In today’s age of 3d graphics, massive processing power, and entire development teams dedicated to a single game release, there will always be something magical about the Sega Genesis and the era of 16 bit gaming. Debuting in 1989, the Genesis would go on to change the face of gaming forever. The look of the Genesis is slick. It has a sci-fi device look (although I would not equate it to anything that Cylon or Vulcan Technology would produce) which adds to the mystique of this amazing system. The Super Nintendo was the Genesis’s nemesis and main competitor, and although it was the more popular system of the day, it has not gone on to develop the cult following that the Genesis has over the last 5-10 years. There are a few clear and obvious reasons for this…

• Appearance: The Genesis wins hands down over the SNES The Genesis is masculine and has lines like the classic cars of the 50’s and 60’s. The SNES looked sterile and like something you’d find hanging on a hospital room wall.
• Best Mascot: Sonic makes Mario look silly. Sonic is cool, Mario is a bad Italian Stereotype. I’m Italian..trust me, this Mario guy bothers me.
• The Games: Genesis games were geared towards older gamers, and not children. Given that, the popularity of the Genesis has since soared as 80’s gamers in their 30’s and 40’s look for that nostalgic gaming experience. In contrast, jumping on blocks and moving mushroom heads (Super Mario) is not likely going to hold the interest of a 30-40 year old very long.
• Leading the Way: Let’s not forget that the Sega Genesis/CD was the first system to sport an edge of your seat first person shooter experience on a home console with the game Lethal Enforcers. It also was the only home system to give us the blood experience with games like Mortal Kombat and the over the top Fighting in the NHL Hockey gaming series. Nintendo gave us the dumbed down, “no blood” version which watered down the game to appease the politically correct masses and targeted gaming audience.( 5-12 year olds)

  The fact remains that this 16 bit wonder cannot compete with the consoles of today in terms of overall graphics, depth, and performance. The great thing about the 16bit Genesis library is that the gaming industry was in its infancy at the time, and the rules were being made and broken with each release. 3d graphics were talked about a lot, but still off on the horizon. How can anyone forget the ominous music of Altered Beast and Golden Axe, the sense of a true open ended space adventure with Starflight, or the wonderment of impaling your best friend in Mortal Kombat These were golden times, and to this day these games are fun to play, and a testament to the quality of these classic efforts. There were some pretty awful titles as well. Considering that you could drop up to 50.00 on a game, there were times you’d feel totally ripped off when a game did not meet expectations.

Some of the more horrific duds were memorable for all the wrong reasons..

• Dark Castle: I actually liked the gothic music in this one…until I realized that it was the only soundtrack I’d ever hear. The game play was horrible. The controls would drive you mad, and you’d get killed constantly. This is one of the worst titles for this system.
• Joe Montana Sports Talk Football: This one is comical. The announcer’s voice is barely audible, and there’s a crowd noise which sounds more like TV static than it does a cheering audience. The control is horrible as well. It’s no wonder that Madden Football buried this series in short order.
• Time Killers: This was the worst fighting game on the Genesis, bar none. Truly a disaster. The Graphics, game play, and sound all wet the bed. An abomination.
• F22 Interceptor: I really wanted to like this one. A flight sim where you could fly tactical missions and kick butt? Cool! What a pile of Junk. The graphics were simple to a fault, the sound samples very poor, and  game play that was predictable and boring. This one was one of the bigger disappointments in that I had such high hopes looking at the packaging. (which was the only thing positive about this effort)

The subject of 16 bit gaming, and the Sega Genesis, is one that is near and dear to my boyish heart.  There’s a special feeling when I reach for the plastic cartridge in the rectangular box, one that has never escaped me.  It’s a magical place where the limits of the system never failed to push the limits of the imagination, where the inability to save-state in some games only pushed you harder to beat and master your favorite boss. I welcome your comments and plan to follow up with specific game reviews in the near future. If you have a  favorite 16 bit gem on the Snes or Genesis, I’d certainly like to hear about it. 

D

The Ibanez Artcore series has become a very popular choice for musicians looking for a quality hollowbody guitar at a price point affordable by the hobbyist or occasionally working musician. In the past, a guitar of this quality would come in on the low side at 1300.00 dollars and go up from there. With the advent of modern day musicians using the hollowbody guitar (Brian Setzer, Dave Grohl) a resurgence in the popularity of this style of guitar is taking place in a big way. I personally was quite skeptical as to the quality of any guitar this style at a 600-800 dollar price range. Given the way a guitar like this has to be designed, I thought it unlikely that Ibanez could deliver quality at this price, however I was interested in picking up a hollowbody so I set my mind to checking it out.

I made the trip down to Performance Music Center in Woburn MA. It just so happened that they had just gotten one of these in, and I was taken immediately on how fantastic the guitar looked in the flesh so to speak. It didn’t look cheap, and had a great finish. I really appreciated the fact that they added a nice looking pickguard, and a very well designed floatinig bridge. They really go far in making this guitar a force to be reckoned with in this price range! The pickups have a surprisingly nice tone and response. I was quite pleased with the volume and tone knobs, as well as the toggle switch on this guitar. They are highly responsive, and quiet!

The Guitar sports the following…

(stock photo courtesy of www.sweetwater.com )

• A Custom Set In Maple Neck
• Flame Top Finish
• 22 Frets
• Rosewood Fingerboard
• IBZ Custom 58 PU (neck)
• IBZ Custom 58 PU (bridge)
• Custom Inlays
• Hardshell Case Included

In my hands, I was surprised that the guitar was not heavier than it actually was. This makes sense however as this guitar is a true hollowbody, which is also impressive at this price range. The playability was surprisingly comfortable, as I had expected the action to be higher and less friendly. The intonation was very good , and I could find no issue with tuning of the guitar throughout the various neck positions. The pickups have a nice tone, however if I have anything negative to say it would be that that the quality of rosewood on the neck, and inlays could have been of higher quality, but again, that’s in comparison to top notch guitars which normally run you much more money.

Sally D

I was skeptical. I’ve been a fan of 24 since its inception, but was greatly disappointed in last season’s effort, so I didn’t know what to expect going into this year. I watched the 24 movie prequel “Redemption”, and thought it was a decent effort, but in no way did it prepare me for what was to come.  The 24 Season 7 premier was “Die Hard” meets “Bourne Identity”. 

I don’t know if the show has a new writing team, but the first 2 episodes certainly reflect a more thoughtful approach. By last year’s season opener, it had gotten to the point where a good deal of key characters had been killed off. Once that happened, the show struggled to come up with scenes and episodes that left you wanting to come back for more. Also, you simply can’t diffuse nuclear bombs, avert nerve gas attacks, or avoid chemical weapon annihilation every season without becoming a parody of yourself. The season opener was more grounded and focused on characters, topped off with a quality storyline which has got me really looking forward to what’s in store. This is what made the show special through seasons 1-4, and the magic appears to be back… in spades!

This season, we open with a supposed home grown terror group gaining access to the Air Traffic Control System.  Led by none other than…Tony Almeida!  He’s baaack! I never understood in the first place why he was killed off, but things come to those who wait.  Whether he turns out to be a good guy or bad guy remains to be seen. Regardless, bringing Tony back is a great move.  Jack and Tony play well off each other, even if it’s as adversaries.  I’m looking forward to tonight’s 2 hour follow up, episodes 3 and 4.  Reviews are coming in, and fans and critics alike are hailing this years start as one of the best in its 7 year history.

If you missed the opener, you can catch it on Fox’s 24 Web Site. I strongly suggest that you do

D

The Good…

• lan multiplay feature
• excellent visuals
• ease of play
• variable game difficulty settings
• nice variety in monsters and towns

The Bad…

• No Voiceovers during story telling. This to me is a big problem with the game itself and if this had been added to the game, we might be talking about the heir to the throne in the hack n slash rpg genre. Quests are delivered in text boxes without much ado, which takes away from the overall experience.
• battles can become generic and repetitive
• Purchasing items in towns is quite expensive and you find yourself using gear that’s been found while battling monsters in dungeons and towns. A better balance here would have been a plus.
• You always start out in town and must make your way back to the point you left previously via a teleporter. This is very similar to the way Diablo works, but at times this can be frustrating as you lose a sense of continuity in the gameplay, not to mention that it can take a bit of time just getting back to where you left off.

These comments have to be kept in perspective. We’re talking about a game that was released in 2002, and has since had a sequel ( Dungeon Siege II ) which has corrected a lot of these issues from all I’ve read. I’m currently embroiled in a multiplayer campaign and will update this post when I beat the game. All in all, its’ a fun ride. This is no Morrowind or Oblivion, and I’m totally OK with that. If you want to spend hours searching for a specific combination of herbs to present to a character, then play Morrowind. If you just want to kick ass and take names.. this might be the game for you.

Sally D

When I first heard the news, my initial reaction was that of shock and disappointment. Why? Well, as a Massachusetts Republican, I felt to an extent that Mitt Romney had been slighted, and that the party had not been served well by this pick. Secondly, I didn’t know much, if anything about the candidate, and that was also a concern. Palin does not bring name recognition, or a well established record that can be touted. Again, that was my initial reaction, and not my position as I sit here now writing this post. I decided to research Sarah Palin. Who was she? What did she stand for? Was she tough? I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this woman represented the very best of us, and someone the American people could count on in the White House. Yes, there is the lack of foreign Policy experience. I’m not overly worried about that as McCain brings this in spades and I’m sure she’ll gain that experience in the first year if this team is elected. What she brings to the table is something that’s been painfully lacking in the Republican Party. A fresh face. A true change. The first woman to be selected as a Vice Presidential candidate in the Republican Party. In short, she brings a message to America that the Republican Party is changing as well, and can also be considered “The Party of Change”.

Now let’s get to the fun stuff. How does the Democratic Party establishment react to this pick.

• I have heard that 23% of the Clinton vote is still undecided. This is a telling statistic
• Many from the Clinton camp feel that Hillary was slighted and deserved better. That anger could work against the Democrats in this election. How good would that feel…
• Joe Biden is a tough debater and loves to act Bombasticlly when debating. This could backfire against him if he is perceived to be attacking Palin. The fact is, he will know this going into any debate, and that my friends, is going to make for great television.
• I look forward to watching Michelle Obama’s attempt to mask her disgust if asked about Palin, or if Palin eventually addresses an audience in her presence. She could barely hide her disdain for Clinton, let alone a female speaking from the enemy camp.
• She’s a hunter and a member of the NRA. She won’t take the guns away from the good guys. How will the Dem’s attack her on this? If they do, they’ll risk angering many Americans who want to retain the right to protect their homes and families.
• She has a son in the Military who is deployed in Iraq. Can you picture the Dem’s trying to make the claim that she doesn’t care about our troops deployed overseas? Ain’t gonna happen!

The Dem’s won’t have Mitt Romney’s success to beat on. I’m quite sure they had prepared for him and other front running Republican candidates. You can bet they were ready to unleash this in the form of negative campaign adds. They will now have to spend more time and money looking for holes in Palin’s armor. The problem is, she doesn’t have as long a track record to criticize, and she’s not a Mormon.

As T.O. once said, Getcha Popcorn Ready! This one’s gonna be fun…

Sally D

The Members at the time…

• Sally D Lead Vocals
• The Griff Drums
• Freddy Shredz Lead Guitar
• Millhouse Bass, Master of Mayhem

Here is a snippet of from that night. Millhouse doing “We Die Young” by Alice in Chains.

(Right Click the picture and select “save link as” to see Millhouse Jam this one Out!)

I should be honest up front and say that I’m a big Tim McGraw fan. His music transcends genre’s and defies expectations. No other artist in recent memory has been able to succeed commercially while pushing the boundaries of what an artist can and cannot do like Tim has over the past few years. With that said, my favorite Tim McGraw album remains “Set This Circus Down“. From start to finish there is a real sense that you’re listening to something special. There are the obvious songs that jump out at you..

• Cowboy In Me
• Unbroken
• Angry All The Time

But the real magic comes from less heralded tracks such as..

• You Get Used To Somebody
• Why We Said Good-bye
• Smilin

There’s something here for everyone, and while not as polished as some of Tim’s latest efforts, this one still shines. As an aside, Tim did not take his band into the studio on this one, so there is a different style and sound to the songs throughout. Buddy Jewel later went on to record “Why We Said Good-bye” on his debut effort interestingly enough, but for me, it doesn’t match the level of sorrow and loss that comes through as Tim delivers it on this CD. This has to be one of my top 10 favorite CD’s of all time for any genre, and I strongly suggest you pick it up and add it to your collection. On a scale from 1 to 10, this one gets a 9.

Sally D

When I found out that George Perez had been put on another Avengers run, I was really looking forward to it. I loved the work he did in the 80’s on the Avengers, to this day they are some of my favorite reads. Would my excitement be validated upon reading the first issue, or would this be one of those situations where expectations far exceeded the actual finished product? The cover of issue #1 is excellent and everything you’d hope for. I was curious however, to see if that level of excitement would be soon washed away after getting through the first few pages.

After reading through half of issue #1, all expectations were met, and totally exceeded. Not only did the artwork jump off of the page, the story was totally captivating and kept that pace through issues 1-3. There were large window panes on many of the pages highlighting Perez’s unique and commanding style. This run is since out of print, but can be found on EBay if you look hard enough. It’s a fairly poplular run, so you won’t steal this one for a few pennies.. but it’s worth picking up. I cannot wait to see what’s in store ahead!! Issue 4 awaits!

D

We at the sallydshow will be bringing you the hard hitting, knock your socks off interview with the one and only Paul Stanley of KISS. This was not a scheduled/planned interview. He showed up at a local bash and the D-show sprung into action; delivering the tough questions and cutting edge reporting you’ve come to expect. While there is some speculation that this was nothing more than an Imposter, we’ll let you decide. Either way this is not something you’ll want to miss, so check in soon as we’ll be posting segments of the interview as soon as the lawyers sort out the various details!

Sally D