So, since I last posted here I turned 27 years old and atteneded Anime Weekend Atlanta 2009. Both fun times! Planning to get a PS3 Slim next week.

It's been a long time since I updated this blog. things here are going well. We're moved into the new apartment and still doing our small podcast--now monthly rather than weekly. I plan to write more in the future.

Lots of stuff is taking place in my life right now. We're preparing to move out of the house we're in now and relocate to an apartment. It should make things interesting, no doubt about that. I've lived in this place for over TEN crazy years... I grew up here and in some ways, I'm sad to see it go but given family tragedies and issues that have taken place in recent years, in some ways I'm also glad to leave this place behind and start over.

Next year is going to be busy... but I'm ready to be busy so it's all good. I'll be heading back to college to either become a Social Worker or a Human Resource Manager. I think I'm more than capable of doing either of these jobs but I'm just not exactly sure which one is the best fit. This of course means less times for video games and movies but having money to buy these items I so cheerish is quite nice.

My birthday in on September 5th and TNA Impact hits September 9th (Happy Birthday to me). I'm just planning to go out to eat with my family for my birthday. It should be fun.

The rest of the year for video games for me is filled up. In October, we've got Fable 2 (and MAYBE Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD... maybe...) in November we've got Fallout (I think that hits in November anyway), Smackdown vs. Raw '09, Gears of War 2, Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content and Left 4 Dead. The wonders of the Holiday season, right?

Then early next year we've got Resident Evil 5 and Street Fighter 4. Yep, no shortage of games anytime soon, my friends! :)

Check out RareDrop.com and give our podcast a listen if you find the time. I'll see you guys soon.

-Yuen Fei Lung

I've never had the aspirations to be as big as a site like Giant Bomb, GameSpot, GameTrailers or 1UP but I've always felt that the gaming industry is so big that there's plenty of room for educated fans of video games like myself to have to a successful income just by being able to write and talk about our favorite pass time. It's no different than sports columnist or sports radio shows. So, because of my crazy thought process, my friends and I created Rare Drop--a podcast video game website. The site launched earlier this year and I'm proud of what we've accomplished in such a short amount of time. I see Rare Drop as an Underground alternative compared to sites such as a GameSpot (and by the way, I have no problem with GameSpot but like most people I question choices that the financial department has made in the past...). Like lots of other gamers out there I'd love to be able to just write about video games all day to make money. Is this realistic? I’m not really sure but I guess I’ll be finding out in the coming months.

Rare Drop version 2 is probably as far as I’ll be able to take the site from a design point doing it by myself. I’m not bad at HTML and web applications but being a legally blind guy, I fully realize that there are some things I just cannot see when it comes to designing a website. Even so, I’m really happy with how version 2 looks (by the way, I didn’t actually design the WAY version 2 looks, just how it navigates—someone else designed the skin of the site).

Right now, the main focus of the site is still (and probably always will be) the podcast itself. I’m hoping to be able to sell advertising space within each show. But in order to do this, we’ve got to have a solid user base… and that’s something that we’re sorely lacking right now.

So, the next few months will be interesting. No matter what’s going on, I still intend to continue running the site. I plan to return to college later next year and finish up a journalism degree but I feel confident that I can balance both the website and school. My dream would be for Rare Drop to take off big and just continue to do it as a full time job but I’m not sure if that’s going to happen. Still, I’m excited about the future and very proud of the website itself.

So, check it out! http://www.raredrop.com.

-ExtremeBlade (AKA Yuen Fei Lung)

I've been hard at work on putting Rare Drop version 2 together.  I think it's going to be pretty awesome once we get it up. In a way, it reminds me a little bit of the blog-style Giant Bomb was using before it became the current Giant Bomb we know now. The focus of Rare Drop will continue to be the podcast but I think the new sleeker design will make things much easier for everyone to find.

If you'd like to see the beta, check it out @ http://www.raredrop.com/v2.

I'm hoping the site will go live this coming Friday with a little bit of luck.

So, we just got back from watching Batman: The Dark Knight. Does it meet the hype? Well, it's not the best movie I've ever seen but it is REALLY good. In fact, I'd have to say that it really is the best Batman film I've ever seen (and I've been a fan of Batman since I was a little kid).

The story is well-done, the action-sequances are incredibile (the fight scenes are way better than Batman Begins). If you're a fan of good action movies with great stories there is no doubt you should check out The Dark Knight. This week on Rare Drop Radio we'll have a roundtable review/discussion of the film.

-ExtremeBlade (RareDrop.com)

So, what makes Street Fighter so special? Is it the characters? The graphics? The gameplay? Perhaps it’s the music? In my view, it’s simply a combination of all these things.

I can remember hearing about Street Fighter II before I even played it in arcades. And then the day came when I was finally able to play it for myself at an arcade called Challenges. Do you remember the first time you played Street Fighter II? For me, that moment truly was life changing. If I had never played Street Fighter II there’s a very real possibility I wouldn’t even be a gamer today. Sure, I enjoyed games like Super Mario but no game up to that point had ever had an influence on me like Street Fighter.

When Street Fighter II came home to the Super Nintendo Entertainment system I can even now vividly remember buying it at Wal Mart, taking it home and playing it like there was no tomorrow. Funny thing is, I remember the computer beating my ass relentlessly at times but I’d get up and come back for more.

Many games that I remember fondly from the past simply have a nostalgia factor. When I go back and play them years later I sometimes think “man, this game doesn’t hold up very well” but that isn’t true of the Street Fighter II series. The controls are tight, the graphics (even now) have a true artistic value about them and the music is as catchy as ever.

Later on we got great titles like the Street Fighter Alpha series that only made our love for the franchise grow. It’s no wonder that Street Fighter is one of the most beloved series in video game history.

When Street Fighter IV was announced, I was skeptical like most people. After all, I was NOT a fan of Street Fighter III at all. To make matters worse, knowing that the game would be 3D made my stomach cringe. However, after following the games development and particularly after seeing videos from E3 and Comic Con ’08; I feel it’s pretty safe to say that Street Fighter IV is going to be a true predecessor to the Street Fighter II series we all know and love and that warms my old gaming heart.

I grew up playing Street Fighter and I’m proud to be a gamer from that era. Knowing that in Street Fighter IV I’m going to be able to pull off all the amazing combos with characters I know and love (not the mention some pretty cool looking new characters) is really something I get excited about—and I’m not alone either. Man, I can’t wait until this one hits consoles… or until I can find someway to get my grubby mitts on a Japanese SFIV arcade unit.

-Extreme Blade

Welcome to my little space here on Giant Bomb. I'm mega-hyped about this site and have followed its creators for quite a long time back in their GameSpot days. Hopefully this blog will contribute something to the site... or at least allow me to rant and rave (something I am indeed very good at). Here, you will find my personal thoughts on the world of video games, pro wrestling, anime, cinema, music and life. I hope you will be entertained!

Let me give you a bit of background on myself. I'm a 25 year old male, born and raised in Atlanta (Hotlanta) Georgia. Georgia is a wonderful state to grow up in; multi-cultural, beautiful and vibrant. Georgia is also a strange place because on one end you have Atlanta, a bustling city with every type of person. But drive 30 minutes and you'll still find yourself out in the peaceful country.

Growing up, I developed an early interest in video games. It started when I was REALLY little with the old Atari 2600 that my parents owned. A few years later I saw the 8-bit Nintendo (known in many parts of the world of the Famicom) at my cousin Roberts house and knew I had to have one! That was the beginning of my video game addiction. It's amazing how much my cousin Robert influenced me when I think back on it, because it was over at his house where I also saw pro wrestling for the first time.

Some people have football, others have basketball but I have pro wrestling. I grew up watching Hulk Hogan, Macho Man Randy Savage, Ricky the Dragon Steamboat, Ric Flair, Sting and Shawn Michaels just to name a few. I am and will always be a fan of the "sport". I know full well that wrestling isn't real, but it takes a huge amount of athletisism to do what these guys (and gals) do. It's theater at its worst and sports at its best is my opinion on it. I'm sure I will discuss my love of pro wrestling much more here on this blog.

Anime and Asian cinema have also always been huge influences on me. Before wrestling would come on Saturday nights, we used to have a channel that was simply "69" (no, not the position). Before WWF (and other wrestling) would start, old kung fu movies would play. It's because of that station that I saw kung fu cinema. They would also play anime titles on Saturday, but it wasn't until I was 12 or 13 that I truly got into that. My friend Tarell's dad had a series of tapes simply called the Guyver. I remember being amazed the first time I saw this animation... the violence level was unlike anything I had EVER seen (come on, I was a 12 year old and thus I wanted to see violence; story didn't matter)! Truthfully, Guyver did have a really well thought out story. My love for anime and manga grew and I was anxious to share my love with others.

Because of growing up with a love for video games, martial arts movies and Japanese animation I also took an interest in a variety of music. I enjoy everything from hardcore rock, to jazz, to country, to almost anything in-between. I know many people consider music to be a major part of their lives and while I love and appreciate music I wouldn't put it above any of my other hobbies.

Well, I don't want to write too much so I'll end off here for now. Stay tuned for another blog in the near future! Be sure to tune in every Friday to our podcast called Rare Drop over at http://www.raredrop.com. Talk to you guys soon!