My Ignition DDR Pad is screwing up on me. The left arrow button seems have become unreliable as it misses steps and seems to get "stuck" every now and then. I don't know how to fix it and I don't really have the money for a new one. If it doesn't somehow go back to normal, I may be screwed in terms of being able to play DDR at home...sigh.

Anyway, I've been making very successful progress on Final Fantasy X-2. I'm currently on Chapter 2. I really haven't been playing Dead or Alive Ultimate much, however, I have recently gotten back into Virtua Fighter 4: Evolution, probably the best fighting game made thus far.

As for Metal Arms, I'm stuck on a tough level and haven't really played it in a while but I'm not giving up on the game.

That was such a stupid thing for Rockstar to do. I mean, they know how much controversey that game spawns, how much media coverage it gets, how it is the leading image of activists for game cenorship and banning, and yet, they go and do something stupid like this. WHY THE HECK YOU PUT A SEX MINIGAME INTO A GAME!!! ESPECIALLY THE LAST GAME YOU'D WANT TO GET CAUGHT PUTTING ONE IN!!!

Please excuse the caps, but the sheer stupidity of Rockstar's actions here probably just blew it for us American gamers. American gaming is probably gonna get hit hard now more than ever for this. Politicians probably won't really leave it alone until the only games we can buy are Mickey's Dream House clones. Rockstar has not only fed the politicians practically exactly what they need to put a hurting on the industry, but they've also undermined the ESRB whose job is to accurate label the content for games, and they really put our freedom as american gamers in jeopardy in some degree.

Such...a stupid...move....That is so disgusting what they did.

Yesterday I got into the Ratchet: Deadlocked Beta Test. This will be my second beta test as my first was Battlefield: Modern Combat for PS2.

As for the games i'm playing now, Dead or Alive: Ultimate is getting the most playtime so far. I think I'm at least approaching the end of Metal Arms: Glitch in the System (well I know i've at least completed quite of bit of levels). I haven't been as dedicated to Final Fantasy X-2 as I'd like, but I promise i'll get into it and complete it.

After what seemed like a pretty extended playing thorugh this game and still feeling like there's a lot more to go, i've decided to stopped playing Wild Arms 3 for now. Why? Well like I said in an earlier entry, the game really just doesn't hold my interest all that much. Also, there are PLENTY of annoyances I can ramble on about, but really don't feel like doing so now, and ultimately, the game has become a drag and a bit BORING.

But let me make it clear that i'm only TEMPORARILY dropping the game, meaning i'm just putting it off for a later time. I plan to go back and finish it in the future and give it a rating and review. For now, i'm gonna take a day or two for an RPG break and maybe start on Maximo, and finally, I will be begin my 2nd quest in Final Fantasy X-2 fully completing the adventure. Wild Arms 3 will just have to wait as it really just isn't my cup of tea.

I had been a big fan of Dead or Alive ever since playing Dead or Alive 3 on Xbox. I got Dead or Alive: Ultimate the day it came out and its probably the funnest fighting game i've ever played. I think a month of two I ago I finally achieved SS status thanks in large part to frequent sparring with one of the good friends on Xbox Live who was very very good at the game. My skill level increased rapidly as a result of frequently fighting against him.

Anyway, this may sound kinda sissyish, lol. But shortly after getting my SS and even defending it against other SSs and Ss, I actually (I have to admit) got scared of losing the grade. I know that may sound dumb, but I started feeling that way...to the point where I got scared to play the game online and ended up stopping play.

Well a couple days ago I popped the game back in, scared that my SS-calibur skill level had faded due to my hiatus. And I actually jumped right back into the game pretty much the way I left it. Not only that, but the sheer fun I that I had with the game before "shot" right back into me and I once again realize that this is my favorite fighting game thus far. (I have tremendous respect for Virtua Fighter 4 which, IMO, is "technically" the best fighting game thus far, but I have more fun with Dead or Alive)

So realizing this, and seeing that Dead or Alive 4 is currently in exclusive development for Xbox 360, unless Team Ninja plans to port a version to PS3, I gotta get an Xbox 360, if even just for this game.

Right now i'm having a hard time playing through Wild Arms 3, not particularly because its too difficult, but because its really failing to continuously hold my interest. It seems I never really have the desire to play for an extended period of time and there's probably a few things that is causing this: The game is starting to really get annoying due to the seemingly absurd frequency of random battles. I mean a battle seems like it'll pop up within 4 seconds of the previous ones. Its gets really annoying when you're trying to get to a town to rest are when you're working on a puzzle in a dungeon. Also, I'm not all that big of a fan of Cowboy/Western themes so I do find the theme and setting of the game kinda boring. Also, I really want to get started on my full completion of Final Fantasy X-2 and the urge is probably causing me to be impatient with Wild Arms 3.

I believe there multiple chapters to the game, so far it feels like i've played through a lot of the game and I don't think i've even finished the first chapter. It seems i'm in for a long ride that I really don't have the patience for, and the situation reminds me of how I was with Legaia 2 towards the end. However, I'm still gonna keep pressing forward and try to enjoy the game. I just hope it doesn't end up feeling like a chore to finish.

This is something I posted on one of the message boards and felt like getting it off my chest in my journal:

Pre-final boss gauntlets, and gauntlets that ARE the final bosses are probably the most annoying and most hating things of mine in gaming. It ticks me off so much when developers do that, especially in RPGs. It is so darn frustrated when you're are forced to fight boss after boss without being able to save in between, only to get so far and die because your characters are worn out from all the battling, then have to go back and fight ALL those bosses all over again. Its especially annoying when the bosses are super cheap in turn-based battle system where the battle starts all fairly with everyone getting a turn like they should, then we you start wearing the boss down, it gets like 10 moves in the row killing off most, if not all your party, or at least leaving them with like 30 Hp left so you can make your petty attempt to heal the party while he gets set to finish you off with one final devastating rule. My goodness that ticks me off so much. One battle that especially comes to mind is

(FFVIII Spoiler)
















Ultemecia in Final Fantasy VIII. That battle took forever because she had so many segments of battle.

Well, I decided to finish up Jak and Daxter. Its interesting to me what happened I had started playing this game a while, maybe even 2 years ago. I got maybe half-way through and stopped playing. Why? I can't remember. Still on break from RPGs, I decided to play an adventure game and felt like finishing up the what I started with Jak and Daxter. I pop in the game, attempt to load the save, only to realize my Jak and Daxter save file was gone. I probably deleted it a while back trying to free up space. Its strange, though because I don't remember doing it and it doesn't feel like I would've done that very willingly. Anyway, I felt a little turned off from playing becasue i'd have to restart it from the beginning and even considered playing another game. I ended up just sucking it up and restarting. Now, I don't feel like I have any regrets doing so. I think I enjoyed this game a lot more this time through than I did when I first attempted to play through it. This is one of the best and funnest platformers i've played in a while. I really should check out Jak 2 and 3.

Anyway, now that Freedom Fighters and Jak and Daxter are out of the way. I feel like its time for me to re-enter the RPG world with Wild Arms 3. After I complete that, I will move on to Final Fantasy X-2. I've played through FFX-2 before, but this time, I'm going to completely complete the game, getting the highest possible percentage. I realize that may take me a while because I believe I finished it the first time with a completion percentage in the 80s and that felt like it took quite to while and there were many challenges to rise above. However, I'm confident I can do it.

Man this game was a blast! Superb action game, and probably one of the best i've played. I haven't really decided what to play next but I really feels good to be completing this games. I'm glad I'm making good and steady progress through my backlog. I'll probably play an adventure game, or checkout Roadkill for a car-combat fix. After that, then maybe i'll re-enter the RPG world with Wild Arms 3.

Man I love that game! Just like I vowed, I was very battle-heavy throughout the game and whooped the "real" final boss' behind big time! The game was very well-done and felt more "complete" than the first. I hope Namco packages in an Episode 2 movie with Episode 3 just like they did packaged in an Episode 1 movie with Episode 2. As for my next experience, I'm likely gonna start Freedom Fighters. I still need to play Wild Arms 3, as well as play through Final Fantasy X-2 again to completely complete the game and get the perfect ending. After the very long, drawn out, and sometimes difficult road to my completion of Legaia 2, and my very enjoyed experience playing through Xenosaga Episode 2, I need to take a break from RPGs for maybe at least a couple games. I don't want to completely burn out my desire to play them. So as I get ready to pop in Freedom Fighters, I'm happy to have successfully and satisfyingly completed Xenosaga Episode 2, the experience has made me an even bigger fan of the series.