Surprisingly Restless

While I should be asleep right now, I'm just not able to put my head down and sleep. Maybe a part of the problem is that I just discovered that the new season of Heroes is on XBox Live! I am sorely tempted to buy some points and download the first 2 episodes right now...

But I must have restraint...

On top of that, I've been playing the new Warriors Orochi game (the mash up of Dynasty and Samurai Warriors games) and it isn't bad. It isn't new. It is pretty much the game that anyone who has picked this one up before, can expect. Which, in certain instances, can be a good thing. I know I've been dying to lay waste to a thousand stupid soldiers.

Needless to say, I've destroyed a few thousand in the past day or so already. Orochi (the game's main baddie) is a fucking monster, in more ways then one. I think he even surpasses Lu Bu as far as being a killing machine. Best way I can put it, good, mindless fun for those (like me) that are easily entertained.

I think I'll be changing around a few things on my blog in the coming days. I feel the need to change stuff up, one of those moods that used to strike me about 2-10 times a day. OK, that might be a slight bit of an exaggeration on my part. Maybe it was more along the lines of about 2-6 times a day...

Anyway, man I thought this month was crazy, I know for a fact already that next month will be hell! Holidays are just around the corner and that means work! Work!! Work!!! AHHHH!!

Speed Racer

Having had the chance to see "Speed Racer" today, it made me realize what an idiot I was. Reason being is that I actually did enjoy the movie and I regret to admit that this was one of the few movies I dodged due to quite a few bad reviews during it's time in theaters.

One of the complaints was how difficult it was to follow and understand the story, though after seeing it for myself I can say otherwise. Well, at least it was pretty easy to follow for me anyway. I will say that it does start out a little confusing in the beginning, with how they blend in flashbacks with the main plot. But once you get comfortable with that style, everything pretty much falls into place thereafter.

Anyway, to make a long story short, it is/was a fun movie to watch and it surprised me with how much story this movie packed. I regret not seeing this on the big screen, but nevertheless I am glad that I finally gave it a chance. I certainly was not disappointed.

TNA Impact

As I begin to write this out, I am debating if I should actually go ahead and get into the things I don't like about this game. And even while I only played it for maybe a half an hour at best, believe me when I say that I have already formulated a list.

Yes, I do understand that this is Midway's first shot into making a wrestling game. But come on guys! This sucker has been in development for years and this is the best they come out with? What's worse, I've read that the company is banking heavily on the success of this game.

That cannot end well.

Whatever happen to market studies? Or hell, don't they even play the games that they are going up against? Did they think it would be smarter to just NOT know what they're up against? They should have known what the WWE has been doing with their games! They've been the only ones on the market for a while and they've haven't exactly been slacking off over those years either!

But let me cut to the chase here...

The game play itself feels robotic, stiff and just doesn't flow in my opinion. It especially affects it because these guys are suppose to be high flying, fast and risk taking. Instead it feels like I'm trying to get Grandpa to move.

Graphics are passable, but what's up with the extremely short entrances? I almost think they could have just chopped the entrances all together. I mean they don't serve much significance here as it is. They could have used the extra space to maybe make this lackluster game better.

The Create-A-Player mode is just... never mind, let me just explain myself in one word right now: Fail. No depth to this mode at all, which makes this thing basically yet another waste of disc space. I cannot even imagine how anyone can fail at this, especially when it comes down to a wrestling game.

Maybe I am being a little too harsh here? Then again, I am bias on this part because I am one of those people who get absolutely HOOKED into the create-a-wrestler mode. Hopefully this will be addressed *if* there is to be a second TNA game in the future.

The story mode makes me laugh out loud, no joke about it. I mean, how much more ridiculous can you possibly be? I'd like to know who came up with the story and who actually believed it was a great idea. I mean it's about a wrestler who calls himself "Suicide" and walks around everywhere in a full body suit and a skull mask. Let me put it to you this way: This guy takes wrestling a tiny bit too seriously.

What's worse is that he gets his ass kicked by LAX (a TNA tag team) and is apparently "left for dead." Suicide wakes up in Mexico, bandaged up and has no memory of who he was or what he did. Which, to be honest, should have been the end of the game because if I were in his spot, I'd love to forget me too.

While I don't absolutely hate this game, because I will admit that behind this mountain of crap that is this game, there is a lot of potential for greatness that I think should have been brought up before this was released. It is unfortunate that their inaugural attempt looks as bad as it does.

In the end, like I said in the beginning, I had read that this game was being banked on heavily by Midway. While I do wish them well, I can't see much positives coming from a game that was in development for as long as TNA was and yet still feeling like it had been rushed out.

If there is indeed a second TNA Wrestling game, I wish them the best of luck, because the odds are now definitely stacked against them.

Home... At Last...

I felt out of the loop, disconnected and outright lost over these past few weeks. I was even angry, maybe even a little bitter as well. Who'd have thought that life would feel just that much lonelier without a video game system? Well surely I did have a few (Wii, PSP), but come on now. The PSP is great for gaming with short attention spans (which I suffer from more often then not) and the Wii... Heh.

Don't get me started on that again.

Ah hell, here it goes...

During the time when my XBox was off in Texas, I did try and play the Wii a little more often then I had been. I even went as far as to pick up a new game or 2 for it, just to see if maybe things would turn out better and I would not feel the lost of my XBox so much.

Wishful thinking, that is.

The two games were Boom Blox and Mario Super Slugger. Boom Blox is actually officially my favorite Wii game at this point. Super Sluggers... meh... it isn't a bad game by any means and it does end up being a fun every now and then. My gripe with it was just the fact that I have/was hoping for better games to come out for the Wii and not just a ton of either Sponge Bob or recycled Mario sports games.

And I will say this about the Wii as well: Whom ever thought up the idea to make a ton of accessories for which to place your Wii remote into, is a nothing short of a genius. A filthy rich genius I'd bet too...

Never before have I felt like a total idiot for buying 2 gun accessories for the Wii, placing the remote into them and then realizing that they don't actually help at all. I end up aiming about as well as I would without it. And here I am, down $24 and stuck with these two pieces of plastic and a shit game (I still hate you, Target: Terror... you ruined my life!) to sulk at.

What I want to know is this: Where is the good stuff!?? Is there even any good stuff to be had? I sure hope the answer to the second part of that question is yes.

Back to my returning XBox (which I hope is fixed for good, though all indications point towards a resounding NOT), I finally got rid of Devil May Cry 4 (never, ever got into that) and Lost Odyssey (I always loved the flashback side/back story stuff, but the regular game was a snooze fest for me).

In their place I've picked up Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (it isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be), Rock Band 2 (actually having fun with this) and Call of Duty 4. Fun, fun times to be had and after a month away, it's high time to start making up for all of that lost time folks.

Looking Ahead

It started out as a simple joke amongst friends and I never really took it seriously when it started. But that is getting ahead of myself, so let me paint the scene so that what I write makes a little more sense.

Both of my friends/co-workers had just returned from their respective trips to Las Vegas. And both of these guys swear that they had a blast, which I can't doubt because what would I know? I have been to Las Vegas in about 15 years at this point. Everything I knew is outdated, ancient history and I'd be damned, when I was last there I couldn't even stop in the casino for more then a minute without security hounding down.

That is when the idea struck them both...

Both of these guys wanted to go back and they sure as swore that I would go back there with them.

As the days went on, the idea began to snowball and what started out as a mere return trip, now included attending a live UFC (Ultimate Fighter Championship) event. What absolutely sealed the deal was the fact that Hawaii born (Hilo, HI to be exact and same island I am originally from) BJ Penn would be fighting at that event.

Now I would be lying through my teeth if I said I wasn't excited just at the thought of seeing the event and just being in Las Vegas. I don't know what it is, but it would appear that a lot of people from Hawaii just live and die to go to Vegas. I can't be one to judge, because my Grandparents were among that group, once upon a time.

What added fuel to the "fire" has been the fact that I have been brushing up on UFC fights and just trying to get a better understanding of the whole thing. I mean I've watched a fight here and there, but I never really got into it.

And now... now the only thing really kind of messes me and my girlfriend up (she got hooked into MMA too) is a money issue. It always comes down to that doesn't it? But then this idea for a trip won't happen until the ending of January 2009, so there is time and there is hope.

So gaming, aside from the fact that my XBox being D.O.A., looks to be getting put on hold almost indefinitely at this point. While there are a few games that are coming out from now and until the end of the year that I'd like to get, somehow this idea for a trip is steadily sailing right past them all.

Like I said, I am excited just thinking about it now and besides all of that, it is about time to get the hell off of this rock. It has been many, many years since I left the state of Hawaii and it'd be nice to see what the outside world looks like these days. And what a way to break back out into the world then by going to "Sin City."

I can't wait...

Dragon Gate Wrestling

So last night marked my first chance at seeing the Dragon Gate wrestling promotion live. It was only their second show in the US and it was a real treat to see these guys straight from Japan. They employ a faster pace then American wrestling and they tend to stick to a more "faction-based" system. Just about everyone in the company is aligned with a group.

In my honest opinion, after seeing some of the local wrestling and seeing a show or two of the WWE's, I think it is fairly safe to say that I actually enjoyed Dragon Gate the most. At least I didn't leave the show feeling like I could have spent my money on something better.

What I appreciated so much about it was it's pacing, as the matches started out slow. Nothing really fancy, just a lot of straight forward wrestling. As the night (and show) progressed, the tempo and the action began to pick up. By the time the main event rolled in and by the time the final bell rang, the place was absolutely fucking nuts!

I was also happy to have gotten to see Dragon Kid (pictured above), who is a pretty crazy wrestler in his own right. But then I witnessed the insanity that is PAC, who flies like I have never seen anyone fly in (and out) or a wrestling ring before. And I don't dare to forget to mention Don Fuji, who I liked watching just because of the comedy that he does. He is funny, but man I still believe he could kick the ass of anyone who steps into the ring with him.

As I overheard them saying as we (my girlfriend and a co-worker) were leaving, they announced that they would be back next year. Needless to say, I surely look forward to when that day comes again.

On a little side note, maybe more of a personal note to myself if I should end up re-reading this post again in the future, I need to remember one thing about this event. Try and find out how to get tickets to where they sat an ENTIRE section of Japanese girls!

This, of course, has nothing to do with me, despite how it might come across as you read those words. But rather to help out my co-worker and friend, who isn't with anyone and who knows? Maybe that is where destiny will happen for him. Or maybe he'll get punched in the face (by a wrestler or a fan, who knows?).

Either way, I was ragged on almost all night by not just him, but my GIRLFRIEND as well! Who's side is she on anyway?? Anyway, I was wised up and I left there a smarter person. Or at least smart enough to try and find out where this section will be the next time these guys roll into town!

Note to self: Lesson learned...

Besides all of that, believe it or not but those women were actually pretty damn loud and into the show from beginning to end. It ended up looking exactly how their shows do in Japan, with these girls screaming and cheering for their favorite guys. As a matter of fact, the heels (bad guys) spent the entire night yelling, spitting and throwing pineapples into that particular section.

It was a crazy and wild, yet very, very fun night and I might have said this before, but I'll say it again anyway: I can't wait until these guys come back next year.