Nostalgia can be a hell of a drug, kids… but sometimes, it can also suck ass. As much of a time killer as this was back in the day, this is one of those games that simply do not hold up. And I don’t even think it’s that bad of a game… up to a point.
TNA Bound For Glory 2008
Another year, another Bound For Glory PPV event, another Bound For Glory main event featuring Sting challenging for the World title… again. I’ve got little to say about this edition, as I was largely ignoring TNA for the most part, so we’ll see if this is at least better than last year’s show that I sampled last week.
Atari Cinematic Universe when, Civvie? (And also, WHY?)
From Deadline.com is an article reporting that Atari Inc. has inked a deal with Universal Pictures to develop ten of their classic video game properties into theatrical motion pictures, with the first project being a screenplay by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe, to be produced by Entertainment 360… they don’t specific what particular IP this is adapting, but according to the article, Universal has the rights to make movies based on the following Atari properties.
Get a load of this, folks. We’ve got ASTEROIDS… we’ve got ADVENTURE… we’ve got BERZERK… we’ve got BREAKOUT… CENTIPEDE… CRYSTAL CASTLES; I can see a possible Bentley Bear franchise if that ends up being a winner… MILLIPEDE, so we already know Centipde might get a sequel… MISSILE COMMAND, which, yeah, I could see a movie out of that… PONG… yes, PONG is getting a movie… and finally YARS’ REVENGE, which might be the only one that has some basis for a possible feature film.
Now the rest of it, though… yeah, I question why things like GRAN TURISMO or CALL OF DUTY are getting movie adaptations, but at least, those are recent gaming properties that people are widely familiar with and are still being played today. But when someone tells me that they’re going to make a movie about PONG, which is just two lines and a dot bouncing around the screen… this is CollegeHumor-levels of parody we’re dealing with here.
But here’s the thing, though; is there any real, genuine interest from the movie-going audience in seeing movies based on very old, very ancient Atari arcade titles? And most of all, how do you make movies based on these things and make them interesting? These are old arcade titles with the barest minimum of substance. How do you make a movie about blasting asteroids? How do you make a movie about BREAKOUT? BERZERK… I don’t know, maybe… MISSILE COMMAND might have something to it… ADVENTURE is just fill in the blanks… YARS REVENGE has something there… but explain to me how you make a movie about PONG?
And then explain to me why anyone would want to make movies about these games, let alone watch them… and I’m not asking that in any dismissive fashion, as if to say, “Who the fuck is gonna watch this shit?” I’m genuinely curious as to why anyone believes that people would want to see movies based on these very old and simplistic Atari games that, outside of those few who still play these old Atari games… is there an audience out there that is absolutely clamoring for an Atari cinematic universe to come along and exist among all the other IPs being farmed for content fodder that is going to get a bit of a buzz, get released, and then quickly forgotten about to make way for the next big thing.
I mean, if you’re an old-school Atari fan and you’re excited about this news, I’m curious as to why… because as someone who grew up playing Atari and still plays Atari in some fashion, I have no interest in these potential films whatsoever… but then again, I must be missing something because apparently, there is an interest in making these arcade titles into movies.
So… I don’t know… we’ll see how this develops and who knows? Maybe that first movie gives us a good first impression and maybe grabs some eyeballs. And hey, if they produce a trailer worth a damn that sells me on whatever they’re doing, I’ll give it a shot… on streaming, of course. I haven’t had the urge to watch a movie in theaters since Superman.
COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (2026) #2
When last we saw our heroes, they were being overwhelmed by a new villain that’s a rehash of an old villain in Rita Rabiosa and one of their own has seemingly decided to set their communicator on Do Not Disturb, hence why they’re not answering the call. Also, I had a lot more questions than I had answers and was hoping that this issue would at least fill in some holes that desperately needed filling.
Well, about that…
Continue reading “COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (2026) #2”
Review #1348 – DuckTales Remastered (PC)
Honestly wasn’t going to do this one, but hey, I had it on Steam and I’ve been on a bit of a DuckTales kick (for better or worse) and I figured… why not? A couple musical changes were needed here and there, but other than that, I thought this turned out quite well.
Kind of a odd thing in getting around to this one, listening to these tenured voice actors providing vocals for their iconic characters for what would turn out to be one of their last performances before their passing.
Sooner Or Later… We Need To Have That Talk…
A lot of news (and certainly a lot of noise as well) circulating regarding Sony’s recent announcements of sorts. As I’ve teased in the State Of The Blog a couple weeks ago, I have a lot of thoughts on the matter and unfortunately, some folks might not like what I have to say because it reveals a reality that none of us want to really admit about the industry and our collective roles in creating the state that this hobby is currently in.
But that talk is not today.
The truth is that this has been a subject that has been weighing on me for almost a decade and I never really felt the need to rock that boat because I’m a relatively significant voice in a wider pool of sharks and influencers that cry out louder to reach farther people. And it’s a discussion of sorts that I’ve held off having because I have so many thoughts about this and so many developments that have come along the way sort of pushed those thoughts aside for the short term.
But we’ve reached a point where that time to share this perspective on an industry might be looming sooner than I would like. And if we are going to have this talk, I’m going to be put everything on the table. Again, a lot of what I might say about this situation is going to rub a lot of people the wrong way and I am not oblivious to the fact that some of these realizations make my stomach turn a bit – and considering my digestive conditioning, that’s one area that doesn’t require much of a push. Which is why I’m taking my time with this. I want to cover all my bases, I want to clearly define where I’m coming from and why I’m going there, and most of all, I want people to understand that there is considerable amounts of condemnation to go around on both sides of the argument – and I’ll throw myself into the mix because from my perspective, I’m also to blame for the predicament we find ourselves in.
When the time comes – and I promise that time will be sooner than later – it’ll be scorched earth.
But not THAT Scorched Earth.
That’s the good kind.
Later.
Rebuilding The Megazord
I want to backtrack back to Once And Always, the 30th Anniversary special that aired on Netflix a couple years back. Heard a few people inquiry about how they were able to bring back a bunch of stuff – whether it’d be old powers, old zords, or whatnots. I’d like to offer some simple theories as to how this may be.
Review #1347 – X-Men Vs. Street Fighter (Super NES)
The Mutant Apocalypse that is Taiwan Bootlegging has infected the X-Men Vs. Street Fighter universe that exists somewhere in the multiverse of madness. Take a ride down this (not quite) interesting (enough) software and instantly regret it.
The Final Frontier For Now Begins
As a courtesy and reminder, tonight marks the premiere of the fourth and penultimate season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as we begin the long voyage towards what may very well be the final days of this current Trek era. When the opportunity permits itself, I shall endeavor to give the season a watch and offer some brief thoughts, but I will probably reserve judgment until the season is over.
For now, let us all just be fans and enjoy the show.
On a related note, if you haven’t gotten a chance to do so, I would suggest giving IDW’s Star Trek: The Last Starship a shot. The premise is a little wild for some people’s tastes, but it is genuinely one of the few pieces of Star Trek media produced in the past decade that’s pretty damned good. Tells a good story, has some interesting characters and plotpoints, the art has been a constant highlight, whether it was the original artist or the one they’ve got doing the issues now. Good stuff. Highly recommended. The one comic that’s keeping my interest throughout and not letting me down… which is a rarity these days.
Lap.
Review #1346 – Spectre (Super NES)
Honestly, regardless of the actual game, I remain largely impressed with the technical aspects of Spectre on SNES. More on this in the video above.