End-World Echoes

Consider the Cheetah

2010-02-11T01:24:00.002-05:00

Chester Cheetah: The Cheesy One was once just another snack food mascott, roughly analogous to a Cap'n Crunch or a Lucky The Leprechaun. He was the quasi-hipster, Sonic-The-Hedgehog-esque spokesman and chief animated distributor of the noble Cheeto, a food nearly unrivaled in its cheesy deliciousness. He appeared to revel in his work.
But recent evidence has shown that the once-lovable Chester has developed a decidedly dark side. He has broken free from the realm of animation and now roams the human world, appearing to those whose wills are weak and their love of cheesy goodness is strong, whispering sweet suggestions of evil deeds into their willing ears. He is an engine of chaos, driving sane women to insane acts; They stain the pure white linins of others with their florescent cheddary leavings, perhaps marking them forever as outcasts from his harem of dairy devotees. They suffocate men with the very object of their devotion, an act provoked by nothing more than daring to snore in their presence. And now, deep in some sinister underground lab, we see him performing sinister experiments on presumably willing subjects, seeking new ways to force ever-larger snacks down their throats.

What diabolical scheme does Chester plan to unleash on this world next? Only he knows for sure. But God help us all when he reveals it.

Random Thoughts

2009-06-24T23:56:00.003-04:00

---NHL Draft time is upon us, and the crazy rumors are flying around, as usual. I already expressed my disdain for the rumor of a Russel/ Auld trade on Twitter; Quite hilarious. In my amateur opinion, I see Howson getting the goalie situation taken care of through a free agent signing, not a trade. I'm not ruling out the possibility of Dan LaCosta getting the nod as the permanent number 2, either; That depends on how ready Hitch thinks he is to step up. As down as many people seem to be on the idea, I wouldn't be surprised if Duvie ends up sticking around, either. He sounds like a good, upbeat personality to have in the locker room, and he did show he has some chops in goal after a couple rocky starts. Guess finally having his own gear DID help. It's looking less and less like Malhotra will be coming back, which is a shame. He was another great face for the franchise and his faceoff expertise will be missed, but his offensive production is just not what it once was. I understand the argument that his agent is likely making regarding him spending most of the season playing on the top offensive line, but if he wants to be paid like a top-line center, he needs to SCORE like a top-line center.

-- Broke down and bought Ghostbusters: The Video Game. As a nostalgia piece, it is sublime; I was smiling from ear to ear through the whole first level, which culminates in a battle with the infamous Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man! As a game, it's merely solid; Controls are good, and there are hints of cool stuff that could have been in the PKE meter scanning. The gamer in me is left wanting a somewhat broader experience, but the storyteller in me is struck by how well scripted and choreographed the game is. The cinematic chops of the folks behind the scenes really shine through; it's almost magical how well the game's gags and shocks are pulled off. It's an absolute must-play for fans of the movies.

-- Idea for TV show: The deceased members of the cast of Hee-Haw return from the grave as zombies, reunite with the remaining cast, and travel the country bringing the magic of laughter to downtrodden towns throught their blend of rural/geriatric humor and classic country music. Then they eat brains.

Mantracker= Comedy Gold!

2009-05-12T00:08:00.002-04:00

If you've been following my Twitter, you've seen that I started watching Mantracker on Science Channel. I've only watched a couple episodes, but there seems to be a distinct pattern developing in how each episode plays out:

Prey, just before start of chase: "I know this area, and Mantracker doesn't! He has no prayer of catching me!"

5 minutes later...

"ZOMG MANTRACKER!!!!!!!!!!!"

Delicious.

And in the end...

2009-04-25T00:39:00.002-04:00

The season has officially ended. The ice at Nationwide Arena that bore witness to the CBJ's first postseason berth is being thawed as we speak, likely to be unceremoniously dumped back into the sewers of the great city of Columbus. My trusty jersey (still an "old" third instead of one of the snazzy new RBK Edge ones. I likes my laces, dammit!) is ready to be put back on its hanger in the closet, and my civil war cap will go back on the shelf in The Shrine at work. Better there than at home, where it can potentially be mauled by the cat. And, all in all, I'm happy. Sure, we got swept by Detroit. Sure, at least two of the games were barely even watchable if you were pulling for Columbus. But I really get the impression from reading the news today that game 4, regardless of the final score, served as a wake-up-call for the entire hockey universe.
The Blue Jackets are no longer easy pickings.
They are the real deal.
FINALLY.
Welcome to the show, boys.

We're in!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-08T23:26:00.001-04:00

The Jackets finally made it. Mark down April 8, 2009 as the day Columbus broke the playoff drought and clinched their first trip to the post-season.Here's to the Promised Land.

.... Wow. Has it really been almost 2 years?

2009-03-13T00:41:00.003-04:00

And again, it's been forever since I updated this thing. I think my new strategy is going to e to try and rattle off a quick post each evening, supplemented by the tender morsels of news that are continuously served up in that thar bar on the left side of the page. Anyhoo, let me bring you up to speed on life in general in as few words as possible: I'm working at Citigroup, spending every day resetting passwords, sending files, and watching our stock price drop. Good times. I have a new cat, who has been a (nearly) endless source of entertainment, provided she isn't waking me up at ungodly hours to play or scattering her food around the kitchen. Also good times.
I've been following our joke of a president quite closely as he fixes the economy with butterfly gardens and golf carts, while pretty much phoning in the rest. What a statesman, huh?
I'm excited for the next 4 years, guys.... Really.... <shudder>....

Currently playing:
PS3-- NHL 09, Street Fighter IV
PS2-- Killzone
PSP-- Killzone: Liberation; Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness

Pardon Our Dust.....

2007-05-30T01:43:00.000-04:00

As you can see, I'm trying to do some renovations on this place. The new layout is partially a result of me wanting to mix things up a bit, but it's mainly a result of the ol' blog's need to bow under the iron fist of Blogger's new corporate rulers, Google. I hate to lose some of the formatting that I created, but as the saying goes, you can't make an omelet without killing a few people.... Or at least I think that's how it goes. Still not too sure if I'm digging the dots, but it's growing on me; It's very Ocean's 11. I'm open to suggestions from the audience: Yay or ney on the new look? Seriously though, those that know me best know I'm a big fan of pretty much all of Google's stuff (my posts are now developed using the excellent Google Docs, letting me keep all of my writing localized, organized, and available from anywhere), and will pretty much shill for them at the drop of a hat. Since posts have been farther and farther between, I added the new news feed in lieu of regular updates (enter, stage left) so you can see what random gems I lovingly plucked from the day's news and events using Google Reader (Damn! There I go again!).

More once I regain my motivation.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Guitar Hero II, R-Type Final
Xbox-- Halo

.... I talk a lot, sometimes.

2006-12-06T14:08:00.000-05:00

And again, I say... I'm back. Much time has passed since I have posted to this thing, say sorry, and thus I may end up having quite a bit to say. So, if this runs horrifically long, I apologize in advance.

The last week has seen the other two members of the "big three" finally toss their hats in the proverbial ring to vie for your holiday dollars, and sadly, I haven't been able to find the cash for either the Wii (God, I STILL hate that name!!) or the PS3. Thus I am relegated to observing the proceedings from the comfort of my Underground Lair as a reluctantly detached observer. And thus I shall likely remain for a while, at least until I get my yearly kickback from Uncle Sam. Overall there have only been a couple of complaints that I've heard on the PS3; Least severe (unless you're a massive fan of one the games in question) are the system's incompatibility issues with roughly three percent of the existing PlayStation library, resulting in maladies ranging from slightly shifted display (Onimusha: DOD), to unresponsive controls (Hot Shots Golf 3/Fore), to full-on software freezes (Gran Turismo 4, Devil May Cry). Fortunately, this is an issue that will likely be resolved pretty easily via firmware updates, though I still can't help but feel that 100% backwards compatibility is a pipe dream. Worse is the apparent inability of the system to up/ downscale its display to meet the requirements of certain HDTVs . This one is stickier, as it may be an issue tied more to the PS3 hardware than the internal software. So, if you're planning on getting a new HD display for your shiny new PS3, be sure to check your specs.

Strangely enough, the system that I expected to perform the best of the new two as far as system reliability is doing the worst. Nintendo has joined the "our firmware updates destroy our systems" club, with their initial firmware update killing the online functions of their latest console for some customers. Nintendo's response has been quite democratic; They're offering free replacements by mail for all damaged consoles, unlike M$'s solution of telling customers who are out of warranty to either pay out the nose for repair or suck it up and buy a new 360, even though the issue is clearly the fault of the company. Nice. Slightly less serious is the issue of the dinky 10-ft cord on the sensor bar, which has been causing headaches for folks with more unorthodox entertainment center setups. I guess Nintendo just can't help it; they have to put some ridiculous hardware quirk into every system, be it the SNES' super-slow processor, the GBA's patented "impossible to see without an industrial halogen lamp" display (which later reemerged on the DS Phat), or the SP's lack of a headset port.

So, now that all of the combatants are finally on the battlefield, the speculations are flowing in as to who will be the overall victor this generation. Reports have been varied, but the only one I haven't seen mentioned as topping the charts is the Wii. It's odd, considering that the post-E3 buzz for the system was almost deafening, and there's no doubt that the price and control capabilities are tantalizing. The thing that may be the stumbling-block is the graphics. Let's face it; the numbers plainly say the Wii is never going to see games that look even close graphically to the offerings on either the PS3 or 360, and despite what many "hardcore" people seemingly want to tell you, graphics do matter. Great game play is a must, but if the game looks like something that came out of a cat's ass compared to the competition's offerings, there's no question that this is a bad thing. Case in point: We're already seeing people essentially complaining that Zelda doesn't look like something wrought by the hands of God himself. It merely looks fantastic. Granted, the system's exclusive offerings aren't going to provide as much basis for comparison, but the cross-platform games will invariably suffer. But, on the flip-side, the motion-sensitive control of the Wii will provide experiences that only the PS3 will have a chance at emulating.

Personally, I still foresee the PS3 being the victor this generation, with the Wii potentially beating out the 360 for the second spot here in the States. Argue as much as you want, but one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) key to winning a console generation is to perform well in Japan. Japanese developers know their console games, and there are few viable reasons for them to bring their expertise to a console that doesn't sell on their home turf. And the 360's sales have been beyond anemic in the Land of the Rising Sun (though I have to wonder if ads like this are at least partly to blame). This leaves Microsoft's offering at the mercy of two things: American developers and Live. Not to say that American developers are bad, but leaving things in their hands will insure that you will get a steady flow of first-person shooters, sports games, and GTA clones... and little else. Live will still move systems with that palette of games, but with other systems offering their own viable alternatives to Live for free, one has to wonder how long Microsoft's other killer app (besides Halo, of course) can last in its current price format. Worse strikes for MS are the hardware's rather spotty track record in regards to reliability, and their dubious design decisions to not only remove the standard hard drive that helped popularize their original console, but to stick with a nearly 10-year-old storage medium for their games.

The Wii has tons of momentum on its side, with a control scheme that has been fully embraced by the masses, easy-to-use online functionality, a ton of rock-solid download-able content, backwards compatibility with the 'Cube, and an excellent price point. The only hurdle that really needs to be overcome is Nintendo's shaky third party support. The Gamecube got a few non-Nintendo games worth mentioning, but many were ports / re-imaginings/ ruinations of previously released games. And that was on a system with a standard controller. The possibilities for absolute dreck from a third party on a system with a non-standard control method just boggle my mind. Sadly, we're already seeing signs of it, as attempts to add "new, exciting" features to capitalize on the Wii (and PS3)'s motion sensitivity are already driving excellent franchises off cliffs. Granted, more time with the system will let developers become a bit more adept at bending the "Wiimote" to their maniacal purpose, but until then....

The PS3 handily overcomes the issue of third-party support, and it's hardware is overflowing with both power and potential (Linux with your PS3, anyone?). The control method combines the time-tested Dual Shock (minus the "shock" thanks to that wonderful little spot of legal unpleasantness a while back) with the motion sensitivity that's all the rage right now. It seems that it's painful for a lot of folks to admit, but Sony's horse is pretty much the one to beat. The things that really hurt the PS3 are the sticker price and hardware availability. Everyone and their brother was ready to run down to their local game emporium and reserve a system after E3 '05, but the E3 '06 bombshell announcement of the price took the wind out of pretty much everyone's sails. Gamers are downright pissed about the prospect of shelling out 600 clams for a system, and developers are rightfully worried about the potentially small installed base of PS3 users. The delayed launch and short supply of units when the system finally did reach store shelves have both been pretty major setbacks as well. But with plenty of exclusive software coming down the pipe (for now at least), improved production methods, and inevitable and price drops should let the PS3 climb back on the horse and ride into the limelight.

In "systems that I currently own in something other than my dampest of dreams" news, Guitar Hero 2 and Capcom Classic Collection Vol. 2 have both hit, and both are quite excellent, as expected. The only real cause for debate over GH2 seems to have been whether the track list this time around is better or worse that the original, but I prefer to leave that little scrap to the audiophiles. All I know is I gots me some Rolling Stones and Dethklok songs, co-op, and a practice mode, which honestly is more than I truly felt that I deserved. CCC2 seems to have spurred similar debate, and I would say that the argument could be very convincingly made that this one isn't quite as strong as the previous outing. But when the previous collection had three revs of Street Fighter II, every Ghosts 'n Goblins game up through Super GnG, Final Fight, Gun.Smoke, Mercs, 1942, 1943, 1943 Kai, and a slew of other b-list titles, the follow-up is almost guaranteed to look a bit pale by comparison. Thankfully for them, I really wanted Black Tiger and Street Fighter. Speaking of the previously mentioned GnG games, Ultimate Ghouls 'n Ghosts on PSP has been impressing me quite a bit. The graphics are solid, the game play is tight (and HARD AS SIN, natch), and the added mechanics (magic, shields, collectible items, open-ended questing) are all implemented well. But as good as it is, I still desperately want Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. God, it looks positively delectable!

And in random political news, the winds of change are already blowin' hard and strong on Capitol Hill, I tells ya!! It's only been a month and the new Democratic majority has already got this whole Iraq thing all ironed out for us. Yesiree. All it took was a different perspective on things, and viola! We're on the fast train to now-town!

Their plan: Stay the course.

OK, let me make sure I heard this properly. So.... you're saying that your bold new strategy for Iraq is to.... continue doing what we've been doing.

Wow.

It's exactly that kind of think-outside-the-box mindset that won you the election, isn't it, Dems? Kudos.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Guitar Hero II, Capcom Classics Collection Vol. 2
PS-- Final Fantasy Tactics
PSP-- Ultimate Ghosts n' Goblins, Guilty Gear Judgment

I.... Live.... Again!

2005-10-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post so everyone knows: I'M BACK, BAY-BAY!!!!! New residence, new job, New PC... Same old snide attitude.
More as it develops.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Capcom Classics Collection; We Love Katamari
Xbox-- Burnout 3
PSP-- Namco Battle Collection

The Empires Strike Back

2005-05-17T18:17:00.000-04:00

Sweet Jesus. It's official: Sony has unleashed the killer, flesh-craving feline from the sachel and unveiled the unholy beast that is the PS3,
along with, dare I say it, a cornucopia of games for it. And, unlike the Xbox 360 (which appears to have Perfect Dark and little else), the vast majority of games are ones that people would likely like to play; MGS4, Devil May Cry 4, Tekken 6, and Gran Turismo 5 were all shown, as well as many others from folks like Square and Rockstar (who unveiled a new Western game.... PLEASE be Red Dead Revolver 2... PLEASE be Red Dead Revolver 2...). You can read the other frighteningly cool details for yourself, but outside of the slightly sketchy-looking new controller, all is well in Sony-land. Oh yes... All is VERY well, indeed.

But now we have to wait until next spring....

Nintendo has also revealed its Revolution console, while preaching something of a "less is more" mantra on its power. On the plus side, the big N is finally offering some increased functionality from its systems, with both backwards compatibility with the Gamecube and online functions announced, as well as their latest move to cash in on strip-mining our youthful nostalgia by offering their entire catalog of NES, SNES, and N64 games for download. Part of me really wants to cry foul when Nintendo continues to make emulations of ancient titles the main selling points for its new systems. But I have to admit: That's impressive. DVD movies will be apparently be playable as well, but like the current Xbox, it will apparently require an add-on. Controllers have yet to be shown, adding more credence to rumors that they will be some sort of mutant touch-screen-gyroscope creatures unlike anything we have seen before. And, shock of shocks, they're working on new Zelda and Metroid games.

Oh, and by the way: They're releasing a new Game Boy, too. Huzzah.

In other news, Capcom is working on a new Final Fight. Remember Final Fight? You know... the quintisential multiplayer brawler? Well, it's back... and this time it appears for all the world to be one player only. Yeah, that's how Capcom updates a classic franchise: By removing one of the things that made the franchise fun to begin with.

PS2-- DMC3; Hot Shots Golf Fore; Street Fighter Anniversary Collection
Xbox-- Star Wars: KotOR; Doom 3
PSP-- Lumines; Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee

Random News

2005-05-10T06:40:00.000-04:00

Not much to report personally. I've basically been eating, sleeping, and playing the PSP version of Hot Shots for the last couple of days. Not a bad existance, if I do say so myself.

There's been stuff popping up all over the place on Microsoft's new system, which apparently has been officially dubbed "Xbox 360" while I was sleeping or something. This is a good thing, since I was really starting to ache for a true name for the thing so I didn't have to see any more reports on "Xbox 2/Next/Xenon/360." What can I say? I like things to be at least relatively succinct. Anyway, there's been (supposed) leaked shots of the controllers floating about (many of which look to me to be either relatively good fakes or early prototypes), as well as a set of specs for the system itself and the next iteration of Xbox Live (accompanied by what looks for all the world like an honest-to-God pic of the system). The technical specs mostly translate as clicks and whistles in my book, as since I am largely techno-illiterate, the only thing I can successfully verify is that many of the numbers are quite large. But the mock-up and other system features mentioned really intrigue me. Notice the complete lack of controller ports. Could they truly be doing wireless controllers right out of the box? If so, that would be something of a coup in my book, since that had been one of the things I had been hearing mentioned as a potential big selling-point for the PS3. The Live info also has my interest piqued; If there truly ends up being a free version of Live, that would be a pretty big step for MS, especially if it ends up having all of the features proposed.

In a random news tidbit from over at IGN, Ka-Lee-Fohrnea is apparently moving forward with plans to increase regulation on sales of M-rated games to minors. I say bravo. If we can't get the damn parents to be at least halfway responsible with what they let their kids play, let's at least get retailers to stop selling GTA to 5-year-olds. I just hope people see it as being enough... especially once they get a gander at this latest gem from Rockstar...

PS2-- DMC3; Hot Shots Golf Fore
Xbox-- Star Wars: KotOR; Doom 3
PSP-- Metal Gear Ac!d; Lumines; Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee

... I don't think he likes this game.

2005-05-07T04:25:00.000-04:00

One of the defining moments of my college career came when one of my journalism profesors looked up from one of my most recent works and told me "your writing has a lot of character. You're going to have to tone that down." Naturally, I was aghast. I had spent years trying to develop that character, even having been told on plenty of other occasions that it was one of my greatest strengths as a writer. And now I was being told that I have to... not write like that?

Here's a glowing example of exactly why she said I should tone things down a bit. I would surely be churning out veritable reams of nigh-unintelligible dreck like this.

I challenge anyone to find a real concrete reason for the author's unmitigated hatred of this game before page two. I sure as Hell couldn't. And the tons upon tons upon tons of overwrought similies are... well, let's just say they're a bit much.

Oh, and by the way, here's my micro-review of the game in question above: It's no Devil May Cry 3, but it's no Jedi Power Battles, either. It features all that I truly required from it: Great, gleaming heaps of battle droids for me to chop into itty-bitty pieces.

Currently playing:
PS2-- DMC3; Hot Shots Golf Fore; Star Wars: Episode III
Xbox-- Star Wars: KotOR; Doom 3
PSP-- Metal Gear Ac!d; Lumines; Hot Shots Golf: Open Tee

Afterglow

2005-04-14T02:13:00.000-04:00

Would you believe that I've had like five false starts on trying to type this post? I suppose maybe the title has something to do with it.... which leads to a joke that even I refuse to stoop to, but I'm sure most of you are intelligent enough to perhaps fill in the blanks.

I'm happy to report that my PSP and I have quite happily whiled away the first few weeks of our relationship. Granted, there have been a couple of minor snags; I found out soon after she entered my life that she had a few lit pixels. But, in the end, they are virtually unnoticable under normal gaming conditions. As far as games go, Metal Gear Ac!d still takes up quite a bit of our time, with Lumines likely being the next in line for the top spot. I have Untold Legends and Wipeout Pure as well, but both are games that seem to be geared toward more specific moods. We've gotten a bit more exploratory over the last few days, trying a lot of new things that she knew her capabilities were up to, but I wasn't sure I was ready for, like converting DVD video and wireless multiplay.

Here's to a long-lasting relationship.

Speaking of the dreaded scourge of dead pixels, IGN posted a very nice little download a few weeks ago to help folks check their PSP screens for pixel-related maladies. It's a nice small download, and an almost indispensible tool for the techno-hypochrondriac. I'll add a few new links to some other good utilities as soon as I find some I truly feel are indespensible.

Things just don't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down on the games front for me. I just finished Star wars: KotOR, and now I'm plowing my way through the sequel. This is on top of polishing off the outstanding Doom 3, and slogging my way through the incredibly fun but spirit-crushingly difficult DMC3, AND all of the stuff I'm playing on my PSP. to make matters worse, Darkwatch and the PSP version of Hot Shots Golf will be hitting stores soon, along with the game version of Episode III.

I suffer for my art.

Speaking of suffering, Star Wars Episode III will be rolling into theaters a few weeks from now, and I'm finding myself really excited in spite of myself. Perhaps its the stream of quality SW product we've seen over the past year or so, or maybe it's just the desire to see the damn thing finally end. Either way, I'm practically salivating to see the final duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan.

In other movie news, I finally saw Constantine a few days ago, and I have to admit it was pretty good... despite Mr. Reeves' best effforts. The plot seems to move at a snail's pace at times, but when it does it's generally quite engaging. It isn't quite as true to the comics as I would have liked (if they'd put a wig on Jason Statham he would've been a KILLER British Constantine), but at no point did my eyes bleed. I also saw Sin City a couple of times, and loved almost all of it. The movie's visual style is so arresting that it virtually grabs a physical hold on your eyeballs and refuses to release them. Structurally, things aren't quite as sound. Not to spoil the film (avert your eyes for a moment if you don't want minor spoilers), but if the middle had had a bit of fat trimmed from it, the ending would have had a lot more punch. You see, the movie is structured a bit like a Tatantino flick (which is apt, considering he's involved), with multiple chapters involving various characters, which all tie together loosely into a single overarching narrative. Bruce Willis' section is broken up into two parts, one of which opens the movie, and one of which closes it. This bookends the film nicely, but the trouble is, by the time you've gotten back to the second half of Bruce's story, the beginning is lost somewhere under the piles of bullet-riddled corpses the rest of the film has piled on top of you. Now, this by no means damns the movie, but it makes it a bit less watchable. I still highly reccomend it, especially for those with a keen appreciation for the old ultra-violence and the nude female form.

Currently playing:
PS2-- DMC3; Hot Shots Golf Fore
Xbox-- Star Wars: KotOR; KotOR II; Doom 3
PSP-- Metal Gear Ac!d; Lumines; Wipeout Pure

The Great Deluge: Continued

2005-03-28T15:59:00.000-05:00

I'm back, with a vengence.

Well, the PSP is here, and I'm pretty proud of myself; I managed to go about three days before I absolutely, positively had to get one. It took one Hell of a lot of trading (Both my Gamecube and GBA were claimed by my quest for store credit), but there is currently a little lozenge of fun sitting right in front of me, beaconing me with promise of more Metal Gear Ac!d interspersed with random bouts of Spider-Man 2.

.... To once again reiterate, I'm weak.

In an interesing chunk of news, Sony is apparently being ordered to stop selling the Playstation 2 because the Dual Shock 2's vibration motors infringe on patents held by California-based Immersion Corp. It puzzles me as to why Immersion has waited this long to bring charges to bear; It's not like the PS2 or the Dual Shock are new pieces of hardware, but I suppose it's entirely possible that the story has just gotten out. I'll try and keep posted as more develops.

Currently playing:
PS2-- DMC3; The Sims; Splinter Cell
Xbox-- Star Wars: KotOR
PSP-- Metal Gear Ac!d

The Great Deluge

2005-03-10T18:01:00.000-05:00

I am a foolish, foolish man. I finally bought an Xbox earlier in the week, along with SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, Star Wars: KotOR, and ES III: Morrowind. This comes on top of the twin blessings of Gran Turismo 4 and Devil May Cry 3 on my beloved PS2. Needless to say, I'm a busy man.

I just wonder what in the Hell I'm going to do when TimeSplitters: Future Perfect and Doom 3 hit in the next couple of weeks.

Oh, yeah.... AND Dynasty Warriors 5.

SVC Chaos has been excellent, as the brief arcade experience I had witht he game led me to believe. SNK's straight-up style of 2D fighting is pretty darn refreshing after the silliness of Capcom's more recent efforts. And the fact that all of the character sprites are brand-spankin' new helps, too. About the only thing I can complain about is the fact that I'm playing it on an Xbox, and thus have to deal with the Xbox controller: That unwieldly beast, eternal enemy of the human hand, with its promise of comfort and reward of lousy functionality. Granted, I have the tools to play it with my trusty Dual Shock, but.... well, I'm too lazy to find my corded ones. I don't think I can say anything here about KotOR that hasn't already been said elsewhere. Bottom line: It's the best Star Wars experience you can have on a home system. So I guess this means I can finally shelve my Atari 2600 copy of The Empire Strikes Back. I honestly can't give a definite opinion of Morrowind yet; I've created a character and explored a building, but that's about it. Judging by what I've seen, the depth of the game is almost enough to cause seizures, but once I have a bit of a lighter game load on my hands it shouldn't be a problem. I hope.

In the news that interests me, Sega has apparently decided to wring the last scraps of joy out of my once-beloved Sonic franchise with the release of Shadow the Hedgehog: A game that strives to combine the gameplay of Sonic Heroes with the run-n-gun action of Ratchet and Clank. So now we've got an edgy, X-Treme hedgehog with an in-your-face attitude... and guns.

Hey, Sega: Remember when you had an edgy, X-Treme hedgehog with an in-your-face attitude... and fun gameplay? How about we get back to that?

Currently playing:
PS2-- DMC3; Gran Turismo 4
Xbox: SNK vs. Capcom; Star Wars: KotOR
GBA-- SMB3

The system doesn't work

2005-03-04T05:10:00.000-05:00

Chris brought this one to my attention:

Just in case you need any proof that humanity is getting dumber, check out the new teen fad: GARAGE JUMPING!!!!!!!!!!

Sad thing is, I would've figured that this kid would be a shoe-in to score a Darwin, but the best he can hope for now is an Honorable Mention.

If only he'd been a worse person and had more people pray for his death.

"This party's gettin' crazy!!!!!!!!"

2005-03-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

A couple of interesting pieces of PS2 news out today:

First, Konami has once again announced MGS 4, this time releasing some minor details in the grand cryptic Kojima tradition. The "No Place To Hide!" theme has me a bit worried, but I'll remain neutral on the subject until I see exactly what in the Hell they are talking about. Even though he has cranked out some well-designed games over the last few years, I think it's likely for the best that Kojima-san is taking a less active role in this one (executive producer is a good place for him to give his input without having to take the whole damn thing on his shoulders). I recall reading an interview with him shortly after the release of MGS2, and it sounded like that game just about killed him. In fact, I believe it was that interview where he said that he wasn't going to be involved in MGS3 at all, and was just going to leave some ideas with Konami for a concept. It says something for the faith the company puts in him (or perhaps the cowardice of his associates) that no one else was willing to continue the Metal Gear series without him. After cranking out three of the most epic action games ever, the man deserves a break.

And from the Wacko Stack (Sorry, Rush... I had to use it!), there's another bid floating around to hold game makers liable for violent acts. Every time I see something like this come up I get a bit sick to my stomach. I'm sorry, but I don't understand how people can honestly believe that they can blame a video game for someone's actions. But on the plus side, as many games as I play and as much pro wrestling and violent Anime as I watch, I can likely get off scott-free if I finally decide to snap and off a few people! Yay!!!!

On that note, I'm off to play Devil May Cry 3. Sweet, sweet Devil May Cry 3...... Drooooooooool.......

Currently playing:
PS2-- DMC3, Gran Turismo 4
GBA-- SMB3

Insert joke involving the word "saw" here

2005-02-21T15:58:00.000-05:00

I finally saw "Saw" last night. To paraphrase Ron White, if you ever get the chance to do that, pass on that.

The thing that really killed me about this movie is that there WAS a good movie somewhere under what we were given; the premise, while admittedly a bit hackneyed, was presented in a fresh enough way to give it some bite. The setting was sufficiently dank and forboding to inspire a nice level of dread. The plot seemed to be moving along nicely for the first 15 minutes or so. And then the whole thing fell apart.

Had the movie spent most of its time with the two main characters in their present state (And yes, I'm deliberately being as vague as possible for the sakes of those who may still want to see the flick), it may have succeeded. Once the director starts flinging you various slabs of stale flashback, the tedium builds to quite a fever pitch. Watch the movie WITHOUT them, and things almost hit a stride. To add more insult to the injury the flashbacks inflict, the director's tendency to slather the requisite overdone 360-degree hyper-stop-motion shots on many of the murder scenes transforms them from cool, tense sequenses into odd little mini-interpretive dance pieces.

But there's a double-edged sword here; If the film nixes the lousy flashbacks and remains focused on the present situation, the doom of the movie boils down to two words: Carey Elwes. In a classic case of "when comedic actors try and do serious roles," Elwes is the rotten apple in the bunch here. Granted, most of the rest of the acting is a few cuts below stellar (Danny Glover is pretty rancid, too), but Elwes is the cream of the crap. Need clarification? just listen to his voice when he talks to his wife and kid on the phone.

So, the bottom line is, given a different script, different actors, and a different director, there could have been a passable movie here.

.... That sounded a lot more positive in my head.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries; GTA: SanAn; Red Faction II
GBA-- SMB3

End of an era (maybe)

2005-02-21T15:14:00.000-05:00

I knew I forgot something last time I posted: HOCKEY!!!!!

Seems that both sides of the labor issue have decided to urinate all over the fans over the last few days, as they apparently managed to hammer more nails into the season's coffin over the weekend. It's sad; I really figured that we would have SOME sort of (albeit abbreviated) season this year, but as it turns out I was incredibly wrong. Granted, I was watching the proceedings through a sleep-deprived haze, but seeing Bettman cancel the season on Wednesday planted some serious doubts in me that we will ever see NHL hockey again. I haven't heard any sort of positive support from any of the local radio outlets, which really makes me wonder if there will be any sort of fan base left for the Jackets if they ever hit the ice again. It's a sad situation. I recall joking last season that it seems like anything I decide to throw my support behind is doomed to fail... So maybe I should start watching basketball so we can be rid of that, too.

But wait.... if I do that, whatever will Lebron James do with his life, having been deprived of the ability to showcase his talents at THROWING A BALL THROUGH A METAL RING?

Currently playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries; GTA: SanAn; Red Faction II
GBA-- SMB3

This just in....

2005-02-20T06:57:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how to react to the prospect of a remake of the original Evil Dead, but an all-but official confirmation of Evil Dead 4 from The Man himself is enough to make me salivate! I'd say take this one with a grain of salt, but it looks pretty genuine.

And now, we wait.

2005-02-20T06:43:00.000-05:00

And once again, it's been too long since I've posted anything. Say sorry. I honestly planned on trying to get something up on Wednesday, but in a bit of a stroke of irony I was too tired. The thing is, since I had my interview on Thursday and no work on Wednesday, I decided the best way to insure that I manage to get to sleep at a decent hour was to just go ahead and stay awake until it was a decent hour for me to go to sleep. Fortunately, it worked like a charm, and I was out at a very reasonable time. Now, here's hoping that my suffering was not all for naught.

In other news, I picked up another new piece of Anime a few days back: The first disc of a little series called GANTZ. I have to admit that I took the label's assertion that it was the series that shocked Japan as something of a personal challenge, and wasn't dissapointed. This thing almost has more gratuitous violence than I can handle! Don't get me wrong; I'm intrigued enough that I will likely be getting the next disc when it comes out, but man.... This stuff is disturbing. Still, the only thing making me regret getting it is the length. Come on, ADV: TWO episodes?!?!?!?!

Speaking of animation, it looks like yet another part of the world's childhood is being pimped out by the Megacorps of the world. For those of you who hadn't already heard, WB is "re-imagining" several Looney tunes characters for a new series. Doesn't sound too offensive so far, does it? Well, prepare to be offended; They are being transformed into super-heroic robot crimefighters from the year 2772. Yeah.... Somebody had to have gotten REEEEEEEEELY loaded on nose-candy to believe this will fly. Now I suppose it's possible that it'll turn out ok, but if the past has taught me anything, it won't by a long shot.

Thank God the original stuff is on DVD.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries; GTA: SanAn; Red Faction II
GBA-- SMB3

Cautiously optimistic

2005-02-12T05:14:00.000-05:00

First, what is likely to be the stock post opening for a while: "Sorry I haven't posted more recently. To re-introduce you to me, I'm James Wiles, and I'm lazy. An introduction and a defense all in one sentence: How elegant."

To be honest, I've almost been afraid to do just about anything lately. I've got a potential new job on the line, and considering the trouble I've been having even getting an interview, I've been treating the whole situation like I've been trying to coax a squirrel to eat from my hand. It's like I'm looking at every situation as a potential karmic weight that is poised and ready to tip the scales of justice out of my favor. It's really frustrating being paranoid. But anyway, here's hoping this pans out; It's another evenings/weekends/holidays job, but it's not at night, and the pay is about 10 thousand more than I'm making now. Bottom line: the "I hate work, but I like money" rules are solidly in play.

I've still been playing the proverbial poop out of Mercenaries, and it's still proving to be just as satisfying. Even though it's a GTA clone with flaky physics and less variety, it seems to be keeping my interest more then san An has, and I think I know why: San An is just too hard. There have been quite a few missions (the Zero RC strand, to put a finer point on it) that have made me want to scream. And as good as the game is, there comes a point where the frustration starts to outweigh the fun-factor. Mercenaries, however, has had almost no real difficulty curve to speak of. Granted, it's gotten a little tougher as the game has gone on, but the frustration just hasn't been there.

And it helps that not a single person in the game has called me "dog."

Thanks to watching a friend of mine delve into it and messing around with Twin Snakes on the Cube, I've been getting closer and closer to hitting MGS3 again. Trouble is, I'm just not sure I'm ready to go back into that again. Don't misunderstand: I'm not reluctant because the experience is unpalatable in any way. Quite the contrary, in fact. It's as if the most beautiful girl I can imagine keeps calling me and asking if I'd like to spend a week or so at her place having the hottest, most promiscuous sex I can imagine, eating pizza, and watching Nightmare on Elm Street movies, not necessarily in that order. The offer itself is certainly tantalizing, but I keep asking myself "do I really have a week to burn?"

Currently playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries; Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires
Cube-- MGS: Twin Snakes
GBA-- SMB3

Primal Scream Time!!!!

2005-02-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

So, I watched the State of the Union address last night. Overall, I thought it was a powerful and effective speech: Enough details to satify, and enough vivid imagery to make it memorable. Listening to Rush has pretty much confirmed my asssumption that the key talking point in today's aftermath would be the whole Social Security thing. Now, maybe I went a little bit todash and was listening to a different speech from the one Democrats were listening to last night, but I don't recall ANY mention of a solid plan for how the program would be reformed. In fact, as I recall, the nut of Dubya's comments was that the administration is still weighing its options as far as how to solve the problem.

Now, if a plan hasn't even been formed yet, how in their right mind can Dems have the gaul to come out and talk about the immense cost to tax payers that "Bush's Plan" would create?

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARG!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS is why I hate poiltics. THIS is the crap that almost keeps me home every election day. THIS is why NOTHING ever really seems to get done in our government anymore; We can't even see fit to SEE someone's plan before we CRAP ALL OVER IT!!!!!!!!! GAWD!!!!!! Seeing an entire side of the House of Representatives sitting and glaring at our DULY ELECTED leader while he tries to make it clear that he's willing to work with them on this issue just made me sick to my stomach. PARTISANSHIP SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!

That whole "moving to Canada" idea is looking better and better.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries
Cube-- MGS: Twin Snakes
GBA-- SMB3

More sick ironies

2005-02-03T01:02:00.000-05:00

I hate cars. Granted, they're fantastic at the whole transportation thing, but they're death to my nerves.

After a week of playing scheduling tag with the dealership repair department, I finally got a leaking seal fixed on Lil' Lightning. Naturally, I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that I had finally emerged from my little trek through mechanical Hell (I've spent the better part of 6 months trying to get a set of guages in my conveyance that work all the time). Not one hour later, there was a strange twanging sound issuing from my left front wheel every time I turned left.

.... Kill me now.

Currently playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries
Cube-- MGS: Twin Snakes
GBA-- SMB3

He is not dead, but sleepeth

2005-01-29T18:09:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted anything, say sorry, so I just wanted to let everyone know that I haven't made it to the clearing at the end of the path just yet (say sorry big-big to those that hoped that was the case).

Can you tell that I've been re-reading Wolves of the Callah?

It's been a long couple of weeks. Work has been an absloute drag, what with the lack of help and ever-increading workload. I've been hitting up some job fairs, but the only good thing that has come out of the effort is an exceptionally speedy rejection letter response. Good to know that some of these companies are so timely in telling people that they aren't wanted. On top of that I've had the cold from Hell, which has pretty much put my energy level on empty. I always seem to get one good one per winter, so I guess I was about due. But still, I was hoping tht I was going to dodge the bullet this year.

Got the new Fozzy CD last Friday, and I have to say that it's exceedingly badass. Their pseudo-"Spinal Tap" stuff was interesting, but their new material is just mind-blowing. I've been listening to it pretty much non-stop since I got it, and I'm showing no real signs of slowing down.

Also, I bought Mercenaries. To reiterate, I'm weak.

Currently Playing:
PS2-- Mercenaries; GTA: SanAn

Three Cheers for Capitalism!!!

2005-01-19T20:53:00.000-05:00

You know, some day I hope I'm the head of an evil corporate entity. That way I can experience the joy of systematically crushing every scrap of competition under my size 12 boot as if they were so many ants. I'm betting it's good for a few chuckles. Now, before I completely lose my train of thought and wander off on some Dickensian rant about the opressed lower class, let me illuminate my actual point a bit.

A couple of days ago, EA announced they had purchased the exclusive rights to the ESPN brand for the next 15 years. You read that right. 15 years. 15. That's almost 2 decades. A lot more in dog years, as I recall. Now, if their other recent actions are any indication... and I would certainly like to think that they are... I think it's pretty clear what's going on here; Sega has turned up the heat to the point that The House that Madden Built is running scared. So, instead of improving their product, they've decided to take the coward's way out and remove any realistic posibility of another competitive football game hitting the market.

Now, just for the record, I'm not a fan of football games. In fact, I could barely give a rat's pink ass about the sport as a whole. But when a company who supposedly puts out the best games on the market goes to such extreme measures to eliminate the competition (especially after a year which saw their competition's game garnering reviews equal or better than their own product), it speaks volumes.

It must be nice to have enough money that they can not only have the exclusive licenses to NASCAR, PGA golf, the NFL, the AFL, and ESPN (keeping in mind that many of which they bought within the last few WEEKS), but they can have enough laying around to gun for an exclusive deal with MLB AND largely take over UbiSoft.

Best of luck, EA. Enjoy those licenses. And if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion: Be sure to give Mr. Vincent Kennedy McMahon a call. I think he could tell you a few things about a little thing called "market stagnation."

On to another genre I only care about peripherally: It seems that World of Warcraft is having a hiccup or two. The boys over at PA have had a thing or two to say about the subject, so I won't go into greater detail here. Besides, I would imagine that many of you are all too familiar with Blizzard's server troubles, and would like to live in a world where such things were relegated to the status of witches and wolves from childrens' fairy tales. I will say that this is one of the reasons I don't play such games. This would be the point where I would be making a road trip to Blizzard's home offices and demanding justification for my continuing to give them $20 a month to maybe play their game, someday, if they can finish that big thing they have to do this afternoon and get around to working on that there server.

Current games-in-progress:
PS2-- ESPN NHL 2K5
Cube: Resident Evil
SNES-- SMB3

Cruel Tease

2005-01-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

Sigh... after going to the Syracuse/Cleavland game at Nationwide on Wednesday, I'm kind of feeling like someone who's trying to quit smoking and decides to go hang out in the smoker's lounge. God, I miss "MY" Columbus Blue Jackets. If they're truly mine, I should be able to go over and get their asses out on the ice and get them doing something. Anything. It doesn't even really have to be hockey-related, just as long as I know they're keeping busy while the fans are left standing around with our proverbial thumbs up our proverbial asses. Hell, I'd be happy to just have them skating around and running into each other! I JUST WANT HOCKEY, DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God for ESPN NHL 2K5.

Anyway, I had a rare moment of restraint this week and didn't buy a new game, insead opting to rent a couple. Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction is turning out to be pretty fun. It's kind of like if GTA traded off much of its depth in favor of nice graphics. It's not bad, but all you have to do is drive around for a few minutes to realize just how good Rockstar's GTA engine is. The physics in Mercenaries just can't hold a candle to San An. the cars are squirrely, and they just don't feel like there's any weight to them. But on the other hand, many of them have guns and rocket launchers mounted on them. Anyhoo, the jury's still out to a degree, but it seems like a winner to a degree; it focuses solidly on killing people and breaking things, which in the end is all I really require.

I have very little to complain about with Burnout 3: Takedown. It's really what I think a racing game should be; It's fast, pretty, fast, fun to play, and fast.... not to mention fast. Now there are a few things it doesn't have; It doesn't have licences from all 50 major manufacturers, including Ugo and Maibatsu. It doesn't give me the ability to pick from 874 squillion colors for my dome light, or choose how many speakers and televsions I want in the trunk of my car. It doesn't have "big" stars like David Arquette and Funkmaster Flex challenging me to Super Hyper Ultra X-treme Celebrity Bake-offs every five minutes. It's a fucking racing game. You race. Granted, you are encouraged to race in the most insane way possible (I figure that since the game is in its third iteration the basic premise is pretty much common knowlege.... especially since EA filched most of it for NFS: Underground 2....), but it's a racing game without all the god-I-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-really-like-The-Fast-and-the-Furious crap that everyone feels the need to have lately. Ever since Pole Position, video game racing has been about going fast and creating massive, firey explosions when something goes wrong at its core. Burnout hasn't forgotten this in favor of pandering to the LCD (Lowest Common Denominator). Besides, the LCD wouldn't really get Crash mode. It requires that "Thought" stuff.

Current games-in-progress:
PS2-- Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction, Burnout 3
Cube: Resident Evil
SNES-- SMB3

random game-related crap

2005-01-10T20:05:00.000-05:00

As usual, I have too many irons in the fire, none of which are in any way productive. But, hey: At least most of them are fun.

Being weak, I picked up a copy of LotR: Return of the King for PS2 this afternoon. It fits the bill nicely as a bargain bin treasure, even if it doesn't really meet the rather lofty expectations that I had set for it some time ago. When EA's LotR games were first shown I figured we would essentially be treated to Dynasty Warriors with a coat of Tolkien-colored paint. Unfortunately, this isn't really the case. Even if DW is often compared to old-skool brawlers like Final Fight, the thing that seems to get lost in the shuffle when discussing DW is the scale of the battles. To put it in a nutshell, they're fucking huge. There's just tons and tons of freedom to move about and kill as one sees fit, with very few bottlenecks to cramp your style. However, LotR pretty much gives you a single path and says "just keep walking until you run out of things to kill." Don't get me wrong; It's still pretty fun. But I was really hoping for a more "epic" feel. Here's hoping things improve later on.

FF: Crystal Chronicles has been decidedly underwhelming. Granted, I'm playing on my own for the moment, but it just doesn't seem to hold up as a top-tier hack-n-slash game. It's pretty, and the depth seems to be there, but the single player game is just short of unbearable. It's so unfairly difficult that I almost wish that they had just gone so far as to just leave it out entirely and use the extra disc space for something else.

Thanks to the cinematic masterpiece that is Shaun of the Dead, I've been searching for a quality interactive zombie-slaying experience. Fortunately, I've had the Cube version of Resident Evil laying around for quite a while, and it's fitting the bill nicely. I never thought that a remake of a game I had played to death almost six years prior would fly with me, but Capcom did a (mostly) outstanding job bringing the original RE up to current standards. The graphics and sound rock, and the new additions to the gameplay and the mansion itself are all outstanding. But even though I've never had many problems with the control scheme, I find it puzzling that the old tank controls were left largely intact, albeit with the nicely-executed quick-180 function for the c-stick. After showing with Devil May Cry that full 3D control was entirely possible with static cameras, I can't see any reason not to have abandoned the old method outside of perhaps wanting to preserve the original feel of the game.

Current games-in-progress:
PS2-- GTA: San An, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Cube: Resident Evil
SNES-- SMB3
GBA--SMB3 (ah... a pattern emerges...)

BUTTLESS CHAPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-01-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

Just making sure everyone's paying attention. Sorry.

Wanted: 12-Step Program

2005-01-08T04:50:00.000-05:00

I really think there's something wrong with me. Oh, not physically (even though I'm the first to admit that my physical form is rather misshapen and unwieldy...). But mentally, there's something not quite Kosher about me. Allow me to elaborate:

I got a fair-sized paycheck today. It's certainly not enough for me to retire to that mansion on a hill on, but it was enough to make me utter a few tasteful whoops of joy in a semi-private setting. The reasonable person would have reasonable plans for a decent paycheck. But as my previous allusions would likely lead you to believe, I'm less than reasonable.The first thought that entered my brain wasn't something like "hey, I can finally get my checking account into the black," or "I can finally start thinking about saving for my children's future," or "boy, those tsunami victims will sure be happy to get this!" Oh, no. My first thought was a bit more... shall we say.... base.

"I'm getting me a used X-Box!!"

And yes, before you ask, my inner monologue does have really poor grammar. I think it's a rural upbringing thing.

Now, even though the afforementioned check did make it to the relative safety of my checking account, I spent the next several hours wandering town in search of the elusive rat-hole that I had chosen to poke my hard-earned wages down. the journey proved fruitless, as every shop was... well, to coin a term, "X-Box-less." Once I had exhausted all of the local locations where one usually would procure such things, my mind began to concoct even more elaborate schemes; "There is another, semi-reliable shop just a half hour's drive away....."

Fortunately, I realized that no good would come of this, and ended my shopping excursion with little more than a bottle of Mountain Dew and a copy of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles to show for it

But the money is still largely unspent.......

Current games-in-progress:
PS2-- GTA: San An
Cube: FF:Crystal Chronicles
SNES-- SMB3
GBA--SMB3 (ah... a pattern emerges...)

New habits are fun

2005-01-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

Sigh... Got up half an hour after my alarm had already given up the ghost, once again. One of these days, I really need to start heeding that thing. It doesn't help that Rush was in yell-at-everyone-for-no-real-reason mode, which is about enough to make me want to switch to another radio station. Not that it seems that there was a lot to get up for today; looks like there's nothing but rain, rain, and more rain outside again. On the plus side, the old homestead is up high enough that real flooding won't be a problem, but wet basement is turning into a real problem nonetheless.

It had been on the back burner for quite some time, but it looks like GTA: SanAn is quickly scarfing up the few scraps of my soul that were left behind by Metal Gear Solid 3. It's amazing; I'm almost 40 hours in and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer. I've done some hunting for some of the gang tags and some dating, but other than that I've pretty much stuck to the basic missions, too. It's not often that ANY game manages to get 40 hours of my time at a stretch, much less a third-person action game. That kind of longevity is typically reserved for RPGs and the like. If last year was "Year of the Breast" in the world of video games, maybe this year is going to be "Year of the Incredibly Long Action Game." I mean, let's look at the facts: MGS3 clocked in at around 24 hours, give or take some flailing at the bosses. GTA is looking like it could top the 50.... Hell, maybe even the 60-hour mark! It remains to be seen how long some of the other big actioners will be (Devil May Cry 3 and Resident Evil 4 spring to mind), but I'm willing to bet they will each be 20-plus hour affairs, at least.

Fantastic.... Or at least it would be, assuming I could just lock myself away and enjoy it.

It's January and we still have no hockey. Dammit. And now there's talk that this lockout could drag on for two years.

Sigh..... Unbelievable. At least the Crunch will be playing at Nationwide soon, for what it's worth.

Current games:
PS2-- GTA: San An
SNES-- SMB3
GBA--SMB3 (ah... a pattern emerges...)

Oh, great.

2005-01-06T02:59:00.000-05:00

Less than 15 minutes, and I've already managed to screw something up.

"I see serious problems ahead, the gunslinger thought remotely."

Wilkommen... or something to that effect.

2005-01-06T02:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess this is it. Here I go, trying new things; What's the world coming to? Anyhoo, here 'tis: A blog with my fingerprints on it. It just remains to be seen if I will ever do anything with it.

Current games:
PS2-- GTA: San An
SNES-- SMB3
GBA--SMB3 (ah... a pattern emerges...)