Street Fighter 2 - Turbo: Hyper Fighting (1992) - Video Game Review

I am going to say it... I am pleased with the fact that Capcom eventually gave up the whole, (Street Fighter 2) sub-genre of the classic competitive fighting series, but I will admit that I do rather miss it a fair amount as well!

I mean don't get me wrong, I am very much aware of the fact that all good things do have to end, and that there is only so many different ways you can make the same thing new and exciting... But for me, I grew up with this series, and this was the first stylized competitive fighting video game series that I had ever played!

And you know what? The first version of this game was awesome (please click here, for more information on the first game,) but the next game set the tone in my opinion for a fun, fast paced video game series that would entertain both boys and girls for years!

That game being: Street Fighter 2 - Turbo: Hyper Fighting (1992)!

A classic!

Yes... It is true that there is not a hell of a lot of difference between this game, and it's awesome predecessor, but the truth is, is if you are like me, then you are not a fan of the some times over the top slow nature of this video games immediate predecessor... And the fact that the game was sped up helped hugely!

Can you guess which one of these characters had a cameo in, 'Wreck-It Ralph'?

Another cool thing about this game is that there are some new awesome moves that did make it even more fun!

Finally... For me, the best part of what made this game great is that with all the changes that were made to this game, that it still maintained the same basic style and characters that made this series so awesome!

So, if you haven't tried it... Then do so, I do recommend it, if you get a chance!

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Wolfenstein 3D (1992) - Video Game Review

Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils

This  one I am going to say is probably one of your more non-traditional horror video games... I mean it is not entirely a horror video game in an of itself... But I thought that I would do it because of it's horrific overtones, and that video game is... Wolfenstein 3D (1992)!

Now before I continue with this, I should also say this, I haven't played the first two games, but as it turns out, this game is the third in the franchise... And although it is true that this maybe the first and only game in the series that I have played, it is still one of those first person shooter games, that well... back int he early 1990s was truly impressive!

Wolfenstein 3D... A classic from the early 90s!

You see, this game, which was initially developed by: Id Software & Published by: Apogee Software, told the world a truly fun story that you as the player got to play through... You see, in this game you play an American/Polish Secret Agent during world war 2... During this time you fight through one level after the other battling all sorts and kinds of big baddies that the Nazi's will throw at you!

In the end, if anything... For nostaligc purposes, the game is surely worth playing, but I tried it a few years ago when I found out that I could download on it on to my XBox 360... And in all honestly... The controls were hard to work with... To the point where for me, it made the game no where near as fun as it used to be... Either way, it is worth trying if you get a chance!

Gerald's Game (1992) - Stephen King - Book Review

Official Score = 2 1/2 Devils 

Now this review is for a book that Stephen King did that I thought might be a kind of a fun one that I still feel applies to the basic horror nature of this site, one that I have always thought was a little odd that it never got the play that it really truly deserved!

That book being, 'Gerald's Game' (1992)!

Now you might not have heard about this book... So let me say this, this book tells the story of how a rough sex game turns really wrong, when Gerald and Jesse Burlingame head off to a cabin for the weekend for an off the books romantic weekend... But when they are about to have sex, Gerald handcuffs her to the bed and forces himself on to her...

When she fights him off though, she ends up killing him... And being locked to the bed and no one expecting either of them... She may have sent Gerald to hell... But Jesse will also end up in her own personal hell being cuffed to the bed!

An interesting one to say the least...

In the end, this book is a very engaging thriller, and well, I can honestly say that this one may not be the best one he has done... It is a truly fun book... I have always been a little surprised that this book didn't get as much play as his other works has gotten, but with Gerald's Game being turned in to a movie... Finally... It does look like it will get it's time in the spot light!

Five Classic, 'First Person Shooter' Computer Games Of The 90s That Rocked Before The Rest Of The World Caught On

On today's video game systems, people generally seem to thoroughly enjoy, 'first person shooter' video games... And why not? I mean these games rock, and as time goes on, with better graphics and more interactive game play. these games just generally seem to be getting better and better!

But before games like, 'Call Of Duty' came out, generally speaking, first person shooters generally tended to be left in the back row... Relegated to computer games and lesser console games, but I thought for those of you that may not remember these games, and for those of you  who are to young to have played these games when they were first popular... I thought that I would discuss what I believe are five defining first person shooter games that rocked before the rest of the world caught on:

At number 5: Heretic (1994).

At number 4: Wolfenstein 3D (1992).

At number 3: Doom (1993).

At number 2: Duke Nukem 3D (1996).

At number 1: Quake (1996).

There are a lot more out there, but for those of you out there who are like me, who truly enjoyed these games, before the rest of the world caught on to the awesomeness that is the first person shooter game... I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane... And if you have never played these games, give them a try... They are a blast!

Contra 3: The Alien Wars (1992) - Video Game Review

Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils 

In horror movies there is something that is kind of interesting... You see in horror movie series they frequently start off with awesome original movies... (As a matter of fact, some of the original movies are so good that they help to make the villains of the piece in to American icons, a couple of examples being: 'Freddy Krueger' & 'Jason Voorhees.)

Well the reason that I mention this is because in video games, (at least in my opinion,) for the most part they tend to get better with age (an example of this of course being, 'Duke Nukem'...)

Well there is one game that seemed to me to at least initially head down that path that so many of the classic horror movies tended to run... That series being, 'Contra'...

Now the truth is, is the first Contra game was truly legendary as far as classic video games go, Contra 2 (1988)... A decent enough game, but Contra 3... phew, what a stinker...

 Contra 3... meh...

I found this to be rare, because I have to be honest and say that where as I did enjoy the original NES and the games that were produced on it, I found that I enjoyed that much more the, 'SNES' and most of the games I played on it... except this one!

I found the game control lame, The music was alright, and the sound effects were alright, but the game play was boring, and ultimately not a whole heck of a lot of fun...

Ultimately guys, I hate to say it, but I never played another Contra game after this, (A situation that I would like to remedy...) But this game was just not one that I liked, if you try it, well... Like anything I suppose you got to try it at least once right?

Stone Temple Pilots: Dead And Bloated (1992) - Song Review

Official Score = 3 Devils

When I was a kid  and I had just gotten in to heavy metal and other forms of rock 'n roll, 'grunge' was a major style of music that was still really popular... For me unfortunately with the unfortunate passing of Kurt Cobain, and the breaking up of, 'Nirvana', the band that really helped me to get in to the, 'grunge'. That band was, 'Stone Temple Pilots'.

For me I found that I really enjoyed the type of music that they did... Well for one main reason... It had a furious intensity, that was muted (in a very similar way that Nirvana did), and you know what? I have to say that I was really impressed with what they did and so when I was a teenager I went down to the record store (A blast from the past I know... But don't worry folks, by then it was more CD's and Audio Cassettes then anything...)

With that said, the first album of there's that I got was called, 'Core'... I gotta say that, that is probably the most impressive album of their's that I have ever heard... (Since then I have only had a chance to listen to one other album that wasn't very good...)

A truly fantastic album!

The reason that I mention all of this, is because there is a song on Core that I would say is truly emblematic of what made grunge great in the early 90s! That song being, 'Dead & Bloated'!

Now this song freaking rocked! I mean it had everything, a furiosity and an intensity that even though it had that comical side of lyrics that at first appeared to be unintelligible... Actually kind of paints a really nice and fun story that I actually think kind of rocks!

Ultimately, in the end, this song rocks, and if you are in to this type of music, then I think you might find that you really like it, I know that I do!

Five Classic Racing Games From The Past

The 80s saw a major burst in to the mainstream of video games that of racing  games... But it wasn't until the 90s that I would say that these types of video games reached their apex! What I mean by this is that racing games from back in the 80s and 90s were some of the best games to have been released ever.

Don't get me wrong, I imagine there are some good first person racing games that have come out since the new millennium, but the problem is, is that there is just something that is not right about having a first person view of a racing game that you don't control with a steering wheel control, and the truth is is that none of these games from back then really put that type of pretension out there!

So I thought that you guys might enjoy a list of some of the classics that really made racing games great from back then!

At number 5: Excitebike (1985):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] Excitebike is one of those games that helped make racing games popular.[/caption]

 

For more information on this game, please enjoy this scene from the classic Nintendo game: Excitebike (1985):

http://youtu.be/k6UZC7nXRHM

At number 4: F-Zero (1991):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="333"] F-Zero... Can you say awesome?[/caption]

 

For more information on this game, please, (click here:) other wise, please check out this scene from the classic Super Nintendo game: F-Zero (1991):

http://youtu.be/2T5u9nD_I0I

At number 3: Rock N' Roll Racing (1993):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="354"] A classic racing game with a brutal twist![/caption]

 

For more information on this game, please, (click here:) other wise,  please check out this scene from the classic Super Nintendo game: Rock N' Roll Racing (1993):

http://youtu.be/1sPrZW2wXP4

At number 2: Super Mario Kart (1992):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] This game is a true classic that has spawned its own separate legacy and franchise from it's parent game, 'Super Mario Bros.'[/caption]

For more information on this game, please check out this scene from the classic Super Nintendo game: Super Mario Kart (1992):

http://youtu.be/sZkxJhsP384

At number 1: The Need For Speed (1994):

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="320"] This is one of the first games that I thought had a better first person racing style then any of the other games to come out before it.[/caption]

For more information on this game, please check out this scene from the classic Playstation game: The Need For Speed (1994):

http://youtu.be/H3ArDaEEMxk

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992) - Video Game Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

You know, there is a reason why certain video games become the 'flagship' video game of the company that the system comes from... Is it because of the graphics? No... (I mean lets be honest, no one can claim that the first Super Mario Bros. had great graphics (even by the standard when the video game first came out... But still the game was freaking awesome!) Is it because of (ease-of-game-play?) No... (Let's be honest here and say that  XBox's flagship game, 'Halo' is a hard game to learn to play if you aren't used to it... Yet the game still kicked some massive ass!) Is it because of the music/sound effects? No... Although I will admit that universally the sound effects and music for the flagship games that I have played are pretty awesome!

No, in this case I believe that what makes a video game a, 'flagship' game is not just how awesome, but how universally it is accepted as being one of the better video games to have come out from that company during it's run!

Now I have mentioned the flagship games for, 'Nintendo' and, 'Microsoft', but there is a game that is still the flagship of it's company (even though the company no longer makes systems...) That is Sonic The Hedgehog!

[caption id="attachment_3411" align="aligncenter" width="479"] The flagship game for, 'SEGA.'[/caption]

Now this game is freaking awesome... I mean it definitely ran on the heels of the success of Nintendo's 'Super Mario Bros.'... But in and of itself, it is a blast! Well I won't bore you with the details from that game, 'Click here:' if you want to read more on that game...

In this case I wanted to talk about, Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992)!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="304"] A worthy successor tot he original![/caption]

This game, which was also released for the Sega Genesis, told of the continuing story of, 'Sonic' and his war to stop Doctor Robotnik from turning his home in to a cyborg haven!

One thing that I thought should be mentioned here is the fact that this game, which maintained just about all of the elements of what made the first one great, also melded it with brand new levels, and some brand new bad guys, but where as, 'Mario' had, 'Luigi', Sonic would also get his own partner when they introduced, 'Tails' in tot he mix!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="500"] Mario may have Luigi, but Sonic now has Tails![/caption]

In the end this game is a blast... The only problem that I had with this one, is that like it's predecessor, it doesn't have that, (I have to play it over and over again appeal to it that I find to be one of the better aspects to video games!

Regardless though, this game is fun, and if you get a chance to try it, do so, I liked it, and you might like it as well!

http://youtu.be/RGWtYB08flc

The Lawnmower Man (1992) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

Jeff Fahey (Psycho 3), what can I say about this man, he is an amazing actor, having done such awesome films as, Psycho 3 (1986), Darkman 3: Die Darkman Die (1996), and even Planet Terror (2007)!

Why is this guy so great you might be asking, well in just about everything I have seen him in (at least in his earlier work anyway, and to some degree in his later work), he gives off this sort of grifter/sarcastic attitude that just works perfectly in just about everything I have seen him in, except believe it or not, the first movie that I ever saw him in, and that of course being, The Lawnmower Man (1992)!

Written & Directed by: Brett Leonard (Virtuousity). Starring: Jeff Fahey, Pierce Brosnan (Golden Eye), Jenny Wright (Near Dark), Geoffrey Lewis (The Devil's Rejects) & Dean Norris (Breaking Bad).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] This Lawnmower man is soon going to become so much more![/caption]

This movie is sort of an awesome melding of Science Fiction and horror, in that this movie tells the story of, Doctor Lawrence Angelo (Brosnan) who is an expert scientist that is working on virtual reality and sets his sights on the mild mannered slightly retarded guy that works in his neighborhood by the name of, 'Jobe Smith' (Fahey) to help him...

You see Angelo has figured out a way using his virtual reality techniques to make Jobe smarter... And after the initial sessions, he starts showing some amazing progress... to the point where this formerly retarded young man eventually becomes so smart that he figures out how to actually make his lawnmower go by itself!

In the end, something goes haywire with the whole experiment, you see Jobe starts getting smarter and smarter, to the point where he gets to smart for his own good, and ends becoming dangerous!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Jobe 2.0 literally![/caption]

Now if Angelo can't fix this before the now out of control genius, 'Jobe', gets to far out of control, then ultimately he may not only loose his experiment, but his experiment might end up causing problems in such a way that people may not be prepared for!

As a side note, and a little bit of interesting trivia... It turns out that both Jeff Fahey and Dean Norris would end up working again in another Stephen King production, when they would star in last years masterpiece mini-series based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, 'Under The Dome' together!

In the end, this movie is a total blast, with great talent, a great story, and amazing special effects, and if you check it out, you might come to the same conclusions as well!

http://youtu.be/YCxFGxqLsHE

Tale Of The Body Thief (1992) - Anne Rice - Book Review

[caption id="attachment_322" align="alignright" width="258"] Official Score = 1 1/2 Devils[/caption]

Now I am forced to admit that there were a few duds in the, 'Vampire Chronicles'... Don't get me wrong, overall this series was a lot of fun... And if you are going through this series for the first time, then I think that if you like Vampire novels, then I think that you might really like this these...

Never the less, the latest one in the series that I thought that I would write here is probably about the lowest point in the series... That is, 'Tale Of The Body Thief'...

Don't get me wrong, I think the premise about a body thief that ends up stealing, 'Lestat's' body is an interesting premise, and in all truth, it was written well enough, I just found that I really could not get in to it.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="122"] A bland book for a great series![/caption]

Through most of the time that I was reading this novel, I was waiting for that moment where the hook grabs you and you kind of sink in to the world that Anne Rice has crafted so expertly... The problem is, is that I never did find it!

In the end, this may not be the best of the series... But stay with it, it gets good again!

5 Classic Japanese Commercials For 5 Classic Video Game Systems

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Nintendo is one of the most historically relevant video game manufacturers of all time... Most of the video games & consoles that we all grew up with had their beginning largely in Japan![/caption]

You know, most people may not know this, but for most of the 20th century, and even today (although not as much today, as it had been in the past), but Japan was the dominating force behind Video Games and their consoles...

Nintendo is a great example of this... Even though, 'Nintendo' and it's accompanying video games and consoles are all over the world, and are still a dominating force in American Video Gamming... The company was formed in Japan with just about all of the generations of their video games originating in Japan.

Sega is another good example of this, It is true that Sega doesn't really do video game consoles anymore, but they still do video games, and just about all of that also has it's roots in Japan as well!

So I thought that it might be fun to see, 5 Classic Japanese Commercials For 5 Classic Video Game Systems:

Color TV Game (1977 - 1980):

http://youtu.be/hvEQIjSNbv8

Famicom (1983 - 2003):

http://youtu.be/2Ll4XbatNB4

Sega: Master System (1986 - 1996):

http://youtu.be/DHReBmIKscs

Atari 2600 (1977 - 1992):

http://youtu.be/0YLwftwWZlQ

Playstation (1994 - 2006):

http://youtu.be/BEuBYE6je_U

Alice Cooper: Feed My Frankenstein (1992) - Song Review

You know, as we get more and more in to the new millennium, I have come to realize that the music of the new millennium is not as bad as I initially thought that it was... Don't get me wrong, the pervasive nature of, 'Tween' music, and, 'Beiber mania' just really pisses me off!

I have since though come to discover that there are some truly great bands that have come out since the year 2000, including: 'Disturbed', 'Skrillex' and the like...

Well the reason that I mention this, is that where as it is true that there is some awesome music being produced since the year 2000, I have begun to wonder what happened to some of the greats that we haven't heard from in awhile... Such people as, 'Ozzy Osbourne', or 'Megadeth'....

Well to be honest with you, I don't have an answer for them all, but it sure would be great to see some of them pop up... Like, 'Alice Cooper'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="474"] A true legend of Heavy Metal![/caption]

I first discovered Alice Cooper when in the 1990s I first discovered, Wayne's World (1992), and I discovered the hit song, 'Feed My Frankenstein' (1992).

Written by: Alice Cooper, Zodiac Mindwarp, Ian Richardson & Nick Coler.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] Alice Cooper singing, 'Feed My Frankenstein' live![/caption]

This awesome song was created for Alice Cooper's 19th solo album, 'Hey Stoopid'. This awesome song had some truly amazing instrumentals by Mickey Curry, Robert Bailey, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai & Nicki Sixx that just arranged together, along with the vocals of Alice Cooper, are just a thing of beauty... And I think it is a safe to say that due it's strong connection to horror movies, that this is just a must for the true horror fan as well!

Check it out, if you are in to the more classic heavy metal, then I think you might find this song to be right up your alley!

http://youtu.be/NO2cHJmDkBg

Alien 3 (1992) - Movie Review

[caption id="attachment_325" align="alignright" width="263"] Official Score = 3 Devils[/caption]

When I was a kid one of the movie series (at this time there was only 2), that I used to watch with my Dad and sister alot was the Alien movie series... Why you might ask... Well simply, besides the fact that both the first and the sequel were both action packed scare fests, they also both had some truly awesome casts that did an amazing job!

Unfortunately though, as time moved on, we have gotten together less and less to see these movies, and the truth is, is that most of these movies (especially since Sigourney Weaver has left the series), have kind of grown to be pretty bad... I have kind of strayed away from the series... But when all is said and done, this movie that I am about to review, I find to be the first of the movie series to really begin the slow descent in to cheesydom that most franchises seem to go... That movie being, Alien 3 (1992).

Written by: Walter Hill (The Warriors) & David Giler (Fun With Dick And Jane) & Directed by: David Fincher (Fight Club). Starring: Sigourney Weaver (Avatar), Charles S. Dutton (Gothika), Charles Dance (Last Action Hero), Paul McGann (Doctor Who), Brian Glover (An American Werewolf In London), Ralph Brown (Wayne's World 2), Danny Webb (Henry V), Christopher John Fields (Jurassic Park) & Lance Henriksen (The Terminator).

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] Hopefully Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) and this batch of convicts are up to the task of destroying this new Alien threat![/caption]

This movie tells the story of how after the events that happened in, Aliens (1986), The Queen Alien had managed to produce one more offspring that had managed to attach itself to the pods that housed, Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), Hicks (Michael Biehn), Bishop (Lance Henriksen), & Newt (Carrie Henn).

Well the ship ends up evacuating the crew in an escape vehicle, that ends up crash landing on a Prison planet... Well, Hicks ends up dying from the impact, Newt ends up dying because of becoming an incubator for a new Alien, Bishop becomes un-serviceable, and the only survivor really is, Ripley!

Well in the end, with a new Alien brought to this new planet, it looks like it will be up to Ripley and the Prisoners on this planet, to stop the Alien before the Alien can use them to start a new Alien race!

In the end, this may not be the best of the series, but it certainly is not the worse... And really is the last of the better movies in the series before the slow decent... Well up till Prometheus anyway...

http://youtu.be/9vnjQPcrcZI

Curious Goods: Where Are The Now

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Louise Robbey (as Micki Foster), Chris WIggins (as Jack Marshak), & John D. LeMay (As Ryan Dallion) in the classic Horror TV series, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'.[/caption]

On October 3rd 1987 producer Frank Mancuso Jr. (Friday The 13th Part 2) along with, Louise Robey (Raw Deal) as, 'Micki Foster'', Chris Wiggins (Murder By Decree) as, 'Jack Marshak', John D. LeMay (Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday) & R.G. Armstrong (Children Of The Corn) as, 'Louis Vendredi' would release to the world a little known show that would go on to be a cult favorite among the legions of fans that this show still draws today... That show being, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'!

Well folks, besides Frank Mancuso's role in the production of this series, this series is not really affiliated or connected to the series, as Jason has never made it in to the show, nor has there been much of any interchange between the show and the movies for the cast from the movies... Never the less, it is a truly kick ass show... And I thought you might like to know where the staff of, 'Curious Goods' (The base of operations in the show) are now!

1. Actress and Musician, Louise Robey would go on after the show to have a role in the 1992 thriller, Play Nice, in which she would play, Jill Crane/Rapunzel... Sadly though this seems to have spelled the retirement for Louise Robey from acting...
As of last report, Ms. Robey was still working on various photography and music projects.

[caption id="attachment_2279" align="aligncenter" width="450"] Louise Robey in a scene from, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'![/caption]

2. As for John D. LeMay... He ended his career on the show a little early, but his work on the show led him to be the only cast member to date to ever have appeared in a, 'Friday The 13th' movie, having appeared in, Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993)...
Since his time working on the show, Actor John D. LeMay has continued to work his craft in both the big screen and the small screen as well as going behind the camera when he directed what appears to be the only episode of L'Chaim L.A. to date...

[caption id="attachment_2280" align="aligncenter" width="450"] John D. LeMay in a scene from, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'.[/caption]

3. Chris Wiggins (who played, 'Jack Marshak') already had an extensive acting resume when he was cast for 'Friday The 13th,' and continued on with his work, with his last credit to date being the role of, 'Cornelius' in the children's TV series, 'Babar and the Adventures of Badou' for it's 2010 - 2011 episode.

[caption id="attachment_2281" align="aligncenter" width="416"] Chris Wiggins in a scene from, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'![/caption]

4. Steve Monarque... He would end up playing, 'Johnny Ventura' a man who would later replace John D. LeMay's, 'Ryan Dallion' on the show, as some one that is on the same quest with Micki to find the cursed items.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="299"] Steve Monarque in a scene from, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'![/caption]

After the show, actor Steven Monarque has continued to act, but he has also branched out in to writing & directing on screen as well as on the stage, as a matter of fact his play, 'Free Country' ended up winning, 'Best Play' at the, 'Strawberry One Act Play Festival' and won best film at the, 'New York International Film Festival' in 2011! As of most recent, it looks like the founder of, 'MonaVision Films' is working on his latest writing and directing project called, 'Please Say A Command'... A short film starring: Jerry Stiller (Seinfeld), which is being slated for release in 2014!

5. Last but certain not least veteran actor,'R.G. Armstrong' (who played, ' Louis Vendredi' in the series). This guy had a prolific career before the release of this show, and continued to work steadily up til about 2006... Unfortunately though, it looks like in 2012 R.G. Armstrong passed away...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="642"] R.G. Armstrong in a scene from, 'Friday The 13th: The Series'![/caption]

In the end, this show may have ended years ago, but the characters and the actors that made this show a cult success will live on in the hearts and mind of the legions of fans that still exist to thus date!

http://youtu.be/EPgvcnp1F5g

5 Classic Weird Al Parodies That Rock

I know this blog is is dedicated to, Heavy Metal, Rock 'N Roll and the various sub genres associated with this type of music, but I thought that I would take a change of pace this one time and talk about something a little bit off topic (not entirely... But a little...)

This topic being, '5 Classic Weird Al Parodies That Rock'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="475"] Weird Al doin a parody of Michael Jackson's, 'Bad'[/caption]

Now I know this is a little bit of a switch from the norm, but with Christmas coming up, I thought that it would be fun to do a list with some great songs that Weird Al has done, that not only rock, but you will laugh your ass off!

At number 5 we have: Ride The Bus (1980), a parody of Queen's 1980 hit song, 'Another One Bites The Dust':

http://youtu.be/NeMrttj8Ucg

http://youtu.be/7Dmd1b-sfUw

At Number 4: Fat (1988), a parody of Michael Jackson's 1987 classic song, 'Bad':

http://youtu.be/dsUXAEzaC3Q

http://youtu.be/t2mU6USTBRE

At Number 3: Smells Like Nirvana (1992), a parody of Nirvana's 1991 hit song, 'Smells Like Teen Spirit':

http://youtu.be/hTWKbfoikeg

http://youtu.be/FklUAoZ6KxY

At Number 2: Gump (1996), a parody of The Presidents Of The United States Of America's 1995 hit song, 'Lump':

http://youtu.be/_sj_U6vObUA

http://youtu.be/hQwWaWFjd0Y

At Number 1: The Saga Begins (1999), a parody of Don McLean's classic 1971 song, 'American Pie':

http://youtu.be/ih7N9_VUU4U

http://youtu.be/hEcjgJSqSRU

In the end, I know this is a little turn in a different direction, but I found that Weird Al is not only absolutely hilarious, but he also rocks in the same time, please enjoy!

In Remembrance Of Sega's Home Console Systems

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="685"] Sonic The Hedgehog... One of the most popular games that Sega ever released![/caption]

You know, if you have been playing video games for as long as I have, then I am sure that you have played on a fair amount of systems, everything from the old, 'Atari' systems all the way up to such systems as the, 'Nintendo DS', the, 'X-Box 360' and if you are lucky, the, 'X-Box 1.'

Well there is one video game system that when I was a kid that I found to be just a total blast, A video game system that helped me realize that there was more to gamming then just what was on the, 'Nintendo' a system that to this day I still believe is something that has helped to define my gamming interests, and that system is the, 'Sega Gensesis'!

Sadly, Sega would close down it's console development when they stopped making home consoles after the demise of the, 'Dreamcast.'

But before the death of Sega's video game consoles, they came out with a ton of truly amazing systems that played a lot of classic (and in some cases, 'historic') video games, including their flagship game,  'Sonic The Hedgehog' (1991). So I decided to a little memorial for those classic home console systems, that we all remember enjoying when we were kids was in order!

The first one of course being the. SG 1000 cartridge based home console system that Sega released back in 1983...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] An ad for Sega's first home console system the, 'SG-1000' a system that never saw the light of day in the United States.[/caption]

This one I will admit was a bit before my time, but this system, which was released on July 15, 1983, (Released the same day as, Nintendo's, 'Family Computer' (the forerunner of North America's NES).) This system was release to only moderate success, and was never actually launched in North America or in the UK...

In 1984 Sega would release an update to the SG-1000 called the, 'SG-1000 II'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Sega's, 'SG-1000 II', while functioned essentially the same as the SG-1000 it really only looked newer...[/caption]

With primarily just cosmetic changes, (I,e. The place to plug in the SK-1100 keyboard being moved from the back to the front of the machine, and the shell being changed,) this console basically functioned the same as it's predecessor... The only other difference is that the Japanese version of the SG-1000 II had a game card reader called a, 'Game Catcher' that used Sega Card technology to read these cards (At the time, game cards were only utilized in systems in Japan.)

Sega would also go on to make a computer that was compatible with the SG-1000 video games... But in 1985 Sega would produce it's first system that would truly launch it in to the world of gaming... That system being the Sega Mark III or, 'Sega Master System'.

[caption id="attachment_2070" align="aligncenter" width="450"] The Sega Master System... One of the first truly remarkable video game systems that I believe made, 'Sega' a powerful force in the video game world![/caption]

Now this system was truly an amazing system... I mean I only had the opportunity to play a game on this system once some time around the late 80s - early 90s when I happen to be at my cousin's house (who happened to have one,) and I was so hooked that I believe I played it for almost the entire time I was there... needless to say this system was comparable to North America's, 'NES' and although I don't really remember what games were on here, I remember that I had just as much fun playing with that as I later would with my Nintendo!

At this point Sega's video game consoles were starting to get closer and closer to their, 'Sega Gensesis' console, and the next one here is, Sega Master System II.

[caption id="attachment_2072" align="aligncenter" width="450"] At this point in the game, not only had Sega become a direct competitor, but they had begun to out stripe Nintendo, due to the larger availability![/caption]

In the end, this system did so well, that due to it's larger availability, it had begun to out due Nintendo's, 'NES' due to it's wider availability!

Now for the next one on the list (and a personal favorite of mine), The, 'Sega Genesis'!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] The, 'Sega Genesis' probably one of the most memorable video game systems that was released in the 1990s![/caption]

Known as the, 'Sega Mega Drive' outside of the U.S., this video game system, which would be released in 1988 and later around the world, would become the most successful video game system that Sega ever produced. This video game system,  which released the world wide phenomena, 'Sonic The Hedgehog', would be released 2 years before Nintendo's, 'Super Nintendo', and was so popular that between the 2 systems, there would launch the first real fierce competition war between the 2 systems and companies that would really last through out the 16 bit era of video gamming!

In 1991 in Japan, Sega would go on to release the first real CD based console gaming system called the, 'Sega Mega Drive CD' and then later in 1992 would release it for North American distribution under the label: 'Sega CD'

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="400"] This add on to the Sega Genesis would bring video gamming to an even higher level![/caption]

Personally I played this add on at a friends house in the mid 90s, and where as it did have it's usefulness, it was not one of those systems that had games that particularly jumped out at you... I personally fell like the best thing about this system is what the system brought to the history of, 'home console systems'.

The next one, and I will be honest with you guys, was another system I have only played a handful of times... Fun but not great... That was the, 'Sega 32X'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="432"] The Sega 32X.[/caption]

I will be honest and say that this add on to the Sega Genesis was for me not particularly thrilling... I would say that probably the best thing about this system is that it brought the graphics level up to 32bit... But to me, the games weren't particularly memorable...

Sega Neptune... I will be honest with you guys and say that I personally never played it... (Hell I never heard of it till now...) And apparently not a lot of people would have heard about it... You see, this system was supposed to be the hybrid version of both the, 'Sega Genesis' and the, 'Sega 32X'... But after a delay, and the closing of the Sega 32X line... The Sega Neptune just became one of the systems that never was...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="390"] The Sega Neptune... A console that died before it had the chance to live.[/caption]

The Sega Saturn... Have you ever enjoyed something for so long that you just knew that there was no where left to go after this? Well the truth is, this system was that for me!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="480"] One of the last truly great systems to be released by, 'Sega' before it stopped making consoles...[/caption]

Released in 1995, and going in to direct competition with Nintendo again, and Sony, (who shortly would be releasing the first, 'Playstation',) this system never had the traction to keep up with the competition, and in all truth, like all great things, the dynasty that Sega had setup for itself was beginning to falter... Although I will be honest with you and say that I was a fan...

The next one up is the un-released, 'Sega Pluto'.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Supposedly this was to be the prototype for the new, 'Sega Pluto'.[/caption]

Not much is known about the systems or the games that would have come out... but supposedly this system was supposed to be a direct update to the, 'Sega Saturn' and if released, probably would have been the first system to offer internet access!

Sega Dreamcast... Now this truly was the last home console that Sega has released to date...

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="580"] Released as precursor to the coming systems such as, 'Playstation 2' and the like that had taken a technological leap ahead of the rest... Sega's final system had been at first a success... That was until tragedy struck![/caption]

When the Sega Dreamcast had been released, it had started off doing well... But when the new systems such as the, 'Playstation 2', which could support, 'DVD's', Sega ended up realizing that they could no longer keep up and ended up discontinuing their home video game unit...

In the end folks, Sega's video game systems maybe gone but they are never forgotten!

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] R.I.P. Sega's Home Video Game Consoles (1983 - 2001).[/caption]