Midnight Snacking: Doritos Late Night: All Nighter Cheeseburger

I originally wrote this back in 2010.....and never "published" it on the site.  After going back over some older stuff, I've decided to release it.  To the best of my knowledge, the Dorito's Late Night flavors are no longer available.....but it's still a fun little junk food review.  I went back in and made a few tweaks, but in essence it's the same article.

While on a recent jaunt to Wal*Mart to pick up some supplies for the Midnight Cinema Barn of Doom, I noticed a large Doritos Floor Display (Hereby known as the DFD for the rest of the article....should I mention it again....you'll know what that is!).  Amongst the regular line-up of tasty artery clogging flavors, I notice some new bags.  Late Night.  Ooooh....I stay up late at night!  Neon lights!  Yes!  I love the 80's!  Let's see now....what have we got for flavors......Tacos at Midnight.....interesting, though I've had taco flavored chips before.  Last call Jalepino Poppers.....sounds a little too spicy for me.  All Nighter Cheeseburger.  WHAT?  I LOVE CHEESEBURGERS!!!!!!!!  But seriously, how is that going to taste in chip form?

In a word:  Great.

The bag is absolutely awesome as well.  I don't know exactly what it is....the neon sign, the color scheme...I dunno...something just screams BUY ME!  Oh yeah, and I've heard that after you eat all yer chips, you can put the inside of the bag up to a webcam and if you go on the doritos website there's a way to put a concert in your bag.  I don't know exactly what that means yet.....but I'll do some research and let y'all know!  *I never did try this*

I love it.  I'm not going to lie, I opened the bag with great trepidation....but once I stuck that triangle of goodness in my mouth, I was instantly transported to summer's day. *insert flashback/daydream here*  Dad has the BBQ fired up and is making his famous burgers.  Delicious dead cow meat topped with grilled onions, sauteed mushrooms, cheese, ketchup, mustard, mayo......and of course a side of Doritos (usually cheddar or ranch).  *End flashback/daydream*

Why the daydream you ask?  Because these chips taste exactly like the chips that got soaked in beef juice and condoments.  Those soggy little guys were so tasty.  Sure I probably love these because of the nostalgia factor, but I'm okay with that.

If you wanna try something new and crave some cheeseburgers, give these a shot!  *If you can still manage to find a bag that is!*

The Movie Monster Game

The Movie Monster Game

Commodore 64

Epyx: 1986

1 Player

Back when I was about knee high to an artichoke, my father bought our family's first home computer:  The Commodore 64.  My only experience with computers before this was the Atari 2600.  Now, I love me some Atari, but THIS.....this was something special indeed.  64K of RAM!   In the immortal words of Joey Lawrence....WHOA!


It didn't take me long to start compiling a large catalog of games.  There have been MANY favorites (of which you can be sure I will write about!) but there was a certain appeal that The Movie Monster Game had......perhaps it was the fact that I could now control 8-Bit incarnations of some truly awesome monsters, including the King of all Kaiju's.....GODZILLA!   Forget King of the Monsters, forget Nintendo's Godzilla.....you want oldschool Kaiju action?  Check out TMMG.   

Now back in the day, games weren't slick and streamlined like they are now.  There were no CD-ROMS and load times took what seemed like forever.  Back in the day, in the time that it took to load a game, you could order a pizza, have it delivered, have dinner and STLL have to wait about ten minutes!   Okay....perhaps that's a little exaggerated, but you get the idea.  Anyway, my point is that some companies tried to be creative in finding ways to keep you occupied whilst waiting for your game to load.  Epyx, did it best with this game.  The load screen was the inside of a movie theater and while the game was loading, it would show "trailers" for upcoming games.  Granted the trailers were actually just a picture, but still, it was a cool little slide show.  

Now, onto the good stuff!  The game allows you to select from a variety of Monsters: 

 Godzilla (The King of the Monsters....YEAH!)

 Spectra (a giant mosquito/wasp)

 The Glog (Big green blob with crimson red peepers....he was awesome!)

 Tarantus (giant spider....)

 Mr. Meringue (The Stay Puft Marshmellow Man's cousin....)

 Mechatron (the token giant robot)

You could also select which city you wanted to decimate, including:

New York, London, Paris, Tokyo, Moscow

And as if that wasn't enough, you actually could select differnt storyline/missions:

Escape - simple enough to understand....get your ass our of dodge!

Lunchtime - Again, no surprises here....mangia!

Landmark - destroy a city's famous landmark!

Search - Being a kaiju and a parent is hard work....apparently you've managed to lose your young one, so start searchin' the town!

The mechanics of the game itself are quite simple.  Walk around town, use your special power (radiactive breath, spit goo, laser beam, etc) destroy buildings, army tanks, jets, helicopters and soldiers.  The view is a slightly isometric, giving a nice 3D feel to the game.  Depending on whether you complete your mission or are defeated you will get various ending screens.  This game isn't easy by any stretch of the imagination, so you'll get a chance to see PLENTY of these closing screens.  The good news is that the next monster movie is always ready to go, just awaiting your selection.

The instruction manual was also pretty great because it gave a listing and synopsis of movies that were inspiration for this game.  

If you wanna try some great retro kaiju fun, then get yerself a Commodore 64 and a copy of MMG off of E-bay.   Or download an emulator.  You can find this game for download on a few different sites including my favorite:    http://www.lemon64.com/

This is a great game for a lazy, rainy sunday afternoon.  Best played with a friend, a bottle of soda and some popcorn or candy!  

Welcome!

Welcome.  I see that you have found your way through to my lair.  Please make yourself at home here at Castle Vestron, and feel free to explore my labyrinthian domain.  From the highest spires to the darkest dungeons, there will be much to explore!  From retro gaming, toys of yesteryear and classic films, to the latest next gen console releases, new movie reviews and everything in between.  


The Castle is nestled deep in the heart of the Island of Geek, which I'm sure you already know.....and since it doesn't look like a rescue party is coming anytime soon to pick you up, you might as well stay awhile!  Make yourself at home, grab a soda and a handfull of pizza rolls and explore!


Enjoy.......