I'm really looking forward to this game!
I can not get enough of post-apocalyptic video games. This genre will not get old with me. Ever.
I love Thexder, of every type.


I should clarify from the start: I’m not a great example of a “hardcore” gamer. Well, maybe in some respects: I own multiple game consoles and spend way too much money on games. On the other hand, I’m not threatening to rival Ice T’s prowess in Call of Duty 4 any time soon.
I bought two video games this week, Animal Crossing: City Folk and Demon’s Souls. One of these games occupies that odd grey area between ultra-casual and slightly nutty hardcore, offering to take only five minutes of your day but willing to take many hours more. The other is a staggeringly difficult game that involves sticking sharp objects into demonic monsters or soulless humans driven insane, shortly before dying and starting all over again. Guess which is which?


I thought this would drive me crazy, and I think it has, a bit. This game is well worth it though. I don’t typically go looking for “challenging” games. I’ve never played Megaman 9 and I’ve had a lot of frustrating experiences with the GBA-based Metroid games. The only game I’ve ever played and thoroughly enjoyed that I can compare this to is Ninja Gaiden. The secret to both games, I realised, is that although they will drive you up the walls with the level of concentration required, neither game becomes cheap at any point. The end result is that once you’ve figured out how to defeat a certain type of enemy or negotiate a certain type of scenario, you can do it again. And again. And again…
Animal Crossing does not exactly overflow with such moments. Still, the game has its own way of drawing you in, whether it’s collect various fish or be at the right place at the right time. The genius of the game is the adherence to a real world clock. I always knew I could cheat at the game on Gamecube just by changing the game clock, but this was one game I didn’t want to ruin. Ok, I’ll more than likely never see the New Years party in the game. It’s become one of the great appeals for me, a central facet of this wonderful illusion that there is a living breathing town going on whether I decide to play or not.
So, this week, I am going hardcore in every which way. Loving it, too. Now excuse me, I’m off to battle evil demons in the dark and maybe get a hair cut, if I can afford it.

Last night I went to the cinema and watched a movie. It wasn't just any other movie, either, but the excellent Zombieland , which pleasantly exceeded my expectations. The opening credit sequence was also a delight incidentally, surpassing the pretty cool opening sequences of Wolverine (which was attached to an insipid movie) and Watchmen .


I’m afraid of playing against people online.
What a ridiculous statement. However, it’s true. I play World of Warcraft as a single player game, I never play any FPS online except for Halo 3, and I completely shun anything team based. Always.
I do have a couple of reasons:
Now, this is crippling in many ways. I have to make an utterly ridiculous confession: I bought Left 4 Dead on the PC. I really liked playing Left 4 Dead on the PC. I think it’s an amazing game. I love the pacing, the artwork, the character design decisions. I have never played Left 4 Dead with another human.
Ever.
My reasoning is simple. I would suck, and ruin it. Also... I find it awkward to be talking to dudes I’ve never met and will never meet. It’s just weird.
So, my fear of multiplayer is so crippling that I have yet to enjoy one of the best multiplayer experiences released in the last few years in its true form. I spent weeks playing a game exclusively intended for online multiplayer completely on my own. The game was so appealing that I wanted to play it, and I could thanks to the magic of bots. I'm clearly not getting the whole experience. In fact, I miss out on the multiplayer aspects of most games.
So, am I missing out on the whole point? I’m not sure I am. The single player experience still shapes my enjoyment of video games in general. My favourite things about video games tend to be story-related in any case. The visceral competitiveness of most FPS online modes or even the chase for leaderboard position in arcade-style games like Geometry Wars really does not appeal to me. So, for this guy at least, multiplayer options tend to be a bonus if anything.
The one exception is when multiplayer options are successfully linked to my irrational and completely insatiable desire to level up in a game. Forza 2 thusly drew me into a lot of online playing. Modern Warfare 2 is extremely appealing to me, especially as I never played the original. In the aforementioned (and much mentioned, in this post) Halo 3, I was driven to push myself to get to an officer rank.
So what’s the answer? Levelling up in Left 4 Dead? Clearly, that would be weird. I’m happy though, playing my video games on my own, or grinding online for a level or rank with the mute button soldered down. I can be afraid for a while longer.
I have a problem.
I want to buy a PSP Go.
I should explain my “problem.” I don’t have a problem with Sony as a corporation. I don’t want this short post to devolve into a complaint about fanboys, but I don’t believe in loyalty to enormous companies that just want to make money. My problem is specifically this: when the PSP Go was first leaked/announced, my gut reaction was completely negative. It looked ugly. They hadn’t changed enough to get me interested. The price was way, WAY too high. The whole thing felt like a huge misstep on Sony’s part.
Now I want one.
I’m willing to spend money I really shouldn’t, money I’ll be lamenting later in the year when I read about other people playing Brutal Legend or Forza 3 or whatever game I couldn’t afford to grab. A brand new PSP 3000 is considerably cheaper. It also has a UMD drive. I have fallen hook line and sinker for buying a new shiny thing and playing PS1 games on it.

| Date Joined: | July 21, 2008 |
| City: | Austin |
| Gender: | Male |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| Points: | 76 Points |
| Ranked: | Ranked #3470 of 59,097 |
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Richard Jacques person - 21 points |
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Sakutsuku DS: Touch and Direct game - 8 points |
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Eyeshield 21: Max Devil Power release - 8 points |
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Thexder Neo game - 7 points |
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Eyeshield 21 game - 3 points |
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Thexder franchise - 2 points |
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Pizza thing - 2 points |
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Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood game - 1 points |
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Oni
23 hours, 4 minutes ago Oni thinks the level of MW2 hype is kind of ridiculous. |
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Claude
1 day, 17 hours ago is playing games. |
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Linkyshinks
3 days, 2 hours ago Modern WAHHHHTOOOOO |
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Jeff
3 days, 20 hours ago Game of the Day: Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS) |
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RandomHero666
1 week, 6 days ago RH is ordering new broadband(and sky tv) and will be back on xbl and GB a lot.. soon |
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ColumnBreaker
3 weeks ago ColumnBreaker is ALL ABOUT BEATING THE WINGS |
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3 weeks, 3 days ago Ryan's status has changed! |
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