Haymakers and Bad Plays

Sorry for not updating yesterday. I was traveling to and from an NHL game yesterday, which takes a long time to get to from where I live. The game wasn't really that good as the Hurricanes turned the puck over a lot, especially in key situations that gave the Stars a couple of easy goals, which by themselves would be enough to win the game. Thank goodness for Dallas to show that their goals weren't flukes by adding a couple of more goals on their own. I made the joke to my family at one point in the third period that I didn't realize Jake Delhomme was playing for the Hurricanes in last night's game. They were both amused and heart broken at the same time since the Hurricanes turned it over just moments before. Shortly thereafter, a fight broke out resulting in a Hurricanes player and three Stars players being sent to the penalty box. How one of the Stars players didn't get ejected is beyond me, since he was choking the Hurricanes player via sleeper hold. Then again, the Hurricanes player looked like he was trying to bite the ref's arm.

In other news, Andre Johnson and Cortland Finnigan were both fined the same amount of money as Richard Seymour for their fisticuffs from the previous week. However, this fight was a bit more vicious and continued on after the play. Neither of them were suspended, which is surprising given how Commissioner Goodell usually handles disciplinary action. We know he can be harsh on players, but their actions go beyond what Seymour did, as it was drawn out and got both sidelines to clear to a certain extent. Having them both suspended for a game or two would've sent a message that fighting isn't tolerated or appreciated like it is in the NHL.

Donkey Kong Country Returns Review

While I can’t say it’s on like the protagonist’s name, I can say that the mighty Donkey Kong has returned for yet another foray into collect-a-thon madness on the Wii. This time Retro Studios has been asked to revive yet another franchise like they did eight years ago with the Metroid Prime series, which are regarded as some of the best games of all time. Has Retro Studios once again struck gold? Or will the loss of key figures after Metroid Prime prove to be their downfall?

Donkey Kong Country Returns isn’t much in terms of story, the Tiki tribe, a group of creatures that can hypnotize animals takes all of Donkey Kong’s bananas for some reason, and the big ape takes offense to this, so he goes and tries to get them back. Along his journey, he can pickup Diddy for some co-op action for hovering and elongated rolling. Cranky Kong offers a shop so you can buy lives and some inventory items to make levels and hunting for collectibles in them a bit easier. This game starts out mildly on difficulty, and gradually gets tougher. By the final world, expect to die a few dozen times per level in order to beat them. Don’t worry though, if you die ten times in a single level, you can use the Super Guide from the nearest checkpoint.

You may die a few times due to the motion controls in the game. You can stand and shake to pound the ground, run and shake to roll, and crouch and shake to have DK breathe. The second one will cause most of these motion control deaths since it leads to a loss of some control when jumping immediately after a roll. You can play with the Wii Remote sideways or with the Nunchuck, and while I played with the latter people are split on which way is the preferred method to play. The Classic Controller is not supported, so that is a mark against the game. However, you don’t have to shake all that often in order to progress through levels, although at points it is preferred if the level is moving or pushing you forward so you can’t take your time.

The game is your standard side-scrolling platformer where you jump on enemies, collect bananas, letters, puzzle pieces and do various mini-games through each level. Each level also has a Time Attack mode when you beat each one which definitely adds some replay value if you’re going for a perfect file. Even the first level has a very strict time limit in order to achieve the top score. There are various gimmicks throughout the game including barrel blasting, and while not a core mechanic of many levels, they are featured prominently as side attractions. Mine cart levels return, and are as devious as previous entries, as well as levels that focus on you grabbing walls and ledges in order to progress, just like any good ape should.

The graphics on levels are very stylized and clean, and not only that the levels are designed very cleverly as well, even though they do come across as a bit simple at times. The music, while classic, is a bit muted and MIDI, so it isn’t quite as memorable as those older games. However, that doesn’t really take away from the enjoyment of the game, especially when you’ll be too focused on beating a level than enjoying the soundtrack.

Donkey Kong Country Returns offers a lot of content in its’ package, with a lot of replay value for both you and your friends if you so wish. Retro Studios has proven that they are masters of their craft once again, even in the wake of losing some key figures. While it may not be quite as revolutionary as Metroid Prime was, this game is truly remarkable, and stands out as one of the best games on the system, and one of the best games released this year.

Score: 9 out of 10

Week 12 NFL Picks

NE @ DET
NO @ DAL
CIN @ NYJ
GB @ ATL
PIT @ BUF
CAR @ CLE
TEN @ HOU
JAC @ NYG
MIN @ WSH
MIA @ OAK
KC @ SEA
TB @ BAL
PHI @ CHI
STL @ DEN
SD @ IND
SF @ ARI

Taking the Week Off

I'll be taking the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. My weekly NFL picks will still be posted tomorrow. I also plan on having a short review of Donkey Kong Country Returns once I've beaten it.

If you have a Wii I HIGHLY recommended this fine, fine game.

Midway Week 11 Update

Week 11's more than halfway done, and the New England-Indianapolis game is turning out to be yet another great game. However I'd like to discuss a couple of other games if I may.

Houston @ NY Jets
- Once again the Texans prove how bad they are down the stretch, allowing the game winning TD with 10 seconds remaining. I can only imagine how depressed their defensive backs must be after the last two weeks of blowing it late.

Baltimore @ Carolina
- I have the unfortunate pleasure of being forced to watch every Panthers home game due to my residency. I can truthfully say that this is the worst team I have ever seen grace a football field, whether it be high school, college or pro. While the defense kept them in the game for the most part, the offense is atrocious and once again proves that starting yet another QB is not the answer to the Panthers' woes. Also, the Ravens should feel bad for not putting it away earlier than they did.

Buffalo @ Cincinnati
- I don't know what happened at halftime in this game, but somehow the Bills went from 7 points to 45 points to win 45-31 over the Bengals. Not only does it cement the Bengals permanent place in mediocrity, but probably Marvin Lewis' place in the unemployment line this off-season.

Washington @ Tennessee
- Apparently the Redskins had an absurd amount of injuries in this game, but somehow won it in overtime. Now while I'm happy they won I have to wonder what exactly happened to cause such a plethora of injuries. I hope none of them are particularly long-term so they can come back and beat the Packers next week. But I somehow doubt that will happen.

One Endzone

Today's game between Northwestern and Illinois will be played at Wrigley Field. This is the first time in a long time that this will take place. However, that's not really what's exciting about this game. For offense, all plays will only go one way. While both ways will be used for kickoffs and defensive touchdown PAT's, the rest of the game will go one way.

What hasn't already been said about how stupid this situation is? It took them this long to realize this wasn't going to work? I know they're in it for the money and all that, but you would've thought someone would realized the folly of this situation much earlier than the day before the game. It just goes to show you that money can blind you from the truth.

Week 11 NFL Picks

CHI @ MIA
BUF @ CIN
DET @ DAL
WSH @ TEN
ARI @ KC
GB @ MIN
HOU @ NYJ
OAK @ PIT
BAL @ CAR
CLE @ JAC
ATL @ STL
SEA @ NO
TB @ SF
IND @ NE
NYG @ PHI
DEN @ SD

Will they ever learn?

The Democrats have re-elected Nancy Pelosi as the Party leader for the House of Representatives. Why? She's the most unpopular politician in the country. While she's the reason they won the House four years ago, she's also the reason they lost the House a little over two weeks ago. While I'm not one to really care about who's the leader of who when, I have to question this move for the Democrats, especially that they threw a party last week celebrating the accomplishments of their time in power.

What accomplishments? The country hasn't gotten better since they took control. I see no reason to celebrate, and they neither should they.

Woe is Washington

So the Redskins got destroyed last night. It's tough to watch when your team gets 45 points scored upon them in the FIRST HALF. It's ridiculously painful, but that's how Washington Redskins football works. Our defense was horrible and Michael Vick accounted for 6 touchdowns. SIX! How does that happen, honestly?

It doesn't matter however since this year is a "Rebuilding year" since it's the first year with a new head coach. I'm reminded of when Baltimore signed their manager to an extension and then the Orioles proceeded to get 33 runs or something like that scored on them the next day. It's stuff like that which happens in Baltimore-Washington area sports. Oh karma, how I hate thee.

Holiday Gaming

The holidays are almost here, which means a lot of people will get a lot more gaming time in due to time off. Although I'm not sure if much will be changing from last year given the current economic state. Right now though, I'm currently playing through Halo Reach's campaign and Dragon Quest IX. While I've already beaten Dragon Quest IX, I can say it's one of the best games released this year. It's very addictive, and I can only imagine I'd be into it a lot more if I had a friend to play it with, either locally or through online play. But alas, it's still a solid game through and through.

Halo Reach however is a game that I feel like I'm going through the motions with. I'm running, shooting, throwing grenades, etc. There are vehicle sections sure, but they're not really compelling. I don't even know why I got it. Halo ODST's campaign was much more interesting, and there were a lot less moments of complete and utter bad design. I haven't played much of the multiplayer because I'm not a big multiplayer kind of guy, but I'm sure I'll enjoy it when I beat the campaign so I can join in. With the time the holidays will give me, I'm sure I'll be playing a lot of it.

Donkey Kong Country Returns comes out Sunday, and I'm really excited to play it. It looks as if Retro Studios can do no wrong, just like they did with the Metroid Prime Trilogy. But I digress, the holidays are here, and the time for gaming is back.

I didn't see that coming

So Dallas destroyed the Giants today when Garrett took over as coach. I can't say that I saw that one coming. I sort of want to think that Garrett orchestrated this whole thing to take over as coach. He saw that the team was really good but decided secretly in his brain that the offense would suck so he could get Phillips fired and take over as coach.

Now that's me being conspiratorial but it just seems odd to go from what happened last week in Green Bay to what happened today in New York for me to not raise an eyebrow.

GT5 and Football

First things first, Gran Turismo 5 has a real release day again, now being pegged for the day before Thanksgiving. I'm not a Gran Turismo fan, but my brother is, and I'm sure he, as well as a lot of others are going to be excited over this news. It seems like it'll have a lot of really cool features with a lot of replay value because of the sheer amount of content in the game. The game has been a long time coming, and it'll be awesome to see my PSN friends list populated to the brim with people playing it. It might even convince me to play it as well.

Second, football. The Ravens-Falcons game last night was entertaining to watch at least. It's one of a few games that have been entertaining this year. I don't understand why football has been so down this year, but hopefully it gets better.

Veteran's Day

I'd like to take this late timeout to say Happy Veteran's Day to all the men and women who serve and who have served in the armed forces. Without you, we, the people of the world would not be where we are today. Thank you.

Week 10 NFL Picks

I'm making my picks early this week because Thursday games start tomorrow.

BAL @ ATL
DET @ BUF
MIN @ CHI
NYJ @ CLE
CIN @ IND
HOU @ JAC
TEN @ MIA
CAR @ TB
KC @ DEN
SEA @ ARZ
DAL @ NYG
STL @ SF
NE @ PIT*
PHI @ WAS

* - I think whoever wins this game is the favorite in the AFC to go to the Super Bowl.

It's very quiet today

There isn't much going on in the world today. President Obama is still visiting India, there was a missile scare off the pacific coast somewhere that has the Pentagon baffled, there's no significant sporting events today outside of a few hockey and basketball games, and Call of Duty Black Ops was released to the masses who like to pay $60 for the same game every year. It's one of those days that you can't really say anything important has happened.

That's why it's sort of hard to write something on a day like this. I could try and force something just for content purposes, which is ironically what I'm doing with this write-up. Well, I guess something did happen. Conan O'Brien returned to TV last night on CBS. I'm not one to watch Conan's guest interviews, but last night was different I guess. Overall, it was pretty good to see Conan back on TV. I hope he succeeds, at least for a while.

Destruction in Dallas

Whenever the Dallas Cowboys and their fans lament, I find great joy as a Redskins fan watching them suffer given all the times my team has suffered. The team has completely self-destructed this season when it looked like they could actually play in the Super Bowl their team was hosting. But it was not meant to be since they're now 1-7 and are facing another loss this Sunday when they play at the Giants.

It pains me to see that the Cowboys get such attention even when they're bad while teams that are good, the Chiefs and Raiders for example, who played an excellent game yesterday get no coverage at all. If people honestly thought the Cowboys could play in a hosted Super Bowl this year, I don't know what they were thinking, and I say this because of one reason: It's never happened before. The best chance we have at this happening is when New York holds it because it'll be a 1 in 16 chance instead of a 1 in 32 chance. The odds are always stacked against the home team.

Can we say this will always happen? Of course not. But we can say that the way Dallas buckled under the pressure this year, of all years, was truly awe-inspiring.

Week 9 NFL Picks

TB @ ATL
MIA @ BAL
CHI @ BUF
NO @ CAR
NE @ CLE
NYJ @ DET
SD @ HOU
ARI @ MIN
NYG @ SEA
KC @ OAK
IND @ PHI
DAL @ GB
PIT @ CIN

Hard Games and Delays

It should be known that I hate hard games. I don't think a game that provides multiple difficulty levels should be painfully hard on Easy or Normal, like Borderlands which starts out hard and gets impossible with the more players you add and the higher the difficulty the game goes. It's not to say that I hate games with a challenge, but sometimes developers think "challenging" means "masochistic" which is not something besides the hardcore of gamers enjoy.

Gran Turismo Five looks to be coming out in mid December, just in time for Christmas. All I can say is it's about time. While delays can and should be used to make games better, sometimes it does get a bit excessive like it has with Gran Turismo, and a few games released this generation, namely Final Fantasy XIII and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess which was only delayed so it could be a launch game for Wii. I don't like delays, but I can tolerate them to a point.

Zenyatta

I don't feel particularly good talking about horse racing. Not because I feel uncomfortable about it, but because I don't know much about the sport, nor do I care about it until the Triple Crown runs around.

This horse is undefeated after nineteen races, and is racing in her last race tomorrow at the Breeder's Cup. If she wins she'll retire undefeated and be in the discussion for one of the best horses of all time. While being undefeated is an accomplishment, I think not having a Triple Crown title will inevitably taint that record if it happens. It's like going undefeated in the regular season without winning the Super Bowl, everyone eventually forgets about the great season you had because it didn't amount to anything.

Moss Picked Up by Titans

Randy Moss was claimed off waivers by the Tennessee Titans yesterday. They were the only team to put a claim on Moss, and were a late claim at that, which was very surprising to me since I saw at least three to five teams that could've used his services. When I found out the Titans claimed him I almost immediately accepted this as a good idea, and that's for one reason:

Jeff Fisher. Fisher's the longest tenured coach in Football right now, and the only head coach in Titans history. While he's had a few rough seasons, he's managed to keep his job through it all since he manages his players very well. The Titans are a game behind the Colts for first in the division, but have four games left to play in-division, the Colts and Texans twice each. There's definitely room for gaining ground and we can only assume Fisher can control Moss due to his long-standing position. He may not be the best coach, but has definitely is one of the most respected.

Post Election Day Recap

The Republicans retook control of the House of Representatives last night by gaining more than sixty seats. While the Republicans also gained at least six seats in the Senate, Sharron Angle failed to take out Harry Reid. I know people on both sides of the aisle that are disappointed by that because he doesn't seem very well liked by many pundits. But at the end of the day I believe two things occurred:

- Reid put up a great firewall of turnout on their side
- Angle burned too many bridges on the Republican side

Some people may call voter fraud, but that's almost never the case. It's hard to take someone seriously when they claim it.

While the Republicans were definitely celebratory, Boehner and Rubio seemingly joined Manchin, a Democrat in saying they need to work together to solve the major economic problems facing this country, not health care. This includes the deficit and in turn Government spending, the lowering value of the dollar, and getting people jobs. If they don't at least solve the spending problems, we're in for a rough two years.

Election Day and the End of the World Series

This morning I completed my Patriotic right by voting on Election Day. I know many Americans like to participate in early voting, but I feel something special about performing this act on the day it was originally intended for. Although I can't say I felt that same aura that was in the air of previous years, even though this year looks to feature a major turnaround in Congress. It didn't feel special for some reason, and I can't really explain why. There wasn't a big line, and I even had an issue that I took care of, but it just didn't feel good to vote this year.

In unrelated news, the World Series ended with the San Francisco Giants beating the Texas Rangers in five games to win their first world series since 1954. I'd like to thank the Giants for putting this year's baseball season out of its' misery. There was never a truly competitive game as when one team took the lead, they never vanquished it past the score being tied. Overall, it was a very disappointing series and I'm glad we can move on.

Moss Waived, Another Xbox Dashboard

Randy Moss was waived from the Vikings after his comments to the media yesterday. It was a lot of rambling, but the main gist of it was 'I hate talking to the media, so I won't for the rest of the year.' I don't mean to be rude to Mr. Moss, but that's very childish, and even moreso since it just cost him his job. I doubt any other team out there is going to want to pick him up now because of his apparent lack of commitment. However, I think some team out there might pick him up, Washington or St. Louis perhaps. They're in need of a top wide receiver and they both have a good shot of making the Playoffs.

In video game news, The Xbox released its' newest dashboard update and I personally think it's a major step back. The blades are basically useless now since they'll blind you with their white color now. They also made the guide be flat for its' latest "innovation" against its' competitors, Kinect. I've got to say that this pretty annoying since the depth of the old dashboard was really good. Since you can only view three panels at a time now you can't really see a lot. Also, while some new features like 'your game add-ons' are a nice idea, why are they sorted by what's popular and not what I've played recently?

I know you'd like to sell me Modern Warfare Two DLC Microsoft, but I traded in my copy last December. In addition to that, they took away the content pages for games in your Game Library, which sorts stuff by what you've RECENTLY PLAYED. While it might be a much cleaner experience, it's not a better one. It proves once again that Microsoft doesn't know what a good interface is anymore.