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Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in
shikomekidomi's InsaneJournal:
| Friday, November 20th, 2009 | |
| 1:18 am | But just the same, how can you question who's to blame? I like some of Breaking Benjamin's stuff (that I know of primarily via having AMVs set to). However, the problem with breaking benjamin is they do stuff like this (good): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yHuuBZg But they also do stuff like this (pure emo): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGrM And they have a lot of albums out. So, one cannot be sure if investing money in their stuff will result in good music or boring whining. So, I'll stick to my AMVs, I think, until I can at least get someone with taste to test-listen their stuff for me. |
| Wednesday, November 18th, 2009 | |
| 10:19 pm | No, he did not use his hands. Like a smart man, he used a tool. Japan has some weird commercials. It's surprisingly enjoyable to say "CERO" when the giant thing uses its breath weapon here: http://monstercutie.com/blog/2009/1 Enjoyment is enhanced when doing that while showing it to a person who's seen Bleach. Been cutting back on the soda (ie, not gorging myself on it every day- it makes the gorgings more special). The headaches faded fairly quick and I think I'm eating more... which isn't neccessarily bad as I'd lost a bit of weight from not eating much lately. I'm going to have to exercise more to make sure the weight gain is more muscle than fat, though. |
| Monday, November 16th, 2009 | |
| 11:33 pm | What kind of man builds a machine to kill a girl? Good news. While the latest Dexter book remains, like many of them, probably too humanizing, it's a step back towards the quality of the first few after the somewhat disappointing last one. It's little details, like seeing Doakes again, all fitted up with an ironically cheerful voice synthesizer and his still quite foulmouthed dialogue, that help. Dexter makes many mistakes here (which is fine, main characters don't have to be perfect) and arouses more than a few suspicions. Honestly, if this series keeps going at this rate he's either going to be captured or things will get ridiculous. Secrets are kept by people not knowing you have one. Once they start really looking at you it's nearly impossible to hide anything but the oldest and best buried ones. |
| Saturday, November 14th, 2009 | |
| 4:09 am | I can almost hear the hounds... People may remember my love for Overlord. Well before the actual sequel there was an expansion released only for XBox users in the United States and for both XBox and PC in Europe. Who's idea this 'clever' bit of marketing malarky was I do not know, but I found it vastly frustrating. Fortunately for me, Steam just released the PC version of the expansion this month at last and now it's on sale for download at a dollar fifty, which is far too cheap to resist. But what I really want to know is why they didn't release it for all platforms it had been made for in the United States originally? Did they think that somehow people would go out and buy Xboxes just for the expansion to an (admittedly good) game they had the majority of on their PC? I don't think you can even transfer saves from PC to XBox, so it seems really odd. But then, Microsoft IS really odd. Still, it just seems like you're completely ignoring a large avenue of sales (people who want to play it on their computers) for a small boost in sales elsewhere(Xbox). And while the eventual PC release several years later is great, I bet lots of people have forgotten about it by now. Just bad business. Oh well, now I have it and I get to literally journey into Hell and terrorize the souls of all those guys I defeated before, because once is just not enough. We're off to conquer Hell, as one of my favorite villains, Shishio Makoto, once said. |
| Wednesday, November 11th, 2009 | |
| 12:03 am | No sign of the "Good Doctor" but the siren's wail and whining tell us he'll be found Disgea is a weird game. First, the story parts are pretty funny, especially the way each chapter finishes with a "next time" preview that always spoofs a different style of anime (and is always wrong and portrays the narrator, usually Etna, in the absolute best light while killing or villainizing everyone else). The game starts with Etna waking up Laharl, using various weapons and finally pulling out a big gun, assuming it'll either kill or wake him. He discovers his nap ran for years instead of days, and that his father, the Overlord of the Demon Realm, died two years ago by choking to death on a pretzel (much like Bush almost did). With no clear ruler, the realm has fragmented and it's up to your party to bring it back. It's hard to say whether Laharl or Etna is actually supposed to be the protagonist (most dialogue indicates Laharl, but Etna does all the ending narrations). But the weird thing is that the whole game is made of minigames. Every piece of equipment has a dungeon inside and going through it (in ten level sections) increases it's power. Buying things at the shop increases your customer level and thus what they offer. Getting healed a lot at the hospital gets you prizes (which are usually much better than what the shop offers). You get loot after clearing every map (it plays kind of like final fantasy tactics) and the more combo attacks you use, the higher your bonus gauge and thus the more loot you get (and as the gauges fill loot generally improves). Recruiting new characters, other than story specific ones, is done by spending mana and you get that by killing monsters-- but each character has a separate mana pool and the people you recruit are loyal to the person who spends mana on them so you might want to watch who's delivering all the finishing blows. Then there's the geodes. Some maps are covered in psychedelic glowing squares and the little pyramids on them called geodes have various effects on everyone on those squares. If the geode is a different color from the square breaking it changes all squares of that color to the geode's and does damage to everything on them. If this includes another geode, all the squares change again, including any squares that didn't match before the last geode broke, allowing you to set up some insane combos. This is an easy way to fill bonus gauges, but you don't get experience for leveling your characters off of any kills this way (and the 'specialist' monsters scattered inside your item worlds don't give the bonuses they give if you kill them normally). Oh, and in addition to leveling your character, you level your weapon skills by using weapons, which lets you use special attacks based on the weapon and those special attacks can be individually leveled. Plus as you level you gain certain character or class specific specials (mage spells work this way and using them a lot increases their range while opening up different areas of effect). The whole thing's rather a rather complex early PS2 game, but fun. |
| Sunday, November 8th, 2009 | |
| 8:38 pm | Tonight the streets are red, the lights are blue and blinding. Act II: Father of Death sounds rather different from the first Protomen album (more of a variety of music and less metal), but I like it all the same and it fits the mood. In some respects it may be even more depressing, but that's fine. After all, we knew that going in as it's a prequel to the first and the first starts in a future dystopia ruled by A. Wily, Doctor. I mean Dr. Albert Wily. I do so love word games. In fact there's a certain societal segment seemingly somewhat snared by them. I noticed that when I noted many of the subway server's subtle amusement at my sandwich of choice the "pepperoni, pepper-jack, and peperoncini sandwich" which contains no other ingredients, making it both spicy and alliterative. The spiciness treats the taste buds and the alliteration treats the brain, I always say. Current Music: "The Hounds" by the Protomen. |
| Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 | |
| 3:24 am | Send me the best you've got! Send me your strongest machine! The fight my brother fought, here now Will End With Me! I don't know where this trend to create rock operas out of things comes from but I approve. There's an Utena musical, a Bleach rock opera, and I just tonight discovered the wonders of the Protomen, who take megaman and... You know what, TV Tropes says it better than I do. "The Protomen is a seven-piece progressive rock band from Nashville, TN, whose musical catalogue is based around a Rock Opera trilogy inspired by Mega Man. Very loosely based off of the mythology of the Mega Man games (the first three in particular), it shows an Orwellian Dystopia that takes the idealistic side of the Sliding Scale Of Idealism Versus Cynicism and beats it to death with its own corpse. It is a bitter and awful look at Holding Out For A Hero. The first album, a self-titled release also known as Act I or Hope Rides Alone, was self-published in 2005, and tells the story of how Protoman and Mega Man were created to fight against Dr. Wily's regime and the very different paths their lives took. It was followed in September 2009 by Act II: The Father of Death, a prequel which tells the story of how Drs. Light and Wily created artificial intelligence, and how it all went so very wrong. A third act is to be released at an unspecified date. " But what probably says it best is their work. Here's an official music video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGvqMXYh A band approved fan one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VspS8m2y Another following that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAysZ92B Sadly, the song of theirs I enjoy most so far doesn't have a nice megaman video yet, but here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeYGiS_h Although, I'm pretty fond of The Stand (man or machine) and Sons of Destiny... and all the others. And now I've ordered their first album. Heh. Oh well. Having more neat stuff is never bad and it wasn't too costly. |
| Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 | |
| 4:35 am | Reach out and punch face! Just a small update to prove that I've managed to sustain my animated state, rather than slipping into eternal slumber. I'm currently striving to find a good mask for the Tonberry costume I've devised (one of my robes, a plastic butcher's knife, and a literal electric lantern). Because those little guys are terrifying murder machines. And cute. At the same time. It's a combination of effects I've proven incapable of resisting over and over again, really. I mean, I like Yuuno in Mirai Nikki and she is horrifying. Truly horrifying. If you don't think so, you just didn't read enough of it. Ah, I love Halloween. All the cheery decorations and free reign to dress as you wish without having to go to a convention or anything. Plus, free candy! The only holiday that can even begin to rival it is Christmas and it suffers from a lack of monsters. Monsters make most things more magnificent. The past few months I've not been socially active online much as people have been seeking to do things with me more in person and I can only take so much human interaction. Current Music: Personal Archvillian-Eben Brooks |
| Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 | |
| 2:25 am | Have I failed my daughter? Then let the father die! And let the monster rise! I was having a conversation with one of my friends about how occasionally I would have to borrow one of my sister's dolls when I was younger just to have someone for my many monster toys to kidnap and/or eat when the friend remarked that it's easy to forget I was always myself because one gets the impression I was created in some sort of horrible industrial accident. I'll treasure that memory. TVTropes is horribly addictive. You start looking at tropes and reading all the examples and following links and pretty soon six or seven hours have gone by. It's wonderful to see these recurring themes and techniques that you've perhaps never been consciously aware of. Anyway, they introduced me to something called Repo! and I finally got around to watching Repo: A Genetic Opera. It was pretty good, but then it was a musical set in a dystopian future with Anthony Stewart Head, so I suspected it might be. I will say that they may have gone a little overboard on the gore at points. I mean, some is to be expected given the subject matter, but they certainly didn't shy away from showing us blood and guts (literally). Not that it bothered me, but that's my point. For the kind of sci-fi fans the film was made for, such things are cliche. They're old hat. We're all too jaded to be affected, there's no shock value. On the other hand, if we try to show other people, people who aren't yet numb, movies, we'll usually pick ones that line up with their sensibilities more. Thus, I'm not making my family watch it- just a few of my friends. EDIT: I should also mention that the songs are _ridiculously_ catchy. I STILL have one of them stuck in my head. Current Music: "Let the Monster Rise" |
| Wednesday, August 12th, 2009 | |
| 3:53 am | At first this appeared a moral dilemma... A while back I found some disturbingly amusing information about twilight while wandering off of links from Random's journal. The information being that the author isn't actually familiar with how vampires work because she avoids horror products. So, I found it pretty amusing when the guy who writes Basic Instructions (a webcomic that ranges from bland to hilarious) compared it to this sketch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7samYP0 On an entirely different note, I have decided that Mr. Rogers was the most sincere human being to ever walk the face of the earth. So much so that it pains normal people. In fact, it is literally impossible to oppose him without feeling like total garbage or being a sociopath as you can tell when he got twenty million out of congress through sheer force of personality, seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQI |
| Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009 | |
| 2:13 am | Light of day, day of Darkness Okay, so I probably spend far too much time reading fanfiction. I'm a smart snake, I can admit my flaws. But that just means I've read enough to KNOW what's good and what isn't (well that and my impeccable taste). Anyone who bothers to read my journal should find said tastes pretty good. That said, if you're at all familiar with Sailor Moon, the story of a girl who finds out she's a reincarnated princess and defeats a bunch of enemies so that one day in the future she can rule a 'perfect world' by 'purging everyone's souls' of 'darkness', then you should read the following story: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3337074/1 Let's face it, most american anime fans are at least vaguely familiar with the series even if, like me, they've never managed to sit through a whole episode (I did eventually break down and read the the whole manga because it kept popping up in crossover fics, though). Mark Doherty is a good writer and he's finally finished one of his epics. |
| Thursday, July 9th, 2009 | |
| 11:56 pm | And all the answers were inside my mind and I was unafraid. The dream was so enticing. Got my grasping appendages on "Shoggoth on the Roof". I'd already bought both "Scary Solstice" albums so it was a(n un)natural progression. Man, I love the HPL Historical Society, with songs like a shoggoth's prayer (which from memory, goes something like this) May cthulhu come to collect you. May he bring you madness and pain. Rising from the sea, to drive humanity insane May you be like Dagon and Hydra May you finally live 'neath the waves kill humanity and speak unto their child grace Come unto humanity and shorten their lives Cthulhu hear this Shoggoth's prayer to you Ia cthulhu Yganatha IA may cthulhu wake up from slumber Bringing mankind horror and woe There's also the heart-warming "if I were a deep one". Remember kids, if you want your children to survive the coming apocalypse, breed with Fish/Frog people! |
| Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 | |
| 11:41 pm | For it was my dream to create a perfect world from this cold imperfect world You know I had some complaints about Bleach's escalating power levels being inconsistent. Right until the last chapter fixed every problem I had in a plot twist that, while somewhat predictable, put things on the track it felt like they should have been on. Plus, several things I'd been waiting for so long that I'd forgotten about them happened. The only real problem is that 364 might actually cram too much goodness into too small a place, lessening the effectiveness by not letting certain things sink in. Now if only Yamamoto would die. The man's an incompetent who consistently tries to have his underlings executed. Not the traitorous or insane ones, either. The ones who have problems that aren't their fault and might be controllable or who break rules to save lives. Frankly, it's not hard to see WHY one of the traitors still maintains his side is 'justice' while allying with soul eating monsters. I mean, when the 'good guys' do things like secretly lock up anyone dead set on retiring (if you're valuable enough they MIGHT let you have 'indefinite leave' but 'retired' reads 'in secret holding facility'), you have to wonder which side you should be rooting for. Sadly, Yamamoto appears to be a real good fighter, just a bad leader. So, he's too old and powerful to go out easy. |
| Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 | |
| 1:50 am | In this sleep I conceived a perfect plan. That would change the face of mankind. Firstly, Overlord 2 is out. Hurray! Overlord was a game where one controls a giant, armored, vaguely Sauron-like fellow who is attempting to rebuild the local tower of evil after a bunch of heroes smashed it and scattered its magic relics. He is assisted by a bunch of adorable little gremlins that go around smashing stuff and scavenging it for gear (including wearing pumpkins as helmets). It's great fun. Especially playing evil and eradicating the whining elves. The only problem is the sequel seems to presuppose events I wasn't aware of because they happen in an expansion that was only released for PC in Europe. That was a BRILLIANT marketing ploy. Ah well, Overlord 2 is still fun, even if it looks like I missed a few hippy, rastafaran elves that really need to die back when I tried to wipe them out the first time. I have been reading a lot of Raymond Chandler lately. When he's good, he's good, though sometimes he gets a little too lost in his own descriptiveness. He's even a good writer when he's doing other things, I was shocked to discover when I found how enjoyable his introduction to a collection of his mystery work was. The only real problem is that if you read enough of his stuff in a row you get a little too used to the types of plots he favors. So, I should probably intersperse his stuff with other things more. And the plans to rewatch Utena alter and grow as a friend of mine just bought a 52-inch TV, because he wants to see it again, too. Looking at that thing is like looking at a monster, especially when it's off and the black HD screen is like a huge, square hole in his wall. I wonder if it will look better or worse on such a huge HD medium? We watched part of Return Of the Jedi (it was on TV when we turned it on) on the monster when he installed it and everything was so clear that we almost thought it was a different movie. It actually resembled an old episode of Doctor Who, oddly enough. |
| Thursday, June 4th, 2009 | |
| 12:40 am | I fell asleep, to sweet lullaby. A sleep in which I had a dream. Some thigns get to you enough that you can randomly have flashbacks. For example, To Kill A Mockingbird is something I somehow ended up watching three or four times in two years at school and having to read the book twice. I cannot stand the sight of its cover. It nauseates me. On the other hand, some of those flashbacks are good and enjoyable. Utena is one of those series that crawls inside your head and squeezes other things out. In fact my sudden urge to fanfic was spawned entirely by recently acquiring the OSTS. And then listening to them for three days straight. Because once you've seen the show a couple times, just the music goes right your heart and causes flashbacks. I've seen the whole series at least three times and the first third at least six, though I haven't watched any of it in four years or more. I remembered that the first few duels were named in the first arc summary episode but couldn't remember more than five of them, so I cheated and googled the list. And the first few duels, in order are: Choice (Choix) Reason (Raison) Love (Amore): Adoration: Conviction: Self (Soi): Then twelve more duels before Revolution. Because no matter how I change things, there are rules, brave hero, there are rules. Current Music: Green Carnation, Like yesterday is trying and failing to push Utena out |
| Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 | |
| 3:38 am | I dream this world. When I end, this world will end with me. Bit by rabid plot-bunny. I have a nigh irresistible urge to write some kind of Bleach/Revolutionary Girl Utena fusion thing. By necessity it'd be a huge multi-chapter story and I have a poor track record with finishing those. Still, I can't get over my love for both series (especially Utena, Bleach has a lot of 'cool' moments, but Utena is one of those anime everyone should watch- The TV, not the movie). And they both revolve around the heroes being manipulated by illusion users that want to (re)claim the throne of God! They also both involve swords that represent people's souls. So, I'm thinking of casting (spoilers) Aizen as fallen Dios, Tatsuki as the girl prince (it fits) and protagonist, and so forth. But the hard part is deciding exactly how much of each series to use. I don't want to just retell one story with characters from the other. I think I want to take the Bleach world and make fundamental changes to its background that cause the story to spiral away from the original and move in ways that fit Utena better but by virtue of having different characters and setting are completely new. Gah. That's ambitious. And here I thought I'd killed all my ambition save greed. Current Music: Green Carnation still |
| Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 | |
| 12:33 am | I think therefore I am. You are a fantasy. Made by me. I have realized why people don't think much of Aquaman's powers despite the fact he has minor superhuman physical abilities when recently exposed to salt water, the ability to survive pretty much unlimited ocean depths, and the ability to speak to (generally also control) sea creatures in a fantasy world where that often includes giant monsters. Many superheroes have less. Heck, many aren't actually superhuman at all. So, what's the issue? He should be not be a superhero. He's using his powers wrong. A hero is generally reactive. They have to go where the danger and the evil they fight is. That's usually not the ocean, thus Aquaman is limited and limited again by the fact that even in the ocean, without the ability to outright summon see animals, it could take time for giant monsters to arrive unless the fight again happens to miraculously be near one. He could cart one around, but that's a lot of effort doing things like feeding and maintaining control. Moreover giant monsters are awkward in many situations. So, the solution becomes obvious: Aquaman should have been a superVILLIAN. Villians can force the heroes to come to them. From the crushing depths of the ocean floor Aquaman could force heroes to contend with him, a lair stocked with horrible abominations, and the ocean environment itself ( a nasty villian target's the enemy's underwater survival gear). Suddenly a man who people have a hard time seeing capable of stopping a mugging in Arizona is a credible threat to nearly anyone (ridiculous exceptions like superman aside--and even there I seem to remember a Superman movie where Lex Luthor showed us water+kyrptonite=drowning godlike hero). Clearly the man is only limited in his success by his own moral compass, which can make sense as a character, but one wonders what the guy who created him was thinking. Current Music: Watching the "Light of Day, Day of Aizen" AMV |
| Saturday, March 7th, 2009 | |
| 3:18 am | Are we like machines? No, we can build a soul like black diamond. So, this is something I saw quite some time ago but I didn't bother to record my thoughts for posterity at the time. Bleach Episode 202 is a very enjoyable piece of work... Spoilers follow. Sure, it was the climax of the first nonfiller Zaraki Kenpachi fight we've had in a long long time. And that in and of itself is great. But the way the episode is constructed, the timing of the music, even the use of the not-particularly-sympathetic background flashback for Noitra, make the episode better. And here's why: Partway through the episode the feel of who the bad guy is changes. I mean, we're all still rooting for Zaraki, don't get me wrong but the episode made it clear he won less because of any normal nonsense like love or promises to your friends and more because he's a bigger monster than his opponent or a better one. The episode may start with Zaraki Kenpachi staring at Noitra's One-winged Angel form to final boss music, but he quickly reverses things again. Pretty soon Zaraki's having fun and his opponent isn't. When the dramatic music starts again it's hard to escape the feeling that it's playing for Zaraki now. Especially once we get a Noitra POV and his thoughts are confusion and even the beginnings of despair, because he knows he should be winning but, impossibly, he can't stop feeling like he's losing. There's no window into Zaraki's thoughts other than his grin and mad laughter. Still, he can't keep up the pace forever. Then Zaraki pulls the best ace-in-the hole I've ever seen anywhere (it's helped a lot by contrast to all the other power ups in Bleach). When Noitra gets struck down, he gets the sad flashback like he's a protagonist. But he's not, he's just a bitter child turned monster. And Zaraki Kenpachi is a monster who's transcended bitterness. Oh, and I'm back. Kaloo kalay in chortling joy all who may still watch. Current Music: Therion-Sirius B album |
| Saturday, May 31st, 2008 | |
| 8:05 pm | Look at me still talking When there's Science to do. I've experiments to run. There is research to be done. On the people who are still alive. I've probably said it before and I'll say it again. Portal is not only an awesome game but it's nameless AI is one of my favorite characters ever. EDIT: Research indicates that I apparently missed being told that the AI is named GLaDOS. EDIT: Remembered and added a couple spoiler free and minor spoiler quotes, placed at the beginning of the quote sections. In fact, this journal entry is solely to make a note of that in case I start to forget. Ellen McLain, the voice actress did a great job and the line writers were clearly having fun. Here are some quotes, ones with spoilers separated out. "Hello and again welcome to the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center. We hope your brief detention in the relaxation vault has been a pleasant one. Your specimen has been processed and we are now ready to begin the test proper. Before we start, however, keep in mind that although fun and learning are the primary goals of the enrichment center activities, serious injuries may occur. For your own safety, and the safety of others, please refrain from-(static)" "Unbelievable! You, Subject Name Here must be the pride of Subject Hometown Here!" ""Well done. Remember, the Aperture Science 'Bring your daughter to work' day is the perfect time to have her tested." "Well done. Be advised that the next test requires exposure to uninsulated electrical parts that may be dangerous under certain conditions. For more information, please attend an Enrichment Center Electrical Safety Seminar." "Please note that we have added a consequence for failure. Any contact with the chamber floor will result in an "unsatisfactory" mark on your official testing record followed by death. Good luck!" "The Enrichment Center is committed to the well being of all participants. Cake and grief counseling will be available at the conclusion of the test. Thank you for helping us help you help us all." "The Enrichment Center promises to always provide safe testing environments. In dangerous testing environments, the Enrichment Center promises to always provide useful advice. For instance, the floor here will kill you. Try to avoid it." "As part of a previously mentioned required test protocol, we can no longer lie to you. When the testing is over, you will be... Missed." "Did you know you can donate one or all of your vital organs to the Aperture Science self esteem fund for girls? It's true!" Very Minor Spoiler Quotes: "The symptoms most commonly produced by Enrichment Center testing are superstition, perceiving inanimate objects as alive, and hallucinations. The Enrichment Center reminds you that the weighted companion cube will never threaten to stab you and, in fact, cannot speak." "The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube cannot speak. In the event that the Weighted Companion Cube does speak, the Enrichment Center urges you to disregard its advice." "You did it! The weighted companion cube certainly brought you good luck. However, it cannot accompany you for the rest of the test and must, unfortunately, be euthanized. Please escort your companion cube to the Aperture Science Emergency Intelligence Incinerator." "Although the euthanizing process is remarkably painful, 8 out of 10 Aperture Science engineers believe that the companion cube is most likely incapable of feeling much pain." "Welcome to the final test. When you are done, you will drop the device in the Equipment Recovery Annex. Enrichment Center regulations require both hands to be empty before any cake-" "I'd just like to point out that you were given every opportunity to succeed. There was even going to be a party for you. A big party that all your friends were invited to. I invited your best friend the companion cube. Of course, he couldn't come because you murdered him. All your other friends couldn't come either because you don't have any other friends. Because of how unlikable you are. It says so here in your personnel file: Unlikable. Liked by no one. A bitter, unlikable loner whose passing shall not be mourned. "Shall not be mourned." That's exactly what it says. Very formal. Very official. It also says you were adopted. So that's funny, too." "You've been wrong about every single thing you've ever done, including this thing. You're not smart. You're not a scientist. You're not a doctor. You're not even a full-time employee. Where did your life go so wrong?" Major Spoiler Quotes: "The experiment is nearing its conclusion. The Enrichment Center is required to remind you that you will be baked, and then there will be cake." "Congratulations. The test is now over. All Aperture technologies remain safely operational up to 4000 degrees Kelvin. Rest assured that there is absolutely no chance of a dangerous equipment malfunction prior to your victory candescence. Thank you for participating in this Aperture Science computer-aided enrichment activity. Goodbye." "What are you doing? Stop it! I-i-i-i-i-... Weeee are pleased that you made it through the final challenge where we pretended we were going to murder you. We are very very happy for your success. We are throwing a party in honor of your tremendous success. Place the device on the ground, then lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides. A party associate will arrive shortly to collect you for your party. Make no further attempt to leave the testing area. Assume the 'Party Escort Submission Position' or you will miss the party." "Uh oh. Somebody cut the cake. I told them to wait for you, but they cut it anyway. There is still some left, if you hurry back." "Didn't we have some fun though? Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said "Goodbye" and you were like "NO WAY!" and then I was all "We pretended we were going to murder you"? That was great!" "Are you trying to escape? Chuckle. Things have changed since you last left the building. What's going on outside will make you wish you were back in here. I have an infinite capacity for knowledge, and even I'm not sure what's going on outside." EDIT: Remembered and added even more quotes. |
| Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 | |
| 9:52 pm | I'd never find evidence so horrible, To clear my thoughts I drill a hole into my skull Heh, got my hands on a copy of Dark Corners of the Earth. A friend got it and then got bored when he couldn't beat it. I'll say this--It's a great game but goes from slow investigation to horribly, gut wrenchingly lethal very suddenly... I love it. All Lovecraft based games should have long segments where a single error results in agonizing death. Very nice job on making the background sounds and visuals creepy, too. A bit dark, I usually play games with the lights on but if I did that here I couldn't see. The effects of losing sanity and health being reflected by the way your character sees, moves, and sounds instead of by life bars or anything of the type helps immersion. Now back to trying to escape Innsmouth ahead of an angry mob and some fish people (much, much harder than it sounds). EDIT: Seriously, every game should have at least forty minutes of crawling on your hands and knees as slowly and carefully as possible while praying that guards don't turn that corner or look behind them because the part-fish, part-frog, part-hicks have shotguns and numbers and are going to MURDER you and you're never going to get out alive and where, oh god, where is the exit... EDIT TWO: Okay, dozens of deaths and reloads later, still in Innsmouth. Farther from where I was, though. Oh Great Cthulhu, do your followers have to be so persistent? And, holy hell, why is the BANK on FIRE? WHY? I must say the way I occasionally hallucinate from too much sanity loss is pretty cool, except that the panoramic visual ones are a bit disorienting, not like the more common auditory hallucinations of things like little girls telling me they didn't want to die. |