It Takes Two To Tango

One of the biggest changes that occurred when I made the jump from the PS2 to the PS3, was online gaming. The only game I ever bothered playing online on the PS2 was Amplitude . . . and that was only one time. So needless to say, when I popped into my first online game of Resistance: Fall of Man, I was quite surprised at what I found, forty players randomly running around and shooting at anything that moved. It wasn't something I would call "fun". I disliked the isolation and having to deal with players I didn't know. Strategies were non-existent and "teamwork" was seldom implemented. I found out very quickly that this kind of online multiplayer was just not for me. I almost had given up hope of ever really enjoying online gaming until I picked up a certain game.

I was in the lovely state capital for a summer Anime convention in 2007 and found myself with some left over money that I hadn't spent on anything. I ended up going to the mall and decided to pick up a new video game. I really didn't have anything specific in mind so I was quite surprised when I ended up buying Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas. I didn't enjoy first-person shooters at this time so it was really an odd choice for me to buy and to this day I still don't know why I bought it. When I got back from the trip I only played about thirty minutes worth of the game and never touched it again until a couple months later.

In a round about way I got talking to a guy in Florida (on the GameSpot forums) about how annoying players can be in multiplayer games and how it was hard for me to enjoy the experience. He agreed and we decided to try and play a game together. We didn't share any games but I mentioned that RB6V was the most recent multiplayer game I picked up. The conversation sort of died there until a week later when I got a friend's invite on the PS3 from him saying that he bought the game and wanted to play it with me . . . and the rest is history. We absolutely fell in love with the game and how it forces you to really work as a team and come up with a strategy. We worked so well together that we still play any and every co-op we can find under the clan name "Brain & Pinky" (B&P).

Even really bad games like Conflict: Denied Ops (do not under any circumstances get this game) were fun (and frustrating) in their own way. I have truly found my online niche. I have even expanded the genres of games that I play because of co-op gameplay. Those who know me well, know that I am a huge scaredy cat and dislike anything that can be dubbed "horror". But because of the persuasion of my friend, I picked up Resident Evil 5 just to play it co-op and I have to say that I enjoyed the experience (though I still don't like horror games).

Playing games cooperatively with my B&P buddy or my other friends has become one of my favorite ways to enjoy games. And with new co-op centered games coming out on the horizon, I hope that more developers will see the potential that this feature has and include it in games other than shooters. It's such a great way to connect people who might not live in the same state or even country, yet enjoy the same passions and pastimes.

Winning The Hard Way

I have to say I was worried for the Sharks when I was heading down to San Jose to catch their game against the L.A. Kings. Why? The Sharks have been on a bit of a losing streak, and this isn't the greatest time to be doing so. With less than two months before playoffs start, teams have been battling to get those very important points to keep them in the running for the chance to play for the Stanley Cup. Why is this a bad thing? The Sharks are fine, they lead their division and are guaranteed a playoff spot. Again, why is this bad? Because they seem to lack the shear will and urgency that other teams have and need to keep in the running. So, I was really wondering if the Sharks could pull them out of this slump and win a game against a team that was and still is in a do or die situation.

Luckily for me, the rest of the fans, and the Sharks we all got a wish granted. Number one Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov returned after missing several games do to injury. I love Boucher (the back-up goaltender) but not having Nabby between the pipes for that long and this close to the playoffs was not a good thing. He is the anchor of the team and a very vital part for the Sharks, especially if they want to go all the way. He looked sharp against the Kings and made some amazing saves, including a break two on none break away. Not only did Nabokov defend on a breakaway, he didn't even let the puck carrier get a shot off, forcing him to the outside and around the net granting just enough time for the D-men to get back into position. He was stellar.

Another player that returned from injury was former Kings captain Rob Blake who now wears teal and I love him for it. He was also from my favored 2000-20001 Stanley Cup winning Colorado Avalanche team back when I first started watching hockey. Goals were very few and hard to come by in this game. Milan Michalek scored the first goal of the game and the only Sharks goal in regulation. The Kings came back and tied it up in the second period and it would remained tied forcing overtime. Again, overtime remained scoreless which resulted in a shootout. I was excited because it was the first shootout I had seen live. Seven rounds of shootout resulted with both Nabokov and Ersberg making some great saves. But it was Jonathan Cheechoo who scored finally and Nabby making the last save that gave the Sharks their 67th win of the year!

As I was heading home, the Sharks were headed down to Anaheim to play the Ducks, the former team of Travis Moen who was acquired right before the trade deadline. When I first heard the news that two Ducks would now be wearing Teal, it was hard to take. But I have to admit, Moen has been doing a good job, he even got the game winning goal against his former team. Still, I can't help but think of him as a Duck first, lol. I can only imagine what would happen if some of my favorite Sharks players were traded to another team. Would I stay a Sharks fan or follow them over? Hopefully, I'll never have to find out.

But for now, I'm happy that the Sharks are back to winning, even if the wins have gotten more difficult to come by. Hopefully, this will help them on their quest to reach the Stanley Cup finals and finally obtain the ultimate reward in sports.

Returning To Silicon Valley

This past weekend I had the chance to leave town and head down to one of my favorite top two cities, San Jose, California (the other being Las Vegas, Nevada). Why, you might ask? It was for my bi-annual San Jose Sharks hockey trip! I usually go down four to five times a year, two with my father to catch a game and the other times to go down for grocery shopping and just to have a fun little vacation. This time, my mother (and dog) decided to come down and make it a full family mini vacation. We left on Friday, March 13th (to my dismay since I missed out on the midnight release of Resident Evil 5!) and got down in a decent amount of time. We ended up staying at a different hotel, The DoubleTree, because of the dog. It was a very nice hotel that offered a lot of services and amenities for the vacationer and business person alike. They even gave cookies at check in!

After dropping all of our stuff in the hotel room we headed downtown and went shopping at some of the stores that we don't get to go to very often. The Men's Warehouse was the first stop we made. My father is a mortician, so he has to have a lot of dress suits and because he is tall it's hard to find the right size up where we live. So, we ended up spending around 3 hours in the store trying to find the best suits, dress shirts, and ties for him! I wasn't bored though, since I love suits and ties for some reason so I enjoyed seeing all the various styles and designs. Unfortunately, because of the time we spent there, we couldn't hit any of the other stores around and had to postpone them for Saturday. We did however stop at one of our favorite restaurants down there, The Mongolian B.B.Q., if you have never gone to one, it's a must!

Saturday, March 14 we woke up early and hit the Westfield Valley Fair, one of the largest malls in Northern California. My mother hit the usual stores like Macy's and Sanrio, while I hit a local sporting goods store (to pick up a new Sharks hat) as well as a Hot Topic. After coming out of Hot Topic with a new Pinky and the Brain shirt, I turned the corner, and there was a little piece of heaven - A SonyStyle store!!! I would have spent the night in that store if I could have! There were so many new gadgets and gizmos, ah, it was wonderful. Out of all of my loves and hobbies, my number one has to be electronics. I am truly a Gizmodo through and through.

Later that night my father and I went to the Sharks game against the Los Angeles Kings. It was fun but I'll have to blog a bit more on that later. The next day, Sunday March 15, we all piled back into the car and headed home. But we did make one little detour so I could snap a picture of the Sony building before we left. All in all, I had a lot of fun and cannot wait to return to San Jose in May!

Year Of The Dragon

Everyone has their own way of rating games. Mine is pretty straight forward - sucky, so-so, good, great, and awesome. But there are certain games that I feel that "awesome" just doesn't do them justice. These games have great graphics and killer gameplay but they also possess something more. An amazing story that sucks you in, a soundtrack that draws out so many emotions, and characters that you fall in love with. These are the games that molded me into the gamer I am today. These are the games that have forever changed my outlook not only towards gaming in general but in life as a whole. These games, I can only describe as Qwarktastic.

My first video game console was the original PlayStation that I received for my birthday. I have to say that I wasn't happy about getting it at all. The only reason I received it was because my brother talked my parents into getting it for me so he didn't have to wait the extra six months until his birthday. In spite of him, I played it, and played it a lot. At the time though I only thought that video games meant racing and fighting games . . . that's it. No shooters, no RPGs, nor adventure games. I wasn't a gamer then, I wasn't even a PlayStation fan. Gaming was something I did to pass the time, not the hobby I have come to love. My transformation from some kid that just wanted to waste a few hours to a full on gamer girl who loves every part of the video game industry is accredited to one game that I received on Christmas 1998.

I was pretty surprised when I unwrapped Spyro on Christmas morning. I immediately popped it in and began my first adventure. I was so surprised by the vibrant colors and world designs but I was most surprised by the character details. Spyro was funny and sarcastic while the other dragons were a bit stupid and gullible. Even Sparx was spunky and entertaining. The worlds that you traveled to were all unique and complex. This was my first taste of open world gameplay and I loved it. The platforming sections were fun and I greatly enjoyed running around the worlds headbutting sheep and other various creatures.

I have to credit Spyro with a lot of things - helping me fall in love with video games, introducing me to the platformer genre (which is still my favorite genre), introducing me to Insomniac Games (one of my top three developers), and keeping me interested in video games as a whole. Spyro is one of those games that I enjoyed so much that I still go back and play it from time to time. I find that even though the graphics are old, its still so vibrant and fun that I don't really notice the drop in quality unlike some PlayStation games. If you have never played the game, you really have no excuse since it is available on the PSN Store for $5.99. I definitely believe that this is one of those games that is a must to have in any game collection.

Qwarktastic Qwest!

• Title: Spyro the Dragon
• Developer: Insomniac Games
• Publisher: SCEA
• ESRB: Everyone
• Original Release Date: 09.10.98
• Original Platform: PlayStation
• Re-Release Date: 10.24.07 (PSN Store)
• Re-Release Platforms: PS3, PSP

Otaku Obsession Vs. Economic Recession

Everyone has been affected by this economic recession (I can't believe they are still calling it that) either through higher prices, higher taxes, and loss of jobs. Though my job isn't very secure, I have never really worried too much about the recession least of all be greatly affected by it . . . until now. I knew prices would go up as well as taxes, so I was prepared for the increase in expenditures but I was blindsided by the other areas this recession affected.

I was perusing a few Anime and Manga websites to read the daily news one day, when I came across some surprising information. Some of the biggest Anime and Manga distributors to the U.S. were cancelling some of their products. These are big name companies like Bandai, Funimation, Tokyopop, and Viz just to name a few. Some of the series that are being cancelled haven't even been seen stateside but others have already been partially released.

As a huge Otaku and a major collector, this news came as a shock to me. Especially considering that a few of my series were included in the chopping block list. This is also very disappointing news for me because it means that the popular series that make the most money will not be affected but some of the lesser great Anime and Manga series will never get the opportunity to be seen by the American populous. Series like Naruto especially come to mind. Don't get me wrong, Naruto has had some great moments but it also falls into the same rut as a lot of anime series do - filler episodes. The anime series is littered with them. And because of its popularity, other great series like Moribito and others are being thrown to the curb.

Though, not as serious as some of the other news coming out because of the recession, I was still stunned to see how many different areas this recession has affected. I'm curious to see how FanimeCon looks when I go down in May. When I went down in 2007 it was packed with people and filled with vendors. This year though, I think I will see a significant decrease in attendance by both sides of the Anime and Manga industry. Hopefully this trend won't last much longer but I am definitely going to be more careful about which Anime and Manga series I decide to buy.