tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72882464532689521912024-03-13T20:54:38.290-07:00rocket number zero nineWherein Matt geeks out over movies, gaming, and more.Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.comBlogger330125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-59769369262779438212010-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:002010-11-01T12:54:29.040-07:00Update!<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="325" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/m5Gyjf82nTY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/m5Gyjf82nTY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="325"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm participating in <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/">NaNoWriMo</a>! Check out my <a href="http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/730871">profile page</a>.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-3993962857327226332010-10-19T13:31:00.000-07:002010-10-19T13:31:48.627-07:00On Words<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J7E-aoXLZGY?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J7E-aoXLZGY?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">British comedian/mad genius Steven Fry has given me a lot to think about.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am uppity about language, passionate about words. I hold a degree in being pretentious about English — a degree! I am one of those people you see rolling their eyes at the misuse of apostrophes and misspellings on fast food message boards. When Steven Fry talks about elitist, pretentious holders of words, who maintain a monopoly on language, he's talking about me. Me, and people like me.<br />
<br />
So I feel guilty. Because he's right.<br />
<br />
Who am I to hold the words? Why am I more qualified to use them than you are, than she is, than he is? Don't words belong to everyone, in equal parts? Is not language the sum of everyone's thoughts, feelings, emotions, innovations, bright ideas, professions of love and hate and apathy?<br />
<br />
Honestly, who am I to keep all of these words to myself? Sure, I know the rules. I know why this comma goes here and this semi-colon goes there. I know what an Oxford comma is, that you shouldn't split your verb phrases, and that over (or under) is volume and more than (or fewer than) is quantity. But <i>why</i>, I ask again, does this entitle me, and people like me, to keep words for ourselves?<br />
<br />
What happened to freedom and experimentation? Who is pushing the boundaries now in language, in writing, in storytelling? How many more hypothetical questions can I pose before I drive myself insane, get in the car, and careen off the nearest cliff?<br />
<br />
One more, is the answer. Exactly one more hypothetical question.<br />
<br />
Why don't more people love words?<br />
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If it's my fault, I'm sorry. </div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-55465056200210968322010-10-15T13:40:00.000-07:002010-10-15T13:41:57.551-07:00Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 5 - Meet the Darkspawn<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In this fifth installment of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC, my dwarf and his Grey Warden compatriots encounter the darkspawn for the first time.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KdK6JfT3uiU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KdK6JfT3uiU?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/cKe6_-9BYP8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/cKe6_-9BYP8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6yuy9AtqqTY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6yuy9AtqqTY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_azua7KjhZc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_azua7KjhZc?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-48443684166031728082010-10-14T01:05:00.000-07:002010-10-14T01:05:10.457-07:00Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 4 - Taking Down Beraht<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Apologies for the low audio in this one. It will be fixed in the next episode!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this installment of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC, my dwarf finally gets an opportunity to take down his boss, Beraht, and goes topside with the Grey Wardens!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hk6aPkxtvm0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hk6aPkxtvm0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J5JYLGx-go8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J5JYLGx-go8?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dlm3SGbXmlI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Dlm3SGbXmlI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-53516056813108191672010-10-13T12:22:00.000-07:002010-10-13T12:22:44.911-07:00Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 3 - Spilling Blood on Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><span id="goog_1402476009"></span><span id="goog_1402476010"></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Apologies for the low audio on this one. The third episode of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC. In this installment, my dwarf enters combat in the dwarven arena, and is taken into custody for defiling the contest! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.<br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E0LOATV-BWE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E0LOATV-BWE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/97DEyAYi5p4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/97DEyAYi5p4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/FJu5dj8pHKA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/FJu5dj8pHKA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-50829366147797443562010-10-12T02:15:00.000-07:002010-10-12T02:41:44.638-07:00Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 2 - Finding Oskias<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The second episode of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins for PC. In this video, my new dwarf goes out into the world, struggles with the camera, and seeks out Oskias.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.<br />
<br />
<b>UPDATE: I've solved the camera issue. I promise there will be exactly zero seconds of complaining about the camera in the next episode.</b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vRpc5O4Ilok?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vRpc5O4Ilok?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CLrTQAN2QPI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CLrTQAN2QPI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/j4z9FJ1z6x4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/j4z9FJ1z6x4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-59936268299254585262010-10-12T00:39:00.000-07:002010-10-12T02:11:41.993-07:00Let's Play Dragon Age: Origins - Episode 1 - A Hero in the Making<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The first episode of my Let's Play series on Dragon Age: Origins. In this video, I create my character, choose his skills, and set off on an epic adventure.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Dragon Age: Origins is owned by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. This video is intended for entertainment purposes.</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KKsB2x-uFc0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KKsB2x-uFc0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xfxYcH9oYAA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xfxYcH9oYAA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kgzV9CaE_OI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kgzV9CaE_OI?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-64839132453539071442010-10-10T19:51:00.000-07:002010-10-10T19:51:33.453-07:00Thoughts on a possible Let's Play?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://www.gogaminggiant.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/dragonageoriginslogo.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Hey folks. Been trying to think of a new project for Rocket Number 09 lately, and one idea I've been toying with is doing a Let's Play video series. For those of you who are unaware, Let's Play videos entail somebody playing through a video game, recording their footage, and commentating on the gameplay as they do so. I'd be doing my Let's Play series on <b>Dragon Age: Origins</b>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, thoughts? Comments? Hurled insults? Awkward passes?</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-73764015765128423022010-09-27T22:42:00.000-07:002010-09-29T05:07:57.751-07:00How one dude restored my faith in humanity, gaming, and retail (all in one night)<div style="text-align: justify;">First off, I'm going to try and keep the sappiness in this post to a minimum. That said, I'm being serious.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">To preface: I don't get much personal satisfaction out of my retail job. That's not to say that I don't take pride in a job well done, or that I'm lazy. Quite the opposite, really. I just feel that retail, and many other jobs, have little benefit beyond getting paid. If I'm going to put forth the effort to do my job, it's rewarding to receive something in return beyond simple monetary compensation — I want to feel good about what I'm doing, and I want to help people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Retail doesn't offer many opportunities for personal enrichment like this. But sometimes, even menial cashier work can make you think.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I worked a closing shift by myself this evening at the board game shop. A Magic: The Gathering tournament was scheduled, but we only had one guy show. His name was Michael. Upon meeting Michael, I quickly discerned that he was slightly mentally disabled — not glaringly so, just a little slow was all. Michael seemed disappointed that the tournament wasn't happening, and confessed to me that he had taken the bus to get to the store, and that it would take his mom at least an hour or two to come by and pick him up.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I explained to him that folks didn't always show for the Monday night tournaments, and that he was more than welcome to stick around the store while he waited for his mom. I also told him that he could look through our many binders of single cards to help pass the time. He thanked me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Michael stayed in the store for over three hours.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Recently, I have become disenchanted with the gaming community and the way it presents itself. I deal with too many jerks and snobs to look upon the populace that I belong to and find redeeming qualities. It's the obsession, the fanaticism, the body odor. It's a lot of things, but it certainly isn't kindness or camaraderie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Michael and I talked for three hours, while I worked and sorted behind the counter, and he looked through singles and organized his own cards. Michael told me that he loved the game, and that he was still pretty new at it. He showed me a couple of his decks, and asked for my advice on how to improve them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I'm not an expert on the game of Magic. But I know the game fairly well, and play it often within my circle of friends. I talked to Michael at length about his decks, and what cards I would recommend for them. Michael seemed excited to be talking to somebody about this game that he loved, and listened with rapt attention, eyes widening when I would explain the outcome of certain cards and combos. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"And what does this card do?" he would ask again and again. "When would I use this ability?" </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And we just kept talking.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Michael talked about his job, his family, and how he didn't have many friends. For him, playing Magic was an escape from the hassles of working a grunt job at his local Wal-Mart. It allowed him a space to be creative and thoughtful while interacting with real people. It became clear to me that Michael was just a lonely guy looking for connection.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"You look tired," he said at one point.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Just bored," I answered.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Well," he said, "at least we have each other to talk to."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't want to overstate the importance of Magic, of trading card games, or of this particular experience. But I also don't want to deny its effect on me. As Michael left the store, I couldn't help but think that this is what gaming is capable of, and that no matter how many self-important douchebags come through our store, there are always people playing the game for the fun and the sense of community.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Michael kept thanking me for my help, and for keeping him company while he waited for his ride. I didn't really know how to tell him that he'd given me so much to think about, that we were even.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-63626723692788519602010-09-23T10:21:00.000-07:002010-09-23T10:21:23.673-07:00The end is now the beginning is now the end of rental stores<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100923&t=2&i=210377639&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=2010-09-23T121314Z_01_BTRE68M0R5V00_RTROPTP_0_USA" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://www.reuters.com/resources/r/?m=02&d=20100923&t=2&i=210377639&w=460&fh=&fw=&ll=&pl=&r=2010-09-23T121314Z_01_BTRE68M0R5V00_RTROPTP_0_USA" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's official: <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68M10320100923">Blockbuster is closing</a>. And this mere months after the last of the Hollywood Videos have closed down.</div><blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Blockbuster, which employs about 25,000 people, has been closing stores as it grapples with competition from Netflix, Coinstar unit Redbox and others that deliver movie rentals digitally.</div></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;">Sounds like rental stores are going the way of the dodo. </div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-23623277907700679582010-09-21T15:01:00.001-07:002010-09-21T15:01:35.384-07:00Gnomeo and Juliet trailerWhat the what?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xqhkso64xa0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xqhkso64xa0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-3238374819329280842010-09-20T14:07:00.000-07:002010-09-20T14:07:03.788-07:00Japanese Spider-Man<div style="text-align: justify;">Wandering the depths of YouTube, I stumbled upon this awesome gem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="325" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mcxioU7AMM4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mcxioU7AMM4?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="325"></embed></object></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I love how no matter the hero, he will always have a giant transforming robot.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-59945571297314997752010-09-20T01:57:00.000-07:002010-09-20T01:57:37.563-07:00There will be blog<div style="text-align: justify;">Indeed, the rumors are true, and the prophecy has come to pass. I have returned to Rocket Number 09 for the umpteenth time with promises of frequent updates. So what's new with me? Well, I graduated a few months ago, so there's that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh, and here's a picture of me standing next to a chocolate-covered bacon stand. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KvJYjT_mh9I/TJch16YEyfI/AAAAAAAAALo/cT15GEMa5d8/s1600/63079_554616672030_44903276_32427203_1654366_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KvJYjT_mh9I/TJch16YEyfI/AAAAAAAAALo/cT15GEMa5d8/s320/63079_554616672030_44903276_32427203_1654366_n.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">See you all soon.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-76260231690198269932010-09-19T19:07:00.000-07:002010-09-19T19:25:25.403-07:00Faygo away<div style="text-align: justify;">First off, please enjoy my punny title. I’m not typically a huge fan of puns, but I was cracking myself up with that one. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now. There is serious business to see to.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the board game shop in which I work, we sell a soda called Faygo. Specifically, we carry Faygo root beer (there are many dozens of flavors of Faygo, apparently). It’s essentially a cheap soft drink that somehow manages the seemingly impossible task of tasting both a little too syrupy and a little too watery. How this mean feat is achieved, I will never know. But I have to give credit where credit is due.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KvJYjT_mh9I/TJbBBIxJfsI/AAAAAAAAALU/DeznF656mzc/s1600/faygo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_KvJYjT_mh9I/TJbBBIxJfsI/AAAAAAAAALU/DeznF656mzc/s320/faygo.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">It tastes about as good as that knockoff brand of ginger ale you’ve never heard of that your uncle brings to the family gathering. You surmise that he purchased the 2-liter bottle of piss-tasting tonic water and syrup at the local Dollar Tree, and make a mental note to steer clear of it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It’s like if you took a bottle of expired maple syrup and poured it down the toilet, then decided against it and scooped it back into the bottle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That’s basically Faygo.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But what truly brings my attention to Faygo tonight has nothing to do with the soda’s less-than-awesome taste or humble Detroit roots. It does, however, have everything to do with the soda’s primary consumer — the juggalos. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will not attempt to concretely define the juggalo, its inexplicable existence, or its origins (no, perhaps I will save that for a later post). What I will cover is the juggalo’s magnet-like attraction to a mediocre soft drink, and why it ruins my day.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For the unaware, juggalos (or juggalettes — yes, the word is even gendered) are die hard fans of the mysteriously popular hip hop group, Insane Clown Posse (ICP). From Wikipedia: ”Juggalos have compared themselves to a family. Common characteristics include drinking the inexpensive soft drink Faygo and wearing face paint. They view the lyrics of Psychopathic Records artists (which are often violent in nature) as a catharsis for aggression. According to ICP founding member Joseph Utsler, “[Juggalos come] from all walks of life—from poverty, from rich, from all religions, all colors. It doesn’t matter if you’re born with a silver spoon in your mouth, or a crack rock in your mouth.”</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KvJYjT_mh9I/TJbBKvgO_FI/AAAAAAAAALc/NG9b_boxNos/s1600/psychopathic_clink303.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KvJYjT_mh9I/TJbBKvgO_FI/AAAAAAAAALc/NG9b_boxNos/s320/psychopathic_clink303.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Ustler’s words confuse me, because my experience with juggalos has predominantly been with young, heterosexual, lower-class, white males with inferiority complexes and unemployment checks burning holes in their shorts. They travel in pairs or packs, wear ICP merchandise like school colors, and strut around being generally unpleasant, loud, and unshaven.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But unraveling the mysteries of juggalos is hardly my intention. What I seek to understand is why juggalos are drawn to Faygo like sailors to the sirens. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Faygo is produced in Michigan, and was apparently enjoyed by the ICP members when they were growing up in Detroit (Rock City). Nostalgia. Alright, I get that. I do. It would make sense that even those crazy, mixed-up clowns would still enjoy Faygo even today, as the syrupy taste likely drudges up memories of their childhoods, however dismal and depressing they may have been. But why have the juggalos, their fans, taken to it so readily, when the soda likely has no meaning to them whatsoever?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When my store first started carrying Faygo, word spread quickly amongst the local juggalos, and before long, hordes of them came sidling in, asking “Where the Faygo at?” and nearly starting full-scale riots when the machine jammed. If the machine was out, they’d take it warm just as readily. And if there was a case available, they’d buy the lot of it (presumably to bring home to their juggalettes and juggaloos for dinner).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I mean, I’m a huge Metallica fan, and would likely take a bullet or missile for James Hetfield, but you won’t find me running out to buy a truckload of his favorite breakfast cereal in a vain attempt to eke some of his awesome. But juggalos don’t seem to see it that way — and in fact, this crazy little pocket community of America’s white trash has claimed Faygo for their own in a sort of turf war that nobody else is participating in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">You guys want Faygo? It’s all yours. You can have it. It tastes like fountain drink runoff anyway. I’ll keep my literacy and dignity in exchange for it, and you can be on your merry, insane way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I have several theories as to why juggalos need to drink of the Faygo. Please enjoy them, because they're extremely scientific and just as plausible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Theory One: Juggalos are sort of like vampires.</b> Only instead of blood, they thirst for crappy root beer. If they don't get Faygo every few days, they get paler and scrawnier than they already are. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Theory Two: Juggalos are a hive collective</b> (like an ant colony) and must drink Faygo to appease their overlords, the great Insane Clown Posse.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Theory Three: They're a bunch of misguided idiots</b> who think they have to drink Faygo because some crappy hip-hop duo they've based their entire lives around happens to also drink the stuff.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">That last theory seems a little far fetched to me.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><object height="250" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_-agl0pOQfs?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_-agl0pOQfs?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="250"></embed></object></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-75110625803380655722010-07-19T12:30:00.000-07:002010-07-19T12:30:27.617-07:00Trailer Trashing: The Wonder of Water!<center><object height="265" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13448983&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=8E2800&fullscreen=1" /><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=13448983&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=8E2800&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="265"></embed></object><br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/13448983">Trailer Trashing: The Wonder of Water</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/trailertrashing">Matt Click</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</center><center><br />
</center><center style="text-align: justify;">Matt and Darrin discover the wonders of H2O! I apologize for the wonky audio levels on this one. It was surprisingly hard to mix.</center>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-41552420531564556472010-06-18T11:24:00.000-07:002010-06-18T11:24:22.672-07:00New Trailer Trashing on the way!<div style="text-align: justify;">Hey folks! Long time no see. I'm in the midst of summer classes at the moment, but I did find a few spare hours to record an all new episode of Trailer Trashing with my good friend and frequent Trashing buddy, Darrin Jones. Look forward to seeing that by the end of the weekend!</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-36181819238226036992010-05-06T21:32:00.001-07:002010-05-06T23:51:16.750-07:00In Which I UPDATE YOU<object height="323" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QE07n-ZtD6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QE07n-ZtD6Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="323"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Consider yourselves updated! And if you're interested in watching the episode of Trailer Trashing I mention in this video, <a href="http://rocketnumber09.blogspot.com/2008/09/trailer-trashing-safety-in-danger-out.html">head here</a>.<br />
<br />
Other links I mention in this video:<br />
<a href="http://mattclick.com/">mattclick.com</a><br />
<a href="http://joshway.com/">joshway.com</a><br />
<br />
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-58774945400805270102010-04-06T01:00:00.000-07:002010-05-06T23:08:27.378-07:00Taking a Break<div style="text-align: justify;">Hey folks. As you might have noticed, I'm taking a break from blogging for the moment so I can concentrate on schoolwork. It's my senior year as an undergrad, so I've been working my ass off lately. In the meantime, check out my website, <a href="http://www.mattclick.com/">www.mattclick.com</a>. You'll find a bunch of my fiction stuff there to read.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Catch you guys this summer.</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-75175032803998326372010-01-27T23:27:00.000-08:002010-01-27T23:29:15.797-08:00Pardon me? No, pardon you, lady<div style="text-align: justify;">I've avoided putting this up here for a long time, but it keeps popping up everywhere. I figure it's time I gave in and subjected you all to the horror that is Pardon Me, by Maxine Swaby. Not quite Jan Terri bad, but she's getting there.<br />
</div><br />
<div align="center"><object height="245" width="400"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4dbU2f90OAw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4dbU2f90OAw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="245"></embed></object><br />
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-14979335132303848202010-01-27T21:53:00.000-08:002010-01-27T23:20:23.798-08:00R#09's Top 25 Video Games of All Time! (One + Honorable Mentions)<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rocketnumber09.blogspot.com/search/label/top%20video%20games">See all 25 games right here!</a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>And so here we are. The moment you've all been waiting for. It's my favorite video game of all time (plus a heaping pile of honorable mentions). I hope you've all enjoyed this little countdown of mine. Thank you for reading and commenting!<br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Chrono_Trigger.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Chrono_Trigger.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">No. 01 — Chrono Trigger</span></b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre:</b> Role-Playing Game<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Release:</b> 1995<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Platforms:</b> Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This, for me, is storytelling at its best. Chrono Trigger spans thousands and thousands of years. The cast of characters — which includes a female mad scientist, a princess, a robot, a cave woman, a formerly evil dark wizard, and a frog knight — are lead by the red-haired, katana-wielding Crono as they bound across time to battle an ancient evil. Intricately plotted and sporting an epic soundtrack the likes of which had never been heard before, Chrono Trigger was, and certainly still is, a true masterpiece of the medium. As I’ve said, I was a Genesis kid growing up. But every time my Uncle Mike would visit from California and bring his SNES along, it was Chrono Trigger and Super Mario World for me. Chrono Trigger always enthralled me, and continues to do so today. Chrono Trigger is the Citizen Kane of video games. And that, my friends, is why that makes it my favorite video game of all time. <br />
</div><br />
<div align="center"><object height="265" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vqTZfknDVes&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vqTZfknDVes&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Honorable Mentions:</span></b><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Doom, Doom II, Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, Choochoo Rocket, Halo: Combat Evolved, Baldur’s Gate, Day of the Tentacle, Streets of Rage II, Metal Gear Solid II: Sons of Liberty, Unreal Tournament, Duke Nukem 3D, Final Fantasy IV, Final Fantasy VI, X-Com, Grandia II, Shenmue II, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War, Super Smash Bros., Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Resident Evil, Spiderman and Venom: Maximum Carnage, Rocket Knight Adventures, Golden Axe, Golden Axe II, Mario Tennis, Mario Kart 64, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Heroes of Might and Magic II, Missile Command, GoldenEye 007, Soul Calibur, Soul Calibur IV, Plants vs. Zombies, Perfect Dark<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rocketnumber09.blogspot.com/search/label/top%20video%20games">See all 25 games right here!</a><br />
</div></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-16207175337219345752010-01-27T18:07:00.000-08:002010-01-27T23:05:33.820-08:00RIP Zodiak Ironfist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.audiostreet.net/artists/061/257/artist_480c7ce87f714735a3aeb1e49fda506f.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.audiostreet.net/artists/061/257/artist_480c7ce87f714735a3aeb1e49fda506f.gif" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
Time to get serious.<br />
<br />
I am shocked and deeply saddened to learn that my friend and fellow bassist, Rob Michaud, otherwise known as Zodiak Ironfist (his alias on YouTube), <a href="http://www.kauz.com/news/obituaries/81137792.html">has died</a>. Rob died in early January, apparently of heart-related complications. I never met Rob in real life, but I did interview him over Skype last year for a freelance story I wrote that has yet to be published. Rob was one of the most genuine people I have ever had the pleasure of speaking with. He was kind-hearted, up-front, and just as solid a guy as can be. He was also one of the greatest bassists I have ever heard — hands down, Rob was the real deal. He loved music with every fiber of his being, but never took it too seriously.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">If there's one thing that can be said of Rob, it is that he loved what he was doing, and that he never asked to gain the following he amassed in his time as a Living Room Rock God. So here's to Rob Michaud — the original Living Room Rock God. You will be missed. Condolences to his wife, family, and friends.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Please stop by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/zodiakironfist?blend=2&ob=1&rclk=cti">Rob's YouTube page</a> to partake in the pure awesome that was his bass-playing.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Posted below is the entirety of the story I wrote after interviewing Rob. Interviewing Rob and writing this feature was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And I will never forget what he told me after he read it: "You're one hell of a writer."<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We miss you, Rob. Rock on.<br />
</div><br />
<div align="center"><object height="265" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8i9sDZVd0Aw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8i9sDZVd0Aw&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Living Room Rock God<br />
</span> An Interview with Bassist Rob Michaud<br />
by Matt Click</span><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Rob Michaud plays bass in his pajamas for strangers. That’s how the 37-year-old post-doctoral research scientist describes his recent forays into the burgeoning musical community on YouTube, where he is known as ZodiakIronfist. To some, Rob might appear that way—an aging rocker in his pajamas, playing Iron Maiden songs in his living room. But his tight, thrash-oriented pick-playing and flawless finger-plucking denote otherwise. Beating away on his 1974 cherry red Rickenbacker 4001 every weekend has brought Rob some measure of internet fame and an eager fanbase. With hundreds of thousands of views on his videos and over 2,000 subscribers, it’s clear that Rob, despite his humility and self-deprecating sense of humor, is a true Living Room Rock God.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I don’t know how any of this happened,” Rob says of his success on YouTube. “I really don’t know. Like, at all. This was not by design.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob plays with passion and without reserve. He taps his foot to the beat, his picking hand a blur as it rakes across the thick-gauge strings of his bass. Between measures he flies into elaborate fills, mostly improvised, often insane. He leans his head back, eyes closed, and just plays—for the fun of it, for the love of it, for the thousands of subscribers who watch those callused fingers fly across the frets in the hopes of maybe eking some of his intense energy and drive.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I don’t consider myself a natural musician,” Rob says of his playing style. He lights a cigarette with a plastic lighter, the tip flaring orange in the dimly-lit room. He takes a drag and blows through pursed lips. “I consider myself a natural scientist who likes music. I know this sounds kind of hard to believe, but I know very little about music, as far as what scales go together or whatever. I’ve never thought in terms of that. Everything is by sound, it’s not by design. I sit down and I play with the strings. I thump it this way and I thump it that way. I flick it with my finger, I dink it. I do everything I can to make a sound I’ve never made before. Once I make that sound, I try to figure out how to make music with it.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob is a tall man with broad shoulders. His dark hair is swept back as he settles into the living room couch—the very living room in which he films his cover videos. He sips coffee from a colorful porcelain mug. The white walls of the Columbus home he and his wife Erica share are adorned with a few framed pictures, a “Vote Obama Nov. 4” poster, and a set of replica swords. In the corner, a large Peavey combo amp sits silent. Rob’s two bass guitars—the Rickenbacker, affectionately called Priscilla, and a crimson Schecter Stiletto named Wulfgang—are kept nearby, along with a black Ibanez electric guitar. Nailed on the wall above the amp are four stained wooden letters: LRRG.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob is the originator of the online Living Room Rock God (LRRG) movement. It’s a term he coined jokingly in March 2007, when his guitar rendition of Iron Maiden’s instrumental track “Losfer Words” hit YouTube and clocked in a few thousand views. An LRRG is anyone who loves to play music, but for whatever reason is limited to rocking at home. The term has since caught on with dozens of other musicians on YouTube who all refer to themselves now as Living Room Rock Gods. There is a website as well, where LRRGs from around the world come together to talk shop and make music. It’s a new frontier—musicians forming bands across continents, drummers jamming with guitarists thousands of miles away. Barriers are being broken and music is happening. And all the while, Rob Michaud remains humble.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The way I’m treated on YouTube, it’s like I was born to play bass,” Rob says. “But bass playing was really accidental for me. It started out because of a gigantic misconception.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Growing up in Texas in the 1970s, Rob was the child of divorced parents. He was a fan of the glam-rock band Kiss, whose on-stage antics and garish costumes appealed to his love of all things creepy and monstrous. When heavy metal experienced a resurgence in the late 70s, after its plummet in popularity on the cusp of the punk movement, Rob was there with wide eyes and open ears. It was Iron Maiden’s “The Number of the Beast” that initially caught his attention.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It was the song that converted me from a Styx-listening pencil-necked geek to a metal maniac,” he writes of the song on YouTube. “That initial scream by Bruce Dickenson just grabbed me by the spine and never let go. The album cover was great, the songs were great, the music was fast and heavy. I knew I had finally found a home. Six months later, I bought my first bass.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The speed and the heaviness of the riffs—Rob couldn’t get enough of it. Bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Motörhead were making noise nobody had ever heard before. The songs were epically long, sporting wailing guitar, rumbling bass, screaming vocals, and drum beats laden with double kick-pedal. Rob decided he wanted to be a part of the metal scene. He wanted to play like Steve Harris and traipse about the stage like Nikki Sixx and blow fire and spit blood like Gene Simmons. That deep-throated growling of distorted guitars might as well have been a choir of angels for Rob—it called to him, and the young metalhead responded. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But for Rob, his entrance into the metal scene was bittersweet. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I made a huge mistake,” Rob says, a smile tugging at his mouth. “I thought the distorted guitar that I heard was actually the bass. So I started noticing the bass players in the heavy metal bands and started really liking those guys. And then one day I got a bass in my hands and it didn’t growl—it went fwomp instead.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But Rob wasn’t deterred by that fwomp, and soon bought a bass of his own. A local woman was making her good ol’ boy of a husband sell all of his toys, and among the horde of goodies was an Antares electric bass guitar.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“To this day, I have never seen another Antares,” Rob says, chuckling. “It was an off-brand, off of an off-brand, off of an off-brand. The strings were old flat-wounds and the action off of it was probably five or seven millimeters. It was just an unbelievably horrible bass.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the time, Rob had no idea what constituted a “good” bass, and so he banged away on the cheap flat-wounds of his Antares for months. His progress as a beginning bass player was slow. He didn’t play often, picking up the instrument every few weeks for only an hour or two. In the first six months of playing, Rob estimates he played an accumulated 10 hours.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I wasn’t really to into the sound,” Rob says. “I was disappointed and kind of ashamed that I had spent that much money on an instrument that I didn’t really know anything about.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After the first few months though, Rob buckled down. He became inspired by great players like Steve Harris of Iron Maiden, whom Rob lists among one of his chief influences. And there was no shortage of great metal albums being released either: Rob recalls Metallica’s “Master of Puppets” and Slayer’s “Reign in Blood” to be landmark albums for the thrash metal scene, and for his development as a musician. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I sort of learned in a real backwards way what bass was all about,” Rob says. “Once I had a bass, I could hear it in the music, and I said, ‘Oh, so that’s what I’m supposed to do.’”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob had Black Sabbath’s legendary “Iron Man” down within three months, but his real crowning achievement as a rookie bass player happened a year later. Rob conquered Iron Maiden’s “Wrathchild,” a song rife with Harris’ signature furious finger-plucking. After that, Rob’s skill in bass took off, and he steadily grew to love the instrument. After three years of playing with that beaten old Antares, Rob got his hands on a Rickenbacker, the fabled high-treble axe of Cliff Burton, Geddy Lee, and Lemmy Kilmister. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I walked into the pawn shop and there was Priscilla sitting there with a $450 price tag,” Rob says, smiling slightly at the memory. “I wheeled-and-dealed my parents, got my lawnmower money together, ran down there, and bought it that day.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">A Rickenbacker 4001 can cost upwards of $2,000 nowadays, being a solid-made instrument with a distinct, punchy tone and a unique look. Rob has been playing Priscilla for nearly 20 years and, aside from new strings and a re-finishing, the instrument has faired well and hasn’t needed any considerable maintenance. Like a woman aging gracefully, the fade of Priscilla’s sheen only adds to her charm. The majority of Rob’s videos on YouTube feature his beloved Priscilla. He happily obliges any fan on YouTube who inquires about the beautiful instrument.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob’s mother was supportive of his musical endeavors, urged by her then-boyfriend Mel (who would later become Rob’s stepfather) to encourage Rob’s passion. Mel was a musician himself who played rhythm guitar in several rock bands in the 1970s, and knew music was a conducive and healthy outlet. But not everyone was approving of Rob’s interest in heavy metal.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I grew up in north central Texas,” Rob says. “You know, the Bible belt. Southern Baptist country. And I had a whole lot of trouble with the community because of my Iron Maiden t-shirts and my long hair. I didn’t look like someone who was going anywhere in life and they gave me a real hard time. I’m not saying I was a scofflaw or anything, but I didn’t like authority figures, and I let them know it. They didn’t really look at me for my character. Instead, they prejudged me because of my outward appearance and my taste in music, which I always thought was a bit unfair.” <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the negative reactions he received, Rob’s love of all things metal continued. Feeling confident in his abilities as a musician and hungering for the experience of playing in a band, Rob joined the progressive rock band Quest during his college days.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We were sort of a combination of Rush and all that lame high-pitched crap that was popular in the late 80s,” Rob says. “And I was just their really fast bass player.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Quest was a fairly successful local band. They regularly performed in front of crowds 1,500 strong, and a music video they had produced won an award. Quest was being noticed. Soon enough, record company representatives began appearing at Quest’s gigs. They attempted to woo the band, pushing contracts under their eyes, promising fame. Rob, however, was not impressed.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“It gave me enough of a glimpse into the world of music and what I had to sacrifice to become a career musician to make me run with my tail between my legs,” Rob says, laughing. “I did not want to do this. And so I said, ‘No, guys, I’m going back to school. I’m gonna go study science.’”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Quest fell on hard times after Rob’s departure, never achieving success with the record companies, and breaking up soon after. Rob was grateful to have jumped off the train before it derailed and began focusing on his academics, keeping music in his life if only on the sidelines.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I decided at that point that I was never going to be famous,” Rob says. “I wasn’t even going to try. I don’t want to tour. I’ll play a club, a few people will cheer, I’ll go home, and that’ll be what I do.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob had other band experiences later on, the most successful of which was a group called Mojo Bobfoot, a Primus-esque band made up of college buddies. Their songs were goofy and strange, with lyrics made up mostly of inside-jokes. For Rob, Mojo Bobfoot was his best experience with a band—just a bunch of friends fooling around with rock ‘n’ roll. Later, while living in New York, Rob fell in with a local death metal band. But the lead guitarist wanted Rob to tune his Rickenbacker down from standard E to C, and Rob refused. He snapped the clasps shut on Priscilla’s hardshell case and stalked out of the room.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Find another bass player who wants to sound like a fart,” he told them.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">At his next audition, Rob found himself in a haze of cigarette smoke amongst a jazz troupe. The guitar player was a black man with dark glasses and a bow tie, while the sweaty pianist looked like a skinny Billy Joel. They stuffed a sheaf of sheet music in Rob’s hands and said, “Alright, this is what we’re playing. And a one, and a two, and a three—”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rob called. The high-hat on the drums sizzled to a stop and the guitarist silenced a chord in mid-strum. All eyes fell on the metalhead with the Rickenbacker. “Uh, guys, I can’t read music.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The jazz troupe exchanged glances. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“You can’t read music?” the guitarist asked, brows arched.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“No,” Rob said. “Not at all.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Get out,” the guitarist said.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The bad experiences kept piling up for Rob.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“There’s a lot of scumbag musicians,” Rob says. “I can only tolerate their cocaine habits and drinking for so long. I kept having these experiences until one day I just gave up. I said, ‘You know, I’m just gonna play by myself.’” He pauses a second to sip at his coffee. “But that was before YouTube. Before I realized that there are thousands of people just like me playing in their living rooms and lot of them happen to be nice guys.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rob joined YouTube in August of 2006. While scouring for music, Rob came across guys his age—with jobs, families, mortgages—playing covers of the thrash metal tunes he grew up with. Rob was enthralled, and soon started posting videos of his own. He formed a collaborative group with users such as guitarists PDXGuitarLegend and SatchBoogy, and drummer WCWhitner. Together, this makeshift cover band performed songs by Iron Maiden, Mötley Crüe, and Judas Priest—each member would record his part, and then the individual tracks were mixed and edited together. The effect was a virtual band, performing for a online crowd of thousands.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And then something happened for Rob. A YouTube user and fellow bassist called PookLowEnd came across Rob’s videos. He loved the concept of the Living Room Rock God and decided to take it to the next level. Pook created the LRRG website, devoted to featuring LRRGs all over the world. Rob’s number of subscribers—and the number of subscribers of nearly every self-confessed LRRG on YouTube—shot through the roof. The movement had begun. Rob’s self-depreciative title he used so innocently in his videos became a kind of siren call for living room musicians everywhere. The LRRGs gathered and started rocking. Rob was left wondering how this all happened.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But recently, Rob and the LRRGs have taken a beating from record companies that view their cover tunes as copyright infringement, specifically Warner Bros. and UMG. Rob has had six of his videos removed, and recently posted a video in protest of the blatant disregard for artist’s rights. What angers Rob most, though, is the fact that an automated computer system is removing the videos, and not people. Ironically, professional musicians have had their own videos removed due to copyright infringement, because this automated removal system does not have the capacity to differentiate. Bands such as Divine Heresy and Metallica have had their own music removed from their official YouTube pages.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“This is completely out of control,” Rob says. “Not only are the record companies asserting their rights over the consumer, but now they’re also asserting their rights over their own clients. So now, I don’t think they represent anybody but themselves. We’re all just sick about it and we’re all powerless to do anything.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">YouTube was formerly a standalone company that operated solely on revenue from advertisements. But the video hosting site has become exponentially popular in the last few years, and Google now owns YouTube and controls its interests. Because Google has yet to make any sort of deal with the major music labels, these record companies now reserve the right to remove videos they deem to be infringing on artist’s rights, including covers by Rob and the LRRGs.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“But it’s not the record companies versus us little guys,” Rob says. “I think the argument that’s happening here is that YouTube does not have a right to show our videos because they make money from all the advertising. So now what’s happening is UMG and Warner want to hurt YouTube, so they’re saying ‘Pull those videos down,’ and YouTube has no choice because they don’t want to get sued. I don’t think it’s going to get adjudicated until there is a deal between Warner, UMG, and Google. Right now, they’re playing hardball with each other, and they’re hurting customers left and right in this war of attrition. It’s corporate warfare at its worst.”<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite this, Rob and the other LRRGs press on. There have even been cases of cover artists intentionally posting videos out of protest that they know will be removed, and waiting to see how long it takes before the all-powerful electric eye finds them and reaps destruction. But as YouTube is put under siege and these companies war across the expanse of the internet, the movement continues, and the Living Room Rock Gods continue doing what they do best.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">For Rob Michaud, though, being an LRRG is just a bit of weekend fun. He feels blessed to have so many subscribers and glad that he can entertain YouTube users with his video covers. But ultimately, Rob is just what he claims to be—a guy playing bass in his pajamas. But he’s alright with that. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The reason I’m not famous is because I don’t want to be famous,” Rob writes on one of his videos. “I had my chance at rock-stardom years ago and walked away from it in favor of an academic career. I think that my life is far more livable because of that decision. I have a wife that loves me, a decent job, and I do not have to travel all over the place all of the time. Not only that, but I have you guys as an audience now. And that is really all of the audience I’ve ever wanted. I'm happy.”<br />
</div><br />
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</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-91117676075537671352010-01-27T16:33:00.000-08:002010-01-27T16:33:58.007-08:00Gizmodo's 8 Things That Suck About the iPad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/01/500x_nothanksipad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2010/01/500x_nothanksipad.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">Now, I swear, I am <i>not</i> going to get caught up in all the hype, good or bad, surrounding Apple's new device, the iPad, which they debuted today. But I have to say, based on its initial features, I cannot stress its uselessness enough. <a href="http://i.gizmodo.com/5458382/">Gizmodo has a write-up</a> of eight things about the iPad that sucks. Check it out!<br />
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-36913787310207351092010-01-27T13:35:00.000-08:002010-01-27T13:36:48.751-08:00Apple debuts the iPad<b>Apple fanboys:</b> *scattered applause, confusion*<br />
<br />
<b>Everybody else:</b> lulz<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/3877N.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/3877N.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-60703529925214272862010-01-26T23:11:00.000-08:002010-01-26T23:21:15.030-08:00R#09's Top 25 Video Games of All Time! (6-2)<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://rocketnumber09.blogspot.com/search/label/top%20video%20games">Missed some posts? Follow the entire countdown right here!</a><br />
<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here we delve into the final posts ... check back tomorrow for my favorite video game of all time, plus a heaping pile of honorable mentions for those games that are rad, but didn't quite make the cut. Hope you've all enjoyed reading this as much I did writing it. Cheers.<br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Baldur%27s_Gate_II_-_Shadows_of_Amn_Coverart.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/17/Baldur%27s_Gate_II_-_Shadows_of_Amn_Coverart.png" width="245" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large; font-weight: bold;">No. 06 — Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn</span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre:</b> Role-Playing Game<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Release:</b> 2000<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Platforms:</b> Microsoft Windows, Mac OS<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I have very fond memories of playing through the original Baldur’s Gate with my dad. I was drawn to the rich story, the unique characters (who were never quite as they seemed), and the simple, point-and-click gameplay that faithfully brought Dungeons and Dragons to the PC. Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn is everything its predecessor was and so much more. You know why these Baldur’s Gate games were so great? The player truly interacted with the world, with the characters that inhabitated it, and the villains that sought to control it. This was so much more than the hack-and-slash RPGs that permeate the genre right now. This is as faithful a representation of D&D as anything out there — the character can choose to fight his or her way out of situations, or negotiate, or one of dozens of other options. Good, evil, neutral, whatever. This is a true sword and sorcery adventure, and one that is a classic of the genre.<br />
</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2c/Super_mario_world_box.jpg/250px-Super_mario_world_box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2c/Super_mario_world_box.jpg/250px-Super_mario_world_box.jpg" /></a><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">No. 05 — Super Mario World</span></b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre:</b> Platformer<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Release:</b> 1990<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Platforms:</b> Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">This is it. This is the game that turned me into a gamer. It’s the first game that I truly, legitimately marveled at. The levels were fast, brutal, and inventive. The graphics were bright and colorful and crisp — truly some of the best on any console, then or now. The music? Classic. The boss battles? Enjoyably frustrating. This is the Mario game to end all Mario games — the greatest platformer of all time. I still play this regularly to this day. And really, nothing beats throwing a Koopa shell into a line of Goombas, or getting a 1-Up by bouncing on a Bullet Bill, or getting so much air using the yellow cape that you literally soar across the entire level. Ah, memories.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/Mass_Effect_poster.jpg/256px-Mass_Effect_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d9/Mass_Effect_poster.jpg/256px-Mass_Effect_poster.jpg" width="218" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">No. 04 — Mass Effect</span></b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre: </b>Action / Role-Playing Game<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Release:</b> 2007<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Platforms:</b> Xbox 360, Windows<br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">I know, I know. Not only is this the most recent game in the top ten, but Mass Effect, while being generally well-received, is not without its flaws. But for me, Mass Effect did what no game had in nearly a decade — it forced me to care. There is a moment in Mass Effect, about three-fourths of the way through — I won’t give exact details for those who haven’t played it. But in this moment, the player must decide who lives and who dies. Not random non-playable characters or random sprites. No, you must choose between two characters who have been with you, fighting by your side, through the entirety of the game. And that … was a very real, very visceral moment in gaming, for me, at least. I sat there, mouth agape, controller limp in my hands, as the dialog window sat open before me, urging me to choose. I think I waited 20 minutes before making a selection. Mass Effect did so many things right — the story was engrossing, the style cinematic (epic, if you will). It had tangible characters with real backstories, and a sci-fi world that, somehow, made perfect sense. Like Baldur’s Gate before it (another BioWare title), Mass Effect had an environment the player could truly interact with and a world they could take part in. I thought about this game for weeks after beating it, saddened it was over. Thankfully, there’s a sequel — it was released today, actually. And you’ll be hearing my thoughts on it soon, undoubtedly. <br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/ZeldaOoTbox.png/250px-ZeldaOoTbox.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e2/ZeldaOoTbox.png/250px-ZeldaOoTbox.png" /></a><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>No. 03 — The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time</b></span><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre:</b> Adventure<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Release:</b> 1998<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Platforms:</b> Nintendo 64, Nintendo Gamecube, iQue Player, Virtual Console<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">If Super Mario 64 sold me on the potential of the Nintendo 64, then Ocarina of Time solidified its place in my mind as one of the great consoles. And this game — this beautiful, stunning game — is one of the greats as well. Ocarina of Time put you, the player, into the shoes of Link, a young boy destined for greatness. I think Ocarina of Time was the first game with true scope. By that, I mean that it truly felt like you were saving the realm. The first time I beat the Deku Tree dungeon and stepped out onto Hyrule Field, and the camera panned across it, I thought, “Do I get to explore all of this?” I really just couldn’t comprehend it. I mean, really — my 10-year-old self was baffled. I have to admit: I didn’t finish this game as quickly as I might have wanted to. I would get frustrated with a temple and put the game down, coming back to it every once in awhile over the course of about a year and-a-half. Now, though, I’m glad it took me that long to beat the game. It was a truly epic adventure, one that spanned months. I savored this game, enjoying every little moment. Not only is this my favorite Nintendo 64 game, it’s also one of my very favorite games of all time.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7b/B00005NZWS.02.LZZZZZZZ-1-.jpg/256px-B00005NZWS.02.LZZZZZZZ-1-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/7b/B00005NZWS.02.LZZZZZZZ-1-.jpg/256px-B00005NZWS.02.LZZZZZZZ-1-.jpg" width="231" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">No. 02 — Neverwinter Nights</span></b><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Genre:</b> Role-Playing Game<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Release:</b> 2002<br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Platforms:</b> Windows, Mac OS X, Linux<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">Let me tell you about Neverwinter Nights. Sit down. First off, it’s a BioWare game, sort of a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate games. And second, it’s based in the Forgotten Realms setting of Dungeons and Dragons, and utilizes the 3rd and 3.5 Edition rules. It is also the game I have personally clocked more hours on than any other game <i>ever</i>. Literally, hundreds of hours. I kid you not. And you might be saying, “Well, Matt, that’s just sad. It’s a seven-year-old D&D game,” to which I would respond, “Shut up.” It was a damn good game. The story was epic and, in true BioWare fashion, half of the fun was meeting new characters and uncovering their secrets, developing relationships as you furthered your mission. I played through the original campaign when it was first released, then continued playing the modules. Picked up the expansions and played through their campaigns, and then, in 2004, I discovered the online community. There was a huge population of gamers playing Neverwinter Nights online on various custom worlds, all designed in different and interesting ways to suit dozens of playstyles and genres. I came across one server in particular, found myself liking the community and the atmosphere, and got hooked. I’ve been on that same server for over five years now. There are hiatuses here and there when I get burned out and take a few months to myself, but I always come back. And I think, maybe, I always will.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="http://rocketnumber09.blogspot.com/search/label/top%20video%20games">Missed some posts? Follow the entire countdown right here!</a><br />
</div></div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7288246453268952191.post-59605170424166845912010-01-26T18:34:00.000-08:002010-01-26T18:35:18.692-08:00Avatar sinks Titanic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://siguealconejoblanco.com/cine/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/avatar-navi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://siguealconejoblanco.com/cine/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/avatar-navi.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">It's official. James Cameron's sci-fi hit Avatar has surpassed Titanic in worldwide box office sales. Soaring over $1.2 billion this week put Avatar one step above Cameron's earlier film.<br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">From <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i107616f101d6818882a475fdd48b1d4e">The Hollywood Reporter</a>:<br />
</div><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">"Avatar" is the winner and new worldwide boxoffice champion.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">After six rounds on the foreign circuit, "Avatar" is now the biggest-grossing film of all time, as earlier predicted.<br />
</blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">Distributor 20th Century Fox said the James Cameron mega-budget blockbuster's worldwide cume -- excluding Puerto Rico -- was through the weekend just $2 million shy of "Titanic's" global boxoffice record of $1.843 billion. (Boxoffice in Puerto Rico, although generated offshore, is considered by Fox as part of its domestic total.)<br />
</blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;">The distributor confirmed that "Titanic's" historic benchmark fell as of early Monday.<br />
</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwvvokMIIQ1qzpwi0o1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kwvvokMIIQ1qzpwi0o1_500.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
</div>Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09663408988272116822noreply@blogger.com0