Hello, my lovely snowflakes!

(sorry, Ive got cool things on the brain as its been hella hot in southern cali lately. It hit 101 in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday. There were people eating ice cream and mailboxes melting into puddles of goo everywhere =P. There's also a bunch of wildfires taking down million dollar homes left and rignt. whew, thank goodness I'm not rich!)

Anyway,

Monday was my first day back to school in like 4-5 years and it wasnt that great. I ended up missing half of my first class due to being lost. They put the Humanities building behind the library and squeezed it in between two other, bigger buildings, so you'd only find it if you already knew where it was (in which case you wouldnt be lost). Not that I'd admit to being lost, mind you.

I was wandering around campus, in some sort of daze, like Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter books, frequently bumping into people, trying to find this building, when I had pretty much roamed the entire campus twice. (This is how I usually walk around =P) I stopped under a large, shady tree, and I didnt think it was so obvious, but a nice guy came up and asked if I was lost.

Nice guy: excuse me, are you lost?

Me: pssh, of course I'm not lost, I know exactly where I am, I'm under this tree.

Nice guy: Oh okay.

Me: Just for reference sake, would you happen to know where the Humanities building is?

Nice guy: Yeah, its behind the Library.

Me: Oh, thanks! That will definitely help.

Nice guy: want me to walk you there?

Me: well if you insist...

Soo I finally get there like 20 min late and class is on the 3rd floor. The teacher is kinda funny, seems like a nice guy and we dont need the book til next week, so that's a plus. I dont see anyone too cute in the class though (bummer =P). Its nice to have someone hot to stare at,

My next class, the one I actually wanted to go to, I missed totally because my counseling appointment started at the same time class started, only I didnt realize it until it was too late. I hope they dont drop me. I'm hoping to make it to both on Wed, maybe even on time.

There are sooo many people on campus and its freaking hot during the day too. Luckily the buildings seem to be air conditioned.

On the gaming front I started Fallout 3 again. I've been trying to do all the quests in Megaton so I can blow the place sky high. I dont know what it is, but the game just turns me off in a lot of ways. I loved Bethesda's other games, like Daggerfall, Morrowind and Oblivion. Fallout 3 just doesnt grab me. Its a pretty dreary world and for an open world game, a lot of the paths are blocked off (turnoff!). I'm also not a fan of modern combat vs medieval combat. I tried walking to Rivet City and kept getting mowed down by huge Arnold Schwarzenegger wannabe guys with large miniguns. I coulda sworn after they killed me the last time, one of them shouted, "Its not a tomb-uh!" =P.

I also picked up Batman: Arkham Asylum and Ghostbusters, the first new games Ive bought in a really long time. I havent played Ghostbusters yet but Ive been slowly making my way through Batman. I'm at a certain boss fight where you have to avoid being seen. Anyone know how to beat it? I keep running into a wall (literally). Its definitely a fun and addictive game.

I finally finished Mass Effect and I really enjoyed it, (review). If nothing else, the game has me all the more eager for Mass Effect 2. I also went through the DLC Bring Down the Sky, which was okay. I guess I'll be skipping the universally panned new Pinnacle Station DLC, at least for awhile. Now I just need to find another RPG =P.

Hope your week is going well!

Hello, my lovelies!

Welcome to Tuesdays with Alli, the only blog about Tuesday that's posted on Wednesday! (bet you didnt see that coming =P)

Anyway, my evil relatives (not like virgin sacrifice evil, but still fairly evil), who enjoy bragging about their new toys, are now driving an 07 Mercedes Benz. They couldn't wait to show it off to me, and pretty much the whole South Bay.

I get there in the morning and its parked on the street, under a tree. Its pure white, with nice lines and sleek curves in all the right places. You'd have thought they were driving Angelina Jolie =P.

The interior is comfy black leather that you can sink into. It has power seat belts and even seat warmers (do you even need a seat warmer in Cali?).

It has a DVD player/GPS system, and 6 cd changer in the glove compartment (i.e no room for gloves. Some glove compartment that is!). Of course while pointing out these minor faults of an otherwise perfect product of German engineering, I get more than a few odd stares.

It also has a polished wooden steering wheel, with volume control and track/radio station select buttons right on the steering wheel, which saves a whole second of horribly reaching another half an inch to the actual volume knob. I politely pointed this out, in my usual manner, at which point I was asked if I'd like to walk home from our now 85mph cruising speed on the 405 freeway. People sure are sensitive about their cars!

It also has a top that automatically folds back and into the trunk. This, of course, means you cant fit multiple dead bodies into said trunk. How the heck can you have a car without dead body space in the trunk?? Isn't that just asking for trouble? Not being a driver, of course, I pointed out this obvious flaw, sure that my relatives would want to know all the minor flaws in their new car.

In conclusion, the walk home was painfully uninteresting. It was a nice day and I probably should have been walking anyway, in retrospect. My evil relatives must have felt guilty because they even drove up and asked how my walk was going, before speeding off in their nice, shiny, new Mercedes Benz.

Hello nice Gamespot type people!

I hope your Sunday finds you all happy and healthy and in church (though worshipping at the temples of XBox Live and PSN is accepted =P).

I saw District 9 last night and it was much better than I expected. I dont wanna spoil anything but it seemed disturbingly accurate.

I've been playing a lot of Mass Effect and Burnout Paradise (bought on the new XBL Games on Demand feature). Oh and my 360 tyerdied! Not the cool three red rings thing either, thats like all the rage, but it was one red light, so they wanted 100 bucks to fix it. So I went out and bought an arcade version. (My old one was an elite). I dont know about the licenses though, because Im using the old hard drive and I did the license transfer thingie on the website and it said they were transferred, but I was offline in Burnout the other day and it gave me a 10 min to play counter.

I'm really surprised at how much I'm enjoying Burnout Paradise, as I'm not much of a racing game fan. I love the whole open world atmosphere and variety of cars and events. I havent actually tried playing it with other people, so if anyone wants to play, I'd be up for it. My cousin is a bit more critical of the game, however, "no aftertouch takedowns ....this game reeks..".

I'm also loving Mass Effect so far. I'm at level 39, in one of the story missions now, after doing pretty much every sidequest available. (I love Bioware games.) I always want to do the bad guy/evil path in these kinds of games (Knights of the Old Republic, Fable, Bioshock, etc), but I always invariably end up being a lousy do gooder. Anyone else have that problem?

Anyway, I'll probably be doing reviews for Mass Effect and Burnout Paradise soon, so stay tuned!

I've also signed up for classes at El Camino College (its a junior college like 15 min away), its just for fun, until I can find a reliable way to get back to UCLA to finish my MA. (I dont drive and UCLA is like 2-3 hours by bus). If nothing else, it'll get me outta the house. (Watching my cousin camp out on my couch day and night, is hardly fun =P). Its just a couple english classes and an Abnormal Psych class (maybe they can find out what's wrong with him, hehe). Its a good school, but its soo crowded now. Its only 9 units, and I wanted more but everything was full, and even waitlists were full. I first went there in '96 and there were 1800 students, now there's 25,000. Anyway one of the English classes is a Creative Writing class, so maybe it'll get some neurons firing or something so I can actually get a novel going or something. My evil relatives are anxious for me to get a bestseller published, so they can live off me =P. Anyway, I'll keep you guys updated on the novel front,

Have you guys seen the World of Warcraft: Cataclysm trailer? I saw it on GS yesterday and it made me wanna play WoW again. Of course I wouldnt be playing my high level, established charries. I'd be starting over =P. I'm kind of in the mood for a cute gnome warlock. Of course, I'm not sure if I'll actually start playing again, as I dont have much time at the moment. Plus the questing from level 1-80 is quite the time sink.

Hope you guys have a great week!

Hello, my lovely Gamespotters!

Its been awhile since my last blog, I know. I think I've done a better job of keeping up with you guys' blogs than my own, hehe. Soooo what have I been up to...

You guys remember all the writing I wanted to get done? Well save for a couple reviews, I havent actually done any of it =P

I did manage to go through a few books, all of which I really enjoyed. If you're interested, I read:

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Its basically about the life of a veterinarian who works in a Depression era circus. Its a great story and a pretty easy read.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It takes place in England in the year 1130-1175 or so. It begins as a story about a craftsman named Tom, who builds houses and cathedrals and eventually becomes something of a political thriller, with conflicts among the bishops, archbishops and even the king. Its about a thousand pages, but its a great story.

Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Its pretty much a study of the hero and the hero's journey in myth and in literature. Its a pretty interesting read, although some parts are a bit dry. Its also the book George Lucas read before he started filming Star Wars.

Well that's all for Alli's Book Reviews. =P

I also went to watch the WTA Tennis about a week ago, since they were playing over here in Carson. (I technically live in West Carson, so it was just down the road). We saw Maria Sharapova play Radwanska. Parking was 30 bucks =P. Sharapova is kinda cute in person. She's also really tall, like 6'2. I havent been to a match live before and its kinda neat. The crowd really gets into the match. (Sharapova won 6-4 7-5).

Me and John also went to the Getty. (Its like the ultimate artsy place in Cali). It has a huge courtyard, large fountain in the middle, with a north, south, east, and west pavillion around the fountain, each with 2-4 floors of paintings, sculptures, and furniture. There's also a research library and reading room. They give you a map when you go in too, just like Disneyland.

Now John isnt quite the most artsy fartsy guy around. So there was a lot of, "hey, this looks like a real elevator! Oh wow, it moves! This must be that interactive art you always hear about!" and "psst, Alli, I think those boobies are following me around the room!"

In gaming news, I downloaded Burnout Paradise and have been having a lot of fun with that. I finished Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia (review), and had a great time with it. I'm also nearly done with Viva Pinata (review). I'm pretty sure I'm done with the game, but I have eight achievements left and it would be nice to get those before I play the sequel, which I'm tempted to download, since its on XBL's new games on demand service. I've also just started Mass Effect (about time, I know), and so far its pretty fun, even though Im only on Act 1.

Hope you guys are having a great weekend! I'll try to blog more often.

Hello, my lovely Gamespotters!

I hope you're all happy and healthy! (or just healthy, at least)

Well, it seems that summer is upon us (cue cheesy summer pic)

Soo I've been looking for something to do this summer (besides nap, watch tv, play games, and read/write), and I've narrowed the list down to two projects.

Write a Novel

Admittedly, this may take awhile, due to my general lack of ideas lately and the fact that I think the only area where I'd have much success would be high fantasy type stuff. I rarely read much in the way of modern fantasy, preferring instead to rely on c-l-a-s-s-ics by Tolkien or C S Lewis when I need a fantasy fix. The other genre that appeals to me is horror. I'm not the most eager of beginning novelists, however, since there is a lot of junk out there in bookstores, and sometimes it sells rather well, (look at the Twilight series). However, if nothing else, many bestselling authors prove that you dont have to be a good writer to sell books. (Just ask Stephen King =P)

Fill out Gamespot User Reviews

I was thinking of filling out the user reviews section with the games Ive played, (replaying them a bit of course), starting with the NES era, up til the present. This is definitely going to take awhile, so if nothing else, it'll keep me busy. I'm not quite sure how many games Ive gone through over the years, but I'm sure its quite a bit, especially during the 16 bit era. Feel free to check em out as they go up (*insert shameless plug*).

I'll definitely keep you guys posted on my wannabe novel, or my reviews.

In other Alli news, I've mainly been playing a lot of Viva Pinata, as well as Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. I'm nearly done with both, so expect to see a couple reviews soon. I've also ordered a shiny, delicious looking PSP with Rock Band Unplugged and Crisis Core, for more handheld fun, hehe. Oh, and Chrono Trigger for DS, that should keep me busy for a lil while, I hope.

On the non gaming front, television hasnt been the most entertaining form of media this summer (I'll never understand why, with like a thousand some channels, I have trouble finding stuff to watch). I have been catching up on The Tudors on DVD however, and when I can , I've been TiVOing True Blood (HBO). I get nearly every movie channel and most of the movies Ive either seen or arent worth seeing, hehe. Its pretty silly when you consider the ratio of channels to watchable programming. I cant stand all the reality shows, either. Actually, I have an idea for a reality show. We take like 100 lifers from prison, fly em out to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean, nothing around but water, and the island would be just big enough for all of them. The prisoner that manages to eat the most other prisoners would be the winner and win his freedom (at which point , he'd be arrested for rampant cannibalism). We could call it, "The Other White Meat", or something like that =P.

Anyway, I hope your summer is going great! Keep on gaming!

Sooo a little under a month ago, I celebrated my 7th Year on Gamespot. It's kind of like being in the 7th year at Hogwarts, only without the magic and wonder =P.

The member since date on my first username is:

"May 28, 2002"

No no, I'm not gonna tell you the name (that would spoil the fun!). Suffice it to say I've enjoyed my 7 years here, though I'd wish I'd paid more attention to the forums way back then, I coulda been one of the old timers who are always on there now, lamenting about the "good old days" when forums were little index cards taped to empty soda cans and thrown between houses for comments. (Wouldnt a phone be easier??)

I'm not gonna have some grand celebration or anything, I'm simply going to thank everyone that reads my silly blog and list seven things I've learned being on Gamespot.

1. Mods are friends, not food.

2. Some mods and admins have real names, just like the rest of us.

3. OT is the place to be. (exceptions include weekdays, holidays, and most nights)

4. The Legacy forum is not a directory of retirement communities.

5. Ask the Mods should not be used to ask about mod preferences towards creamy or crunchy peanut butter.

6. Straitjackets for mods come in a one size fits all variety, still need to find form to submit saying mine is too big.

7. New mods should not be made to wash cars, paint fences or put up storm windows.

Ah e3, the yearly gaming convention that brings together developers, publishers, the media. and rampant naysayers. Probably the best chance for the media to ask pointed and unanswerable questions of developers, questions like, "what the @#$% were you thinking?", and "2010?? You know I'd like to play these games before my unborn, unplanned children graduate from college, right?"

So E3 is over and like the day after Christmas, or just after a leader is elected in many countries, there is a lot to take in, analyze, and sometimes take back because your present didnt have batteries, or turned out to be socks (anyone else get clothes three years in a row as a teenager?). This year's e3 showcased a number of games, but does it come as a surprise to anyone that most of them turned out to be sequels?

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that sequels and the people who play them are inherently evil (technically...), heck, some of my favorite games are sequels (Morrowind, Diablo II, etc). But does anyone else miss the 16 bit days, when games you've never heard of just magically popped onto store shelves and sometimes they even turned out to be good? Remember Young Merlin? (okay, bad example..), but how about Soul Blazer? (Hmm I can do better than that...). Oh, I know! How about Chrono Trigger? (nice try, but you cant argue with success, just ask Mailer =P). My point is, remember when games for the SNES and Genesis hit the stores and you didnt know a thing about them? A lot of them weren't sequels either. Fine, fine, you might have checked out Nintendo Power back then, but for many of us, the decision to buy a game rested solely on the box art and the two sentence blurb on the back of the box, followed by some pictures that could only be seen with a physics lab quality microscope.

Microsoft took the stage early and showed off games like Splinter Cell: Conviction, featuring our favorite agent Sam Fisher. Final Fantasy XIII looks to be quite lucky for Square, while XIV appears to let you be able to play Final Fantasy the way your grandparents always wanted you to...online! (again!). Forza 3 looks to satisfy rabid Forza 2 fanatics (aka Forzatics). Assassin's Creed II promises new ways to let you kill enemies back when Venice was cool (brother's note: "Venice was never cool! They dont even have a football team!"). The Beatles: Rock Band looks to give us Beatles fans (they did "Thriller", right??) just the fix we're looking for. Sequel filled, yes, but still a heck of a good time.

Not to be outdone, the big N showed off a lot of its stars in true sequel form. New Super Mario Bros Wii proved that you dont need to be a sackboy to have a good time, you just need a penguin suit and propeller hat. Golden Sun DS, Zelda: Spirit Tracks and Bowser's Inside Story showed that sequels on the DS are ever present and look just as much fun as ever. Super Mario Galaxy 2 looks to launch Mario to new worlds, while Metroid: Other M looks to give more outer space action (I wonder if its Kasumi in that suit this time =P). More sequels than a Rocky DVD box set? Definitely. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Sony's lineup wasnt entirely sequel free either. Uncharted 2 showed off gorgeous graphics, and gave audiences useful, everyday tips on how to dodge helicopter fire, something desperately needed in Los Angeles (they dont teach that kinda stuff at community college anymore, damn economy...). Perhaps Sony's heaviest hitter, Kratos, returns in God of War III, which looks to be as bloody and visually enticing as the previous two games in the series. Sony also showed off a portable MGS game for its PSP and the new PSP Go, which are now UMD drive free for today's on the go consumer. (Because putting miniature discs in drives is so 2008!)

If sequels were the norm at this year's e3, it really made those games that were new and exciting stand out even more. Games like Batman: Arkham Asylum that puts you in the shoes of everyone's favorite crime fighter (thank god it isnt George Clooney!), looks to be a real winner. MAG looks to keep shooter fans happy if they can keep the game from becoming a slideshow. The Last Guardian looks to continue the same great visual s-t-y-l-e seen in Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Wii Sports Resort actually looks like a fun way to spend your next vacation (bikini and tiny pink umbrella, not included). Dragon Age: Origins looks like a dragon slaying good time and brought back memories of Baldur's Gate...painful..awkward memories.

This year's e3 seemed to have a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you like action, adventure, role playing or shooters, there seemed to be a game to fit the bill. If the press conferences and showfloor were any indication, there seemed to be an intoxicating energy that you could see in the presenters, and the media. Hopefully this energy can carry over into next year's e3. (Where I'll still be waiting to play The Old Republic =P).

Hello, my lovelies!

Its e3 time again!

Since I like you all, I've decided to name my top 3 games I'd be willing to sell most of my family members for, just for an exclusive peek at, at e3, along with a few tidbits about them, etc. So enjoy, and dont forget to watch all that yummy e3 coverage!

"Gamespot at e3, its the next best thing to sneaking in!"

__________________

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Claim to Fame: Made Adam West a household name.

Probable Zero Punctuation Review: Oh look, a Batman game that's dark and moody! That's never happened before...except in virtually every other Batman game! Why cant Batman fight crime in sunny Florida, for once? He could fight new villains like The Wheezer, and Father Time. And why is Batman so ripped, anyway? Back in my day, Adam West kicked the butts of real villains like Egghead, and he wasnt buff at all. The story also seems silly. Batman gets called to Arkham and has to battle various inmates. Wow..I think I just wet myself. Maybe the game should have been built around Harley Quinn asking The Joker for more money for plastic surgery.

___________________

Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Claim to Fame: After donning a curly wig and appearing in the widely unsuccessful "Cabbage Patch Kids" videogame, Link went underground, resurfacing some years later in "The Legend of Zelda". Luckily, that game was much more successful. Link has been in everything, from games to cartoons to comics to adult feature films (wait, scratch that last one). Link has also been immortalized on the Walk of Game. (Its like the Walk of Fame, only nerdier).

_____________________

Rock Band: Beatles Edition

Fanboy Rant Example: omg! omg! I cant believe it! One of the best bands in history immortalized in Rock Band! Finally, we get to enjoy songs like "Hey Hey, We're the Monkees!" and "Surfin' USA"! Wait, what?? Okay, okay, but they did "Steam" and "Sledgehammer", right?? .....No way! ...."Like a Virgin"? ...."Vertigo"? .....Damnit! I hate the Beatles!

Happy Tuesday! (hey, at least it isnt Monday).

Me and John went and saw Star Trek on Sunday. I really liked it quite a bit, the movie much better than I thought it would be. I'm not sure if its because the movie really is that good, or, because of the more recent big screen Trek efforts (Insurrection, Nemesis, etc), that I went into the movie somewhat cautiously optimistic. Honestly, its not a perfect movie, as some story elements bugged me. I think the cast nailed the characters though, especially Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zach Quinto (Spock). This is a huge deal, when you consider the legacy of Trek and how familiar many people are with these characters. My only complaint is that the secondary characters (McCoy, Sulu, Chekov, etc), werent as well developed as I would have liked. I know, you cant have everything in a two hour movie. I liked seeing Leonard Nimoy in it, though John didnt like him there. It didnt feel to me like he was out of place or anything, and he has such a presence on screen in a Trek movie, that the scenes with him are some of the most powerful. I highly recommend the movie, if for nothing else, than the characters themselves. I'd go see it again, if I can get my butt down to the IMAX. As we were leaving, John mentioned that his little Honda is probably not up to par with even a shuttle, and of course, I had to say that it felt more like an escape pod. Not a new escape pod either, but one of the rusty ones that get stuck in the bay and need to be kicked a few times. I think he appreciated that, hehe.

John mentioned going again next week, and I think he has his heart set on Terminator, though I'd prefer Angels and Demons, myself. I dont know what it is with this new Terminator, but I'm not that excited over it. Oh, dont get me wrong, I liked the original, loved T2 and I even liked T3. But this new one, I dont know. I'm not sure if its the gritty action trailers, or the fact that they seem to be shown way too much on TV lately but something about it is turning me off. I do like Christian Bale though, so right now thats the major selling point, hehe.

Hello Gamespotters!

Hope your weekend is going well! Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, soon to be moms, or wannabe moms out there, hehe. I'm planning on calling Mom tomorrow, if I can find her number. Me and Mom were never close, havent talked to her in five years or so. She's kinda flaky, I've called before and she either wont pick up at all (common), or picks up, we talk for a minute and she'll say she'll call me back, which she doesn't (rare). She's always been like that though, so I'm kind of used to it. I used to go visit every few weeks, and she was nice and all, but she was one of those people who, if I asked her for a ride home, she'll say something like, "Oh well, you know, I dont think I can make it down to your place today!", in that cheerfully annoying voice, despite the fact that she didnt have a job, or any plans that day. My brother was always nice though, he drove me around now and then. My younger sister would sometimes say Hi or bye. I think she thought I was this creepy old lady that hung around too much =P (and I was only 25 then!).

But I did get some gaming done and after a nice 63 hours, I finished DQ IV. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, (read my full review here), and highly recommend it. I've since started making my way through Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and although I'm only 30 min or so into it, I'm already liking the art s.t.y.l.e. Hopefully I'll get a review up once I finish it.

The game was recommended to me by a good friend, now I'm not saying any names, but if I end up not liking the game and not finishing it, its his fault =P. Not to worry, I wont reveal any names here, I'm just gonna refer to him as Mailer_D...wait, that may be too obvious...I'll just say M_Daemon. No no, I know you're all wondering who it is, and I simply cannot reveal his name (his full profile is here). Sorry, you'll just have to keep wondering. Some mysteries are better left unsolved =P

BlizzCon tickets go on sale soon and I'm seriously considering going. Its only 45 min away and I'd love to see what all the fuss is about. My only concerns are that its gonna be packed, and the price is 125 bucks, which is a splurge for me. I'm also tempted to get tickets to Summerslam, which is gonna be at the Staples Center this year, I havent been to a WWE event in forever (they NEVER come to Staples), but last time I went, we had great seats and it was a great show (but I didnt get to see Undertaker, because he wasnt there, it was a total rip).

If you've been watching the Playoffs, the Lakers are gonna take it. You dont have to wonder anymore. No no, no need to thank me, thats why I'm here, to make your life easier by making you regret your gambling decisions! Its a gift!

Hope you have a great week!