One last post before December officially begins, I was just browsing about and I came upon a most curious little image. Now I knew this was coming, but the thought of it managed to give my mind the old slip.
Well as the picture on the left side here will blatantly give away, Kingdom Hearts is still very much alive and well!
In my own personal experience, I played a fair amount of both Kingdom Hearts games (my girlfriend was much more into these, I was the call in for the rough boss fights!). But when it came down to Chain of Memories, I think I played a grand total of about 5-10 minutes at most.
Speaking of my girlfriend, at least she now had something to look forward to after she resigned herself in knowing that the Final Mix was not coming to our shores.
As for me, maybe I'll even give this thing another go... and maybe play it for 20-25 minutes this time around.
What I'd really like to know is if/when will there be a Kingdom Hearts 3? I mean the story is obviously NOT over yet and the Heartless must be stopped once and for all. I just hope it does not end up like Chrono Trigger (as I wrote about in my previous writing) and ends up coming out years from now. Wow, I can even tact this little ditty onto a little game called Final Fantasy XIII as well.
Then again, I think I may have already answered myself on that count. If I am not mistaken here, but isn't there a number of spin-off games based off of Kingdom Hearts coming out in the near future? Meh. Outlook: Bleak.
I guess I'll just be stuck here, just waiting around and playing whatever random game is released that catches (and holds onto) my attention.
So after all of these many long years, Chrono Trigger is finally re-released! I mean granted there is/was/still is the SNES ROM of the game somewhere out there, but this is the real thing now! Kind of makes me wonder what took Square Enix so long to get to this game? Did they believe it wouldn't sell or something?
If that was the case, why did Infinite Undiscovery and The Last Remnant get out before this? I haven't heard much good about either of those and yet it manages to beat out a LEGEND such as Chrono Trigger? Where is the logic in this situation? Where I ask?!
Anyway, I think it will be interesting to see how much was changed from what the original CT was. I hope the game has not been entirely altered or "updated" as they like to describe it. What was there to change anyway? Was it not a masterpiece in it of itself? Would someone dare to take the Mona Lisa and "update" her? Maybe some hot pink hair coloring, a nose ring and some dark black eye liner would help spruce up the old girl?
Yeah, I think not.
Maybe I am spoiled, maybe I am just impossibly hoping to cling onto the past. Maybe that is where my head is, right along side my beaten and battered heart.
Wow, to the emo side, yet, I may go?
Considering the amount of time taken for this re-release to see the light of day, maybe in another 5-15 years we'll see Final Fantasy VII "updated" and re-released on the PSXXXVIII X-Treme and the Xbox 45,360 Gold Series with White-Ray technology, with a built in nuclear microwave oven and a on-board flat screen plasma projection screen.
As you can easily see, I cannot even begin to fathom what console systems might be like in the future beyond tomorrow. Still, imagine a gaming system that had like a built in house or something? Now that would be, like, totally awesome...?
Oops, side tracked like no other!
So yes, now I can add onto my growing list of games I am either playing or will be in the very near future. At the rate I am going now, I might just have myself backstocked with games up until the day finally arrives when Final Fantasy VII is re-released!
For any and all who read my blog today, here's hoping you all have a safe, enjoyable Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it). It is a day to remember what you are thankful for in your life and I know everyone has to have something they are thankful for.
Me? I'm thankful for my good health, being able to live and be happy with my girlfriend. Sure there are rough patches, but that comes with the territory, I know that part. Besides that, what can I really complain about? Work is work, I still manage to have time to be a gamer and I still can write as much (or as little) as I chose. At this point in time I can surely say that things are great.
I am also thankful that we won't be having our own turkey this year, since the past 2 years we've had so much left over turkey that we just couldn't eat it any longer. Why did it take us two years to finally make the change? Good question, I don't even know the answer to that one.
Well, one final thought before I give this short and sweet writing it's timely end, and as I mentioned in my previous writing, best of luck to all of yous who brave that which is known as "Black Friday." To face the hordes of rabid shoppers, bargain hunters and all other forms of life, to face the endless lines and the rage of hundreds of people as they swarm and engulf you in their fury, I say this to you: You are HARDCORE!
Just got to see this movie last week and it surely does not disappoint folks! The pacing of the movie is absolutely frantic, so much is going on at nearly every twist and turn it is crazy!
All of this takes place shortly after Casino Royale ends and to illustrate what I mean about the pacing, the movie starts out with a crazy car chase! That pretty much paints the picture of what to expect from that moment forward.
That isn't to say that the whole movie is nothing but action, I mean things to let up here and there. And despite what some people have said, there is story and if you pay attention, there is quite a bit of 'character development' from start to end.
I will say this however: Seeing Casino Royale is a must! If not then a great deal of the story will probably not make much sense. That and it would appear to only be a pissed off Brit that is out for revenge.
Entirely not true.
And while I will not do anything to spoil what happens and how it all goes down, I did like how Quantum of Solace ends. Without adding any touch of detail here, I will say that it does involve Vesper Lynd (the girl whom Bond falls for in Casino Royale, who ultimately dies by it's end) and the boyfriend she tried to save at one point.
One final thing here, after reading the Playboy interview they conducted with Dainel Craig, he has signed on for a total of 4 007 movies. Considering this was number 2, it seems safe to say that 2 more will inevitable be on the way.
My wonder now is simply this: Will the movies that follow continue on with this continuum? I'd like to thing so since the organization behind of LeChiffe is still very much at large and I'd like to believe that the score has not yet been settled. But, as always, only time well tell us now...
I was surprised to discover this game while browsing though IGN the other night. The first thought that popped into my head was exactly what the title stated: Can a Prinny really be the hero of it's own game?
Considering how they've been the tail end of the comedy stick in the original Disgaea game (and anime), I can just imagine the type of insanity that may ensue in a game of their very own. I also expect a great deal of explosions, too.
Against all rational thought, I picked up Left 4 Dead today. Thankfully though, I managed enough trade-ins to avoid having to pay anything for it. On second thought, considering the number of games I've traded in, I suppose I still end up being the village idiot. Duh!
Something I am still working on getting used to about Left 4 Dead is the infected rush. These undead bitches just pop up out of nowhere and rush you like you were a Nintendo Wii during Christmas time (or at least how things were last Christmas)!
Last little tidbit of useless information, I think I am finally nearing the end of Fable 2. After being side tracked with marriages (yep, I went for more then one!), jobs, side quests and just outright killing stuff, I am nearing the end at last.
I think I may end up replaying Fable 2 another round or more, just to try out life on the dark side of life. Speaking of which, that has also been a reason why I've taken longer to progress through the game. I've been having more and more outbursts of ill will and so I've gone on all out rampages against the innocent people of Albion.
Besides that, damn folks Thanksgiving is here already and Black Friday should be a bitch! Best of luck to anyone who dares to brave the flood of humanity coming to damn near every store that'll open up. I tried to ask my girlfriend if it was alright if I pretended to be in a zombie game and just beat up anyone that gets to close to me/runs at me during this period.
I was being serious, she wasn't amused though. Huh.
Really though, best of luck and happy hunting to whom ever decides to dive into this insanity that is Black Friday. It will be a busy weekend folks, I know I'll be up to my ears working at both of my jobs this weekend and all indications point towards pure crazy.
Even while I had downloaded it a while back, I just got around to trying out the demo for Left 4 Dead (which I didn't realize had also been recently released).
And damn it all, I think I might actually like this one.
This game is creepy as hell, maybe not on par with some of Resident Evil's scare moments (Tyrant, how I STILL hate you), but the zombies in this game just pop in almost out of nowhere. And there is almost no such thing as safe. I mean you could be looking down on them and if they realize you are above them, they can and likely will jump up to you. I've even watched these things rip doors apart and then flood in.
In some ways, the tone of the game (and the nature of the zombies) remind me somewhat of those zombie-like creatures from "I Am Legend." You make a noise and they will be on your ass in a heartbeat.
Anyway, blah... I suppose I could add this onto my list of games for next month (joining Chrono Trigger, The Last Remnant, Prince of Persia and something else which is escaping the reach of my brain right now).
What makes me sad this holiday season is the lack of a new Final Fantasy game. I mean FFXII took a while to get here, but it sure looks like Final Fantasy XIII is going to go the distance and really take it's time on getting done. I just hope that this extra time improves the game and not end up as being a huge negative for it. Guess only time will tell now...
Amid the small collection of games I had picked up this month, I ended up renting two more to add onto the already hectic line up of games being played in my house. The games in question? Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 and, because I witnessed the endless lines of people picking this up, Call of Duty: World at War.
Now pictured here is Tanya (Jenny McCarthy), the Allied forces' Commando. She is starring along side an impressive cast in the recently released Red Alert 3.
I'll admit it, I liked Command & Conquer 3. I enjoyed Kane's Wrath (that doesn't sound right), but when it comes down to the Red Alert series, that is just a whole different ball game for me.
I mean I obsessed over Red Alert 2 and I played that to death! And when Yuri's Revenge was released, the obsession carried on for years after.
Anyway, this latest installment into the Red Alert series finds the Soviet forces on the losing end of the war (again). In a last ditch effort, several Soviets use a hidden time machine to travel back to the past where they kill Albert Einstein, a critical key in the Allied forces rise to victory.
The displaced Soviets return to the present to find that they were finally winning, pushing the Allied forces back until they were all but trapped in Great Britain. However, their joy was short lived as the Empire of the Rising Sun (Japan) declares war on the warring Soviets and proceed to attack their homeland while the vast majority of their forces are spread across the European continent.
Anyway, that is the story in a nutshell and things are no less crazier then they were in Red Alert 2. Although there isn't really any mind control tech (I miss Yuri's forces already... sort of). In a lot of ways, the Empire of the Rising Sun fits the gap that Yuri left behind quite well. I mean their commando is a pissed off school girl with some real power. Hell, I lost during just the second mission of the Soviet campaign because of her! They are indeed unique and their soldiers and vehicles aren't anything like what's in both the Allied or Soviet arsenals.
But even both of the original factions have gotten upgrades to what they bring to the war, which has left me trying to re-figure out which side I like better. It is also safe to say that a lot of tactics that I had during Red Alert 2 have to be rethought, due to the fact that some of the weapons from the previous game was taken out (bye bye Prism Tank!).
Next up is Call of Duty: World at War.
Man, I thought I was in a world of trouble myself on the day that this was released, because the lines were just endless! This actually came out about the same time as Mirror's Edge, so my mind began to race. I had thought that maybe all of those people were there for that game, which would be a mess for me because I did not reserve .
And I was wrong.
All of that madness was for the newest Call of Duty, which (as far as I can tell) is about what you could expect from a CoD game, or even from a FPS game these days. What I do like about this game is also what gives me a headache at the same time. By this I mean the split screeen co-op mode.
Games with co-op are good for me, because then I can recruit my girlfriend into joining the fight as well. That is what draws me to FPS like Gears of War, Halo and Rainbow Six. The same could be said for this game, which surprised me since CoD4 was not co-op.
But while that is all good and great, the split screen itself is just horrible! It isn't like the other games where the screen in cut in half. Rather, it has both players' screens together, but they do not fill up the screen. Does that make sense? Anyway, it is a pain in the ass even more so if you do not have a HD TV (like I do not). Why? Because then it makes it challenging to even clearly see where you are heading or even whom you are firing at.
Maybe I am far too used to the style of other FPS co-op games? Am I spoiled? I'd like to think not. I mean come on! I wonder who's bright idea it was to do things this way? Meh, anyway... other then that eye sore, it is fairly fun FPS that brings in some crazy firefights.
Anyway, time to stop writing here and get back to the gaming front over here. With all of these games around the house right now, I really have to get cracking before December rolls in. If not I may end up being submerged under a sea of games...
I just picked up "Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero" tonight and it certainly does not disappoint. While for the most part the commentary from friends and family somewhat shadows what was already said on Eddie's last DVD, there are some new stories and memories shared that makes this worth watching.
The meat of this DVD set are (obviously) the matches, which span across his days from the original ECW, to his final match in WWE. While it is just a brief history of his work, it is still too bad that the stuff he did with (and against) Chris Benoit was omitted from this collection. Though I suppose it is understandable, since I doubt the company wants to associate itself with what Benoit did.
Still, with what is available in this set are easily some of Eddie's best matches and solid proof of why he deserves to be remembered by wrestling fans. I think the new guys that wrestle today can only hope and dream to ever reach the level of a Eddie Guerrero.
My personal favorite match is his Halloween Havok match against Rey Mysterio (Jr.), back in the old WCW. Mask vs. title. Need I say more? What, I do? Fine.
Talk about a crazy, crazy match, these guys flew around and out of the ring like they were both suicidal maniacs. Many of the moves executed in this match were stuff unheard of here in the states, moves that just baffle the mind. In my totally unbiased (yeah, right) opinion, this match is easily one of the best matches I've ever seen coming from WWE/WCW/ECW.
In closing I will simply say this much more: Although he is gone, Eddie Guerrero will never be forgotten.
After spending the last month or so just anticipating the release of Mirror's Edge, the wait is finally over.
At last!
I've gotten about five chapters into the story so far and it does indeed live up to what it was hyped to be. Things can be slow, with Faith (the main character) just moving across rooftops, then suddenly everything gets crazy a split second later.
And surely you could stand and fight off the cops as they swarm you. Or, as it was in my case, you could try and just die after taking several gunshots or a direct hit or two.
So as the hints might convey and as the story likes to point out, you are a Runner. And when anything more then a cop appears, you'd best be doing exactly that. And fast!
The graphics are beautiful, the city is alive and well *down below* and the environments have you jumping, flipping, sliding and scaling everything from railings, to rooftops and even electric fences. What's more, the game doesn't slow down when the action picks up and the sense of speed and freedom is just sick! I can just imagine what Mirror's Edge would look like on a HD TV.
One more thing about graphics that I felt a need to mention: The cut scenes.
The way the game play looks is one thing, but the style changes whenever a cut scene happens. How can I describe it? It is animated, looks much more cartoon-ish I suppose. Yet even while it does indeed look different, it still manages to blend into the overall style of the game and to me, it does not look out of place one bit.
The controls are easy to pick up and the opening tutorial does a good job at giving you the basic skills needed to survive in this crazy government-controlled world. However, speaking on my own behalf, remembering what buttons to string together can be a bitch to recall when you're running for your life and have numerous police firing at you (and everything around you). I have died many deaths in my failed attempts at escape...
Which brings me to something I can finally bitch and complain about. One thing that has gotten me swearing (not a lot, mind you... I swear!) has been the easy and constant deaths. Now this is nothing to fault the game at all, just merely something that is my fault for misjudging the distance between one rooftop to another. A nice touch to counter this is you'll usually pop back up near the point of your misguided jump (and subsequent death, complete with a crunch in some instances).
Overall, at this point in time I can firmly and confidently say that Mirror's Edge was worth the wait and more so the money. That, to me, speaks volumes for it because with the number of games that are either nearing release or have recently been, you'd better be something more then just 'okay.'
'Nuff said, I think it is about time to get back to dodging cops and leaping to my death! Whoops...
In other news, it looks as though I may get more game time in the near future. With the economy the way that it is, businesses (obviously) have experienced major decline in sales. Which has lead me to learn tonight that my hours at my second job had been cut *again* and that is bad for me. I mean I was down to 18 hours a week as it was and for my boss to call me and say "hey! I had to cut back everyone's hours" is just painful.
Ah hell, I guess that means it is time to put more hours back into my other job. Japanese gift sets, here I come! Blah!
I'm starting to juggle more and more games and I am quickly losing my mind. Besides playing Fable 2, I picked up Gears of War 2 and I am hoping to get Mirror's Edge today too. Thankfully though, I am nearly finished with Fable 2. How will it all end I wonder!?
Ok, I cheated and I've already read a little into how the games ends and even now I cannot decide on which choice to make. Three choices to choose from and you can only make one. Blah.
One thing I will say about the game and this goes for the dog "feature." He really doesn't help much, besides finding buried treasure or chests. Ok and he growls when bad guys are nearby too, but that's it! Maybe he'll gnaw on someone if they are on the ground, but otherwise nothing! Can't we have an attack dog? An aggressive and angry attack dog?
What kind of made me laugh (and also what caused me to consider joining the Temple of Shadows) was being able to "earn" purity and goodness by giving gold to the Temple of Light. What? So really, considering I had the money, I could kill everyone in Bowerstone and all I'd need is to donate money and I'm clean? Whoa, sign me up!
I ultimately did not go over to the dark side, because the Temple of Shadows is just too fucked up! Not in a bad way really, they are just a weird bunch of freaks!
Gears of War 2 feels a lot like the first, just the usual changes of more (and bigger) baddies, more explosions and gunfights and all of that jazz. I think more of the changes took place in the multiplayer stuff and the addition of Horde mode is pretty cool too. Talk about dying badly, I got surrounded and totally destroyed and I didn't even see what murdered my ass either. Don't get me wrong though, it is still a lot of fun (if you're into this sort of thing)!
And then Mirror's Edge, my damn near obsession since playing the demo the first time around. I hope the final product lives up to what it has been hyping itself up to being. One thing about this game, too, is if you experience motion sickness... this is not a game for you! My girlfriend hates this game just for the fact that her stomach does twists, turns and flips when she watched me play through the demo.
But I like it! I like it a lot! I suppose that makes me a little mean, but eh! If I need to hear Korean pop music, I consider this as retribution! Mwahahaha!
One thing that always, always bugs me is when I hear a catchy song in a video game and cannot find the music in question. In today's case, this comes from a game I've written about a time or three already called Mirror's Edge. Apparently, I am not the only one that has searched for this and apparently still, there is going to be a CD released at the same time as the game, with the song and a few remixes as well.
All I know is the woman singing the song is Lisa Miskovsky, a Swedish pop singer. Besides that, I cannot find anything else so far. I was sort of hoping someone had found a way to get at least the original track out there somewhere.
Continuing on with my search... I will not rest until I have found what I seek! Mwahahaha!
Edit: No more then a few minutes after writing this, MISSION ACCOMPISHED. Despite having a shitty day today at work, this easily makes the day worthwhile. Gratifying, indeed!
I've been reading around the internet and I've come across a number of people's reactions to Fable 2. And I know I probably shouldn't be surprised by this sort of thing, but wow! I can't believe how much people are cutting this game down!
People make it out to being such a shit game, but it really isn't THAT bad. I mean I couldn't barely play through the original Fable and I didn't enjoy that one all that much.
To me, Fable 2 is a lot easier to pick up and get into. Hell, I am actually enjoying it.
What I think is most unfair to Fable 2 is actually trying to compare this to Oblivion and/or Mass Effect. It is like comparing Final Fantasy to Oblivion or Dragon Quest to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
Even while these games get classified as "RPGs," these games just aren't the same kind of animal. Is that too hard for people to get?
I guess ultimately this just reminds me why I don't really read a lot of player written reviews. Don't get me wrong, there have been a few that have helped sway my opinions about some games. But more often then not, it just sounds like a bunch of people who will never, ever be happy with anything that anyone ever releases.
Why not just enjoy it for what it is and leave it be? We should all know by now that games will not and cannot ever truly be "perfect." And to expect something perfect is just setting yourself up for a major disappointment in my book. Ok, I know I'm starting to drag this out here but I will say one last thing here.
It is entirely one thing to give your opinions on a game, that is perfectly fine I'd say. But to go out and berate a game and just blast the people who make it, that just ain't right. I guess what I'm really trying to say is this: Is it so hard to show these folks a little respect?
As I'm sitting here, just browsing through website after website, a thought crossed my mind and I wondered: How was the election going? Who'd become the next president, Obama or McCain? And so without another second of thought, I go ahead and check to see how it was going. And to my surprise, it was already over!
So Obama will be the next President of the United States huh? I wonder now, will he live up to all of his hype? I mean I always hear people talking about how charismatic the man is and all of that, but at the end of the day I still wondered. Will he become a better leader then the one we have now? Or is our future, as a country, going to continue down this path we are on right now?
With the elections over, I suppose we will all not have to wait all that much longer to find out that answer. While I admit that I did not vote during this election, depending upon what happens over the course of the next 4 years, that may very well change when the next election rolls around.
Yes, I know it is important to vote but I am skeptical about politics, to say the least. It pisses me off to no end to hear someone talking up a storm about all of these great changes they intend on doing, then end up doing (seemingly) none of it.
Anyway, I surely will be keeping a little closer eye on our new President when he takes office next year. Hopefully he ends up being everything people claim he is. That or we will have even more of the world hating our guts....
I'd want to keep my cool right now and to be as un-cryptic as I can be, I just looked at the release dates for the games coming out this month. Nothing should have surprised me, I mean I looked at all of this a few months back. I knew there would be a lot of games released up until the ending of this year. Common knowledge right? I mean this wasn't unexpected, I knew...
I thought I knew.
I really didn't know after all.
And all I can say to all of this is - Holy SHIT! This month will be fucking insane! It feels like everything is being released this month (list of interested titles are listen in the tags at the bottom)! I mean I know Christmas is just around the corner already and everyone wants to rake in the cash during this time of year, but good lord! Can game companies bombard a gamer anymore then this?
What blew my mind even more was the sight of Chrono Trigger on the list, which is coming at the ending of this month. Goddamn it, I thought it was going to be out in December, along with Prince of Persia (also thought this was next month). I suppose I was wrong...
I know I say this a little often, but I think it is safe to say that being broke this month is definitely a major understatement. At this point I am considering on giving up eating for the rest of this year, you know... to offset the tremendous cost of getting this many games. That, or maybe sell off my first born or something.
I kid.
And I don't have a first born child either.
So I can easily say that it'll be a interesting month, to work and squeeze game time for this many titles... I'm quickly beginning to think I may have to reconsider a good deal of these buggers. I mean with a lack of options on how to effectively buy 'em all, what else can a person do right? Now the problem is, which ones to hold off on? So many choices, so little time (and money)!
One last post before December officially begins, I was just browsing about and I came upon a most curious little image. Now I knew this was coming, but the thought of it managed to give my mind the old slip.
