Written commentaries. Unrelated to The Bite Commentary series or the Classic Bite Commentaries series.
Today’s DTM Blog Classic archive post is something of a chronicle, covering a subject matter that I’ve touched on multiple times over the course of the blog’s life time. The majority of posts took place in 2004-2005, but the final thoughts came in 2011, which is why this is backdated to 2011 rather than when the earliest posts were done.
Continue reading “DTM BLOG Classics #51 – Revisiting The “Secret Spider-Man” Movie”
(2024 Update: Look, I wanted to have a nice looking banner for this thing, but since this is about one of Jeff Hardy’s lowest low points that made air, the only “nice” thing this deserves a recycled shot of Jeff Hardy’s atrocious TNA World title redesign. Believe me; if the thought occurred to do a banner at the time, it’d be far less pleasant.)
At Victory Road 2011, Jeff Hardy showed up stoned for work and caused the main event match between Sting and himself to be reduced to a 88 second squash match. The PPV ends with the Impact Zone audience chanting “BULLSHIT” and Sting, the reigning TNA World Heavyweight Champion, agreeing with them. I recently had a chance to rewatch the main event in question and it’s almost chilling to see an audience who usually cheers for just about anything that TNA will throw at them, piss on their product with great passion and anger… and even more so for the company’s top guy to agree with their assessment.
I did a video log a couple days ago, wondering what the mindset was in letting the match go ahead as it did and wondering how anyone in their right mind would legitimately believe that this was the absolute best way to end a PPV that people paid money for. Even days later, I’m at a loss to rationalise this as something beneficial and even TNA themselves couldn’t find a way to rationalise this thought process, which explains their offer to give those who bought the PPV six months free access to their OnDemand service, which was a rather nice gesture and something that took balls for them to admit that they delivered a less-than-stellar product.
However, the fact that TNA allowed Jeff Hardy to perform when he was in no condition to do so and to allow the PPV, which had been, in my opinion at least, a respectable PPV of varying quality up to that point, to end on such a sour note speaks volumes of the incompetence and ineptitude of the management that runs this company. And the really sad thing is that the warning signs of something like this happening were in sight for a long time. Jeff Hardy may be a hell of a performer when he’s in top form and the guy may have legions of fans, but it’s also no secret that the guy has heavy drug issues, reliability issues, and is also face drug trafficking charges that could seriously hinder what little he has left of a reputation.
There was a good reason why all of his three reigns as WWE World Champion lasted less than a month (with one reign barely lasting a minute) and there was also a good reason why WWE eventually let him go. And while it might have been due to Hardy taking the time to heal injuries, I think it would have been a matter of time before Hardy struck out with WWE’s Wellness Policy (he had already suffered two strikes) due to his substance abuse problems that have been well documented. He certainly would have been fired when he got busted on account of drug trafficking shortly after his “farewell” and stuck legal battles and court cases that are ongoing to this day.
TNA signed a guy who was convicted of drug trafficking and has drug issues, which often translate into reliability issues that could jeopardize the safety of those he works with in the ring as well as jeopardize the promoted show. And on top of that, TNA eventually made said convicted drug trafficker and addict their World Champion despite all the common sense in the world saying that this is a bad idea. And the thing is that there had been a couple occasions prior to the Victory Road debacle where Jeff Hardy had been unfit to work. Most notably at TNA’s Final Resolution PPV, where Hardy was reportedly “more offbeat than usual.” Hardy defenders had told people that this was due to travel fatigue, but I doubt that’s the only reason. I’d like to see the apologists try and spin this one because there’s NO way travel fatigue could be responsible for the main event people paid for at Victory Road.
And the truly sad thing is TNA will come out of this not having learned a damned thing. Oh, they issue a little offer to make up for their blunder to those who bought the PPV and I have applauded that move in a previous post (the only TNA post on this blog that ISN’T marked with the Total Nonstop Morons label) because it’s not often that a televised wrestling promotion would admit they gave paying customers a product that was below standards, but anyone who believes that the company has learned from this experience is being foolish. The first chance they get, they’ll eventually bring Jeff Hardy back and push him harder than ever before, giving him another World title run despite (or perhaps in spite of) what happened this night.
I truly hope that this isn’t the case and that TNA will actually use this as a wake-up call to make changes to their product, perhaps to something that might distinguish them from what has come before and something that might appeal to a wider audience and garner their product better ratings and buys… but my hopes aren’t high.
The following is a fictional conversation between myself and an Angry Video Game Nerd fan (referred to as Fanboy). Here we go:
Fanboy: Irate Gamer is a rip-off of AVGN! He plagiarizes James’ work!
DTM666: Okay. I’ve heard this accusation before. I believe there is some merit to it. So what evidence do yo have to support this claim of plagiarism.
Fanboy: Well, in one video, he says “What a shitload of fuck!”
DTM666: Yeah, so?
Fanboy: Well… that’s like AVGN’s catchphrase.
DTM666: Yeah… and?
Fanboy: Well… AVGN made that phrase up.
DTM666: Are you fucking retarded?
Fanboy: No, I don’t think I am. Why do you ask?
DTM666: Because you’d have to be if that’s the best evidence you have to offer. Or maybe really drunk. Or stupid. Possibly all three.
The above conversation… never happened. And I did not intend to insult any handicapable people out there. Even they would know better.
So Hardcore Justice happened last night… and I was able to watch it… a show that somebody else paid for. Thanks, Sean.
Sadly, I didn’t see the whole thing. Birthday party after all. What I did see… was rather meh, but otherwise harmless.
I certainly hope that all these ECW guys, fans, and whathaveyou who still needed any semblance of closure despite several reunion shows over the years, have got their closure with last Sunday’s PPV… because I very much like for ECW to rest in peace and not get violated again in five years time when they start complaining about how they weren’t given a proper send-off. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
If I can give TNA some credit, it’s on the fact that it’s strictly a reunion show – comprising matches featuring ECW alumni. You had TNA talent chime in and drop their thoughts on their favorite moments of ECW (without actually calling it such), but outside of those who are ECW alumni and Mike Tenay (who’s doing commentary since, you know, Joey Styles obviously can’t due to contractual reasons), TNA talent weren’t part of some storyline shoehorned into the show to push their shows the following week. In fact, there had only been one or two mentions of upcoming TNA shows on the entire PPV. So yeah, I’ll give them credit for keeping it as a reunion show.
And for what it was worth, they tried to put out the best show they possibly could. You had the old ring announcer, you had John Finnegan reffing all the matches, the ring ropes were black, the lighting was dimmed in an attempt to replica the old ECW arena shows (didn’t really work), and the two main events were actually pretty solid for what they were; a return to the “extreme” style that they had innovated and revolutionized in the mid-90s. Of course, the undercard wasn’t all that great – matches are basic fair and far from hardcore – but they tried to put on a good show and no doubt some people will find some enjoyment out of this show.
But as true as they tried to make it, it all feels really, really, REALLY artificial and shallow.
Hardcore Justice emanated from the Impact Zone… and that has to be the main reason why I have a hard time buying into the whole feel. Because the Impact Zone, no matter how dark you dim your lights or color your ropes, is the absolute most farthest thing from extreme anything.
People can piss on Vince all they want, but when he did both ECW One Night Stand PPVs, he could have easily held them in a big arena and push it as he would another WWE PPV. But he held them at the Hammerstein Ballroom, which might not be the ECW Arena in terms of pure nostalgia or ECW-ness, but was the kind of small arena that ECW would hold shows at (in fact, they DID hold shows there). And for all it’s worth, it almost felt like an ECW show. Felt a bit slicker, had the obvious outside influence, but it felt like a solid ECW show. Everything that they did there, they did right. Hell, I’d even give props to the Hardcore Homecoming show that was held on the same weekend, which also felt like a good old-school ECW show.
With the IMPACT Zone, it seems like the audience are nothing more than unpaid extras in a set filling seats (interesting since people watch the show for free, regardless of whether it’s an Impact airing or a PPV event.), going through the motions chanting the usual fluff chants that you would expect from an ECW audience, but without any of the feeling. I’ve always got the feeling that the Impact Zone fans are practically sheep – everything about this show tried to look like an ECW show, but it feels very much artificial. And I don’t consider myself an ECW hardcore or anything like that – but even I can recognize a passionated audience from a canned one. This could have benefited from being booked at a small arena, but instead they got cheap and held it at the Impact Zone… I guess at this point, TNA couldn’t afford stuff that matters and instead blow their budget on bringing in has-beens.
I don’t get the “Fuck You, Vince” chants. Unless you’re referring to Vince Russo, in which case I agree wholeheartedly.
Look, if you’re looking for that long-eluded closure that ten other “reunion” shows couldn’t give you, then I hope that Hardcore Justice gives you that much needed closure. For all of my reservations and fears, it was a pretty harmless show. Oh this wasn’t good either in a wrestling sense or even a nostalgia sense, but it was harmless and if it ends up being the last stand, then it’s a fair one at best… but let this be the last one.
It’s been nine years. It’s over. It’s done.
Move on.
Please.
TNA, you want to have a reunion show? Have a WCW reunion show. You’ve got all the guys under contract anyway, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Man… oh man… oh man… oh man… This is going to be painful.
So TNA is going rebrand their upcoming Hard Justice PPV as Hardcore Justice: The Last Stand and will serve as their version of an ECW One Night Stand PPV similar to what was done back in 2005. Apparently, Tommy Dreamer has full control over what happens and there’s presently an effort to recruit former ECW talent (that is not presently employed by WWE or serving 90-day no-compete clauses as a result of being future endeavored) to attend this One Night Stand PPV that is supposed to be the return of “Extreme” Wrestling and a celebration of the ECW legacy… or something.
May I ask why?
Continue reading “This ECW One Night Stand Is Going To Suck, Isn’t It?”
UPDATE, September 24, 2011: Added some additional notes and comments regarding certain bits in the videos. I’m very tempted to do a video commentary on this “review” of SvR2008, if only because nobody has touched this one yet… for some odd reason. We’ll see, though.
UPDATE, October 5th, 2012: Through some perverse sense of fate, I somehow got my hands on a copy of SvR2008 for the Wii… I guess I’ll have to update this thing some day…
Today, we’ll be looking at Irate Gamer Neo’s “review” of WWE Smackdown Vs. RAW 2008. This is technically the first episode of Chris Bores’ Irate Gamer Neo (though he has since retroactively referred to his review of the Simpsons game for PS2 as the first episode), a subseries of videos where he “reviews” video games for the modern systems. Unlike the IG series, this is less story-ridden and more on the game itself. Whether that tends to be a good thing or not depends on the viewer, but I personally find the NEO videos to be… let’s just say “tolerable” than his regular offerings on YT. Then again… maybe not. So let’s get on with this… after the break.
Continue reading “Irate Gamer Neo’s WWE Smackdown Vs. Raw 2008 Video Thoughts”
Been a while, hasn’t it? Well, I have this sitting on the draft table for far too long. Sooo….
Today, we’re going to be looking at a “review” of Wolverine for NES done by some guy under the YouTube name of NC17Productions. Most of you might already be familiar with this guy’s work via Asalieri’s two videos where he debunks some complaints in a couple videos. Well, I’m going to do the same thing with this review.
A couple quick thoughts on the game itself; despite having the LJN Brand of Death and some questionable gameplay issues, Wolverine is actually a fairly good platformer for the most part with good controls and fairly nice graphics. The music in this game is also a highlight despite having too few tracks in general. For the most part, I found the game enjoyable as a kid and even today, I still think it’s a fairly decent addition to the NES library…
…this guy seems to have missed the point here. So… I might drop a couple quick comments here and there. Let’s begin.
Continue reading “A Digression Into Nerd Clone 17’s Wolverine Review”
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles video game was one of four NES games that I got for my 10th birthday, the others being Super Mario Bros. 3, Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, and The Punisher. And although the game was crazy difficult – the damn dam had me for a good long while before I stopped being stupid – I always enjoyed the heck out of that game. Even in more recent years when I re-purchased the game at a flea market, I still think that despite some of its flaws, it’s still a solid action game with a nice attempt at non-linear explorational gameplay. I also like the ability to swap between the four Turtles, as each play somewhat differently and have their uses… although admittedly, you’ll mostly be using Leonardo and Donatello due to their long-range weapons. But still, it’s a fun little game and I enjoyed this more than the two arcade-inspired sequels on the same system.
I never understood the hate towards the game recently. Wasn’t this high on the Nintendo Power charts for a good long while when the game was relatively new? What could have happened between then and now that has caused the game to garner such unnecessary and unwarranted hatred?
Oh right. The Angry Video Game Nerd said it was bad and people are basically sheep and agreed with him. And while I’ll admit that I found some of his videos funny and somewhat informative, the first time I saw this “review” back in 2006, I was pretty pissed off that he would trash a pretty good game. Some of the complaints he conveyed require suspension of ignorance (a term coined by former Yt reviewer Undercoverfilmer that was used in regards to his SF2010 video). And there are a couple points that, while are admittedly good points, can also be applied to a number of other games that can be considered good. But I guess because those games are more popular, those “flaws” can be overlooked, right?
Since this is essentially a response to what is laughingly called a review, I guess I can call this a counter-review; commenting on certain points while providing some additional points on the game. And you know what? I’ll even bring up some points from a “review” of the same game by Chris “The Irate Gamer” Bores… a review that most have noted to be suspiciously equavalent to the AVGN’s review, but has a couple points that can also be considered pretty stupid as well.
Oh… before anyone gets any ideas on starting the usual fanboy wars in the comments, don’t bother. I’ll be watching the comments like a hawk. There are many other places to fan that shit out – this isn’t one of them. With that said…
*For the sake of this posting, I will only be focusing on IG’s TMNT1 review and not the mini-reviews of the TMNT sequels. Those aren’t relevant to this posting.
Continue reading “A Double Dose of TMNT (NES) Angry Reviews + A Bonus Rant”
“Why? Why Tetris? I’m not kidding when I say everyone and their grandmother have played this game. How can you even review Tetris?”
I should probably note that I was going to hold this off until much later, but since this was the only grumble grumble that was remotely finished. I figured that I post this one. Hopefully, the next one will not be a Chris Bores-related diatribe, because he’s not the only person whose reviews I have issues with. In fact, there’s another one that involves a game that both he and some other guy (rhymes with wolfe) has done… but that’s another story.
So yeah, we’re looking at IG’s Tetris review.
Tetris is perhaps one of the most popular casual games ever made and we have Soviet Russia to thank for such a thing (and this isn’t a knock on its creator, Alexey Pajitnov, who really is Russian. The game was once called the Soviet Mind Game by Tengen.) What is there to complain about in Tetris? Well, Irate Gamer is going to guide us through this and I’m going to inquire about some stuff and ignore the pointless skits… all except two. You’ll know it when I see it.
Continue reading “Why Are We Doing The Irate Gamer’s Tetris episode?”
Something a little new that I want to try and this is partly inspired by another blog that I’ve recently come across a month or so ago. Now you’re most likely aware of the concept of the angry video game reviewer; a guy who takes an old game or whatnot and swear constantly while “reviewing” the game. It’s a concept that was popularized by James Rolfe a.k.a. the Angry Nintendo Nerd, now known as the Angry Video Game Nerd.
Now, as with any popular fad, many others would jump on the bandwagon and do the same thing the Nerd did. Some did well and made their own name, while others didn’t. Of all of these Me-Too reviews, one of these have earned a certain amount of infamy for his content and that person is the subject of today’s initial project.
Chris Bores. Also known as the Irate Gamer.
Now I’m not going to dwell on the whole plagiarism deal. Most people have already made up their minds and I’m not going to throw my two cents in there. It’s beating a dead horse and that horse is really starting to stink up the joint. Putting aside the alleged copying, when you get right down to it, Irate Gamer episodes tend to be inaccurate in regards to certain details. The most evident of this would be his recent “History of Video Games” in which a great deal of his information is flat out wrong.
Now this is not going to be one of those Anti-Irate Gamer summaries (there’s already a good blog serving that role) and it isn’t going to be an overview for the most part. This is just some thoughts I’ve had while watching his videos, along with any additional information I can provide, either through my own personal experiences or from other notable sites with significant information on a particular subject matter.
So without further delay, today’s dissociative post will be concerning IG’s “review” of Super Mario Bros. 2 for NES. SMB2 was originally released in Japan as a very different game called Doki Doki Panic for the Famicom Disk System, featuring different characters and a couple other elements. Japan did get a real SMB2, which was essentially Super Mario Bros. with a couple minor additions and rock-hard difficulty. When it came time to bring SMB2 over to North America, a decision was then made to convert that Doki Doki game into the SMB2 we all know and love… or loathe in some cases.
Now I’m going to go on a record and say that SMB2 isn’t exactly a favorite of mine. In fact, there was a time when I absolutely hated this game… or at least, that’s what I kept telling myself and anyone else who would listen. I don’t know why I did because when I first played the game, I liked it just fine. Was it outside influence perhaps or pressure to get in with the cool kids because they all hated that game due to its dubious origins? I don’t know, but there was a period where I didn’t really like this game. However, playing it recently, most of that hate or intense dislike seemed to have been forgotten, and I consider this to be a great game considering its unique history.
One thing is certain: my brief hatred for this game had nothing to do with the Irate Gamer’s video, which was just wrong on a number of levels. So without further adue, here’re my thoughts when watching the Irate episode.
Continue reading “Running Thoughts On… The Irate Gamer’s Super Mario Bros. 2 episode”
