A journal of whatever.

This will be my last LJ entry.

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:56:45 GMT

I've decided to move things to Blogger.

I'd like to thank everyone who has read and commented in the LiveJournal over the years, and I hope you'll continue to read my entries on Blogger. I will keep using this LJ account to read friends' entries and post comments, and I will also keep the LiveJournal up in its current state.

With that said, I'll close with this:

What I've been playing lately #32

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:56:25 GMT

Snail Maze (Sega Master System) - I acquired a Sega Master System yesterday (considering how long I've had a Game Gear - which is pretty much a portable SMS - it was only a matter of time). It came with hookups, two controllers, a Light Phaser, and the 3-D glasses (unfortunately, the adapter is missing). Snail Maze was built into the system's BIOS, and can be accessed by holding up and buttons 1 and 2 on the controller after the title screen. You have to navigate a maze in a set limit of time, and the time you get to navigate the next maze depends on how well you do in the previous one. I don't have any other games, but that will change soon.

Formula One: Built to Win (NES) - Think Rad Racer with Gran Turismo elements, and this is what we have here. Finishing between first and third in a race will earn you cash, which you can use to upgrade your car, enter more races, or purchase a more powerful vehicle. You race in various locations across America (using one of the most screwed up maps I've ever seen in a video game - for example, Miami looks like it's in Georgia and Las Vegas looks like it's in New Mexico). The game has a much-appreciated battery save, and you can repeat races as often as you wish to gain cash. In Las Vegas, there's a casino with a slot machine, and Dallas is home to the car dealership. I currently have an International-C license and was driving the Mini Cooper you start the game with, but replaced it with the next car - a Vector W2. The next car up is a Ferrari F40, and the fourth (and best car available) is an F1 racer.

Contra (NES) - Three words: classic, tough, awesome.

1943: The Battle of Midway (NES) - One of the best vertical shmups on the system. Sink a ship!

Defender II (NES) - Every now and then, my friends and I wind up having a points tournament with this. However, I was just playing for fun this time around.

Alleyway (Game Boy) - This launch title is similar to Breakout, and has Mario piloting the paddle. There are 32 levels in the game (including the bonus rounds).

Tetris (Game Boy) - This is Alexey Pajitnov's favorite version of the game. He told IGN that it was very close to his original version.

Scene It?: Lights, Camera, Action (Xbox 360) - The final three games in this entry were all played with friends. I ended up in first place at one point, but did poorly in the final round and finished last, just 300 points shy of third. We always play with the announcer turned off since he's pretty annoying (especially if you're losing) and you don't need to hear him to understand how to play.

Pac-Man vs. (Gamecube) - After Scene It?, we moved on to this, using my friend's Wii. The game requires the use of of a Game Boy Advance and the cable that connects the GBA to a Gamecube. When the game starts, one randomly assigned player takes the GBA and plays as Pac-Man, navigating the maze as if they were playing it in the arcade. Everyone else is a ghost, and whoever captures Pac-Man gets the GBA and takes over as Pac-Man until they're captured or win the game. Once one player reaches a certain amount of points (which can be set before the game), they win. The best way to get points is to play as Pac-Man, since ghosts can only get points by capturing Pac-Man or taking any fruit that appears. I dominated this game, winning three of the four rounds we played.

Goldeneye 007 (Nintendo 64) - Of course, we spent some time with this as well.

What I've been playing lately #31

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:27:17 GMT

Aerostar (Game Boy) - This vertical shmup has an interesting concept - you're limited to staying on a track. Going off the track will cost you a life. However, you can jump to get past any gaps in the track, and jumping can also help you dodge enemies and their fire. A few different weapons are available, but I find that the "V" weapon is the most useful one due to its range.

Solar Striker (Game Boy) - Another vertical shmup. This was an early release on the Game Boy and while it shows, it's still worth a look to shmup fans. It kind of reminds me of Star Soldier on the NES. I've found that in most situations it's better to just hold down the B button for rapid fire.

Tetris (Game Boy) - What's a Game Boy marathon without some Tetris?

Marble Madness (Game Boy Color) - This and all the original Game Boy titles above were played on my Game Boy Color.

Goldeneye 007 (Nintendo 64) - More multiplayer with friends. More good times.

The Sega Genesis has officially been around for 20 years

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 02:26:02 GMT

This was originally posted on the Digital Press forums.

It was released in Japan as the Mega Drive in October 1988, but just over 20 years ago, on August 14th, 1989, it launched in North America as the Genesis. The rest is history.

Today, Sega mostly publishes crappy licensed titles and shovelware, like the recently released Daisy Fuentes Pilates (well, considering how bad Pat Riley Basketball was, some things do remain the same). But back then, after getting pummeled by the NES in the Master System's heyday, Sega finally had a console that would make the company a household name.

1989 was quite the year in the gaming world. The NES was in its prime, the Game Boy changed the face of portable gaming, and the Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 were giving many gamers a first taste of the next generation of console gaming. Eventually, the Genesis and the Super Nintendo became the two biggest consoles in the 16-bit era. The Genesis wasn't able to top the Super Nintendo, but looking back at that library, they definitely gave them one hell of a run for their money, and there were many instances where Sega truly did what Nintendidn't.

Remember seeing Sonic in action for the first time? I do. My cousin had a Genesis, and introduced me to Sonic's first game. However, there wasn't a Genesis in my house until 1994, when my brother got the Lion King bundle for Christmas. I remember spending the next few days trying to beat it (and I eventually did). Over the years, my brother would acquire Sonic 2, Sonic & Knuckles, X-Men, Rocket Knight Adventures, Altered Beast, Lakers vs. Celtics, and Jordan vs. Bird. Most of those were sold off (along with the Genesis), but in 2004, shortly after I had added a Genesis to my collection, he found his copy of Rocket Knight Adventures. I offered to buy it off him, but he just gave it to me.

In February 2004, I added a Gamecube and Nintendo 64 to my collection (before that, the collection only consisted an SNES and a PlayStation 2), and the Genesis was going to be next. In April, I noticed a sale thread on Digital Press from a local member. I sent him a message and we made plans to meet up in Oregon City. He let me test out everything, and I left Oregon City with a Pine Mountain Logs box containing a Genesis 2, hookups, two 6-button controllers, and a few games, including the first Sonic, Altered Beast, and Golden Axe II. Shortly after that, I went to a Software Etc. to see what Genesis games were still there (GameStop had discontinued taking in NES, SNES, Genesis and Dreamcast stuff and was clearing it out). There wasn't much, but I left the store with a Genesis 6-pak and an unlicensed Wisdom Tree cart that is still my rarest Genesis game - Joshua: The Battle of Jericho (the latter only cost me 63 cents after the clearance discount). Today, my Genesis collection stands at 149 games.

Also, I figured I would include a nice read on the Genesis hitting 20 from Sega-16.

What I've been playing lately #30

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:10:43 GMT

Goldeneye 007 (Nintendo 64) - I've been playing multiplayer with some friends, and it's just as fun as it was back in the day. If I ever put together a list of my favorite N64 games, this will definitely be in the top five.

TaleSpin (Game Gear) - I recently acquired this for a buck. The Game Gear was one of five systems that had a TaleSpin video game in its library. The other four are the NES, Game Boy, Genesis, and TurboGrafx-16. The NES and Game Boy games were developed by Capcom and are shmups that are almost completely identical to one another. The TurboGrafx-16 game is a platformer and was developed by NEC. The Genesis and Game Gear games were developed by Sega and are also platformers (with a few shmup-based levels) that are pretty identical to one another. You can play as Baloo or Kit, each with different abilities. In the platforming stages, you travel around the world and must collect enough cargo to change the closed sign at the level's exit to an open one so that you can face that level's boss. If you don't have enough cargo when you reach the end of a stage, you'll have to backtrack until you do. I played as Baloo, and got pretty deep in the game. Unfortunately, a boss battle in the India stage drained my lives and after passing a shmup stage, New York was the end of the road for me. Speaking of the India stage, it's a maze with several warps to other parts of the level, and let me tell you, getting to the end of the maze only to find out that you don't have enough cargo, and having to backtrack to some warp near the beginning of the level that you didn't see the first time around is a major pain.

Columns (Game Gear) - Sega hoped that Columns would become what Tetris was to the Game Boy, but the Sonic games ended up playing a bigger role in selling systems. Regardless, it's addictive enough that I play this almost every time I have the Game Gear plugged in (for those who aren't familiar with the Game Gear, it drained batteries pretty quickly, so I prefer to play with the portable hooked to an AC adapter). I tend to do pretty well, and while there is some skill required to remain in the game as things speed up, it seems like success is based more on luck than anything else.

Halley Wars (Game Gear) - This vertical shmup is one of the best games on the Game Gear. It's one of the few shmups in the system's library, which is a shame. I came pretty close to beating it, but it just wasn't meant to be. Maybe next time...

Tetris (Game Boy) - Here's the last game I've played on my Game Boy Color, which was acquired at a Goodwill for $5 in February 2007. That's right - although I have a GBA SP with a better screen, I still pull out the GBC to play Game Boy and Game Boy Color games from time to time.

What I've been playing lately #29

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:31:48 GMT

Twisted Metal 2 (PlayStation) - This is my favorite game in the series. My favorite levels are Los Angeles, Paris, and Hong Kong.

Twisted Metal 4 (PlayStation) - This was one of the two Twisted Metal games developed by 989 Studios - after a contractual dispute with SingleTrac, the developer of the first two games, developmental rights were handed to 989. The first of the 989-developed games, Twisted Metal III, is considered the worst in the series. The source code and engine for Twisted Metal 2 could not be found and 989 wound up creating a new source code and engine. However, most of the levels were too short and boring, there were very few new weapons, most of the new characters were corny, and the game felt a little buggy. Fortunately, they did a better job with this one, improving upon many of the previous game's faults. The levels are larger - The Bedroom is my favorite, and The Oil Rig, The Construction Yard (try picking up enemy cars with the crane), The Carnival, and Road Rage are pretty fun too. You can also create your own car. Rob Zombie has a vehicle in the game, and I tend to stick with that one. However, most of the new drivers are still pretty corny and it still doesn't feel like a true Twisted Metal game. If that doesn't bother you, it's worth a look. Just avoid III unless you're a completist.

Loaded (PlayStation) - This is a futuristic top-down shooter that's been compared to Smash TV and Gauntlet. Everyone is out to get you, so it's best to shoot first and ask questions later. One of my favorite moments was when I busted into a padded cell and the straitjacket-clad occupant went after me. Each level requires quite a bit of backtracking, and it can get tedious after a while.

Extreme Pinball (PlayStation) - The most recent acquisition in my pinball video game collection. Four tables are available for play, and the game reminds me a little of Crue Ball on the Genesis. It's a shame that the load times are so long.

True Pinball (PlayStation) - Played a few rounds on the Babewatch table.

Pinball (NES) - I'm pretty sure this is the best pinball video game that involves penguins. Then again, there aren't a lot of them out there.

Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) - This time around, I beat the game without warping.

Dark Arms: Beast Buster 1999 (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - Another top-down shooter, and this one has action RPG elements - you gain experience and can upgrade your weapons as you progress. Also, there are a LOT of zombies. That alone makes the game pretty awesome.

Fatal Fury: First Contact, Puzzle Bobble Mini (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - Finally, here are the other NGPC games I've spent time with since my last entry.

What I've been playing lately #28

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:18:29 GMT

Super Mario Bros. 2 (NES) - I "fed Wart his vegetables" once again, but didn't play through every level like I usually do - I used the warp in 1-3 to get to world 4, and then used the warp in 4-2 to get to world 6.

Pinball (NES) - After beating SMB2, I decided to have a little NES pinball marathon, starting with the system's first pinball title.

Pin Bot (NES) - If I ever get the chance, I'd like to play the actual table someday.

Rock 'n' Ball (NES) - After you lose your last ball, you have two options - "CONTINUED" or "END." Seriously, it says "CONTINUED." Along with the corny box art, the game provides some pretty corny quotes from your opponents after you win or lose. Here are a few of them:

"Wow! I can't help dancing here!"
"Oh no! What a good player you are!"
"Gee I wouldn't lose on the skateboard."
"You are strong! I have got a crush on you!"
"I will go boy hunting to be in a good mood."

Rollerball (NES) - Developed by HAL Laboratory. The game's table has a skyscraper theme. After this, I put Pinball back in the top loader for a few more rounds.

4 Wheel Thunder (Dreamcast) - Completed the Arcade Outdoor series.

Puzzle Link 2 (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - Like last time, the entry ends with two NGPC games. This time around, they're both puzzlers.

Puzzle Bobble Mini (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - This and Puzzle Link 2 are the only puzzlers I own for the NGPC. Yet I have three fighting games for the portable (Fatal Fury: First Contact, Samurai Shodown! 2, and SNK vs. Capcom: The Match of the Millenium. That's SNK for you.

What I've been playing lately #27

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 10:31:31 GMT

4 Wheel Thunder (Dreamcast) - I've completed the Arcade Indoor series, and now I'm working my way through the Arcade Outdoor series.

4x4 Evolution (Dreamcast) - I recently completed the Night Series and the Manufacturer's Cup. Completing the former unlocks the Endurance Series, one of my favorite parts of the game (unsurprisingly, the Endurance Series in the sequel is one of my favorite parts of that game).

Hoyle Casino (Dreamcast) - I don't have too many casino games in the collection - I've spent more time with the casino offerings in GTA: San Andreas than in any other video game - but I saw this for a buck at a CD/Game Exchange last month and figured I'd check it out and trade it off if I didn't like it. And after trying it out, I've decided that it's not going anywhere. I've spent the most time with Blackjack and the slots, but I've tried out the game's other offerings as well - Texas Hold 'Em, Pai Gow Poker, Video Poker, Craps, and Roulette.

Fatal Fury: First Contact (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - I haven't spent much time with the portables in the past week, but I did play a couple NGPC games. Here's the first one.

Puzzle Bobble Mini (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - And here's the other one.

What I've been playing lately #26

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:40:27 GMT

4x4 Evolution (Dreamcast) - The PS2 version of this game is one of my favorite racers on the system. The Gamecube version of the sequel is one of my favorite racers on that system. With that said, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that I added this to my Dreamcast collection. I'm slowly making my way through the races and hope to eventually complete it like I did with the PS2 version.

Test Drive Unlimited (PS2) - I recently started playing this again for the first time since it made an appearance in #21. Notable vehicle purchases include a 1973 Pontiac Firebird Super Duty and a McLaren F1 LM.

Dream Pinball 3D (DS) - I purchased this in April, and since then, it's spent more time in my DS than anything else. Currently, I've been spending most of my time with the Aquatic and Amber Moon tables.

Tetris (Game Boy) - Alexey Pajitnov completed the development of Tetris in June 1984 - 25 years ago. I had to play a few rounds in celebration.

Faith No More is touring again...

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 06:05:42 GMT

...and in celebration:

I got the idea when I was looking at the vinyl cover art for The Real Thing and thought that it looked a little like Atari label art.

And if you hadn't heard of the Atari 2600 Label Maker, you know of it now.

I also created a silver label variant, but didn't like it as much as the one above.

Two video game shirts I bought at Hot Topic (and one I didn't)

Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:44:34 GMT

So, I'm at Lloyd Center on Sunday afternoon, and I decide to look around Hot Topic. They had some new video game shirts I hadn't seen before. I bought the Zelda "skull" shirt shown below:

I was at Clackamas Town Center tonight, and looked around Hot Topic again. In the clearance section, I spotted several gaming shirts, mostly for newer games such as Resistance: Fall of Man, Call of Duty, Halo 3, and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Not retro enough for me. Then I spotted this Mortal Kombat shirt:

That's more like it! But were there any in my size? One had a price tag that had "2XL" handwritten on it, but it looked a little too small... sure enough, I checked the shirt tag, and it was a medium. But I managed to find one actual 2XL shirt, and left the store with it and the techno song from the first Mortal Kombat movie stuck in my head.

And now, here's one I might have bought instead of one of the other two, had either HT had one in my size:

This one might have been quite the conversation piece - first off, the Zelda cart is yellow (fun fact: there was actually a yellow Zelda cart, but it was a test cart given to Nintendo service centers that was never commercially released, and I doubt that anyone actually intended to put it on a shirt). And while it's a little tough to make out in the photo, Excitebike is two words on that cart label - what's up with that?

Finally, on a non-shirt but still somewhat game-related note, I also checked out the Goodwill near Lloyd Center on Sunday, and got a PS2 memory card (black, if you're wondering) for $3.99. I walked out of Goodwill to discover that it had started snowing. That was a cool sight.

The songs of 2008

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 10:24:24 GMT

Here's every song I've listed under "Current Music" last year.

Dio "Holy Diver" - 2/13
Van Halen "Everybody Wants Some!!" - 2/16
Saliva "Storm" - 3/1
Faith No More "Kindergarten" - 3/11
Rush "Limelight" - 3/14
Lacuna Coil "Soul Into Hades" - 3/30
Queensryche "Breaking The Silence" - 4/1
Dio "One Night In The City" - 4/12
Judas Priest "Metal Gods" - 4/17
Alice In Chains "Again" - 4/26
Faith No More "Smaller and Smaller" - 4/28
The Cars "Good Times Roll" - 4/30
Lacuna Coil "Our Truth" - 5/1
The Who "Eminence Front" - 5/1
White Zombie "Black Sunshine" - 5/5
Judas Priest "The Sentinel" - 5/6
Iron Maiden "Can I Play With Madness" - 5/19
Rush "The Twilight Zone" - 6/1
Faith No More "From Out Of Nowhere" - 6/22
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Breaking The Girl" - 7/11
Disturbed "The Night" - 7/12
Stone Temple Pilots "Crackerman" - 7/13
Offspring "I Choose" - 7/15
Queensryche "The Mission" - 7/16
Styx "Superstars" - 7/19
Ozzy Osbourne "Over The Mountain" - 8/8
Offspring "Come Out and Play" - 8/10
Danzig "End of Time" - 8/11
Rob Zombie "Never Gonna Stop" - 8/12
Blue Oyster Cult "Godzilla" - 8/14
Alice In Chains "Sea of Sorrow" - 8/15
Pantera "The Sleep" - 8/18
Faith No More "Epic" - 9/1
Judas Priest "Between the Hammer & the Anvil" - 9/2
Disturbed "Meaning of Life" - 9/4
Scorpions "The Zoo" - 9/12
AC/DC "Back In Black" - 9/14
Led Zeppelin "Ramble On" - 9/24
Avenged Sevenfold "Beast and the Harlot" - 10/6
Iron Maiden "The Clairvoyant" - 10/7
Dio "Rainbow in the Dark" - 10/9
Iron Maiden "Stranger in a Strange Land" - 10/15
Pantera "Becoming" - 10/16
Anthrax "The Enemy" - 10/17
Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" - 10/27
Black Sabbath "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" - 10/31
Project 86 "One-Armed Man (Play On)" - 11/30
Korn "Make Me Bad" - 12/1
In Flames "My Sweet Shadow" - 12/10
The Steve Miller Band "The Joker" - 12/24
Judas Priest "Living After Midnight" - 12/25
Ozzy Osbourne "Mr. Crowley" - 12/31
Alice In Chains "Would?" - 12/31

The songs of 2004
2005
2006
2007

No new entries until 2009

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:17:28 GMT

In celebration of my final post of 2008, here's a Pac-Man chart. Happy New Year.

A message from Santa Butt-head

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 10:53:48 GMT

"So, like, uh, have a Merry Christmas, and, uh, happy, uh, yuletide or something."

Six great games I got as Christmas gifts

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:26:58 GMT

It's Christmas Eve, and I actually feel like writing an entry. Here's some of the most memorable games I've received for Christmas over the years.

Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers (NES) - I can't remember which year I got this, but it was definitely in the heyday of the NES. Back then, you could ask for a game based on one of your favorite cartoon shows, and if Konami or Capcom was in charge of the development, you'd usually end up with something pretty good. Rescue Rangers was one of the better licensed games of the NES era. It's also the first NES game I ever beat. I don't have my original copy, but I found another one at a Goodwill in 2006.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (Super NES) - I don't remember the year I got this either, but it was right around the end of the SNES' heyday. This was one of the last major releases on the system, and one of the best platformers on it as well. I spent my Christmas afternoon playing the game until I got stuck on level 2-6. By then, it was almost time for dinner, and I managed to get past the level later that night. I still have my original copy, and I managed to keep the manual for a few years after losing the box, but now that's lost too. Oh well.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo 64) - Another one where I can't remember the year I got it, but again, definitely in the heyday of the system. I had quite a fun Christmas afternoon with this one on my brother's N64. I got pretty far in it, then, shortly after I passed the Water Temple (which was quite the pain in the ass), the game glitched and froze up. I shut off the N64 and turned it back on, only to discover that my game file was inaccessible. Couldn't even copy or delete it. To this day, I have yet to beat the game, or even get that far. I don't have that copy anymore, and I didn't even have it in my N64 collection (although I did and still have it on the Gamecube via the Zelda Collector's Edition compilation), until I found it at a thrift in June for $2 .

Diddy Kong Racing (Nintendo 64) - I either got this the year before, or the year after I got Ocarina of Time. I had lots of fun racing and battling against my brothers (and a cousin who was staying over for the holiday), and the single player mode was almost as fun as the multiplayer. I still have my original copy.

Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2) - I got this one in 2004, and I was hooked to it for quite some time. It's still my favorite Burnout to this day. Not only do I have my original copy, but I somehow managed to get a manual for the Xbox version as well. Anybody need it?

Mario Kart Super Circuit (Game Boy Advance) - I got this in 2006, and spent a lot of time playing it at work. One of the best racers on the GBA, and of course, I still have my original copy.

I rarely buy CDs at Goodwill.

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 12:33:37 GMT

Yep. Every Goodwill in town usually wants $4-5 for them, and I hardly ever spot anything I have to get at that price. Still, I browse through them anyways - mostly to check for PlayStation and Dreamcast games.

The Goodwill I went to yesterday had a handful of metal samplers, all 49 cents each. Most unopened, most only had 2 or 3 tracks on them. Those are the kinds of samplers that would come home with me if someone handed one to me at a concert, or if they were at the free table/box/whatever at a music store, but I'd rather spend 49 cents on something else.

Then I spotted a Nuclear Blast Records sampler, titled Blasting Your Ears! Vol. 2. 21 tracks, and Soilwork, In Flames, and Meshuggah are on it. Still kind of a ripoff considering that someone once got it for free when it came out in 2005, but why not?

I left Goodwill with two fewer quarters in my pocket, but gaining a CD, a receipt, and a penny.

Here are the other bands that appear on the sampler: Hypocrisy, Agnostic Front, Hammerfall, Darkane, Candlemass, Bleed the Sky, All Shall Perish, Mnemic, Dew-Scented, Apocalyptica, Samael, Sonata Artica, Disbelief, Malevolent Creation, Graveworm, Communic, Barcode, and Pungent Stench (with the most amusing song title on the sampler - "Got Milf?").

How long will it be until I get another CD at a Goodwill? We'll see.

So, December is almost here...

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:10:37 GMT

...and I have yet to make a single entry in November. I haven't skipped a month since January and I want to keep it that way, but I don't have time for a very long post. So, what I can write about? Well, I did get another CD earlier this month - Project 86's Drawing Black Lines. Cost me 50 cents, and if I don't get anything next month, I've still ended the year with something other than Forty Marshas.

I had a good Thanksgiving, and since I didn't have to work on Black Friday, I slept in.

That's all for now.

The Twitter songs of October 2008 (and one from September)

Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:29:29 GMT

Over the past month, I've been doing "Song of the moment" updates on my Twitter, but I've decided to stop doing them because it seemed like they were becoming a little too abundant compared to other updates. Since I've listed all of my LJ songs here (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007), I figured I'd list all of the Twitter songs here as well.

Radiohead "Creep" - 9/28
Megadeth "Symphony of Destruction" - 10/5
Golden Earring "Radar Love" - 10/7
silverchair "Tomorrow" - 10/7
Weezer "Buddy Holly" - 10/9
Smashing Pumpkins "Disarm" - 10/9
Nirvana "Serve the Servants" - 10/10
Boston "Peace of Mind" - 10/12
Aerosmith "Sweet Emotion" - 10/15
Faith No More "Epic" - 10/15
Eve 6 "Leech" - 10/19
Incubus "New Skin" - 10/19
Offspring "Staring at the Sun" - 10/21
Green Day "86" - 10/21
Glassjaw "Piano" - 10/22
Candlebox "You" - 10/25
Summercamp "Drawer" - 10/26
Alice In Chains "Again" - 10/26
Flaw "Whole" - 10/27
Led Zeppelin "Stairway to Heaven" - 10/27

What I've been playing lately #25

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 17:00:41 GMT

Super Mario Land (Game Boy) - It's been a while since I've played through this - in fact, I think the last time I played through it was when it made an appearance in #9. In my opinion, the plane and submarine levels are the best parts of the game.

Marble Madness (Game Boy Color) - Marble Madness got ported to the GBA... well, sort of. The cart also included Klax, and while the Klax port is excellent, Marble Madness only has the first three levels - that's right, after you pass the third level, you get a "Game Over" message and it's back to the start. FAIL. This brings us to the Game Boy Color port of Marble Madness, which I recently acquired. Since it actually has all the levels, this is the best portable version of Marble Madness available. On another note, it's a shame that there was a never a true sequel.

Micro Machines V3 (Game Boy Color) - This one really could have used a battery save - it's got a password save, but that's pretty inconvenient on the go. Regardless, if you liked any of the previous 2D Micro Machines games, it's definitely worth a look.

Puzzle Bobble Mini (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - Only one NGPC game this time around.

True Pinball (PlayStation) - This is the rarest of the pinball games on the PlayStation (and it's also the rarest PS1 game I own now), so I was pretty happy to get it. It has four tables that look and play pretty close to real tables (though True Pinball doesn't beat any of the Pro Pinball games in the realism department). It's got some minor issues with ball physics, but it's still one of the better pinball games available for the PS1. It's also available for the Saturn, and that version's far more common.

Speaking of pinball, I recently put a list of the pinball video games I own on my freewebs site - you can check it out here. True Pinball puts that collection at 44, and I have a goal to reach 50 someday.

Survey #17

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:45:05 GMT

How did you and the last girl you talked to become friends?
That girl at Taco Bell was cute, but we didn’t talk long enough to become friends.

Do you think your first love affects the way you go on with life?
It depends on how long you were with that first love.

Have you ever kissed someone whose name started with an s?
Oddly enough, no.

What do you do on the weekend?
Work, hanging out with friends if possible, play video games, surf the internet - you know, the usual.

Last person to send you a message on Myspace?
Clint.

Whose bed were you in last besides yours?
That’s for me to know and you not to find out.

What are you doing right now?
Filling out this survey.

Ever go camping?
I haven’t been camping in a long time.

Are you someone's best friend?
So I’ve been told.

Do you have a dog?
Nope, just video games with dogs in them (but not Nintendogs).

Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
That’s also for me to know and you not to find out.

Have you spoken to your mother today?
Not yet.

When is the last time you saw number 1 on your top friends?
October 4th at Canton Grill.

Is it easy for others to make you feel awkward?
Depends.

Do you think someone is thinking about you right now?
Probably not, but who knows.

Do you have a friend you can tell stuff to and you're sure they won't tell anyone?
Yes.

Last four texts in your phone are from:
I don’t have a cell phone.

What's your relationship with the person you last texted?
Long story short, I wound up trading an extra copy of Lacuna Coil’s Karmacode to them for four Chuck Palahniuk books (Diary, Haunted, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor).

Ever receive a really long apology?
Yes.

Feel like talking to someone that you haven't in a while?
Yes.

Who did you hug last?
My aunt when she was in town.

Are you mad at the last person who called you?
Nope.

Expecting something to change in the next month?
Yeah, I expect a big change in the amount of campaign ads on TV after the 4th.

Have you ever slept in a bed with the opposite sex?
Yes.

Besides sleeping, what else do you do in your room?
Too much to write here.

How do you make your money?
Theater checking.

What do you have planned for tonight?
It’s nearly 1:30 in the morning, so not much.

Did you kiss a person you have feelings for today?
I don’t have feelings for anyone right now.

When is your birthday?
September 24th. If you missed it, belated happy birthday greetings are still welcome.

When was the last time you had a donut?
Last month.

How ticklish are you?
That’s also for me to know and you not to find out. (There’s one person who might be reading this and thinking “haha, I know.” For everyone else, I recommend trying to beat Contra. Bonus points if you can pull it off without using the Konami Code.)

Where is your cell phone?
As I said earlier, don’t have one.

Do you miss anyone right now?
Yes

What’s the last movie you watched with someone of the opposite sex?
National Treasure 2.

Remember the Sega Game Gear?
Yep. I’ve got two of them and 28 games. I bought the second one last month to replace the other one because the speaker got weak (you can’t hear anything unless you put your ear right next to the speaker or use headphones) and the screen has brightness issues and has seen better days. The Game Gear was also my first portable system (though the battery life sucked and to this day, I still prefer to play it with the AC adapter plugged in) - back in the day, I had one with Sonic Chaos and Mortal Kombat.

Have you had pizza this week?
Nope. I almost got a frozen one at Target, but decided to get lasagna instead.

Kind of like spitting on forty Marshas and the eyesores somewhere in time

Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:17:53 GMT

Tonight, I'm going to write about some CD's I recently acquired. Two are going in the CD collection, and three aren't.

The first album going in the collection is Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time. This is the only one I paid money for ($3.50, to be exact). It's also my third Maiden CD - the other two are The Number of the Beast and the hits compilation Best of the Beast, so it's also my first Maiden CD that doesn't have "Beast" somewhere in the title.

The other one is Forty Marshas' self-titled album. According to Wikipedia, Forty Marshas is a side project from Mike Malinin of the Goo Goo Dolls. It's all over the place - indie rock, pop punk, even a thrash metal song (and someone is even credited in the liner notes for "metal consulting"). Not really the kind of album I'd pay money for, but since it was free and has a couple decent songs, why not. Unfortunately, their cover of The Kinks' "Sold Me Out" isn't among the decent tracks, mostly because the vocals were done by a woman who sounds too much like Courtney Love for her own good.

Speaking of Love, here's a lulz moment: she once wanted to kick Fred Durst out of your ass and show him what 60s punk rock is (and maybe she still does, you know, being batshit crazy and all).

As for the albums that didn't make the cut, there's Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores' The Smother Party, which can be summed up in two words: indie garbage. Then there's Kind of Like Spitting's In the Red (which I first misread as Kind of Like Spitting In The Bed). Wikipedia says that they were a Portland band (that's cool) that released seven albums in twelve years (that's also a little cool), and this was their sixth. However, while I've never heard someone hack a Violent Femmes song via karaoke, I can imagine it sounding something like the vocalist in this band (that's not cool). Finally, there's Hot Little Rocket's How To Lose Everything. The problem with this one? I opened the case to discover that it was empty. Looks like someone learned how to lose the CD.

In closing, I want to roll a katamari over all the stuff on the cover of the Forty Marshas' album. Also, Iron Maiden = \m/.

Random Joke #15

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:57:18 GMT

Why is a sheet of toilet paper like the Starship Enterprise?

They both circle Uranus in search of Klingons.

What I've been playing lately #24

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 10:44:32 GMT

Puzzle Bobble Mini (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - aka Bust-A-Move Pocket. The game's puzzle mode has 99 puzzles, and there's also a survivor mode, and a vs. CPU mode. However, the vs. CPU mode only has eight opponents and can be completed pretty quickly. The game could have used a battery save for high scores as well, but it's still recommended.

Puzzle Link 2 (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - And this is my favorite puzzler on the NGPC. You can earn cards for use in a card battle game, though I spend more time with the main game than the card battles.

Sonic The Hedgehog Pocket Adventure (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - I recently beat the game for the second time - however, it was the first time I beat it without using a continue. I was only able to acquire two Chaos Emeralds, though. It's a little tougher to collect Chaos Emeralds than it is in other Sonic titles due to the short amount of levels (and they can only be acquired in the first level of each zone). I also improved my times in some of the levels in the time trial mode.

Fatal Fury: First Contact (Neo-Geo Pocket Color) - It's easy to play through a game on shorter bus rides.

Donkey Kong, Missile Command, Pac-Man, Space Invaders, Mario Bros. (2600) - These are the games I've spent the most time with on my new 2600. Well, I haven't actually spent that much time with Pac-Man, but it's notable since it's one of the biggest bombs in video game history (and yes, it is awful). Space Invaders is the complete opposite of Pac-Man - it's almost just as awesome as its arcade counterpart. Missile Command and Mario Bros. are two more of my 2600 favorites. Did you know that you can use a Genesis controller on the 2600? Genesis and 2600 controllers share the same plug configuration - on the Genesis controller, the B button is the fire button. I prefer to use a Genesis controller for Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong, since I tend to play better that way - probably because I'm used to playing both games with a d-pad instead of a joystick.

Pro Pinball, Pro Pinball: Fantastic Journey, Pro Pinball: Big Race USA (PlayStation) - Finally, I spent some time with the three Pro Pinball games I own (I'm just missing Pro Pinball: Timeshock!). Each game in the Pro Pinball series features one table, and each one looks and operates like one you'd see in real life. They're all pretty fun, but my favorite would have to be Big Race USA, and unsurprisingly, that's the one I spent the most time with.

As of this minute, I am officially 26.

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:54:25 GMT

Here's the annual backdated entry. At this very minute, Jeff, Amanda, Donny, Chris, and I were hanging out at Donny's. About ten minutes later, we left for Denny's.

The beginning of the 2600 collection

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:17:46 GMT

Remember that Atari 2600 I won in the Portland Retro Gaming Expo's survey raffle? It arrived in the mail yesterday.

And talk about a nice start to my 2600 collection - I got nine games with it: Blackjack, Combat, Donkey Kong, Gravitar, Joust, Mario Bros., Missile Command, Pac-Man, and Space Invaders. Space Invaders is complete and the other games are cart only. I also got two Wico Command Control sticks and a game holder that holds 12 carts.

That wasn't the only thing I got in yesterday's mail - I also got Puzzle Link 2 for the NGPC, which I had bought on Amazon. It's my tenth NGPC game. Since there weren't that many games released for the system in the U.S. (I forget the exact number, but I know that it's just over 30), that's not a bad milestone. That being said, I'm not sure how much the NGPC collection will increase in the future, as I've got most of the games I was interested in. We'll see where that goes.

Off to get ready for work.