Another gift I received for Christmas was Dementium, a FPS/mystery game for the Nintendo DS. Brain Age ² was the other DS game I got, so I decided to get Dementium over with to get on with my Sudoku and Brain Aging skills. I was impressed with the N64 -like graphics, and the sound effects and music were great. It turned out to be rather addicting and kinda fun. However, the entire game was a little repetitive, and it just became a chore to get all the way through it...rather than a fulfilling, joyous experience.
You start out with a nifty cut scene of being thrust in a wheelchair down a hall with all kinds of disturbing images like zombies, giant critters, and creepy little girls. You awaken in your room, with the lights off, and it's dark and stormy outside. You find a legal pad on the floor with "Why did you do it?" written on it, and there is a newspaper with a story of a man killing his wife outside the room. Lovely. You find that your name is listed as "John Doe" on the outside of your room and there is a woman's room (empty) next door with "Jane Doe" on the room. Sounds like you killed your wife, and they put you in the hospital for psychotherapy, but the game is young and there is much to discover. Very quickly, you get your most useful weapon: the flashlight (queue the Zelda item-acquiring music)! Now, this does no damage to any enemy, but you can only see about 4 feet in front of you without it. However, you can only use the flashlight if you aren't holding a weapon. Apparently, you only have one working hand. You then get the first real weapon: the nightstick! You can beat those zombies pretty good with this bad boy, but you almost always take damage (which is shown and heard through your heart rate) before you can kill one. Good thing this is a hospital, and there is medicine in just about every supply closet throughout the game.
You eventually get a 9mm, a shotgun, a revolver, and the electric bone saw, as you progress through the game (don't worry about me spoiling it for you, I played it so you don't have to). There are maps spread about all the floors and wings of the hospital and you'll need them all, or you'll be wandering in circles for hours, and the monsters respawn...your ammo and medicine don't. The game's favorite thing to say? "It is locked." I'd say about 80% of all doors say that when you try to open them. And there ain't a way to open a locked door; you gotta go around. You go through the 16 chapters of the game across 9 floors of the east and west wings of the facility. When you die...you go back to the beginning of the chapter. When you die at the end of a chapter frequently, that feature gets very frustrating. I found that going through the chapter to learn which direction to go, dying somewhere around the end, screaming and pulverizing your DS, then running through the chapter without fighting anything (except the bosses), is the best method of playing. The bosses are as follows: An abomination ripoff from WarCraft III (fat pink thing with a cleaver for a hand), a Gatling gunner in a wheelchair, possessed walls that spit out worms, and the final boss is a guy in a black trenchcoat/wetsuit with magic white gloves.
Here's the real spoilers: you didn't really kill your wife, leaving a creepy girl running about the hospital laughing and crying at you as the evidence in the entire game leads you to believe, you weren't even doing anything throughout this game. You beat the final boss, a cut scene pops up (they look pretty good actually), and you wake up in a nice, clean, lighted ward room. Your unmaimed wife and pretty little daughter await you right outside the door. Yay! It was all a dream. Then it fades out and it turns out that the Black Trenchwetcoatsuit man is operating on you with a large cleaver and saying that the first stage is a success. The following credits are actually the best part of the game. All the jobs that they listed the people doing were hilarious. That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.
As much as I love beating, shooting, and sawing zombies, worms, acid-spitting-thingies, floating heads, and guys in wheelchairs, this was definitely not the best game ever. The puzzles were annoying, and running away was more effective than killing anything. I'm just glad it was short enough to hold my interest long enough to beat it. Well, with all the getting lost, dying, and cursing the skies involved, it took 2 days or 15 hours to beat. Although, the actual successful playing time was about 4 hours. But who's counting?
Rating: C+
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Dance Dance Revolution
So, one of my Christmas presents was DDR: Hottest Party for the Wii. Normally, I don't enjoy exerting any form of physical effort (with exception of the fingers) for video games, but the Wii in general forces you to move at least your arms to some extent. So, I figured that moving your feet would be just one level above that.
Now, for those of you who don't know what DDR is, it's a giant cross pad with up, down, left, and right: just like any ol' D-pad on a controller. However, your fingers don't do anything but sit on your hands for this game. You push the buttons with your feet. There's usually a heavily beat oriented song playing and arrows moving up through some clear arrows at the top that signal where and when to stomp. Go to an arcade and you'll see what I mean.
Anyways, a friend of mine was playing the game for PS2, and it looked mind-boggling the way his feet were all over that board. Therefore, I decided that it would be cool if I could at least do something like that...only maybe to a lesser degree. Finally a DDR (other than that Gamecube Mario version, seriously...no one likes Mario, Nintendo) came out for the Wii. Although, being the Wii and all with the fancy controllers and such, there are hand movements as well as the footwork. This just makes it more complex. I'm not very good at it as of now, but I'm getting better. Hopefully, I'll keep interest (this game has to beat Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn to do so) long enough to get good at it. It's certainly good exercise.
So, DDR: Hottest Party probably isn't the best one of the bunch, but it's fun and certainly has the DDR feel to it, although the arcade version looks like the controller pad isn't lame. It's not a game that you just play through, beat, and be done with it. It's as hard or as easy as you want it to be, so you can take it at your own pace. I can't say it's an entirely serious game, and it might be a bit girly; but don't let that stop you from getting it if you're bored and have lots of open space and privacy in front of a TV.
Rating: B
Now, for those of you who don't know what DDR is, it's a giant cross pad with up, down, left, and right: just like any ol' D-pad on a controller. However, your fingers don't do anything but sit on your hands for this game. You push the buttons with your feet. There's usually a heavily beat oriented song playing and arrows moving up through some clear arrows at the top that signal where and when to stomp. Go to an arcade and you'll see what I mean.
Anyways, a friend of mine was playing the game for PS2, and it looked mind-boggling the way his feet were all over that board. Therefore, I decided that it would be cool if I could at least do something like that...only maybe to a lesser degree. Finally a DDR (other than that Gamecube Mario version, seriously...no one likes Mario, Nintendo) came out for the Wii. Although, being the Wii and all with the fancy controllers and such, there are hand movements as well as the footwork. This just makes it more complex. I'm not very good at it as of now, but I'm getting better. Hopefully, I'll keep interest (this game has to beat Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn to do so) long enough to get good at it. It's certainly good exercise.
So, DDR: Hottest Party probably isn't the best one of the bunch, but it's fun and certainly has the DDR feel to it, although the arcade version looks like the controller pad isn't lame. It's not a game that you just play through, beat, and be done with it. It's as hard or as easy as you want it to be, so you can take it at your own pace. I can't say it's an entirely serious game, and it might be a bit girly; but don't let that stop you from getting it if you're bored and have lots of open space and privacy in front of a TV.
Rating: B
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Manga on Hiatus
So...I was in the bookstore again (I seem to be in there a lot) and was hoping for some suitable gifts for friends. I found some good stuff. Mission accomplished, post over, right? Of course not. Being the manga-lover that I am, and hoping that at least one of the graphic novels I buy has been placed somewhere on the shelves, I took a peek through the "Manga/Anime" section (someone should tell the manager that there is a difference between the two). For the third month in a row: nothing. Now, most of them come out bimonthly, and they weren't put up two months ago, or last month, and now not this month. What's wrong with this picture? So I do a little research (I typed it in wikipedia). My results were annoying.
Turns out that the bookstore is just really lousy at putting anything up when they are supposed to. This used to be great because they would put things up weeks before they were due out. But now, they've either stopped ordering new stuff or have mountains of manga in the back (I drool at that thought). Knowing that this place doesn't have the largest storage space, I'm pretty sure they don't have that much in the small closet they keep overstock in. Anyways, a few manga in particular have caught my attention in the past weeks: Ragnarök by Myung-Jin Lee and Beet the Vandel Buster by Riku Sanjo and Koji Inada.
I haven't seen a new Ragnarök in years. It just occurred to me that maybe something is wrong with the writer. Feeling almost concerned (for the wellbeing of my reading pleasure, not for the artist) I looked it up. "Status: Hiatus." Eh? I whipped out my dictionary and was quickly disappointed. Hiatus means that the writer has taken a break and probably has no intention of finishing. But....I like that manga....(sniff) why would they take it away? Turns out, Ms. Lee is helpin' the wonderful folks at Gravity make the Ragnarök Online games...wouldn't you know that I played it. Worldwide, it's actually got more players than World of Warcraft. So, I guess I can't get too angry about that; I'm sure it pays better.
Beet the Vandel Buster was one of the first manga I got because I read the preview in Shonen Jump's magazine (the first one I bought because of previews was Bleach actually). That means that I've been collecting the graphic novels since they came out. It's also one of the two manga that I've started buying from the beginning and haven't given up waiting and read them online (Claymore is the other). I kinda got annoyed when it was set to come out one month and never showed up. Six months later, it finally appeared; however, the "Next Issue" was set for six months later. Ouch. So, every six months I bought a new one. Until finally, four months after the previous one, a new one came out. There's no "Next Issue" section in it. "Status: Hiatus."
Turns out that the bookstore is just really lousy at putting anything up when they are supposed to. This used to be great because they would put things up weeks before they were due out. But now, they've either stopped ordering new stuff or have mountains of manga in the back (I drool at that thought). Knowing that this place doesn't have the largest storage space, I'm pretty sure they don't have that much in the small closet they keep overstock in. Anyways, a few manga in particular have caught my attention in the past weeks: Ragnarök by Myung-Jin Lee and Beet the Vandel Buster by Riku Sanjo and Koji Inada.
I haven't seen a new Ragnarök in years. It just occurred to me that maybe something is wrong with the writer. Feeling almost concerned (for the wellbeing of my reading pleasure, not for the artist) I looked it up. "Status: Hiatus." Eh? I whipped out my dictionary and was quickly disappointed. Hiatus means that the writer has taken a break and probably has no intention of finishing. But....I like that manga....(sniff) why would they take it away? Turns out, Ms. Lee is helpin' the wonderful folks at Gravity make the Ragnarök Online games...wouldn't you know that I played it. Worldwide, it's actually got more players than World of Warcraft. So, I guess I can't get too angry about that; I'm sure it pays better.
Beet the Vandel Buster was one of the first manga I got because I read the preview in Shonen Jump's magazine (the first one I bought because of previews was Bleach actually). That means that I've been collecting the graphic novels since they came out. It's also one of the two manga that I've started buying from the beginning and haven't given up waiting and read them online (Claymore is the other). I kinda got annoyed when it was set to come out one month and never showed up. Six months later, it finally appeared; however, the "Next Issue" was set for six months later. Ouch. So, every six months I bought a new one. Until finally, four months after the previous one, a new one came out. There's no "Next Issue" section in it. "Status: Hiatus."
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Tales from Oblivion
So...I recently looked at the instruction manual (it was the first time I've done so) for Oblivion. I found a drag command. This means you can move stuff without picking it up and keeping it in your inventory. Several immobile environmental elements are also movable now also. So...the wheels in my head started turning. After I got done admiring the light bulb that came on, I quickly grabbed my axe and introduced it to the town guard. Now...after you commit any kind of felony, the closest guard will run at you like a madman and tell you that you've broken the law. You have three options:
Go to Jail. (Viciousness of the crime is your time)
Resist Arrest. (When you feel the need to tell the guards that they need to be felt more than heard)
Pay Gold. (You pansy, take it like a man)
Looking in my wallet, I noticed that it has just enough in it to clear my assault fines. So, being the reasonable individual that I am, and realizing that my clumsy axe swings must be reprimanded, I quickly responded "Resist Arrest" and didn't miss his head this time. Every citizen in town decided it was in their best interest to stop me...can't disagree with them there. All the guards swarmed like starving wolves to a steak dinner, but I was feelin' lucky. 30 minutes, 15 guards, 10 citizens, and 3 broken weapons later (is it bad that you kill a guard just to get his sword?) the massacre was over. My restoration magics certainly got a workout afterwards. Feeling the need to repair my items, I realized I'd killed the weapons/armor dealer in my fit. Ah well, shouldn't stop what I had planned.
Seeing that I had plenty of materials now, I slowly took a sturdy looking guard and placed him in the middle of town. I followed suit with 3 others until I had a good base. I never had Linkin' Logs as a child...perhaps that's for the best. I proceeded with several layers of of my corpse tower until it was a decent height and then got into position. I decided to make this character very aggressively built, so he has good weapon skills and destruction magics. I selected a wide splash damage fireball and took aim. I tell you, bodies went EVERYWHERE. I can only imagine what was going through the neighbors' minds. Now, there are some pretty good videos on YouTube of other people's similar activities, but it is so much more fun to do it yourself. Anyways, for my entertainment, my bounty was raised to 40,250 moneys. Ouch. You don't wanna know what my infamity was.
Moral of the story: video games aren't killing children's creativity...just giving it a convenient outlet. Now, I've got to get back to gathering money and sneaking around town to pay off my crimes, sigh...
Go to Jail. (Viciousness of the crime is your time)
Resist Arrest. (When you feel the need to tell the guards that they need to be felt more than heard)
Pay Gold. (You pansy, take it like a man)
Looking in my wallet, I noticed that it has just enough in it to clear my assault fines. So, being the reasonable individual that I am, and realizing that my clumsy axe swings must be reprimanded, I quickly responded "Resist Arrest" and didn't miss his head this time. Every citizen in town decided it was in their best interest to stop me...can't disagree with them there. All the guards swarmed like starving wolves to a steak dinner, but I was feelin' lucky. 30 minutes, 15 guards, 10 citizens, and 3 broken weapons later (is it bad that you kill a guard just to get his sword?) the massacre was over. My restoration magics certainly got a workout afterwards. Feeling the need to repair my items, I realized I'd killed the weapons/armor dealer in my fit. Ah well, shouldn't stop what I had planned.
Seeing that I had plenty of materials now, I slowly took a sturdy looking guard and placed him in the middle of town. I followed suit with 3 others until I had a good base. I never had Linkin' Logs as a child...perhaps that's for the best. I proceeded with several layers of of my corpse tower until it was a decent height and then got into position. I decided to make this character very aggressively built, so he has good weapon skills and destruction magics. I selected a wide splash damage fireball and took aim. I tell you, bodies went EVERYWHERE. I can only imagine what was going through the neighbors' minds. Now, there are some pretty good videos on YouTube of other people's similar activities, but it is so much more fun to do it yourself. Anyways, for my entertainment, my bounty was raised to 40,250 moneys. Ouch. You don't wanna know what my infamity was.
Moral of the story: video games aren't killing children's creativity...just giving it a convenient outlet. Now, I've got to get back to gathering money and sneaking around town to pay off my crimes, sigh...
Monday, December 10, 2007
TES IV: Oblivion
Alright, I've been a little bad on what games I've been playing lately. I was craving some boring repetitive fighting and trading, so I've been playing Freelancer for the past month. Solid RPG in space kinda deal with flying a ship around till you're bored of it (when you stop playing, then you truly beat the game). Then I rented Battalion Wars 2 for the Wii...because I hadn't played the Wii since I participated in the "Check Mii Out Channel." Solid game, but it's very short, and I beat it in the time I had it rented, so it's not really worth buying.
Wishing to play something like Freelancer again, with all the freedom to choose whether you want to be good, evil, indifferent, or just plain weird, I thought about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I haven't played the game in months, so it's lost the boredom factor that it had after I had completed every quest on 3 different characters (maybe I should buy the official plug-ins). To get you acquainted with the kind of game it is...try to imagine yourself in medieval times. What's the first thing you would do? Odds and a half are...you can do it in the game. If you wanna use magic to send everyone in town into a mad frenzy, there's a spell for that. Wanna bash some skeleton heads? There's a war hammer with your name on it! Want to become a vampire and suck the blood of innocents? Not a problem! Have the erge to stack the corpses of the town guards in a nice pile in front of your mansion? Go for it! Want to become the god king of your own reality? It's actually in the expansion pack, Shivering Isles (I ain't jokin'). Want to string the bodies of live sacrifices to you in the windows of your sanctuary of murder? There's a Vizine for that!
You have near absolute freedom in the game and can kill just about anyone no matter now powerful or influential they are (with exception of main quest characters). Just be prepared to reap the fruits of your actions. You can also go through just about the entire game without killing anyone at all, if you're more of a sneaky sort. And if you don't want to even pick up a single weapon in the game, don't: there's magic that makes people run in fright of you. You can just go treasure hunting if you don't want to raid bandit camps and undead forts. I have never played a computer game quite like this before, and so far it hasn't been duplicated too well either. The only downfall: it's single player. This would be the greatest game ever created (until TES V anyways) if there was some kind of multi-player. Even over a LAN system (MMORPG would be just too crowded and annoying) would be great. Ah, well, maybe next time. If you want some RPG ownage, hook yourself up with this game. It's also out for Xbox 360 and PS3 with purchasable plug-ins that add quests, items, and locations (of course not for Wii), so this increases the availability and reduced the need to nice computers to run them.
Rating: A+
Wishing to play something like Freelancer again, with all the freedom to choose whether you want to be good, evil, indifferent, or just plain weird, I thought about The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I haven't played the game in months, so it's lost the boredom factor that it had after I had completed every quest on 3 different characters (maybe I should buy the official plug-ins). To get you acquainted with the kind of game it is...try to imagine yourself in medieval times. What's the first thing you would do? Odds and a half are...you can do it in the game. If you wanna use magic to send everyone in town into a mad frenzy, there's a spell for that. Wanna bash some skeleton heads? There's a war hammer with your name on it! Want to become a vampire and suck the blood of innocents? Not a problem! Have the erge to stack the corpses of the town guards in a nice pile in front of your mansion? Go for it! Want to become the god king of your own reality? It's actually in the expansion pack, Shivering Isles (I ain't jokin'). Want to string the bodies of live sacrifices to you in the windows of your sanctuary of murder? There's a Vizine for that!
You have near absolute freedom in the game and can kill just about anyone no matter now powerful or influential they are (with exception of main quest characters). Just be prepared to reap the fruits of your actions. You can also go through just about the entire game without killing anyone at all, if you're more of a sneaky sort. And if you don't want to even pick up a single weapon in the game, don't: there's magic that makes people run in fright of you. You can just go treasure hunting if you don't want to raid bandit camps and undead forts. I have never played a computer game quite like this before, and so far it hasn't been duplicated too well either. The only downfall: it's single player. This would be the greatest game ever created (until TES V anyways) if there was some kind of multi-player. Even over a LAN system (MMORPG would be just too crowded and annoying) would be great. Ah, well, maybe next time. If you want some RPG ownage, hook yourself up with this game. It's also out for Xbox 360 and PS3 with purchasable plug-ins that add quests, items, and locations (of course not for Wii), so this increases the availability and reduced the need to nice computers to run them.
Rating: A+
Monday, December 3, 2007
Nintendo Poll
Well, the results are in for my "Which Nintendo character is coolest?" poll are in. There was an amazing 3-way-tie between Fox, Samus, and Link (ever notice he doesn't ever have a last name?). When will Nintendo figure out that no one really likes Mario as much as their heroes that do something other than jump on bad guys' heads? So with an amazing turn out, and the running being within 1 vote to determine the winners, I'm proud to announce that this did little more than tell me that only 2 other people view my blog. Disheartening? Eh, not really. Just waiting for some one to tell all their friends that aren't my friends about it....aaaany minute now....this could take a while.
However, thumbs up to the Nintendo characters that don't suck! I look forward to making them duke it out when Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out...in February. By the way, new poll is up.
However, thumbs up to the Nintendo characters that don't suck! I look forward to making them duke it out when Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out...in February. By the way, new poll is up.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Rurouni Kenshin
Here's one of the few manga series that I started buying from start to finish. Death Note is the only other one that's up to snuff, but it only has 12 volumes, so it's not as impressive. At a whopping 28 volumes, Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin has great length and a great story all the way. Taking place in the early Meiji period after a revolution for equality, the story is about a wandering swordsman who fights for those within his sight who are too weak to fight for themselves. Doesn't sound incredibly original, and I suppose it's not, but it is good. Himura Kenshin has vowed never to kill again because of the grief from the lives he had to take during the revolution. However, when enemies constantly threaten him and his friends, promising not to kill can be a real drag.
The story is rather straight forward and easy to understand. There's no heavy symbolism, clever plot twists, or much left to the imagination. The simplicity is part of the charm though: it's funny when it needs to be, it's deep when it needs to be, and it's all action...y when there's nothing left to be. The thing I love most about this is the vast assortment of characters. My personal favorite manga/anime character of all time is Saito Hajime, even though most people see him as a bad guy. I can see why, but I can't change what I like and such, so that's the way it is. Then again...Yukishiro Enishi is also up there on my top 5, so I seem to have a thing for the crazies...
Anyways, the anime that goes along with this story is decent enough, it almost follows the manga, but it's more for younger people than the manga. I seem to recall an episode where Kenshin fights a man while using a parasol in a circus. While I am in full support of turning good manga into good anime, that seems like a step backward. They also skipped an entire story arc probably for the sake of the violence. Unfortunately, it's also the arc where it explains most of Kenshin's past, so there are a few OVAs and Movies that cover the arc loosely. Also, the manga is being re-released (would it be a waste to get them all again?) with new covers in Kanzenban form. I don't know what kind of features are going to be in them, so I can't miss what I've never seen...guess I might skip out on that one.
Rating: A+
The story is rather straight forward and easy to understand. There's no heavy symbolism, clever plot twists, or much left to the imagination. The simplicity is part of the charm though: it's funny when it needs to be, it's deep when it needs to be, and it's all action...y when there's nothing left to be. The thing I love most about this is the vast assortment of characters. My personal favorite manga/anime character of all time is Saito Hajime, even though most people see him as a bad guy. I can see why, but I can't change what I like and such, so that's the way it is. Then again...Yukishiro Enishi is also up there on my top 5, so I seem to have a thing for the crazies...
Anyways, the anime that goes along with this story is decent enough, it almost follows the manga, but it's more for younger people than the manga. I seem to recall an episode where Kenshin fights a man while using a parasol in a circus. While I am in full support of turning good manga into good anime, that seems like a step backward. They also skipped an entire story arc probably for the sake of the violence. Unfortunately, it's also the arc where it explains most of Kenshin's past, so there are a few OVAs and Movies that cover the arc loosely. Also, the manga is being re-released (would it be a waste to get them all again?) with new covers in Kanzenban form. I don't know what kind of features are going to be in them, so I can't miss what I've never seen...guess I might skip out on that one.
Rating: A+
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Games to Anime
Ah, nothing like a 2 day school week. Gives me a little extra time to do the fun things in life...like go to the orthodontist. Still, wasn't too bad and it's 3 days that I'm not in school, so I can't complain. There's not a terrible amount to do...got some Christmas shopping out of the way, so that worked out nicely. Haven't really been playing any new games or reading any new manga. Tales of Symphonia OVA recently had episode 3 released, if anyone knows anything about that.
Taking games and turning them into an anime sounds like a bad idea. I'll agree with that. Anyone who has played through the game will simply go, "that's not how that happened!" and people that haven't played the games don't care enough to watch them. Pokemon for example: Ash gets himself a Pikachu in the first episode. You would think that 10 seasons later when he sends Pikachu in for a fight, it would give the opponent a look and it would explode. That's because the lovely leveling system that practically defines the game doesn't exist in the show. It makes the gamers wonder why they can't command their pokemon to use more than 4 moves and why Magikarp battles aren't more exciting. Luckly, there aren't many examples of these game-to-anime types, so we gamers aren't too terribly plagued by bad show representations.
The Tales of Symphonia and Phantasia OVAs are fun to watch, but you already know what's going to happen, because you played through the game. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be watching the show, now would ya? If the OVAs were released before the game, it would be a different matter, and probably even effective advertising. As long as it ain't a crappy anime rip-off of Street Fighter (like most anime end up becoming), then it'll be fun playing out what you saw in the show.
Taking games and turning them into an anime sounds like a bad idea. I'll agree with that. Anyone who has played through the game will simply go, "that's not how that happened!" and people that haven't played the games don't care enough to watch them. Pokemon for example: Ash gets himself a Pikachu in the first episode. You would think that 10 seasons later when he sends Pikachu in for a fight, it would give the opponent a look and it would explode. That's because the lovely leveling system that practically defines the game doesn't exist in the show. It makes the gamers wonder why they can't command their pokemon to use more than 4 moves and why Magikarp battles aren't more exciting. Luckly, there aren't many examples of these game-to-anime types, so we gamers aren't too terribly plagued by bad show representations.
The Tales of Symphonia and Phantasia OVAs are fun to watch, but you already know what's going to happen, because you played through the game. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't be watching the show, now would ya? If the OVAs were released before the game, it would be a different matter, and probably even effective advertising. As long as it ain't a crappy anime rip-off of Street Fighter (like most anime end up becoming), then it'll be fun playing out what you saw in the show.
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Gaming Update
Alright, I went a week without posting and barely got on my computer. That's because I was beating Professional Mode on RE4, sorry. I'd say it was worth it, because the P.R.L. 412 is AMAZING. All RE4 connoisseurs should definitely get this puppy. There's something fun about taking down Krauser in one hit, and the final boss in two. But...beating Pro mode was definitely a huge frustration. They don't give you a tactical vest, and wouldn't you know it....two hits from just about anything will kill you. When you have no ammo or recovery items, and you just hit the final fight with Krauser...well let's just say the "end of chapter" review for that one was 34 deaths (just use the knife and get him into a corner, works wonders).
Anyways, I'm moving back to Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, until I beat that too. Radiant Dawn is supposed to come out for the Wii, and I don't want to start out with lousy default-stat characters, so I'm working my way through that. I might do a review on that soon too. Christmas time will be full of new games, so I can't wait!
Anyways, I'm moving back to Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, until I beat that too. Radiant Dawn is supposed to come out for the Wii, and I don't want to start out with lousy default-stat characters, so I'm working my way through that. I might do a review on that soon too. Christmas time will be full of new games, so I can't wait!
Berserk
No, no, I'm not angry. It's the name of a manga. Berserk by Kentaro Miura is probably the bloodiest manga I've ever seen in my days. There's about every form of violence you can imagine. But when you have your stereotypical cold-blooded killer that carries a 7-foot, 200 lbs sword that slays innocents and demons alike, usually you have some kind of hero take him down and ramble about "justice" and how one shouldn't just go killing willy-nilly. Well...the murderer happens to be the main character in this manga. His name is Gutts, and he's not a happy camper. But hey, when you and all your friends were sacrificed by your best friend in the attempt to gain godlike powers and you're the only one who survived sane, you'd be a bit grumpy too.
The plot of the story is above average, but the battles are what really make Berserk incredible (go figure). There aren't many battles not involving giant robots or martial arts masters that tickle my fancy so well, but this manga definitely has the best fights ever. When you have one guy take on 100 or so soldiers by himself, that's a battle! And they make it almost believable: that one guy could actually take them all down, it's just a matter of will. Later in the series, he starts losing himself to rage, and gets armor that just encourages that. It really can be frightening at times because of the scale of his...destruction. When you see small children and women just get slaughtered because they were taken over by evil spirits, it's a bit much, but I'd say if you are as heartless and insensitive as me, it's an excellent story.
An anime was made over the first story arc, but it leaves out all the comic relief characters, so...it's a bit of a battle-fest with poor story. All in all, it's decent though. It managed to keep the violence and destruction, so that's all I like it for anyways.
Rating: B-
The plot of the story is above average, but the battles are what really make Berserk incredible (go figure). There aren't many battles not involving giant robots or martial arts masters that tickle my fancy so well, but this manga definitely has the best fights ever. When you have one guy take on 100 or so soldiers by himself, that's a battle! And they make it almost believable: that one guy could actually take them all down, it's just a matter of will. Later in the series, he starts losing himself to rage, and gets armor that just encourages that. It really can be frightening at times because of the scale of his...destruction. When you see small children and women just get slaughtered because they were taken over by evil spirits, it's a bit much, but I'd say if you are as heartless and insensitive as me, it's an excellent story.
An anime was made over the first story arc, but it leaves out all the comic relief characters, so...it's a bit of a battle-fest with poor story. All in all, it's decent though. It managed to keep the violence and destruction, so that's all I like it for anyways.
Rating: B-
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition
Well, it may be the forth in the list of Resident Evil games, but it's the first one I've really played, and I like it. Not to mention, it's probably the best game for the Nintendo Wii. I got it several months ago and unlocked everything I could think of: Chicago Typewriter, Infinite Launcher, Handcannon, and I beat all the side games. I was feelin' pretty good, but kind of sad that I no longer had anything to unlock. So I put it away after I got Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. That game lasted one weekend, so...not very satisfying, but it was fun while it lasted.
Anyways, a friend of mine and I were talking about the game, and he asked me if I got the laser gun. I was a little surprised and had to say no. He told me that beating Professional mode would get it for me, and come to think of it...I had completely forgotten to beat that. So I'm back on it and boy is it tough stuff. The regular game the first way through was rather challenging, but professional mode is downright hard. So I'm workin' my way through that right now in my Chicago-style clothing, and Ashley's in her coat of armor so all is well in the world. I'll let you know how the laser gun is, if it does in fact give it to me for beating this.
Anyways, about the game: It's a third-person-shooter kinda like Zelda, except with more gore, guns, and ghoulies. It's quite a bit different -I've heard- from the other RE games, and I was a bit disappointed at the commercials when I saw them a few years ago. However, the lack of zombies, Umbrella Corporation, and the STARs don't take away from this game at all. The "interactive" cut scenes can be a bit annoying especially when you aren't expecting to have to swing the controller while you're just talkin' with some one, but that's what makes it exciting. The game really has more action than the creepiness that all the other REs have, but it's still a terrific game. The game for the Wii is a bit different in that you can unlock everything that the PS2 and Gamecube versions had. It's also nice to be able to incorporate some Wiimote handling into the combat system, although it gets very tiring during the long sprinting cut scenes. Aiming is definitely on the plus side from the other systems, since you can just point at the TV instead of using that hard to control laser pointer that seemed to be on all your weapons (even Krauser's bow in Mercenaries). This game is pretty good the first time through, definitely challenging, and it is really fun in the next rounds through, because you get to keep all your stuff, Diablo-style. So it's certainly an excellent game for the Wii, and it'll probably stay my favorite until Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out.
Rating: A+
Anyways, a friend of mine and I were talking about the game, and he asked me if I got the laser gun. I was a little surprised and had to say no. He told me that beating Professional mode would get it for me, and come to think of it...I had completely forgotten to beat that. So I'm back on it and boy is it tough stuff. The regular game the first way through was rather challenging, but professional mode is downright hard. So I'm workin' my way through that right now in my Chicago-style clothing, and Ashley's in her coat of armor so all is well in the world. I'll let you know how the laser gun is, if it does in fact give it to me for beating this.
Anyways, about the game: It's a third-person-shooter kinda like Zelda, except with more gore, guns, and ghoulies. It's quite a bit different -I've heard- from the other RE games, and I was a bit disappointed at the commercials when I saw them a few years ago. However, the lack of zombies, Umbrella Corporation, and the STARs don't take away from this game at all. The "interactive" cut scenes can be a bit annoying especially when you aren't expecting to have to swing the controller while you're just talkin' with some one, but that's what makes it exciting. The game really has more action than the creepiness that all the other REs have, but it's still a terrific game. The game for the Wii is a bit different in that you can unlock everything that the PS2 and Gamecube versions had. It's also nice to be able to incorporate some Wiimote handling into the combat system, although it gets very tiring during the long sprinting cut scenes. Aiming is definitely on the plus side from the other systems, since you can just point at the TV instead of using that hard to control laser pointer that seemed to be on all your weapons (even Krauser's bow in Mercenaries). This game is pretty good the first time through, definitely challenging, and it is really fun in the next rounds through, because you get to keep all your stuff, Diablo-style. So it's certainly an excellent game for the Wii, and it'll probably stay my favorite until Super Smash Bros. Brawl comes out.
Rating: A+
Thursday, November 8, 2007
School Stupidity
Well, seems an interesting event has taken place at my school. Generally, I am too far out of the loop to hear about things in school, but this one kind of hit home since it took place in the fine arts hallway. A girl got caught smoking in the girls' room. Unfortunately for her, there was a girl that was allergic to secondhand smoke that went directly afterwards. When the school checked the contents of this young lady's purse, they found vast assortments of pills, razor blades, condoms, and finally the cigarettes. I go to a Christian school, so this is grounds for immediate contacting of parents, suspension, and high threat of expulsion. To make matters worse, she tried to blame a guy that was dating another girl she didn't like. Of course, the school checked his car as well, and found cigarettes and several hunting knives. He was suspended also.
I like to think that incidents like this don't happen all too often, but the things I hear when I'm forced to sit with people other than my friends lead me to think otherwise. I'm glad idiots like these do get caught, and I wish more of the non-fine arts students would be checked more often. Maybe all the football players who get drunk on the weekends or the cheerleaders who participate in promiscuous activities could get looked into every now and then. If the teachers would just hang around to listen to what I hear...Anyway, just thought I'd reveal a bit about the nature of the darker corners in my school.
I like to think that incidents like this don't happen all too often, but the things I hear when I'm forced to sit with people other than my friends lead me to think otherwise. I'm glad idiots like these do get caught, and I wish more of the non-fine arts students would be checked more often. Maybe all the football players who get drunk on the weekends or the cheerleaders who participate in promiscuous activities could get looked into every now and then. If the teachers would just hang around to listen to what I hear...Anyway, just thought I'd reveal a bit about the nature of the darker corners in my school.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Trumpet vs. Baritone/Euphonium
Alright...so now I'm pretty much completely trumpet for concert season after I was trumpeting all marching season...although I am a baritone player for the most part. I figure it would be appropriate for me to compare and contract the two now that I have decent experience with both.
Trumpet is definitely the more difficult instrument by far. The range is generally 2-3 octaves within a song. Mid-range is the comfort zone, maybe bordering on high. Low range is good for warming up, but very difficult to sound nice in it. High range will be where most mid-grade and greater pieces will leave you. Runs from mid to high range are common, and expect sessions of vigorous playing followed by long bouts of rests within the same piece. Trumpets' tuning is fairly simple: the higher you go, the further you need to bend the pitch down. If you are standing in the high range the entire song, tune flat. Difficult tonguing articulation and grace notes are common as well. On the plus side, you never have to really play very loud to be heard; the piercing pitch is the cause for that. This is certainly the superior instrument if you are looking for more challenging parts in music. Trumpet is definitely a sprinters instrument: you get to play really loud, high, and fast, and then you break for a while.
Baritone is quite opposite mostly. Slow, cumbersome, bass parts plague the songs that most bands play. However, some songs (usually written low brass player composers) contain boisterous melodies in the middle of songs just for the baritones and trombones. But mainly, half notes on slow songs, and polka bass parts on marches. Playing the euphonium is quite easy. Playing the euphonium right is a completely different story, unfortunately. Beginners have the tendency to sound somewhat pinched (constipated, if you will) with their playing. The corners are the only firm part necessary for decent sound, I've found. The rest tends to set into place by itself; just don't try and cram your whole face into the mouth piece. Range in songs generally contains one octave, and you're rarely escaping the lower midrange. In solos and other pieces written especially for baritone, however, be prepared for a completely different world. Short runs with extreme low or high long tones ending them is common in these pieces, and octave jumps and slurs are constantly thrown in for no real reason. Those are the types of songs that trombone players write, because they want to do all sorts of things, but can't with their lack of convenient buttons. Pitch is somewhat of a problem with the horn itself, but the large mouthpiece makes bending pitches quite easy.
So, if deciding which instrument to start on...I'd say go trumpet because it isn't very difficult in beginner band, and you won't be terribly bored. Also, you will advance quickly. If you are being tossed into a new instrument for marching band however, baritone is an easily played instrument with simple parts. The size is the most difficult part of marching though. While both trumpet and baritone require decent shoulder and arm muscle, baritone is the heaviest of the brass that doesn't use the shoulders for support (sousaphones, contras, etc). That means your arms will get tired if you are parading for more than 20 minutes or so, so be prepared for that. Trumpet has the issue of being extremely light...which makes forceful horn moves easily overdone. Especially coming from baritone to trumpet, my first "horns down" tossed by mouth piece several yards, and I hit myself in the chest with the bell.
Anyways, depending on what stage of learning you are, and what exactly you want to do, trumpet or baritone can generally suit your desires. They are also great transition instruments, so picking these up may not be your final choice.
Trumpet is definitely the more difficult instrument by far. The range is generally 2-3 octaves within a song. Mid-range is the comfort zone, maybe bordering on high. Low range is good for warming up, but very difficult to sound nice in it. High range will be where most mid-grade and greater pieces will leave you. Runs from mid to high range are common, and expect sessions of vigorous playing followed by long bouts of rests within the same piece. Trumpets' tuning is fairly simple: the higher you go, the further you need to bend the pitch down. If you are standing in the high range the entire song, tune flat. Difficult tonguing articulation and grace notes are common as well. On the plus side, you never have to really play very loud to be heard; the piercing pitch is the cause for that. This is certainly the superior instrument if you are looking for more challenging parts in music. Trumpet is definitely a sprinters instrument: you get to play really loud, high, and fast, and then you break for a while.
Baritone is quite opposite mostly. Slow, cumbersome, bass parts plague the songs that most bands play. However, some songs (usually written low brass player composers) contain boisterous melodies in the middle of songs just for the baritones and trombones. But mainly, half notes on slow songs, and polka bass parts on marches. Playing the euphonium is quite easy. Playing the euphonium right is a completely different story, unfortunately. Beginners have the tendency to sound somewhat pinched (constipated, if you will) with their playing. The corners are the only firm part necessary for decent sound, I've found. The rest tends to set into place by itself; just don't try and cram your whole face into the mouth piece. Range in songs generally contains one octave, and you're rarely escaping the lower midrange. In solos and other pieces written especially for baritone, however, be prepared for a completely different world. Short runs with extreme low or high long tones ending them is common in these pieces, and octave jumps and slurs are constantly thrown in for no real reason. Those are the types of songs that trombone players write, because they want to do all sorts of things, but can't with their lack of convenient buttons. Pitch is somewhat of a problem with the horn itself, but the large mouthpiece makes bending pitches quite easy.
So, if deciding which instrument to start on...I'd say go trumpet because it isn't very difficult in beginner band, and you won't be terribly bored. Also, you will advance quickly. If you are being tossed into a new instrument for marching band however, baritone is an easily played instrument with simple parts. The size is the most difficult part of marching though. While both trumpet and baritone require decent shoulder and arm muscle, baritone is the heaviest of the brass that doesn't use the shoulders for support (sousaphones, contras, etc). That means your arms will get tired if you are parading for more than 20 minutes or so, so be prepared for that. Trumpet has the issue of being extremely light...which makes forceful horn moves easily overdone. Especially coming from baritone to trumpet, my first "horns down" tossed by mouth piece several yards, and I hit myself in the chest with the bell.
Anyways, depending on what stage of learning you are, and what exactly you want to do, trumpet or baritone can generally suit your desires. They are also great transition instruments, so picking these up may not be your final choice.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBoBo
Okay, so far you have seen nothing but good anime/manga that I have talked about. Welcome to bashing #1. My target tonight will be BoBoBo-Bo Bo-BoBoBo. This is quite possibly the worst show I've ever seen. This show makes "Hannah Montana" seem like an Oscar-winning television program. I had the misfortune of encountering this manga in the Shonen Jump magazine a year or two back, and the preview wasn't too bad. Not good enough to go out and buy, but it wasn't too bad. There was a recognizable plot and, while the fight scenes were kind of strange, it didn't seem all that annoying. However, when I saw the anime come on Cartoon Network last year...ugh. I watched the 1st and 2nd episode (I was hoping that only the 1st one was bad because 1st impressions can be decieving). Needless to say, I never went out of my way to watch it again, and I avoid it when it does come on. It was terrible. There wasn't really a story to be told, the characters are too random and annoying to get to know, and the situations were about as random as the characters. The best description would be Excel Saga except without the funny...or the girls. Just the randomness and the stupid, at least the animation isn't awful. Luckily that was the last I ever saw of it....but wait!
2 or 3 months ago I was reading my Shonen Jump magazine, and what do I see? They said that they would be replacing almost all their solid manga that had been in the magazine for years. I figured: well, that can't be too bad, there's been some good stuff coming out of the previews lately. Maybe it'll be some of those. Note quite. Turns out BoBoBo worked his afro-headed self back in there. Bah, so now it's not funny, not entertaining, and it takes up space that something good could have been using. Someone at Shonen Jump must have be on some new meds...
Rating: F
2 or 3 months ago I was reading my Shonen Jump magazine, and what do I see? They said that they would be replacing almost all their solid manga that had been in the magazine for years. I figured: well, that can't be too bad, there's been some good stuff coming out of the previews lately. Maybe it'll be some of those. Note quite. Turns out BoBoBo worked his afro-headed self back in there. Bah, so now it's not funny, not entertaining, and it takes up space that something good could have been using. Someone at Shonen Jump must have be on some new meds...
Rating: F
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Well, went by the mall today and bought me some manga. Neon Genesis Evangelion (not that Angel Days soap opera crap) volumes 9 and 10 happened to be there together, so I couldn't pass up this opportunity. I've noticed that when I start buying a series that has been out for a while, they always seem to have the ones before and after what I need...but never the one I'm missing. But fate smiled upon me today and the next two I needed were on the shelf. Oh, happy day.
Anyways, Eva is about 14-year-old Shinji who gets called in by his distant father to pilot a giant robot to battle these giant critters that are attackin' the city. Sounds like a giant robot battle anime/manga, but that isn't really what it's about. It's about the psychological journeys of Shinji and his fellow pilots, the melancholy Rei and superiority-complexed Asuka. They're all actually pretty messed up in the head, although you can't really tell until towards the end. The giant robots vs. the "Angels" that are attacking the city is really just to keep the seriousness of what's at stake in perspective while you learn way more about these kids than you ever wanted to know. But overall I think it's probably one of the best series I've ever watched/read. The final episodes are somewhat of a bad acid trip, but the movies and manga make the last two episodes make sense. It's a bit difficult to grasp watching the last two by themselves. I know it left me confused. Also, they are redoing many of the episodes in movie form currently, so I can't wait for those to come out in English. The anime at least is definitely worth checking out, if you like that then maybe check out the other stuff. It's got a really strong fan base, so apparently I'm not crazy for enjoying it.
Rating: B+
Anyways, Eva is about 14-year-old Shinji who gets called in by his distant father to pilot a giant robot to battle these giant critters that are attackin' the city. Sounds like a giant robot battle anime/manga, but that isn't really what it's about. It's about the psychological journeys of Shinji and his fellow pilots, the melancholy Rei and superiority-complexed Asuka. They're all actually pretty messed up in the head, although you can't really tell until towards the end. The giant robots vs. the "Angels" that are attacking the city is really just to keep the seriousness of what's at stake in perspective while you learn way more about these kids than you ever wanted to know. But overall I think it's probably one of the best series I've ever watched/read. The final episodes are somewhat of a bad acid trip, but the movies and manga make the last two episodes make sense. It's a bit difficult to grasp watching the last two by themselves. I know it left me confused. Also, they are redoing many of the episodes in movie form currently, so I can't wait for those to come out in English. The anime at least is definitely worth checking out, if you like that then maybe check out the other stuff. It's got a really strong fan base, so apparently I'm not crazy for enjoying it.
Rating: B+
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Senior Year
Ah, 3 years of high school down, 1 to go. Just finished 1st quarter a week or two ago, so time is flying by. Hopefully I find a college to accept me. The counselor says that I should have sent all my college applications by now. Oops.
Anyways, there's not too much left to do scholastically now that marching band is over. I'll probably work on some reading now that research papers are finished too(*gasp* a teenager reading for fun?!?!?). Hopefully I can keep my grades up, so I can continue to cruise through the school year. Things tend to go faster when you aren't worried about grades. The sooner the better: I'm not exactly thrilled with the direction my school is heading. 14 years in the same school and you start to notice things' changing. Ah well, I'll be well on my way by the time it all falls apart.
I'm certainly glad I picked what classes I did. Psychology gives me time to sleep or do homework for AP Government/Politics, which is next. Senior English finishes up my morning classes which really just requires some paying attention to ace. I have a study hall next with the band director, so I can sleep in there and then get to lunch early. After lunch, AP Statistics confuses the heck out of me, followed by Honors Defense of the Faith. Gotta love Christian schools. I enjoy my DotF class because it doesn't require a huge amount of work, but it still doesn't require that I must sit with idiots, like my standard classes. Finally, I finish up the day with my daily dosage of band. We'll start concert band Monday, so I haven't a clue how different it will be this year. Can't wait until the end of the year, but I think I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Anyways, there's not too much left to do scholastically now that marching band is over. I'll probably work on some reading now that research papers are finished too(*gasp* a teenager reading for fun?!?!?). Hopefully I can keep my grades up, so I can continue to cruise through the school year. Things tend to go faster when you aren't worried about grades. The sooner the better: I'm not exactly thrilled with the direction my school is heading. 14 years in the same school and you start to notice things' changing. Ah well, I'll be well on my way by the time it all falls apart.
I'm certainly glad I picked what classes I did. Psychology gives me time to sleep or do homework for AP Government/Politics, which is next. Senior English finishes up my morning classes which really just requires some paying attention to ace. I have a study hall next with the band director, so I can sleep in there and then get to lunch early. After lunch, AP Statistics confuses the heck out of me, followed by Honors Defense of the Faith. Gotta love Christian schools. I enjoy my DotF class because it doesn't require a huge amount of work, but it still doesn't require that I must sit with idiots, like my standard classes. Finally, I finish up the day with my daily dosage of band. We'll start concert band Monday, so I haven't a clue how different it will be this year. Can't wait until the end of the year, but I think I'll enjoy it while it lasts.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
A Standard School Day
So...I have a school story. This'll make up for missing yesterday's post. Ok, so I'm walking through the commons room on my way to the band room this morning. I notice a girl sitting all by herself (queue the "awwww"). That doesn't make her a loner at my school... just an idiot trying to hide the fact that she's on her phone. Anyways, I hear some of her side of the conversation..apparently, fleeing to the fine arts hall is good for privacy. Now, it's Halloween today. But my school, being supposedly Christian and all, doesn't recognize that officially as a holiday, so no costumes allowed (sounds reasonable enough). However, that doesn't stop people from wearing some cute little cat headbands and orange and black finger nail polish. Anyways, (I'm gettin' off topic a lot) so this is what I hear:
"Ohmigaw, I found this headband in my closet, so, like, I wore it today"...
"Like, no, we can't wear that...like just uniforms today"...
"Like, I painted my nails, how do you like them?"...
"Oh! Right! I forgot"...
"Okay, bye"...*she flips the phone closed*
Now...I know it's a bit early (if you call 7:00 AM early). And daddy's little princess might not have gotten her espresso frappuccino latte with ginger hand-picked by slave workers in a Columbian countryside. But to forget that people can't actually see you on a phone...that's just...how can you...why would...aye...I'm surprised she remembers to breathe on a regular basis...she's probably got a tutor paid for that.
"Ohmigaw, I found this headband in my closet, so, like, I wore it today"...
"Like, no, we can't wear that...like just uniforms today"...
"Like, I painted my nails, how do you like them?"...
"Oh! Right! I forgot"...
"Okay, bye"...*she flips the phone closed*
Now...I know it's a bit early (if you call 7:00 AM early). And daddy's little princess might not have gotten her espresso frappuccino latte with ginger hand-picked by slave workers in a Columbian countryside. But to forget that people can't actually see you on a phone...that's just...how can you...why would...aye...I'm surprised she remembers to breathe on a regular basis...she's probably got a tutor paid for that.
Bleach
I just caught myself up on the Bleach manga. I used to check the websites daily to see when new chapters were released, but I got a bit lax over the summer. I checked few nights ago and found I had several waiting for me to read. Great fun. They recently stopped releasing new episodes on Adult Swim, not that I really watched the anime in English so much, so I can't really talk to many of my friends about things that have happened recently. I'm not a jerk that reveals spoilers against people's wills...mostly. I heard they left off where Ichigo gets his bankai in a killer battle scene. That's unfortunate. I would recommend watching the subbed episodes which go much farther, however some people just don't like the whole "reading what they are hearing" deal. I would also recommend reading the manga which goes even farther than the episodes...but no one wants to put any effort into reading. Am I so strange for enjoying hearing the gibberish with a translation?
Anyways, it's an excellent manga/anime with epic fights, nifty weapons, humorous...humor, but not a one of the main characters uses an axe...wah. Ah well, it's still terrific and it's quite popular, so it's probably all over the YouTube. And because of its popularity, there are several good AMVs floating about. I look forward to more chapters being released in the future.
Rating: A
Anyways, it's an excellent manga/anime with epic fights, nifty weapons, humorous...humor, but not a one of the main characters uses an axe...wah. Ah well, it's still terrific and it's quite popular, so it's probably all over the YouTube. And because of its popularity, there are several good AMVs floating about. I look forward to more chapters being released in the future.
Rating: A
Monday, October 29, 2007
Band Update
So I'm in a high school band of 17 wind players and 5 or 6 percussion. I currently play trumpet for marching, yet I'm usually a euphonium/baritone player. At the end of last school year, I offered my services of adaptability and said that I wouldn't mind switching to trumpet from baritone...but just for marching balance purposes (there would have only been one trumpet, so I thought it would be nice to take one for the team). I hadn't played trumpet for 5 years, but I wasn't about to let something as trivial as the passage of time, lack of experience, or the possession of a fading middle school treble clef knowledge stop me. Oops...within around 2 days of playing, I was able to play the entire first-chair part of our marching show for next year. I knew that the other trumpet player would be getting his braces off soon, so his sound and volume would improve as well. So I figured the switch wouldn't be so bad, and it was just for marching season, right?
Wrong. I just got told today that I am expected and "needed" to stay on trumpet for concert season. Now, I enjoy marching and all that, but concert season is what I look forward to in band all year long. And I was expecting to play my beloved Bartholomew (yes...I name my instruments) and getting to play my loud, low, repetitive, rhythmic parts of concert band. Allow me to put this in terms that are more easily related to the general audience: Imagine happily sitting on a couch and watching some TV. Your wife is in the chair adjacent to you, and she is shivering. Now, you're a nice guy, so you walk over, turn up the thermostat, and get her a blanket. Problem solved. A sacrifice was made, a long-term solution was applied for when you aren't there, and a short-term solution was applied because you were there that time. Now I'm being asked to stand there away from the TV, ready to cover the band with a blanket even though the heat is on. Meh...hope this doesn't interfere with the baritone auditions that I've have to do.
On the bright side, trumpet parts are always more exciting, and the band director is talking of taking us seniors for more challenging things while he works with the underclassmen.
Wrong. I just got told today that I am expected and "needed" to stay on trumpet for concert season. Now, I enjoy marching and all that, but concert season is what I look forward to in band all year long. And I was expecting to play my beloved Bartholomew (yes...I name my instruments) and getting to play my loud, low, repetitive, rhythmic parts of concert band. Allow me to put this in terms that are more easily related to the general audience: Imagine happily sitting on a couch and watching some TV. Your wife is in the chair adjacent to you, and she is shivering. Now, you're a nice guy, so you walk over, turn up the thermostat, and get her a blanket. Problem solved. A sacrifice was made, a long-term solution was applied for when you aren't there, and a short-term solution was applied because you were there that time. Now I'm being asked to stand there away from the TV, ready to cover the band with a blanket even though the heat is on. Meh...hope this doesn't interfere with the baritone auditions that I've have to do.
On the bright side, trumpet parts are always more exciting, and the band director is talking of taking us seniors for more challenging things while he works with the underclassmen.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Research Paper
Sigh...it's finally Friday. Took long enough to get here.
So I'm in school and I got the final piece of my research paper graded before the final turn-in Monday. I was told I need 3 more sources, and one of those must be an interview. I'm trying to figure that one out. The other two I can just get off the internet, so I ain't too worried. Other than that, I just need to double the length of my paper. Sounds like a joyous time I've got ahead of me. A girl in my class told me that her paper is on an 150 line poem...I got friggin' Ivanhoe. It's a 400 page novel! In my school's library (which is all we had access to on "research days"), there was only one author who wrote two or three of the critical essays that I'm using as sources...and my teacher wants more "variety" to my quotes. I also have to double the length of my paper without turning it into a book report (which is what half my class has done). The glories of the internet: I should have this done with two or three hours of work; as opposed to the week I spent reading books filled with critical essays of 19th century European literature that only had snippets of anything Ivanhoe related. My compliments to Paul de Gategno. He's helped me by writing relevant materials about nothing except Ivanhoe...but my teacher won't let me use his book as my only source.
The awful timings of the step-by-step due dates were terrific also. I'm so glad that our school library is open all the time...oh wait, it's bloody not. By the time I get out of band in the afternoon, that library is more closed than a buffet to a fat guy. So I had to make due with the limited notes I had...which weren't enough. Ah well, at least it's over. But wait, it's not! My teacher just handed us a sheet on an "Oral Report" based on our findings of our primary source (that would be Ivanhoe for me), so I get to stand in front of my class and tell them all what Ivanhoe has done for me (queue the lightning and solar eclipse). Luckily, I'm pretty good at the whole -summarizing incredibly long and detailed things into 3-4 minutes of nonsense with no preparation while shaking because of my hatred for public speaking- thing.
So...wish me luck, I'll be having fun I'm sure. Peace Out!
Grade: TBA
So I'm in school and I got the final piece of my research paper graded before the final turn-in Monday. I was told I need 3 more sources, and one of those must be an interview. I'm trying to figure that one out. The other two I can just get off the internet, so I ain't too worried. Other than that, I just need to double the length of my paper. Sounds like a joyous time I've got ahead of me. A girl in my class told me that her paper is on an 150 line poem...I got friggin' Ivanhoe. It's a 400 page novel! In my school's library (which is all we had access to on "research days"), there was only one author who wrote two or three of the critical essays that I'm using as sources...and my teacher wants more "variety" to my quotes. I also have to double the length of my paper without turning it into a book report (which is what half my class has done). The glories of the internet: I should have this done with two or three hours of work; as opposed to the week I spent reading books filled with critical essays of 19th century European literature that only had snippets of anything Ivanhoe related. My compliments to Paul de Gategno. He's helped me by writing relevant materials about nothing except Ivanhoe...but my teacher won't let me use his book as my only source.
The awful timings of the step-by-step due dates were terrific also. I'm so glad that our school library is open all the time...oh wait, it's bloody not. By the time I get out of band in the afternoon, that library is more closed than a buffet to a fat guy. So I had to make due with the limited notes I had...which weren't enough. Ah well, at least it's over. But wait, it's not! My teacher just handed us a sheet on an "Oral Report" based on our findings of our primary source (that would be Ivanhoe for me), so I get to stand in front of my class and tell them all what Ivanhoe has done for me (queue the lightning and solar eclipse). Luckily, I'm pretty good at the whole -summarizing incredibly long and detailed things into 3-4 minutes of nonsense with no preparation while shaking because of my hatred for public speaking- thing.
So...wish me luck, I'll be having fun I'm sure. Peace Out!
Grade: TBA
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Death Note
Mmmmbuddy, Death Note has come to Adult Swim on Saturday nights. It's a pretty complex little mystery anime, and it's not so much action-packed, yet it is extremely well written and intelligent. I own all the manga in English and watch the anime in Japanese as it was coming out. I'm pretty stoked that it is now in English on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. It's replacing new episodes of Bleach...which ran out of English dubbed episodes apparently, ah well.
Anyways, Death Note is a mystery anime for the most part- like I said. It's about an extremely smart high schooler who finds a notebook with the power to kill anyone that he has seen the face of and whose name he has written down. He decides to use this newfound power to cleanse the world of evil and become the deity of his new world. Unfortunately, the police are after him and even the genius detective, L, has developed interest in taking down this unknown invisible serial killer. I highly recommend checkin' it out. The animation and music is terrific, and while there aren't any fight scenes, it's definitely got terrific intellectual duels between two conflicting sides of justice.
Rating: A
Anyways, Death Note is a mystery anime for the most part- like I said. It's about an extremely smart high schooler who finds a notebook with the power to kill anyone that he has seen the face of and whose name he has written down. He decides to use this newfound power to cleanse the world of evil and become the deity of his new world. Unfortunately, the police are after him and even the genius detective, L, has developed interest in taking down this unknown invisible serial killer. I highly recommend checkin' it out. The animation and music is terrific, and while there aren't any fight scenes, it's definitely got terrific intellectual duels between two conflicting sides of justice.
Rating: A
Take Off!
Hallllllrighty! Guess I'll start this puppy off by introducing my loser self. I'm just a southern guy in the band in my school. I'll be talkin' about everything from anime to video games to school, and I might even talk about myself every now and then (the humanity!!!). Wish me luck and leave me a comment if you deem this blog worthy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)