I can. I only have one big problem with the game. At the start of the second half, the Saints kicked an onside kick! What the hell, Saints? So not cool. They have a coin toss at the beginning of the game for a reason. Each half, one team is supposed to get a chance to start with the ball. The Saints took that chance away from the Colts and started both halves with the ball. This was the first time in Super Bowl history that a team kicked an onside kick before the fourth quarter.
Now, I'm not saying things would have been different otherwise. The Saints played well and proved that they were for real. A part of me is very happy to see them get a championship. But they also proved that they didn't mind using cheap tricks and thuggery to get it done. I lost a lot of respect for the Saints, a team I used to really like, after this week. First came the talk of trying to end Peyton Manning's career, the talk of purposefully taking penalties in order to lay hits on Manning, and now comes the trickery in the Super Bowl.
I understand that they did nothing against the rules, but it just came off dirty to me. Very much disrespectful towards their opponents.
So now I guess I just get to wait for baseball season to start. I don't follow the NBA or NHL closely enough to care about what happens with them, though I will try to follow their respective finals. March Madness will be fun to watch, as always, but baseball is what I'm really waiting for. I just hope my Reds can give me a good season.
Colts, you'll get your shot again next year. Just remember, Colts management, that you threw away all those streaks earlier this season in hopes of winning it all. And Bengals, you better be practicing for next season, too! I want another division title!
Sorry if this post rambled a little, I'm just pretty miffed about this game.
Now, I'm not saying things would have been different otherwise. The Saints played well and proved that they were for real. A part of me is very happy to see them get a championship. But they also proved that they didn't mind using cheap tricks and thuggery to get it done. I lost a lot of respect for the Saints, a team I used to really like, after this week. First came the talk of trying to end Peyton Manning's career, the talk of purposefully taking penalties in order to lay hits on Manning, and now comes the trickery in the Super Bowl.
I understand that they did nothing against the rules, but it just came off dirty to me. Very much disrespectful towards their opponents.
So now I guess I just get to wait for baseball season to start. I don't follow the NBA or NHL closely enough to care about what happens with them, though I will try to follow their respective finals. March Madness will be fun to watch, as always, but baseball is what I'm really waiting for. I just hope my Reds can give me a good season.
Colts, you'll get your shot again next year. Just remember, Colts management, that you threw away all those streaks earlier this season in hopes of winning it all. And Bengals, you better be practicing for next season, too! I want another division title!
Sorry if this post rambled a little, I'm just pretty miffed about this game.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Lost and Heroes
I just watched the season premiere of Lost. All three hours of it. Well, to be fair, the first hour was a recap episode. I'm glad they do those occasionally, it really helps to remember everything that's going on.
I've been a fan of Lost since season two. At that time I was working at a video rental place, and we had the season one DVDs there. Since I could take home anything I wanted for free, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was hooked from the first episode. I watched the whole first season, then caught up to what was currently airing in season two by downloading some episodes off the internet. I've had a Tivo season pass for the show ever since then. I'm glad this is going to be the last season, though. The show is still great, and I loved this premiere, but I'm just ready for all the questions to be answered. I sincerely hope that Abrams and Lindelof wrap it all up for us and don't leave any loose ends. Oh, and it looks like Emilie de Ravin and Dominic Monaghan will both be back on the show for this last season, as well. I'm really glad to see that.
Now, as for Heroes, I only have one thing to say. What's up with next week being the season finale? This is February! I haven't been counting the episodes, but I find it hard to believe they're getting in a full 22-26 episode season if they're ending it in February. But at least it'll be one less show to keep up with.
I've been a fan of Lost since season two. At that time I was working at a video rental place, and we had the season one DVDs there. Since I could take home anything I wanted for free, I figured I'd give it a shot. I was hooked from the first episode. I watched the whole first season, then caught up to what was currently airing in season two by downloading some episodes off the internet. I've had a Tivo season pass for the show ever since then. I'm glad this is going to be the last season, though. The show is still great, and I loved this premiere, but I'm just ready for all the questions to be answered. I sincerely hope that Abrams and Lindelof wrap it all up for us and don't leave any loose ends. Oh, and it looks like Emilie de Ravin and Dominic Monaghan will both be back on the show for this last season, as well. I'm really glad to see that.
Now, as for Heroes, I only have one thing to say. What's up with next week being the season finale? This is February! I haven't been counting the episodes, but I find it hard to believe they're getting in a full 22-26 episode season if they're ending it in February. But at least it'll be one less show to keep up with.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Concert news - 2/5/10
Breaking Benjamin is coming to town! Along with Chevelle, Red, and Thousand Foot Crutch, they will be at the Bank of Kentucky Center down near Northern Kentucky University on March 19th.
Overkill will be in town soon, as well, at Bogart's with Vader, God Dethroned, Warbringer, and Evile. That show is on April 7th.
Overkill will be in town soon, as well, at Bogart's with Vader, God Dethroned, Warbringer, and Evile. That show is on April 7th.
Super Bowl this weekend
In case you've been under a rock of some kind and didn't know, the Super Bowl is this Sunday. Super Bowl XLIV, between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.
Living in the Cincinnati corner of Indiana, I'm a Bengals fan first, but a Colts fan second, so I'm pulling for the Colts. I used to like the Saints too, until I heard some of the stuff they were saying this week. Stuff about laying the hits on Peyton Manning, taking penalties to do so if necessary, and how great it would be if they could end his career. Now, I'm all for a team putting pressure on the quarterback, but you don't play dirty! You don't try to hurt anybody, especially the quarterback! How would that make you feel, knowing you only won because you took a team's key player out of the game? **cough*'05-'06Steelers*cough**
Anyway, I think it'll be a good game either way, as long as it's clean. Go Colts!
Living in the Cincinnati corner of Indiana, I'm a Bengals fan first, but a Colts fan second, so I'm pulling for the Colts. I used to like the Saints too, until I heard some of the stuff they were saying this week. Stuff about laying the hits on Peyton Manning, taking penalties to do so if necessary, and how great it would be if they could end his career. Now, I'm all for a team putting pressure on the quarterback, but you don't play dirty! You don't try to hurt anybody, especially the quarterback! How would that make you feel, knowing you only won because you took a team's key player out of the game? **cough*'05-'06Steelers*cough**
Anyway, I think it'll be a good game either way, as long as it's clean. Go Colts!
TNA Impact review and wrestling news - 2/4/10
This may be a long post. Just warning you.
First off, Impact. This was a pretty good Impact, for the the most part. Our first match of the night, at the top of the show no less, was Brutus Magnus and Ken Anderson in an Eight Card Stud tournament qualifier. Anderson won this pretty easily. His push in TNA appears to continue. After that we had Hernandez and Matt Morgan defending the Tag Titles against Team 3D. This was a good match. Team 3D lost due to interference from the Nasty Boys, but after the match Morgan and Hernandez helped 3D fight the Nasties off, and the two teams exchanged fist bumps. Good to see.
Our next match saw Samoa Joe basically squash Jesse Neal. I was glad to see Joe get a strong victory, as he hasn't had one lately, but I didn't like seeing Neal get squashed. I think he could have potential.
Match number four was AJ Styles vs. the Pope, D'Angelo Dinero in a non-title match. This was easily the match of the night. Lots of great action from two crazy guys willing to put it all on the line for the fans. I remember when pretty much every match was like that in TNA. But I digress. Dinero actually managed to steal a win here after countering an attempted suplex with an inside cradle. As soon as the bell rang, Ric Flair dived into the ring and he and a shocked AJ proceeded to beat the pulp out of the Pope. This prompted Samoa Joe to run back out. He came to Pope's defense and eventually the two of them tossed AJ and Flair out of the ring. Joe then got on the mic and called AJ out. He accused AJ of going soft and forgetting what it means to be a warrior. This set up what will hopefully be a great program between these two yet again.
Next we had another Eight Card Stud qualifier, between Kurt Angle and Tomko. Angle won this after multiple German suplexes and application of the ankle lock. This match was not what it could have been. Maybe it was just because I'd just watched the AJ/Pope match, but this seemed slow. Angle looked good, but Tomko needs to tighten his game up. I've been a fan of his ever since he started in TNA, but he seems to have lost a step, and gained a few pounds. A little time in the gym and some extra time in the ring would do him good.
Next we had Tara defending the Knockout Championship against Angelina Love. The match was solid, but I couldn't help but be distracted by the big blur over Tara's chest. Apparently she had a bit of nipple pop out during the match. It was like that for a good half the match and all of the aftermath. Why didn't anyone say something to her? Anyway, Tara won the match, and afterward the Beautiful People came out to attack Angelina. I'm glad they let this match end clean. I expected Angelina to lose because of the Beautiful People. Tara helped Angelina fight the Beautiful People off, and that was pretty much that.
Finally came the main event, our seventh match of the night! I hope the powers that be in TNA decide to give us this many matches on a more regular basis. My only problem is the ridiculous policy of going to commercial during the matches! But anyway, our main event, Kevin Nash vs. Mick Foley. This match came about after a segment earlier in the night where Foley and Bischoff had another argument in the ring. Fighting Nash was basically Foley's punishment. I really hate the wrestler vs. boss angle. I didn't like it when it was Austin vs. McMahon and I still don't like it now, but I suppose it's going to continue as long as Bischoff is holding Abyss's job over Foley's head.
The match, which was no disqualification, was pretty terrible. Now, I'm a huge fan of both Mick Foley and Kevin Nash. Always have been, always will be. I even got to meet Nash once, and he was pretty cool. But these two guys are so broken down that putting them in a match against each other was just a bad idea. There was no one to carry the match. All we got was some sloppy shots with chairs and a barbed wire bat, some minor offense by Foley, and then an out-of-nowhere big boot from Nash. Nash won the match. Afterwards, Hall and Waltman showed up again, but this time they jumped Nash. Not really sure where that's going, since Nash has been the one guy in the company that keeps going to bat for them, but whatever.
Non-match segments included more development of the issues between Angle and Hogan. Apparently Angle believes Hogan asked Hall and Waltman to attack him last week. Of course, Hogan denies this. I wonder if this is leading to an actual program between Angle and Hogan. So far it hasn't looked like Hulk has any interest in getting into the ring in TNA. I'd like to see him wrestle again, but the problem is that ever since he's been in the company, he really hasn't acted at all like Hulk Hogan, or even Hollywood Hogan. He's pretty much just acted like Terry Bollea, and Terry Bollea is kind of an ass.
Overall this was a really good Impact. Lots of quality matches, even though the main event was weak. I'm still very worried about the direction Hogan is taking TNA, though.
Now for some quick tidbits going on in the world of wrestling.
I read a bit of news concerning Hogan's frustration with TNA. Well guess what, Hulk? The fans aren't all dancing in the aisles right now either. Apparently Hogan is upset because he's not being allowed to push everyone he wants to. Dixie Carter has said that she doesn't want any/all of the TNA originals being buried, but Hulk just isn't high on all of them. He said he liked Tomko, because at least Tomko looked like a wrestler. This is not something I like hearing. This makes me think that Hogan feels the same way Vince McMahon does, that all wrestlers should be big men. I don't have a problem with big men, if they can move well, but you have to have smaller guys as well! Look at the success of the X Division. They're mostly all smaller guys, and they're also pretty much what put TNA on the map. Look at how successful the Knockouts have been. With the exception of Awesome Kong and maybe ODB, you couldn't call any of them big men. Big women? Either way, they're all smaller technical or high flying wrestlers, and they often have the highest rated segments of the night. And you can't say that's because they're hot, because if that were all it was then WWE's Divas would be just as highly rated.
And hey, look back further. Look at the success of WCW's Cruiserweight Division! That was so over they made them their own tag division, much like TNA's Knockouts now. I just don't want to see Hogan throwing his weight around and turning TNA into a WWE clone. They're successful because they're different. Big men are fine, but don't hold back smaller guys just because the big men can't keep up.
One last bit, it seems WWE is getting rid of their version of ECW, and I say good riddance. It was actually a good show, the few times I watched it, but I always hated that they had the nerve to call a show ECW. ECW, the real ECW back in the day, was something special. This show that WWE ran on Tuesday nights was decent, but it was not ECW. Apparently WWE plans on replacing the show with a new thing called NXT, for the next generation of wrestlers.
Only one problem with that. There's already a company called NXT Wrestling. They're based out of Scotland, and have been around since 2007, I believe. And NXT out of Scotland uses the next generation gimmick as well. Of course, this won't stop WWE from just doing whatever they want anyway. But when WWE NXT starts airing, just remember that the entire concept of the show is ripped off from another company.
First off, Impact. This was a pretty good Impact, for the the most part. Our first match of the night, at the top of the show no less, was Brutus Magnus and Ken Anderson in an Eight Card Stud tournament qualifier. Anderson won this pretty easily. His push in TNA appears to continue. After that we had Hernandez and Matt Morgan defending the Tag Titles against Team 3D. This was a good match. Team 3D lost due to interference from the Nasty Boys, but after the match Morgan and Hernandez helped 3D fight the Nasties off, and the two teams exchanged fist bumps. Good to see.
Our next match saw Samoa Joe basically squash Jesse Neal. I was glad to see Joe get a strong victory, as he hasn't had one lately, but I didn't like seeing Neal get squashed. I think he could have potential.
Match number four was AJ Styles vs. the Pope, D'Angelo Dinero in a non-title match. This was easily the match of the night. Lots of great action from two crazy guys willing to put it all on the line for the fans. I remember when pretty much every match was like that in TNA. But I digress. Dinero actually managed to steal a win here after countering an attempted suplex with an inside cradle. As soon as the bell rang, Ric Flair dived into the ring and he and a shocked AJ proceeded to beat the pulp out of the Pope. This prompted Samoa Joe to run back out. He came to Pope's defense and eventually the two of them tossed AJ and Flair out of the ring. Joe then got on the mic and called AJ out. He accused AJ of going soft and forgetting what it means to be a warrior. This set up what will hopefully be a great program between these two yet again.
Next we had another Eight Card Stud qualifier, between Kurt Angle and Tomko. Angle won this after multiple German suplexes and application of the ankle lock. This match was not what it could have been. Maybe it was just because I'd just watched the AJ/Pope match, but this seemed slow. Angle looked good, but Tomko needs to tighten his game up. I've been a fan of his ever since he started in TNA, but he seems to have lost a step, and gained a few pounds. A little time in the gym and some extra time in the ring would do him good.
Next we had Tara defending the Knockout Championship against Angelina Love. The match was solid, but I couldn't help but be distracted by the big blur over Tara's chest. Apparently she had a bit of nipple pop out during the match. It was like that for a good half the match and all of the aftermath. Why didn't anyone say something to her? Anyway, Tara won the match, and afterward the Beautiful People came out to attack Angelina. I'm glad they let this match end clean. I expected Angelina to lose because of the Beautiful People. Tara helped Angelina fight the Beautiful People off, and that was pretty much that.
Finally came the main event, our seventh match of the night! I hope the powers that be in TNA decide to give us this many matches on a more regular basis. My only problem is the ridiculous policy of going to commercial during the matches! But anyway, our main event, Kevin Nash vs. Mick Foley. This match came about after a segment earlier in the night where Foley and Bischoff had another argument in the ring. Fighting Nash was basically Foley's punishment. I really hate the wrestler vs. boss angle. I didn't like it when it was Austin vs. McMahon and I still don't like it now, but I suppose it's going to continue as long as Bischoff is holding Abyss's job over Foley's head.
The match, which was no disqualification, was pretty terrible. Now, I'm a huge fan of both Mick Foley and Kevin Nash. Always have been, always will be. I even got to meet Nash once, and he was pretty cool. But these two guys are so broken down that putting them in a match against each other was just a bad idea. There was no one to carry the match. All we got was some sloppy shots with chairs and a barbed wire bat, some minor offense by Foley, and then an out-of-nowhere big boot from Nash. Nash won the match. Afterwards, Hall and Waltman showed up again, but this time they jumped Nash. Not really sure where that's going, since Nash has been the one guy in the company that keeps going to bat for them, but whatever.
Non-match segments included more development of the issues between Angle and Hogan. Apparently Angle believes Hogan asked Hall and Waltman to attack him last week. Of course, Hogan denies this. I wonder if this is leading to an actual program between Angle and Hogan. So far it hasn't looked like Hulk has any interest in getting into the ring in TNA. I'd like to see him wrestle again, but the problem is that ever since he's been in the company, he really hasn't acted at all like Hulk Hogan, or even Hollywood Hogan. He's pretty much just acted like Terry Bollea, and Terry Bollea is kind of an ass.
Overall this was a really good Impact. Lots of quality matches, even though the main event was weak. I'm still very worried about the direction Hogan is taking TNA, though.
Now for some quick tidbits going on in the world of wrestling.
I read a bit of news concerning Hogan's frustration with TNA. Well guess what, Hulk? The fans aren't all dancing in the aisles right now either. Apparently Hogan is upset because he's not being allowed to push everyone he wants to. Dixie Carter has said that she doesn't want any/all of the TNA originals being buried, but Hulk just isn't high on all of them. He said he liked Tomko, because at least Tomko looked like a wrestler. This is not something I like hearing. This makes me think that Hogan feels the same way Vince McMahon does, that all wrestlers should be big men. I don't have a problem with big men, if they can move well, but you have to have smaller guys as well! Look at the success of the X Division. They're mostly all smaller guys, and they're also pretty much what put TNA on the map. Look at how successful the Knockouts have been. With the exception of Awesome Kong and maybe ODB, you couldn't call any of them big men. Big women? Either way, they're all smaller technical or high flying wrestlers, and they often have the highest rated segments of the night. And you can't say that's because they're hot, because if that were all it was then WWE's Divas would be just as highly rated.
And hey, look back further. Look at the success of WCW's Cruiserweight Division! That was so over they made them their own tag division, much like TNA's Knockouts now. I just don't want to see Hogan throwing his weight around and turning TNA into a WWE clone. They're successful because they're different. Big men are fine, but don't hold back smaller guys just because the big men can't keep up.
One last bit, it seems WWE is getting rid of their version of ECW, and I say good riddance. It was actually a good show, the few times I watched it, but I always hated that they had the nerve to call a show ECW. ECW, the real ECW back in the day, was something special. This show that WWE ran on Tuesday nights was decent, but it was not ECW. Apparently WWE plans on replacing the show with a new thing called NXT, for the next generation of wrestlers.
Only one problem with that. There's already a company called NXT Wrestling. They're based out of Scotland, and have been around since 2007, I believe. And NXT out of Scotland uses the next generation gimmick as well. Of course, this won't stop WWE from just doing whatever they want anyway. But when WWE NXT starts airing, just remember that the entire concept of the show is ripped off from another company.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
My 1,000th comic!
If any of you read my first handful of posts, you know that I had at the time 999 comic books in my collection, and had talked about ordering my thousandth. Well, here it is! Gambit, vol. 3, #1.
There were five different covers for this comic, the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten variants. I got the ace cover. So now I have one thousand comic books, and I just wanted to share that with you.
There were five different covers for this comic, the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten variants. I got the ace cover. So now I have one thousand comic books, and I just wanted to share that with you.
George Lucas on The Daily Show
It came to my attention today that George Lucas was on The Daily Show last month. If you didn't see it, or just want to see it again, you can do so here.
I thought it was a great interview, myself. John Stewart, aside from being funny and very good at his job, is obviously a big Star Wars fan. I especially liked what George had to say about people liking or not liking the new trilogy.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| George Lucas | ||||
| ||||
I thought it was a great interview, myself. John Stewart, aside from being funny and very good at his job, is obviously a big Star Wars fan. I especially liked what George had to say about people liking or not liking the new trilogy.
Movie review: Legion
Hey, look, a review for a movie that's actually still in theaters! Cool. Okay, let's get to it.
As far as horror/action movies go, I can't say this movie was bad, but I certainly can't say it was great, either. The very premise of the movie, that God is sick of humanity and decides to kill us all off with angels, is out there at best. Apparently there's a baby about to be born, one that will somehow save mankind, and the angel Michael decides to defy God and come to earth to make sure that baby is born. The other angels, by possessing ordinary humans, are trying to kill the unborn baby, and anyone else who gets in the way. So Michael, the mother, and the people who just happen to be at the diner in the middle of nowhere the mother works at have to defend themselves from the angels until the baby is born. With guns. Lots and lots of guns.
The movie tries to flesh out the other characters, but ultimately fails. Why does the one guy have a hook for a hand? We don't know. Why is one guy going through custody issues, and why does he carry a gun? We never find out. There's a lot of stuff like this. We also never find out exactly what the significance of the baby is. Is he somehow holy? Well, that's doubtful, since the forces of Heaven are trying to kill him. But how, then, is he supposed to lead mankind out of the darkness? Wouldn't that be something God would be down for? At one point in the movie Michael tells another character to "find the prophets," and "learn to read the instructions". There's a brief reference later to the instructions being the angelic tattoos all over Michael's body (and that somehow manage to appear on a human for no apparent reason), but there is no mention at all of any prophets. None. They're not brought up again. Was this something the writers just forgot about? If I buy the inevitable extended director's cut DVD, will this be explained?
And on top of all of that, the dialogue was not great. A lot of unnecessary cursing. I'm not opposed to foul language in a movie, and this was rated R after all, but these lines sounded like they were written by an eight year old kid who just discovered swear words.
All of these problems aside, though, it was still worth a watch. But I wouldn't pay full price in the theater for it. If you can catch a matinee showing, go for it. Or maybe wait for it to hit second run theaters, it probably won't be long now. Or you could just wait for the DVD and rent it. There were some good actors in the movie, and they made the best of what they had to work with. The action scenes were decent, even if there weren't enough. Just don't expect it to be a riveting story. It's basically Terminator with a lot of underdeveloped characters and subplots. And a questionable religious angle.
Oh, I almost forgot. The one really awesome thing about this movie? I saw a trailer for the new A-Team movie in front of it! That looks awesome!
As far as horror/action movies go, I can't say this movie was bad, but I certainly can't say it was great, either. The very premise of the movie, that God is sick of humanity and decides to kill us all off with angels, is out there at best. Apparently there's a baby about to be born, one that will somehow save mankind, and the angel Michael decides to defy God and come to earth to make sure that baby is born. The other angels, by possessing ordinary humans, are trying to kill the unborn baby, and anyone else who gets in the way. So Michael, the mother, and the people who just happen to be at the diner in the middle of nowhere the mother works at have to defend themselves from the angels until the baby is born. With guns. Lots and lots of guns.
The movie tries to flesh out the other characters, but ultimately fails. Why does the one guy have a hook for a hand? We don't know. Why is one guy going through custody issues, and why does he carry a gun? We never find out. There's a lot of stuff like this. We also never find out exactly what the significance of the baby is. Is he somehow holy? Well, that's doubtful, since the forces of Heaven are trying to kill him. But how, then, is he supposed to lead mankind out of the darkness? Wouldn't that be something God would be down for? At one point in the movie Michael tells another character to "find the prophets," and "learn to read the instructions". There's a brief reference later to the instructions being the angelic tattoos all over Michael's body (and that somehow manage to appear on a human for no apparent reason), but there is no mention at all of any prophets. None. They're not brought up again. Was this something the writers just forgot about? If I buy the inevitable extended director's cut DVD, will this be explained?
And on top of all of that, the dialogue was not great. A lot of unnecessary cursing. I'm not opposed to foul language in a movie, and this was rated R after all, but these lines sounded like they were written by an eight year old kid who just discovered swear words.
All of these problems aside, though, it was still worth a watch. But I wouldn't pay full price in the theater for it. If you can catch a matinee showing, go for it. Or maybe wait for it to hit second run theaters, it probably won't be long now. Or you could just wait for the DVD and rent it. There were some good actors in the movie, and they made the best of what they had to work with. The action scenes were decent, even if there weren't enough. Just don't expect it to be a riveting story. It's basically Terminator with a lot of underdeveloped characters and subplots. And a questionable religious angle.
Oh, I almost forgot. The one really awesome thing about this movie? I saw a trailer for the new A-Team movie in front of it! That looks awesome!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Movie review: Stan Helsing
Stan Helsing is a horror movie spoof, lampooning tons of recent and classic horror films. In the movie, Stan is a video store clerk trying to deliver some videos while on his way to a Halloween party with his friends. They get lost in the sticks and have to go up against parodies of such greats as Freddy, Jason, Pinhead, Chucky, and more. As spoofs go, it's a pretty good one. Lots of great laughs, and some hot women as well. There's one thing all truly great spoofs have in common, and this one is no different. That thing is Leslie Nielsen. His role in this movie is relatively small, but memorable.
If you spot this movie in a five dollar bin somewhere, it's definitely worth picking up. It may even be worth a bit more than that. Or if you are just bored and are looking for something funny to rent, this is a good choice.
If you spot this movie in a five dollar bin somewhere, it's definitely worth picking up. It may even be worth a bit more than that. Or if you are just bored and are looking for something funny to rent, this is a good choice.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Movie review: The Haunting of Molly Hartley
I like horror movies. That is to say, I try to like horror movies. So many of them simply don't live up to their expectations, and this one was no different. The basic premise of the movie was good. Molly's parents made a deal with the forces of evil to save her life as an infant. In return, she would be taken by the evil on her eighteenth birthday. This much I got just out of the commercial. Unfortunately, the movie itself never brought any of this up for at least the first half of the film! For all I knew, I could have been watching any teen drama, as all the movie dealt with was Molly moving to a new school. All of the scares were fairly cheap, people popping out from around corners and that sort of thing, and had nothing to do with the story.
Even when things started to get rolling, they still didn't make much sense. It was never explained what exactly was going to happen to Molly on her birthday, nor was it explained exactly who the people were that were behind it. Was it the devil? Was it witches? Demons? Some cult? You never find out. Even the ending, which I won't spoil for you, wasn't entirely clear.
It's movies like this one that re-enforce my rule when it comes to horror flicks. Always watch them before you buy them! They often turn out to suck.
Even when things started to get rolling, they still didn't make much sense. It was never explained what exactly was going to happen to Molly on her birthday, nor was it explained exactly who the people were that were behind it. Was it the devil? Was it witches? Demons? Some cult? You never find out. Even the ending, which I won't spoil for you, wasn't entirely clear.
It's movies like this one that re-enforce my rule when it comes to horror flicks. Always watch them before you buy them! They often turn out to suck.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Pro Bowl results
So I have a confession to make. I did wind up watching most of the Pro Bowl. But it wasn't by choice! I was over at my buddy Shin DT's place, and he was watching the game. The AFC won, which was nice, and it was good to see Chad Ochocinco make some good plays. Too bad he didn't get a chance to score, though. The celebration would have been awesome, I'm sure. I didn't catch who won MVP, but oh well.
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