A Taste Of Freedom

danielkempster

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Edited By danielkempster

Hey guys, DanK here with a quick personal update. I figured I'd let you all know what's going on, why my activity's been on the slow side recently, and (naturally) what games I've been playing. Let's get started, shall we?

The greatest alcoholic beverage known to man

I finally finished the last of my essays for this year. I submitted the final one this morning, and while I'm not completely free of work (I have to revise for upcoming exams), it's nice not to have to worry about getting assignments in on time, at least for a few months at any rate. The words "zero-tolerance" no longer seem like the threat they were a couple of weeks ago. Now I'll have a lot more free time on my hands, which means more time to chill out with my friends and girlfriend, more time to visit the pub, enjoy a pint of Bulmers cider and practise my darts. Oh, and more time to play those video game things you all seem to get so worked up about. I'm hoping to use the next couple of months as an opportunity to finish some of the games that I've neglected to give any decent play time to, particularly when the exams are all over (I finish my exams on May 23rd, but don't move out of my flat until June 27th).

In other news not related to the playing of video games, I'm getting pretty fed up of living in University accommodation. I've been fairly tolerant of it up until now, but it's getting to the point where it's starting to annoy me (a good indication that it's a pretty bad situation, as it takes a lot to annoy me). I'm tired of waking up in the morning and going into the kitchen to be greeted by a mountain of unwashed dishes and empty beer cans left over from the previous day. I'm tired of going to the toilet and having to watch where I stand in case I tread in somebody else's piss. I'm tired of having to pay for damage caused by drunken idiots when I don't regularly drink, and for cigarette burns on the kitchen surfaces when I don't smoke. And I'm tired of being kept awake until 3am by the screaming and shouting of drunken flat mates. It's like living with a group of fourteen-year-olds whose parents have gone away for the weekend and left them home alone for the first time. At around 2am this morning, two of my flat mates thought it would be a good idea to ram a shopping trolley into the door of my room. While I'm not the kind of person to deny anybody a good time, these people don't know where to draw the line, and my patience with them is wearing increasingly thin.

Dead Space was a thrill from start to finish

But you're not here to listen to me moan about my living situation. You're here to read about what I've been playing recently. Perhaps the biggest development since my last update is the fact I completed Dead Space last week. My girlfriend and I sat down together and played through the last two chapters of the game on Friday. I'm not going to go into detail regarding my opinions of the game, as I know a good GB friend of mine is planning to play it soon and I don't want to spoil the experience for him, but suffice it to say I really enjoyed Dead Space. I'll probably write up a dedicated blog about it soon, considering I now have a little more time to do so. Since finishing Dead Space, my girlfriend and I have turned our collective attention to BioShock. We've not played much of it yet, but the atmosphere of the game so far seem to make it an ideal follow-up to the atmospheric scare-fest that was Dead Space. Expect more on that another day.

You may recall reading my last blog about suffering with the JRPG blues. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those who commented for their suggestions. While I did toy with the idea of purchasing Persona 4 for quite a while, I decided it would be a better idea to play through something on my list of games I have yet to finish before I think about buying yet another game to add to it. I pondered on Lost Odyssey for quite a while, but eventually decided to give Final Fantasy V another chance, on the advice of Disgaeamad. Given how much I love the other SNES instalments in the franchise, and indeed the franchise in general, I felt I owe it to myself to give it a proper shot, so I busted out the . I'm about six hours in right now, having just completed the Fire Crystal/Karnak Castle portion of the game. While the story seems to be full of unfortunate coincidences and has yet to grab me, the characters are proving to be the game's saving grace. With the exception of Lenna, who seems like a pretty bland, cardboard cut-out kind of princess, the characters are vibrant and well fleshed out. I'll continue to play, and I'm probably far enough in not to turn back now, so I'll keep you all updated with my progress on FFV.

I think that's about all I have to say for now. Thanks for reading guys. Keep tuned to the blog in the near future for more of my thoughts on Dead Space, BioShock and Final Fantasy V. In the meantime, I guess I'll see you around.

DanK

---

Currently playing - Final Fantasy V (PS1)

14 years ago

danielkempster

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#1 Edited By danielkempster

Hey guys, DanK here with a quick personal update. I figured I'd let you all know what's going on, why my activity's been on the slow side recently, and (naturally) what games I've been playing. Let's get started, shall we?

I finally finished the last of my essays for this year. I submitted the final one this morning, and while I'm not completely free of work (I have to revise for upcoming exams), it's nice not to have to worry about getting assignments in on time, at least for a few months at any rate. The words "zero-tolerance" no longer seem like the threat they were a couple of weeks ago. Now I'll have a lot more free time on my hands, which means more time to chill out with my friends and girlfriend, more time to visit the pub, enjoy a pint of Bulmers cider and practise my darts. Oh, and more time to play those video game things you all seem to get so worked up about. I'm hoping to use the next couple of months as an opportunity to finish some of the games that I've neglected to give any decent play time to, particularly when the exams are all over (I finish my exams on May 23rd, but don't move out of my flat until June 27th).

In other news not related to the playing of video games, I'm getting pretty fed up of living in University accommodation. I've been fairly tolerant of it up until now, but it's getting to the point where it's starting to annoy me (a good indication that it's a pretty bad situation, as it takes a lot to annoy me). I'm tired of waking up in the morning and going into the kitchen to be greeted by a mountain of unwashed dishes and empty beer cans left over from the previous day. I'm tired of going to the toilet and having to watch where I stand in case I tread in somebody else's piss. I'm tired of having to pay for damage caused by drunken idiots when I don't regularly drink, and for cigarette burns on the kitchen surfaces when I don't smoke. And I'm tired of being kept awake until 3am by the screaming and shouting of drunken flat mates. It's like living with a group of fourteen-year-olds whose parents have gone away for the weekend and left them home alone for the first time. At around 2am this morning, two of my flat mates thought it would be a good idea to ram a shopping trolley into the door of my room. While I'm not the kind of person to deny anybody a good time, these people don't know where to draw the line, and my patience with them is wearing increasingly thin.

But you're not here to listen to me moan about my living situation. You're here to read about what I've been playing recently. Perhaps the biggest development since my last update is the fact I completed Dead Space last week. My girlfriend and I sat down together and played through the last two chapters of the game on Friday. I'm not going to go into detail regarding my opinions of the game, as I know a good GB friend of mine is planning to play it soon and I don't want to spoil the experience for him, but suffice it to say I really enjoyed Dead Space. I'll probably write up a dedicated blog about it soon, considering I now have a little more time to do so. Since finishing Dead Space, my girlfriend and I have turned our collective attention to BioShock. We've not played much of it yet, but the atmosphere of the game so far seem to make it an ideal follow-up to the atmospheric scare-fest that was Dead Space. Expect more on that another day.

You may recall reading my last blog about suffering with the JRPG blues. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all those who commented for their suggestions. While I did toy with the idea of purchasing Persona 4 for quite a while, I decided it would be a better idea to play through something on my list of games I have yet to finish before I think about buying yet another game to add to it. I pondered on Lost Odyssey for quite a while, but eventually decided to give Final Fantasy V another chance, on the advice of Disgaeamad. Given how much I love the other SNES instalments in the franchise, and indeed the franchise in general, I felt I owe it to myself to give it a proper shot, so I busted out the . I'm about six hours in right now, having just completed the Fire Crystal/Karnak Castle portion of the game. While the story seems to be full of unfortunate coincidences and has yet to grab me, the characters are proving to be the game's saving grace. With the exception of Lenna, who seems like a pretty bland, cardboard cut-out kind of princess, the characters are vibrant and well fleshed out. I'll continue to play, and I'm probably far enough in not to turn back now, so I'll keep you all updated with my progress on FFV.

I think that's about all I have to say for now. Thanks for reading guys. Keep tuned to the blog in the near future for more of my thoughts on Dead Space, BioShock and Final Fantasy V. In the meantime, I guess I'll see you around.

DanK

---

Currently playing - Final Fantasy V (PS1)

14 years ago

Disgaeamad

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#2 Edited By Disgaeamad

Great blog, DanK. I still need to complete Dead Space. God knows why I haven't done so yet, it's a brilliant game.

As for FFV, expect things to continue to get better. The customisation as you get more job classes is one of the game's best features, and once you get about halfway through the story takes it up a notch.

14 years ago

Manachild

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#3 Edited By Manachild

Great blog as usual Dan. If i were living in your flat i'd be pretty pissed by now too. It sucks when people are so selfish and have no consideration for people other than themselves.

Also dont be worried about writing about non game stuff, i enjoy reading it either way.

14 years ago

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