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.

5.30.2005

Psychonauts

this is a really good and well done adventure game. it's longer than short, though certainly not very long, but it's got enough to keep anyone busy for a while... at least a week if you don't use ANY help. there is a really helpful hint-giver who will tell you exactly how to defeat any foe, and a fair ammount of specific challenges. I don't recommend it to anyone with a short attention span, simply because the story plays a big role in making the game worthwhile. you can easily skip most of the dialogue and cut-scenes and get straight to business. there's quite a variety of tasks to accomplish, and only a few side-quests to help increase your rank.

WARNING: the next 2 paragraphs just explain the item-collecting/powering-up part of the game. here's how it works; you start the game as a rank 1 PSI cadet with a boost-jump and force punch, working your way up the ranks to gain new powers and enhancements to a potential rank of 101, though that last rank does nothing. you increase your rank by accomplishing various tasks in the real world and in the minds of the people you'll meet. one way is collecting "figments", which are basically transparent glowing crayon drawings. each figment has a value assigned to it, and once you hit 100 "figments" you gain a rank. you can also help sort out the emotional baggage in people's minds by finding tags to go with 5 different styles of bag in each person's mind. there are also memory vaults that contain slide-shows of significant memories, and while they're easy to open, they're a bit tricky to catch.

another thing you can do to increase your rank is collect and assemble "PSI challenge markers", which are a stack of 9 cards floating around a PSI core, which resembles a creepy green eyeball. you find these around the camp grounds (the real world) as whole markers or individual cards that you need to combine with a PSI core purchased at the main lodge. you can also buy a cobweb duster for a hefty price, which will allow you to collect cobwebs from people's minds and make cards with them in the real world, as well as opening up areas in the minds of particularly loopy people.

the powers that you unlock as an eager PSI-cadet are either as a result of your rank, or special training from one of the councelors. there's 8 special powers in all: telekinesis, blasting, pyrokinesis, levitation, invisibility, shield, clairvoyance, and confusion. they're all neccessary to complete the game, but obviously some are more useful than others. although clairvoyance has a limited role in completing the game, it can still be used to see how others see you, and it's quite amusing.. try it on friends and foes alike.

So, story; Raz ran away from the circus to become a psychonaut at Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp. due to the family having a bad past with mentalists, his dad doesn't let him go. Raz sneaks into the camp, impresses the councellors, and begins training. however, rumors are around that there is alake monster that threatens to steal your brain, and the kids have been having nightmares with peculiar similarities. training goes on, and things keep getting weirder. i could go on, but you really ought to play the game.

Fun facts and things you ought to know; i already mentioned that you can use clairvoyance to see interesting images of yourself in other peoples' eyes. there's also bulletin boards in the parking lot and at the lake with funny announcements from staff and the kids. come back to the minds of people you've sorted out earlier to see how they're doing, and finish up the area. you REALLY should get the psitanium dowsing rod FIRST, because the arrowhead rewards can be between 10 and 100 arrow heads, which beats breaking stuff for loose change, hands down. then get the magnet badge, because it not only attracts loose arrowheads, but health and ammo A LOT better than without. THEN get the cobweb duster.

By the way, it's only out on Xbox right now, but it'll be on other systems sometime this summer

5.17.2005

speaking of CoV

it looks like CoV is a mix of stand-alone and expansion; you don't need CoH, but some features will only be available to those who have both. I'd like to know how subscriptions are going to work though...

getting cleaned up

I'm fairly determined to get a grip on my life. 2 mmorpgs, a messy room, and a dead-end job do not make for the brightest of futures. one big step for me is breaking the illusion that I might have some kind of obligation to play the mmorpgs as much as possible within the time I've paid for, which is total bull. there's also the guilds and friends to think of, which should really be able to survive without me. I'm planning on keeping my WoW subscription and dropping CoH at least until CoV is released, and maybe longer depending on money and school.

that's the other thing. apparently, Algonquin has a diploma course in game design, and it's way cheaper than the intense program at IADT. however, it's money I don't have for the whole course, and I'm still deep in a pile of self-doubt.

Right now, I'm focusing on making myself useful in the house, cleaning my room, and getting a more predictable job. I'm going to apply at a nearby Licks restaurant...

5.13.2005

pihakwa

I like his work, saw it linked off Mac Hall. i started imagining my story ideas with his style, and i think it'd work well, if he was up to it, and i actually had something for him to work with. i told him as such, gave him $10 and some compliments.

i have a veritable arsenal of GBA games...