They tried to kill him. Tried to bury him in the ground with all his ambitions. They tried to drain out his desire to live and enjoy his life. They tried to take him away from all the things he loved and lived for. They tried to take him away from those whom he loved and cared for. His friends. They tried to make him into their slave and turn his vibrant,artistic and occasionally rebellious mind into a robotic one that would function only monotonically thinking only about one thing--study. But this warrior wasn't born to be any slave. Instead he was going to take revenge on them.
Revenge for making him stay away from his "home away from his home" (cheesy! 
). They had wanted to take away his will to live, now he shall take away their RIGHT to live.They shall realize the extent of his revenge only when his sword has pierced through their dark heart flowing with RBC,WBC,platelets and stuff like that. Sure he won't be allowed to make a movie on this because it might get too gory but hell he is a warrior and not some Tarantino-wannabe.
So he stares at the Death-List Five (yeah I know it's been taken from some samurai movie with over-the-top action). The list that holds the names of his fiercest enemies written in the gentle ink of the pen that he was gifted when his father's father's father's wife's husband (which again means father )'s father got from the French Revolution. Supposedly stolen from Hitler (I know he came MUCH later,but let's assume there was some time warping involved) who has developed a strong dislike for cats after seeing there were more cats than humans in Paris. Yes,he was allergic to them! AACHOO!
Oh wait. Where was I? Yeah so I,the warrior was staring at the names of my enemies that have constantly tortured me (in other words reasons for my absence) for nearly two months and have kept me away from my friends (you)and my "home away from my home" (that is GS! 
) :
1) The Nerd (meaning studies)
2) The Man With a Suitcase with Clothes in it (meaning vacation)
3) The Dude with Chart Paper and Sketches (meaning projects)
4) The Gamer Who's Having the Time of his life (meaning I've been playing some AMAZING games like Baldur's Gate II, The Longest Journey and Blazblue : Calamity Trigger 
)
5) The One Who Clicks the "New Blog" Button first but is unable to write anything (meaning Blogger's block)
These were the enemies that would taste the steel (along with a little rust) of my sword. *gives a vicious snarl* YAARGH!
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That was a little childish but of a different way of telling what I've been upto in the past two months,what have been the reasons of my absence etc. As many of you may have noticed, I wasn't really away from GS for THAT long. I've tried my best to comment on as many of your blogs as possible. It's just that it's been long since I've written a blog.
Nothing else. The gaming world has been pretty busy I guess.
PS3 Slim's announcement was probably the biggest thing though really it didn't come as a surprise to many of us. While a cheaper PS3 might make some consider buying it, it hasn't made me change my mind much. Yes,I am still going to get a PS3 eventually but not with that much heart. The reason? Lack of PS2 backwards compatibility in ANY of it's current versions. The 60GB version is now out of production and it's becoming increasingly frustrating for the likes of me who're waiting for PS3 to have a PS2 b/c.
If people like me are Sony's "potential target" then they should be trying to convince me. Wii plays GC games,360 does the same for Xbox,then why not PS2? Is it because Sony still expects people to be buying PS2? (actually there are many doing so as the numbers suggest). But still it appears as a mere excuse to me for not putting b/c on PS2. Either way whenever I get a PS3, I am ALSO getting a PS2 along with it. If Sony wants to FORCE me to buy two of their consoles,then FINE!
Gaming-wise, I've been having one of my best times with games since a long,LONG time! I am playing three ABSOLUTELY TOP-CLA$$ (it feels nostalgic typing the "$$" again ) games. Baldur's Gate II (mark my words.BEST ROLE-PLAYING GAME EVER MADE. PERIOD! A better RPG than all the Final Fantasies and Oblivions and Mass Effects of this world), The Longest Journey (wonderful adventure game that drifts slowly like a dream 
) and BlazBlue : The Calamity Trigger (which is a "kick-your butt" kinda fun fighter with "kick-your butt and hand it to you" kinda characters ) which I bought a month or so ago (on NeonNinja's recommendation) hence breaking my promise of not buying any game until May within a week or so of making that promise.
2009 is turning out to being an okay year. After seeing the various big delays (BioShock II and StarCraft II most importantly) many of us thought that 2009 will be a dud year. But there have been couple of interesting games so far. SFIV, BlazBlue, Sims 3,Killzone 2,Infamoushave so far done pretty well. Arkham Asylum looks good from it's videos too and I might consider getting it in May (that's right no more games until May. I promise. ...Hey,I am trying...stop giving me those looks! ). Alpha Protocol seems like a promising action-RPG hybrid but since it's Obsidian and their reputation of buggy games (examples? KotOR II and NWN2) precedes them. I don't care much about MW2. Beatles Rock Band will be good and popular (hey,it's the Beatles. The least thing you can expect from them is to top the sales charts )
But of course,the ONLY game I am REALLY looking forward to this year is Dragon Age Origins. Sure,it might be a spiritual successor to the legendary Baldur's Gate series (which has heavily inspired all future BioWare projects in some or the other way) but besides that it seems to be bringing forth loads of undeveloped ideas from past BioWare games into reality. Take this for example. You make a decision that goes against the morality of your party member. Then they might initially raise their voice against your decision,which might turn into argument and can in ultimate cases lead the party member to backstab you in the middle of the combat. Just how freakin cool is THAT! .I remember something like that happened in BGII but only amongst party members not involving me.
I also have decided that it's time for me to start writing some reviews seeing the last one I wrote was for Mass Effect and that was waaay back early this year. So,expect some reviews from me in one or two blogs.
But for now, I am just glad to be back here.
C ya
Lightwarrior179
P.S : *see below*
Question of the Blog : What have all of you been upto?
Comments
So, are you saying that Baulder's Gate 2 is better than Final Fantasy VIII?
**** YEAH! One of the best things about it, is because of it's graphic it's still easy to play today. It isn't too slow like Fallout, it isn't ugly, and it won't make me sick like older FPS games will. Did you download any of the mods for the game?
I bet 50 bucks that I will be able to resist until May.
@DrAwesomeMD -- BlazBlue is a freaking amazing fighting game. And that's saying a lot since I am not that much into fighters. It's really easy to get into but also requires dedication to learn it's intricacies, and the characters fighting style is quite varied making each fight a unique experience.
Baldur's Gate II is a better RPG than FFVIII in a strict role-playing view. For me RPGs should give you freedom and ability to customize your party and such. So, naturally JRPGs would rank lower on such priorities.
That said, FFVIII is still by far THE best game I've ever played. And that will remain the same no matter how many periods I add to that.
I'll be sure to ask you about the mods though when I finish the first playthrough.
Make sure that when #4 is about to be slain, show some mercy because all things considered, Baldur's Gate II, BlazBlue and The Longest Journey are ridiculously awesome.I plan to get myself a PS3 Slim. Since I have a PS2 in my living room right now, the whole backwards compatibility issue doesn't bother me too much. Also, I'm really happy to know you've been playing some really great games!
Baldur's Gate II > The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The Longest Journey is pure awesome. BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger has been met with endless praise by one of my friends.Alpha Protocol is one of my most anticipated games. Like you said, it looks very promising (and if I can live through Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, then I highly doubt Alpha Protocol's bugs will bother me too much
). I am looking forward to Dragon Age: Origins as well!
He comes back with a bang! That was quite the epic piece there. And to be frank, I rather enjoyed the first part of the blog. It's quite coincidental...you ask what we've been up to; well I for one have been up to telling everyone I don't need a skinny PS3 because my fat one plays PS2 games and the skinny one doesn't. I don't care if mine is overweight!
. It is good to hear from you again. Dragon Age origins look pretty good, but I am more interested in Mass Effect 2!
Dragon Age Origins looks pretty cool, but I doubt I'll get it at it's initial release. If it really does turn out to be a mind-blowing experience or something (which BioWare usually tends to pull off) then maybe I'll cave and get it. But at the moment I have a plan for this holiday season. September 22 I get ODST. Some time after that I get Street Fighter IV. I was thinking of Muramasa on the Wii, but it hasn't been receiving stellar reviews, so I'll wait until a price-drop just to be on the safe side and these third-party Wii games tend to drop in price pretty fast.
The first part of the blog was really cheesy but it felt genuine. It was cheesy like some of the fights in No More Heroes. Basically, in a good way.
Also, you made me damn proud by purchasing BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger. Good job, sport!
Good blog especially the first part. I hate 12th. There shouldn't be any board exams here 
No need for giving it a second time What have I been upto? I'm studying. But I cant concentrate at all. I study one lesson, and then I get really bored. So I come to my Sim World in The Sims 3. Got addicted to it
I haven't been watching many anime recently too.
But maybe I will look into it now. I have not played anything of it. Welcome back to reality! The GameSpot Republic welcomes you as well.
LOL! I've heard that Vampire does have some irritating bugs. If you're able to live with that part then you will be most probably okay with Alpha Protocol (although bugs on PC and bugs on console tend to be annoying at totally different levels)
@jaykho213 -- Blazblue is freaking awesome! It's also got a very anime look to it which I like a lot.
@Ipodhero176 -- Man,I haven't seen you since a long time as well. I was gonna send you a PM or something one of these days having not seen much of you around here these days. But I guess you're sticking to forums and unions I guess.
@Swoosie -- While BioWare themselves have warranted a comparison of Dragon Age with BG2 by saying it is it's spiritual successor but I think there will be enough similarities between those two games which will make long-time fans of such games to be at home. Even the camera can be switched to an isometric view when the combat is "paused". I am sure it will be a great game but yes,atleast those of us who've played BGII should avoid immediate comparison to it. After all, it's not at ALL easy to stand up against a legendary game like BG2,right?
I am glad you liked the first part of the blog but honestly I didn't like it too much (but then I don't like most of the cheesy stuff
)You've got a 60GB PS3! :O
That's amazing! I wish Sony hadn't stopped it's production because I would have got that never mind the cost.
@1995_1996_1997 -- Thanks. Glad you liked it.
@Legolas_Katarn -- Okay! Thanks,dude. I'll definitely ask you for recommendation and which mods to try and which to not when I am through with my first playthrough.
@ajarbuckle -- I am very excited about Dragon Age AND Mass Effect 2 of course. But the latter one is next year so I am more excited about the former.
You haven't played Baldur's Gate II probably so you wouldn't know much about the way Dragon Age would work. It might appear like an action RPG from the outset but it's far more deeper than that. It's a combination of the best of several genres at once. Action RPG with turn-based interior mechanism which follows AD&D rules which can also function as a completely turn-based game. Oh and if you turn off the friendly AI of your party members, it plays like something of an RTS. And it doesn't seem like a stupid re-hash of the best of each of those genre. In fact,BGII takes all those superior elements of different genres combines them and makes them into something completely original.
It may not be the most well-known RPG among the younger crowd,but if you're still playing on PC then don't give BGII a miss. As for Dragon Age, I've got a feeling that it's a game that is tailor-made for the PC.
@viveckvivu -- 12th board sucks but I am not worried about that. But I am more concerned about all the entrance exams I have to give next year. IIT-JEE, AIEEE,BITS-SAT,MHT-CET..damn preparing for all those four isn't easy and hence took a lot of my time. 12th board is a huge annoyance though.
Sims 3 must be addictive. I felt the same way for Sims 2. I just couldn't get off it.
@kingkilla3 -- Baldur's Gate is anything but a generic RPG. Refer to my comment for NeonNinja in this comment.
Yeah, Dragon Age and Demon's Souls are the only games that have me excited for the rest of this year - but next year, there's gonna be some serious awesomeness!
You LIE! jk No more games until May? I don't believe that either! I haven't been up to much. I'm just getting ready to go back to school tomorrow. 
I will eventually get a PS3 although I don't know exactly when.
I am only looking forward to Dragon Age Origins and Forza Motorsport 3 this year. Next year is packed like hell!
@DrAwesomeMD -- Yes!! Blazblue is SWEET!
@soulless4now -- Baldur's Gate II is better than FF only in a strict role-playing sense. As a game, there are FFs (like FFVI,FFVIII) which are possibly better than BGII.
. with all your studies , i thought you will be back only by 2010 . good to hear from you on gs. i dont think sony will ever add bc to the ps3 . they want to make some moolahs from the ps2 as well , now that ps2 is cheap , you should get 1 asap, otherwise you may be missing some of the best games ever made . the ps3 price cut is nice .Hope u pick up both a ps2 & ps3 after you re done with your exams , by then mass effect 2 will be just around the corner & your backlog of 09 games as well . you ll probably end up in no mans land , tons of game to play , but very little time . i hope you can manage the time for gaming after you re done with your exams , all the best for your exams
Thanks bro!
Yeah,post-May next year I'll be having an ENORMOUS backlog of games not only from 2009 but also the ones I didn't buy from 2007 (Halo 3 as a small example
). Plus 2010 is already looking to be such a busy year so I am sure I will be spending a lot of my saved money on games for quite a while to come. I don't know at which place I'll be come next May as it all depends in which university I get admission into and I may not be allowed to bring my consoles and all (which is awful ) but I think they'll allow a laptop or something so I can atleast play PC version of some of the console games. You're also at a very important stage of your life aren't you dude? I wish you luck for whatever decision you're about to take in your life (you still haven't told us about it. Is it got something to do with a possible Bhabhiji?
) but yeah I think one can't be gaming all the time. There needs to be a healthy balance maintained between life and gaming.
I've mentioned this before but I won't be getting a Slim because I already have a PS3 (the fat one of course ) and BC isn't really a big deal. I think PS2's now cost less than a 100$ so it's definitely affordable. Hope you get both the consoles
).I will now have to get PS2 and PS3 which isn't a big deal but B/C shouldn't have been removed from atleast one of the versions. Otherwise, Sony should start bringing out loads of PS2 games onto Blu-Ray (like the new God of War pack on PS3
) which would be sweet as well. @soulless4now -- Noooo!!! Baldur's Gate : Dark Alliance is a spin-off to the original series and is not even MADE by BioWare in the first place. It's something like what Crystal Chronicles is to Final Fantasy. A poor spin-off.
Hope they give FFX a similar treatment.
lol I have yet to play any of those crystal chronicle games since I heard the A.I. was pretty bad in the ds versions.
@pikastar -- I am glad that you're finally planning on getting a PS3 this month. Welcome to the next-gen in advance,dudette!
@soulless4now -- Unless you're a PC gamer or own a 360 console, playing BioWare game is a bit tough. They've only got one game outside those two platforms and it was for a Sonic RPG on DS which was mediocre I heard. Try BG Dark Alliance if you want but it is NOT a BioWare game so do so at your own risk (in other words, don't kill me if that game is awful
)@ShadowLaguna -- I'll get the PAL version when it comes out here as well. The NTSC version is brilliant though and it plays well on my cousin's modded 360 (he's a dimwit to have modded it I know
). Any idea what those new characters on PAL version are going to be? I am impressed by Arkham Asylum as well. I will try renting it once May comes (or that's the plan atleast
)
Try Dark Alliance if you really want to. It's got some praise from few people I know,but they usually tend to be those who haven't played the main series. Considering you haven't played the main series, I think you'll most likely find Dark Alliance to your liking.
I think so too, but for now that game is going to stay on my wish list for a good while.
PJ24
I still say your not going to able to last until May though