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An Ode to Code Redd Net
A Concise History of Code Redd Net
And if you didn't already know, take a look at the Code Redd Net Awards. They're subjective, of course, but wonderfully so.
Showing posts with label Tenth Anniversary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tenth Anniversary. Show all posts
Friday, November 9, 2012
Happy Birthday, Code Redd Net
An Ode to Code Redd Net
A Concise History of Code Redd Net
And if you didn't already know, take a look at the Code Redd Net Awards. They're subjective, of course, but wonderfully so.
Monday, January 30, 2012
A Hip Hop Primer, Thanks to Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy (1999)
I've been playing a whole lot of Skate 2 for my 360 lately, and as much as I love that game (and I certainly do), the abundance of Thrasher Magazine references reminds me of that other skateboarding game I cherish, Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy for the PS1. There are many, many reasons to love Thrasher, but perhaps most of all, I love the soundtrack. Which reminds me, coincidentally enough, that though Thrasher was quite deservedly nominated for Best PS1 Game at the inaugural Code Redd Net Awards (losing, as fate would have it, to another seminal skateboarder), it clearly should have been rewarded for its fantastic beats alone. So, without further ado, allow me to present Thrasher with an honorary CRN Award for Best Game Soundtrack. Congratulations to all parties involved. Here's your prize:
If you're interested, this gentleman has kindly put together a list of all the funky beats and old school classics in the game. You would do well to search them out.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
A Concise History of Code Redd Net
It all began on November 8, 2001, or thereabouts. Originally known as Code Redd.net, what was to become the Code Redd Net of today started innocently in ChickenMan’s basement during one of our marathon Saturday afternoon/evening gaming sessions. I had some experience in writing reviews for GameFAQs (my output during this time consisted of this charming piece) and my own personal sites (which I started up and dropped at an alarming pace and which, thank goodness, have long since ceased to exist). I suggested we start up a Geocities page and play around with its Pagebuilder feature, which required absolutely no knowledge of that tedious thing called HTML. All we needed was a name. I believe we bandied about a few ideas first before we decided upon our unusual moniker. Now, the exact details are fuzzy in my mind, but I do know that we took our name from the new (at the time, anyway) flavor of Mountain Dew, Code Red. As far as I can remember, our only justification for choosing that name was that were simply liked the soda a whole lot and we were strapped for ideas. Of course, to protect ourselves from litigation and brand confusion, however unlikely that seems now, we added an extra “d” to Redd. And that was that. We took on the aliases of Thrasher and ChickenMan to protect our loved ones from harassment or embarrassment, I suppose. Geocities.com/codreddsite was up and running, and slowly.
Reviews, always our bread and butter, were split between games and movies, though far more emphasis was placed on games than movies. Our first two reviews, Spy Hunter for PS2 and Rush Hour 2, have remained perennial favorites through a kind of affective blinding. In other words, our tastes have certainly matured beyond them, but we cannot untangle our memories from these objects. They stay with us no matter how much cultural education/exposure we receive, and that, I suppose, is in the very machinations of nostalgia, that’s how the phenomenon of mass culture works. Naturally, our reviews tended to cover only those things which we were interested enough in to rent or buy, hence the general scarcity of negative reviews (far as I can remember, we only scorched a few products, such as Die Another Day, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, Spy Hunter 2, and The Tuxedo). Our interaction with popular culture was limited to our tastes because we simply didn’t have the monies, connections, or inclinations to cover more items. I would argue, however, that this made our site more inclusive, more of an ultra-specific fan culture (which included our love for Jackie Chan, James Bond, Mr. T, Spider-Man, Sonic, and anything else we fond amusing or “cool”) which communicated with whatever audience we could muster by sheer enthusiasm, rather than by some notion of comprehensive “objectivity” espoused by the popular press. We had our tastes and we had to freedom to do as we pleased, and that was particularly pleasing to our younger selves.
Looking back now, though, for all of our inclusiveness, CRN was quite the ambitious undertaking for two doe-eyed middle-schoolers. We clearly tried to mimic the appearance of most game/movie review sites, and this was difficult because the Geocities Pagebuilder was a beast to handle back then. We also tried to provide many of the same services that they did – at one point, we had our Games and Movies pages (both of which were subdivided into Reviews and Previews), our Beats page, Staff pages, Opinions page, a News page, a Newsletter (and I have to wonder if we actually sent any newsletters out), a “Grillz” page (similar to Opinions, I suppose, but perhaps nastier in tone), Links, a Message Board, a Chat Room, and more. And not only that, we also branched out into “colonies” which aimed to exclusively cover Bond, Sonic, and Spider-Man topics. Our naïvely comprehensive approach strikes me as hilarious now, almost satirical. I wish we could say parody was our purpose, but we were earnestly trying to be a significant source of so-called “objective” commentary on media. Reading over our archives from those days, our earnestness is infectious rather than cloying.
When the original site was removed from Geocities following its closing in 2009, I nearly missed my chance to archive it. CRN was something which I had nearly forgotten about when I went to college. I made sure to let ChickenMan know about it, and we decided that a blog might be a nice way to continue on. College is a weird time for everyone. People change and move away, you make new friends and forget about others, and tastes/interests change immensely (fortunately, ChickenMan has stayed true to himself, though his insight has grown tremendously). No longer could ChickenMan and I spend our afternoons locked in a middle school keyboard lab (our “office” or “base of operations,” you might say) updating the site. Several states now separated us. Thankfully, the proliferation of digital technology made communication much easier and fluid across great distances, but it wasn’t until we had our respective degrees that we mobilized CRN once again.
Nostalgia does funny things to us, especially now, when our technology makes access to these fondly remembered products nearly instantaneous. You can download you memories now. It makes us fond for things which aren’t really “old,” or for things which didn’t interest us before (such as commercials and bad PS1 games). But if nostalgia has ever ringed true, CRN is as good an example as any other. And it moves beyond just remembering what once was; CRN has grown considerably, beyond a simple exercise in nostalgia. Our reviews have only gotten better, even though they share the same format (300 words or so of blocky, unorganized text, at my insistence), and we are far more prolific than ever before. We now review books as well, which, as ChickenMan has told me, seems like a strange fit in the CRN universe, and our extension into the social network has been nothing but a positive experience for us. We continue to grow our inclusive community.
When I look back at our old reviews, I often laugh at our prose, but not derisorily. I laugh joyfully at the words, or rather, between them. I can see the friendship which was the groundwork for CRN somewhere in the spaces. I hope this is visible to whatever readership we have or may have in the future. If it isn’t, and our readership is in fact nil, I know that this brand of nostalgia has served its purpose admirably.
Reviews, always our bread and butter, were split between games and movies, though far more emphasis was placed on games than movies. Our first two reviews, Spy Hunter for PS2 and Rush Hour 2, have remained perennial favorites through a kind of affective blinding. In other words, our tastes have certainly matured beyond them, but we cannot untangle our memories from these objects. They stay with us no matter how much cultural education/exposure we receive, and that, I suppose, is in the very machinations of nostalgia, that’s how the phenomenon of mass culture works. Naturally, our reviews tended to cover only those things which we were interested enough in to rent or buy, hence the general scarcity of negative reviews (far as I can remember, we only scorched a few products, such as Die Another Day, GoldenEye: Rogue Agent, Spy Hunter 2, and The Tuxedo). Our interaction with popular culture was limited to our tastes because we simply didn’t have the monies, connections, or inclinations to cover more items. I would argue, however, that this made our site more inclusive, more of an ultra-specific fan culture (which included our love for Jackie Chan, James Bond, Mr. T, Spider-Man, Sonic, and anything else we fond amusing or “cool”) which communicated with whatever audience we could muster by sheer enthusiasm, rather than by some notion of comprehensive “objectivity” espoused by the popular press. We had our tastes and we had to freedom to do as we pleased, and that was particularly pleasing to our younger selves.
Looking back now, though, for all of our inclusiveness, CRN was quite the ambitious undertaking for two doe-eyed middle-schoolers. We clearly tried to mimic the appearance of most game/movie review sites, and this was difficult because the Geocities Pagebuilder was a beast to handle back then. We also tried to provide many of the same services that they did – at one point, we had our Games and Movies pages (both of which were subdivided into Reviews and Previews), our Beats page, Staff pages, Opinions page, a News page, a Newsletter (and I have to wonder if we actually sent any newsletters out), a “Grillz” page (similar to Opinions, I suppose, but perhaps nastier in tone), Links, a Message Board, a Chat Room, and more. And not only that, we also branched out into “colonies” which aimed to exclusively cover Bond, Sonic, and Spider-Man topics. Our naïvely comprehensive approach strikes me as hilarious now, almost satirical. I wish we could say parody was our purpose, but we were earnestly trying to be a significant source of so-called “objective” commentary on media. Reading over our archives from those days, our earnestness is infectious rather than cloying.
When the original site was removed from Geocities following its closing in 2009, I nearly missed my chance to archive it. CRN was something which I had nearly forgotten about when I went to college. I made sure to let ChickenMan know about it, and we decided that a blog might be a nice way to continue on. College is a weird time for everyone. People change and move away, you make new friends and forget about others, and tastes/interests change immensely (fortunately, ChickenMan has stayed true to himself, though his insight has grown tremendously). No longer could ChickenMan and I spend our afternoons locked in a middle school keyboard lab (our “office” or “base of operations,” you might say) updating the site. Several states now separated us. Thankfully, the proliferation of digital technology made communication much easier and fluid across great distances, but it wasn’t until we had our respective degrees that we mobilized CRN once again.
Nostalgia does funny things to us, especially now, when our technology makes access to these fondly remembered products nearly instantaneous. You can download you memories now. It makes us fond for things which aren’t really “old,” or for things which didn’t interest us before (such as commercials and bad PS1 games). But if nostalgia has ever ringed true, CRN is as good an example as any other. And it moves beyond just remembering what once was; CRN has grown considerably, beyond a simple exercise in nostalgia. Our reviews have only gotten better, even though they share the same format (300 words or so of blocky, unorganized text, at my insistence), and we are far more prolific than ever before. We now review books as well, which, as ChickenMan has told me, seems like a strange fit in the CRN universe, and our extension into the social network has been nothing but a positive experience for us. We continue to grow our inclusive community.
When I look back at our old reviews, I often laugh at our prose, but not derisorily. I laugh joyfully at the words, or rather, between them. I can see the friendship which was the groundwork for CRN somewhere in the spaces. I hope this is visible to whatever readership we have or may have in the future. If it isn’t, and our readership is in fact nil, I know that this brand of nostalgia has served its purpose admirably.
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Movie
Finally, we conclude this afternoon with our selection for Best Movie. It's a sentimental pick, we admit. And the nominees are...
The Dark Knight (2008)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Fight Club (1999)
Transporter 2 (2005)
Casino Royale (2006)
And the winner is...
The Dark Knight (2008)
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Fight Club (1999)
Transporter 2 (2005)
Casino Royale (2006)
And the winner is...
Rush Hour 2
Code Redd Net Awards: Best PS2 Game
PS2 is certainly our favorite console, so it is only fitting that our Best PS2 Game award closes out the gaming prizes for today. And the nominees are...
Rise to Honor (2004)
Freedom Fighters (2003)
TimeSplitters 2 (2002)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005)
Everything or Nothing (2004)
And the winner is...
Rise to Honor (2004)
Freedom Fighters (2003)
TimeSplitters 2 (2002)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005)
Everything or Nothing (2004)
And the winner is...
TimeSplitters 2
Code Redd Net Awards: ChickenMan's Choice (Game)
In the category of ChickenMan's Choice (Game), the winner is...
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2
Code Redd Net Awards: Thrasher's Choice (Game)
As before, our final two staff picks were chosen by their respective writer without a list of nominees.
In the category of Thrasher's Choice (Game), the winner is...
In the category of Thrasher's Choice (Game), the winner is...
Freedom Fighters
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Jet Li Movie
Up next we have our award for Best Jet Li Movie. And the nominees are...
The One (2001)
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
Unleashed (2005)
Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
Hero (2002)
And the winner is...
The One (2001)
Kiss of the Dragon (2001)
Unleashed (2005)
Cradle 2 the Grave (2003)
Hero (2002)
And the winner is...
The One
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Jackie Chan Movie
Our next award is for Best Jackie Chan Movie. And the nominees are...
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998)
Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996)
Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
And the winner is...
Rush Hour 2 (2001)
Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998)
Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996)
Mr. Nice Guy (1997)
Shanghai Noon (2000)
And the winner is...
Jackie Chan's Who Am I?
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Sonic Game
Up next is our award for Best Sonic Game. And the nominees are...
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
Sonic Adventure (1999)
Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
And the winner is...
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991)
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (1992)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994)
Sonic Adventure (1999)
Sonic Adventure 2 (2001)
And the winner is...
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Multiplayer
As opposed to the previous award, the Best Multiplayer award is tailored for games which foreground competition between players rather than cooperation. And the nominees are...
TimeSplitters 2 (2002)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005)
Nightfire (2002)
Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy (1999)
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
And the winner is...
TimeSplitters 2 (2002)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005)
Nightfire (2002)
Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy (1999)
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 (2002)
And the winner is...
TimeSplitters 2
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Co-Op Multiplayer
The award for Best Co-Op Multiplayer is designed for those games which support teamwork between players in completing missions/levels together, whether through the main story or through a specific set of missions/levels set aside for co-op play. And the nominees are...
TimeSplitters 2 (2002)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005)
Everything or Nothing (2004)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
Rainbow Six: Lockdown (2005)
And the winner is...
TimeSplitters 2 (2002)
TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (2005)
Everything or Nothing (2004)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
Rainbow Six: Lockdown (2005)
And the winner is...
Everything or Nothing
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Bond Movie
Our second Bond award is for Best Bond Movie. And the nominees are...
The World is Not Enough (1999)
Casino Royale (2006)
Goldfinger (1964)
From Russia With Love (1963)
GoldenEye (1995)
And the winner is...
The World is Not Enough (1999)
Casino Royale (2006)
Goldfinger (1964)
From Russia With Love (1963)
GoldenEye (1995)
And the winner is...
GoldenEye
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Bond Game
In the category of James Bond, we have two awards to give out today. Up first, the award for Best Bond Game. And the nominees are...
Nightfire (2002)
Everything or Nothing (2004)
From Russia With Love (2005)
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
The World is Not Enough (2000)
And the winner is...
Nightfire (2002)
Everything or Nothing (2004)
From Russia With Love (2005)
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
The World is Not Enough (2000)
And the winner is...
Everything or Nothing
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Action Game
Up next we have the award for Best Action Game. And the nominees are...
Spy Hunter (2001)
Winback: Covert Operations (2001)
Second Sight (2004)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
Crazy Taxi (2001)
And the winner is...
Spy Hunter (2001)
Winback: Covert Operations (2001)
Second Sight (2004)
Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005)
Crazy Taxi (2001)
And the winner is...
Spy Hunter
Code Redd Net Awards: Best Sports Game
Our next award is for Best Sports Game. And the nominees are...
NBA Live 2004 (2003) NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003) Tiny Toons Adventures: ACME All-Stars (1994) NBA Jam T.E. (1995) NFL Blitz 2000 (1999)
And the winner is...
NBA Live 2004 (2003) NBA Street Vol. 2 (2003) Tiny Toons Adventures: ACME All-Stars (1994) NBA Jam T.E. (1995) NFL Blitz 2000 (1999)
And the winner is...
Tiny Toons Adventures: ACME All-Stars
Code Redd Net Awards: Finest Fight
Our next award is for Finest Fight. Nominees consist of our favorite fight scenes from the action cinema of Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Jason Statham, and others. It is important to note that only the indicated fight scene is up for the award, and not the film itself. And the nominees are...
Ladder Fight from Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996):
Rooftop Fight (featuring Crazy Legs) from Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998):
Twins Fight from Kiss of the Dragon (2001):
James Bond/Red Grant throwdown from From Russia With Love (1963):
Garage Fight from Transporter 2 (2005):
And the winner is...
Ladder Fight from Jackie Chan's First Strike (1996):
Rooftop Fight (featuring Crazy Legs) from Jackie Chan's Who Am I? (1998):
Twins Fight from Kiss of the Dragon (2001):
James Bond/Red Grant throwdown from From Russia With Love (1963):
Garage Fight from Transporter 2 (2005):
And the winner is...
Rooftop Fight (featuring Crazy Legs) from Jackie Chan's Who Am I?
Code Redd Net Awards: Best N64 Game
Naturally, our next award is for Best N64 Game. And the nominees are...
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
WCW/NWO Revenge (1998)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
The World is Not Enough (2000)
Winback: Covert Operations (1999)
And the winner is...
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
WCW/NWO Revenge (1998)
Super Mario 64 (1996)
The World is Not Enough (2000)
Winback: Covert Operations (1999)
And the winner is...
The World is Not Enough
Code Redd Net Awards: Best PS1 Game
Our fourth award of the afternoon is for Best PS1 Game. And the nominees are...
Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy (1999)
Driver (1999)
NFL Blitz 2000 (1999)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Jet Moto (1996)
And the winner is...
Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy (1999)
Driver (1999)
NFL Blitz 2000 (1999)
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000)
Jet Moto (1996)
And the winner is...
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Code Redd Net Awards: ChickenMan's Choice (Movie)
In the category of ChickenMan's Choice (Movie), the winner is...
The Dark Knight (2008)
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