Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Monday, August 29, 2022
THE TWIST IN THIS DRACULA PORN SEQUEL IS INSANE (18+ ONLY)
Back in 2020, Alan & I watched a little Netflix porno called 365 Days. Well guess what? They made a sequel! TWO in fact. Both releasing in 2022. And this is the first of them. It is without question worse than the first movie, and the first was awful.
Only Nintendo could kill the Game Boy
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| https://www.theverge.com/2019/4/19/18507409/nintendo-game-boy-competitors-nokia-sony-bandai |
The Game Boy was the most dominant line of products in the history of video games. Every iteration of Game Boy faced several competitors, often with greater technical capabilities. Yet, every time, Nintendo won out. This week marks three straight decades of handheld gaming supremacy from Kyoto.
How did Nintendo do it?
Over the past 30 years, it’s been pretty much the same story. Nintendo has competed the exact same way it always has: on price, simplicity, and sheer quality of its games. Take the Atari Lynx. Released just a few months after the Game Boy, it was technically superior in almost every way. It had a backlit color screen, and it was based around 16-bit architecture, making launch titles like Blue Lightning look impressive even next to the home consoles of the day. But at $179.99, the Lynx cost nearly twice as much as the Game Boy, and the games just weren’t there.
Two more major color-screen competitors to the Game Boy emerged the following year. Sega’s $149.99 8-bit Game Gear was slightly more affordable than the Lynx, and it at least had big names like Sonic the Hedgehog on board, but it was notorious for its short battery life, which was a big deal in the days when you had to buy AA replacements. NEC’s TurboExpress, meanwhile, was a technically impressive portable version of the TurboGrafx-16, but its high price of $249.99 and its parent console’s niche status meant it was never going to be a major player.
With its early competitors all but vanquished, Nintendo solidified its grip on the market in 1996 with the release of the Game Boy Pocket. To this day, it’s one of the more dramatic “slim” console revisions of all time, and the Pocket shed a huge amount of the original Game Boy’s bulk and did away with its notorious green-on-green display. The Pocket’s screen was the same size, but it had a faster refresh rate and a much more attractive grayscale look. The system also ran off of just two AAA batteries, compared to the original’s four AAs.
The Pocket didn’t change anything about the Game Boy as a platform. At that point, the system’s library of games spoke for itself, and it wasn’t until two years later that Nintendo would do anything to expand its capabilities. 1998’s Game Boy Color was roughly as powerful as an NES, allowing for Color-exclusive ports of games like Super Mario Bros. But crucially, the Color maintained full backwards compatibility with the Game Boy, so games like Pokémon Yellow were able to support the color screen while also running on the tens of millions of monochrome systems that were already out there.
1998 also saw the release of SNK’s Japan-only Neo Geo Pocket, followed the next year by the globally sold Neo Geo Pocket Color. This was arguably the best shot anyone had taken at the Game Boy until this point. The hardware was similarly solid and affordable, with strong battery life and a great microswitched mini-joystick. The software library also contained several impressive titles. Fans of SNK’s fighting franchises were particularly well-served, and the system even played host to a surprisingly good Sonic the Hedgehog game years before Sega would consider putting its IP on Nintendo platforms.
It would prove impossible to compete with the exploding Pokémon phenomenon, however, and SNK’s financial troubles caused it to back out of its global operations in 2000 before going bankrupt in Japan the next year. It didn’t help that, in Japan, the NGPC had another serious competitor to deal with: Bandai’s WonderSwan.
Dreamed up by Gunpei Yokoi, the designer behind the original Game Boy and its predecessor the Game & Watch, the WonderSwan was an innovative system that achieved a respectable level of success in Japan. It was playable in both horizontal and vertical orientations, and Bandai released the original monochrome version at a low price of 4,800 yen to undercut the Game Boy Color. A color version followed in late 2000, and while the system managed to outsell SNK and attract impressive ports of games like Final Fantasy IV, Bandai was ultimately steamrolled by the 2001 launch of Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance.
With enough power to handle SNES games like Super Mario World, the Game Boy Advance was a predictable hit, even if Nintendo didn’t add a light for the screen until the 2003 SP revision. (Castlevania: Circle of the Moon was one of the system’s best early releases, but it was difficult to play in anything other than thematically inappropriate direct sunlight.) The GBA followed the same playbook as previous Game Boy consoles: it was cheap, it had a good battery life, and it maintained backwards compatibility with the entire Game Boy library. Oh, and Nintendo made a bunch of incredible games for it.
Bandai and SNK hadn’t been able to compete on Nintendo’s terms, so the GBA’s competitors took a different approach. The most powerful Game Boy yet was still a Game Boy through and through, which meant that it could have been a lot more capable. Mobile technology was becoming faster and more mainstream around the turn of the millennium; it was clear that everyone would soon carry a mobile phone if they already didn’t. And the idea of a phone that could play advanced mobile games didn’t seem like a terrible idea — particularly to Nokia, which, as the world’s leading phone manufacturer, had seen its preloaded Snake game become a minor phenomenon. In 2003, the company released a PDA-style phone called the N-Gage that ran Symbian OS and could play actual 3D games off physical cards.
Unfortunately, the N-Gage was a disaster. Despite its technically impressive ports of games like Tomb Raider and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, the phone-style number keys were terrible to actually play with, and Nokia made some bizarre design decisions like requiring you to remove the battery to switch game cards. It wasn’t great as a phone, either: the phone’s odd taco-shaped design and side-mounted earpiece spawned countless mocking “side-talking” memes. By the time Nokia released the improved N-Gage QD in 2005, the damage had already been done.
Nokia wasn’t the only company attempting to combine PDA and games console. Tapwave, a startup founded by former Palm executives, released an entertainment-focused PDA called the Zodiac in 2003. The Tapwave Zodiac ran Palm OS and had a large 480 x 320 display designed for video and games, as well as MP3 playback and general PDA functionality. It had ports of games like Doom II and Madden NFL 2005, and, overall, it was considered to be a pretty good device. But, as has often been the case with Palm-adjacent products, the Zodiac’s timing was terrible. It ran head-first into a device that not only outclassed it on a technical level but posed the biggest threat yet to Nintendo’s dominance.
It’s hard to overstate just how cool the Sony PlayStation Portable seemed in 2004. The PS2 was, by far, the most popular games console at the time, and here was a portable device that was almost as powerful while also offering a beautiful screen and advanced multimedia capabilities. Sony positioned the PSP as the Walkman of the future — an important pitch, considering how its lunch had just been comprehensively devoured by Apple’s iPod — and even with a high price of $249, it was clear that this would be the first true competitor to Nintendo in the handheld gaming space.
It didn’t help that Nintendo’s own move in 2004 was way out of left field. The DS, a strange dual-screened system with a stylus and a microphone, was going directly up against the PSP, and the difference couldn’t have been starker. Its graphical capabilities were more like the PS1 than the PS2, its media functionality was non-existent, and its initial batch of software was experimental in the extreme. Nintendo was at pains to describe the DS as a “third pillar” alongside the Game Boy Advance and the GameCube rather than the next step in its handheld lineage, and it released the tiny Game Boy Micro in 2005 as an attempt to sustain the GBA platform.
You probably know how that turned out. The PSP performed well, but the DS ended up as Nintendo’s most successful system ever. Innovative titles like Nintendogs and Brain Age brought in people who’d never bought a games console before, while the sheer depth and breadth of the DS library meant there was something for everyone who had one. Even though the PSP was more powerful, its games were often less well-suited to portable play, with convoluted control schemes, a short battery life, and slow loading times due to the UMD optical disc format. The DS, meanwhile, kept the same advantages that the Game Boy line always had. Earlier versions of the DS even featured a slot for GBA games.
That’s why the Game Boy Micro was the last Game Boy. In the early days of the DS, an awful lot of people expected Nintendo to come through with a more traditional, more powerful system that would play GameCube-level games, and all would be right with the world. Instead, the stratospheric success of the DS meant that Nintendo’s next system, the 3DS, was more or less a direct successor. It wasn’t as big a hit as the DS, but it still sold very well and comfortably crushed Sony’s ill-fated PS Vita. No one is asking for a new Game Boy these days.
With the Switch, of course, this is all a moot point. Nintendo doesn’t even have a dedicated handheld division anymore, and it doesn’t look like the company will make any more 3DS games. The Switch’s use of mobile hardware that’s powerful enough to look passable on a TV is probably the death knell for dedicated Nintendo handhelds, even as rumors swirl about a more portable version.
But the Switch is also the reason that, as we mark the 30th anniversary of the Game Boy, we’re also marking 30 years of Nintendo defining and owning the portable gaming market. Ever since the Game Boy launched, many have tried to take it down. But in the end, the only company that could truly kill the Game Boy was Nintendo.
Saturday, August 27, 2022
Moscow - Under the canopy of Moscow boulevards (1982)
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| https://rutube.ru/video/06631f972c2e8456a43c64b8c86a8575/ |
The Boulevard Ring (Russian: Бульва́рное кольцо́) is Moscow's second innermost ring road (the first is formed by the Central Squares of Moscow running along the former walls of Kitai-gorod). Boulevards form a semicircular chain along the western, northern and eastern sides of the historical White City of Moscow; in the south the incomplete ring is terminated by the embankments of Moskva River. The first of the boulevards, Tverskoy Boulevard, emerged in 1796, but the ring was completely developed in 1820s, after the disastrous 1812 fire. The Ring replaced the medieval walls of the White City in the 1820s. The wall itself was razed in 1760, and despite the royal decrees to keep the site clear, the area was soon built over with private and state property. The Fire of Moscow destroyed many of those buildings, allowing the city planners to replace them with wide green boulevards. In the 20th century, the width of the Boulevard Ring was expanded, as the formerly paved areas along the Pokrovsky Boulevard and Strastnoy Boulevard were planted with trees. Plans to complete the ring through Zamoskvorechye never materialized, however. These plans to properly terminate the ring through Yakimanka and Zamoskvorechye districts, proposed in 1935, periodically resurface in city planners' discussions.
Thursday, August 25, 2022
Experts Weigh In On Harambe's Last Moments
This gorilla was killed after a child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo, but people are still wondering what happened between them during his last moments. Behavior experts are weighing in on the spotty video of Harambe.
Tuesday, August 23, 2022
The Crusades: The Flame of Islam (Review)
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| https://www.worldhistory.org/review/236/the-crusades-the-flame-of-islam/ |
Harold Lamb perfectly contrasts the Islamic society of medieval times against that of the Europeans amidst the Crusades. He manages to bring out the best of both worlds at a time when they clashed violently for the control of the Holy Land. His portrayal of both sides is fair and just; I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to expand their knowledge of this era.
The Crusades of the Middle East may not have lasted for more than two centuries but the fictionalization of events and distortion of facts to prove one's side right and the other's wrong, continued for centuries later and is even seen in modern times. Amidst such confusion and chaos, Harold Lamb's two-volume masterpiece on the Crusades is a welcome relief for those who yearn for as accurate a picture as possible. He used information from both Muslim and Christian sources in order to present as complete a narrative as the resources at hand allowed him to.
So gripping is Lamb's reconstruction of the ancient times that even though I initially only wanted to go through the segments describing Saladin's exploits, as I traversed through the pages of this uncharted odyssey, I failed to keep myself from reading on until the book shook me off with "The End." The description of the time, places, and people may border on the fictional side but the events detailed are all historically accurate for the most part, except for minor details that may have eluded the writer when he was working on this book. Considering that the internet was not as widespread and access to knowledge was not as unabated as it is today, we can certainly expect some details missing.
The second volume, aptly named "The Flame of Islam," picks up from the events of the year 1169 CE, when Saladin rose to prominence in Egypt and started on a decades-long struggle to fight off the Crusades from the Holy Land and reconquer Jerusalem. For a significant portion of its length, the book details Saladin's exploits in great depth and then carries on with the state of the Muslims after his demise in 1193 CE.
All the while, Lamb continues to shift perspectives and puts his readers in the shoes of the Latin knights and their kings, showing how these men went to all extents in their bid for survival. Every instance worth mentioning from both sides is detailed to such a fine level that the book could easily put to shame some of the most talented screenplay writers who have worked in the history niche. Lamb treats the opposing sides as humans rather than friends and foes, the narrative twists and turns, takes detours deep into Europe where it shares insights about the Crusader cause, and how the idea was misused for personal vendettas, leading to the failure of the knights in the Holy Land.
"The Last Stand" ends this chapter of history by detailing the events that followed the siege of Acre in 1291 CE. But a worthwhile chunk of reading also exists further ahead in the "Afterword," which narrates how, by treachery, the Knights Templar, who had served the European cause for years, were subjected to fate parallel to that of the Spanish Inquisition, in their own country, under the canopy of their supreme leader, the Pope.
Such a well-explained account is sure to help anyone develop a strong grip over this era of history, and while the book may fade in comparison, in some areas, to modern texts, it is still very relevant and worth your time. I highly recommend it to any history aficionado.
Monday, August 22, 2022
Samurai Cop - Hilariocity Review
Chris Stuckmann reviews Samurai Cop! A film so bad it's unimaginably good!
Friday, August 19, 2022
Chris Evans in talks to reprise Captain America in future MCU project
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| https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-9148629/Chris-Evans-talks-reprise-role-Captain-America-one-future-Marvel-project.html |
Chris Evans appears to have corrected reports that he is set to reprise his role of Captain America in a future Marvel movie.
On Thursday, the 39-year-old actor simply tweeted 'News to me' just hours after it was reported by Deadline that he was nearing a deal to once again play Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The online entertainment publication had revealed that it remains vague whether or not the deal has been closed but it is heading to the star returning in at least one Marvel project with the possibility of there being a second - so it seems Evans would beg to differ.
No doubt the news can be perplexing to many fans as Steve traveled back in time and became an old man at the very end of Avengers: Endgame.
However fans of The First Avenger should not get their hopes up for another Captain America film as insiders claim that is unlikely to be another installment of that franchise.
Apparently it will likely be closer to what Robert Downey Jr. did after Iron Man 3 as he appeared in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The publication reported that things had changed in recent months and the idea of returning had been floated to Evans to see if there was interest and the two sides had came to an agreement at the beginning of this year.
Marvel did not respond to Deadline's report.
The news may come as a surprise to many as he very publicly said goodbye to the character after wrapping Avengers: Endgame in October 2018.
At the time he took to Twitter to write: 'Officially wrapped on Avengers 4. It was an emotional day to say the least. Playing this role over the last 8 years has been an honor.
To everyone in front of the camera, behind the camera, and the audience, thank you for the memories! Eternally grateful.'
Elderly Steve Rogers also gave Anthony Mackie's character Sam Wilson AKA The Falcon the famous shield at the end of the 2019 film which was seen as a symbolic passing of the torch moment.
Evans apparently was not in the original plans for that scene as Mackie recently appeared on The Jess Cagle show on SiriusXM and made the revelation.
He said: 'Well, it's funny they actually wanted to cast an old dude to play Chris Evans. So they brought in like three actors. They're like, none of these, like this, isn't how Chris will look when he's old. Like, he's gonna, he's like George Clooney. He's going to be 95 and still like handsome, you know?
'So they, they brought in a makeup team and prosthetics and makeup and made them into an old man. And how good of an actor Chris is it actually worked like he, he pulled it off with his voice and everything. He did a great job.'
Meanwhile, Evans has been keeping busy as he was recently announced to voice iconic Disney character Buzz Lightyear in an origin story film titled Lightyear set for release sometime next year.
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Monday, August 15, 2022
Review: Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS)
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| https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/fire_emblem_awakening |
A hint of trepidation arises whenever the "Powers That Be" decide that "Your Cool Thing" needs a bigger audience, primarily because "What They Like" and "Why You Like It" don't always mesh. Take Fire Emblem, possibly the most hardcore of Nintendo's franchises — not "hardcore" in the nonsense term of it appealing primarily to a traditional gaming audience, but because it is by its very nature a beautifully unforgiving beast. Expanding the base tends to mean dulling its claws, and the risk is that it'll no longer sink them in as deep.
Why people fall off Fire Emblem's tactical RPG train is one of the reasons others can't wait to board: stakes are high and consequences of failure are real, all because of the novel notion that death is, get this, permanent. One wrong move in a hard-fought battle can bring the end of a unit. Perhaps a really important one that you've built a winning strategy with croaks, or one that is key in keeping all of your other units alive and stabbing gets a spear in the back. It's like chess in that way, although flinging the game at the wall after frustrating defeat is a far more expensive endeavor (presenting a perfect opportunity to pick up that special edition 3DS you couldn't justify buying before).
To love Fire Emblem is to feast up on the throne of Damocles, but not everyone wants to chow down with a sword over their brain. It's clear that Nintendo would like more people to actually pay money for Fire Emblem: Awakening, so some of the series' idiosyncrasies big and small are smoothed out or tweaked, including the option to switch off the whole eternal sleep thing — and without penalty at that. Doing so may fly in the face of what Fire Emblem fans love about Fire Emblem, but, after all, it's only an option, tucked away safely in the likely healthier Casual mode you can choose to ignore. Or jump straight into. Who are we to judge?
If concessions like that are what it takes to continue to see high-caliber games of this ilk then Nintendo can tweak away; Awakening may be the most accessible Fire Emblem to date but retains its hardcore strategic faculties for those who are already very happy with the franchise, thank-you-very-much, and adds a whole bunch of other modern-day niceties on top of it that anyone can get behind. Damocles can have his delicious cake - and eat it, too.
The events of Fire Emblem: Awakening are set years past that of any other Fire Emblem entry, keeping its legacy at a distance far enough to prevent new players from feeling lost but with enough insider nudges to satisfy series veterans. After creating your character - named Robin by default - they are woken in a field by a group of soldiers led by Price Chrom of Ylisse. Robin doesn't remember who they are or where they came from, but soon finds themselves joining Chrom's cause in the role of tactician, fighting for the future of the kingdom. While we can't say the overarching plot feels wholly unique - if we had a dollar for every time we've seen an amnesiac at the center of an RPG story, we'd be happily shacked up in the Bahamas by now - interest in Fire Emblem: Awakening's tale of heroism and bravery against seemingly impossible odds is propelled in its near-entirety by the relationships between the game's characters - all of which come with difficult-to-pronounce names. Stoic, heroic and witty to the end, each cast member - no matter how minor the role - has a strong presence and unique voice thanks to some really great writing.
Watching these personalities interact and build relationships is its own kind of reward off the battlefield, as are the gorgeous, fully voice-acted cut-scenes for key plot points, although this typically involves an awful lot of reading between skirmishes. Partial voice acting peppers the wealth of dialogue, where a character blurts something audible at the beginning of their lines, but this tends to be hit-or-miss affair as sometimes what a character says doesn't align directly with the on-screen text. Still, it's more interesting than just text and works often enough to grow on you. You can even switch the voice track to the original Japanese, if you're so inclined.
There is certainly enough time for Fire Emblem: Awakening to grow on you as the campaign is quite lengthy, easily breaching 25 hours on a straight-shot through — indulging in the dozens of optional missions and side-scraps can tick up that clock significantly, not to mention the free SpotPass and paid downloadable missions slated to hit from day one. That's a lot of strategizing, and in typical Fire Emblem fashion there is a great depth to fighting that never stops rewarding smart thinking or punishing lapses of judgment no matter how temporary. It can be frustrating to get knocked on your back at the end of a contentious fight, but then again, it was probably your fault anyway.
Each side takes turns moving their dozen or so units of assorted types around the map in a limited fashion, allowing one action per unit - move, attack, use an item and such. The battle mechanics build on a simple Rock-Paper-Scissors-type weapon triangle, and on top of that certain weapon types are more effective against assorted units. It sounds simple, but in practice requires a lot of careful consideration to maximize your turn - not only must you try to figure out the most powerful way to attack your opponent, but also ensure proper footing so you don't get anyone killed when your enemy takes their turn. Successful routings require surveying the terrain, arming with the proper equipment and thinking two steps ahead. The campaign loves to toy with your emotions, often pitting you against what seems like an insurmountable enemy only to throw in an empowering twist somewhere down the line - or a devastating one, if you're unlucky.
As units level up they grow stronger and more capable with their weapons, which in turn yields higher damages and resistances and allows the wielding of more powerful arms. You can change or upgrade a unit's class or abilities with items and Miyagi them to their true potential. Key to this entry are character relationships; while they are fun to watch unfold off the battlefield, how chummy everyone is together matters even more in the thick of it. The buddy system reigns supreme in Fire Emblem: Awakening: placing units next to each other in battle allows them to influence stats like hit, dodge and critical rates, jump in to protect from a blow or themselves swoop in with an extra strike. The more that the same units fight together, the stronger their relationship becomes, which can be crucial in determining whether they live or die.
At the outset of a campaign you can pick between Casual and Classic rules, and once selected you cannot switch. When playing in Casual mode, death isn't such a big deal: your units hit the sidelines for the rest of the battle but are happy to join in with the next fray. Without the fear of permanent loss this style of play allows for more reckless action, although suffering too many losses in one battle is a sure-fire way to not win. Classic is more demanding in this area as a dead unit is, as one might imagine in reality, really dead. A steady stream of new units prevents your roster from depleting too much, but losing a unit you've groomed and become attached to because of a poorly reasoned move is a good way to drive yourself crazy. There are none of Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon's Save Points on the maps so in Classic mode there is no saving while in battle; you can bookmark a fight and resume it later, but if you want to avoid a death then you'll have to restart the chapter. Considering the stiff challenge of later portions of the game, restarting a map can become a frustratingly common occurrence - this is one of those games where your Activity Log and in-game timer will never align. In Casual mode you can save anywhere at any time, making deaths even less of a setback.
There are other tweaks to the mechanics that a newcomer might not notice but an old-timer will appreciate; legacy quirks have been ironed out by default to make for a smoother experience, like being able to approach an enemy unit before picking a weapon. Since there's already so much on your tactician's plate, anything to help make their life a little easier is very welcome, but grizzled veterans who hate change can switch off a bunch of settings to play the game they want.
Easy on the eyes for the most part, Awakening's presentation is a real step above prior portable outings but not quite up there with the past few home console entries. The aforementioned CG cut-scenes have some of the best art design that we've seen on the handheld so far, beautifully bringing the world to life with vivid anime detail. Half of the exposition makes use of illustrated talking head-style exchanges with slightly tweaked facial expressions — the art is lovely and effective for its purpose but comes off a little static somewhere around the halfway point. The 3D portions are somewhat less detailed and impressive but they too get the job done, lending some much-needed dynamism to battles even if it takes some focus to get past how none of the characters appear to have any feet. The maps don't generally look all that remarkable but fulfill their utilitarian purpose - were they any busier then they'd likely distract, after all, and the 2D sprites used relay information more clearly than a scaled-down polygonal model would on this screen. Plus they look neat and have a lot of personality, making it really easy to spot who is who out there.
Awakening's wonderfully smooth campaign is paired with a suite of multiplayer modes in both local and StreetPass flavors. Alongside an ally in the same room, Double Duel has each player choose three friendly units from their campaigns to march into battle against an AI army, taking turns to send in a hero and buddy unit. Defeat nets you nothing, nor do your units stay dead here, but as it isn't the same type of tactical combat as the rest of the game - more of a stat fight, really - there's little risk involved, and thus a less fulfilling reward. Double Duel victories yield Renown to unlock bonus items and grow a scary number next to your name for StreetPass battles, the far more interesting social mode where you select an army of 10 to send out into the ether to do battle with, recruit or buy wares from visiting platoons. StreetPass Sorties take the place of online multiplayer, which is kind of a bummer to have removed for those who never seem to find themselves around fellow 3DS owners.
Conclusion
Fire Emblem: Awakening's masterful tightrope walk between luring in curious onlookers and appealing to the hardest of cores is a sight to behold. It doesn't matter whether you've been strategizing with Marth since the NES days or only know him as the weird blue-haired guy from Super Smash Bros: Fire Emblem: Awakening's tale of heroism, colorful cast of characters and richly rewarding gameplay are sure to sink their talons in for a very long time. Who knows, with practice a beginner might even come around to the whole perma-death challenge thing. While the multiplayer options may be a little iffy depending on your circumstances, the sheer amount of quality content and replay value make this one icon sure to spend a long time on your 3DS menu. Have no fear: Fire Emblem: Awakening is here.
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Leonard Maltin Reviews RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART II (1985) - Entertainment Tonight
Sly Stallone's blockbuster gets the 1-to-10 scale from Leonard in this May 1985 clip.
Thursday, August 11, 2022
Book Review: “Kiki’s Delivery Service” by Eiko Kadono – MuggleNet Book Trolley
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| https://blog.mugglenet.com/2020/09/book-review-kikis-delivery-service-by-eiko-kadono/ |
Kiki’s Delivery Service is known by many as a Miyazaki classic, but few have read the 1985 novel by Eiko Kadono on which the film is based. Now, a new English translation by Emily Balistrieri is making Kiki’s story available to a whole new generation of readers. The story is by now well-known: 13-year-old Kiki has just come of age as a witch, meaning it’s time for her to leave home and find a community of her own to serve. Along with her black cat companion, Jiji, Kiki moves to the seaside village of Koriko, where she has to make a life for herself using just her ability to fly on a broomstick. She soon hits upon the idea of starting a delivery business – magical adventures ensue.
Kiki’s Delivery Service is refreshingly light and breezy in an era where many middle-grade fantasies have become elaborate operations. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that (and, indeed, some readers more used to that type of fare may find the minimal worldbuilding in Kiki a bit disappointing), but there is definitely something to be said for the gentleness of this book in a year that has seen surprisingly little of it. While the protagonist is 13, the reading level of this story is probably more appropriate for younger readers and would also make a great read-aloud, even for those who aren’t reading on their own quite yet.
Fans of the movie will find that the tone of the novel is definitely of a piece with its cinematic sibling. Each chapter features a quirky new challenge for Kiki (like rescuing musical instruments from an express train in time for a spring concert, or fixing the town clock just in time for the town’s traditional New Year’s run), which she solves with a little ingenuity, luck, and positivity.
If anything, the movie raises the stakes of Kadono’s story, which otherwise proceeds episodically throughout Kiki’s first year away from home. There is more emphasis on her relationship with her mother, also a witch, in the novel, though it was a little bemusing to read about such a young woman chafing under her mother’s influence (and the level of the book makes her seem even younger). All in all, I found the novel to be a fun, quick read that young readers looking for a little enchantment will devour.
Advance Wars Review - Review
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| https://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/3803/advance-wars-game-boy-advance |
So you've heard about Advance WARS and still not quite sure what to think? Before you even get to the review I say BUY IT!
WARS.
The name alone gives one the feeling of epic battles and huge armies throwing themselves at their foe. For Nintendo's Intelligent Systems, this is a long running and highly innovative strategy series, which has graced nearly every Nintendo console in existence. From its early and humble beginnings on the Famicom, to the epic Super Famicom and N64 WARS… this is one of the many serials of games that should have made it to American shores, but was sadly never localized. NOA has stepped up to the bat and finally released the fifth game stateside for the GameBoy Advance. And what a game it is. As a long time RPG/SRPG fan I can honestly tell you that this is what the strategy genre is all about. It takes quite a bit to get me extremely excited about a game, but as I seem to repeat often: Intelligent Systems has yet to disappoint.
When you first boot up the game, you are treated to a flashy animé-esque intro finally revealing the title screen. Very slick. Next, you're asked to input a name. After you've done so, CO (Commanding Officer) Nell will ask if you've ever played the game. If you aren't familiar with the series, then I'd suggest you go through the Field Training with her. She'll explain the basics of combat through fourteen different beginner missions to get you familiar with the units and how Rankings work.
Here's a small overview:
- Each Unit has 10 HP
- As they lose HP, offense and defense become weaker
- You can recover 2 HP per turn while stationed in an allied city
- Some units (such as Tanks) are more effective against other units (such as Infantry)
- Only Infantry and Mech units are able to secure and capture neutral/enemy cities/bases/factories/etc.
Keep in mind this is only scratching the surface of the game's most simplistic mechanics. It's not like I can spend 1500 words trying to explain the intricacies of Infantry tactics or ramble on about how to effectively use Md Tanks.
Then you're taken into "Campaign" mode. The essential plot is how a certain Blue Moon CO, Olaf, had seized parts of Orange Star's land and how you're deployed as a "Special Advisor" into reclaiming the territory. This is where you meet your first CO: Andy. He's a tech whiz and is able to fix just about anything. Each CO (including your enemies) have a unique set of skills along with a special power they are able to unleash in battle. For instance, Andy has good all-around skills without a single real specialty. His "Hyper Repair" power will heal units 2 HP and give them extra offense and defense until the end of that turn. Meanwhile, CO Max is best at the offensive, his heavy Tanks (and anything mechanical) packing an extra heavy punch at the enemy. To make this even more of an overkill, his power "Max Force" gives even more power to his units. However, his glaring weakness is his complete lack of indirect combat skills. His Artillery and Rocket units are weaker than normal and don't even get that big of a range! Players really need to keep in mind the pros and cons of certain COs when playing a map. Some areas are clearly more suited to one type of Commander than another.
Campaign mode, however, is quite possibly the smallest area of the game (barring Field Training). After each completed map you are awarded a certain amount of "Advance Coins", depending on how high of a rank you were awarded in the previous battle. These can be used in the "Battle Map" shop on the main screen. Here you can buy maps to use in the "Vs Mode", "War Room" and "Link Mode" areas along with unlock COs and other secrets. The "War Room" is a series of maps (most of which must be purchased) that helps hone your tactical skills. Make no mistake, these areas can be tough, even with the ideal CO. This is the only other mode that awards you Advance Coins. Also, you can gain higher ranks through this area. The greatest "addition" in my opinion, is the "Design Maps" option. Thank you Intelligent Systems! Here you can create and save entirely customized maps. Have an idea for the nastiest four-way brawls? This is your home! In fact, with the Link Cable you're able to trade your maps with friends.
This brings me to multiplayer. Unfortunately, I don't have many people near me so I was only able to test it via CPU opponents. However, that said: it is extremely addictive. You choose up to four COs, choose your Map and can set a variety of options including "Fog of War", how you're going to win (Capture HQ, kill all units, capture a certain amount of bases, etc.,) and various other conditions. Players take turns fighting and setting up. It can get a bit tiring waiting for your turn when there's four players, but I'm sure with actual people to play with, trash-talking will take an all new meaning.
Graphically and aurally this game is rich and quite spectacular. It's a sin to use anything less than a good set of headphones with this game! Myself, I tend to jack my AGB into my uber|337 PC speakers to enjoy the games great tracks. Each CO has a unique theme song that plays during his turn. The best way to describe the style is a hard industrial beat, and it goes very well with the military trappings of the game. Even the "Map Design" and Save music is great! In fact the Map Design track reminds me of Earthbound's quirky jazz-like ramblings. This is a good thing. NOA should take my hints and release an OST for this game. I oftentimes find myself humming along with one of the CO's themes even when I'm nowhere near the game. Even the sound effects are top-notch. Tanks grumble along and explosions sound quite realistic. The graphics might be considered "simple" by some but I heartily disagree. Every unit is completely unique and has its own battle animations. In fact, each army has a different design for the same units. So while your Orange Star Tanks might look one way, the Green Earth's will look entirely unique. No cheap palette-swapping techniques here. The presentation is extremely slick, like something you'd get out of an animé movie. Your COs have a variety of expressions, and their portraits are located at the top of the screen during battle animations. For instance when you destroy an enemy unit with Andy, he'll start laughing and hold up his hand in the "V" sign. If his unit is wiped out he'll blink and cringe. In fact, the COs will even have different expressions depending on the odds of the battle. If the CO's unit is weakened, he will be concerned and apprehensive, while the opposing CO will smirk in confidence.
Menus are simple but stylish & easily read. Overall this game has the flash to match its personality. There's charm and yet a "seriousness" to the game that I can't quite pinpoint. This definitely isn't a child's game: it can be quite hard. In fact, unless you're familiar with the genre and the series it can get almost impossible at times. I've been getting A and S ranks for the duration of the game (no small feat I'll tell you,) but I know other staffers have had problems at times and even readers who frequent our chat get stuck. That's the biggest "flaw" with this game. Intelligent Systems has created the one of the best strategy games of all time, but it is clearly aimed at hardcore fans. Since US gamers hadn't even heard of the series before NOA began localization, it brings a bit of a problem. That said, buy this game before I hunt you down and beat you. It really is that good. Once you're into the game, strategies get easier to think up and there's nothing stopping you from restarting a map if things go really awry.
Intelligent Systems has never disappointed me with their games. While here at PGC we try and avoid calling games "TEH BEST TIHNG EVAR", this is quite possibly the title that truly deserves it. The game is insanely deep, has almost unlimited replay value and has over 114 single player maps alone! IS has packed so much into this game it is positively frightening. As you plow deeper and deeper into the game you're continually surprised at the insight that the designers had in creating this masterpiece.
So I'll reiterate: Buy this game. Don't even bother renting.
Now NOA, get the courage and localize Fire Emblem VI, and completely wow your fans again!
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
At the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver. Summer of 2018.
The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) is a nonprofit organization that
operates an annual 15-day summer fair, a seasonal amusement park, and
indoor arenas in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The PNE fair is
held at Hastings Park, beginning in mid-to-late August and ending in
early September, usually Labour Day.
The
organization was established in 1907 as the Vancouver Exhibition
Association, and organized its first fair at Hastings Park in 1910. The
organization was renamed to the Pacific National Exhibition in 1946.
During the mid-20th century, a number of facilities were built on the
PNE grounds, including Pacific Coliseum and the PNE Agrodome. In 1993,
the amusement park adjacent to the PNE, Playland, became a division of
the PNE.
The Vancouver Exhibition Association (VEA), the
predecessor to the Pacific National Exhibition organization was first
formed in 1907; although the association was not incorporated until 18
June 1908. The VEA had petitioned Vancouver City Council to host a fair
at Hastings Park; although faced early opposition from the city council
and the local jockey club that used the park for horse races. However,
the city council eventually conceded to the VEA's request and granted
the association a 5-year lease to host a fair at Hastings Park in 1909.
The
VEA held its first fair at Hastings Park in August 1910. It was opened
by then Canadian Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier as the Vancouver
Exhibition. The biggest attractions of the two-week fair are its
numerous shops, stalls, performances, a nightly fireworks show, and the
exhibition's Prize Home. From its beginnings, the exhibition was used as
a showcase for the region's agriculture and economy.
In the
initial years of the Second World War, the fairgrounds saw an increased
military presence. However, the exhibition itself was not cancelled
until 1942, after the Canadian declaration of war against Japan was
issued. From 1942 to 1946 the exhibition and fair was closed, and like
the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, served as a military
training facility for the duration of World War II. During this time,
the exhibition barns that were used to house livestock, were used as
processing centres for interned Japanese Canadians from all over British
Columbia. The interned Japanese Canadians were later shipped away to
other internment camps throughout British Columbia, and Alberta. The
Momiji (Japanese word for Maple) Gardens on the PNE's grounds serves as a
memorial for the event. The barns used for the internment of Japanese
Canadians are still used to house livestock during the annual fair, and
serve as storage area to house some of the PNE's property the rest of
the year.
On 7 February 1946, the Vancouver Exhibition
Association changed its name to its current moniker, the Pacific
National Exhibition; and later reopened the fair to the public under
that name in 1947. The organization was formally reincorporated as the
Pacific National Exhibition in 1955.
The highest attendance at
the fair was recorded in 1986, with 1.1 million guests visiting the PNE,
most likely due to Expo 86 that was occurring at the time. In 1993, the
amusement park adjacent to the PNE, Playland, became a division of the
PNE organization.
During 1997-1998, the PNE grounds was
transformed with the demolition of a number of buildings including the
Food Building, Showmart and the Poultry Building. This gave way to the
Sanctuary, a parkland setting with a pond. The pond restored part of a
stream that once flowed in the park out to the Burrard Inlet. The city
restored a large portion of the park. Many old fair buildings have been
demolished and replaced by a more natural character. Although land was
purchased in Surrey that was to become the fair's new home, the PNE has
since transferred ownership from the province to the City of Vancouver
and will remain at Hastings Park. The PNE is a registered charity.
Two
attractions at the PNE were named as heritage sites by the City of
Vancouver in August 2013. The Pacific Coliseum and the Wooden Roller
Coaster were added to the list.
In 2020, the fair went on hiatus
due to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside other agricultural and county
fairs across Canada, including the Calgary Stampede, the Canadian
National Exhibition, and K-Days.
In the early hours of February
20, 2022, a major fire broke out on PNE grounds, where multiple
vehicles, tools and equipment, and buildings were destroyed as a result.
The
PNE grounds contains several buildings and exhibition halls. The PNE
Forum is a 4,200 square metres (45,000 sq ft) exhibition facility that
is used for large displays and trade shows. Rollerland is a 1,840 square
metres (19,800 sq ft) exhibition, banquet hall and venue for the
Terminal City Roller Derby.
Two buildings on the PNE grounds are
indoor arenas. The Pacific Coliseum is multi-purpose arena that holds
15,713 permanent seats, with provisions for 2,000 temporary seats for
concerts and certain sports. The PNE Agrodome is a smaller indoor arena
with 3,000 permanent seats, with provisions to expand up to 5,000 seats.
Entertainment facilities includes the Garden Auditorium, a building
that features a built-in stage and dance hall. The PNE grounds also
feature amphitheatre with bench-style seating for 4,500 visitors.
Other
buildings on the PNE grounds includes the Livestock Barns, a large
multi-use facility, and the organization's administrative offices.
Sunday, August 7, 2022
Friday, August 5, 2022
This ‘Squints’ Sandlot Tank Will Get That Hot Lifeguard’s Attention, We’re Sure Of It
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| https://brobible.com/gear/article/squints-sandlot-tank-top/ |
Hitting on female lifeguards is as American as apple pie, fireworks and workplace shootings.
No one had more game with lifeguards than Michael “Squints” Palledorous. Now you’ve got game with this awesome “Squints” tank top from American AF.
It’s made from lightweight performance material and printed right in the good ol’ USA.
This unisex tank is also available in a tee shirt when you’ve had too much sun, if you’re going out to a place that requires sleeves, or if your ‘Merican Eagle tee is in the wash.
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