http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DnbUvbebkz78&h=0abe8c608d678cc7164b37f2e6249f74
I recently happened upon a little video from the Facebook page of Grace Randolph, or a video a fan put up. And this is to the person in the video: Vaughn Fry. What the hell?
If I was to critique another person's movie review or internet show, I'd never stoop so low as to make fun of said person's relationship status or the fact that they "flaunt" what school they go to by putting it on their Facebook profile. You took a low blow, and that is a big (not trying to sound childish here but I can't really find the word for it) no-no.
And FYI, you're not the #1 movie critic on YouTube. The Internet has far better reviewers. Nor are you the toughest. Spoony had a much more biting review towards New Moon, and most of the reviewers have a bit more charisma than you. I think that you should try to go one step above being monotone and bashing people for no apparent reason. If I could say some more, put some form of charisma on your videos.
==================================
Ok, I had a line here asking him to apologize, but now I take it back. You have officially become one of the most pompous assholes on the entire internet. Just because you have a green screen effect, poor special effects, and a sour bland attitude, that makes you superior to the other reviewers like Doug Walker, James Rolfe, Spoony, pretty much the entire That Guy With the Glasses Team, and the various movie reviewers on YouTube? If you want to see pandering to the lowest common denominator for views just look up anything on the most viewed section and count what doesn't have a girl on the screenshot.
And Grace does give a review of movies you jackass. She does it on her Movie Math section on the show, and Beyond the Trailer itself is a show on what people thought about the movie as they were coming out of the theater. Most reviewers on the Internet do that! They sometimes go right home and give a review on the movie.
You say you have TV syndication? I haven't heard of you until Tom Chatalbash gave Grace the link to your asshole video. I honestly don't know what station you could possibly be on, but if it's one I get, I don't think I've ever seen you on it.
AND WHY THE FUCK ARE THERE PEOPLE ACTUALLY DEFENDING THIS ASSHAT!?!?!?! CRITICS COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES! SHE GETS REVIEWS FROM EVERYBODY ELSE, AND SHE GIVES HER REVIEW LATER ON, WHICH IS STILL A MOTHERFUCKING REVIEW, YOU ASSHOLES! JUST BECAUSE SHE ISN'T LIKE YOUR BELOVED VAUGHN, THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT PEOPLE CAN GO ABOUT BASHING HER PERSONALLY FOR A SHOW SHE DOES! IT'S JUST PLAIN STUPID! Okay, I get that she does her reviews differently and she doesn't look at the plot or anything, but most reviewers' viewers fall into two categories: 1) fans of said critic who want to know what they thought of the movie before they see it (in my case, like when I was taken to see New Moon and I wanted to see what Spoony and That Guy with the Glasses thought), and 2) people who hated/loved the movie and want to see what they thought of it (again, like me with Spoony's review of Transformers 2). The Internet has enough room for multiple reviewers and different styles of a review, not just guys with huge egos who have less charisma in what they do than a robot. Grace and Vaughn aren't even in the same category of reviewers, so why are you comparing the two? It would be like if I tried to compare Stephen King with HG Wells. It's basically near impossible. Open your mind to other forms of critic on the internet, and until that happens shut up.
I offically swear off of this douchebag or refuse to even acknowledge his existence until I find he's both 1) given Grace a much needed apology, and 2) GET SOME CHARISMA ON YOUR SHOW! You honestly look stoned through your reviews, and even HAL 9000 had more charisma on screen than you, and he was just a panel with a lens on it.
Good day.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Superman Legends
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvvJvXGydww
I just have to say one thing on this. Wow. Just wow. This is probably the strangest anime I have seen in a long while. It trumps the "dragon steeds" in Romeo X Juliet. It... is one of those things you have to see to believe. I'm literally speechless at how strange and at the same time hilarious this anime is. I do have to admit, MarzGurl sure can find some strange things (I found out about this anime from MarzGurl on That Guy with the Glasses.com).
If I could sum up this anime in one sentence, it would be Teenage Mutant Godzilla Gundam Ball Z with elements of Peter Pan... IN SPACE!!!!!!!! And this was just episode one.
If you're going to see this, expect strange occurrences.
I just have to say one thing on this. Wow. Just wow. This is probably the strangest anime I have seen in a long while. It trumps the "dragon steeds" in Romeo X Juliet. It... is one of those things you have to see to believe. I'm literally speechless at how strange and at the same time hilarious this anime is. I do have to admit, MarzGurl sure can find some strange things (I found out about this anime from MarzGurl on That Guy with the Glasses.com).
If I could sum up this anime in one sentence, it would be Teenage Mutant Godzilla Gundam Ball Z with elements of Peter Pan... IN SPACE!!!!!!!! And this was just episode one.
If you're going to see this, expect strange occurrences.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Best of Crush 40: Super Sonic Songs
I'm a fan of Crush 40 and I've always been a fan since I heard their songs in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle. And I have to say they've improved, and their best of compilation shows it. Theres a lot of revisions to their older songs, as well as a cover. Their remakes of What I'm Made Of and Open Your Heart are the best revisions, and I have to say their cover of the Cult's Fire Woman was pretty good. Though this is short, I can't really explain why a CD is good. It's all in personal taste, and Crush 40 is in my favorites. If you like the songs from the 3D era Sonic games, any of the 3D Sonic games, this is one I'd definitely suggest.
Friday, November 20, 2009
The Addams Family: Fester's Quest (NES)
Okay I know that the Angry Video Game Nerd touched on this game, but I have to say that I don't think it's too bad. I actually like it (when I can get it to work), and I feel that it has a lot of replay value for a game like this. I enjoy it, but there are some bad parts. Dying is painful, because if you decide to continue, you start over from the beginning, but you retain your items. The weapon downgrades are confusing, especially if you're playing on a basic speed run (pink downgrades, blue upgrades). The final gun upgrade is a saving grace, and it proves a bit more useful in the sewer levels and tight compartments, as it fires in groups of three straight ahead, instead of the spinning black cannonballs of death you get for one of the upgrades. The lack of life you get at the start is a bit frustrating, and God knows I hate the space frogs that attack you.
On a more positive note, the game has good music (the 8-bit rendition of the Addams Family theme is stuck in my head), easy controls, decent gameplay, and is good for a bored time at home (or in my case, a dorm room).
On the negatives, the gun upgrades are shit until you get the last two, the poisoning you can get is frustrating ('cause it slows you down), and the narrow passages (that sounds disturbing) are a bit tedious.
Overall, Fester's Quest is a game you get to alleviate boredom. If you plan on owning it, do what I did and buy it on eBay from Pedro! Games, 'cause you can get the game for one cent (with a few dollars shipping and handling, of course) from them.
On a more positive note, the game has good music (the 8-bit rendition of the Addams Family theme is stuck in my head), easy controls, decent gameplay, and is good for a bored time at home (or in my case, a dorm room).
On the negatives, the gun upgrades are shit until you get the last two, the poisoning you can get is frustrating ('cause it slows you down), and the narrow passages (that sounds disturbing) are a bit tedious.
Overall, Fester's Quest is a game you get to alleviate boredom. If you plan on owning it, do what I did and buy it on eBay from Pedro! Games, 'cause you can get the game for one cent (with a few dollars shipping and handling, of course) from them.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Changing Times: TV Stations
If you're wondering what I'm talking about, this is a small special on which I take a look at things from my upbringing that have radically changed over the years. Having been born and raised in the 90s, I experienced several good television stations. However, these stations have been so radically changed, I don't recognize them for what they were anymore. That being said, let's take a look at how things have changed in my eyes for four TV stations.
1. WB/Kid's WB!
Okay, I might as well start off with a major player in my life, the WB. Or more importantly, the segment for children in the morning titled Kid's WB! This showcased several great cartoons, such as the Steven Spielberg produced cartoons, like Animaniacs, Freakazoid!, and Tiny Toon Adventures, as well as Pokemon and the Batman animated series. I have a very fond memory of waking up one morning, turning on the TV, and Pokemon came on. In fact, I remember it exactly. It was the episode titled Case of the K-9 Capers (thank you Wikipedia), and I remember the fact Team Rocket had megaphones that made them sound like Officer Jenny and Ash. After I first tuned into it, I ran to tell my mom and I woke her up because I was so excited about discovering this show. And here was where Pokemania began with me, I believe. Soon after that one fateful morning, I was a freak on Pokemon, owning the games and a bunch of cards, which to this day I still own.
The way that the WB has changed is the fact it's gone. Yes, they replaced it with the CW, eliminating the WB station for good. But it's not gone, it lives on... on the Internet. Proof: the Internet truly has everything.
2. Toon Disney
Another fond memory I have of a TV station is Toon Disney. I remember when we had DirecTV in our house, I would always get up to watch Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (AoStH), Goof Troop, DuckTales, and many more. I even tried to learn the Goof Troop theme song (which I forgot until recently).
The way that Toon Disney has changed is, like the WB, it's gone. It makes me sad to see so many great TV stations going away now, and Toon Disney was the biggest hit for me. However, it started showing more live action, and it killed the idea of TOON Disney. It is now replaced with Disney XD, which shows programming I don't want to watch, never wanted to watch, and I actually screamed to myself something along the lines of "WHY GOD WHY?" XD still shows some of the action-y Toon Disney shows, but THEY GOT RID OF THE GOOD SHOWS!!! HOW DARE YOU DISNEY!!! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!!! And I'm done on my rant against Disney XD.
3. Cartoon Network
I thought there were so many great TV shows on Cartoon Network as a kid. I loved the Looney Tunes that they showed, I loved the Cartoon Cartoons, mainly Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory, and Johnny Bravo. On the other hand, I HATED Cow and Chicken, and disliked (but not hated) I Am Weasel (mainly due to the fact I couldn't understand it as a child and I haven't seen it since...). I grew to like the later shows of my early teens, like Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?, Grim and Evil (later The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy), and Codename: Kids Next Door. Even now, some shows have grown on me a bit, like the early episodes of Chowder, and Ben 10 (both original and what I have seen of Alien Force).
The way Cartoon Network has changed is the way it's changed so sporadically since 2000. Does anyone still remember Tommy and Tara, the hosts of Cartoon Network Fridays? What about Toonami? Toonami was the greatest part of Cartoon Network, next to the Cartoon Cartoons, as Toonami showed some kickass anime. My aunt's friend's son was the one who introduced me to Toonami and Dragon Ball Z. And to that, I thank you old friend. But the biggest change for me was the elimination of the good Cartoon Cartoons and Toonami, and the replacement of... reality shows. Yes, Cartoon Network has become the MTV of the children's generation, minus the glitz and glamour. Total Drama Island/Action = Real World/Road Rules Challenge or whatever game show there is, 6teen (God, I hate this show...) = The Hills, and Stoked... And don't even get me started on the CN Real programming... Why? I'm just gonna ask: Why? You play CARTOONS! YOU'RE FUCKING CALLED CARTOON NETWORK! NOT REALITY NETWORK THAT OCCASIONALLY PLAYS CARTOONS!!! But one good thing is here: we got BOOMERANG!!! I love that station, because it's just like the Cartoon Network of the 90s, and it shows me some good classics like Superfriends and the old Yogi Bear and Scooby Doo!. And Adult Swim shows some good stuff too... like Bleach, along with the rare times they showed InuYasha and Lupin III before ending that.
4. G4 Tech TV
I picked up on this station a few years back, when it was still called G4 Tech TV. I loved the programming, because I am a major gaming geek myself. I found myself buying games at the suggestion of X-Play and Judgement Day. I loved seeing classic and new cutscenes from Cinematech. I tried but failed to keep up with the cheats on Cheat! I also loved learning about gaming history through Icons. It was my dream channel...
... and it became a nightmare for a while. They started pushing gaming stuff further and further back into the evening in favor of stuff like Star Trek: The Next Generation (apologies to Trekkies, I wasn't a fan at the time) and constant reruns of Cops, Cheaters, and the God-awful Man Show. I boycotted G4 for some time, but both the boost in X-Play showtimes and Cheat reruns, along with the Midnight Spank (showing Happy Tree Friends, Cinematech and Cinematech: Nocturnal Emissions, and some strange and wonderful anime) brought me back. Now G4 Tech TV is just G4, and I don't mind it. Rolls off the tongue better, and is easier on my fingers when I type. I just wish they'd make Cheat it's own show again, show more of Icons (or whatever it's named now), and BRING BACK JUDGEMENT DAY (okay it's called Reviews on the Run now, but you get the picture). I'm honestly sick of Cops a bit, just because I always tune in when it's on. Oh yeah, Attack of the Show ROCKS!
I hope you enjoyed this little trip down my memory lane, and I pray you didn't step on any butterflies. In case you're wondering, I won't get into what crap the Disney Channel has become because all of us know it (aside from the tweens and retards who eat it up and the parents who feed it to them). That is the end for my Changing Times segment on TV channels. Sometime later, probably next week, I'll try to get a review out. Probably Drag Me to Hell or Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster.
1. WB/Kid's WB!
Okay, I might as well start off with a major player in my life, the WB. Or more importantly, the segment for children in the morning titled Kid's WB! This showcased several great cartoons, such as the Steven Spielberg produced cartoons, like Animaniacs, Freakazoid!, and Tiny Toon Adventures, as well as Pokemon and the Batman animated series. I have a very fond memory of waking up one morning, turning on the TV, and Pokemon came on. In fact, I remember it exactly. It was the episode titled Case of the K-9 Capers (thank you Wikipedia), and I remember the fact Team Rocket had megaphones that made them sound like Officer Jenny and Ash. After I first tuned into it, I ran to tell my mom and I woke her up because I was so excited about discovering this show. And here was where Pokemania began with me, I believe. Soon after that one fateful morning, I was a freak on Pokemon, owning the games and a bunch of cards, which to this day I still own.
The way that the WB has changed is the fact it's gone. Yes, they replaced it with the CW, eliminating the WB station for good. But it's not gone, it lives on... on the Internet. Proof: the Internet truly has everything.
2. Toon Disney
Another fond memory I have of a TV station is Toon Disney. I remember when we had DirecTV in our house, I would always get up to watch Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (AoStH), Goof Troop, DuckTales, and many more. I even tried to learn the Goof Troop theme song (which I forgot until recently).
The way that Toon Disney has changed is, like the WB, it's gone. It makes me sad to see so many great TV stations going away now, and Toon Disney was the biggest hit for me. However, it started showing more live action, and it killed the idea of TOON Disney. It is now replaced with Disney XD, which shows programming I don't want to watch, never wanted to watch, and I actually screamed to myself something along the lines of "WHY GOD WHY?" XD still shows some of the action-y Toon Disney shows, but THEY GOT RID OF THE GOOD SHOWS!!! HOW DARE YOU DISNEY!!! HOW FUCKING DARE YOU!!! And I'm done on my rant against Disney XD.
3. Cartoon Network
I thought there were so many great TV shows on Cartoon Network as a kid. I loved the Looney Tunes that they showed, I loved the Cartoon Cartoons, mainly Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, Dexter's Laboratory, and Johnny Bravo. On the other hand, I HATED Cow and Chicken, and disliked (but not hated) I Am Weasel (mainly due to the fact I couldn't understand it as a child and I haven't seen it since...). I grew to like the later shows of my early teens, like Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?, Grim and Evil (later The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy), and Codename: Kids Next Door. Even now, some shows have grown on me a bit, like the early episodes of Chowder, and Ben 10 (both original and what I have seen of Alien Force).
The way Cartoon Network has changed is the way it's changed so sporadically since 2000. Does anyone still remember Tommy and Tara, the hosts of Cartoon Network Fridays? What about Toonami? Toonami was the greatest part of Cartoon Network, next to the Cartoon Cartoons, as Toonami showed some kickass anime. My aunt's friend's son was the one who introduced me to Toonami and Dragon Ball Z. And to that, I thank you old friend. But the biggest change for me was the elimination of the good Cartoon Cartoons and Toonami, and the replacement of... reality shows. Yes, Cartoon Network has become the MTV of the children's generation, minus the glitz and glamour. Total Drama Island/Action = Real World/Road Rules Challenge or whatever game show there is, 6teen (God, I hate this show...) = The Hills, and Stoked... And don't even get me started on the CN Real programming... Why? I'm just gonna ask: Why? You play CARTOONS! YOU'RE FUCKING CALLED CARTOON NETWORK! NOT REALITY NETWORK THAT OCCASIONALLY PLAYS CARTOONS!!! But one good thing is here: we got BOOMERANG!!! I love that station, because it's just like the Cartoon Network of the 90s, and it shows me some good classics like Superfriends and the old Yogi Bear and Scooby Doo!. And Adult Swim shows some good stuff too... like Bleach, along with the rare times they showed InuYasha and Lupin III before ending that.
4. G4 Tech TV
I picked up on this station a few years back, when it was still called G4 Tech TV. I loved the programming, because I am a major gaming geek myself. I found myself buying games at the suggestion of X-Play and Judgement Day. I loved seeing classic and new cutscenes from Cinematech. I tried but failed to keep up with the cheats on Cheat! I also loved learning about gaming history through Icons. It was my dream channel...
... and it became a nightmare for a while. They started pushing gaming stuff further and further back into the evening in favor of stuff like Star Trek: The Next Generation (apologies to Trekkies, I wasn't a fan at the time) and constant reruns of Cops, Cheaters, and the God-awful Man Show. I boycotted G4 for some time, but both the boost in X-Play showtimes and Cheat reruns, along with the Midnight Spank (showing Happy Tree Friends, Cinematech and Cinematech: Nocturnal Emissions, and some strange and wonderful anime) brought me back. Now G4 Tech TV is just G4, and I don't mind it. Rolls off the tongue better, and is easier on my fingers when I type. I just wish they'd make Cheat it's own show again, show more of Icons (or whatever it's named now), and BRING BACK JUDGEMENT DAY (okay it's called Reviews on the Run now, but you get the picture). I'm honestly sick of Cops a bit, just because I always tune in when it's on. Oh yeah, Attack of the Show ROCKS!
I hope you enjoyed this little trip down my memory lane, and I pray you didn't step on any butterflies. In case you're wondering, I won't get into what crap the Disney Channel has become because all of us know it (aside from the tweens and retards who eat it up and the parents who feed it to them). That is the end for my Changing Times segment on TV channels. Sometime later, probably next week, I'll try to get a review out. Probably Drag Me to Hell or Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Saw VI
Needless, to say, this is another Saw movie. Just another Saw movie. But I did enjoy the ending, setting itself up for a lovely revenge story in the next one (I'm calling it for one more movie). Aside from that, I don't want to talk about it much more... because it was just another Saw movie.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A Rant about Technology: PCs and Macs
Okay, I enjoy having a computer. Be it a PC or a Mac, I enjoy computers. And having owned both a Mac and a PC, I feel like there are some things I need to just get off my chest. And they're both laptops, just so you know.
Okay, first victim: the Mac. I love Macs personally, but I need to get some things off my chest right now. One, the battery. My Mac was old to begin with when I got it, but the battery lasted pretty well for being 5 years old. But after I had it for a while, and for a year or two until its death, the battery would only last a half hour at the most on a full charge. Two: iPod compatibility. I have an iPod, and since all my music was on my Mac's hard drive when it gave out from old age (that's what I meant by death), I can't get music off of my PC to my iPod without deleting all my music from it that I had beforehand. And so, I don't like how when you format an iPod on a PC, you can get music off of both Macs and PCs, but when you do it on a Mac, it can only work on a Mac. Finally, the constant verification when you try to fix stuff in System Preferences. I don't like having to remember my password constantly when I'm just trying to change the time on my computer. I want to change the time or adjust the sound output, not have to remember my passwords then remember what time it is or what kind of output I should have on it.
Next is the PC. I also like the PC, but I need to rant on them as well. First, the touch pad's proximity to the keyboard. I don't like how it's so close to the side of my hand when I'm typing. I've had pages of stuff deleted because my hand tapped the touch pad while typing, or while on the Internet, it either causes a new tab to open up on me or it causes my page to reload. Second, the constant updates. I hate having to wait for my computer to shut down and start up while it installs updates. And one day, I had to reinstall the virus scan system because it couldn't update itself. Finally, the touch pad itself. Having owned a Mac before a PC, I am not used to the double tap click system on the touch pad or whatever it's called. It gets frustrating when I am playing an online game that requires cursor movement, and sometimes I have to tap the touch pad several times before it becomes responsive again. I also have had to click several times on the screen to get out of the touch pad tap click.
Okay, first victim: the Mac. I love Macs personally, but I need to get some things off my chest right now. One, the battery. My Mac was old to begin with when I got it, but the battery lasted pretty well for being 5 years old. But after I had it for a while, and for a year or two until its death, the battery would only last a half hour at the most on a full charge. Two: iPod compatibility. I have an iPod, and since all my music was on my Mac's hard drive when it gave out from old age (that's what I meant by death), I can't get music off of my PC to my iPod without deleting all my music from it that I had beforehand. And so, I don't like how when you format an iPod on a PC, you can get music off of both Macs and PCs, but when you do it on a Mac, it can only work on a Mac. Finally, the constant verification when you try to fix stuff in System Preferences. I don't like having to remember my password constantly when I'm just trying to change the time on my computer. I want to change the time or adjust the sound output, not have to remember my passwords then remember what time it is or what kind of output I should have on it.
Next is the PC. I also like the PC, but I need to rant on them as well. First, the touch pad's proximity to the keyboard. I don't like how it's so close to the side of my hand when I'm typing. I've had pages of stuff deleted because my hand tapped the touch pad while typing, or while on the Internet, it either causes a new tab to open up on me or it causes my page to reload. Second, the constant updates. I hate having to wait for my computer to shut down and start up while it installs updates. And one day, I had to reinstall the virus scan system because it couldn't update itself. Finally, the touch pad itself. Having owned a Mac before a PC, I am not used to the double tap click system on the touch pad or whatever it's called. It gets frustrating when I am playing an online game that requires cursor movement, and sometimes I have to tap the touch pad several times before it becomes responsive again. I also have had to click several times on the screen to get out of the touch pad tap click.
Bullshit Moments In Good Games: Mike Tyson's Punch Out (NES, via emulator)
This is a new little segment where I take a look at all good games, and inevitably find a bad part about it. This is my opinion of the game's features and in no way should influence others' opinions. I look at a good game, and find a flaw that either makes it hard to play, or just something that sticks with me and annoys the living f*ck out of me. Enough that I call bullshit.
Okay, I just played Mike Tyson's Punch Out on an online NES emulator. And I enjoy it. It's a great game for its time, and it works well as a simple reflex tester disguised as a boxing game. But I feel like it gets too difficult way too fast. I have only been able to defeat the first few boxers without much trouble. In fact, I see the flaws I have in my strategy on them, and I amend it. But the second tier of boxers is so ridiculous, I can't beat all of them. Don't get me started on King Hippo. It's good that once you knock him out he stays down because of his size, but it just pissed me off. I had to look up on YouTube a way to defeat the guy because it makes you change your previous strategy so much, I lost several times and had to restart the game on the emulator. And Great Tiger or whatever his name is... ooh... he is probably one of the most frustrating enemies I've faced in a game, and I've played through the first few stages of both Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest on the same emulator. For one, I hate his (I don't know the name again) tiger magic punchy attack where he goes Dragon Ball Z on my ass. I am able to block him sometimes, but once he gets one punch in on me, I'm done. He keeps doing that, and I barely was able to knock him down twice (the first time was during his simple punch and uppercut stuff), lucky that I was able to do it three. And he is just the halfway point of the game. You still have several rematches, the Russian soda drinker, Mr Sandman, the narcissist guy, and Mike himself. 13 matches in total, I can only finish 5, and lose like all hell at the sixth guy.
Another problem I saw in Mike Tyson's Punch Out was how the other boxers immediately regained their stamina (I'm calling it stamina, but it would be considered a health bar as well) after getting knocked down. When I got up, I would just have to dodge like hell before my stamina would regenerate to their level. And the rapid tapping of the buttons to get up after a knock down gets painful after a while. And why is it when the foes get knocked down three times, it's a TKO, but when I get knocked down three times, I have to wait for the countdown to go to 10 before I'm done? Why can't I just restart once I get knocked down three times?
Altogether, Punch Out is a good game. It's fun, entertaining, it keeps me in the game. But it just gets so ridiculously difficult so early on in the game. Truthfully, I never got this frustrated on such an early part of a game as I have on Punch Out for the NES. I get frustrated at parts of games (I still hate Call of Duty series' Veteran difficulty), but I always find a way to make it through. And they are always towards the end, is when it gets on my nerves with difficulty. But it is a great game, mainly due to the easy to learn controls, cartoony style of the game, and addictivity. I may seem like I don't like the game because of the flaws, but the early levels on the emulator are fun, addicting, and a good test to see how well your reflexes and finger speed are.
Okay, I just played Mike Tyson's Punch Out on an online NES emulator. And I enjoy it. It's a great game for its time, and it works well as a simple reflex tester disguised as a boxing game. But I feel like it gets too difficult way too fast. I have only been able to defeat the first few boxers without much trouble. In fact, I see the flaws I have in my strategy on them, and I amend it. But the second tier of boxers is so ridiculous, I can't beat all of them. Don't get me started on King Hippo. It's good that once you knock him out he stays down because of his size, but it just pissed me off. I had to look up on YouTube a way to defeat the guy because it makes you change your previous strategy so much, I lost several times and had to restart the game on the emulator. And Great Tiger or whatever his name is... ooh... he is probably one of the most frustrating enemies I've faced in a game, and I've played through the first few stages of both Castlevania and Castlevania II: Simon's Quest on the same emulator. For one, I hate his (I don't know the name again) tiger magic punchy attack where he goes Dragon Ball Z on my ass. I am able to block him sometimes, but once he gets one punch in on me, I'm done. He keeps doing that, and I barely was able to knock him down twice (the first time was during his simple punch and uppercut stuff), lucky that I was able to do it three. And he is just the halfway point of the game. You still have several rematches, the Russian soda drinker, Mr Sandman, the narcissist guy, and Mike himself. 13 matches in total, I can only finish 5, and lose like all hell at the sixth guy.
Another problem I saw in Mike Tyson's Punch Out was how the other boxers immediately regained their stamina (I'm calling it stamina, but it would be considered a health bar as well) after getting knocked down. When I got up, I would just have to dodge like hell before my stamina would regenerate to their level. And the rapid tapping of the buttons to get up after a knock down gets painful after a while. And why is it when the foes get knocked down three times, it's a TKO, but when I get knocked down three times, I have to wait for the countdown to go to 10 before I'm done? Why can't I just restart once I get knocked down three times?
Altogether, Punch Out is a good game. It's fun, entertaining, it keeps me in the game. But it just gets so ridiculously difficult so early on in the game. Truthfully, I never got this frustrated on such an early part of a game as I have on Punch Out for the NES. I get frustrated at parts of games (I still hate Call of Duty series' Veteran difficulty), but I always find a way to make it through. And they are always towards the end, is when it gets on my nerves with difficulty. But it is a great game, mainly due to the easy to learn controls, cartoony style of the game, and addictivity. I may seem like I don't like the game because of the flaws, but the early levels on the emulator are fun, addicting, and a good test to see how well your reflexes and finger speed are.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Review: The Tingler (1959)
This is one of the better 50s B-movies I've seen out there. It stars Vincent Price, and is directed by the director of the original House on Haunted Hill, William Castle. It is about a scientist who does studies in fear and his discovery: a creature that lives inside us, connected to our spines. It is called the Tingler, because it causes the tingly feeling when you're afraid, and it grows in size during moments of fear to the point where it can kill someone, but shrinks or dies when you scream. Price's character eventually does tests with LSD to try to coax the Tingler within him, but he fails because of the massive amounts of pain and fear inside of him caused by the Tingler cause him to scream. However, a man who Price meets early in the film has a deaf-mute wife, who after meeting with Price's character, dies from fright apparently caused by LSD. The man brings the wife to Price, who is able to extract the Tingler. Things happen, and the Tingler escapes after Price brings it back to the man to have it put back where it came from because its indestructible. He is able to put it back into the wife's body and discovers the husband was the one who terrified her to death by forcing her out of the bedroom and into the bathroom where she died.
All in all, this is a very good movie. Price does a good job playing a scientist who will stop at nothing to discover it, and he even puts on a good "what have I done" act towards the end. Castle uses some very good scenes to work for the movie. For example, during the woman's LSD trip, she goes into the bathroom, where all the water in the bathtub and sink are flowing with blood. And it is the only color part of the black and white film. The blurring effects of the LSD trips works just as good, because it blurs stuff so well a skeleton appears to be morphing into something else.
However, the Tingler has some drawbacks. Being a low budget popcorn horror flick, it has some cheap gimmicks and effects a film school student would use. The Tingler looks so ludicrous it works well with the movie. It feels like its over too quickly, and the Tingler itself doesn't appear majorly until the last half hour of the film, but doesn't every horror creature of the 1950s (i.e. The Fly or the Thing From Another World)?
For the time, it's a good movie. It has a funny scene where the Tingler was supposed to break out into the theater you were in or the drive in you were seeing it at and you're supposed to "Scream! Scream for your lives!" or turn on your headlights. Feels gimmicky, and that's what makes it great.
The Tingler is like a movie you'd see with your friends for either appreciation for Vincent Price or William Castle's work, or for a good laugh at the creature, and for that, I give it a thumbs up. I'm happy I purchased it on DVD, and I have James Rolfe, aka the Angry Video Game Nerd (cinemassacre.com), to thank for introducing me to this movie.
And remember: when you are afraid and feel a tingle in your spine, don't be afraid to let loose and scream. Your life depends on it...
All in all, this is a very good movie. Price does a good job playing a scientist who will stop at nothing to discover it, and he even puts on a good "what have I done" act towards the end. Castle uses some very good scenes to work for the movie. For example, during the woman's LSD trip, she goes into the bathroom, where all the water in the bathtub and sink are flowing with blood. And it is the only color part of the black and white film. The blurring effects of the LSD trips works just as good, because it blurs stuff so well a skeleton appears to be morphing into something else.
However, the Tingler has some drawbacks. Being a low budget popcorn horror flick, it has some cheap gimmicks and effects a film school student would use. The Tingler looks so ludicrous it works well with the movie. It feels like its over too quickly, and the Tingler itself doesn't appear majorly until the last half hour of the film, but doesn't every horror creature of the 1950s (i.e. The Fly or the Thing From Another World)?
For the time, it's a good movie. It has a funny scene where the Tingler was supposed to break out into the theater you were in or the drive in you were seeing it at and you're supposed to "Scream! Scream for your lives!" or turn on your headlights. Feels gimmicky, and that's what makes it great.
The Tingler is like a movie you'd see with your friends for either appreciation for Vincent Price or William Castle's work, or for a good laugh at the creature, and for that, I give it a thumbs up. I'm happy I purchased it on DVD, and I have James Rolfe, aka the Angry Video Game Nerd (cinemassacre.com), to thank for introducing me to this movie.
And remember: when you are afraid and feel a tingle in your spine, don't be afraid to let loose and scream. Your life depends on it...
Top 10 Most Influential Horror/Monster Movies
Since this is the month of terror, I figure that I should make a top whatever number list of the greatest things involving horror. And so here we go with the Top 10 Greatest Influential Horror/Monster Movies According to Me.
10. Godzilla (1954)
What can be said about the King of the Monsters? He's big, strong, and uber powerful. And he's more than 50 years old (take that *insert random action star here*) and can still take down Tokyo and King Ghidorah and still come back for a sequel. The reason Godzilla is on this list, is because so many people know Godzilla's appearance and trademark roar, it's amazing. And no, I'm not including the 1998 Godzilla in this list. It was an okay monster movie, but because it had the name Godzilla, it had sky high expectations. But I can give it an honorable mention, because it was the movie that introduced me to Godzilla (I was 6 or 7 at the time).
9. King Kong (1933)
Since I knocked Gojira off the list so early, might as well go for another. King Kong. I don't need to say much more on his part. Everyone recognizes him in some form or another. He even appears in movies that aren't even American. King Kong Appears in Edo (a lost 1938 Japanese kaiju movie, feared lost in the Tokyo firebombings), King Kong vs Godzilla, King Kong Escapes. His movies were all so successful that they spawned 2 sequels: Son of Kong (the sequel to the 1933 movie), and King Kong Lives (1970s sequel).
8. Nosferatu (The First Dracula) (1922)
Okay, I know what you may be thinking. "Who the f*ck is Nosferatu?" Well, he is the first vampire taken from Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. He is the first Dracula. It is because of this movie, I feel a lot of atmosphere into the later movies. He even instilled one of the stereotypical vampire actions: rising out of his coffin. He also started the whole "Vampire + Sunlight = A very dead and cripsy/ashy vampire" thing.
7. Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead is one of the greatest zombie movies out there. He was single-handedly responsible for creating zombies as we know them today. Okay, 28 Days Later gave us the running zombies but George gave us the zombpocalypse. And need I say, so much zombie themed stuff would never exist if George and John (John A. Russo, creator of the second sequel branch, the Return of the Living Dead series) hadn't done this movie.
6. The Evil Dead series
How many movies can you say have a hero with a chainsaw for a hand and a sawed off shotgun that seems to never run out of bullets that spews one-liners and is a badass and a jackass? To fans of the Evil Dead series, they have just that in the form of Ashly (or Ashley) J. Williams, played by Bruce Campbell. These movies brought out the true term cult classic, and even propelled Sam Raimi to stardom in the director universe. Sound familiar? He directed the Spiderman movies and the first Darkman movie. And it showed how horror can be interlaced with comedy. So hold onto your boomstick, get ready for some groovy moments, and be remember the magic words (Klaatu Verata Nikto) and give these films a look.
5. Friday the 13th
Ah, Jason Voorhees. The psychopathic mutant child of Pamela Voorhees. He is harder to kill than a cockroach. He's survived drowning, having an axe through the head, being hacked by his own machete, and he was even blown up and dragged into Hell itself and still came back. Aside from his indestructability, he even has the "ch-ch-ch-ah-ah-ah" music that plays when he's coming. He's a complete badass, and he has even handed Ash Williams' ass to him with minimal effort. How cool is that? And he fought Freddy.
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street
It's showtime, ladies. Freddy Krueger is one of the better recognized villains of a movie ever. And he refuses to die more than, yes, even Jason. Think about it, Freddy has survived being burned alive twice, dragged into the physical world and murdered, burned and seared by holy water and a crucifix, decapitation, and even being pulled into another dimension (Freddy vs Jason vs Ash). He can mess with you in the dream world, and you die in real life. In the comic book Freddy vs Jason vs Ash, he even gains the power of basically the Devil (warping reality, instantaneous murder). Even a demon trapped in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies (Wes Craven's New Nightmare) takes the form of Freddy. And he's a child molester. How evil is that? And the song doesn't hurt either... 1, 2, Freddy's coming for you...
3. Rodan
Okay... I know none of you know this one. Rodan was influential for a few reasons. One, it was one of the few kaiju movies released by Toho that had nothing to do with Godzilla. Two, it was filmed in color, the first Kaiju to do so. Three, there was more than one Rodan in the first movie. Finally, the death of the Rodans in the first one was one of those moments where you didn't want to feel bad, but you had to feel bad for them as they both died in each others ar... er... wings. And the fact Rodan is one of the few monsters to appear in several Godzilla movies as both a friend and enemy.
2. The Universal Monster Movies
I feel this one is pretty self-explanatory. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Mummy. Furthermore, these films brought us or showed more people such film greats such as Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Boris Karloff (Frankie), Lon Chaney Jr (Mummy and Wolfie), and Vincent Price (The Invisible Man Returns).
1. The Exorcist
The Exorcist is one of the more scarier possession movies I've seen in a while. When I was younger, I never heard of this movie. Now, I think of it as a very great horror movie, relying on shock value. I mean, honestly, you'd be shocked if you saw a little girl either doing "vulgar things" with a crucifix or screaming "Your mother sucks 'c' in Hell," it sticks in people's heads.
These were my thoughts on the top 10 most influential horror/monster movies for 2009's Halloween lead-up.
10. Godzilla (1954)
What can be said about the King of the Monsters? He's big, strong, and uber powerful. And he's more than 50 years old (take that *insert random action star here*) and can still take down Tokyo and King Ghidorah and still come back for a sequel. The reason Godzilla is on this list, is because so many people know Godzilla's appearance and trademark roar, it's amazing. And no, I'm not including the 1998 Godzilla in this list. It was an okay monster movie, but because it had the name Godzilla, it had sky high expectations. But I can give it an honorable mention, because it was the movie that introduced me to Godzilla (I was 6 or 7 at the time).
9. King Kong (1933)
Since I knocked Gojira off the list so early, might as well go for another. King Kong. I don't need to say much more on his part. Everyone recognizes him in some form or another. He even appears in movies that aren't even American. King Kong Appears in Edo (a lost 1938 Japanese kaiju movie, feared lost in the Tokyo firebombings), King Kong vs Godzilla, King Kong Escapes. His movies were all so successful that they spawned 2 sequels: Son of Kong (the sequel to the 1933 movie), and King Kong Lives (1970s sequel).
8. Nosferatu (The First Dracula) (1922)
Okay, I know what you may be thinking. "Who the f*ck is Nosferatu?" Well, he is the first vampire taken from Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. He is the first Dracula. It is because of this movie, I feel a lot of atmosphere into the later movies. He even instilled one of the stereotypical vampire actions: rising out of his coffin. He also started the whole "Vampire + Sunlight = A very dead and cripsy/ashy vampire" thing.
7. Night of the Living Dead
George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead is one of the greatest zombie movies out there. He was single-handedly responsible for creating zombies as we know them today. Okay, 28 Days Later gave us the running zombies but George gave us the zombpocalypse. And need I say, so much zombie themed stuff would never exist if George and John (John A. Russo, creator of the second sequel branch, the Return of the Living Dead series) hadn't done this movie.
6. The Evil Dead series
How many movies can you say have a hero with a chainsaw for a hand and a sawed off shotgun that seems to never run out of bullets that spews one-liners and is a badass and a jackass? To fans of the Evil Dead series, they have just that in the form of Ashly (or Ashley) J. Williams, played by Bruce Campbell. These movies brought out the true term cult classic, and even propelled Sam Raimi to stardom in the director universe. Sound familiar? He directed the Spiderman movies and the first Darkman movie. And it showed how horror can be interlaced with comedy. So hold onto your boomstick, get ready for some groovy moments, and be remember the magic words (Klaatu Verata Nikto) and give these films a look.
5. Friday the 13th
Ah, Jason Voorhees. The psychopathic mutant child of Pamela Voorhees. He is harder to kill than a cockroach. He's survived drowning, having an axe through the head, being hacked by his own machete, and he was even blown up and dragged into Hell itself and still came back. Aside from his indestructability, he even has the "ch-ch-ch-ah-ah-ah" music that plays when he's coming. He's a complete badass, and he has even handed Ash Williams' ass to him with minimal effort. How cool is that? And he fought Freddy.
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street
It's showtime, ladies. Freddy Krueger is one of the better recognized villains of a movie ever. And he refuses to die more than, yes, even Jason. Think about it, Freddy has survived being burned alive twice, dragged into the physical world and murdered, burned and seared by holy water and a crucifix, decapitation, and even being pulled into another dimension (Freddy vs Jason vs Ash). He can mess with you in the dream world, and you die in real life. In the comic book Freddy vs Jason vs Ash, he even gains the power of basically the Devil (warping reality, instantaneous murder). Even a demon trapped in the Nightmare on Elm Street movies (Wes Craven's New Nightmare) takes the form of Freddy. And he's a child molester. How evil is that? And the song doesn't hurt either... 1, 2, Freddy's coming for you...
3. Rodan
Okay... I know none of you know this one. Rodan was influential for a few reasons. One, it was one of the few kaiju movies released by Toho that had nothing to do with Godzilla. Two, it was filmed in color, the first Kaiju to do so. Three, there was more than one Rodan in the first movie. Finally, the death of the Rodans in the first one was one of those moments where you didn't want to feel bad, but you had to feel bad for them as they both died in each others ar... er... wings. And the fact Rodan is one of the few monsters to appear in several Godzilla movies as both a friend and enemy.
2. The Universal Monster Movies
I feel this one is pretty self-explanatory. Dracula, Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, the Invisible Man, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Mummy. Furthermore, these films brought us or showed more people such film greats such as Bela Lugosi (Dracula), Boris Karloff (Frankie), Lon Chaney Jr (Mummy and Wolfie), and Vincent Price (The Invisible Man Returns).
1. The Exorcist
The Exorcist is one of the more scarier possession movies I've seen in a while. When I was younger, I never heard of this movie. Now, I think of it as a very great horror movie, relying on shock value. I mean, honestly, you'd be shocked if you saw a little girl either doing "vulgar things" with a crucifix or screaming "Your mother sucks 'c' in Hell," it sticks in people's heads.
These were my thoughts on the top 10 most influential horror/monster movies for 2009's Halloween lead-up.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Hello
Greetings from In the Heart of the Storm Reviews. I will work to produce reviews of various odd things, such as movies, books, video games, TV shows, and comic books. I will publish these on a various basis, either day by day, hour by hour, week by week, month by month, or even minute by minute. I will also publish top 10 lists and ...of the week, and will also in time produce other things, such as a plan I have for bad movies that I know about that I am at the time calling Abomination Domination (where bad movies reign supreme).
I hope you enjoy this little idea of mine.
I hope you enjoy this little idea of mine.
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