A reason why I wait on stories of alleged harassment or controversy is because my gut tells me it is far from over. The James Gunn thing is something that is going to continue on for a good while. Disney fired him over some tweets he made years ago and I believe they were rape jokes. Now, he was set on doing a third Guardians of the Galaxy and I believe they were close to starting to shoot the film.
Like a number of stories, both sides of criticism and defense have come. A number of Guardians cast members have been in huge support. Most notably was Dave Bautista. These guys believe that Disney overreacted to this and should have looked into it and heard his side. It's to that point where articles recently have Bautista speaking about quitting his role in the new Guardians and potentially a new script could be in place, scrapping Gunn's script.
Obviously, rape jokes are not really funny, but that was a long time ago. People can change. Anyway, the offensive stuff was not going to fly with Disney. We're seeing baseball players in the news the last few weeks for the wrong reasons with offensive tweets. It's people trying to cause trouble, especially in an age of this MeToo garbage where the movement is often abusing the phrase for purposes and gain. I see this as a big blow to this Cinematic Universe and I kind of see this combined with the performance of Ant-Man 2 as the start of the decline of the modern Marvel film
This is far from over, but I don't think anyone is going to win over Disney. They are a tyrant with too much power and can do whatever they want.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Thought on Game Sizes
No review today as I want to discuss an issue many gamers know about. You just got a game that you have been wanting to play for a while. Put it in your PS4, Xbox One, or Switch. Not a minute goes by where you have to let the thing download and install the file. What gives?
From the 70s, a lot of video games didn't hold much data. It was kilobytes, something that would continue on into the 90s where Genesis and Super NES games were still small. A little bigger but still in the kilo section. As file sizes got bigger, cartridges got more expensive, hence the 70 to 90 dollar games back in the early to mid 90s. Even with CD's, a lot of them had multiple discs as companies were trying to find ways to utilize the medium. Until the Saturn and PlayStation came, it was a mixed result.
With technology, it's obvious stuff gets bigger and bigger. A CD size was not enough by 2000 and the DVD started becoming the norm following the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2000 and 01 respectively. This is where instead of megabytes, we saw gigabytes. And that number has gotten higher with each new generation since to where the games now need download time. Personally, I don't see this going down anytime soon. It might get to the point where 200 gigabyte games might be the norm.
Computers suffer from the same thing, though it's mainly digital and the emphasis on using something like Steam or GOG. Discs are an afterthought, unfortunately. Stuff is not compressed and while that might be nice, it's not nice on people who may not have enough storage to do another download. PlayStation and Xbox have been able to compensate with very good storage size for the average person. Something like the Switch suffers from not having a huge storage size and the focus is getting SD cards if you are set on playing non-Nintendo games, which even something like Zelda takes up a good chunk of space.
It's following the same route as upgrading technology, though the leap in sizes will be much bigger. We just have to grin and bear it. Nothing is going to change, and we have to live through this for a very long time. Future generations will have it much worse long after we are gone from this planet.
From the 70s, a lot of video games didn't hold much data. It was kilobytes, something that would continue on into the 90s where Genesis and Super NES games were still small. A little bigger but still in the kilo section. As file sizes got bigger, cartridges got more expensive, hence the 70 to 90 dollar games back in the early to mid 90s. Even with CD's, a lot of them had multiple discs as companies were trying to find ways to utilize the medium. Until the Saturn and PlayStation came, it was a mixed result.
With technology, it's obvious stuff gets bigger and bigger. A CD size was not enough by 2000 and the DVD started becoming the norm following the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in 2000 and 01 respectively. This is where instead of megabytes, we saw gigabytes. And that number has gotten higher with each new generation since to where the games now need download time. Personally, I don't see this going down anytime soon. It might get to the point where 200 gigabyte games might be the norm.
Computers suffer from the same thing, though it's mainly digital and the emphasis on using something like Steam or GOG. Discs are an afterthought, unfortunately. Stuff is not compressed and while that might be nice, it's not nice on people who may not have enough storage to do another download. PlayStation and Xbox have been able to compensate with very good storage size for the average person. Something like the Switch suffers from not having a huge storage size and the focus is getting SD cards if you are set on playing non-Nintendo games, which even something like Zelda takes up a good chunk of space.
It's following the same route as upgrading technology, though the leap in sizes will be much bigger. We just have to grin and bear it. Nothing is going to change, and we have to live through this for a very long time. Future generations will have it much worse long after we are gone from this planet.
Saturday, August 4, 2018
Papa Loves Losing
I don't think I've ever seen a pizza franchise get into as much trouble and lose so much as Papa John's has in the last year or so. Founded in 1984 by John Schnatter, they have been a really huge sponsor to sporting events, tons of commercials with the founder. That being said, Schnatter's mouth has got him losing NFL sponsorship. Baseball is stopping promotions. His own company is doing whatever is necessary to prevent him from getting back into power following last month's resignation as CEO. This is all on him and plenty of concern is arising regarding using slurs a while back.
When you think football and pizza, you think mostly Papa John's because of the commercials they plaster every commercial break. Schnatter's thoughts on the NFL anthem protests is what hurt him and started this decline. Some think there is an image problem with the company. I actually agree. I think they have to revamp themselves and try to change the image that they have suffered with since last October. I see higher ups getting nervous and making sure he has no involvement with the brand anymore. Schnatter is going to fight tooth and nail against the thing he founded and ensure the power he has had for a very long time.
Honestly, it is time for a new era. It is also time to find someone else as CEO. Whether that would be one of Schnatter's kids or someone who still has strong faith in the product, I don't know. Whatever they do, they have to think quick and come up with a solution that can stop the bleeding. Papa John's ain't going down quickly, but it needs time to pick up the pieces. And I think it starts with removing Schnatter's face and image all over their promotions and boxes. Everything. A clean restart may not be a bad thing.
When you think football and pizza, you think mostly Papa John's because of the commercials they plaster every commercial break. Schnatter's thoughts on the NFL anthem protests is what hurt him and started this decline. Some think there is an image problem with the company. I actually agree. I think they have to revamp themselves and try to change the image that they have suffered with since last October. I see higher ups getting nervous and making sure he has no involvement with the brand anymore. Schnatter is going to fight tooth and nail against the thing he founded and ensure the power he has had for a very long time.
Honestly, it is time for a new era. It is also time to find someone else as CEO. Whether that would be one of Schnatter's kids or someone who still has strong faith in the product, I don't know. Whatever they do, they have to think quick and come up with a solution that can stop the bleeding. Papa John's ain't going down quickly, but it needs time to pick up the pieces. And I think it starts with removing Schnatter's face and image all over their promotions and boxes. Everything. A clean restart may not be a bad thing.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
New Xbox Thoughts
Things are still pretty vague regarding Microsoft and a new Xbox system. With the announcement in June, there is hope for it to be out soon. Some sites are saying 2020. Whether this helps improve the company over the Xbox One debacle back in 2013 will be left to be determined if they play their cards right.
I see this as being similar to what happened in 2005. The original Xbox was a decent seller, but was never going to top what the PlayStation 2 had. Microsoft got out of the gates early for new generations consoles with the 360 that November. For most of the run of it, it held a very sizable lead in terms of games, and getting the hot new material for major third party releases. That being said, Sony had the better run late into it with its marketing, system costs and exclusive games for the PlayStation 3.
This could be the potential for Microsoft to spring themselves back up to the top. If that's their intention, they have to be a lot smarter compared to five years ago. That would mean no always online nonsense. No paying for a second hand copy if someone already used the disc. Beefing up their exclusives beyond Halo. Small things that can help build a momentum and swing things their way. I'm going to say this. They better be ready for 2020.
Microsoft better hope that people still have faith in them to deliver. If not, they can go back to what were prior to 1999 when they started helping Sega with the Dreamcast. Computers have always been their thing, and they can always work on making Windows better.
I see this as being similar to what happened in 2005. The original Xbox was a decent seller, but was never going to top what the PlayStation 2 had. Microsoft got out of the gates early for new generations consoles with the 360 that November. For most of the run of it, it held a very sizable lead in terms of games, and getting the hot new material for major third party releases. That being said, Sony had the better run late into it with its marketing, system costs and exclusive games for the PlayStation 3.
This could be the potential for Microsoft to spring themselves back up to the top. If that's their intention, they have to be a lot smarter compared to five years ago. That would mean no always online nonsense. No paying for a second hand copy if someone already used the disc. Beefing up their exclusives beyond Halo. Small things that can help build a momentum and swing things their way. I'm going to say this. They better be ready for 2020.
Microsoft better hope that people still have faith in them to deliver. If not, they can go back to what were prior to 1999 when they started helping Sega with the Dreamcast. Computers have always been their thing, and they can always work on making Windows better.
Friday, July 27, 2018
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
ROMs V. Nintendo
While Nintendo may have a lot of success, they are also run by complete morons. For any time they move forward a step, they move two steps back. I blame it on their Japan division and not understand stuff beyond the 80s and 90s. I'm curious yet baffled at the decision to sue a couple websites for infringement of ROMs of their games.
They are looking for millions of dollars in damages. Really, they are the only one that has issues with fan made stuff and ROMs and all that stuff. It's not a surprise that there's a lot of people who pirate or use emulation or create their own little project. I'm not the hugest supporter of emulation, but I'll use it. If this has something to do with a Virtual Console or eShop thing that they are doing for the Switch, I can see what they are doing... somewhat.
In that sense, it is justified. But for what? Just so they can milk Mario 3 and Zelda: Link to the Past for the tenth time? It's not a surprise that Virtual Console hasn't been the same since the Wii U launch in 2012. There hasn't been much effort, even with promises of stuff like Game Boy Advance and potentially GameCube titles. In the last seven years, Sega has only done a few handfuls of Game Gear games for 3DS, and they stopped after 2013. They didn't even bother with the Wii U. Not to mention that these titles can be found at used game stores, pawn shops, yard sales. Is it really going to hurt Nintendo? Absolutely not.
The efforts Nintendo has done since the 3DS has been poor. Their GBA selection is piss poor. The NES and SNES are getting the same titles over and over. No Nintendo 64 efforts. They went through original Game Boy games very quickly. Even with the cheap costs depending on the system of choice, they still leave it tied to the particular system and not the account. If the Japan offices weren't so narrow minded about how the world is, they would not have all these mistakes they have made since 1996. For now the Switch is still selling really well, but it could fade away or the next console could be a disaster.
And it's not like Nintendo can keep doing this suing thing, either. You can't shut down every website just because they have GBA games or anything going back to their NES days. If only they just put more effort into the Virtual Console or whatever their new Switch thing is like they did when it was a new concept. And it has to be more than just the same NES and SNES games. Actually dig deep into their catalog. It's a waste of time to go after ROMs, even if they are within their rights. Tons of stuff get replicated every day. Anything can be found on the Internet.
They are looking for millions of dollars in damages. Really, they are the only one that has issues with fan made stuff and ROMs and all that stuff. It's not a surprise that there's a lot of people who pirate or use emulation or create their own little project. I'm not the hugest supporter of emulation, but I'll use it. If this has something to do with a Virtual Console or eShop thing that they are doing for the Switch, I can see what they are doing... somewhat.
In that sense, it is justified. But for what? Just so they can milk Mario 3 and Zelda: Link to the Past for the tenth time? It's not a surprise that Virtual Console hasn't been the same since the Wii U launch in 2012. There hasn't been much effort, even with promises of stuff like Game Boy Advance and potentially GameCube titles. In the last seven years, Sega has only done a few handfuls of Game Gear games for 3DS, and they stopped after 2013. They didn't even bother with the Wii U. Not to mention that these titles can be found at used game stores, pawn shops, yard sales. Is it really going to hurt Nintendo? Absolutely not.
The efforts Nintendo has done since the 3DS has been poor. Their GBA selection is piss poor. The NES and SNES are getting the same titles over and over. No Nintendo 64 efforts. They went through original Game Boy games very quickly. Even with the cheap costs depending on the system of choice, they still leave it tied to the particular system and not the account. If the Japan offices weren't so narrow minded about how the world is, they would not have all these mistakes they have made since 1996. For now the Switch is still selling really well, but it could fade away or the next console could be a disaster.
And it's not like Nintendo can keep doing this suing thing, either. You can't shut down every website just because they have GBA games or anything going back to their NES days. If only they just put more effort into the Virtual Console or whatever their new Switch thing is like they did when it was a new concept. And it has to be more than just the same NES and SNES games. Actually dig deep into their catalog. It's a waste of time to go after ROMs, even if they are within their rights. Tons of stuff get replicated every day. Anything can be found on the Internet.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Medal of Honor Frontline (PS3) Review
One series I grew to love when it debuted was the Medal of Honor games. A favorite and one of my first PlayStation 2 titles was Frontline. It did everything right and expanded on what a World War II and first person shooter game should be. This was a surprise to see it remastered for just the PlayStation 3 as a bonus for the 2010 Medal of Honor release. Nothing changed with the gameplay, but it was more of a cosmetic change with the graphics. It's still a fun game.
Frontline had you returning as Jimmy Patterson in missions that took place before and in between missions in the first game. There are six missions combined for 19 levels. Each mission has about three or four. Following tradition, you are doing objectives to beat the level and stop the Nazi war machine. It takes you to a few places in Europe like D-Day in France, and some unique locale in Holland. Unlike other games in the series at the time, it followed with one huge mission broken into several.
The only thing EA changed was its graphics. As far as areas and backgrounds go, it is a bit of an improvement. That being said, the characters and enemies have a mix of both PS2 and PS3 quality. Not bad, but could be worse. Audio was not changed at all. It's still the same music, sound effects and voices. And it sill delivers on what it did in 2002 by creating a great war environment that lets you soak in that era of action and heartbreak.
Combat is really realistic but still plays like a video game. Various weaponry from the series come in the forms of M1 Garands and STG 44's just to name a few. They function quite well and provide enough firepower for Patterson. You have to be a little bit careful as ammo may not always be available for one particular weapon in a level. Health is still the same. Instant kills come from grenades and bazookas. The same ways of healing are back
Enemies are a bit more ferocious compared to the PS1 counterparts. They will put up a fight and will use various strategies to take you down. Controlling Patterson is a breeze and the game offers a decent amount of schemes for your liking. Level designs are smart and know how to convey a battle with allies and being on your own. It doesn't stray from what the original intentions were with the series at that time. Do well and you earn a star. Get a gold in every level of a mission to earn a medal.
There are a few difficulty modes with the hard one being brutal. It's pretty fair without being cheap. Options include cheats, changing audio and subtitles, and a password section. You can watch stuff in a gallery once you beat missions or view performances and medals in the records section. Saving is a breeze with autosaving, but saving manually is an option.
I only have a few complaints. With this version, the audio can skip sometimes or not load up after pausing, but that was rare. Videos after beating the last level of a mission were not synced. My only other complaint is something that I never liked on the original version and that was the dying aspect. Getting killed meant restarting the level from the beginning. A number of them take a good half hour to do and without means of saving can be frustrating sometimes.
Frontline is not something I would really recommend, but it is an alternative to other World War II games. I would give it at least a playthrough. This is still a nice game to have and it still plays well.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Frontline had you returning as Jimmy Patterson in missions that took place before and in between missions in the first game. There are six missions combined for 19 levels. Each mission has about three or four. Following tradition, you are doing objectives to beat the level and stop the Nazi war machine. It takes you to a few places in Europe like D-Day in France, and some unique locale in Holland. Unlike other games in the series at the time, it followed with one huge mission broken into several.
The only thing EA changed was its graphics. As far as areas and backgrounds go, it is a bit of an improvement. That being said, the characters and enemies have a mix of both PS2 and PS3 quality. Not bad, but could be worse. Audio was not changed at all. It's still the same music, sound effects and voices. And it sill delivers on what it did in 2002 by creating a great war environment that lets you soak in that era of action and heartbreak.
Combat is really realistic but still plays like a video game. Various weaponry from the series come in the forms of M1 Garands and STG 44's just to name a few. They function quite well and provide enough firepower for Patterson. You have to be a little bit careful as ammo may not always be available for one particular weapon in a level. Health is still the same. Instant kills come from grenades and bazookas. The same ways of healing are back
Enemies are a bit more ferocious compared to the PS1 counterparts. They will put up a fight and will use various strategies to take you down. Controlling Patterson is a breeze and the game offers a decent amount of schemes for your liking. Level designs are smart and know how to convey a battle with allies and being on your own. It doesn't stray from what the original intentions were with the series at that time. Do well and you earn a star. Get a gold in every level of a mission to earn a medal.
There are a few difficulty modes with the hard one being brutal. It's pretty fair without being cheap. Options include cheats, changing audio and subtitles, and a password section. You can watch stuff in a gallery once you beat missions or view performances and medals in the records section. Saving is a breeze with autosaving, but saving manually is an option.
I only have a few complaints. With this version, the audio can skip sometimes or not load up after pausing, but that was rare. Videos after beating the last level of a mission were not synced. My only other complaint is something that I never liked on the original version and that was the dying aspect. Getting killed meant restarting the level from the beginning. A number of them take a good half hour to do and without means of saving can be frustrating sometimes.
Frontline is not something I would really recommend, but it is an alternative to other World War II games. I would give it at least a playthrough. This is still a nice game to have and it still plays well.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Monday, July 23, 2018
Understanding Network Affiliates
Some people might think a local channel can do whatever they want. They are wrong. What they don't understand is that they can't do things on a whim or impulse. Otherwise, it could hurt their chances as a channel and the network that they are affiliated with. What exactly do people not understand?
For one thing, a budget. These affiliates have to figure out what shows to air and what can get them ratings. They have to be careful because not everything is a guaranteed hit for them. There is expectations and potentially if that show were to have low numbers, it could disappear after a season in syndication. Not every affiliate is the same. What does that mean? It means that different tastes are seen throughout a country in this world. What you might have on TV at home might be different in another county or area code.
Local affiliates act on their own. There might be some control by the network that has them, but they have to figure everything by themselves. Whatever mistakes they make is on them. They have control on what they air and whatever else appears on their channel.
As far as show selections go, it's the same thing with the budgeting. However, some shows from 20 years ago can still be on a local affiliate. For one channel where I live, Seinfeld was on it until at least 2011. They also look for the hot new stuff that enters syndication and hope it catches on. Otherwise, you're stuck with that program until the next season where you hope other new shows readied for syndication can do much better. To be honest, it's slim pickings with mainly CBS shows. Maybe the occasional Fox or ABC show, but that's it. However, they can't just instantly go for the show that is very expensive to get.
I'll discuss a theory I have regarding The Simpsons. Until 2014, it was only on local affiliates for syndication. People whined that the older episodes from the 90s weren't airing. For one thing, it is a very expensive show to procure. And two, it has gotten so big in episode numbers that my theory is there is packages of specific seasons that they can air.
Anyway, tangent aside, local affiliates can't just do stuff in a flash. They have to be very careful with what they do. At the end of the day, they are fighting for ratings and survival is the name of the game. People need to understand that to be profitable, they have to do things that even if they disagree with, will keep a network happy and make them last a long time on the air.
For one thing, a budget. These affiliates have to figure out what shows to air and what can get them ratings. They have to be careful because not everything is a guaranteed hit for them. There is expectations and potentially if that show were to have low numbers, it could disappear after a season in syndication. Not every affiliate is the same. What does that mean? It means that different tastes are seen throughout a country in this world. What you might have on TV at home might be different in another county or area code.
Local affiliates act on their own. There might be some control by the network that has them, but they have to figure everything by themselves. Whatever mistakes they make is on them. They have control on what they air and whatever else appears on their channel.
As far as show selections go, it's the same thing with the budgeting. However, some shows from 20 years ago can still be on a local affiliate. For one channel where I live, Seinfeld was on it until at least 2011. They also look for the hot new stuff that enters syndication and hope it catches on. Otherwise, you're stuck with that program until the next season where you hope other new shows readied for syndication can do much better. To be honest, it's slim pickings with mainly CBS shows. Maybe the occasional Fox or ABC show, but that's it. However, they can't just instantly go for the show that is very expensive to get.
I'll discuss a theory I have regarding The Simpsons. Until 2014, it was only on local affiliates for syndication. People whined that the older episodes from the 90s weren't airing. For one thing, it is a very expensive show to procure. And two, it has gotten so big in episode numbers that my theory is there is packages of specific seasons that they can air.
Anyway, tangent aside, local affiliates can't just do stuff in a flash. They have to be very careful with what they do. At the end of the day, they are fighting for ratings and survival is the name of the game. People need to understand that to be profitable, they have to do things that even if they disagree with, will keep a network happy and make them last a long time on the air.
Friday, July 20, 2018
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