Monthly Archives: September 2022
Ranking Whomp’s Fortress Stars!
Today we will be ranking the 7 stars of Whomp’s Fortress. Remember, we base this off of fun factor with a mix of iconicness. I tend to value things like exploring the level and fun tricks more so than degree of ease or difficulty. With that in mind, let’s rank em.
This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn commission through these links at no additional cost to you.
#7 Blast Away the Wall- This was an easy one. Some people may rate this higher for its pivotal role in speed runs, but I don’t care for this star. I should take a minute to add that this is one of the most notorious stars in Mario 64 history. It may seem pretty simple at first. Hop into the cannon and, well, blast away that wall. But Speed runners found a way to clip through the wall, obtaining the star cannonless. This became an early barrier to entry into speed running Super Mario 64. Your run often henged on hitting cannonless first try. As a kid, this star was iconic in my mind for being one I had to google. How was a 6 year old suppose to find this star? As a kid, I thought this was such a cool star. As an adult, it is just kind of boring.
#6 Fall Into the Cage– The first star we’ve come across that I actively don’t like. The owl mechanic seemed so cool on paper. But this star would absolutely drain me sometimes. Especially if I haven’t played in awhile. This star has accounted for so many deaths it is not funny. As it doesn’t take missing by much to fall to your death. Once you get the hang of the owl, this is a pretty neat star. And it can be done fairly quickly for what that’s worth.
#5 100 Coin Star- I typically go to bat for the 100 coin stars. And I do think this one is pretty good. However, this is the first level to introduce insta death. Which means as you are ascending the level and inching closer to that 100th coin, death is always a misclick away. I like it, but for that, I got to drop it a bit.
#4 Shoot into the Wild Blue- This star confused me as a kid. As I thought you literally had to shoot off the map. I also was not good with the cannons. After countless misfires, my brother and I tried so many different ways to get this star including trying to drop from above to it. I don’t remember when we discovered wall jumping, but that is exclusively how I get this star now. As I still don’t trust those cannons.
#3 Chip Off of Whomp’s Block- Just as I go to bat for the 100 coin stars, I tend to not like many of the boss fights in Mario 64. They’re fine for the time, but they are easily one of the least favorite parts about the game. Whomp is no different. He’s just a variation of King Bomb Omb. The phasing glitch makes him one of the easiest bosses, too. So why is this #3. It’s because, which is a common theme with boss fights in this game, it encourages you to explore the whole map. The next two stars have even more to explore and aren’t derailed by a boss fight. So Whomp sits here at 3.
#2 Red Coins on the Floating Isle- There’s two things that bug me about this star. First, the floating isles are not unlocked immediately. This means if you are someone who likes to get 100 coins first, thus getting the 8 red coins, you really can’t. But you can still get like 5 before you learn about the isles and have to do it all over again later. Secondly, I think only 3 of the coins are found on the isles. What kind of false advertising is this? Outside of that, this a fun level to explore and the isles were always a neat section to me. Wish they had just embraced the name and made the section bigger with all 8 coins.
#1 To the Top of the Fortress- If you know me, you probably knew this was number 1. I still cannot explain where the tower came from, but this is one of my favorite stars in the game. Koopa the Quick in Stage 1 took a bit of a hit for ultimately feeling like a rehash of the previous star. TtTotF adds on to its former star by adding a small new obstacle, the tower. It too, is not dragged down by the boss fight, meaning this star is more platforming bliss. I could see either this or the 8 red coins being my favorite. But the Tower always stood out to me. As an adult I wish they would have expanded both the Tower and Isles. Either way, The Tower takes my #1 Star.
Whomp’s Fortress was never my favorite, but the level was fun in the way it moved upward. It never felt like it had the same sandbox energy as Bomb-Omb Batflefield, but it does have some neat sections and fun stars. So how would you have ranked all the stars?
Looking for a copy yourself? Find it on Amazon here!
Remember you can start your investment journey on Robinhood and we can both get free stocks! https://join.robinhood.com/wesleyh-69f6fa
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
My NFL Power Rankings as of September 28th, 2022.
Alright. This wacky year of NFL where no one is safe continues. Giants and Lions sat outside my top 10 last week and each choked away games they probably should have won. The Chiefs and Bills lost but that was nothing compared to what the Cardinals and Chargers went through. Here’s my Top 10 heading into week 4.
#10 Jaguars- Boy, oh boy. Jaguars were a popular dark horse heading into the year. T-Law was expected to make the leap in his sophomore season behind a new coaching staff. I get that. What I didn’t see happening was two fold. A. Them to blow the Colts and Chargers out. B. For the AFC South to be awful like this. Colts and Titans were suppose to be competing all season for that division. The Titans were the #1 seed last year and the Colts were a mistake free QB away from the wildcard. All this while the Jags were the worst franchise in the NFL last year. What a difference one year makes.
#9 Buccaneers- This defense might keep them in the top 10 long enough to get their offensive playmakers back. I do believe a healthy Buccaneers team will be one of the ten best teams at the end of the season. However, there is no denying that this team is extremely beatable in the meantime. The Bucs play the Chiefs next week. If that game gets ugly, Buccaneers could be out next week. Brady and this defense are going to try to keep the cannons firing though.
#8 Packers- This was a big win for the Packers. There’s no denying that. Both teams entered banged up and the Packers escaped with the W. This puts them firmly ahead of the Bucs for now, while slightly behind the Vikings. At the end of the day though, there’s not too much more to add. Like the Bucs and Chargers (and I’m sure a few more teams), they need to get it together and get healthy by post season.
#7 Vikings– Things were dicey there for 3 and half quarters, but the Vikes avoided being the Yikes. Week 1’s thrashing of the Packers seems like a whole season ago at this point. As they followed that victory up with getting embarrassed by the Eagles on Monday night. Than again, by trailing the rebuilding Lions for 80% of the game. There are definitely some 2-1 teams getting better each week that are nipping at a top 10 spot (such as Cleveland), that would love for 1 more uninspired game. All that said, they are worthy of the 7 spot. They beat fellow top 10 team in the Packers, and extinguished the Lions fire, who was America’s sweetheart. Their only lose was to the Eagles who are out here stomping everyone.
#6 Rams- Standing right outside the top 5 are the Rams. They had one of the better wins pulling away from the Cardinals. Which is good as they have looked Superbowl hung over prior to this weekend. They play the 49ers, which could be a statement game. With the Bill’s and Ravens facing each other this weekend, The Rams could jump in the top 5 with a clean victory.
#5 Ravens- Well, the Ravens have as good an argument for #1 as about any team on this list. People seemed to forgive the loss to the Dolphins due to defensive injuries. This is the NFL though. Last year, the Ravens were beating people with their 3rd string QB. They were a defensive meltdown away from being the number one team in the league. I can’t make excuses either because you have Lamar, everybody’s MVP favorite right now. Run the clock and get out of there. Lamar continued to shine against the Patriots. If he destroys the Bills, the Ravens could have a claim as the number 1 next week. Remember, win and all is forgiven.
#4 Chiefs– I told you guys with a loss they wouldn’t fall out of the top 5. Now, if they lose at the Buccaneers this weekend it could be a different story. I’m still not sure how you lose to the Colts, but I’m gonna say that was there one stinker and they get right this weekend. Otherwise we will see how far they fall. As, in hindsight, their close win against the Chargers might have been more telling then we realized.
#3 Bills- For two weeks in a row, people disrespect the Dolphins. Again, I’m not making excuses for the losing team here. The Bill’s had the ball for 40 minutes and even got a safety. I continue to hear that the Dolphins beat another banged up secondary. Which has some merit, but why couldn’t this Bills high powered offense score more than 19? The Dolphins only scored 21. Josh Allen should get 22 on a bad day. The Bill’s and Ravens are set to square off in the Excuse Bowl next week. The winner moves into top 3 if not higher. Should be an awesome game.
#2 Dolphins- I’ll be the one person to give Tua and the Dolphins some darn respect. They beat arguably the two best teams in the league. Sure there were injuries and its still early in the season. But for ranking purposes, we have to respect the results. They do not look as dominant as the Eagles, but their wins are easily the best of anyone this season. I know if they lose the press will come after them, so I’m going to let them enjoy it while it last. Fins up, baby.
#1 Eagles- I wish the Eagles and Dolphins could play each other this week to settle things. This was a hotly contested argument in my head. I almost went Dolphins, again off of their wins. Everyone I have talked to says Eagles for #1. At the end of the day, if they did play tomorrow, I would go Eagles. The Eagles really need to start facing some tough opponents though. This matchup against Jacksonville should give up a better picture.
My AP Top 10 Today! September 25th, 2022
This week delivered us two losses to top 10 teams so we have some shake ups. Florida State and Kansas remain unbeaten and look to sneak into the rankings. Wake Forest and Florida hope their close showings against Clemson and Tennessee are enough to stay ranked. While Oklahoma and Arkansas pray for mercy after nail-biting losses. Let’s break down our new top 10!
#1 Georgia- I really wanted to be a prisoner of the moment and have Ohio State ascend to #1, but I couldn’t. Georgia had the weakest showing of the top 3 for once. It still resulted in a double digit victory, but they let Kent State have a pulse for way too long.
#2 Ohio State- This game was never close. Ohio State was up 14-0 before I had a chance to blink. Wisconsin tried to make it respectable but that is a tough task. Week 1’s slugfest with Notre Dame is looking like a fluke more and more. I know people will probably keep Alabama at two after thrashing Vanderbilt. I said last week this debate would rage on all season, and both teams looked darn good this Saturday.
#3 Alabama- Hard to rag on them too bad for beating up Vandy, as Vandy had the best record of any team they’ve played this season. Still, it’s hard to say if they’ve truly cleaned up both sides of the ball when roughing up perpetual bottom feeders. We will learn a lot about Alabama as they get into the thick of their SEC schedule.
#4 Clemson- Here we are. Clemson has been on the outside looking in for the top 4 all season. This weekend really helped push the top 3 versus the field narrative. As no one outside of the top 3 looked that good. Still Clemson had to handle some real adversity, as they were down late on the road to a QB that could sling it. It’s hard too imagine them moving much higher than this without one of the big 3 losing. And a QB switch might not solve their problems. DJ played solid, but the defense gave up big play after big play. And then there’s the over 100 penalty yards. Those need to be cleaned up quickly.
#5 Michigan- We thought there was a chance Michigan could end up in a dog fight with Maryland and we got it. The Wolverines managed to pull away late, but Maryland cut it back to one score. Michigan is probably better for the near death experience, though. Up to this point they had yet to be tested. Their previous opponent’s only had 1 combined win.
#6 Tennessee– Call it a hot take or click bait if you must. But the teams that were ahead of them just didn’t not feel me with confidence. Now, you could just as easily move Kentucky to 6 on account of their game with Florida wasn’t nearly as close as Tennessee’s was. Still, I don’t think Kentucky looked great this weekend. Tennessee can now brag about their wins over Pitt and Florida.
#7 Oklahoma State– Oklahoma State gets the benefit of being on bye this week. As a result, there’s no chance to sky rocket up or plummet down the rankings. We will learn more when a potential top 15 matchup takes them to a tough Baylor team.
#8 USC- We were almost given the double upset special. Oklahoma failed to pull off their comeback, while USC fended off a tricky Oregon State team. As a result, USC could go 1 of 2 ways in the official rankings. Move to number 6, jumping OU, or, fall a little for narrowly escaping. I’m parking them here at 8 and seeing how they regroup.
#9 Kentucky- Kentucky has played 1 inspired game of football up to this point. That was against Florida. If you get up to face all your difficult teams, but then cruise control past lesser opponents, I will get nervous. I could possibly be overreacting. The poll could squarely rank them higher than this.
#10 NC State– Number 10 is the spot I’m more curious about. Oklahoma and Arkansas both lost close games, so I don’t think either fall from the top 20. Arkansas lost a game they had in total control. Meanwhile at Oklahoma, you don’t expect them to give up that many penalty yards again, especially not at home. Back to NC State I was quick to write them off after a 1 point victory over ECU. However, they’ve quietly turned it around these last 3 weeks. Now, that win over Texas Tech finally looks a little better. That’s why I have NC State at #10.
I think Oklahoma and Arkansas will remain top 20 teams (as the teams below them all made pushes to move into the top 15). I vote to keep Wake Forest in at #25. We should boot out Miami and Texas and move Kansas and Florida State into the top 25.
Remember you can start your investment journey on Robinhood and we can both get free stocks! https://join.robinhood.com/wesleyh-69f6fa
My New Comic Picks Ups September 21st, 2022.
Hey guys, Jessica and I picked up 9 comics this week. Let’s take a look at em.
The comics are as followed: Vanish, Teen Titans Bloodpact, Usagi Yojimbo, Harley Quinn 30th Anniversary Special Artgerm Variant, Edge of Spider-Verse #4, DC Vs Vampires All Out War, Titans United: Blood Pact Chew Variant, Poison Ivy 4 Frison Variant and Radiant Black.
DC provided many good cover buys this week while one of my favorite characters, Usagi Yojimbo, continues his adventure. Two new number 1s hit shelves this week in Teen Titans and Vanish.
So, by all accounts, this was another awesome week in comics, guys. What all did you guys pick up and what are you reading? Let me know in the comments. Thanks so much for reading guys!
Remember you can start your investment journey on Robinhood and we can both get free stocks! https://join.robinhood.com/wesleyh-69f6fa
My NFL Top 10 Power Rankings as of September 20th, 2022!
Typically I like to wait a few weeks before making my list, but so much excitement happened I felt obligated to make this Power Rankings! So here’s my top 10 NFL teams. Also, check out my college rankings when you are done with this post.
#10 Cardinals- A majority of the league is 1-1 meaning competition for the number 10 spot was intense. I’m not sure if I’m in the minority about the Cardinals or not here. However, Murray proved he can be an elite QB when needed. The NFC is wide open. Hopkins comes back in a month or so. And the West doesn’t look that great. The NFC can be there’s for the taking.
#9 Vikings- I firmly believe in my top 8, my last two leave a lot to be desired though. If I had made this list in Week 1, Vikings would be near my top 5 and my 3 Seed in the NFC. A week later and Cousins proved he is just not that guy when the lights are on. I doubt they’ll face a corner nearly as good as Slay anytime soon. This means I am projecting the Vikings to bounce back and probably settle for the 4 Seed now. Their date with the Lions could cost them so serious ground if they trip up next week.
#8 Rams- This morning they were my 6. As the day has gone on, I’ve dropped them a little. They got embarrassed by the Bills to start the season and didn’t exactly gain confidence in the 2nd half of the Falcons game. They need a good showing for 4 quarters here soon. They get the benefit of the doubt as super bowl champions.
#7 Ravens- I think the Ravens can still compete for the 1 Seed in the AFC but that Fourth quarter against the Dolphins was rough. Will the Ravens defense get it going as the season goes on? We will see. The offense should remain fine.
#6 Dolphins- September 25th cannot come soon enough! The Dolphins will host the Bill’s this week in a game that should be pretty telling. One more electric week and there will be no denying them a top 5 spot.
#5 Chargers- I’m extremely bullish on the Chargers this season. However, this early start is going to be a slog. They just aren’t healthy. Their run game is underdeveloped for now. And miraculously, if they had just slowed down a bit, Herbert never throws a pick six. If the Chargers sealed their week 2 fate with a win, we would be talking about them as the number 2 team. For now, we wait. Their next 6 opponent’s are Jags, Texans, Browns, Broncos, Seahawks and Falcons. I’m expecting a 5-1 run, 4-2 at worse before the season cranks up the difficulty.
#4 Eagles- Eagles are going neck to neck with the Bucs for the number 1 NFC team. It’s a close race through 2 weeks. If Hurts continued to develop, I’ll take the Eagles. If the Bucs offense finally gets clicking, I’ll take the Bucs. Will we have a better answer next week? Maybe.
#3 Buccaneers– Truthfully, Eagles are my number 1 for the NFC, but if I bet against Brady he will go and win another Super Bowl. I refuse to be the motivation for Brady winning another one. With all of that said, their offense is lack luster but their defense has been one of the best so far. It almost seems as if the Bucs vs Packers is going to be a slapping match this year.
#2 Chiefs- This debate will probably be a 2 headed race all year. I would give the substance edge to the Chiefs. They beat the Cardinals and the Chargers, two teams in my top 10 list. I have to take off some points considering they had no business beating the Chargers. Herbert just cannot get over the Mahomes Wall, a feat only Brady and Burrow have done so far.
# Bills- Bills get the nod for the way they are dismantling people. Titans look well on their way to a top 5 pick this year, true. However, they embarrassed the Rams on opening day. These two teams are so good that even a lose or two between now and their matchup in October probably won’t knock them out of the top 10.
So right now I think Chiefs and Bills are the best of the AFC with the Ravens and Chargers trying to catch up. The NFC looks like it’s the Bucs to lose but Eagles could make it interesting. Shout out to the Lions and Giants for making strong cases, too. Lions take on Vikings and Giants take on Cowboys. Each of them competing to Crack the top 10 next week!
My AP Poll Today! September 18th, 2022!
Week 3 is behind us now. It was easily one of the most boring weeks for upsets in recent memories. A few teams got pushed (Kansas, Notre Dame, Texas, Arkansas Wake Forest and Florida), but ultimately I think only three ranked teams lost, and two of them lost to ranked opponents ( BYU and Miami), leaving Michigan State as the true disappointment of the weekend.
#1 Georgia- Theres nothing to add here. Their signature win against Oregon got a lot better. They added their first SEC win of the season to their resume and that game was never close.
#2 Ohio State- Ohio State and Alabama will probably be a debate for a while. Alabama will get chances at some ranked opponents, though the West looks pretty up and down so far, while Ohio State is hoping Michigan and Penn State remain in the top 10 in order to get some quality wins.
#3 Alabama- Alabama will remain #2 in the official AP Poll, I’m sure. But until Alabam Crushes a real opponent, I’ve got to sit them here at #3. There’s enough doubt around an Alabama team for once. You could make the argument for them at #5, but the #1 philosophy of college football is don’t bet against Saban. So I’ll park them at #3.
#4 Michigan- Truthfully, Michigan is my #2 right now. They just lack a quality win. But they’re the only team outside of Georgia that has showed zero flaws or concerns through 3 weeks. If they scheduled a tougher out of conference schedule, this would be a lot easier.
#5 Clemson- Clemson, to me, is like Oklahoma this year. I’m just not sure how good they are this year. The ACC has some tricky teams now in Florida State and NC State and maybe Wake Forest. So there’s chances to get some quality wins.
#6 USC- I really think people don’t know where to put USC. Their matchup with Oregon got a lot of luster back after Oregon dominated BYU. Washington also could be a sneaky good game. Still their offense can probably carry them to a ten win season at this pace.
#7 Oklahoma- The win at Nebraska was much needed. Nebraska had nothing to lose with this being their interims coach’s first game. The game was at Nebraska. And this is one of the most historic rivalries in the sport. Nebraska came out hungry, but ultimately OU was up 6 touchdowns in the 3rd, thus calling off the ponys. It was a dominating performance of a power 5 opponent OU desperately needed early in BV’s career.
#8 Oklahoma State- I’ve felt like, for the most part this season, Oklahoma State is probably the best team in the Big 12. But really, it is hard to take anything away from a 63-7 curbstomping of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. But hey, at least they handled business.
#9 Kentucky- Newcomer to the top 10, Kentucky took care of their FCS Opponent Youngstown State with ease. Shutting out the Penguins 31-0.
#10 Arkansas- By my estimation, Arkansas is the Lone team is danger of getting kicked out of the top 10. My money is on that they will stay here though. They struggled to Missouri State, losing for most of that game. Not a great look for a top 10 team. Luckily for them teams #11 (Michigan State) #12 (BYU) both got dismantled this weekend, while #13 Miami lost a weird one to Texas A and M. So Kentucky looks safe. I don’t think #14 Utah has the resume to jump all the way to 10. That leaves Tennessee has the only real threat to their top 10 placing.
Though it was a boring week, theres still some interesting things to keep our eyes out for. Do Florida State, LSU, Washington and Kansas finally Crack the top 25? Where do Oregon and BYU relocate to? Do Michigan State and Wake Forest fall out of the top 25 with their uninspired performances? That, to me, are the things to watch this week.
Remember you can start your investment journey on Robinhood and we can both get free stocks! https://join.robinhood.com/wesleyh-69f6fa
My AP Top 10 Today! College Football Predictions!
For some reason this post never published. I’m going to publish it, then immediately start working on this weeks, September 18th, 2022.
Week 2 is in the books. This means it’s time for my top 10. Now I say predictions, but I would be surprised if this is exactly how it shakes out. Truthfully, this is just how I feel about things. Be sure to check the actual AP website for the official Top 25.
#1 Georgia- Through 2 weeks Georgia appears to be the clear favorite. They landed the signature win over previously number #11 Oregon. They then followed that up by cruising past Samson with a shutout.
#2 Ohio State- On one hand, OSUs slow start against Notre Dame looks worse considering Notre Dame went out and wet the bed. However, they did pull away in the end, which is more than Alabama can say about Texas.
#3 Alabama- For once in recent memory, Alabama looked very flustered. A lot of that was that Texas home field advantage. I lost count of how many penalties Alabama got. They did manage to win by 1 point, which was beyond close when you factor in that Alabama escaped a would be safety and Texas missed a close up field goal. The good news is the West looks down this year.
#4 Michigan- Michigan has looked in total control this year. They’ve stomped both opponent’s handily, but they haven’t played anyone of substance, which the top 3 can all say they’ve had a tougher schedule up to this point. With that said, they look like a top 4 team so far.
#5 Clemson- Clemson is suffering the same fate as Michigan, only they haven’t looked nearly as dominant yet. Still 2-0 counts for something after how brutal last week was.
#6 USC- We will see if the hype in South California is real as the season goes on. For now, they look like a potential candidate for best offense this season. An impressive showing in back to back weeks and a bevy of upsets allow the Trojans to keep jumping in the rankings.
#7 Oklahoma- We all expected a slow down from the offense this year, but the defense seems to be improving. Still it will be hard to guage where this team truly is until conference play. Suddenly Baylor looks worse while Texas looks infinitely better than anyone could have guessed.
#8 Oklahoma State- Oklahoma State found themselves in a shoot out last week, which hurt their perception. Still, they tightened that side of the ball up and got a nice 34-17 win this weekend.
#9 Michigan State- Number 9 is where I start to get less confident in my picks. There is a mountain of bodies this week with 3 top 10 teams, and at least 1 more of ahead of MSU, all losing this week. Nevertheless, I’m putting Michigan State here for their dominant performance this weekend.
#10 Arkansas- Arkansas took care of a fellow SEC team, South Carolina. Admittedly my eyes were glued to Texas/Alabama in this time slot, but they did manage to pull out a double digit win, which counts for something.
I’m very interested to see where some teams lands following one of the craziest week 2s of recent memory. Notre Dame is probably out of my top 25, even if the AP Poll leaves them in. Texas A and M could slide to #10, a move I believe is likely if Miami slides in the top 10. This is to ensure a top 10 match up for next week. I don’t think Utah should move in the top 10 considering they have that 1 loss. And that loss was to Florida, who turned around and also lost. I know Tennessee and Kentucky will be big movers, but I’m not sure they will crack the top 10. BYU will also move into the top 15 if I had to guess.
Remember you can start your investment journey on Robinhood and we can both get free stocks! https://join.robinhood.com/wesleyh-69f6fa
Da_Hubbz 