areaseven

Congratulations, Kevin.

More on Brock Lesnar suposedly leaving the WWE:

Hell yeah. And they should do Plasma Sword and Tech Romancer sequels as well. As for SF3 coming out, give me Fatal Fury: Mark of the Wolves any day of the week. Twice on Sunday.

Cowboy Bebop

Of all the consoles available today, I would choose the PS2 merely to have Gran Turismo 4. Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of money right now. Besides, my co-worker gave me an XBOX for Christmas. Here's a short review of the games I currently have: Colin McRae Rally 04 Codemasters, 2004 Rated E (Everyone). Visually, CMR4 is not as flashy as Microsoft's RalliSport Challenge and it doesn't have real courses, but like the previous CMR games, it has the look and feel of a rally simulator. And it's a steal at $19.99. B+ -- Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance ( メタルギアソリッド2 ) Konami, 2002 Rated M (Mature) for graphic violence, mature situations and mild language. MGS2 got mixed reviews when it first hit the PS2, mainly because not everyone wanted to play Raiden. The XBOX version gives fans what they want: playing the second half of the game as Snake. Plus, Substance has more training levels and more fun with the ever-popular Ninja. A -- Ninja Gaiden Team Ninja/TECMO, 2004 Rated M (Mature) for extreme violence and gore. After several years in the Dead or Alive series, Ryu Hayabusa returns to his roots in the remake of TECMO's classic game Ninja Gaiden. Despite some shoddy camera angles and insanely difficult gameplay, Ninja Gaiden boasts some awesome graphics and an excellent soundtrack. It even has the original NES game to boot! A -- Project Gotham Racing Bizarre Creations/Microsoft, 2002 Rated E (Everyone). Contains mild lyrics. It is a tradition for every console to have a racing game on its launch. As the first racing game on the XBOX, PGR is loaded with awesome graphics, noteworthy sound effects and remarkable gameplay. Despite lacking customization options, PGR is a very good racing game. B+ -- R: Racing Evolution NAMCO, 2003 Rated T (Teen) for cleavage shots and mild language. NAMCO departs from the Ridge Racer franchise and starts anew with R. The story mode is rather short, but the gameplay is surprisingly good. Graphics are also nothing short of spectacular. Sound is okay, but the radio comments are repetitive. Otherwise, R is a racing game worth checking out, especially since it has a Delorean in it. B+ -- RalliSport Challenge DICE/Microsoft, 2002 Rated E (Everyone). Still the best rally game on the XBOX. A- -- Sega GT Online WOW Entertainment/Sega, 2004 Rated T (Teen) for supposed mild lyrics. Should be rated E, though. If you've played Sega GT 2002, nothing's changed. You're just playing the exact same game on Sega GT Online. The only differences are more game modes, more cars and online gameplay. No wonder it's only $19.99. C+ -- Soul Calibur II ( ソウルキャリバー2 ) NAMCO, 2003 Rated T (Teen) for violence and mature situations. Without a doubt, the best 3D fighting game ever made. A+.

Too expensive for me right now. I'll wait until Ninja Gaiden becomes part of the $20 Platinum Hits Collection.

Time to put the WWE rants on hold for a while. Since it's WrestleMania season, let's talk about past WM events. Q. What was the best WrestleMania you've ever seen, and what was the worst? My vote: Being a wrestling fan for over two decades, my all-time favorite WM is WresleMania III (1987), the very first PPV event I saw live (my mom brought me and my sister to the Universal Ampitheater to watch it on closed-circuit TV). The Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant match was pretty good, but what really got me into the PPV was "Macho Man" Randy Savage vs. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat for the Intercontinental title. Aside from that, I also enjoyed WresleMania VI (1990), when Ultimate Warrior destroyed Hogan for the WWF title. Sure, both men can't sell anyone else's move, but the match was actually watchable. The worst one I've seen was WrestleMania IX (1993), when Bret "Hitman" Hart lost the WWF title to Yokozuna, simply to let Hogan win the belt again. Next to that was WrestleMania IV (1988), as the championship tournament bored the hell out of me.

Viz Video has just opened the official US SaiKano homepage. Too bad it's not as good as the Japanese site. http://www.saikano-usa.com/

More bad news for the WWE, courtesy of TOPWRESTLING.com:

I don't have to pay. All I have to do is chip in for the pizza and beer.

As usual, I will bite the bullet and watch WrestleMania this Sunday with my co-workers. Of course, I'll have to go grocery shopping this Saturday and buy as many bottles of Orion beer as possible for the PPV. The "This Is Your Life" segment was funny for the most part, but like Anubis said, it was a waste of air time. BTW, did anyone notice that whenever The Rock appeared, Triple-H was nowhere to be found?

Because that's what it says in the script.

This just in from TOPWRESTLING.com:

It's trying to look like the Competition Coupe version, but it's way off proportion.

$150 each for my Yamato 1/48 VF-1A and VF-1S.

Amazing work right there. Is it available on 1600x1200 resolution? I want it as my wallpaper so bad.

The Monday Night War WWE Home Video, 2004 Rated TV-14 for graphic violence, slight nudity, mature situations and strong language. It was a television war almost comparable to the American Civil War. North vs. South. World Wrestling Entertainment vs. World Championship Wrestling. From 1995 to 2001, both promotions exchanged blows every Monday night for primetime supremacy. Under the helm of Eric Bischoff (the Carl Macek of pro-wrestling), WCW Monday Nitro beat WWE Monday Night RAW for 84 consecutive weeks with storylines involving the nWo. WWE retaliated by making Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Mick Foley and Triple-H superstars beyond epic proportions. Throughout the ordeal, wrestlers switched sides until people in WCW got sick of the business and completely jumped to WWE. In the end, poor management, misuse of production costs, stale storylines and anything else you can think of led to the demise of WCW. The Monday Night War is a detailed look at the most important points of both promotions. The video shows the history of WCW starting from the time Ted Turner purchased it from Jim Crockett Productions and gave Bischoff the controls. What started out as good business turned stale when the nWo abused creative control, when Bischoff went on an endless spending spree, and especially when Vince Russo and Ed "Oklahoma" Ferrara took control. All of these events include interviews with former and current WWE Superstars, unforgettable matches, and events that changed the face of professional wrestling forever. If there's only one wrestling video to get other than Beyond the Mat, it's The Monday Night War. Undoubtedly one of the most important chronicles in wrestling history. Rating: A DVD Extras: A- Think the feature itself isn't enough? You should check out the extras: - Jim Cornette Shoot Interview. On an episode of RAW, the former manager takes an unscripted shot at WCW and its unethical business. - "Bret Screwed Bret". One night after the infamous Montreal incident, a black-eyed Vince McMahon does a shoot interview, telling everyone about how Bret Hart disrespected the WWE and pro-wrestling in general by spitting at him at the Survivor Series PPV. - Rick Rude appears on both RAW and Nitro on the same night. - Stone Cold Stuns Vince McMahon. How Vinnie Mac boosted WWE ratings by becoming the company's biggest heel. - Ric Flair's return. Weeks after being sued by WCW, the Nature Boy gives Nitro an amazing ratings comeback. - "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan vs. Goldberg. - The Outsiders invade the WCW production truck. - The last Nitro. Sting and Flair give a final performance, and the WWE takes over. - D-Generation X invades WCW. Featuring scenes that never aired on TV. - Shawn Michaels & Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. British Bulldog & Owen Hart. - Shawn Michaels & HHH vs. the Legion of Doom. - Chris Benoit vs. Booker T.

Haven't seen it yet. Will rent it later on.

Last night on SmackDown!: - On RAW, Austin's ATV was impounded. Well, it looks like Brock Lesnar stole it. He came in the ring to Austin's music while riding the camouflage ATV and talked trash about Austin and Goldberg before chugging some Miller Lites. - Paul Heyman demanded an apology from Eddie Guerrero for "hurting" Dawn Marie (actually last week, Eddie shoved Heyman, who was right next to Dawn Marie). Eddie than said he could kick Heyman's ass with both hands tied to his back. Because of that, Heyman issued a match against a handcuffed Eddie. - The World's Greatest Tag Team came into the ring dressed up as the APA (Shelton Benjamin was dressed as Bradshaw, while Charlie Haas sported an afro wig and dressed as Faarooq). They imitated the APA's gestures and went on to sing the West Texas Rednecks' song "Rap is Crap." The real APA ran in and attacked the duo, only to be attacked by the Bashams. - A handcuffed Eddie was beating the hell out of Heyman, who then decided to walk out of ringside. This left Eddie helpless against Kurt Angle.

Whasango ( 화산고 ) sidus/Cinema Service/Media Asia, 2001 Directed by Kim Tae-gyun Not Rated (Suggested PG-13). Contains graphic violence, slight nudity and mature situations. (Author's note: This review covers the uncut and un-dubbed version of the film.) Cast - Jang Hyuk as Kim Kyeong-su - Shin Min-a as Yu Chae-i - Kim Su-ro as Jang Ryang - Kwon Sang-woo as Song Hak-lim - Kong Hyo-jin as So Yo-seon - Jeong Sang-hun as Golbangi - Kim Hyeong-jong as Shim Ma - Chae Shi-ah as Yo-mi - Heo Jun-ho as Mr. Ma Synopsis Following a long history of gross misconduct, delinquent martial artist Kim Kyeong-su transfers to Volcano High School, hoping to actually graduate after being kicked out eight times. There, he encounters other powerful martial artists who fight to obtain the principal's Secret Manuscript that holds the key to unlimited power. Lowdown Ever since The Matrix, people have been combining martial arts action with computer-generated special effects in their action films. Especially in China (The Duel, Shaolin Soccer) and Japan (Returner). And then we have South Korea, which is not known for martial arts flicks. (But then again, rarely does a Korean film receive any international acclaim.) The Korean film industry has jumped on the bandwagon with Volcano High. Don't look for any storyline or character development here. Never mind the low-grade camera work, the generic soundtrack and the excessive use of wire work. Volcano High is all about the kung-fu fighting with some tongue-in-cheek humor. Aside from The Matrix, the film uses a lot of influences from various anime and manga. You can even tell that the final fight scene has a Dragon Ball feel to it. Nevertheless, as long as it's fun to watch, it's all good. If you're looking for some cheap martial arts thrills, pick up Volcano High today. It sure beats the dubbed version on MTV. Rating: B Reference The Internet Movie Database

Never saw it. Besides, why make a movie based on a Disneyland ride? What next - Matterhorn: The Motion Picture? "Remain seated, please. Permaneced centados, por favor."

Maybe, but Gone in 60 Seconds pissed me off to no end. It was just merely about looking at all of the exotic cars. The original version was all about the white-knuckle car chase between the 1973 Ford Mustang Mach I (The original "Eleanor") and police cars all over L.A. Over 90 cars were totaled, and all the film needed was one "Eleanor" to carry out all the stunts. The new movie, on the other hand, needed a dozen "Eleanors," and over half of them were junked. Especially for a rather boring car chase.

For the most part, they're all action and no plot. And each film seems to have issues of their own: 1. Armageddon - Moviegoers complained that the movie was way too loud. At least it was better than the snoozefest called Deep Impact. 2. Gone in 60 Seconds - Compared to the original's 45-minute car chase, the new version's car chase is at most 10 minutes long. And the overall excitement level goes down the drain when the "long jump" is done in CG (the original version's 30-foot jump was 100% real). 3. Coyote Ugly - Need I say more? 4. Pearl Harbor - Completely beats Titanic as the ultimate bastardization of a 20th century event. 5. Kangaroo Jack - Need I say more? Aside from Black Hawk Down, Bruckheimer's redeeming points are those with the late Don Simpson: Crimson Tide Beverly Hills Cop Top Gun

Uhhh...no. I lost respect for him after The Phantom.

Okay, so maybe the black eye was planned. But still, there's no reason to put over an inexperienced wrestler like Orton. He hasn't given his dues, not to mention that he can't sell a move properly. Take, for example, two years ago, when he fought Christian. He attempted to execute some spinning maneuver by placing his leg over the back of Christian's neck. Not only did he botch the maneuver, he broke his shoulder in the process. Even until now, he hasn't learned from his past mistakes. Last month, during a tag team match with Batista/Flair against RVD and Jericho, Orton slipped while attempting to give Y2J an RKO. And in front of a live audience and on live TV, he made wrestling look worse by doing a second attempt on his botched finisher. Orton is obviously too green to be in the big leagues. The best advice for WWE is to send Orton back to OVW for retraining.