The Price of Fandom

So I was doing a search for Kingdom Hearts pictures yes? You know how I just got that pretty new iPhone? well I was thinking of giving the theme editing a shot so I could make a cool Kingdom Hearts theme since none of the ones I find seem to satisfy my need for one, and in said search I some how came across this.

I know, its pretty much one of the coolest DSi related KH merch to date. (not that there was much to begin with really)

Since I actually have 358/2 days and I think its a pretty cool game I thought to my self: "Self, wouldnt it be cool to have that?"

So I went where any self-respecting buyer of imported merchandise goes... eBay.

And what do I find there but the very item I was looking for at the buy it now price of... $99.00

wtf!

No seriously, wtf?

This thing, no matter how cool could never be sold for more than 20 dollars. I mean if this thing was forged in the fires of Mount Doom I wouldnt pay more than 25 bucks.

But it's not, it's made out of plastic (earth plastic before you ask) and doesn't really afford the DSi more than a 1 maybe 2 foot drop's worth or protection. I know, I already have something like this with Megaman on it.

And while I recognize the fact its out of print I cant understand why in the hell something like this would be worth half as much as the thing its protecting. Hell, with a good deal you can get a DSi for the same damn price as this thing!

Now I consider myself a collector, and I consider myself a fan of Kingdom Hearts as well, but no matter how much of either of those I am I'm simply not paying this much for something cost literally all of 10 cents to make. C'mon people. Plastic is cheap. Hell, so is cotton and ink, so wouldnt it make sense to value them both about the same?

Say it with Zombies...

I downloaded "The Passing" DLC for Left 4 Dead 2 this past saturday and honestly I'm pretty glad I did. This is the first DLC released for L4D2 and in fact I'm surprised it took so long for one to come out.

Timing aside I have to say this is my favorite Left 4 Dead DLC so far. It adds a new 3-act level, a new heavy weapon (the M60), and a new melee weapon (golf club!). I like it because it's quick, easy for when you dont want to play a prolonged campaign or versus match, but it's longer than Crash Course so it feels like its got more substance to it. The enviroments are diverse enough through the levels that it feels longer than its 3 acts while only taking 30-45 minutes to complete. And the climax of the campaign is a very aweseome scavenge run with the survivors from Left 4 Dead helping you!

Also added in the DLC is a new special infected type, the Fallen Survivor. Imagine a survivor who thought he was immune and was sadly mistaken. Apparently people like that become special infected. They have no unique attacks but take more damage to kill than a regular infected and can also retreat before being killed, usually running you to another special infected or zombie horde. Thankfully when you kills these annoying kiters they drop things you might normally find on a survivor like health packs, pills, adrenaline, explosives, or the occasional melee weapon.

Another change to the game the DLC makes are the caches. They're exactly what they sound like, a large case filled with an unlimited supply of things like pistols, pills, molotovs, pipe bombs, or adrenaline shots.Camping by these things can be very advantagous if you need to stop anyways or in case of horde.

And of course if that wasn't enough The Passing adds a new Midnight Riders song!

What you're not sold?

Fine, The Passing DLC also adds a new mode called Mutation. What that is exactly is a constatnly changing special game type. The way it works is every thursday a new blog post will be availible detailing the Mutation that will be availible friday. As an example the Mutation until this friday is Realism Versus, So whenever you click on the Mutation gametype, you'll automatically be taken to a versus match with realism mode enabled. It won't stop there either, the rules can be changed as much or as little as valve decides so I'm curious to see what kind of zany antics they come up with.

All in all The Passing is definatly worth your 7 bucks and adds a total of 250 gamerscore points in case you were interested.

I give The Passing DLC for L4D2 a solid BRAAAIIINNNNSSSS/10

My Pokémans...

Let me show you them...

as of 04/22/2010, 297:17 hours Pokédex is:
Seen: 479
Obtained: 467

once again that aint much more from my last update so I decided to help MYSELF by making this to guide me in my plan to catch 'em all. this is a list of all the Pokémon i'm missing and how i can go about obtaining them! wish me luck, i'll need it!

Update: been doing this for about a month now, and getting closer to at least having seen them all! Arceus comes out on saturday so ill have a chance for at least +1 to seen and obtained then!

Update (11/10): Running out of Pokémon to catch in Platinum entirely! aside from swarms and pal park im going to have to focus on the GBA versions to continue making some sort of progress. Got Arceus last sat too so I took him off the list!

Update (11/13): Beat LeafGreen then transfered over a bunch of the Pokémon i was missing including Mewtwo! gonna breed and raise some of the ones i got to keep fillin in the holes, but by the end of the day, maybe weekend, i will only need 3 more Pokémon to complete the first 150! and since Mew is pretty much guaranteed as long as I spend a buttload of time catching crap Pokémon to throw into my ranch the first 151 will be done soon! now just to work on Emerald Version and catch the legendary Pokémon in that game.... im at the elite 4, but I need to do some raising before I can take them on!

Update (11/20): Beat Emerald version, and transfered over Kyogre, Groudon and Rayquaza. I seriously underestimated how easy it would be to find and catch Latios or Latias though, not to mention you need to have an e-reader to get both on Emerald... dont think I'll buy one, I think I'll just play the game twice. thankfully everytime I see my Pokédex I get a renewed fervor to complete my Pokédex as i am so close now!

Update (3/8): Downloaded the draco meteor Jirachi and the Picachu colored Pichu in the last week. Gearing up for HG/SS as like... 20 (just counted) can easily be caught from them and transfered to my Platinum game. That'll bring my "Obtained" to 472! after that only 21 remain, 18 of which are possible for me to catch (the other 3 being special event Pokémon, Deoxys, Celebi, and Manaphy). I love it when a plan comes together!

Update (4/16): Most of what I can catch from SS is caught. I have the option to catch a Latios, Moltres and of course Raikou and Entei, and after those are done I will be transfering those, as well as the legendaries and just the normal ones I needed from my SoulSilver game to Platinum!

Update (4/22): finally caught those bastard dogs, bred a couple Totodiles for my Platinum game, and traded the rest of what I caught previously to Platinum. Look how short the list is!!

115 - Kangaskahn - catch
146 - Moltres - catch
151 - Mew - My Pokémon Ranch
230 - Kingdra - evolve
251 - Celebi - ???
335 - Zangoose - trade
380 - Latias - transfer
386 - Deoxys - ???
390 - Chimchar
391 - Monferno
392 - Infernape
431 - Glameow - trade
432 - Purugly - trade
490 - Manaphy - ???

Thankfully the ones crossed out or erased are already done, or obtained. instead of continuing  to post over and over ill do this till I can eliminate all of em! go me!

Science'd

Wow. Just wow.

George Hutcheson, a guy I've never heard of before takes his interest in Pokémon to a whole new level by writing a small article on the similarities of some species of Pokémon to the real life creatures theyre based around.

Honestly the article is both informative and pretty surprising in the effectiveness of its point: that Pokémon evolutions aren't science fiction but science fact.

And no I'm not a creationist, evolution is real, but Pokémon evolution carries traits that most people think to be impossible.

To sum it up real evolution is the adaptation of a species over thousands or millions of years.

Pokémon evolution is much quicker, taking only days or even hours, and in some cases are even triggered by external sources (i.e. trading, using a special item etc.). Not to mention that in the game unevolved Pokémon can breed at any stage where as creatures who undergo metamorphosis are unable to breed until they reach thier mature, post-metamorphosis state.

Interested in how the game and the scientific world share similarities in regards to the digital world of Pokémon?

Read on here: On the Origin of Species: Wooper by George Hutcheson

KICK-ASS or ASS KICK?

You know I don't even know anymore.

I saw Kick-Ass on sunday and honesly i really liked it. It was only during the credits that i found out it is in fact based on a comic.

So naturally being a fan of the comics i looked it up.

i kinda wish i didn't

the Kick-Ass big screen adaption is almost like the big screen adaption of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. if youve read that then you know what i mean.

So is Kick-Ass based on a comic book?

yes, but not really.

Ya see, this movie fails where so many adaptions fail before it.

they change like ever fucking thing about the comic, then they say "hey thisll make a good movie". then before you know it you hacked and spliced enough times it went from looking like patrick swayze in dirty dancing to patrick swayze in too wong foo.

im going to pretend you didnt just say how much you liked too wong foo and continue.

oh, and fanboys, spoiler alert so if youre gonna whine and bitch about how i ruined the movie for you stop reading now.

First off the comic is a gritty take on why people dont become super heroes in real life. the message: life is not a comic and it just doesnt work.

the movie sends different message. super heroes dont exist in real life cause people didnt try hard enough.

now normally this would be such a bad thing, and the movie starts off much in the same way as the comic but about halfway through it makes a strange deviation.

It becomes some kinda happy go lucky super hero comedy.

Big Dady WAS a retired cop, framed for a crime he didn't commit by a new york drug kingpin. as opposed to a bored accountant who fights crime with his brainwashed daughter.

Kick-Ass DID get the girl and lived hapily ever after, only giving up the costume on her request, rather than getting rejected and his ass kicked by her new boyfriend upon revealing hes not gay to her

Kick-Ass's dad never gets involved with Lucille (who dies in the movie)

while these differences arent many, they completely change the mood and almost the focus of the entire movie. I'm not sure that Millar and Romita jr. have in store for the character in the future (theyve both stated a sequel book is in the works) but you can probably bet it will never be as happy or feel good as this movie turned out to be.

all in all my verdict is simple, if youve read the comic youll probably dislike the movie, if you havent, which im wagering is the category most people fall into, youll probably like it.

i give this movie a Katie Deauxma/10

Badges? We Dont Need No Stinking Badges!

Actually we, err- I do. I just finished getting all 16 badges in HG/SS and i'm pretty damn proud of myself.

I've also managed to catch Articuno in the seafoam islands, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and ive got Raikou running around with 1 hp!

As for working on my national Pokedex i also got the items to evolve Clamperl into its 2 evolutions, Gorebyss and Huntail so those are 2 more I can cross off. That and i caught a Miltank which i was lacking, and a Misdreavus (who has since been evolved to Mismagius) so thats a total of 8 more to the pokedex i didn't have before SS!

So all i really have waiting for me now in the game is to finish the legendary dog trio, storm Mt. Silver, fight the elite 4 at thier new levels and then hopefully find and beat Red!

And my team?

Well that would be:

"Numot" Dragonite (f) Lv.59, Lax, Inner Focus, Bright Powder

1. Dragon Dance
2. Dragon Pulse
3. Fly
4. Earthquake

"Lorthos" Feraligatr (m) Lv.60, Serious, Torrent, Lum Berry

1. Surf
2. Ice Fang
3. Crunch
4. Thrash

"Woe" Mismagius (m) Lv.60, Relaxed, Levitate, Lum Berry

1. Shadow Ball
2. Psybeam
3. Power Gem
4. Perish Song

"Rustspore" Ampharos (m) Lv.60, Naive, Static, Magnet

1. Charge Beam
2. Thunder Punch
3. Signal Beam
4. Power Gem

"Cracklebur" Flareon (m) Lv.59, Lax, Flash Fire, Charcoal

1. Fire Fang
2. Bite
3. Smog
4. Last Resort

"Djinn" Jirachi Lv.60, Serious, Serene Grace, Twisted Spoon

1. Wish
2. Future Sight
3. U-turn
4. Draco Meteor

Phones, Phones, Phones.

Its been sort of a transitionary phase for me in the phones department. my Gravity was messing up severely, (not that it was ever any good) so my bro is trying to get it fixed. in the meantime he lent me his old Samsung Blackjack.

That was actually a little exciting cause its a phone i wanted when it came out.

I have no idea why.

that phone literally does nothing.

Now my friend has a Blackjack II. That phone does something. it actually does somethingS as in plural. its a neat phone. the first is not.

So then last night my mom lends me her old phone, a Samsung Behold. Now that phone is actually pretty cool and it has a great camera (5mega) its touchscreen and it lets me do things like SEARCH MY CONTACTS.

seriously aside from having better reception that Blackjack was worthless.

So i have this Behold nad its a pretty cool guy except for one thing. Its pink and has one of those Amy Brown fairy art skins.

So how bad did i want to ditch the Blackjack?

My sim card is now inside a pink Samsung Behold with an Amy Brown fairy art skin, thats how bad.

So now im dailing from a fruity phone and hoping and praying i get an iPhone soon

Pleeeeeaaasse!

A Mustering of 'Muchness'

Over the weekend i bought the Almost Alice CD which is basically the "music imspired by the motion picture" CD, and not the original soundtrack, which would be all Danny Elfman songs anyways (not at all a bad thing).

Personally i love it. mind you i dont love EVERY song because well, quite frankly compilations are almost always hit or miss, but most of the album is actually quite good.

There are definatly some things you should know about it however before you purchase it if thats what you were thinking about. if you werent thinking that then theres really no need to read this however if you dont i will be sad and you certainly don't want that.

you wouldnt like me when i'm sad.... wait.

songs in the good category are Avril's track "Alice" which is the song that plays in the end credits of the movie, AAR's "The Poison", Owl City's "The Technicolor Phase", Robert Smith (of The Cure)'s "Very Good Advice", 3OH!3's "Follow Me Down", Motion City Soundtrack's "Always Running out of Time", and Valora's "Extreme" (although i have NO idea what it has to do with Alice in Wonderland).

Falling into the cool yet weird category is Franz Ferdinand's "The Lobster Quadrille" which is a musical performance of an actual poem from the book. Also in this category is They Might Be Giant's "" for the same reason. And of course the CD wouldnt be complete without a cover of Grace Slick's (and the rest of Jefferson Airplane) "White Rabbit". The cover version is pretty decent but the original is still better (Don't worry though, this one doesnt have a 7 minute hippie solo at the end)

And now for the bad. Ironically enough the songs i thought i would love, i ended up not liking. go figure. Pete Wentz and Mark Hoppus's "In Transit" leaves much to be desired. Same goes for Wolfmother's "Fall Down a Hole", and Shinedown's "The Name is Alice". As for another of the CD's singles, "Tea Party" by Kerli I give her points for enthusiasm but i didn't like the song much.

The rest of the songs not mentioned are decent at least but not really falling in any of the above categories.

Its not as good as Nightmare Revisted which was literally an awesome CD but i definatly don't regret my purchase.

And a word to the wise, the iTunes version comes with the Danny Elfman main theme as well as the They Might Be Giants song, where as the Hot Topic version comes with 3 extra tracks including the Velora track.

All in all i'd give the CD a Bandersnatch scratch/10!