Big Game Releases of 2011

I got this from this article of IGN: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/114/1140235p1.html

Everyone in the industry is saying that 2011 is going to be a HUGE year for games...I'm not seeing it.  Let's go down the list and see what games I will probably be buying this year.  And some big name ones I won't be.

January

DC Universe Online (PS3): Just bought it.  I'm not a huge fan of MMOs but its the DC Universe and I get to create my own damn character...that sounds awesome.  I got the Collector's Edition that includes a sweet ass Batman statue.

Little Big Planet 2 (PS3): Pass! I enjoyed playing the first one but I don't think I got my money's worth.  The game is super cute, but I had absolutely no interest at all in making my own stages.

Dead Space 2: No thanks.  The first game was pretty dope but I'm too chicken shit to play it.  I hate games that make you jump.  I'll watch my buddies play it.

February

Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (Xbox): Hell yeah.  Even though I suck at this series I am really looking forward to using some of the new characters: Super Skrull, Deadpool, X-23, Zero, and Dark Phoenix...count me in.

Killzone 3 (PS3): Pass.  I haven't played any of these games, as of now I don't plan to play part 3.

March

Dragon Age 2 (Xbox): Just pre-ordered it! I enjoyed the first game even though it had some major issues but its got two things going for it: it's made by Bioware, and they said they addressed the problems from the first one.  Can't wait.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution: No thanks.

Fear 3: Nope.  See explanation for Dead Space 2.

Spring 2011

Mortal Kombat : No thanks. Not a huge MK fan but we'll see how this reboot does.

Pokemon: Black & White: I think yes.  Gotta catch 'em all right?

Team Ico HD Collection: Hellz yeah bitch! HD versions of two of the most overlooked games on the Playstation 2: Ico and Shadow of the Colossus.  This is going to be great.

LA Noir: Maybe.  I'll have to see more but this one looks pretty cool and everyone knows Rockstar Rocks.

September

Resistance 3: No thanks. Despite one of my best friends working on the first game I still am not a fan of this series.

Rage: We'll see.  I've heard a ton of good news about this game.  I'll have to see more before I make a decision though.

November

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception: Oh hell yes.  The best franchise on the PS3 is back in 2011.  I cannot wait for this one.

Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim: You know...maybe.  I didn't play t he first Elder Scrolls but I did play and love Fallout 3.  So we'll see.

Fall 2011

Mass Effect 3: The sound you just heard? That was the sound of me wetting myself.  Mass Effect 3 in 2011? I don't think it'll happen but if it does you can bet I'm buying it.  My favorite game franchise of all time concludes.

The Last Guardian: F yeah! From the makers of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, this one is bound for greatness.

Batman Arkham City: Yes please. I was blown away by Arkham Asylum.  Now I get a whole a city to roam around in? It's on.

Okay maybe this is a big year for gaming.  I have nine games that I am surely going to buy and three that I might.  That is not counting the random game that comes out and wows us.  Alright 2011 bring it on.  I need to start saving up.

2010 The Year that Was: 2011 Resolution Edition

Resolutions.  I have never been able to keep them.  I think most people can't.  That doesn't mean we shouldn't make them.  I think it's great that we continue to make New Years Resolutions, because we strive to better ourselves.  We rarely complete these resolutions though do we?  If we really wanted to do these resolutions we wouldn't wait for an arbitrary date like the end of the year.  Sometimes we go half the year before we forget or give up on our resolution, sometimes we go two days.  But that's okay.  We think that we can leave the past behind us and make a better life just because we changed our calendar.  It'great.  That's why I'm doing it here.

1. Lose weight.  I bet 95% of people who make New Years Resolutions have some form of this one on their list.  I actually followed last year's resolution to "Exercise More."  I was pretty consistent in 2010.  I didn't lost much weight, not enough to throw a party over, probably due to my love of food, and eating.  I'll make a concerted effort this year.  Losing weight has always been and will always be a problem for me.  I think this year will really be different.  Here's prayin'.

2. Write more.  I'm going to get serious with this writing kick I'm on.  That means more Yelp Reviews, more Flixster Reviews, more Blog posts, and hopefully more work for Vincit Magazine.  I was thinking about finding a writing gig full time and leaving my current job.  But from talking to people it sounds like writing jobs aren't the most fruitful.  So I figure I'll stick with this low stress, well paying job, and write on the side.

3. Read a book. This is what one might call a softball of a resolution.  I'd say its a pretty big one for me.  I've never been much of a reader.  As a matter of fact I can only recall reading one book for pleasure in my life: Have a Nice Day by wrestler Mick Foley.  I've read, and its been suggested to me, that if I want to be a better writer I should read good books.  It's always been hard for me to sit down and read a book, I usually feel like it takes away from a good time: I could be watching some form of television or playing a video game.  Even though the resolution is to read a book, I'm hoping that finishing the first book will lead me to other books.  I've actually cheated a bit on this one as I started reading a book at the end of December and I finished it on January 2, 2010.  My first book: The Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.  Very good book, I was actually hooked for quite a bit.  Started off super slow (and super homosexual) but picked up toward the middle and then really ramps up at the end.  I'd recommend it.

4. Go out more.  If I recall this resolution was on my list last year, pretty much failed that one.  I went out a bit, but I don't think enough.  My money crunch really played a big part in this though, but that was just the most legit excuse I could use.  The whole point of going out is, of course, to meet my potential Mrs. Joel Samson.  If I did go out it it wasn't really at places with opportunities to meet new people.  This will probably be my toughest resolution.  But because its on this list I hope it pushes me to try harder this year.

5. Learn to be more independent.  This is a resolution you'd most likely find on a 19 year old's list.  But this is something I need to work on.  If nobody can hang out with me I often don't go out.  Sometimes I need to go out and get something, like some new clothes or stuff for the house but I hate going alone.  It's just something I need to work on.

6. Get my website going.  I have an awesome idea for a website.  Me and my brother were working up the particulars and realized that our ideas were a little too ambitious for two people to handle.  This put a slow down to the production of the site.  This year I know that my financials will be a lot better, so I think I can get the website up and moving.  I don't expect to get it fully functional by the end of the year, but I do want to get it at least to beta.

7. Spend smarter.  If there's one thing I learned from living alone it was how to save money.  With the majority of my income going to my house I had to scrap for everything, sacrifice on some wants to get needs, and sacrifice some needs to get wants.  Living alone taught me that I'd still be happy if I didn't buy a new BluRay release every week.  It taught me to always keep a can of spam handy for when I run out of frozen pizza.  I learned that I can live perfectly fine off of the internet and basic television channels if I cancelled my cable.  I hope I can continue my spending habits this year, maybe improve them.

Those are the big ones.  Let's see how I do come 2012.  Let me know what you think, or what Resolutions you have on your list.  Good luck on your 2011 Resolutions!

2010 The Year that Was: Review Edition

"On to the next one..." - Jay-Z

Of all the years I've ever lived 2010 was...one of them.  2010 has not been what one would call a banner year for me.  Selling my condo.  Still being single.  Issues with friends.  Breaking of traditions.  Money troubles.  These things all weighed heavily on me this year.  I'd say of the past few years, 2010 has had the most ups and downs.  I think I feel that it is worse because most of the down moments are happening as the year closes out.

But let's not dwell on the negative, let's look at the positive.  A lot of good stuff happened this year too.  I'll try to do this as chronologically as possible.

Joel's 2010 List of Awesome:

1. My little brother got married.  The two part event started with the wedding in February and then the reception a few months later.  It sounded kind of weird then, but it turned out to be one of the funnest times in my life.  The reception was so cool because it was such a family effort.  The majority of the family came early to help set up, partied it up, and then stayed late to help.  It was also the first time I had to learn dance choreography and subsequently perform in front of people.  It was nerve-wracking, tiring, and exciting.  I also got something I've always wanted, a sister.

2. Kara & Ariel are born.  This is a bit of a cheat because Kara was actually born in 2009, but whatever it was the end of that year.  Anyways the first babies of our little group were finally born.  Definitely a milestone moment for our little crew.  These little ladies have brought joy into our lives like you wouldn't believe.  It's awesome to see them grow, every time I see them they're in new stages in their development: teething, walking, talking.  Can't wait to see them grow up and take over the world.

3. I take my writing more seriously.  First it started with wanting to become a better Yelp Elite.  Every time I went to a restaurant I went with the intention of writing a Yelp review: took pictures, analyzed the service, critiqued the food in my head.  After about 50 or 60 reviews I finally became a Yelp Elite.  It was an awesome honor.  This led me to write even more reviews and then it led me to want to just write.  Thanks to my homegirl in Japan, Marilou, and a new friend I met through my other friend, @Koolaye, and their blogs, I started a blog of my own.  I believe you are reading it now.  Writing a blog led to getting an article published in Vincit Magazine.  That was awesome, truly an achievement, and hopefully will lead to bigger and better things.

4. Hello and Goodbye to good TV.  This year more than any year was a year of discovery for me.  I opened my eyes to new shows that I've heard were good but never gave a chance to.  Some old and cancelled, some new and kicking.  Breaking Bad, Arrested Development, Nikita, The Wire and The Walking Dead are some standout shows I watched this year that I just love.  We also said farewell to one of televisions best shows: Lost.  2010 was a very good year in television for me....well almost, are reality shows still around?  They are?  Damn...maybe they'll be eradicated next year.

5. Movie screenings galore.  2010 was the  year of movie screenings.  Thanks to a co-worker, I discovered GoFobo and FilmMetro, two sites that offer free movie screening passes if you are a) lucky enough to get some b) dedicated enough to keep checking the site and c) patient enough to wait in line for 2+ hours.  I love movies, I love seeing them early, and I love getting to watch them for free.  It almost turned into a hobby for me.  The thing you start to notice while attending these screenings is that there is a culture around movie screenings.  You start recognizing the same people, and it seems like everyone knows each other.  I don't know if they do it, but as soon as I watch a flick I immediately go on Flixster and write a review.  I figure thats the reason for the screening: to get early buzz, so I oblige.  There were a ton of movies that I saw a screening of that I loved: Inception, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Going the Distance, Mega Mind and Losers to name a few.  There are also a few movies that I did not enjoy: Jonah Hex and Nightmare on Elm Street come to mind.

6. You want a podcast, I got a Smodcast.  This was the year I really started listening to podcasts.  Daily I would listen to Fantasy Football podcasts during the season, Fantasy Focus Football is always entertaining.  I also discovered IGN Girlfight.  An all-girl podcast from the women of IGN.  In my eyes nothing is hotter than chicks talking games...especially when the chicks actually know games.  But the podcasts I have been listening to mostly are on Kevin Smith's Smodcast network: Smodcast, Hollywood Babble-On, and Jay and Silent Bob Get Old.  These podcasts have really helped me get through some boring days at work.

And honestly that's all I can think of.  Like I said, a mostly uneventful 2010.  Well stay tuned for my New Years Resolution Edition coming up shortly.

It really is the most wonderful time of the year.

"Ho ho ho! Merry everyone!" - Homer Simpson

Sometimes all it takes is the excitement on a child's face to put your life back in order.  Those of you who know me probably know that this year hasn't been the greatest year for me.  These last couple of months of 2010 especially.  Except for my published article, this year has been pretty whack.  But seeing the children happy at Christmas made it all seem better.  Let me set the table for you.  Usually at our Christmas parties my family that that live in this area get together to celebrate.  We usually do a gift exchange and at this gift exchange someone plays Santa Claus.  I've done it in years past, so have my brothers.  It's often a long and sweaty ordeal, but this year it just seemed a bit more special.  This year we had a lot of young kids that still believed in Santa.  My cousin Justin took the reigns this year and the reactions were priceless.  He entered through the front door, ringing the doorbell, the parents gathered the kids around the door and when he appeared...the reaction was just awesome.  One girl jumped up and down like those screaming Michael Jackson fanatics.  Another girl stared at him for a second, then jumped off her bike and ran to give him a hug.  It was awesome.

Needless to say I had a very good Christmas.  I got some great gifts for my family that I'm sure they'll enjoy.  And I got some really awesome gifts myself.  I got some much needed BluRays: Scott Pilgrim vs.the World, and Avatar: Collector's Edition, a very classy new wallet (my old one is in tatters), a great set of dryfit workout shirts and some black socks, and last but not least: the Mass Effect 2 N7 Armor hoody.  You guys already know that I"m a huge Mass Effect fan, and I think any fan needs to own this hoody.  Not only does it look extremely badass, it is also very well made and seems like it will last quite a while.  It does feel a little tight for being an XXL but I think they made it that way...that or my brother accidentally got me a woman's XXL.  In any event I absolutely love it.

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday.  What'd you get for Christmas?  What were some of your favorite gifts? Let me know.

Merry Christmas.

The Hot 5

Hello everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick!)  It's time for me to list the 5 things I think are awesome at this moment, I call them...The Hot 5.  Let's get this monkey train rolling.

December/January issue of Vincit Magazine (VIP Coach Monitor: Changing the Game)

Vincit Magazine: http://vincitmagazine.com/magazine/

If you saw my last blog post you'll know that I wrote an article for the December/January issue of Vincit Magazine.  I can't tell you how excited I was to see my name in print.  It was truly a dream come true.  What was even more exciting was the possible opportunities that this article can open for me.  I'll be sure to keep you guys informed.  The magazine is fairly new so you may not be able to find it at your local magazine rack.  However you can go to the above link and pick one up.  Show me some love (I get absolutely no compensation for this).  Tell me what you think of the article.

The Lost Complete Collection (BluRay)

Buy it on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/24m4nlr

IGN Review: http://tinyurl.com/2cz7e7b

One of the coolest box sets I have ever purchased for one of televisions best shows ever.  This box set is a treat for die-hard Lost fans as well as those who are making this their entrance into the series.  Not only does the whole set feel extremely well made, it also includes hidden mysteries(!).  It includes all 6 seasons on BluRay as well as a Collector's disc specific to this box set.  When I found the hidden disc I was so amazed at how much effort was put into this.  I already purchsed seasons 1-5 on BluRay but I still had to have this, I think its a must-own for any Lost fan.

Nikita (Thursdays, CW)
Official site: http://www.cwtv.com/shows/nikita

Wow.  When I first started this show I was just watching to see Maggie Q. in revealing outfits.  Thankfully, this show has proven to be more than just a few pretty people.  Matter of fact everyone on this show is pretty.  Although technically a remake of the 1990 movie La Femme Nikita, and the 1997-2001 television series by the same name, the current Nikita is a whole new ballgame while sharing a bit of the same plot: convicted felon is taken in by a government agency and trained to be an assassin; the felon leaves the agency and vows to destroy them.  What more could you want form a show that has intense action, great storyline, interesting plot twists, and great characters...oh and Maggie Q.  The one thing about this show that I love the most is that the story keeps moving forward while still paying attention to character development.  Other shows tend to spin their wheels just to fill episode space, this show has characters dying, alliances being shifted, and major developments taking place all in the first half of the first season.  If you haven't checked this show out yet, you are missing out.

Community: Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas (NBC airdate: 12/9/10)
Official site: http://www.nbc.com/community/

Oh Community, how you have filled my television viewing hours with such joy.  I know I talk about this show a lot, but I think it deserves it.  This very special Christmas episode is another stand out from a season that has already given us a wicked zombie episode.  This Christmas special centers around Abed.  He wakes up and sees everyone is stop-motion animated, the only problem is, he's the only one that sees it.  The rest of the group try to get him help, and through a therapy session go on a ride to Abed's mind.  What we get is an extremely emotional episode, filled with laughs, tears, camaraderie, and of course, song.  The main thing I love about this episode is that it wasn't a one-shot episode where they are just stop-motion for a day, and then the next episode its as if nothing happened.  There is actually a story behind it and Abed's character is developed a lot more as we find out more about his mother.  I think this episode will stand among one of the best Christmas specials out there.

Mike Tolbert (San Diego Chargers Running Back)
Bio: http://www.chargers.com/team/roster/Mike-Tolbert/0fc7730f-4416-44f3-ad4f-fcca73da65c3
Highlights: http://www.nfl.com/videos/san-diego-chargers/09000d5d81cfa2fd/WK-15-Can-t-Miss-Play-The-Helmetless-Halfback

If you don't know me and haven't figured it out by now, I'm a huge San Diego Chargers fan.  This guy, Mike Tolbert is a beast.  Like All Pro tight end Antonio Gates, Tolbert came out of obscurity.  Everytime I've seen him run I have been impressed.  This season he has really helped the team out by filling in for 1sr round draft pick Ryan Mathews.  He's done such a great job that he pretty much stole the starting job from the rookie.  Not only does he run with determination and power, he is also a very unselfish player.  If you don't believe me just watch the 49ers game where he lines up on special teams, gets his helmet ripped off at the line of scrimmage and runs 60 yards downfield to try to make the tackle: helmetless.  This guy is the epitome of a football player.  Hopefully his heart as well as the rest of the weapons on offense can propel my Chargers to a Super Bowl.

'tis the Season to be sharing Fred

I know its going to sound weird but seeing this commercial is one of my fondest memories of the Christmas season when I was a kid.  It really taught me the meaning of sharing.  If you weren't alive back then (poor you) let me set it up for you.  All year long Barney was always hatching a scheme to get Fred's Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles.  He would usually get foiled, sometimes he'd succeed, in any event it would always piss Fred Flintstone off.  It was always different around Christmas time in the town of Bedrock...



Happy Hollandaise!

Joel

Vincit Magazine on shelves December 15, 2010

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to share some awesome news with you.  I wrote an article for the December issue of Vincit Magazine.  This will be the first of anything I've had published before.  The article is actually featured on the cover and is titled: "VIP Coach Monitor: Changing the Game".  It was an awesome experience and hopefully this will open doors for other opportunities.  Be sure to check it out on December 15.

Vincit Magazine website: http://vincitmagazine.com/
Like Vincit Magazine on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/VINCITmagazine?v=wall
Follow @VINCITmagazine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/VINCITmagazine

Peace,
Joel

Year End Review 2010

Hey all its the end of the year and you know what that means.  No not Christmas ham and presents.  It's time for end of the year awards.  These are the things that really wowed me this year.  Let me know what you think and give me some of your year end awards.  Here we go.

Game of the Year:

Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)

I absolutely love this game.  How can you tell?  Well, this game was released on January 26, 2010, yet this past week I played the game like it was brand new.  This is a 20+ hour game, and I have finished it in its entirety 5 times now, and working on my 6th.  This game is leaps and bounds over the original Mass Effect.  So much so that I can't even go back and play that game.  The story is awesome, the characters are unique, and the gameplay is superb.  Add to that the plethora of downloadable content that was made available for this game and you have yourself a winner.

Honorable Mentions:

Red Dead Redemption (Xbox 360/PS3)

Heavy Rain (PS3)

Halo: Reach (Xbox 360)

Movie of the Year:

Inception (Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

Holy hell in a hand basket.  Christopher Nolan does it again.  Not only did Christopher Nolan direct quite possibly the best comic book movie of all time in The Dark Knight, he followed it up with one of the most mind-bending, complex, and visually stunning movies I have ever seen in Inception.  Everyone knows what Leo can bring, he is almost guaranteed to provide an A+ performance, and he doesn't disappoint here.  That being said my favorite character in this movie was Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  His scene in the hotel hallway and elevator was superb.  I still have to watch it again to fully understand all of the intricacies.  I better get my totem ready.

Honorable Mentions:

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel)

The Town (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner)

Kick Ass (Nicolas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz, Aaron Johnson)

Television Show of the Year:

Community (Thursdays, NBC)

Try explaining Community to someone who has never heard of it and they will be immediately confused.  Here are some of my favorite things from this series: spanish rap, parking lot sail boats, epic paintball battle, godfather parody, chloroform, pen-stealing monkeys, and studiology.  Then I tell you this is a show about a Community college. The creators of this show have pulled it out of the realm of normalcy.  One week they are attending class and having issues of a relatively normal study group, and then the next they are piloting a mock space shuttle used by KFC in the 80s.  They even did an episode via Twitter.  Such a great show with characters you really care about.  Oh yes let's not forget Alison Brie.  So hot.

Honorable Mentions:

Modern Family (Wednesdays, ABC)

Castle (Mondays, ABC)

Dexter (Sundays, Showtime)

New Show of the Year:

The Walking Dead (Sundays, AMC)

Based off of an excellent series of graphic novels from Robert Kirkman this show is an ingenious idea.  People are so fixated with zombies and zombie movies, yet nobody has ever made a zombie television show before.  The premiere captured the essence of the books so well.  I got a little worried as more characters were introduced like the racist Merle and the horribly named T-Dog.  But they made it work.  My favorite thing about this show is that they are unapologetic.  I love shows like that.  Shows that won't cater to the fans.  They'll tell the story the way it needs to be told.  They don't care if the fans like certain characters, they will kill them off if the story dictates it.  With only 6 episodes in the first season a lot has already happened to our survivors.  If they follow the books then the fans are in for quite a treat, and some pretty interesting surprises.  A must watch show.  Unfortunately after this brief first season (only 6 episodes) we are going to have to wait until October 2011 until season 2.

Honorable Mentions:

No Ordinary Family (Tuesdays, ABC)

Hawaii 5-0 (Mondays, CBS)

The Event (Mondays, NBC)

Here are some quick hits of my faves from this year.

Entertainer of the Year: Donald Glover (Community, Childish Gambino)

- once the youngest writer on 30 Rock, he does stand up comedy, he's hilarious on Community, and he's an awesome rapper

Album of the Year: Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

- some people call this album a work of art, I just think it's damn good music

Hotty of the Year: Alison Brie (Community, Mad Men)

- just adorable

Podcast of the Year: Hollywood Babble On (Kevin Smith & Ralph Garman)

- Kevin Smith and the man of a thousand voices Ralph Garman talk about movies

Tweeter of the Year: Kristina Rose (@kristinarosexxx)

- the most entertaining pornstar on Twitter, she seems like she'd be a blast to hang out with

Event of the Year: Yelp Elite Halloween Party (Level 236, San Mateo)

- one of the funnest events I've attended in a long time, nice people, hot girls, great costumes.

Meal of the Year: Level III (JW Marriott, San Francisco)

- thanks to my sister we had the hookup, and I had one of the best meals ever, then I stole the leftovers

San Diego Charger of the Year: Philip Rivers

- he single-handedly put this team on its back, definitely going to be in MVP contention this year

Comeback Player of the Year: Michael Vick (Philadelphia Eagles)

- don't hate me dog lovers, this man's re-emergence into football is such a great thing, one of the most exciting players to watch

Story of the Year: San Francisco Giants win the 2010 World Series

- not an SF Giants fan but it was great to see the whole bay area energized

The Hot 5

Here are some of the things that I have been enthralled with lately. I plan to post a few of these from time to time when something really gets on my mind grapes.  So let me know what you think, and what your Top 5 are?

The Walking Dead (AMC Sundays)

What a premiere.  I was hesitant to read the comic book because I wasn't a huge fan of zombies.  I still don't really see the fascination with zombies and zombie movies.  But I'm so glad I started the comic, it had such a great story and I was excited to see how they'd treat the television series.  Fortunately the producer of The Walking Dead, Frank Darabont, wanted to make sure that not only would he please the audience but that he would also please the creator of the source material: Robert Kirkman.  They capture the comic extremely well, as well as add a few elements that improve upon the story.  The premiere showed not only some shocking and graphic moments, but some really poignant and sad moments.  The zombie stuff: headshots, people getting killed, and guts is fun, but I think the success of this show will come down to the characters.  How the characters deal with this horrific situation, where there are basically no more rules left, that is going to be the crux of the story moreso than the zombie infestation.  Watch this show.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Undercovers [canceled])

I'm pretty sad that this show got cancelled, not surprised, but sad.  Gugu Mbatha-Raw is one of those women that you would instantly fall in love with the moment you lay your eyes on her.  She radiates off the screen.  I'm very sad I wont be seeing much of her soon.  Unfortunately due to weak ratings Undercovers was recently canceled.  Like I said, I'm not surprised.  The show was entertaining enough but the decision to go episodic instead of serialized really hurt it.  Despite this you can be sure that Gugu will appear my Top Celebrities later this year.

Fable III Collector's Edition (Xbox 360)

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed Fable III there are lot of issues with it.  Ridiculous frame rate issues, stupid interaction system and some boring side quests kept this game from being great.  The Collector's Edition, although it only comes with an extra DLC, playing cards, and a cool coin, is one of of my favorite Collector's Editions so far.  What makes it so great is the packaging.  It comes in what looks like an old book or a bible. It feels like leather and even has a cool clasp.  The book opens to reveal the game and then there's a false bottom where the aforementioned Collector's Edition stuff is hidden.  It's a bucket of win.

No Ordinary Family (ABC Tuesdays @8:00pm)

From the very first episode I was hooked.  I was a huge fan of Heroes and was disappointed that it went down the path it did. You know...got horrible and unwatchable.  This show looks like it is going to do the genre right.  It's a family show and deals with family problems, but now they have super powers.  Ever since the Commish I have been a huge fan of Michael Chiklis.  His run on The Shield was often times bone chilling.  It's a little awkward seeing him in a much lighter role, but it suits him.  Julie Benz, I fell in love with on Dexter.  It's great to see her play a confident woman instead of the often uncertain character on Dexter.  The way the powers are displayed is done really well.  The speed effects for the mother and the math effects for the son are nice touches.  The parents confide in two characters who add a lot to the show played by Romany Malco and Autumn Reeser.  The story continues to expand on the universe and evolve their powers.  I hope they can keep it interesting.

Nicki Minaj (Pink Friday drops November 19, 2010)

This woman is on fire.  I realize lately that I am growing older and I really dislike most artists these days (Drake, Rihanna) but Nicki Minaj is just fierce.  She had an auspicious start with me because the first time I heard her was when she used the line "asbestos."  But I started hearing more of her lines on the Cash Money album and started realizing her flow was pretty unique and catchy.  She is probably one of the hottest artists right now: appearing on a ton of tracks and releasing a few mixtapes.  Her album is dropping this week and I think it is going to be huge.

It feels like I'm already waiting in line...

"He's moving like molasses!" - Hayden Panattiere (Remember the Titans)

Hey all...just a few random thoughts as I have been waiting to purchase Comic-Con tickets for over 40 minutes. This website is loading hella slow!  Anyways...

Parents with young children.  For pete's sake, and for mine, please...if your child is constantly talking during a movie in the theater please remove him/her.  I watched Megamind the other day and this nice family sat next to me.  About 15 minutes into the movie one of the kids starts whining.  Is it wrong for me to want to tell the parent to tell the child to shut up?  If an adult was constantly talking next to me you wouldn't have a problem with me telling that person to be quiet right?  Argh...it was so annoying.  I was able to tune him out for the most part but he would still talk during crucial moments of the movie.  Parents I understand that you paid good money for the movie and don't want to leave but it's not fair to those around you.  It was annoying.  That is all about that

Other random thoughts as this registration screen is STILL loading...

How was everyone's Halloween?  Mine was okay...actually pretty boring on Halloween itself.  I drove to my brother and sister's place and saw only a few trick or treaters.  Kind of sad because Halloween was so much fun when I was younger.  The only thing I did for Halloween was finish Fable III and go to my sibling's house to watch the Giants game.  Had some good food and that was it.  My Halloween came early on Thursday where I attended the Yelp Elite Costume Party in San Mateo.  This was my first Yelp Elite Event (YEE) and it was awesome.  I got to talk to a lot of girls and made a few new Yelp friends.  The costumes were awesome and the atmosphere was really chill.  Here's my review for the event.  Unfortunately I still haven't found my go-to date for all social events as my usual go-to is in Japan (miss you!).  Luckily I went with a co-worker and we had a great time.  The best thing about the event, the ratio of guys:girls was the opposite of Man Jose...lotsa ladies to talk to.  The next day at work we had our Halloween social.  I was kind of sad that not many people dressed up.  In fact I was only 1 of 2 men that dressed up.  That greatly increased my chances of winning Best Male costume, but I think I would have been in the running regardless.  My Samurai costume was pretty cool if I do say so myself.

Okay...we're approaching the 1-hour mark for this load time.  I'm going to run out of random thoughts.

I love the day after Halloween because concerned parents bring in candy to rot our teeth...I just grabbed a bunch of Nerds.  The candy, not to be confused with the nerds that are making my browser load for 1 hour.  Man orange flavored Nerds are the greatest.

One hour and 15 minutes since I started trying to register.

I love when TV shows do Halloween specials, and last week we got treated to 3 great ones.  Modern Family dealt with the Dunphy's trying to put together a haunted house atmosphere in their home, but nobody was really into it.  We got some super hot outfits from Hayley (shut up she's 18 in real life) and some hilarious stuff between Jay and Gloria about her mispronunciation of American words and sayings.  Not to mention Mitch escaping the second floor of his building dressed as Spider-Man.  The Office had a fashion show to win the coveted prize of the Coupon book.  Best costumes included Gabe as Lady Gaga, Angela in her slutty nurse outfit, Michael Scott as MacGruber, and Pam as Olive Oil.

The best Halloween special goes to Community though.  I don't think they'll ever top their paintball episode but this one comes very close.  They actually had a zombie outbreak.  It was hilarious.  The costumes were great, Abed and Troy dressed up as Ripley and an Alien, Jeff dressed as David Beckham, Britta refusing to use Halloween to dress slutty wore a cumbersome T-Rex outfit, Annie was an adorable Little Red Riding Hood, and I don't care what she says but Shirley was Miss Piggy.  This episode aired 4 days and I've already seen it 7 times.  There are so many funny parts of this episode, here are my favorite: the cat in the basement, the star wars "i love you" scene, and the return of Doc Pottery-wood.

Okay...after 2 hours I'm hearing now that they are moving registration to another day.  I would call this a colossal waste of time but I got to write in my blog so it wasn't all bad.  Okay then hopefully I can register with ease next time.

Under Construction...

I found some awesome blog templates and I'm currently playing with them.  So if you visit my blog and it has some weird stuff or a strange design don't worry all will be right with the world soon.

Peace out,

Joel

Confessions of an Achievement Whore

"This time baby I'll be...bulletproof." - La Roux

If you play the Xbox 360 chances are you know what achievements are, and chances are you are an achievement whore like I am.  For the uninitiated, achievements are points you get for completing certain actions in an Xbox game.  These can come from just playing the game normally and passing the levels.  They can also come by doing challenging or strange actions like the "Dastardly" achievement in Red Dead Redemption.  This achievement involved playing the role of a dastardly villain from the old timey shows.  You have to hogtie a woman, place her on the train tracks, and watch her get run over by the train.  If that's not awesome I don't know what is.  You gain nothing from these achievements, purely bragging rights.  Unlocking achievements adds a ton of replay value to certain games, it can also subtract some replay value as well (I'll delve into this later).  I have played a 10 hour game over 4 different times to try to get all of the achievements.

I think achievements are such an ingenious way to get gamers invested in the games, and I think, at least for me, that it is a way for me to keep purchasing Xbox 360 games over Playstation 3 games.  Sony does have their own "Trophy" system but they started it, I believe, due to the popularity of achievements.  It works in a completely different way, and I heard that it is pretty rewarding, but I think its too little too late.  Honestly, unless I read reviews and they are completely skewed toward the Playstation 3 (hasn't happened yet) for a multi-platform game I will ALWAYS purchase this game for the Xbox 360.  Why?  Achievements.  I've already invested so much of my time building a high Gamerscore (the score that tallies all of the achievement points you've unlocked) and I just want to keep improving on it.

Another thing achievements do is add a sense of old school competitive nature.  Nowadays people are bragging about how many kills they have, what they're K/D spread is, and so on and so forth.  But gamerscore showcases a few things: 1) how dedicated you are at playing your games 2) how skilled you are at playing games and 3) how much of a nerd you are.  It's a way of quantifying exactly how much better you are at games than they are.  So when I get shot in the head playing Modern Warfare 2, and I end the match in last place with a record of 2 - 20, I just say, "shut up, I have a higher gamerscore than you."  Then they continue to own me.  These points are reminiscent of old school arcade machines that people toiled over trying to beat the high score.  It's just another way to earn bragging rights...of which I just recently lost.  My jobless friend has surpassed my gamerscore and I vow to regain my dominance.

I mentioned earlier that achievements can subtract for a game's overall replay value.  How this happens is when all of a game's achievements are easily unlocked.  For example, one of my favorite games last year was Batman Arkham Asylum.  The best Batman game ever made.  I had so much fun playing it.  However after I completed the story there were only a few other achievements I had to unlock, they were challenging, but when they were done I didn't feel the need to pick the game up again.  There was still another difficulty level I could have tried and a few more challenge maps I never attempted.  The same thing goes for Mass Effect 2.  One of my absolute favorite games.  I got most of the achievements on my first playthrough, and then the rest starting my second.  I did finish the game even though there were no achievements to be had, but the story is just so awesome, plus I want a bunch of different save states for when I play Mass Effect 3.  Then after that I put the game down for a good while, having gotten 1000 gamerpoints from this game I didn't need to pick it up again until some new DLC came out that added more achievements.

I think achievements and gamerpoints definitely change the way you play games, and for some like me, the way you buy them.  Thanks for reading.  You earned this.

- Joel

My TV schedule

I think I finally figured out my weekly TV schedule.  Check it out:


Monday
- Chuck
- How I Met Your Mother
- Castle
- The Event
- Hawaii 5-0
Tuesday
- No Ordinary Family
- Running Wilde
Wednesday
- Modern Family
- Undercovers
Thursday
- Community
- The Big Bang Theory
- 30 Rock
- Fringe
- The Office
Friday
- Supernatural
Sunday
- The Simpsons
- Family Guy
- The Cleveland Show
- Dexter
- Boardwalk Empire


What do you guys watch?  What should be on my list?


Fade to black,
-Joel

Love: An Outsider's Perspective

It's been a long time since I've been in love.  But most of my closest friends and family are well entrenched.  From observation alone I think I've deciphered the meaning of love.  Here are my findings.

Love means:

- never having to plan your own birthday

- never being alone on a Friday night

- holding hands while driving

- sharing bank accounts

- sharing debts

- forgiving each other for being stupid

- taking vacations together

- sharing lazy Sundays together

- giving up videogame time

- having ridiculous arguments

- waiting to watch a television show together, even if it means you are many episodes behind

- it doesn't matter who pays for dinner

- you have a lot of family parties to attend

- you go to visit in-laws in remote locations with nothing to do

- you slowly start to take up each others hobbies

- more home cooked meals

- taking care of your in-laws when they need help

- not having to buy each other birthday presents

- still buying each other birthday presents

- holding hands

- having complete trust in each other even during ladies or guys night out
- you travel miles to a different city and just sit in a hotel room while the person you love works for the weekend
- you have traditional food nights like "taco night"
- getting fat together
- getting fit together
- you get to dress each other
- you never worry about growing old alone.


This is just a portion of what my research has yielded.  I one day hope to find the love of my life where I can discover my own definitions of the coolest four letter word in the world.  Are my findings incorrect?  Which of these do you find true?  What does love mean to you?  And to my family and friends can you spot which of these is about you?


Much Love (really),
- Joel

If you don't know, now you know...

"I got this money baby, I want to spend it on you...I got this Sunday baby, I want to spend it with you.  We can do what you like, I promise that I'll be true..." - Childish Gambino

Do you ever listen to something or watch a movie, or play a video game, and just love it to death?  Love it so much that you're so excited to talk to someone about it?  And then when you go to school or work you find out that nobody has even heard of it?  I hate that.  For that reason I am going to list some of the shows, music artists, movies and videogames I wish more people knew about.

Music:

Childish Gambino - Culdesac

Download here: http://www.culdesac-album.com/

Best known for playing Troy on my favorite show on television right now, Community, and writing for 30 Rock, Donald Glover is legit.  Despite being able to find him doing stand up comedy, and on classic Youtube videos his rhymes are no joke.  Sure some of them will make you laugh, but he isn't trying to make a comedy album like Weird Al or Lonely Island.  In his mixtapes he often raps over Indy groups such as Discovery and Vampire Weekend.  His album Culdesac has hints of Indy but with Kanye/Lil Wayne caliber rhymes.  Go download his album, it's free!

Television:

Community - NBC Thursdays 8:00pm

I'll be honest.  Before this show aired last year I had no interest in watching it.  A show about Community college with that douche-bag from The Soup?  No thanks.  Unfortunately nothing was on at 8:00pm on Thursday so I decided to check it out.  The first episode was okay, had a few laughs, I enjoyed the way it was shot and the humor...but I wasn't overly impressed.  Still, I liked it enough to tune in for the second episode.  Ridiculousness ensued with Chevy Chase and Joel McHale, giving the worst presentation ever...pretty funny episode.  And then the end credits rolled and Donald Glover and Danni Pudi did the Spanish Rap.  I was instantly hooked.  The great part about this show is that it knows no bounds.  It has reality based episodes like Episode 3 - Introduction to Film where it ends on an extremely touching moment with Abed and his father.  And then it has off the wall episodes like Episode 23 - Modern Warfare where the entire school is engulfed in a paintball war full of classic action movie references and awesome gun fights.  If the episodes aren't awesome enough, the end credits are usually just some delicious icing on top.  Watch this show.

Other mentions: 

Parks & Recreation (Amy Poehler, Aziz Ansari, Rashida Jones)

Lie to Me (Tim Roth)

Movies:

25th Hour - Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour-Hoffman, Anna Paquin, and Barry Pepper.

One of my all time favorite movies.  A Spike Lee joint, this movie revolves around the last night of a man before he goes off to prison.  Edward Norton is awesome...always.  Just a great story, the best part being a rant that Norton goes on in front of a bathroom mirror.  If you get a chance, put this flick on your queue.

Other mentions:

Confidence (Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz)

Way of the Gun (Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro)

Jackie Brown (Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier)

Heat (Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro)

Video Games:

Mass Effect Series

Despite being the greatest game of all time (IMO and in a lot of game reviewers O) not a lot of people around me have played the series.  Maybe they were turned off by the RPG elements from the first game...or the massive amount of dialog.  Maybe it was the wonky shooter mechanics...boy I'm not really selling this game well am I?  This is definitely a game where the end product is greater than the sum of its parts.  When this title was announced, it was announced as a trilogy.  The first one was ground breaking, the second one just improved vastly on the shooter mechanics, inventory system, and dialog system.  Unfortunately it improved on the first one so much I can't bring myself to go back and play it again.  As I sit here eagerly awaiting the 3rd and final installment to this trilogy I have only a few people to talk to about this wonderful feat of gaming ingenuity.

Other mentions:

Ico

Shadow of the Collosus

Well that's what I have for now.  There are a ton more that I could have added but I can't think of them all.  If you haven't heard of any of these, or thought to yourself, yeah it looks cool but I don't have the time to check it out..give it a shot.  If anything you'll know you'll have someone passionate about any one of these things to talk about it later.

- Joel