Return of the Revenge of the Son of Saying Hi to Josiah!

[Josiah]

Hi! Did you know that a lot of payments made in Japan are done by direct bank transfer? Since checks aren't used there, it's the easiest way (other than cash) to transfer money from one person to another. It's also a common way to pay for things online (since credit cards aren't quite as universal as they are here). In the US though, that's mostly just the way they do things in spy movies. I'm trying to pay my friend in Japan who did the art for Aurora's Nightmare using a bank transfer and it's not going well. I sent the money a week ago and she hasn't gotten it yet so now I need to try and figure out what's going on there. Sigh... Why couldn't she have a Paypal account?

[PoisonWing14]

Moi,

Yay! My finals are finally over! *Dances*

So, this summer should be a rather relaxed one. As far as I know, my family isn't planning on going anywhere, and the only thing I do have scheduled at some point in the summer is a "game day" that some of my friends will be gathering at somebodies house for. For the entire time, we'll be playing a game called "You Don't Know Jack". Last time I played it, most of the Anime club was over at one of my friend's house for her birthday, and it was quite fun.

And now for something random not related to anything: A while ago, as me and my dad were sorting through a bunch of old games from a games closet we have, and I found something that made me kind of nerd out when I found. It was a trivia card game with Star Trek related trivia. I am way too happy about this find.

Stay radical people! Peace off!

[Silver]

Oh! I have that same game! It was my dad's. It's one of the special "numbered" ones and everything! It's probably worth some good money... or it would be, if my sister hadn't swallowed one of the pieces. I mean, we got it back, but... no amount of disinfectant would ever make me comfortable selling that to some unknowing collector. Besides, my dad was real proud of that, and I'd feel bad selling it off.

So, in other news... um... what other news is there? Well, I've got kittens again. All of our cats were fixed, and we thought we were done with kittens, but when we moved into this house we started looking after a stray. Two of them actually, but one of them went missing a while ago. We called them Buddy and Mister Friend - well, Mister Friend had kittens. Didn't know she wasn't a Mister until then... but I'm stubborn and refused to change her name. Why can't a girl be a mister, huh? That's sexist! ...So now she's got babies, Madam Friend, Señor Friend, and Friend Junior.

Still working at the movie theater, it's pretty nice though I haven't been working a whole lot of shifts. Which means I'm making less money than I was at Burger King... kinda sad actually. But! Not only do I get free movies, but I can answer the all important question: Is there anything after the credits? And the answer... is a resounding no. Of all the movies currently in my theater* the only one with anything after the credits is The Avengers. I was pretty surprised that Madagascar 3 didn't, because Dreamworks usually loves the post-credits clips. But... there's nothing. I guess that fad has died out? Too many people left early and didn't see them? As a note, if you haven't watched Avengers yet, go see it before it stops playing. Also, ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LEAVE until the very end. Because that little scene after the credits... that scene... Man, you just gotta see it. If you already saw Avengers but missed it, you can probably find the clip on Youtube by now. I know I stick around every time it lets out just to watch it. Never gets old. The song that plays during the credits isn't bad either, which is a plus. Let me tell you, I dreaded cleaning up after Dictator because the credits song is annoying. MIB3's credits song got old pretty fast, too...

*There may be some variation with your local cinemas, how long a movie stays varies by brand and how many theaters there are in a given building. We've got MIB3, Madagascar 3, That's my Boy, The Avengers, Rock of Ages, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Prometheus. Battleship's gone, but it may still be playing in other theaters and it had a post-credits scene too.

[Josiah]

Hi! I'm tempted to go see Brave today but the weather is awesome and I haven't really gotten as much work done as I'd like over the last couple days... I suppose it can wait a few days.

[Silver]

Haven't seen Brave yet, as I don't get free passes on day one. I haven't even seen little clips from it, because I was on Concession tonight. Remember that today was release day for Brave, as well as Abe Lincoln (HAHAHA no one went to see that). Because...

There was a thunderstorm today in NJ. A big one. Apparently, record amounts of flooding and lightning. Probably about 15 times worse than Irene? That doesn't say much though, Irene was totally pathetic (Pic related). But... Pixar Movie premier during a thunderstorm? Yeah we were packed. Brave almost sold out at two of its showings. It was scary...

[Siranae]

Abraham Lincoln is out already? Hm, for some reason I thought it was going to be out later. Then again my perception of time has gotten weird since returning home.
I read the book that the movie was based on, and I gotta admit it was entertaining. However, I'm a little unsure about how it will translate over to movies. Fighting was present in the book, but politics and such were just as prominent. The promo kinda makes it seem like a purely violent movie. But then again trailers have lied before (I'm looking at you Kangaroo Jack).

Yeah that storm was freaking huge.
At the beach/pool that I work at, which spans a good three miles of beach, we have this really bad system concerning thunder and lightning. The thing is, our boss absolutely hates it when someone radios in a sighting. So it has to be an incredibly respected senior guard that calls it in. Our boss is almost always up in her office, and the air conditioning prevents her from hearing the thunder. Her view's obstructed so lighting is also hard to see as well. So we have to call it in. Even so, she gets so freaking mad.
So someone calls it in that day, and as usual a couple other people have to back them up before she closes. Then a good hour later, while I am literally watching a bolt of lightning cross the sky, she opens us back up. We were open for a good half hour before guards finally convinced her to close us again.
Later on she opens us up again and we stayed that way. All the poor rookies were like "Shouldn't we be closing?" and I was just like "Normally yes. But...no."
Some poor soul at one point made one last attempt to call in thunder. She responded "Okay guys don't get your panties in a bunch." And that was that.

So yeah if you're ever at my beach just use your own common sense. Unfortunately a lot of tourists seem to leave that at home when they come down.

[PoisonWing14]

Moi,

Yay, today's my Date-of-Birth! I told my parents that I just want a relaxing birthday, so we're not going anywhere. We're just going to get a pizza, eat some cake (which my dad, the totally not a baker, is making), and I'll open my few presents. A nice, relaxing day for my 4th perfect square birthday. I'm not going to have another one until I'm 25, so I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Yeah, not much else to say...yup...

Stay radical peoples! Peace off!

[Josiah]

Hi! Gotta say that all the wind here gets a bit annoying at times, especially when you're above ground level since it's much stronger higher up. Wind and my hair really don't mix well...

[PoisonWing14]

Moi,

So, earlier today, I heard from my parents that last night, some person tried to break into our next-door neighbor's house. Of course being smart people, tonight we locked our doors and windows, just in case. Well, right now, there's another level of protection in this house, and that would be night-owl me (also a bit hyped-up on birthday cake and soda). And, being the paranoid person I am, I have my dad's old fencing sword and a heavy walking stick near me.
Nothing can possibly get past a sugar/caffine high teenage with a foil and stick, nothing! *Proceeds to dance around like an idiot*

[Siranae]

Oh my god Poison that would make the funniest newspaper article.

"Last night an attempted burglary was prevented due to the efforts of a local teenage girl. Upon entering the house, the burglar was met by the aforementioned, who was in possession of a fencing sword, a heavy walking stick and a high amount of sugar content. Police found the would be burglar two blocks from the house, running for his life."

[Josiah]

Hi! That'd be funny, and vaguely brings to mind this episode of School Rumble. Anyway, I'm off to run some errands and see Brave. This seems like a good day for it due to the heavy clouds and moderate chance of rain. The only flaw in my plan is that I have to walk a mile and a half to the movie theater. I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's starts raining shortly after I leave and stops as soon as I get there.

[shauni]

Hello all! Lurker Shauni here emerging just to show you want Nintendo sent me!

Little weird when I got home from my holiday and found a Princess Peach 3DS waiting for me. I knew it was coming as Club Nintendo told me in February I'd won it, but it's been so long I was acutally thinking it was a scam.

I've just also been informed there were only 1000 made....


BLOODY HELL!!

[PoisonWing14]

Moi,

Well, I can say I'm now seriously thinking of buying an Xbox (Instead of something I possibly-maybe-might want at some point or another).

After watching Video Games Awesome (Look them up if you don't know who they are) play a bit of Assassin's Creed, I started to feel like it was a game I actually really wanted to play

And, me being a complete, may I put it, "noob" to these kind of games and gaming systems, I was hoping somebody here might know about how much a good Xbox costs and possibly suggest some other good and...umm...easier titles I could start off with. Please and thank you?

And seriously, look up Video Games Awesome if you don't know them. They are hilarious, have pretty good gaming commentary, and sometimes even dress up when they play! (My favorite costumes being the hoodies from Amnesia: The Dark Decent and the costumes from the Assassin's Creed playthrough..and maybe when they played Batman: Arkham Asylum, simply for the hilarious-ness/campy-ness of the costumes.)

Stay radical people! Peace off!

[Josiah]

Hi! If you want video game advice, you're in the right place.

Choosing the Right System
First off, unless you're a big fan of shooters (like Halo and/or Gears of War) or really want Kinect, I'd recommend getting a PS3 over a Xbox 360. Assassin's Creed is available on both and, in my opinion, the PS3 has the better game selection (I have both systems, BTW). Especially if you like platformers and Japanese RPGs. The PS3 also has a better interface and doubles as a Blu-Ray player (the 360 can only play regular DVDs). The Xbox 360 is slightly better for online gaming, but the PS3's online service is free while to play online with a 360 you need to pay $60 a year.

Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is an action adventure series. As a note, while I generally like starting at the beginning of things, I almost want to recommend watching the cut-scenes from the first Assassin's Creed on youtube and starting with Assassin's Creed 2 since it's such a big improvement over the first game. Other good action adventure games include Prince of Persia (look for the first PS3/360 one, not Forgotten Sands, though that one isn't bad either), Uncharted (PS3 only), Batman Arkem whatever (PS3 and 360).

Other Games
Easier is a bit relative but none of the games I list here are especially difficult. If you list some of your favorite games, I can give you a more personalized list of recommendations but, without that, here's a few recommendations in different genres for PS3 and/or 360.
RPG: Final Fantasy XIII (PS3 and 360), you can also get downloadable copies of a lot of great older Japanese RPGs on the PS3, Tales of whatever (there's one of the 360 and a different one of the PS3)
Platformer: Ratchet & Clank series (PS3), Rayman Origins (PS3/360)
Action/Adventure: Prince of Persia (PS3/360), Uncharted (PS3), Enslaved (PS3/360), Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection (PS3)
Action: Bayonetta (PS3/360), Devil May Cry Collection (PS3/360), God of War (PS3)
Adventure: Sam & Max (PS3/360)
Stealth: Metal Gear Solid (the HD collection is on PS3 and 360, but you can only get the first and 4th games on PS3)
Shooter: Bioshock (PS3/360), Halo (360), Portal 2 (PS3/360)
Survival Horror: Resident Evil (the newest ones are on both PS3 and 360, but on PS3 you can download most of the older games in the series too)
Misc: Flower (PS3), Journey (PS3), Braid (PS3/360)

[Silver]

So yesterday, Colly and I decided to get ourselves a 3DS. There are finally enough games out to justify owning one, plus Gamestop's giving out Pilot Wings for free when you buy one now. Not that I particularly wanted Pilot Wings, but it's always nice to get free stuff. Well, I think Colly dumped me for it... she couldn't keep her hands off of him. But you know what? She's going to be at work tonight, which means me and the little purple guy are gonna be all alone...

So what have we learned here?

Pros of having gamer girlfriend: No need to waste money on expensive jewelry or fancy dates, game consoles are preferred!
Cons of having gamer girlfriend: Handheld console sharing = NO
NTR'd by 3DS
Risk of delusional personification of 3DS as something that can NTR and then being NTR'd by 3DS

...Joking aside, the 3DS is a pretty cool thing, though I'm not super impressed by the 3D-ness still. I mean, it looks cool, sure, but am I actually going to play any games like that? Hell no. Also, we got Kid Icarus, which I have not tried yet but intend to very soon. However, I can't even imagine that playing it in 3D mode would work out well.

Also, as for the Tales games on the two consoles: There's Tales of Vesperia on the 360, which is pretty similar to Abyss. An enhanced version was released on the PS3... in Japan. We didn't get the enhanced version here. Then there's Tales of Graces, which was released on the Wii... in Japan. We never got the Wii version, but when they released an enhanced version of THAT on the PS3, we got it. Coincidentally, Graces is better than Vesperia because Pascal. ...Ok that's probably just me, and I haven't played much of Vesperia (because one of the additions in the PS3 version is a completely new playable character called Patty and she's a little pirate kid and she's awesome but we never got her over here and I'm bitter), but Graces is really good. Also, there's Tales of Xillia, which was released on the PS3 first! Japan only right now, but it a translation is very, very probable due to its sales in Japan (which were better than FFXIII-2).

Also, play Sam & Max. I don't care which console you get it for, I think it's on like all of them (Wii and PC as well). But if you have not played Sam &Max, do so immediately, because you will, invariably, enjoy it immensely.

That is all.