The Bull Pen #15

One of my more anticipated summer movie releases opened over the weekend and I managed to catch a Sunday matinee. I will start off my comments about X-Men: The Last Stand (hereafter referred to as X3) by stating that I used to read comic books so I have some idea of how a comic book generally operates. It really helps to have read comic books in the past to appreciate the pacing of X3 because the movie takes on a comic book style plot structure, as opposed to a more traditional movie structure. X3 packs a lot more characters into a smaller movie than the previous two and that is where fans of the previous 2 are going to start to nitpick. All the new characters, save one, get little development except to feature their powers in a crucial scene or two. The most prominent new character is also the best addition to the cast as Kelsey Grammer as Beast almost manages to steal the movie right out from under Wolverine and Storm. Unlike X2, where Nightcrawler’s best scene was right at the beginning, the filmmakers are able to give us multiple scenes that highlight Beast and all his abilities. As for the movie itself, it was entertaining if flawed from the standpoint that the writers were unable to flesh out the middle a bit more (they took a high concept idea, shoved it in the middle, and once the scene plays out, have to bide their time until the climax) and that causes the movie to be shorter as well as a little more jumpy than previous X-Men movies. There are two big plot points in this movie, each would have been able to sustain an entire motion picture and yet they are combined into a single movie. My best comparison to describe this movie is comparing it to Return of the Jedi. Both X3 and SW: Ep6 are a step down from the previous two movies in their respective trilogies; however, both are still worth your money and your time (as opposed to both of the Matrix sequels, which I am glad I did not pay money to see in the theatre).

I have a confession to make: I am a Halo 2 sadist. That is correct; I like to inflict pain and punishment on my opponents. I get great pleasure from taking a tank and annihilating my enemies to the tune of a Rampage, Berserker, or Overkill. The sound of “Killing Spree” ringing in my ears on a small map is like a chant from a heavenly choir. A “Double Kill” has become so commonplace that I need a “Triple Kill” just to send my adrenaline flowing. King of the Hill games with rocket launchers and 16 people set my heart aflutter. SWAT games offer me instant gratification (most of the time) with my bullet shots, instead of requiring me to pull the trigger at least 4 times in order to get the kill. I enjoy the fine art of running up behind someone and beating them down to the tune of an assassination medal. Of course, the pain of dying is therefore doubled to me. The inability to cause pain forces me to want to release my pain upon my enemies even more. I just want my clan mates to remember that the next time I kill them. It is nothing personal, just that they are helping me gain pleasure.

Custom Game of the Week: Two for one special this week as I feature both Sticks n Stones and Pimp My GaussHog. Sticks n Stones is a team slayer game where the only weapons are swords and grenades. Ideally played on a map that has sticky grenades, the party leader is free to determine whether or not motion sensors should be on. Nothing too fancy about the game and it can be played with multiple teams. On the flip side, Pimp My Gauss Hog has a few rules that take it out of the ordinary. As usual, the game is played on Coagulation. The things that make it different are what also make it a tad fairer than your standard Pimp My Hog game. There are no Banshees or Tanks in the game; instead, there are only Gauss Hogs. The weapons are Battle Rifle and Brute Shot. The final wrinkle is the fact that the game is played as a round based game with the score to win the round being 25. You can play it first to two rounds or first to three rounds and the game will likely fill in the same amount of time as a regular Pimp My Hog game. The subtraction of the tanks and the addition of rounds mean that a team that gets behind in a round by losing its Hogs is not totally screwed for the match. You still have the potential for lopsided rounds but the odds can be evened very quickly. I ran it for the first time last Friday and found it to be quite fun as you did not have to worry about a tank dominating. Sure, a well run Gauss Hog can be devastating but I have been on both sides of a tank dominated blowout and that can kill a party. This is at least an attempt to give both sides a chance if one side falls behind.

Final Note – Anyone who plays my version of Pimp My Hog will want to make note that I will probably not put sniper rifles in the game again unless extremely extenuating circumstances make them necessary (like 3 on 3 on 1). If you want to succeed at a Bull-run PMH game, have your vehicle, BR, and brute shot skills up to date.