I was a kid in the late 90s, and like any self-respecting kid-geek in the late 90s, I was way into Pokemon. I bought the games, I watched the anime, I collected the cards (and pretended I knew how to play the card game), the whole nine yards. For a while, it was all my friends and I could ever talk or think about. When I think about a moment in my childhood when I was really happy, I think about (along with other, more important things) how excited I was when my mom's boyfriend got me that Charizard card, and how jealous my friends were. Pokemon used to be a big part of my life.
Hey, I remember you! But then, around 6th grade, I stopped caring about the series. Why? Probably for a lot of reasons. My friends weren't into it so much anymore, the anime seemed more and more lame the older I got, and I just got tired of the whole "Japan has 5000 new Pokemon that you're not gonna see for years!" thing. So that was it. No more Pokemon. I used to be able to name all of the original 151, no I care barely remember a few, let alone the hundreds of new ones they've added over the years.
Fast foward to 2009. After almost a full year of slowly going through it, I finally beat Lost Odyssey. It had it problems, and it wasn't ground-breaking by any means, but it's probably the first traditional turn-based JRPG I've beaten since, well.... Pokemon. And it reminded me how much I like the genre. At this point, it's a relic that hasn't evolved in ages, but that's just something about it that hooks you (maybe I'm still suffering from "anything's better if it's made in Japan" syndrome, who knows).
After that, I needed more RPGs. I bought Chrono Trigger on DS, and have been enjoying it a lot. I tried playing Persona 4, but I couldn't really get into it. Then there is stuff like Star Ocean 4 and Last Remnant I might like, but that's a whole other story. That's when I saw the commercial: Pokemon Platinum. Holy crap. I haven't played these games in forever, and just when I'm feeling in the mood, a new one is just about a month away. I really wonder, can this series hook me again? Can 19-year-old me see what 8-year-old me likes so much about this series? Will I be able to wrap my head around all these new fangled Pokemon? Will playing it make me feel like some pathetic manchild? I can't wait to find out!
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I just beat Lost Odyssey, and I still have Fallout 3, Fable II, Banjo 3, and a bunch of other games from 08 that I want to play. But hey, Killzone 2 looks pretty awesome, and nothing can keep me away from Resident Evil 5 when that comes out.
10. Killzone 2 9. inFamous 8. White Knight Chronicles 7. MadWorld 6. Prototype 5. BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams 4. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 3. God of War III 2. Resident Evil 5 1. Bayonetta
I love Rock Band, but over the past 9 months that I've had the game, I've had plenty of misfortunes with it.
1. Guitar strum bar broke. (sent that to Harmonix, got a new one) 2. Disc got scratched, so I could only play in Practice Mode. (still scratched) 3. Drum pedal broke. (Bought new one off eBay) 4. And now, the green drum pad has become extemely unresponsive. (just happened, don't know what I'll do about it yet)
I'm thinking of just getting the Guitar Hero: World Tour Bundle and using those intruments for Rock Band and Rock Band 2, but then I'll have to wait over a month after RB2 comes out for World Tour. I guess I'll just get my drum pads replaced by EA.
Anyone else have Rock Band troubles? Any troubles like this with another game?
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Got Soul Calibur. My first impression, really easy to get achievements. I'm no whore, but I like getting achivements where I can. Yoda and the apprentice are really fun to play as, although Yoda is a pain to fight since he's so short. But Mitsurugi and Tira are still great, and I was able to play online with no lag that I could see. Can't wait to dig deeper into the character creation mode.
Also got Geometry Wars 2. The fact that you have to collect little gems to add to your multiplier really changes the game. All the modes I've tried are fun too. This should be a no-brainer for everybody.
With Dark Knight come and gone, the best of the summer is behind us. However, I am interested in two more summer movies. I'm a big fan of the Mummy, so I'm looker foward to Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. They have always been good fun goofy movies. I'm just afraid this one could ruin the series for the rest of me. There's also Clone Wars. I like Star Wars, and I liked the Cartoon Network shorts, so what the hell, right?
And because I see other people doing it, here's some games I'm looking foward to:
Too Human Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Little Big Planet Valkyria Chronicles Gears of War 2 Resistance 2 Lips Rock Band 2 Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe EDIT: Fable II Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
..and some other stuff I'm sure, but that's all I feel like listing.
Soul Calibur IV and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2, commeth!
I can't wait to jump into Soul Calibur again. My friends and I were really in the second game, but not the third one so much. I think #4 is going to get us right back into it. The A that the game got on 1up is sure encouraging. And with online, my friends can be playing this game nonstop even when we aren't hanging out together. We'll be getting the 360 version, since one of my friends doesn't have a PS3. I also got the limited edition, since I happened to have enough credit at my local GameStop and thought "eh, what the hell". I'm really excited to see how Mitsurugi and Tira feel in the new game, as well as trying out Yoda and Starkiller.
Ah, Geometry Wars, you gem of the Xbox Live Arcade. I remember first getting my 360 and playing the first GWRE for hours, cause, you know, there were no other games out in 2005, heh. But yeah, all the new mode and the multiplayer really excite me. Even with all the games I could be playing, I think I'll still really get into this one. Going for the high score is just too addicting.
So, anyone else excited about these two games? Anything else coming next week that you want? Speak up!
Well it's late, but I want to get two things off my chest.
First, this site is awesome. The forums, the database, earning points for edits, making custom lists. It's all awesome stuff. I know I'll be spending a lot of time on this site for a long, long time.
Second, the govenor of my state, New York, just passed a bill that goes into affect in 2010 (story from Kotaku). Basically, I'll be paying taxes so that some "experts" can get together and figure out ways to connect video games to real life violence. I could list all the things wrong with this, but I'll just assume anyone reading this blog could make the same list.
I'd write more, but I have to get up early tomorrow. So yeah, love the site, can't wait to continue enjoying it with everybody!
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