It is a hodgepodge day

Greetings, readers. I have a few things to talk about today. First up is the government shutdown. I know I don’t go for political opinions much, but I just have to put my two cents in on this topic. As far as I know, things like banks and the post office are still up and running. Hopefully they are deemed too important to be without. When I stop to think that we actually have a government that thinks it is perfectly okay to come to a screeching halt, leaving millions of people temporarily unemployed, not to mention leaving the Americans they serve high and dry, I wonder how these people slept at night. Do they have any sense of obligation and morals? Rebecca just told me that the FDA is all but shut down and I can only hope that there is some measure in place which will prevent dangerous drugs and unsafe food from being purchased.

On to another topic. I am still completely hung up on Madden25 football. I’m still tinkering with what they call sliders. When my running back gains nearly 3,200 yards in a season, I know it is way too easy. Somehow I will need to made an adjustment. But so far it is without a doubt the best sports simulation I’ve ever played. I know I said that about MLB13 baseball last March, but of course that’s the point, isn’t it? That every year these games and sports simulations just get better and more realistic. After I was done with Madden football last night, I turned on my Netflix streaming and to my happy amazement one of my favorite shows is back. It is Masterpiece Theater Classic’s Upstairs, Downstairs. I think I shall start at the beginning and watch one a night until I’ve seen them all.

On a personal note, the writer who doesn’t read very much actually found an author he loves. His name is Garry Disher, from Australia. I’m currently reading book one in the Hal Challis series, called The Dragon Man. I often found it ironic that I was a non-reader who wanted other people to read his writing. Well, if I can find a few more authors like Mr. Disher, I might become a reader after all.

Lastly, tomorrow is a big ouchy day for me. I’m having dental surgery, which is going to include the cutting of some gum tissue, to expose more of a damaged tooth so it can be worked on by another dentist. I was given a prescription for a rather powerful pain-killer and I’m not too happy about that. As I have told many of my friends, I am, “quite allergic to pain.” That is what is on my agenda tomorrow. I might ask Rebecca to come into the office at least for a little while, and if she wanted to put up a From Rebecca blog post, she will be more than welcome to do so.

So until soonest, hopefully I can speak normally on Friday without pain to dictate to Rebecca, take care, have a good couple of days, and happy reading.

Report on Madden25

Greetings, readers. It’s official. I am addicted to this game. After scrimping and saving for months, I was able to save up just enough to purchase Madden25 (the 25th anniversary of Madden) online via the Playstation store. Here is my report on this game and my rating.

Having not played the last two Madden versions, I did not know that they had switched their announcing team from Cris Collinsworth and Gus Johnson to Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. Sorry Cris and Gus, but Jim and Phil edge you out. That’s not to say that the old team didn’t bring style and class all their own. Now on to game play.

Madden25 has something called connected owner mode. It is simply fascinating. After one season of play, you can move a team, there are seventeen cities to choose from, and change the team name or keep it the same. There are usually three or four team names to choose from. For instance, the Rams could go back to Los Angeles or become the LA Aftershocks. Other cool team names are the Toronto Thunderbirds and the London Black Knights.

As always, you can adjust how many minutes per period you play and the skill levels. Even though I am using what they call custom sliders, I’m still winning rather easily. My made-up team the Portland Lumberjacks (I moved the Rams to Portland) are 8-3. Next season I will probably increase the difficulty level. As you know I am a glutton for punishment. My next season test will be to move a team to Barcelona and choose one of their two or three name choices. I’ve had the game two weeks now and I’m still learning. Such fun.

Now to the very slight negatives of this game. Sorry Mr. Simms but I gotta tell you that even though your commentary is excellent, I have two criticisms. And I don’t know whose fault they are. Number one I suppose is the developer’s fault for making a lot of your commentary way too repetitive. Second, I’m not sure if you do this in real life, but they have made you a very negative and picky broadcaster. When I say out loud to the TV screen, “Oh, shut up, Phil,” I know I’ve heard one of your picky comments, such as, “That’s just a bad play call by the offense,” too many times.

Other than the commentary being a bit too repetitive, this is probably one of the best video games I’ve ever gotten my hands on. As some of you know, I am a MLB TheShow baseball nut and Madden25 made me shelve the baseball game mid-season. As with all addictive personalities, the newness from this game will wear off, and I’m sure I won’t play it quite as much in the weeks and months to come.

Now for the four final grades.

Gameplay: A+

Commentary: B-  (The sideline reporter, Danielle Bellini is a definite highlight.)

Ease of Game Play: B+ (The verdict is still out on this one, for I am still experimenting.)

Other intangibles, such as ambiance and team movement: A+

Final rating: A- (A good solid 9.75)

Ok folks, let the debate begin and please do chime in with comments if you wish. I will respond.

Until next week, have a good weekend, take care, and happy reading.