Friday, January 27, 2012

STVO Wire #2 (1/26/12)

Hello everyone! It’s time for another edition of STVO Wire.  Going to try to do a new one each week but we’ll see, haha.  Like I said I have a few list ideas and hope to do them soon but we’ll see. In this edition I will give my opinion on a few news pieces and will give a few mini-reviews on some movies I have seen recently.  Also, this is the weekend of WWE Royal Rumble, so I will give you my predictions on the matches and on surprise entrants. Let’s begin.

DA NEWS

* To open this, I would like to report that I’m very pleased with the announcement of Resident Evil 6! It is going to be an amazing game and I figured I would spare a news story pertaining to it as I feel most of my readers already know about it.

* Video Games: From IGN - Nintendo is considering changing the name of their next console “Wii U” to something else as they felt the reason the 3DS got a mild reaction at first was due to it being very similar to the DS and believed that most people only considered the 3DS a slightly updated Nintendo DS.

My Take: I’m not sure if the problem lies in the “Wii” name but rather that I just didn’t care for the name “Wii U.”  Personally, I don’t feel that people won’t by the name because it sounds goofy, but I don’t really care for the name so I welcome any name change. Heck, if they make a simple name change such as “Wii 2” or “WiiHD” I’d be fine with that.  If they ultimately decided to drop the name “Wii” from their system, I’d be okay with that as they make their system stand out more as we know that the next PlayStation will likely be called “PlayStation 4” and the next Xbox console will feature the Xbox name.  Names are minimal thing though, bring on some awesome games and let’s get some great 3rd party support!

* Video Games: From IGN - It is heavily rumored that Microsoft is planning for it’s next game console to be in blu-ray format and will not allow their users to play used games on their next console.  Supposedly to play future titles, an online registration of each title might be necessary to play said title and they may look into going into making other releases digitally.

My Take: I for one don’t like the idea of not being able to play a used game. Whether I go to GameStop to buy a title, whether a friend loans you a game you’ve really wanted to play, etc.  If this is a move Microsoft makes, I’m sure Nintendo and/or Sony will follow suit.  I can understand that they’re trying to encourage users to buy more retail purchases, but I wish and hope this is not a method that they end up taking as it might discourage people from trying out certain titles and it will hurt businesses such as GameStop which do make a strong portion of their profits from used games sales.  I hope that if they don’t allow used games to be played, they will offer more games through their digital services and will be sold for lower prices such as $14.99 to $29.99.

* Video Games: From IGNhttp://ps3.ign.com/articles/121/1217354p1.html - Pac-Man and MegaMan will be joining Cole of Infamous as special characters in the PlayStation 3 version of Street Fighter X Tekken.  MegaMan will have his early NES American box art look which depicts him in a yellow suit and slightly overweight while Pac-Man will be piloting a large robot.  Capcom was once looking into exclusive characters for the Xbox 360 version of Street Fighter X Tekken but unfortunately weren’t able to reach an agreement with Microsoft in their decisions of what characters to add.

My Take: Great news for PlayStation! I am not a regular fighting game player but I do enjoy the Street Fighter titles and this game has me interested.  I was kind of hoping for the traditional iconic MegaMan but this addition is hysterical and I think it is a good laugh.  It is disappointing that Xbox 360-only owners will be missing out on these exclusives. I think they should have compromised at least one or two exclusive characters for the 360 version.

* TV: From MTV.Com - NBC is looking to do a spin-off of The Office starring Rainn Wilson’s character Dwight Schrute. The show would become more about Dwight’s life on the Schrute family farm as well as his family members. Later in this season of The Office, an episode centered on this concept will be played.

My Take: To me this will likely witness the same fate as the short-lived “Joey” spin-off from Friends.  Yes Dwight Schrute is a popular character from The Office and a funny one in my personal opinion, but I don’t think that a full-series with him living the farm life has longevity.  You never know though, Frasier was a major success.

This Week at The Movies
Now in 6 Words or less, my thoughts on the movies coming out this weekend!
·      The Grey: Careful. They’re no Twilight wolves!
·      One For The Money: Two, I Won’t Go.
·      Man On a Ledge: Phone Booth Meets Cliffhanger.
·      The Wicker Tree: I ain’t afraid of no tree!

 Reviews in a Nut Shell
·      Hannibal: Okay, so this is an older movie but I’ve finally just seen the Silence of the Lambs a few months ago and this last Friday. Set ten years after the original Silence of the Lambs, it follows serial killer Hannibal Lecter  in Europe and millionaire child molester Mason Verger, as he seeks  to get revenge on Hannibal for the disfigurement and torture he has caused him.  Verger enlists the help of Clarice Starling, the same FBI agent who was out to get Hannibal Lecter in the first movie.  I really liked this movie. Hannibal Lecter is a sick, evil, and demented character that you really hate but happens to get away with his crimes.  The acting in this movie was phenomenal and I thought it had all the makings of a great horror movie.  I am looking forward to watching Red Dragon and Hannibal Rising. I don’t think those two will be nearly as good as this or Silence of the Lamb. 9 out of 10.

·      Haywire: In my thoughts pertaining to last weekend’s movies, this was what I thought about Haywire after seeing the trailer: “Hay! Hay! Hay! Looks kinda cool.”  Well unfortunately, the movie wasn’t what I had hoped it to be.  My friend describes it best as a “poor-man’s Kill Bill.”  Gina Carano plays spy Mallory Kane as she is hired by a government agency to perform various missions and take out certain henchmen as she seeks to rescue a kidnapped hostage in Barcelona. Along the way she gets betrayed by those close to her and faces many problems involving the law.  My problem with the movie is that while it had a very excellent start (give it 5 minutes or less and you already have a crazy action sequence) and even had some pretty entertaining action sequences throughout the movie, I thought the plot just went all over the place.  It seems to switch the story at random and just moves all over.  Despite some decent action scenes, there was one car chase scene that was so ridiculous it was bad.  Another problem I had with it is that most of the concepts within the movie just felt like several other good movies but all done in imitation.  I really wanted to like this movie as I found Gina Carano very sexy and pretty believable as a killer while it also featured other big names such as Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, Antonio Banderas, and Channing Tatum. Unfortunately it was nothing new, exciting, or that entertaining. 4 out of 10.

WWE Royal Rumble Predictions
Okay, this week I have decided to forego my typical “what I’m doing routine” as there is a WWE PPV this weekend and it’s one of the big four, so I figured I’d devote a section towards it.  I will be posting an update on my cosplay for the upcoming conventions at some point next week, but for now, it’s time for some Royal Rumble speculation.

World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Steel Cage Match: Daniel Bryan © vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry: I’m actually pleased with this feud.  Daniel Bryan is coming off very well as a heel and it’s been pretty interesting to see how he has been able to retain his title with interruptions against Big Show and Mark Henry.  It will be interesting to see how Daniel Bryan will pull off a victory against these two being the shortest man and being inside a steel cage. My personal prediction, Daniel Bryan will win by escaping the cage while The Big Show and Mark Henry are locked on one another.
Who I Want To Win: Daniel Bryan     Who I Think Will Win: Daniel Bryan

John Cena vs. Kane: Overall I have enjoyed this feud. It’s kind of teasing the idea of John Cena doing what many older audiences and/or the IWC (Internet Wrestling Community) has been wanting for years: John Cena to finally turn heel.  I don’t see any heel turn happening, at least not in this feud.  Kane has been getting the advantage over John Cena each week, this likely would lead one to believe that John Cena will get his revenge on Kane at the Pay-Per-View and I believe that is what will happen.  I personally would like to see Kane get a victory as I am enjoying his return to wearing a mask and despite a few corny B-horror movie like segments. Ideally, I would like Kane to get his victory over Cena here and then maybe come Raw in two weeks or Elimination Chamber have John Cean get his revenge.  I just don’t see that happening though.
Who I Want To Win: Kane       Who I Think Will Win: John Cena

WWE Championship Match with Special Guest Referee John Laurinaitis: CM Punk © vs. Dolph Ziggler: I’ve told my friends on Facebook wrestling group “Shut Up and Wrestle” that I personally wish the focus would be put more on CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler as opposed to CM Punk/John Laurinaitis. Don’t get me wrong, I have felt that Dolph and CM Punk have had some decent interaction unlike say John Cena and the Miz from Wrestlemania 27 where it was all about John Cena vs. The Rock, but I’m personally am tired of the heel authority figure vs. the popular rebel face storylines.  Anyway, with Johnny L. announcing the previous week on Raw that he DOES intend to screw CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler has been defeating CM Punk in each type of match those two have had together in previous weeks, and the announcers acknowledging that, I’m thinking a CM Punk victory is inevitable.  I’m thinking Mick Foley might even make an appearance during the match.  I like Dolph Ziggler as he has carried himself well in this feud, has good mic skills, and can work a great match. Despite that, I think they should wait for later for him to hold a world title (forget that fluke victory from last year) as I don’t think he’s ready to headline the Wrestlemania main event just yet.
Who I Want To Win: CM Punk            Who I Think Will Win: CM Punk

30-Man Royal Rumble Match: The main event of the Pay-Per-View, the Royal Rumble. The first chance that guarantees you a spot in one of the Wrestlemania main events (let’s pretend Alberto Del Rio vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship wasn’t the first match last year.)   The tag-line is “any superstar can enter.”  A lot of people are speculating we may see the world champions in the Royal Rumble and it could lead to a title unification match at Wrestlemania.  I’m very intrigued by this idea, but I really don’t think it will happen.  I’m thinking this tag-line is something more to mess with people’s heads.  Original rumors around the web said that Randy Orton was slated to win the Royal Rumble and I think it will be the case still.  Ever since his loss of the World Heavyweight Championship to Mark Henry in September, Randy Orton has lost (a few times cleanly) to opponents such as Mark Henry, Cody Rhodes, and Wade Barrett. He has been out of the Smackdown main event for PPVs for a good couple of months. I think they want a strong face in the Smackdown world title main event at Wrestlemania, so I think Randy Orton is their best choice.  Also, while it is said WWE doesn’t like to have their stars have victories in their hometowns, I think they refrain from doing that at times just to not make a predictable outcome.  This Royal Rumble anyone can win and I think they would like a hot reception from the St. Louis Crowd if Randy Orton were to win.  I am expecting a few surprises and some returns, maybe even the debut of Ryback.
Who I Want To Win: Wade Barrett or Chris Jericho
Who I Think Will Win: Randy Orton
Surprise Entrants: Mick Foley, Road Dogg Jesse James, and one WWE Legend (Superfly Jimmy Snuka or another older guy.)
Surprise Return: Christian
Surprise Debut: Ryback

That’s all for this week’s edition of STVO Universe. Please join the Facebook Fanpage and if you would like to help with my charity cause as I walk for MS please. Click here for more details. Have a great weekend everyone!

1 comment:

  1. So excited to play as Cole! I was going to get this for 360 but will now get it for PS3

    ReplyDelete