However, here are some initial thoughts:

• It's going to be said time and again, by everybody: Heath Ledger's joker is amazing. Credit should go to both the writers and Ledger. The Joker persona is not meant to be funny or amusing - he is a sick individual who has taken on this persona. Ledger, defying initial expectations, does a great job. It's hard to even see that it's him; he really became the Joker. It's funny to look back at the comments on message boards and such from when he was first announced in the casting. What exactly does crow taste like?
  
• In an attempt to avoid spoilers for anyone who may not have seen the film yet, I'll just say that one of the "gadgets" is a little over-the-top/unrealistic for my taste. In a series that has built itself on being more credible than other comic films, it was hard to swallow. Not enough to ruin the movie, mind you, but it did take me out of it for a moment.
• They definitely defied some cliches and broke some mass-market, summer-blockbuster rules in the film (I mean that in a good way).
• .... okay, this is hard to do without spoilers, I'm about to quit - even though there are more things to talk about.
• One more note: I'm still not sure if I like it better than the first. Not that we should have to choose, but everyone is saying it is, by far, better. Awesome, yes - better, not sure. My second viewing should shed more light on this. It does have the disadvantage, thus far, of me having seen Batman Begins a shit-ton of times and having been able to dissect its subtleties.

Not christmas of course. As festive as christmas is - the weather sucks. At least here in KCMO. It seems that start of spring and summer is upon us. Today was probably about a 75 degree day - beautiful.

I've always liked grilling out in the summer, having a couple beers, so on and so forth. Hell - I actually grilled in the winter too, but summer was the best. However, my grill got fucked up in a T-storm last fall. Knocked over, handle broke, important looking pieces falling out of place. I've been told by a few people that I should try fix it. They were free to try if they wanted to be the first to fire it up afterward. Sorry, but fix-er-upper and gas and fire do not go together for me.

Anyway, I got a new grill the other day. This time, I'll be grilling out front rather than on the deck so I can pull it into the garage when I'm not using it. Furthermore, I'm not fucking around this year. I'm serious about enjoying the experience this summer. So, I've got the grill. Got some lounge chairs and portable tables. Got a wiffle ball set and a washers set. I'll be keeping the fridge stocked with some beer. This summer is going to be awesome. Enjoying the simple things - good weather, good food, and some simple but classic entertainment.

KCMO'ers - post some comments or email me and we'll hook up for some summer grill outs. 

Been wanting to play Ikaruga for a long, long time. Originally a Japanese-only Dreamcast game, then ported to the Gamecube, where it was first available in the U.S., it is now available on Xbox Live Arcade.

This game is all it's hyped up to be. From just an hour of play, I'm convinced that it really is one of the top shoot 'em ups of all time. It's hard as hell, though. I thought I could do, at least, relatively decent. I'm getting my ass whooped on just the first boss.

The game has an interesting mechanic that sets it apart. You can reverse the "polarity" of your ship from black to white. You can shoot enemies as either color, but get double damage if you are shooting enemies of the same color. You can also absorb bullets of that color. So, managing your ships polarity while fighting a mix of black and white enemies adds a real extra element of strategy. In good shooters, you're already using all your wits just to find that little space of safety in a screen full of bullets. Now, you have to do that and be concerned with your ship's polarity at the same time.

While the game isn't pushing any boundaries of the 360's hardware graphically, it's a nice looking game. It is just like the DC/GC games, but rendered in high-def, so it looks a bit cleaner. The moving 3D backgrounds are quite epic, though, and the music adds to that feel. 

If you're a fan of 2D shoot 'em ups and are willing to deal with some severe frustration (which you should already be used to if you are a fan of the genre), definitely pick this up. Awesome at ten bucks.

Earlier last week, I also picked up Williams Pinball Hall of Fame for the Wii (It's also available on PS2 and PSP, I believe - though missing a couple tables). Another cheap game that you'll get more than your money's worth out of. It's just pure pinball - in all it's glory. No new gimmicks or additions, just the original tables exactly as they were. As far as I can tell, the physics are accurate. One particularly nice touch is that the game offers a walkthrough of each table explaining all the scoring opportunities and how to achieve them, so you can play knowing what you're doing rather than simply trying to keep the ball in play (though, you generally ought to do that, too). 

Pinball seems to be a lost art these days. For those of us that appreciate it, though - this is a nice gift. It also proved to me that my memories were not rose-tinted. Pinball is still fun. 

On a slightly humorous note - by the time Yadi took his ninth inning at bat, they were showing his "season" stats. 333 average, 1HR. Way to be! 

This sucks. This sucks hard. Winning 5-1, Pujols already jacked his first home run. Too bad, doesn't count. Think they could've waited a bit longer to try get it in? It's still early in the evening. I hope this isn't a sign of our luck to come this season. 

Tomorrow, 7:15, we'll try it again. Supposedly Kip Wells vs. Kyle Lohse. Sounds like good odds in the Cards' favor to make up for today - but again, with how our luck is starting, Kip won't pitch like he did in St. Louis. 

I really don't understand why they couldn't suspend games rather than restart them. I know the game can't be the same as if it was played in a day, but realistically, it wouldn't be anyway if it restarted after a 1 hour rain delay, as the starting pitchers probably wouldn't be back out. And, it's not as unfair as taking away all the work that was already put into the game.

I'm afraid this may come back to haunt us.... 

I popped in my Unreal Tournament III disc just a little bit ago. While it was fun, it's also giving me some heartburn becuase the community, at least on the PS3 version, is damn near non-existent. You can count the number of populated servers on your fingers, and the number drops even more if you're looking for those populated with a reasonably large number of people. I mean, c'mon, Capture the Flag isn't exactly fun with just two people. Reduce that further by servers that allow keyboard and mouse and you're lucky to find even a handful of servers across all game types. The best game type, Vehicle CTF, is pretty much dead at this point.

What happened here? When did people stop liking fun games? Why, why, why does Halo have millions of users and a classic, genre-defining franchise like UT3 can only draw hundreds? I have a few guesses. For one, the franchise has been dormant for four years. On top of that, the last iteration(s), UT2003/2004, didn't hold the weight of the original, and therefore didn't command the long-term community to hold it over until the next iteration. Finally, I have to blame Midway for timing the launch of the game so poorly. Releasing it right up against games like Call of Duty 4 was a terrible move. Plus, advertising started as the game was released. There was little hype building up to the release, so only older fans were prepared for it. They should have been able to build some pre-release hype if they played the "from the makers of Gears of War" card.

I can always play with bots if nothing else, but it's not the same as playing with real people. The game is so good in so many ways. It "feels" more like UT Classic than 2003/2004 did, while keeping some of the newer ideas in a more refined fashion and adding some of its own. I don't know what's not to like.

I'm afraid this may be the end of the Unreal Tournament franchise. It's was a good ride while it lasted.... I think I'll re-install UT Classic on my PC and see if there is still a community of old-schoolers there. It's still one of my favorite games of all-time. 

That's right. "Happy Monday!" - and to prove it, I submit the following: 

(Click for larger image)

Apparently, four 12-packs of Coca-Cola (caffeine-free, of course) and 11 packs of Cadbury eggs, in addition to the two bags of mini eggs I already have at home, weren't enough. I just had to throw in that bag of Easter Whoppers at the end.

Oh, and how did I feel standing behind a fat guy at the checkout who's buying lettuce and vegetables and stuff and here I am with my soda and pile of chocolate?

Hey - I have to stock up. They don't sell Creme Eggs all year. What better time to do so than during the day after Easter fire sale?

On a completely different note - having the wax flushed out of your ear at the doctor's office feels really wierd. At least I can hear out of my left ear now. Just sayin'.... 

So, I got a new digital camera the other day. Nothing fancy, but a bit of an upgrade from my previous. Wasn't actually "in the market" for one, but stumbled on a great deal for this camera. Eventually, I'd like to get properly into photography but for now, I just need something I can take out with me and get some quick shots. I'm hoping this will do better with certain kinds of shots than my old one. Been playing with it, just taking stupid shots. For example, here's what I did after work today:

Yeah, I know - Uno's isn't the first place you'll think to have a drink and certainly not my favorite as far as atmosphere goes. We wanted to stick close to home today, though (I live in suburbia... sue me). Plus, they actually have a suprisingly cheap happy hour. Two bucks for those tall beers... if you're willing to settle for Bud or Bud Light (which, at $2 a pop, I am).  

Anyway, don't know what the rest of the weekend will bring, but I'll be sure to update again before it's over. Hopefully with something of more significance than telling you I'm tired and showing you a picture of two beer glasses (I'll try make sure there's at least six next time).

My pick.... Giants. Okay, that's more of a hope than a belief. I think they can do it (they almost did in the regular season) but odds are definitely in the Pats favor.

So, am I a bastard for hoping the Pats lose when I have no actual ties to the opposing team? Part of me goes for the underdog. Part of me thinks Boston is getting a little too much love this year, with every single sports team dominating. I guess I probably am a bastard.

So... go Giants! Enjoy the support now - it's one of the few times you'll see me support a NY team. Next season is a fresh season - so let's hope the Rams come back in good form.

Maybe that's just me. Of course, I'm obsessive and paranoid. It wouldn't be as bad if I didn't think of so much wierd shit. I can't imagine what people would think if they heard some of the things that go on in my head.

Thing is... I've heard a few people mumble things to themselves as they are thinking and I'm not sure if they know they do it. If they don't, then would I realize if I was doing it? 

I just got back from having a nice couple drinks at Kona Grill, down on the plaza here in KC, along with some Spice Tuna sushi rolls and some potstickers. For those who aren't familiar, Kona Grill is a bar/restaurant that kinda does the whole pacific rim thing. It has sushi (for which it is probably most noted), specialty pizzas (best bbq chicken pizza around), potstickers, maui tacos, and so on. For me, it is most notable for it's sake bombs. A flask of sake and a large size (not like the kind you normally get) bottle of Kirin Ichiban, my favorite beer. During happy hour, they have pretty damn good prices on this stuff. They have a regular and reverse happy hour - both of which I'm happy to attend. Depending on the day, you may have to fight for a seat in the bar, but it's worth it. If you are a KC resident, definitely feel free to send me an invite to go, if you're interested. I have trouble turning it down.

On a somewhat related note, I've been thinking for a while about having a little gathering. I had originally debated about just having a house party - but I want something a bit more. I'm at my house all the time. I want to be out and about.