Sony Computer Entertainment America and DirecTV have announced that the popular NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package will be available on the PlayStation 3 for $339.95. The subscription will let gamers view every out-of-market NFL game. Considering that NFL football is the most popular sport in America, this is an enormous deal. Here’s more from Sony Computer Entertainment America senior vice president Philip Rosenberg:
At the start of the season, viewers who do not currently have access to DirecTV will be able to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket at the season price of $339.95. Existing DirecTV customers can access the service on their PS3 for an additional $50 and use the PS3 as an additional receiver for your home.
NFL Sunday Ticket is a DirecTV-exclusive sports package that offers:
Up to 14 NFL games every Sunday
Full HD for every football game
DirecTV’s Red Zone Channel
Like I said, this is a huge deal for the American market. With this announcement and the recent PlayStation 3 price cut, I wonder if any American consumers will use the PS3 as a way to compensate for DirecTV unavailability. $340 is a lot of money, but if you can’t get DirecTV then this is a reasonable option. Hell, if you can get DirecTV but don’t care about its programming packages then this can save you money in the long run.
Are any of you tempted by this deal? Imagine if the PS3 launched with this partnership? The console wars would have played out so differently in America. Also, where’s my Manchester City subscription package for real football?!? (Half-joke)
It was interesting to see CM Punk confront Kevin Nash on last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw. For those of you that aren’t up on the current storyline, Punk defeated John Cena on Sunday to retain the WWE Championship. Out of nowhere, Kevin Nash hit the ring and gave Punk a jackknife powerbomb. This opened the door for Alberto Del Rio to cash in his Money-in-the-Bank title shot to win the WWE Championship.
Punk was excellent last night, just as he’s been for the last few months. I was surprised that Nash was so flat. He’s usually great on the stick, but seemed a bit uncomfortable last night. It made me wonder if he got too used to the crowds at TNA (only a few hundred people) and forgot what it was like to work the mic in front of thousands.
The storyline is also…interesting. It looks like WWE is going with a , “Who done it?” plot. Nash got a text message from Triple H to pull a schmoz. I’m guessing that the message was sent from Hunter’s phone, but was sent by someone else. Stephanie McMahon is the obvious choice since she obviously has access to her husband’s phone. John Laurinaitis is another possibility. Either way my writing in the last two SmackDown vs. Raw games was much better. Ha!
Let me know what you think of CM Punk, Kevin Nash, and this current storyline when you have a chance. Who do you think sent the text message to Big Daddy Cool?
CM Punk has been killing it on WWE Monday Night Raw and has been lauded for making the show the most interesting it’s been in a long, long time. All of the praise is deserved. Punk has been amazing on Raw and deserves credit for carrying the most compelling WWE angle of 2011. While most wrestling fans have their eyes on Raw, SmackDown has been quietly improving. WWE’s Friday show usually has the better wrestling, but lately it has been evolving into a unique and complete show. Here are three reasons why I’ve been marking out for SmackDown.
1) Bryan Danielson: A lot of you know that I’m a big Daniel Bryan fan and have been following his career since his Ring of Honor days. I believe that he’s currently the best mat wrestler in WWE and a phenomenal talent. While he has yet to find his groove on the mic in WWE, he has wrestled some fantastic matches that remind me of classic NWA bouts I loved in the ’80s and ’90s. He has a brilliant style that blends modern moves with old-school technique. I’m looking forward to seeing the build-up to his WrestleMania title shot.
2) WWE Divas That Can Wrestle: The Divas division has been a joke for far too long. That’s changing on SmackDown. They’re actually letting the ladies wrestle — a novel idea, hey?!? Two of my current favorites, AJ Lee and Nattie Neidhart, have taken advantage of their wrestling time, showing that WWE Divas can put on great matches. I love that SmackDown is showcasing women that can actually work a match. I especially love that AJ is getting airtime. She wrestles, plays videogames, and reads comics. All nerds should love and support her.
3) Sheamus vs. Mark Henry: I’m absolutely shocked that this angle is working. I’m amazed that Henry’s “monster” angle has made him the most interesting he has ever been in his career. I’m surprised that the fans took to Sheamus’ face turn so quickly. He was such a great heel and a fantastic villainous champion. The writers didn’t have much for him to do so they turned him face and the fans are loving it. If you had told me two months ago that monster Henry vs. face Sheamus would be a popular SmackDown angle then I would have called you nuts. Eventually, Henry will run out of steam and he’ll revert to the world’s strongest jobber. What’s really fun is watching Sheamus evolve. He has already proven that he can be a great heel and I’m curious to see if he can be a great face.
Raw is the flagship show and that’s never going to change, but don’t ignore SmackDown. There are great things happening on WWE’s “other” show.
After our interesting discussion on Miles Morales, the multiracial Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, it was great watching Stephen Colbert attack the issue with faux indignation. Colbert was his typically hilarious self, but especially funny to comic-book nerds. I was thinking about one of our other discussion when he brought up the fact that Superman is an illegal alien. It’s fantastic stuff, but what else do you expect from Colbert?
You must check out this outstanding Game of Thrones RPG video by College Humor. It pokes fun at the popular HBO fantasy series by portraying some of its sillier situations in an 8-bit RPG. Give it a go and let me know what you think (please)!
I strongly suggest watching the Balrog: Behind the Glory faux documentary. It’s an incredibly well done look at Street Fighter’s Balrog (Mike Bison in Japan) that aired during this year’s Evo Championship Series. It’s a little over 12 minutes, but definitely worth watching. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it! Kindly check it out and let me know what you think.
I had a great time at Comic Con 2011. It was lots of fun freelancing for secret company. It’s always enjoyable watching fellow geeks celebrate geek culture. There was lots of celebrity watching to do. And…
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, the rolling camera bag of your dreams, Amir Khan’s drubbing of Zab Judah, or the passing of Amy Winehouse, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
I had a great time at Comic Con 2011. It was lots of fun freelancing for secret company. It’s always enjoyable watching fellow geeks celebrate geek culture. There was lots of celebrity watching to do. And it was awesome hanging out with new and old friends from the videogame business. Unfortunately, my hotel was far away from the convention and it would have been difficult lugging my laptop around, so I didn’t get a chance to “hang out” with y’all. I missed you! Now onto some random thoughts on Comic Con 2011.
– The videogame panels I attended were fantastic. I loved watching hundreds — sometimes thousands — of fans cheer for games and game creators. Unlike DICE, GDC, and E3, Comic Con is open to the public. Watching “real people” mark out over seeing Altair in the Assassin’s Creed: Revelations trailer or geeking out over seeing Cliff Bleszinski was a treat for me. I’m hardly one of those “jaded videogame journalists”, but it was still refreshing, invigorating, and charming watching fans be fans.
– All that said, some of the Q&A sessions were painful. Some people asked moronic questions. Some people didn’t listen to the moderator’s instructions for the Q&A portion of the panel. Some people asked questions as if they were stoned, saying…one…word…every…five…seconds. Yeah, I realize that some people get nervous speaking in public and others are so excited to meet game creators, but there were times when I wanted to bash my head in with my monopod during Q&A.
– The kids loved the new footage from the upcoming Beavis & Butthead. I am so completely down for this. It will crack me up and transport me to a simpler time. Remind me to tell you about the “Summer of Beavis” some time.
– The buzz on comic-book movies was similar to the thoughts here. Most of the people I chatted with were amped for The Dark Knight Rises. Opinions were split on The Avengers trailer. The Spider-Man reboot received a ton of flak. Most of it was because a lot of people feel that it’s too soon for a reboot, but part of it was because some fans hate the new costume.
– During the Star Wars: Kinect panel, most of my friends in the videogame business had the same reaction: “Crap! Now I have to buy another Xbox 360.” It’s completely awesome and the noises it makes are giggle inducing. The Gears of War 3 limited edition looks cool, but isn’t nearly as charming as the R2D2 Xbox 360.
– A lot of my friends were dogging on the DC Universe reboot. I’m mostly looking forward to it. The biggest bummer for me is that Red Robin will not have his own book. I suppose the manly answer would have been being upset that Wonder Woman will no longer be showing off her legs in every panel.
– My party highlight was actually between parties. After Ignition’s fine shindig for El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, I bumped into a bunch of pals from Future. Among them was the super sexy, super fun, and super cool Annette Cardwell. I drunkenly latched onto her for 11 minutes. Sorry Annette! (bsukenyan, I saw Carolyn too! It’s always great to see her…especially when there’s drinking involved.)
– My only party faux pas (that I remember) was spitting up a bunch of my Jack & Coke when a PR lady asked me, “Are you still dating Zoe Flower?” A text message to Canada was sent immediately after the incident.
– During the Street Fighter X Tekken panel, the kid behind me said, “LOL,” “GG,” and “IDK.” I wanted to slap him. After thinking about it for a few minutes, I wanted to slap his mother for letting her son speak in such an idiotic manner. Kids these days….
Deepak Chopra is going to talk about Batman at Comic Con 2011. How awesome is that?!? I suddenly find myself scheduled to attend Comic Con…and I couldn’t be happier! This year’s show looks awesome…
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, Kona Mountain Coffee’s peaberry dark roast, Samsung finally confirming the Galaxy S II for an August release in America, or Shaq kicking off his NBA TV career by dissing Chris Bosh, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Deepak Chopra is going to talk about Batman at Comic Con 2011. How awesome is that?!? I suddenly find myself scheduled to attend Comic Con…and I couldn’t be happier! This year’s show looks awesome. Check out the amazing panel content slated for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Whether it’s the latest videogames, comic books, movies, or TV shows, Comic Con has it covered.
What Comic Con 2011 content or information are you looking forward to? Are you jazzed for the Halo Universe panel? Psyched for more information on The Avengers, Batman, and Spider-Man movies? Looking forward to George R.R. Martin talking about Game of Thrones season two and what’s next in A Song of Ice and Fire? Let me know what you’re into and I’ll try to dig up more 411 for you while I’m at the show. Please keep in mind that I’m attending a show for another publication (I’ll tell you later) and have to serve them first.
Over the weekend I watched the first two episodes of the new ThunderCats cartoon. It debuts on Cartoon Network on Friday July 29. I loved the original Rankin/Bass cartoon as a kid and was really happy with the new show. It’s a nice blend of classic ThunderCats elements with modern twists. I’ll have a full review of the show next week. For now, here are some random thoughts and factoids on the premiere.
– In the original show, the ThunderCats left their dying planet to begin life anew on Third Earth. This time around it looks like the planet is set. The ThunderCats are the most powerful race on the planet and rule from their kingdom of Thundera. In the original it was clear that the ThunderCats were the good guys and the mutants were the bad guys. Things are a bit cloudier in the modernization. These ThunderCats seem elitist and snobbish, while the other races seem oppressed by and fearful of them.
– The voice acting is solid so far, with some cool highlights. I immediately recognized Clancy Brown as Grune. Brown totally owned as Kurgan in Highlander and Lex Luthor in Superman the Animated Series. It’s going to take me a few episodes to get used to Emmanuelle Chriqui as Cheetara. She did a good job in the episodes I saw, but I kept hearing Sloan from Entourage in my head. Part of me was looking for E and Johnny Drama whenever she was in a scene.
– Here are two minor changes for you. First, Tygra and Lion-O are brothers. Lion-O is the true son of King Claudus and heir to the throne. Tygra is adopted, but starts off the series as better equipped to ruile. The second change is that Cheetara belongs to the cleric class. I’m not sure what religious purpose they serve, but all the clerics shown possess super speed. Perhaps they’re a warrior clan?
– Here are two major change for you. Snarf doesn’t talk. This makes him five-billion percent better than the original, annoying-as-hell Snarf. Secondly, Jaga kicks all sorts of ass. In the original, he was an old warrior that spouted fortune cookie wisdom (also a total Obi-Wan Kenobi rip-off). The new Jaga is leader of the clerics and still spouts the fortune cookie stuff, but kicks ass with super speed! Considering his namesake (jaguar, for any stupid kids reading this), it makes total sense that he’s a speedster.
– The classic chants and battle cries are in the show. Of course they are. The fanboys would have rioted without, “ThunderCats ho!!!” and, “Ancient spirits of evil, transform this decayed form…”
– WilyKit and WilyKat look to be much improved too. I hated both of them in the original (though not as much as I hated Snarf). Either I’ve gotten softer in my advanced age or the new WilyKit and WilyKat are much more endearing than their forerunners. (Both are probably true.) The re-imagined siblings are poor thieves that steal to survive. They appear to be orphans or runaways. Think of them as twin Artful Dodgers…but with tails…and cat ears…and, oh never mind.
– Panthro is old. I haven’t seen the “real” Panthro yet, but his shots in the press materials make him look considerably older than the other ThunderCats. Since he hasn’t appeared yet, I don’t know too much about him. What I do know is that he’s a general, he uses nunchuks, and he needs to join Hair Club for ThunderCats.
– Jaga referenced a prophecy that said that the greatest lord of the ThunderCats will possess sight beyond sight. Make what you will of that.
Anyway, let me know what you think of the new ThunderCats when you have a chance. Are you intrigued? Or are you afraid of one of your childhood memories being tarnished? As for me, I’m definitely going to keep watching the show. I wish I could say more, but I’m muzzled like a good ThunderDog at the moment. Stay tuned for the full review next week!
WWE Money in the Bank 2011 was the best non-WrestleMania WWE PPV I’ve seen in years. The wrestling was strong and the results were outstanding for Internet marks. For fans that prefer pro-wrestlers that can actually wrestle (sadly, not always the talent pushed by WWE), this was a refreshing and satisfying show. Here are some results and random thoughts.
Daniel Bryan Bryan Danielson Won the SmackDown MitB Match: This was an outstanding match full of high spots, believable near finishes, and a bit of power wrestling thrown in. All the credit goes to the diverse talent that managed to work well together. There were crazy high-flying spots, nice bits of technical wrestling, and tremendous power moves throughout the match. I’m a huge Bryan Danielson fan and was thrilled that he got the nod. The Chicago crowd was into the win too, which wasn’t too surprising since Ring of Honor often has shows in Chicago Ridge and Danielson has loads of fans in the area.
I was actually surprised by the result. Even though I’m a huge fan of Danielson, WWE seems to have cooled on him lately. He’s an outstanding technical wrestler, but he’s also smaller than the guys the writers usually push. The big fear among Danielson fans is that he becomes the first guy to fail miserably when cashing in the MitB title shot.
Some Divas Match Happened: I was completely uninterested in the match so I went to get a drink, pee, and read email. I was really excited about the Divas division when Awesome Kong (Kharma) was in the mix. Now it’s back to the same old pretty girls with limited abilities when it really should be about Beth Phoenix and Nattie Neidhart ruling the division — you know, two women that can actually wrestle.
Mark Henry Beat The Big Show: My expectations for this match were low and I was pleasantly surprised by what these two put together. Henry looked monstrous and Show did a great job of selling. It was hardly a classic, but Henry and Show wrestled an above average big-man match.
Alberto Del Rio Won the Raw MitB Match: This wasn’t nearly as good as the SmackDown MitB match, but I’m still pleased with the result. Del Rio has been lost in the shuffle for more than a month and it’s great to see that he’ll be in the title hunt. He does have a fabricated “issue” since the status of the WWE title is up in the air. (Yes, I just spoiled the main event for you.)
As for the match itself, it was good, but it was hard to follow the excellent SmackDown match. It’s odd that they unmasked Mysterio for a bit. I wonder if the writers will use that for more Del Rio vs. Mysterio matches until the CM Punk situation is resolved. The Miz did a great job heeling it up and keeping the crowd involved. Evan Bourne Matt Sydal probably had the high-spot of the night with his crazy shooting-star press from the ladder. Kofi and Swagger were good, but I was hoping for more out of them since I want them do get pushed. This match didn’t take either to a new level.
Christian Won the World Heavyweight Championship: I love that Christian won the belt, but I hated how he won it. It was good in terms of putting heat on Christian and putting Randy in a position to chase the belt (he’s better chasing than as champion), but it made Christian look kind of lame. He’s a great wrestler and he got to show some of that ability in this match, but he’s capable of more. It’s kind of weird thinking that Christian had better matches in TNA.
CM Punk Beat John Cena for the WWE Championship: Wow. This was just an outstanding match. It had great wrestling, fantastic storytelling and an awesome result. It was definitely the right way to get in terms of storytelling. So many different angles and opportunities are now opened up. Cena put on a good effort, but Punk really carried him to a great match. This was the best WWE main event I’ve seen in years (that didn’t involve Shawn Michaels).
On a side note, it was awesome to see Colt Cabana and Ace Steel in the crowd. Cabana is a close friend of Punk’s and wrestled in WWE as Scotty Goldman. He came up with Punk and they wrestled together in the indies. Steel was one of Punk’s early trainers and they also wrestled together in the indies.
Closing Thoughts: I loved this PPV. The right guys won. The wrestling was mostly great. For Internet marks like me, this was an amazing show. I’m pretty sure Summer Slam 2011 is screwed. Even with The Rock making an appearance, I doubt it will top this show.
