Christmas Eve

All of the kids are ready to go tomorrow morning. They have all been (reasonably) good, so Santa is going to be good to them. My parents will be coming over tomorrow morning to watch the kids open presents. Barb's parents are in for the holiday and it's always nice to have them. We are truly blessed to have such a great, close-knit family.

Still playing (and loving) Fallout 3. Left 4 Dead is up next, then Little Big Planet. After that, I should be ready to name my Game Of The Year. Look for it right around the new year. It will probably be a pretty lengthy write up, as I have lots to say about the games I played, and even the ones I didn't.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a great new year. We are looking forward to seeing what adventures await us in 2009.

Allow me to brag a bit...

My son Zach recently took his PSAT and got his results back. He scored in the upper 99%. Needless to say we are thrilled with this. He took his ACT test on Saturday and we are hoping for similar results there. Way to go Zach!!!

Santa Claus came to town

Yesterday Barb threw a big open house party for family and friends. I say Barb threw it because I was hardly involved at all, and she deserves all of the credit for what turned out to be a wonderful evening. The younger kids (well, Laurel actually since John had no idea what was going on) were surprised by a visit from Santa Claus himself, also known as my Uncle Doug. He and his wife Missy do this every year for us and we always appreciate it so much. The party was a success, everyone was in good spirits and I have photographic evidence that Santa Claus exists.

Thanks to everyone that attended and of course to my lovely Barb.

5 years ago today...

...my soon-to-be wife and her two children, Zach and Jess, moved into my house here in St. Louis. Since then we have become one loving family. We have added two more kids, Laurel and John, so now I am a daddy four times over. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. This picture is from December 9th, 2003, when the kids arrived to their new home. I love you guys!

Cuddle bugs

I love this picture, my wife and my two youngest kids. John is fighting an ear infection and a nasty cold that has been hanging on for a long while. Poor guy hasn't felt right for quite some time. Laurel is Laurel, which means she is crazy but doing just fine. And of course Barb keeps us all together.

Fallout 3

Began this game last night and played it for a long while. Wholly crap, this game is immense. I am thinking it is going to dwarf Far Cry 2 in scope and that was a 70+ hour game for me. Honestly when I first started Fallout 3 and made it out of the vault, it was almost overwhelming. I hung in there and started to get a better handle on the game and so far it's very good. Combat is not as fun or satisfying as in Far Cry 2, but there's a big difference: FC2 is a 1st-person shooter and Fallout 3 is an RPG. Fallout 3 is much more concerned about how you build up your character. The VATS system in Fallout 3 works well; it lets you aim for specific body parts on a foe so you can approach combat in different ways. Sometimes it's better to go for a head shot, but other times you are better off aiming for one of the legs in order to cripple the enemy. You can also shoot the foe's weapon, though this renders it useless for you if you pick it up.

So far it's good stuff. I honestly don't know if I have the stamina to finish this game, especially so soon after FC2. But I am intrigued by the game and plan to keep playing.

Finished Far Cry 2

Ubisoft has a real winner on their hands with FC2. I got a ton of game play out of it, probably over 70 hours worth. That is a tremendous value. If I had to score the game, I'd probably do it like this:
Graphics: 9
Sound: 9
Story: 8.5
Gameplay: 9
Overall: 9

As I mentioned earlier it is definitely in my GOTY running. It's one of those rare games where the sum is greater than the parts. By that I mean there are a couple of things that little things that stick in your craw, but the game plays so well: the weapons are spot-on and even the vehicles are fun to drive. As a total package it is really hard to beat this game.

Next up will probably be Fallout 3, which may even take longer to beat than FC2. I do have Left 4 Dead sitting here unopened still. I'd love to be able to get some co-op going with Dave (he broke down and got the game), but our schedules rarely work out. Still, if we can get that going, I'll definitely interrupt my time with Fallout 3.

GOTY

My decision on Game Of The Year will be coming at around the end of the year, probably a little after. There are still a few games I have yet to play (Fallout 3 chief among them) and some supposedly great games I simply won't play for whatever reason (not my cup of tea, can't afford it, not enough time, etc). So I will be listing those games worthy of consideration that I didn't play as well. Right now there are 4 games being seriously considered: Fable 2, Far Cry 2, MLB '08: The Show and NHL '09. I still have Fallout 3 and Left 4 Dead waiting to be played and I am expecting Little Big Planet to be a Christmas present since I have been a good boy. Hopefully I can put enough time in with those games to be able to get a complete read on them.

Last year's Game Of The Year for me was Bioshock. I still consider it one of the top 5 games I have ever played. And it had a lot of stiff competition, as 2007 was an unbelievably good year for gaming, especially in the fall and winter. 2008 is beginning to look a lot like that, with a lot of stellar games released late in the year. Look for updates for the games I play the rest of the year and a GOTY decision shortly after the beginning of 2009.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Barb's family is in town and we are also celebrating John's 6-month birthday. It's great to see everyone, although we miss Barb's sister Kelly and her family, who could not make it in this year. The ladies are all going shopping tomorrow morning, which in my opinion means that they are all nuts. Better them than me.

Hope everyone has a great holiday!

A couple of things...

Michigan football just wrapped up the worst season in their considerable history. What a letdown it has been. I was very excited about the Rich Rodriguez hire and I still have high hopes, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't shocked by the lack of competitiveness on the field week in and week out. The defense was supposed to be very good and the backbone of the team. It was horrific. Everyone knew that the offense would struggle with the new system but I was completely unprepared for just how horrible the QBs were. Neither Threet nor Sheridan look like they have any business throwing passes for a Division 1 program. Threet in particular was disappointing because he was supposed to be able to throw the ball well. Every deep ball had this weird loft to it as it sailed over the receiver's head or into an awaiting DBs arms. It simply looked like he had no clue on how to throw the ball. Unreal.

Next year will be better but it will also be a long way from a return to dominance. Rodriguez does have 2 freshman QBs coming in that supposedly can run his spread offense. But if he is given 3 years to make progress at Michigan before a decision is made on his future, that means that his fate will rest in the hands of 2 true sophomore QBs. Scary stuff indeed.

There are rumors flying all over the place that freshman HB Sam McGuffie wants to transfer to a school closer to his home in Texas. He was the lone bright spot I latched onto this season and now he may be gone. Thank goodness I didn't buy that jersey like I was planning on.

In other news, my wife picked up Left 4 Dead for me. What a woman!!! I have not played it yet and will probably hold off for a while, at least until I finish Far Cry 2, unless someone else I know picks it up and we can get some co-op going. Dave said he is likely going to pass, so I may have to look elsewhere.

That's all for tonight. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Dave reviews Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway

Dave Roland has posted a very fine review of Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway over at his web site. Definitely worth reading for anyone interested in this game. I think I am going to pass. I am still playing the heck out of Far Cry 2 and after that comes the massive Fallout 3. So finding time would be a problem. There are other games out there I am interested in more than BIA anyway.

You can read Dave's review here.

Today's picture: Jess and Laurel

Here's a nice pic of my two favorite daughters. Laurel is with her best play buddy, her big sis.

Happy Birthday Dave!

Dave Roland turned 35 yesterday. Here's hoping it was a happy birthday and that 35 is an excellent year for you, bro!

6 months old!!!

It was 6 months ago yesterday that John was born. He came into our lives earlier than expected and we are so fortunate that he is here with us and is doing just fine. We call him our little miracle baby because that's what he is to us. I'll never forget the night he was born: it was quite traumatic as I came way too close to losing both Barb and John. I am thankful everyday that they are here with me.

John is quite fond of his sister Laurel. She talks to him all the time and is so cute with him. Of course he loves his older siblings too, Zach and Jess. They are a huge help with him and keep Barb and me from going off of the deep end sometimes. John could not be luckier to have such good siblings. We count our blessings for having them each and every day as well. Quite a family we have here if I do say so myself.

Bad news/good news

Scott Burress has decided to shut down one of my favorite blogs, Who Needs Rules. He had a great run there and consistently made WNR a place worth visiting frequently. But while we're sorry to see it go, WNR staff writer and good buddy Dave Roland has decided to do more with his own blog since now he'll have more time on his hands. Dave is determined to keep his site updated and fresh and has promised to include game reviews and apps for the iPhone. Plus he has a great, irreverent sense of humor. I am really looking forward to reading more Dave. Check out Dave's Not Here Man and see what I mean.

Good luck, Dave!

More Far Cry 2

This game is absolutely amazing. There are so many ways to approach taking out enemies. One of my favorites is to hurl a Molotov cocktail at a hut, which ignites everything around it, causing a massive brush fire. As everything that can burn does (including trees), I simply wait for the bad guys to come flying out of the hut in a panic and pick them off with my sniper rifle. This tactic reminds me of an old classic PC game, XCOM: UFO Defense. I used to use incendiary ammo to flush out the aliens and take them out as they fled. Wow, XCOM. That's one of the top 5 games I ever played.

A couple of other cool things happened as I played today. The AI seems to get better and harder as you advance through the game. I raided an outpost today and drove off the guards. One of them ran off into some rocks about 50 yards from the outpost. I was walking through the camp, looking for goodies to loot when I heard the hiding guard start taking shots at me from a distance. I turned to run and saw a propane tank out of the corner of my eye. As I ran by it - WHOOSH! - it blew up and everything around it (including me) caught fire. The guard had aimed for the tank and created a massive explosion. That is some damned good AI.

Later I had a mission to take out a truck convoy. I did this, hitting it and the surrounding cars with my rocket launcher. Suddenly 2 jeep patrols showed up and started firing at me. I took out 3 of the 4 guys in quick order and was lining up a shot for the last one when he turned and ran, hiding behind one of the burning cars. What did he do then? He shot off a flare gun, high into the sky. Suddenly 4 or 5 more jeep patrols came roaring in and I was under an immense amount of fire. He called for backup! I had to high tail it out of the area, running for my life. Incredible. That was the first time I had seen the enemy do that and it was such a rush.

The game features tons of weapons that you unlock by doing favors for the weapon shops owners. There is a huge variety of real weapons, from the aforementioned flare guns to assault rifles, shotguns, sniper rifles, sub machine guns and even a flamethrower. They all function realistically and in a neat touch, wear out over time. You can pick up weapons from fallen enemies too, but you can bet they are very used and are subject to ammo jams at the worst possible times. If you use them too long they may even blow up in your hand.

There's also a great variety of vehicles you can commandeer. A good number of real Jeep vehicles are in the game, as well as generic cars and dune buggies (which are really fun to drive). There are also boats you can take as you head up river to your next destination. Make no mistake; this game mixes the best elements of FPS games and sandbox games such as the Grand Theft Auto series.

This game is getting criminally overlooked because of all of the A++ titles being released this fall in time for the holidays. But if you want a realistic FPS that offers hours and hours of gameplay and sublime strategy, you simply must check out Far Cry 2.

Far Cry 2

I have been playing a lot of this game lately and I am really enjoying it. After playing Fable 2 and the Left 4 Dead demo, it's quite a change in both style and gameplay. Far Cry 2 is made to be a gritty, more realistic game than your average FPS. There's a lot of strategy involved if you choose to not just run 'n gun. The plot is straight out of Kurosawa's "Yojimbo" as you play a mercenary caught in a battle between 2 factions and find yourself doing missions for both sides, playing them against each other.

I have a few complaints about the game: you have to deal with malaria, which can be a royal pain in the neck if you run low on medicine. It's manageable, but it seems gimicky. Also you cannot save your game anytime, anywhere. You must either complete a mission or travel to different places throughout the map to find a save point. And there is a LOT of traveling. The map is huge (which is a good thing) but getting from one place to another can take quite a while and you are constantly running into checkpoints that you must fight your way through. In addition, random patrol vehicles are also on the prowl, and if they spot you they start shooting. So in the midst of traveling to a place to do a mission, you could find yourself getting in 4 or 5 fire fights before you even arrive to your destination. You'll probably be a little low on ammo and the mission battles are pretty intense in most cases.

Despite my gripes, I am really enjoying Far Cry 2. The single player campaign alone can take up to 70 hours to complete if you are thorough. That's a lot of bang for the buck. Plus the weapons are realistic and you can upgrade to better ones by doing side missions for the arms dealers. There's a lot of incentive to dig deeper and deeper into the game and once you do it get's it's hooks in.

Left 4 Dead demo impressions

My good buddy Dave Roland got me a code so that I could download the Left 4 Dead demo before it hit the marketplace. After playing through it a couple of times, I posted my impressions over at Beyond Media Online. You can find the write up here.

Thanks a bunch, Dave!

History

History was made in the United States tonight. I will go to bed tonight thinking that my children's future just may have gotten a little brighter. For that I am very, very grateful.

One last thing: McCain's concession speech was pure class. I was more impressed with him tonight than I have been since 2000. Bravo, Mr. McCain.

Just voted

I just returned from casting my ballot. The line was out the door when I got there, but it only took 45 minutes total for me to vote and be on my way. Not bad at all. I get the feeling that voter turnout is going to be massive all around the country and that the polls will have to be kept open hours longer than normal. This means we may not know who is president until very late at night.

From what I hear, Virginia will be the first state that will give an indicator as to how the presidential election will go. If Obama wins Virginia, it will be nearly impossible for McCain to get enough electoral votes. If McCain wins Virginia he will still face an uphill battle but the path will be easier for him. The polls there are supposed to close at around 6 PM central time, but as I said earlier, I think they will have to be kept open later to accommodate the huge turnout.

If you have taken the time to educate yourself about the issues and where each man stands, please vote in the presidential election today. I don't care who you support, just get out there and make yourself part of the process.

Halloween and a big night for John!

Halloween was a blast this year. Both Laurel and John dressed up, as you can see. We went to my sister's sister-in-law's house. She and her hubby always have a nice party with lots of great food and beverages. Laurel scored lots of candy so she's a very happy little girl. Zach went with us to the party and was a big help watching the kids so Barb and I could get a break once in a while. Jess opted to go to a high school football game, so she was missed.

In other big news, John made the move to his own bedroom last night! We got a camera baby monitor so we can keep an eye on him. He did great; he talked for a bit and then fell asleep. He only got up once last night. He has been doing better in that regard.

John did fine, but it was traumatic for Barb. She held up though and we have now met another little milestone. Great job, Honey!

More Fable 2

I finished the main quest in Fable 2 last night. I still have lots of stuff I can do, but the main part of the game is over. The story was excellent and the gameplay matched it all the way. It's not perfect by any means, but it's very enjoyable and a breeze to get into. My character went the good route, so maybe later I will play through as an evil character; I never do that, so it may be fun to give it a go. I'd also like to get in some multiplayer, hopefully with my buddy Dave. That could be some real fun. Also I have lot of money that I can give Dave to give him a nice head start in the single player game.

Next up is Far Cry 2, I think. Between that and Fallout 3, I think I'd rather go with an action FPS than another RPG. Right now a simple shooter is a bit more appealing than another story-driven game like Fallout 3.

So far, I'd have to say Fable 2 is probably the best game I have played this year. Whether it can hold on to that title is something that remains to be seen. I probably will only play Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3 for the rest of the year, besides the occasional sports game. MLB '08: The Show is still in the running for Game Of The Year too.

Fallout 3 & family stuff

I picked up Fallout 3 yesterday. I played for just over a half hour this morning to make sure the disc is okay. The game reminds me a lot of Elder Scrolls: Oblivion, and that's good news. I am hoping to get some more time in soon, but I am very deep into Fable 2 (great game) and still need to get into Far Cry 2. My gaming time is virtually nil lately, so this could be a long, drawn out affair. I will say that as of this moment, Fable 2 is my game of the year. Still lots to be played though before I make a final decision on that.

In other news, John is getting ready to make the move into his own bedroom and crib. It's gonna be a hard fought battle. Barb is going to really have a hard time with this. But we just ordered a new video baby monitor, so we'll still be able to keep an eye on him. John did manage to get up just once last night, which was fantastic. The night before he got up 5 times during the night. Barb and I are just zombies all day long because we are not getting any sort of consistent sleep. We went to bed at 8 PM last night. We're real party animals, huh?

That's all for now. Check out our good buddy Dave's site over at Dave's Not Here Man!!! He is doing a bang-up job on his blog.

Oh yeah, 5 more days until the election. THANK GOD!!!

Fable 2

I picked this up and am about 8 hours into it. So far it is first-rate all the way. I am taking my time and branching off of the main quest, so I have not gotten too far into the story. But the beginning of the game sets up the story and it is great stuff. I am anxious to see what unfolds.

The graphics are terrific, the voice acting, sound and music is great and the game plays very nicely. There are a few niggling problems with the controls on occasion and the camera isn't perfect, but those are very minor complaints. The world itself seems buzzing with life.

It's awfully early, too early to give an accurate rating, but what the hell; so far I'd rate this game a solid 9.5. I am so anxious to get back into it.

Far Cry 2 comes out tomorrow. I had been looking more forward to that than Fable 2, but now it's gonna have to wait a while before I get to it.

What has gotten into the Rams?!

Jim Haslett has been the Rams' head coach for 3 weeks now. They have played 2 games under him. In the first game they came out with a tough road win against the Washington Redskins. That was very admirable and a nice way to get Haslett off on the right foot. But what happened yesterday, with the Rams completely dominating the Dallas Cowboys 34-14, was something that no one expected. Yes, Dallas was playing without starting QB Tony Romo. But last time I checked, he doesn't play defense and that's where Dallas really laid an egg. An energized Steven Jackson rolled up 160 yards and 3 TDs against the Cowboys. Rookie WR Donnie Avery made a big play early on a long TD pass and QB Marc Bulger was the model off efficiency that we saw back in 2006.

I was not a big fan of giving the head coaching job to Haslett after Scott Linehan was fired, but I have to admit that he has this team playing at a whole different level of intensity since he became top dog. Next week the Rams travel to New England and it looks like Jackson may very well miss that game because of an injured thigh. The injury came late in the game with the Rams up 34-7, so it's very fair to question why he was still even playing at that point. But the big picture remains bright; under Haslett, the Rams show up ready to play.

The Last Debate

Neither candidate landed a knockout and I really thought it was more of the same. Obama seemed more at ease and frankly more presidential. If anything, he seemed a bit dry and boring again. But he has a substantial lead in the polls, and his even demeanor won't hurt him. He wisely played it safe.

We got flashes of McCain's temper here and there; he never came unglued, but at times he looked very upset and almost shaking as he made his points. He didn't do badly, but he needed to do more than okay.

For the first time I thought McCain looked really old tonight. It seemed magnified to me. His eyes looked very red/glassy at times, too. He came off as the rude guy that always had to get the last word in, whether he was supposed to or not. In the middle part of the debate, my wife and I counted 3 straight subjects where he got to make the last point. Seemed pretty unfair to me, but Obama appeared gracious about it.

I don't know. I hate to pick on the guy because of his appearance because it should be about so much more than that. But once again, he did not present himself well, IMO. He looks extremely uncomfortable, especially when he walks, probably due to his old service wounds. I wish it weren't true, but it is. His obvious, constant disdain for Obama reminded me a great deal of the 2000 debates, when Al Gore showed his disgust for Bush with audible sighs and eye rolls. Ask Al how that worked out for him.

As an aside, I absolutely hate what the guy has become. He should have been able to retire as a man who served his country admirably for a long time. But he ended up embracing the Bush doctrine when it was popular (post 9/11) and hooked his wagon to it. He is now paying the price. One of my greatest disappointments in McCain is that after what Rove and Bush did to him in 2000, he forgave them and joined up. They basically shit on his family and played up the racial prejudice in South Carolina for votes and McCain forgave them. After all of his rants about "agents of intolerance" he ended up embracing Jerry Falwell when it became the politically expedient thing to do. I lost all faith in him then, realizing that (like most candidates) he would simply do whatever it took to get elected. He's no longer a special man, but a political flunky. That saddens me, because for a time there, he was more than that.

I also think that like Bob Dole, his chance came about 10 years too late.

I still think the election could turn at any moment. I'm not counting any chickens before they properly hatch. But if the polls remain accurate and Obama wins, it'll be sad to see the shell of John McCain slip off into oblivion.

Great article on "Troopergate"

So the panel decided that Sarah Palin abused the power of her office by trying to get her state trooper ex-brother-in-law fired. But what does it mean? Here is an excerpt from an excellent article from Time Magazine's web site. Just click on the text to get the full article:

Did Governor Sarah Palin abuse the power of her office in trying to get her former brother-in-law, State Trooper Mike Wooten, fired? Yes.

Was the refusal to fire Mike Wooten the reason Palin fired Commissioner of Public Safety Walt Monegan? Not exclusively, and it was within her rights as the states' chief executive to fire him for just about any reason, even without cause.

Those answers were expected, given that most of the best pieces of evidence have been part of the public record for months. The result is not a mortal wound to Palin, nor does it put her at much risk of being forced to leave the ticket her presence succeeded in energizing.

But the Branchflower report still makes for good reading, if only because it convincingly answers a question nobody had even thought to ask: Is the Palin administration shockingly amateurish? Yes, it is. Disturbingly so.

I have seen some people say that this entire investigation was some sort of partisan witch hunt to hurt Mrs. Palin and John McCain's chances of winning the presidential election. Please let's not forget that this investigation was undertaken before she was tabbed as McCain's running mate. Let's also remember that:

The REPUBLICAN Alaska legislature commissioned the investigation.

The REPUBLICAN commission moved with almost unanimity; REPUBLICANS controlled the committee.

The REPUBLICAN appointed Alaska Supreme Court was the end-all be-all on whether that report was released.

And this time line should be mentioned as well:

July 11th - Monegan fired.
July 19th - Monegan tells Anchorage paper he was pressured to fire Wooten.
July 28 - A bi-partisan republican dominate legislative council board vote unanimously to investigate the claims. Oct 31, 2008 is the deadline for a report to be completed.

Thanks to parsifal and jaymcb over at the Current Affairs forum at STLToday.com for that info.

Quick thoughts on tonight's presidential debate

McCain could not answer a question without getting in several attacks on Obama each and every time. I think the negative tone is going to hurt him. Obama, meanwhile, gave answers that were much too long-winded for a great part of the general public. He needs to say more by saying less. So I'd say McCain turned voters off and Obama put them to sleep.

McCain needed a convincing victory and did not get it. The gloves are really going to come off now as McCain has no choice but to pull out all of the stops. These last 4 weeks (not to mention the remaining debate) are going to be U-G-L-Y. This is the wrong year to go completely negative, as it reminds voters of the divisiveness of the Bush politcal machine. Unless something huge happens in the next few weeks, McCain is toast.

Double-murderer convicted of armed robbery, kidnapping

'Nuff said.

Lindsey Buckingham slays St. Louis

His show tonight at the Pageant absolutely killed. He has been my favorite guitarist for a while and tonight it was like watching Michael Jordan dominate a game. His playing was phenomenal and he was in great voice as well.

A lot of great surprises in the song selection, with the full versions of "Trouble" and "Go Insane" leading the way. Lindsey has been playing them as solo acoustic numbers in the recent past and I was thrilled to get the full on treatment of two of my favorite Buckingham songs. It was also great to hear "I Know I'm Not Wrong," a rather obscure song off of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk album. I knew he played it on the last tour and was afraid I missed my chance to hear it. Great song.

Lindsey was full of energy tonight and was backed by a great band. The St. Louis crowd was hypnotized by the guitar work, especially on "I'm So Afraid" and "Go Your Own Way." The encore featured "Second Hand News" and closed with an absolutely mezmorising acoustic number, "Time Precious Time" from his new album, Gift Of Screws. My wife didn't know most of the songs but says she really enjoyed the show. Rumor is Fleetwood Mac may be coming to town next year. If that's true, you can count my wife and me in.

The Fall gaming blitz is here!

My goodness, what a huge number of grade-A game coming out this fall! Lego Batman came out this week, but I have resisted it because there are 4(!) games coming out in October that look like must-haves: FIFA Soccer '09 ships on October 14th. I love soccer, I love good soccer games and I love having tons of teams to play with, so FIFA 09 is a must-buy.

A week later 2 games are being released and both have must-buy written all over them as well. Fable 2 has been on my radar for a long time and I can't wait to check it out. Meanwhile, Far Cry 2, a game I knew little about, caught my attention today and it looks stellar. Check out some amazing videos right here. Notice the changes in weather and time. This game has catapulted itself into a must-have status. Plus if you pre-order at GameStop, you get upgraded to the limited edition version for free. Not bad!

Lastly, Fallout 3 comes out a week after Far Cry 2 and Fable 2. I am a huge fan of the Fallout series. This one is a new take, as it is a first-person RPG. But it's being made by the makers of Oblivion, so I have little doubt that it will kick butt as well. The few game play videos I have seen thus far have been a little underwhelming to me, so I plan on reading the reviews before making a purchase.

This is absolutely nuts. Fallout 3, Far Cry 2 and Fable 2 are all incredibly deep games that will supposedly take anywhere from 50-100 hours each to complete. When I think I will find the time is beyond me. And with FIFA, well, sports games are notorious time-suckers. Still, I have to have those games that are considered top-notch. It kills me to have games that everyone else loves go by the wayside. One of my lovely little "quirks" I guess. I wonder if my wife has the same opinion on that? I don't think I'll bother asking her...

Lindsey Buckingham - Gift Of Screws

Just sent my review in for Lindsey Buckingham's new album, Gift Of Screws. It should be posted on Beyond Media Online later tonight. I will link directly to it once it is put up.

UPDATE: OK, here is the link to the review. Thanks to George over at Beyond Media Online for getting this up quickly and taking care of a few html problems.

By the way, my wife are going to see Lindsey Buckingham live this coming Monday, so I am obviously psyched for that. It's going to be unreal to see him do all of that amazing guitar work live. I'll obviously post impressions of the show next week.

The Great Movies, vol. 3: Boogie Nights

Director Paul Thomas Anderson hit pay dirt last year with his critically lauded epic, There Will Be Blood. It featured a towering performance by Daniel Day Lewis (for which he won a richly deserved Academy Award) and some truly wonderful visuals. In short, it deserved it's acclaim. But it's another of Anderson's films that I always include of my list of top ten favorites. That film, epic in it's own way, is Boogie Nights.

For the uninitiated, Boogie Nights tells the story of a a group of porno film makers in the late 70's and early 80's. It's content is startling, to say the least, because of it's subject. But the affection that Anderson shows for this group of "losers" let's us see them in sort of a neutral way, making us more witnesses than judges. This serves the characters well, as most of them are truly memorable despite what they do for a living, not because of it.

Mark Wahlberg portrays Eddie Adams, a simple teenager from a dysfunctional family. When he (and his "special talent" - think bulging trousers) are spotted by porno film maker Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), his life is instantly transformed into something most teenage boys surely dream of: becoming the top dog of the porno acting world. Horner has an already-established stable of actors as his surrogate family. These include Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Buck Swope (the ever-wonderful Don Cheadle), Rollergirl (Heather Graham, always on roller skates) and Reed Rothchild (the hilarious John C. Reilly). Soon Eddie has given himself an appropriate porno moniker, Dirk Diggler, and he and the "family" are making very successful porn movies. He and Reed Rothchild hit it off immediately and become best pals with a friendship based on bragging and bullshit. Amber Waves is immediately attracted to Eddie/Dirk, but also feels the need to be a mother figure to him. There is a reason for this: she and her ex-husband are in the midst of a custody battle and he is using her profession as a reason to have her declared an unfit mother. She has already become a mother figure to Rollergirl, who has her own issues regarding her chosen career path.

In fact, all of the characters are dealing with revelatory, life-changing moments. Jack Horner is fighting off the advances of the video age. He insists on making real "movies" using film. His money man, "Colonel" James, backs him up, but he has his own demons which will eventually consume and destroy him. Meanwhile, Buck Swope wants to go legitimate and open his own stereo store, but it's hard to secure a bank loan when your application asks for your source of employment and you have to list the porno industry. Buck is looking for a break. When he finally gets it, it is one of the most chilling/crazy/funny moments in recent memory.

Eddie/Dirk rapidly ascends up the porno acting ladder, becoming an award-winning, top-grossing star. We see his rise as a wide-eyed boy and witness the crash as he descends into a hellish, cocaine-fueled nightmare. Eddie's drug habits have a direct effect on his film/sex performances and he spins into a paranoid abyss. When Reed's friend Todd (a virtually unrecognizable Thomas Jane in a stellar performance) enters the picture, things go from bad to dangerous.

Throughout all of this, Anderson wonderfully captures the essence of the era through music, dialogue and visual touches. The soundtrack is wondrous, a virtual audio tour through the 70's/80's Being from that time frame myself, it really touches a chord and sends me back in time each and every time I watch the movie.

The treasures of this film are many. There are scenes so funny your sides will split (particularly Eddie and Reed's foray into the music business), while others are so intense (think Alfred Molina, firecrackers and "Jessie's Girl") that you will be beside yourself with angst as the film plays out. There are a ton of great performances here, from the aforementioned to Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, William H. Macy as a director with a nagging problem and Philip Seymour Hoffman as the lovelorn sound man. It all adds up to a rich tapestry that I think is every bit the equal of Tarantino's classic Pulp Fiction. Watching these flawed, real characters try to make something of themselves in an unseemly world is in turns chilling, funny and horrifying. This film is not to be missed.

Football, more football and some hockey for good measure

Losing to Notre Dame is never acceptable. Let's get that out of the way right now. But despite a somewhat lopsided score I was actually encouraged by some of the stuff my Wolverines did on Saturday. Not enough to get over losing to the hated Irish, but still encouraged nonetheless.
First of all, a star was born. Michigan freshman HB Sam McGuffie is the real deal. The Youtube sensation showed that he is quick as a whip and not afraid to take and/or deliver some punishment as well. He really is a dynamic playmaker and if he can stay healthy, he may turn out to be the ideal weapon for Rich Rod's spread option offense.
Second, after being absolutely dreadful for the 1st two games of the year, the Michigan offense showed some life. The passing game actually made some big plays as Steven Threet definitely made his case to be the full time QB. The fact of the matter is that had Michigan simply taken care of the ball (7 fumbles, 4 of them lost, and 2 interceptions) the game could have easily swung in their favor. The carelessness with the ball will have to be stressed and I am sure that will happen in a big way.
The defense still looked underwhelming, especially since it was considered to be the team's one strength coming into the season. Next up is a bye week, and I am sure coach Rod is gonna work the boys hard and fast. Then it's the Big 10 opener against highly ranked Wisconsin. This season still has ugly written all over it, but at least some progress is being made.

As for my St. Louis Rams, well, they suck. And I mean that in the worst possible way. They were somehow still in the game midway through the 3rd quarter (because of a flukey TD pass to Torry Holt) and then basically just folded like a cheap tent. The defense is beyond horrible. I know every Rams' fan wants head coach Scott Linehan fired, and I understand, but defensive coordinator Jim Haslett should be the first to go. His defense is about as tough as a wet kleenex and has shown no signs of improvement in his 3 seasons here. There are also some rumors floating around that he hasn't been exactly supportive of Linehan either, supposedly doing a lot of squaking behind Linehan's back. It's painfully obvious that the teams is coming apart at the seams and if Mr. Haslett has been making things worse then I hope he is run out of town on a rail.
The Rams are in a shambles now and the only way I see to get them back to respectibility is to fire Linehan and Haslett and somehow lure Marty Schottenheimer out of retirement. He may never win us a Super Bowl (or even a playoff game!) but he would toughen this team up, get back to fundamentals, send the problem children packing and lay a good foundation for years to come. It probably won't happen, so please just let me have my dream in peace. The only good news about the Rams this season is that it gives me someone to pick each week in my Lock-Of-The-Week pool; I just simply pick whoever the Rams are playing.

In gaming news, I am still waiting for Madden's 2nd patch. In the meantime I picked up NHL '09 and it is a beautiful thing. Be A Pro mode lets you create a player and work your way up through the minors. The game plays like a dream and only has a few minor issues that can hopefuly be addressed in a patch. I am so enamored with BAP mode that I have rarely touched the regular hockey segments. If you are looking for a nice, first class, FUN sports game, take a look at NHL '09.

That's all for now. Laurel had a nice birthday, John is doing well but not sleeping, Zach and Jess are navigating their way through high school and my lovely Barbara is somehow functioning despite working long hours and getting up 3-4 times a night with John. How she does it all, I'll never know, but I sure do admire her.

Happy Birthday Laurel!!!

4 years ago today our daughter Laurel was born. To say she has been a blessing would be the understatement of a lifetime. She has meant so much to us and become so much a part of who I am that it is hard to put into words. She is my buddy and the absolute apple of my eye. She always lifts me up whenever I am feeling a bit down. Her smile lights up the entire house. And she has been a terrific big sister to our baby, John.

Happy Birthday Laurel! We love you so much, always and forever!

I have been laid up with a migraine headache this weekend. I have plenty of thoughts about the Michigan/Notre Dame game as well as the Rams' latest fiasco on the field. I will try to post them before too long. Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

I've got a bad feeling...

It seems that Sarah Palin is now a full-fledged rock star and that Palin-mania is for real. The country is intrigued by her as the numerous magazine covers can attest. Her selection has rallied the GOP fully behind McCain now. I can see this continuing on through the election and I fear that any actual dirt the Dems dig up will not stick and will be seen as "dirty tricks" that will only serve to rally the Palin-maniacs even more. This could be very bad news for the Dems. It may take a major skeleton in her closet to derail McCain-Palin on their way to the White House. Even that may not be enough. With Rush Limbaugh and his Dittoheads (Dittiots?) spreading lies about Obama's tax plan, the Republican machine is rolling again, looking like the steamroller it has been since the early 90's. Couple that with more voting machine shenanigans sure to come in Ohio, and this is looking grim.

Ugh.

Massacre in Philly

Well, it turns out I was FAR too optimistic about the 2008 St. Louis Rams. They showed up (barely) today and turned in a listless performance, being dominated 38-3. After being dragged up and down the field by the Eagles' offense, the Rams were amazingly still in the game with just over a minute to go in the 1st half, trailing 14-0 and getting the ball back to start the 2nd half. The Eagles faced 3rd and long from their own 10 yard line. All the Rams had to do was make this one stop; heck, they could have even given up the first down and still held Philly in check for the final minute of the 1st half. But this is the Rams we are talking about. So what happens? The defense inexplicably allows an Eagles' receiver to get behind the DBs and 90 yards later it's 21-0 right before the half. That was all she wrote.

It's not as if the Rams' offense was going to do much anyway. The offensive line was, well, offensive. Numerous false start penalties helped derail several drives, but it's not as if the O-line was doing a bang-up job when they managed to get the snap count right. QB Marc Bulger is just a shell of his old self. The abuse he has taken over the years has left him skittish and has completely messed up his mechanics. I have never seen a pro QB throw of of his back foot so much. Then again, there's not much to say about an offensive game plan that gets the only reliable receiver, Torry Holt, the ball 1 time for a whole 9 yards.

There will now be a Scott Linehan Watch, as people await his certain firing. If this seems absurdly early for such a thing, it's not; this is his 3rd year as head coach and no one can argue that the Rams have gotten progressively worse. There is no doubt that the players have not bought into what he says and coaches. As bad as he is, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett should be held accountable as well. His defense was horrible today, underachieving as usual, but with more mental mistakes than you can shake a stick at. The Rams' owners are not ones to react emotionally however, so Linehan will get a bit of time to try to get things turned around. I would say he has until the bye week to show some real progress. But with what can only be described as a brutal early schedule (the Super Bowl champion Giants come to town next week), the bye week may end up being the time that Scott Linehan is mercifully let go.

Michigan wins, the Rams begin

Michigan came out on the winning side today against Miami (Ohio), but once again the game was U-G-L-Y. The offense started off hot with Threet running the option surprisingly well. But after 3 nice drives the offense went into the tank again. Threet is supposed to be the classic drop back passer on the team, but anything more than 10 yards is beyond his grasp. He missed wide open receivers by a wide margin at least 3 times. Sheridan replaced him to start the 2nd half and led the Wolverines on a long TD drive to make the final score 16-6. Miami played them tough and has nothing to be ashamed of. Michigan's D was mostly very good throughout the game. Next week comes the big one against the hated Fighting Irish. I am not predicting good things for that one.

Meanwhile, the Rams kick off their season tomorrow and will be trying to wash away the stench of the 2007 season. I look for them to be more competitive this year, but the early schedule is a killer. If they can win 2 of their first 5 games they will actually be in good shape. I don't see it going their way tomorrow in Philly, however. I'll say 27-13 Eagles over the Rams. I see the Rams finishing with 6 or 7 wins this season. That will not be enough to save coach Scott Linehan's job, unless they are very competitive in their losses. We'll see.

Michigan loses 25-23 in season opener

Well, despite the lack of anything even resembling a major college QB, the Wolverines made it interesting in the end. The defense turned it around in the 2nd half. It was very obvious that this Michigan team is better conditioned than those in the past. Despite chasing Utah all over the field, the defense never looked exhausted or out of it. They put pressure on the Utes' QB and shut down the running game. Let's hope the 2nd half is more indicative of how Michigan's D will play this season.

As for the offense, well, it's a mess. The teams is lacking a QB capable of running the spread offense that Rich Rodriguez favors. It's obvious that until a different breed of QB comes to Michigan that this offense will struggle. Neither Nick Sheridan or Steven Threet looked good running the offense. Sheridan started out okay but threw a horrible, costly interception before the end of the first half that lead directly to a Utah TD. Threet overthrew almost every pass and hung onto the ball way too long. The running game could never get going because the pass was so ineffective. The offensive line was pretty pourous all game long.

I am hoping things improve before we take on the hated Fighting Irish, but right now it's hard to think they will improve enough by then to compete with Notre Dame.

You have no idea how much it hurt me to type that.

2008 Michigan Wolverines football

The Rich Rodriguez era has just begun up in Ann Arbor. So far Michigan's D cannot keep up with the speed of Utah's spread offense. I was really expecting more from the D. The Michigan offense has struggled but has not looked as bad as many had feared. It's gonna take while for the offense to gel; everyone knew that. But this defense has no excuse. They look just as slow and lost as last season.

As of now, it's 12-10 Utah early in the 2nd quarter and Utah as 215 yards of offense. Gulp!

McCain picks Sarah Palin

John McCain took a calculated risk by naming Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. This is very clearly a move to win over over the female supporters of Hillary Clinton that have yet to accept Obama as the Democrat's nominee. In that sense, it is a shrewd move. On the other hand, she is woefully inexperienced, something McCain keeps hammering Obama himself about. And while it's true that she is only running for VP, it bears noting. As CNN's Paul Begala said, when you're 72 and you have had four bouts with cancer (as McCain has), you ought to choose a qualified VP.

We'll see how this all plays out, but I expect McCain to get a significant bump out of this and the Rupublican convention. I watched a bit of Palin's speeech today and thought she did well. We could be in for a very tight race.

Top 10 lesser known Beatles' songs

In no particular order and always subject to change:

I've Got A Feeling
When I Get Home
I Call Your Name
It's Only Love
Martha My Dear
You Won't See Me
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
All I've Got To Do
I'll Be Back
Yes It Is

Celebrity news minute

Fame can be a cruel mistress and can eat up even the best relationship and spit it out in a New York minute. In sad and shocking news, it has been reported that former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Kattan and his wife of 8 weeks have filed for legal separation. The news is sad because, well, a love story has seemingly come to an abrupt end. And the news is shocking because I would have sworn that dude is gay.








Not that there's anything wrong with that...

Obama picks Biden

Biden was who I wanted to get the Dem nomination for president, so I am happy in that regard. But I wonder how much this really helps Obama's candidacy. Biden is from the northeast and that area is pretty heavily doe the dems to begin with. I don't know how politically expedient this move is because I don't think Biden is going to bring a lot of voters over to Obama. With the Hillary supporters already threatening to stay home, I don't think this helps. I don't think Hillary should have been the pick, but I think she should have been given a little more public respect from the Obama camp. I do hope that Obama publicly announces a major role for her in his proposed administration. That may lead to some healing.

The old plagiarism charge against Biden is being brought up already. I am not sure how much damage it will cause since Biden acknowledged this long ago. But it is ammunition for the republicans and I fully expect them to use that and more. Biden's controversial quote about about Obama being the first "clean and articulate" african-american candidate is already being trotted out as well. What's so funny about that is that Obama obviously had no problem with what Biden was saying then, as he picked him as his running partner. But trust me, you are gonna be hearing a lot of white people telling black people how outraged they should be by what Biden said a while back. Classic stuff.

I am seeing a lot about Obama being ridiculed as the "Chosen One" by other camps. I don't get that charge at all because it was simply created by republican talking heads. It came about by what has been perceived as heavily slanted media bias towards Obama's candidacy. Whether or not such bias exists is irrelevant because Obama has had nothing to do with it. Obama has certainly not proclaimed himself as the "Chosen One" so why that is used against him personally, I don't understand. It is really a slam against the media but it has been twisted by others to actually be against Obama himself. Weird; you'd think if you really wanted to ridicule the guy that you would know the meaning of what you are saying.

For a, *ahem*, completely different take on Obama's candidacy, please check out my buddy Dave's blog by clicking right here. We may not agree on very much politically, but Dave is still my amigo. Rock on, Dave!

A good first day

Laurel did just fine at school, according to her and her teachers. When I picked her up she gave me a huge smile and an even bigger hug. She said she had fun and that they played and played and played (that's one of her patented sayings). The teachers said she did very well, smiled a lot and was outgoing. I asked Laurel if she listened to her teachers and she said yes. She said she didn't make any friends yet, but was nice to everyone. I told her that was a great start.

I am so proud of my little buddy. Mommy is too, of course.

We love you, Laurel!!!

Early success!

Laurel went to preschool this morning without a hitch! Turns out I was far more nervous than she was, for which I am grateful. She gave us a few last second hugs and then sat down to play Play-Doh. Barb and I quickly cut out of there and that was that. A few kids were balling, but she didn't seem to notice.

Now here's hoping that the rest of her day there goes well!

My Little Buddy

My daughter Laurel has her first day of preschool tomorrow and I am a nervous wreck. I am positive that she is going to freak out once Barb and I try to leave after dropping her off. Worse, I am so worried some other kid is going to be mean to her. She has had very little opportunity to play with kids her own age (she prefers my daughter's teenage friends anyway) so I don't know how she is going to handle herself. I probably shouldn't be worried; she's an out-sized personality herself and chances are she'll be the one that needs to be kept in line. But I do worry and I don't want anyone to ever hurt her little feelings. I guess I need to get over that because it's gonna happen a lot in her life, but it's hard for me to accept right now. The thought of someone treating her badly really gets me upset. Hopefully tomorrow will be rougher on me than on her. I'll definitely post an update tomorrow.

I love you, Laurel!

Some Madden highlights

I love this feature, where you can save your highlights and upload them to the 'net. I have not played a whole lot, but these are some of my better plays thus far.

In my very first game, Rams rookie WR Donnie Avery gets behind the 49ers' secondary and Marc Bulger is on the money:

EA SPORTS World: Madden 09 Video Highlight

In this one, played this morning, I took the 2nd half kickoff back for a TD to take a 10-7 lead. Playing in the snow looks freaking awesome:

EA SPORTS World: Madden 09 Video Highlight

Finally, in the same game, Chris Draft puts the game away. Rams win 24-7 after trailing 7-0:

EA SPORTS World: Madden 09 Video Highlight

Madden (and NFL Head Coach) released

I picked up the Collector's Edition of Madden '09, which also comes with NFL Head Coach. So far, I am hugely impressed. Keep in mind that Madden lost my business the last couple of years, so this is a big turnaround. These impressions are early, of course, but so far I am very pleased.

The first thing you notice is that Madden is flat out gorgeous. EA did an unbelievable job in the graphics department. The colors are maybe a tad bit flat to me (especially in comparison with NCAA '09), but overall the game is just beautiful. The audio is a mixed bag because the play-by-play announcer is really bad. He sounds like is he is reading his lines off of cue cards. But Cris Collinsworth (who I don't care too much for on real broadcasts) is excellent in his role as the color commentator. He really nailed it.

Of course what matters most is how the game plays and I am pleased to say that it blows NCAA '09 out of the water. The QBs are not all superhuman for one thing, and I can actually get pressure on the QB with my front four. I came around the end with Leonard Little in one game and absolutely nailed Vince Young. Just laid him out flat. It was so well done and looked so realistic that it was actually exhilarating. That sensation is completely missing from NCAA '09.

There are only a few problems I have with the game. First of all, the atmosphere is just blah. EA has never gotten this right in Madden and it needs to be addressed. That is one area NCAA '09 beats Madden. Secondly, as someone who really enjoys CPU vs. CPU, the running game in that mode is awful. The CPU can never get the running game going and they usually average about 1.5 to 2.5 yards a carry, which is not good enough. In the past I could simply adjust the CPU sliders and fix the problem easy as pie. But there are no CPU sliders in Madden this year, because instead they have introduced adaptive difficulty and they have human sliders. These work pretty well, EXCEPT for CPU vs. CPU users. There is talk that CPU sliders could be added in a patch, but I am not holding my breath because the game is getting almost universally good reviews (as it should). I don't know if EA will think it's worth the effort to add CPU sliders when everyone seems to love the game so much.

But the game is meant to be played, and it plays wonderfully. It still has little niggling problems left over from NCAA '09, like the ghost jukes and lack of sideline awareness. But it's not as glaring as it is in NCAA '09 and EA is already working on a patch to address these problems. Playing defense is so much more enjoyable in Madden as well. The defensive AI has not been dumbed down the way it was in NCAA '09. This means the game play is less wide open (which is fine for pro football) but you don't see the CPU defense doing incredibly stupid things to make the offense more potent, ala NCAA '09.

I have not played Head Coach yet, but it looks like it is incredibly deep and I have heard nothing but raves about it so far. Maybe that is how I will have to get my CPU vs. CPU fix this year. Still, it doesn't look as nice as Madden and I will have to do all the play calling, rather than just letting the game play out, so it will be a lot more time intensive.

But it really looks like EA has nailed their pro football games this year. I am a bit bummed because I prefer college football over pro, so I'd rather have NCAA '09 be better than Madden. But if NCAA '10 is equal to Madden '09, I should be very happy indeed.

The Great Albums, vol. 3: The Beatles - Rubber Soul

Folks, it just doesn’t get any better than The Beatles. They are widely acknowledged to have been not only the most popular band of the modern rock era, but also the best. Their music has proved to be timeless; nearly 40 years after their break-up, they are still essential listening and their influence can still be heard in modern music.

But picking a favorite Beatles’ album is a dicey proposition. Their albums were almost all universally strong, filled with classic songs and performances that delight people to this day. I am of the opinion that you can make a strong argument for no less than 5 albums in looking for the best one. (Note: I am referring to the original UK releases, not the American versions which often contained different tracks and track orders.) These top 5 are A Hard Day’s Night, Rubber Soul, Revolver, The Beatles (The White Album) and Abbey Road. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band, probably their watershed album, falls just short for me, as do the excellent Beatles For Sale and Help! In fact, in their entire catalogue, only Yellow Submarine is not a complete success, as it is filled with a lot of instrumental music from the film.

Despite the difficulty in claiming any one Beatles album is better than the rest, it has always been my opinion (and it remains so today, if a bit more tenuously than in the past) that Rubber Soul is the best. It marked a real departure for The Beatles as their songs became more introspective and mature. Heavily influenced by The Byrds and Bob Dylan at the time, Rubber Soul has more of a folk/rock feel to it than the earlier Beatles’ albums. It definitely finds the Beatles in a more experimental mode, especially with George Harrison showing his Eastern music influence by introducing the sitar in “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown).”

For Rubber Soul, The Beatles were in the midst of their “middle period” where they really honed their songwriting skills and moved beyond the more immature (but still brilliant and ground-breaking) rock and roll of their early days. The Beatles released 3 albums in this so-called middle period: Help!, Rubber Soul and Revolver. Each is a classic in its own right and many people to this day consider Revolver to be The Beatles’ peak. I happen to disagree, even if not by much.

In the early days of the Beatles, John Lennon was unquestionably the leader. By the middle period, however, it was clear that Paul McCartney had become his equal as a songwriter, and George Harrison was rapidly developing his songwriting skills as well. Each has glorious moments on Rubber Soul. The album kicks off with “Drive My Car,” a song jointly composed by Lennon and McCartney. The jaunty, humorous bent to the song signals the Rubber Soul will be different from past Beatles’ albums. That is immediately confirmed by the next song, Lennon’s “Norwegian Wood.” Written about a tryst with a groupie, the song is considered a confessional to the then-married Lennon’s wife, Cynthia. It is also well known for the aforementioned sitar as well as it’s own humorous conclusion.

McCartney is up next with his wonderful “You Won’t See Me,” full of beautiful harmonies and a compelling lead vocal. Lennon’s “Nowhere Man” follows and it is a stunner. Picking up where “I’m A Loser” (from Beatles For Sale) left off, the song tells the story of a lost man who doesn’t realize the world is passing him by. This song is often considered to be another confession by Lennon, confronting himself on what he felt was an empty life. Harrison’s first song on the album is the fine “Think For Yourself,” which benefits greatly from McCartney’s fuzz bass guitar. Another joint Lennon/McCartney composition, “The Word,” follows. Side 1 of Rubber Soul closes with a true classic, McCartney’s beautiful, Grammy-winning “Michelle.”

Side 2 kicks off with Ringo singing lead vocals on “What Goes On” which he co-wrote with both Lennon and McCartney. If there is a weak track on the album this is it, but it does show off some fine guitar work by Harrison and as always, the harmonizing is first-rate. A minor Lennon classic, “Girl” is memorable for Lennon’s lead vocal and playfully biting lyrics. McCartney pulls no such punches with the next song, “I’m Looking Through You.” Chastising a “changed” lover, lines such as “Love has a nasty habit of disappearing overnight” pretty much sum up the feelings of a song that many think McCartney wrote for his then girlfriend, Jane Asher.

Up next is another Lennon/McCartney collaboration and it’s one of the more timeless songs in the entire Beatles’ catalogue. Comprising mainly of Lennon’s lyrics set to McCartney’s music, “In My Life” is an absolutely lovely, introspective look at life, relationships and love and it’s message is just as powerful and meaningful today as it was back in 1965. McCartney and Lennon team up again on “Wait” and then Harrison makes a strong impression with “If I Needed Someone.” With it’s jangly guitars and brilliant harmonies, it’s the most obvious shout-out to The Byrds and their influence on the Beatles at that time. The album closes with one of Lennon’s patented jealous-guy songs, “Run For Your Life.” With it’s protagonist proclaiming, “I’d rather see you dead little girl than to be with another man,” The Beatles are a long way from “I Want To Hold Your Hand” territory indeed.

Rubber Soul was recorded in just 4 weeks and rushed out in time for release for Christmas of 1965. Critics immediately hailed it as a masterwork and it shot to the top of the charts in Britain, where it stayed for 8 weeks. In 2003, the album was ranked #5 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time list. In 2006, Time Magazine named it one of the 100 best albums of all time. Like nearly all of the Beatles’ music, Rubber Soul remains timeless and a testament to the incredible talent of The Beatles.

Madden '09 demo is out

The demo for Madden 09 dropped a day early. I don't like the way the demo is set up: you get the virtual trainer and get to play as the Giants during their game winning drive in last year's Super Bowl. So your actual play time is very limited and you don't get to play defense at all. Hmm.

Now for the good. First, the game is drop-dead gorgeous. The visuals are just outta sight, looking like the cut scenes from past Madden games. The game plays quite a bit like NCAA only a bit tighter. Supposedly the obvious flaws in NCAA were corrected in Madden. The passing seems well done though drops are a common occurrence. I think EA wants to put more more of an onus on the users by making us hit the manual catch button. We'll see how that goes in the final version of the game. The offensive line doesn't create a real pocket, but it does a better job of protecting you than in the past. Also, if the QB drops back too far passing is no longer an option. This should help against the online cheesers.

The running game seems pretty nicely balanced as the ball carrier fights for extra yards if you use a special move while being tackled. These moves are not only effective but look nice as well. We'll have to hope this isn't too effective.

Defense is obviously a big question mark, as you aren't allowed to play that side of the ball. The CPU gets an effective push with their DL, but no one knows if the same will hold true when you play defense. I have not played enough (or been good enough) to notice if the pursuit angles are broken the way they are in NCAA.

My hopes are high for Madden, which is unusual since I have not enjoyed it in quite a while and I was pretty disappointed with NCAA 09 (pre-patch anyway). The Madden developers say that a patch should be available on release day, so game play should be even tighter than it is in the demo. If that's the case and the most glaring problems from NCAA are taken care of, Madden could be very special indeed. I find myself being skeptical but falling for the hype once again.

NCAA 09: Unfinished Business

Well, there are a TON of issues with NCAA 09 that have seriously taken away a lot of the fun factor for me. From brain-dead AI to things that simply don't work as they should, the game is a buggy mess. Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality has a list made up that sums up the problems beautifully. It reads:

"Game design:
--speed differences are greatly exaggerated (breaks basic gameplay)

Special teams:
--kickoff and punt coverage (horrendous)

Offense:
--CPU quarterback completion percentage (way too high)
--CPU quarterback pass selection (almost no deep passes)
--CPU quarterback response to blitz ("psychic" power)*
--CPU quarterback (ineffective as runner)
--CPU running game (ineffective)
--CPU running backs (overuse of jukes and special moves)*

Defense:
--CPU defensive line (unable to pressure quarterback)
--CPU defense (unable to play man-to-man coverage)
--CPU defense (pursuit angles totally broken)

Officiating:
--penalties (almost none called)

Please note the * by two items: QB response to blitz and RB overuse of special moves. These are subjective evaluations, and hence have a different designation than the other items, which are easy to objectively document.

It's not difficult to see all of these gameplay issues. It doesn't take an expert or a perfectionist. All it really takes is some basic familiarity with college football and an open pair of eyes, because these issues are very, very obvious. Bill Abner (the dean of sports game reviewers) was one of the earliest people in the country to have a final copy of the game, and he quickly documented many of these problems."

Bill could not be more right on the money. The gameplay is just plain broken in many important areas and the sliders that are there to tweak gameplay are ineffective at best. Why was this game shipped with so many problems? Well, that brings us to another brilliant post on another excellent blog, Shawn Drotar's 5WG. In an searing article, entitled EA's Bobbled The Ball, Will It Still Make The Catch? Shawn tells it like it is:

"NCAA Football 09, in particular, definitely feels like a potentially brilliant game got rushed; something that’s bound to happen with sports titles - it’s telling when Electronic Arts’ CEO, John Riccitiello, makes a clear point in an interview with VentureBeat, noting: “I don’t think the investors give a shit about our quality. They care about our earnings per share.” I appreciate Riccitiello’s candor here, because the truth is this: it’s the number of sales, not the quality of the titles, that matter to the multi-billion dollar business; that’s Capitalism 101."

Further, Shawn adds:

"Whether these games can be “patched” or not is only partially germane to the discussion. It’s simply not realistic or proper for EA - or any other developer, for that matter - to expect its customers to purchase essentially unfinished products and hold to the hopes that said company will eventually deliver the complete experience. Nobody went to see “The Dark Knight” last weekend hoping that the film’s climax would turn up in mid-September."


EA is aware of the problems and is working on a patch to address some (but not all) of them. They hope to have the patch released sometime in September. That's 2 months after the game's release. By then, Madden will be out and many people will have moved on from NCAA 09, perhaps even trading the game in for credit towards the purchase of Madden. Will EA care? No, because they will have already gotten your money twice.

Everyone knows games are bound to have a bug or 3 when they are released. But that's not what we are talking about here. We are talking about fundamental problems that keep this game from resembling anything close to a real football game. Is it still fun? In an arcadey way, yes. But this game is supposed to be representative of real college football. After all, by snatching up the exclusive rights to make an NCAA football game, EA has assured that they are the only game in town.

So the patch will eventually arrive and perhaps it will make the game play much better, perhaps not. I'll keep my fingers crossed because I love college football. But given EA's track record, the fact that they already have our money and that they have no competition in the market, I won't be expecting too much.

But boy, Madden sure does look good this year...

Just too damned busy

Sorry for the lack of recent posts, but things have just been insane with John and the other kids. Crazy busy. I have been neglecting the blog and I need to get an article in to BOM as well. Bear with me while I try to get things under control.

Good news today though; Barb is going to nursing school as we had hoped. Her boss has apparently agreed to pay her full salary so that will make it doable. She is extremely excited and I am so happy for her. Congrats, Sweetheart!

NCAA Football '09 is here!

I picked up NCAA '09 this A.M. and have been playing it all morning. So far I am having a blast. I started the Campus Legend mode, where my high school QB led his team to the state championship. He was highly recruited and it just so happened that Michigan offered me the starting job as a freshman! So I made my way to Ann Arbor where I hit he practice field running. In the first game, we blew out Utah and my QB had a great day passing and running and was named the national offensive player of the week. Game 2 was a hard fought battle against Miami (Ohio), but we pulled it out to go 2-0. My stats were down and I threw my first interception, but we got the win so that's what matters. Up next? $@#%&^*! NOTRE DAME. Oughta be a good one.

I'll have more impressions as I play more of the game. Right now I am really liking Campus Legend mode, so I may be there for a while. If anyone wants to play a game over Xbox Live, hit me up!

GTSM gets a big makeover

As you may already know, I write for GTSM (Gaming Theater And Sports Media). Well, that is gonna change, because GTSM is becoming Beyond Media Online! George and Ted, co-founders of GTSM have found us a better, more user-friendly home. Again, I am proud to work for these guys and the staff they have assembled is top notch. Right now we are in transition mode. The switch will be final in a couple of weeks. You can read all about the changes here.

You can be confident that BMO will have the same great writing and friendly forums to make your visits memorable. Please stop by soon!

Finished "Watchmen"

Excellent read. The ending caught me off guard but it was in line with what happened throughout the book. If you are looking to read a graphic novel, this is a great place to start. I need to figure out which one I want to read next.

Worked a double today (16 hrs) so I am tired and going to bed. Have to be back at work in the A.M. I will check back tomorrow (hopefully) with some big news about GTSM.

Goodnight!

Still on the NCAA '09 fence (and more football thoughts)

I am waiting to hear some impressions from someone who gets the PS3 retail version of NCAA Football '09 before the release date. I have read assurances that the PS3 version is identical to the 360 version, but the demos were not really close; the 360 version was much better. I have pre-ordered the PS3 version, but will be switching to the 360 unless I can get confirmation that the PS3 version is up to snuff. Decisions, decisions.

You can read early impressions on the 360 version at Bill Abner's website, The Nut And The Feisty Weasel. Don't be alarmed that Bill is a died-in-the-wool Buckeye's fan. At least it ain't Notre Dame.

Getting psyched as usual for the real football to begin. My beloved Wolverines are in rebuilding mode with a new coach and an entirely different offensive scheme, so it could be a lean year. I am thinking 7 or 8 wins. I do like the direction they are headed though. It was time for new blood and new leadership.

Mizzou has lots of promise this year and I will be following them closely as well, but I honestly think all the talk of an undefeated season is a bit much. I see them losing a couple games this year. Heck, the opener against Illinois should be a real dogfight. My wife and I are thinking about going to this one; it should be a helluva time at the dome.

As far as my St. Louis Rams are concerned, well, let's say I am eager to see what they have this year. I don't foresee more than 6-8 wins this season, but the offense should be exciting with new offensive coordinator Al Saunders, and I am really anxious to see what #1 pick Chris Long and #2 pick Donnie Avery bring to the table. I think Avery could surprise a lot of people, especially with Saunders calling the shots. Once again, the success (and health) of the offensive line will be the key.

Watchmen

I have never gotten into comics. I never read comic magazines when I was a kid. I have never read a "graphic novel" (aka comic book), although I own both 300 (which I will proudly tell you that I got well before the movie was even announced) and From Hell. I bought them because they are supposed to be very good and I was eager to try something new, but I never actually got around to reading them.

I started to get a bit of an interest in comics after I played Marvel Ultimate Alliance on the 360. I picked this game up mainly because it had so many characters to choose from that it seemed to have a lot of replayability. I enjoyed the game immensely. As I played, I slowly got sucked into some of the character's stories and thought it might be cool to learn a bit more about them. But I never followed up on that, either. In fact, I was very interested to see Iron Man in the theaters because of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but once again, I didn't followed through.

Then Time Magazine came out with an issue about the 100 greatest movies, albums, novels, etc. since 1923. Firmly planted within the 100 best novels list was Watchmen, a graphic novel by Alan Moore, the writer of From Hell. I started reading up on Watchmen and I soon discovered that many folks consider it the best graphic novel yet written. That really piqued my interest. I ordered it from Amazon.com and started reading it just a few days ago. And one word can sum up my feelings:

WOW.

It is incredible (so far). It completely turns the superhero genre upside down and at the same time takes it to spectacular heights. It is at times hysterically funny, especially when talking about when the first masked crime fighters arrived and how silly they all felt giving themselves names, dressing up in costumes and wondering whether it was practical to don capes.

But the amazing achievement of Watchmen is just how psychologically complex all of these characters are. They are presented as real flesh-and-blood people, each with their own code and philosophy. Some are inherently wicked, while others are noble yet misunderstood. Most of them have no real superpowers at all; they are just masked vigilantes who are trying to make the world a better place. Many are misguided and arrogant and most of them lose sight of what their original intent was. It has been an amazing journey so far and I am only about a quarter of the way through the book. I can't wait to pick it back up again. It is that compelling.

This experience has made me very anxious to try other graphic novels, at least the ones that are considered classics in the genre. I imagine that after I finish Watchmen, I will finally get around to 300 and From Hell. A movie adaptation of Watchmen is being made, to be released next year. I can't imagine they will be able to capture the magic of the novel, but I wish them luck. In the meantime, I plan to savor each and every twist and turn in Watchmen.