Wow, it's been a while since I wrote in this journal! These past two months have been busy work months in school, so I guess this wasn't exactly my priority, but I hate I didn't keep it up to date. Well, I should have more time now that I just graduated from the most wonderful university of them all - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!

Over the past two months, I DID have time to play some games. What game is that, you ask? None other than the insanely addictive Katamari Damacy. I bought this game because of all the good things I heard about it and I am a sucker for wacky niche Japanese titles. When I played this game the first few times, I admittingly didn't think it was that great. However, after making a few stars and constellations, I began to form a rabid appreciation for it. Just the gameplay concept was so out there and so original that I couldn't help but to appreciate that (I LOVE ORIGINALITY - IT'S SO RARE THESE DAYS). You would not think rolling objects up into a ball would be fun, but man, it is and addictive too! Finding the hidden presents and trying to make the biggest katamari possible really is a lot of fun. Furthermore, the soundtrack was awesome. Yes, I'm sure you have heard much about it by now (it won Gamespot's Soundtrack of the Year in 2004 just recently). All the tunes are so varied, and so cool. The art, character design, and whole aethestic of the game really took me in too. All in all, this game just oozed originality unlike anything I had played in a while. But, I think the best testament to this game's greatness was the fact that I picked up Halo 2, Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater in November, at the height of my Katamari Damacy addiction, and didn't even touch them at all. Three of the biggest games this winter couldn't even pry me away from the game. It is a pretty short game to complete however, and I finished it pretty much in completion a few weeks ago. My, what a blissful two months that was though. I just have to say that anyone reading this who has not given this game a chance, drop all those big name titles you are playing right now and GO RENT OR BUY THIS GAME!!! Read my first journal entry if you need more reason to buy it. Peace.

Nothing profound to say in this entry - more or less just a goofy observation I made about a professor of mine. LOL - this has cracked me up all semester every time I think about it (though it probably sounds pretty stupid!). In one of the biology courses I am taking this semester, the professor of the class is named Dr. Wiley. Now, what is so special about that, you ask? For those unaware, Dr. Wily (sometimes spelled Wiley) is Mega Man's arch-nemesis in the original series. But it isn't just the name, the Dr. Wiley that teaches the class even LOOKS remotely like the Dr. Wily of Mega Man fame (though his hair doesn't quite stick out unnaturally like the Doc's does in MM). If you are not a Mega Man fan, then I'm sorry for wasting your time - I know this was stupid. MM fans, though, hope you can appreciate this. Anyways, just had to post that - it was too coincidental not to!

Well, I finally got around to making a post in this journal of mine. What to say? Well, I guess I'll go with what I have mentioned in my sig.

Sequels, sequels, sequels. They are the norm nowadays in all parts of the entertainment industry (movies, books, and yes, video games). They are almost always guaranteed to bring in more dough off of their original product because people want more and more of it. I just take one look at my wish list, and pretty much everything on there is a sequel to some great title that came out a few years ago. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all about getting more Marios, Metroids, Halos, etc., but let's take a look at what it's doing to our beloved hobby. The originality is clearly being sucked dry from developers because companies are forcing them to hash out more sequels to bring in the money. Less risks are being taken in order to play it safe. If it weren't for originality and taking risks, we may not have many of the types of gameplay we have today. First-person shooters would not be common if they had not been popularized by Wolfenstein 3-D and Doom, and the same could be said for the other pioneers who brought us the kinds of things we have today. Now, I understand that there is a business side to video games too, and developers gotta put peas on their plate. That is where we, the consumers, come in. Are developers going to take risks if nobody buys their product? NO. Let's take a look at a risk that pays off: Katamari Damacy. This game has been selling like hot cakes and people have been loving it. Imagine that - an original game that introduces a brand new style of gameplay and is fun to play! But what about Rez, ICO, Rocket Knight Adventures, etc? These are games that sadly didn't meet the same fate. Keep this in mind next time you buy your next sequel - try supporting some of the underdogs out there who are taking risks and making something new and original. You, and the industry, will surely be benefiting from it down the road.