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Malik
(8/2/04)
I have some
non-game related stuff for today. Since the only game I've
been playing is still Tales of Symphonia, I figured it was time to
talk about something else...after all, all the ToS stuff I can talk
about is just how this game rocks and how people who claim the story
is thin, cookie-cutter, or a FFX ripoff can all shut the hell up
(since this game has a deep plot; there is some recycled material,
but that's only because it's all been done before. It's only
when a game uses it in a new way, like ToS does, that it can really
be good and not the same old crap; and the FFX relationship is
completely unfounded and the people who claim there is one are just
a bunch of FFX fanboys and fanboys who don't prove an argument suck
ass).
So, for those who
don't know, I'm a giant Less Than Jake freak/geek. A little
background for the uninitiated; LTJ are a punk/ska band from Florida
that have been kicking ass for a good long time (they just put out
their about 9th album depending on how you're counting). They
recently refined their sound, which means they sound cleaner but a
little less edgy...yet, they still rock. This refinement has
made their concerts suck since the previously hardcore LTJ fans are
now replaced mainly with little kids (I judge people in the mosh pit
by their height, not age, and these kids are about
waist-high-years-old, which sucks since a moshing little kid can be
ultra-violent and a liability when you slam into one of them) who
all like to wave camera phones rather than lighters during the more
epic/emotional sounding songs...boo! Anyway, to the point;
they just released a new album "B is For B-Sides" which is
supposed to be a lot dirtier and rougher sounding (well, more than
their last studio release of "Anthem"). Sadly, for
the LTJ elite, it doesn't sound nearly as rough as something like
"Losing Streak" (one of their best albums/their third or
so album), but it still kicks some ass...the roughness is about
equal to "Borders and Boundaries". On the plus side,
there is no crappy pop-sounding songs like "She's Gonna Break
Soon", and every song kicks arse. So, there's my music
review for the year (I had one of these at my location when I was
working with a couple of good friends at lazy.GEEKS...see the links
section).
I've also been
reading the Geek Bible...also known as The Lord of The Rings.
Despite being a geek, I was never a literary type (beyond reading
obscure books like Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh, Journey to
the West, etc.), so this is my first reading of LotR. I have
to say it was probably for the best that I saw the movies before
reading the books since I would have been pissed off seeing
Fellowship and not seeing the first 200 pages of the book (with the
exception of about 5 pages worth of random sentences), and a geek
riot would have ensued after I started booing the movie. Like,
I can't believe how the four main hobbits were rewritten by
Jackson. I mean what part in the book says that Pippin and
Merry were a couple of dumbass trouble makers? Instead I saw
the parts that said they were pretty wise and it was Frodo who was
more of a master of mischief for the group (like how he's the only
one of the four who had stolen from anyone's garden, but we formally
meet movie Pippen and movie Merry as they steal some crops and
informally we met them as they messed around with fireworks...which
never happened in the book). Plus, the skipping of some
important details seems like a waste. I mean, it's cool that
Helm's Deep was extended in the second movie since it was a sweet
action scene (or scenes), but couldn't we had seen Bombadil, learned
of the letter from Gandalf at the Prancing Pony, or been informed
that about two decades had passed since Bilbo left the Shire before
Frodo set out? I think this would have been good info for
those who had not read the books, like myself. Anyways, I'm
just bitchy because the books are pretty damned good, and I usually
count on Western literature to suck, in my eyes.
Anyway, I didn't
mention much about it, but I will in closing...I need to play ToS!
NOW!
Malik
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Malik
(8/3/04)
Doom 3 is
Unleashed, at long last...
Doom 3 has finally
been shipped, despite how many, including myself, thought this title
would forever be vaporware. However, the game is not only flooding
the market, but it even looks pretty good...sigh.
I was exposed to
some videos of Doom 3, or at least a mod of it, by one of my friends
last night, and I have to say that I might have been wrong about
this title. The videos, available at this
site, show a small chunk of playtime as a player runs through
some rather nostalgic looking maps.
Despite how the
game uses a completely different technology standard than the last
Doom (number 2), and the graphics have been remade into a 3D
experience, the look is definitely classic Doom. From the pockets of
magma on the ground, to the brick walls of the dungeons, to the
classic pose for fighting barehanded, Doom 3 is definitely an update
of the classic FPS we older geeks all know and loved.
I know I might
have said in the past that the images released by ID in the last
couple of years looked silly, like the skeleton with rocket
launchers on it's shoulders, but once Doom 3 is in action, it is a
classic sight to be seen...still frames and images do nothing for
this possible masterpiece (I'll leave that verdict until I've played
the game for myself) that looks fluid in action and is able to portray
a new level of suspense in everything from the detailed environments
to the monsters that look great once the action is rolling. Why
didn't ID release more vids and less pictures to justify their work?
That's my one question.
The only sad part
is that, according to what I've been told, there is no co-op mode. I
for one was raised on FPS games using co-op as I trudged through
Doom, Hexen, and Duke Nukem. I have preached this point many a time
in my Bitchings, but I'll say it again; the best way to truly enjoy
a campaign style game (like the one-player game of the Doom series)
is with a friend watching your back on a slightly higher difficulty.
There is nothing like debating who deserves the first rocket
launcher, who will be the poor sap to open a doom that leads to the
cyber-demon, or who REALLY needs that single med kit that is in
front of you. Hopefully the mod community will feel the same and
find a way to give us what we so rightfully deserve after such a
long and arduous wait.
Malik
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Malik
(8/4/04)
I'm working my PC
to death right now, and since memory prices have been pretty lame
around here, I haven't been able to replace the RAM I lost in
June...so, my computer is working to death while in a less than
healthy state. Anyway, this all means that I'm going to keep
things short for tonight (until my current PC maintenance is done).
Anyway, I am
really sick of something that I didn't even notice until I got to
thinking about the state of email this morning...I don't know if it
was a fake email, but Hotmail sent me a thing about 3 weeks ago
saying that account sizes were increasing to 250MB in the next two
weeks...well, since that was three weeks ago, I should have a lot
more space...right? Wrong. I don't know if Hotmail is
just dicking around or what, but that type of bull shit is pretty
lame when other free email people have already taken the hint that
the antiquated couple of megs per inbox just doesn't fly in an age
of 120GB hard drives being common place. I just had to get
that off my chest.
Also, on another
note, in the next few days, hopefully, we will be seeing a review
posted by another geek. Unfortunately, things got sent to
random places, and in the process of things being forwarded to the
right location, things got messed up. Mr. X, sorry about
that. It should be fixed soon, but Velveeta should be talking
to you about that soon. Anyway, Mr. X, I'll get that all
running soon enough, once the details get cleared up.
Well, I'm slowly
pacing my way, still, through Tales of Symphonia. I have one
of those important presentation type things coming up this Friday
with my day job, so I've been slowing down some things, and speeding
up others. ToS was one that got slowed down. I hope to
finish ToS by the end of next week, since I will be taking my first
vacation of the year all next week...which will also mean I can get
some more thorough updates to the Asylum...assuming that the freedom
doesn't just go to my head.
Anyway, the PC is
bitching and complaining like me on a Friday, so I will stop this
extra bit of suffering on the poor thing, and get on to a machine
that requires less effort to get running...like the GCN with ToS.
Malik
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Malik
(8/5/04)
Well, my computer
got delayed with some router issues last night, so my PC maintenance
continues (I need a good deal of drivers and such from the net to
finish this BS up), so I am running a PC that's acting like a
486. So, for that reason, it will be another short post
tonight...that and I have a presentation for work tomorrow that is
messing with my mind...at least my vacation is only a day away.
Anyway, I decided
today to email Hotmail support about the stupidity of their broken
promises. They promise with comments and questions that a
response will come in 24 hours or less...however, my inbox was
supposed to jump up by 125X over a week ago according to another
promise. I hate it when a company cannot do it's job right and
makes empty promises...in fact, I just hate empty promises all
together. I mean the last time this crap happened, I dropped
Brinkster like a bad habit. This time, since Hotmail is free,
I'll probably watch as my inbox overfills, yet again, mainly due to
those damned Microsoft emails I receive...like my XBox and XBox Live
newsletters...I don't understand why MS would send such a large
email (their newsletters average around 45k) when their inboxes are
kept at a measly 2MB. Then there are those damned Hotmail
notifications that pop up saying how I can get a bigger inbox if I
give them money...one of those was once the letter that overfilled
my inbox...that was ironic and retarded. Blah. I'll know
tomorrow, if they keep their word, on the whole inbox upgrade deal.
Anyway, as I said,
my machine is running like something from over a decade ago, so I'm
out of here. Tomorrow will be a real update, with Malik's
Bitchings, and a rant about how Hotmail doesn't give a shit about
anyone...prove me wrong, Hotmail...prove me wrong.
Malik
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Malik
(8/6/04)
Last night I did
something that changed my world. I checked out Doom 3 in action.
Sadly, I must say, like I thought from vids of the game, that the
real thing is definitely kick ass compared to the lame still shots
ID put out for the last couple of years. I don't know if this game
was justified in it's far too many years of development, but it is
sweet none-the-less. The mood of the game is something that has to
be seen to be believed. The blending of messed up monsters, a lot of
darkness, and the introductions used for new enemies is nothing
short of RE style terror. In fact, the terror level of RE has
nothing on D3. If it weren't for the massive requirements of the
game, I'd probably be out buying this game right now...but I don't
want to upgrade my very good computer to actually handle D3...just
too expensive since I'd need a good chunk of memory and a new video
card (mine meets the minimum requirements, which is never good
enough)...just too costly for me for now...maybe in a few months,
and maybe D3's price will drop some by then...maybe
So, I have a new
issue of Malik's Bitchings ready for
today. I might have been a bit hasty in my posts since Wednesday
with my PC work, but I promised something more today, and I deliver
my promises...usually...most times...originally some of the items in
M's B was supposed to be news items, but as I typed the news type
things, I found myself growing bitchy and irate at the stupidity of
it all, so I ended up just saving them for the weekly conclusion I
call Malik's Bitchings.
I'm still going
slowly through Tales of Symphonia. I have slowed down a bit this
week as I spent more time chillin' with some friends, but I haven't
given up by any means. I'm still loving the game, and with my
impending vacation next week, I think I'll be able to put ToS to
rest before my next Bitchings column is up. I'm just glad that ToS
is treating me better than Tales of Destiny 2 did...that game was a
blast for about 2 weeks, and then the combat engine just got on my
nerves and I had to give up...I never did pick ToD2 up again simply
because the combat was far too annoying after the first 20 or so
hours...and after about 30 hours, I was ready to throw the CD out
the window. So, what I'm rambling at; ToS is still pimp after all
this time (I'm at around 50 hours now), and I don't see that
changing any time soon...at least not until after I've seen the
ending.
Malik
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