In a recent town hall meeting hosted by Senator McCain a very concerned woman presented the senator with the idea of reinstating the draft:

QUESTIONER: If we don't reenact the draft, I don't think we'll have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell.

[Appaluse]

MCCAIN: Ma'am, let me say that I don't disagree with anything you said.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRMFwXGBMfI&eurl=http://progressiveaccountability.org/2008/08/20/mccaindraft/

Granted, Bin Laden did indeed support the attacks of 9/11, but we shouldn't reinstate the draft to hunt him down. He's a 60 year old man, with failing kidneys and a multitude of VDs. For all we know, he's died from these health problems. I'm sure resorting to living in a cave doesn't help matters.

McCain's campaign to say the least, is quite embarassing. From the one ad claiming that Obama is either the second coming of Christ or the anti-christ, or the pernicious lies in his ads that he wants to continue outsourcing jobs. Yet, when you look at Senator McCain's voting history, and his plans for further tax cuts for the wealthy, you'll see that he'll only further cripple the economy.

I live in Ohio,a red state, so I see a lot of McCain's ads on the the television and radio. Go ahead right now, sign into youtube, and type in John McCain, and find his official youtube page and watch his attack ads. They're sensational at best. Making ridiculous claims, poking at his popularity that he's just a celebrity. There's several things screwed up with this remark. Frist off, he's appealing to millions of people and new voters who realize that we can no longer progress as a nation who would rather solve their problems with brute force and military occupations. The time has passed when we're able to benefit as a nation off of war. World War II was the only instance where getting involved in the war really helped our economy. Yet, so many other nation's have fantastic social, economic, educational, and technologically thriving aspects, like Iceland, who have almost no army to speak of. And most of them have decided to steer away from militaristic growth, for they realize that it's not the way to go. There have been so many breakthroughs in all aspects of life, that it's just not worth it to branch out. Instead they improve the living conditions and futures of their people.

Something that's interesting is that the conotative meaning of "celebrity" has grown to be relatively negative. In the first half of the 20th century, the most popular people in the U.S. were authors, poets, and politicians. The Beat poets(Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs) were known for their radical lifestyles and creative, original works. Their progressive ideas were embraced by many, yet being the product of their own creation, their brilliance and minds were eclipsed by heavy drug usage. So, it seems in the context of McCain's attack ads, Obama represents the scary, freethinking beatniks and the relatively delusional hippies of the 60's. Thoughts calling for drastic changes in how the economy functions, how we act in the politcal theater, and inevitably affecting the ideals and customs we as a society adopt as normal. All things that scare the living crap out of McCain's supporting base.

America's priorities are completely out of whack. There are an unhealthy number of Americans who would rather support a man who wishes to remain at war, and continue the polarization of the middle class and wealthy by giving them further tax cuts, instead of taking what may be a gamble in someone who shows confidence in his ideas and inspires so many to support our electoral system.

For anyone who actually does pay attention to the happenings of the election, it's undeniable that senator McCain does indeed flip flop on a consistent basis. So, it becomes very hard to know what he'll actually do when he gets in office. Also a lot more reckless than by voting for a relatively young, vivacious, black man.

I'm working on a series of reviews, so there will eventually be more up. For those of you who may actually pay mind to this blog thank you, and I hope you can remain patient for my reviews to come.

To Sum up E3:

"The Big 3" and their press conferences were really nothing more than further instances for them to subtly copy one another's marketing strategy, yet still manage to compare their proverbial erections through pie charts and awkward flailing. Microsoft wants to have Nintendo's wholesome, universal appeal, and Sony and the PS3 are lumbering out of their presumed premature death, and looks as if it'll have a strong second half lineup. Nintendo of course, is enjoying the scenery from atop their colossal heap of revenue.

I've recently been working on music for a movie my friends and I are working on, so that's taking up a lot of my time. If anyone likes electric, catchy and eclectic music, then message me, I'll send you some of the tracks I've made.

I think out of the big three behemoths, I'm most interested in Sony's showing. I don't have a 360, so I guess whatever Microsoft shows is more of an afterthought, with my nerdy id rambling in my head, "Meh, you don't need a 360, you have a PS3!" I'm trying to be optimistic about Nintendo's showing, hoping for a new Zelda title, and hopefully finally get more news about Wii Orchestra/Music. I've also heard rumors about a new iteration of Punchout. That may possibly be the "hardcore" content they'll offer people like myself. I feel like some sort of grizzled, blue collared man who can't help but shake the impending disappointment of seeing the world fall short of his expectations, yet at the same time knew it was bound to happen. Nintendo's market is clear, and I think the casual market is their main focus for this E3.

Capcom never fails to disappoint, holding a special place in my heart. Mega Man 9 leaves a warm, soothing effervescence that reassures me that there's still a relevant niche that demands 8-bit, modern iterations. Resident Evil 5, despite the controversy over the African zombies leaves me in a nerd-mush on the floor. I think the decision to bring it to what producer Jun Takeuchi says is, "the cradle of life" is an interesting contextual decision, and seems to allow for some innovative game mechanics(i.e. heat illusions). From what I've discerned, it seems the game will be rather linear, much like RE4, but there's no doubt in my mind that it'll be a great game; might as well improve on a winning formula. Street Fighter IV(Roman numerals, yes!) should be incredible. I can't wait to own with Ken on a 3D playing field. The new characters actually look like they belong in the SF universe. SF Third Strike just confused me. Oh yeah, and Dark Void, a sci-fi VERTICAL shooter, yeah I'm looking forward to it.

I'm peeved that Square-Enix seems to have no intention to display Final Fantasy XIII, or a next-gen FFVII for that matter. I doubt it'd sell the number of consoles that everyone believes it would. That argument seems to just be a way to conceal one's unabashed, fanaticism for the game. At least that'd be my point of you, if I didn't find it pointless to make such hackneyed predictions for any PS3 game. I'll be interested to see if The Last Remnant will be a seamless hybrid of turn-based RPG combat and strategy. I just hope it doesn't turn out to be the dolled up, sexually promiscuous older sister of Dynasty Warriors that the pessimist in me thinks it'll be.

Red Faction: Guerilla seems to carry the spirit and originality of previous installments in the series. All the more reason for my friends and I to avoid acknowledging reality. Relic's Dawn of War II is my most anticipated PC game. I've always enjoyed those levels in RTS's where you have to maintain your small cadre of soldiers. Plus, the increased customization only makes things better. Sonic Chronicles: the Dark brotherhood is looking great; finally giving relevance to all of the previously frivolous characters. Soul Calibur IV is still nagging at my mind. If they announce Kratos, then I'll totally get it. Fallout 3 will most likely captivate my interest that Oblivion failed to do. Not sure why, maybe it's because I had a fantasy overload at the time.

Let me know what you think, and what you're looking forward to. We shall discuss!

Roman Numeral Count- 4 (Suprisngly Low)

When I look back at my written reviews, and the scores I give them, I worry nobody takes them seriously if they happen to go with the mold. I mean I review the games I buy, and the only games I buy are usually good. because I have fantastic taste that's why. No, but seriously, I would totally review mediocre turd biscuits for games if I had an expendable income. Video games are a lifelong passion for me, and to a certain degree I have trouble realizing what makes a bad game bad; the exact formulas and combinations that make a game a heaping wad occasionally flee my mind. I think to develop your voice and thoughts as a gamer you have to expose youself to a good doseage of bullsh*t. So, if anybody reading this wants to send me their bad games(or good ones), just contact me! You'll be on my 'Eternally Awesome" list.

Oh yeah, one more thought, I wish I understood why GameSpot censors blog entries. I mean honestly, how often are people afraid of words, or offended by their meaning? Seriously, it seems people can be overly sensitive, seriously grow a pair!

I have a relatively long, and loving relationship with micro-management/ strategy games. When I was in third grade, my relatively good behavior paid off, for I was allowed to stay inside on recess and login countless hours into the school's computer lab copy of SimCity. And, along my school career it paid off to have good behavior, because the majority of intermediate/ middle school teachers have some sort of computer fix that would make the days bearable. My 7th grade history teacher, Mr. Olsen and I would spend the lunch period working on a collaborative campaigns through Civilization 2, and he eventually gave me a copy of Rollercoaster Tycoon. Then I purchased the edition with all of its original expansions, which to this day I regard as my favorite PC game.

When I think about it, RCT is probably the pinnacle of my immersion in any game. Any good strategy game should be capable of bringing you joy when you can savor the fruits of your labor. Whether it be the near flawless invasion of an enemy base or territory, or the exponential success of a struggling attraction due to some smart layout decisions. There were relatively simple ideas that were put work that really brought out a lot more joy than one would imagine. For instance, certain groups of park attendees are more inclined to ride a certain type of ride based on 3 simple ratings: Excitement, Intensity, and Nausea. And the guests are measured with the fundamental needs: Hunger, thirst, etc. Well, they left out reproduction, which I'm sure would only please the hapless entertainers from the monotony of their job. But I digress, it's these simplified statistics and meters that pan out into a very complex web of what dictates your next move, whether it's moving a food stall or bathroom, or reduce the intensity of an otherwise great ride.

Nowadays, it seems game developers inadvertantly complicate and muddle down their games with too many ideas. Which isn't a bad thing, it just means that they're trying to be innovative and unique. For example, I tend to relate this process like going to a pizza buffet and trying to get your money's worth(or maybe in a pompous contest with a friend showing off your intestinal capacity), but afterwards you end up paying a messy visit to the nearest, unfortunate toilet. It seems at times that developers have trouble realizing what they're capable of, or more realistically what their bosses think they're able to do in a ridiculously short amount of time.

Essentially, as I'm sure is most obvious, a game is only as good as the sum of its parts. It's most important for everyone in the process of making a game to realize the potential of its members, and originality and a solid experience are bound to be produced. Yeah, that sounds right.

Now something that's always bugged me about the Mario universe is that there has never been any explanation as to why Princess Peach is in fact a princess. I mean with Super Mario Galaxy's storybook sequences, I originally thought 'Yes, finally backstory as to why she's a f*cking princess!' After so many years I thought Nintendo would reveal that there was more to the mushroom kingdom and its creation, but no. Granted, Nintendo has based their entire foundation on a handful of franchises where their story is usually lacking;I think it'd be nice to at least give meaningful origins to the characters that we have all come to love. Also, with Miyamoto expressing great interest in making a sequel to Super mario Galaxy, maybe we'll finally see just that. All we can do is hope.

Now, I've been a gamer since I was 4 years old. I grew up playing titles like Zelda,Super Mario Bros., and Mega Man amongst others. I still remember playing pretend Mega Man with my longtime friend Ryan, where we'd reenact entire levels in the backyard. Back then, gaming was our entire childhood. To this day, I am still a hardcore video game fan, always searching for games with their own personality and soul, putting a great twist on a solidified game mechanic. Yet, nowadays it's become such a pain the ass to keep up. 2007 was an amazing year for gamers, both casual and hardcore, the only problem is there's the tendency for it to be completely inaccessible. And, what I mean by this is that games are way too expensive, and the majority of the time it's not even worth it. It's a market saturated with crappy, uninspired titles.

If you think about it, $60 dollars for a game is a lot of money. I mean that's 5 or 6 DVD movies, 2 Blu-ray movies, or 3 budget titles that are well worth the money. It's obvious that if a game is a true gem, people are going to buy it no matter what, and for two reasons: 1. They deserve the money 2. They can make more top-notch titles. Charging 50 bucks for a title during the last generation was excessive, but now it's just getting ridiculous. I mean, I hate to play a game and have the looming thought that I could've bought a game that was probably better. Which in turn, spoils the whole experience. Granted, the video game industry is a behemoth of profit, and is rapidly becoming the pinnacle of entertainment. The only problem is, we've seen this happen before. When the Atari 2600 came out it was the most remarkable thing to ever be released. Well, to nerds like myself it would be. Much like what I think is happening today, the market became overhwelmed with crap. There were so many god-awful titles, that noone was willing to buy them anymore, people wizened up. It doesn't help the industry at all when they charge 60 bucks for a polished turd.

A lot of the hype that goes into marketing games really has to be dissected by the consumer. Determing whether or not it's worth your time, if it looks interesting, and if it does things that don't seem monotonous or poorly constructed. Yet, it seems like a lot of those who make the decisions in the industry rely on the consumers to be complete morons, who are easily manipulated by flashy graphics and verbose descriptions. I'm sure anyone reading this can remember a time when they read a game's description on the box and thought the entire thing could be replaced with one terse sentence, "Don't bother."

Lastly, it's sooooooooo obvious that there's more money to be made if they just severed the price drastically. Like, if they charged 30 or even 20 bucks for a title, people would be more inclined to buy games on a more frequent basis. Plus, it'll allow for people to develop their taste in games, thus dictating the way the industry operates and grows. I just recently bought Patapon for the PSP, 20 bucks, and by far a fantastic amalgamation of genres. Now, why can't more big names do this sort of thing? If, say they charged 30 bucks for MGS4 known for its storylines and compelling stealth gameplay, even more people would buy it for its price, regardless of their experience with the series.

If the industry insists in shelling out endless boring, and shallow titles and charge the prices they do, there's no doubt in my mind that the industry will once again see a complete collapse, finding nearly their entire stock in neighboring landfills to the millions of copies of E.T.

My friend Ross once remarked that he's amazed at how enthralled he gets into games. I said maybe it was an escapist thing, he was able to escape into the world, and becaptivated by its atmosphere. I was surprised when he didn't agree, I mean I've been playing games for nearly 15 years, so I thought I had an excellent grasp on things. He said he finds games enjoyable since they allow him to function on less actual brainpower, and I pondered whether or not that was actually a good thing.

Right away I thought that maybe he derives the game's worth on one level, as a means of not thinking, but then I thought that as human beings we have an inherent need to show dominance and power from time to time. I mean it's in our DNA, especially as men to be domineering and strong, but we have learned to supress it. But, games allow us to fulfill these urges in a cathartic manner.

At the time he was playing Assassin's Creed, and anyone who has played it has seen how fun and satisfying it is to take out nearly 30 guys in one expertly maneuvered bloodbath, and then quickly scale a building to get away. Games in their very nature serve as a means of escaping the world, become masters of our domain, being free of the bonds of reality. To some, this is considered an unhealthy solution, but I find games to be very therapeutic, allowing for contemplation, and a means of coping with an overwhelming world if for only a few minutes.

With many games such as Bioshock and Mass Effect serving as enthralling and intellectual mediums regarding morality and the human condition, it'll be very interesting to see the evolution of gaming from here on out.

I love baseball, and I always have. I played the game for 8 years, but the people I was to play with outweighed my drive to play, sadly. Yet, now that I'm out of high school, I wish to continue playing the game. Yet, earlier today I read the names on the Mitchell Report regarding players who use steroids. Yet, the thing that bothers me most about it is that it's stuff that any avid fan already knew. I mean what's the real relevance of it? None really. Nothing is going to be done to combat steroid usage. It's alot more entertaining to fans nowadays to watch people like Barry Bonds beat the crap out of a baseball and the resulting catfights for it, instead of the tribulations teams must push through to be victorious. Baseball is mutating into a very unpleasant and tedious thing to watch. I mean there were days where if your team didn't win, it was alright, just the for the fact you got the chance to escape from the world was enough. It's a game that moves at its own pace, a game that's not over until the last out is made. Nowadays they've brought what started out as the sport of a fledgling nation that grew and suffered with its people, and brought it into the real world, burdening the game and its fans with trite and stupid problems.

Countless media and commercial conglomerates have instigated the idea that we can only be driven to love the game by oggling at the big names and their ability to crush old records and the spirits of struggling pitchers and wincing batters. That's what sells seats and overpriced hotdogs, 500 ft. homeruns and pitchers throwing no less than 12 Ks. One of the biggest draws of baseball for me is watching the battle between the two teams, and for the game to be able to change in an instant.

I live in Warren, Ohio. here, it's almost entirely Indians fans, with trace amounts of Pirates fans on account of they're a tw- hour drive away. Yet, the majority of kids my age that I see carousing the malls and hangouts are donning Yankees caps. And why is that? Because, they're the epitome of greatness. Now, I like any other educated baseball fan realizes that they are indeed worthy of their titles,with the plethora of incredible players, but it seems that in my time things have only gotten worse. The Yankees have the highest payroll in the MLB, seeing that Steinbrenner buys any promising and talented athletes that come by. They've won 4 titles in the past ten years, which has resulted in many teams hating them. The Boston Red Sox fans seem to be the most vehement about their hatred towards them. My friend Mike owns a "Yankees Suck" shirt that he bought at Fenway, and has been an avid fan of the Sox for nearly ten years. "It takes alot of the enjoyment out of the game, it's discouraging to see a completely stacked team. It doesn't give any other team a chance, really." Yet, as i thought afterwards, it's soooooooooo good to see them lose.

I believe that with all of the Yankee apparel in stores across the country, this reflects the fact that we are to be captivated more by overwhelming and insurmountable strength than by sheer heart and will of other teams.

To conclude this rant, I must say that I think the essence of what baseball is has been lost. The pressures on players to use steroids is upsetting, for before the days of steroid useage, baseball's greatest players were remembered as much for their individual philosophies for the game as the numbers they put up. Yet, to some degree the players must take responsibility for their actions and be willing to fess up to the fact that they've had unatural help, and that any records they break should be considered nullified.

And so as countless, disgruntled fans put it in so many infamous, yet hilarious banners, "Ruth did it on hot dogs and beer, Aaron did it with cl*ss."

It just makes me worry now for the future of Adult Swim. I mean with shows like Tim and Eric, and Xavier: Renegade Angel, it seems that intelligent and witty humor is being replaced with inane, mindless humor that any guy on LSD can dream of. They're going to get rid of Futurama, a show that serves as a pardoy of our very own world, for shows like Tim and Eric. One episode of that show serves enough of an example of mediocrity and retarded humor for one to have concern for the future. With Tim and Eric being picked up for 30 more episodes, I can only assume when I say that the shows to come will only get more idiotic and random ( as hard as that may seem). I miss the days of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which offered colorful and imaginative characters, and Home movies which added a thoughtful absurdiy to situations, my favorite being Coach McGuirk buying a plethora of swords off of an infomercial. I guess with more mindless shos coming down the pipe, we can only expect more crap.