Dead last apparently! [Second in a race of two (of a two-party system) is still dead last.]

Watch closely and you'll recognize some old Zelda baddies lurking in this 10-minute long epic by ex-Test Icicle member Devonte Hynes. It is soothing, slide guitar-y, and features a myriad of dramatic shifts.

This is a well-orchestrated ballad about the singer's obsession with an alternate world he could only wish to be apart of, which is, of course, the Hyrulian plains, majestic and magical forests, and Ganon-infested waters of the Zelda-universe. I imagine this is what happens to every gamer when they get stuck to their fantasy lands, be they Halo or Mushroom Kingdom. As well, it is inevitably a sad departure, however warm each stay may be.

The video even presents the singer as sort of fighting a mirror self. One who gets the girl, as well as himself, the one who must bow out gracefully or become spoiled by the experience. Even more pressing to sentimental gamers, such deep attachment to digital/pixalated/imaginative/literal creations. Why must one go through a game fighting what they dare to become or be apart of or at least to satiate those desires?

This song conjures such wonder about these strange bonds built between characters we only want to know more about. Such a great song to think about the hours one spends in these carefully constructed narratives.

That is all. *Ahem*... 156705... my score... *ahem*.

Thank you RFGO for making this title possible.

Anyway, I have been playing Fallout 3 for about 2 weeks and it's the same old thing... which is great! I love that this game only feels like a completely necessary step up of the Fallout series. With the slump in top of the line Fallout titles for the past few years, this one has KOTR written all over, yet this is what inspired KOTR, so f%&$ that!

This game has retained all the great creatures, artistic renderings of Vault boy, and it even carries over all the armors and weapons from the original, however it accomplishes the transition with candor, like the growth of a baby gosling... yeah, candor.

The world however brightened by the magnificent visuals provided when traveling through its desolate wastelands and ramshackle towns really speaks to the truth of the back story. It truly feels like the apocalyptic aftermath of the Cold War, or what people thought back then of what strange futures might unfold.

However, the game truly shined for me the first time I fought Super Mutants along side the Brotherhood of Steel. Not unlike the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, they all wear a one-size-fits-all suit of armor and are as bad ass as they have always been. By the way, Fatman, yes, the Fatman. If you don't know what the Fatman is yet (no, not MGS 2 Fatman), you should beware of the irradiated passion that it inspires. Yes, irradiated.

Right now my character is a sneaky little black widow who not only enjoys the taste of blood but can also power fist your punk-a$$ face. This is a surprisingly accurate description of my character, however she's also a sniper extraordinaire. All the skills and weapons you pick up will be useful. Do not be scared if you kill the Sheriff. Oh, and I love listening to the radio. Damn Chinese Ghouls...

This had to be my favourite song in all of Final Fantasy 9. That's impressive, because it's such a long game and not one song besides this one really comes to my mind as defining FF IX, unlike other entries where there have been numerous songs that have stuck out. Not that any of the other songs in FF IX were bad, it's just that this one was the one I connected most within an emotional context.

If I remember the story right, Zidane is down and out after a previous encounter with a crazy powerful baddie (practically god). He's depicted as feeling disconnected and lost emotionally. However, he's roused by the voices of his friends and summons the strength to fight on and topple his creator.

As a voyeur, I felt rather confused myself. Not in a bad way, but in that I didn't understand what Zidane could not as well, so I felt myself sympathize with the main character. Subsequently when his friends start telling/reminding him who he is, he starts to reform what little sanity he has left, I liked that. Combined with this music and the successive battles afterward, I felt propelled to finish the game, almost enthusiastic even.

It was one of those rare moments when a game has carried me down with the character's emotional state, then lifted me back up into high spirits because I really did like all of the characters in my party. I enjoyed each of the other party member's presence so much so that I wanted to join them in the final battle.

It is rather startling how many memories a simple song can bing back when connected to a specific story arc within a video game. Final Fantasy IX was awesome. Everything about it, even the graphics have a certain timeless style that I don't think could be improved upon even with shinier surfaces. I liked the grittiness. Ugh, so good. This song exemplifies everything I love about Final Fantasy IX.

Approximately four years ago, a great strike of wisdom hit me (wisdom physically hit me, yes) while considering my great move to Michigan State University. Archive and store my PSX games (plus my Dreamcast stuff). I took all of the cases and cds, combined them appropriately, and packed them in a giant, cardboard, and untagged fortune cookie box.

Metal Gear Solid (VR Missions), Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, my Final Fantasy collection, Strider rerelease, Warhawk, the PSX Mana game, Vagrant Story (yeah), and all the other games I could list to sound like a really diligent collector (augh, I’m not a collector, just a kid with a lot of fucking time and a good taste in video games) all went into a box hidden underneath my collections of old video game magazines and Foxtrot compilations. Nothing has disappeared and they’re all there when I get back. However, for some reason I neglected to include any of the valuable N64 games my family has purchased into this process.

A terrible mistake this was for my N64 games. My brother has a penchant for lending out games to friends and risking them being lost into the sifting circles of my brother's social life. Mario 64, Mischief Makers, Pilot Wings, and that one N64-release game involving blowing up as much on-screen stuff as possible have all gone missing throughout my absence.

This is a lesson for those youths heading out into the world who leave their collections at home. Beware, no matter if you have only older brothers, they will take advantage. It’s a sad situation. Always protect what you think will be a dear possession in your old age. I will most certainly be a drugged-up (a la Little Miss Sunshine) grandpa gamer in my old age.

I can’t wait to still be playing my Wii and PS2 when I’m old as fuck. Video games give the youth something to be excited for when you get old. I think that you should still have access to the games that will be as old as Atari games are now. I am not that much of a fan of always waiting for companies to port old games or using emulators. I love popping in the real deal whenever I play a video game. I definitely have grown an attachment to my past generation games and will not part with them lest I be homeless and dying of hunger, even then I will flinch.

On a side note, my copy of Power Stone is still being used as a rental to a sort-of family friend since 2000.