And this time, it's personal.

Er, not really. I just reviewed Conduit 2 and figured I should check the blogs as well. I can't believe it's been so long since my last visit.

It's amazing how a few fundamental changes can lead to so many improvements. Everything in the game is streamlined; there's no more cheap Grand Theft Auto knockoff between each fight, you don't have to pay to enter boss battles, and the AI is surprisingly sharp. The part-time jobs work so much better as 2D mini-games. Great stuff, for the most part.

The ending is a huge letdown, however. Some of the bosses leading up to it were fantastic (the General Grievous wannabe in particular), but the final showdown and its aftermath were underwhelming. It's got nothing on the first game. The extra playable characters aren't all they're cracked up to be, either. Fans are going to be kind of pissed when they find out Shinobu and Henry are only playable for a battle or two.

It's still an amazing game, though.

I celebrated Christmas today. Everyone in the family was too busy going to other parties/on vacation/etc. to show up for the usual festivities. Instead, we decided to hold the party this afternoon. It was great to see everyone, even if was a little belated. I got:

Under the Dome - Stephen King
The Complete Sherlock Holmes (Barnes & Noble Leatherbound Classics Edition)
God of War Collection
PS3 Dualshock Controller
Death Note anime series on DVD
LEGO Empire State Building
LEGO Miniature Christmas Tree
Two 8 x 10 Canvases and a set of acrylic paints
Grey Dress Shirt
Blue Dress Shirt
Black/Grey Tie
Black T-Shirt
Blue/White Pajama Pants
Brown Old Navy Zip-Up Sweatshirt
Black Jansport Backpack
$70 commuter train ticket
Cologne
Candy

Not bad at all. I can't remember the last time I built something with LEGOs. >.>

I've already beaten it, but I'm still working on a 100% completion. Really, really good stuff. Especially the co-op multiplayer. I can't accurately describe the feeling of joy I get when I pick up my friend's character and hurl him into Bowser's lava pits. Mwahaha!

Not to mention the last boss fight:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0Sl1ECQsMk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIVQ2Wunz3k

"I'll be damned! The toilet broke!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRwqXN5SP_s

Got it, beat it, reviewed it. The story is surprisingly well done, and there are enough twists to keep things interesting. I like how this was treated as a standalone title, despite it being a sequel. If you haven't played the first game, you won't miss out on a major plot point. The pacing is really good, too; you'll never feel too bogged down by the puzzles, and there's always some new clue or revelation just a few challenges away. The voice acting and animated cutscenes(including a brief but badass swordfight) are pretty damned good, too. The soundtrack steals the show, though. Whoever did the instrumentals for this game needs to come back for the next title.

I'm still in the process of getting a 100% completion, but I can honestly say that this is the best DS game of the summer. At least, until Scribblenauts comes out...

Gah, how could SNK botch this so badly? It's playable (offline, anyway), but it's nowhere near complete. Where's the Survival Mode? The Challenge Mode? The insane amount of unlockables and easter eggs?

And the worst part? There's not even a boss.

I want a newly-drawn Rugal, dammit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdZP4PjAT1Q

You know you're a badass when your supermove gets an exclusive, epically cheesy J-Rock song. He's not just a ninja. He's a hero, a righteous defender of justice and honor, and a valiant protector of the weak...

Too bad everyone else in the game just thinks he's senile.

BlazBlue is awesome, by the way. Get it if you want some great 2d fighting action. Check out some of the gameplay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juUJJ1bRNa0

It‘s great to see the return of the Team Tournament, even if I am just a spectator this year. I’m having flashbacks from 2007, like getting drafted first and all those AIM sessions scheming with Lisanne. It’s kind of funny, looking back. None of us expected to win anything, so we approached the whole thing as a learning experience. It was serious business, though. I don’t know about my old teammates, but my high point was the build-up leading to the match against Zigfried’s crew. We were going to be crushed - no question there - but I liked the prospect of going mano-a-mano with Espiga (Suskie was the third one, if I recall correctly) and seeing how I would fare. I can’t remember how many times we lost (I‘m sure someone can dig up the stats), but after a while I just accepted failure as inevitable and gave up taking things seriously. I’ve always blamed myself for our performance; competition has never been my thing, and it showed in that tournament.

That’s probably one of the reasons I didn’t sign up this year. I didn’t want to drag a new team down, even if my writing has improved somewhat. But it’s more about a lack of drive and focus than anything else. I used to be able to belt out two or three reviews a week. An hour to write each one, if that. Now I’m struggling to make one review a week. It’s been like this for months now. It’s not that I’ve got less time to write; I’ve still got my weeknights and weekends, even if I am working a full-time job. It’s not that I’ve run out stuff to review. I’ve got access to enough games to last me for years. I haven’t fallen out of love with writing, either; once I get something started, the words come out as easily as they used to. But getting inspiration to type something out? That’s another beast entirely. I’ve noticed that I’m spending more and more time staring at a blank MS Word document and that damned blinking cursor, and less time getting the stuff on the screen…and that bothers me.

Immensely.

How do you guys deal with that annoying rut of writer’s block?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nttxwsKl7LI

Yeah, that's my most anticipated game now. >.>

I found a used MGS4 bundle for $379 being sold at Fry's. Got that, SFIV, and Guilty Gear Accent Core Plus. Win?

You should have seen me in the store. As soon as I saw it, I grabbed it off the shelf and just carried it with me while I did the rest of my shopping...for another hour. I wanted to make sure no one else would swoop in and seize the opportunity.

Before I got it, I asked specifically why it was being sold used. According to the manager, the previous owner said that there were issues with overheating. Can you guys give me some advice so as to avoid it? I can still return it within 30 days, so I want to make sure this thing can last. >.>

http://kotaku.com/5127251/nintendo-patent-reveals-potential-paradigm-shift-in-design

Interesting idea, but there's no way in Hell I'd ever use it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN2WkHLIweE

If you've played 3 and loved it, you'll probably like this one even more; it takes all the good stuff from that game and improves upon it. Pick it up if you're even remotely interested.

I had to be on campus by 7:45 AM at the latest. That means I was up since about five AM. Had to register and stand in a line for nearly two hours, did the processional, listened to the speeches, and walked across the stage. While both my folks are usually way too busy to see me, they at least dropped in to see me walk. They both left on their respective trips before the ceremonies were over. My grandmother, aunt, and uncle were there as well, so at least I had some support.

The ceremony finished at noon, just before the temperature started to get unbearable. I rode with my relatives to this nifty little seafood place down at the marina. After a brief stop at home to change clothes, I went with my relatives to my cousin's house for his graudation party. I spent the afternoon giving him advice for college (he's starting in two months) and basically told him what he needed to do between now and the Fall. Afterwards, we picked up a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cake (Oreos FTW) and went out to dinner for a few hours. Then we headed back to my house for dessert and some presents. I got a cool little keychain with my initials and graduation date etched into it, a badass red and white graduation lei, an autographed copy of Halo: Contact Harvest (Joseph Staten apparently knows my aunt), and a book of quotes from plays and poems.

Basically, I've been up since five AM and I'm only just now sitting down and relaxing. Now I know how Jack Bauer feels. ._. As for what tomorrow and the rest of my future will bring...I don't know. I never thought I'd make it this far; Hell, I thought I'd be dead by now. I've thrived in the academic setting, paid my entire tuition out of my own pocket, and I've worked damned hard to get to this point. What am I going to do now?

...Guess I'll go write.