Almost a new year~

2011 is winding down and it was definitely an interesting year~ Many new things happened, some not so good things, and then some really great things. It has definitely been a year to remember in many ways and the good far outweighs the bad for me. Hopefully you can say the same and if not then I hope 2012 will be much better.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone~ ^_^

Twas the night before Christmas~

And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there~

Merry Christmas everyone~ May you have a very blessed day and holiday season ^^

Another year older~

Yep, yesterday marked another birthday for me. The big 24~ xD And it was a very special birthday I have to say. One of the best ones I've had in recent years and the first one as a married woman~ ^_^ It's also the first one I've had so far away from my immediate family but such is the way of things. It was still all good either way. Good stuff happened and I had a great time~ Also, I gots goodies! xD



Good stuff indeed~ And an Amazon gift card to boot. There be lots of playing to be done for sure now xD Anyways, I just want to thank everyone who made my birthday as special as it was~ Especially my Artie ^_^ I love you~

And until next time~

Video Game Picks for Christmas~

So yeah, been paying alot of attention to video game deals and things of that sort with it being that time of year. And I figured I'd do a blog post on my most wanted games for Christmas and just the year itself. I mean, I haven't bought a game since March at this point ^^; And there's been more than a few games I've had my eye on. Either recently or for a while now. So anyways, in no particular order here. Just as they come to mind.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land (Wii)
Yeah, this game looks pretty dang awesome. Now this is a step in the right direction with what Donkey Kong Country Returns should have been. Keeping the same style and format but just expanding on it. And not going all wonky on the controls. I love the new super powered up powers in this game. Definitely looks amazing. This is a must have for me on the Wii.

Solatorobo: Red the Hunter (DS)
This is a game I more recently just paid attention to. I mean, I recall seeing it quite a bit on people's Backlogs but it wasn't until I actually saw the cover of the game on Amazon one day that it really piqued by interest. And the more I read about it the more hooked I got. I love the character designs and art style in general, the main character is an anthropomorphic dog and there are other animal cultures in game, the game has airships since it's set in a nation with floating islands, there's robots, and most of all: air pirates! xD Which the MC is one too if I'm not mistaken. So yeah, this game looks and sounds right up my alley. Can't go wrong with all that in mind.

Super Mario 3D Land & Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
Combining both of these since they're on the same system. And both Mario based xD So yeah, Super Mario 3D Land brings back alot of classic game play elements in a new 3D world and still keeps hold of the roots that make Mario games great fun to play. Mario Kart 7 is just the next line in the Mario Kart series which are always awesome games. I am a huge fan of the series. Looking forward to seeing the new mechanics they've added, playable characters, and definitely the race courses. I'm sure there's some interesting stuff all around there.

Sonic Generations (PS3)
Looks like Sega went in the right direction along with Nintendo with wanting to bring back their classic character in a fresh game but keeping to the right mechanics and game play. Something Sega has pretty much struggled with ever since Sonic went 3D. But anyways, this game brings back some classic stages from the old games on the Genesis in beautiful HD and some brand new ones for what looks like an awesome Sonic experience. You're able to play as either classic Sonic in good old fashioned 2D side scrolling or modern Sonic in the more modern 3D style of play. It's a nice mesh and gives you two ways to play. Plus stuff to unlock and all that too. I'd say Sega did it right for the 20th anniversary of the awesome blue hedgehog.

So, there you have it. It's been an awesome year video game wise I must say. As in releases. There are other games I could mention too but this is just a list of the most wanted by me for this year. We'll just have to see when Christmas rolls around what I get my hands on xD Until then~

Happy Thanksgiving!

I certainly know what I'm thankful for this year without even thinking about it~ Tis pretty obvious in that it happened just this month xD And is the reason why I've been gone so long. But I'm truly happy to be finally married to the man of my dreams~ I'm the happiest woman alive ^_^ I'm also thankful for the safe traveling we had during this time. And I'm very thankful for all my family. Especially the new additions.

It's taking some time to get everything in order but it's slowly all falling into place. Just have to be patient.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope it's a wonderful one for all~

Happy Halloween everyone!

Eat lots of candy and be happy xD Twas a pretty busy one for me too. For other reasons ^^; And I almost forgot to do this so yeah.

~One Month~

Just one more month before something completely amazing and wonderful happens~ Don't know if another countdown should be in place like when it gets within a few days or something xD But anyways, time is really moving along~ And it can keep on moving to November 5th as quickly as possible. The wait be almost over ^_^ And everything is pretty much ready to go for the big day~ Over two years in waiting and dreaming of this day. Tis much anticipated by both of us~ And we will be happy together. Always~

~Two months~

Beating someone else to the punch here xD But I's can't resist~ And I's just wanna help him out since he's having a crazy week. Anyways, something wonderfully amazing be happening in two months now ^_^ Another month be down~ Here's to hoping time goes by fast for us so the waiting will be over and we'll be together at last finally~ I love you, Artie ^_^

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day yesterday as well~

Going back to Digimon Xros Wars~

Alright, so the last post I made about the 6th season of Digimon was in 2010 ^^; I dropped off from it since yeah, at the time episodes were slow and you have to wait for people to sub them. So fast forward to now and the season is almost done airing in Japan finally and the episodes are subbed pretty quickly. Not only that, it appears that they are just gonna continue off this season with a direct sequel to it in October when it ends. So yeah, a 7th season basically. The only other season they've done this with is the very 1st one where the 2nd season was a direct sequel to it. Seasons 3, 4, and 5 were stand alone. Tis very interesting~

Oh and let's not forget the most interesting part of all: Toei Animation filed a trademark for the season. Which means~ Yep, an English adaptation. They are going to dub it. And hopefully season 7 as well. It'll be called Digimon Fusion Battles then but not too much different. But I'm sure they will edit lots of stuff like they always do just from watching the first two episodes a while back. Anyways, it won't premier till next year and the channel is unknown but if I had my guess it'll be one of the Disney ones again. Since they seem to have their hands on it. Them showing Naruto still confuses me but whatever.

This also sheds a new light of hope on the three DS games that came out with this season. With it getting dubbed the games are very likely to get localized as well. Which I definitely want them but that's depending on Bamco too so who knows. We shall see in the future. Looking forward to seeing what happens here~ It's my favorite anime series so yeah. Always good stuff ^_^ Taking me back to Saturday mornings as a kid~

New 3DS color!

This actually didn't take as long as I thought it would for Nintendo to do xD But yay, the 3DS is gonna come in red too starting September 9th! And that's the color I definitely want for sure~ Awesome stuff ^_^

Amazon link

I am definitely happy. New low price and color. The two main things I was waiting for with this. Red 3DS you will so be mine at some point~

Nintendo's big offer

Nintendo's price drop announcement link

Pretty much continuing off my previous post now that I've found the link officially announcing the price drop. Looks like Nintendo is gonna compensate people who already purchased, and still can through August 11th, a 3DS at $249. I don't know that I'd call the package worth the 80 bucks more that you spent but oh well. I also highly doubt that those so-called exclusive games they have no current plans to release in the future on the handheld virtual console will remain exclusive. I mean, come on. Pretty much a "nice try" Nintendo with that. And even if they don't release some of those games on the VC it's not really a big deal. Those games can be gotten in their original forms regardless if you really want them.

So, good job trying to make a deal and keep people happy Nintendo. But I'll still stick with saving money and just getting the games I want in the future. I'm still saving money either way xD And that's the moral of the story~

Nintendo 3DS price drop!

I guess Nintendo finally realized that people don't consider their system to be worth $249 just because it has 3D effects. The sales have probably been terrible if I had to guess. But anyways, it's a pretty good price drop too. No flimsy thing. $80 bucks~ So that puts it more in a good price range for me at $169. This is why you don't buy things right out of the gate. You never know what will happen price wise with these things. Wonder what Sony will do now considering they were being all competitive by putting their new portable Playstation Vita at the same price of $249. But then again the features they're offering on that thing are probably actually worth the price.

Anyways, it'll be interesting to see what happens. Starting August 12th is when the big price drop goes into effect. And this makes the 3DS even more of a future purchase for me than it already was~ And the line up of games is getting better and better too. This fall and Christmas will be a big time to be getting one of these babies. So, good stuff for sure~ Looking forward to having one someday ^_^

Adventures in TN: A Two Year Anniversary to Remember~

Back from a very nice 4 day weekend~ And I describe it as an adventure because it kinda was xD Especially at the end. But can't beat getting to be with the one you love and having a great time together~ Putt-Putt and sitting around chilling. And most importantly celebrating 2 amazing years together ^_^ In person~ Glad we finally got that chance. That milestone has been reached. And I'm glad we won't be having to wait another year before the real big day ^^; Got about 3 months left now. At least August 5th will mark 3 months exactly. I can't believe it's already almost August. But it just means we're that close to the day we've dreamed about for so long~

Artie, I miss you right now ^^; And it's hard to say goodbye after a nice weekend like this but the day is coming where we won't say goodbye anymore. We won't be so far apart. We'll see each other every single day. And we'll build a life together finally. Make our dreams a reality. Your dreams are my dreams and my dreams are your dreams. And you didn't need to do anything to deserve having me in your life. You've always deserved to have someone who loves you for who you are. I have since the first time I met you and always will~ We are literally a match made in Heaven and we were meant to be together. No matter what, through thick and thin, now and forever. I will always be by your side and I'll do anything for you. Always~

So, I hope you had a great time, Artie~ I did my best to make it so ^_^ And even though yesterday turned out to be more adventurous than we thought, it still turned out for the best xD We got to be together longer and it was fun~ So, next stop November, right? It's getting closer and I can't wait. There's so much I want to do with you. So much I've been waiting for. We've got so much life to look forward to and share together. And beyond. Tis just the beginning~ So, till we're face to face again in November ^_^ The big day and with no goodbyes at the end. I love you and Happy 2 Year Anniversary once again~

Ar tonelico 3~ Comments Part One

So yeah, I actually beat this game on the 3rd of this month ^^; Been busy and not really in the mood for commentary posts such as this but here we go now~ I will split my comments into more than one post. Cuz this will be long for more than one reason and I want to keep these relatively short for reading purposes and for my own sake in typing them up. So, I'll start off with my beefs with the game which some are probably obvious and we'll see where it goes from there.

Number one, the stripping. I mean, seriously. It added nothing game play wise and it just looked ridiculous. Not as much with the reyvateils I guess but it still was unnecessary in my opinion. Regardless of whatever storyline reason they had for it. The purging aspect is fine it's just how they went about it that I don't like. Never the less, I did my best to push past this aspect and enjoy the game for what it was. And I did I will say that. Very much so.

Second, freakin' hades NISA. Pretty much all yours games have a freezing issue. Luckily there was only one time when it did this that I lost alot of time on. Mainly cuz I saved like a crazy person all the time. And there's actually a trophy for this funnily enough xD And I got it too. But anyways, technical stuff and what not. It happens as usual.

Third, and not so much a beef with the game, the hymns. I don't know, I am not very much attached to the hymns in this game. I mean, with AT1 and 2 I knew the names and who sang them and why they sang them. Like what the purpose was and I loved them. I seemed to have lost this with this game to an extent. They do have some weird names. And storyline wise they went all over the place to me. But don't get me wrong at all. The soundtrack of this game is still freakin' amazing as always. And the hymns are good they just don't take hold of me as much. I didn't enjoy them as well if I'm being honest. But there are three hymns in this game that I absolutely adore:

Ec Tisia (with lyrics)

Ec Tisia ~Tarifa~ (with lyrics)

Song of the Revolving Star

The first two are at the end of the game. Ec Tisia being the ending song and a dang amazing one for the series as well. I mean, really. And you need to read the translated lyrics for this song because it really brings the ending into perspective in alot of ways. You need to see the second song's lyrics as well. Tarifa plays after the final boss fight and during the special scene with which ever RT you picked. Both are excellent hymns. And Ec Tisia kicks major butt just for the nostalgia factor that plays into it too xD But anyways, Song of the Revolving Star is one of Finnel's songs and you hear it when you beat her CS. It's excellent as well. And yes, Finnel is my favorite in this game~ Not in the series of course cuz Luca takes top prize period for that and always will ^_^

So anyways, provided the links for those songs with their lyrics plus translation. The same person made both videos and has a ton of translation vids like this for the Ar tonelico hymns. Check out their channel if you're interested. And for now, I will call this a post and work on comments for the next one. Not sure how many posts this will take but however many it takes to get out all my thoughts and comments I guess. Anyways, more AT3 stuff to come~

3DS: Definitely a future purchase

Not that I was on the fence about getting one to begin with but I wasn't gonna buy one right out of the gate. Number one there isn't enough games yet and number two there could be issues with the first batch of systems made. Better to wait in all regards. Plus, I want more colors to choose from xD I know I mentioned this with my Tales of the Abyss for 3DS post before. But anyways, I don't really care about the 3D feature. In fact, I'll probably keep it turned off most of the time. At least Nintendo gave you a choice with that. Much appreciated there~

So, pretty much with all the games I've seen announced for the system since E3 and all that definitely got me saying heck yeah, I want one. A new game called Super Mario that brings back an old favorite power up from Super Mario Bros. 3, yes the raccoon thing, new Mario Kart, Sonic Generations, and of course Tales of the Abyss I mentioned earlier. Not to mention a whole range of prospects for more awesome games. Oh and the handheld Virtual Console. It's like the Virtual Console for the Wii where you can buy SNES, N64, Genesis, and other old console games like that except it's one for like the old Gameboy games and other handheld system games that you can purchase and play on the 3DS. And one game I already want from there is Super Mario Land. Man, I loved those games on the Gameboy and they have announced the first one to be on the VC and I'm hoping that 2 and 3 follow.

Anyways, there are other games that interest me for the system as well like Cave Story but we shall see what the future holds for it. Despite video games slowly becoming a lesser part of my life and will eventually become nonexistent at some point I do have more of an attachment to portable stuff. Nintendo's stuff mostly. I don't know that I'll get Playstation's new Vita system. So anyways, this could be the last system I ever buy. I've seen the new stuff at E3 and I just keep thinking I'm not really interested anymore. And my money is just way better spent obviously in the future. But we'll see where all this goes in the end for me. So, till next time~

Tales of Graces F up for pre-order

Amazon already has it listed for pre-order. I'm sure other places do too, I just noticed this one today. No release date attached of course xD Since that'll be 2012 material and it's unknown right now. But I won't be pre-ordering it so soon because my address and other things are gonna change soon enough anyways so might as well wait till all that is taken care of. The game ain't coming out any time soon anyways so doesn't really matter. I'm just glad to see a sign like this that the game is actually coming xD Looks like PS3 Tales of Vesperia is a lost cause though at this point. Ah well, randomness for those who care. Or don't as well.

Also, happy Memorial Day everyone!

Pokemon Black and White final thoughts~

Been a long time coming for this commentary but lots of stuff has been going on for the past few months ^^; I beat Pokemon White like at the end of March actually. But I just never got around to writing this up. Been kinda busy. So anyways, lets talk about the 5th generation of Pokemon~

First, the Pokemon themselves. I personally viewed this gen as they scraped the bottom of the barrel for these new Pokemon. I mean really. They're not terrible but not very interesting either. But hey, after 4 generations of coming up with new creatures I guess it would get hard. My point is just that the creativity here was kinda lacking. I myself did not care for alot of the Pokemon designs they came up with. The starter Pokemon are fine and some of the others are pretty cool but yeah. If I had to pick like a favorite Pokemon of this gen it'd be Oshawott and its evolution line. Twas the starting Pokemon I chose and I loved it throughout the entire game~

Um, second, just game mechanics in general. Not too much is different with how battles work. Other than some new battle styles like Triple Battle and Rotation Battle. Sure the improved graphics and sprite animations does play an amazing role in the aspect of battles too. They did a great job improving the overall visuals and environments of the entire game really. Which one new thing to these games is changing seasons. And with each season change, you can see the effects on the outside environment. Definitely a good add on. And the season changes every month in real life since your DS keeps track of date and time on its own. What system doesn't anymore? So, for instance this month, May, in the game it's spring. When June comes along it'll be summer and then July it'll be fall. Continuing like that. Which is good the way they set it up so you don't have to wait a long time for a specific season to hit in real life ^^; Since obviously winter is not in August xD

Third, the story and characters. I've said it before but this generation of Pokemon may not have had the best designs of Pokemon to me but it did shine tremendously well in the story department. Pokemon isn't really known for amazing and great stories in their games but this time they put more effort into that aspect. They give you two rivals instead of one this time. Both of which have their own troubles and issues to work through. And the villain group, although they're all really hypocrites for it, had an interesting motive behind their actions. We've come a long way from Team Rocket in the first gen who were just basically petty thieves. Stealing Pokemon from trainers and seeking out the rarest Pokemon as well. So, in the end I was impressed very much so with this part of the game.

Fourth and final discussion, extra features. The game has a ton in the way of this. From lots to do in post game to syncing your game online to access other fun features to trading and battling online, they made sure not to go light here and went all out. And of course the periodic mystery gift and other online events still continue, where you can get certain Pokemon and other stuff this way. Post game in and of itself offers alot for you to do. So, the game will keep most people playing for a while. Even if it's just to keep up with events or whatever. But especially if you plan to complete everything.

So, in conclusion, Pokemon Black and White have definitely ended up as the best Pokemon games to date for me. It doesn't even matter if the Pokemon of this gen weren't the best to me since you can bring over any Pokemon from any gen you want. The point is all the other improvements and additions. So, like I say 5 stars from me. Good stuff. I definitely enjoyed this adventure~ And I'll continue to play it somewhat for events and online battles. In the meantime, my main efforts are focused on AT3 and beating that game. So, till then~

Tales of the Abyss for 3DS confirmed~

Yes, believe it or not Nintendo Power confirmed that this would be getting a North America release at some point. I'm not incredibly shocked considering it was brought over to begin with on PS2 but it just seemed like something Bamco would skip in terms of bringing over again on another console. Just looking at how they've been in general with this stuff. But I guess they've bought into the hype of the 3DS as well and decided go with it. Not that I'm complaining about this. Not at all it's just because it's Bamco and all xD

Anyways, I do want a 3DS at some point but not for the 3D aspect. Like, I could care less about that feature to be honest. It's just eventually I know I'm going to have to upgrade to get games I want. And it's backwards compatible so I can still do all I ever did with my old DS models. Except play GBA games but only the really old DS's still do that. Which I still have mine along with my new DSi xD So, I have two actually. But I won't be getting one anytime soon obviously. Besides, I don't buy stuff like that right out of the gate. I'll let them come out with other models and features as well as more colors. And TotA won't be here for a dang while knowing Bamco so it's all good xD I's got plenty of time~ So, looking forward to playing my favorite Tales game and one of my favorite games in general again in the future. And on a portable system~ Good stuff ^_^

Officially engaged~

That's right folks~ And hopefully someone doesn't mind me using this picture ^^; But anyways, if you've followed either mine or Artie's blog for some time now then this shouldn't really come as a surprise to you. Twas the next logical step~ I's got back from New York late last night and what a glorious weekend it was ^_^ Words cannot describe what a great time I had. As if there are enough words to describe spending time with the person you love more than anyone else in the world. Not a chance~

Anyways, Saturday was a day we've both waited and dreamed about for a very long time. And as I've already said, I would have said yes so long ago if it was possible. But good things come to those who wait~ That's how I look at it anyways. I already was and still am the happiest woman alive ^_^ The luckiest too. No matter what happens and no matter what we come up against in life we're in this together, forever, and always~ That's how it always has been and always will be. The way it should be. Full and total devotion. So, lots of stuff planning wise to be done now but no worries~ Alot of it has been figured out already. So, it's pretty much time to get this show on the road so to speak~

Just anxiously awaiting July and November right now ^^;

1 day and randomness~

Yes, one more work day to go! Then the fun begins xD Now, for the randomness I'll discuss the announcement of a new Pokemon game that's coming soon. May 21st is apparently the day that this new game will be revealed. But the question is what kind of game is it? I mean, Pokemon covers alot of ground. There's the main games, the spin off games, the stadium games, puzzle games, etc. I think it's safe to say that it will not be a main game considering Black and White just came out. And as for the system it's on, probably Wii or 3DS because it was announced a while back that there were games in development for both those systems. I for one would be happy with a new stadium game for Wii that incorporates the new Pokemon from Gen V. Pokemon Battle Revolution only goes to Gen IV so it would make sense if they made a new game of this style. And definitely include some of the online features of Black and White. That would kick so much butt~

What I don't want it to be is another crappy spin off or port/remake of an old game to the 3DS. That'd be pretty bogus. Though at the moment it doesn't matter cuz I'm not buying games anyways but still xD The point is that's lame. I'll take something interesting in terms of spin offs but I'm really more interested in a new stadium game. But anyways, we'll see what it be come May 21st.


1 day! Almost there! xD

2 days~

Don't really know what else to say today ^^; Getting real close now~ Just trying to make my way through 2 more work days really xD Well and so is someone else~ But we'll make it ^_^

2 days! Ahoy! xD

3 days and other stuff~

Don't know what randomness to throw in here along with the countdown ^^; I'm still working on a post for Pokemon Black and White and my final commentary there. And as for AT3, I'm enjoying it so far~ Especially the cosmospheres. I mean, I'm not terribly far into it yet but I've already seen that I'm going to enjoy going through the cosmospheres in this game xD The crazier the better to me~ And AT3 is aiming to please already. So, pretty much Pokemon White and AT3 are what I'm playing right now. Even though I've beaten White, including becoming the Pokemon League champion, I'm still team building to take on other post game things. With some of my favorite Pokemon from other gens. And it's fun so yeah. No other reason needed really. So, look out for a more detailed post on those games and other AT3 stuff at some point. For now, the countdown continues!


3 days! Woot! xD

4 days and Happy Anniversary~

Yes, the countdown continues but today is also special for another reason~ Happy Anniversary, Artie ^_^ Almost 2 years now and we're going stronger than ever~ And soon enough everything will finally be as we've wanted it to be for so long. Looking ahead to November but very much looking forward to Friday as well~

4 days! Can't wait xD

Happy Easter and the countdown begins~

Yes, first of all Happy Easter to everyone~ Hope it's been a good one. Even if you did have to work ^^; Hopefully it's still been a good day for you though. And second, the countdown to this Friday, April 29th, I am starting now xD Cuz I feel like it~ I'm going back to New York again that day to be with my Artie again for a few days and that's something worth counting down to ^_^ Especially considering events at the beginning of the month almost made this trip not happen. So, counting today that be 5 days even though this day is pretty much already over. But I'll start today anyways! I'll throw in some other random stuff with these posts as well. Since tomorrow is a special day anyways~ For another reason. But anyways, that's what I'm doing!

5 days! And stuff to come on Pokemon Black and White and AT3 at some point ^^;

Recuperating ^^;

Gaming has been delayed for the past few days. Well, since Monday really cuz I've been in the hospital that entire time. Thankfully I got to come home yesterday though. And I'm feeling much better. Gonna be on blood thinners for a while to make sure no more blood clots come back but for the most part I'm fine and can resume life as usual. Just have to be really careful not to injure myself during this time span as obviously I can bleed very easily with this stuff. So, dodged a bullet there as I caught this problem fairly quickly and took action. Questions remain as to what caused it but I gots people working on that to get an idea. Lots of tests being done and the results have not come back yet. But we shall see what becomes of this in the end. I'm just glad to be home now~

Gaming wise, I have finished Pokemon White and am playing AT3. Gonna get back to that this weekend. Loving the down time at home instead of somewhere else ^^; So, gonna give my final thoughts on Pokemon Black and White at some point and probably initial thoughts on AT3 at some point as well. Until then~

Okamiden~

The next installment of the Okami series~ Even though it's only had one game on multiple platforms ^^; But still! I was thrilled when I found out they were making a new game and it be mine now~ And one that seems to be filled with uber cuteness and amazing beyond all reason art style, all wrapped into an incredible action game adventure. Course that kinda goes for the original game too xD Though the uber cuteness applies more to this one. Anyways, the original Okami took many references from Japanese legends and religions such as Shinto. And in the original game you play as a sun goddess pretty much in the form of a wolf, called Amaterasu. And as a goddess, you have special powers obviously. Using her paint brush tail she can paint to create amazing effects. She can slash an enemy in half, create water and other elements, and most important of all restore the darkened gloomy land to its normal colorful self.

In this second game you play as what appears to me the son of Amaterasu, Chibiterasu. And he's so cute ^^; Gotta take up the reigns as the next sun god and restore the land to normal once again it seems. I'm very much looking forward to starting this game. Both games have an amazing art style. It's like playing through a work of art really and I loves it~ I would also love to do a completion run of Okami someday and get everything in the game. But first things first. Gotta finish my adventures in Pokemon White and Ar tonelico 3. So until then everyone~

Happy Birthday, Artie~

Even though it's not for a few more minutes ^^; I wanted to go ahead and do this though xD It's not that far off~ So anyways, Happy Birthday, my love ^_^ I'd ask you what your birthday wish is but I already know~ Twas my wish as well. And we both know it's going to come true this year. Hope you like your present when you open it later and may you have a very wonderful day~ Course Imma make sure that happens ^_^

I gots new stuff xD

First one being Pokemon Black and White but I was waiting for the Collector's Edition Strategy Guide to get here too before taking pics. And it came yesterday. So, here be both of those and that:



And yes, that thing is hardback and big ^^; Definitely a collector's item right there. With everything you need to know about the games in it. It's awesome stuff. A $30 value that I got for 16 bucks on Amazon~ I love getting good deals.

Next and highly expected is the very anticipated Ar tonelico 3~ Complete with all these nice goodies you'll see in the picture:



Freakin' huge box the game came in anyways with the artbook and CD soundtrack. And the nice little calender thingie that I haven't even opened xD And probably won't. But anyways, loving all the goodies that came with this~ Definitely was a great buy.

Anyways, AT3 will probably get tried out this weekend. Don't really have time during the week ^^; We'll see on that though. I'll be finishing up Pokemon White in the mean time. Anyways, until next time~

Ar tonelico 3 next week~

Alright, you might be wondering why I'm making a post about this. Well, because I really haven't made a post saying anything about this game ^^; Which is not right considering this is one of my favorite video game series ever. I can't even mention all the reasons why and what loving these games has brought to me. But anyways, I'm very excited about the third installment. Been waiting for this for a long time. And thanks to a certain someone I will be able to enjoy it right away ^_^ Been pre-ordered on NISA's site for a good while now. Also thanks to a certain someone for giving me the links xD

So, I'm looking forward to seeing how things work in this game. I'm VERY much looking forward to the music. I mean, dang. How could you not expect it to be amazing after the first two games. Looking forward to the story and characters. Just everything really. Everything that makes this series what it is. Expect quite a few future posts on this game when it's all said and done. So, until next time everyone~

Pokemon Black and White initial impressions~

Not gonna spend alot of time talking about this. Since I'm still playing White but just wanted to give some thoughts I have on the new versions so far. I'll just do this in a list like fashion mentioning some elements, new or improved, that I'm enjoying so far.

1.) Faster pace. These game move soooo much faster than Diamond/Pearl/Platinum and HeartGold/SoulSilver. Especially the battles. And that's pretty impressive considering the visuals there have been enhanced. Well, outside of battle too. But yeah, the point is they accomplished this without any slowdown as a result. Definitely loving this~
2.) Environments and visuals. Basically, how the game looks and it looks pretty fantastic. They've spruced it up and taken full advantage of the DS's capabilities with this. This goes for in battle too as I mentioned before. Just making stuff better all around.
3.) Music. The game has some pretty solid tunes from what I've heard so far. I can only assume there's even more good stuff to come. The random battle, regular battle, and gym battle themes are all pretty dang good. As well as some of the town themes and other stuff. Looking forward to hearing more.
4.) Plot. Now I know the Pokemon games are not really known for their stories. It's pretty much the same thing every time just with a different evil group and whatever their goal is is different too. But this is actually looking to be pretty interesting. I still say these people are a bunch of hypocrites in a way but yeah. Still looks like they put way more thought into this story than the other games. The dialogue is much more enjoyable to read too. Just seems like they've matured things alot with these games. And I definitely respect that.

And that's pretty much the 4 things that I wanted to mention thus far. I'm looking forward to finishing out these games. I'm pretty sure they will surpass D/P/P for me. Just looking at how things are going. My only complaint thus far is that your selection of Pokemon to catch is very limited in the beginning. And it takes a while to get to a route with new ones. Too many interruptions in my opinion. But tis only like that in the beginning. It's all good now. So, until my next post~

Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones~

Man, it felt so old school going back to a GBA game xD But I've still got a few GBA games that need to be beaten, FF5 and the Golden Sun games, so this won't be my last trip back to that era. Anyways, it was fun playing a Fire Emblem game again. Been a while since I last did. I have Path of Radiance on the GC that I beat a long time ago and Radiant Dawn on the Wii that I have played but not beaten. And there's only two other FE games that came out in the US that I don't own which is the first game on GBA and Shadow Dragon on the DS. But anyways, today we're talking about Sacred Stones.

The story is pretty good. Nothing incredibly special but interesting enough. Revolves around a war started by one nation, Grado, to destroy all the Sacred Stones. Which is bad because they keep the Demon King at bay. Otherwise chaos would ensue on the world. But the Demon King happens to be the one orchestrating all this anyways. By controlling the prince of Grado, Lyon. So, pretty much in the game your main characters are Eirika and Ephraim who happen to be the princess and prince of Renais, another nation in this world, and friends of Lyon. They are your Lords in another words. The class in the game that you cannot let die unless you want a game over.

So, in typical FE fashion you recruit units and level them up, class them up, blah, blah. The usual. And if any unit other than your Lords die in battle on a map then they're gone forever. That's just how FE works. They stay dead. Makes it kinda more realistic that way but I'm sure that would annoy some people. You can always reset of course if that happens. But because I'm hardcore like that I have to say I only reset once. And that unit I saved from death ended up dying again on the second to last map anyways xD To which I said screw it then and moved on with my life.

Because of my experience with FE anyways I was able to create a powerhouse team of troops so death wasn't too much of a problem for me. Just keep weak people out of harm's way and yeah. Course it helped that the game provided you areas to level up in. Not every FE gives you an easy way to do that. Path of Radiance gave you extra experience you could allocate to people but yeah. Anyways, the only other thing I'll say is that the final boss was majorly cheap. And if you could save in between the last map and that fight I would have reset. But I didn't wanna do everything on that last map again so I soldiered on. And won. With Ephraim appropriately landing the final blow. So, good game this was. I really enjoyed it. And I really enjoy this series I must say. Look forward to Radiant Dawn comments someday when I get back to it.

Last thing I'll leave you with is a list of all the characters who died on my playthrough xD Enjoy: Vanessa, Ross, Cormag, Duessel, Gerik, Syrene
Bold: Died in the final boss fight

The final game~

Sort of in response and making it known otherwise, I will also cease buying games and other things like anime indefinitely. For the same reasons as Artie and following right behind him in that decision. This is a team effort and we're in this together. Through anything and everything. And the money is greatly needed for bigger and better things. So, the choice was easy here. And the fact of the matter is the gaming world is changing and moving in a direction I just don't like. Only a real handful of games that come out in a year appeal to me anymore. So, tis better to just stop and focus on the backlog I already have right now. And that'll keep me going for a long while now.

So yes, I'm still going to play games. That is not stopping. I'm just ceasing my buying activities. AT3, Pokemon Black/White, and Okamiden are the last games coming for me. And all of them are this month actually. But the final game I shall get, whenever and if it comes, is Tales of Graces F. So, unnecessary spending is still stopped until then anyways. Though every game I got off Amazon was bought with gift card money xD As well as my last anime complete collection which is Trigun. But anyways, I still love games and I still have fun with them. As well as anime. It's just time to focus my time, money, and energy all for the sake of something way more important to me. But still stay tuned for posts and other things still related to that. So, until then~

Star Ocean 4 beaten~

Alright, ladies and gentlemen, lets talk a little bit about SO4, shall we? Never got a chance to do an initial comments post about it but I beat it so it's too late for that now xD Anyways, this game is supposed to preclude all three of the other games in the series. And I have to say they did a good job referencing and tying some things in from the other games in the series. You start the game out with Edge and Reimi who are on a mission to help find new inhabitable planets for Earthlings. Why? Because the earth has been ravaged and made almost inhabitable from the effects of World War 3. People pretty much live underground. So anyways, what starts out as this mission turns into more as they explore some other planets.

One of these being an earth from another dimension that Edge ultimately helps the people there destroy because he gives them technology they can't control in hopes of changing earth's future. This is before he realizes this isn't an earth from the past but simply another dimension entirely. But that weight of realizing what he's done, even though he didn't destroy the real earth, is a critical turning point in the game. And it's one that takes him a while in the game to get past. This was one of the most interesting parts in the game to me though. And it's carried through the rest of the game and summized by what happens at the end of the story.

The game's story focuses alot on interfering with the evolution of other planets. Like interfering with a planet's civilization that's not really as developed as earth is. Obviously you shouldn't give super powerful technology or even interfere with their lives much at all. Basically, leaving those planets alone to develop and grow on their own. Not speeding it up or messing it up. However, a phenomenon has been showing up on planets and speeding up that process in a dangerous way. The more Edge and company find these things the more serious it becomes. And yes, this becomes the entire point of the game in the end. To stop this phenomenon from ultimately destroying the universe.

It's decided that to do this they should destroy the link that's providing the energy to the main body, called the Missing Procedure. Reason being it is invincible and it's impossible to destroy all the units sending energy to the link in between. Makes the most sense right? And this ends up being the final boss. Which is actually interesting. It's a two part fight and once you beat the first form you find out it's one of your former party members who somehow got combined with the link. That was kinda surprising because I believed he was dead for a while and then he shows up as the final boss in a manner of speaking. The second form was pretty tough too. At one point I just took control of my healer and spammed my healing moves xD

After the fight, Faize admits he just took the power in front of him. Instead of walking on his own and gaining it by his own means. And the game makes you think Edge and him die there but of course they didn't. In the end, the Underdeveloped Planet Preservation Pact is put into place by an alliance between earth and a bunch of other planets. Kinda like the United Nations today. And this pact came about greatly in part because of Edge and what he experienced on his travels in space. Which is preserving underdeveloped planets and not interfering in their history, evolution, or growth. And this pact comes up in all the games I believed. Especially 3. It was interesting how they rounded that out and pretty much showed you how it came to be.

So anyways, my main party for alot of the game was Edge, Reimi, Meracle, and Sarah. I just loved this party and Meracle is awesome. Battle wise and character wise. She's a lesser fellpool, a race on Roak, which is basically a cat-like human xD She has cat ears and a tail. And blue hair which is awesome by itself. Course being able to visit Roak was awesome too. The battle system in this game was really fun but SO3's just shines the most to me. I can honestly say now that SO3 has the best battle system of the series to me. So, twas a fun game with a good story. I really enjoyed it. A great addition to the series in my opinion. And whether they continue on with the series or not it's got a place in my heart always~

Radiant Historia release this week~

One of my anticipated games of this year~ And one I might not have paid attention to if I didn't read up on the details about it. It's got people who worked on Radiata Stories and people from Atlus, specifically Persona 3 and the Etrian Odyssey series, who worked on this game. So, I have no doubt it's going to be quality. Need more proof of that? Let me point to this game's music composer: Yoko Shimomura. If you don't recognize that name then here's some games she did music for: Super Mario RPG, Kingdom Hearts series, and all the Mario & Luigi games on the DS. What does that mean? This game is gonna have awesome music xD Which makes it even more quality. So yeah, this game does indeed have the makings of greatness with what's behind it. I know there is time travel and some other interesting things involved in the story but not much else. Cuz I don't wanna be spoiled obviously.

The game comes out on Tuesday the 22nd. And with pre-orders on Amazon you gets a nice soundtrack with it~ An awesome and perfect pre-order bonus for this game considering the composer. The picture above shows everything I shall be getting with it when it arrives. Cuz obviously I pre-ordered this baby xD So yeah, there shall be more to come on this in the future. And I've got Pokemon Black/White and AT3 making their way in March. Tis a nice line up already for the year. So, till next time~

Happy Valentine's Day~

Even if you don't have a significant other or don't really care about this holiday, remember those you love and those who love you~ Happy Valentine's Day everyone ^^

And a special Happy Valentine's Day to my Artie ^_^ *blows him a kiss*

Hare + Guu complete collection~

And by complete collection I mean buying all 7 volumes of the anime separately cuz the box set is ridiculous. Saving $63 is pretty amazing in that respect. But anyways, the title is read as Hare and Guu or if you prefer in Japanese Hare nochi Guu. And yes, that is a beer Hare's mom is holding in that picture xD It's funny how I even became interested in this anime. The first time I ever saw glimpses of it was a blooper video on Youtube. And these bloopers are actually on the DVD's themselves so I'm sure that's where it came from. It's just funny out takes and stuff by the voices actors. Which is even more hilarious coming from a show that's hilarious to begin with. I just knew I would love this anime and I was right.

Anyways, it was a while after that that I found the episodes online and watched them. It's a crazy, out there anime. But it's so freakin' funny and entertaining. I love the tropical island atmosphere and just the plot in general. Because yeah, the show is hilarious but it does have a nice plot none the less. Centers alot on family. Such good stuff so I had to get my hands on the anime for myself. So, tis mine now ^^ And I'm very happy to have it. Not much else to say as of late. I might as well beat SO4 at this point instead of making an initial post about it xD And my new job has been taking up alot of time obviously. But anyways, until next time~

Tales of Graces F localization~

Yes, finally we get another Tales game. After like what, since Vesperia on the 360 which was in August of 2008. Way to go Bamco~ Couldn't even give us Vesperia on the PS3 which had WAY more stuff in it. Like it was completely redone and it was a game you already had most of the translation for and the rights to. Whatever though. No one really cares about it anymore. So anyways, Graces was beginning to seem like a lost cause too after the Wii version epically failed to come over. It was riddled with bugs anyways though from what I heard so that's probably why. Don't know what the deal was with not bringing over any the DS mothership titles. Oh well. Lets hope Bamco keeps it up and brings over that new game coming to Japan sometime this year as well. Xillia is what it's called. Not getting my hopes up on that of course. But I am looking forward to Graces and playing another true Tales game finally.

Oh and on another Tales note, Bandai Entertainment apparently acquired the license to the Tales of the Abyss anime back in July. So, when that's available on DVD or whatever they're doing it shall be mine. My favorite Tales game and one of my favorite games in general. And I loved the anime cuz I've already watched it with subs. Never thought they'd bring it over here of course. So yay for that as well~

Etrian Odyssey 2 beaten~

After quite a long time I finally beat this game ^^; Well, you don't really fly through these games in the first place. But anyways, the story for what it was was pretty nice. I mean, the EO series isn't known for its amazing storylines or anything. It's known for its character customization and exploration more than anything else. And they definitely do that in an awesome way and keep making it better. Anyways, the story goes that the duke of High Lagaard is deathly sick and his daughter is looking for something called the Grail of Kings to make a panacea to heal him. This so called Grail of Kings exists at the top of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth and they've been looking for a strong group of explorers who might reach the top and find it. Which is whatever team you build in the game obviously.

So you explore and get some other items she needs along the way. And when you finally reach the top of the floating castle you meet the Overlord. Apparently a human who isn't really human anymore who's been researching a way to grant humanity immortality. Though the only thing he's managed to do is turned people into crazy monsters. Hello Colossus on the 23rd floor. So anyways, you have to fight him to get the Grail of Kings and he has two forms. The scary thing is after you kill the first form if you're not really paying attention to the text you might pick the wrong choice to a question and get an instant game over. Gotta be careful. Anyways, his first form isn't bad but the second form can definitely knock you around. Twas a very satisfying final boss fight I must say.

The stratum designs and environments they chose for those were nice. The simple forest of the first stratum, then the fall atmosphere of the second stratum, a frozen winter land for the third, falling flower petals in the fourth, the weird golden castle design of the fifth, and the fields of flowers in the forbidden wood of the sixth. And I chose not to do post game because I didn't feel like it and there's no extra rewards in EO3 for doing it. Not like with EO1 to EO2. I did unlock the sixth stratum to see what it looked like and explored it a little bit but yeah. I was wanting to move on to EO3 so there you go. So, here be the team I used for most of the game:

Thunder (Landsknecht)
Level: 64
Main skill: All-Slash

Rami (Protector)
Level: 64
Main skill: Smite

Wolforg (Beast)
Level: 64
Main skill: Devour

Aika (Medic)
Level: 64
Main skill: Salve 2

Arcadia (Gunner)
Level: 64
Main skill: Ricochet

As you can see some be named after people xD Anyways Wolforg is the only one I didn't have from the beginning because you had to unlock the beast class. Which was after the first stratum. So yeah, moving on to EO3 now which is already proving to be interesting. Totally different character classes which is great so at some point I shall be making a post about first impressions of it and SO4 as well. So until then~

New job~

Alright, my job search was kinda short lived xD Started pretty much 2 weeks ago and I've landed a job already. I interviewed with them last Tuesday during all the snow and sickness mess and got offered a job on Thursday. And I would have been crazy not to accept. So, my new title officially starting February 1st is a business analyst. More dreams and goals just keep being achieved and this gets the ball rolling towards something else as well~ There are some things I will miss about my first job but it's time to be moving on to bigger and better things. That's the entire point so looking forward to the future. Especially getting to see a certain someone again at some point~

Sick week, snow week, interview week

It's been one heck of a week. And I'm tired already ^^; That's even with not working for three days so far. But that's because I've been sick like crazy the past few days too. Freakin' sucks. And then I've had two job interviews too. That I went to despite being sick which I'm not saying was very smart but still. I need a new job. We've seen a good amount of snow. Enough to be annoying and mess things up. Especially Monday. I don't know the totals of what fell around here but yeah. Knox County schools back in session tomorrow~ Which means back to work for me xD

Anyways, I was wanting to do like a first impressions post about Star Ocean 4 but I haven't gotten to play it enough to do that yet. Past the first boss fight yes. Which I can say the battle system is super fun. No joke. tri-Ace strikes again in this area. They never disappoint in that. Tis why SO3 was so fun. But hopefully, I'll get to play more soon. Like this weekend. And maybe there will be more to come on Etrian Odyssey 2 since I'm getting in close to beating that game. But anyways, till then~

Donkey Kong Country Returns beaten~

Yes, another game beaten xD And this was a last life finish which is the best kind and most epic~ Anyways, so, some comments about this game. First off, the music is superb. Why? Because they remixed stuff from the first DKC game and made it sound awesome. But it's not as if they couldn't come up with their own music or something. There were original tracks as well and they were great too. Music is a special part of any game for me so it gets big points in this category. And as I said not just for the nostalgia factor.

Next, levels. The game is divided into 8 areas. Obviously a staple of most platformers that goes back to the old days. First one is pretty easy. In fact the first level has the same name as the first level in DKC1: Jungle Hijinx. But while they are easy, they quickly make you learn the mechanics fast. And if you don't get these down you ain't going far. You may think well duh to that statement but seriously. Do not go into this game thinking the controls, the level design, or even the overall thinking that went into the original three DKC games is the same. I mean, I didn't but because I was so used to the other three games and played them so much I still paid for it.



The 2nd area is definitely my favorite one in the game. It's the beach area and there's lots pirate ships and things of that nature. In one of those levels you have to dodge cannon fire and it's really fun xD There's also the one where you have to run from a giant squid that's chasing you and breaking the path behind you. Oh and dodging his tentacles as they spring up randomly. And one more level I'll give praise to was one where you had to dodge these really high waves because there was a storm on the beach. You had to duck behind or hide behind rocks or other things to keep from getting washed away. That whole area is memorable to me and is definitely the most fun. Even the bosses of that area were pirates which is great~ Oh and speaking of bosses, they were actually pretty good in this game. The final boss in particular provided a pretty good challenge. As I said before I beat him on my last life so it got intense there~

Um, some negatives about the game. First off, there are nowhere near enough DK barrels in the levels. By my standards, there should be one at the beginning and one near or after the checkpoint in a level. Even though Diddy isn't even a separate playable character anyways. He just gives you two more hits and stays with you until those hits are gone. You move faster and can hover though while you have him so it's useful. I'd rather have him than not even though I beat the final boss without him cuz they didn't give you anymore DK barrel once you reached him. Another thing is the mine cart levels and barrel rocket levels. Those things were dang brutal and evil. You hit one thing and it's instant death. Really annoying. Thank goodness for checkpoints with those levels. And there were other annoying things to the point where I thought the creators of the game wanted to punish me for being so used to the old DKC mindset. But whatever. There are more positives than negatives and it was still a good game for what it was worth.

Don't get me wrong though. I am in complete agreement with other people that this is not a DKC game. Nowhere near being able to be called DKC4. It's just a throw back to DKC1 on the Wii, taking advantage of updated graphics and enhanced controls. But I'll take the old stuff any day. So anyways, now I'm off to play Star Ocean 2 and 4 so expect alot of Star Ocean stuff in the near future xD

Cross Edge beaten~

And the true end obtained~ Which was um, interesting to say the least at the end there xD Of course it begged many questions from me but I wasn't about to start questioning things logically about this game. Anyways, story wise it was pretty much what I expected from it. It had alot of funny stuff in it and an interesting enough plot for what it was. I did enjoy it for what it was. The battle system really kicked butt once I got into it. I mean, I got into combos enough to score a 188 hit on a boss so I guess I did alright in that respect. My main party remained Lyner, Morrigan, Raze, and Aurica throughout the game. Twas my fave and I made some great combos with them.

One thing though ^^; I know they meant to put alot of sexual innuendo and stuff like that to please fans of the different series. They want their eye candy and blah blah. But twas kinda too much breast action and emphasis of that nature for me. I mean seriously, Anesha's level up quote is just...no. I did my best to skip it as fast as possible every time. I guess as a female playing this game it just annoyed me more than it would someone else. I mean, there was funny stuff and then there was just forced stuff. Didn't ruin the game for me but that's my only beef really. Anyways, good game and I enjoyed it alot while it lasted. Don't know if I'll end up doing post game some day or not. Too many other games ^^; So for now, I have DKCR to finish and Star Ocean 2 and 4 to beat. Going into Star Ocean mode~ Until then~

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! May 2011 be even better than 2010~ Lets make it a good one ^_^