Trippin' Through the Mushroom Kingdom

Good ol' Target! They always seem to come through for those gamers who are watching their wallets. (I may be a little biased, seeing how it was Target who introduced me to my Wii!). Well, this week they have have over 30 Nintendo DS titles on sale for $24!!! All games that are $29.99 and above are on sale, and you better believe that I took full advantage of that. I picked up 3 brand spankin' new titles, all leading to the Mushroom Kingdom. I'm currently juggling all three titles, jumping from one to the other after a few levels. (So I'm impatient! Sue me!) And I must admit, that all three have proven to be thoroughly entertaining.
First off is Yoshi's Island DS. This game is completely fun, and, so far, has been my favorite of the three. (Only because I've been playing it the most. That may change once I give the other 2 games some more face time). If you've ever played Yoshi's Island before, than you know what to expect. It's fun, it's whimsical, and, at times, is just too cute for words. (You just gotta love all the baby versions, of the Mario gang!) Once again, those curious li'l Mario babies find themselves in trouble, and it is up to the Yoshi's to make things right. The game is very colorful, making full use of both of the DS's screen for scenery. The touchscreen does not really come into play as much as you would expect, but the game is so captivating that you hardly notice (or care!). 2 worlds in, I find myself anxiously awaiting a return to the game. All in all, I highly recommend this title. Definitely a welcome addition to my collection.Next, I picked up Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis. This game is much more of a puzzle-type than a classic side-scroller. It's the classic story of ape meets girl, girl likes plumber, ape kidnaps girl, plumber rescues girl. It's a story that dates all the way back to the first Mario Bros. video game. In this game, you control little wind-up toy versions of Mario as you guide them through various assorted mazes. Each has its own trick to solving it. The point is to get all your mini Marios through the maze unscathed. The levels are fun and inventive, progressively more difficult as you go along. The animation is great, and those little wind-up guys are just fun to watch. One cool feature of this game is the option to create your own mazes, and then upload them through Wi-Fi for others to solve. I've yet to try that feature, but I'm sure it'll be a blast. I've gone through to the first boss battle in this game, and have become addicted.Next is Wario: Master of Disguise. Now, I had been excited for this title for a while. I've recently been exposed more and more to Wario, and come to appreciate the disgustingly lovable guy for all he is: greedy, self-centered, rude, and nasty. Both Warioware games that I own (Smooth Moves and Touched), have been fun collections of micro games that help to pass the time. Master of Disguise is the first time we see The Big W in an all out adventure of his own. The gimmick of this title is that as you progress through the adventure, you gain costumes that each endow Wario with special powers. Along the way you find that each costume has its advantages, and helps you to progress through the game. Each costume is attached to a specific stylus move on the touchscreen, and it is also used to play various mini games sprinkled throughout the game. So far the game has been enjoyable. It's definitely has the Wario brand of humor that we've all come to know and love. My only real concern is the sensitivity of the touchscreen when it comes to activating the costumes. Sometimes the strokes are read wrong, or sometimes it reacts a bit too late. But I'm willing to overlook that just for the sheer novelty of the game. It's pretty fun, and classic Wario.On a side note, a few weeks back I picked up a game called Spectrobes for the DS. Now, I've been seen advertisements popping up for this game in Game Informer and on TV. I didn't really pay that much attention to them, though. I finally decided to research it a bit, and I gotta say, my interest was peeked. Billed as Disney's answer to Pokemon, the game has many layers to it. You're part of an intergalactic police force, sent to investigate these mysterious black vortexes and creatures that have been appearing on various planets. You learn that ancient, now extinct, creatures known as Spectrobes are the only known things able to fight this mysterious phenomenon. You must make your way through the galaxy, digging for Spectrobe fossils, reanimating them, building them up, and then using them in battle against the black vortexes and the creatures that lay within them. Like Pokemon, the point is to collect as many Spectrobes as you can. Also like Pokemon, your Spectrobes can grow and evolve. You use minerals that you also dig up to help build their stats. The fighting style is vastly different than Pokemon, though. It is not turn-based, and the animation is more dynamic. The game features a card input system as well, allowing you to import weapons, upgrades, and even Spectrobes. You can also download items through Wi-Fi. Every Friday you are awarded 10 DL points that can be used for downloading content such as videos, weapons, minerals, upgrades, and Spectrobes. Although the digging does get a little tedious, the game does have its charm. Like Pokemon, you get caught up in the rush of trying to build up your collection of creatures, which are both impressive and imaginative.

It's a good time to be a gamer. Despite the Next-Gen and Portable console wars, Nintendo has consistently come up with fun and innovative games. My DS and my Wii have yet to let me down, and my Gamecube was the best console I had ever owned (It's spirit and games live on in my Wii). It provided me with countless hours of joy and entertainment. And in the end, isn't that what really matters? I recommend these games to anyone looking for some fun and distraction from the real world. When was the last time YOU visited the Mushroom Kingdom? (Isn't it about time you went back? I think it is!)

King Of Swing!

This weekend was the big on-sale for the Spider-Man 3 movie toys. The big three: Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys 'R Us, were all having events and tie-ins associated with the releases. So, of course, I got sucked into the hype. The big deal with this movie, and subsequently with the toys, is the appearance of Venom and the Symbiote costume. I took it on myself to hunt down all the Venom and Black-Costumed Spideys in the set. (I know, I'm just a big kid at heart! I can't wait for this movie!) Our day started off bright and early at the Wal-Mart.There were a few people there already waiting, but I didn't think it was for the Spidey toys just by looking at them. When they opened those doors, everyone made a mad rush to the toy aisles. Now, I had gone in there knowing that Wal-Mart was going to be carrying an exclusive Spider-Man toy (Above), so I made that my priority. I had one of my brothers with me, so that helped a lot. While he scavanged for our predetermined list of figures, I concentrated on searching for the exclusives. I found 3, grabbed 2, and someone else snagged the last one. (SCORE!!) There is a Venom version of the figure as well, but it is going to be released in the following weeks. (So, now we play the waiting game!)Most of the people there were older, grandparents and parents, and they were following our lead as to what would be the hottest toys to grab. They kept rummaging through our cart, eyeballing our every move. It was a bit unsettling, but in the end we came out with what we set out to get. There isn't a New Goblin or a Sandman in my haul, but I'm pretty sure those will be the common figures. So here is the breakdown of what we got:

Web Capture Venom and Spinning Symbiote Attack Venom:Super Kick Attack Spider-Man and Super Articulated Spider-Man (Black Costume):Super Articulated Spider-Man (Red Costume) and Symbiote Attack Spider-Man:Spider-Man vs. Venom Symbiote Ooze Figure and Venom Jaw Trap Ooze Figure:Target also had an exclusive Sandman vs. Spider-Man Battle Pack, so I picked one up as well:And these little guys here, the Super Mini Heroes, were just too cute to pass up! Especially Venom with his little tongue sticking out! (Yeah, I know, no need to say it!):And earlier in the week, I happened upon these little guys as well at our local Target (They are already hanging on my wall, as you can tell by this picture!):All in all, it was a good haul. Only a few figures here and there that I'd like to find, but no rush. (When all else fails, eBay!) We hit as many of our local stores as possible. For being an event, Wal-Mart was the only on that seemed to treat it as such. The Targets where either understocked or cleaned out, while the Toys 'R Us were true disappointments. Anywho, the exclusives made it all worthwhile, I'm sure they'll just increase in value as time goes on. (They only made 3000 of those Wal-Mart exclusive Black-Costumed Spideys!) My next big toy binge will probably be for the Transformers movie toys, but that will probably be in Late May or June. Until then, I gotta find room for all this stuff!

Thanks, Cobi!

Earlier this morning, Los Angeles Galaxy and U.S. National Soccer Team great Cobi Jones announced his retirement at the end of this 2007 season. At age 37, Jones is the only player in the MLS's history to play for the same team since it's inception. Cobi has been a local favorite, as well as a hero to many kids wanting to grow up to play soccer professionally. He's been an icon and a pioneer in exposing soccer to a largely clueless American public. He's been an integral component of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and will be greatly missed. Hopefully he'll stick around in a more formal capacity with the team he managed to build here in Los Angeles. Thanks for all the wonderful memories, Cobi. Let's make this last year, one to remember! (How about one more championship before retirement, huh?)

Wizard World Wrap-Up!

Well, Los Angeles has seen the arrival and the departure of another Wizard World convention. We headed up to the Los Angeles Convention Center this past Saturday to count ourselves amongst the geeky masses. We arrived around 11am (Festivities kicked off at 10am!), and immediately we found ourselves surrounded by "celebrities". I only use the quotation marks because by celebrity I mean Jerri Manthey from Survior. She was walking slightly ahead of us through the parking structure, and up the escalator into the main hall of the Convention Center. Before registering, we detoured into the Starbucks that is in the Center itself for a little caffeine pick-me-up. Little did we know we'd end up running into Stone Cold Steve Austin, and some rabid WWE fans that were pestering him for autographs and photos. (Mind you, this is all before we even entered the event itself!) With coffee in hand (Strawberries 'N Creme Frappuccino, in my case), we proceeded to the preregistration line to pick up our exclusive comics. (Captain America #25 with the Wizard World Variant Cover is already selling for $30-$40 dollars on eBay, and some vendors on site were paying $20 per issue). We got our badges (Shown above), and walked onto the floor. Right away we were surprised at just how small the actual space was. (I guess that Comic-Con spoiled us for any other conventions we may ever attend in the future. Oh, Comic-con! I wish I knew how to quit you!!) Right away, things were looking up for your's truly. The Marvel Comics booth was right in front of the entrance we came in through, and I was able to snag a free copy of The Dark Tower sketchbook that I had been desperately desiring. (I just had to sign up to their website, which I was already a member of).After that, we headed on over to the Diamond Select booth where I wanted to pick up another Wizard World exclusive. For just $7 I picked up a set of these cute little guys. These are the first Spider-Man 3 Mini Mates that have been released for sale. The set includes Spidey in his regular duds, and Spidey in his sleeker black outfit. (Looks more slimming, in my opinion!). I was in the Spidey mood on Saturday, sporting a Spider-Man logo t-shirt that I had gotten from CityWalk on my birthday, and a black Spider-Man hooded sweater that my mom had given me for no particular reason other than she loves me! (Said sweater caught the eye of many a geek, causing them to inquire about where to aquire one!)Afterwards, we just decided to stroll the rest of the floor, with no particular objective. I had a few items in mind that I wanted to search for, some busts and some books. I picked up a copy of Wolverine: Origins #12 early on ($3), and that was pretty much it for my book purchases, except for a couple of issues of Supergirl that I bought for my girlfriend. We saw the typical array of costumed geeks, but not nearly as many as at Comic-Con. (That squadron of Troopers above were probably the best ones). And seeing how it was such as small space to walk around in, we ran into quite a couple of celebrities, some within arms length.I already mentioned Stone Cold Steve Austin and Jerri Manthey. Not too long after our arrival onto the floor, we stumbled across Doug Jones. (He played Abe Sapien in Hellboy, and is The Silver Surfer in the upcoming Fantastic Four sequel). He's a tall and gangly gentleman, but from all appearances, a very nice guy. He seemed very patient and generous with the fans. Gene Simmons from Kiss was walking the floor with his son and camera crew in tow. (Filming for his reality show, perhaps?) Lou Ferrigno, TV's very own Incredible Hulk was there, as was Louis Gossett, Jr. for some reason. The Wizard booth was hosting David Arquette, who was promoting a movie he has written and directed called "The Tripper". But, by far, the cutest celebrity sighting award goes to Kristen Bell (Seen Above), who just happened to look towards me as I snapped that picture. I don't watch Veronica Mars, but after seeing her in person, I've been having a really difficult time coming up with a reason why.Nothing much more eventful than that. After a few hours of walking the floor, I dedicated some time to really searching for those gems that I had been looking for. One of which was that awesome looking Megatron mini-bust that you see above. The dude at the booth cut me a deal, $10 off the retail price. (What a bargain!)(There is a companion piece to it, an Optimus Prime mini-bust, but there was no luck finding one on the floor. Wish List!) UPDATE: Found the Optimus Prime mini bust this past Saturday at the Suncoast movie store, of all places. The collection is now complete, and the peasants rejoice!!












I also picked up a nice looking set of statues based on Jim Lee's artwork. Based on the series "Batman: Hush", these 2 statues depict Superman and Batman in their majestic, super-heroic best. These are the first full-blown statues that I've bought, I mostly stick to mini-busts and the like. There was just something about these that caught my attention ever since I first laid eyes on them. I managed to snag them at a reasonable set price from my local comic shop's booth. (It's always nice to run into a friendly face). They're companion pieces, depicting 2 sides of the same coin. In the comic, these two reluctant friends come to blows, and it's always cool when Bruce and Clark square off.After that, the money was all gone, and we saw it fit to make an exit. We didn't spend nearly as much time there as we did at Comic-Con, but then again, it wasn't nearly as large either. We managed to walk the floor at least 3 times in the few hours we were there, and saw everything we wanted to see. I'm still debating whether or not to go to Comic-Con this year, but it's very hard to give it up once you've had a taste, especially since our first time was so eventful. Thanks to Wizard for a fun time. Thanks to the vendors for the sweet deals. Thanks to my girl friend for putting up, and coming to terms, with the fact that she is dating a geek. And thanks to you, loyal reader, for listening to my rants. See Ya Next Time!

The World of the Wizards

This Saturday my brothers, my girl, and I make our first ever trek to the Wizard World in Los Angeles. Located in the L.A. Convention Center (Which I've never been to either!), it is a more local, scaled-down version of the San Diego Comic-Con. (You can revisit our journey to Comic-Con here and here). We purchased our tickets a few weeks ago, and with our advance purchase we get an exclusive Wizard-World variant version of Captain America #25 (The coveted "Death of Captain America" issue!), as well as a few other goodies. As always, I'll have a complete report and wrap-up, with pictures, of our experience there. (Also a report on all the loot I may pick up!) Check back for that, and a lot more, including our approach to the start of the new Los Angeles Galaxy season. (Can you say David Beckham? I knew you could!)

Throw Another Candle On The Cake!!

I'm 28 today! Woo-Hoo! That means one more wrinkle, one more gray hair, one more spare tire (maybe two!). Anywho, it's been 2 days of B-Day celebration, and I'd like to thank everyone that took part in the festivities. Thank you all for your love, your friendship, and your memories. Let's do it all again next year! Whadda' say??

Big Coffin Hunting

Issue #2 of The Dark Tower comic book series hit the stands yesterday, and I can only say that it just keeps getting better and better. The Dark Tower series is one that is rich in backstory and characters and mythology and ideology. There are so many characters and so many aspects of the Stephen King universe that come into play, that it is hard to see it as a singular entity away from stories like "It" or "The Stand" or "'Salem's Lot". So I understand the massive undertaking that Joe Quesada and the good folks at Marvel have placed on their highly capable shoulders. This being the case, I like what they have decided to do in order to expose the uninformed reader to other aspects of The Dark Tower that are not easily accessible by just reading the comics. Towards the end of each issue so far, there is placed a short story of sorts that tries to explain certain aspects of the entire story. The first issue explains the geography of Mid-World, and the "physics" that govern it. The Beams, The Portals, The Guardians, and The Dark Tower itself. (Sorry, no explanations here. If you're curious, you're just going to have to find out on your own!) The story, told as a lesson taught to a class, features Roland and his Ka-Tet (Group brought together by fate) shortly before the events of issue #1. This method is effective in that not only does it inform you of some very integral parts of the story, but it also shows you how it effects the characters that you are becoming familiar with in this journey. In issue #1 Roland bested his teacher, earned his guns, learned of his mother's deceit, and became a man in EVERY sense of the word. We last saw him in bed with a lady of the night, which is also how his father stumbled upon him. (DUM DUM DUM!!!)Now, in issue #2, we learn that despite some initial disappointment in his son, Steven Deschain learns that Roland has not forgotten the face of his father. That, in fact, all that he has gone through, the trial, the confrontation with his mother, has all been done in order to avenge the betrayal of his father. Disowning his mother, and vowing to kill the traitor, Marten Broadcloak, once advisor to his father. It was Marten who rushed Roland into the trials of manhood, expecting failure. But Roland, driven by both hatred and rage, would not accept failure. Steven, seeing the man his son now has become, bestows upon him a mission, one that Roland and his friends must undertake. This mission is not only meant to place Roland a safe distance from the menace of Marten, but also to gather intel on the enemies of the kingdom, plotting to bring forth the end Mid-World. In this issue we are introduced to the yang to Roland's ying, The Crimson King. As Roland is charged with the protection and preservation of The Dark Tower, The Crimson King seeks only to corrupt and destroy it. This is the first time we've seen any physical representation of the "King", and, I must say, the splash page used for his introduction is awe-inspiring. (At least I thought so!)
We learn that Marten works for the "King", which can only mean bad things for our heroes. Steven charges Roland to head East to the nearby Barony of Mejis, where we are introduced to Eldred Jonas, The Big Coffin Hunters, Rhea of the Coos, and Susan Delgado. We also learn of Maerlyn's Rainbow, 13 mystical orbs, each imbued with a special power, each carrying a curse for it's user. These are the major pieces that will play a larger role in the coming isses of this series. Primarily focusing on the plot of "The Wizard and Glass" (Book 4 in The Dark Tower Series), this is the place where major events in Roland and his Ka-Tet's lives take place.The short story at the end of this issue attempts to explain the origin of The Tower, the establishing of the Line of Eld in Mid-World, the birth of The Crimson King, and the creation of Maerlyn's Rainbow. There is plenty of material inspired by the stories of King Arthur and Camelot, and some pretty interesting connections into the world of Stephen King. What you have to keep in mind is that there are worlds other than this one. Some very much like ours, others on completely different paths. The Tower acts as a hub that unites them all in time and space. There are thin areas in each world that allow for access into others. There are demons and unspeakable evils that dwell in the dark places between worlds. By destroying The Tower, The Crimson King wishes to negate all of existence. It is up to Roland to prevent that from happening...by any means necessary. It becomes his quest, but also his obsession. So now, the players are in place, the scenery has been set, all that's left to do is watch the beginning of the end unfurl. See you back here for issue #3 next month. (Man, I LOVE this stuff!)

Where, Oh Where, Can They Be??

We've had a very unfortunate event take place this week. Our 2 beloved dogs managed to get out on Wednesday night, and haven't been seen or heard from since. It's been a very sad and lonely couple of days. My girlfriend in particular is taking it quite hard. We've been around the neighborhood searching for them, checked the pound and animal control, and posted flyers. There was one tip, but it lead to a dead end. We're hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. We just miss then a whole lot. I'll keep you posted.