Old News


11/25/21:
Thanksgiving 2021:
Thanksgiving 2021 is officially in the books. I tried to get the whole family back under one roof for the first time in about 10 years without anyone killing each other for my mom just in case she will not be around next year. Only one sibling REDACTED showed up. REDACTED is my dad’s REDACTED from another marriage. The other two siblings who are my mom’s children from another marriage do not care enough to make my mom happy. So, thank you REDACTED and my mom’s friend Al for making it over to our house for Thanksgiving. Special shout out to my mom’s long lost oldest daughter (also from a different “marriage”) Allison for doing a Zoom call with my mom. It was the first time they have seen each other’s face in almost 15 years.


11/25/21:
Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City Review:

Just saw the new Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City film. That was the longest unskippable opening cutscene in a video game I have ever seen. Seriously that is what it felt like. I was waiting for game controllers to pop out of the seats and start playing Resident Evil 4. The movie is a quick recap of the first three video games with nothing new added to the story to make it fresh. The movie was so predictable that only people without a brain would be surprised or scared. The 2002 Resident Evil film at least gave us a different take on the franchise instead of making an almost identical story that most video game players already know. The target audience for this movie is for people that played the games, I find it doubtful that anyone who has not played the games will not see this movie.


7/31/21:
Flashback Weekend 2021:
Over the weekend we went to the Flashback Weekend Horror Convention in Chicago, IL. This year we got to meet Kane Hodder, the actor & stuntman who plays Jason Voorhees in Friday The 13th Part 7, 8, 9, X and The Video Game. We even got our photos with him in costume.
Mike and Katie Kane Hodder 7-31-21 David and Connor Kane Hodder 7-31-21

6/2/21:
New Pictures & Video of my Game/Collectable Room


Game/Collectable Room May 2021

4/23/21:
Mortal Kombat (2021) Film Review:

Just watched the new Mortal Kombat film. I did not enjoy it as much as I thought I would. The beginning of the film did start off strong with an origin story for Sub-Zero & Scorpion, but after that it just feel apart and felt all over the place. The film wraps up very quickly and feels incomplete. Nothing gets resolved and I was caught off guard when the final credits started rolling. Of course, this could only mean one thing, a sequel. I hate when film makers think that their film will be so good that there will automatically be a sequel. This entire film would have worked better as a prequel comic book story. The previous three Mortal Kombat video games tell a better story then this movie. The violence, foul language, and everything else that gave this movie a strong R rating would have worked better in the original 1995 Mortal Kombat film. To be honest I enjoyed the original 1995 film more than this new version.

3/2/21:
My 40th Birthday:
My first 40 year journey is complete. It feels so surreal that today I celebrate my 40th birthday. Where the hell has the time gone? I do not even feel like I am 40, It seems like I am only 30 or younger. I am in the best shape physically then I’ve been since I was 16. Mentally I still act as a child, teenager, and young adult. My children love that I still act young and cool with my interests and silliness. I compare myself to my father who was very serious, quiet and didn’t share any of my interests. I on the other hand still love video games, rock music, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, silly and perverted jokes which bonds me well with my children. I forget sometimes I’m their father, and not their older, cooler brother. It bothers me that my deep depression and other mental and physical issues have held me back for so long. I feel I have missed out on the past 25-30 and I’m only trying to make up for that time now. My journey is far from complete, it will go on. I going to keep fighting through this life and world that has been extraordinary, blessed, cursed and cruel to me.


1/18/21:
Updated Video Game/Collectable Tour
I uploaded a new updated video tour of my Video Game/Collectable Room. I also uploaded new pictures of the room which can be found here.


12/31/20:
My Best/Worst of 2020
My annual Best/Worst of video games and movies of 2020 is posted. Things are a little different this year, instead of worst games of the year it is now called the worst/disappointing games. Also since I only saw ONE movie this year I could not compile a complete list.
My Best/Worst Of 2020

12/29/20:
My 2020 Review
Many of you are going to think I am crazy but the year 2020 was one of the best years I have had in a long time. I have accomplished so many personal goals such as taking better care of myself. This year I have brushed my teeth 2 times every day. Previous years I have gotten lazy and only brushed once a day and only if I were to go somewhere in public. After having multiple root canals at the end of 2019 made me focus more on taking better care of my teeth. Also, since the Covid-19 pandemic started in March/April I have lost over 30 pounds. I have been known to drink 6-10 cans of soda a day which led to excessive weight gain. I have cut back to only one can or half a can of soda a day. I only drink soda at night to help me take my huge cocktail of medications. It is easier to swallow with soda and the taste of soda disguises the nasty taste of some of the pills I take. I am not as scared to go out in public lately since I can wear a mask and hide half my face, I am sure once masks do not need to be worn in public, I will hide myself in my house again, but the past few months have been nice. I have had a better relationship with my friends and most of my family outside of my house. I have even recorded songs that I have written and made them public on social media and my own website without any voice filters or effects that change the sound of my voice completely. So, while the year 2020 has sucked for so many people I have found this year to be productive and small improvement on my overall health. 2021 might bring back positivity to most everyone else, but if that happens, I am afraid it will bring back the negativity in my life so here is hoping for a repeat of 2020.

12/29/20:
Christmas Prank On Connor


12/19/20:
Happy Holidays
From my family to yours, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas and and Happy New Year. Feel free to read this years Family Newsletter



12/19/20:
We Adopted Twins...
Kittens that is, last month me and Katie decided to adopt two new kittens. They are about 8 weeks old right now and they are adjusting purrfectly. Their names are Sparkles (all pink nose) and Sprinkles (brown nose). There was a small accident a few weeks ago, we were sleeping with the kittens in our bed and around 4am I felt something touching my cheek. I opened my eyes and BOOM, I was scratched in the eye by one of the kittens claws. I have felt extreme pain in years past but there is nothing like getting an eyeball scratched. I went to the ER and they confirmed the scratch. Although it has healed, my vision has become worse which sucks.



12/19/20
New Songs:
Over the past few weeks I have gone back and started recording some of the songs I have written in the past 25 years. I feel nervous by letting the public hear them but I need to get over my fears sometime. Please note that I do not have professional recording equipment & software. Also I don't know how to sing but I tried my hardest. You can view a link to all my music below as well as songs by The Smashing Pumpkins that I have covered. Try to enjoy.
Michael Hart's Music Page

10/23/2020
Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - 25 Years

It’s hard to believe that one of the most important albums of the 90’s and my life is now 25 years old. Smashing Pumpkins released ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness October 23rd, 1995. The 28 song double album featured so many hit songs that chances are if you were alive in the mid 90’s you heard a song from the album somewhere, whether it would be heavy rock songs like ‘Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ and ‘Zero’, the fun, toe tapping pop hit ‘1979’, the incredibly beautiful sounding ‘Tonight, Tonight’ and the acoustic song ‘Thirty-Three’ it was impossible to escape the sound of the Smashing Pumpkins. Even news media outlets used the opening instrumental track ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’ as background music during sad news stories.

This album was an important part of my life, it helped me overcome many obstacles of my young life. I was either in 7th or 8th Grade when it released, I was already a fan of the Smashing Pumpkins previous album ‘Siamese Dream’ which is also a masterpiece of an album but Mellon Collie helped define the boy/man I would become. The albums songs and lyrics dealt with almost every emotion a teenager deals with. Love, sadness, loneliness, confusion, loss, hatred, and fear. Mellon Collie made me feel at ease, made me come to realize I was not the only one who felt the way I always did. I started to accept who I was which at the time I was the tallest kid in school, hit puberty way before the other kids, was teased and bullied for so many things, had no friends and was basically a loser. As dumb as it sounds the album made me feel better about being a loser or as the album defined it, a ZERO. I was proud to be a ZERO. I learned to take all the sadness in my life and use it to my advantage, it wasn’t going to keep me down, it made me grow stronger in what I believed in, it gave me the power to want to express my own feelings in music and words. I learned how to play guitar and though the years wrote my own songs and lyrics. Yeah, they pretty much sucked in the beginning, but it was OK, I was able to release all that was bottled up inside. Over the years I got better and even today I still write songs to express my feelings, however I have had lyric writing block for the past 5-10 years which I guess is a good thing since I am not sitting on emotions that would have kept me down as it did in the teenage years. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was the soundtrack to my youth and many others as well. Over those years I met many new friends that felt like the way I did and bands from the 90’s like the Smashing Pumpkins to help them guide them through life. The album will always hold a special part in my life and I owe it a debt of gratitude as it helped me survive my young years and shaped me into the man I have become on this very day. I may still call myself a ZERO and probably always will, but I know deep down people like my friends, family, wife, and my children consider me a HERO.



9/13/2020
Super Mario Bros Turns 35 Years Old


9/11/2020
19 Years Ago Today


8/28/20:
David's Confirmation:
Today David had his Confirmation with the Catholic Church. We are extremely proud of you buddy!!


6/23/20:
Fathers Day 2020 Gift
This year for Fathers Day my kids David and Connor got me the NBA Jam Arcade from Arcade1up.




6/4/20:
Can 2020 get any worse?

Here are my predictions for the rest of the year.
June: Earthquakes & Hurricanes
July: Alien Invasion
August: Sharks With Laser Beams
Sept: Ghosts (Return of Gozer)
Oct: Killer Clowns From Outer Space
Nov: Joe Exotic released from jail and elected President of U.S.A.
Dec: (if we make it that long) The Rise of the Machines

5/25/20:
Professional Pictures of David's 8th Grade Graduation


5/19/20:
David Graduated 8th Grade
Tonight David graduated from the 8th grade at Big Hollow Middle School. We are very proud of him and know that he will do great at Grant High School.



5/16/20:
Covid-19 Quarantine Recordings
As with everyone right now we are stuck at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic. To pass the time I decided to record two covers of Smashing Pumpkins songs. I am no professional by any means so give me a break if they sound bad.
Smashing Pumpkins - Today
Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore (2020 Version)


1/11/20:
Added a video tour of my Game/Collectible Room


1/8/20:
Updated Game/Collectible Room Pictures

Game/Collectable Room

1/6/20:
Added new lists
Today I added my Terminator: Dark Fate Review. As well my Top 5 Worst Horror Movie Remakes and my Top 10 Hardest Nintendo Games.

1/5/20:
Oldest living person turned 117.


1/3/20:
Best & Worst of 2019.
Made a list of my personal best and worst of video games and movies for the year 2019.
My Best & Worst of 2019

12/30/19:
Top Games of the Decade 2010-2019
A new decade is upon us and this past decade there was some really good games that came out. Here is a list of my personal Top 15 Games of the Decade.


10/21/19:
My Home Arcade Update:
I have added and changed a few things on my Arcade1Up cabinets. I have upgraded both Mortal Kombat and Pac-Man with light up marquee's and custom risers with graphic art. Also added Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which also includes Turtles in Time. Also new are stools for both Mortal Kombat and Pac-Man.




10/21/19:
David's Halloween Costume
This year for Halloween David is dressing up like the Angry Video Game Nerd. He already went to a dance dressed up as him and people loved it.


10/21/19:
Connor's 2019 Grant Jr. Bulldogs Football Picture


10/20/19:
My Top 100 Video Games of all time.
I went though and made a list of what I think are my favorite video games of all time. There is no way I could list them from best to worst so I just made the list in alphabetical order.

Adventure Island - NES
Alan Wake - Xbox 360
Alien Isolation - Xbox One/PS4
Animal Crossing New Leaf - 3DS
Batman Arkham Asylum - Xbox 360/PS3
Batman Arkham City - Xbox 360/PS3
Battletoads - NES
Bioshock - Xbox 360
Borderlands 2 - Xbox 360/PS3
Bubble Bobble - NES
Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare - Xbox 360/PS3
Castle Crashers - Xbox 360
Castlevania - NES
Castlevania Lords of Shadow - Xbox 360/PS3
Castlevania Symphony of the Night - PS1
Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers - NES
Condemned Criminal Origins - Xbox 360
Conker's Bad Fur Day - N64
Contra - NES
Costume Quest - Xbox 360
Crackdown - Xbox 360
Dead Rising 2 - Xbox 360/PS3
Diablo 2 - PC
Donkey Kong Country - SNES
Doom - PC
Double Dragon - NES
Duck Tales - NES
Fable 2 - Xbox 360
Final Fantasy 7 - PS1
Friday the 13th The Game - Xbox One/PS4
Gears of War 2 - Xbox 360
Ghostbusters The Video Game - Xbox 360/PS3
Golden Axe - SG
Guitar Hero 3 - Xbox 360/PS3
Halo - Xbox
Halo 2 - Xbox
Halo Reach - Xbox 360
King's Quest 6 - PC
Legend of Zelda - NES
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - SNES
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Switch
Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - GB
Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - N64
Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - N64
Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Gamecube
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess - Wii
Lego Star Wars The Complete Saga - Xbox 360
Mario Kart 8 - Wii U/Switch
Mario Party 4 - Gamecube
Mega Man 2 - NES
Metroid Prime - Gamecube
Mortal Kombat 2 - Arcade
Mortal Kombat 2011 - Xbox 360/PS3
Mortal Kombat Shaolin Monks - Xbox/PS2
NBA Jam - Arcade
New Super Mario Bros Wii - Wii
Pac-Man - Arcade
Paper Mario N64
Pitfall - Atari 2600
Pokemon Gold/Silver - GBC
Pokemon Snap - N64
Pokemon Stadium - N64
Pokemon Yellow - GB
Portal 2 - Xbox 360/PS3
Punch-Out - NES
Resident Evil 4 - Gamecube
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard - Xbox One/PS4
Rock Band 3 - Xbox 360/PS3
Sonic Adventure - Dreamcast
Sonic CD - Sega CD
Sonic the Hedgehog - SG
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 - SG
South Park The Stick of Truth - Xbox 360/PS3
Star Wars Dark Forces - PC
Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy - PC
Star Wars Rebel Assault - PC
Star Wars The Force Unleashed - Xbox 360/PS3
Streets of Rage 2 - SG
Super Mario 64 - N64
Super Mario Bros - NES
Super Mario Bros 3 - NES
Super Mario Galaxy - Wii
Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Wii
Super Mario Land 2 - GB
Super Mario Odyssey - Switch
Super Mario RPG - SNES
Super Mario World - SNES
Super Metroid - SNES
Super Smash Bros Melee - Gamecube
Tecmo Bowl - NES
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1989 Arcade - Arcade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time - Arcade
Terminator 2 The Arcade Game - Arcade
Tetris - GB
The Simpsons Arcade Game - Arcade
The Simpsons Game - Xbox 360/PS3
Warcraft 2 - PC
Wii Sports - Wii
Zelda 2 - NES
Zombies Ate My Neighbors - SNES


6/17/19:
My Home Arcade
Recently purchased a Pac-Man & Mortal Kombat Arcade1Up machines.


6/17/19:
Connor got his first victory in the game Fortnite. Good job buddy!!



4/16/18:
"The Sandlot" turns 25 years old. Does it still hold up as one of the greatest Baseball movies?


4/12/18:
He is coming, better not go camping tomorrow. He's back the man behind the mask and he is after your soul


3/4/18:
Connor's 2018 Basketball Picture


1/29/18:
Four years ago my father died from cancer. I have written a song titles "1946" and decided to record it with the kids help.


1/14/18:
My Best & Worst of Games and Movies for the year 2017. Including Katie's picks


10/10/17:
2017 Fall Family Pictures.
Click the Pictures link above to see all on Flickr


9/22/17:
One more final thought about the 2017 film "It". I did get creped out at a few scenes but had nothing to do with the clown. Had to do with the bully's that make the "Losers Club" another living hell. They are reckless and seem more psychotic then in the original 1990 miniseries

9/19/17:
"It" (2017) Thoughts

Went and saw the horror movie everyone is talking about, "It" I am not going to mention anything about how so many people are scared to see this or the original ABC mini-series. I personally thought the old film was a lot better then this remake. However I did enjoy the fact that the new movie stayed in one time line, where as the original had constant flashbacks to the characters childhood. The remake stayed in the past and I did enjoy that part. The movie is not that scary as long as you've seen the original, the clown in this movie is a lot more scary looking and sounding and I did not enjoy that part. In the original, Tim Curry's performance and look of Pennywise was a lot more horrifying, meaning that he looked and acted like a fun harmless clown that could trick children to meet their doom. The new Pennywise is a monster clown that would scare the hell out of the kids and would not have the luck drawing them closer. The new film also had more violence, gore and a lot of swearing. You can have a really scaring horror movie without that amount of gore. Personally I enjoyed the original miniseries.

8/29/17:
David drew the logo from Harts Tractor by himself. He did NOT trace it. I think he did a good job, and my dad would be happy with it.


8/15/17:
150,000 Gamer Score on Xbox:
This year I had a goal, earn at least one Achievement a day on Xbox. So far I have stayed on track but little did I know I would reach the 150,000 mark. As I was coming close to 150 I wanted to hit exactly 150 even. Thanks to completing the Batman: Season 2: Episode 1, I reached my goal. Next goal 200,000 which will take 3-5 years I bet.


8-6-17:
Photo ops: from Flashback Weekend Horror Convention 2017.

Left: Robert England (while I am wearing one of my gloves on this shoulder) Right: Freddy Vs. Jason



Lance Henrik-sen who is most know for Playing Bishop in the Alien Franchise

8-4-17:
Got to meet Robert Englund:
Was able to meet, talk and get a picture taken with my favorite anti-hero Freddy Krueger at a horror movie convention.

7-28-17:
Months ago I found out a small video game company was working on a new Friday the 13th game. However since they were not a huge devolper they starter a Kickstarter page when you can donate money and buy special things like an artbook, soundtrack and many more. They raised enough the so the game could be made and released. As an award for all the people who back the game we were receiveed a special Jason character that was developed by Tom Savini. It was meant for the backers only and would be sold online at all. Well today either the devolper or Microsoft screwed up and put the exclusive Jason to purchase for FREE. Now everytime I play the game with other humans they all use the Savini Jason. I felt special and cool for having this Jason (you can see a picture a few posts down of him) but now everyone has him. Hundred of people went to Twitter including myself and complained about the innadent. The devoplers response were almost all the same. Here are just four snapshots I took while waiting in the dentist office.



7-27-17:
Wal-Mart Sucks.
Last week the new SNES Classic system went up for pre-order on Wal-Marts website. I was lucky enough to grab one. However due to an "error" they had to cancel everyones pre-order. I will never buy anything on their website again. I already hate going into their stores. This is part of the email I received


7-14-17:
Dead Rising 2 game fail:
I was playing Dead Rising 2 and I was going after the Save 50 Survivors Achievement. I thought by the time the game was coming to an end I had to have 50 survivors. I beat the game and got my summary, as you can tell by the picture below I was missing ONE. Got the best ending and all the gifts for Katey, but damn.


7-12-17:
Today is my wife Katie's birthday. My gift to her was a song I had written, AB/CB


7-11-17:
Mini Power Rangers (2017) movie review

Broke down and decided to watch the new Power Rangers (2017) movie. It was just as bad as I thought it was, but there were a few things I somewhat enjoyed and some bad things that I just must get off my chest. So here is my Pros & Cons of Power Rangers (2017)


Pros:
The first 3 minutes felt exciting, I would have loved seeing or knowing more of what was going on.

I enjoyed the character of Billy in this movie, yes, he is still the nerdy kid of the bunch but was more down to earth then the rest of the morons.

No sequels

The cameo of the original Green and Pink Rangers, Jason David Frank and Amy Jo Johnson




Cons:
The whole damn movie

The cast and acting, even Bryan Cranston could save the movie from terrible acting.

Why did they need to play the iconic “Go Go Power Rangers” song that was recorded for the 1995 film?

Left it open to some interesting things like fining the “Zeo” crystal but again no sequels. Thank God.



7-10-17:
Got glitched again in the Friday the 13th Game. Jason just waving as the car drove by me.


7-10-17:
Connor loved all the attention he was getting with the life guards at the local pool. Even got one of the girls to babysit him next time.


7-4-17:
Happy 4th of July


7-3-17:
Cheaters Suck!!!
Still been playing the new Friday the 13th game. The game is still not perfect and has bugs and glitches. One of the newly discovered glitch allows you to back into a wall and enter a room that is not suppose to be there, which means Jason can not find him or kill him. I saw one of these cheaters exploiting the glitch and knew where he was, I found a riffle and shot him in the back killing him. Sure I lost a lot of experience points but it was well worth it.


7-3-17:
Misc. jokes.





6-30-17:
After almost 12 years I have finally upgraded to a new computer.

6-25-17:
Friday the 13th: The Game
Recently a new Friday the 13th game was released. It has issues with disconnecting from the servers and crashing the game straight to the main menu. As an apology, Gun Media has released a NES retro skin for Jason. I call him "Blue Barry Jason." Actual picture of me playing as him. I should have taken a picture with his moms head next to him.


6-23-17:
Happy 26th Birthday my little blue friend Sonic the Hedgehog.


6-22-17:
David & Connor's 2017 Baseball Pictures


6-21-17:
Connor was called in to pitch the final out of the inning due to the pitcher before him hit two kids with the ball. I was amazed that he struck out the batter. The next inning he was pitcher again, which I was unable to record but he struck out two kids in a row. It was a playoff game which they lost so his season came to an end, but he really kicked butt.


6-21-17:
About a month ago I decided to "quit" Facebook. I deleted ALL my friends & family except my wife. I have not deactivated it since I like my address, facebook.com/mikehart/ and I still am on Facebook to see sites I follow for news or whatever. I can not see any of my friends posts. I have decided to focus more on my website and maybe more active of Twitter. You can find me on Twitter by searching @Mhart.

6-21-17:
Finally getting my website to work on my new hosting provider. Almost everything works except I did lose my Best & Worst Movies and Games of 2015. I still have my list which I might put up, but I am not redo the entire page.

6-20-17:
Transferring to a different web hosting server. Things may not be working until I figure everything else. One thing is for sure if you are thinking about creating your own website, do not use Yahoo/Aabaco Small Business.

5-27-17:
Best & Worst Movies and Games of 2016



7-20-16:
Finally did my Best & Worst Movies and Games of 2015. Just a little late!!

3-10-16:
For the past few months I have put a lot of researching of this world and other worlds, Gods, ancient times, aliens and so on. I don't think I will ever find the answer to any of those questions. However there was a mystery that I researched and actually found the truth and answers. They were beyond anything I could wrap my mind around. Not only was my theory wrong but it give other answers that I was not expecting which made the truth even worse to live with. So those of you who are trying to figure out the mystery's of the world, I say stop. You might wish you never put months even years looking for the answer because it might frighten you.

6-29-15:
I am calling it now, next Jurassic Park will be called "Jurassic Warfare"

1-8-15:
11th Annual Best & Worst Games and Movies of 2014
http://www.mikehart.net/port/bestof2014/

10-3-14:
Top 5 original Weird Al songs:
You Don't Love Me Anymore
Why Does This Always Happen To Me?
One More Minute
Don't Download This Song
Stop Forwarding That Crap To Me

10-2-14:
My favorite Michael Jackson songs:
Smooth Criminal
Black or White
The Way You Make Me Feel
You Are Not Alone
Man in the Mirror

10-2-14:
Top 5 cartoons I grew up watching:
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Batman The Animated Series
Tiny Toon Adventures
The Real Ghostbusters

10-1-14:
Favorite movies of all time:
Terminator 2
Aliens
The Dark Knight
Jaws
Ghostbusters

9-30-14:
Favorite Star Wars Films:
Empire Strikes Back
Return of the Jedi
A New Hope
Revenge of the Sith
Attack of the Clones
Phantom Menace



9-30-14:
Favorite Nirvana songs without any songs from Nevermind:
All Apologies
Sliver
Sappy/Verse Chorus Verse
Aneurysm
Molly's Lips

9-29-14:
Top 5 Worst Movies I Ever Saw:
1: Jaws: The Revenge
2: Disaster Movie/all spoof movies
3: Batman & Robin
4: Super Mario Bros
5: Ninja Turtles 3

9-28-14:
Favorite Smashing Pumpkins

Top 5 Favorite Smashing Pumpkins Songs:
Muzzle
Ava Adore
Stand Inside Your Love
Pinwheels
Let Me Give The World To You

Favorite Smashing Pumpkins Albums:
Adore
Mellon Collie
Siamese Dream
Oceania...
Machina/Machina II
Gish
Pisces Iscariot
Teargarden
Zeitgeist


9-9-14:
Destiny
My first impressions on the new game "Destiny". If Halo & Borderlands were to have a child it would be named Destiny


9-8-14:
Favorite 'Legend Of Zelda' games from best to worst

Twilight Princess
Wind Waker
Ocarina Of Time
A Link To The Past
Majora's Mask
Legend Of Zelda
Zelda 2
A Link Between Worlds
Link's Awakening
Oracle of Seasons/Ages
Skyward Sword
Minish Cap
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks




My Best & Worst of 2013
Finally got around to make up my annual Best and Worst of Video Games and Movies of 2013

1-29-14:
Michael David Hart
January 17th 1946 - January 29th 2014

Today saw the lost of my father, Michael David Hart. He was my hero that lost his battle with cancer. He was the best father and "papa" that anyone could ask for. He was always so humble and polite that he could put a smile on anyone's face. He helped all kinds of people and most of the time did not expect anything in return. I was honored to be able to work with him at Hart's Tractor for 11 years.  He helped not only me but also my wife and my children David and Connor, his daughter REDACTED and his step children Steve, Allison and REDACTED. I will never forget the advice he gave me though out the years and I will not break any of the promises I made to him. I will miss seeing him and hearing his voice. We will never forget him and we will never stop loving him. Goodnight Dad!
My Tribute Video I Made For Him

Obituary
Funeral Home Obituary & Guestbook



12-20-13:
100,000 Gamerscore
Finally reached a gamerscore of 100,000 on Xbox One & Xbox 360. Took 8 years in the making and hundreds of games, but I finally did it. I slacked off the past 2 years due to lack of money and lack of any good games, but Dead Rising 3 for Xbox One was the one to push me to an even 100,000. Top picture is a screen from Xbox One while the other is from the Xbox 360

12-16-13:
Games These Days!

Back in my day when playing a game such as Super Mario Bros you only had 3 lives and any additional lives you pick up along the way to beat the entire game. It taught everyone that practice makes perfect and you had to remember each stage to get to world 8-4 and beat the game. It took days, months, years to finally finished it, and as you progressed to the next stage you felt like you accomplished something. You were proud of yourself. Now a days with the newer Super Mario games (and other games) after you die after 5 times in a level they offer you a "Super Leaf" which makes you invisible to enemies. In fact you can just walk though them and they die. You still have to make the jumps and not fall to your demise. But what is this teaching todays kids, that it is ok to keep failing and eventually the game gives in and lets you cheat. I have died many times in this new Mario game but I refuse to get the "Super Leaf" and beat the level, because when I eventually beat the level I feel that good old pride that I beat the level just as I felt as a kid.

12-13-13:
The Lonely People:

I hate those type of people that are all alone in their lives and all they like to do is make everyone else's lives miserable. Those people who call to report stupid things and can't mind their own business. Those who think the would should revolve around them and they can get away with whatever they want to. The people who thinks everyone likes them but yet is only being used for certain things. The people who are so miserable that they cant even keep an everlasting relationship. The people that get drunk and have sex with people they know (or not) just for those few hours of being felt wanted. I have names for these people but instead of naming them, I will just call them the Lonely People.

8-13-13:
Wizard World Chicago Comic Con 2013

This past weekend the family and I took a family vacation to the Chicago Comic-Con. We all had fun. We met some celebrities, bought lots of toys for me and the kids. Even got a few items signed. Best part is we met one of my childhood heroes, Jason David Frank aka Tommy in the show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He was the Green Ranger/White Ranger/Red Zeo Ranger/Red Turbo Ranger and Black Dino Thunder Ranger. You can see pictures of our experience on my Flickr Page.

7-21-13:
David's finished a game:
David beat his first video game by himself today with little to no help from me. All I had to do was show him a few things and he did it all by himself. He beat "Lego City Undercover" for the Wii U. Sure it took him 68 hours to complete it but he has had it since March. He makes his gamer daddy very proud. Here is a picture of him during the ending credits of the game.


6-21-13
Bad Parenting:

So a few weeks ago I posted MY opinion on Facebook about parents who let their kids drink in front of them, this is what I posted

I got a lot of responses saying in some cultures its ok for a kid to have a drink of wine with dinner at special events. I can understand that, but I was talking about social drinking and how I think it is wrong. Most people agreed with me, some said it was ok. It's a heated debate in this country. Anyway I did not say who I saw drinking, where I saw it, but yet my neighbors found it offensive and they all hate me, and my family. What's worse is the person that hates me the most, I didn't even mention her (nor did I mention anyone remind you) and she doesn't even have kids. I don't care about people hating me (I'm used to it) but leave my family out of it. They are not part of my opinion. Are people not allowed to have an opinion anymore?? A lot of people told me I should have called the cops when I saw it happening, but I am not that much of an ass. Oh by the way, that picture I posted of the baby drinking is not mine, found it on Goggle under "Bad Parenting Drinking"

6-16-13
Fathers Day:

Katie and the kids got me an autographed photo from Jason David Frank, the Green Ranger from Power Rangers. We get to meet him in Aug. when we are all going to Chicago Comic-Con

1-5-13
Best & Worst of 2012:
It was an interesting year for video games for me. I started the year by going back and playing all the Legend Of Zelda games which took 3 or 4 months. After that I was board of games, but at least when the hit games started coming out I got out of my funk. So like every year here is my Best and Worst Video Games and Movies of 2012

10-25-12
Halloween Family Pumpkins


6-18-12
Smashing Pumpkins Oceania mini-review:

The new Smashing Pumpkins album Oceania feels like the first original Pumpkins album since Gish or Adore. I have been saying that it feels like those two albums got together and had a baby. Do not buy it if you're expecting  a Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie sounding album, but you should buy it because it sounds beautiful, refreshing and for once does not try to copy any previous Smashing Pumpkins sounds.



5-2-12
Yet Another Top 10 List:
Another boring night = another Top 10 List. This time I list my Top Albums That Got Me Through High School

4-10-12
David lost his first tooth/teeth:

My little man is growing up, David lost his 2 front lower teeth today.

4-3-12
The Good Old Days Of Video Games.

I miss the old days of video games, when you could just pop in a cartridge, press start and play. Today you have 10-60 minute intros and tutorials since they don't come packaged with instructions anymore.

3-14-12
Another Top 10 List:
Made My Top 10 80's & 90's Children Show Villains

3-8-12:
David's 6th Birthday
David turns 6 years old today. Happy Birthday buddy. You are growing up way to fast.



3-7-12:
Top 15 Movie Villains
Compiled a small list of my Top 15 Movie Villains.

1-30-12:
Connor's 3rd Birthday

Happy Birthday little buddy

1-4-12:
Best and Worst Of 2011:
Completed my Best and Worst Games & Movies of 2011 list

1-1-12:
2011 Video Game Database Stats:

183 Games Bought/Received
59 Completed
Spent on games: TOP SECRET
69 Free Games
Xbox 360 Achievement Points Earned: 16,000
Rock Band Songs Bought: 92

Cheapest Retail Games: Bioshock 2 (PC), Nintendogs (3DS), Steel Diver (3DS) $4.99

Most Expensive Retail Games: Gears Of War 3 Epic Edition, Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition $149.99

Amount Of Games By Month:
Jan – 2
Feb – 12
Mar – 20
Apr – 15
May – 2
Jun – 25
July – 9
Aug – 18
Sept – 16
Oct – 7
Nov – 19
Dec – 37

Amount Of Games By System:

Nintendo 3DS – 13
Nintendo 3DS VC – 25
Nintendo 3DS Ware – 2
Nintendo DS – 8
Nintendo DSiWare – 1
Intellivision – 1
PC – 11
Playstation 2 – 6
Playstation 3 – 5
Playstation Network – 21
PSP – 4
Sega Saturn – 1
Wii – 3
WiiWare – 2
Xbox Live Arcade – 21
Xbox 360 – 59

Games Bought By Store

Amazon.com – 5
Best Buy.com – 8
Best Buy: Gurnee – 2
Best Buy: Kildeer – 21
Best Buy: Mundelein – 29
Gamestop: Mundelein – 13
Gamestop: Bensenville – 1
Nintendo E-Shop – 28
Playstation Network – 27
Target: Mundelein – 1
Toys R Us: Vernon Hills – 3
Xbox Live Marketplace – 24
Other – 24



12-24-11:
Merry Christmas:

Hope everyone has a good Christmas. Above is our Christmas card a link to our Newsletter


12-12-11:
Katie's Family Christmas Get Together:
The kids got to meet Santa this weekend while at a family get together for Katie's side of the family.

Video of David meeting Santa and opening his gift

Video of Connor meeting Santa

Video of David telling Santa what he wants for X-Mas and giving Santa a hug


12-6-11:
Achievement Unlocked: Beverly Hills 90210

Got my Xbox Gamerscore up to 90210. Beverly Hills would be proud.

11-24-11
Happy Thanksgiving:
Only at Thanksgiving can you say any of the following in polite company.

1. Talk about a huge breast!
2. Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist.
3. It's Cool Whip time!
4. If I don't undo my pants, I'll burst!
5. Whew, that's one terrific spread!
6. I'm in the mood for a little dark meat.
7. Are you ready for seconds yet?
8. It's a little dry, do you still want to eat it?
9. Just wait your turn, you'll get some!
10. Don't play with your meat.
11. Just spread the legs open and stuff it in.
12. Do you think you'll be able to handle all these people at once?
13. I didn't expect everyone to come at once!
14. You still have a little bit on your chin.
15. How long will it take after you stick it in?
16. You'll know it's ready when it pops up.
17. Wow, I didn't think I could handle all of that!
18. That's the biggest one I've ever seen!
19. How long do I beat it before it's ready?



11-21-11
Skywalker Family Breakfast:

My good friend Dan got me a shirt that has Darth Vader cooking breakfast for his kids (Luke & Leia) wearing a "World's Greatest Dad" apron. It's cute and funny, but then I start thinking how that statement is not true and should read "World's Worst Dad". For starters he killed their mother. He ordered the attacks and murder of Luke's Aunt and Uncle. He blew up the planet that Leia grow up on, and in the process killed the family the raised her. He killed Luke's Jedi mentor Obi-Wan. He cut off his own sons hand. He tortured his daughter. Overall I think it's going to take more than fried eggs to make up for all those years of being an ass.

11-16-11
Skylanders Spyro's Adventure:

Started playing a new game called Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure. It is an adventure/RPG type game that uses little figures that you place on a "Portal Of Power" and the toys are transported into the game. The way it works is very interesting and would love to see how this kind of technology is used in future games. The game seems to be more focused towards the younger crowd but that didn't stop me and other gamers of my age to enjoy it. I felt a little weird when I went to register the toys online and was asked for my "Parents Email Address", my parents don't have an email address, they don't even own a computer!


10-31-11
Happy Halloween:
This year David decided to be a Ghostbuster again (he was one last years as well), Connor was Darth Vader and I was Freddy. I was excited to be able to go around scaring people with my REAL Freddy glove.

I've been dressing as Freddy since I was 6-7 years old.

Here's a small video I took of my Freddy Glove when I first got it.

8-25-11
David's First Day Of Kindergarten:
David started Kindergarten on 8-23-11. So far he loves it.



7-23-11
Super Mario WORLD
Found this picture the other day and thought it was kinda neat. What our world would look like in the game Super Mario World.

6-14-11
Duke Nukem Forever:

I never thought I would see the day that Duke Nukem Forever would be released. This game has been in development since 1997. 14 Years. In those 14 years here are a few event that have taken place. Makes me wonder where time has gone.
I have graduated High School. Got Married, and have had 2 children.
In 1997, the fastest consumer internet connection was a 33.6 kbps modem.
The iPod has been released.
September 11th 2001.
A new Star Wars Trilogy has been released.
Every Pixar movie except Toy Story.
Britney Spears.
Family Guy debuted, was canceled and was brought back.
The entire Harry Potter book series and movies.
South Park.
Bill Clinton was still President when Duke Nukem Forever was announced.
19 Wars have begun, 5 have ended.
Microsoft entered the video game console business.
Sega dropped out of the console business.
Sonic The Hedgehog is now on Nintendo systems.
Facebook, MySpace and Blogs.
Smashing Pumpkins have broken up and reunited.
American Idol
.



6-5-11
Newest Video Game Purchase:
Today I bought my first Intellivision game. It is one of the few game systems that I do not own yet.


6-3-11
National Donut Day:
Today is National Donut Day. Here is my favorite donut song. A fun song played with a ukulele.



5-17-11:
Douchebag Of The Week:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, you were somewhat of a hero to me. I love all your movies, in fact some of my favorite movies of all time you star in such as Commando, Predator, True Lies & Terminator 2. However what you have done now changes my opinion of you. You are like every other rich celebrity who thinks they can get away with anything, a douchebag

5-5-11:
Tampax Tetris

I dont think I can play Tetris ever the same.

5-3-11:
David Loves Back To The Future:

First it was Ghostbusters and now David has found an interest in another classic movie series from the 80's, Back To The Future. He has mostly been watching Part II but the other night I let him watch Part III. After it was over I told him to go to bed, however I heard him playing upstairs 20 minutes later. I went up to tell him it's bed time and at the top of the stairs he had gotten his Thomas The Train toys and his DeLorean Hot Wheels and recreated the ending to Back To The Future Part III all by himself. I thought it was to cute that I had to take a picture and video.


2-23-11:
Beelow's Steakhouse Review:
My first restaurant review, I am not going to go into major details, just a quick overall on my experience. I had dinner at the newly opened Beelow’s Steakhouse in Lake Zurich IL. On Saturday March 19th at around 7pm. I ordered the garlic chicken with a side of garlic mashed potatoes (see picture below). The description listed it as a “chicken breast served in a creamy garlic sauce.” Well the sauce sure was creamy but there was no taste to it. No garlic flavor at all. The side of garlic mashed potatoes had more of a garlic flavor to them. In fact they tasted pretty good, except for the cold chunks that were mixed in it. It almost tasted like ice chips, it was that cold. My wife ordered the 10oz Prime Rib. She asked for it medium well, but came to us more like a medium rare. The prime rib had good flavor to it, but it was not very warm.  She as well ordered the garlic mashed potatoes and also found to have cold spots. Overall I was not too satisfied with Beelow’s but I would be willing to give it a second chance. If I went again it would be before the dinnertime rush.


1-30-11:
Connor Turns 2
Today Connor turned 2 years old. Happy Birthday buddy




1-18-11:
Best/Worst Of 2010
Completed my annual list of the Best & Worst Games & Movies Of 2010.

1-18-11:
Davids Winter Gala 2011
David's class winter performance. He is front row first one on the right in the blue shirt


1-14-11:
New Spider-Man reboot
Saw the first picture of Andrew Garfield in costume for the upcoming Spider-Man reboot movie. It looks pretty bad but the thing that bugs me most is the bulge in his pants. It's sick. I thought Bat-Nipples and Bat-Ass were bad in the Joel Schumacher Batman films of the 90's


1-13-11:
Dead Space 2 Trailer w/ Smashing Pumpkins.
I am all for game trailers (or any trailers) that feature music by The Smashing Pumpkins, but this newest trailer for the upcoming Dead Space 2 just does not fit, maybe its because I just can not stand this song anymore. THE WORLD IS A VAMPIRE... So 1995


1-13-11:
Video Games To Blame:
Another American tragedy caused by a teenager or young adult so now the blame game begins again by blaming the video game industry, music and movies and other pop culture. But this one is different, people are also blaming politics. Cant we all just agree this guy was just one fucked up person. I guess I can see games being a bad influence. When I was young I always tried to jump on turtles and kick their shell into other turtles and then try to jump and brake ceilings made of blocks looking for coins and mushrooms.

1-7-11:
Games I am looking forward to in 2011:
Here is a list of games I am looking forward to in 2011. This is a short list since a lot of game are yet to be confirmed or have not been announced yet.

Batman: Arkham City - This is my most anticipated game of 2011 so far, even beating out the new Zelda game. The first game was my favorite game of 2009 so I am really looking forward to this one.

Diablo 3 - Not confirmed for this year, but I had it on my last year's list so maybe this is the year.

Duke Nukem Forever - A game that has been in development forever is finally coming out this year. This game was suppose to come out before Star Wars Episode I came out, that's how old this is.

Gears Of War 3 - The final chapter in the Gears Of Wars story comes out later this year. It was suppose to come out in April, but Microsoft delayed it to Holiday so they have something good for the holidays.

Ghostbusters: Sanctum Of Slime - An Xbox Arcade game follow up to 2009's Ghostbusters The Video Game. Looks like a twin stick shooter, does not feature any of the original Ghostbusters, but as long as it has the song in it, I'm sold.

Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Anyone who knows me know that I am a huge Zelda fan. However I am not as excited for this game as people may think. Yes it is a new Zelda game, but it uses the Wii's motion controls and requires the Wii Motion Plus add on. I like playing my Zelda games sitting down relaxing, however the way things look for this game, I will have to be very active, and maybe even standing. Yuck. Screw the Wii and its motion controls.

Lego Star Wars 3: The Clone Wars - I enjoy playing the Lego Star Wars games, however this game is based off the Cartoon Network "Clone Wars" series so I am a little worried about how much I will enjoy it since I don't watch that show.

Mortal Kombat - A reboot of the Mortal Kombat franchise. Lets just hope it is as good as it looks.

Pokémon White & Black - I'm proof that you're never too old to enjoy a Pokémon game. I am sure it will be like every other Pokémon game, but I am ok with that.


1-7-11:
Movies I am looking forward to in 2011:
Here is a list of movies that I have interest in seeing this year. Of course this is not a complete list since there are still films that are unannounced but as of today this is what I have.

Apollo 18 - One of many Alien movies coming out this year. The film is about a failed Apollo mission that failed and it has something to do with Aliens.

Captain America - I don't know much of Captain America, but I am willing to give this movie a try.  

Cars 2 - This will probably be the second movie I take my son David to go see.

Conan The Barbarian - A remake of the classic Arnold Schwarzenegger film.

Fright Night - A remake of the classic 80's horror film. Not a fan that they are remaking this movie, I hope it crash and burns.

The Hangover Part 2 - First movie was a good film and it is a movie I never thought there would be a sequel of, so I am a little worried about how they can pull it off.

Mission Impossible 4 - I swear I just watched this movie, but turns out it was called Knight & Day

The Muppets - A new Muppets movie. What more do I have to say. At least it is not a CGI movie.

Piranha 3DD - A sequel to last year's film. Still do not understand the extra D in the title.

Scream 4 - Eleven years after Scream 3, Wes Craven returns to direct a new generation of the Scream franchise. Should be interesting what the new "rules of a horror movie" are.

Shark Night 3D - Don't have much info on this movie, other than it is somewhat like Piranha 3D and Anaconda. A group of 8 or so people go to a lakeside cabin and there are shark attacks, but the twist is the water is fresh water so how can a Great White be in the lake? Sounds dumb to me, but I'm interested in seeing it.

Super 8 - Another alien movie that is written and directed by J.J. Abrams and produced by Steven Spielberg. Not much is known about the movie except it takes place in the late 70's and will be somewhat like the movie Cloverfield where someone is recording on a home video camera.

Transformers: The Dark Of The Moon - I hate this Transformers movie franchise, but I'm a sucker thinking maybe the next one will be better.

X-Men: First Class - The past two X-Men movies were not very good and now this film is a prequel to the original X-Men movie. Professor X and Magneto are best friends in this film and are working together to fight off an enemy.


1-1-11:
2010 Video Game Stats:

192 Games Bought/Received
42 Completed
Spent on games: TOP SECRET
26 Free Games
Cheapest Games: Age On Empires 3 (PC) $0.10
Expensive Games: Halo Reach: Legendary Edition $149.99
                                    
Amount Of Games By Month:
Jan – 5
Feb – 7
Mar – 16
Apr – 13
May – 21
Jun – 10
July – 16
Aug – 16
Sept – 13
Oct – 29
Nov – 32
Dec – 14

Amount Of Games By System:
Nintendo DS – 13
Nintendo DSiWare – 2
PC – 19
Playstation 2 – 8
Playstation 3 – 7
Playstation Network - 6
Wii – 16
Microsoft Gameroom – 2
Xbox Live Arcade – 45
Xbox 360 – 72

Games Baught By Store
Amazon.com - 8
Best Buy: Addison - 4
Best Buy: Gurnee - 2
Best Buy: Kildeer – 17
Best Buy: Mundelein -37
Best Buy: Vernon Hills – 1
Games For Windows Live - 5
Gamestop: Mundelein – 20
Gamestop: Lake Zurich – 2
Gamestop: Bensenville – 4
Gamestop: Gurnee – 1
Target: Lake Zurich - 4
Toys R Us: Gurnee - 1
Toys R Us: Vernon Hills – 2
Xbox Live Marketplace – 47
Other - 30


12-04-10:
Christmas Films:
December is here so just like I did with Halloween I am creating a Christmas Movie Of The Day list.

11-29-10:
Best Of 2009:
Well it only took me almost a year but I finally found time to whip up a Best Of 2009 list. Hopefully This years Best Of list will be done a lot sooner.
Best/Worst Of 2009

11-29-10:
Halloween Movie Of The Day:
Back in October I did a Monster Movie Of The Day list that featured a favorite Halloween themed movie of mine.
Halloween Movie Of The Day 2009 List



1-15-10:
Games & Movies Of 2010:
Here is a small list of some of the games and movies that I am looking forward to this year.

Video Games
Movies
   
Aliens Vs. Predator
A Nightmare On Elm Street
Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 (Not Confirmed, May be DLC)
Iron Man 2
Castlevania: Lords Of Shadow
Jackass 3D
Crackdown 2
Little Fockers
Dead Rising 2
Piranha 3D
Fable III
Predators
Gears Of War 3 (Only rumored at this time)
Shrek Forever After
Green Day: Rock Band
Toy Story 3
Halo Reach
Legend Of Zelda: Wii (Only rumored at this time)  
Metroid: Other M  
Mortal Kombat 9 (Only rumored at this time)  
Naughty Bear
Sonic The Hedgehog: aka Project Needlemouse  
Star Wars: Force Unleashed 2  
Super Mario Galaxy 2  



1-1-10:
2009 Video Game Stats:
Last year I started keeping detailed stats of what games I buy, where I buy them, how much I pay for them and if I fully complete them or not. I thought it would be fun to share some of those stats:

112 Games Bought/Received
29 Completed
Amount Spent: $ TOP SECRET
5 Free Games

Cheapest Games:
World Of Goo (PC) $ 1.00
Flatout Ultimate Carnage (Xbox 360) $2.50

Most Expensive Games:
Batman: Arkham Asylum: Collectors Edition (Xbox 360) $99.99
Resident Evil 5: Collectors Edition (Xbox 360) $89.99

Most Games Bought In The Month:
November - 14 Games

Least Games Bought In A Month:
TIE January/July - 3 Games

Systems I Bought Most Games For:
Xbox 360 - 51
Xbox Live Arcade - 19
Nintendo Wii - 14
Other - 28

Stores I Bought Most Games From:
Gamestop: Mundelein - 31
Best Buy: Kildeer - 25
Best Buy: Mundelein - 13
Other - 43



9-21-09:
Madden NFL 2010 Review:

There is not much for me to talk about with Madden 10 that people don’t already know, it’s a football game that comes out every year, and every year that it comes out the franchise see’s improvements. This year the game looks better than ever. This year they included showing the referees on the field, something that makes the game look even more realistic then before. The only thing I would like to see added to the Madden games is the ability to be able to save during a game, quit and then come back to it at a later time. To many times now have I been playing my franchise mode with the Chicago Bears and my son David comes in and wants to watch Netflix on the Xbox and I have to tell him he has to wait until Daddy is done or if I’m getting my ass kicked I will just quit and let him watch what he wants. But I would really like to see an option to save and come back to a game in case you have to leave and do something else.

9-21-09:
Splosion Man Review:

Splosion Man is a 2D side scrolling puzzle platformer that your objective is to “splode” yourself to get from one point to another. “Splode” is basically another word for jump, as the main character doesn’t jump, he explodes himself which lifts himself off the ground. When the game was first released the downloaded the demo. The Demo only let you play until level 7 I think it was and I had a good time and thought I would really like this game so I decided to buy it. That’s when the game took a major turn, after the first few demo levels the game started to get really, really hard. Nice little trick developers are trying to do now, show people that there games are fun and entertaining in the demo then once you buy it they throw you into levels that start to make you want to rip out your hair. The game gets real challenging, really fast and your going to die, a lot. There have been times that I have just had to walk away from the game and come back to it a few days later just to try to beat a single level. The game is fun though, and once you do beat one of those challenging levels you do feel like you accomplished something, even though you really haven’t because the next stage is just as hard if not worse.

9-21-09: (9-23-09 Updated)
Contra ReBirth Review:

Contra ReBirth is a $10 game that is available on the Nintendo Wii as WiiWare. It features classic Contra gameplay, classic weapons from previous games, and graphics that look like they are from the 16-bit era Super Nintendo days. Contra ReBirth also features redone classic Contra music that once you hear it you will remember it, if you have played the original on the Nintendo. With just these features the game seems like a great deal at $10, but then I played it and wish I had not. First off the game is HARD. Even if you set the difficulty to Easy, the game is still very punishing. One thing the game does do, if you set the game on Easy and you die, you do not lose the special gun you are carrying. So you can always have your Spread Gun and not worry about losing it if you die but like I said, even on Easy the game is very hard and I have trouble getting past Stage 2. Maybe the main reason for that is in this Contra game you can NOT run and shoot your gun at the same time as you could in EVERY CONTRA GAME EVER RELEASED. Every time you want to shoot your gun at an enemy you have to stop and shoot, can’t just run and gun your way thru this game, it adds a lot more challenge to the game, but it just doesn’t feel like Contra because of this. I saw an official trailer for this game on the Nintendo Channel on the Wii and they showed the characters shooting while running at the same time and it just pissed me off. I think if I could run and shoot at the same time I would have liked this game a lot more, because it sure does look good and the music is awesome. Brings back those good old Contra memories.

UPDATE: After watching a few more trailers of the game they showed the main characters still running and shooting at the same time. Even in other game video reviews they were doing the same thing so I started thinking maybe something was wrong with my copy of the game. After experimenting for awhile and trying different things, I found out if you play the game using the Nintendo Classic Controller you can run and shoot at the same time just as you could in classic Contra games. Why you can't do this with the normal Wii Remote controller turned sideways is beyond me, maybe you are not meant to play the game that way, and if that is the case they should give you a warning in the beginning of the game saying that this game requires a Classic Controller or GameCube controller to work properly like it does when you try to play a Super Nintendo or Nintendo 64 game. Knowing now that I CAN run and shoot, the game is a little more enjoyable, still really hard but a little easier then I stated before. So my advice is if you’re going to play this game, make sure you use a Classic Controller.


9-21-09:
Turtles In Time: Review


Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time: Reshelled is a remake of the classic arcade released in the early 90’s of the same name (besides the Reshelled part). Ever since the Original ’89 Ninja Turtles arcade was released on Xbox Live Arcade with its original graphics, music, and online multiplayer support people have been asking for the sequel to be released and now it has been, but I don’t think anybody ever expected this. Instead of releasing a port of the arcade they completely redid it with new graphics and music and I must say it sucks. The original arcade seemed more colorful, friendlier and just overall a more enjoyable game. The stages in the remade version seem very dark and don’t have any real life to them, and speaking of life the Turtles look boring as hell. The online and offline multiplayer suffer as well, depending on what difficulty you choose, you are only given a certain amount of lives. The game would have been a smash hit if they somehow included the original arcade as an unlockable, but nothing. If you want to try Turtles In Time, I would recommend finding a copy of the Super Nintendo version, as that is the best version out there.

7-15-09:
Top 25 Super Nintendo Games:

Today I completed something I have been working a little bit on in my free time, a list of my top 25 Super Nintendo Games.
My Top 25 Super Nintendo Games

6-26-09:
R.I.P. Michael Jackson:

(Michael Jackson with Siegfried & Roy feeding a White Tiger)
Michael Jackson died yesterday and I felt I had to pay somewhat of a small tribute to him as I grew up listening to a lot of his music. I wouldn't call myself a die hard fan but just like millions of people I loved the hits and there were so many of them. He was an incredible singer, songwriter and dancer. I wish I would have had the chance to see him perform live. In my generation it was not cool to like Michael Jackson (due to the first child abuse charges), in fact kids would make fun of you or call you names if they found out if you listened to MJ, but I am sure even those people went home and cranked up some of his best selling songs because no matter how weird he may have gotten, how his face transformed, or even the charges that he faced, nothing could deny the fact that his music brought the world together and his music will carry his legacy on. People will remember Michael Jackson for the entertainer, the musician more then they will for what the news media has made him out to be for the past 15 years.


6-22-09:
Top 10 Anticipated Games For 2009: PART II:

Now that the year is just about half over and the E3 expo is now over and we know what new games are coming out and we have a better idea of what is coming and not coming out this year, I have decided to made a Most Anticipated Games Of The Rest Of 2009. Some of the games on the list are still on here from the first list I made since they haven’t been released yet, some have been taken off because they have either been delayed till next year or they have already come out, but most of all I have added new games that have been announced that are expected to be out by the end of this year. So here are the games I am most looking forward to for the remainder of the year.

Batman Arkham Asylum

The last good Batman game I can remember was Batman Returns on Super Nintendo which was an arcade style beat ‘em up, sort of like Ninja Turtles. Since then there have been many attempts to make a good Batman game, and all have failed. This game has potential to be good. It looks dark, you have to use stealth techniques to defeat your enemies but most of all has the voice actors from the popular 90’s animated cartoon, Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Mark Hamill (Joker) who for people don’t know played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. Batman comes out August 25th

BioShock 2

Sequel to 2007’s major hit, BioShock 2 takes place 10 years after the events of the first game, and puts you in the role of the iconic Big Daddy, one of the first games most dangerous enemies. Not much is know at this time but is slated for a fall release. November 3rd

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Seems like every year there is always a new Madden Football, Guitar Hero and even Call of Duty game and this year hopes are there is a sequel to 2007’s Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which departed ways from typical World War II setting and brought the series to modern times, with modern guns and modern story. I was never a huge fan of Call Of Duty games, but Call Of Duty 4 really impressed me. Last year they released a new Call Of Duty game but took it back to World War II, but there have been a lot of talk that this year will bring the return of Modern Warfare which makes me happy. Expect it November 10th

Left 4 Dead 2

Sequel to last years smash hit game comes out this year. Lot of fans are mad by its quick release by saying everything in this game should just be downloadable content for the first game, but it doesn't’t bother me any. 5 new levels, 4 new characters, melee weapons all sound like a great new experience to me. Get ready for the second wave of the zombie apocalypse November 17th

Legend Of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

The game looks and plays the same way as the last Nintendo DS Zelda game “Phantom Hourglass” did, but this time instead of riding a boat around the world you are riding a train. Hopefully this game will come out later this year as Nintendo said it would.

Lego Rock Band

A game that was rumored for a few months has finally been confirmed, and people don’t know what to think of it. Take the Lego universe and mix it with the Rock Band universe and you get a family friendly version of Rock Band with easier game moods and family friendly songs. The setlist hasn't’t been posted yet, but I hope that you can take the songs that are in the game and export them so you can play them in Rock Band 2. Rock your Lego’s out in November.

Guitar Hero 5

I was not a big fan of Guitar Hero World Tour, but I am willing to give the Guitar Hero franchise one to chance to come back strong with Guitar Hero 5. Not many songs have been announced as of writing this so I don’t know much about it. I am more of a Rock Band fan myself, but like I just said, I am willing to give Guitar Hero 5 a chance. Guitar Hero 5 comes out September 1st.

Halo 3 ODST

A new Halo game is being released this year. You do not play as Master Chief in this game instead you play as an ODST soldier. I have not researched much of this game other then it uses the same engine as Halo 3, so basically it is just an expansion to the game. It will feature multiplayer as Halo 3 did. Halo 3 ODST drops September 22nd.

Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story

The Mario & Luigi RPG series on the GBA and Nintendo DS have always had great gameplay, story, and writing and that’s what makes me excited for the newest installment in the Mario & Luigi series. Look for Bower’s Inside Story in late October or November.

New Super Mario Bros Wii

A classic side scrolling Super Mario Bros game that can be played with 1 to 4 players is coming to the Wii later this year. Although I am not to interested in the 4 played features in the game, I am sure I will play 2 players with my wife at times. The game looks just like the Nintendo DS version, but this time includes new power up suits, Yoshi and the famous Koopa Kids return. The Koopa Kids have not appeared in a game since Super Mario World way back on the Super Nintendo. Nintendo has said the game will be out Holiday of this year.


6-18-09:
Ghostbusters: The Video Game Review (Xbox 360)

Being a Ghostbusters fan all my life I was so excited to learn about this game coming out. Being what is called the third Ghostbusters movie since it is written by and voices are done by the original actors, Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson and even Bill Murray. I have followed the development of this game closely and waited so long to get my hands on it, and I can finally say, I came, I saw, I kicked its ass. (Ghostbusters reference when they caught Slimer for the first time)

First I will address the story which was written as I said by Harold and Dan who wrote the first two films. If people are about to play this game and never saw the films I would highly recommend you seeing at least the first Ghostbusters film since a lot of the events in this game are linked directly to that film. The game does not reference the second film much in the plot, but there are nice easter eggs hidden in the game that if you saw the second film you will recognize. The games plot focuses around Gozer who is the villain from the first film, but half way through the game you find out there are other evil doers at work. Like I said it is really important to see the first movie because they reference everything from the building the Gozer was on, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, the Sedgewick Hotel and even the Library.

The looks and effects of the game are great. The characters really do look like the Ghostbusters as they would look in 1991. Today all those actors are getting old, fat and gray hair, so it’s nice to be able to see them in their younger form. The only problem with the character models is sometimes the voices to sync with their lips. A character could stop talking and then you see their lips still moving, it’s a small flaw, but something that maybe should have gotten more attention.   Like I said they were able to get all the original actors to reprise to roles as Ghostbusters, they even got the original actors to reprise the roles of Walter Peck and Secretary Janine. The game didn’t game Rick Moranis as Louis Tully due to his retirement to acting, and the game is also missing Dana Barrett who is played by Sigourney Weaver but her character is mentioned a few times during the game. The actors do a great job playing their roles as Ghostbusters and really sound like they are into it, except one. Bill Murray most of the times sounds really bored. It felt like either he didn’t put much effort into this project or he is just so used to going into a studio and doing his Garfield voice because that’s what he sound like most of the time in this game, not Peter Venkman but Garfield and that was really disappointing. The game features the original Ghostbusters song by Ray Parker Jr. and also features the entire score from the original film and it is awesome to hear it, after you get done playing you will be walking around humming the themes.

The game takes about just a little more than 6 hours to complete which does seem short but there are things that may make you go back and play through again. There are hidden collectables in each stage and you need to scan each ghost in you PKG meter. There are 7 levels in all, I would have liked to have seen more levels then what there are and maybe the length longer than 6 hours but for what it’s worth I had a great time playing Ghostbusters. Other then Bill Murray’s poor performance I didn’t have much bad things to say about this game, it was well written, it stars the Ghostbusters, you can tell the developers were really into this game and were Ghostbusters fans themselves with all the little nods you see to the franchise especially in the firehouse such as the painting of Vigo, the dancing toaster, the ending screen to the original Nintendo Ghostbusters video game (complete with spelling errors), there are so many things you will spend a good amount of time just looking around trying to find them all. I had a lot of fun playing this game, I would recommend it to anyone who was/is a Ghostbusters fan, as of right now it’s the only thing we have that is a true sequel. The writing is great, the jokes at times are stupid one liners but that is what made the movies so good. It is shorter then I was hoping for, but there is some replay value. There are a few online multiplayer modes, but I have yet to try them, and they are not the focus of my review. I am tempted to pick up the Nintendo Wii version which features a totally different graphic layout, a few different enemies and of course motion control. If I do maybe I will write my impressions on that one as well, but I am already sure that the Xbox 360 version is the best of them all.


6-05-09:
Terminator Salvation (Film) Impressions/Problems
*Contains Major Spoilers*

I really enjoyed Terminator Salvation. I went into it thinking it would be bad, I mean having Batman also being John Connor, just didn’t sound like it would work for me, but Christian Bale did a good job as John Connor. I have been wanting a movie based on the future war ever since I first saw Terminator 2 and now I finally got it, but when I first saw trailers it didn’t look as dark as I thought it would be. Then I found out this is taking place 11 years before what we saw in Terminator 2, so they have not invented plasma gun’s and the T-800’s have not been created yet. I walked out happy, I think the ending sucked. I mostly had more questions about certain things than anything, below is just a few of them.

My main problem with the film is the origins of Marcus Wright. How is he half human, half Terminator? He was put to death in 2003, that means between 2003 and 2018 Skynet made him what he is today, but how is that possible. How do they have that kind of advance technology to make a half human, half machine, when they have yet to make the T-800 Terminators which are all machine? It seems like Marcus is the most advance Terminator they have ever created since he can feel pain, emotion and hell he doesn’t even know he is a machine but yet they created this most advanced machine before the T-800, the T-1000, and the TX. There is just something that’s missing, was Marcus created way in the future, and then sent back in time and programmed to live as human and committed crimes that led to his execution just to be reactivated in 2018? It just bothers me that the most advance Terminator was created even before the T-800 (Arnold’s model)

When Marcus enters Skynet’s main computer room, why is it so clean and neat? It almost looks like something you would find in a high tech Apple Store. They even have a chair in the middle of the room. Who is going to enter this room? Does Skynet expect a lot of human visitors in their main control room where they need a chair for them? Or do Terminators go in there and talk with the girl on the screen and sometimes their legs get tired and need a seat? I just found it funny, the one room that would never see the light of day from a human being is so nice and neat, clean and has a chair, but yet the prisons are so rusty, dark and gloomy.

Why does Skynet tell Marcus that “They have tried many times in the past to kill John Connor and failed”? How does Skynet know about those past attempts if they haven’t happened yet? The first Terminator was sent back in time from the year 2029, so how does Skynet in 2018 know that it is going to send Terminators back in time in 11 years?

When Marcus first enters Skynet’s control room, he is all beat up and half of his endoskull is showing, at the same time, John brakes into Skynet. Pretty much the next scene, Marcus is all healed and in a different outfit. How did his skin heal itself that fast? Did he enter a machine and get “reskined”? Skynet itself just learned this technology so I doubt they have “skin machines” all around their buildings.

At the end of Terminator 2, they destroy the chip, arm and Arnold in the liquid steel right? Well in this movie, when John shoots container that holds the steel open and it pours all over the T-800, shouldn’t that have caused it to melt, or at least cause major damage? Then he shoots open something that causes it to freeze. Should that have made the T-800 to bust or something? When I take a hot frying pan, and then put it under ice cold water doesn’t it bend or burst? Shit, while the T-800 was frozen why didn’t John shoot it or knock it over, didn’t he learn anything from what the Terminator did to the T-1000 in T2?

John Connor needs to stop flying helicopters. Both times when he did in the film he crashed.

Why don’t they focus more on the fact that John’s wife Kate is pregnant? You can totally tell she is.


There were things in this film that brought back memories of the old films; here is a list of things I noticed:

The opening title used the crawl scroll that the original did.

“Come with me if you want to live” and “I’ll be back” are used

Linda Hamilton returned to rerecord her voice for the tapes John listens to, and you see the famous picture from the first film.

The tow truck that Marcus, Kyle and Star use to escape from 7-11 looks almost like the one the T-1000 used in Terminator 2.

Guns n’ Roses “You Could Be Mine” is used, it was also used in Terminator 2 when John is riding his bike.

Marcus shows Kyle how to tie a rope around a shotgun. Kyle uses this in Terminator when he hides his shotgun under his coat.

The T-800 scratches Johns face which gives him the scar you see on the future John Connor in Terminator 2, and Terminator 3.

Cyberdyne Systems is mentioned. I thought they went bye bye after T2, but I guess they didn’t sell to the government until after 2003. Judgment Day happened in 2004

The first prototype of Model 101 is shown. He looked ok, even though it wasn’t Arnold and it was just CG effects.


5-21-09:
Terminator Salvation (Xbox 360) Review

Terminator Salvation was one of my top 10 most anticipated games of this year, but after playing it, the game will probably end up on my worst games of 2009 list. The idea of the game is one that I thought would be great for a few years now, Gears of War gameplay and cover system meets the Terminator universe. The game does try to copy the Gears of War cover system, but they failed big time. The thing that bothered me most was if I was behind say a small barrier wall, I could not jump over it to get to the next piece of cover. I would have to get out of cover, expose myself to enemy fire and run around to get to the next safe point. If maybe the developers spent just a few more months on the game they would have gotten it right.  The controls are pretty standard and don’t take too long to get used to so that is a plus.

The games A.I can either be really smart or really dumb. At all times you have a partner (Blair) who you need at all times to help you fight certain types of machines, one person needs to get their attention while the other sneaks behind them and shoot them in the back because that is their only weakness. Sometimes you partner will know exactly where to go to lure the enemies fire and sometimes she will even take out the enemy herself, but then there are the times that your partner is so stupid she gets hung up behind a wall while you have moved on 2 full screens. The enemy A.I is pretty smart, the machines that require you to kill from behind that I just talked about are very cautious and keep an eye on both you and your partner and at times takes a few minutes to line up to get a good shot. However the T-600 Endoskeleton Terminators come right at you with their chain guns blazing. They have no fear and they are really tough to kill. There are only about 4 different types of enemies in the game so it can get really boring fighting the same things over and over again.

Now the main problems with the game, first off there is no online co-op. There is local co-op so if you have a friend over the two of you can play via split screen, but this game could really have been good if it had online co-op. Second, the story is just boring and gives no life to the Terminator universe. The story is set in 2016, two years before the events of the movie Terminator Salvation. You play as John Connor, you are not the leader of the resistance that you will one day become yet, instead you are just a solider under someone else’s command. On a mission you receive a distress call from survivors that are in your location, your commander says that they are going to leave them and not risk the lives of his platoon, Connor decides to disobey his commander and go out on his own to rescue the survivors. That’s it, nothing exciting or anything. Third thing I could not stand about this game was the long loading times. After every level and during every cut scene you are faced with loading times of about 45 seconds to up to a minute. Even if you install the game on your hard drive it doest even help.

Finally the worst thing about this game is its length. I completed this game from beginning to end in four hours, that’s right 4 freaking hours. I paid $60 for a game that took me 4 hours to complete. The game has no replay value, nothing to go back and collect or find. Nothing. I always hear complaints of people getting mad for spending $60 on a game and they finish it in 8-12 hours, but for a game to be only 4 hours in this current generation of game systems is just unacceptable in my book.

So there you have it, a game that when first shown last year which looked like a Gears of War meets Terminator game that I thought would kick total ass turned out to be a total let down. I do not recommend anyone buy this game, instead go rent it, or wait till you can find it for less than $10 cause as short of a game as it is, it is not worth the full retail price of $60


5-21-09:
Punch-Out!! Review

Ever since Punch-Out for the Nintendo Wii was announced I always had my doubts that it would be a good game. A classic Nintendo game remade for the Wii, I just didn’t think anyone could pull it off but turns out I was wrong. Punch-Out is a very fun game that passed all my expectations. The game includes most of the classic fighters from the original game such as Glass Joe, King Hippo, Great Tiger and many more and if you think that that game would be easy because you know how to beat them from the original version, think again. They got smarter, better and tougher. First time I went up against Great Tiger, I said to myself, no problem, when the jewel on his head flashes that means he is about to punch, well that still is the case in the new game, but he has a lot of new moves and is a lot quicker.

The animations of the characters look great. Every time I saw screen shots I thought the characters looked too much like cartoons and childish, but after seeing them in motion I think they look great. Each character talks in their native language, such as Glass Joe is from France, so he speaks French, and there are no subtitles so you have no idea what he is saying. I am not a fan of this. It gets annoying and I would like to know what they are saying.

The controls are great. You can use a single Wii Remote, turn it sideways and play it just like the classic Nintendo version of Punch-Out. They also included motion controls, so if you hook up a Nunchuck you can use that and the Wii Remote and swing away. I tried using that control setting for one match, but my arms got tired from all the punching motions that I found the first mentioned was easier and was more responsive and worked better on later characters. You can also use the Wii Balance Board but I do not have mine at my house at this time so I wasn’t able to try using it.

I do highly recommend this game, but don’t expect it to be a quick walk in the park. The boxers you fight do put up a good fight and it will take some time to learn their patterns and moves for you to get an understanding of how they fight to take them out quick and easily.


4-30-09:
The Virus:
With the zombie apocalypse swine flu epidemic happening around the world, it is now the time that Michael Jackson can walk amongst us and not be considered a freak.



4-17-09:
David & Connor's Easter Picture 2009


4-01-09:
Katie Is Pregnant
Today we found out Katie is pregnant again, even after she got her tubes tied and after I had a vasectomy done. I guess miracles do happen..

*April Fools*


3-30-09:
Top 10 Most Wanted Virtual Console Games:
I created a new top 10 list
Top 10 Games I Want On The Nintendo Virtual Console

3-30-09:
Guitar Hero: Metallica Review:

Guitar Hero Metallica plays just like every other Guitar Hero/Rock Band game so there is no need to go into detail about how it is played. They have made a few minor changes to the interface such as you are now able to keep track to how many stars you have during a song, sort of like how Rock Band does. The character models of the members of Metallica look very good. You can tell they spent a lot of time with the band trying to get their likeness down perfectly. They have a mode in the game that allows you just to watch them perform the song without having to worry about hitting notes on the interments so you can really see the detail that went into capturing Metallica. My only complaint with the game (as well as the Aerosmith Guitar Hero game) is the music selection. The game features 49 songs, but only 28 of them being Metallica songs, the other 21 songs are from other bands that were “chosen by Metallica”. The Metallica songs on the game are great, but there are so many hits that are missing that I want to play, “Don’t Tread On Me”, “The Unforgiven II”, “Until It Sleeps”, I could go on with about 10-15 more songs but I’ll stop now. Why can’t these band specific games focus on just that band and that band only? I don’t want to play fucking Queen, Thin Lizzy or Bob Seger in a Metallica game; I want to play Metallica, that’s why I bought it. Overall it’s a solid game and I am enjoying my time with it. Just wish it had more Metallica songs. I give it a “B”.


3-25-09
House Of The Dead: Overkill Review

Over the past year or so I have lost faith in the Nintendo Wii. I believe it’s a system for retards and old people. Nintendo forgot about its core gamer base by releasing crap gimmick games that anyone can use and stopped focusing on huge hits like Zelda, but this isn’t meant to be a Nintendo rant as I still have faith they will come around and make me happy once again. I am writing because I recently played a game on the Wii for the first time in a long time that I really enjoyed and would highly recommend, House Of The Dead: Overkill. It is made by Sega and is a simple “On Rail Zombie Shooter”, which means you just point your Wii Remote to the screen (or Wii Zapper if you have one) line up your circle curser and shoot zombies. The game moves from scene to scene for you so it really is as simple as point and clicking the B button.

The game features a story that I didn’t really care for and don’t think many people will really follow, but what makes you interested in watching the cut scenes is the dialog between the characters. They use so many comical one liners and use the word Fuck so many times that this game just got put in the Guinness Book Of World Records for using the word Fuck so many times. The ending of the game was just, well…. Disturbing.  I did laugh my ass off, but it was just wrong on so many levels.

The game only does last about 2-3 levels and is really not that hard. In fact after the first level you have the option to buy new guns which makes the game even easier. Once you do beat it, you unlock a Director’s Cut which makes each level a little long and puts more zombies in each level, no story changes though. All reviews say that Resident Evil 5 is the best zombie game right now to play with someone else Co-Op but I disagree, I believe this game is the best zombie Co-Op game out there right now. I had much more fun playing it with someone else then I did alone. It made the game easier, and was more enjoyable taking out zombies with someone else. The game is easy enough and the controls are simple enough that you could get your wife/girlfriend to join in and play the entire game with you.

I had more fun playing House Of The Dead: Overkill then I did playing Resident Evil 5 and that’s shocking cause House Of The Dead: Overkill seemed to have come out of nowhere. The game is very short, may be too easy for many gamers, the story sucks but the dialog and relationship between the main characters makes up for that. You should be able to con your wife/girlfriend into playing this game with you. So dust off your Wii and give this game a try and after seeing the ending you will think Norman Bates from the movie Psycho was a pretty normal guy.


3-19-09:
Top 10 Anticipated Games For 2009 (so far)

Here we are in March of 2009 and we have already seen a few major releases this year, Halo Wars, Street Fighter IV and Resident Evil 5. With 9 more months to go of 2009 what other major games do we have to look forward to? I have made a top 10 list of the games I am most looking forward to coming out this year. Of course not every game that is coming out this year has been announced and I am sure there will be major announcements in the months to come, but as of right now these are my most anticipated games of 2009. Please keep in mind that not every one of these games have been confirmed to come out this year, many of them don’t have release dates and I am just hoping they make it to shelves this year.

Batman: Arkham Asylum
The last good Batman game I can remember was Batman Returns on Super Nintendo which was an arcade style beat ‘em up, sort of like Ninja Turtles. Since then there have been many attempts to make a good Batman game, and all have failed. This game has potential to be good. It looks dark, you have to use stealth techniques to defeat your enemies but most of all has the voice actors from the popular 90’s animated cartoon, Kevin Conroy (Batman) and Mark Hamill (Joker) who for people don’t know played Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movies.

BioShock 2: Sea Of Dreams
Sequel to 2007’s major hit, BioShock 2 takes place 10 years after the events of the first game, and puts you in the role of the iconic Big Daddy, one of the first games most dangerous enemies. Not much is know at this time but is slated for a fall release.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Seems like every year there is always a new Madden Football, Guitar Hero and even Call of Duty game and this year hopes are there is a sequel to 2007’s Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which departed ways from typical World War II setting and brought the series to modern times, with modern guns and modern story. I was never a huge fan of Call Of Duty games, but Call Of Duty 4 really impressed me. Last year they released a new Call Of Duty game but took it back to World War II, but there have been a lot of talk that this year will bring the return of Modern Warfare which makes me happy. Expect it around November, that’s when most “CoD” games come out.

Dead Rising 2
This game was just announced so I am not completely sure if it will make a 2009 release but man I hoping it will. I am a huge fan of Dead Rising, you play a character who is stuck in a mall full of zombies and have to use anything you can find to fend yourself from the zombie heard for 72 hours, (about 12 hours real time). It felt just like the movie Dawn of the Dead, but much more enjoyable. From what screen shots show, the new game takes place in a casino and you can use items such as slot machines to kill zombies. I don’t know if you have every tried lifting a real slot machine as I have, but there is no way someone can pick one up over there head and slam it on a zombie, but that’s what makes these games so much fun, you leave reality at the door. I am hoping for a holiday release, but it will probably come out early next year.

Diablo 3
Another game that I am not sure will make a 2009 release but I am adding to my list anyway. The Diablo series is one of the only PC games that I have ever played. You play as a character and you just point and click to kill enemies and pick up treasure, it may sound boring and repetitive, but was really addicting when I was younger. I really loved the first two installments and hope that Diablo 3 will bring back those same memories I had of playing the originals. If it were to come out, it would this holiday, but Blizzard the creators of the game have a good history of delaying their products so don’t be surprised it gets delayed.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game
I am really looking forward to this one, basically Ghostbusters 3. It has the original actors of the movies providing their voices for the game including Bill Murray. The story was written from the writers of the Ghostbusters movie and it takes place after the events of Ghostbusters 2. You play as the rookie, and you tag along with the 4 original Ghostbusters to save New York from, well ghosts. You fight classic enemies from the Ghostbusters universe sure as Gozer, Slimer, Vigo, the library ghost, and even the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. The game is being released on Xbox 360 and PS3 and the graphics look amazing. It is also being released on the Nintendo Wii, the graphics look more like a cartoon, but from what I understand the story is the same on all platforms. On June 16 2009, who are you going to call? Ghostbusters.

Halo 3: ODST
A new Halo game is being released this year. You do not play as Master Chief in this game instead you play as an ODST soldier. I have not researched much of this game other then it uses the same engine as Halo 3, so basically it is just an expansion to the game. It will feature multiplayer as Halo 3 did. I don’t know much about it, but I know I will enjoy it when it comes out this fall, I would say later September, early October.

Overlord 2
Overlord was just a silly game, you were an Overlord who controlled these crazy gremlin type creatures to do your dirty work such as kill people, burn houses down, get drunk, and kill sheep. It sounds really stupid but after playing it for awhile I got hooked. I really didn’t think the game would see a sequel so I was surprised when they announced a new one was coming this year. Once again you control the gremlins to do your dirty work. There is also a Nintendo Wii version of Overlord coming this year, not sure if it’s a remake of the first game or a completely different game but I am looking forward to both. Look for it this summer either June or July.

Punch-Out
The only Wii exclusive title on my list, a new Punch-Out is coming out this summer. As of right now screen shots don’t look to impressive and I just recently learned that you can either use Wii motion controls or use a classic controller and play it like the old school NES or Super Nintendo versions of Punch-Out. Only a few classic opponents have been announced such as Glass Joe, Von Kaiser and good old King Hippo. I am hoping this game brings back memories of playing Punch-Out as a child. Pick it up on May 18th 2009

Terminator: Salvation
This will come out a week before the movie Terminator Salvation. It is a third-person shooter that takes place 1-2 years before the events of the movie. Early screen shots make me believe it will play almost like Gears Of War except fighting Locust, you will be fighting Sky Net’s army of Terminator machines. It was announced that Christian Bale (John Connor) will not be providing his voice for the game, but I am still hoping the game will turn out to be a huge success. I have always wanted a good Terminator game, and I think mixing the Gears Of War style game play with the Terminator future war setting would be an excellent idea. Although the game or movie doesn’t focus on Arnold’s T-800 character as previous movies, I have always wanted a game and movie set in the future where you fight tons of machines, and not just against one. Pick up Terminator Salvation on May 19 2009.

Well that’s my list of my Top 10 Anticipated Game For 2009 as of right now. Like I stated before, I am sure there are a lot more great games coming out this year that haven’t even been announced yet and won’t be until around the E3 expo in June. As usual you can expect a new Madden, I am sure there will be another Guitar Hero game or even two of them but since they are so common and new versions come out all the time I didn’t bother putting them on my list.


3-18-09:
Resident Evil 5 Review:

The first big game that I was looking forward to in 2009 has been released. Resident Evil 5 and man was I disappointed. After the huge success of Resident Evil 4 on the Nintendo GameCube I have been waiting for a sequel and now that it’s here, I feel as Capcom has let me down. Although the game does look really amazing, they added features in it that should not belong in the series, mainly being co-op play. Capcom is following the direction of other games such as Gears Of War 2 by having a friend play through the entire game from start to finish with you.

Story
If you are worried about playing Resident Evil 5 because you have never played any of the previous games and don’t know the story, don’t worry, you are not going to miss much. This game does not require you to know too much of the back story. The story is basic, you are an agent working for an agency to tries to stop the use of biohazard weapons from getting in the hands of terrorists. You arrive in Africa to investigate reports of zombie like creatures, you end up meeting your partner and you set forth. There are characters from previous Resident Evil games but you don’t need to know the complete storyline to enjoy it. The story itself is very boring and feels like it’s only a summer blockbuster action movie. Notice how I said action movie and not horror movie, that is because this game is not scary at all. Resident Evil created the “survival horror” genre, and this game completely brakes away from that format.  There is not any moment in this game where I got scared, worried, or at the edge of my seat. No dogs jumping though windows, or any spooky moments this time, it was nothing but a go around and shoot zombie like creatures which the designs of were not even that scary either. Even the big boss fights you encounter are not even that scary, most of them all look like giant blobs of black goo. Resident Evil 4 departed ways with the normal zombies, and this game continues that trend, I really hope they bring back the mindless dumb, dead zombies in RE6 cause I am sick of this new type of zombie that seem to be fully alive and aware of what they are doing. They are faster, they come at you in groups, and they even know how to work rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers and how to throw grenades. Much different from the zombies that only stumble at you and only attack is trying to bite you.

Controls
The controls in Resident Evil 5 feel broken and out of date. They work basically the same as they have in all previous RE games, press and hold left trigger which brings out you weapon, point and aim and then press right trigger to shoot. Most of all you cannot run and shoot at the same time. This control type worked the older Resident Evil games, even worked ok in Resident Evil 4, but in this game it is just annoying and can kill you if you are not careful. Like I previously mentioned, the “zombies” in this game are smart, too smart. They come at you in groups and at times they run at you in groups, they carry weapons ranging from axes, chainsaws, to military weapons. When there is a group of say 8 zombies running at you with weapons in hand, you need to try to run away at a safe distance quickly turn around, pull out your gun, try to aim at them and shoot at them. Each zombie takes about 5 bullets to kill from your handgun, and since you can only carry 10 bullets at a time after you kill 2 you have to reload which takes a few seconds by this time the remaining 6 zombies are right on top of you attacking you and draining your health, it’s at this point you then have to put your gun away, run to another far distance and turn around and repeat. What makes this worse is when your shooting the zombies that are in front of you, you are completely unaware of the heard of zombies that are coming at you from behind, and if one of them has a rocket launcher and shoots you, its game over and you didn’t even have a chance to duck or dodge the attack. It is because of this the developers should have let you be able to shoot and move at the same time. I mean you play as a special agent working to stop terrorist and you can’t even shoot your gun and move. Every game now a day’s uses a move and shoot control type either being “First Person Shooter” like Halo or even a 3rd person view like Gears Of War 2, they all use a move and shoot control type. The control type they use in Resident Evil worked in the older games because it was only a few zombies after you, but they didn’t run (unless you count the dogs and the later creatures) and they didn’t have guns so you were able to stand in one spot in shoot. Please fix this for future games. Resident Evil 5 also features something that a lot of games these days have that I cannot stand, “Quicktime Events” where you are watching a cut scene, most of the time it’s an action cut scene where the characters might be running and there is a hole in front of them, a button command appears on the screen and you must press it fast as you can to have that character jump otherwise you get damaged or even get a game over. Cut scenes in games are meant to be a break from the action and watch an nice CG movie of action or story line, not to have your controller tight in your hand waiting for it to say “press X” or “tap X as fast as you can”. This game has a lot of these moments, and although most of them are simple (but annoying) one event is broken. The final boss fight, a command appears on screen telling you to “Hold A”. Every time I did this part of the boss fight I always died, I could not understand it. What the screen should say is “Tap A as fast as you can”. Capcom still have not fixed this error, but really wish they had before I spent an hour trying to kill the final boss before realizing they screwed up.

Inventory
When I first started playing Resident Evil 5 I was disappointed by the inventory system. I thought there wasn’t enough space for your weapons and ammo. Since then I have gotten more used to it, but figured out what the main problem is. You always have to make sure your partner has enough guns and ammo, and if you are playing with the computer, your partner will waste through ammo big time, so you always have to restock her while losing your own stash of ammo. I see this game messing up friendships if you play with someone online. Your friend may be completely out of ammo and yelling at you saying he needs ammo and to give him some and if you don’t it will cause feuding. Before each chapter or after you die and continue you have the option to visit a store to sell items, buy weapons and upgrade weapons. It’s a nice feature to have except you cannot buy ammo for your guns which means you’re stuck looking around on every level trying to stock as much ammo as possible and make sure your partner has enough so she can fend for herself as well. 

Overall
Resident Evil 5 was not the game I was hoping for. It was not scary as previous titles and doesn’t have a good story. The controls are outdated for a game that plays like this. The graphics do look good, but it feels more like Resident Evil 4 just with co-op. I don’t think the Resident Evil series deserves co-op features. It should stay as a single player experience which makes you feel more isolated and leave you with a sense that you are alone with no one to help you or cover your back. In conclusion, I did enjoy playing the game, I would recommend the game, but it did not live up to the hype that it received over the past two years. If I had to give it a grade, I would give it a B-


2-19-09:
Street Fighter IV Review:

Back around the mid 90’s fighting games were big with titles like Street Fighter II and Mortal Kombat leading the genre. I played a lot of both games, but personally was a bigger fan of the Mortal Kombat franchise and it wasn’t due to the blood and gore. I thought the characters were better designed and looked a lot cooler, special moves were easier to do and remember, there was more of a story and  then of course there was the blood, gore and finishing moves known as fatality’s. I started to lose interest in the Street Fighter II franchise because almost every year they were releasing a new version of the game with new features, characters and modes to make the fighting faster. There was the original, followed by Turbo, Championship Edition, Super Street Fighter II and Alpha, so I just got sick of all the rereleases and since then never cared about a Street Fighter game again, not even when they released Street Fighter III, but when they announced Street Fighter IV and I saw pictures of it I thought I would give it a try and see if it had that original Street Fighter II feel to it.

I was very impressed to see they included all the original characters from Street Fighter II plus a few new characters; I was even more impressed on how well the models of the characters looked. A lot of detail went into designing them. Even more impressive was the design of the backgrounds. I sometimes lost focus of the fight because I got distracted by what was happening in the backgrounds. A lot of the stages may look familiar if you have played Street Fighter II and they try to recapture the music that went along with those stages but they failed big time, none of the stages have those catchy themes that are remembered from the early 90’s games. While on the matter of sound, one thing that annoyed the hell out of me was the announcer of this game, he reminded me of the announcer from the Pokémon Stadium games. I think there is an option to turn him off but I am not completely sure yet.

The controls of the game are what you would expect from a home version of Street Fighter or in that case any fighting game. I am really bad at fighting games, but I picked up on the controls really fast. All of the classic Street Fighter II characters have their same special move controls, (example Ryu’s Down, Toward, Punch does a Fireball) the only problem I have on this game (and on all fighting games) is doing combo moves. My fingers are not fast enough, and I don’t have the memory to remember a long button combo.

There are many different difficulty settings to choose from in this game ranging from Easiest, Very Easy, Easy, Normal, Hard, and ect. So once you find a setting you can deal with the game can either be a very fun quick beat em up, challenging game, or a pain in the ass game that you never want to play again. Since I am not very good at fighting games I stick to an easier setting and even then it can give me a run for my money. However even on the easiest setting I feel that one character is really over powered over the rest and is given an unfair advantage, Zangief. Even in the most recently released Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix that was released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network I felt he was overpowered on the easiest setting.

Despite me not being very good at fighting games I thought I would go on Xbox Live and see how multiplayer worked. To my surprise finding matches was very quick and easy to set up. There was no slow downs at all and felt like I was playing someone that was sitting right next to me instead of someone hundreds of miles away, only downside was almost everyone only was really good and I got my ass handed to me each time.

Conclusion: It’s really hard for me to recommend this game at a full $60 price tag right now. If you liked playing Street Fighter II back in the 1990’s and you just heard about this game and your thinking about picking it up because you heard that it sort of plays like and reminds people of Street Fighter II, I would say hold off until it drops in price.  Instead look into purchasing Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix which was released in late November 2008. It is the classic Street Fighter II from the 90’s but redone character models, backgrounds, music, and it’s all done in HD but all the game play is still the same as it was in the 90’s. It has online matches so you can play with your friends and best of all, it’s more half the price of Street Fighter IV at only $20 and you can get it now on the Xbox Live Arcade or the Playstation Network. So I would recommend that until Street Fighter IV comes down in price because it is basically the same game, but I still think the classic Street Fighter II is better.


2-16-09:
Friday The 13th (2009) Review:

I saw the new Friday the 13th movie and I was hoping it would be a better movie compared to the past Jason movie’s that have been released to my surprise, I was very disappointed with this movie. This movie had so much potential to being a good Friday the 13th movie that the writers of this movie should be ashamed. The fact that it was a remake/retelling of the original didn’t bother me at all, it almost felt like a sequel.

In all the Friday The 13th movies, Jason usually kills his victims in an unusual fashion that people will usually remember. People can make lists of their top kills from the movies (most top kill is the sleeping bag kill from Pt 7) but this movie doesn’t have any unique or kills people will remember. Most kills are simple knifes slitting throats, chopping heads, stabbing object into heads and that’s it. This really bothered me cause in these scenes you can clearly see in the background good tools that would have been good for kills, like a table saw and even a bug light. At one point they focus on this bug light twice, maybe they want you to think something will happen with it, but it doesn’t, and I thought it would have been cool if Jason slammed someone’s face into it. They also have a big wood chipper in the movie, you would have thought for sure Jason would have killed someone with that, nope. The only kill that might be remembered for in this movie would be when Jason grabs a girl in a sleeping bag, ties her up, throws her up over a tree and leaves her hanging over an open fire so that she is cooking inside the sleeping bag, all this while the girl’s boyfriend is about 20 yards away checking out what a sound was, once he comes back he sees her hanging from the tree, he starting running towards her and his leg than gets snapped in a bear trap. I don’t like this cause it would take Jason at least 5 minutes to set the trap, tie her up, throw her over the tree, tie the rope to the tree and add more wood to the fire, all this while the boyfriend was gone for less than a minute. Really unbelievable but in a movie like this it’s best not to think about what’s possible and what’s not.  

Speaking of that wood chipper again, let’s talk about the ending, where they stick the top of Jason’s head in it to kill him. They only push him in far enough so they don’t damage the mask. I guess they don’t want to harm the mask so they have it for the sequel, but still why don’t these dumb kids just push Jason’s whole body through the wood chipper instead of just a little bit and then drag his body to the lake and push it in the water, and if anyone who has seen an original Friday the 13th film you should have expected Jason to jump out of the water, but was that a dream sequence or not?? Guess we will have to wait till Friday the 13th Part 2 comes out, wait there already is a part 2, and how are they going to name the sequel to this?

The look of Jason bothered me in this film, I enjoyed the look of him more in the potato sack more than in the hockey mask in this film which is shocking cause in the original Friday the 13th Part 2 I hated the sack over the face look, I am more of a hockey mask guy but not in this film. Once Jason put the hockey mask on in this film I felt like he wasn’t as scary. The actor they had to play Jason did not have the body for Jason, his head was too big for a mask that was too small, his neck was huge and really stuck out, and I still am not a fan of Jason having hair. You do see Jason unmasked for a few quick seconds, not long enough for me to say if I thought if it was cool or not, I’ll have to wait for the DVD so I can freeze frame and see it again but at quick glance it looked like how he looked in Friday Pt 2.

After seeing this movie I would really like to see a movie that somehow focused more on Jason himself. About how he survives and what he does when he goes home. What does he do in his free time? In this movie you see campers find his house and in his house you see all kinds of antiques, kid toys, dolls, teddy bears on his own bed that says Jason. Does Jason play with toys? And then there is a shrine to his mother in his bathroom including her head. Next you go into his basement which is almost like a dungeon, chains, knifes, and tunnels that seems like he takes his dead victims. They don’t show what he does with them but I would like to see more about what goes though the mind of Jason, how he survives, what he eats, if he has any contact with people like that old lady that seemed to know who he was. Does she/did she ever give him supplies, make him meals give him clothes when he was a child? Let’s have a movie that makes Jason the hero, villain, victim and main character all at the same time and dumb teenage characters his pray and not the main focus of the movie.

So to sum up this movie in a few quick tips

-Don’t try to steal the weed in Jason’s back yard. You will get killed.
-Pray you don’t look like Jason’s mother, you will be kept prisoner in his basement.
-Don’t think that a retarded killer with a lazy eye can’t get a perfect shot with a bow and arrow and hit you in the head while you’re driving a boat while your about 200 yards from shore.
-Don’t send the Black guy out to check on the Asian guy with a frying pan, don’t you know, Black guys never survive horror movies.
-Jason can teleport from Point A to Point B which is about half a mile in less than a minute and go back to Point A just a quick. He can also kill someone and then appear on a roof of a house.
-If you’re going to kill Jason by putting to very top of his head in a wood chipper, why not put his whole body in?
-If you see a guy with a mask/sack over his face and a big knife, don’t try to lock yourself in your sleeping bag, nothing good will come out of it. You will get stabbed, slammed against a tree, or hung over a fire to cook



2-16-09:
I'm A Daddy Again!!!
Well I haven't updated since he was born, but back on Jan 30th 2009 we welcomed into this crazy world Connor Joseph Hart. Coming in at 8lbs 10oz, 20 inches long. It was a c-section delivery so no major stories to tell. Both Katie and Connor are home now and David is doing really well with the baby as you can see with the picture below. We had the names we had narrowed it down to were Connor and Jonathon and finally picked Connor even though i think think Mortaki would have been cool since Billy Corgan picked it, but I recommended Connor as in John Connor from the Terminator series. For more info and picture check out their blog at kids.mikehart.net. You can still access david.mikehart.net and now connor.mikehart.net, they all lead to the same place, but since we don't want to pick favorites, we are just telling people to go to kids.mikehart.net.



1-19-09:
My Best Of 2008:
As I do every year I take a look back at the last year and pick out my best and worst in Movies, Video Games, Music and News and make a list. This year's list is alittle late due do family issues such as getting the new babies room ready and taking care of Katie and David but I had time today to make the list so here it is. It was done pretty quickly so not as much love went into it as previous years. My Best Of 2008. In other news the new baby will be here anytime between now and the 30th when the doctors decide to take it out via -section. A name has finally been picked, but will remain a secret until he is born. However if you want to guess, the name is on the list I posted a few days ago.

1-12-09:
Smashing Pumpkins Picture:
Finally got back the picture taken of me and Katie along side Billy Corgan & Jimmy Chamberlin when we saw them in concert back on Dec 8th.


1-8-09:
Possible Baby Names:

Well  baby #2 is set to be delivered by c-section on Jan 30 at 7am, unless he decides to come early, so its time to decide on names. While me and Katie have been throwing around a few names, we decided not to tell anyone the full name until after he is born, but I have made a list of names that we have thought about along with bullshit names and REAL bullshit names just to throw people off.. We are still interesting in what people think so if you like a name let us know and we will consider it, or maybe its already a name we are thinking about.

Damien
Kyle
Reese
Larry
Benjamin
Dominic
Anakin
Arnold
Connor
Luke
Diablo
Mortaki
Peter
Stewie
Chris
Thomas
Elmo
James
Henry
Jonathan
Ganondorf
Mario
Luigi
Satan
Zachary
Dan
Link
Neo
Kevin
Adam
Jason
Freddy
Billy
Steve
Bruce
Doug
Jimmy
Homer
Logan

12-09-08:
Smashing Pumpkins 12-08-08

My Smashing Pumpkins “experience” last night in one word was just amazing. I was able to get VIP passes so let’s start there. We got to the Auditorium Theater at 4:30 where we met our guide Jeff along with about 30 other VIP members. Before anything we all had to sign a waiver then we got our goodie bags. Inside were our tickets, a tee shirt that on the back says “SP VIP” in them, a nice keychain, a Pumpkins patch, and a code to redeem a free copy of tonight’s show online. While people were signing in we all had the chance to go buy more shirts or whatever without the crowds. After everyone was done signing in and got down shopping we all had to hear the rules. We were about to go in and witness the bands soundcheck, afterward the band (Billy & Jimmy) will come down and you will have a chance to sit with them for a few minutes and have your photo taken, ask them a few questions and have 1 item per person autographed. Also the #1 rule was “please do not touch, hug, and shake hands with Billy”. I guess in the past few months he turned into a germ freak and doesn’t shake hands with anyone, that’s ok cause there is YouTube video out there of Billy giving Katie a hug. Anyway after all the rules were set we were sent into the theater and seated a few rows back from the stage. All the members were already on stage just talking. The first thing I noticed was the fact that Jimmy was up front with a guitar strapped on and someone else was sitting behind his drum kit, I automatically recognized it was Matt Walker. Matt filled in for Jimmy after he was fired from the band in 1996, he also played drums during Billy solo tour, and I met him a few times so I automatically knew who he was while other people seemed confused. Turns out Matt was a special guest for tonight’s show and he was going to play drums on the first three songs, which are the first ones they rehearsed. They started off with 1979. Billy wasn’t playing guitar on any of the first three songs and he looked really weird just standing there but during the song also yelling back at Matt and Jimmy about how he wants them to do certain things. After 1979 they played Ava Adore. Afterward Billy made a joke to Matt saying “sounds like you’ve played this before” while laughing. I had to explain to Katie that Matt was the one who did the drums on the studio version of Ava Adore on the Adore album; in fact he was in the band during the time when it was first being playing live at the end of the Mellon Collie tour. Next up they played Cupid De Locke followed by a 15 minute version of a new song The March Hare. Just after those 4 songs and watching the band interact with each other was amazing but Billy still hadn’t played any guitar yet and they needed to soundcheck him on guitar so we then got 2 quick rock songs that just seem to have been written on the fly. After that they realized they were pressed on time and had to get going so they could meet up with the VIP’s. We all lined up, Billy and Jimmy came off stage and sat in some seats. One by one people we up to them sat next to them asked a few questions, got their photo taken, and got an item autographed. When it came to me and Katie’s turn, Billy automatically noticed she was pregnant and said “looks like we have a young Pumpkin fan with us”, I sat next to him and said “we don’t have a name yet, want to help us pick out a name” he asked if we knew what we were having, we said it was a boy, he said “let me think for a moment” he signed my 2 items I brought, got our picture taken during which I told them I was glad the two of them got back together, he said thank you quietly. Then he finally came up with a name, I don’t know the exact spelling so I’ll try my best so it sounds right, Mort-a-Ki (last part rhymes with sky, just take out the s) if you know how to spell it please email me. Jimmy started laughing, Billy asked Jimmy “isn’t that what you were going to name you’re son?” Jimmy just laughed. I made the comment, “not sure the grandparents will approve of that, to which Corgan responded, “just tell them I said it was ok”. Then we got up and walked away to let the next people in line have their turn. Afterwards we were all allowed to raise our hand and ask them questions, it started out good. People had decent questions. Someone asked about the song Whir, to which Billy said right away “it will never be played” he also said how he never like the song and the only reason it was ever released was because Jimmy loved it. He also said he has no memory of writing it other than it was a b-side for Siamese Dream. It was interesting to hear because I used to love that song. People had other good questions until people stating asking him questions that started pissing him off, someone asked how he felt about why people think this tour was a failure, then some guy in his late 40’s (I think he was a reporter) started asking about how he feels about how his album sales are hurting because of things like iTunes and then Billy just lost it. He went on a 10-15 minute rant about music, the industry, the old pumpkins and so on. He was getting pissed and it was all directed to this one guy. So many other people had questions for Billy and Jimmy but by the time Billy was done talking he was so angry and his bodyguard came up to them and said it was time to go.  After that the rest of the night you could hear people talking about how much of an asshole that guy was. After Billy and Jimmy left we were all brought into a little room that had snacks and free drinks (beer, soda, wine and water) people were really taking advantage of this cause once 7:00 came along we were off to pay for our own drinks which anyone who has been to a concert knows they charge a lot. At this time they had a raffle which they gave away extra shirts, posters and the Pumpkin’s latest DVD. We didn’t win anything which was ok; I’m not one for wearing shirts with bands on them anymore anyways. After that everyone in our group just chatted, people were jealous of my copy of Machina II and were even offering to buy it off me, I told them not for sale. They were also talking about how cool it was that Billy named our child. It was nice to have talks with true Pumpkin fans that knew what they were talking about for once. At 7:00 we were all asked to find our seats. We found out our tickets were second row on the aisle, which was good since Katie is about 8 months pregnant. The security guards were really nice to her since they noticed she was pregnant, making sure no one was too crazy around her which was nice. At 7:30 the Pumpkins finally took stage, first song. Ava Adore with Matt Walker on drums. Billy came out showing off some crazy dance moves while holding a pumpkin bucket that was lit with stuff in it, little did I know half way thru the song it was glitter and he was about to throw it right into the crowd directly over me. After Ava Adore they played the other 2 songs they did in soundcheck, Cupid De Locke, and 1979. After that Billy played a few newer acoustic songs, 99 Floors, Owata and Sunkissed. Then came out the electric guitars, Siamese Dream classics Soma & Cherub Rock which led right into Zero and Bodies. Corgan then told the crowed he was going to make us all sad for a moment from a song from Adore which was Crestfallen. I Of The Mourning was next followed by a new song which I really liked A Song For A Son. Next Corgan was telling a story about how Jeff’s family (other guitar player) was at the show the night before and really wanted to hear this next song but they didn’t play it cause he instead played Disarm with his brother on stage in honor of their grandmother who had just passed away, but any way they played Landslide followed then by Disarm. Corgan then left the stage and the piano player, violinist and the trumpet players played Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. Corgan and crew came back on stage and played Galapogos. Gossamer was played next. In the past Gossamer has been known to go on for as long as 44 minutes but they cut it down to about 10 minutes. During one of the soles Billy was playing the guitar with his mouth which was really cool to see. At the end of the song he was jumping around on stage like a classic rock star which he is. Next set of song were all new songs written for this tour. As Rome Burns is a song that I would really like to see done in the studio. Has almost a Zero sound to it. The Sounds Of Silence is another loud song. The March Hare is one they did in soundcheck. It didn’t have Billy on guitar, instead dancing around on stage with a top hat on. He did a nice trick where he flipped the hat up in the air and landed right on his head. Took him only 2 tries. They played a few minutes of Suffer from Gish during this song which was nice to hear something so old brought back after all these years. They then closed the first half with Machina closer The Age Of Innocence. For the encore everyone came out on stage and Billy played, That’s The Way (My Love Is) on acoustic. He then gave a speech about how him and Jimmy are best friends and are not going anywhere anytime soon and they will always make music. They thanked everyone in the band for their hard work and that this show ends the Zeitgeist era of their lives. They gave special thanks to Jeff and Ginger and to me almost made it sound like they won’t be in the band anymore when they tour again, unless they want to be. It was just really sweet to see Billy give them the thanks they deserved for filling in for those other 2 fuckers that no one cares about anymore, (James and Darcy). He said that the number one question he is always asked is why did it take so long to come back and play in Chicago, and he responded by saying “we were not going to play here until we were ready and now we are ready to fucking rock this city again”. He also so that the band is once again really pissed off and that anyone that knows him knows that their best stuff comes from when they are in a pissed off mood. Their final song was I Am One Part II. A rare song which is more spacey than the normal I Am One. At the end of the song Billy ran off the stage for about a minute then came out with dressed as a priest along with other people dressed in church clothes including nuns followed by 3 people carrying a casket. They sat the casket upright to and on the cover it said SP. If you own the Zeitgeist album, look in the album booklet, it looked just like that. After Billy saying a silent prayer all the other members gathered around the casket then Billy opened it. As soon as it opened over the PA system Christmastime was played. Inside the casket was full of gifts. Everyone on stage reached in and threw things as far as they could. None of them threw anything in the first few rows but I found out most of the stuff were boxes of candy canes wrapped up, some gifts were t-shirts, key chains and little beanie babies. Nice little treat to end the tour. I was able to score a guitar pick from Ginger. Billy then spoke one more time telling everyone to have a merry Christmas and have a better New Year then this one and that they will see us all in 2009. He then waved to everyone again and everyone walked off stage and the house lights came on and we left. And that concluded our night. It was the best concert experience I have been to, but it’s not the best song selection. They did try out a lot of new material, most of it was really good, just would really like to have heard a few other hits like Muzzle but that’s just a personal thing, everyone will have their own “dream Setlist” but we just have to trust in Corgan and enjoy what he gives us. Like I said it was a great night. It’s not every night you can have Billy Corgan name your son..

Be sure to check out my Flickr page to view pictures and my YouTube page to view a few videos I took, including full performances of Ava Adore and 1979. Even have a video of the present giving away thing they did at the end. My camera is pretty old so the videos didn’t turn out to well.  

Setlist:

Ava Adore
Cupid de Locke
1979
99 Floors
Owata
Sunkissed
Soma
Cherub Rock
Zero
Bodies
Crestfallen
I of the Mourning
A Song for a Son
Landslide
Disarm
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Galapogos
Gossamer
As Rome Burns
The Sounds of Silence
The March Hare
Suffer
Age of Innocence
That's The Way (My Love Is)
I Am One Part 2



10-14-08:
Chicago Cubs:
This video sums it up perfectly.



10-08-08:
Random Updates:
Man has time been flying by lately, before I know if I am going to be a father again. In fact I never properly announced on my blog that Katie was pregnant again. She is due in January. We found out a few weeks ago that this time it is going to be a girl so now David is going to have a little sister to beat up on. Just like with David we are going to keep the name a secret until she is born, in fact we haven’t even started talking about names yet. For now we call it Twinkie 2. The story of that is when everyone wanted to know what David’s name was going to be Katie and I came up with Twinkie as a joke. The sad thing is some people thought we were serious, but it was just a placeholder until he was born then we announced his real name.  I am more nervous about this one coming than I was with David but I am sure I will get over it in time. My main worry right now is that  we are running out of space in our house, which has led us to start our search for an even bigger house, one with more rooms, basement and a nice fenced in yard so we can let kids play. Going to start decorating my house for Halloween this weekend, I will put videos of it on my YouTube page when it is done. I had a few things stolen from me last year so I am planning on putting up some security camera’s I had from the video store up to catch anyone steeling my stuff. This stuff can be very expensive and I will do whatever I have to, to protect it. Next month me and Katie plan to go see the Smashing Pumpkins play their 20th anniversary shows in Chicago. We are only going to see 1 of the 4 shows. My parents are going to watch David while we go. Hopefully they can handle him for one night.

Last weekend david had his first Sno-Cone

8-26-08
What Really Grinds My Gears:

You know what really grinds my gears? Fast food drive thru's. Not the restaurant more like the assholes who at around lunch time decide to order for about 4-8 different people while there are about a dozen other cars behind this one single douchbag. If I was the one taking the order and started to realize that this was starting to be a big order I would say to him, "hey douche, why not pull around, park your car, come inside and order for all your little friends and let all the people that are behind you that want to order a quick burger and drink move on with their lives without you being a dick and holding them up any longer." But then I would realize I just held them up as well for giving him that speech. So anyway Mr. Douche that orders for more then 2 people at lunch time, I hate you. And that really grinds my gears.


7-31-08
Coming January 2009:
Twinkie Episode II: The Twinkie Strikes Back!!!


7-18-08
The Dark Knight:

Went to the midnight showing of The Dark Knight, and I must say it might be the best Batman movie ever made. In fact it might have been one of the best films I have seen in a long time. I am not going to give a long review, I did have a few complaints about the story, but I must say the late Heath Ledger did an excellent job as the Joker. When it was first announced he was cast as the Joker I felt he would be terrible, but this film proved me wrong. I think I still prefer Jack Nicholson as the Joker back in Tim Burton’s 1989 film Batman, but Heath Ledger’s take on the Joker made him a dark, sick and twisted character just as the Joker was intended to be and that is proved early in the film when the Joker does his “magic trick”. The other main villain in the movie Two-Face (yes he is in the film, trailers don’t show him though) really didn’t impress me. He was just a pawn in the Joker’s master plan, but it sure was better than watching Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face in Batman Forever. I highly recommend the film and it was well worth the staying out till 3am to be one of the first to see it.

6-21-08:
60 States In the USA???
Is this man really fit to be the President, or was it an honest mistake???


6-13-08:
Metal Gear Solid 4 Causes Smoking!!

Yesterday I broke down and bought my first Playstation 3 game, Metal Gear Solid 4. It is not a game I was looking forward to but wanted to pick it up just to see what all the hype was about. After about 30 minutes after loaded the disc in the system I realized a few things. Games that require you to install files on your system sucks, and the main character Solid Snake really has a smoking problem. During the install screens it shows Snake smoking a cigarette with messages about the game and about how you shouldn't smoke around kids on the side. This goes on for about 10 minutes and Snake goes thru at least 5 or 6 cigarettes in a row. No wonder he looks so old compared to the last Metal Gear Solid game. Other than installing the game and going thru the opening credits I haven't put much time in the game, I'll give it more time when I complete Lego Indiana Jones.



4-01-08:
Sad News:
After 3 years Katie and I are getting a divorce. It was fun while it lasted, but all things must surly have to end.
(this was an april fools day joke)

3-11-08:
Super Smash Bros Brawl

Smash Bros Brawl launched in the U.S. on Sunday and I went to a midnight launch for the game with all the freaks and geeks. There were so many young kids with their parents and high school kids I just wanted to start a brawl, get it? Anyway I must say I am completely disappointed with the game. Reviews are coming out saying its the best of the series and the best game on the Wii, but I just don't see it. I feel like its just a small upgrade from the Gamecube version Melee. The classic modes plays, feels and looks just as it did on the Gamecube. The single player adventure is extremely long and boring. They try to give it a storyline but fails, the only good thing from the single player mode is the beautiful CG movies. I have tried since the day I got the game to go online and play some multiplayer, but still no success to connect to any other gamers. This game was more hype than anything and I don't understand why people are saying this is the best game ever. It is a fun game if you are new to Smash Bros, but not worthy of all the "perfect 10's, and 5 stars". If I would to give the game a rating I would give it a 3 out of 5

3-02-08:
Happy Birthday:
Today is my 27th birthday and it is also the day my Xbox 360 Elite crashed on me. Didn't even get the Red Ring Of Death, instead every disc I put it, the system would not read it so I had to go out and get a new 360 and instead of buying a new Elite system just bought the cheaper "arcade" version since I already have a hard drive, cables, ect. Only bad thing is its not black like the elite but I didnt want to spend an extra $170 just to have a black system even if the white one looks out of place next to all my other audio/video equipment.

2-17-08:
Flickr:
Just set up a Flickr account and in the process of learning how to upload pictures and manage it. I am planning on getting rid of my current pictures page which uses Gallery 2 and replace it with Flickr. Until then check out my Flickr Page

2-11-08:
R.I.P Roy Scheider

Jaws was one of my all time favorite movies growing up and still is today and with news that the star of the movie Roy Scheider who played Chef Brody in both Jaws and Jaws II died yesterday made me a little sad. He will be remembered mostly for his great performance in Jaws with such memorable quotes such as "We're gonna need a bigger boat" & "Smile you son of a bitch"


2-08-08:
First PS3 game and Blu-Ray DVD.

I've owned a Playstation 3 for well over a year now, and the only thing I have used it for was to play Playstation 2 games. I have not bought a PS3 game or a Blu-Ray DVD until now. I bought my first PS3 game, a downloadable version of the classic arcade Mortal Kombat II. I guess it doesn't count as a full Playstation 3 game but it is a start. I also bought my first Blu-Ray DVD title and decided to hook up the system to my 64" HDTV and give Blu-Ray a try. The movie of choice was the original Terminator, and I have to say I still do not see a difference between Blu-Ray/HD-DVD compared to a normal DVD. I guess I am not a picture quality whore like a lot of my friends are. I do also own the Xbox 360 HD-DVD Add on and the only good HD-DVD I saw that I will admit looked really good on my TV was the Planet Earth documentary, it's a bit pricey but I thought it was worth it. So after watching my first Blu-Ray and not being very impressed, the Playstation 3 is back upstairs in my game room hooked up to a SD TV collecting more dust while I have a Xbox 360 and Wii hooked up to the big screen. That concludes my rant for the day, to sum it up, PS3 still sucks, I don't see that much of a difference between standard DVD's and Blu-Ray/HD-DVD, and "I'll be back"... I know that was cheesy.


1-29-08:
Florida Trip:
Been back from Florida for about a week now. It was a good trip for the most part, the flight home was from hell but other then that it was a quiet, peaceful and relaxing vacation. Went to a few zoo's and other places, Katie will update David's Blog soon with all that info and pictures. I set up his blog so we can add YouTube videos on it, so look for funny and cute videos of David there as well as here.

David acting goofy on a car ride in Florida


David feeding a goat at a petting zoo

1-29-08:
Another Halo 3 Picture


1-16-08:
Going Off The Grid:
Tomorrow Katie, David and I are taking a well deserved family vacation to Cape Coral, Florida. My parents are down there as well but since they bought a second house down there we will be staying in the guest house so it will be nice to get away from everything. Only bad thing is there is no internet down there, not even a phone line so I wont have any internet, Xbox Live or anything until Tuesday the 22nd. I don't know what we will be doing the whole time while we are down there, maybe so to some zoo's, beaches, and site seeing. It should be nice since the weather is saying temps will be in the 80's compared to Chicago's 4 degree weather that's expected this weekend. This is our first time going on an airplane with David so I am alittle nervous. He is a hyper little boy who really doesn't like to stay still and always likes to go, go, go so keeping in strapped in for a 3 hour flight should be interesting. I hate screaming babies when I fly and here I am brining one on a plane...

1-10-08:
Best Of 2007
Finally had time to finish my annual Best Of feature I do every year. So here is the newest, Best Of 2007

1-07-08:
Useless Rant

Why is it that when I go to Portillo's (or most other fast food joints) and I order one hot dog with everything and the price is $2.25 and then if I order a second hot dog with nothing on it the price is still $2.25. If I am ordering something plain shouldn't it be a little cheaper since I am not getting mustard, onion, tomato, relish, pickle or anything else your heart desires on your dog?

12-27-07:
Christmas
Hope everyone had a good X-Mas. Mine was good. David got a lot of new toys to play with. I'm pretty sure Katie will add pictures and videos to his blog in the next few days. First thing that needs to be done first is to get our house clean. He got so much stuff we haven't even gotten all of it out of the boxes yet. I got a few new games and other fun stuff and I got Katie a Roomba to help her with the house cleaning every night.

12-27-07:
Rock Band Profiles
Just as Halo 3 and Guitar Hero III are doing, the game Rock Band is now allowing people to keep an online profile to keep track of stats and all those kinda of goodies. I have 2 different profiles, one that is my personal profile and another for the band that I am in with Katie, Zwan (smashing pumpkins was already taken). It also lists me under a few other bands that were just created as a test that I am not sure if I can delete or not.
mhart Rock Band Profile:
http://www.rockband.com/rockers/mhart
Zwan Rock Band Profile:
http://www.rockband.com/bands/zwan

12-24-07:
Merry Christmas!!


12-14-07:
Guitar Hero Profile:
Finally got around to setting up my profile on the Guitar Hero website. Now people can see how good/bad I am and what songs I have been playing most. Guitar Hero III Profile

12-10-07:
YouTube:
Finally set up a YouTube account so this is just a test to see if it works.


12-10-07:
Late Thanksgiving Crap:
Damn, totally forgot to add my yearly Thanksgiving crap that I always put up. Its a little late but still fun!
Thanksgiving Tic-Tac-Toe

Only at Thanksgiving can you say any of the following in polite company.

1. Talk about a huge breast!
2. Tying the legs together keeps the inside moist.
3. It's Cool Whip time!
4. If I don't undo my pants, I'll burst!
5. Whew, that's one terrific spread!
6. I'm in the mood for a little dark meat.
7. Are you ready for seconds yet?
8. It's a little dry, do you still want to eat it?
9. Just wait your turn, you'll get some!
10. Don't play with your meat.
11. Just spread the legs open and stuff it in.
12. Do you think you'll be able to handle all these people at once?
13. I didn't expect everyone to come at once!
14. You still have a little bit on your chin.
15. How long will it take after you stick it in?
16. You'll know it's ready when it pops up.
17. Wow, I didn't think I could handle all of that!
18. That's the biggest one I've ever seen!
19. How long do I beat it before it's ready?


11-14-07:
Sick & Contact Me
Been sick for about the past 3 weeks and I dont seem to be getting any better. Starting to feel like I'm gonna die. Doc says my white blood count is low and thats why I am not getting any better so I'm on pills trying to get better. In the mean time I added a new page to my website, a Contact Me page.

10-18-07:
Shotty Snipers
This is what happens when I play too much Shotty Snipers in Halo 3. Who ever created this game type should be killed.


10-06-07:
Halo 3:
My badass character in Halo 3

Actual in-game screen shot. Check out my Halo 3 Profile



10-05-07:
Smashing Pumpkins
Got to see the Smashing Pumpkins last night in Normal, IL. Almost didn't get to go down because my REDACTED became a total bitch at the last minute and me and Katie thought it would be for the best not to let David be in that kind of situation, so we packed up strapped him into his car seat and headed down to Normal with no plan or babysitter in mind. Thanks REDACTED, your telling everyone we fucked you over (which makes absolutely no sense) but in fact your the one that fucked us over. I was able to beg my cousin Melissa to come over to our hotel and watch him while we were at the show. I felt like a total jackass because I had gotten her tickets to the show for free. I owe her big time, but she gave the tickets to her brother and her daughter Vada, and they had a great time. So once again thanks Melissa, when the Pumpkins come back to town or Chicago, I will make sure you go. Anyway the Pumpkins were great. It was Katie's first time seeing them (she saw Zwan with me, but there is a big difference) and she loved it. They played the following songs, Superchrist, Doomsday Clock, That's The Way, Drown, Hummer, Bullet With Butterfly Wings, United States, Home, Bring The Light, Glass & The Ghost Children, 1979, Perfect, To Sheila, Tonight Tonight, Stand Inside Your Love, Rocket, Tarantula, Heavy Metal Machine, Today, Zero, Lucky 13. It was an ok setlist. I was really expecting a few more songs that they have been playing allot lately on their current tour, songs like Starla, Muzzle, Cherub Rock, Disarm, Starz, Ava Adore and a few others. Some Highlights of the show were hearing old songs like Drown, Hummer, and Rocket. Billy played 1979 as a solo on an acoustic guitar. The middle of United States had Billy playing the Star Spangled Banner which really sounded cool. I personally think that should have been included in the album version of the song. However there were a few low points including the I mentioned above that didn't get played as well as them playing Glass.. That song was so mellow and boring that most of the audience (including myself) sat down until it was over. They need to retire that song, It took about 10 minutes of show time, just enough time that they could have played Muzzle, but no. Cameras were allowed in the show but I didn't get any good looking pictures, I was able to take a few video's but my camera is so crappy they really didn't turn out to well, the audio sounds good, but not good enough for me to post on my site. Overall it was a really good show and night. So although the day was almost screwed over, it turned out to be a great day, so thank you to all those who came through and understood, and a special fuck you to those who don't.

10-03-07:
Halo & Smashing Pumpkins
Well last week Monday I went out for the midnight launch of Halo 3. I never went to get a game at midnight before, and I was amazed by the amount of people that were there for it. I think there were around 90-100 people there in line. I was number 28. Gamestop did a smart thing by making sure everyone had the game paid off in full by 11:30 so that way at midnight you would just go in, show your receipt, grab your game and walk out the door. I was out of there by 12:08 and then went home and started playing til about 5am. I was able to finish the single player game within 2 days which was kinda disappointing but I have spent a lot of time playing multiplayer on Xbox Live. I started to get really good at it. Tomorrow is a big day for me, Me and Katie are taking a road trip to to Bloomington/Normal IL to see The Smashing Pumpkins. It's Katie's first time seeing them and my first time since they broke up in 2001. I think they allow camera's so I'll take pictures and put them on my website.

9-18-07:
Halo 3
Its hard to believe that Halo 3 comes out a week from today. I wasn't a huge Halo fan in the past and only recently got into it after playing Halo 2 on Windows Vista. I am looking forward to "finishing the fight" and like a moron plan to go to the local Gamestop Monday night for the midnight launch. I have never gone to a midnight launch for a game, (did for the Wii though) but since I have my Legendary Edition preordered and paid in full I should be able to just walk up, pick it up and leave, no standing in line 14 hours like I did for the Wii. The Halo marketing blitz has worked on me, in hopes that in a few years things will be worth money I have gone out and bought all the Limited Edition Halo 3 products that have been released. So I have gotten the Halo 3 Xbox 360, Headset and both sets of Wireless Controllers. Not gonna open or play with any of them in hopes I can sell them on eBay in a few years and make a profit.

9-17-07:
Trip To The Apple Store
The new Apple Store opened on Saturday in Deer Park so just for the hell of it I went to see what it was like. That might have been a big mistake. ended up leaving with the new Ipod Touch that just came out. I wouldn't really recommend it. The Ipod features of it are not as easy to control as say the older Ipod's. However I really like the Wi-Fi features of the Ipod Touch. The Safari web browser, the YouTube viewer and the Itunes store are all nice little features, only downside is you need to find a wireless network to connect to in order to use these features unlike the Iphone (which I don't have and don't really want). The video on the Ipod Touch is larger then the previous Ipod Video, and I really like how you can turn the unit side ways and watch it in wide screen. With only a 16GB hard drive it wont fit all my songs and video that I have on my 60GB Ipod Video but as I just stated the Ipod Touch really isn't that good of an Ipod, I like it just for the browser and wireless Itunes Store. While Katie was in line buying the Ipod Touch, my son David led me over by the MacBook Laptops. I haven't played on a Mac computer since about 1997 when I had my good old Macintosh Performa 6220. My God how the Mac's have changed. So long story short David "told me" to buy a new laptop. I didn't want to purchase a high end Mac since I wasn't sure how they worked and I am a Windows user and don't plan on switching anytime in the near future so I ended up leaving with the basic MacBook for about $1090. I really enjoy it so far. It boots up quick, its light, the battery life is good. It is a good computer to just pull out of no where and sit in front of the TV and use if Katie is on the main computer.

7-20-07:
Local News Story
Following is from CBS 2 Chicago News:
"Driver Who Smashed Panera Hit Building Last Month"
WILMETTE, Ill. The 94-year-old driver who crashed into a Panera Bread restaurant in north suburban Wilmette that injured eight, also had an accident a month ago in which she hit a building, police said Friday."
Am I the only one who thinks old people dont belong on the road? Or are people just afraid to say something?

7-13-07:
Zeitgeist Review Pt. 2: The Exclusive Tracks

zeit_purple_150.jpgzeit_yellow150.jpgzeit_blue_150.jpg


Stellar (iTunes Exclusive) – When the song first starts out with the guitar riff it “almost” sounds like it was written for Corgan’s solo album, but once the song starts to pick up it starts to sound like a Pumpkin song. The song features beautiful guitar effects and a decent rhythm.

Death From Above (Best Buy Exclusive) – This is a song that I am glad didn’t make the final cut onto the album. It sounds like some 90’s pop/dance song rather than a Smashing Pumpkins song. It isn’t as bad as some songs they have put out that try to be upbeat but it sure isn’t no 1979

Zeitgeist (Target Exclusive) – The only track released so far that feature only Corgan on an acoustic guitar. Usually these kinds of songs are kind weak and boring, but Zeitgeist is a good song. I wish they left this song on the album and made it the closing track behind Pomp And Circumstances as the Target version did with all the releases. It’s got a catchy chorus “Lost on this road/are there any real Sundays to find?/lost on this road are there any real souls?”

Overall the only really good track of the three is the Target exclusive “Zeitgeist”. In concert the Smashing Pumpkins have been known to play a song that runs about 15-20 minutes titled Gossamer. I was/am hoping this song finds its way as a b-side on a future single release.


7-13-07:
E3 Round-Up
Well lets see how well i predicted what would be announced at this years E3.

Microsoft:
Halo 3 - That was pretty obvious
Xbox Live Arcade - Not that many good new games, but atleast we finally got Sonic
Web Browser - Nothing announced. Maybe for the Fall Update
Handheld - Thank God it was all just rumors.
Games - GHIII and Rock Band were shown
Overall - I was surprised by the fact that no price cut was announced as Sony did with the Playstation 3. Microsoft only showed games that were gonna be released by the end of this year except for the new trailer of Resident Evil 5 which will come out next year so not that many new games were announced. They did announce a game based on the popular board game Scene It which comes with a new controller that "anyone" can use. The one low point of the press conference was the Rock Band performance. Whoever that fat chick that was singing was needs to be shot and killed. I was also hopping for some zoom in's on the drum kit cause I think that's gonna be a hit this winter.

Nintendo:
Mario Kart Wii - I guessed it right, its coming early next year.
Wii Hard Drive & Virtual Console - Nothing
New Controller Types - 3 of them. Wii Zapper, Wheel and Standing Pad
New Channels - Only 1, A Mii voting type channel. Kinda Weak
Online Gaming - Lots of new games later this year and next will have online. No word about Friend Codes
New Zelda Game - Nothing
Overall - They announced release dates for Mario and Smash Bros for this year which was good. Announced Mario Kart, Guitar Hero III, Madden '08 plus others will all have online multiplayer modes. The announcement of Wii Fit was a shocker to me but I think that will be a hot seller when it ships early next year.

Sony:
I couldn't stand watching them driving the nail in their coffin even deeper. Pretty sad when one of the first things they announce is an updated PSP which is thinner and lighter. Sounds like a Nintenod DS Lite to me.




7-09-07:
E3 Video Game Convention
Tomorrow the E3 Video Game Convention starts. It kicks off tomorrow night with the press conference from Microsoft with Nintendo and Sony to follow Wednesday. I'm sure a lot of new cool games and products will be announced and just for fun this year I have made up a list of SOME of my perditions on what I think might be announced at this years E3:

Microsoft

  • Halo 3 – Not much to announce since a release date has already been announced but I am expecting some kind of news about the single player mode and a new trailer.
  • Xbox Live Arcade – I’m hoping for some good classic retro games to find their way to the system this year. I just hope they don’t announce games that a year later still have not come out on the arcade such as Super Contra, and Sonic The Hedgehog.
  • Web Browser – As of this moment the Xbox 360 is the only system on the market that does not have a web browser of some sort. All the other systems, PS3, Wii, PSP, and even the DS all have a web browser so it would only be right to release one on the 360, even if people don’t use web browsers on a game console, Microsoft shouldn't’t be the only system without one.
  • Rumors are floating around that Microsoft is gonna release a handheld system. If Microsoft was smart they would stay out of the handheld market and leave that to Nintendo. Every company that has tried to go up against the Nintendo Game Boy/Nintendo DS has failed. Look at what happened with the Sony PSP.
  • A lot of the big games to be announced I think will be
    • Gears Of War 2 – At least a teaser trailer will be shown.
    • Dead Rising 2 – First one was a major hit, why not have a second. Maybe set in an airport???
    • Rock Band/Guitar Hero III – Both are already confirmed but more info will be released.
    • Resident Evil 5 – I’m sure it will be released on PS3 as well, but I think it will sell better on Xbox 360.

Nintendo

  • Mario Kart Wii – I think now would be a good time to announce and show previews of a Mario Kart game for the Wii.
  • Wii Hard Drive – With all the downloadable Virtual Console games out, people are gonna need a storage device that can be used to store the games and play them without having to always redownload them.
  • If the hard drive does not get announced, I am hoping for some kind of system update to the Wii that would allow users to save VC games and to play VC games right off of an SD memory card.
  • I am hoping they announce that they will start releasing more than 3 Virtual Counsel games a week and some good titles on top of that. Stop releasing crappy games like Golf, Baseball, and bring out the Super Mario 3, Paper Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Ect.
  • I wouldn’t be surprised if they add downloadable Game Boy games to be downloaded and played on the Virtual Console, or hell be able to download a Virtual Console Game Boy game and transfer it to the Nintendo DS.. Well hell, why not just allow all Virtual Console games to be transferred and played on the Nintendo DS in some sort of form either by the DS’s internal memory or an memory cart, but I guess it would be too much memory to put Nintendo 64 games on the DS.
  • I would expect some announcement of some new Wii Channels. Last year they mentioned how in the future you could download demos and trailers for Nintendo DS games and transfer them to the DS. Also a Nintendo Power channel may be announced where you can download and view all the classic old magazines.
  • A new controller type – In this day and age of wireless, it sort of sucks that you have to plug the nunchuck or the classic controller into the “Wiimote” I would like a new controller type that makes everything wireless.
  • Of course the 3 big titles will be shown, Metroid Prime 3, Super Mario Galaxy and Super Smash Bros Brawl. I predict that Super Smash Bros will have some kind of online play announcement; I just hope Nintendo stops with having to use “Friend Codes” to battle people online.
  • I would love for them to announce a new Zelda game for the Wii. Don’t get me wrong, Twilight Princess was amazing, but it was also just a port from the Gamecube version, so I am hoping for an all new Zelda game. The chances of that happening are slim to none.
  • Besides Mario Kart Wii being announced, I wouldn’t be surprised to hear of a few new games in development for the Wii and the DS.       
    • Wii Sports 2: Include upgrades from the original plus new games types like basketball, mini golf, Frisbee golf
    • Pokémon – I’m sure the big N has another Pokémon game or 2 up their sleeve
    • Mario Party 9 – I mean come on, why wouldn’t they make another one. Just hope it has more boards and mini games then MP 8 had.  

Sony



7-24-03:
They say I'll have DSL by this coming tuesday.. We will see. Until then, here are some exciting picture of my sister REDACTED, that my mother asked me to put up to make her turn pink.


7-02-03:
Saw Terminator 3 last night, and made a small quick review. I knew it would be the big summer movie...
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines Review

6-17-03:
Got to meet Mancow tonight in Naperville, and get a copy of his book Dad, Dames, Demons And A Dwarf signed. Also got a picture of him and Katie. Click on a pic to see it enlarged .



5-21-03:
Added a complete list of my Zwan bootlegs, so that other Zwan traders out there can see my list and trade with me.
Zwan Bootlist

5-14-03:
I got a very rare MP3 of Zwan performing the 50's hit "Never My Love" from the Metro back in Jan. So click below to D/L the .zip file.
Zwan - Never My Love - Metro Chicago, 1-19-03 (taken down)



5-8-03:

My site has not been updated that much as you can till. Mostly cause I dont have high speed internet at home, which makes it hard to work on. Im hoping to have fast internet at my apartment by the end of the month. Saw Zwan again on 5-6 at the Aragon in Chicago. That was the best of all the concerts I went to, even though I had to stand in the way back against a wall since my hypothyroidism has been acting up alot latly. The first good movie of the summer came out last week, X2. Far better and about a whole hour longer then the first X-men, X2 makes waiting three years for the sequal well worth it. The storyline is probley the best part of the movie. I never read the comics or anything so I am not a huge X-men fan, but I understood it, and thought it was great. The action sceens are really well thought out and shot well. They leave it open for a third X-men, but it seems latly, what movie doesnt leave the ending open for a sequal. However, we have to wait till 2006 to get an X3.
I give X2 4/4 Stars.
A few of the movies I am really excited for are:
Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines, Matrix Reloaded, Bruce Almighty, Freddy Vs. Jason, and American Pie 3
Movies I think will totally suck:
The Hulk (give it up with the comic books), 2 Fast 2 Furious (Vin Desal its not the same), Chariles Angels 2 (first one sucked, why should this be any different.), Bad Boys 2 (just sounds like a bad idea), Exorcist: The Beginning (first one might be a classic, but that was in the 70's. all the sequals sucked, so why do they think people of 2003 will like another sequal), Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2 (just plain stupid),

4-21-03:
Finally got a few pictures of the bar & gameroom that my parents have built in the basement. click on a a picture to see a bigger version of it.

 

4-2-03:
Another Change Of Email Address:
Well I knew it would happen since I was moving out, and getting a new internet provider. But this time should be the last for a long while. I have finally figured out how to use the address given to me with my website, so from now on please email me at
mike@mikehart.net

3-27-03:
Finally added pictures of the apartment. I have not had much time to do it, and we still dont have the apartment finished yet. Once we get it done and I have time I plan on taking better pics and puting them up, so until then check out the Apartment.
Other then that nothing new is going on. Saw Zwan last week in Mil. Wisc. They didnt allow camera in that show so no pics. Monday I am taking a road trip to Normal IL. to see Zwan one more time. I have been playing the new Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker game. If you really know me, you know i love Zelda games, and wont rest until I finish it.

3-17-03:
I have moved into the apartment. I got the internet connected so I can now check email, however updates to my site will be limited since im only on a 56K modom. I will update mostly at work where I have high speed internet. We are still unpacking and hooking things up. I will take a few pictures today or tomorrow and upload them. My email address has not changed yet so you can still use mhartat@ameritech.net

3-11-03:
In 3 days I move into my new apartment in Naperville. Still going though all my stuff and packing so I havent really updated my site as I wanted to. I was working on a whole new design but it will be put on hold for awhile. The apartment that I am moving to does not have DSL/Cable or any high speed internet so I will not be online as much. However in mid May they say they will have T1 access which I still believe to be bull. On top of all that, since I am going to have to cancel my internet service I have now, that will probley mean I will have to change my email address again. I added some of my Nintendo Games to my Inventory List today. I say some of the games cause I know I have much more then is listed. I just need to find them. Check back late next week for I will add pictures and info on my apartment.


2-22-2003:
Well move out time is 3 weeks away. Been pretty busy going though all my stuff and packing things that are going to stay in storage, and stuff thats coming with me. Since I am going though all my crap, I thought this would be a good time to make a complete list of all the video games and CD's I own, sorta like I did with my DVD List. I wanted to keep a record of all the stuff I own just in case someday I might need it. So I decided to put it on my site for some odd reason. So check out my Inventory List... Next Sunday is my 22nd birthday... Big deal!!!

2-16-2003:
Well it is offical. Me and Katie are moving in our apartment March 14th in Naperville. It should be an interesting time. Ill be working, and Katie will still be going to school at NIU. Since we are moving in next to her father she will be able to drive his car to school. We will be seeing Zwan 2 more time next month, March 21st in Milwaukee, and March 31 in my favorite town, Normal/Bloomington, IL.

2-12-2003:
Created a Zwan webpage in my spare time. Since I created a Smashing Pumpkins page, I thought it would be fitting to create a Zwan page. It includes lyrics, pictures, news, tour dates. Check it out and tell me what you think.
"Endless Zwan"

2-10-2003:
Well I knew someday this was gonna happen.. I have decided to move out of the parents house. Me and Katie are getting our own apartment in Naperville, IL. Our move in date is March 14th. Only about a month left.. It is gonna be so weird doing this, but everyone has to do it, and now it is my turn. here is a picture of the floor plan of our apartment. Also only a few more weeks till my 22nd birthday (March 2nd).


1-28-2003
Zwan Day!!!
Today Zwan's first album, "Mary Star Of The Sea" hits store shelves. Check it out, it is a very good album, for my review of the CD click the link above. Speaking of Zwan, they were at the Metro in Chicago for 5 sold out shows, and I had the luck to go to all 5 shows. Camera were allowed in so I took as many pictures as I could, and I have uploaded them. I didnt get many pics for the 1st and last show, but the other dates have good pics. I took 70 pictures for each show, and went though and picked 20 for each show to put online. You can veiw the pictures and concert info at my "Zwan 5 Nights @ the Metro" page. Also you can read my Zwan - Mary Star Of The Sea Review

1-11-2003:
Happy New Year!!!
I am back from Flordia. I was their almost a month. I havnt updated much on my site yet, but I plan on redesigning it soon. I didnt get many pics from Flordia, but I did buy a new digital camcorder, so I mostly have video. When I get time I'll go though the vids and capture some pictures. In other news, I passed my Website Design class with an A. I could have maybe gotten the A+ but I didnt try at all on the final.. But I guess the big news right now is the 5 ZWAN concerts in Chicago next week at the Metro. Tickets sold out real quick but me and Katie scored tickets to see 3 out of the 5 shows. Its gonna be a fucking good concert, then a few days after that, Zwan's first CD will come out in stores. I took down the mp3 of the Zwan song I had on my site. I need the room, and since its now almost everywhere there is no need to keep it. Also gone is my Website Survey.. It was only for my class so I didnt care.


12-09-2002:
Added a Fun Stuff section, that includes games, and other fun stuff to kill time if you are really board. Also I've been working on a new look for my site, but might not be up till early next year since I will be in Flordia from Dec. 16th - Jan 18th.

11-28-2002:
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, and if you are waiting to eat that turkey, try....
Thanksgiving Tic Tac Toe

11-25-2002:
Christmas in Flordia.
This year Me, Katie, REDACTED, and my parents will be spending chirstmas and New Years in Flordia. I will be there frome Dec. 16th - Jan 13h. I wont have much access to the internet, but I will be able to make changes to my website and add pictures.



Try this cool little feature that you might find fun.
Mike's Magic Eight Ball

11-12-2002:
Well I have decided to put my site back online after about 5days of being offline. Not really in the mood to talk about why I took it off, but its back now.. in other news, "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of The Clones" came out on dvd.. be sure to check this DVD out. I believe it is the best of all the movies so far.

10-30-2002:
here is a cool little feature that you might find fun.
Mike's Magic Eight Ball

10-29-2002:
The other day I carved my first pumpkin with Katie. I took a few pictures of it which can be found HERE..

10-21-2002:
Made some changes to my site. Changed the fonts on the menu bar. Added a Portfolio section
. and added some DVD's to my list and Wishlist.

10-19-2002:
Today is sweetest day, so I hope you all remember to get your sweetheart a special something, such as a flower or even taking your sweetie to dinner. If my sweetie Katie is reading this, I love you, and made a special something for you. Nothing much, but you will see whatelse I have in store for you later on. :o) the song lyrics are from Smashing Pumpkins, Stand Inside Your Love.

10-13-2002:
Due to the fact that I have been sick the past couple days and not feeling like doing much, I have decided to start making a Smashing Pumpkins Tribute Page. My very first website was a Smashing Pumpkin website so I thought I would make one almost like my very first one. But as of right now, only the Lyrics section is up, due to the fact that it took 2 days just to do that. So im time I hope to go back and work on it some more. When I have more time, or when I get sick again. So check out Mike's Smashing Pumpkins Tribute Page.. Remember its not close to done

10-9-2002:
Made a few more updates on my site. Added a Katie and Mike section, updated my DVD list, and updated my About Me section, and put alittle Bio on it. My college is on strike so I have alot of extra time. I plan on working on making a Smashing Pumpkins Website. My very first website was a Smashing Pumpkin site so want to make a new one.

10-8-2002:
Updated my DVD list with the few dvd's I got today. My "Friday The 13th" movie collection is now complete. Last night me and Katie went to the Bears/Packers monday night football game. It was a good time, would have been better if the Bears won, but still a good time. I forgot to get a camera, so i dont have any pictures...

9-27-2002:
I cleaned up my site alittle bit. Added a few new pictures, under the "Pictures" section. I also updated my Cool Links section. Added a few links, nothing major, but thought I would...
I am doing good in my website class. Still holding an A. If you want to see what I have been working on for the class, check out Pete's Pizza.. I know its gay, but its for class. Other then class been playing a few nintendo games, Animal Crossing, and Star Fox Adventures.
On Oct. 7th me and Katie are going to the Bears/Packers monday night football game.
We got really good tickets so keep an eye out for us on T.V.

I added a new part of my site. Old News. It is just a record of all the old news and updates I have made to my website. By the way if anyone comes across a copy of the DVD "History Of Beavis & Butt-head" please pick up a copy for me. It got recalled the day it was released and can't find it anywhere now. Also check out the new song from Nirvana
Nirvana - You Know Your Right.
The song will load on its own. It should take about 30-40 sec to play if you are on a 56K modem.


9-19-02:
Katie and I had our 1 year on the 15th. Ive been playing this stupid nintendo game
" Animal Crossing", which has been keeping me still since I've been sick the past few days.
As of right now I have a 106% in my HTML Design Class which is an A+... Ive never had an A..
and here are 2 new pictures of my brother Steve.. Not gonna say where they are from, but if you already know the situation you will know... or if you can tell by the pics and his clothes!!!

Click on the pic to see a bigger veiw

9-12-02:
Change Of Email Address:
My mhart18@aol.com email address has been dropped. From now on please send any Email
to my new email address. mhartat@ameritech.net. Also my AOL screen name mhart18 will not be in service anymore, however I will still have an AOL Instant Messanger screen name, that screen name is mhart18. So please update your buddie list and address book. Thank you


9-05-02:
Went and saw the Aerosmith/Kid Rock concert the other night. It was a good show. Aerosmith played mostly old OLD stuff from when they first were around, plus a few of there newer stuff. It was a good concert, but I enjoyed the Kid Rock performance better, even though I dont like him
Pictures my mother asked me to put on here.....

8-24-02:
Nothing really new going on. Getting ready to start a few college classes on multimedia,
and website design. still working at www.hartstractor.com. No new big updates to my site
but I am gonna put a few selected pictures of Katie's sisters wedding up.

Katie & her little sister Jenny
Me & Katie @ her sisters wedding