This is probably the last week of the year that “big” games are being released. For PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, there’s The Saboteur
Any of you guys and dolls planning on picking any of these games up? I have my eye on Spirit Tracks, but will probably wait until it goes on sale.
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, yesterday’s NFL awesomeness, Sergio Martinez vs. Paul Williams, or Tiger Woods’ recent “indiscretions”, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I’m completely jealous that Japanese gamers have the opportunity to enjoy Final Fantasy XIII Elixir by Suntory. In America, the best videogame soft drink I can enjoy is World of Warcraft Mountain Dew. It’s not nearly the same. Slapping videogame branding on an existing beverage is one thing. Having a beverage maker concoct a new brew just for a game is another. The whole thing got me thinking about videogame beverages I want. Here are a few.
Dragon Age: Origins Darkspawn Blood — This tomato-based beverage might not make you a grey warden, but its numerous vitamins and minerals would give you the morning boost you need to save Ferelden on a weekly basis. Think of it as V8, with a touch of darkness.
Leisure Suit Larry Cialis Cocktail — This drink is part energy enhancer and part male potency provider. Your body will be up for a night on the town thanks to the taurine and the Cialis will make sure your joystick is up for a night in the sack.
Uncharted Filtered Water — When you’re searching for treasure and dodging danger in remote lands, it’s tough to find a pure glass of H2O. This bottled water ensures that you don’t have to worry about parasites and microbes getting in the way of a grand adventure.
Anyway, those are some of the videogame drinks I’ve imagined. I’d love to hear yours. Leave me your excellent elixirs in the comments section (please) — bonus points will be awarded to clever use of alcohol, particularly premium tequila.
I’m still incredibly unexcited for the Avatar movie and I don’t give a damn about the game. My anti-Avatar stance has me digging anything that pokes fun at it, including this cute clip from The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. Check it out!
Here’s the latest commercial for the Final Fantasy XIII “Elixir” beverage by Suntory. Yes, Japanese videogames get their own beverages — reason #348 you should be jealous of Japanese gamers. And also, for relaxing times…make it Suntory time.
Just for kicks, here are some old Elixir shots from my archive. Check ’em out. There’s some cool stuff below the fold.
Continue reading “Final Fantasy XIII Suntory Elixir Commercial”
Saturday’s fight between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez was one of 2009’s best. It was a highly competitive scrap between two amazingly skilled pugilists. I scored the bout 115-113 for Martinez, but there were enough close rounds that I could easily see a close decision going to Williams. I had no problems with Lynne Carter scoring it 115-113 for Williams and Julie Lederman scoring the fight a 114-114 draw. The third official judge, Pierre Benoist, scored the fight 119-110 for Williams — that’s just some pathetic scoring right there. According to Benoist, Martinez only won one round the entire fight, which is laughable to anyone that actually saw the contest. While the overall scoring wasn’t as bad as Ali Funeka getting jobbed out of a title the previous Saturday, Benoist’s scorecard illustrates one of boxing’s biggest problems. Let’s take a look a the four major reasons boxing isn’t as prominent as it was in the ’70s and ’80s.
1) Inept and/or Corrupt Judges — Boxing is one of the few sports where an athlete can put on a superior performance and lose. Using the recent Ali Funeka vs. Joan Guzman fight as an example, it was pretty clear that Funeka beat the crap out of Guzman for 75 percent of the fight. For some reason, the bout was scored a majority draw. Fights like that are such a turnoff to fans. Why would you want to watch someone put forth the effort of a lifetime only to have it decimated by three blind judges? Sadly, this is probably the least of boxing’s problems.
2) Sanctioning Bodies — The WBC, WBA, WBO, and IBF are generally recognized as the four major sanctioning bodies in boxing. Each group has its own champion and rankings. For the most part, each organization sucks. All too often these groups post questionable rankings and declare unworthy mandatory contenders for their champions. Sometimes they’ll create “super” champions, recognizing a title holder that has also won a belt from another group; this means that a weight division can have two champions — a “super” champion and a regular champion. Ultimately, it’s just a lame ploy to extract more sanctioning fees from more boxers.
Adding even more confusion is that fact that many people recognize Ring Magazine’s champions as the legitimate ones. So yeah, the sanctioning bodies or so inept and corrupt that a magazine has to sort through the muck to tell the people which boxers are really the best. That’s more than a bit ridiculous…but wait, there’s more!
Continue reading “Random Rants: The Four Biggest Problems with Boxing”
I just watched Ric Flair’s “retirement” match with Shawn Michaels from WrestleMania 24
Don’t get me wrong. It’s absolutely Flair’s right to make a living any way he sees fit, but he’s not “The Nature Boy” anymore. He hasn’t been for a long, long time. Although I haven’t followed all of his career, I’ve watched a great deal of it. From the NWA to WCW to WWF to WWE, I have no doubt that Flair is the best wrestler of all time. His matches with Harley Race, Kerry Von Erich, Sting, and (especially) Ricky Steamboat were brilliant. He was also able to carry limited wrestlers (Lex Luger) to excellent matches. In the ring and on the mic, nobody was better than Flair and I can’t imagine anyone topping him.
It makes me sad that there’s a whole generation of WWE fans that know Flair as this old guy with a fake tan and loose skin. They see him as this guy that hits his opponents in the balls and pokes their eyes. If Flair works for TNA, there are going to be even more fans that will see this watered-down version of Naitch.
When Yankee great Joe DiMaggio retired in 1951, his brother Tom said, “He quit because he couldn’t be Joe DiMaggio anymore.” Flair can’t be “The Nature Boy” anymore and I wish he’d take a cue from the Fuel song WWE used for his retirement run: “Leave the Memories Alone”.
Here’s a nifty video of the upcoming Just Cause 2
Eddie Fatu just passed away from a heart attack at the age of 36. WWE fans know him as Umaga. Longtime wrestling fans remember him from the Island Boyz, Samoan Gangtas, and 3-Minute Warning teams. Fatu was part of the legendary Anoa’i wrestling family, which includes The Wild Samoans Afa and Sika, Rikishi, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He was one of my favorite big men for the last few years and it’s sad to see him go so young.
When I wrote about the Japanese release date for Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, few of you showed interest. Well, Konami has announced that the game will be released in North America on May 25, 2010. Are any of you interested now? It’s MGS! It’s Kojima! It’s Snake! Or is the fact that it’s a PlayStation Portable game kill your interest? In the immortal words of Information Society, “I wanna know…what you’re feeling. Tell me what’s on your mind!”
American Idol is one of my guilty pleasures. I can admit it and I’m not ashamed that I enjoy it. With all the season eight contestants’ albums out and Adam Lambert making news for his performance at the American Music Awards, I’m super psyched for season nine to start in January. Until then, I’ll have to make do with Lambert’s problems with the media. Here’s a funny clip from VoteForTheWorst:
Adam Lambert continues to fail miserably. In the wake of his AMA performance, ABC canceled his Good Morning America appearance. Now they’ve canceled his Jimmy Kimmel Live appearance and his appearance on Ryan Seacrest’s New Years Eve. DOUCHE FAIL. We hate to say we told you so, but we’re P R E S C I E N T as always.
Also, make sure to call 818-460-7477 and leave a message for ABC to ask them to cancel Adam Lambert’s interview with Barbara Walters as well. And also thank ABC for canceling all of his subsequent performances after the AMAs. Good taste, ABC. Good taste.
Honestly, I think Lambert is getting a raw deal because he’s gay. Yes, he put on an erotically charged performance at the AMAs…but so what?!? The show was on late and I believe he has a point that it was overly scrutinized because of his sexuality.
Anyway, I’m curious to hear your thoughts on the matter and to see if there’s anyone that enjoys American Idol too. There are going to be a bunch of AI articles coming in January. You’ve been warned.
Btw, Lambert’s album cover totally reminds me of Poison’s Look What the Cat Dragged In. Does anyone else see that? Here’s a picture of the Poison cover for reference.
Continue reading “I Have American Idol Fever…and Adam Lambert Continues to Fail”
