With the credit I received from trading in all of those games, I picked up Dragon Quest VIII over the weekend and have put about eleven hours into it so far.  What's more, I have not seen anything in the game that has disappointed me yet.  It is, in every way, the ultimate evolution of Dragon Quest.  Level 5 really did their homework in building the game and chose very wisely not to fix what wasn't broken.  Just some examples:

-While the graphics have been tremendously upgraded, some of the classic Dragon Quest nuances remain, like the way the camera focuses on the enemies when selecting commands.
-The use of familiar sound effects and music.
-The "new party member" fanfare.
-The purple poison that covers the floors of some dungeon areas.
-The fact that enemies sometimes perform innocuous or useless actions that have no effect on anything.

In many ways, it's just like every other Dragon Quest game ever made, and for that, the game and its designers should be commended.  Instead of trying to reinvent it for the PS2 generation, the designers embraced what Dragon Quest is, and they gave it to us in spades.  Playing the game feels very much the same as when I played the NES games so many years ago, and the way that the series remains as fun as ever without bending over backwards for innovative content and design simply proves that not every series needs to see a Resident Evil 4-style overhaul to remain relevant.

Once again, it's time for me to take a stack of games and trade them in.  Some of these games have served me well, like Metal Gear Solid:  The Twin Snakes, Final Fantasy X, and Xenosaga.  Others...not so much.  I won't be shedding any tears for Ghost in the Shell:  Stand Alone Complex, I can tell you that much.  Great TV series, craptastic game.

Other games that are being traded include MGS3 in anticipation of Substistance, Final Fantasy Chronicles, and Mega Man Anniversary Collection on the GameCube, to which I must simply say, I surrender.  You win, Dr. Wily. you have kicked my ass so thoroughly that I know there is no hope for me.  If Earth should ever be attacked by Robot Masters, I will not serve as part of the last line of defense.  I will be blown to bits like the meat puppet that I am on day one.

The main reason I'm doing this is because I took a look at my game shelf, and it was simply overloaded.  With games that I had beaten years ago and haven't touched since (MGS: TTS), there are a number of games that I only played for so long and never finished, and even one game (Haunting Ground) that I bought last summer and still have yet to even try out.  Simply put, it's too much for my plate, not all of it is agreeable to me, and there isn't any room for dessert.

Well, it's the end of the year, so I might as well spout off a list of my ten favorite games released this year.  Also, despite the fact that I liked the game, I promise that this list is 100% free of Resident Evil 4.

10.  Kessen III
I liked Kessen II quite a bit, but Kessen III improved on just about every aspect of the gameplay, making me feel like I was more in control of my army's actions.  It's an interesting hybrid of RTS and action game with deep levels of customization, interesting missions, and a storyline that, for once, doesn't depict Nobunaga Oda as a demonic overlord or a one-dimensional black-hearted villian.
9.  Advance Wars:  Dual Strike
Take Advance Wars 2, add some new units, dual screen support, CO swapping and Dual Strike powers, and the end result is a hundred times better.
8.  Meteos
This is the only traditional puzzle game that made it onto my list, but it's definitely deserving.  Meteos's touch screen controls give the whole falling block formula a new twist, all backed up by clean, cool visuals and an excellently varied soundtrack.  This is the puzzle game to get if you own a DS.
7.  Mario Superstar Baseball
I haven't touched a sports simulation game in I don't know how long, and I couldn't care less about them at this point.  Mario Superstar Baseball takes all of the fun of the old school arcade baseball games like Baseball Stars, plugs in characters from the Mario universe, and delivers a solid game of baseball, Mushroom Kingdom style.  The game isn't without its flaws, particularly in the base running department, but MSB is still preferable over the flood of simulation games featuring the MLB license.  Now if Nintendo could just get about to making an American football game...
6.  Soul Calibur III
When I first got this game, I was pumped to play it.  Soul Calibur II is one of my favorite games of this generation, and for the most part, Soul Calibur III lives up to the pedigree.  It does have a few unfortunate flaws that prevent it from achieving the same level of greatness, but it's still a fun game, and the character creation feature and strategy game mode are much more interesting and detailed than a lot of people would give credit for.
5.  Tekken 5
I'm going to say it right now.  A couple of years ago, I never, ever would have put a Tekken game on a list of this sort.  It was never a series that I found particularly enthralling; there have always  been aspects of it that have intrigued me, but none of the games have kept me hooked for an extended period of time.  However, from the first early impressions to its release in arcades, Tekken 5 has always struck me as being different from the previous incarnations for some reason that I can't seem to name.  It's challenging, fun and polished, and the home release gives even more in the form of character customization and arcade ports of the first three games.  It surprised the hell out of me, but this is my favorite fighting game of the year.
4.  Kirby:  Canvas Curse
I make it no secret.  I hate Yoshi Touch & Go with every fiber of my being.  Yet Canvas Curse, which uses a few mechanics refined from Touch & Go, is an incredibly fast-paced, entertaining romp.  Canvas Curse was arguably the first game for the DS that began to prove a lot of the system's doubters wrong because of all of the things that the game does right.
3.  Castlevania:  Dawn of Sorrow
Simply a beautiful game all the way around.  Although it lacks the gothic character art that is the series standard, Dawn of Sorrow fits perfectly into the Metroid-esque series of games that first began appearing on the GBA with Circle of the Moon, improving on the handheld entries with better graphics, some DS-specific gameplay touches, and some of the best music to grace the series since Symphony of the Night.
2.  Fire Emblem:  Path of Radiance
Of the three Fire Emblem games that have graced North American shores thus far, Path of Radiance is my favorite.  The cast of characters and storyline are as compelling as ever, but they're backed up with gameplay features unseen in either of the previous two games on the GBA.  The addition of the laguz units gives another dimension to an already complex web of strategy, and new features such as the forge, bonus experience and the skill system give character enhancement that extra personal touch.  This would have been my game of the year had it not been for a certain other game...
1.  Nintendogs
Wait, what?  I know what some of you are probably thinking, but for me, Nintendogs was a unique experience that made use of most everything that the DS has to offer, and it's undeniably cute.  On the surface, it's essentially a highly evolved form of the virtual pet; there aren't any major goals beyond what you set for yourself and for your puppy.  At the same time, however, the dogs act so lifelike and behave in such a way that after a while, the fact that that they're virtual doesn't really seem to matter.  They act very much like real dogs, and as a person who grew up around dogs, but currently lives in an apartment that doesn't allow them, Nintendogs is a perfect alternative.  It's the best, truest evolution of virtual pet games in that the dogs tend to evoke life-like responses from players, and despite its simplicity, the milestones that Nintendo set in creating this game make it deserve to be my game of the year.

I was on line long enough today to at least get my Friend Code for Animal Crossing set.  If you'd like to exchange, send me a PM.  I still don't know when I can reliably be online, but at least I'll be ready when the time comes.

I bought Animal Crossing:  Wild World today and started my life in a new town.  Unfortunately, as much as I tried to avoid it, my meeting with Tom Nook was inevitable, and the leash of servitude was drawn around my neck faster than you could say something that can be said really fast.  I ran the errands that he wanted, and once it was over, I was free...to pay off the rest of my debt to his mafia lifestyle.

I'm having a lot of fun with the game so far.  However, it's unfortunate that I probably won't get online with the game very often, if ever.  My internet connection runs at a whopping fast 56k, and the nearest McDonald's is at least two bus rides away.  I suppose I could try some of the unaffiliated hot spot locations, but I don't know how often I'd be able to visit them, and there's no guarantee that their router would accept my DS anyway.  Still, if the DS game holds up as well as the GameCube version, I should get plenty of good time in by myself.

Tomorow, I'll be heading back to Nintendo for a new temp assignment.  However, it won't be within Product Testing this time.  On Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be undergoing training to work in Nintendo's customer service call center during the post-Christmas call rush.  I don't expect that to last very long since I'm only guaranteed to be working in that capacity next Monday and Tuesday, but depending on the call volume, I may  be required to stay for as long as a week.

This will be the first time that I've ever worked tech support like this, but while I've heard a lot of horror stories, at least I'll be going with knowledge of what I'm supposed to talk about.  There will probably be a significant number of callers asking how to set up their new GameCubes and accessing the DS Wi-Fi service.  Still, it will be nice to have two full days of training under my belt before they throw me to the lions.

As for going back to testing, I expect that will probably happen some time in January at the earliest.  With the holiday season upon us, Nintendo typically has already finished testing the year's major flood of products, and so the next few months will see a relative few number of games being tested, at least until the Revolution comes into the picture.

This Christmas will be different.  Very different.  This is the first holiday season where I won't be spending December 25th with my family back in Wyoming.  There's that part of me that wanted to go back, but this year, I thought it was simply time to enjoy the holiday without having to worry about airports, planes, and luggage.  It was a difficult decision for me to make, but right now I feel perfectly happy with my choice.  A friend of mine has invited me to her family's Christmas Eve gathering this year, and there will be a couple more of our friends in attendance, and so while I won't be visiting my family, I'll at least be able to spend some good time with people I know.

Then again, this brings up another problem that I haven't had to face until this year.  Ever since I was a kid, I never felt particularly obligated to buy anyone outside of my family a Christmas present.  Although I've already purchased gifts for my parents and brother and sent them off via FedEx, this is the first time that I've felt any real desire to buy Christmas gifts for my friends.

Luckily, several of my friends share an interest in video games, and so it's not too hard to figure out what to buy for them.  One of my friends has even requested Final Fantasy IV on the GBA, and I plan to shop for that tomorrow afternoon.  (Note to everyone out there:  It makes it a hojillion times easier to shop for you when you say explicitly what you want.)  For another of my friends, who is both a fan of Onimusha and Tactical RPGs, I went online and ordered Onimusha Tactics.  No, it's not a particularly great game, but I figure he should get some entertainment out of it, even if it's mainly from using the game cart as a throwing star against my head.

For the first time in my life, I'll actually be giving more video games away as Christmas presents than I'll receive myself.  It's an odd landmark to note, but it's one that deserves mention.  For once, I'm actually looking forward more to the giving of presents than I am to receiving them.

Ridiculous coincidence #5,300,234,343,234.5:

Less than a week after I post a reader review for Valkyrie Profile, news is leaked that Square-Enix is working on the game's sequel, and that the game is due for release in Japan next year.

Given that I had never really expected any sort of follow-up, the news of this sequel, or prequel, rather, is better than I ever could have hoped for.  The excellent experience that I had with Valkyrie Profile was enough to make me proclaim it my favorite game ever.  The news of this new game, which will apparently focus on elements that were only briefly touched on in the original, knocked me so flat that I could hardly describe my joy without breaking into overused hyperbole.

Suffice it to say, Valkyrie Profile:  Silmeria has me excited with an anticipation that I haven't felt since I was a kid.  It's like when I saw those first few screenshots of Final Fantasy VI in Nintendo Power.  While there have been other games that I've gotten relatively excited for over the years, that excitement has always been tempered down to the level of "Oh, hey, that looks cool."  There's only so much excitement can be built, particularly when it's anounced that a series like Final Fantasy will be receiving yet another sequel.  It's hard for me to build a lot of enthusiasm simply because I've seen what's come before, and that future games in the series were a foregone conclusion.

As a better illustration of this, when I first saw the theatrical trailer for The Lord of the Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring, I just about crapped myself with excitement, and shamelessly dived right into uber-geek mode.  Yet, while the movie more than met my expecations, my enthusiasm for the following two films never really reached the same high.  I knew that they were coming; that fact had been known from the very start.

Yet, for Valkyrie Profile, I considered the idea of seeing a sequel to this game as really nothing more than a pipe dream.  Sure, the game has received fun references in later Tri-Ace titles like Star Ocean:  Till the End of Time, but a full-fledged sequel just seemed difficult for me to grasp.  For one thing, the story felt complete.  For another, the game originally came out in the U.S. in 2000, near the end of the PS1's lifespan.  If the developer had anything further to tell, wouldn't they have decided to make an announcement by now?

It turns out that I was wrong, and the result is the most pleasant surprise the gaming industry has ever given me.  It will take something undeniably brilliant in every respect for any other game to trump the sheer joy that I've felt since yesterday.  Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Xenosaga can all sit down and wait, because right now the only RPG that I consider worthy enough to be on my radar is Valkyrie Profile:  Silmeria.

(Warning:  The following journ...er, blog entry contains major spoilers for Star Ocean:  Till the End of Time.  Proceed at your own risk.)

After taking a couple of months off from the game, I popped Star Ocean:  Till the End of Time back in my PS2 and picked up where I left off.  For those of you that have played the game, I had made it all the way to Moonbase on the second disc prior to sliding away.

Anyway, it didn't take me long to get back into the game.  After a few battles, the rust had shaken off, and I was ready to continue moving.  So I spent some hours leveling my characters, defeated the Executioner on Moonbase, recruited Peppita, did some more leveling (gaining thirteen levels in a single battle is pure comedy), and finally finished up business there before moving on.

I had heard from a few people that there was a major plot twist; some of whom also noted that it pretty much wrecked their desire to play any further.  I found this a little surprising, simply because before I had started playing the game, I never came acrosss any "OMG plot twist!!!!1" discussions regarding the game.  I had no idea what to expect, but I eventually made my way to Styx, found the Time Gate, and...

...Discovered that the entire game that I had played up until that point existed in a fabricated universe designed by what is essentially a massive video game company.  I'll give Tri-Ace credit; there is no way that no one could have seen this coming.  I also find it rather original, simply because it's a plot twist that one would think would have been done to death by now.  Instead, it actually feels remarkably fresh, and I can't wait to see where the game goes from here.  Star Ocean:  Till the End of Time continuously defies every expectation I set, and the overall result is one of the most inspired games that I've played this generation, if not ever.  The game is called Star Ocean, it has a sci-fi setting, and yet the majority of the first disc is spent running around worlds that feature medieval level technology at best.  When the game finally returns to space, everything quickly turns upside-down again.

It's hard to believe that before this year, I had never played a game developed by Tri-Ace before.  Earlier this year, I finally got my hands on Valkyrie Profile; the game is an experience that I'll never forget, and it easily became my favorite game ever.  Star Ocean 3 is of such quality that it definitely shows the pedigree that went into its design.  It doesn't match the elegance of Valkyrie Profile, but it carries a scope and beauty of its own.  I can only hope that the rest of the game continues to follow along the same standard.

Nintendo's HR department called me last night while I was out and left a message.  The bad news is that the company has decided to pursue other candidates, and so I won't be moving on to the interview stage.  On the other hand, I have plenty of friends that applied for the same thing, and so if at least one of them makes it in, I can't really be upset.

The message wasn't a total downer, either.  They encouraged me to continue applying for positions.  Maybe after another year of experience under my belt, I might have a better shot in the future.