STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

Honestly I didn't really care that much to see this but I had seen all he Star Wars movies and figured I might as well watch this. Now they have a series of these on Cartoon Network that I would watch right before Family Guy, The Boondocks and other Adult Swim shows. So I catch them on and if I'm bored I watch. Honestly the TV show isn't horribly bad. I mean it's not really my thing but it's okay to watch. So I got a small taste of what the movie was like by watching the shows.


Now this movie has some cool animation and special effects but still I'm not to big on an animated Star Wars movie. Since it's a childrens movie I had to come to grips with the fact it's not as dark as the originals. But honestly everything is left open-ended basically. See this movie takes place before the 3rd movie so Anakin is still his whiny self and not killing younglings yet. Anyways, this movie has decent action scenes and introduces some cool characters such as a Clone Trooper Captain Named Rex. Actually first off I want to say is this movie is a lot cheesier than the originals. Yea I know that may be hard to believe but this movie is cheesy in a different way.


I don't get how Anakin has an apprentice when he himself is barely a full Jedi Knight. They wouldn't even let him on the council in the 3rd movie so they're gonna give him an apprentice? Remember how I said shit was left open? Yea, like why is his apprentice not in the 3rd one? It never says she dies in the movie nor does it even hint in to it. In my opinion it was a horrible idea to give him an apprentice. It just fucks the story up. Then there is some sith assassin who doesn't get killed but she's not mentioned in the 3rd one either. I understand it's a childrens movie so they wont have people getting killed like crazy but come on give me some closure. What is the point of bringing in a new character without giving me solid details as to what happened. As a matter of fact I'm seaching for answers right now. I just don't like movies where dudes ain't getting chopped in half.


A COUPLE OF MINUTES LATER


So yea I searched and the series isn't over yet the first season still has 12 episodes planned. So I don't know what happens to everyone. Also the storyline kind of seemed to small to base an entire movie on even though it meant a lot for the cause it just seemed like a badly written story.


Basically this movie is cheesy and very mellow dramatic and I got bored. But it is a good childrens movie and has some cool effects and characters to keep most Star Wars fans satisfied. After seeing this I think they should just leave Star Wars alone now and let it die, but live in the hearts of the fans.



GRADE: C


-C.S.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

I figured I would watch Hellboy 2 since I liked the first one alright and since I already had it at my house I figured what the hell. I popped it in and from the very beginning I wanted to die. The child version of Hellboy looks like an uglier version of the boy in Jumanji who turned into a monkey. Shit freaked me the fuck out. It just looked dumb as hell.


So this second installment had more cheesy jokes and was just cheesy overall. I mean the first one was cheesy but this one just was over the top cheesy. I tried to not pay attention to that but to many lame jokes came at me from all sides. I mean I expect some level of lameness from a superhero movie but come on! Anyways this movie did have some cool action scenes and the main bad guy was a bad mother fucker. Every scene with him in it kicked ass. Dude just straight worked dudes left and right.



Yes, there were some cool scenes but really the movie overall was a lame excuse for a superhero/action movie. I won't say the movie was horrible or unusually bad but it wasn't great. I mainly just sucked it up and pulled myself through most of it.


As for the moral of the story. Well basically it's about love being strong and how people are judged by how different they are. All that good stuff.




GRADE: C


-C.S.

TROPIC THUNDER

Where to start with this movie. So I was really excited when I rented this movie this morning. I had been wanting to see it since its release cause I thought it looked hilarious and heard good things. Well I got a mixed reaction after watching it. I honestly wasn't sure if it was funny or just the stupidest fucking movie of the year. Well that might be to harsh.



Basically the movie is about actors making a movie about the Vietnam war. I wont spoil anyhing but every actor has his own problems and things he has to overcome. All the different back stories are pretty funny. Especially Robert Downey Jr.'s parts. So they start off shooting the climatic scene of their movie which is basically a rescue mission in a helicopter. The diva-like actors start fighting and the scene doesn't finish. First off I'll say this movie has a lot more cussing than I expected. The F word flies like nothing else but that's fine with me. I wouldn't suggest letting your child see it though. Another thing is this movie does some random ass things with random ass characters saying random shit. Often this movie is so stupid it's funny. Anyways back to the story; So the man who wrote the book for this movie says if they want the actors to get over themselves they need to put them in the jungle or in "the shit" as they say to learn. Basically the plan was to put them out there and stage explosions and random attacks to make it all realistic. Of course it didn't work out that way.


Blah Blah Blah the movie went on. Made jokes, made you laugh, made you wonder why the hell he just said that and at some times makes you wonder where the hell you are and what this movie is about. It's sort of like being fucked up on acid and watching Teletubbies or some shit. Point is the movie is on crack. Pure fucking 100% crack. I'm not dogging I'm only stating facts. Now just because the movie is random and at some times provacative doesn't mean it's not good or funny. The movie is funny and at times makes you laugh your ass off either because it's so dumb, random or it's just a funny scene.



I wont say anything else about the plot but the movie to me was sort of a disappointment. All the same though it's a funny movie and I enjoyed it just not as much as I'd like to. Would I buy it? Probably not unless it as cheap or I was rich. But will it be a good movie to catch on HBO down the road when you're feeling down? Hell yes.



GRADE: C


-C.S.

20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Chuck Berry

1. Maybellene
- Hell yea this is what I'm talking about. Just simpler times and simpler songs. I listen to all types of music so older stuff doesn't bother me. Hell I actually like the whole carefree sounds of The Temptations, Jimi Hendrix and Chuck Berry. Just such a good song that's real simple and fast for you to sing along with. Sometimes simple is the best way to do it.



2. Roll Over Beethoven
- Another simple fast-paced track just doing what you can with your talent. In the terms of back then you could say Chuck Berry's style/swagger was the equivalent of present days Jay-Z. Dude had a style all his own that many borrowed from him. (Or Tried To) Anyways this song has great guitar play in it. Just a catchy song that you'll probably be singing for a few hours.



3. Brown Eyed Handsome Man
- Now for one I myself am a brown eyed handsome man so I identified with this song. Honestly this song is kind of borin but it is actually a well written track and story. This is easily worth a listen but I can see people getting bored with it unless your really old and grew up on Chuck.




4. School Day
- Good music right here. Another melodic sound and lyrical presence. Really no great meaning or point here yet you find yourself identifying with it simply because you went to school at some point. Pretty good, pretty good.



5. Rock And Roll Music
- This song embodies Chuck Berry as a singer/songwriter and rock music at the time. SOme may say Chuck is the King Of Rock 'N' Roll and I will definitely say he helped shape it. Very short song though but entertaining all the way.



6. Sweet Little Sixteen
- Yea the BEach Boys ripped Berry off while he was in jail and they made Surfin USA but whatever because in my opinion theirs is better. This is still good though but I am a secretly a fan of the Beach Boys for some odd reason (No Homo) Yes, I love rap and listening to cussing and death threats repeatedly is fun but nothing compares to good old simple old school American Music. Anyways this is a good song and as I said earlier everyone wanted to borrow from Berry. Another very short song though.



7. Johnny B. Goode
- Hmmmmm you know who also ripped this song off? Yea, the Beach Boys. Know something else? They made a damn good version as well. Doesn't matter though lol this song is good in every way. Good sound and very good lyrics.



8. Carol
- Now not to be a downer but a lot of Chucks song sound exactly alike like this and Johnny B. Goode. But thank god the sound is always gonna be good that way. This song is average and I could probably see myself skippig it. Still not bad at all. Berry is a dope guiatrist.



9. You Never Can Tell
- I like this song a lot because it's in Pulp Fiction. But really this is just a fun song and it's well written to boot. Wait a second...did i really just say "to boot". Hmmmmm I needa get that looked at. But anyways this is a wonderful song and a well told story.



10. No Particular Place To Go
- Here we go baby, one of the best songs ever recorded just because of its sound. This is just something you can kick back and listen to in the car. It's fun and light hearted and extremely catchy. GREATNESS!




GRADE: B-

-C.S.

Creepin On Ah Come Up by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

1. Intro
- Nice mysterious intro. SOme straight g ass shit. Just really sets the tone for the whole EP.


2. Mr. Ouija
- Yea I don't really agree with the whole Ouija board concept but the harmonizing and flow of the sound on this track is top notch. But it's not even rap really it's just singing so I can't say much more except......good singing?



3. Thuggish Ruggish Bone
- Many believe this is one of the realest/gangsta tracks ever. I'll have to agree this track embodies street music and the thug life in a way even Pac or Biggie could never do. Dope beat, dope hook/chorus just a dope track all in all. This song is off the hook with great flow and just a street banger. This is the type of song a hustler wakes up to and gets on his grind looking for a brighter tomorrow. Good ass shit.



4. No Surrender
- I liked the synthesized voice at the beginning and how it broke off into the rapping. Bizzie spit such an ill verse on this track. This is a good song but nothing more. This is a good cool down from Thuggish Ruggish. Good track that you can listen to repeatedly and not really get sick of.



5. Down Foe My Thang
- Dope beat and flow straight off the jump. One thing I will say that's for sure is Bone Thugs may have the best flow as a group out of any rap group ever. Their melodic style is ridiculous and scary good as its own style. This track is only average it isn't bad but isn't great.



6. Creepin On Ah Come Up
- Another great melodic song. Again just an average track but not a bad one. WOrth a listen easily but doesn't deserve great praise. Can't really hate on it but I can't say nothing exceptionally great either.



7. Foe Tha Love Of $
- Flesh's verse was real nice and flowed great. Well actually everyone who spit, spit real nice. Good song with another melodic sound. Eazy kinda came in and ruined the Bone Thugs style. Still he did fine and this track is nice.



8. Moe Cheese (Instrumental)
- Real nice instrumental for anybody to write to. Good sound to it that ends this EP nicely.



LAST WORDS:
Well I myself am not a big Bone Thugs fan and I think they may be one of the most overrated rap groups in history. TO tell you the truth they are sort of sellouts starting with E 1999 Eternal and Tha Crossroads. That shit was lame but whatever. This is a very solid EP and BTNH is a talented group and legends in their own right. Real ass dudes that anyone can identify with whether you from the ghetto or the burbs.




GRADE: B-



-C.S.

ALMOST FAMOUS

So I caught this movie on HBO with my uncle. He told me it was a good movie so I sat and most of it (I Started Watching like 15 minutes in) So I thought it was good and went and bought it. Then I watched the enitre thing. I was impressed with this movie, far better than I thought it would ever be. It's one of those movies that is very good but it's not one of your favorite movies and such.


A very well written movie with some funny parts. Basically you follow a young aspiring rock journalist during the early 70's. The movie is about music setting us free, the glory days of Rock and Roll and being yourself. The tension between bands and journalists were high since journalists tended to ruin careers. This movie really embodies rock 'n' roll and the 70's together. The soundtrack complimented the movie greatly. An example is when the main character is on the tour bus with the band he is writing on, "Stillwater" and after fighting the song Tiny Dancer by Elton John comes on. Yea Elton John is gay but that song really complimented the scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qn3tel9FWU)



The plot is really just about the band Stillwater rising to the top and about the main character writing about them. Of course Stillwater has a lot of drama going on as most bands and basically just everything goes wrong. The main character struggles to write the truth but remain friends with the band. He also struggles with his love for a Band-Aid (Basically A Groupie) which is played by Kate Hudson. So all tese struggles with everything and in the end everything basically works out.



Almost Famous is a very good story that will speak to you in some way and it actually for me gave me a new found reason to listen to Rock 'N' Roll again. The point here is that this is a good movie and should be seen by everyone at least once.




GRADE: A-

-C.S.

CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR

First off let me start by saying when I first saw the trailer for this game and heard all the hype I was extremely excited to see how this matched up against one of the biggest fan favorites in years, Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. I myself was not one of those people upset that the game went back to World War II. For World War II was a great victory for the world and an entertaining war to play none the less. SO that did not bother me but what really bothered me was who was making the game. THe same company who tarnished Call Of Duty 3. People who can't make games for shit. So that was my biggest fear, that I would be paying 60 dollars to play a game that is ass. Yes, this left me bewildered to decide whether or not to buy it. Eventually I trusted that Treyarch would do its job and make a good game that is at least decent enough to entertain fans. I don't think anyone expected another COD4. Anyways so here is my review:

Graphics:
The graphics in this game are great, just as good as COD4's. Everything looks very realistic and I liked the detail they had for just about everything. The first level looked wonderful between the water shimmering in the night and the grass/trees/plants that looked so realistic you thought you were in a jungle. The game is beautifully made and looks great. The trailer didn't lie when it showed this graphic superiority. Sound really doesn't have anything to do with vision or graphics but I will include it simply because it is a sub category of detail and such. The gunshots sounded realistic enough but the grenades failed quite a bit. When the grenades explode it sounds like a rock falling on grass with a light thump. As far as sounds go COD4 takes that but graphics are about even.



Gameplay:
The controls themselves are the same as COD4 and that is pleasing. Everything seems to be realistic and nearly the same as COD4, which is a good thing. They didn't try to do that much in order to separate their game from Infity Wards. All the gameplay is solid with very few problems. Something I would like to add is that the Veteran difficulty is damn near impossible to beat but you'll keep attempting to get that trophy. All in all the levels are fun and there is a variety of them. Nothing better than stabbing a kamikaze Jap running at you with his bayonet. The game is highly entertaining. Solid gameplay even though I often hear complaints that people get caught on random things but I think it's because they suck ass. Nothing really stands out to me as a big problem. The game is also reasonably challenging even at the lowest difficulty.



Storyline:
THe story for this game is actually pretty entertaining even though I'll admit you don't get as attached to your Russian/American characters as you did to Soap Mctavish in COD4. Even though I could care less about him either. You don't normally get attached to characters in COD games because a lot of the time you play as numerous soldiers from different countries. PLaying as the Russians was fun and actually you played from a different perspective. Instead of you being outnumbered and the narrator telling you that your hard-pressed and there is little chance of success, for the most part of the game you outnumber the Germans and are about to take over Berlin. So really throughout the Russan Campaign your winning in a matter of speaking. Now this doesn't make anything simpler but still you get what I'm saying. The Japanese storyline was authentic and really captured what it was like over there. Nothing better tham torching the Japanese with a flamethrower in their bunker. Storyline is pretty good and very cinematic.



Online/Multiplayer:
Now this is the main reason a lot of people bought it, (at least serious gamers). The online play in my opinion is extremely solid. Although in my opinion the sniper rifles are kind of bad. They aren't very powerful and other than the Springfield they don't hit shit. I used stopping power to get them one hit kills with the Springfield. I like the levels and all the different weapons. Remember what I said about the grenades making little sound? Yea they also are pretty weak as well. I didn't see much of a point in putting vehicles if the only one is gonna be a tank which takes forever to destroy. The perks are fine and so is the attachments. I am very happy with the online play. Now it pains me to say this but I wouldn't be telling you everything if I didn't. It isn't really Treyarchs fault but on the Friday night after release there was a big glitch that made people lose ranks. On most consoles they lost no more than 3 (Like Me) but for PC users they went back to Rank 1. I doubt Treyarch can fix this but I wont play until it is fixed mainly because I don't like to do shit over and am Obsessive Compulsive about that. No matter it didn't happen to everyone and it probably wont happen again but it's still bullshit. Moving on to Co-op now. It's okay even though you on average get only 200 people playing at a time which is annoying when it's impossible to play in more than 3 rooms. Now something highly surprising and made fun of by many was the Nazi Zombies mode. Now I thought at first it was just a fun little many game but then when I started playing it online in 4 player co-op I discovered it's fun as hell. The online play is great other than that small glitch.




In the end this game is just as good as COD4 if not better and the people who hate on it are idiots. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the game is and that glitch is a shame not just for me but for the thousands of others it happened to. It's sad that I was having such a good time with this game and then that had to happen. Never the less this game is very solid.




GRADE: 9.5/10


-C.S.

Eazy-Duz-It by Eazy-E

1. (Prelude) Still Talkin'
-Sort of a wierd flow but I myself find Eazy-E to both have an unorthodox flow and voice which sets him apart from other rappers. I like rappers who I can just identify as soon as they speak. This track really isn't that special though it's comedic with a few good lines. A good intro none the less that sets the tone for this albums light hearted gangster feel.



2. Nobody Move
- Could song right here not really because it's mad lyrical more because it's just a fun track to listen to with funny ass shit like this;
I said: "Lay down, and unbutton your bra!"
There was the biggest titties that a nigga ever saw
I said: "Damn", then the air got thinner
Only thought in my mind, was goin' up in her
The suspense was makin' me sick
She took her panties down and the bitch had a dick!"
Theres more than that though. See in my opinion the thing I like about all of N.W.A.'s former members is that none of them were great lyricists and at times I found their rhymes to be cheesy but thats the thing they had a whole nother style that was a serious gangster attitude yet in some way comedic. But that's just me you may not feel the same way. Anyways nice track.




3. Ruthless Villain
-Very nice old school sound to this track. Just a fun boppin beat and good lyricism to match it as far as the flow with the beat. Good track but not great I mean it's worth a listen but nothing special at all.



4. 2 Hard Mutha's
-I love Eazy's song intros and this song just reminds me of when rap was in simpler times in a way. Good drum playing Eazy ;) The beat is fire got a real nice sound to it that sort of makes you listen to the track. The lyricism ain't bad either and I like MC Ren being on all of these tracks. Ren is a talented MC that never truly got the respect he deserved. Nice track.



5. Boyz-n-the-hood (Remix)
- Just a nice smooth flow throughout this song. The beat is spectacular (no homo) but for real the song is really good and how could it not be with a beat like that. It's just something to cruise around in and chill.



6. Eazy-Duz-It
-lol at the beginning. True gangsta ass shit here. Not overly done but just well written track. Simple line here yet great, "Yo I'm Eazy-E I got bitches galore, you may have bitches but I have much much more" Ill, is really all that can be said about this track. The great flow and dope lyrics just make you weep that Eazy was still alive.......maybe I'm over exaggerating but you get my point. R.I.P. Eazy



7. We Want Eazy
-Sort of cheesy but a lot of gangsta rap was in some way cheesy especially when you have Eazy's style. To be honest I lost interest in this track while listening to it. I wasn't impressed with this song but it's not really bad just bored me a lot and couldn't get into it.



8. Eazy-er Said Than Done
- Shit one of the first tracks I ever heard from Eazy and I just loved the swag, style and seemingly effortless skill he displayed in his lyrics. His rhymes spoke for him in a flamboyant way. This track is just dope with no real weak lines and just a fun song to vibe to especially with homies. Just telling people he can't be fucked with and shit. Without a doubt one of his best songs maybe only second to his masterpiece Real Muthaphukkin G's. Love this track.



9. Radio
- Not really impressed with this song it just wasn't that good. Wasn't very interesting and didn't keep my attention. Just a very blah, sub-par song.



10. No More Questions
- Fun beat and song to listen to. It's average though nothing really special. Eazy shows some good lyricism here but it still lacks something that most of he other tracks had. Just didn't have the light-hearted gangster style to it. Kind of lame but the beat saved it. A few good lines helped as well.



11. I'mma Break It Down
- Average song really not very good I got bored with it real quick and it sounded like many of the previous songs. Very blah blah blah.



12. Eazy-Chapter 8 Verse 10
- Really not much of a track am I correct?




GRADE: B-


-C.S.

SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation

Graphics:
The graphics for this game aren't spectacular but they are not bad just right where a next gen game should be but nothing about the graphics stand out to me. Maybe a few graphical glitches here and there but the guns and player models are great, especially the guns which look supremely real. Good graphics!




Gameplay:
As far as core gameplay with buttons, aiming, control ability the game is solid but when you go into a more technical aspect like the online servers is where the large flaw in Socom is found. Before I get into that I'll say the game is surprisingly easy to pick up and play and get the hang of [At Least For Me] It's a very strategic game which is also fun and Socom takes advantage of many things. The realism is very welcome and you really feel your in a firefight. Other than a few slight problems with things that are probably my lack of skill instead of an actual game problem the core hands on gameplay is fine. Now back to the tech aspect of the game. Now I am a big fan of the In-depth clan options. Meaning You can start a clan online and invite members and promote them and so on. Just like Resistance with a few added things. I like that a lot and look for games to follow in suit. But as seems to be the trend with PS3 servers, Socoms servers fuck up a lot. It's a problem that needs to be fixed if the PS3 wants to compete with the 360 for online supremacy. Also this isn't exactly a tech problem but it's so hard to play anything besides Suppression (Team Deathmatch) or elimination. It gets annoying because there is many game modes I haven't even gotten to play because no one is willing.



Sound:
This category is on its own because there seems to be a lot of talking about the sounds in this game. I'll just say this real quick the sounds in this game are cool and realistic but nothing to rave about. Yes each weapon rightfully has its realistic sound and the sounds differ depending the area in which your shooting (i.e. Inside a Building Sounds More Suppressed Whereas Outside It Can Be Hurd Much Louder.) THe sounds are very good and unlike many other games it requires you to listen for enemy gunfire to find out where enemies are. Which is surprising how easy it is to find out where gun shots are from on a game.





GRADE: 7.5/10




-C.S.

D.Z. - Fuck This Mixtape Shit

DZ's a member of NOHH, a dope hip-hop forum.

Sign up here:
http://www.nationofhiphop.net/register.php?referrerid=101
Download here:
http://www.nationofhiphop.net/2008-mixtapes/30132-d-z-fuck-mixtape-shit.html?highlight=fuck+mixtape+shit

1) Dope Boy Fresh
Solid intro. Flow goes well with the beat, had me nodding my head. Doesn't overstay it's welcome either, though, perfect length. Some lines were a bit unoriginal ("Stay on my green like an ATM machine"), but overall a nice intro to the mixtape.

2) B Ur Hustler
Yeaahhh JAMN 945 reference haha. Decent track, nothing exceptional but in no means is it BAD. Screwed up part over the chorus was sorta wack IMO. Verses were solid, but the song was a bit forgettable. Flow solid as usual though

3) What They Playin?
I feel like the flow/voice doesn't really suit the instrumental. Seems a lil gruff. And, to be honest, I had trouble understanding some of the lyrics, though what I heard was good. It was short, which was good IMO, cause I wasn't feeling the instrumental that much.

4) Thanks For Nothing
Singing was off on the chorus, sorta took away from the vibe. Verses were great though, went real well with the beat. Very solid track, except for the chorus. Liked the introspectiveness too, nice job getting personal and examining himself.

5) Not Around
Beat's sorta weird, didn't really like it, got annoying. Verses were fine though, lyricism was good. A decent track, but sort of forgettable, to be honest.

6) Born In This City
Real dope. Nice sample, great beat, and DZ didn't disappoint. A little short, which was disappointing, but a real dope track. One of the highlight of the albums.

7) It's Okay in a Way
Favorite song on the album. Talking about a bitchass friend who stabbed him in the back (), good beat and DZ flows on it perfectly. Solid, catchy chorus, and the sing-songy feel fits well when he uses it. Excellent song!

8) The Addiction
Nice song, didn't like the sample, but the verse was nice. Good concept too, a nice track overall. Not much else to say, haha. Just a good song

9) Shut Your Mouth (feat. TheSauce & Cadaver)
Nice track, for some reason I was expecting it to be wack haha. Other MC's hold their own. Beat's nothing special, but it doesn't matter cause the lyrics are good. Didn't like the chorus that much, but still, a good track overall. I will say, though, that if the chorus was any longer I'd have just gone to the next song haha

10) Music (Its) feat. Slick and KrazE
Another good track. All 3 MC's came correct, though the concept's been played to death (by everyone in the world ). A solid song overall. Not much else to say haha.

11) Lollipop Remix
Pure genius. Great use of the autotune. Not much else to say, just hear it. lmao

12)Midnight Train
Yeaaaaa. Nice use of the Journey song. Not sure about what was said on that autotune during the chorus...but 'sall good, sounded nice. Solid verses as well. Not amazing, but not bad at all...

13) Over My...
Wasn't really feeling it. Instrumental was solid, nice chorus, but I didn't find the flow or voice that good on it. The sample on the chorus was the highlight of the song to me. IDK, the vibe was off to me. I'd like that instrumental though haha

14) Love Ain't
DZ's voice was a bit too deep at the beginning for my liking. But it's a dope instrumental (<3 class="inlineimg" title="lol" alt="" src="http://www.nationofhiphop.net/images/smilies/ufunnyrt1.gif" border="0"> ("what's it matter to y'all"). Nice track though, really felt the verses. LOL @ "find me in your girl's mouth more than Listerine")

16) Heaven Knows - Outro
Great outro! Wow, very dope. Nice instrumental, nice verse, straight up goodness.

Grade: B


-DKE

Statik Selektah - Stick 2 The Script

1) Stick 2 The Script (Intro)
Haha, Statik stars spitting. Doesn’t suck, either (wonder who ghost wrote it?). Anyway, just a short lil intro

2) To The Top (Stick 2 The Script) (Feat. Cassidy, Saigon, Termanology)
Nice track. Term had gotten annoying to me, but he was nice on this. All had nice verses. Liked Saigon breaking down his raps in comparison with legends. Overall, just a nice vibe and good lyrics.

3) For The City (Feat. MOP & Jadakiss)
Nice gutter shit, but I thought that a) the chorus didn’t really fit with the vibe, and b) the lyrics (especially MOP, not really Jada) were unoriginal. It’s decent, but probably on the weaker side of the album.

4) Get Out The Way (feat. Bun B & Cory Mo)
Yeaaahh, UGK track. Thought’d be more about Pimp’s passing, but it still works. Nice vibe, but I felt the beat was worse than some others, a bit annoying. A decent track overall.

5) All 2gether Now (Feat. Freeway, Peedi Crakk, Young Chris)
Didn’t Peedi diss Hov a ton? Sup with Freeway being on a track with him? Haha. Didn’t really like the sample, but once again, it’s not bad. One of my least favorites on the album though.

6) Interlude (feat. Q-Tip)
No rapping or anything, not really anything important.

7) Church (feat. Termanology)
I like the track. Term’s redeeming himself in my eyes. Nice track, nice beat.

8) Talkin’ Bout You (Ladies) (Feat. Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz, Talib Kweli)
Nice track. Good choice of samples IMO. And hell, you can’t really go wrong with this line-up. Gets the album back on track IMO. Very good track. Each verse is, IMO, dope.

9) On The Marquee (feat. Little Brother, Joe Scudda, Chandon)
Soulful vibe, real calm/placid/laidback. Great track. Everyone holds their own, and I really like the chorus. Just a really chill track.

10) Mr. Popularity (Feat. Consqequence)
First single. Overrated, IMO, but good nonetheless. Nice beat, gutter shit. I’m definitely a Cons fan, but I feel like he’s more suited on calmer/more soulful tracks. Not saying it’s bad at all though, I definitely fuck with it, but would’ve liked to see another rapper on it as well.

11) Interlude (feat. Madd Rapper)
Annoying talking. Skip.

12) This Is It (Showoff Remix) (Feat. D-Dot, Redman, Black Rob)
Dope beat, and nice line-up. All rappers hold their own on some smooth production. Fucking nice!

13) So Good (Live From The Bar) (Feat. Naledge, Reks, CL Smooth)
Psshh, took long enough for a Reks track! Needless to say, he spits nice, but so does everyone else. CL Smooth on a track with Reks! How dope is that? Nice instrumentation on this one. Very dope!

14) Streets of MA (Feat. Masspike Miles, Termanology, Supastah Snuk,
Reks, Slaine, Easy Money, Frankie Wainwright, and Smoke)
*Faints*. FINALLY a dope MA anthem! Like pretty much everyone it. Not surprisingly, one of my favorites was Reks, though I thought Easy Money and Frankie Wainwright were dope too. Nice, simple chorus, good vibe, just a dope posse cut for the MA, yeaaahhh

15) Sounds of the Street (Interlude) (Featuring JFK)
Didn’t know who JFK was…but I like what I hear. Quick verse, introducing a new rapper. Short and sweet. Point made: new rapper, best prepare yourself

16) Destined To Shine (feat. Torae, Sha Stimuli, Jon Hope)
Yeaahhh, Jon Hope! Dope rapper. Nice vibe again, talking about how they made it…nice track, good verses all around, good beat.

17) Cali Nights (feat. Glasses Malone, Mistah FAB, Novel)
Yeah, I wanna move to Cali (though I rep MA to the fullest, wtf?). Good track, nice vibe, good verses. I fuck with it. Had me nodding my head and all.

18) Take It All Back (feat. Reks, Ea$y Money, Royce Da 5’9”, Paula Campbell)
Dope fucking song. Reks goes in and talks to his mom, Ea$y spits some nice reminisceful bars, and Royce pretty much kills it: “Life ain't sweet, the Lord ain't said it was fair/Advice ain't cheap, I'm sure that I'm payin' for prayer/For granted I take it, some time my honor diseased/I'm only on my knees when I'm in need.” Paula Cambell’s chorus is nice too, and I like the vibe of the instrumental. Dope ending.

Grade: B

-DKE

P.S. We back niggaaaaazzzzzzzz

Saints Row 2

Gameplay:
First off the combat plays basically like the first Saints Row game. Some people complained that the camera was too close to the player but I really didn't find that a big deal. With a game like this I don't really know where to start cause there is so much to talk about. Basically I found the controls fine and no big problems with aiming or fighting I actually found all of that easier than in GTA IV. I will be comparing both GTA and Saints Row 2 a lot throughout this review for obvious reasons. Something fun is that you can customize your gangs looks, graffiti tag and cars to drive. I do however have certain problems with this game. I hate when games fix things that aren't broken. Here I am playing and I play Snatch (Taking Ho's From Pimps) and the story for it just doesn't do it for me. For some reason to me a lot of the side missions seemed condensed and not as well written as they were in Saints ROw. I feel Saints Row was a funnier game and more out there. AI is actually not bad in this game either. The side missions needed work along with other things but that brought down my gameplay fun value. Saints Row just seemed to be a more hardcore/gangsta game than the new one. YEs this game is gangsta and has plenty of cussing and killing and it's satisfactory but it just doesn't seem as fucked up and thugged out as the first. Never the less there is tons to do in this game and it keeps you satisfied. Also the character customization is fun as hell but another small thing is I feel that there isn't as much clothes and such to buy. I could sit here and pick things out all day but I won't. I'll just say that this game has its flaws of course.



Graphics:
So when I first saw the trailer for this game I thought the graphics were unbelievable. Now after playing the graphics are only average for a next-gen game. I'm not someone who really cares to much about graphics as long as the game is good. But the graphics aren't nohing special but not horrible.






Storyline:
I loved this storyline just like I loved the first one. Out there? Maybe so but still well written. Getting to know each and every character and what they bring to the table is fun. Every gang is interesting to play against and brings something different from the first installment. Storyline is funny and it's just cool to see your gang go from something to nothing. Basically you start off in an abandoned church [Not The One From The Original For That Side Of Town Has Been Remodeled Thanks TO The Ultor Corp.] and you watch your gang rise up and see that hideout become a pimp ass place complete with thugs and strippers. You also can buy numerous different places and customize them. The customization in this game is great. I wont spoil anything or talk about characters and such. All I'll say is the storyline is engaging and fun just like the first with very worthy opponents. Game Is Over the top at times but Stilwater is an over the top town. (BTW THE SOUNDTRACK HAS SOME DOPE SONGS, ESPECIALLY THE 80's CHANNEL)


Multiplayer:
I hardly played the mutliplayer but I'm not impressed. None of these gangster games have good online play in my opinion. Takes far to long to get into a game.



Replay Value:
The game has plenty to do and easily 30+ hours of gameplay at least. But is it worth playing again? Shit isn't it always worth killing people over and over? I wont say this a must replay game but I can easily see someone getting bored and restarting with a newly made character. Like most games like this though you'll proably beat it and come back here and there to fuck up innocent people.




LAST WORDS:
I wont lie I like this game and feel sad that I beat it. Just like in GTA IV I grew attached to the characters ad now kind of miss them in a non nerdy way. lol But you catch what I'm saying and those are the best stories and games when you feel a connection with fellow characters. I'm having a hard time deciding if this installment is better than the first both were decent/good but both have there strong points and weak ones. So I'll say they're about even and this was a solid sequel. Now as much as I liked this I must say that this is in no way a GTA IV. Why? I can't really put my finger on it. But you play the two and you just know GTA IV is a superior game in every aspect. It's a shame but GTA is more polished and I'm not one of those haters that thinks Saints ROw isn't as good because it copied off GTA. Well it was only a matter of time anyways. Keep up the good working and I can't wait for the 3rd one!!!




GRADE: 8.5/10



-C.S.

The Cat With Hands (2001)

A dark, short film (two and a half minutes) where a man is telling a younger one a story about a cat who desperately wanted to be human.

Firstly this is by far the creepiest thing I have ever seen. The dark, foreboding setting gives the short a very creepy atmosphere. The cat itself gave me nightmares for a week, it's intense. The facial movements, the hands, everything about it is just perfectly creepy.

The short easily could have been longer but it is perfect for what it is. The limited acting shown was great, the story was spot on, and the special effects were great. The title makes you think it's going to be a mediocre, uncreative experience but what we get is a short like no other.

There's really not much else that can be said. It's short, it's great, it's creepy, and it's available for viewing on youtube. Watch this!

10/10

-Kartoon

REC (2007)

A news reported is doing a documentary on a day in the lives of firemen. The department receives a 911 call from an apartment building about an old lady in some sort of distress, once they arrive is when hell breaks lose. The women attacks a police officer and when they return to the hall they discover that the military has sealed off the building, with no explanation, trapping them inside.

REC is a pretty typical zombie movie made a little more unique with the POV style filming as seen in Cloverfield, Blair Witch, etc. Standard jump out tactics are used as well as fairly dumb characters. One interesting thing to note though is that none of the actors were aware of what was going to happen so the reactions we see are the real ones. Near the top when something falls (not going to go into detail) no one knew that one coming so we see there true fright. This was an interesting idea and paid off well as we get to see something we don't normally get in horror movies, genuine fear.

However this definetly isn't enough to save the movie from itself. It starts off extremely boring and trudges along at a snails pace. It does this to build the massacre and the creepy feeling till the end but it doesn't do it well. None of it is foreboding or even remotely creepy, it's just boring. I don't care that the firemen are eating, watching movies, etc. waiting for a call. The real movie doesn't actually start till about half way through the movie (which is 70 minutes in total). By then it's like who cares? I know I didn't.

Now people are calling this the scariest movie of all time. Why? No idea. There's a few scenes where something jumps out but that's it. The POV angle does nothing to increase the tension level. Most of the shots of the zombies are them being passive, or breaking out of a room but none of them are remotely scary.

There's a couple inconsistencies that remind you that this is only a movie. A special forces biosafety member enters wearing the full biosuit, makes sense. However after he checks on the two "dead" and handcuffs them to the bed he returns to the main hall and removes his helmet. He says the virus is spread through saliva, so this makes sense right? Why have it one? Exactly. He clearly knew how it was spread before entering the building so the suit in the first place is useless, it's only there to scare the people trapped in the building basically.

The plot is thin and cheesy as well. Exorcism, a virus that turns people into zombies passed through saliva (bites), etc. I'm fairly certain there wasn't one innovative idea in the entire film, it just took bits and pieces from other ones and pieced them together.

Overall it's a pretty poor movie. It moves way to slow, the acting is average, the plot is lame, and it's just not a very good movie. An American remake is coming out soon titled Quarantine and following the trend of shitty remakes I'm sure it's going to be even worse.

4/10

-Kartoon

D.I.R.T. by Heltah Skeltah

1. Intro
- Nice beat and just good shit all around. The lyrics are in your face and everything was on point on this track. Great way to start off this album.


2. Everything Is Heltah Skeltah
- Dope at first on some musical shit but the lyrics are straight fire. Rock and Sean P were on point on this song and Sean P had one of the best lyrical showings on this album. Just an all out ill track.


3. The Art Of Disrespekinazation
- This beat is crack. This track is crack. Everything here is ill. I'm impressed by Heltah Skeltah so far I didn't expect to like it this much so far but I'm seeing a bright future for this album. Not even a big Heltah fan. Anyways this track is lyrically good gangsta shit.



4. Da Beginning Of Da End
- Another real nice beat. Rockness's verse was dope as fuck and I liked Sean P's as well. This track was dope as hell. The beat set off everything and these dudes could've spit ass and still sounded nice over this beat. Mad dope track i think I pissed myself in excitement for the other songs.



5. Twinz
- Damn Sean P dropped heat on this track and Rockness did as well. Perfect verses from everyone. Just some straight raw ass gangsta shit!!!! Damn I could listen to this over and over. Matter of fact if I ever want to fight with someone Ima listen to this to get me pissed. Ill ass track is all that can be said.



6. D.I.R.T. (Another Boot Camp Clik Yeah Song)
- Yeah!!!!! This track is ill as fuck. To be honest I never respected Sean P as much as I should've but now that I'm hearing this dudes mad ill. The flow is crazy, the lyrics are crazy. Just more raw rapping from these niggas. This is a hood banger right hurr.


7. So Damn Tuff
- "It's the left jab that'll have you fucked up like a crystal meth lab" Ha ill. Another dope track that's mad gangster. This is just an ill gangsta rap album. One of the best gangsta rap albums in awhile. It's got a perfect blend of lyrics, beats and hood status. Anyone can feel this and if you ain't than you should die.



8. Insane
- Maybe the worst track so far and that's saying a lot considering this isn't a bad track in the least bit. A real raw gangsta track but I just didn't like it as much as the other 7. The flow was tight from Sean P.



9. W.M.D.
- A real nice soothing beat and the flow and delivery is perfect from all MC's. Another real gangster track. Just talking about shooting dudes and all that hood/gangsta shit. I can feel it especially when I'm pissed. Props to M-Phazes on the production side. Ill beat ya digg?



10. That's Incredible
- The introduction lines were great. Beautiful almost. Like literally I was gonna cry :). Another nice Climatic beat and dope raw lyrics. I never heard Heltah Skeltah spit like this. Before now I thot of them as boring and overrated but this album makes them a serious case. Some may even call this album of the year. But I'm getting a head of myself. Point is this track is dope.



11. Ape Food
- The beat is once again nice and so is everything else. I might as well just say that for everything cuz thats how it is ya digg? Lyricism is ill from everyone on the track. The flow is hood the track is gangster I'm feeling this. Nothing more to say other than it's ill.



12. Hellz Kitchen
- Dope track repping the kitchen big. Nothing more Ima say. Ill!


13. Smack Muzik
- Second weakest track on here. It's raw and gangster but was lacking something. Not bad though it's real fast paced and up in your face.



14. Ruck N Roll
- Ill beat and nice change of pace from the other tracks in some ways. Still ill as hell. All the lyrics and flow was great. Sounded great over the beat. Just a perfect way to end a great album. Sean P>>>>>>>>>> Rockness>>>>>>>> Props to them niggas on this album.


~REVIEW DONE BY C.S.~


LAST WORDS:
Basically All Ima say is WOW. Dope ass album not a single weak track. true ass gangsta shit. If you have to choose between CRACK, Politicz As Usual, Paper Trail or any of the other recent albums. You go buy this.



GRADES:
C.S. : B+
KARTOON : 8/10

CRACK by Z-RO

1. Crack (Intro)
- Dope ass intro it's real....real...chill? So yea the part when he's talking interesting and keeps you listening and then the part where he starts rhyming is good to. It was a different type of beat. Good rapping all together it's a nice intro.



2. Baby Girl
- Kind of an R&B flow but unlike Scarface when he does it I was feeling this. At first he sounded like he was singing and rhyming at the same time but no matter what it was dope as hell. Dope beat dope lyrics, dope everything. That's why they call it Crack.



3. Call My Phone Ft. Slim Thug
- Another smooth track from two of H-Towns bosses. Z-Ro may have the smoothest style. Dudes just so cool in the booth. Z-RO on some real shit right now though this track is chill as fuck.



4. Here We Go Ft. Mike-D
-"Put A Ring On My Own Finger Cuz I Sleep With Z-Ro" ill. Z-Ro spits another real ass track. Mike-D's verse was tight, I liked it the flow was nice and lyrically it wasn't bad. This entire track I could relate to and thats always a plus.



5. If That's How You Feel Ft. Lil Keke
- The beat was decent but this is probably the weakest track so far. The lyrics were sort of missing something and well actually the entire track was missing something. It was still average but not as good as the other 4. Worth a listen most definitely though.



6. Lonely
- Well another good track and Z-Ro does what? Spits more of dat real shit. That seemed to be Z-Ro's focus was to be real as fuck here not that he hasn't always been real. But all these are silent anthems. What I mean by that is that they don't make as much noise as an anthem but they're low profile and if u listen to them you'll relate to it. Nice track.




7. Made
- Good shit some nice smooth lyrics on this track. Not anything better than a good track but hey we'll take it. I listened to it a couple more times and noticed the good lyricism and flow. SO it was better at second listen definitely.



8. The Mo City Don
- Hmmmm the singing I can't kinda do without or whatever Z-Ro was trying to do. I mean he does it well and better than certain others I know. It was kinda like Gangsta R&B. Good track though not his best on here but worth a listen and has decent lyricism.


9. Top Notch
- Not a very good track just didn't have very much substance to it. Kind of catchy I mean I would play this in the club. But yea i'd skip this but decide for yourself cuz it's not completely bad.



10. Rollin'
-Another mellow track wit nice flow. Kind of boring though and as far as lyrics, Z-Ro is starting to sound like a broken record. Seems like every track has the same problem, same lyrics, same flow, same beat. I'm starting to get bored with this. :( sorry. He needs to use different beats instead of these slow ass beats.



11. Tired Ft. Mya
- Stop with the singing and shit. TO tell you the truth I'm not a huge Z-Ro fan. I like dude but not a big fan like fellow staff member DaOriginalKillaKastro. So IDK if Z-Ro sings like this on his other albums but it's getting old. Lyrics are bland and so is this beat.



12. You
- This song seems like the same beat from tracks 1-8 lol. I'm trying not to hate on the beat selection but it's hard. Sure it flows well with him but they all sound the same. This track though is actually not that bad I liked it. Real shit.



13. Eyes On Paper Ft. Paul Wall
- Good track but other than Z-Ro being better than Lloyd Banks there voices remind me of each other. IDK why I'm making the comparison but they seem monotone from time to time and just have bland voices. Not a bad track but not great. I can feel it though.


14. 25 Lighter
- I was vibing with this. Good ass track right here one of the best on the album. Had a great Dirty South sound and just an ill track. The lyrics and low tempo beat set off Z-Ro's voice and there wasn't no gay ass R&B sound. Dope fucking track with a nice length. That's really all I can say lol



15. Paid My Dues
- WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? This beat is different from every other beat. It's dope maybe the dopest since the Intro. Z-Ro ended this album with a real nice track. Shit's ill and a great way to end this album.




LAST WORDS:
Well let's see this album started off well mainly because I ignored certain things but as this album went on I noticed the beats were boring and sounded the same, the lyrics were decent at best and well Z-Ro kept being an R&B douche. Still I pressed on and found myself enjoying it here and there. Maybe it'll take more listens but whatever. Point is that Crack has gotten mixed reviews from listeners. Some saying it's dope [Kartoon] and top 5 of the year and then others saying it's a disappointment or "GARBAGE". I wouldn't say it's garbage at all and I really wasn't excited for it so it's not a disappointment. This is a real mellow album that you can zone out to and just chill with. Listen to some real shit while smoking a blunt.




~REVIEW DONE BY C.S.~



GRADES:
C.S. : B
Kartoon : 8/10
DKE : B+

Dr. Dooom 2 by Dr. Dooom

1. Simon
- LMAO this shit was funny as hell. Dissing Simon Cowell and American Idol. I was dying laughing for some reason. I just didn't expect it at all. Really other than the comedy aspect the lyricism is lame and shit wasn;t impressive. A lot of repeated words.



2. The Countdown
- The beat is nice and sounds mad old school. The lyricism is better on this track and is just a more interesting song. Kinda seemed like this was the true beginning of the album and Simon was just an intro.


3. R.I.P. Dr. Octagon
- This is one of my favorite Keith tracks. SHits just fuckin ill. Octagon got merked but still I'll admit Keith's lyricism could use some work. But fuck that i won't critique the matsers style just his tracks. This was the first track I heard on youtube from this album and I was like "Holy Shit" this track is ill I gotta pick this up.



4. I'm Creepin
- "I'm Creepin" lol kind of a wierd song but of course it's kind of wierd its Dr. Dooom nigga. Decent track but nothing special kind of boring but I can't say skip it because I'm sure numerous Keith lovers will find some way to call this genius and dope.


5. I Followed You
- The beat is fucking heat. One thing I noticed so far is that the production on this album so far is nice. The flow is real nice and good "original" rhyming scheme. Dooom on some funny ass stalking shit.


6. Run For Your Life Ft. Father
- More nice original rhyming. I liked the line where he talks about watching the Backyardigans. No Homo but that takes balls to say u watching the backyardigans. Some times I look at Keith and wonder why people overrate him so much cuz lyrically he isn't very good I mean he sounds like a 6 year old but he's a very original rapper and does something different. You just really gotta dig Acid Rap to be into him. Decent track nice verse from Father.



7. Step-N-Fetchers
- Really this song is pointless but that's aight I can dig it. Another good simple beat kinda like a fast paced horro beat. Nice lyricism, nice song.


8. The God Of Rap
- The beat is ill and this track is dope as fuck. Dooom speaks on some real shit. He merks any rapper when it comes to being original and out of the ordinary. Dope ass track with good lyrics and just ill shit. the beat puts you in a trance. Ill Shit bruh!



9. How Sexy Ft.Denis Deft
- Some of Keiths best lyricism so far on this album and just a good track that wasn't like his others. The beat sounded nice like it was played off a Xylophone. Dr. Dooom is dat nigga. This track gets better in the second half.



10. That Girl Is A Monster
-Sounding like a 50 Cent/G-Unit except its Dr. Dooom on it lol. Some nice wordplay and lyricism here. Has quite a few nice lines. "What Side Of My Ass Do You Want To Kiss" Word nice. Good track


11. Do Not Disturb
- Beat is mad nice and track is a banger. Dooom be on some ethering shit on this track. Nice lyrics and just all out ill flow Dooom got at u straight up with this. BOW DOWN TO DOOOM!



12. Take That Ride
- Street banger right here for some reason lol. Shits nice and catchy as hell. I was feeling it at first but then I got mad into it after the beginning. The middle and beyone was dope.


13. Mopped Up
- This track has mad dope wordplay and lyricism. Talking about slicing kneecaps and shit. Keith gets at deez niggas and the fans. Right up in your face. Just some of Keiths best lyricism.



14. Always Talkin Out Your Ass
- The beat is real calm and Doom still droppin heat on dudes. Good one liners and nice lyrics. Otherworldly almost if u follow me. Still only an average track to me but definitely worth a listen.



15. Surgery Ft. Motion Man
- Average track nothing bad but nothing great. Stays right in the middle. I did like Motion Man's verse a lot though.



~REVIEW DONE BY C.S.~




GRADES:
C.S. : B-
KARTOON : 9/10

Mega Man 9 (Wii Version)

It's been 15 years since the last 8bit Mega Man game was released with a slew of Mega Man titles released throughout (X series, MegaMan and Bass, Battle Network, ton of other shitty games, etc). Capcom decided to take it old school and finally release Mega Man 9 the way it should be and they did it right.

Story:
Let's be honest, the story is terrible. If you've played any Mega Man game you know what to expect, robots go nuts and threaten the planet and it's up to Mega Man to stop them. Dr. Light, Wily, Roll, etc. are all back. The first "cutscene" starts out with a MASSIVE plot twist (ok not really you know it's a lie) but it's more story then some of the games had, but still terrible. Who plays Mega Man for story, though?

Soundtrack:
The soundtrack is amazing and stands up there with all the NES ones, same addicting tunes, same 8bit style.

Graphics:
Now this graphics are either amazing or absolutely terrible depending on how you look at them. If you take it for what it's supposed to be, an 8bit Mega Man game, then they're exceptional and 100% accurate to the old school Mega Man games complete with sprite tearing, graphical glitches, etc. On the other hand if you look at them as being in 2008 they're terrible and probably the worst on any "new" game out. Personally I think they're great because that was the look Capcom was going for, they WANT it to be a new NES game.

Level Design:
The level design is on-point for every stage and it easily ranks up there as some of the best levels in Mega Man history, period. Galaxy Man, Jewel Man, etc. have really innovative level designs that have not been seen in any prior Mega Man game. The enemy spawn patterns are predictable and everything has a set route as is Mega Man tradition but they're still wonderfully clever. You WILL die to the perfectly placed enemy or that one spike that you got nudged into, Capcom knows what you will do and how to kill you when you do it.

Gameplay:
The Gameplay in 9 is great, spot-on like the originals. It's based on Mega Man 1-2 so there is no chargeshot, slide, etc. that we saw in the later games, it's just the basic run and jump. Of course the tradition of stealing the Robot Master's weapons is still there, and the rock-paper-scissors gameplay continues. There are multiple ways to play this game and that's what makes it great. You can figure out which weapon would be most effective against who, just use your powerbuster against everyone, or buy dozens of e-tanks and do whatever the hell you want. A new addition to 9 is the store, you can exchange screws you find for various items including e-tanks, the ability to play as helmetless Mega Man and other goodies. This offers a new unique way to play Mega Man and makes it more forgiving to players new to the franchise. Don't think this will make the game easy though because you will die, a lot. This is probably one of (if not THE hardest) of all the old school Mega Man games but that's what makes it great.

Downloadable Content:
Yes you read that header right, downloadable content. Capcom already announced the first batch is coming out sometime in October and assuming that does well more will probably be on the way. The sad part about this however is that you already bought the DLC when you purchased Mega Man 9, this initial set is already in the game but you have to pay for the right to use it. Basically Capcom is trying to milk us for money, instead of just including it like they should have. Anyway the first batch is the ability to play as Proto Man (a new way to play through the game as he has charge shot, slide, and handles differently), higher difficulties, and a few other goodies. Nothing else has been announced yet but expect a high change of seeing more characters or at the very least new outfits eventually.

Overall:
It's Mega Man, there's really nothing else to say. If the idea of a new 8bit Mega Man game sounds exciting to you then get it. It's $10, a nice retro-throwback, and a genuine fun game. Keep in mind this was based off of the Wii version as the 360/PS3 versions aren't out yet.

9/10

-Kartoon

Rotten Apple by Lloyd Banks

1. Rotten Apple Ft. 50 Cent & Prodigy
- Real dope ass beat from Havoc and Sha Money XL. The track is decent only because of the banging beat. The lyricism isn't very good and all in all the track is pretty lame. Banks can spit better than this and his guests weren't help.




2. Survival
- This track was pretty boring. The lyricism was average but this track is just so boring....Like I had a hard time getting into it at all. He had a good topic but as complained before by others Banks shows no emotion he's just monotone.



3. Playboy 2
- Certain people was saying that this was one of the only good tracks off Rotten Apple but this track is pretty lame. An okay beat but the rhymes are overly simple and just a lame song that seemed to be made by a 10 year old rapper. Just cuz u say "Yup" after shit don't mean nothing.



4. The Cake Ft. 50 Cent
- I was actually feeling this. It started off pretty wack but got way better as it went on. Still only a average song though.



5. Make A Move
- A decently flowing song it just was also boring. I swear Banks has to be one of the most boring rappers in history. I mean I like the dude and believe he has talent but he shows no emotion and that don't help him.



6. Hands Up Ft. 50 Cent
- Oh snap this bass is bumping. 50 Cent really sounded nice over this beat and it is pretty catchy. Best track so far. Banks finally showed some nice lyricism here. Word up to Eminem for the beat naw mean?



7. Help
- So basically Banks thinks he's a pornstar in the music video? lol This track is aight lyrically. It's still another blah/decent track. Not much else to say except step ya game up Banks!



8. Addicted
-Jesus I just have lost so much interest in this album. This track is unappealing its so damn boring. No album should make you strain yourself to enjoy it. If I just heard one above average song I'd be happy.



9. You Know The Deal (Dollar Bill) Ft. Rakim
- Well this has Rakim on it so thats dope. Nice track still kind of a bore but it flowed well and kept me intrigued for half of it.


10. Get Clapped Ft. Mobb Deep
-Actually a pretty nice track I was feeling it. The beat had a real ill sound and everyone spit on point. Nice raw New York shit. i can dig it the whole way through and actually Banks's voice complimented him.



11. Stranger
- It started off slow but ended up being decent. Still not really worth a listen. Everything is blah and puts you to sleep.



12. Change
- Yea pretty lame. Skip!



13. NY NY Ft. Tony Yayo
-Another nice Eminem beat. God its almost like I'm listening for production only because the lyrics are ass and boring. Unoriginal. Shits just so predictable and boring. This track is no exception.



14. One Night Stand
-Not a bad track at all shit has good parts. The beat is nice and like a remedy ya digg? The lyricism is nice so all in all this track isn't bad but don't get me wrong it ain't any better than good.



15. Iceman Feat. young Buck, Scarface & 8 Ball
- The flows from all the rappers was tight. Everyone flowed well and spit great. Maybe the best track on this album. Beat is simple yet nice. Good shit from all 4 of them MC's.



16. Gilmore's
- Nice beat but every thing else on this track lacks greatly




GRADE: D-



-C.S.

One For The Journey EP by Sway

1. True Stories
- The intro was interesting. Now I've never heard this Sway guy before but he's not that bad. He had a real nice flow and the lyricism was nice. Getting a little political on this and I liked it. Shit was nice he stayed dope throughout the track really not a single weak line.




2. Move Back
- Nice beat it sounded very epic. Sway's voice isn't annoying either so that's a plus. This track is nice as well. Raw UK shit and I never thought I'd say that. Nah 4real the lyricism ain't bad and I guess I'd have to live in the UK to feel some of this shit. It's hard to understand when he's saying Scottland Yard or I rep Buckland hard. Like I'm thinking to myself that's like saying "I Rep Hollywood" That's just how teh UK is portrayed in America but Ima look past that. Good track.



3. Baby Father
- Ok I won't fuckin lie. that bitch sounded like a retard and she completely made this track cheesy as hell. Very cheesy track I wasn't feeling it. The beat combined with the bitch's voice completely overshadowed the lyrics. :(


4. Up Your Speed
-This track has Chamillionaire on it? Hmmm thats wierd. Sway ain't a bad producer I've noticed so far. More heavy repping for the UK and all its cities or whatever they call them over there. :) The lyricism is okay it's more like a club banger than anything but I can dig it.



5. Ex Boyfriend
- Nice and slow I was feeling it and Sway was smooth like R Kelly ya digg? lol the singing was kind of wierd but it fit well. Sway has a nice speed to his voice when he raps. Nice rapid fire rapping. Different change of pace from the other songs. Not bad but not great. Just average.



6. Every Man (For Himself)
-Not a bad track but nothing special. Everything was just plain average.



7. Get 'Em High
- Sway seems to have done something different with his voice. None the less this track is okay. The beat and singing in the back adds a nice flavor to it. Decent track no more no less.



GRADE: B

-C.S.

Slim Shady EP by Eminem

1. Intro (Slim Shady)
- Lol thats some crazy ass shit. Slim Shady is dat nigga yea digg? Kinda wierd.



2. Low, Down, Dirty
- Good underground track. Nice smooth track with nice lyricism. Not his best lyricism but nice of course. It's just mad raw and not the Eminem we see today. "If you hear a man who sounds like me smack'em/Ask him where he got his raps from/" Nice song.


3. If I Had...
- The beginning is some true shit that I was feeling. Good words from Eminem. Another real nice smooth track. I love Eminems slow tracks cuz really the dude spits ill ass true shit on his slower shit when he's not being all Up In Your Face as Slim Shady. "If I had One Wish/I'd wish for a big enough ass for the whole world to kiss" Yea nuff said.



4. Just Don't Give A Fuck
-Yea you all know this track. It's legendary and it's dope. Every line from the beginning is nice and on point. "You wacker than the mother fucker you bit your style from/You wouldn't sell to copies if you pressed a double album" Also that buying a ticket to your concert line was nice. More ill/real shit. Eminem is an angry poerson lol and I think this track embodies an entire generation of pissed off white people. Crazy good.



5. Mommy
- I honestly don't see the point at all. It was nothing.



6. Just The Two Of Us
- Haha this track is funny in a fucked up way. Ill as hell but Em is mad fucked up. I ain't one to judge though cuz from craziness comes ill tracks. Damn the raw lyricism and shit was just so perfect and the storytelling. Even when he's saying the baby words it sounds ill. Kim must feel kinda scared cuz Em makes like 30 tracks about killing her. But hey it's whatever this is ill as hell. Beat wasn't bad either.



7. No One's Iller
- The features are ill and many believe this to be one of Em's best underground tracks. Swifty and Bizarre were straight on point. Eminem's verse was mad nice he just makes it seem effortless. Dope track.


8. Murder, Murder
- Kind of boring. It's pretty slow but still nice lyricism of course. Just an average track.


9. If I Had....(Radio Edit)
-Same As Before Except edited. :(


10. I Just Don't Give A Fuck (Radio Edit)
-Same as b4



GRADE: B+


-C.S.

The Leak EP by Lil Wayne

1. I'm Me
- Definitely a different style from his newest shit. Seems more grimy. I still can't really handle his flow and the way he talks like when he stresses his shit. He was definitely a different rapper at this time though. Well thats kinda wierd considering that was only a year ago but he changed up for The Carter III. The beat is real nice though. I can't actually say i dislike this track. :)


2. Gossip
- The intro was wierd I'll say. Lil Wayne's flow wasn't bad. At first I liked a couple of his metaphors/similies and just lines in general. Then he did typical Weezy and started making no sense. "If I'm Wrong, then there is no right" That was nice I liked it but then he says "If I'm wrong there is no white" What in the hell does that mean? So many missed oppurtunities to make good lines in the middle of the song.




3. Kush
- Uhhhhhhhhhhh yea I don't know what to say. Ass? Nothing here was working for me. The lines sounded retarded in a bad way and just were so wack that a 4 year old could rap better. He talks about random shit like ninja turtles and ormal turtles and other wierd shit. Dude must've been high as fuck. Nice beat but the lyrics are wack as fuck.




4. Love Me Or Hate Me
- loool he said, "I get right back up like Viagra" That is just horrible in every way. Why would you say that? That should've been followed up immediately by no homo cuz I felt very uncomfortable. He saves himself in the middle with some average stuff. This track is still wack cuz well......Wayne is rapping on it.



5. Talkin About It
- Haha "I'm So Fly I need my ass kicked/ These boys ballin by accident/" Sorry but Weezy has some of the most hilarious lines. [In A Bad Way] I mean Lil Wayne is more of a comedy rapper to me. This track is average. Not much else to say ust lame.




GRADE: C+

-C.S.

Astronaut EP by Quasimoto

1. Astronaut
- You ain't no astronaut! The beat is all out dope as fuck of course its from Madlib. Now lyrically this track could use some work but this is a dope song make no damn mistake. I don't look to Quasi for great lyricism but the flow and delivery is great and anyone could sound dope over a Madlib beat. :) Ill track definitely listen if you're a hip hop head.



2. Am I Confused?
- Dat nigga Madlib dropped another dope ass beat. Shit was thumpin and Quasimoto was ill as fuck on this. Nothing really to say other than the beat is top notch, Quasi spit great to this. Just a nice track not as good as Astronaut but this is nice.Can't say enough about this beat its just so damn good. Madlib is God of the instrumental.



3. Lonely Piano
- One of the most beloved beats from Madlib. Hell look it up on youtube and see how many people love it. Just saw smooth like a lullaby but it bangs hard still. If your an upcoming producer take notes. If your an upcoming rapper look into taking this beat. It's almost just simple yet so complex. lol I don't know but it's ill. *Bumps Again*



Last Words:
Well I normally don't like doing EP's but whatever I felt a need to do this one. Also Ima be doing other EP's this week as well. At only 3 tracks I can't fully say much really. This was definitely good and worth a listen. At 3 tracks it shouldn't be that hard to lend your ears. I give this a B because it's so short, shorter than even other short EP's. All the tracks were solid but I just wasn't feeling an A.



GRADE: B+

-C.S.

Mirrors (2008)

Well what can I say about the Exorcist, oh sorry I meant Silent Hill...the Eye?. My bad guys I meant Pulse.....oh yea, it's called Mirrors.

Alright so if you can't tell from that basically what you're getting with this movie is the pieces of various other (mostly shitty) movies combined into one, and then made even worse. An ex-detective (Kiefer Sutherland) who's on leave for killing someone (how, why, etc is never explained, they could have easily left out the detective BS because it was irrelevant) gets a job at as a nightwatchmen at an abandoned department store and soon begins having terrible visions around mirrors.

Let's start with the parts of the movie that make 0 sense. First off we're told that the department store he's patrolling has no electricity. Sounds reasonable right? Yes, except that he's constantly turning on lights. Next we have the watchmen job in general. The department store was part of a massive fire, the inside is completely destroyed, the basement is flooded, and they're never going to use it again. Why the hell have they being hiring a watchman to patrol it for five years now? Waste of finances, just a lil?

Then there's other things such as he smashes the rearview mirror in his car but apparently the two on the outside don't matter, or the windows themselves even though he covers them up in his house. He also is no longer a detective but he got to keep his gone, even though he's on pills to stop his alcoholism and other things, that sounds like a good idea.

The story is equally terrible. The idea is that wherever mirrors are the "thing" (I can him Satan) can get to you and manipulate you using your mirror image. We don't get told why exactly this thing is in the mirror until like half way through the movie and we never find out what it is. Does this sound familiar? Yea, it's from Pulse (an equally terrible movie where ghosts travel through electronics). He first gets visions in one of the mirrors of people burning to death. Oh, like the factory in the Eye! Yea...

We eventually find out (after a ton of useless information that has zero importance to the story) that the cause of the thing in the mirror is an old lady who used to be in the mental hospital where the department store now is. They thought she had a personality disorder when she was actually possessed by this Satan, her brother brought in priests, doctors, etc. to try to help her. I'm sure by now you said HEY EXORCIST! Well yes, she even looked similar. Anyway more useless info and we find out that the doctor at the hospital strapped her in a room surrounded by mirrors which eventually sucked Satan out. Now however he wants her back and he kills the families of all the watchmen until they find and bring her back to him. I won't spoil the ending but it's incredibly cheesy, especially the "epic" final battle and if you've seen Silent Hill the ending is IDENTICAL.

There really was no redeeming factors for this movie. The plot was terrible, the acting was fairly bad, the subplots were a waste of time, the actual movie could have fit in about a 30 minute TV slot which would have made it a lot better. I don't know what exactly I was expecting from this movie but like One Missed Call and Pulse earlier it certainly wasn't this.

4/10

-Kartoon

Anthropophagus (1980)

A group of friends go on a trip to explore various Greek islands but end up stranded on a mainly deserted island being terrorized by someone or something that takes them out one by one.

A pretty standard Italian slasher movie complete with dramatic music buildup and the occasional thing popping out. If you watch it for what it is then it's a good movie, but don't expect anything groundbreaking or original in it. The gore effects are really well done for the time it was produced and two specific parts near the end (which I won't spoil, you'll know what they are when you see them) will definitely give you something to remember.

A lot of cliches in it of course. In the group we have the slut (although a surprising twist this time, it's a man!), the useless bitch (pregnant), the machoman, the hitchhiker, etc. Typical "twists" here and there and the characters all do incredibly moronic things such as one woman going to investigate a noise in the basement while the others are sleeping, one running off into the woods at night in a storm, the two men leaving the two women with a blind girl in a house to go and try and get on a boat, etc.

One thing that was terrible was the dubs and the subtitles. Now I did just watch a bootleg so I'm not sure if it was meant to be like this, but the subtitling was terrible. While listening to the dub and reading the subtitles it was like the subtitles were fan made, which they could have been, because they were so inaccurate it was unbelievable. They cut out words/phrases, added in other random words, etc. The dubs themselves weren't much better, easily featuring some of the worst voice acting I've heard. The scene with Nikos (the cannibal) or the boat with his family is possibly the cheesiest scene ever, simply because whoever did the voice was terrible.

Overall not a bad movie for what it is and does have a couple noteworthy scenes. It drags on a little bit at times but not too bad. Hopefully the true Italian version has better subtitles because then it would be much improved, as for the movie I watched I'd have to give it;

6/10

-Kartoon