New NHL Season

Well, it's about time.  I have something to live for again. Clicking of the NHL.com refresh button every 15 seconds waiting to see if one of my many pools players got a second assist. Sadly enough, this is very enjoyable to me. Here are some random points I'd like to bring up.. enjoy!

The Edmonton Oilers played their first game, after somewhat of a disappointing pre-season. I was pumped for a high paced exciting game... epic phael. It was boring and the Oilers were embarrassed to the point I had trouble cheering the last second goal.  Shots were 33-19 in favour of the Avalanche, and that doesn't include the four posts they struck.  Realistically, this game should have been 6-1 for the Avs. But, a win's a win... I guess.

More importantly, Radek Dvorak started the year well with a goal in his first game, and  a +1 rating in a 6-4 loss. The Florida Panthers need to give Radek more playing time. 11:43 simply isn't enough time him to start producing. It's almost as if they have forgotten he once put up a 31 goal, 67 point season, and more impressively, a 50 point season with the Oilers. That's the equivalent to a 100 point season with any real (or non "MacT") team. I predict another 50 point season for my boy Radek.

Toronto almost crapped their pants with glee with the victory over the defending Stanley Cup champs (and soon to be champions again), Detroit. Perhaps Jonas Frogren, the 28 year old rookie, WAS a diamond in the rough!  Maybe, John Mitchell will be the next Nik Hagman!  Is Nik Hagman the next... uh... Travis Green?  Turns out.. they suck, and will continue to suck for a very long time. The 6-1 loss to Montreal at home will only be the beginning to a painful year. It's been over 40 years since they have captured the ultimate hockey prize, and it'll be a while before they see it again. thank god.

Ales Hemsky is an elite player who gets bogged down in Edmonton. Anywhere else, a talent like that puts up 90+ points a year. This year however, despite the Oiler coaching, Hemsky will be a force to be reckoned with. I predict an 85 point season, and yes I'm aware he plays on the Oilers. 

The East is considerably weaker, especially with Ottawa loosing a couple of steps over the last couple years, and Pittsburgh being painfully overrated.  The New York Rangers WILL win the East, season and playoffs. They actually have chemistry, and one of the best goalies in the world, Hendrik Lundquist, and I'm not just saying that because I have him in my pool.  The 4-0 start is only the tip of the iceberg, watch out for them people. They are so good, they win with Stephen Valiquette in net. Impressive.

Lastly, as I stated up top, the Red Wings will win once again. They are simply too good to loose, even with mediocre goaltending. 

-XG

The Fall of "The Simpsons"

"The Simpons" just aired the first episode of season twenty last Sunday.  Over the last decade, it has declined further and further, and the only reason I continue to watch is due to loyalty of seasons one through ten.  But, this Sunday has really got me on the ropes.  I think I snickered twice. I couldn't even get a solid "lol".  

This is a very sad state.  In it's prime, The Simpsons was simply the best show in television. Ever. Now, it almost seems like a chore to watch.  I honestly can't even remember what the episode was about, and it was on about two days ago!  Homer has always been an idiot, but now he's becoming stupid to the point it's ridiculous.  Bart's pranks are no longer funny or clever, but are now just vile and rude.  He went from, "Oh, that mischievous rapscallion!", to "Bart, that's a felony" in just a few years.  The characters don't even resemble themselves anymore, and coming from a Simpsons fanatic, it really pains me to watch.

The show doesn't even pretend to be based in reality anymore. Half the episodes end with Homer riding some kind of animal to safety, or with a situation that hasn't be resolved.  Perfect example is the latest episode, where it ends up with homer in prison. Again.  The writers are seemingly out of ideas (twenty seasons, can you blame them?), and now resort to basically repeating old ideas, but making them less funny and way stupider.

I own the first ten seasons on DVD, but no more.  On the bright side, bad as the Simpons may get, at least it's still better than the best episode of "Family Guy".

-XG

World of Warcraft ; Why it's great.

Hi All,

And by "all", I mean me and my little brother, because no one will read this.  Anyway, the game, "World of Warcraft", released by Blizzard Entertainment on November, 23, 2004 is definitely worth blogging about. It is renown for being one of the most addictive games of all time, and with good reason.  I have played since day one, nearly four years ago, and I've played it ever since.  There are so many different facets you can delve into, it's almost impossible to get bored of it.  No game has the longevity or complexity as "WoW', and I doubt anything ever will again, even by the mighty Blizzard.

The other day, someone told me that they wanted to start playing Warcraft.  I started rambling about how wonderful the game was, but it was useless.  To understand this game at all, you had to have played it... excessively.  It's not just leveling a character to 70 (soon to be 80), and winning the game because of it.  Hitting 70 is just the start, and it takes days of actual playtime to get there. More than I'd like to admit.

The level cap opens up a plethora of options for your character. You could test your luck in player versus player (PVP) combat, in a multitude of ways, including "Battlegrounds", where up to 80 different human uses battle in different situations for points.  There's also "Arenas", in which you battle other players in  2v2, 3v3 and  5v5 areas or a different kind of points.  The points are then used to purchase better gear for your character, enhancing it's power.  Also, open PVP is prominent across WoW.  It simply is fighting people outside of the designated areas, but this also gives you points that can go towards gear.  This is what I do. Too much.  I play battlegrounds more than anything else, and have become quite good with my 70 Warlock ( just one many different classes in the game).  

Player versus environment (PVE), is basically how you level, but this can also be played at 70.  Throughout your leveling experience, you always have the option of doing "instances". These are harder areas where you need to group up to kill the "MOBs", to gain experience and new gear.   They are even more prominent at 70. The hardest instances can be done by only the very few elite, but most can be done by any 70 that has any ability to play at all.  Instances need to be done in one sitting, and the hardest ones are usually left with people with too much time on their hands. "Molten Core", is a large, and extremely difficult instance for players back when the level cap was 60. It would take upwards of 5 hours, and 40 people would all have to take part in it. It is ridiculous to say the least, but it was the only way to get the best gear, so people did it. I couldn't imagine sitting at your computer for hours on end, which is why I never really got into the instancing.  An hour to two is fine with me, but when it takes up the vast majority of your day, it gets kind of sad.

Character creation is great as well. You can pick from 9 different classes (soon to be 10), each completely different from one another. You also choose your race from a selection of 10 unique species. The epic Warcraft story line is also evident in this game, which is yet another reason why the series remains so popular. Your character can choose form a number of useful professions,  join a guild of other players, buy a vast variety of mounts to faster movement, just to mention a few options you can do. 

There is a reason over 10 million people are playing, and will continue to play for years to come. 

-XG

Starter Post

Hello all,

I'm Xavier Goat, and this is my first blog.  This blog will be about whatever is on my mind. Music, Sports, People, Television, Society (break down of), and of course Warcraft and other video games. Thanks for reading and commenting on it.

-XG