03.21.07
Link Wednesday: The Links Of Adventure
…wait, wait, don’t shoot me yet! I bring an actual LW entry this week; surely I could be forgiven an irresistible pun like that, especially given this week’s subject matter.
Last week, Kotaku managed to swing a few shots of the current US localization of Eternal Sonata, though for the first truly interesting 360 RPG I prefer to still think of it as Trusty Bell. Not only does the game star the famous composer Frederic Chopin– in a rather silly concept, I should add (on his deathbed, Chopin enters a dreamworld where his fatal tuberculosis inexplicably gives him magical powers)– but, as I’d snarked months ago, the soundtrack is made up of the actual Chopin’s music, as performed by Stanislav Bunin. Nevermind that I don’t know Chopin from “Chopsticks”, and that I have absolutely no clue who Bunin is. The game is damn pretty and the battle system looks neat.
Oh yeah, then there’s this. Decisions, decisions…. decomposing contagious composer or self-abusing clockwork monstrosity? What a choice…
Many tales have been told of my affinity for all things Cupertino; it ranks right up there with my desire to make the most out of any given moment. That’s why there’s Apple and LifeHacker. But what if, and this is just hypothetical, you combined the two? My word, that would be an awesome amount of win. (And yes, I know damn well that LH is heavily Mac-centric. Suspend that for the gag, will ya?) The selections they choose are pretty much standard; most of them I already have, or have analogues for. Still, it’s an excellent reference for someone getting started with a new Mac.
Also, via LifeHacker, in case you ever wanted to know how all that caffeine should be affecting you, you can get a running total of your drinking habits and see just what you’ve imbibed. I checked out my morning routine and found it usually keeps me “In The Zone” as it were, even though my overall day-to-day habits would push me into “Jitters” if I took it all in one shot. I’ve actually seen this site before, and may have linked it at some point, but the new calculator feature made it worth mentioning again.
Those of you who have an Xbox 360 but no copy of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night– I’m pretty sure there’s no connection between those two sets within my usual readership, but I’m talking hypothetically here– will be delighted to know that the game is now available on the Live Arcade for the established price of $10. Oddly enough, when I first picked up the game back in 1999, I think I paid $15 for it; that may have been the same disc I kept all the way through to Erie or Cleveland, whenever I had to sacrifice it. In any event, I’ve downloaded it and just given it the first few moments of gameplay; it’s labeled as “HD” but in reality it’s just reverse-letterboxed, as the main gameplay is in a center screen and the sides have some very nice artwork. The addition of Achievements is entirely incidental to the experience, truth be told; I just wanted to have the game back (and cross it off my list). Naturally, because of this, I’ve added another game to the “must beat” list before I can freely purchase games again.
Finally, Meteos: Disney Magic… I’ll have a review up at Netjak within the week or so. I’ve always been a sucker for adding teh di$ney to teh gud gams, so the fact that I have this one shouldn’t really surprise anyone (it won’t count towards adding to the list nor will it count as a completed game). Am I disappointed? Well… you’ll just have to wait and see.
I’ll catch you folks later. If you’re really lucky, maybe I’ll even post my sonnet tomorrow morning.