Bees Knees Apps: Bag It! for iOS

Today we look at a fairly fun addition to your Game-Center collection, Bag it. While it looks like an animated mess at first, rest assured, your finger swiping fun has only just begun. While temporarily free, look for a $0.99 price-tag in the future, so get it while you can.

Bag it sticks you exactly where you think you'd be. You're bagging your groceries. No no, it's NOT lame. It's actually quite fun and time consuming. For starters, there's levels, and the game gets progressively harder with different goals. Each level is represented by an Aisle, so while the first aisle may only give you cereal, milk, and other common goods, you get more as you progress through.

I'm not an all-star player, this is only Aisle 1!

Your main goal is simple- Put your groceries into the bag without breaking them. You get a standard size grocery bag, and you have to fit each differently sized, shaped, and weighted groceries in to fill up your bag. Of course we apply the laws of physics here, so don't go putting your Watermelons on top of the eggs.

When you get enough stars for the scores you get, you unlock different variations of bagging. So while the first level may be a simple "Bag it" scenario, you'll unlock timers, multiple bags, minimum bag-fills, and other fun scenarios. I'm as far as level two, and the first level is exactly the opposite- Break as many groceries as possible by crushing them, dropping them, or smashing them!

That's really all there is to it- you get a nifty little puzzle game that brings back the fun (if there ever was, of course) in bagging your own groceries. Don't get too caught up in the moment, it's a lot more fun to pack as much as you can in, and see how quickly you can do it. You can rotate your groceries, or drop them in place, and rearrange them as you go along as long as they fit. With level specific goals such as not breaking anything, pairing up multiple of the same items, or giving your milk and orange juice a date, the game will keep you coming back for more.

With a tie-in to Game-Center, you'll not only want to beat the game, but maybe earn a high-score or two while you're at it. I would definitely add this game to your App Gauntlet if you haven't, because like any good game on iOS, there will be more levels in future updates!

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Retrofix: Goodfellas

If you ask any film buff what their favorite movie is, chances are they’ll tense up and think hard about their answer before saying, “I dunno, man, I like a lot.” I can identify with these people -- for a long time I had a hard time answering this question with less than five titles. It wasn’t until recently that I actually thought about all of my favorites and decided which one is my numero uno: Goodfellas. While it gets praise constantly for being a great film, I think it is one of the best films ever. Aside from being directed by one of the most talented directors of our time, Martin Scorsese, it oozes style, is packed with interesting characters portrayed by an unbelievable list of actors, and is based on a true story. What more could you want?

 
Ray Liotta actually sums up one of the best aspects of this film with a line delivered in regard to Robert De Niro’s character: “Jimmy was the kinda guy who rooted for the bad guy in movies.” Scorsese does such an amazing job with the characters that you almost forget that you’re paying attention to criminals. The whole film they’re running around stealing and murdering and you couldn’t care less. People are getting shot in the head, blood’s spraying everywhere, and you’re just hoping that your favorite character isn’t next, even though he probably deserves it. The characters in this film are far from perfect people, and you should want them to rot in prison (or the dirt) for the atrocities they commit. But you don’t. You want them to flourish and to continue what they’re doing. You can’t help it-- everyone loves a bad guy.

Speaking of bad guys, take a look at Joe Pesci. He delivers arguably the best performance of his career as the sadistic and horrifyingly insane Tommy DeVito. One of the most polarizing characters in the film, Tommy spends most of his screen time beating, stabbing, shooting, or verbally abusing people, and then will turn around and have a lovely dinner with his mother. The Oscar that Pesci won for Supporting Role is well deserved as he gives an absolutely unforgettable performance that is still inspiring people today. In a recent article in GQ featuring several actors known for portraying villains, both Benicio Del Toro and Ron Perlman list Pesci in Goodfellas as an inspirational and noteworthy villain. And seriously, who doesn’t know “I’m funny how? Funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you?” People who haven’t seen the movie can still probably quote the entire scene. Pesci’s performance is outstanding for numerous reasons, but one of the biggest is the believability; he made Tommy DeVito feel real. Nothing is scarier than a villain that could be real.

 
All of this can be attributed to Scorsese. He took these characters and humanized them. He made it so no matter how horrible they were we wanted more. As we watch the film, we can’t get enough of them. We watch as Liotta, De Niro, and Pesci stomp a guy and we can’t help but enjoy it. We know how bad these guys are and we still cheer for them. It’s no easy feat to manipulate the audience into caring for the bad guys, but Scorsese does it beautifully. Throughout his career he has made films about bad guys: Taxi Driver, Casino, and Gangs of New York, just to name a few. But his crowning achievement is Goodfellas. You’re not cheering for a couple bad guys, the whole cast is bad and you love them all.
 
When people ask me why I love this film so much, one of my biggest defenses is that it’s based on a true story. Granted, I can be a sucker for true stories, this one is different. First of all, this isn’t “based on a true story” like the generic horror films that slap those words to their trailers; the film is based on a book written by a crime reporter that spent years researching the events detailed in both the book and film. The film exposed things to the public that people didn’t previously know. When Liotta’s character, Henry Hill, is sentenced to prison by the judge, the scene cuts to him in a bar with the rest of his gangster friends. They all do a shot and then Henry walks out to the street, gets into a nice car and tells the driver, “Take me to prison.” He wasn’t shackled and thrown into a transport because that sort of thing didn’t happen to “wiseguys.”

 He got to visit some friends before a personal driver took him to his new home. The movie then cuts to him making dinner with the rest of his buddies in prison. They look like they’re in an apartment and are all making something for their meal. You’ve got one guy cutting up the onions, one guy making the meat, one guy making the pasta, and another guy cooking the meat. This isn’t prison, it’s bachelor paradise! The narration goes on to state how wiseguys never get the real prison experience: “It’s not like you see in the movies.” On top of all of that, the film shows us how the mob works. It details the key players, what they did, how they did it, and how they got away with it. Some of the stuff shown looks like pure fiction and the fact that it isn’t makes it all the more interesting.
 
It’s hard not to like this film. The aspects that I chose to discuss above are only a handful of what you could take out of the film. There are so many more areas that are masterfully crafted and put together to make this amazing work of art. There is no doubt in my mind that this is one of the greatest films of all time.


-Nick Yovino

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WWE Weekend Roundup, June 8-11 2012

WWE Smackdown and Raw, June 8-11 2012

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we’ll do a roundup of the shows bordering the weekend in the WWE.  Back to show by show updates later this week.

Smackdown starts with Alberto del Rio coming to the ring and showing a replay of his armbar on Sheamus from Raw.  He threatens to break his arm at No Way Out and is subsequently interrupted by…Ricardo Rodriguez dressed as Sheamus.  The mocking ensues until the real Sheamus heads to the ring, looking like he means business.  Sheamus takes charge on both men and the fight spills to the ramp, where Sheamus threatens a Celtic Cross off the stage, but Ricardo stops him. 

The fight is broken up by referees and Teddy Long comes out on stage, acting on Big Johnny’s behalf.  Tonight we will see Sheamus take on Kane and next, we get Alberto del Rio in action (yay!) against The Great Khali (boo!).

Match 1 – Alberto del Rio vs The Great Khali

Winner: Alberto del Rio via submission

After taking the usual slaps, chops and clotheslines from Khali, ADR manages to slap on the Cross Armbreaker for the submission win.  While I hate seeing Khali in action, making a guy that big submit wholly validates ADR’s armbar as a legit threat to anyone.

A replay of Big Show’s sit down interview saying that now he takes care of only himself.

Teddy Long is in the back and Brodus Clay, flanked by the Funkadactyls, enters.  Long tells Clay that he is not allowed on Raw any longer for his own protection from Big Show, but he is now a permanent member of the Smackdown roster.  Clay says to put Smackdown on notice; when he looks at his opponents, he will see Big Show.

Match 2 – Brodus Clay vs Derrick Bateman

Winner:  Brodus Clay via pinfall

Aside from a running headbutt to Bateman on the outside (ouch), the usual Brodus fare, with a bit more aggression shown.  He wins with the exploder and a splash.  Still not enough change or character shown; you’re angry about what Big Show did, but you still dance down to the ring and with kids afterwards?

Raw 1000 moment with Booker T:  His Raw debut against Buff Bagwell for the WCW title; a less than loved match amongst fans.

Match 3 – Sin Cara vs Drew MacIntyre

Winner: Sin Cara via pinfall

A bit of back and forth; Cara isn’t squashing anyone, but he still makes quick work of his opponents.  Kudos to MacIntyre for being able to keep up with Cara and the lucha style at his size.  Sin Cara goes for La Mistica to end it, but doesn’t have quite enough momentum, so Drew ends up holding him for a powerslam.  Sin Cara then swings around again and lands a big DDT instead for the pin.  Thumbs up for both men for calling a good audible.  This shows growth for Cara since his return; before he was out, this would have ended up looking like a second attempt at La Mistica and would have ended poorly.  Sin Cara continues to look crisp since his return – no sloppiness.

 Match 4 – Tony Andriotis and Kevin Mahoney vs Ryback

Winner: Ryback via pinfall

Recently, I’ve been down on Ryback for all the squashes on local guys.  He screams “FEED ME MORE” after every win, but doesn’t look for better opposition.  Tonight changed my mind the moment he gave one guy a fall away slam INTO the other guy.  Each week, Ryback seems to come up with one or two new things to do to these poor goofs, and that’s what a good squash is all about.  Earlier in the week, he threw a guy higher than I’ve ever seen.  Tonight, one was used as a weapon against the other.  The powerbomb Ryback delivered to one of the men looked devastating.  If Ryback keeps up the one or two new things a match, I’m ok with this.  I’d still like to see some growth from him; at some point a change does need to be made.

WWE Smack of the Night:  Over the Limit and Christian winning the Intercontinental Title.  Now, Ryback just demolished two men.  That powerbomb was the smack of the night.  Instead they use that term for a win three weeks ago on a PPV.  Just call it a replay.

Christian’s Peep Show with Cody Rhodes:  Rhodes comes out first and destroys the set.  He says that Christian is having a mid-life crisis in pandering to the crowd.  Christian comes out and makes a joke, to which Rhodes responds by asking him who he’s fooling – he didn’t care about these people before he was injured, so what’s with the change of heart?  Christian says that inducting Edge into the Hall of Fame was a moment of clarity; being out in the ring is a privilege.  It’s three weeks late, but there’s your face turn.  Love the fans, they love you back.  Rhodes says that’s a load of garbage.  Rhodes’ father is a Hall of Famer, Rhodes is a future Hall of Famer; Christian isn’t Hall of Fame material.  Christian tells Rhodes to shut up and that he’ll finish the Peep Show by wiping the ring with him.  Dolph Ziggler heads to the ring to finish this up because he’s here to do what he does best:  Show off.  Not bad – everyone played their part well.  Christian is always fun to see and Rhodes continues to grow, especially as a talker.  I’m more than happy to see this rivalry continue.

Match 5 – Christian (Intercontinental Champion) vs Dolph Ziggler, non title

Winner:  Christian via pinfall

Ziggler struts early on.  Apparently Rhodes is #1 in Booker T’s fave five at the moment; Rhodes calls Book a hypocrite.  As I said before, Rhodes continues to get better on the mic, and he’s always fun talking trash on commentary as well.  Ziggler goes for his version of the Fameasser, but Christian catches him with a sit out powerbomb; love that spot.  Christian tries his springboard sunset flip from the corner, but Ziggler rolls through and lands what was one of two things:  Either a Fameasser attempt with not quite enough jump to it or a climbing, enzuigiri-like Fameasser. 

I like to believe it was the latter.  With this advantage, Ziggler tries the Sleeper and the Zigzag, both of which are shaken off by Christian.  Christian mounts the top rope and Ziggler meets him up there, but Christian slaps him off and lands the Frog Splash.

About time Christian hit the Frog Splash without the Killswitch to set it up.  It’s good to separate them so that he can still use both as finishes believably.  Ziggler once again loses as he breaks out on his own (No Vickie at ringside tonight), but he took the IC champion to the limit.  The wins need to start coming in if we’re not building to some loss streak and a turn.

A recap of Cena and Cole from Raw.  That can still go to hell.

Michael Cole grabs a mic after being mocked by his coworkers.  Hornswoggle comes out dressed up like Jim Ross and mocks his speech pattern.  When the music hit, you could see the entire crowd gasp with joy, only to see Hornswoggle come out instead.  What a huge disappointment.  Damien Sandow comes out to put an end to the “diminutive miscreant”’s shenanigans.  He threatens ‘Swog and Tyson Kidd comes out to protect him.  Kidd dropkicks Sandow out of the ring and Sandow heads up the ramp, keeping an eye on the Titantron.   

The moment Kidd turns his back to tend to the little fella, Sandow sprints back to the ring and delivers knee strikes and the Cross Arm Neckbreaker to Kidd.  Here’s hoping this leads to a Kidd/Sandow match, preferably getting more than the usual 2-3 minutes.  I’d like to see what Sandow can really do and Kidd needs the chance to shine on TV.

A replay of the Punk/Bryan/Kane/AJ situation from Monday.

Matt Striker talks to Kane in the back before his match tonight.  Kane says he doesn’t have feelings at all; ask Punk and Sheamus how they feel after chokeslams.  Striker asks Kane about the look AJ shot him that seemed to take him aback; Kane just walks off.  AJ pops out from behind some boxes after the scene clears.  She’s still in Punk gear on each show, but could she be working for Bryan?  For Punk?  Maybe just for herself…

Teddy Long is forced to introduce Antonio Cesaro and his lover, Aksana.  We get it, she broke Long’s heart.  Now let Cesaro have a storyline that doesn’t involve Long.

Match 6 – Antonio Cesaro vs Jimmy Uso

Winner:  Antonio Cesaro via pinfall

First and foremost, Cesaro needs a ‘real’ intro theme.  What he has is so ludicrously generic.  Uso shows a fire early in this match; if there’s one thing that can’t be denied it’s that the Usos have a great energy.  The fans seem to love them too.  After a few signature attacks from Jimmy, Antonio comes back with an elevated European uppercut and the Neutralizer for the win.  Long is made to come into the ring and raise Cesaro’s hand.  Poor Teddy.  Cesaro is in the same mode as Ryback, Sin Cara and Sandow; same match every time, no expectation of a loss.  It’s too much of this lately.

Raw 1000 moment with Sheamus:  The “breakthrough battle royal” thanks to Jesse Ventura.  Sheamus outlasted many established stars to show that he was there to stay.  And he is.

Match 7 – Sheamus (World Heavyweight Champion) vs Kane, non-title

No contest

They go back and forth with power offense throughout the match; neither man is made to look invincible, which is nice.  Sheamus lands White Noise, but the Brough Kick is stopped and after a series of back and forth counters, del Rio and Rodriguez hit the ring.  The match is thrown out and in the chaos, AJ comes down to ringside, all smiles.  Kane is distracted by her and eats a Brough Kick when he turns around toward Sheamus.  This is the first time we’ve seen her do much of anything without Punk or Bryan on screen (aside from hide behind objects).  If I had to wager a guess, she’ll turn out to be working for either Punk or Bryan and messing with Kane to help them out in the triple threat.

A Smackdown with little to complain about.  Existing storylines moved forward, Ryback came up with yet another way to introduce pain to a 165lb human being and Dolph Ziggler looked like a star vs a champion.  If Khali on the show doesn’t ruin it, I’d mark it a win.  AJ continues to be the biggest x-factor on either show; for once it’s a storyline without an obvious, predictable end game.

Raw is three hours this week; settle in kids, it’s gonna be a long trip.

To get things started off on the right foot, the first thing we get is John Lauranaitis coming to the ring.  Hooray.  He gets about two words out before Mr. McMahon interrupts.  Short of a full transcript, Vince and Ace go back and forth for about 10 minutes, culminating in Vince telling Ace that if he doesn’t impress him tonight, he’s fired.  I can’t type a series of letters to represent the phlegm and hatred in Vince when he says “fired”, so use your imagination.  Ace wants to start impressing Vince by having Sheamus, who interrupted the goings on face Tensai.

Match 1 – Sheamus (World Heavyweight Champion) vs Tensai, non-title

Winner: Sheamus via pinfall

This was as hard hitting as it gets on Raw.  The two big men beat the tar out of each other, and that’s fine by me.  Good back and forth action, which is where Tensai shines, style-wise.  In the winding down of the match, Tensai lands the Two Handed Chokeslam on Sheamus, who kicks out in a very close two.  After a bit of dosey-do in the middle of the ring, Tensai turns around into the Brogue Kick for the win.  Good, solid match with an abrupt, awkward end.  Still not a bad way to open the show.

Vince and Ace are in the back with Teddy Long.  Vince says that Tensai losing was strike 1 for Ace.  Since Alberto del Rio is out with a concussion, Vince wants to know what Ace will do about Sheamus’ title match on Sunday.  Vickie Guerrero suggests her boys, Ziggler and Swagger, who are both former world champions.  Vince takes it under consideration and asks Big Johnny for his input.  He delegates to Long, who suggests that Khali, Christian, Ziggler and Swagger have a fatal four way for the number one contendership.  This makes Vince happy, which makes Ace sad, since he tries to take credit.  They’re actively making Ace look like a failure tonight.

Back at ringside, Tensai is berating Sakamoto for the loss.  Tensai ends up beating the hell out of him, and in the middle of the beating, they pan to the announcers, who are none too concerned.

Raw 1000 moment: Seth Green hosts and fights Legacy with Cena and Triple H.  Worst moment ever.

R-Truth is interviewed, asking how he feels after the beating at the hands of the Big Show last week.  Little Jimmy is apparently traumatized.  He says Truth is, Cena will beat Big Show on Sunday.  Then my new favorite thing happens.

Not a fan of surprise Big Show, but surprise WMD is my new favorite gimmick.

Match 2 – Santino Marella (United States Champion) and Layla (Divas Champion) vs Ricardo Rodriguez and Beth Phoenix

Winners: Beth Phoenix and Ricardo Rodriguez via pinfall

Beth drew the short straw on partners this week.  The men have some comedy outside the ring and Beth drops Layla with the Glamslam for the win.  They needed a set up for the ladies’ match on Sunday, so this gives it.  Santino, a champion, continues to feud with Ricardo, an announcer.  I’m ok with the comedy bits, but at least move the US title to someone who could use a touch of elevation.

Who can be mad at this?

 

David Otunga is in the back brown-nosing to Vince; if Ace should get the pink slip, who better to replace him than someone with a Harvard education?  Not that being a lawyer would make you a good manager of a wrestling program, but we’ll ignore that logic.  Vince says he doesn’t like lawyers.  Kofi barges in and says he wants Big Show tonight because of what he did to his partner.  Yes, they are still the tag champs.  Big Johnny pops in and says sure…in a cage!

Time for the big promo of the night.  Daniel Bryan comes out and says that between himself, Punk and Kane, someone doesn’t belong.  The other two have a common weakness:  AJ.  He’s done with her, so it’s a non-factor to him.  Bryan says Punk is jealous of him, since he made him tap (after he got pinned) and Kane thinks the look AJ gave him was getting to second base.  Bryan says AJ is still smitten with him, but he’s not interested.  Bryan vows to leave No Way Out the WWE champion. 

CM Punk comes out to give his two cents.  He says that AJ is pretty cool.  Outside the ring, she’s out of Bryan’s league; inside the ring, Punk is out of Bryan’s league.   Punk reiterates that he digs crazy chicks, but even more, he digs his belt.  He’ll beat Bryan or Kane; regardless, he’ll remain champ.  Bryan rips on the crowd and calls Punk a sellout.  Punk says that’s funny coming from the guy in the YES YES YES t-shirt.  Then he calls him a goat face, which the crowd chants.  Kane makes his entrance to explain the things he’s done to people in the past to reinforce his monster status after a momentary lapse last week at AJ’s gaze.

Speaking of, AJ trots out and tells the guys to stop it.  She saw that deep down, in those dark eyes, Kane has a heart.  She continues that you never really get over your first love, and she hasn’t.  Then she calls Punk pretty much the coolest guy she’s ever met.  She says that Sunday, she knows the best man will win (she says this while still decked out in CM Punk merch).  Big Johnny says that tonight, Bryan and Kane will team against Punk and….AJ?!  Well that hardly seems fair.

Match 3 – Christian vs Dolph Ziggler vs Jack Swagger vs The Great Khali, elimination four way match, winner is #1 contender to World Heavyweight Championship

Winner: Dolph Ziggler via pinfall

Khali smacks everyone around early, but eventually falls prey to being taken down, a Christian Frog Splash and all three men pinning him.  Mercifully, Khali is out quickly.  Now at this point, there was no mention of it being elimination, so I don’t think anyone at home or in the crowd thought the match was still on going.  After some usual three man match nonsense and Christian fighting Ziggler and Swagger off, Christian lands the Killswitch on Swagger and Ziggler hits the ring to quickly pin his ‘friend’.  This leaves Christian and Ziggler to finish up.  Christian heads up top for another dive, which Ziggler dodges and then immediately drops Christian with the Zigzag for the win.

Fun match once Khali was eliminated and Ziggler is a bit aloof with Vickie trying to celebrate with him; he leaves to the back on his own.  Would have been nice to have a bit of argument from Swagger about the goings on, but maybe they’ll touch on that on Smackdown and formally break the group up.

Natalya is in the back with Vince, chatting about the Hart family and Vince wrestling Bret Hart at Wrestlemania, which is a less than stellar memory for Mr. McMahon.  Natalya heads off and Brodus Clay’s dancers approach Vince about Clay being allowed back on Raw.  Vince doesn’t really give an answer, but summons a light show and music and dances with them.  They leave, apparently satisfied with this and Zack Ryder stands off to the side, mouth agape at what he saw.  Vince does Ryder’s catchphrase and leaves.  Ryder’s on Raw for the first time in 6 or 7 weeks and doesn’t get a word in edgewise.  

Vinny Mac at his ludicrous best.

 Match 4 – Ryback vs Willard Fillmore and Rutherford Hayes

Winner: Ryback via pinfall

Okay, these are the best "random jobber" names yet.  Ryback does his usual domination bit; nothing new this time.  I think I got a bit spoiled after the last couple Ryback matches.  If you’re going to have a guy do squashes, this is at least the way to do it.  Ryback has run roughshod over everyone in his path, skinny they may be; why wasn’t he considered for the World Title shot?  Oh right, he does squashes.

Vince is on a couch with Hornswoggle watching ‘Swog be Jim Ross on Smackdown.  Vince takes the hat off ‘Swog’s head and mocks JR.  This is in the worst taste.  John Cena enters and Vince reminds Cena that he lost to The Rock; he also warns him not to run to the ring and save Kofi tonight.  Otunga comes back in and Vince tells him not to kiss his ass because he doesn’t like that; pan to William Regal as Vince says “no offense”.   Twelve people in the crowd are old enough to remember why that’s a reference to anything. 

Match 5 – Kofi Kingston vs Big Show, steel cage match

Winner: Big Show via cage escape

Big Show beats the bejeezus out of Kofi for most of the match.  Kofi lands a Trouble in Paradise and goes for the pin, but Show throws him off.  Kofi tries a couple quick escapes, but gets stopped and ultimately takes the WMD.  Show takes his sweet time leaving the cage, but eventually steps down to win.

R-Truth has a busted foot and Kofi just got demolished.  We won’t see the tag titles for a while.

Match 6 – Sin Cara vs Curt Hawkins

Winner:  Sin Cara via pinfall

On NXT, Hawkins has a personality.  He has a voice.  Hell, he has a tag team partner in Tyler Reks.  On Raw?  Just fodder for Cara to do some flipamagoos.  Sin Cara wrestles his standard match and Hawkins keeps up.  After a few minutes, Sin Cara hits La Mistica and pins Hawkins.  Solid, but much like Ryback or Brodus Clay, it’s the same thing week in and out and nobody expects anything different out of him.  We should…but we don’t.

Vince finds Daniel Bryan warming up in the back.  Vince wants Bryan’s opinion on Big Johnny, but ends up mocking him, saying that nobody ever expected Bryan to be anything.  Bryan says they have something in common; they’re both self made successes.  Vince cracks an “18 seconds” joke and that’s that.  You have the most important figure in pro wrestling and one of the best pro wrestlers on the planet on the same screen, and that’s the best you can come up with – burying the guy.  Splendid.

Raw 1000 moment:  Dolph Ziggler remembers the first episode of Raw with Bobby Heenan’s shenanigans.

Match 7 – Heath Slater vs Vader

Winner:  Vader via pinfall

Yes, THAT Vader.  The man called Vader.  Big Van Vader.  He returns and gives us the good old Vader strikes in the corner and the expected and appreciated body attacks and clotheslines.  Vader slams Slater and hits the Vader Bomb for the pin.  The crowd, or at least the folks that remember and recognize Vader, were happy to see him.  For a 57 year old man, he wrestled a good match.  He’s apparently dropped a lot of weight recently; maybe we’ll see a few more of these in the coming weeks.  If his body can take it, I’d love to see a Vadersault.

As much as I'd like a shot of the Vaderbomb, this picture is amazing.

 

AJ is freaking out in the back over the impending match.  Punk tells her he’ll wrestle it as a handicap match and for her to just stay on the apron.  She gives him a kiss on the cheek for luck and scampers off.

Match 8 – CM Punk and AJ vs Daniel Bryan and Kane

Winners:  CM Punk and AJ via pinfall

Punk wrestles the first part of this match as a handicap; Kane and Bryan tag in and out on him and keep the pressure on.  Punk gets tossed into his own corner and makes contact with AJ, which the ref (heartless bastard) calls a tag.  AJ gets in the ring and looks up at Kane, then gives him the same smile she gave him a week ago.  After this bout of cuteness, she proceeds to skip laps around the devil’s favorite demon.  Kane stays stoic throughout until AJ stops skipping, hops up into Kane’s arms and plants a kiss on him.  And not a peck.  She goes all in.  After she hops down, Kane tags Bryan and bails from the match.  Bryan lunges at AJ near her corner, which allows Punk to tag in, delivering a kick to Bryan’s head and the Macho Elbow for a quick three.

In celebration, AJ plants herself cross legged in the middle of the ring, CM Punk-style and proceeds to smile for the world.  This girl plays “out of her mind” like no other.  She’s had the most character growth of anyone lately, and it’s deserved.  She will end up playing into the finale of the WWE title match on Sunday; the only question is how?  I don’t even want to speculate.  I want to see it play out.

 

Vince comes out to close the show and summons Big Johnny.  Big Show comes out before Vince delivers the career crescendo (I need to get that trademarked before WWE sees it) and confronts him.  Show did everything Vince asked and never got to be the giant he should have been.  Cena comes down (because we can’t end the show without him) and says that now everything revolves around Big Show.  He got the iron clad contract; he got management behind him; he got the opponent he wants.  But what happens if Big Show doesn’t win on Sunday?  There’s no more excuses – he’ll have to show up to Raw every week.  Vince decides that he’ll be ringside at No Way Out with Ace.  If Big Show loses the cage match, then Vince fires Lauranaitis on PPV.  A scuffle ensues between Cena, Ace and Big Show and in trying to sock Cena, Big Show misses and tags Vince (well, he missed by about 6 inches, but we’ll count it).  Vince is out cold, and it’s sold like he’s not getting up for a long time.  Ace yells at Big Show and this is apparently the end of the build up to the pay per view, shy of what we see on Friday.  Not especially compelling to spend $40 on.

The WWE title and World Heavyweight title continue to take the backseat to John Cena and a giant who’s nearing retirement.  The WWE title has the best little actress on the show in the mix and a legitimate x-factor in a match conclusion and the World title has Ziggler stepping up to make something of himself.  Cena is the de facto main event as per the norm, with Big Show in a cage.  Christian and Rhodes will fight for the IC title, and I suspect we see either Ryback and/or Sin Cara on the PPV as well.  Brodus Clay faces Otunga on the youtube preshow, so we won’t be seeing him.  This is why it’s so important to build the young guys, the new guys, your NXT guys; with a few injuries, the cupboard has gone bare.  Some confidence in guys like Tyson Kidd or Curt Hawkins to have a competitive 10-15 match to prove themselves would help fill these shows.  

All in all, this wasn’t a bad three hour Raw; we’ve seen FAR worse.  But if this is the structure we can expect when Raw goes three hours every week starting in July, they can keep the extra hour.  Fingers crossed they designate the earlier hour of the show to a bit of star building and/or take the opportunity to introduce us to guys like Dean Ambrose or Seth Rollins.

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True Blood Recap: Episode 1 "Turn! Turn! Turn!"

Warning:  Article contains spoilers

Last night, HBO premiered season 5 of True Blood, a premiere that had been much anticipated since the finale last summer. Well the finale was not at all what I expected it to be, and that's not a good thing...

The episode started off exactly where we left off at last year's finale. We had Eric and Bill cleaning up the mess they made with Nan, Sookie dealing with her werewolf problem and Tara's headshot, Alcide and Sam dealing with the aftermath of the death of Marcus, Lafayette dealing with Tara and Jesus's death, Terry and his mysterious army friend... am I missing anything? Yes this season went straight into every storyline and left us with an extremely convoluted episode. This episode came off as a part 2 to last years finale. A very lacking part two.

The writing was lacking. True Blood has always had its fun campy side, but this time it seemed to... well... jump off the deep end a bit. The episode really just pushed every storyline to the bizarre/disbelief side. Eric banging his "sister" came out of nowhere. Yes it wasn't really his sister, Godric was just both their maker, but still, it felt like the show only added this in for shock. It didn't add much to the episode, other than a sex scene. 

Lets take on Tara being turned. Tara's storyline has been so up and down and honestly, I thought it would be the end. Well now with Tara becoming, what it looks like, a half there, self hating vampire, looks like the beginning of another pointless Tara storyline. Lafayette seemed ready to take his life in the bathtub, which would have made the episode 100x more interesting. Instead he shaved his head which I guess symbolized cleansing from last season.

Maybe the storyline I enjoyed the most was Alcide and Sam dealing with the werewolf pack. I'm curious how the storyline will end up playing out and how Alcide will take control of the pack. The pack seems divided on accepting Alcide as their new leader. Also, some of the pack eating the old leader? Unexpected, but in a good way. The Authority storyline seems semi interesting. It has the opportunity to work well, now we wait to see if the writing can make it happen.

The episode was mainly full of downs for me, my confidence for this season is fairly low. I'm hoping next episode will start to make a turn for the show. My fear is the show has now jumped the shark. Time will tell.

How did everyone else feel about the start of the season?  Leave some comments.

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E3 2012: Microsoft Xbox Presentation

E3 2012 this years kicked off with Microsoft. Halo 4 started the show off. I honestly don't expect much from Halo. As each title is released, it is in danger of becoming more and more formulaic like franchises like Call of Duty. My fears were echoed with the new Gear of War title: Gears of War Judgement. Prequels that are made after the main story arc is concluded are risky undertakings. Where I'm more interested in the continuing story of the Master Chief, I'm less interested in the origins story of Baird and Cole. I'm a big plot driven gamer. If the story is compelling enough, I'll play it. I'll reserve final judgement (no pun intended) til more information is released.

The two titles that stood out for me was Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Tomb Raider. I've never been a Tomb Raider fan, but after playing the Uncharted series, I feel like I'm ready to sink my teeth into the world of Tomb Raider. Now I know that this is another origins story, but what set this apart from the Gears or War prequel, this feels and was designed to be a reboot. I see this as the Batman Begins or Casino Royale of the Tomb Raider franchise. Lara wasn't running around show boating and kicking whole sale ass, she was fighting for survival. It's great to add a sense of realism to a character that seems to be beyond reproach.

As far as Halo 4 goes, Master Chief is always going to be the indestructible super soldier. My interest lies with Cortana. She has a finite life, just like a human. When an AI goes beyond 7 years of life they die. But Cortana's encounters with the Halo contsruct and the Gravemind have allowed her to go beyond her estimated life span. This causes potential risks for her as she may soon start to go insane. As far as Halo goes, nothing new that they can add to gameplay can interest me. Other shooters than come out more consistently have become far more ingenuitive. Plot and plot alone will drive me to pick this game up from the shelves.

Black Ops showed off the new world Call of Duty fans will visit. It is refreshing to see a new futuristic take on the franchise. In my opinion, Ghost Recon has always done a better job representing future warfare. FPS games tend to limit players as to what they can see or do, ergo why I feel the Tom Clancy series has a leg up on COD.

On a side note, was pretty disappointed that I didn't hear any word of a Dante's Inferno sequel. Sad day.

Microsoft Smartglass took center stage for most of the presentation. Each year, E3 gets me semi-geared up to by the next accessory for the Xbox, and each year I balk at the opportunity to buy it. This year I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised to know that I have all the hardware needed to run Smartglass. My tablet and smartphone will allow to interact with my Xbox in a brand new way. Along with the addition to new apps on the marketplace like NHL and MLB apps, I feel like my Xbox has become an entertainment hub. Filled with TV, movies, music and gaming, it makes me feel like my Xbox has allowed me to join a club which adds more interactive depth to those people who I will never see but share the same interests.

I know we were all waiting for word on 720, but it seems like the Xbox well hasn't run dry......yet.

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What's Next?: Avengers 2

“AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” A battle cry familiar with any self-respecting Marvel fan and a line many fans like myself were anxiously awaiting the “star-spangled man with a plan” to cry during this summer’s blockbuster. I think at least most of us can agree that Avengers provided many of us with great joy and satisfaction in its execution. The characters were well known prior to the film’s release. The heroes were each given a proper introduction in their own films save Black Widow and Hawkeye. I believe it helps the audience understand the plot better when they don’t have to spend any time learning who the characters are.

The Infinity Gauntlet, for those who don’t know, is a glove containing all 6 of the Infinity Gems: Time, Space, Soul, Reality, Power, and Mind. Long story short, these gems combined make one omnipotent. I’m talking absolute power over EVERYONE. To shorten the plot of an epic series, Thanos acquires all 6 gems from their respective owners and hilts them onto this gauntlet and takes out half of the universe to appease the girl he loves, who happens to be Lady Death. Yes, that means that Thanos loves death and will kill anyone any time anywhere to appease her, but like most of us geeks in high-school, no matter what he does she just doesn’t dig him. It took the entire remaining Marvel Universe, some ingenuity, and a huge amount of luck and timing to take the Mad Titan down.Now that the Avengers has been released, many fans have been wondering what the easter egg at the end of the movie means (no, not the restaurant one). For those who don’t know who the REAL mastermind was behind Loki, the mean-looking purple alien with the menacing smile and gleam in his eye is none other than Thanos, the Mad Titan. If we jump back to 1991 there was a huge 6-issue epic crossover called the Infinity Gauntlet which leads me to the subject of this article, who the heck is Thanos and what can we possibly expect in the undeniable Avengers sequel.

 This is the epic series that I believe to be the plot of the next Avengers, but I also believe that this story is too epic to be contained into one movie. The storyline will most likely be altered because that’s just what movie makers do: change your favorite story to the point where you throw popcorn at the screen. I was not, however disappointed in Joss Whedon’s execution of Avengers so I have high hopes for the sequel. The gems will most likely be the easter eggs at the end of each of our heroes’ next solo movies. Here is my take on who is going to possess what gem and in what movie:

 Mind: I believe Loki controlled the mind gem in the Avengers movie attesting to his control over several people and the blue hue to his staff

Power and Reality: Thor’s next opponents in his sequel are rumored to be the drop-dead gorgeous Enchantress and her strong-man sidekick the Executioner. The Enchantress will possess the reality gem to enhance her mystical powers and the Executioner will possess the power gem, making him a more than sufficient match for Thor.

Time: I believe that Baron Zemo will control the time gem and team up with Winter Soldier (formerly Bucky Barnes) to take on Cap. This is the only logical way that Captain America can fight an old enemy that would naturally be either too old to fight or dead.

Soul: I think it would be cool to have Iron Man finally face his arch-enemy the Mandarin. I think it would also be equally cool for the Mandarin to control Howard Stark’s soul and force Tony to face his father. Although not canon, I think it would make for an interesting plot.

Space: I believe that Thanos will start out with the space gem. After all, how will he be able to travel to the sites of each defeated enemy and acquire their gem?

This is all just speculation of a fellow geek and none of this is based on rumor or any official statement. If one looks closely in the movie Thor, the actual gauntlet can be seen in Odin’s treasure room. They may just ignore that easter egg, after all, Marvel is good at ignoring things that previously existed *cough* Toby Maguire, Thomas Jane, and Eric Bana *cough*.

-Rob FranzeseIt

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Ubisoft at E3: Anything Other Than Soft

Let’s start off by saying that while I cannot stand Flo Rida in all his ghetto glory, thank you Far Cry 3 for tits and tattooed African women. I wasn’t particularly taken with the graphics, but in the scheme of things, the trailer conveyed what it wanted to - glory, action, and emotion. Oh, and tits. We can’t forget about that.

Moving onto a game that DOES have incredible graphics, Splinter Cell. What the hell just happened to my eyes? Another game that looks absolutely amazing and will probably be the most fun out of all of the other SC games.

As a side thought, I’ve been reading a lot of hate about this year’s E3. Everyone’s all like “thanks for repeating EVERYTHING you did last year!” In all reality, these games come out, we buy them, love them, and beat off to the thought of the next game on a regular basis, so these companies do what works - they come out with new installments! Yes, another Gears of War game. Yes, another Halo. Yes, another Call of Duty. Build a bridge and get over it. E3 will be like this for years to come.

I will admit, however, that I wasn’t too excited about Avenger’s Battle for Earth. The trailer was cool - all right, I can dig it, but I just have this strong feeling that the game wont be nearly as good as it looks to promise. I won’t hold my breath for it.

Moving onto the upcoming console, the WiiU, I’ve been hearing about it and watching videos on it for a while now. I’m not impressed. In my opinion, Nintendo forgot who it used to be. Nintendo used to be classic - now I feel like it’s a love-starved child that’s doing anything to be noticed. While Rayman Legends didn’t do anything for me, ZombiU certainly did. The name sucks, I admit, but that trailer definitely was intense. Now if they could tweak the name a little bit, I might be good as gravy. I hope Nintendo has something wicked up their sleeve for this console because between the Orbis (PS4, if you guys don’t know) and Xbox, codename Durango (I hope that’s the codename), I’ll be surprised if WiiU gets any attention at all. You know how Playskool always develops a child-friendly version of a camera or a tablet? That’s what I feel Nintendo’s doing with the WiiU. Give me a controller or give me a handheld console, but my God, not both.

Lastly, because this was all I got to watch out of Ubisoft’s Press Conference, Assassin’s Creed seems to have gotten my hopes up. If any of you know me or have heard our podcast on ACR, then you know how I feel about it. If not, I’ll put it briefly --- It sucks. I’m sorry, I know you guys really love AC, but I have little to no love for this series. However, AC3 did spark my interest. Maybe I’m just more interested in American History than the Italian Renaissance, or because I’m a patriot deep down, but whatever it is, the trailer got me hyped. It had the right amount of pacing in the trailer and the gameplay looked a lot more fun than its predecessors, yet still possesses the AC gameplay and combat system that we all love and enjoy.

What I really want to know is what everyone's opinion of all of this? I talk to a few of my friends and most of them aren't very impressed with E3 this year nor are they really excited about many games coming out this year. I'm pretty on the fence myself. I have certain games that I'm stoked to get, like Resident Evil 6, DmC, and Metro 2033: Last Light, but not much else besides that. Hopefully I'm just being a negative Nancy about the current gaming world and it's lack of luster, but I like to consider myself more of a realist than anything else, and the reality is that our demands for entertainment and our expectations are reaching a level that can't be satisfied. Maybe good things will come from the WiiU and maybe Nintendo will stop being so batshit insane, but time will only tell, I guess... right?

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Splinter Cell: Blacklist Reaction

I have been a Splinter Cell fan for a while now. Ever since the very first game, I loved creeping around to the next corner and taking down a terrorist in the most quite fashion possible. Sam Fisher is the deadliest single person to grace our illustrious imaginations since Nosferatu. Now with an all new sequel that is sure to knock our portal replica geek sock off! 

Ubisoft is taking the mark and execute mechanic from Conviction to a whole new level. Not only can you mark and execute targets like before but now Ubisoft has introduced a new mechanic which they are calling “killing in motion”. Killing in motion means exactly how it sounds. Once you mark targets you can move at full speed and start executing them whenever you feel good and ready to do so. 

This new Splinter Cell game puts more of a twist on stealth then what we are used to form other Splinter Cell games in the past. It’s a lot more aggressive, in your face, and fast paced this time around. From the looks of it, Ubisoft is not going to give you the time you will want to plan out every little detail of your plan and then carry it out. Although stealth is still the core gameplay feature of this Splinter Cell game it looks as if there will be plenty more action and awesome kills this time around then before. 

From the cinematic trailer that was also shown, crap tons of other story info was given as well. Sam is now in charge of the 4E (4^th Echelon). After the 3E went completely rouge on trying to take Sam out in the first place the president decided to disband the 3E on the spot. Grimm will also be making a return as the handy dandy eye in the sky.  And what is this Blacklist you ask!? Well as it turns out the Blacklist is a list of names that the terrorists are using to blackmail the U.S government into pulling out of the Middle East. Their demands stand as either the U.S pulls out or they will bring the war to the home front. So naturally, it is Sam’s mission to rescue all of the names (or, most of them at least) on the Blacklist before they fall into terrorist hands.

I cannot wait to see more of this game later at E3. Let me know what you guys think in the comments below!

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E3 2012 - Nintendo Tuesday Conference

E3 Nintendo Conference - June 5th, 2012

Lots of info today, with a hefty focus on the Wii U, the new GamePad table controller and the functionality thereof.

Love the black finish

Nintendo opens in its usual manner with Shigeru Miyamoto and some augmented reality Pikmin.  Immediately, they tell us that Wii U will be a complete entertainment system; you don't even need your TV!

The first game presented to us is Pikmin 3.  We're quickly introduced to Pikmin building bridges with materials found in the environment and the new Rock Pikmin who will help to break down obstacles.  The GamePad will show the overall map of the area while the TV gives a closer look at the action.  We see four leaders (none of whom are Olimar) for multiplayer and the new Challenge mode, to see who can collect the most fruit.  You'll be able to watch your previous runs to better learn routes and strategy.  Pikmin is a deep game and Nintendo sees this as a step toward the 'rebirth' of focused gaming.

Reggie Fils-Aime comes out and tells us that Wii U is all about the games and new experiences.  Wii U will change three facets of life:  Gaming, your social interactions and entertainment/TV.  The GamePad will serve as a social window, with a big focus on what other players are doing.  The GamePad will also lead to the concept of "asymmetric gameplay", or in other words, one player performing one type of gameplay on the GamePad and the others with a different objective with the 'normal' controllers.  The system will allow for two GamePads to be used simultaneously, but the frame rate will drop with a second one active.

The Miiverse mentioned in the E3 Nintendo Primer will consist of Miis on your system, your system/gaming friends and those that you've played with online.  Screen images from the game you're playing can be posted to the Miiverse, as well as emoticons, texts and hand written messages.  While not at launch, this will be available on PC via browser and on smartphones, presumably via apps for each platform.

Reggie tells us that he's constantly told that Mario games are needed at system launch (and let's be fair, they are).  He then introduces New Super Mario Bros U, based off the New Super Mario Bros Mii tech demo from last year.  No mention is made of a release date, and as of now this is not slated as a launch window, but I'm sure it will come soon after (EDIT: An 'Iwata Asks' video has confirmed this WILL be a launch title).  We see Mario's new flying squirrel suit, colored baby Yoshis (red turns into a balloon and blue shoots bubbles at enemies).  A fifth player can play along with the four Marios (Luigis, Toads and Miis as well) via the GamePad and activate various things on the stages, like blocks, vines and more.  This is referred to as "Boost Mode" and Nintendo is encouraging players to try for speed runs using all the tools at hand.

Bubble baby Yoshis

Next is a cavalcade of third party information, with a huge focus on Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition which introduces a ton of gadget and inventory ability on the GamePad screen.  You'll aim the batarang with the GamePad's gyroscope among others.  The next focus is on Scribblenauts Unlimited, which will bring the series to a home console for the first time.  This time around, Maxwell explores an expansive world, not just a series of levels from a menu.  You can also create an item and name it, then share it with friends.  Maxwell will get a full story this time around, which always helps to draw you in a bit more.  The rest of the third party rundown gives us a few seconds of footage for:

- Darksiders 2
- Mass Effect 3
- Tank Tank Tank
- Tekken Tag Tournament 2
- Trine 2: Director's Cut
- Ninja Gaiden 3
- Aliens Colonial Marines

Which is a great showing from various developers to put minds at ease that the Wii U will prove a 'core' gaming experience for those that felt (and justifiably so) that Wii dropped the ball on that front.

Wii Fit U is introduced - You'll have new activities like trampolining and luge, using the Wii Fit Balance Board.  You'll also get to use a pedometer and send information to the game via the GamePad's infrared port.

Next is "Sing" from Freestyle Games, which will use the GamePad to show lyrics while you face your friends (instead of the TV) and they dance along.  The crowd was pretty dead for this, as there's going to be a small audience for this type of thing.

Now it's time for the 3DS information, and no, there's no new model announced...at least not yet.  We start strong with New Super Mario Bros 2.  Raccoon Mario soars like we remember, but the main focus is on coins.  There are flowers that grant the ability to turn bricks to coins, gold koopas to kick that leave a trail of coins and more.  This seems a little more Wario-ish, but it's intriguing.  Paper Mario Sticker Star gives you the Paper Mario RPG action you've missed, with the ability to rip stickers right off of the environment and use them as actions and commands in battle.  Luigi's Mansion shows us new mansions that Luigi will explore and new ghosts to fight.  New Super Mario Bros 2 comes to us August 19th, while the others will be out at the holidays.

Strong focus on coins - Maybe we see Wario and Mario in a platformer?

Third parties will mainly be slated at Wednesday's showcase at 6PM (EST), including Castlevania Lords of Shadow, Epic Mickey, Scribblenauts Unlimited and Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Drive.

Ubisoft is introduced as the company who has run the gamut from the hardcore players to the newbies.  Rayman Legends and ZombiU are showcased, and another focus on 'asymmetrical gameplay', a phrase I'm sure we'll hear a lot this week and in the coming months before the system's release.  Just Dance 4 will allow the GamePad holder to change up the choreography on the fly and ZombiU will use the GamePad for almost everything: Sonar, inventory, scanners, a sniper rifle, hacking doors, all in real time with zombies after you.

Ubisoft's continued lineup for Wii U includes Assassin's Creed 3, Rabbids Land, Your Shape Fitness 2013, Rayman Legends, Sports Connection and Avengers.

The show ends with NintendoLand.  They dedicated about 10 minutes to what amounts to the Wii U's equivalent to Wii Sports.  The software is intended to teach the various uses of the GamePad and the different actions you can take with it.  The different areas, visited by your Miis, will be themed with Nintendo franchises including Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing.

If not packed in with the system, it's a shame.

Wednesday's showcase is where the 'hardcore' can hope to see some new software or some new information on things announced.  I'd like to hear more on this coin focus for New Super Mario Bros 2, the function of the baby Yoshis in New Super Mario Bros U and more info on the new Scribblenauts.  This is that exciting time of year where we can predict things and some can actually occur - fingers are still crossed for any info on the next Super Smash Bros, both on Wii U and 3DS.

Game and Wario was quietly announced; Warioware is always an excellent way to show off how a new device works

Stay tuned to the Geek Asylum for more e3 news and reviews!

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