So many Pokemon, so little time…

The idea of throwing multi-colored spheres at bizarre creatures with clever names: boiled down to the basics, that’s what Pokemon is, has been, and always will be.  I say this in jest.

Pokemon Platinum, the latest release in the series and the Pokemon Yellow/Crystal/Emerald equivalent to the Diamond and Pearl versions, was released to hordes of awaiting fans (in America, at least) on March 22nd.  With over 400 Pokemon, as opposed to the good old days with 150 (plus Mew), among other additions, the Pokemon games have certainly changed over the years.  Platinum is evidence that these changes have, for the most part, been improvements.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories is less-than-memorable

When I heard about Kingdom Hearts, the collaboration of Disney and Squaresoft, I cringed. Mickey Mouse fighting alongside Final Fantasy characters, which would invariably find their way into this game, sounded awful beyond all reason. Throw some Teletubbies in and every kid should love it, right? Well, going against my intuition, I bought Kingdom Hearts, played it, and loved it. Then there was Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, for the Gameboy Advance, followed by Kingdom Hearts II. For those rabid fans who went that extra mile and procured them, there are Final Mix versions of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II with all sorts of extras.

I promise that there’s a reason for all of this rambling, and I’m getting to that. Kingdom Hearts started off a long line of sequels and side-games, more of which are still on the way at some point in the future, and I have to ask this: really, Square-Enix? Isn’t it about time to move on to something else?

Making life as a Survivor interesting.

Left 4 Dead, for anyone who has been living under a rock for quite some time now, is Valve’s take on the Zombie Horror/Survival gaming genre.  Players control four Survivors who must make their way through different settings–rural to once-populated cities–in order to get rescued, fending off the Horde of Infected, and a handful of Special Infected, along the way.  It’s as if Resident Evil and George Romero’s movies were thrown together, combining their better points and removing their less favorable ones.  Left 4 Dead isn’t perfect, but it’s an excellent game.

However, barring the short review of a few aspects of this game that will follow, this entry’s purpose is to give players a few ways to have a little more fun with gameplay.

Your ideas: handle with care

During one of my English classes, the professor brought up a writer’s tendency to become so enthusiastic about an idea or concept that he or she has that he absolutely has to share it.  He then explained how, more often than not, by sharing the idea in detail you are essentially letting it go too soon.  How it is essential to keep that idea inside, and to nurture, or “mother it,” as he put it.  He’s right, and this got me thinking: how, exactly, can one nurture and, well, “mother” an idea properly in order for it to “grow up” and reach its full potential?  Let us explore the possibilities as to how writers can properly nurture their ideas.

To journal, or not to journal

As a quick side-note, this will be the first in a series of entries on different writing techniques that I’ve picked up over the years.  I am by no means a revolutionary, nor am I some expert, well-known author, but I’ve got a pretty decent idea as to what I’m doing by now.  Some of these entries may turn into regurgitated thoughts that have been thrown out there time and time again, but it doesn’t hurt to put my own spin on it and see how it plays out.

The one recommendation above all other recommendations I can give to any writer is this: get a copy of The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr., and E.B. White.  Whether it’s a pesky English 102 paper or the next best-selling page-turner of a novel, most writers will agree that The Elements of Style is the best tool to have around.  It’s small, it’s tremendously helpful, and it’s not hard to get or on the bank account.  Get it.

Moving on, we arrive at this entry’s topic: to create, and maintain, a writer’s journal or…well, not to do so.  In my experience, the concept of maintaining a writing journal, jotting down ideas and snippets of stories and so on as they come to mind, has been drilled into my head for years.  However, is it really necessary to keep a journal?

TV shows that are devouring my time…

As a general rule, the TV in my apartment is usually on for background noise purposes only.  The exceptions to this rule, up until this semester, were House and Adult Swim, the latter being a nightly ritual.  However, with the beginning of Scrubs’s 8th season, the return of Grey’s Anatomy’s and House’s 5th seasons, and a few other shows getting quite a deal of praise, I got pulled in.

In actuality, I caught an episode of one show here, one show there, and got hooked.  If you’re ever looking for something good on the idiot-box, here’s my thoughts on a few TV shows.  Please note that there may be spoilers beyond this point, so read at your own risk, I suppose.

Mortal Kombat vs anyone willing

There are two essential pieces of knowledge required in order to fully tolerate this review: one, I am not a fan of fighting games.  I tend to prefer a game with strong storytelling and more involved than beating the blood, teeth, and other body parts out of your enemies.  Mostly, I can’t stand the idea of a game where you can work tirelessly to learn all of the right moves with your character of choice, only to have someone massacre you with button-mashing. The second thing is that I had to try and wipe away my preconceived notions pertaining to this game in order to justify spending $50+ on it.  I’ll admit, I was one of “those gamers.”  The ones who immediately deemed this game a crap sandwich covered in an array of condiments made of all things terrible.

Keeping this in mind, I will admit that Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe is a surprisingly good game.  Not a great game, but hardly as bad as I had imagined it to be.  Let’s take a look at what makes this game worth giving a chance, shall we?

The iboK Fund

Simply put, there is nothing more rewarding than helping another person when they are in need.  Yes, I know; very soap-box preacher-esque.  Hear me out:

Kaylie and John Horsley need help keeping their family together.  Lawyers are many things, but cheap is not one of them.  That’s where you, the reader, come in.  Head over to http://ibokfund.com/ and take a second to, pardon the cliche, make a difference.  They are accepting donations by mail (money order) and through PayPal, and there really is nothing as satisfying as helping out someone in need.  Take how easy it is to log in to an online store and purchase something, and then apply the same simplicity to helping keep someone’s family whole.  Even the smallest donation can make a difference; and if that’s not possible, just be sure to spread the word.  Tell friends, and friends of friends, and so on, about this site.  Above all else, keep them in your prayers and thoughts.

Best of luck to Kaylie and John in getting through these rough times.

Mirror’s Edge proves to be unpolished

As much as I’d love to go ahead and join the raging masses in railing on Mirror’s Edge for being not nearly as epic as portrayed in the commercials, I honestly can’t.  It’s not the big, steaming heap of crap that many reviewers I know have made it out to be, but Mirror’s Edge is hardly the bright, shining gift from God that the commercials have portrayed it to be.

Shenanigans. Big-time shenanigans.

I had made a post at Harknell.com in someone’s introduction topic. Little did I expect that it would result in my massive ownage. The penguin pictured in this image is my creation, as is the quote–a spin off on a popular saying on forums–but the pure awesome involved (the bulging eyes animation, etc) is courtesy of Onezumi.

It’s so damn great that it merits its own entry.

For more greatness, go to her site. If you somehow have missed the link above and the one with my other links, it’s www.onezumi.com. You might want to try www.hop.com if you couldn’t find the link in question up until this point, by the way.

- Pengy