Zephyrus of the Anemoi

.the ramblings of a radman.

Month: October 2008 (Page 4 of 5)

Quick update

October 21, 2008 /

From time to time over the next couple days, I will be posting poems as blog posts. Do not be alarmed by this, as I will not be switching to a poetry centered site. However, I wrote these poems some time ago, and just want to get them online so that they are safe. I’ll try to keep the crappier ones at bay, though I may not be the best judge of that (I tend to think they all pretty much suck except for a few).

I’ve almost cleared out my list of posts to republish from CGS and will begin writing new ones soon. I think Secret of Mana will probably get a write up, as will Mega Man 9.

In other news, Vote Smarter is a web site with some rather funny videos similar to Mac vs PC ads but concerning the Presidential candidates. It appears to be Obama-centric, so if you’re for McCain you may not like them as much. Of course, if you’re for McCain, you probably won’t like a lot of what is and will be on this blog throughout its life cycle. Sorry for that.

Steel (May 4, 2005)

October 21, 2008 /

The grass rustles beneath my feet.
Swish. Swish.
As I tread firmly on, stopping for no one.
Seeking justice. Seeking redemption.
Life flows from my side, mixing with the dust in the air.
Dripping into the dirt, making small droplets of mud.
Staining the tall grass as I pass through it.
Swish. Swish.
I must not stop. Not even for this.
Redemption is near.
I can see his shadow before me.
I can see the stained grass that he has left.
I can see his droplets of mud.
Swish. Swish.
I am gaining. Justice is nearer.
He stops and waits.
For me.
Turning, he lets life flow.
Swish. Swish.
I stand before him, treading no more.
Swish.
We both know the end is here.
Not near. Here.
No one will walk away, but honor must be restored.
Justice must be done.
He grins.
I lunge.
Sun glints off steel
Justice must be served.
No. Not justice.
Vengeance.

When all else fails, rip off Zelda…

October 20, 2008 /

I beg of you Lin– err… I mean, Jazeta, save the princess!

She turned me into a— oh… nevermind…

And now, on to mediocrity!

I love The Legend of Zelda. I always have. The dungeon-crawling, the treasure-hunting, the monster-slaying, the whistle-blowing, and oh-my-goodness the ever so original and incredible music of these games. I honestly feel that Zelda will influence my emotions positively until the day I die. It’s my favorite game series of all time, and I will likely devote an entire saga of posts to it one day. Until that time, however, I shall present you with something far less interesting more relevant.

Neutopia is, quite simply, The Legend of Zelda. There’s really no better way to describe it. Follow the links above and you’ll quickly see the similarities. Most of the game play elements that made Zelda so unique from the rest of the gaming world at the time of its inception are brought to the TurboGrafx with updated graphics.

The sad thing is, that seems to be the only improvement over Zelda. Don’t get me wrong, the game is fun. Slay monsters, find stuff, rescue things, whatever… But it’s overly simplified when compared to the original Zelda for the NES. For example, no less than 5 minutes into the game you have already found bombs and medicine for your character. And, in 10 minutes, you’ve probably already found the fire wand, which allows you to burn down trees to find hidden stairways into all sorts of places (okay, maybe not all sorts of places, cause they all look about the same, and usually they’re just full of people telling you stuff that a 5-year old probably already figured out about the game).

But it almost works. Almost.

Anyone that is over the age of 10 and has played any of the other Zelda titles, particularly the original or A Link to the Past, is going to find the game beneath them. I’ve been using the game as little more than a pastime, once I realized how simple it is. But, at the same time, it’s easy to pick up and play for a short while, because it rarely takes more than an hour to accomplish a significant goal in the game (i.e. finding one of 8 medallions so you can rescue the princess).

So, why buy it?

Well, if you are a Zelda fan, and you want something to tide you over until the next 2-D top-down release, it’s not a bad way to keep yourself occupied. And there are some plus sides to the game for certain types of players. For example, if you don’t care overmuch for the more puzzle-y side of Zelda titles, you don’t need to worry. It becomes pretty obvious early in the game where to bomb for secret doors, and the fire wand can be used again and again to burn away bushes (and for some reason, rocks) to find hidden stairs. The most complicated puzzle I’ve encountered so far is what to do with the rest of my day after I finish the game (it appears to be fairly short, ‘though I’m only a little less than halfway through the levels, and they may get significantly longer in the second half).

Regardless, if you can’t play Zelda, play a Zelda-clone. Just don’t tell anyone that you think it’s better than Zelda. It’s likely to get you mugged.

(Originally posted October 2, 2007)

Obama Rally – Kansas City, MO – 10-18-2008

October 20, 2008 /

I meant to have photos of the rally up by now, but as far back as I was, the pictures I got with my phone and camera weren’t so hot. A gentleman standing next to me had a much nicer camera and said he’d e-mail me the photos. Once I get them, I’ll post them up here. For now, I’ve got a few from my phone I can share and later tonight, my camera should be charged and I can look through to see what I’ve got on it.

The building helps give perspective on just how many people were there
The single largest gathering I’ve ever experienced
The biggest flag I’ve ever seen, and a handful of security officers.
All ages were in attendance
Later they turned to face us but the sign was still backward
Even Penny Arcade fans were present

I’d never been to a rally before, so this was a new experience for me. However, this was definitely the largest political rally in Kansas City in a long time, if not ever. St. Louis had 100,000 people show up in the morning and 75,000 were at Liberty Memorial in KC. Now some pointed out that the speech he gave is the same speech he’s been giving in all the battleground states, but with some slight variations (this was in response to my recording as much of the speech as I could). That may be, but he did an incredible job of explaining any doubts John McCain may have raised during the final debate a few days before. My wife was even moved to tears by his speech, and I have to admit that I choked up once or twice myself.

Perhaps the reason that Obama’s campaign has moved me so much to voice my opinion and express myself politically is that for the first time as an adult, I’ve been given the opportunity to choose a candidate for President that made me feel proud to be an American. Not since I was a little kid, singing anthems and saying pledges have I ever felt the way I do now, hearing him speak with such conviction about positive changes and making America a place the world can respect again. I hope that there are enough people out there that hear the same message that I do and are willing to step up and fight vote for what they believe.

From ’94 to Infinity: Before Halo

October 20, 2008 /

I absolutely loved this article! As someone who (semi-)actively participated in the deciphering of the Marathon Story, and a veteran of the Great Potatoanus War (a rather entertaining joke between friends on the alt.games.marathon newsgroup), it reminded me that I was a part of something so large that it took more than a decade to play out. And, although I was a member of the “team” that felt bitter at Bungie’s eventual sale to Microsoft, I’ve continued to have faith in the one game company that could tell a story so involved, so detailed, and so riddled with symbolism and historical, mythological, theological, & literary references that it has yet to be met with any competition. Even their own “Halo” has been unable to compete depth-wise (although, that is in no small part due to the fact that to tell such a story through cinematic and audio commentary would be virtually impossible).

 

Perhaps it is a shame that technology has advanced to the point wherein NOT having to read has actually had an inverse effect on the effectiveness of storytelling. I cannot wait to see where Bungie will take us when they finish the story of “Halo” and move on to their next big thing. My one hope is that those that made Bungie’s “Marathon” so incredible (Alexander “The Man” Seropian, and Jason Jones) will one day work together again and bring us the final chapter in great storytelling through a medium oft-times too focused on twitch-action and raw horsepower to remember that it is the stories that bring us back for more.

(Originally posted May 18, 2006)

NaNoWriMo 2008

October 19, 2008 /

NaNoWriMo 2008: I’m doing it; anyone else want to try it with me? It’s easier if you’ve got someone to push you onward and upward. Register at the site and look for me to be your writing buddy. My screenname is zephyrstarfields.

The goal is to write a 50,000 word novel in just one month. It runs from November 1st through the 30th. I’ve never done it before, but I think it’ll be fun. And, all you have to do to win, is finish the novel in time. It doesn’t even have to be good, just help you to write more often.

Come on, Justin, I know you’re just dying to try it.

Hit glowworm with stick… eat glowing fruit… repeat…

October 19, 2008 /

“Dammit! I should have worn my closed-toe sandals! Screw it, I’ll just club the damned thing to death…”

Alright radioactive slug, let's do this!

While not on the Virtual Console, and not actually a game I’m currently playing, Battle of Olympus has been on my mind of late.

“Why?” you might ask. You didn’t, I know. Just saying. You might.

I’ve got two words for you: Zelda II: The Adventures of Link.

Wait, one, two, three, four– forget it.

Battle of Olympus is the single most awesome side-scrolling Zelda II clone ever. EVER. Let me explain. You play this little Greek dude who sets out on a quest to rescue some girl that was kidnapped by Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Epic, right?

You start off by naming your character and the heroine, who has absolutely no part in the story except that she was kidnapped. Then, you head into battle with all the monsters that have plagued Greek mythology for years: blue worms, red snakes, flying medusa heads—the usual.

As you progress, you’ll meet a few gods, they’ll give you some gifts like new sandals, better weapons (including a sword that shoots lightning bolts in exactly the same manner as the “zaps” from Link’s sword in Zelda II, except you don’t need full health to do it).

Okay, so the gameplay isn’t really something that blows away the competition. Two years after Zelda II and there really has been zero competition up to this point. So, instead of competing, we just steal liberally. The company that created this game is called Infinity. They don’t even exist anymore (it must be assumed, as they have no page of their own in Wikipedia).

The graphics for this game are top notch for a(n) NES title, especially considering it was released in the US in 1989, six years before Nintendo would finally pull the plug on the system.

When I finally get a chance to sit down and play this game again (i.e. if it ever comes out on the Virtual Console), you will get a proper review of it. Until then, if you have this game, pull it out and play it again. If not, I highly suggest finding a method of playing it and proceeding.

(Ed. note: It would appear that your character is named Orpheus and your girlfriend is Helene. Also, apparently you think she dies, when really Hades has forced her to become his bride. In all, it really doesn’t matter, and it’s way more fun when you make up your own story to go along.

For instance, when I play, my name is Mario, and my princess is in another castle.)

(Originally posted August 16, 2007)

Steampunk Lightsaber

October 18, 2008 /

Hot on the heels of another steampunk entry, I’ve discovered a rather old forum post that contains instructions on how to build your very own steampunk lightsaber:

 

These are the types of projects that I wish I could get involved in, but I just don’t have the free time what with all the other activities I choose to do. Maybe when I’m retired.

Steampunk Wallpaper

October 18, 2008 /

I stumbled across this site while looking for a new WordPress theme. I was considering using the theme in use on this site before I came across the site. Now, I don’t want to look like I’m unoriginal. Maybe I’ll switch, anyway. Check it out for sure.

Steampunk Wallpaper

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