With the news that Ford Australia is closing shop after 85 years because they now

feel that their business is no longer sustainable.

Holden is the only producer of automobiles left, will they now be in better shape?

After all they do have a history of fantastic trucks, utes and cars.

not to mention the absolute best advert of all time.

http://youtu.be/s4Ic3RqPIJo

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All Nintendo fans know that one of the companies biggest 2nd party developers is Retro Studios who have made such games as the Metroid Prime series and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Less known however, yet equally worthy of praise are Next Level Games. This Canadian studio, founded in 2002 have developed a string of great games in popular Nintendo franchises for Nintendo systems The first of these was Super Mario Strikers on Gamecube that was released in 2005 but for me their most recent three games are the ones that stand out.

The first of these was Mario Strikers Charged Football on Wii in 2007. This follow up to Super Mario Strikers was the first Wii game to include online multiplayer and one of the first Wii games I got. It was fantastic fun in both single and multiplayer and the online is still fun to this day(if you can get a game). It improved on the original in a number of ways and firmly established Next Level Games as a developer to look out for.

In 2009 they released another Wii game: Punch-Out. With it, Next Level Games succeeded in restoring life to a Nintendo franchise that was seemingly dead. They retained the games mechanics whilst making it for for the modern day and it was an undoubted triumph. It is simple to get into but difficult to master just like Punch-Out games of old. Its success seemingly established them as a key developer for Nintendo and as such Nintendo turned to them to bring another series back to life.

Earlier this year, their latest game, Luigi's Mansion 2 was released. Coming a decade after the original, Next Level Games have again managed to keep what works from the original but make it fresh and suitable to the present day. It is an even greater improvement than was the case with the Punch-Out though and brings plenty new to the table. Next Level Games' abilities are clear and I am truly excited to see what they bring us next.

For more on my thoughts regarding Luigi's Mansion 2 please check out my review. Constructive criticism about my review style would be welcome too. 

Thanks for reading.

Pigfish2

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When Namco Bandai voiced their intentions to go in "guns blazing" and handle the upcoming sequel to their niche cult-hit as a "massive, massive" AAA release last week, it immediately put many of Demon's / Dark Souls fans like myself on notice in regards to its future. The escalating potential of the Dark Souls series ultimately succumbing to a similar fate as that of Resident Evil, Dead Space, and all the other misguided, bloated and grossly compromised AAA failures released over the last few years has become quite disconcerting for a good chunk of its modestly-sized yet fiercely dedicated fanbase.

In a recent post, Jim Sterling of The Escapist puts the legitimate fears of the game's fans and the broken mentality of AAA publishers into perspective quite well: click here for the video link.

There's not really much that I can add that wasn't pretty much covered in the vid. All I can say is that despite my mild amount of forced optimism, it's getting harder and harder to not see the writing on the wall. A part of me always knew the respectable success enjoyed by the series up to this point was like blood in the water, attracting industry sharks who would inevitably seek to devour everything that made these games what they were.. all for the faint chance of being the next mainstream approved clone of the current western-developed cashcows. 

Aside from their growing number of overhyped failures, there is one thing that I can say AAA publishers have consistently succeeded at these days, that is of course making it loud and clear to any niche title's fanbase that their loyal patronage will simply 'never' be enough. They've more than established that it's just more important for them to sacrifice everything in an effort to appeal to larger audiences that'll never actually give a sh*t about their games than it is maintaining the fixed audience that actually does. To them, why settle on the revenue their franchises can realistically produce, when they can shoot for a grander piece of the pie they can never truly have outside of their own personal delusions?

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Reviewed on May 9th, 2013
Universal presents a film directed by J.J. Abrams
Screenplay by Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch and Simon Pegg
Running Time: 132 minutes
Rating: M
Released: May 9th, 2013

In 1966 Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek as a TV series and coincidentally this was the same year that director J.J. Abrams was born. The show was pitched as a space Western in the vein of Wagon Train, which was a Western mystery show set on the Frontier. Star Trek converged with the start of the Vietnam War. Roddenberry had already seen action as a fighter pilot in World War II. To counter Vietnam, his version of Earth was a society without conflict and in space there were galactic truces, race relations and a sense of unity aboard the ship the Enterprise. As with any good Western, there was moral code of ethics between men, no matter how pointy their ears might have been. Roddenberry believed in a disciplined society that could be unaffected by war or religion. Spock for example was said to be modelled on a police Chief he knew when he was part of the LAPD.

After many years as a TV show and dozens of films, someone decided Star Trek should be reinvented yet again and Abrams was hired to transform it into a glossy action film. As a filmmaker J.J. Abrams is somewhat of an enigma. One of his heroes growing up was Steven Spielberg. When he was a boy he was hired to repair some old film footage for him. Spielberg would later produce Abrams most personal film Super 8, a movie that typifies the director's career. Part of the film is a loving tribute to home movies and geek culture, while the other is a bombastic, overblown blockbuster, short of any personal imprint. He's a slick filmmaker, I enjoyed his TV show Alias until it became ridiculous, but he struggles to find the balance his idol has between action and character. Into Darkness is a better film than the messy 2009 film though. The best scenes overcome the generic, simplification of the action genre by retreating back towards the essence of the original show: a morally ambiguous grey zone, where the values of the characters and their races are tested. However, the characters are still bound by a rigid story structure, where at least ten elaborate set pieces take full precedence over the human and Vulcan drama. 

The most interesting aspects of the plot are when Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Kirk (Chris Pine) butt heads over their different beliefs. Kirk is tasked with tracking down a rogue agent named John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), who is now essentially a terrorist bomber, causing havoc in London by using desperate people to do his bidding. This leaves a chilling, lasting impression, particularly when the film adds a layer of complexity, with Spock insisting that Harrison should be captured and trialled first. He's at odds with the order of the mission and Kirk, who wants revenge for the death of a colleague. Cumberbatch is frighteningly good in the film, a massive improvement over Eric Bana's villain in the first movie. The tension he brings through his menace, his arrogance but also his ability to cast doubts in the minds of the protagonists about who the baddies really are, is a magnetic quality that is hard to prepare for prior to seeing the film. What a terrific find he's become over the last few years. 

However, by ingraining itself in the structure of an action film, a lot of this ambiguity is undone. Whereas action and moral ethics fought and overlapped persistently in The Dark Knight, Into Darkness' rhythm is too discrete and foreseeable. The action is timed acutely to follow a stretch of exposition, dividing itself between moments of ideology and combat, and the emphasis on set pieces means the lines between good and evil become transparent again and remove the crucial shades of grey. Abrams also seems more interested in choreographing lavish action sequences than exploring the personal side of the drama. His imagination in the set pieces is limitless. He employs an array of frenzied techniques, including rapid cutting, tilting cameras, overhead shots and quick pans, to breeze through the action. Yet when the characters stop to face one another and talk his direction has none of the same flair or creativity. The actors sit or stand still, with the camera perched on their shoulders for dull reverse angle shots that don't heighten the tension. 

Rarely do we ever see these characters in their downtime either. Without any inner life they become ciphers for voicing conflicting moral ideas, like instinct against logic or law and these conflicts are often resolved within a scene of one another. After watching Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan recently, which Into Darkness borrow from, it's also fascinating that Kirk is viewed as an ageing man who has to start thinking about death and his legacy. In this film he's more on par with Tony Stark, able to bed two alien girls with tails at once. That amplifies where they're aiming this film at, in spite of the occasionally intriguing layering of the story. For a franchise that prides itself on going where no man has gone before, the Enterprise is starting to travel in circles.

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SOON

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Travo!

This year, we'll have a seafood feast with shrimp kabobs.

An oyster roast..

And a southern favorite, a Low Country Boil.

Doesn't it look delicious? Mmmmm.

Let's add a little beer to wash it all down with..

Ah, that's better.

Ah, glad you could make it!

We all have something to celebrate even if times are tough. I've had one crazy year, with some highs, and lots of lows. But now, during the Christmas season, I'm gonna remember the good things in life. I'm glad to get 2012 out of the way and am certainly looking forward to the upcoming year and the arrival of my baby girl in April.

Thanks for stopping by, everyone. Glad you can make it. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and I just want you to know that you are all the jolliest bunch of **** this side of the nuthouse.

Merrry Christmas!

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Let us start with the topic of Gamespot. Now, I am sure it is of no question that everyone knows I have come back multiple times, and each time I do come back...well, I leave. I do not stay that long because, sadly, Gamespot is not what it used to be. At least not for me. I remember signing on and staying on all day to talk about games (Pok mon most of the time). However, now it seems that I cannot return for more than two weeks without having that feeling of boredom. I just do not find the fun in posting anymore.

I believe the best time I ever had on this site was when I was a member of the active Pok mon League Union. Posting with all of my friends, talking about the upcoming release of Diamond and Pearl, battling, trading, establishing a Gym system, etc. All of that was without a doubt my best time here on Gamespot.

But now...I go back to that very same union and find that it is completely dead. It really does make me sad and I wish I didn't have to see it like that. I was there for the two best leaders the union had, but sadly had to watch them both resign. Now, I am not sure what happened. I am not sure if Gamespot as a whole is dying out, or if it was just a matter of that union. All that I do know is that I miss the PLU, and I miss it a lot.

Now, the next topic is Pok mon. I suppose I touched base on it just then in the last section, but now I will make myself a bit more clear on why I have returned. I have been playing Soul Silver again quite a bit. It's an every day thing for me after I get out of class. I love the game so much and it brings me a great amount of happiness.

As I stated in the last section of this blog, we had a Gym Challenge in the Pok mon League Union. A lineup of incredible trainers of unimaginable strength. We had the best of the best...and I was one of them. Ever since those days at PLU, I have stuck to my roots as an Electric trainer and have attempted to become better and better at the game. Being one of the founding Gym leaders was quite fun. Having to accept challenges, take part in the battles, etc. Again, I miss those days, and while playing Pok mon Soul Silver recently it has really made me have a strong nostaglic feeling swelling inside me.

Which brings me to the final part of the blog. As I have stated, every time I have returned here, I generally leave within a matter of weeks. That is because I never found that spot that could compare with the PLU. Sadly, seeing as how that union has died, I do not think I will again. At least, not in the same sense. I have come back this time to ask all of the people that used to be in that union, new players of the games, and just Pok mon fans in general: Would you join me in creating a new Union for Pok mon?

I want those days of battling back. Having the pleasure and pride of being a Gym Leader, having numerous friends to go and converse with, and most importantly, having that family of trainers that we could just go and be around. Those days were gone for me, but a recent feeling made me want to come back and at least give it one last try.

I know a lot of people from said union have left over time. I am not sure who still remains, or if Pok mon is even in your lives anymore. However, if there are only a handful of people then that alone would be enough to quench this thirst for being a part of that very group once more.

Thank you all for reading, I have missed a great deal of you. If nothing else, leave a comment saying hi, I would be happy to talk to you.

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What really got to me was my mom. She ran into a parent of a old friend of mine from High School, and my mom lied saying I was graduating from a different school. Which I am, but not this year. Really made me fell bad. But I have not lost hope. I am trying to stay positive. I really want to show my best at getting my diploma and make my parents proud. Because I finally have a clearer mind.

The good news is, if I go to AIMS Community College and do their High School Diploma program, if I put in the effort, I could have my diploma by Christmas. And I will have a graduation...sure not with my friends...but with potentialnew friends. And that thought makes me happy The thought of meeting new friends, I mean my friends from my old high school will stay with me...but I can meet new friends, and really, it means a lot to me.

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Now I do have a new computer, I personally built it. Its a 3.6GHz Quad-Core AMD FX Processor, 8GB of RAM, a sweet looking case. I am waiting on the graphics card, but I went all out on the graphics card.

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ALSO...I was wondering if you guys would like some video blogs, but with me talking while playing a game like minecraft. A great way to enjoy the stuff I build and hear any stories I got to tell. Please let me know

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Level : 129

Onyx Medals : 18/65
Gold Medals : 9/65
Silver Medals : 23/65
Bronze Medals: 12/65
No Medal : 3/65

Multiplayer Kills : 7254
Horde Waves Won : 971
Beast Waves Won : 417
Ribbons : 125/132

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1. Metal Gear Solid 4 (PS3)
2. Mass Effect 2 (PC)
3. Heavy Rain (PS3)
4. Mass Effect (PC)
5. Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)
6. Dragon Age: Origins (PC)

All amazing games in my opinion. Currently I'm playing an oldie and new one. I'm revisiting Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on the PC. I played this long ago when it first was released on the Xbox, but never finished it. It was on sale for $2.50 on Steam, so I picked up a digital copy. I'm leaning towards following the path of the Jedi, but becoming a Sith and going to the dark side seems like it could be fun.

I'm also play Red Dead Redemtion on the Xbox 360. Graphics are amazing and of course the gameplay it top notch which is expected of Rockstar. I don't know when I'll finish these titles as I haven't had any time to play since winter break. But I'll put it on my to do list. Hopefully my next post will be in a few months after I've beaten KOTOR and RDR.

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Another year, another list of game awards. Compared to 2009, my 2010 in terms of game playing wasn't that great, but the culprit is obvious; my new full-time job. That takes a lot of time away from games, and many days I just felt too tired to spend some quality time with my systems. I played a lot during weekends, though, and I mostly did accomplish my goal of not replaying games. The exception is Perfect Dark, although I originally played it 10 years ago; I think 10 years is a good amount of time to let go by and then replay a game; a decade is good enough to relive those great memories

NOTE: Just to clarify, these are games that I beat this year (regardless of their release year), and they're not exactly in order of Best to Worst, but in order of how much I enjoyed them overall.

Without further ado, here's my list for 2010:

TOP 10 GAMES OF 2010

10 – Puzzle Quest 2 (DS)

09 – Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs (DS)

08 – Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (DS)

07 – Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)

06 – Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)

05 – Pokemon HeartGold (DS)

04 – Perfect Dark (XBLA)

03 – Trauma Team (Wii)

02 – The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)

01 – Okami (Wii)

Missing in 2010: Games from new systems! I got a PSP, Xbox 360, and PS3 this year, and no games for those systems made it on the list. I really need to start playing some of those

Return in 2010: Awesome FPS action thanks to Perfect Dark

Funniest Game – Nothing comes to mind; I guess this was a more serious year

Best Sound / Music – Kirby's Epic Yarn

Best Multiplayer – Nothing new, so... Brawl

Old-School Game of the Year – Perfect Dark

Biggest New Character – Naomi Kimishima (Trauma Team)

Greatest Moment – Final boss battle in Okami

Dissapointment of the Year – Rock Band 3; great reviews? Really? Why!?

Biggest Surprise – Er...nope, nothing surprising this year

As far as 2011 goes, I'm looking forward to some stuff; Pokemon Black, Dead Space 2, Okamiden, Ghost Trick, and some 3DS games. I'm also looking forward to actually playing games for my 'new' systems; stand-outs include Mass Effect, Arkham Assylum, BioShock, Final Fantasy XIII, and Shadow Complex. And as for the backlog, let's see; Dementium II, Metroid: Other M, 3D Dot Game Heroes, Rock Band 2, and Golden Sun: Dark Dawn should be finished in 2011, hopefully Should be a great year for games, time pending.

Here's to a great 2011 for everyone; gaming-wise and everything-else-wise!

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I don't play video games anymore, so yay.
I'm glad there's something out there to do.

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P.S.~I will laught at you if you talk crap to me and I just beat you on a XBOX live game.

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