It is incredible to me that this month has just blown by! It is stranger still that it feels to me as if time itself just moves so much faster then before! Or maybe it is still moving at the same speed, it is just me keeping busier then ever before?
I cannot say for certain, but what I still can't fathom is the fact that I've been out of high school for almost ten years already. Even with the time that has passed, it feels almost like it happened only yesterday.
Perhaps this is the feeling a person gets when he or she does not change all that much? I'd like to think I am a different (and hopefully better) person then I was before. But can a person really just judge something like that for themselves?
Maybe with each passing trip home, maybe little by little I am becoming homesick. Either that or maybe it allows my mind to clear up for a moment to reflect. Reflect on what I've done and what I need to do next. It is extremely helpful in a sense, because sometimes, regardless of how hard I try, I end up "losing my way" so to speak.
On the flip side though, sometimes this sort of thing just makes things a little more confusing. I think I will ponder over my thoughts further and maybe I'll come back here and write them down. Who knows when or how that might come in handy?
Onto the gaming! I swear it won't be that drawn out, just some quick thoughts to share.
While I was glad to hear that Final Fantasy XIII at least has something of an estimated release date, though Winter, 2010 is a hell of a stretch away. What wasn't so good to hear was how the demo may very well end up being a Japan exclusive. Ouch!
I've finally gotten back into playing Chrono Trigger and I am breezing along though the game, with trying to recall what I can remember of the game being a challenge in it of itself.
I've just gotten Frog to join up and the battle against the Fiendlord, Magus, really almost had me! Now I can't wait to move to the part of the game where I can recruit that powerful son of a demon...
Finished off Gears of War 2 (finally!) and now my girlfriend and I are putting more time into playing the "Horde" mode. It is fun and certainly challenging to say the least. The furthest we've made it to has been the 12th wave...
One final thought here... the next game I'd like to finish would be Fable 2, though progress there has been halted because of a batched evil spree of mine which ended with a untimely auto-save, the deaths of many innocents and a severe dropping in my gold. Meh.
Beyond that? I am wanting to pick up Blue Dragon (again) to finish off once and for all, as well as Assassin's Creed and maybe even Prince of Persia. That will keep me busy for a while, me thinks.
It has been a crazy for me lately, especially the past 4-5 days. Thursday was the beginning of it, with my girlfriend and I meeting up with a number of friends as we were introduced to Airsoft, which basically means we shot each other up pretty good with pellet guns.
Personally and honestly, I did not do that great during the numerous matches throughout that night. In fact, I spent nearly the entire time just being shot over and over again. But despite that and leaving there with a few welts, all in all it made out for a heck of an experience.
Friday was no easier as we had to be up early as we flew home (Kona) for the first time in a year. It was my uncle's 1 year memorial service and so I got to see a lot of family I never see otherwise (even the ones that live here on the same island as me). It is still amazing to me to see just how much things can change in a year's time. Even with everything that changes, however, Dorthy said it best: There is no place like home.
The only downside to being at home was the fact that on Saturday morning, the temperature over there was at 60 degrees! Needless to say, I froze my goddamn ass off! And thanks to that, I now have this cold which I am sporting right now and it is driving me nuts.
To top it off, we flew back to sunny Oahu on Sunday afternoon (there was a sudden and heavy downpour in Kona and the winds were powerful!). It was a blast to be able to just do all of that in such a short amount of time. In a way, I wish I could always just get up and fly home or even just get together with friends and just forget about the world for a while.
I think ultimately, that is what I love so much about being back in Kona. Just being able to go home and relax, play with my dogs (my old girl Brindy is still my pup, even if she's old and gray).
So now I am finally back at home, sick and tired and feeling like a bag of you know what. Still, it was fun and I can't wait to do it all over again.
...When the Porn industry asks Congress, of all people, for a financial bailout.
Absurd? Fake? I thought that myself and then some when I first saw the link to the article tonight. But this is for real folks and I just can't believe it is happening. And the people asking for the money aren't fooling around either, not when they are asking for a whopping $5 billion bailout.
FIVE BILLION DOLLARS.
To save porn!
I mean don't get me wrong, I have nothing against porn or anything. What shocks me is the fact that people from that industry have stepped up and asked for such a huge sum of cash.
If this goes through, maybe I should write a letter of my own to Congress and request my own personal bailout. Hell, I could use it! I mean, why not right? With the way things are with the economy and especially with the fact that I live in Hawaii, I need the money because these tough times have adversely affected my ability to be a contributing consumer or something.
I could totally get a PS3, a high end HD TV, massive surround sounds and the whole works. Forget that, I could buy a mansion to house my mansion in!
Really, if the Porn industry can get bailed, does anyone really need a legit reason? The sick could be better cared for or maybe kids can be better schooled then I was in my grade school days. I mean there are a lot of other ways of spending money!
I hope this just goes far, far away and disappears in a dark corner someplace. This is really outrageous!
Am I easily entertained? Have I finally gotten to the point where bad games are great to me? In any event, I just finished "Rise of the Argonauts" and I liked it. Granted, the story does take a little while to really pick up steam, which in my opinion wasn't really until the last few hours of the game, it is a fairly good tale of King Jason.
I say the story didn't really pick up until later is because a lot of the loose ends finally work their way back in and the big picture then can be seen. I think the only part of this that I didn't like was the fact that they threw out the big deception/betrayal very early on. It could have made for a shocking finale, but whatever. It was still pretty good and the finale sets a hell of a tone and pace. Ever see an enraged king go on a rampage before? You will when you reach the end of this game.
The voice work for this was great, nothing strange or awkward like a Dynasty Warriors game or anything like that. What's more, a good majority of the game is voiced, so it isn't really that heavily text based (nothing wrong with a lot of reading mind you).
The only real issue I encountered was, as I mentioned on a previous writing, was the slow down that happens in towns. Run past anymore then three people and it would slow down some. A minor issue really, but it does get a little annoying in the beginning.
One other small, minor issue would be the character models. The main crew is fine, of course they would be diverse and detailed. That is to be expected! But the common folk, the people that populate the towns and cities are identical! Does everyone have 2-3 twin brothers/sisters each?
Funny story too, I didn't even know you could throw your spear until the final boss fight started up and I had died a few times trying to figure out how to take the guy down. I suppose these "special" moves could have been brought up more often. Then again, obviously they weren't all that important or else you'd have needed them more often.
One final thought about the game or a character in general: Achilles is, more often then not, an irritating prick whom I wished I could have thrown overboard in the middle of the sea.
Here for a moment, just wanting to say HAPPY NEW YEAR to anyone who reads this blog of mine! What a crazy year 2008 was! But man, this new year should be an interesting one to say the least. I mean Barack Obama will be taking over the position of being our President, then it's more history in the making from there.
I wonder if this is the man that will actually live up to everything he says and said he believes in? If so, then maybe I may very well throw a vote in the next time the elections come around.
But all of that is a different story entirely and definately for another day to be sure. Anyhow, hope everyone stays safe, has a lot of fun and here's hope 2009 brings you all good health, good fortune and a ton of great games!
Where the hell is Final Fantasy XIII?!
It is incredible to me that this month has just blown by! It is stranger still that it feels to me as if time itself just moves so much faster then before! Or maybe it is still moving at the same speed, it is just me keeping busier then ever before?
