I got true ep 18, then moved onto Act 4 Nirvana (Dlc).... beat that.... then it was on to what I thought was some of the coolest fan-servicy DLC I have seen in awhile, the Ryu and Akuma episodes!....... Finally after completing all that a message popped up on my screen that my disc melted from tapping O too many times over the course of the weekend... no joke...

so I have finally watched something that had me say to myself "hmmmm, I haven't seen this before 100 times...."

I checked out "A Certain Magical Index" and while the first few episodes had me really thinking this was another mediocre series at best, I must report that at 12 episodes in it has proven pretty freakin' cool.  It hits you with all sorts of cliche' crap and then twists it into something rather original. I won't give anything away but they even manage to pull off something clever with the whole "amnesiac character" concept..... a feat I did not believe could even be achieved to be honest....

While in all honesty I can't stand the main protagonist, and I don't think anything I haven't seen can change my mind about that, based on what I have seen so far this is still totally something worth watching.

NOTE: Most of the main cast is pretty forgettable in all honesty.... however all is forgiven for one awesome character named Style Magnus (you know he is cool just by his name-LoL) and the nice pacing and writing of this rather unique take on the cliche'.

I completed all of Asura's Wrath yesterday!! Just a few hours short of the the new year too.... What I will say is this..... It may have been short.... but I couldn't stand to perform another 5 minutes of QTE's if you paid me by the end of it..... so in light of that fact, I think it was alright... visually impressive title for certain.... Asura himself bothered the hell out of me though, and the overall "ma'-cheeeez-mo" level of this game got to me as well.... Happy to have seen it through.. doubt I will EVER come back for seconds though....

Continuing my quest to complete my backlog, I am back to hyperdimension MK2..... I really freakin love this game, I don't know why I ever put it down.... No, its not good by any measurable standard.... but something about it makes me happy.... maybe I'm just happy the gameplay doesn't resemble the first in any way and I can actually heal my characters at will... who knows...

On that note though, I will say this.... As comfortable as I am with the perversity transmit in these niche titles, last night I got to a boss and scene that was over the top even by my standards..... I couldn't help but feel creeped out as the two youngest cpu candidates in the game were "licked" compulsively by the villain until his "saliva" ruined the one candidates attire.....

Lastly..... LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS..... yea, I thought it was awesome when I tried the demo.... never played a lego game before.... now after meandering through a good 5-6 hours of this game I think I made a mistake here... glitches galore aside, I can't help but find this game to be mind-numbingly freakin slow and boring...... I feel like I'm playing an old action rpg like secret of mana or zelda on slow-motion and stripped of all content, save the ability to smash pots, slash through grass and collect coinage.... Couple this with the fact that 90% of the optional stuff can't even be done until the full story is played through compounds my dissapointment... I may not finish this..... I may not even count it unfinished as backlogged... I may just pretend this never existed and go back to being of the opinion that the best Tolkien esque' work was and is the books, end of story.... This is what I get for sticking my nose in western gaming again...

I will spend tonite drawing up two dragon ball z tattoos I've got coming up and I will polish off Asura's Wrath. I started AW on saturday, beat it sunday and now I am QTE'ing my way through the DLC episodes.... short game to say the least.... despite that, I've already had my fill...

I am pretty stoked to work on the DBZ pieces.... Always wanted to see what I could do with a "Goku" on skin.... not a huge DBZ fan personally, though I once was in my youth, so this cool to me :)

So yea.... new years.... pretty much like most other days/nights for me... which is perfectly fine, as by my estimate "art+game=the ideal way klyde would like to allocate most of his time".....

No real resolutions... I have the standard bases covered...

A.I already run to a point that exceeds what most would probably consider a solid exercise routine (between 8-12 miles a day, and I have for years.... funny thing is I do it purely for the cognitive benefit)....

B.Due to the running and my diet (diet is void of all dairy, grain, refined sugar or fructose, corn, red meat and a host of other things due to gut issues) I certainly don't need to lose weight (full grown male here who comes in at a whopping 125 lbs.).....

But I do have a goal of sorts this year.... I want to get my tattoo work published in a gaming magazine. Getting it published in a tattoo mag or seen within tattoo communities is one thing.... I want to break the barrier and transcend damnit!!

Oh yea.... and I want to completely demolish my backlog... I've got it down to 4 games, Agarest 2 (halfway throuh) Wild Arms Alter Code F (halfway though) Hyperdimension MK2 (don't know where I'm at... its sort of hard to tell-LoL) and Growlanser WoT.... From what I have come to understand this is the path to gaming enlightenment.... Complete freedom to game in the moment without the shelf beckoning and demanding my attention-LOL


I should try to consider that too.... I'm a 2-3 pack a day kind of guy... on top of that I constantly chew nicorette.... but I figure I'd best save some goals for 2014 :)

I am notorious for leaving my systems on and maxing clocks out as well... it always frustrates me because I like knowing how long I've been playing.... additionally useful when getting back into a backlogged title with a bunch of different save files to sift through.... but it is so nice and comforting to walk into my house and hear the bubbly background tune of some jRPG-town-music..... I love it.... 

I have always wondered if this was a bad habit or not... I mean, logically it should shorten the system's lifespan right??? but both my 60gb ps3's get left on for days and still work great now after quite a few years without any servicing or refurbishing..... to be honest I completely expect at least one of them to die soon... I don't think I've ever had systems survive this long..... My psp gets left on for weeks at a time without any problem either... Could stopping them and starting them back up be of greater detriment to the consoles than just leaving them on? I always wondered....

Agreed... but the thing of it is, once you get past the visual similarity, there is no correlation between Etna and Adell.... they don't have similar roles, dispositions, attitudes, et cetera..... Now with Laharl's sister being present, it is quite possible that a new role has opened up so to speak... that is, filling the shoes of Laharl's sister's vassals to ensure there is characters to reinforce her megalomaniac-like personality (which I'm sure she will be sporting, as a subservient sister who followed Laharl's every order wouldn't add much to the narrative).... and that is what scares me about that red-haired fellow.... he looks to me to be dressed to fit the role of a good/bad-guy protector type.... a shoe in victory for a supporting cast member should the new megalomaniac-sister be taking center stage in the future..... thus if they do in fact make him related to Etna in any way beyond a spiritual sense (fulfilling the same role....) I will puke...... It is my hopes that he just some new villain with a strikingly-etna-like palette.

I know I am reading too much into this.... way too early to make such predictions.... and predicting I am not.... I am simply worried that my favorite franchise (for its very entertaining original narrative) is slipping into the realm of predictable cliche' regurgitated crap... As I feared it had been over the last 2 installments (not that they were bad, or that I didn't enjoy them)......

I re-bought this game for myself for christmas as well.... I gave up on it and traded it in over the summer.... but one of my clients kept yapping to me while I was tattooing them about how incredible it was and that, coupled with the siliconera news of the dark arisen, rekindled my interest.....  it also stands as one of my last four backlogged titles.... and I WILL no longer have a backlog in 2013.... no matter how annoying it proves to get through something like this without fast-travel-LoL

I will say one positive thing though... the gameplay here is addicting as all hell.... its been 6 months since I played it (give or take)... returned it... and I still think about how it would be nice to pop in and slay a foul creature or two..... with that said I'm happy to have it back in my library :)

EDIT: I also want to note that despite the bland environments, I really like the character models and customization... See everybody...... I can appreciate a western rpg..... who woulda' thunk it??...... Now if they would just give some concrete details about these pahns maybe I can get a little more immersed in this.... the hardest chunk of the non-existant story to swallow, to me, is these guys.....

Visual progression of these games is never profound.... I think visually you either gotta appreciate the evolution of hand drawn sprites... or just accept that the "meat and potatos" of these games have very little to do with being graphically  amazing.

Now, all I have to say is this.... if we find out that the red haired etna-looking dude is in any way related to etna, I'm gonna be pissed... laharl's sister I suppose I can handle... it was bound to happen.... but next thing you know there is etna's brother.... then two years from now we are playing D3 with laharl's sister and etna's brother as MC's with a (not so clever) gender reversal mirror of the former heroes....

Gave it some thought and time and.... strange as it maybe.... its absolutely horrid mechanics and systems are somehow becoming "comfortable" to me.... I'd go so far as to say "addicting".... in every objective way I can look at this game its just downright bad.... but I'm really starting to like it-LoL

None the less, I think I'm gonna polish off Hyperdimension MK2 before pouring my time into this... I don't want to burn myself out on compile hearts before I finish that and agarest 2....

Thank you for the advice took!

Sorry to revive this thread but I finally got around to this game..... Those who have seen my posts know.... I typically LOVE this type of stuff (over the top, cliche anime esque, make your toes curl with lame creepy joke kinda crap...)..... that aside I have a high tolerance for strange mechanics and can forgive ridiculous and obtuse gameplay in light of other things.... but this game requires an entirely new level of tolerance I don't know that I have...

I'm only a few hours in, but I feel as though I've really got a taste of what this has to offer.... And I don't know if I really enjoy the flavor (especially considering I gotta polish off Hyperdimension neptunia 2 before the next one comes out in 2 short months!).....

So I'm hoping someone can offer some insight who has played through a bit of this.... I mean I love a ton about this game visually.... is it worth sticking with it past the first "world" or if I am questioning it already before even conquering that, should I take it to gamestop while I can still get 50 percent extra store credit (LoL)?

Also.... quick question on the DLC... The big appeal of this for me is getting to craft my own custom peons.... If I do decide to keep with it, which DLC would help me with that without breaking the game.... I am sort of confused on all these different "sets" and what they are.... and if I get the point packs, how much will that help or hurt keeping this interesting?

Please advise.... I am lost in a mugen-quagmire right now......

I say go with Xenoblade Chronicles.... The game is not going to become easier to come across with the wii stock being replaced by the wii u and it is arguably the best thing to happen as far as JRPG's are concerned in a loooong time. You can play it with a classic controller BTW.

As far as Zelda bundles go, I'm assuming you are referring to the skyward sword bundle with the gold wii remote and soundtrack.... good luck finding it in stores.... it is really area specific though.... I mean I'm sure there is a retailer somewhere with one lying around on a shelf since august... but none in my neck of the woods... I bet you could probably get one on e-bay pretty cheap post-christmas though (well, cheap in respect to what they are going for now) if you keep checking thoroughly and snipe-bid a few without reserves.

Screw the tires... who needs to go anywhere when you've got a couple good video games-LoL

I completely sympathize with you on two accounts.... A. having such a large backlog that it could arguably warrant therapy..... and B. finding growlanser WoT to be a bittersweet experience..... It is one of my backlogs now as well..... I really didn't expect to put it down, seeing as how all the other growlanser titles proved to be SRPG favorites of mine and I LOVED this one when I started it.... fast forward 20 hours or so into the title and I needed a break due to precisely what you have described.....

As for my gaming excursions.... I BEAT X-COM TODAY...... I think this is the first game in a looooooong time I started and finished within a month.... not that it is long, but I typically juggle a few titles and am in no particular rush to finish.... This one just demanded all the attention I could give it from the door! Didn't get bored with it once... I think I'm gonna give it a break now though, before starting a new campaign to see the DLC package that came out this week.

Now its onto Mugen Souls!! Which is sooooo cool because I bought the LE, wrapped it, and placed it under a little charlie-brown christmas tree in my living room to gift to myself for christmas....gee golly I love synchronicity!

Agreed!

Meandering around the WOR looking for and doing optional stuff was the coolest part of VI IMO.... But to answer your initial question, I don't think it necessary to really "cross your T's and dot your i's" so to speak to beat it.... I would definately take the time to get a few choice members back in my party before attempting to polish it off.... Just taking the time to get get Terra, Cyan, Gogo and Sabin would be well worth it... none of which require major time-sinks... additionally I would get Shadow as well so long as you saved his hide in the WOB... why? Because shadow is the coolest character to grace a Final Fantasy (what other character, silent protagonists aside, in any RPG is as developed and dimensional as shadow without him ever speaking more then a handful of dialogue and not even being playable for a good half of the game.... genius I tell ya.... genius....)

I don't know how I feel about this sister business....

upon realizing I was experiencing my last moments I'm quite certain I'd lament having not yet achieved a platinum trophy.... and I'd probably wish that I at least tried to have sex once in the last few years in spite of not having any labido to speak of (hormonal imbalance left me motivated to be about as sexually active as a plant.....).......

.....wait.... scrap all that....

I'm certain at present I would just think about how I didn't stop the alien invasion in X-Com and probably wonder what the new sailor moon is going to be like (its been on my mind lately).