30 Days of Truth - Day 30...FINALLY!!!

A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

Hi,

You're probably wondering why I've been holding this off for a long time. I started this 30 Days of Truth thing last year in October. It's been more than a year. I think it's time that I ended this before the new year begins.

I love that you remember almost everything. I love that you can recall specific memories as far back as when you were still a baby. Don't ever lose it.

I love your taste in music. It's eclectic. You're everywhere. You don't discriminate musical styles unless they suck.

I love that you can connect with kids and make them laugh very easily. You're gonna be a great father someday.

I love that you're a romantic... that you still believe in fairy tales... that you believe that anything is and can be possible.

I love that you can shuffle like the best of them. You were always the overactive kid since you were little. You somehow forgot about it growing up. I'm glad you got that swagger back again.

I love that you value family and friends... that you're friendly... that you're a bit traditional... that you are not afraid to try new things... that you would dress up in costumes for conventions... that you love your sisters... that you love your mom... that you love your dad and stepdad... that you love your family... that you loved...

You're probably getting all mushy with all this "love" talk, thinking this is all too cheesy. I'm sorry you feel that way. You can't deny it. Resistance is futile.

The thing is, I don't easily just say this to anyone. I haven't said this to you in a long time. It's not that I don't. I was disappointed in you when you let it fall apart. Actually, that's not it. I was scared. The thing is, I still see you as this super hero who can overcome anything.

I just wanted to say that I'm proud of you. I know you broke down, but after all this time, no matter how bad it gets, you still take everything to heart. No matter how badly you were hurt, you didn't let it change you. You're not jaded. You still get up. You never give up. I tell you, I wanna be that kind of a person. That's why I love you.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 29

Something you hope to change about yourself. And why?

I would say nothing, but that would be a cop out.

The thing about hoping is that it isn't the same as wishing. Wishing implies wanting. Hoping implies willing.
I hope to be more outgoing and less reserved. It's much different reading what I write than my actual self. I'm more quieter and much more reserved. I'm more of a loner and put on this "have something relevant to say or fuck off" mask with unfriendly looking strangers. I'm a mind talker. That's probably why Siri on the iPhone don't get me most of the time. I'm much more outgoing and much less reserved now than I was many years ago. Baby steps.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 28

What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant? What would you do?

I'd be part of the child's life no matter what living arrangement the mother wants. I'd prefer if I got the person I love pregnant. I'd prefer to keep the baby, too. I'd prefer to raise the baby together and more.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 27

What's the best thing going for you right now?

Through my darkest days
When I'm feeling blue
In my saddest moments
I always pull through
... Then I realize
I'm never alone.



I'm done.

Death of a Game Franchise

The second game in the series.

Source: http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2011/11/22/tales-studio-disbanded/

It's a sad day for gamers whenever a studio of a beloved game franchise gets disbanded. It's even sadder for fans of the Tales series.

Despite healthy sales, Tales Studio parent company, Namco Bandai, has decided to disband the studio. This doesn't mean the employees will be out of work. All employees will be absorbed into the parent company. Company-wise, it's a restructuring of their man power and doesn't really say anything about the future of the Tales series. Namco Bandai could still release these games. Nothing in the company's release statement says the team will be broken up. But it won't be the same.

Nier Review

Emil (back), Nier and Kaine (front)... obliterated a pack of feral wolves.

"Weiss, you dumbass! Start making sense you rotten book, or you're gonna be sorry! Maybe I'll rip your pages out one-by-one, or maybe I'll put you in the goddamn furnace! How can someone with such a big, smart brain get hypnotized like a little bitch huh?! Oh, Shadowlord! I love you Shadowlord! Come over here and give Weiss a big sloppy kiss, Shadowlord! Now pull your head out of your goddamn ass and START FUCKING HELPING US!"

This is the intro to world of Nier. Those words were uttered by Kaine, the girl ally in the game. From my initial review:

Diary of a Returning Gamer #7

It's been a while since I'm done this post. A lot has happened since the last one. For starters, the Playstation Network broke down, leaving PS3 players unable to connect online. Sony gave out a compensation package with two free PS3 games, two free PSP games (out of 5 for both, if I remember correctly), Some freebie I don't remember, and 1 month of Playstation Plus. I didn't get the 1 month Plus subscription. I was on vacation in the Philippines and was too late to claim that one. At least I got Infamous, Wipeout HD, and two PSP games that I don't remember off the top of my head. I don't have a PSP, but I bought the Kingdom Hearts bundle for my youngest sister. I figured I'd download these games so she can have them, you know?

Woken Up When September Ends

Another month has come and passed.
The gloomy days, they never last.
Woken up when September ends.

What can I say?

For the most part, September has been autumnal: Rainy and gloomy. Not much has happened. I went shopping at an outlet mall with my youngest sister and parents on Labor day. Besides that, there's the part where my job contract with our client ended. I've been on bench now for almost a month. I've been looking for work in other companies. This "headhunter" company has been working with me to get a job that's contract to permanent, depending on project needs. They got me a job interview at T. Rowe Price. The interview went well, but they're looking for someone more senior and with more experience.

"It's Been A While" List Post

1. Experiencing a sort of rut. No inspiration. I can't focus at all. I have to take things slow and prioritize.
   
2. I re-downloaded Dink Smallwood. It's an old game I downloaded 10 years ago. Now it works for later versions of Windows and Macs. It's still as fun as it was when I first played it. All it's quirks and humor. This time, you can download most well-known fan-made mods to the game. Literally, you get hours of gameplay. Best of all, it's all free. If you guys want, you can get them here. I'll write a review. I'm almost done with the main game.
   
3. The game Portal is available for free for the PC until September 20, 2011 before midnight the next day. The game came out in 2007. I don't have the best computer hardware to run the game at the time. When it came out as part of The Orange Box bundle for PS3 and 360 the same year, I didn't buy it because I had other games waiting to be played down the pipeline. I downloaded it yesterday. This will be another game I'll be reviewing when I'm done with it.
   
4. I went to Target and decided to get some snacks. While I was checking the food in every aisle, I noticed I was visualizing myself eating these snacks and how I would feel if I eat them. Before, I never really made too much effort in thinking about it. I guess I'm more mindful and careful with what I eat right now.
   
5. I bought some of the materials for my costume. I haven't done anything like this before. Just so you guys know, my costume will be Robbie the Rabbit from Silent Hill. Here's a picture.

I'm done.

A Paradigm Shift

I've come a long way from my middle school and high school days where I'm content being alone. Playing computer games, browsing online, be engaged in learning songs on the piano, guitar, drawing, etc.

Ever the perfectionist, I spent hours fully-beating a game. "Completist" is probably the right word for it.

I used to spend hours past midnight learning piano pieces for the sake of learning and showing what I learned to my family and best friend.

Gaming from 5 to 12 Years Old

The first gaming system we had was the Family Computer in the Philippines (It was released as the Nintendo Entertainment System here in the US).

I teased my sister when she plays on her turn by pausing the game repeatedly... I was a little bully

The first games we got was Sky Destroyer and Ice Climbers. These were the only games we got for about year. It was at that time when my parents bought us Contra.

What The Sims Social™ Taught Me

• There's always food in the refrigerator.
   
• It takes 3-8 people to build a room in 10 seconds.
   
• Rivals and Frenemies won't let you sleep in their house, but Ex-Friends will.

The Sims Social Review

I can't believe I'm actually going to make a review of a Facebook game.

I was hooked on Mafia Wars, Farmville, Fishville, Treasure Isle, Cafe World. For Lent, I limited my access to Facebook... which was to never access Facebook at all for 40 days. After coming back, I stopped playing those games and deleted them, leaving only Bejeweled and Words with Friends (all you Words with Friends cheaters out there... BRING IT!!!).

SexyGamerGirl sent me an invite to play The Sims Social. I figured, why not. Turns out this game is highly addicting.

inFAMOUS Review

Back in June, I received the Playstation 3 compensation package from Sony to apologize for the Playstation Network's downtime. You were given the choice of 2 games out of 5 that were offered from the Playstation store. I got the Wipeout HD bundle and inFAMOUS. I could have gotten Little Big Planet, but I thought it was ripe for me to play racing games after a 2 year hiatus (last racing game I played was Motorstorm).

Now for inFAMOUS. The game follows a courier, who got a package for delivery. Little did he know that it would blow up in his hands, destroying city blocks. Miraculously, he survives and finds that he can control electricity. The game goes from there.

30 Days of Truth - Day 26

Have you ever thought about giving up on life?

A few times.

When I was a kid, I was acting up for being scolded. Trying to get attention.

As a teenager in middle school, these thoughts were in my head. I wasn't suicidal, but I was thinking about the concept. Our Health teacher in 8th grade thought I was suicidal because of my responses and sent them to my mom. Complete misunderstanding.

High school was a breeze for me. I did well in my classes and I could have opted to graduate a semester early.

College was the when everything was just stressful. Failing and bad grades. Relationship problems. Not necessarily gave up my life, but I gave up on myself. In a way, I gave up on living.

Then it hit me on my first job after college. At the time, people told me to move on, suck it up, get on with it. You guys either haven't gone through anything like it before or that you did and was jaded by the experience. I've seen people gone through more hardships than me and allowed that to change them for the worse. Maybe they were assholes to begin with. Nevertheless, I overcame that obstacle.

I think everyone should strive to keep improving themselves without changing their personality... unless it was ugly to begin with. If so, change that, first.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 25

The reason you believe you're still alive today

It's simple. Really, it is. I could make a list about the people who have influenced me to be at the right places at the right time, make the right decisions and everything else that helped me to where I am right now. But the simple truth is that I'm not done living. That is all.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 24

Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs

Dear future woman friend,

I've made this playlist for you. I know we haven't met yet. But I think you'll find these quite nice. A bit hopeful at times, but there's always room for hope.

1. George Michael - One More Try
   My all-time go-to song in the karaoke. Lots of adlib-ing and just an overall fun song.

Otakon 2011 Recap

Another Otakon just ended a week ago. There's really nothing else that can be said about the event. It's such an overwhelming experience that you just have to be there to understand it. It was my first time wearing three costumes for the event. I don't think I'll do that again unless I'm volunteering for promotional purposes. (All of my Otakon 2011 pictures here)



Of all the costumes I wore, I only have pictures of one. I was having so much fun walking around, going to panels, dealer's room, game room, video rooms, that I didn't have as many photos taken this year. While in costume, I didn't get to take photos of myself. I've been trying to find photos of myself online from people who took them, but no luck so far. It's partly the my fault and the weather's. It reached 102 degrees on Friday. I only wore my Nyan Cat costume for about 2+ hours. I went back to my hotel, showered, and changed to my 2nd costume for the day. Still, I had numerous con-goers stop me for a picture. At least one of them should be posted online.

My biggest surprise was on Thursday. I was doing last-minute preparations with my luggage and costumes when I got the text message by my friend. She was volunteering at Otakon and saw the Otakon booklet in advanced this year. My costume last year was included. Never did I ever think of such a thing happening. I was floored.

BLACK AND GOLD, BABY!!!

I wore the Nyan Cat and Fullmetal Alchemist Roy Mustang costumes on Friday. Of the short 2+ hours wearing Nyan Cat, I was approached numerous times to have my photo taken. I even had a photo taken with another Nyan Cat cosplayer. My 2nd outfit for the day was of Roy Mustang. It was a button-down version. I was carrying my Shiba-Inu dog (Black Hayate) along with my briefcase which contains my Flame alchemist gloves and flasks. Here's a group picture with the military:

Black Hayate (dog)? Check. Briefcase? Check. Gloves? Check...

Uncanny resemblance? Priceless...

On Saturday, I wore my Eddie Riggs costume from the game Brutal Legend. I wore it for about 3 hours, before deciding to change in my regular clothes. Sadly, no photos of my costume. Not even online. I'll probably model this out in the near future. A future filled with cool air and less sun.

I was this guy. Minus the broadaxe.

Besides dressing up, I went to the Nobuo Uematsu Q&A panel on Friday. That was as close as I can get to one of the greatest composers of all time. I don't talk as much about my passion for Final Fantasy games, but I was a huge fan. I literally taught myself to play the piano so I could play Mr. Uematsu's game compositions. I've been less active on my piano/guitar hobby, but they're always there.

Nobuo Uematsu trying his hardest to answer the fan questions.

The line was long, but manageable. I got in fine and found a seat at the edge near the middle. It's too bad that when they started the Q&A, people rushed in to line on both isles blocking my view. So I stood in the back and took a photos and video. He was asked by a fan on whether he plans on immigrating to the US in the near future. His answer, according to the translator, was, "Well, I'm a small man, so I probably should immigrate to Mexico." Another question was brought up on how long it takes him to write a piece of music. Ironically, when the translator was talking my phone rang. It was the Final Fantasy VII Victory Fanfare. I was laughing and sort of happy/sad/embarrassed at the same time.

On Friday Night, I watched 13 Assassins. The last 40 minutes was well worth it.

This movie should make you forget "The Last Samurai."

I was planning on watching the Anime Music Video Contest on Saturday, but the line would have been too long for the next movie, Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos. I could have seen @emily_shannon 's music video (If you have the link, I wanna see it). She said she won her category. That's very awesome.

Anyway, this Fullmetal Alchemist movie just came out within weeks in Japan. They translated the movie and premiered it at Otakon. We were the first people to see the movie outside of Japan. There's nothing quite like watching a movie with fellow con-goers. The experience is just so different. You have this sense of unity and belonging. I enjoyed it, thoroughly.

The line for Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos.

On all both Friday and Saturday, I danced my ass off on Pump it Up and the dance floor. It's a surprise that I'm still standing. After walking most of the time on the convention floor, walking back and forth, to and from the hotel and dancing, I'm surprised I was still standing on Sunday. My feet/legs were hurting by Monday and I chipped a toe-nail. Otakon Dance was awesome. The music on Friday was more hyper, with the songs no less than 170+ beats per minute, I think. It was still fun. Saturday was where it's at. The songs were just enough for pop-locking sessions and, of course... SHUFFLING.

I was the only one our circle who really knows how to shuffle. So I stepped up doing the Michael Jackson side-glide, pop-locked for a bit with my glow-in-the-dark color-changing gloves, made a fast spin, then started shuffling. You really don't need to grind someone to enjoy dancing. The best part was when they played a remix of "Party Rockin'." Everyone erupted with cheers. I shuffled away with a bunch of shufflers on another side of the floor. Greatest way to end the night.

I enjoyed the overall experience just as I did the past two years. However, I got to experience more of Otakon this year than before. There are just too many things that you can do at Otakon that it is literally impossible to go to every single one of them. The best thing that you can do is do what you enjoy doing and you'll have a good time. The heat, the weather, the aching muscles, legs and feet. They were all masked by the euphoria that is Otakon...

... and probably this guy:





I wish you guys could have been there with us.

I'm done.

I'M IN THE OTAKON 2011 BOOKLET

So last year at Otakon, I dressed up as Colonel Roy Mustang from Fullmetal Alchemist on Friday.

My Wall-E Game Sequel

Back in the Fall of 2008, I was busy looking for a job. I was still unemployed. The independent gaming site that I was active with when I was in high school and 1st half of college just underwent renovation and finally opened. There was a Sci-Fi game contest. The rules were that you make the game from scratch. It didn't matter what copyrights were infringed. So I decided to make a 2D version of WALL-E.

Nyan Cat - Phase 2 - Abdomen/Lower Body

So I got to working on the poptart part of my costume. I started last week and I finished it just now.

Is It Worth It?

I've been in my current job for 3 months now. Compared to my last one, it's less stressful. Sure, there was that stressful Memorial Day weekend. And you know what? I didn't get burned. I was able to attend my friend's birthday party and still managed to support a major application deployment to the client.

I was hoping for a job that would have me programming code. But you can't be too picky about jobs these days. You also don't want to undersell yourself. My job now is just the right balance. I'm doing IT Analysis/App. Support Specialist work for our client. Just like the last one, I came in to work with no prior knowledge of what the job entails. I learned everything on the get go hands-on and through teleconferencing. You might say that I have it easy, but it's not. I MAKE it look easy.

Nyan Cat - Phase 1 - Upper Body

Startled Nyan Cat...

Nyan Cat Project - Material Gathering

So I'm slowly gathering all the materials needed for this project. The idea is not to make an exact replica of the Nyan Cat

So far, I've narrowed down what I exactly need and made some changes on my original list.

Nyan Cat Project

I'm sure most of you have heard or seen the Nyan Cat video/phenemenon (doot doooo do do doo). I've thought about this long and hard (TWSS), and I've decided that I'm going to make this my project for Otakon. Besides dressing up as a drunk version of Colonel Roy Mustang...

How I Started Playing Videogames Moderately

I read this article from Succeed Socially about the author, stating how he gradually became less obsessive about playing videogames. It made me think about my personal take on this. Videogames consumed my time in middle school and high school. I watched TV and was down with MTV, but most of my spare time was spent playing videogames.

I was adamant about perfectly accomplishing everything there was to a game. Be it getting 100% completion rating on Crash Bandicoot, unlocking all characters in Tekken 3, or defeating Omega Weapon and collecting all Guardian Forces/Ultimate Weapons in Final Fantasy 8... I was quite obsessive. These were personal little victories to be proud of without the use of Gameshark... just like when I decided to beat Contra without the Konami code and without continues as a kid. A notch on my metaphorical belt, if you will. Then college happened. Followed by graduation, getting a job, etc.

Unlike the author, I still have those obsessive tendencies encompassing other aspects besides videogames. I'm aware of them, but I accept them as part of me. If I wasn't so obsessive, I wouldn't have passed college. I guess you could call it moderately obsessive. The author made some bullet points on the article and explained his take on how he became less obsessive. I'm using the same bullet points to explain my take on how I moderately started playing videogames.

I graduated from high school and went away to college

Not much difference here from the author. You didn't have much to worry about in high school besides keeping your grades up, school club activities and socializing with friends. Besides that, you have videogames to attend to, unless you have a girlfriend or boyfriend, which I think is a weak excuse for anything if you're in high school.

I didn't have a ton of money in college

This is true. I did get allowance while in college and am thankful for it. My parents paid for gas back. Then again, gas was less than $2 ($0.97-$1+). I didn't go anywhere besides home and school. For the most part, I saved up my money so I can buy new games, or waited till Christmas or my birthday so I can get money to buy new games. Then, I met new friends. Met my ex. Started hanging out with them more. Gas got expensive. My parents cut-off my free-gas waiver. Every bit of my allowance counted. I wasn't gonna borrow money from my parents and I wasn't gonna withdraw from my savings. Funds were so low at one point, I stooped to selling my anime DVDs of the mature kind to this douchebag. With my hard classes, I could only find part-time work towards the end of the school year and make money during the summer months. The money I earned fueled my gaming to a degree. However, most of my paycheck went in the bank. I saved some for food and gas expenses, which includes hanging out with my ex and girlfriend. I only bought a game that I really wanted on the holiday/birthday months when I might have enough to buy them.

My tastes matured and I starting seeing a lot of video game elements as cheesy

I guess my tastes matured just as much as this author. He didn't elaborate on it as much, though. By mature, I mean I stopped buying knockoff games that were so obviously ripping off other games. Then again, I could always tell the knockoffs from the ripped-offs. I guess I was mature, then.

I outgrew my youthful obsessiveness somewhat

My obsession still exists, albeit moderately. I still grinded my way to completing Final Fantasy X, X-2, XII, Shadow Hearts II, Shadow Hearts: Into the New World, and a bunch of other games. I play mostly on my free time when there are no exams, mid-terms, or finals on the horizon.

I started being satisfied just playing a game through once

I always wanted to play a game just once. But I wanted to complete everything in the game. So I try to complete my games as perfect as possible. I still do them now, depending on how easy it is to get (Tekken 6 was fairly easy). For role-playing games. If there are just too many of them, I'll just complete the game for the storyline.

I started renting games more often

Renting games is counterproductive. I don't do it. Even though I have the resources, I'd rather not have a rented game laying around and pay for it monthly. I don't borrow or lend my games to people, either. The less games I have to mind, the more focused I have to do other things. I do have a bunch of games still in progress of completion... or start to end. I'm slowly chipping away at them. I recently finished God of War III. My next game to complete should be Brutal Legend, but I'm slowly chipping away at Heavy Rain and Final Fantasy III DS.

I had other things to do

Well yeah... there was college. Now it's work. I have my hobbies and pretty much other things to do besides gaming. I still play dance/rhythm games with my friends of 5-6 years now. I encorporate shuffling into my routines now.

I started doing things that were just as fun as gaming, or better

This is pretty much a repeat of the last bullet point. I'll always be a gamer. It's no different from the music and movie/tv fans.

I got to a point where I had played enough games of a genre that they all started seeming the same

This is only true of sports games. All of them are the same to me. I have a lot of RPGs in my catalog of games from Playstation, Playstation 3 and my DS. I haven't grown tired of them. Then again, I probably didn't play enough games as obsessively as this guy. I guess I'm just obsessive when I need to be.

I started getting more picky about what I'd play. I'd rather play one great, original game on occasion than play new mediocre stuff every day

I'm definitely picky with my games. There are certain games that I regret, but they are far and between... mistakes I make once in a blue moon. If a game description is usually preceded by "it's like...," "A cross between..." or anything like that by gamers, that's just a bad description for a game that's most likely mediocre, at best. The gamer wasn't engaged enough to actually describe the contents of the game.

I realized that I have obsessive tendencies and tried to hold off on playing until I had lots of free time

Gamers will always find time on games no matter what. The key is to not be obsessive. Just be moderate.

I stopped playing when other people were around

Gaming for me is a single-player experience.  There are exceptions to these. Sports games being one of them. I don't play sports games so I don't bother. The Wii is marketed as a casual gamer's console with social games. These are good for parties. I play at the arcades with my friends so that's already a gaming setting right there.  Also, most consoles now have online connectivity. So I play games by myself and meet people online. The author probably meant playing a game at parties. If there's an event going on, I'm not even going to bother with gaming. An exception is if gaming is involved. Other than that, I'm talking to people.

I started preferring shorter games

I wouldn't say I'd purposely pick shorter games. There's a formula to this that I'm going to make up right now. I pick my games based on the price, hype, expected/actual yield, and time spent.

E = [Abs(He - Ua) + t] / P .... Enjoyment is the absolute value of the difference between expected hype and actual understatement + time, over the price of the game.

If I just want to see something neat in the game, I'll watch a video

This is partly the author's fault. All he cares about is the graphics and anything that's cool to look at in the game. It's not the same as it was back then. Final Fantasy games pushed the envelope in creating visual eye-candy for their cutscenes. With today's graphics, almost all games have some sort of visual eye-candy. The market is saturated with it, it's nothing new anymore. Just like 3D movies. For games to separate themselves from the pack, they have to deliver on other gaming aspects: gameplay, story, etc. The same thing with what differentiates Pixar films and other 3D films.

I play my games for the engaging story I expect them to bring.

I purposely keep myself from having the latest consoles

I don't have a 360 nor do I have the 3DS. It took us a year to finally get PS3. Having the latest and greatest doesn't mean you'll get yourself back into your obsessive self. We currently have the PS3, the Wii and I have a DS. I also bought my youngest sister a PSP cause she's been wanting to play Kingdom Hearts on that system. It's a deterrent if you're withholding yourself these consoles. It doesn't really address the issue if you somehow wind up with these consoles and go back to being obsessive.

 

So this is pretty much why I'm a returning gamer. I was "off my game," so to speak, for a year in early 2009-2010. I started playing games again in moderation. My former co-worker had more time in his hands and was able to complete these games I told him to play before me. And you know what? I'm fine with that.

I'm done.

Final Fantasy III DS First Impression

So I'm starting up Final Fantasy III for the DS. This isn't the same Final Fantasy III that came out for the Super Nintendo many years ago, which was actually Final Fantasy VI in Japan. This is the 3D remake of the original Final Fantasy III game that came out for the Famicom (Nintendo in the US). I played a fan-translated ROM of this game back in 1999 (I'm so old). I expect the similar gameplay as Final Fantasy V. For those who haven't played it, it's the same job class system found in Final Fantasy Tactics, except less polished.

I've only been playing for a few minutes and I'm already hooked to it. It's the classic turn-based battle found in previous Final Fantasy games before 7. There are no limit breaks or Active Time Battles, but it's never stopped me from completing Final Fantasy I. Here's to hoping I don't lose sleep.

I'm done.

God of War III Review

So I finished God of War III last night into the wee hours in the morning. The game developers said this will be the last as far as the story is concerned. They might make prequel games, depending on demand. I expected as much from the ending. It was a nice closure to the story.

At the start of the game, Kratos is fighting hordes of enemies while hitching a ride on the back of the titan, Gaia. All of this unfolds with the titans climbing Mount Olympus to kill the gods.

Diary of a Returning Gamer #6

Gaming OCD is kicking in gear. I have a bunch of games laying around that needs to be finished or completed. Here they are in no particular order:

Final Fantasy II
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Justice for All
Silent Hill (I probably won't be able to finish this game... the first game is the scariest.)
Silent Hill: Origins
Silent Hill: Homecoming
Brutal Legend
NIER
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Final Fantasy XIII
Heavy Rain
Fallout 3
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly

I'll start knocking them down. I just bought Final Fantasy III for the DS and reserved L.A. Noire for the PS3.

Happy gaming I guess.

I'm done.

Diary of a Returning Gamer #5

Haven't written this in a while. Well here goes.

 Dancing and gaming melded together oh so nicely...

I'm back into gaming mode. On weekends, Friday and Saturday nights, I hang out with my Pump it Up friends. It's been like this for the past year. I've mentioned before I'm one of the only dedicated freestylers to this game among our friends. Everybody else just goes into BEAST Mode doing 7-10+ steps per second rounds, stepper style. Over the past 9 months, I've been incorporating shuffling, or rocking as it was previously called in oldskool style, into my freestyle routines. The hard thing is that most of the great freestyle songs are slower than 140-160 BPM (beats per minute). Of the ones that are within that range, the step charts are too fast to shuffle into. I'd look like this:

I made this GIF myself.

Then again, I haven't looked deep enough into all the songs. Maybe I'll find a good song within range, give or take 10 BPMS, shuffling tune, incorporate my freestyle routines and post a video. I'll keep it posted. I've sprained my ankle two months ago. Still recovering. Then there's the shoulder injury. Also in recovery.
Besides this, I'm playing God of War III and Heavy Rain. Also, Maplestory. I play in moderation now and don't do those 10-15 hour gaming sprints. New challenges awaits....

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 23

Something you wish you have done in your life

This ties in with what I wrote Day 22.
I wish I chose to become a doctor.

from Day 22:

"I still have desires to help people in need. You know how they say that the first one you pick are always right? It may be true for my case. As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. I'm don't feel queezy with blood and any bodily fluids in surgeries and whatnot. I know that doctors make a lot of money, but that's not really the reason why I wanted to be a doctor.

"Choosing Computer Science for a major was a financial choice. Also, that's where everything is heading to right now. I gave up piano and art to focus on Computer Science."

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 22

Something you wish you hadn't done in your life

I have many regrets, but I wouldn't be who I am right now if I didn't do them.

Nevertheless, I wish I hadn't gone on to become a Computer Science major. I wish I went on to become a doctor. I still have desires to help people in need. You know how they say that the first one you pick are always right? It may be true for my case. As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. I'm don't feel queezy with blood and any bodily fluids in surgeries and whatnot. I know that doctors make a lot of money, but that's not really the reason why I wanted to be a doctor.

Choosing Computer Science for a major was a financial choice. Also, that's where everything is heading to right now. I gave up piano and art to focus on Computer Science.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 21

(Scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour earlier. What do you do?

This isn't even a question nor a dilemma for me. Argument, disagreements, silly banter... whatever. I'll go to my best friend.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 20

Your views on drugs and alcohol

DRUGS:

ALCOHOL:

Only do it in extreme moderation.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 19

What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?

I have one unified answer for both religion and politics.

Nothing is absolute. So nothing is perfect. I think that religion and politics are both outdated and flawed. There are other ways to handle the population and I'm sure there will be future geniuses that can come up with something new. Despite it all, both religion and politics are needed and is necessary for modern society to function whether we like it or not. We can't expect everyone to just change something in a blink of an eye. That's why religion and politics must evolve.

I liken this to computers. There are many new developments in the computer industry and as far as the general population is concerned, they will never see it until the powers that be approve it for mass consumption. There's gotta be checks and balances. They'll have to wait until the market has saturated and then release the next big thing, which was actually the next best thing a few years ago. It's silly for us to assume that religious and political leaders haven't discussed prospective changes in their domains. The reason nothing seems to be moving forward is because the majority don't want to change.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 18

Your views on gay marriage

ABSOLUTELY NOT... if the couple are just going to throw it away like most divorced couples do.

Other than that... it's alright, alright, alright.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 17

A book you've read that changed your views on something

I would have to say that The Da Vinci Code changed my view on faith.

I'm Roman Catholic. I still am. I still respect other people's views on faith. I believe that healthy debate is always good. The change in my view has to deal with the fact that it's never one-sided.

Dan Brown took an idea that has been talked about for many, many years (Jesus was married, had a child, etc). He's not the first one to suggest the notion of a Church conspiracy. He's the latest one to be famous for it. The Christian faith is still the biggest religion in the world. He knew there would be repercussions for this book. And he made millions off of it. Many people, including countries with a predominantly Christian population banned the release of the books and the movie adaptation, citing blasphemy towards Christianity.

What changed for me is that I don't really follow what the extremes of Christianity believe in. For most of my life, I've been taught what Christianity is and what it isn't. I'm at the point where I've made my own decisions and I have my own beliefs towards it. The morals I've learned from Christianity can be applied to everyone, indiscriminate of race, background and/or religion.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 16

Something or someone you definitely could live without

Online games.

I really don't feel the need to play games with other people online. I play Maplestory, a massive-multiplayer online game, but I rarely do anything involving other people unless it's a quest or something. I'd rather play a game with other people in the same room as me, not with some immature kid making inappropriate remarks at other players in the safety of their home across the country/world.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 15

Something or someone you couldn't live without, because you've tried living without it.

I would have to say electricity. My earliest memory experiencing a brownout or blackout, I cried. We had to use emergency lamps and candles.

The longest I've gone without electricity was when we had Typhoon Ruping. I think I was 5 at the time. Almost a month we didn't have electricity. We survived by getting water from the water pump and donations from the Dried Mango company near us. We also got them from my mom's work. We took barrels and filled it up with water for everyone in our residence to use. When it rained, we took out our plastic barrels. I bathed in the rain, as well. At night we listened to the radio and I slept pretty early then. I woke up with my sister just before my mom left for work. We would always accompany her with our nannies as she gets a ride with the jeepney or a taxi cab when it's really traffic.

At the time, it wasn't too difficult. We got by just fine. As for now, I don't see how our society can function without it. Almost everything requires electricity to work. I work with computers, probably the most significant invention in the last century, which wouldn't have been as big as it is now if it weren't for electricity.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 14

A hero that has let you down (write a letter)

Dear hero,

It's been a while since I've had a chat with you. Usually, I'd be the first one to talk to you whenever the occassion arrives.

You'll have to excuse the scarcity of these conversations. It's not because I don't care about you. It's just that I'm disappointed in how you've handled yourself as of late. And that's partly my fault. The reason for this is that I look up to you as this person who can overcome any obstacle no matter how trying and difficult it may be.

The set backs you've had and the way you handled it could have been done much better. Even so, I'm still proud of you. I'm proud that you care a lot and take things to heart wherein others have given up and become jaded.

I just want you to know that you're not alone and it's okay to let others in.



Sincerely,

You

Killzone 3 Review

Admittedly, I never played the first and the second game. The only reason why I'm even playing this is because I needed a new PS3 after the lens fried from overheating and too much Final Fantasy XIII. So I went and got the Killzone 3 PS3 package. It's the same price as the low end PS3 slim right now. So why not get one with a game?

30 Days of Truth - Day 13

Write a letter to a band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days

Dear Linkin Park,

My high school days consisted of waking up, going to school, going back home, doing homework, watching TV and rinse repeat. I didn't have that many friends. The first music video of "One Step Closer" I saw from you guys was from your "Hybrid Theory" album (your original band name). It was premiered during the WWE Smackdown event on Thursday night. I thought you guys were just a regular screamo band with rap lyrics layered on alternative rock tracks. A few months later you released the music video for "Crawling." I didn't really pay attention.

It was the premiere of "In the End" music video on TRL that made me stop and listen to you guys. Your songs on this album and "Meteora" got me through high school.

Thank you.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 12

Something you never get compliments on

I answered the opposite of this question for Day 11. It asked about something that people seem to compliment me the most on. Generally, compliments are nice. However, I don't put so much focus on it. It's nice to be complimented. Whenever I do, I'm humbled.

There are a lot of things I do that I don't expect to get compliments on. The way I see it, I don't just do anything just so I can get a compliment. If I like what I'm doing, it's all that matters. Getting feedback is another thing. Feedback allows me to improve or change.

With that said, I don't really know that many examples of something I never get compliments on. There is one compliment I got several months ago. I took it to heart and will always remember how I felt.

I'm done.

Keep your Friends Close

Keep your Friends Close

"Based on the unfriendly state that our economy is in, I'd say our software company is doing quite well at fifty dollars per share. Good job ladies and gentlemen. This meeting is adjourned," I said.

The Senior Head Committee members stood up from their chairs and left the conference room. I just ended the Quarterly-Sales Review meeting. This is another day's work of a Chief Executive Officer. It is tiring having to worry about the slow progress of the economy and its effects on thousands of businesses. I am glad my company is in the videogame industry unaffected by the unstable economy.

30 Days of Truth - Day 11

Something people seem to compliment you the most on

I rarely get compliments. But when I do, it's usually things that people are surprised by the most. Some people say I'm funny. I don't try to be funny, but there are things I say or do that just comes off as funny. I guess it just comes naturally to me. In middle school, I got complimented the most on my Basketball skills. I'm a short guy in basketball standards. But during the teacher vs students game in 8th grade, I played in the second quarter and gained 6 points for the student team by making back to back 3-point shots over my vice-principal. They didn't expect that out of me.

Mostly... I think people compliment me the most on my singing. I like to sing. I try to do my best even at Karaoke even when I know it's just for fun. Secretly, though, it would be nice to compete in American Idol or a singing show.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 10

Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn't know

So I did what I had to for what I talked about in Day 9. There's no use keeping these people in my life. It's hard for me to let go, but I had to.

Right now, the people I surround myself are great. I'm comfortable being myself around them. They're understanding. I like the way they make me feel. I could look for the most inspiring and the kindest word to describe this feeling, but words aren't enough to convey what I feel... sort of like butterflies in your stomach, but more. I could say it in a song, but that's cheesy . Simply put... I'm happy.

I'm done.

30 Days of Truth - Day 9

Someone you didn't want to let go, but just drifted

At some point in time, maybe this was true. There were a few people I wished I still were in good terms with. But they can't help themselves for being a flake... or a fake. So I did what I had to do...

to be continued at Day 10...