My favorite video games OF ALL TIME

Hey everyone!
It's a short week at work and I'm freezing in my drafty, old church office. What better way to warm up than type stuff!
Oh wait, I do that all day anyways. Fuck it here's a list for the week. My top 10 favorite video games of all time. Obviously subject to change, but this is how it stands right now.

Yes, that's a horse playing baseball.

10. MLB Slugfest 2003 (PS2)
Holy shit guys if you haven't played a Slugfest game yet you haven't experienced a real sports game. This game is just like any other standard MLB game for the PS2, but with the added caveat of being able to catch on fire and punch other players. Getting lit on fire boosts your stats and let's you run the table, it's amazing. The real thing that makes this game great are the cheats, things like making your players horses or giving you a rubber bat for added power. This game is hours of fun.

9. Mario Golf Toadstool Tour/Super Mario Baseball (GC)
I honestly could not decide between these two games. They are both outrageously fun, and oddly enough very competitive. My junior year in college there were many a time we would settle disputes with a round of Mario Golf. Sames goes for Mario Baseball, we played the shit out of that disc. If you're looking for a game that is beyond frustrating but still gives you the tiniest bit of joy, this is the game for you!

8. Portal (Xbox)

So false you have to say it 5 times!

I'm a fan of puzzle games. I like to solve riddles and use logic to win things. This game is not only puzzle based, but it's got a great story line to boot. The progressive difficulty is scaled very well, and the game isn't that easy to begin with. Plus, the post attempted-murder plot is amazing. Remember everyone, The Cake is a Lie.
Sidenote: If you type "The cake" into Google, the first thing that comes up is "The cake is a lie."

7. Halo (Xbox)
At the time, this was the best first person shooter that existed. No game could touch Halo (looking at you CoD) in terms of story line, graphics or controls. This game sucked away so many hours of my life it almost (ALMOST) became a problem. This was also the first game (technically Halo 2) I played extensively on Xbox Live, which made for a whole new gaming experience. It revolutionized the way I went about online play, and definitely helped me realize I wasn't all that good. At least I didn't put in the hours that other people did.

6. Rock Band (Xbox)
I was one of those people who was actually good at Rock Band. I could play the guitar, bass, drums, and (to some extent) sing. The game is tons of fun when you play with buddies in your fake band, but it's also a shit ton of fun to play alone (cue in depressing music). I would actually practice the drums, sometimes for HOURS. They got so beat up, I don't think they work anymore. The most important thing of all (for me at least) wasn't just playing the game, but learning about so many different types of music that I had no previous knowledge about. It sparked a love for genres that I would probably never have listened to, and remains to this day the single largest collection of music that I enjoy.

Insta- what now?

5. Pokemon Snap! (N64)
Holy shit this game is amazing. If you're not familiar with it, the premise is you are Bill, a Pokemon photographer. Professor Oak sends you to various locations and asks you to take pictures of Pokemon in their natural habitats. The best thing about the game was the sheer amount of variety you had in your pictures. It was based on timing, and the faster your shutter finger the better your picture. You could also throw apples or the newly created "pester balls" at pokemon to have them react in certain ways. This game took determination, reflexes, and forced a lot of thinking outside the box.

4. Super Smash Bros. Melee (GC)
The only game I have ever played competitively, SSBM is the bane of my college video game existence. I have logged more hours into this game than any other (save from my #1 on this list), and I regret none of it. The absolute size of this games meta is staggering, and yet you get the desire to learn it all. I've never seen my skill improve so drastically in a single game than how I improved in SSBM. The release of Brawl only made me appreciate the complexity and entertainment of this game even more. Money match anyone?

3. Golden Sun (GBA)
There are so many good things to say about this game, and the series overall. Firstly, Camelot created a masterful world. Although graphically the game isn't breathtaking, the plot and setting for these characters is incredible. In my opinion, it's almost novel-worthy. Oh wait, fan-fiction exists: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1368604/. Well that's hardly surprising.
The game play is incredibly simple, much like most RPG's, and involves a breadth of abilities and classes that leave almost nothing up to the imagination. I've spent hours tinkering with the various Djinni combinations to create my perfect characters. Then I found the internet and saw it was all done for me. No regrets!

2. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Hey! Listen! I help you beat the game!

Last summer I splurged (a whole $30!) and bought myself an N64. Boy do I love Craigslist. I dug up some of my old games, and lo and behold Ocarina of Time called my name. I slapped that baby in, turned it on...and realized I never beat the game. I even had the strategy guide! Determined, I picked up where 12 year old me left off and promptly ran through all the dungeons. In my re-playing I remembered how absolutely amazing this game was. Sure, it pales in comparison to the graphics we have now. Twilight Princess was pretty graphically sophisticated, but in the 15 minutes I played Ocarina of Time I had 9001X as much fun as I had beating Twilight Princess. Combining nostalgia, creative puzzle solving, awesome boss battles, and the awesome feeling of finding scarecrow's song*, this game is one of the best.

* This: http://zeldawiki.org/Scarecrow's_Song is what I'm referring to here. I wrote down the song I made up around 10 years ago, FOUND IT 10 YEARS LATER and played it like a boss. SO HAPPY.

1. The Pokemon series (GB/A, NDS)
I fully admit it, I still play Pokemon. In fact, I just recently beat the E4 in Pokemon X, the newest game to come out in the series. Ever since I was a kid this game has fascinated me. Unlike most people who see their attraction decrease over time, mine has only increased. The competitive battling scene is full of meta, well thought out strategy and lots of preparation. It takes time and patience, something that I love to pour effort into. And the whole story of the series gets better with more and more conspiracy theories popping up, adding to the extensive timeline and back story that exists. I can safely say I will never enjoy a game more than Pokemon, I will never log as many hours in any other game as I have in this series, and I will probably never play another game at such a highly competitive level. Except for maybe Pokemon Stadium Minigames. Those are the shit.

Top 10 TV Shows!

Hey readers,

Here's a new list that I re-vamped from an older one, it's my top 10 favorite TV shows of all time!

10. Family Feud (hosted by Steve Harvey) 
I absolutely refuse to watch Family Feud hosted by anyone other than Steve Harvey. This man is hilarious. Need convincing? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bohgA_so84o
This pretty much sums up why Steve Harvey is the best Family Feud host ever. Other than that it's an entertaining show overall, and it's super easy to play along with. There's no need to start watching from season one because there's no continual plot, so jump in on any episode and enjoy!

9. MXC (Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) 
If you didn't watch this show you're sorely missing out on quality TV. The premise is take a Japanese TV show where people on 2 team compete in the most ridiculous challenges (for the uneducated out there it's the original "Wipeout"), and then dub over all the Japanese with English that makes almost no sense. Every episode is a guaranteed laugh, and you'd be surprised at how many people react to "Kenny Blankenship, and Vic Romano!" Comedic gold.

8. Game of Thrones
If you haven't started watching Game of Thrones yet, what are you doing with your life? This show has it all (and I don't mean just the nudity). George RR Martin made it easy to connect with the characters, which makes it even worse when they all die in a horrific fashion. There's absolutely no main character armor in this show, so tread carefully.
Unless you read the books of course, than you know everything and I hate you for spoilers.

7. How I Met Your Mother
The show is finally coming to an end, which it desperately needs. It had a great run from seasons 2-5, and then it slowly began to decline in quality. The nuggets of hilarity are what make, what was once a great show, bearable. http://goo.gl/A19sHo
"I will not go back to coaching the Browns!"

6. The Office
Much like HIMYM, The Office was in decline for a while. After Michael left it just wasn't the same show anymore, and I actually almost stopped watching it. It's saving grace was the finale, which was (in my opinion) one of the best series finales of all time. The show was amazing from season 2-5, and then in the last few episodes. It's incredibly quotable, always funny the 3rd time and left America totally disheartened after they realized their boss would never be as cool as Michael Scott.

5. Doctor Who (HAPPY?!)
This show has been going on so long, and the quality just keeps getting better. It's entertaining, thought provoking and hilarious. Each new season gives us a look into some brilliant imaginations, and leaves you with a sense of emptiness (almost). There's always a hope that a mad man in a blue box will come in and change your life forever, even though you know how impossible it all is.
Also, the tapping sound that The Master made still kind of freaks me out a bit. That's special.

4. Breaking Bad
This show was good the whole way through. It's a very rare case where I don't think any season, or even a portion of any season, was a drop-off from before. The directing was superb, the acting was amazing and the chills you would get just thinking about how real it all could be were riveting. I've never been more engrossed in a show during its final season, it literally did everything right.

3. Community
This is hands down the funniest show that is currently on TV. It mixes so many styles of humor into one masterpiece of a TV show. People can knock Dan Harmon all they want, but he's a genius for even creating a show like this. Fun fact: when the pilot for Community aired while I was a freshmen in college, my initial reaction was "failure." I thought the show would be an absolute dud. After some much needed convincing, I was proven otherwise.

2. Avatar: The Last Airbender
Clearly the most controversial show on this list (well, maybe to a few people it's not), Avatar was a gigantic part of my childhood. The show, although incredibly cartoonish, dove into some pretty deep shit for a kids show. Motifs such as death, destiny, love, and acceptance are explored through the medium of this kids show. Personally, I would consider myself an airbender.

1. Arrested Development
This show is the epitome of hilarity. There isn't a single episode that doesn't make me laugh, and these writers have to be some of the smartest people in the business. Never have I been more intellectually stimulated AND driven to laughter-based tears by a TV show. AD takes the cake in that department. Even though the re-vamped season wasn't as good as the original series, it still tops my list. That movie cannot come soon enough.

New List Monday! - Restaurants

Hey everyone! It's a slow moving Monday, and the one thing on my mind right now is food. Good, wholesome, restaurant food. So I decided to re-vamp an older list of mine that actually produced controversy! It's the top 20 restaurants, HERE WE GO!

Top 20 Restaurants!

Honorable Mention - Biscuit World

$3.99 for all you can eat biscuits? COME ON!

20. Russell House Tavern - Harvard Square, MA

The food and the drinks are great, but damn this place is pricey. It's also a little too classy for my taste, they give you cloth napkins as tablecloths for the bar. Food and drink was good enough to give it a spot on the list.

19. Deluxe Town Diner - Watertown, MA

Great diner, and it's within walking distance from my apartment! It's a tad pricey, but the portions are large and the coffee isn't half bad. Not a place you go all the time, but more of a once a week treat.

18. The Real Deal - Brookline, MA

The Real Deal serves up a variety of burgers, pizzas and sandwiches that score high on the creativity scale. It's all delicious (from what I can tell so far), my only qualm is it takes a long time for them to prepare the food.

17. The Brewers Coalition - Newtonville, MA

Fantastic pub food, and the local hangout for my workplace. We hit it up every Thursday for happy hour. Food is great, drinks are OK, all in all it's a bit pricey. Happy hour doesn't really exist in Boston like it does elsewhere.

16. Jimmy John's - Various Locations

Want a sandwich? Great, Jimmy John's is probably not the best place to get one. Want that sandwich fast? Jimmy John's is the BEST place to get one.

EDIT: Fuck Jimmy John's. You know what's better than Jimmy John's? BD'S MONGOLIAN BBQ THAT'S WHAT. This place is great because YOU MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD. That way it can't be bad, because if you make your own food and suck at it then you don't deserve to eat here. Seriously check this place out, it's such a great idea.

15. Lobster Wok - Newtonville, MA

Somehow, a Chinese restaurant that doesn't even serve lobster but still incorporates it into its name makes great food. Friday tradition states that we go for a "Wok" and get something to go for lunch at work.

14. IHOP - Various Locations

Nothing like a late night IHOP run to get those pancake cravings satiated.

13. Hamburger Inn - Delaware, OH

This spot isn't for the food, it's mainly atmosphere. I've seen someone eat two napkins there, one of which was because it had ketchup on it. Also it's open for 24 hours from Wednesday-Sunday, so if you're looking for a late night bite it's a great place to go.

12. Legal Seafoods - Various Locations

It's a mildly fancy seafood place, nothing really special other than the food is solid and the drinks are great.

11. 1808 - Delaware, OH

Fancy schmancy 1808 has some great food, fantastic bread service, pricey dinner options, and delicious drinks. Happy hour at 1808 is a great time, they have amazing beer options and $2 well drinks on Mondays. $2 people!

10. UBurger - Various Locations, Boston, MA

UBurger is a great Boston-local burger restaurant with some creative options. Nothing too fancy, nothing too pricey, everything is just right.

9. El Vaqueros - Delaware, OH

VAQUEROS CHAIR! 1:1! FISH TACOS!

Wow I have way too many inside jokes about this place. Other than that, good Mexican food for the middle of Ohio and amazing margaritas. All of my off-campus food points went there.

8. Waffle House - Various Locations

Nothing like a late night run to waffle house. Or a mid-day run. Or just a run. Loaded hash browns after an ultimate tournament are quite possibly the best/worst meal ever.

7. Dan's Deli - Delaware, OH

The best food truck in existence, hands down. The way they grill their mozzarella is to die for, and the rest of their stuff is good enough so that when you add the cheese (which you ALWAYS do) it creates a flavor explosion in your mouth. To be fair I'm drunk at least 80% of the time I eat there, but I'm pretty sure it's almost as good sober. Almost.

6. Chipotle - Various Locations

There is nothing like knowing someone who works at Chipotle. The amount of free food you can get is almost a little overwhelming. It's a great place for a quick lunch/dinner, and while the burritos aren't as good as some more local places (see: Anna's Taqueria below) you do get used to it very quickly.

5. Great Harvest Bread Company - Newtonville, MA

This place makes one hell of a sandwich. Whether it's a panini or just a regular old sandwich, they do it right. The prices are very reasonable too, and I would be more than willing to pay a little extra for lunch to get one of their sandwiches. Sandwich sandwih sandwich. Did I say it enough? Perks: they know me by name. Not sure if that's actually good or bad.

4. Steak and Shake - Various Locations

The ultimate place to get a meal when you're really, really hungry. By far my favorite post-ultimate tournament dining location. The shakes are great, their burgers are pretty tasty and you can get a meal for $4. This place has it all.

3. Eagles Deli - Brookline, MA

A local (and national) legend, Eagle's Deli is home to the Challenger Burger - a 5lbs. burger topped with 20 slices of bacon and cheese, served with 5lbs. of fries. If you don't feel like dying you can get a more moderately sized burger without destroying your wallet. I recommend the Godzilla, only 1lbs. of meat and fries. They're a BC favorite, so the atmosphere is all college.

2. Anna's Taqueria - Various Locations, Boston, MA

The best burrito I have ever had (to date) was created at Anna's. They know what they're doing, the prices are very fair, and the options (even though i don't take them) are plentiful. If you were to visit Brookline and had to go to 1 restaurant, I would recommend Anna's over everything else.

1. Southern Soul BBQ - St. Simons Island, GA

THEY HAVE THE BEST BBQ SAUCE ON THE PLANET. I've only been to this place 3 times (Thanks High Tide) but it's never failed to impress me. The meat is so tender and the BBQ sauce they have is amazing. So amazing in fact, that I got a bottle for my birthday and I could not have been happier. I was willing to spend the money for all the food, and this restaurant gave birth to the legendary "Bucket O' Dicks" game by distributing their mini Frisbee-plates for High Tide 2013. If I could, I would go back to GA just to eat here. Unfortunately I'm not that rich, and I have to settle for maybe getting it a couple more times in my life. Worth it.

Top 7 songs I am obsessed with

Hey all,

Here's my first official post, the top 7 songs that I'm currently obsessed with. I don't know why, but these songs are so fucking catchy. They have almost nothing to do with each other, some of them aren't even on the radio, and I can't stop listening to them. Starting from 7 and going up to 1 on this post.  

7.  Get Lucky - Daft Punk ft. Pharrell Williams

Get Lucky was one of the biggest songs of the summer, and Random Access Memories was a HUGE chart topper. Daft Punk lit up the radio, it seemed like every time you got into the car this song would inevitably come on. And you know what? I was totally OK with that. I actually heard a release of the song before the full album came out and DAMN I was hooked. The main reason that this song has persisted throughout the summer for me was its appearance in Grantland and their "top song of the millennium bracket." The final results are listed here: http://goo.gl/Atndmw, and while I'm happy with the overall outcome GET LUCKY LOST TO CALL ME MAYBE. FUCK. The deep seeded resentment I felt after seeing that has kept the song a favorite of mine for a while now. I just can't let it go...
And I want to mention this guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6NDY8FSr9M  he made one of the best one man band covers I've ever heard. Give him some love.

6. Pompeii - Bastille 

Listening to Pompeii, thinking about the old days

I don't want to brag, but I heard about Pompeii before it was on the radio (HIPSTER ALERT). OK so I kind of want to brag about it. I nabbed Pompeii off the iTunes free discovery download MONTHS AGO and I thought it was great. A whole lot better than the other discovery download I got that became popular (Bulletproof, quite possibly my least favorite song of all time). I have to say, singing this sound aloud in the car is way too much fun (and dangerous. I close my eyes when they say "close your eyes" and I'm expecting something bad to happen sometime soon). They also recently began playing it on the radio again which reignited my passion like a thousand burning suns. You can blame the 92.9 radio station in Boston for making me love it again.

5. Ways to Go - Grouplove

It's not often that a music video makes me like a song more, but this one takes the cake. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGvHnDeS12o 
Yes, that is a little dictator and yes, he has swag. Oh, and the song is pretty darn good too. I definitely heard the song first, it's on the radio all the time. It's very upbeat, very catchy, the lyrics are simple, AND I belt this thing out like Aretha. Seriously it is so much fun to sing, and considerably less dangerous than Pompeii. That's what I call a win-win.

4. Moves - The New Pornographers

That's not cheese

The New Pornographers isn't what I would call a household name, but they are a great band. Just like some other popular indie Canadian indie bands (The Unicorns, Of Montreal, Tegan and Sara) they made a fantastic album that no one has heard of in "Challengers." Oh, and a great music video to boot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYyu5vbwvbA
This is one of the cases where the video was the first exposure I had to the song, and that definitely enhanced the whole experience for me. Hell, the video has Donald Glover as a reporter and Wyatt Senac doing cocaine off his pizza. Doesn't get much cooler than that.

3. U.F.C - XV

This is the meat of the post. These next three songs are not only awesome (haha, jokes), but they've stuck in my head for a long while now. U.F.C mixes some solid raps, snippets of great lyrics and some old-school tunes. It's a great road-trip song, and I probably listened to it 9001 times while staying up studying during my finals. Senior year was chock full of procrastination, so many a night involved U.F.C. With great lyrics like "You're so crazy, the crowd goes wild, Hands go up and down like the Dow Jones" and "don't let me eat I'm Ricky Henderson I'll steal a plate", the song mixes a good amount of wit with catchy beats. Reminds me a little bit of Childish Gambino in that aspect.

2. The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn) - Weezer

Disclaimer, I love Weezer. You should know that when you start reading this. 
My goodness does this song rock. For those who have heard the song, some of you know that it's actually a tribute to multiple styles of music throughout time.  There are 11 different styles in this one song, from rap to spoken word, emulating Aerosmith and Green Day and tributes to Bach and Beethoven. This song has it all. Take a look here http://goo.gl/vRxJEZ. 

And that's what makes this song so fun, you get to sing like a bunch of other famous artists. The seamless way that Weezer includes them into the song is enough to make any fan giddy (yeah I said it), and I can't help but belting out "I am the Greatest Man that Ever Lived." I first heard the song years and years ago and thought nothing of it, but when I heard it live this past summer (for free, nbd) it was a totally different experience  Ever since then it's risen up my "favorite songs ever ranks" and it's easily my favorite Weezer song.

1. Who Did That To You - John Legend

I would be blatantly lying if this video didn't make me love the song more http://goo.gl/baBfX7.

Dylan Freechild, doing that to you

I'm a sucker for good ultimate, and this video was very well put together (second only to Nick Lance's callahan video). That video aside, when I heard this in the movie Django Unchained, I was hooked. I'm not a huge John Legend fan (can't even name another one of his songs) but my lord can he sing. This is the ultimate "belt at the top of my lungs while driving" song for me, and if you happen to catch me pulling into my driveway after work there's a 90% chance this song is playing. It's my pump up song, it's my favorite song to sing out loud and it makes me feel like a total bad ass. 

To the readers who stayed with me the whole time, thanks. Hope you enjoyed my first attempt at blogging, and I'm looking forward to suggestions for new lists in the future! Until then, I have a few up my sleeve just itching to be read!

Cheers!

AJ

  

FIRST!

Hey everyone,

Welcome to Making Lists for Funsies, a semi-interactive blog where you tell me stuff to rank, and I do it! I'll of course add some commentary on top of making the actual list. It's pretty simple, really. I'll try and pump a list out every week or so while I'm here at work (during my down time of course).

People will disagree on how I rank things, and that's where it gets interesting! I've seen many a people (approximately 7?) actually voice an opinion about a list I've made in the past. Top restaurants (revised list coming soon!) garnered a solid amount of debate, as did top songs for my favorite artists. Fell free to share feedback here! I love me a good argument.

Anyways I'll start the blogging going with a list I made this week, it's my top 7 songs that I'm currently obsessed with. Take a look!

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

AJ