New Reader!

It has come to my attention that a friend of mine, hereby known as “Raych” has seen fit to read the blog for the first time and comment on it! Mostly this is due to the fact that she didn’t know about it ’till I told her so, but whatever! Welcome aboard, Raych! God have mercy on your soul like the other people that read this crap…

The reason she gets special mention is because I hardly see her, but then she’s doing that media thing with a dynamic, fulfilling job, loving parents, a boyfriend and more substance packed in her pinky than I’ve got in my whole lifetime. I, however, have gotten an answer from Neil-O hisself, so who’s better off?

Don’t answer that…

Nearly Done!

I am now taking on the task that I have been avoiding for the last couple of days of writing the ten pages worth of previews for games that I have not–and probably will not–play but must nevertheless sound like I have in-depth play testing experience with. Some day, when Playworks has more clout, we just might actually be in a position where gaming companies drop preview copies of early builds of games on our door, instead of us having to use that most reliable of gaming sources, imagination, to provide the in-depth coverage these games deserve.

Sigh…

I feel bad about this…

My Camera Kills Dead People! Wait, That Sounds Weird…

I have officially attained the status of bragging rights ownership for Fatal Frame. With the X-Box exclusive “Fatal Mode” now trounced (And my GOD, was that ever HARD…) I have viewed the X-Box exclusive ending, which SUCKED ASS, and now enjoy near limitless power with my camera to destroy all them nasty ghosts that caused such an explosive increase in underwear washing when I first played the game. I also have a new costume for the heroine which seems to consist of a fuzzy mini-skirt/kimono sorta’ deal with big stupid bow on the back, and instead of a flash light she now carries… a glow in the dark coffee mug.

That’s the only way I can describe it. It has a handle, it looks like you could suck back your favorite Java Arabica blend from it, and yet it emits a powerful, spectral light AND fades away into nothingness when you open doors, only to reappear when you step through into the other side. Now if it only played “Come What May” every time you tipped it, it would be super-keen!

Not News At All: Big Bill Still A Fucking GENIUS

Nearly done with Pattern Recognition now, and while I will (At length and ad nauseum) eventually give my oh-so-eagerly awaited opinion on this latest offering from the hardest working man in cyberspace, I think I can safely give you a preview of what I will say.

Big Bill, be my friend!

PLEASE!

Oh, and you too, Neil-O…

On Musical Muses

Before I begin, for the curious, here are links to Big Bill’s and Neil-O’s websites/blogs respectively. They’re real easy:

Home of Big Bill

Secret Home of Neil-O!

That last post about Tori Amos just kind set me off. For those of you who don’t maniacally follow such things (That would be anyone with a Real Life) there’s this story (The details of which I am about to garble) about how Tori Amos–she of the freakishly lyrical and unearthly music–and Neil Gaiman–he of hauntingly original narrative–met and became friends.

Apparently Neil was already beginning to gain some attention for the work he was doing on The Sandman. Tori was just putting her first album–Little Earthquakes–together. One day, while Tori was in LA, she had a friend come over to crash, and said friend brought along The Doll’s House, the second storyline in The Sandman narrative arcs. Tori read it, was utterly entranced by it, and it was just one of the little things that wound through her head as she went on to create her album, ending with her making a reference to the Dream King, and hanging out with Neil. This very same friend took a tape with a copy of the album on him to a convention where he actually met Gaiman. He placed Tori’s number on the tape and Neil took it home to give it a listen. The next thing you know, he’s giving Tori a call, they’re becoming fast friends, and one of the weirder, more talented writers on the planet is chillin’ in da hood with one of the weirder, more talented musicians.

Every time I think of that story, all I can come up with is, “Is that cool or what?”

So this is me putting out a global-wide announcement:

I too want a hip, talented musician friend just on the cusp of fame!

Think of it! We’ll be able to conduct one of those knowing, in-joke laden interviews where people think it’s so cool we’re buddies!

We can name drop!

We can cover for each other’s procrastination in the name of artistic integrity that those bastards in marketing Will Never Understand!

WE CAN PLAY TEKKEN OR DOA EXTREME BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOGETHER!

Just don’t expect me to play bass guitar for your band. I’m Filipino, but I ain’t that Filipino…