Skywarp!

In the old days of NES, we all had games that we swore were too hard to beat. These days, there aren't that many unbeatable games (by beating I don't mean unlocking everything, but just beating it), but which ones did you have to give up on? Grand Theft Auto: Vice City -- I know this is a beatable game, but I've died over and over playing the mission where you have to save Lance at the junkyard, and I've thrown my controller out of frustration, cursing how over rated the franchise is. Red Faction II (GCN) -- This game is just too boring to keep playing. I'm at the level right after the predictable "plot twist" happens, and I'm not compelled to play any further. It's just too boring and a rote FPS, and lengthy -- I feel like the game should have ended where the plot twist happened. Terrible game. Contra: Shattered Soldier -- What can I say? The game rocks, but it's close to unbeatable. Not to mention this generation of gamers feel really inconvenienced about the old-school "you have to beat it in one sitting" gameplay. I've gotten as far as inside the alien. F-Zero GX -- I'm only on the third Story Mission and the 2nd difficulty of the 2nd class on Grand Prix. This is a very difficult game, and once again, not one that compells you to keep playing. Probably one of my first disappointing Nintendo titles.

From CNN.com: Galaxy find stirs Big Bang debate Thursday, January 8, 2004 Posted: 12:08 PM EST (1708 GMT) SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- An Australian-led team of scientists has discovered a new string of galaxies which they say challenges existing theories about the evolution of the universe. The team, using telescopes in Chile and in Australia, detected the galaxies about 10.8 billion light years away in a remote region of the universe, the Australian National University's Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics said in a statement Thursday. With light traveling at 9.5 trillion kilometers in one light year, this means the galaxies are being observed as they appeared 10.8 billion years ago, the statement said. The universe was formed during the Big Bang about 3 billion years earlier -- 13.7 billion years ago -- so the find could give more clues about what went on in the universe when it was one-fifth of its present age. Thirty-seven of the brightest galaxies were detected, including a quasar, but thousands of galaxies were probably in the string, according to astronomer Dr Paul Francis who heads the team. But none of the existing computer simulation models were able to reproduce galaxy strings as large as the one the team found. "We are looking back four-fifths of the way to the beginning of the universe and the existence of this galaxy string will send astrophysicists around the world back to the drawing board to re-examine theories of the formation of the universe," Francis said. "The simulations tell us that you cannot take the matter in the early universe and line it up in strings this large. There simply hasn't been enough time since the Big Bang for it to form structures this colossal." The researchers -- who were funded by NASA and the Australian National University -- were refused the use of a telescope in the United States because the observations to be carried out were considered technically impossible by many American astronomers, the statement said. The team has presented its findings to the American Astronomical Society. Further surveys to map an area of the sky ten times greater than the team's observation are underway. This would provide a clearer picture of the large-scale structure, the statement said.

I don't believe in the Big Bang, but it hasn't been "disproven" per se, the time frame is just scaled back.

Well, they would get their asses beat and they know that. That's why they engage in guerilla warfare. You need quick, clandestine strikes to take on an army much bigger and with more resources than you, like the patriots did against Britain in the Revolutionary War. Not to draw a comparison, though; the Taliban's tactics are much more deplorable, killing civilians and such.

I'm surprised the botched 10-count on Buster Douglas that allowed him to get up and beat Mike Tyson for the title wasn't mentioned. As a side-note, I hate this guy's writing style. He sounds like a pissed-off 17-year-old.

Wow, I've never heard of them "apologizing" before. That's a travesty about those kids...it reminds me of how much we take for granted here. I can't imagine a BOMB going off while I was walking home from the 3rd grade.

Never played the first, but I have a strong feeling that SOCOM II will be the next on my "give up" list. I just can't get through the first stage. On the EASY difficulty!

Is this one going to have a cute gimmick setting too, like the '90s or '70s? Blech.

311 and Sublime also dabble in ska occasionally, but it is not 311's main sound, but you could argue that it is Sublime's.

Some of the bosses in "Fester's Quest". Also, in "Contra: Shattered Soldier," the fish boss with the human head.

I don't know whether to believe if this is real or not, being that Moore seems to invent a lot of shit. Anyway, from michaelmoore.com: " Dear Mr. Moore: I’m writing this without knowing if it’ll ever get to you. I’m writing it not knowing why, or knowing what I’m going to say. I’m writing it not knowing if I’ll ever finish it or mail it. I’m writing it from the trenches of a war (that’s still going on,) not knowing why I’m here or when I’m leaving. I’ve toppled statues and vandalized portraits, while wearing an American flag on my sleeve, and struggling to learn how to understand. I was in Vindanza, Italy when I heard your Oscar acceptance speech. It was the day before I boarded a plane and experienced a “combat landing” in uncharted territory in northern Iraq. It was such a surreal feeling—the only light came from a red bulb—we sat shoulder to shoulder in silence. We were told to expect heavy artillery/chemical attacks. I can’t say I know what was on the minds of those men packed next to me, but I assume it was thoughts of family and religion. But me, a single 20 year old, I was thinking about what you had said. I joined the army as soon as I was eligible – turned down a writing scholarship to a state university, eager to serve my country, ready to die for the ideals I fell in love with. Two years later I found myself moments away from a landing onto a pitch black airstrip, ready to charge into a country I didn't believe I belonged in, with your words repeating in my head. My time in Iraq has always involved finding things to convince myself that I can be proud of my actions; that I was a part of something just. But no matter what pro-war argument I came up with, I pictured my smirking commander-in-chief, thinking he was fooling a nation. I discovered that the result of the war and the actions of G.W. cannot be treated as the same issue. Bush accidentally did a good thing for the Iraqi people. After the fact he's starting to claim humanitarian intentions for going to war - obviously bullshit. But he realizes that that is the only positive outcome. I could explain what I've seen here; a people forced into poverty & ignorance – but I'll spare you. I try not to think about the ultimate future of this place. I'm sure we'll cause them to fall victim to Banana Republic and Joe Millionaire, with a puppet president and monopolized oil industry. But there will be plenty of time in the future to worry about those things. I can't say I know what I believe. I am willing to accept that my opinions are a result of a given subconscious, not sufficient knowledge. Do I support care for the low income class because I truly understand the system, or because I've personified inadequacies and identified with those who experience struggle. Does a conservative oppose gay rights because he genuinely understands the issue or because he's scared to face deeper levels of humanity? What if you could be given a reason for everything you believe, but the reason is unrelated to the topic – the result of a life and a psyche? Will we believe those things the same way we used to? I call myself a liberal because I've been moved to tears by the words of Paul Wellstone, scenes in "The Awful Truth," the funeral of Matthew Sheppard, and the homeless people in the city I once lived in. It's not what I know, it's what I felt. It's dangerous to rely on emotions to guide your moral compass – but it’s the only way to be honest. I understand everything I believe may be wrong; that I believe for a reason, and that reason may not be reality. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say. Maybe just that I can't look at this war politically. I can only look at it as an experience that has taught me that life is dictated by seconds and inches; one that has caused me to face death and loss and fear. And at its core, stripped of the WMD's and no-contest contracts, it's been about one thing: serving my country. The most difficult thing has been learning how to be proud of that. This country, I'm serving,…is it America? Has it ever been? It's always bothered me that, despite the American philosophy, it became NECESSARY for a civil right movement, it became NECESSARY to form the ACLU. I've simultaneously battled Saddam loyalists and these questions. Kind of an odd setting for suddenly doubting my patriotism. But while my fight with those trying to kill my friends & I is far from ending, the fight within myself has ended. I found what I've been fighting for. It's been you, all along. I hated you on a plane ride in the dark with shaking hands. But you've been the roof of my loyalty, my bravery, and my dignity. Mr. Moore, you are America. This isn't a "I'm a hip liberal & I'll be cool if I get an autographed copy of Stupid White Men" letter. I've faced every weapon, from SCUDs to swords, and I've had to face why. And you've been the answer. I'm serving a country in which you live; where you're allowed to speak and PEOPLE LISTEN; where you're allowed to write and PEOPLE READ. What a beautiful country – every injustice has a prosecutor – every struggle has a defender. We are still a country being born. Compassion will never lose to conservatism…the country could be ruled by Jerry Falwell and Dick Cheney – but there will always be tears, as long as there is injustice and oppression and greed and hypocrisy. And there will always be you, the people you've taught, the lives you've influenced. You reminded me that America exists, and I suppose this letter is meant to thank you for that. I can't explain the pride you've instilled in me, and the comfort you've given me, to know that if I find myself fallen on the battlefield, I gave my life serving something I loved and truly believed in. Sincerely, Mike Prysner"

In Greenwich, CT, Vince McMahon is plotting his Michael Jackson/Steve Irwin tag team baby-dangling duo gimmick. "A dangling baby on a pole match! Yes!"

I liked "The Patriot". The only movie I ever wanted to walk out of was "Bringing Out the Dead". That was Hussein regime-worthy torture. Also, I don't know if anyone remembers "Hush" starring Gwenyth Paltrow. It was considered a horror movie, but I assume I'm doing you a service by spoiling the fact that no one dies. And I have never seen "Chairman of the Board" or Pauly Shore's catalogue. Should these be considered?

It's really about patience. When I'm going between Philly and New York, a 2-hour car trip, I easily hit 80 m.p.h. on the Jersey Turnpike. But then, that's the speed where I feel comfortable (ok, maybe more like 75 m.p.h.). It doesn't make me foolish; if I felt like I was losing control of the vehicle, I'd slow down, and I never take a sharp curve incredibly fast. Of course, I'm much older than 15, so I have a lot more driving experience. I think BX's point is this: everyone as a teenager made dumb decisions and mistakes. It's part of learning when growing up. Granted, none of us did exactly THIS when teenagers, but the point is that most of the time (when the mistake isn't of the life-threatening nature) we learn from our usually non-lethal mistakes. Just because we did dumb things as teenagers doesn't exactly mean we're dumb adults. For most people anyway. The kids in this topic may just be a special case, however. We'll just never know.

How about Voodoo Glow Skulls? They have one song that I like, but that's all I heard.

With no previous knowledge of that thread, my friend and I also wrote a Transformers Scott Keith parody rant that has been posted before Here.

There's also Madness for some '80s ska (they sung "Our house, in the middle of our street...") And Reel Big Fish's albums, "Turn the Radio Off" and "Why Do They Rock So Hard?" are great, the latter especially is a masterpiece, but steer clear of their latest, "Cheer Up!"

Holy crap, how can people this dumb EXIST?!

The cops should beat those parents over the heads with batons for allowing 15 year olds with no licenses to drive on a regular basis. We're lucky that they are the only ones who died, and didn't take anyone else on that highway with them.

The worst part about the dumb space-age designs people created is that they do not fit the Lower Manhattan skyline. Let's remember that it's New York, and not Batman's Gotham City or a Space Station or the Emerald City. The "form" of the memorial/office space is taking over its function.

I actually have the same question. I have a Comcast Cable connection. Do I hook an ethernet line into the back of the modem and into the Playstation? Also, I hear that different Playstations might not be compatible with the modem. I noticed that only one of the connectors (out of 3) on the back of the modem actually hooks up to the PS2. Other than that, the peripheral part of my PS2 is just a long, hollow shaft. Is that normal? (no obvious jokes, please) I got my PS2 in May 2002.

Colts would win AFC South based on head-to-head sweep of the Titans. Bengals are only alive in the race for the AFC North title. They have been eliminated from contention for a wild-card spot. Right now, the Packers would be No. 4 seed over the Vikings based on better record in common games. However, if each team wins in Week 17, their record in common games will be tied and the Vikings will win the NFC North. Vikings are No. 6 seed over the Seahawks based on head-to-head win. Wild-card matchups AFC Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts Tennessee Titans at Baltimore Ravens First-round byes: New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs. NFC Minnesota Vikings at Carolina Panthers Dallas Cowboys at Green Bay Packers First-round byes: Philadelphia Eagles, St. Louis Rams

I always wanted the Medal of Honor: Frontline soundtrack. Just in case you guys didn't know, check out www.minibosses.com. They are a rock band that covers classic 8-bit themes (like Castlevania 2 and Contra).

Le sigh, and funny enough, "Heart of Glass" is most likely my least favorite Blondie song off the top of my head. A lot of people only see them as a "gimmick band," as well, much like the Hives. And bisexual or not, the point I was trying to get across was that it doesn't fuckin' matter. I just hate how people judge someone by their sexuality (or what they think their sexuality is) and don't even bother to get into their music, especially since most efforts from Prince, Bowie, and Queen are utterly brilliant. You're right that the saddest thing about music is that guys get turned off when there's a distinct lack of testosterone. Just because I like a slow song doesn't make me a wuss.

I think I get it now. And little red riding hood is in for a lot of pain.