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Two hundred forty first entry - 5000 hits...
2006-12-04 01:11:34
Time - 11:21, Noise - Frou Frou - "The Dumbing Down of Love"
5000 hits. Hey. That's half of 10000.
Srsly. Those are my math skills for the day. : /
So, I'm glancing at the various Software forums, and the only thing I see at all in the "Other Programs" section are threads for Vegas. I mean, there isn't a single thread for Magix at all. Is Magix just that easy to understand? Or does nobody use it??? I swear, I never hear anything at all about Magix anywhere in the forums, and it's not included in the guides. It's a little frustrating. Sometimes I feel like I picked the wrong program. I know it's stupid to feel that way - I should be happy with what I'm most comfortable using - but I can't help it. I feel like if I ask a question that no one is going to know the answer. Really, I only have one surefire person to ask for Magix questions on this site.
That reminds me... I barely go into IRC anymore. I think it's because it's been so dead lately. Whenever I go in there, nearly no one talks to me and I certainly don't have any interesting conversation to offer. Believe me. If you lived my life for a day, you'd probably die of boredom. I do amazing amounts of nothing, and pay very little attention to the world around me. I get the feeling that that's going to come back to bite me in the ass come adult life, but that's something I'll deal with when I get there. Anywho, been avoiding #AMV. I like the people and all, but... well, I guess "nothing" prevails in most cases.
It's kind of sad, too, cuz I got Skype and a headset (free, courtesy of my brother), but I haven't used either one yet. At this rate, I probably never will. Actually, I'm not even sure if I CAN use Skype. Don't you have to pay now? I haven't opened the program since I first registered, so I don't know.
Oh... finally finished souping up my characters in Final Fantasy X, and I went off and beat the last two bosses I needed to face off with. Easy, of course. My previous "ultimate" file (the one that was lost) took me 127 hours to get to that point. This one only took me about 88. I think it was because I had everything down very systematically. I knew exactly what to do far before I got there. Seems like I've been doing that with all of my games lately. Maybe I really can do a speed run for Fatal Frame II. Never hurts to try. >_>
Hmm... I think it's time for bed. Let's see... more notes in biology, a worksheet due in math, a quiz returned and more notes in psychology, and talking about that uttertly stupid satirical skit we're doing in Spanish. Another boring day in my life. But, geez, do I ever need to get those Spanish papers written. So lazy... >_<
Nighty night, folks.
- Jen -
Two hundred fortieth entry - viva Satan...? o_O
2006-12-03 02:04:06
Time - 10:40, Noise - Bond - "Explosive"
Things Jen Got Done Today:
8+ hours of Final Fantasy X
...crap. That's all I did. -_-
Well, it *is* the weekend, so I guess I'm allowed to do nothing. Although, I do have some homework I need to catch up on... Anyway! I lost one of my memory cards sometime last year, so I also lost my supremely awesome FFX file. I'm trying to rebuild it from a completed game I had on another memory card. Actually, I'm practically done already. Maxxed out Yuna's, Wakka's, and Tidus's Strength, Defense, and Agility. Believe me; there's no gaming feeling more satisfying than seeing your innocent white mage girl take her pathetic little staff and thwack an enemy for 99,999 damage - and to be able to watch her do this so repeatedly that the enemy never gets a chance to attack.
I only have two of the special monster arena bosses left to kill, and the final one won't even be that tough. The one before it's the harder boss, really. It's a giant snake/dragon - except it's underwater, which limits you to three specific characters. Thankfully, two of those three are my souped up people, and I couldn't care less about the fate of poor Rikku. After that, the final boss is unlocked, and like I said, he's a pushover if you know how to do it. Unlike several of the other enemies, he just stands still while you beat the crap out of him Quick Hit style, and then he'll cast Ultima every once in a while. At that point, you just have Yuna call a sacrificial la-, er... I mean, "aeon," and it'll take the damage for you (since you pretty much have no chance of surviving it yourself, even with your stats maxxed out.) Rinse and repeat for the rest of the battle and that thing'll fall in no time. Well... more like "some time" - it does have ten million HP after all. Takes a while to whittle that down, even at full strength.
Er... yeah... I usually get off on a tangent when I start talking about games, so I'll quit here before it gets any longer than it already is. And yes - it COULD be longer. : /
What should I do now? Votes, anyone? OOH! I just remembered! I have a muffin! *goes to devour it*
...you know... this could be the reason why I'm fat. o_O
Then again, I say that like it's some kind of revelation.
On a vaguely related topic, every once in a while, I get the urge to wear a dress. I'm not sure why. I don't even own any dresses or skirts, so it's not like I could do it - and I never have a reason to wear either one, so I wouldn't bother buying them. No, all I have is five pairs of jeans for daily life and a pair of black dress pants for concerts. I don't even have shorts. Seriously. I look absurdly identical from one day to the next. Blue jeans + guys' t-shirt + cat hat. The color of the jeans and shirts may vary slightly, but all-around, I look the same constantly. I'm a fashion designer's nightmare. But every once in a blue moon, I feel girly. It's a good excuse to keep my hair long - although, due to my bangs growing out, it's always hidden behind a headband and under the Chomp Hat. Long story short, I'm a very un-feminine female, and if it weren't for the fact that I was born with lots of natural curves (no, I'm not talking about the fat), I could probably be mistaken for a guy.
...aaaaaaaaand I just came back from a two hour DDR break. o_O
My RA was playing it in her room with friends, and she invited me while I was typing this entry. w00t. But I'm back now. To end the entry!
Nighty night, folks~<3 o/
- Jen -
Two hundred thirty ninth entry - w00t for concerts
2006-11-30 22:43:19
Time - 9:18, Noise - nothing...
Well, I just got back from my concert a short while ago. It's not the best concert I've ever had, but it definitely had some very high points. The trumpets actually got the opening of the march to sound clean on the first try for once. The piano and saxophone solos in the ballad were very smooth and pretty. The final movement of the Moby Dick piece really had genuine intensity in it. Lastly, I totally nailed a section that I hadn't been able to play correctly up to that point. That's always the best part - when you get something right unexpectedly and at just the right time. So, overall, it was a good concert. I'm looking forward to next semester. o^_^o
<<insert usual rant about how I should be working on my video>>
So like... I need a light-up board. I wish I knew what they were really called. We used to have one when I was younger. It's a board that has backlighting in it in order to make tracing things easier. That's what I need if I ever want to ink my artwork. I'm terrified of destroying the original copies, but they're just not dark enough to scan in. I've even tried going over the lines again, but the results of that aren't much better. I could do the tracing without the board, but I consistently miss lines or mis-trace them. I may as well just re-draw the whole piece with as many times as I mess up that way. So, I need one of those boards. I'll look for the one at home again, but I just don't think I'm going to find it.
There was this horrifically bad smell in my wing earlier and it permeated every room. I was keeping my dorm room shut and locked in hopes of keeping it out, but I could still smell it a little. So, I opened my window before I went out to the concert. Sure, now my room is freezing, but it doesn't smell. Then again, neither does the rest of the wing. I wonder what happened... Like... I'm gonna kill whoever caused it, though, because it was downright nauseating. Imagine melting rubber, burning popcorn, and scorched coffee all in one stench and you have what it was like. I was unfortunate enough to have to leave my room and take a shower during this time, and I just about gagged the whole time I was in there.
(.yawyna aixelsyd ym no lleh s'tI) .won siht dne ll'I .yrroS .yakO ?...yllaer toN ?huh, teaN .tsrif sdrawrof hpargarap siht depyt I os ,sdrawkcab sdrow epyt ot hguot adnik yllautca s'tI .yrtne trohs a ,em rof ,si tahw gnikam ynnuf leef I dna ,lamron naht retrohs si siht esuaceB ?yhW .uoy esufnoc ot gniog tsuj m'I ,hpargarap txen ym for ,woN
Nighty night, folks. ;p
- Jen -
Two hundred thirty eighth entry - just your average journal entry...
2006-11-30 00:10:05
Time - 9:52, Noise - HIM - "Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly"
Odd that I should be listening to this song... but anyway...
So, I frequently notice people making reference to the star scale in their journals, but for the life of me, I was never able to find The Chosen Two anywhere on that list. I can only think that I'm reading it wrong or something. In any case, it's no big deal. I've never really been one to care where my videos rank. The fact that they're obscure-source VGMVs mean they get little notice anyway, so I've gotten used to just uploading stuff and forgetting about it. I was just curious in that particular instance, since I had never checked the scale before.
Speaking of little notice, more things I find journal users talking about a lot are downloads, stars, and hits. Well, we all know that hits mean nothing, but here are my video stats anyway:
Most hits - Videogame Compilation Project (2011)
Least hits - Fantasy Complete (449)
Most downloads - Videogame Compilation Project (235)
Least downloads - Fantasy Complete (42)
Most stars - Videogame Compilation Project (204)
Least stars - Fantasy Complete (37)
It's nice to know that the same two videos take all categories. But the "least" one is appropriate - it's my first video. It ought to get crappy numbers. And the VGC Project just gets higher numbers cuz it has a lot of sources, that's all. I don't place too much stock in those numbers, really. My videos reach such a narrow audience that that's expected.
In completely different news, I have a band concert tomorrow night (I play alto saxophone). The music is... decent to listen to, but there aren't really any parts that I really adore playing. Probably the highlight of the line up is the five-movement "Of Sailors and Whales" piece, which is a musical interpretation of Moby Dick. The fact that it's five separate, dramatic parts is the main draw, but it's also interesting to note that the band sings the entirety of the third movement hymn-style. Well, I'm neither a good singer nor a good player, but it's definitely the best piece artistically. The concert will go well, I know, and I'm looking forward to it. After that, I don't have band for the rest of the semester, since I don't do commencement. Too many people, and I'm about a hop, skip, and a flail away from being demophobic (fear of being enclosed in a large group of people). I avoid those situations whenever I can.
Changing subjects, I think I need to get my video done in the next two weeks. That won't be a problem if I actually sit down and work on it. For one thing, I want time to work on my next video. For another, I want it ready for my local anime club contest. Most importantly, though, the longer I let it sit, the more I'm going to lose interest in it. I don't want that to happen, because this video is turning out odd enough that I really want to finish it. When it comes down to it, though, I'm not sure that anyone will enjoy it but me - mostly because I'll be giving a wistful "WTF" as I watch it.
So... funny story. Well, morbidly amusing, anyway. My brother's ex-girlfriend stole 700 dollars from him to travel overseas and cheat on him with a guy from Ireland. However, despite how that makes me giggle inappropriately, I find it even more funny that when my brother went to her house (with me) to get back his stuff seven months later, the first words out of her mouth upon opening the door are "Get the fuck out." As if we were inside in the first place. If she would just give back the few things of his that my sibling is asking for, he would leave her alone once and for all. But she's too much of an idiot and just can't see that. He could be out of her life forever with a little cooperation, but she's too far on her high horse to see how quickly she could resolve the problem.
And from the beginning - FOUR years ago - I told my brother that I hated this chick and he should not even consider dating her. "I told you so." He's probably never going to get his stuff back now - a Nintendo DS, a Gamecube, a digital camera, and the complete Babylon 5 boxset. Hefty objects there - and the bitch will probably end up selling them to make another trip to her fucktoy across the ocean. *sigh*
I really despised her. Not only did she take my big brother away from me physically by living with him for a couple years, but now she's taken him away from me emotionally by making him into an unpleasant, bitter asshole. Hard to think that this is the same sibling whose sentences I would finish, and vice versa. Thanks a lot, whore. The family get-togethers sure do suck now! : /
Well, I can't blame it ALL on her, I guess. The last year has sucked to no end. Brother and mother both lost their jobs, brother lost his girlfriend, cat had to be put to sleep, mother got hospitalized *not more than a month* after losing our insurance, mother took a crappy night job - and did I mention that there's never any food in the house? I didn't think so. Going home is a miserable sight, really; I'm better off here at college, mildy ignorant. But in the end, it's all still quite morbidly amusing. I can't help but laugh at it all now, even though the situations do utterly SUCK. Maybe that's *why* I laugh at them...
Oh... that turned out to be a longer rant than I wanted. -_- Can't help it. She just pisses me off so much, and it always reminds me of all the other crap that's coincided with her cheating. Don't get me wrong. I'm not in a bad mood now, really. A little depressed, maybe, but I've gotten used to things as they are. Well, I should go now. Gotta find something productive to do for a few hours before bed.
Wish me luck at the concert tomorrow.
Nighty night, folks.
- Jen -
Two hundred thirty seventh entry - Game Profile
2006-11-28 16:40:01
Time - 2:27, Noise - Imogen Heap - "Rake It In"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Game Profile: Dark Cloud 2
STORY
Mechanic (and budding photographer) Max goes to see the circus one day, and manages to get himself caught up running for his life. He escapes his hometown, which he has never left before, only to find something horrifying: his isolated little town is the only one left in the world. From there on, the past, present, and future come crashing together as you play God and try to rebuild the world.
GAMEPLAY
(Tasks/Controls) - A cute dungeon, RPG, and adventure game that will have you traveling between the past and the future in order to save them both. A fun twist is that you get to construct all of the ruined towns yourself, leaving lots of room for creativity - just so long as you follow the basic parameters laid out in your objectives. Movement is easy, with 2-D controls and a fully movable camera. You'll almost never have trouble getting a bead on whatever you want to look at. To get the supplies you need to remake the town, you'll have to search dangerous areas. In true dungeon form, you'll be navigating randomly generated maps and fighting monsters as they come along - with the occasional boss thrown in (usually one or two lesser bosses at dead ends of the main map, and then a major one at the end of it).
(Combat) - Combat is relatively simple in this game. Max has a giant wrench in one hand (for melee battles) and a gun in the other (for long range confrontations or tough-to-hit enemies). The secondary character that's introduced is similar, with a sword and an armband that shoots magic. There are only two attacks for melee weapons - the normal combo attack and the power hit. Long range is singular for Max, but there is a charge hit for the other character's armband. The main focus is simply to make a stronger weapon by leveling up the one you're using to highest level over and over until you reach an ultimate weapon. There are many, many stats you can raise, and you'll need to meet certain goals to achieve each new level. However, continued customization is essential, or you'll find yourself out of luck against certain foes. Enemies vary in weakness, and sometimes melee is better than long range, or one character is better than the other. You can switch freely between the two (and will be automatically given the other if the one you're controlling dies), unless the floor you're on is a special "sealed" variety and the seal says you can only use one. Combat isn't incredibly tough, but there are certain foes (not referring to bosses) that can be trying, particularly in the final floors of any given dungeon.
SOUND
Voice acting is somewhat childish and bouncy, and the characters will often spell things out very obviously. It's not the best I've heard, but considering the style of the game, it's fairly befitting. Well, you won't find yourself cringing, at least. Music is relatively forgettable, but not unpleasant. I never really got to the stage where I flipped on my CD player and muted the TV, but I wasn't exactly listening intently either. Even the ending song is so-so - actually, it's kinda cheesy, now that I think about it.
GRAPHICS
Cute cel-shaded look with lots of attention to detail. This is even more apparent when you get your camera and start snapping shots of everything in sight (pictures + supplies = invention ideas/creations for Max, so you have to take photos of everything). It's a fun look for the game, and it can be very beautiful at times. The graphics do occasionally collide in an unattractive way (particularly during combat), but this is true of many games.
REPLAY
A beginner may take as long as 80 hours to do the game, and that's not including the extra dungeon or many of the side quests. On average, expect to be putting in between 50 and 70 hours for the main quest. If you're a perfectionist... well, be ready to put in 150 or more hours to get every last little thing in the game. This is a bit longer than most games, because of the RPG flavor and the need to return to previous dungeons occasionally. I will admit that I'm hesitant to go back and start a new game, because it *does* take so long to get through one run. As this *is* largely an RPG, there isn't much to be gained by doing repeated runs, unless you just wanted to see the story again.
OVERALL
If you want fun, this game delivers. If you want nice cel-shaded graphics, this game delivers. If you want a decent storyline, this game delivers. However, if you want something you can just do a quick run through, I'd suggest looking elsewhere. I enjoyed it a lot, but the time-intensive nature may not be for everyone. There are lots of minigames to play and other various things to do, so if you're like me, you'll be working on this game for a long time to come. If you spot it in the used games sometime and you have the money, I say go for it.
PERSONALLY...
(Best) - My two favorite things about this game are rebuilding towns and playing the minigame "Spheda" (pronounced "sfee-duh"). Reconstruction is fun because once you've met the goals, you can go ahead and add in silly little things to your towns. I'm particularly fond of the Silent Hill cult symbol made of barrels and fire torches in one town, as well as the pastel-colored houses for my construction workers in another. Spheda is... how can I say this... golf with a set number of hits. You play it after you've cleared out a dungeon floor, and since the map is randomly generated, the 'course' is different every time. There are, of course, hazards - ranging from bottomless pits to lava flows to trees blocking the way. Spheda can be very trying, but it's lots of fun.
(Worst) - My least favorite thing about this game is the length. I've spent around eighty or ninety hours on what I call my "completed" file, but there's still so much I haven't done. I don't *need* to do it. I already beat the extra dungeon. It's just frustrating that I would need to spend many more pointless hours to accomplish all of the goals.
And there you have it. A profile/review for the PS2 game Dark Cloud 2. The verdict? It was worth the money when it first came out, and it's a steal now. Go get it. ^_~
- Jen
JOURNAL: dj_ultima_the_great (Jen )
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