Hey there everyone. Long time no blog. A real one, that is. Just thought I'd fill you in on what I've been doing recently. At the moment, I'm listening to Asian Kung-fu Generation's new album World World World. It's pretty good so far, which is about half way. Two of my favorite singles are on it, those being After Dark (an opening to Bleach) and Aru Machi no Gunjou. So pretty much, if you like Ajikan you should check it out.

I also thought I would let you know that I FINALLY beat Mother 2, aka EarthBound!! I played it a bit a few months ago, and got about 30% through. I had so many games to finish at that time that I had to put it aside. Well after I beat Final Fantasy IV Advance the other day, I decided to pick up EB again. Yesterday I honestly played about 7 hours straight, which is something I hardly ever do. I was so addicted. Then today I played for another 4-5 hours, and ended up finishing it. To be honest, it's one of my favorite RPGs ever now, which is saying a lot because I play mostly RPGs. I'm definitely looking forward to playing M1 and M3.

So the Summer 08 season of anime started this week basically. Last season was pretty bland. the two series I watched were Soul Eater, which is pretty good, but I need to catch up, and Vampire Knight, which is not-so-good. This season isn't looking much better. Not much I'm really interested in. I'll check out Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu when that comes out, but the only series that really piques my interest is World Destruction. It's based off a DS RPG by Sega, so that already points to it being dull because game-based anime usually aren't great. The plot sounds really cool though and I like the art sty|e so hopefully some good voice acting and character development will draw me in...?

That's about it. Since I finished FFIV Advance and EarthBound, I'm not sure what I want to play next. I've been playing the hell out of Final Fantasy Tactics A2, with a little Smash Bros. Brawl on the side. In a few weeks I'm going to buy FFIV DS, because it's one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, and remakes are awesome. On July 19th I'm going to a Brawl tournament with my friends at Dave & Busters. I'll probably just chill out there all day and play some friendly matches with everyone once the tourney's over. Then sometime that week I'll probably go see the Dark Knight. One last thing, I discovered that the late night talk shows with Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien are really entertaining. >_>

Wow, wall of text. Hopefully the pictures helped to make that essay more readable.

Reposting this I accidentally deleted the blog post for it. I also made blog posts for some old reviews, so if you haven't read those go check them out. I'm about to start working on some new reviews. For real, this time. ^_^

The highly acclaimed Paper Mario series has been praised for its artistic and creative innovations. The first two games were unique in the fact that they were role-playing games, but fused with some light platforming elements of traditional Mario titles. Super Paper Mario takes it one step further by being predominantly platforming, with a few features taken from RPGs.

The most notable highlight of the Paper Mario games is that almost every tangible object is paper thin, hence the title. In the first two games, the player could move in a 3D space in almost all directions. This time around, you can only move left and right, in a side scrolling fashion, similar to the 2D Mario games. The major innovation this time around is the ability to flip the world 90 degrees into a full 3D view, allowing you to find hidden enemies, treasures, and switches.

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You can continue reading the review here. Remember to recommend.

This is just an old review that I never made a blog post for.

Pokemon Diamond and Pokemon Pearl are the latest entries in the handheld series, and bring plenty of new content to the table, while still giving players the same Pokemon they've experienced time and time again for the past ten years or so. The most notable additions to the series are touch control, voice chat, about 100 new Pokemon, and of course, online battling and trading over Nintendo Wi-fi Connection.

Let's start with the basics, though. The graphical sty|e of Diamond/Pearl is essentially the same as it's always been; an overhead view of the world map with the player and his/her surroundings. But, with the hardware of the DS, the developers were able to add a few 3D items into the mix. For example, you'll be walking through a field of grass going about your adventuring routine, and you'll pass in front of some windmills. You, and the grass, will all be in 2D, but the windmill's blades will be rotating and will seem to pop out at you. This is a very nice feature and works remarkably well on the little handheld. A few other 3D pieces include trees, houses, and skyscrapers.

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You can continue reading the review here and here. Remember to recommend! (Both please!) ^_^

This is just an old review that I never made a blog post for.

Some of you import crazy gamers will know of a Japanese DS game by the name of Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan. In Ouendan, you play as three cheerleaders who go out and solve people's problems by dancing. You have to hit on-screen markers in time with the music to get points. Consecutive hits result in combos for higher scores. Some markers required you to hit the marker then drag it along a path, and occasionally backtrack across said path, while keeping the stylus on the moving marker at all times. The premise Elite Beat Agents is essentially the American version of this game, with some minor (and a few major) differences. The real big difference is the soundtrack. Instead of keeping a J-pop only soundtrack like Ouendan, they've decided to use covers of popular English songs. Other differences noted are that you play as secrets agents who's leader is the very enthusiastic Commander Kahn.

The audio in this is game extremely well done for a handheld game. But because the DS's speakers still aren't the greatest in the world, it is still recommended that you use headphones for best sound quality. The soundtrack, on the other hand, isn't very memorable or moving. As mentioned before, it's comprised of covers of popular English singles. Some of the artists included are Ashlee Simpson, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne, and Earth Wind & Fire. Some of the most original sounding tracks are Makes No Difference (Sum 41) and YMCA (The Village People), while many others are quite honestly just plain bad, most notably La La (Ashlee Simpson) and Sk8er Boi (Avril Lavigne). It's not that the original versions of these tracks are bad, it's just that the people who cover them don't exactly seem like they should be on American Idol.

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You can continue reading the review here. Remember to recommend!

Surprise, surprise! Another review coming your way. I guess this kind of a new hobby of mine. This is one of my favorite games, so enjoy!

Marche Radiuju is a new student at a school in the town of St. Ivalice. During a quick snowball fight in school, he quickly befriends two other students named Ritz and Mewt, who each have their own set of troubles. After school that day, the trio of friends decides to hang out at Marche's house. Mewt brings along his copy of a strange book that he recently bought, and the three of them, along with Marche's ill brother Doned, become enthralled by the mysterious tome. Later that night while Marche is asleep, he's transported to a strange new world. When he first arrives there, he makes a few bad first impressions and a Moogle named Montblanc shows up. After helping him out of that little tight spot, Montblanc introduces Marche to the world of Ivalice.

Ivalice is a grand world filled with monsters, magic, and of course, a corrupted government. After Montblanc gives you a slight tour of the local area, you obtain a few randomized members for your clan. You will gain and lose many clan members throughout your adventure, and you can name your clan whatever you wish. The story is pretty interesting and is presented quite well, but it's not very deep and it doesn't really pick up until more than halfway through the game.

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You can continue reading the review here. Remember to recommend!

Woah, I'm finally finished. This is by far the longest review I've ever written, coming in at 2.5 pages in Microsoft Word. My fingers are sore and I need a break. I really hope you guys (and girls, maybe) enjoy it! Feel free to give me any suggestions and feedback. Every comment is welcome. I really feel like going back and playing this game again. Maybe once I clear up my backlog a little.

The world of Sylvarant is dying. Its mana supply is running low, and the goddess Martel is in a deep slumber. The only one who can restore the land back to its splendor is the Chosen One, who must embark on The Journey of World Regeneration. This generation's Chosen is a young girl named Colette Brunel. Can she save the world from chaos, or will all of its citizens witness it crumble before their eyes?

You play as Lloyd Irving, an orphan who is a friend of Colette and lives in the same town as her. Joining you on your adventure at first is your friend Genis Sage, and his older sister Raine. After a while, a mysterious mercenary named Kratos Aurion, who may just be too badass for his own good, accompanies you and guides you in your journey. You'll also be joined by a number of other characters throughout the game that will join your party and all have their own unique back-story and fighting sty|e.

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You can continue to read the review here. Remember to recommend it!