its been a while since i bought a new console to play with. My last console was handheld and it was GameBoy Advance SP. I bought it for Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, i am a huge FFT junkie so i played through it and it was nice.

I have been an avid gamer since i was 5 years old. My very 1st console was a Nintendo Family Computer (as it was called here in Asia Pacific Region) twas the counterpart of NES in the NA region, and obviously my 1st game was... yes, Super Mario Bros 1. The 1st time I finished it i was already 7 lol! But throughout my childhood my dad bought me some of the NES classics such as Contra but the original japanese version (same banana but the packaging is different and the language is in japanese), Adventure Island from HudsonSoft, Exerion, Galaga, Namco Star Wars Japanese (but in the packaging it was spelled as "NAMCOT"). Mario's Wrecking Crew (this game is badass!) Battle City, Double Dragon II and some other bootleg games (all that i mentioned are originals from Japan except the bootleg games from China). Cartridge at that time is expensive here in the Philippines and not all like myself, have the opportunity to own original games, moreso a gaming console.

My second console came in the form of Sony Playstation in 1998. If you can see the gap of the console i had was very wide. As i've stated before, not all people here in the Philippines can afford gaming consoles as they are very expensive. Only those rich kids can have the SuperNES, Genesis, 3DO, Jaguar, GameGear, Sega Saturn etc., but to compensate for my love of gaming i would go to video game console rentals. Two hours of rental would cost you $1 for playing Genesis and SNES, but if you are feeling generous and have the money to splurge you may rent a Saturn for $1.50 an hour. If you want to play with a friend, like, two players, there is an additional charge so your pocket would wound up to $2 a pop per hour, and this is 1996-1997.

Rentals for the Playstation also were a hit here in our country as plenty of kids would line up and wait for their turn to play Twisted Metal, Rival Schools, X-Men vs. SF, X-Men Children of the Atom, WWF Warzone, Metal Slug, NBA Live 98 and much more. My friends and I would spend our weekends at the rentals and my mom saw this so she opted bring me along to the mall and she decided she would give my brother a brand spankin new Playstation, because it was my brother's birthday at that time and she knew nothing about it so she needed "professional" help from me :P. Then it was the time that i would play Final Fantasy VII and VIII also Tactics, Knockout Kings, Grand Theft Auto 2, Crash Bandicoot 3, WWF Attitude, NBA Live 99, Metal Gear Solid and others.

Then Millenia went by and i was on my was to college and it was time for the Playstation 2 to arrive and i wouldnt be getting PS2 6 years after its release. PS2 was one SUPER EXPENSIVE piece of machine that ever graced the Philippine soil. I remember that the PS2 would hit 25,000 Philippine Pesos though i think Gamespot written in an article that the launch price would be $299 and the exchange rate at that time was 44 pesos for a dollar which will be around almost 14,000 if im not mistaken. Anyway back to the topic, i dont have taht kind of money and my family was struggling to get me through college as both my parents were laid off at work. Come graduation day, i was looking for work and while walking to my job interview i told myself that no matter what happens i need to have a Playstation 2! I need to play Metal Gear Solid 2! Then 2006 i had my own PS2 at last, but the 7th generation machines are already, once again, out in the open and i felt much more pity to myself why do i have to be poor.

Years passed and after a long and gruelling work i had, i decided to call it quits to my current work and apply to a new company and luckily i got hired here in 2005 and still, i am working here today. In this company the pay was good, the work is great, so i was able to do side jobs to earn extra for my gaming hobby. But as we all know 7th generation consoles are kinda steep priced at that time so it wasnt until 2009 i had my 1st 7th gen console, the Nintendo Wii finally! It was the cheapest of the three though i would really like to have a Playstation 3, but for my eternal love for One Piece i bought the Wii just for it.

This year i had a lucky break that earned me some hefty cash to spend on something, after some research and questioning the time of reckoning had arrived, i bought myself an Xbox 360. I am really happy with my purchase, though i cant play MGS4, i just told to myself, well you cant have everything! So as of this moment i am savoring the games that rocked the gaming world and i am glad i was able to be a part of the 7th generation gamers!

This is the 1st time i was able to share this to fellow gamers as no one could better understand what ive been through except all of you guys. Life in our country can be harsh, gaming is considered as luxury and unimportant part of the society, unlike Korea, Japan and America wherein the govenment even supports the gaming community. Survival 1st before anything else, well i understand that clearly that is why i am always delayed for years in buying consoles. But i believe one day i can be a part of those people who can own their gaming consoles on the year they are released!

My very 1st official blog post in my life, till then---BRB!

CURRENTLY PLAYING: Mass Effect 1 and Battlefield 3 Open Beta (October 4, 2011)