About three weeks ago, I went to San Diego for four long lasting days (to me, at least), Well, I'm finally back home in Bakersfield, my hometown. The trip to San Diego and back was exhausting. Being stuck in L.A. traffic there and back was the worst, I wish I would've brought my DS with me, but I forgot it at home :\. When I finally got to San Diego, it was very nice. Beautiful landscapes, a seemly endless ocean, nice locals, etc. I also did some exploring. Went to Old Town, SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, and some others. The next time I go near San Diego, I want to go to Lego Land next. The kid in me always wanted to go to Lego Land, oh well. I would explain more of what happened in San Diego, but I'm too tired. But I'll just say overall, my trip in San Diego was good.

As some of you may know, Shenmue is one of my favorite games (3rd to be exact). Shenmue is what I would call, by GameSpot's standards, an under-rated masterpiece. I absolutely loved Shenmue back when I had it on the Sega Dreamcast. It was just a very different game from what I usually played back then. It had a free open world, similar to Grand Theft Auto. The graphics were absolutely gorgeous at the time. And the story was most excellent, to say the least. It basically had what I wanted in a video game, all tightly packed in a 4 CD case. It was also one of the games that I kept playing after I beat it. I then played Shenmue II on the Xbox in 2002. Shenmue II was a huge improvement over the original, but I did not think it was better than the original, don't know why. I also played that game many times, just explore what was in the game that I missed my first time around. The Shenmue universe is fascinating, to say the least. The story of the first game felt really believeable, like it could actually happen. And the characters in the Shenmue universe are also unique, and not annoying, unlike some other gaming universes *coughSonicTheHedgehogcough*. Ryo, the main character, was on a simple mission to find the man that killed his father, but he is caught up in a much bigger event that could change the fate of the world. So, as you can see, I'm a really big fan of Shenmue, and it's universe. A Shenmue III would make me feel happy again and it would be a first-day purchase to me. But, I doubt Sega will be working on a third game, since the two before sold so badly. But hey, a man can dream. :)

Next, Grand Theft Auto IV, t-minus 27 days and counting. I saw all the previews, videos, and pictures of GTA IV, and by what I heard/seen, it's going to be one of the best games this 7th generation of video gaming. I can guarentee you on that. I also read that the first person to complete GTA IV (besides Rockstar employees) has said that it's even better than the all-mighty Vice City, my favorite GTA game. :o Untill the release on April 29th, 2008, I'll be waiting, patiently.

Oh, I also bought some albums a couple of days ago. I found them on sale at Target for about $7-$10 a piece. I couldn't resist, and besides, I lost my original albums when I moved a couple of years back. :( So, I spent a good $50 bill on these albums, but it was worth holding a physical copy of some of my favorite music in my hands again.

Metallica - Black

AC/DC - Back in Black

Sublime (self-titled)

The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

The Beatles - Let it Be

Till' next time - HK