So F*cked Up

Excuse the vulgar title today, but I felt the choice of wording best describes my present mindset. I've been trying to keep as much of my troubles out of this blog, hoping to keep it gaming related and just away from whatever the real world decided to toss my way.

But alas, that hope has been all but shattered.

For starters, my uncle passed away during the early hours of December 29th (yesterday). He had been battling cancer for much of this year and things took a turn for the worst during this past month or so. I'll admit that while we weren't all that close, it is extremely difficult to think of things without him around. I guess the best way I can put it is he was like a piece of the whole puzzle and now things are further incomplete then before.

Does that make sense? I cannot judge for myself at this point, my brain is clouded to put things mildly.

To top matters off, my girlfriend and I missed out on our friend's wedding today. Talk about feeling so far down in the dumps, you start to smell the shit floating around.

So while the New Year approaches, we won't be celebrating but rather, we'll be preparing to head home for a funeral. God, that line is just so goddamn depressing to read... almost as bad as it is to write it out here.

Here's hoping 2008 will be a year of perfect health and good fortune...

Rock Band

So tonight my girlfriend and I went out and did the unthinkable, something neither of us expected to do considering how this holiday season turned out for us (As far as gaming is concerned). While we didn't pick up Guitar Hero 3 and we dodged the idea of actually picking up a Dance Revolution game, we did get something else...

Yup, we went out and bought Rock Band for XBox 360 tonight.

It was completely by chance, neither of us even knew the bundle set was released (we were going off of the release date on Gamestop.com, which said Jaunary 2nd).

And yup, I will never, ever, make a reasonable living as a singer or a drummer or even a guitar player. I am just that damn terrible at this stuff. Well maybe I can get away as a singer in this game, I mean you don't actually have to sing the words...

Well, I guess I shall return to the drum set and continue to pound away and miss colored bar after colored bar... such is the life of a tone deaf 'rock star.'

Observations and Revelations

Upon further investigation, I've come to the realization that my life, as I know it, is a sad and strange existence. No, I'm not going to sit here and throw myself a pity party (though a party sounds fun), just stating a few things likely for my own notation, if nothing else. Anyway, to get back to the subject at hand, take today for an example.

After getting home from work today, I get online and check my e-mail. Sounds normal so far right? Well I go through my regular mail and then into the junk mail, which is never, ever short of being full of crap. But what is this? Amongst the mass is something that catches my eye and I am sucked into it like the Millennium Falcon was when it flew too close to the Death Star (dork, noted).

What drew my attention? Was it free money? Or maybe a free trip? No on both counts.

So what was it really? An e-mail had arrived to let me know that Rebirth (Korean Manga series) volume 21 was going to be released on January 2nd!!! I was freaking excited to read it and after reading the volume's description (Desh becomes king of the vampires and he learns how to defeat his eternal enemy and one time friend, Kal, the God of Light, but at a steep cost!), was far beyond eager to read it for myself!!

Do you see what I'm saying? Here I am, getting excited over a comic!

Ok, alright... I'll come clean by saying I'll likely remain a dork until the day I die. No conforming here folks, no siree. I cannot explain how thankful I am to be with a girl who is as big a dork as I am or else I'd either be single right now or confined within a living hell.

Well now, after spelling it all out I really do not feel all that bad now. I guess writing that out was much more helpful then even I believed. Which brings me to my next subject of interest...

So I watched Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween and let me say that I actually enjoyed it. I didn't laugh or think anything was funny and it actually had me fully believing that Michael Myers is truly a psychopath. It was worth the rent and I am even considering on buying the DVD, which says a lot because I am a firm believer that Horror movies was dead and buried.

Which makes me hope, somehow, that maybe Rob Zombie will be picked up to save the Friday the 13th series because it damn sure needs to be! As I mentioned before, Jason X = Total shit.

And now it is time for me to watch yet another movie, this time it's going to be Shaun of the Dead, which I enjoyed. I still do believe Hot Fuzz was funnier, but I cannot deny that Shaun did have more then a fair share of funnies itself.

Consideration of a Random Sort

After hours of thought and consideration, I can absolutely say that I haven't the slightest clue as to why I am writing this post right now. Truth be told, it is about 1am right now and I cannot sleep and it is Christmas morning of all things.

So with that in mind, I shall spew a random dose of whatever enters my mind. Sounds like a good plan doesn't it?

Work was actually fun yesterday, I think in due part because we generally was working stress free. I wish all Mondays worked out this way...

Just watched The Simpsons Movie last night and it was considerably better then I expected it to be. Needless to say, I'd consider buying the DVD, though I don't know if that is a good way to judge something or not...

My eyes are burning...

It took me 3 tries to type out that last thought...

I had some how convinced myself that today was a great day to go out and buy one of the Dance Revolution games. On the other hand, everybody was closed by the time I got off of work. Is it a sign?

Note to self: I can't dance...

Note to self #2: My leg hurts...

Ya know, Japanese have some very interesting things when it comes down to snacks. Two of which comes to my mind right now:

1. Tahitian Vanilla Pockey Sticks
2. Milk & Cookies Kitkats

The only sad thing about it is the fact that, to my understanding, is most of these flavors are only available for a limited amount of time.

Is it a good or bad thing if the phrase "JP ONRY!!!" pops into my head (thanks to FFXI) whenever a Japanese person or persons asks me a question?

Old people in busy grocery stores = Extremely long day.

Why has it been raining so dang much lately? And I wonder if this means we are still in a "drought"?

When ordering Chinese food, do Chinese people understand the term "mild"? I am beginning to think not...

Pizza Hut pizza is OK, but their service absolutely blows.

My shoe has a hole in it. Great.

My mom informed me that, thanks to the rains back home, my turtle (which I had since I was about 6 years old) has escaped. Again. Hope the little guy is OK, where ever he might be...

Puppies = Cute.

Puppies trying to chew each other's heads off = Cuter.

I can't believe how much random crap is floating through my head!

I didn't reserve Rock Band. Hmmm....

I want to play Oblivion, but I am just too lazy to put the time and effort into it....

Apparently the new Aliens vs. Predator movie is being released tomorrow. Err... today... Hope it is better then the last one, because that bugger sucked and bad (in my own opinion)!

I rented the remade Halloween movie (by Rob Zombie)... hope that is worth it...

Jason X = Funniest "horror" movie EVER. I think...

Getting sleepy...

Weird thing I just noticed earlier... why is my occupation Accounting? Oh wait, I can account for... umm... the amount of ice cream I've ate? Couldn't Blogger stick me with a better occupation? Say, maybe... World Dominator? Or how about Universal King of All? That's catchy...

Running out of brain power....

I think I'll...

I'll....

Watch a movie.

Marry Christmas to anyone and everyone that reads this blog and this post!!!

Still Alive

I know I have been slacking off lately, in terms of writing here as often as I once did. One little, extraordinarily minor goal I've had was to out write myself, in comparison to what I did at this time last year. I had reached that goal more often then not, but I've been having a bitch of a time in trying to keep up the pace.

Alas, work has now fully overtaken my soul and I am now truly amongst the walking dead. I now mindlessly pursue cerebral matter.

And I drag my feet and drool.

Why does that sound like getting old? Well, maybe except the part about cerebral matter. Then again, old people do like to eat soft stuff so...

Yes, over the course of this past month, I happily report to all that I have indeed lost my mind. Who knows what sort of state of mind I will have, once these Holiday times have come and gone. Hopefully I will be able to salvage at least a small fraction of sanity, for the sake of those around me.

In other news, I've picked up the complete series of Trinity Blood and I've liked it, more or less, so far. One thing I will comment about it is the feeling as though I am watching Trigun all over again. It does have a very similar feel to them, which isn't entirely a bad thing.

One last thing here and this sort of ties into my previous post, is about games. Or the inability to find certain games during this holiday season.

So I gave up on trying to buy a Wii (for now) and instead, set my sights on stuff I believed to be easier to find. With that said, I wanted to pick up Guitar Hero 3 for XBox 360 and guess what? NO SUCH LUCK! It was even more a happy moment when I looked up Rock Band and found out that the 360 version (with the mic, drums and stuff) won't be out until January of 2008!

Needless to say, I think if it was the intent of the video game industry to stop me from buying their stuff, I can confidently say this without a shadow of a doubt in my mind:

They succeeded.

No Wii...

I'll share a little known fact with you all right here, right now. I guess this could even qualify as my own dirty little secret, if you look at it that way. So what is this life changing, world stopping, mythical secret that I am hiding?

Well, to clear the air... it isn't that HUGE (or even mythical), but rather a wish that has not been fulfilled. It does involve video games and, if you paid any attention to the title of this blog, you'd known right off the bat that I am talking about a Nintendo Wii.

Truth be told, I didn't want an XBox 360 or a PS3. All I wanted was a Wii, just to be able to play Legend of Zelda. Did it happen? Hell no. Everyone was, and remains, sold out.

So is this Christmas a happy one? I suppose so. Am I satisfied? Sort of, no. I mean come on! I thought maybe Nintendo was just milking the popularity (or are they really still?) of their newest system, just to unload at Holiday time. But even that has not happened and it leaves me wondering...

If you know your shit is popular, why can't you figure out a way to help meet the demand? Oh wait, that builds hype and anticipation. Not to mention the fact that this allows those eBay selling punks a chance to snap up more systems so they can sell it at an even more ridiculous price then game stores already are.

Wow, I just went from feeling joke-y to pissed off in about a time frame of about 5 minutes. Scary...

Too Much Free Time

This is my first post using a new internet browser and I think I do like it more then Internet Explorer. What in the world am I talking about? Well, I recently installed Firefox and just the amount of options and things that can be done with it is nothing short of impressive in my opinion.

Anyway, today's entry is titled "Too Much Free Time" because I think I have just a little much of that right now. I've even surprised myself by writing to friends I haven't written to (or seen) in about 5 years now. It felt good to get replies too, just knowing that hey! I wasn't all that invisible in high school helps. Then again, it makes me feel a little worse, due to my lack of communication with them over the years.

Just a random thought aloud: If you know a friend is getting married, but you never receive a formal invitation (no card or whatever people send as an invitation), is it a person's duty to call up said person for such (it is what they've stated on their little website for the occasion)? Is it wrong to believe that it isn't my duty to get myself actually "invited"?

Taking a short detour from reality for a moment, I found myself scouring the internet one night, many months ago and happened upon a little hunting into the world of cosplay. I don't take part in any of it, but it is interesting to see to what extremes a person goes to get the look down. A perfect example is posted here today or so I believe.

Pictured above (don't recall if there was a name) is a cosplay guy as Sephiroth. To me, this guy got the look down pretty damn good and I even had to take a second and third look to be sure if it was indeed an actual person or if maybe it was something else. Just amazing...

And now back to the sorry life of a... whoops, dramatics going wild!

Nah, I'm not aiming for an entire episode of drama or anything of the sort. I just hate certain times of the day because my mind tends to wander about and when that happens, I begin to think about all sorts of things.

Life being one of it.

I think 2008 is going to be the year I finally turn things around and make right what I should have so many years ago. One thing I'd definitely want is to try my hardest to not waste another day, to make it all count towards something. Be it work or life or whatever it is that I am doing for that matter. I guess it takes the realization that I am going to be 24 years old and at this point in life, I am just running around in a circle and basically going nowhere.

Second random thought of the evening: The weather still sucks and I am still sick.

What I think I could use right now is a distraction and the only thing I can come up with is another rousing session of Assassin's Creed. I've been working on getting better at counter-kills with use of the hidden blade. Besides that, there are flags to find and Templars to hunt. Plus a thousand guards that have an IQ of a walnut.

Yes folks, fun times indeed...

2AM Thoughts

I just wanted to make a quick post here and toss out a few thoughts and comments about a few things. I'd usually try to give this more thought, but being sick and hurting just doesn't leave all that much space to be comfortable. But that is another story for another time...

Anyway!

Here comes my bullet points of doom! Hey, don't laugh... this is serious business! In any case, here we go...

• Mass Effect: What I love so much about this game is how it is entirely a new game, yet feels (and plays) just like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. One thing that is different about the game play, in comparison to KotOR are the fights itself. Rather then just clicking on an enemy and watch your character swing away, you actually get into the fight. Fun.
  
  
• Call of Duty 4: So I played through the story mode on regular difficulty and man was I getting my ass handed to me lol. Nevertheless, it is a fun game and I enjoyed the hell out of it while it lasted.
  
  
• The Golden Compass: Despite what my girlfriend believes, I still think of this movie like another Eragon in that it tried to pack it so much and just didn't have enough time to make good with it all. Tack onto that the cliffhanger, no, the cut-off ending and man... it just doesn't pan out too well.
  
  
• Fire Pro Wrestling Returns: Going into this game, I understood that it wasn't going to be anything like a WWE game. But man, the graphics alone in this beast is like an insult to the PS2. How bad you ask? It looks like it was brought up from the depths of the SNES days. What is worst, the damned game just isn't even fun! Thank god it was so cheap!
  
  
• Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess: Whole new expansion, new jobs... same dull, boring game. I was tempted to buy this for maybe about a few days, back when the new jobs were announced, but that faded and quick. I mean come on, can I justify to myself on spending $30 for more end game content I cannot use!? Hell F'N NO.
  

And that is it for me folks, for today at the very least or for yesterday or something. This is slightly a confusing mess, but anyway... maybe I will write again later today about who knows what. I'm sure I'll come up with something before long, maybe even before I lay my head down for more sleep this morning.
Oh and one quick and final thought, I don't remember if I've ever mentioned this before, but god I love the soundtrack for FFVII: Advent Children. Just an all around great, solid mix of music that I enjoy today, even after listening to it over and over again...
Funny little fact: The second ending song for FFVII: AC titled "Calling" was a song I originally hated and never listened to at all. It wasn't until I started working at my present job that I took a liking to it, because at the time they had played that song, among others that I recognized from games (1000 Words *FFX2*, Eyes on Me *FF8*) and anime (Fullmetal Alchemist, Inu-Yasha).
You can't imagine how sad I was when this music was taken off for some odd Japanese music. Actually, I think it was traditional Japanese music, because I remember my grandma listening to stuff that sounded like it. Poor singers sounded like the were in pain... but traditional beats out Japanese nursery rhymes any day! Dear god, someone shred that CD!

Variety Pack of Thoughts...

So amid my playing of Assassin's Creed, I decided it would be a pretty damn good idea to rent another game (don't question my logic)! Truth be told, I have been increasingly curious about Call of Duty 4 and a friend (ex-coworker) had been bugging me to get the game for online play.

Now originally, I had played and liked Call of Duty 3 and had every intention of buying the game. But, for whatever reason, I just didn't. So again, rather then rushing out and buying a game I may have hated, renting steps in to save the day!

Err, well... maybe...

My general opinion of the game? It is fun and the gunfights are insane! Just last night I got to a mission where the idea was that you were in a bomber plane and you had to support your guys (which actually are the bunch you are tagging along with) on the ground. It is the first time I've ever gotten to bomb the bloodiest of hells out of the enemy and man was it fun!

Yes, please note that when it comes to exploding and shooting in video games, I do tend to be easily entertained.

My only gripe with the series is a lack of co-op play, which to me was Halo's saving grace in my household.

Another game I've rented (and didn't list on the side) was The Simpsons Game. This one has co-op play, but eh... I guess you really have to be a fan to appreciate the story, humor, etc. Which isn't to say I am not a fan of the show, but maybe I am just not that into it.

The game play itself is OK, though it does tend to grow stale rather quickly in my opinion. The town of Springfield itself is open for exploration, but the town, much like the game, also isn't much to write home about.

Random thought: Weather in Hawaii has been brutal lately! Sunny for a few hours and WHAM!! Sudden downpour and winds that'll whip it all over the damn place!

R.T. #2: Rest in peace, my shitfully cheap umbrella from Wal-Mart. Thanks for nothing!

Last thought: Just saw the movie Enchated the other day and it isn't all that bad! Yes, there is singing and dancing and sappy romantic moments. But the Princess is suppose to be from a world of a fairy tale! They just don't know about divorces and anger and all that real people stuff. I'll even go as far as to say that even I was surprised to admit to myself that I enjoyed it.

Maybe I secretly dig chick flicks!?

Errr... Shhh! I will neither confirm nor deny that so called "fact." In any case, keep that one on the down low....

Assassin's Insanity

As I've mentioned recently, my current game of choice has been Assassin's Creed. Sure it isn't perfect game and really, is there or has there ever been a "perfect game"? But Assassin's Creed (to me) is fun and that is what counts the most, right?

Well, I'll be honest... I've been having my fair share of fun with the game and maybe a little too much when it comes down to the assassinating part. I mean I've literally left the streets littered with bodies of fallen guards and even a random passerby who happens to make a wrong comment at the wrong moment. Hell, I'll rush guards in crowded areas and even grab a hold of them and throw them over/off ledges, rails, etc. I'd be worried if killing guards in the open had some effect on the gameplay, but it doesn't... so I'm still good!

One such example of guard tossing (my favorite new sport I might add) is the rooftop tosses. In certain areas of the cities, there are archers standing guard up above the streets. If you pop up, their draw their bows and take aim, warning you to back off.

Uh huh, yeah sure... I'll back off...

So after a second and a jump from one rooftop to another, I calmly walk towards the unhappy fellow and give him a good toss off the roof. Screams fill the alley below, but otherwise, no one gives a shit. And I'm free as a whistle! I guess the guards aren't so liked huh?

And on a closing note, my in-game horse, which I've taken the liberty of naming "Cookie," hasn't been seen in a number of hours and now I am forced to wander aimlessly on foot. Has that damned horse abandoned me again? Oh well... I suppose even the animals themselves knows no loyalty. That means I'll have to retest the mystery if you can beat/slash your horse to death (which I've learned, totally by accident mind you, that you can't).

So Many Games...

The amount of games that have been released these last several months have been absolutely insane. That much is well known to all gamers and I've been going out of my mind trying to sort out what is actually worth getting and what isn't.

Latest game to join this list? Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, whose review seems to be a source of rumors and what not. But that isn't what I am writing about today.

So I originally wanted to at least try and rent the game, but due to (another) mix up at Blockbuster, I managed to get the PS3 version. Yeah, I bet you can imagine how well that played on my XBox.

Now my attempt at renting the bastard failed, I was getting a little crazy and almost bought the game. But I got second thoughts and to make a long and dull story short, I just didn't go through it.

And then I read the review and I am certainly glad I didn't throw the money at it. I think I am sticking to trying to rent it, which I wish I did for a number of games over the years. Here are a few examples...

Beautiful Katamari: This one I knew would be pretty much more of the same, but what I played felt like something that was losing it's touch. For me, being a fan of the previous 2 games, was sadden because it definitely had a style of it's own.

Def Jam Icon: Besides the upgrade in graphics, this one felt like a let down and it really was in my opinion. The modes weren't much fun and the ability to use the music to cause damage to your opponent just wasn't that interesting in the end. I enjoyed Def Jam: Fight for NY, no doubt about it.

Ninety Nine Nights: Anyone that tries to compair this game with any Dynasty Warriors game is insulting DW. I was expecting something like DW and was met with something that assaulted my brains unlike much of anything ever before. And the voice acting made my ears bleed.

Naruto: Rise of the Ninja: I had some high expectations for this game when I read about it over the course of a couple of months. How did it stack up? The cutscenes were horrible and the voice acting made me want to cry. The gameplay itself is OK, but the overall story is dull and the fighting portion of the game is outright terrible. The bottom line: It does indeed have a number of good ideas in play, but collectively it just doesn't cut it in my opinion. Another game I am glad I didn't buy.

Halo 3: OMG!! Game of the year!!! Ok, so now that that is out of the way (no, I don't think it really is the game of the year), it was pretty much more of the same here. Yes, there is some new weapons and enemies, but really it is the same game overall. And the ending sucked (in my opinion). If nothing else, I think this game's best asset is it's online play. I've been there, it is fun!

Changing gears, one game and series that I've enjoyed and have yet to finish is the Dot Hack//G.U. series. I've gotten as far as the point in the third game where Haseo gains his Xth form and from there I think the game went down hill. It should have ended with Ovan!! And wake up Alkaid (pictured above)!!!

And I am done because my shoulders are murdering me and it is a bit stuffy over here tonight. Never a good combination for thinking and writing.

On an unrelated note to video games: I'm not a huge or even much of a fan of football, but a big congrats to the UH Warriors tonight on their win against Washington and also for earning their way to a big bowl game. Thanks to my girlfriend leaving the radio on, I listened through the entire game and it sounded (for a time) that the Warriors weren't going to make it. Again though, congratulations!