“And I search but never find / hurt but never cry / I work and forever try / but I’m cursed so never mind”
1. Cleveland, Toronto, Minnesota, and every other small market team lacking a super star has a chance.
To be fair, Toronto has no chance of being relevant anytime soon unless Jordan 2.0 is in this draft class.
2. Lebron James is going to have to work harder.
Lebron is seen as, amongst other things, an underachiever. He drives and shoots 3, that’s the extent of his game. To be fair, that certainly has worked for him in the past, but if he wants a ring like he says he does, he’s going to have to add either a post game or a more consistent midrange jumper. Kareem might be willing to give lessons. Maybe this is his talent cap and he’s going to end up as one of the Chris Webbers of the world, a person who had a fantastic career, retired as a top 100 all time player, made a lot of money playing a game he loved, but could have been much more.
3. Centers still matter.
Had the heat won this would have been the weakest set of big men to win a title in many years.
4. Kidd gets a ring.
The first time a player gets bounced from the NBA finals I have no pity, the second time it happens I want nothing more than for them to win. Jason Kidd has gotten bounced twice.
5. The redemption of Shawn Marion.
Marion was considered a “has been” in NBA circles, a player who took his money went from city to city and was an NBA vagabond. Now he’s a championship winner
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Duke Nukem Forever
In a way I kinda wanted the game to be good. i wanted it to get 8.5's across the board, to be accepted in a new generattion as a game that still carried on the Duke Nukem Legacy. I liked the idea of an over the top game.
But really what is Duke's legacy. In a way, at this point he's a caricature of himself. The 1980's action movies that he imitated are now 20-30 years old, the references lost on many gamers now. People old enough to buy M-Rated games weren't yet born when the first Duke Nukem game came out, and were only 2 years old when the last one did. No one has been clamoring for the remakes because they are relics of a past generation. These are games that came out before Google existed. Game mechanics which were new are now completely outdated. Over the top action is now exemplified by the GTA series, whose first game hadn't even been released yet in 1996.
Another problem with the game's over the topness is the way women are portrayed. in the mid 90's a game with a humor style fitted for a pornographic film would have been more accepted, especially since gamers were mostly men. Nowadays, women comprise of a pretty large segment of the gaming population, and just from the trailers you can tell this is going to be bad. The benefit of GTA being around is that even though they use strip clubs and lapdances, women aren't treated in nearly the tawdry way as they are treated by duke. No one cares for a misogynist, especially since games of the last few years have used women as leads and sidekicks and to have a character like this, even in parody sets gaming back quite a few years. In reading reviews of the game, many terms that evoke images of sexual violence are used. Overt jokes and sight gags could get by in the 90's, but nowadays, not as much.
I realize a crux of this post is just me writing "Duke is old". Certain genres carry well over time. Puzzle games carry well over time. Shooters? Not as much. If you want proof of that try playing Goldeneye 64. Great at the time, but not at all now. As you can guess from the post, or already know, Duke has been pretty much universally panned as being awful despite everyone's best hopes. Everyone wanted the game to succeed to the point that Gearbox head Randy Pitchford bought the moribound franchise so that the game could be finished. But alas, it just isn't meant to be.
But really what is Duke's legacy. In a way, at this point he's a caricature of himself. The 1980's action movies that he imitated are now 20-30 years old, the references lost on many gamers now. People old enough to buy M-Rated games weren't yet born when the first Duke Nukem game came out, and were only 2 years old when the last one did. No one has been clamoring for the remakes because they are relics of a past generation. These are games that came out before Google existed. Game mechanics which were new are now completely outdated. Over the top action is now exemplified by the GTA series, whose first game hadn't even been released yet in 1996.
Another problem with the game's over the topness is the way women are portrayed. in the mid 90's a game with a humor style fitted for a pornographic film would have been more accepted, especially since gamers were mostly men. Nowadays, women comprise of a pretty large segment of the gaming population, and just from the trailers you can tell this is going to be bad. The benefit of GTA being around is that even though they use strip clubs and lapdances, women aren't treated in nearly the tawdry way as they are treated by duke. No one cares for a misogynist, especially since games of the last few years have used women as leads and sidekicks and to have a character like this, even in parody sets gaming back quite a few years. In reading reviews of the game, many terms that evoke images of sexual violence are used. Overt jokes and sight gags could get by in the 90's, but nowadays, not as much.
I realize a crux of this post is just me writing "Duke is old". Certain genres carry well over time. Puzzle games carry well over time. Shooters? Not as much. If you want proof of that try playing Goldeneye 64. Great at the time, but not at all now. As you can guess from the post, or already know, Duke has been pretty much universally panned as being awful despite everyone's best hopes. Everyone wanted the game to succeed to the point that Gearbox head Randy Pitchford bought the moribound franchise so that the game could be finished. But alas, it just isn't meant to be.
Monday, June 13, 2011
NFL Review from last year. Not perfect.
Since I'm not sure when/if the lockout will ever end, I'm going to publish my quick year end review, in response to last years year beginning predictions. Just to be clear next to every team i wrote how many games I thought they would win. I determine being right or wrong I was, not by getting the exact number of wins right, but for having a good overall idea of how the team would do. For example, I had the Packers winning 15 games, and indeed, even though they didn't win 15, they were dominant. The 49ers, not as much.
Pre-season predictions in italics
NFC South
NFC South
NO - 12
ATL - 11
CAR - 2
TB - 1
Heavy bias towards the Atl team and the SB champs. Heavy bias against the panthers and bucs. 2 teams have QBs and 2 don’t. Yawn.
Biggest Mistake:
Oh sure, you guys definitely knew going into last year that the Bucs were going to be good with a mediocre draft and a RB better known for actually punching people. But they’re good and I won’t be taking shots at Josh Freeman this year.
Right on the button:
Carolina was going to be awful. No passing game, no defense. Lost their best defensive player in free agency
NFC West
SF - 15
Ari - 5
STl - 5
Sea- 2
More obvious bias. I’m a bit shocked at the level of SF wins. I think I was a bit too trigger happy (10 wins is more reasonable). I probably should temper my expectations there. Everywhere else I’m confident.
Biggest Mistake:
I thought Mike Singletary could coach. I thought Crabtree was good. I feel like Lebron predicting championships.
Right on the button:
Arizona is a bad team. If a guy from Fordham starts at QB, your scouts should be fired.
NFC East
NFC East
DAL - 12
NYG - 7
WAS - 7
PHI - 6
My Boys bias is actually reasonable this year. I’m a bit scared of their schedule. Add the other teams to the who knows pile. I’m confident in the Washington pick though.
Biggest mistake
I’m a bit torn here. Clearly the Cowboys and Eagles picks were bad. The difference is that Kevin Kolb was supposed to be starting throughout the year. I was sure of it. Vick came in and led them to the NFC East crown. The Cowboys pick is less defensible. The O-line was awful. Truly and completely awful. And yet I picked them to win that many games.
Right on the button
The skins not being very good.
NFC North
GB - 15
Min - 10
DET - 7
Chi - 5
But I hate the packers. I blame Billy for selling me on this team. That and BJ Raji who’s on my all time exciting college player team. (Also inclusive of Orakpo, Suh, Mount, Cody, Crabtree, Dez Bryant)
Biggest mistake
There is nothing too egregious here. The Vikings weren’t as good. The Bears were a playoff noisemaker.
Right on the button
Thanks for selling me on the Packers, Billy. The Super Bowl championship winning team.
AFC West
KC - 10
SD - 8
DEN - 8
OAK - 4
Yawn. Once again, I’m a bit surprised at my KC Bias. But I kinda sorta like them I’ve been suckered in. I don’t know enough about the other squads.
Biggest Mistake:
Thanks to injury the Broncos were worse than I thought they were going to be. I gave them far too much credit.
Right on the Button:
As the only person in my inner circle to show KC respect before the season.*Waits for applause to end* Thank you. You can’t beat young up and coming teams with depth at QB and a RB who runs for 6 yards per carry. Unless, of course, you’re the Baltimore Ravens.
AFC East
NYJ - 13
MIA - 9
NE - 7
BUF – 3
No shock, I hate the Pats and like the Jets. Miami has a hard schedule and the bills aren’t very good. I don’t have any faith in Sanchez but their defense is difficult to face. Miami still hasn’t given a truly exciting player. You need one on both sides. Ronnie Brown might be their offensive playmaker but who on their defense?
Biggest Mistake:
The Pats. But in my defense I’ll do it again and again and again. I’ll underrate them every single year that Bellichek coaches them. They’re my second least favorite team. The Miami pick might not have been a great idea either.
Right on the Button:
The Jets. The Bills.
AFC North
BAL - 13
CIN - 11
PIT - 7
CLE - 2
The Steeler bias is complete Big Ben related. The Brown loses is QB related. I think Cinci will be fun this year if Odom can stay healthy.. The Ravens could be a potential JUGGERNAUT.
Luckily for my memory I pretty much summarized my pre-season feelings pretty well. I thought the Steelers would start slow. They didn’t. I thought that Odom would stay healthy. He didn’t.
Right on the button
I thought the Browns would be bad. They were. I thought the Ravens would dominate teams on defense, and score enough to get wins. They did.
AFC South
TEN - 13
IND - 12
HOU - 9
JAC - 3
I gotta admit I was surprised by the Titan Bias. But they are a fun madden team with cj2k and vince young. Indy will always be indy. Houston is Houston. Jacksonville is not very good.
My poorly based picks might explain my poor results
Biggest Mistake: The entire division.
The Titans are only a madden team. The Colts were still the dominant force. The Texans shouldn’t be rooted for to go over .500. The Jags aren’t that bad.
Pre-season predictions in italics
NFC South
NFC South
NO - 12
ATL - 11
CAR - 2
TB - 1
Heavy bias towards the Atl team and the SB champs. Heavy bias against the panthers and bucs. 2 teams have QBs and 2 don’t. Yawn.
Biggest Mistake:
Oh sure, you guys definitely knew going into last year that the Bucs were going to be good with a mediocre draft and a RB better known for actually punching people. But they’re good and I won’t be taking shots at Josh Freeman this year.
Right on the button:
Carolina was going to be awful. No passing game, no defense. Lost their best defensive player in free agency
NFC West
SF - 15
Ari - 5
STl - 5
Sea- 2
More obvious bias. I’m a bit shocked at the level of SF wins. I think I was a bit too trigger happy (10 wins is more reasonable). I probably should temper my expectations there. Everywhere else I’m confident.
Biggest Mistake:
I thought Mike Singletary could coach. I thought Crabtree was good. I feel like Lebron predicting championships.
Right on the button:
Arizona is a bad team. If a guy from Fordham starts at QB, your scouts should be fired.
NFC East
NFC East
DAL - 12
NYG - 7
WAS - 7
PHI - 6
My Boys bias is actually reasonable this year. I’m a bit scared of their schedule. Add the other teams to the who knows pile. I’m confident in the Washington pick though.
Biggest mistake
I’m a bit torn here. Clearly the Cowboys and Eagles picks were bad. The difference is that Kevin Kolb was supposed to be starting throughout the year. I was sure of it. Vick came in and led them to the NFC East crown. The Cowboys pick is less defensible. The O-line was awful. Truly and completely awful. And yet I picked them to win that many games.
Right on the button
The skins not being very good.
NFC North
GB - 15
Min - 10
DET - 7
Chi - 5
But I hate the packers. I blame Billy for selling me on this team. That and BJ Raji who’s on my all time exciting college player team. (Also inclusive of Orakpo, Suh, Mount, Cody, Crabtree, Dez Bryant)
Biggest mistake
There is nothing too egregious here. The Vikings weren’t as good. The Bears were a playoff noisemaker.
Right on the button
Thanks for selling me on the Packers, Billy. The Super Bowl championship winning team.
AFC West
KC - 10
SD - 8
DEN - 8
OAK - 4
Yawn. Once again, I’m a bit surprised at my KC Bias. But I kinda sorta like them I’ve been suckered in. I don’t know enough about the other squads.
Biggest Mistake:
Thanks to injury the Broncos were worse than I thought they were going to be. I gave them far too much credit.
Right on the Button:
As the only person in my inner circle to show KC respect before the season.*Waits for applause to end* Thank you. You can’t beat young up and coming teams with depth at QB and a RB who runs for 6 yards per carry. Unless, of course, you’re the Baltimore Ravens.
AFC East
NYJ - 13
MIA - 9
NE - 7
BUF – 3
No shock, I hate the Pats and like the Jets. Miami has a hard schedule and the bills aren’t very good. I don’t have any faith in Sanchez but their defense is difficult to face. Miami still hasn’t given a truly exciting player. You need one on both sides. Ronnie Brown might be their offensive playmaker but who on their defense?
Biggest Mistake:
The Pats. But in my defense I’ll do it again and again and again. I’ll underrate them every single year that Bellichek coaches them. They’re my second least favorite team. The Miami pick might not have been a great idea either.
Right on the Button:
The Jets. The Bills.
AFC North
BAL - 13
CIN - 11
PIT - 7
CLE - 2
The Steeler bias is complete Big Ben related. The Brown loses is QB related. I think Cinci will be fun this year if Odom can stay healthy.. The Ravens could be a potential JUGGERNAUT.
Luckily for my memory I pretty much summarized my pre-season feelings pretty well. I thought the Steelers would start slow. They didn’t. I thought that Odom would stay healthy. He didn’t.
Right on the button
I thought the Browns would be bad. They were. I thought the Ravens would dominate teams on defense, and score enough to get wins. They did.
AFC South
TEN - 13
IND - 12
HOU - 9
JAC - 3
I gotta admit I was surprised by the Titan Bias. But they are a fun madden team with cj2k and vince young. Indy will always be indy. Houston is Houston. Jacksonville is not very good.
My poorly based picks might explain my poor results
Biggest Mistake: The entire division.
The Titans are only a madden team. The Colts were still the dominant force. The Texans shouldn’t be rooted for to go over .500. The Jags aren’t that bad.
Self Acccountability
This week I'll be posting
1. Reasons why the Mavs winning was a good thing for the NBA
2. Reasons why the Mavs winning was a bad thing for the NBA
3. More Achievement updates (provided my internet works again)
4. Colorado stuff
5. NFL recap. I'm in complete denial about the fact that the lockout could last.
This month I'll be posting
1. Much shorter NBA Recap. I care.
2. E3 rant.
3. More detailed stuff about the Achievements I'm trying to obtain.
1. Reasons why the Mavs winning was a good thing for the NBA
2. Reasons why the Mavs winning was a bad thing for the NBA
3. More Achievement updates (provided my internet works again)
4. Colorado stuff
5. NFL recap. I'm in complete denial about the fact that the lockout could last.
This month I'll be posting
1. Much shorter NBA Recap. I care.
2. E3 rant.
3. More detailed stuff about the Achievements I'm trying to obtain.
Friday, June 10, 2011
I dedicate this one to my girlfriend
So it's summer time again and now I'm not encumbered by internships or school. Of course this means more gaming time. This post is going to have a lot of achievement talk and other similar stuff going on. Consider this to be fair warning.
A. Soul Calibur IV
I'm "this close" to getting a full 1000 in this game. All I have to do is transcend history and the world, which is a great name for an achievement where you have to buy every item in the game. I'm a million dollars short and the I'm gaining money a couple of thousand at a time. This could be a while.
B. Halo Reach
Not much going on here. I'm a bit upset that I haven't beaten the game on legendary yet though.
C. NBA 2K11
200 wins is possible right? It's not for an acheivement, but just because And the association achievements
D. Music Games
Time to get the band back together again. You know who you are.
Lots of small achievements to get.
E. Marvel v. Capcom stuff. Because I need it.
F. Madden 11 and 12
Yesterday I was reminded that I've gotten lazy as far as being "in the lab" with games. I used to really work at getting better at games. Now not
A. Soul Calibur IV
I'm "this close" to getting a full 1000 in this game. All I have to do is transcend history and the world, which is a great name for an achievement where you have to buy every item in the game. I'm a million dollars short and the I'm gaining money a couple of thousand at a time. This could be a while.
B. Halo Reach
Not much going on here. I'm a bit upset that I haven't beaten the game on legendary yet though.
C. NBA 2K11
200 wins is possible right? It's not for an acheivement, but just because And the association achievements
D. Music Games
Time to get the band back together again. You know who you are.
Lots of small achievements to get.
E. Marvel v. Capcom stuff. Because I need it.
F. Madden 11 and 12
Yesterday I was reminded that I've gotten lazy as far as being "in the lab" with games. I used to really work at getting better at games. Now not
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Courtesy of the block 4 point play
"I'm conquering anybody with a lack of confidence"
A. Mea Culpa
Usually I'd post about real basketball. The Mavs heat series is midway through. People seem to fall into 2 camps Lebron fans and Lebron haters. Usually with no rationality in between. I was planning on writing a pro-Lebron post, but J.A. Adande did it better already this week. And, of course, in game 4 he scored 8 points in a crucial game. My prediction. He drops over 25 tonight and a near triple double. 93-78 final score
B. Semi real basketball
This week, I played basketball for the first time in a while. I'm out of shape though. It's one thing to be unathletic, but I was seriously winded. On the other hand there's one shot I've been hitting since 7th grade and apparently I'm still the same way now.
C. Virtual basketball.
So in my crew my team won its 100th game this week. So far, so good.
D. Distractions
http://goo.gl/doodle/1pzf
I've been having way too much fun with this site.
A. Mea Culpa
Usually I'd post about real basketball. The Mavs heat series is midway through. People seem to fall into 2 camps Lebron fans and Lebron haters. Usually with no rationality in between. I was planning on writing a pro-Lebron post, but J.A. Adande did it better already this week. And, of course, in game 4 he scored 8 points in a crucial game. My prediction. He drops over 25 tonight and a near triple double. 93-78 final score
B. Semi real basketball
This week, I played basketball for the first time in a while. I'm out of shape though. It's one thing to be unathletic, but I was seriously winded. On the other hand there's one shot I've been hitting since 7th grade and apparently I'm still the same way now.
C. Virtual basketball.
So in my crew my team won its 100th game this week. So far, so good.
D. Distractions
http://goo.gl/doodle/1pzf
I've been having way too much fun with this site.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Legends
1. Shaq retires.
I'm glad to see him go. I'm going to live the rest of my life not remembering his stints in a Suns, Cavs, or Celtics uniform. I'm going to remember him as an incomparably strong and big center. Just in case his legacy is forgotten beacuse of his age lets remember that shaq is
a) 8th all time in blocked shots
b) 1st in fg percentage
c) 7th in points scored
2. Kareem's response to Pippen's statement about Jordan being the best scorer ever.
Kareem gets no love. I think it was funny that the leading scorer of all time is completely forgotton in the realm of scoring. He did win tons of MVP's in his lifetime. He has scored more points than anyone else wearing an NBA uniform. He was in every all-star game from 1970-1989. He has 6 regular season MVP's to go with 6 championships. Oh and he had a shot that analysts describe as unblockable. Even though Kareem was unwilling to nominate himself I'll take that.
Kareem's skyhook: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPcniUfKRlU
I'm glad to see him go. I'm going to live the rest of my life not remembering his stints in a Suns, Cavs, or Celtics uniform. I'm going to remember him as an incomparably strong and big center. Just in case his legacy is forgotten beacuse of his age lets remember that shaq is
a) 8th all time in blocked shots
b) 1st in fg percentage
c) 7th in points scored
2. Kareem's response to Pippen's statement about Jordan being the best scorer ever.
Kareem gets no love. I think it was funny that the leading scorer of all time is completely forgotton in the realm of scoring. He did win tons of MVP's in his lifetime. He has scored more points than anyone else wearing an NBA uniform. He was in every all-star game from 1970-1989. He has 6 regular season MVP's to go with 6 championships. Oh and he had a shot that analysts describe as unblockable. Even though Kareem was unwilling to nominate himself I'll take that.
Kareem's skyhook: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPcniUfKRlU
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)