Ok, so as some of you may know, my PS3 recently got its own version of this:

Fact of the matter is: Yellow Light of Death can get anyone. It's a matter of time, not a matter of how well you take care of your PS3, because I treated mine like an infant, so you can very well assume that this was a slap in the face.

Not only that, but right after the day I reserve Modern Warfare 2. Awesome right? Now there's an unopened MW2 in my collection.

So, because of this, I've been spending a lot of time with my old PS2 games that, even with backwards compatability on my 80GB PS3, I never played; in particular, this game:

It was from playing through this game that I realized how utterly JRPG deprived I've been this gen, despite having Valkyria Chronicles. (I love the game, but SRPGs just isn't my thing.)

I first got this little gem when I was about 12, and as far as I was concerned, Sin = bad guy; that was all there was to it. There are a lot of themes and relationships in it that I couldn't understand back then, but I can truly appreciate now, especially Tidus & Yuna. You could probably blame this on anime.. if it wasn't for anime, I wouldn't be into this kind of drama.

Point is: I was able to get emotionally invested with the characters this time around because I had the mental capacity to understand what their motives were and their relations with the people around them, thus making the game a much, much more enjoyable experience.

My next goal is to go through Final Fantasy X-2 and find out if Yuna finds him, because I never beat this one. I remember Jak II had come out around the same time, so FFX-2 was pushed to the side.

Anyway, FFX has renewed my interest in JRPGs, so you can color me hyped for FFXIII, and possibly Vs. XIII.

_______________________________________________________________________

So yeah, I'll be getting a job sometime soon, then I'll get a PS3 when I get around to it. I'll still be getting the collector's edition of Bayonetta this Christmas, regardless of whether or not I have a PS3 by then.

It'll just give me another new game to open with my brand new PS3 Slim, no?

Lesson: There's always a silver lining.

Tune of the Week: Gym (C)lass Heroes - New Friend Request

What you're reading: a personal review of Borderlands without all the details, just the main points.

Why: I want to talk to you about the game, not put you to sleep.

Ok, the bad:

• No, not "87 BAZILLION GUNS!" More like "20-30 GUNS WITH 87 BAZILLION STAT VARIATIONS!"
• The open world is actually divided into sections, separated by loading screens.
• Loading screens can be anywhere from 15 - 45 seconds long.
• RPG elements are bare bones compared to other established games in the genre.
• No armor to collect/sell/modify, only energy shields.
• Level cap of 50.
• Minor, minor text and skills glitches that Gearbox needs to fix.
• BROKEN ONLINE THAT GEARBOX NEEDS TO FIX.

Now the good:

• 20-30 GUNS WITH 87 BAZILLION STAT VARIATIONS!
• Not all of the RPG elements are somewhat lacking - the skills actually affect your performance.
• Open world.
• Lots of side quests.
• Good sense of humor.
• I-don't-take-myself-seriously-but-I-can-still-kick-your-ass sense of st yle.
• Art st yle is very nice. Think moving comic book, not cel-shading.
• FPS gameplay feels spot on. Guns are fun, "CRITICAL HIT!" shots are satisfying.
• The way Lilith laughs when you score a headshot.

So yeah, that's it.

I didn't have money for this game, so in order to get it, I had to trade Super Mario Galaxy, Prototype, a caseless Resistance 2 and a caseless Uncharted, all games I got for free from a friend. I got $37 from that, plus the "Trade 4, get $20 extra" which put me at $57, and I was able to buy Borderlands for $2.45.

So yeah, $60 game for $2.45. Deal of the century, amirite?

Anyway, I'm not doing much other than that. Just playing the game in single player, waiting for a patch from Gearbox and my Bayonetta merch to get here.

Tune of the Week: DJ Champion - No Heaven

(Hah, like that? The original song from the first few Borderlands trailers.)

Everything Else-

Let's get something out of the way now: Dexter is awesome.

(Look at him - badass. The guy rocks Vans for Christ's sake.)

Call me late, but it's a real piece of work that I only discovered recently. Excellent script-writing, compelling characters (especially Dexter), twists & turns - it's nothing short of a triumph. I always knew what it was about, but I was never interested until I decided to download the free pilot episode off the PSN store.

I became attached to Michael C. Hall's character, the anti-hero; someone that you normally would want to see put in prison, but because of how much the show focuses on him, and the rules of his moral code, you understand his motives and why he does the things he does.

I'm currently working my way through Season 3 (episode 3 right now), readying myself for season 4.

Gaming-

No new video games, unfortunately. Remember when I said I was gonna grab Operation Flashpoint 2, Uncharted 2 and Fallout 3? Well, that plan never came to fruition, unfortunately. A couple days ago we got a letter from my sister's school saying that she needs to see an eye doctor for prescription glasses, so we did that.

I decided to set aside my wants for her needs, as her grades were slipping because of her eyesight.

We had a little bit of money left over, and I would've bought those games, but they were out of stock online and in-store (bad luck follows me everywhere), so I decided to get the next best thing: Bayonetta 150 song, 5 CD OST and an 80 page artbook.

I know, obsession. Kamiya's a genius for creating a character this awesome, and he's got me hooked. I've been playing the demo non-stop since it came out. It's addictive as hell. I've never played any of the Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden games, but now I know why they're so God damned popular: action games are fun.

Looks like it's time to dust off that old copy of Ninja Gaiden Sigma that my friend gave me a while back.

Anyway, this stuff ships out November 4th, when the soundtrack drops in Japan. I'll be sure to give each a nice, thorough review for those of you interested.

Anime-

Nope, too much Dexter.

Tune of the Week: Ore Ska Band - Hana no Ska Dance

Saw these guys at the Warped Tour last year at St. Helens in Oregon.

It was magical.