Ghostbusters

I downloaded the demo for this a few days back. On my next trip to the outside world I returned with the full game. Is it an incredibly awesome game? No, not really. But, for anyone who grew up watching it (or recalls the big-screen release fondly) it is fantastic as a sequel. The writing alone made this worth purchasing for me, and the game itself is fun too.
On a side note, and this is somewhat old news, but the next installment of Ys was announced for the PSP. Ys is one of my top 3 favorite game series of all time, so this was big news to me. There were quite a few games that, as a young whelp, enraptured me and filled a significant portion of my time, but Ys was one of those that stood out for me. I recall wishing ever so much for someone like Working Designs (R.I.P.) to start localizing the series. While there was a DS release for 1 and 2 (which was nice), I’m still hoping for a more driven and encompassing facelift, something that will say: “This is why we were great, and this is why we will be.”  When the Playstation Network and X Box Arcade were created, I began fostering hope that the platforms would see a torrent of remakes and resurgences, thanks to the reduced cost of marketing. :/

I Hate People

My reaction to news stories, read here and here.
Sometimes I wonder about the sorry state of the world.  Then I recall that I don’t really care.

I Call Bull-Shit!

I’ve always kind of liked Penn and Teller. I recall watching their skits from time to time on Comedy Central whenever I was too tired/lazy to do anything else. It completely surprised me to learn of their Bullshit! show, which is a sort of satirical Myth Busters. I suppose my loose ties to modern events is to blame. However I did manage to sit down and watch their rather humorous take on videogame violence via Kotaku, which if anything, improved my opinion of the pair a bit.  I’ve always rolled my eyes at Family First groups who liked to cast media as devils who corrupt the youth.  They’ve been around forever and their tune never changes.  They would be funny if they weren’t so sad.  I honestly think the problem with the latest ittiration has more to do with a combination of:  a) some really stupid and/or conniving politicians and b) a mudslinging war with with the dominate media (conspiracy! duh duh duh!).  Nonetheless, its always refreshing to see someone (I suppose the two can count as one person…) with some grasp of reality (the irony…) tell it like it is.

Truer Words…

I found this amusing, and aside from the last frame, fairly accurate to the fan-base.

Dawning of a New Age

May be inaccurate, but its still funny.

On Bosses

I would like to nominate Seth from SFIV as the Cheapest Boss Fight in the history of fighting games, perhaps gaming period.  Any Contendors?

Odin Sphere

I’ve had this languishing on my shelf forever, only tried it out once. During my RRoD episode I decided to give it a thorough play-through. I suppose anything than can be said of this has been said already, but I really was struck by just how “pretty” this game was. There seemed a greater emphasis on the art form of games in this. I thought it wouldn’t be as stunning on an HDTV (as SD signals tend to look “off” in some way) but in actuality the larger screen helped me notice just how much there was to it. It is no surprise that PS2 players suffered from slowdown, as you had the movement of the main stage, plus up five backgrounds, most with some sort of activity, particularly with the forests, in which you could observe tree swaying in the wind all-throughout. The story was particularly entertaining, and I plan on going through a chronological chapter by chapter viewing of the scene selections at some point later. I won’t say it was stunning, but the music had a few wonders hidden within its tracks. With all that said, one might assume it was a smooth and magical experience. One would be wrong. While I do say that this was a great game, it had some of the most frustrating stages I have ever played. And I beat Strider. Seriously, there were a few choice stages in this in which I cursed more than the entire length of Shinobi. Anyone who said this was a breeze either played on Easy or didn’t get to Mercedes’ Chapters. That being said, the tragic story, strong characters, flowing art and spouts of hectic swearing have cemented this title in my heart. Or that gaping wound where its supposed to be.
I also started Persona 4 shortly afterword. I particularly enjoyed P3, so I’m looking forward to the length of this.

Afros?

Watched Afro Samurai the other day. Figured I’d give it a chance since the viewing was free.
I wish I could have asked for a refund.

On Solty Rei

Sotanaht: I started watching Solty Rei the other day, really had nothing else to do.
Graul: …
Sotanaht: I found it to be rather confusing, in a way.  The main character is this adorably sweet girl, the kind that makes you want to defend her from the world, but they constantly flaunt her sexuality…
Graul: Pedo creepiness then?
Sotanaht: Well she’s not exactly a “little girl” either.  Its just the way she acts.
Graul: Ditzy women are hot, just the way the world is.
Sotanaht: I wouldn’t say she’s ditsy.
Graul: A grown woman behaving like a little girl is ditsy.
Sotanaht: If anything, she’s just innocent.  She really has no past by the time of the show.
Graul: …
Graul: That’s so sexy.

Resident Evil 5

Man this was a lot of fun. Not once after picking it up did I really think about doing anything else. I’m sure a simple google will deliver a plethora of reviews on the subject, it being the big release of the month and all, so I’ll eschew remarking on the little things. A really great job with the A.I. for Sheva though. Easily the best I’ve seen in a single player game. There were a few hiccups, but these were fairly negligible. The only thing I can say disappointed me was the story towards the end. Things took a fairly overdone turn, and there were a few conclusions that flew in the face of someone who has followed the series from its inception. Still, as I said first, I had fun from beginning to end, and I haven’t even tried out the co-op features yet.