SQ Favorite: Breath of Fire 3

Some games are better than others. Some games are a lot better than others. Then some games put other games to shame. Breath of Fire 3 put every Breath of Fire release after to shame. They should have stopped at the pinnacle.

For example, you can turn into a dragon. All it takes is some magic points. Now, you have to find “Dragon Genes” and mix and splice them together, and that was a fun process, but all you had to do was click some buttons and voila: dragon.

But nooooo, not for the later games. BoF 4 was ok, but by the fifth installment, the game designers thought, “Hey, let’s make a game about a boy who learns he’s a dragon, but he comes closer and closer to killing himself every time he shifts into dragon form.” Seriously, every time he turns into a dragon his “dragon counter” increases. Not to mention every ten minutes or so of game time he goes up a bit too. *Sigh*.

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The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Finally!)

We’ve been waiting for this for awhile. You see, back years ago, when Tobey Maguire was rocking the mask and slinging webs, Spiderman was ruined for us. The films were okay. Well, the first two were – the third really just seemed to…not be good.

Fast forward a few years. I’m sitting on my family-recycled couch drinking a good beer (those go together wonderfully, btw), and I noticed the newer Spiderman on HBO. Alright, prepare for to be disappointed. But then, out of the blue, I liked it.

No, no. I loved it. Andrew Garfield brought a grit that Maguire never  showed (or maybe had). The film was darker, less real, and more fun. And not junior high at the movies fun – like actual suspension and plot.  Continue reading “The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Finally!)”

Godzilla: Fingers Crossed

The good news: Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe. No P Diddy.

The bad news: We’ve been let down before.

What we expect: two hours of action packed destruction that leads with some familial separation and lack of suitable one-liners. Good guys win. It could turn out that Godzilla is the good guy.

What we hope: Bryan Cranston verbally eviscerates foolish humans for their lack of foresight and problem solving abilities. Ken Watanabe a la Inception plays minds games with the audience and/or fellow characters and in doing so provides an aura of mystique and transcendence. Continue reading “Godzilla: Fingers Crossed”

Warlords of Draenor: The Upcoming World of Warcraft XPac

Sometime in the fall 0f 2014, World of Warcraft players and aficionados get to explore new territories, rewrite history, and smack the hell out of each other all over again.

Warlords of Draenor sees players revisiting the Dark Portal and heading into what used to be called Outland. Or as I think the less lore-ridden people noticed it: space. Okay, Nagrand looked like Super Mario Bros. level 1-3 on steroids, Netherstorm was clearly the moon. Don’t agree? Leave it in the comments so I know who you are.

This xpac features new content with a pre-order bonus of a free level 90 character boost. Not sure if it’s worth the pre-order, but if you’re going to play it, might as well take the free stuff along the way. Continue reading “Warlords of Draenor: The Upcoming World of Warcraft XPac”

On Sterling, Silver Earns Gold

Adam Silver is the perfect man for the job. In his first few months as NBA Commissioner, he had to address a problem that the NBA owners let grow: Donald Sterling. You see, when an owner of a professional sports franchise refers to people of other races as enemies, you just watched the metaphorical cat jump out of the bag.

And what did Adam Silver do to Donald Sterling? Banned him for life from the NBA! That’s not an overhand right from Tyson, that’s Tyson with 2×4. Sterling is now banned from any and all basketball activities pertaining to anything NBA related. He still owns the team – for now. But that may actually be coming to an end soon too.

If you’re ancy to get right to the banning (it’s ok to admit it), jump right to the 2:13 mark. And watch Silver’s facial expression and eyes when he says, “for life!” I like this guy. A lot.

Airstrike Video: A-10 Gun Run in Korengal Valley

How can you not like a good airstrike video?  As a former Marine, I can’t tell you the mental comfort you receive when you’re on a foot patrol in Afghanistan and you’ve got air support in the area.  While I have never been up north in the vaunted Korengal Valley (my regiment kicked ass there before the surge brought the Marine Corps to Helmand; I joined the unit just after they got back), I have been to Helmand, which in places is equal parts nasty (just don’t listen to Maxim Magazine on that).  The above moto airstrike video comes to you courtesy of the US Army Paratroopers from 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, as well as the A-10 Warthog who just completely levels an enemy stronghold somewhere deep within the Korengal.  Awesome video – hit the link below for more!

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Royal Tongan Marines Afghanistan War Dance Video

One of the neatest things about joining the military is that you have a tremendous amount of opportunities to work, train and fight alongside dozens of foreign militaries.  While I touched on this topic in my recent Black Sea Rotational Force Moto Video post a few days ago, my time spent in Afghanistan working as an embedded infantry advisor in the heart of Helmand Province is something that I will never forget.  Sure it was ridiculously frustrating, but it was an incredible experience, and one that has really shaped who I am today.  The video above comes from the Royal Tongan Marines, who just wrapped up Operation Herrick in Afghanistan, as they have been providing security in the at Camp Bastion (huge British base) since November 2010 (which just happens to be when I started my deployment there).  Pretty cool video – more info on the Tongan Marines below!

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Funny Local News Blooper Video for April 2014

Well May has finally arrived, although some parts of the country it probably doesn’t feel quite as warm as it should.  Houston, thankfully, is not one of those areas – it’s already pretty darn hot.  But while you wait for warmer temps to finally set in as we get closer to summer, why not pass the time laughing hysterically at some of the funniest local news bloopers caught on video from April?  This news blooper montage video is pretty epic: it kicks off with a complete face palm moment from Fox News, and then will just keep you laughing all the way to the finish line.  Your Thursday afternoon just got that much better!

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Throwback Thursday: Jay Leno and David Letterman Pics from 1979

For me it’s really hard to choose between late night television shows, as I think they are all equal parts hilarious.  Leno was always hilarious with his stand-up bit, and who could hate on the Jaywalking bits when he would ask random people on the street questions about US history?  Letterman and Fallon are always pretty funny – although the two have very different styles of comedy – and then there’s Jimmy Kimmel, who I still can’t believe looks the way he does after his Man Show days.  Last but not least we have Mr. Conan O’Brien – maybe the best of the entire bunch – so you can see how tough it is to really decide on watching just one of them.  Regardless, since it is officially Throwback Thursday here at SQ, we decided it would be pretty cool to take a look back – way back to 1979 – and see what some of these gentlemen looked like more than 30 years ago.  Great pictures below!

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Maxim: “Camp Dwyer One of Five Most Dangerous Places in Afghanistan” /Facepalm

Camp Dwyer?  Camp DWYER?  If you just channeled your inner-Jim Mora (of epic Indianapolis Colts coaching press conference meltdown Hall of Fame – see SQ’s front page content slider for the awesome screenshot) as you read Maxim Magazine’s recent (?, there’s no date) military article “The Five Most Dangerous Places in Afghanistan“, then you’re not alone.  Did author Jaeson Parsons actually do any research for this article – like proper journalism calls for – or did he just assume that no one would care?  It’s readily apparent that he’s never been to the country he wrote about, but good grief, Camp Dwyer?  Hit the link below for even more absurdity.

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Harry Potter vs Star Wars Funny Video

Yeah, so I really am not a fan of Harry Potter – I’ve tried the movies, and even one of the books, and I just can’t get in to anything that begins with Harry and ends with Potter.  Now Star Wars on the other hand I love – I grew up with Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, and I am pumped for the latest movie – which now all the original stars will be acting in!  So with that being said, I was a little skeptical about the Harry Potter half of this video, but I was dead wrong: this video is extremely well done, highly entertaining, and is without a doubt a must-see funny video.  Watch it now!

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Moto USMC Video: 3/8 in Summer Shield 2014

With the Iraq War (Operation Iraqi Freedom) behind us, and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) all but over as we approach the 2014 deadline, Marines today will get more opportunities to do some really cool deployments, whether it’s more MEU’s or more chances to jump on deployments to Australia or what you’ll see in the video above – the Black Sea Rotational Force which features infantry battalions from 8th Marine Regiment.  While I never got to do a MEU out of 3d Marine Regiment, I did get a chance to deploy to Afghanistan during the surge, but seriously considered sticking around to be a part of the Corps’ first rotational deployment to Australia.  Heading the other direction to the Black Sea to work and train with the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian militaries would also have been cool, and with the Ukraine/Russia conflict getting hotter by the day, the training relevance there is growing exponentially.  Whether you’re an active duty Marine, a part-timer, a former Marine like myself, or just a civilian who likes to watch things blow up, this video will surely get you motivated.  Enjoy the video of 3/8 kicking ass in Eastern Europe, and as always hit the link below for more!

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