And the Writing Slump Continues

Hey there.  I'm still stuck in a writing slump...  I'm not so sure what's up.  I have Metallman's Reverie set up as my home page (cause I'm a little vain like that.  lol) and I see the site daily, but I just can't seem to find the will to write a new post.  I'm hoping this wave of uselessness passes by me soon.  I haven't been able to do much of quality content in a while and I'm not happy about that.  Later!

The Los Angeles Lakers are the 2009-2010 Champs!

Hey there.  What an awesome game 7 between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics!!!  It definitely  was a defensive game and questions surrounded the Celtics on how they would be able to compete without their big man Perkins in the middle.  Looking at the final score of 83-79 doesn't convey the intensity, the tension, the reputations, and the legacy that was on the line.  I'm still hyped up over the game and if you missed it, you missed one hell of a game 7.  In a league where high flying offense seems to be what draws crowds, this defensive battle kept the players, and the fans on edge from beginning to end.  It wasn't a blow out, and at one point it seemed that the Lakers would fall the to Celtics, but they pulled it out with tough defense and a gritty performance.  Congrats my friends!!!!  And too the teams that made it to the post season and made it awesome for the fans, thanks!  Until next season!  Later!

Project Natal is Now XBOX Kinect

Hey there.  I'm pretty excited about stopping by the Galen Center later tonight to check out the "Project Natal" XBOX Experience.  Well, it was announced today that the "project" will now be called Xbox: Kinect.  I'm looking at this as a show and a show.  lol  I'm not exactly sure what part Cirque du Soleil has in all of this but their name is written all over the invitation.  Here are some of the pics that were posted on the XBOX Facebook page.  If you ask me, this looks pretty awesome!  I can't wait.  Later!

Motivational Sunday - Facebook

Hey there.  The majority of us have a Facebook account.  It's a pretty good social media tool that lets us reconnect with friends, share our pictures, and has many apps/games that will keep us entertained.  However, the older generation simply doesn't get it.  The below simply hows that.  lol  Later!

Finally!!! An Intruction Book on Babies!!! With Pictures!

Is Final Fantasy XIII Too Difficult?

Hey there.  Have you had a chance to play the latest game in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy XIII?  I received it as a gift for my birthday but because I recently purchased a new XBOX 360, I haven't had a chance to dig into the game.  Until now, that is.

I've been having this week long discussion with my compa in regards to the difficulty of the game.  He's played it a lot longer than I so he's farther along in the game.  We're both die hard fans of the series and have been through the majority of the games.  I've missed out on some of the DS and PSP titles.  Anyways, he's had some quips about the difficulty of the game and the battle system that it introduces.

FFXIII introduces a new battle system which emphasizes on strategy more than the accustomed "menu-select action-wait your turn- Active Time Battle" system.  Since the days of the NES version, fans grew used to having an enemy wait until you've inputted your commands before the battle starts, and with FFXII, they introduced a more "active" battle where you were allowed to move your character during battle, but the stopping of the action was still present while you were allowed to access the menus and select commands.  In FFXIII, there is no stopping of the battle while you select commands.  This is a huge shift for most Final Fantasy fans and from what I see, many are having a difficult time adjusting.

Because the action is continuous, you must be quick in selecting commands.  Another aspect that makes the game more difficult is that you no longer can control the actions of your party members.  You are responsible for your own character and hope that your team will take the appropriate actions during battle.  Now...  not all is left to chance.  You do select a paradigm (which is the equivalent of jobs) for each character and that character will take that role and act accordingly.  A three paradigm set can include a medic, commando, and ravager (other paradigms are also available but to simplify things, I'll only mention these three) which would be the equivalent of a white mage, knight, and black mage respectively.  The difference in FFXIII is that you'll only be able to command one of the characters and hope that your party members fulfill their roles.  This method involves more strategy than just being stronger than your enemy and pummel it to death and in my eyes, it creates a more realistic battle where your team goes in for the attack with specific roles.

Now, I'm still in the "honeymoon" stage of the game where the battles are not too hard, but not are easy either.  I'm not at the level where gamers are complaining of the difficulty.  Nevertheless, I feel as if the shift in the battle system is what irks them the most.  They can no longer go into a battle and then act accordingly.  FFXIII forces you plan your method of attack BEFORE you head out into battle.  If the game does get difficult in the up and coming chapters, I'm looking forward to the challenge!  But until then, later!