No, seriously. What.

I got Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker for um how to be politically correct FOR THE HOLIDAYS, and I just booted it up today after being distracted by everything else.

A bit of backstory here, I'm still using the memory stick my PSP came with, back in 2005(?). This memory stick holds up to 32 MB of saves and whatnot. Now, if you'll remember, the PS2 memory cards were only 8 MB. This was more than enough to save ten, fifteen, twenty games, even monsters like San Andreas and MGS3.

My 32 MB memory stick has loads of saves on it. I have the maximum number of files in GTA: Liberty City Stories, each one taking up 320 KB, and LCS is a pretty huge game. Also for HOLIDAYS, I got Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep. Each save takes up 576 KB, which isn't a big deal on a 32 MB stick.

So, I go to boot up Peace Walker, naturally assuming I'll have no problems besides maybe a firmware update or something. A notice pops up. "There is not enough room on your memory stick to save this game." So, I'll delete a few saves in games I never play or whatever. How much could I need? 33 MB.

...

I must have read that wrong.

...

33 MB.

...

WHAT IS THIS GAME

I'm on here so little now that I doubt anyone cares, but:

I've been a gamer since I was young. Granted, I was terrible at it until I was, like, 14, but that's irrelevant. When I was younger, I'd spend days playing games I was either terrible at or too scared to really delve into. The first games I remember playing in-depth were Spyro the Dragon (which I really just watched my father play), and Crash Team Racing (which we played together). However, lately, I haven't been as into it as I used to be.

From the PS1, which was my first game system, I can clearly remember playing the first three Spyro games, CTR, the Army Men: Sarge's Heroes games, NASCAR Rumble and, er, Sled Storm. I'd play these for ages at a time, but I can only really replay a few of them now. CTR and the first two Spyro games have aged well, but the rest haven't aged well, at all. This is surprising in the case of Spyro 3, as it's constantly called "THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST THE BEST". The unplayable not-Spyro characters are unplayable and useless and unplayable and did I mention unplayable?

The PS2 and GameCube came along, and I got addicted to loads and loads of games, like Kingdom Hearts, Grand Theft Auto, Paper Mario, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and Daxter, Sly Cooper, Super Mario Sunshine, Soul Calibur, Tekken, Virtua Fighter, Tony Hawk's Pro Make-a-really-bad-peripheral-after-acquiring-a-dedicated-fanbase-and-ruin-all-of-your-series'-profits, Resident Evil 4, SSX, NBA Street and I won't bore you further; you get the idea. I'd play these games over and over and never get tired of it. I can still play most of these games, provided the sequel didn't add so much stuff as to make the previous edition unplayable.

Then the 360 came along, and everything was bigger and better. The only game on 360 I really couldn't put down was Oblivion. I mean, there are some amazing games for 360, like Red Dead Redemption, Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Crackdown, The Saboteur, etc. The only games after that that I played for more than the time it takes to beat them and maybe clean up a few achievements were the Rock Band games, GTA IV and Fable III. The Rock Band games have new songs every week (and songs I like at least once a month), so I guess that makes sense.

GTA IV was amazing on the first playthrough, and online was fun for months. But, as I've stated previously (two blogs ago), trying to play through again is torture.

But Fable III, hmm. I played the original, and it was good; nothing special. The second was great, and I beat it and all the DLC, but never made it very far in subsequent playthroughs. But the third is the best game I've played in ages, apparently. I've already completed two playthroughs, and I've only had it for a month. I would assume it's because my friend and I were having an achievement race, and I let pride get the better of me, so I had to play through again to get Tough Love, Coronation Chicken and You Can't Bring Me Down. I'm winning, currently (it's 920 to 910), and we're gonna get Xbox Live Gold to try to get the full 1,000.

Fable III was also the first game in ages (can't remember how long) to actually make me cry. Twice. On both playthroughs. DAMMIT WALTER I TOLD YOU GOING THROUGH THAT CAVE WAS A BAD IDEA

Last updated 2010/7/7

Most fun guitar song:
"Drive My Car"

Least fun guitar song:
"I Want You; She's so Heavy"

Coolest-sounding guitar:
"Helter Skelter"

Best vocal performance:
Everybody on The Abbey Road Medley

Best overall vocal performance:
Paul McCartney

Worst vocal performace:
John Lennon on "Come Together"

Best George Harrison vocal performance:
"Here Comes the Sun"

Best Ringo Starr vocal performance:
"With a Little Help from My Friends"

Best Paul McCartney vocal performance:
"Oh! Darling"

Best John Lennon vocal performance:
"Eight Days a Week"

Best dreamscape:
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band/With a Little Help from My Friends"

Worst dreamscape:
"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"

I played through San Andreas again recently. This is, what, the twentieth time? Nah, more than that. Anyway, after playing through San Andreas again, I decided to pop in the GTA IV disc. Boy, that game has not aged well.

Yes, a game that game out in 2004 has aged gracefully, and a game that came out last year by the same developer in the same series has not. Why? Let me break it down:

GTA IV was amazing the first time I played through it, I'm not going to lie. After I beat it, I felt no urge to replay it. San Andreas was amazing the first time I played it, too. After I beat it, I immediately wanted to replay it. In the time that I've had GTA IV, I've beaten it once, and gotten part-way though it once. Also in that time, I've beaten San Andreas twice, and gotten part-way though it twice. Oh, and I'd had San Andreas for three-and-a-half years before that.

With GTA IV, Rockstar North just tried too hard. The graphics are amazing, and the interaction between the characters is great. But Niko moves way too slowly, and when he gets in a car, he can't drive at all. Maybe it's just me, but these aren't realistic driving physics. Barely tapping the gas shouldn't make you spin out uncontrollably. Luckily, you can just hop in a taxi and go wherever.

With San Andreas, Rockstar North did an amazing job. The graphics are very good, and I prefer them to GTA IV's, because they're not as dark and dreary. The characters are generally better (okay, San Andreas doesn't have Brucie, but, no matter how awesome he is, he's only one character), and you grow to loathe the people who have betrayed you, unlike GTA IV, where you're just like "wat". CJ moves at a perfect pace, and handles everything except stairs like a human being. The driving physics are fun; you actively want to drive around. Sure, you have to drive everywhere, but who cares?

In GTA IV, Rockstar North got rid of the RPG elements of San Andreas. Dude, I loved those. When CJ got full muscle, I felt a sensation of pride. I don't care if it's a sin; my fingers hurt, but I did it. Now to work on stamina! Then maybe my MP5 skill, so I can move whilist shooting! In GTA IV, you have none of that. I hope you like how Niko handles; he's not going to get any better!

Also, I'd rather have Denise or Millie calling me saying I haven't been paying attention to them every few hours than Roman wanting to go BOWLING, play POOL or DARTS, or even SEE BIG AMERICAN BOOBS! Boobs are great, don't get me wrong, but I can live without pixelated ones.

All in all, San Andreas is a much better game. It chose fun over realism, something all games should do. After all, isn't that why we play videogames?

Well, kind of. I plan to post in Teh Lair for a while, IF PEOPLE POST IN IT :x , but I have no plans to post anywhere else because I don't want to, yeah :|

But, hey! More inciteful blags will come your way in the mean time!

tl;dr: I will be posting blags that will mean nothing and may or may not actually be funny.

So, yeah. This isn't one of those "I'm back!" things; I'm not. Instead, whilist complaining about the load times of the GameSpot forums on my computer, I'll recap my year so far! Whee!

First, I beat Fallout 3, Operation: Anchorage, The Pitt and Broken Steel. Great game, that. I think O:A is massively underrated, and is probably second best, to Broken Steel. The Pitt, however, is a whole 'nother ball of wax. It's great, don't get me wrong, but what were they thinking when they put in 100 steel ingots to collect for an achievement?! Whatever. Some sweet weapons to be got, though. And, finally, Broken Steel. TOTALLY worth the money. I'm only level 25, but already I've gotten loads of useful perks I couldn't get the first time through, like Explorer. The side-quests are amazing, too. The Amazing Aqua-Cura is just great.

Then, a while ago, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned came out. It's really good; way more action-focused and replayable than the main game of GTA IV.

Um... what else... oh! Fable II! Knothole island is badass, and See the Future's even better. I love the new sceptre and crown. The Colloseum is badass, as well.

I got Resident Evil 5, too. It's cool. The co-op features are well-implimented, and it just feels extremely well-done.

Now for the non-gaming-related. I've been watching American Idol pretty heavily. I wanted Danny to win, but we all know Adam is going to. Now that Danny's gone, Kris is the last, best hope of humanity. I miss Scott, too. He was quite funny.

I'm beginning to like several bands a lot more, such as Foo Fighters, Black Crowes, The Offspring, Whitesnake, T.Rex and The Steve Miller Band. I love Foo Fighters' The Colour and the Shape. Cilche, I know, but it's got some great songs on it, like See You, Up in Arms, New Way Home and Enough Space.

And, um, not much else goin' on. I'm turning 16 next month; don't know if I'll write about it. Sophomore year will be ending on the 20th, I think. It's been a good year, I guess. Made some friends, had some laughs, got some detentions, etc. Standard stuff.

I guess that's it. I wanna get Afro Samurai and those new X-Men Origins: Wolverine and Wanted games. If you'd like to mail them to me, please send them to...

Sure, why not.

10: Soulcalibur IV
Er... it's a very good fighting game. I wish I had more to say. Oh, yeah: Yoda is cheap. So is Star Killer. Fighting either is a death sentence. And speaking of death sentences: Tower of Lost Souls. Cheap as all hell.

9: Fanal Fantasy VII: Crisis Core
One thing I didn't like about this game was the inability to cancel an action after clicking it. It lead to several deaths (Angeal Penance, I'm looking at you). The side missions are fun, and collecting random junk for people's cool, I guess.

8: Grand Theft Auto IV
I was addicted to this game for weeks. Then I played multiplayer for months. But, after that, I barely touched the game. It has barely any replay value. And San Andreas was a million times better.

7: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
The final boss fight was the MOST EPIC FIGHT EVER, EVER, EVER. Such nostalgia! And, going with nostalgia, ACT FOUR, FTW. The only reason this didn't score much higher was the AWFUL act three. I felt like killing myself. Plus, it wasn't as good as MGS3.

6: Fallout 3
The Mirelurk Hunters are frightening when they carge at you and you're out of Flamer ammo. But dialogue choices make it bearable. I love games where you have to choose exactly what to say to people (I loved Mass Effect last year for this). And Vault Boy is so... adorable (not gay).

5: Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-slick Precipice of Darkness: Episode One
The game was funny as hell. Sure, CTRL+ALT+DEL is a better webcomic, but they don't have a game, do they?! I gave the award to the first one because it was newer, funnier, and more fun. Plus, it didn't kill Dr. Whimple and the mime. They're the second and third best videogame characters ever (scroll down for #1).

4: Spider-Man: Web of Shadows
So what if I never beat it? The first Vulture fight was EPIC AS ALL HELL. The symbiote-ized previous bosses boss fights were cheap, but tremendously rewarding to beat. Oh, and Black Cat >>>>>>>>> Mary Jane.

3: Saints Row 2
Yes, it's better than GTAIV. It's more fun, more free, and more funny. And the soundtrack is awesome. "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" by JET and "Sister Christian" by Night Ranger are awesome to cruise Stillwater to.

2: Fable II
I loved the side-quests and British humour. I see so little of that here in America. Shame. The gameplay was great, and Chesty easily wins the "greatest videogame character EVER" award. RIP CHESTY NEVAR 4GET

1: Rock Band 2
If this wasn't obvious, I don't know what is. Hundreds of songs released in one year, accross loads of genres. The best songs on-disc, however, are "Drain You" by Nirvana, "Peace Sells" by Megadeth, "Any Way You Want It" by Journey, "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas, "Alive" by Pearl Jam, "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi, "Shackler's Revenge" by Guns N' Roses and "Night Lies" by Bang Camaro. There are loads of great ones, though.

And because I love Life., the top three albums of '08:

3: "Good to Be Bad" by Whitesnake
2: "Chinese Democracy" by Guns N' Roses
1: "David Cook" by David Cook