Childless in the 21st Century?

Just read an interesting article on Yahoo.  What do you think of childless businesses?

Many businesses are starting to rethink their customer base.  Have you ever felt embarrassed or just annoyed if you're on a date with someone you really want to impress and a child starts screaming his head off in the booth next to you?  Yeah, it's a lot like that.

Unfortunately, as you can imagine, a few places have been going too far (matter of opinion).  Referenced in the linked article above, a few condos were even considering having some outdoor areas child-free let alone a few movie theaters banning children under 6, but they do have their own designated baby days.  These might sound too harsh for some, but necessary for others. 

Personally I believe this is a good idea, but if it grows into a huge swarm of local businesses having this similar theme, where will the kids go?  While this new generation is having more childless couples commonly, it is giving them enough voices to coax businesses into having childless restaurants, diners, cinemas, and even first class flights.

Because of this trend it is giving some thought to how our population will be in a few years.  We are in a way like Japan; Japan having a population with less children now because of this new generation settling into career fueled lives and having no time for children between their jobs, keeping up their own houses, and even their marriages.  It could lead into a deficit of people in the next generation, which in a way can be good for the economy and environment with less resources being used up.  Some say that with improved birth control and rights for abortion America is having a baby plunge for this reason, too.

While I do approve of some places being baby free, I do think that some other places have a better idea of handling this.  For example one grocery store in the article mentioned that they have their own "child center" for parents to drop off their kids if they really need to shop without them.  I feel that these places need to come back, and I wouldn't be surprised if separate rooms for families and childless customers will be available in the near future.

New Vlog of Awesome intro!

Here it is folks, the all new intro which i call, "Awesome is back"

I will try to get a new vlog out by monday or tuesday next week, i am going to Boston this coming weekend to celebrate a weekend with my soon to be Brother in law and some friends.

Awesome Games in the 21st Century: Catherine

Just played a demo for Catherine, published/developed by Atlus, a company which made games as the popular such as the Persona series.  It was actually a pretty good demo for something I wasn't exactly expecting out of Atlus; definitely a pleasant surprise.  The demo is up in Playstation Store and Marketplace and gives you about two levels and some story behind what the game is really about.  The game is mostly a horror puzzle platformer and deals with a playable character Vincent, who is basically spilt between choosing who he will be with; his long time girlfriend Katherine or a bubbly new interest Catherine (ps they have the same name). 

Like Persona the game format is basically the same; you have times where you have to do some in game role playing to decide Vincent's relationships with other characters depending on what action you choose, leveling up, upgrading, and instead of turn base combat go through nightmare stages that are basically puzzles.  The puzzle works out (as far as the demo goes) with Vincent trying to escape from a large being, which is the cause of why so many young men are dying in their sleep all around the town where Vincent lives.  To escape you have to control Vincent to push blocks around to make stairs up to an escape door.  But it's not that easy.  Everything is timed.  The later you respond, the more levels below you disappear.  Of course the plot is interesting and unique like it most of the Atlus games are, but the gameplay here that doesn't deal with role playing is simple but addictive. 

The graphics change from animation to normal 3D.  With this game compared to the recent Persona sequels, Atlus decided to stick with the popular and unqiue in game graphics and cutscenes so many fans have come to recognize as no other gaming company.  You can really tell it's an Atlus game. 

While the demo doesn't offer that much game play, the trailer at the end will definitely make you very interested.  It did come out very recently and have been getting mixed reviews; some giving this game higher scores than some others.  I suggest downloading the demo, which is available on PS3 and XBox.  But if you are a die hard fan of Atlus and their products, then this is something definitely for you.  Get on that...Jack.

Duke Nukem Forever: How i Learned to Stop Complaining and Enjoy a Good Game!

Well everyone hell has officially froze over but not because Duke Nukem has finally made his return to our gaming consoles but because he kicked the devil in the balls and told him to crank the AC in that mutha. But has the wait actually been worth it? From what I hear from most critics and reviewers the answer is a unanimous NO. Well folks I beg to differ and granted it may not be everyones cup of tea but Duke is just as great as I remember.

A lot of people for starters are complaining that the jokes in the game are really outdated and not funny. The thing is Duke is a bit of a kickback to a great age of action heros like John McClane and The Terminator. He doesn't ask questions or try to reason with the enemy he just shoots first but Duke doesn't need ask later. That is what we loved about Duke back then and it hasn't changed. He is nostalgia for our generation therefore him using jokes from the movie "300" is not a bad thing. The same people complaining are probably sitting at their computers right now on a Duke Nukem Forever soundboard laughing at the playing the same line 20 times over. I just hope it is the one taking a cheap shot at Master Chief ha ha.

Another thing is that I hear is its not that great of a first person shooter which is absolutely ridiculous seeing how it works of the same aspects of an FPS as all the others. Call of Duty, Halo, and Duke Nukem...they both are from the perspective of the main character, they both allow you to carry only up to two weapons at the same time, grenades, and blah blah blah. They are practically identical and its not like the graphics are terrible, they look pretty good all around. For those with the Duke on those wacky home consoles they load times can be a bit tedious. I agree with that but not as hardcore as everyone else, yeah i can get up and go get a drink or something before its done loading but hey i don't consider that an issue. I see it as more of a tiny break.

The last thing is I hear the game is a bit too raunchy but i don't really need to go off on a tangent in this explanation. The game was not deemed that raunchy by the mass populous of gamers who played it back in the 90's. Yes you can pee and throw poop and punch giant monsters in the testicles like it is a punching bag but it was still fun. If you want to jump on a game for being to raunchy and gross jump on postal when they release another one but to be fair Duke is not that bad.

So basically what i have just spent the last 30 mins of time doing is trying to tell you guys who keep riding Duke Nukem to just relax. The main purpose behind games is to take us somewhere else and give us a break from school, work, and real life. Duke does a great job of that and makes people laugh so just take a step off your high horse. Duke has returned from a long hiatus and he is still ready to kick ass and chew bubblegum so just have fun with it and don't be so critical. Just have fun!

No Holds Barred Episode 2 (July 2011)

Topic in this podcast is about CM Punk's expired contract and his new angle with Cena.  Also includes our top five and what to except at Money in the Bank this Sunday.

Part 1

 

Part 2

 

From Otaku to Whovian: a reflection of my geek self

I have been thinking to myself over the last few days since the end of ConnectiCon thinking where the exact point it was when i became less into anime and more into sci fi. I watch kids go around Ctcon in cosplay of their favorite animes, mainly Hetalia and other animes i never heard of. I admit i am not on top of the latest anime sensations or do i really care enough to really get into them at this point, i have my favorites and they might not be known to many people or if they are from the 1980s then some people would. I like many animes prior to 1990 and very few past that point. I like my Lupin the Third, Gundam, Cowboy Bebop to name a few but even my favorites are quickly going the way of the buffalo. I have been getting back into the genre that i have always been a part of for many years even before i was an anime fan, science fiction.

Sci Fi has been there more than most things, growing up, i was a huge trekkie. It was almost impossible not to be a trekkie in my youth as my parents were big into the original series of Star Trek. The first of the ST movies i saw was the Voyage Home, the movie that was not about action but Whales being the secret to humanities survival from an alien probe that apparently makes whale sounds and they have the most boring 5 movie minutes of all time, ITS FUCKING WHALE SONG FOR THIS ENTIRE TIME. But i might be getting diverted from my point here. SF has been a huge part of my life.

Growing up, i read the Alien Vs. Predator novels, watched The Next Generation frequently, and had a vast knowledge of anything space and space exploration. This was my life.

Fast foreword to Otakon 2009. A time of great transition. I joined a few friends in being Colonial Marines from the 1986 movie Aliens. This marked my ultimate transition from being a video game cosplayer, to sci fi cosplayer. 2 years later, Anime Boston 2011, i joined up with Doctor Who fans (or Whovians)as the 10th Doctor. This was my way of saying this is how i want to attend future conventions.

Even now, while at Connecticon, i was dressed up as the Nostalgia Critic, a hero of mine due to my love of the days of old. I hear some know who i was, others did not.

With a number of kids these days thinking they really know the 1990s like i do, they do not. 1990s tv was the reason i know what i know, it stuck with me.

At my age now, i find myself not a geek, i am a Whovian. Even if it is considered to be a part of the Doctor Who fandom, to me it is much more, it represents me as the sci fi fan i am. This is only the beginning of where i can say i found my place in fandoms and interests.

Movies in the 21st Century: Transformers 3

After Paramount fired Megan Fox, everyone was wondering how Transformers 3 will deliver without her.  Many expected this movie to not hold a candle to the first movie like the second one did, but some were also pleasantly surprised.

The story picks up after 2 when Sam is out of college and looking for a job.  He has a new girlfriend he is living with, who is acted by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and suffers through living life as a regular person after saving the world twice.  While Megatron is still out and about, a disturbing secret behind the moon landing came out as soon as the Autobots find evidence of an object that is able to connect a portal bridge that was found in a mission in Russia.  The Autobots go to the moon to find another Prime asleep for years when he should have been sent on a cargo to Cybertron during the war against the Decepticons.

Many big name actors are in this movie compared to previous installments such as John Malkovich and Alan Tudyk.  During the first half of the movie, it was a straight up comedy.  Many of the scenes were brillantly written while some of the humor was just downright odd.  But when the second half rolls around, it turns into a huge bash of robot killing and an apocalyptic Chicago. 

Overall many viewers were not interested in seeing this movie because of the failed expectations of the sequel.  But still sales are going well and so far but the movie has been given average grades.  For those of you who are interested in humor, semi-brainless action, and seeing other reoccuring characters such as Starscream from the original show, this might be in your best interest to see how this ends.  While the ending gave closure, it does leave an opening for another movie to possibly be made.

Nintendo gives its fans the big Wii U

Greetings programs. By this time anyone in the gaming world should have heard about the Wii U the poorly named successor to the Wii. For another poorly named system
see the Playstation Vita. Anyway Nintendo revealed the system during E3 last month and even though there presentation was less then stellar the Wii U does bring in some interesting possibilities that could give Microsoft and Sony a run for there money.

Basically Nintendo focused on the controller of the system more then anything since that seems to be the primary focus of this new system. If you haven't seen this thing yet it looks like a Ipad with controller buttons on it. To me this opens up tons of possibilities but I will get into that in a second. The second coolest thing is that the fact that Wii remotes can also be hooked up to this thing and not just for Wii games but also Wii U games. The example they gave was a golf game where the tablet controller was on the ground and had a ball in sand and someone held the Wii remote as a golf club. Once they swung the Wii remote the ball went from the tablet to the TV. I don't know I think that's cool.

So what can we do with the tablet and the, finally, HD graphics of the Wii U? There are two things both of which are exciting. Number one ever had to share a TV with someone? Here you are gaming and the other person wants to watch TV and then its just a battle where the gamer tends to lose? Well now with the Wii U you can have the best of both worlds since you can stream games to the controller! Now don't get too excited though because there is a limited range so you can't take the game on the go. That would have been the icing on the awesome cake though if you could.

The second thing is image a HUDless TV. No heart counters or magic meters just plan old HD game play. All this information would be on the tablet. For an idea of what this might be like play Ocarina of Time 3D. Its not 100 percent HUDless but its close. The idea of turning the DS into a video game console, which if you look at it is what this is, is one of the best ideas they have come up with. Okay so imagine this, playing Zelda where all the information is on the controller your hearts items, maps all that and you have the tablet on a mini table for quick accesses and use the Wii remote to move him around and swing his sword still. Granted that this a lot but hell I would play a game like that. Not saying they would do that but its just an example. Another examples are hold the tablet up to the TV and using it as a zoom if say you had a sniper rifle. Maybe you're Batman and its a quick accesses to all you gadgets or you racing against cheating scum like Bowser and its your review mirror.

Ultimately I think this might really truly be the first system where programers can really use there imagination since there are countless possibilities. This might also be the first system since the Super Nintendo that 3 parties are excited for. Almost all the big 3 parties are lined up for this thing and we'll see games like Arkham City and Aliens on it. With that said this also could be a problem. Nintendo is going to need exclusives if it doesn't want to be known as the port machine. What is going to make me buy Aliens on the Wii U and not say PS3? That controller is going to make all the different and unless they can some good creative uses out of it they will lose sales to system that A people already have and B are much cheaper. Nintendo already stated that this system will not be cheap so they need a STRONG lunch unlike the WEAK lunch of the 3DS.

As time goes by we will learn more about this thing and will like it or love it when it launches next year. The newest thing seems to be that it will support 3D TVs even though Nintendo itself has no plans for 3D games. Why do this then? Its just another thing to give publishers more options to what they can do. Personally I am quite excited at the possibilities of what this thing can do and much like the Wii I plan on losing a lot of money when this thing launches. This might be one of the most exciting things to happen to video games since 8-bits or the most disastrous thing to happen since the 32X. Need another reason to buy it? Check out the Legend of Zelda tech demo. I warn you though bring some tissues because its just that orgasmic.

End of Line.