- Writer1983
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Writer1983's Blog
A Gamer Girl's random musings, thoughts on games, personal reviews, exaltations about games coming out (or ones I finally got around to beating!), and gripes about waiting a long time for certain games to come out..as well as stuff about my own life..in short, a gaming blog!
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13Dec 11As of Thursday, if this bill is passed, we could lose/have censored Youtube, all torrents sites, twitter, any picture-sharing sites,all email, anything that could be considered "copyrighted" by ANYONE..our internet would become as censored as China's; where everything has to go thru their government before it can be posted or used online! This is a vast abuse of our freedom of speech, and we are hoping to flood congress' phones and inbox by stating how we don't want our internet to become censored in ANY way! Please help! This may go thru as early as Thursday! I normally ignore bills, but since this affects everyone on gamespot/gamefaqs, you need to be alerted!
stop internet censorship now!
click on the link above to contact congress. We're trying to flood their email inbox, and their phone lines to show our support. Please, PLEASE, help! even if you don't vote, or care about bills, if you ever torrent, share pictures, use email or social networking sites, this bill affects YOU! -
22Apr 11Yes, I am aware its been something like a year or so since I last posted! In that time, I have moved to a bigger apartment in a nicer complex, had a baby boy, learned how to be a mom to two busy kids, potty trained my daughter (she helped me change the baby when he was real young, then decided she was "too big for diapers"!), and am now teaching my THREE YEAR OLD how to do sums, sound out words and read, and teaching her to play games. She is an excellent second player in Kirby's Epic Year and Donkey Kong Country Returns, you know!
I had a rough time with Curtiss' pregnancy, and didn't spend any time on the computer. However, he's now a happy, healthy almost-one-year old now who eats everything he sees; and is the most effective "vacuum" I have! lol
Anyway, I'm back for what I hope is a good long while, and am now catching up on everyone's blogs (enjoying reading Geekydad's archives right now!)
Okay, enough gushing about the kids, what am I playing?
Got a Nintendo 3ds and PSP Go with tax refund money, we have a 360 (got it with LAST year's refund) and play a lot of LIVE and Indie games on it. Loving the 3ds, playing Nintendogs 3ds almost everyday. I had never played Rayman and am loving the 3ds version of the game, Pilotwings and Steel Diver and Ghost Recon are all excellent games, as well. More on them in another post, I promise.
My psp is actually the one getting the most play-time right now. I am busy going all-digital, and with the psp's internal memory about 16 gigs, and my micro memory stick another 16 gigs, I have plenty of room for all my favorites; though I still have a psp 3000 and 1000 for UMDs and multiplayer Monster Hunting. I'm busy playing such gems as Patapon 3 online, Phantom Brave, Persona 3 (wonderful game; probably will be in my top ten list!) Tactics Ogre, Dissidia 012, ZHP ( just beat it and love it; has multiple endings, so I am going to go find them all!) and most recently, Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection; since I have yet to finsh FFIV! I am now a Playstation Plus member, and check the Playstation network each Tuesday to see what has gone up, what's on sale, and what's new.
Note: I am a portable gamer at heart, with no preference to which system is best. I have a DSi, 3ds, psp/psp go, and all the older iterations of the gameboy and gba. I'm really enjoying my psp, but I could just as easily be hooked on a 3ds game or ds games next week.
Gotta go put the kids down for a nap, more coming... -
30Sep 09
PSP World and the other sites in the GameFlavor Network are currently looking for volunteer writers to join our talented staff. The GameFlavor Network is one of the fastest-growing resources for video game news on the net, and we have exciting plans to take our site to the next level in the coming months. Our network currently reaches more than 200,000 readers per month. Come and be a part of gaming history as we bring together a unique blend of industry news, fan insight, and community features.
Ideally, we are looking for someone with both a passion for writing and video games, who can contribute new articles and blog posts 2-3 times per week. In addition to perks like occasional free review games and accessories, your name will be on each story you write and post. Working for GameFlavor is a great way to gain credible exposure for those of you looking to break into the gaming industry.
More info here
It's a great site, and one which I love reading. I applied last week, and after reviewing my work, I got to join the handheld staff!*waves at Sergio* ..I'm currently focusing on the psp, but watch out Sergio, if you get too busy and there are no news or new reviews on the site(s)..I may have to step into your ds territory *friendly sock on the shoulder*
I will soon have my first post up on the site (my First impressions of Persona for the PSP), and when it's posted, I'll link to it. Let me know in the comments what you think. We need more folks commenting and posting in the forums on the GameFlavor Network.
And if you're interested, by all means, apply! I got in, so could you! -
29Sep 09I was so excited to get a Go, but after a lot of thought (I know it has only been one day between posts, but I have spent several weeks thinking about this; now that the reviews are coming out, I worry it's not all I was hoping it would be!) with a lot of my favorite sites starting to give it rather poor reviews, I decided to cancel my preorder. I DID get a shiny new system and a few new games with that money, though.
GameStop-exclusive bundle for $200 (nearly all my PSP Go money):
it comes with 1.)a special-edition silver psp 3000 with these lovely bluish buttons (see the picture)
2.)Dissidia: Final Fantasy 3.)a 2 gig memory stick 4.)Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children UMD movie
*I also found a copy of Rock Band Unplugged used- price? One of my birthday gift cards!
*Today I found a new copy of the new Persona with the 2-disk soundtrack (I'm renting it from Gamefly right now..not getting very far due to just sitting and listening to the soundtrack!)- price? another of my birthday gift cards!
*Bought $20 playstation network card because NIS is having a fantastic sale Oct 1-7th: all their games get slashed 50% (I know, a PSN sale?! Gasp!).
My copy of Disgaea is falling apart from use, I want Disgaea 2 and Prinny: Can I Really Be The Hero? and I'm planning to see what else pops up on that list. This Thursday, as in two days from now, the PSP Go comes out, but more important, we see what new/old games get released/re-released on the Playstation Network. It's like waiting for my Birthday..or Christmas!
For those wondering what's wrong with the PSP Go, I'll give you my main concerns
1.) Uses a completely new memory stick format the M2..get ready to toss your sandisk pro duos!
2.) it's flimsy..not much metal and the thin plastic encasing it probably won't last very long with heavy use
3.) Battery life is about 3-5 hours! watch a movie, charge it. Play a few hours of a UMD game with intense graphics? charge it again. No thanks
4.) It's top-heavy when open. 5.) It's quite cramped when playing, even for someone like me who has small hands.
6.) Bad glare even on its brightest setting and completely unplayable outside even on an overcast day!
7.) Digital Distribution..ONLY..make of that what you will
8.) Price. 'Nuff said
See, I thought I could get past a few of those shortcomings, but I need a system that will last a while, since I may not have much spending money until after..
HEY! I forgot to tell you guys! I'm expecting again! I'm about 8 weeks along; hoping for a son this time, but will be happy with whoever God gives us. -
27Sep 09No, this is not a gimmick to get you to look at my page, nor is it one of those *Free/discounted sites that promise you a *free system (if you participate in sponsored offers often more expensive then the item you wanted in the first place!)
This is genuine coupon code you can use to get it for this price and free 3-5 day shipping!
The catch? It is only through dell's website (or over the phone if you call them, like I did) it's only available in black right now (or so they say) and you must use this code by Oct 31st this year.
Note this is a preorder. The PSP go will be available by Oct 1
Here's the details if you are interested:
PSP go for $212 with free shipping at Dell
Dell Home has PSP Go System available for pre-order for $249.99 - $37.50 with code 6FWJ247J1P44CK = $212.49 You can save even more with a Dell Credit card and make your shiny new Go $206; but since I normally hate dell(long story; I'll write about it someday), I'm not going to bother with a credit card with their company. Here's the additional details for those who have that credit card or regularly purchase computers and upgrades from Dell.
If paying with Dell Preferred Account (DPA) you may save an extra 3%, here is how: 1. During checkout, select Credit Card as method of payment 2. Click "Change Payment Type" 3. Click "Choose" link under Credit/Debit Card (again) 4. Under "Save 3% with Dell Preferred Account! (Discount applied at Final Checkout)" click "Click Here to Take Advantage of this Offer" link 5. Click "Choose" under "I already have a Dell Preferred Account" if you have one, or sign up for a new one if you don't 6. Checkout, enjoy your 3% savings
I want a GO. People say the battery life is terrible like they claimed the DSi's would be, but I use my DSi all the time (mostly for taking pictures during the day as my camera phone sucks and my digital camera went belly-up) and playing Mario and Luigi 3: Bowser's Inside Story in my spare time. My own psp 1000 recently broke (which is how I was able to play games like Final Fantasy VII downloaded from the Playstation Network for the first time) and between my mom and I, we have a selection of games, movies and soon, some tv shows (HOUSE and Law and Order: SVU are up!) we share on my PSN account. I can't play any of those right now. Plus, I have small hands, and the Go (like the mico) is a perfect fit. The psp 1000 I just got from ebay doesn't hold a charge and I was using for playing my 22 UMD games, but I need something I can take along with me, you know? (I can play the other psp plugged into my outlet, which kind of defeats the purpose of a PORTABLE System!) I've sent it back and can get a psp 2000 (or "slim") with the refund. Or get a GO and share my mom's for playing UMD's..we share the UMD's anyway! (For those that are curious, she loves Super Collapse 3, Puzzle Quest, Pangya: Fantasy Golf, Star Ocean: First Departure and Daxter.)
I also have money for the Go I've been saving all summer, and with my birthday this weekend got the remainder needed for the Go with this deal. I'm sick of buying used psp's! Until I got the PSP slim new, all my other psp systems for myself and family had been PSP "fats" (1000's) and we have gone through SIX broken units this summer. (Everything from not charging, to the joystick won't work, to the UMD drive is broken) Even my mom had to upgrade to a slim recently!
Oh, and the majority of my UMD's are starting to break! -Including Jeanne D'Arc! *Sniffle* (Even though I keep them in their boxes when not in use or the UMD drive when in use! Bah!) So you can see why I'd like a Go. Besides, I kind of like new portables.
Anyone else with me? For $250 the price was ludicrous, but for a little over $200 with free shipping? I can do that!
Now, I'd like to see what games they bring out for the PlayStation network around the 1st of October. My sources say 250+ back catalog games/newer games will be made available then. I'm hoping for Dissidia, Rock Band Unplugged and Monster Hunter Freedom Unite for starters!
Note to my commenters: Would you all like me to do an Unboxing (of my GO) when it gets here? I don't have a video camera, so It'd have to be done in pictures. -
28Jul 09My Top Ten Games of All time
("A grrl gamer's top 10 list")
I didn't have access to any video game systems (except when I was very small and was being baby-sat from a friend of my parents, that's how I learned what Ice Hockey on the NES was all about) until I turned 7 years old and got my first gameboy with a copy of Tetris and Super Mario World. It wasn't until just before High School that I learned about a monster battling RPG that was getting critical acclaim: Pokemon! We even borrowed a copy of Blue and Red for a family vacation and I played it with my brother. I have learned over the years that I love Monster Battling RPG's, Rouge-likes, Puzzle games, TBS, SRPGS, "Old-school" rpgs (think Dragon Warrior).
I don't like sports games or FPS's nor any overly-violent games; so you won't find
any of that here.
This list is very unique; most of the games are old, portable titles.
10) Ice Hockey, NES 1988
This was my first game on the NES. (My first video game.) It was finally released on the Virtual Console, and I was delighted to play it again! It's still just as challenging to play as it ever was: however, I can usually beat any challengers at it! The only sports title (not including Mario sports titles) I loved.
9) Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, PC
These are games my father(not a video game player) got me hooked on back in Jr High. It was my first introduction to the Real-Time Strategy genre, but I have since found those too hectic and prefer the more cerebral challenge of Turn-Based Strategy's more. Yes, I also played and enjoyed StarCraft, but I liked Warcraft 2 just a bit better.
8) Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town, GBA
I had never heard of this series before, however, I needed a new game for my gba, and picked this one up. My husband and I loved the farming aspect of the game; To this day, he still hasn't quite succeeded in marrying the Harvest Goddess. We also loved to go digging around in the mines in the winter season to try to get the "cursed/blessed" equipment. I had lots of fun breeding my animals and putting them in shows.
7) Pokemon Red, GB
This was the game that got me into Role-Playing Games.
After I finished it, I started branching out to some of the gameboy Final Fantasies and Dragon Warrior games.
A close second is Pokemon Silver; it got me hooked on the breeding aspect of pokemon.
6) Tetris, GB (1988)
In 1988, I was 7 years old and Tetris was the game that came with my new Gameboy. The thing was ancient, ate up 4 AA batteries at a time(until I got an AC adapter for it) and I have it and Tetris to this day! I was so excited when I got "The Fiddler on the Roof" animation for beating the game on it's highest difficulty a couple years later (I wasn't very good at it in the beginning). Quite a feat for a child!
5) World Of Warcraft, PC
This is the game that I have been playing fairly regularly for the past 3 or so years (we got into it the summer of the year it came out). I have a level 70+ character; though that took me nearly 3 years to do as I tend to make a lot of alts to play when I get bored with my character. My husband and I play it a lot, mostly on the Sen'Jin and Moonrunner servers; Alliance side.
4) Fire Emblem (gba) and Advance Wars (gba)
It was a close race between this and Advance Wars. In all actuality, I was hooked on both for years (still am! Turn-based strategy is one of my favorite genres!) but I have played Fire Emblem so much and with it perma-death system and my obsession with not losing ANYone, the game ate up my time! I have yet to beat it on Hector (Hard) mode, though.
3) Digimon World DS, DS
I desperately needed something to tide me over until the release of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, and I'd had it on my GameFly list for a while. When it came, I had only planned on playing it for a little while then sending it back. After all, this "pokemon rip-off" couldn't be as good as pokemon or dragon warrior monsters, right? As it stands, I was very wrong! The story is original, -if a bit cliched-, there are at least 200 monsters to get, you can evolve them many times to their strongest forms -and de-evolve called "degenerating"- them to make them stronger and to raise their level cap. To "capture" a digimon, you have to battle it a certain number of times; each time you battle it you get a percentage of their "scan data" when it reaches at least 100% (or higher, which makes them stronger, you can "clone" that digimon to have as your very own. While the online play consisted of nothing more then breeding your digimon for an egg (I, too, thought it had online trading and battling, but that is only for local wireless). I liked it so much, I ordered another copy so I could breed my own monsters and have more farms to raise them (you only get 4 farms total per game).Farms are used to train digimon not on your team, though they earn exp per day, as well. Digimon can be equipped with weapons, armor and magical rings, which reflect their strength in battle. You can have 6 digimon, 3 are your active team, 3 others can be switched in at any time, (say if one of yours dies), and it's a great way to level up weaker digimon. Digimon you place on your farms can get stronger, too. All-in-all, even if it's similar to pokemon, I found it to be a bit more fun, due to the fact that evolution has so much customization, and you can even de-evolve digimon and get a different evolution branch that you missed before!
2) Shiren the Wanderer, DS
This game almost made it to the top of the list. As it stands, it's very close! My first taste of this unique dungeon-crawling genre was with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, which I loved. Then, I went looking for more games like it, and discovered: Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. However, the real fun began when I got my hands on one of the hardest games in the genre: A remake of an old SNES title: Shiren the Wanderer. Dying sent you back to the beginning at level one, unless you had someone rescue you! Very hardcore! I have yet to beat it(I play a little bit each night and get further and further then the time before), but I keep a couple of copies around (to rescue myself using the online feature since hardly anyone plays it anymore) and one day I WILL get to the Golden Condor!
1) Dragon Warrior Monster 2: Cobi's Journey/Tara's Adventure, GBC
This is it: the seminal game that I love so much I pick it up to play even to this day! At first glance, its story is fairly stupid, but the fact that you had to befriend monsters to recruit them got me hooked! At the time, it was the only monster-breeding RPG of its kind, and I was obsessed with trying to find them all! It was unique in that you could find literally "an infinite number" of keys; (based on your monster level, how many monsters you had, how good at breeding you were and how far along in the game you were, etc), those keys would open up new random worlds in the games; some with very rare monsters that would take an eternity to create through breeding. You could put them in areas to fight, but you couldn't directly control them. You had to trust that while you were raising them, they would not ignore your commands. This game was released (ala Pokemon) in two versions with a different main character and different selection of monsters on each cartridge. This is the game I have actually spent hundreds of hours on, that is even better then all of the pokemon games! This is my top game(s) of all time! Sorry, no Final Fantasy titles or Zelda titles. I have played a few of those, but most of them are not outstanding for me.
Go ahead and lynch me if you want, but I have a specific criteria for games, and none of those met it.
Honorable mentions: Zelda: Links Awakening DX (my first Zelda title!), Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons, Golden Sun(gba), Tetris ds, and Clubhouse games(which single-handedly got my mom hooked on the ds). -
28May 09Over the weekend, we lost a family kitty. Ares Bastet our loveable thinks-he's-a-dog-in-cat's-clothing kitty died suddenly sunday evening. Laura and I were in Forest Grove visiting my grandmother like we do each weekend and I had to drive into Portland to pick up my mom, leave Laura with grammy, and stay overnight with her. We made her something with a little alcohol in it to help her get to sleep. In our family, pets' deaths are taken as hard or harder then human family members. I'm not sure why he died and it's driving me nuts. As a fully-certified veterinary assistant I feel like I should have known and prevented it; all I do know is that he died of acute-onset renal (kidney) failure but not what caused it or why. I'm inclined to think he was poisoned but I have found no evidence of poison. He had similar symptoms a few months ago (thought we'd lose him during my mother's birthday party in late January) but he recovered..or so we thought. He has also had digestive issues as long as I could remember. We got him the year I graduated from high school, so he was about 8 years old..just barely a senior.
He was a sweet main coon, one of the biggest cats I had ever seen even though he had started out very tiny. He loved to jump into my lap when I would go visit him at my mom's house and lay right on my chest nose-to-whisker with me and lick my chin with his rough tongue. Huge cat that we was (he was the size of a fully-grown raccoon and almost as heavy) he had a tiny little "Mew" for a voice!
Even though he wasn't technically MY cat, I'm taking it pretty hard. My poor mom is beside herself with grief. That was her baby. She got him when she lost our other family cat to hyperthyroidism. (It's now treatable, but 12-15 years ago, it wasn't.)
Goodbye, Sweet Ares, we'll miss you.
Note: Those first two pics are of Ares trying to get comfortable on my huge belly before Laura was born!
Those last three photos were taken with my shiny new Nintendo DSi! Since our digital camera died on us, I've been using my dsi more and more. Even more then my cell-phone camera (images are clearer then my often-muddy cell-phone pics)
I'll post more about the dsi at a later date. -
2Apr 09Let me first off state that this is a regular blog entry, not an April Fool's Day joke.
I am totally ignoring all the junk that get's passed off as "news" as a "Surprise! April Fool's Day!" Joke. For the record, I hate April Fool's.
The boxart is sure nice-looking
Anyway, for the past 3 nights or so, when Baby Laura is snug in her crib, I have been watching my husband play Deadly Creatures. It took him all of about 3 nights playing just a few hours each to beat the game. (It only has 10 chapters.)
The tarantula waits for the humans to leave before moving on.
My initial thoughts were: "Wow! Look at the hairy detail on that Tarantula's leg!" or "Cool! We get to learn how to fight as a scorpion or tarantula!" Unfortunately, to borrow a phrase from Nintendo Power, "Arachnid-Fu" just isn't all that much fun. It's tedious to pull off combos and sometimes the controls didn't respond at all. It could get quite frustrating. Plus, the game has a 30 sec- 2+ min loading time each time you start from a new chapter. (Having never played a wii game with loading times, I found this annoying.) The most irritating thing, though was the area loads. The game would be playing just fine, then you go up against a pair of rats and suddenly RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BATTLE the game pauses for several seconds to load. More often then not, he'd end up dead and have to re-start the area.
Then during exploration, the game shows itself as quite linear. You'd think: "Hmm, wonder what's under here?", only to find the game prevents you from exploring that area. Some of it was fun, like getting the ability to dig, then exploring a previously unreachable zone; however, a lot of the game remains frustratingly un-reachable no matter what moves you have.
(Also, it can be quite jarring to be playing as one critter, get used to his moves then the next chapter being the other.)
One thing that bugged (pardon the lame pun) both of us: You learn lots of neat moves in this game whether you play as the spider or scorpion; however, combat is very fast-paced and you don't often have time to charge up a poison sting before you get knocked flat on your back by a scrawny rat or giant wasp! In other words, even though there must be a dozen moves per creature (spider and scorpion) you may only use a handful because it's easier and faster to kill other creatures with it.
The spider can jump, shoot webs to "muzzle" enemies briefly and swing from webs (think link's hookshot in Ocarina of Time and you've got the idea). He was a bit weak, though. The scorpion felt a bit stonger, and could whip his tail to trip enemies, stab them, "punch" (eh, whatever) with his pincers, burrow to attack and dig holes. His finishing moves were the most violent, often ending with him stabbing some critter in the throat or abdomen with his poisonous stinger.
Ambushed by a gang of Black Widows!
Some of the moves were pure genius: Burrowing underground required you to turn the wii remote upside down, then flicking it upward to leap out and attack. Finishing moves you could do when you got your enemy down low enough and these are flashy, often brutal moves. For example, In one, the scorpion would whip his tail to trip his enemy (in this case a large praying mantis), grap it by one arm, ram it's scythe-like claw into it's chest, then the scorpion would use it's own pincers to "nail" the claw deep, with a spray of blood! Nasty!
Dig, Dig, Dig
The game is quite pretty, and as mentioned there is lots of detail. The "story" takes place in a desert near an abandoned, run-down gas station. There are, appropriately, rats and other sorts of unsavory critters you have to fight, and the many "Boss-battles" sure made us think. Though all it really took was lots of watching to get the pattern down, then "Simon says" where you have to push the same buttons shown onscreen quickly. (I have always hated timed button presses.) As mentioned, these didn't always respond well and often he would end up dead, then staring at a loading screen for a bit till he could get back in the game.
Get used to seeing the loading screen
However, the game up until the last couple of levels, is a cakewalk. David didn't even die until he was three quarters of the way into the game. Then, on the final two levels, he died nearly every checkpoint. What was WITH the difficulty?!
I think that because the game was delayed so many times, they sort of rushed through it to get it out. In the final chapters, the game starts to show graphical glitches, control issues and other such hiccups that were barely noticeable in the early game. That's a shame, really, because had it had a bit more time, it could have been quite a nice game.
One final note: The music in game was suitably creepy and atmospheric, and the story, which we'd see bits of as we scuttled around, was quite okay, though it felt anticlimactic at the end.
A nice weekend rental, but not one we'd buy. After watching him play it, I saw enough to know I won't be playing my own file anytime soon.
As David put it, "It was fun enough to want to see the ending, but nothing I'd play again." -
17Mar 09
Yes, that is an M-rated game on my page. Those that know me know I am not into violent games. I almost never even look at M-rated games.
Heck, I rarely even watch movies that go above PG-13! I wasn't remotely interested in this game until the reviews started flying in. Then, I got to thinking about games in general. I'm sick of being the good guy in Pokemon, rescuing the princess in Mario for the n-th time or saving the galaxy from more evil aliens.
I want to be the bad guy for a change! I always wondered what it would be like to be on the OTHER side of the law, and after reading some previews/reviews, the verdict is in:
Sometimes, being bad is good. Very good. Okay, so there is an uncomfortable amount of cussing, especially the loathsome F-bomb I hate to hear -and this game does have voice overs, many of the cuss words are voiced, making me cringe and look around guiltily wondering if my toddler heard. (I'm now only playing this when she's tucked in for a nap or bed!) and the drug-dealing game makes my heart pound.
..heck, the whole game has me looking over my shoulder because I almost feel like I'm looking at a dirty magazine or something.
On the other hand, I'm enjoying the game A LOT! I seem to have a talent for sniffing out the best drug deal, I'm quite adept at hot-wiring a car, and I hate tattooing my new gang members. That just seems a bit too barbaric. I love how open-ended the game is; how I can wander around until someone sends me an email on my PDA begging me for more coke or whispering about a "limited-time hot deal."
The cops are starting to tick me off, though. They don't seem to care if I accidentally clip them, but if I steal a motorbike or run someone over in front of them, they come after me. Then, I have to get rid of the cops or outrun them (best way sometimes is ditching your ride for a new one) in order to get off the wanted list. They love to open my door and drag me out then shoot me. Freaking annoying!
Missions are fun: though I had a heck of a time trying to steal three fast cars for an upcoming race, trying to tail the Champion of street racing so I could screw with his car; and my latest headaches; help someone win a race by ramming or otherwise disabling all the other racers so he could win; or trying to recruit new members to my gang-I have to rescue them from other thugs before they die, then when I have three, get them to the tattoo parlor to get branded. Those last two missions almost had ME cussing! I had to put the game away for a little while.
..But maybe I'll pick it up when my toddler goes down..
just 30 more minute till her bedtime. Then, I'll try to steak in another deal; or organize my new gang or help my buddy win his race. If I had known it was this much fun to be bad, I wonder if I would have tried it sooner? -
3Feb 09Well, she's technically a toddler now, but she'll always be my baby!
This is such an exciting stage we are going through. Everything is new and exciting to her. She's drawn to water and the Great Outdoors, loves to run and climb and (weirdest of all) loves peas!
She's learning new words at the rate of one or more each DAY(often after hearing them repeated once or twice) and I'm constantly astonished when I ask her something or tell her to go do something("Go give this to daddy" I told her absentmindedly one evening; to my shock, she did!)
I just compiled a list, she can say 30 words-fairly clearly and understands quite a few phrases. Just because she can't talk in full sentences does not mean she can't understand them!
For fun, I have listed everything I could think of she can say or do..according to my doctor she's almost as advanced as a two-year-old! (most kids her age can only say about 6-9 words; she can say 30 !)
Oh, and "Kitty" was her first word, followed the same day with "Ma-ma" and "Da-da"
-"Ma-ma"
-"Da-da"
-"Yeah?" and "Yeah!"
-"Uh, oh!" (When she drops something)
-"Uhhhhh-uhhhh" ("Up", when she wants to be picked up, includes reaching hands)
-"Kit-tee!"("Kitty")
and as Feb 3rd 2008
-"baaay" (Bear)
-"yep"
-"suuuze" (shoes, learned yesterday)
-"duce" (juice, learned yesterday)
-"Up"
-"MomUp"
-"more"
-"ish"(fish, learned last week)
-"num-num" (wants food; used in response to "Are you hungry, Laura?)
-"poo-poo" (needs a clean diaper) sometimes says "pee-pee"
-"pooh?" (she thinks she sees something from Winnie-the Pooh")
-"Hoo-RAY!" (throws hands in the air and grins)
-googirl (good girl)
"baby" (when she sees a picture of a baby, real child or herself in the mirror)
-Ah-choo! (she'll make that sound when someone sneezes)
-"Bur-day" (birdie)
"-woof" (dog or wolf, not sure which)
"-Papa" (grandpa; or any man in her life not her Daddy with a mustache or beard/gotee or both)
"-Mimi" or "Ma-mee" (her word for Grammy)
"-Ball" (picks it up and throws it)
"-Pretty" (when she sees bright colors, flowers, plants, etc)
-"keese" (keys)
Can walk and run very well, now
-signs for "more"
-signs "All done"
-can sort shapes
-can stack and pull apart legos
-can zip and unzip
-can buckle but can't yet unbuckle
-can drink from a sippy cup and cup with straw
-is almost ready for potty training, but can't pull down own pants yet
-loves to play with water; pouring it into shallow dishes or small-mouthed jars and pouring it back out again
-can scribble with special bath crayons on the shower walls
-is learning how to wash her hands
-can wash her body with her own "kitty" loofah
-can point to "Baby nose", "Daddy's nose" and "Mama's nose"
-covers her face and plays peek-a-boo
-learning how to feed herself
-has make-believe "tea parties" (she "mixes imaginary things" and "eats" them)
-puts on my slip-on shoes and walks around in them
-loves to hear laughter (she'll "fake-laugh" just to get someone laughing!)
-likes to feed me
-runs away (usually squealing) when I growl "I'm gonna get you!"
-dances or spins in circles
-can play by herself for an hour or more quietly in her room or playpen
-kisses pictures of cats, babies, etc
Understands the following (and can respond)
-"Go get Mama/Dada" (she'll run off to find us)
-"go show Mama/dada" or "go give this to mama/dada" (she'll take it to one of us)
-"Where's your water/milk/juice?" (she'll go get it)
-"Are you hungry, Laura?" ("Num-num" and runs to her high chair)
-"Are you wet/poopy?" (says "poo-poo" and plucks at her diaper; sometimes runs to get a clean diaper; often says it when I am using the toilet and she follows me in!)
-"Want to go outside?" (she'll make a funny gurgling sound and run to the door)
-"Let's go get the mail" or "Want to go get the mail?" (she'll take my keys and run to the door)
-"Go get your shoes" (learned this today; usually will get me mine, then after thinking and with me repeating it, will go get her own shoes)
-knows words and motions for "If you're Happy and you know it"(claps hands, stomps feet and throws hands up in the air "hooray!")
-"Gimmie kisses" (will kiss you on the lips!)
-"Shower Time!" (if you take off her diaper and set her down, she'll run to the bathroom)
-"Lay down, it's nap time" (we're still working on this one, but usually she'll lay down and reach for her bottle)
-"Movie time!" (will run to the tv)
-"want me to read a book?" (hold it up, she'll come running and climb into my lap)
-starting to understand "Wait" or "Patience, Laura"
-starting to understand "Hold my hand, it's dangerous"
-understands when you say "Leave it!" (will usually will leave it alone)
-understands the meaning of a short, sharp "ah!" (instead of "No"-only used for something dangerous)
-starting to understand "Gentle" (when petting the cat or touching my hair)
-starting to understand the concept of pockets
-tries to open doors-can climb up onto the couch; but the bed is still too high
I love my job! Each day I come up with new things to do or games to play, and she loves them!
I try to talk to her all the time no matter what I'm doing, since she is so eager to learn.
Just had to gush about my remarkably smart toddler for a bit. -
10Dec 08Sorry I was AWOL this last month. I joined National Novel Writing Month (where a bunch of crazy nut-job writers try to write a 50,000 word (or more!) novel between Nov 1st and Nov 30th). I did it! I wrote an almost-complete novel that I think with some hard work can be publishable.
If you'd like to see what my novel is about, click here and select the tab that says "Novel Info."
So, that was November for me.
Now, on to gaming!
I gave up on Sonic Chronicles for the DS for the time being. It just got too tedious. The boss fight to rescue Knuckles was absurdly difficult, as were most of the battles.
Last night, I finished Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure for the ds (I'd been playing it almost non-stop since I rented it!) but I'd had to put it away when I got stuck on the last boss.
I loved that game! I'm planning on starting over just so I can play though it again with all its charming characters, sweet music and fun, surgery attacks! This is one of those games that everyone said was mediocre, and that the fights were boring. Well, the fights did get a bit tedious after a while, but I kept pressing on because the story was such fun and as far as I can tell, had never been done before!
The set up for the game is that a sorceress with overdeveloped breasts and under developed clothing crashes a royal ball you are attending in hopes of gaining the heart of the prince. Instead of following through with her evil plan, the sorceress instantly becomes smitten with the prince's good looks, but accidentally casts a spell on him turning him to stone. This sets off the backwards quest of the country girl to save the prince. I loved it when various characters would stop and sing in the game(including the haunting melody that's the game's theme song)
and I loved trying to find all the puppets in the game just to see how they helped my party. The story had me scratching my head at various points, laughing out loud at others, and certain scenes in the middle and end even had me shed a few tears. This game was well done, and will go down in history for me as one of my very favorite RPG's. (Yeah, so I'm the target demographic for the game; however, I think it's less of a girly game then most think..and it's really beautiful and well made!)
Okay, enough drooling over Rhapsody. This month I'm renting another title I have never played but heard so much about: Chrono Trigger ds. So far, I'm really loving the characters, story and even the annoying time-travel element; though it gets a bit annoying not knowing where/which time to go every now and then. I'll post my full impressions as soon as I finish the game.
Also, back when I was almost due with Laura, I was playing a game with awful touch-screen controls but a wonderful story with some very unique characters complete with voice-acting: Luminous Arc! I didn't get a chance to finish it, then my daughter came; so I recently sent for it again, and I think I am nearing the end of the game. Great game, despite the shoddy touch-screen controls(and the d-pad controls aren't much better!) More impressions when i finish it, as well.
We also got Mario Kart Wii and Animal Crossing City Life for the Wii.
First thing's first: I hate the wii wheel, as does my husband and mother and practically everyone else who has ever tried it. I prefer to play the game with a wii remote on its side. I also hate the new bikes; their handling leaves much to be desired. However, I'm enjoying unlocking things, getting my butt kicked online(no more snaking, thank goodness-that's what ruined Mario Kart ds for me!) tourneys and having friends over to play it. My mom keeps coming over to play a character she started on Animal Crossing Wii. Guess I know what to get her for Christmas! -
14Oct 08I got all kinds of games,(some with the use of birthday cash)
and I'm trying to keep track of them all!
I'm playing Sonic Chronicles, Lock's Quest and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure the most right now. Rhapsody, while mostly a total cakewalk, rpg-wise, has a fun, lighthearted story, and it has a little twist: a girl going to go save a prince who has been turned into stone! The songs are cute, too.
Sonic is fun, and I like the EBA-style of attacks, but the story is kind of ho-hum. Pretty game, though. I'm going to try to stick with it to the end, and see if the story gets any better.
EDIT: It finally does, but only about halfway though the story; after rescuing Knuckles.
Lock's Quest was the biggest surprise. I thought I would hate it, but I love the combination of strategy, repair and attacking. At least it's not a "Defend Your Castle" clone, it's its own game. First you have to build your defenses, then you have to defend them or even use Lock and attack one enemy at a time. Battles are brief, 2-min stints, so you never get too overwhelmed, and a surprisingly deep story keep me coming back for more!
I got Spore for my birthday, and so far, both my husband and I are really enjoying it. Excellent game, worth all the hype and then some!
Disgaea and Dragon Quest IV I got with Birthday money, and I just picked up De Blob for my Wii. I'll be playing Disgaea and Dragon Quest more when I finish Rhapsody and Sonic Chronicles.
I love De Blob! It's musical, artistic with a goofy story that doesn't take itself too seriously! I keep coming back to it to see if I can improve my high score. It's quite a relaxing game to play.
Oh, and my mom got me Super Mario RPG on the virtual console, and I've almost finished that.
One last thing, I finally purchased Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for the Wii(it's a roguelike, like Izuna, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon and Shiren the Wanderer) even though I beat it last summer, because it was such fun to play. I showed it to mom when she got sick with a bad cold, and now I don't think I will ever see it again! She's hooked on it!
What about all of you?
What's got you all hooked to your consoles or handhelds?
It's been a while since I was so hooked on my Wii. (I spent all last summer on Chocobo Tales!) -
2Oct 08Honestly, I'm a huge fan of Nintendo's, but after the multiple GBAs and as of now, 2 different DSs, I'm getting tired of buying the same dang hardware in a newer, shinier package!
.."the new version has a larger screen, SD card slot, 3MP, camera and access to an upcoming downloads store.
But the battery life is significantly lower and it's no longer backwards compatible with GBA titles..."
-Gizmodo
DSi? What the heck does that stand for anyway? I like some of that stuff, but less battery? When I still have to charge my ds on average a couple times a week due to playing it too much(and with the release of Disgaea ds even more now!) I think not! They had better make the battery life comparable to the current models or I won't even bother, camera, sd cards, et al!
Personally, this made me wonder if this is Nintendo's way of getting back at software pirates. See, with SD card updates, pirates can't necessarily take what they don't buy..or can they? I worry that if Nintendo makes you have to pay for the new downloadable content (or pay for older gb/gba titles) even MORE people will turn to software piracy, but worse..they won't have to buy game cards and sd cards that go in them to play them, they can just pop them in the new sd card slot!
EDIT: Not trying to discuss the how-tos of game pirating, just trying to point out a potential flaw of the new DSi
-What's Nintendo up to now?
Comments?
UPDATE: Just learned all about the New features of the up-coming DSi
- No GBA Slot
- SD Slot
- Internal storage space
- Two built-in cameras (3MP & 0.3MP)
- Music player (seems like a built-in "Play-Yan" media player)
- Bigger screens
- Slightly thinner than the DS Lite
- Just ONE Touch Screen (Same as DS/Lite)
- Built in web browser
- "DS Ware" to be available for purchase (including free apps/games like the Apple App store)
- Will be available in Japan on November 1st for $179.99(god! That's actually more expensive then the psp!)
- A new firmware and DS Channel/App interface
- Mii support on DS
other things of note: The DSi will have its own unique AC adapter and will not share the same battery pack as the DS Lite handheld. (Dangit! I have to carry a different charger already for my ds lite, gba, AND micro! ARRGH!)
Also, IGN just noted it's awful battery life!
.."But with all the extras the DSi offers, the battery life isn't quite up to the same standards as the DS Lite. At the lowest brightness setting, the DSi lasts 9 to 14 hours on a single charge depending on a variety of factors like Wi-Fi use. This doesn't quite meet the DS Lite's energy usage, at least according to Nintendo numbers where the current system lasts between 15 and 19 hours on a single charge. At the highest brightness, the usage of the DSi drops to 3 to 4 hours on a charge, compared to DS Lite at 5 to 8 hours." -
15Sep 08Hey everyone!
Update on my nearly 1-year-old!
Two fun videos I took at an old-fashioned country diner, The Black Bear Diner.
This is Part one of two
This video is part two
Last Sun, Sept 13th, Laura took several steps to me. We were in a favorite coffee shop celebrating Micha's(my "sis"s) birthday, and when she did it, the whole place grew very quiet then broke into cheers. She buried her face in my skirt and howled, so I think it scared her, lol!
She's been looking so wistful when she sees other kids running about outside and playing..
..I even hear a little sigh when I'm holding her while she's watching, so I know it's only a matter of time till she can do it! She wants to so bad!
Let's see...
her vocabulary is as follows:
"Ma-ma"
"Da-da"
"Yeah?" and "Yeah!"
"Uh, oh!" (When she drops something)
"Uhhhhh-uhhhh" ("Up", when she wants to be picked up, includes reaching hands)
"Kiii!"("Kitty")
can Mooo like a cow
howl like a wolf
point to a baby, bird, cat or dog when asked to
recognizes pictures of Mama and Daddy
knows how to sign for "more" and "all done!" when being fed
She likes to open and close doors and cupboards with a satisfying "bang!"
and is fascinated with putting lids on and taking them off, and putting things in and taking them out of things.
She is starting to recognize shapes and colors, and loves to be read to for about 20-30 min each morning.
Loves to crawl around at the library and pick out books to read!
one of the funniest(and embarrassing for me, sometimes) things she does, is if she wants a (*ahem!* "booby snack") she will reach into my shirt, and draw one out! (In public, usually)..I just smile and turn away to nurse her(she won't stand for a discreet blanket to nurse, oh no! Nor can I cover her with my shirt..bah!)
Everyone around me finds it funny, and cute how she likes to stand in my lap to nurse(Rather then be held to nurse, like most "normal" babies"!),head under my shirt; until she tires of it and pulls it off her face, and I again flash everyone! *sigh* giggle* What can I do? I'm not that modest and she needs to eat!
Oh! and we *FINALLY* have a tooth, after weeks of Tylenol, teething gel and "grumpy days". One in on the bottom, another coming in next to it!
She likes to scamper about on all fours, rump in the air (Mowgli-style), especially if she is on the sidewalk, and doesn't like the feel of it on her knees. She loves to be chased around the house, and can move fast on all fours!
That's it for today's update!
More coming soon -
12Sep 08Let me first start off by saying, I was looking forward to Spore for the PC. However, after hearing about this problem with "DRM" I'm worried about installing it.
My mom confessed to wanting to get it for me for my birthday, but is having trouble finding it. My job is to find it and tell her. Good thing I had a pre-order!
Anyway.. First: for those who have no I idea what I'm going on about, read this article
then take a look at the OVERWHELMING negative reviews about Spore on Amazon.com. Over 2,000 and counting!
Now, why is everyone up in arms?
Because a game WE bought and paid for(without pirating) is not really ours! First of all, the game incorporates a draconian DRM system that requires you to activate over the internet, and limits you to a grand total of 3 activations. If you reach that limit,(If your computer crashes(something that has happened to any of you I am sure), you need to reformat your hard drive for ANY reason or you upgrade,) then you'll have to call EA in order to add one extra activation. That's not as simple as it sounds, since when you reach that point EA will assume that you, the paying customer, are a filthy pirating thief. You'll have to call up EA and provide the following:
- Order number:
- Date of Order:
- Full name used to place the order:
- Email address used to place the order:
- Last 4 digits of the Credit card used to place the order:
- Date of birth as listed on the account:
- Zip Code as listed on the account:
How do I know? Because I am having that problem with the full(paid) version of the demo! I bought and paid for the full version of the demo, and rather then give me my registration keys so I can re-download, I'm being treated like a pirate, even though on my Spore Page it clearly shows I have both the free demo and the full, paid demo.
However, neither would work on my computer, so I had to install it on my husband's computer.
Well, we just upgraded mine, so I went to install the free demo..but had no idea how to go about installing the full version(THAT I PAID FOR!), and EA wants all my info AGAIN just to prove I am not a pirate!
And that's just the demo!
In the full GAME, not only do you get 3 installs EVER(without contacting them and giving them your sob story and trying hard to get them to believe you are NOT a pirate) but a DRM rootkit gets downloaded to your computer WITHOUT ANY DIALOGUE windows pop-up boxes or anything. Furthermore it SPIES on you!
want proof?
read what these unhappy folks had to say!
.."In their desperate attempt to control piracy (and their users in general), the only thing they've succeeded in doing is pushing /even more/ users to pirate it.
It's like DVDs - you only get that pesky un-skipable Piracy notice at the start if you actually bought it legally. Pirate it and you get it chopped off for you!
These methods solely punish their few remaining genuine customers. You know, I actually bought Mass Effect, laden with SecuROM malware et all. The thing crashed on me once, and I had to kill the process. But, I dared to use that EVIL HACKER TOOL ProcessExplorer, and SecuROM refused to let me run the game again (at least until I rebooted). So now the games I buy legally are dictating what apps I am allowed to use on my own computer? Frack that. Idiots."
"Maybe it is a software company's god given right to put whatever kind of "protection" they want on their game and force you to check the little "I acecpt" box on the EULA. Of course, what else are you going to do? Even if you don't agree with the terms, it's not like you can return the software to the store if it has been opened.
The security on the Spore disc is SecuROM. A little history shows that SecuROM's company, Sony DADC, has had 3 class action lawsuits filed against them, settled out of court with the Federal Trade Commission regarding rootkits in SecuROM. This was done in January of 2007, then SecuROM was at it again, installing rootkit software in August of 2007.
In addition to the potential unwanted code installed by SecuROM, Spore's DRM is particularly onerous as it essentially will just shut you out if you have the occasion to have to reinstall it for a fourth time.
Can you imagine any other industry getting away with this?
Sorry, your TV will no longer work if you move it into a different room, but you can call up the company and they will turn it on for you after you deal with their ever helpful customer service. Sounds like a good business model to me.
The pirates out there who download cracked copies of this game will not be subjected to the limitations, but paying customers will. How is this supposed to stop piracy again?"
DRM really is a type of "malware" that stays in hidden in a weird directory(I have friends who have the game)and quietly reports everything you do, gaming-wise to EA and various others. So, now we are being spied on by what games we play?!"
I am not a software pirate by any stretch. I use ITunes only to play audiobooks that I subscribe to on audible.com, and my family and I share CD's. As to game cd's, for the longest time I had no idea what it meant for them to be "cracked" and why I had to have a special code to activate the games.
Since then, we have legitimately bought all our games.
However, since I do other things on the internet I could be in major trouble because the malware can and does bypass admit rights to your computer, and if you use ANY unauthorized software(like my current TRIAL of WINRAR and Microsoft Office I am forced to use until payday) you might get BSO'd! (Blue Scree Of Death!)
Unless you don't really care about such things. In which case you may get ticked off at EA for THIS nonsense!
"Personally, I don't really care about the DRM restrictions. I dont resell my games and I have one computer so the number of installs doesnt really bother me, but WHOOOPS.... now I discover I cant have multiple players on the same 'account'. So now my wife and I have to choose WHO will get to play Spore, not simply for an evening but EVER since multiple 'players' are not allowed.
This is just stupidity. Spore is NOT an MMO, it does have an online content aspect, but there is no interaction between players and no competition between players, so it is a single player game just with 'on the fly' content download.
If multiple players are not allowed to play the game, it should state it clearly on the box so it is not purchased. I am upset with EA." -amazon.com reviewer
On a side note, some people think the whole thing is blown way out of proportion.
As for me, I guess I will ask my mom to hang on to everything proving she bought the game, just in case I have to reactivate my game above and beyond the 3 install limit.
[EDIT: By the way, Spore was cracked without the DRM a week before its US release. HOW was this supposed to prevent software pirates, again?]
"It is a felony in the USA to cause computers to execute unauthorized code! It is part of the DMCA!(Wikipedia: DMCA: .."It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as Digital Rights Management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works and it also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself.")
Sony was found guilty before. They had to pay and promise not to do it again."
There have been several cases where people who put lockout codes in software they sold were found guilty. A couple even went to prison. Furthermore, I'm afraid stunts like this will be the downfall of the PC industry!
What are your thoughts?
Are you infuriated about this too?
I heard this was a huge deal with Mass Effect, but since I don't play those types of games, finding this sort of thing in the gaming news media came as quite a shock!
Or do you care less?
Post away! -
9Sep 08Spore Creatures DS is an offshoot of the massively popular Spore for the PC.
While it may not have the vast amount of editing options found it its PC counterpart, as a stand-alone game Spore for the ds contains a surprising amount of depth and enjoyment.
The story starts out with you, a little creature called "Oogie" who barely managed to escape with his friend "Little Oogie" from the terrifying prospect of being beamed aboard an alien spaceship. The characters in the game act like paper doll cutouts. Remember in Paper Mario when Mario would turn around, it was like a piece of paper being flipped over? That's the effect being used here.
Controls are very tight; you can use the stylus or d-pad to move around, and you use the stylus to interact with the environment.
First you need to explore your surrounding area, to try to figure out where to go. Often the way is blocked by a cave, which may be unlocked by solving some story portion, or a body of water(in which case you'll need special legs to get through without dying) or even a boiling hot desert or bubbling lava and you have to find a way to safely get around or go through the hazards to the next area.
Yes, the game can get a bit repetitious -finding a part to get to the next area- and in that respect, it can also be quite linear. However, I had so much fun finding new creatures to befriend to fill up my "Sporopedia", leveling up so I could use more body parts at once, and trying to find out the fate of Little Oogie. The developers did a great job of shaking things up a bit so the game play isn't too tedious and repetitious.
Sometimes you'll have to race a character before he'll give up the leg part you'll need. Other times, it's as simple as saving a creature from a nest of nasties. If you clear the nest, either by befriending it or fighting all the nasties you gain a new nest which is often closer then the one you usually go to to evolve.
The creature editor is surprisingly robust. At any time, you can head back to your nest and change shape. Add more eyes to see hidden objects, attach special "water-walking" legs so you won't drown in deep water, or stick on limbs that allow you to heal during battle. Early on in the game you will have the ability to burrow back to your nest, which makes it easier if you need to evolve to become stronger to fight a certain enemy.
You spend your time making new friends, either by "cuddling them" which consists of petting with the stylus or via a rhythm mini game similar to a very basic Elite Beat Agents whereas you tap notes as they hit the center of flower "rings" to a beat. Or attacking other creatures that try to harm you, which you do by dodging around and slashing via the touch screen, and trying to find more and more body parts to use to "evolve" into a better, stronger creature.
The game is also very aurally pleasing. It's got mild, soothing melodies that quite honestly I hardly even notice and each area has its own tune.
One niggling concern: The camera can sometimes be a problem, constantly rotating around especially when you are trying to befriend or fight creatures. The camera tends to swing all the way around, so you are viewing from the other side, which can be off-putting. However, I never had much of a problem with it, as you can reset the camera using either of the L or R shoulder buttons.
Replay value is incredible. You get achievement "badges" for defeating or befriending creatures, for discovering new places, for destroying or befriending all species of one creature, for finding parts, even little things like running though bushes or how much you feed your friends or evolve. These can then be spent to buy unlockable in-game cheats like invisibility or new, special body parts.
You can can link up via local wireless and also exchange friend codes so you can trade your creatures with a friend. The idea behind this is that your friend's creatures can inhabit the game world as NPCs and vice-versa.
To those on the fence about the game: You can download a demo of the game on the Nintendo Channel if you have a Wii and a ds. You can play around with the creature editor and walk him around a tiny island. On the Official Spore.com website they have a flash game where you can play with the editor. Bottom Line: What are you waiting for? Go Buy It!
NOTE: This is a review I wrote and submitted to the editor of a teen media magazine. For more info, including how you can get on the movie/game/music review staff, read his blog. -
6Sep 08First things first: YESSSSS! We FINALLY got Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars! Yes, yes, yes! I have been waiting for this one since the Virtual Console/Wii came out! (However, now I have to wait till the end of the month(my birthday) before I am allowed to buy it, my husband and mother tell me! Boo! Anyone wanna gift it to me? :-P)
Okay, that's outta my system, now
..moving on..
I got my mom hooked on Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, muhahahaha!
She told me: "I officially despise you, Angela! I'm dreaming of colored gems and can't wait to get home to play some more. Thanks a lot!" Love you too, mom. heheheh
Plus, I got her "Magnetica Twist" from Wiiware and we're having a blast playing it. (Aren't I sweet? I could have gotten Mario RPG for the same price, but I got her something that is not just a single-player game..lol, just teasin'. I love my mom, and am thrilled she..)
..oh yeah! my mom got a Wii! She has stolen my copy of Wii Fit, and I bought her Animal Crossing for the GameCube last month, so she's enjoying herself..
she's been playing my Sonic Mega Collection and WiiWare's Defend Your Castle" the most!
Thanks to GeekyDad's suggestion
I figured out how to download Spore Creatures, and both mom and I are having fun making critters in anticiaption for the game, out tomorrow..
..Speaking of Spore..
I can't wait for it to come out! I have about 30 creatures (and none of them are naughty!)and I've been watching everything I could find about it from both Gamespot's Launch Center and IGN's Launch Center and videos and I am hyped for the PC game and the ds game! I love the idea of taking a creature I created and helping it evolve until it has a tribe and can travel the stars and visit other planets. I think I even got my mom interested in the PC game, because she futzed around with the Free Creature Creator demo.
I promise by next blog I will be less scatterbrained..
..er, I think.. -
14Aug 08I liked how you did this, Lady Shanoa, so I'm aping your idea. As you can see from the following post, I am worlds different from you, but still enjoy being friends with you
1. Abortion Issue, I am Pro-Life. 2. Religion Issue, I am a Netsrim Jew(kinda like a Messianic Jew)..meaning I follow and obey all of the Old Testament Torah as well as the New Testament laws and believe in both Yeshuah(Jesus) and Yaweh(God). 3. Politics, I was only old enough to vote when the Bush/Gore wars came up.. Voted Bush, then promptly lost all interest in politics with the whole "pregnant chad" crap, and when I saw how Bush shoved our economy and nation's morale down the toilet. For those wondering, I am now an independent who may or may not vote again. I'm fed up with it all..plus, I never get ballots anymore, even though I keep giving them my address..my husband gets all his, but I never get mine!
4. Political Stance, I consider myself an Independent now, though I tend to favor the views of the more conservative Republicans..when I care about such things
5. On Gay & Lesbian Marriages, opposed, read the story about Sodom and Gomorrah if you want to know why..it's in the Bible, Old Testament (though I never try to force my opinions on anyone, and try to be open-minded, I even have a gay friend or two, and my book reviews are decidedly neutral if I have to read one with..that kind of content. So, no, I am not a homo-phobe.)
6. On the 2008 Olympics, I love gymnastics, Mixed Marial Arts, swimming..just found out my husband and I share a mutual love for them.
7. On Computers, I am a PC fangirl..
however, my husband built both our computers, so I don't really have much of an opinion either way. (I suppose, if he had built me a Mac, I would be that kind of a fangirl)
..on that same note, I am a lover of games not systems, though I tend to play Nintendo games the most, because I grew up with them.
8. I like stimulating discussion on just about any topic, so if you message me let's talk; I especially like to talk about books and games.
9. I almost never cuss; even in real life(oh yeah, like I want my baby daughter picking that garbage up!)
10. On the same note, I am one of those rare people who try to use good spelling and grammar on the forums or even in instant messaging..
11. ..because I am a writer trying to break into print in the children's market.
12. I spend most of my time on the Nintendo DS forums. You can find me there, most often lurking until I find stimulating discussion. *Sigh* I miss the Nintendo forums.
13. I am a hardcore grrl gamer who plays a variety of games..
14. however, I hate most shoot-em-ups, most sports titles and overly violent or gory games(GTA and most "M" rated titles come to mind)
15. I am an Atlus fan; I have yet to find a game of theirs I hate
16. I am becoming a square-enix fan.
17. I own nearly all Nintendo systems, but am starting to get into my Playstation 2.
18. I like unique, original games, like Katamari Damacy, Patapon, Loco Roco, Drawn to Life, Electroplankton, etc(I think Spore just might be one of the greatest games ever when it gets here)
19. I have the most games for my ds, almost 90, but unlike my friend Sergio, I only buy and play the GOOD ones, not just collect every ds games ever made! :-P (Elf Bowling? Sprung?? Gotta admire his terrifically bad taste in games! Yeah, I'm poking fun at you again, Sergio!)
20. In my spare time, I like to writing book reviews on amazon.com and for my book blog.
21. I can knit and crochet and have a talent for cooking, but can't focus on any of those most days..
22. ..because according to my doctor, I have the worst case of ADHD he has ever seen! 23. I love to learn and miss school..which is why I am taking home correspondence courses to polish up my writing
24. I like the names Hannah and Alex, which is why I often use them as my pen-names.
That's how old I am, so I'll stop there! -
6Aug 08Every Final Fantasy gamer remembers the game that got them into the series. Whether it was playing Final Fantasy I on the NES the first time(you must be getting old!) or ogling over the (then beautiful) graphics in Final Fantasy VII or VIII or playing the tactical FF games, like Final Fantasy Tactics.
For me, I think the game that will get me into the series is FFIV ds.
I've dabbled a little in the series, but never really got engaged with it. I loved Final Fantasy Tactics Advance (I'm a SRPG/TBS gamer at heart) and dabbled a little with FF I and II: Dawn of Souls on my gba. I'm playing through VI on my micro at night when I can't sleep, but so far, the story in IV is the one that got me to laugh and cry and curse.
The bosses are kicking my sorry butt left and right, but I love the characters. They have seemingly real emotions and relationships, and even die or leave my party! I have never played a game that had such a good story it kept me playing, like a good novel until the story was finished. When I saw what happened to my favorites characters Porom and Palom, I even shed a tear or two!
A friend of mine, GBA, disagrees with me, but then he has played the remakes and can compare them, whereas I have not and am approaching the game with new eyes and no bias.
The graphics are beautiful, and I was astounded when I saw the movie and got to hear real voice overs in the game, even if they DO come across cheesy and a bit melodramatic at times.
I keep playing to find out what happens with the characters and what else is going to happen in the story. That's how a good rpg should be: fun to play, with a story as memorable as those you find in a good novel(and I have read a great many novels in my lifetime; that's my other passion, besides games..I even plan to write a few of my own!) and great characterization. At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like Cecil, but after traveling with him to the Mt of Ordeals, I have to say I like him a lot better. Hate Kain at the moment, too, though I wonder, if like Yang, he's being brainwashed, too?
See? There I go again! Like the pages of a good book, I can't seem to put this game down and am constantly wondering what's going to happen next!
Another friend of mine is playing through all of the current Final Fantasy games this year, and I eagerly check it out when he posts on how that is going.
I'm not going to do that. For one thing, I am new to the series so I can't just compare the newer re-releases to the older games. Second, I can't stay in one series (or even genre) for a solid year: I'd get bored and/or tired of the series in question. Kudos to Oilers99 for giving it a go(he's also a fellow NaNoWriMo writer, though he actually finished a book, and I have not) and good luck!
The reason I though I might get into the series(besides my love of FFIV ds) is because my husband and I were watching this fabulous (and LONG!) retrospective on the entire series. It's divided into parts, with each part taking anywhere from 8-15 minutes. Plus, we found ourselves in possession of almost the entire series in the last year or so when friends got rid of their games and gave us a PS2.
Let's see, we have:
*FF I &2: Dawn of Souls
*FF III ds
* FF IV ds (technically not mine till I buy my copy from GameFly) and *FFIV (gba re-release; which I didn't really get into)
*FF V (gba re-release; love the job system from the little bit that I have played! Hubby beat it)
*FFVI(gba re-release)
*FFVII (on the playstation, never played it)
*FFVIII (also on the PS, also never played)
*missing XI, but don't play MMORPGS's except for WOW-especially if they cost a monthly subscription charge!)
*FF X
*FF X-2
*FF Tactics Advance(gba; probably one of my favorite games; love the job system! Hubby and I both beat it)
*FF Tactics Advanc 2: Grimoire of the Rift(ds, just came out, hubby and I playing it together)
*Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions(psp remake)
See? I have the means to play almost the entire series. I just could never really find the time to sit and play them. Most of you who know me know I have severe ADHD, and therefore have trouble sitting down and playing a console game. I find that the ds allows me to play games on the go; especially nice if you have an energetic, rambunctious 10-month-old!
Plus, I find it hard to finish most rpgs or even most games if they aren't compelling enough.(That whole ADHD thing sure is a drag at times!)
However, I love a good RPG, and can't really call myself a gamer if I haven't at least tried most of the games. Wish me luck..Perhaps I will keep a log of my gaming exploits with Final Fantasy as I go, though it won't be as in depth at Oiler's! -
1Aug 08The Nintendo DS library looks pretty crowded of late, but it still comes as a surprise to see dungeon role-playing games taking part in that growth, especially when most gamers would consider them from a dead genre.(says who!? We're sure seeing a lot of them for a "dead" genre!) From Etrian Odyssey to Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer (both excellent games!), Nintendo's handheld is quite the source of moderately sized quests that are light on story and heavy on action. Developer Mistwalker -- who you know from the Xbox 360 epics Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey -- stands ready to be the next to join the crowd. Aided by developer Artoon and U.S. publisher Majesco, Away: Shuffle Dungeon gives gamers a different kind of challenge in the hack-n-slash RPG universe.
The name "Away" comes from the game's mythology: It's the name of the phenomenon plaguing quiet Webb Village, where a mysterious force takes away a resident every hundred years. You play as Sword, a young man new to the hamlet who happens to be the sole survivor when the Away returns one day and takes everybody in the village -- including Sword's girl, Anella. Oh, and the force opens a portal to a strange underground dungeon where the floor periodically moves. At its end, Sword finds the village chief. He must then find more portals to rescue the remaining villagers and help them rebuild by finding a spot to put back their houses or shops, but more on that later.
check out a video
With ultracolorful graphics -- 2D in the dungeons and 3D in the village -- plus some purposefully blocky, but no less cute, character designs from Naoto Oshima (the head of Artoon and original designer of Sonic the Hedgehog), Away has a look that's strongly evocative of the Legend of Zelda series, or at the least the better RPGs of the 16-bit generation. It even has some light voice acting, though outside of full-motion-video cut-scenes, the character voices are limited to one- or two-word exclamations -- usually of each other's names.
another video clip
The best news is that Away isn't as draconian as other dungeon RPGs, but its big wrinkle provides a fair bit of challenge. The "shuffle dungeons" aren't randomly determined maps -- rather, the parts of the dungeon that you see on the top and bottom screens of the DS "shuffle" into new maze formations via a countdown timer. Each cycle, you have to make it to the safe, nonshuffling side before you're literally, ahem, lost in the shuffle and severely hurt. After a few shuffles, the exit to the next floor appears, and you rush there to advance. Even though the game provides multiple indicators of an oncoming shuffle -- the beeping timer, the flashing screen border -- you still run the risk of getting caught due to obstacles like boulders and fireball-spitting turrets. It can be frustrating, but at least you can retry as often as you like.
And you won't always be alone in your quest, either. Sword comes upon a race of cute, blobby little creatures he calls "fupongs," which he can recruit to trail behind him when he's underground. They come in different elemental types and can shoot beams of fire and ice, for example, in order to hit enemies from afar or knock out other obstacles. Fupongs get worn out once you use them, but they continue to follow Sword until they recharge, and they can eventually grow into larger, longer-lasting creatures. (Lol, a lot like the elemental djinn from Golden Sun!) Several fupongs can follow Sword at once, but you risk losing them in shuffles, even when Sword himself makes it to safety -- that's why it's important to be quick on your feet.
last video, I promise
While the central goal of Away involves the rebuilding of the village, there's an important (if ridiculously simple) simulation aspect. Like in Animal Crossing, the entire village subscribes to feng shui. As a result, placing buildings of the right colors and in the right locations can alter their rate of growth, which leads to the merchants offering better items that come up for sale sooner than they otherwise would. And yet, these stores only grow when you give them special dungeon-only items that kick-start the upgrade process. It's clear that Away already stands out among a glut of similar dungeon crawlers, and this additional interaction between adventuring and building only solidifies that separation.
I'm a sucker for a unique game, and I have to admit, the idea of this crazy liitle game will have me looking forward to its October release! (EDIT: Sorry guys, couldn't get LameSpot to load pics..I'll try again later. Check out the video links, though.)
source
NOTE: I posted this on the ds boards with a poll, please vote so I can see if I should follow up with more about this game.
