So I finally broke down yesterday, and purchased my very first Sony console. Yesterday I ordered a slim model PS2 bundle and Burnout 3. Technically, I do own an original Playstation, but I bought that secondhand from my brother.

The choice was difficult. I've been stewing for close to a year about buying a new console, as well as on which one to get. I like the PS2 and Xbox equally, and both had their strengths and weaknesses. The choice on the PS2 came down to several factors; one, none of the Xbox bundles in my price range came with a second controller, always a no-no in my house. Second, I discovered that while the slim model system doesn't support the harddrive addon, it does have an ethernet port built in. I'd much rather play free online than pay for Xbox Live (great as it may be). Finally, the slim model system is so ridiculously small that bringing back to college would hardly take up any extra space, while an Xbox would most likely be hard to find a place for.

I also questioned the choice of buying a console when the next generation is right around the corner. However the general consensus of myself and others seems to be that early adoption, especially in this very pricey next-gen is not going to be worth it. Buying a PS2 now is just another avenue for me to buy games on the cheap during the lean months when college income is enough to pay the phone bill and buy pizza once a week. It also gives me an oppurtunity to review more games. At the very least, it will be a bastion for all the 2d Fighters I couldn't get on the Dreamcast, and will double as a DVD player.

So until I find work, I have a lot of spare time. Lately it has been spent on videogames and really nothing else. Now I've got a coding bug, which is a good thing because it means I'm doing something productive. what will come out of it? Who knows.

First off, there's a new retroview to look at should you choose to.

Second, its amazingly cold all over the east coast. Please Canada, no more cold fronts. I'm begging you.

Third, I didn't get the internship at Altec Lansing that I interviewed for. Apparently they were "impressed with my skills, but found someone with credentials closer to what we're looking for." I'd almost believe them on that, since my forte is coding more than network matenience and troubleshooting. However, I've been denied for too many things despite having solid credentials for me to take any rejection statement as anything more than a blanket statement. Is that harsh? Yes. Am I proud of it? No. But that's the way it is with me at least right now. I almost wonder if the whole "be honest with yourself and about yourself" thing is really worth it, the opposite being "be a sophist who has no qualms twisting the truth to get somewhere".

Anyway, I really wish I knew who did get it. If it was some college Junior or Senior with more expereince under their belt, then I say congrats; I respect my elders, especially when they're more qualified than me. I just hope it wasn't given to the one person from my graduating H.S. class who I know interviewed. Kid was too damn cocky for his own good.

Though perhaps people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Whaddya' know? My first depressing blog post.

Edit: This random blog post has to be one of the greatest commentaries on the Final Fantasy series that I have ever seen. In fact, I'm saving this document for future reading.

in defense

So I finally got to see Episode III in theatres. Personally, I couldn't be more pleased with how the film turned out. "They didn't screw it up", I thought to myself, "far from it". If you're looking for a great summer flick, or want to see the end of the Star Wars story, go see it. And to any Slashdot nerds out there who continue to trash it, I have two things to say:

1) Star Wars is not Hamlet

2) How is it that a man wearing a "Genuis at Work" shirt is asking questions about a children's cartoon?

After a tough 3 game series against each other, the Mets and Yankees have the same record. And of course, that means nothing once September rolls around.

I also realized that Gamefaq's new villains' battle is another waste of time. Here's a hint Gamefaq's; you cannot, absolutely cannot do any sort of character poll type thing and include anyone from FF7. You might as well just give the award to Cloud/Sephiroth or the game itself, no matter what it is you're doing, because one of those three are going to win. Ah well....

looking back

New review up, for yet another fighting game. Check it out if you are curious.

Speaking of reviews, I just went and read that Mega Man series review I did. By far, they are the crappiest reviews I have written. Bad grammar, typos, and sentences that just don't make sense. Granted, I wrote all six of them in the span of two days last summer, and I think I was trying to attempt some strange new style of writing, but those aren't very good excuses. I'm thinking about rewriting parts of them (I already cleaned up the typos), but I don't know how many people really care about the original Mega Man games. If I get enough demand, I'll go ahead and give it my best shot.

So much going on at E3. Actually, other than announcing three new consoles, it seems hardly anything has happened at E3. Very few breakout, must see new games have come out of the woodwork it seems, no surprises like Full Spectrum Warrior or Prince of Persia. Considering the industry's fear of original content, I'm not surprised. But I do hope to see some sort of screwball be thrown.

Got villains...

So Gamefaqs is doing another silly charater tournament, only this time it isn't silly, since its a villains tournament. Today is an important matchup; we have ansem of Kingdom Hearts fame saddling up against the infamous CATS (for those who don't know, its the "all your base" guy). Currently the votes are split straight down the line, with each one differing by only a couple of decimal places. I know you'll do the right thing and give CATS your vote. For Great Justice...

1up already seems to have its E3 stuff up and running, even though the press conferences aren't until tomorrow, and all the other game sites are still waiting. The "E3" previews the have aren't even from the show, but are simply the latest previews they've had in the last four or so days. They also seem to think that using words like "Smizzoken" is cool. Don't mind the slow kids folks.

Home

Got back home yesterday. I've already unpacked all but my clothing, the compy being the first thing plugged in of course. Counterstrike Source has never run smoother online.

Things are busy right off the bat for me. Tomorrow is an interview for work, which means I could be starting very soon. Until then I hope to get some reading in. There are a few book series I would like to polish off this summer.

Other than that, not much to report as of now. Its a bit colder (and darker) at home as I expected, but that just gives me more of an excuse to stay in and play some games.

You .... win?

I just got out of my final exam for the semester. That doesn't mean I'm done with work; I still have a lot of cleaning to do before I leave, and a few last minute errands to take care of (Joe, if you read this - thanks for putting that Ajax in the tub, you lazy fuck. Your ass is grass if next semester is a repeat). My biggest worry is easily my grades. I have no idea what range any of them are in after finals; some might be up, some might be down. What's worse is that my grades always seem to come around after everyone else's. Paitence is a virtue I guess.

Anyway, I am very much curious about how this summer will play out. I might have a job lined up, and I might not (though I will deftinitely work). I might have a car to buy right away, and I might not. I might actually try to see old friends from home, and I might not. Whatever's the case, I've got a cable modem and a wireless adapter waiting for me at home, and that's really all I need.

Actually, its not all I need. There's someone I am going to miss very, very much. She knows who she is.

This will probably be my last post until I return home on Saturday. Enjoy the summer everyone. When I return, get ready for a couple of reviews and eventually, my whack impressions of E3.

Top of the Pac

Happy Birthday Pac-Man. You are now 25 years old, and while you may have gotten a little fatter (and gained an extra dimension) in that time, you're still jovial and hungry for more action. Without you, the arcade scene would have never existed. Perhaps gaming itself would not be the same.

Whatever's the case, sit back, have a power pellet and celebrate yellow-man. Tomorrow, you can cash in the billions of quarters you have at the Coinstar machine....

Laundry List

Its been awhile since hitting the blog. I guess that is what happens during finals week 1. Speaking of which, it is rather frustraing to study a great deal for an exam and still come out unsure of how you did. Such is the life of a science major.

So what's happened in other news? It seems that new info on the Xbox 360 is being leaked every day. E3 is fast approaching, and for one year I am actually not frothing at the mouth awaiting it (I'm rather partial to just taking a wait and see appraoch on this one). Perhaps the most interesting news bit for myself is the closure of Buy Rite Games by the Better Business Bereau. If you have never heard of Buy Rite, picture this; an online store that features not only new releases, but a huge number of import games. Only they dont' even have half of the games they list, but continue to do business with customers by taking their money or shipping defective products. Also, customer support is nonexistent, and if you actually visited the Buy Rite store (a dirty nasty little venue in California) you would be removed from the store for asking the right questions and beign a concerned consumer. But, since Buy Rite seemed to appear on seraches for all sorts of games, many consumers assumed they were reputable. Now no one has to worry about these scams.

Wow... so much on my mind right now, and I can't think of anything worthwhile to type. Ah well, I'll have to try again later.

The Soul still burns

So I got my Soul Calibur game disc back from the local store, newly repaired and running flawlessly. While it is great to have my favorite game ever working again, it came around a bad time; its finals week at Loyola, and while this week itself is rather light, it is also my chance to prepare for next week's onslaught.

Speaking of Loyola, I saw a few classmates when I went to the Oriole's game this Friday. Every time the beer man passed by they bought a few drinks. way to represent the school. The whole kids with fake ID's thing kind of saddens me. Here are some of the worst, most irresponsible underage drinkers beign able to buy whatever whenever they want, while guys like myself and my friends are not allowed to play pool at a hall because there's also a bar and they want you to buy drinks on the weekend. Nevermind the two 18 year old women at the table, neither of them looking to be much past 100 pounds in weight.

I was shown an interesting link about a disease that turns people into theoretical zombies, only to find out that it is potentially a fake. And here I was worrying about Resident Evil Baltimore.

Remember how I said that old screen of Serious Sam 2 would be a hit with a particular person? I was right about that, and now I plan on making another person happy with these babies.

Oh yeah, and if I hear one more n00b scream about Battlefield 2, or an RPG fanboy praise Guild Wars I'm gonna 'splode. There are other games out there people. A lot more.

Oh, and Bandai and Namco are going to merge, or something. Now maybe we can see characters from .hack get beat down by characters from Soul Calibur. Oh wait, I forgot, .hack is the game I'm playing right now, and Soul Calibur is the series I've given up on in favor of sticking with the original until the end of time. Still, its interesting news.

And... That's it for now.