Semjaza

I just think of everyone here as androgynous until I know better. Allows me to avoid a lot of potential problems. Even if it were an addition here, I'd imagine it would be completely optional anyway. Those who would feel uncomfortable using it wouldn't have to.

This thread is about group projects in school. I'm wondering what people think about them and how they usually wind up going. Personally, I tend to dread group projects. There's always some person who screws it up for everyone else in the group. Some teachers are understanding of this and some are not, but even if they are understanding you're often stuck with a semi-completed project or presentation. I have this class called Mythology and Pop-Culture as an elective. Basically it's just myth applied to today's literature and film, as well as company use and such. The teacher assigned a project where we had to present a myth and teach it to the class in a creative way. After a bunch of arguing over lame ideas, our group settled on doing a puppet show about Jason and the Argonauts. Of course, no one could come up with a good way to split the work until I suggested we just take a couple characters each (you know, the common sense idea? lol). We were all set, I made my puppets and was happy with them. Of course, the day of class, only two people in my group are there. Class starts, another couple come in. We have five out of our seven people, but the two that didn't come were in charge of the main characters. We had no idea what to do about this, but luckily another group was doing a puppet show about the same myth (no clue how that happened). They too were missing people. In fact, only two out of their six or so people even showed up. Luckily they had the characters we needed and we wound up with a decent show. Anyway, that's just my most recent example. I've talked to other people about these things and generally it just winds up being a complain-fest. If I'm going to mess up my own grade over what I do, that's my problem... but I would never not show up to a class or not do something if I knew it would affect another person's grade. The fact that this still happens in college disgusts me. (I just realized this is only like my third thread in this section. Anyway...)

I'm assuming you mean Tomba. Apparently it's called Tombi outside of the US or something. I think it's a pretty great platforming game. I had a lot of fun with it and its sequel when they first came out. Anyone that thinks you're crazy for enjoying the series is not very smart :D

I read through all the stuff I picked up last night. Great issues all around, except for one: Astonishing X-Men. Is it just me, or is this comic just falling apart? The last few issues (basically anything since the return of Collosus) have been incredibly disappointing. One even had them battling a Godzilla-knockoff. The ending of the last issue was so ridiculous that I almost threw it down in disgust. I'm not sure if I should even bother with it anymore. Intimates was fucking awesome though. I'm glad HC convinced me to pick it up. It kind of fills that void that was left when X-Statix ended, I think. They remind me of eachother to a strong degree, just really because of the character development and situations. The heroics take a backseat to their normal lives in both series, it's nice.

The world really isn't any more violent or scary than it ever was, in my opinion. It's just more televised.

[quote name='Leofski']no one seems to have mentioned James Camerons forthcoming battle angel alita film. That should be interesting,a manga made into a live action film by a western director.[/quote] I honestly don't think the manga or the anime of GUNNM/Alita is really even that special. I'm not particularly looking forward to the film because of what it's based on, but Cameron generally makes some damn good sci-fi/action type films. Might turn out.

Just use [url]www.imageshack.us[/url]. That way you don't have to bother with signing up for anything. If you can't find the URL for what you uploaded, just upload it again. They don't care (infact, it's in the FAQ).

I don't know how many people here have played this game, but considering how cheaply you can get it know and the fact that any modern computer could easily run it, people should run out and find it right now. The game is System Shock 2. I think it's easily the scariest game I've played. At this point, it looks pretty dated (human characters are really blocky), but it doesn't really take away from the presentation and atmosphere. Besides, there are fan projects you can install that enhance the enemy models to a very high degree and enhance the texture quality. Looks a LOT better afterwards. Basically, you're stranded on a spaceship that's been taken over by a computer. It's capable of controlling the electronic functions of the ship, which creates enough problems... but you also have to worry about "zombies" and psychic monkeys and god knows what else. What makes these things particularly scary or disturbing is the sound. Killing a vicious mutant, zombie type character while it's begging to be murdered and put out of its misery gives an odd feeling... and a lot of the time enemies appear almost out of nowhere or sneak up on you. There's just a lot of tension in it, really. Scary and a really damn good game with lots of customization. Probably my favorite PC game.

[quote name='Omar Harris']I would mention some independent stuff like Walking Dead, but that one's been done to death (no pun intended), by George Romero (who has a 4th Living Dead film coming out that sounds awesome) and why mess with the formula. I would like to see Zero Girl or the Maxx (though both are very, possibly even too, surreal), or Brian Micheal Bendis "Powers".[/quote] Walking Dead could succeed because any good zombie film isn't about the zombies, it's about how the people affected by them react. Good zombie films are more of critiques of human existance, instinct and values than anything else, which is why I think Romero's films are the best in the genre. People react differently to things thanks to so many factors that there's really an endless supply of things to do. Walking Dead takes a page from that, but because of the medium, there is far more time to investigate character development and insert new twists (last issue has [spoiler]people turning to zombies without even getting bit apparently[/spoiler]). I think, unlike some terrible zombie related comics like Romero's own Toetags, Walking Dead could be a very successful film (who knows in terms of money, I just mean in craftsmanship). However, I think it would be better used as a TV show, personally. With Land of the Dead coming out from Romero (as you mentioned), I see no reason to push this as a movie either lol... but I do think it would work far better than most releases into the genre as of late.

[quote name='Panda][B]Twin Peaks:[/B'] (VHS) Some of you guys may be too young to remember this bizarre TV show from the early 90's. It is the brain child of director David Lynch (Wild at Heart, Lost Highway). It takes place in a little town in Washington state. In one episode they actually mention the name of my little Washington hometown! A mix of a murder mystery and the supernatural. This show is a cult classic. It's a bit off the beaten path.[/quote] I was going to write something about how much I'm annoyed that Season 2 is STILL not on DVD... but if you have the tapes you probably have the complete series, I'd imagine? The Season One DVDs are from back in 2001 and are quite good considering. I just wish things would speed up on Two... Even if that means releasing it in two chunks lol. Anyway, I'm glad to see someone else here is into the show. It's one of my favorites.

I've been kind of interested... but the only previews I've seen have that one member of Wu-Tang in it and hardly any of the movie. I'd like to see more of the film before I bother to pay for a ticket.

What I've read of the Hellblazer comics it is based on was very good. I've been looking forward to this film for awhile because it isn't the standard comic book film that we're usually stuck with. However, I'm still unsure about Keanu in this film. The guy definitely manages to sign onto some good projects (at least the last several years), so I figure this movie will be good... I'm just worried about his acting. I've never found him very convincing in anything, no matter how much he tries. The movie also has that main character from Holes, which kind of threw me off. I really hope it turned out well and meets my expectations.

I picked up quite a few books today. Excellent week for comics, as far as I'm concerned. I've only read Ex Machina and the new Runaways opener so far. Ex Machina was good as always. Runaways, however, was simply excellent. It was great seeing the characters return after a few months break. I missed them in a way. The current arc, just based on what was in this issue and what is likely to follow, already seems far better than the whole first run. Really well written, great art... Just more of what made it good in the first place and then some. Pick it up if you haven't.

I hate liberal use of the flaming smiley, but hey, that's me. Oh, and tomatoes. I think they're the worst food on this entire planet. I feel sick just looking at or smelling the things raw. I don't mind tomato byproducts.

I picked up Batman: Gotham Nights #61, Intimates #2 to #4 and MK Spider-Man something or other. Spider-Man was enjoyable, largely because of the events, but it honestly seems like the quality of the writing is slipping. Is it just me? I've not read Intimates yet. I did read Gotham Nights, however, and I wound up with a pretty big "meh" feeling. This is likely because of the fact that I have no real idea what has led up to the events in the arc... but I'm not holding it against it and plan on getting the next issue as well. I also picked up the Walking Dead Vol. 1 TPB. Finally I can read the first two issues... I've not since my copies are autographed lol. It's strange seeing the original artist's work again. I miss it and I don't. On one hand, he was far more detailed and it was easier to differentiate between the characters. On the other, I feel like the current artist just fits the series better. It's a tie.

You could just always replace it with a tiny transparent GIF.

You also have to remember we're talking about a series whose first (and subsequent remake) game's "best" ending was flying off in a helicopter with your teammate. I wasn't all that disappointed by the ending because I really didn't think there was that much more to be said about anything. All the loose ends in terms of the Ganados (I can't remember how to spell that) were largely tied up through the course of the story. As for Ada and Wesker's involvement, enough was said to really only have an excuse to continue the series into another game. It wasn't unexpected as the series has done this constantly. The ending certainly wasn't special in any sense, but I can't say I minded very much.

I somewhat recently finished Clive Barker's Weaveworld. I went through it pretty quickly considering it's somewhere around 650 pages. I really enjoyed the book, personally. It's a completely different style from what I've seen in the other book of his that I've read (well a collection) called Books of Blood. Such a great combination of fantasy, realism and horror. I've not read many books that I've liked as much. I'm currently reading Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel, by Susanna Clarke. This one is even bigger and has far smaller type, which is making it a somewhat slow read. I enjoy the book and its attention to detail is pretty astounding (there's even quite a bit of footnotes explaining small things in greater detail... pretty heavy stuff for a fantasy novel, I think). It's not something I think would be as universally appealing as Weaveworld, however. It's fantasy in a sense, but it's extremely rooted in practicality. The ideas presented in it are not comparable to an "adult aimed Harry Potter" like many people seem to think it is. It's really not even similar. [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1582344167/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-0967036-8023013#reader-link[/url] -- here are some pages if anyone wants to check it out.

All RE games give some sort of "incentive" for replaying them, but RE4 is the first one I actually wanted to play through again almost instantly after finishing it. I think that says a lot for how much more enjoyable this game is compared to the other ones, at least to me. I found the knife to be invaluable. For one, it actually can kill things in a reasonable amount of time. Slicing at legs to knock enemies down is quite useful. Plus, if you already have an enemy lying on the ground, slicing at his limp body saves a ton of ammo in the scheme of things. Ammo is certainly plentiful compared to earlier titles, but I certainly ran out on a few occassions. As for guns, I mostly used the shot gun and later the riot gun. They're just extremely useful in taking out large groups. Well placed shots do pretty much unparalleled damage in the game (outside of the rocket launcher).

[quote name='Queen Asuka][color=hotpink][size=1]I'm also addicted to chicken. Namely Sonic's Chicken Club Toaster, Zaxby's, and Chik-fil-A. I could eat chicken all day and all night and never get tired of it.[/color'][/size][/quote] You could at least get good fastfood chicken. Popeye's for life!

[quote name='Dark Serena][size=1][color=royalblue]If you know me personally, I enjoy games like Pokemon, Earthbound, Dark Cloud II, etc. I lap up lighthearted adventures with lighthearted graphics like a cat to a puddle of milk. [/color'][/size][/quote] I wish there were more people of your persuasion lol. My first experience with Pokemon in any sense was a magazine article about the original titles. They weren't released here yet, but they were already a big hit in Japan (the show was already out... apparently the game didn't do well till the show hit?). It looked interesting, I thought. I picked up Pokemon: Blue Version somewhat early on in its release. I enjoyed the game. I didn't think it was the best thing ever, but I enjoyed raising my monsters and running around doing things. No, the story was kind of lacking, but that wasn't why I (or I think anyone) really played it at the time. My cousins had the game too, so trading went on whenever I saw them (which was rarely). I don't think I realized how popular it was. I saw the show once and thought little of it, mostly because I'm obviously quite a bit older than the age group it's aimed at (and really, the game too -- but a good game is a good game). The fact that it was the number one cartoon at the time was a massive surprise to me. After that, I kind of just lost touch with it. I completely skipped the next versions, but my interest raised for Ruby/Sapphire. I didn't experience the Gold/Silver versions, so stuff carried over from that game to the GBA versions was new to me. It was nice to play it again and the additions were surprisingly substantial considering how many people claim the series is just milked and never changes (but again, maybe it really didn't since Gold/Silver... I wouldn't know). I wound up not playing it much though because it just required so much time and energy. I wound up giving it to my little brothers and they've since bought the new versions of Green and Red, which they love. My personal favorite game in the series is Pokemon Snap. I don't care what people say about that game, I thought it was fun.

[quote name='ChibiHorsewoman][color=darkviolet] I was becomming addicted to online shopping and make up I really shouldn't be buying. So now I'm wondering are there things that [i]you[/i'] are 'addicted' to.[/color][/quote] This is such a problem lol. I think when you don't actually see what you're buying or physically see the money you're spending, you don't really think about what you're doing. I wind up spending money on things online that I'd just be like "why do I need this" if it was at some brick and mortar store. I don't think I really buy anything online to the extent that I'm addicted, although I do buy a shitload of music and Shin Megami Tensei related stuff for a site I'm working on. eBay is a major problem for me and I tend to buy too much on there. Otherwise, I find myself addicted to t-shirts and Sour Patch Kids (although to a lesser extent than I used to be). I have so many t-shirts it's ridiculous and I have no reason to own as many as I do. I have such a hard time giving the things up. It's kind of sad when I think about it lol.

Have you ever thought that maybe people just plain do not like these groups? Every time I read an opinion like this from people here it's always to the effect of "people don't like it because they're just haters". The chances of it being that simple are in the minority. I don't listen to Deadsy or 30 Seconds to Mars because I think it puts me in some cool group that listens to what someone else might consider "obscure" music. Hell, neither of them are really that obscure to begin with. Sevendust even less so. I personally enjoy Sum41 (who for the record started in 1996, just like Good Charlotte -- I don't see how long they've been around being a factor here). I don't care if I'm the guy who introduces people to new music or not. If I do, awesome, I hope they become fans and we have something new to talk about. It's not a matter of power, self gain or worth. I love music and I want people to share that. I hate being pigeon-holed into stupid stereotypes like this. Theyare really no better or constructive or "right" than someone saying a band sucks because they "sold out" since they sold lots of albums or because they caught on. No, I'm not directly being named in these threads (who is?), but the general idea obviously encompasses me and other people here and that I know elsewhere. I don't appreciate it whatsoever and I'm sure they don't either. If fact, it just downright pisses me off. I don't dislike Good Charlotte because they have done well. I dislike them because I think they have generic, trite sounding music with incredibly poor lyrics. I don't think you need to know a band's complete history to have an opinion of that type. This is just as ridiculous as telling someone they can't like the Ramones because they weren't around in their hey day. I wasn't around in Jim Morrison's or The Beatles years, so I can't like them as much or know as much about them because of it? Give me a break. No one can have all of that information, we might as well never talk about music or film or writing ever in that case. Me not knowing what song appears on two of Newfound Glory's (I mostly just like them for that Cyndi Lauper cover) albums doesn't mean I don't have enough information to not be interested in them or dislike them. No one has time or patience to sit around figuring out every last bit about every last group out there. Conversely, I severely doubt many people can even tell me what songs were repeated on Deadsy's release of Commencement after originally appearing on their self titled album without hitting a search engine. Does that mean one can't like or dislike them anyway? No, of course not. I doubt many people can even name most of Macy Gray's songs either (many of which are very good). This can go on and on... yet it never proves a single damn thing in the process. People have to jump on at some time. If it's not during the band's debut, so what? Deadsy had their time on the radio and they didn't catch on. I would have liked them to, but considering what style they play (and my disagreements with the single choices), it's understandable. 30 Seconds to Mars has really done nothing since their debut, but they are quite good and deserve some credit considering their main singer is the actor Jared Leto (these things rarely turn out well, I was happily surprised). Yet, if they did break out, why would I hate them? There are those who hate groups for selling out while not even knowing what "selling out" really means, but it's nowhere near the majority like people make it seem. A bunch of people on an internet forum don't speak for the general public, particularly one that appeals to a younger audience that likely hasn't had a chance to experience much of what's out there and are quick to say things. If people disagree with me and think bands I don't like are the best thing since god, then whatever, that's their perrogative. Lots of bands I enjoy have done well, even moreso than any of these bands mentioned thus far. Good for them. The only thing that bothers me about a band breaking out is that ticket prices go up. I also enjoy lots of bands many other people tell me are terrible or make fun of. Who cares in that case either? I mean, sure, it bothers me and I wish people would be more open minded... but I enjoy it, that's all I really care about. All of that, to me, is just some sort of reverse elitism that's really just as bad as normal elitism. Possibly even more so since normal elitists generally realize how they're acting most of the time on some level. Anyway, I'm sorry to derail this thread, but that just annoyed the hell out of me. I don't particularly think any band shouldn't be in existance, no matter how much I dislike them. To that effect, I don't really feel comfortable sitting here and ranking overrated artists either. If they appeal to a group of people, then awesome, I'm glad they found something that gets their attention and people can identify with it (and yes, I know I write horrible comments about music I'm not into all the time, but it's tongue in cheek humor -- who knows how many people take it completely seriously). Anyway, I'm done lol :D

[quote name='doukeshi03][COLOR=DimGray][SIZE=1][b]The Chronicles of Narnia - [/b] Having watched the original TV adaptations of several of the chronicles I was so happy when it was announced that they were doing a film of 'The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe'. I'm not too sure if the original shows were played anywhere outside of the UK but the movie has a lot to live up to these childhood memories. I just love Aslan really, especially the scene with the stone table and afterwards ^_~.[/SIZE'] [/COLOR][/quote] I forgot about this too. I love CS Lewis. If this movie is as good as the book, I'll be quite happy. As far as I'm concerned the Naria books beat out the LotR ones, but that's me lol. The old art I saw for this movie was pretty badass, I hope it turns out. Also, is Corpse Bride actually [i]directed[/i] by Burton? He didn't have that role in Nightmare Before Christmas, yet still seemingly gets more credit than the man who did.

[quote name='Morpheus'] I would say the type of games that have the most replay value are the really GOOD games.[/quote] This is a pretty arbitrary thing to say. I've played good games that I enjoyed greatly while they lasted, but there's nothing left to offer when they're finished. It's not as if "good games" are a genre as it is, so I don't see what's wrong with Satan665's statement. I don't even care for sports games and even I can agree that it's true for the most part. He wasn't going after other genres or older games.