To start off, for those of you who are uneducated in the way of YuGiOh! Abridged, SSA = Super Special Awesome. :P

Tomorrow night I'll be heading off to Florida with the family to visit my aunt. Who is riding down with us as she came up for for a week or so for the hell of it...that's the only reason I can gather as to why she's up here. :wink:

As for where we're going....I know it's on the east coast of Florida. :lol: I don't know exactly where, but I think it's toward the southern tip of Florida.

We rented a Van, since the one we have right now is one its last tire (hoho, funny joke!). But what will really bore me to death will be the ride there....17-20 hours estimated!!! :cry: Of course we'll take stops, but that is still a ridiculously long ride to get somewhere. I'm hoping since I'll be staying up till we leave, I'll be asleep for a good portion of the time and won't be awake enough to be bored

Of course I'll be taking my laptop with me, my PSP, and my DS (for what I have no clue, Etrian Odyssey I guess :P ). So even if I'm awake I'll have a few hours of entertainment in the palm of my hands. I'll probably be powerleveling in Disgaea or something since...well....it's fun to powerlevel in that game. xD

So I'll be gone for the next week or so...away from my PS3/Wii (though I haven't really touched them in the past few weeks, so that won't really kill me. :wink: ).

If my aunt has an internet connection, then I'll be on at random intervals, if not, then I'll be back in the Monday after next. I hope she does have internet though, so I can play TF2 or WoW when we aren't doing anything. :wink:

Well...you'd probably never guess it, but just now..I got World of Warcraft and the expansion Burning Crusade. :twisted:

What drove me to grab this addictive habit that is condemned by many and loved by even more? I have a 60 day pre-paid card just lying around....it's been sitting there staring at me for a while now. Also, a couple friends have gotten back into it...and were going on about how awesome it is...and I'm one for MMOs (with all the Guild Wars I've played over the past couple of years).

I got 'em on a good deal though, $15 for both thanks to the Gamer's Day sales or whatever at Gamestop. They had the Battlechest for $30 and with the 50% off I got it for even less. XD

So um...just a blog to say, if I'm not around much...you'll know I've become addicted...I hope I don't though. :P At least it's summer time and I'm not taking any classes. :lol:

Grandia 9.0/10

Simply put, this is the most fun I've had with an RPG since Tales of Symphonia. It's a shame most gamers missed this...it really is that great.

Y'know those boss battles in an RPG that just give you goosebumps all over? The ones that make you think, "My god I love this game!"? And just leave a mark on your gaming career as battles you won't ever forget as long as you live? Well, these 10 are those battles to me, as they still make me go, "Wow" when I think about them years later.

I would've had some pics for each, but GS wasn't cooperating. >__>

10. Final Fantasy Tactics - Ramza vs. Zalbag

Late in the game in Tactics, you eventually hunt down the Temple Knights who have been harassing you over the past 2 chapters. But when you finally track down their leader Vormav, he poofs away leaving you to fight your older brother, Zalbag. In the fight it wasn't really Zalbag though, it was his body, but he had been turned into a puppet of Vormavs' so you have to kill him. You don't see too much of Zalbag in Tactics, but from what you do see you know he is a honorable man who just found out the truth a bit too late. Killing him was a hard thing to do, both in game and because it didn't feel right, duh. It is one battle I will not forget though.

9. Legend of Dragoon - Melbu Frahma

Talk about a long final boss battle, but it was still a fun one to go through. You go through numerous different forms with him and all the while you see history passing before your eyes (literally). The ancient leader of the Wingly's, whom you saw die in one of the cutscenes in game, is no pushover. Honestly, I don't remember everything about the fight, I need to replay Dragoon again as it has been years since I beat it, but I do remember how awesome it felt to finally beat Melbu Frahma...very satisfying indeed. :D

8. Final Fantasy IV - Zeromus

Another boss who comes out of freaking nowhere, yeah!!!! Besides the fact Zeromus was just kinda thrown in there at the end of IV for....whatever reason, the battle against him was still teh epicness. The scene that plays out before you fight him is one of the most memorable in an RPG and the Final Fantasy theme playing in the background would give anybody goosebumps all over. Zeromus was a toughy though, Big Bang was a devastating attack that could almost wipe out your entire party and it had poinonous after affects. Though beating him wasn't overly exciting (it was, but since he just came out of nowehere...) but the scene leading up to the fight is what made it so awesome.

7. Xenogears - Final Duel against Ramsus/Kahr

Ok, so you fight Ramsus about 3 other times besides this one throughout the course of the game, but this time he is out for Fei with all of his might. To prove that he is capable of taking Fei's place as the Contact and thus prove his existence to Miang (who regarded him as a failed experiment), Ramsus puts up one hell of a fight towards the end. Really, it was what Ramsus was fighting for that got me so into this fight. He was laying his whole existance on one final battle against Fei.

6. Final Fantasy Tactics - Wiegraf/Velius vs. Ramza

This is definitely a boss battle I won't ever forget....in both difficulty and story advancement, it was epic. Probably the toughest battle in the entire game, it starts off just Ramza and Wiegraf...who can cut your HP by a 1/3rd (most likely) with one hit from Lightning Blade and he has ranged attacks too so you can't run away easily. It takes keen preparation and the right moves to finally beat him..but once you do... You have to fight him in his Lucavi form, Velius who is a ridiculously powerful summoner. But wait..not just him, 3 other Archaic Demons are there with him! For it's shear difficulty this battle was very memorable and frustrating at the same time. :P

5. Final Fantasy IX - Final Battle against Kuja

Well...what can I say, he is my favorite Final Fantasy villain. :P Like Ramsus, Kuja was going to prove his existance by....well, destroying everything in existance. :lol: The BGM that plays during this battle is one thing that got me, I really, really, really like. Kuja overall wasn't too hard of a boss to beat, but after all he put you through during the course of the game, finally beating him was very satisfying. Though...I would have rather the game ended there and not by you fighting Necron. >__>

4. Tales of Symphonia - Final Battle against Mithos

Tingly feeling all over during this one for sure! :P After Martel rejecting him, Mithos goes even more looney than he was before and tries to end all life on your planet by taking away all the Mana! Mithos was one of those villains you sympathized with, but still wanted to kick the crap out of because of what he's put you through. He was a toughy though, he casts spells in about the matter of 2-3 seconds and VERY often. Beating him and seeing the ending to Tales of Symphonia is one of the best moments in my gaming career.

3. Xenogears - Marlute, Harlute, Metatron, Sandalphon/Sundel, and Deus

Okay...these are techinically 5 different boss battles, but they happen all in a row leading up to the final battle against Deus, so they count towards it. :wink: Though you don't have to fight Marlute, Harlute, Metatron, or Sundel, beating them makes fighting Deus A LOT easier. Each one of the four other bosses basically has a specific task to screwing up your gear and boy...do some of them do that well. Really, was these ending battles in Xenoogears just made me love the game more....so epic leading up to mankinds liberation from Deus. I believe I read up somewhere (in Perfect Works probably) Marlute, Harlute, Metatron, and Sundel are the four pillars or guardian angels of God, so it makes sense in that you'd have to fight them before Deus.

2. Tales of Symphonia - Lloyd vs. Kratos

OMG talk about goosebumpage....I love this battle, simply love it. After playing through most of Tales of Symphonia, you come to learn that Kratos is a really tough opponent. Well, facing him with just Lloyd was intimidating to say the least. He attacks hard, fast, and casts spells quickly too. All around Kratos was probably the perfect warrior in ToS. The remix of Kratos' theme that plays during the battle is awesome and makes me want to just save it before that fight and keep replaying it over and over. It is also a very emotional battle because....well, you'll just have to play Tales of Symphonia to find out. :wink:

1. Final Fantasy VII -Final Battle vs. Sephiroth

Okay...this will probably seem terribly cliche and blah compared to other fights on my list, but really who could forget this fight? After playing through VII the first time and eventually making it to this fight, you just think "I really want to kill this bastard and get this over with! FOR AERIS!!" Ok, maybe not the last couple words. :P But it still doesn't change the fact that it has one of the most memorable boss battle themes in gaming and you really feel a sense of accomplishment after you finally clip Sephy's wings..er wing. To sum it up, this is what epic boss battles are about, to me anyway. :wink:

Smash Bros. Brawl

Well, did a review for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, oh noes?!

Overall I liked it as much as the others, but I don't feel it was deserving of such high praise. Sub Space Emissary alone brought down the score for me...honestly, one of the most annoying story modes I've ever played.

I haven't done a "Favorites" blog in a long time (basically since my 10 Underappreciated RPGs blog from...forever ago :lol: ). And since Michelle (Mangaminx) did this blog, I figured I'd do one too, just updated. :wink:

10. Fooly Cooly

Hell, it may only be 6 episodes long, but Fooly Cooly was very memorable (mostly for making almost no sense whatsoever and still being funny at the same time :P ). FLCL is about a young boy name Naota or Ta-kun or the other names people call him. Anyway, one day he is going on and on about how average and normal his life is, when he is run over by a woman named Haruko on her Vespa motorcycle...thing. After that all hell breaks lose...robots start coming out of Naota's head and even more kooky characters show themselves. Not to mention it has an awesome soundtrack. :wink:

9. Dragonball Z

Now I know what you're probably thinking...DBZ is "teh sux", why does he like it? Well, mainly because if it weren't for DBZ, I wouldn't have gotten into anime. I first saw DBZ on Toonami on Cartoon Network all those years ago, it was the Saiyan Saga (my personal favorite as I have it on DVD) and after that I watched the whole series and wanted to watch more anime. Not to mention those epic stare downs and grunting/screaming contests they'd always have. :P

8. Inuyasha

A few years ago, this would've been higher on my list, but the ending sucked...bad. The first 3 seasons I fell in love with. Inuyasha, a half demon boy who ends up being awoken by his reincarnated lost love. The characters are some of the most memorable I've ever seen, Miroku the lecherous monk, Sango the beautiful demon slayer, Shippo...the utterly annoying/pointless character ( :P ) , and Naraku, one of the most evil villains I've ever seen. But, past Season 3...the series went downhill and led to an utterly pointless ending that felt like one giant kick to my manly parts that wouldn't go away for weeks.

7. Ranma 1/2

I've only just gotten this anime on DVD (well the first 2 seasons anyway), but I already love it. It's a comedy/kung fu action anime, where Ranma and his Father are under a curse, which they obtained in a training exercise in China. Whenver hit with cold water, Ranma turns into a girl and his dad turns into a giant Panda. The only way for them to be turned back into their original forms, are by being hit with hot water. As you can imagine, this leads to some hilarious senarios. Ranma is betrothed to the daughter of a martial arts school, so he ends up trying to lead a normal life...but they don't exactly like each other at first. Really it's just a light hearted funny anime, which is a nice change from the ones I typically watch. :wink:

6. Chrono Crusade

No, despite this anime having "Chrono" in the title and having a character named "Chrono" there is no relation to the video games. :P This anime is about a girl named Rosette Christopher, who is a part of the Magdalene Order who persecutes demons, in 1920's New York. :? Seemed odd to me at first too, and her partner being Chrono a demon also felt rather confusing at first. But, this was one anime that as soon as I started watching it...I couldn't stop. In a 24 hour period, I watched all 26 episodes, I was addicted. :P

5. Tenchi Muyo!

Tenchi was another anime I first saw on Toonami years ago. It was hilarious, yet serious and also had a main character whom almost any guy would be envious of. :wink: Basically Tenchi is your average high school student...who ends up living with 6 beautiful alien girls/demons/galaxy police officer/mad scientists. After he meets them his life does a 180 and he ends up fighting off numerous villains and unlocking the secrets of his familes past. My overall favorite of the 3 seasons I saw was the original one, Tench Muyo! Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo were okay...but they kinda lacked the charm of the first.

4. Fullmetal Panic!/FMP Fumoffu

FMP was another one of the giant mecha animes that featured a young boy pilot named Souske Sagara (serious military upbringing which causes him to not exactly fit in with normal everybody life) and a high school beauty named Kaname Chidori. Kaname, of course, has some sort of special hidden power, of "The Whispered" which allows her to tap into "Black Technology". And from there the original anime takes off. Fumoffu is a side story to the original, which mainly focuses on Souske and Kaname's interactions at school. But it is one of the funniest side stories I've ever seen. The situations they get in are clever, witty, and fit in with each characters personalities. I kinda wish they'd make another Fumoffu series of FMP. :(

3. Fullmetal Alchemist

Okay, chances are if you've even been remotely connected to anime in the past few years, you know about FMA. It's about Ed and Alphonse Elric, who in their grief, decide to try and bring back their dead mother. Well...it fails, causing them to lose almost everything they hold dear. The story, when I first watched it, was confusing as hell at parts, but that is one of the things I loved about FMA. The deep and thought provoking story that makes you question how you live. Really, it's hard for me to put many anime above FMA, but there are at least 2. :wink:

2. Samurai X/Rurouni Kenshin

If you know me, you know I like Kenshin. :P I liked the anime, Rurouni Kenshin, a lot. But what really seals the deal for this series to me, was the OVAs. The OVAs, titled "Trust & Betrayal" and "Reflections" are some of the best animated movies/anything I've ever seen. Trust and Betrayal holds a specific place in my heart, due to getting to know Kenshin more and seeing what he went through before the main anime. If you've seen the anime, you know Kenshin has a vow to never kill another human being ever again. This perplexed most people, most likely, as it is never revealed as to why he made that vow. If you watch Trust and Betrayal...you'll see why he chose to do that. Kenshin, as a character, holds special meaning to me...as I feel he and I are a lot a like.

1. Neon Genesis: Evangelion

Evangelion....where to start? :P Well, this is THE most mind f**** crazy anime I've ever seen...if the series wasn't crazy enough, "The End of Evangelion" still has me going...WTF?! :lol: But that is part of why I love it! If a story has me confused or critically thinking about it, that means I really enjoy it. And boy did Eva do that for me. Not to mention having a weak and utterly cowardly main character, Shinji Ikari, which I feel is a lot like me. In the anime, at first it seems simple, destroy the Angels who are trying to get to Adam and cause 3rd Impace, which would wipe out the human race. But, around halfway through the series, twists and turns start to take place, causing not only Shinji, but the other main characters to start to question why they're fighting these beings called "Angels". And yes, there is a major Christian theme that goes on in this anime, Christianity is what this story feeds off of. Overall Eva just wowed me and willa always hold it's place as my No. 1 anime.

There they are! Question, flame, discuss, eat some meat so you can have your pudding! :P

Edit: Wow do I feel dumb. :oops: I forgot The Slayers!!! :shock: It would be in this list somewhere!!! I didn't forget about Lina!! :P

A cookie for those who know what movie that quote is from. :P

I guess this is just a quick blog to say that I am feeling much better from a week ago. The problem hasn't sorted itselft out yet, but it will and I'll just have to accept the punishment I recieve (which will most likely be a fine that I'll have to pay). In order to pay off the fine and everything else, I am forced to get a 2nd job. So, depending on how the hours work at whatever job I get, my game time will most likely drop. But it will allow me to pay off all the debt I'll be in faster, so it will be worth it.

I just want to say thanks again (really I couldn't say thanks enough) to Celes, Maz, Reno, and Jake for listening to me in my uber depressed state and giving me motivational advice. And thanks to all who sent me messages (since there were so many of you I can't recall all of them by name :P ) to tell me to hang in there and chin up.

As for what time I have devoted to gaming here as of recently. I've been powerleveling in FFVI, alot. My characters are still only in the 40 range and that isn't good enough to climb that dang maniac's tower. Right now I'm in the Ancient Castle, powerleveling and getting some characters to learn Meteor before I change Odin into Raiden. *sigh* Hooray for powerleveing! *sarcasm* :P

PS - I AM THE TRUE KIRBY, CELES! :twisted:

Lately here I've been more depressed than I usually am (or at least I feel I'm always depressed). This is most likely due to a lot of things....I'm really losing sight of why I'm bothering to go to college. I have almost no will to go to class anymore...or get up and go to work. I just feel like I'm losing the will to do anything anymore...even play a game. I just find myself not caring anymore...and wondering if I'll find the ability to care again.

This past week an accident occured that could cost me more than just a grade or some time to myself. I don't really want to go into here on GS...as anybody could just waltz up and read it. But, lets just say it made me realize what an utter fool I am and how I haven't grown up hardly. You know how I have in my "About Me" section I have I'm like Shinji Ikari? (main character from Evangelion) Well...this incident proved I'm almost him to the letter... I wanted to ignore it and then maybe it wouldn't have happened and I could move on and nothing would come back to bite me in the butt. But, that childish dream quickly faded and now I am probably in the biggest heap of trouble I've ever been in. I try to hide away in my own little corner of the world and just don't want to interact with people...but I can't do that. This is just one thing I hate that I can't get over...and don't know if I ever will. I feel it's just a part of me that won't go away..and unless I get over this...or do something..I don't think I can move on with my life.

I probably hate myself more now than I ever have before...and I really just don't know what to do. I guess I just felt like I had to write/type/whatever this somewhere to get it off my chest.

To all who actually bother to this...thanks in advance...this was just a way to vent on myself really...I'm just too weak to get over some things...and they're starting to cost me.

Edit: Just a special thanks to Jake, Celes, Reno, and Maz (you should write a book on this subject or something, sir :wink: ) for the help last night on MSN. The conversations really did help me and knowing there are others who care (despite it feeling kinda odd at first :P ) is refreshing.

After beating Crisis Core last night, I couldn't wait to write a review for it. :P

Overall it was great fan service, though on its own, I don't every RPG would enjoy it. Heck, I love VII to death, but there were too many things wrong with this game for me to forgive it.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII 8.0/10

Okay, that may be taking it a bit too far. :P

But...*sigh* I got tagged...by IpodHero176 (Dan), thank you Dan...truly. :evil: :wink:

1. Before I was born the doctor told my parents I was going to be a girl. >_> Turned out they were wrong. :lol: Didn't stop my parents from spelling my name with a "K" instead of a "Ch" for Kris. :lol:

2. I played soccer, football for the Europeans/rest of the world :P , for 8 years and have numerous trophies for competitions and tournaments I was in. Same with Golf, I've played golf for about 6-7 years and have a few trophies from tournaments I've been in.

3. I've never played a Super Mario game (unless you count Super Paper Mario, but that isn't one of the installments in the main line of Mario games).

4. I've always been underweight for my age. Right now I weight around 120-130 and the average weight for a 19 year old male at my height (5'11") in the US is between 155-160lbs. My sister weighs about half what I do and she is only 11. O.o

5. When I was younger, I'd always somehow time it so I walked into my parent's room when my dad got out of the shower and saw him....well....you can guess. :wink:

And I'm not going to tag anybody at the hopes of these blogs ending!! These are the only blogs I've seen the past half week! :lol: