posted by admin on Apr 22
I am tentatively obsessed with MLB ‘09′s Road to the Show mode. For those unaware, Road to the Show allows you to create a player and start a career from scratch. You only play the game situations that you are involved with directly. This works exceptionally well for baseball because the sport is more individual.
I used the qualifier tentatively because a few bizarre fielding/cut-off man glitches irk me. So far I’ve gotten past them because 20-year old starting pitcher, Mike Soucy, has only recently been moved up to Triple A and giving up an error ridden triple is probably reasonable in Double A. But if something I deem a glitch were to cost me a game or break up a no hitter rest assured my anger would suspend the game indefinitely. I would take my ball and go home.
The other reason for qualifying my adoration has actually started to suck me further down the rabbit hole. I started my career with the Dodgers as seemed reasonable given my affection for the organization. In hindsight this was probably a mistake as their major league rotation has three members younger than real life me and more talented than video game me. Their closer actually played in the same area as me in high school and was my nemesis my senior season as we battled for the area lead in strike outs. Given that he closes for the Dodgers now my humiliating defeat has been easy to come to terms with. The glut of young pitching talent led the Dodgers (video game) organization to a logical conclusion: trade me. Trade me to the Pirates. Trade me to the fucking Pirates!
The news was soul crushing. Never before has a video game impacted me so emotionally. The betrayal! I gave everything to this team and you send me to the Pirates who haven’t had a winning season in almost two decades! Suddenly players feeling disconnected, signing simply for the most money and not caring about the team makes sense. After nearly quitting the game I have a new goal: become a free agent and get the hell out of Pittsburgh. I’m likely four years away from that possibility and can’t imagine the frustration a real life player feels.
So I’m trying to balance my ardent desire of reaching the big league’s, establishing my greatness so I can sign with any team, going to LA and winning the World Series with some semblance of a functional, productive life. Fortunately, the southern Californian heat wave seems to have broken allowing my brain to work properly once again.
I do have to give props to the game for the Dodgers-Pirates trade. The Dodgers front office seems to have identified Pittsburgh as a Triple A affiliate to send all their tweener talent. That is one of my favorite aspects of sports: when a GM seems to identify another GM as gullible and continues to pull off trades until the later discovers what is going on. The video game reproduction of this is a low-hanging fruit to be enjoyed by all.
Speaking of video games, the newest Penny Arcade comic is deliciously dark and hilarious. Just know your laughter and tears sustain their nefarious powers.
Also, no new Lost tonight. What? On the plus side I could still do a Podcast about last weeks episode and be hopelessly out of date only in Internet time.
posted by Mike on Jun 24
I’m back, baby!
New release Tuesday! I picked up the new direct-to-DVD Futurama release, “The Beast With A Billion Backs”. I’m trying to cut back on my usual money hemorrhage but new Futurama movie? Yeah, that’s getting bought.
Since I’m only in the process of moving across the country and logical have lots of time to waste I popped it in the second I got home. Now it should be noted there are certain things in this world I cannot provide an objective opinion on because I love them way too much. Futurama is one of those things. Needless to say I loved watching new Futurama this morning.
With that said I was a little disappointed in the story. The forcing together of several separate plot elements made me cringe a few times. It really felt like they had 3 ideas and just threw them together to make a movie. But at the end of the day I am completely fine with that. In fact, please keep doing it.
The humor is pure Futurama and easily makes up for the muddled plot. If you’re a Futurama fan you’ll laugh your ass off at some of the jokes. I can’t wait to watch it again. Some of the one-liners will be working their way into my every day speech (this is why some people think I’m funny).
Another great thing about these Futurama DVD releases is the extras. Sure, some are storyboard animatics that I couldn’t care less about but most of them are hilarious (or hilarious in their absurdity). “Bender’s Big Score” had a math lecture to help understand the physics used by Professor Farnsworth. Today’s release has all the cut scenes from the Futurama video game which add up to an entire extra episode that was surprisingly funny.
If these were three episodes on their own they’d be well written and drop dead hilarious. As they are you’ll laugh most of the time and easily forgive a few coincidental plot moments. Go watch it. Now!
posted by Mike on Apr 28
Grand Theft Auto IV releases midnight tonight. I’ll be at a fancy release party (aka: asleep in my bed or out drinking) but felt I should post my thoughts before playing to see how the game lives up to the hype. Fortunately, the new Penny Arcade comic took care of that for me!
To dig a little deeper, the freedom presented by the game offers something too akin to real life for my tastes. Sure you have the freedom to (mostly) do whatever you want while occasionally receiving objectives but you know what, I play that game every god damn day. I’m playing your game to not do that kind of shit for a while.
That being said tomorrow afternoon my copy arrives from Amazon. They have my $60 so I guess Rockstar won that game.
posted by admin on Apr 27
So much work to do.
posted by admin on Apr 3
The third installment of XKCD’s ‘Journal Saga’ popped up out of nowhere yesterday. Some of the strongest work on the site, I hope a fourth installment will eventually come out. Two immensly intersting characters, clearly meant for each other, in a battle of wits.
Journal
Journal 2
Journal 3
The first two are amusing but the third introduces the brilliant idea that these two people will have normal lives aside from these intense confrontations with each other. Some day the flirting has to step up to the next level. I think it taps into a primal desire that no matter what you are doing there’s something else, or someone else, out there that defines who you truly are. If I could understand what appeals to me about this I think I would deepen the understanding of myself.
That’s pretty impressive from stick figures.
posted by admin on Feb 27
Long, long ago, we’re talking middle school here, I was renowned for my ability to quote the final panel of any Garfield strip upon seeing the first two panels. (Maybe, renowned isn’t the right word but I’m going somewhere.) Primarily, all the comic strips I read nowadays are webcomics but I still hold a special place in my heart for old classics like Garfield even if the strip really hasn’t been good for over a decade.
But this! Brilliance! Simply a genius idea. Several strips really made me stop and reflect on my own life and certainly many expose something universal about the human condition.
Also, reminds me I need to find a subscription service to deliver quality newspaper comics to my Inbox. A man cannot survive on Penny Arcade and PBF alone!
I crave sustenance!
