T-Hybrid

If you haven't already, I'd suggest dropping it into Wait Mode. Don't know if you played X-2 yet, but that helps lessen the frantic pace of battles. I've pretty much said to heck with the gambits for now. They've only got two slots each...not even close to enough to build actual AI.

I'll apologize in advance if this runs long, but with the next gen ready to kick into full gear in the next few weeks, you're going to see a lot of people throwing their weight around when it comes to discussions of the future of gaming. Though the 360 has been around for about a year at this point, the biggest war (as usual) has come down to Nintendo vs. Sony. And unfortunately, as with the case almost every time the topic of video games is breached, people are grouped into one side or another. And what fosters this kind of gamer seggregation? One word, which over the last few years has come to take an extremely negative and annoying conotation. I speak, of course, about the word "fanboy." It's not to hard to find a discussion of video games break that has broken down into the "us vs. them" mentality. And when that happens, the F-word starts getting flung about with reckless abandon. Unfortunately, the word is most commonly associated with those who enjoy playing Nintendo products. That's what lead me to write this. I'm buying a Wii, I don't know when...but it'll hopefully be soon. For the time being, I am not buying a PS3. And despite whatever I tell people, there's always some bufoon who jumps into the discussion with the mighty "fanboy" accusation. It doesn't matter that the biggest reason I'm not getting a PS3 is money, no...it's naturally that I'm a Nintendo fanboy, who enjoys playing childish games and whatever other stereotype those with no gaming knowledge seem to latch onto. Of course, if I was unwilling to buy a Wii because I was unsure of the new control system, there'd be people who'd jump down my throat as being of the Sony persuasion. And that's where the problem lies. Under no circumstance is a gamer allowed to enjoy multiple gaming systems. If they prefer one thing to another, they're a fanboy, and that's the end of the discussion. And unfortunately, the person throwing that word out there is considered the "smart" one. So why go into a huge rant on such an insignificant word? Because honestly, it's gotten to the point where it's just as bad as some of the other words cultures have used to put down those around them. Let's think about it? What is meant when somebody accuses another of being a fanboy? To be accused of being a fanboy is to be accused of blindly following a certain company regardless of the moves they make. This includes ignoring the faults of a game or console and only paying attention to the upsides. The reverse would apply to a "fanboy's" way of regarding another system. Also, usually the person throwing about the word is doing so as a means of attempting to sound neutral and more knowledgeable. It's essentially they're way of saying: "You won't listen to what I think. Therefore you are wrong, you are dumber than me, and you are a fanboy." To a gamer, being called a fanboy is one of the lowest insults. It implies a lack of knowledge, and is used to help the accuser feel smarter than those around them. Though it doesn't carry the kind of history that other such words have developed from, to me it doesn't make it any less ignorant to throw it around in the midst of conversing. I've always been a fan of the "attack the argument, not the arguer" persuasion. The word fanboy does nothing of that sort, and only causes a further divison between what is essentially a group of people that all love the same thing very much.

This was something my roomies heard quite frequently last night as I cracked open FFXII for the first time. I didn't plan on getting this game so soon, but after reviewing my birthday and holiday list...I discovered I had made this glaring omission. Since I had sold my Gamecube, I needed something to tide me over until I was able to actually secure a Wii. That's where the adventures in Ivalice come in. I'm only four hours in, but I have to say that I'm impressed. The battle system has taken some getting used to, and I'm considering staying in Wait Mode despite how it can sometimes slow the action down. My Gambits (the command chains that tell a CPU Controlled party member how to act) aren't able to handle a very complex set, so I find it's easier if I turn those off and issue commands one at a time. It's also fun in the middle of combat to set a character to do something and then hotswap to a different party member. I'm sure I'll get the nuances down as I play further in. The story so far has some interesting elements going already. Nothing too unpredictable yet, but it's setting itself up for some big stuff, you can feel it in the air (as much as artificial air can feel). I'm looking forward to where it's going, that's for sure. My only beef would be in regards to the License Board, which is essentially FFX's Sphere Grid on steroids. This is perhaps the most control I've had over a character's developement, and honestly I'm completely overwhelemd at this point. Each character starts in essentially the same spot, and it's up to the player to determine what they're going to be capable of. This goes right down to the accessories they'll be able to use and the abilities they'll be able to utilize. In the long run, it'll be rewarding to see a set of homegrown characters, but for the time being I'm still a bit lost as to where I want to take each character.

After much consideration, I decided to go with the "standard" version. Mostly because the cool artbook came with the guide as opposed to the game. And since I just got the game, it wouldn't be right to already have the means to beat it right in front of me. I'm about four hours in now, and am considering setting the battle system to Active. Wait seems a bit slow, and the one time I was in Active things got REAL hectic (to the point where I'm yelling at my gambited characters)

I'm running out to a few stores after classes tonight. I'm envious. But my question is, what's the difference in the two versions? I didn't preorder the Collector's Edition because I didn't have $60.

Wikipedia's generally trustworthy when it comes to hard facts. History, math, biology...that kind of stuff. Where it gets shady is in the entertainment stuff, where glory-hungry users want to be the first to add some new "fact" that's really nothing more than a rumor. (Quick Fact: For about and hour, I had managed to list Chuck Norris as having appeared in Kingdom Hearts 2) It's the same problem with IMDB, where you can't trust anything until the movie actually comes out.

Well, by the looks of your entry title, you've got a theme for the essay set.

It was a local place in my hometown. I walked in to get an idea what I was looking for, and they hooked me up with the full gear. And I agree, it's a ton of money to spend...but once you see yourself in the mirror it's like "Dang!" I'll see what I can do about getting a few done over the weekend.

The real world has suddenly caught up to me in the past few weeks, though it isn't the only thing that's been keeping my "me" time to a minimum. I'm lucky enough to have time to watch Lost every Wednesday, and for now that's all I need. I've been busy with my new job, a 9-5 style internship with a software consulting firm. It's a heckuvalotta fun and I'm looking forward to when I'm able to make the transfer to a full-time career. And that's where today's entry comes in. I rarely dress up, and can count the number of times I've worn a tie on one hand (these would all be clip-ons I may add, a testament to how long it's been). So it came as some surprise when I saw the bill for my first "real" suit. Almost $300. Add that to the list of things that I can buy rather than a PS3. But I have to say, it feels pretty cool when I'm in it. I got it only last weekend, and I've already had to use it on two job interviews. I have two more interviews this week, plus my first official buisness lunch. Unfortunately I wasn't able to bring the actual coat down, as it was being tailored, but I still look pretty snazzy in the shirt and pants. I'm actually looking forward to the first time I have to put on the full gear. If I'm lucky, it'll be sometime soon...as I hope to be hearing back from at least one of the four interviews. This weekend, everybody got a "free" hour of sorts, thanks to the rollback. To anybody who finds themselves unable to fill this hour, I have a suggestion. Learn to tie a tie. I was sitting in the office with my coworkers, and all but one or two of us (not counting the bosses) were also in the dark as to how it works. So take the time to learn now. Down the road somewhere, you'll end up being somebody's hero.

Speaking of which, as we speak there are at least 10 people lined up outside the TRU about an hour from where I'm at now. They're getting their Wii pre-orders. I wonder if they realized when they camped outside that they'd have to go an extra hour. Boy, imagine if they forgot. A bunch of tired gamers standing outside at 8am wondering why the heck the story hasn't opened yet. My only regret is that I couldn't be there (moreso because I won't be able to get a Wii)

As is the yearly tradition in most places (not to sure how it works across the world), don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour before you go to bed. Or after you wake up. What will you do with the extra hour you've been given?

From the looks of things, Kouki and his cohorts are Digimon who have either been forced to take on a human form or are somehow fused with a human. They use their Digisoul and Digivice to turn back into their Digimon form. Something like that...they haven't given much in the way of details yet.

There can be only one Schiz on this block. And I think you could take'em.

Okay, I promise, this is the last time I'll talk about Kardas dragon. Especially now that he's safetly secured and standing proudly on display in my room back home. Overall, it took about 2 hours or so to put Kardas together. Most of this was spent digging for the smaller joints, and I was partially distracted by the Friday the 13th marathon on Bravo. But never once was it frustrating or overly difficult. In fact, building Kardas got me to start wondering how a combiner model is designed. Unlike the last combiner I bought (Ultimate Dume), Kardas doesn't look like three sets being forced together. The colors blend well, and the pieces work together to make it look like a dragon. The wings, feet, arms, head... all of it look like this set wasn't just thrown together to use the three sets. I'd almost question if Kardas was built first. Vezon is my favorite Piraka. I've got the three that came in the Irnakk bundle, and I have to say that Vezon definately stands out amongst the four. His staff, cape, and use of silver give him a fierce skeletal look that just appears more menacing than the other Piraka. Kardas himself is fantastic. His sheer size makes the set worth buying, but he's also more playable than I had originally thought. He has a decent amount of joints, and can balance in most poses I've put him in. As a tip, his tail can be set up to help balance (much like a real dragon, an added bonus). Overall, he's definately worth $50. Even if you aren't a fan of Kardas...he's still worth buying as you essentially get one of the two $20 Titans for free. So he's both evil and economical!

I wasn't a big fan of the new fighting system introduced in Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance. Though I've been a fan of the fighting genre, it's usually been as a button masher. That is with the exception of Bloody Roar, where my skills with Xion are significantly honed (especially in the 4th installment, where Career Mode can be abused to make him significantly broken). However, when my roommate brought home MK: Armaggedon, the idea of a custom character feature was highly intriquing. The downside of this though was that most of the fun stuff (the more unique clothing and moves) were all "locked" and could only be made available by spending Koins earned in the main game. Desperate to actually dig deep into this system, I started the Konquest mode. It's been a few days now, and I'm hooked. Though I don't quite get the Kombat system (aerial fighting...) being able to custom build my own fighter and moveset helps to get a feel for how it works.. And I'm finding this has helped me get accustomed to playing as the "real" characters. Though I've refined his look to the point that I like, I've still got to pin down the types of moves I want to use. There's a certain style I'm going for, and it's been tough to build around that while still making the moves look believable. Also, I've got to come up with a more clever Bio than the one I've written (yes, you get to write your character's bio too). I can't decide if I want to take it seriously, or just have fun and write a joke entry. I'm on the fence between: "Hybrid arrived at the tournament having heard promises of punch and pie. Upon hearing that this had been a lie, he set out to put an end to those who had decieved him. But by the time he had defeated the last of the 62 kombatants, Hybrid had forgotten what it was he had been fighting for. Armed now with the powers of a god, Hybrid relaxed in his chambers and conjured his own punch and pie treat. It was the finest meal he had ever eaten." or "For Hybrid, the Mortal Kombat tournament had been a means of testing the limits of his power. But as he fought his way through the army of kombatants, he came to realize that these would not be the right group to do so. Now, with Blaze defeated and Hybrid empowered with the strength of a god, Hybrid was faced with only one solution. Using the full extent of his new power, Hybrid turned back time to when he arrived at the scene of the battle. He would once again challenge the finest warriors in all the realms, but this time he would do while using only one hand..." The first one would remain as is if I went with it, while the second most likely would be written a bit here or there. I like the idea of just fighting for the sake of fighting, but I might change things so that instead of turning back time he challenges the Elder Gods who have watched over the Tournament. I dunno, it's something I'm probably putting too much thought into. But in summation, MK:A = Fun.

Cigarettes and Cell Phones? Interesting pairing. Something involving addiction perhaps? It'd be an interesting read, that's for sure.

That's one of the few things from FF9 I remember, and it was awesome. Wasn't like the whole castle the Alexander summon?

Oooh....is that a bit of a teaser pic there. Looks terrific, hopefully the finish product will be up soon. Eh?

...

In some cases though, the established career of an artist will give them the edge when it comes to play time. This is the case with Justin Timeberlake. I guess the biggest problem is the Top 40's stations. I didn't think people actually wanted to listen to the same song that many times in a day, and then I got to college. Every year there was at least one guy that would play the same 10 or so songs every week. Sometimes the same song 10 to 11 times in a row.

Well, I went out to my car this afternoon to find that somebody decided it'd be funny to snap off my antenna. This left me with an hour long car ride home without anything to listen to. Not good. I'm guessing at some point I should invest in an iPod. Radio stations these days are getting pretty bad when it comes to music selection. If I'm going to have to sit through Justin Timberlake's latest single eight times in one trip, I might as well be doing it to myself. As far as the good, my time is freed up a bit. Tonight's focus is getting Kardas built. I've gotten through Vezon, and I have to say it's a very satisfying figure. Good overall look, like the cape. He's bigger in person, that's a good thing. I'll have to spend some time in the future tracking down instructions for the three "alt" models. Wouldn't mind getting my hands on Brutaka and Axonn for a little bit before reassembling the dragon.

Wait wait...is this one of those burgers that uses Krispy Kreme as a bun? I've seen one, and I must second the urk

It was ironic that only yesterday I had been looking back and wondering when the heck I'd have something worth posting in the Bionicle category here at the Haven. I had all but given up hope on seeing the actual Kardas giftset, and recently it seems as though the Titans were purposefully attempting to elude my grasp. But yesterday, by a sheer stroke of luck, I saw it. I was at the mall late last night for a showing of "Man Of The Year" and stopped into Target out of sheer boredom. There, at the end of the LEGO isle, sat four Kardas boxes. I almost laughed out loud right there in the store. Unfortunately the movie was about to start, the store was about to close, and I was unwilling to haul the set into the theater with me. So I stopped back this morning before class and grabbed one, and now I'm extatic. The set costs only $50, which essentially means you're getting one of the three titans (either Brutaka or Axonn) for free. Because of a loaded schedule this week, I most likely won't be able to actually build it until this weekend. But I'm just happy to know that he's arrived, and that I've found it.

Thankfully there are a TON of resources online when it comes to materials and ideas for how to cosplay as various characters. I've never tried it, but the resources are out there.

That's the most annoying car problem...because there's literally anything that could be wrong. At least with a blown-out tire or flaming engine you can quickly identify the problem. But "Won't start" just kinda leaves the repair guy a chance to take it to you pocketbook.