 Malik
(7/26/04)
I learned over the weekend about a new feature of GTA:SA that I think I should share with you all. So, while I was reading Gamespot, they had an article about the new method of eating in GTA:SA. So, it seems that Carl Johnson (the protagonist of SA) must regularly ingest food if he wishes to remain healthy. In other words, every once in a while, as you play, you will get some sort of warning that Carl is hungry. If you choose not to eat, then Carl will get weak, look wasted and thin, and end up not being able to, literally, pack a punch. However, at the same time, if you choose to over indulge in food, Carl will get fat and lethargic. In the long run, this means you will be stuck with spending a good deal of time trying to find food to keep our friend Carl healthy and at the same time trim and fit. I will spare you all my thoughts on this matter, for now...however, I will have a new issue of Malik's Bitchings ready on Friday...that should be a good hint of what I think of this teh gay excuse for adding realism into a completely unrealistic (which is a good thing) series...sigh, I have to kill enough time in the real world finding food to not want to waste my virtual time of exploring SA in the pursuit of food. Anyway, I'm still playing Tales of Symphonia, and am loving it. Once again, I must say that anyone who thinks this game is a cheap imitation of FFX or FFX2 is completely full of fanboy shit and should piss off. There is not a damned thing in the plot of ToS that is a clone of FFX/FFX2. The closest thing would be that they both involve people from a given world arriving at a new and unfamiliar world (Tidus goes to Spira, and Lloyd...well, that would be a spoiler for the last 2/3s of ToS). I guess the collection of summons are in both games, but there have been summons in RPGs long before FFX, including in previous Tales games and previous FF games, to name only a couple examples. The story of ToS is truly a great example of why the plot in FFX is so weak, as you witness not only character development (which is lacking in Tidus...who starts off whiney, and ends up whiney, or Yuna who starts as feeling uncaring and ends uncaring...or Wakka who starts off with no personality and ends with no personality...or...I can go through all the characters, but I'll spare you FFX fanboys the awful truth of your beloved obsession). Anyway, I must keep things short tonight since there is no news to really talk of beyond the food thing in GTA:SA...for today, at least. Malik |
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Malik
(7/27/04)
It's quite sad how the most impressive news one can see in a day, in the geek world of news, is either the requirements of video card needed for Doom 3 (like I give a damn anymore) or that game industry analysts expect a big selling last quarter for 2004...like that's a surprise with GTA:SA, Halo 2, Gran Tourismo 4, and a few other big titles coming out starting around October...if this is news to them, then it just shows that supposed "experts" in the field of games need to stop calling themselves experts and start looking at the world of games from a geek's perspective. Anyway, I'm keeping this short tonight since it's my anniversary, so I'm going to spend tonight with my woman. Hopefully, there will be a little more to say tomorrow. Malik |
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Malik
(7/28/04)
It looks like there is a good deal of news coming from the handheld front. Namely in the shipping of the new rehash of the pwN-Gage and a final look and design for the Nintendo DS (which now has an official name, and not just a project name). Some of this matter not to me, like the release of the pwN-Gage QD, since it will just fail like it's predecessor. However, having a final design for the DS is a good thing, since this will let me know, ahead of time, at least some level of whether or not this handheld will even matter to me...but, then again, this will mainly fall onto what games will be available; of which, about 120 are currently in development...so, there's a good chance that there will be something to tide me over and justify a purchase of, yet another, incarnation of the Gameboy...how many have I bought now and how much money have I spent on them? Damn, Nintendo will never die as long as they can think of a new design and name for their classic powerhouse. Like I've been saying for the last week and a half, I'm still playing Tales of Symphonia. This is one of those rare RPGs that can span for well over 45 hours (I'm assuming...I'm not that far yet, but I know I'll pass 45 before I finish this game) and hold my attention the entire time. Usually with long RPGs, like FF7-X, Lunar, blah, blah, I have to take a break somewhere around 35 hours as the game starts to feel stale and a much needed vacation is in order. However, so far so good with ToS and it's blend of an intriguing story and addictive battle mechanics. Anyway, I spent too much time today reading about the DS and the QD (nothing like the humor you get from reading about the hopelessly optimistic Nokia PR people who just don't know what they're stepping into...here's a hint; if it smells like shit, looks like shit, handles like shit...well, you know the rest), and feel like I need to get in a little R&R, ToS style. Malik |
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Malik
(7/29/04)
Well, there's more news of interest, to me at least, in the geek world today. It seems that Rockstar is once again being blamed for something they did not cause...and you guessed right if you thought the obvious; they've been unjustly blamed for causing a stupid kid, who is obviously grossly unsupervised by his parents, to commit an act of horrible and atrocious violence. Anyway, I've punched up a little detail of this bullshit, and a few of my extra thoughts (consider it an early version of Malik's Bitchings for this week...don't worry, a full length issue is coming tomorrow). I'm still playing ToS, but I think I've come to one complaint with the game (don't worry, it doesn't affect my overall review of ToS in any major way); the game keeps cycling your party members a little too much. Every other dungeon you lose use of Collete, and in the other dungeons you usually have to go without one of your powerhouse characters, and then rely on a certain one of your weaker characters for most major boss fights. I can work with this, but it still annoys the crap out of me, since, while each character levels up whether or not they fight, their skills and special abilities can only be learned in combat (with a few exceptions). So, before any major boss fight, you have to waste some time learning some new skills for that certain character who sucks but is required for the fight. At least they haven't pulled a Chrono Trigger (yet, at least), and kicked out the protagonist from the active battle party...yet. Well, I am burning up from the heat, so I'm going to relax a little with ToS and try to get back my current missing party member. Malik |
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Malik
(7/30/04)
Time has a way of sneaking up on me lately...I say this since it feels like the middle of the week to me, yet it's Friday. This, of course, means that it's time for another issue of Malik's Bitchings...and unlike last week, I have a full issue this week (as it should always be)...not to mention the news I brought you all yesterday that had a nice preview type of feel for Malik's Bitchings. This week I'm bringing some news from all sectors of geekdom...everything from the poorly invented feature being added to GTA:SA to the re-emergence of the dreaded and cursed pwN-Gage (this time in a cool 2-letter form...the QD) to the financial and bias related issues of Sony's pocketbook. On a different note, it's insane this Google IPO thing that's getting ready to happen. For those who don't know; Google is offering stock in the near future at a predicted hundred and something dollars a share to begin with. This is crazy in itself, but even more so when you consider the stock options of it's employees...who stand to become overnight millionaires by simply having their jobs. Plus, Google is letting their employees sell some of their stock from the get-go...meaning that even if Google stocks tank, their employees will stand to make good instantly (before a chance of the stock plummeting)...sigh...I wish I worked there...I'd sell it off and live the geek life without a worry or a job. Well, I've spent a little too long formatting Malik's Bitchings today and need to get out of here since the sun is shining and the asphalt is, for once, not bubbling...time for a little summer-style fun before the sun sets. Malik |