October 7, 2009 at 7:38 PM (Ayaikun, Rants For Great Justice)
Tags: rant
Well, I’ve been considering writing about this for a little while, but always decided against it because of the slightly personal nature of the subject matter. But after recent events, I’ve decided it’s a consistent and interesting enough subject to at least put my two cents in about.
I have a bit of an anxiety problem. It’s nothing that I need to see a doctor for (at least, I don’t feel the need to), but it’s definitely there. I have the specific form of OCD called ICD: Impulse Control Disorder. More specifically, I have trichotillomania. In the same way that gamblers can’t stop gambling and pyromaniacs can’t stop setting things on fire, I can’t stop pulling my hair out. Fortunately, I’ve never pulled the hair out of my head, and I’ve been able to “ween” myself off of my eyebrows (which are fully grown in, now, and have been for a few years), but my anxiety still ravages my eyelashes. Luckily, unlike head or eyebrow hair, a lack of eyelashes is easy to cover up with a little eyeliner, so hardly anybody ever notices this fact unless I point it out to them. It’s a pretty 1:1 equation; I get anxious, I pull my eyelashes out.
Other than that, my anxiety usually manifests in the way that everyone else’s does: headaches, stomachaches, and shoulder tension. I have experienced a few anxiety/panic attacks, but they’re always triggered by something (usually, something medical or talking about something medical). But I’ve found an interesting solution to both my hair-pulling and my occasional attacks: video games. Read the rest of this entry »
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October 1, 2009 at 12:18 PM (Meimi, Nostalgia Corner)
Tags: N64, retro review, super mario 64
One of the things I have an overabundance of happens to be unfinished games. They kinda just pile up over the years and for the most part I didn’t really care whether I’d gotten around to beating them or not. The advent of The Backloggery has changed that somewhat. I’m still kinda lazy about it, but I at least try to get some knocked down. And one of the many games I have yet to trash thoroughly happens to be Super Mario 64. Seeing as how said game is what really sold the Nintendo 64 for me (well, at least before The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time came out anyway), I figured it was about time I got around to changing its status. And then I decided that I should write a blog post about it once I’d managed to complete the game since I haven’t talked about anything in the past month or so. Such a naive assumption… I started up a new game of Super Mario 64 on the 15th of September. I have yet to finish it. It may take another month, it may even take longer than that. I was doing so well too, chugging right along, and then I ran straight into the roadblock known as Rainbow Ride. Actually, no, let me call it by its real name: Rainbow Hell. This is probably the level that made most players want to break their cartridges in half and forget that this game ever existed. But asides from that particular aspect, it’s still a good game in its own right, so I might as well write a post up about it anyway. Read the rest of this entry »
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September 30, 2009 at 4:12 AM (Kasumi, Train of Thought)
Tags: final fantasy, ps1, rant
Earlier this month marked Final Fantasy VIII’s tenth anniversary on 9/9/09. Who’d have thought that we were already at the ten year mark for the eighth game in the series? Especially considering that Final Fantasy XIII has yet to be even be released! So I figured I’d take this opportunity to look back on one of the arguably less-loved entries in the series. Personally I’m quite find of FFVIII, but I’m quite aware of the game’s many flaws. Still, it’s a game that I’ve found to be hard to forget, even after ten years. And a quick warning before I continue: Spoilers Ahead
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September 28, 2009 at 10:12 PM (Ginger, Reviews to Ponder)
Tags: ds, review, scribblenauts
For many gamers a great horror has struck. That is right, the brain-sucking grind of school has reared its ugly head. Don’t get me wrong, I know school is important but does take a lot of time which is taken out of any time we would usually spend gaming. So how does one get their gaming fix and juggle school at the same time?
The beautiful creation of handhelds. Handhelds are wonderful because the can be ported almost anywhere and give you the ability to keep up with your games and still get stuff done. For example, I get to 30 minute breaks on class days. I spend that time with a sandwich in one hand and my DS or PSP in the other. The time may seem short but it adds up in the long run. Not too mention is helps you wind down and not be overwhelmed by school.
Recently some very nice games have come out for both the PSP and the NDS. The big one for the PSP seems to be Dissidia: Final Fantasy. However, I won’t go into that because it has already been brought up by a few of the other wonderful ladies here. Instead I want to bring your attention to a NDS called Scribblenauts. Read the rest of this entry »
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September 22, 2009 at 6:37 PM (Ashen, Girl Gaming)
For those of you familiar with the Backloggery, you might know that there is a massive Final Fantasy marathon going on right now. Basically, one of the members of the Backloggery decided that, since Final Fantasy XIII was soon to come out (this was back in May) it would be a fun idea to play through all of the Final Fantasy games in preparation for the release of FFXIII.
Well, considering how many Final Fantasy games I own (and hadn’t beaten), and the fact that I’m a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge about the series, I decided to participate officially in that marathon (as a matter of fact, I’m first on the list that the member in question has in his page note). Sure, I’m probably not going to be able to play FFXIII when it comes out (not owning a PS3 or a 360), but it’s still a way to slay Bak’laag. That, and you never know — I might get the game anyways even though I can’t play it, like I did with No More Heroes for the Wii and possibly for Valkyria Chronicles for PS3.
The sad part about me participating in the marathon, though, is how much of a FF nut I am. That means I burn through the games like acid on steel. … bad analogy, but you get the picture.
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September 20, 2009 at 10:35 PM (Ayaikun, Preemptive Strikes)
Tags: first impressions, ps3, tales of vesperia
I loved Tales of Vesperia on the 360, so when I heard it was being ported to the PS3 with loads of extra content of course I had to check it out. The Japanese fanbase was understandably enraged when they heard about the new game (since many of them had bought the console solely for the game), but I didn’t share their animosity. I figure, the PS3 version got it over a year after the 360 version, new content is kind of expected. While some of the codes and hints found in the 360 version point towards the content being planned even before the 360 release, I just can’t bring myself to feel the rage that a lot of other fans do. Well, that, and I didn’t buy a 360 just to play the game.
I went ahead and pre-ordered the Japanese version of Tales of Vesperia, because chances of the game getting an NA release were dubious (though since then, rumors of the voice actors being called back coupled with Vesperia PS3’s staggering sales numbers in Japan have given us hope). While I’m only a measly 200-level student in Japanese, I can read enough to be able to play the game without struggle and know the story well enough to not be bothered by my lack of fluency. I was hoping that the fun of the original coupled with the new content would be compelling enough for me to give it another run-through. So how does the PS3 version stack up against the original? Read the rest of this entry »
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