This morning I discovered the viruses in Carbon have been perpetuating themselves throughout the community.

I took the opportunity to come down with:
Canyon Craze
Pursuit Pandemic
Knockout Fever

All of those combined into a particularly nasty case of The Carbon Plague.
Kids, be careful. Practice safe driving. . . and if you need any of the aforementioned strains, let me know. I am contagious.

Unfortunately, If you have been holding out hope for the Urban Battle achievement to be fixed. . . it hasn't.

I am still disappointed.

Friends came over tonight. We were going to play some split-screen multiplayer in Lost Planet.

No dice. Online has two options: Ranked and Player Match. That means one person can go online and play against other people, but you can't play locally with more than one person. That also includes playing system-linked multiplayer--that option isn't even available.

The game has some flaws. They may be cracks in the facade, or serious long-term liabilities. Carbon had more than a few disappointments. I'm hoping Lost Planet doesn't turn out to be disappointing as well.

Never fear. I'm still planning on Union Multiplayer Night on Tuesday. The reason I am disappointed is because the game is so enjoyable. Great sound, awesome graphics and the gameplay is so fun you want to share it with friends.

Lost Planet finally arrived yesterday. Since arriving I have done nothing except shoot bug things and people things in the snowy/rocky/lava-filled areas of E.D.N. III.

Next tuesday the GameSpot Live Union members are cordially invited to join me in shooting online. mark your calendars. Hopefully Microsoft will not be pulling Live down.

It feels good to be playing games again for fun, not just for points.

Prior to Corporate Strategy this morning I discovered something disturbing buried within FilmSpot:
Kung Pow 2: Tongue of Fury

As if the insanity needed any additional explanation, an even more sinister twist was uncovered. . . Jim Carrey is directing the dingus.

You were going to get a video about Lost Planet and fruity chocolate cake.

Instead I got the last 80 points from Dynasty Warriors and a night full of archival footage of They Might Be Giants. I like you and all, but dude, the Twin Quazars of Rock.

You'll understand someday.
Off to Bed.

Badger is an enabler. That isn't bad in its own right, it just means I have to be careful how much cool stuff he tells me about is permitted into my overpacked life right now. Yesterday produced another startling discovery courtesy of Badger.

NBC has posted the entire first season of HEROES online.

I watched almost the entire season yesterday while my 360 was in a do-loop of GRAW matches without me. Kids, when you grow up, watch HEROES if you like comics. Unfortunately creators can't help but mix in useless smut and graphic violence into an otherwise brilliant show.

Back when I was a dedicated X-Men collector Jeph Loeb wrote some of the more interesting story arcs for the X-Force title. Now he is co-executive producing HEROES on NBC. Personally, I think this is some of his best stuff. He gets both the superhero vibe and interesting ideas that appeal to superhero fans. HEROES presents ordinary, flawed people who are just starting to discover their powers. Around them are evil masterminds with concealed machinations already set in motion, and all but certain doom awaits the city of New York.

The show's writers not only reach out to pop culture touchstones such as Back to the Future (for time travel) but blend modern dramas into extraordinary situations. Hiro, the Japanese time-stopping teleporter even cries "Geat-o Scottu!" after realizing he just talked to himself in the past. After watching the first three seasons of Smallville, I saw a lot in common, but that is a good thing. Though fantastic, the characters and locations seem believable, though some are more intriguing than others.

Portraying each of these would-be heroes (with villains and villainesses) is a solid ensemble cast from a lot of look-alikes. In the early episodes the actor who plays Peter Petrelli (whose hair I have been trying to get for the last four years) acts and sounds too much like Keanu Reeves. One of the more twisted villains, Sylar, is almost a dead ringer for Ben Stiller. Finally, the all-but-indestructable Claire is portrayed by a Hilary Duff clone not even K-Fed can tell apart from the real one.

The main plot alludes to the imminent destruction of New York City by a nuclear explosion. The sub plots hinge on all of the characters coming to grips with their new powers. Some of these characters are more welcoming of their newfound abilities than others. Still deeper are the beautifully and coarsely woven strings of interaction between each of these struggling people.

The creators paint a vivid picture of a modern-day crisis but call upon many to suspend their disbelief for some of the drama that plays in the wings. The dramatization of everybody having affairs is ludicrous, but most people probably wouldn't know otherwise these days. Also, some of the violence is too over-the-top (no pun intended), especially for Sylar's crowning attacks upon the nicest and raunchiest of unsuspecting characters. The gore seems to be there mainly for shock value. Much of the depiction of said gore is along the lines of 70s and 80s splatter films. To the delicate it is offensive; to those past feeling it may be just another murder.

Though this is a prime-time show with high school characters, the content is for mature audiences. Parental supervision is recommended. Episodes include some of the best Japanese dialogue in ages mingled with: drug use, bloody violence against innocents, violence against women, strong scenes of sexuality including under-age attempts at rape, and scenes of mutilation.

The last time I played a baseball video game was probably Baseball for the NES.
My free rental for the month of January is MLB 2K6. It has shown me just how much more complex Baseball has gotten over the years. Just the hitting mechanic alone has taken years off of my life.
All of these simulation calibre sports games are starting to make me less ambivalent and more upset about sports games.

UPDATE 1/10: I fired up 2K6 this morning and the first hit from the Cooperstown All-Stars was a would-be home run into left field. My uber-mensch in deep left field ran up that wall and snatched that fly. With it came a 150-point achievement. That, true believers, was the last achievement and the last play of MLB 2K6.

Last week my wife and I watched two movies that got me thinking: Seven Samurai and Superman Returns. Though I had seen Seven Samurai before, I enjoyed it anew. Though I couldn't really enjoy Superman due to various reasons, I found Bryan Singer's direction to be on par with his other productions. Certain portions of the script really stood out as being exceptions to the mundane rules of Hollywood.

In the end of Seven Samurai one of the characters waxes philosophical about who won and who lost. Death was present on all three sides of the battle. Farmers, bandits, and samurai all perished by the sword. By the way, I'm including spoilers. He declares that he had lost, despite surviving the terific battle. The subtleties of the scene were not lost on me.

We went back to watch the end again with the commentary turned engaged. Though Kurosawa was not the voice, a notable critic was relating how many critics in '54 had spoken unfavorably of Kurosawa's movies. Kurosawa made beautiful movies many critics couldn't help but criticize. In the end, his views, his imagery, and his storytelling are all beautifully sealed in his work to stand the test of time and the unsteady temperment of generations of critics. Like so many enigmatic figures, his detractors have been many and his work has been analyzed, deconstructed, and sometimes condemned.

Many inspired works and noble actions have only met with scorn, disdain, and criticism. Though I'd like to take the moral high ground here, I too am guilty of criticism. It is so easy to find fault with the work of others and so difficult to really create great work, or even recognize beauty when it blossoms.

What I enjoyed about Superman was not the action sequences or the spectacle of the story, but the sublime metaphors woven throughout the film. Some critics have said what was sublime to me was actually heavy-handed, but what do they know?
;-)

In a world with many competing views and never-ending wars of words causing tumults of opinions, finding sparks of truth is pleasant, despite so many reasons to suspend disbelief. It is my hope more of us find the truth hidden within the world. Regardless of whether it is in a movie, a blog post, or kind words from strangers we may meet on the street, I believe the truth is out there. Nothing is more uplifting to the hearts of men and women than doing what is right. Superman didn't teach me that, but he was evidently sent to the movie earth to remind each of us of that principle.

I've been sitting on some games. Many people have been particularly interested in Cabela's Alaskan Adventures. Kids, in this video I present my reviews (both long and short) on three games I have recently played. . . for points.
[video=dXQ1kDr_5bkMvzHd]
Yes, that was an authentic case of bedhead.

I usually roll out New Year's resolutions in late January. Like most businesses, the year isn't over until I have accounted for all of my December transactions.

As I have been reflecting upon last year, and the many experiences, I have realized you haven't seen New Zealand. Tim owns the disturbingly quick videos space, so I merely positioned mine in the don't-blink-because-you-might-miss-the-Super-Loo-picture space.

Without further ado, I present New Zealand. . .
[video=K3IwkmHw5bkMvzXc]

We hit both the South Island and the North Island in 10 days. Kayaking Milford Sound was one of the most breathtaking experiences in nature. Our two idle days in Rotorua were the most restful days I had in 2006. It may be God's Country to some, but the driving was less than heavenly.

No man should ever die before witnessing the awesome power of an authentic Maori Hakka.