Hello everyone, ah October is excellent, its my favorite month as well. So lets get started. First off last friday marks 7 years that ive been a member of gamespot! Man has it been while, actually i only really started frequently coming here in 2008, but with the gamefaqs account id say it still counts. Anyway, got a few things to talk about this time, some are in prelude to my next blog but i hope you enjoy them.

---

Passing of the PS3

First on a sad note, my 80 gb MGS4 PS3 has finally kicked the bucket. As I was playing it seemingly just shut off right in the middle of it. I tried to turn it back on but the it said i needed to do a restore since data might be corrupted. I proceeded to do the back up check, and then all of the sudden it went out again. I thought perhaps if i turn off the main switch and let it rest for a while that it might come back. But no, now i couldn't even get it to stay on, i got the dreaded multi beep and then that split second of a yellow light which was a sign of the terminal YLOD. I was utterly devastated, i didn't even sleep that night. Many things ran through my head such as what about my data, and how am i gonna get this fixed among other things. Needless to say i after a while i was just livid, so i had to take a show and go for a walk to cool down. I mean after how good ive taken care of the system why would it break? Ive done everything short of putting a diaper on the thing and this still wound up happening. So for a few days i was contemplating what i was going to do in this situation. These were the dark times

But wait, it lives again!!!

Rise from your grave!

Yes my PS3 has come back to life, but not on its own mind you. After carefully figuring out what i was gonna do, i found the answer. Sure i could have sent it into sony for $150 plus shipping, only to receive a new system with no backwards compatibility back, but thats not what i wanted. So I recalled what my friend did in this situation, a while back his system stopped reading discs so we looked for somewhere to take it to get fixed. We happened upon a small shop in a neighboring town. It was a mom and pop electronic repair service store, that just so happened to have signs that said "PS3 & Xbox Repair". And after a few once overs they took the system and had it fixed and back in my friends hands in only a matter of days. So once this came to mind i immediately did the same. Yea it cost me about $90, but for my data, my system and all its meant to me it was worth the price. I was prepared for the worst and had pretty much excepted my systems fate as i took it in to get fixed, since in most cases they would have to wipe your HD. But somehow it managed to survive with all my data and games in tact which was a HUGE relief. So yes now my ps3 is back in working order (for the time being), but as most know the yellow light of death is something that cant be fully repaired. So sometime this year or next im going to upgrade to the PS3 slim, which means i will probably do the full on system link transfer.

-----

Current Gen Reliability Rant

Which brings me to my next point, why have this gens systems been so fragile or poorly designed? Nearly everyone i know who owns an xbox has had it fail on them, and the amount of failed PS3's is growing as well. Why were such huge flaws overlooked when the reproductions were quite damning? I could see them cutting corners with costs but its just gotten out of control, and i don't buy my systems with the thought in mind that they will only last 3 or 4 years tops. Nintendo has been very good on this front though, i haven't had a nintendo system fail on me since the NES, so i hope the wiiu doesn't develop the same problems the wii's counterparts have had. Im just sick and tired of having to worry about my electronics like this, its something we shouldn't even have to deal with considering how much we pay and how much money we end up pumping into these companies in the end. I know it sounds like im being self entitled to this, but we deserve to have our systems at a certain standard, and that we can rest easy knowing they aren't a ticking time bomb. I could go on for days but you get the point, and really in the end i know im not alone in this since its something that in one way or another has affected a vast majority of us and its high time we put our foot down. Im personally not gonna buy the first iteration of the PS4 or Next xbox, every sony system ive owned has failed on me at least once, so im not going to make the same mistake again.

---

Resident Evil: Revelations

So this was one of the presents i received for my birthday in august, I had meant to get it at release but other games and my finances prevented me from picking it up right off the bat. I must say though that this is one of the better Resident Evil games in quite some time. Its got great atmosphere that is very reminiscent of the original games, but also somewhat cross bred with RE4. It also looks excellent, and is one of the better looking 3DS titles, with some nice character models, monsters and animations. The controls were also pretty good as well, I used the circle pad pro though so that made it probably the best option for the game. The story was par for the course but it served its purpose to keep you interested in where the characters were going. The only things that were a bit off were the dodging mechanic (which i could never get the hang of) and a few other small things like having to wait for the door to close after another character went throughout it . Ill go as far as to say this game got more right than RE5 or any title since, and im glad the 3DS got a stellar title like this all to itself (for no i assume).

------

One Piece Pirate Warriors

Been waiting for this one for a while now, and i finally downloaded it (after like 7 hours, curse you slow PSN and wifi). For the most part its standard dynasty warriors, with massive battles and waves of enemies, which is definitely what i expected. Although there is a bit of a change of this time around, for the main log you control the hero monkey d luffy, as him you'll go through the entirety of the one piece story through his eyes and live through most of his battles. The different part is that his sections contain platforming aspects and a number of quick time events. They are ok and handled well enough, but they wont wow in anyway, but they do break up a bit of the monotony between battles and areas. This is one of the better off shoot games for the DW series, it looks great and stays true to the anime. This was actually the game that i was playing as my ps3 died, but now that its back up and running ill try to platinum this title. If your a one piece fan its probably worth a look see, but know what your in for because it is typical DW fare which i know isn't for everyone, so be sure your familiar with what your getting into with this one.

--------

New Super Mario Bros. 2

I also got this one for my birthday as well, since as many of you know vie always been a huge mario fan. Going into this one i didn't expect much of a change, which is what most of us expected upon initially seeing this title. Its got all of that wonderful mario charm we all enjoy, but at this point the NSMB games are growing a bit long in the tooth. Not to say that its not a good game because it is an excellent title and well made game, but it more than any other mario title in recent memory has the "been there done that" feeling and its starting to lose that gold sheen. Although it was a fun experience regardless, ive never actually cared that much about collecting coins until now, because i was like scrooge mcduck at points . I also always enjoy bringing back old staples like the fully functional tanooki power up this time around, and also the return of the koopalings once again. Overall its a solid title, but brand fatigue has definitely sunk in and the old boy will need to either take a break or bring something new to the table next time around for us mario fans to keep some continued interest in the series.

----

Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes

A surprise present on my birthday was the reveal of Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes earlier that day, which was so awesome. I thought we had seen the last of big boss's story but it appears there is more to tell and im so happy that there is. The trailer looked fantastic too, showcasing the all new fox engine in all its glory with the most impressive part being that its capable of running on current gene tech. It appears to take place only a short time after peacewalker where paz and chico have been captured by an organization of yet unknown origins. The biggest change seems to be the possibility for an open world like environment as said by kojima himself. In just the short gameplay montage we can see snake already has more options available to him, even being able to drive is a huge change. I must say though the title looks awesome and has leaped into my most wanted upcoming game. Heres hoping we don't have to wait to long for snakes return.

---

Halloween Costume

So this year ill be attending a premiere for a movie a few of my friends have made over the last few years, its a cowboy vampire movie that has pretty excellent quality. Anyway this will take place on halloween night, so for the occasion we are being asked to dress up, and its been ages since ive done so. There will be a few after parties as well, so im going all out with my costume.

Becoming snake

Ive decided to go as one of my favorite gaming characters ever, and that as you all know is Snake/Big Boss. I've bought a good amount of the gear and stuff for it so for my next blog ill be talking about that with a few pictures as well. Will i reveal my secret identity? Find out next time

-----

Thanks again for reading guys, its always a pleasure.