The Top 100:
Enjoy!
The flair and pomp gets more attention, but the album itself is actually good. 
Rolling Stone’s Ranking: #35/100
My Rating: 
I was bracing myself for a let down.
Most of the things you find about this album online are about the extracurricular activities: the hairstyles, alter-egos, and concept. I found more words about David Bowie’s supposed sexuality than attention to the music itself. No worries needed here thankfully. There are a handful of great songs that can easily be enjoyed whether you think David’s gay or not.
This album isn’t “Revolver” or “Sgt. Pepper,” but it is still damn good. 
Rolling Stone’s Ranking: #93/100
My Rating:
Lebron James is the preeminent athlete of my lifetime. He’s been to eight straight finals, won three, been crowned MVP four times, and continues to pass legend after legend in points, assists, and rebounds. People still think he sucks.
The Beatles were the world’s peak musical influence. They ruled the entire industry from 1963-1970 with eight albums being considered top 100 worthy. They are the best-selling band of all time for God’s sake with over 800 million albums sold as of 2013. People thought Let It Be was a let down.
While it is unfortunately the last entry into The Beatle’s catalog, it is still full of great material.
Continue reading “Top 100 Album Review: #86 – Let It Be, The Beatles (1970)”
F-Zero captures the intensity of getting to work on time, even the part about avoiding landmines.
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #23/100
My Rating: 
I’ve been in Jacksonville for nine weeks. Not a day has gone by where I did not see an accident either in real-time or post-impact. I’ve witnessed people ride over medians to make a u-turn. I’ve caught people going the wrong direction on the wrong side of the street. It’s rekindled my love for paranoid defensive driving where you pretend everyone is possessed by a demon.
While it might not help my blood pressure, it sure did help me deal with F-Zero — no one does what you think they will. There is some fun moments to be found, but this 1991 legacy seems a bit bare today only worthy of a couple nights of play.
Why does everyone have a porn ‘stache?
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #46/100
My Rating:
I went to a gay bar last night. It was the typical affair: everyone in their tightly knitted cliques creating walled-off circles as Ariana Grande music saturates the air. Almost all stereotypes were accounted for, even the alternative Beatnick with skinny jeans, platinum colored hair, and a stuffed animal back pack.
I’ve had kind of a rough morning since; maybe well rum and cokes don’t do the body as good as they used to. I needed something easy to play, and a classic side-scrolling beat ’em up was the answer. Maybe it’s because I’m hungover or maybe it’s because of where my last contact with society was, but this game seems like an alternative gay reality.
Continue reading “Top 100 SNES Review: #46 – Final Fight (1991)”
Better Than Bob Barker Ever Was.
Sydlexia’s Ranking: #36/100
My Rating: 
Gameshows are kind of like capitalism: there are arbitrary rules, vigorous competition, tons of cash, and an unequal distribution of wealth. No wonder us Americans like them so much! I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit watching The Price is Right, Press Your Luck, Hollywood Squares, and more. Smash TV is no different. Two warriors enter a game show risking their lives on live TV in hopes of winning a new toaster. So it’s kind of like American Idol.
Continue reading “Top 100 SNES Review: #36 – Super Smash TV (1990)”
Peer pressure isn’t only about smoking. It’s about teaching you to be a better person.
LesLites’ Ranking: #4/100
My Rating: 
The first two games I wanted to review for the N64 were Mario and GoldenEye, but for completely different reasons. Super Mario 64 was the first time I played a game in a true 3D environment. I was so shell shocked that I couldn’t even figure out how to move Mario, smashing down on the analog D-pad while ignoring that round stick in the middle.
GoldenEye, however, is when my friends and I grew up. We weren’t going around finding stars and collecting coins but unloading entire clips into polygonal bodies as they squirmed in dramatic death sequences. Cafeteria time was dedicated to discussing tactics while trash talking about death match: those who dared to play as Jaws revered while those who copped out as Oddjob were belittled.
It became a cultural revolution. Everyone was playing this game, even your little sister who didn’t even know about Yoshi. And guess what: it’s still amazing.
Continue reading “Top 100 N64 Review: #4 – GoldenEye 007 (1997)”
Millions are coerced to read Fitzgerald’s novel to graduate. Thankfully, it’s a decent and precise book. 
My Rating:
I might have set myself up for failure.
I read and watched a total of six things over Fall Break: The Deer Hunter, Pulp Fiction, Network, To Kill a Mockingbird, I Cladius, and The Great Gatsby. The problem is Fall Break was 5 months ago (!), and this is the only outstanding item. Normally, I leave little notes to myself so if there is a gap in time I can pick up what I was thinking. Not so here. If the measure of a book is its lasting impact, I guess I will soon find out the power of “The Great Gatsby.”
So what do I remember most? That Fitzgerald was struggling to figure out how to live a good life in a world of changing social norms.
Continue reading “Top 100 Novel Review: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)”
