November 2005

- Last night I managed to take down the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Colossi in Shadow of the Colossus. And each one was absolutely exhilarating; I know I’ve probably already said it before, but I can’t recall the last time a game has actually made me say “Holy shit!” out loud. Plus I’m extra proud of myself for not consulting a strategy guide any further. And Jesus Christ is the music amazing; December 7th can’t come soon enough (I think that’s when the soundtrack comes out in Japan).

- So here’s something insanely awesome: I’ve always been curious about Kingdom Hearts, the Square action RPG that features Disney characters, but have never actually tried it out due to all the complaints regarding shitty control. And while I’ve always kept a close eye on part 2, since it does looking even more amazing, I never figured that I’d ever give it a serious chance. Well that’s all changed now because its been revealed that there’s now a Tron world!

- Here’s even more awesome news: Sam & Max are coming back!

- And just received word from Gaming Age that Guitaroo Man is back in print, so for those who missed out, keep an eye out for it. This is two great things in one: a great game that deserves to be in more hands will be, and retarded game sellers on eBay just lost another means to take advantage of folks.

- Here’s a look at all the unlockable cars in Ridge Racer 6. Looks awesome. I know many diehard racing enthusiasts aren’t a big fan on Namco’s non-realistic automobiles, but its fucking 2005 and its about time we got more cars on the road in real life that look as if they belong in the sky.

Though my interest in 6 has been diminished severely due to my recent re-visiting of part 5, in which I was reminded of how completely nonsensical the controls are. This sounds incredibly lame, but I still haven’t been able to complete the first heat, and I’ve been trying for years. Why the hell can’t Namco just make another Ridge Racer like R4?

BTW, for those who might be interested, here’s the intro to the ill-concieved R: Racing Evolution. Thank God the series didn’t go the oh-so boring “realistic” route (only Gran Turismo should do Gran Turismo, thanks). But the only reason why I still hold onto my copy is, aside from having V.s Pac Man included of course, is Namco’s brilliantly awesome stylized anything.

- Following up on the news that Keita Takahasi, the creator of Katamari Damacy, plans on moving away from games to design playgrounds, someone at the GAF pointed towards these: pics from his presentation at the GDC this past March where he showed off an example of a piece he did in art school where he studied sculpture. Its a coffee table that transforms into a robot:

- And later this afternoon, I’m gonna give this a try: Super Mario Wars is a death-match game with Mario.

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- I haven’t had too much time to surf the game for non-game related stuff, aside from indulging in my latest guilty pleasure: reports from shitty indie wrestling shows (hell, bad indie wrestling is what makes this country so great).

But I did find out something that makes me a bit sad: Coke plans on phasing out Vanilla Coke by the end of the year. The thing is, I don’t drink Vanilla Coke, or any form of soda really. So why the sadness? Because I’ve always wanted to try it out. But I still have a chance, right? Wrong. The thing is, I can never have soda. Ever.

Long story short: I used to be a hardcore soda drinker. I started around age 4 and it was my main form of liquid for close to 20 years afterwards. The worst was during college where I averaged about 1 and a half of those two liter bottles a day (or just one of those monster three liter bottles they sold at a deli near the dorm… I think they’re illegal at this point). So yeah, I was a Coke fiend. Then in 2000 I got super ill and couldn’t keep anything down, let alone Coke. Shortly afterwards as things returned to normal, I decided to stay off the soda. And since all expected caffeine headaches got lost in shuffle, among all the other medical ailments I was dealing with at the moment, I was able to easily kick caffeine habit. The fact that I immediately lost 20 pounds over the next two weeks from doing nothing but not drink Coke made me stay far, far away.

But over the years, I would become almost afraid of cola, much like a recovering alcoholic would be afraid of booze; I dare not take even just one sip for fear of falling of the wagon. At this point, I’m quite happy with drinking mostly water (hell, I even found stuff like real fruit juice too sugary now that my sweet tooth isn’t as sharp) but I do miss soda. It worst when I hear a can being opened, and the resulting fizz is like a siren’s song wailing from a rocky, yet inviting coast. Sometimes, when no one is watching, I’ll sniff the bottlecap of freshly opened bottle of Coke… yeah its pretty bad. But I’ve been soda free for over five years now, and will remain that way till death.

Though I fondly recall loving the taste of Coke with vanilla added at Johnny Rockets… this is before it became canned, of course. That’s the thing; another reason why my battle to remain pure has been so tough is the soda renaissance that’s been going on in recent years. Coke with lemon, the appearance of orange Fanta on American shores (it was by far my favorite drink growing up at the military base in Korea many years ago). But in the end, I’ve won. So I must bid farewell to ye foe…

- In other news, today at work was another contest to see who’s ex-girlfriend was the most psycho, and needless to say, I won once again. I have to admit that I am somewhat proud of being king of the bad girlfriend stories. I have tons of intricate, convoluted, and downright insane tales, but my simple “I was so stressed that I was shitting blood” seems to guarantee an instant win.

- Lastly, and on one last video game related note, but its a personal one: the death of Spready Bear, it seems, has been greatly exaggerated! I’ll have more info as it develops…

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… Speaking of movies, last night marked the return of “movie night”.

Some explanation: I run with several packs. There’s comic nerds, gamers, and then there’s film geeks. Now I’ve noticed that virtually everyone calls themselves film geeks these days, mostly based upon their love for whatever quirky genre or subject matter. Well sorry, but everyone has tons of DVDs lying around, and everyone has a fave director or whomever or whatever, so that’s not enough. I’m talking about true blue, diehard cineophiles. And it’s been a while since I’ve attended a movie night, at least a Jeff Rovin movie night.

Back in 2002 when he used to live in the west village, I would attend each and every Wednesday evening, along with his son Mike (whom I’ve been friends with since college, where we worked on several movie projects together…. and was the prime reason why I ended up doing more film than actual comics which was my major) and all of his father’s friends, which included a wide assortment of actors and actresses from the film and stage, and other show biz types. Some might actually know Jeff’s name, since he’s a prolific writer and his vast knowledge of everything and anything related to movies, television, books, music, comic books, and all other facets of pop culture is quite evident all throughout his home, which is covered wall to wall with all sorts of toys, original artwork, and memorabilia, enough to make any diehard geek weep.

It was also a time when I had a lot of time on my hands (i.e. I was unemployed), so making the commitment… and it was a commitment, towards an elite club (film folks take their business seriously) was easy to do. But once Jeff decided to leave for California (for “Rancho Fatalis” in the town of Temecula), movie night drew to a close. Mike tried continuing the tradition, as did our friend Mike Simses, but it was never the same (though Simses and I did have fun watching, and making fun of, Rovin’s fave Star Trek film, part 5, via a MST3K-viewing, which we even ended up recording for posterity). But a few years later, Jeff decided to move back to NYC, and movie night was alive again.

But unfortunately, much had changed in my life by then, and with so many responsibilities to attend to (and not enough time), I had to pass. Until last night, which marked my triumphant return to the fold. And if you think I’m being over-dramatic, once again, being a film fanatic is serious stuff.

The way it works is like this: first we all watch a bunch of clips from various films. But its never random; Jeff choses everything beforehand, and with a theme in mind (again, serious stuff). Last night included: Rambo, Bridge of the River Kwai, the old b&w Superman serials, Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man, and some live performances by the Doors. There’s probably some stuff I’m forgetting. And what was the thing that tied everything together? Was there anything in the first place? Actually, yes. Anyway, after the clips is the feature presentation, and it can be literally anything, from some cheesy sci-fi flick from yesteryear, to an old John Wayne western, or a 70′s classic from one of the heavyweights at the time, or something more contemporary. Though it tends to stick to an old Hollywood classic, but we have watched stuff like Ghost World or the South Park movie. Last night’s was Harvey, the Jimmy Stewart and giant invisible rabbit picture.

Not sure how all that sounds to the rests of you, but it’s certainly nice to be back into the fold and to get serious about film geekdom once more. Can’t wait for next week!

Oh, and since we’re on the subject of moving pictures, for those who haven’t seen it, here’s Michel Gondry’s latest video starring the White Stripes and bizarro Conan O’Brien. Everyone’s best bet is to choose “save as” for the clip. All apologies if this has been seen a million times, but I don’t have cable so I can’t tell.

And one last movie related thing: anyone who knows me is well aware that I’m totally psyched for what promises to be next year’s movie of the year, Snakes on a Plane. And many still not only understand the plot (it’s fucking snakes loose on a plane! duh…) but that it’s even for real. So whenever I skeptics pop up, I have to show them this still from the upcoming movie:

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