- I sure hope Jake Peavy has been watching the playoffs thus far. He could learn what it means to be an ace.
- Josh Beckett is downright awesome in the playoffs. His last postseason appearance was that now famous Game 6 in the 2003 World Series against the Yankees. That was a complete-game 5-hit shutout at Yankee Stadium. So he followed that up with a 4-hit shutout two days ago against the Angels. Insane. He throws 97-mph sinking fastballs. It’s not fair.
- The manner in which the Rockies are dismantling the Phillies makes the Mets historic collapse look all that much worse.
- Ted Lilly does not like losing.
- I knew Chien-Ming Wang was not an #1 starter.
- Joe Torre is a closet japafag. It’s the only thing that explains why Matsui is playing tonight in Game 2. And actually got moved up in the order after getting totally dominated yesterday.
- My NLDS predictions (that I made in the GAF MLB Playoffs thread) are looking worse than my regular-season predictions.
- I still say Kaz Matsui sucks, even though he almost hit for the cycle yesterday. He only hit that grand slam because he had run into a pitcher that sucked worse than him – Kyle Lohse.
- I don’t know why a pitcher would throw Alfonso Soriano anything but a curveball in the dirt.
– Lou Pinella took out Carlos Zambrano after only 85 pitches in a Game 1 that was tied in the 6th inning. His reasoning was that he wanted to save him for Game 4. He might have ended up saving him until next season.
- Good pitching beats good hitting. It follows that great pitching beats great hitting. Proven almost every year.
I just finished watching the last game of the MLB regular season. It was also the best game of the year. I’m not sure if any game in the playoffs will top it. The Padres were playing the Rockies for the National League Wild-Card spot after they ended the season in a tie. The Rockies won 14 of their last 15 games to get to this point. Incredible. They had to battle back again in this game at the last possible moment. After Jorge Julio, one of the worst pitchers to put on a Major League uniform this year, let up a 2-run HR in the top of the 13th inning, the Rockies were down 8-6.
But Trevor Hoffman had blown his last save opportunity – there was still a chance. Before an out was even recorded, the Rockies battled to tie the game. With no outs, MVP candidate Matt Holliday was standing 90 feet from clinching a playoff birth for the Rockies. A short fly ball was hit to right field. Brian Giles catapulted a throw home — honestly, it was a horrible throw — and the ball and Holliday arrived at the same time. Holliday slid head first into the left leg of Michael Barrett, slamming his face into the ground. The ball came loose. Holliday was safe. The MVP had won it!
Only the umpire Tim McClellan didn’t call him safe. Did Holliday miss the plate? Barrett picked up the ball to tag Holliday as he lay on the ground. But for some inexplicable reason, McClellan decided to call him safe as Barrett reached out to tag Holliday for the second out. Why the hesitation? When replays were shown, it looked like Holliday had never touched the plate. Barrett had blocked the plate perfectly. So why was he called SAFE?!?
As Deadspin editor Will Leitch so keenly observed:
At a certain level, we can’t help but think it was a back-up-I-don’t-want-any-trouble call from the home plate umpire, Tim McClellan. He knew the runner didn’t touch the plate — kind of amazing play by Michael Barrett — but by the time he realized his call was going to matter, he backed off it. We’d call it “gutless,” but it’s really hard to be a Major League Baseball umpire; it requires more guts than we, as a human being, have.
My personal feeling was that Holliday not getting up to touch home plate gave McClellan the impression that he actually touched home plate the first time around, but Leitch’s explanation works too. Or maybe McClellan was trying to make up for the fact that an earlier ball that was ruled a double was actually a Rockies HR. We’ll never know what was going through his mind, but we do know that Holliday still hasn’t scored the winning run.
Which is why baseball needs an instant replay system similar to the NFL. Give a manager a challenge a game. Nothing more than that is needed. All the focus and talk is going to be about this blown call tomorrow, and not on the fantastic game that lead up to it. Sure, it will take some of the entertaining arguments out of baseball, but tennis was known for its vitriolic player rants as well, and I haven’t missed them since instant replay was instituted. Instant replay in that sport has only served to show that not only is Roger Federer better at playing tennis than anyone, he would make a better linesmen than anyone. Balls and strikes should be left alone, so managers and players can still argue about them and get ejected in showboating fashion.
Trust me, you might find it weird and sacrilegious at first, but once you get used to it, you’ll wonder why it took MLB so long to incorporate instant replay.
The Mets finished blowing their 7 game lead in two and a half weeks today. It was embarrassing. The game was over by the middle of the first inning. Tom Glavine was obviously a planted Brave this whole time. Not only did this collapse cost the Mets the NL East and a playoff spot, it cost David Wright the MVP award. He should punch Jose Reyes in his smiling face.
I can’t believe this shit. A 7 game lead gone in 14. I swear to God, if Erratic Oliver Perez shows up tonight, I’m done. I’ll just play Halo 3 and not enjoy it.
I’m going to make the assumption that the vast majority of people who ever see this review have not played System Shock 2. I haven’t played it, so I can’t talk about how Bioshock compares to it’s spiritual successor anyhow. The other game that likes to pop its head into discussions about this genre of RPG-FPS hybrid is Deus Ex, a game that I once started to play but never got far in. One of the criticisms that has been launched against Bioshock from avid PC gamers is that its role-playing elements are toned down greatly compared to these two turn-of-the-millenium games. Console gamers, or people who just haven’t had the pleasure of playing those two games, will be more than satisfied with the amount of cool abilities and possiblities the game offers.
And there has definitely been a multitude of those types of gamers who have already experienced this landmark game of the year. It sold over 400,000 in its first couple of weeks on sale. Ever since that mind-blowing E3 2006 teaser trailer, the hype only continued to grow on the internet. Then the incredible demo garnered even more believers, with the glowing reviews sealing the deal. I’m elated to see a worthy “new” IP sell so damn well, but I shouldn’t be surprised, as 360 owners eat up games like no other group of gamers ever before. But the simple fact is that EVERY gamer should experience Bioshock. This is not Halo 3 — where there are games that can sufficiently take its place and, in my personal opinion, surpass it (Call of Duty 4 and Team Fortress 2, I’m looking at you). There has never been a game like this on a console before. In case you’ve never seen the trailer, here it is:
The gameplay mainly consists of typical FPS gunplay with a wide variety of weapons and ammunition, but the main difference from traditional FPSs would be in the inclusion of “plasmids” which allow the player to have what are for all intents and purposes “superpowers”, for example, the ability to shoot fireballs or a swarm of bees out of your left hand. There’s also many other powers that aren’t “plasmids” for your left hand, but still change your abilities. This pretty much sums up the RPG segment of the game. It’s not too fleshed out, but it was more than cool enough for an RPG-hater like myself.
The main reason I say Bioshock is irreplaceable and is required playing is due to its story. I don’t know whether it’s more a condemnation of Hollywood or praise of Bioshock, but between the phenomenal voice acting, the original setting and atmosphere, and the increasingly disturbing and shocking plotline, the game is more compelling than just about every movie I’ve seen this year. After crash-landing in the ocean, you immediately take control of your character and swim to a lighthouse seemingly in the middle of nowhere. What you stumble upon is a massive underwater city called Rapture that is based loosely upon the philosophy of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged. It’s basically the notion of pure individualism. The result in Rapture, predictably, was total disaster. You find yourself in a city overrun by mutants, with the unlikely pair of “Little Sisters” and “Big Daddies” harvesting the remains of the failed social experiment. What follows is a terrifying roller-coaster ride of a game.
I completed the game a few days ago and I still find myself thinking about snippets of the game. I haven’t played a game so filled with memorable moments and quotes since Half-Life 2. But while HL2 primarily wowed with its varied environments and scenarios, supplemented by its revolutionary physics engine, the storytelling is what takes precedence in Bioshock. Similar to the way Metroid Prime reveals its scant plot through scanning, Bioshock’s story is advanced mostly though audio diaries scattered throughout Rapture. Of course, there are a number of encounters with very memorable characters throughout the game. Many of these diaries and encounters contain classic quotes that are the very essence of Bioshock. One could just say a few words and any other fellow Bioshock player would immediately recognize what game he was talking about. That’s something that only happens with movies. Honestly, I’m tempted to play through the game again at this very moment. I need the achievement points anyhow.
It’s funny — while I played it wasn’t always the most enjoyable experience, I’ll admit that. The combat can get a bit repetitive, the difficulty isn’t quite up to snuff (especially with the Vita-Chamber method of respawning), and the pipe hacking mini-game, while cool, truly ruins the atmosphere of the game since everything stops around you once you enter it. Yet, all these qualms fall by the wayside when you look back at the full experience — except for the final battle, that was just total shit. Unfortunately, the entire second half of the game is not what it could have been; this is a criticism that has been brought up many a time already. But I’ll go on the record to state that almost anything would feel anti-climatic after what happens about halfway through the game. Maybe the game should’ve ended right there, but I feel like some people would’ve then complained about the length. Luckily, there was still plenty of cool stuff to be had.
Up to this point, I haven’t even mentioned the incredible graphics. While Halo 3 looks like a slightly upgraded, more expansive HD version of Halo 2, Bioshock’s world is meticulously crafted in the post-WWII art-deco style and looks as amazing as any virtual world ever created. The lighting in the game is also downright astounding. The only gripe would be the plastic-y look of just about every character in the game, something PC gamers know all about. BUMP MAPPING!
And like any story-driven single-player game, there’s not too much replay value, unless you want to get all the achievements like I hope to do. Due to this, I can understand if you feel the multiplayer of Halo 3 makes it more worthy of your $60. This should not stop you from playing Bioshock. Borrow it, rent it, play it on your friend’s 360. Do whatever you must do to experience this well-crafted, horrific story that takes place under the sea. It’s by no means perfect, but you won’t be disappointed.
Unless you’re like Brian, my Asian co-worker, and you’re afraid of scary demos.
I attend SUNY Stony Brook — apparently one of the top public universities in the nation (you could have fooled me). The Princeton Review put out their huge college report and out of the 300-some-odd colleges they bothered to cover, Stony Brook has the unhappiest students. Awesome.
It’s pretty funny, as only a week ago, a few buddies and I were standing around, observing the people around us, saying that on any given day, you can tell that 30% of the kids are miserable. They have the “what the hell am I doing here?” look on their faces. One of my firiends said he saw a kid just sitting against a wall with his head in his hands. Stony Brook had obviously broken him.
The high percentage of commuters no doubt has a large effect. Driving on Long Island is sometimes the very definition of Pain City. And I bet many of the students are just unhappy with their overall lives — living at home and knowing deep down that getting a bachelor’s degree froma public university means next to jack shit nowadays. I know how that feels, and that’s why products like vape pens by Exhale are really popular among students as they make them feel better and improve their mood. Search “cannabis near me” online to have an easier access to various cbd products.
Inspired by one of the two forums I frequent — Evilbore — I bring to you REAL TALK. It actually comes from black hip-hop culture, but what doesn’t? (Besides internet memes, which always start at 4chan or Something Awful)
- Halo 3 is the most advertised and hyped piece of gaming entertainment that I can remember. Super Mario Bros. 3 being featured in some crappy movie does not compare to GAME FUEL, 7-11 selling pre-orders, a countdown to launch on a television network, a cat-helmet edition selling for $130, and an apparently awesome multiplayer beta.
- The Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars film. There is no room for debate here.
- The opening beach sequence of Saving Private Ryan is still the most incredible, most graphic, most terrifying 15 minutes of fictional war ever put to film. Watching it on TNT HD a couple of nights ago confirmed this. It also confirmed that 5.1 surround sound is required.
- Bioshock has a better, more sophisticated plot twist than any M. Night Shyamalan movie.
- The complete bombing of Shoot ‘Em Up make me weep for the young men of this country. Pathetic.
- The ridiculous sales of the Wii make me weep for the future of the civilized world.
- I am embarrassed for arguing on behalf of 24 against The Shield up to Season 6 (no sane person could have argued for 24 last season). I should have never stopped watching The Shield, as it blows 24 away in almost every respect. I still need to watch Season 6.
- The Simpsons are not as good as my childhood memories.
- If you don’t buy Ikaruga when it is released on Xbox Live Arcade for $10, you are a failure as a gamer.
- I have never watched any of the three Lord of the Rings: Extended Editions that I own. And I doubt I ever will. Most useless purchases ever.
- You know Harry Potter is not done with. Even if Harry Potter himself isn’t utilized, that universe will be milked until every possible dollar has been taken out of little kids’ and pathetic adults’ hands.
- I just read that the quantitative section of the GRE is easier than the equivalent section in the SAT. That is beyond pathetic.
- There are no gays in Iran. (brought to you by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad)
- Even though the Mets don’t look like they’re going to completely choke away their division lead, it doesn’t matter, as their bullpen won’t allow them to advance past the NLDS.
- Anything that is too good to be true, is. Inductively, Joba Chamberlain is obviously on HGH.
No less than a half-dozen first-person shooters will be played mercilessly by me over the next few months. I’ve already had the chance to become addicted to a couple. Between my Xbox 360 and just-good-enough laptop, I will be in fragging mode for a long while, as I really love games and I even play casino games at the สล็อตออนไลน์ site online. I particularly like these slot gacor games which offer bonuses to win big prizes.
The Orange Box
Fortunately, my laptop runs Team Fortress 2 just as well as Counter-Strike: Source and Day of Defeat: Source, even though the minimum requirements are supposedly higher. This translates to 30-40 fps at the lowest possible settings, but it’s all I need. But I might end up buying it on 360 as well as the electronic copy I already purchased on Steam. You can often find affordable Xbox 360 copies at local pawnshops like ezpawn.com. Just in case you don’t know, the Orange Box isn’t just Team Fortress 2, it’s Half-Life 2 complete with both Episode 1 and 2, and Portal, a sort of first-person puzzle game involving teleports. So for any 360 owners out there that haven’t touched PC gaming in 3 years, the Orange Box is the best value in gaming this year. I’d pay $45 for Team Fortress 2 alone. It is THAT awesome. Surprisingly, it’s not as fast as I thought it would be, so I can see the 360 version being just as fun as the PC version. It’ll definitely look better for most people, including myself.
Bioshock
The game I bought before I even had a 360 to play it on. A very atmospheric, story-driven game with incredible graphics, but not quite the revolutionary experience it was hyped up to be. I haven’t touched it in two weeks due to other addictions, but I have vowed to complete it this weekend. It deserves at least that. Once the next game hits, no other disc will enter my 360 disc tray for at least a month.
Halo 3
The game Microsoft hopes they can ride to a phenomenal holiday season of sales. There’s really no way for it to live up to the hype at this point, but I have no doubt that it’s multiplayer will be nothing short of incredible. Bungie has had years to perfect this game and I think they’re still sore at how they were forced to rush out Halo 2. They want this game to be the end-all be-all. I didn’t have a 360 when the beta was out, but the consensus seemed to be, “it’s awesome.” One thing’s for sure — it will be a statwhore’s dream. Just look at this! Insane.
Rainbow Six: Vegas
The other game I’ve bought for my 360. Outside of a couple of epic nights, I’ve barely touched it. It is without a doubt the best realistic tactical shooter I’ve ever played, but I’ve been addicted to the following game…and it’s not even a final game.
Call of Duty 4
With an incredible multiplayer demo disguised as a beta, Infinity Ward has won themselves a shitton of sales. Running at a silky-smooth 60 fps while sporting eye-popping MGS 4-like graphics, COD4 is going to be fighting with Halo for supremacy in my 360 playtime once it hits in November. The choice to leave the WWII-era and enter modern times was the right one. It’s no slouch compared to Halo 3 when it comes to stat-tracking, and the leveling-up and challenges will no doubt keep me occupied for months. And getting kill streaks has never been so much fun. I completely own Crash in Free-for-All. It is MINE.
Gears of War
Ok, so it’s not technically a FPS, it’s a TPS, or third-person shooter. In every other way, it’s the same type of game. Epic just wanted to make a more cinematic experience. For all the hype it received, I wasn’t too impressed when I played it. The graphics were definitely amazing, but the gameplay was just clunky and awkward as hell. And apparently the online aspect of the game isn’t something to write home about. Nevertheless, I will borrow this game from Chris likely some time over the Christmas break. I’ll just beat the single-player to get some achievement points. Gotta get that gamerscore up!
Of course, mixed in with all these shooters will be Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. I think my GPA might suffer this semester…
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