I need help. If I keep going, I'll have cataloged the entire fucking Internet. Someone, please, make me stop ...
The madness must end.
I imagine it looked a little like this, you know, minus the dwarves, elves, and siberian tiger mounts.
Not that any of these guys could afford it. I'm sure they sold their souls to Blizzard long ago.
Sometime in the future I'll prepare a post with actual content. Well ... I might.
The song goes: "I did a bad, bad thing."
Matching outfits aren't necessary when you carry a meat cleaver in each hand.
More explanation is necessary, but I'll save it for a more fitting time. Consider this the relapse of an old addiction, and the prequel of a life wasted. Hopefully, this newer, more expanded drug won't be something I'm forced to start hiding the track marks for.
I ask in sincerity. I'm only curious, because I know at the beginning of this post, that I have none. My review of the Phantasy Star Universe Beta has been cancelled, well, actually I could say it was finished, and goes something like this:
Phantasy Star Universe is an MMO on the Xbox 360. It has a shite layout, and as an MMO, it isn't World of Warcraft, so to pay a monthly fee is like paying for a monthly delivery of ground beef, while your neighbors are receiving prime choice sirloin. (Sorry to use meat as the analogy there, but it worked ... sort of.) Understood?
My final impressions of Disgaea 2 and Lumines Live! are both still brewing. I could be at the finish of Disgaea 2, but there's no real way to tell. Considering I'm somewhere around 33 hours of playtime, I wouldn't be suprised if the game was, in fact, lying when it states I'm at the "Final Chapter." Lumines Live! is, in short, kicking my ass all over the place. I'll post some impressions after I'm better at the game, which hopefully is soon. Losing to puzzle games is disheartening.
Thanks Lumines, for ass-raping me so gently.
Also, I've taken the time to upload some of my compositions from my English 101 course to this blog. I like having everything chronicled in one place, so check them out if you must, but in truth, they're not that good. If anything, I'm particularly proud of the titles. I can craft some titles that steal the glances of many an onlooker. Now if only I could get them to be not quite so disappointed when the essay doesn't deliver. Read on if you dare:
The Game of Life
The Keyboard Zombies
A Frag Above The Rest
Star Wars 23: Indiana Jones vs. Superman
Before you mention the inconsistencies within the essays, note the disclaimer at the top of the page containing them.
Hmm, what else should be said? I demand everyone watches the new Stranglehold video at IGN. There are seven minutes of Chow Yun-Fat gameplay glory, all with commentary. This game just notched up about 10 marks on my must-buy list, thanks in particular to two things: 1. Doves included. 2. So Max Payne-y.
Chow Yun-Fat: "I come hard. So. Fucking. Hard."
Lastly, my interview with Orbital Media should be answered this week, and that is a feeling I can't seem to stop geeking over. My first interview with a developer, shit, I'm all journo-like. I'll post when it all comes through. They're also sending me Scurge:Hive and Juka and the Monophonic Menace to review, and that is a nice enough bounty.
While there was absolutely no cohesion to any of this, and definitely no point, I've presently written everything I can think of. So, Stan Lee knew best how to close 'em:
'Nuff said.
Just a note:
That should finally be it for layout changes, at least for a while. I'm happy with the just barely off-white background color, and the hotsauce images in my header and sidebar I stole politely from two separate wallpapers for Contact. I wish the header displayed as it should in IE, but well, IE is for hookers anyways. To further demonstrate that I don't much care, notice the mention under my Firefox banner in the sidebar. It says what it says, but it means something different. It means:
"This blog doesn't look right in anything but Firefox, because if you're using anything but Firefox ... you don't matter."
That's about everything I have to say. I thought about some final impressions on the Phantasy Star Universe Beta, or maybe one of the other posts I've been milling around for awhile now, but alas it is as I said. Quick and dirty.
There are a few reasons I'm more excited about owning an Xbox 360 than the Wii I'll be purchasing in a little more than a month. Sure, I'm not saying that I don't want a Wii, Zelda is going to have its hooks dug into me so deep that I might barely come out alive, but overall, the 360 has a lineup that is going to yield a full years worth of games that all scream next-gen. Obviously this begins with Gears of War in November, and while I'd like to say it ends with Halo 3, the truth is that it won't end. Games for next fall haven't even been announced, but somewhere in between we'll be looking at Mass Effect, Bioshock, Stranglehold, Too Human, Halo Wars, Lost Planet, etc. I can't remember any console that ever had such a strong lineup ... ever-like.
While the full-fledged releases are the steam behind the 360's engine barreling through the future, I'd like to think that Live Arcade is the coal. The XBLA is going to be delivering its own lineup of titles that, in my mind, are just as worthy of excitement as the console releases. I'll be the first to say that I don't get too thrilled about games like Pacman, Galaga, Frogger, and the more recent Dig Dug, on XBLA. I know they're novel and quick releases, but something just pisses me off about paying $5 for games from the early 80's. Shit, aren't these games in public domain? Sorry, but I refuse to spend $5 happily, on a game that was created when Nolan Bushnell was still the industries most famous figure. Luckily, there are a slew of titles coming to the Live Arcade that are slightly newer than the time of the dinosaurs. Some of the offerings that I'm looking forward to:
While I'm a firm hater of the price on games as old as my grandmother (Atari), games from my generation (NES & Beyond) are really loading up the Live Arcade.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3
It's Mortal Kombat. So that means it isn't going to have the worthwhile gameplay that Street Fighter did, but it's going to have lots of blood and lots of fun. My only worry is that there hasn't been any reveal of online modes for UMK3 yet, and if there isn't Xbox Live play, you can chalk this one up as worthless.
Contra & Super Contra
I might be wrong, but I'm almost sure they announced Contra and Super Contra both, which is awesome. These are the games I grew up on, and Xbox Live co-op play for Contra is like a dream. There are even updated visuals, but I can't guarantee they'll be mind-blowing stuff. Not like it matters.
Rush N' Attack
Not that I didn't play Contra, but when dudes were geeking out about it, I was trying to get them to play Rush N' Attack. Their loss was my gain, because this game rocks. I know this, because I remember how much I loved it, and I don't think I ever made it past the second level. If a game kicks your ass that much, and you still enjoy it, that = good game.
Symphony of the Night
I'd pay more for this release than any other XBLA title. Umm ... 'Nuff said.
Fatal Fury Special
So this probably isn't going to be as good as Street Fighter 2, but that doesn't mean it's bad. The more 2D fighters the better; I can't imagine any reason this won't be enjoyable. At least for a while.
While classics remade for XBLA claim many of the releases out there, new games are the real bread and butter here. Releases like Marble Blast Ultra and Geometry Wars tore up sales because of this, and some of these upcoming guys have the opportunity to do the same.
Assault Heroes
Assault Heroes is more of the kind of game I'd like to see on the XBLA. It has the next-gen visuals, but at the same time embraces the "old school" arcade gameplay of games like Geometry Wars. It's a great fit, and I can't wait to explore it.
Lumines Live
I never got to play Lumines on the PSP, so I've been dieing to explore the game. Live Arcade delivers the opportunity, but the rumors of a shite pricing scheme are dessuading. We'll have to wait and see.
Alien Hominid
Alien Hominid was on my list of "To Buy" games from this generation for a long time, but it never made it into my hands. Thanks to XBLA it never will, but I'll still be playing it. The Behemoth makes their games with such a cartoony flair; I love it. They're also responsible for Castle Crashers below.
Space Giraffe
I don't really know how to define Space Giraffe apart from: WOW. I don't understand how it plays, what the scoring system is, and damn near anything else. I only know this video intrigues me, and the game was developed by the dude behind the crazy acid-trip visuals for the Xbox music player. For me, that's enough.
Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is the second game that I think a picture just doesn't suffice. Watch the video, praise the beauty, then bow down and wait to buy the game. Next to SotN, Castle Crashers is way up there in terms of my level of anticipation.
Small Arms
Some simple equations here:
Smash Brothers - Cool Franchise Characters + XBLA + HD Visuals x Xbox Live gameplay = Absolutely cool, even though it's lacking the Link and Samus bit. Last minute video addition as well. Watch and enjoy!
Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
I think this hasn't actually been confirmed for XBLA, but I'm holding out, and I would imagine there is a pretty good chance it will show up there. Sam & Max probably will as well. Hats off to episodic gaming on XBLA.
I'm sure I've forgotten some, but I think that conveys just how hotsauce the Live Arcade really is. There is real potential here, because unlike the virtual console, Live Arcade is merging new games and classics, and they're bringing cooperative gameplay to both. How excellent is that!
I really don't have any reason to make a post; I have nothing really worth conveying at this point. I keep planning to do a nice 'Top 10' I've been working on, about the manliest movies lines ever, but I never commit to filling out the list. I imagine now that I've mentioned it, I'll have to actually do it, sometime.
Well, apart from that, I've decided that I'm going to begin working on a new layout for this Blog, with some hip, flashy (but not Flash) visuals and the like. I'm still trying to decide whether I'll be heading down the fun and colorful road, or the sleek and sexy one. I'm not even sure if there is a happy medium.
Also, in terms of Blog-type stuff, I actually randomly rediscovered this. It's my first Blog, a LiveJournal, and WOW, just WOW. The stuff that I wrote back then, (this was years ago, years), is plain loony. I was sort of stupid, and crazy, but mostly stupid. At least I see some growth in myself since then, a little anyways.
I do, however, enjoy that I titled the blog 'The Time of No Reply', which is a nod to the Nick Drake song of the same name. A goddamned excellent song, one of my favorite in all time. As a matter fact, I'm going to buy that CD right now, because I never got the chance. If you check out this silly old Blog of mine, make sure to note that I was young and stupid, and undeniably swayed by teen angst. I don't think like that anymore, I promise.
It should be said, that in the photo I used for that Blog, I was wearing a wig, and a plastic Easter egg basket on my head. If you're not going to travel there, it looked a little something like this:
I don't have any idea why I did that. Absolutely no idea.
EDIT: Wow, reading through the interests that I listed on the ol' LiveJournal account was a romp. Some of the included:
- Chaos Theory (I actually don't even know how to define chaos theory, still.)
- French New-Wave (A type of film I might have seen once.)
- Satyagraha (Because I've peacefully protested ... what ???)
- The Illuminati (OK, they're cool, but an interest?)
I was an ass. I probably still am, but it's good to know that I'm less of a complete ass.
In a small a trek outside the sanctuary of my home, I found myself traveling in the wild outdoors. My goal was simple: Get the mail. However, the wild outdoors are an intimidating beast, and rarely do they allow a goal to be so easily achieved.
Along my journey, there were several things to avoid. The swirling hordes of gnats, moths, and other airborne pests, the natural landmines created by my furry companions, and also, well, cars. My mailbox is a kind of dangerous place. Regardless, the journey went without difficulty, that is until I was one turn of a handle from retreating back into my warm, protective womb. The wild outdoors knew to strike when I thought I had succeeded, and they knew to bring their champion. Holyshitimus Giantfuckingbuggae.
No less than a foot from the entry to my home, this hideous beast relaxed comfortably on the wall. Comfortably because, he (or she) knew that I could not pass. I could have made a sprint for the door, but the monster knew my intentions, and would have made quick work of me. Then, suprisingly, the scientist within me (there was one?) arose from the depths to let me know that I should chronicle this gross joke of Mother Nature. With nothing more than my cellphone I approached, ready to document my findings.
After a small series of pictures, I noticed the beast turned his formidable glare upon me, and it was then that I knew I was doomed. I pulled the cellphone away, but it was too late. The largest praying mantis science had ever recorded (and by science, I mean me) lunged itself at me in a spiraling death-lance maneuver. Approaching my face at nearly the speed of light I was left with little option but to engage the secret techniques of my ancestors.
Dropping the cellphone immediately, as the beast was inches from my face (or perhaps feet, I may have been too scared to notice), I engaged the shrill battlecry of the thousands of Mussers that came before me. Most men would shrivel in fear of this bellowing warrior call, while I suppose, a few others could possibly laugh at me.
With no option left to me, as the lunging mantis advanced, I took the only available course of action. I continued my battlecry, and swiftly began the rite of my people. The Hokey-Pokey. I danced in circles, flailing my arms, screaming at the beast, instilling the fear of God within it. The monster surely knew, I meant business. His lunge missed his mark, as I was so sure it would, and it mattered little. I had already began the hopping/falling/screaming that signaled the doom of, well, my manhood.
I had stated this was a scientific discovery, and while the fact that this praying mantis could very well have been the largest ever recorded could be considered a discovery, that is not the particular one of which I speak. No, today science discovered that Cody Musser, is, in fact, a giant pansy.
I've been doing my best to win a copy of Dead Rising in a contest that Joystiq has been running lately. They offer a copy of Dead Rising a day, to whoever makes the funniest submission using an 'Otis template'. I haven't won, and I just sent my last entry in. Hopefully, I snag the prize, and get to sort of enjoy some free Dead Rising. As much as I can anyways, you know, not being able to read anything. Anways, here are my three entries to peruse:
Those were slightly shrunk to better fit my template here, but my Photoshop and comic skills are at their maximum capacity. The first two entries were both selected as honorable mentions. For the last one I decided to go with a Wii game, because that's a hot topic and few others had touched on it. Even that may not be enough to win, ... or I'm just getting robbed, god damn robbed.
Well, I've made enough purchases recently that I think justify the second iteration of Buying Bonanza!! This could potentially be the last of this particular type of post for a while, considering that the act of chronicling my purchases for the rest of this fall isn't actually something I'm comfortable doing. The size ... the money ... It's eye-opening to the point that if I were to do it, I'd probably never allow myself the pleasure of such spending ever, ever again.
Well, who knows? I might come to terms with the fact that I'm a consumer whore, and proceed with the Buying Bonanza's. Regardless, let's take a look at what I've purchased so far:
Games:
Mega Man ZX - DS
Cooking Mama - DS
Anime:
Tenjho Tenge Vol. 6
Patlabor WXIII - Ultimate Edition 3 Disc Set
Music:
Daft Punk - Human After All
Movies:
Seven Samurai - Criterion Collection 3 Disc Re-Release
Gojira - Godzilla 2 Disc Special Edition
Jigoku - Criterion Collection
Spirited Killer - Tony Jaa's first feature film
Books & Manga:
Deus Vitae Vol.'s 2 & 3
XXXholic Vol. 2
Boogiepop and Others
That's about everything. I think I outdid myself with quality purchases this time, and I got everything at great prices too! I also picked up a nice pair of headphones considering the last pair I had, got torn out of my ears and swung around my body in a display of rage similar to that one scene in Office Space. I think they found themselves somewhere deep in the woods after that. Don't ask, it was a lawn mowing incedent. I've paid for Okami in full as well, but that money has been out of my pocket for almost a month now.
Right-o, back to regular posting next time. Well, I guess Buying Bonanza!! is regular posting for me. It's not as fun to read as reviews, or critiques or anything like that, but I do love it so.
I don't think I actually have the time to be making this post, but well, I'm crazy. I never managed my time that well before, so why start now? Anyways ...
I just finished The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya and whew!, it's a killer. As a short series (14 episodes) it's difficult to compare the story with some of the longer anime out there, but this show makes up for it in so many ways. Like:
1. The Music: The theme song for Haruhi "Bouken Desho Desho?" is sang by the voice actress of Haruhi herself, Aya Hirano. So excellent! ... and while that is something that everyone should go listen to, a particular episode follows a storyline that ends up with Haruhi performing two songs in a concert, and they too are performed by Aya Hirano. I might consider them the best songs ever performed in anime, ever-like. Yuki's "solos" are just pimpsauce.
Such can be found here. For the sake of all that is holy, watch such coolness. NOW!
2. The Fanservice: Normally, I'm neither here nor there on fanservice. I don't necessarily enjoy it, but I don't hate it either. Most of the time I find it kind of creepy, in the sense that these are like, girls, and by girls I mean not women. Also, they're cartoons. Haruhi seems to avoid most of that and the fanservice is actually kind of funny in most cases.
3. The Mood: Haruhi, while taking itself as joke most of the time, is actually rather serious as well. There is some good social commentary about giving up on dreams (Haruhi's dreams in particular), and there are some really somber moments that make for some great thought pieces. Yuki's never-ending dramatic pauses being one of my favorite things in the series. She's also probably my favorite character. Not only is she quiet, reserved, and mysterious, she's also probably the most bad-ass character in the series.
4. The Timeline: The creators of Haruhi took some serious notes from Tarantino to use in this anime. The episodes from Haruhi jump back and forward in time and it makes the series more interesting than it would be otherwise. You actually have to piece things together actively instead of following along in a linear fashion. I love it!
5. The Suprise: Haruhi is generally a character drama, but the suprises contained within are supremely awesome. I won't spoil them for anyone, but I really doubt anyone going into this series will expect some of the things that actually happen.
Bonus - The Art: Some seriously beatiful moments in Haruhi. Wind-swept hair, the shine on a pair of glasses, and other wonderfully pretty scenes contained within.
Ultimately, I can't recommend The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya enough, I'd love to go into detail and talk about the revelations in the series, but in faith that someone might read this (cough ..Nathan.. cough) and it inpsires them to partake in the series, I don't want to be the one to have ruined it. The full 14 episodes can't take too much time for most anyone, indulge yourselves and watch some very, very solid anime.
A Half-Assed Series Review Score: 9 out of 10
I do my best to keep my blog squarely rooted in the world of games or movies, or some other form of acceptable entertainment, mostly because those are my favorite things; but also because I think that those make for a slightly more interesting read than:
"I called Sheila today, OMG!! she broke up with Brad..."
... or the even more common ...
"Why do I have to keep living this mundane life in this small town?"
That last one was the "EMO" post, get it? However, even I'm sometimes drawn away from my choice topics to divulge some random information about myself, or my life, that I just have to jot down somewhere. Whether it's read or not isn't necessarily the goal, the purpose is in the writing.
One of my college courses this semester is a Human Relations course that I didn't have much of a reason to enroll in, apart from the fact that I needed a PSY elective. I heard the class was going to require little work, and was also very entertaining. Therefore, enrolling seemed like the right choice.
This is where things will take a slight turn. I'm of the opinion that life will occasionally take these particular instances of chance (my enrolling in a random PSY course) and pepper them with full-on realizations of extraordinary substance. Perhaps this requires some explanation:
The Human Relations course that I found myself enrolled in began with some pretty heavy-handed conversations about goals, thoughts, wealth, and the human condition in general. That was apparently going to be our topic of discussion for much of the course, and I've never had a problem with going that route. I enjoy that route. To date, our conversations have always ended with some really beautifully laid-out suggestions about how to improve life. Much of which I've heard before, but I think this course is leaving me with something much more beneficial than simply the advice. I'm also finally learning to follow it.
It's always been really interesting that no matter how often I may watch a movie that reveals some particular insight about life, or read a book, speak in class. etc., I never find myself following that specific advice. It's almost as if I take the advice and say to myself, "That's absolutely profound, ... I'm now a changed person," ... and within minutes the feeling fades and I return to the ways of thinking that were never really getting me anywhere before. This has happened to me countless times, and most realistically to everyone that reads this as well. It's a feeling that I think is common, because changing the entire way to think or feel about the world is a pretty laborious task.
But, the real ticket is that it doesn't have to be so heavy a burden. Baby steps ...
One of the first steps I'm going to take to make my life move in a direction I'd like to see it heading is an idea proposed to us in our course called a Vision Board. It's essentially a board covered with items or things I'd like to have in my life, and the dates I'd like to acquire them by. The idea being that by focusing on those particular objects by reinforcing thoughts upon them often enough, they'll always be attained. I know ... it sounds so hokey. I'm like the godfather of cynics, so I obviously don't buy into the 'positive thought' pyramid scheme, but I do think that by having these things remind me often enough that I want them above all others, this could in fact work. Perhaps the positive thought affair can come afterwards.
I've going to begin my Vision Board very simply, and I'm going to do it right here. Before the week is out I'll have to make something concrete and visual, or it isn't exactly following through with the initial idea, but my Blog is as good a place as any to announce what will be happening in my life:
Cody's Vision Board
By December 1, 2006 - I'll own a Nintendo Wii.
By January 1, 2006 - I'll own a Sony PSP.
By March 30, 2007 - I'll own a new car. Not necessarily a *new* car, but a different car.
By September 15, 2007 - I'll own a new computer. A Macbook Pro.
By July 14, 2010 - I will have been to Japan.
That's a simple enough beginning, and those are at this point, the things I want most in my life. It's easy to read them and think, "Those are stupid things that aren't really making your life any better." However, that's missing the point of the Vision Board, and pretty much life as well. The Vision Board doesn't have to say, "I want $1 Million Dollars by the time I'm 25." It's about what you want, and what you're willing to spend your life thinking about.
Believing that those are things that don't make life any better isn't right either. I'll give out the meaning of life this one time only, and if you don't savor it, pfft... Ready? FEEL GOOD. Being happy is a part of feeling good, and those are things that make me happy. That makes them more important than anything else on this entire planet.
There are a myriad of other great things we're learning in my Human Relations course, and I'm doing my best to apply myself to all of them. Naturally within reason, I still don't go for hokey shit in which I'm supposed to wake up every single day and think about what I'm gracious for. I mean come on ... that's just gay.
There we go. That's sounding more like a normal post. I'll finish with a picture of Nintendo's extra bonus that came with my Star Fox review copy. I'll update my works to include the review and other projects soon enough.
Fox always had an issue with airline martinis.
