Going For The Past

I see Tales of Vesperia was only released back in August 2008, so its kind of something to me to be picking up such an "old" game at this point. See, since we searched and failed to find a copy of this game here domestically. Our search brought us to GameStop, whom had the case, but mysteriously couldn't find the game that went with it. I expected such screws up by now, but my girlfriend did not and was pretty pissed the hell off by all of this.

So rather then wasting more time trying to avoid shipping fees and what not, we set out to the internet to find this game. And who'da thunk it? I found it on Amazon for about $30 brand new, which I thought was a better deal then paying $27 for it used at GameStop. And the shipping was free, so that was also a good thing I suppose. Now the only thing about having that free shipping is that it has been in transit for about 4 days now, which leads me to wonder if maybe they are moving the package from Coffeyville, Kansas by donkey. It is estimated to get here on/by March 7th, so maybe they'll put the donkey on a jet ski and speed 'em to Hawaii?

Anyway, I hope this game ends up being entirely worth the trouble it took us to actually get this game. It is kind of bad to be trying to play another RPG just an estimated day before Dragon Age II, but it least it'll keep me busy for quite some time. I guess it is also good to have this game as a back up, in the event Dragon Age II ends up stinking the place out...

Frustration

I don't know what or why, but I am feeling increasingly irritated at this very moment and it is driving me crazy. I just want to rant and rave and argue and just take it out on the whole world! If I were a dog, I'd be chewing up everything I could sink my teeth into I'd think. But the reasonable part of me knows better and thankfully I don't go over the edge and just start snapping at everything that moves. My poor girlfriend, on the other hand, has to deal with it (though she honestly throws fuel on the fire a 5/10 times). Still, it is a struggle that I have to deal with almost daily but one I'd like to think I am getting better at dealing with in time.

What I think I could use is something good to play, to just get my mind off of the world for a few hours a day. That would be awesome... which is why I am pretty excited about Dragon Age II. Just the more I see and read about the game, the more I can't wait to get my hands on it.

The same can be said for Dynasty Warriors 7, which always earns a place in my heart almost yearly just because a good hack and slash game always makes me feel better. Is that a good or bad? What I like is the fact that the game has been slowly evolving over the years and I think the overall game has gotten a lot better. Personally though, I think I just like having a game where I can unload and smash into groups of dozens of random soldiers for hours on end, just for the hell of it. I wonder if war was ever this way in Ancient China? And more importantly for me, when is Dynasty Warriors 7 Empires coming out?

But above all else, something I didn't think I'd want to buy is slowly creeping up my interested list. Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection actually looks pretty damn nice, with the graphics update and what not. I think I kind of favor the style that the DS version had, but the style that it has on this upcoming PSP release is pretty nice too. It always is amazing to me to see these older games modernized, just for the fact that the spells and summons look so freaking awesome. I am also finding it interesting that not only will FFIV and The After Years be included, but also a story that bridges the gap between two will be thrown in there as well. And after buying this game basically every single time it has been re-released, it'll be nice to actually have much more added into the game.

One thing I do have to agree though is this: Of all the old school Final Fantasy games that Square Enix could remake, why always choose FFIV? Why not VI? Or VII? Or VIII? Hell, even Final Fantasy X could be pretty awesome if they bumped it up to PS3 (keeping the way it looks of course, but cleaned up). Maybe add some parts to the story, flesh things out a little more and the whole nine. But I guess this sort of topic is one that I could probably rant endless about for the rest of my life, so I will spare the world of such words for the time being. Maybe until next time, yes?

Writing The Unknown

While I was not directly tasked with my present headache, I simply have taken it on as a direct challenge to my ability as a writer. What in the world could I possibly be talking about tonight? Well to make a long story short, my girlfriend offered a friend of hers a helping hand in sorting out her biography for some pieces of art she plans to display in the near future. Where do I fall into this equation? To put this bluntly, my girlfriend can only write if her life absolutely depends upon it. And considering a person's life never, ever hangs in the balance due to a writing, she writes pretty lazily and I get to clean it up!

I am still haunted by last minute submissions she made for her college classes, the types of papers that are due at midnight and she begins to bug the living hell out of me to proof read/edit her monstrosity at 10:45 PM. The nightmares those damn papers have induced onto me...

Anyway, so I am sitting here tonight trying to formulate something that describes this woman, the artist within and maybe even bits and pieces of what drives/motivates her to do what she does. But my problem lies in the fact that I have never in my life, met this person and the little information that I got does absolutely nothing to describe this person in any desirable way. I basically have nothing to draw off of that would help me put together anything that would or could promote her and the work that she is doing.

Perhaps the wise would simply drop it dead and just walk away from it.

Lucky (unlucky) that I'm not wise!

Don't think I should be proud of that one...

So I am determined to try and pull something from my bag of tricks to at least get something respectable out of what was provided to me. I sort of feel like I am expected to build a full sized mansion out of a box of toothpicks. Impossible? Not if you've got the patience, no... but insanely difficult and probably not an ideal way to spend a Friday night?

Absolutely.

What the hell am I thinking?

Gearing Up

The center of this picture is apparently what will be used for the cover art for Gears of War 3. As seen on GameInformer.com

I am hoping that the games coming out this year will blow away the stuff that came out in 2010. Granted, there were some good games that arrived last year. But I think this year is the year it gets really good and one of the games that is topping my list is Gears of War 3 without a doubt. What helped seal this deal was learning that the game is set to be released on September 20th, which sounds worlds better then Holiday 2011.

Of all the First Person Shooter games out there, Gears of War has been a favorite in my household for some years now (along with Halo and Rainbow Six New Vegas). I mean a hostile invasion from beneath the earth? Human kind being pushed to the brink of extinction and that isn't even the worst that the Locust can do. How about sinking ENTIRE CITIES?

And for me, there is nothing more satisfying then revving up the Lancer and plunging that into the torso of your enemy. Or slapping a grenade onto the helpless sucker. Or if push comes to show, a quick shot from a Boom Shot will splatter damn near anything that gets in front of you.

What's not to love about this game?

On the flip side, I am curious to see how the characters have changed since the ending of Gears of War 2. Maybe that is another drawing aspect for me about this game: The characters in this game have more to them just swearing up a storm and killing everything in sight. Every Gear has a story to them and the reasons why they are fighting is a mixed up bag for sure.

Can't wait for September 20th!

Dragon Age II Demo

Flemeth

Having playing through the demo, my overall impression is mostly positive towards the new combat system. It sort of feels like playing a hack-and-slash game (ala Dynasty Warriors), which may or may not be a bad thing for most players. What I liked about that is the freedom to move and attack in real time, over the clunky and robotic movements of the previous game's system.

The only thing I didn't really care for was the lack of damage that my Champion could do with regular attacks. I don't know if this is because I could not upgrade my weapons? Or maybe regular attacks will just be useless time fillers between spamming special abilities and attacks. I am hoping that isn't the case, because if so, that certainly isn't a lot of fun (spamming baby weak attacks against a horde of Darkspawn).

As for the story itself, what I am most curious about after playing the demo is simply this: What is the true purpose of Flemeth? If this form (pictured above) is, in fact, her true form, then why did she not reveal herself when the Grey Wardens attack her in Dragon Age: Origins (if you chose to kill her that is)? Or it makes me even wonder if she died at all in that battle...

I get the feeling that Flemeth will have a much bigger part to play (I hope!) in Dragon Age II, which for me really adds a lot of questions about her and even Morrigan. I wonder if she, too, will have a part in this tale? I can only assume that if Dragon Age II plays along side the events of Dragon Age: Origins, she will have to eventually cross paths with the Champion somewhere, right?

March 8th is so very close and yet so very far away...

Stuff About To Get Crazy

I had the idea to write up an entry to my blog about feeling rather uninspired and I just couldn't get the words together. That, alone, was a sign that maybe I really wasn't that uninspired as I believed myself to be. I mean really, I haven't felt mentally as well as I am now in quite a few months. Surely things have not gotten extremely better since that time, but things are slowly turning themselves around and certain aspects are becoming clearer with each passing day.

I suppose it does help that it feels like the days are just blowing by with the wind...

As the title states, I have to believe that things are about to get crazy all over again and now I think it is scramble mode in preparation for that moment. I don't want to be caught unaware if I can prevent it, especially after how these past few years have proven. I think the best thing I can do is prepare for and expect the worse in the coming months, so even if I am wrong, at least I will know I was ready and able to handle whatever may (or may not) be coming at me in the near future.

But that is all dull and boring talk and really, I am getting excited for Dragon Age II, which is literally just around the corner now. I am in the process of playing the demo as I type this (I stopped for a moment, so I am not trying to play and type at the same time) and I have to say I am liking the changes. The combat feels like you've been given more freedom in movement and how you assault your enemies.

Beyond a couple of fights, I haven't really seen what else this demo has to offer. I think it is a safe bet to say that I will almost certainly be coming back here in a few hours or more, to jot down a more extensive view of what I think about the demo and whatever else that may come to mind.

The Return Of The People's Champion

What an amazing shocker it was, to read and watch and simply hear The Rock back in the WWE! The last time he even had a match with the company was back at WrestleMania 20 (that means it has been just about 7 years ago) and hearing this guy proves one thing for certain: His mic skills have not dulled at all in those years away from the ring.

Above is simply his new entrance video, but what is truly worth seeing is his return to Monday Night Raw last night. I might have kind of fallen off the wrestling wagon, but seeing the guy come back was just awesome. I hope, at the very least, he does come back for one final run.

Random-ish

It's Sunday, so the chances of a something weird happening goes way up.

The Everlasting Dynasty

 

You know what I am really somewhat irritating? Learning about a ton of games I didn't even know were being made and getting jittery about it like a little school kid. Okay, so maybe my list of must-have games hasn't increased by all that much, but a couple of games have caught my eye and the one pictured above is exactly one of those games.

Dynasty Warriors 7.

Why am I still playing these games, which essentially are/were very similar to one another game after game? I once thought that these games were so stupidly simple, but it is amazing that next to no one has been able to make a game quite like a Dynasty Warriors game. And I've played others like this (like Ninety Nine Nights) and you know what? Those others I've played don't quite come close to capturing the charm of a DW game.

And while it has taken the series (and I suppose the developers) long enough to evolve their game, this seventh entry looks to be one of the best ones yet.

But personally, while I do enjoy the games from the main series, the one I am really waiting for has to be Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires. It hasn't been announced (as far as I know), but it is one of the games that usually does follow behind the release of a new numbered game. I could use a new time sink and I played Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires to death and even after unlocking all the achievements for it, I just kept playing and playing and playing...

So now March holds 2 games of interest for me, that being Dragon Age II and now Dynasty Warriors 7...

Animation Uprising!

With gaming taking a backseat lately, I have been troubled in finding other means of entertainment. I can't exactly sit in front of a TV, since I don't have cable. I do still have Netflix, but I think I've watched myself out of that little phase for the moment (Need more Mythbusters! UGH!). This all changed one day, as I scoured the endless fields of videos on YouTube. It was thanks to that site that an Anime I had forgotten about, was ultimately remembered.

Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari

The title of this Anime is Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari, which is a spin-off of sorts of the Tenchi Muyo! series. And me being a long time fan of the series, I knew I absolutely had to find a way to watch this series one day. Of course that was some time ago and when I came back across this recently, I came to find out that the series was released and actually finished. Hell it took me so long to rediscover the existance of this title, that the entire series was put out on the internet and subbed with English subtitles.

Gotta love that part.

Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari follows the adventure of Kenshi, Tenchi's half brother, as he was sent to the world of Geminar to ultimately save the world. And, probably obviously, he has kind of the same luck with women as his brother did and this continues to be a harem-style series, with a touch of mecha robots for good measure. You can't go wrong with that combination can you?

Beyond that though, I actually came to love this series as it did what I thought was impossible: Recapture the charm that the original Tenchi series had (OVAs 1 & 2). What is also surprising how much more mature the series is now, with much clearer depictions of sex and violence. I suppose though, with how much things have changed since the release of the original series, change had to be expected.

Another upside is I've gotten around to finally re-watching the Tenchi Universe series, which I actually only saw through once (the OVAs and Tokyo series I've watched too many times over). It is different then I can recall, which does make it seem like I am watching each episode for the first time.

Now the only thing left that I haven't really seen is the GXP series...

 

The Winds of Change

It truly is amazing how quickly everything a person knows, can be flipped upside down in a matter of seconds. My boss, who has been so for the past 4 years, is being moved back to his original store and we are going to be getting a new boss. Hell, there is a lot of changes happening at my workplace right now and things are uncertain to say the least.

We don't know why the changes are happening and we don't even know who is going where right now. Am I a little worried? Sure I am! My mind has been playing through various situations, ranging from logical to the worse case scenarios. Maybe the situation has gotten that bad and they are preparing to shut my workplace down? Or maybe things are bad at the main store and they are just shuffling people around to make things better there? I honestly can't say, but what else can I do? All I know is to just keep moving forward and doing the best I can with what is present.

Still, it doesn't quite take the edge off of the present situation and the guys I work with are certainly abuzz with this latest happening. Personally, I don't really know what to think about all of these changes just yet. Maybe it hasn't settled in? Or maybe I am looking forward to these new challenges as I think it has been too long since things were really shaken up and maybe this is what the doctor ordered.

Or maybe I am just screwed.

More on this in the very near future...

Yeah, Right

Nice seeing news about a Dragon Age II demo being released near the ending of February (the 22th as I've seen it), which should answer a lot of my wonders about the new changes that have been made to the game. It appears as though the game has gotten a bit more action oriented, which might not actually be a bad thing. I am a little sadden that the other races won't be up for selection in this one, as I wanted to bring about my murderous Elf back into the world.

Maybe Dragon Age III...

But all of this stuff isn't actually the purpose that I am writing about Dragon Age II tonight. What compelled me to write about this game is the fact that GameStop employees are getting first crack at the demo to help educate them on what the game is all about.

I laughed.

Then I cried a little.

I then wiped the tears, then kept on laughing.

Seriously, who these days actually goes into a game store or any store really, without actually knowing something about what you are pre-ordering or buying? In this age of technology and information, is there really any excuse left in not knowing? I mean isn't knowing half the battle?

And truth be told, the GameStop employees that my girlfriend had asked questions to, were absolutely NO HELP AT ALL. They didn't really know all that much, outside of maybe what's written on the back of the game box.

But it is a new year and maybe I should give the world the benefit of the doubt. Maybe this is the way that will help educate these folks about the products they are trying to sell. Maybe this will help them grasp a better understanding which will lead to them gaining more sales and thus, giving better customer service...

I'll just go hold my breath while I wait for that one...

Interest Fading

After all of these years, I think it has finally become safe to say that I have hit the proverbial wall. Upon looking at the future landscape of gaming, what is there left to accomplish? What is there left to prove? Video games, for me, have lost their charm and I feel like I am reverting back to my PS2 days, when everything felt empty and dead and I just didn't give a shit to pick up and play anything.

But you know what else is starting to change my mind? The pricing of games and the equipment required to use them. Obviously the prices of these can only go one way really and that is all uphill from here. I mean even Nintendo with their 3DS is going to be $250, with their games going about $40-$50 as I've read it. What is sad to me is their biggest games that I've seen hyped are all old games! Are they going to follow the path of the PSP? I surely hope not. And on the subject of Sony's handheld, what about the NGP? What is that going to cost this time? An arm and a leg? Maybe you have to take a mortgage out for it?

It is pure insanity.

Even my list of games that I am looking forward to this year is dropping down in size and variety. As it goes, I am looking towards LittleBigPlanet 2, Gears of War 3, Mass Effect 3, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Dragon Age II and Hyperdimension Neptunia.

To be honest, I only just begun to read and look into (mere minutes ago really) Hyperdimension Neptunia and I am intrigued that it is an RPG. Maybe that is because I haven't really played an RPG in a while (Persona 3 kind of disappeared around my house. Maybe a ghost?) and I am looking for something, hell ANYTHING that might actually be fun in that genre. But it does at least look promising and it It certainly looks and sounds interesting to me. But I can't help but wonder just how good this game actually is?

Another one of interest is Deus Ex Human Revolution, which I see is dubbed a first-person RPG. Again, from the videos that I've seen and the little I've read about this game, it sounds promising and maybe this will be a good one. I still have some hope in Square-Enix, so maybe this will be the start of redemption for FFXIII...

Oh and a small mention about DC Universe Online: My interest in the game kind of fell off pretty quickly after the first week. I played less and less and I believe my villain is still around level 10. There just doesn't seem to be enough engaging quests or fights to do. I suppose I could have found a group and done a couple of alerts, but meh...