Bought new stuff after going out yesterday=

Game=

Comics=

Behold the wonders of stalling for time.

I finally have an Xbox Live Gold membership just yesterday. If you ever want to play a game just let me know, I will continue to grow my collection. However, as of now, these are the only Live games I will regularly play=

Dead or Alive 4 (360)

Dead or Alive 2 Ultimate (Xbox)

Halo 2 (Xbox)

Gears of War (360)

I'm back (and still trying to lose my sea legs)! Despite a few minor annoyances with my Cabin bed, the trip was great. Relaxing up deck, movies on the TVs and then swimming in that Bahamian ocean (so clear you can see through it all from fishes to the Ocean floor). I even got to work on my Sonic Heroes review and think about some interesting new blog posts. Of course I've been back for 2 days, and in those days I had to play movie catch up. I saw The Dark Knight (easilly the year's best film), Hancock (solid and Hilarious) and Kung Fu Panda (surprisingly great). With that said, I'm off to work on some new blog posts which include reviews on Sonic the Hedgehog animated series', new Top 5 lists, youtube video reccommendations, and (possibly) Fanfiction contests. I hope you all enjoy.

Starting tomorrow, I will be gone on a family vacation on a cruise to the Bahammas. The ship might have Online cafe but my access for the most part will be limited until I get back in about 10 days. See ya then.

As you all know, 2 weeks ago I said that I would review all 3D Sonic games within 2 weeks in honor of the 17th anniversary. And as you may have noticed, due to family issues and procrastination as my interests kept shifting, I failed miserably. I would like to apologize to anyone who was anticipating the reviews, but know that THIS IS NOT A CANCELLATION NOTICE. I still intend to review the games and write the blogs. It just won't be as soon as I thought. Until then, I still have Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 reviews up, so tell me what you think of those.

First off let me start by saying my Sonic reviews and blogs are still being worked on but because my Mom is having some health issues right now I have to hold off for a bit.

I am writing this because I am sick of gamers calling reviewers bias just because of a matter of opinion. For example, the people that don't stop whining like babies just because Xplay's Adam Sessler is the only reviewer to give Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII a negative review. Last time I checked it was a reviewer's job to call a game on its crap. They even said at the end of the review if you're a FF fan, you'll probably like the game. Everyone is entitled to their opinion so if you disagree, shut up, stop being such a cry baby, and write your own review on the subject explaining why you think it's good. Clearly if you took the time to flame people over this game, you enjoy it. If this is the case, then why the hell should anything the reviewers say matter to you? Can you not just enjoy it regardless of what the reviewers say? Just because a reviewer doesn't agree with you, doesn't give you the right to claim they don't know how to review games, when they've probably been doing it since before you've been gaming. Honestly, I don't see any complaints when a FF game gets perfect scores. Not everyone on the planet is going to share your opinion, so get over it and accept it.

Another famous example is the "underrating" of Super Smash Bros. Brawl by Gamespot. I don't know if you've even bothered to check but few sites have given Brawl a perfect score. It's mostly gotten 9.5's or below from everyone. So this means that there is no justification for calling Gamespot bias just because they may have enjoyed Grand Theft Auto more than you did. You don't have to agree with their score, but just stop being an annoying fan brat, accept and respect their opinions, and if you disagree, review or blog about the game and say why, don't bash the reviewer because you're just making yourself look like a stupid, insane, and close-minded fan brat.

To get my point across, here are some of my views on videogames. Just because I don't agree with some people, doesn't mean I don't like and respect them (Ex. NinjaBrownie, AmyMizuno, darkspineslayer) =

In my opinion, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight princess is overrated. It's a good game, but no where near the best of the series and it's way too easy for a Zelda game.

In my opinion, Final Fantasy VII is severely overrated. It has a good plot, good controls, and I'll even let the dated graphics slide. Where this game fails is the fact that Rpgs are supposed to immerse the player into the experience, and this game is so linear that it tends to feel too much like an interactive graphic novel rather than a deep immersive experience.

In my opinion, Final Fantasy X is the worst game of its series. I like the gameplay, setting, and atmosphere the game gives off but the plot is cliché ridden, the characters feel uninspired, the relationships are not believable, and above all it lacks a sense of involvement.

This is all what I believe. If you respect it, I'll respect your opinion whether I disagree with it or not, otherwise just don't flame me for it and I'll leave you alone. Nobody is going to universally agree on anything but that doesn't mean that they're wrong. The only wrong people are the ones trying to force everybody to agree with them by trying to discredit somebody else for what they think. So please think about that before you write a rant against somebody for not sharing your opinion. Thank you and please feel free to comment your opinions on this page. Rider Out.

Ps. Did anybody enter in my link for the FF7 One Winged Angel performance?

The greatest performance of One Winged Angel ever performed =

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTZbyLteE

Yes I know I'm a week late so don't remind me. If you've read any of my previous blog entries, you'll know that despite the decline in quality games, I'm a huge Sonic fan. And in honor of his 17th birthday (I've also had some people ask my opinions on the series) I've decided to review every 3D sonic game that I've played significantly (minus Adventure which I've already reviewed), give my opinions on the games I haven't played much of, and talk about the franchise's future with a select few over the course fo the next 2 weeks. So look out for my reviews and let me know what you think. Rider out.

*See previous entry for details*

Let me start by saying that Final Fantasy IX does what no game in the series has done before it. It makes a strong first impression. I'm not talking about showing off graphics or cutscene direction but rather a sense of involvement. The second I started, the story gripped me right away with a proper mix of predetermined cinematics, and choice of dialogue. The biggest problem I have with the series is that no matter how good the games were, I never felt like I was making a diference (like watching a movie unfold with occasional button presses for combat). The great thing about IX is that it finds a balance. I know that the characters are independant but I still feel involved in the story's development. And that story is genuinely intriguing. Every scene is always a runaway success at grabbing your attention (special praise to the sword duel in I want to be your Canary). If any flaw is to be found, I think the ATB recharge time for actions is way too slow. Hopefully that will improve as the game progresses. Before I move on, I just have 1 question. Why does everybody hate Vivi? For god sake this kid has been knocked on his ass 3 times, sold a fake show ticket, mugged for most of his starting money, and abandoned by the 1 person that you think might be trustworthy, all before the actual quest begins. Does anbody other than me feel sorry for him?

Thank you and Ride on.

PS = final reminder for the Q&A. If I don't get 4 more questions by Friday, I'm canceling it.

So I go to Game Stop to trade in my, since friday, broken Game Cube (Damn controller wires :evil: ), and I leave, dissapointed to find out that they would only accept it with a controller (I only have 1, and it has sentimental value for me). Leaving dissapointed, I head over to Barnes and Noble to cheer myself up by buying a manga I have had my eye on for a while (Witcheblade: Takeru), only to realize its high price and my relatively skinny wallet :cry: . Frustrated and ready to go home, my Mom suggests we go to Half Price Books, a used book store. I reluctantly agree (still dissapointed with the course of the day), and we arrive. Little did I know the surprise in store for me. After lookin over the somewhat limited comic section, I find a rack of CD's. But they had more than just music. After seeing Playstation games, I grabbed Mega Man X4 and Soul Reaver, ready to spend my only $6 on them when all of a sudden I saw it. A copy of Final Fantsy IX for the PS1. Despite some minor internal cracks, in the casing, it was in nearly mint condition. I immediately put back what I had, and bought it for the just $5. I started playing it Later that night, and the story gipped me instantly. Such a frustrating day, that yielded such a great reward.

And 1 more reminder, please keep sending me Q&A questions. I really want to do this but if I don't get at least 10 questions, I'm going to scrap it.

PS = On the Game Cube thing, my friend who is a Wii owner is letting me borrow his Game Cube untill I get a Wii.

Thanks for reading, and ride on.

-Rider