With all the work I have been doing, added to TGQ shipping and packing items, added to family and funerals, I have not been able to get Shadow of the Colossus yet. I finally got to last night. I went to Best Buy with the intention to purchase that and Did Dug: DS. Well they still did not have Dig Dug (BB gets it the 26th) but I did grab SotC.

I was running off to met a dinner schedule and was not really paying attention, so I just grabbed the first cased one my hand came in contact with. I did not look at it until I was almost back to my hotel where I was reading the back of the box and noticed that the clear plastic that holds the insert had a big snag on the back that covers about 1/3 of the back in height. I figured the guy did it on accident while removing the game from the security box.

No.

It was shrink wrapped over. Odd. So I look for other odd things and the first thing I notice is that the top of the game is missing the identification sticker on the top of the box or any of the security stickers. Well at this point I am late to dinner and almost there anyways, so I realize that I have to return the game tomorrow (well, now today). I won’t open the game out side of the store and tempt fate, so I am just going to see if they will open the game in front of me. I am going to be really disappointed if this is just a re-shrink wrapped return. I don’t find that shit funny, return it to the manufacturer and get it resealed properly.

Anyways,

So while I was at Best Buy last night I saw that they changed out the DS demo from Nintendogs to… something. I go over, grab the DS and hit start. ‘Pinball, neat. O, this is that Metroid Prime Pinball, neat.’

I had pretty much forgotten this game was coming out and had no plans/desire to purchase it. 5 min pass and my wife reminded me that we need to go to get to dinner on time and I should be buying a game not playing one. What a novel idea, I should buy this. I mean, I could use it as an excuse to test the Rumble Pack add on (which is not very rumbly).

So, this game is really fun. It feels like it was made by someone who wanted to make an excellent pinball game but had to do it within a license. There are little bits of; wall jumping, shooting and bombing. All are mixed in perfectly with the pinball theme as bonus games that are brief. Also, don’t even try to use the stylus for the game, you can’t, at all, they disabled touch sensitivity.

The screen layout is almost perfect for a pinball game. It feels like a double deck pool table for the most part. I am not a master Pinball gamer, but the physics seem much better than other pinball. The theme of Metroid is mixed in quite well and nothing really seems forced, even the music is fantastic.

It makes me wonder what I have been missing since I last played Devil’s Crush. I know that I was interested in Pinball of the Dead (GBA) and Akira Pinball (PS2?). Are either of these good? Are either of these difficult to get? Anyways, I almost completely overlooked this game, if you were interested perhaps you should take a look.

This is an excellent article on the US Coast Guard.

If you did not know I am a second class petty officer in the Coast Guard with almost 6 years in. While they screw me out of more than they should and I hate the military-ness of it all I am proud to be part of it all and will look back on it fondly in the future. Nothing compares to going out in high seas and saving someone from a boat wreak. Nothing. Please give it a read if you get the chance.

I need something to wash the horrid acidic burn of Stigma Star Saga out of my mouth. The concept is fantastic, and even the random battles make sense. It is just that the gameplay itself is truly flawed. The balance of the game seems as though it was not checked at all. Just a bunch of cool ideas thrown together which fail. I don’t really even want to get into details. Just know that if you think you may enjoy this game more than likely you will not.

So what did I do otherwise? Pokemon Emerald. I am working on my 3rd Badge and have about 16 hours in. I have been playing on and off for the past couple months. See, I enjoy Pokemon even thought I know exactly how bland and formulaic it is. There are some disappointing things in Emerald though. Most come from what I can only assume is laziness.

In Fire Red/Leaf Green you have these nice hand drawn images for entering certain buildings and caves and forests that pop up before you go into them. In Ruby/Sapphire all you get is a white or black splash screen. In Fire Red/Leaf Green you also get this little recap of what the last major things you did in the game presented to you as a flashback every time you start up your save game. While this can get mildly irritating if you play on a very regular basis, I was extremely thankful for it those times I took a week off or so from playing.

I can only assume (and would be shocked if I were wrong) that because Emerald uses the main code for Ruby/Sapphire these features were not implemented. It is sad really, that it is a step back. I do know the kind of code that these games have and how difficult it would have been to go back and work these into the game, yet still I am disappointed. I know that had I played Ruby/Sapphire already (which I have not) that this would have been a crushing disappointment.

Now I realize one thing about Fire Red/Leaf Green, that I previously spoke foul of, because of Emerald. I had said that it is too much of the same: “I cant decide whether I hate it or enjoy it. On one hand it feels like Pokemon Yellow all over again. Not just remake ‘all over again,’ it feels the same.” I ended up deciding that I did not really enjoy it. I went from playing Pokemon Yellow straight into (many years later) playing the spiffier version of it. No matter what you do you can only play the same Pokemon game one way. Now, after getting about half way through Emerald, all I can think is how I want to go back and play the original. I think that after I finally finish Emerald that feeling will only be stronger. Add that to the amount of people who never played the original, and I see why it sells so well.

These games for me have been something magical for quite awhile. I thought I had lost that magic with age, but it appears not. My wife is currently playing through Pokemon XD while also playing my Fire Red that I gave her. I almost wish I had just held off as now I know I will want to take the game over after I am done.

…I also bought a Micro. The reason is that I will always have Pokemon on hand. Portable, constant, small, Pokemon. Anyone know where I can get some other faceplates than the ones that came with it?

My well wishes go out to everyone; it seems like a terrible week for very many people right now. To add on to my anger from yesterday I got home (to the hotel) and found out that my Aunt died last night. I just kind of resigned my anger from previously and gave into the shit that life will roll out at me. I feel a little better not that I have submit to it all. I hope other peoples weeks go better. I head to the funeral Friday night if they will let me off work.

I ended up playing Pokemon Emerald last night; I did not have the energy for anything else.

Shit is so fucked up right now I just want to take a baseball bat and break things. Lots of things. Other peoples things. Things to make them feel like it is fucked up right now for them. Fuck things, fuck stuff, fuck people. I should just head to fucking canada.

I saw A History of Violence yesterday. It was fantastic. See it if you get the chance.

I am constantly spending too much time looking at houses to buy. If I am going to pay a realtor to find me a house they need to spend more time on this shit.

I got to play up to half way through the second chapter of Phoenix Wright: Ace Detective. I can now claim that the DS has heralded the second coming of text based games. This is fantastic. Trauma center is fantastic. I hear that Trace Memory is fantastic… I can’t get enough.

Looking at buying houses sucks. I thought I should throw that back in there at the end.

The TGQ’s store went live today and we are selling copies of the magazine pretty well. Things seem to be going fine now. If you are interested please purchase a copy. Here is the transcript of the newsletter we mailed out.

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Now you’re reading with Portable Power. The Gamer’s Quarter online store is now fully functional!

Reading online is fun, but now you’re ready to take it to the next level with this affordable and attractive printed version of The Gamer’s Quarter #3. This issue features 128 digitally printed black-and-white pages with a sturdy full-color, perfect bound cover, printed by Johnson Printing Service. In case you forgot, our magazine is, in fact, a fantastically good read, and should be on every coffee table. In fact, I would give TGQ coffee table priority above an actual cup of coffee!

Each copy is only $5 USD and will begin shipping the week of October 24th. Don’t forget to pick up a couple buttons or stickers while you’re at the store.

Supplies are limited, so point your browser to http://shop.gamersquarter.com/ and order today!

Gaming journalism has never been so new… or affordable.
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I want to, really want to, love Castlevania Dawn of Sorrow. I kept playing for only like 30 min and then go back to Trauma Center. Trauma Center is so outrageous it is fantastic. Then there is Lost in Blue which captures me and won’t let me go. Tonight I plan to get Phoenix Wright and play that. See, I don’t really appreciate AoS or DoS as something when I feel like I should play it or have to play it. I like them when I really want to play them, the right mood. Then, it is fantastic.

I was in New Orleans for 3 hours in between C-130 flights wednesday. There was only so much I could do in that time. I had to sit for 45 min and not do anything or I would have ended up late for the flight. Soma was my companion in time. It worked perfectly inside my house in the ghost town I was staying at. I loved it for those 45 min even though all I did was go back over areas I had previously seen. CV does something for me some of the time, when it is that time … hell.

I don’t know any more.

I got my 10 hour work days and one day a week moved to 9 hour work days and 2 days off a week. Things are looking up. A little.

There is something very unique and bizarre about watching a horribly directed “made for lifetime” movie. Especially after venting to your superiors about your job over a few beers.

See, I don’t really drink very much in general. To tell the truth I could have counted on both hands the amount of times that I have drank in the last year before the hurricane hit New Orleans. Now I drink about every other night.

Strange, the creatures we become when we feel cornered.

Recently I have been able to really appreciate a good director. I mean, my wife asks me: “Why do the directors get all the credit for a movie when most the time they did not even write it?” All I have to do is point to the most recent “made for TV” movie, the hell with “lifetime.” There is a reason these directors are stuck directing for the lowest grossing audience. Even though they might have good material, without skill it still looks bad.

All we are doing is looking at the movie anyways.

So I bought Lost In Blue recently. I have a few hours with it. I kind of stink at it. I don’t know why exactly. Staying alive seems to be hard. The game Reminds me of Harvest Moon. At least the flow of it does. It is pretty damn good. I mean, aside from time flowing quickly it is like you are fighting to survive. Not only like you are playing a game.

There is no point in just playing a game anyways.