Malik
(2/21/12)
Once again, it's too
long of a break between posts. I would say I've been busy, but
that's not a real excuse. I've just been caught up in learning how
to be a hipster with my smart phone. How does one look cool and
ironic at the same time? I'm kidding about the hipster part, but I'm
not kidding about spending too much time learning the ins and outs
of a smart phone after going from a RAZR and a v360 (like a RAZR,
but not as thin) for the last six years. I mean it is a bit
overwhelming...and that's before you try to learn how to get a good
battery life from the thing. The battery just makes it worse when
you are constantly reading that you need a full charge and then you
must run it dry...three times...before you can get the best life
from the thing.
Trying to get the full
drain is one of the big time eaters in my life last week. Why? Well,
I have been draining the battery with important things like Angry
Birds (never could play much of that before unless you count the
tiny Google Chrome version), World of Goo (and other parts of the
Humble Bundle for mobile), and...
The best thing I've
found on my Android phone is that this is where my games have gone.
I thought SNES style RPGs were dead. They are quite alive, but
living on iOS and Android. I'm talking especially about the games
from Kemco. For a small price of $2.99 or $3.99 each, there are some
good long SNES style RPGs. When I say good, I mean these are right
from my childhood. I've bought four (only four RPGs on
Android...five on iOS) of the Kemco offerings, although I'm only
playing one right now (Alphadia) and have already spent more hours
playing than dollars for all four titles.
In fact, my only
complain is the one seen constantly on the reviews for Alphadia. It
is very easy. Too easy. However, if I'm trying my first RPG on a
phone, I'm happy for it to be easy, as long as it is fun. Fun is
something Kemco seems to have down perfectly. In fact, I'm already
excited that another one of their RPGs is getting an English update
soon. I'll buy that the second it is in a language I can enjoy.
I have also been playing
some Infamous again. Yesterday I cleared the second island, and then
some, and I feel like I'm only a few missions from the ending. I
have all the good powers, and have fully upgraded all my powers. I
feel the ending is coming close and I'm hoping to finish the game
before the week is done. Then I'll play the Mass Effect 3 demo (on
360 and PC...PC since I may buy Kingdoms of Amalur on the PC if the
price falls by 1/3, and the demo is supposed to grant bonus KoA and
ME3 items when played and probably bonus extra items when played to
completion). Then I will move on to Infamous 2 before ME3 comes
along.
It's not often I have a
good amount of games in the first few months of a new year. I am not
complaining...except I wish this could happen every year. Of course,
that is mainly determined by what good games I miss out on from the
past since only KoA and ME3 are really new in my queue of games.
Malik |
Malik
(2/23/12)
I have to talk about
something near and dear to my heart. There has been a lot of work
lately with the city of Seattle trying to get back into having an
NBA team (and a NHL team at the same time). One Chris Hansen has
been spearheading an move to build a new arena for hockey and
basketball in what's know in Seattle as the stadium district (the
neighborhood with Safeco Field and Century Link Field). This is the
single most sweetheart of a deal possible for a new
stadium/arena/field. Hansen's group will put up the land, 60% of the
money, and pay off the city and county share of the money (in bonds)
through imposing taxes on the new arena and guaranteeing payment of
all bond payments if taxes generated by the new arena fail to live
up to expectations. This also includes Hansen's group making their
own fund to cover future upgrades and renovations. Lastly, it gives
the land and arena to the city and county with a 30 year lease on
any NBA and NHL team that calls the new place home.
I grew up green
and gold for the Sonics. The city still owns the rights to the
Sonics name and legacy (including the 1979 championship title). I
want my Sonics back. I would enjoy seeing a professional hockey team
(the Seattle area has some well attended amateur and junior hockey
teams already, so a professional NHL team would be more than welcome
in the region). Seattle lost the Sonics through some poor moves on
so many levels, and to bring them back would be justice.
I felt that way
until yesterday. When David Stern (head of the NBA...if you don't
know his name) announced that he was
working out a deal to keep the Kings in Sacramento, I just lost
all interest in the NBA. Well, I lost interest in a league
controlled by Stern. When the Sonics were facing being removed from
Seattle, Stern didn't do a damned thing. In fact, he tried to force
the move by claiming Seattle just didn't care enough to keep the
Sonics. He did that to ensure his crony Clay Bennett (vocal owner of
the OK City Thunder...Sonics in that time) got his way and could
relocate the Sonics to OK.
Meanwhile, for the
last half a decade, Stern has been doing everything in his power to
keep the Kings in California...preferably in Sacramento. The Hornets
have no owner and (no offense to New Orleans NBA fans) are in a city
that is not much of a basketball city. I mean the Big Easy is
football. Between the Saints and LSU, football is the flavor that
goes with New Orleans. Seattle, as Stern even pointed out in 2008,
is a perfect NBA city. In fact, in the final days of the Sonics and
after the move, Stern repeatedly said Seattle could get a team
without much work beyond getting a new stadium. Well, it's now
coming together and Stern seems to be using Seattle as leverage to
force Sacramento to work fast to keep a team they cannot afford.
Let's face it, the money that will be used for the new Kings arena,
if the plan goes through, is going to take money from services the
city seems to be having trouble finding the funding for normally.
When you see the
two-faced nature of Stern in the Sonics loss, the use of Seattle as
leverage to keep the Kings in California, and the whole Chris Paul
trade fiasco a few months ago, it is obvious that the NBA is
unsustainable. I don't mean the league will collapse...I mean the
league will hurt until a new commissioner is brought in to run the
league with some level of quality control. Until Stern is gone, I
just don't want to see the Sonics return. I want to root for my
Sonics, but not when I hate the things that the NBA currently stands
for. Until someone with a bit of common sense is in charge, it just
looks bad.
Of course, the
best example of this two-faced bullshit coming from Stern is in his
own damned words. While he worked so hard with Sacramento to secure
a new arena deal he dared to say the following. "So you have to have
an available team. And that involves, sort of, what's going on in
individual cities, and I'd rather not be engaged in that. But I am
always encouraging of cities that can put plans together for
arenas."
He'd rather not be
engaged in individual cities? Then what the hell is he doing in
Sacramento? Two-faced lies seem to be one of Stern's natural
talents. I think I would rather have talents that benefit the world
than talents to be a jerk.
The worst part of
this whole situation is this looks like a now-or-never situation
(due to how Seattle area politics work...assuming the advisory
committee agrees to this amazing plan). Chris Hansen and people like
him only come along once in a lifetime. You don't get free stadiums
every day and unless this is acted upon, it will vanish before it
ever had a chance to become real. Of course, as long as Stern holds
some secret agenda against Seattle, it will also never happen.
The lamest part in
my eyes is that while New Orleans and Sacramento are being shielded
by Stern, the history is somewhat forgotten. No offense to Kings and
Hornets fans, but Seattle has a better history. Until the move was
forced through lies, Seattle had one team and held it for about four
decades. Seattle had a championship and had some amazing playoff
battles against the Michael Jordan Bulls in the 1990's. Seattle
brought about Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Seattle was the original
team for Kevin Durant. Seattle showed the best of Ray Allan. Seattle
only lost the team due to a series of lies from Stern, Bennett, and
some ineptitude from former Mayor Nickels. Seattle is basketball.
Meanwhile, the Kings have seen four other homes over their life
(including a previous name as the Royals) and constant threat of
relocation over the last half decade while the owners go deeper in
debt, and New Orleans lost the Jazz long ago and then got the
Hornets only a short time ago only to not have a damned owner. If
Stern doesn't want Seattle, then he can go f$#% himself. Seattle
still has the NCAA with UW, Seattle University (go Redhawks!), and
some in-state fun with Gonzaga. Stern may have felt Key Arena is not
a good basketball arena, but the Redhawks call it home and seem to
be doing quite well for being such a fresh team (only back in the
NCAA recently after decades of absence).
Malik |
Malik
(2/24/12)
Yesterday I finally
finished Infamous. I had only one mission left, and for those who
know the game, it's easy to say that I took more time loading the
game and watching credits than I did in going to the final mission
and beating the final mission. It was a short, but sweet, final run
at the game. With Infamous done, I have moved on to Infamous 2...
While I don't feel
some sort of connection to Cole, I have to say the change in
character design is pretty pathetic to see when you just came off of
Infamous. It's one thing to tweak Cole visually, but the voice
change just really makes it hard to recognize this as the same Cole
from the first game. Yes, the overly gravely voice was a little
silly, but the total removal of that voice just breaks the fourth
wall when Infamous 2 is supposed to take place just a short while
after the first game. You can't alter a character like this and
expect the continuity to feel right to the player.
Anyway, while I
did start up Infamous 2, I barely played anything. I only got as far
as unlocking my first new power (lifting and launching objects). So,
until I play more, I'll just remain quiet on this game beyond not
liking the Cole change.
On another sports
related rant (continuing the trend of yesterday), I hate to see that
the Mariners are once again looking pretty bad. In the name of
improving his abilities, Chone Figgins is going to bat leadoff and
Ichiro is going to number 3. This is just silly. I mean the Ichiro
part. Ichiro has a habit of hitting grounders and beating the throw.
If he has, in an ideal world, two guys on base when he does this,
then it becomes an easy fielder's choice, a probable double play,
and maybe even a triple play. At least Figgins has speed (assuming
he gets on base).
As for the Figgins
leadoff change...it's not a surprise, but it's a move of
desperation. The M's owe Figgins $18 million over the next two
years. It's obvious this change is not to help him as a Mariner, but
rather to revitalize Figgings enough to trade him before the July
trade deadline. With such a large contract, he cannot be cut and no
one would trade for him now unless the M's swallow most of the money
owed.
The bad part in
this is that it shows the M's are still in rebuilding mode (for more
than a decade now) instead of trying to contend against the probably
dominating Angles and Rangers. If they wanted to really contend,
they would forget about getting value in Figgins, and send in Seager
(who looks like a good potential 3rd baseman for the M's when the
season is half done). At least while the M's continue to rebuild, I
can continue to watch a fourth season of the Sounders FC in the MLS
running to another US Open Cup and another chance at the
playoffs...all while also playing the in final few rounds of the
CONCACAF Champions League.
Malik |
|
For Those Who Don't
Have Flash Plug-Ins...
Rested
XP News
Reviews
Videos Features
Forums
Archives Search
This Site Links
Contact Us Disclaimer
|
|
|