...to say that I enjoy Majora's Mask more then Ocarina of Time? OoT is okay, but, like I've said before, any game with a healthy amount of contrast in a series is one that I enjoy (i.e. Link's Awakening, Super Mario World. 2 etc. etc.). I bought it on the virtual console, and the only thing I don't like is the fact that too many models and textures were reused and modified for the second game. I do think the premise is much more clevar and dark then the first game. It's much more like a Fairy Tail then the last, and you don't have to listen to Na'vi saying 'HEY!'

Word is going around that the next Zelda will be very different. I hope that includes art st1le because I so very wish to see something aesthetically different. After this next Zelda, I think I'll be burnt out on the series altogether. I'd like to see some new IPs or old IPs resurrected (Sin and Punishment 2, Monster Hunter Tri) but, you've heard me say that already.

I finished my Oscar Wilde essay. I think it's pure WIN, but I won't post it until after I get accepted. :)

So, to get a specific scholarship at a school I'm going to, I have to answer these two questions:

1. In his preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray (1891), Oscar Wilde claimed that "All art is useless." Assess the validity of that view.

2. Explain the role the United States has regarding the expansion or elimination of nuclear power.

So, considering the fact that I have really bad writer's block (I always get it this time of year), I think a little discussion might get the gears moving. What are your thoughts on these questions? I'm using lifeline number one.

Oh, and as a reward for checking out my post, watch this. Full CGI. I'm serious. Don't cheat yourself. Watch it in full screen.

I believe in supply and demand, and when there is not enough supply, price goes up; therefore demand goes down. This dude demands a price cut, because $126 for a used copy of Stronghold for Mac is a rip-off.

So, the backstory here is that reading reviews for Age of Empires two has brought back the inner RTS junkie. Yes, I do consider AoE2 to be the greatest RTS of all time, with Starcraft following closely behind.

Now, I remember seeing a copy of Stronghold in an Apple story back in '03, so I thought I'd try to get my dirty grubby hands on a copy now. Unfortunately, due to the fact that copies of the game are scarce, I have to resort to the backstreets of this town. Do some dealin', gamblin', and throw a couple of guys in the trunk. Time to get out the ole' club.

I plan on buying a new copy of Age of Empires: Gold Edition for mac when I buy a computer later this month. I'm very...enraptured.

peace,

-nick

I've always been a fan of Animata Designs. Samorost II holds a special place in my heart--and that is the greatest point n' click of the decade (and certainly a contender for best in the decades before it). Recently, they released a game called machinarium. It certainly tops their previous game in many ways. Not only that, but the puzzles really make you think! A brilliant game, and I plan on chucking out $20 as soon as I possibly can. What a fascinating game.

I've set up the internet for the Wii. It wasn't too hard, but I plan on acquiring a couple friend codes so I can play Metroid Prime multiplayer. So, for anyone who ownes the game, shoot me an email and I'll consider replying.

I'm about to get my Eagle Scout Merit Badge (Boy Scouts of America etc. etc.). I'm less then a month to the deadline, but I've almost finished my eagle project. Hopefully I'll be in the clear before my birthday on the thirty-first. Having it will guaruntee most of my future career options.

Finally, I reached the Phendrana Drifts in Metroid Prime. Though after getting the morph ball boost (and subsequently seeing Ridley fly over the 'hub' section of the mountains, I'm at a loss as to what to do. Do I stay and explore, or do I try to follow Ridley through a highly convoluted and probably unnecessary path through Magmoor Caverns back to Tallon IV?

peace,

-nick

I finished the second boss on the first game, which isn't much more than 00% through the game (or so it tells me). Those wasps were quite a hassal to kill.

Despite the tedium of that second boss, I find the game quite fun, though I just realized that it's compatible with my stray Wii Motion Plus. I think that might solve some of my control issues--I often found that the Wiimote would slide down too low and I'd have to waggle it around until I got the sensor's attention.

Sigh, the game is very pretty, considering it's generation. There are plenty of blurred textures to go around, but the shadowmapping and HUD really make the environment feel alien and unbreathable (in the sense that it's alien, not that it's closed in).

overall, I enjoy the game, and it sits tight between an 8.5 and a 9 for me. While the entrance was a good flash and bang, I really won't give an absolute score until I finish, but you can expect a very detailed and long review from me.

peace,

-nick

I bought Muramasa on Christmas Eve--and though I haven't finished it, I wrote a review like I did. It was because I felt like writing and I needed something to write about.

Merry Christmas!

-nick

So, I wrote a review for The World Ends With You--and if I have you cheering by the end of it, I think I may have done my job.

I also put the last nail in the box for Phantom Hourglass by rewriting my review. Most of it is just reiterating what I've said before--please give me a couple of thumbs up though. I know I spent a long time writing it and I feel some may benefit from it.

peace,

-nick

"Why is No Russian moment in here, lol. MW2's ending was damn great. It was movie-like. I won't forget that ending in years.
Dead Space Extraction's is like just one second, and you're like, oh how funny, and done, not even close to memorable. If memorable, memorable second, not moment."

What?

I don't mean to be rude, but communication is very important on a site like this.

peace,

-nick

Last night, I went to pick up my little sister from her ballet practice. I was pretty tense, and anyone watching would've known it. My attention was actually focused on the trunk light of the car. Every so often, I would hit a bump and it would go *blink*.

*blink*

Several times, I could've sworn I saw a long and slender man sitting in the back seat several times. Every time that light blinked, everything in my mind stopped and tried to spot the outline of such a slender man.

*blink*

*blink*

My heart nearly stopped that time. Sweat dripped from a good number of pores around my face and armpits. I felt a bit sticky, but not uncomfortable. I think it was the heat. The heat. The car was too hot. I needed to turn on some music to calm my nerves--(Phonograph's OKNO for the record). This Marble Hornets thing was getting to me. We all know its fake right?

right?

20 Entries and I'm sucked into this incredibly well made thriller series. I feel that it is more well thought out than any of the horror/thriller movies we see nowadays. These guys (aparently from the SomethingAwful forums) really know how to create buzzzzzzz.

Watch Marble Hornets. (start on the introduction).

Also, don't forget to check out totheark's response videos. They often contain missing parts of the tape.

peace,

-nick

The South is known for it's kind and bizarre discriminatory practices and eccentricities (thank you O' Brother Where Art Thou). Every region has their own eccentricities (especially Japan).

This Christmas, my family has decided to get a Wii; and despite what anyone has to say, I will enjoy the system. Though, I was worried enough about what games we bought (I'm a stickler for quality nowadays). I went through and made a list of all the games we could buy because a list of the don'ts would be larger than a whale (a whale is really big, by the way). After a couple of searches, a couple of run-ins with Vii knockoff games, and some very bizarre titles, I've finished a list that will make you gape in amazement.

Disclaimer: For the sake of keeping the good humor of the blog, please leave your distastes or 'fanboyism' at the door please.

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Honorable Mention: No More Heroes:

No More Heroes is probably the most highly regarded cult ****c of the day (and I say cult ****c because, if it isn't, it will be). I place this on the list to make a point: I'm choosing these games based on their weirdness and obvious possible crap-value. No More Heroes is a weird game, but a very good one too. (or so I hear).

Honorable Mention: Jeep Thrills:

I ran into this one at the bargain bin. Madworld was in the bin, so I imagined there might be a couple of other gems at the bottom. When I saw the cover for Jeep Thrills, I just as easily imagined the name to be 'Cheep Thrills'. The game isn't weird, but it certainly has obvious crap value that many games don't even get close to achieving.

This is blog is a celebration of the games we choose NOT to play.
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10. Spray

Two alter egos float around your head spitting juice and slime at your enemies in this medieval inspired game. If you could imagine with me for a second, the suggestive nature of the idea. When I say suggestive though, I'm suggesting more that the game is suggesting that the main character may have Dissociative identity disorder. Certainly, LSD would take DID to another level of weird that only such addicts could comprehend. You all remember Tommy?


9. Defendin' dePenguin

This may only be strange to me because I had a close friend who had a love/hate relationship with penguins. The game is obviously comparable to the online flash phenomenon, Bloons Tower Defense. You see, my friend would continuously point out how great it would be to own a pet penguin. You'd be able to hit the penguin and it would just go, "shweeeaaahh." That's what he said. He was weird. He would like this game; therefore, this game is weird. Logic pawns.

8. Jelly Belly: Ballistic Beans

I don't understand, in any possible way, how you make a videogame about Jelly Bellies. There is no way in heaven, hell, the present, past, or future. Apparently, someone found a way; the way no one else, but a possible genius could find. Once I discovered that the game was pinball, well, I decided to take my title back. I need it more than the poor unfortunate soul that had to make this game. It's just so weird.

7. Alien Monster Bowling League

Any of you guys read 'My Life is Average'? Here is a good one I found:

"I used to doubt all the stories I read on MLIA about people in weird costumes in normal situations. Today, I was walking home from school, and I saw a small crowd on a street corner, protesting abuse against women. One had a sign that read "I am a woman with feelings. I am not a piece of meat." Standing next to her was someone dressed as bacon, holding a sign that said "I am." I laughed so hard, I couldn't breathe. MLIA"

Now, I could choose to bowl as an alien in an alien league, but what's the fun in that? Wii bowling isn't as good of an idea as Wii golf, nor is it all that fun. Why would I waste my time pretending to be a virtual alien when I could just put together a costume and go to the bowling alley? I could imagine the MLIA entries now:

"I used to doubt all the stories I read on MLIA about people in weird costumes in normal situations. Today, I was at the bowling alley, and I saw a small crowd on a street corner, protesting abuse against illegal aliens. One had a sign that read "I am a human with feelings. I am not an alien." Standing next to her was someone dressed as a space alien, holding a sign that said, "I am." I laughed so hard, I couldn't breathe. MLIA"

Okay, not as funny, but you get the picture.

6. Wii Chickens wtf?

Never before have I ever seen so many chicken games in my life. I live in the South; we get enough chickens. I couldn't imagine any loser paying even $10 bucks for the equivalent of an update for a free 5 year old videogame. Chickens as food may be a norm

5. Coldstone: Scoop It Up

It's Coldstone... the videogame.

4. Smiley World: Island Challenge

Probably one of the most overused words in any title of a videogame is challenge. It's almost as if the designers of the game wanted you to think that the game was challenging. If you look at the top though (those squiggly letters that form Smiley World), you feel as though the title may be a logical contradiction. I don't know about you, but when I look at this game, I think, "The Not Challenge: Challenge." What do you do though? There is no clear idea as to the gameplay, or even the story of the game.

3. Where's Waldo? The Fantastic Journey

I remember getting all the Where's Waldo books from the library. I would get them in stacks of 5 or 6, often times renting the same book two weeks in a row because I hadn't finished finding Waldo in the last scene.

Recently, when I went to pick up a couple of Christmas presents from EB games in the mall, I saw this game on the shelf. 3 guys were actually having a conversation about how that would work on the Wii. They left it as a conversation because no self respecting guy wants to own a kid's game with a title that screams 'INNUENDO!'. Even looking at the title of the old books makes me shudder. I still go back to the books from time to time, but a Wii version?

2. Sukeban Shachou Rena Wii

The Japanese are weird. But, since I've already established that, I feel that only a video may suffice to explain this game to you. While many of the past games may have been chosen simply for their crap value, this one is chosen purely for it's weird value.

1. Muscle March

As if life wasn't already weird enough, the Japanese decided to weird up the scene, yet again. I could see the CEOs and designers discussing the game right now:

"Hey, we need a weird game. Those crazy Japanese people like em'"

"what do you suggest?"

"Pole Dancing..."

"...no, that's way too suggestive for the Wii (and by suggestive, I mean sexual)"

"Why don't we find a way to make a game about muscle builders."

"That might just be weird enough to work! But it's not weird enough! We need... a POLAR BEAR!"

"MOAR!"

"YES SIR THAT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA"


I hope you've all enjoyed my foray into the world of weird. I realize that I may have corrupted some young soul with the ability to judge the games before playing them, but sometimes, games are too weird to be worth the price of paying for them. While a weird game is normally an original one, too much originality normally means allot of ideas implemented for the sake of being different and/or some buggy gameplay.

Goodnight, and to everyone in the US, Europe, South America and everywhere else, Merry Christmas!

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peace,
-nick