Football, a critique

Today was a football game here at USC. It was a big one too. Us versus Ole Miss. I always hate the time from 4-6 on game days. All the frat guys are worked up, but none of them have left for the game. I don't get Football. Not football itself, I enjoy watching a good game a football with a group of friends. I enjoy school spirit. Feeling united together with people who live and work with you is a good thing. I just don't get why everyone goes crazy. I think there's something more to it, something more sinister.

I think there's a bloodlust to it. A craving for violence that can't be fulfilled in today's modern controlled society. The closest thing they have is violent sports like football. It's not even a craving for athletics, I know a lot of these fanatics that don't look like they've played football in years. I'm speculating of course, I don't have any data or anything.

I think most of it isn't even each person's individual violent nature, but rather a mob mentality that lets people drop there mental guards and go with crowd. They feel like it's okay to be ultra-violent because everyone else is too. I would not want to tick off one of these crowds. They could tear you apart and they'd all blame it on each other.

It's possible I'm overreacting, but let me tell you, if anything ever does happen with football crowd hysteria, something bad, I'll be right there with a big sign, "I told you so."

I actually do wish I went to this game though. One of my friends came down to watch the game. He might not even be able to stop in though, he had to go to the game straight from work and if he has to work tomorrow then he'll have to head straight home afterword. Like I said, I enjoy a good game of football, now and then, with some friends.

But tonight I simply play "Lufia and the Fortress of Doom." Hey, how about a microreview, there's not much to this game.

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom

Presentation - Very 90's RPG. Good for it's time, and still catchy today. Fun but repetitive music and colorful, simple graphics. Full Points

Literary Value - Four warriors battle the evil Sinistrals. I like how cheesy it is, but it's no work of art. (Just an expression)
Half-Credit

Entertainment - Old school JRPG, riddled with Step, Step, Battle syndrome. It does you the service of sending you back to town when you die with all your earnings, but items don't have descriptions and monsters are more of a chore than a challenge.
No-Credit

Respect - Lufia and the Fortress of Doom? My friend had played a remake, but I had to dig to find this game. Sorry Lufia, you get No Respect.

Lufia and the Fortress of Doom gets:
1.5 DragonEggs out of 4 - Below Average

If you're craving some nostalgia like I am, go for it, but this game is old school Dragon Quest style.


And then...

"Well Jack, it's time for..."

A kunai flew from his fingertips and stabbed me right in the leg.

"Not wasting any time I see."

"It's an anti-warp device."

"Say wha?"

"If you warp anywhere, I'll be drug with you."

He didn't want me to run away. That was actually one of my most likely options. This wasn't good.

"You got the nanobots?" I tried to pull the kunai out, no good, stuck in tight.

"There location is stored in my hard-drive. But you won't survive to access it."

"I wouldn't count on that."

One, two...

I leapt forward, he leapt forward, our blades clashed in the collision. I had one saber in each hand, he had only one katana that he two-handed. I dropped a blade and pulled my pistol.

Three, four...

He blocked both shots with his blade. I hate it when they do that. He rushed forward with blinding speed. I picked up my second sword.

I declare war.

It was all I could do just to keep up with the flurry of blows. He leapt backwards and stood at ready.

"This is all? Without your precious warping you are nothing. Why don't you warp? I would follow, but would I not be disoriented by the trip?"

I wouldn't count on that.

Ten, nine...

He began his barrage again. He was holding back. He could've killed me by now. I decided to try his theory out.

Eight, seven...

In the refractory, our battle continued. He did seem to pause for a moment to take in his new surroundings. I took an initiative.

Six, five...

Blocked, both strikes. Not enough, might as well keep it on the rooftop. Warping back he flew at me, familiar with this terrain.

Four, three...

"Two, you only have two places you can warp to? I underestimated you. I should've killed you back on Reeva."

He was right.

Two, one...

"But now you will die here."

I saw his blade readying into posistion. I saw the killing blow look in his eye. I knew I'd never see the actual strike, but I had no idea it would be because I wouldn't let it happen.

Blast-Off

Spinning, the planet was spinning. Swinging around its sun. Spinning like a top. The sun was spinning. The galaxy was spinning. The whole universe was spinning and I could feel it.

Everything was spinning.

But most importantly, something inside me was spinning. My head felt like it was splitting open. Mostly because it was. A blast of force had sent Jack spiraling backwards. Spiraling like the universe. My hair began to glow red, magma with a hint of yellow, red. I felt like crumpling to my knees, but I stood, no, I began to rise. I floated two feet above the rooftop with mighty gales torrenting around me and nearly pushing Jack back farther.

N.O. the force that I use to warp. Unlocked by accessing both halves of your brain. All of it, and then some. I reached into my hair. It melted around my hands like syrup. I reached deeper feeling for something, anything inside that might help. I found it.

A Gilmour Signature Stratocaster, black, six-stringed, electric guitar with a whammy bar and a pirate decal right above the bridge. I decided to call it, Davie.

With N.O. coursing through my veins and my musical instrument of death now gripped in both hands, we resumed our fight. He was still faster, but not by much. More importantly I was defying gravity. I was defying physics. My blows came and didn't stop coming. I couldn't feel the resistance of his sword against my guitar, all I could feel was...

Spinning.

I lifted my guitar for one final blow. I think I actually saw fear in Jack's eyes. His robot eyes actually quivered for a moment. He brought his blade up to block my blow. Perfect. I brought down the hammah, and smashed his sword in two. Jack dropped to his knees.

I pretended to obey gravity for a moment and stood over him.

"Where are the nanobots?"

"Kill me, just kill me and find out for yourself."

"Here." I tossed the refractor crystal from my jacket.

"What is this?"

A refractor crystal moron.

"Trade, give me the location of the nanobots and you can return to guarding this crystal on Reeva."

"They're on Reeva. Near the entrance to my facility."

"Remove the anti-warp device."

"It is deactivated. You can remove it later."

"Good luck."

I shoved the robot off the building with my foot. He jumped off the side and landed on another roof. My N.O. cooled and Davie evaporated in my hands. Jack wouldn't make it two days in that stale old power station. Something inside him, something small, had begun to spin. Life was awakening within his code. He'd drop the crystal off and move on, searching for answers to questions he didn't know.

"Quite a display, but you should hand over the crystal now."

Sayoko and three armed guards had me at gunpoint.

Until next time fellow pirates.