Friday, February 14, 2014
She Returns!
I realized I never wrote anything on Valentine's Day before! Well, let me tell you a story:
My date isn't going to be here until tomorrow. And even when she gets here, I won't be taking her out...yet. I'm still processing the first encounter and don't even get me started on the 2nd encounter. At first, I hated her and all her friends. But after a bit, I started warming up to her and some of her buddies. I feel really good about this 3rd encounter, though I'm not prepared for it yet. A lot of people don't seem to like her at all. I'll give her that chance. My friends say that it's not worth it. "She's just an angry, pink-haired tsundere with no personality!" Maybe it'll be okay. I kinda like tsunderes!
So yeah, I pre-order Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII for PS3 and it arrives in the mail tomorrow! I pre-ordered it to get the Yuna and Cloud Strife costumes and because I'm very excited about the game. But I don't think I'll be able to play it quite just yet. I FINALLY started playing Final Fantasy XIII and am about 10 hours in (still in the 'process' of finishing the game) and will work towards finishing it and FFXIII-2 (haven't even 'started' it yet) before I actually start Lightning Returns. With the first 2 hours of Final Fantasy XIII, I immediately hated all the characters. All the characters are based off emotions. Lightning is always angry. Snow bi-polar and changes his emotions on a whim. Sazh can't finish his sentences as he's dubious on his stance in an argument. Vanille is way too happy for her own good. And Hope is the worst out of all of them with being portrayed as weak and helpless while blaming everyone else around him for everything. With about 10 hours into the game, I'm starting to like Lightning a bit more as she shows some compassion towards the other characters. I'm hoping I'll warm up to the rest of the cast as I get deeper into the story. I tried out the demo of Lightning Returns and really liked the combat system as it's a lot more action-orientated and require a lot of cycling through skills. Sadly, Lightning Returns has the lowest MetaScore out of the FFXIII series by critics and users alike. Some people didn't like the story or characters, some didn't like the ending, others hated how it's action-orientated and not turn-based, while some just join in on the band-wagon and throw out vague comments such as "it's a boring game". I really like the character design to Lightning but do think she has a shallow personality from what has been revealed in the first 10 hours of FFXIII so far. I started liking her a bit more when she started showing some concern or understanding towards the other characters and that's when I realized her character archetype was that of a tsundere. A Tsundere is a very common character archetype in animé where the character acts cold and/or indifferent to the other characters and ends up being more friendly near the end or in another method, they're resolute and show no compassion in the outside but hints on kindness and understanding in the inside. I actually didn't know about this until I watched Lucky Star and it pointed out Kagami Hiiragi being a "Tsundere" so often. That's when I realized I liked a lot of characters that are "tsundere". I don't think it applies to actual girls in real life though. So yeah, I'll be going through the FFXIII series this year and hopefully get around to Lightning Returns soon.
Getting back to the topic at hand: it's Valentine's Day and I don't have anything in particular planned. I'm not disappointed and it's not surprising to have anything happen while I'm in the environment that I'm in. This is why I've got to get a job outside of this city so I can meet more people! I don't have anyone to celebrate Valentine's Day with, but that's okay. Still not in the game industry to work towards my goal, that's not as okay. I'm more concerned about my ability to get a job right now more than anything and it's something I'm working hard towards. My portfolio is shaping up nicely and I'll have to do some more editing on my resumé. In the meantime, I still want to work hard on producing more music and getting better at it. It's been a pretty productive month so far with more projects lined up for me. I also started making music for a game one of my friend's is developing for the android market. In terms of gaming, I'm a bit worried. I've already spent a lot of money these past 1.5 months into this year and I've already bought more games than I have completed. I have to be careful about that since I'm more focused on completing specific games rather than large quantities of them. And most of those specific games take a long time to complete. Still, because of Valentine's Day, there were a bunch of sales I couldn't possibly ignore. So I picked up 5 more games today. Overall, I think the year started off alright so far for me. I wish I was working out more consistently (been doing 2 times a week instead of 3) and getting work done a lot faster as well as completing games faster, but I realize that I have to pace myself if I want to get anything done.
Have a great and safe Valentine's Day, everyone!
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Starting fresh, once again
Happy New Year 2014! I can't believe how quickly 2013 passed by. It didn't seem that long ago when I was writing about the upcoming year and how it was "going to be a really good year". I'd say it was a good year, but not a great year. I really wanted to get more done in 2013, but didn't get enough done. I did learn quite a bit though. I learned the importance of mastering an audio track, I picked up a new DAW to work with, and I got a few remixes done.
Here are my Resolutions for 2014:
1) Get into the game industry. Find a job, essentially.
2) Give up writing on Superpad Unplugged, it's taking up too much time.
3) Focus on audio. Lots of ideas that wants to be heard!
Bonus) Complete over 123 games with a focus on these games:
-StarCraft 2 - Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm (PC)
-Final Fantasy VII / VIII (PC)
-3DS: Pokémon Y (3DS)
-Monster Hunter 3 (3DS)
-Animal Crossing (3DS)
-Persona 3 FES (PS2)
-Persona 4 (PS2)
-Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 (PS2)
-Final Fantasy X / X-2 / XII (PS2)
-Final Fantasy XIII / XIII-2 / Lightning Returns (when it releases) (PS3)
-Dragon's Dogma (PS3)
-The Last Story (Wii)
-Pandora's Tower (Wii)
Here's a reflection on some of the games I played through in 2013:
Dear Esther (PC) - I kept hearing so many things about this game and ended up being very disappointed and disgusted. It's an interactive narrative. You don't do anything other than walk forward and listen to someone talking.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS) - It's an obvious money grabber feeding off the nostalgia of Final Fantasy, but wow I had so much fun with this game.
Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PC) - I got through it, but never got around to playing Ys Origins because I got caught up with other games. I'm probably going to play Ys Origins soon. This was a great remake of the original, even though it's old itself as well.
Code of Princess (3DS) - I was a bit disappointed with the limited combos and attack abilities as well as having to deal with graphics lag, but the experience I got from playing the game was so good that I couldn't stop talking about it. I love the music!
Torchlight 2 (PC) - Wow, this was so much better than the first one! After completing it, I got a few friends to play with me and I have accumulated 111 hours on it through playing with them and with mods on.
Zombies. (PC) - I played this game last year? It felt like a long time ago when I finished it. The game wasn't that great and had many flaws, but the soundtrack was so incredible that I've kept referring back to the game when wanting to listen to high energy music.
Anarchy Reigns (PS3) - It wasn't the greatest of beat-em-ups I've played last year, but it certainly had one of the best soundtracks that I listened to all year long.
Sonic Generations (PC) - Best. Sonic. Game. EVER! No really, it's the best Sonic game I've played up to date. I'm playing the newest one on 3DS (Lost World) and I'm not very happy with it).
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club (PC) - I enjoyed this game way more than I thought I would and it left a really good impression on me. The game could've had more content and depth to it, but it was really fun for what it provided. I think it was the only reading-heavy game I played last year.
Fairy Bloom Freesia (PC) - The game was really short, but it had some of the most fluid combat for a 2D beat-em-up I've played.
Super House of Dead Ninjas (PC) - A simple concept with challenging difficulty reminded me of the old school 2D platformers from the NES days.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PS3) - I finally got around to playing it and this is how I'd describe it: It does everything right as an Action game, but it's not a Castlevania game. It simply has an identity crisis and can't figure out what it wants to be. It was at least better than the 3DS one that came out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PC) - I have to say that this iteration blew me away. It's so much better than Black Ops 1 in so many ways. The story was just as good, if not better, than the first; however, the gameplay was actually fun this time around! Multiplayer is much more balanced with higher quality. I'm sad that Call of Duty Ghosts have received such poor ratings, because I was thinking of getting it.
Skullgirls (PC) - I finally got to play Skullgirls, and it's a lot of fun! I didn't expect an indie studio to produce such a highly refined fighting game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) - I heard a lot of..."interesting" things about the game and bought the whole pack. I got through the first game and really liked it. The end part got a little ridiculous in difficulty, but the overall experience I got from playing the game was pretty good. It's almost like playing a single-player DayZ.
Krater (PC) - Ugh, I can't believe how much time I poured into this game. I had so many problems with the game and didn't like so many things about it, yet I was determined to complete it which eventually took 44 hours. The game could've been so much better, and the fact that I actually stuck with it shows that it does have some entertainment value in it.
Hatsune Miku Project DIVA F (PS3) - I wasn't planning on getting the game, but I ended up buying it the first day when I found out it released physical copies of the game. It's a pretty fun game and I like a majority of the songs.
Dark Souls (PS3) - I did it! Praise the Sun! After buying the game 2 years ago, I finally sat down and played through the game which took me 60 hours to complete. I also completed Skyrim which took about 40 hours? Something like that.
I don't know if I'm looking forward to any games this year. I guess Final Fantasy Lightning Returns and Dark Souls 2 would be among them as well as Super Smash Bros. I didn't really look into the games coming out in 2014 since I'm so focused on all the games I just got this year. I still have a pretty big backlog that I'm trying to clear through. I'm a little nervous going into 2014 since I'm a bit pressured towards getting a job now. I really don't know where I'm headed. I guess I'll figure it out, eventually.
Here are my Resolutions for 2014:
1) Get into the game industry. Find a job, essentially.
2) Give up writing on Superpad Unplugged, it's taking up too much time.
3) Focus on audio. Lots of ideas that wants to be heard!
Bonus) Complete over 123 games with a focus on these games:
-StarCraft 2 - Wings of Liberty and Heart of the Swarm (PC)
-Final Fantasy VII / VIII (PC)
-3DS: Pokémon Y (3DS)
-Monster Hunter 3 (3DS)
-Animal Crossing (3DS)
-Persona 3 FES (PS2)
-Persona 4 (PS2)
-Kingdom Hearts 1 & 2 (PS2)
-Final Fantasy X / X-2 / XII (PS2)
-Final Fantasy XIII / XIII-2 / Lightning Returns (when it releases) (PS3)
-Dragon's Dogma (PS3)
-The Last Story (Wii)
-Pandora's Tower (Wii)
Here's a reflection on some of the games I played through in 2013:
Dear Esther (PC) - I kept hearing so many things about this game and ended up being very disappointed and disgusted. It's an interactive narrative. You don't do anything other than walk forward and listen to someone talking.
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (3DS) - It's an obvious money grabber feeding off the nostalgia of Final Fantasy, but wow I had so much fun with this game.
Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PC) - I got through it, but never got around to playing Ys Origins because I got caught up with other games. I'm probably going to play Ys Origins soon. This was a great remake of the original, even though it's old itself as well.
Code of Princess (3DS) - I was a bit disappointed with the limited combos and attack abilities as well as having to deal with graphics lag, but the experience I got from playing the game was so good that I couldn't stop talking about it. I love the music!
Torchlight 2 (PC) - Wow, this was so much better than the first one! After completing it, I got a few friends to play with me and I have accumulated 111 hours on it through playing with them and with mods on.
Zombies. (PC) - I played this game last year? It felt like a long time ago when I finished it. The game wasn't that great and had many flaws, but the soundtrack was so incredible that I've kept referring back to the game when wanting to listen to high energy music.
Anarchy Reigns (PS3) - It wasn't the greatest of beat-em-ups I've played last year, but it certainly had one of the best soundtracks that I listened to all year long.
Sonic Generations (PC) - Best. Sonic. Game. EVER! No really, it's the best Sonic game I've played up to date. I'm playing the newest one on 3DS (Lost World) and I'm not very happy with it).
Cherry Tree High Comedy Club (PC) - I enjoyed this game way more than I thought I would and it left a really good impression on me. The game could've had more content and depth to it, but it was really fun for what it provided. I think it was the only reading-heavy game I played last year.
Fairy Bloom Freesia (PC) - The game was really short, but it had some of the most fluid combat for a 2D beat-em-up I've played.
Super House of Dead Ninjas (PC) - A simple concept with challenging difficulty reminded me of the old school 2D platformers from the NES days.
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow (PS3) - I finally got around to playing it and this is how I'd describe it: It does everything right as an Action game, but it's not a Castlevania game. It simply has an identity crisis and can't figure out what it wants to be. It was at least better than the 3DS one that came out.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (PC) - I have to say that this iteration blew me away. It's so much better than Black Ops 1 in so many ways. The story was just as good, if not better, than the first; however, the gameplay was actually fun this time around! Multiplayer is much more balanced with higher quality. I'm sad that Call of Duty Ghosts have received such poor ratings, because I was thinking of getting it.
Skullgirls (PC) - I finally got to play Skullgirls, and it's a lot of fun! I didn't expect an indie studio to produce such a highly refined fighting game.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (PC) - I heard a lot of..."interesting" things about the game and bought the whole pack. I got through the first game and really liked it. The end part got a little ridiculous in difficulty, but the overall experience I got from playing the game was pretty good. It's almost like playing a single-player DayZ.
Krater (PC) - Ugh, I can't believe how much time I poured into this game. I had so many problems with the game and didn't like so many things about it, yet I was determined to complete it which eventually took 44 hours. The game could've been so much better, and the fact that I actually stuck with it shows that it does have some entertainment value in it.
Hatsune Miku Project DIVA F (PS3) - I wasn't planning on getting the game, but I ended up buying it the first day when I found out it released physical copies of the game. It's a pretty fun game and I like a majority of the songs.
Dark Souls (PS3) - I did it! Praise the Sun! After buying the game 2 years ago, I finally sat down and played through the game which took me 60 hours to complete. I also completed Skyrim which took about 40 hours? Something like that.
I don't know if I'm looking forward to any games this year. I guess Final Fantasy Lightning Returns and Dark Souls 2 would be among them as well as Super Smash Bros. I didn't really look into the games coming out in 2014 since I'm so focused on all the games I just got this year. I still have a pretty big backlog that I'm trying to clear through. I'm a little nervous going into 2014 since I'm a bit pressured towards getting a job now. I really don't know where I'm headed. I guess I'll figure it out, eventually.
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