The Weekly Wrap-Up – July 1, 2012 – July 7, 2012

Hey, we made it to two in a row!  While the holiday smack dab in the middle of the week makes it a bit slow as far as news goes, there are still a few things to talk about (and with Evo coming up with weekend, I’m sure there’ll be much, much more next week!).  In any case, let’s get to our (rather melancholy) first piece of news …

 

To The Giant Fishing Hole In the Sky

This week saw the entertainment world mourn the loss of the iconic Andy Griffith, known primarily for the seminal “Andy Griffith Show” (as well as “Matlock”, which was Law & Order for old people).  What often goes overlooked is that he also launched the career of Ron Howard, who eventually became one of film’s most respected directors.  In tribute to both of their achievements, I leave my favorite all-time clip of the show with you.

 

Because Nothing Says “America” Like A Large Explosion 

Yes, Independence Day was this week, and while that’s normally the most boring thing on Earth to talk about (holidays are things you do, not things you talk about – you know, unless it’s Christmas), it does give me a flimsy pretext to talk about one of the most hilariously absurd cartoon openings in history:

 

The opening doesn’t seem like a big deal, until you realize that, at the very end, the Cobra plane has a bomb detonate and blow it out of the sky, only to have the main characters run through the burning wreckage of the plane, COMPLETELY UNSCATHED!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

What Once Was Old Is Still Old But With A Shiny New HD Paintjob

This week brings us not one, not two, but three announcements of games being re-released later this year:

 

 

Marvel vs Capcom: Origins immediately grabs fighting game fans’ attention for not only being a misnomer (since it doesn’t include X-Men: Children of the Atom, X-Men vs Street Fighter, or Marvel Super Heroes vs Street Fighter), but also a two-game collection that brings most notably online play among a bevy of new features.

 

 

Then, because no one I can think of asked for it, Sega decided to give us a Nights: Into Dreams HD remake.  This game was notable for being included with the Saturn’s very first analog controller, and is fondly remembered by many who played it, but let’s face it, playing as a clown who enters children’s dreams is a little … creepy.

 

And finally, Namco Bandai concedes that it’s run out of ideas for their DBZ fighting games by rehashing the original Dragon Ball Z: Budokai and Budokai 3 (but not 2 for whatever reason – most likely because it was the most forgettable of the original trilogy).  The original 2.5-D fighters were easily the most enjoyable of the franchise (even though they were more on the casual side of the spectrum when it comes to fighting games), and they’ll look nice with HD graphics and all that.  Still, it begs the question: Why not just do a proper sequel using the best aspects of the original Budokai series and bring it into the current generation of consoles?

Personally, I don’t mind a good HD re-release of a classic game (e.g. the recent Guardian Heroes update on Xbox Live), and some games get more mileage out of the addition of online play (like the aforementioned MvCO), but in a lot of cases, (e.g. the Devil May Cry or Metal Gear Solid re-releases) it seems developers are content to make a few minor graphical updates and see if they can squeeze a few more sales out of nostalgic gamers.

 

By The Power Of Ambivalence, I Will Report This!!!

If you were guessing I was making a Sailor Moon reference instead of a He-Man reference, you guessed right.  News just came down the wire today that there will be a new Sailor Moon anime in 2013.  On the one hand, this is big news, since a classic anime series is making its grand return.  On the other hand, I’m a guy, so I was never really big on Sailor Moon to begin with.  I know some of you who read this may be opposed to my lukewarm reaction to the news, but allow me to remind you what the old Sailor Moon anime was like:

 

 

Yeah … (Honestly, a lot of this can be blamed on an awful Western adaptation, but when it’s your first exposure to the series, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.)

Anyway, that does it for this week.  And who knows, maybe I’ll see you again next week!!