Le GASP!
Hey, ifPlatyphyllumcan come back after an absence, then so can I - only mine lasted longer than a year (top THAT buddy).
This isn't the start of many, I can assure you - just a new blog so that on the rare occasion that I DO log in here, I don't have to see the same, ridiculously outdated journal entry (journal entry... ahhh, those were the days - props to the two people out there that get the reference) staring me in the face.
For all those that even remember me, you can find me on Giant Bomb under the username "Brandy," or on Xbox Live as "Andaley." Funny thinking that, at the time of my last blog, I didn't have any of the next gen consoles, and now I have all three.
I'm thinking I have most of you on Live, Giant Bomb, Twitter (blshaul), or even Facebook already, but there's the info nonetheless (message me if you're a Facebook user).
Haven't kept up with my games list at all... yikes! Maybe I need to get back on that... Things have changed, DRASTICALLY - collection is probably down to about half. Had a bit of an epiphany some time ago - realized that quality matters more than quantity, and was able to make a killing selling old games (so much so that I bought the 360, and some other fun stuff).
But alright, I'm starting to type like this entry matters, so I need to put a stop to that. 
Let's see how long my next absence lasts.
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Digg thisGames 517-520
Many of you would probably recall that a few months back, I crossed the 500 game mark in my collection. Since then, my purchasing of games has basically ceased due to a lack of funds and getting royally screwed over by my EX-school (a very long story that I don't want to get into here).
Granted, I've still been lucky enough to add to my collection via receiving review copies of games for GrrlGamer, and up until yesterday was at a very respectful 516 games.
Now, over the last week or so, Target has been offering a White Elephant inspired auction to their employees (read: my mom), which just so happened to have four games up for grabs. Three of the games were in a bundle which included Thrillville (PS2), Theme Park (DS) and Crash Boom Bang (DS). The other lot contained SingStar Pop. Knowing how much I adore gaming, my mother immediately put bids on both lots, and ended up winning them when the auction ended yesterday.
The bidding rose in one dollar increments, with the set of three games going for $9 and the single game for $3...Great prices, if you ask me, considering as how a couple of them were still in the shrink wrap, with these prices being made all the better since I didn't have to pay them, hehe.
So, there you have it – four more games added to my collection, bringing me to an even 520 total games. And with two of them being in the theme park creation genre (one that I have adored since the days of the original Rollercoaster Tycoon), I am hoping they can last me until I have enough money to start buying games again… Or anything really…
Full Gen Con Coverage
Haven't really been in a GS mood lately - don't get me wrong, I like the new design well enough - I just hate the fact that I'm not torn between two sites (this and Giant Bomb) in order to keep up with all of my friends...But anyway, here's what I've been up to:
For all intents and purposes, my Gen Con coverage is complete, so make sure to check out those articles - new articles (other than the ones I posted about before, I mean) include coverage about the new World of Warcraft board game, a couple of trading card games (Blue Dragon and Universal Fighting System) and more!
As if I wasn't busy enough this week with finishing coverage and house-sitting once again for my uncle (meaning that I'm taking care of a bunch of dogs), I also found time to do a review for the new game in the Bangai-O franchise - Bangai-O Spirits for the DS. A huge bowl of mixed reactions with this one - while I found the game fun, I can easily see how many others wouldn't, but if you want to know why, you'll just have to read the review (See how I did that? Shameless self-promotion ftw!)
Until next time all!
Reviews, Previews, & Gen Con Coverage
Prepare for a blog of links all! And yes, the links really ARE there - for some reason, the new GS doesn't want to highlight everything - but it's not like THAT's really a surprise...
First, GrrlGamer updated while I was busy with Gen Con, but you can find my review for Wall-E on the PS2 here (GS Version). While at GrrlGamer, be sure to check out my preview of the new Pipe Mania game set to be released on multiple platforms this September.
Next, I'm slowly but surely getting through my coverage of Gen Con, and already have two articles for your reading pleasure. Granted, neither have pictures yet (long story involving Flickr), but the links are live to the public, so take a look:
Pirates of the Burning Sea MMORPG
I've also posted my four videos from the event on Youtube, so be sure to check those out if you want to see:
The destruction of a massive city made of trading cards
Until next time all!
Gen Con Schedule
As promised, here is my schedule for Gen Con Indy 2008 (August 13th - 17th), for all those that are interested enough in gaming to want to know what I'm doing, or what coverage you can eventually expect (btw, any time not covered in the schedule between 10 AM and 6 PM every day is to be assumed that I am in the dealer's hall working on meetings, demos, etc):
Thursday -
-- 9-10 AM - Special hour in the dealer's hall, reserved for members of the press and VIG's (very important gamers - a bit complicated to explain here) - Quick stops by the Beyond Protocol MMORTS booth for a free t-shirt, the Winning Moves booth for a free board game, Fat Dragon Games booth for (hopefully) free dice and t-shirt, the Chainmaille Wench / Gamers for Humanity booth to meet some friends and donate to the cause, earning more free stuff-- 10-11AM - More dealer's hall goodness - continuing on booths listed in first hour
-- 11-12PM - Pokemon Diamond / Pearl Meet-up in eGame arena (mainly to do a bunch of trading of the game specific Pokemon, and the ones that need to be traded to evolve)
-- 12:30-1:30 PM - Meeting with Fantasy Flight Games over World of Warcraft, Starcraft, UFS, and perhaps Battlestar Gallactica board games (if there's time)
-- 2-2:30 PM - Meeting with Seven Lights over the Continuum, an online collectible wargame
-- 3-4 PM - Meeting with Sony Online Entertainment over Legends of Norrath and the new Star Wars Galaxies TCG
-- 6-? PM - Dinner, Cardhalla, Consignment Store, etc.
Friday -
-- 10-11:15 AM - Dealer's hall goodness-- 11:30-1 PM - Gamer Wenches lunch (a gaming group of which I am a member)
-- 1(ish)-2:30 PM - Gaia Online Meet-up for free goodies
-- 3-5 PM - Women in Gaming Seminar (run by the Gamer Wenches)
-- 6-? PM - Dinner, Cardhalla, Consignment Store, etc.
Saturday -
-- 12-1 PM - Animal Crossing meet-up in eGame arena (mainly to track down the fruit that my town lacks)
-- 1-2:30 PM - Gaia Online Panel discussing new MMO entitled "zOMG!" Plus, more free goodies
-- 4-6 PM - Costume Contest (audience member only - no cosplay for this girl)
-- 6-10 PM - Dinner, Cardhalla, Consignment Store, etc.
-- 10:30 PM - Cardhalla deconstruction
-- 11-1 AM - Hentai Dubbing (simply because a few other Gamer Wenches are going, and watching something hilarious like this couldn't be passed up on)
Sunday -
-- 10-11 AM - Freaky Creatures meeting - PC game involved in the Dell / Intel Extreme Gaming Tour-- 11-12 PM - Pirates of the Burning Sea meeting - One of the highest rated MMO's to come out in recent time
-- 12-4 PM - Lots of time spent in the dealer's hall, meeting up with friends for one last lunch, game, etc. and seeing the end of the con proper
-- -5(ish) PM - Packing and beginning the drive home from Indianapolis
Apart from this set schedule, as I've noted above, I have quite a bit of free time for exploration throughout the hundreds of booths in the exhibit hall, and in that time, I will have "meetings" with the following companies, or will at least stop by the booth in the hopes of receiving press kits, swag, etc.:
-- Cryptic Studios - Star Trek Online and Champions Online-- Games - PC games, mostly of the war and strategy genres
-- Atari
-- Bioware's Dragon Age - Demo/Trailer from E3 will apparently be available
-- World of Warcraft Darkmoon Faire - think of a simple 10 x 10 booth with a couple of posters for a game, and then blow that up to fit into tens of thousands of square feet of meeting and exhibit space; that essentially is the Darkmoon Faire
-- 4kids - Perhaps have coverage of TMNT's 25th anniversary, along with the Chaotic TCG
-- Cloud Kingdom Games - riddle books for free swag!
-- Tiny Mantis - Thugs! online game
-- Gozer Games - Collateral Damage, anime themed board game
-- Upper Deck - anything and everything gaming
-- Wizkids - same as Upper Deck
-- Ape Games - duck, duck, GO! board game
-- X360 / Fable 2 booth - self-explanatory, no?
-- EA Mythic - Warhammer Online
-- Darkened Sky Studios - Chron X, an online TCG that is free to play
-- Shard Studios - RPG's
-- Konami Digital Entertainment - Blue Dragon RPTCG (role playing trading card game)
-- Bandai America - lots of variety in gaming
-- North Star Games - party games with the possibility of LOTS of swag!
There are actually a few more booths that I plan on hitting by the time the con is over, but that gives you a basic rundown of what I'll be doing once Thursday hits. I leave my house tomorrow, in order to spend the night with a friend who lives closer to Indy, and to be able to assure that I get into town on Weds to take care of press related matters before the place becomes a zoo on Thursday (over 40,000 attendees throughout the four days - I'd say that's pretty zoo-like, wouldn't you?). At any rate, I've got tons of stuff to get done between now and then, so I'll simply say: until next time all!
Recent Reviews
Taking cues from Usher, and other mainstream R&B artists, on his debut album, Ne-Yo does not disappoint. On tracks like "When Your Mad" and "Sign Me Up," it does tend to seem like the easy road is the way to go, but with the maturity of tracks like the first single "So Sick" and "Time" it is obvious that Ne-Yo knows what he is doing, and that he is a true force to be reckoned with.
The two "featuring…" tracks are the biggest steps out of what seems to be Ne-Yo’s comfort zone, that zone being the "I will always love you" or "please come back to me" route. They both exhibit some of the hardest tones on the album, musically, not lyrically, and show that Ne-Yo probably has some rap sensibilities in his bag of tricks.
In my opinion, aside from "So Sick," the song on this album that really shines is "Sexy Love," a lighter-toned track that harkens back to the classic R&B tracks of yesteryear. That along with "Mirror" tend to be the polar opposites on the album – "Sexy Love" being the best track available, and "Mirror" being something that I unfortunately say I could do without.
Overall, "In My Own Words" is and probably will remain the best R&B album released this year, and for good reason. It has enough staying power to, I believe, pass the test of time, and will undoubtedly push Ne-Yo’s career up and outward towards bigger and better things.
Their one "hit" single, so to say, "I Think God Can Explain" shows the true depth of Boone’s writing. It also gained the band numerous gigs, including their best – an opening slot on Third Eye Blind’s American tour of the time. That and the slight radio play on local stations was how I first became familiar with what would later become my favorite band of all time.
There is a maturity on "Halfway Down the Sky" that is not present on most debuts, no matter what the genre. Combine this with the overall need for a great rock band; a need that was HUGE at the end of the century and you get something that no one will ever be able to top, not even themselves, I’m sad to say. Instead of sticking with what was known, the "I hate my parents – why won’t you shut up – this girl is a b!t@h" styles of the punk bands that came before (and after) them, they stick to rock’s roots, with head-banging on "Wallflower" all the way to lighters-in-the-air tracks like "London."
It would not be surprising to hear that most people have not heard of Splender, but that fact alone is one of the great "shames" in music. All of the attention from radio and the press does not a great album make (look at Ashley Simpson, for example). The flip of the coin, then, can also be true – that some of the greatest music out there, like Splender’s, is left unheard by the public majority just because it didn’t fit the mold of the times.
So, overall, if you are looking for a truly great rock album that you will enjoy for years to come, you will not be disappointed in "Halfway Down the Sky."
