Retro Gamer (link embedded in post title above) takes a look back at each console from the Atari to the Sega CD and discusses which games, in his opinion, really made the most out of their respective console's potential.
A really interesting read, and not some fanboy rant (read: he actually details processes used to stretch console power to the limits).
With quite a bit of media attention focused on the "stratification" of gamers, between the state of the art gamers and the newfound love for classic titles and gameplay, be it over Xbox live arcade, the upcoming Revolution's massive back catalog, or PSP emulation homebrew, this begs the question of whether or not something like this would be good for the industry.
It amazes me that it has taken so long for the idea to take hold that the best graphics and sound can't hold a candle to engrossing and downright fun gameplay. If this newfound interest spurs the so called next-gen developers to slow down and take a look at how fun this game is to play instead of how pretty it is to look at, great, but what if this does lead to a new two tiered videogame culture? Newsflash..it already does. Whether it be the immensely popular gameboy or even those 20 dollar controllers you hook directly into your tv, the casual gamer has been around and kicking for a long time. All this new media focus will do is bring these stragglers around to the big boys..which means more money to Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo..which hopefully means more money thrown into the service and experience, making it better for everyone. Casual folks, bring it on.
Development Arrested...
So, Fox just dumped the last 4 episodes of their truncated 13 episode order on Friday night against the olympics opening ceremony. One final insult to a show that without question is the funniest show to ever have existed. At this point, I am kind of over being pissed about the treatment this show got. Its just disappointing that Peter Ligori's promises went unfulfilled. We went from possibly getting 2 guaranteed seasons worth of episodes to getting one full to getting 13 episodes.
Before I get off the disgruntled viewer high horse I just want to say one thing. NBC made a bold move putting my name is earl and the office together and rebuilding thursday night as their comedy showcase night...guess what both of those shows are flourishing. They are doing great in the ratings. Specifically for the office, which by all intents and purposes should not be successful on American tv. No laugh track, no obvious physical comedy, no overt relationship conversation/humor, and Americans are watching!!! NBC did the same with seinfeld and it turned into SEINFELD. I really shudder to think of all the shows that Fox killed that could have gone on to something great. You would think with the massive ratings that Idol pulls in they could afford to throw a couple mill at AD and let it gain an audience with some consistent scheduling and advertising.
Anyway, Arrested Development...Mitch Hurwitz I thank you for being a genius and sharing it with us. These last four episodes were a great way to end this show. You can't say enough about the cast, writers, directors, etc. All top notch. I would say that this podcast/blog exists partially because of Justin and I's mutual love for the show. If it continues I will be more than happy, but I am more than content with the show leaving on top...even if no one noticed.
Before I get off the disgruntled viewer high horse I just want to say one thing. NBC made a bold move putting my name is earl and the office together and rebuilding thursday night as their comedy showcase night...guess what both of those shows are flourishing. They are doing great in the ratings. Specifically for the office, which by all intents and purposes should not be successful on American tv. No laugh track, no obvious physical comedy, no overt relationship conversation/humor, and Americans are watching!!! NBC did the same with seinfeld and it turned into SEINFELD. I really shudder to think of all the shows that Fox killed that could have gone on to something great. You would think with the massive ratings that Idol pulls in they could afford to throw a couple mill at AD and let it gain an audience with some consistent scheduling and advertising.
Anyway, Arrested Development...Mitch Hurwitz I thank you for being a genius and sharing it with us. These last four episodes were a great way to end this show. You can't say enough about the cast, writers, directors, etc. All top notch. I would say that this podcast/blog exists partially because of Justin and I's mutual love for the show. If it continues I will be more than happy, but I am more than content with the show leaving on top...even if no one noticed.
Arrested Development: A Eulogy.
Wow..I just finished the 2 hour (series?) finale for Arrested Development, and it has lived up to the masterful consistency the show has given us for 2 and 3/8ths seasons. They pulled no punches, and in the sad event that this show doesn't come back, we do have some closure. Things come together in ways that you would never have imagined, and only make you wonder what greatness could have been had this been allowed to have a full run. The funniest show OF ALL TIME, hands down, possibly came to an end tonight, and I hope all of you reading either got to enjoy it along with me, or will do so when the opportunity becomes available. Let's all do what we can to ensure this show finds a home somewhere else and is given the chance and backing that it deserves.
Justin Fixes the Movies Vol. 3: Saw II
This one is going to be slightly different because I have no reservations recommending this movie. This is not to say it is perfect or even great, but more worked than did not. Here goes:
-MTV Editing needs to die. Quick cuts aren't necessary to increase tension. One scene in particular involving a pit goes to show this beautifully..one of the best torture scenes I have ever seen.
-Writing yourself in a hole that can only be explained by a twist..M Night sort of started this revolution, but it has become something of a crutch. Even if the twist is pretty good (at least one part of it) as is the case here, it's kind of overplayed and you knew at least some kind of twist was coming, thus diminishing the power that could have been.
-Everyone that has been involved with 7th Heaven (except Belzer) should not be allowed to do anything else ever.
-WE have on our hands the most interesting franchise serial "killer" to be seen in a while. We also have two movies that have shown a lot of potential, but have come up short of being classic.
-Let the blood flow. This ties into quick cuts, but I know I yearn for more organic effects. I know the MPAA is probably responsible for this, but if that is the case, don't hold out on the UNCUT version for the next sequel. KNB, I know you weren't directly involved here, but allow me to rant a little on you. Let's get back to the Savini roots.
-Make the characters more than an excuse for a brutal death scene. Two of the three females in the house have slim to no backstory. We are even left to wonder what becomes of one of them after she is shown trapped..but never resolved. This is just plain sloppy. As for the rest, the only one we really have any feeling for at all is the recurring character from the first film. And for christ's sake, low budget is not an excuse for poor acting, and all of the houseguests are pretty shite in this department.
-Thumbs up for tying in the first film in such a strong fashion, and yet make it so that you don't need to have seen the first film to understand what happened here.
-Inventive death scenes are great, and the movtivation for the murders are interesting to say the least..but again, the script shouldn't revolve around them, but the other way around.
-It is hard to follow up such an odd film, but it didn't have to be this conventional. For what it is though, this is at the top of the game.
My final verdict: Saw II is great for fans of the first, and fans of non shitty horror movies in general. Perhaps a bit conventional for the Peter Jackson die hardies, and a bit off the wall for the Kevin Williamsons, this should entertain anyone in between.
Tune in next week when I fix Nic Cage in "The Weather Man."
-MTV Editing needs to die. Quick cuts aren't necessary to increase tension. One scene in particular involving a pit goes to show this beautifully..one of the best torture scenes I have ever seen.
-Writing yourself in a hole that can only be explained by a twist..M Night sort of started this revolution, but it has become something of a crutch. Even if the twist is pretty good (at least one part of it) as is the case here, it's kind of overplayed and you knew at least some kind of twist was coming, thus diminishing the power that could have been.
-Everyone that has been involved with 7th Heaven (except Belzer) should not be allowed to do anything else ever.
-WE have on our hands the most interesting franchise serial "killer" to be seen in a while. We also have two movies that have shown a lot of potential, but have come up short of being classic.
-Let the blood flow. This ties into quick cuts, but I know I yearn for more organic effects. I know the MPAA is probably responsible for this, but if that is the case, don't hold out on the UNCUT version for the next sequel. KNB, I know you weren't directly involved here, but allow me to rant a little on you. Let's get back to the Savini roots.
-Make the characters more than an excuse for a brutal death scene. Two of the three females in the house have slim to no backstory. We are even left to wonder what becomes of one of them after she is shown trapped..but never resolved. This is just plain sloppy. As for the rest, the only one we really have any feeling for at all is the recurring character from the first film. And for christ's sake, low budget is not an excuse for poor acting, and all of the houseguests are pretty shite in this department.
-Thumbs up for tying in the first film in such a strong fashion, and yet make it so that you don't need to have seen the first film to understand what happened here.
-Inventive death scenes are great, and the movtivation for the murders are interesting to say the least..but again, the script shouldn't revolve around them, but the other way around.
-It is hard to follow up such an odd film, but it didn't have to be this conventional. For what it is though, this is at the top of the game.
My final verdict: Saw II is great for fans of the first, and fans of non shitty horror movies in general. Perhaps a bit conventional for the Peter Jackson die hardies, and a bit off the wall for the Kevin Williamsons, this should entertain anyone in between.
Tune in next week when I fix Nic Cage in "The Weather Man."
Fazer on Film...this week's installment: PREDATOR
Approximately 6 perfect movies exist, this is one of them.
'nuff said.
Oh, I got a new mic also, so "stick around"
'nuff said.
Oh, I got a new mic also, so "stick around"
Review: Waiting (Justin Fixes the Movies vol 2)
I have never worked in a resturaunt, but I must say I laughed quite a few times at this movie. Don't get me wrong, this is no Office Space (which it has been criminally compared to) or even Van Wilder, but a potentially great movie with quite a bit of excess baggage, and a bit too much reliance on running gags.
How to Save it?
- Cut some characters. Milonakis and that other guy were completely unecessary..as were many more that I have forgotten were in the movie. All they served was a distraction from the main story..if there is one..and kept the more interesting characters from developing.
- What's your fuckin point? Was this Justin Long's story? Was it the Freaks and Geeks guy's story? Was it Ryan Reynolds' excuse to deliver one liners? It's actually a sloppy mix of the three, but not enough time is spent on any one for them to really do any good. Anna Faris, who actually has some comedic chops, was completely wasted here, as were the other chicks, except the overused "crazy bitch" waitress, who incidentally came across as the only over the top character on display.
- Slacker comedy doesn't have to be sloppy. In the right hands, this could have been office space, but the script's unevenness and the goddamn showing of the balls running gag stamp all over that.
- Ryan Reynolds..fire your agent. You are a funny person, and can make unfunny lines memorable..but you are wasted and one dimensional here. How bout the best actor with worst movies award here?
- Justin Long's arc was guessable from the beginning. Yawn.
- As more proof that Dane Cook and Ryan Reynolds are the same person, both are in this movie, but never appear together.
- Development..outside of Justin Long's yawnfest and a very short glimpse into Ryan Reynold's character's home life, we never see any motivation for these folks or why they behave in the way that we do. I rarely say this, but another half hour could have been tacked to this movie and made it far superior, if used properly.
Overall, I recommend that you do check this one out, and it is superior to most of the shit that passes for comedy these days, but in my elitist eyes, this is another case of potential greatness and a dropped ball.
How to Save it?
- Cut some characters. Milonakis and that other guy were completely unecessary..as were many more that I have forgotten were in the movie. All they served was a distraction from the main story..if there is one..and kept the more interesting characters from developing.
- What's your fuckin point? Was this Justin Long's story? Was it the Freaks and Geeks guy's story? Was it Ryan Reynolds' excuse to deliver one liners? It's actually a sloppy mix of the three, but not enough time is spent on any one for them to really do any good. Anna Faris, who actually has some comedic chops, was completely wasted here, as were the other chicks, except the overused "crazy bitch" waitress, who incidentally came across as the only over the top character on display.
- Slacker comedy doesn't have to be sloppy. In the right hands, this could have been office space, but the script's unevenness and the goddamn showing of the balls running gag stamp all over that.
- Ryan Reynolds..fire your agent. You are a funny person, and can make unfunny lines memorable..but you are wasted and one dimensional here. How bout the best actor with worst movies award here?
- Justin Long's arc was guessable from the beginning. Yawn.
- As more proof that Dane Cook and Ryan Reynolds are the same person, both are in this movie, but never appear together.
- Development..outside of Justin Long's yawnfest and a very short glimpse into Ryan Reynold's character's home life, we never see any motivation for these folks or why they behave in the way that we do. I rarely say this, but another half hour could have been tacked to this movie and made it far superior, if used properly.
Overall, I recommend that you do check this one out, and it is superior to most of the shit that passes for comedy these days, but in my elitist eyes, this is another case of potential greatness and a dropped ball.
Review: Doom (Justin Fixes the Movies volume 1)
This is a little test if you will, a foray into reviewing shit. When it comes to DVDs, I will try to judge the movie on it's own merits, and not give much time to audio or video quality, or extras, unless they are such an overwhelming factor that it would influence the shelf life of the dvd. Why? Countless other sites cover this stuff, and I figure if you are here, you probably want to see me rant on the movie itself. I will assume that you have read other reviews, and have a general idea of what the movie is about. Our first victim, Doom.
Growing up, Doom was a revolution to me. Sure it wasn't the first FPS that I played (that was Zero Tolerance) nor were there any Nazis to slaughter, but something about this game worked. It looked beautiful at the time, and was pretty gruesome. I would say a lot of the reason Grand Theft Auto works so well is a direct influence from Doom..but thats too abstract for me to attempt to describe right now, since it's so late. Anyways..what was I saying?
Oh yeah. Doom never really had a great story, but it was pretty fun to play. It was at this point last year when I found out it was being made into a movie that I realized that Hollywood had hit rock bottom. Don't cringe, that was unintentional.
This movie is absolute shit. It actually takes the almost non existant story of the Doom franchise and tries to merge it with the Resident Evil movie, making for a retarded mess. It is boring to watch, poorly acted, and has some one liners later on in the movie that rival Batman and Robin. The one scene that everyone talks about, the "first person" scene, looks better in the game...as do most of the CGI effects present.
Shew..ok. Now Deeper: There actually was a criminally fumbled plotline here, as the Rock's Sarge character had potential to be interesting if it didn't end up so predictable.
How could this movie be saved you ask? Here goes.. (SPOILER WARNING)
- Lose the genetic experiment shit. This was a portal to hell and should have stayed that way. Not only is it a bit less played out, it won't unnecessarily convolute the plot.
- Less concentration on action (which doesn't even get started until about the halfway mark anyway) and more on the horror, hopelessness, and fear elements..which are practically nonexistant.
- Greatly expand Sarge's Arc, and for the love of god, don't dumb it down to him vs the hero in the end. Show this guy gradually lose it throughout the film.
- Lose the sister. Bad character, worse actress.
- Link it more to the game. Naming characters after ID software staff is not enough. This had the potential to be a desolate, hopeless schooling of cinema..but with all that said, I guess people weren't expecting much from a videogame movie. Thank you Dr. Boll.
Growing up, Doom was a revolution to me. Sure it wasn't the first FPS that I played (that was Zero Tolerance) nor were there any Nazis to slaughter, but something about this game worked. It looked beautiful at the time, and was pretty gruesome. I would say a lot of the reason Grand Theft Auto works so well is a direct influence from Doom..but thats too abstract for me to attempt to describe right now, since it's so late. Anyways..what was I saying?
Oh yeah. Doom never really had a great story, but it was pretty fun to play. It was at this point last year when I found out it was being made into a movie that I realized that Hollywood had hit rock bottom. Don't cringe, that was unintentional.
This movie is absolute shit. It actually takes the almost non existant story of the Doom franchise and tries to merge it with the Resident Evil movie, making for a retarded mess. It is boring to watch, poorly acted, and has some one liners later on in the movie that rival Batman and Robin. The one scene that everyone talks about, the "first person" scene, looks better in the game...as do most of the CGI effects present.
Shew..ok. Now Deeper: There actually was a criminally fumbled plotline here, as the Rock's Sarge character had potential to be interesting if it didn't end up so predictable.
How could this movie be saved you ask? Here goes.. (SPOILER WARNING)
- Lose the genetic experiment shit. This was a portal to hell and should have stayed that way. Not only is it a bit less played out, it won't unnecessarily convolute the plot.
- Less concentration on action (which doesn't even get started until about the halfway mark anyway) and more on the horror, hopelessness, and fear elements..which are practically nonexistant.
- Greatly expand Sarge's Arc, and for the love of god, don't dumb it down to him vs the hero in the end. Show this guy gradually lose it throughout the film.
- Lose the sister. Bad character, worse actress.
- Link it more to the game. Naming characters after ID software staff is not enough. This had the potential to be a desolate, hopeless schooling of cinema..but with all that said, I guess people weren't expecting much from a videogame movie. Thank you Dr. Boll.
Supernatural to Thursday...
..and thank god for it. Starting this March, Supernatural will occupy the slot following Smallville..and perhaps I should start catching up.
Hat Tip to The Futon Critic.
Hat Tip to The Futon Critic.
New year, new mic
Hope you guys all enjoyed the new show. I thought it was pretty fantastic, except for the fact that my 15 dollar mic is clearly not cutting it anymore. I will hopefully have a better one by next episode.
Stick with us, big things are happening.
Stick with us, big things are happening.
2006 Episode 1: No Time for Love, Dr. Jones
Christian Jones is the saint responsible for this rebirth. Enjoy the first podcast of 2006 available here. Subscribers, check your queue. Non subscribers, subscribe. Thank you again to Christian Jones at http://www.aleph0.com and our new home, No Rights Reserved here.
Happy new year and enjoy the episode. Plenty more, along with the new site, to come very shortly.
Happy new year and enjoy the episode. Plenty more, along with the new site, to come very shortly.
Guess What...
The first podcast of the year will be in your hands within a few hours. Thats right, we went behind your back, just when you were expecting us to rest until the new site/venture is finished, and recorded what I am calling 2006 Episode 1: Reborn. It's completely unedited and without boundaries, and I think our best work yet. Clocking in at over an hour, we had quite a bit to talk about. I hope you enjoy the listen, and check your subscription soon, probably by the end of tomorrow if not tonight.
It's A Dancing Frog--With A Really Big Eye
So I haven't posted in a while--work, as well as limited internet access, hamper such things--but the news that UPN and WB are merging to form The CW (standing for CBS-Warner, as media giant Viacom owns both UPN and CBS) is too big to go unnoted.
I think this is a smart move for both networks. Neither network has a full, seven-day, prime-time schedule. Many of the programs that "made" the WB are now gone or leaving (I'm thinking of Dawson's Creek, Buffy and Angel, and Seventh Heaven), and the ones that have replaced them (Gilmore, Everwood, One Tree Hill, Smallville) bring in big ratings but uneven quality. UPN's schedule has been, by and large, a black hole for years--but they've still got the best show on tv right now, 'Veronica Mars,'(1) and one of the funniest, 'Everybody Hates Chris.'(2) Aside from that, are you watching 'South Beach?' Or 'Cuts?'
Luckily for fans of 'Mars' and 'Chris,' both those shows are successful enough that they'll find a slot on the new network. CBS honcho Les Moonves (a guy I'm very conflicted about--he backed 'ER' and 'Friends,' but also 'CSI' and now eschews long-form storytelling. And then there are his ideas about how to get people to watch the network news again--by making it less info and more tainment.) mentioned 'Veronica' by name in the press conference, saying he'd like to do a night of 'Gilmore' and then 'Veronica,' which could work out really well. (Although I do wonder how the sweet and sincere tone of 'Gilmore' would lead into the "let's call our child abuse episode 'Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner'!" insanity of 'Veronica Mars."
The new network means more publicity on CBS and elsewhere, which means that shows like "Chris" and "Mars" truly have a chance to compete on the network level. On the other hand, competing on that level is going to raise expectations, which could lead to cancellation.
And shows like those don't deserve to go the way of Freaks and Geeks.
1. New episodes start tonight. You better watch. Or I will find you.
2. I watch 'Arrested Development' on DVD, so the funniest show on tv right now for my money has to be 'Scrubs.' I'm still trying to decide what was funnier last night: the gospel rendition of "Payback's a bitch," or the very-meta end, with Lawyer Ted's acapella band doing the folk-ukelalie version of 'Over The Rainbow.'
I think this is a smart move for both networks. Neither network has a full, seven-day, prime-time schedule. Many of the programs that "made" the WB are now gone or leaving (I'm thinking of Dawson's Creek, Buffy and Angel, and Seventh Heaven), and the ones that have replaced them (Gilmore, Everwood, One Tree Hill, Smallville) bring in big ratings but uneven quality. UPN's schedule has been, by and large, a black hole for years--but they've still got the best show on tv right now, 'Veronica Mars,'(1) and one of the funniest, 'Everybody Hates Chris.'(2) Aside from that, are you watching 'South Beach?' Or 'Cuts?'
Luckily for fans of 'Mars' and 'Chris,' both those shows are successful enough that they'll find a slot on the new network. CBS honcho Les Moonves (a guy I'm very conflicted about--he backed 'ER' and 'Friends,' but also 'CSI' and now eschews long-form storytelling. And then there are his ideas about how to get people to watch the network news again--by making it less info and more tainment.) mentioned 'Veronica' by name in the press conference, saying he'd like to do a night of 'Gilmore' and then 'Veronica,' which could work out really well. (Although I do wonder how the sweet and sincere tone of 'Gilmore' would lead into the "let's call our child abuse episode 'Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner'!" insanity of 'Veronica Mars."
The new network means more publicity on CBS and elsewhere, which means that shows like "Chris" and "Mars" truly have a chance to compete on the network level. On the other hand, competing on that level is going to raise expectations, which could lead to cancellation.
And shows like those don't deserve to go the way of Freaks and Geeks.
1. New episodes start tonight. You better watch. Or I will find you.
2. I watch 'Arrested Development' on DVD, so the funniest show on tv right now for my money has to be 'Scrubs.' I'm still trying to decide what was funnier last night: the gospel rendition of "Payback's a bitch," or the very-meta end, with Lawyer Ted's acapella band doing the folk-ukelalie version of 'Over The Rainbow.'
So Close..
The promised land is just a heartbeat away. It's time to beef up the staff, and I need your help.
-we are looking for a fourth person to join the podcast..email if interested. This is a pretty tough spot, and there are quite a few guidelines here to be considered.
-I am looking for people to host other shows..email if interested with ideas. This may be a good idea for people looking to contribute but aren't able to commit to Stealing Cable.
-we are looking for more writers to hold up the blog end. The least commitment, I just want someone to pop in and post about things relevant to what we cover.
we will be doing a few more shows here..I want to have this new thing perfect before it goes live. If you can think of any ways to get involved and would like to, do not hesitate to email.
Finally, I was cleaning some old files off of my computer and I found the partial file of the never before heard "2005 roundup show." For those of you still wondering where it was, a technical glitch caused me to lose the full 40 minute recording. What I have found appears to be the first 10 or so minutes. I will post it when I get some time to go over it.
When we move to the new place, all files will be hosted here..that means you will have the show the second I am done editing it. No offense at all to Joe Lavers at the Average Joes, without him, none of this would be possible. There is a place for him if he chooses it at the new place. We will be switching to new programs to both connect and record the show, hopefully eliminating some of the technical issues and allowing for more interactive content. Stealing Cable, along with some other surprises I have lined up, will cover a much broader realm of content than the entity that you know now. My best hints? If you don't already, subscribe via the feedburner link, because it is going to be the only thing that stays the same, and the only way to get content the second it is delivered.
Now that I'm done hyping this, let's hope everything goes smooth. You can look for the beginning of the end of our current format with the first SC of 06 next week, if we can dig Canadian Jake out of the tundra.
-we are looking for a fourth person to join the podcast..email if interested. This is a pretty tough spot, and there are quite a few guidelines here to be considered.
-I am looking for people to host other shows..email if interested with ideas. This may be a good idea for people looking to contribute but aren't able to commit to Stealing Cable.
-we are looking for more writers to hold up the blog end. The least commitment, I just want someone to pop in and post about things relevant to what we cover.
we will be doing a few more shows here..I want to have this new thing perfect before it goes live. If you can think of any ways to get involved and would like to, do not hesitate to email.
Finally, I was cleaning some old files off of my computer and I found the partial file of the never before heard "2005 roundup show." For those of you still wondering where it was, a technical glitch caused me to lose the full 40 minute recording. What I have found appears to be the first 10 or so minutes. I will post it when I get some time to go over it.
When we move to the new place, all files will be hosted here..that means you will have the show the second I am done editing it. No offense at all to Joe Lavers at the Average Joes, without him, none of this would be possible. There is a place for him if he chooses it at the new place. We will be switching to new programs to both connect and record the show, hopefully eliminating some of the technical issues and allowing for more interactive content. Stealing Cable, along with some other surprises I have lined up, will cover a much broader realm of content than the entity that you know now. My best hints? If you don't already, subscribe via the feedburner link, because it is going to be the only thing that stays the same, and the only way to get content the second it is delivered.
Now that I'm done hyping this, let's hope everything goes smooth. You can look for the beginning of the end of our current format with the first SC of 06 next week, if we can dig Canadian Jake out of the tundra.
Calling all cars
We're making our move soon.. I will be in contact with those of you that have contacted me. Anyone else that is interested in movies/games/other forms of entertainment and has any writing experience, or even better, internet writing experience, and would like to be a part of this, shoot me an email.
We will be back soon.
We will be back soon.
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