A Viewtiful Update
Posted by: j_john
A few frustrated days and a dead Wavebird (i.e. destroyed) later, I have made it past the first level of
Viewtiful Joe. THE FIRST LEVEL. Ugh.
As I made the purchase of a new W-bird yesterday, I tried to get some sympathy from Gamestop employee and fellow gaming enthusiast Bryan, only to discover that he had advanced to the third level already. A feeling of shame came over me as I lied and said I was "stuck on the second level"...
Which is now entirely true! Yes, I have made it to LEVEL: THE TWO....onward and upward on the wings of my new Wavebird--I believe it will carry me to unforseen videogaming greatness.
Try, Try, Try Again
Posted by: j_john
I remember commenting awhile back about how easy new videogames seem to be. Completing the latest Zelda this past spring was such a breeze, I don't think I died once during the whole quest. Metroid Prime was a bit difficult mostly due to getting used to the first-person perspective, and all of my GBA games have been extremely fun yet far from a challenge. Now I have my latest purchase for my beloved Nintendo Gamecube console--the intensely creative Capcom game Viewtiful Joe.
Once I was all ready to go I tried my hand at it a few times, taking time to learn the controls and follow the storyline. I proceed to try it a few more times and progress further each time--a pretty standard process when it comes to a new game. Well, last night I decided to "get serious" and I tried my hardest to get past this helicopter mini-boss on LEVEL ONE and I still couldn't complete that aspect of the game.
Wow, I think I have become accustomed to being given a lot of slack with other, easier games that I am having a difficult time adjusting to one that is actually a challenge to play. Hopefully this one won't be another Super Ghouls 'n' Ghosts-type experience, an old SNES game from Capcom that I never made it very far in...
Hold on Hope
Posted by: j_john
Damn, why did I involve myself in the baseball playoffs after my Twins were eliminated? Well, because I wanted to cheer on whomever was playing against them, in this case the Boston Red Sox. Now, I have a little bit of history with the Sox, as they were my first baseball team I cheered for whilst living in the extreme Beantown suburb of Nashua, New Hampshire as a youngster. I remember wearing that classic dark blue hat with the ornate red "B" on it, sitting high up in the stands of Fenway, excited to be in a festive environment with thousands of other fans.
Those memories came back to me last night when I began cheering for the Sox to oust the inevitable New York Yankees from the American League Championship Series. I figured they had a pretty good chance, with their ace Pedro Martinez on the mound. They even took a lead with them into the late innings, and I cheered loudly when ex-Twin David Ortiz took David "Sloppy" Wells deep into the stands in right, extending their lead in the eigth inning. Of course the Yankees had history on their side, and eventually came back to win the game in extra innings, prompting me to remind myself why sports like baseball, basketball and soccer are perpetually dissappointing. The same teams always seem to win, yet I will continue to watch the games just in case something unexpected happens. There is always at least a little bit of hope that the Yankees, Lakers, or Man. U Red Devils will lose in the end.
Down with them all
As requested...
Posted by: j_john
we're not only cute, we also play soccerball
Life as a film snob
Posted by: j_john
This past weekend at the theatre we had a film festival inspired by the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. Basically there were a bunch of geeks and goths, and geekgoths, and they watched really bad horror films. They were nice enough folk, but it made me realize how different my passion for film was from them. I don't care for any of that cult horror film shit like Evil Dead so I have a difficult time finding any enjoyment out of stuff like Re-Animator.
I am truly a film snob.
"Pat Benatar's boyfriend"
Posted by: j_john
Had an amazing time the other night at this Japanese restaurant Bush Garden. Jenny and I were hoping to see Lost in Translation, but plans fell through and we almost opted for a viewing of the Concert for George Harrison film, but instead hit the Garden for some drinks and tempurah. Little did we know that the mostly empty lounge area would soon be overtaken by about 30 Japanese businessmen. They walked in and promptly took over the karaoke machine, singing some great versions of western pop hits, and a lot of stuff from The Beatles. So instead of seeing Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson on screen in the land of the rising sun, it came to us en vivo! Not only that but we got to hear some Beatles songs as well.
Good stiff drinks and cheap chow made it a real winner in my book, and I got to hear Jenny break out some killer vocal cords on a Pat Benatar song. At the end of the night I was one of the few folks who hadn't braved the stage, which prompted some to try and persuade me to get up there, but I wasn't having it--those folks just didn't realize what they might inflict upon themselves. I am quite possibly THE WORST SINGER alive...so so bad you might say. And they called me Pat Benatar's boyfriend........
This just in...Swedish soccer players are good and good-looking
Posted by: j_john
Okay, so maybe this is a bit obvious, but I hadn't seen the 2003 Women's World Cup Swedish National Soccer Team play before, so I didn't know what I'd been missing. Not only can they play some damn good soccer, but they are real nice to look at even when they aren't busy trying to fake out 3 defenders in a row. Sure wish they would have won the match so I could have seen them jump all over each other, errr...because they deserved to win based on their high style and flair on the pitch!
At least the victorious Germans were sporting adidas.
Out with THE WIRE
Posted by: j_john
So I'm reading this fairly pretentious music magazine The Wire (that's my way of hiding the fact that I haven't heard of the majority of the artists they mention) and I come across a review for the new Bjork live box set...I'd just purchased this collection of 4 live albums covering songs from each of her proper albums, so I decide to read what they have to say.
Turns out it's a decent review, covering the important evolutions in her songwriting and collaborating over the years, and how she carried out those changes in her live performances. Everything looks good until I discover two really big mistakes. Not only does the reviewer claim that Bjork's first solo hit single "Human Behaviour" is from her 1997 release "Homogenic" but he also thinks that "Homogenic" came out in 1977. What kind of editor do they have at this mag? Okay, okay, it's gotta be a typo, and I'm sure that this person knew "Human Behaviour" was on her first album "Debut", but if this is the standard held by this publication, then I AM OUT WITH THE WIRE.
