Evolution 2008 Part 5

Well, since JK is back, then so am I. As you may have noticed I haven't written anything for a while since when JK stops writing, I do too. Most people probably don't come across this anyway, so it's usually JK and Matt who reads this. I'll start the new season of writing by finishing something I started a while ago. My Evolution 2008 articles.

I originally was going to have two more parts, one covering Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection, and the other covering Super Smash Bros. Brawl. But I got lazy, and since then Evo has come and gone. So I'm going to combine the two and briefly touch on each game. I will not go into the history of the games, since both are recent enough that most people have a good idea of the games' respective origins (especially for Brawl).

Tekken 5: Dark Ressurection is an update to Tekken 5. Aside from tweaking the balance it adds three characters. One is a returning character, Armor King, the Jaguar Masked wrestler who trained King (although the AK in this game may not be the original). The other two are brand new. They are Sergei Dragunov, a Russian government agent who uses combat sambo, and Lili, a wealthy young girl who uses a unique fighting style.

T5:DR is not the most recent game, since Tekken 6 is out for arcades. But Evo is a console tournament, and there is no console version yet. Also, this year's tournament had low numbers for the game. T5:DR can be purchased for download from the Playstation Network.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl had a lot of controversy surrounding it this year, since Evolution adopted a new rules set that was uncommon for the game. Traditionally, Smash is played with no items. However, a number of players who played Brawl said that many of the items were good for competition. The tournament organizers then charged the players on both sides to test the items and provide video proof as to whether items were broken or not broken. The "pro-items" players tested items extensivly, and found that most items could be countered effectivly, including poke' balls, assist trophies, and final smashes. Most "anti-items" players merely objected to the ruleset and took no effort to test the items. Instead they opted not to show up. Despite the "boycott" (I'm using quotes like crazy) there was still a large turnout for the game.

One other thing to note, was this year's tourney had four games that are coming out soon, and gave players a chance to ....well play them. They were Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo: HD Remix (It got pushed back, so the tournament used the original ST), Street Fighter 4, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, and Blazblue. From what I have heard, it was great this year.

There is another blog, by a mister James Chen, that writes about Evolution. It's a good article, mainly because he was actually there. I reccomend reading it, since it shows what the community is all about.

I'll end this article with a video, the Evolution 2008 mini-trailer, also made by James Chen. Look out for a new column that I'm going to start called Comix Zone, where I review comics, graphic novels, and manga. And yes, I did name it after the Genesis game.

Later.

My New Favorite Show: Burn Notice

Ah, that new school year smell...something between alcohol, perfume, textbooks, and dusty classrooms. Well, I had the best of intentions coming into this year to start great new things for my beautiful little blog here, but that seems to be derailed by the fact that I am going to be applying to somewhere between 20 and 30 jobs over the next month or so. However, as a start, I would like to introduce a new running column of mine: My New Favorite Show. As whoever reads this blog will know, I have a couple running columns already (Cannot Catharsize and Motion Picture Magic). Cannot Catharsize was always more about anime than anything else, considering the structure of Japanese television is such that one can actually engage in the storyline, as opposed to American television which are one-hour drama pills. And Motion Picture Magic is more about movies, which are a completely different art-form than television shows or anime. Thus, to fill the void, I have created My New Favorite Show, or MNFS, for short.

Title selection (and word selection) goes a long way for me, and to be honest, I went the exact opposite with this one and went with what first came to mind. However, I do believe that this title fulfills all the necessary objectives I want it to: it's simple, it's ambiguous, and it really showcases the fact that I have fickle television tastes that change every so very often. With that comes my first entry: Burn Notice.

Burn Notice seems like a fairly unassuming show at first: it's a spy drama/comedy about some guy who gets in trouble with the government and has to find his way out of it. However, the best part of the show is not the plot. It is the characters. As USA so blatantly writes/says in all of its commercials, "Characters Welcome." The first is Michael Westen, the main character played by Jeffrey Donovan, who plays an ex-spy who was "burned" by the government. The story goes that when a spy is fired, they can't just be let out into civilian life, not with all the skills/knowledge they possess. So instead, the government burns them, which basically amounts to taking away their spy privileges, freezing all their assets, and dumping them in a town that they're not allowed to leave. Luckily for Michael, he happens to be dumped in Miami (better than Detroit, right?). Michael has an extremely dry sense of humor, but also possesses Macgyver-like talents (he often uses duct tape and plastic ties instead of guns). He's really what makes the show tick, as everything revolves around him

Then there's Fiona, Michael's ex-IRA, ex-girlfriend, played by Gabrielle Anwar. She has a trigger-happy personality (she loves to start fights, as well as fire guns), but plays an excellent foil to Michael's non-violence oriented personality. Did I mention she's ridiculously hot? (check the pic above; that'd rate about a 4 on the Fiona's sexy clothing scale). Being a good actress doesn't hurt, as she makes her part both believable and engaging at the same time.

Supporting Michael in his effort to find those who burned him is Sam Axe, played by the immortal Bruce Campbell, (Anybody up for some Army of Darkness?), an ex-Navy Seal who survives as a playboy for rich, older women in Miami. Needless to say, Campbell is perfect for the part, since the character of Sam could easily be Ash Williams in his older years, minus the shotgun and chainsaw stump hand.

I've just finished catching up on season 1 and now am fully caught up on season 2. Burn Notice is great because its a show that you can just jump into, but one that is also extra-rewarding for being a loyal viewer. For anyone who likes House, MacGyver, or James Bond, this a great combination of all three. Even if you aren't interested in plot or characters, there is always the eye-candy (I'm talking about Fiona and the requisite bikini-butt shots that just so happen to pop into every episode). Trust me, it'll be worth your time, no matter who you are. Till next time...

Back With A Vengeance

And so it begins...again. A new school year means the return of SCO full-time. I hope to be able to expand on what I did last semester, as well as getting renewed focus. Of course I'll be extremely busy (last year of classes, studying for GMAT's, applying for jobs, working my THREE jobs, etc.), but I hope to be able to have at least a little time every couple days to devote to my writing. I'm still running through ideas, but I hope to be able to focus the blog on something, and not just have me and my friends writing about random stuff. It'll probably be about dork-stuff (video games, movies, anime, card games *coughmtgcough*), but I may also throw in some other things, like music reviews, and of course, my favorite, basketball. I hope to maintain the same casual environment, while still remaining as introspective and self-reflective as I can be. After all, if I'm just reporting on other people's ideas, it's not really writing is it. Till next time (soon hopefully).

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes

I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone for their happy birthday sentiments (belated or otherwise). I myself am guilty of often belatedly sending out my wishes to those celebrating their birthday a day or two late (or forgetting altogether). Even though it is a very small deed, I do sincerely thank you for your small gestures. I know how busy we all can get (God knows I've been exceedingly busy over the past couple weeks), and sometimes we do get lost in the transitions of time. I'd like to apologize to all those whose birthdays I have forgotten. Though I try my best, there are some failures we simply cannot prevent.

I didn't really do anything on my birthday; I didn't go out; I didn't have cake; I didn't eat a special meal; I didn't even sing a happy birthday song. I haven't really done anything on my birthday for the past 3 years. I guess it comes with the territory in living away from my family and friends during the summer (due to internships and the like). Yet, I don't feel any true regret over not celebrating. So I didn't have any songs sung in my honor or any over-icing-ed cake; things like that don't really matter to me anymore. Up till as little as a year ago, it would have. It would have bothered me that no one came and celebrated me for at least a day. That no one gave up their time, went out of their way, or altered their schedule specifically for me. Perhaps it is that selfish desire that all feel that at least one day a year should be entirely about ourselves. Yet, I no longer feel such resentment.

I've come to the realization over the past few months that I no longer really care about...well, anything. Nothing flusters me, very little excites me. I don't remember any time within the last few months when I was ecstatically happy, nor the last time I was despairingly sad. I've become mellow to the extreme; some have described me as "constantly on a high." But it is a double-edged sword.

Not caring about anything has worked in my favor in work, in my relationships, in my friendships, and my family. I no longer feel the anxiety or fear of failure or the inability to meet the expectations of others. I no longer care whether I feel wronged or offended by a friend or acquaintance or family member. I remember when my extended family criticized me 11 months ago for my "bad grades" (B+'s aren't that bad...), and I honestly thought I could have punched them all right in their faces. If they did the same now, I would probably just shrug it of and say "I guess." But, it cuts both ways, in that I no longer care whether others care about me. If a friend lets me down, or a family member disappoints me, it no longer matters to me. I just shrug it off and think "well I don't really need that person anyway." In that way, it has become the most care-free process to let people go, to let them out of my life.

It's probably all the best for me. I've always been a deep thinker, someone who concentrates on the little things far too much (just ask my ex-girlfriend). Not caring is probably the best thing for me, because it allows me to let go of all the details that I notice, whether it be a friend's lack of respect, or a family member's lack of compassion. These things, I can now just brush off my shoulder like a leaf fallen off a tree.

How much difference a year can make. One more year for my own personal little history book. One more year forward in my progress in time. One more year lost to the annals of our memories. One more year, in which the feelings that we felt in the past slowly become hazier and steadily fade in the horizon, only to leave us wondering why we ever felt them in the first place. Such is time. Such is life.

2008 NBA Playoffs: Conclusion

With the end of the NBA playoffs, I've decided to come out of hibernation for a bit and just write some thoughts about the Finals.

To be honest, I was about 75/25 in favor of the Celtics winning the series when it started (mostly because of the 2-3-2 format), but I was pretty hopeful that the Lakers would win by pure willpower from Kobe Bryant (which actually never really showed up). Instead, it was the Celtics, with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen playing out of their minds (honestly, whenever Allen caught the ball and shot, I knew it was going in), taking the championship, with the Finals MVP going to Paul Pierce, deservedly so. I'm pretty happy that guys like Kevin Garnett, Allen, Pierce, PJ Brown, and others finally got their championship rings (not so much that they got them in Boston, but more on that some other time). It's not like the Michael Jordan era, when an entire generation of great NBA players didn't get a championship because MJ just had to get 6 (and Hakeem was lucky when they forced MJ to quit playing for two years and go play baseball). Guys like Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Karl Malone, Patrick Ewing, Reggie Miller, and so many other great players that never won championships.

But, let's hope the Celtics get one and that's it, because I won't be able to stand 100,000 obnoxious Celtics fans screaming at me daily about how awesome their team is (and obnoxious is being kind). I do believe, though, that the Lakers will come back better than ever next year, and they will take down everyone. The main reasons the Lakers lost is because:

1. They had no rebounding, shot-blocking, post presence, or defensive toughness in general. Who is to blame? 100% on Pau Gasol. He's soft like a pillow, and continually gets beat up and cries about it on the court. How about you man-up and bang some bodies, Gasol? Be a man, hit the weights, and hurt somebody out there. Also, Andrew Bynum will be coming back next year, and even if he isn't as much of a force as he was the beginning of this season, he'll still be a big body to put a hurtin' on opponents.

2. They had nobody who could defend Paul Pierce. Why is this? Because he's either too strong (for guys like Kobe, Sasha Vujacic, and Trevor Ariza) or too quick (for guys like Lamar Odom, Vladimir Radmonovic, or Rony Turiaf). How do they solve this problem? Ron Artest just so happens to be able to opt out of his contract this year, and Artest is one of the biggest, strongest, and quickest wing defender's in the league. Plus he also brings another scoring threat alongside Kobe. Just some food for thought.

3. They cracked under the pressure. The Lakers are very young, with everyone except Kobe and Derek Fisher never having been this deep in the playoffs. This will remedy by itself, with another year under Phil Jackson and this year's experience, they'll be ready come next June.

The Lakers do have a couple of contract issues (they're about 16 mil over the cap), and bringing in Artest will probably add around 8-9 mil, so they'll have to shed some contracts (anyone want some VladRad or Luke "SonofBill" Walton?), but I definitely think they should keep Lamar Odom. He's a great facilitator in their offense, and if he bulks up in the offseason, he'll be perfect in the center position in the triangle offense. So here's my projected lineup for the Lakers next year if all goes according to my plan (starters listed first):

PGs - Derek Fisher, Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic

SGs - Kobe Bryant

SFs - Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza

PFs - Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Rony Turiaf

Cs - Andrew Bynum, DJ Mbenga, Chris Mihm

And they go throw many variations of these positions out on the court, going huge with Artest, Odom, Gasol, Bynum, and Bryant, or going small, with Fisher, Vujacic/Farmar, Bryant, Artest, and Odom. Needless to say, the Lakers will have the best lineup, 1-12, of any team in the league. Honestly, the only throwaway guys on this team are Turiaf (energy guy with a decent mid-range jumper, but not quite tall enough and not quite fast enough), DJ Mbenga, and Chris Mihm (random big guys with little or no basketball skills). Here's my prediction: Lakers take it in 09. Till next random occasion when I choose to write.