No sheep were harmed in the making of these blogs. A few gnorcs, but no sheep.

• 28Aug 12

  End of the Road

  Hello GameSpot. Today is my fifth anniversary on GS... and my last.

  At first I was going to make this long, but I want people to actually read it. Yes, I am leaving GameSpot. Why? This site is no longer fun. I remember discovering this site five years ago and having a blast starting out my profile, rating my favorite games, and posting on the forums.

  But now, this site is full of glitches that it's barely usable. Literally, everytime I log on GameSpot I get a Bonk error or the page fails to load. I gotta say, I almost feel embarassed to be staying on this site in its current state.

  The only reason I have put up with this site in recent times was because of my friends over at the Catz Clan. If I hadn't joined the union three years ago, I would've left the site then. But now, it seems like these glitches aren't ever going to go away. It's very ironic that the server maintenance was supposed to fix all of these bugs but instead made everything worse.

  None of the features here are going to keep me from leaving either. I already use GameFAQs to keep track of all of the games I own and I use Backloggery to sort out what games I've beaten and/or currently playing.

  As for the other people not from the CC that do happen to read my blogs, I'm afraid that we are about to part separate ways. I've met a lot of cool people on GS that I'm actually proud of calling my friends. I may come back to respond to a few comments (if there are any), but after that, I'm done. All of the main members of the Catz Clan have been tired of dealing with these problems so much that we've set up our own Zetaboard instead of posting here. If you would like to join us, feel free to do so, we always welcome new members. Here is the link to the Catz Clan Sanctuary.

  So yeah, that's it from me. Later.

  • Posted Aug 28, 2012 7:21 pm GMT
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• 2Apr 12

  It's Fightin' Time

  Hey, ya'll. Haven't done a blog since my GotY blogs so I think now would be a nice time to do another.

  What have I been doing since then? Well, not very much. I don't think I've been gaming as much as I did last year. Right now, I've only beaten 10 games. Spyro 1, Spyro 2, Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, Skylanders, Professor Layton and the Last Specter, L.A. Noire, Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, Pokemon LeafGreen, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team.

  I don't know why, but I get bored of a lot of games I have now. Maybe it's because they're outdated or I need new ones, I don't know. Right now I'm playing through Spyro 3 (again) and Pokemon White. I only have about 10 more levels or so to beat in Spyro 3 then that should be done. And in Pokemon White I'm at the 4th gym, but I need to level grind. My current team is Pignite, Herdier, Swadloon, Sandile, and Solosis. I don't know who my last member should be, but when I played Black I had trouble with Dragon types so I should probably pick and Ice type. Vanilluxe, Beartic, and Cryogonal are the only choices for Ice types, I believe, so one of those will have to do. And I don't know if I'll keep Herdier because Normal types don't have any type advantage but Herdier's not a bad Pokemon. I don't know, we'll see.

  I've also been watching Digimon Data Squad, which is the 5th season of Digimon. In case you didn't know, Digimon was one of my favorite shows growing up and I was a huge fan. I remember waking up early each Saturday as a kid to watch the show. I had so many of the toys it wasn't even funny. I had seen the first four seasons, but I never took the time to watch season 5 because I had kinda grown out of the series. I decided to change that, so I went on YouTube to watch it. Like the other seasons, it started out pretty slow and the plot didn't pick up until about 1/4 of the way through. But as the story progressed, it grew on me. The characters were starting to get more likeable and the plot kept getting better. By the end of the season, it was clear to me that it's my new favorite. I didn't expect it to be that good either. Everything about it was perfect. I actually teared up a bit at the ending too. There's also been a 6th season, but it hasn't been dubbed yet. I am looking forward to it though, and hope it can follow in Data Squad's footsteps.

  I also took the ACT last month. Throughout the whole year, we'd been doing practices for it and I had been doing decently in them. Some of the best ones I got were a 24 in a Math test and a 28 in a Reading test. I wasn't really worried to take the tests, but I wasn't sure how well I'd actually do though. I got my scores last Thursday and I was a little disappointed. My composite score was 19, which isn't necessarily bad, but I wanted a higher score. My lowest score was a 17 in math, which was upsetting, because it's one of my best classes. I got a 22 in English, 19 in Reading, and an 18 in Science. I don't think I'm going to retake it, but I do think I should've put a little more effort in.

  I know I went a little off topic, but I wanna get back to games. Specifically games coming out this year. Every year I usually do a little list with pics of games I want, but I never really go in detail about them. Kinda like my GotY blog, besides last year's. So, I thought this would be a good time to do brief writeups because there's a lot of games I want this year. So, here we go. I don't feel like putting them in a numerical list, but obviously the last one I write about is my most anticipated game.

  Pokemon + Nobunaga's Ambition

  With all the crossovers games out there, this one probably doesn't make that much sense. I had never heard of the Nobunaga games until I saw the user level on GameSpot. I don't really know what to expect from this game, but it looks interesting. It's definitely a new experience in the Pokemon series and I'm all for that. The artwork for this game looks amazing too.

  Rayman 3 HD

  This game already came out a few weeks ago, but I don't care. The first two Rayman games were amazing and I only played the GBA version of Rayman 3. The console versions are look very different, so I want to experience this version too.

  Sonic 4: Episode 2

  I'm stuck on the final boss of Episode 1, which is pretty difficult, so this might have to wait, even though it's not out yet. Sonic 4: Episode 1 was pretty great though. I did not expect a 4th game to actually come out, so that was nice. Tails is going to be in this game too, which will be sweet.

  Jak and Daxter HD Collection

  This game is already out too, but I haven't gotten it yet. I've only played a bit of the first Jak and Daxter game, but it's pretty fun so far. I'm holding out on playing it so I can just play it in the Collection. Plus it'll have trophies.

  Ratchet & Clank HD Collection

  Another HD Collection coming out this year is a Ratchet & Clank one. I've been waiting for this forever. I never got to experience Ratchet & Clank when it first came out so this will be a great time to do so. I have Up Your Arsenal, but I never got that far so I can play it on here. Plus, it'll have trophies.

  Halo 4

  Even though it looks like Halo is going the route of Call of Duty, I'm still excited for this. I am excited to see 343's first Halo game, since Combat Evolved Anniversary is only a remake. I'm hoping it's more like Halo 3, which is my favorite in the series and one of my favorite games of all time. I do hope they keep a lot of Reach's online features though, like the ranking system. I liked that a whole lot more in Reach than in 3.

  Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing 2

  I'm just going to go out there and say that the first Sonic & Sega Racing game was a lot more fun than any Mario Kart game I've played. Granted, I've only played Mario Kart DS, but Sonic & Sega was better. At first it looked like a clone to me, but once I tried it out it was pretty fun. The selection of characters was nice, the tracks were cool, and the missions were not bad. My favorite racers are AiAi and Alex Kidd. I do hope they add more characters in the second game though because it seems like a lot of popular Sega series were left out.

  Grand Theft Auto V

  I know it's highly unlikely this game will come out in 2012, but I want to include it here anyway. Grand Theft Auto IV is one of my favorite games of all time and one of the few games I've given a 10. The reason was because it was amazing. Everything about it was perfect; the story, the gameplay, everything. The multiplayer is good enough to keep me playing to this day. I was a bit skeptical of having GTA V be in San Andreas because I didn't really have a desire for GTA: San Andreas' characters and plot. But it looks like something completely different, so I'm excited. The graphics look beautiful too.

  Pokemon Black 2/White 2

  This came as a shock to me because I never imagined there being a Pokemon game that was a direct sequel. I expected Gray to come after Black/White, but this was a nice surprise. Black/White had a pretty good story, so it would be pretty cool to see GameFreak expand upon it. It looks like Kyurem has a big part in the game, seeing as how they've given him new forms. I'm excited to see what these games have in store for us and maybe they'll continue doing sequels like these in the future.

  Skylanders: Giants

  Nope, not my most anticipated game. Even though I gave the first one a 10. I really loved Skylanders 1 though. It was my most anticipated game last year and it lived up to that hype. It was the first thing I played on Christmas last year and I had a blast. The game is really fun and it comes the closest to feeling like a classic Spyro game. A lot of people hate on the toy concept, but I think it's really neat. I currently have 18 out of 32 toys and will not stop until I collect them all. This game is adding 16 new Skylanders to the game, 8 of them being Giants, hence the title of the game. The plot looks similar to the first, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I do hope that Activision does good with this series and it doesn't become a cash cow.

  Sly 4: Thieves in Time

  If you read my GotY blog, this should come as no surprise to you. After playing The Sly Collection last year, the Sly series became my third favorite game series. Sly 3 had closure to the series, but I absolutely wanted a new game in the franchise. At E3 last year, I nerdgasm'd when Sly 4 got announced. They hinted at this in the ending of Sly 3 and in a teaser trailer in the Sly Collection. Sony won E3 last year just because of this. But anyway, I am really looking forward to this. The plot has always been good in the Sly games, so I'm expecting a lot of it. It has something to do with time travel, obviously, but it sounds neat. I'd also like them to go back to only being able to play as 3 characters, because things got hectic in 3 with 7 characters. The gameplay looks pretty sweet though, just like the previous games. Who knows, maybe Sly Cooper can win two GotY blogs in a year?

  Alright, I'm done writing now, you can go. Also, I just noticed I haven't used a single emoticon in this blog. I don't think I've ever done that before. Oh well, maybe next time.

  Oh, and sloths are awesome.

  • Posted Apr 2, 2012 8:28 pm GMT
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• 28Dec 11

  King of Games - Part 2

  Part 2 of my 2011 GotY blog. Let's not waste any time; here are my top 10 games of 2011.

  10. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare
  Details: Normally I wouldn't rank DLC this high, but Undead Nightmare is an exception. Although the story to this game doesn't fit perfectly into any part of Red Dead Redemption's story, I still thought it was written nicely. The story itself was pretty short, but there was still a lot of extra stuff to do, like in the original game. There were challenges to complete, towns to save, secret horses and legendary to find, and much more. The multiplayer also offers a lot of new modes that weren't in the original game, such as Undead Overrun, which will keep people occupied for a long time.
  Rating: 9/10

  9. The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
  Details: This was actually the first 360 game I received and played, back in 2008. I never got around to beating it, which I definitely should have. Out of every Spyro game, this one definitely had the best story. I thought that it was even better than any of the stories in the original Spyro games, which were way better gameplay wise. But anyway, Dawn of the Dragon was very fun. It was the first Spyro game to have 2 player co-op, which made playing the game with another person a whole new experience for the series. All of the levels in the game were beautifully designed and were very fun to play through. I especially liked Twilight Falls, Valley of Avalar, the Destroyer, and the Floating Islands. The music was pretty good too, but wasn't as remarkable as the original games. But in the end, Dawn of the Dragon was a fantastic Spyro game and wrapped up the Legend of Spyro trilogy perfectly.
  Rating: 9/10

  8. Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
  Details: I could not wait to play through this game. As soon as I beat Sly 2, I just had to play Sly 3. After beating this game, I was not disappointed in the Sly series. Sly 3 took the same gameplay route that Sly 2 took, but they added a few new twists to it. One of those was a variety of new characters to play as. Instead of just playing as Sly, Bentley, and Murray, you were able to play as the Guru, Penelope, Panda King, Dimitri, and Inspector Fox, all with their own unique powers and abilities. This reminded me of Spyro 3 a lot, which is my second favorite game of all time. Sly 3 also had a lot of stuff to do after the game, which the previous two did not provide a lot of. There were challenges for you to complete once you beat the main storyline. These range from completing previous tasks in a faster time to searching the levels for buried treasures. Oh, and speaking of the storyline, it was amazing. Sly 2's was better, but Sly 3's had a fitting end to the trilogy. I have high hopes for Sly 4, and I hope it can follow in the footsteps of Sly 3.
  Rating: 9/10

  7/6. Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver
  Details: Yes, I know I gave them both a 10/10, but they are not my game of the year. Why? Because the top five were all more memorable to me. But anyway, HeartGold and SoulSilver are the perfect Pokemon games. They are remakes of Gold and Silver and I think they are definitely better. They not only expanded the main quest in the Johto region, but they also provided a lot more to do in Kanto, which was lacking in Gold and Silver. I also think that HeartGold and SoulSilver have offered the most amount of post-game content in any Pokemon game so far, which is very important to me in Pokemon games. After clearing the main storyline, you could partcipate in the Pokeathlon, capture a vast amount of legendary Pokemon, train your Pokemon in the Pokewalker, compete in the Battle Frontier, and much more. The fun never ends in Pokemon games and Heartgold/SoulSilver definitely prove that.
  Ratings: 10/10

  5. Halo: Reach
  Details: I got this game last year, but I barely touched the campaign. Which was a huge mistake, because it was great. The last mission of the campaign was epic, and truly defined how a Halo campaign should be made. My favorite missions were probably Winter Contingency, Tip of the Spear, and the Pillar of Autumn. All on Normal difficulty, of course. The soundtrack for Reach was pretty cool too. The multiplayer was definitely awesome as well. There were a lot more playlists than there were in Halo 3's matchmaking. The leveling system is much better than 3's as well, which gives you more incentive to play more games online. Currently I'm a Field Marshall in matchmaking, and I have been playing online for about a year. I still think that Halo 3 is better, but Reach is still a great addition to the Halo series.
  Rating: 9.5/10

  4. Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony
  Details: Along with Undead Nightmare, Gay Tony is another DLC title that ranks so high on the list. Why? Because it's awesome. Following the Lost and Damned, which was short as hell and didn't have much to do, the Ballad of Gay offers a lot more than the first DLC had. Among those are parachutes, base jumping, dancing in the clubs, destroying things in the tank, and much more. The story was pretty well done too. It followed very closely to what happened in both Grand Theft Auto IV and Lost and Damned, which was very neat. It took you through the life of Luis, much like the previous two did with Niko and Johnny. I really liked his character's development and how he interacted with a lot of the other characters in the game. A lot of the story missions were very fun too, like the museum mission and the final mission. This game was still not as good as GTA IV, but it's still a good DLC title that should not be missed by any GTA fan.
  Rating: 9.5/10

  3. Pokemon Black
  Details: I was actually considering having this as my GotY, but then I played two better ones. But anyway, Pokemon Black is a great game. It added a breath of fresh air into the Pokemon series, which none of the previous generations have done as well as Black has. Gen 5 added a lot of new features to change the experience of Pokemon. They totally revamped the battle system, adding things like triple battles, rotation battle, and moving sprites. Some other noteworthy things added are seasons, the DreamWorld, Battle Subway, Pokemon musicals, and much more. The story was pretty cool too, but not as good as others in the series, such as Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald or Diamond/Pearl/Platinum. The amount of post-game content was nice too. After beating the Elite 4, about half of the region is unlocked, which provides you with a lot of things to do. There are sidequests to complete, legendary Pokemon to capture, trainers to battle, and a lot more. Like I've said before, the fun in Pokemon never truly ends and Pokemon Black is another game that proves that.
  Rating: 9.5/10

  2. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
  Details: Explorers of Darkness was one of those games where I couldn't just wait to play. I bought this a few years back, without having played much of the first game. It was stupid, I know, but it was still worth the money. Explorers of Darkness is technically a sequel to Red/Blue Rescue Team, but the story has no connection to first games, other than the fact you meet your partner and then form a rescue team. My starter in this game was Piplup and my partner was Treecko. Now, I wasn't a huge fan of Piplup before this game, but after beating it, I grew more attached to it. I already knew Treecko was a boss, so that was to be expected in the game. The story in this was much better than the previous game as well. The first game's story could be predictable at times, but this one had many plot twists that I did not expect. Several parts were very sad, and made me tear up a little. Explorers of Darkness adds a huge thing that the first games did not have much of. After you beat the game, there is kind of another storyline. That makes the game longer and gives you more to do, which makes the adventure more fun. I cannot wait to play Explorers of Sky, and I hope we get to see more of the Mystery Dungeon games in the future.
  Rating: 9/10

  1. Sly 2: Band of Thieves
  Details: No, I did not give this game a 10. But I don't care. This game is truly deserving of the GotY status. As I have stated in one of my previous blogs, the Sly Cooper series has become one of my favorite gaming franchises of all time, right behind Spyro and Pokemon. After playing Sly 1, I had already gotten a taste of what Sly Cooper was about, and I wanted more of it. Then I played Sly 2 and was blown away. Usually sequels to a lot of things aren't as good as the original, but Sly 2 is clearly not an example of that. Sly 2 was a lot different than the first. For one, instead of playing as just Sly, you got to play as Bentley and Murray as well. Each of them had their own moves and abilities that could be used to help you along the way. Each of the three even had their own missions dedicated to them. They involved using their techniques, along with the traditional platforming involved. The platforming was not as involved with the game as the first game, but it was still great. I still felt like I could be playing something like Spyro when I played Sly Cooper. The story was definitely the pinnacle of the game. Very few games have had me glued to a story like Sly 2 has. Eight chapters were not enough for the game; it definitely should've been longer. All of those chapters were excellently developed though. My favorites were... well all of them. The ending was very well-done. It was so heartbreaking though, I actually felt like crying at the end. It was so perfect that it could've ended the series right there. It would've been fitting, but I'm glad they didn't. I'm hoping that Sly 4 will have a story as good as Sly 2's but bring back the platforming elements that made Sly 1 special. If you've been thinking about playing the Sly series, definitely do it. You will not regret it.
  Rating: 9/10

  Will most likely be beaten in 2012:

  Skylanders
  Halo Anniversary
  Rayman Origins
  Professor Layton and the Last Specter
  L.A. Noire
  The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
  Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
  Pokemon LeafGreen
  Pokemon Platinum
  Pokemon White
  God of War
  Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy
  Sonic & Knuckles
  And more...

  So yeah... that's pretty much it. Thanks for reading!

  • Posted Dec 28, 2011 10:46 pm GMT
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