What happens when you give a Mario piano score to someone who’s never heard it in his life?
Awesomeness.
Almost every self-proclaimed ragtime pianist I’ve ever met has been a total sightreading genius. I guess it’s also a thing that they have tons of experience having people throw them music and playing it right then and there.
what is this sorcery sadfkljalksdjf
Oh that’s so cute it’s completely different!!! ;u;
This Ragtime Mario Theme is my new favorite version.
Hahahahahhahahah Miko
Oh man. That was amazing. I can only imagine how much fun the animators had with that whole sequence.
Bootleg Zones: Dinosaur Invincibility
A durable education fun bootleg of a Transformers Grimlock repaint that will give you infinite pleasure.
Sipher Rambles About His TF Hall Of Fame Choices
Indulge me! Let’s go alphabetical…
BULKHEAD
Though he’s a late addition, starting with 2007’s Animated series, the green giant Bulkhead has become the franchise’s archetype for “big tough softie”. Both Bill Fagerbakke and Kevin Michael Richardson make the character transition smoothly from “powerful force of destruction” to “soft-hearted sap” to “occasional hilarious doof”. (Bulkhead’s high-pitched shriek of terror in “Scrapheap” always makes me laugh.) Neither version is a warrior at heart, but they’re more than ready to step into the role and lay their lives on the line for their smaller friends, especially their super-close human friends (well, we thought Sari was human). I think it’s fantastic that a character who doesn’t have 25+ years of nostalgia behind them has become a core cast member. And It seems he’s even popped up with a G1 version based on the Prime one in IDW’s comics… Let him in for this!
MEGATRON (Beast Wars)
It’s hard to “nutshell” this. But Hasbro DOES consider BW Megatron a separate entity from the multiversal “Megatron”; that is, the “G1-inspired” ones that have already been group-inducted. Predacon Megatron is a beast of a different color not just in that he is literally a different being from “G1” Megatron from the same universe, but he is a different kind of Megatron, yet one that has shaped those who came after him. Most Megatrons are brute force incarnate. Rule is dictated by merciless strength, enforced at the wrong end of a fusion cannon, and resistance is ground without mercy under the iron boot of a mass army. BW Megs… is a shiv in the dark. He’s a sly, sophisticated, manipulative rat-bastard of the highest order, one who arranges his enemies to do the worst to themselves. He commands not a mass army (well, up until the very end of his career), but a small team of criminals and psychopaths, yet with that he nearly re-wrote history itself. He is fully capable of blunt-force trauma, but saves it as a last resort. He is a long-term strategist who knows when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em. And he is fighting for a cause, for his “people” who have been relegated to second-class by Cybertron society due to the sins of their predecessors (not that the Preds aren’t, well, largely evil bastards, but still).
And that manipulative edge, that “you don’t know what’s really going on in his head” aspect, and the fighting for a (misguided/corrupted) cause, not merely MWUUUHAHAHAHAH I’M EVIL angle has since been applied to the Megatrons of recent years. No longer the (let’s be honest) blunt-force bullies of G1, the later Animated and Prime Megatrons —and more recent incarnations of G1 Megs— take their cues from BW Megs’s grand chessmaster school of villainy, the would-be dictator who fights for the twisted, sick version of what they think is truly right. The 80’s made “Megatron” a buffoon. The 90’s Beast Wars made “Megatron” someone to genuinely fear.
METROPLEX
Metroplex is basically the ultimate “big guy”. No, he didn’t have the biggest toy in G1. But unlike Fort Max, Metroplex is ALWAYS the big guy EVERY incarnation. He is ALWAYS a colossus of epic proportions. And he was easily the most accessible of the “citybots”. As a toy, he was demi-affordable. He didn’t have a billion vital pieces to lose or break like Omega Supreme. And his interactivity with the smaller toys of the time really drove him the “citybot” angle. Just as Devastator is “the” combiner robot, Metroplex is “the” singular giant, the tower of power, the last hope.
Also, his Cybertron incarnation was a stories-tall robot Scotsman with a shovel-blade pole-axe. That. Is. AWESOME.
SKY-BYTE
Sky-Byte shares a lot of similarities with second-year fan-vote winner Waspinator, in that he is the “lovable doofus villain” of his series. But Sky-Byte brings his own flavor to the role. Though his capabilities may far outpace his ambition, he is passionate. He tries to be the sophisticate. This guy would idolize BW Megatron… up to a point, because Sky-Byte isn’t really a horrible being. He’s a comedy character with some surprising depth under the silly surface. And villains with depth, those who are not “just pure evil”, those who appreciate finer things like poetry and the arts (even if they kinda suck at it), who see humanity as not merely insects to trampled… well, we need more of that. Yeah, I pushed for SB to get his alt-universe counterparts in Animated and the “Wings of Honor G1/G2” universes. And I’m glad to see him as a moderate, philosophical voice in the ongoing IDW G1 comic (though I would argue he could be a little funnier). He’s a character I think we could use more of.
And for a character born in a mediocre one-off filler line and cartoon (with a fantastic dub), that’s a hell of an accomplishment.
WRECK-GAR
I think we all can appreciate some fun. And Wreck-Gar is just that. FUN. He’s a walking love letter to the pop-culture that Transformers is part of. He’s the joke you can take seriously. He’s the bot who takes delight in the simple, the beauty of the detritus, the embodiment of “one man’s trash is another’s treasure”. Whether it’s the Eric-Idle-voiced “talking TV” version or Weird Al’s addle-brained wannabe hero (or even the boisterous, fun goof from the otherwise-dreary Exiles novel), Wreck-Gar is a reminder of simple pleasures in the series… and that’s something I think fans need from time to time.
So, that’s me and my take on it. Will any of em make it? Dunno. BW Megs seems to have a chance.
Alright, if you’re a consumer and you’re considering picking up the new Xbox One console, then please, take a moment to listen to me. Before we begin, no, I am not a fanboy or a hater. I have no console Bias. I have a PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and a Gaming PC. Each has their pros and cons but now onto business.
DO NOT BUY AN XBOX ONE. Why? See the reasons below:
Xbox Requires an internet connection. Here’s how it works: Every 24 hours your Xbox will try to connect to Microsoft’s servers for verification. If it is unable to connect, sucks to be you. You’re blocked from playing even single player games until it can connect.
Source: http://kotaku.com/xbox-one-does-require-internet-connection-cant-play-o-509164109
Do you like renting games, lending them to a friend, or even borrowing them from a friend? No longer possible. Every Xbox One game you get must be registered to your Xbox live account to be played. After that point it will only work for you. No one else can use it unless they pay a fee. Essentially it works like this. You pick up a used Xbox One game from somewhere or someone, pop it into your console. The system verifies it’s been registered to your account. Uh-oh, it isn’t! In order to play it, you have to pay Microsoft a fee, which is currently slated to be full retail price. Doesn’t matter how scratched up it is or how cheap you got it at gamestop or from a friend. You aren’t just buying the physical copies anymore. You’re paying Microsoft for a LICENSE to be allowed to play that game.
It is worth mentioning Microsoft is exploring ways for you to trade in and resell your used games. This is rumored to mean that you can sell your digital license to play the game (registration) back to microsoft, likely for microsoft points. You can then trade in the game at gamespot for some cash if you like. Either way, as it currently stands, the new owner would still have to pay a fee on top of the price of actually buying the physical copy.
Source: http://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-fee-for-buying-used-games-full-retail-price/
Is it worth mentioning that Microsoft if shafting Indie Developers as well? Where as on Playstation Network or (whatever the Wii has) Indie Developers can self publish their content easily. Playstation even encourages this. Microsoft however forces these Indie Devs to enter publishing deals with them to be allowed to market their content. You don’t go through them, you don’t get to sell what you developed.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/22/indie-devs-cant-self-publish-on-xbox-one
I’m not quite done yet! Now, I’m sure you heard a lot about “TV TV TV TV SPORTS TV TV SPORTS SPORTS TV.” Yes, the Xbox is slated to be able to stream live tv, live sports, etc. So let me ask you this. You obviously already have something like cable or DirecTV. Do you really want to shell out hundreds of dollars more and pay a monthly subscription fee to have another television provider? Yes, I said hundreds of dollars, and I don’t mean the cost of the console. To view live TV from the Xbox you are required to purchase ANOTHER separate device for it to work. Why would you even consider shelling out more money for something you already have anyway? Even if you didn’t, DirecTV is cheaper. Or you could even subscribe you Hulu.com and watch live tv on your computer. FOR MUCH CHEAPER. You essentially have to buy another cable box if you don’t have one. And if you do… what do you need the Xbox One for?
Source: http://www.vg247.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-live-tv-available-in-us-only-at-launch-requires-separate-device/
So far we’ve discovered that the Xbox One is not really a gaming console, at least… not a consumer friendly gaming console. It’s being marketed as an all-in-one home entertainment system. Something to replace all of the other devices in your house. But there are drawbacks even to that. Put on your tin foil hats for this part folks. Take from it what you will, all I’ll say is… possibilities…
The Xbox One’s features will not function unless the Kinect is plugged in and active. This is not an optional piece anymore.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/21/xbox-one-will-not-function-without-kinect-attached
So imagine your Kinect piece breaks? Tough luck, no more Xbox for you. But you know what’s worse?
Pay attention, because this is important. The Kinect is always watching. Always listening. Even when the system is off.
Yes. One of the ways to turn the system on is to audibly say: “Xbox On” while the system is off. The Kinect, which is always on, hears you and turns it on. Now this might seem like a cool feature, but did you know Microsoft patented a feature that would allow the Kinect’s camera (It’s no longer just a sensor, but a camera) to spy on you for the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America?) While they may not actually do this, it is actually possible for them to do this now. It has a camera, and a microphone. The Kinect is always on. It is ALWAYS listening, ALWAYS watching.
An idea has been tossed around that by using this feature, it will allows game developers and movie produces to set a limited amount of how many people can be allowed to view the entertainment. So as a hypothetical example, you and three friends are watching a movie, which is the maximum allowed. A fourth friend enters the room and the Kinect’s sensor registers the fourth individual. The movie stops and you a prompted to pay a fee so that the extra individual may also view the film. Again, that is NOT currently the case, but these are the ideas currently being tossed around with the system’s current capabilities.
Source for listening: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352596/the-xbox-one-is-always-listening
Source of spying: http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/139706-microsofts-new-kinect-patent-goes-big-brother-will-spy-on-you-for-the-mpaa
Now, just two more things and I’ll be done here!
This isn’t really a good or bad thing, but it’s annoying. It also explains how they can prevent you from playing a used game if you didn’t pay their fee. Xbox one no longer plays games off the discs, you HAVE to install them to the hard-drive in order to play them. I believe PS3 also has you do this (on a number of games but not always it seems), except that PS3 isn’t trying to Nickle and Dime you at every corner. It also seems according to this article there is something related to the Online portion at the beginning of this post. The option is there for Developers to require the Xbox to always be online to play their particular game. Well, it seems PC gamers and console gamers have one thing in common now… DRM.
(At least pirates on PC can bypass DRM easily. Not an option for Consoles.)
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4352314/xbox-one-hard-drive-game-installs
And last but not least, another annoyance… Xbox One will not be compatible with any and all current headsets. Nope, companies will either have to make new headsets altogether specifically for the Xbox One, and they have to adhere to what Microsoft wants. Look forward to price gouging.
Source: http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/22/xbox-one-incompatible-with-current-gaming-headsets
Oh, one more thing… If you have an Xbox 360, don’t get rid of it. Why? Well if you want to keep playing your old 360 games you’ll need it. The Xbox One isn’t backwards compatible. At all. Not only that, but President of Microsoft’s Xbox Division Don Mattrick insults the very notion of backwards compatibility! He calls it: “Backwards thinking.”
Source: http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/21/4350662/new-xbox-has-no-backwards-compatibilty
Source of insult: http://www.polygon.com/2013/5/22/4355984/xbox-one-backward-compatibility-backwards-thinking-don-mattrick
That is all I have to say currently folks, and I hope you took the time to read this far. I’ll conclude with the following… please… PLEASE do not buy this console. Paying for this supports greedy and anti-consumer business practices. Speak with your wallet, and pass up the Xbox One. No matter what games it might have that you want, even if they are exclusive. Do the right thing and make a statement. Refuse to be nickle and dimed like this. Refuse to be seen as a mindless consumer who will buy anything tossed to them.
We won’t know much else until after E3, but as it stands now, the PS4 or a decent gaming PC is the best way to go.
If you are willing to do so, please spread this post around. Liking is not even remotely necessary, but do please share it if you agree with and acknowledge what you’ve read here. The more people know, the fewer of them waste their money.
Thank you, kindly.
~Dylan Jordan
(Originally posted on Facebook by one of my friends. He brings up many valid points. Mind you, I haven’t been a fan of Xbox in a long time and I will most likely get a PS4. But this confirms further for me that I won’t be getting an Xbox one any time in the foreseeable future.)
Huh, so it seems the PS4 and the XBox One will both be avoided by me.
Lame :(
