495-105-0

09.13.2004

When it comes to video games, I play is wrestling games a good 80% of the time, driving games 15%, and dabble in other things the remaining 5%. I get hooked on the wrestling games when they're good, though. Case in point, Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain came out last November for the PS2. I probably shelled out $50 for it the first week it came out, because I have a hard time putting off playing wrestling games.

Most games tend to lose their luster after a few months, if you're lucky. Sports games tend to mainly be played the season during the sport. People play football video games during football season, baseball games during baseball season, etc. There is no true wrestling season, but it seems to peak between Christmas (the gift giving time) and Wrestlemania (Late March/Early April). So with luck, people will get caught up in the game from November to April. About a 5 month play-life, probably not bad for $50.

10 months later, I'm still playing the game. I've gotten other wrestling games (I think 3 or 4, at least), but I'm still drawn to Smackdown. Back around April I erased everything on my memory card and started the season mode over. I created a new character and set out to unlock the unlockables and win what I could. Last night was match #600 for my created character. That comes out to about 8 cents per match if I don't count however many times I played before erasing the memory card.

The next Smackdown game is due Nov 2. From the pre-reviews, it's to have better graphics and sound while otherwise remaining the same as far as match types and playability. After 600 matches, that sounds just fine to me. The key now is to wait the remaining 50 days until it arrives. Hmm, I wonder if I can fit in another 600 matches?

Permalink video games wrestling

Language Gap

09.10.2004

I've recently had some friends, originally from Birmingham, move from New Jersey to Memphis. Just in case the past decade in Jersey has made them forget how people around here talk, I offer the following sites to use for translation purposes:

• Learn ta Speak Redneck
• Redneck Dictionary

Thank Ya'll

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Return of Dog

09.09.2004

About a year ago I saw a show on A&E that featured a bounty hunter in Hawaii. The bounty hunter was an eclectic guy named Dog. The show aired about the time that American Chopper was really taking off, and I remember thinking "this guy should have his own show."

Well somebody at A&E has telepathy, because I've been seeing commercials for Dog The Bounty Hunter, The Series, and Tuesday night I watched an episode. And a half. For reality tv, it's ok. I'm hoping it's not too addictive.

The weird thing for me is that Dog looks awfully similar to DDP. It's probably just the power mullet, though.

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DVDs

09.08.2004

This is the time of year that video/dvd releases seem a little slow. The big hits of this summer won't be coming out until closer to Christmas. The big hits of last christmas should have been released throughout the summer. It seems the big trend lately is to release the complete seasons of various tv shows - I've seen ads for Knight Rider, Mork & Mindy, and even Magnum PI. This week has some interesting releases that caught my eye.

• Eddie Murphy - Raw: Although it's 15 years old, I still quote this movie. I swear it's the funniest stand-up routine I've ever seen. I've had a copy of a copy on tape forever, so I'm just excited that it's now available in the sweet binary flow of dvd.
• The Ladykillers: The ads for this one made it seems a little off the wall, but reminiscent of O Brother Where Art Thou. For that, I'm wiling to give it a chance.
• Jersey Girl: Although I love Kevin Smith, strictly in a distant, heterosexual way, I thin this one may be a rental for me. Still, I have been looking forward to seeing it.
• The Punisher: Continuing the Marvel trend of movie heroes, I've liked the Punisher in comic form off and on for years. Heck, I even liked the Dolph Lundgren version of the movie. Although I'm trying to keep an open mind, I'm not expecting much from this one.
• Soul Plane: I know I'm not black, but the commercials for this one just make the movie look funny. This one will probably end up a rental, too.

Permalink movies/tv/dvd

Rainy Days and Mon Tu

09.07.2004

Much to the chagrin of local weather forecasters, it seems as if the former Hurricane and current Tropical Storm (maybe even a depression) Frances is going to mostly miss us. I swear the original predicted path had the eye of the storm barreling down on top of us. I do find it interesting how the path wiggles around until the predicted path comes along, and then it's a nice, swooping curve. They need to predict some wiggles!

The timing of the storm coming through coincides with Channel 19's new radar. I'm sure they're hoping for some severe weather to test that new bad boy out on. For now, though, it's stuck detecting some sprinkles.

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