Earl’s Blog: Part 3

(10/10) Over 6 years have passed since the last edition of Super Smash Bros., and now the third installment, Super Smash Bros. Brawl is here. I fully believe the spent every second of those 6 years to good use working on this one. They practically put every great element from the previous installments, polished them, corrected the past mistakes, and added great new elements, combining to make to make one extraordinary package every Wii gamer deserves. The newest iteration brings in a plethora of new material. New wonderfully balanced characters like Solid Snake, Sonic the Hedgehog, Diddy Kong, and new stages based on Twilight Princess, Electroplankton, Pikmin, and more. All of the new and returning 35 characters work great are distinct and play well, with character clones at a minimum. The stages are fun, frantic, unpredictable, and fun, with older stages even showing up for the fun. In response to a lacking single player last time, the game includes old favorites like Classic, All Star, Event Matches, Training, and Stadium, while also boasting the 10 Hour adventure, The Subspace Emissary. The story tells of a majority of the characters in the game, although dispersed at the beginning coming together to destroy a force threatening to destroy the world led by classic Nintendo villains and newer, more mysterious foes. The action is total side-scrolling, platforming, and boss battles. It can feel a little awkward at times, nothing that ruins the fun, but it just didn’t fit in at times, like it didn’t really feel right. However, the story, incorporation of the theme into the story, and absolutely gorgeous cutscenes which rival any I’ve seen on the Wii makes it a feature worth checking out. However, playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl just for the single player would be like going to the movies for the popcorn, you’re missing out. The game offers the classic known and loved multiplayer, for the first time online. The game brings a mode called Special Brawl where you can mix up the rules and put in your own spin, or the classic Brawl where it’s basically just a free for all. This aspect of gameplay will bring some back for years to come. For the control enthusiasts out there, Brawl offers 4 different ways to play, including the sideways Wiimote, Wiimote with Nunchuk, the Virtual Console Controller, or the Gamecube Controller. I recommend the Gamecube Controller for veterans of the series, but if you’re open to something new, I took a liking to the sideways Wiimote, but it may not feel right to everyone. The game also brings out the obsessive in fans with all of the great extras in the game, including the new Stage Builder, Stickers, Trophies, CDs, not to mention all of the Characters, Stages, and Items to unlock. The game even allows you to take snapshots any time during the game or to save your full game replays to watch later so you can plan revenge on that friend who got a cheap game winning KO right before the time ran out. There are several more things to go over, but I don’t have that much space. Overall, Super Smash Bros. Brawl was arguably the most anticipated game of 2008, and now it’s possibly the best of 2008. The game is an absolute blast to play, is great at parties, and will keep you coming back for more for years and years. This one succeeds the past’s reputations, and will definitely be keeping by Wii’s disc drive occupied for a long time. I absolutely love this game, and if you give it a try, you will too. Even if you don’t have a Wii, find someone who does and play it. If you do, do yourself a favor and pick this up, even if it’s a rent. (Although I don’t recommend renting it, because then you’ll end up owing a lot of money when you don’t return it.)

This is by far the best Dr. Pepper Commercial Ever!

(9.25/10.00) A really good movie that met my expectations, Dan in Real Life is a great sentimental light comedy with a great cast, but it may not be for everyone. The story follows a widower named Dan (Steve Carell), with 3 girls he manages but keeps a job at the local newspaper as a Columnist. He meets a girl in a bookstore named Marie, who takes a liking to, but when he goes with his girls to spend some time with the family, he discovers the girl he talked to and the one he told his family about is dating his brother Mitch (Dane Cook). A lot of the greatest scenes in the movie come from the interaction or hiding of meetings between Dan and Marie. They hide their relationship throughout a majority of the movie, and it was fun watching them avoid Mitch. The movie is also a comedy, but the movie isn’t really a heavy comedy like a Ferrel flick, but instead uses comedy every now and then to help lighten the mood or provide a good hearty laugh (Put it on my tab). It wasn’t as funny as I thought it would be, but it was still good. A lot of the funniest scenes come from him and his family’s activities and interactions. Steve Carell really made this movie for me, and the rest of the cast is good as well. Dane Cook is even good in it! The music is good, especially the “Let my Love Open the Door” duet between Dan and Mitch. The movie is just a really good both comedy and drama, that delivers, while being charming. I liked this movie, but I can see some people not liking it, expecting a knock-down drag-out comedy. I would also like to mention that I’m surprised this got a PG13, the swearing was minimal, and there was a little innuendo. Overall, this is a great dramady I guess you could say that makes a great rent. Below is one of the best scenes in the movie.