6/28/03

Looks like this will be the grand finale, folks.  I had originally scheduled the last update for Monday, but I'll be working that day.  That's right, I finally found work.  It's not the kind of job I'd hoped for, and it won't help me save my apartment at this late hour, but it will put food on the table and cash in my pocket.  Best of all, since it's only part time work, I'll have plenty of time to look for a more permanent career, possibly in the video game industry.  I've got the experience, I've got the talent, and I've got the references... all I need is for someone at one of the major gaming publications to notice me.  I guess it's time for me to prepare a killer resume and send it to the industry's big players!

Well, before I go, I'd like to thank everyone who's supported the site over the past six years.  That includes both my loyal readers and talented contributors.  Phil and John in particular deserve a big hand for all their help... they've done so much for the site, and I couldn't possibly thank them enough for being there when I needed them.

Next week, the hiatus begins and the regular updates end.  I can't promise you when The Gameroom Blitz will return, because frankly, even I don't know.  Your best bet is to check the forum occasionally for news about the site.

6/27/03

I have seen the future of men's television.  And frankly, that future isn't very bright.

Last night, TNN debuted three new adult cartoons on a programming block similar to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim line-up.  Actually, one of the shows isn't entirely new... Ren and Stimpy have been on television for over a decade now, but you've never seen them like this.  Most of the delightful surreal humor from the original series has been replaced with an endless procession of the most tasteless jokes ever aired on television.  Any fan of the original series who suspected that Ren and Stimpy were more than friends will have absolutely no doubt after watching the new show.

Maybe it's the homophobia talking, but I don't like Ren and Stimpy as much now that they're out of the closet.  In the past, there was a certain warped innocence to their friendship, but in the new show, the producers have added an element of sexual tension that's unnecessary at best and tasteless at worst.  In fact, the only thing Ren and Stimpy's more intimate relationship contributes to the show are a lot of unpleasant sight gags and immature gay jokes.

The new Ren and Stimpy was kind of a letdown, but it was still more entertaining than Gary the Rat.  This cartoon started its life on the Internet, and its origins are obvious... it looks like it's still being animated with Flash or Shockwave.  Even with the mediocre artwork, Gary the Rat could have gotten by on its humor, but that's another problem... it doesn't have much of it to go around.  After watching shows like The Critic and Futurama, I expect animated sitcoms to hit me with a rapid fire assault of jokes, and Gary the Rat just doesn't do that.  Instead, the writers focus primarily on Gary himself, who simply isn't interesting enough to warrant so much attention.  If you want to watch a show about a sleazy manbeast, you'd be better off just catching a rerun of Duckman instead.

Finally, there's Stripperella, the biggest surprise of the bunch.  I expected this one to shamelessly pander to TNN's target demographic.  It certainly does, but the great thing is that the writers aren't afraid to poke some fun at the ridiculous premise, and even the star of the show.  When Stripperella struts her stuff at the local nudie bar under the stage name "Erotica", the men are so impressed with her performance that they drop gold bars at her feet and push away the strippers already giving them a lap dance!  The animation is standard stuff... certainly acceptable, but not fantastic.  What's more important is that the show is fresh and cleverly written.  It's my favorite of TNN's new animated series.

Nevertheless, the TNN cartoon lineup is pretty weak in comparison to Adult Swim, or even Comedy Central's unadvertised block of animated sitcoms.  It does have promise, but it'll only improve if TNN is willing to spend the money necessary to add new shows (hopefully better ones than Gary the Rat).

6/26/03

I just added another handful of Russ Beleski's reviews to the Game Boy Advance section.  They ought to keep you folks entertained for the rest of the day.

Just a clarification in case one is necessary... when the site goes on hiatus, I won't be shutting it down completely.  You just won't see any new updates until I'm ready to begin work on The Gameroom Blitz again.  I may post on the forum from time to time, but that's about as active as the site is likely to get until I've found a steady job and another apartment.

6/25/03

I need to get caught up on my E-mail correspondence today, so I'll just give you a sneak peek of the last Zoo Logic comic I'll publish before the site goes on summer vacation.  You'll also find a couple of other fun surprises on this page... if, that is, you know where to look.

Oh, yeah!  There's just one more thing I probably should mention.  Every time my aunt visits the family, she always brings me something nice from my favorite hangout in Arizona, Bookman's.  This time, she was kind enough to give me a copy of the Playstation's underground hit RPG Maker.   As the name suggests, it allows you to design your own adventure games, and judging from the two very thick instruction manuals included in the package, it's a very flexible utility. 

I won't be able to spend enough time with RPG Maker to do anything productive with it, but if you guys know of any sites I could visit to get more information about it, I'd be in your debt.

6/24/03

The site's going on hiatus in less than a week, but I'll do my best to keep you entertained until that happens.  I've finished the lists on the Neo-Geo page and I'll be adding the rest of Russ Beleski's Game Boy Advance reviews in a couple of days.

6/23/03

Whoa... this was just a bit late, wasn't it?  I wanted to update on Saturday but I was busy moving everything out of my apartment except the absolute necessities.  You know, like the television set and computer.

Anyway, I've done a lot of maintenence on the site over the weekend... there's not much in the way of new content but the majority of the review pages have been redesigned.  I've also replaced the Akane hammer graphic with something new... from now on, the worst of the games reviewed on this site will be labelled with The Gameroom Blitz Super Suck vortex.  Whenever you see this picture next to one of the reviews...

...you can count on that game sucking with all the voracious force of a black hole.  I don't have a label for excellent games yet, but since I'll be on hiatus in a week you'll have to wait a while before you'll see one.

There's just one more thing I wanted to mention.  A little bit of fandom died a few weeks ago...  Eric Longdin, the editor of the personal newsletter Splat!, passed away last month after a lengthy battle with heart disease.  Although I didn't know him very well, I do know that he was important to a lot of people, particularly other fanzine editors on the east coast.  All I can say is this... thanks, Eric.  Thanks for sharing your life with the rest of us while you were still here.

6/20/03

Long time friend and reader Russ Beleski was kind enough to send some Game Boy Advance reviews.  You'll find the first handful of them in Advance Theory.  I've also finished the best and worst lists in the Nintendo review page.

I've heard that Cave, the creator of the spectacular Dodonpachi series, was actually founded by former employees of Toaplan shortly after that company went bankrupt.  That definitely explains the English in some of their games... for an example, just scroll to the bottom of this page.