Backordered. Out of stock. Empty shelves.

Isn't that what you're supposed to encounter only when shopping for a Nintendo Wii??? Well, evidently not. You see, I drove to my Gamestop and I could tell, without even asking an employee, that they had no PS3's in stock. Likewise, when I felt the fire of determination and perseverance burning in my eyes and mind and decided to drive to Best Buy, a place I'd never driven to on my own before today, it was there again that I encountered a distinct lack of fruit for my labor. Granted, I can't blame people. Between the GDC inciting newfound or reignited interest in Sony's console and a series of stellar game releases - of which we're currently smack in the middle, right between FFXIII and God of War 3 - how could I have been so delirious as to think all I needed to do was drive a few minutes after work to my one and only Gamestop of the last ten years, smile at the employee, and ask for my shiny black reward. That'd be too simple!

What I feel like doing to all the people that bought what could have been "my" PS3 (j/k j/k ^ ^ )

Fo' reals, everyone - and I mean everyone - does not have a single Playstation 3 in stock. You name a store, I called them, and they don't have any PS3's. It's kinda ridiculous, actually.

Of course, the worst part of it is that I have no idea how long it will be like this. So much for the prompt culmination of a week's worth of research and feverish excitement. *sigh* But you know, on the bright side, now I have the chance to come up with a really cool PS3 ID. I am trying my hardest to shy away from using DrummerMG131 or any variant of such.

1. Though it took me practically a day and a half, off and on, to write that last blog post, I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an absolute blast while doing so. And, I'm going to try my best to include pictures and links like that in my future posts. They just add so much more (life?) to the posts; I don't know what I was thinking all this time, writing posts that consisted just of blocks of words. I myself enjoyed how "interactive" the post was!
2. I think I might be going out after work this morning (truthfully, I'm typing this from work - GASP!) to buy the PS3. And, it just dawned on me that I'll need to come up with a PS3 ID. Let me get it out of the way right now: I will not be using drummer131. If I could change my GS username, I would have done so a long time ago. To something like JediEagle, perhaps. But I don't yet know what to make my PS3 ID. It's permanent, right? Like the name you give to an iPod? Better be something really good and AWESOME if that's the case. BTW, soon-to-be-fellow PS3 owners, what are your IDs? I'd love to add you all as friends or whatever you're called, haha.
3. Same thing goes for Twitter. Any tweeters out there? I joined the site kinda willy-nilly last November, but I kinda like it. It was only recently that I found out some of my tracked folks here on GS also frequented Twitter and that got me thinking...maybe there are more of you on the site? Feel free to follow me here.
4. I've decided to hold off on buying a copy of FFXIII until MNR comes out in early June. It will be my reward for (hopefully) having beaten FFXII and by that time, I also hope to have played a great deal of Pacific Rift and LBP. Of course, that's also around the time when Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid: Other M are coming out, so.......yeah. The summer's not exploding with AA and AAA releases, is it? I'll be able to play all this backlog through the summer in peace, right? For the love of all that is kind and decent, please say YES!

If you recall, in my last blog post, I had literally ranted along a stream of consciousness, starting with how I felt it would not be long before I'd feel myself totally compelled to buy a PS3 and ending with a rant about how I felt I wouldn't have enough time to play it even if I did get it, due to work. Well, I slept on the matter for a few nights and I've thought about how to remedy my backlog problem and I think I've got a good plan. Here it is: At any point between now and June, I will buy a PS3. When this occurs depends solely on when I beat and have done as much as I'd like to in my FFXII save file, the one I started last November. In the grand scheme of things, while I may be a little aggrevated that I haven't completed many of my DS games, most of them are pick-up-and-play so it's not a truly terrible thing that I haven't had the time to pick them up and beat them. With FFXII, however, it's a totally different story. It's an RPG, with a complex story, and while I could easily go on Youtube and watch all the cutscenes I know I've already viewed in-game in an effort to recap what I may have forgotten over the last three months (I actually plan on doing this), it's more than just making sure I complete the story so I can put my mind at ease. FFXII and I have a history, a long history that I may have mentioned on here at least once before. Needless to say, I love the game so much, I really can't afford to leave it by the wayside. For my sanity's sake, I must resume where close to seventy hours of gameplay have already gotten me. And then and only then, once I've completed my FFXII experience, will I buy my PS3. And, I can only hope that there might be a price drop between now and then.

Well, that sounds all fine and dandy, but I always worry when it comes to buying new consoles, "will I accumulate a decently sized game collection by the time the console gets phased out?" It's only been with the XBox, PSP, and Wii so far that I've come in after each system has lived in the industry for a few years, but luckily in each case, I've managed to find at least five games relatively quickly to jump-start a collection. That's important to me because I always want a hardware purchase to be worth it, especially in these times. In this particular case, I actually don't believe that will be a problem, as Sony consoles have been proven to have very lengthy lifecycles and the games only get better as time goes on. Even if I don't come up with a handful of games to buy right off the bat, I'll certainly end up with a sizeable collection by the time the PS3 is eventually phased out completely. Luckily (maybe not so much for my wallet, but haHA(!), my wallet can't scream out in agony), I've found a handful, thanks to some research I've been doing all week (reading user/critics' reviews, watching gameplay vids here or on Youtube, etc.). Here they are (in no particular order):

Final Fantasy XIII

I am a fan of Final Fantasy. I have been a fan of Final Fantasy since I first watched my cousin play Final Fantasy VII (it was his first FF game as well) in his family room. The random battle screen blur effect made me jump each time and we totally thought he was beyond doomed when all his characters were in the yellow and Sephiroth cast Nova (he miraculously lived, for those who are curious). While I've only beaten III, VII, and X, I've played every offline FF game since VII, and then FFIII. Anyway, though this isn't the game that made me go "okay, I can't hold off any longer. I need a PS3." (we'll meet up with that game a little later on), how can I not pick this one up once the PS3 is in my possession?

I've already posted a blog entry about FFXIII in regards to its linearity and for me, I don't really see it being too much of a big deal. I enjoyed FFX; I always thought of its obvious linearity as the perfect way to show that the characters were truly on a journey where there was no real practicality in turning back to go somewhere they'd already been. Whether or not FFXIII plays out in much the same way, I'll have to see (and I'm sure by the time I buy the game myself, many of you will have had shared many words on the matter yourselves). All I know is I am prepared to embrace the difficulty I've heard comes in the latter half of the game as FFXII, at least for me, has proven to be much more difficult than any other FF game I've ever played, practically from the very beginning and I've enjoyed it.

On one final note, I cannot wait to hear this track ad nauseum. When I first discovered it was the game's main battle theme, I was more than ecstatic because the first FFXIII trailer I'd ever seen had this song playing in the background and I thought of it merely as a really great trailer track. Thankfully, it wasn't just for the trailer.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift

At least a couple of years ago, I happened upon a little trailer. Obviously, I didn't own even one current-gen console system at the time, so it didn't really matter on which system(s) the game was being released. But, that doesn't mean that the trailer didn't have me intrigued about the game it was trying to sell. This week, one of the mini-quests I'd been on was to possibly hunt down this trailer that I remembered only vaguely and see if it was a PS3 game. At first, without having found the trailer yet, I thought the game was DiRT 2, because all I remembered was a jungle track and DiRT 2 also happens to have a jungle track. I was all gung-ho to have that be a game I picked up along with my PS3. But then, I did find the infamous trailer and now it's MSPR that's on the list.

Actually, it's kind of funny. I had posted a topic on the DiRT 2 forum about whether or not, given my racing game background (Mario Kart series, Diddy Kong Racing, Wave Race 64), DiRT 2 would be a fun game for me. Someone actually recommended this game instead, given its more arcadey nature. It's when I went to look up this game that I found the trailer I remembered and the rest, they say, is history.

I am in love with this game and I don't even own it yet. I am an absolute SUCKER for anything elementally themed (for instance, this week's episode of Project Runway featured a similar theme and let's just say it was a very enjoyable episode). The game's sixteen courses are all located on a single island fictionally located somewhere out in the Pacific Ocean and are categorized into four zones based on their location and terrain: fire, water, earth, and air. The game sold me right there, with that point alone. But then I read about the different vehicle types (which excited the DKR vet in me) and how different vehicles are best suited for not only certain courses, but certain routes along those courses. Yes, you read that right. Certain routes. As in, multiple paths! There's also the fact the vehicles deform the tracks as they race, so on subsequent laps you'll have to deal with tire tracks and such. Vehicles also endure visible damage. Whether or not this damage actually affects the driving capabilities of the vehicle (in MSPR, it doesn't), something which either way might be trivial to some of you by this point, it's completely new either way to me. Same with the deformation effects.

Considering my virtual racing experiences pretty much center around Mario Kart, this game will certainly be a departure from that. But you know what? I'm 24 and I am very drawn to this game, for all the reasons stated above. It might not have powerups or boost pads or smiling racers/scenery, but it's gorgeous and geographically diverse and I can't wait to check it out.

EDIT: While writing this, I learned that there is a boatload of DLC available for this game. That's really exciting because the same thing happened when I bought Wipeout Pure for the PSP. I was able to more than double the amount of content in my copy of the game! I'll be sure to do the same here. Yay for the PSN.

LittleBigPlanet: Game of the Year Edition

Just this past week, I beat the Story Mode of LBP PSP. To say I enjoyed it is an understatement. Sure, I feel the controls were just a wee bit finicky, but I dealt. Every level brought something new to the table, and I really enjoyed changing up Sackboy's get-up along the way (currently, he's got dreadlocks and is wearing a tuxedo suit, jeans, and a rocket strapped to his back. Before that, he had a Layton-esque top hat, a monocle, a zip hoodie, blue faded shorts, and a dinosaur tail.). As a platformer, it really does bring something new to the table a platformer lover like myself had never experienced before.

I downloaded some really awesome user-created levels that really do compare to the ones made by Media Molecule, and I was super impressed at how quick and simple it was to find and download these levels (downloading content wirelessly onto the handheld still evokes a gleeful giggle out of me from time to time). I've tried to create my own level, but I sucked horribly at the whole process. I may give it another shot sometime down the road, but for now, I'll leave it to others to make levels. Anyway, the bottom line is that I love everything else about the game, no question about it.

[Humorous Kit trailer in place of a screenshot (simply because I couldn't find a good screenshot)]

Which is why, now that I'm considering buying a PS3, I've considered getting the original LBP. For me, it'd almost be like a kick*** sequel, rather than the original version that it really is. It'd be really great because my brother would get to join in on the fun during his time home and make his own little Sackperson. Plus, there's all that DLC. Yummy DLC. Perhaps, I'll find level creating a bit easier in this version than on the PSP. I'd be sure to keep you posted on that endeavor. 8)

ModNation Racers

THIS is the game that pushed me over my "life's still worth living without a PS3" threshold. I thought it would be sufficient to get the PSP version of the game, but then I saw footage from the PS3 version and it was alllll over, folks. For someone that grew up with Mario Kart, this is a game that definitely falls into the "MUST OWN" category.

I mean, think about it. If you are someone who's grown up with creatively thematic track designs and colorful karts, an assortment of powerups and strategically located boost pads, not to mention power sliding, what part of "MNR is just like that, only you have the opportunity to create all of that yourself" is difficult to understand? What part of that doesn't make you go, "hell YES please!"? I was sold on the PSP version after watching the very first trailer on Joystiq the day it was released, but no matter which version you're talking about, the degree to which the player can customize each element of the game that is customizable is downright obscene. You can create your own racer, your own kart, and your own track, each with an interface that seems incredibly simple to use (I daresay, from what I've seen, certainly more easily accessible than LBP's level creation system). One can hope that the game will come packed full of truly ingenious courses straight out of the plastic case and that this game will more than deliver. It'd be a real bummer if all this excitement got shot down by poor execution. That said, I haven't heard a single nervous sentiment in all the opinions of Average Joe/Jill beta testers and hands-on articles I've read on gaming sites, so it seems like things are still up and up for ModNation Racers. 8)

Uncharted 2

This choice of mine is an interesting one. I'm really interested in the game's premise: treasure hunters, danger and obstacles around every corner, the whole Indiana Jones-esque thing. But, I haven't really played any other games like this. Action adventure typically isn't my thing (heck, any game with guns usually isn't my thing). But again, there's something about this game that I'm drawn to, like it's begging me to check it out because it knows I'll probably like it, maybe even love it. It's a good thing that the game actually doesn't cost that much these days even though it's not even half a year old yet. It won't be a total bust if it turns out I'm not a fan after all.

My primary worry at this point is whether or not the game's controls are satisfactory. I think the last time I attempted to play an action adventure game of this sort, it was either the original Tomb Raider or Tomb Raider 2 back on the PS1. I was probably attracted to those games for the same reasons I'm attracted to the Uncharted series, but when I went to try the game out for myself, the controls (which I distinctly recall being horrendous) took me right out of the experience. It was frustratingly difficult just to turn around, let alone strafe and shoot while seeing where you're going. How in the heck were so many people able not only to play those games competently, but have fun while doing so? Answer me that because I don't have a clue. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing Tomb Raider; I'm bashing the control scheme for at least the first two games in the series. It was bad. I didn't enjoy it one bit. And I wanted to so bad, again, because the premise had intrigued me (I also liked that Lara had her own training course that took up a whole wing of her mansion. That was cool.). But at any rate, this is my worry at the moment, that I'll at least personally find UC2's control scheme to be unmanageable and I won't be able to enjoy the game as a result.

That said, those of you that own UC2 and have played through it already are probably planning right this instant to leave a comment saying how great the controls are and that I have nothing to be worried about in that respect. I'd have to agree with that. I mean, sure it's quite surprising to me that Naughty Dog, mastermind behind the greatness that is the first three Crash Bandicoot titles and the trio of Jak and Daxter games, went from those instant cl@ssics to creating a brand new modern action adventure franchise, but quite evidently, they knew exactly how to pull it off because Uncharted is not only popular among gamers, but among critics and award-givers as well. I don't know if you've heard, but Uncharted 2 earned five awards at Thursday night's Game Developers' Choice Awards ceremony: Best Writing, Best Technology, Best Visual Arts, Best Audio, and Game of the Year. This is on top of who knows how many other Game of the Year awards and an assortment of nominations and awards in other categories that the game has garnered at other award shows and on various gaming sites since its release. Clearly, the game is good. I just hope that when I pick up a copy, I can wholeheartedly agree.

Other games that I'm currently tracking

Split/Second

Though this game is being published by Disney, one view of the first trailer I clicked on for this game showed me it was anything but nicey nice. There are explosions galore. It looks great and the premise is very interesting, to say the least. Depending on what critics' reviews say, this might go from the Tracking List to the Wish List.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

This is another game I'm definitely going to have to wait and see on. I don't even know, really, which version I'm going to get, as it's being released on practically every platform. As of now, though, it's definitely a toss-up between the PS3 version and the Wii version for me. From what I've read, they're two completely different games - the Wii game was built from the ground up specifically for the Wii, while I believe the PS3 and 360 versions are absolutely identical. The major discerning difference is that the PS3 version has the prince capable of using elementally based powers, whereas the Wii version grants the prince the use of three sand-based powers, the coolest of which (I feel) is the sand sphere. It may come down to which version gets the more favorable reviews (I hope it comes to this, actually, as opposed to...); otherwise, I'm going to have to pick between sand and elements, where both are pretty freakin' sweet in their own right.

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And that, my friends, concludes the largest gaming-related blog post I've ever written here. The end. :)

P.S.: Well crap. Writing this blog has made me so excited about the prospect of owning all these great games, so eager to clear FFXII, that well, maybe I won't be able to wait til I beat FFXII after all. I'm half-tempted to screw the master plan and go out in the rain and get myself a PS3 tomorrow! The only thing is, seriously, what are the chances that Sony will announce a price drop at E3? I believe that with all the campaigning they'll be doing for their new Move technology, they won't be dropping the price of their console. But that's just what I think. At any rate, just talking about these games - like I said - makes me want to own some of them right now. Like, I could totally own LBP and MSPR tomorrow and that wouldn't really deter from my FFXII gaming. Heck, as you already know, I don't really even have the time to play FFXII these days anyway. I've gotta ditch the morning hours before I can start with that. So it boils down to this: am I ready to own a PS3? Am I prepared to own a PS3? Will I be able to handle all this awesome?

I hate to make a new blog post just to drop a link, but I'm doing it here anyway. For all of you who are turning your eyes and wallets away from FFXIII solely because of the whole "extreme linearity" thing, check out the short article behind the link. It might change your perspective.

Short article!

I've got a serious problem. Between all the FFXIII coverage this week and what I've checked out about ModNation Racers, I am more than tempted to buy a PS3. This is BAD. Here I am trying to save money and stuff keeps coming into view that I want to buy. I mean, I think I could really do without FFXIII, especially since I haven't finished FFXII yet (and I am LOVING FFXII), but if I suddenly owned a PS3, that'd be a surefire purchase. I'm glad Modnation Racers is coming out on the PSP because I could technically get it for the handheld instead, but it just doesn't look half as snazzy as its PS3 counterpart, sad to say. So what to do, what to do...

This, on top of the fact that I have so many uncompleted/untouched games in my collection. For instance, I've yet to touch my DS copies of FFIV or Chrono Trigger, or Etrian Odyssey II. I have unbeaten save files on my copies of Soul Bubbles, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, and Henry Hatsworth. Also, I've got my poor FFXII save that I started back in November that got thrown to the wayside when I bought my Wii and played through Super Mario Galaxy through December. Since New Year's, I've been working extra hours in the morning so I haven't had any time to play any video games at all whatsoever since the start of the year.

I guess I feel guilty about having bought games I haven't touched and not having finished games I bought. Those cases seem like a waste of money, even though the games I haven't finished are games I'm really glad I bought. They're fun and enjoyable. Heck, there are games I have beaten that I'd love to go back and play again! But no time, and I digress. It's just bad all around. I truly have never had such terrible backlog before. Is just a simple consequence of being out in the real world and having grown-up responsibilities? I know the days of day-long gaming fests are long over, but from a certain perspective, if video gaming is what I like to do in my spare time and I haven't gotten to play any video games in months, doesn't that mean there's something awfully wrong going on?

It's all because of those added morning hours. I don't actually know how much longer I'll have to work those hours, as it's just a temporary situation, but for as long as I've worked them, they've been a double-edged sword. While the Center has taken quite a hit compliments of the struggling economy, I've still been making somewhat good money, money I should be saving more than spending. The morning hours have provided a nice boost to my usual paycheck. However, these hours have rendered me the possesser of next to no free time. I wake up, go to work, go home for lunch and a short nap, then head back to work, and then it's 8pm and dinnertime. If I was teaching at a high school, I'd be done with work by 3, 4 or 5 at the latest on most days. That's still much better than what I've got going on right now. So it's wierd because I feel like complaining about it, but then I'm thankful for it at the same time. I'm looking forward to when I'll lose those hours for the sake of getting my free time back, but then, I'm not because then I won't be earning as much money. Know what I need? A real teaching job. At a school.

Okay, make of all this what you will, haha. I certainly didn't mean to go off on tangent after tangent like I did, but I think I'll keep it all. It'll be interesting to see what people choose to comment on. :|

Super Mario Galaxy 2. Metroid: Other M. Definite buys, if not on release date.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands. Never have I owned a Prince of Persia game, but I'll be damned if they haven't looked intriguing to me from time to time. This newest one looks particularly awesome. I have the choice to get it for either the DS, the PSP, or the Wii. Clearly, I won't get it for the DS. Not when I have such better options. It's really a toss-up between the PSP and the Wii. I could use more games in either system's collection. It's all a matter of the critics' reviews. But I am excited for this one.

Golden Sun DS. Yes please. Whenever is fine, as long as it's sooner rather than never.

Zelda Wii. Same sentiment as Golden Sun DS. I haven't played a Zelda game since Majora's Mask and the Oracle games.

There's also that ModNation Racers game...for the PSP. I'm intrigued by the level creator, but that said, I've already shown myself that I suck at the LBP level creator. Anyway...the idea is cool so I'm tracking it.

What games are y'all tracking?

Has anyone else seen Advent Children Complete, the Blu-ray version of the FFVII straight-to-DVD sequel?

I ordered a copy of it, alongside a Blu-ray copy of Star Trek, a couple of days after my birthday, when I'd bought the Blu-ray player. It was delivered on Thursday and I watched it Friday, while the snow began to come down (speaking of snow, two feet last Saturday, with up to another 1.5 feet expected tomorrow. OYE.).

Besides how pretty it looked, it was so much better than the original DVD release. It was much more fleshed out, much easier to understand and follow the story. I loved it and I can't wait for my brother to come home for spring break so he can see it - I don't think he's seen the Blu-ray version before. Actually, I just want to see it again, hehe.

But anyway, I'd love to know what those of you who've also seen it thought of it. It's been out for a year, I think, so that's still kinda fresh, right?

So it was my birthday yesterday and I went and splurged on a 32 inch 1080p, 120hz Insignia LCD HDTV, using birthday money I've yet to receive.

All is going relatively well so far with it, in that when I tested out my new BluRay player using DVDs of mine, neither piece of technology disappointed me.

It was when I tested out the TV with FFXII on my PS2 and NSMBW with my Wii that I noticed some very sour effects. Namely, game-ruining lag on both counts and grainy-ness in FFXII. I know it's got something to do with the "native resolution" of older consoles, but there's got to be a very simple or otherwise inexpensive way to remedy these problems, right? I mean, HDTVs have been around for a long time, so surely thousands of people have run into the same issues and solutions have been found, right?

sigh. Let it be known I did not buy the TV just so my games would look better. That'd be a secondary plus. No, I bought it so I'd have a more current TV should I move out of my parents' house within the next few years, instead of the 19" tube TV I've been using since I was in the seventh grade. But the lag is just...disheartening. Right now, the TV is only used for video gaming and watching movies - I've never had access to TV channels on TVs I've owned personally. Bottom line: there's no way I could play anything with lag like that.

I heard there was a cable made by Nintendo that would fix the Wii's issue, but what do I do for everything else? Am I totally unable to play my SNES, N64, PS1, PS2, or Xbox on this new TV?

I throw all this out there in the hopes that perhaps one of you has been in my current situation and has found a way passed it.

EDIT: Is there a way to determine whether your 1080p HDTV can handle a 480p resolution? I wouldn't want to spend the money on Nintendo's cable just to find out it's not going to help me one bit.

Supposing you are at least eighteen years old and have the financial means to do so, would you fly halfway across the country to attend a very good friend's wedding?

I should mention that this friend? Though indeed a very close one that you've known for quite a while, you've never met them in person before.

This is the question I've been mulling over myself for the past two weeks. I really need to come up with an answer ASAP so the poor guy can know whether or not he's got an additional mouth to feed at both receptions (rehearsal and post-wedding).

Extra clarification: He's invited me to stay at his parents' house with him for the duration of my stay and he's also offered to pay me back half the cost of my plane tickets (though I insisted I could definitely handle that myself and he has enough to pay for already). This friend is Andy, a.k.a. Mangoni (my WoW character's stepbrother). It's really odd that I'm experiencing such mental turmoil over this because each time I talk to him on Skype or think about going to AR, I get super excited about getting to meet him in person and being there hanging out with him on his last day as a bachelor and on his actual wedding day. It's like I've mostly made up my mind already, but due to some health and anxiety concerns, I haven't been able to just say yes.

Hence why I pose the scenario to you all. What would you do?

P.S. Before some of you dismiss this as a typical MMO-spawned friendship, though we met through WoW and played very many hours of the game together, our friendship, practically from the start, has always been far more grounded in our real lives. We talk about work, about school, about girls, about the future, about life - moreso now because neither of us is playing the game anymore. He's a better friend than a couple of friends I've known for years, to be completely honest.

So, as you can see, yes, I did survive into the new year. Happy Twenty-Ten, everyone. :)

The two coolest things I did over my brother's winter break (the week before Christmas through last week) were:

1. Jumping back into WoW for the time, getting Jag his Tier 9 gear. Though the month of paid time doesn't end until the 19th, I'm already pretty much done with this little mini-tour. It really was a great idea to jump back in while he was home and I'd be more than likely to entertain the idea during his next extended holiday break. Will I ever jump back in to play as much as I did this time last year? I really, honestly hope not. There is so much more to life than spending countless hours playing a MMO and I know it sounds hypocritical of me to say that when Jag's got over 43 days of existence (read: playing time) under his belt, but that's just how I feel nearly every time I quit the game. I haven't mentioned them here on this site, but I've got significant plans for my life and WoW just about wrecks them all. Besides, if anything, Jag will live on through his story. Andy and I are picking up where we left off. I'm working on my chapter ten, while he's working on his ch9. We both have next to no time to write, as compared to how much available free time we had this time last year, but we're determined and committed. It is so much fun to collaborate with him over Skype, making revisions and brainstorming together for what might come next in either character's story. I have always loved creative writing, but never have I really undergone a project of this magnitude. There are fans and I've got a co-author of sorts who also turns out to be a really great friend. The story can only get better, and even without the game, I can always create new scenarios. The two of us can.
2. I finally saw Star Trek. Loved it. 'Nuff said. Best movie of last year, imo. Not that that means much, since I only saw two new movies last year and that was one of them, lol.
   

Besides that, my brother and I beat NSMBW shortly before the day he had to go back to school. We were on such a roll through the latter half of the game. That seventh world is genius (LOVED the black jelly level); the final level in World 8 was sick.