I just ordered a TV-capturing device, so I might start doing video game reviews on YouTube! To me, those are more fun and more interactive. I've always wanted to make video game reviews that are like that. Hopefully, I'll figure out how to properly work the device and make some decent reviews. Plus, if I do some reviews, you guys might finally get to see what I look like. But that's not for sure. Anyway, that is all!

I can't believe tomorrow is New Year's Eve. This year seemed to go by so quickly yet slowly at the same time. The first half of the year was just a big, stressful blur. The second half was okay, but it had some awkward moments. Let's look at what I did this year...

• I got a job.
• I got my first kiss. (It's a funny, yet horribly awkward story that I'll tell later if you guys want me to!)
• I enrolled in tech school, which will help me get a job during college so I won't be poor!
• I got into comics, and that officially makes me a full-blown nerd.
• I got away from my group of crappy friends. I lost some good ones in the whole ordeal, but I'm glad I'm out of that horrible group of "friends."
• I turned 18.
• I went to my first midnight showing. (It was The Avengers.)

I just realized that it's been a long time since I last blogged here. That's due to the fact that I'm working so much. I like my job much more than my last job, though. My last job was horrible!

For the past few months, my daily schedule has consisted of waking up, going to school, going to work, doing homework, and then going to bed. If I have some free time, I'll usually play Persona 3 Portable or read some comics before I go to bed. I'm getting ever so close to finishing Persona 3 Portable. It's definitely better than Persona 3 FES, but I just don't play the game a whole lot! In addition to P3P, I've also been playing Tales of Legendia. So far, it's decent, but I hate the random encounters. It seems like the game's story has a lot of potential, but I'm still in the first half of the game. I hear it gets better in the second half. I'm enjoying it, but the story is getting a bit draggy, like most Tales games are in their first halves.

Anyway, that's all I really have to write about. Happy New Year!

First and foremost, let me get this out of the way: I am NOT a Call of Duty fan. I strongly dislike first-person shooters. The only ones that I like are GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. With that out of the way, I'll start ranting.

Many Call of Duty fans are butt-hurt over the fact that Call of Duty: Black Ops II received an 8.0. So what? Need I remind everyone constantly that a review is just one person's opinion? I know that's a hard concept for a lot of 12-year-old fanboys who cuss people out on Xbox Live, but it's true.

If you enjoyed the game, good for you. But don't go around calling people homophobic slurs just because they didn't like the game as much as you did. Contrary to popular belief, that doesn't make you look any smarter or more mature.

The point I'm trying to make is that you shouldn't get butt-hurt over a score. As a Nintendo fan, I deal with games getting lower scores all the time. Do I really care, though? No. Why? Opinions aren't facts.

Yep, I'm doing a list of my top 30 favorite games of all time. I'm excited for this list, and I hope you are, too! Of course, those of you who know me well will know what number on is, but this should still be a fun list! I'm not going to be obnoxious about this list, though. I'm not going to do only one to five games per blog entry. I'm going to do ten at a time. I don't want to drag this out too much.

Anyway, you can expect this list soon. That is all.

First of all, happy Halloween! I'm typing this from the library because I'm killing time until my next class. But anyway, this is my third year on GameSpot. I can't believe this is my third year on GameSpot. I took a break from GameSpot for a while during the summer, and when I came back, all I saw were a bunch of "I'm leaving GameSpot" blogs. It's pretty depressing. This Web site now feels like a ruined town with few surviving people. I don't like it. :| This place will never be as fun as it used to be. A lot of my good friends have left, and only a committed few are still here. This is really depressing.

On a somewhat happier note, I ordered Tales of Legendia form the Internet yesterday. I'm really excited to get it. It's a game that I've been wanting for a long time. Now, I just have to wait for it to come. :P

Lately, I've been playing Persona 3 Portable, which I got for my birthday last year. It's better than FES, but at the same time, it feels like a somewhat different experience just because you don't directly interact with the world. I've also been playing Marvel Ultimatel Alliance on the PSP, and it's okay. I mostly just like getting to play as different superheroes. Other than that, the game itself is fairly mediocre because it's your typical beat 'em up.

This is all I really have to blog about. I do plan to make some more interesting blogs, such as "top 10" lists, vs. stuff, and so on. But yeah, this is my third year on GameSpot. I don't think it'll be my last, but this site is dying more and more each day...

Hey, everyone! Lately, I've been working a lot. I usually work five days a week for four or five hours each shift. It's actually not too bad. This job that I have now is much, much, MUCH better than my last job. My new job actually isn't that bad. Because I have income now, I've been able to buy stuff. I bought Batman: Arkham Asylum a while ago, but I was actually really disappointed by it. I regret that purchase. :P I still have some games that I want to play soon.

Tales of Legendia

Ever since I finished Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, I've wanted to play Tales of Legendia. I would get Tales of Graces: f, but I don't have a PS3, so it will be a while before I get that. But for now, I'm goign to look into getting Tales of Legendia. I hear it's not as good as the other Tales games, but I still want to give it a try becuase I freaking love the Tales series. What can I say? I'm a sucker for sappy JRPGs. :P

Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

I'm a huge Spider-Man fan, so I really want to play this. 'Nuff said.

Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal

I've played Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters before on the PSP, and I thought it sucked, but I hear the PS2 games are much better, and I hear this one is the best. Plus, it's usually in the PS2 bargain bins at GameStop.

Paper Mario Sticker Star

I'm really skeptical about this game at the moment. So far, it looks like it's lacking in story, which is something that Paper Mario games have decently in the past. I'm nervous about this game, but I'm still excited for it. I haven't gotten a 3DS game in quite a while. I'm really hoping this game is going to be good.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

I actually borrowed this from a friend at work. I just need to start playing it. :P

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode II

I've been on a Sonic craze lately. I've been playing my Mega Collection on the PS2. I must have more classic-styled Sonic goodness!

That's all for now. I'm going to play the piano now.

P.S. I played "Dire, Dire Docks" from Super Mario 64 for my piano recital a couple weeks ago. :)

I'm so freaking sick of GlitchSpot! I can't display my profile picture, and I can't even upload a new one! And if I try to update my "about me" section, it won't update because apparently it's a "bad request." Seriously, GameSpot. Get your crap together! You've annoyed the living crap out of all of us! I've been putting up with this kind of crap for years, but my patience has been running very thin lately! I can't even read my own PMs! I'm not quitting GameSpot, but good heavens! Get your stuff together, GameSpot! I've never used a website with so many glitches before!

I guess I could also use this opportunity to update on my life. All I've been doing lately is working. I got my first paycheck a few days ago, and I still feel like I'm poor! I'm setting aside a lot of money from each paycheck for savings, and that leaves me hardly any money. I've been wanting to get Batman: Arkham Asylum, but I guess that will have to wait! >:(

Once I get more money, though, I'm going to get some video games. But it will definitely be a while. :/ That makes me a sad panda. One of the things I looked forward to the most about getting a job was having some spending money, but I won't get to have that for quite a while...

The homecoming dance is tonight. I'm not going. I'm working tonight. I hate dances, and I didn't want to blow my first paycheck on a dance that I didn't even want to go to. I don't know if I'll go to any dances this year...

I know this makes me sound depressed, but I can assure you that I'm not. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Oh, Sonic... Many of my childhood memories revolve around you and your (usually) awesome games. But lately, you've had me worried.

Yes, we all love Sonic the Hedgehog--well, maybe not all of us. Sega did manage to make a few good Sonic games, but after that, they started being quiet. Yes, we have the sequel to Sonic and Sega: All-Stars Racing coming up, but that's not enough to keep the Blue Blur alive. Many of us loved the last few Sonic games, but I still have some bones to pick with them...

I thoroughly enjoyed Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, but there are some things about them that didn't settle well with me. I loved the sense of speed in these games, but a sense of speed is only half of what Sonic is about. The speed has to be mingled with solid platforming. With Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, it mostly felt like the process was running, screeching to a holt to do some long sections of platforming, then running again. The games didn't seem to blend those elements together very well, but rather treated them like they couldn't be blended. Also, the whole time I played these games, the 3D platforming sections felt extremely awkward because it felt like the game was trying to get me to run fast, even though I was stopping to do something else. This was a major problem for me. I understand the old games had sections where you did nothing but precise platforming, but the didn't dominate a large part of the game.

I don't want you to think that I didn't enjoy these games. I really did enjoy them. They were miles better than, say, Sonic Unleashed or Sonic and the Secret Rings. They were good enough for Sonic to make a comeback, but to me, they showed that Sonic isn't quite there yet. He's close, though. All the materials are there for him to be back on top, but they just haven't meshed together all the way just yet.

If there's one game that really seemed to mix speed and platforming fairly well was Sonic Adventure 2. This game is by no means the best 3D Sonic game. I'll just throw that out there right now. This is a very flawed game that had too little focus on the Blue Blur, but I still love it. The best parts of the game were the levels where you played as Sonic or Shadow. Those levels blended speed and platforming really well, and they were truly 3D. Sonic Generations also did strictly 3D, but platforming sections still felt awkward. A lot of people disregard the Sonic Adventure games because of how the majority of those games consisted of doing something other than running, such as walking around in a giant robot suit and collecting jewels. Sonic Adventure 2 really captured what 3D Sonic levels should feel like, though. Sonic Heroes also did a pretty decent job of doing that, too. It's just too bad that each team had the same levels. Otherwise, that game could've been one of the better 3D Sonic games.

I don't want everyone to think that I hate Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations. I really don't hate them. They're fun games that are a good step in the right direction, but there were some things about them that didn't settle well with me. If you're wondering what the point of this editorial is, it's that I don't Sonic is back in top form just yet. He's getting there, but he has an unstable status right now. The next real Sonic game will ultimately decide the fate of the franchise. If it's more of what we've seen in Sonic Colors and Sonic Generations, then the franchise will fizzle out. Sega needs to try something a little different. That's mainly the point I'm trying to make. If the next Sonic game is crap, the franchise will die. That's why the next Sonic game has to be spectacular, or else the franchise will die. Sega needs to use something other than the "Unleashed daytime levels" formula to keep the franchise going. We need something different. Sonic can't rely on that formula forever. It's time for a change.

I don't want to make a dramatic "I'm leaving!" blog, so I won't. But this is my first time logging on here in months, and it's the same old thing--all my good GameSpot friends have left, and users keep continuing to leave GameSpot. It's unfortunate, really. This was probably my most-visited Internet site for at least two years, but now it feels like it's dying. Surely I can't be the only one who feels this way. GameSpot truly is dying. If you mods want to come and get me for saying that, then go ahead. I really don't care.

Anyway, my interests have also changed drastically. I still love video games, but I can't seem to find any good video games that really keep me interested. I still have Dragon Quest VIII, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, and Final Fantasy X to play, but they just don't interest me as much as other video games usually do. I do still plan on getting a PS3 so I can play Tales of Graces: f and Ratchet and Clank, but that won't be for a while. I also plan to get Tales of Legendia once I get the money. (Also, as I'm typing this, I just found out that I got a job! That makes me so happy!)

Nowadays, I'm mostly into comics. I read a lot of Spider-Man, and I also like Fantastic Four, Batman, and Nightwing. I'm officially a nerd. :P I'm a huge Spider-Man fan now. (By the way, the new Spider-Man movie was awesome. Go see it if you haven't already!)

Okay, so maybe this isn't a farewell blog, but this site is giving me little incentive to keep coming back. Does anyone know of any lively, fun video game sites? I know that's awful to ask on GameSpot, but this site feels dead to me. I'm not leaving, but I'm certainly not going to ever be as active as I used to be.

That is all...

Please excuse my inactivity. I've had a low interest in games recently, and I'm not sure why. I'm going to get back into it, though. I'm going to resume Dragon Quest VIII, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, and Final Fantasy X. I think the biggest reason that I stopped gaming and became inactive on this site was due to the craziness of the end of school. You know, the time of the year where teachers feel it's appropriate to dump a bunch of projects on you... I also had Fs in two of my classes, which gave me a panic attack. I got them up, though, so it was all good.

Summer break has begun! Yes... Over the summer, I'll be going to tech college, continuing piano lessons, and hopefully getting a job. I had a job interview today, but it was a disaster. :/ I've been applying everywhere, and I've had a few interviews, but I've had no luck! I'm shocked that I've had such bad luck! Most people don't have this hard of a time getting a job! Anyway, my last few days of school were spent having movie marathons with my friends. I didn't go to any parties because I hate them with a passion. Where I live, parties are just attention whore contests. I know this makes me sound like an attention whore, but I'm not. I usually just end up getting ignored at parties, even though I try to socialize. I don't like hanging out in huge groups.

I'm going to go play Dragon Quest VIII now. Bye.