This entire week I’ve just wanted to punch the city right in the throat.
First off, while on the way to lunch the other day, I literally got hit by a car; usually when any car is turning into an intersection in Manhattan, it has to wait for pedestrians to pass by. It can be annoying for them, but hey, that’s just the way it is. Well myself and many others were crossing 23rd St and some crazy bitch simply couldn’t wait and just kept turning into 6th Ave. She wasn’t going super fast, but if someone was in her path, she kept on going, with folks literally jumping out of the way. So I figured that I would just stand right in front and force her to stop, but when I realized that she wasn’t going to, I jumped back and got lightly tapped in the knee; thankfully it wasn’t my right knee which had been broken when I got hit by a cab years ago. Again, she wasn’t going fast enough (at that point) to do major harm, but still… I’m also glad that my foot didn’t get run over. As she passed by, I cussed her out (and I wasn’t the only one, mind you) but she clearly didn’t give a shit. I really wish I had an empty Snapple bottle to hurl at her face. That and a pen to write down her license number.
And I don’t know why this always seems to happen with me, but I always end up standing next to some girl who simply can’t handle the moving subway, and who’ll fling around like some out of control pinball (and me as a bumper), just like earlier this afternoon. And of course, it was some “hot” ditzy chick who couldn’t understand me not bending over to accommodate her like she expects all guys to do so (and unfortunately, many do) and instead my “learn how to land lady” look which I shot back.
Then there was the annoying college students making out in the middling of Wendy’s. Nuff said.
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- So I’m back to playing Shadow of the Colossus. I spent about a solid 30 minutes on the third colossi the other night. And I’m embarrassed to admit this, I didn’t know what to do so I had to go online for a clue. And the solution, of course, made me go “why the fuck didn’t I think of that!”
I hate admitting this in public, but I’m just really bad at video games. Or, I used to be good but now I just plain suck at them. I just don’t have the level of focus I once did. I know that I certainly don’t have the dexterity and coordination that I once had. Maybe it’s because (wait for it) I’m too old? Or all that time spent in-front of a computer has rotten my brain…
Also played Gunstar Super Heroes for a bit, which has finally killed any interest in getting a Game Boy Micro once and for all. With so much shit going, it was damn near impossible to tell what’s what on a stock GBA screen. Next time, I better do so via the GameCube and the Game Boy Player. But using the Cube’s controller for GB games sucks… better finally get a Hori pad I guess.
And as for Soul Calibur 3, I’ve more or less given on the single player mission. Like I said, I suck at the game. So its now up to MK to do the dirty work of unlocking characters and the such for me (the very first time she played it, she beat the game as Taki). Did I mention how awesome the random character generator is? There’s various fighting styles, but the most awesomest by far has to be “dancer” in which you fight with two huge tambourines!
- Sega’s in town, so earlier today I got another chance to give Sonic Riders a spin. I was hoping for a different build than the one I previously tried out at DigitalLife, but at least I was able to actually focus on it this time around (without being distracted by some whiney 14 year old who’s complaining about how he’s going to loose the “build a PC in the quickest time” competition due to a mole… that and finally knowing what the controls are). So therefore, I was able to properly play the thing, and as mentioned before, it’s not half bad (though bear in mind that I was a fan of Sonic R).
Here’s an interesting factoid: the folks within Sonic Team behind the game were the ones who were absorbed in the Sonic Team/UGA merger. And I can tell you right now that it’s much better than that god-awful PS2 Astro Boy game. Apparently, Sonic Team asked those folks what they wanted to do next, and it was a racing title (no surprise since a few I believe worked on the original Sega Rally).
- Meanwhile, in the headlines, Keita Takahashi, the man behind Katamari Damacy, has stated that he’s not long for video games, and wants to eventually design playgrounds. It’s sad to hear, but hardly surprising; I can totally understand his frustration with the current state of the industry. And reading about this comments about a sequel really does add credence to the apparent fact that a third Katamari game truly is not necessary. Personally, I’d love to see Densen finally get made.
It would really be a shame to see him go, but I’d actually love to see what he does with children’s playgrounds. Simply because anyone who’s familiar with playground these days might be aware of how fucking lame they’ve become. They’re all now built around the principle that children are like Faberge eggs and need to be protected as such. I think the old playground near my house had the swings removed due to parents being concerned that their kids might accidently hurt themselves (yet another fine example of how big pussies parents have become).
- One game that I’ve been looking our for ever since hearing about the nifty concept is The Movies, in which, along with managing a movie studio via Tycoon interface, you get to actually make movies with virtual actors. Well here’s the first review I’ve read, for the PC version. I’m not sure how it works, but apparently you can direct that a fight scene between a gymnast and a guy in a chicken suit on a subway car. Sweet…
