5.30.2006

PA Wisdom

Been catching up on my PA....things that amused/interested me:

"In reality, Microsoft's "win" is a composite of several factors, not the least of which is the haughty and ridiculous performance of their primary competitor."

"Remember how in KOTOR, the camera would show their face, and then it would show your face, and then it would show their face, and there were about five faces total for the entire universe? We put up with it because it was Star Wars, and it was well-written"

"did I mention that you can download new planets off Live? - they have essentially hot glued some of the most boring combat I've ever seen. It might just have been that performance wasn't quite there, but there was nothing visceral about this over-the-shoulder shooting. And just when I thought it couldn't feel more clunky or less satisfying, they showed us how I could pause the combat and then move each of my two teammates into open, exposed areas on either side of my enemies by giving each a separate, slow command. They're asking questions that Brothers in Arms or Full Spectrum Warrior have already answered, and with greater eloquence. I didn't think the combat in Knights of the Old Republic was particularly great, but then I had a customized lightsaber. I buy into the new universe, I really do want to go there. But that combat is definitely some Action Game 101 type shit, and we're past it."

"No less than four times over the course of our playing the Guilty Gear series did we realize that we had been playing it entirely wrong, that there was a game of greater subtlety beneath the grotesque and demonstrative exhibitions."


" I should tell you that, as a general rule, the games did not look amazing. The Cube was rarely made to sing as it did in Resident Evil 4 or Crystal Chronicles, but it was capable of bold feats that were rarely coaxed out of it."

"I am an observer of that scene. As such, I can with a glad heart make what I consider to be rational decisions about where a thousand dollars might go. I'm complaining about the US price, now - our friends in the old country are in for even more
savage treament. No. It is very clear that they assume we will purchase whatever gunmetal loaf they flop down on the slab. With a song on my lips, I defy them."

"The question that comes up a lot in the office is how do you beat World of Warcraft? We think the answer is, fairly clearly, "With World of Starcraft" - but we've never been called particularly imaginative. The other way, it would appear, is to cast a net so wide it simply cannot be escaped."

There you have it folks......Thank you to Tycho of PA.

Yukino out.

5.23.2006

All That Jazz

Alright….I’ve finally accomplished it! What is this "it" that I speak of. Seeing Cowboy Bebop’s ever elusive "Jupiter Jazz Part 2". Now Yukino, you may say, don’t you OWN all of Cowboy Bebop. And I say yes, yes I do. But only recently have I actually acquired it, and only recently have I begun sitting down with my newly acquired box set and watching the whole of it from the beginning. Mind you, all my talk of love of Bebop isn’t just words. I’ve seen ALL of it. EVERY SINGLE EPISODE except that one. Why?? I just don’t know. But well, now I have. And I must say……it disappointed me. Ok. I still love Spike. I will always love Spike. There is nothing in this whole entire world that can take away my love for Spike. But he lost a few badass points on this one. OKOKOK! Now I know that the reason for my letdown is that I DID see all the other episodes, most of them more than one time, and that it’s been about 4 years since I first saw the first half of this episode. I’ve been waiting for FOUR YEARS, playing out the many situations in my mind that my dearly beloved Spike Spiegel could have recovered from a point blank gun shot THIS TIME. This hidden mystery where I keep thinking to myself…….man, Spike is the most badass of all badasses. He recovered from gunshot AGAIN! And then (sorry to anyone who hasn’t seen this, maybe stop reading…..or stop reading anyway cause you haven’t seen Bebop and you should be taken and flogged.) I finally get to witness how my love got out of it…..and they open….and Spike is laying on the ground……..and I know he’s not dead……and then he moves……and I’m like SPIKE!!!!!!!!! And he says, "Tranquilizer guns." And I say….."WHAT?!?!?! That’s fucking it??? Screw you guys!!!" All hyped up….and he didn’t even fricking really get shot. What a letdown. I mean….as episodes go, it was a good episode, but Spike didn’t even get shot and here I had spent all these years thinking about how badass he was to recover from it. Had I not seen the rest of the show and without the knowledge of the fact that Spike IS in fact the most badass of badasses, I would probably not have checked myself when the thought "That’s not badass…..even I could do that shit." came into my head. I admit, I was actually a little mad for a few minutes. But, like I said, it’s cause I’d had it hyped for so long. It’s the same principle as how I didn’t think Eva was all that at first either. It’s just how it goes when legendary anime remains elusive for so long.

Spike, I still love you. You do enough other awesomely badass things to more than make up for the fact that just that one time you weren’t so much of a badass. I have no doubt that HAD they shot you with real bullets….you STILL would have come back to us.

5.12.2006

Funny how things just slip away

I just realized I haven't updated this since MARCH!!! Sorry. I'll be pretty bored, so....things nerdish may happen. Though many will just go straight to website. http://cranberryjam.bravehost.com

I can tell you with certainty that there's a Cowboy Bebop post in the near future. And a cosplay party on the weekend of the 19th. And possibly some FFIV-ing.

Stay tuned.