Dead Rising 2: Case Zero

So this is somewhat topical if not a smidgen late. See, Dead Rising 2 came out today! Yay! New video game. This right here is a review for Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, which serves as a prequel to the new game. If it's any indication by it being on this blog, I dug Dead Rising 2: Case Zero, certainly enough to purchase at some point when I find a good enough deal for it.

So how did I get into this game? A really great strategy by the creators of the game, that's how. First of all, DR2:C0 was available as a demo download on XBox Live. I download almost every single demo that gets put out, so bam, I'm instantly going to be playing this game. Second, the game is $5. That's a solid price point. Sure, it only take 3-4 hours to beat the game, but it's $5. And the game has pretty solid replay value. Killing zombies is fun, what can I say?

That last paragraph should convince you to buy the game. It really should. Now the following is why I enjoy playing the game.

First of all, there are hundreds of zombies to murder. Every time you enter and exit your safehouse they all respawn, so you'll never run out of little beasties to beat down. Heck, one play through I decided to see how many zombies I could kill before time ran out (see a paragraph below if you've never played Dead Rising [I think, I really don't know since I've also never played Dead Rising, but this is what I've been told]). I killed 2000 of the bastards and I still had time to go. I just got hungry and a little drained from the slaughter.

On top of the slaughter is the ability to CREATIVELY slaughter. There are a ton of fun weapons to choose from: baseball bats, swords, guns, cacti, sledge hammers, chain saws, cardboard cutouts of Proto Man (seriously). That list doesn't even count the customizable weapons which range from a spiked baseball bat (baseball bat + nails) and the Boom Stick (Shot Gun + Pitchfork) which are just a ton of fun, and really increase the carnage. Custom weapons deal more damage and give out more xp. Whenever I play a game that requires leveling I turn into a bit of a munchkin, so there's that.

There's also the point of the game. Ya know, the storyline. Your daughter, yea, you have a daughter, has been infected with a zombie bite and you have to find more of this miracle drug, Zombrex, which delays her transformation into the undead. Oh, and you have to escape from the little town you're in because the government is on the way and you just know they're going to take your little girl away. This means you have a time limit on your activities. I thought this was annoying at first, very counter-intuitive for a sandbox game. However, it really heightens the tension come end game. You're all busy getting parts for your getaway vehicle and rescuing hostages that all of a sudden you have 20 minutes before the military comes and you lose! You don't want to lose, so you best hurry your ass up!

So yea, go buy this game. Then go buy Dead Rising 2. I've heard that all the problems people had with Dead Rising have been solved here, so yay!

Weekend Dining

Upper Crust

Canadian Bacon and Banana Peppers Pizza!
Very tasty slice of pie. I knew going in that I would enjoy this, so it's not like I was pleasently surprised or anything. The Upper Crust always delivers what I want. There's just something incredible about their tomato sauce. I imagine it's the chunky pieces of super fresh tomato, but I'm hardly an expert. I'll let you know when their slice of the day let's me down.

Stephanies on Newbury

Tuna Tartar (w/ Avacado, crisps, and wasabi horseradish, all wrapped in a sliced cucumber)
What part of heaven did this come from? The tuna, a heaping portion, rests on a bed of Avacado and is begging to be dipped into the wasabi sauce. It's quite a bit like eating a giant piece of sushi, but even better! The tuna was amazingly fresh and the whole dish felt like eating a nice Summer day. Which is exactly what I was looking for on a chilly start of Fall day.

Clam Chowder
Thick, creamy and rich... what else can you ask for in a Clam Chowder? The seasoning was right on and the crackers came stuffed with cheese for an extra bite of flavor. Fantastic.

The Stephie Slammer
Have you ever wanted to get drunk quickly? Try this. It's a martini glass filled with bourbon and garnished with lemon, lime, and some drunken cherries. Wow, packs one heck of a punch.

Rino's Place

Pumpkin Ravioli
An interesting appetizer. It wasn't what I was expecting, since most pumpking things this time of the year are sweet as all get out. This wasn't. It was like eating the meat of a pumpkin... which had been stuffed inside of a piece of pasta... So they got that down :) It was good. I'd definitely have it again, but I can't say I love it yet.

Vitello Marsala
Rino's always has excellent pasta and meat. This was no exception. Everything was cooked to perfection and the marsala sauce was to die for. I ate every last bite happily, even after I should have stopped eating.

Kung-Fu Girl Wine
I like a tasty white, and I have no shame about saying this. What a fantastic Riesling!

The Beehive

French Toast
This is the best French Toast I have ever had in my life. Apparently the secret is that the toast is covered in some kind of fried brown sugar/ corn flake mix. Simply amazing. I'd eat this every day if I could.

Machete

Remember when I wrote a review of Shank? No? I wrote it two weeks ago. What has society come to? I'm shaking my head here, seriously. When I reviewed Shank I pretty much told you to watch Machete. And I wasn't wrong, Machete is a fantastic movie!


Machete stars Danny Trejo in the role of Machete, a former government agent whose life was ruined by evil drug lord Torrez (played by Steven Seagal, clearly too busy to be in The Expendables). The plot is straightforward: Machete is wanted dead by a handful of bad people (Tom Savini, Don Johnson, Jeff Fahey) who are all peons under Torrez. This means Machete gets to kill a lot of people with various bladed instruments. Yay!

Helping Machete out with the mayhem is Luz (Michelle Rodriguez) and Sartana (Jessica Alba). Luz and Sartana play out the morals of the border debate while showing that women both kickass and cannot resist Machete (as though the latter was ever in any doubt).

There's an amazing soundtrack (think porn rock), ridiculous action, and over the top everything. If you're looking to have a fantastic time, go watch Machete.

Ya know, there really isn't that much more to say that is important. I find that to be fantastic. I got to watch a nice straightforward piece of cinematic gold and there isn't any kind of real thinking that needs to happen. It is what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else or even give the impression that it could be something else. Not that I have an issue with films that make one think, I just really appreciate solid entertainment.

Under Armour Boxerjocks

I'm sure you read that title and immediately thought, "Dang... what is this kid writing about now..."

No, you didn't think that? Liar. You did, I made you think it by typing it.

I'm writing about these:


These boxerjocks are FANTASTIC!

I've taken up running recently. Very recently. So recently that I've only done it twice, but I really do plan on sticking to it, so we can say that I've taken it up. For purposes of this little article, I've taken up running.

And these boxerjocks are FANTASTIC!

As you should be able to tell from the picture, these bad boys are snug in all the right places. They hug your thighs and waist perfectly. This is important for someone like me. I have pretty meaty thighs, and when I get moving they can rub together quite a bit and it just does not feel right. These boxerjocks prevent that chafing feeling, and on top of that they're made from the smooth as silk Under Armour material, so when they do touch your exposed leg it feels nice, welcoming but not quite erotic.

Now, I'm sure you're asking yourself (you're asking yourself a lot of questions while you're reading this. I appreciate an active participant, thank you!), "Isn't snug not always a good thing... ya know, in the package area?" Do not worry about that. If you look closely at the pouch area of the picture above you'll notice some seems (and possibly a dick, but you have to look pretty close for that). It's not really clear here, but the pouch area, as indicated by the seems, is actually made out of a different, looser material. This pouch holds your package just right. These boxerjocks are made for comfort, and they work.

On a related note: They also make me feel a little bit like professional mixed martial artist and fellow Under Armour enthusiast Georges St. Pierre. That's just a mental thing, but sports are, in great part, a mental game. If I feel like GSP, then I feel like I can PERFORM like GSP. When performance is everything, it's absolutely imperative that I get every edge that I can.

I really can't recommend these boxers enough, for sports and recreational use. Heck, I spent a full day just sitting around in them. I bet Georges does it all the time.