Malik
(7/18/11)
Just a quick post of
random thoughts today since I feel sick and out of sorts.
Monday Night Combat
(found on Steam) is an amazing LAN party game. I played this with
some friends on Saturday and couldn't get enough of it.
The US Women's World Cup
team was amazing to watch, up until the penalty shootout that ended
the tournament. Seriously, I don't know what was going on, since the
US team is not this bad at shootouts. I can understand that Hope
Solo looked a bit banged up after regulation and overtime, so the
goals Japan made were not a huge surprise. However, the shots by the
American women were flat out horrible. I mean one was shot for the
moon, and most of the players seemed to advertise where the shot
would go long before they even started to approach the ball. It felt
like a sad end to what was one amazing tournament. At least the
Japanese women sure looked like winners...at least after they fell
behind 0-1 in the second half. That first US goal was like poking a
hornets nest, and it unleashed a great attacking team.
The Sounders FC keep
amazing me. They have a nine game unbeaten streak going on. Between
the US Open Cup tournament, MLS play, and soon the CONACAF
tournament, I see good things this year from the Sounders, despite
one of the most pathetic starts to a season I've ever seen.
Meanwhile, in the
opposite side of things, the Mariners are now on a nine game beaten
streak to go with the equal unbeaten streak of the Sounders. Like
how the Sounders turned around a floundering start, the M's seem
determined to throw away what looked like a pretty solid start of
the season (at least for a team with 100+ losses in two of the last
three seasons). If things don't change soon, it will be sad to see
how bad of a W-L record the team can give one of the most amazing
pitching rotations that MLB has ever seen. This is a bad season to
see the M's try for some records since each record is just beyond
sad. Nine games in a row without a homerun (franchise record). 40
innings in a row without a run (franchise record obtained on
Saturday). The best starting rotation with the worst record possible
(not a real record, but will be seen at the end of the season).
On a final note, I've
finished Zelda on the 3DS. It was incredibly fun, despite being a
game I've played on two previous Nintendo systems. While the game is
a bit stale about now, the improved visuals and controls definitely
made for a great experience. Hopefully this will just be the start
of good 3DS games, since I'm getting tired of my 3DS being used
mainly for virtual console, DSi Ware, and backwards compatibility.
That's not what I bought this thing for (actually it is...but not
for this alone...I want 3DS games to make my system into more than
just an over glorified DSi).
Malik |
Malik
(7/21/11)
Last night I was
confused. I had not seen a digitally altered soccer game before, but
I swear I watched the Sounders uniforms and players superimposed on
North Korea's team from the last men's World Cup. I mean the final
outcome was 0-7 and that sure looked like that major blowout North
Korea had in the last World Cup.
In all
seriousness, I have not seen such a bad game from the Sounders as
last night. Manchester United blew Seattle out of the water with no
sign of mercy. It was a bit slow to start, but six goals in the
second half sure changed things. Actually, Rooney coming on the
field seemed to be enough to change the game from a friendly into an
all out war of one of the best versus a minor league team. Let's
face it, compared to a European powerhouse team, the MLS is a minor
league team without any skill worthy of note.
I think the only
thing worse than this complete dismantling of the Sounders was that
the game was broadcast on the worst available channel for local
sports. In Seattle, we can watch the Sounders on two local channels
(KING and KONG...sister channels available with even a poor quality
antennae), or they have been on ESPN and ESPN-2 (of which, the
Chicago Fire game against Man. U. is on ESPN-2 this weekend). The
final option is FSC (Fox Soccer Channel), which in the Seattle area
is a pain in the ass to get. Unless you have some premium package
material, Comcast is not going to give you the hook-up. Also, unlike
ESPN and ESPN-2, you cannot stream from the FSC website. In fact,
for people in the Seattle region to catch the game last night, the
best option I found, unless you actually are dumb enough to give
Comcast a lot of money per month (yes, I am that dumb), was to
stream the game from MUTV (Manchester United Television) via a
secondary server with a .eu domain.
It's one thing to
not have the Sounders friendly games on regular TV, but it's another
entirely when the Man U games against New England and Chicago both
get the ESPN treatment and those teams do not draw the rabid support
on finds for the Sounders. Not to mention how the Sounders are also
second place behind the tough-as-nails LA Galaxy right now in the
MLS. If any team was worthy of a good TV deal for their Man U game,
it is the Sounders. Still, I guess I can't complain too much that
the nation would have some trouble watching Seattle flop and fail
against such an amazing team.
Don't get me
wrong; when I say amazing, I mean they have skill coming out of
every pore. As far as supporting a team, I see Man U as the Yankees
of soccer. They are great to support with rabid admiration if you
are either from the Manchester region, or if you just want to sound
like a poser who is only jumping on board the easiest to recognize
team in the world. I just don't see the appeal to be a supporter in
such a bandwagon way. Support local first and support family
tradition, but don't support if you really only know a team due to
their name. Take the time and find someone to really support for who
they are, what they show, and support a team that may have loses not
just blindly follow a team because they don't win. At least that's
my take on the world-wide blind adoration of Man U.
I'd rather support
Real Madrid...and that has a local connection. That was the team
that helped pull Drew Carry into soccer, and he was one of the best
things to happen to local sports in a long time with how he worked
so hard to craft the Sounders into a team for Seattle to take pride
in...and to take local pride to a new level.
Malik |
Malik
(7/26/11)
The NFL is back! I
didn't post yesterday due to so much news coming in from so many
angles. This is in addition to wondering if the economical world as
we know it is f#@$ed on August 2nd (when the US economy is set to
tank), and all the other questions on what is going wrong in the
world. However, the NFL is looking like the one shining spot in the
world. The NFL is back and the pre-season is starting to ignite with
a fury.
Of course that all
started to look a bit less awesome today when it was stated in the
Seattle Times that
Hasselbeck is not coming back as a Seahawk. Wait...let me say
that in a different way; what is the story behind the Seahawks
currently in the running to field Charlie "Football Jesus"
Whitehurst as the starting QB?
I know that
Seattle has no other clear options at this point, and I know
Hasselbeck wanted to (or said this, at least) that he wanted to end
his career as a Seahawk. So, what happened? Pete Carroll said he
wanted Hasselbeck back. What broke down? Is this real or just rumor?
What is going on in Seahawk-land? Are the Seahawks hoping to toss
away the season to pick up Andrew Luck with a number one draft pick?
Are the Seahawks in major talks with Kolb? With Palmer? With Leinart?
With Young? What is the plan on the table and why did things fall
apart?
As I see it,
Hasselbeck is made of glass, but he is also amazing when protected.
The last few seasons saw a broken O-line that couldn't keep him
safe, and also couldn't help the running game. If the O-line was
reformed around skill (and
removing Stacy Andrews is a start since his only contribution
seemed to be false start penalties when they hurt the most),
Hasselbeck could be amazing. If Seattle aims to contend, then a QB
is the most important piece of the puzzle. In fact, Seattle had
three major goals, as I saw it, to make 2011 a great year. Make a
new O-line that was powerful and healthy. Make sure Mare returned as
the kicker with his amazing golden foot. Lastly, keep Hasselbeck
until the QB of the future was found and groomed under Hasselbeck's
tutelage.
This is now no
longer clear, and Seattle will have hard work to do to convince any
other competent QB to play under an O-line that is legendary for not
keep the QB safe. If you were Kolb, who can demand some powerful
money, would you want to play where your safety is not promised or
even likely? I know I wouldn't. The other options all look pretty
bad in QB land. I sure as hell don't want to see McNabb here, and he
looks like the best alternative (beyond maybe getting Carson
Palmer). Vince Young and Matt Leinart both look like a bad call, and
there is not much else out there that is not pretty much secured by
another team and a hefty contract. I know that Schmidt and Carroll
would love to make it look like Whitehurst was a good purchase, but
that just seems like goofy thinking. He is an eternal "work in
progress" and that will only help Seattle by getting a higher pick
in the next draft. If Seattle wants to play that game, then I sure
as hell will not be watching it unfold for 16 lame-duck weeks this
fall and winter. I have better things to do than to watch another
Seattle team try to obtain record losing streaks. The M's are
painful enough to watch.
I'll wait to see
what all unfolds, but Seattle better have some damned good options
on the table, or this better be one hell of a rumor. Otherwise, I am
going to have to turn my back from the hell that will be unleashed.
Malik
Update:
Tavaris Jackson...(Malik goes off to cry in a corner...he is
dumbstruck. Schneider scores a critical hit. Malik has
been slain. Schneider gains 9000 XP and no gold since Malik is
not a season ticket holder).
Malik |
Malik
(7/27/11)
Now the rumors are out
there
saying Matt Lienart will join Tarvaris Jackson in joining the
Seahawks. So, if I see this correctly, not counting some undrafted
free agents acquired in the last 24 hours, the Seahawks are going to
be holding competition this pre-season between Lienart, T-Jack, and
Clipboard Jesus (Whitehurst) to see who is the starter in the 2011
season. Wow...this looks like the type of competition that is
perfect for high tension and high excitement.
Is there any
serious way to look at this setup and not be depressed about the
'Hawks season? T-Jack has been nothing more than a good level
backup/second string QB since joining the NFL. Whitehurst already
showed he is not much of a backup in the NFL and has a contract that
is way too bloated for someone who was never worth the price of
admission. Then you have Lienart, who probably spent the extra year
in college just to get a final year of living it up before he bombed
so hard in the NFL that he made Vince Young look good. Maybe the
'Hawks can make it even better by seeing if the Titans would be
willing to send us Young. Then we can have four guys with no reason
to be on the field all trying to prove they are the best of the bad
choices available. I really wouldn't be surprised, assuming they get
a chance at all, to see one of the QBs acquired as undrafted free
agents with a better chance of starting this season than T-Jack,
Lienart, or Whitehurst.
Of course, now
that I think about it, I'm actually a little happy to see Hasselbeck
go. I would love to see him remain a Seahawk for life, but things
will be better with him in Tennesee. I should say, it will be better
for Hasselbeck...not for Seattle. Hasselbeck can mentor Jake Locker,
who will need a veteran presence to get him acquainted with the NFL,
and Hasselbeck is the perfect tutor. Also, the Titans have a more
stable O-line (of course a pee-wee league team has a better O-line
than the Seahawks), which should help to keep Hasselbeck on his
feet. If he continued with Seattle, the season would have once again
seen Hasselbeck on the injured list after a young and untested
O-line, which doesn't even have a left tackle so far, failed to stop
the blitz for another entire season. Plus, without a good blocking
game from the O-line, all the pressure is once again on the QB, and
Hasselbeck has been injured far too many times by the single largest
fault of the Seattle team; that damned O-line.
Of course it looks
like the game this year is all about, as many people like to say
online, "suck 4 Luck!" Seattle seems to be aiming for a poor season
to ensure a high draft pick...and only a number one pick looks like
the one that will get Luck. Of course it also goes without saying
that I sure as hell don't like this game. I am a fan of football and
I don't aim to watch the next season with a constant sense of dread.
I want to see Seattle continue to do what they did so well in the
New Orleans game last post-season; win with total authority. Since
that looks out of the question, I will still give the team a chance,
but I expect to call it quits mighty early. When Seattle comes out
to start with a 0-4 record, I am not planning to stick around for
the other 75% of this torturous season. I'm not some damned fair
weather fan, but I'm also not so much of a masochist that I can
watch a train wreck without reservations.
I had all of that
post done when I saw more news to bring a feeling of dread into my
mind.
Mare is apparently off to the Panthers. So, on top of losing the
best QB Seattle has ever fielded, the only chance at scoring any
points this season is looking grim when there's no clear answer for
who will be kicking field goals. Of course, it doesn't matter too
much since the only real action that a Seahawk will be a part of is
the punting game. You only need a kicker once per game (a single
kick-off) when you are not going to move the ball enough to reach
field goal range...and you sure as hell are not going to be going
for P.A.T.s.
At least the
Lienart thing is not coming true since he'll be staying with the
Texans. I'm not sure if this is more of a good news thing for the
Seahawks or a stupid news thing for the Texans. Either way, at least
the QB competition in Seattle will not be quite as stupid as it
could have been.
Malik |
Malik
(7/28/11)
The 3DS is dropping in price on August 12th. It's not just
dropping a small bit...it's falling $80 to $170 MSRP. Less than half
a year after the system launches, the price is falling this much.
It's unheard of for any game machine that is not the Virtual Boy or
the 32X. It's also not a good PR move, from how I see it.
On one hand, it
makes Nintendo look scared. True, the sales of the 3DS have been
slow, but that can be summarized in two simple lines of thinking. On
one hand, the economy sucks. When you have a lot of people looking
at how to budget food and shelter in a budget that may include
either unemployment or furloughs, $250 is a large price...but so is
$170 for something that will not meet the basic needs, and no matter
how much of a geek you are, you must recognize that gaming still
comes after food and shelter. On the other hand, there are no AAA
games out there right now. Ocarina of Time is a great port, but it's
been seen on the N64, Gamecube (including the Master Quest), and Wii
already. It cannot sell a system, but Mario will...and Mario is
coming around the holiday season.
On the other hand,
this is bad PR with loyal customers. Yes, they will give current 3DS
owners 10 free NES Virtual Console titles and 10 GBA Virtual Console
titles. However, unless some unusual games come along, I couldn't
care less. A NES Virtual Console titles runs around $3 and includes
all the games I am expecting to not care for. I have a NES and I
have all the games I feel are truly worth it. If I'm going to be
expected to take Donkey Kong Jr. as compensation for Nintendo
screwing around with prices so damned quickly, then Nintendo is
expecting something that is unreasonable; that I'll take any shiny
bauble in exchange for feeling like they failed to plan properly. I
may consider some rarer NES games, but I have yet to see the Virtual
Console on the Wii show much in unexpected titles even after around
a half decade of growing their library.
As for the GBA
Virtual Console titles...I feel about the same, but more so. I don't
have a dust covered GBA like I do with the NES. I have a DS
(original fat one) and a GBA-SP, both freshly charged and with GBA
titles in their cartridge slots. Both get used, and both have a nice
library waiting for them. I can even still find many games easily
available on eBay, Amazon, and even at some video game stores. Used
they are cheap as dirt, and new is still not too shabby for many of
the titles I would want...if I didn't own all of them that I want
already.
Nintendo is doing
the free games to make up to loyal customers...but are they also
expecting loyal customers to not be loyal enough to already have a
nice library of Virtual Console NES games and real GBA games
already? I'd rather see them offer something like credit towards the
eStore instead. I know of many DSWare titles that I'd love to buy,
but this is not on the table. Anyway, while I appreciate Nintendo
making some effort to make up for the random price shift, it still
doesn't feel like they are really putting in the effort to think
through their actions.
I think, more than
the lackluster sales, Nintendo was attempting to make as much extra
money as possible on the 3DS before the price had to fall in order
to compete with the Sony Vita, which will go for $250-$300. In other
words, I think they were actually just trying to take advantage of
the more loyal of customers (who will forgive and forget, in
Nintendo's eyes) before they had to step into reality to compete
with Sony. If Nintendo wants to try an old excuse, that they don't
sell for a price anything short of breaking even, then how did the
3DS technology drop in manufacturing cost in six months when the
economy is screwed up around the world and when Japan (which
manufactures many components) is still recovering from the tsunami
in March? The logic doesn't fit, and with exciting games coming up
before the holiday season, there would be a great opportunity in the
future to keep the price the same and recover from the lower sales
one has to expect from an off-season console release in a bad
economy.
In other words;
Nintendo, if you're listening...you need to think things through or
just admit to screwing around or screwing up.
Malik |
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