Gettin’ Back in the Groove
I don’t know how you other guys do it. Granted you do have more specific blogs (i.e. JUST personal, or JUST videogames, etc.) and you hire staffs to cover the slack, but wow - blogging is easier said than done. So much motivation required to actively find time to update and keep up with the world. I can practically feel it spinning under my lazy ass. But I digress…
The reason I’ve been a shitty blogger is because life got crazy. Oh - and finding out that my entire website looks like shit on other computers and doesn’t work right on the Wii (Y’know - the goal), I got a little discouraged. Luckily things have calmed down, I’ve found it in me to forgive the web issues - for now, and I don’t think I’ve ever been more at ease with where I’m at - and up until now, “where I’m at” wasn’t sitting here with nothing to do. So, let’s dive right in shall we? I’ve got updates across the board. Feel free to skip over things that don’t interest you. They all interest me, so suck it.
LIFE UPDATE:
I’ve never been one to spill my heart to the internet. And I’m not going to, but when things slowed down before summer, it was because of - what else - girl issues. I won’t go into details, but - I got played, it sucked, and I moved on. Drama, drama, drama, yada, yada, yada.
When things calmed down, so did I - and life got comfortable again. I gave myself a break from the dating scene for a good couple months and really let myself realize what awesome friends I’ve got. Very therapeutic. Then, literally out of nowhere and much to the surprise of myself and everyone I hid it from for a few days - I ended up with a girlfriend. Now before you start gagging, World - this is not a starry-eyed, OMG LOOK WHAT I GOT!!!1! post - just an introduction that’s as casual and comfortable as the relationship itself. Meet Jess.
Jess, World. World, Jess.
Yeah, she’s pretty rad. Anyway, what else? School’s going well I guess, QuadForce has to move soon (Lease is almost up, landlords are shitty, utility bills are out of control, and the manor’s falling apart), I’m collaborating with my pal Nate Kelly on an entry for Artimation (My college’s annual film festival), and work is going smoothly at High Voltage (Which reminds me - I need to edit that post about Harvey Birdman - I spilled some beans on stuff that hasn’t been announced yet. Oops. Oh well, no one reads this anyway). The game comes out on November 13th - look for my name in the credits and pay attention to the awesome lipsync work. Oh, and check out the fake site Capcom made for it! Viral marketing is all the rage. On to other things!
FOOD UPDATE:
Luckily I’ve been finding the time to cook more lately. Recent menu items include a new, revamped Invincibility Pasta, FHS’s (Fuckin’ Hot Sandwiches), and an all new dish… would you call it a dish? I don’t know… Nuggiches! Here are quick recipes for each (Sorry, not pictures).
Invincibility Pasta (The Ultimate College Guy Grub)
Ingredients:
- Spaghetti or Fettucini (Whatever you’re feeling like that day)
- Cream of Chicken Soup (at least 2 cans)
- Milk
- Chicken (I usually do precooked strips, but you can do real chicken breast if you’ve got time)
- Blackening Seasoning
- Southwestern Spice Blend
- EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil for you amatuers)
- Bacon (Again, precooked is fine you’re in a hurry)
- Salt & Pepper
Process:
1) In a sauce pan, heat cream of chicken soup - this will be the base of the sauce.
2) Add milk carefully until you get a sauce-like consistency.
3) In a frying pan, simmer chicken and bacon (torn into bits) in EVOO, and a little salt and pepper.
4) As chicken softens, season lightly with Southwestern blend.
5) Use the edge of a spatula to cut the chicken into bite size pieces.
6) Use the spatula to put the simmered meat onto a baking sheet. Lightly season with Blackening Spices
7) Bake the meat for a short time, let it absorb the oil/seasoning and dry out a little.
Add whats left in the frying pan to the sauce pan and get some water boiling in a pasta pot.
9) Remove the meat from the oven and add to the sauce.
10) Boil pasta, drain it, and mix the sauce directly into the pasta pot. This ensures an even coat. Serve.
Why is it called Invincibility Pasta? You’re guaranteed not to die for 3 seconds after eating it or your money back.
Fuckin’ Hot Sandwiches (FHS’s) (Modified from a Chuck E. Cheese recipe - instant classic)
Ingredients:
- Sandwich Style Hoagie Buns
- Smoked Ham
- Capicola
- Pepperoni
- Provelone Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
- Italian Seasoning
- Italian Vinegarette Dressing
- Mayo
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
Process:
Easy. Put all but the last 4 ingredients together, bake until bread turns golden brown and cheese melts. Then add the other ingredients. Enjoy.
Nuggiches! (Yes, the exclamation point has to be there)
This recipe is extremely easy and differs from style to style - here’s each.
:: Italian ::
- French Bread (Cut into appetizer-size rolls)
- Chicken Breast (Cut into bite size chunks)
- EVOO
- Eggs
- Italian Style Bread Crumbs
- Italian Seasoning
- Marinara Sauce
- Provelone Cheese
- Parmesan Cheese
Process:
1) Sautee chicken in EVOO
2) Bread chicken by dipping in egg and rolling in bread crumbs
3) Season chicken with Italian seasoning and bake until lightly golden
4) Spread a layer of Marinara in each roll, fill with breaded chicken, add cheeses and bake until bread is flaky and cheese is melted
5) Serve and enjoy
:: Cajun ::
Ingredients:
- French Bread (Cut into appetizer-size rolls)
- Chicken Breast (Cut into bite size chunks)
- EVOO
- Cajun Spice Blend
- Blackening Seasoning
- Pepperjack Cheese
Process:
1) Sautee chicken in EVOO
2) Lightly season with Cajun Blend
3) Remove from pan and lightly dip a side of each piece in blackening seasoning
4) Fill each roll with chicken, top with pepperjack and bake until bread is flaky and cheese is melted
5) Serve and enjoy
:: Buffalo ::
Ingredients:
- French Bread (Cut into appetizer-size rolls)
- Chicken Breast (Cut into bite size chunks)
- EVOO
- Beer
- Wing Sauce
- Cheddar Cheese
Process:
1) Sautee chicken in EVOO and beer
2) Toss chicken in wing sauce
3) Fill each roll with chicken, top with cheddar, and bake until bread is flaky and cheese is melted
4) Serve and enjoy
:: BBQ ::
Ingredients:
- French Bread (Cut into appetizer-size rolls)
- Chicken Breast (Cut into bite size chunks)
- EVOO
- BBQ sauce
Process:
1) Sautee chicken in EVOO
2) Smother in BBQ sauce
3) Fill each roll with chicken, bake until bread is flaky
4) Serve and enjoy
MOVIE UPDATE:
Whew. I’m gettin’ worn out here. And I haven’t even reached the Nintendo news yet. To speed up the process, I’ll keep the movie commentary to myself - just trust the m’s.
TV UPDATE:
Not a whole lot to report these days. When The Office comes back, I’m sure I’ll have plenty to say here, but in the meantime - three cheers for Amy winning The Next Food Network Star!
NINTENDO NEWS:
*pant, pant* Ok - so here’s the dorky stuff. Now as I’m sure most of you that care to read this section already know, E3 went down a little while back and I never got around to covering it. The first year of the newer, smaller, intimate E3 went well overall - and Nintendo made a decent showing. Nothing compared to last year, but console announcements are hard to beat. Here’s a list of highlights. Click to read deeper into them.
Featured Software:
- Super Mario Galaxy (November 12th)
- Super Smash Bros. Brawl (December 3rd)
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (August 27th)
- WiiFit (January 2008)
- MarioKart Wii (Q1 2008)
- Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (November 13th)
- Blocks - From the imagination of Steven Spielberg?! (TBA 2008)
- De Blob (TBA 2008)
- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (October 1st)
- Brain Age 2 (August 20th)
Featured Hardware:
- New “Wii Zapper” controller shell (Packaged with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Call of Duty 3, and other upcoming titles - $19.99 standalone)
- Wii Balance Board (Packaged with WiiFit)
- Wii Wheel (Packaged with MarioKart Wii)
Smash Updates:
Rumble Falls (Stage) [7/23/07]
Yoshi (Character) [7/24/07]
Skyworld (Stage) [7/25/07]
Footstool Jump (Technique) [7/26/07]
Knuckle Joe (Assist Trophy) [7/27/07]
Donkey Kong: Final Smash (Character Smash Ball Reaction) [7/30/07]
Pitfall (Item) [7/31/07]
Ike (Character) [8/1/07]
Castle Siege (Stage) [8/2/07]
What is the Subspace Emissary? (Teaser Sequence/Trailer) [8/3/07]
Smoke Ball (Item) [8/6/07]
Ike: Special Moves (Character Move Set) [8/7/07]
Kid Icarus: The Underworld (Music) [8/8/07]
Pit: Final Smash (Character Smash Ball Reaction) [8/9/07]
Franklin Badge (Item) [8/10/07]
Miketendo Commentary:
Wow. What a crazy last few weeks, huh kids? Nintendo’s strategy is making itself very apparent - balancing softcore and hardcore. Whether it be raising moms’ eyebrows the world over with announcements like WiiFit, or making the core gamers cream in their jeans by not only unveiling a new character - but an UNLOCKABLE new character in Smash. The world has collectively sat up and paid attention to Nintendo - and that’s exactly how they want us. If only I put forth the effort and bought Nintendo stocks before the release of the Wii. If only. Developers are dedicating more and more of their time and effort to making games for Wii and media figure heads that trashed our little white box are standing in line to get in front of a microphone and retract their statements.
We got a Wii firmware update for the first time in a while the other day, adding some convenience features to the menu and simultaneously pissing everyone out there that loves to hack their shit. But back on the brighter side of things, we also got a preview channel for Metroid Prime 3 - a game IGN is pissed Nintendo didn’t market more. It’s being touted as one of the most influential, groundbreaking first person shooters in a long time. This makes me smile. I’m actually ok with the minimal hype - I think Nintendo realizes that this game is so good that they don’t need Samus’ face on the side of McDonald’s cups. The subtle advertising to Wii users by means of this new preview channel coupled with the word of mouth they know they’ll get will both make and surpass their wildest sales goals. Additionally, IGN should realize that by being pissed about the lack of hype - they’re creating it. Let the game speak for itself - it’s a noble concept and I think it’ll work well. I’ve never been much of a Metroid follower myself, but I’m picking it up on release day - consider me proof.
The future is bright for Wii, but I’m starting to wonder about the DS. Yes, there’s a constant stream of stuff coming to it, but very little of it is being seen as a reason to dust mine off. Phantom Hourglass seems to be keeping the hype up, but I find myself a little hesitant even to it. I’m sure it deserves every bit of the hype it’s received in Japan, but as someone that first got into the series on Nintendo64, I’m almost intimidated to revisit the 2D gameplay style that everyone still goes crazy about. I’ll give it a shot and get back to you on that.
Thanks for putting up with my absence and reading - even if you skipped/skimmed through most of it. I’ll get better about this - but I won’t promise it’ll be right away. 
P.S. Mario Strikers Charged is an awesome game. Get it.