Tournament Stick

Sweet Baby Lettuce!  i got my fight stick in today, and it is FANTASTIC.  as you've probably heard already, this is not your dad's madcatz peripheral.  i've only really tested it with SSFIIHDR, as SFIV isn't out until wednesday, but lemme tell you!  it works like a dream, it's weighted perfectly and feels oh so right at the ends of my grubby little fingertips.  here's a janky phone picture i took.  

i'll add more pics once i break out the real camera.

SFIV again...

We're about a week away now, and i'm so excited i could SQUEAL!  i've got it paid off, and the tournament stick as well so i'll be sure to add impressions once i've tried them both out.  it would be amazing if i could use it to play MVC2 on the original XBOX, but it isn't meant to be.

wow, that was a run on sentence, no?

i'm sure you can tell i'm amazingly stoked.  i've been watching videos in my spare time getting prepped and ready for the play style.  i hear it's got an awesome training mode, which will be good as i haven't played straight up SF in a while.

i've been playin' lots of MVC2 with my roommate and we finally unlocked all the characters and colors so we can select 3 of the same character -sweeeet-.  i admit, he did much more of the work for it than i did, but hey, it's his game ;D

i'm still trying to get through NGII, and it's still kicking my ass.  i feel like i'm not a gamer anymore!  i can't beat Ninja Gaiden!  how terrible.  it is a sad, sad day.  i think i'll go through God of War again, and that will prep me for some good ole NG.

well folks, i gotta hit the sack.  update soon!

GoodReads

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars

i LOVE this book. i don't want to over-hype it, so i'll try not to get too excited. i'm surprised to see people say it drags at points, or is un-exciting. i don't recall reading a novel this thick so quickly. i just couldn't put the damn thing down. if you can keep up with the different plot lines, you'll be aces. but, if you tend to not really pay attention when you're reading you should probably skip it.


View all my reviews.

Street Fighter IV

So effi'n stoked for this game. I've been a Street Fighter junkie since day one. i still remember going to the bowling alley when i was a kid, walking straight to the arcade and throwing myself into the Street Fighter arcade game. not SFII mind you, the ORIGINAL street fighter. aMAZing. it's pretty crap awful in retrospect, but it began my love with all things SF. then, one teenage afternoon, i remember heading to The Mine Shaft (R.I.P.) and seeing this new arcade cabinet.

Street Fighter II. OH. MY. GOD. was this the same game from all those years ago? it couldn't be! this was too new, too juicy, too beautiful! Dhalsim was the first character i ever chose, and i remember choosing Ryu, and then Chun-Li in the following battles. this was even before the days of placing your quarter on the screen ledge to call 'next'. what a glorious afternoon that was. i was ADDICTED to this game. riding my bike many a weekend with a pocket full of ones, up to the Game Room at Birdcage Walk. those were the days man. those were the days.

i was sure to visit my new best friend at least 1 weekend a month. i remember the joy i felt when i discovered Ryu's special moves were the same as the first game. i quickly applied the moveset to additional characters, and in that moment there really was no turning back. i've jumped headlong into any fighting experience Capcom can throw at me, and for the most part they've done me right. sure, there are a few stinkers, but the hits more that make up for the misses.

February 18th. Be Ready.

big red

i'm not really sure why, but the 'Big Red' song has been plowing through my head for the last 48 hours. i'm starting to get irritated, but at the same time, i just want to know WHY this song is in my head.

dag.

man, i lag TERRIBLY don't i? i have no cause to wonder to myself why my visitors are infrequent. i don't keep them entertained. or informed. which is a shame.

however, i DID play and finish Prince of Persia for the 360, and i dug it. a lot. some have chided it as being to easy, bot for me it was nice to have an experience where the character on screen was actually doing JUST what you wanted him to do. there are multiple paths through the stages which are a blast to run through. there is an option to teleport to areas you've already visited, but i found myself running back and forth just for the sheer thrill.

it's a gorgeous game as well. i'm a big fan of concept art, and to see it in motion was amazing. by the time i finished with the game i was quite satisfied. it didn't leave me feeling incomplete like some games can at the ending. speaking of, the ending really surprised me, and i'm really excited for what they think of next for the new prince. there are a few extras to 'unlock' basically just new costumes, but it's a nice addition. something different to look at the second time through.

i actually found myself wanting to play through assassin's creed just because of the altair skin.

Dead Space DLC

i awoke today to find an ad on my XBOX360, promoting downloadable content for Dead Space. i'm all for DLC, but at least make it worth my while for foot's sake. different color costumes and guns? that's BS. give me a new mode or level, don't just re-texture some shit and think that's enough.

then again, this IS an EA game, and they're known for bullshit like this so i shouldn't be surprised. i'm more disappointed really. i had a lot of fun in this game, and would LOVE to find another reason to spend MORE time, but new outfits aren't gonna do that for me.