Musings – Page 5

Ramblemania 42… or not

“Hey, Dave. Why is there a picture of Mark Bussler of Classic Game Room in your banner about Wrestlemania? And why does it say that you really don’t care?”

I can hear you asking that right now… and I’ll be more than happy to answer that question. The image of Mark – a screenshot taken from one of his old Xbox 360 videos where he addresses the question of whether he prefers the Xbox 360 or the competing PS3 by simply saying “I really don’t care.” The reason that quote is on the banner rather than the name of the event is because… I really don’t care.

Full disclosure: I whipped up the banner in January in the event that I would not want to watch the Mania show from Saudi next year… but then I figured that the possibility would exist that I might skip out on this year’s Mania as well. The build hadn’t sold me on the show, the hype was non-existent, and even the few buddies who still followed the product hardcore were less than keen on it. And when Wrestlemania came and went, I spent night 1 doing a stream and night 2 was spent doing some recovery work.

In other words, I kept busy doing other stuff.

Besides the lackluster build, Netflix employed another price hike… presumably their way of recouping whatever feuds they could for their failed attempt at acquiring WB Discovery or whatever other reason you want to come up with. I’d imagine it’s a price hike to bring in some more “original” content that I’m probably going to ignore. At this point, what’s there for me to watch? Never been much of a Stranger Things guy. Cobra Kai’s long done. And I haven’t really been following much of the WWE product since John Cena’s last match. Maybe a couple TNA shows and the stretch of AEW shows between the Dynasty and Double Or Nothing PPV events. Beyond that, all I’ve been watching this year, for the most part, were old WCW and TNA shows… in particular, I’ve been trying to catch up on the Bound For Glory shows so I can give that line a similar run to the Ramblemania stuff. It might not be all good, but it’s at least interesting.

Honestly, to tell you the truth, I’m not sure when or if I’m going resub with Netflix, but there has to be something truly worthwhile for me to get back on board because right now, the pickings are slim and there’s not enough of a hook for me to get on board. The ultimate irony is that when Netflix was cheaper about a decade or so, there was more content worth my while.

Nowadays, however? Pfft…

Strangely enough, if someone were to click on the Ramblemania tab on the main menu, this is probably going to be the first entry that pops up. Not an inspiring first impression if you’ve never been to this blog before and you want to look back at Wrestlemania through the years. But I’d like to think that, above all else, Ramblemania (both this and the original set from 2012 and up) could be considered a historical document of sorts. You can check out each entry and see what’s changed from the last show as well as what hasn’t. But more than anything, you can sort of gauge my reactions in watching these shows. How I’ve enjoyed the early ones, rolled my eyes at some of the bad ones, got really excited for the fun ones, and then in recent years, it’s just like… yeah, here’s another one.

That’s less prevalent with the Rewind run because those were done in a similar fashion to the upcoming string of Bound For Glory musings starting next week; I watch a show, post a few comments and move on to the next. And all of that was done in a span of a couple months – try to fit in one a day whenever I could. So my reactions aren’t quite as organic, but I’d like to think that the notes are more along those same lines. And so you’ve got a series of Ramblemania posts below this one that have covered looked back on every Wrestlemania before this one… and I do implore you to read those if you haven’t. Just so you can see that I actually can enjoy this WWE product once upon a time.

And so, for anyone wondering when the next Ramblemania is going to pop up… the real answer is I don’t know, but my advice on the matter?

Don’t hold your breath.

Since We’re Having That Talk…

Source: https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/article/in-blow-to-dc-studios-supergirl-is-no-match-for-toy-story-5-at-box-office/

For the record, I haven’t seen Supergirl yet. I’d imagine it’ll be on streaming in a couple months or so, which is probably the most likely time I’ll catch it unless, so I can’t tell you whether the movie is good or not. I’ve mentioned my lack of enthusiasm for this thing last week and that’s about the extent of my opinion on this thing. That having been, regardless of whether you liked the film or not, you have to agree that whoever made the decision to open it on the same weekend as TOY STORY 5 needs to go home and rethink their life.

I’m not saying that to deflect any failings, but I’d imagine more people would be excited for another round with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the gang than they would a largely untested property. And no, six years on the CW doesn’t equal box office success. The Flash on TV was a fun ride (at first) while the Flash movie was… a thing that exists.

And I can say that because I did, for some reason that escaped me, saw that movie.

Anyway, if I get a chance to watch Supergirl – at some point – I’ll post some thoughts on here. Not sure when that’s going to be, though.

THE BITE COMMENTARY #18 – The Wrestling ReCap

So we’ve spent a whole month (June) not talking about wrestling… hence the reason why I didn’t specify the name of that extreme television program that aired on SciFi in 2006 (and also because it’s no longer around, so… oops, I guess). But now that that moratorium has come to an end, we might as well catch up on everything that has happened since the last time we touched wrestling, which would have been around the time of the post-PPV edition of Dynamite back in May.

For long time visitors of this web venture that has spanned multiple services over the course two and a half decades, consider this a sort of return to the old school format that this Bite commentary used to adopt before its first retirement in 2012. Hell, those who remember the short-lived Wrestling Rants of 2002 might see this as equally at home.

Believe me when I say that we’re going to have fun with a lot of these things.

Continue reading “THE BITE COMMENTARY #18 – The Wrestling ReCap”

TNA Head Throws Fit At World Cup Game Booked Against Impact Tapings

Months after throwing a fit over an episode of AEW’s Collision program airing on a Thursday opposite Impact due to NHL Playoff scheduling conflicts, TNA president and all-around corporate stooge Carlos Silva once again threw a temper tantrum when Impact ratings went in the toilet going up against a World Cup game.

Silva, a scrawny little man known for wearing his little TNA cap that he bought at a thrift store for ten cents, railed against FIFA for purposely scheduling and sabotaging Impact’s ratings growth. He would then proceed to ban any talent or employee under contract with TNA to watch or mention World Cup games until the end of time. This move has proven to be unpopular among the company, with morale cratering to all-time lows, especially after the departure of significant personnel.

As was the case with the AEW “invasion” – his term, not ours – Silva defended the ban and positioned it as protecting the interests of TNA. When it was pointed out that partner TKO was actively selling FIFA-themed WWE championship belts, however, Silva quickly reversed his stance and dropped the ban.

“Ban? What ban?” he would be heard saying. “You must have misheard me.”

No word on whether Silva decides to throw a fit should Major League Baseball decide to air a baseball game against Impact and decree baseball stadiums off limits for future TNA event bookings.

COMIC REVIEW – Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (2026) #1

Well, here we are. The bold new era of Boom Studios’ Power Rangers comic output comes in the form of another MMPR comic, set ten years after the team last got together and went their separate ways. Only for a new foe based on an old foe to return and tear everything down. So I finally got around to reading the first issue of this new book and… meh.

I say that not as a negative but rather with ambivalence. Because the issue doesn’t give you much, other than maybe a couple nuggets as to where the Rangers are at now, as well as an inkling of who or what this new Rita Rabiosa happens to be. It gives you the big moment, there’s an action bit, and there’s even Zord action throw in for good measure, but it’s clear that this first issue is more of a tease than a genuine first chapter. There’s more to come and that’s kind of the problem; I needed more than what they gave me. All I got was more questions. Sometimes, that’s a good thing and more than enough if you’re already sold on the premise… but when you’re NOT sold on the premise, you need a little more meat on those bones and I didn’t really get that.

Look, I like the brief interaction between the Rangers before they morph, even if the dialogue feels a bit off at times, but stilted dialogue has always been a Power Rangers thing, so that’s expected. There’s one particular development that anyone who has seen Once And Always would appreciate and I do like that inclusion here. And of course, I am rather curious about one missing member of the team… probably the first time in a long while that this particular character has been intriguing within these comics, so I give kudos on that.

But, again, there’s very little substance to be found here. I also found the artwork to be a bit… uneven. The action bits are fine, the zords are fine, but the human characters look rough and Kim looks like she just got out of bed. Again, there are questions that I hope the series will answer, but it’s mostly sizzle and no protein. Honestly, this is one of those times where I wouldn’t have minded holding off the action until the next issue – set the scene, tell us where these people are at, make it so that this scenario is as urgent as they say it is. It’s supposed to feel like a big event, but given how many “big events” Boom like to throw into these Power Rangers comics, it feels like business as usual. That’s not a good feeling to have when you’re entering this “bold, new era” of Power Rangers that feels too much like the familiar.

And if I didn’t hammer it enough times, I’m going to do so again – the new costumes still look awful. It’s not just the matter of being different; it’s the matter of these looking like bootleg figures from the international rip-off shop. The Boom record for shitty Ranger designs continues onwards, I’m afraid, and that Unlimited preview with the Strikng Tiger Hidden Bear Ranger thing isn’t any better.

It sounds like that I’ve been overly critical of this thing and that I don’t like it. Fair enough, but at the same time, I don’t dislike this enough to completely drop it. As much as I have questions and wish this first issue had done more to fill in some backstory, I do want to see how this pushes forward, which is nice considering this is from the same writer who wrote that Beyond The Grid, which is what caused me to drop that initial Boom run in the first place.

Good job, folks. You kept me around for another issue. That’s the highest praise I could give this thing right now. Let’s see if next issue does more.

The Holodeck

Holodecks in Star Trek were kind of a cool technology where I first its debut on the premiere episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. A little room that lets you simulate entire worlds as if they were real. If you wanted to visit the streets of Paris during a certain period of time or if you want to explore a foreign world… hell, maybe you wanted to play a part in your favorite novel or watch old sportsball games from the best seats, all it took was a few parameters and there you go.

All of that information procedurally generated from knowledge banks stored in computer memory. To be able to recreate real things… even real people… having them act in a fair approximation of their true personalities or perhaps even in other ways outside their known personalities.

Holodeck seems like a pretty cool technology.

Sometimes, you have to ask yourself… that shit had to come from somewhere, doesn’t it?

And then you go online and what do you see? Procedurally generated video content featuring real people doing things you normally wouldn’t see them do because they wouldn’t be doing these things. We tend to frown on this things for various reasons, but what if it goes a step further and it becomes integrated in virtual reality? What if we improve that to a point where virtual reality can become actual reality? Instead of interacting with these things from a helmet or visor, we interact with these things in holographic form…

Like I said, that holodeck tech had to start somewhere.

Seemed like a fun thing back in the day… do we feel the same way now?

Just a random thought.

Back To The Well…

So there’s going to be another Ocarina Of Time remake.

I say “another” remake because the game was already remade for the handheld 3DS years ago… but that could easily be seen a more of a substantial upgrade rather than a true remake of the N64 original.

But no, Switch 2 owners have a full-blown remake coming their way. Shut up and take my money? For some people… maybe. For others, though?

Have we really gotten to that point? The point where the biggest thing to look forward to on Nintendo’s newest platform is a remake of a game from thirty years ago. We already got one in the form of StarFox (itself a remake of StarFox 64, which, in turn, is a remake of the SNES original – try and not get my mind blown at that non-revelation) and now it looks like the first 3D Zelda is getting its own fancy remake. And that was the headline main event announcement of that early-June direct. No new experiences. No new games. Just reheated left overs covered up with some fresh white rice to hide all the creekiness.

Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for a proper Zelda 3 to come along. And no, A Link To The Past doesn’t count, despite claims to the contrary.

I hate to rail on Nintendo for this sort of deal and clearly, they’re not the only ones playing into nostalgia – Xbox is reheating their own classics for the next generation (or whatever generation they’re in – who even knows with them these days?) – but this shouldn’t be the thing you use to sell consoles. I can already play Ocarina of Time on my Switch via Nintendo Classics. Hell, I can play Ocarina Of Time on a variety of Nintendo platforms. Do we really need another one? Has that game ruined this series enough?

Oops… I said the quiet part loud, didn’t I?

Well… the dog did all the talking for me. You’ll have to wait a little while longer before I get around to rocking THAT particular boat.

Rewatch #1200 Before #1337 Hits

Yes, you’ve already seen this before. But let’s remind people that on this day last year, after over 500 reviews since we did the first game, we finally reviewed Sonic The Hedgehog 2 on Sega Genesis. Honestly, anything more at this point should have been scrubbed from memory, but now that I’ve played more than enough Sonic The Hedgehog to last a lifetime…

I’m giving things away, aren’t I?

Anyway, you can scroll down and watch the Sonic CD review if you want, but I might do a replay of that in a little bit. In the meantime, Sonic 3 should be up later tonight while Sonic & Knuckles is up tomorrow night. After that, no new video until next Sunday.

Speaking of R.I.P…

Now that we’re past the fun stuff, let’s talk about something actually is R.I.P. and nobody quite knows it yet.

The above image is a John Romita Jr. illustrated cover for the 1000th issue of The Amazing Spider-Man – a number they like to pull out of their ass after rebooting the series number half a dozen times – featuring someone in a Spider-Man costume (okay, let’s be fair here for once and assume it’s the real deal) doing his web-slinging thing… but apparently, according to some stupid people online, he might be shrugging. I think ol’ Web-Head is flexible enough that he can probably do both at the same time and make it look cool. (Apparently, this cover’s being replaced with some other cover that’s not quite as cool… or all that great, for that matter. Par for the course at the one-time Mighty Marvel.)

Honestly, I like this cover. Cool angle. People turning this into a meme are kinda stupid, but they kept this thing going for a long time and the stories have gone to complete and utter dogshit… so I guess it fits.

I suppose congratulations are in order for reaching this massive, massive milestone. Unfortunately, you kinda ruined it by promising that Peter Parker’s life would change forever… because you seem to do that on a regular basis and it often means going back to the same tired status quo that you like to go back to because you’re all a bunch of uncreative hacks.

I don’t know… maybe Marvel should shitcan the entire creative staff and let AI handle all the writing going forward. If anything, that would actually be an improvement over the hot garbage you’ve been putting out lately. Put these humans out of their misery, please!

Or… you know… write better stories. As much as it sucks to see anyone lose jobs, it’s hard to be sympathetic to people who are just bad at doing them.

Later.

Yip.

Hello.

I am required to inform viewers that yesterday’s video presentation was not endorsed, approved, authorized, or even potentially viewed by the people behind A1 Sauce.

Furthermore, I am required to inform viewers that no animals were harmed in the making of yesterday’s video nor were they fed any portions of A1 Sauce at any point in time. Animals were fed their own nutritional and performance-enhancing supplements and then slept for the rest of the day.

Finally, I am also required to inform viewers that a fly was swatted during last night’s premiere and died immediately upon impact. We considered a funeral arrangement, but after considering the amount of noise being made by said fly, it probably had it coming and promptly tossed its remains in the nearest garbage can.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way… moar Sonic stuff in the next couple days before we take a week off and resume “something” in July… by which I mean the usual nonsense that gets posted up here.

Thank you and enjoy your usual festivities.

*If, for whatever reason, you missed last night’s eventful video – actually, that’s a lie; you didn’t miss much of anything, but said video can be viewed here.