Well, lets see where to start off. I guess this was suppose to be about gaming but lets start off with me then we shall move on to gaming, and other purchases that have proved to be well good. If you don't want to read about me please skip this section, you can use the search function and look for Part 2
part 1 - me
part 2 - gaming
part 3 music
part 4 other purchases
part 5 ending
Part 1 -
Well, from an academic stand point this year was great, starting nursing was a much needed step in my life that finally has me progressing towards my ultimate goal of getting a job in a career I want. Getting over my fear of success and taking the plunge into this career head first and liking it was a big shock. Working harder than I have worked before at school and succeeding just barely was shocking. My grades weren't as good as usual and I know why. My study pattern can't end with gamespot or games. It must end with sleep. So while studying my breaks will now be ended with music. While this is going to bring me to buy more music (not a bad thing) it will give me less game time and gs time. Which is ok. While I have managed to make some new friends, I still feel that well, I'm lonely a lot. I guess I long for a closeness. My concepts on dating have gone downhill I have lost my interest in dating. Which is fine I have other things to focus on for the time being. I am starting to work out a bit more which is always good. And me and Kirsten have sent a few messages back and forth. Overall my self esteem has gone up but I think I still suffer from chronic low self esteem which my mother tells me to get over. But its a deeper rooted problem but I'll get it looked at later. I have high stress and having this break its weird have a normal pulse haha.
In a lot of regards I have remained the same. I still have some feelings that I keep, but I am handling things differently than I did before which is a good. I'm happy with where I am it in my life. So that's good.
Part 2 gaming
Overall I had high hopes for this year and I found success where I didn't think I would and disappointment in what I looked forward to the most.
Game of the year - Street Fighter IV - My first SF game was II back on the snes, do I remember it? barely. I remeber the hurricane kick being cool, and Guiles hair being amazing. Thats about the extent of it. My friend was a big SF fan and said omg its gonna be soo cool. I looked at it and said eh I don't like the art style. Having no memories of SF I was like eh. So my friend got it and he played through the Sakura story line, while I was there, it was love at first sight. Me a Sakura were destined to be together, I could feel it. So I started playing and begin to understand concepts. I begin to get competitive with it. My sf friend bought the fight stick, at first I didn't think it was worth but I went and cheated on SF with Blazblue and couldn't do a lot of the combos on a controller and was forced to buy it. Now i am playing SF again with and man its great , I look at the controller and laugh. It has been a most worthwhile game, bought it a month after release and still playing it regularly.
Biggest Disappointment - as it pains me to say this, it was Star Ocean The Last Hope. I really wanted this to be there shining star and in many ways it was, but in a few big ways it manage to fall flat on its face. The biggest problem was the characters and voice acting. This is where the part of voice acting bothers me, I prefer putting my own voices to the characters. I grew up on the old final fantasy like IV and VI. Now if you pick a bad voice actor it can ruin a character. Edge, Reimi, Faize and Meracle were all fine, past that just about everyone was grating. Lym was the worst of all. Storyline with plot holes, and a story that wasn't very good to begin with. It had some great promise with the set up, us looking for a new home, but it just didn't really go anywhere and with an ending that really made no sense at all I am not sure how it happened. Yeah it was shocking and a good boss battle but it didn't make any sense at all. With that everything else was most enjoyable to the bonus dungeons to the entire no speaking parts of the game. I enjoyed the game and I would give it an 8-8.5 but I had much higher expectations for this one.
Best Story - Blazblue Calamity Trigger - While I haven't finished Professor Layton and the diabolical box, I am going to have to give the nod to blazblue. I know you are scratching your head and saying wait, a fighting game has a good story. Well hear me out. It really does, and some top notch voice acting too boot. With a colorful cast of characters playing through their story mode lets you understand the personalities of the characters and why they fight. It provides a lot of laughs, as Tao the non intelligent cat girl, snuggles up into Litchi;s big breasts and asks if meat buns are the key to big breasts. Or as the defender of love and justice BANG SHISHIGAMI will still give directions to his enemies after he has collapsed from exhaustion from the fight. Its a pretty intricate story involving a time loop, that will keep on repeating until the correct events happen. Stopping there you'll have to play the game to find out. On that note I am buying BB Continuum Shift because I want to follow the story. I loved the game play but the game was too combo heavy and well, a lot to know and react to quickly. I am not as good at this one as I am at street fighter.
Most Unique - Knights in The Nightmare - I knew this game would win it the moment I purchased it and played it. I bought this game solely because it came with a cd and art book. Why you ask. I donno why, I just did. Was it worth it. Yes, the game is a bullet dodging rpg type game and really something I have never played before. While I still need to finish it the game is well, rather difficult and I like that, it makes me think in different way. In ways I haven't it, it makes think about the game from start to finish. A game that won't appeal to all but if you are looking for something different KITN is for you.
Honorable mentions
Proffessor Layton - And the Diabolical Box - I haven't finished this one yet but the puzzles are great, and the story is shaping up to be fantastic. The professor is such a gentleman
Valkrie Chronicles - yeah it came out last year but this game was soo amazing I am saying it again. buy this if you LOVE SRPGs
Part III Music
This has been a great year for music. Well VGM music
1. The Last Remnant - A very powerful sound track that keeps some progressive sounds to it will still keeping the medieval theme to it. This was one of my personal favorite tracks, a great battle theme.
It starts off gently, perhaps a battle you can win, you want to proceed with caution, you know they are strong. As the battle progresses, you begin to see their strength grow and yours falter, it soon turns in a struggle and you hope each hit will end it. But can they actually be defeated? only time will tell, if you can last that long.
2. Blazblue - Blood Pain - now this sound track came with the game and it was amazing. Worth 60 dollars in its own right. Blood pain strikes me as well one of the best fighting game songs ever made. With an up beat guitar, the opening really gets you ready to fight. SInce this one is for mirror matches only, it gets a good fitting of you are both on equal footing, who really is better. and it builds off that tension.
I love this song its Tao's theme - Cactus Carnival
3.
Guilty Gear XX Primal Light
Guilty gear 2 overture Diva
Guilty gear isuka Cat attached to the rust
Didn't play either of these but well here are some of my favorites.
4. A bunch of final fantasy cd's my brother sent me, no need to link these up but they are
FFVII + paino, VI piano, IX, X piano, all of them good so far.
Insomium - This is my only actual band purchased album. Down With the SUn
5.Star Ocean The Last Hope - Brilliant Rose
Such a great song to explore the unknow depths of a world. It really keeps ya going.
Pending purchases
Chrono Cross, Valkyria Chronicles, FFVI OSV,
Part IV
Best purchases over the year
I didn't get too much this year.
Friend gave me his old chair which is nice
TE fight stick. This has made fighting games a lot better. So much fun and I get to be artistic and make templates.
Here is one for me
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h35/Crosell/?action=view¤t=SakuratemplateNF5.jpg&newest=1
And one for a friend
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h35/Crosell/?action=view¤t=cammyNF3.jpg&newest=1
His isn't done quite yet, still some work to be done.
XD- 9
http://s60.photobucket.com/albums/h35/Crosell/?action=view¤t=SDC10212.jpg&newest=1
Isn't she beautiful yeah, she is. I love shooting it, the 9mm is a fun cheap bullet like the .22 lr. I'm not shooting it very well, as I just learned stance and grip of a hand gun, but its still a lot of fun, I'm getting better with it, but still kind of sporadic. Its nice to clean, takes a while about an hour and half to get some deep cleaning and oiling of it. Center fire ammo seems to be quite dirty. Heh. I always take me .22lr rifle to make me feel better about myself, as I can shoot a 3 inch circle at 25 yards and a 5 inch circle, so I can show that I have some skills haha.
Part V - ending
Overall this year was a lot of growing, and had some good moments and some bad. I'm glad me and Kirsten are doing some light talking now. Its not a lot but its better than nothing. I'm moving forward in school with increased vigor. I have high hopes for this year and I hope it's a great year! God bless everyone!