Updating the journal again. Wow, this makes like, what, 9 times this year? Anyway, I want to talk about some relivant game topics of late.

First of all, I was quite excited to hear the long-rumored sequel to Rocket Knight Adventures announced. While I would have prefered it to take closer root to the 'ReBirth' games in WiiWare of late (classic 2D graphics and focus), I'm acctually feeling a little more encouraged based on what I've read so far. Regardless Sparkster is a character long overdue for a revival and I'm pretty happy that of all things they ARN'T making some brooding, dark anti-hero (he's just racist is all ).

Speaking of ReBirth, I understand Konami is continuing the theme with an upcoming Castlevania ReBirth. I wouldn't mind seeing another game in the classic style again acctually. Not that I have anything against the Metroid-vania path the series went after SotN, but Contra and Gradius ReBirth hasn't QUITE managed to make me tear out my hair in frustration yet (in a good way, mind you). Another download I'm looking forward to (aside from Cave Story... seriously WHEN is that comming out again?)

As an additional note, I was thinking of shaking things up on my YouTube account (dispite the fact my recording computer is still dead). My library of NES games is getting quite sizable (almost 400 last I counted). I though I might put up a list and start taking requests. I'll play any game from my collection, and depending on the game selected I might record a playthrough be it standard or with special conditions (play with the Game Genie using difficulty-enhancing codes for example), or at least showing more pivital scenes from any longer ones (say perhaps an attempt to beat Necrosaro in Dragon Warrior 4, or seeing how far I can get without the sword in Zelda). What would you guys think of this idea?

Art wise, I've still just been practicing with my tablet. If anyone is up to a trade, catch me on AIM/MSN and perhaps we could do a quick sketch together.

That's all for now

Hmm, I admit while I've been using this journal a little more often than before, I don't so much care for talking about my personal self, or life for that matter. Maybe I'll use it to foist my opinion on others about media I've been consuming of late.

I recently finished watching an anime called 'Ghost Stories', probably the first series I watched through since Bomberman Jetters several years ago. I more or less divorced myself from the scene after watching an episode of the painfully formulamatic Bobobo...bo...bobobo..bo (is that enough 'bo's?). That being said, it would've taken something unique to get me to watch a new series.

The premise of Ghost Stories was such a concept.

Ghost Stories is an anime about kids who find a book detailing how to trap various ghosts that were released durring reconstruction and urbanization in the local area. They go on multiple adventures with the only consistant 'villian' being a demon who is trapped in the body of the family cat, but acts little more than a very reluctant guide and spares no chance to tell them he waits for their death with eagerness.

By itself, the show it trite, formulamatic, and holds nothing special that hasn't been done in several anime before it. What DOES make this anime different is the dubbing done by Funimation. As the story goes when the studio picked up the series for western release they were told they had free reign to do what they wished as long as certain key story points were kept intact (how the kids defeated the ghosts, and so on).

In turn the entire show is played very much tounge-in-cheek. Most characters are aware of the fact they're in a show that rips off common Japanese-Horror films (in one episode they wonder how many times they've already ripped of 'The Ringu', and very little is sacred including...

-Several references that the main character's dead mother, while being a spiritual demon hunter, was also a lesbian
-The token 'sychic girl' character is now a pentacostal who thinks most everything that happens in the show is an act of God's will, and often reminds the others how they will be going to hell if they don't repent.
-The main character's younger brother suffers from dyslexia, is easily manipulated, and when flustered or upset (which is a good 90% of the time) his speach decends to loud babbling
-The show now takes place in America, but all the Japanese text is still left in the show, often confusing the main cast

This is just the short list of the changes made to the show, and I think a rather hilarious afront to the 'Dubs ruin the original intention of the language' crowd. For the bounderies they push though I will admit they cross the line of good-taste, perhaps a little more often than what you would see on Adult Swim. There were a few jokes I did feel uncomfortable laughing at but I still did laugh none-the-less. If nothing else it has some of the more memorable quotes I'd heard from a show in some time.

"Shirotabe, my freinds over there think you're a rabid serial-killer. And in the movies, this would be the part where I foolishly trust you not to kill me, and stick my hand in the cage."
"'Come bring me back to life' he says, 'I'll be good, I promise' he says, 'I'm not gunna turn into a big, red-eyed, flesh eating monster rabbit' HE SAYS!!"
"Stupid sentimental flash-back time is over now you bunny loving bitch, if you don't throw that thing I'm tossing YOU with it!"

And this was all from one episode.

In closing, a different kind of anime, mostly for the cynics and those who enjoy dark humor.

Meh, not a very good reveiw. I'll try better next week. As an aside, can someone tell me how to turn of Emocons? I'm getting rather irritated with random smily-faces sullying my text.

An update about the Tablet issues from before. It seemed to be a common problem regarding Vista, however recently installing Service Pack 2 seemed to solve the problem, as you can see from the recent influx of new art. So everything is status-quo.

So let's talk about games for the sake of putting up a new Journal

First of all, I've recently found a flash game called 'andemic 2', which can be found here [link] . You play as a virus with the simple goal of wiping out all of man-kind. It's fairly simple, but I find it intreging if not for the darker theme than also for the shift in a gaming paradigm. At least you don't see unique angles like this very often.

I've also recently re-arranged my living room. Where previously a bulk of my systems were put away in dressers, the new set-up allows me to have them all out on display and even able to hook up with minimal fuss (No more than plugging in the power cable and changing a switch-box or two). Unfortunatly, I'll need a super-long HDMI cable to hook up my computer to my TV again, but it wasn't something I used very often anyway.

Being so, I've been able to play a lot of the systems I havn't put time into before, most notibly my Saturn systems. This brings me to the point that I wouldn't mind having more games for the system. Two I'm looking for are Sonic Jam and Fighters Mega Mix (the later of which I do have in Japanese, but I wouldn't mind having an english version of). Are there any other games worth getting for the system that you people might want to recommend?

While I'm at it for that matter, would any know some good online retailers for classic games? PnPGames has been a significant boon to my collection, but even their selection can be limiting.

I think that should be all for now

I just spent the better part of the afternoon getting my system restored to a point where I could use my new Wacom Bamboo tablet again. Apparently Vista in all it's wisdom decided the driver was a threat to the system and would repeatidly shut it down, preventing me from using the pen outside of Photoshop (rather irritating when you're juggling between messengers, Photoshop and Explorer).

I think I've about had it with Vista. Along with logging permissions, installing older programs and now this, I think I've had just a much trouble as I had with my parent's Windows ME computer. A bit of a shame as I'll admit it's acctually a stable system... when it decides to acctually run stuff.

I just wanted to throw out there, anyone using Windows 7 yet? Think it'd be worth it to upgrade to that? Or should I in fact downgrade to XP? (Since it seems my old computer won't be comming back from the grave any time soon)

Now that the whole Holoworld series is over and done with, I plan on getting back into posting art again soon.

To anyone who hadn't read about it yet, there's a little contest with the final strip in the series. Correctly identify the source game for the old man in the second comic's first panel, and I'll do a pencil sketch for that person. A simple prize for a simple task (maybe).

Best of luck to anyone participating