welcome. everything I write here is something I felt to be important to some degree; game reviews, life updates/vents, and philosophical musings. I do my best to make my statements truthful. everyone is welcome to post comments, provided they are relevant.

11.22.2004

strange updates

the order of the last few posts is messed up... the info about gifts was earlier, then i mentioned oma, then i mentioned the change of plan. weird, eh? it's probably because the time of the post was automatically changed when i edited them.
my mom's mother is dying as of this posting. she had signed a DNR, but the doctors didn't get the memo before they resuscitated her. she's on a steady decline now, so we're off to toronto. I may be gone for the week, but if I can I'll come home by train.

I'm going to miss the WoW release.... *sniff*
change of plans, I'm not going. I have a one-a-week class that I'd miss, so it's no good. oh well.
attention family members, specifically those with my name on their gift list.

please note the links available on the right side of the blogs, underneath the profile info. the IGN collection tracker shows all the games I already have. If you go to that site and click on the Wishlist tab, you will see a list of all the games I would love and appreciate in my collection. Unfortunately, it does not include prices, and it is an American site.

items 2-4, 8 and 12 are moderately high-price, around $60+, since they are popular and new. Items 6 and 7 are not quite as expensive, because they are for the Gameboy Advance. Anything unranked is likely cheap if you can find it; such gifts would be well appreciated since they are more likely found on eBay, or require a keen eye on the used games sections.

p.s. I know a lot of you haven't seen me in a while, so remember that I am going to be over 21... the only "inappropriate" things you can get me are toys targeted at girls, or tacky clothing. I certainly wouldn't mind samples of alcohol...

11.20.2004

well, you can completely disregard my previous post, because Blizzard is doing a complete wipe of the servers, including all character data. I hear the end of the world was quite spectacular.

Metroid pwns me.

I've been playing Fusion and Zero Mission for a few days now, and they're pretty awesome. Metroids are alien life-forms that feed directly on the life force of living organisms, and are being sought after by an alien race called the Space Pirates as a potential weapon. Zero mission, from what I understand, is a remake of the first Metroid game, and the main character Samus' first adventure. Fusion is essentially Metroid 4, and begins with Samus being infected by something dubbed X, which destroys and mimicks its hosts, and which Metroids used to be the primary predator of. The Metroid-based vaccine used on you gives you the ability to absorb X, but extreme alterations were made to the suit when the X was being removed, and the Metroid vaccine is sensitive to cold. What I love and hate in this game, though, is that the parts of your original suit that were infected by X turn up as a mimic of you... at full power. it's quite something to suddenly run into yourself and have to run like hell. I've gotten pretty far, but I image i've missed quite a bit, and I'm focusing on Zero for a bit.

p.s. they're only rentals right now, I'm still musing over purchasing them. Spyro Orange is a piece of shit.

11.14.2004

SO, i have a few characters in WoW with some kind of progress.

Server 2, Eastern Time Zone

Snowy, Tauren Warrior, level 14
he's getting pretty good at leatherworking and skinning, and an awesome fisherman. can make 6 slot kodo skin bags. currently getting lost in Orgrimmar.

Calkurian, Night Elf Druid, level 7
still getting started in the area.

Ringe, Gnome Warlock, level 7
also just getting started.

Server 15, Central Time Zone

Marlyna, Human Warlock, level 11
she's gotten the hang of her new Voidwalker, and is heading west from Goldshire. is getting good at harvesting herbs and making brews, like armor, strength, and regeneration potions. doesn't know where to harvest ingredients for mana or rejuvenation, though available in Stormwind. the underground transit system is nifty.

11.12.2004

I've been told to update my blog. Since World of Warcraft seems to be having server problems, I guess I will.

Things suck. the security job seems to be having several adverse effects on my mind, and probably my body. having to work +12 hour shifts 4 in a row might be predisposing me towards doing absolutely nothing when I'm not "at work" because that's pretty much what I do when "at work", except for a few times where I walk around a bit. I've noticed that I'd rather wander the house than, say, eat or clean my room. also, not being able to acquire food while at work has me eating large meals near the beginning of the shift (mostly as an excuse, but whatever) because i don't really don't want to prepare 3 meals ahead of time for WORK. it's just wrong i say.

It does not help that my one night a week class, where i only have 3 hours of class, gives me homework that takes a not insignificant portion of time. although i could probably get it done in a day, my mind no longer has any idea what "day" means. anyway, the class just has me making a 3D character in 3Ds MAX 6 (which gave me serious grief in the aquisition) that looks mostly like the sketches I'm given. again, my mind has lost its grip on time, so thinking about how long it takes to do stuff makes me a bit dizzy. so i'll stop thinking about it.

World of Warcraft is in open beta. for those who have no idea what I'm taking about, WoW is a game that has massively multiplayer online role-playing. this is shortened into MMORPG. its story is based on the events and characters of the Warcraft real-time strategy game. anyway, it is my opinion that this game is incredibly awesome. however, since it's an open beta, anyone (within a certain ungodly large limit which has already been reached) is able to join and make the servers beg for mercy. which they do with reckless abandon. so there's me, trying to make a name for myself as a level 14 Tauren warrior, or play with my friends as a Human, and this wave of n00bs is storming in (I think I'll call it the Storm of Souls), picking the servers closest to the number 1 or the top of the server list, and making everything choke for the people who are already there. You can't change the server your character is on. You can start your characters on low-traffic servers. it's not like you're going to get anywhere before you get tired of your character and start a female, probably night elf, strip her to her underwear and make her dance in front of the rest of the newbies (which includes people already with real characters and don't really need to see this shit AGAIN). I really hope Blizzard is learning something from our torture, and the retail turns out to be the brilliant gem I'm betting it will be. and it is a bet, since I'll be getting the collector's edition. I'm still trying to decide which pet I want.

a note about the webcomics, Dominic Deegan is not game related, but i like it. Ctrl+Alt+Del is a gaming comic, but the newbies really haven't been that bad... at least not that I've seen. there's always some.