- venus577
- Level: 40 (6%)
- Rank: Abobo
- Member since: Nov 22, 2003
- Last online: 12/10/09 6:47 am PT
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- Virtually There: E3 2007 Microsoft Conference.
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- Virtually There: E3 2007 Sony Conference.
- Readers' Choice 2007 Chooser
- Virtually There: E3 2008 Nintendo & Sony Conferences
- Virtually There: E3 2009 Sony Conference
- Virtually There: E3 2009 Nintendo Conference
- Virtually There: E3 2009 Microsoft Conference
- Greatest Game Hero Preliminary Voter
- Greatest Game Hero Bracket Submitter
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venus577's blog
Yes, I have an Xbox Live ID. It's the same name I use here. No, I did not post it in the standard GameSpot section. The GameSpot redesign won't display correctly if I put it there. I still respond to friend requests, so don't be shy.
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18Jun 08
There's nothing quite like gaming with someone you care about. I've been dating my boyfriend for the past 3 months. He very vaguely mentioned playing a "multiplayer, D&D-ish game on the PS2" while he was stationed in Cuba. He said it's the only video game he remembers having fun with. Apparently he & his friends stayed up all night, playing marathon sessions of this game. I was inspired to discover what this amazing game was. Some investigative legwork led me to my best conclusion, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. I did some trekking and found a decent copy for cheap at a used game store in the area.
When he came over last night, I surprised him with it. He wasn't sure it was the game he played before, but was willing to give it a try. We played all night. Cooperative play works very well between us. There was no struggle as to where we should go. Neither blamed the other for a game over. I would charge in head first while he backed me up with fireballs. We would just play around as well. He'd try to hit me with the fireballs as my little dwarven legs ran around him in circles! We had a blast.
Unfortunately, I was almost correct in figuring out which game. As we were playing, he mentioned little differences that only appear in the sequel. The sequel goes for much more than the original, sadly. Regardless, we had fun and that's all that counts. Besides, this game won't be over tomorrow. I have time to search for Dark Alliance 2 at a more reasonable price.
- Posted Jun 18, 2008 10:52 am PT
- Category: Games
- 6 Comments
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21May 08
I decided to play MegaMan Battle Network 2 on my way home from work today. Normally, I don't play games on the trolley. It's only a 20 min ride so I wouldn't get that much done and I get motion sickness from gameplay & reading. But I just felt like playing it today instead of listening to my iPod.
The FAQ I have been casually following recommended a certain area to get chips to construct a folder around the "Gatter" Program Advance. For those who do not know, a Program Advance is picking 3 specific chips in a succession in a single turn. The result is an attack much more powerful than the sum of the chips that make it up. By stacking my folder ("deck" for those who play collectable card games), I can get this combination more easily. Mindless enough & easily broken up so I could battle some while I went home. So I had been just defeating enemies hoping they'd drop the chips I was looking for. Wasn't happening for the most part. Mostly getting money & chips I didn't want. Then something happened. I saw a chip I wasn't expecting.
ZapRing2 B
I could not believe my eyes. I was certain I was wrong. After all, I didn't S-rank that battle. I only got a rank of 10. I immediately checked my pack to see if it was in there. It was. I saved. Then I saved again. I did not want to loose this chip for any reason. I'm happy. I no longer have that lingering over me. I'm going to continue the game and enjoy it, not worrying about what will happen when I reach the point that I gave up last time.
- Posted May 21, 2008 2:59 pm PT
- Category: Games
- 4 Comments
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8May 08
So I decided to try my hand at MegaMan Battle Network 2 again. Last time I played I almost reached the end. However, I was required to trade a item to progress the story. The only way to obtain the item (a ZapRing2 B chip) is to S-rank a battle with a specific enemy, the TuffBunny. Getting an S-Ranking requires you to finish the battle in less than 5 seconds, take 0-1 hits, and move 0-2 times. You have a little leeway if you can kill more than one enemy with a single attack. Even if you do achieve an S-Rank, the game randomly decides to give you money OR an item at the end of battle.
The frustration of being required to achieve that level of perfection to progress the story, then having a random chance of not getting the item frustrated me to no end. I deleted my nearly complete save file in disgust. I'm going to try it again, but I know this frustration will be coming back. I think the thing that bothers me the most is that I like the game otherwise. It's just this one point in the story that I can not stand.
- Posted May 8, 2008 10:31 am PT
- Category: Games
- 5 Comments
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29Apr 08
All I have to say is that the Morlia Gallery / Dwarven Ruins in Tales of Phantasia is a one of the biggest pains I have undertaken in an RPG. Levels 10-21 took THREE HOURS of nonstop playing. I played with multiple walkthroughs, all 3 torch-like items and a very well leveled party (~60). This does not count all the attempts I did prior where I died partway down. Getting down the other 9 levels of the Dwarven Ruins and all the way back up to the surface took another 2.5 hours. I think the only reason that the trip back up was faster was because one of the items I found allows me to lower the encounter rate permanently. In all, I spent almost 6 hours on this stupid side quest. Arghhh.....
To be fair, some of the things I obtained were worth it. Pluto, Extension, and about 30 levels for Suzu are the big take aways. Black Hole, Chameleon, Golden Armor, Excalibur, Gremlin's Lair, and the Analysis Orb really weren't that worth it. Whatever, I'm done. Time to continue the story and get this game over with.
- Posted Apr 29, 2008 6:28 am PT
- Category: Rant
- 4 Comments
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2Apr 08
I got tagged by usagi704. Guess this is good prodding as any to update my blog.
1) I am an avid collector of all things Sailor Moon, both original Japanese and various localization efforts. I own all 200 episodes and the 3 movies in both Japanese & English (save season 5 which is only in Japanese), making for quite a few DVDs. I have considered purchasing the Japanese Laser Discs if for nothing more than the beautiful art included with each one. I am still searching for a decent copy of the three SuperS specials. This passion exceeds reason. I drink beverages out of a Sailor Moon mug and I have more on display. I have stuffed Sailor Moon characters permeating my apartment. I spent about $150 for the Sailor Moon SuperS import game for the PlayStation. It is the only game in my collection that I refer to as "the precious". I smile every time I look at it, despite having only played the game once and not currently having a method to play it.
2) I love stuffed animals/plushies. There is no rhyme or reason to the collection. Eternal Sailor Moon is next to a rhino from F.A.O. Schwartz I got in NYC (who's proceeds went to charity). Roll from Mega Man Battle Network is sitting in front of my keyboard watching me as I type while the Final Fantasy trio (Tonberry, PuPu, & Cactuar) & a Kiwi Beanie Baby look on from the background. Big Bear (a favorite from my childhood) wearing a shirt I wore as a baby & Bedtime Bear whom I have had since I was a baby are sitting on the same shelf as Kirby.
3) I love video game music. I would say about 90% of my 11,760 song library (currently) is from a video game. I would be unable to handle it all if it weren't for the robust organization iTunes provides me. My favorite composer is without a doubt Yoko Shimomura (Legend of Mana, Kingdom Hearts I & II, Parasite Eve, Super Mario RPG, etc.) I have an iPod with me at all times since the first iPod was launched in late 2001. It allows me to go into analysis mode whenever I want. For instance, I was comparing random battle themes from the Final Fantasy series after noting how "bouncy" the random battle theme from Final Fantasy X was.
4) That being said, I'm not very musically inclined even though the rest of my family is. I played 2 instruments (guitar & piano) for a number of years, but ended up quitting out of frustration. Both of my little sisters could master a technique in a few weeks and I would still struggle months later to even be competent. DDR songs I needed to practice on for some time in order to pass with more than the minimum score, they could rank A on the first try and AA not much later. It's great having playing a game with my non-gamer sisters, but my competitive side gets a little depressed to see them out rank me so easily.
5) I am extremely detail and organization oriented. I imagine many of my fellow members of the CCU could relate to this. Everything has a place and it must be in that place or I go nuts. My music benefits from this. My video game collection benefits from this. My job (and my salary) greatly benefits from this. My apartment is very clean because of this.
I tag Foolio1, HallowBastion, & vashkey.
- Posted Apr 2, 2008 9:41 am PT
- Category: People
- 8 Comments
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20Sep 07
So everyone's heard of this Monopoly card right? "Bank Error in your favor. Collect $200". Apparently Gamestop has done that to me, twice.
So I go to my local Gamestop yesterday to pick up a copy of the Eternal Sonata strategy guide. Strategy guides aren't a normal purchase for me. The last one I bought was Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou vs. the Soulless Army nearly a year ago. The reviews aren't even making out Eternal Sonata out to have extras that I'd miss out on without a guide. I'm just getting it for the pretty pictures. I've been known to pull out the Chrono Cross strategy guide on occasion to marvel at the art or re-examine the plot progression. Regardless, the clerk gives me one of the faceplates that were supposed to be given out with pre-orders for the game, not the strategy guide. I thought about protesting, but it's two days after release. If you haven't picked up your pre-order by then, Gamestop policy won't hold it for you anymore. I learned that bit of fine print the hard way with Xenosaga III. Thus, all of my pre-orders are now done online.
Online brings me to my other fortune. I found not one but two packages waiting for me when I got home from work, both from Gamestop.com. I opened them to find two copies of Eternal Sonata even though I only ordered one. I checked my orders page on their site and only found the one. I checked my credit card bill online and only found the one charge. I'm a little hesitant on what to do, but it looks like I have a free second copy of Eternal Sonata! Too bad I don't know anyone (not including online friends) who has a 360 and would enjoy the game.
- Posted Sep 20, 2007 11:34 am PT
- Category: Games
- 8 Comments
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14Aug 07
It's been a long time since I wrote a blog. Had a lot of opportunities to; moved, Oakton, and a rather large old school purchase. Guess I'll discuss them all!
So I moved about a month ago. My video games and I now have a new place to live. It's a nice apartment on the second floor, so no worries about flooding. My roommate and I got a nice setup for things. In fact, I was kinda distraught over loosing the nice built-in wood cabinets my games lived in the old place. He wasn't going to use this nice cabinet his parents brought up, so I have my controllers and smaller collection subdivisions (GCN, Wii, XBOX, 360, & PS3) in there.
As for Otakon, this year's haul was dominated by import games. I added Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix +, Princess Crown PSP, & Namco X Capcom to my collection. I also grabbed Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology & Riviera PSP while I was there. No soundtracks this year, but that is because I couldn't find a vendor selling them. I was disappointed, but it's probably for the best. Other swag included three LocoRoco keychains (yellow, pink, & red), a mini-statue of Tear from Tales of the Abyss, the Tales of Phantasia OVA, & a box set of Sakura Wars TV. All awesome stuff.
Lots of other cool things happened at Otakon 07. I went to a panel focusing on the Tales series. I won a raffle that net me a pin of Mint from Tales of Phantasia, which is now residing on my laptop bag. I also correctly answered a bit of trivia from Tales of Eternia. That got me a bag of gummy candy! Not only was it gummies, but they were all gummies that actually are in the various Tales games! A nice touch. I spent an hour after the panel talking to the people who ran it. They're really nice and knowledgeable.
I got Hitoshi Sakimoto to sign my copy of the Breath of Fire Special Box!! For those who don't know, Sakimoto is a composer known for his work in Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy XII, Legaia 2: Duel Saga, Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter, among others and my favorite composer. To see him in person and have him sign an already rare soundtrack is something I won't forget. He was also there with a small part of Eminence, an Australian orchestra performing video game & anime music. Their concert was incredible. It was so awesome to hear it all in person.
Moving away from Otakon, I found an NES top-loader for $30 that I couldn't pass up (sorry -_-Nintendo-_-). This spawned me getting 17 NES games at present, which I have listed below. They're all tons of fun. In fact, last night I had a few friends over and we played NES games all night. Fun times.
Adventure Island
Adventure Island II
Adventures of Lolo
Blaster Master
Bubble Bobble
Castlevania
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Dr. Mario
Kickle Cubicle
Kid Icarus
Mappy Land
Solomon's Key
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 3
Tetris
Wizards & Warriors
Ironsword: Wizards & Warriors IIA lot of stuff in this entry deserves a picture. I promise I will post some soon!
- Posted Aug 14, 2007 9:16 am PT
- Category: N/A
- 3 Comments
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12Jul 07
Well, I watched the press conferences. Certainly wasn't easy being here on the east coast. I stayed up till 1AM watching the Microsoft one when I have to get up for work at 6AM. I canceled lunch with a good friend so I could stay at my workstation and watch the Nintendo conference. And I got my boss to let me leave 1.5 hours early because the Sony conference straddled my commute home and I would miss it otherwise.
All in all, they were worth the hassle. Each conference had its highlights. I had problems watching the Microsoft conference on my computer, so I hijacked my roommate's computer and watched it with him. It was great to hear "Want!" out of him for 90% of the things Microsoft showed. Resident Evil 5 looks awesome and should prove to be as big of a success as Resident Evil 4 was. Gears of War for the PC got me really interested, but for reasons I'll discuss later. Oh, and MARATHON!!!!!
Nintendo's constant "We're awesome and everyone knows it" got old really quick. I'm also disappointed by Nintendo's continued interest in excessive accessories. These "accessories" extremely hurt Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles and I don't want to see such a thing happen again. Those dates for Smash Bros. Brawl & Mario Galaxy could have easily been done in a press release. There was no need to devote stage time to something like that. Stage time was much better served in the demos shown for Phantom Hourglass, Metroid Prime 3, & Wii Fitness. Ahh, Wii Fitness. Initially, I thought that it was more trash in the vein of Wii Play. But, the more I watched, it seemed like a good attempt to capitalize on the "Wii gets you moving and gets you in shape" idea. In fact, depending on the price, I may pony up for a copy, since I really don't get enough exercise.
Sony' conference was probably the best. I really liked how Home was integrated into the presentation. Sony's promoting it as integral to the PlayStation 3 experience, so it was nice to see them integrate it so well into the presentation. I liked new PSP, not for the slimmer design, but for the increased battery life & video out feature. I would love to see my PSP games on the big screen, but I never expected Sony to deliver on this. (Hey Nintendo, gonna gimme a DS player anytime soon?) I'm glad that the new model will be packaged with Daxter. I've heard a lot about the game and it's certainly something I'd use as a pack-in game. The Killzone 2 trailer was nice, as was Metal Gear Solid 4 still being an exclusive. But what got me most excited was the inclusion of mod content in Unreal Tournament 3. Granted, I would have liked it more in an Elder Scrolls game, but just the idea of mods on a console is enough to get me excited. I'm glad mods are taken seriously as an integral part of the game.
But back to Gears. The thing that surprised me the most about Gears was that it wasn't a 1st person game, it was 3rd. I had shrugged it off as "another Call of Duty-type" game. A very nice game, but just another FPS. That demo reminded me of Megaman Legends, a game I am extremely fond of. The two are probably nothing alike, but I'm now interested. So I go into work the next day and ask a coworker with a 360 if he knows anything about it. He starts raving about how awesome it is and how it plays similarly, but like no other FPS he's played before. He offered to lend me his copy, which I took him up on. Unfortunately, due to moving this weekend, I won't be able to touch the game Monday. Oh well.
In the end, it was all fun. In my opinion, Sony had the best conference, followed by Microsoft's sometimes boring conference and Nintendo's arrogant, but still worthwhile showing.
- Posted Jul 12, 2007 10:19 am PT
- Category: Games
- 3 Comments
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28Jun 07
So I've had my 360 for about 2 months now. Still loving it. I play through the Eternal Sonata demo that I downloaded from the Japanese store at least once a week. Though one thing has struck me. Despite using a system designed for multiplayer, I still almost exclusively play single-player games.
Many of my Unions have been organizing game time for the entire Union. Unfortunately, I don't really have any multiplayer games, even on the 360. This really stuck home when I got an invite from Vashkey to play Halo 2. I don't own Halo 2 or Crackdown, the other game he suggested, turning it into a wasted opportunity. I was left with two options 1) buy games I'm not really interested in so that I can engage in multiplayer or 2) just keep my normal gaming habits and let multiplayer come in time, if ever.
I'm not really fond of either option, but I'm going with the latter. I tried a little multiplayer with Resistance: Fall of Man, playing against people I don't know. To tell the truth, it really wasn't that fun. Maybe it's because I'm not that good at the game. Maybe it's because I just don't enjoy multiplayer. Regardless, I'll wait and see what comes along. I still have that Comand & Conquer 3 demo sitting on the 360. I've heard it actually controls quite well for an RTS on a console, a stark contrast to Warcraft II on the PS1 & Starcraft 64...
Oh....A review of Dawn of Mana had described the game as "wasted potential". I can't agree more!
- Posted Jun 28, 2007 11:23 am PT
- Category: Games
- 8 Comments
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29Apr 07
It's 360 Elite release day today. And what a surprise, I have one just like I planned. Unfortunately, none of the games I ordered came in yet. Viva Pinata, Dead Rising, & Panzer Dragoon Orta are still in transit. But all is not lost. I got DDR Universe new (cause it's not a smart idea to get a DDR pad used) and I downloaded Castlevania Symphony of the Night (confiscated my computer's Internet temporarily). So I still got stuff to play.
DDR Universe is fun. Much harder than DDR I'm used to, but fun nonetheless. Castlevania is cool too. The emulation is spot on and the pixel smoothing makes the picture much nicer than playing the original PS1 game on the PS3.
As for the annoying roommate, I got a few complaints from her. Initially, she was screaming "Nooo!" that her beloved DDR was on on the evil Microsoft console. But she played for a bit and enjoyed herself so much that the complaints stop. In fact, she's been playing Hexic HD for the past hour quite voraciously and is continuing to do so as I write this (with a smile on my face
).Anyhow, I've got a Live account now, same name as here on GameSpot. I'll be adding people as soon as my wireless adapter in the mail. Post your Gamertag if you want to be added.
- Posted Apr 29, 2007 3:25 pm PT
- Category: Games
- 5 Comments
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24Apr 07
I've noticed that on this site, most people are either rather intelligent or an irrational fanboy (or girl). The latter is quite frustrating to deal with so I tend to surround myself with the former. It's easier to ignore the fanboys when they are only on the internet. But what do you do when you are not only friends, but live with fanboys? Such has been a personal problem of mine.
When Microsoft first entered the console business, I wasn unhappy. I didn't like Microsoft for many of the practices the company has used over the course of its existance. I didn't want such an evil company invading my video game business. I will admit that I took a bit of pleasure in seeing the PS2 rise to the top of the generation while the Xbox never really had anything I wanted. However, I slowly became less and less hostile towards the company as the 360 rolled arround. With Blue Dragon and Eternal Sonatta on the horizon and Lost Odyssey coming a while after, I finally wanted one of Microsoft's consoles. Thusly, I will be purchasing an Xbox 360 Elite at launch next Sunday.
Unsurprisingly enough, I talked quite a bit about my impending purchase. I did so about my PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, and GameCube (the PS2 was so long ago that I don't really remember), so this is no different. However, I've been meeting quite a bit of negativity from one of my roommates regarding this impending purchase. She has never given up the hatred of Microsoft I not so long ago left in the past. I am sent a picture she took of a 360 with an "Out of Order" sign on it at least once a week. I am regularly told how evil Microsoft is and how its evil will corrupt the rest of my video game systems. Despite requests to decist, she continues.
I find her remarks extrememly annoying and her refusal to stop offensive. This is the same girl who will randomly shout out "Wiiiiiiiiiiiii!" because it's fun and the Wii is awesome. I don't disagre with her (otherwise I wouldn't have put in the effort to buy one), but the Wii recieves almost none of her time, so the I have to wonder about the authenticity of her comments. I think the most annoying thing is that she will not hesitate to use my games and my systems while at the same time insulting my tastes.
- Posted Apr 24, 2007 4:57 pm PT
- Category: Rant
- 5 Comments
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18Apr 07I went to my computer today to find this message left for me from my cousin.Nick's cousin wrote:Hi Nick it's JoAnna
I participated in the "National Day of Silence" today and it was really hard. People were saying things to me that really hurt just because they know I wasn't going to respond.
I'm so sorry if you ever had to experience anything like that! I admire you for being so brave!
I haven't been this touched in a long time. I felt compelled to share. I guess the point of all this is to let people know you care.- Posted Apr 18, 2007 5:31 pm PT
- Category: People
- 5 Comments
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10Apr 07
So I had Friday off for the holiday. A friend of mine has been playing Castlevania: Curse of Darkness on his Xbox, regularly asking me gameplay questions. So I invited to my place. He could play Curse and I could give advice as he played.
He' a rather forgetful person so as I was driving him to my place, I was asking him if he had every escential part of his Xbox (power cable, memory card, etc). Turns out, my instincts were correct; he had forgotten his controller. We stopped at a used game store to see if they had a very cheap Xbox controller (ie. approximately $5). As he investigated that, I perused their PS1 section. I've been looking for Rayman for a little while and figured I'd look while he was busy. I didn't find Rayman, but I did find something much better. Suikoden II!
I eagerly asked a clerk to look at the game. There were no scratches or cracks in the case or rips in the paper lining. The manual itself had no rips, folds, stains or smells. And the disc was completely perfect (save a few specks of dust). Total damage? $90. As soon as we got back to my place, I immedaitely checked eBay. Going rate appeared to be just over $100. I'd say I made out, not only in price, but in quality as well. And to think, it's all because my friend was forgetful!
- Posted Apr 10, 2007 11:32 am PT
- Category: Games
- 8 Comments
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5Apr 07
It's been a while since I wrote a blog, and for good reason. For more than 2 months, I've been suffering from gamer apathy. I haven't truly enjoyed a video game since I finished Atelier Iris in mid to late January. Dual Hearts, Children of Mana, Legend of Heroes, and Kirby & the Amazing Dream Mirror all felt like a chore to play & finish.
Luckily, I seem to have broken out of this. Gurumin & Tales of the Abyss have me eager to return to the game, thinking about them even when I'm not playing. It's been a while, but I'm back.
- Posted Apr 5, 2007 7:54 am PT
- Category: N/A
- 6 Comments
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1Mar 07
So I'm almost finished with Dual Hearts. It'll just be me & the final boss this evening, and I think you know who I expect to emerge victorious. But I'm unsure what game to play next. I've got Trauma Center on the Wii/GCN front, Children of Mana on the portable, and the PS3 has a stranglehold on Resistance for reasons I've discussed earlier. But what to do on the PS1/2? I've got quite the backlog to pick from. Completion is in parenthesis.
Arc the Lad Collection (50% in Arc 1)
Dark Cloud 2 (Chapter 2)
Digital Devil Saga 2 (5%)
Dragon Quest VIII (5%)
Drakengard (not started)
Final Fantasy XII (5%)
Front Mission 4 (not started)
Grandia Xtreme (80%)
La Pucelle (not started)
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (50%)
Phantasy Star Universe (Chaper 2)
Rogue Galaxy (not started)
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (33%)
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (33%)
Stella Deus (not started)
Suikoden V (not started)
Tales of the Abyss (15%)
Vagrant Story (no idea, rather early)
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria (Chapter 3)
Xenosaga Episode III (not started)Personally, I'm more inclined to finish off my PS1 backlog before the current generation really gets underway and that's why I'm leaning towards Arc the Lad. Either way, I'm looking to the GameSpot community for advice. Got a favorite on the list? Let me know and be sure to say why!
- Posted Mar 1, 2007 10:30 am PT
- Category: Games
- 13 Comments
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28Feb 07
Fastcinating read I found over at 1up. The article looks at not only the history of game covers, but why they vary by territory. There's the trend of US games focusing more on characters than landscapes. Another cover got changed because you can't use the nostalgia draw for a game making an American debut that's been longstanding in Japan. Plus a few more well known disgraces like early Mega Man games & the annoying "budget" re-releases.
Check it out. It's grrrrreat!
- Posted Feb 28, 2007 6:09 am PT
- Category: Games
- 7 Comments
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20Feb 07
FOREWORD: Each paragraph is a singular experience and has no real link to the next, other than they've all happened to me. I've abandoned the idea of including transitions to make this seem like one blog entry. Also, there are minor spoilers for Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion, Castlevania Lament of Innocence, Curse of Darkness, Dawn of Sorrow, & Portrait of Ruin. You've been warned.
So I finally finished Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion recently. I'm glad I didn't pay full price for that game, cause I didn't get a whole game. What I got was a frightfully boring first half that didn't seem to feel like a game until the second half. It's hard to describe, but the pacing was frightfully slow, there were at least 2 required side quests per town, and the main character had to walk everywhere until much later in the game. Not really recommended unless you're starved for PSP RPGs. Considering the system is in far better shape in that department than it was when I first bought LoH:AToV almost a year ago, there's no real reason for to be that desperate.
I know it sounds stupid, but read the manual! I've been having a lot of problems with Dual Hearts. The game seems hard. Note that I said "seems". See the problem is, I didn't know how to heal. Sure, destroying shrubs will rarely drop health, but that's no where near an effective method of healing, especially in a boss fight. The way I understood the system, Rumble's little friend Tumble (lame, I know) uses the little bugs he eats to perform special abilities. I didn't know that by pushing R2, each little bug Tumble has in his stomach can heal 1HP. Grr!
A little while ago, I was bored while waiting for someone to arrive. I didn't want to start something that would disappoint me if I didn't get the chance to save. I ended up pulling out Lament of Innocence, figuring I could have some fun with Joachim since I never put much work into his game. What sparked was a reevaluation of the Castlevania series. I never really put any work into the alternate characters that recent Castlevania games seem to be full of. Now, not only have I finished Julius mode in Dawn of Sorrow & Sisters mode in Portrait of Ruin, but I'm also working on Joachim in Lament of Innocence and Richter in Portrait of Ruin. I'm hoping to put work into Trevor in Curse of Darkness and Pumpkin in Lament of Innocence soon. I'm amazed that I never gave these bonuses time. Better late than never.
A little while ago, I mentioned getting my PS3 & Resistance, but only being able to play for 45 minutes before I got too frustrated. I finally got a break and am making real progress, but it didn't happen anywhere near how I expected. I had some friends over one Sunday evening and they wanted to see the PS3 in action. So I loaded it up at "Out gunned", the mission I was currently stuck on. Second try, I had the mission beat. I didn't do anything differently; it was just the audience. So I'm only playing during a regular Sunday night get together. Strange, but it helps. I'm really getting into the game too. Not only am I attempting to look around corners, I'm also attempting to strafe the enemies too! After a one on one battle with a Titan in Nottingham, I had to stop playing for 10 minutes to let my heart rate return to normal.
I'll stop here for now. The Wii Day/Chinese New Years entry is too long to tack on here. Expect it in the next few days. In the mean time, add me to your address book! My console number is 0018 2247 6782 7761.
- Posted Feb 20, 2007 10:21 am PT
- Category: Games
- 5 Comments
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6Feb 07
So I'm a bit late for this, but a friend and I were discussing the progress we made in the past year. Conversation eventually turned to video games (like always) but I was left thinking "What games did I finish this year?". So I compiled a list, which I present below. I must say the results astound me. 26 games in a single year. Presuming singular dedication (which I don't do), that's one game every 2 weeks, which is really surprising considering most of these games are RPGs, a genre known for its length. I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself, although an entire month with no obligations (job or school) probably inflated this list a good bit.
Adventure Island
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Crystalis
Gradius V
Kingdom Hearts II
Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Kirby Canvas Curse
Megaman IV
Megaman Maverick Hunter X
Megaman Powered Up
Mischeif Makers
Shadow Hearts Covenant
Digital Devil Saga
Shining Tears
Sigma Star Saga
Sword of Mana
Tales of Destiny
Tales of Legendia
Valkyrie Profile
Wild ARMs 4
Wild ARMs Alter Code: F
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose- Posted Feb 6, 2007 11:11 am PT
- Category: Games
- 10 Comments
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12Jan 07
Has it really been 2 weeks since my last blog? It feels like longer, so much has happened.
Well, on January 2, I did finally get my PS3. Just walked into Best Buy, & left. No lines, no scalpers, no mess. I got Resistance: Fall of Man with it. Nice game, definitely shows off the power of the PS3. Sadly though, it's kinda obvious I haven't played a FPS since Dark Forces way back in 1995 on an old Mac. I can't play Resistance for more than 45 minutes before giving up out of frustration. I get better each time I play, but the progress is slow.
Luckily, the completion front is making lots of progress. I finished Devil Summoner & finally Trauma Center for the DS. Devil Summoner is a nice game for those that appreciate Shin Megami Tensei games or RPGs with an action-based battle system (it's not an action RPG). Trauma Center was both a lot of fun and hard. I've worked at that game ever since purchasing it this past Summer. Most games I work at that long I've given up on temporarily. This was all work. Oh well, now that I've completed it, I can move to another "sadistically hard" game and eventually to the Wii. I wasn't going to get a Wii until I can buy one the same way I bought my PS3 & I finished the DS Trauma Center (as it's the game I plan on buying first).
Unfortunately, I didn't get any of the reviews written over my New Year's break that I wanted to. I did finish the reviews for Tales of Destiny & Kirby 64, but I did all them this week. Mischief Makers, Shadow Hearts 2, Sigma Star Saga, Crystalis, & Devil Summoner are all on deck so I hope to get them done soon too.
Other than that, posted just one more new video. It's a trailer for a fake live-action Mega Man movie made by some film students. Very nice, but there are a lot of canonical inaccuracies, so there's no way Capcom would touch it the way it is now. Still, it's fun to dream... Check it out here.
- Posted Jan 12, 2007 11:54 am PT
- Category: Games
- 7 Comments
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29Dec 06I just went through my video collection and found a lot of video game commercials. For your (and the rest of GameSpot's) viewing pleasure, they are now uploaded. Series represented include Kirby, Breath of Fire, Mega Man & Parasite Eve. Nothing as cool as the Shadow Hearts commercial, but still worth a view. Look for more contributions in the coming week since I've taken the time off work.
My Uploaded Videos- Posted Dec 29, 2006 10:11 pm PT
- Category: N/A
- 1 Comment
