Forza Motorsport 2: Xbox 360

ok, since i bought the game before anybody else here i know. I will tell you it’s not an epic game like tom’s review suggests about bioshock but it is definitely a HARD CORE RACING GAME. I’ve been a racing game for years, every since I played Gran Turismo (original) on Playstation so i was leery of the hype that was spread about the game (even on TV).

This is not like Need for Speed: Most Wanted. That game was OK but multiplayer pretty much bombed because it was very limited, but forza has made the racing pursuit more customizable.

you can fool with the technical aspects of the cars with braking, transmission shifting, suspension, and much more. You can individualize your car to about every corner, even scraping the undercarriage and changing powertrains (engines). NOW THAT IS SOME FUN S***. you can win cars, buy cars from all over and (a new and pretty interesting twist) can auction your cars when resale value isn’t enough just by selling it. I got my hands on a 1968 shelby gt500 KR and everybody seems to get one but mine was stock and within 8 hours i made over 110,000$ dollars.

The funny thing is you can make a hobby of buying or acquiring cars, tune them and make one-of-a-kind cars. If you seriously upgrade to the adjustable versions of certain parts such as trannys and configure it into a one-of-a-kind DRIVING EXPERIENCE. You can make a heck of alot of cash on it and alot of people seem to be doing this, i’ve had it for only a few hours short ofa day and about half (or more) of it i was playing this game

NOW HERES THE COOLEST THINGS
when you configure the car to your taste you can test drive it on any track you unlocked, you can even pause and do it in the middle of the test drive.

HEEELOOO the auctions duh!

on xbox live your skill can win you money, there are even tournaments and for hardcore racers there’s a seven race series option.

I am not the most avid gamer and i understand that PGR 3 looks tempting to wait for, but i got forza and i am enjoying it! so for my impression:

Rating: 8 out of 10

Pros: 1)graphics are good. 2)new features for a racing game. 3) ALOT OF CARS (300+) plus updates will add cars as time goes on (good for any new cars you like that will be coming out).

Cons: 1)cars you get outside of the race prizes seemed exclusive but everybody gets those, keep them stock and you will get more money for them unless you want to keep them. 2)needs more information on the different aspects of the car you can customize, its there but you have to scrutinize a single sentence to get the function. 3) can’t sell back upgrades for cars, don’t be so quick to get the best gear. its not necessary to use a 6 speed auto/stick for a 4 cylinder no matter how much horsepower

OTHERWISE, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO GET THIS AS WELL AS PGR3. I WILL STICK WITH FORZA ONLY. TO EACH HIS OWN

Monk TV Series

Whatever happened to Bitty Schram (Sharona Fleming)?  i really haven’t found a straight answer so im supposing it was an ugly scene when it came to the alleged “contract disputes” some said was the cause. It was sad and confusing at first to have Traylor Howard take her place, although recent storylines have made her a bada## so im getting used to her. But Bitty Schram’s character represented something you don’t really see, a spunky women who is good at heart but is good at voicing her protest. It’s kind of symbolic to the performance of Marisha Tomei in “My Cousin Vinny” and was a delight to see someone like that again in the series Monk. So why did she leave? its a very perplexing case and it will likely never surface why, many rumors and statements may pop up onthe internet but until then ill believe she wanted to leave. Contract. Since Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford renewed their contracts for the show not too long ago im guessing Bitty Schram wanted out while she was still supposed to do episodes. I can’t pretend she loved doing this show, i don’t know what she thought about it but the “cooperation” and “understanding” people said she had made me wonder if the producers of the show didn’t want her in the show anymore even though she had a contract. That would make more sense. Even with all this i think Traylor Howard is more creative now instead of just standing there and handing monk wipes, the newest episode with her driving a motorcycle was pretty cute and funny. Even funnier for Adrian Monk of course. Even though we wonder this, be glad you can have the episodes with Bitty Schram on DVD. Im ok with the show though and think it’s as good as ever with the new episodes, no stale ones so far.

Drive: tv series wrongly ended by Fox network

I was a fan of this show, have watched every episode made which turns out to be a paltry 6 episodes in all. 2 of which never made it to airing on Fox for no reason, therefore released on the myspace page. A mistake in my belief, for many reasons. But ill make it simple to all readers out there, just because it didn’t pull the ratings FOX DESIRED. this is inexcusable because it undermines the idea of ratings in general, the show did not even get more than ten days before the plug was pulled. Not to mention the fact that i personally planned even while knee-deep in college homework to be waiting at my television every Tuesday at 8. But twice i missed episodes because i had no idea and never saw indications of it changing till about a week after they cancelled drive, they never even announced it till i checked on wikipedia. And they pulled the show from its new time immediately, Why didn’t they just rerun episodes to see if ratings would pick up? Consistency can change and would have changed to better ratings if they let the show have a good run, it’s family guy all over again and they’re gonna have to learn because i am lobbying to get the show back. TWO WEEKS not including the two hour premiere is not, i repeat not a good run for a show. Even with “supposed” bad ratings, the ratings are supposed to reach a certain figure, not FOX’s favorable number. They didn’t show the last two episodes, they didn’t hold any talks before cancelling Drive and need to reconsider. Putting reruns of House isn’t any better than repeating the episodes of Drive, and they should have to see if they were right or wrong. Go to www.fox.com and find contact numbers to bring the series back, it is never too late and if they can bring back something as odd as Family Guy and let them have another spin off called American Dad then they can give drive a chance. For my opinion the show was a bit complicated but interested people, and it was different.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Interesting Movie. The reviewers really liked to slam this movie and i could not find a more interesting movie in my life, yes the movie is not a cover to cover copy of the book but is by far the best Harry Potter movie since the first one. It condenses the book a bit but does not lose the sentiment expressed in the book, and this is saying something considering the movie is about three hours long. I liked the way it was directed, it had humor to a degree, it had darkness to it but people are way too TV-PG on this stuff because there are bright moments. Heck there’s even actionish and epic moments to the movie, theres sadness too with the loss of someone Harry is close to. But this movie was definitely one of the best and beat (in my opinion) the decline of excitement as movie sequels get dished out. To me this one and the first one explain it all and do it all to keep the series worth seeing, and it brought out something i haven’t seen before and hope keeps coming: wand action. Finally we get to see what the magic does for you in a fight, and this director better do the last two as well. IN FACT, i can’t be one hundred percent sure on this but the script writer should stay as well because the dialogue was good and replaced the “usual” sentences said in these moments that are said.

 Rating: ***1/2 stars or 8/10

Nice Job and Worth seeing almost two more times, especially is worth to buy on DVD

Cars and the terrifying future

Lately i’ve dropped my censorship to my beliefs in cars because i have become afraid of what could happen, what is that you may ask?

It is clear that foreign cars and american cars are now essentially as good as eachother but the stigma that cause my generation and some of the previous generations to buy foreign cars will eventually kill the Big Three (Ford, Chevy, Chrysler). Chrysler to me is already dead because it hasn’t been in American hands for years, but Ford and Chevy are all America has left. If they go so many things that made them popular will be gone, in my case Ford going is especially an upsetting blow. The reason for treasuring the American nameplates i haven’t said yet is this.

 WE CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF AMERICAN CARS. No matter what you say you must accept this, all companies produce concept cars and market for your dollars. But the cry is heard more in the American companies than the Foreign ones because it makes them change their tune. We control their direction with our dollars, but the foreign ones can snub us, tell us whats what and all the money we give them goes out of the country. And with the high tenseness towards America, we can’t trust them.

But the most important thing is that the classics of previous car years are all america, many foreign car owners love classic american cars, if you don’t put faith in american cars then you cannot maintain your classic cars you own when the Big Two (chrysler’s gone) go out of business. And the lies are atrocius, its mostly about fuel efficency and many foreign cars suck on it.

The resale value story with foreign cars is purely on us buyers, logically it is pretty stupid to pay the same price at new for a used car unless its rare. Which in the case is impossible for foreign cars because of their supposed “reliability”.

SO go ahead and kill america to make a quick buck by buying import, just don’t ever beleive that a foreign car will be noticed at a car show for anything more than taking up a space.

And being built in america does not justify it because the money goes to them.

Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest

Joey Chestnut beat Kobayashi, unbelievable. It’s good he won because Kobayashi has disgusted me throughout the years because i believe he has changed the nature of the contest. Not that it hasn’t changed in the way it’s played, but Kobayashi took away the fun and always made me believe he was a skinflit cheater. Now i know he wasn’t cheating but merely used what he had while others were still unsure about what it was that seemed to guarantee him victory. But the fact that he had lockjaw and a wisdom tooth pulled and was still in pain seems debatable. Others i know say this is part of his arrogance, that may be true but it shows kobayashi was just as faulty as any of the other contesters. The fact that he has such trouble means that he is not the smartest person, and i highly doubt it takes several weeks to months to recover from pain because of a wisdom tooth. No i believe Chestnut beat him fair and square because kobayashi did pass his record, but so did Chestnut and beat kobayashi’s intake this year, So get the word to kobayashi; YOU LOST. The belt should be carried by an American anyway.

Why do i say that, because nationalism is alive and well in all countries and America is bullied even though everyone should be grateful to us. And since because we have been rubbed the wrong way with other countries and they held Kobayashi’s victories over our heads it was time to prove ourselves again. Chestnut is a true American and beat Kobayashi FAIR AND SQUARE BECAUSE THEY BOTH BROKE THE RECORD. If Kobayashi was in enough pain to make that excuse then he shouldn’t have been able to even pass his record or even compete. And those acupuncture and all those Japanesy ways to deal with life seemed like stereotypical lies to me, like how chinese seem smarter; i’ve always hated those labels. The fact that he had these problems though reminds me he must have made a mistake in his training, but remember that before Kobayashi nobody trained for this contest that much. Times change and now the American Bell rang louder with his victory, accept your loss Kobayashi and study your superior (chestnut).

Transformers

This movie had to be one of the best movies our generation has seen this decade, we knew it was going to be action but not this much. Michael Bay has outdone himself in action and humor too, one of my friends says the dialogue wasn’t that great and it’s true to a degree, but the “delivery” of some comedy puns in the dialogue was done right. There are so many moments in the film you will love, and if you are a chevy fan you will like the movie too because GM made some of it’s cars the stars of the movie including the soon to be coming 2009 Chevy Camaro which looks hot in the film and is owned (soon during the movie) by the main character. I was a fan of Beast Wars years ago and saw the connection instantly, You’d think the characters some of us knew from years ago would sound the same but comedy played a little in some of the autobots who were the good guys. The comedy is thankfully not overdone and the movie ended pretty well, it captured human’s sometimes violent nature sort of like in the movie E.T. when the scientists are messing with E.T.  It also had the camaro the kid owns take on a Herbie-like personality, but this is not to be mistaken. In the beginning the only thing i didn’t like was the cheezy narration for the autobots, but that is me and is definitely forgivable. This is a movie to remember, see again, and so is going into my collection on HHDVDDDVD (redvsblue joke). This is definitely more than a three star movie and merits a four star rating simply because it looked awesome, was awesome, and even left my friend Odyssey who is by far the best movie critic with chills. ****. Finally Michael Bay was able to suffice our hunger for action, because so far its been several years since any movie really has.

Vandalism

In my years of owning my Delorean, i have come to realize that i can’t really drive it for every purpose of my life. This is because many have warned me that it would be vandalized, and i have admitted that to myself lately. But i write in my blog about this to the readers for one simple reason, I would like to send a message to those who would vandalize a car or steal a car to make money off of, violating a car is a sin i cannot forgive nor would anybody else forgive. It’s a sin that has no humanity, it’s a violation of private property and usually done by selfish people.

SO why do people do it, i’ve noticed it’s the most frequent thing done by Illegal residents of this country because they want to make money to feed their families or by teenagers who are jealous of the owner. It’s even a profession to some and that scares me, why does it have to exist i ask of you readers. I personally believe there is no justice for such an act and will make this clear.

 Vandalism in general is a sin, I’m not even religiously proud and i believe in that being a sin. People who read this who have done it or knew someone who did it have to face the music. Such a deed will put those who believe in heaven burn in hell; i’m not kidding. What gives people a right to vandalize anything, especially cars. Such an action hurts the one who gets his/her stuff vandalized, it squanders that person’s freedom, it breaks their trust in more than just the person who did it. It’s a crime.

Those who profit from such things are blackmarket thugs, better stop what their doing and find a better and legal way to make ends meet. Because the way I see it there are legal ways to make it in this world, and if you are still in need of money that you have to vandalize and sell what you steal. It’s your fault and you should not condemn someone else to your self-inflicted misery. If it’s for sport, then you are no better than the ones who hurt us that fateful day in September 2001.

Vandalism profits many and that is sickening, i hope that whenever you go to spend money made from vandalism and otherwise do it in your own twisted temptations. You look at the fact that you bring others down with you, it is the same as stealing and I hope those who do it learn to stop if they care about their own lives. It only leads to trouble and can ruin your life.

This is why i have no sympathy for Illegal Immigrants, if they had the chance they will steal anything that isn’t nailed to it’s spot. Just to feed their families and themselves. It makes them scavengers of the earth and that is why we do not respect them and should deport them. They encourage and cause much of the vandalism today, that is why I mention them.

STOP VANDALISM, OR IT WILL RUIN THE PERSON’S LIFE THAT YOU VIOLATE AND THE VIOLATER

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (On TV)

This sadly was a movie that did not make it to the theatres in 2006, and that’s too bad because it’s one of those movies that truly makes you feel optimistic again. The Prize Winner of Defiance Ohio is really a woman named Evelyn Ryan, and this is a true story written by one of her children named Terry Ryan. Terry Ryan wrote a memoir book which slates as the title shown above describing her mother’s amazing things she did to keep her family from poverty. The title may say she won a huge contest and thats that, but it turns out she won a ton of the contests and because of her husband’s irrisponsible actions that made it hard for the Ryan family to live easy. The contests were keeping the family going and Evelyn Ryan was creative in using her family (even the father) to make winning entries. The movie takes place in the 1950’s, a golden age in many American’s minds that creates a realistic picture showing that there are hardships even in the most glorious times of American history. The movie is good, with Julianne Moore and Woody Harrelson playing good roles as well as good character development. Literally. This movie doesn’t bore you at all, it doesn’t overstep the line of comedy but the way it is directed is unique. It does have the common person narration as events are taking place as well as 50’s nostalgia, yet it can be funny in the attitudes and actions of the characters even though it does not emphasis on comedy. It’s family orientated to a degree but it’s not for every age, It’s a great movie. The movie is a great collection item if you like to learn about the american family, otherwise it’s so good it’s worth buying on DVD. I’ve watched it four times.

Rating: Three and a half stars

Vacation (at my expense?)

When i graduated from college in May, you always get that question “what do you plan to do for the summer?” you always believe it’s an innocent question. But these days it’s alway’s represented people’s way of prodding into your future (in my opinion), for me it’s always embarrassing because every summer i have my time off. And thats not good enough for them, what is wrong with taking a break i ask you?

            I do it simply because i’ve always worked hard, but i’ve worked hard in the areas that don’t seem to matter. It’s hard to explain but the difference between most people and me is that i believe in having weekends off, and taking vacations. Not crazy mind you, but May of this year till September 4 seems like a long time; it’s not. Time moves too fast for fun, all the holidays and days off don’t seem to last for me and i really appreciate time off. I went to college 5 days a week, and did 15-16 credits every semester. Now i’m slowing down a bit to bring up my GPA, it’s not terrific mind you but i am smart with a 92.2 in high school. Heck i have more awards than pictures in frames at my house, why is it such a sin I wonder to relax. In college it was more studying equals more chance of doing good, I really don’t think so. The new generation is recieving too much pressure these days, who cares if another country has more A’s than the United States.

                     There are smart people in the US, and better grades in the other countries doesn’t necessarily mean they’re smarter. China has a higher grade but they still aren’t smart enough to cut their polluting, they just became the biggest polluter’s over any of the U.S. Cities. But that’s a whole different story except that the educators think harder work means more concentration, well it doesn’t and im still doing fairly good.

                         You are not lazy for taking the summer off, unless you need to get a job and make some money. I don’t necessarily have to myself so i get to relax, then when i get back my mind will be refreshed. But I will say to the educators of America that they need to stop trying to do better than the beginnings of education because there are too many failures and dropouts now. Now you know why. Anyway i play video games, attempt machinima, clean around the house and thats about it. Life can be good sometimes right :)