Hello everyone!

Today was my 20th birthday! :D

It was a really good day! Although it did start out a bit rocky...here goes:

First thing I did (after waking up, showering and stuff) I headed over to the Secretary of State (blah) to get my new license plate/sticker which put me back $68! :( Then, I decided to head on over to Belle Tire because my front passenger tire was leaking air. Well, when I get there, turns out that my front breaks need to be replaced - the pads and roters (whatever the hell those are.) And that it would cost ~$300. Well, I don't have $300 to spend! So I just got my tire fixed ($10) and went on my way. Kind of a disappointing morning, to say the least. After that I headed to the library and picked up about 5 or 6 CDs that I had on hold.

At about 1:00pm, my wonderfully awesome friend sweet_ride came over! We hung out for a little bit and she gave me my present! She got me volumes 6 and 7 of Death Note! I am so excited! I think I will read them tomorrow, can't wait! Then we headed over to Ichiban - a Japanese restaurant. It was really fun! They cook right in front of you on your table. It was really yummy! Then we came back home and hung out for a little bit, watched some anime, and then went to the library again (I had 2 more CDs to pick up) and then we got ice-cream. Then she had to go home. :(

Afterwards, I went to go pick up my sister from her work. On the way, I stopped at my Starbucks to pick up my tips. Everyone there wished me a happy birthday! (They're so nice!)

Then my sister and I went to her house to celebrate my birthday with the fam. After eating burgers and hotdogs on the grill, I opened my presents and had birthday cake!

I got: The OST to Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles (yea, the one I reviewed earlier....was a download... oops. :oops: ), the Limited Edition OST to Final Fantasy XII (although...it was on backorder so I didn't actually receive it tonight. :( I CAN'T WAIT TO ACTUALLY HOLD IT IN MY HANDS THOUGH!!!!!!!!!! :P), Final Fantasy IV Piano Collections (I have all the Piano Collections now!), Pokemon Diamond (I got this earlier this week from my dad), and The Prince of Persia: Warrior Within!

All in all - a really good birthday!

I want to thank everyone from SEE for the kind birthday wishes! You guys are so nice! :)

This weekend I just plan to relax and play some videogames! I have all of Saturday off and Sunday I don't work until 6:45pm!

Talk to you all later!

- Celes

Title: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack

Composer: Kumi Tanioka

Discs: 2

Tracks: 52

Length: 140:29

Released: August 20, 2003 on Pony Canyon label

If you're a fan of the series, you probably noticed how different Crystal Chronicles is from the rest of the games. This even boils down to its music. Since a big chunk of the compositions for the main games were done by Nobuo Uematsu, having someone else do the soundtrack would be blasphemy. However, change isn't always a bad thing and this soundtrack is no exception.

Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack definitely has a different feel than any other Final Fantasy soundtrack. You can hear celtic, baroque and even medieval influences in Tanioka's work, featuring instruments such as kazoos, hurdy-gurdies, pan flutes, recorders, strings, lutes, and baroque guitars.

The first disc has the music that is heard the most throughout the game, giving it a very nostalgic. The second disc is shorter and has mostly different versions of the songs already heard on the first disc. This would be a good thing, except the variations are inferior to their originals which causes the first disc to overshadow the second.

For the most part, Crystal Chronicles's music is very happy and relaxing. It serves as excellent background music, whether you're resting at the beach or sitting at home reading a book.

The Final Word

I have definitely gotten a lot of enjoyment out of this soundtrack and recommend it to anyone that likes good atmospheric music Although the game itself didn't garnish a whole lot of attention from fans of the series, I believe the soundtrack to be on par with the rest of the series's OSTs.

Don't Miss:

Disc 1

Track 4 - Today Arrives, Becoming Tomorrow

Track 5 - The First Town

Track 8 - Moving Clouds on the River's Surface

Track 9 - Twilight in Dreamland

Track 18 - Amidatti and Eleonor Too

Track 19 - Promised Grace

Disc 2

Track 1 - Endless Sky

Track 3 - My Den

Track 4 - Overlooking the Great Ocean

Track 11 - The Time of Many Smiling Faces

Post-Mortem

Purchased on launch day on October 31st of 2006, I didn't beat this game until recently - July 31st, 2007. Exactly 9 months after purchase. Clocked in at 107 hours, 08 minutes. (However, this is not the exact time as the game does not allow you to save once you beat the final boss.)

Final Stats:

Characters

- Vaan:
LV: 52
Weapon: Save the Queen
Armour: Dragon Mail
Helm: Black Mask
Accessory: None

- Balthier:
LV: 52
Weapon: Fomalhaut with Onion Shots/Wyrmfire Shots/Dark Shots
Armour: Dragon Mail
Helm: Black Mask
Accessory: Golden Amulet

- Fran:
LV: 53
Weapon: Perseus Bow with Lightning Arrows
Helm: Black Mask
Armour: Dragon Mail
Accessory: Golden Amulet

- Basch:
LV:53
Weapon: Deathbringer holding an Aegis Shield
Helm: Black Mask
Armour: Dragon Mail
Accessory: None

- Ashe:
LV: 53
Weapon: Deathbringer holding an Aegis Shield
Helm: Black Mask
Armour: Dragon Mail
Accessory: None

- Penelo:
LV: 53
Weapon: Save the Queen
Helm: Black Mask
Armour: Dragon Mail
Accessory: None

License Board
Complete - all characters.

Espers Obtained - 8/13
Belias, Zalera, Adrammelech, Famfrit, Exodus, Shemhazai, Hashmal, and Mateus.

Clan Centurio

Hunts Completed: 34/45

Clank Rank reached: Knight of the Round (at 1,963,413 points).

Sky Pirate's Den
Balthier, Fran, Migelo, Basch, Montblanc, Gurdy, Trickster, Chocobo, Vayne, Penelo, Ashe, and Reks.

Last thoughts:
Final Fantasy XII is one of those games that I thought very differently of at first. When I read of the changes Square was making to the battle system, I was upset. Then I heard of Nobuo Uematsu's leave - I was even more upset. I had almost lost complete faith in my favourite series. But after playing the demo which was packaged with Dragon Quest VIII - my uneasiness with the battle system ceased. After my first playthrough and hearing the music from the opening movie, I thought that maybe Hitoshi Sakimoto wasn't so bad after all.

Fast forward nine months later I have finished the game, deemed it on par with Final Fantasy VI (my favourite game of all time), and own the soundtrack (not to mention, listen to it constantly.) Today, I bought the special edition guide (cover: Penelo) and plan on finishing up everything I've missed.

Final Fantasy XII has allowed me to once again believe in the Final Fantasy series after I was left so disappointed with Final Fantasy X. This is definitely going to be a game that I will always remember and play through more than once. I believe this to definitely be one of the best (if not the best) games in the series.

Celes RECOMMENDS this game.

More on Final Fantasy XII and the Final Fantasy Universe

- Final Fantasy XII
- Buy this game!
- Reviews for Final Fantasy XII (Average scores)
- Final Fantasy

Now Playing - What's Ahead

- Finish up sidequests in Final Fantasy XII
- Start Chrono Trigger (SNES version)

- The End: Bittersweet

Hello everyone!

Notice something different? Hee hee :)

Well, I've been wanting to do this for a long time now! And after talking to some people (thank you langrisser2005 for all your help), and asking questions here and there about the HTML I've finally got a little something done!

Behold - the new profile! :P

Here are the details:

- New banner: I am planning (keyword is planning here) on changing this every so often depending on what game I am most immersed or inspired by. Obviously right now that would be Final Fantasy XII!
In the beginning of my banner-making process, I actually had a total different idea in my head - different images and everything. When it was all set and done (and loaded onto GS) I had forgotten about the tabs at the top and the image was ruined since most of it was covered by the tabs. :( So I started all over again and came up with that. :)

- The new headers: There are three of them - "What's New", "Features", and "A Day in the Life" (aka - blog). The "What's New" section is, well, just that! The latest update! For right now - it's all the images I just uploaded onto GS.
Under "Features" you will find anything else of importance. Right now the only link that works is the one that leads to the SEE Expresso Comic Strips that I've done. I really do intend to do more. And I've actually got an idea in mind for the next one, but I still need to figure out how I'm going to play it out. ;)
Now Playing - I also plan on having a "Gaming Journal" of sorts. Under the "Now Playing" section you will be directly linked to whatever blog post is solely dedicated to updating you guys on what I've been playing. Whether it be something as simple as progress, or finding that ultimate weapon, this is where you'll read it!
Soundtracks - And finally the last (and most certainly not least) section: Soundtracks. I have a lot of them. Mostly Final Fantasy, but still a lot. I'm not going to write long, detailed, extensive reviews so don't expect anything like that. Here you will basically find a track listing for each one and a short paragraph of what I think. (A mini-review?) Expect images and maybe samples.

I will probably add more stuff under "Features" as time goes by. Hmm...come to think of it - I might add an E3 section (for this past E3) and a sort of "What I'm Looking Forward To/Awesome Trailers" section. We'll see!

I am hoping to have all these up and ready to go by sometime next week. This stuff takes time! :)

Well, I hope I didn't bore you guys! :P Any feedback would be greatly appreciated too. :D

I am sleepy...so I am going to bed!

ZZzzzzz

- Celes

Well...I did it. I beat Final Fantasy XII. About...hmmm...10 minutes ago I believe.

I know - you'd think I was more excited, and I am. But I am also really really sad. It's very strange! The last 4 hours or so of that game were so
incredible...that it's sad to see the fresh experience gone. :( The ending was fantastic - one of the best I've ever seen. But I guess I'm just really
sad to see it go. If I were to rate this game, I believe I'd give it a 9.6. Not a perfect 10 'cause it obviously had flaws, but it has been one of the
best Final Fantasy games I've experienced in a long time.

As I sat taking everything in from the events at Ridorana Cataract/Pharos to the very last cutscene, I was debating whether it was my favourite Final Fantasy of all time or not. I still can't decide. It's a toss-up. I am glad that I am also playing FFVI (the other favourite) at the moment so I can compare the two games. I think I will be able to decide soon enough.

I am glad that the story wrapped up so well! Although...there was one thing that really bothered me:

[spoiler]
I know Balthier and Fran lived but why didn't they show them in the last CG?? While Penelo is narrating she mentions that her and Vaan are going to go visit them but still...I would have liked to have seen them one last time. :( Oh well! They are definitely the best pair out of any Final Fantasy game! I just love those two!!
[/spoiler]

(Thank you Effkay for the spoiler tag explanation!!! :) )

It's funny how I didn't really like most of the cast at the very beginning of the game, but as the story unfolded and I continued to play,
I gained respect for each and every character.

See ya around guys
~Celes

Stolen from langrisser2005! If I were a Simpsons character...:

^ That is how I would look. I guess! (Although in real life, I'm a bit thinner and my hair is way crazier and out of control. :P)

Go try it out! :D

**In other news:

Still playing Final Fantasy XII! I decided to cut back on the monster hunting and continue on with the story. Now I'm in the Pharos at the Ridorana. And it SUCKS. It's such a long level! I honestly wonder if it'll ever be over! Since I am playing guide-less, I am having a bit of a tough time in the Third Ascent, since I keep picking the wrong magic sigil in that last room, I keep getting sent to the "room of punishment". And punishment it is! :x

**GS-related news:

I want to make my profile all nice and cool. I've seen some people who have links and pictures as headers on their site. How do you do this? See I am planning on writing a bunch of mini-reviews for all my FF soundtracks and I kind of want to feature them on here. But I don't know how. I also want to make a banner but...the creativity is lacking in me lately. :(

**Non-gaming related news:

Today I had quite the productive day! Started out at about 9am and had some breakfast Then I deep cleaned my room while doing my laundry. I had so much it just had to be done today! My room is nice and clean now too! :) Last thing I need to do is clean my monitor. I am not sure how it happened but there is a streak on it and it looks gross. I am also going to clean off my mouse and the printer!

After this I am probably going to eat some lunch, pick up my contacts (Finally! My last pair ripped and I've been wearing glasses the past few days...not good.), head on over to the bank and make a deposit, get some gas, and then head back home. Then I'll probably play some more FFXII.:twisted: I just love that game!!

Then at around 4:45pm I am going to have to leave to go to work as I am closing tonight. :( Oh well! Gotta bring the cash home! :lol:

Alright, I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! Happy Monday!

- Celes

I fought Gilgamesh!





....He ran away though.





I'm at 100 hours! :D





(I'm talking about FFXII by the way...)

Hello everybody!

I am a procrastinator. It's true. I procrastinate in almost everything. Like right now. I should be going to bed because I have to wake up at 4:45am and open tomorrow, but what am I doing? Blogging on GameSpot. Listening to music. *sigh* Some things will never change! :P

Well, one of the main reasons why I am still up is because I was finishing up some artwork. Ever since I got my tablet - I've been a drawing fiend! :twisted: :P Anyways, I came up with a few good pictures. And so here is my shameless plug. :) You can (and probably should) visit my deviantart website (any other deviants out there? :))! It's not disappointing I swear! :P Or you can click here or here or here to see my latest artwork.

In other fun news - I got a library card the other day! Kinda cool...I took out two CDs - Moby's "Go: The Very Best of Moby", and Paul McCartney's "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard". I think I will start ordering CDs online through the library next. Heh heh. I was going to pick up "Neuromancer" by William Gibson, but they didn't have it. :( Next time!

More plugs! An awesome music video to an excellent song. And - if you like to watch funny things, watch this online show.

Hmm...otherwise nothing much. Which is probably good because I need to stop writing and go to bed! :)

Last week I shared with you guys the bottom five of my top 10 games of E3. It has almost been an entire week since E3 has passed and now that I've had a chance to breathe and process all this new information through my head here are the top five!

Assassin's Creed (PS3/PC) -
Ever since the new gen began with the launch of the 360, I've still been waiting for that "next-gen" game. Gears of War gave us a glimpse of what it tasted like and it seems like Assassin's Creed is going to give us another sample. The fact that you can climb any wall and obstacle is amazing, the crowds add realism to the game, and when the assassin was standing on the roof overlooking the entire city...knowing you can actually visit every single part of it - was jaw-dropping.

Unreal Tournament 3 (PC) -
For me, there isn't a top 10 list unless Unreal Tournament makes an appearance. I've been a fan since the very first game and I still am now. I've always loved the fast pace of this popular shooter and now with even more vehicles, modes and of course updated graphics, it seems like the fantastic FPS experience that UT always delivers will be even better!

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune (PS3) -
From the creators of Crash Bandicoot, Naughty Dog brings us Uncharted. Something I totally didn't see coming. Naughty Dog's utilizing the PS3 hardware well and brings us breathtaking scenery and facial expressions. The action looks intense and the puzzles fun. It features over the shoulder-s.t.y.l.e. shooting action (a la Resident Evil 4) but also includes melee combat. When you thought all of that was enough Naughty Dog decides to also throw in some platform-s.t.y.l.e. jumping puzzles to get you through the quieter parts of the levels.

Half-Life 2: The Orange Box (PC) -
The Orange Box is like a big goody bag. Not only does it come with the next installment in the Half Life series - Half-Life 2: Episode 2 - but it also includes the original Half-Life 2, Episode 1, Portal and Team Fortress 2! And all of it for only $50! This is such excellent packaging! Any gamer who is trying to get into the genius that is Half Life can buy the wonderful Orange Box instantly be filled in (well, almost - obviously no original Half Life.), play a unique game that is portal, and have fun with some multiplayer action.

...And now, for the moment everyone's been waiting for... :P

**Game of the Show**

LittleBigPlanet (PS3) -
Yes! It's LittleBigPlanet! I am sure that some of you will disagree but ever since I saw LittleBigPlanet's debut at TGS I was blown away. I still can't get over how unique and fresh this game is. Creating pretty much anything I want sounds like so much fun, and then being able to share all of it online with the whole PSN community? It's an added bonus! Rate any level, download it, play it with friends or online, create vehicles, obstacles, levels, it just goes on and on. The only limit to this game is your own creativity. It sounds cliche and cheesy but it's so true. Anything that is this open-ended deserves some kind of merit, and so from me, I give it Game of the Show. :)

Honorable mentions: The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS), Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3), Mass Effect (xbox 360), Resident Evil 5 (PS3), Mario Kart Wii (Wii), Echo Crome (PSP/PSN), Folklore (PS3), Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii), Crysis, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC), Fracture (PS3)

Looking for more?

- queen_valentine's top 10 picks of E3 - Part 1 (07/14/2007)
- E3 - The Press Conferences (07/11/2007)

E3 '07 has come to an end as of yesterday. After much reading and watching, the time has come for me to pick my top 10 games of E3 - including my pick for game of the show!

*My entire 10-game list turned out to be rather long, so I am going to break it up into two parts. The first part will have games 10-5, and the second 4-1 (#1 being game of the show).

(This is not a ranked list)

Bioshock (PC) -
We're going to start off with one of my most anticipated games of this year. Bioshock places you in Rapture - an underwater city in ruins. What I love most about this game is that it's an FPS, and it's not an FPS. There is so much customization, choice making and puzzle solutions to it, it seems to me that there is going to be an insane amount of replay value to this game. Since when does an FPS make you choose between a moral decision and an immoral decision?

Killzone 2 (PS3) -
The once mythical Killzone 2 finally shows its gorgeous face again. Wether the trailer from E3 '05 was real or not, what we saw this year sure comes close. Easily one of the most beautiful games to date, it shows what the PS3 is truly capable of. However, not much is known about this game - as its release date is slated for sometime in 2008 - but it seems like typical aspects of a first-person-shooter will be there - such as health regeneration, a slick HUD, and familiar weapons such as grenades, rocket launchers, and full automatic weapons.

Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) -
The italian plumber who we all know and love is back - and this time, he's in space! Dubbed by some as the "true" sequel to Super Mario 64, Galaxy is looking to be as promising as ever. Cool gameplay features were revealed such as difference in gravity on different planets, two brand-new suits reminiscent of the famous Tanuki suit, and returning moves such as the triple jump. The variety of planets in this game is impressive to what we've seen so far and it looks to be Miyamoto's most creative Mario game yet. And even better - it's coming out this year.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption (Wii)-
Another hugely anticipated game for me is the direct sequel to Echoes - Metroid Prime 3. And this time, Samus controls in a completely different way by the wiimote and nunchuk. If the player locks onto a target, they are still allowed to shoot elsewhere, the new grappling hook - which can also be used to clear debris or take shields away from enemies - is used by moving the wiimote forward and then backward. Sounds very intuitive - and I am hoping that it controls as close to a PC FPS as it sounds like it could. The game looks great and by the sound of that boss battle - it seems like the game will be a challenge as well.

Heavenly Sword (PS3) -
What do you get if you mix God of War gameplay with a red-headed chic and badass blades straight from the gods? Heavenly Sword! Another game which shows off the PS3's graphical power rather well. The game boasts to be able to show thousands of on-screen enemies at a time, of which you can simultaneously fight hundreds of. The environments look breathtaking and the gameplay looks sick. With your blades at hand, you are able to dish out three stances - power, speed and standard. Power stance allows her to connect her blades into one massive sword in which she can inflict major damage. Speed stance consists of quicker but weaker hits while standard is somewhat in the middle. Nariko is the last member of her clan and is set on a major revenge trip - in which she pull her little sister into.