A recent college graduate returns to his hometown, and ends up having to work at a local amusement park called ‘Adventureland.’
Review:
The film comes to us from director Greg Mottola, of Superbad fame. Anyone going into this movie expecting Superbad Part Deux is going to be sorely disappointed, but that hardly means this movie isn’t good, because it’s a quality film with a lot to say, and it says it in an enjoyable and entertaining manner. It’s just not full of belly-laughs like Mottola’s last film. Continue reading →
Alright, so by appearance I may be just your regular everyday mildly overweight greasy college student who, by habit, munches on nothing other than slippery burgers, tacos pumped full of over-salted beef and cheese-like sauce, and fries that drip grease and fat like an orphan sheds tears.
But that’s not entirely true, I also enjoy a good slice of shiny, well-lubricated pizza. Continue reading →
I have seen the face of the Devil and it’s a pasty white, bald, fat dude who blatantly rips off other sites and struggles to come up with an original thought. This post is just a test to prove that this site automatically posts anything I post. Don’t visit BlogFastFood.com.
Note: No offense to any other pasty white, bald, fat dudes out there. In time, I will be one of you. Continue reading →
Last summer, I read Elmore Leonard’s crime novel “Killshot” and enjoyed it. Then weeks later I read that shooting of a feature film based on the book had wrapped and I got excited. Not simply because I was eager to see the movie, but because after years of listening to my more intellectual friends complaining about how Hollywood movies ruined books they had enjoyed, I was FINALLY going to get to stroke my own intellectual beard and utter those words that gave them so much smug satisfaction: “the book was much better.” Then the movie essentially made the argument for me by going strait-to-DVD. Continue reading →
Here’s something new I’m going to try. I got some useful site feedback from a regular reader reporting that he opted out of reading on Sundays because he didn’t like the Weekly Recaps. His reasoning was that people will read what they want and that we could fit in more posts if we allowed articles to go up on Sunday as well. More posts means more entertainment. More entertainment means more traffic. We love traffic.
So to prove that we actually do care what our readers think about our site, allow me to introduce the Everyview Update. Taking the place of the Weekly Recap, the Everyview Update will do everything the Recap did and much more.
Awesome!
Oh, and many of you have probably noticed that this post is being published on Monday and not Sunday even though the date in the title points to a Sunday publication. This was meant to be published on Sunday, not Monday, but it turns out I have bronchitis and am very tired and feel like boogers and puke, so I slept instead. Future installments will come on Sundays.
GrubGrade gives us a review of the tantalizing Arby’s Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Market Fresh Sandwich (what a mouthful!)
SuperPhillip shows us that Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat is still a great game, even without that Bongo Controller
The Impulsive Buy reviewed the Morningstar Farms Hickory BBQ Riblets, showing us how good some vegetarian food is, and why all vegetarians are always broke
The Tancave reads and reviews Star Trek Voyager: Full Circle, a novel that through the entire series onto his must-have list
We-Rate-Stuff takes a look at the short-lived but fondly remember Summer Heights High, obscure and underrated HBO TV series
World 1-1 is taking an indefinite break from posting. Indefinite doesn’t mean permenant, it just means until further notice. I’m sure he’ll be back and better than ever in no time.
Special thanks
To The Impulsive Buy for featuring our Amp Energy: 3 Wide review in their WEEK IN REVIEWS and helping boost our traffic!
The results are officially off the wire, and they have declared me, Clay Cunningham, and, most importantly, “First Kid” the winner of the first ever “Master Debate.”
These last few days have been rough on me, with the constant campaigning creating many sleepless nights. What’s worse is that on the rare occasions when sleep did occur, I would quickly be awoken from my slumber, drenched in frigid sweat, as all I could dream of was living in a nightmarish world where people were more inclined to vote for “Blank Check.” Luckily for all of us, that world will never come to be. Continue reading →
An overall solid film with two very good lead performances and very intriguing direction leads to a rewarding film going experience, even if it is somewhat lacking in certain areas. Continue reading →
Written by one of the greatest and most respected Professional Wrestlers of All-Time, “Hitman” chronicles the life and career of the legendary Bret ‘The Hitman” Hart, and his life-altering, and at times, heart-breaking journey through the sport of Pro-Wrestling. Continue reading →
System: Nintendo DS (Exclusive) Developer: Q! Entertainment Publisher: Bandai Genre: Puzzle
There’s no shortage of puzzle games on Nintendo’s dual-screen handheld. Games like Tetris DS, Planet Puzzle League, and Puzzle Quest are leading the genre today, but there is one forgotten gem that floats in orbit just waiting to be rediscovered. This game is 2005’s Meteos, from Q! Entertainment.
Today there is no question about the DS’s two screens and touch screen interface, but back in June of 2005 the majority of people saw absolutely no reason for either innovation. Developers were looking for new ways to use the new hardware and trying to create new games that couldn’t be done elsewhere, often meeting sub-par or gimmicky results.
Enter Meteos, released 7 months after the system’s North American debut. This game shattered the puzzle game mold, strayed away from the industry norms, and managed to create a fast-paced, wildly competitive puzzle game that could be compared to nothing before it and finally brought something to the table that couldn’t have been done on any other system.
Review:
Meteos is one of the few puzzle games out there that felt the need to include a story, and what an epic one it is. The game opens with an insanely awesome CG video that chronicles the dark events that have been occurring throughout the universe.
It turns out that the evil planet Meteo is attacking the rest of the planets in the universe with an endless flow of phantasmagoric, material known as Meteos, and destroying them. After discovering a way to prevent their planets from being destroyed, the alien species that reside throughout the universe band together for a final confrontation with the evil planet, hopefully to destroy it once and for all.
This is where your adventure starts. Traveling across the universe on the Metamo Ark, slowly making your way to Meteo, you must fight off attacks on various planets before your quest to save the entire universe can be complete.
While the story is certainly a fantastic one by Puzzle Game standards, the real point of interest in Meteos is its gameplay. Sure you’ve got your standard rules. Different colored blocks fall from the top of the playing field and stack up until there is no more room for them, in which case the player loses. Mixed in with the blocks are various items that can be used to assist in surviving the merciless shower of blocks. To clear the blocks from the screen, the player must match up three or more of the same colored pieces. This is where the similarities stop.
Meteos is played exclusively with the touch-screen, using the stylus to move blocks only in columns, no horizontal movement is allowed. This makes finding combos much more challenging, though rewarding at the same time. Each planet has its own unique gravitational traits. Some planets have light pulls, some strong, some planets are even played underwater. The game’s physics engine does a great job of creating these unique environments with their exclusive gravitational pulls.
Once three like-colored pieces are aligned in either a horizontal or vertical line, the blocks blacks into the air carrying all blocks that rest on top of them on their aerial adventure. This creates a completely standalone platform that serves as a second playing field. If your platform doesn’t reach the top of the screen and blast into orbit, you must continue trying to fight it off of your planet and back to Meteo.
This can be done several different ways. The most common method to use will be to continue lining up blocks on the floating platform to launch a 3rd platform even higher into the atmosphere. If there aren’t any possible block combinations atop the platform, you create a new one underneath it which will launch up and ram into the bottom of it, giving it the extra boost it needs to make it away from the planet’s gravitational pull. If a platform makes it extremely close to the exit of the play field but still refuses to leave you can simply throw single blocks toward the bottom of the platform to give it a slight boost that could get the floating mass of blocks out of your hair once and for all.
Keep in mind each planet has its own gravitational pull, which forces players to be extremely strategic when fighting off Meteos attacks. Some strategies for removing blocks only work on certain planets, and the player has to constantly alter his or her play style to adapt to all of the unique planets.
The graphics and audio design of this game are equally as impressive and deep as the gameplay. Just as every planet has its own gravitational pull it also has its own unique feel thanks to the visually pleasing backdrops and Meteo block art styles. The CG videos in the game are absolutely gorgeous, and every 2D planet sprite is given its own personality. Perhaps the most visually pleasing aspect of the game is the amazingly detailed and well-imagined menu system which feels like you are operating some futuristic touch-screen computer.
But the sound in Meteos is the icing on the design cake. Every planet has its own brilliantly composed songs and sound effects that give each planet and amazingly unique feeling. Even more astounding is that every song and effect can be unlocked and played in the game’s on-board media player. It’s a simple little toy, but it proves to be a feature that you’ll use often just to hear your favorite song from the game without having to battle for your specie’s lives.
The game’s main campaign is called Star Trip and features the ability to change your home planet, difficulty, or the route you’ll take through the universe. Each route other than Straight offers multiple branching paths you can take through the universe which presents a large level of replayability.
Other modes of play include Simple, Time War, and Deluge. Simple mode is where you’ll pick from the game’s huge multitude of options to create the perfectly customized experience for a single stage play.
Time War offers four different timed high-score based challenges. 2:00 and 5:00 Time Wars challenge you to survive for the designated amount of time while racking up as many points as you possibly can. 100 and 1,000 Meteo Wars task players with clearing the respective amount of blocks from the screen as quickly as possible.
Deluge Mode simply asks you to survive for as long as possible. The game also offers a Tutor to teach you how to play Meteos. I suggest you use it.
Also adding a ton to the games already massive amount of replay value is the Fusion Mode. Here you will use the Meteos you’ve collected through your play-throughs to craft new home planets and characters, items and rare metals to be used in-game, and Sounds which we’ve already discussed. This will provide incentive to keep playing after beating the campaign mode.
One gripe I have is that multiplayer is local only. Meteos would’ve made an amazing online puzzler that could possibly surpass addiction levels of Tetris DS’ online mode. At the very least online leader boards would’ve been nice. The game does offer the ability to beam a demo to your friend’s DS to ensure that any two to four players can compete with only one copy of the game, provided they all have their own system to use. And while there are no online leader boards, Meteos does offer a very intensive stat chart with tons of information.
Final Words:
For far too long Meteos has been an overlooked title. Not many people picked it up when it launched and has even to this day failed to move the vast amount of numbers it should have despite its immense critical success, a fact that is likely the sole reason the game has never received a proper sequel but instead seen only Disney-themed piles of crap that ruin the legendary name the game should have.
If you see Meteos in the used games bin at your local entertainment store, do yourself a favor and pick it up. It is one of the deepest, most satisfying and innovative puzzle games of all time. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
Pros
Each planet feels unique thanks to individualized graphics, music, and gravitational pulls
Highly addictive and innovative controls that are tough but rewarding to master
The story is Shakespeare by puzzle game standards
Exquisite interface and presentation
Astronomically high amounts of replay value
Doesn’t leave needle marks unlike most hardcore addictive substances
Cons
No online functions whatsoever take away from what could’ve been an amazing multiplayer experience
There will be times when you want to stab your DS with a big ass sword because you continuously fail
Score: 9.4/10 (Amazing)
Gameplay: 9.5/10 (Addiction, pure and simple) Graphics: 9.0/10 (Stellar presentation, beautiful CG, unique visual style) Audio: 9.5/10 (Expertly composed soundtrack) Entertainment Value: 9.75/10 (Seemingly endless playability is hindered only by lack of online)
Amp Energy has a lot of less-than-average flavors on its hands lately. With the exception of Focus, the best Amp flavor I’ve ever had, the Mountain Dew offshoot just keeps pumping out sub-par flavors. 3 Wide, reported on the other day as the limited edition Amp Energy drink made up of 3 distinct flavors and packaged inside of a collectible Dale Earnhardt Jr. can, attempts to blend three very distinct flavors together in order to create something unique and appealing.
Of course, I decided not to save my can and have it live on some shelf like the majority of people do. Heck, I’ve never even watched a single NASCAR race in my life. And since the only racing I care about is Speed Racer and Mario Kart, I had no trouble tearing into this limited edition can to see if the liquid inside was worth defiling the collectible container or not.
Review:
When I first heard of Amp 3 Wide. And after opening my can of Amp and getting a nice, strong whiff of what was inside, my opinion didn’t really change much. It has a scent that is very similar to the original drink, which I’m not too fond of. It also retains its ability to flood your mouth with saliva. Upon deeper aromatic examination you’ll be able to notice the individual scents in the drink, most pronounced is Berry with a slight Orange hit. The Lime is buried somewhere deeper inside.
When taking my first sip of 3 Wide, an eruption of different flavors took place in my mouth. At first it was overwhelming to have the three distinct flavors swimming around my mouth at once, as they are all equally balanced. The following sips yielded a far more pleasurable experience. Each flavor can be pointed out on your pallet and focused on, or you can open yourself up and lose yourself in the whirlpool of Berry, Orange and Lime.
Amp has never had a great kick, and this is no exception. With the same list of ingredients that are a huge step below the competition, 3 Wide puts out the same weak kick as every other Amp drink, which is really disappointing since this drink is so tasty. The weak kick is really the only thing keeping it from being successful. That and the fact that it’s only available for a limited time. That sucks.
Another thing that I hate about all Amp’s, this one included, is the high price tag. $2.39 is way too much to spend on a drink with an Energy Blend that is years behind its competition. This one is an exception of course, due to the fact that it is extremely limited in supply and availability. And the Dale Earnhardt Jr. can extends this promo item beyond energy drink collectors and into the realm of NASCAR fans as well. There is no doubt in my mind this will make Amp millions, and I’m going to buy a couple more to drink and hold on to. But if this were a regular drink, I would hesitant to recommend you drop the cash for it.
Final Words:
I really don’t understand why Amp decided to make what is, with a few exceptions, the first good drink it’s introduced to the market in some time a limited edition beverage. It has a unique taste with distinct flavor that appeals to the hardened vet and is accessible enough to get the NASCAR fans addicted. I’m gonna miss this one when it’s gone, and I recommend you all pick up at least two. One to drink, and one to hold on to.
Pros
Unique scent
The 3 distinct flavors are perfectly balanced
Dale Earnhardt can helps it appeal to more than just energy drink addicts
An awesome energy drink collector’s item
Cons
Weak kick, as usual
It’s only available for a limited time
Score: 8.3/10 (Great)
Aroma: 8.75/10 (Makes your mouth water) Taste: 9.25/10 (Delicious, flavors blend wonderfully) Kick: 6.5/10 (The same weak Amp kick) Value: 8.75/10 (Would be pricey, but it’s a collectible)
Overview:
