This is the second time it went to the shop.  The first time, I had about three days before it wigged out and I had to send it back.  That's about a month of combined no-PS3 time.  Do you know how happy I am right now!? 
 
So, yeah, playing Assassin's Creed 2.  Unlike the first one, I am compelled by an almost mind-controlling urge to do every little thing in this game, so it's going to be a while before my review's up.  Dragon Age review will be up sometime next week, and if not, the week after.  Both are superb games, and you should be playing one of those two right now.  Or, y'know, Uncharted 2, Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands...it's been a pretty good time for some excellent games.  I'm genuinely surprised by the quality and quantity of games coming out this holiday season. 
 
Not that the holidays are that dry, in terms of good game releases.  I just tend to skip out on all of them until the summer, when I feel the drought really hit, you know? 
 
Anyways, I'm gonna go kill these guards.  Just wanted a blog bump, so I'll talk to y'all later!

Haha, I can't really say that right now, I just booted up the demo a few minutes ago.  But it's really a nice-looking game, and so far, from what I can tell (I'm working at a minimum of Japanese comprehension here), it has a really nice story.  Well, the summary on the wiki page is nice. 
 
But really, what drew me to this game in the first place were the comparisons to Monster Hunter.  I want to like Monster Hunter - I really do!  I find that I just can't.  It's too hard for me (I know, I'm such a little bitch).  The difficulty playing by myself is too much for me.  I read somewhere that the developers wanted this, in order to encourage people to play with others, but only two of my friends own PSPs, and out of those, none want the game. 
 
But here comes God Eater, a quirky, anime-inspired game in the vein of Monster Hunter, but totally solo-able.  That's something I can get into. 
 
Not to mention the character creator is pretty nifty.  And I'm such a sucker for nifty character creators. 
 
...Namco Bandai should port this over to the US.  I'd buy it in a heartbeat...

My PS3 was sent in for repairs about two weeks ago.  I got it back in about six business days.  I picked up Dragon Age on Saturday, anxious to try out the game I've waited so long for, and proceeded to play it for 5 hours day one, 3 on day two.  Today I was planning to put in another 5. 
 
But then something happened.  My PS3 is experiencing graphical glitches.  Textures and surfaces pop in and out erratically.  Nothing is consistent.  Odd text appears in some places (my system insists on displaying one of my talents in the game as "I'd rather pick my nose than..."). 
 
At first, I thought it was a problem with the disc.  I was about to turn it in, but common sense (or what little I have) insisted I try other games.  The problem is persistent across all PS3 games, but not PS One of 2 games.  Even the demos exhibit the same glitches.  I have not yet tried Blue Ray movies. 
 
I was hoping to have a review of the game up by Saturday.  I no longer think that'll be the case. 
 
Either way, the game is pretty awesome, ugly graphical glitches or not.  You should buy it, now.

I've never had to send in a system, be it handheld or home, to its manufacturer for repairs, so you can only image how frustrating it is as a first time experience.  Not to say having my system burn out and sit in my work area wasn't frustrating enough; it's just that this is the kind of frustration that comes with that added touch of anxiety.  What if there's something wrong with my system that makes in unrepairable?  What if the games on my system that aren't registered to me are found by Sony and I go to prison for piracy!?  What if...all of these "what ifs" ring about my head like a fly trapped beneath a glass cup. 
 
But I can wait, and see what happens.  I'm not a patient person, but honestly!  Better men than me have gone through the same experience, no doubt many belonging to my new Giant bomb family here.  I'm sure everything will come out alright in the end.  Besides, y'know, the hard drive wipe, and the wait... 
 
I did a search on Google to see what the actual time frame of getting this system fixed was.  Something to raise expectations and hope, if you will.  I found a nice journal by some guy about his experience.  He was already upset and a little hesitant to turn in his system to Sony after the rough experience with his 360, but it was a much more pleasant deal with him in the end (besides that whole $150 charge for owners that are out of their warranty).  I was, at first, planning to do something similar to what he did, and chronicle this adventure, this journey, of repairing my system, but then I realized I lacked a camera to take photos and any other experience of this kind.   The only thing I can think of that relates to what he went through with his 360 is what my brother-from-another-mother went through with his, and really, it wasn't much of a hassle.  Just about two to three weeks of waiting, and that was that.  Not too bad a deal, if I do say so myself. 
 
So scratch that idea. 
 
I've been playing Dissidia even more to alleviate the anxiety.  I am up to about 150-160 hours.  Playing this game makes me want to go back to other Final Fantasies, but then I realize how downright boring it would be to play them again.  I mean, I've beat each one at least twice.  I don't see any reason to go back.  Nostalgia isn't a factor, as I've just beat IX last week, and it was a fanboy's wet dream in terms of its nostalgia factor. 
 
Now I'm simply deciding on which games to get once my system gets fixed.  A little back story: right when my system broke, I was let go of my job, and had to sell my games in order to make a few bills.  Since my system's being wiped, I saw no real reason to hold on to those games anyways.  A chance to start anew, rebuild my library, and play some of the newer titles.  Anyone have any suggestions?  I know I'm getting Dragon Age: Origins first (had that game pre-ordered way before my PS3 went down under), and I think I am going to get Borderlands and Tekken 6 after that.  Anything else you guys want to suggest?

My PS3 is dead, so I've been forced to sate my gaming hunger using my PSP.  It's really not too bad, of course - the PSP has tons of cool games, and it's a great handheld - but I still miss my PS3.  Hopefully I'll have it back around November, but who knows... 
 
I just reviewed Dissidia.  I came to the conclusion that I wanted to start reviewing games based on three thoughts: 
1) Someone may read my reviews and hire me as part of their fledgling game blog staff bitch... 
2) My PS3 is dead, and being that the PSP is my only system, I thought to review the game I had the most time on as of recently... 
and 3) Giant Bomb is an amazing website, and I wanted to contribute to it, so as my first act upon signing up I opted to blight it with my unrighteous writing! 
  
And so I just reviewed Dissidia.  Unfortunately, I doubt anyone who has a PSP will read my review, due to them probably already owning the game, or anyone looking to buy a PSP already knows they want this game due to a multitude of professional reviews already posted online. 
 
That, and my reviews seem a bit too professional, at least to my tastes.  I know it's me writing these reviews, and I could write them any way I want, but the way I naturally go about it is a bit too professional.  I analyze every little bit of the game, criticizing each feature until there is nothing left to examine.  It wasn't always like this, oh no; I used to be a happy, ignorant little gamer until I went to art school to study this stuff, and now I can't help it. 
 
It has taken a bit of the fun away from me, it has.  Now it ain't all "sunshine and rainbows" as Sahz would say (I'll explain this later), and I find myself enjoying games less and less.  I, myself, only buy games I know are good, and check professional sites myself for reviews before going out to Gamestop to lay down the cash. 
 
I think I'm going to stop doing this, though.  Giant Bomb has presented me with the opportunity to read reviews by gamers like myself, who are intelligent enough not to spread dumb fanboy hate, and who just want to enjoy games and help others enjoy the same kinds of games they find pleasure in.  A better world.  A simpler world.  A happier world. 
 
Or maybe that's a bit too sappy, haha... 
 
In any case, hello, Giant Bomb!  Thanks for having me...we're going to be good friends.