Links

• Of all the games I'd like to see made into movies, The Sims wasn't even on the list. Mass Effect? That totally makes sense.

• From Monday Morning QB:
At 5:14 p.m. ET on Sept. 21, on their 28th offensive possession of the season, the St. Louis Rams invaded the red zone of an opponent for the first time this season.

• You should be buying Mega Man 9 this week. (Or next week for XBLA.)

• Hey Ash Whatcha Playin'? - Team Fortress 2

That's all for now. Watching to see if Heroes is worth a damn this season.

E3 2008 or 'How My Wallet Will Be Raped This Fall'

So E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo is about to start this week and today was the Microsoft's Keynote Address. Here are my picks for the most interesting news and games announced today.

Nintendo Announces Wii MotionPlus
"Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo's commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone."

Final Fantasy XIII Confirmed for X-Box 360
Can you hear the sound of a million fanboys crying out in terror?

Fable 2 Confirmed for October
Honestly, I never thought this game was coming this year. Let's hope it lives up to the hype...of Fable 1.

Microsoft Rips off Nintendo Miis Microsoft Unveils New 360 Dashboard, Avatars


Microsoft and Netflix Partner for Movies
If the movies are free, this is totally awesome. I'm assuming it's not in HD though.

Resident Evil 5 Dated, Online Co-Op Confirmed
The first (and really only) example of the co-op in use in the video already surpassed any game play mechanic in the entirety of Army of Two. I know, I know, that's not saying much.

Portal: Still Alive Announced
Exclusive to X-Box Live? I think that's a timed exclusive if anything. Steam users will revolt if not.

Gears of War 2 Dated
November 7th. Cool.

Saving the best for last...
Rock Band 2 Setlist Revealed

Click the link for the full list...here are my favorites:

• "You Oughta Know" by Alanis Morissette
• "So Whatcha Want" by Beastie Boys
• "E-Pro" by Beck
• "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi
• "Down with the Sickness" by Disturbed
• "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran
• "Everlong" by Foo Fighters
• "PDA" by Interpol
• "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction
• "The Middle" by Jimmy Eat World
• "Anyway You Want It" by Journey
• "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas
• "Our Truth" by Lacuna Coil
• "Float On" by Modest Mouse
• "Drain You" by Nirvana
• "Alive" by Pearl Jam
• "Lump" by Presidents of the USA
• "Testify" by Rage Against the Machine
• "Give it Away" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
• "Give it All" by Rise Against
• "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups
• "Today" by Smashing Pumpkins
• "Spoonman" by Soundgarden
• "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor
• "Chop Suey" by System of a Down
• "Master Exploder" by Tenacious D
• "Pinball Wizard" by The Who

Personally, I think this is Harmonix's best lineup of songs for a game. I seriously can't wait for this. Plus it's also coming out September 15th.

More tomorrow.

The Importance of Batman?

The summer movie season is well under way. Iron Man came and surprised the hell out of me. Indiana Jones took us for another fun adventure and The Happening...happened. Now the movie at the top my list is The Dark Knight. The sequel to my favorite “comic book” movie of all time Batman Begins. But this seems to be no ordinary sequel. Buzz around the net from early screenings is that this movie is simply a 'Masterpiece.”

Check out Dark Horizon's reaction:

“It really isn't a comic book movie, this feels more like a great Michael Mann movie - literally a film of "Heat" calibre.“

First Showing has this to say about the film:

“Not since Lord of the Rings: Return of the King five years ago in December of 2003, did I walk out of the theater so moved, so amazed, and so extraordinarily impacted by the movie I had just watched.”

Return of the King is, in my opinion, the single best movie in the past decade. I have never been as awestruck after a movie. To compare The Dark Knight to Return of the King? Wow. I was excited, but I never expected this. So are all these people blowing smoke? Part of me wants to not believe the hype and lower my expectations. It's just another summer movie sequel...a good time, but ultimately not a life changing experience. There must be something to these reactions. It's not an isolated incident. Perhaps Christopher Nolan has put together a great film. Could this movie be good enough to garner some important Oscar nominations? Okay, maybe THAT's pushing it. I'll try to keep my expectations in check, but this is absolutely at the top of my list.

In any case, at least Robin won't be joining the franchise anytime soon.

Christian Bale Rules Out Robin For Batman 3 (and beyond)

Frustrations of a Battlestar Galactica Fan

This morning, I read this article detailing how there is a possibility of three new Battlestar Galactica TV movies going into production soon. BSG is easily one of my all time favorite TV shows so this is great news right? I mean, with the final season of the show currently airing, more BSG is a good thing right? Well yes it is, until you read this little snippet:

"By the way, at this point, it’s not known when those last 10 episodes of "Battlestar" will air. Informed sources say that a decision on that won’t get made until mid-summer, so my guess is that Sci Fi won’t air the final 10 episodes until 2009."

2009.

TWO THOUSAND NINE.

Being a fan of Battlestar Galactica is not easy. Patience is something we all must have to make it from each season to the next. But this is really too much for me to process. You see, BSG is not created like a standard network show. First off, their season is 20 episodes long. Pretty standard actually. Most shows have a yearly production schedule of 20 - 25 hours per year. But what BSG does is air ten weekly episodes consecutively and have a break of a few weeks or (more likely) months between episodes 10 & 11. That is where the pain of being a fan comes...the excruciating wait.

Season Three ended on March 25, 2007. Season Four BEGAN on April 4, 2008. That is over ONE YEAR to wait for new episodes. One freaking year. As I write this, episode seven of the fourth season has aired. So we are now three weeks from another break. A break that could last seven months until 2009. So in a span of possibly 19 months, nearly 2 full years, we will have only gotten 10 new episodes. WTF is Sci-Fi Channel doing to us?

Does this show really take that long to produce? It takes seven months to create ten 43-minute episodes? Many other shows end up with 25 episodes in nine months. They've already announced that season 4 is the FINAL season. All the stories are coming to a close. For MONTHS, they have been hyping up this final season of BSG only to have it air over 2 months with a 7 month wait for the real payoff?! What is the hold up? Why drag this on for so long? I think The Sci-Fi Channel is milking this show and its small but loyal audience for all they can. So they can sell half-season on DVD for full price before the second half airs.

As a fan, I feel like I'm being dragged through the mud. What's the point of watching the next three episodes? Should I even bother? I'm just going to get a huge cliffhanger with a long break before any answers. Maybe I should just cut the cord now and catch up in 2009.

Just finish up the new episodes and air them already. We've waited long enough. Ugh...this makes me sick. Please Sci-Fi, put BSG Season 4.5 on the FALL schedule. I beg you.

A Fire In The Attic, Proof of the Prize

Okay, it's been too long since I've posted here. I apologize for that. So what has happened lately? Well, if that image above hasn't tipped you off I went to my first rock concert in years. I isn't very often that major bands come to Hawaii to perform. Let alone Maui, which would probably be one of the smaller venues on any bands tour. Though, I've actually been lucky that my favorite bands have performed here. Foo Fighters performed here in 2000, No Doubt performed here in 1998 and again in 2000. On the long Easter weekend, I was lucky enough to see Incubus.

I've been a fan of the band since 1999, when their second album "Make Yourself" was released and dominated the radio. So it was a little surreal to be driving to the show. I thought, "This is a band I've listened to for nearly 10 years...and now I finally get to see them perform." I don't want to go into a long winded review of the concert, but I think it was awesome. There really is no other feeling like being in a crowd singing every word of every song. Here's their set list by album. (I'm not hardcore enough to remember the order)

Light Grenades
Quicksand
A Kiss to Send Us Off
Ann Molly

One Crow Left of the Murder
Megalomaniac
Talk Shows on Mute
Beware! Criminal
Sick, Sad Little World
Pistola

Morning View
Nice to Know You
Wish You Were Here
Blood on the Ground
Aqueus Transmission

Make Yourself
The Warmth
Stellar
Drive

S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
Redefine
Vitamin (Not 100% sure about that one)





One last note, please check out the Silversun Pickups. They were the opening act and freakin' ROCK! I've been listening to them for a while because I listen to WOXY.com. I'm really glad I got to see them perform before they really hit the big time. They seemed to be really impressed at the enthusiasm for our rock hungry crowd.

I'll post again soon with reviews for God of War: Chains of Olympus & Call of Duty 4.

Send in the Clone Wars

All my life I have been a Star Wars fan. I love it. I love ALL of the movies...yes even the prequels. I saw Attack of the Clones FOUR times on opening day. When the Special Editions were released theatrically I was in heaven because it was the first time since I was a kid that my most favorite thing in the world was at the top of pop culture consciousness. So it is with great excitement and satisfaction when I say that there will be another Star Wars movie released.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars In Theaters and on Television in 2008

The coolest thing about this? It will be released on August 15th, my birthday. So while most people are dreading the coming day and feeling old on their 30th birthday, I'll be spending it watching a new Star Wars film feeling like a little kid again. I can't wait.

In other news, on September 7, Spore will actually be released. It's good to know they didn't rest on their laurels of E3 Game of the Show for four years running and are actually selling a product.

LOST & Found

So here are the questions rolling around my head after last nights season premiere of LOST.

1. Hurley said he was one of the "Oceanic Six." Does that mean only six people made it off the island? If so, we now know half of them. Jack, Kate and Hurley. Is Sawyer another one? Kate did refer to someone else saying "He'll wonder where I've been" in the season 3 finale. Plus, I'm guessing one of them died and that's the funeral that Jack went to in the season 3 finale. But clearly it's someone that no one missed as only Jack showed up...Ben?

2. What is the secret known only to the Oceanic six? Jack checked up on Hugo to make sure he didn't say anything. What's so important that they can't tell? Hmm...

3. Who was the man who claimed to be an Oceanic lawyer? He asked "Are they still alive?" Does this mean the Oceanic six are not the only survivors? Could ONLY six people leave or did the rest of the survivors willingly stay on the island? Or does it mean all but six people DIED on the island?

Here's a prediction. After learning that Hurley and Jack both think they shouldn't have left, I'm going to guess that the series will end with them all returning to the island.

I'm really glad that the show is back on. I've missed it dearly. But I'm also watching with a sense of dread, because I know there's only seven episodes left. I truly hope the writers get what they want so they can get back to making my favorite shows.