Blaine23

Did you see Return to Neverland? How about Beauty and the Beast - Enchanted Christmas? Maybe Aladdin and the King of Theives? Pocohontas II - Journey to a New World? Lion King II: Simba's Pride? No? But everyone loves the Little Mermaid II - Return to the Sea even more than the original, right? No. Disney has been churning out crapass direct-to-video sequels to their best movies for years. They are usually so bad and cheaply made that they don't even bother to get the original voice talent. It's only a matter of time before we see Bambi: The Revenge! Pixar as a company were comitted to not making direct-to-video abominations that lessen the appeal of the original classic film. Thus, they made Toy Story 2 which was every bit as good as the original, if not better. Disney has no such qualms. They know that it will make money because parents are stupid and many of the kids forced to watch this crap haven't learned the hard lessons about commercialism just yet... or they too young to articulate it. Sure there are other companies who can put out good CG animation. Dreamworks is quite nice. But Disney hasn't proven that they can do much other than make a quick buck by reusing a logo. They may own the property and have every right to do this - but the probability is extremely high that any Toy Story 3 that they attempt to make without Pixar is going suck a whole, whole lot. Just so you know, this nil to do with being a hard, pessimistic MW boarder and everything about recognizing talent (which makes a movie because there is good story to be told) and corporate greed (which doesn't care as long as it makes money). Now, you tell me which one was the reason Toy Story 3 is going to exist.

Sorry guys - I guess it has grown a bit outdated. Well, it's from back in April. But since it was never an official MW Yamato list or anything, I never bothered updating it. At the time, I thought it would be pretty cool to put together checklists of the various Macross toy products just so we'd have less n00b questions, etc. But I'm fairly certain the mods were of the opinion that it would only mean more n00b questions, more "hey you need to change this/that", and generally more work. I agree. To be honest, I don't really have much interest in updating the checklist. You guys feel free to update it however you like. Just cut and paste and go to town. Heck, it's only been half a year and Yamato has drastically slowed down it's Macross releases - shouldn't be too hard. I also think there's a decent list/db at zincpanic.

In German, no less! God only knows how strange a magazine like that would be. My mind actually cannot fathom how weird that would be... but my mind also somehow accepts that such a magazine could really only be German.

Hmm.. what is the big deal with Halo? I think I might have a clue on this one. I have a PS2, my buddy has a PS2 and X-box. Neither of us have played FPS games since Duke Nukem, Hexen, and Doom 2 were all the rage. We used to work in a small office and would Deathmatch via the network or over our ancient 9600 baud modems from home. Anyway, both of now have way too much work, life, etc to get all that involved or keep up with PC gaming. The last game I tried to play an FPS on a friend's PC was Quake III and it was overcomplicated, the missions were annoying, I got bored with it real quick. So at my buddy's house, he says, "Check out this Halo game - it's supposed to be great." We sat down, put it on multiplayer campaign and played for about 3 hours. It was tons of fun, on his big screen the split screens were no problem and we had a great time with it, so we played everytime I came over to chill. Halo is a great game for a number of reasons - #1 - The interface. Hands down the most important part of any game. Halo is intuitive enough for me to figure out how to move, shoot, switch weapons, target without a giant map. I was up and killing in a matter of minutes. #2 - The graphics. PC games may be lightyears past Halo in terms of graphics, but this is easily the best looking FPS game I've played on a console. #3 - Multiplayer. Any FPS will get real old playing by yourself. It's the nature of the beast. Fighting games, Sports games, and FPS's are best when you're kicking your best friend's butt. Halo's FPS is suprisingly not bad, even when playing on the same TV. #4 - Theme. Space Marines appeal to all men. Is it exceptionally original? Nah. Do I care? Nah. After we had fun at Halo we rented a few other FPS games, but all of them really just fell short in one category or another. None had that, "instantly familiar" vibe that Halo has. If you can take two 30 year old fogies, set 'em down in front of a type of game they aren't really into, and have them fragging in minutes, you've got a hit. Of course, all of these reasons are kinda the reason hardcore PC gamers are like "huh?" when it comes to understanding Halo's popularity. By your very nature, you're more used to putting the time, money, and effort to play games that are technically better. To Joe Six Pack, that sort of effort takes all the fun out of... playing a game.

I agree with that, A1 - but it ain't all kids anymore. When I hit the Best Buy at lunch last Tuesday with my friend so he could buy Halo2 and when I was there getting GTA a few weeks earlier, there were actual lines of guys ranging from 20-35 buying these games. And from chatting with them, they weren't picking it up for Junior. The other reason the 90's are quite the 80's yet is that it's still sorta "just the other day" It wasn't that long ago that the 80's replaced the 70's as a funny decade. I'd say in the next 2 years we'll see the 90's being properly referenced and mercilessly mocked.

Yep. My fiance is probably going to want to see this movie for Dr. Troy as Dr. Doom alone. I wasn't so much bugged by the Doom handling - I never quite thought a monarch from "Latvaria" was all that believable or cinematic, really. But I do hope they put the man in his proper cowl. The mask alone just looks all Destro.

gotta love that 3rd person... Gotta love my masters in English. It's called writing for comedic effect - look it up. Awesome magazine, BSU! I wonder if it's anything like CatFancy, but for Wookies.

Vader is behind Target... this explains so very much...

Remake - a movie that's been made before. Adaptation - a movie based on a story from another medium. Just because the original PotA was based on a novel, as was Wonka, does not make either any less of a remake. The marketing crew may try to play it up as a "recinematization" (is that really even a word?) of the original material, but that's just window dressing. They are remakes because they are trading in on what has previously been established and registered in cinema before. Not only do they tend to lift visual, story, and even editing ideas from the original at will - but they also play to the market of the average moviegoer by using the same title, etc. Tell the average American that PotA is a new vision based from the source material and they'll stare at you blankly. Yes, the screenwriter may go back to the original source material to try and find a fresh tack on how to make the new version different without simply relying on new effects to bring freshness to a movie that everyone's essentially seen before - but again, don't kid yourself into buying that these movies are in any way a "new vision"... it can happen, but it's really, really rare that that's the real reason a movie is remade. The studios want security and instead of risking millions on an untested idea, they sink dough into remakes and popular adaptations that will bring a certain amount of audience in the door from the get-go. Every job, especially the director and stars are greatly influenced by the amount of money flowing on a gig like this. There's even a certain sense of lowered expectation, too. If it fails, then it was simply that audiences loved the original too much to enjoy the new one... or "how could we compete with a classic? We just made a homage." None of which is really true. Asses get put in theater seats and that generates revenue. End of story. So, yes, PotA is really a remake. Wonka will be too. Spider-man is an adaptation, almost strictly. The confusion you're getting is simply because Spider-Man was a hugely popular character to be adapted to film for the first time.

Heh. Isn't it funny when PC gamers use the lingo their goofy brethen made popular to mock those of us who don't care enough to invest in a turbo-cooled graphics card that costs $500? You may have been playing these games for years, BSU - but that doesn't mean they're still not fun on an Xbox. I could run around shaking my old boardgame copy of Risk at online Empire type players, but wouldn't that be lame?

As much as I love my valks - I'll sell them if I need the money for something more important. I bought them in a time when I had more cash laying about and they hold their value relatively well. Unfortunately for them, that makes them luxury items that are expendable when Daddy needs to buy a new hot water heater. Luckily, I haven't had to walk that road yet, but the economy definitely sucks enough to imagine it being possible. I've done it with guitars and though I regret losing them - I've never felt too bad about the decision itself. Real life = most important Hobbies = not that important, ultimately

I see where you're coming from there - the X station is just a mess. There's some great songs, but even my fiance who sits patiently in the room reading while I wreak havoc on the streets of San Andreas, said, "what is this station supposed to be? If it's the early 90's they wouldn't still be playing Welcome to the Jungle, then go into the Stone Roses." Now you can see why I'm marrying her, the little music dork. She's right, though, in that the playlist is just a random "don't scare white kids" mix and the DJing is just not really up to par. On the other hand, my favorite DJ and station for that "GTA value" of comedy and general oddness is K-Rose. The DJ cracks me up and the music is a perfect mix of weird country... the only big problem is that it really doesn't belong in San Andreas. The only possible tie-in to the world San Andreas is trying to present is the rural areas outside of the city and maybe a slight Tarantino Pulp Fiction effect. K-Rose simply belongs in another game - preferably one set in the 70s. No country station in the early 90s played Juice Newton. Ever. It was all Garth Brooks and Billy Ray Cyrus, all the time. The same goes for the Classic Rock Station - which has great DJing - but the music is so generic and bleh that I feel like that music could have been something more fun and cool. I don't need a videogame to give me Boston. I can get way too much of that in real life. GTA shouldn't try to be real life - they should stick to being GTA reality.

Looks awesome. Hope the actual 2 hour version is as cool and fun. The last two movies had pretty great trailers too. But... this movie has one thing the previous prequels lacked.... the power of the Wookies! Not one, but 2 shots of Wookie power. Including an army. Blaine is psyched for the Wookies.

The original is one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm pretty skeptical, because there's two Tim Burton formulae in direct conflict here. Tim Burton + Johnny Depp = good movie, at least worth watching. (sleepy hollow, ed wood) Tim Burton + remake = total piece of steaming monkey poo (planet of the apes) I'm curious to see how this one plays out, but I've gotta be honest when I say that I see absolutely no need for this movie to be remade or updated or whatever you want to call it.

I've pretty much had it with "special ultra mega 5 star collector's gold platinum wee willy winky" editions, dammit. Basically, it's coming down to this - if I liked a movie that was new release, I'll buy the previously viewed version of it at the local video store. If I loved a movie, I'll actually pay for the full version at Best Buy. I've officially decided to just not notice anymore if a company releases a more extra groovy version of a movie a few months later. F-them. It's so damn greedy and weird that it's kinda turned me off to buying DVDs, which is something I generally enjoy - building my movie collection. No wonder people download this crap instead of buying it. The funniest thing is - it does seem that the crappier the movie, the more special editions they'll throw out there.

I'm heading to a buddy's house after work to try it out on his giant TV. Split screen mode is excellent on that thing. To be honest, though - I'm still all up in the GTA San Andreas to think too much about Halo.

Anybody besides me doing all the side-missions - collecting oysters, spraying tags, pimping, ambulances, vigilante missions, etc? I did this with Vice City and found that it did two things really well. One, it acquaints me with the map really well. Two, it just drags out the gameplay - which I tend to want to do. I want this game to last for months. I don't really care about getting 100% per se - but the benefits to the optional stuff can come in handy when I do main story missions. It's definitely nice having a ton of weapons show up at your house. Also - anyone played around with Off Track Betting? I've managed to make a pretty good chunk of change that way. I started out targeting and killing drug dealers (quick way to make 2 grand), then betting that dough on the longshots. It pays off. Nothing's better than having plenty of houses to stash cars, etc.

I'm right there witcha. I don't mean to pick on the radio stations so much - but there's definitely no "In the Future There Will Be Robots" or self-help from Thor. Or hear Maurice introduce Africa by Toto by saying "here ees some excellent museek for you to get in touch with yourself with.." The gameplay of GTA is always great - but it's that attention to humor and immersion that really makes me a fan. Of course, we're also both confirmed 80's dorks... so it does make a certain amount of sense for us to be all about the Vice City. But I'm still saying it was a more cohesive, fleshed-out theme. EDITED to add - Also, to be truly fair - nothing in Grand Theft Auto has ever made me laugh as much as "Push It To The Limit" in GTA 3. I even have the song on my iPod... it's simply the most amusing music ever recorded.

Take away the music and the description sounds like a night at the Blue Oyster Bar.

Hey guys - back from a extended stay away from a computer - but luckily I brought my copy of GTA- SA to play on my nephew's PS2 whilst I was there. My review - GTA III was the reason I bought a PS2. I'm not much of a gamer. I usually find a game I like and I simply lose myself in the fun of moving the character around. On the PS1, I was a huge fan of Tomb Raider and Spiderman, because of the movement. I don't usually care about overcomplicated gameplay, RPG style gaming, etc. When I first played GTA III, I'd sworn off gaming as it's just a huge waste of time and it's all so repetitive. That being said, I played GTA 3 at a friend's house and bought my copy the next day. There's a great deal to be said about the freedom of the game - but even more to be said about the intuitive controls and the ability to "jump right in" and begin having fun. Vice City came out 3 months after I bought into the PS2 and GTA and I loved it more than I can possibly tell you. The radio stations, the improved graphics, the fun of the story, the setting - I think it was all out of the park awesome. The game's only fault is that I wish it had 50 cities to play in. San Andreas I've had since it came out and it's a step up and a step down in alot of ways. I'll start with the positives - Pros - The world is huge. There are more guns, cars, bikes, cycles, etc. I'm really enjoying taking my time with this one. I honestly haven't done that many missions - I'm just exploring the city they made. The RPG aspects are good. I was worried that the eating, exercising, tats, haircuts, etc. would detract from the game. Personally, I just don't care about that sort of thing, unless it's fun. Luckily it IS fun in GTA SA. The customizeable look of your character is a blast and it doesn't really take much away from the enjoyment of the game. The increased skills with weapons, vehicles, etc just make playing it for hours have even more benefits. The gameplay improvements work Unlike alot of games, Rockstar has improved GTA's interface slowly and deliberately. This is where most sequels go wrong. Did it suck not being able to swim in the last 2 games? You betcha. Pissed me off to no end. But I respect that they've slowly introduced new aspects to the GUI rather than throw everything in at once and make the game less fun to actually control. GTA:SA is a HUGE improvement over the last 2 games - but it feels natural. Cons - The theme I think they took a big risk here. Being a black gangbanger in early 90's L.A. is cool - but it's not Miami in the 80's cool. I thoroughly enjoy the urban feel of the game, but it's not as well developed as GTA:VC. Vice City made you feel like Scarface meats Crockett... this game makes you feel like... uh, some guy? They really should have worked harder to define the period and play it up, because it doesn't really feel as cohesive as Vice City or even Liberty City. The music is all over the map and it's great music - but it feels disjointed compared to the tight cohesiveness of VC. There's almost too much variety here - in VC I got the impression that if you didn't like 80's tunes - well, too f'ing bad. This one feels like they're trying hard not alienate people who might not enjoy early 90's rap and LA culture - and that hesitation costs them the immersive thrill of the last games. All that being said - GTA SA is a giant step forward as a game - the size, the controls, the customized characters - all extremely well done. The only drawback is that isn't as perfectly themed as VC. Which is fine, but I'd hate to see them lose the "feel" of the game. The great thing about GTA is the funny stuff you hear on the street and on the radio while you're playing the game. I don't want them to lose sight of that, because anybody can make a game like True Crime: Streets of LA - but nobody can make a GTA but Rockstar. I'm still hoping for the next game to be set in the 70's. Smokey and the Bandit, Bullet, Dazed and Confused, Starsky & Hutch, the General Lee, disco, Lee Majors - there's so much more material to be mined there. I think picking 90's LA was too safe. Who cares if most of their players are too young to remember the 70's? If the game is good, they'll come along. ADDED - My favorite random things heard on the street in GTA: SA - "Steroids make you dick do WHAT?" "I smoke because it gives me KNOWLEDGE!" Good to be back guys.

I saw it Saturday... I've seen the original and I thought they were pretty much the same. The thing about The Grudge is that the scares are really good. The director knows how to work the scene and the music, effects, lighting... everything is perfect and it definitely works the audience over good. But like most Japanese horror movies... it really doesn't make a ton of sense. The great thing about the American remake of The Ring was that the story ended up being much better. You get an idea of why these people are dying, where the mythos comes from, etc. The Grudge, you basically walk away going, "huh?" SPOILERS - Ultimately, there's no real motivation for the dead wife and child to kill people who come into the house. Yeah, they got killed - that's sad... but there's no real "seeking vengence" vibe to them and there's no reason to haunt the various people who enter the house. If anybody would be a pissed off spirit, it would likely be the father/killer. When you take the time and try to make a backstory as to WHY this house kills people... you have to make some kind of sense. It essentially builds up to this "big discovery" where it all means the same thing we knew from the beginning. If you go in the house, you gonna die. Gee, thanks. But the scary parts are great. My fiance and I definitely have no intention of adopting a little asian boy anymore. J/K.

That clip is hilarious... It really doesn't have as much to do with whether or not lip-synching is acceptible or whether I give any kinda crap about anyone who spells their name "Ashlee" in the first place. It's funny because she looked like a moron on live national TV. It's also funny because I've played music for years and there's not much worse than being stuck on stage with a dead mic or one that feeds back or something weird... those guys in the band look like they were about to fall over laughing themselves.

I'm with JawJaw... the Ride armor would be extremely difficult to bootleg. I'd say it's probably a foreign country release that we're not aware of. From the look of the toy and the box, only the box is slightly different. The toy is the right shade of plastic, the visor is transparent, the green and other colors appear correct, and the size is exact. That doesn't usually equal bootleg to me. I've seen the exact same toy in about 10 different packages already.

"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of THEIR women!" Dude, that is engraved on the back of my iPod... seriously. Damn... that is so much cooler than the "Happy Birthday, Blaine!" on the back of my iPod. I gotta send my g/f in for a reprogramming. But I still can be proud that the "What is best in life" sound wav plays on my computer at work every morning when I fire it up.

Cool. I like that the guy's an unknown. Reeve was essentially an unknown, as was Welling... I think the role kinda requires it. I can't go into a movie and see Nic Cage and not think "why is H.I. McDunough flying?" I also heard the craft services guy from the movie Predator invented a cure for hangovers, fought a 12-foot Python, and rescued a baby from a burning oil tanker. It's true. I swears it.