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Thursday, May 1, 2003 6:11:42a: *
Good morning all, and welcome to May. This is the last month I'll declare the page as "in development", as I'm shooting for a May 19th launch date. Either the 19th, or failing that, June 1st. Of course, to do that, I have to actually work on the site, instead of goofing off. So I'll be doing that more tonight, as the past two days' overtime have drained me more than I care to mention. Anyway, I'm running late, so I'll leave you with the thought that Square Enix announced their plans to drive me into Welfare, aka their E3 lineup, yesterday. Just so you know.Thursday, May 1, 2003 8:34:09a: *
I'm relaxed this morning, I'm good... there are no outages, no overtime demands, and no disgustingly long waits to talk to me. More than that, people have been asking silly questions, like "Why doesn't my wireless PDA work when I don't have a wireless router?" and "I know you guys don't troubleshoot networks, but can you fix my network?" So I'm calm, because I know these people are going to Hell. Not like I won't be right behind them, but I'll be happy to know there's some justice in the next world.Thursday, May 1, 2003 4:06:28p: *
Testing BlogThis!. Additionally, I squashed a bug that was bothering me on the Links page, though it was also evident in the Archives page-- the main content portion of the page now aligns to the top when it's shorter than the sidebar content. I'm going to make dinner and then work on the next quarter of the analyses for the Numerolomatic. Hopefully I'll get those all written, barring a case of writer's block the size of New Hampshire.Thursday, May 1, 2003 4:07:44p: *
BlogThis! is go. It'll make linking to stuff much easier, should I choose to link to things. Doing real work now.Thursday, May 1, 2003 6:09:37p: *
Half of the analyses are done now. Writer's block has set in. I desire the carnage of the battlefield. Back to do more work later.Thursday, May 1, 2003 8:22:03p: *
Havoc, chaos and mayhem has been wrought upon my Gamecube. I feel fulfilled. (read: I finished Dark Side on SA2:Battle) Anyway, I doubt the writer's block is going to be lifted tonight, and with half of the analyses written, I feel pretty confident that I'm going to get the Numerolomatic done up this weekend. In fact, not that I'm lazy or anything (which I am), I might just rethink the project and change the color analyses to something like quotes. Naturally, that would mean I'd only have ten more blurbs to write instead of twenty, but it would also flow a little better and make the "fortunes" flow a little smoother. Alternately, this could also mean that rather than ten blurbs, I choose to pick 100 quotes. That might not be a bad idea either. Regardless, I have to start thinking a little bit about how I'm going to organize the game section. It would be a great boon to have some kind of design in mind, but right now there's a big rectangle in the org chart of my brain and it's just labeled "games". Half of me wants to set up a voice actor database that actually WORKS, as in "is not filled to the brim with roles like 'the dude with the 1337 sword who says booya' and does not have fifty different misspellings of the same actor's name". But then I think about the massive amount of work that would be to set up and maintain, and I'm not so sure all of a sudden. Another thought would be to go back to writing fanfiction, but I literally don't have the time to play all the games I have, let alone write long, involved stories about them. So unless I find a tale that grips me in some particular way, I probably won't be doing any more fanfics for a while. Lastly, I thought about just putting in a pile of rants on games that I'm playing-- reviews in media res, as it were. That would be the easiest to do-- and believe me, easy is what I'm looking for now-- but the problem is that it wouldn't be unique. EVERYBODY blathers on and on about how they think Game X sucks and Game Y is the best thing EVAR, and I want to set myself apart somehow. Perhaps a dose of my wit would benefit the otherwise morose and drab ravings. Or it'll probably just make me look like an elitist asshole. Either way I win. One thing I miss about the old site I used to journalize at is the feedback system. I still use that site (and no, you can't have a look), and whenever I make a posting there, people who read it can leave comments on it. It'd be nice if people left messages for me here, but I really don't want to put a forum in. The simple fact being that forums attract idiots almost more than they do real people. Besides, I don't think what I have to say is really worth discussing, per se, but it would be nice to hear from the folks who read it what they think. I have dishes to do and then I'm probably off to bed. Only two more days before I can sleep in a little later...Thursday, May 1, 2003 8:28:12p: *
By the by, The House of Urashima has had 100 hits in the past five days, according to Anipike. By the looks of it, they like me. They really like me.Friday, May 2, 2003 9:11:29a: *
O glorious day, when, despite being woken up at 3a by morons with trucks louder than your average Who concert, my workday is interrupted for an hour-long meeting with Big Boss. (No, not that Big Boss. I'm calling him that because I think he'd appreciate not being named here if I have something less than flattering to say about him after the meeting.) So basically I get an hour off the phones, during which time I (most likely) will wet my pants in fear. I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer, etc. Anyway. Last night, I neglected to mention this, but my last call of the day was from a man who was puzzled by the modem lease charge on his bill, and wondered if there was a way to use the cable internet service without a modem. True story. I am in hell. Anyway, just a brief respite before I return to the phones for the shortest stretch before the meeting. Actually, getting my half-hour lunch right after the meeting... I could have a very good thing going here.Friday, May 2, 2003 11:25:29a: *
Hm. Apparently I was never logged out of this. I hope annoying co-worker doesn't find out. Anyway, it was good to go back to the apartment, if only for a few minutes. I'll be heading back to the second half here shortly, but it's not as long a haul as it would have been. We'll do this again sometime.Friday, May 2, 2003 1:13:16p: *
....It only SEEMS three times as long, when a woman comes on the phone asking the same vague question fifteen times and not understanding when I tell her that I don't know and it's not our problem anyway. And it's not "vaguely the same question", but "the same question, which is too vague to answer". "I need a certain kind of linkage for this real estate program I use. Do you have it?" ...I hate people sometimes.Friday, May 2, 2003 3:41:24p: *
I feel responsible now. I just paid my credit card bill. Is that a sign that I'm matured now, or am I just too stupid not to have had a card by now? Anyway, dinner first, then work on the page. Probably working on the Numerolomatic's quote system.Friday, May 2, 2003 5:29:38p: *
OK, seriously. Doing work now. There's a festival of some sort going on tonight... Once I get the framework for the numerolomatic quoter together, I'll go back and get an order of curly fries. Then I can come back and write 100 quotes... Yay. Nothing like carrots and sticks. Mmmmm... carrots...Friday, May 2, 2003 8:32:44p: *
OK, time to quit for the night. I've completed 50 of the 100 quotes that would be needed for the Numerolomatic. Gathering other peoples' words and making them sound as funny as they do in context is hard work, and writer's block can set in even if you're not actually doing the writing, which is a surreal experience, but it happened. So I'm going to cut my losses and just take a breather. I might take another try at SA2-- I still can't quite get through Cannon's Core, which is where I failed when I had the Dreamcast version-- but rest assured I will prevail. Make no doubt about it. Anyway, there's lots of gaming news coming out, but I'll hold off on expounding until I've finished the Numerolomatic. So be patient. This site will fill out nicely soon enough. I'm off to die several dozen times. Wish me luck.Saturday, May 3, 2003 9:12:24a: *
I've often said that "half of the internet has exploded", but today it seems to be true. For instance, all our servers have suddenly decided to stop recognizing a specific brand of modem. And our email system, for the entire nation, is down. But to be fair I'm dealing with it well. And so are the customers. It would help, though, if the Saturday staff was larger than 10 people...Saturday, May 3, 2003 11:15:45a: *
The next time I say that the people are being nice, KILL ME.Saturday, May 3, 2003 5:13:34p: *
I survived... I... still... function... Anyway, going to see X2 with my sister tomorrow. Family is important to me, and I love my crew as much as the next guy, but sometimes she can drive me batty. Case in point: ...you know, I feel no need to air out dirty laundry just yet. Not when I feel too thirsty to think. I'll continue this later, but for the nonce, imagine the usual sibling rivalry jacked up a few dozen notches and that's my relationship with my sister. We put each other through Hell and we love each other for it.Saturday, May 3, 2003 10:47:05p: * Game Corner open for business. I decided what I was gonna do with the game section tonight, rather than finish the Numerolomatic's quotes. There's just about 50 more to go on that, but I don't have anything amusing or deep to write for those. I did, however, feel the need to write about games for a while. I feel pretty good, actually. Anyway, check out Morning Sun, and tell me what you think.Sunday, May 4, 2003 9:05:42a: *
Sorry folks, taking the day off to see X2. I'll be back later today to finish the quotes and probably set up the toys section proper. Later.Sunday, May 4, 2003 9:07:32a: *
Incidentally, I finished Sonic Adventure 2 last night and defeated Marilith, thus bringing me ever closer to victory in Final Fantasy...Monday, May 5, 2003 7:19:02a: *
Running errands today, so updates will be scarce. Sorry, but them's the breaks. Whilst reading through the latest issues of GMR and Newtype (I have a subscription to the former but would rather have a subscription to the latter-- hint hint), I came across two projects which heretofore had not caught my attention. Let's talk about the Animatrix first-- it being the more relevant one at the moment. At X2, there was a commercial for Powerade that had a man in a nice black suit and dark sunglasses talking about how much energy the human body gives off, addressing the audience. In essence, we were being grilled by an Agent. That's what I love about the Matrix series-- it's funny in ways that the Wachowski brothers probably never intended, but still very dramatic and compelling. It's like Dragonlance in reverse-- rather than becoming attached to Tanis and Tasslehoff, the viewer finds themselves immersed in the world of the Matrix. And within this world are stories that could never be told via conventional filmmaking. The Wachowskis tapped plenty of great talent for these shorts-- the Aeon Flux guy (whose name escapes me right now and whose "Reign: The Conqueror" just plain sucks), Watanabe Shinichi (aka Nabeshin), MADHOUSE... but the biggest surprise is the phoenix job pulled by Square Pictures, who created the Animatrix's crown jewel-- "The Final Flight of the Osiris". The preview trailer on the Newtype disc clearly stated, to me at least, "We may be going down in flames, but at least we're going down with style." In essence, that and "Detective Story" (one of three shorts directed by Nabeshin) are the reasons I'm getting the DVD on June 23.Monday, May 5, 2003 7:35:06a: *
And now the other game, one which actually comes as a MAJOR surprise to me-- Microsoft's True Fantasy Live Online. I hesitate to use the phrasing "TFL" because that sounds too damn much like TRL (aka the downfall of modern "music television"), nor am I excited to call it "TFLO" because that sounds too much like I'm liberating something, so for the purposes of this post I'm going to call it "the game". Tr-- the game-- is your stock console MMORPG, of which there exist only two, and both of them are bad. Trust me on that-- I've played them both. However, this game shows some interesting promise. First off, and this is one of the biggest complaints I've had about MMORPGs of any kind, the graphics loook fantastic. I'm not normally an eye candy ho, but there is an acceptable lower limit to how people look, and PSO scrapes the bottom while Everquest has had to change shovels three times. Tru-- dammit, the game-- has a beautifully detailed world, excellently articulated characters (you can actually see and discern facial expressions-- plus, get this, chatacters are NOT freakish totem-heads carved from wood or plastic by a three-year-old with safety scissors! Wow!), an what appears to be a nifty-ass system of interaction. Voice communication is something new that's being brought to the table, though, and this is where I think the game is going to falter a little... You see, as much as it's a boon to players of Unreal or MechAssault, the voice quality is terrible on Live. Imagine your worst cell phone and then multiply its crappiness. It would be different if this was another FPS, and the only pertinent communications were "cover me" and scatological slurs against your folks-- but when "there is a dragon in the cave" sounds like "thrr sad rag no cape" you wonder if your half-elf cleric isn't all-the-way nuts. Then again, I'd scoffed at True Fa-- god DAMMIT, the game-- I was not impressed until I saw a few screenshots, and read up on the customizability of the characters (something I always like to see in an online game, and something PSO sorely lacked-- yes, I am a Taurus control freak, what of it?). The battle system remains to be seen, though after E3 I'm going to catch up on that. There could be hope yet for the game, we'll see. (HA! I bet you thought I was going to say "True Fantasy Live Online", didn't you? ...aw snap.)Monday, May 5, 2003 7:37:51a: *
They really ought to consider changing the name, though. I mean, come on. "True Fantasy" is a contradiction in terms, for cryin' out loud! Why, you might just as well have a game called "Final Fantasy XI". People just won't be able to get over the title.Monday, May 5, 2003 9:33:27p: *
I'll be frank with you, and say it outright: Most games based on TV shows or movies suck. Either the game has little if anything to do with the show, being a licensed heap of crap; or the game is so dumbed-down to avoid alienating non-gamer fans of the show that it's almost unplayable, and thus still a heap of crap. CSI manages to avoid this. At its core, sure, it's basically "Carmen Sandiego for Grown-Ups", but then again grown-ups NEED something like Carmen Sandiego (i.e. good). Like so many other TV show games, you take the role of a self-insertion character into the Las Vegas Crime Lab crew, working alongside Grissom, Sara, Warrick, and Greg. Another tired cliche, but sometimes the whole of a thing is greater than the sum of its parts. And that is precisely the point that CSI tries to make. That every little detail counts, whether you know it or not. To be honest, the game has its flaws. It's your run-of-the-mill point-and-click adventure with a CSI skin slapped on to it, so don't expect much of anything in the way of innovative gameplay. Also, don't expect much of anything new in terms of graphics, either-- the character models are lousy and the audio is often unsynchronized with the visuals. Additionally, while the characters sound okay, they just don't sound right, you know... Then again, these are actors, not voice actors. VAing a game is a long, tedious process because you wind up saying the same thing many times over. (In some regards, it's not all that unlike reviewing video games.) However, despite these flaws, I'm thinking I might wind up actually finishing CSI for a change-- I'm notorious for not bothering to finish half of the PC games I buy, Unreal Tournament being a notable exception. So that's all, really. Watching X and starting Lodoss Wars tonight. Thank the heavens that I get to sleep in a little more tomorrow morning. Drowning in my dreams....Tuesday, May 6, 2003 5:38:05p: *
Hey. Got out of work, did some errands, and now I'm here. I intend to work on the last fifty quotes, but I think I need a walk first... You see, I'm heavy. We're talking significantly overweight. Maybe not "more rolls than a bakery, more Chins than Chinatown" fat, but "my belly extends further than my chest and I am neither a) pregnant nor b) female". So I'm trying to skip the occasional meal here and there and to be active. Thus, the walking. I have a short course mapped out, and I'm going to walk it here in a little bit (as soon as my clothes get out of the laundry), and I'm looking to do that every day when I get out of work. It would definitely get me a little less big, and I'm positive I can handle it. Rain or shine, good or bad, I'm going to drop these extra 30 or so pounds. I will be damned if I'm going to fit the usual "fat smelly otaku" stereotype by Otakon. So that's that. I'll check on my pants, and then take it to the streets. Back in a while.Tuesday, May 6, 2003 9:58:21p: *
The quotes file is complete for the Numerolomatic, after working on it for three hours. I'll have it out and about tomorrow afternoon. I'm sleepy, and burned out on sound bites, so I'm off to bed. Sorry for the scarcity of communication today but I'm just tired, that's all. I'll work on a few other neato baubles to add to the Numerolomatic tomorrow. Good night, folks.Wednesday, May 7, 2003 12:35:35p: *
That's halftime, folks. Blogger was acting strange, but it's all good now. Sega announced that they were going through with the Sammy merger as opposed to the Namco one, so that's one less mystery to unravel. However it begs the question of whether or not it is a good thing. It's almost certain that there won't be any official word on the deal until after E3, but untl then the speculation is going to kill fighter fans. More than that, really, is the fact that Square has been curiously mum about Final Fantasy XII. It's in development-- let there be no doubt about that, they'd be suicidal to put all their eggs in the online basket for another year or so-- but we've seen nary a screenshot nor heard naught a rumor. E3 may have more surprises than merely the ones in Working Designs' fold. Speaking of WD, they're too quiet, too. Their web site hasn't been updated with any upcoming games since before Arc was released; and Victor Ireland's cryptic comments to the press indicate one of two things-- either the venerable company is ditching Sony in favor of Nintendo (pfffffft), or they're quitting the business altogether. I wouldn't mind the former, but the latter is all too likely. After all, WD started as a niche company, and that niche has been filled-- overfilled. And Sony pulling a Sega (i.e. denying an otherwise great game or set of games a U.S. release because of some silly, baseless objection) doesn't help; but if WD does turn to Nintendo, would that really be a good thing? Nintendo, the 800-lb. gorilla whose draconian censorship rules practically defined an era of gaming and helped usher in the current one? Would WD really be able to work creatively under such conditions? Sure. For about five minutes. Anyway, that's my gaming muse for the nonce. I'll be going home in about 4 hours, working on the Numerolomatic, and we'll see what develops from there. Wish me luck.Wednesday, May 7, 2003 9:44:32p: * Dynamic Toys section open for business. Enjoy the beta of the Numerolomatic. Keep in mind, though, that it's completely unscientific and its advice probably shouldn't be followed by anyone. It was, however, a neat exercise in figuring out how to do certain tasks without the use of a database. I especially like how no two people will experience the same fortune on a given day, unless they share a birthday. Anyway, that completes just about all of the primary sections of the page-- the Anime Rack will have its own page in a day or so with links to all the anime-related content on the site (so far, just the House of Urashima, but more will come). I think tomorrow I ought to concentrate a little on the visual design of the site. There's only one image, and it's starting to grate on me. I am adamant about the sidebar, though-- I always liked this simple kind of layout and I'm not about to change it now. I wasted enough time today, however, watching Record of Lodoss War. Not that it was a waste, per se, but I could have been more productive if my legs did not feel as if someone were taking an axe to them. You see, my so-called "short course" from yesterday turned out to be a little over a mile. Not the best way to start out a walking regimen. I found a shorter route that's only half a mile and walked that today, despite the pain. Until I can walk the half-mile course without a burning feeling in my calves, I'll be holding off on the mile trek. I'm tired now, so I'm off to bed. By the by, Shiris kicks ass. 'Nuff said.Thursday, May 8, 2003 12:17:22p: *
A particularly famous voice actress-- whom nobody who is not an anime fan will recognize-- called in today. She was upset, but we managed to calm her down. After I explained to her I wasn't a boy genius, she seemed to accept the delay and found there was no need for harsh words. Confidentiality prevents me from revealing her here, but I'm sure that you can figure it out. Miyaa!Thursday, May 8, 2003 6:30:58p: *
I have an interesting dilemma... what if I were to take the Everquest PS2 demo disc that I recieved in the mail today, sign up for the free trial, and write about it? Admittedly, it'd have been easier for me to do these kinds of preview features while I was working for EB, but this could be an interesting sidebar to the games section, were I willing to do it... Alternately, what if I were to cover it in mold and send it back to Sony postage due? I could do that, too, and that might actually be more fun. We shall see. For now I think I'll wait on the disc for a little while. Sadly, I feel the desire to watch "Cabin Boy". I'll work on the site after the movie and before CSI. By the way, "Bad Company" was terrible.Thursday, May 8, 2003 9:00:42p: *
By the by, for what it's worth, there are some DAMNED FREAKY-ASS websites out there. Case in point: a three-page dissertation on how Nataku (a genderless bioandroid from X) would make a good husband/wife/it. 'Nuff said on the subject, I think.Friday, May 9, 2003 5:09:37p: *
Home now. After taking yesterday off I'm going to work on the visual part of the site now-- so don't be surprised if things look funky for a little while. I started the EverTrash demo yesterday and have subsequently begun collecting fungus samples to adhere to the disc for its return voyage to SCEA. I think that speaks volumes about how the experience was. Dinner first, image later. That's how it goes.Friday, May 9, 2003 6:34:49p: *
Do you like the new top image? Far classier, if you ask me. And that's now the Official Symbol of TheFurryOne.net. More images to come.Friday, May 9, 2003 7:49:43p: *
I think I've fooled around long enough with the main template. This looks good enough, for now. I can launch with this. By the way, pay no heed to the counter. It's only there to tell me if droves of people suddenly visit my site. I'm at a crossroads, now, really-- should I work on getting something started for the Anime section, or should I go play Final Fantasy? I know what I want to do, but that requires female companionship. It would be good for me to get on the Anime section, but for now I can't think of anything particularly clever to do with it. Plus, I need to get some ideas together for this week's Morning Sun. Anyway, I think I'm going to take a short breather, watch some TV, and then decide on a course of action...Saturday, May 10, 2003 6:35:16a: *
Something occurred to me this morning, as I steel myself for the hellish onslaught that is Saturday At Work: Whereas before I created this site, it would usually take me half an hour or more to go through my links, these days it barely takes ten minutes to whip through the full complement of sites that I visit on a daily basis. The exception to this is if I go to Slashdot and get distracted by a story...Saturday, May 10, 2003 9:38:02a: *
I don't want to say this. I shouldn't say this. But today isn't so bad so far. I'm going to run home and get some vending-machine change and a book, and then be back. Hopefully things won't Go Horribly Wrong till I get back...Saturday, May 10, 2003 4:57:51p: *
Due to circumstances beyond my control, there will be no Morning Sun article this week. Additionally, all website progress is on temporary hold. That is all.Wednesday, May 14, 2003 6:20:54p: *
Not a real update, more a quasi-curiosity. I was checking out the referral logs and found a few curious bits-- Under Power referred two visitors and so did St. Charles West Bands. Curious because a) I don't regularly read Under Power (shame on me for missing catgirls) and b) I'm in Pennsylvania, while the St. Charles band site is for a high school in Missouri. I have never been to Missouri, much less played in a marching band there. I am at least more comfortable about the fact that The House of Urashima has been getting a goodly amount of hits from other sites in the webring. Well, enough of that for now. I'll be back on Friday (my birthday) with another quick update and a more solidified plan. Expect a new Morning Sun for Sunday morning, at the very least. Ciao.Wednesday, May 14, 2003 8:15:34p: *
Also, Rare's showing for their Xbox debut-- Kameo, Conker 2, and "Grabbed by the Ghoulies"-- looks phenomenally craptacular. Rare is on its way out, and I hope they realize what they're doing (i.e. killing their one and only potentially hot property by releasing enough lousy-ass games before getting to it). I once liked Rare. Really I did. Until they basically said "we don't need our fans anymore" and made Banjo Tooie et al. I'm excited about Doom 3 Xbox. I am less excited about Half-Life 2. Star Fox, however, has me worried. Nintendo is releasing a game in the now-venerable series, despite Rare's half-assed attempt at continuing it; this in addition to the Namco-developed SF Armada (which is AceCombat, only furrier). I wonder now what lies in store for fans of Star Fox (like myself). Will Nintendo release another ridiculous Zelda rip-off? Or will they actually make a SF game that isn't hobbling itself? Don't get me wrong, I loved the first two games; but they're so damned flawed by today's standards. No save and resume function. A fixed number of paths you could take. Static courses. Not enough freedom or dogfighting areas. Star Fox 64 should have included a save and resume-- it was rapidly becoming the de facto standard at the time and there was no reason to leave it out. Oh well. Hopefully they've learned from their mistakes. (This is, after all, in reference to the company that thinks "Clu-Clu Land" could still be popular as an e-Reader game after it flopped in the Japanese arcades, flopped in the US arcades, flopped in the Japanese Famicom, and flopped in the US NES.) More goodies await-- after all, this was only the first day of E3. And so much for wanting to take some time off from the site. I guess I'm as close to back now as I can be without officially being back. I'll check in tomorrow.Thursday, May 15, 2003 3:07:03p: *
Walking into the breakroom just now I saw the headline on CNN-- "Political Gun Battle". This is a poor choice of words. It naturally and instinctively evokes the scene of Trent Lott and Joe Lieberman doing pistols at twenty paces, while Strom Thurman, armed better than Rambo, has it out with Hillary Clinton and her taser gun. Not that I wouldn't want to see that. I'd love to see Lieberman win that duel. Work sucks, I'm dealing with it. Later.Thursday, May 15, 2003 5:07:08p: *
BlogThis! has suddenly decided it doesn't want to work anymore, so that's a drawback. Regardless, I'm on my way in to Olean to pick up Enter the Matrix (XBox) and probably Sonic Advance 2 (GBA) or something else for the GBA. We'll see. I did manage to pick up Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and despite being arguably all futuristic and stuff from being set in 2035, Drac's castle has never looked so much the same. Oh well. The last battle is phenomenally hard without the aid of potions and such, so I'm working on retrieving those for use there. Yes, it's as short as Circle of the Moon and Harmony of Dissonance were. Deal with it. Noiw, let's hope the blog actually publishes this time....Friday, May 16, 2003 4:57:13p: *
Off to see Matrix Reloaded. Let's see how deep the rabbit hole goes...Saturday, May 17, 2003 8:12:01a: *
At work, before actually doing any work. Matrix Reloaded was cool, and I dare anyone to tell me that there wasn't as much heady, philosophical stuff after seeing Neo interacting with [spoiler deleted]. I was a little sad to see the Twins go, though, as pretty much all of their good scenes are in the trailers and commercials. I'm sure they'll be back. But Agent Smith! And Agent Smith! And Agent Smith, Agent Smith, Agent Smith, and let's not forget Agent Smith! A whole [expletive]load of Agent Smiths! And The Oracle [spoiler]! And the Keymaker; Persephone, The Source, and the truth about Neo! Or at least part of it. I don't want to tell anymore because I want to see it again. Curse you near-perfect memory! Going to relax now. Going to my happy place... Sad cabbits in snow....Sunday, May 18, 2003 10:10:44a: *
Faito Club is down. Odd. Hopefully it's just a minor oversight-- it's a great site and Young should be proud it's got enough of a following to attract morons. That's the thing-- when I get people flaming me for posting my opinion that water is wet, I'll know I'm a successful webmaster. My sister got me the Pirogoeth poster for my birthday. She's never read Megatokyo. I got her a Neopets gizmo that I don't understand. I guess that makes us even. Anyway, I've got some stuff to do today, right? The Morning Sun (which I have to think of a better name for) will be up later tonight, and I have to get a 20"x28" frame for the poster. Talk to you all later. By the by, tomorrow I'll reveal the reason behind this past week's Aerobic Brooding. Later.Monday, May 19, 2003 10:19:23a: *
As long as I'm bitching about websites, Thor hasn't updated in three weeks. I don't care for Real Life's new archive system (as it prevents you from reading the strips in order); E3 coverage was pretty damn pathetic all around, though that could be due in part to the fact that nobody was really surprised by MGS3: Snake Eater and we all just really wanted to see an English shot or two of FFTA; and scheduling a con at the same time as E3 means that for the past weekend just about zero of my links page really updated regularly. On the plus side, I'm nearing the end of "Dragons of Winter Night", and expect to be done with the Chronicles later this week. It's very good, and I may just go back and start up Lord of the Rings again after this is done. Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow is a bit disappointing, as I've finished it already. Yeah, already. I've uncovered 97% of the castle, and I have no desire to "Catch 'Em All" in terms of the damned souls. (There should be an accent on that e.) Sonic Advance 2 is also disappointing, as it's WAY TOO FRICKING HARD. This is the first Game Boy game I've purchased a strategy guide for, solely because there wasn't one produced for Tactics Ogre. Additionally, the Prima guide for Sonic Advance 2 is pretty lousy. Here's a question. Where the hell is the headphone adapter for the GBA SP? I've been everywhere in Olean and even looked in Erie and nobody seems to know what it is or where to find it. Castlevania has some good music and SA2's tracks deserve to be heard (based solely on the fact that it's a Sonic game), but I can't because when I'm at work I can't turn on the sound, and when I'm at home the speaker gets covered up by my monstrous, Beast-like hands. Enough. I go now to shower and face a particularly unpleasant destiny awaiting me. On an unrelated note, I dreamed I got a strange email yesterday. Ah well. See you folks in a bit.Tuesday, May 20, 2003 2:10:49p: *
Faito Club is back, webcomics are in full effect, and the media is still sleeping off their orgy-tastic E3 coverage. All is well with the world. Except for the fact that my job decided to change my schedule on me. It's not a drastic change-- only a half-hour later for the rest of this cycle, and Saturday and Sunday off instead of Sunday and Monday-- but it's enough as I'm already going to have to change a few appointments and vacation days I'd set. I don't mind, though. I can handle it. Life is slowly returning to something approaching normal. I'm relaxed, and actually very cool with what's going on around me. Something of note, though, I finished the Chronicles last night. I told my parents I was playing video games and reading, but I was really just reading. It is that good. My next big undertaking is probably going to be the Twins' Trilogy, or whatever canonical name the story of Raistlin and Caramon is, as soon as I finish recoiling from all the dead people in this series. It's always a good sign when a book can make me cry, not once, not twice, but three times. Aw hell, I'm getting all Yomiko Readman on you guys. I'll skip that for now. Been playing more Pokemon Sapphire today, simply because it's turn-based and doesn't require me to be watching it like a hawk or having it sit on pause while I plummet to my doom AGAIN (I'm looking at you, Sonic Advance 2). I will have a Gyarados before the training meeting. Mark my words. Later, folks. We'll talk after work.Tuesday, May 20, 2003 9:58:58p: *
Eatin' ice cream and catching up on the news. Conspiracy Entertainment signed Eminem to a video game deal, with the first one being a clone of a lousy FMV-based game whose name escapes me. CE says the game is a puzzler where players assemble pieces of Eminem videos... This sounds familiar and it sucked before; what makes them think piecing together three minutes of the f-word is going to make the game any more enjoyable? Though in my search for the game of evil, I did come across a Japanese-only game that I probably would have bought, had it been released here-- Tetris with Card Captor Sakura. Then again, I'm a sucker for teh cut3, so there you go... Tomorrow, Wario Ware$. Then, THE WORLD! BWAHAHAHA...Wednesday, May 21, 2003 7:21:02a: *
Morning, all. I didn't get my Gyarados until I got home (stupid crazy people), but now Paladine is at full strength and he is ready to kick ass. I decided this time I was going to give my critters names... For example, my Whismur is named "Silencer" because of the Soundproof ability he has; my Zigzagoon is named "Tom Nook"... just because. Thus, the dragon-like Gyarados becomes Paladine. In the first game, I had a Snorlax named "FatBastard". I miss FatBastard. Actually, I still have Fat Bastard (note the space)-- my sister gave me a stuffed Snorlax doll at one point. Looking over, I see him now. Need to get dressed and go to work. We'll discuss more later. Assuming I'm coherent. Note to self: Regardless of how sunny it looks outside, do not open your car window again.Wednesday, May 21, 2003 7:25:43a: *
Just now while I was letting my subconscious mind take over the daily cleansing tasks, I almost stuck a q-tip in my armpit. I shudder to think where I was going to put the toothpaste.Wednesday, May 21, 2003 4:44:32p: *
Home now. Living nightmare. Going rollerblading. Posting stale. Back soon. Ugh rrgh.Thursday, May 22, 2003 2:15:03p: *
Something struck me as odd-- Pokemon Sapphire is just about the only GBA game I need here at work. There's the casino in Mauville, the actual battling here and there for leveling up; and the storyline battles as needed (I'm leveling up and balancing a team for a try at Flannery's badge; I hear she's hella tough and I picked Torchic as my starter, so it's to the level mines with me). At home is a different manner... I've been getting back into MUDding again, and started a new character on Dark Risings (get your link here; beware, the site is kinda sluggish). It was Pez, my roommate through at least half of my college career, who got me in to the game initially; he ascended to the level of Immortal, while I chose to let my character-- who had a modicum of fame herself-- fade away. By the way, I often choose to play female characters, just because it's an aesthetic choice most of the time. There's maybe three female names I use for games; one I'm currently using for Sapphire, and another is in use on the MUD. My current character was really just a matter of picking something easy to play for starters. She now has a pretty interesting backstory, which may be revealed if the time comes. Finally, I captured a Spoink in Sapphire and was going to name him "Orson", after the U.S. Acres character, but accidentally left it as just "O". I like it. When he evolved I'm going to rename him to "The Big O".Friday, May 23, 2003 6:41:45p: * Life Is Full Of Mysteries: For example, why, if a cleaning fluid is advertised as being "all natural" and has a very large picture of an orange on it, is there an equally large warning on the back of the bottle that says "don't drink this shist"? (By the way, that's not a typo. Visit Central Park.) Additionally, what monumental lapse of intelligence allowed Trend Micro to release a version of their spam filter software that automatically deleted any email containing the letter "p"? The fact that they fixed it within 45 minutes is irrelevant in light of the fact that such an egregious bug was not caught before the software went out. Finally, apparently in response to Sony's announcement that they'd release an "all-access" plan for their online games, what posesses EA to increase the monthly fee for Ultima Online? The odds always say that increasing the price lowers the number of buyers... So why increase your rates when you're always looking to increase your installed base....? CSI (the game) ticked me off a little last night; it didn't let me start at Mission 2 because I never actually started it. So I had to go through Mission 1 again..... I'm hesitating before I go back again, but I don't feel like playing a game right now. I think I'll watch more Lodoss War...Saturday, May 24, 2003 2:32:22p: * Note To Self:Never ever bring leftover tacos to work for lunch again. That is all.Saturday, May 24, 2003 10:07:57p: *
Weird Al is the greatest songwriter of all time. No more needs to be said. I think I have the next idea for a Dynamic Toy for the site... Not coincidentally, it happens to be related to a recruiting call for a D&D session I want to set up around here... I've taken matters into my own hands in terms of getting a game together. We'll see how the Toy works out first. Speaking of which, I'd better get to work on that before I forget...Sunday, May 25, 2003 12:01:33p: *
Like most good citizens of Western New York's Southern Tier, who grew up watching Eyewitness News on Channel 7, I'm going to see "Bruce Almighty" with the folks today. And not just because of the whole "hey look it's set in Buffalo" aspect, either. It's mostly the "hey look Jim Carrey is being funny again" aspect that's drawing me in for this one. I'm not saying that actors can't try new things with their range once in a while, but it's my opinion that there has to be a limit somewhere. For example, Jim Carrey is funny. It takes a stretch for me to see him as a serious guy-- and he can pull it off, once in a while. Robin Williams is funny and can be very serious when he wants to. But now that he's taken the Woody Harrelson Course To Send Your Credibility And Personality Spiraling Down The Toilet and is only playing dark, disturbing, decidedly no-chance-of-teh-funny roles, I'm a bit more wary of anything with his name on it. Mike Myers lost his charm about the time he repeated the same seven lines for two and a half hours as Goldmember. And don't even get me started on Eddie Murphy. But some serious actors can be very funny. Michael Keaton started as a comedic actor-- Beetlejuice, anyone? Arnold can kick ass and do pratfalls-- often in the same movie. Harrison Ford is hilarious in some of his big roles-- Indiana Jones and the upcoming Hollywood Homicide come to mind. And I, for one, thought Anthony Hopkins was a riot as Hannibal Lecter. (But I have a pretty screwed up sense of humor.) Anyway, I'm going to miss the movie if I don't go soon. Later, folks and folken. The new Toy will be up (in beta form) later this week. Maybe.Tuesday, May 27, 2003 6:37:54p: * Slashdot has an interesting story about how video games are becoming less and less original. Admittedly, there is some credence to the idea, I say, as I prepare to ponder whether I want to play Pokemon Sapphire or Xenosaga. But look at it from a different perspective. The industry as we know it-- post-crash-- is coming up on its 20th anniversary. (For the record, we all missed the 20-year mark since ET (Atari 2600) was released in 1981, but may catch the bidecannual of the Great Dump.) In 20 years we have seen many amazing and wondrous things with our video games-- we have seen the rise of Mario, Sonic, and Lara; we have seen game develop from crude pixelated runes and 4-bit bleats and buzzes to CG-rendered masterworks accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra; and we have watched gameplay evolve from "eat all the dots in the maze" to "do whatever the hell you want, we don't care". Personally, I think that we're asking a hell of a lot from an industry that has come so far in so short a time. The evolution of the video game in the past twenty years could be likened to going from the wheel to supersonic jets in the same amount of time. I play games because they're fun. Everybody says this, but too many times we find ourselves falling into the Hype Trap. "Buy Donkey Farmer 3D 7! It's cool! It has Real-Time Ass-Map technology!" We jump at the chance to see the Next Big Thing only to realize too late that it's just like the last big thing. And that they both kinda sucked. Originality isn't what's killing video games. It's all the frigging hype. Witness Enter the Matrix. Great concept, perfectly executed. Put out a video game that ties so closely into the movie that it licenses that it's impossible to play one and not see the other. Brilliant marketing move. Except the game just isn't that fun. No slander meant against Dave Perry and the rest of the Shiny crew-- you guys did one hell of a job on this game-- but you really shouldn't have. And the reason why is because you were working at cross purposes with the marketing crew. You made a game for the hardcore gamers, which Marketing ignores completely and sells to anyone who's even heard of the Matrix or video games. Hyped to death. Witness Final Fantasy, as well. Great series of games. Each one more epic than the last. The mere mention of that phrase snaps me to attention faster than a GI hearing his sergeant's bark. But it's the consensus in the community that the series is going downhill. Not a drastic incline, mind you, but just enough to be noticeable. FFX-- great story, fantastic graphics, and phenomenal production. But it was too short, and in "innovating" the battle system you took out one of the parts that made the game fun to play-- the time pressure. A battle in any other RPG lets you sit back and think about your next few moves; FF's Active Time Battle forced you to strategize and act at the same time. On top of that, you decide that this story, which I'll grant was great and perfect as it is, needed "extending" and thus work began on FFX-2 (or as I've dubbed it so many times before, "Yuna May Cry"). It'll sell a million copies. But will it be fun? That's entirely the point of this rant. Fun. I bought Rez because it looked like fun. It was, and still is. I am in the minority, considering just about nobody else bought Rez. I bought Pokemon Sapphire because, believe it or not, it's still fun. I'll buy Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, when it comes out, because it's fun and the storyline looks cool. And I'll buy RPG Maker PS2 when that comes out because I think that I have a pretty good sense of what's fun and what's not. So that's my spiel. Games don't have to innovate every ten minutes; they just have to be fun. Not-fun crap will sell. Deal with it. Buy what you like and I'll buy what I like. I can still complain, though, if I don't find anything fun in the next six months.Tuesday, May 27, 2003 6:48:48p: *
By the way, I'm now listed on Google. Phear.Tuesday, May 27, 2003 11:42:58p: * This is frigging disturbing. Not the fact that Xenosaga's being re-released with the awesome English cast for the Japanese to enjoy, that's always a good thing; but more the fact that they actually titled it "Xenosaga Episode 1 Reloaded". Kingdom Hearts at least had the sense to call itself "Final Mix", and the FFs have always had "International" versions... But come on, "Xenosaga Reloaded"? When did Shion become The One? Please note that I haven't yet finished the hella tough Song of Nephilim, so if Gaignun sports sunglasses and starts making verbose, eloquent speeches a la Hugo Weaving at some point within the next ten hours of gameplay, I am SO hanging up my controller and taking up animal husbandry.Wednesday, May 28, 2003 7:00:59a: *
You know, in other news, Sega is in talks with Electronic Arts to provide a publishing conduit to North American territories, just like Square did for roughly three and a half years. I do not think that would be a good idea, despite any claims I have made to the contrary in the past. Sega was smart enough heretofore to publish its riskier games itself, like Rez, Jet Set Radio Future, and Shenmue 2; it was a risk, but in some cases it paid off. Rez garnered critical acclaim and probably sparked interest in the PS2 re-release of Space Channel 5. However, with EA in the loop, the company could be stymied when it comes to some of their more offbeat offerings being made available in NTSC U/C Land... Specifically, Billy Hatcher, a standout game from E3. Looks like a great game and a phenomenal concept from Yuji Naka, but it's not guaranteed to make a zillion dollars. So if EA or Microsoft steps in, they'll probably say something to the effect of "nice work, boys, but we don't think it'll play in Peoria" and dump the game in the Pacific. Is this really any different than Nintendo's draconian censorship from days gone by? Now practically anything goes on the Gamecube, except nobody's putting content out for it. Wind Waker, sure, and Metroid Prime; but what's the next big thing? Zelda 2? Hyper Pac-Man? Nothing bleeding edge, because the system isn't on solid enough ground to take any risks... Now I'll be honest here and say that I'm not completely innocent in this matter. Two of the most celebrated titles in the Gamecube's library, Ikaruga and Skies of Arcadia Legend, do not reside on my shelf. Why, when remakes and big-ticket titles like Sonic Mega Collection and Super Mario Sunshine do? In Ikaruga's case, I'm not that big of a shooter fan anymore, and in SoAL's case, I have too many open RPGs right now. Hardly an excuse, I know, but they're valid ones. In any event, that's enoguh ranting on the Industry for a while. I'll think of something else later, but for right now I have to get to work.Wednesday, May 28, 2003 7:10:51a: *
On a completely unrelated note, College Roomies from Hell!!! has just begun another wonderfully Crack-Influenced storyline. I'm rather impressed as I didn't see this one coming, because Maritza didn't even mention blue mushrooms in the previous storyline. Plus, the line "Why me?"/"Because you're below the eye-level of the Nazgul" is going to set me in stitches for the next week and a half. You go now.Thursday, May 29, 2003 7:07:40a: *
This morning is a good morning. A very good morning. You know why? Because 3DO, makers of total, abject, and unadulterated crap (with the notable exception of High Heat baseball) has filed for Chapter 11. Specifically, this means one thing that can be summed up in five words: No More "Army Men" Games. I suppose you could add "thank God" on there for good measure. I'm sure some people would be upset over the temporary loss of Might And Magic, but let's face it-- something like that is bound to come back under a different developer. Well, that's all, then... I'm not yet conscious enough to have any more of an opinion, so...Thursday, May 29, 2003 7:12:52a: *
Hmmm... Rina Cat's page is down for the time being... We'll see how that plays out. By the way, I mention broken links on this blog just to let you know about 'em. If Rina is down permanently (heaven forbid) I'll remove the link, but right now it's just a temporary thing. I hope.Thursday, May 29, 2003 1:10:12p: *
As it turns out, Rina is fine. My internet connection is just wonky. I'll look in to that, but for now, go visit her. She's a good artist. Must eat lunch... must not slack off and read Slashdot...Thursday, May 29, 2003 6:13:13p: *
Though Weird Al may be the greatest songwriter who ever lived, surely our lives are muchly enriched by the presence of one John Flansburgh and one John Linnell, who comprise the twin quasars of rock They Might Be Giants. Their video compilation, "Direct from Brooklyn", made its way into my hands recently; and man, is it a trip. May I go on record as saying that John Linnell is very unassuming looking ordinarily, but can be VERY disturbing when seen in action? Specifically I'm talking about "Birdhouse in Your Soul", where They go off on a pseudo-parody of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without A Face" video... And what is up with the pipe in John Flansburgh's mouth in practically every video pre-1995? Weirdness, to be sure, but fun weirdness. Also let me go on record by saying that TMBG is one band I go out of my way not to download. If it's a band or artist I like, I'll buy the album instead of downloading it. I've made mistakes-- Evanescence comes to mind-- but for the most part I buy what I like and download everything else. The site is all but officially launched, ladies and gentlemen, and starting June 1st I'm going to put a big push on promoting it. Actually, starting tonight, but who's really counting. That's all for now, really; more to come later.Thursday, May 29, 2003 6:15:11p: *
One last thing before I head off. I want to wish someone very special an incredibly happy birthday. Someone who has made my life more worth living just by being there. Someone who has always had a wise word for me, whether I believed it or not. Someone whom I love very much. That someone is John F. Kennedy my sister, Christine. Happy birthday, sis.Friday, May 30, 2003 1:58:04p: *
X, volume 5, came out this week; I got paid yesterday. Coincidence? I think not. It will be mine. Been doing a lot of thinking about X, actually, and it may lead in to the first "new" part of the Anime section here on TF1. Specifically it's Kamui who's bugging me, and the fact that he remains an abject asshole for the first half of the series. I'm greatly feared that he's going to pull a Squall and get all weepy-eyed over the death of the rest of the Dragons of Heaven about three episodes from the end. Meanwhile, I'll probably be rooting for Fuma to come and lop the clueless bastard's head off. And the "evil twin" bit here is a little overplayed. Just a little. But it's cool because Fuma becomes all badass. And meets Satsuki. Mmmmm.... evil uber-geek... My word. This is probably the first time I've watched a series and actively cheered for the bad guys. Wait, no, there was that time I accidentally watched some DBZ last year and pondered aloud how pathetic the bad guys were that they couldn't beat Goku et al. That's all for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more later. Oh yeah-- I managed to evolve my Spoink. Say hello to The Big O. See you after work, all.Friday, May 30, 2003 11:30:50p: *
Spent some time today going grocery shopping, then came home, made up some mac and cheese, and started working on a massive campaign for a role-playing group. Yes, my insane plan to get a gaming group together is beginning to come into clearer focus. The campaign is set in a near-future version of Earth, shortly after a meteorite strikes the Midwest and turns the middle half of North America into a wasteland. And somewhere in that desert, with the new railroads criscrossing it and the monsters swarming out from it, an unspeakable horror rises to subjugate all under its terrible rule... To Andrew and Kathy, yes; something productive is coming from all those "sessions" we had. ^_^ To this end, I've chosen to work with the d20 Modern rulebook, published by WOTC. It's close enough to standard D&D, which I wanted to use, but couldn't find the rulebook around here. Plus, the Core Rulebook gave me access to both tomes that I would have wanted-- the Player's Guide and the DM's guide. Ultimately it also boiled down to the fact that my primary role-playing experience was with the post-multi-apocalyptic Rifts, published by Palladium. I'd still enjoy the opportunity to continue the old campaign I'd started back in the day; but then again, my job as GM for this game will keep me pretty occupied for a while. For the time being, the first mission is set up; depending on how much experience the players I find around here have, I might need to create a demo mission based solely in my apartment. That's a job for tomorrow morning, though, as I'm tired and my creativity is all but gone. To whom it may concern: One of my co-workers is named Seth. To avoid alienating him should he choose to join the game, I need to think of another name for the Ultimate Evil in the campaign. Any ideas are appreciated. ^_^