1145 - Two weeks left to go...
Topic: Fanfiction

...before I'm due to post some stuff. In all honesty, things have stalled a bit, but it's been slow progress for the most part. While a couple old stories are being retooled and finished, new ideas pop up that seem like a good idea at the time.

In any case, it looks like I'll have a couple short stories ready to go next month and I'll be posted those weekly. As far as major fanfics go... that's another story for now. I'll let you know.

1144 - Street Fighter IV PC requirements
Topic: Rants

So Capcom released the specs for the PC version of Street Fighter IV. For those who don't have gaming consoles of the hi-def variety, this would seem like a suitable replacement. My only concern is the SECUROM protection that's going to be employed. I don't know if my love for the Street Fighter series will be enough to overcome my disdain of modern PC game security measures, a contributing factor to me not getting involve in PC gaming... well, that and the fact that the games are either too demanding for my rinky-dink PC or they just don't seem to be worth my money. But we'll see.

Anyway, courtesy of this site, here're the specs:

Minimum

OS: Windows XP
CPU: Intel Pentium4 2.0GHz or higher
RAM: 1GB or higher
HDD: 10GB of free space or more
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 or higher compatible, NVIDIA GeForce6600 series, ATI Radeon(TM) X1600 or higher or higher, VRAM i?š256MB or higher
Sound: DirectSound compatible, DirectX 9.0c (or higher) compatible
Input Devices: Mouse, Keyboard


Maximum

OS: Windows Vista
CPU: Intel Core2Duo 2.0GHz or higher
RAM: 2GB or higher
HDD: 10GB of free space or more
Video Card: DirectX 9.0c/Shader3.0 or higher compatible, NVIDIA GeForce8600 series or higher, ATI Radeon(TM) X 1900 or higher, VRAM i?š512MB or higher
Sound: DirectSound compatible, DirectX 9.0c (or higher) compatible
Input Devices: Gamepad i?šXbox360 Controller for Windows
 

1143 - E3 has come and gone...
Topic: Rants

...and I didn't go. Shame.

But in any case, some strange has happened as there are actually some games worth my attention these days. Go figure. Here're the ones worthy of my attention:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Seems to be a follow-up on the similarly titled DS version that was released years ago. Neat 4-player function with gameplay worthy of having Screwattack rename it Super Mario Assholes. Let's put it another way. Remember playing 2-player games in the original Mario Bros. and playing all sorts of dirty tricks to get the other guy killed? Well, almost the same deal here. Can't wait to play this one.

Metroid: Other M (Wii)
I'll be completely honest: I haven't really cared for the Metroid series ever since Zero Mission. I've tried the first Metroid Prime, but it really didn't do much for me and therefore I had no reason to pursue the rest of the series. Having said that, this game sort of peeks my interest, but I'll have to wait and see where this one goes.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (XB360/PS3)
Comments on this title has been refering to this as a God-of-War ripoff. While I can't really comment on that (I never really played God of War - I haven't been keeping up, have I?), it does seem like a nice, quick-paced and frentic action game - something I felt Castlevania really needed in its transition to 3D rather than the previous offerings. While I regret not being able to play this game - lest I somehow conjure up a PS3 or 360 out of thin air - I do look forward to what other people think. Who knows? This might be the game that has been going for a stronger machine.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Wii)
So I don't need to import this game? Cool... I mean, the game looks really, really slick. Should be a frantic game indeed.

That's about it, really... Yeah, that's it. Bye.

 

1142 - Funny, I thought I had a post here...
Topic: Blog Servicing
Hmm... I had written this post on something, but it's not here. I don't know why.

1141 - Mr. Kennedy... Kennedy... Is Gone... Gone...
Topic: McWrestling

From wwe.com:

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to terms on the release of Raw Superstar Mr. Kennedy (Ken Kennedy) as of today, May 29, 2009. WWE wishes Ken the best in all future endeavors. 

So much for that big return, huh?

1140 - IMPORTANT NOTICE: Black Hole Reviews, Fanfictions, Webstation, whatever
Topic: Web Presence News

Things haven't been going as planned, so here's a bit of a news update.

For the next month of June, all online operations (save for the Blog) will be on temporary hiatus. This will allow me to catch up on some content on the backburner for quite a bit, including a whole bunch of reviews, features, fanfics, original fics, and whatnot.

Now the Webstation has been shut down and will stay shut down for the better part of the month. The reason for this is because there'll be some restructuring on the way things are being done and so I'll be cleaning everything out. Basically, the layout and linking of elements will be the first thing to be worked on in regards to the site and then content will follow. The site will look the same (somewhat) but will clean up a lot of crap that has plagued it in recent months. Hopefully, the hiatus won't be for months on end.

With regards to fan/original fiction, I'm (very) slowly trying to get back into the groove of things. I'll be starting off with a couple one-shot posts on both FF.Net and some other site for the original story. I still intended on starting the long-agonizingly-delayed Keonoke Chronicles story this year and hope to get it ready for next year. As far as the fanfics go... well, we'll wait and see for now.

If all goes well, things should get better by Canada Day. In the meantime, have fun.

1139 - Consider me a Trekker (not that kind anyway)
Topic: Rants

So last night, I went on a long audious trek by foot from downtown Montreal to slightly home... in the suburbs. Most Montrealers probably heard about the mysterious package that was left in one of the metro stations and forced almost the whole system to be shut down. (Here's the story so far.)

While people were waiting for buses, I was walking home and making due progress. By eight o'clock, I took the rest of the way home by bus. Of course, around that time, things were slowly returning to normal. In any case, I made a long Trek, so that makes me a one-time Trekker.

But I still consider myself a Star Trek fan and refuse to get into this stupid debate about which pet name is preferable and accurate.

1138 - Adding to the Nugget of Stupidity...
Topic: McWrestling

From rajah.com:

As noted last week during TNA Wrestling's important announcement to wrestling fans in Colorado feeling burned by WWE canceling shows, president Dixie Carter made a formal invitation to the Denver Nuggets players and staff to attend this Friday's TNA live event in Pueblo, Colorado. Unfortunately, they will not be able to attend the event as a result of their win over the Los Angeles Lakers last night at the Pepsi Center. They evened the series and have Game 6 scheduled for Friday night at home.

Apparently, someone else didn't think the Nuggets were gonna make it this far. Oh well.

1137 - RAW Bites...
Topic: RAW Bytes

Last night's RAW offering from LA was actually... good. Didn't expect that, did you? Anyway, here're my thoughts.

- The show opens with McMahon and the Nuggets owner bickering over the whole deal in Denver, with McMahon getting all kinds of cheap shots in while the other guy just takes it and looks like a fool.

- Santino says his sister would fight Viki for the Miss Wrestlemania crown in a Hogpen match at the next PPV. What is the point of all this? I don't know, but it's good to see Santino show off his comedic dukes.

- Ric Flair gets a beating from  Randy Blowton... before being saved by Batista.

- Also the return of Kennedy Kennedy. Kennedy.

- Kofi Kingston wins a match to become No. 1 contender to Montel Vontavious Porter's US championship. Both guys are cordial to say the least. It's nice to see a championship match between two guys being respectful. Of course, this will probably be ruined by one of the guys turning heel unnecessarily.

- The ten-man match has each five-man team dressed in basketball jerseys representing the two NBA opponents taking place in the other arena. Of all of them, Batista is the only one in full Lakers garb, complete with shorts. I guess his grudge with basketball is over.

- Oh yeah - the Laker team of wrestlers win. Which is funny because the actual Denver team won the basketball game. Yeah, about that grudge...

Later.

1136 - RAW Nuggets
Topic: McWrestling

Haven't had the chance to comment on the whole debacle between WWE and Kroenke Sports Enterprises with regards to the duel between the RAW show that's supposed to take place in Denver and the fourth game in the NBA Playoffs. Now, as you probably already know, WWE had already announced that tomorrow's RAW show has been moved to the Staples Center in LA and will hold a Denver show some time in the future

I've got nothing to say... I really don't. I think it says a lot about the sports organization when they book a wrestling show at their arena due to the fact that they don't believe their home team would last long in the playoffs. So, um...

Next.

1135 - Screwattack Screw-A-Store
Topic: Random Stuff

1134 - Star Trek Review (Read - GO SEE IT. NOW)
Topic: Black Hole Reviews

So Star Trek has been out for a week. And Angels and Demons came out yesterday. Pretty difficult decision...

Not really. You should go see Star Trek.

No, really. Go see Star Trek.

It's a fucking good movie.

...

No... that's a lie.

It's a fucking excellent movie.

What makes it fucking excellent?

I'm not telling. See for yourself.

My new favorite Trek movie.

Just go see it.

 

 

Yeah, I know. Not much of a review, but still...

Now.

That's an order.

1133 - Really Quick Trek reviews
Topic: Black Hole Reviews

The idea had been to review each consecutive Star Trek movie prior to reviewing this one. However, anyone who has scoured reviews of these movies already know what to expect and to continue with a series for no reason other than to fill posts would be lame. If you really want my thoughts on previous Trek films, here you are quick form:

Trek II - epic film that improves upon the previous borefest. Infamous for Spock dying, Kobayashi Maru, and KHAAANNN!!!!!!

Trek III - a solid film with a predictable ending, even back in the day - still good despite its status as an odd film.

Trek IV - first true Star Trek film that tries to garner a larger audience than the Trekkies that were guaranteed to be there. A very fun movie that makes you feel good on the inside - not to mention proof that Star Trek can be accessible when people in charge put their minds to it.

Trek V - utter garbage. Good intentioned? Perhaps, but the end result is just garbage. Not even a revision would save this crap.

Trek VI - my second-favorite Trek movie, with a great story, solid performances, excellent effects, and a wonderful closure to a classic era

Trek VII - First film to feature the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation. It's okay at best. Infamous for Kirk dying.

Trek VIII - the best of the Next Generation films. Features the Borg and a couple minutes of footage that would be recycled for a future series.

Trek IX - basically an episode of Next Generation that somehow became a movie. Nothing special.

Trek X - liked it at first, but seeing it years later, it doesn't hold up all too well - basically a popcorn flick more than anything else.

1132 - Trek I Review (the brutally quick review)
Topic: Black Hole Reviews

I said I'd have these up by now, but things has caused me to fall behind so... hopefully, I'll be posting reviews of all ten movies before the big day arrive... so let's not daddle.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture reunites the original cast, joined by a couple new faces, aboard a refurbished Starship Enterprise where they must deal with a mysterious cloud entity on an approach vector to find its creator and destroy everything in its path. It probably goes a bit deeper than that, but chances are you won't care.

The first half of the movie has everybody coming back together to go on a new adventure, but by the end of the movie, you're wondering where the adventure is.While it might have been a good concept for a sci-fi flick, it is a painfully dull experience for a Star Trek movie. Everybody seems to speak in monotone voices, there's no life, the colors are dull and lacking in energy, and I could have sworn that I was falling asleep at certain points in the movie.

Not to say that the movie doesn't look good; the refit Enterprise is actually a nice little model and the scene where Kirk is flying around in his shuttle inspecting the Enterprise makes you truly appreciate the details and effort put into making the ship seem as real as possible. But it seems that for all the effort being put into this one scene, the rest of the movie seems to fall flat. If this was a generic sci-fi movie, it might have gotten a chance, but this is Star Trek. It's supposed to be more.

The DVD Director's Cut is actually a slight improvement, with some quick cuts here and there as well as some fixes for the special effects. If you need to see this movie, just get the DVD.

1131 -BLACK HOLE REVIEWS: X-Men Origins: Wolverine... meh
Topic: Black Hole Reviews

I've had the chance to see the new Wolverine flick this past weekend and I thought it was a fairly okay movie. I mean, it wasn't impressively great or anything, but it was better than X-Men 3... so points for that.

First off, for those oblivious to the title, this is an origin story of Wolverine, which means we get to see little Wolvie spurt claws for the first time (in Canada, no less) before we see a montage of him fighting wars. By the end of the movie, he remembers none of it due to what happens at the end. Nice to see they remembered to make him forget, although all things considered, the story isn't really that memorable.

The action, for the most part, is top-notch entertainment. The effects... are inconsistent. Sometimes they look good, sometimes they look terrible, and sometimes they look really... meh. One scene that killed it for me was when Logan is in the bathroom and studies his new adamantium claws... the claws look so bad here and yet in other scenes they look fine... even the bone claws are fairly nice.

Overall, if you enjoyed previous X-Men films or enjoy the Wolverine character, this should satisfy. It's not a great film, by any means, but it's still fairly good.

1130 - Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 - coming Summer 2009 to DLC
Topic: Random Stuff

Anyone who remembers this popular free-for-all fighting game will happy to know that the game will be hitting XBox Live Arcade and Playstation Network this summer. Anyone who don't know about the game... well, this game has lots of playable fighters, lots of balance issues, and lots of replay involved. A fun game, nonetheless.

Wii owners are left in the dust as the game won't be coming to that system. Being a Wii owner myself and not owning the other two consoles, I would probably be disappointed and feel sad... if it weren't for the fact that I already own a copy of Marvel vs. Capcom 2 on Xbox... and it still works fine. Thanks.

1129 - Missed A Heck of A Show
Topic: McWrestling
Apparently, there was a WWE pay-per-view over the weekend and it was good. It seems to me that in recent years, Backlash has become a standard in quality wrestling shows while Wrestlemania is the phoned-in effort. That's such a shame for people to be suckered in for fifty bucks to order a mediocre show, thereby deciding not to buy the cheaper show which is so much better.

1128 - Quick notes
Topic: Web Presence News

- The Bite commentary will be posted next Wednesday. You've already read half of it when I posted my 'Mania thoughts, but there's some extra stuff worth noting.

- The Webstation will undergo a revision some time next week and will be shut down as a result. Bite commentaries will be accessible during this time... so no worries there. I'm also working out a system where I can get content done and make regular bi-weekly updates to the site. More details to come.

- I'll be resuming regular features that have been abandoned sometime next month. I just hit a wall recently.

That's about it for now.

1127 - Bobby Lashley In TNA? Mick Foley new TNA champ? WTF?
Topic: McWrestling

For those of you who have missed TNA's latest PPV opus like I have, you've missed two significant events: Bobby Lashley's debut in TNA and Mick Foley defeating Sting to become TNA World champion. Now I'm rather confused by all this. Isn't Lashley in MMA now? And isn't Foley an executive? There are times when TNA booking makes as much sense as dividing things by zero.

In other news, Team 3D won another set of world tag titles. Apparently, the total count is 22. To be honest, I'm hardly impressed by that statistic because people could give Team 3D shitty tag belts and it'd be considered another milestone in their legendary career as a team together. But in any case, it doesn't really matter. There's a reason they keep getting gold, isn't there? So congrats.

1126 - Coming This Friday... Trek reviews
Topic: Black Hole Reviews

Beginning this coming Friday, I'll begin posting text reviews on each of the Star Trek movies (starting with Star Trek: The Motion Picture). Each week-day (Monday through Friday) will boast a review for another film up until the big day when the newest Trek feature is released. Sure, my thoughts could be summed up in a couple words, but after having watched some of these movies again in recent days, I'd figure I get my thoughts on paper (or blog, as is the case) before they fade away... so this is the end result.

Some people may note that a couple of Trek movies already have reviews from me and are featured on IMDB.com. Rest assured that NO REPOSTS OF OLD REVIEWS WILL BE USED. After all, those were written years ago, and chances are recent viewings will change my mind on them.

In any case, I'll be seeing you Friday with Trek reviews.