Classic Bite Commentary: January 28th, 2009

(2016: Starting on the 2009 Bite Commentary reposts and this is where I need to double check and make sure I've got everything saved and retained because at this point, I start bouncing back and forth between the DTM Blog and the Webstation. Also 2009 is the year where I started to consider other avenues for the web presence.)


Hope everyone has had a good holiday season and new year. So far, 2009 has been pretty much meh... but other than a couple high points and the usual endurance of Montreal cold weather and a broken water main downtown, things have been pretty average. Nothing to really complain about though...

So I should share my long overdue received gifts... but honestly, there's nothing special to talk about. A couple shirts, some much-needed boots for those winter days, a copy of Hardcore Diaries (great book, by the way), and some cash. Nothing more, nothing less. I suppose I can't really complain; I'm past the point where I should be expecting anything big from anybody. On the other hand, Christmas Eve was spent on a game of Monolopy. I was the first to go bankrupt. I was not happy. Even without me, things almost turned violent. But the Christmas Spirit (TM) prevailed in the end... or something.

In terms of gaming, my tastes have gotten purely "old-school" if you will. Outside of the PS2 Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 entry and a copy of Sonic Unleashed (which I have yet to play, sadly), I had managed to snag myself a Nintendo 64 with a couple games as well as a Retro Duo console. The Retro Duo, for those who don't know, is essentially a 2-in-1 console that plays NES and Super NES games. It's similar in functionality to the FC Twin, except the Dup has S-Video output and can play a few more games than the Twin could. For the most part, it's a nice system; although the sound in the NES is rather lacking. Don't know if it's due to the system or the set-up, but it just doesn't sound good at all. Still, it's not a bad purchase.

As far as the N64 goes... well, I eventually had to get one, right? To be perfectly honest, I had never been a fan of the controller, but I was able to get used to it after a while. The games I got with it were Super Smash Bros. (the original game, which was fun), WWF No Mercy (a game some people claim to be one of the best wrestling games ever made), GoldenEye 007 (another classic game), and Shadows of the Empire (a fun game despite its flaws). I may pick up a couple other classics if I get a chance, but for now, I'm going to take it easy with regards to purchases. No hurry to build it up this year.

[A week after I wrote that line, I picked up a new version of that Power Player thing that contain all those NES games in a controller... I'll be discussing that thing in the near-future. Also, just a couple weeks ago I picked up an Atari Flashback unit... more on that on a later date.]

So that's my offering. Now for some quick looks at some random shit that has happened since last year...

So Barrack Obama is officially the man as far as the White House goes... almost everyone has been singing his praises, now let's see what he can do. While there is historical significance to his ascension to the highest office in the land - you know, he being the first African-American to be president - I think a more truly historical moment would be when a man assumes power and nobody cares about the color of his/her skin. That, in my mind, would be a truly historic and significant moment in human history... something that I won't be seeing in my lifetime. Congratulations, Prez. Now let's see what you got.

Electronic Gaming Monthly is now officially gone, thanks to the sale of the 1UP Network and the layoff of all the people that mattered. For the most part, the folks at 1UP working to get permission to post what would have been the final issue of the book on the website for free, which featured coverage of Street Fighter IV. I suppose it's better than having your main cover story being a movie game that's likely to suck. In any case, it's hard seeing a longtime publication like EGM go out to pasture and while I haven't been a big reader since the 1990s, it's certainly lived up to expectations. Thanks for the memories, guys, and good luck out there.

Speaking of Street Fighter IV, the game comes to home consoles next month, with a Windows port to follow some time later. Hopefully, the PC port won't require such extraneous parts to run it so that my rinky-dink PC can play it... or maybe I'll play Commander Keen instead.

Royal Rumble has come and gone. Aside from some obvious wins (Cena wins, Edge gets his belt back, Matt Hardy sucking and takes it out on Jeff), the biggest surprise was that Randy Orton actually won the Royal Rumble. It's surprising because I didn't expecting the creative mindfucks at WWE to actually attempt to make Orton a credible villain. Of course, they kill this potential for awesome by sticking him in a feud with Shane McMahon, but still...

...and hey, how 'bout that Rob Van Dam? Nice of him to make an appearance and practically get the biggest pop of the whole bunch of guys. What does that say when a guy comes in for one night only and gets a bigger reaction than the rest of your regulars? Good to see you in action, show.

Flashpoint had just recently returned from its hiatus for another half-season. Unfortunately, I didn't know about this until an ad for the show aired on the Space Channel (the Canadian equivalent to Sci Fi, except without the crappy ECW show)... so now I'm short two episodes. CRAP!

The passing of Michael Critchton, the author of many great books such as the Jurassic Park books, may have been a sign for moviemakers not to go ahead with a fourth Jurassic Park movie. Probably for the best... although I doubt this sense of respect is going to fade away in a couple years time.

Twilight... is not my thing. According to moviebob, this is a movie that sucks about a guy who doesn't want to. As far as I know... I don't care. I haven't seen the movie (doesn't look like my thing) and I haven't read the books. So I won't comment.

So that's it for this month. There won't be a commentary in February because I'll want to spend some time working on other projects (such as a couple reviews and fanfics), but there'll be two in March, both in time for Wrestlemania 25. Actually, I got a few things planned for the site (and most of my webstuff in general) and it all depends on whether I can get to it or not.