The ban on four players and a coach regarding the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024 is actually limited to the remaining championship games, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. This means that the banned individuals are eligible to return in the next season of the tournament. It should be recalled that the championship game on July 5 (the first championship game actually) turned chaotic and acts of violence happened.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
The president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Muntinlupa said the ban on Kean Baclaan and three other players and a coach is effective only for the remaining championship games of the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024.
In a decision issued on July 6, the committee of the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024 banned players Baclaan (also a player for the De La Salle Green Archers), Ram Panganiban, Alfie Silva and Jayson Tugonon, and coach Hansel Baclaan Malate, all from the Barangay Bayanan team, for attacking and disrespecting game officials during Game 1 of the championship game between the teams of Barangays Bayanan and Cupang on July 5.
“The following sanctions and penalties have been imposed on the players and coaches involved in the incident: Banned from the tournament for physically attacking and disrespecting game officials,” according to the decision by the league committee.
In an announcement on July 8, Barangay Poblacion Chairman Allen Ampaya, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay, said, “We would like to clarify that players Kean Baclaan, Ram Panganiban, Alfie Silva, Jayson Tugonon, and Coach Hansel Malate are only banned from participating in the current season of La Liga de Muntinlupa 2024.”
“However, this ban is limited to the remaining game/s of the finals this season, and they will be eligible to participate in the tournament next season,” he said.
Ampaya added, “We strongly condemn any form of negativity and encourage everyone to maintain a respectful and positive environment. Together, let’s uphold the spirit of sportsmanship and unity that our tournament stands for.”
The chaos started when a player and a referee had a confrontation. At the time, the scores were 97 for Cupang and 96 for Bayanan. This led to people and players charging the referee.
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, are you looking forward to the 2025 season of the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament?
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Four basketball players – including someone who plays for the De La Salle Green Archers – and a coach were officially banned by the committee of the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024 for attacking and disrespecting game officials during a championship game on July 5 which turned chaotic, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
Kean Baclaan, who now plays for the De La Salle Green Archers, and four others were banned from a Muntinlupa inter-barangay basketball tournament “for physically attacking and disrespecting game officials.”
In a decision issued on July 6, the committee of the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024 banned players Baclaan, Ram Panganiban, Alfie Silva and Jayson Tugonon, and coach Hansel Baclaan Malate, all from the Barangay Bayanan team.
“The following sanctions and penalties have been imposed on the players and coaches involved in the incident: Banned from the tournament for physically attacking and disrespecting game officials,” according to the decision by the league committee.
“After thorough deliberation by the League Committee, the officials have reached the following decision based on the existing rules of La Liga De Muntinlupa, as approved by all the Barangay Team Managements,” the decision, released by Liga ng mga Barangay Muntinlupa president Allen Ampaya, the barangay captain of Poblacion.
The decision stemmed from the chaos during the first of three games of the La Liga De Muntinlupa basketball championship between Barangays Bayanan and Cupang on July 5 at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.
The mess started when a player and a referee had a confrontation. At the time, the scores were 97 for Cupang and 96 for Bayanan. This led to people and players charging the referee.
People threw monoblock chairs and water bottles. A parallel investigation is being conducted to identify those who threw the chairs.
In the decision, the League Committee announced that “Brgy Cupang won the game for forfeit due to Brgy Bayanan players and coaches physically attacking the game officials.”
Under the Muntinlupa league rules, “Verbal and direct threat to referees, table officials, coaches and players will not be tolerated. If proven, will be automatically ban from the tournament (threat by families of players are also included). Also tournament committee can ban spectators from the tournament and venues. Instigating player/s involve on a brawling incident and even fighting stance will automatically ban from the game.”
In a Facebook post, Baclaan apologized for his wrong conduct during the championship game between Bayanan and Cupang.
“Bilang isang manlalaro, marami na po akong pinagdaan at mga pagkakamaling nagawa (As a player, I have gone through a lot and have done many mistakes). One of those is the recent incident na nangyari sa La Lagi Muntinlupa Championship game. Unang-una sa lahat gusto ko po humingi ng tawad sa mga taong naniniwala at sumusuporta sa akin (First of all, I want to ask forgiveness from the people who believe and support me). I want to say sorry for my actions which may have disappointed all of you,” he said.
He added, “Inaaamin ko po na nagkamali ako dahil dapat ako ang naging ehemplo ng mga umiidolo sa akin pero hinayaan ko na pangunahan ako ng emotions ko (I admit that I committed a mistake because I should have been an example for those who idolize me but I let my emotions to get the best of me). I also want to apologize sa mga taong nadamay sa gulo. To my teammates and coach, I’m sorry for not keeping my cool when we need it most. I deeply regret the inconvenience caused by my actions. Moving forward, I will let this experience be a new opportunity to change for the better and grow not only as a player but also as a person.”
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, do you agree with the La Liga De Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024 committee’s decision?
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Very recently in the City of Muntinlupa, the championship game of the La Liga de Muntinlupa Tournament 2024 held at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex turned chaotic which resulted in the launch of an investigation, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.
To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…
Mayor Ruffy Biazon said an investigation was launched after a championship game between Barangays Cupang and Bayanan teams under the La Liga de Muntinlupa Basketball Tournament 2024 on July 5 turned into a chaos with a player and a referee having a confrontation and monoblock chairs being thrown by the crowd.
The first game of the Best of 3 Finals between Cupang and Bayanan was held at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex.
The game became disorderly after a player and a referee had a confrontation in the court. At the time, the scores were 97 for Cupang and 96 for Bayanan.
“Security! Security! Security!” the announcer called as the chaos erupted inside the court.
People in the crowd went inside the court and charged the referee. People threw monoblock chairs and water bottles.
In a statement, Biazon said, “Kinalulungkot ko ang nangyari sa maganda sanang championship game ng La Liga de Muntinlupa na nauwi sa kaguluhan (I am saddened that what was supposed to be nice championship game in La Liga de Muntinlupa ended up into chaos).”
He said instead of sportsmanship and unity fostered by the basketball tournament, the game became a bad example for the youth because of the attitude shown by some of the players and the crowd.
“Ayon sa Liga ng mga Barangay na organizer ng event, ongoing ang imbestigasyon at maghahain sila ng reklamo laban sa mga mapapatunayang sangkot sa gulo (According to the Liga na mga Barangay, which is the organier of the event, the investigation is ongoing and they will file a complaint against those who will be found involved in the mess),” the mayor added.
Biazon said he will order barangay captains to submit a report about what happened during the game.
“Hindi ito basta simpleng init ng ulo sa basketball, nalagay sa alanganin ang kapayapaan at kaayusan sa ating lungsod. Merong nambato ng silya, may sumugod, may nagtangkang manakit. Hindi natin palalampasin ito at may kalalagyan din sila sa batas (This is not a simple temper. Peace and order in our city was put in jeopardy. Someone threw a chair, someone advanced, there are those who attempted to hurt. We will not let these pass and they will have a place in law),” he said.
Barangay Poblacion Chairman Allen Ampaya, president of the Liga ng mga Barangay in Muntinlupa, said they will make sure to identify those who were involved in the mess.
“Ongoing na ang imbestigasyon at maghahain tayo ng reklamo laban sa mga gumambala sa ating liga. Kakaharapin po nila ang parusang naaayon sa batas (The investigation is ongoing and we will file a complaint against those who disturbed our league. They will face punishment according to the law),” he said.
About the players, he said, “Para sa mga manlalaro namang mapapatunayang sangkot sa gulo, kakaharapin nila ang kaukulang penalty ayon sa rules ng liga (To the players who will be found involved in the mess, they will face the corresponding penalty based on the league rules).
Let me end this post by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? If you are a resident of Muntinlupa City, do you think the basketball chaos will be resolved soon?
For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagement, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673
Welcome back, my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?
I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.
#1Woke Disney’s discriminatory practices confirmed and caught on camera – Being woke means being foolish and wicked. What was discussed before about the woke Disney Company’s distorted approach on hiring workers as well as promoting their current workers was confirmed to be true as a Disney executive confirmed it openly on camera. A lot of footage has been recorded of him talking about Disney’s discrimination against white males as they empower people of minorities (colored people, the under-represented ethnic groups, etc.). You should watch the two videos I selected from Midnight’s Edge ad RK Outpost. Woke Disney should be brought to justice!
#2 Video documentary about Sega’s Streets of Rage franchise – YouTuber PatmanQC recently published another informative and entertaining look at the history of Sega’s popular Streets of Rage game franchise. This includes the behind-the-scenes development of the first game that hit the arcades, as well as the different versions that appeared on multiple platforms.
#3 Somewhere in Time videos – Somewhere in Time (1980) was a film that starred the late Christopher Reeve, Jane Seymour and Christopher Plummer. While it was never successful in movie theaters, it became a big hit on cable TV, public TV and home video. As its legacy lived on, it is not surprising that there are several movie reaction videos, video reviews and other features about it on YouTube. Posted below are some selected videos for those of you who wish to discover more of Somewhere in Time.
#4 A look at the rise and fall of the Orlando Magic – Back in the mid-1990s, a lot of my friends (who love basketball) became fans of the Orlando Magic which had Shaquille O’Neal, Penny Hardaway, Nick Anderson (the guy who missed 4 crucial free throws in specific NBA Finals game), Horace Grant and Dennis Scott. Their excitement really went overboard when the Magic of 1994-95 successfully won the Eastern Conference Finals and entered the NBA Finals to face off with the defending champion Houston Rockets. Of course, as recorded by history, the Magic got swept away by the Rockets even though they had the home court advantage. If you are nostalgic about 1990s NBA action or if you want to see how different the Orlando Magic was back in the 1990s, then you should watch the video below.
#5 Stockton to Malone (but still no NBA championship) – Still on the topic of basketball, do you remember the so-called golden age of the Utah Jazz when they had Karl Malone and John Stockton who together were among the very best players in the NBA back then? For the newcomers reading this, the Utah Jazz made it to the NBA Finals of 1997 and 1998 but lost each time to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Long before those championship series happened, the Utah Jazz became a serious playoff contender in 1988 (pushing the LA Lakers to seven games in the Western Conference Semifinals) and went on to struggle in the years that followed. As for Stockton and Malone, they each had great basketball achievements but never won a championship. To learn more with a lot of details plus in-depth analysis, watch the video below.
#6 Heart of Darkness retrospective video – Way back in 1998, I played the video game Heart of Darkness on the PlayStation console but never got to finish it. While the cinematic cutscenes are not outstanding, the graphics used for gameplay was eye-catching thanks to the developers’ artistic and technical approach. This should not be surprising as the game was supervised by Eric Chahi who was best known for Another World. To learn more about Heart of Darkness’ production history, watch the video below.
#7 A look at Salamander (AKA Life Force) – Still on the topic of retro gaming, I had fun memories playing Salamander (titled Life Force in North America) on the Family Computer (Famicom) back in the late-1980s. It was a sci-fi 2D scrolling shooter that not only featured side-scrolling levels but also vertical levels. Developed and published by Konami, Salamander was a spin-off of Gradius (an acclaimed 2D side-scrolling shooter on its own) but it became successful in entertaining players with the two-player mode, unique challenges, fine gameplay features and outstanding visuals. To learn more about Salamander, watch the selected videos below.
#8 Friday The 13th Part 3 videos – If there is anything significant about Friday The 13th Part 3 (1982) other than being filmed in 3D, it is the fact that it marked a creative turning point for the franchise. It was in this movie that the film series really started to take shape with Jason Voorhees as its feature antagonist. That being said, it is not surprising that there are lots of retro reviews/reactions and feature videos about it. Watch the selected videos below.
Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!
In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads from the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, there will be a few flyers of arcade games.
For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.
With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…
1. Contra arcade flyer
A clever visual concept by Konami towards gamers and arcade operators.
Details on the other side of the flyer.
Before it established itself as a popular gaming franchise with console gamers, Contra truly started in the arcades in 1987. First released in Japan on February 1987, Konami went on to release the game in arcades in the United States a month later and the flyer you see here was the Americanized promotion they came up with. Instead of hiring male actors or models to play soldiers, they hired a slim lady to appear with a female Rambo look standing in front of a Contra arcade machine. On the other side of the flyer are details that players and arcade operators can learn from. By today’s standards, this arcade flyer of Contra is still eye-catching and even amusing to look at.
2. College Football’s National Championship print ad
This ad has a strong visual appeal to gamers who like football.
This is another one of those video game ads I saw while reading comic books in the 1990s. College Football’s National Championship was a Sega Genesis-exclusive American football video game published by Sega (with the Sega Sports brand) to capitalize on gamers who want college football to play with at home. This print ad has a nice visual presentation of the college teams’ logos, screenshots and details of what gamers could expect when they buy and play the game. College Football’s National Championship received mostly positive reviews and it must have sold well because Sega went on to release a sequel to this game.
3. Robotron X print ad
This Robotron game was made at a time when 3D polygons became common for making video games.
Having played the classic game Robotron: 2084 on PC back in the 1980s, I was very surprised to see this print ad in 1996 promoting a brand new Robotron game for PlayStation as well as Windows PC. For the newcomers reading this, Robotron: 2084 was a classic which heavily influenced game designers who went on make other fan-favorite games like Smash TV and Llamatron. What makes Robotron X notable apart from being an official follow-up to the classic game was the fact that it was made at a time when game developers did their stuff to modernize gaming with 3D polygons for visuals while trying to come up with gameplay inspired by the classics. While Robotron X did not make a major impact on gaming, the classic Robotron: 2084 went on to be released in several multi-platform compilations such as Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits, Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits, and Midway Arcade Treasures.
4. Space Jam game print ad
If you saw the movie in 1996, were you able to play this video game adaptation?
What makes 1996 a memorable year for basketball fans was the Michael Jordan’s return to prominence (having previously retired for less than two years before returning to the NBA in 1995) and leading a very powerful Chicago Bulls team to what was their 4th NBA championship title. In that same year, Jordan starred in the live-action/animated movie Space Jam which grossed an impressive $250 million worldwide. On the same month the movie came out, the Space Jam video game adaptation was also released on PlayStation and Sega Saturn. This print ad was part of the multimedia hype of the movie and the game itself had a very similar design and visuals concept with NBA Jam but ultimately it failed to become a hit with critics and gamers. Not even the combined visual might of Jordan and Warner Bros. characters could achieve success.
5. Magic Johnson’s Fast Break print ad
Still on basketball video gaming, the side-scrolling Magic Johnson’s Fast Break game was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for console gamers to enjoy. Unsurprisingly, this ad had nice black-and-white art work of Magic Johnson as the dominant figure while leaving little space left to show the game box and only one screenshot. The real meat of this print ad are the details laid down in text description.
6. Virtua Fighter 2 for Sega Genesis print ad
Clearly a late effort by Sega to sell something to its many Genesis owners/fans in America at a time when PlayStation and Nintendo 64 started dominating 5th console generation sales.
In the history of arcade gaming and fighting games, Virtua Fighter 2 was a worthy follow-up to its groundbreaking predecessor. VF2 also made its way on the Sega Saturn which essentially maintained the great gameplay and 60 frames-per-second animation even though the 3D polygonal graphics were noticeably lower in quality compared to its arcade version. With VF2 in the arcades and on Saturn selling well, I was surprised to see this print ad of Sega releasing a totally different version of the game on the aging Sega Genesis console. Virtua Fighter 2 on Genesis had 2D graphics, sprites for the characters and a side-scrolling visual design. In fairness, the game developers exerted effort to recapture some of the gameplay elements within the Genesis limitations and 2D graphics. This print ad is a reminder of Sega’s American division selling a product to the remaining active Genesis owners.
7. Ring King print ad
Ring King itself clearly lacked promotional space in this ad.
In 1987, Data East released their arcade hit game Ring King on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and prepared this print ad involving Ray Leonard, Jr. (on the foreground in boxing gear) and conveniently with the famous Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns (with the promo of their first fight together in the background). Also conveniently, the company inserted their other games on the lowest part of the ad. Ultimately, the presence of Ring King itself was minimized only showing the game cover and two screenshots. This is clearly an eye-catching ad but there was not enough emphasis on the game itself.
8. Super Spacefortress Macross arcade flyer
The arcade flyer released only in Japan.
Have you ever seen the classic anime movie Macross: Do You Remember Love? I really love watching that movie and I played and finished the video game adaptation on PlayStation in 1999. What I never got to play was the arcade game adaptation of it which was released by Banpresto in Japan in 1992. This flyer promoting the game has a strong visual presentation thanks to the artwork made for it. Only one screenshot was shown as well as a clip from 1984 the animated movie (note: the arcade game itself has some images directly from the film plus some newly created ones added) but this ad still had what it takes to capture the attention of the many Macross fans in Japan. This arcade game was eventually released with an English translation in America and Australia.
9. 2-in-1 print ad featuring Super C and Snake’s Revenge
A memorable and intriguing print ad from Konami promoting sequels.
This is one of the ads that Konami came up with to promote at least two games using a single-page ad format. I saw this ad in many comic books I read decades ago and its visual concept always caught my attention especially since I played the console game Contra a lot. At the high end of the ad were two fictional newspaper headlines highlighting the respective conflicts of Snake’s Revenge (with a nuclear danger concept) and Super C (with emphasis on alien invaders). These two games were sequels to the classics Metal Gear and Contra, and Konami clearly knew how to take advantage of the older games’ success and do their best to sell the sequels to gamers who love action-packed gaming as well as fantasized armed conflicts. Like the 2-in-1 ad showcasing Contra and Jackal, this was Konami’s aggressive move to sell war-inspired games to the NES userbase which was mostly composed of children and teenagers.
10. True Lies game print ad
There is nothing like taking advantage of the imagery of a Hollywood superstar to promote a video game based on the related movie.
Here is a video game ad I saw in many comic books I read in 1994-1995. True Lies (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) was one of the big summer season movie hits of 1994 and the video game was part of the business tie-ins with the film. The people who made this print ad made the smart moves of showing not just one but three images of Schwarzenegger to promote the game while leaving some space to show what the game looked like. The True Lies game even had stills from the movie to emphasize the flow of the plot.
Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!
In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads from the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, there will be a few flyers of arcade games as well as promotional posters of a notable console game that was released only in Japan.
For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.
With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…
1. M.I.A.: Missing in Action arcade flyer
This is an effective way of catching the attention of both players and arcade operators. I can imagine the woke, the SJWs and rabid feminists getting easily offended by this.
Konami was a very prominent producer of games back in the 1980s. Not only did the company produce high-quality and enjoyable military-themed games on consoles and computers, Konami also made its presence felt in the highly competitive sector of arcade games. In 1989, they released the arcade conversion kit of M.I.A.: Missing in Action and this flyer is the best know promotion of it. M.I.A.: Missing in Action is the follow-up to Konami’s hit game Rush’n Attack.
Visually, the flyer’s display of four screenshots combined with a dominating photographic image of prisoners of war (POWs) getting delightfully released by an attractive female Rambo-type rescuer were designed to catch the attention of young adult and adult gamers. The text descriptions (note: there were more details on the back of the flyer), however, were geared towards arcade operators who were looking for new games to acquire without the hassle of having to buy an entire arcade cabinet. That being said, this flyer was a clever way to appeal to arcade operators and the people who love playing arcade games.
2. Fonz arcade flyer
Simplistic yet effective to look at. If you are an arcade operator, this flyer conveniently has key information displayed.
Believe it or not, Sega was already active in arcade games way back in the 1970s. In this particular flyer, Sega’s arcade game Fonz (also called Moto-Cross, Man T.T.) offered players the unique experience of driving a digital vehicle using actual handlebars on the machine that were meant to create an immersive and realistic feel. If you look closely, the flyer has lots of details written with arcade operators and players in mind.
3. Haunted Castle arcade flyer
Indeed, this game is part of the Castlevania game franchise. It was one of the first Castlevania games released for arcades.
Arguably, Konami is best known for the Castlevania game series which covered handheld gaming devices, personal computers, video game consoles and even arcades. Haunted Castle (Japanese title: Akumajō Dracula) is the 2nd arcade game of the Castlevania franchise and it is not a port of any console game. Like the arcade flyer of M.I.A.: Missing in Action, this one was crafted to lure the attention (and money) of arcade operators looking for conversion kits to replace their old games. The visual presentation is eye-catching and even though the Castlevania brand was nowhere to be seen, Castlevania fans could tell this this arcade offering was part of their favorite game franchise.
4. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? flyer and poster
The poster promoting the release of the game for Sega Saturn in Japan.
The flyer promoting the Sega Saturn game’s 1997 release as well as the 15th anniversary of Macross.
In 1997, the 15th anniversary of the Macross multimedia franchise was celebrated in Japan and among the highlights was the release of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? on the Sega Saturn. To promote the game and the franchise itself, lots of flyers and posters were released in Japan. If you look at the illustrated images on the promotional materials closely, you will realize that they are not from the original 1982-83 Macross anime TV series but rather from the The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? animated movie of 1984 (read my retro movie review by clicking here).
While it might be baffling to some as to why the original anime TV series was not used as the source material for the 15th anniversary celebration through gaming, the 1984 anime feature film was actually more adaptable for a video game project (read my retro review by clicking here). It is so obvious, you just have to ask yourselves this question – how can the game developers compress the entire concepts of the 36-episode Macross anime series into one game while ensuring fun gameplay? Regardless, the game was a lot of fun to play and I enjoyed playing the PlayStation version in 1999.
5. Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety print ad
A clear effort to sell the game to gamers as well as fans of Spider-Man and Venom.
In 1994, Acclaim released Spider-Man and Venom: Maximum Carnage (based on the 1993 comic book storyline Maximum Carnage) on Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Genesis ultimately becoming popular with comic book fans and gamers who enjoyed sidescrolling beat-them-up games.
Subsequently, Acclaim and develop Software Creations reunited to release the sequel Venom/Spider-Man: Separation Anxiety a year later on the two leading 16-bit consoles as well as on personal computer (PC). If there is anything notable about this eye-catching print ad, it is the fact that its visual presentation (with graphics on-par with the previous year’s game) cleverly hides the fact that it did not have much new to offer gamers with regards to gameplay and story cutscenes (which the previous game prominently had). Eventually, this game attracted weaker reviews from game critics and has since been forgotten.
6. Tecmo Super Bowl SNES print ad
From the time when Tecmo was still a strong producer of sports video games.
In 1991, Tecmo Super Bowl was released on the aging Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and because its game design greatly entertained gamers, it became a tremendous commercial success. Not even the very high launch price of $54.99 stopped it from selling a lot.
To keep the commercial success and public interest going, Tecmo announced a new version of the game for the more powerful SNES console with the simple title of Tecmo Super Bowl. If you look closely at the print ad, you will notice that gameplay screenshots were not used at all. Instead, they showed images of the nicely illustrated art works they prepared as eye candy for the game with the intention of making it look cinematic. This is very curious because gameplay itself was the main selling factor of the NES version of Tecmo Super Bowl. I can only guess that Tecmo was not ready to show gameplay images by the time this print ad was made.
7. X-Men 2: Clone Wars print ad
The art used is too alienating for promoting this game.
During the age of the 16-bit consoles, there was a variety of X-Men video games released and produced by different companies. In 1993, an X-Men game published by Sega was released exclusively on the Genesis console which turned out to be fun for gamers and received mostly positive reviews from the critics. Sega went on to publish the sequel X-Men 2: Clone Wars and this print ad caught my attention because of how exaggerated the characters looked. It’s so strange, it’s as if the artist took visual reference from a somewhat blocky 3D polygonal portrait then tried to make them look hand-drawn. I wonder if anyone from Sega regretted this.
Welcome back, my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?
I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.
#1The miraculous rescue of hostages – In case you missed the news, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) successfully rescued four Israeli hostages, fought with the Palestinian terrorists and brought the hostages home safely. This not some high-risk operation turned lucky. This operation was a blessing from the Lord God whose covenant with the Jewish people has always been true and standing to this day. All the praise, honor, thanks and glory to Him! Ignore the lies of the Islamo-Leftist mainstream news media and focus on the truth by watching the selected videos below…
#2 European Union (EU) elections resulted in the fall of the Satanic Left – Very recently, a series of elections took place in Europe which determined the composition of the European Union (EU) parliament. European voters who have grown sick and tired of the policies of the Satanic Left (examples: mass migration, taking care of illegal aliens at taxpayers’ expense, fascist climate change policies, government corruption) made their choices by electing more conservative and more nationalistic/patriotic candidates. In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni saw her party gain power while the President of France had no choice but to dissolve French parliament (National Assembly) and call for a snap election. Watch and learn more from the videos below…
#3 Documentary of the Houston Rockets’ amazing 1995 NBA championship defense – Never underestimate the heart of a sports champion. That is the moral lesson behind the unbelievable successful NBA championship defense the Houston Rockets achieved in 1995. For the newcomers reading this, the Rockets won the title in 1994 but ended up ranking only 6th place on the Western Conference the following season. This meant that the Rockets had no home court advantage through the NBA Playoffs of 1995. How they defied expectations and overcame tough obstacles to win a 2nd straight NBA championship must be seen in the selected NBA documentary video. Enjoy!
#4 A very deep look back at Lost Odyssey – Lost Odyssey is not just a very notable video game released only on Xbox 360 many years ago. It was arguably the most defining, traditional Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) that can be best described as a Final Fantasy game without the name. To be clear, Lost Odyssey involved the combined talents of Japanese greats Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy creator), Takehiko Inoue (famous manga artist) and Nobuo Uematsu (musician always know for Final Fantasy), and it was an ambitious JRPG that also happened to be an Xbox-exclusive game. If you wish to know more about Lost Odyssey, what it has in common with Final Fantasy games and why it remains a very notable game, watch the documentary below…
#5 PatmanQC’s Ring King retrospective – Retro gaming YouTuber PatmanQC published recently his retrospective video about the 1980s game Ring King (also titled as King of Boxer) which is fun and informative to watch.
#6 You, Me and the Movies’ The Blob (1958) reaction – Recently the 1958 version of The Blob was featured by You, Me and the Movies in a movie reaction video which is entertaining to watch.
#7 RK Outpost examines woke Star Wars – It is no secret that under the umbrella of the woke Disney company and the Lucasfilm leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, the established entertainment franchises of Star Wars and Indiana Jones got ruined. Sad to say, Star Wars continues to be made with extreme wokeness and rabid feminism, reaching the point of completely ruining the sci-fi franchise as we know it. Watch and learn from RK Outpost’s videos below…
#8 The evil of Palestinian terrorist group Hamas – It cannot be denied that Palestinian terrorist group Hamas is pure evil. So pure is their evil, they want nothing less than committing complete genocide against Israel and its people. To his day, pro-Palestine zealots cannot even tell the difference between good and evil, and right and wrong. For the Palestinians and its brainwashed supporters (all supported secretly by terrorist state Iran), terrorism, violence and murder are the only ways to achieve what they want. Watch and learn from the videos below…
#9 2024 Xbox Games Showcase videos – Following the lackluster Sony State of Play and Summer Game Fest, Team Xbox and its partners came out blazing with the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase recently. In my view, it was a big improvement over last year’s showcase (which itself was quite good) and there were highlights that should not be ignored. Posted below are selected videos for your viewing pleasure.
UPDATED June 11, 2024 – Actual race distance clarified to me by John Chicano and verified with Powerman Malaysia’s website. The official distance of the Elite Male contest is 10 Km run – 60 Km bike – 10 Km run. The Manila Bulletin got the race distance wrong.
Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) multi-medalist John Chicano led the Philippines to the top of the Powerman Malaysia 2024 by winning the gold medal of the Elite Male contest yesterday which was an improvement over last year’s race, according to a Manila Bulletin sports news report. Chicano also has teammates who won medals as well. The official results can be viewed by clicking here.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the sports news report of Manila Bulletin. Some parts in boldface…
John Chicano avenged his runner-up finish last year by capturing the gold medal in the 2024 Powerman Malaysia duathlon race in Dataran Putrajaya over the weekend.
Chicano, a double gold medalist at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, navigated the 10-kilometer run, 40km bike, 5km run endurance race with a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes and 48 seconds to beat teammate John Patrick Ciron and dethrone last year’s champion Moysan Malo of France.
Ciron settled for the silver medal with a time of 2:47:15, while Malo crossed the finish line a few seconds later with 2:47:34 to settle for the bronze medal.
After checking in the same time with Ciron in the first run leg, Chicano slowly pulled away in the bike leg and led by five minutes heading into the final run leg. He maintained his pace to finish two minutes faster than his previous time last year.
In the distaff side, Merry Joy Trupa bagged the bronze medal after clocking 3:19:17 behind gold medalist Rendy Williams of the United States, who timed 3:09:34, and hometown bet Esther Joy Hong Li Chen, who finished with 3:13:35 for the silver medal.
For the newcomers reading this, John Chicano is one of the nation’s finest multisports athletes as he won multiple medals in SEA Games contests (including the gold medal in men’s triathlon in the 2019 SEA Games) before as well as local contests (click here and here). To get to know Chicano better, read my feature article of him by clicking here.
Welcome back, my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?
I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.
#1The fall of Humza Yousaf and vindication of author J.K. Rowling – In case you missed the news, Humza Yousaf (born in Scotland to Pakistani immigrants) stepped down as First Minister of Scotland as he faced imminent votes of no confidence in himself and in his government. This vindicated Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling who opposed Scotland’s new hate crime laws (which extends to people who identified as transgendered and yet ignored biological women) and pointed out Humza Yousaf’s contempt for women. For more details, watch the video below.
#2 PatmanQC’s video documentary of P.O.W.: Prisoners of War – P.O.W.: Prisoners of Wars was one of those classic arcade games that I never got to play. It was made by SNK which is the same company behind the popular fighting game franchises King of Fighters, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting. P.O.W.: Prisoners of War was a Cold War-inspired side-scrolling beat-them-up game that achieved big success in Japan. In PatmanQC’s video, you will learn a lot about SNK’s arcade game, what elements of real life inspired it, what other arcade games influenced the game designers to create it, and more.
#3 The significance of Rik Smits in the NBA – When it comes to the NBA, one has to take a look at the contributions of retired player Rik Smits (the Dunking Dutchman). Smits’ name may not have the big attraction of other centers of his era such as Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing and Robert Parish, but still he was a really solid center as well as a huge factor behind the rise of the Indiana Pacers in the 1990s. By the time he retired, the Pacers made it to the NBA Finals of 2000. Watch these selected videos of Rik Smits. You will learn a lot and be entertained with Smits’ basketball action!
#4 X-Men: The Last Stand movie reaction videos – For a movie declared as an inferior or disappointing follow-up to 2003’s X2: X-Men United, X-Men: The Last Stand still became a popular film subject in several movie reaction videos on YouTube. Just type the keywords on YouTube’ search engine and you will find a lot of movie reaction videos of the Brett Ratner-directed superhero movie. For your entertainment, the most enjoyable movie reaction videos have been posted below.
#5 You, Me and the Movies’ reaction video of Clash of the Titans (1981) – As a young boy, I saw Clash of the Titans (1981) and it was an entertaining ride of its time. This was one of those many fantasy movies that were released in the 1980s and it was the final work of stop-motion visual effects legend Ray Harryhausen. Recently, You, Men and the Movies published their reaction video of it which is entertaining and you can watch it below.
#6 PatmanQC’s Super Pac-Man retrospective video – I first learned about Super Pac-Man way back in the 1980s by seeing it on TV but I never got to play it in the arcades. In recent times, I downloaded Pac-Man Museum+ through Xbox Game Pass (XGP) and finally got to play Super Pac-Man on my Xbox Series X. I had fun playing it as I adjusted with the gameplay which had notable differences compared to the original Pac-Man arcade game. To learn more about Super Pac-Man, watch PatmanQC’s retrospective video below.
#7 Extensive look back at Sega Saturn games – YouTuber Sega Lord X recently published this extensive video looking back at the Sega Saturn and its games. This is a must-see video because the Sega Saturn had numerous games and many of them were actually fun to play. Ignore those articles that called the Saturn a bad console and just focus on the games by watching the video below.
#8 FilmComicsExplained’s video about how to survive Deep Impact – In relation to my previous post highlighting the movie reaction video of Deep Impact (by YouTuber Popcorn in Bed), posted below is FilmComicsExplained’s video is focused on survival within the context of the 1998 film. There are some sensible and notable points of discussion made which should encourage people to replay Deep Impact and even question the way governments deal with disaster management on a massive scale. You will possibly think twice about depending on the government for your survival. Watch the video below now.
Japan won several gold medals across different contests during the NTT Asia Triathlon ParaTriathlon Asian Championships 2024 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone this past weekend.
To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the official release of Triathlon Philippines. Some parts in boldface…
Japan bagged six gold medals in the 2024 NTT Asia Triathlon Para Championships at the Waterfront and Boardwalk inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on June 2.
Tsutomo Nagata ruled the men’s PTS5 category in 1:08:31, while compatriots Takumi Nagata (1:13:25) and Tetsuki Kaji (1:14:59) settled for second and third places, respectively.
Satoru Yoneoka claimed victory in the men’s PTVI, clocking 1:03:53 to beat compatriots Yosuke Yamada (1:04:49) and Junpei Hoshi (1:05:29).
In the women’s PTS2 category, Yukako Hata (1:24:46) defeated fellow Japanese Asumi Yasuda (1:33:58) for the gold medal.
The other gold medalists were Kimura Jumpei (men’s PTWC), Mami Tani (women’s PTS4) and Riyo Kogama (women’s PTS5).
Meanwhile, four-time Paralympian Jiachao Wang of China ruled the men’s PTS4 category in 1:06:39.
Japanese Keiya Kaneko (1:12:30) placed second followed by Filipino Alex Silverio (1:15:55) in the 750m swim (one lap), 20km bike (2 laps) and 5km run (2 laps) competition organized by Triathlon Philippines (TriPhil) in partnership with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) and sanctioned by the Asia Triathlon and World Triathlon.
The 32-year-old Wang from Kunming, Yunnan province finished the race trouble-free. His left arm was amputated after an accident when he was five.
“I’m happy to win. This is my first time to compete here, the weather is hot and humid,” said Wang, who won medals in the pool in three Paralympic Games before shifting to triathlon nine years ago.
After making his debut in Athens (2004), he scooped one silver (200m individual medley) and one bronze (400m freestyle) medals in Beijing (2008).
Wang captured the gold medal in the men’s 4x100m medley relay and got two silvers (4x100m individual medley and 4x100m freestyle relay) at the 2012 London Paralympics.
Wang, who placed fourth at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, has completed the World Triathlon Level 2 coach certification course in South Korea last May 23.
Despite his bronze medal performance, Silverio was satisfied.
“I did not expect a podium finish because there are many good athletes in my category,” said the 34-year-old native of Compostela town in Cebu. He continued to train right after winning the gold medal at the Subic Bay International Triathlon last month.
“I am so happy that I was able to get a medal now,” said Silverio, who also joined the 2018 edition of the Asia Triathlon Para Championships in Legazpi City, Albay.
Silverio, a gold medalist at the National Age Group Triathlon last February, is a member of the Talisay Luigi Triathlon Group (TLTG) Go For Gold Philippines team.
In the men’s PTS2 category, Filipino Edison Badilla (1:35:36) defeated compatriot Jake Lacaba (1:41:18).
South Korea’s Kim Hwang Tae (1:27:13) beat Filipino Raul Angoluan (1:31:31) in the men’s PTS3), while Kyrgysztan’s Aitunuk Zhoomart Kyzy (1:21:38) prevailed over compatriot Gulnaz Zhuzbaeva (1:23:25) in the women’s PTVI category of the event sponsored by Philippine Sports Commission, Pinay in Action, Asian Center for Insulation, Gatorade (official hydration), Standard Insurance and Western Guaranty Inc., and partners Subic Bay Travelers Hotel, CM Timing of Jay Cheng and Stat Med ambulance service.
Author Carlo Carrasco 