Hello Gamespotters!

That's right, Friday I reached the ripe old age of 31!

It wasnt a bad day at all, actually.

I went to see 2012 and it was okay. The special effects were sweet.

I also picked up Assassin's Creed II, which Im having tons of fun with , and Tekken 6, which I played for five seconds before getting my butt handed to me by the cpu.

I got various B-day well wishes from friends and relatives and even got a card from the local pharmacy with two movie tickets inside which I thought was very nice, since I only shopped there a few times.

My cousin even gave me a present, he left me alone for nearly the whole day, which is a lot nicer than it probably sounds.

Even the voices in my head wished me a Happy Birthday, which was nice and a bit unexpected since they usually just talk about sex-err I mean video games. =P

Now I tell everyone that I'm a bitter old maid, and how, back in my day, we used apple iie'a, played on atari 2600's, and watched gobots, and someone else always has a better story about how old they are. Something like:

"Well back in my day, i used to hang out with Double C, that's Chris Columbus, it was around 1490, and I called him C Squared and he called me a traitorous dog (it was a thing we had). Anywhoo, me and old C Bass would spend hours at sea, scavenging spices from the New World, invading continents that had already been populated, looking up and pretending the clouds looked like boobs, you know, stuff everyone did back then (he was really good at that last one). Hey, did I ever tell you about the time I saved General Patton from Lex Luthor??"

Oh well. Hope you guys have a nice weekend and great week!

Hello my lovelies!

I know, I havent blogged in a few days (months), and some of you are probably wondering where I've been, if I've been okay or not even noticing I've been gone. Not to worry, I'm not here to judge (*judges them all guilty*). Soo where have I been..well its actually a funny story (actually its not so much funny as it is long =P).

Well I woke up one day with a temp of 100, and since my immune system isnt always 100%, I was a little concerned. So I drank about a liter of cherry blast flavored Tylenol, (if you've ever taken Tylenol, you know its kinda like the doorman at your apartment building, after 6 hours, he goes on break to get a beer, and tons of salesmen and door to door religious fanatics sneak in). So 6 hours later, the temp soared to a record breaking 104.

The worst part about having a 104 degree fever is that its not high enough to invoke hallucinations. Before heading to the ER, I stared out the window, hoping for a pink elephant sighting or maybe a large green beetle or something (the talking dog on the corner doesnt count, he's been talking to me for years).

So I get to the hospital and they admit me, mostly to draw buckets of blood and flush my system with antibiotics. For you medical types, nothing ever grew out, no bacteria, or fungi (pronounced fun boys in Spring Break English), but they hit me with enough antibiotics to take down the swine flu (I was there for a week).

I gotta say though, the new UCLA Hospital really impressed me. The old hospital, had two beds and one tv in each patient room (and I never got the tv). By comparison the new hospital has private rooms, hd tv's (in each room), 100+ channels, leather couch and desk chair in each room, an ocean view and wi fi internet in each room (not that I'd take a laptop there, I'm always afraid someone will play "Snatch n Grab", while I'm down in radiology getting spinal tapped =P).

Anyway I'm fine now, except I have what John calls GAS (Game Acquisition Syndrome), cause I like buying games way more than actually playing games. For example, I picked up Borderlands and Smackdown vs Raw 2010, when they came out and despite not really liking Borderlands (too much fps for me), I havent really played them. Even better, I have a huge stack of 360 games that , mostly, Ive never even finished (some I havent even started), but at least they look cool, right?

On a completely unrelated subject, I'm thinking of picking up some games this week and I;m not sure what to play. I was thinking about Brutal Legend and/or Tekken 6, but Assassin's Creed 2 comes out Tues. (and I actually did finish the original). I wanna play DJ Hero, dunno if I wanna buy it though.

On the gaming front I downloaded Operation Anchorage for Fallout and went through a couple missions. Oh and Dragon Age! After drooling over it for months, I got the collectors edition on the release day and started going through it. I made a mage, (1st char) and got to level 5 and got tired of the whole not being able to open every chest I came across (you'd think I'd know what I'm doing by now, after Baldur's Gate 1/2 and Neverwinter Nights 1/2). Soo I made a rogue (2nd char), and rogue isnt bad, I can shoot arrows, and stealth, and backstab and I was killin stuffs and doing quests and I got to level 12 and I was having fun and all...until....

I hit Gamestop about a week ago to get a friend a late b day present (he wanted Batman: Arkham Asylum for PC), and the guy there was preaching the awesomeness of the PC version of Dragon Age and well..long story short, I left the store with one of the two remaining copies of the pc version of the game and the hardcover collector's edition guide. Soo I start up a new charrie (3rd char), and I've learned enough about rogue to go back to mage. You know what? The pc version does look and play a lot better and I thought this would be the definitive version I play. Until...

Wouldnt you know it, I have to share my mouse. I have a razer something or other that glows in the dark and eats mice, (I think), and its usually on the desktop, which my cousin uses. So after a week of playing footsie with the mouse, I decide to go back to the 360 and make a new charrie. (4th char). This one is doing quite well, Ive actually progressed through the game a bit, I think shes level 13, and has the Inferno spell (it creates a huge column of flames in a huge area and looks wicked).

Anyway if you're still awake, sorry for the wall of text. Hope you all have a great week!

Hello, my pretty little snowflakes!

After a week in the 95-101 degree range (whew!), its cooled down substantially this weekend, and this coming week, they're saying its gonna be in the 80s, which is a lot cooler. My first week at school was torture, as many of you know, I'm not a morning person at all. Getting up at 6-7 is waaay too early for me. The main highlight of the hot weather was that most of the 17-18 year olds at school werent wearing much at all. It makes for a great show. (Come on, you know you look too =P). I wish I could get away with wearing two teacups and a paper napkin to school and call it an outfit =P.

My roomate recently got a cat. Its cute and all but Im so sick of cats. Its always "someone else's cat", that's running around. My cousin's cat is always underfoot and now the roomie has one. Worse yet, now apparently the cat is lonely so she wants another one. (What the heck??). When did this start? My friend Eric's sister Jenny had a son and not two months later, decided that the baby would be lonely, so they had another. (Thank God no one at the bookstore told me my Psych book might get lonely, or I'd have to shell out another 135 beans). I'm starting to wonder if the evil relatives new Benz might get lonely, maybe they'll buy another one =P.

I havent done too much on the gaming front this week, but I did borrow Kung Fu Panda and Lego Indy so I played a little of those and they're okay. I'm still trying to find my way around in Fallout 3, I'm only level 4. I did manage to kill some super mutant behemoth. (It was like a giant version of Arnold, with a fire hydrant in one hand and a load of hp). It took all my ammo and one grenade to bring it down but it gave me 75xp. (Yay!)

Hope you guys are having a great holiday weekend!

Hello, my lovely snowflakes!

(sorry, Ive got cool things on the brain as its been hella hot in southern cali lately. It hit 101 in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. There were people eating ice cream and mailboxes melting into puddles of goo everywhere =P. There's also a bunch of wildfires taking down million dollar homes left and rignt. whew, thank goodness I'm not rich!)

Anyway,

Monday was my first day back to school in like 4-5 years and it wasnt that great. I ended up missing half of my first class due to being lost. They put the Humanities building behind the library and squeezed it in between two other, bigger buildings, so you'd only find it if you already knew where it was (in which case you wouldnt be lost). Not that I'd admit to being lost, mind you.

I was wandering around campus, in some sort of daze, like Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter books, frequently bumping into people, trying to find this building, when I had pretty much roamed the entire campus twice. (This is how I usually walk around =P) I stopped under a large, shady tree, and I didnt think it was so obvious, but a nice guy came up and asked if I was lost.

Nice guy: excuse me, are you lost?

Me: pssh, of course I'm not lost, I know exactly where I am, I'm under this tree.

Nice guy: Oh okay.

Me: Just for reference sake, would you happen to know where the Humanities building is?

Nice guy: Yeah, its behind the Library.

Me: Oh, thanks! That will definitely help.

Nice guy: want me to walk you there?

Me: well if you insist...

Soo I finally get there like 20 min late and class is on the 3rd floor. The teacher is kinda funny, seems like a nice guy and we dont need the book til next week, so that's a plus. I dont see anyone too cute in the class though (bummer =P). Its nice to have someone hot to stare at,

My next class, the one I actually wanted to go to, I missed totally because my counseling appointment started at the same time class started, only I didnt realize it until it was too late. I hope they dont drop me. I'm hoping to make it to both on Wed, maybe even on time.

There are sooo many people on campus and its freaking hot during the day too. Luckily the buildings seem to be air conditioned.

On the gaming front I started Fallout 3 again. I've been trying to do all the quests in Megaton so I can blow the place sky high. I dont know what it is, but the game just turns me off in a lot of ways. I loved Bethesda's other games, like Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion. Fallout 3 just doesnt grab me. Its a pretty dreary world and for an open world game, a lot of the paths are blocked off (turnoff!). I'm also not a fan of modern combat vs medieval combat. I tried walking to Rivet City and kept getting mowed down by huge Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe guys with large miniguns. I coulda sworn after they killed me the last time, one of them shouted, "Its not a tomb-uh!" =P.

I also picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum and Ghostbusters, the first new games Ive bought in a really long time. I havent played Ghostbusters yet but Ive been slowly making my way through Batman. I'm at a certain boss fight where you have to avoid being seen. Anyone know how to beat it? I keep running into a wall (literally). Its definitely a fun and addictive game.

I finally finished Mass Effect and I really enjoyed it, (review). If nothing else, the game has me all the more eager for Mass Effect 2. I also went through the DLC Bring Down the Sky, which was okay. I guess I'll be skipping the universally panned new Pinnacle Station DLC, at least for awhile. Now I just need to find another RPG =P.

Hope your week is going well!

Hello, my lovelies!

Welcome to Tuesdays with Alli, the only blog about Tuesday that's posted on Wednesday! (bet you didnt see that coming =P)

Anyway, my evil relatives (not like virgin sacrifice evil, but still fairly evil), who enjoy bragging about their new toys, are now driving an 07 Mercedes Benz. They couldn't wait to show it off to me, and pretty much the whole South Bay.

I get there in the morning and its parked on the street, under a tree. Its pure white, with nice lines and sleek curves in all the right places. You'd have thought they were driving Angelina Jolie =P.

The interior is comfy black leather that you can sink into. It has power seat belts and even seat warmers (do you even need a seat warmer in Cali?).

It has a DVD player/GPS system, and 6 cd changer in the glove compartment (i.e no room for gloves. Some glove compartment that is!). Of course while pointing out these minor faults of an otherwise perfect product of German engineering, I get more than a few odd stares.

It also has a polished wooden steering wheel, with volume control and track/radio station select buttons right on the steering wheel, which saves a whole second of horribly reaching another half an inch to the actual volume knob. I politely pointed this out, in my usual manner, at which point I was asked if I'd like to walk home from our now 85mph cruising speed on the 405 freeway. People sure are sensitive about their cars!

It also has a top that automatically folds back and into the trunk. This, of course, means you cant fit multiple dead bodies into said trunk. How the heck can you have a car without dead body space in the trunk?? Isn't that just asking for trouble? Not being a driver, of course, I pointed out this obvious flaw, sure that my relatives would want to know all the minor flaws in their new car.

In conclusion, the walk home was painfully uninteresting. It was a nice day and I probably should have been walking anyway, in retrospect. My evil relatives must have felt guilty because they even drove up and asked how my walk was going, before speeding off in their nice, shiny, new Mercedes Benz.

Hello nice Gamespot type people!

I hope your Sunday finds you all happy and healthy and in church (though worshipping at the temples of XBox Live and PSN is accepted =P).

I saw District 9 last night and it was much better than I expected. I dont wanna spoil anything but it seemed disturbingly accurate.

I've been playing a lot of Mass Effect and Burnout Paradise (bought on the new XBL Games on Demand feature). Oh and my 360 tyerdied! Not the cool three red rings thing either, thats like all the rage, but it was one red light, so they wanted 100 bucks to fix it. So I went out and bought an arcade version. (My old one was an elite). I dont know about the licenses though, because Im using the old hard drive and I did the license transfer thingie on the website and it said they were transferred, but I was offline in Burnout the other day and it gave me a 10 min to play counter.

I'm really surprised at how much I'm enjoying Burnout Paradise, as I'm not much of a racing game fan. I love the whole open world atmosphere and variety of cars and events. I havent actually tried playing it with other people, so if anyone wants to play, I'd be up for it. My cousin is a bit more critical of the game, however, "no aftertouch takedowns ....this game reeks..".

I'm also loving Mass Effect so far. I'm at level 39, in one of the story missions now, after doing pretty much every sidequest available. (I love Bioware games.) I always want to do the bad guy/evil path in these kinds of games (Knights of the Old Republic, Fable, Bioshock, etc), but I always invariably end up being a lousy do gooder. Anyone else have that problem?

Anyway, I'll probably be doing reviews for Mass Effect and Burnout Paradise soon, so stay tuned!

I've also signed up for classes at El Camino College (its a junior college like 15 min away), its just for fun, until I can find a reliable way to get back to UCLA to finish my MA. (I dont drive and UCLA is like 2-3 hours by bus). If nothing else, it'll get me outta the house. (Watching my cousin camp out on my couch day and night, is hardly fun =P). Its just a couple english classes and an Abnormal Psych class (maybe they can find out what's wrong with him, hehe). Its a good school, but its soo crowded now. Its only 9 units, and I wanted more but everything was full, and even waitlists were full. I first went there in '96 and there were 1800 students, now there's 25,000. Anyway one of the English classes is a Creative Writing class, so maybe it'll get some neurons firing or something so I can actually get a novel going or something. My evil relatives are anxious for me to get a bestseller published, so they can live off me =P. Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated on the novel front,

Have you guys seen the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm trailer? I saw it on GS yesterday and it made me wanna play WoW again. Of course I wouldnt be playing my high level, established charries. I'd be starting over =P. I'm kind of in the mood for a cute gnome warlock. Of course, I'm not sure if I'll actually start playing again, as I dont have much time at the moment. Plus the questing from level 1-80 is quite the time sink.

Hope you guys have a great week!

Hello, my lovely Gamespotters!

Its been awhile since my last blog, I know. I think I've done a better job of keeping up with you guys' blogs than my own, hehe. Soooo what have I been up to...

You guys remember all the writing I wanted to get done? Well save for a couple reviews, I havent actually done any of it =P

I did manage to go through a few books, all of which I really enjoyed. If you're interested, I read:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Its basically about the life of a veterinarian who works in a Depression era circus. Its a great story and a pretty easy read.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It takes place in England in the year 1130-1175 or so. It begins as a story about a craftsman named Tom, who builds houses and cathedrals and eventually becomes something of a political thriller, with conflicts among the bishops, archbishops and even the king. Its about a thousand pages, but its a great story.

Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Its pretty much a study of the hero and the hero's journey in myth and in literature. Its a pretty interesting read, although some parts are a bit dry. Its also the book George Lucas read before he started filming Star Wars.

Well that's all for Alli's Book Reviews. =P

I also went to watch the WTA Tennis about a week ago, since they were playing over here in Carson. (I technically live in West Carson, so it was just down the road). We saw Maria Sharapova play Radwanska. Parking was 30 bucks =P. Sharapova is kinda cute in person. She's also really tall, like 6'2. I havent been to a match live before and its kinda neat. The crowd really gets into the match. (Sharapova won 6-4 7-5).

Me and John also went to the Getty. (Its like the ultimate artsy place in Cali). It has a huge courtyard, large fountain in the middle, with a north, south, east, and west pavillion around the fountain, each with 2-4 floors of paintings, sculptures, and furniture. There's also a research library and reading room. They give you a map when you go in too, just like Disneyland.

Now John isnt quite the most artsy fartsy guy around. So there was a lot of, "hey, this looks like a real elevator! Oh wow, it moves! This must be that interactive art you always hear about!" and "psst, Alli, I think those boobies are following me around the room!"

In gaming news, I downloaded Burnout Paradise and have been having a lot of fun with that. I finished Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (review), and had a great time with it. I'm also nearly done with Viva Pinata (review). I'm pretty sure I'm done with the game, but I have eight achievements left and it would be nice to get those before I play the sequel, which I'm tempted to download, since its on XBL's new games on demand service. I've also just started Mass Effect (about time, I know), and so far its pretty fun, even though Im only on Act 1.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend! I'll try to blog more often.

Hello, my lovely Gamespotters!

I hope you're all happy and healthy! (or just healthy, at least)

Well, it seems that summer is upon us (cue cheesy summer pic)

Soo I've been looking for something to do this summer (besides nap, watch tv, play games, and read/write), and I've narrowed the list down to two projects.

Write a Novel

Admittedly, this may take awhile, due to my general lack of ideas lately and the fact that I think the only area where I'd have much success would be high fantasy type stuff. I rarely read much in the way of modern fantasy, preferring instead to rely on c-l-a-s-s-ics by Tolkien or C S Lewis when I need a fantasy fix. The other genre that appeals to me is horror. I'm not the most eager of beginning novelists, however, since there is a lot of junk out there in bookstores, and sometimes it sells rather well, (look at the Twilight series). However, if nothing else, many bestselling authors prove that you dont have to be a good writer to sell books. (Just ask Stephen King =P)

Fill out Gamespot User Reviews

I was thinking of filling out the user reviews section with the games Ive played, (replaying them a bit of course), starting with the NES era, up til the present. This is definitely going to take awhile, so if nothing else, it'll keep me busy. I'm not quite sure how many games Ive gone through over the years, but I'm sure its quite a bit, especially during the 16 bit era. Feel free to check em out as they go up (*insert shameless plug*).

I'll definitely keep you guys posted on my wannabe novel, or my reviews.

In other Alli news, I've mainly been playing a lot of Viva Pinata, as well as Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. I'm nearly done with both, so expect to see a couple reviews soon. I've also ordered a shiny, delicious looking PSP with Rock Band Unplugged and Crisis Core, for more handheld fun, hehe. Oh, and Chrono Trigger for DS, that should keep me busy for a lil while, I hope.

On the non gaming front, television hasnt been the most entertaining form of media this summer (I'll never understand why, with like a thousand some channels, I have trouble finding stuff to watch). I have been catching up on The Tudors on DVD however, and when I can , I've been TiVOing True Blood (HBO). I get nearly every movie channel and most of the movies Ive either seen or arent worth seeing, hehe. Its pretty silly when you consider the ratio of channels to watchable programming. I cant stand all the reality shows, either. Actually, I have an idea for a reality show. We take like 100 lifers from prison, fly em out to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, nothing around but water, and the island would be just big enough for all of them. The prisoner that manages to eat the most other prisoners would be the winner and win his freedom (at which point , he'd be arrested for rampant cannibalism). We could call it, "The Other White Meat", or something like that =P.

Anyway, I hope your summer is going great! Keep on gaming!

Sooo a little under a month ago, I celebrated my 7th Year on Gamespot. It's kind of like being in the 7th year at Hogwarts, only without the magic and wonder =P.

The member since date on my first username is:

"May 28, 2002"

No no, I'm not gonna tell you the name (that would spoil the fun!). Suffice it to say I've enjoyed my 7 years here, though I'd wish I'd paid more attention to the forums way back then, I coulda been one of the old timers who are always on there now, lamenting about the "good old days" when forums were little index cards taped to empty soda cans and thrown between houses for comments. (Wouldnt a phone be easier??)

I'm not gonna have some grand celebration or anything, I'm simply going to thank everyone that reads my silly blog and list seven things I've learned being on Gamespot.

1. Mods are friends, not food.

2. Some mods and admins have real names, just like the rest of us.

3. OT is the place to be. (exceptions include weekdays, holidays, and most nights)

4. The Legacy forum is not a directory of retirement communities.

5. Ask the Mods should not be used to ask about mod preferences towards creamy or crunchy peanut butter.

6. Straitjackets for mods come in a one size fits all variety, still need to find form to submit saying mine is too big.

7. New mods should not be made to wash cars, paint fences or put up storm windows.

Ah e3, the yearly gaming convention that brings together developers, publishers, the media. and rampant naysayers. Probably the best chance for the media to ask pointed and unanswerable questions of developers, questions like, "what the @#$% were you thinking?", and "2010?? You know I'd like to play these games before my unborn, unplanned children graduate from college, right?"

So E3 is over and like the day after Christmas, or just after a leader is elected in many countries, there is a lot to take in, analyze, and sometimes take back because your present didnt have batteries, or turned out to be socks (anyone else get clothes three years in a row as a teenager?). This year's e3 showcased a number of games, but does it come as a surprise to anyone that most of them turned out to be sequels?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that sequels and the people who play them are inherently evil (technically...), heck, some of my favorite games are sequels (Morrowind, Diablo II, etc). But does anyone else miss the 16 bit days, when games you've never heard of just magically popped onto store shelves and sometimes they even turned out to be good? Remember Young Merlin? (okay, bad example..), but how about Soul Blazer? (Hmm I can do better than that...). Oh, I know! How about Chrono Trigger? (nice try, but you cant argue with success, just ask Mailer =P). My point is, remember when games for the SNES and Genesis hit the stores and you didnt know a thing about them? A lot of them weren't sequels either. Fine, fine, you might have checked out Nintendo Power back then, but for many of us, the decision to buy a game rested solely on the box art and the two sentence blurb on the back of the box, followed by some pictures that could only be seen with a physics lab quality microscope.

Microsoft took the stage early and showed off games like Splinter Cell: Conviction, featuring our favorite agent Sam Fisher. Final Fantasy XIII looks to be quite lucky for Square, while XIV appears to let you be able to play Final Fantasy the way your grandparents always wanted you to...online! (again!). Forza 3 looks to satisfy rabid Forza 2 fanatics (aka Forzatics). Assassin's Creed II promises new ways to let you kill enemies back when Venice was cool (brother's note: "Venice was never cool! They dont even have a football team!"). The Beatles: Rock Band looks to give us Beatles fans (they did "Thriller", right??) just the fix we're looking for. Sequel filled, yes, but still a heck of a good time.

Not to be outdone, the big N showed off a lot of its stars in true sequel form. New Super Mario Bros Wii proved that you dont need to be a sackboy to have a good time, you just need a penguin suit and propeller hat. Golden Sun DS, Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Bowser's Inside Story showed that sequels on the DS are ever present and look just as much fun as ever. Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks to launch Mario to new worlds, while Metroid: Other M looks to give more outer space action (I wonder if its Kasumi in that suit this time =P). More sequels than a Rocky DVD box set? Definitely. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Sony's lineup wasnt entirely sequel free either. Uncharted 2 showed off gorgeous graphics, and gave audiences useful, everyday tips on how to dodge helicopter fire, something desperately needed in Los Angeles (they dont teach that kinda stuff at community college anymore, damn economy...). Perhaps Sony's heaviest hitter, Kratos, returns in God of War III, which looks to be as bloody and visually enticing as the previous two games in the series. Sony also showed off a portable MGS game for its PSP and the new PSP Go, which are now UMD drive free for today's on the go consumer. (Because putting miniature discs in drives is so 2008!)

If sequels were the norm at this year's e3, it really made those games that were new and exciting stand out even more. Games like Batman: Arkham Asylum that puts you in the shoes of everyone's favorite crime fighter (thank god it isnt George Clooney!), looks to be a real winner. MAG looks to keep shooter fans happy if they can keep the game from becoming a slideshow. The Last Guardian looks to continue the same great visual s-t-y-l-e seen in Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Wii Sports Resort actually looks like a fun way to spend your next vacation (bikini and tiny pink umbrella, not included). Dragon Age: Origins looks like a dragon slaying good time and brought back memories of Baldur's Gate...painful..awkward memories.

This year's e3 seemed to have a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you like action, adventure, role playing or shooters, there seemed to be a game to fit the bill. If the press conferences and showfloor were any indication, there seemed to be an intoxicating energy that you could see in the presenters, and the media. Hopefully this energy can carry over into next year's e3. (Where I'll still be waiting to play The Old Republic =P).

Hello, my lovelies!

Its e3 time again!

Since I like you all, I've decided to name my top 3 games I'd be willing to sell most of my family members for, just for an exclusive peek at, at e3, along with a few tidbits about them, etc. So enjoy, and dont forget to watch all that yummy e3 coverage!

"Gamespot at e3, its the next best thing to sneaking in!"

__________________

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Claim to Fame: Made Adam West a household name.

Probable Zero Punctuation Review: Oh look, a Batman game that's dark and moody! That's never happened before...except in virtually every other Batman game! Why cant Batman fight crime in sunny Florida, for once? He could fight new villains like The Wheezer, and Father Time. And why is Batman so ripped, anyway? Back in my day, Adam West kicked the butts of real villains like Egghead, and he wasnt buff at all. The story also seems silly. Batman gets called to Arkham and has to battle various inmates. Wow..I think I just wet myself. Maybe the game should have been built around Harley Quinn asking The Joker for more money for plastic surgery.

___________________

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Claim to Fame: After donning a curly wig and appearing in the widely unsuccessful "Cabbage Patch Kids" videogame, Link went underground, resurfacing some years later in "The Legend of Zelda". Luckily, that game was much more successful. Link has been in everything, from games to cartoons to comics to adult feature films (wait, scratch that last one). Link has also been immortalized on the Walk of Game. (Its like the Walk of Fame, only nerdier).

_____________________

Rock Band: Beatles Edition

Fanboy Rant Example: omg! omg! I cant believe it! One of the best bands in history immortalized in Rock Band! Finally, we get to enjoy songs like "Hey Hey, We're the Monkees!" and "Surfin' USA"! Wait, what?? Okay, okay, but they did "Steam" and "Sledgehammer", right?? .....No way! ...."Like a Virgin"? ...."Vertigo"? .....Damnit! I hate the Beatles!

Happy Tuesday! (hey, at least it isnt Monday).

Me and John went and saw Star Trek on Sunday. I really liked it quite a bit, the movie much better than I thought it would be. I'm not sure if its because the movie really is that good, or, because of the more recent big screen Trek efforts (Insurrection, Nemesis, etc), that I went into the movie somewhat cautiously optimistic. Honestly, its not a perfect movie, as some story elements bugged me. I think the cast nailed the characters though, especially Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zach Quinto (Spock). This is a huge deal, when you consider the legacy of Trek and how familiar many people are with these characters. My only complaint is that the secondary characters (McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, etc), werent as well developed as I would have liked. I know, you cant have everything in a two hour movie. I liked seeing Leonard Nimoy in it, though John didnt like him there. It didnt feel to me like he was out of place or anything, and he has such a presence on screen in a Trek movie, that the scenes with him are some of the most powerful. I highly recommend the movie, if for nothing else, than the characters themselves. I'd go see it again, if I can get my butt down to the IMAX. As we were leaving, John mentioned that his little Honda is probably not up to par with even a shuttle, and of course, I had to say that it felt more like an escape pod. Not a new escape pod either, but one of the rusty ones that get stuck in the bay and need to be kicked a few times. I think he appreciated that, hehe.

John mentioned going again next week, and I think he has his heart set on Terminator, though I'd prefer Angels and Demons, myself. I dont know what it is with this new Terminator, but I'm not that excited over it. Oh, dont get me wrong, I liked the original, loved T2 and I even liked T3. But this new one, I dont know. I'm not sure if its the gritty action trailers, or the fact that they seem to be shown way too much on TV lately but something about it is turning me off. I do like Christian Bale though, so right now thats the major selling point, hehe.

Hello Gamespotters!

Hope your weekend is going well! Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, soon to be moms, or wannabe moms out there, hehe. I'm planning on calling Mom tomorrow, if I can find her number. Me and Mom were never close, havent talked to her in five years or so. She's kinda flaky, I've called before and she either wont pick up at all (common), or picks up, we talk for a minute and she'll say she'll call me back, which she doesn't (rare). She's always been like that though, so I'm kind of used to it. I used to go visit every few weeks, and she was nice and all, but she was one of those people who, if I asked her for a ride home, she'll say something like, "Oh well, you know, I dont think I can make it down to your place today!", in that cheerfully annoying voice, despite the fact that she didnt have a job, or any plans that day. My brother was always nice though, he drove me around now and then. My younger sister would sometimes say Hi or bye. I think she thought I was this creepy old lady that hung around too much =P (and I was only 25 then!).

But I did get some gaming done and after a nice 63 hours, I finished DQ IV. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, (read my full review here), and highly recommend it. I've since started making my way through Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and although I'm only 30 min or so into it, I'm already liking the art s.t.y.l.e. Hopefully I'll get a review up once I finish it.

The game was recommended to me by a good friend, now I'm not saying any names, but if I end up not liking the game and not finishing it, its his fault =P. Not to worry, I wont reveal any names here, I'm just gonna refer to him as Mailer_D...wait, that may be too obvious...I'll just say M_Daemon. No no, I know you're all wondering who it is, and I simply cannot reveal his name (his full profile is here). Sorry, you'll just have to keep wondering. Some mysteries are better left unsolved =P

BlizzCon tickets go on sale soon and I'm seriously considering going. Its only 45 min away and I'd love to see what all the fuss is about. My only concerns are that its gonna be packed, and the price is 125 bucks, which is a splurge for me. I'm also tempted to get tickets to Summerslam, which is gonna be at the Staples Center this year, I havent been to a WWE event in forever (they NEVER come to Staples), but last time I went, we had great seats and it was a great show (but I didnt get to see Undertaker, because he wasnt there, it was a total rip).

If you've been watching the Playoffs, the Lakers are gonna take it. You dont have to wonder anymore. No no, no need to thank me, thats why I'm here, to make your life easier by making you regret your gambling decisions! Its a gift!

Hope you have a great week!

Hello my lovelies!

I know you're all quite beside yourselves since you havent had your weekly dose of Alli inspired nonsense blogs for a few weeks now. I imagine you probably cant eat, cant work, cant kill zombies like you used too, etc. But the good news is, I'm back! (sorta). You may be asking yourselves, "where has she been??", well short answer, I've been here and there. Near and Far. Black and White. Wrong and Right? Hot n Cold? (hmm maybe I should just sing the whole song...). But I have done a few interesting things.

I bought a new cell! () It's my first cell in six years. My old cell was a blue flip phone, half the keypad didnt work, the antenna was bitten off in a fight (not by me, of course), and the screen was starting to leak some really odd tasting liquid.

The new one is kinda nice though. Its shiny and red and has a slide out keyboard and an sd card slot thingie. If it had four wheels and a cup holder, it would be a ferrari. Oh and all the keys work, which is nice. See the generic image below.

I also went to see "Observe and Report", with Seth Rogen and it was pretty silly. There were some gross parts too. Its definitely not the kind of movie I would have went to if I was by myself, but John wanted to see it. I'm not entirely sure if we're going to go see Wolverine. I know he wants to see Star Trek, not sure about X Men. I want to see X Men, mostly because of Hugh Jackman (dont act so surprised, even straight guys I know think he's hot =P).

Whats funny is that I know people who've seen it and come out saying, "well I thought it would have a better story.." and they look so disappointed. Come on, you dont go to an X Men movie expecting some Shakespearean story. (Let's face it, even some of the films that have been made from Shakespeare plays havent had killer stories, hehe). I dont go into any summer flick expecting a great story usually (I mean the ones that look like mindless action). I'm looking forward to "Angels and Demons" though, mainly because I read the book and thought it was way better than the Da Vinci Code.

In gaming news, I have a new obsession, Dragon Quest IV. Its lots of fun. Battles are short and sweet. Monsters look nice and funny, Graphics are pretty, music is relaxing. I'm about 35 hrs in, and hoping to stick up a review when im done.

Thats all for now. Happy May 2nd!

(PS: What happened to all those April showers?? All we had was a heat wave. Stupid desert.)

Hi Hi!

Hope you're all having a lovely Easter weekend (if you celebrate it. If not, then shaaaame =P). I think they have an egg finding thing for the kids in the park here this weekend, which is nice.

Anyway, I posted this on off topic, but it was quickly bumped off page 1 for more worthy topics, such as "What's this thing on the back of my neck?", and "does anyone else eat cat food when no one is looking?".

This kinda came about when me and John went to Third Planet a couple weeks ago. Its a small place that sells tabletop rpg games, D&D stuffs, dice, comics, miniatures, violent card games, and hosts live games in the back. In short, its Nerd Central. (John was a nerd in High School). Now , I have no problem with nerds, geeks, dorks, morlocks, mole people, eskimos, cannibals, living impaired, etc, but that store gives off some of the heaviest nerd vibes that Ive felt in awhile.

So while John browsed miniatures (he likes painting them), I was looking at the tabletop games, you know, the boxed ones? (I wasnt a nerd in high school =P). Any of you guys notice how much some of those boxed rpg games look like each other? Like they have different pieces and boards, but its like the same game? I saw two pirate games and except for the names, they looked almost alike. Almost the same board, same ship pieces, same dice, except I think one came with a leather eyepatch and one came with an imitation leather eyepatch =P. They should have at least thrown a parrot in one of em.

So I'm hanging out by the door, in case one of the kids in the back, who are engaged in a heated game of D&D ("You cant equip that shock shield!, your ranger cant use shields!"), decides to come at me for no reason. I'm also trying avoid the frequent stares of the eight year old behind the counter, who looks like he just walked out of Hot Topic.

Anyway, John comes over, and looks like hes about to puke. He says we should go, and that hes not feeling good. Being a humanitarian, I ask if hes okay. He shakes his head and whispers something that only Clark Kent could possibly hear. I blink and ask him what he said. He says it again (and I still barely hear this), but it sounds like, "I have the big C".

Duh huh?? (that was my reaction too).

"The who?"

"You know, starts with a C..". he whispers.

(Could he possibly be more vague? Thank God he isnt a pharmacist =P).

"chicken pox?", I ask.

He shakes his head.

"citric acid?"

He shakes his head again.

"Cancer? .....Cholera?"

He rolls his eyes, and yells, "I'm constipated!"

Now I dont know if it was the acoustics in the place or what, but when he yelled it, it kind of bounced off the walls and sounded more like "I'm constipated-ated-ated". Of course, he turned beet red and looked around. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. The D&D kids smirked, and the eight year old behind the counter almost inhaled the straw from his juice box.

Needless to say, it got me thinking. Oh, dont worry, John's fine. Sure, he'll never go anywhere near the place again, but like I told him, it isnt much of a loss.

So are there stores you wont go into? I know guys who wont set foot into Victoria's Secret, even though they're married and their wives go in all the time. (I assume they're a little too close to trying something on themselves, which isnt a pleasant thought).

Sooo phoenyx9 tagged me and I coulda sworn I've done this before, but what the heck. Following are 10 things about me. I'll try to pick ten you guys dont know yet.

1. I went to a strict Catholic school growing up (white blouse, plaid skirt, knee high socks, nuns whooping arses with rulers, the works, etc.)

2. I'm a natural redhead (but I dyed it blonde for about six months. Most people said I looked really weird =P)

3. One of my favorite poems is, "anyone lived in a pretty how town", by e. e. cummings.

4. I'd love to "boldly go where no one has gone before", because I think, "the truth is out there". *nerd alert*

5. Me and my friends used to hang out at the local cemetary and go "grave tipping", after dark.

6. Despite my nature, I was actually somewhat of an athlete in high school. I ran track, was a cheerleader, played tennis and even did a little gymnastics. (cause, you know, it was better than studying =P)

7. I was flipping through the "Twilight" books on my last trip to the bookstore, and it looked to me like they were written by an eight year old. *snob alert*

8. One of my guilty pleasures is Sarah Silverman. I think shes really cute, but I cant stand half the stuff she says and does. Its fascinating watching her though. Its like seeing a brand new Ferrari get hit by a train. You cant look away, but when its over you're like, "Why, God, Why??" , hehe.

9. My three favorite video games of all time are probably: Secret of Mana (SNES), Morrowind (PC), and Parasite Eve (PS)

10. I love strategy guides. I'm a big fan of going through a long role playing game and finding every secret and item using the guides. I have over 200 of them on my bookshelf. I've been using them since Prima and Bradygame's first guides were published. I'd gotten so used to reading them that in school, I'd take a sketch book and a bunch of colored pencils/markers to each c-l-a-s-s and make my own "guide" for the c-l-a-s-s instead of taking regular notes. =p

***

Lets be honest, Chrono Trigger was released in '95, and is often hailed by many to be the best, if not one of the best, role playing games of all time. Sure people talk about its outstanding soundtrack, lush graphics, deep, involving story, etc, but they never talk about the things it doesnt have. Where's the Grand Theft Auto-like carjacking, violence and foul language that our 3-8 year olds enjoy today? Wheres the first person shooter-esque mayhem, that made games like Crysis and Call of Duty so popular? I know where its not, its not in this game! Best Game of All Time? psssh. Square is lucky its still around after releasing this game. Actually, Square should change its name to Circle, cause this game gets a big, fat zero in my book.

The characters are so cliche too! A robot named Robo? Yeah, thats about as original as fruit punch. Whats next, a cartoon cyborg named Cyborg? A robot cop named RoboCop? Heck no, not in my reality! There are also talking animals in the game. I know, its a dude who's been cursed by another dude who's evil but somehow joins you anyway to fight a bigger evil than him..or something...(actually someone had to give me the gist of the plot, cause after playing through it about six or seven times, I still didnt get it, making me more than qualified to write an impartial review). Anyway, animals should only talk in Disney Movies, or on Family Guy, anything else is wrong.

The laws of physics seem to be absent from much of the game, as your character can carry around a seemingly unlimited amount of weapons/items, etc. How many pockets does this Chrono kid have, anyway? Hes not even wearing cargo pants! And Marle and Ayla? I'm pretty sure they dont have pockets at all! Ayla is barely wearing anything at all. Maybe this game should have been rated M?

The time travel effects in this game seem pretty cool, until you start wondering, how can a kid like Lucca build a sophisticated time machine? Are these black holes? wormholes? rifts in time? Frankly, I find the whole temporal mechanics thing quite suspect and I'm sure Stephen Hawking would have issues with this game. I also suspect the designers dont even have advanced degrees in any kind of temporal/physics based field.

These issues aside, I really tried to enjoy the game, on a deeper level, as kitch, as camp, even on a spiritual level. I would light four candles before and after playing, and kneel down before my grossly oversized golden Lavos statue (just one of the thousands of pieces of Chrono Trigger memorabilia in my closet), and pray for the strength to enjoy this game. Alas, it is not to be.

Hoping to enjoy this game on some level, I finally tossed the manual and case and box in the microwave and nuked it, since opening the shrink wrap depressed me to the point where I had to be committed for a few days in an institution by my shrink, for possibly being a danger to myself and others.

In retrospect, I may have been too harsh on this game, because the microwave really went up in flames pretty quickly, much faster than the kitchen and the rest of the house. Uh oh, I'd better get out of here, its getting kinda warm. Umm in conclusion, do not buy this game, do not play this game, and definitely do not microwave this game.

***

April Fools ! =P Chrono Trigger is one of my favoritest games ever! (that's right, I used the F word) Although, *glances at MAILER* I still think Secret of Mana is way better! bwa ha!

Soo its kinda funny how the new DSi has been constantly under fire by critics since its spec's were announced, and it was nowhere near being released. Well now that its April release date looms ever closer, I thought I'd take a look at some of the finer points of Nintendo's newest handheld.

The screen: The new DSi screen is 3.25 inches, compared to the original DS' 3 inches. That's right, 8 percent more real estate. Thats even more room to stare at those hot pixelated Final Fantasy white mages. Hubba Hubba!

Charging Time: The DSi clocks in at 2 hrs, 30mins to go from zero to sixty, compared to the original's 3 hours. That means you'll be playing Mario Kart DS 30 minutes sooner than your friends.

Battery Life: The bane of remote controls, children's Christmas presents, and ...uh..*cough* other items. The new DSi has a 4-6 hr shorter battery life than its predecessor. This is the chief complaint by many naysayers. But hang on, what if this is a great move by Nintendo to reduce the global percentage of handheld related muggings. Think about it, say you just get home from work, after a long day, having indulged in a bit of Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia at lunch, and on the ride home (you do take public transportation, right?), you play a bit of Phantom Hourglass, and you might stop at the local Starbucks, for a cafe latte. While there, you manage to school a couple of 8 year olds in Pokemon Pearl, while mentioning the fact that they're far too young to drink coffee. You finally get home, and as you are unlocking your door, some thug comes out of nowhere and grabs your shiny new DSi. Well the joke's on him, cause once he gets back to his hideout and powers it on, chances are its probably dead. (I mean, you know, he'll probably take your wallet/purse too, and could very well leave you a bloody mess on your front porch). But the fact that your DSi is dead when he wants to play it, makes his victory less than total and ultimately shallow. Can you say epic win?

No GBA Slot: This one hurts. You probably dont need to play Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald again, but its nice to have the slot there for games like Fire Emblem and Golden Sun. But they did give you something to play with:

The DSi Camera: Thats right, a feature common on cell phones everywhere, now you get a nifty little camera! Its kind of neat, in that you can snap pictures of yourself while playing the DSi, or someone else who's watching you play the DSi, on the other side of the room. I know, it hardly sounds practical. But in a different context, the DSi camera could capture that cheating lover from around the corner, most of the inevitable murder and your eventual trial and incarceration. Your DSi could be your best friend behind bars (especially since your cellmate Bubba isnt much of a talker). Epic win? I think so.

Sorry, I'm getting off topic again. Actually I just wanted to get you guys/gals opinions, cause I'm thinking of preordering one, if I scrounge up some cash, and I'm not sure whether to go with the black, or that baby blue one. I'm leaning towards black, because black is slimming, it goes with any outfit and the dark background makes the screen stand out more I think. But that blue is kinda nice looking too, its almost periwinkle! (thats the gateway color to indigo and violet, you know!)

Happy Monday!

So John came over yesterday and depite recent inquires as to the wedding date, hes JUST a friend =P (besides hes way too old for me, hes 44 and divorced). Anyway he brought over Monopoly. You know, the board game where you somehow end up with even less money than you have in real life? First off, this is probably the newest Monopoly game I've ever played. The money and properties were all stuck together, even the pieces were shiny!

I started to wonder why it hadnt gotten much use, and it didnt take long to figure out. John plays like hardcore Monopoly. I'm kind of conservative usually, I dont buy like the expensive yellow/green or dark blue properties because they cost an arm and a leg, cost a ton to build up and when I have owned them, no one has ever landed there. John buys everything. If I land on something and dont buy it, he'll snap it up, even if he has to mortgage his other properties to do it.

Well needless to say, after hours of playing, I ended up with all the oranges and reds and utilities and railroads, he ended up with almost everything else and no less than four houses on all the dark purples, light blues, light purples, yellows, and dark blues. Needless to say, this didnt end well for yours truly.

I hadnt played in years and at the end, told him I had fun (kind of), and mentioned I'd definitely play him again (in 10 years or so). Now, I used to consider myself a fairly good player so this kinda had me wondering if I really was as good as I used to think. Maybe I'm just not cut out for the high stakes world of real estate?