This is the Manic Gamer episode 4! The Manic Gamer Vs. Any Semblance of Structure? Question mark is a part of the title not my creation!

I posted another episode a bit ago, but thought I would share this one with you all again. If you guys aren't familiar, the manic gamer is a project from Doc Love who is too modest (or something along those lines) to post these himself. But they are really really quite funny.

This episode in particular is my favorite especially because of the intro, and if anyone has seen one of those heavily used Mario Party N64 controllers... You'll really enjoy this!
Anyways if you've got 5 minutes check it out, they are hilarious, short, sweet and to the point!

About 2 weeks ago I finally cracked and bought myself a PSP. I’m a little slow on the informing because, well for one I’ve been playing the crap out of Patapon and two I’ve been a bit bogged down with school work. But that’s ok, here I am.

When I bought it I was at home on my Spring Break/Reading Week and was having a really craptacular day, and went out and bought Patapon so that I would one day be able to play it. So I’m sitting there with a game I can’t play, and really wanted to play so with a little prodding from my mother of all people I went and bought a PSP for myself, the shiny, sexy silver Daxter package. Then I probably made way too big a deal out of buying it and had to assure myself it’s ok to buy things for yourself, just because I’m a starving University student and am always prepared for the apocalypse of my life shattering down on me. But I now have a PSP and I love it.

But there are only a few problems, for me there really isn’t a lack of games, there are lots of titles I would like to play. At the moment I only have the two games Daxter and Patapon which I’m content with since they’re both fun, I’ll find more games when I’m through with them. But that’s my problem there are lots of games I want to play, but I’ll be damned if I can ever find one! Lumines… no luck. Me and My Katamari? Even EB Games/Game Stop doesn’t have it on their website anymore. Loco Roco? I’ve only ever seen it in one store. So what the hell? I’m really glad I bought Patapon the day it came out or I may never see it again. Where are all the games? I don’t know, but I guess I’ll just keep looking. But I’m super psyched for Crisis Core! I think the system would be worth it for me for just Crisis Core and Patapon.

Ok I have to digress here for a sec, why does Japan get all the wicked sweet stuff!? Like the Crisis Core PSP bundle, sigh I want *pets screen*. Oh well maybe one day…


But there’s really so much more to the PSP than just games. I can use it as an mp3 player, watch movies (which I find useless to buy them, but you can), and I can access the internet on campus without lugging my laptop. But as for the movie thing, I find it excessive to buy UMD movies, but with the proper video file conversion I’m able to play my own movies. Now I can watch episodes of Cowboy Bebop between classes! And that makes me happy! The PSP has the ability to fill most of my needs on one compact machine. Not to mention it is one aesthetically pleasing piece of technology.

But my new interest is not meant to downplay my DS. The DS is great too, and has a lot of titles coming out soon that I’m really interested in. Harvest Moon DS Cute (with Plushie!), Professor Layton and World Ends With You just to mention a few. And I’m actually really glad I have both now, and that they both have title’s I want because now I can flip back and forth between two styles of games/game play/console ability which is what I think I was lacking before.


If only this would actually happen, I would be golden for life!

BS I say!
As if I didn't hate my school enough the school newspaper prints an article which just further proves they are a bunch of misinformed idiots my peers are.

First the article makes gaming sound like a bad thing, and I mean I have seen the Intervention where they had to physically separate the kid from his Xbox. But I mean come on.
Not to mention this article is completely biased. It was written by a girl, and she for one has no understanding of what it is to be a gamer, and is taking it upon herself to inform others. Not only does she not know what she's talking about, but the quotes she chose are completely biased also.

"Unlike men, while playing the game, females were turning a part of the reward circuit off," Dr. Hoeft said.

What the hell is that shit? I find it pretty freaking rewarding to destroy a boss. Especially if I've had to go back and level grind, when that boss is pwned... I feel pretty rewarded.

Then to top it off I have no idea where she found the guy she interviewed... He calls himself an avid gamer and yet states that "It's people who have too much time on their hands. It takes skills, but no effort."
2 problems!
1: I don't have too much time on my hands, I have no time on my hands, but I used gaming as a way to unwind just like other people might watch T.V. what's the difference? There is none! It's fun.
2: Takes skill but no effort? I don't even know what that kid means, it takes a certain amount of effort to become skilled, and to maintain your skills also requires effort. I have this sneaking suspicion he may be one of those "watch me crush this beer can with my forehead" type of gamers. There does seem to be an excess population of such gentleman on my campus after all.

Then to top it off yet another person from my campus, a professor quotes to close the article:
"...the best way to avoid a video game addiction is to not begin playing."
Sigh, that makes me so incredibly frustrated and I just don't understand what the big deal is with playing video games, and why it is necessary to create such a focus on things involved that can be potentially negative.
Yes for a very small portion of people it can become an addiction, but that works the same for gambling and for alcohol... But wait gaming won't put you in debt (well not as quickly hehe) and you can't destroy your liver...

I say, Lighten UP! And that people should try to understand more about our culture before make us seem like we have a problem just because we have a hobby.

And to close off I'm going to share said intervention video on the video game addict... Not contradicting to my entire rant because... this is the one and only game intervention mixed in with pretty much every other episode dealing with drugs and alcohol.

I love my Gamecube oh so much but I just have to accept that it is a dead system. There will be no more games made for it and when the used ones dissipate it will be just like with the Dreamcast where every once in a while I come across a lone game in a cash converters or a goodwill.

So imagine my surprise when I was in my local devil store, Walmart, when they had nearly 30 Gamecube systems for sale. I have more understanding coming across a NGC in an EBgames/Gamestop, but not a Walmart. They don't even sell any NGC games, reduced or otherwise. I don't understand why they would have them in the first place, and secondly why they would have so many. I mean they may have been left over in the stockroom, but I didn't think they would put so many out on display. I have no idea, but that is just my observation for the day... Random.

Manic Gamer Vs. Under Defeat
"The Manic Gamer hits you upside the head weekly with his personal take on videogames and the industry"
And does he ever. I'm sharing this with you in case you for one haven't already seen the Manic Gamer on Doc Love's post since it is, after all his project but I've been helping out with it.

So anyways it's a game review with a lot of humor and a dash of WTF? Which sounds perfect to me. How can I not want those three things combined in the best way possible! The idea is to get you to check out the games you should have already played, but if you missed them you need to check them out...Immediately. That seems to be the agenda, but then again there could be no agenda and the Manic Gamer just wants to show you how wicked sweet these games are and you inadvertently want to check them out after...
There's a combination of images, as well as video of in game play with voice over narration. They're short, snappy and to the point, and Awesome.

If you've got the time, check it out and let me know what you think. It's still new, fresh of the drawing board so constructive criticism and input is always welcome, especially from you guys because it is an audience like you we're trying to reach and entertain.



If you like this one make sure you check out Episode one: Manic Gamer Vs. The Red Star... Thanks guys, Happy Gaming!

Today I started playing Final Fantasy III, by which I mean Final Fantasy VI and don't even get me started on how confusing that whole skipping of episodes and renaming them gets. But I did get it right in this case... I hope!

My disclaimer for tonight is that it is late at night, and I should be asleep... so I'm going to apologize in advance for my circular post that this may turn out to be. But I do find the renaming of Final Fantasy games very complicated but I went and did my homework today and I think I've finally sorted it out in my mind.

In other news I'm really loving it. I have been absolutely craving an RPG and lately I've just heard a lot of people talking about old school FF. I'm ashamed to admit that my venture today is my first time playing any FF game, ever. ouch... I know. But on the other hand my consoles have been the Sega Genesis (2, Sega's consoles are also incredibly convoluted oh my goodness... But I'll save that for a more alert evening), and then the N64, and then a Gamecube. So in general I'm somewhat console deprived. I never had an NES, or and SNES or a Playstation 1 or 2. So really I've never had access to any of the FF games, until this year when I borrowed a Dreamcast in September for my apartment. And I'm currently "not" playing FFIII/VI on DreamSNES on this wonderful, possibly favorite console of all time. The DC is definitely up there, I love this machine.

I haven't played a lot of RPG's in my time only because I was unfamiliar with the game play so I guess I just didn't get any, plus I really didn't own many games so I just played the crap out of the ones I had, none of which were RPG's. But! In September when I was introduced to the DC I played through Grandia II, and wow did I love that game. I absolutely fell in love with this style of gaming. The turn based fighting I found really enjoyable, I had yet to find a story that I was as attached to as I was to this one and my love for RPG's began. I also realized what a time commitment they were, so I haven't played another one since my first one in September. But the past week or so I've been in withdrawal. So I thought I "wouldn't" take a look through DreamSNES to see what it had to offer and I saw FF and it caught my attention. And once again I'm in love, RPG's make my life complete.

I have to make a little comment though, I told my roommate I'd started playing it today and that I have never played a FF before and he was so appalled and ready to flame me for it that I had to stop him and explain myself. And I feel like I shouldn't need to explain myself, plus I'm playing it right now!

When I find myself in these situations I realize that my growing up gaming works a lot differently than other peoples, (broad generalization but I need something to juxtapose with) my love of gaming had, since I was really small, always been combined with my Dad's love of gaming. So if my dad wanted a certain system, that's the one I opened Christmas morning. I wasn't one of those kids that begged for a system or knew what they wanted, which I think is great! And I'm really like that now, but at that time for me I was just happy with what I had and played the crap out of it. I took what I had and I loved it! Which explains why I'm a Sega-girl, my first system was the Genesis because I was living in Europe at the time, and compared to North America, Sega was a bigger seller in Europe and among the other kids there than SNES but that's just my understanding of the situation.

In any case it's time for me to call it a night, goodnight everyone!