Adam Wallace
Bio
I put up pieces here when I can, mainly about games and movies. I'm also writing movies, writing a children's book & hosting the gaming channel "Cool Media" on YouTube! Enjoy & find me on Twitter!
Achievements (1)
Stories (140/0)
Added Value: 10 Great Achievement Lists
Hello, and welcome back to Silver Linings where I pop up the maligned, forgotten, and ignored. When the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, one of the features that raised eyebrows was the concept of Achievements. Basically a set of merit badges that can be unlocked for completing various in-game tasks named by the games' developers and saved to gamer profiles for display, gamers were initially puzzled, and the competition was initially dismissive. However, those little meta-rewards caught on so effectively that it actually hurt Sony and their Playstation 3. The original Assassin's Creed sold far better on the Xbox 360 despite the PS3 version being technically superior because of the GamerPoints that can get on GamerCards, and other multiplatform games fared the same way. Within a couple of years, Sony had their similar Trophies system running, and Steam was putting Achievements into PC games.
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Gamers
Mission BBQ—Thanking Vets with Brisket
Hello, and welcome back to Local Flavors where I find new dining experiences in the Nashville area. Now, originally I didn't intend to cover chains in this column. It was supposed to be about spotlighting little-known spots that could be missed, similar to the purpose of my Second Chances series. However, I do feel it worth talking about the Mission BBQ chain for three important reasons:
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Feast
My All-Time Favorite Movies: #40-21
This month is my 40th birthday. Whenever my birthday comes up, I always want to do something big. Since I had already chosen my favorite songs and my favorite video games, the most logical choice was to count down my favorite movies of all-time. Despite it being the most logical idea, it was also the most intimidating. I've seen hundreds of movies of every type over the decades I've been breathing. How the hell can I possibly narrow that down to 40, let alone rank them?
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Geeks
'Evangelion' — An End to Forget
I missed out on a lot of anime growing up. I just didn't have the means to go running out to Suncoast or Media Play on a regular basis nor did I have regular access to "Toonami" on Cartoon Network. However, these days, thanks to eBay and various streaming services, I have been getting up to speed on many of the most well-known anime of the last forty years.
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Geeks
'Mr. Destiny'—It's Another Wonderful Life
Hello, and welcome back to Second Chances where I give the maligned and forgotten another shot at the spotlight. As I write this, Christmas was three days ago. Though a lot of various things have become commonplace at Christmas over the years, one movie that has become traditional for people to watch every year is Frank Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life. The story of a man discovering how he touched the lives of many is the very definition of inspirational. Needless to say, such a popular and universal message is ripe for copying, and there have been tons of copycats over the years. Even Married... With Children spoofed it back in 1989. However, my favorite take on the idea is a mostly forgotten 1990 comedy-drama called Mr. Destiny.
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Geeks
For the Weirdos: 12 Non-Traditional Christmas Movies
Hello, and welcome back to Silver Linings where I shower gifts of attention on the maligned, forgotten, and ignored. It's Christmastime again, and I love digging into my movie collection. While I do enjoy some of the season's staples like Miracle on 34th Street and A Charlie Brown Christmas, I do find myself aching for something different. I established last year that I'm not really a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas media, seeing as I talked about Christmas games, joke songs, and obscure foreign language films. However, it goes further than that.
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Geeks
20 Razzie Picks Worth Watching
Hello, and welcome back to Silver Linings where the unfairly maligned is always welcome. I am not a film snob. Even though I do take a look at critics' opinions about a movie, I don't take it as gospel. The same thing applies when it comes to the award contenders. I can think of plenty of Oscar-winning movies that I can't stand. On the flip side, there are the Golden Raspberry Awards. The Razzies, which are given the night before the Academy Awards every year, to "honor" the worst movies of the year. It's often tasteless, prone to going after easy targets, and a laugh riot.
By Adam Wallace5 years ago in Geeks