Life Disconnected

Here is something that was unexpected for me, that beibg trying to game nowadays without an internet connection. Generally speaking, gaming can obviously be done without the need of such connections. But as I have been finding out, DLC seems to disappear whilst disconnected and that is just a big pain in the ass.

We tried to get back into the swing of things with a session of Borderlands and to both of our suprise, we had access to none of the DLC expansions. So here we are, both of us at level 60 and trying to level off of level 34 monsters/Claptraps. Sure it can work, but I don't think either one of us was prepared to kill that much baddies for little to zero exp.

I think the hardest thing to have no access to has been Netflix. I am glad I at least got to finish watching Chobits before we moved out. What? Despite my inital thinkings about it, the Anime was pretty good. Maybe one of best I've seen even, if that means anything.

Oh and I should forget this little ditty: Our ISP apparently has no actual store/location so paying our bill to be able to transfer service was another pain in our collective backsides. Seriously, are these guys doing that poorly?

On The Move

Life has been short of crazy this past week, though I am hoping things will start slowing down now that we have made the move into our new place. The place is pretty nice, a little dated, but nice all the same. Still, I don't think I've felt so beat up anx tired as I have been lately.

One thing I absolutely cannot wait to get back is our internet connection. Granted, blogging from mu phone isn't all that bad. But trying to type up any reasonable amount of words does get a little tiresome because my fingers tend to hit a lot of others letters I don't need.

Another first is having started this little update blog at work and now I am finishing it up on the bus. What I don't understand is why a newly rotated in bus driver still has to stop and take a break. I suppose 5 minutes of bus driving must be that intense.

So all in all, might be a little quiet around here for a liitle while. Hopefully our lack of real internet will be resolved sometime soon or else I may go crazy on the spot. Or maybe I'll take up reading...?

Not bloody likely...

On Edge

The Divas of Doom, Beth Phoenix (left) & Natalya.

As stated a few writings back, I've been in the process of moving that has spanned about two months now and things are starting to wind down. Where I picked up the thinking that things would simplify as the process nears it's end, I'll never know. Because things haven't gotten any easier!

The difficult part of this has been the actual moving, since it requires cleaning, sorting and all of that. The process has been a pain in the neck and I think we've kept more then we probably should have. I don't really even want to think what things will be like, should we have to move out from where we are moving into now. I mean since we are moving into a bigger space, who knows how much stuff we'll manage to accumulate by then?

Besides this, I have been getting my interest back into wrestling again as there is quite a bit happening lately. A point of interest for me right now is the teaming of Beth Phoenix and Natalya, perfectly dubbed the "Divas of Doom (pictured above)." They've tasked themselves with the mission to destroy the "bimbos" in the company, namely the current WWE Divas Champion, Kelly Kelly.

Why is this interesting? Because I didn't realize just how much Kelly Kelly has improved and she actually held up fairly well in her match against Beth Phoenix recently. Now teaming with Eve, I have to wonder how this duo will fair against the combined might of the Divas of Doom? I do know this: The women's division needs a huge kick in the ass, as does the tag team division, so the sky is the limit. Hopefully this feud sparks some much needed change.

I've also been hooked to a few new TV shows recently, those being the new ThunderCats reboot (didn't I write about that before?) and Hell's Kitchen.

Hell's Kitchen has been an interest watch, mostly because of Chef Gordon Ramsay. The guy looks like the biggest asshole at first, but I've gotten to watch through his U.K. variation of Kitchen Nightmares and if there is one thing that looked obvious about the man, it is this: He is extremely confident and has a furious passion for cooking and food. The people he cracks down on seem to be those who don't take it as seriously as they should and he gives them hell for their lacking ways.

But he doesn't seem like a complete jerk, I mean if he sees talent he does compliment the person and he has given work to some talented folks that he has encountered along the way that he (Ramsay) felt were being wasted by being coupled with incompetent bosses.

So back to cleaning, packing, moving, etc... it has been a long process these past month or two, but the end is near. I can't wait for this all to be done and over with at last!

Revolution? Or Bust?

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is literally going to be released in a few days time and I have to wonder if this game will be at anything at all like it is promising to be. Innovative game play and story? Doesn't everyone claim this these days? And screen shots and videos make this game look pretty damn amazing to me, but I've seen this happen before and some games didn't live up to their own hype. Which brings me to my worry, something that seems to happen whenever a new game is set for release that I have any vested interest in.

Can it possibly live up to everything it is hyped for? Will this be Square Enix's saving grace? I am hoping this is the game that actually makes a list of claims and actually delivers upon them all. Wouldn't that be a nice change of pace?

And really, if this game ends up flopping out... what does it mean for Tomb Raider? Now I want Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Tomb Raider to be awesome, because I think they both look very promising. But for me, Square Enix hasn't exactly lived up to their former bar of excellence shall I say? So I am worried that this game may follow suit.

Well I suppose I will know the answer to this for myself in a few days...

Blogging On The Run - Round 1!

Here is something that is just a tiny bit new to me. Actual blogging while out and about. Or in this case, at work. My work place seems to be going through a bit of a phase these days, the likes of which has not been seen here in quite some time.

By this I mean a lot of people are leaving.

That isn't to say that no one left the place in this time. But usually it is only one or two people that leave. Now its just one after another.

I'd like to say there is a good purpose for this writing today, but I confess: There isn't any good cause. I guess you could say this was a random thought. Or maybe it is starting to make me wonder again if there is life beyond my comfort zone.

But leaving a place I've grown so used to coming to is a little scary to me. But as I am seeing these days, it looks to me like a lot more people are taking that plunge and are seemingly happier today because of it.

Maybe, just maybe... I want that too.

Surviving The Month of August

This month has been absolute madness! And we're only half way through the thing! I can't believe the headaches that have developed whilst trying to move to our new place (which must be done by the ending of this month no less), plus trying to get the money together to pay for the deposit on the place and my job is driving me crazy. Again.

If adversity does in fact build character, I think I am going to be a hell of a hand by the time this whole thing is done and over with. Am I seeing the light at the end of the tunnel yet? Well, no because the thing about this move is we've accumulated a ton of junk over the past 4-5 years and parting with things has been a bit of an issue. There is almost no agreement on what should be kept and what should be tossed out, which is a glaring headache that boiled over a bit recently.

I guess things are not helped at all with the fact that the place we are moving to is a little creepy. But it is a kind of nice place and the area seems quiet and good enough.

So the whole goal I have for the month of August is simple to SURVIVE. If I can just make it another few weeks and everything should be okay. And writing this, I some how remembered that Deus Ex: Human Revolution comes out this month too!

There is just too much going on right now... time for work too! Gah!

WWE SummerSlam 2011 Predictions

WWE SummerSlam 2011 Predictions

Undisputed WWE Championship - John Cena vs. CM Punk
Special Guest Referee: Triple H  

I’m hoping this doesn’t end up with a finish where Triple H ends up screwing either Cena or Punk. But considering how these guest ref deals usually works out, my guess is that is what will happen. But who gets screwed over? And who walks out of SummerSlam as the Undisputed WWE Champion? I’ve gotta stick to my choice in CM Punk.

Prediction: CM Punk

WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match / No Holds Barred - Christian (c) vs. Randy Orton

After all the build up and everything that has been happening over the past few weeks, I really don’t see Christian losing the title back to Orton. I’m picking Christian via some sort of underhanded tactics for the win.

Prediction: Christian

Sheamus vs. Mark Henry

This is a tough choice to make here, because I think both of these guys are moving up the ladder so to speak. As much as I am a fan of Sheamus, I am liking this new agressive streak in Mark Henry. It reminds me of how he was some years back, before he turned and became happy, go lucky again. My choice? The World’s Strongest Man, Mark Henry.

Prediction: Mark Henry

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett

I kind of wish this match had a bit more of a build up, considering these guys have a touch of history with each other (Nexus) and Bryan’s “departure” from the Nexus wasn’t exactly described as a leaving on good terms. Factor in also that Bryan sided against the Nexus at SummerSlam last year to help Team WWE win the night. 

So really, why the rush job?

Despite that and while I am a fan of Daniel Bryan, I think Barrett will walk away the winner. He needs something to do over on Smackdown and maybe a feud with Bryan could help he get going? So yes I am going with Barrett for the win, though likely not a clean win.

Prediction: Wade Barrett

WWE Divas Championship - Kelly Kelly (c) vs. Beth Phoenix

I am still believing Beth Phoenix will leave SummerSlam as the WWE Divas Champion. I am suspecting Natalya will have a role in the victory, considering her turn over on Smackdown.

Prediction: Beth Phoenix

X-Men Gone Wild

Basilisk (Cyclops) in X-Men: Age of X

My re-entry into the world of comics has been a slow process and I've been dabbling back into it more and more over the past year or so. I've read a ton of stuff I never really got into before such as Batman, Wonder Woman, The Incredible Hulk, Wild C.A.T.S., Gen-13 and even Spawn. But things have picked up considerably when I finally came back around to read the comic that got me into it in the first place: X-Men.

I loved the Astonishing X-Men series and I especially loved the fact that Cyclops, hell all of the X-Men, were finally truly evolving. The world wasn't perfect here and mutants were either powered down or being killed off left and right. But one thing I especially liked about this series was the evolution of Cyclops himself. To see him even speaking out against Xavier was surprising and as he fully took control of the team, he became the leader he never really was before.

Things sort of fell off when the creative team changed out, but I still followed along a bit with Cyclops moving the team to San Francisco. What I did not know was the team even went as far as to raise Magneto's old base, Asteroid M.

I'm also currently reading through X-Men: Age of X and it is a interesting take that is almost like the Age of Apocalypse. While Xavier did not form the X-Men in this time and Apocalypse did not take over the world, human kind has hunted the mutants nearly to extinction and Magneto has taken the reigns as General of the resistance. 

But maybe more on all of that stuff later on. I mean I thought everything I had been reading was interesting and it really has been, but you know what? All of the pales in comparison to what I am reading about what comes next for the X-Men (pictured below).

Apparently after all this time, the shit finally hits the fan and Cyclops and Wolverine have at it once and for all. I have to wonder what causes everything to finally boil over? I know it was thrown in there that Wolverine didn't care at all that Cyclops got into a romance with Emma Frost so soon after Jean Grey's death. I can't imagine if that is the cause of this war, but I am sure this has added a bit of fuel to the fire.

What is also interesting about this is the X-Men team will end up splitting at the end of this story arc. One team being lead by Emma Frost and the other by Wolverine. So... I guess we know who goes down in this war? Or does he?

I am actually strongly considering on actually following this story myself, rather then waiting for a paperback collection. As I said, I am curious to know what sparks this fight between these two mainstays and how in the world does this end? And who is following the soon to be new leaders of these two entirely different X-Teams?

Undisputed WWE Champion

Interesting situation with the WWE Championship, especially since John Cena defeated the newly crowned champion Rey Mysterio and CM Punk returned to the WWE with his title in the same night as well. Now there is a match in place to crown an undisputed champion, which leads me to wondering...

Will there be a new design for this undisputed WWE Championship? Or will the tired old spinner belt continue on? I am hoping for a redesign personally, but then people expected a new belt when The Miz and Rey Mysterio faced each other to crown a new champion on Raw a few weeks back. And that didn't happen. More important then that though is who will walk out of SummerSlam as the WWE Champion? I think the situation is something to keep an eye on because I was surprised that CM Punk, like Cena, is starting to get as mixed a reaction as John Cena.

I can only imagine the type of atmosphere there will be at SummerSlam, with these two guys facing each other in their rematch from the Money in the Bank PPV. I doubt that night will be relived, but who knows? Maybe the second time will be better then their previous match.

Updating The State of the Blog

So I've finally gotten around to cleaning up my blog here, which has been plugged up with quite a bit of extra weight. I suppose the idea was to merely simplify the whole thing, since I had a ton of links and gadgets and things that just cluttered the hell out of everything. I think I attribute this change up to having watched a ton of TV shows (Kitchen Nightmares, Hell's Kitchen) of Chef Gordon Ramsay recently.

He (Chef Ramsay) always goes on and on about how simple is better and less is definitely more. Why complicate things when you can do something simply and have much more of an effect? And while I am not blogging on food and cooking and I cannot really cook for the life of me (aside from the simple stuff), the repeated message has hit home.

Recap!

This is going to be a big run down on a bunch of different topics which I've either been too lazy to write about recently or... ok, I was probably just too lazy to write about it. Regardless! I will try to keep myself from going overboard on any one particular topic also, though that may or may not work out for the best. Anyhow, here goes!

Games

• From Dust - The idea behind this game was absolutely promising and I was really looking forward to this game. But now that I've spent some time with it, it honestly didn't really live up to what I was expecting especially after everything I read about this one.
• Rage - Looks like a darker, maybe even more realistic version of Borderlands. I am hoping there is some split screen co-op for this because this game looks promising to me. I am also liking the ability to customize and upgrade, which was something I sorely wished Borderlands had.
• Saints Row The Third - I don't know what it is about this series, but I've grown to like this series after spending some time playing the second game. This one looks to be worlds better then that and the over the top humor is a fun touch too. Maybe it's all the customization that gets me... 
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution - Another promising game which is promising quite a bit as it is. I hope this works out for Square Enix, I think they could really do well if they can manage to get going another big time series.
• Borderlands 2 - We played the hell out of the original and looted the planet of Pandora a few times over in the process. If this sequel works out right and improves what made the first game so much fun, then this is Game of the Year just waiting to happen. As stated earlier, I hope this one includes more choices to customize or upgrade! If not, at least make the weapons better! Nothing felt more wasteful then having to keep picking up tons of crap-tacular weapons...
• Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - I tried out Oblivion before (twice as a matter of fact), but just could not get into the game. But this newest game to the series looks absolutely beautiful and I am curious to see if this game will be more fun for me this time around. Hell the newly announced special edition comes with a goddamn dragon statue! I could use another dragon...
• Halo 4 - So with Bungie gone from the series, I have to wonder if anyone can pick up where those guys left off and produce the same qualities, if not better, then what Bungie had done? I think 343 Industries has their work cut out for them. Honestly, I think this game will make or break the series go forward.
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 - I am utterly amazed that a sequel has actually beaten Final Fantasy Versus XIII as far as being released is concerned. But it'll be interesting to see just how much addressing Square Enix has done towards making this game right with fans. The linear play was one thing, but I hope they address the characters equally as well. As I think I've stated in the past, this was the first Final Fantasy game where I actually really didn't give a shit about the vast majority of my party.
• Gears of War 3 - Yes, here is yet another FPS that makes it into this growing list of mine. Am I looking forward to this one? You damn right I am! I just hope the improvements made to Horde 2.0 doesn't kill things like it happened for us with Halo: Reach's Firefight mode. All indications are pointing that this shooter should be nothing short of pure AWESOME.
• Assassin's Creed Revelations - This one is actually going to be the start of something new for me. Having seen that the UK is actually getting pretty decent stuff for their collector's edition/special edition or whatever they are calling it and the US is getting shit, I am going to protest it the best way I can. No online petitions or bitching on every forum I can find. Nope, I am going to actually not pre-order or even pick this one up at launch. Will I ever buy this game? Maybe once the price drops once or twice... 
• PlayStation Vita - I hope Sony doesn't port every game they've ever made to this thing. I hope there are some good games made for this thing or else I cannot see why anyone would pick this thing up. I will be waiting to see what kind of support this handheld gets before throwing money at this. Consider this a lesson learned thanks to my PSP paperweight. 
• Nintendo Wii U - What is with these names? Wii U? And as for the system itself, much like the PSP I have learned to restrain myself from having to go ape shit over new hardware. Sorry, but I don't need anymore paperweights around my house. Now if Nintendo changes their ways and starts pumping out more then just easy cash in shovelware, then maybe I will consider picking this up. I hope they do not end up the same way as Sega (games only).
• Nintendo 3DS - Now here is a Nintendo product I had some interest in, but so far I just haven't see anything that screams at me and makes me want to run out and buy this thing. Even with this price drop I keep reading about doesn't feel like its enough to get me to spend on this. I hope this thing ends up being used for more then just ports of old games. 

ThunderCats!

While I will not admit that age is getting to me, I did forget that the reboot of the ThunderCats was coming up. Well I actually remembered that part, but I didn't realize it was nearing. So fast forward to a few days ago and I am seeing that I had missed the premiere and it was going into it's third episode already.

So I finally did get the chance to watch the first 2 episodes of the ThunderCats reboot this morning. And I was not disappointed at all. As a matter of fact, I thought it was freaking awesome! I cannot stress this enough! I will admit that I was afraid this new series was going to follow closer to the original, but this reboot is almost an entirely new beast and goddamn it all, it is awesome!

I mean I like the style that this was drawn in, which reminds me somewhat of Avatar: The Last Airbender (which isn't a bad thing). The music is great and always a point of interest for me is the characters. I was surprised to see that the characters were being built up and their personalities were shown up almost immediately. I forget sometimes that these cartoons aren't stuck in the 80's anymore and I am glad for this change. I would attempt to summarize the characters, but I think it is easiest to just watch the first 2 episodes and everything becomes clear.

And I think that is what I am ultimately liking about these old cartoons being made anew so far. The episodes are not wasted and everything is being used for a purpose, which is a far cry from the old shows these reboots were based off of.

So anyway, to make a long story short...

New freaking episode tonight! And with how things ended in episode 2, I wanna see how this team comes together because it is nothing like I remember from the original series. I cannot wait!