It has been entirely too long since I updated this, so bare with me as I ramble.
School has occupied a great deal of my time. Over the summer I took two classes: Masterpieces of Literature and Astronomy.
My astronomy class was a great waste of time. My literature class the exact opposite. I read The Iliad and The Odyssey in like...3 weeks. It was ridiculous, but I loved every line. Akhilleus (I no longer say Achilles, Romanized spelling be damned) has become one of my favorite literary heroes.
Anywho, this semester has started and I'm going to have much more free time. I plan on writing a lot more, reading a lot more, and hopefully keeping up with this blog a lot more. So far, I've been getting a lot of writing done. Not so much the other two, so here's an improvisational new year's resolution. Or something.
So what have I been playing/ have played since I last posted?
Well it's been so long!
Metal Gear Solid 4.
I played and beat this the first weekend it was available. Like a true dork, I took days off of work in order to accomplish this. I don't regret it. Having gotten over the post MGS4 high, I'm able to look back on the game objectively. I loved every minute of it, but it did have its flaws. I realize now that I would have loved some of the old school MGS1 or 2 sneaking. And that's what I think the major problem is. The game gave you fits of gameplay, like a buffet without a main course. Acts 1 and 2 were brilliant. Sneaking on the battlefield was so very well implemented. Act 3, on a replay, is the weakest act. Even if you know exactly where to go, you have to wait for the spy who walks at the speed of a crawling baby in order to reach your destination. The first time through this was so unique and different that I thought it must be amazing. Playing it again, however, I found it annoying. Aside from the on rails section at the end, this is my least favorite act. The scene at the end almost makes up for it, though.
Anyway, I'll probably have to sit down and write an actual review for this game. Suffice it to say I love it and it stands high on my list of favorite games ever.
I bought and played about 10 or 11 chapters of Ninja Gaiden 2. I was a huge fan of the first, so I was greatly anticipating this game. It mostly delivers. There are several technical issues that are very strange considering the developer. Itagaki and Co. usually deliver only the most polished of games. Rarely are there any glitches, bugs, or framerate drops in their titles. So imagine my surprise when, in the first level, I notice the framerate drops noticeably. I thought perhaps it was a fluke; too many enemies on screen, or things going on in the background perhaps. No, it was not a fluke. The framerate drops horribly and often throughout the entire game. One moment was so bad, I don't know how it passed certification. It felt as if the game was chugging along at 10fps.
I could probably tolerate the framerate if the game were fun. And it is, but not as much as the first. Team Ninja has amped the difficulty up. Instead of hard but fair, the game is hard and cheap. I am not one of the candy ass suckas who bitch that NG1 was too difficult. I have finished that game on every difficulty at least once, massochist that I am. NG2, though, is NOT fair. Difficulty in this comes from offscreen enemies pegging you with projectiles while you fight in close quarters. The further in the game I got, the more enemies appeared shooting or throwing stuff at me. The camera does not lend itself to dodging shurikens coming at you from off screen, and so I found my combos getting interrupted not by enemies I was fighting, but the ninjas who were hidden in a crevice the camera refused to acknowledge. It is extremely frustrating and instead of feeling satisfied when I clear an area, there was only anger. And sadness. But mostly anger.
I stopped at chapter 10 or 11 because of this. I'm sure I'll go back eventually, but right now there's too much other stuff to play. Like Disgaea 3 or Infinite Undiscovery. I'm pretty much Tri-Ace's bitch.
Soul Calibur 4 came out and I've been playing this A LOT. It is a great fighter, aside from a few glaring flaws.
I've been focusing on Setsuka, Hilde, and Taki for the most part. Setsuka is probably my favorite character in the game. I just love using her. She's got ludicrous amounts of style.
Anyway, I'll try to keep up a bit more with this.
This has been a Skillzilla Rambling
