• 1Jul 06

  Let's see if I can get back into this...

  I'm not gonna lie here.  I just haven't been blogging as much as I used to.  Hell, I haven't been blogging as much as I should've.  I don't know whether life is catching up with me, or whether gaming itself is starting to fall off my priority list.
  
  Honestly, right now, all I've been playing lately is Fight Night Round 3 and Karaoke Revolution (let's face it, I'm a crazed Filipino).  Of course, there's the occasional switch due to games I'm scheduled to review for IGO, but other than that--I really haven't been into gaming as much as I used to.  I don't know whether it's been the workload at school, or the fact that money really hasn't been anything I've had lately.
  
  When I actually have time to go on a computer, I'm just getting through an IGO deadline, or I'm just browsing through this forum and this site just to see what's up, along with moderating the boards.  So while I haven't been gaming as much, I still know what's going on with the industry, and believe me--I'm still interested.  I just don't know why I haven't sparked much as a gamer myself.
  
  I'm pretty sure the problem is the money thing.  It sucks being a gamer without money.  But when you look at reality--games are expensive, even with a job.  Games aren't even things that'll help you live.  It's food and furniture that really supply that.  Actually I'm at the point where I really can't give a damn about new releases anymore unless they're truly appealing.  The last really new game I bought was The New Super Mario Bros., but I don't even own a DS.  I just use my cousin's.  But when he leaves, man--it's gonna be hell.  Rarely do I have over $30, so it's gonna be really tough to have $130.  Actually, I usually always have $30, because I still buy GBA games when I see something that's worth the money.  Take the new Dragon Ball game instance.  That game was tight.
  
  I don't know--I guess I've just been feeling off the edges for a while.  I failed my driving test on Monday, and I have to wait 2 weeks to re-take it.  Failing in something as easy as driving is just stupid.  Now I'm starting to ramble, and that's bad for a writer.
  
  Anyway, to get back into a groove, I'm gonna try and re-visit my past.  I'm gonna play some older games to get back into it, and I'm gonna bring back a segment... Forumite Chronicles.  Yeah, I always say that, so now... I'll just say GET READY BECAUSE ANOTHER EDITION IS COMING SOON.
  
  The featured forumer?  That's a surprise.  I'll blog more... as soon as I find something to talk about.
  
  
  • Posted Jul 1, 2006 8:19 pm PT
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• 8Oct 05

  D-Notebook: Really late thoughts

  
  THIS WEEK:
  - General (Personal Side)
  - Revolution Controller Thoughts
  - Upcoming Releases
  - Thought of the Week
  
  General
  Yeah, I realize that it's been months since I last blogged, but that happens. School started, and I have poor grades in Pre-Calculus and Spanish III, but they'll be up... I hope.
  
  For those of you who know me well, you've probably already heard about Amped IGO. The site was launched around 3 weeks ago, and it's really taken off.  In case you didn't know, this is the product of Inside Gamer Online merging with WiredLabs--the owner of the Amped News Network. I've taken more of an administrative role, so this forum downtime has actually benefitted me to pay more attention to other things. Either way, when these boards are back in action, DRV will be too.
  
  Today was a very important part of my life. It's the first time I've ever driven (a car). I trained with my instructor, and we learned some of the basics. Geez, I SUCK. I can't turn for crap. Gran Turismo and Forza aren't great sims, at all. Driving is a totally different and hard experience. I really hope I learned more in those 2 hours than I thought I did, because my turns were SO UGLY.
  
  Revolution Controller Thoughts
  Well, the Revolution controller was unveiled a few weeks ago duriing the eve of the Tokyo Game Show, and nobody here on GameSpot has really knew what I felt about it. Here's some primers:
  
  - It's quirky.
  - SSB. Online won'r work
  - *sigh*
  
  Okay, here's the deal. The games might actually be pretty fun to play. If you watched the demonstration, you'd probably agree with me. Either way, gaming has always been a relaxing pastime for me, and it'll be strange to actually use a lot of energy.
  
  But before I actually made fun of the controller, I grabbed a DVD Remote and held the thing horizontally. To tell you the truth, it was actually pretty comfortable. So will we have any problems playing the classics? I don't expect it.
  
  Nintendo has balls though. But they're probably going a bit overboard. The DS had an interesting, but completely fitting, interface. The Revolution, on the other hand, looks like something a pot-smoker thought of, Sites like IGN have been showing off some mock-ups of certain add-ons to the current Revolution controller that would make it a little more like their competitors, and if you ask me, Nintendo HAS to consider some of these add-ons. Because honestly, I don't think they'll survive the fight.
  
  If you expect me to play games like Smash Bros. or Zelda with this piece of trash, then I'm gonna have to leave Nintendo's consoles alone.
  
  Upcoming Releases
  October is really looking good if you're a sports fan or a GameCube owner. If you're a sports fan, Blitz: The League's extreme football game looks like it's crazy enough to warrant your extreme tastes. And if you haven't already, you can pickup NBA Live 06 or NBA 2K6 for your basketball needs.
  
  As I stated earlier, it's a positive month for GameCube owners. If you didn't pick up Pokémon XD, don't. Just rent it. Aside from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance--which I believe is Nintendo's killer app title this year, we also have Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix. We also have SSX On Tour. Yeah, it ain't a GameCube-exclusive, but it has Mario, Luigi, and Peach. Sure, it was stupid in NBA Street V3, but snowboarding is different.
  
  If you're old school, pick up Gunstar Super Heroes. I don't care if you don't have money.
  
  Thought of the Week
  When all else fails, mimic the guy in front of you.
  
  It works in a lot of competitive games and competition itself. Hey, it even works occasionally in driving.
  
  Man, I hope I get used to driving.
  
  - DRV
  
  
  • Posted Oct 8, 2005 10:11 pm PT
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• 14Jul 05

  D-Notebook: The Lands of Promise, Witchcraft, and gridiron Metal Gear.

  I decided to have a weekly "What's Up" kind of entry here in the journal. It's pretty much a traditional blog that everyone else does, but I add my little own twists on it.

  Anyway, it's been a great week, and I finally beat Riviera on Saturday. **SPOILER ALERT, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING ITALICIZED CONTENT** It was a bit crazy too, because there was a certain plot twist that caused me to fight the final boss without a healer. And you know how crazy JRPG bosses are, they love to bend the rules and attack you more than once a turn. Anyway, it took some real luck and thinking to do it, and I murdered that bastard. I actually consider that to be an accomplishment. I haven't felt accomplished beating an RPG since capturing all 150 Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow. (Heh, it's practically impossible to do that feat now. They have like a million Pokémon now.)

  So anyway, if you haven't read my review of Riviera: The Promised Land yet, do so. It's my first feature in about a month, so I poured myself into this one. I WANT FEEDBACK! It was done before GameSpot's...

  Meanwhile, I was Barnes & Noble's official website last week intending to use my two $20 gift cards that I got during a field trip to HP back in the school year. So I did what any obsessed teenager did; I pre-ordered Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Sorry, gamers, but I'm a sucker for this Harry Potter stuff. Speaking of Harry Potter, have you heard about what's been going on in the world? While Scholastic has been shipping boxes upon boxes of this sixth book, a Barnes & Noble in Canada accidently sold the books a week early, and now the government has taken action. If any secrets are let out between now and the book's official release, they can serve time in prison. I find that insane. While it makes sense to be disappointed about spoilers, it's kind of over-the-top to start taking legal action! In the meantime, people who return their books apparently get an autrograph from the author, J.K. Rowling. That's not half bad.

  Anyway, back to gaming. I had one more $20 gift card left, and while I was looking at some CD's on the Barnes & Noble website, I couldn't believe me eyes--they were selling games too! Yep,GameStop is apparently supporting Barnes & Noble with video games. Now that's business right there. So one thought came to my mind; I really had to widen my GameCube library. Since they didn't have F-Zero GX, with the guidance of Ted Dedon (Frizzy) and Jeremy Yerby (Raging Gamer), I decided on picking up Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, and DAMN--this game is good.

  It's actually the first time I played the original Metal Gear Solid, and I love almost everything about it. The cutscenes are slick, the voices are perfect, and it also has some pretty interesting stuff in here. There's this one puzzle about a package and obtaining certain info, and it turns out that this "package" is actually the back of the Twin Snakes box. There's also some weird Easter Eggs in here too. During the fight against Psycho Mantis, there's pictures of Kojima and Dyack, and there's also a GameCube, WaveBird, a Mario statuette, and a Yoshi statuette in the place where you fight the Ninja for the first time. The surprises just keep on coming, and I'm surprised I'm actually just sitting here typing about it.

  But, I came online for a reason. I'm currently writing my review on NCAA Football '06. The game is also pretty good. It's my first collegiate sports game, and it definitely gives me a new outlook on college football. The modes, the playtime experience, something tells me there's more within the game I've yet to uncover. I'll have a review ready by Friday.

  In the meantime, hope you enjoyed D-Notebook.

  OH WAIT! You all really came to my journal to check out the results on who'll be featured on Forumite Chronicles right? Yeah, there's no denying it. Anyway, it'll be none other than N3M0. She's been a moderator and forumer for GameSpot for a while, and she's the new owner of the Virtual Underground, so it seems right that she'll be the one being interviewed.

  That's all.

  • Posted Jul 14, 2005 2:45 am PT
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