JStarr

There's a big question forming in my head, though...would this firm keep a hold on the NHL as just another piece of its profit and loss pie, or possibly sell off a few teams as more adventurous and solvent owners were found for each? If this is a temp fix to prop up the league in a time of difficulty and keep some franchises from folding, then more power to them. What will happen if, say, the Leafs, Rangers, and Stars are the lone holdouts? Will they be the only teams that stand alone, or will the whole deal fall apart at that point? Honestly, comparisons to MLS are right on, as both of these sports are really struggling to find American acceptance, and in MLS's case, North American acceptance. Hockey needs something to put it back to reality, and if these firms are willing to reach out to the disaffected fans who've been priced out the same way as the average NBA or MLB fan has, then this could be a great thing for the league.

Flowzen King shows good taste with the props to Gang Starr, but I gotta go with "Paid in Full" by Eric B. and Rakim. Rakim is an absolute god on the mic, IMHO, up there with Nas, Chuck D., Guru, and LL.

As far as I've always been concerned, being the closer would seem like more of the ego boost than starting. Knowing that you're the guy that gets called if the team is in dire straits and needs to deliver the death blow to the hated opponent...yeah. The closer is the ultimate baseball superhero, the Batman of baseball if ya weeeeeeeellllllllllll. [/Dusty]

Anybody who'd been a closer his entire career and then thrust into the rotation would have a serious problem pacing himself, I think. Like oldskool said, everything could be heaved as hard as the pitcher could get it, and it might take time to change that mentality, especially if the guy tenses up with runners on base or something. A starter going to the closer's role might have a hard time with the late-game pressure, but as far as the workload, he may very well feel like he's on vacation...unless he has a hard time pitching every second or third day instead of every fifth. I don't think Smoltz will have all that much problem, as many years as he spent in the rotation.

I've noticed that there don't seem to be too many good flying games out these days. I'm playing Ace Combat 5 right now, and it is mucho kickass. Has anyone else noted others out lately? And to stay on topic, I agree with all who say that The Sims suck, and I will offer what I think to be a very valid reason why: there is no sense of scale as far as time goes. Every second is supposed to be a minute, right? Well, when you take a Sim to take a shit, he's in there for about forty seconds. I ask you all: when's the last time you took a shit and it lasted forty minutes? (EDIT: Without too many beers or some awful Mexican food involved?) Or a thirty-to-forty-minute shower? When everything else is based around a somewhat realistic sense of time, but menial tasks like this take so long, it leaves no time in the day to eat, clean house, etc. Laugh if you will, but my ranting about this one issue did serve to blind me to how pointless the game really is. And racing games > *. Thank you.

Yes! Gran Turismo is nothing but graphics to me. I hate racing games to the point where the only time I'll drive in a game is in GTA. Even things like Driver get amazingly boring after a while for me. ← Burnout 3...the word boring will be stricken from your vocab after a couple of hours with that game. Not recommended for people with heart problems, though... B) And as far as Gran Turismo, yes, it's one of the most spectacular-looking games ever, but after spending over ten hours just trying to pass one piddly license test in GT3, I swore them off. Gimme something that rewards excellence without totally demanding perfection. ...and Driver's been boring ever since they created a sequel, let alone the pile of excrement that was the third one. They spent more time trying to think of cheap shots at GTA than they did trying to make a good game.

I used to be very into RPGs, especially the Final Fantasy series, but I just can't get much into any of them now. Most anything else, I can still give a whirl if it looks good.

Amen...and whatever Timmy can't finish, Danny Kolb should be able to clean up nicely. And they're gonna have to, 'cause relying on Raul Mondesi for large RBI production is like playing Russian Roulette with only one empty chamber. Midge, what's your opinion on Smoltz headed back to the rotation? And finally, Barry Bonds is a fucking ignorant tool. That is all.

*Takes deep breath* AC/DC--Kinda ran out of steam once the '90s started, but they ruled the '70s and '80s, for sure. Slayer--Too over-the-top. Metallica--Fuck Lars in his money-grubbing ass. The music was strong up until St. Anger, though. Megadeth--Other than "Peace Sells..." meh. Def Leppard--The most metal pop band ever...highly enjoyable. Led Zeppelin--Tolkien with rippin' solos. The Beatles--Lennon was the brain, McCartney was the heart, and the band is the greatest. The Who--True showmen, especially Keef and Pete. Elvis Presley--Made rock 'n' roll accessible to everyone...if it wasn't for Sam Phillips cutting some demos with some Mississippi truck driver, we'd still be drowning in Pat Boone-like elevator music. Papa Roach--One and done...now if only they'd get the clue. Limp Bizkit--Dumb-ass frat-boy shit, except for "My Way." That song rocks. Linkin Park--Whiny-ass navel-gazer shit, but they have a hella better sound than Limp. Some good stuff here. Korn--Excellent for releasing aggression. Meat Loaf--Wagner with guitars. When he worked with Jim Steinman (Bat Out of Hell I and II), he kicked massive ass. Without Steinman, meh. Massive Attack--Excellent mood music for me, and they launched my man Tricky. Chemichal Brothers--Amazed me with what a pair of guys with samplers could pull together. Van Halen--Great with Dave, good with Sammy, sucked with Gary...and they won't ever make it back to where they were, unfortunately. REM--My ex-roommate was the biggest REM freak I ever met...I've only recently started to see the attraction. Loved "Radio Song" with KRS-ONE, though. Nirvana--Some will say the Beatles were overrated...I say Nirvana is. To each their own, I suppose. RHCP--They've only gotten better with age..."Californication" was a kick-ass album all the way. Soundgarden--Fell in love with them after that acid trip of a video for "Black Hole Sun." Great band, and I miss hearing Kim Thayil play. Manowar--Aren't these the '80s metal guys with the loincloths? Pearl Jam--Solid band, but they never approached the heights of "Ten" and "Vs." Smashing Pumpkins--"Mellon Collie" was the hardest I've ever had to work to get through an album, but it was worth the trip. Audioslave--Cornell and the guys from Rage are a good fit together, but I'd be surprised if they turn out anything close to what their former bands did. Guns And Roses--Fucking awesome band...until Axl ran off Slash, then it all went straight to shit. Velvet Revolver--The opposite of Audioslave, I see them transcending G'n'R and STP over and over again...as long as Weiland stays out of fucking rehab. Marilyn Manson--Did what good rock 'n' roll artists are supposed to do: piss your parents off, and he does it better than anyone. Didn't care for the first two albums much, but I loved Mechanical Animals. Faith No More--Deserved to be remembered for much more than just "Epic." U2--Good band, but I get the feeling they take themselves a touch too seriously sometimes. Libertines--Could be a really great band...if Pete can stay out of fucking rehab...or even stay IN fucking rehab. System Of A Down--Can't stand Serj's singing. The Smiths--Another band that died too soon because people couldn't get along...shame, that. Morrissey--Could someone please tell this man a joke? Foo Fighters--More pop than rock, but decent enough stuff. Snoop Dogg--Not nearly as potent when he's not with Dre. Eminem--One of the only rappers who can talk about something other than boning ho's and how dope are his flows. Love him. Ja Rule--Fucking poser. Jay-Z--Lots of gangsta posturing, but he sounds good doing it, at least. Tupac--At times poetry, at times trash. My question is: how much fucking material can they dig up?!?! Waiting for his mom to release an album of Tupac's Greatest Shits or something. Eric Clapton--Not quite God, but closer than most of the idiots that call themselves guitarists today. Norah Jones--One of the warmest voices I've heard in a long time. Bob Dylan--Makes you think, and that's rare these days. Nine Inch Nails--Hard AND poetic...Trent's one of the best ever. David Gray--Vastly underrated. Depche Mode--Some spectacular singles. Coldplay--Helping limp-wristed geeks play sensitive and get laid since 1998. Stone Temple Pilots--Better than just the Pearl Jam rip-offs they were thought to be...and "Sour Girl" is one of my Top 100 ever. Bush--Can't get into them, no matter how hard I've tried. Slipknot--Mindless noise. The Clash--A big fucking middle finger to the upper classes. The Sex Pistols--Noise, yes, but at least it had a point somewhere. Green Day--Good to see a pop-punk band grow up. Beastie Boys--Made it far beyond rap, damn near to a genre all their own. Great stuff. Notorious B.I.G--Told some stories. A great one. RATM--Our generation's answer to the Clash.

That new film "Sahara" (with Matthew McConaghey and Penelope Cruz) is based off a novel by a writer that I've followed for years named Clive Cussler. The previews make the thing actually look big enough to cover a Cussler book and do it some justice. One other Cussler book was adapted for a film, and with pretty dire results: 1980's "Raise the Titanic" with Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, Anne Archer, and Alec Guinness. By all accounts, the movie was pretty terrible, and most of the action and intrigue of the book got sucked out to fit the thing into a two-hour film. Cussler was so pissed that he claimed he'd never sell another of his books to Hollywood again, so I was surprised to hear that this one was getting the green light. As far as the books go, I've always described them as "James Bond meets Indiana Jones." The main man, Dirk Pitt, is your typical ladies' man/classic car buff who lives in an abandoned hangar at a Washington D.C. airport, but is never home, because he's frequently out salvaging ships and saving the world. Incidentally, Cussler draws a lot from his own research, as he himself is very into exploring and salvaging ships and actually went on one of the expeditions to explore the Titanic. Great stuff if you're into adventure stories. He's onto three different series now, and up to about twenty or so books, so there's lots to choose from. Anyone else checked out Clive's stuff?

The Beatles--Revolver Prince--Dirty Mind 1999 Sign o' the Times Diamonds and Pearls The Gold Experience Musicology Funkadelic--Maggot Brain One Nation Under a Groove Parliament--Chocolate City Mothership Connection Tricky--Maxinquaye Pre-Millennium Tension Blowback Public Enemy--It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back David Gray--White Ladder Bob Dylan--Time Out of Mind Marvin Gaye--The Master (4-disc box) There's countless others, I'm sure...

I had a real similar problem to Faded Sanity, in that everyone gave me this incredulous look when my friends would shout to the world that I had not seen Fight Club. It got to the point where everyone blew me so much shit about it that I challenged them to go three months without giving me grief over this fucking movie. Longest they ever made it was three weeks... Anyway, a friend buys me the DVD for Christmas, not knowing that I had already had the big twist ending spoiled for me by one of those VH1 shows (I Love the '90s, I think). But in this case, knowing how the thing ended helped immensely, because so many things that would have seemed insignificant made perfect sense. Great fucking movie, Pitt's a total badass, and Edward Norton (every time I hear his name I think of the guy from The Honeymooners, anyone else?) plays his part to perfection. Ready to start loading up on Chuck Pahlaniuk's books now. :thumbsup:

I agree 100% with HT about putting a team in Seattle, I've been wondering for years why no one's really tried. Also, I've kinda thought for a while that Portland might be a decent place to expand or shift to. No other real pro sports there. (/fucktheblazers] The league did screw up with trying to force hockey on places that think ice is only for keeping your drinks cold. Atlanta, Nashville, and both Florida teams (yes, even my beloved 'Ning) have been just...there. Anaheim? Didn't care for them from the moment they entered the league...didn't like the movies either. Phoenix might survive, and if they do, they have Wayne Gretzky to thank. Some are bummed about Pittsburgh, but I'd be even more down if Edmonton folded. One of the only true dynasties of the past 25 years, and now they can't get enough people to come and watch? I thought hockey was Canada's national pastime, for God's sake. And don't nobody say nothin' bad about them Capitals, or I'll...I'll...I'll talk about yo' mama.

Considering some of the crowd around here, I'd be highly surprised... ...you kinky little minx, you.

The whole thing felt a little TOO much like Family Guy for my tastes, right down to the talking pet with a thing for the wife. Trying a bit too hard is right...although I did chuckle when Stan blew the hell out of the toaster. And did anyone else snort their beer during the Homer v. Mario encounter? Point and laugh if you must, but it fucking burned, lemme tell ya.

The name is Bootsy, baby! Bootsy Collins put the fat bottom into the P-Funk machine and made the Mothership fly.

Reading an interview right now with David Jaffe, the guy who was the lead designer on Twisted Metal Black and is now doing God of War. God of War is probably the most hyped and anticipated non-sequel out there, and Jaffe freely admits that he borrowed at least one gameplay facet from the new Prince of Persia games. But as long as the borrowing makes sense in context of a game, more power to 'em. I'm waiting for some bastard child of GTA, Mutant League Football, and NFL Blitz where squads of (fake, of course, thanks to the EA cash :thumbsup: ) players throw out Devil May Cry moves and blast each other to hell. Sorry, AS, but in a thread about originality in games, this made me chuckle. :thumbsup:

What's everyone's opinion of the girlfriend system? It seemed like an interesting novelty early on in my game, but by the time I got to LV, I was thoroughly annoyed with having one more thing to fuss with. When I finally HAD to take a woman out to move along with a mission, I'd had enough of the hassles and just popped her in a steakhouse parking lot. I guess I'm torn between wanting the dating to be more mission-oriented, like with Millie, or just getting rid of it altogether. Please discuss.

Excellent idea, but since Liberty City was meant to be loosely based on NYC, Rockstar might not want to retread familiar ground, even if they could expand on it tenfold. Hell, I'd still buy it. One thing that I'd like to see...each city that we've visited in the last three games has had a stadium, whether football or baseball...but nothing to really do there. I'd love to see a stadium used as an asset property, where you finish a strand of missions, then make cash from a cut of the team. How cool would it have been to see Tommy Vercetti clockin' dollars from a piece of the Vice City Mambas, maybe through a Last Boy Scout-style mission where he blew some fucker's head off right in the middle of a game? While disguised as a player, no less? Or Carl Johnson playing third base for the Las Venturas Bandits? Just imagine the wanted level, though...what with the 40,000 or so witnesses and all...

The only bummer is that PS2 and X-Box get no Punch-Out goodness...but since it's originally a Nintendo game to begin with, I suppose you'll have that...dammit.

So if things were reversed and Sega had gotten the NFL and ESPN licenses and EA had gotten the MLB license, would people be a little happier about things? Personally, I enjoy MVP Baseball as well, but it's been four years since I bought a baseball game. The NBA arrangement is a little curious, but kudos to them for wanting their product a little more spread out. Now, the question is, would everyone rather see ESPN NBA 2K survive with NBA Street, or NBA Live stick around with NBA Ballers? I'd love to see NBA Street be the only arcade-style in town, but I hope Sega could improve the 2K's a bit.

The Peyton-Marino comparisons are spot-on, in my opinion. Both guys were the end-all, be-all for their teams, and would come up short at exactly the wrong times. Saw a USA Today article that compared the Colts to the Air Coryell Chargers of the 70s with Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow, etc. And as we all recall, the Chargers never did win a Super Bowl. Now my question is this: I'm trying to remember if any dome teams have won the Super Bowl besides the Rams. And even when they did it, didn't they have home-field or play in someone else's dome? My point there is that the Colts will never sniff a Super Bowl if they have to play a cold-weather game, because of the RCA Dome. Dungy's so clueless that he thought practicing in the dome would be a good way to prepare...if he left the stadium doors open. Simply put, teams hate to use the weather as an excuse, but it does make a difference...especially on an aerial team like the Colts. The cold makes it hard to throw the ball, catch the ball, you name it. If they ditch the dome and play outside, none of this retractable roof bullshit, they might have a shot. And to all the "offense soaks up the payroll" arguments, I agree with that, too. They need to keep Peyton and Marvin together and build everything else around those two. Wayne and Stokley want too much cash? Bye. James wants to whine about going to Miami? Here, have a trade...you'll be the new Herschel Walker. And all this coming from a lifelong diehard Colts supporter. P.S. Michael Vick is the new Randall Cunningham...and Randall didn't win any Lombardi Trophies, either.

syco speaks the truth...this is solid business on EA's part. Nothing wrong with a company looking for a leg up on their rivals...Sega's just going to have to bring it that much harder to convince people that an unlicensed game can play better than a licensed one. And to all the people who wanna bitch about how EA's gonna loaf and churn out a steady stream of crap, it's very likely that there are out-clauses on the respective deals for EA, the NFL, and ESPN contingent on sales figures and review scores. If people stop buying their games, ESPN and the NFL will likely not want their names sullied by association with subpar product. I've tried both of Sega's football games and both of their basketball games, and aside from College Hoops (which in itself could use some more polish), I've been totally unimpressed with them all. Bravo EA...or in the vein of Clawson's sig...Sieg Heil!!

The Shotgun challenge was the most comp I've had on any of the shooting ranges, but I took it on the first try, and at not even Gangster level skill. So it can be done. And themick is right...you can blast two panels at once. That's the only thing that saved me.

Absolute Givens: San Andreas Burnout 3 NFSU 2 SC: Pandora Tomorrow Pleasant Surprises: Sly 2 Ratchet & Clank: UYA ESPN College Hoops 2K5 (addictive as fuck, lemme tell ya) Way Outta Left Field: Katamari Damacy--I played a demo of this game for two minutes and left, saying "I must buy this." And, if i may, a couple of questions: Is Football Manager '05 this year's version from Eidos, or is it the one that the original creators, Sports Interactive, made after the bustup over Championship Manager? Loved CM and would like to pick up its next incarnation, but with all the names floating about, a recommendation would help immensely. Tankyouveddymuch.