Well, I have been doing some gaming over the past while. I got Megaman 9, which is a phenomenal game. It got me swearing and smiling at the same time. I don't know very many games that can do that. I really had a blast, and that's all I can say. Though how did I get Megaman 9? Well, a friend used the Gift thing on the Wii's Shopping Channel, and he sent me the game. Oh, and he also sent me Sonic 2, Space Harrier, Kid Chameleon, and Altered Beast. I never owned a Genesis, so now I'm able to catch up on a bunch of stuff that I missed. Thank you VC, and thank you friend!

Yesterday, the university in my city had an open house, and even though I'm only in Grade 11, I decided to attend so I can start deciding ahead of time what I'm going to do once I graduate highschool. I'm torn between Music (composition specifically) and Astrophysics. Two subjects that require you to use the same part of the brain, yet are entirely different. Good thing I still got over a year before I have to start filling out my applications... Though I won't bore you with that. After the open house, I decided to go rent a game (I haven't done that in a long time). I ended up renting Phantom Hourglass, since I'm a Zelda nut and I need to be able to say that I've played every Zelda game (excluding Tetra Trackers and Link's Crossbow Training). Anyways, PH has actually surprised me in many aspects. First of all, I'm amazed at how the game utilizes the DS' capabilities. Everything is done with the stylus, which I'm also amazed by how well it works. You use the buttons for shortcuts, and you even have to do stuff like blowing into the mic, and even closing your DS! Another thing that amazes me is the graphics. If the DS were able to handle higher polygon counts, then this game would easily be able to look like a GC game with some minor adjustments. I honestly didn't think that a DS could handle this level of graphics. Unfortunately, Koji Kondo got a bit lazy with his compositions in this one. The soundtrack is incredibly average, and maybe even below. Kondo is capable of far greater things. Anyways, back to the gameplay. The combat is rather easy, yet satisfying. Though the puzzles are some of the best in the entire series. I could go into detail about that, but that would take forever. Oh, and Nintendo GREATLY improved on one area from The Wind Waker: the sailing. It's actually... ENJOYING!!! No more worrying about stuff like wind. Now you just draw your course, and off you go. Though don't fall asleep, for enemies will randomly appear. What's also surprising is how you get treasure. Instead of unleashing your hookshot in the perfect spot, you now just land your ship in a general area and you actually guide the claw down to the bottom of the ocean to grab the chests and pull them back out. It's a neat little minigame. The only realy flaw I can think of right now (other than the music) is the Temple of the Ocean King. Going to the same temple over and over again, doing the exact same things over and over again, all while evading the Phantom guards and eyes. Plus you have a time limit! This is definitely one of the most annoying dungeons in Zelda history. Though overall, I'm satisfied with the game to this point. It isn't mind-blowing epic as some of the other Zeldas, and it seems a littke "lacking" in a few areas. However, you can't deny that this is one of the most innovative games in the series. I was nearly flabbergasted by some of the thigns I experienced in this game. Though I can't really give a final judgement... especially since I'm not that far into the game. I just entered the Temple of Courage.