Thursday, September 27, 2012

Elementary

First off: WOW. The sheer coolness of this show is amazing.

This show blows all of the previous contemporary adaptions of Sherlock Holmes out of the water, Johnny Lee Miller is Holmes, Lucy Liu is Doctor Joan Watson, and Aidan Quinn is Captain Tobias Gregson, the Lestrade character of the series. I think that even the original Conan Doyle series pales in comparison to this modern, slick and stylish version of them.

Sherlock Holmes is an ex Scotland Yard consultant, who moved to the states at some point and was checked into rehab by his father due to a drug addiction (no specifics, although as the original Holmes's vice was cocaine for a while, it is natural to assume that is what it was). An undetermined amount of time later ex-surgeon Joan Watson was hired by his father to be  Holmes's live-in watchdog to make sure he stays on the straight and narrow, a period of time that they state as six weeks. Holmes breaks out of rehab on the day he was supposed to be released because he was bored, has someone "over" before explaining to Watson that he's returning to his freelance detective work with the LAPD and is heading to a crime scene.

All in all that summarizes the plot of the pilot without giving away any spoilers (as usual). Apparently Tobias Gregson was a minor character in the original series and not the top-dog detective in-charge but that's just a fun fact.

Anyways, Elementary is a must-watch for mystery lovers and Homes fans alike, I give it a 10.1* rating, this is by far one of the best shows debuting this season and I have high hopes for it, they recreated Holmes perfectly and Watson is given a more modern and American tone to contrast to Holmes's distinct Britishness.

Do I recommend it? Yes, most definitely.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

New Blog

I created a new blog for the sole purpose of creating Longplays of videogames so they don't take up space on my main blog. Here is the link:http://blogdudeplaysgames.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Sonic Adventure 2 and NiGHTS into dreams HD remakes

Well, SEGA released HD remakes of two favorites, NiGHTS into dreams and Sonic Adventure 2 for Xbox LIVE Arcade, priced at 800 Microsoft points (or about 8.00USD).



Thing is, even though the GameCube version of SA2 isn't HD, it still had the Battle Mode and ridiculous Chao Karate on the disc. The XBLA version costs $3 to add that on as DLC, bad SEGA bad!


Fortunately, instead of REMOVING content from NiGHTS into dreams, they ADDED some, the expansion Christmas NiGHTS which was previously only available through promotions and collectors editions or holiday bundles.

Now, I will not be reviewing the HD remakes just yet, I'll be reviewing the ORIGINAL versions! What a treat for the retro-gamers and SEGA fans alike right?

some gameplay shots from SEGA of SA2:




And for NiGHTS Into Dreams



They look nice in HD don't they? As soon as I get an Xbox 360 and some extra cash I'll be reviewing the HD versions.

Monday, September 17, 2012

The return of Bones and series premiers of The Mob Doc+or and Revolution

Well, Bones is back, and here's a review of that first episode!
They continued the plotline they started in the Seventh Season and so far have completly cleaned up the Brennan and Baby as Fugitives storyline. The only thing left is to get rid of this season's major serial-killer. From start to finish it was clean and slick and completely in order. Never a misstep nor a case of bad cutting, writing or directing. What do you expect? It's Bones.
Do I recommend it? Most certainly.

The Mob Doctor
This show on the other hand was all over the place, a trope that is best described as "A random series of events that occur between the opening titles and the ending credits"
Basically the events of this show make as much sense in context as they do out of it. The star, a doctor who's name is very forgettable (it has to be, I just watched the show and I can't remember what her name is) dresses like a cop and walks freely around mafia territory. This is the second mob series set in Chicago that Fox has tried in the last five years. It seems to be worse than the last one since the last one was at least mildly interesting. As for a cast they have a boss who likes to mess with orders, a hero that seems to not know what she's doing most of the time and loves getting into trouble, a naive mother, a brother who's stupidity got her into the position she's in, a friend who's not very loyal, a boyfriend that doesn't seem to care, and a Mafia don who's sympathy and code conflict to the point of oddness. This is one of the worst shows that had any potential to it I have ever seen.
Do I Recommend it? No, but then again someone out there might like it for some odd reason.

This show is OK I guess, I like it better than The Mob Doctor but less than Bones. It's a post-apocalyptic show about survival without electricity. Tracy Spiridakos stars as Charlotte "Charlie" Matheson, the stereotypical Buffy/Xena hybrid main character with a female to male name conversion. Her outfit appears to be a direct combo of Angelina Jolie's from Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Jennifer Lawrence's from The Hunger Games. There's a serious Tomber-Games vibe from the character and the crossbow and combat gear only adds to it. Her Navy SEAL (or Green Beret or Marine, they never really explained that) uncle Miles Matheson (played by Billy Burke) has been hiding out in Chicago for who knows how long.
Here's what happened, something wiped out all electricity in the world (which is odd) and killed everything that used it. This in itself is kind of unbelievable considering that the EMP device needed to cause such a catastrophic failure would be enormous. Anyways, flash forward 15 years and it's basically become a stereotypical post-apocalyptic world, plants growing in cars, cities overrun by who knows what, people living in repaired houses and converted you name it. Bottom line is that there's a Militia that likes to go around collecting taxes and "volunteers."
Back to the cast, we've got Graham Rogers as Danny Matheson, the (again) stereotypical prisoner who's constantly getting loose (i guess) and he has asthma so he can't go very far very fast without an attack setting in. 
Then we've got Anna Lise Phillips as Maggie, the British (or Bostonian) doctor who insisted on coming with Charlotte on the journey to get to Chicago from where they started in Louisiana (or California, they never really specified and either way it would take them a LONG time to Chicago on foot)
And then there's J. D. Pardo as Nate Walker, an American Indian soldier or ex-soldier (hard to tell, he made a whole bunch of Heel Face Turns in the episode) with the Monroe Republic.
Speaking of that, David Lyons stars as Sebastian "Bass" Monroe, leader and presumed founder of said republic.

There's a lot to cover here and i don't want you guys to get bored, so i'll skip to the main part of the review:
The entire plot is contrived, it MIGHT become more interesting, but likely in the end it'll wind up like Lost and Pendragon, unsatisfying endings that were so anti-climactic that you'd prefer a fan re-write to the official version.
But then again they MIGHT not waste the potential it has and instead make for a show that ends exactly when it should. Not before, not after, at the right moment. But then again, this is coming from J.J. Abrams, the guy who produced Lost and Alcatraz, both had great potential for greatness and both were wasted, the former as the series wound down and the latter after the third episode. My point is the guy doesn't have a good track record for keeping it together (aside from Person of Interest) for any length of time. I personally am not expecting much from this show but then again it might become one of the greats. My advice is to watch it as it goes on and if it gets too stupid stop. That's my plan.

Photo's from Wikipedia.

Friday, September 14, 2012

Wii U update

This is a preview of the Nintendo TVii interface. It seems better than I thought it would be. You use the touchscreen of the uPad to maneuver the GUI and it should be much smoother than the Wii's Netflix interface.
some people playing the Wii U game Nintendo Land at a New York press conference on 9/13/2012.
Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision unveils Call of Duty: Black Ops II for the Wii U. The Wii U version incorporates exclusive features that make use of the uPads unique controller design.
Here the president and COO of Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime reveals the launch date of the Wii U


That's it for now, be sure to check back for more Wii U updates!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Wii U launch

Well, the Wii U has an official launch date: November 18th. After rumor, waiting, and speculations galore we finally know when the Wii U will be released. There will be two models, a $299.99 Basic Set, which includes 8 Gigabytes of internal storage, a white Wii U Gamepad (which i assume will be nicknamed uPad), white Wii U system, AC adapters for the Wii U and uPad, a High-Speed HDMI cable (the Wii U is capable of rendering 1080p HD) and a sensor bar. Hopefully we can use our Wii cables on the Wii U so  that those of us without HDMI connections can play it without needing a new TV or cables. The Nintendo Wii U 32 Gigabyte Deluxe Set includes an extra 24 Gigabytes of internal memory, black Wii U, black uPad, HDMI cables, and a uPad cradle, a uPad stand, a Wii U console stand, and a copy of Nintendo's new party-game, Nintendo Land. As for launch titles (feel free to skip to the break if this doesn't interest you) Nintendo has produced Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor’s Edge, SiNG PARTY, LEGO City: Undercover, Wii Fit U, Game & Wario, Pikmin 3 and The Wonderful 10.  From Activision: 007 Legends (the one Activision game I personally am looking forward to), Call of Duty: Black Ops II, TRANSFORMERS PRIME, Wipeout 3, Skylanders Giants, Cabela’s Dangerous Hunts 2013, and Rapala Pro Bass Fishing. From Capcom we have Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, EA gives us Mass Effect 3 (I was looking for a reason not to buy an Xbox 360), Madden NFL 13, and EA Sports, Fifa Soccer. From Namco Bandai we've got Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Wii U Edition, and TANK! TANK! TANK! (looks cool). SEGA gives us Aliens: Colonial Marines and SEGA & All Stars Racing Transformed. THQ has Darksiders 2, Wheel of Fortune (which might be good on a console for once) and JEOPARDY! (again, the Wii U might make this into a decent game). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment brings Scribblenauts Unlimited, Game Party Champions, and of course Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition the to table. Ubisoft is releasing Assassain's Creed III, Just Dance 4, ZombieU (a survival horror game with a few interesting features to it), Rabbids Land, Rayman Legends, Sports Connection, Marvel Avengers, Battle for Earth, and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved 2013. Disney Interactive brings just one title, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two to launch. Frozenbyte brings Trine 2: Director’s Cut. Gaijin Games has Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien. Majesco Entertainment  launches with Zumba Fitness Core. Maximum Games brings Jett Tailfin to the table. Shin’en is releasing Nano Assault Neo. Tecmo Koei America Corporation has WARRIORS OROCHI 3 Hyper. D3Publisher(that's their official name) is releasing Rise of the Guardians: The Video Game, Ben 10: Omniverse and Family Party: 30 Great Games Obstacle Arcade. 505 Games has Funky Barn(yeah, funky BARN, not Bam).Two Tribe is releasing Toki Tori 2  and finally 2K Sports is publishing NBA 2K13.




 No word from Bethesda about the rumored Skyrim port to the Wii U yet, it might come out sometime later. Anyways, unlike Microsoft and Sony, Nintendo has a new home console ready for launch, and it's got all kinds of cool games for it. Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PS3 are aging, no accessory or upgrade to the existing consoles can change the fact that they've got a small window of time to get their new consoles out before they lose their fanbase to Wii U remakes and exclusives of their favorite games. Kinect and Slim 360s won't change the hardware's age, nor will PSMove and Slim PS3s change that Nintendo is releasing a console with near universality, you can use a flash drive, USB hard disk, SD card or (as far as i know) standard SATA drives on it. Granted the PS3 and Xbox 360 let you use USB storage devices, but not USB HDDs. The services bundled include Nintendo TVii, which allows Wii U owners to surf through all kinds of input. TiVo, live TV, Netflix, etc without needing to go through a lot of trouble to do so. I hope they're telling the truth because I hate the Netflix interface on the Wii.

So, diehard Zelda fans, when is the Wii U Zelda coming out? Nintendo says 2013 or 2014, they're not sure. I just hope they use the full potential of the console for it. For Star Fox, Metroid, Fire Emblem and Kirby fans I have no news, not even a theory on the year of the next game for each of them. As for the new Super Smash Bros. it's been confirmed that it will span the 3DS and Wii U consoles in a format that can hopefully be linked together.
Sooo, the cost of an extra uPad? No news from either Nintendo or Gamestop on that. Presumably it will be quite expensive for another, and I'm not sure if the benefit of another uPad will justify framerate drop and cost. My advice is to get the....
OK, I do have some news, according to Kotaku "A controller, at ¥13440, converts to USD$172"
That's freakin' INSANE! do yourselves a favor, get the Wii U Pro Controller, it costs less than the uPad, a good deal less in fact, at only 5040 Yen it converts to about 65 USD, not much more than an Xbox 360 controller.
Would I recommend it? Wait until I get my hands on one and I'll answer that question.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

5Th Generation Feature

so, this only features two of the consoles. BIG DEAL! SEGA Saturn is freakin' expensive guys! i'm not buying it unless it's pretty cheap.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Worst Game awards part 2

been a while since my first Worst Game round but here's some more:

JEOPARDY! *DELUXE EDITION* for the SNES
really, Game-show games in general for consoles are usually bad, and PC ones are usually worse. games where you have to type the letters with the D-pad are terrible. this game gets a 0.6* rating, if anyone wants it i'll go into more detail or an LP but i don't want to, it's a terrible game.

PAC-MAN 2 The new adventures, SNES and Mega Drive/Genesis
i know this is boxart for the MD/G version, but the SNES version is the one i've played and it's TERRIBLE. you don't control Pac-Man, you just "direct" him, the first quest is stupid-hard and you'll automatically die in the middle of the second one. i'm not even sure if it has more than two levels, they might just give you a "congratulations" if you complete level 2! this gets a 2.2* rating, since it has the original Pac-Man in the arcade you can play.

Iron Man 2
Iron Man 2 for Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii.
i played the Wii Version, which was second highest ranked behind the DS version.
This is not an example of SEGAs finest, in the game based on the first movie, there were FMV cutscenes, the voices of the people from the movie, you could fly to almost any height and could go into Turbo mode at the push of a button. Iron Man 2 is an original story, unlike most movie games which have extra fights and such thrown in this one takes place after the movie. in this, they scrapped the control-scheme from Iron Man and put in one that should NOT be in an Iron Man game, you can barely hover, your weapons are remapped, you can only truly fly or even go at a tolerable speed in certain areas, making this more like a rails platformer than a Super-Hero game. imagine, from the company that brought us Sonic The Hedgehog, a game about robots that can move barely faster than i can walk. i haven't even gotten into the cutscenes yet! in the intro there was a nice FMV, but through the rest of the game swaps between stills of the actors in character, no real interaction, i've seen NES cutscenes that had more realism than that! Robert Downey Jr doesn't reprise his role as Iron Man in this game, they went for a guy who sounds like he's forcing the voice. then there's the tedium and cheese and other stuff i don't care to list. 0.1*, the only thing keeping it out of the negatives is the SEGA logo

Friday, September 7, 2012

Guys, this isn't funny

ok, despite rumors and a facebook page, Morgan Freeman is not dead. yup, not two years after he last suffered internet mortality, Morgan Freeman was declared mortalicus-onlinacus and yet he still lives on. so, just like 50 Cent, Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise, Miley Cyrus, Tom Hanks, Adam Sandler, Bill Cosby (who has been internet-killed 5 times now), and many others he did not die.

3DS XL (again)


well, i finally got my hands on a 3DS XL at a Gamestop in Ohio while i was away, and i have to say, it's much nicer than my DS lite. it holds better, the analog pad is smoother than the one on the original 3DS (which i had tested a demo unit in my local Gamestop), and all in all it's better than all the other DS models (except maybe the DSiXL, which i haven't used yet) it's by far the nicest handheld game-console i have ever used. New Super Mario Bros 2 is nice, but it's just a slow side-scroller. i prefer my platformers to be either fast moving or 3D in a sense that i can walk around in three directions. now, unfortunately i do not have the money to spend any real time reviewing it (let alone buying and comparing both). really, when i have more money i will review it but for now, i like it.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

DooM review

my long put-off DooM review. created using FreeDooM and ZDooM Launcher.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

A tribute to Michael Clarke Duncan

Hollywood lost a great actor two days ago, and the world lost a good man. Michael Clarke Duncan died of a heart-attack on September 3, 2012. His first role was in Friday in 1995, an uncredited extras role. His last TV appearance was the Bones spin-off, The Finder as the lawyer Leo Knox. His last movie role was The Challenger as Duane, a movie that is in post-production. His breakout role (and one of his most popular) was The Green Mile as John Coffey, a death-row inmate falsely convicted and sentenced to the electric-chair. He was thinking about reprising his role as The Kingpin in the upcoming Dare-Devil remake, but before he could accept or decline...... This is a sad time for movie-lovers and for the world. he became a vegetarian in 2009 and campaigned for PETA, saying the he felt much better after becoming a vegetarian. How should we go on from here? Well, in tribute we can watch The Green Mile, not eat as much meat, and go see his new movies.

Translate