Classic cartoons still breathe on Revver!

While recently searching through videos on Revver, I came across a gold mine. An account called Tooncast has an entire collection of vintage cartoons just waiting to be watched! I knew right away that this was a spectacular find, and I immediately started clicking each video to watch!

I love old cartoons. There is just something so special feeling about them. A lot of modern cartoons just don't do it for me. And while I love all of the classics from the 1980's and early 1990's, since that's when I grew up, I have always had a special love for vintage cartoons from years before I was even around.

It's pretty amazing watching some of these cartoons. You can really tell how standards have changed these days. Our society is so different now, that some of these cartoons would be taboo or offensive to some people now. I personally think that's a shame, because it's obvious that these classic shows were not meant to offend, but merely meant for harmless entertainment. People get too easily offended now. An example of a classic toon that may fit that description is "Santa's Surprise". The depiction of the character's ethnicity's alone would probably have people in an uproar if it were made today. But it's so obvious that the actual message is a good one. "Stop Driving Us Crazy" is another one that I could see causing some problems today, simply because of the religious overtones. But again, the message is clearly a good one, so there really should be no problem. Ah, how things have changed.

A lot of these toons are great to watch, not just to see just how different the standards were back then, but also for the nostalgia of it. I was surprised to find some cartoons that were recognizable from my childhood. They were made before my time, but I had lots and lots of video tapes as a kid that I would watch over and over. "Somewhere in Dreamland" is one of those cartoons. I had not seen in since I was probably 6 years old. But I still remembered it completely after seeing it again, and it brought a smile to my face. There are also a slew of Merrie Melodies cartoons on there, which are always a great watch! "A Corny Concerto" is one of my favorites!

And, since we're almost at Christmas, you should check out the great collection of holiday cartoons as well, such as "A Visit From St. Nick," "The Three Little Dwarfs," and this awesome pre-Rankin & Bass "Frosty the Snowman" cartoon!

You should definitely head on over and check out all of the great videos posted by Tooncast over at Revver! It definitely should not be missed!

Videos are coming. I promise!

My computer is on the fritz right now. Bad capacitors meant I had to buy a new motherboard, and now I'm fighting with getting it installed. Not only has this halted and probably completely scrwed up several of my Christmas gifts that I was planning on getting made, but this also has haulted the production of several video projects I've been working on. And it sucks, because I have this terrible itch to edit video, and I just can't right now.

I figured I'd go ahead and let you all know about some of the items I have already started filming, editing, writing, or just thinking about that I plan to get finished and released as soon as my computer functions properly again.

1) Plastic Treasures. I know, I've been promising this one for a very long time. I sort of got side tracked by other ideas. I'm in this weird funk right now where I keep coming up with a video idea, and just where I get to the point of getting started on it, I get another idea that I run with instead. It's weird. I can't seem to keep straight. But, the good news is that I started filming and recording voice overs for the first episode of Plastic Treasures! The first 2 episodes of the show will deal with the many different versions of He-Man there have been in toy form! It should be fun! After that, I will probably take Plastic Treasures a different direction, and talk about some more obscure stuff. I've wanted to do a piece on the Food Fighters for a long time now!

2) Video Game Collectibles. I got this idea while filming my last "Closet" video for ScrewAttack. I've decided to start work on a show that discusses a part of video game collecting you don't hear about as much: toys and other collectibles! Good news is that I have already started filming this one, too. Bad news is that it still needs a lot of work. Hopefully it'll see release in January.

3) Bargain Toy Review. I did my first one of these vids just because I was bored, and to be honest, I didn't even think it turned out so well. But, some e-mails I received on YouTube about the video have encouraged me to do a few more of these. I'm going to put a little more into it this time, to make it more entertaining, and less like I'm rambling about crappy toys. I already have ideas floating around for this one, but nothing concrete yet.

4) More random, fun vids. There have been too many times where I've been in a situation and said "Damn, this would make a great video! I wish I had my camera!" So, the solution is that I'm going to start filming everything. Any idea I think might be cool, I'm going to run with it and film it. Anything that looks like it'd make a great video, I'm going to film it. Who knows, I might get strike gold.

That's mainly what's running through my head at the moment. I'm also thinking about doing something with Independent Wrestling. Not sure what, though. I'd like to put together a DVD of my best stuff, maybe with some added bonuses. But, I'm also considering some type of behind the scenes documentary, or something. If I can get the approval. Idunno. I need more thought on that one.

If any one has any ideas or suggestions, please feel free to comment me here or e-mail me at Mandalorian30@yahoo.com.

If you want to see my videos, be sure to check out Revver.com and search for Mandalorian30, or head on over to my YouTube Page!

If Santa Answered His Mail Honestly.....

Deer Santa,

I wud like a kool toy space ranjur fer Xmas. I'v ben a gud boy all yeer.

Yer Friend, Billy


Dear Billy,

Nice spelling. You're on your way to a career in lawncare. How about I send you a book so you can learn to read and spell? I'm giving your older brother the space ranger. At least HE can spell.

Santa


****************************************************

Dear Santa,

I have been a good girl all year, and the only thing I ask for is peace and joy in the world for everybody! Love, Sarah


Dear Sarah,

Your parents smoked pot when they had you, didn't they?

Santa


****************************************************

Dear Santa,

I don't know if you can do this, but for Christmas, I'd like for my mommy and daddy to get back together. Please see what you can do.

Love, Teddy


Dear Teddy,

Look, your dad's banging the babysitter like a screen door in a hurricane. Do you think he's gonna give that up to come back to your frigid mom, who rides his ass constantly? It's time to give up that dream. Let me send you some Legos instead.

Santa


****************************************************

Dear Santa,

I want a new bike, a Playstation 2, a train, some G.I. Joes, a dog, a drum kit, a pony and a tuba. Love, Francis


Dear Francis,

Who names their kid "Francis" nowadays? I bet you're gay. I'll set you up with a Barbie. Santa


****************************************************

Dear Santa,

I left milk and cookies for you under the tree, and I left carrots for your reindeer outside the back door. Love, Susan


Dear Susan,

Milk gives me the shits and carrots make the deer fart in my face when riding in the sleigh. You want to do me a favor? Leave me a bottle of Scotch. Santa

****************************************************

Dear Santa,

What do you do the other 364 days of the year? Are you busy making toys?

Your friend, Thomas


Dear Thomas,

All the toys are made in China. I have a condo in Vegas where I spend most of my time making low-budget porno films. I unwind by drinking myself silly and squeezing the asses of cocktail waitresses while losing money at the craps table. Hey, you wanted to know.

Santa



****************************************************

Dear Santa,

Do you see us when we're sleeping, do you really know when we're awake, like in the song?

Love, Jessica


Dear Jessica,

Are you really that gullible? Good luck in whatever you do. I'm skipping your house.

Santa



****************************************************

Dear Santa,

I really want a puppy this year. Please, please, please, PLEASE, PLEASE could I have one? Love, Timmy


Dear Timmy,

That whiney begging shit may work with your folks, but that crap doesn't work with me. You're getting a sweater again.

Santa



****************************************************

Dearest Santa,

We don't have a chimney in our house. How do you get into our home?

Love, Marky



Dear Mark,

First stop calling yourself "Marky", that's why you're getting your ass whipped at school. Second, you don't live in a house, you live in a low-rent apartment complex. Third, I get inside your pad just like the boogeyman does, through your bedroom window. Sweet dreams, Santa

Another great Wii story!

This particular story is not my own. I found it on a forum that I frequent, and I had to share it with everyone. I do not know who's story this is, as I'm pretty sure it has just been shared around various boards. So, if this is yours, shoot me a message and I'll be sure to give you credit for it. Because you are the man!

"I get a call from a buddy of mine that works at a game store; he says “You wanted to buy a Wii right?” I told him yes, but that I had not found one in stock. He said “give me your credit card number, I’m going to charge you $10 and put the one we have in stock on hold. Come in and pick it up today at 5:30 on the dot.” I gave him my number and told him that I would see him at 5:30. I got there at 5:25 and he gave me the story.

[queue flashback wavey lines across your screen]

Some lady has been harassing him to get a Wii for the past month. She comes in once or twice a week, never on the days that they get shipments, and always late in the evening. He has explained to her that shipments come in on certain days at certain times. If she wanted to pay a $10 deposit then they would hold one for her, but otherwise it is first come first serve, and that most times they sell out the day they come in. She bitched and moaned that she was not going to pay $10, that it was stealing, and that he should just hold one for her. He pointed out that the $10 was applied to the cost of the system, that they would call her to notify her that it was in, and that they would hold it for 48 hours. If she did not claim it then they would sell it, then put one from the next shipment on hold. If she missed 3 shipments then the $10 would be mailed back to her. Still she bitched and moaned that it was wrong of them to charge her to hold one. He pointed out that other stores required systems to be pre-paid for them to hold one, and that their $10 hold was cheap.

The night before she came into the store and he told her that a shipment was due the next morning, and that there were still some un-claimed systems on the truck. She called that morning and he told her that they have one in stock that is un-sold. She told him to hold it. He asked for the $10 payment. She said no, that she would be there at 5:30 to pick it up. He told her that without a $10 reservation that he could not hold it. She said “if you don’t hold it I’ll talk to your manager.” He was pissed. He called me. I placed the hold. I showed up at 5:25.

[queue end of flashback wavey lines across your screen]

I smiled knowingly. I took the reservation coupon that he had filled out hours before on the phone with me. I walked over close to the door of the store and perused the games for my new Wii. Sure enough, 5 minutes later a woman walked in and my buddy shot me a look. She walked up to him and demanded her Wii. I followed her to the counter and was helped by the other cashier guy. My buddy told her that they were out of Wii’s. My cashier asked what he could help me with. I said “I’m here to pick up my Wii” and handed him my reservation ticket. He produced one from under the counter.
Cahier: Here you go. What else can I get you?
Me: I…
SC: That is mine. I put one on hold.
Buddy: No, you did not. You asked me to hold one, but never paid the reservation.
SC (to me): when did you reserve that?
Me: uhh…when I called about 1ish. Can you believe they were nice enough to hold it for only $10?
SC: THAT IS MINE!!! I told him to hold it for me before you, so that is mine.
Manager: What is going on here?
Buddy: This woman called in this morning and wanted to hold one. She refused to pay the $10 reservation. In the mean time this guy reserved one and paid the fee. He is here to get it.
SC: But it is MINE!
Manager: Did you pay the $10 reservation?
SC: No. That is a rip off. You are stealing the $10.
Manager: Well, since we apply the $10 toward your purchase, you are not out anything, we just want to know that you are serious. (to me) Did you pay the $10?
Me: Yes. I don’t understand what the problem is.
Manager: You have no problem. (to cashier) ring him up. (to woman) maam, if you would like, we can reserve one for you for $10.

The SC went on to bitch and moan about what a rip off the place was. I bought the system, Wii play, and Tiger Woods. I walked outside. I stood at the curb and pulled out my cell to call a friend and tell them the story when SC came out after me. I was afraid she was going to mug me. She walks up and says “I’ll give you $350 for the Wii.” I pulled out Wii play, and Tiger woods and held up the bag. She handed me the cash and walked away.

The story does not end there. I walked in and was chit chatting to buddy about what happened. Cashier and manager were standing there laughing about it, and they all said that they were glad that they did not have to see her again. I said that I was glad to have the money, but wanted a Wii. Cashier piped up “I just bought mine today. If you pay the $10 for a reservation for me I will return the one I bought, un-opened, and you can buy it. I’ll make $10, you get a Wii today, and you get the rest of her cash.”

Long story short, I walked away with a Wii and $90."

Simply amazing. And once again, that just shows the ignorance of some people.

Project playlist. Sweet.

Sitting at work all day can definitely get boring without the help of some music to help pass the time a little quicker. When the batteries die in your MP3 player, or you just get sick of the songs on there but keep forgetting to take it home to update, what do you do? Well, if you are lucky enough to have Internet access, you hop onto Google, and do a search for a place where you can listen to some streaming music online. And if you're lucky, you find a website called Project Playlist.

I stumbled upon this site a few weeks ago, and am so glad that I did! Project Playlist is a site that basically allows you to create your very own play list of whatever music you can find in their search engine. You get 75 songs per play list, and if you fill that up and want more, you can create another play list! It's completely free, and totally worth it!

The search engine on the site is fairly good, too. I have been able to find just about anything that I have wanted to find so far. There are a few things I have been unlucky with, but for the most part I am happy with my findings.

Here, take a peep at my play list! Give it a listen! You find an awesome variety of music, from rock to video games to cartoon themes!

Mandalorian30's Playlist

Something else pretty cool about Project Playlist is the fact that you may end up discovering some new music or bands that you like. I found a group called the Mini Bosses, who do nothing but play old NES music. they sound fantastic, and after following a link from PP to their website, I just may end up ordering one of their CD's! You can check out some of their stuff on my play list up there!

You can also find some obscure stuff. My buddy Devall will appreciate this one. You see, I'm a big fan of Disney stuff. Not just the stuff from the movies, but mostly the stuff from the theme parks. The sounds in places like the Magic Kingdom and Epcot are amazing to me, and I have always wanted to have them. Well, I was lucky enough to find a bunch of that stuff right there on Project Playlist! Hurray for the Space Mountain music!

Mandalorian30's Disney Park Playlist

I highly recommend that you guys check it out. It's totally worth it! And you can post your play list pretty much where ever you want, or just launch the standalone player for yourself!

Enjoy!

Mandalorian30's Closet 2.0

Mandalorian30 recently moved into a new place, and has found this as the perfect excuse to once again show off his video game collection!Video was created in association with VGLosers.com for ScrewAttack.com's "Closet Submissions" segment.

read more | digg story

Rock Band...the ultimate party game?

My roommate picked up Rock Band for the X Box 360 over the weekend. And all I have to say is "wow!"

I have to admit, when I first heard the concept for this game, I thought it sounded kind of silly. It just seemed like yet another one of those music games that have been the fad lately. And there was no way I anyone was going to get me to sing. Boy how wrong I was.

It even took me quite some time to get into Guitar Hero. I never played 1. I played 2 briefly, and even a little bit of Rock the 80's when my brother got it. I didn't really get into the game until my roommate bought Guitar Hero 3. I finally picked up the game for real, started playing co-op, and actually had a blast. And the more I played, the better I got.

So then, we pick up Rock Band for the first time Saturday night. And we were up until 4:30 am playing that damn game! No lie. I'm pretty sure we rocked out for a solid 6 hours, or so!

After playing Guitar Hero, picking up guitar or bass in Rock Band is a walk in the park. It's an easy starting point. But where it really starts getting interesting is the drumming and the singing. The drumming can be quite rough at first, especially for someone like me who has no rhythm. But the more you do it, the better you get. And boy, does it feel kind of cool when you get to those awesome drum pounding moments, even if the only noise you;'re really making is a bunch of clanking on the drum peripheral that came with the game.

And the singing...wow, the singing. I finally mustered up the nerve to belt out "In Bloom" by Nirvana, and after that I was hooked. You don't even have to sing good, you just have to get the pitch close enough to the actual pitch of the song. Which really isn't that hard if you know how the song goes. Singing a song that you don't know is where it gets difficult, because even though it displays the words, you're screwed if you don't know just how to sing those words.

Singing has now become my favorite part of the game. It's just a blast. And, for those of you really worried about sounding dumb, the one thing I noticed is that everyone playing is so concentrated on playing their own instrument, no one really cares how your singing sounds. Because you're working as a team to pass that song. But, there will always be some laughs. That's the fun of it. So I suggest just sucking it up and grabbing that mike! It's like the craziest karaoke party you'll ever be a part of!

The variety of this game is what I like. If you get bored of playing the guitar after 3 songs, you can sing. If your voice starts to crack from trying to sing like Bono, grab the drum sticks and see if you can match Dave Grohl.

After experiencing Rock Band, and having that variety, I have to say that Guitar Hero doesn't even sound as cool any more. I mean, I'm sure it's still great. But now I'm always going to get bored of strumming, and want to sing, dammit!

If you have $200 and cool friends who don't mind looking like asses to have some fun, go buy this game. You'll love it.

Now I just need to get some pictures to post of us rocking out. Or maybe a video. Hmmm...

Link a Nazi??

One of the best things about working retail are the nutty stories I get to tell.

Last night, I was helping a lady purchase a Nintendo DS for her child as a Christmas gift. She knew very little about the system and the games, and needed quite a bit of help. She was shopping with a friend of hers, who also was wanting to purchase a Nintendo DS.

I explained the different styles that the system came in, of course mentioning the brand new Gold DS that comes in the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass bundle pack, since we still had a few in stock. I was quite shocked at what the lady said next.

She turns to her friend and says "Don't buy that. The Legend of Zelda is way too violent." Her friend asks me if I thought the game was violent, to which I explained that while Zelda games may not be good for younger kids due to game play being a little too complicated for the younger group, I didn't think it was an overly violent game. The first lady then pipes up with this comment: "Let's put it this way: I'm a teacher. One of my students idolizes Adolf Hitler, and his favorite game is the Legend of Zelda. Zelda is not a good game."

I really didn't know what to say. I obviously wasn't going to argue with the lady. I needed to stay polite and courteous, as my job is to help customers, not argue with them. However, I did say "Well that's not a fair analysis, because my favorite game is Zelda, and I don't idolize Hitler." It didn't phase her, as she just continued to tell her friend not to buy anything with Zelda on it because it was bad. So, I just let it go, and finished the sale.

But stuff like that really does bother me. I hate the bad image gaming gets, especially when the reasoning is completely illogical. A kid worships Hitler. He just so happens to like Zelda. How exactly does that connect? How does that make Zelda an evil game?

All I can do is roll my eyes. I will never understand why people will always find a way to take something that is fun and find a way to turn it into a terrible thing.

I blame Jack Thompson.

Any of you have any similar stories? Or do you feel the same way I do?

Black Friday...who went?

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did, and boy did I eat a ton! And we are now officially in the Christmas season! I love the holidays!

Friday morning, I braved the crazy shoppers in a frenzy, and went shopping. It's become a bit of a tradition to join my mom and sister in shopping on Black Friday. It's funny, because my dad and brother never want anything to do with it. But I enjoy the opportunity to buy things for 75% off, and the crowds really don't bother me. Plus, I like getting the opportunity to spend the time with my mom and sis.

My girlfriend joined us as we lined up at Circuit City at 4am. I really wish I had some kind of crazy story to share with you all, but I really didn't see anything nutty. The doors opened at 5am, we got it and got what we all wanted. I snagged up some cheap flash drives and recordable DVD's and CD-R's, several cheap DVD's and a few cheap video games, and I was out of there in under an hour. I didn't really go anywhere else after, though. Normally, I make a day out of it. But this year, I had to be at work for the local retail store I part-time at by 2pm, so I wanted to get some sleep beforehand.

Working in the evening wasn't so bad, either. The store was trashed, but that was expected. I did hear some insane stories about the mob of people fighting their way into the store in the morning, all vying for the 30 gb Zune that we had on sale. One of our employees actually got elbowed in the face by a crazy customer who pried her way through the exit door instead of waiting to go in the normal entrance. I can't believe how psycho some people get over a good deal!

I wish I would have witnessed some of this myself, but alas, I saw nothing special. So, what about the rest of you? Surely, someone out there has a crazy Black Friday story! Let's hear it!

A Retail Wii Experience

I just thought I'd share a little story with you all.

As you guys may or may not know, I work part time at a local retail store in the electronics department. Yesterday morning, we got a large shipment of 60 Wii's in to go on sale. Of course, there was a large line starting at 6 am for the systems, and we didn't even open until 9. I was brought in to work early to help with the sales.

We handed out tickets to everyone in line. One ticket per family. This would guarantee these people would get a Wii, and it was the only way we were selling them. We were wanting to be as fair as possible. Everything was going smoothly. I was having a blast, because these people were all so happy to be getting Wii's. You could tell most of them were parents buying X-Mas gifts, which I thought was awesome.

But then there was this group of kids in their later teens or so who somehow got a hold of several tickets. We caught them jumping back into the line after buying a Wii with different clothes on. When the got up to the register, my manager explained that we would not be selling them another Wii because we watched them jump back in line after changing shirts, and we already sold them one. They proceeded to argue, saying "We have a ticket, so you have to!" My manager just kept saying "Sorry, you already got one. One per guest, that's the rules." The kid wouldn't give up, he just kept saying "So what! I have a ticket! I want another one!" This is where it gets good, because all the customers then started yelling back at the kid. "Some of us are trying to buy these as gifts for our kids, and people like you are keeping us from getting them!" I sat back and smiled while all the other customers yelled at these punk kids until they finally gave up and left!

It was a great site to see people who really wanted a Wii to give as gifts triumph over a bunch of punks who were obviously trying to make money off of them.

Retro Wii!

I was browsing around online one day when I came across an image of a Wii-mote that was styled like an old NES controller. i though to myself "That is bad ass! I would so buy a Wii-mote that looked like that!" I began searching around online, out of curiosity. Soon, I came across a website called DecalGirl.com.

This site sells skins for just about every system there is. They have hundreds of different designs. But the one I cared about most was a Wii Skin that turns the look of your Wii into that of an original Nintendo Entertainment System. Normally, I'm not a skin kind of guy. I have a hard time putting stickers and such on my systems. I like the normal look, and am always worried about ruining it. But I just couldn't pass up the chance to retro-ize my Wii.

Bam! And there she is, in all her glory!

Now, there are actually two different "Retro" skins available at DecalGirl.com. I chose to go with the one that correctly resembles the style of the NES. The other one is colored similar, but does not match up with the original as well. I received my skins in the mail yesterday, and ran right downstairs to begin applying the skins to my Wii.

One thing I noticed pretty quickly is that the decals aren't stickers. Meaning, they don't have that very sticky feel to them. They are more clingy. Slightly stickier than a static cling, but not near as sticky as a sticker. Give you a good idea of how it feels? It's hard to be precise with them. I, of course, wanted to get them as straight as possible for the best look. Thus, I was constantly peeling them back off and reapplying them until I felt it was as straight as I could get it. The good news is that they peel off very easily, and left no sticky residue behind on my Wii. The website claims that this is how it will always be. I guess time will tell. If I leave these stickers on for a year, I'm guessing my Wii won't be completely clean. But I could be wrong. I hope I'm wrong.

One of my problems is that no matter how straight I put on each sticker, some parts still did not match up correctly. For example, notice the stripe that runs down the Wii's side (or top, depending on how you display it.) It gets a little crooked towards the front of the system. And that is not because I put the stickers on crooked, trust me. I tried so hard to get that line to match up correctly, and it just wouldn't. It has to be the way the stickers were cut.

Once the decals were all applied, I was generally impressed with how sharp the system looked. The mismatched line was just a small gripe of mine. Overall, I think it looks fantastic. The decals are very professional looking, and have a nice shine to them. The decals seem tough, too. Smudges from fingerprints wiped off fairly easy with cloth. I was very happy with how it turned out.

Aside from the Wii skin, I also decided to buy the matching Wii-mote skin. This one, I'm a tad disappointed in. Don't get me wrong, I do think it looks pretty sweet! And it matches the system well. But with the Wii-mote actually bearing a close resemblance in shape and design to the original NES controller, it just seems like they should have done a better job of making a decal to match the classic controllers look. But, this isn't bad. And I do like the way it makes my Wii-mote look.The skins for the Wii-mote also came with a few small decals for the Nunchuk. nothing special, but it does liven it up.

As a set, the Wii-mote and nunchuk look pretty sweet with their new decals. So, again, I am very happy with the overall appearance.

I'm very happy with my purchase. This really gave my Wii some life. While I was always a fan of the shiny white casing of the Wii, nothing beats the ability to customize it into looking like it's great great great grandaddy. I guess the question is, should I display it in the stand like I normally do, or should I lay it down to better resemble the NES?

Be sure to visit DecalGirl.com if you are interested in doing your own custom Wii job!

Free Zelda Swag...REVIEWD!

As mentioned the other day, I received a nice little surprise in the mail from Nintendo. About a month back, I purchased The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for my Nintendo DS, which due to time constraints I still haven't beaten yet. At the time, Nintendo.com was running a pretty sweet little freebie deal. If you register your copy of Phantom hourglass on MyNintendo.com, you get a FREE stylus that is shaped like a feather quill pen! Since I register all of my Nintendo games any way, this was a no-brainer for me! So I registered the game, filled out a short survey, and soon I was sent notification that my Feather Pen Stylus would be shipping soon!

About a month later, I found this in my mailbox!

Hard to see? Yeah, I was surprised at the actual look of the stylus. When I saw that it was called a "Feather Pen Stylus," I actually expected it to have a real feather on it. But instead, it's just a clear plastic stylus that is shaped like a feather pen. And it's a bitch to photograph, being so clear. But, even though it doesn't look how I pictured it, I'm not disappointed. It's still a neat little stylus, and it was free! How can I complain?

As you can see, it comes in a neat little box. The outside sleeve of the box has the same brownish color that the game box sports, complete with image of a fairy (whose name escapes me at the moment.) The white box inside the sleeve is what actually houses the stylus with a neat, fuzzy black lining. That makes it feel like it's really important!
It's made of a nice, strong plastic, so it doesn't feel like it's going to break in my hands. The plastic is a lot harder than a normal DS stylus, but not to where you feel like you're going to snap it. And the plastic is unbelievably translucent. It's like holding a pen made out of glass, almost. It's really sharp looking in person. The images don't do it justice.

It actually fits in your hand nicely, too. I didn't feel uncomfortable holding it as I worried I might. It might also help that I'm used to holding the tiny stylus' the DS originally included, and not the fatter ones that come with the Lite. the size of the Feather Pen Stylus is in between those.

Overall, it's a cool little freebie. I still think it would have felt more special if it was a real feather, but no biggie. It was free, and it's got the Zelda banner on it, so I love it! You may want to check out Nintendo.com to see if they are still running this promotion. And if you missed out, at least now you know to check there on a regular basis. This isn't the first promo they have run, and I'm sure it won't be the last!

Woo! Free Zelda Swag!

I just went home for lunch to find a nice little package from Nintendo containing my BRAND NEW ZELDA FEATHER PEN STYLUS! Look for a review tomorrow!

Your Top Ten NES Games!

After watching THIS VIDEO from ScrewAttack.com, I was inspired to come up with my very own list of top ten NES games. just as it states in the video, every one's list is going to be different.There are so many great games out there for the ol' Nintendo Entertainment System, that it'd be a shame for everyone to have the same top ten! I wrote down a lot of NES game titles, and thought back on all of my wonderful memories with the system to come up with my personal top ten, and I think I finally have it. So, without further adieu, here is Mandalorian30's Top Ten NES Games!

10) JACKAL

Jackal was the first game I bought for my NES as a kid (not counting the SMB/Duck hunt combo that came with the system.) You control a military jeep battling your way through each stage blowing up tanks and running over enemy soldiers as you battle to rescue your captured men and take them to safety. The game is a pure blast to play with 2-players, and to this day, it's still a fantastic game.

9)Maniac Mansion

Ever played this one? It's a pure treasure on the NES. It is so in-depth and detailed for an 8-bit NES game. You get your options of choosing your own team of 3 characters at the beginning of the game. Who you choose determines the tasks you are able to accomplish during the game, and effects the ending as well. Full of humor and great game play, this one is a must have in my opinion.

8)River City Ransom

I'm not going to lie, I had a hard time at first deciding whether to put this game in this spot, or Double Dragon. But thinking back, I played and enjoyed River City Ransom far more. This was my all time favorite beat-em up game on the NES. 2-players is fantastic fun. The ability to buy books to learn new moves, and the many different weapons you can pick up and use are excellent. Plus, it has the same sprites as Super Dodge Ball, which I'll get to in a little bit.

7)Punch-Out

I never had the Mike Tyson version. But despite the end boss being different, it's the same game. And a great one, at that! I spent many hours in front of my TV playing this one! I practiced so hard, learning ever pattern there was to learn for every awesome character. Don Flamingo, Glass Joe, King Hippo...ahhhhh. What great memories!

6)Super Dodgeball

This is one I don't see on many top ten lists, but I do know that it has a lot of fans. I have many fond memories of playing this one with my dad as a kid. We would play it for hours on end, throwing that ball at each other and knocking ourselves silly, all while making up our own character voices and laughing hysterically. This will always be one of my favorite NES games. I'd highly suggest picking it up if you've never played it.

5)Contra

I'm guessing there is a good chance that even if this isn't on your personal top ten, it's still one of your favorite games. As a kid, everyone loved Contra. And now as an adult, everyone STILL loves Contra. And what's not to love? This game is simply awesome! Good news for fans of the original, if you have a Nintendo DS, get ready for Contra 4! It's going to play just like the original, and already looks phenomenal! I wonder if the Konami Code will work on it?

4)Ducktales

Surprise you that this one is so high on my list? Well, if you've played it, than it shouldn't. This game is one of my all-time favorite games, no joke! It's just so damned fun! I loved it as a kid,and I love it now. And I still can't get that awesome song from the Moon stage out of my head!

3)Super Mario Bros. 3

Being a fan boy, it was hard for me not to put Super Mario Bros. 2 in this spot. It was a tough call. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for that game, despite the negative looks most gamers give it. But, there's no denying the sheer awesomeness of Super Mario Bros. 3. To this day, it is still THE Mario game to me. None have surpassed it. Sure, Super Mario World for the SNES and Super Mario 64 for the N64 for fantastic, but nothing compares to the first time I sat down with this game. Finding the hidden whistles. Bowser's airships and the Koopa Kids. the freakin' Tanooki Suit! This game rocks!

2)Mega Man 2

I have always been a big fan of the original Mega Man series. I have all 6 for my NES, and have played through them all multiple times. But to me, nothing says "Freakin' awesome" like Mega Man 2! Improving upon the awesomeness of the first game, this game has great game play, awesome bosses, and most of all excellent replay value. I never get sick of this game! And even though Mega Man 3 and 4 are both almost equally as awesome, this one was always my favorite. Metal Man FTW!

1)The Legend of Zelda

You probably saw that coming. But it's the truth. From the moment I laid my eyes on the shiny gold cartridge, I was hooked. Awesome, challenging game play. Fantastic music. And an overall great feel. This instantly became MY game. And to this day, I am one of the biggest Legend of Zelda nerds you will meet. This game was the start of my all-time favorite video game series, and paved the way for many wonderful games. I love this game. I have played through and beat it several times, and it's always a blast. It has certainly earned it's place as my all-time favorite NES game!

So there you have it! That's my personal Top Ten NES Games! honorable mentions go to these other favorites of mine: Double Dragon, Little Nemo: The Dream Master, Blaster Master, Metroid, Ikari Warriors, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Super Mario Bros. 2, and Castlevania!

Now, I want to see your list! Tell me your favorite NES games of all time!

Moving...bah!

I have spent the week getting moved into my new place. It's a nice place. A real nice place. And totally affordable. In fact, it's probably the nicest place I have ever lived. Plenty of living space, even for the guys who room together, and their girlfriends who will practically be living with them. But as much as I love the place, I hate, hate, HATE the moving and unpacking part! You with me on that? Of course you are...

Nobody likes moving. In fact, if you are some weirdo who enjoys packing up all of your belongings, stuffing them into several vehicles, and lugging them into a new home, then just get out of my blog now. You're strange, and I don't want you here while I'm in my "moving sucks" mode.

Once you get past all of the heavy lifting and car stuffing, you get to the unpacking part. the part where you want to set everything up, and find a home for all of your junk. Nerds, this is where you may relate to my problem. If you're like me, you probably have more than one nerdy item that you collect. For me, it's a mixture of action figures and small statues. Star Wars, He-Man, and Marvel Legends are my big 3. And as big as a room I have (I got the master bedroom), I STILL don't have room to display everything! So, I have no choice but to sift through all I have, and decide what is worthy of display, and what gets to live inside a tote for the rest of the year.

So, what do you do in this situation? I want to know! When you're moving, or even just rearranging, how do you decide what gets displayed, and what gets stored?

VGLosers.com: Mandalorian30's Bargain Toy Review

VGLosers.com's Mandalorian30 just took a trip to his local dollar store, and came back with some wonderfully craptastic toys to review just for you! What kind of crap you say? Ninjas! Awesome, cheap Ninjas! Yah!

read more | digg story

Are you ready for a completely random nerd thought?

Everybody is familiar with that famous scene in Return of the Jedi, where Princess Leia shows some major skin in that ever so sexy golden bikini. Cos players around the world are constantly attending conventions, dressed just like the enslaved princess.

But consider this unnecessary question: Why does Jabba the Hutt prefer his slave women to be near-naked?

First, let me say that I am NOT complaining about Leia's outfit, or the idea of sexy, near-naked slave women. All I am doing is question why the giant, slug-like Hutt prefers scantily clad humanoids. Leia isn't the only one. Look at all of the slave women in Jabba's palace. Oola, the green skinned Twi'Lek dancer, was wearing so little clothes that her boobs were just flopping right out. And yes, you can see this happening if you look real close. I'll pause a moment so all of you can run to you DVD's and hit pause...

...See! I told you! Any way, back on track. Even the chicks in the song sequence in the Special Edition are dressed this way. They aren't all human, but they are all humanoids.

You'd think that Jabba would be attracted to female Hutts. I mean, would it even be possible for a Hutt to mate with a humanoid female?

Don't judge me. If you haven't already thought of this pointless question at one time, you're certainly thinking about it now.

And on that note, I'm finished. My job is complete for the day.

Until next time...

VGLosers.com- Totally Rad Video Game Review (GameTrailers.com)

Check out my new entry for the GameTrailers.com "Out Nerd the Nerd" contest!Mandalorian30 from VGLosers.com is out to review a totally rad video game, and he has his heart set on Super Paper Mario for the Nintendo Wii. But the poor guy runs into problem after problem, and ends up with a review he is not so happy with.

read more | digg story

A Look at Hasbro's SDCC Exclusives

Well, San Diego Comic Con has come and gone this year. I wish I could have gone. But unfortunately, I live in Illinois, which is not so close to California. It would be hard enough for me to save up the money I would need to buy toys and comics, let alone travel expenses.

And the thing that always makes not going even worse are all of those wonderful Exclusives SDCC always gets. Sometimes I get lucky, and the same Exclusives are offered at Wizard world Chicago, which is a much more doable 3 hour drive for me. But for the most part, if there is something that I want, I have to rely on paying inflated prices on Ebay, or hoping I can find someone nice enough to sang what I want and ship it to me.

This year, Hasbro seemed to have a lot of really cool exclusives that I wanted to get my hands on. And due to how awesome Hasbro is, I was given my chance to get them at normal cost!

Hasbrotoyshop.com is a life saver. And a wallet saver. Habsro was able to list a limited quantity of several of their SDCC Exclusives for sale on their site shortly after SDCC ended. And I was lucky enough to pick a few of them up!

Now, just a forewarning: I have a hard time opening Exclusives. The packaging and such always ends up looking so cool on these figures, that I end up leaving them MOC or MIB, and I display them that way. That happened with every figure I recently purchased from Hasbro. So, you just have to deal with my pictures the way they are.

Let's start off by taking a look at Hasbro's Marvel Legends line, where they offered not one, but TWO cool exclusives this year. The first one is a She-Hulk in her Fantastic Four costume. It's a cool figure, but not one I felt I needed to buy. The only Exclusive ML I was interested in, was Stan "The Man" Lee!

Stan Lee gets his very first Marvel Legends action figure! I was wondering how long it would take to get this inevitable figure! And how sweet he is! The packaging on the figure is great in itself. A really cool window box displays the figure, with a fold up flap revealing Spider-Man accessories! Yes, Stan Lee's clothes are removable, revealing Spider-Man's costume! In reality, this is three figures in one! It can be Stan Lee, it can be Spider-man, or it can be Peter Parker! All of the parts are included to display the figure however you'd like! Very cool! It's almost a shame I'm leaving mine in the box. ;)

The next figure I was interested in is a part of Hasbro's new 25th Anniversery Collection of G.I. Joe figures! Many fans know this figure as "Pimp Daddy" Destro! This figure is a throwback to an old Destro figure that came out with the same wild paint scheme. the original figure is a rare find these days, as the outfit was so gaudy Hasbro immediately decided to switch his costume back to the black outfit Destro was known for. This figure also has a metallic head, available in either silver or gold. gold was already sold out, but that's OK with me. I like the silver one better.

And last but not least, my favorite collection of them all, Star Wars! The SDCC exclusive this year was part of the new Ralph McQuarrie Concept figures, which I absolutely love! these figures are based on Ralph's original artwork that helped bring George Lucas' vision to life! Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, packaged together, make up this awesome exclusive. And what a difference in design they are! Can you imagine if this is how they turned out int he films? This is a great two pack, and remains my favorite of the SDCC Exclusives I was able to snag.

I also was able to snag the R2-KT "Make a Wish" figure. This wasn't an SDCC exclusive, but it was an online exclusive, and it's for a good cause. I couldn't pass it up.

So, as you can see, I lucked out! I didn't even have to pay inflated prices for any of these figures! that's a win for the good guys! Take that, you scalper scum!

Until next time!

Six Flags doesn't have the mouse ears, but they do have Nintendo!

This past week, the girlfriend and I took a trip to Six Flags St. Louis for a nice little getaway from real life. Good thing we picked the hottest day of the year to go! Sheesh! It was terrible! The heat was so bad, I was so close to just peeling the sweat soaked clothes from my body, and run around the park naked the rest of the day. But, at least Six flags has a water park, which we did spend the earlier part of the day at. It was fun, but it was also the most crowded part of the park due to that God-awful heat.

I have been taking regular trips to Six Flags St. Louis since I was probably 5 years old. My family went there at least once every summer. As I got older and was able to drive, my friends and I would always buy season passes, and we'd go multiple times over the summer. After all, it's only an hour and a half from where I live. And you can't beat riding roller coasters and paying too much for food when you're bored.

Over the last year or so, I've noticed a steady change in Six Flags St. Louis. They have done quite a bit of remodelling. The park seems to be a tad cleaner. They are doing things now that they used to never do, or hardly o, such as parades. Loony Tunes and DC Comics characters are now constantly walking around the park. I used to never see characters as a kid. If I did, it was rare. But they are always out now. There are so many things that Six Flags is doing different, it immediately began to remind me and my girlfriend of another place. A place we both love and wish we could visit more often. A place we just visited in March. And that place is none other than Walt Disney World.

Yep. If you've been to WDW, or keep up on WDW park information, you'd notice it too. Six Flags is definitely taking a page out of Mickey's book. And while I applaud them for doing what they can to make their park a better, more enjoyable atmosphere, sometimes it just doesn't come off the right way. Let's take a look at some similarities.

We'll start with the characters. As I stated before, as a kid I rarely saw characters at Six Flags. They are now every where now. Marvin the Martian, Tweety, Daffy, and Bugs all the way to Robin, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. you'll find them at various locations of the park, complete with a Six Flags employee by their side to help guide them around. They even have photographers following the characters around now who are there to take your picture, then hand you a little card that you can use to purchase the photo either at their photo booth, or online. If you've been to Disney, you are quite familiar with this process. I think it's all pretty cool, but my biggest problem is in the characters themselves.

For one, sometimes the costumes could be a little better. That one is directed mostly to the DC characters. Some of them just straight up look silly. Either the costume is just ugly, or the person inside the suit looks nothing like the character they are portraying. I don't need to see a pimply faced Flash, or a tubby Batman. Seriously.

My other issue is that the characters just don't seem to act, well, like the characters. In Disney, all of the character act as they would in one of their cartoons. They are lively, funny, and playful. At Six Flags, you can tell it's just some dude in a suit whose collecting a pay check. It immediately ruins the "magic" for me.

Another small similarity is Six Flags' version of Disney's Fast Pass, which the call the Flash Pass. This feature allows you to wait in line for a ride without actually standing in the line. Basically you are given a time to come back to the ride, and then you can walk right on. The only difference...SIX FLAGS CHARGE MONEY FOR THIS FEATURE! At Disney, it's free! Seriously, who is lazy enough to pay money just so they don't have to wait in lines. I just feel like Six Flags is really robbing people here.

The most pathetic encounter we had was when we walked in to one of the shops to find that it was a shop selling DISNEY MERCHANDISE! What?! on top of that, they were playing Disney music in the store. This store just confused me. Six Flags is a Warner Bros. park, right? Their icons are Looney tunes and DC comics, correct? So what's up with selling products of a company that could be considered your competition? Are they trying to snag some of their loot? Cash in on their success? That's what it seemed like to me. And I thought it was lame.

I probably look like this big jerk who hates Six Flags now. But I am far from wanting to light the place on fire or anything. I actually enjoy six Flags quite a bit. I just found myself comparing the place to WDW all day long. That may have something to do with my recent trip. Or maybe I need to lighten up. Who knows? But i do love me some Mr. Freeze. That coaster is...cool! Make sure you go back and read that sentence with an Arnold accent.

Oh, but one cool thing about Six Flags was The Wii Experience! All it was was a section set up in the park that had several Nintendo Wii's and a few Nintendo representatives there to tell you all about it's greatness! So, not only can you make yourself sick on the Shazaam!, you can now take a break to have a Wii Sports bowling game, or play some Twilight Princess! And it's FREE! Sweet!

OK, I think I've talked about Six Flags enough. A little off topic maybe? Nope, I talked about Nintendo. And it's my blog, so you'll read whatever I write. Booyah.

Customizing - Doing what Toy Companies just won't.

Ah, the art of customizing. I myself have done many of custom action figures. It's a lot of fun to make your own figures the way toy companies just can't. And it's great to see all of the wonderful creations others come up with.

Legos are something that I have always wanted to try and customize, but have never really put any time into trying. There are a lot of Lego fans out there, and it's amazing to see some of the wonderful things creative people can come up with. I've seen everything from Legos built to look like 8-bit NES sprites to amazing and huge Star Wars ships and environments built entirely out of Lego pieces. And then, of course, the most common form of Lego customizing is the figures themselves. Custom Lego-men.

I came across this guy's page today while doing a random search for Legend of Zelda pictures. These are freaking cool! I don't think I have ever seen anyone make Legend of Zelda Legos before. And I know I have never seen custom Lego men that looked this good! These are very professional, almost as if Lego put them out themselves. Just excellent! Check these bad boys out:

http://www.mocpages.com/moc.php/14321

I have to say that Princess Zelda is my favorite in the bunch. She just looks so professionally done. It's a wonder how some people can be so precise with their painting. Awesome!

Speaking of action figure customizing, have any of you out there ever heard the name Jin Saotome? Well, if you are a customizer, a shopper of customs on Ebay, or a frequenter of any toy forums, I guarantee you him!

Jin is hands down the BEST action figure customizer I have ever seen! His work is down right amazing! Rarely do you see custom action figures that look like they came right out of the factory. In fact, these look 10 times better than any toy company would ever produce! The level of detail on each of his pieces is astounding! Here are a few examples of his work:

Jin hits a level of detail on his figures that I have never been able to master on my own. His work simply amazes me. People love his work so much, that any figure he lists on Ebay sells int he $100's, just for having his name on it. He pays his bills by making figures. Ah, how I wish I could be so lucky!

One of the coolest things about the guy is that he shares his techniques with people. His website is littered with "how-to" guides. He's all about helping his fellow customizers out. He's given me several pointers personally in the past, and he's just overall a great guy!

His site can be found at http://www.jinsaotomesdangeroustoys.com/

Swing by and check out his work! Read his guides! And drop him a line if you'd like! Tell him Mandalorian30 sent you, and did a good job of pimping out his site! ;)

Any other customizers out there who'd like to share your work? Please, post away! I love to see the awesome customs people come up with!

Well, my hometown of Springfield, Illinois may not have won the premeir for The Simpsons Movie, but we did get these nifty posters for free! Limited to only 500, the posters says "Filmed on location in springfield, Illinois" right under the title. Sweet!

When video games run your life!

I think every gamer has been in that place where they have this one game that they are just absolutely addicted. A game that can be played for hours on end, and just can’t seem to be put down. A game that just completely sucks you in to the point that the real world now revolves around your game. You have to make scheduling changes just to make sure you don’t miss a certain item in your game. You cancel plans because you don’t want to give up yet. Yep, all gamers have been there. In fact, I’m willing to bet that most gamers have been there on more than one occasion. I know I have. And I’m there right now.

Yes my fellow VGLosers, I am currently entwined in the universe known as Animal Crossing: Wild World for the Nintendo DS. It’s a world where you are a human trying to make a living in a town full of cutesy animal residents. Don’t look at me like that. I know that a lot of you gamers have picked up this game and got lost in it as well. And for those of you who haven’t, you probably just haven’t given it a proper chance.

Yep, even I have friends who give me crap and like to roll their eyes at me when I tell them what I’m playing. Animal Crossing is a sim game, basically. And although it looks cute and cuddly, it is very in-depth and highly addicting. Don’t believe me? Yeah, I know. You can’t get over the way the game looks, can you? You’d rather be blowing the heads off zombies, or “pwning sum noobs” at Halo 2, right? Well, truth is this kind of a game isn’t for every body. But even if you’re not too big into sim games, I bet that if given the proper chance, Animal Crossing could wrap you up just as it did me.

There is so much to do in this game, it’s ridiculous. So many goals and so little time. The reason there is little time, you ask? Well, that’s because this game is in “real time,” meaning that if it’s 5:00 pm in real life, its 5:00 pm in your Animal Crossing town. And certain things happen at certain times of the day. Certain events take place on certain dates. And certain hard-to-find items may only appear at those late hours of the night, or early hours of the morning. And, unless you’re a dirty cheater and like to change the time on your DS to make things easier for you, accomplishing all of your goals can be quite a challenge.

Some of the goals in this game include paying off your mortgage to get bigger, better house, furnishing your house and finding and buying new and rare types of furniture, planting flowers and trees to get a perfect town, catching bugs and fish to donate to your museum, make friends with the townsfolk, the list can go on and on.

It may not sound like much, but you really find yourself trying to accomplish your goals. You get rewarded for accomplishing certain tasks. For example, catching every fish there is to catch in the game will yield a prize called the golden fishing rod. The problem is that certain fish are only available at certain times of the day, and even still, only certain times of the year! Yep, the seasons change, and so do the fish and insects that can be caught. It makes it hard to reach your goals, but that much more rewarding when you do.

Buying furniture is a lot of fun as well. There is such a huge catalog you can accumulate filled with wallpapers, carpets, shirts, accessories, and different types of furniture. Some items are far rarer than others. For you Nintendo fans out there, you might be happy to know you can even obtain cool little items like the Triforce or a Metroid. I know I love that! Its cool little things like that that keeps me constantly searching, buying, and trading for new pieces of furniture to fill my catalog with.

So, as you can see, there is a lot to do in this game. Meaning, my life revolves around it. I have a daily routine now, it seems. I check the game every morning. I start by watering all of the flowers in my town to make sure they don’t die. I talk to all of my town’s folk, to maintain friendships and keep them from moving. I check the stores to see if there is anything new that I haven’t bought yet. I pull all the weeds that grew over night. If there is a special visitor, I talk to them and try to earn whatever goodie they are offering. I mail any letters that need to be mailed. I check the recycling bin for items I may want to take. I shake trees to look for stashed bells (money), I sell some fruit to earn money, and I look for buried fossils to take to the museum. After that, I do anything else that may come up. If there’s a special event at a certain time, I try to get on at that time. If I need to fish or bug hunt for something I need, I’ll do that. If I want to go wi-fi with some people I meet online and trade items, I may do that. It’s crazy. This game has me planning my whole day around it just to make sure my town stays at its perfect status!

This is not the first time a game has done this to me, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. And, in my opinion, if a game can manage to get a gamer like me this wrapped up, then they did something right. If you’ve never given Animal Crossing a try, I’d recommend it. Maybe you won’t care for it at all, or maybe you’ll get sucked in just as much as I did. You’d be surprised. You can pick up either version of the game, for the Gamecube or the DS. Plus, they’ve announced a Wii version of the game coming next year. I can already see my schedule becoming full.

I’m going to end this one off by asking all of you VGLosers out there what games have done this to you? Share your experiences! Tell me what game has got you so sucked in that you didn’t care about the real world!

Harry Potter Fans Love To Laugh

Last night I attended the midnight showing of Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. It was a good movie. I can’t say it was my favorite of the Potter flicks, as I enjoyed films such as “Goblet of Fire” more. But, overall, it was still a good film. However, I’m not here to talk about the film. I’m here to talk about the crowd that was there to see it.

This summer has been full of huge, box office hits. I’ve been to so many midnight showings already, more than I think I have ever been to in one summer. Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Live Free of Die Hard, and Transformers…so many big ones this year! This is one summer that has made many nerds have to constantly clean their shorts.

So what was so different about the Harry Potter opening that has sparked writing out of me? Well, to be honest, not much really. At least, as far as what I was expecting goes. A lot of these big movies have a fan following. Being the huge Star Wars fan that I am, it’s not abnormal for me to see swarms of people dressed in costume while waiting hours in line to see the newest installment of their favorite franchise. But there’s something about the Potter fans that seemed different to me. Maybe it’s the age barrier. I’m not sure. After all, Harry Potter does have a bit of a younger fan following. Transformers and Star Wars are of my generation. Harry Potter, not so much.

I do enjoy these movies quite a bit, and being a nerd myself, I cannot really judge when I see Potter fanatics at openings like last night. But during that movie, they acted slightly different than I expected them too. There was clapping at the opening, the ending, and at key scenes. But that sort of thing happened when I saw movies like Star Wars and Transformers. And I gladly participated in it. But I was so confused last night when a majority of the audience laughed throughout the movie.

Yes, there are funny moments in HP: OotP. Every good movie should include some comedy. But these people were laughing at very un-funny scenes. For example, every time Luna Lovegood said anything, the audience would chuckle. Granted, the character was a little odd. But she didn’t always say things that should warrant a giggle or laugh. She would say something completely serious, and the audience would be laughing. I felt as though there was some kind of huge joke that I wasn’t getting.

Then, the scene that really got me was towards the end. Without spoiling anything, I’ll just say that there is a scene during the end battle where Harry is going through some torture. It’s a very serious scene…yet there go those Potter fans, laughing away again. What did I miss? This is the part of the movie that is supposed to be the epic battle. The part that is suppose to have us all wrapped up, wondering if the good guys are going to make it through. But are we all on the edge of our seat wondering what’s going to happen? Nope. We’re giggling like we just read a humorous joke.

It was quite confusing, and a bit annoying to be truthful. And the more I think about it, the more my brain hurts. The only thing I can think of is that age difference between fan bases. Perhaps those Potter fans just see something that I don’t. Maybe it has something to do with reading the books. Or maybe Potter fans are just bat shit crazy. Who knows?

Either way, it was a good movie, despite the fact that I didn’t seem to get the big joke.

If you had a similar experience…or maybe if you know what was so funny…leave me a comment!

What is a VGLoser?

Hey VGLosers, Mandalorian30 here! I just wanted to take a moment to cover something that I'm sure will be a a popular topic: What is a VGLoser?

VGLosers.com is not a new site. DiRT, along with others, have kept this site going for quite some time now. But with the site getting a new breathe of life, there's a good chance that it will grow soon. More people are going to find their way here. And more and more people are going to ask that question. Everyone is going to wonder what a VGLoser actually is.

First, take a moment to listen to a podcast that DiRT posted back in February. This podcast is his explanation of what a VGLoser is.

VGLosers Podcast : Define a VGLoser

DiRT explained a VGLoser as someone who is caught up in what the rest of society would look at as "Unimportant." Something you are so caught up in, you let the rest of life go. Other people may not think it's important, but you sure as heck do!

What are these "Unimportant" things? Well, for us it's Video Games, it's Toys, it's Comic Books, it's Wrestling, it's Movies, etc etc. We are nerds. We are geeks. We are VGLosers!

The rest of society may refer to us as losers because of the things we consider important. But we here at VGLosers.com wear that title proudly! In our eyes, being a VGLoser is a positive thing. It's who we are. It's how we're always going to be. And everyone else will just have to deal.

So, what is a VGLoser? Well, I know I'm one. And I'm proud of it. So I guess the real question is "Are YOU a VGLoser?"

Welcome!

Well, it looks like you have stumbled in to my little corner of VGLosers.com, “It Figures!” Hello everyone, I’m Mandalorian30 and I’m here to ramble on and on about all things nerd! You like toys? Yeah, me too! You like video games? Yeah, me too! Movies? Check! Wrestling? Check! I like it all, and I’m going to talk about it all!

For many of us, our life is often times consumed by things that many people would just call “unimportant.” For some of us it’s action figure collecting. For others, it’s that one video game that you just have to beat. Then there are those people who have to make time to do it all! Those are my people!

I will be using this blog to look into the lifestyle of the nerd world! From the good to the bad! From the nostalgic to the new! We’re going to look at anything and everything that interests…well…me! But, if you’re like me, I’m sure you’ll find it interesting as well! And if you don't, then what the heck are you doing reading my blog any way? Get outta here!

So, for those interested, stay tuned! The updates are a-comin’!