After six months of teasing video footage, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is finally here!
I’ve tended to not do many “personal” posts any more, but this is one of those days I just want to bang out my work and get home so I can start playing MW2 as soon as humanly possible. I still need to get at least one more blog post written after this, hit the gym and then I can get down to killing terrorists all over the world.
I have actually structured like the last two weeks of my life around today so I could “take the day off” without feeling guilty. I have two list posts for next Monday already written so I don’t feel like I am shirking those duties tonight, did some extra house cleaning so I don’t have to worry about that and bought my dogs diapers so I don’t have to take them out … okay, that last part is a bit of an exaggeration … maybe.
Of course I am now fearful this game won’t live up to my expectations, and considering games now cost $60, that’s a lot of money to put down on “hope”. Everything I’ve seen and heard makes it sound like it will live up to the original, so here’s hoping everyone is right.
I am sure I will post a review in a few days, but until then, you can find me on and off Xbox Live as RUDEBOY71 … feel free to join me if you feel like kicking someone’s behind … meaning mine.
In case you missed the other Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 posts, here they are.
Welcome to another week of the daily edition of CobWEBs, the flagship podcast of The Cynical Bastards!
For those who don’t remember from the other episodes, this is a new format for the show as we are going to try giving you daily bite sized chunks of our patented brand of cynicism over everything in the tech universe. The show will have a rotating host schedule between Steven Hodson, Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins and myself. You’ll always get two of us, you just never know which two!
Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins and I have a discussion about the numerous acquisitions made today, and rumors of even more about to happen. Apparently tech companies have a lot of money to spread around right now! Here are the stories we’re discussing:
20 years ago today the Berlin Wall began to fall due to a misspoken note during a press conference.
I can pretty vividly remember Nov. 9th, 1989 because it was the first time I ever realized I was watching history as it was actually unfolding. Sure I had seen other major news events happen during my 18 years on Earth, but this was the first one that I had ever seen live, and I knew for sure it was something that would be written in history books for years to come.
You can read the sequence of events for yourself of how the fall of the wall came about, and honestly it’s more fun to go read it for yourself because it is so crazy that you have to absorb it all. However, going back to that night in 1989, no one knew what was happening: not the media, not those of us at home, pretty much everyone was in the dark as to why East Berliners were standing on top of the wall without being shot. West Berliners were taking sledgehammers to the wall and no one was stopping them. It was like the world had gone mad and no one knew what was happening, for all we knew at that moment it was spontaneous.
It took days to sort out, and the media was still scrambling because even the Central Intelligence Agency at the time had been caught off guard. Absolutely no one knew it was coming … it just happened, and there was something in that that made it even more beautiful. You saw families reuniting that hadn’t seen each other in ages if ever, complete strangers hugging as a country reunited, you saw the first chinks in the armor of the eastern bloc nations, and it was a sight to behold.
This past August I visited the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum with the Diabolical Miss M, and in the very last room on the tour, they have an actual slab of the Berlin wall standing there with the graffiti covered Western side facing you. it is understandably protected by Plexiglas, but yet there was still a part of you that wanted to touch it. This cement monolith had once been one of the greatest signs of oppression in the history of the world, but yet here it stood tattered, chunks missing, graffiti tags all over it, somehow it didn’t seem real any more or that it could have ever been something people feared. Now it is just a sad chunk of cement in a museum; its power was gone, but it certainly served as a reminder.
While other history making moments have happened since Nov. 9th, 1989, I know it will be one of those things that lives with me until the day I die.
A special education teacher’s aide in Michigan has been arrested for having “sexual relations” with three separate students.
37-year-old Amy Rita Ellsworth has been accused of having sexual relations with three different students at Waterford Mott High School in Waterford, MI. She was charged this past Thursday with six counts of criminal sexual conduct with students. These include two 15-year felony counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and four life felony counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
In short, if convicted, she is facing life in prison.
There was no listing of what evidence was discovered against Ms. Ellsworth in any of the numerous reports on the case. The only fact that was repeated was that it was with three separate students both on and off school grounds. She also was not an instructor, but just an aide, something they are going to great lengths to stress.
The problem for the school district is that this is the second employee brought up on sex charges in two weeks. The earlier one was Brian C. Drake, the district’s theater coordinator, was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student. He is accused of having sex with a female senior during the 2008-2009 in the Waterford Kettering High theater.
Each of Mr. Drake’s felony charges carry a 15-year sentence if convicted.
The Waterford police are said to have begun investing Mr. Drake in September and Ms. Ellsworth in October.
There is something to be said that this problem of school employees having sex with students when it is so out of control that your district has not one, but two investigations going on at the same time. While I’m sure the two stories are in no way connected, it is just unnerving that the odds of this happening have increased to such a degree that this is even possible.
So glad I don’t have any kids in school.
These two now join the roll call of teacher sex scandals for 2009!
Only 32 articles this week … oh no, I dropped again! I am such a slacker. (although I will say I already have three articles done for this coming Monday …)
Scattercast is 68 … and it has been another long week.
- Guy Fawkes night.
- My condolences to all of those affected by the tragedy at Ft. Hood.
- What happened to this country coming together?
- Christmas is already upon us?
Here’s
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The official launch trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has hit TV and the Internet now … and wow.
If you haven’t guessed by now, I am beyond excited for this game, and my only hope now is that it lives up to the hype. From everything I’ve seen so far, it will. It has now been reported to be the most pre-ordered game ever, so if it does suck … well, expect mobs with pitchforks and torches beating down the doors of game developer Infinity Ward.
Any way, here is the launch trailer for the game … I am going to have to put on another bib before I watch it again.
In case you missed the other videos, here they are.
CBS has decided people love TV … and they love video games … so they should mix them!
Licensed properties have been a staple of the video game industry since its inception. Sometimes the games work, but most often they don’t. It’s hard to capture the essence of another medium in a video game, but this isn’t stopping television network CBS from licensing a truck load of shows into video games for 2010.
Worth Playing has the synopsis for each of the upcoming games … my thoughts after each one …
AVAILABLE 2010:
The Amazing Race (Ludia Inc.)
Get ready for around-the-world competition with the video game based on the eight-time Emmy® award-winning television series The Amazing Race where team players split up in pairs for a remarkable journey across exotic locations in a race against time. Players will face frantic challenges and tasks as they navigate through detours, roadblocks and other unpredictable game elements from the show. Working together strategically throughout the game is essential as each team tries to discover hidden clues that are crucial to getting them to the Pit Stop first – and one step closer to ultimate victory at the check-in mat. This video game will be launched throughout North America across multiple platforms in tandem with the show’s 16th season.
Sean’s thoughts: I love the Amazing Race, like crazy love. I dream of going on the show constantly (mainly with The Diabolical Miss M as my team mate … whom I imagine I would carry in my pocket due to our size differences), but the idea of playing it on a game console? Um … I guess it could be somewhat challenging? Maybe something on the Wii where you would have to be physically involved?
Survivor (Mindscape)
This game is perfect for any fan of the show Survivor. Players will be able to live like the contestants on Survivor. With challenges such as fishing, collecting food and participating in Immunity challenges, players will compete to outwit, outlast and outplay in order to be crowned the ultimate sole Survivor. Available on Wii & Nintendo DS platforms.
Sean’s thoughts: This is a horrible idea. 90% of Survivor is the conditions you live in, you will never be able to capture that in a satisfying manner on a video game screen.
AVAILABLE FOR HOLIDAY 2010:
Diagnosis Murder (Merscom)
Available in early 2010, this is an adventure game where the player must find different items in a scene to use as clues in order to solve the mystery. Available for the PC/Mac, this video game will be sold on most casual gaming websites and at major retailers.
Sean’s thoughts: … this show has been off the air for almost 9 years. Who in the world is the target demographic for this title? My 88-year-old grandmother?
Criminal Minds (Legacy Interactive)
In the Criminal Minds game, players will be able to take on the role of different members of Behavioral Analysis Unit to solve a series of five shocking crimes. In order to track down the killers and solve each case, players will need to examine crime scenes for clues, interview witnesses and suspects, analyze evidence and build a profile based on real-life criminal profiling techniques. The videogame is slated to launch in the fourth quarter of 2010 on the PC.
Sean’s thoughts: I’m going to guess the already released CSI games must be doing well …
Ghost Whisperer (Legacy Interactive)
Debuting in early 2010. Ghost Whisperer will be the first-ever video game based on the hit series. Written by Emmy Award-winning television writer Lance Gentile, the PC game calls for players to embark on the adventure of helping the recently departed move on to the afterlife and providing closure to loved ones left behind.
Sean’s thoughts: Having never watched the show, I’m guess it’s going to involve talking … a lot of talking.
The Hollywood Squares (Ludia, Inc.) This timeless TV game show experience comes to fans everywhere on the platform of their choice. The Hollywood Squares game will feature all the favorite elements of the show as played on television, as two contestants play head-to-head in a bid to win money and prizes. Nine open-faced cubes make up the tic-tac-toe style “board” for the game which are occupied by celebrities/TV personalities. The stars are asked questions and players judge whether their answers are true or false, all the while incorporating outrageous “zingers” and “bluffs” to fuel the fun. Each correct answer earns the player a square on the board, and the first player to mark three squares in a row wins the game. Additionally, the game will incorporate bonus video of the funniest moments from the TV show. The North America-wide exclusive deal will result in games across major platforms including PC/Mac, consoles, iPhone™ and iPod® touch. The first of The Hollywood Squares games is slated for release in 2010.
Sean’s thoughts: Eh, I actually kind of enjoy The Price Is Right on my iPod Touch.
I guess there is a market for everything these days. I don’t personally see myself buying any of these except maybe the Amazing Race, and I would need to see a lot of really good reviews for it before I would, but obviously someone has convinced all of these companies there is a market for these. Wish I knew … I have a bridge I would love to sell them …
Welcome to another week of the daily edition of CobWEBs, the flagship podcast of The Cynical Bastards!
For those who don’t remember from the other episodes, this is a new format for the show as we are going to try giving you daily bite sized chunks of our patented brand of cynicism over everything in the tech universe. The show will have a rotating host schedule between Steven Hodson, Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins and myself. You’ll always get two of us, you just never know which two!
Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins and I have another discussion about e-readers this evening, but from a different angle than usual. Barnes & Noble are being sued by Spring Design saying that the Nook violates the intellectual property rights of the smaller e-reader known as the Alex. Good times for all involved!
Day man
Fighter of the Night man
Champion of the sun
You’re a master of karate and friendship…for everyone
Day man, day man
Uhh ahhahh
Fighter of the Night man
Uhh ahhahh
Champion of the sun
Uhh ahhahh
Master of karate and friendship…for everyone
Day man, day man
Uhh ahhahh
Fighter of the Night man
Champion of the sun
For some reason I had never seen the appeal of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia when I saw the commercials. I skipped it for four seasons and then I spent an evening in a cigar bar in Boston this past August.
The Diabolical Miss M had been trying to convince me to try the show for ages, but I just kept blowing it off. Well, as I sat in a cigar bar with her she ended up spending about a 1/2 hour acting out entire scenes from the show to try to convince me I needed to try it. I finally relented and ordered the DVDs, and now I can say I am caught up to the most current episode in the fifth season which is currently airing. So, thanks M … for sucking me into another television series.
Basically the show revolves around three childhood friends that co-own a dive bar, with the fraternal twin sister of one of them working as a waitress. In the second season the twins’ father, played by Danny DeVito, joined the series.
While the concept sounds simple, what you don’t know until you dive into the series is that these people are, to quote Waitress, “are the worst people in the world!” There really are no words to describe just how horrible they are. It isn’t as if they set out to do bad things, they are just so insanely selfish and inconsiderate that they destroy the lives of every one that comes into contact with them (except for one woman named Artemis who seems to somehow escape their orbit unscathed every time she interacts with them).
While the concept doesn’t sound that funny, and there are some misfiring episodes, the series is amazingly funny, awkward, uncomfortable … and yet you can’t stop watching. You are blown away by how these guys — the show was created by the three main actors Rob McElhenney, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day — continually come up with these scenarios that have the crew at Paddy’s Bar walk away obliviously that they have yet again somehow messed up someone’s life.
Is the show for everyone? No, not even close, but I do think you should give it a chance as you may be surprised by it as I was. I honestly didn’t expect to like it, but I have burned through all of the episodes, and now find myself quoting episodes on a regular basis … although most of them are highly inappropriate for this blog …
If you’re looking for a new show to watch, something to catch up on during the winter months, give it a shot, I think you may be pleasantly surprised. (and, yes, a begrudging ‘thank you’ to M for introducing me to the show … although I should have made her act out even more scenes)
Those song lyrics at the beginning of the post come from a song Charlie and Dennis write called “Day Man” which has become a bit of a running joke in the series. You can watch the clip below of the original time the joke appeared.
Welcome to another week of the daily edition of CobWEBs, the flagship podcast of The Cynical Bastards!
For those who don’t remember from the other episodes, this is a new format for the show as we are going to try giving you daily bite sized chunks of our patented brand of cynicism over everything in the tech universe. The show will have a rotating host schedule between Steven Hodson, Mark ‘Rizzn’ Hopkins and myself. You’ll always get two of us, you just never know which two!
After six months of teasing video footage, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is finally here!
20 years ago today the Berlin Wall began to fall due to a misspoken note during a press conference.
A special education teacher’s aide in Michigan has been arrested for having “sexual relations” with three separate students.
The problem for the school district is that this is the second employee brought up on sex charges in two weeks. The earlier one was Brian C. Drake, the district’s theater coordinator, was charged with three counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct with a student. He is accused of having sex with a female senior during the 2008-2009 in the Waterford Kettering High theater.
Only 32 articles this week … oh no, I dropped again! I am such a slacker. (although I will say I already have three articles done for this coming Monday …)
Scattercast is 68 … and it has been another long week.
The official launch trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has hit TV and the Internet now … and wow.
CBS has decided people love TV … and they love video games … so they should mix them!
Day man
