Wednesday, December 19, 2012

What The Hell Is Going on In America? A Crazy, Random Rant.

NOTE: This is an OLD unpublished draft that was sitting on my hard drive. Consider it a TTG'S outtake.

This is a repost of an impromptu forum post of mine from a little while ago. I was posting in a topic about Socialism and the attittudes towards it in America, and as I was discussing that, I sort of went off on an unexpected tangent. When I say unexpected, I mean unexpected, although, in retrospect, this has been brewing for a while. I was likely going to blog on it sometime, but BLAH, out it came onto the page in the middle of this discussion.

I cleaned it up somewhat, although it will still be a bit sloppy and you'll be able to see that my thoughts were jumbled at the time (due to the pain mediaction I was taking).

Anyways, without further ado, here are my jumbled thoughts regarding the state of affirs in America, with respect to politics, and attitudes towards things like Universal Healthcare (ooooohhh, yes, socialized medicine).

Just promise to keep in mind the fact that this was impromptu, and posted while both very sleep deprived, not feeling well, and on narcotic pain medication for symptoms related to my bowel dieases.

Bill (stuttering for the first time in 28 years): P-p-p-ph-pr-pr-p-pPro-Promi-Promi-Promise Me!

Audra: Bill, you're scaring me.

Bill: Promise me you'll stay!

Audra: You're crazy. This is crazy!

Bill leaves.

Audra: It's jusr crazy.


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Hey, Global Warming Deniers! We Need to Have a Little Chat!

For you Global Warming deniers out there, I have a few things to say to you:

-Be wary of any research coming out against GW/GCC/AGW/AGCC. Check where it's coming from. Is it peer reviewed, and published in an accredited scientific journal? Or is it not (careful too, as now people in the denier communities for both global warming and evolution are starting to catch on to this and are forming their own journals, and claiming to be accredited and peer reviewed, so always, always look the journal up if it's not instantly recognizable). There's a huge difference between a study published in Nature and one published in some no name journal with author publishing and no peer review. Or ones coming from a think tank. A think tank that, if you do a bit of digging, you will find out is funded by Exxon Mobil and Sean Hannity.

-Be very skeptical of anyone in the media speaking out against global warming, and listen carefully to their arguments/claims. If they are making any that aren't obviously fallacious upon first hearing/reading/seeing them (like Limbaugh's argument from incredulity) look them up. Also, look the person up. Find out who's funding them. Who they work for.

-If any scientists speak out against global warming, pay attention to what discipline of science they are experts in. When a biologist or a chemist expresses doubt about global warming, appealing to that in an argument is nothing but an appeal to authority. Their expertise is not in climatology. Being as smart as they may be, and knowing what they know about their area of science affords them NO special bonuses when it comes to climatology. They're just a layman like myself, and can easily be wrong.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

DMC: Devil May Cry Demo Up on Xbox 360 Marketplace

Demo Link

Enjoy!!

(Impressions to come later; it's currently being downloading onto my xbox, a process I must endure before I can dissect this long awaited demo).

Saturday, November 3, 2012

The Inherent 'Evil' Within Christianity

This is a comment left by someone named Glen on Ray Comfort's stupid blog:

The better question is have you lied? Have you stolen? Have you hated someone? Have you prostituted? Have you ever born false witness? Have you ever used God's name as a dirty filthy cuss word? And better would you used your mamos name that way? Have you ever had sex with more than your spouce? Have you ever dishonored your parents? Thats right both of them together or independently.
Hitler was just as bad off as anyone living on the plannet including you. He may have done more nasty symptoms of the disease but that very same disease affects you; to your very core.
Ray treats the disease not the symptoms.
I responded to him:
@ Glen:


"The better question is have you lied? Have you stolen? Have you hated someone? Have you prostituted? Have you ever dishonored your parents?"


Have you ever told the truth? Have you ever given? Have you loved someone? Have you not prostituted? Have you honored your parents?


If by your logic, a yes to those means you're a "sinner," then logic dictates that a yes means you're the opposite of that.


So much for your little "disease." Sounds mor elike human experience.


Btw, I feel sad for you. Your religion has taught you to think that you are no better than somone who was responsible for the deaths of millions of people. I cannot even begin to express how unfair that is.


This is why the only sin is belief in your religion. It teaches you to be ashamed of your very nature and to equate lying with murder.


Btw, lying can be positive, parents don't deserve to be honored if they do not honor their children, hate can be justifed (Hitler, anyone?), and prostitution is not inherently wrong. If you think it is, explain how.
See, this is one of the main problems with christianity. Teaching people that they are born dirty, bad, sinful, wrong, evil, etc. All 'sins' are equal. The logical conclusion derived from these two ideas? "I'm a horrible, corrupted person who deserves to be punished and is in need of redemption. In fact, I'm no better than Hitler."

That fills me with so much despair. Such guilt, and for what? FOR NOTHING!! FOR FUCK'S SAKE IT IS PREDICATED UPON BULLSHIT!!!!!!

GAAAAHHHHH!!!! 

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Why So Serious?

Why So Serious?

Why the fuck are games so serious now? Back in the day, games were made to be fun. Now, a lot of the time, it seems to be that games are made to approximate the experience you get in a Hollywood blockbuster or whatever. They have to have all of the elements in place that make a big, immersive, “realistic” experience, and while that can be, and often is, great, and effective.....CHILL THE FUCK OUT A BIT! Sometimes I hear the word “realistic” in an interview or read it in a press release and I inwardly groan, because in my view, this often time comes at the expense of fun.

Think about it: “Realistic” means no cheats. No new game+. The restrictions imposed by the rules of physics and such. You know, sometimes it would be nice to be able to jump 30 feet high, turn on no gravity, big heads, paintball mode, infinite ammo, and other cheats, start a game with an overpowered character, and just HAVE FUN. No story, no drama, no rules, no realism. Just quirky, chaotic, crazy fun.

Like the old days.

And yes, I know these games still exist, but you must admit the balance has certainly shifted towards the serious and “realistic.” Take the FPS genre for example. I'm bored as shit with FPS games, and perhaps this realism thing is a part of it (perhaps, I'm not saying it is for sure, and it certainly wouldn't be all of it!). Every shooter seems to be a military shooter with real weapons. How about some crazy jumping, get those reflexes ready, twitch based craziness with completely over the top weapons and abilities? Let's get crazy!

Look at Earth Defence Force 2017: The game looks like shit, sounds like shit, has terrible dialogue, terrible cutscenes, a poor story, broken fucking vehicle control, ridiculous, over the top....well, everything, and it's a FUCKING BLAST!!! It reminds of me of old school games. You start shooting and you don't stop shooting until every last gigantic spider and gigantic, acid shooting out of their asses ant is dead. You use a huge variety of all sorts of fun weaponry, half of which are ridiculously unrealistic, and, get this: the gigantic space alien bugs that you fight drop weapon, armour and health pickups that are represented by a terrible looking 2D icon. I LOVE THAT! Just adds to the old school game/'B' movie vibe.

Realism can be great. Some games are so incredibly immersive because of their realistic and serious tone, but it can get really fucking redundant when they all start being made in a similar vein. Crazy jumps, wonky physics, out of control situations, over the top dialogue, jokes galore, etc. Games are supposed to be fun. I often wish the focus would be more on fun than it is on making the game 'AAA' and shipping 5 million units because the kids got to feel like they were a U.S. Marine for 8 hours.....or at least think they felt like one (they have no idea....and neither do I, but I know a game certainly doesn't approximate the experience). That's the thing, a game will always be a game, so maybe they should keep that in mind.

But maybe it's just me.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Bullshit of DLC

The Bullshit of DLC

Note: This is an old post that was sitting unpublished in my draft list. It may be outdated in terms of some specific details. 

Okay, so I have been bitching about DLC for quite some time, on an intermittent basis. While I have provided some examples in the past of what I believe constituted bullshit, ripoff, exploitative DLC, and what I considered fair DLC worth purchasing, I never provided an open shut case for my stance.

This time, however, I have done some homework, and I think what I have come up with constitutes damn near investigative journalism. Hey, if the 'pro' video game journalists don't have the balls to do it, someone has to step up and do it for them, right? Might as well be me!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Thoughtcrime in Christianity

Anyone who has read the seminal dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell will be familiar with the concept of thoughtcrime, which is quite simply illegal thought. In Orwell's portrayl of a dystopian future, the totalitarian government surveys the thoughts of the people via 'psychology surveillance' (should have been called psychological surveillance imo).

Contrary to popular belief, however, the concept of thoughtcrime is not original to Orwell and his great piece of fiction. The concept actually appears in another piece of fiction, about 2000 YEARS before the release of his novel!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus Announced

This was announced last month but I just now found out:

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/09/19/ninja-gaiden-sigma-2-plus-coming-to-vita-in-early-2013/

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus is coming to the Vita in "early 2013." This is completely expected but still great news for Ninja Gaiden fans, even if NGS2 was a ste'p down in terms of quality (as compared to the 'vanilla' NG2).

Friday, October 5, 2012

Any Classic or Legendary Games This Generation?

NOTE: This is an older post that was sitting in my drafts. 

Here is a list of games that I think I'm safe referring to as legendary in the sense that a significant portion of the video game community see them as being the cream of the crop, and the review scores for each of these games were very high. Of course, I personally don't like all of these games, and neither will you, but I think it's inarguable that they are highly esteemed and influential, and/or were important/noteworthy at the time of release:

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Cutest Picture in the World


Thursday, September 27, 2012

Theist PWND on Gamefaqs

Note: This is an older post that was sitting in my drafts.

Theist PWND on Gamefaqs.

In a discussion on the inclusion of JFK in the upcoming Call of Duty game (something I knew/know nothing about, since I don't follow the games, but this discussion was being had by others and I chimed in) the following ridiculous, frustrating, saddening, angering exchange (more like an ownage session) (with someone I have never spoken to online prior to this) was had:

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Bayonetta 2 Announced....But It's a Wii U Exclusive

http://www.gamespot.com/news/bayonetta-2-wii-u-exclusive-6396397

Bayonetta 2 will be a Wii U exclusive, Nintendo revealed today. Platinum Games, creator of the original Bayonetta, will be taking up development duties once more, with the game set for release in March 2013.

This is definitely a case of jumping up and down in excitement and then stopping to scratch your head. Oh well, Bayonetta 2 is a go!

Thursday, September 6, 2012

In the Hot Seat with magx: magx01

Note: This is 2 years old. I just found it and am posting it for nostalgic reasons. Some of this is going to now be inaccurate, seeing as how 2 years have passed, but much of it still holds. I am going to re-do this and then post it as a new blog entry so that the differences between then and now can be viewed. I think it will be interesting.

The few of you from GT who read this blog will recognize this. I had interviewed myself as part of my "in the hot seat with magx" Gametrailers interview series (of which there were like 20 or so iirc and it was quite popular on GT) and had not gotten around to posting it before I left GT, so I thought, what the hell, might as well put it up here, right?

.....*Ahem* ....Okay! Well, let's get started. In the hot seat today is

magx01!!

Name

Anthony

Age

28

Gender

Male

Serial Number

3.14159265358979323846264338327950288…

Whether you are susceptible to any diseases?

I am susceptible to anything any other human is susceptible to. I am particularly susceptible to certain pathogens, however, thanks to my compromised immune system. My immune system is compromised because of my bowel diseases (Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis) as well as the immunosupressant drugs I have to be on.


Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Black Ops II gets $180 Care Package edition

http://www.gamespot.com/news/black-ops-ii-gets-180-care-package-edition-6393731

Ahahahahahahahaha!! Activision really has no qualms with being ridiculously obvious and shameless in their  bilking of COD fans (in addition to the blatant milking of the COD series). Unreal.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Leo Laporte: "Advertisers Hate a Smart Audience"


This is from a recent reddit AMA (ask me anything, which is a (usually promotional) candid interview done by anyone who wishes to participate) with Leo Laporte (formerly of TechTV fame):

Question: When did you know that TechTV wasn't going to survive?
Leo Laporte's Answer: About a year before it folded. I remember trying to tell the TechTV executives that we should target the 14 million computer programmers in the US with really smart programming. They told me that sponsors hate a smart audience and there was no future in smart programming. That's when I started polishing up my resume.

And there you have it, folks. Straight from someone in the business. Those "TV is dumbed down" people seem to have a point, and once again, it all leads back to money.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Drunken Infomercial Escapade


Watched late night tv drunk as hell and now I own a snuggie, a Dyson vacuum cleaner, some vegetable chopper thing and am also apparently enrolled in some nursing school in Buffalo. But, before you assume I wasted my money, somewhere down the line when I am stoned and/or drunk, wrapped in my snuggie trying to use my new vegetable chopper thing to make myself a snack while my Dyson vacuum cleaner works its low setting magic on my balls and I severely cut a finger my nursing degree will give me the knowledge I need to treat myself at home to save the embarrassment of showing up at the hospital wrapped in a snuggie with a vacuum cleaner attached to my balls. 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Moderate Muslims Don't Like Being Lumped In with Extremists? Well, Differentiate Yourselves!!

NOTE: This is an old entry that was sitting in my drafts and I decided to upload it as it reflects the state of mind I was in at a specific time in my life. Glancing over it, I guess it must have been during the Danish cartoonist controversy. Edit: No, the South Park controversy. 

So, in this blog I am going to be frank. I find myself harboring quite the distaste for Islam as of late, and I feel as though my opinions of it are becoming biased to an unfair degree. Now, I do, 100% acknowledge that the vocal majority is actually a minority, but damn it, I'm not hearing too many voices from the moderate camp coming up to try and join the conversation. I mean, it might be tough to hear them over the explosions, but the-

See?

That's not nice.

Or isn't it? It's fucking true, is it not?

See?

This is what I mean.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

The Milky Way Seen From Mars. PIC!!!


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Pagan Origins of (Aspects of) Christianity

NOTE: This blog is about the pagan origins of Christian rituals and holidays. This is a compilation of information I had saved on my hard drive, the origins of which are unfortunately unknown. I wish to make clear that I have NOT done much research into this area, and so I must preface this with a GRAIN OF SALT warning. Any errors made here, I take full responsibility for. If you spot any, please inform me of them. And if there are none, well, great, let me know that as well.

Okay, so, let's get to it: The pagan origins of (aspects of) Christianity. To be more specific, I will be looking at the origins of Christmas and Easter, specifically. Then the question of whether or not any of this disproves or casts doubt upon the veracity of the religons' claims is (very ) briefly examined.

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Thousands Of Gods....One Thing in Common....

Anyone else find it odd that there are apparently thousands of gods in existence, each with differing ideologies, origins, desires and goals, yet the one thing they all seem to share in common with 100% inclusiveness is an inclination to be completely undetectable...

hhhmmmmm......

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Why I Love RPG's So Much. (And What Took Me So Long to Realize It)

The last few years, I have really attained a love for role playing games. But it wasn't always that way. Come with me on a journey, a journey where a young, biased action gamer learns that RPG's can be fun too.....

The story begins a long time ago. A time when this:


Viva la mullet!

was considered okay to sport around town (I never had one).

See, I have been gaming since the late 80's, and growing up, all I played were action games and platformers, with the occasional puzzle game thrown in. I had seen and heard of role playing games, but I wrote them off as boring and stupid, and never bothered to play one until I played Quest 64 in the mid '90's. That shitty game confirmed my preconceived notions, and put me off of rpg's for another several years, until I played Fable on xbox.

*waits for flames*

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Having a Relationship with God

WARNING! EXTREME

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, you have a relationship with god, do you?

How fortuitous! There's this omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, omnibenevolent, eternal being which has the power to create entire universes and all of the life within them, and this being has decided to bestow upon you, one lowly human out of around 7 billion lowly humans, the very distinctive honour of having an ongoing relationship with him/her/it.

So, having made the decision, for seemingly no reason at all, to grant you this honour, this being enters your heart, hunkers down in one of your aortic valves, and remains there until the day you die, guiding you, helping you, being your spiritual guide, your confidante, your friend. And then, upon your death, this being grants you the even bigger honour of living with him/her/it for eternity in his/her/its eternal amusement park.

And all the while, there are others, just like you, who do NOT receive such gifts. They languish on the earth in spiritual limbo, so to speak, struggling with the inability to really establish a strong faith and maintain it, and for this, they are sent to the eternal torture chamber upon their earthly demise. While you munch on greasy burgers and candied apples, they get hot oil poured down their gullet. While you ride the Tilt-A-Whirl, your hair streaming around your face as your cries of joy reverberate off of the high backed seat, their screams of anguish go unheeded as the hot pokers are jabbed into their eyeballs while their lower bodies are submerged into pools of red hot magma.

And this prompts me to ask:  

What did you do differently?

Why are you granted this special privilege? What makes you so special?

Why is it that some people's lives are saved by this being while others perish?


Why is it that some rappers careers' are helped by this being, while others are left to their own devices?


Why is it that some sports teams are helped by this being, while others are left to fend for themselves?


Why is it that some people are seemingly designed to be skeptical and incredulous when it comes to metaphysical claims, yet others are not only made to be credulous and not skeptical, but also granted that aforementioned special relationship?


What makes some people so important?

Here's a question for you: Are some people actually extra special and the deserving recipients of both a personal relationship with the creator of the entire universe and access to his/her/its eternal amusement park, or are they just people with incredible hubris, who don't even realize how incredibly narcissistic and self centered this claim really sounds? I mean, imagine, claiming that you're so special, so chosen, that the creator of the world is going to bestow upon you a relationship and eternal life. Wow.

Wow indeed.

Personally, I vote for incredible hubris. I think religion plays right into this reward schema without triggering the realization within these people that what they are claiming reeks of literally incredible hubris. Think about it: So many people die and go to hell, never knowing god.....but not you! Oh no, you get a personal relationship and eternal salvation. You have the corrrect theology, the correct god, and the relationship to seal the deal of eternal bliss, amidst a sea of torment. How fortuitous.

How fortuitous indeed.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Nostalgia: Do You Experience It? Also, A Hypothetical Situation.


Nostalgia: Do You Experience It? Also, A Hypothetical Situation.

Many gamers experience a phenomenon referred to as nostalgia. What this is, for those who do not know, is a feeling of longing for the past that is fraught with (often times) bittersweet sentimentality. Specifically, in reference to video games, nostalgia is a longing for a time in which certain video games systems, and certain video games, were current. The gamer was younger, and they were experiencing beloved games from what is now their past as brand new, cutting edge, and exciting. An example of this is someone remembering their  birthday in 1991, a day during which they received a Sega Genesis console with two games and they spent 10 hours that day playing those games with their brother, and hours more every day of the week for years afterwards. They remember this and they long for those days. They wish they could go back to them, and they feel like nothing these days reaches that level of emotional impact and/or just plain fun.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Deaf Man Gets Treated Like A Piece of Garbage In Airports

" The Louisville TSA called me a “fucking deafie” and laughed at me because I was deaf, and they expected wouldn’t say anything back (or wouldn’t hear them). Make no bones about it — she was facing me and I read her lips. There was no mistake. I would later find out that they had called at least 4 other individuals the same thing. "
http://teaandtheatre.tumblr.com/post/26846647001

This just made me sick to my stomach. I had no idea that this kind of thing was happening in 2012 to deaf people. These people are disgusting stains on humanity.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Hypocrisy, Propaganda, Brainwashing and Weed

It's really amazing how we all grew up just accepting certain facts, while not expressing, nor being encouraged to express, the slightest bit of incredulity.

For example, the things were were taught about marijuana: 

It's socially acceptable to say "I've had a really rough week. I'm going to have my friends come over and pound back a bunch of shots and play some video games so I can unwind and forget all about this stressful week."

It's socially unacceptable to say "I've had a really rough week. I'm going to have my friends come over and smoke a joint and play some video games so I can unwind and forget all about this stressful week."

It's legal to have my friends come over and pound back a bunch of shots and play some video games so I can unwind and forget all about my stressful week.

It's illegal to have my friends come over and smoke a joint and play some video games so I can unwind and forget all about my stressful week.

Yet, I submit to you this: What's the difference?

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Oldest Preserved Internet Comment?

Comment on a USENET group from 1981:

https://groups.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!msg/net.general/yJn8WHlzc7U/lPyVdYqCXyAJ

(Yes, 1981).

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Scientology Avoids Paying Taxes in the UK.

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/7442179/general/scientology-tax

It’s alleged Scientology has avoided paying tax in the United Kingdom by claiming it is run out of South Australia. In Britain, the Church of Scientology is supposed to pay tax on the millions of pounds it brings in each year. Now, the organization has been accused of claiming its entire UK operation is part of its Australian outfit.

"When you look at the fact that the three directors are based in the UK, that returns haven't been filed for the South Australian entity in over 30 years you've got to ask what on earth is going on," Xenophon said.



We do know that Scientology in Britain takes its orders from the group's leader in America, David Miscavige. If they take their orders from the United States, how can Scientology in Britain be run by a South Australian charity?

Read the article and it will come clear. There's not much I can add to this in the way of commentary, except to say I am all for the abolishment of tax free status for religions, but that's a separate issue.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Oreo Shows Support for Gay Community, Bigots React Predictably.

On Monday, Oreo posted an image on their Facebook page showing their support for the gay community. As we've seen with other companies who have done similar actions, they've received some rather... negative feedback. Here are some of the comments.  Remember folks, if you support Oreo, you support "The liberal gay agenda!!!!!!!" Lmao.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

It's That Time of the Year Again!

Happy "You should be ashamed of yourself if you don't do something special for your father, now go out to an expensive restaurant and buy him a God damn gift or you are a horrible fucking child" Day everyone!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

BREAKING NEWS: Two porn actors arrested for prostitution after their camera breaks.


-Two pornographic actors, Nathan, 24, and Miranda, 22, were arrested Friday on prostitution charges. The two had been filming a scene for an upcoming porn movie when their camera broke. The two actors stopped the scene when they noticed that the camera had stopped functioning, but unfortunately for them, they did not notice until a few minutes after it broke. As we all know, having sex for money is considered prostitution (or marriage), unless a (functioning and recording) camera is present, at which time it can be considered pornography. Since the two were not married and no functional camera was present and recording, they were technically engaged in prostitution.

Police chief Ian Mooreville responded to criticism levied by the public in the wake of this story breaking: "The two suspects were having sex on film for profit. That is not illegal. That is pornography. However, when the camera stopped functioning and they continued to have sex for money, it became prostitution, and public safety became an issue." When he was asked to expand on how public safety was endangered by the failure of the camera present at the scene, the officer declined comment. He did, however, add that "backup cameras should be available, but if they are not, and your only camera breaks, you better be prepared to stop mid thrust....otherwise, we'll come for you."

An Evening With Ray Bradbury

With the recent death of Ray Bradbury, I found this video of Ray Bradbury giving a keynote speech, and it is an amazing way to spend an hour. It's a very inspirational, honest, and entertaining speech. Much of what he said will stay in my head for a long time, he was quite a brilliant man. Give it a listen to at night while you're lying in bed, very motivational.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Ninja Gaiden (Arcade), II (NES) and III (NES) Heading to the 3DS?

Possibly fantastic news for old school Ninja Gaiden fans: Ninja Gaiden (arcade), Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (NES) and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (NES) appear to be heading to the 3DS via the virtual console feature.

http://www.esrb.org/ratings/search.jsp?title=ninja+gaiden&fromHome=fromHome

That is, if you believe the listings for said games on the ESRB's website (linked above; screenshot below). I do, as news pertaining to the addition of other games heading to digital distribution channels like Xbox Live Arcade and Nintendo's Virtual Console have been leaked via ESRB listings in the past.



Please, please let this be true! If it is, that means there will be FOUR Ninja Gaiden titles on the 3DS (there's (apparently...unless it has been cancelled) an original Ninja Gaiden title in development for the little handheld that could). FOUR!

If this is indeed true, will you be purchasing any of these? I know for sure I will buy Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (one of my all time favourite games). Ninja Gaiden arcade is a probable, but not certain buy. Depends upon the price. I'm not a big fan of it but it's decent. I'll probably skip Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, as I don't really like that entry in the series.

P.S. As of now, the first NES Ninja Gaiden title (simply titled Ninja Gaiden) is not listed for the 3DS. I don't know why, and I hope that changes, because it's an excellent game, and even though I own it on the NES and the Wii I will still purchase it for the 3DS. It's not as good as the sequel that was released a year later on the NES, but it's a very good game in its own right.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

2 Castlevania Titles Confirmed! Lords of Shadow 2 and Lords of Shadow- Mirror of Fate

As reported by Nintendo Power Magazine, 2 new Castlevania games have been confirmed to exist. Castlevania: Lords of Shadow- Mirror of Fate is a 3DS exclusive that bridges LOS1 and the also confirmed (but platforms TBA, although obviously PS3 and 360) sequel, Lords of Shadow 2.

Some info on the 3DS game:

- deep combat mechanics
- involves Trevor Belmont
- Fight with Trevor's version of the Combat Cross
- strong attacks with X
- wider-reaching attacks with Y
- secondary weapons like the boomerang-like glaive and electric bomb
- use these with A
- grab enemies with R
- block and dodge with L
- involves light and shadow magic returns
- earn experience points to unlock new combos
- these include launching foes into the air, smashing enemies down to the ground and more
- includes skeletons, axe-wielding undead and more
Here are two screenshots from the 3DS game (not final quality, obviously):

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Dead or Alive 5 Premium Demo: Quick Thoughts

I finally got my hand on the DOA 5 demo and I have to say, I am IMPRESSED. I really wish the Ninja Gaiden team had been able to expand on the formula while maintaining the integrity of the series/game play in the way that the DOA team has. I mean, sure, the counter system was nerfed to a degree, and I know the power moves have left the community divided, but I think that for non tournament players, the game will prove to be a success. It is VERY fun, runs smoothly, looks good, and seems to have once again hit the balance between playability and depth in such a way that I believe no other series has.


I know many will disagree, and that is completely understandable, but I for one have always thought DOA was the best of the 3D fighting games and DOA5 seems like it is going to continue that trend for me.

If you are a fan of DOA and you are worried that this one has been screwed up, especially given the travesty that is Ninja Gaiden 3, rest assured that the DOA you know and love seems to be intact.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Message Board Full of Extreme Bigots

Today I discovered this vile, disgusting message board. The shit that is being spewed in this forum topic is horrendous. It has been a long while since I got this disturbed and angry after reading internet comments.

Many of these people apparently think that Fox News is "too liberal." When someone thinks Fox News is too liberal, that is a distressing sign. I don't watch Fox News, and I didn't really know who Shepard Smith was before this, but this stuff is vomit-inducing.


Friday, May 18, 2012

"Full of Evolution"

Wow, all of that evolution must have been pretty graphic and intense. Link

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

First Gene Therapy Successful Against Aging-Associated Decline

"A new study consisting of inducing cells to express telomerase, the enzyme which -- metaphorically -- slows down the biological clock -- was successful. The research provides a "proof-of-principle" that this "feasible and safe" approach can effectively "improve health span."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120514204050.htm

For the lazy, researchers in Madrid have successfully "demonstrated that the mouse lifespan can be extended by the application in adult life of a single treatment acting directly on the animal's genes." What they have done is injected telomerase enzymes into adult mice (they used a virus that acts on DNA as a base but replaced the viral genes with those of the telomerase enzymes) and they report that the enzymes have taken effect to the point where they not only repair shortened telomeres (the ends or 'caps' of chromosomes that protect the cell and allow it to divide- when telomeres become shortened to the point of no longer being useful, the cells stop dividing and ages/dies) but they were actually rebuilt. Thus, they end up with rejuvenated cells and an increased lifespan (13-24% depending on the age of the treated mice).

This is AMAZING!

Now, I wonder if they could engineer a way to inhibit telomerase so as to limit cell division ....bye bye cancer?

Peace Be Upon You

18 “‘If a man has sexual relations with a woman during her monthly period, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them are to be cut off from their people."

14 “‘If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you.

12 “‘If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.

10 “‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife —with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.

9 “‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.

6 “‘I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people

27 “‘A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.’”

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Classic Onion Article: "Desire to Ejaculate Motivates Local Christian"

On a nightly basis, I browse The Onion to get my satirical fix. I happened to stumble upon this one from a few years ago. My favorite quote: "What if Luann, never having seen a naked man before, is so frightened that she refuses to allow me to ejaculate?"

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Substance responsible for Alistair Overeem's failed drug test revealed!


Alistair Overeem has tested positive for Rousimar Palhares. He injected 100ml 2x per day of the banned substance, and when he tested with overly high testosterone levels, his Rousimar Palhares levels were 40 times higher than normal. Rousimar Palhares is a new drug on the performance enhancement scene that has been shown to raise the testosterone levels of anyone who is even in the same room as it, let alone someone who injects it. It's an incredibly potent drug and the side effects are staggering, the worst of which being an insatiable desire to rip the legs off of anyone and well, everyone. 


Saturday, April 21, 2012

Internal hard drive defragmentation checklist


Internal hard drive defragmentation checklist:

1) 8 obligation free hours
2) notepad
3) pen
4) quiet room and/or a hilltop under the night sky
5) 5g (go deep or go home) of psilocybin mushrooms

Optional:

6) introspective, open minded friends with whom you can share the experience and know that they will respect it rather than try to morph it to fit their preconceived notions of what the experience should be like
7) an escape hatch just in case the light at the top of the rabbit hole becomes so dim and seemingly so far away that it detracts from the experience
8) skis. The outer reaches of the multiverse are snow covered this time of year

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Mitt Romney on Strapping Wife Ann Onto Top of Private Jet: “She Loved It!”

Mitt Romney on Strapping Wife Ann Onto Top of Private Jet: “She Loved It!”

The story just gets more and more preposterous. For those not in the know, Mitt and Ann Romney have come under fire for their actions on a family vacation back in 1983. Then Vice President of consulting firm Bain & Company, Romney and his wife Ann set out on a 12 hour road trip to their summer cottage in Canada. Determined to bring along their Irish Setter, Seamus, but short on space in the car, they decided to place their beloved and loyal family pet into a carrier strapped to the roof of the car and boot down the highway at 60 miles an hour for 12 hours. When their terriffied dog shit himself, they simply hosed him down and then continued on, making the rest of the cold, scary trek that much colder (and presumably scarier).

This story has of course caused all sorts of trouble for Romney's fledgling presidential campaign. Unfortunately for him, it's not growing even worse, as it has come to light that he once strapped his wife Ann onto the top of his private jet en route to Alaska because his leg room would have been compromised had she been on board. In his defense, he states that she quote “loved it” as it allowed her to “experience the beauty of American landscape in a visceral way not available to most people.” Ann Romney has thus far not been available for her take on this matter. Presumably, she is unable to get cell reception from the trunk of the family car.

We'll have more on this story in the coming days.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Project X Zone: The New 3DS Game From Capcom/Sega/Namco Bandai



A little while ago it was revealed that Capcom, Sega, and Namco Bandai were all working on a crossover game for the 3DS. A lot of people assumed that it would either be a fighting game similar to the recent output of crossover-themed fighters, or an SRPG similar to the Playstation 2 game Namco X Capcom. 

Turns out it was an SRPG.


Ninja Gaiden 3: Punishing Me for Playing It

A few minutes ago I went over to my Xbox 360 and booted up Ninja Gaiden 3 with the intention of playing the game for a little while. Well, apparently the game had other plans in mind, because rather than be immersed in mediocre action upon starting up the game, I was met with this lovely sight:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            


At this point, I wave the proverbial white flag. I give up. Fuck this game; back to Devil May Cry HD Collection I go.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

So, I Gave in and Rented Ninja Gaiden 3....

I gave in and rented the damn thing (no way am I buying it and supporting TN's 'vision') and so far (beginning of Day 3 on Hard) I have to say that it's.....overall a great game with several significant flaws, one of which being it's a TERRIBLE Ninja Gaiden game. I'll review the game once I am done with it, but for now, here's a bullet point list of a few (negative) things about the game that many/most reviewers seemed to have missed (as usual):

-Recovery frames are far too numerous and sustained
-The usefulness of shuriken cancelling has been decreased (reduction in frames during which it is possible)
-Invincibility frames (i-frames) have been reduced in number
-Enemy tracking is not broken, but problematic
-Wind pathing controls are a bit screwed up
-No guillotine throw :(
-Shuriken cancelling while airborne (or even throwing normal air shurikens) results in OL recovery frames
-Enemy grabs have pretty obvious telegraphs (audio/visual) but this is largely negated by above issues
-ShurikenSlideStrong Attack on a bloody enemy to initiate a SOB moment often glitches and fails
-TN set out to negate UT spam, but in doing do merely replaced it with SOB spam
-Enemy encounters are ridiculously lengthy gauntlets (at least on Hard) resulting in extreme repetition
-Control of Ryu is taken from the player FAR too often, ruining the pacing
-Far too much grab spam in addition to the recovery frame issue=less combat options (at least on Hard)
-Many moments of slowdown on Hard and above (due to the high enemy and projectile count)
-Most of the music heard thus far has been much less memorable than that of the previous games
-Invisible walls
-Wall running and bird flipping opportunities are few and far between
-Too much bow combat. It's just not very engaging

On the positive side of things:

-Some nice new DS combos
-OT's look cool and are prioritized (OT opportunities are always recognized by the engine and prioritized)
-The lack of items, while overall a gigantic step backwards, does add to the tension/difficulty during fights
-SOB chaining, while overall a detriment, is actually kind of fun, surprisingly
-Graphics are (mostly) great
-Regent of the Mask is a good boss. Bit too easy but well designed and fun
-Bow control is much more user friendly than before (not all changes aiming for ease of use are bad)
-Quickest loading of the modern console NG games (restarting after death is pretty fast, which is nice)
-There's still challenge and fun to be had here. A non 'hardcore' Ninja Gaiden fan might LOVE this game

If I don't give up on this game (I have been tempted to a few times) I will review it in full upon completion.

You Have Proof of Your God's Existence? Okay, Let's Hear It.

Believe in a god? Have proof of said god's existence? I'd like to hear it.

Anyone who happens to be reading this and think they have proof of the existence of their god of choice, let me have it. 

However, if I may, before you reveal it, I'd like to set 3 rules.

1) Arguments from incredulity are fallacious and I will not accept them.  For example, saying "Look at the world around you. sIt's too "perfect." It had to be created, therefore, there's obviously a God." This is a logical fallacy. Just because you cannot fathom any other explanation does not mean there isn't one. All you are really saying is "I don't know and I am inserting "god." There are MANY other possible explanations. Some more plausible than others. So please refrain from using this as "proof." I will not accept it.

2) These also are not valid and will not be accepted as "proof:"

-You can't prove there's not a god!

-Without god, people have no reason to be moral.

The first one is just stupid burden shifting (and still not proof anyways) and the scond one is just a bare assertion fallacy (and wrong) (and still not proof).

3) For people who believe in the "one true god....." whatever proof you do have, ask yourself, could that same proof not be utilized by someone else who believes in a different god? If so, how can it be valid for you and not them? Which means......by your logic, their god must exist as well. For example, if you say "God speaks to me" and this is your proof, fine. However, if someone who believes in one of the 3799 other propsed gods says that as well, would that not be proof that their god also exists?

Okay, so if you think you have proof of god's existence and it does not consist of one of the above disqualified lines of reasoning, please do share it! Keep in mind, however, that this is for people who say they actually have proof, not for those who say it's based on faith.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Gay Marriage is No Different Than Heterosexual Marriage (PIC)

Here is all of the evidence you need that gay marriage is no different than straight marriage: A pact between two people who have given up:

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Rousimar Palhares: A Tribute

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Self Interest

Here are some questions that I sometimes ask myself: Are all actions driven entirely by self interest? Even altruistic ones? What about on a non individual level, like the actions of entire countries with respect to other existing nations, aka foreign policy? Is literally everything we do selfish?