11.18.07
Posted in Anime, Gaming, Link Wednesday
at 12:09 pm
Link Wednesday? On a Sunday? It’s more likely than you think!
Let’s start with FATE/unlimited codes. I guess the SD tiger colosseum for PSP turned out to be pretty damn good, huh? Early rumors point to this one being a traditional 2D fighter along the lines of Street Fighter or (dare I say it) Guilty Gear, but no real information will be available until the 21st. That’s, like, Wednesday. We’ll all have something to be thankful for then.
On a break from the writing last night, I popped into my RSS feeds and found Chain Factor waiting for me. Ostensibly part of an alternate-reality game for Numb3rs (the TV show), it manages to stand out as an addicting little web game in and of itself. Well, enough of one to make me waste an entire hour’s worth of battery power sitting in Panera and playing the damn thing, anyway.
In the “low-hanging fruit” department, we also have troubling news that the 360 Avatar game’s Achievement points are ridiculously easy to get in full. Now, here’s the sitch– when you port a game to the 360, and you have to put Achievements in, you can basically do it one of two ways. You can do it the Final Fantasy XI way, which is to make them absolutely impossible to get (you get one for each job that you level to 75, which means that I have, oh, zero and no way to actually get them– and those are the only Achievements in the game); or, apparently, you can do it the Avatar way, which is to just make them throwaways and subvert the whole purpose of the Achievements. Now, I have my issues with the 360, but the Achievements are not one of them (by and large– it could, as always, be better). I dig the idea behind giving even an ephemeral extrinsic reward for accomplishing cool stuff in the games. But please, please. Make us earn them, and make sure they’re not all overtly ridiculous.
I’m in Panera Bread again today, but only for a little while. This was completely unexpected, mind, as I was positive my errands were going to take me longer than they did. Plus, I think I’m addicted to their “Muffies”… as overtly pornographic as those sound, they’re actually very innocent and tasty cookies made out of the tops of muffins. They’re soft, sweet, and delicious. …..right, digging myself deeper now. Back to writing for me.
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04.11.07
Posted in Link Wednesday, Rants
at 5:58 am
Fair warning: this is going to get a little sappy and overly sentimental. Anyone with severe allergies to saccharine or Type II Diabetes might want to skip this entry… or, alternately, you can go read the interview I did with Backbone Entertainment, who are making the US-centric remake of Tokimeki Memorial. Actually, if you are interested in that please go read that and come back. Hooray for mixed messages!
About a week ago I came across a relatively new webcomic. “New” of course has to be prefaced by “relatively” because while the strip was started in 2003, it hadn’t come to my attention until Friday or so. Anyway. Titled Count Your Sheep, by Adrian “Adis” Ramos. Nominally, the strip revolves around the young Katie and her imaginary sheep friend Ship; the title comes from the first gag of the strip, and the oft-recurring one where Ship can lull anyone to sleep just by himself. Of course, the only people who can see Ship are Katie, her mother Laurie (who had Ship as an imaginary friend during her own childhood), and Katie’s father Marty (who is deceased and never appears in the strip proper, but is referenced many times).
Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? It’s basically Calvin and Hobbes taken a couple steps further. Whereas C&H widened the world a little bit, however, Count Your Sheep focuses almost exclusively on the three primary characters. Other people are never seen and seldom named. The strip plays with time quite a bit; switches from Katie’s childhood to Laurie’s happen frequently and abruptly at times. On occasion, strips extend into short storylines, and there are plenty of recurring gags that come up now and again (such as Katie’s love of soccer vs. Laurie’s football fanaticism). The one-shot strips are especially good.
It’s actually very hard for me to define what makes the strip so very compelling. As I’d said, the whole tone of the comic is very sweet and almost cloying at times. Despite this, however, there’s a sincerity in Ramos’ writng and art that makes even the most obsequieous moral completely transparent. It’s unabashedly heart-tugging, and for my part that makes it worth reading. That’s not to say every strip drips with sugary nausea; the touching moments come more frequently than in other webcomics, but the vast majority of the strips have hilarious and off-kilter punchlines that are so very worth it. It tries to emulate Calvin and Hobbes to a great extent, and more miraculously, it actually succeeds in its efforts.
While I certainly would encourage folks to read over the entire archive from the beginning (shouldn’t take you more than an hour or two if you skip the non-CYS strips early on), a few moments stand out as being worth highlighting, in no particular order: The flame of Olympus, gratitude, the best policy, waterbed liquidation sale, the defense rests, in the land of the blind…, (can’t say without spoiling it), enjoy the silence, they both start with ‘d’ (one of my personal favorites, by the by), the only prescription, condensed, and it’s what’s for breakfast. ….so I went a little overboard. Actuially I left out quite a few that kept me giggling for hours, so consider these just a starting point.
Catch you folks tomorrow.
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03.21.07
Posted in Appleology, Gaming, Link Wednesday
at 6:43 am
…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.
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03.11.07
Posted in Anime, Bailout, Link Wednesday
at 7:26 pm
Posting a link to bail me out of having to search for Bailout. I think that violates a law of physics or something. Anyway, the guys behind Mac Hall launched their “next phase” last month, Three Panel Soul. Aside from not bearing any resemblance whatsoever to “something different from Mac Hall”, it’s exactly as advertised. Whatever. At least Tenkay added a couple of intermission issues.
In other news, this entry’s late because I spent the day working, and also getting caught up to ‘current’ on Kanon. One episode left– the big one– for next week; I’m already atwitter with excitement. I also finished up my rewatch of Outlaw Star. I think next on the list is a rewatch of Love Hina, or Kare Kano (though that last one means a trip out to Robinson Township to pick it up first).
So, despite the chaos that was Thursday and Friday, this was actually a pretty relaxing weekend. I feel good. I also feel like I need to get back into a game soon… but that’s for tomorrow night, I suppose.
Trust me, I’ll probably start posting in the mornings again starting tomorrow.
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02.21.07
Posted in Link Wednesday
at 1:28 pm
Just tossing off a couple things from this fine lunchtime, as I fear they will be of limited interest to me next week when the next LW rolls around. First off, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales is set for an April 3 release date; a week later, Super Paper Mario hits on the 9th. For those of you who just turn to a puddle of cooing, cute-afflicted goo when you see a large yellow flightless bird (read: me), this is good news for you.
Speaking of cute, I found this from Jalopnik by way of Lifehacker. It’s a good thing I was listening to “The Downward Spiral” at the time, or I would have probably had an overdose of cute.
I also signed up for Twitter, mostly because I have an overbearing personality flaw in that I feel the need to tell everyone what I’m doing every hour of every day. But also because I think it would be kind of cool.
As you can see, back to work. Later, folks.
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Posted in Link Wednesday
at 7:15 am
For fans of Trent and bees, Year Zero looks to be right up your alley. I’m not entirely drawn in by such things but I do tend to enjoy a little NIN now and again, so I’m following it with interest.
Speaking of interest, the Month of PHP Bugs project has me mildly discomfited. Given that PHP was and is my most favored web language, I tend to get defensive about its flaws. I know they’re there, and unfortunately there’s little I can do save for code around them, so as long as I’m doing my job right (which I’m pretty sure I am) I and my clients have nothing to worry about. However, I’m sure that Mr. Esser has a handful of bombs to drop that can’t be coded around. And that’s what worries me.
I remain an aficionado of all things related to the former TechTV, partly because TechTV was awesome but more because I find Leo Laporte amusing. Hearing that he’d taken his long-running KFI Tech Guy show national had made me very happy indeed… until I realized that it’s not in Pittsburgh yet. Soon, I’m sure. Until then, the podcast netcast will suffice.
Konami blasted out news on several Bemani titles at the Japanese arcade show last week, including news on IIDX 14th, Pop’n 15, and word that DDR SuperNova 2 was indeed in the works. Also on the Konami front, would you like to take a survey? Do you like Solid Snake? Do you like Microsoft? Would you like to see Solid Snake working for Microsoft while eating beans with George Wendt at the movies?
Inconsequential Update: 16 scenes left, 79,300 words written over 140 pages. That’s three for the week, with two more to go before I can slack off… though if this streak continues, I might want to take it as far as it can go.
Finally, I have received a wonderful and unexpected present. As soon as I find the cable to my digital camera, I will be able to let you all know exactly where I stand with regards to a certain individual. As if my position towards this man– no, this rotting husk of a man, this Thing Which Should Not Be posing in the defiled flesh drapery of manhood– were not clear enough.
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02.14.07
Posted in Bailout, Link Wednesday
at 6:32 am
…as I spent most of yesterday dealing with thirty different things. Yeah, yeah, slacker, I know. Anyway, rather than leave you hanging, I’d like to encourage you (if you haven’t already) to check out the weather monitoring program/device of your choice and to be careful out on the roads. Because while yesterday was nice, working from home and all that, I know some folks don’t have that option. More than that, those who don’t might wind up in serious trouble if/when they get stuck. Believe me, folks, I’ve been there before; enough times to have come up with the 30 Degree Rule: “If the direction your car is traveling differs from the direction your car is facing by thirty degrees or more, you go home.”
I’m going to see if I need to chisel my car free, now.
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02.07.07
Posted in Appleology, Link Wednesday
at 6:58 am
Writer is a pretty nifty web-based word processor with no real frills. I actually like it because of that simplicity. No distractions, no other programs… just the proverbial blank page. Coupled with the Autohide extension, and I might have some kind of really high-productivity sessions… pffft, yeah, right. Still, it is a cool combination.
I got to thinking, though, that it might be cooler to do other stuff with the fullscreen mode, like using a Commodore 64. (I initially wanted to find a VIC-20 applet, but this is close enough for now.) I’m thinking my next project will be to track down my old set of OS/2 disks and seeing if it’ll install on my ‘reserve’ machine. Man, if I thought it would have done well with 8 MB of RAM, I can only imagine what’ll happen with the maximum it’ll support (because I know for a fact it’s less than the 256 that’s in the machine now).
Then again, maybe productivity isn’t your thing, and you’d much rather take this week’s title gag literally. Or, you could spend an interesting forty-two hours playing a different game.
There’s news about Apple and Apple, and a Norwegian Wood joke in there somewhere. Also, there’s a few cheap shots at Vista going around.
Little gaming done last night; I had other pressing engagements. I did, however, check out the Wii’s backwards-compatibility mode; I’ll cover that in the forums later today.
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01.31.07
Posted in Link Wednesday, Writing
at 6:31 am
Technically my little deal from yesterday wasn’t exactly a “hack”– it’s more appropriately defined as a “mashup”. Also, it was pointed out to me that the Wii could use Google Reader to handle all the RSS feeds you could want, but then again, Reader doesn’t make the disc tray glow blue. And as everyone knows, glowing = better. Ordinarily I’d go back and revise it, but nobody’s seen it, so who really cares?
Anyway, speaking of mashups, I’d completely forgotten that the Mickey/Mizuguchi mashup “Meteos: Disney Magic” was going to be out next month until I saw this article about how the DS is “addictive” and an “American Obsession”. Sounds like the author is a mashup of Penny Arcade and Jack Thompson, whilst somehow managing not to annihilate himself between the two opposing forces.
Terse authors: the results are brilliant. Orson Scott Card; mixed emotions continue.
I’d link this with more zeal, if it actually let me save the images it produced, but in the vein of the Objection Maker, there’s the 360 Achievement Maker. You can get yer comedy here, folks, but you can’t take it with you.
Inconsequential Update: Over 75,000 words done and under 21 scenes to go. I added another scene to the outline, and realized that I may want to rewrite one of the existing scenes, but I’ll save that for once the draft is complete. I’m still well on track and finishing roughly six or seven three or four scenes a week, so three five weeks’ time for a ready draft isn’t terribly unfeasible. I still have yet to get up the nerve to approach an agent.
Incidentally, it occurred to me while looking through some old data the other day that in May, I will have been keeping a regular journal for six straight years (the stuff from 2001 to 2003 was done in a service that’s now defunct, but the archive of it that I have isn’t going to be released anytime soon). Odd, isn’t it? Doesn’t feel like six years.
EDITed because I suck at math this morning.
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01.24.07
Posted in Link Wednesday, Writing
at 6:12 am
This got passed around Netjak recently, but it’s a pretty interesting concept. The Funniest is basically Hot or Not, except with humor.
1up’s preview of The Crossing presents a pretty interesting premise: what if there was no such thing as a single-player game? Instead of being controlled by an AI, the enemies in The Crossing are played by other players, while the main player (called the Elite) guns them down. Certainly sounds like a neat idea, but I’ll reserve final judgment until I get to play a demo. Till then it kinda sounds like they developers thought their AI sucked and just decided to punt.
Kat comes in under the wire with two things of note: first, a very good argument both for and against auto-translators in MMOs, and secondly, proof that someone needs to violently assault Tom Cruise with a small pin, if only to pop his ego.
It’s been a slow week, but for now, I bring you yet another Inconsequential Update: 73,000 words, 22 scenes left. I feel I’m returning to teh funni, so I’m gladdened by this recent surge of writing proficiency.
EDIT: Square is offering miniature replicas of four famous Final Fantasy weapons, collectively called Master Arms series. Looking at the page, I can only imagine Seifer leaning back, a smarmy smirk on his face, and saying, “Mine’s bigger.”
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