Super Mario Brothers - Before they were Super!

I found this advetisement in an X-Men comic book I was reading tonight (#187) from 1983 and it brought a huge smile to my face.
Long before they made their debut on the NES Mario and Luigi were just simple plumbers in this classic Atari 2600 video game.  Challenged by the nefarious turtles, crabs and flying thingies...I vaguely remember playing this title a few years after it was released, after I had gotten hooked on Super Mario Brothers for the NES.  I disticntly remember my younger self being like...wow this game is crap!  Now I look back on it and appreciate it for everything that it started.  Ah nostalgia...to think...this was 30 years ago!

Stan Lee on Comic Book Men!

Holy Crap!  I just caught the teaser for nest weeks episode of Kevin Smith's show on AMC, Comic Book Men, and Stan Lee himself will be making a special guest appearance at the Stash!

That is going to be amazing!  I will definitely be writing a post to comment on that once it airs!

A long time Kevin Smith fan, I just recently became a big fan of the show, and one of my big complaints was that Kevin never actually dropped by the store.  They finally remedied that tonight as the gang at the Stash hosted a live book signing of Kevin's latest book Tough Sh*t.  With Jason Mewes working security, there were a lot of laughs, and it was pretty amazing to see Kevin step into the role of negotiator / benefactor when an item from Walt's past came through the door.

These guys have one of the best jobs ever!

CM Punk and Yvette Nicole Brown on The Walking Dead: Part 2

Tonight's guest stars on The Talking Dead were  WWE Wrestler CM Punk and actress Yvette Nicole Brown of Community.

It was a very vocal episode, with both Punk and Yvette being very out spoken with their views on tonight's episode.  It was nice to finally see an episode where the guests are vying for camera time, both anxious to express their opinions on the series.  As much as I appreciate the inside insight that actual cast members can bring to the table, they are usually under a pretty strict gag order.

CM Punk was very well spoken, and had some crazy views, like stating that Merle was justified turning a walker loose on a restrained Glen as part of the interrogation process.  I suppose I can see what he was saying, but nobody messes with Glen!  That character proved he is totally bad ass tonight, both by refusing to cave to Merle's brutal interrogation, and then by taking out the walker while still secured to a chair.

Yvette Nicole Brown was also very well spoken, and she had some pretty great insight.  I loved the fact that when asked which Community character would be best suited to survive the Zombie Apocalypse, she had to consider before jumping on the band wagon to answer Ahbed. 
I also appreciated Yvette's view of Carl as an up and coming Alpha in training.  Carl is definitely maturing into a force to be reckoned with.  And he is making way better choices these days.

The background featurette that focused on how the film crew achieve the various zombie decapitations was also pretty cool to see.

OMG!  The special preview of next weeks season finale was incredible!   Michone meets Penny!  I agree with both CM Punk and Yvette, that Michone would have no problem decapitating a child should it come to that!

This episode was one of the best this season.  Great guests, great content.  A lot of solid fun!

The First Rule of Hot Tub.

I just wanted to take a moment to let the world know how much I appreciate my friends Alec Harmer and Sadie Wannamaker.  (Wanna-Harmer?, Harmer-Maker?)  Ever since they bought their house in K/W they have been hosting frequent hot tub nights on their back deck, many of which I have been privileged enough to attend.  Some are planned weeks in advance, others are brilliant spur of the moment decisions.
Last night was the latest of these events, a totally unplanned gathering of good friends that was the result of someone having a stressful day at work.  It couldn't have come at a better time for yours truly.  Its great to be able to unwind at the end of a long day surrounded by great friends. Regardless of who is in attendance, I have found that some things always hold true about these events.  The company is always fantastic.  The beer is always cold. And the one rule of the hot tub is always strictly enforced.

What happens in the hot tub stays in the hot tub. ;)

Thanks guys.

See you again soon.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2: Online Multiplayer: Create a Class: First Impressions

I have had a copy Black Ops 2 in my possession ever since the midnight launch just under two weeks ago so it's time to share a few thoughts.  Right off the bat, if you aren't a gamer, or don't play Call Of Duty, go ahead and skip this post!  Its not going to interest you in the slightest!
I have already logged about 20 hours of online game play, and it would be more if I weren't so busy at work right now.  I am currently level 20 on my first Prestige, thanks to the Double XP launch weekend.
First thing, the new Pick 10 create a class system is a really interesting modification to the game.  It used to be that a player got to choose a primary weapon w/ attachment, a secondary weapon, a piece of lethal equipment, a piece of tactical equipment and 3 perks (1 of 6 available from different 3 tiers) to aid in their goals.
With the new pick 10 create a class system, the player can choose to forego any number of their weapons, equipment or perks to select any combination of the above, plus new wildcard attributes.  The wildcards each take up one slot, and allow the player added options, like selecting a second perk from a tier, adding a second piece of lethal equipment, carrying 2 primary weapons, or equipping 3 attachments to a primary weapon.  The wildcards allow for almost limitless customization combinations.
I play Domination almost exclusively, and very early on I found a couple of combinations that work really well for my play style:

ASSAULT CLASS:
Wild Cards:
#1 Primary Gunfighter: Allows an extra attachment on my primary weapon.
#2 Perk 1 Greed: Allows two Perks from tier 1.
Primary Weapon: Type 25 Assault Rifle: A solid assault rifle with full auto capability, a must in my books.
Primary Weapon Attachments x3: Thanks to the Primary Gunfighter Wildcard.
#1: Target Finder Scope: An advanced  holographic scope that actually identifies targets in its viewfinder.  Incredibly accurate, and helpfull for mid-range distance kills with an assault rifle.
#2 Foregrip: Reduces recoil, increasing overall accuracy, very important when running with on full auto.
#3 Full Metal Jacket rounds:  The FMJ's add a big punch to the Type 25's ammunition, meaning it takes fewer slugs to put down an opponent.  Also in a quick-draw firefight, the FMJ's give you the edge over your opponent.

Secondary Weapon: FHJ - 18AA rocket launcher.  A vehicle lock launcher with 2 rounds, perfect for knocking enemy aircraft out of the sky.

Perks:
Perk Tier 1: x2 Because of the Perk 1 Greed Wildcard.
#1: Flack Jacket: A must in Domination matches, lets you survive an explosion or grenade blast without dying.  This is a huge advantage when capturing control points.
Perk #1 slot #2: Light weight: Allows you to move faster, handy when trying to get from point A to Point B.  Also, you take less damage from falling.
Perk Tier #3: Extreme Conditioning: Lets you run for longer durations, and when combined with light weight, you go like the wind, even when carrying a rocket launcher.
In order to run this load out I have given up my lethal equipment, both tactical equipment pieces, and a Perk 2 tier selection.  I don't find that I miss them at all.
Just for fun, I also created a perk heavy class modeled after something that one of the game designers likes to run with.  This class forgoes both primary and secondary weapons, in favour of speed and lethal combat knife kills. Nobody expects it, and while it isn't well suited to domination matches matches, it is perfect for quick and dirty Free-For-All matches.

Mortal Kombat Class:

Wildcards:
Perk #1 Greed
Perk #2 Greed
Perk #3 Greed

Lethal Equipment: Combat Axe:  Literally the only thing I am carrying other than the combat knife.  The deadly combat axe is an instant kill when it hits a target, and it can be picked up again and again.  While it is not the easiest thing to aim, it is pretty badass.

Perks:
Tier 1 #1: Blind Eye:  This keeps me off if enemy radar, making me undetectable to their U.A.V recon drones.
Tier 1 #2: Light weight: Allows you to move faster, which is always handy when you are running just hand to hand melee weapons.
Tier 2 #1: Cold Blooded: This makes me undetectable to heat sensing scopes, and target finders.  If they can't get a lock on you, some players will have a hard time hitting you.
Tier 2 #2: Scavenger.  This allows me to resupply ammo for any weapon I choose to pick up mid round.  Very handy if your stealth attacks are getting nowhere.
Tier 3 #1: Extreme Conditioning.  Sprint for longer periods of time.  Thus combined with Light weight, and no primary or secondary weapons allows for the fastest movement possible.  All most twice the speed of heavily weighted players.
Tier 3 #2: Awareness.  This boosts the level of noise made my enemies around you so you can hear footsteps etc through your source speakers.
Armed with only the combat knife and Combat Axe, this super speedy class is a lot of fun, especially on small maps!
So there you have it, all most limitless options for customization means that you can play this game your way.
BTW, you play, feel free to add me on PSN: DeaDPaN79 and we'll swap stories.
Now get out there and shoot some douche waffles!
Stay Frosty.

CM Punk and Yvette Nicole Brown on The Walking Dead

Did my research and it turns out that WWE wrestler CM Punk, and actress Yvette Nicole Brown will be the guest stars on tomorrow night's episode of Talking Dead after The Walking Dead Season 3 Episode 7.  Fans of the quirky show Community will recognize Yvette as the actress who plays Shirley.  I haven't watched wrestling in 15+ years so I have no idea who CM Punk is, but as always, I am interested to hear what both of these guests have to say about episode 7. 

Wreck-It Ralph: First Attempt Salvaged!

For the record, I lost this post, by accidentally deleting it, then found it after rewriting it from scratch.  I am going to put it up, just to compare the two finished products, written hours apart.  See the other post for the images.

Disney has done it again. With a fantastic blend of nostalgia and sugar-coated fun for the whole family, Wreck-It Ralph is a set to be a another hit for the Mouse.

With a stellar cast featuring John C. Reilly (Wreck-It Ralph), Sarah Silverman (Vanellope Von Sweetz), Jack McBrayer (Fix-It Felix, Jr.), Jane Lynch (Sergeant Calhoun) and Mindy Kaling, there is alot to love about this film.

The plot is pretty heart-warming. The whole thing takes place inside the various arcade games down at Litwack's Arcade. Wreck-It Ralph, is a wrecker. He's really good at wrecking stuff. He is also the bad guy in the arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr. He wrecks an apartment building every game so that Felix can fix it with his magic golden hammer. The thing is, that Ralph isn't a bad guy. He's just doing his job. But, because he's different, the other inhabitants of his game treat him different. Instead of living with them in their building, he lives at the dump, surrounded by all of the bricks, and rubble created by destroying the building every day. He doesn't ever get to eat pie, or get invited to their parties. Poor Ralph is lonely. He just wants to be included. So when he sees that there is a party going on to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the game, he invites himself to the party, much to the chagrin of the other characters.

And of course, without meaning to, he wrecks it. This starts his quest to obtain a medal so that he can be a good guy like Fix-it Felix Jr. And I have to give special mention to Jack McBrayer, whose super sweet, ultra nice guy portrayal adds alot of fun to the film.

Ralph's quest to earn a medal take him from his own video game into the world of Hero's Duty, a modern FPS game where a platoon of super soldiers lead by Sargent Calhoun, tackle a swarm of ravaging cy-bugs each and every game. Ralph is in fact able to obtain a medal, but he soon looses it again when he is unexpectedly jettisoned out of Hero's Duty, and finds himself in a the saccharine sweet game Sugar Rush, a candy coated kart racing game, accidentally transporting a cy-bug with him.

He is soon introduced to Vanellope Von Sweets, a saccharine sweet little pop tart, who steals his medal in order to fulfill her own goals, namely of one day being allowed to participate in the Sugar Rush kart race.

Sweetz, who in the grand tradition of family movies, just wants to play in all the reindeer games, but because she's different (she's a glitch, and occasionally phases in and out of existence) the other racers shun and mistreat her. Eventually realizing that Vanellope is a kindred spirit, Ralph helps her build a kart and teaches her to drive. Meanwhile Felix and Sgt Calhoun are tracking Ralph and the cy-bug in an effort to return them to their respective games before the arcade opens for the day. In a hilarious sub plot, romance soon blossoms between these two protagonists. In the end, everybody gets what they want, and all is well with the world of the arcade, this is a Disney film after all.

Special mention to the fun video game based humour of this film. I know I appreciated it! Specifically the first scene, a A Bad Anonamous meeting for the various villains of the video game arcade, featuring appearances by Zangief and M.Bison of the Street Fighter franchise, Bowser from the beloved Super Mario Brothers franchise, Kano from Mortal Kombat, and Clyde, the orange ghost from Pac Man. There was alot of other fun references to video game culture that anyone with a working knowledge of video games can appreciate.

I also have to comment on the fantastic blend of animation styles on display in this film. Everything from a cute modernization of 3 dimensional 8-bit graphics for Fix-It Felix characters to the ultra realistic HD graphics of Hero's Duty are served up in a manner that they blend seamlessly, and everything makes perfect sense.

I actually enjoyed this film so much that I went back to see it a second time a few days later, and the second time around I took my two and a half year old daughter, the thief, as I thought she might appreciate it as her first ever trip to the movies. I consider this to be the ultimate stamp of approval for a film. And as the lights went down in the theatre, and the classic Disney castle appeared on the big screen, her eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned over to give me a kiss. Turns out, she liked it too.