random update

yo

I won't be here much in the next few weeks, because I'll be enjoying the fantastic period of exams (yes, I truly love them. It's not a work)

But to keep everyone bothering, I decided to dump a little video here, accompanied with some dry and unimportant text.

Text: There've been some complaints lately about WWE stars no longer using flashy moves as finishers. Never the occasional Death Valley Driver  Bomb. Drivers are some of the most innovative moves and usually the most horrifying and intensely beautiful moves. So, below, a collection of how it could've been.

A selection of moves from American Independents, Puro promotions and old-school (Attitude Era) WWF. If you dislike Chemical Brothers, I suggest you mute the video.





You're welcome.


D~

That creativity dry-spell & other mindboggling business moves

hullo


the title of the following blog could be misleading. It could mean that I'm currently facing that creativity dry-spell and this blog will be devoid of cynism, sarcasm, overall funny that usually makes any entry juicy enough to be passable.


Or it could mean something else. 


Obviously, it is the latter. If otherwise, I wouldn't even bother writing this entry.


On a sidenote: exams are coming up, I'm feeling relaxed as ever. And for a very valid reason, I have a personal war with the French language. Enfin, les testes orale sont un pain in the ass.


The creativity dry-spell I'd like to discuss (read: rant about) is one that's currently faced by the writing team of Monday Night RAW. I realise that complaining about wrestling storylines is getting a little tedious, but come on. If they hadn't sunken to a new low, I wouldn't have cared.


Remember, in my last entry, where I spoke of Cena's farewell? Yeah. Scratch that. Cena's back, but in order for them not to break kayfabe to the kids in the audience (who, I'm pretty sure, have no fucking clue what kayfabe is) they decided to repackage him for the time being into "Juan Cena", John's masked cousin from Mexico.


I nearly fell off my tacky chair when I read that. That is the brilliant idea RAW creative came up with to keep Cena relevant to the audience. A few pointers that they missed on the go:


- Cena hasn't been relevant since Kurt Angle endlessly jobbed to him from september to november 2005.
- You don't need to keep Cena on tv, because people are utterly sick of him and would applaud him fucking off for at least a few months.
- Use that free time to really think through what new paths Cena could take to actually make him relevant again and not a part of the RAW set.


Obviously, a few people missed the intellectual ship and decided to travel in the Dinghy of Dumbasses. Not only are they insulting our intelligence, they'll probably swerve any die-hard Cena fan out there. Because they're no older than 11 and don't have the intellectual gathering to really understand this absolutely brilliant creative direction. 


Reading stuff like this makes me miss the E-feds we used to have on the forums. Back in the day, those E-feds stood for quality writing and interesting storylines. 


I remember one particular storyline that was concocted on the fly, by myself and Matt Neve. I don't know if you were part of the forums already, but I suspect you were. Anyways, it ultimately became the basis for an entire pay per view where the roster was branched into two sides. Raven's Flock and Mysterio's Minions (the latter didn't really have a name). Sounds like "Bragging Rights", huh? Well, it happened before Bragging Rights, and it was concocted to write Raven off the fed. It became a smashing success too.


Man, where are the days that I wrote 8 pages worth of segment for a show, without really knowing what I would be writing when I'd start (much like these blogs, really). "A Day in the life of The Hurricane" for example. Wrote it completely on the fly, and I still lol at it from time to time.


But the point I'm trying to make is, that if a simple kid, then 18 years old, can write a well balanced and carefully thought out segment, why can't a team of experience writers do the same? Why do they come up with such crap ideas? 


Lack of time? They have a week to write RAW, and more time to think out storylines.


Lack of knowledge? They have been working on it for a long time now. They'll be at least somewhat knowledgeable by now.


Lack of interest? This seems ever more likely. With every great idea shot down by Vince and the PG restriction greatly limiting whatever they can do. The last good idea Vince had? Santino Marella. 
Luckily, that's one for the ages.


Here's a pointer for Vince, hire some wrestling writers to run the show. Have guys like Paul Heyman run the RAW creative and have some Hollywood blondes as underlings (see what I did there?). Oh, and give him some leeway. Not the horrible Stephanie McMahon controlled ECW crap we got served under Heyman's reign in 2006. I still have trouble grasping the fact that Bobby "less charisma than a teaspoon" Lashley ran with the belt.


Fuck it, it's like I'm on repeat. When will they finally get the message? With Cena mocking the smart marks last week, by pointing out that they all hate him ... shouldn't that be a message to Vince to change things around, for the better of his business? Or is that just wishful thinking.


I'll probably end up mulling over this endlessly. Dammit.




D~


EDIT DEC 2ND 2010 11.28PM GMT+1: WWE has come to terms on the release of Montel Vontavious Porter (Alvin Burke, jr.) today. bla bla future endeavours bla bla


Not like we didn't see it coming. He's been hinting towards it on twitter, apparently. Matt Hardy called it too, apparently, but I don't tend to take hints from a low life delusional bastard.


I could take this moment and make fun of how WWE officials have no clue how to run the focal point of their business anymore, but it's been somewhat of a running gag in every entry by now, so I'm just gonna leave it up to you to come up with witty remarks on how WWE fucks up once again.




aaaaaaand SHOOT~

Awesome?

oh hai


I haven't updated since I last posted the game review, which was a few weeks ago. To be quite honest, college has been a positive pain in the ass the last few weeks, with a whole bunch of assignments coming my way.


Fair deal, it was to be expected, but it's been overwhelming me quite a bit. Combine that with exams coming up, and I'm pretty busy. Goddamn French oral exam every fucking week. I truly truly hate that lecturer.


Anyways, the reason I'm actually writing this blog is because of RAW yesterday 22nd of november 2010.


A pretty normal episode regardless in that it featured skits and wrestling. In fact, more wrestling than anything.


It was strange. Much like last week, CM Punk provided commentary (and is really good at it too!). KOTR qualifiers. Oh, and Cena's goodbye speech. How much more of a work can you make it, man? Everyone who gets fired is let loose with a teeny-tiny message on the website getting future-endeavoured like they're just a number. John Cena gets a 20 minute slot to say goodbye. I Lol'd at it, because it was him taking the piss out of smart marks everywhere. I enjoyed it. He sucks in the ring, but his mic work is natural.


This anonymous general manager bull may now stop. seriously. It's bad enough we have to endure Michael Cole every split second, and now we've been enduring months of him reading from a piece of paper that has been placed in sight so obviously, it's becoming laughable.


However, what was to be expected for months has also happened. Randy Orton lost the WWE title to The Miz. That's right, the reality star turned superstar cashed in and won the belt in what was less of a non-match than the previous cash-ins. Many people, marks and smart marks alike, hate The Miz. I for one believe he's deserved to run with that belt. I don't think he'll hold it for very long, but credit where credit's due ... he earned every bit of it. 

Not only is he one of the most hated heels today, he's done a pretty bang up job to make the crowd hate him even more with every passing minute. Props.


I didn't care for him much when he was the host for the Diva search. At that point even, I thought his WWE career would be shorter than Verne Troyer. He didn't even get over at all.


Until he became "awesome". Complete one-eighty right there. Not to mention the fact that his promo skills and in-ring work drastically improved to the point where he can actually put on a good match every time.


What really made it all special for me was the fact that it wasn't a non-match. It was always like that. Difficult match for the champ, MITB caseholder comes in, hits finisher and done. This one actually went back and forth, which made both men look strong in the end. props, I'd say.


Oh, and when Miz actually won, I literally laughed out loud at the fancy camera work. BAM, three count is made, Miz celebrates and the camera zooms in on the thoroughly disappointed faces of the people kids in the crowd. IMMD, seriously.


I don't know how you feel about Miz being WWE champ, but either way you can't deny the fact that he's been working like a madman on improving his game and getting his gimmick over.




I'm Deli, and I'm awesome.




D~

It's all about the Game, and how playable it is Pt II

Buenas noches, hombre(s)


As Prince George III said in Blackadder: SAUSAGE  REVIEW TIEM!


Last saturday, due to circumstances I was a little early at the scene of my snooker match. Seeing as being 2 hours early doesn't accommodate well, I decided to head out and make my way to the multimedia shop (which I won't plug)


Last Friday saw the release of WWE SmackDown vs RAW 2011, which I said I would buy and review. I bought it, played it rigorously, and the review can be read below. Mind, I haven't exactly finished the game entirely, but did a lot.


First of all, I would like to rant on the DLC only characters. I was looking forward to dominate with the Nexus faction, but seeing as I don't have internet hooked up to my shiny black box, I can't. Shit's formidably bad.


Anyways. Unlike other editions, I secretly had high hopes for this game. The burning question being: "Have they delivered?" . I'll get to that.


I consider this game an overhaul of sorts. Nothing too big, but an overhaul nonetheless. Last year's edition saw a vast improvement on environmental moves and grappling additions. This year, it has been trimmed down, in the hopes of making it more realistic. No biggie, it has been reduced to the bare necessary, mostly. 


The Create-A-Finisher saw a new addition to the postion. Corner finishers. Why is beyond me.
Perhaps to accommodate to the new object collision improvement? I'm still waiting for my finishers from behind, or the ability to add them as signature moves really.


The new object collision is fantastic. Table hits still look a little messy, but at least the objects react to several outside factors. Ladders now break, tables break accordingly to the angle the superstar hits it, etc. 
Separate ladder finishers have been added as well. Always wanted to do an Unprettier Killswitch from the ladder. You have been served.


For the most part, it's still the same old soup. 


Several new finishers have been added, along with the vast number of wrestlers added. Drew McIntyre's Future Shock and Thee Move Scot Drop Reverse STO, Zack Ryder's Zack Attack ... Future Shock looks horrible by the way. Hardly resembling the actual move. Son, I am disappoint.


The new WWE Universe mode reminds me of the career mode in "WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role!" where you actually have rankings for every title and the ability simulate matches like the General Manager mode. Upside of it? Unlike in General Manager mode way back when, you don't have to bother putting together tedious card after tedious card to get a show running. Game is smart and generates a new show card, based on existing rivalries/alliances. 


Of course, you can still override everything and create custom matches if you feel the need for it. Add to that the fact that you can also give yourself any title you like and you're set. Personally, I'm IC Champ (which I got by rising through the ranks, becoming #1 contender in a specific match and defeating Kerwin White's former caddy =) I didn't even know I was gunning for it.


My CAW is also Unified Tag Champ w/ William Regal ... a tradition I've kept up for the past few years.
Yeah, I hardly ever play with actual wrestlers. I always use CAW's.


Create-A-Superstar hasn't seen much improvement, aside from the fact that you can add some different clothers and hairstyles. I kid you not, I saw facial hair options that resembled the facial hair of the following people:

 Scott Ian from Anthrax

Shavo Odadjian from System of a Down

I kid you not. Ahem, you can also add some new costumes to the mix, including blatantly taking them from a template. In my case, that means a costume as "cinematic attire" (cutscenes)

The Road to Wrestlemania ... well, I wish I could say it was an improvement but it's pretty gimmicky. Wrestlers who don't wanna talk to you mutter funny line after funny line that always comes down to "Get the fuck out of my face". Either way, the dialogue is pretty well written, but the acting leaves much to be desired. The same goes for the digital counterparts of the voice actors and their inability to lipsync. Tiny details, I know.

Story wise, this years RTWM is the shit. Really. the VS Undertaker storyline is amazing, especially adding Paul Bearer and Masked Kane to the mix (you can see why I'm sold). Chris Jericho's storyline is good, Christian's storyline is AWESOME (E&C return, obviously), John Cena's storyline is good (the bad part being actually having to use Cena)

All of these minor details I didn't like (such as having to UNLOCK Regal, and still having no Regalplex) this game is probably the best Yuke's has delivered in years. It's far from perfect and any half-a-brain game reviewer would put it down the pooper (or at least make some very dated wrestling references usually involving the words muscles, oil, tight and spandex) but I liked it.

Spicy detail? There are several versions of it available. Regular versions and special ones. I had my hands on the regular edition until I spotted "The Viper Edition" for the same price. So for no buck extra I got my hands on a signed Randy Orton promo card, access codes for Randy Orton's special attires and .... TA-DUM!

WWE No Mercy 2007 DVD. While it wouldn't be a DVD I'd have to have, it's nice to get it for absolutely zilch. The beauty of this pay per view lies in the fact that it doesn't feature Cena (who had just been injured) and no less than three WWE title matches, all of them having Triple H holding it. I don't care, I'm gonna watch it.

T-T-T-That's All Folks! ©Porky Pig

~D.

P.S. - Is it inappropriate that I laughed at a segment from yesterday's RAW? The Vinnie Mac coma scene with Freddie Prinze, Jr. being the doctor was somehow hilarious. I didn't like the midterm election plugging though.

It's all about the Game, and how playable it is.

Why, hello there.


I realise my previous blog was a bit out of the blue and heavy as fuck to interpret, hence the lack of comments.
That's why I make a 180° turn and head into something that's less heavy, entertaining, etc.


Every year since the dawn of time, WWF/-E has been releasing videogames of their intellectual property. Unlike most game series, they've decreased playability with every coming installment ... despite promoting it as bigger, better and more beautiful.


Call me an old sack, but I firmly stand by my idea that "WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role!" and "WWE SmackDown!: Shut Your Mouth" are the best games THQ/Yuke's/WWE has ever released.


SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role (KYR) of course looked awful, movements were strained and create-a-wrestler (CAW) were ridiculously bad, but unlike many other installments, it carried the vibe of the attitude era. While I'll be on the forefront of putting down nostalgia ... not a single game has managed to recreate the vibe of rebellion that KYR did. It gave the player exactly that what was on tv.


SYM provided the fans with a ridiculously huge roster, roughly 65 superstars/divas and increased playability.
Not to mention a different path for a created superstar. The story was very fleshed out and you'd be involved in so many things. Interesting to note: the story of SYM was written by then WWF/-E writers, who were capable wrestling writers to boot.


Since then, the series has gone downhill in my opinion. Many people within the crazy fandom regard "Here Comes the Pain!" as the best game in the series, but I disagree most definitely. While I don't own the game myself; I have played it a few times, but for some reason, it didn't please me in the way that SYM did. The visual aspect remained pretty much unchanged, but never did it reach the pedestal I had put SYM on.


Perhaps this is because I bought SYM during the time when wrestling took a backseat to many other things in my life and it re-ignited my love for wrestling? I don't know, really.


After HCTP, there was SmackDown! vs Raw. I liked the game, but while playing it (mocking the fact that many  wrestlers looked nothing like their real-life counterparts), it felt like a bad rip-off. Things remained unchanged in the following installments. SvR2008 brought ECW somewhat into the mix. Though if it hadn't been on the cover, I wouldn't have realised. (ECW was pretty much left out, due to the Chris Benoit murder/suicide debacle)


SvR 2009 brought us the Road to Wrestlemania. This was probably the biggest disappointment yet. They promised lots of cool additions and you ended up having to play with people WWE picked. A reasonable addition was the "Create-a-Finisher" mode. While far from perfect, it did give the fans something they had been yearning for for years.


SvR 2010 brought much of the same. Road to Wrestlemania was still shit, forcing you to choose between 
- Mickie James
- Created Superstar
- John Cena/Triple H Brand Warfare
- Edge
- Randy Orton
- Shawn Michaels


I don't know, but for me this doesn't scream "MUST BUY NAO!". Of course I did, because I am a sucker.


As previously touched upon in my previous blog, I will also buy SvR2011. Why? Because the shameless promotion has promised me a huge roster, expansion, the same Road to Wrestlemania crap (with Christian being playable), expanded Create-a-Finisher, etc.


It's being released in 2 days here. I will go out and buy when I've got the time or the interest to do so. I will of course pour my findings in blog form.




Until then, good night and good news!






D~

Entertainment, getto da ze!

'Sup Money?


As the title hints, I'm not going to talk pro wrestling this time. Some odd months ago, I devised some sort of a "bloggin' strategy" that would put Montgomery and Churchill to shame. This strategy entailed that I'd be writing random blogs about anything related to entertainment, not just the little niche called pro wrestling (or sports entertainment, considering I'm limiting to WWE and TNA). In previous blogs, I mentioned certain music genres and bands that I like and would love to freely plug around when I can. 


Again, that's not what it's all about. Since I can only talk about what I like (or dislike) I'm taking this forum to express my undying, passionate love about a franchise that's been Hauntering my childhood, Venkman'd out for a portion of my puberty and returned like Sam Fisher in 2006. Entertainment references done.


Many people have ended up with a look of concern such as "Are you okay? Really?" when I came out for it, but to hell with it. 


I'm a Pokémon fan.


This all first started way back in 1998, when I was a little tyke. All these jaw dropping monsters that you could catch in silly duo-tone balls and carry around with you while you adventured over the land named Kanto. 


Purpose of the games: beat the shit out of random people who will randomly challenge you and your posse of monsters and then steal their money. Even as a 10-year old, that sounded like one hell of a time! The old Red & Blue versions pretty much hogged up most of my time. 


Looking back now, these game made quite a difference to me. It got me interested in gaming and due to the necessary trades, it was also a great incentive for pretty much anyone to socialise on the school playground.


Things became even more interesting when rumors started floating around about a glitch that could multiply the sixth item in your bag. Rare Candies and Master Balls galore! It was the way to stardom and success. I actually think Missingno. (or Ketsuban in the orient) is still one of the most famous game-related trivia bits ever. 


I never stopped playing Red, Blue and Yellow. This continued, albeit less frequent, while I grew disinterested with the franchise. The novelty wore off, so to speak. I got a little out of Generation II (ie. Gold, Silver and Crystal) before it just all stopped for me. I threw away all the cards I ever collected and threw the games I had aside for a while. 


Fast forward to 2005. Anything between 2000-2005 that would be relevant to this story would be trivial anyway .. In the year 2005 I was flipping channels and ended up seeing an episode of Pokémon out of the blue. Feeling that jolt of nostalgia gave me the incentive to keep watching.


While watching that episode (don't know which one) it struck me that I was dealing with something beyond generation II. It was called "The Advanced Generation". Intrigued as I was by the wonderful design that was much better than any other Pokémon I had ever seen way back when, I looked up some info on this thing. 


As it turned out, the Advanced Generation (Gen III) had more or less run its course by then and was gonna be replaced by the fourth one. Feeling that I had to catch up, I rabidly started playing the third generation games on an advance emulator. Quickly rushing through Ruby and Sapphire (and later Emerald) I was once again hooked on this franchise. 


Something I had pledgefully sworn to myself would never happen, happened and I was watching the TV show, playing the games, joining the bulbapedia wiki. 


Since that day, I've been watching the show, playing every game since then and anxiously awaiting the arrival of Generation V to the west. It's been released in Japan now, and writing about it makes my wouth slightly watery. Granted, I'm drinking water and typing with one hand now, but all the same.


I don't wonder why people look at me weird. I'm 22 years young and I like Pokémon to the point where I can distinguish a monster based on its Japanese name. It's unconventional to say the least, but I'm totally fine with that. 


I've learned from experience that I'm definitely not the only adult who can still be excited about this billion-dollar franchise. And quite frankly, everyone needs their escape from the pressure of reality from time to time. 
We just have different manners to do so.


fin.


On a mostly unrelated note: Politically, this country of mine is going down the pooper. It's pretty tough having two entities who couldn't be more different trying to iron out a solution that works best for both parties. The only thing we all have in common is our nationality. Go figure. 


I'm interested in politics and for sure do I have my own opinion on the matter, but that's not the point I'm trying to make. It's things like this that make me want to forget about everything troublesome and just enjoy some no-nonsense fun with a franchise that has so many things to offer. 


I reckon it turned out to be a pretty meaningless blog. But hell, if you're reading this particular phrase, you sure as hell read through it. Thanks for doing that


do'svidanya!


~Delrihuzz

for real

Yo


This'll be a short message, devoid of cynism/sarcasm/random analogies. Hence the "short". 
I'm just writing this very little piece of blog-unworthy muck to reassure myself and that 1 reader that I'll be writing more often. Call it a promise that I'll desperately try to keep. Even if it's just for my own peace of mind.


Anyways, I've decided to rummage through online resources every week, to find a nationally televised pro wrestling show (bar TNA, I'm just not ready for that yet) and watch it. Mainly SmackDown! though. I'll watch RAW again when Michael Cole leaves the announcing booth, vintagely.


Besides that, I'll also abuse this little forum I've created for myself to praise music that I'm listening to a lot in the timeframe of the then blog in question. 


The previous blog was more or less a testament to what I'm trying to convey. Speaking of Testament ... hmm, nah. Next time, maybe.


arigatou~!


~D.