Till All Are One
For the second time in two weeks, I went on a road trip to the Chicago metro for the 2008 Wizard World Chicago convention held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. This time I went with my girlfriend Liz and I met my buddy James down there in his hometown. I arrived at my hotel in Elmhurst, IL at around 4:00 in the afternoon on Friday June 27th. Before I went to hang out with James for a bit, I decided to have dinner and check out Fry's Electronics. There are not any Fry's locations in Minnesota and I think the one in Illinois is the closest to me. Anyway, I went there and was surprised at the sheer size of the store. The place is f-ing massive. Probably the biggest electronics store I'd ever been in. I checked out the DVDs first and man, they sure do have A LOT. Only problem is, the prices are not so great. Most of the stuff they have you can get cheaper online, or even at a big chain like Best Buy or Circuit City. The one thing they have going for them is selection. Their DVD section alone is bigger then most Suncoast stores (when they were still around) and even trumps Best Buy's DVD selection. There weren't any DVDs I wanted to buy so I went over to the video game section. Once again, their prices were not impressive at all. I always stay up to date on video game and DVD sales by visiting cheapassgamer and I kept saying to myself (I could get this game cheaper here or I could get that game cheaper online). They have a nice selection but the prices aren't any better then Gamestop or Best Buy. I was about ready to leave but then I came across the Xbox/Xbox 360 accessories section. I found a power cord for the original Xbox for $4 that I purchased (mine was broken for some reason, more on that later) and I also noticed they had a crapload of the G1 Transformers Decepticons Xbox 360 faceplates that normally sell for around $20. They had them priced at $7 and I grabbed one the second I noticed them LOL I also picked up some G1 Transformers DS Lite protection kits that come with game cases, a screen wiper and a protection case for the DS. The case really annoys more than it protects though. At least it was only $4. I left Fry's feeling somewhat disappointed and yet somewhat happy that I decided to check it out because I found stuff that I didn't go in there expecting to purchase. I also stopped at the Toys R Us and Best Buy stores that were nearby the Fry's Electronics store. The Toys R Us store wasn't any different than my local stores, but they had this awesome Batman display. Check it out! I ended up purchasing Fatal Fury Battle Archives Vol. 1 for PS2 for $4.50. Best Buy was right next door so I headed in there. They didn't have much but I managed to find Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom on PS3 for $25. I love those action RPG hack n slash type games like Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath, Diablo I/II and Titan Quest. I know it got mediocre reviews but it was 50% off and its a game I can play with my girlfriend, since she also loves those types of games. Friday night, I was able to go visit James at his place and hang out with him a bit before we met up the next morning for Wizard World Chicago. It was a fun time, even if I was only there an hour or two. I had purchased No More Heroes a couple weeks back at Best Buy (for $15 brand new) and I wanted to try the game out since I knew he had a Wii (I do not). I only played thru the first level but I must say, I had a blast with it. As soon as I have enough money I think I'm going to be purchasing a Wii, just to play No More Heroes. That is the only Wii game I have any real interest in. Well that and Mega Man 9 for virtual console, but there is still speculation that it might come to Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network. We also played a few minutes of Kane and Lynch co-op on the 360, but that ended pretty quickly because I ended up dying. It was my first time playing the game, other than the brief, forgettable experience with the demo on XBL. Saturday the 28th was the day we went to Wizard World Chicago. WWC is a 4 day event but we only went to the one day and I'm kind of regretting that decision now (more on that in a bit). We got there around 8:30 A.M. and we thought we would get a decent spot in line. Holy f-ing crap was the line to get in huge! It went so long outside and around the building that they had to start a new line inside the building in what looked like the dock area. We waited in line maybe a half hour before they started letting us in, in rows. At this point we were starting to get worried that we might not get a ticket to see the main event of the evening, and one of the main reasons of going to the convention in the first place, the premiere of Batman: Gotham Knight. Once we got in the main convention hall (which is 250,000 square feet BTW) there was already a huge line-up for tickets to Batman. This made us extremely worried that we may not get a ticket (which were free) since we figured everyone ahead of us in line would naturally be getting a ticket as well. We wandered around the convention floor, following the line until we reached the end (or what we thought was the end). There was a lot of confusion with line control all day, and I think some of the staffers or security personnel really need to get their act together. We eventually got everything sorted out and got our tickets to Batman but it was not a fun experience, that's for sure. After getting tickets to Batman, we checked out some of the publisher's booths like DC, Marvel (they didn't have much at all), DDP, Diamond Select, Dark Horse, WizKids, Wizards of the Coast and several others. The DC booth had a lot of DC Direct action figures on display and I snapped a whole bunch of pictures. They were also giving out a crapload of free stuff like buttons, posters, free comics and more. The first thing I purchased at the show was the DC Direct 10th Anniversary Batman figure. James also picked one up at the same time. Check out the pics below! The retailer area took up the bulk of the show floor. There are just so many booths to check out, that you can't possibly visit them all in one day. Even though this is a comic book convention, purchasing comics was the last thing on my mind. There were a few books that I was looking for but I mainly wanted to find action figures or other stuff I wouldn't see at my local comic shop or local comic conventions. I did end up getting to tradepaperbacks that I wasn't able to find at my local comic shops. Plus they were 35% off so I got them at a reasonable price. I picked up "Justice League International Vol. 1" (hardcover) and "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League." One of the first booths we visited contained an item that I've wanted for a very, very long time. This booth had the Die-cast Masterpiece Optimus Prime figure, complete with the trailer and everything. This can go for $300+shipping on ebay and it was priced at $250 at this booth. Man, you have no idea how long I've wanted this Optimus Prime figure. Ever since it came out, it has been the number one item on my wish list. This isn't just any old Transformer toy, this is the best Optimus Prime figure ever made, and possibly the best Transformers figure made in history. I wasn't going to buy it right away, I had to walk around and think about it first. We checked out some other booths and I found another one with a bunch of Transformers items. This booth had the same Optimus Prime for $275. That is when I pretty much decided I was going to buy it at the first booth. While I was at this booth I picked up a cool Devastator bust that is based on the cartoon design. It was only $15 so I think it was a steal at that price. Plus the thing is huge and very heavy (made of cold-cast porcelain). I went back and asked about the Masterpiece Prime figure again, and since the box is a bit damaged (the figure itself is fine) the guy sold it to me for $220! That was pretty cool of him. While I was there I also picked up the Transformers Visual Works book, which is only available in Japan. Check out the pictures below! After I made my Transformers purchases, we decided to bring our stuff back to the car since the figures and bust were pretty heavy (and large). When we got back to the convention center we went to our first panel, the DC: Final Crisis panel hosted by Editor-in-Chief Dan DiDio. The panel started with the announcement that famed artist and creator, Michael Turner had just passed away hours ago from a type of bone cancer. Turner co-created Witchblade and worked for Top Cow comics. He also created Fathom, Soulfire and started his own company, Aspen. In the DC/Marvel world he is known for doing a lot of covers to big name books like Justice League, Identity Crisis, Superman/Batman and Civil War It was obviously an emotional time for Mr. DiDio and the other panelists. The audience gave an applause to the late Michael Turner and the panel went on. Not a whole lot of new info was announced but I really enjoyed the panel. I'm really looking forward to the Rage of the Red Lanterns one-shot and if what one of the panelists hinted at is true, they may be relaunching the Flash series and it will be written by Geoff Johns! (My favorite writer) Marvel held a Secret Invasion panel right after the DC one in the same room. Liz and I left and James stayed to listen to the Marvel panel. I would have stayed but I am very far behind in Secret Invasion and I didn't want to hear any more spoilers (thanks for making me watch that episode of The Stack James!) We went off to get some crappy expensive food and met up with James in an hour. The next panel we went to was the DDP (Devil's Due Publishing) "Pop Culture" panel. They highlighted some crappy toys and comics by a former EGM editor Shawn Smith called Ninjatown. The thing looks lame as hell and a 5 year old could draw Ninjas better than what he came up with. They also highlighted some toys for the Incredible Changebots which is supposedly a "tribute" to Transformers but it seemed like it was mocking it more than anything. I mean come on, a transforming microwave?? The most interesting announcements IMO were the Dread Force comic, Voltron origin story comic and an Americanized version of Vampire Hunter D. The Dawn of the Dread Force looks pretty cool because the talent involved are former members of Dreamwave, who were known for the various Transformers comics Dreamwave produced. The Voltron origin may be interesting, we'll have to see, but the Vampire Hunter D comic sounds great. I think James was most interested in the upcoming Halloween comics. That panel wasn't all that great and it clearly showed in the audience. The room was half empty and everyone looked like they had either never read a DDP comic before or they were only there to kill time LOL I suppose there would be more people there if DDP hadn't lost the GI Joe comic license to IDW. The next panel was the Star Wars panel hosted by Steven something-or-other. I guess he's some superfan that has the largest SW collection in the world and was hired by Lucasarts to be their PR guy, just because he has such a large collection. I guess I better get to work on my Transformers collection and maybe I can get hired by Hasbro! The last panel we went to for the day was the Green Lantern character spotlight panel. Geoff Johns was supposed to host it, but he had left the convention for a personal emergency (I guess he was close to Michael Turner so he was off helping the family). The only panelist I recognized was Ethan Van Sciver, who is the artist on Green Lantern (check out his amazing work in the Sinestro Corps War!). Not much was revealed but there were a lot of teases to DC's big event for 2009, the Blackest Night. It sounds like DC might have something similar to Marvel's Zombies, but it will be in continuity. Apparently every single hero (or villain I think) that has died in DC Comics will be resurrected as an undead Black Lantern! This event is sure to be a big hit and everyone that reads DC Comics seems to be looking forward to it even more than Final Crisis. The final event of the evening was the premiere of the direct to DVD animated feature Batman: Gotham Knight. The panel room was packed and many people that got there late were forced to stand in the back. The movie was shown on two fairly large screens situated on the left and right sides of the room. They weren't as big as a movie screen, maybe half the size. Anyway, the movie is divided into six parts, each with a different animation studio, director and writer. Think of it like the Animatrix, only with Batman. I liked the movie, but it was a bit disappointing. I went into the movie thinking (a) that the movie was based in the comic book universe, but it was actually based in the movie universe. Specifically between Batman Begins and the Dark Knight. (b) I thought that each vignette would flow into the next and there would be an overall story to the movie. The advertisements and trailers say "6 interlocking stores, etc." Personally, I did not see any sort of overall story in the movie. I've been told that the overall story is a gang war, but I didn't pick up on anything of the sort. I really need to rewatch this in the comfort of my own home before I form any final opinion on it. The view of the screen was a bit blocked at times and the seats were extremely uncomfortable and I found myself adjusting my ass and back half the time. I will probably pick it up on Blu-Ray next week just for the documentaries alone, if not for the movie itself. There was a panel immediately after the movie (they didn't even play all the credits) that featured Mr. Bruce Timm of Batman: The Animated Series fame as well as some of the writers of the vignettes. The panel itself wasn't all that interesting and we ended up leaving a bit early. That was the last event of the show, and the floor had closed by the time the movie was over. So all that was left was to walk to the car and go home (well the hotel at least). Overall, I had a lot of fun. I think if I decide to go to another massive convention like this one, I'm going to go to more than just one day. There's no way in hell you can check out all the dealers you want and get to see all the panels you are interested in, in one day. There were several panels and events I would have liked to see on Sunday but we just didn't plan for it. Here's a bunch of random pictures of cosplayers and whatnot. That guy dressed as Jack Sparrow did a great job on the costume, as well as the Predator guy. One last thing. The reason I bought that original Xbox power cord, is that for whatever reason the one I had was not working. Several years ago Microsoft did a recall on the original power cords that came with the Xbox because some of them caught on fire. What they sent out is something much more different than the basic power cord. It looks like the old AC Adaptors for the NES, SNES and Genesis. Basically a big block plugs into the outlet. I guess mine died out since the light was red when I'd try and use it. I was worried that my system was broken so I wanted to try out a different power cord to see if maybe it was just the AC adaptor. I unfortunately do not know anyone that has an original Xbox that lives near me so I had to pick one up. When I got home from the trip, I immediately tried out the new cord, and lo and behold my Xbox still works! YAY! Not that I'm in a hurry to play any old Xbox games but at least I know that my system isn't broken. That's all for now, later guys!
Unlike the other panels so far, this one mainly featured video content. They showed a lot of footage from SW: The Force Unleashed, including interviews, trailers and gameplay footage, as well as new trailers for the SW: Clone Wars CG animated film. The Force Unleashed looks great and I can't wait to play it. Clone Wars looks ok but I'm not planning on seeing it in theaters. It looks like more of the same Clone Wars cartoon, but in CG. Frankly, I've grown pretty tired of the Clone Wars stuff. I'd love to see a new game or movie based in the KOTOR universe, the Legacy timeline or even the Thrawn trilogy. Let's go people!
I got back from my road trip to Chicago on Thursday night about 9:30 P.M. The Iron Maiden show was easily one of the best concerts I've ever seen. This show had the most effects I've ever seen in a live show. They had pyro, fireworks, laser lighting effects, props, backdrops, stage tricks and not one, but TWO giant Eddie animatronics on stage!
I tried to get some pics of the mummy and cyborg versions of Eddie but they didn't turn out so well on my cell phone. If I had known that they allowed cameras, I would have brought mine. As I said, the show was awesome. They played around 16 songs total and they played all my favorites. "Number of the Beast, Fear of the Dark, Can I Play With Madness?, 2 Minutes to Midnight, The Clairvoyant, Hallowed Be Thy Name," and many more. I think I enjoyed the concert the most out of my group of friends, but I think Matt and James have become fans of Iron Maiden after this show. They "vowed" to see them again next time they come to the Midwest. (I should probably note the concert was at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois and I stayed at the Wyndam O'Hare hotel right next door to the arena)
I didn't get to experience much of Illinois, other then the immediate area around the hotel, but I did go into a 7eleven for the first time. We don't have those up here in Minnesota. It wasn't all that special, just like any other convenience store around here. The only real difference I noticed is that they have branded slurpees. They had some Hulk ones when I went in. I didn't get a slurpee (wasn't too find of the neon green colored drink) but I did get a Big Gulp.
My other "first" on this trip was going thru a Toll for the first time. We don't have tolls in Minnesota (or in South Dakota, Wisconsin or Iowa). There were about 4 or 5 on I-90 on the way down and the prices ranged from 60 cents to $1.60. They work almost exactly like in GTA IV, only they don't cost $5 a piece (thankfully). One thing I found interesting is that you'd think Illinois would have nice roads since the tolls pay for them right? Well I-90 and the side streets I went on by the hotel were piss poor at best. The roads up here are 10 times better and we don't even have tolls. The roads down there are all concrete and crumbling apart all over the place. Granted, I haven't experienced enough of Illinois to pass judgment on the condition of their roads, but they certainly don't look good for tourists. I mean, soon after you go back into Wisconsin you notice the difference. Not a big deal, it just seems odd that they have tolls when the roads are in such poor condition.
The day after the concert was the day MGS4 was released. I unfortunately spent much of Thursday the 12th on the interstate and didn't have a chance to run out and get the PS3 bundle like I planned. I was hoping to buy the bundle at Wal-Mart since they had a sale where you get a free $100 gift card with any Blu-Ray Player (including PS3s). Well I called all over the place on Friday and NO ONE had them in stock. I heard some people tried Best Buy since they price match so I gave that a shot. The first Best Buy I called had the bundle in stock but they wouldn't price match it. I tried another one and they didn't have any in stock. I had almost given up but decided to try one more Best Buy near my place and I was in luck. That location had the bundles in stock, and most importantly, the guy said he'd price match Wal-Mart and give me the $100 gift card! That guy had just made my day. I drove over as fast as I could and picked up my brand spankin' new Playstation 3!! 
My initial impressions of the system are: I'm loving this thing. The XMB works extremely well and I like how everything is laid out and easy to access. The Playstation store also seems to be much easier to browse then the XBL Marketplace. I also LOVE how they just tell you, flat out how much something costs. No bull sh*t points or anything. If somethings $9.99, its $9.99, not 800 points or whatever. I haven't purchased any downloadable games yet, but I'm seriously considering PixelJunk Monsters. That demo is extremely fun. I haven't even opened MGS4 yet, I need to finish (and start) MGS3 first. I hope to do that soon. I did rent DBZ:Burst Limit from Gamefly and that is a lot of fun. I didn't want to get that on 360 because the d-pad basically doesn't work at all IMO. I'd much rather use the PS2/3 controller for fighting games.
Anyway, I'm loving the PS3 and I can't wait to try out a Blu-Ray movie on my new TV to see just how "awesome" they are. Well that's all for now. Have a good week! Oh yeah, here's a pic of me and James outside the hotel. It's a little blurry (it was taken with a cell phone) but I think it turned out OK. Later!
Check out my new monitor!!
Today I received the PC and HDMI cables I ordered from Monoprice.com. Before I continue, if you need HDMI cables, or any kind of cable really, I highly recommend Monoprice.com. You can get high quality HDMI cables for around $5 instead of the insane $50-$100 that places like Best Buy will charge. I thank Ryan Davis of GiantBomb.com for recommending this site because it just saved me hundreds of dollars. I ordered Two HDMI 1.3a Category 2 Certified Cable 28AWG - 6ft with Ferrite Cores (Gold Plated Connectors) for a total price of $6.32!! I also ordered my PC Cable (Super VGA HD15 Male to Male 6ft with Stereo Audio cable and Tripple shielded) for $4.38.
Anyway, I just tested out the PC connection my new TV has, and it looks fantastic. The resolution on the TV is 1920x1200! I'm already enjoyinig this feature and its going to be great watching videos that are on my PC via the TV while I am relaxing on my couch.
I also pre-ordered the Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle that will be released next week, one day after the Iron Maiden concert in Chicago which I will be attending with my good friend James. I can't wait to try out games and Blu-Ray films in true 1080p HD via HDMI cable. That's all for now, later.
Finally! I have entered the HD era with the purchase of a 46" Samsung "Touch of Color" 120hz 1080p HDTV (model number LN46A750). I originally wanted to go with a Sony XBR 40", but it never went on sale for the price I wanted to pay. I was looking at the Best Buy circular yesterday and I noticed the new Samsung models on sale for $680 off. I didn't think I was able to fit a 46 inch TV into the entertainment center I bought, but I measured the distance and I can just barely fit it in, with less than an inch on each side. I decided to get the biggest TV possible and I think it worked out well. I had heard a lot of good things about Samsung TVs and this model is a brand new one for 2008 and also the top of their line. It also features the 120 hz technology that the Sony XBRs do, so it is very comparable.
I purchased it this morning and I'm loving it so far. I don't have any devices that support HDMI, so my only HD experience so far is the standard cables that come with the 360 (my Xbox is a near launch version and doesn't have an HDMI input). I messed around a bit in GTA IV and Condemned 2 and those look amazing compared to what I was used to. I can actually read the text with no problems now! This TV can also double as a monitor for my computer. I ordered some PC cables online (and a couple HDMI cables for future use) and I can't wait to try that feature out. (if you want some cheap cables, go to monoprice.com) Another neat feature on this TV is that you can hook it up to the internet to get weather reports, news updates and stock info right on the TV itself. Pretty neat feature but I don't know how often I'll use that. You can also access media content on your home network through the TV (similar to the Xbox 360's capability to stream content from your PC with Windows Media Center) and it also features a USB port so you can plug a device into the TV and access pictures, music and video that way as well. Oh yeah, this model has 4 HDMI inputs if you're curious.
I plan to get the 80GB MGS4 PS3 bundle that comes out in a couple weeks. I can't wait to really try out my new TV when that arrives and to also try out some Blu-Ray discs. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to enjoying my new TV! Later
(Click here for a bigger picture of the TV)
(and here's the box)
Over the holiday weekend, I finished the story portion of Grand Theft Auto IV, in around 38 hours play time, with a completion percentage of around 75% (sorry, I can't remember the exact stats). Wow. What a story huh? If you're curious on the ending I chose, I will not go into detail for those that may not have finished the game yet, but I decided NOT to do "the deal." As soon as I finished watching the credits, I thought to myself, "so it's over now? But I want to play more!" If you would have asked me a couple weeks ago if I was going to try to get a 100% completion ratio in GTA IV, I'd say no way. Now that I've finished the main part of the game, I changed my mind. I didn't want the game to stop, I could have played another 30 hours of missions, easily. I've decided to extend my play time as much as possible and go for the mythical 100% completion rating. I will be taking my time though, so I don't think I'll be able to enter that contest on the Rockstar Social Club for a physical "Key to the City."
I've recently finished all the Theft missions from Stevie. I've also finished all the Assassination missions, all of Jacob's drug deliveries, all of Brucie's car requests and the street races (need 10 more wins for the achievement though) and I'm about 1/4 of the way through the Most Wanted missions. I've only got about 5 pigeons down, but that's only because I just randomly stumbled on their locations. I haven't started actively seeking out the bastards, yet.
You may remember me complaining about the driving in GTA IV right after I purchased the game. Well, I got used to it soon after that and I didn't have any issues playing the game successfully. I still don't like the camera and I think that is something that could have been (and should be fixed). What I do while I drive is manually move around the camera with the right stick, so I can see where I'm going at all times. It was a pain to do at first but I quickly got used to it. It'd be great if I didn't have to do this but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do.
That said, I f-ing hate motorcycles. Especially when the game forces you to use them on a mission. I can't drive those things for the life of me. The very last mission in the game is a great example, when it forces you to use that dirtbike. I failed that damned thing like 5 times just because I couldn't drive the motorcycle without crashing every 30 seconds. For some reason I seem to be able to handle the moped and the Harley-sty|e bikes ok, but not the crotch rockets or the dirtbikes. I rarely used motorcycles in past GTA games, but I didn't have as big of an issue with them either, until now that is.
Overall, GTA IV is a great game, especially the story, even if it is predictable in some spots. I'm not sure if I will write up a review for it, but I know that I would not give it a 10. I'd give it at least a 9.0 if not a 9.5.
Now that I've finished the majority of GTA IV, I have several other games I seriously need to play. I rented Condemned 2 several weeks ago, right before GTA came out in fact, and I really need to finish that game and send it back. I've only finished one level in that game, but so far the game is fantastic. I'm still knee deep in FFVII: Crisis Core and I need to get back to that as well. I haven't touched it since before GTA came out. Plus I haven't even touched all those games I purchased during Gamestop's Buy 2 get 1 free on used games sale.
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