Malik
(4/4/05)
Well, if I seem
any less coherent than usual for a few days, it's because I'm tired
of the old and antiquated notion of daylight savings. As far as my
limited interest in this subject has taught me, this is something
from the days when farmers were a major profession. The workday was
best scheduled around the sun rising at certain hours, and since we
like to mess with what we can't control, someone came up with
messing up the sleep schedule for all of us non-farmers. Yipee! Many
years later, I'm tired as hell and don't know a single person,
especially any farmers, who are glad to lose an hour of sleep each
Spring (especially since it's a weekend hour).
Anyway, I'm think
that the following link will work in a short while; the Ys VI review
is finished, but I'm adding screen shots to round out the experience
(and doing the editing work to make them pretty). It shouldn't take
long, but until it's done, that link will be there doing nothing. I
am glad, however, to have this experience behind me. I came into Ys
loving the game, and what did it get me...the same emtpy feeling
that Xenosaga 2 gave me. Actually, that's wrong. Xenosaga 2 left me
with a far worse feeling that was not only that which one gets from
playing a bad game (which Ys ultimately gave me), but also a strong
feeling of betrayal...Ys VI was pretty loyal to what the prior Ys
games were about; just poorly executed in some areas.
I mainly spent
this weekend with the PSP. I think my consoles are not going to get
much love until Jade Empire (which did go gold) comes along in a
little over a week. Until then, Untold Legends, Ape Escape, and
Wipeout are all holding my attention span. Also, with the higher
than usual price for PSP games versus other handheld games, I have
to say that is definitely a good thing...I'm still not crazy about
$50 portable titles, but I'll deal with it as long as the games are
actually good. I just hope the release calandar for the PSP doesn't
start looking like the DS...which is probably going to face some
severe problems in terms of peoples' love and attention, unless some
good titles come out really soon. Nintendo needs to surprise us all
with some quality games right now, because no good games from Wario
Ware (or Yoshi, if that's your thing) until the last few months of
this year is not a good way to manage a new system...especially if
you've already done this shit before with the N64.
I did try out the
wireless Internet browser with Wipeout this weekend (if you're
trying to find the details on how to do this, I used this
post at Gamefaqs.com). I guess I'm supposed to be impressed or
excited. I mean if you checked out any message boards (like at Gamefaqs.com),
you'd see geeks going ape-shit over this hidden "feature".
It's a nice bonus, in theory, but it's still nothing amazing. The
connection is slow since the PSP is not designed to handle all that
many forms of content beyond text and images. Also, the amount of
information you'd need to set this up (like router IP address) makes
it too complicated to use anywhere that it might prove useful.
Instead, the only logical and simply places to set this connection
up for would be somewhere like your own home, a friends home, blah,
blah. In the end, this means that you'd probably have a PC to use
for web browsing anyways, and the PC would do a lot better of a job
doing so.
Anyway, I've need
to do some good old PhotoShop to get that Ys VI
review done. Check the link, and it should work shortly, if it's
not active already.
Malik
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Malik
(4/5/05)
July 7th! According
to Gamespot, this is the date Japan will see Katamari Damacy 2.
Also, unless a solid release date for the US is posted before then,
that will be the day that my reserved copy of the Japanese version
ships to me. I mean, while the first game was awesome with the
weirdly worded dialogue, the game play was even better, and didn't
require any real language to appreciate. I think I'd rather play the
Japanese version as soon as possible than to sit on my thumbs and
wait for an American release (unless a real release date is posted
and is not much beyond July 7th).
Also, in upcoming
games that WILL be really cool, Burnout 4 is being revealed in small
bits at Gamespot.
Burnout Revenge, the next game in the series, will be fully unveiled
at E3, but at least we have confirmation that the next game is in
the works. It should be getting a Fall release (and considering how
Burnout is almost an annual event now, I'm not surprised...it's like
Tony Hawk games, but seems to get less stale with age). The only
real details, so far, beyond how the game is in development, is that
there will be new race, crash, and (best of all...) Road Rage modes.
I'm just glad to see, like with Burnout 3, that the old features are
becoming more and more integrated with each new release. I
personally found the Road Rage events to be the most
enjoyable...it's a good way to blow off some steam after sitting in
rush hour traffic for a couple hours...so it's good to see that Road
Rage is only becoming more advanced in the next release.
I'm still playing
PSP like there's no other system in my home. I think my early
acceptance of the DS was nice and all, but I have to admit (despite
how much I'd like to support Nintendo) that the DS is on a slow path
to it's doom. While the DS did offer some neat ideas and a couple
fun games...well...it's getting old. I mean the DS has 3 games I'd
really call fun; Mario 64 (I don't count it as "just a
port" since the mini-games are some of the most addictive parts
of this title), Wario Ware: Touched (can't go wrong with Wario...well,
not counting the old side-view platformers in which he made me
wonder why I couldn't just be Mario), and Feel the Magic. That's two
launch titles and a game that came out three or more months later.
Plus, for now, there's nothing good on the release calendar until
Fall...Metroid Hunters (not my thing, but many people liked the
demo) is due in the August, Mario Kart is a Fall/Holliday release,
same for Animal Crossing...what's the point of a new system when
every anticipated game is constantly pushed back?
Meanwhile, the PSP
launch library has done nothing but impress me. Untold Legends,
Wipeout, and Ape Escape (yes, it's a port...but it was missed by too
many the first time around, and it's still fun) have claimed my free
time in a way in which the DS has always failed. Then there's
Lumines and Ridge Racer; two games I haven't played yet, only
because I am too hooked on those first three titles. Not to mention
that NFS:UR isn't too bad (it's fun, but it sucks compared to a
console version of it). Plus the release calendar for the PSP is
bright and shiny, while the DS is dark and cloudy. Midnight Club 3
is due in a week, ATV (for fans of the series) and Smart Bomb (a fun
looking puzzle game) are both due a week after MC3, and then we have
a few more sports titles rounding out this month. Just this month! I
shit you not when I say the DS have nothing major until Metroid
(unless you like the random games along the lines of more
bastardization of Pac-Man or poker).
In the end, the
real value of a console is not related to the prettiness of the
screen(s), or the shell, or the innovation of new controls, or the
processing power, or the Wi-Fi abilities, or the media players, or
any other shit like this. This is all nice and pretty on paper, but
what it comes down to is GAMES. That's it. So far, the PSP has been
out in the US for almost two weeks and it has an awesome library
forming, and an awesome release calendar. Meanwhile, the DS (and I
really want to love this thing...hell, I spent over $300 to get one
for Velveeta and another for myself, not counting the money blown on
games...I better love something this expensive) has nothing.
Rumors said how
Nintendo had learned their lessons, and how they were ready to be
serious contenders again (something that, besides in the actual GB
line, they have not done since the SNES), but it was a bunch of BS.
They have learned nothing. They scared away the third party
developers, they lost Rare to Microsoft, they didn't patch up
anything with these former friends, and then they released a new
style of system...with no support. It's like seeing the whole N-Gage
situation, but with a good piece of hardware.
Since I haven't
done one for a while, and this is turning into a Malik's Bitchings,
let's do this right...
Solution
Nintendo needs to
freakin' make some games for the DS. Right now. Make some
announcements about some secret projects, develop some long desired
games...here's a hint: wireless, portable, multiscreen (one for
up-close action and one for a more general battle area),
one-cart-requiring (via the download feature) Smash Brothers. Bam!
Nintendo announces this game along and their sales will pick up
some. Smash has been one of the best selling GCN titles since it's
launch (only a couple weeks after the GCN launch) and has inspired
many a tourney...why not squeeze some more life out of this
franchise?
Anyway, that's the
real solution to all of this Nintendo crap-fest. Nintendo needs to
make a good library of games. A new input device (touch screen) and
a new output device (touch screen) doesn't make an instant
success...something to use it with does. For those who claimed Sony
was getting in over their heads with fighting Nintendo on the
portable battle-front...Sony knew exactly what they were doing. They
saw a sleeping giant, but rather than just wake it up with some
half-assed attack (like N-Gage, Nomad, Turbo-2-Go, GameGear, and
Lynx all did), Sony went in for the kill.
Meanwhile, in the
end, it will be us geeks who suffer more than Nintendo. Nintendo
brought this on itself, but we who actually bought the DS are
looking at (prove me wrong, Nintendo...please!) a void that devoured
our money and gave little in return. Plus, competition is what
drives a market (hence the DS did so poorly, in my opinion at least,
because there was no solid competition in the portable market until
after it's release), and it's what drives progress.
Blah...
Malik
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Malik
(4/6/05)
There really isn't
much to talk about today. Game news is pretty slow (as it's been for
about 3 month now), no new releases that are really interesting this
week, no miscellaneous information...nothing.
I'm still playing
a good deal of Untold Legends on the PSP. From what I've seen in
reviews, either one is destined to love or hate this game. I find
this all pretty funny considering if it was the original game
(called Diablo 1.5...a little of D2, a little of D1), then you'd be
meant to love it or be an idiot. It's funny how this type of thing
works. I mean the same people who called Diablo 2 awesome are
calling this game half-assed and lame...however, in the end, it's
the same damned game, but with a more centralized town like in
Diablo 1.
I personally find
this game to be quite fun. It's not the RPG that I'd wish for from
the PSP, but that will come in due time. It's pretty much another
incarnation of all the action/adventure/RPG games that spawned after
Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance first hit the PS2. In other words, it's
nothing new, but it's not bad in any way. Plus, with having the
Wi-Fi of the PSP, it makes multiplayer more interesting (in
theory...I've yet to personally know another geek with a PSP...I
tend to be the experimental geek of my group, who is first to get
and try out all the new hardware) by having more control over your
screen (no fighting over which direction is up on the screen or how
big the map is in relation to the playing field).
The game uses some
rather simple control with enough depth to allow some nice advanced
moves...however, a majority of the time you'll just be spamming
either the weapon button (if you're one of the fighter classes), or
the spell buttons (if you're an Alchemist or a Druid built for
magic). The game is really forgiving if you get caught up in
forgetting strategy (read: it's not the hardest game ever made), but
it's fun, none-the-less. It definitely doesn't deserve the lack of
praise that it's been bashed down to face.
Speaking
of which, I was reading a review for Dynasty Warriors 5. I find it
funny how this series, along with Mario Party sequels, always gets
such mediocre reviews. I mean, on one hand, these two series don't
offer much new with each incarnation. I mean you'll have the same
game mechanics, the same characters, the same challenges, blah,
blah. However, these are still both quite fun series. It's not like
one should buy every version of DW or MP that hits the market, but
each geek needs to play and be obsessed over at least one game in
each series.
However, both MP
and DW do evolve in small steps with each new sequel. These
evolutions fall mainly in the categories of visuals and audio.
Beyond that, the changes are usually little more than slightly new
challenges. This gets me to the point of this rant; the reviews for
these two series always call new versions bad in EVERY way. That
includes the audio and video. However, each game progresses with
better visuals and audio than the previous one...yet the visuals and
audio are always called "the same" as the last game in the
series.
I just like this hypocrisy.
I mean these series are overly plentiful with sequels that offer
little in new content, but that's no reason for a reviewer to call
the games crap (or mediocre). If anything, each game should be
reviewed as separate games, so those who are new to either franchise
can make an accurate assessment of if this game is the right one to
buy or not. It all comes down to how many reviewers are not afraid
to try to throw around the fact that they've played too many games
(to the point of being jaded on the geek life), and thus they can
say in a review, "I've played this when it was called
". Big deal, I've played a lot of games that are imitators of
prior games, but I still have no fear of praising the new generation
of imitators (when they deserve such praise).
For example, to go
full circle on this post; Untold Legends is a clone of BG:DA and
Diablo 2. However, before I bash the game like many commercial
reviewers did, I'd rather say that I liked the series of BG:DA and
Diablo, and I am addicted to UL. They are all awesome games, so
there's no reason to downplay any of them. Also, if I was jaded on
this style of game by playing a shit-ton of D2 before the PSP came
out, I'd still be open-minded enough to say, "I'm sick of this
genre, but it's probably a good game for those who
aren't".
Anyway, I'm just
rambling and bitching since I'm sick of seeing how every Dynasty
Warrior game (besides the first) is called crap because it's been
done before (you know what, if you skip a few steps, one could see
DW4 is a far better game than DW1), and how BG:DA1 is the only good
console game of this game play style, while Diablo is the only good
series of this genre on PCs, and Mario Party 1 was an amazing
concept but MP5 is a horrible idea. It's all a load of BS. This type
of hypocrisy is fine if you're bullshitting with your friends about
why you don't want to play a certain game, but if you're putting out
reviews, then you have an obligation to not mess with the minds of
those who may value your opinions.
Ok, enough
bitching...for today...
Malik
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Malik
(4/7/05)
There is nothing,
again, going on today. News is boring, hype is non-existent...it's a
boring day.
I can keep going
off about some complaints I've had with the industry, but I feel
like I've gone over them all enough lately. There's is just nothing
to talk about.
I could go off
about how much I've played Untold Legends in the last week. It is a
good game. It is really good, and just like with the DS launch
titles, all of the fun PSP launch titles have been reviewed into the
ground. It's like these games (both PSP and DS launch titles) are
being compared to PS2 and GCN titles. They are separate entities,
separate consoles, separate games.
Anyway, I'm just
going to keep things really short today. I wish I could say
something, but there's not a damned thing to go off about. I will
throw out that I'd like to write a review or two on some PSP launch
titles, but that will probably be delayed by Jade Empire being
released in about 5 days. So, we'll just have to wait and see.
Malik
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Malik
(4/8/05)
This post is a lot
like my continuing theme of pseudo-Malik's Bitchings. So, as you can
guess, there's no real Malik's Bitchings this week, but if you read
the other posts for this week, you'll get all the Bitchings you
could desire.
Anyway, this one
goes out especially for all people who are fed up with their
Internet providers (and in particular for those who loathe Comcast
with a burning passion...I know you people ARE out there).
Last night, I got
home from a hard day of work (day-job work) and was getting ready to
post. I got my post down in FrontPage and just needed to upload.
This should take me only a minute (if I'm slow), but instead it took
about 10 minutes...which makes no sense. So, I checked out a few web
sites while waiting...or I tried to. Nothing loaded. It was one of
those amazing Comcast Internet outages, in which the net isn't down,
but it's so congested that it might as well be. The worst part of
this is that I needed to do some research on the net last night in
regards to a potential giant purchase (I never purchase anything
life-changing without doing the research).
So, I tried comcast.com
to reach Comcast support, since the thought of waiting on hold on my
phone for an hour (yes, Comcast is that slow with phone support...I
have been on hold as long as 58 minutes in the past...my phone has a
timer...I might add that none of this is slander since I have
personally witnessed and have evidence to account for all of
it...sorry, just covering my ass) was not a good thought. So, after
I write to tell them that my PC is working perfectly fine, but the
Internet is slow (in great detail), I click send. I then realize
that I should check my email to see if I get any response...however,
the net is so sluggish that I can't get into my email without the
log-in timing out.
This is the point
I decide to bite the bullet and call Comcast. Then I try calling
again...and then again...and on the 8th time I no longer get a busy
signal from the customer support that Comcast calls top-notch in all
of their really lame attempts at advertisements. The automated phone
system is so over-whelmed (another sign that this is not a problem
on my end) that the menu system glitches on me. I sit with silence
for a minute. Then I get a message about how (to paraphrase, not
quote), "an overwhelming number of people are calling tech
support...please hold". So, I held. I got that message once a
minute for about 8 minutes...then I got, "your call cannot be
completed. Goodbye", and then the line went dead?!?! Comcast,
with their amazing customer support and customer loyalty, blah,
blah, HUNG THE F$#@ UP ON ME! That was low.
I tried again, and
again, and again. Each time I got killed by either a busy signal or
that wonderful message that amounts to, "like we give a f$#@!
Get lost!". It only (sarcasm on that only) took me about 2
hours to get through enough to get a message of, "we are
experience massive outages". At that point, I was told I could
remain on hold or hang up because they are working on the problem. I
hung up. I had enough. They hung up on me about 5-10 times, so I was
ready to return the favor.
My access returned
about 6 hours later. I finally checked my email and saw Comcast
replied to me on my two emails I managed to send (the second one
said "if you're having technical problems, I expect a refund on
my bill for this"). The one about my refund informed me I would
have to waste my time again to contact them again for a refund...so,
I can look forward to an hour on hold to get back my $2...f$#@ that.
My other email was responded to by saying, despite how their
automated line said that they were having service outages, that my
PC is the problem and that I need more RAM, HDD space, or I need to
go to other web sites since the ones I tried were bad (including
this site which is bullshit, Yahoo, Google, CNN, Penny-Arcade, VG
Katz, Gamefaqs, Gamespot...the list goes on and I doubt they all
would be down at the same time). This email further described how
I'd be best restricting my Internet usage to the Comcast web site
for the best results. Yeah, I pay them $60 a month (which, I am
fully aware of, is a rip-off and they are raping my bank
account...sadly, where I live leaves no other options) to just surf
their site.
So, long story
short; those ads for Comcast in which it says their service is
top-notch are bullshit. On Demand on my digital TV cable has never
worked correctly due to the ancient relic they gave me under the
name of "cable box". My bills are way above what they
should ever be. As for their top-notch customer support...yeah, they
gave me busy signals and hung up on me repeatedly and have (at least
for me) an average wait time of 30+ minutes is a sign of their
quality?! So, I say f$#@ Comcast and f#$@ their false advertisements.
If I had any other options in my apartment, I would jump ship in no
time. At least I could look forward to being on hold for 45 minutes
to get $2 back on my monthly bill...that makes up for the loss of
productivity I had last night...yup...
So, that's my
story. I honestly have to say that from my experiences, I would
avoid Comcast if given a choice. If this was the only instance of
problems, that would be one thing. However, when they changed their
service in a way that caused all Motorola Surfboard modems (a great
budget modem...one I owned, might I add) to fail in my neighborhood
and then forced me to rent another modem, that was not even the
first case of them f$#@ing with me. Hell, when I first signed up
with them (before the merger, so it was actually AT&T Broadband),
they failed to connect my apartment to their service, despite
sending out a technician to do so, and then tried to change me extra
to fix this when I called them to say they messed up. This has been
nothing short of an endless aggravation. So, to also make this post
read like a review (since it's also reading like a Malik's
Bitchings), I give Comcast a "f$#@ off" out of 10. They'd
get an actual score if they even tried. If only I had a
choice in this matter...despite what the monopoly holders say,
Internet is communication.
Malik
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