Sunday, July 27, 2008

My E3 Thoughts...

E3 is/was the Christmas of my gaming religion. The Electronic Entertainment Expo is my Mecca. Unfortunately, this year I was on vacation the same week as the show. But now that I've gotten a chance to take it all in, here are my thoughts on Microsoft presentation and miscellaneous E3 items:



Microsofts Presentation


  • Fallout 3 looks bloody amazing! (And I'm not kidding about the blood)

  • Resident Evil 5 comes out March 13! Can you say birthday present for me?!

  • Fable 2 is going to be a must by for me this year. It looks incredible!

  • All I can say about the Gears of War 2 trailer they showed: Damn!

  • All I can say about the Gears of War 2 demo they showed: GOD DAMN!

  • How the hell am I going to afford Fable 2, Gears of War 2 and Fallout 3?

  • Live Party (you and friends able to talk and go into different game instantly) sounds sweet.

  • Primetime, which is basically a game show channel where you compete and possibly win prizes, looks amazing! Especially 1 vs. 100. My only concern is that Canada is gonna get screwed over again.

  • The dashboard update looks great, I'm also excited about the harddrive installation idea.

  • I'm uncertain about Avatars, they look better than Miis but still a little too cartoony for many people.

  • Microsoft's Lips looks fun, if it works for Rock Band 2, I may get it for Christmas! I love that you can play iPod songs on it!

  • 500 songs for Rock Band 2 is amazing! But not as amazing as AC/DC!

  • I'm not a fan of RPG's (Role Playing Games, not Rocket Propelled Grenades) by any means, but you'd have to be an idoit to not know that Square Enix and Final Fantasy are huge for the Xbox 360.

Mischellanious



  • The boys at Ensemble have done a great job with Halo Wars, it looks great, fun to control, and I'm glad it comes out next year (I can't afford more games!)

  • I Am Alive (surivial game) should be good if it's done right, which Ubisoft should be able to do.

  • Red Alert 3! Do I need to say more?

  • Fine then, the units look awesome, the buildings look awesome, Christ the landscape looks awesome! Take a look a the water in RA2-

Compared to RA3-


Need I say more?

Ghostbuster looks okay too.

Finally I have sad post E3 news, Splinter Cell has been delayed until 2009-2010!

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Sorry

I apologize for my lazyness. It took me a week to get around to posting part 2 of my vacation. Not only that I still need to post my thoughts on E3, as well as review Stop-Loss, which I saw last night. And I have to review GTAIV and I have to review Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 and TMNT and Medal of Honor Airborne and Ghost Recon and Guitar Hero III & II and NHL 2k8 and Fight Night Rnd 3 and Ticket To Ride and play Saints Row, FEAR, Test Drive Unlimited, Star Trek Legacy, PGR4, Madden 07 and the Outfit! All while getting a job, my G, s#it for college and doing other crap! Aye aye aye!

The hard part is remembering to do this, you see, I could post all of this right now, but I have to post it in digestable chunks or else how could anyone read about my vacation, it would be at the bottom of list three pages back.

Now, the problem with doing it episodically is that I'm a forgetful ass. How do you think I got through the whole week without posting my vacation pt 2?

P.S. I also have to review Lewis Black's book.

Vacation Part 2

On Wednesday we went to a Camelbeach Water Park.


I went on most of the slides. Since it doubles as a ski resort during the winter it had a ski lift to take us up the mountain and that was very scenic.



After that we went Barley Creek restaurant to eat. Everything was going well until Jamie didn’t get his meal. In fact he didn’t get it till almost all of us were already done eating. I don’t even remember the name of the pasta, so I’m not even gonna bother rating it. It’s hard to judge something when there’s a distraction like that.



Thursday was a lazy day. Jordan and I sat around playing Portal. We took a break and went with the other kids to go Putt Putting. During this time my mom saw a bear! Other than that it was a pretty tame day, we had chicken and stuff for dinner.





Friday was leaving day, we packed up into the van and stopped at Muggs for breakfast. I had a Full Stack (3 pancakes (blueberry)) with two scrambled eggs and orange juice. And after what seemed like a short trip we ended up in New York City. Our hotel is the Hilton which, I have to say, is the nicest hotel I have ever been to. (Except that the Internet COSTS MONEY! WHAT IS THIS? A DISTOPIAN WORLD?) Its shower gets a rating of 10/10. It’s amazing. We walked down to Times Square and ate at Ruby Tuesdays. I had the Broccoli Chicken Pasta.

Pasta Rating
Pasta Name: Broccoli Chicken Pasta.
Taste: Amazing! Excellent! Great!
Size: Same as above!
Overall: 10/10


We then went back to our rooms before going to Broadway. The girls watched Legally Blonde (the musical) and the men went to SPAMalot which was hilarious.



After that we went back to our hotel and I played some Half-Life 2 Episode 2 and Jord played Civ III before goin’ to bed for the night.



On Saturday we went down and ate breakfast at Lindy’s, famous for its cheesecake. I had the Lindy’s Famous Big Breakfast (2 pancakes, eggs, bacon, orange juice), which is apparently a Broadway tradition.



We then hopped onto a tour bus and went around downtown. We got off at SoHo and walked around for a bit, making our way to the WTC site, then to the Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. After that we headed back to a bus and passed the U.N. and other stuff before getting off at Central Park and walking back to our hotel.

After that we ordered pizza and went to a MLS Soccer game (LA Galaxy vs. New York Red Bulls) it was a great game and ended in a tie 2-2.

David Beckham post game


After that we went back to the hotel before going to T.G.I. Fridays. I had the Brashetta Chicken Pasta, which I had before when I went to see Lewis Black in Detroit.

Pasta Rating
Pasta Name: Brashetta Chicken Pasta
Taste: Great!
Size: Good size
Overall: 8.5/10

After that we went back to the hotel for some sleep.

On our final day we had to put all our stuff in the car before going out for breakfast. We went to Bagel Stix where I had a two pancakes with eggs.


We then got on a tour bus for the uptown tour. The bus was going really slow because of a triathlon that was going on that day but it didn’t matter because we had the best tour guide ever.

We eventually got off at Central Park and had a nice walk through it, stopping for ice cream (I had a Strawberry Shortcake bar).


We went back to the hotel to check out before taking a stop at NBC Studios shop. I got a T-shirt and then we went to a GameStop underneath where I got Rainbow 6 Vegas 2.



Now I think they screwed me over because I think the price was $34.00 but when they asked to pay it was $50.00 (I had an Edge card), I figured with taxes and such that’s what it would be. Today I looked on the case and saw they had covered up the $34 sticker with a $54 sticker! I am 99.9% they did this because I had barely enough money to cover the $54 on me, but well more than enough for the $34. ASS!

Then me and my dad had lunch at a Sbarro (Pizza and a Sbarro Pink Lemonade) while the others had lunch at Subway.

We then left and went to our car and worked our way out of the city. After what seemed like forever we stopped for dinner, a hamburger, before finishing our journey and going home.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Trip 08 Part 1 (UPDATED) SUPER VIDEO EDITION!

Well it's already Day 3 of our journey,

Here's our journal of stuff we've done,
Day 1:
I woke up, I don't know how but I did. We then got some Timmies, I had a Med. Ice Capp, Cream Cheese Bageland an Blueberry Fritter We finally got packed up and left, we got to Hamilton and stop at Costco.

We reach the border and get through okay.We stop for lunch and washrooms at a rest area. I get Fuddrucker's Manager's Special (Hamburger, Fries and a Strawberry Milkshake)
Yum!
We stop for gas, I grab a Dunkin' Donuts jelly donut.
Yum!

We continue into Pennslyvania, passing Scranton. We finally reach Tanglewood Resort. Checked out the rooms, very nice! After figuring out who's sleeping where, I set up my stuff. Xbox set up in 7 minutes flat.
While Sarah & Jamie & my parents go for groceries me & Jen try to get the Xbox working. I call the front office and find out that we need a converter. Me and Jen set out for adventure. We pick up Spencer and he comes along. We get the converter and I go back to our room. The Xbox works! GREAT SUCCESS!


We head out to the boat house to eat. After a bit of a wait (it's 11 people!)
We got some apps (mozz sticks & nachos) and I had some Lemonade to drink. For an entree I got the Linguini Margerheta which consisted of linguini, and cherry tomatoes.

Pasta Rating
Linguini Margerheta
Taste: It was good but wasn't great
Size: Huge
Overall: 8.0/10 Not as much taste as I would have liked. Plus eating linguini is hard enought, eating with tomatoes, even harder.

I had some carrot cake for dessert. After that we went back to my room and played some Scene It: Lights Camera Action (me and Tyson won) after which I introduced Jordan to the joy that is Grand Theft Auto IV. At about 2 A.M. I go to sleep.

Day 2
I wake up at EIGHT THIRTY! I grab some cereal then we go swimming. After that we go play some volleyball and then some tennis. We go back to my aunt and uncles room for some sandwiches. After that we play some Halo 3 and then go on a walk by the lake. We stopped for ice cream (I had Orange Blossom)



We come back and play some Halo 3 again before supper at Erhardts I had a Lobster Ravioli
Pasta Rating
Lobster Ravioli
Taste: F***ing amazing!
Size: Only 5 ravioli pieces, although large, wasn't enough even with some bread and asparagus. Rating: 9.0/10 One of the best pastas I have ever had in my life. Simply awesome.
I had some lemonade to drink as well.After that we went back to 125 (Aunt & Uncles room) for some cake (it's my mums b-day).It was a cool 4 in one cake that had carrot, red velvet, german chocolate and truffle. I had truffle.
Back to my room where we play some Scene It (I won both times)
Then to sleep.
Day 3.5
I wake up at about 10 (which is what I wanted) after a nice breakfast (pancakes, sausage, eggs and bacon) we went to my room. After that we went to the Bushkill Falls for some hiking. We went on the red trail. Which is 2 1/2 hours long. It was very scenic and tiring. We had some ice cream (I had Rainbow Sherbert).








We went back to my room. Right now Jordy and Jen are playing some H3 co-op and I'm typing this up. Now I have to go. I believe I have some of my sister's pasta with my name on it. Tomorrow we're going to Hershey!

Day 3 (cont.)
After I had my sister's pasta, we went to 125s for some Spaghetti and then played Family Feud and Cranium. We then went back to our room for some shut eye.
Day 4
We woke early for our 2 hour drive to Hershey. We got loaded in and set out. On the way we got gas and I got a Nestea. The rest of the journey was uneventful. We got to Hershey and we could see rollercoasters. YES!





We went in and it was a magical world. Everything smells good. I'm pretty sure I went on every ride possible, heres a list:
Storm Runner
Fahrenheit

The singing you hear in the background is actually park entertainment:
It was okay, and it got your mind off the heat.

Comet (Wood)
Wildcat (Wood)
Sidewinder (The Bat from Canada's wonderland)
Lightening Racer (Wood)
Great Bear
I'm not sure of the Slooperdooper though

I also went on the Claw, Pirate and Kissing Tower
We stopped at Subway for lunch, I had 2 6" subs with a Pink Lemonade

We then went to the Hershey Museum and saw the Apstoleic clock which was cool. Then it was off to Chocolate World. (My girlfriend would have died to be here) It has a gigantic shop with every kind of chocolate available. We then went on a tour of how chocolate is made (which reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). Then we went on a trolley tour of Hershey which was entertaining. After that we headed out to eat.





We ate at Villa Rosa's, an Italian resturant where I had Rosa's Darmagio a lasagna.


Pasta Rating
Rosa's Darmagio
Taste: Great
Size: Perfect
Rating: 9.0/10 A well made Italian dish.

I also had 3/4ths of Jens dish and we had Cannoli which was amazing!I had (unsweetened) Ice Tea and then Lemonade.We went home and then we slept at our rooms.


Today we rented a boat. I tried skiing but failed horribly and then did tubing, and well watch for yourself. (Note I knew going in that I would either go as long as I could or die trying)


Thursday, July 10, 2008

21 hours, 45 minutes and 30 seconds to go!

Soon I will be embarking on a trip to the United States of America. Specifically New York City and Pennslyvania. Hopefully I'll be able to update my blog. This is important because this week is my religion's Christmas. E3! See you later...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Movie Reviews x3

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

There are just some movies I know that I'll enjoy. Indiana Jones is one of those movies. A lot of people thought Harrison Ford was too old for the role. This was completely wrong. He was great in the movie. The only thing that could've annoyed me about the movie was Shia Labeouf. Luckily he speaks as little as possible. The story is great in my opinion, to summarise it Mother Russia is funding projects to find ancient artifacts. This is done by Colonel-Doctor Irina Spalko (Kate Blanchett), a paranormal expert from the Soviet Union. She captures Indy and takes him to an Area 51 like place (which you may have seen previously). She finds what she is looking for and a race between her and Indiana happens. Along the way Indy meets Mutt, who is looking for his mother (Karen Allen). The movie is a great mix of comedy and action. It was enjoyable throughout.

Acting: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Atmosphere: 9.5/10
Overall: 9/10
Rated PG (ONT) PG-13 (USA) Good ole fashioned action movie, they don't make them like this anymore.


The Happening

If you know me, you should know that M. Night Shyamalan is one of my favourite directors. And if you know me, you should know that disaster movies are on of my favourite movie genres. Independence Day, Day After Tomorrow, Deep Impact, Jurassic Park, Cloverfield etc. are movies I love. The Happening also has a second thing I love. Mystery. Again much like Cloverfield, you have no idea what's going on. Which is great. The idea of dumping the main characters in a rural area with a disaster going on and them having no idea as great. At one point the main character Elliot Moore (Mark Wahlberg) shouts "Give me a second! Why can't anyone give me a second!" He doesn't have all the answers. His girlfriend Alma (Zooey Deschanel of Elf fame) and himself are going through relationship trouble and that adds more character development. (John Leguizamo (Luigi Mario from Super Mario Bros.)) plays Julian, Elliot's friend who has a daughter and wife as well. The movie has many creepy scenes. I don't want to give anything else regarding the plot away so go out and see it.

Acting: 9/10
Story: 10/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10
Rated 14A(ONT) R(USA) Great creepy disaster movie. Loved it.

P.S. I've read that M. Night is highly influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, well this movie is a lot like The Birds.

Hancock

This one I saw last night. I thought it could've been better. About mid-way through the movie it takes a turn that you don't really expect. I just didn't like the second half as much as the first. The comedy pretty much died in the second half. Will Smith is great though, I loved the acting it all seemed pretty believeable. It's a good movie, but could have been much better.

Acting: 9/10
Story: 7.5/10
Atmosphere: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Rated PG (ONT) PG-13 (USA) Great first half but missteps in the second half.