Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Cheap Ass Polo Shirts
Sears has a decent stock of polo shirts for $5.99 apiece. The link is here. They don't have anything in "man-size," but for all of you little people (XL or lower), you should be able to find something cheap.
A Meaningless Rock Band Post - Part 2
What do you do with a meaningless post? You follow it up with updates and responses, of course. After giving it some thought (and seeing that my list was 80% classic rock...when really 70% is plenty), I've made a couple of adjustments to my Top 10 Songs That Should Be In Rock Band list. List 2.0, again, in no particular order...except for Jungle Love. That song has just got to be in there. Anyways, the list:
- Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love
- Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons (don't tell me a 24 minute song won't work...it'll work)
- Finger Eleven - Paralyzer (I don't care, I like it)
- Ted Nugent - Stranglehold
- Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
- Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
- Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath
- Bill Withers - Use Me Up
- Hard-Fi - Gotta Reason (if you own FIFA '06, you know the song)
- Velvet Underground - Oh Sweet Nuthin'
Monday, July 28, 2008
A Meaningless Rock Band Post
So here's something that's completely useless: What songs should be added to the Rock Band downloadable content list? It's a discussion you can have with friends, but forwarding the results of that discussion to the folks at Harmonix is completely useless.
Fortunately, this a blog, where I can say whatever asinine shit I want, so here goes. What follows is my top ten songs that ought to be available for download for Rock Band (excluding Led Zeppelin, who apparently aren't yet interested in joining the fray...I guess the Beatles as well, but they don't have any songs that would make my list).
In no particular order:
Fortunately, this a blog, where I can say whatever asinine shit I want, so here goes. What follows is my top ten songs that ought to be available for download for Rock Band (excluding Led Zeppelin, who apparently aren't yet interested in joining the fray...I guess the Beatles as well, but they don't have any songs that would make my list).
In no particular order:
- Steve Miller Band - Jungle Love
- Dream Theater - A Change of Seasons (don't tell me a 24 minute song won't work...it'll work)
- Finger Eleven - Paralyzer (I don't care, I like it)
- Cream - White Room
- Deep Purple - Perfect Strangers
- Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
- Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath
- INXS - Elegantly Wasted
- Scorpions - No One Like You
- Velvet Underground - Oh Sweet Nuthin'
Monday, July 21, 2008
Rock Band 2 Setlist
For those of you I haven't seen face-to-face recently, and who aren't on the pulse of the video game industry, here's a bit of news for you: Rock Band 2's release has been announced for September of 2008, and the setlist has been released.
A couple of the more exciting songs for me are Livin' on a Prayer, Peace Sells, Eye of the Tiger, Alive, and basically all of the 1970's songs. And of course, fans of The Office will appreciate You Oughta Know.
A couple of the more exciting songs for me are Livin' on a Prayer, Peace Sells, Eye of the Tiger, Alive, and basically all of the 1970's songs. And of course, fans of The Office will appreciate You Oughta Know.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Video Game Hall of Fame: G.I.Joe
I was a huge G.I.Joe fan as a kid. I liked the toys, I liked the cartoon, I liked the idea of G.I.Joe. This persists today, as I'm a strong advocate of red lasers for good guys and green lasers for bad guys, and nobody ever dying in war, people always leaving their vehicle just before it explodes. I like that.
We got the G.I.Joe Nintendo game when my brother had some kind of ear surgery and was given the choice of a single game. Eddie's made some bad decisions in his life, but G.I.Joe was oh so good.
The basic gameplay is a pretty standard platform game. You are assigned a leader for each mission, and select two other soldiers to complete your team. Each soldier has varying capabilities; for example, Captain Grid-Iron is a dominant hand-to-hand combatant, while Snake Eyes can leap through the roof, and Rock n' Roll is your heavy weapons expert. Playing to each guy's strengths is part of the fun of the game, but really the fun is just playing the game.
Each level has a well-constructed boss, and by "well-constructed" I mean that each boss has a particular method to its madness. One of the keys to a good NES game is having tasks that can be figured out and defeated with the proper plan and execution. Newer games work on complex AI that mirrors human thought, but older games tend to work better if they're more like puzzle games. G.I.Joe does exactly that.
As usual with older games that I like, the music kicks ass. Unfortunately, though, OC Remix hasn't produced any remixes of songs from the game. I even posted a request in the forums (which I think is like sending an email to a professional athlete asking for an autograph: good luck). For those of you interested in this or any other old Nintendo game's original music, I've got a post in the works giving you the rundown on how to get the song files and how to set up your machine to be able to play them. It's easier than you think.
Back to the game, it's really one of the all-time greats on the original Nintendo system. I suggest you try it out, if you're able. Be a Real American Hero.
We got the G.I.Joe Nintendo game when my brother had some kind of ear surgery and was given the choice of a single game. Eddie's made some bad decisions in his life, but G.I.Joe was oh so good.
The basic gameplay is a pretty standard platform game. You are assigned a leader for each mission, and select two other soldiers to complete your team. Each soldier has varying capabilities; for example, Captain Grid-Iron is a dominant hand-to-hand combatant, while Snake Eyes can leap through the roof, and Rock n' Roll is your heavy weapons expert. Playing to each guy's strengths is part of the fun of the game, but really the fun is just playing the game.
Each level has a well-constructed boss, and by "well-constructed" I mean that each boss has a particular method to its madness. One of the keys to a good NES game is having tasks that can be figured out and defeated with the proper plan and execution. Newer games work on complex AI that mirrors human thought, but older games tend to work better if they're more like puzzle games. G.I.Joe does exactly that.
As usual with older games that I like, the music kicks ass. Unfortunately, though, OC Remix hasn't produced any remixes of songs from the game. I even posted a request in the forums (which I think is like sending an email to a professional athlete asking for an autograph: good luck). For those of you interested in this or any other old Nintendo game's original music, I've got a post in the works giving you the rundown on how to get the song files and how to set up your machine to be able to play them. It's easier than you think.
Back to the game, it's really one of the all-time greats on the original Nintendo system. I suggest you try it out, if you're able. Be a Real American Hero.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Printable Best Buy Coupon
Here's a printable $10 off $75 coupon for Best Buy, but you can't use it online. Gonna have to get off your butt for thirty seconds and drive over to the store. But hey, $10 off is $10 off.
The link is here.
The link is here.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Rockin' Deals
Hey guys, here are a couple of good deals on Rock Band/Guitar Hero gear.
- Amazon
has the Playstation 3 wireless Les Paul style guitar for $31.36. (Please note: As best I can tell, this guitar is not usable with Rock Band or Playstation 2 versions of Guitar Hero).
- For those of you living in the past who haven't bought a current-generation console yet (like myself), Amazon
Movie Hall of Fame: DONE
I've decided to nix the movie hall of fame. I like movies, but I don't see enough of them or care enough about most of them to really legitimately declare "hall of fame caliber" movies. So we're going to switch to 1st and 16th of each month, a new inductee for the music and video game halls of fame, respectively. To fill the void left by the ousting of the movie HOF, I'm going to start posting deals and coupons. I know I said previously that I was going to do it, but now I'm actually going to do it.
So, be ready for that.
So, be ready for that.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Music Hall of Fame: Houses of the Holy (Led Zeppelin)
Led Zeppelin kicks so much ass.
The thing that I've found most impressive about Led Zeppelin is that, over time, I've come to appreciate almost all of their songs. Wait, appreciate isn't the right word. I can appreciate things that I don't like. I've come to really like almost every Zeppelin tune I've heard.
This CD, Houses of the Holy, has the three song set that might just be the best trifecta to open a CD of all time: The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, and Over the Hills and Far Away. Track one blows you away, seemingly the musical equivalent of a race against time. The Rain Song is arguably the greatest song ever made (I said arguably). The guitar part is smooth and relaxing, but still powerful, and Robert Plant's vocals are, as always, perfectly phrased. Over the Hills is the only radio-friendly of the three, but still holds true to the creative guitar and vocals that Zeppelin became known for.
The rest of the album is great as well. D'yer Mak'er is a huge radio hit and popular among most music fans. No Quarter appeals to a more segmented group, with its darker sounds, but is still tremendous. And the final track, The Ocean, has what I named my favorite lyric of all time:
"La, la, la la la la, la, la la la la la la la la."
What can I say? I'm a sucker for scat.
Most people who recommend Led Zeppelin to someone unfamiliar will recommend the untitled fourth album, also called IV or ZOSO. They're not wrong to make such a recommendation, and I imagine someday that album will make its way into the hall of fame. But for my money, Houses of the Holy is the best album Zeppelin ever made, so that's my recommendation.
The thing that I've found most impressive about Led Zeppelin is that, over time, I've come to appreciate almost all of their songs. Wait, appreciate isn't the right word. I can appreciate things that I don't like. I've come to really like almost every Zeppelin tune I've heard.
This CD, Houses of the Holy, has the three song set that might just be the best trifecta to open a CD of all time: The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, and Over the Hills and Far Away. Track one blows you away, seemingly the musical equivalent of a race against time. The Rain Song is arguably the greatest song ever made (I said arguably). The guitar part is smooth and relaxing, but still powerful, and Robert Plant's vocals are, as always, perfectly phrased. Over the Hills is the only radio-friendly of the three, but still holds true to the creative guitar and vocals that Zeppelin became known for.
The rest of the album is great as well. D'yer Mak'er is a huge radio hit and popular among most music fans. No Quarter appeals to a more segmented group, with its darker sounds, but is still tremendous. And the final track, The Ocean, has what I named my favorite lyric of all time:
"La, la, la la la la, la, la la la la la la la la."
What can I say? I'm a sucker for scat.
Most people who recommend Led Zeppelin to someone unfamiliar will recommend the untitled fourth album, also called IV or ZOSO. They're not wrong to make such a recommendation, and I imagine someday that album will make its way into the hall of fame. But for my money, Houses of the Holy is the best album Zeppelin ever made, so that's my recommendation.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Installing Xbox Games
I was at Best Buy the other day, and I found something that seemed seedy; maybe you guys will see it differently. I was looking at Xbox 360 games, and noticed a sticker on one of them offering Best Buy's expertise in installing the game for customers.
What?
Doesn't the installation process for a console game consist of putting the game in the 360 and turning it on? I'm sure it's profitable for Best Buy to charge people whatever they charge for installations, but shouldn't the technicians have some sort of moral problem with it? They know there's nothing to it. If anyone pays to have a console game installed, the technician needs to make sure they only do it once, and they realize how silly it is to pay for that.
Generally I'm fine with exploiting the very stupidest of our fellow humans, but you should feel some kind of guilt when you do it this egregiously. I don't know, maybe I'm a sucker.
Yeah, I'm a sucker.
What?
Doesn't the installation process for a console game consist of putting the game in the 360 and turning it on? I'm sure it's profitable for Best Buy to charge people whatever they charge for installations, but shouldn't the technicians have some sort of moral problem with it? They know there's nothing to it. If anyone pays to have a console game installed, the technician needs to make sure they only do it once, and they realize how silly it is to pay for that.
Generally I'm fine with exploiting the very stupidest of our fellow humans, but you should feel some kind of guilt when you do it this egregiously. I don't know, maybe I'm a sucker.
Yeah, I'm a sucker.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Video Game Hall of Fame: Halo
We take a step just a little bit forward with this month's induction into the Video Game Hall of Fame, and embrace a game that came out after the turn of the century. Halo was widely appreciated as a great accomplishment, and one of the reasons that the Xbox would be here to stay. It really ended up being the game that was able to counter the ridiculous size of the Xbox controller and have broad-reaching entertainment. People who had never played first-person shooters came around, because the game was so smooth and well-designed. And long-time gamers appreciated the depth of gameplay and the fact that, finally, a futuristic first-person shooter didn't suck ass.
The campaign portion of Halo was tremendous. I say "campaign" rather than single-player because, at long last, this was a game that offered a two player cooperative campaign. The logic behind it was limited, as there is supposed to be only one Master Chief, but when it comes down to eliminating aliens, you don't need a reason. There are lots of situations where one player can hold the attention of enemies, and the other can slip behind them and bust things up. You feel like a well-oiled machine when it goes right, and a complete boob when it goes wrong.
One feature in particular of the multiplayer campaign made for some good laughs when I played through with my brother. When one of the two players dies in cooperative play, the player is spawned at the location of the second player, so long as they're in a safe location without enemies nearby. My penchant for sniping and taking cover, combined with my brother's maverick attitude, meant that he was essentially bait in big battles. He'd run out into the open, kill a couple guys, and draw more guys to him. Then, he'd start tossing grenades, and I'd start popping pistol rounds into alien skulls. He'd die, I'd fall back a bit, and he'd get respawned. And we'd do it all over again.
The adversarial multiplayer options are also very well done. The maps are well-constructed and, more importantly, well-balanced. Some of the weapons are a little unbalanced (specifically the pistol), but in most levels everyone starts with the pistol, so the playing field is pretty level. As far as game types, you have the standard death match and team death match, as well as king of the hill, capture the flag, and "odd ball," in which a player or team tries to hold the "ball" for as long as possible. The options available are numerous and interesting, from giving every player permanent invisibility or unlimited grenades to giving each player a specific target to kill. They make for a wide variety of enjoyable games.
The apex of Halo, however, is in the system link option. You can link up to four Xboxes together for up to 16 players playing together at the same time. The scope of these mega-matches give you the PC online experience of a chaotic, action-packed game, with the allure of knowing everyone in your game. Trash-talking becomes an art form in these kinds of games, and you learn to appreciate it as much as solid gameplay. This facet, the "big game" feature, is what has made the original Halo playable even today. Our familiarity with the maps and nostalgia for the original have brought people together on multiple occasions to compete in massive struggles for supremacy.
In the end, Halo did both ends right (campaign and multiplayer), which is all too rare in the video game world today. It was this combination of accomplishments that made Halo one of the games of the decade, and one of the early inductees into this hall of fame.
The campaign portion of Halo was tremendous. I say "campaign" rather than single-player because, at long last, this was a game that offered a two player cooperative campaign. The logic behind it was limited, as there is supposed to be only one Master Chief, but when it comes down to eliminating aliens, you don't need a reason. There are lots of situations where one player can hold the attention of enemies, and the other can slip behind them and bust things up. You feel like a well-oiled machine when it goes right, and a complete boob when it goes wrong.
One feature in particular of the multiplayer campaign made for some good laughs when I played through with my brother. When one of the two players dies in cooperative play, the player is spawned at the location of the second player, so long as they're in a safe location without enemies nearby. My penchant for sniping and taking cover, combined with my brother's maverick attitude, meant that he was essentially bait in big battles. He'd run out into the open, kill a couple guys, and draw more guys to him. Then, he'd start tossing grenades, and I'd start popping pistol rounds into alien skulls. He'd die, I'd fall back a bit, and he'd get respawned. And we'd do it all over again.
The adversarial multiplayer options are also very well done. The maps are well-constructed and, more importantly, well-balanced. Some of the weapons are a little unbalanced (specifically the pistol), but in most levels everyone starts with the pistol, so the playing field is pretty level. As far as game types, you have the standard death match and team death match, as well as king of the hill, capture the flag, and "odd ball," in which a player or team tries to hold the "ball" for as long as possible. The options available are numerous and interesting, from giving every player permanent invisibility or unlimited grenades to giving each player a specific target to kill. They make for a wide variety of enjoyable games.
The apex of Halo, however, is in the system link option. You can link up to four Xboxes together for up to 16 players playing together at the same time. The scope of these mega-matches give you the PC online experience of a chaotic, action-packed game, with the allure of knowing everyone in your game. Trash-talking becomes an art form in these kinds of games, and you learn to appreciate it as much as solid gameplay. This facet, the "big game" feature, is what has made the original Halo playable even today. Our familiarity with the maps and nostalgia for the original have brought people together on multiple occasions to compete in massive struggles for supremacy.
In the end, Halo did both ends right (campaign and multiplayer), which is all too rare in the video game world today. It was this combination of accomplishments that made Halo one of the games of the decade, and one of the early inductees into this hall of fame.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Deals?
Hey, I was thinking about perusing Amazon for more deals (mostly video games) to post here, and I wanted to see if anybody has anything else that you'd like me to keep an eye out for. I have a decent amount of free time at work, so I stumble upon all sorts of deals from time to time. I also have a couple of other sites that I sometimes get deals/coupons for, and I'd be happy to share those as well.
They'll be properly linked, which means I get a cut of the action, but the price for you will be the same, so you can enjoy all the benefits of a personal shopping assistant without having to worry about me grabbing your ass...yet.
What?
They'll be properly linked, which means I get a cut of the action, but the price for you will be the same, so you can enjoy all the benefits of a personal shopping assistant without having to worry about me grabbing your ass...yet.
What?
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