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VLing, Derek and CJ take cover after we started playing Chinese Food Projectiles at the Magic Wok. You can imagine how surreal it was.
Continue reading ‘Chinese Food Projectiles’

Playstation 2 - I’ve probably had the PS2 for about 10 months, and it was the first of the current generation of consoles that I owned. I don’t know why I put my Dreamcast to rest when I picked up the PS2, my games on the DC were much better. There’s a reason I haven’t purchased a single PS2 game since picking up the Gamecube.

NBA Street Vol. 2 - I picked this one up purely on game reviews alone. A fresh change to simulation heavy ball, this is the game that brings video game basketball to its fun/flashy roots. Much like NBA Jam, the heart of the game is the gameplay, rather than focusing on statistics and standings. Playing trick ball in encouraged over conservative set styles of play, and you probably can’t win most games without moves like alley-oops or passing the ball off the defender’s face. The gameplay elements are fresh and fun enough, that it lends itself to replayability alone.

Gran Turismo 3 - An oldie but a goodie. New to the PS2, means that GT3 might as well be a new release to me. It’s an easy pick up as a Greatest Hit, and really getting into the simulation mode shows clearly why it’s the best offline driving game ever conceived. It set the standard for racing realism that most other games have poorly emulated at best. With it’s wealth of customization, playing the game alone can teach you more about auto tuning that tricking out your phat old Civic ever could. Need I also mention that rally racing is hella fun?

Enter the Matrix - Haha, what a joke of a game. The game development was rushed so that the game could be released the same day as Matrix: Reloaded, and I can only suspect that’s why the game is so terrible. I’ll only bother mentioning this game here because I didn’t play any other PS2 games this year. Atari spent millions for the Matrix license, and even more to buy Shiny Entertainment (of Earthworm Jim fame), but a condensed development period sealed the fate of this game early on. The game broke sales records when it came out, which shows that Matrix junkies (like me?) are idiots. EA’s Lord of the Rings videogame franchise are games actually worth playing.

Kingdom Hearts - Not many instances of my brand loyalty are stronger than my loyalty for Squaresoft RPGs. When I first caught wind of a Square RPG that featured Final Fantasy characters with cameos from the Disney universe, I knew it was guaranteed that I’d love it. What I didn’t really expect was an enjoyable storyline, addictive combat mechanics, and Donald Duck as a Black Mage! The game probably could have used some summon spells where Tigger comes and bounces each enemy for 8000 points of damage. With a sequel already in the works, maybe we’ll see it soon. Also, the theme by Utada Hikaru is pretty good too. Worth checking out, even if you’re not a videogame fan.
Though technically not a game of 2003, it’s the best PS2 game I’ve played so far, so it’s my pick of the year.

It’s the end of the first year when I purchased legitimate copies of all my videogames across three platforms. So I’ll take a chance to talk specifically about the games I’ve dedicated the hours of 2003 towards.

Gameboy Advance - I got the gameboy at the end of 2002, but all my games came during 2003. About 3 months ago, I upgraded to the Gomeboy Advance SP. With it’s clamshell design, backlight and internal rechargable battery, it’s as perfect as any handheld console has ever been.

Super Mario Advance 2 and 3 - These are direct ports of Super Mario World and Yoshi’s Island on the Super Nintendo. Great games in their time, they continue to be among the best 2d platform games now. I’m stuck in both games, about halfway done each, and I’ve reached the part of the game where my skill will need to improve in order to complete. I’ve been training by watching the 11 minute SMB3 that’s been floating around the internet.

Super Mario Kart Advance- Based on one of my favorite SNES games ever, Nintendo has created this game from scratch, with new tracks, graphics and gameplay that really harnesses the power of the GBA. Though winning a 150cc Grand Prix is a feat I’ve yet to accomplish in this version, it’s so closely within my reach that repeat playing just to learn how to powerslide each corner to save that 10th of a second each lap is still exciting. I even gave this game out as a XMas present this year. So you’ll see some link-up battles in 2004.

Advance Wars - One of many games I picked up on eBay based on internet reviews. It’s a turn-based tactics type game, with tanks, infantry, planes etc. It’s such a well balanced yet complicated game that it took a few weeks just to learn how to use all the units. But once you’d got the training under your belt, an incredible amount of strategy is required to beat the game. It’s one of the few games that I’d suggest to any GBA owner, if I knew more than two.

The Legend of Zelda - A Link to the Past - Another SNES direct port. Can you tell I wish I owned a SNES growing up? The game is virtually the exact same game as the original version of the best 2D adventure game ever created in the history of the universe. Not much I can say. Gotta play it to enjoy it. Stuck on one boss though.

Wario Ware - MegaMicroGame$ - This kooky Japanese title god praise from gamers all over, from casual to hardcore. The basic premise is you play through a random sequence of minigames, chosen from a collection of over 200, most about 3 seconds long. Games range from the simple: shaking apples free from their tree, to the fairly complex: recreations of classic NES games like Punch-Out. It’s the ADD diagnosed dream game, and the rapid fire games make sure you’re always alert, as zoning out for half a second is the difference between winning and losing. The best part? Playing through the game once likely won’t even reveal half of the games you play, giving the game quite a surprising level of lasting appeal. And I can spend as much time playing the minigames as I can playing the Dr Mario clone: Dr. Wario.

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance - My pick for 2003, FFTA is closely based on the original Playstation FFT’s turn based strategy, but with a 3d-esque isometric view, completely new storyline, and even new Final Fantasy races which will appear in the next Final Fantasy games (the warrior Bangra race, magic based Noumu’s, and fencing/archer Vieras make thier first appearances, though Moogles are still personal faves). The game is so deep, that even after 30 hours of gameplay, i’m still figuring out how to get half the jobs like Blue Mages, Summoners and Alchemists. I’ve finished about 80 of my clan’s 300 missions, and just interesting enough to make me want to continue the story rather than spend time levelling up my characters. This was the best game on the GBA for 2003, and easily my favorite non-RPG Square game yet (though come February 2004, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles will likely trump it).

From the Stand Up Scarborough Website:

On September 18th, 2003, representatives of the University of Toronto at Scarborough (UTSC), The Scarborough Mirror, the Scarborough Chamber of Commerce, Centennial College, Rohm & Haas Chemical, Rouge Valley Health System and the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Department, met to discuss the creation of a local civic pride initiative: Stand UP Scarborough.

Participants agreed that the community has been underestimated. Scarborough has a lot to offer, but too little of it is widely known. The group set out to work in partnership, to identify and to promote Scarborough’s many strengths.

It’s no wonder why no one in Toronto hears about Scarborough Pride. A new report on rampant racial profiling in Ontario was brought to the public today. Scarborough with over half its population with ethnic background, and Scarbrough the often the backdrop of a series of recent violent crimes, it must be tough to try to spotlight Scarbrough as a place people are proud to come from.

Ironically, my classmates and I jokingly get a lot of a type of gangster type tough guy cred, for still being still alive coming to Waterloo from Scarborough.

It’s fun to big up Scarborough though, and once I’m in a position to do so, I’ll be giving back to the community, if there is one, in whatever way I can. Who am I to argue with an in your face marketing plan?

two exams have come and gone. i’ve got three more to go, and a lot of studying to get done.

i got some christmas shopping done on amazon.ca today. i don’t think i’ll ever have a need to step into another bookstore for the rest of my life. amazon smiley boxes for everyone!

with a final on monday, it’ll be doubtful that i’ll get more than 3 or 4 hours outdoors, where i would see other human beings this entire weekend. i’ve locked myself up, and aside from my internet connection, i won’t be talking to anyone at all, except for a tutorial i have tomorrow.

i’ve spent a lot of time by myself, but it’s going to be wierd, almost 48 hours of no human interaction, and me forcing myself to study the deflection of beams. but it’s easier to study here, than on campus, home of the world’s noisiest library.

once this term is over, i’ve been looking forward to start some projects. i’m in real need of a creative outlet these days. i have ambitions of running a “decorating challenge” on my own room, learn some marketing principles, take up photography, create some more interesting webprojects, do some woodworking, eh wot.

it sounds like a lot to me, and i probably won’t get through much of any of them, but i’m pretty sure i’d be living a miserable life without any ambition. just thinking about all the fun things i can do is what drives me.

here’s to the first 200 posts on this blog, and to the next 200!