Summer doesn't officially start until 2 days later, but with all the kiddies out of school and my friends graduating, it pretty much feels like summer has begun. I'd love to kick back and relax like I usually do for Summer and be reminded of all the great memories I've had in the past Summers, but I think I have to work equally hard to get anywhere this year.
What a weekend I just had...Word of advice: never eat junk food all in one day. Just this past Friday, I set course to Los Angeles to watch the graduation ceremony for my sister (I'm so proud of her). On Friday, I ate a dog in a blanket (a hotdog covered all the way around), a Cheeseburger and fries from Wendy's, something called a hearty bowl from Jack in the Box on the way down to L.A. and by dinner, I wanted to get a salad at BJ's brewhouse but was tempted to get a chili-cheese hamburger. That night, I felt throbbing pain from my stomach and tried my best to ignore and hoped that I would feel better by morning. The next day, I still felt sick and ended up throwing up in the bathroom during my sister's reception. I felt conscious enough to watch my sister's graduation ceremony and take lots of pictures for her afterwards. So throughout the rest of the trip, I felt sick, broken and tired. I got the chance to meet up with friends from Irvine which I was really happy about. When we finally departed to return home last night, it took us nearly 8 hours to get back when it generally takes 6 hours. I still feel tired and somewhat in pain right now...
I've been getting really lazy, which I believe I mentioned before. I haven't gotten new instructions for sound effects yet so I'm just waiting. For the other project I was supposed to do music for, I think I've come to the decision to not continue it. It's not really helping that much more than what I was doing before and I think I should really take the time this summer and gather my stuff to create a portfolio (finally). I really need to start advertising to the industry and show that I could be very valuable to a serious gaming project. I also want to push forward on the things I want to focus on (and have always wanted to work on since jr. high/high school) and start creating those games and producing those videogame music remixes.
Besides Diablo 3 and League of Legends, I don't really feel like I've played much anything else. I've been playing "From the Abyss" on the DS and I'm finding it quite entertaining, even if it's a bit lacking in content and dynamics. I guess I'm still working on my backlog of games, with one of the main focus on PC being FarCry 1. The game was really fun in the beginning, but it got to a point really early in the story where everything kills you in one hit or quickly which results in having to start over from the last check point (no creating save points). It's become really frustrating and very much a study game as I find out some of the poor design choices that were implemented into the game. I'm surprised at how highly regarded this game is/was seeing how I'm having very little fun from it anymore. I heard FarCry 2 is significantly better and I can wait to complete 1 so I can move onto 2. This summer seems kind of boring in terms of new releases of games; however, I think I'll be saved by an upcoming Steam Summer Sales. I know there's a ton of games I haven't played yet and I think it's going to grow a bit more after the Summer sale ends. I can't believe that Cherry Tree High Comedy Club isn't out on Steam yet. That was one game I was highly anticipating to release on Steam so I can get it during the Summer Steam Sales, but there still hasn't been any word on when it will come out. I know I'm going to spend quite a bit on this year's sales. There's a lot of games I'm looking forward to getting that I didn't before because of it's higher retail price and because of my backlog. I haven't really lightened the load on my backlog all that much, but I feel ready to get more games nonetheless. One of the games I'm hoping to get a good deal on is Fortune Summoners:
This video was recorded and uploaded by a friend. It has a sort of Castlevania-ish feeling to it and is one of the reasons why I'm so interested in it. I've finally delved quite deep back into RPGs now, but I've still been getting and playing a LOT of FPS. It's like I can't get away from shooters (the industry feels the same). So I think a change in pace with games like Fortune Summoners can help me take a break from the sheer amount of FPS and RPGs I've been playing.
To be honest, I'm a little scared about this summer. I really want to work hard and finally get my foot into the game industry by the end of this year, but I also want to be able to enjoy my Summer like I usually do. I should never focus entirely on work. I've done that too many times in my life and ended with regret. I need to find that balance between productivity and play to survive this summer and year.
