Game Review: The Legend of Zelda (NES Classic Edition)

Ok, so I picked up one of those NES Classic Editions last month, and to say I'm in Classic Gamer Heaven is an understatement. Growing up as a gamer from the early 80's through today has been a trip in its own. I have been playing video games since I could physically function an Atari 2600 and Odyssey II joystick. Then in the mid-80's, I gathered up money and bought myself a Nintendo Entertainment System and my own 13" CRT television. I felt as if I could rule the world. Titles like Super Mario Bros., Mike Tyson's Punch Out and Contra owned my days and nights. But there was one title that ruled them all, and that title was none other than The Legend of Zelda. This title was bestowed upon America in the summer of 1987, and just shy of 30 years later, it still stands the test of time.

Now that I have a solid version of The Legend of Zelda and the sequel, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, I have decided to embark in a mission to play through all Zelda titles in release order from start to finish.

With that, I will stop my babbling and get to the first of many upcoming Zelda title reviews.

Album Review: Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct

Ok, so I snagged the new Metallica album and, well... yeah. The Mighty Met have done it again. Coming from the depths of that 2003 St. Anger nightmare with a heavy rebound in 2008's Death Magnetic, Metallica has proven once again that they have what it takes to smash out a hard hitting, thrash induced, and ear splitting album with Hardwired... To Self-Destruct.

Before I get into the meaty details of the music, let's talk about just the release of this album. Early in the year, Old Man Lars started talking about the new album and teasing a release this year. None of us Metallica fans really held our breath. Yeah, we knew we'd hear new Metallica soon enough, but years of teases and delayed releases kept us, well me for sure, skeptic. Then, out of nowhere on August 18th, 2016, Metallica release the single "Hardwired", alongside the full details of a double album to come out in November. Uh, what?  Really?  Oh, and the single "Hardwired" was what we like to call "Classic Metallica" and has a hard, crunchy, and fast thrashy sound to it.

Now, the day has come, it's November 18th and the new album is out. SPOILER ALERT! It's a great album!  But I'm still not going to talk about the music. Not quite yet. The album is out and you can not only listen to the album, but you can watch it, too! Metallica decided to release upon the world a music video for each and every one of the 12 tracks on Hardwired... To Self-Destruct on YouTube within the 48 hours heading into the worldwide release of the album. And these aren't just random ass videos, they're full on productions very well done. (I could easily do a blog post / review for each video on its own. I have included a YouTube link to the playlist of all 12 videos at the bottom of this review)

Book Review: A Life in Parts

Read from Sept. 29  to Oct. 10, 2016

Ok, so I received another early copy of a solid book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  (Thank you, NetGalley!)

Let me start off by saying this.  A Life in Parts by Bryan Cranston is not a "tell all" memoir, but more of, well, 'parts' of his life (hence the title) that give a glimpse into the mind of one of the most talented actors of the current generation. Bryan invites us to see the moments he's etched out in his life that made him the husband, father, and actor we all know.

I walked into this book with one thing on my mind... "I want to read the book of the man that brought Walter White into my life." I feel Breaking Bad is easily the most well rounded and near perfect TV shows to ever hit the mainstream media. And, I've never watched a single full episode of Malcolm in the Middle. Now, with that said, I took away more from this book than expected. I learned that it takes far more than just great writers to create amazing characters, but a lifetime of experiences, good, bad, and even tragic, to mold the actors and actresses that do their best to portray them. Bryan Cranston, through this memoir, is proof of that.