First off, it's time for the NCAA wrap up. I want to say that I am not a spiteful person when this line is said. I was rather relieved when Duke lost to LSU on Thursday. First reason is that I picked that upset in my ESPN bracket. Second is that I got REALLY sick about hearing about how good JJ Reddick is when he hasn't accomplished anything when it counts. I am not an athlete and I am willing to admit that. But the fact that everyone is all over this guy and not Adam Morrison (who is a different case because he really doesn't have an all-star cast to back him up. That and I dig the porn star stache) kind of pissed me off. He does one thing well: shoot threes. He's not athletic, he doesn't run the court well and he is too short/small to be a real threat. LSU put a freshman (albeit a badass freshman) on him and he was SHUT DOWN. In crunch time, real players come up big for their team, even when they are double teamed. See UConn, Texas and UCLA for that. I'm not a fan of JJ, but I hope he succeeds in the NBA and I do feel backed that his career ended the way it did.
That being said, big ups to UCLA. I saw that game and had them DEAD and then they went on that 11-0 run at the end and that AWESOME last 8.6 seconds with the steal and pass was just...wow. I don't care if you hate the fuck out of college basketball, if you couldn't feel for Adam Morrison when that game ended than you are a bitch. Game or not, that was passion. And the UCLA players that took time out of their moment to help him up and console him showed class like gangbusters. Best game I have seen so far this year, and best since that Oklahoma State/Georgia Tech Final Four game in 2004. All in all, this has been a great tournament and aside from Boston College my bracket is looking okay (I had to change to Texas, UConn, UCLA and Boston College when the brackets got all jacked up).
So, I went to see The Inside Man last night and I thought it was great. It was about 5 minutes too long, but aside from that it was a exciting movie. And Clive Owen is my new favorite actor. Even Jodie Foster was okay. Not once did I want to punch her in the babymaker. Even more shocking is that it was a SPIKE LEE JOINT. It had video games, Albanians, Arab jokes and big tay-tays. You cannot beat that combination. So I can honestly recommend this film. ICE AGE 2 ON FRIDAY, FOOLS! BE THERE!
Now it's time for something special. I was talking about video games with Zach and Griff (one on the phone, one online) and I mentioned that Quistis from Final Fantasy 8 was quite the hot for a video game character. At least up there with any other female (mmmm, Advent Children Tifa). Yet he mentioned that 'No one played/liked Final Fantasy VIII. That kind of pissed me off because I liked FF8 just as much if not MORE than FF7 or FFX (FFX-2 is kind of my fave and those that know me know why). So now it is time for a segment that I call:
They Got A Raw Deal: Final Fantasy VIII
Now I know there were a few issues with this game.
The Minigame: The card game was rather pointless (and fucking impossible to win in the beginning) and the story in the middle was forced. However, let's not forget about tha Golden Saucer in FFVII (which after getting the weapons and Omnislash was POINTLESS) and Blitzball in FFX (just STUPID). It is a staple to have a minigame in the FF series, and quite simply they are ALL hit or miss (some like, some don't). Besides, the great part about a minigame is that you can skip it completely. Hell, you didn't even NEED the Omnislash in FFVII because I guess Cloud was holding out on us (people that beat the game know what I mean). Two words: fucking sandbagger.
The Story: Yeah, the story was awkward for someone not familiar with the FF lineage. It was SUPPOSED to be two stories in one (Squall's and Laguna's) but due to the linear nature of the game, I think it didn't mesh very well. So it made the game seem disjointed. However, lets get real here. Except for FFIII (the god of all games that I JUST got to get into because I had a Sega Genesis) ALL the stories have been all over the damn place. Think about it, FFVII had such an all over the place story they had to make 3 more games and TWO MOVIES just to give a small sense of understanding it. And don't even get me started on FFX/FFX-2. Quite simply, all the games had their story issues.
The Lead-up: Well, this is more about planning than anything else. First off, FFVII was a modest hit. Seriously, it sold a few copies. Like 10 FUCKING MILLION WORLDWIDE. Look at this list
- Biggest selling RPG game of all time (any console)
- 2nd biggest selling PS game of all time (Gran Tourimo is #1 by about 1.01 million, and don't forget it was a bundle title for a while at Christmas and that goes into 'sales' numbers)
- 9th biggest selling video game of all time, on any console.
Let's just say that it's a hard pedigree to follow. The expectations were HELLA high for this game, but oddly enough, the hype was small in America. FFVII commercials were everywhere on TV and in video game magazines. And they didn't even have in game footage, just the cutscenes and stills. I was shocked to see SD characters running around, weren't you? The game was highly regarded, but poorly advertised (at least IMHO) and that led to a drop off in sales. That and it went head to head with the Dreamcast and OUTSOLD A LAUNCH SYSTEM. Even still, it wasn't enough to equal FFVII's popularity. It was kind of like following Empire Strikes Back. You have to, but no matter how good it is, you really can't top that (will FFIII being Star Wars)
Well, in retrospect, the game is highly rated. Even better than its predecessors in some views. I for a fact know that some people not only didn't finish the game (and missed maybe the second longest interactive ending EVER beside MGS3) they didn't even PLAY it. That's a shame, because it is one of the most beautiful PS1 games and aside from FFX, the best looking game in the Final Fantasy series. Let's not forget about the dance number:
Mmmmm, Rinoa. Only bad thing about this game was the Ultima weapon, or as I called it the 'Sodomizer' because that thing GAVE ME THE BUSINESS. The Summon style was interesting, with them actually coming into battle and taking damage. The boss battle at the end was suprisingly easy (but aside from Sin in FFX, all the boss battles in the series are underwhelming) but aside from that, this game rocked. If you are a FF fan and havent played this game, pick it up. this game got a bad rep and it isnt deserved.
So I have decided on the next time killer will not be the sexiest animated male/female. Instead, it will be the greatest villian ever! Sexiest battles will odds are take place in June/July at the same time because Summertime is a time that I can get the most traffic. However, the villany will start (hopefully) on Monday or Tuesday. And yes, Sepiroth and Cobra Commander WILL be in it. Get ready peeps, the First Annual Darth Vader Badass Competition will soon begin in all it's villiany!
Well, I gotta run to Rhaven's birthday party. Happy Birthday, Ray! And if you are reading this, Teq that is so horrible parenting because no one under the age of 13 should be reading this thing. Well, before I go something for the male demographic. Big ups to Zach for letting me know who this was and what she looked like because....nyaaaaw yeah. I'm sure it was on MTV 'You Hear It First' but I usually blow MTV off unless Ashley Angel Parker is on. Fuck you, I dug O-Town. Here is Deeyah:
As squirrels would say: I'D HIT THAT! I'D HIT THAT! I'D HIT THAT! I'D HIT THAT! And to Muslims: covering that up ain't cool. That's good stuff right there. Religion or not, too many mingers DON'T cover up. Let the fit womenz show their goodness. I know that goes against my women should cover up theory, but I am lonely. Stay up, peeps. Chachi out.
