We are shortly coming up on Super Bowl Sunday, a day which may mean a variety of different things for you.
Regardless of where your interests lie – the American football championship between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks that Joel and I predicted or the brand new commercials – this is the biggest television event of the year. In fact, last year’s Super Bowl is estimated to have had 108.4 MILLION viewers, making it one of the most watched television programs in American history. However, we here at the Show Me Your News Network would also like to recognize another reason that can bring everyone together…
I figured a news update blog is in order. Some things have been delayed and other things have entered the pictures, so you should probably be aware of them. Anyway, here goes!
As we discussed on Episode 118 of Show Me Your News!, SwordHunter has purchased a house! Well, technically it’s a site condominium in a private residence area. But it’s a splendid three bed/two bath ranch-styled home. And the best part is that we don’t have to worry about neighbors sharing walls! I will remain as his roommate, since it’s a pretty good situation we have going. However, this means a few things.
It’s December. And snow is on the ground. Amazing how time passes, right? Let me give you an update on some things, shall I?
Much like how Buzz and Sugar are completing a moving process, SwordHunter and I are starting one. Although ours isn’t nearly as epic. Swordy recently got an awesome paid internship gig for the winter at an alternative-energy company that’s right by Oakland University (where he still attends school). With me still working at Toys R Us (for the next few weeks, at least), we’re looking to move out of our parent’s place and get our own apartment. There’s one in Auburn Hills right at the corner of Oakland University with amazing rent that’s catching our eye and we’re hoping to complete the process at the start of the new year. Basically though, Swordy needs an on-his-own experience since he’s been commuting from our parents’ home for his entire college career so far and I need to move on and feel like I’m actually accomplishing something. There are definitely the start of some significant life changes on the horizon.
Work is going well, although it’s hard to say what the future holds since I’m still technically a seasonal employee. They’re giving me about 30-35 hours a week, which is amazing, but if I am kept on past Christmas, minimum wage just won’t cut it for pay. Finding a media internship is damn near impossible to find in Michigan too, so that’s complicating things in my life.
This has no place amongst all these updates, but I had to rant about it. And PLEASE don’t get involved in it, whatever you do. I have a cousin who’s in his late forties, married, and has two kids. I don’t know what his problem is with video games, but he has this trend of being passive-aggressive towards the topic when I post about it on my Facebook profile over the past six months. Kinda in a “what are you doing with your life, those are a waste of time” kind of way. Except he also plays Baking Life and Mafia Wars on the book of face as well.
Status (SMG2 release): The Rosalina replacement in Super Mario Galaxy 2 is probably the worst character in anything ever. Oh, you’ll see…you’ll see.
Reply: How’s the job search going?
Status (after USA World Cup win): After all that excitement, I feel like playing some Mario Strikers Charged. ‘Atta way, USA! Instant nerve-wracking classic, for sure.
Reply: How’s the job search going?
Photo of E3: Day 05 – A picture of your favorite memory
At the Nintendo press conference at E3 2010 (Los Angeles) in June with Adrian Madriz, where we got to witness the Nintendo 3DS for the first time. Sure, there were 100 lovely ladies with the technology strapped to their waists, but seeing 3D visuals without glasses on a Nintendo handheld was mindblowing. Coming to North America this March, can’t wait!
Reply: Need to focus on those 100 lovely ladies. They’re in 3D all the time, dude!
He’s also contacted my mom, via Facebook chat of all things, seriously wondering why I haven’t replied to him. I don’t even give people the time of day who don’t understand proper internet etiquette. If he weren’t family, the Facebook friend link would have been broken long ago. At least he lives in Arizona…for now.
Well, now that I’m very full from a hearty Thanksgiving dinner, my mind is starting to wander to the 5AM-5PM shift that I have to work tomorrow on the dreaded Black Friday. Before I go to sleep to prepare for such an event though, I wanted to make a quick list of things that I am thankful for in my life.
– Physical health of family/friends
– Parents who love me very much
– Shelter and a comfortable economic situation
– Brother who is my best friend
– Friends who mean a lot to me and would do anything for me
– The internet. Seriously, the internet. And a nice computer.
– Sports, for being such a pleasant distraction
– Having a job, but always striving to actually use my college degree
– Video games, for being such an interactive distraction. I LOVE YOU.
– TheBuzzSaw, for helping me continue the best non-paid gig I can possibly imagine and for being a technical genius
– Mystery girlfriend out there. Wherever you are, once I move out of my parents’ place.
– Show Me Your News. Mmyep.
– Anything/Anyone else I forgot
Finally, all of you. The fans. As you all know, the podcast means a great deal to me. Aside from how much fun it is to do and its potential professional benefits, the real reason I’ve continued the show after three-plus years is because of you all. Please, never forget how much your support means to me. There’s a reason SMYN caters to you all, which is something few other podcasts of our caliber do. Love you guys.
/awwwwwww
Now it’s bedtime. We’ll figure out an Episode 75 time sometime soon. You know, holiday and all.
I don’t show my sports-nerdy side much on this blog, but I will now, so deal with it. Now, if I’m hyper-critical and neurotic about one subject, it’s college football. As such, one of my pet peeves (aside from people who pronounce milk as “melk”) is a sports fan who has blind faith in his team. Let’s face it, your favorite team is not going to win every game because “they’re the best” or “because [you] believe in them.” That’s not the way sports works. Wouldn’t it be helpful if you sounded like you knew what you were talking about while you were watching the big game with your friends and family this weekend? I thought so. That said, with the biggest game in the state of Michigan and arguably the nation playing at 3:30 Eastern Time on ABC this Saturday, here is an over-excessive look at #17 Michigan State visiting #18 Michigan.
It’s not that I haven’t been ignoring the SMYN community or anything with my lack of blogging, but let’s just say I’ve been busy. Don’t you love the feeling of when you can’t wait to play a certain video game to make progress in it? I’m getting hooked on Persona 3: FES [b]BADLY[/b]. And that is not a good thing.
Let me explain. It’s a great game that I highly recommend to everyone with a PS2. I have a lot of things to say regarding the game that I’ll save for Episode 70 (more than last time’s “the tedious tutorial puts you off”). But if I had to sum up my addiction for the title, I think it would be this…not going to school for the first time in at least sixteen years is so bizarre. I wish I could explain the feeling to those of you who just started your school years. The problem with a game like Persona 3 is that it fulfills that inner, unconscious addiction of attending school, even if it’s in a virtual space. Also, I’m 40 hours into the title and maybe only 75% done with the story. When I’m still looking for a job, this is probably the worst thing for me to be doing with such a time-suck of a game. And yet it’s so enjoyable for someone who only enjoys Pokemon as a JRPG. Persona is so Japanese though. SO Japanese. That’s another topic for another time, though.
Both college and pro football seasons have officially started. I know, we’re a video gaming podcast, but that means a lot to some of us here, myself included. For those into that kind of thing, my fantasy football starting team with Smashboards Back Roomers (10-person league, picked fifth) consists of: Tom Brady, Stephen Jackson, Shonn Greene, Marion Barber, Greg Jennings, Michael Crabtree, Jason Witten, Packers D, and Ryan Longwell. Should be a decent year on that front, but nothing too special.
SwordHunter and I went over to SolidSnake120’s on Friday to start the Halo: Reach campaign, but I pretty much just ended up passing out on his couch. A few hours in though, it looks impressive. However, the campaign is relatively lackluster by comparison to other games, the graphics are great but not top-of-the-line, space battles are cool but pretty simple and limited, and there are a few framerate issues at times that I didn’t expect from Bungie. Let’s be real though, you buy Halo for the multiplayer, and that piles on in terms of what you’re able to do. More impressions to come on Episode 70, when SwordHunter’s pre-order arrives either tomorrow or Wednesday.
I’m working on a new video for SMYN that I haven’t made too secret, so I’ll just lay my idea on the line here. First, you need to watch this trailer.
So basically, I’ll be taking this trailer, rescripting it to advertise SMYN, redubbing it with with some notable SMYNjas (I’ll be contacting you soon with lines), and redoing the video using a lot of different video game trailers. It’ll be pro work as always from yours truly. Basically, it will be another commercial of sorts for SMYN, just with more badassadry and not as much in-your-face-ness. Hoping for that to be completed right around episode-time.
As for actual PODCAST NEWS, Buzz and I are working on a couple things. First, we’ll be announcing the next episode in the next couple days – expect something like this Saturday, sometime at or after 4 PM Eastern. Also, we’re still trying to expand the podcast, and with our server contract expiring in a little while, we’re mulling the idea of a donations/perks option to help cover costs. And while Zero2D and MG Comics look great as affiliates on the front page, we’d love to hear if you think projects that you do would work well in having your site affiliating with us.
Anything else? Oh right, I put up a few download links that all Pokemon enthusiasts need to check out on our Facebook page – big props to MasterWGS for finding the Best Of Anime OST…I’m getting chills listening to the music track they used for the Gary/Giovanni battle. So many stunning tracks in this collection.
Next time you’ve got a small group of friends over to play Super Smash Bros (ideally Melee or Brawl), try out this tournament format. It’s a ton of fun and can get pretty competitive. Credit for the idea goes to my buddy Jimmy.
How to run your own…
SMASH DRAFT TOURNAMENT
Draft Process:
– Need: A small group of friends. Works best with four people, but can work with 2-6 people.
– Take a look at the character selection screen for your Smash game of choice. This is the draft pool. For Brawl, include Zero Suit Samus and Sheik. Those with special hack-packs (like MasterLinkX’s) can also use all three Pokemon, in addition to Pokemon Trainer.
– Figure out a draft order, however you wish.
– Using that draft order, select characters that you will want to play as, as they will make up your own character pool. Draft procedure runs similarly to any sports draft. Picks are done one at a time in the specified draft order. Once a character is picked, no other player can select him.
– Continue the process until all characters are drafted OR until a remainder amount of characters remain. The goal is for each competitor to have as many characters as possible, while maintaining an equal number of characters for each competitor.
Tournament Process:
– Once each competitor has his own pool of characters, begin a 1v1 round-robin tournament process. For example, if you have four competitors (A, B, C, and D), play matches as follows. A vs. B
C vs. D
A vs. C
B vs. D
A vs. D
B vs. C
(repeat)
– Determine your own rules for the matches (stock, stages, items, etc.). For Brawl, we normally play with 2-stock (so tournament doesn’t drag on as long), with the five starter stages (Battlefield, FD, Yoshi’s, Smashville, PS1 – random select), and no items.
– Once a character of yours is defeated, it is ELIMINATED from the competition. If a character of yours wins, you may not use it again until ALL OTHER CHARACTERS from your character pool have been played. For example, if you have Link, Meta Knight, and DeDeDe left in your character pool and you play as Meta Knight (assuming you win with him), you have to play as Link and DeDeDe before you play as Meta Knight again.
– Continue this round-robin, single-character-elimination process until all characters are defeated.
– BRAWL ONLY: If all of a competitor’s characters from his pool are defeated, the competitor gains one more character – RANDOM. If Random is defeated, the competitor is eliminated from competition.
– Continue this process until only one competitor is standing, with a playable character in his pool. He is declared the winner.
– A four-player Brawl tournament with two-stock matches should take roughly two hours to complete.
It may seem confusing at first, but it’s actually very straight-forward. Basically, you and your friends draft your own individual team of Smash Bros characters…and pit them against each other in a single-elimination, round-robin tournament. Please, give it a try at your next small smashfest and let me know if you have any questions. You’re ON THE CLOCK!!
By now I’m sure you’ve heard that The Last Airbender is…well, a disappointing homage to the original Avatar: The Last Airbender cartoon, to say the least.
After returning from seeing it, here are my jotted-down thoughts on the film (keep in mind that SPOILERS may be present)
So I purchased a sound card today. Which means I finally have the “Stereo Mix” functionality, like the good ol’ days.
So YOUKO RADIO has truly returned! This means that Stickam will be live more often with music and a chatroom. I’ll still post in the Live Stream boards on the forums and/or Twitter/Facebook when I start to game there. This is very exciting for me.
Also, I soon want to start outlining old episodes of SMYN. So Stickam might be streaming old podcast episodes soon. Just a note.
Summer is starting to become frustrating. Specifically the job hunt. I wish I could be lazy forever.
I’m working on exciting news for Episode 62’s guest. That should be announced this weekend.
That’s all for now. More news when more exciting/productive things happen in my life.
After officially graduating today from the University of Michigan with a commencement address from President Obama (can be watched here), it’s time to consider the projects I plan to work on this summer. You know, on top of planning for future things. It’s just that it’s easier to work on your own creative endeavors when you have your own room again, and since I’ll be moving back home tomorrow, I will have just that again.
[ ] MORE SMYN
Obviously more podcasts are in order this summer. That’s a given. Especially since I don’t have to work around schedules with roommates and all.
[ ] MUSIC CD
It’s been three years since I’ve written and recorded my own music. I’ve learned a lot since then. This drought must be fixed. Maybe a gaming music remix album, maybe another Dual Theory kind of CD, maybe both?
[ ] MORE STICKAM
What’s nice about my gaming setup at home is that it’s right by my computer. Which means whenever I game, I can broadcast it live with commentary AND SEE YOUR COMMENTS. This was something that was not possible too often during this past school year.
[ ] RANDOMNESS
Videos. Voice acting requests. I’ll be flexible. And I’ll make it as impressive as I can in some form or another.
It’s going to be a challenging summer. I’m going to have to unwind however I can. And you all get to be along for the ride.
