Endless Game Review

For Christmas, I was given a $50 gift card for Gamestop. Thank you very much, Conrad, you know me well.

I've just now gotten around to making use of it. The trouble was that I hadn't been giving my hobby of video gaming much thought. My wife might scoff; perhaps I should clarify. I hadn't been giving NEW video gaming much thought. I'd been playing such games as Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, and Star Wars Galaxies.

(Minor footnote: Yes, I am well aware that both Mass Effect and Assassin's Creed came out very recently and therefore might be considered new gaming. Well, not to me they weren't. Both games have been on my radar for years now. By the time I'd finally played them, I felt as though I'd just been given everything I knew I would receive all along.)

So, giftcard in hand, I decided to take a flying leap away from good sense and purchase a couple of games I knew absolutely *nothing* about. The two games in question ended up being Endless Ocean and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. The former is on the Wii, the latter on the DS.

I have not yet cracked the case on Phantom Hourglass, but let me just say this about Endless Ocean: It is absolutely beautiful in every respect. Easily the best looking game on the Wii to date. To me, it is a scream of truth in the face to anyone who says good graphics on the Wii are an impossibility. Wake up, Wii developers! The system is more powerful than you're letting on. Grow some talent and make some real games!

The above is said in a sort of pseudo-relief, in that Endless Ocean is *not* a game, not as we know it. The objective is to swim. Swim, swim to your heart's content. Become familiar with the sea life. Look down upon glistening coral. Explore shipwrecks. Listen to the breathtaking musical score. It is not a game. It is a work of art in the vague shape of a game. There are objectives to be sure, but none of them are of the "Kill the huge man-eating shark, save the world" variety. It's something of a shock to think that there are all manner of lifeforms swimming around with you as you dive, and *gasp!* nowhere in your objectives does it become necessary to kill any of them!

Anyway, the musical score includes (a somewhat renowned vocalist whose name I cannot remember but will edit in later). Her voice in the score will either make you weep for joy of beauty, or make you want to rip off your ears and eat them, depending on your tastes. If you don't like her, the makers of the game wisely included a function that permits you to listen to your own MP3s off the Wii's SD Card Reader while you play. Very smart technology and I hope more games make use of it.

Overall, I'd recommend picking up Endless Ocean if you're into this sort of thing. Only you can answer that question for yourself.

Brawl may have Sonic, but Soul Calibur has the Force!

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/29535.html

So apparently Darth Vader and Yoda are going to be in Soul Calibur IV.

This makes me want to do many things; some good, some bad. It is a truly rare quandry. Part of me wants to cry for joy and giggle like a schoolgirl with a crush. Another part of me wants to leap from the tallest cliff in Indiana and embrace death. Still other parts of me argue over whether the PS3 or XBox 360 would be the platform on which to own this, considering the game will only feature one of these Jedi, and which one you get depends on which platform you own. For the curious, those who purchase the PS3 will be treated to the presence of Vader in their fighting game, whereas those of us with the 360 will be in the care of Yoda. Not possible, I'm sorry to say, to have both at the same time unless you own both systems and buy the game twice.

In other news, not a lot of writing got done this weekend. I'd normally lament that, however it was the weekend of my wife's birth. It was a weekend for her, and we spent it as such. Friday was dinner and hanging out with friends. Saturday we spent as she dictated; I performed any task and took her anywhere she liked without complaint or hesitation. (If you know me, you know that's a treat.) Sunday we spent with her mother and stepfather and then wandered around for a few hours looking for soap.

No, I'm not kidding. Her facial bar that she uses to keep her skin cleansed of blemishes ran down to the final sliver on Sunday morning, and when we went to Meijer to look for more they were out. This is the only stuff that works for Jess and she apparently feels just grody all day without having washed her face in it, so it was absolutely imperitive that we find her some. Problem is, we didn't. Meijer, Target, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, nobody had this antibacterial facial bar.

So, what do all 'net-savvy people do when they can't find something? We ordered it online. What will end up being a year's supply of this stuff cost us eighteen bucks, and free shipping ta boot. Hey, sold!

I've ordered many things online, from dinner to major appliances, but I've never been able to claim ordering soap until now. It's easier for me to recount what I *haven't* bought from an online store in the past; that list is actually smaller.

Gym Beam

It's amazing how much poking and prodding a man can receive over the course of a day to write in his blog. Not that I mind; I consider it a form of flattery bordering on unspoken love and adoration. It would have to be. These people have a thirst that can only be quenched by my written words! I think you'd have to be at least enamored with a person to desire their writing this badly, especially when one considers the complete lack of anything interesting in my posts.

Once again, I put my nose to an incredibly daunting, tall as a birch tree, sixteen thousand RPM, fine-grain grindstone. This is a truly bad ass stone wheel, emblazoned on its side in fiery letters that say, "GET IN SHAPE!" It's my fault, really; I did it to myself. I always gave myself more credit than I deserved. I never dreamed I would have the weight problem I now face, and I always told myself I would never get myself into this situation. It was a covenant with my own body that I can no longer deny adulterating on. Mel Gibson knows the penalty of such a transgression well. As they say in Thunderdome: "Bust a deal, face the wheel."

Monday morning, I spent nearly an hour on the treadmill. That night I lifted. One day down, roughly two hundred to go. That's one big hill to push the boulder over. I am, however, encouraged by just one evening's results. I can feel my muscles rejoicing at being put to work even now. It gives me confidence, makes me believe that I can be successful and achieve the rock-hard abs, the proud pectorals, the lean and trim skin stretched snugly across the surface of each workhorse in my body.

In other news, four more pages of manuscript over the weekend. This is a much slower pace than I am used to. Four or five pages every few days? Would that I could give more to the typewriter, but I simply lack the energy most nights. When I get home from work, I'm good for a meal, a chuckle at whatever Futurama DVD we put in, perhaps a video game or two, and if it was a good day, possibly an adventure between the sheets of our bed. That's it. That's all I've got juice for.

Some of it is interchangeable; I'm having to trade video games for weight lifting now on some nights. To look at it in strictly technical terms, though, none of those activities could be traded in for a writing session. After a spiritually and emotionally draining day at the office, what little spark I have remaining cannot hope to light the boredom-soaked tinder of my creativity. I have elected to not even bother from this point forward, not unless I am truly feeling it for some reason on a given work night. It happens, sometimes when I least expect it.

One other item of note: My wife has mentioned an interest in updating this blogs layout, using my typewriter as her inspiration. I know you're reading this, love, and if you decide you wish to do it you have my full support and, indeed, my expectant enthusiasm. Since Livejournal I've never had a blog layout I was truly happy with. It would be nice to see it again.
Thank you for your time, faithful readers. I promise I will post again very soon.

Leaving the Wii Places

The new year is upon us. This is not news. If you were unaware, I'd love to see the hole you've been living in. It's probably got some great stuff at the bottom. Like... Atlantis. It is not news that the year is now 2008, but I mention it anyway out of a sense of tradition, as well as some other reasons that will be given color later in this post.


As the new year begins, I cannot help but notice that for the last... oh, two weeks or so, I've failed to update my blog. Even under challenges and proposed deadlines by my friends, even threats of pain and death, I simply could not be brought to write a post in here. The reason is decidedly simple: I was on vacation. What do you want to see in my blog? "Well, today I didn't take a shower until about four in the afternoon. I sat around and played video games, ate chicken patties, and achieved level 90 in Star Wars Galaxies." That about sums it up for each of my days off.


Actually it doesn't; come to think of it, there were some items of note.


We saw Josh and Randi on Christmas Eve, right around lunch-ish. We exchanged gifts, talked, ate, laughed a lot, had a pretty good time in general. From them, I received (in random order): A Darth Vader Potato on a Keychain, a Star Wars Calendar, and a package of socks. I asked for those on the advice of Albus Dumbledore: "One can never have enough socks." My wife received a mortar and pestil, and an apron for the kitchen. She immediately made use of both when we got home and many evenings since, so good call you two.


(IMPORTANT NOTE: If I've forgotten anything, don't take offense, just leave a comment and I'll fix it. It's early on my first day back at work. To give you an idea of my state of mind right now, I didn't even realize what flavor of Gatorade I'd bought with my breakfast until I'd gotten back to my desk. This is telling, since I *thought* I'd purchased tea.)


We then proceeded to the Christmas Eve/Christmas Day Proper, which included time with her dad, time with my parents, was *supposed* to include time with my grandparents but we didn't make it because we were both pretty wiped out, and time together. Christmas is a time for taking a limited amount of daylight and dividing it six ways, as all family people know well.


We spent time with her father on Christmas Eve, late in the evening. Gifts were exchanged, mostly of the gift card variety. Not a single bad thing to say there; I'm very much a gift card person. People have a hard time shopping for me since my needs and wants are so simple and I never know what the hell I desire until I actually desire it, which is never around Christmas since I have so much else on my mind. My wife made chili for the first time and it was a huge hit. Jessica: "Your skill at Cooking has increased! (1)"


Christmas morning, my wife and I did our thing. This was the highlight, the real handle, since I'd been dying to know what it was that my wife had done for me and had been dangling over my head for more than a month. What I unwrapped, I didn't believe: A 1938 Underwood typewriter. The Workhorse. Fantastic condition, works, perfectly... this, friends, was a find in and of itself. She also got me a towel with the number 42 on it (it's funny if you get the joke), and Mass Effect and Mario Galaxy as stocking stuffers.

Needless to say, I felt a little spoiled.

For her, I gifted her with a wireless Wacom tablet, Sketchbook Pro 2 to go with it, and the art book for Assassin's Creed. See her blog for her reactions on those things, if any.

The typewriter, smelling ancient in its original 1938 carrying case, made the trip to my parents house. I had to brag.

In a time where my parents are wondering where their next meal is coming from, it was odd to then go over to their house and see that they'd somehow dug *deep* and gifted everyone once again, and richly. My brothers were there, my sister-in-law, my nieces and nephew... It was noisy and crowded, but also warm and smiling and love-filled. In other words, Christmas in all its glory.

The day ended with us sleeping like rocks and my wife going back to work the next day, while I remained at home alone and got real cozy with Mass Effect. I'll be writing a review of that and Mario Galaxy later on, so don't worry. I also got my X-Wing out of the hanger and flew around space in SWG for a while. I rewrote the first few chapters of my book on the new (old) typewriter, which takes some getting used to. I slept a lot. In other words, detox for the gamer's soul. A good mental scrubdown from a year of mindless tedium at my current employer.

New Years was a fun time. Hung out with my bother, his friend James, and his wife. We left the Wii in his care since he's got nothing else to do. He'll probably master Guitar Hero in all the alone time he'll have with it. /grumble

This... has gotten wordy. I will write another one tomorrow.