# Tuesday, November 30, 2004

Are you a poet?

It's the two great tastes that taste great together:

Tap into your own light and dark side and create a Samus Haiku, capture the spirit of Metroid Prime 2: Echos for a chance to win ... great prizes

[ Metroid Prime 2 Echoes - Haiku Poetry Contest ]

Of course if these prizes look cool, wouldn't you have them already? Are there dirt poor haiku poets out there who dream of playing Metroid on a brand-new GameCube?

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# Monday, November 29, 2004

Best. Task Manager. Ever.

Yet another thing that should already have been in Windows:

Ever wondered which program has a particular file or directory open? Now you can find out. Process Explorer shows you information about which handles and DLLs processes have opened or loaded.

[ Sysinternals Freeware - Utilities for Windows NT and Windows 2000 - Process Explorer ]

This one is almost frequented as much as gvim on my computer. If you are any sort of SA or Developer, this is a must. (And G$ will agree)

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# Sunday, November 28, 2004

More of the Same, Plus

Retro Studios deserves an ice cream party. There newest foray into the Metroid universe, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, may not seem to different from Metroid Prime, but what it lacks in new isn't necessarily a bad thing. MP2:E plays every bit as good as the first, but with a great new story line, great new baddies, great new levels, and some unique trans-universe puzzles. The splitting of the planet makes for interesting game play that hearkens back to some Zelda or Banjo-Kazooie games (of which I can't quite put my finger on), but in a 3D spooky way. If you liked Metroid Prime, you must get a copy of Metroid Prime 2: Echos.

Update: Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance had the 2 castles with some interaction. However MP2:E has much more interaction than C:HoD did, which I always felt was underused in that title.

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More Mario Goodness

Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is very similar to Paper Mario for the Nintendo 64 and a whole lot more. The graphics have easily been kicked up a notch, if not two. The story is unique, imaginative, and works in elements from the most recent Sunshine Mario. Mario now has extra moves based on the fact that he is made out of paper. And the battle has some very ingenious additions including a live audience that can help or hinder you. If you liked Paper Mario, this one is a no-brainer.

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Pleasantly Surprised

I do like it when I support a company and they repay me for that loyalty. And yes, that means Nintendo. I've dutifully purchased the Nintendo DS, although I must admit that I wasn't really sold on the idea. I picked up Super Mario 64 DS, since Mario is a good intro to any Nintendo platform. I thought I was just buying a copy of Super Mario 64 slightly reworked for the DS platform, but I believe I've got a whole lot more. There are something like 30 new stars in the game. There are new ways of getting those stars including “crystal stars” (like the 8 red coins, but now there are 5 stars hidden) and new “secret castle stars”. I knew that there was going to be new playable characters: Luigi, Wario, and Yoshi. I didn't know that there was a whole story behind where 3 of those characters went, and I'd have to rescue them. And I had no idea that there were new mini games, many of which support networked multi-player modes. All-in-all there is a great game with easily $30 more fun packed into it.

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# Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Circuit Overload

"The Bible also indicates that women are second-class citizens who were put on Earth to serve men, which is central to hip-hop thinking."

[ Weekly World News ]

I guess when you think about it, the Weekly World News is just old-school Onion...

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# Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Now it all makes sense

The Nintendo DS with it's unique controls allows you to create the highest forms of entertainment:

Sprung puts you in control of the conversation. Choose your line and get ready to react when your opponent responds.

  • Work all the angles
  • Flaunt your assets
  • Play it cool

[ Ubisoft - Sprung™ ]

Oh, and cheesey dating-like sims too (and three)...

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DSerendipity

Perhaps this is just media hype or Nintendo spin:

In the entertainment Mecca of the world, people waited in line for up to 15 hours on Nov. 20 to be the first to touch America's newest, hottest celebrity: The Nintendo DS. The paparazzi were out in full force to catch a glimpse of the dual-screen device and its devoted followers.

[ News : Article ]

Or perhaps I stumbled in at the right time. I wandered into the Best Buy right when they opened, sauntered up to a table covered in DS merchandise, and picked up one. I think it was meant to be, eh? I'm not so impressed with the one game I picked up, however, the controls are a bit sketchy, but I can certainly see the potential that the DS has. If they get some of the better N64 titles and rework them to be more DS-friendly, I think we'll have plenty of great games for years to come. (Too bad Conker won't likely be one of them...). Some titles I'd like to see snazzed up and ported include:

  • That truck crashing game that N8 has
  • Any Rare FPS
  • Jet Force Gemini (but what was promised, not what Rare delivered)
  • Any other Rare game
  • Seriously did anyone else makes games for the N64?

Oh, and if LA is the “entertainment Mecca” then was is Mecca?

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Metroid Goodness

Sure it's marketing hype, but so far I am inclined to agree:

Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is one of those rare games that exceeds its predecessor in quality. The game expertly weaves themes of light and darkness in every element, from plot, to characters, weapons, power-ups, even the music. The action is engaging and intense (you'll love to hate the Ing Horde), the levels brilliantly designed, and the puzzles intelligent but approachable. Metroid Prime 2 Echoes is a fantastic installment in one of the Nintendo GameCube's most exciting franchises.

[ Metroid Prime 2 Echoes ]

I haven't gotten so far, but already it feels better than the original. The engine is a bit more polished, the world seems more complex and thought out, and everything is a bit darker and more sinister. Once again, if you don't have a game cube, you are missing out big time.

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# Friday, November 19, 2004

What is this world coming to?

These 100% cotton thong style panties for women feature SpongeBob in 7 different moods on 7 fun thongs, one for each day of the week. Each one has a day of the week on it and has SpongeBob in a different funny mood. These fun panties are machine washable and easy to care for. Imported.

[ WebUndies.com SpongeBob 7 Days of the week thong set ]

Imported from where? What country is everyone walking around in these? Who has the same moods each day? Or has a different mood each day? Has SpongeBob seen these? Does he approve? So many questions, so little time...

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# Thursday, November 18, 2004

Looks like I have to get an XBox too

They kidnapped his father. They destroyed his village. Now, he's the world's only hope against an evil sorcerer - and not even time can stand in his way. Meet Tork - cave kid, shape shifter, and time-traveling bone buster. With a fiery heart and flinty determination, Tork vows to steamroll through time and put history itself back on track.

[ Ubisoft - Tork™: Prehistoric Punk™ ]

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# Sunday, November 14, 2004

Strange Game makes it to US Shores

Usually the Japanese don't send us the odd ones. Sometimes, however, they figure it will sell enough to translate some text and the packaging, when this happens we end up with a weird, but addictive, trip like Katamari Damacy. Sure we've all been through it, our father the King of the Cosmos, out on a trippy weekend bender, destroys all starts in the sky. Then, because he's too irresponsible to fix the problem himself, strongly suggests that I, his son, the prince, fix it. To add insult to injury his solution is to have me roll up everything I can into a ball, and when big enough he'll make a star out of it. Why is that injurious? He send me to Earth to do it. Not only does each level have trippy music, but when my ball o' junk is big enough he uses a trippy rainbow bridge to bring me back home.

In an interesting side note, you can tell that much of the Internet is committed to reviewing video games by googling Katamari, which doesn't seem to mean anything outside of this game. At the time of publishing this article roughly 215,000 pages are “hit” by that search, *all seemingly mentioning this game.

* All meaning 99%, there were a few others that seemed unrelated, but quickly forgotten in the onslaught of Katamari Damacy reviews.

Update: Roughly it means “Clump of Souls

Update: The game retails for $19.95, the CD (an import) costs $29.95 most places.

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# Friday, November 12, 2004

Eid ul Fitr Announcement

Apparently ISNA won't wait to see if the impossible might happen:

All astronomical data indicates that it will be impossible for the crescent to be sighted anywhere in the world on the evening of Friday, November 12. Therefore, Eid-al-Fitr in North America will be on Sunday, November 14, 2004, insha'Allah.

[ ISNA :: News and Press Releases ]

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AOL Tells Employees, Find a new Job

Because starting Jan. 17th, we're running ourselves out of business:

America Online, which earlier this year stopped signing up new broadband customers, is telling existing broadband subscribers in nine Southern states that they must find a new broadband carrier by Jan. 17.

[ Yahoo! News - AOL Tells Customers to Find New Carrier ]

Or am I missing something here, like people craving slow, hard to deal with, Internet connections that they pay too much for?

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# Tuesday, November 09, 2004

Who lives in a pineapple?

And is coming to the big screen? I can't tell you how excited I am, and I see that Avril agrees.

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Apparently they will remake anything

Plot Outline: A remake of the classic 80s sex comedy, where a group of high schoolers seek revenge on a nightclub owner and his sheriff brother.

[ Porky's (2005) ]

And they'll make us sit through every disgusting frame... twice.

Though, with Savage Steve writing, perhaps it'll be good. Mikah mentioned Better Off Dead, and now I'm craving a Savage Steve Holland movie night. Though, on second thought it will still be Porky's, and therefore pretty base. Of course, in that case, Nar will like it.

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