The Big 100th Post...!

Yeah, I know something like having 100 posts doesn't really mean all that much if you think about it. Does it mean something meaningful? Will it bring world peace? Will it end all the bitching and screaming and moaning and groaning about the Super Ferry in Hawaii?

As much as I'd like to say yes it could, well...

OK, so maybe it could very well be possible that this 100th post could change the course of events around the world. I mean think about it, it is a pretty strange world out there where all sorts of weird things happen every second of every day. So to think that a 'mere' 100th post could change the world... hell, it just may very well happen!

(I'd rather have my 100th post win me the biggest lottery jackpot in the world, but eh... can't win 'em all...)

So much to say and write and all that, but where oh where to begin? I think I am beginning to pressure myself out here, just thinking about just how big (in my own little mind) this 100th post really is!

For starters, I'm gonna hit up something I haven't written about in quite a while, which would be wrestling.

You can say how fake the matches are and yes, the matches are pre-determined before the guys ever hit the ring. But with everything in the news about it lately, I think it is safe to say that professional wrestling has become very, very real.

Still, at the end of the day I still do wonder if everything that is coming out will really make a difference in the end. Take the WWE for example here folks, this isn't the first time they've been called out about steroids. Obviously the fact that they are at it again proves that things haven't really changed. I mean sure, they have a wellness program in place. But does that really make a difference?

I just hope that these men and women that go out and perform are taken care of and helped if at all possible. One thing I'd like to not see for a very long time is another wrestler death. Enough is enough, hopefully people snap to and change their ways (if they have a problem that is).

Switching gears, although we are still going wrestling talk here, and this is about the rumors of Chris Jericho's possible return.

Now as a fan I am pretty excited to hear that and the idea of not having cable TV makes that all the harder to deal with. Sort of. It has been a little over a year since Jericho was on WWE TV? Maybe 2 now? I can't remember these things, but anyway... I guess all I can do is sit back and read about what goes on and maybe I'll find a video or 2 of his return (should it happen) on YouTube.

Switching gears again folks, now we go towards Dynasty Warriors and the 2 games that have recently been released under this banner.

I've been meaning to write something about Dynasty Warriors: Gundam and Warriors Orochi, but I just haven't had much of a chance these days. Anyway, if given a choice of which I like better, the hands down winner of this face off is Warriors Orochi. No question about that choice folks, that absolutely (in my opinion) choice wins by a landslide.

That isn't to say that Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is a bad game or anything. OK, so maybe the action manages to fall behind the standard Dynasty Warriors paces. Is that even possible? Surely they are both hack-and-slash games, but somehow DWG manages not to be as fun as Warriors Orochi. Not to mention if you don't know anything about the Gundam Universe, this game will be a confusing mess (I only knew of Gundam Wing).

Another thing DW: G lacks is options, modes... something more then just the confusing story itself. Original Mode is OK, but really... it isn't much different then the Official Mode.

As for Warriors Orochi... now that game felt like home to me and it played exactly as can be expected. The only real gripe that I have about this is the lack of extra modes (just like DW: G). Besides Free Mode, there aren't anything else like previous games, such as Rampage, Time Attack, etc.

What surprised me about Orochi was the changes that were made to the game. I think the biggest change is the ability to chose three warriors to go to war with and you can change among your trio at any time. It keeps things feeling fresh and you can basically mix and match up your team of choice from the officers you've unlocked from both the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors games.

The story itself is interesting also, which pretty much goes a little something like this: Orochi, the Serpent King, wishes to test his might against the most powerful fighters in history. And to that end, Orochi pulls the warriors from Feudal Japan and Ancient China. Now the basis of this game is how Orochi basically holds hostage the leaders of Shu, Wei and Wu and uses most of their top fighters (mixed up with the fighters from Samurai Warriors) to crush any resistance and to also weed out the weak and leave only the most worthy and powerful.

Does that all make sense? Hopefully I didn't gut the story and ruin it... just trust me when I say that it is a pretty damn good hack-and-slasher!

Now onto a subject I never thought I'd be writing about here, in my humble little blog, ever again. Final Fantasy XI is coming out with a brand spankin' new expansion and Square Enix is tossing in new jobs! Again! Why do I get the feeling that the majority of the new content will be aimed (still) towards end gamers? I hope I am wrong and if so, who knows... I may very well go back...

I mean why not right? I'd love to see my Elvaan as a Dancer and who knows what else. I suppose we shall all see as SE unleashes more details in the coming months.

News flash: Work still sucks! Now back to the regular blog fodder!

Honestly I do miss playing Final Fantasy XI, but what I don't is the hours of waiting and all the shit that goes with having to form a party. I've wasted more hours then I care to remember doing stuff like this. Surely it is all a part of the game and the 'experience.' It did feel good when I left and started back up on offline games. The joke I told the few friends I made while gaming on FFXI was at least now I didn't have to beg people to join my party or people leaving after 10 minutes of fights or even wait for 6 hours to get into something!

Yes, it was a great, great feeling.

Speaking of playing, I've been playing Halo 3 with my girlfriend and lemme tell you all this. We suck. We're playing it on easy because anything higher then that would result in our faces splattered across the screen. Oops, sorry... got that mixed up with Gears of War.

(In either case, the end result remained the same.)

I think we've only played through 2 chapters? I don't know/remember off hand how the game is broken down. The story sounds interesting and the game play is as fun as we both remember it from both Halo and Halo 2.

Random topic: I'd be playing my XBox 360 right now, but it is fairly warm (Read: Hot) where I live right now and I am a paranoid man. Paranoid that my XBox will flash me those dreaded red rings of death... I don't think I'd take all that well if that should happen any time in the near future.

Funny story, which I am slightly repeating from a previous post from ages ago it seems, and this goes back to when I first got my 360.

Gotta love Wal-Mart and their belief that I was somehow lying to them about the XBox they sold me being previously used and broken for that matter. Yeah they plugged it in and oh, it works! See the problem was that the night before (the night that I had bought it), it had stopped reading XBox games. After letting it sit for about a half hour, it'd read the game again for a short time and then freeze up and stop again.

Well they did not believe me and somehow I guess they thought I was trying to scam them. How? I don't personally know for myself and my poor mind just couldn't connect with their thought pattern on this one. Anyway, after they wasted my time for about an hour and talked to me like I was lying, I did get it replaced. Needless to say, all I wanted to do was leave and get the hell home...

What lifted my spirits (after being talked to like a goddamn criminal) was when that jerk of a girl that was "helping" me took the XBox back up front and plugged it in again. Guess what popped up and greeted her stupid face? Those bloody red rings of death CAME OUT FOR THOSE SONS OF BITCHES!

Ha! Serves you all right, jerks!

Oh that was bliss... pure, unadulterated bliss...

Do I hold a grudge? No, not really.

But I do take offense when someone decides to call me a liar and doesn't even know what he/she is talking about. Then again, while they did waste my time, the ending is what always brings that smile of mine back to my face. After that, I have been worried that those red rings would return and kill my poor XBox and so I've gone through my own hell to be sure I don't do all that much to kill that expensive bastard.

Then again, there is a lot of good games still coming for the 360 and so I guess this will serve as a fairly good test to see if my box will survive or not. Hell, if nothing else, I think WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 will do all the testing I need, considering it ends up being a better game then the '07 edition.

I mean it has flaming table matches! ECW wrestlers! And um... and other stuff that makes this game great! Actually, I play it just to mess around with it's create-a-wrestler mode. Everything else to me is secondary. I love to create stuff, people, anything. I loved The Sims (original, though wishing I could play The Sims 2...) and games like Stronghold. OK a game like Stronghold I spent a good deal of hours building up a massive castle and then laying it to waste and rebuilding it again.

I don't know what it is, but creating is fun for me and addictive even more so since there are a few games out there that allow that sort of freedom.

Oh, did I mention I was a wrestling fan? I bet that was a difficult thing to figure out.

So fast does time fly and I think I was having fun writing all of that somehow. Not to mention the fact that I've just caused my brain to go empty, since I've finally gotten to write out much of what I've been meaning to write for the past week or two. Hopefully this is a worthy 100th post or else I may have to spam my own blog to reach post 200 to try again.

Hmmm...

Another Sleepless Night...

It is all there in the back of my mind, the knowledge of the fact that I should be well asleep right at this very minute. So why in the heck am I still up and typing? Well as the title states, tonight is yet another night where I find myself unable to sleep. That or I've developed quite the ability to be able to type what I am thinking while I am asleep. Now that would be simply amazing to do folks, in my own humble opinion.

Well, I may as well make the most of my time awake and type up a thought or two that I have been meaning to jot down. For starters, as I have mentioned a post or two ago, there are quite a few games coming that I have some intent on owning in the near future. One of which was Dynasty Warriors: Gundam.

While I haven't put much more then an hour or two into it, which like Dot Hack//G.U., I don't think I have experienced enough to give a proper opinion about it just yet. I will say, however, it is a pretty standard affair and it certainly lives up to the Dynasty Warriors series. I'll admit, I am enjoying running around as Heero, the pilot of the Gundam Wing Zero.

But I do wonder about one thing... surely Heero was a interesting character in his own right, but what about Zechs? I was surprised to see him appear in the Original game mode, but he doesn't appear to be playable. I hope that he is, the Epyon looks awesome! And fun too!

Oh and a surprise for me today... my girlfriend insisted we go to Waikiki today to check out the airshow featuring the Thunderbirds. I believe there have been events done by the Airforce, which seems to have been going on all this week. Anyway, to make a long story short, the show was awe inspiring and just amazing to see those jets fly by in person. Surely they were loud and if you blinked, they were gone in a flash. Still, the show and those pilots were simply amazing nonetheless.

Off subject, though this ties into the Thunderbirds show to a certain degree. It took my girlfriend and I about an hour to get into Waikiki and about that much so to get back out. The air show itself lasted about 20 minutes. So basically we spent two hours to get in and out for a 20 minute show. Was it worth it? Sure. But man was that place (and all of the buses) packed!

And a final thought from this restless soul before I head out and attempt to sleep. We recently rented Dead or Alive (D.O.A.), which is based off of the video game of the same name. Anyway, I am astonished to say it is actually a pretty good movie! The action was fairly decent and the story (and the acting) wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it was going to be.

While it is far from being a classic, it is a fun movie to watch and it does even toss in a touch of comedy now and again. Ok and I will even say that there are beautiful women, but that is a given considering what the movie is based off of.

I was surprised (as it seems to have been my past time this weekend) to see Kevin Nash appear in the movie too. The guy seems to be doing a lot more movies these days, which I would venture a guess as to say his wrestling career seems pretty much done and over these days.

Ah well, more from my brain another day, another time for sure. I need to force myself asleep... work is just around the corner and my brain needs all the help it can get. Then again, I don't think there is any amount of preperation that could prepare me for the hell called "work."

Such is the life... damn you video games! Damn you for forcing me to work! And damn you bills and rent and food and all that other adult-like responsibilites! Wow, I kind of feel better!

Yes, yes... I am losing touch with my sanity... common knowledge around these parts lately. Sleep!

Into The Not-So-Distant Future (Video Games To Run Myself Broke Over!)

So I'll be honest here and say there are a shit load of games that are coming in the next few months that has me drooling. Blue Dragon, ladies and gents, is just the tip of the ice burg for me! Wow, I think I hear my wallet crying right now. Check back with me after the Holidays and see if I'm joining in on the water works too (which I just might be after all of these games are released).

Yes, there is Halo 3 (need I say more?) on the way next month, which I think it is fair to say it has developed a decent amount of hype...

Another game worth mentioning, especially since RPGs are so few on the 360, is Eternal Sonata. Music + RPG = Uncertainty, at least in my own mind anyway. I played an RPG on PS2 some years ago that was centered around music. Needless to say, I don't remember putting much more then an hour or 2 into it, because that sucker hurt my poor little brain. It didn't even trade-in for much credit either! Argh...

But that isn't everything folks, no, no, no...

There are 2 Dysnasty Warriors games that I'd like to get my hands on, one of which is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, and also Warriors Orochi, which is a mash up of both Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors. While these are both pretty much mindless hack and slashers, what can I say? Sometimes simple is good!

Oh and dare I forget to mention Beautiful Katamari, which I guess you could say is another simple game. But again, I was pretty hooked with the previous 2 games of Katamari and the thought of it coming to XBox 360 leaves me with dreams of rolling up even more Japanese people and everything in between...

And of course there is Naruto: Rise of a Ninja, which looks to be a lot of fun (even more so now that I am familiar with the story). I mean the promise of open environments and the story will cover episodes 1-80 should make for a pretty good game in my book.

On the other hand, however, it would be pretty disappointing if the game is dragged out in the way the anime is. If the story is paced more as it was with the Manga, then that should be a fairly well paced story/game (which is what I am hoping for).

I shall even mention Guitar Hero 3, though any further thought into this and I'm afraid my hands will fall off. How people can play this game so well is clearly beyond me, the king of easy mode... lol....

OK, so I am a terrible player when it came down to Guitar Hero, but it is still fun no less! So what if my mind can keep up with the various colored buttons on the screen, but my hands cannot?

This next game I am about to mention is the nightmare of my girlfriend...

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2008.

She hates these games with a passion, to put things out here lightly. She despises these games to the point that the mere mentioning of it will cause her eyes to roll and irritation levels to rise beyond anything Mother Nature can cause. Why does she hate this series so?

Err... well, I did play SD vs Raw 2006 for well over a year and the same can be said for WWE Smackdown!: Here Comes The Pain. I even dodged the newer ones just to keep playing the same old games. Maybe that did it?

Wrestling games themselves isn't what draws and keeps me playing, it is the create-a-wrestler feature that does it for me. I have literally spent years just creating and changing my very own army of wrestlers, to the point where I have regulars that I've made in each game that I've played.

One gripe with wrestling games these days though, is it seems as though as the create-a-wrestler feature is getting shallow. By that I mean the options to which is available to a player looks to be thinning out, which is unfortunate. I can only hope SD vs. Raw 08 actually improves, rather then takes 3 steps back.

Well this post is pretty short and it even is beginning to sound like a Christmas list (hint, hint!) to no one in particular, unless you live with me.... Nah, I'm just kidding.

Sort of.

But really, I feel myself losing a lot of weight in the coming months and keeping it off, considering the amount of cash that will be dropped to pick up these games. What? Outside world? What ever in the world might that be?

Then again, I'll likely dodge a game or three from what was listed above. I mean, they all can't be that great. Can they? Anyway, I'll hopefully sort my brains out in the coming months to pick which of these are actually worth picking up and which aren't. With my luck, I'm sure to pick up at least one stinker that will flat out suck.

Yay... *sigh*

Survival of the Craziest

...And so the story soldiers forward, onwards to whatever fate may have in store for those whom fear not defeat nor death.

Ah, but alas this way comes our hero as he returns from the battlefield. His face speaks silently of tales of harrowing dangers and perilous foes and the like. One may wonder, silently mind you, of what those sun worn and battle hardened eyes of his have seen.

Yet it is his stride that catches the eyes of those whom would other wise pay little to no heed to this man. It is within his stride, the walk of man whom holds strong to his pride and honor. Surely he is battered and beaten, the trials which he survived were long and arduous, there is no question about that.

But he is alive and in relatively one piece.

Who could really ask for more?

And there went my attempt at writing... with the way things have been going at work this past year, I've really fallen out of the loop of actually writing. By that I mean the stories that I have been slowly beginning and just dropping before they ever see the endings they all rightly deserve.

But that is life for ya...

At least I survived not just Monday, but Tuesday AND Wednesday as well. That should definitely earn me a medal or something (Yeah right).

Things should be interesting tonight, since Blue Dragon (XBox 360) is being released over here in Hawaii today. Hopefully the reviews I've read are all lies and this game absolutely rocks my XBox to death!

God I hope it doesn't decide to pop that red ring of death on me now. Anyone care to see a XBox 360 fly then?

Another game which has caught my attention (though I cannot afford it at the moment) is Dynasty Warriors: Gundam.

Yes, I have played a few of the previous Dynasty Warriors games and I think I know generally what to expect. Still, it is nice to get home and hack and slash hundreds of enemies just for kicks. Oh wait, there are missions and stuff in the game huh? Hmm...

In other random personal news, I am still watching Naruto. Is it just me, or is the pacing of the series a lot like Dragon Ball Z? By that I mean they spend a lot of time facing off and yapping rather then pushing forward in the story.

The series that I've been liking more is Naruto Shippudan, which hasn't even been released over here in the States yet. Freakin' awesome stuff! I mean at least they aren't wasting as much time as they do in the regular Naruto series.

Onto a little bit of wrestling chatter here... how long as it been since I went off about this stuff? Oh well, anyway...

Come on folks, surely a lot of people hate his guts but WWE must have some grand master plan in store for John Cena. I mean for them to have him as their WWE Champion for as long as he has been and not to mention the number of guys he has defeated. Just all in all, there just has to be a reason...

It's funny with Randy Orton, I mean certain feuds he looks absolutely horrible and others he just looks like a true to life Legend Killer. So I hear he has been doing fairly well off in his feud with Cena, but his loss at SummerSlam kind of paints the tale of where this feud is going.

But it still makes me wonder, will Orton be the guy that ends Cena's long reign as Champion?

Speaking of Champion, I wonder what the idea is for CM Punk. To lose to Nitro... er... John Morrison three times now? And here he (Punk) comes with yet another chance at the title. Will the fourth time be the charm? Personally, I hope so or else why bother coming back for a fifth time?

Undertaker is coming back at Unforgiven and The Great Khali is World Champion. Sure, Rey Mysterio has a title shot coming his way, but I still gotta believe the WWE will save the title drop for 'Taker. Or maybe it'll be Undertaker against Mysterio for the World title...?

I hope this isn't leading back towards Rey's days as the 'Giant Killer' like he had during his days in the old WCW.

One final comment from me today and it's about the recent passing of pro wrestler Crush or otherwise known as Brian Adams. Or, as he was called around my hometown, the Kona Crush.

It is sad to hear that he passed away, he was a pretty decent wrestler and hell, the man is an alumni from the same high school I graduated from. My condolences to the family, I wish them all the best during these hard times.

God I hope there aren't any more wrestler deaths this year...