Most memorable Mega Man games I have played, classic Mega Man and Mega Man X era games (work in progress)

You know what I did today after getting home from work?  I plugged in my Playstation 2 and played Mega Man X5 all the way from the beginning to end (sadly Zero went maverick in that playthrough even though originally I was playing as him before having to switch over to X).  Anyways, I can definitely say I have been a longtime player / fan of the blue bomber (Mega Man) franchise.  I have no idea when new games will be made in the series, but in this game I thought I would share some of he most memorable ones I have played through:

Classic Era Mega Man

Game 1: Mega Man 2 - Nintendo NES



 Mega Man 2 was perhaps the first mega man game I ever played (I don't remember playing Mega Man 1 till later).  Mega Man 2 is arguably one of the hardest and most challenging Mega Man games I have played (I thought Mega Man 9 was pretty challenging too).  I remember when I first played Mega Man 2, I was just a little kid (maybe 7 years old?) living in Illionois and used to have friend (his name was Stephen) and he had that game and I used to go to his house sometimes ad play that game with him (of course, now days I have the Anniversary Collection version of the game).  Mega Man 2 was quite fun, yet perhaps one of the most challenging games in the classic Mega Man franchise.  Noteworthy moments and notes about the game:

- First mega man game to feature 8 robot masters (if I remember correctly, Mega Man 1 only featured 6)
- First mega man game to feature Dr Wily's castle.  While Mega Man 1 did have Dr Wily levels, it did not have a full castle to play through like Mega Mans 2-10 does.
- To date, currently this is the only mega man game where the boss music remains the same throughout the whole game.  The robot masters, Dr Wily stage bosses, Dr Wily's first form, and Dr Wily's Alien form (his final form) all have the same boss music.  Even Mega Man 1 had 2 different boss musics (the robot masters boss fights and later Dr Wily stage boss fights) .
- Noteworthy boss fights includes: Metal Man (interestingly he is very weak to metal, which can kill him in 2 hits when you fight him in the teleporter room), Wood Man (he had the wood shield), Quick Man (his primary weakness is Flash, but it only takes out half of his energy bar),  Mecha Dragon, the turret boss battle (the one that you have to use crash bombs to defeat), as well as Dr Wily in his alien form.
- Another unique thing to Mega Man 2: the infamous Wall turret boss (4th stage in the Dr Wily castle).  This is the only boss in the series I am aware of where one popular strategy involves using the crash bombs on the explodable walls, die, refill crash bombs, and face the boss again (the second time around has those walls gone) with all of the turrets exposed.  Apparently, there is another way to do it without dying at least once, but that sees trickier in my opinion.
-  Mega Man 2 has perhaps one of the most the most Dr Wily castle levels in the series (6 levels long).


Game 2: Mega Man 3

Mega Man 3 was definitely a gem in the classic Mega Man series in my opionion.  This game was the 3rd installment in the series.  I remember I first saw the game when an old friend of mine brought a copy over to my house and played through the game with me, though eventually I would get my own copy of the game (especially the Anniversary Collection of Mega Man for Xbox). This game was pretty addicting too, as sometimes would spend hours playing the game from the beginning to the end.

Notes about Mega Man 3:
- This game has perhaps that longest robot master section of the game.  In addition to the usual 8 robot master levels, you have to play through 4 of them a second time through and fight robot masters from mega man 2 (reincarnated as "gamma robots"), with 2 major boss fights in each level.  After those, there is a boss fight with "break man" (protoman?) and then after that is the Dr Wily levels.
- To date, Mega Man 3 marks the only game in the series that I am aware of where all 8 robot masters from a previous mega man (from mega man) game make an appearence in the sequel version.  Sure Mega Man 7 has a resurrected version of Guts Man, and in Mega Man 10 "The Archives" boss fights in the first Dr Wily stage have abilities from various robot masters in the previous games (i.e, Wood Man, Slash Man, Tornado Man, etc), but those ones are not quite the same as how it was in Mega Man 3, where all 8 robot master from a previous game make a reappearence
- First game to feature Protoman, this time more as a "close associate".  I think at the time the creators of Mega Man weren't sure if Protoman was going to be an ally or enemy, though Protoman does eventually become an ally of Mega Man (probably after being framed by Dr Wily in Mega Man 5 as well as turning on Wily in Mega Man 4).  
- To date, Mega Man 3 is probably the most creative game when it comes to the final boss fights with Dr Wily in both forms.  In his first from, he attacks Mega Man in a huge spider walker machine (not sure what else to call it), and in his final form he pilots a huge gamma robot (the one with the horns)

 From Mega Man 4, onwards, while the creators are pretty creative with Dr Wily's first form, his final form is more or less the same where you are in a room and he teleports around the room (much like what Count Dracula does in the Castlevania series, where he teleports around and attacks when reappearing).
- Mega Man 3, in my opinion, has probably the easiest Dr Wily stages compared to most of the other games in the series  I thought the Dr Wily levels in Mega Mans 2 and 4 were much more challenging.  Also, some of the bosses (such as the turtles and mega man clone) can easily be beaten by the regular mega buster.  Even the blog monster has a pattern that is relatively easy to remember (he is more challenging in Mega Man 1 and Mega Man X5).
- Interesting cheat: if you think the game is too hard, there was a cheat where if you had 2 controllers, one person can hold down "right" on the d pad on controller 2 and if you fall down a hole, you would lose all of your health bar, but would not die an would pretty much become invincible.  The only way he could die then would be to fall on spikes or get smashed.
- One of 2 mega man games to feature Rush Marine.  He can be very useful for some of the underwater sections of the game, such as gemini man stage as well as the first Dr Wily castle level.  Rush Marine seems to have disappeared from Mega Man 5 onwards. Also, there is a cheat using the password menu that makes it so that you can start with all 9 E tanks as well as one that makes it so you can start the game with at least one robot aster already defeated
- Mega Man 3 is also the first game in the series to feature Rush the dog (aka Rush Coil, Rush Jet, and Rush Marine)

Game 3: Mega Man 4

Mega Man 4 was definitely another classic in the series.  This game does seem to several firsts in the series.  Here are some notes about Mega Man 4:
1. First game in the series to feature the powered up version of the mega buster.  Starting with Mega Man 4, players could hold down the attack button to charge up the mega buster shot and shoot a charged shot at enemies (can be somewhat effective against bosses and stronger enemies).
2.  First game in the series to feature balloon and wire power ups that Mega Man can get  The balloons function much like their counterparts in Mega Man 2 (they have the helicopter blade underneath and mega man can use them to move upwards and is an alternative to rush jet and and rush coil)
3. First game in the series where Dr Wily is not the only primary antagonist that Mega Man is up against (aka Dr Cossack).  Dr Cossack is a russian doctor that unwittingly became a pawn of Dr Wily after Wily kidnapps Dr Cossack's daughter and forces him to fight Mega Man.  Interestingly, for first time through players of the game (especially back when it was first released back in the 1990's long before the internet as we know it became main stream), they wouldn't know about Dr Wily until after defeating Dr Cossack (the game makes no mention of Dr Wily before that point)  It is only after you defeat Dr Cossack when Dr Wily is revealed as the puppet master behind Dr Cossack and then the Dr Wily Stages of the game begin.
4. This is also the first game in the series to feature 2 castles players have to play through (first Dr Cossack's castle and later Dr Wily's castle).  By the way, there is no save point or codes in between the 2 castles, so players had to play through both on in one setting (otherwise if they turn off the console they would have had to start over in the game's final levels).
5. First game in the series to feature Dr Wily's usual final form, where you are in a room and Wily teleports around and attacks after reappearing.  This version of Dr Wily's final form is pretty much the same in the remaining classic Mega Man games (though in Mega Man 10, Mega Man is up against 2 Wily saucers) .
6. This game is the first game in the series where the boss music remains the same in the robot masters, Dr Cossack, and Dr Wily Castle bosses of the game.  The boss music does not change until you fight Dr Wily's final form (that is also pretty much the same kind of deal in Mega Mans 5 and 6 too).
7. This game also marks the first Mega Man game to feature a giant Metalloid as major boss fight (sure there were some large metalloids in Mega Man 3 during the second time through in Needle Man's stage, but it was not a major boss fight, like it's counter part is in Mega Man 4).

Game 4: Mega Man 7

Game 5: Mega Man 10


Mega Man X era
Game 1: Mega Man X1
Game 2: Mega Man X4
Game 3: Mega Man X5
Game 4: Mega Man X8

Information about Boost Insider: an online income opportunity that lets you monetize your blog posts

Hey fellow readers.  Are there any webmasters or bloggers here today?  Do you like to blog?  How would you like to monetize some of your traffic?  In this post, I will talk about Boost Insider, which is basically an online affiliate network where you can shared sponsored posts and links and get paid each time visitors respond.




Boost insider can be a very exciting and lucrative affiliate opportunity for bloggers, article writers or web masters looking to earn some extra cash with their blogs.  I have been an affiliate at Boost Insider for about a month now and have made at least $2.20 as of today's post (it is not alot of money, but it is a start.  In this post, I will share with you what I know about the opportunity.

What is Boost Insider?

Boost insider is an affiliate network that basically pits advertisers and publishers together where advertisers will share affiliate links and sponsored posts and publishers can share some of that content on their blogs, and usually publishers get paid each time visitors click on the links they are given to post.  There are many different campaigns that people can choose from.  Boost Insider often targets blogs on video games, but they have content that can relate to other niches and fields as well (such as ipads, android phones, health issues, making money online, etc).

Here is a list of campaigns I can choose from to publish on my blog.  You don't have to do every campaign, but I recommed doign at least one or 2 campaigns per week minimum since the more exposure you have to the links, the more profitable it should be.  Note that that the campaigns with the red circle means that those ones are paused or cancelled, while the green ones are fair game.

Already interested?  Click here to visit Boost Insider 

What you need for boost insider?
1. Website or Ad Enabled blog

While boost insider is free to join, you do need to have an ad enabled blog or website to use to host the sponsored links and posts advertisers post.  If you are looking to use a free blog, Google Blogger can make a very convenient choice since they do allow affiliate links (as long as posts are not real spammy) and is pretty easy to use and post new posts.  If you are looking to build a website, I might recommend either Site Build it or Global Domains International as both companies make it possible to build affiliate websites for relatively low costs.  Site Build it costs $30 per month to use and they do provide lots of resources to use, including their signature site builder, niche brainstorming tools (similar to word tracker where you can research good key words and niches to build your website around), built in email marketing system (can save webmasters from using 3rd party services such as Aweber or Traffic Wave from using those services for email marketing, for example creating email newsletters). Global Domains International is another option as it only costs a mere $10 per month to use their services and it comes with a domain name, site builder (though more advanced webmasters can opt to use their own html software), email boxes, as well as wordpress.org blogs you can set up as well.  Can be useful for building affiliate websites or blogs on a low budget.  Host gator and Empower Network are also popular networks for building affiliate websites and blogs.  Anyways, once you have a website or blog set up, you are ready to join Boost Insider and use their system.  Warning about free blog hosts: if you plan to use free blog hosts for boost insider, I recommend checking the terms of service before posting affiliate links from boost insider since some hosts (for example, wordpress.com, squidoo, myspace and hub pages do not allow affiliate links) and can susepend or terminate your account if you are caught using affiliate links (this is where paid web or blog hosts can be useful).

2.Traffic (preferably lots of it).
As a fellow affiliate marketer and in the field for several years now, I hate to break it to you, but without traffic (preferably lots of it), you will not get paid (and it can literally take months or even years before you start getting paid without adequate traffic levels and response rates).  Much like Google Adsense, Kontera ads, or Adhitz ads, most of the sponsored links (though some pay on a per lead / sale basis as well) you are given to post pay on a cost per click rate, which means visitors have to click on the links for you to get paid (an no you can't click on your own links).  In my experience, most visitors probably will not click those links so you will need to get logs of people viewing your sponsored posts for you to earn money from the clicks.  100 hits per day minimum is a good start, though at least 1000 hits or more per day is ideal.  There are many ways you can advertise your website or blog, including: word of mouth, including your blog ling in your email signature file when sending out emails, taking part in forums that allow links in your signature file (note that not all forums allow links in the signature file so I recommend checking the rules of forums you want to join before joining them),  doing paid advertising (Bing Ads and Adhitz can be good places to start for PPC advertising).  I would recommend Google Adwords, though they have gotten more stringent when it comes to advertising affiliate website or blogs and they are notorious for banning people who get their ads rejected alot. (happened to me a few years ago when I tried advertising my other blog http://rjanimalvideos.blogspot.com for "site policy" violations, probably because it has affiliate links on it or something).  Social media (such as Facebook and Twitter) can also be useful for sharing posts you make too if used properly.  More savvy bloggers and webmasters can also use Search engine optmization techniques as well to help boost their ranks in search engines as well (though it can be easier said than done to less experienced bloggers ro webmasters).  How you promote your website or blog is up to you, but the more traffic you are getting each day, the better.  By the way, I am not an expert when it comes to boosting traffic levels or boosting conversion rates on ads (if I was, I would be alot richer than I am now and could blog on a full time basis instead on taking part time jobs, but obviously I am not at that point at this time).

3. Choose campaigns and share sponsored posts and links. I recommend sharing sponsored posts that interests you and is relevant to your blog and share those.  Be sure to log into Boost Insider periodically and check your balance as well as for new campaigns to host on your site or blog.

Things I like about boost insider:
- Good variety of links to share and you do have some control over what ads you host and which ones you don't.  Some ad networks (such as Adsense and Adhitz) choose ads for you and they are not always relevant (for example, ads on income opportunities on say a blog that is about pets and animals) in my opinion.
- Better cost per click rates than Adsense and Adhitz.  Most ads pay $.10 or more per click, which is somewhat more compared to other display advertisign networks.  Some also pay on a cost per lead basis as well.
- You get paid each time you earn the required hits in a campaign.  Can go rather quickly or slowly depending on traffic levels.  This is where hosting more than one campaign can can be useful.

Down sides to boost insider:
- Like most affiliate opportunities, making huge bucks with Boost Insider can definitely be easier said than done for typical affiliates.  In the ideal world, almost every affiliate would be making $1000 or more each month in ad revenue, but we do not live in an ideal world, and some people can make alot of money with this, while others might make very little if any money.  I wish I can tell you a fool poof way to ensure you are making at least $1000 per momth minimum but I am not an expert when it comes to income opportunities or affiliate programs, so some people will probably have it easie than others.  My guess is that traffic is king when it comes to cost per click systems.  Without traffic or at least click throughs you will probably not make a dime with Boost Insider.  I recommend setting up a strategy to get more traffic to your sites for best results.  If you have money, I might recommend setting up ad campaigns on Bing ads or Adhitz as that can give you extra hits to your sites each month.  Paid to click sites, safelists and traffic exchanges (my favorite ptc site to advertise on is Clixsense) can be useful for getting lots of traffic too, but most people at those kinds of sites tend to view ads for the money or traffic, so the response rate can be low that way.
- Quotas on each campaign can be tricky to meet for the averange novice.  In the ideal world one can hit the required ammount of clicks for pay out every day, but it is definitely not as easy as it looks, so it can be a while for average affilaites to hit the minimum payment threshold for the campaigns.

Well that is all for now.

For more information about Boost Insider or if you are interested in joining, feel free to click here to visit their site (sign up is free by the way).   

My earnings so far as of 5/15/2015: 2.40

Kim Kardashian Hollywood game first impressions review Facebook version

Here is my first impressions review of the Kim Kardasian Hollywood game (Facebook version)


In my last post, I did a a sponsored post for the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game for the iOS (which you can download at http://bst.is/yVENW8.  Anyways, I noticed that there is a Facebook version of the game (do a search for "Kim Kardashian Hollywood" and you should find it) and decided to try it out myself.

Overview of the game:

So, this game is pretty much a point and click adventure game (kind of reminds me of games like Yoville, Cityville, Sims Social, etc) where you assume a role of a guy or girl that moves to Los Angeles with aspirations to become a star or starlet.  You start out as a sales associate at a department store called So Chic, but early on in the game you encounter a virtual version of Kim and she becomes your mentor and basically helps you to get started on an adventure to become a successful celebrity like she is (you almost get a virtual glimpse into her world in the game).  Lots of things you can do, including:
- Meeting new people in the game (btw, you can also invite Facebook friends to play the game too and interact with them in the game too)
- Traveling to various locations (such as Los Angeles, Malibu, Las Vegas, Miami, Florence, etc)
- Take on girlfriends (if you are playing as a guy) or boyfriends if you are a girl.  Btw, I think it is possible to have same sex relationships too, though personally, I'd rather date a girl over another guy (yeah, I am straight).  You actually get your first relationship rather early in the game too (my guy is currently dating a girl named Michelle).
-  Do photo shoots and ad campaigns.
- Visit parties

By the way, there are several antagonists in the game you will encounter (they seem to hate your player without a cause other than jealousy) and will try to make your life in the game miserable.  For example, one girl my guy met got my guy fired from working on a movie because she didn't like my guy in the movie.  Also, they will try to eat at your fan base too.  How you stand up to them is yet to be known but it is worth mentioning too.

Pros and cons about the game:

The good:
- Fun point and click adventure with lots of variety
- Who doesn't like Southern California even though it is not the real thing?
- Who doesn't like Kim Kardashian as a celebrity?  Not that I personally know her (I can't say I have ever met her in person other than "knowing" her on TV like most folks do) of course.
- Lots of tutorials, places to visit, things to do, etc.  Makes becoming a celebrity look easy (I am sure it is not nearly as easy as it looks being an average joe myself).
- Dating simulator elements.  This game also functions as a dating simulation game (where you meet virtual girlfriends and do some virtual dating).  You get your first girlfriend or boyfriend early on in the game.  Also, relationships can seem to evolve into marriages too.


The bad:
- Annoying energy bar system (which refills slowly every 4-5 minutes).  The energy bar system is rather limited and drains quickly as you do various tasks (such as going to parties, photo shoots, dates, etc).  Once the energy bar runs out, unless if you are willing to buy energy, you have to wait a while (usually 4-5 minutes per energy level) for the energy to refill.  This can definitely put a crimp into doing some tasks in the game, especially visiting parties, dates, etc within a time frame as you can use up all of your energy points rather quickly and then you have to wait a while for your energy bar to replinish before doing anything which can make it difficult to beat certain missions (especially within a time frame).  At most venues, as you do various tasks you earn stars which count as progress towards completion of them and sometimes it can be easier said than done to get them all within certain times.
- Redundancy.  Some things can get redundant after a while (such as doing photo shoots, working, etc).
- Pressure to put extra hours into the game (expect to have at least 2 hours set aside per play if you want to make real progress in the game).  The game does seem to operate at real time (no way to pause or save and reload progress int the game).  Alot can can happen between logins (for example, missed meetings, opportunities, etc).  Also, you have a fan base system that increases or decreases over time depending on your energy level.  Consequently, pressure is on to log in almost every day and spend at least 2 hours minimum (preferably more) per session.  This can definitely be a turn off for people who have busy schedules.  Sure if one has alot of free time on his or her hands, then the real time feature would not be a problem, but for most people who have jobs, school, church, or other responsibilities to attend to, one can only do so much in a given session.  Also, vacation mode might be recommended for the game too if one anticipates being offline for an extended period of time, such as vacations, work, family activities, etc (considering that summer is just around the corner, what if people have to take off for a whole week)?  Who knows what can happen if that happens.
- Probably appeals more to girls than guys.  Definitely a feminine style game. This is not to say that some guys will play the game, but it definitely seems to be geared more towards women (such as fashion, glamour, relationships, etc).
- Dating system is flawed and may or may not be worth the effort (you might be better off remaining "single" in the game rather in a relationship.  Integrated with the Kim Kardashian hollywood game, is a built in dating simulator where you can meet "girls" or "guys" (depending on your preference) in the game.  In my experience, players usually get their first "significant other" early on in the game.  While the dating system does add more interactivity in the game, the dating system does seemed to be flawed in my opinion.  From a guy's perspective, girls in the game can be high maintanence and you never know when they are going to call and want to break up (especially if you miss a day).  Originally I hooked up with a girl named Michelle.  A few days later, she called and wanted to break up (got a little busy doing other tasks in teh game too).  My guy met another girl met another girl (I think her name was Paige) and today I had to work my real life job and when I came on, she wanted to break up (I guess creators of the game are expecting players to have lots of free time on their hands).  You know, people can be busy in real life (I have 3 part time jobs myself, with Crossmark currently being my primary job) and I don't always have time to play the game.  It might be easier to hold off on the dating sim part of the game until you have lots of time to invest into the game.  It is alot easier to play through the game without girlfriends or boyfriends in my opinion.

Overall Grade: B
Good, though perhaps not the best choice for everyone.  Will definitely appeal to Kim Kardashian fans though.  

Well, that is all I can think of for now.  This game will definitely be a hit for many people who are into the Keeping up with the Kardashians franchise and looking for some games to play on facebook (can make a good alternative to games like Candy Crush or Farmville).  By the way, it appears Kim may have had a hand in making the game (see http://www.businessinsider.com/kim-kardashian-hollywood-game-history-2014-8).  Of course, this game will probably not appeal to everyone, especially people not into the point and click adventure style game as well as people who don't have time to play these kinds of games.  Note tthat this is only a first impression review I have and I will try and do a more detailed review of the game at a later time.

Other thoughts and tidbits:
- This game definitely makes becoming a celebrity look easy.  I am sure it is not as easy as it looks.
- Important disclaimer: I do not personally know Kim Kardashian nor am I working for her in this post.  I got the sponsored post via Boost Insider (fellow bloggers, you can check them out at http://bst.is/lnHPW8, sign up is free by the way, though you do need an ad enabled blog to host the referral links).  Like most people, I know her on television (such as in Keeping up with the Kardashians), but I don't personally know that lady (can't say I have ever met her).
- The game definitely makes you feel like you are in Southern California.  Like I said in my last post, I have only been to the Los Angeles area twice in my life (back in 2001 and 2006).  I have been to California on several other occasions, but those times I usually mainly visited the Sacramento area (my aunt lives there, and so did my grandfather too before he passed away back in 2005).  I have also been to the Lake Tahoe and San Francisco area on more than one occasion.  I do live in the Seattle area, which is 2 stats north of California (right along the Interstate 5 corridor).
- Important disclosure: this review is based on my own experiences with the game and may not necessarily reflect the thoughts of other people who played the game.  I don't personally work for the people who made the game (just an affiliate), and I may earn a commission if people click on the referral links for the game (same with the Amazon link for Grand Theft Auto 5).

Similar games:

Grand Theft Auto 5 (San Andreas is very similar to Southern California in many ways, barring some obvious differences).  
Comments?

Have any of you played the Kim Kardashian Hollywood Game?  What is your experience with the game?  How would you rate it?  Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

#KimKardashianBI Hollywood Video Game -Let's Play (Gameplay), Sponsored Post (updated)

Here is a

I think it is time for another sponsored post.  Are any of you Kim Kardashian fans?  Here is an interactive adventure game where you can "work" for Kim.





You can get this game at: http://bst.is/yVENW8 

1. Game features and information:

Join KIM KARDASHIAN on a red carpet adventure in Kim Kardashian: Hollywood! Create your own aspiring celebrity and rise to fame and fortune! Have you ever dreamed of visiting Hollywood?  This game offers a simulated Hollywood experience (IOs style).  Obviously it is not the real Hollywood, but it is based on it.

? CREATE YOUR OWN STAR and customize your look with hundreds of style options, including Kim Kardashian’s personal picks!  The game lets you customized your own character.

? STAR in a huge interactive adventure as you encounter other celebs, dedicated fans, persistent paparazzi… and even hang out with Kim herself!  It is basically an interactive story game (choose your own adventure style).

? RULE THE RED CARPET as an A-list movie actor, cover model, fashion designer and more – what you do is up to you!  The goal of the game is to become a virtual celebrity.
? TAKE OVER L.A. in a virtual world complete with exclusive clubs, upscale boutiques, and luxury homes! Travel to New York City and Miami!  Probably based on some of the locations the Kardashians have been to (such as New York and Miami).
? DATE AND DUMP CELEBS at the best parties and hottest clubs! Flirt and become the next huge celebrity power-couple!  Reminds me of of dating simulation games on Newgrounds a bit.
? BRING YOUR FRIENDS ALONG FOR THE RIDE using Game Center and Facebook – help each other rise to fame, compare styles, send gifts, and see who can be the biggest star!  Like many Facebook style games, you can invite friends to play as well.

Commentary

I don't have an iphone, so I haven't been able to try this game yet, but it looks pretty neat and creative.  It also seems to promote the Dash brand too.  I can't say I have ever been to Dash (only been to the Hollywood area once and that was back in 2001) considering that Dash doesn't seem to exist in the Seattle area, but I do work part time at Kohls, which is kind of like Dash in a way (retail clothing store environment) so I could almost relate to the Kardashians that way.  By the way, Grad Theft Auto 5 also makes you feel like you are in LA too in a much bigger world and adventure.  

Have you tried The Kim Kardashian Hollywood video game yet?  Feel free to share your experiences with the game below.

Update (April 27, 2015)

I noticed that there is also a Facebook version of the Kim Kardashian Hollywood video game and to be fair (sadly I don't have an iphone or ipad, have a Windows Phone and Dell Tablet instead) I will play that version of the game and post a full review of it at a future date.  Though I could share my first impressions of the Facebook version of the game in my next post.

Similar games: Grand Theft Auto 5 (you are basically in a virtual version of Southern California in that game too, barring some obvious differences).

Foods for thought:

1. My experiences in California.
I have only been to the Los Angeles area twice in my life.  The first time was during the summer of 2001 and in 2006.  In 2001, I had recently graduated from high school that year (at Jackson High School in Mill Creek) and for my senior trip, my family flew on a plane to the Los Angeles area.  Highlights of that trip included:

•  visiting Disneyland and staying there for a whole week (lots of time to see the many different rides and attractions they offer).
• Visiting universal studios in Hollywood
• Driving around the Hollywood and Beverly Hills area
• Driving up the Coast to Monterey via highway 101.  Stopped a a beach near Santa Barbra (forgot the name of it) and San Luis Obiso along they way.  Probably drove right past Calabasas that time on the freeway (obviously I didn't know anything about the Kardashians back then, at least not till the tv show started airing).
• Visiting my grandpa in Sacramento before flying home.

In 2006, my family did a road trip to the Los Angeles area.  Stayed at my aunt's house in West Sacramento for a few days and then drove to Palm Desert and stayed at club intrawest there for a whole week.  Afterwards, we visitied Disneyland again for a few days and then instead of taking Interstate 5 home, we went up 15 and visited Las Vegas (marked my first time there, we stayed at the Luxor casino / hotel that time)), Bryce Canyon, and Twin Falls, Idaho on the way home.  By the way, I have been to the Sacramento on various occasions too, especially back when my grandfather was still alive (he passed away back in 2005), with the most recent trip being back in 2012 when I visited my aunt there.  

2. I do have some experience working in the fashion industry myself (at least in the way), via Kohls.  I can't say I have ever been to Dash retailers (the business Kim helps run) or similar retailers in Southern California, but I do have a part time job working at Kohls, usually working in the men's department, so I do have some experience when it comes to apparel and similar kinds of merchandise (even helped in the Misses and Juniors departments on more than one occassion).  In the video game, your characther works in a clothing retailer, which I am quite familiar with.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Online: A ghost town now?

Who here has played Grand Theft Auto 5 Online on Xbox One lately?  Considering that I have already played through the storyline mode on the Xbox 360 version of GTA 5 I have decided to try and focus a bit more of my time in the online version of the Los Santos area.  My character is officially at level 14 as of today and will likely level up again in the near future as well.

Example of a ghost town.  Looks like a town, with nobody in it (maybe ghosts though, considering that some do have ghost stories).  Image source http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Bodie_CA_-_ghost_town.jpg

Here is a picture of my GTA Online character.  I named him Uncle Steve (was trying to be creative with names)

Anyways, while playing through the online mode, I have noticed that the streets Los Santo has been rather empty lately (besides npc characters).  At onetime, GTA Online has been quite lively with lots of people online, doing missions together, organizing races, doing pvp matches, etc.  Now days, it seems to look more like a ghost town.  There are npc characters you can interact with and some missions can be doable even on single player (though some missions can be considerably more difficult to do when playing alone as opposed to teaming up with people), though the online mode is definitely funner to do when other people are online too.  By the way, some missions and mini games are unplayable or nearly impossible to complete on single player mode (especially ones requiring 2 or more players).  I remember doing this one drug deal mission gone wrong mission where you had to go to a drug deal, though the people you had to meet turn hostile and you have to steal the drugs and destroy their vans (can't remember the name of the mission right off), but that missions was nearly impossible to do in single player (even on easy mode).  Not only do you have to take on an army of gang members but you also have to destroy vans too in that mission which pretty much suicide when one attempts the mission alone.

By the way, I am disappointed and suprised to see the empty map in GTA Online, especially now they are advertising the new GTA online heist missions that people can do on GTA online now.  Obviously you can't do a heist mission if there is nobody to team up with.  I hope Rockstar will fix those issues with GTA online, otherwise GTA 5 Online could very well be dead (much like how it was on GTA 4 was when GTA 5 came out) and you might be better off just sticking to the single player mode.  I don't have any pictures of the empty map yet, but if I see an empty map again, I will share it to show what I mean.  

Is anyone else having these issues with GTA Online?  By the way, I am not sure if this is issue is just affecting the Xbox One version or if it is affecting PS4 as well, but if you play GTA online you just might find yourself in a ghost town for now.

Super Freakin' Parody Rangers THE MOVIE (Part 1)

Here is a funny parody of Power Rangers the Movie (1997).  Warning; this video does contain some crude language and some twisted humor.

8 bit Avengers Age of Ultron

You know, the new Avengers of movie is supposed to come out in just a few weeks from now and there have been several different trailers out and here is a very humorous 8 bit trailer of that movie featuring NES characters and sprites.



Few notes:

- Mario seems to be portraying Thor

- Mega Man as Tony Stark and Iron Man (Mega Man is somewhat fitting for that role considering that he too has his own mechanical suit and armor)

- Donkey Kong as Hulk (pretty funny, especially when he takes on Mega Man).



8 bit can definitely make funny parodies of various movies and shows.

The Avengers - 8-Bit Cinema

Here is a short 8 bit version of the first Avengers movie.  Pretty funny to watch.  Seems to use mega man style sprites

Big name movies coming out this year

This year is definitely going to be an intersting year for movies.  Last year, there was the third and final hobbit movie, Iron Man 3,  Guardians of the Galaxy (interstingly, the guy that played Starlord is from the Lake Stevens area here in Washington), Teenage Muntant Ninja Turrtles reboot (still have yet to see that movie) and even Captain America Winter Solider (btw much of the Agents of Shield episodes since the movie have dealt with the aftermath of that move with the revived Agent Coulson being named the new director of SHIELD after Nick Fury stepped down), Lego Movie and even Interestellar (I thought that movie was as blast to watch, especially at night in theaters).   This year, more movies are slated to be released.  Here are some movies I am looking forward to:

Movie 1- Avengers 2: Age of Ultron (should be coming up in May)

It looks like Marvel is going to be starting this year off with a bang with the release of the anticpated Avengers 2 Age of Ultron.  This movies seems like it is going to be significantly darker than the first movie and brings the heroes back in a seemingly more chaotic world, especially with SHIELD in ruins and pretty much in civil war mode in the aftermath of Captain America 2 as well as unfolding events in Agents of SHIELD (given the hydra situation as well as now the so called "Real SHIELD") group too that has arisen (tough to tell the good guys from the bad guys too sometimes).  By the way, at comic con this year, I decided to dress up as Nick Fury (had the trench coat and eye patch) with the new movie coming out.  Interestingly, Age of Utron is supposed to mark the end of "phase 2" and being the "phase 3" marvel movies.  Apparently, it is also supposed to tie into Captain America 3: Civil War (apparently the Civil War storyline is going to be shown in that movie), though it is not clear on how the events will lead to the marvel civil war.

Movie 2: Ant Man (currently set to come out in July sometime)

This movie will start the storyline in the Marvel Cinematic universe version of Ant Man (aka Hank Pym).  He had a much bigger role in earlier versions of Avengers (such as Avengers Earth's Mightiest heroes, Marvel Ultimate Alliance, and Marvel's Ultimate Avengers 1 and 2 movies).  Interestingly, Hank is not supposed to appear in the New Avengers movie considering past versions of Ultron were Hank's creation.

Movie 3: Fantastic 4 Reboot

Who here saw Fantastic 4 back in 2005 with Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans (also known as Steve Rogers from Captain America), and Michael Chiklis portraying the Fantastic 4 characters?  Well, it looks like we are about to be a reboot version of that movie, this time portrayed by different actors.  Will the infamous Doctor Doom make a return in this movie?  Only time will tell.  It will be interesting to see how this version compares with the 2005 version.

Movie 4: Jurassic World

After a long hiatus in Jurassic Park movies, the franchise is about go get yet another sequel.  This movie is supposed to be set about 22 years after the events of the original movie and a new dinosaur theme park is built in place of the old one.  It appears a new mutant dinosaur is supposed to make a debut too?  I still remember when the earlier version of the movies when they came out in the 1990s and early 2000s (especailly Jurassic Park and Lost World).  By the way, where is Turok the Dinosaur (from the N64 game Turok) hunter when you need him should the dinosaurs go on a rampage once again?

Movie 5: Terminator Genysis

  

Interestingly, the 5th installment of the Terminator is slated to be released later this year and Arnold Schwarzenegger is supposed to make a return into the franchise once again, after being absent from Terminator Salvation (aka Terminator 4) probably as a result of him being governor of California at the time.  Interestingly according to an article I read apparently, he wasn't too wild about Terminator Salvation (see http://www.fashionnstyle.com/articles/56098/20150409/terminator-genisys-news-arnold-schwarzenegger-slams-terminator-salvation-says-glad-didnt-have-appear-fourth-movie.htm), though I suppose having less say in the movie was a small price to pay for not being in that movie and being governor instead that year.  By the way, while I have seen Terminator Salvation, I haven't seen all of the other 3 movies yet.  Will have to watch the other movies sometime.

Movie 6 - Star Wars Force Awakens (aka Episode 7)

   

You know, who would have thought that there was going to be a third Star Wars trilogy in our lifetime.  I remember George Lucas once saying that he wasn't going to make any new Star Wars movies after episode 3 (Revenge of the Sith).  However it seems like he had a change of heart and let others directors continue the Star Wars movie storyline.  This movie will officially mark the beginning of the 3rd trilogy and will see the return of old favorites (portrayed by the original actors and actresses), including Luke Skywalker,  Han Solo, Princess Leia, etc.  This storyline is set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, though even I am in the dark on what the new movies are going to be about.  Originally I thought that the Expanded Universe (such as books, comics, games, etc) were going to bridge the gap between the original trilogy and the new trilogy but it looks like the producers are not going to use those versions of events (no longer considered canon) and the new movies will be all new, so it is pretty much uncharted territory now.  There is some speculation though considering that there were some loose ends ins the storyline after Return of the Jedi (especially in light of the prequels).  Some questions I might have includes:
1) Does Luke restore the Jedi council (remember it was decimated during the events of Revenge of the Sith, especially once Order 66 was issued by Palpatine).
2) Does Darth Sidious Make a return despite his apparent death in Return of the Jedi?
3) What happens to Coruscant and the fallen Old Republic?
4)   How about Han and Leia?  In the book version of events, they get married and have kids (Jacen and Jaina)
5)  Does Boba Fett escape the Sarlacc monster?  In the expanded universe, he does?
6)  Is Luke married?  In the book version of events, he gets married to a lady named Mara Jade.  Interestingly, if you read the Thrawn Trilogy, initially she wanted to kill Luke as a result of Palpatine's death, but I don't remember seeing her in the prequel trilogy, so I don't know if she will be in the movie or not.
7) Does Obi Wan Kenobi make a return as force ghost
8) Does Leia become a jedi?  Remember in Return of the Jedi she just begun to realise her powers (much like how Luke was in Episode 4).
9) How about Luke and Leia's origins (not sure how much they knew about Anakin and Padme).
And many other questions.  Of course right now, one can only speculate.

Well, that is all for now.  I am sure there are many other movies set to be released this year.  How about you, are there movies you are anticipating this year?  Next year (2016) we will see more big name movies, including Captain America 3: Civil War, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Reboot (bringing back all of the original characters portrayed by new actors), Superman vs Batman (interestingly, when Man of Steel came out, I had to do a demo at the Walmart in South Everett where I literally had to dress up as Superman and try to get people to buy tickets for the debut screening of the movie, it will be interesting to see if Walmart stores do a similar promotion for the next film), and Independence Day 2 (yes, Independence day is getting a sequel at last).  By the way, all of these movies coming up are already giving me ideas on what to dress up as to next year's Emerald City comic con.  Could go as superman again, Batman, a power rangers character (doing a Bulk and Skull cosplay might be fun, though I would have to get someone to dress up too and get a punk outfit to look authentic), or even a Star Wars character.

Star Wars Battlefront 3 2015 Talk: Singleplayer & Force Awakens DLC; Mus...

It looks like the latest Star Wars Battlefront game is going to be coming out this year.  I remember playing through the first 2 Star Wars Battlefront games too.  Will definitely consider buying this game when it comes out.  Interestingly, it looks like there might even be content in the upcoming Star Wars Force Awakens movie too (aka Episode 7).

Lego Movie Xbox One Review

Who here likes Legos?  I remember playing through both Lego Star Wars (prequel era Star Wars) and Lego Star Wars 2 (based on the original trilogy back in the day) and thought they were pretty fun to play through.  It is Lego and Star Wars after all.  Fast forward to Christmas season of 2014, there is now a game based on the classic Lego Movie that was released earlier last year.  In case if you don't know, Lego Movie was a movie that was released back in February of 2014 and was basically about an average Joe worker, named Emmet who had been living a seemingly normal and comfortable life.  However, unbeknownst to Emmet, the world he was living in was basically a global dictatorship lead by the evil Lord Business, who was pretty much ruling the world with an iron fist and secretly wanted to "cragle" (or anhilate everyone).  One day Emmet stumbles across a prophecy that would spell the end of Lord Business' regime and soon gets caught in the middle of an ongoing conflict between Lord Business and his cronies (such as Bad Cop) and an ever growing group of rebels that want to overthrow his regime and it is up to Emet to help save the day.  I won't spoil how the movie plays out and ends (assuming some of you haven't seen the movie yet), but if you want to see the movie, you can probably buy it on Amazon or maybe even Netflix (not sure of it is on Netflix or not).  See link below for the lego movie.

Anyways, as most people might expect: several games have been released based on Lego Movie and I was able to play through the Xbox One Version of the game.  After playing through the game, in my opinion it is definitely a fun and interesting movie based game to play through.  The game starts out with the prologue, where the wizard Vitruvius and Cleopatra teams up to take on Lord Business (much like he does in the movie) which comes in the form of a boss fight and ends with Vitruvius utters his prophecy about the downfall of Lord Business' regime. Then the game shifts over to present day and in the role of Emmet and in an open world environment.  Initially the game takes place in the City of Bricksburg, but other areas open up as you play through the game, inlcuding Flatbrush gultch (which petty much as an old west style theme), Cuckoo land (basically a city in the clouds) and later the Octan tower.  There is also a bonus room (there is nothing in there at first, but comes alive after you beat the story mode) and a secret area too I believe.  In each world there are a series of levels and storyline missions to play through.  Below is a video showing the first 9 minutes of the game.

I won't spoil the rest of the game for you (of course if you do not mind spoilers, you can get a full game guide at http://www.gamefaqs.com/xbox360/722935-the-lego-movie-videogame/faqs/68687 that details the walkthrough of the entire game).  Overall, personally I thought the game was a very fun and great tie-in to the movie.  The levels and worlds feel like you are playing in an interactive version of Lego Movie, full of worlds, levels, cutscenes and voice acting that you would see in the movie.  It even has a huge boss fight at the end where Emmet and Hello Kitty team up in their final showdown against Lord Business.  I have seen some sources that seem to offer mixed reviews of the game, but I have seen movie game that are much worse than Lego Movie, but I am sure that Lego Movie will not appeal to everyone, though I am sure kids will love the game, though maybe not as much for older crowds.

Review Highlights:

Pros:
+  Plays out much like the ovie
+ Good replay value.  Like many lego based games, as you play through each storyline level, you will find that there are hidden objects and secret areas hidden throughout the levels and will definitely require revisits on Freeplay mode if you want to find them all.
+ Somewhat open worlds in Free Roam mode.  The map size is not too big, but there plenty of things you can do in each world, such as stocking up on lego pieces that can be used to buy red bricks or unlocking new characters.  Many of them even have hidden objects you can find and side missions you can do (for example, in Bricksburg one side mission has you finding cats around the city for a reg brick, and in Flatbrush Gulch there is a side mission where characters can help find and bring outlaws to justice).
+ Lots of cutscenes from the movie complete with voice acting and all from the movie.
+ Interesting characters you can play as too.  My favorites are: Batman, Superman, Bad Cop, Green Lantarn, as well as the guy that can throw dynamites at things, but there are plenty of other ones available.
+ Minigames (especially the hacker terminal games, which pretty much play out much like Pacman).

Negative aspects about the game:
- The storymode is relatively short and linear.  Though it is possible to stretch out the game to extend the gameplay
- Will probably appeal more to kids than adults.  While I thought the game was pretty fun even though I am 32 years old, I am sure the game will not appeal to everyone, though I am sure kids will love it.
-  Like many similar games, eventually, you do run out of things you can do and items to find and then  there really isn't much left to do.  Eventually you play through the storyline, complete the freeplay mode and complete all of the side missions in each world and then it is time to move on.  On the positive note, the game can be stretched out so that you don't have to do everything in one setting.
-  The game might seem to be too easy to some people.  When your character dies, he/she just respawns right by where he died and it just subtracts some of your lego money.

Overall grade in my opinon: A

Want the game, you can buy it on Amazon at:


Note that the game is also available for the PS4, 3DS, Xbox 360 and WII U as well.

Similar games:


Have you played Lego Movie?  Feel free to share your experiences with the game in the comments section below?  Feel free to like and share this post if you like it.  Your support would be most appreciated.

Commentary on the article: Cheshire, England: Schools Intend To Call The Police On Parents Who Let Kids Play Violent Video Games Pic

Here is a Big Brother is Watching you photo with Tony Blair (image source: flickr.com)

Picture of Halo 3, another video game that could be affected by the new rules

Here is an interesting and potientially controversial article I found on Inquisitr and at Infowars (http://www.infowars.com/schools-to-parents-if-you-let-your-kid-play-call-of-duty-well-call-the-cps-on-you/) worth talking about.  Apprently in England, some schools are adopting a new policy where if kids are allowed to play violent video games (such as Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto 4 / 5, Dogs of War, etc) or use social media like Facebook, schools can calls Child Protective services or even the police on their parents.  Here is the original letter posted on the info wars website:

(source: http://www.infowars.com/schools-to-parents-if-you-let-your-kid-play-call-of-duty-well-call-the-cps-on-you/)

My Commentary:

Who here have kids or even teenagers that play video games?  Talk about a Nanny State style system.  Can't you imagine this: you have a typical teenage son (say 16 or 17) and he plays Call of Duty Advanced War Fare with his buddies or maybe he does Halo Masterchief, Assassins Creed, or similar games (which I am sure many teenagers do) and should nosy school officials learn what games he is playing, they might call the cops on the parents.  Interestingly, the proposed rules would also prohibit kids from using Facebook (possibly twitter and myspace too) or apps like WhatsApp, apparently because they might encounter cyberpredators online (which is definitely an inherit risk people can take when online considering that you never know who you might meet online).  What do you all think of such policies?  Should schools or even the government be able to dictate what games kids or teens can play or wither or not if they can use social media like Facebook.  

Now, I have mixed issues when it comes to what kids can play and do.  Sure there are games that kids probably shouldn't be playing (especially games like Grand Theft Auto 5, where you pretty much control 3 different criminals in a huge open world environment that mimicks Southern California and gets into things like drugs, gangs, crime, murder, and similar elements that are likely to be offensive to some, especially kids and mothers).  On the flipside, you can get a grey area when it comes to video games and some people can handle violent video games better than others.  I remember when I was in high school, the Nintendo 64 and Sony Playstation were the style and I remember playing 007 Golden Eye on the 64 on many different occasions (even bought the 64 and golden eye back during my college years) which was very similar to Call of Duty in many ways, and definiely a predecessor game that probably helped inspire games like Halo and Call of Duty (especially the multiplayer modes).  Also, back then there used to be a flight similar arcade called The Otherside (which seems to have gone out of business since then) where people can pay $20/hour and play online games, such as World War 2 dogfight games, Duke Nukem, Quake, and similar games over a huge network.  So should teenagers (let alone parents) be punished by schools or even the government for what games they play on their game systems?  Also, would be restrictions just be aimed at MA 17 games or could they be expanded to T rated games too (such as the Sims 3 or say Mortal Kombat)?  

I found the Facebook restrictions interesting too.  By the way, according to Facebook, people have to be at least 13 or older to sign up for Facebook (though back when I was in high school, facebook and myspace did not exist and I did not sign up there till when I was going to Northwest University).  Sure there can be shady people on social media sites like Facebook, Myspace, etc such as trolls, cyberbullies, scammers, and even the occasional pedophile types.  Even I sometimes get random ladies online that I don't know trying to flirt with me on MSN Instant Messenger and Facebook too sometimes and I usually ignore them since I don't really know them and want to protect myself.  Last year I won't name names, but I met a random lady from Wyoming (she contacted me first).  She was apparently in her 30s, had 2 kids and no husband (apparently he died sometime ago) and she obviously seemed to be in a hurry to get into a relationship with me.  She wanted me to drive out to Cheyanne, Wyoming at least once or twice (which is definitely at least a 2 day away from the Seattle area) and even wanted me to call her, and even meet her at a state park in Montana once,  but obviously I did not know her personally and knew better than to rush into such a relationship (after all, I did know know what her intentions were).  Even if she was legit, I knew I wasn't ready to have kids of my own, which probably would have come with the relationship with her and obviously I would not be able to support them considering that I am only working part time and living on low income.  Luckily she unfriended me and moved on before things got out of hand.  Anyways, people like her do exist on Facebook and Myspace and people have to be careful when it  comes to meeting people online.  But at the same time, Facebook (and similar social media) can be used for more productive things too, such as connecting with friends, sharing photos they take, keeping in touch with people, etc.  Blogging sites, such as Blogger can be good to have too, as it can help kids develop their writing skills, which is pretty crucial to have, especially once they go off to college as writing quality papers do become a part of the daily routine in college and papers not living up to standards usually get Ds and Fs.  

By the way, while the new rules concerning violent video games and social media mainly affects England, I am sure it is only a matter of time before American schools take up similar laws and rules (after all, America and England are similar in many ways, even when it comes to politics and schools).  Also, this is not the first time schools have tried to impose their policies and rules to students even when they were not in school.  I rmember when I was in college at Northwest University, students were not supposed to drink alcholic beverages, even when off campus, so if students went to nearby bars and pubs, they ran the risk of someone noticing them and reporting it to school authorities (which probably could lead to susepensions or even expulsions in some circumstances).

1. In Virginia Beach, Virginia, a pair of 7th graders were expelled for the "crime" of doing airsofting in their own yards, not far from the rest stop.  I don't know what all lead up to the expulsions, but the kids were playing some airsoft in their own yard (which is somewhat similar to paintball, where you you shoot small airsoft pellets at targets or sometimes even each other which is pretty harmless, though they can leave bruises and welts much like in paintball) and a neighbor complained about it and somehow the school found out about it and expelled the kids apparently for "possession, handling and use of a firearm" (apparently airsoft guns are considered fire arms as far as the school was concerned and not allowed, even at home). Not sure if the students were able to overturn their expusions or not. By the way, if me and my brothers were in that district, we probably would have been expelled too considering that we used to do mock civil war battles with cap guns in our back yards, even went paintball and laser tagging on a few occasions too.


2. In another incident a student from Louisianna was arrested because he was using an app called, "Real Strike" to "shoot" fellow students. Real Strike is an augumented reality app for the Iphone that mimicks Call of Duty in Real life settings (much like how it is with Laser tag, where people can shoot harmless "lasers" at each other). Now while "shooting" fellow students was definitely inappropriate in my opinion, having the student arrested shows how far the zero tolerance policies can go.

       (above is Real Strike in Action, it is a similared game, where app users can "shoot" things in a simulated setting, though of course nobody really gets hurt).  By the way, the Windows Phone has a similar app where you can "shoot paintballs" at "targets" (you tap the screen, the phone vibrates and a virtual paintball splatters).

3. Perhaps a more disturbing story: Student getting expelled for refusing to wear an RFID tracking chip
In this story, a girl named Angela was expelled from school because her family wanted to opt out of the RFID program apparently for both religious (apparently she thought it was the prophecized Mark of the Beast from Revelation in the Bible) and privacy reasons.  It was apparently a chip embedded in student asb cards that can track student werabouts at all times (both on campus and off campus) and apparently kids had to check in with staff members to go over the RFID data.  Apparently it was also used to reduce truancy as well. Personally I have mixed feelings about the chips.  First off personally I doubt that the chip is the "mark of the beast".  From Christian standpoint, the mark of the beast system is not supposed to be implemented until when the end time events happen, probably around the mid point of the 7 year tribulation period (just before the great tribulation that is supposed to take place during the last 3 1/2 years before Christ's return) and will be imposed by the Antichrist himself (he is a prophecised world leader that will appear, probably in Europe or the Revived Roman empire as a charismatic leader that will impose a global dictatorship on the entire world and will eventually be indwelt by Satan himself, claim to be God and demand to be worshiped, which will also lead to the imposition of the mark of the beast system).  Most likely it will likely be some sort of microchip, tattoo, or similar implant that goes on the right hand or forehead and people won't be able to buy or sell without it, with the threat of death (probably by beheading) for people who refuse it (you can read the book of Revelation in the bible for everything you need to know about the antichrist, mark of the beast, etc).  Obviously people will want to avoid the mark of the beast at all costs (even if it means martyrdom) given the eternal ramifications for people who take it.  Anyways, last I checked, t he tribulation has not begun yet and the Antichrist is not on the scene yet, so I doubt that the RFID chip is the mark of the beast.  It could be a predecesor to it for all I know, but it is not the mark of the beast (at least not the present form).  As for privacy concerns, while the school officials may have good intentions for it, such as being able to tell where students are on campus (especially in the case of emergencies or fire drills) and even help find kids who go missing (which can be useful considering some kids do get kidnapped or lost at times), the technologies can definitely get intrusive too.  I can't imagine what it would be like going to a school or college where staff members can track your every move both on and off campus (for example, I wouldn't even think about going into a bar or pub the schools I went to tracked my every move).

I am sure this list goes on, but this article definitely shows how far schools can go when it comes to imposing their policies on students on and off campus and how more authoritarian schools are becoming.  Personally, I think big brother and zero tolerance policies is a dangerous mix when it comes to people's freedoms both in England and here in the US considering that many unsuspecting students and kids can easily find themselves caught in the ever expanding system, especially when there already does seem to be school to pipeline style system in place in many places across the country and taking a big brother approach to things could definitely lead to more people falling into that system, which would be terrible for society in my opinion.  Hopefully people will work on setting up checks and balances for school systems to ensure they do not get too much power over peoples' lives and reduce unnecessary suspensions or interactions with law enforcement agencies.   I will try to keep you updated on this story as I come across more.

What do you think.  Should schools be able to dictate what games kids can play or should it be left up to their parents?  Do you have teens that play games like Call of Duty or similar games?     Feel free to leave a comment below.  For fellow Americans, what would you do if schools inacted similar parties.

Like this article?  Please be sure to "like and share" this post with others.

Emerald City Comic Con 2015 Slideshow

Yesterday, I went to the Emerald City Comic con and decided to create a slideshow from the pictures I took.  Here is the video below:

This free slideshow design generated with Smilebox

I definitely had a blast yesterday at comic con.  I went with my brother Justin yesterday and got there about 10:30ish and was there all day, till about 10:30 pm.  This time around, I mainly sat in on the panels discussion, though I did wander around on several occasions as well.

This time around, I did some cosplaying myself and dressed up as Nick Fury from the Avengers.

Show highlights at the show includes:

1. Anthony Daniels panel discussion

Picture of Anthony Daniels (source: http://totalgame.es/star-wars-7-ya-tiene-titulo/).  I got a picture of him too, but I was in the back and it was hard to get a good picture of him.

Obviously, if you have seen any of the Star Wars Movies, you should be familiar with C3PO and Anthony Daniels is the actor who played the droid.  He has definitely had an interesting career playing C-3PO considering that he was not only in the original trilogy, but he also served in the Prequel trilogy and the upcoming sequel trilogy as well.  He even reprised his role in Clone Wars, Star Wars rebels and other Star Wars media featuring C3P0 (see http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000355/ for Anthony Daniels' information on IMDB).  His panel was just starting when I got there and sadly I got there late (got lost trying to find his panel as the comic con's convention center layout was changed since last year).  I did have at least one question for him, but I didn't really get a chance to ask it, but my question would have been: "which trilogy did you like working with and why".

Other notes about the comic con

- Star Trek Improv

This one was fun to watch.  Back in 2013 a similar "Star Trek Crew" did a similar improv where they do a lengthy play based on an episode of the show that the audience helps to create.  This year, the audience picked "Candy Land" the planet the crew landed on with the people made of chocolate (which made some of the crew members like Uhra hungry) and the crew was on a diplomatic mission to work with the people of candy land.  Pretty funny improv to watch.  Last time I saw the play, the crew went to a planet called the "Kardashians" (some of the audience were Kardashian fans) and the people of the planet were worshiping "apple pies" and was funny to watch too.

- Geek Career panel

This is an interesting panel to watch for people looking to get "nerdy type" careers (such as working for companies like Nintendo and microsoft.   Considering that I am looking for work myself (hey if this blog was generating alot more ad revenue than it, say at least $100 per day or more, then it is I wouldn't need to find a new job, but unless that happens, I will scouting for jobs), I decided to attend the panel and get some tips

- Marina Sirtis panel

This is what Marina Sirtis looked like in Star Trek Next generation (back in the 1990's)

Picture of Marina Sirtis.  She definitely looks older than she did in Star Trek Next Generation

This panel is definitely a must watch one for those who watched Star Trek Next generation.  By the way, John De Luce (aka Q) was at the comic con last year and I saw that panel too.  Interestingly, Patrick Stewart was there too last year, but I didn't see him (I think he did his panel on Sunday and I was only there on Saturday).  I remember my family usually watched TNG back when it was on during the 1990's and even saw the movies too when they came out (Generations, First Contact, and Nemesis) along with Star Trek Voyager, which became the official successor to Star Trek Next Generation. 

- Clark Gregg Panel

Picture of Clark Gregg of the Comic Con (image source seattlepi.com)

This was definitely a "must see" panel in my opinion.  In case if you do not know, Clark is best known for his role of Agent Coulson from Thor, Iron Man 2, Agengers, and now Agents of Shield (he was "killed off" on the Avengers by Loki, but was resurrected by Nick Fury in the Agents of Shield storyline).  I actually meant to get to this panel earlier and get a closer seat, but the time of the panel was changed and I was unaware of the change until my brother texted me about the changed time (it was originally going to be on at 6 pm, but it was changed to 5 pm, right after Marina Sirtis' panel).  Had I known better, I probably would have just stayed in the Main Hall (where the Marina's and Clark's panels were held) and gone to Clark's panel alot earlier than I did.  Sadly, I was late and and was forced to stand in the back of the room, so I didn't get a real good view or photo of him.

- Steampunk Murder mystery.  This was an interesting mystery where these actors were acting out a seance and one character seemed to have died during the event (probably a good reason not to dabble in the occult such as doing seances, ouija boards, considering that demons can and do come through and cause all kinds of trouble for people doing those practices, not that I have witnessed that first hand but I do hear stories like that when people do those things, though I am assuming that the characters were just acting it out).  Anyways, after a character is killed off, it is up to the audience to help solve the mystery.  By the way, there was a huge line for the Steampunk murder mystery and I barerly made it to the event since I was near the back of the line (which was pretty much the waiting list portion of the line should there be extra seating available or somone leaves early, which some people did by the way) and I am sure some people were turned away after me.  I meant to stay for the whole mystery, but it went till 9 and overlapped with the costume contest (which started at 8 and my brother was at it) and I wasn't sure how long the costume contest was supposed to go on, and so I had to choose between the 2, so I don't really know how the murder mystery ended of if they did any actual seances (will have to scour the web for how it ended).

- Costume contest
As if you don't get enough cosplayers to see and get photos of at the comic con, there is a costume contest towards the end where contestants can show off their costumes and compete for prizes (with the grand prize being a $1000 check, which is awarded to the grand prize winner) and is hosted by a guy who is dressed up as the Riddler from Batman and has a lady dressed up as Harley Quinn as his personal assistant in the contest.  In the end, a gargoyle character from World of War Craft won.  I kind of wanted to compete, but it was my first time cosplaying and plus there were several other people dressed up as Nick Fury as well at the comic con.

Me as "Nick Fury" watching the costume contest

Interestingly during the contest, people dressed up as the Penguin and Catwoman walked around looking for extra potiential candidates (even if they did not register for the contest) to call up and while I thought I could have been picked, I did not, so I just enjoyed the contest.
 

Other highlights of the show:
- Checked out the "Bridge" similator (where people can try their hand as "captains" of the Star Trek Enterprise in a simulated adventure)
- Visited the arcade
- Saw the Star Wars Exhibit
- Checked out the lego displays (some people definitely have talent with legos).
- An many others.

Well that is all for now.  If any of you have been to the comic con, feel free to share your experiences in the comments section.

Tentative Plans for next year's emerald city comic con (subject to change of course):

According to the Emerald City Comic Con publication, next year, the comic con is supposed to run from April 8-10.  Tentatively I am planning to go to that event too, unless if something comes up between now and then.  By the way, I do have a few ideas on what I can do next year.  I have 2 ideas in my head right now.  Considering that next year is when the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Reboot is supposed to be aired (currently set for July 22, 2016, according to IMDB), i am thinking about doing something along those lines.

Scenario 1: Dress up as a Power Ranger.  I have to admit that I have been watching the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series on Netflix (currently on the 3rd season) and I could either go alone as a ranger or invite 5 or 6 people to dress up with me (including at least 2 girls) and go as power rangers.  Not sure which color I would be (probably either red or blue) but that would probably be cool.  I saw some people dressed up as rangers yesterday, but they left early, so I wasn't able to get any pictures of them (interestingly, the guys were unmasked most of the time too).  A few downsides to this option: it would be a very elaborate and probably costume to make (not sure where or how I would get the items needed, such as helmet, uniform, gloves, etc), it is a pretty cliche type of costume (considering there will probably be others dressed up as rangers) and finding 6 people go go with me (including 2 girls) could be easier said than done (though I do have some friends that have expressed interest in going to a comic con event possibly next year sometime).  Any volunteers by the way?

Random people dressed up as power rangers.  I could probably dress up as the Blue or Red Ranger (source https://www.flickr.com/photos/exia93/galleries/72157624818225575)

Scenario 2: you know what might be funner to do: teaming up with one other person, possibly my brother Justin (though somehow I don't quite seeing him fitting the role) and dressing up as Bulk and Skull.  I could probably dress up as Bulk considering that I am overweight as it is and then get someone to dress up as Skull

Random Picture of Bulk and Skull from MMPR (source: amy-amy.com), I would probably play as Bulk if I went as Bulk and Skull considering that I am overweight myself and kind of relate to Bulk in some ways.

This costume might be a little bit easier to put together and a bit more creative too.  I could put together a punk outfit and play Bulk.  Of course, I would have to find someone willing to play as Skull (any volunteers?  Preferably another guy to look more authentic).  Not sure if I would grow my hair out (considering that Bulk had a pony tail in some of the episodes) or get a buzz cut.  I could also get police officer clothing too (considering they were dressed up as police officers in both season 3 and power rangers zeo.  If I did go as a power rangers character, this option would be more likely.  Of course, I am sure I will get other ideas as next year's event gets closer, but those are the ideas I have so far.  Or I could go as Nick Fury again too, but most people don't wear the same costume year after year, so something different would be nice.  Other ideas includes: dressing up as a pirate, going as Batman (Superman vs Batman: Dawn of Justice is supposed to come out next year too), or even Count Dracula.

That is all for now.  Feel free to like and share this post.  Feel free to share your comments if you would like too.

Emerald City Comic-Con 2014

Here is a random youtube video of last year's comic con