The Clock is Ticking

The year is almost over and 2009 is upon us! And how thankful I am to be able to put this year behind of me. Don't get me wrong though, I mean 2008 has been a fairly good year to me and it held a number of changes and things that shook me up. But with a whole new year just around the corner, who knows what's to come?

Anyway, these past few days I've been playing a game or two. As always, I have gotten side tracked from the games I started to seriously play, just to play other stuff. The newest focus of my attention has been "Rise of the Argonauts," which did start out kind of slow and has been picking up steam as it rolls along.

One thing that I have noticed about the game is the fact that a lot of the time spent (at least from what I've seen anyway) just running back and forth, talking to this person or another. And as you go, there are quite a few cut scenes and the combat has been scattered to a minimal thus far.

Other issues are lagging and load times, which generally happens everywhere you go. The lag in the game play thankfully happens when you're in town and not so much in battle. The load times, on the other hand, pop up for opening doors and gates, which can get annoying if you end up dying in battle numerous amounts of time (as I did).

Still, the story, while predictable in some aspects, has succeeded in capturing my attention. We'll see how long/far that will take me...

On an unrelated note, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 is fairly okay in my book. But what bugs me is how unfriendly the create-a-wrestler mode is. Creating a finisher is all well and fine, it is limited too, but it is a new feature. Maybe next year will see a big improvement there.

But back to the create-a-wrestler mode, meh. That is what always sells me on these types of games and each year that part of it goes down the shitter! Top that off with the fact that apparently the first DLC for the game will not be released for the Xbox 360 until March of 2009! And shit be damned, PS3 is holding a number of exclusive stuff already!

With the way things are looking, I do not expect to continue playing these games in 2009. Absolutely not worth wasting my time with anymore and I've been playing wrestling games since 1998.

Speaking of later dates, I read in the latest Game Informer that Final Fantasy XIII isn't expected to reach our shores until late 2010. Talk about a real drag there... all I know is this: With the amount of years that is being poured into this game, it had better be able to blow away everything that came before it.

Is that being a bit harsh?

One last thing before I stop and this, again, goes back to Square Enix. I finally got around to renting "The Last Remnant" and I am on the fence about this one. I mean it does seem interesting and all, but my problem (and lack of continued interest) has been the fact that I don't own a HD TV. So! I can't read/see/understand a goddamn thing anyone is saying.

How can you get into a RPG without being able to read anything?

Beyond that though, with the time I managed to spend playing this I can away with one simple thought in mind: Why does this game feel so hollow? So... lifeless? It just doesn't catch my attention all that much.

Aside from the restriction of having to go through a great deal to see where the hell I'm going on the map, the characters themselves seem generally pretty bland. Hell for a moment I even thought I had picked up Lost Odyssey all over again. And to top the cake? Rush annoys the bloody hell out of me! Can he just not die, 3 minutes into the game?

Well I feel a little better! Now I shall go back to decapitating all manner of life and see on how Jason may bring back his slain wife...

Catching Up Before It's Over

Once again, I had expected to have sat down and written a few more times then I've done this month. But again things didn't quite turn out the way that I had expected them to. In a way, isn't that how life goes? I suppose I should have learned a little something about that by now, to expect the unexpected.

Anyway, merry belated Christmas to all! And in the event that I should miss writing this part, hope everyone has a happy, fun and safe new year too!

Christmas was spent just moving here and there, my girlfriend and I had lunch at Zippy's (which was also the case for Thanksgiving). It wasn't bad and the place we went to was fairly uncrowded, so it was somewhat relaxing.

And what a strange twist of events in Hawaii, just a day after Christmas huh? The island of Oahu gets hammered down by a downpour of thunder and lightning and then everything goes dark. My workplace was damn near pitch black in some areas and in my luck, I ended up in an area where there were no lighting. Great!

But nothing a little game of Monopoly by candle light cannot fix! On the other hand, said game is still unfinished. I can still win it all! I have faith!

And in something completely unrelated, I've been scoring extremely well in Fantasy UFC. Basically they (the UFC) puts up their fight cards online and you chose who you think will win. On top of that, you chose down to the details (which round will the fight end? How will the fight end? How much time into the round will the fight end?) and when the fights are done, you get scored on how much of it you guess correct.

Me? I am not a hardcore fan of the UFC, more of a casual fan I suppose. Well, to my surprise (and to the dismay of a fellow co-worker, whom is an avid fan I might add), I've basically ranked above him and have stayed in the top 100 during the last two events. As a matter of fact, this past show I managed to rank 93 out of 23,830.

Not to toot my own horn here or anything, but I am surprised (again) because I really don't have any clue about what or whom I am picking here. More often then not, I don't even know how the guy even fights.

Oh well, more stuff I am into during my limited free time. I'd write about games tonight, but I am too tired to really think it up right at this moment. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day eh?

The Finish Line is on the Horizon!

It has been a strange month, filled with ups and downs and dramas and headaches galore. Plus it's been a fairly decent month for gaming too, which does help when times are down or just so full of shit. But that is entirely another story! The big deal now is Christmas is just 3 days from now! 2009 is just a cough away, which still amazes me because I can hardly remember what I did this past year.

Oh, right. The most 'excitement' I've had has been spending pretty much the whole year working. That thought alone is almost depressing in a way. Actually that is a lie to a degree, I mean my girlfriend and I went ice skating (my first time, her second) and let me tell you this: Me and ice skates = do not mix.

What added to the situation was the fact that little boys and girls were just blowing past us like we weren't even moving. Which, come to think of it, we were going at a snail's pace.

It was cool though, I mean it was something entirely different from the norm for us. Hell, where else can a person claim to have smelt someone's stink as shit feet in skates? It (the smell) was so bad, that shit rubbed off onto my hands! Need I say it grossed me out? And that takes some effort, more often then not.

Work has been crazy, people have been crazy, my boss is crazy. Ah yes, Christmas is absolutely undeniable.

Funny thing though: If I am wearing the uniform, I am holding a box of Japanese somethings or another and I even have the name tag on, does it or does it not mean I work at the establishment you are standing in? I get the ever popular question "are you working here?" so often it makes my head hurt some days.

Onto the games! I just picked up Orange Box (Half-Life 2), which was dirt cheap ($20) and it has a whole lot of game on that disk. Should be fun or so I am hoping. Oh and including in there is Portal, which I got to play the demo of recently. Strange game, but it does get you thinking.

Rise of the Argonauts has been fun too, but at this point I am left with a truck load of questions and damn near NO answers to it! The story didn't start out as strong, but it certainly picks up steam and fast!

Well I'd love to stay and chat, but I got myself a spiffy new silver Nintendo DS for X-Mas and Chrono Trigger is just begging for some play. And who am I to deny that, right? I want Magus on my team... he OWNS everything and everyone in the game!

Not Out of the Woods Yet!

Just when I thought it was safe to relax and not have to freak out/panic over a new game being released, Rise of the Argonauts happens. I mean what happened to this game? I remember listing this many months back as something I thought was interesting and then it didn't get released and I forgot all about it.

Until now.

Damn you.

While I am cursing that which is known as video games, 2009 has some interesting releases scattered throughout the year. But really, the gem I am eagerly awaiting word about is easily Final Fantasy XIII. It seems with each new entry to the main series, the longer the wait between the games are.

I suppose this is a good thing, right?

Where the hell is Kingdom Hearts 3? The Heartless need further thrashing...

Anyway, I've gone and dug through Gamestop's website for releases that are coming in the year 2009. Needless to say, it should be a very interesting year. Here are a few games I thought looked and sounded interesting.

- Street Fighter 4
- Lord of the Rings Conquest
- Halo Wars
- UFC 2009 Undisputed
- Batman: Arkham Asylum
- Overlord 2
- Darksiders: Wrath of War

I sort of wonder what surprises are in store for gamers in the coming year? A new entry to the Chrono series? Final Fantasy VII? Final Fantasy XIII even?! Or even a good RPG that will finally manage to capture (and hold) my attention from start till finish?

Just 8 more days till Christmas! And once that is here, 2009 will be mere steps away! Ugh, why in the hell does a Japanaese grocery store in America need to be open on Christmas day anyway?!

Counting Down the Days

I wholly expected to have written more then I have this month, with the intention of trying to keep up a little more stable flow of writing. Instead I've only gone 2 writings this month, but then I've been keeping busy nonetheless!

On the gaming front, I think it is now (finally) safe to say that I've gotten a hold of the games I wanted this year. And considering there don't appear to be much of anything good that will be out for the rest of this month (as far as I know), I think I can finally take a breather here.

After finishing off Left 4 Dead (if that's possible?), I was going to try and get back into finishing Fable 2 and continuing with Mirror's Edge. Instead, I got hooked onto Chrono Trigger DS and Prince of Persia!

To be perfectly honest, I am loving Chrono Trigger all over again. It feels like there hasn't been any time that passed since the first time I laid eyes on this till now and it is still as engaging and fun as I can remember it. The DS port is damn near exact to what was the original, which I am ever so grateful for.

As for something newer, Prince of Persia is an extremely beautiful game, in my own personal opinion. The game itself is good too, though the controls does take a little getting used to. I spent a little while trying to do the wall runs and climbs without jumping off/outward.

Switching gears here, Tuesday night was my first time eating at a Shabu Shabu place. The meal was awesome! The lady that served us did look fairly disappointed though, I mean I hadn't finished off all of my veggies. What can I say? I have a few cucumbers and I down the noodles and tofu, but really! I am there for the meat!

I wish I knew what kind of ponzu sauce they served, which might not be an issue had I asked huh? I know one thing though, it surely was NOT Mitsukan brand because I know that stuff is damn strong tasting!

On a final note here, my girlfriend blazed through the first book in the Twilight series and we finally made it down to see the movie. It was ok, though she didn't exactly care for me asking her a number of times "where's the wine?"

Why was I asking that you may wonder?

Because the damn movie is cheesy! I swear it is an extended WB teen drama. How I survived that movie from start to finish is a miracle to even me. It isn't to say that it was all bad, but it surely wasn't the best movie I saw this year.

No, that spot is easily reserved for "The Dark Knight."

Only 21 more days before 2008 goes buh bye! Wow, 2008 sure breezed by didn't it?

Red Rings That Almost Was

Earlier this week, or to be more precise, last Monday, marked the day where I almost gave my XBox console it's inaugural flight, clear out the front door no less. Why you may wonder? Why would I do such a thing to a video game console of all things?

Well, to sum things up for the sake of sanity, my XBox red ringed me again. AGAIN (as pictured above, not my pic but that was exactly what I got that morning). Needless to say, I was beyond pissed off. I had not even had the system back for six months and again!??

Thankfully, the dreaded Red Rings of Death disappeared this time around and all is well (for now...?). But it makes me wonder, we send this thing in for 'repairs' and if/when it happens again, does this really mean they aren't fixing a damn thing?

Now what I hope for is Microsoft will step it up when the next generation of consoles comes around. This sort of thing about their shit breaking down this late in the game is really pathetic.

And yes, some days it does even cause me to wonder why in the world did I pick up the damn XBox before the PS3. Surely it was the cheaper of the two, but with all this stuff going on with the XBox... it causes me to question what was going through my head that day.

Believe me when I say this though: Next generation, I ain't making this mistake again.