Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I Am a Sony Fan

First of all, I would like to direct everyone to my new boyfriend Domi's blog post here.  This post is in response to his.  Also, yes. I said new boyfriend.  And yes, he is a catboy.  I have mentioned Domi before here and briefly here, here, here, and here.  We've been friends for a while and I believe we always will be.

Anyway, back to the topic.  For anyone too lazy or with too short an attention span to read Domi's post, it is about the various game systems and the future of gaming.  In this post, he brings up a few good points.  Now while Domi is a Nintendo fan and I am a Sony fan, we are both rational people and can see the highs and lows of the systems we love.

Here, Domi says,
"First of all, WHY ALL OF THESE USELESS REMAKES OF THE PSP? I mean, you knew Nintendo was doing something big in handheld, don't you think it would be a better idea to release a NEW handheld system that addresses the issues of the original PSP?? I mean, most people have been pratically BEGGING for a second joystick on the system. Does the PSP Go have that? No. It has your standard, one control stick, which if you've ever played a Playstation ANYTHING, you know that the dual joystick is what helped it when it's first two console wars (PS1 vs. Nintendo 64 vs. Sega Genisis/Saturn, and the PS2 vs. Gamecube vs. X Box vs. Dreamcast (poor, poor Dreamcast)). So when you try to put a lot of favorites on the PSP, naturally their gameplay is going to DEMAND TWO JOYSTICKS, even if its for something just as simple as camera control (which, I might add, is one thing that has ruined what otherwise would have been really good PSP games). Secondly, why did you think the replacement of physical UMD's was going to be a good idea? I mean, some games (I.E. Birth By Sleep, one of the most highly anticipated PSP games), is not playabe on the download-only PSP Go. SO yeah, if you were a PSP Go owner who was looking forward to play Birth By Sleep, then I guess it sucks to be you, huh? AND ON TOP OF THAT, you're asking to retain your original versatility of having pictures, music, and video on your memory, but now you wanna add FULL ON GAMES too??? I mean, the 360 can get away with that becuase it's capable of having 250 gigs worth of memory. The PSP Go, does not. The PSP go isnt even capable of half that. And then my biggest problem with the device is, WHY DID IT DEBUT AT DAMN NEAR THE SAME PRICE AS THE PS3??? I mean, really??? PSP Go, at its debut, was only $50 cheaper than the PS3. FOR WHAT PURPOSE? I mean, at least in the PS3's defence, it does do quite a bit, on top of playing it's average at best games, so I could at least justify it's price. BUt the GO is not capable of a lot of things the PS3 could do. So long story short, if you're gonna buy a PSP, don't buy a Go. Or if you're just looking for handheld, turn to Nintendo."
I would have to agree that PSP Go is not worth the price.  There aren't any good games that you can only play on the Go.  Any add ons you had for your PSP are not compatible with the Go.  The Go has less memory for anything you'd actually enjoy.  And just as Domi says, it didn't address the problems with the original PSP that gamers had.

I actually wasn't a big fan of the PSP in the first place.  When I originally thought of the words "Playstation Portable" I thought it would be a portable version of the Playstation, much like portable DVD players are portable versions of DVD players.  But no.  PSP was another system altogether.  You cannot play PS, PS2, or PS3 games on your PSP.  You can only play PSP games.  Therefore, in my opinion, PSP should not have been called Playstation Portable.  It should have been called Sony Handheld, or something that was not related to Playstation, because in every way except, to some extent, gameplay, PSP is not like Playstation at all.  I think the differences between making a portable DVD player (which Sony has done, and had done before coming out with PSP) and making a portable Playstation are slight enough that they could have done that and revolutionized portable systems.

Domi also said,
"So now we come to the big one. Console games. So first we have to identify, who are the major competitors in the console wars. Right now, Microsoft and Nintendo. Why not Sony you ask? Simply becuase, it seems like with every turn, Sony is playing catch up. The only real advantage the PS3 has that some other console doesn't is that it plays Blue Ray. That's it. Good PS3 exclusives are few and far between (even so much so that Final Fantasy, a game that for the LONGEST time was Sony exclusive, is now on the 360), and most of the good PS3 games can be played on the 360 as well. Now all of this probably wouldn't have kept it out of competition had it not tripped up so bad early on. I mean, numerous bugs, zero backwards compatibility, and the ability to do everything BUT play games, kept it from taking off, and unfortunately, it's a little too late for them to really catch up."
Ouch.  To me, a die-hard Sony fan, this was a slap to the face.  But perhaps this slap is what Sony needs.  Because, painful as it is, it's true.  Sony has always been really good at taking existing technology and making it ten times better, but not so good and coming up with stuff of its own.

PS2 was the peak of Sony's gaming line.  PS2 did so well that PS2 is still being manufactured and sold and new PS2 games are still being produced, albeit at a decreasing rate.  PS3 is a lost cause, but because Sony spent so much money on it, they cannot abandon their project, and therefore the Playstation will eventually fall.  This is a sad but realistic truth.  If Sony wishes to remain a contender in the console battle, they must come up with something completely new; something that hasn't been touched by Nintendo or Microsoft.  They need to stop playing catch up and do something that will force Nintendo and Microsoft to catch up with them, instead.

So what do I think the future of gaming is?  I can't say for sure what will continue to advance for years on end... but I can guess what will happen next.

I think that Nintendo will reach its peak at the 3DS.  It may recreate it nicer and newer, which the X-Box 360 has and is succeeding with, but Nintendo won't be able to advance further in the handheld realm.  They may attempt to improve and advance the Wii, but as Domi says,
"Yeah it's true that the Wii has sold nearly twice the amount that the 360 has sold, but at the same time, at kick off, the Wii was really popular. But (and while it really does pain me to say this), the Wii's popularity has severely decreased since it's launch, do to problematic controls with some games, and very little decent 3rd party support. Not to mention the small variety of good games for it. There aren't many FPS, RPGs, or anything of that sort on the Wii. But a lot of kid friendly games."
I doubt the Wii will do much better remade.

The X-Box 360 is very successful and may continue to succeed for a long time, but Microsoft doesn't seem to have much interest in advancing their gaming system beyond adding games and making the system nicer.  This is appealing to gamers who don't have endless amounts of money, but will likely be their downfall, even if the downfall is far in the future.

In my opinion, the best bet for a future in gaming is a completely new system with new audience appeals that have not yet been addressed by other gaming systems.  This will likely be put out by a new company altogether.  Sony has the potential to put something like this out, but I do not realistically see them making ground-breaking gaming discoveries.  They're not usin' their brains, and as a Sony fan, this saddens me.

However the future plays out, I am looking forward to it... Because Sony fan or not, I am a gamer, and will enjoy any good game regardless of who released it.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

Thursday, October 14, 2010

General Update

First of all, as of Wednesday October 6th (yes, this is a bit of a late update) Foxy and I are no longer together...  He broke up with me, and for a few days life was sad.  But I've been rapidly getting better, and wouldn't even dwell on this, but I don't want any new readers to say, "Oh, and by the way, how's Foxy?"  because Foxy is no longer with me and I wouldn't know.

Secondly, as readers might remember, in this post I mentioned Hetalia just stopping in the middle of the story.  Well, now I feel like an idiot, because this wiki page proves that Hetalia has not ended.  The reason there were no more episodes was because they hadn't been released yet.  I am now a happy fan again, because I have episodes to catch up on, and I can has more PASTAAA.  The rest of that post still has a valid argument.... Just, y'know... disregard the Hetalia part.

And finally...  I can't think of a final updatey thing...

Do any of my readers (I think I have one that doesn't know me personally) have any questions for me or anything anime, college, or dreaming of hot catboy yaoi related that you'd like me to post about?  I want to be an involved blogger that makes her readers happy.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Headache Levels

The other day, I realized just now much I hate taking medicine, even when I need it.  I'm not anti-medicine or conspiracy theorist, or anything like that.  I just don't like to take meds.  Something about combinations of chemicals that I don't understand doing things to my body that I don't understand just isn't all that appealing to me for some reason.

Here is a list of headache levels and my excuse for not taking medicine at each one.  One is the least painful.

Pain Level One - Why would I take medicine?  It's probably going to be gone in a few seconds.

Pain Level Two - It's really not that bad. I can deal with it.  Just annoying.

Pain Level Three - Well, I haven't been drinking much water.  Here, let me down a few glasses.  It'll help.

Pain Level Four - It's still dehydration...  The water just hasn't kicked in, yet.

Pain Level Five - If I took medicine, I'd have to eat something first and I'm not hungry.

Pain Level Six - Fine, I'll take medicine.  The next time I get up, I'll get something to eat and I'll take medicine.

Pain Level Seven - I'm in too much pain to get up and take medicine.

Pain Level Eight - You know what, it's getting late.  Maybe I'm just in need of sleep.  *sleep*

Pain Level Nine - *whimper* Sleep didn't help.

Pain Level Ten - Either someone forces meds down my throat, or my head asplodes.

I have noticed that there is one exception to this chart.  If I am at a con, I won't complain about taking my meds.  In fact, I'll take my meds as low as Pain Level Two.  I'll be damned if I'mma let pain ruin my con experience.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

I Won an Award? Woo!

Calendreya over at Plucking Myself awarded me

award!


Thank you, Calendreya!

But the rules for recieving this blog are:

1) Thank and link back to the person who gave me this award.
2) Tell everyone 7 things about myself
3) Pass this award to 15 other bloggers
4) Contact the bloggers that I've picked and tell them about the award

Ok, simple enough.  Seven things about myself, eh?


1.)  I am currently a sophomore in college, working to get a degree in Economics.  Isn't that boring? :-D

2.)  I like hats.  I own two fedoras, one brown and fuzzy, one black with a purple band and silver studs.  I have one railroad-style cap, blue... And a variety of winter hats...  My favorite hat is my pirate hat, which is black with a purple feather and a plastic purple rose, but I rarely get a chance to wear it.  I think hats draw attention to people and tell you a bit about their personality.  They are the perfect flavor to add to any outfit.

3.)  I play tabletop roleplaying games.  I tend to prefer DnD from original up to second edition.  Third edition, in my opinion isn't necessarily bad, but compared to the previous editions isn't all that great, and Fourth Edition is crap.  I will also play and enjoy other tabletop systems.

4.)  I am an artist!  I betcha didn't know that, huh?  I haven't updated my deviantart account in a while.  I do my best work on paper, and it doesn't scan all that well onto the computer, sadly.  I am currently in an art class at my college, hoping to get better.

5.)  I also have a webcomic.  I also haven't updated that in a while. *slaps self* Bad Cap'n.

6.)  My favorite colors are purple and silver.  (Can you tell I'm running out of things to say about myself?)

7.)  I actually don't like the number seven.  My favorite number is 9.


Ok, now that that's out of the way... I have to pick 15 bloggers to award this to...  I barely know 15 other bloggers! *eep!*  Oh well, here goes!

1.)  Dr. Buck's Nerdland
2.)  The Roaring Dork
3.)  Daydream Believer
4.)  No Ordinary Rollercoaster
5.)  Compulsive Creativity
6.)  What is it?
7.)  Cat On My Head
8.)  Arguing With a Doughnut
9.)  Teenagerie
10.)  Abombs world
11.)  Steam Me Up, Kid
12.)  Hyperbole and a Half
13.)  Zingers of Mass Destruction
14.)  Cake Wrecks
15.)  Chicken Maker

And now to go tell them.  Some of these blogs are so famous, I doubt they'll even notice... On the other hand, some of them are are very not famous and could use your clicks.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Stuff You Need to Know About Drinking on Campus

Most people are not ignorant enough to think that college students aren't going to drink, even on a dry campus, and even if they're underaged.  57.8% of underaged college students consume alcohol in a period of one month.  I have not, myself, been drinking.  Nor do I expect any of my friends who read this to be drinking illegally or against campus rules.  But even if you don't think you're going to drink, you should still know everything in this blog post, just in case.

Firstly, most campuses provide a car service or escort to help you in situations that you don't find safe.  The situation may not even be drinking.  It could be that it's late and you don't feel safe walking home alone.  Regardless of what you'll be using it for, learn the number for that service and put it in your cell phone.

Also, most campuses follow a Good Samaritan Policy.  This basically says, in most circumstances, if you and a friend have been drinking against school policy and/or underaged, they will not hold you accountable for your actions should you call for help of your friend.  If you are drinking with your friend and you notice your friend has had so much that you're concerned about his or her health, don't be afraid to get help.  Even if you were to get in trouble, your friend's life could be at risk.  Many people wait until alcohol poisoning has set in before calling for help, because they were worried about getting in trouble.  Don't let that happen.

I encourage everyone to read this simple page about alcohol poisoning.  Vomiting is the first sign.  Vomiting means that your body is fighting it off, and is preventing more alcohol from entering the system.  If you are drinking and you feel like you're going to throw up, don't hold it in.  Let yourself throw up, and don't drink any more.  By the time you feel like vomiting, you've already had too much.

During and after drinking, drink plenty of water, and eat absorbent foods, like crackers, to help dilute the Blood Alcohol Concentration.  this will not sober you up, it will just help prevent the nastier side effects of drinking.

If you are at a party, do not accept open drink containers from someone you don't know and trust.  Likewise, do not leave your open drink unattended.  Date rape drugs are not an urban myth. This does happen, and it could happen to anyone.  If you have left your drink unattended, don't drink it.

Those are the main things that surprisingly few students on campus know about.  I won't bore you to death with all the little facts about alcohol and what it can do to you.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Dissatisfied

I wanted to mention that I did finish watching Fruits Basket.  Overall, the series was good, but I was left with a feeling of dissatisfaction.  I also watched Ouran High School Host Club and Tsubasa.  I would definitely recomment both anime.  However, I'm beginning to notice a pattern.

In some anime, such as Tsubasa and Tokyo Mew Mew, the creators wrapped up the current storyline, but ended the series in a way that made you believe that there would be more.  And in Tsubasa's case, the story didn't seem done at all.  Yes, the arc was completed, but there was so much that still hadn't happened that would make me believe the story was over.  I found out later, that the Tsubasa manga continues the story, but after that point in the storyline, the characters change dramatically and the lovable, somewhat lackadaisical story you once knew becomes dark and serious, an error on the part of CLAMP writers.  Very dissappointing.  I'm usually a fan of CLAMP.

In other anime, such as Fruits Basket, the overall story has been told, the ending is clear and we are not led to believe that it will continue... However, the ending wasn't conclusive.  What I mean is, very little got solved, the future of the characters wasn't clear, and none of the little sidestories were really tied up, either.

Ouran Host Club and Hetalia, also leave me dissatisfied.  The series stops with no wrapping up whatsoever.  Admittedly, with Hetalia, the story doesn't need to continue for the series to be enjoyed...  But Ouran, at least, should have had plenty more to happen. Instead, it just stopped.

What is with this theme of leaving watchers dissatisfied?  If you're going to end a series, assuredly not coming back to another season, please wrap it up nicely so it doesn't look like an abandoned project.  I mean, really... If I were a teacher and these anime were papers I graded, this is what the grades would look like:

Student: Fruits Basket
Grade: A -
Comments:  Interesting concepts.  Brilliant execution!  Conclusion needs some work.

Student: Hetalia
Grade: B +
Comments:  Interesting concept.  Adaquate execution.  Good use of humorous repetition.  Where is conclusion?

Student: Ouran High School Host Club
Grade: B
Comments:  Good concept.  Body keeps me interested.  Slight repetition.  Where is conclusion?

Student:  Tokyo Mew Mew
Paper One
Grade: A
Comments:  Nice adaptation of old concepts!  Good development.  Transition on page two could use some work.  Excellent conclusion.  I look forward to your next paper on this topic!

Student: Tokyo Mew Mew
Paper Two
Grade: F
Comments: Paper was not turned in.

Student:  Tsubasa
Grade:  B -
Comments:  Interesting concept.  Decent execution.  Introduction could be longer.  Good transitions.  Interesting development.  Conclusion?

Yeah.  Good papers, but not a single student is getting an A + in that class.

I've also started to watch Love Hina.  I've enjoyed it so far, but if this one doesn't have a conclusive conclusion, I'll be really upset.  Part of why this one is so enjoyable is because of the mystery of the ending.  Unfortunately, because college takes up so much of my time, I may not finish watching it for a while, and may actually start over at some point.

In conclusion, good endings can make it or break it for mediocre anime.  Good anime will still be good without a good conclusion, but will never make an A + grade in the class of anime papers.

Until next time,
Cap'n Kyrie