Jokatech Falls Flat On His Face in New Endeavor....

Alot of people think that my whole obsession is having my ego stroked and getting praise however possible. However, if you actually take time to get to know me and what I'm about, you'd know that is far from the truth. I set out to break boundaries, and I only wish to take all those who know of me, or are new to my work, on that journey with me. That's what it's always been about.

My new record, "Standing Still Symphony X," was briefly preceeded by "Standing Still Symphony," which was accompanied by 2 additional tracks. The album was an experimental foray, where I was determined to take risks. Albums like this also call for patience on behalf of the listener and the performer. It even took Miles several decades to dare to step into that territory, for the same reasons. You invite, and will receive backlash for that genre most times. And it's understandable. Because any true artist will tell you, as will I, that the aim is to get a reaction from the listener. What reaction is not the point. Just a genuine feeling.

  I give you the good and the bad. My first 2 records reviewed, received a 4/5, and a 3.5/5 respectively. That was the Magnum Opus series. But for years, I have always been afraid to abandon structure in my music, and stop being safe. Listening to old artists and new ones lately, who dare to do it, I really felt obligated to give myself that chance, whatever happened. Thus came the SSSX album. This album received a 1/5 by the first of several review sources. It may get high marks in the near future, but the reason I am most proud of this review, is because it evoked the most response from the critics. I've been asking friends and associates for some time to check out the material for themselves. When you read the review, you may laugh. But, it should make you wonder what he heard. I invite you to take a listen to the full album on my soundcloud. Be prepared to be toyed with and challenged, as the critics were. In fact, on their page, they invite listeners to agree or disagree with their analysis. But none of that can happen without a listen. The album is up for sale, but it's up on my soundcloud free of charge to listen, and on spotify. The full album is only on Soundcloud right now.


Without further ado, here is the link:
http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=18732

Jokatech Podcast Episode 14- Oh My

Jokatech Podcast - Episode 14- Oh My

Standing Still Symphony- Album

This is a link to my latest album - Standing Still Symphony. It is also on Spotify.
https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jokatech2

Lebron on being the GOAT

This is a loaded topic- Is Lebron the GOAT. I thought it was unfair to  have the discussion after less than 10 seasons, but now with 13 in and the body of work he has put down, endearing many in the process, I believe it is now an intriguing debate. For the record, this is the comment I made on the First Take discussion board, following Stephen A Smith's rant.


I agree strongly with Stephen A Smith on so many points, yet there is a part of me that resents his notions, as well as the ignorant rhetoric below. I am the biggest Kobe fan, and one of the biggest Jordan fans. Normally, I would make each point that he made myself tack for tack. However, when I stepped back recently and really looked at Big Bro Lebron's career, it feels ignorant to ignore 2 key facts. 1. He is hands down, a better all around player than Kobe or Jordan ever were. 2. Neither of them really had singular impact that Lebron had on the league in his career, partially due to that. Really think about that last point. If you remove all emotion from your analysis, you have to realize that regardless of where you rank him, it's stupid at this point, especially with this last finals performance, to refuse to put him in the conversation. Bottom line, what is your preference? What it comes down to for me is that you were never concerned that Kobe or Jordan could hand out 15 assists while putting up 40 on any given night at will. You were never concerned that they could slice your defense up, or drop down and play with their back to the rim at any given moment at will. With Lebron you were. It's the same difference between Steph and Lebron. If Steph had 3 rings for 3 finals, I would still take Lebron, because I take championships with a grain of salt. There are athletically imposing player in Lebron's way to those titles. Mike was usually on another level athletically during his reign. I'll debate that all night, but I will always take a 1 man team over a guy who shines in a few areas. Lebron is the greatest 1 man team we have ever seen. Whether he is the greatest, I'm not set on that yet, as I still put Jordan there in most arguments, but he certainly has his case being made.

Super Mario 64- Long Awaited Review of a Classic

 Just look at this box art. There is so much I can say, and yet it's hard to think of just one at a time. It was 1996. The Super Nintendo was in full swing, as was the newly launched Sega Saturn, the Playstation, The Genesis, and even the older consoles of the 8 bit era.  In other words, it was as golden as the golden era could be. I remember at that time I was transitioning to a new school and a new environment. I was 11, and my family and I had moved to the Bronx. I had to make all new friends, but I soon fit right in. Me and a few friends would trade Gameboy games and talk about the latest Super Nintendo games, reading the game magazines together. In those days, the internet was scarce to non-existent. But we didn't care, because it wasn't necessary.

  Super Mario RPG came out the same year. I remember taking my time and playing through that game when I got it. I loved it, and all of the content they packed into that cartridge. When it comes to Mario 64, when it came out, I was aware, due to friends at the time having copies. They had it, but they never seemed to play it much. There was only one friend of mine, who was a year younger than I, who played the game thoroughly  and would convey his frustration to me during the time he was working on the game.  I didn't pay much attention to it at the time, but I remember reading the Nintendo Power magazine which detailed the game heavily. That's where I saw the most of the game actually. I remember being blown away by all of the moves that Mario had.

 A couple of years later, I had Nintendo 64 myself. Oddly enough, I never got the chance or mind to purchase Mario 64. I don't know why to this day. I had every wrestling game I could want, and a few FPS's. But if I recall correctly, I didn't have a long run with my 64. Shortly after I acquired the 64, I used it as a trade in to get my Sega Dreamcast. I don't regret that, but I wish I had gotten a 64 back sooner. I ended up getting a Gamecube when it came out, and I played and beat Super Mario Sunshine, which was a spiritual successor to Mario 64. I loved that game, and still do, but I always resented how they got away from the combat controls and gameplay of the 64 game.


 By the time I got around to really considering Mario 64 again, I was into emulators, and determined to get a rom of it on my handheld. Eventually I did, and not long ago, I began the playthrough of the game. What really blew me away, is that even on a reproduced rom, the visuals are stunning to this day. They hold up extremely well, and are lush and vibrant with every bright scene in the game. This is something that others don't agree with, but that is the honest truth. This generation is full of tech snobs, who look at anything 4K and down, as ugly and inferior. That blows my mind. If you take Perfect Dark from the 64's final few games, and Black, which was a late Xbox release, under no circumstances are those games anything less than beautiful. If you look at Assassin's Creed Brotherhood on Xbox 360, how can you say that it's so ugly to look at, that it's unplayable? That's what these tech heads say. I guarantee you, you will be stunned by how Mario 64 holds up, if you take the game for what it is. I  was actually super shocked by how many varied worlds there are in this game. They're all lush, bright, and don't cheat you on area size. They all have tons of secret areas and objectives. I was playing through this game for quite some time, and put in dozens of hours. I could have put in twice as much. That's how huge this game is.

 I don't like the fact that whenever you start the game, you're outside the castle and have to go inside, all the way back to the dungeon or world you were working on. The game was actually super frustrating to play. I'm not sure how much of that is to blame on the PSP controls that I played it with. I honestly think the mechanics for Mario in this game, are about the stupidest I have ever seen. He moves like a friggin tank. Areas that require intricate movement in tight spaces, will have you dying randomly or having to sweat bullets while you crawl with Mario at -200 mph! There were some jump sequences in the game, where after carefully doing everything correctly, Mario would jolt additionally, as if he had turrets syndrome, and throw himself off of a ledge, ending the entire level. This often happened on stages that were already extremely long and dangerous. This frustration is where all my issues lie with the game, along with the idiotic camera, that positions itself to worsen whatever situation you are in. There are areas of the game where you are over a deadly cliff, and need to see where you are going. Not only will the camera zoom in and away from where you need to see, but it will flip, as you gingerly try to navigate a turn, causing you to throw yourself to your death.

  In all honestly, that's what made me eager to get to the end. I loved the game, the beauty of it all, and the depth of the adventure, but I can't see anyone having the patience to collect all 120 stars without sacrificing a system. Once I had the minimum of 70 stars, I bolted for the last fight with Bowser, which was insanely difficult as well. In each Bowser fight, you have to get him by the tail and throw him into one of the spiked bombs hanging around the stage. The timing you have to use to swing him into the spikes doesn't exist. At least it doesn't in the version I played. Bowser spins way too eratically and jerky to time the swing. In fact when he was lined up for it, my game wouldn't even have that instance within a frame, so I had to guess which time to let go. It took forever, and at one point, I had to resort to save states to get through this game. I hated doing that, but without it, I would have blasted the system.

 All in all, I'm glad I played and beat the game. It holds a special place in history, and this year marks its 20 year anniversary.  Better late than never. I would rate this game a 8/10

New Art Piece- Phases and Changes

I had a beautiful discussion with a fellow artist today that I won't forget. Not a whole lot was said. I picked up some pointers on shading and positioning of 3 dimensional art. But what I really loved about it was the atomosphere of the place and the stressing of the importance to break boundaries. It's so important to push the limits and then break them concerning any artistic idea you may have, regardless of the difficulty or time consumption in doing so. I had a few ideas, and this is one of them

Jokatech Podcast : Episode 13 - Win Lose or Draw

This is a podcast concerning some of the inconsistencies in sports and general, particularly boxing match decisions.

Muhammad Ali- Tribute

Not to be over the top, but I hope this inspires whoever listens to put passion into what you do.

https://soundcloud.com/jokatech/brother-muhammad-tszss

UFC 199- Pathetic

Once again, I called it. And not because the events were obvious on paper, but because reading the outworking of the fight game has become much like anticipating a WWE script. I couldn't care less about the outcome of Faber vs Cruz. I like Cruz a lot, and I knew Faber was on the downside of his career, so there was no need to manipulate anything in that match.

 However, in the title fight between Bisping and Rockhold, I called the outcome way before the weigh in, and I knew it didn't make any sense, but that it was going to be a Bisping win by UD or KO. I knew it, even when I watched interviews about how his kids even thought he was going to lose. In the end, it's all about a betting game. The odds don't get much wider than they do in that kind of a fight. Bisping has always been a fighter I followed and admired from a basic stand point. But in reality, his days of being at the top level are several years, and KO losses behind him. He was submitted by the same Rockhold he beat tonight, and KO'd by Henderson and Belfort. While those were suspect losses due to PED usage, his body has taken a toll over his career.

  He was even KO'd mid fight in his ridiculous win versus Silva earlier this year. Anyone with fight knowledge would know that Weidman would annihilate Bisping right now. And Anderson would probably kill him in a rematch. Rockhold was on a tear, showing himself to be at the top of the division after leveling Weidman. He also took shots from Weidman in their first fight that showed he was the real deal, before stopping Chris Weidman brutally. Under no sky, does Bisping possess the offensive power or output to wobble or hurt Luke Rockhold. But Bisping has been lobbying for a title for over 10 years. His career is looming towards being the "could have been" story. He had to lift the belt for that, and more importantly for the millions who bet money on him beforehand. Even to watch the KO was comical. It's like watching a tiny kid play fighting with their dad and knocking him down and out with their infantile fists. The way Luke crumbled and went completely out cold in the 1st round against a Bisping who has never been able to severely hurt fighters, even when landing clean, looked so beyond staged. This is a guy who has never been able to generate stopping power. He struggled to stop an over the hill Cung Le, and couldn't put Anderson in trouble even behind a full-bodied right hand. Luke actually kept his hands down and tried to look rocked by the softest left hooks you will ever see, after missing a right hand. Bisping couldn't even look sharp enough to be convincing in this win. It was pathetic.


  If you thought his win over Anderson looked ridiculous, this one took the cake. I always saw the talent in Bisping from his early career, but he is at a stage where the field has developed beyond him, and he doesn't have enough left physically to  compete. To see him be gifted a title shot, and then a title fight win like this is just an insult to the entire sport.

New Record in the Works- Standing Still

This is an update on an amazing experience I had working with 3 other musicians on a record that was very enlightening and fun to make. The musicians were Tis I on piano, With Love on the Bass synth, and Sincerely on Drums. It was a great experience

https://soundcloud.com/jokatech/sets/standing-still-symphony

Art Gallery Piece

This is a piece I made at one of the local art galleries with the assistance of the hosts. They were a nice couple. It was a machine someone made with marbles, chutes, brushes and ink paddles. Well designed.

New Poem: Standing Still

Standing Still

There was a tree somewhere

The foliage of which made warriors out of the weak.

We had a lifelong quarrel with the owner of the land there

That we thought at last naught settled but by fire.

He would destroy us if we did not attack.

Some say it can only rouse he to whom it’s given

We can’t understand what we’re told nor will we believe what we’re told.

And when the idiotic prophets told us we’d be thick headed

We laughed at the unborn revelation.

Who could think anything special of the fraudulent thief- the murderous tyrant?

An old man confirmed the truth in half of our hearts

And we brought him along to witness our conquest.

We all want to run them away, but he only wants a piece of the fruit.

He runs ahead, and we warn him of which side to take before shutting the doors.

I see him running as the cavalry arrives,

Yet he stops to stand on a hill.

The foul reaper is amiss,

And one can only wonder what cunning was at play.

The land plundered and the house destroyed,

The heroes are basking in the sun,

And yet, even in bliss, a lingering intuition will always rest there.

The fruit of the tree drips down our chins as the lone wolf begins his charge.

We felt so strong and so free

We can’t understand what we see, nor will we believe.

This so often is the trap of the people.

And there we are, and so it goes

And here is now.

At best, it will all be over soon.

And who could have painted this picture,

That even now in this moment of its fruition, we only half-see?

I wonder at times about the end of it all,

And pray for my happy conclusion.

In this incessant pattern of attack, defend, and confuse,

You rip me into infinite fractions

Until our world here isn’t big enough.

You - the lust for what is great,

But  you- the danger in what is unseen.

Scour the whole planet and you won’t find a soul like me.

I could have said it before.

But everything changed when I began to reach

For what I thought was more.

The tree can make you mighty,

But it can’t make you a man.

Nor can the books and the instilled etiquette.

I think of this as I weather blows that would rend a mountain.

My family suffered from that farmer,

And I suffered from my family,

Often running to cry under this same tree.

I wonder where my words fell.

It’s a mixed rage I feel that’s stranger than a thousand years,

And strong in me,

As the people with me fall,

As if revealing our differences.

What is it all about?

Is it not war and the sword?

The sword and the seed.

Are we not free to run, and yet we choose to engage?

I would hope that the coming generations bend and move for peace,

To look so beautiful like those reeds in the night.

We meet and we marry.

Often we’re afraid to marry when we fall in love.

All around me are lives of contention,

And we think ourselves gentlemen for winning battles-

For standing still.

New Artpieces with More to Come

I'm working on some projects now, in between the chaos of work and maintaining my sports coverage. I'm working on doing performances again as I mentioned earlier and this requires hours upon hours in the woodshed, but I love it. I'm coming up with a lot of rich musical ideas that I can't wait to complete. I wish I could upload some now, but they're still a bit raw. However, in the meantime, I'm continuing to paint and create art pieces. Here are a couple that I just touched up today. They didn't take long, but they keep me sane. LOL

 This piece below is one that is inspired by a song I'm working on and a poem that I wrote. I'll upload the poem as well. The name of the poem is "Standing Still." See if you can spot the illustrations.

Red Dead Redemption: Reviews and Comparisons

 

  This was a game that I didn't expect to get into. I actually got it by chance from a coworker who was getting rid of all of his Xbox 360 games. I knew that it was a Triple A title, but I never thought much of it. Then, I remember hearing a coworker of mine who was a very laid back Radiologist at my old job, talk about how he cried at the end of it. Another friend said the same. This completely caught me off guard, because these weren't those kind of dudes. I decided to get into the game and finish it.

 After I started, I quickly got distracted and disinterested. I had just finished one of the many Assassin's Creed games- as I follow the series. It felt like Red Dead was going to be tedious, so I was hesitant to put time into it. It started really quick story wise. Your wife and son are held hostage by the government in exchange for handing in the outlaws you used to run with. Trying to leave that life behind, you find yourself immersed in it. In a gun fight, you're hurt badly, and the first person who you meet, saves you. It's a farm girl and her father. You get a residence to stay, and opportunities to work around the town and with the farm and local police. I got into a complacent pattern of working the local jobs and got away from the story. Then, months later, I decided that I was going to finish the game.

 In this game, the developers made no apologies. It is literally the wild open west. Early in the game, you venture out into the lush environment, over valleys, through foliage, and mountains, meeting people and wanderers along the way. You can literally wind up mauled to death by mountain lions or wolves if you happen to wind up on foot near them. To be honest, the game could have done this more. I happened to get into a gun fight with a few outlaws one time, and my horse was killed in the process. I tried to make it to the nearest town on foot, and a mountain lion came out of nowhere. I didn't have an arsenal at that time, and wound up getting hit while trying to pull out my firearm. I was killed and got a game over. It was shocking and a bit frustrating, but that very rarely happens in the game, and it could have been done more.

 You can take a bounty on someone and hunt them down, as well as try to break into gang bases and take them out. These battles are always intense. You can also become an arm wrestler or poker player and take on the champions in the several cities. You can also get a job as a horse herder. You chase down the wild steer on horseback, and then lasso them. After getting a hold of them, you hop on their back, and ride them until they are under control and then lure them back to the herder. It's tough, but very rewarding. This as well as herding cows or bringing them out to graze is part of how the game is a real simulation that doesn't try to cater to the gamer.

 Words cannot describe the immensity of the landscape and how beautiful it looks and sounds. The game covers a large area of the Texas area and across the border into Mexico. It feels even bigger than that. The soundtrack is amazing, but feels a bit sparse. I'll never forget the music that plays after you get through an insane battle with Mexican rebels as you come across the border with your Irish friend. After surviving that fight, you get a horse left for you and begin riding to the local town to see a legendary Outlaw for help. The song that plays there is straight out of one of those underrated Indie movies. I wish there was more of that.

  The dialogue of Red Dead is what really won me over more than anything. It is so well written. It's gripping at times, and hilarious at other times, like when the Mexican general talks about the laziness of the Mexican people. I honestly never laugh out loud these days at all. Nothing is funny enough to make me. This game actually had me rolling in laughter several times. That says a lot by itself. You get betrayed several times by people who have no real reason to do so. It's frustrating.

 As the game rounds to a close, what really shocked me was how it was ended. Not to spoil, but the end of the game, to me felt like an epilogue. It was amazing to see the introduction of the automobile though. When you go up against your old gang mate, I thought that was the end of the game. It was certainly deep enough into the game to be. I was surprised how the game dragged on. The scene where you and him square off was gripping, and you go through an insane amount of fighting to get to that point. I was literally exhausted by that point in the game. It didn't see it as something that would make everyone cry, although it could have that effect. But then the game transitions to the hero going back home to his family, and you spend quality time with them, going hunting and a raising cattle. But then drama returns for some weird reason I still don't get. The government who messed you over time and again, finds a reason to come and hunt you down randomly, when you did all then asked months ago. I can only image that it's a money-hungry, bounty issue. Then when his house is attacked, you're in another gun fight, with a different outcome. That's where the end begins. I made the mistake of reading a walkthrough, which mentioned something about revenge. I was still shocked to see the main story like that.

  The actual epilogue of the game, is what gives you closure. It felt bitter sweet. The game still has much to do after the end, and it was a unique title that was worth the wait. One thing that's been on my mind and inspired this review is the fact that there aren't gripping stories these days in movies or games much. I finished Uncharted Golden Abyss for the Vita around the same time, and while it was amazing in many of the same ways, the story premise wasn't like the old classics I love. I remember games like Metal Gear solid  that talked about the issues of nuclear warfare and foreign relations, or  Deus Ex: Human Revolution which talked about the issues of imbalance when good intentions meet with power in the hands of imperfect humans. Games like that meant something, and I wish games like that would still come out. This game isn't a 10 in that regard, as the story is sort of cliche' Western, but it's effort in execution is nothing short of classic.  9/10

Jokatech Podcast: Episode 12- The Chin

Heeere we go!

The Jokatech Podcast: Episode 11 - What it Is

Okay, so I'm sad to hear the news that this month Skip Bayless will be leaving First Take and likely replaced by Max Kellerman. There are a few things that I feel he should discuss one last time. Here is my latest podcast. I'll be uploading another one shortly. I've been busy lately with rehearsing and performing again, as well as writing new compositions.

The Jungle Book- review and reflection

 I just had to write a review about what was a great film in chains. I'll try to explain what that means in this post. The film was the new reiteration of Disney's "The Jungle Book," a film of a Rudyard Kipling work.


 Growing up, I was a fan of the movie. It has always been a favorite of me and my dad. In fact, he used to call me "Mancub" which was the nickname of the main character- Mowgli. In fact, that was a working title of one of my earlier records. In the film, it follows the story of Mowgli as his is found abandoned in the jungle and raised by Bagera the panther and Baloo the bear. As he presents a danger to the jungle in his being a human child, he is eventually cast out by the jungle that raised him. The real tyrant is found to be the Tiger Shere Khan who terrorizes the jungle inhabitants. After standing up to him as a team, Mowgli, Bagera and Baloo defeat him. In the original film, Mowgli eventually chooses to leave for the village to the sadness and relief of his friends.

 This was a Disney film redone by Disney. There are zero excuses for any inaccuracies, and yet, they were right there. And this happens for a reason I've stated years ago. In this film, Mowgli stays in the jungle, and there are moments in the film that have a fan of the original like myself rolling their eyes. The reason this is the case is because The Jungle Book is a true musical film from a jazzy era in Disney history. People know Disney has memorable tunes, but most people forget that they were very authentic. Similar to the movie Aristocats, The Jungle Book was a move that music aficionados  would appreciate. Scatman Crothers did the voice for King Louis the ape, and the entire film was full of rich compositions and stand up and dance jazz tunes.

  2016 has no one like that. I personally would have loved the opportunity to have played King Louis. You can't do a Jungle Book movie right without powerful music being the centerpiece, and music of that caliber has no value today. We live in an auto-tuned, tone deaf, simplistic generation, where people like myself and scatman Crothers are considered either cornballs or useless enigmas. And while people like to wave me off whenever I say things like that, the proof showed in the film. With the technology today, and how nicely the film was made, it could have been even more gripping than the original. But that musical passion wasn't there and left you with a film that was cheesy in spots where it could have shined. Remember, on my first Magnum Opus album, I stated on the final track that today, the definition of connoisseur  has changed? Today, even a company like Disney is guilty of that, when a film that is their own, looks as if they only loosely know about it in reproduction.

  Two of the most memorable scenes in the Jungle Book original, are the scenes where Mowgli is singing with Baloo about the Bear Necessities, and the scene in King Louis' castle where the go to rescue Mowgli after Louis is attempting to learn the secret of making fire. Those scenes are musical and powerful. In this film, as a fan I was expecting the film to catapult off of those scenes, and yet they ended up being very transient. It left an empty feeling in the scenes. There is no longer the mentality in films, for music to be the foundation. And with that thinking, films like this will always underachieve. And what's so frustrating, is that it was beautiful in every other aspect. The acting of the boy was spotty at times, but if the film was more gripping, I feel like that would have been fixed. There were tear-jerker moments in that film that were as amazing and moving as scenes from "The Secret Life of Pi." There were also powerful undertones and messages that could have made this film bigger and more global than the first film by far.

 I really liked the movie a lot, but I would love to have seen it done more passionately. But honestly, given the times we live in, I think it was sadly as good as it possibly could have been. It just reminds me of the eras and great things that have been lost over the years I give the movie a 8.5/10

Jokatech Podcast- Episode 10- Passion

  Sadly, I must once again break the podcast up into parts. This time, it's 2 parts. Youtube is really on my last nerve. It seems that until August, I won't be able to upload videos longer than 15 minutes at a time. It's whatever though. These are the 2 parts to the Jokatech podcast, episode 10. This way you don't have to pull up 2 separate pages.

Part 1

Part 2

The Development of Gaming

 I told someone that I was thinking of doing a research project on the history of gaming. I wanted to at first, but then I realized that the history is not as important as contrasting it's peak with it's current state. I've already spoken at length over the years about my childhood and history with the many games that I've played and how I've seen the industry come along.

 I was going to get on here and give a history lesson, and I also contemplated bashing current generation projects. But, I'm choosing to focus on the gems that keep hope alive. Before I get into that, let's go back if you will in time.

 Let's step back in time for a moment to the late 80's, early 90's. I was a very young kid at that time, and Nintendo was still a big thing. The Super Nintendo would launch at the beginning of the decade and usher in creative new ideas. One game that was a huge rage on the Nintendo was Ninja Turtles. It was designed similar to Super Mario Brothers 3, with very challenging and creative levels. It was also known for it's difficult boss fights. From childhood onward, I never gravitated to the mainstream games. I felt they were mostly overrated. After the fact, I did find some big hits to be great games. One of them was Super Mario Brothers 3. Another game that was worth the praise was the original Zelda on Nintendo. I will never understand for the life of me, how they crammed such huge and lush adventures into those tiny 6mb cartridges. I still haven't found everything in SMB3, and that's the game that made me really fall deeper in love with the Mario universe. I was a huge fan of Super Mario World on the SNES, but after playing SMB3 on the Nintendo, I found that it was actually bigger in its own way.  Zelda also has a huge map and so much to discover and do in the game. I found myself mystified playing the game the other day for about an hour without realizing it. The soundtracks from both games are so well done as well.

  When it comes to sound, that's a whole other area that deserves so much credit. The digitized and compressed sound kits that the developers had to work with were so limited back then, and yet we got such amazing tunes and sound effects. I really think a game that showcases the golden era's potential well is Donkey Kong Country. The series itself is absolutely ahead of its time. Not only is the music amazing in the series, but the graphics and level design stand up to the test of time. It still looks amazing. In fact, the series is comparable to some Playstation1 games of that era.

 The series that somehow ties all of that history of Nintendo together is Super Smash Brothers. To really take a look at the detail that they put into the game is staggering. And it doesn't feel rushed or vague. From the settings and music in the game, to the move sets for the characters, every detail is conveyed from the individual series. Super Smash Brothers Melee was one of the most amazing and detailed games that I've ever played. When it came out in 2002, I didn't fully get it at first. I felt like there should have been different modes in the game. It was after that, when I began to really appreciate the nuances, which is what that game is all about. Each level is such a deep world of Nintendo history, both visually, and musically. Then you have the elaborate trophy system, that has even more information and depth. It's amazing to think that handheld gaming has come so far, that we now have that experience on the Nintendo 3DS. And it's actually the deepest Smash Brothers yet. I didn't get it at first, with some of the imbalanced characters, but there are so many variations to each character, and strategies open to them. I still think that certain characters are perverted Japanophile fan servers though. Bayonetta is ridiculous, as she basically is designed to be untouchable. It's annoying having to rise to the occasion to beat her with Little Mac. You have to be so much better than your opponent to beat her that it almost disgusts me.

  I really appreciate the Indie market that the PS Vita has brought as well. These kick-starter projects that have graced this generation of gaming, have really been the adrenaline shot needed in the industry. My only wish there, is that they were more available across the main platforms, including handhelds. Indie games are keeping the market alive for the purist. To me, the PS Vita is the quintessential Indie game system. It really shocks me that Scott Pilgrim vs. The World and Vulgarr the Viking aren't on the network for the Vita.

 Of course, another avenue I'd be remiss to not mention, is system hacking. While many frown on that topic, I think it's been essential to getting many classics exposed to an otherwise distant audience. It also has breathed life into dead consoles. I was skeptical for years about that, but then when I experienced Sony's tyrannical behavior, in refusing to release games like Crisis Core, Kingdom Hearts, Bounty Hounds, Coded Arms 2, etc. on the Playstation Network just because, I grew very disgusted. If I didn't hack an old PSP, I would never have experienced Crisis Core.

  Gaming right now, is at the end of a long road. Retro projects are the only thing keeping the industry from spiraling into a pit of gimmicky virtual reality ploys, and demon and war sim clones. Eventually, the retro era will be completely phased out though. When that happens, gaming will be the least of our worries anyway. Just enjoy it now.

Jokatech Podcast - Episode 9- Art and Fear: MMA and Boxing

I was doing an in depth analysis of the sports game today, and also the upcoming UFC 196 event. Actually, after watching the press conference for 198, I think it might be epic. Each and every matchup has a history of beef behind it. You could feel the energy at the table between not only Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, but also Weidman and Rockhold, as well as Dominich Cruz and Urijah Faber. It was all genuine beef between guys at the absolute top of their game.

 Anyway, before getting into the podcast, I wanted to bring out the fact that I think left uppercut will probably put away Nate Diaz tonight, and the back kick to the body will set it up. His midsection is a bit soft, and the thing about it that Connor is constantly bringing out, is that this generation doesn't train on the fundamentals and the nuances of technique and movement. They don't throw proper uppercuts these days, and they don't see them thrown proper enough, at least when conscience, which makes it hard to practice and prepare for it. Anderson also showcased the flaws in a lot of the so called top athletes as well. If you noticed, in his fight with Bisping, he varied the jab on several occasions and went clear through an ill prepared guard of Bisping each time. Once, he threw it like a cross after stepping to his left, and clipped Bisping. Then another time, he did a low-high jab, where he ducks forward and slides it in under the guard. They were well thrown, and set up well. But these days, you can see fighters with just basic understanding of fundamentals do tremendous damage. One combination that both Canelo and Andre Ward like to utilize is the 2-3 combination, where instead of head hunting like most fighters are prone to, the throw the 2 to the body, and come up with the 3 like a hybrid hook. Canelo killed James Kirkland with that, and Ward broke Chad Dawson with it. It's effective, simply because anything beyond the basic jab attack and straight combinations catches a lot of fighters today.


  I did a Podcast for the events and upcoming joke cards, and unfortunately, Youtube is on a vehement mission to eventually collapse my channel. They gave me a strike for using a Kanye West song for a tribute video, when the youtube video that inspired it, was also a 3rd party utilizing the track, yet had no repercussions themselves. As a matter of fact, ironically, the podcast I just did was flagged because the artist Jokatech has copyrighted that I used in the video, and it was reported to CD Baby by Youtube. I let you marinate on that for a few seconds.

So I've been downgraded and can only upload 15 minutes at a time, which I realized too late. I had to break the video up, which I barely had time to do, so it's all pretty sloppy. I'm going to do my best to compile it all here so you can check it out. I wanted to put it out before tonight's event.

Part 1

 

Part 2

 

Part 3