It's Been A While Since I've Won Something...

Good things come in pairs, as after picking up my free Chris Cornell CD from The Fox headquarters in Downtown Vancouver, I decided to get a haircut at my normal barbershop in Chinatown. The wait was several people long as there was a lone barber there when normally there are 2-3 others (they were either sick or on vacation). I waited as several people got their haircut and even let some people ahead of me as they were either in a rush, or were there earlier but it was busy. I ended up waiting an hour or so before I got my haircut, but it was ok since I had nothing else better to do anyway. The barber was really gracious as I waited quite a while and let others ahead of me, and as thanks gave me a free pass for myself and a guest to see Werner Herzog's new film Rescue Dawn.

It's not quite a 37" LCD HDTV, but cool nonetheless.

It's funny how this is the 2nd thing I've won from The Fox (U2 DVD last time), and I can't even stand listening to them!

The Fox Rocks! (Not listening to them, but when they give you free stuff!)

Vacation Blog: Beijing, China

Day one in Beijing was terrible. 17+ hours of flights in a seat with barely any room at all. It wasn't that I didn't want to sleep, I just couldn't. Getting into Beijing was another thing, it had been rainy in Vancouver during the time before I left and was blasted by 30 degree heat as soon as we hit the Beijing airport. So basically, recovering from the flight, combined with the culture shock made that first day terrible. But day two, things were looking up.

Day two began with Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. Many people can't think of Tiananmen Square without the word Massacre immediately proceeding it, which is unfortunate, because it's existence today is suppose to mean the exact opposite of Massacre. Following that we visited the Temple of Heaven which featured a few very intricately detailed structures. You could spend all day looking at it and fine a new detail every minute. Of course, I could say that about almost every temple we saw in China. The Summer Palace followed, which is situated on a giant man-made lake, although you'd never know it unless someone told you, or if you fell in somehow, since the depth is approximately 7 feet.

In the afternoon we went to a "Chinese" restaurant for our set lunch. It sucked. It sucked bad. It's Chinese food for Westerners. Vancouver has some of the best Chinese food in the world, but this was complete shit. It's understandable though, because these set lunches are prepared for Westerners who tend to enjoy it.

It's also interesting to note how the Chinese restaurants that cater to tour groups/foreigners work. There are separate sections (usually rooms, sometimes even floors) for each language represented. So one room would have servers with English-language skills, and another would have French or Dutch, and so on. In addition there is another section for tour guides, who presumably are eating real Chinese food(bastards!).

Those of you used to free water and unlimited refills will be in for a shock.

On the recommendation of our tour guide, Tony, we then went to separate Pearl and Silk factories. I gotta say, those sales associates are good, they speak perfect english and tag team to get you to buy stuff. Which is what I did, hey, Mother's Day was coming up, as they told me several times. Wish I had a pic of Phil modelling pearls though (SEXY!). It was because he's the same height as his mom so he could get an idea of how it looked. Don't believe him when he says I modelled some for my mom though, I'm wayyyy taller than she is.

Following this we went to the Silk Factory which was much more interesting than you think. It begins with a tour of the actual factory and how silk is made, quite intriguing really. Following that we were treated to our very own private fashion show, for the three of us, at our tour guide's request.





After that we were hushed into their gigantic sales area which has everything imaginable, done in silk. Phil bought silk bed sheets with a Dragon and Phoenix design, which symbolizes marriage. It doesn't look like he's getting hitched anytime soon though (bad luck). Also the sheets are for a twin-size bed, so even when he does get hitched it wouldn't cover him +1, so that's double bad-luck. These won't be the only cases of bad luck that Phil will create for himself this trip.

When I get rich(er), my entire wardrobe and bedsheets will be 100% silk.

If there is one thing I truly regret during the entire trip, it was that I did not get those Star Wars silk boxers (They weren't my size anyway). Just think about it, the power of the Death Star, in my pants.

To be continued....

There's No Place Like Home

aka Home, Sweet Home aka Home On The Range aka Home Is Where The Heart Is, etc.

Currently: HOME!!~!@@

So despite being stopped by customs at YVR (The guy went quick once he found out all I had was smelly clothes) I was greeted by the above image last night. Despite customs, I _still_ got home before my cohorts. As great and beautiful as the rest of the world is, I never saw that any day I was in Asia, and here in Burnaby I get to see that _every_ day.

So I just got up around 3pm, after going to sleep last night around 11:30pm. Almost a good 15 hours sleep. Breaks my old record of 13 back when I pulled an all-dayer/all-nighter at the Vancouver Film Festival a few years back. I pretty much did an all-dayer yesterday anyway. If you think air travel by economy class sucks, try going cross-pacific over 16 hours and being my size. _That_ is the definition of suck.

Also got home to promptly find out that my Xbox 360 finally kicked the bucket. Damn, another month without it?? Sucks how the company who has the console with the best games and best online service (I've got all 3 current consoles, that's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it) has the shittiest hardware. Will Sony please release some decent games for the Playstation 3??

Anyways, I'll probably have a series of posts dedicated to each place I was at in the coming time, depending on how I feel - inspired or lazy. Right now, I'm feeling pretty lazy.

That and I'm catching up on all the stuff I missed during the past month, specifically all the TV shows I missed during May Sweeps. People who spoil how certain TV shows have ended this season will have their house or apartment or living establishment burned down. For reals.

Oh, and if you thought Eric So was weird, creepy, shady and a jerk, you didn't have to spend a whole month living with him. Words have not yet been invented to describe his level of weirdness, creepiness, shadiness and jerkiness. And I know for a fact that I'm not the only one who feels that way. I'm sorry, I take the earlier thing back, living with Eric So for a month, THAT is the REAL definition of suck.

I Got My Fist, I Got My Plan, I Got My...NIN Handbag?

Currently in: Kyoto, Japan (man these Japanese keyboards are weird)

Damn, can't upload pics from a public computer, so you'll see it later.

NIN in Osaka was all kinds of awesome, setlist for both nights to make you jealous:

May 23:
1. Hyperpower!
2. The Beginning of the End
3. Last (you have not lived until you've heard this live!!)
4. Survivalism (so awesome live!)
5. March of the Pigs
6. Something I Can Never Have
7. Capital G (didn't like when I first listened to YZ, but now I can't stop going "HUH HUH")
8. Burn
9. Gave Up
10. Help Me I Am In Hell
11. Me, I'm Not (One of my favorites from YZ, performed in a way you wouldn't expect live)
12. Eraser (Drummer Josh Freese is just mesmerizing to watch during this)
13. La Mer
14. Into The Void (I love this 1-2 punch)
15. The Good Soldier (Not much different than the album version)
16. Wish
17. No, You Don't
18. Mr. Self Destruct (Finally popped my MSD live cherry - didn't use a condom and loved every minute ;)
19. Only
20. Get Down Make Love (Trent said Queen was his favorite band growing up - FUCK all the Queen haters!!)
21. Dead Souls (One of 2 songs at the top of my list of songs I wanted NIN to play live that I haven't heard yet....calling me....)
22. Hurt
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole

May 24:

1. Somewhat Damaged (Still my favorite NIN opener)
2. You Know What You Are? (The crowd was so into this)
3. Terrible Lie (The best I've ever heard it done live by NIN - most likely because the crowd was so into it -- HEY GOD!!)
4. Sin (Always awesome as usual)
5. March of the Pigs
6. Piggy (Hell yes!! Always a crowdpleaser)
7. The Beginning of the End
8. Survivalism
9. Ruiner (Fuck yeah!!)
10. Burn
11. Help Me I Am In Hell
12. Me, I'm Not (extra long intro this time)
13. Reptile (The 2nd of those 2 songs I most wanna hear NIN play live...I got goosebumps during the opening beats of this)
14. The Frail (no Wretched, which was strange....he played the piano chord from The Fragile -- "I won't let you fall apart" -- I would've loved to hear that live -- The Fragile is still my fave NIN album)
15. The Good Soldier
16. Wish
17. Only
18. Capital G
19. Suck
20. Down In It (I WAS UP ABOVE IT!!! NOW I'M DOWN IN IT!!)
21. The Day The World Went Away
22. Hurt
23. The Hand That Feeds
24. Head Like A Hole

It was keyboardist Alessandro's birthday and Trent led the crowd into a nice rendition of "Happy Birthday" for him. Two scantily clad women presented him with a birthday cake and tried to throw it in his face, Alessandro ducked it though....that didn't stop Trent from picking it up off the ground and throwing it at him again though. Didn't miss that time!

Trent also spoke that being the last show of this leg of the tour, he was gonna take a couple months off and work on his next album (big crowd response, obviously).

Thanks to the Osaka crowd for being the best I've ever been to. They were loud yet polite, they jumped but never pushed. They let Trent sing Hurt without screaming during the quiet parts or clapping. The NIN diverse fanbase shows up again as you see middle-aged Japanese businessmen and even women bringing their newborns (!!). They weren't just there, they were into it too! ZEPP was also a fantastic venue, very nicely air conditioned unlike most places.

2 hours and 24 songs each night, aka HEAVEN. If you haven't seen NIN in a small venue, then you haven't seen NIN at their best.

Alive!

Currently in: Shanghai, China

Next Stop: Hong Kong

More updates later, so many stories to tell.....fans of "Actual Things Said By Eric So" will have a lot to devour.

Where In The World Is Steve?

Hong Kong International Airport watching The Cartoon Network at the Kid's Lounge

Tales of the Babysitter's Club: Prologue

So I've got this big vacation coming up, but going with two questionable subjects (Eric S. & Phil), one has to wonder how much of a vacation it's really going to be. If we actually get past customs without getting imprisoned (by Phil's nervousness and twitchy hands) or tortured (due to Eric's stone-faced sarcasm) and we have decent internet access, I might be able to bring some updates.

Here's some things I'll miss:

• My own house and bed


• Building my massive Xbox 360 Gamerscore over Ed's


• NHL Playoffs (Should be back in time for Canucks in Cup Finals though!)


• May Sweeps and TV Show finales (thank god for VCRs, PVRs and Bittorrent!)


• Spider-Man 3 Midnight Show on opening day (Sam Raimi is god. Hopefully I can catch it over in HK or Japan)

But here's some things that should make up for it:

• Tiananmen Square in Beijing


• The Great Wall of China (No Eric, we won't be sprinting it)


• Qin Shi Huang's Tomb featuring a thousand-plus life-size terra cotta warriors in Xian


• Shanghai's Bund and Jade Buddha Temple


• Victoria Peak in Hong Kong


• Nara's Todaiji Temple and kasuga Shrine


• 2 back to back nights of NINE INCH NAILS in Osaka (!!!)


• Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan


• Kyoto's Nijo Castle, Golden Pavillion and Old Imperial Palace


• Miyajima's Itsukushima Shinto Shrine


• Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb Museum


• Tokyo's Mt. Fuji & Hakone National Park, Lake Ashi via Boat Cruise, Mt. Komagatake via Rope-way ride and Asakua Kannon Temple


• Kegon Waterfall and Lake Chuzenji in Nikko


• Meeting Eric So's imaginary girlfriend

In between preventing Phil from buying useless souvenirs and stopping Eric from general mayhem such as littering and peeing on the streets, hopefully I'll be able to enjoy myself. And seriously Phil, do you really need a separate piece of luggage just for shoes? He's such a girl.

Unfortunately, the trip's length has been tripled due to costcutting features as requested by Phil. We will be arriving and leaving via Cargo Boat, or "The Scenic Route" as Phil likes to call it. "It'll only take a few extra weeks, and we save a few cents!" he says. "Can't we take the Japan-Canada Cross-Pacific Bridge by car?" responds Eric. So even though the the trip ends in Early June, we won't be back until July. Oh well, at least we'll still have cell phone access when we travel across the Pacific Ocean!

Oh god, what have I gotten myself into??

Steve's Hit List: The Best Of The Best - Pre-Vacation edition

You may have noticed on the right a bunch of lists of current movies, television and music I've been listening to. Scroll down a bit further and check it out if you haven't already. It's a little thing I'm doing since I haven't done any big "Hit List" reviews in a while. Here's a little "Best Of The Best" where I do a short little review on those things lately that I've really enjoyed.

Children of Men - this film is amazing. Alfonso Cuaron has been one of my favorite directors ever since I saw his 2001 film, Y Tu Mama Tambien. You may not be familiar with his name, but I'm willing to bet you've seen his work already, 2004's Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, which many consider the best of the Potter films so far.

This film takes place in the year 2027 when for untold reasons, humans can no longer procreate, with the last baby being born 17 years prior. It follows our main character played by Clive Owen who finds a pregnant woman who may be holding the fate of humankind in her belly.

This is a grim film that was absolutely unsettling to watch, but don't take that as a negative. This film is an effective drama with a few action sequences, but it worked more as a thriller to me. There were several scenes in this film that absolutely had me on the edge of my seat. The handheld camera that takes us in the middle of the action with very little breaks and cuts help provide that unsettling nature, making this film all the more powerful. This is a moving experience that you will not soon forget.

Hot Fuzz - on the opposite end of the spectrum here is a film that is an absolute joy to watch. Like Shaun of the Dead, this film spoofs but also loves the films it references, except this time we substitute Zombies with Bruckheimer Action flicks. What is especially funny about this film is that while it spends the bulk of it making fun of those cheesy Hollywood movies, it turns into what it's making fun of by the end. But it works because the characters are funny and likable, and it's always done with tongue firmly in cheek. There is one moment is this film that is so funny that I couldn't stop laughing for a good 10 minutes. About the only bad thing I can say is that this film could have been trimmed of some 10-20 minutes. That said, I am eagerly anticipating the forthcoming DVD.

Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright are the new Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. Raimi now helms one of the biggest film franchises ever, Spider-Man, after humble beginnings with the Evil Dead series. I envision that in the future their cult status will grow to mainstream status, something along the line of Wright directing a Bond pic in the future.

Marie Antoinette - I was very apprehensive of this film because the reviews were so polarized, either very good or very bad. But the writer/director Sofia Coppola has directed two very good recent films, The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, two films I enjoyed greatly, especially Lost in Translation, so I had to give Marie Antoinette a shot. Like those films, this film is similar in that it follows the main female character(s) as they live their lives. Marie Antoinette is not the usual controversial figure she is usually portrayed as (perhaps unfairly so), but here she is presented as your typical teenage girl as she becomes a woman. A word about the music - great. Some people may hate how a period film is scored with a modern soundtrack, but I love how it really evoked what the director wanted to portray, and plus it's just a blast to listen to. This may not be the an accurate portrayal of Marie Antoinette, but it is certainly a very enjoyable film.

Super Paper Mario (Wii) - the latest installment of the Mario RPG/Paper Mario series further proves my "great first party nintendo games" theory, as it is one of the best Wii games released so far. Originally developed for the Gamecube, they moved this to the Wii without making it seem like a quick port. The controls are well done and the story is involving and funny. However, unlike previous Paper Mario games, this game does not involve turn based battles, but real time battles similar to that of a regular Mario platformer. I kind of didn't like this at first, but by the end I was used to it.

The main selling point of this game is the ability to switch from 2D mode into 3D, providing a whole new dimension to the game (I love me some cliches). And it really is great, a certain 2D portion becomes a whole new area when you go into 3D, which is essential to moving forward in the story and to find secrets.

Qualms: No replay value, I wish it had a Hard mode or something, because this game was just way too easy, I honestly couldn't die if I tried. TOO MUCH READING!!! This is a problem of many Nintendo games, which feature no speech and all text. In addition, the first 20-30 minutes feature you doing nothing but watching - not cool. I hate games that do this, a quick intro is fine, but please don't make us wait so long to play the freaking game!

Casino Royale - The most enjoyable Bond in ages. Gone is all that silly rubbish that made the series so stale and not too enjoyable. It's back to basics, serious and nitty-gritty. Kind of like the Bourne series (which has passed the popularity of the Bond flicks lately). Pierce Brosnan was a good Bond, but I honestly didn't care for the his last two Bond films. They all had their enjoyable bits, but they were all by-the-numbers and followed the same formula. Here, we see Daniel Craig in his first days as a double agent, and he really is fantastic. Looking forward to the next installments, and let's hope they keep it dark and dirty without all the BS that has dragged down the series.

Justice League Unlimited: The Complete Second Season - The final season of Bruce Timm's DC Animated Universe goes out with a bang. Unlimited was no doubt my favorite of all the animated series, which is saying something, because I loved it all. It had some great stories, great voice acting, big surprises, revelations, everything, epic action sequences, it had it all. Of note, is quite possibly my favorite single episode of all the DC animated shows, The Great Brain Robbery. Flash and Luthor switch bodies, hilarity ensues, 'nuff said.

Stranger Than Fiction - this is one of those sleeper films that you never expect, but end up enjoying the heck out of. While Will Ferrell can make me laugh until it hurts, sometimes he's a bit much. This is not your typical whacked-out crazy Will Ferrell comedy but instead a sweet romantic comedy that shows that not only can Ferrell make us laugh, but he can act!

Queen: A Night at the Opera - this is Queen at its best. This is the one with Bohemian Rhapsody, recently and frequently voted as the greatest song of all-time, a sentiment that I would not argue. But this is not a one-song album, it's not one of those "great single, the rest is filler" type albums. What really makes this album great, is that the rest of the songs are great too! Personal Faves besides Bohemian Rhapsody: You're My Best Friend, Love of My Life.

I can say without hesitation that if Freddie Mercury were still alive today, Queen would no doubt be my favorite band, and that's including Nine Inch Nails (Sorry Trent, although I'm sure he'll agree too). Just imagine how crazy-awesome it would be to see Freddie and Trent duet "Get Down Make Love".

Explosions in the Sky: All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone - EITS's newest album is fan-freaking-tastic. I love it so much; they have in a very short time become one of my absolute favorite bands. Like I said about their previous album sometime last year, this is all about putting it on, closing your eyes and being transported to a new place. While the title may be melancholic and somber, the music is quite uplifting and inspirational.

Favorite Tracks: Welcome, Ghosts; It's Natural To Be Afraid

Actual Things Said By Eric So

In celebration of The King of Sing getting his own karaoke blog, I've decided to compile this list of actual things he has said.

To Me regarding China Visa Applications: "nationality canadian..even though ur chinese." Apparently there's no difference between nationality and ethnicity.

Regarding cell phone usage over the Pacific Ocean: "It's roaming right?" Yes, apparently all phone companies now install cell phone towers in the middle of nowhere.

About Eating Green TicTacs like candy to support his Dallas Stars: "They're not green!" (looks at packaging, flavour = WinterGREEN).

On what he would rather win: $1,000 cash or a brand new $30,000 Car "Cash, 'cause it's cash, right?" But the car can be sold for.....ahh never mind.

On the longest Canuck game ever: "Was it regular season or playoffs?" Because those marathon regular season games don't end after a five minute overtime and shootout.

As Jason and I berate Phil on not joining us (Me, Jason and Eric) to watch a hockey game: Eric asks "Are you guys talking about me?" Jason: "Well you're here aren't you??" Not everything is about you Eric, you egotistical bastard.

On Peter getting baptised: "Are you happy for him?" No Eric, we hate that Peter is happy and found religion.

Not so much said, but not said: After dinner at a nice restaurant, we usually like to split the bill. So we leave it to Eric to figure out how much we each owe. Big mistake as it takes half an hour for him not to figure it out. For some reason, we ended up miles short of the proper price. It was also a birthday dinner of sorts for a few of us, so we would be treated right? Wrong. Mr. Calculator forgets to include GST for the whole thing. So in the end, we had to pay for our birthday dinners and wasted a good half hour in doing so!

It's ok Eric, it was an honest mistake, not like you work for an accounting firm or anything....oh, wait....

The King of Sing Gets His Own Blog

The Eric So Karaoke Internet Phenomenon has become so big that this blog simply cannot contain it by itself anymore. So with that in mind, please visit and bookmark the new Eric "King of Sing" So Karaoke Blog. From now on, all Eric So (henceforth known as "The King of Sing") Karaoke related news and videos will be posted there, because YOU, the general public, demanded it dammit!

Stay tuned here for my usual ramblings and whatnots.

My Top Ten Favorite Gamecube Games

The Gamecube came out of the last generation of Video Games on the bottom end versus the Xbox and Playstation 2. It had its faults, but certainly had its share of plusses. I will say this about Nintendo, and having owned more consoles by them than any other company, their consoles are worth owning even if they were the only ones that made the games, which was almost the case for the Gamecube actually. Their franchises, from Mario to Zelda to Metroid make their consoles must own by themselves alone.

So inspired by ScrewAttack's Farewell to Nintendo's Gamecube, I give you My Personal Top Ten Favorite Gamecube Games:

10. Bomberman Generation - the ultimate party game. You don't mess with the classics, and thats what they did with Bomberman 64, turning everybody's favorite party game into a complete mess by bringing it into the 3D realm. But they learned from their mistake and just gave us classic Bomberman, pure and simple.

9. Soul Calibur II - great fighting game, with great graphics. Sure it was released on the other systems too, but each one had an extra character exclusive to that system. Gamecube had the best - Link.

8. Burnout 2: Point of Impact - My very first taste of Burnout, and I've been hooked ever since. So good, I bought this twice, first on PS2, then again on Gamecube. It looked slightly better, and the same tight controls, but gave us double the crash junctions, the best part of the game itself.

7. Super Monkey Ball 2 - great game where you had to get a monkey in a ball (hence the name) through a certain level with many obstacles. The twist? You didn't move the monkey in the ball, you moved the level itself. Add in some great mini games that were party favorites (Monkey Bowling anyone??) and you've got a great game.

6. Tales of Symphonia - following the disappointing Final Fantasy X, I was getting pretty tired of those Japanese style RPGs with their stale turn-based combat systems and random battles. But this game was different, you could avoid or take battles at your own whim, but with its different real-time combat system, you actually wanted to do the battles! Now you could blow through this game's main story in about 40-50 hours, but this game had so much else to do that I doubled that, and spent 80+ great hours with this game.

5. Metroid Prime - like everybody else alive, I was skeptical when I heard Nintendo was taking their Metroid franchise into the 3D arena with a first person shooter. Now back then, I was more of a PC gamer, so for a FPS, a mouse and keyboard was a necessity, whereas a controller was the complete opposite. Not to mention Japan has typically shunned first person shooters. Nintendo had the intelligence to employ the Texas based Retro Studios to make this for them. Texas is of course, home of many of the great FPS developers (id, 3D Realms, Raven, etc.). This game had everything going against it. But how wrong I was, and how wrong many of us were. This game was absolutely balls to the walls. The graphics were phenomenal, the controls were very well done, the levels large and expansive with many areas to explore, and despite the move from 2D to 3D, kept much of what made everyone love the older Metroids in the first place. I bet not even Nintendo themselves thought that this would be as good as it turned out to be.

4. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year-Old Door - Well placed among their Mario franchise, but deviating from the standard platforming by adding RPG elements and turn based battles. The gameplay was very refined, giving you extra boosts if you did things a certain way, such as certain button presses at the right time. Finding out those perfect timings and trying to replicate them each time was half the fun. And not only was Mario battling, but you had a half dozen teammates there to help you, each with their own unique set of actions and even more of those timed button presses. It was over too quick for my liking, but that's because I had such a great time.

3. Mario Kart: Double Dash - I love this game. Adding in two riders to one kart really gave this franchise an innovative new twist. It had some great maps, and was best played with others. Looking forward to see what Nintendo has up its sleeve for the Wii installment. Nothing's been said so far, but you know it's coming.

2. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - it is unfortunate that many overlooked this game because of its cartoonish graphics. Those who didn't were rewarded with a game that fit into Zelda canon nicely, serving as a prequel to all previous Zelda games and telling us the whole backstory of the great Zelda universe. I absolutely loved the cel shaded art story of this film. Stylistically, it helped convey emotion and gave more depth to the story. One of the problems of 3D graphics even today is its inability to realistically portray emotion in human faces. It just never looks right, no matter how powerful the hardware you have because we know that it's not real. The art style in Wind Waker sidestepped this by using celshading, and not going for the realistic look. Add in one of the greatest end boss fights of all time and you have one of the best Gamecube games ever. I like Twilight Princess very much, but am disappointed that they forgoed the cel shaded style, fortunately they are using it in their DS game, The Phantom Hourglass, so all is not lost.

1. Metroid Prime 2 - Metroid Prime was amazing. A complete classic in every way, but this game was even better. It improved every single aspect of the first game, the graphics were even better (probably the best of any Gamecube game), the storytelling was more refined, and it was tough as all hell, but not in an annoying way. It's one of those games where you beat a certain part or boss and you really feel a sense of accomplishment. The first Metroid Prime was a successful hit, swaying all naysayers and universal praise across the board. While Metroid Prime 2 was a hit, it didn't come close to the first as it had the unfortunate circumstance to be released alongside Halo 2 for the Xbox, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the PS2. Ouch. It didn't stand a chance against those juggernauts. If you have a Gamecube or Wii, and haven't played this, then you owe it to yourself. It's one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever had, and I am eagerly anticipating the upcoming third installment.

Honorable Mentions:
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat - one of the few games that used that neat little Bongo accessory. I usually hate games that require accessories (save Guitar Hero), but I got this for cheap so the price was right. And you know what? It's innovative, but most of all, it's fun.

Pac-Man Vs. - this neat little gem was packaged with Pac Man World 2 (an unspectacular but competent platformer), and it was all about Multiplayer. It required a Game Boy Advance and the GC to GA cable, but it was worth it for this. Take classic Pac Man, but this time, instead of fighting computer A.I. ghosts, humans become the ghosts. More fun than it had any right to be.

Best Gamecube Game I Haven't Played:
Resident Evil 4 - I'm not really a fan of horror games, and the Resident Evil franchise has kinda been running on autopilot, but the universal acclaim for this title even from those who dislike the franchise put it over the top. I've had this game for a while but haven't played it just yet....soon enough though, soon enough.

Most Disappointing Gamecube Games:
Super Mario Sunshine - Mario 64 is one of the greatest games of all time, bar none. This game isn't bad by any means, it was good, but for a Mario game, good isn't good enough. It just had a very lame story, even for Mario standards, and the controls were not precise enough for a game that needs precise control. People say this game is hard, but I don't think that's by design, it's because of that horrible camera. How many times would you screw up and lose progress because you missed a jump because the camera screwed up and you jumped to a position relative to the new camera angle? Horrible, just horrible. I couldn't stand to finish this game.

Mario Party Franchise - did we really need 4 installments of this game for the Gamecube? If it wasn't getting tired by #4 (the first Gamecube iteration), it certainly was by #7 (the last iteration). It was still fun in small spurts, but the slow and boring gameplay had me itching for the WarioWare series, which was much more fast-paced and frenetic, and most important of all, fun! Each game was essentially the same just with new minigames, all of which are hit or miss, usually miss. Among a game's 70 or so minigames, there were usually just a handful worth replaying. Here's hoping they give us something new and fresh for Mario Party 8 on the Wii. They better.

The Best Time of the Year

It's the best time of the year, why? Summer's close? Nope. School's Out? Nope. All good reasons for being a good time of the year, but not the best. The real reason? Hockey playoffs. Specifically the first round. Turn on the TV and we get at least a few games every day for 2 weeks. And it's not just regular hockey. It's playoff hockey for the biggest prize in all of hockey -- The Stanley Cup. So you know everyone's giving it their all. And with playoff hockey comes the most exciting part of all exciting parts -- Sudden Death Overtime. First team to score wins, doesn't get more nailbiting than that. You don't score, you keep playing until you do. No matter how long it takes.

So finally I get to go to my first playoff game, game 1 of the first round, the Vancouver Canucks vs. the Dallas Stars. Two evenly matched teams who split their season series all with identical scores of 2-1. Both defensive minded teams with little scoring and great goalies. We all expected a close game, but not like this. The atmosphere is incredible, and as cool as it looks on TV, you have to be there live to experience just how cool a visual it is to see an entire arena waving towels. TOWEL POWER! I even joked that a playoff game between these two teams could cause the game to go into multiple overtimes, little did I know....

Longest Canucks game in history, 6th longest in NHL history. I'm gonna skip the entire regulation except to say that the Canucks blew a 4-2 lead in the third period. Let's jump straight to the intermission after overtime period #3, where the equivalent of 2 full games had passed. I needed water but didn't wanna pay an arm and a leg for it. I can hold out (for now). Overtime period #4, less than 2 minutes less, preparing for Overtime #5, and about to give up that arm and leg for some bottled water. But alas, we score just short of entering period #8.

I gotta say though, as much as I love sudden death overtime and these superlong games, they gotta find a way to shorten them, like with a shootout or 4 on 4 in OT. They gotta do that for the players, it's just too much for them. It's just not fair for them to play that much in one night, and have to do it again in a couple days. They all played their hearts and muscles out, but you could tell that they were all on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. I was getting tired watching, I can't imagine how it was to actually play that long.

Luongo made 72 saves, and while he may have let in a couple "soft" ones, he made the ones that counted, and always gave us a chance to win. He was named First Star, and it was well deserved. We were badly outplayed for much of the game, and were badly outshot, but upon learning that we lost 2 key forwards and were basically rolling 3 lines for almost the entire overtime periods, it made much more sense. We weren't badly outplayed, we were outmanned.

First playoff game, and what a game it was. It was almost two and a half games for the price of one, so I definately got my money's worth. I can now say that I was in the building during the longest Canucks game in history. It was a game the Canucks should've won outright in regulation, but it was not to be. Fortunately, we got the win anyways, eventually. Ok, time for bed, I need it.