MMOs

So I just had to go here now in this subject matter. From my last post you can tell I am a die hard gamer and am particularly fond of Japanese games. Hack n' slash, action/adventure, and RPGs and are definitely my favorite categories in games. I use to like the First Person shooter games but not really anymore these days. Modern Warfare kinda blew it outta proportion for me as did some other FPS titles. But that my friends is a whole 'nother topic for another time. Today's topic is MMOs. I haven't really played MMOs all that much to be honest. I've played a few minutes of the Old Republic and that's been about it. The only other games I've played which came to close to MMOs which aren't even MMOs, but rather in style, were Diablo II and Final Fantasy XII. I'll admit Diablo II was pretty fun. Anyhow here's what I've noticed about MMOs...they consume people's lives. For some, it may even steal their soul. Yes you've probably heard this before. But think about it for a second. How low have we gotten as gamers and as people to allow PC games to steal the life of a young gamer for about a year or two? And for some even more than that...And it's crazy to me to think that...these people pay monthly for most of these MMO games that they buy as well as purchasing the in-game exclusive accessories/weapons that they will eventually find in the game! Now, I know that there are a few MMOs which are offered for free, no monthly pay which is good. I also know that there are some games which pioneered the concept of giving out the game out for free and making the revenue through selling the exclusive weapons and accessories for a price. Not so bad either. But when you have a game like World of Warcraft or WoW as many like to call it, the biggest seller and financially successful of all the current MMOs, at 10.3 million current players to date, which has its users pay monthly while selling the exclusives for a price, and expansion packs for a price on top of that, how far is too far? With this huge money-grabber machine Blizzard has created, this isn't just a game anymore. This is a phenomena. But the question is, is it a good one? It has impacted pop culture, our media, and virtually 10-11 million people's social interaction and social lives, whether they are still playing the game, or use to play. Over the last 7 years, WoW has virtually changed people's very lifestyle so that everyone who is playing the game becomes friends with people they find while on their adventures and on their guilds. These online friends somehow to them become their real friends. Now I'm all for being friendly online and if you happen to meet people in real life through a website after talking to them for awhile, that's cool too, just take your precautions I'd say whether it's a dating website, forum, or the like. But most of these people that play this game don't even get to meet in real life (with the exception of some perverts that met but that's another story), yet they somehow become friends on a genuine level simply through their experiences of playing together online. Now from what I've researched, joining a guild is kind of like applying for a job. You have to fill out an application and then be accepted. Please. This is just too much for a game. And yet once you finally get into that guild you're now "in the club." And most of these guilds have such a high standard playing that you're basically signing away your social life. WoW becomes your social life. The most powerful thing about WoW really is you can take just about any identity within the game and get away with it. You can choose to play like an asshole, a pervert, a troll, etc. Admittedly WoW has formed a lot of successful friendships as well as relationships and communities. Most of these people are socially reclusive and many of them don't know how to talk to females. In fact, a lot of the time spent playing WoW is actually on farming so you can get gold, so you can get to the good stuff. Kind of ironic like how in the real world, you have to work to get the good things, just as how it's reflected in WoW. Essentially WoW is....a waste of time. It could be a very entertaining waste of time however. Or it could be a miserable, frustrating waste of time as for many gamers who have played, usually end up quitting simply because the online interaction became too ridiculous and some tension amongst players is always bound to happen eventually. Whatever the experience, WoW is essentially a massive virtual world/online community. A voluntary-step-through-the-Matrix. Everyone's experiences will differ. Some will be fun for awhile, and others won't be. Whatever the case, I don't consider WoW or several MMOs games anymore. These are alternate worlds responsible for taking people's precious time and creating thousands, if not millions of irresponsible people who decided real life just wasn't worth it anymore so living an alternative lifestyle in a game where your identity is only seen through your character and actions in the game is more worthwhile. That's just my opinion. I'd really just rather play my games who have story lines to them with a beginning and end. No one's taking my soul away.

Favorite PS1 and PS2 Games List

Alright ladies and gentleman, here it is my favorite games of all time separated between the PS1 and PS2 (in no particular order):
PS1
Twisted Metal 4, Twisted Metal 2, Twisted Metal Small Brawl
Dino Crisis, Dino Crisis 2
Tekken 2
Mortal Kombat 4
Final Fantasy IX (probably my favorite PS1/favorite RPG/Final Fantasy)
Pepsi Man
Jackie Chan the Game
Crash Bandicoot, Crash 2, Crash Warped, Crash Team Racing
Spyro 2 Ripto's Rage
Spider-Man (PS1)
Crisisbeat
Syphon Filter 2
Tenchu 2
Galerians
Chrono Cross
Driver 2
Spider-Man 2 (PS1)
X-Men Mutant Academy

PS2
Final Fantasy X
Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3
Fatal Frame II
Guitar Hero II, Guitar Hero III
KillZone
Jak and Daxter, Jak II
Resident Evil 4
God of War, God of War II
King Kong the Game
Driver 3
Lord of the Rings Return of the King
Marvel vs. Capcom 2
(Final Fantasy VII and Fatal Frame III may very well end up on this list! That's why I'm still playing!)

Documentary idea

So, I'm considering making a documentary this year. Not sure yet if this is gonna happen or not, I may do a poll to get people's opinions if the documentary is worth doing or not. The idea just hit me randomly one day. I've always wanted to interview ppl who appreciate fan culture i.e. anime, games, comics, etc. especially at conventions. But then it occurred to me. What do most parents think of their kids who are interested in fan culture as a hobby? As I go around interviewing ppl, we must ask them how their parents feel about their interests. I want this documentary to be revealing the "truth" about fan culture and that's not really as "bad" as some parents may think it is, as long it's done in a reasonable/somewhat moderation. Although hundreds or even thousands of dollars spent each year on games, anime, comics, etc may seem extreme, I would wanna point out to parents who may see this documentary that would you rather your kids spend money on those things or on drugs and alcohol for example? And is it really such a bad thing to spend on games and animation which technically may open up your child's creativity and heaven forbid their level of philosophy/intellect on the world? Whether this documentary happens or not, I want to at least express in this post that I myself, have numbers of friends including myself who take fan culture as a large interest and/or hobby. I, myself like to consider myself a fanboy and I'm not ashamed of that. The thing that really stumps me is how is it that our society has gotten to the point where characters on Jersey Shore, Laguna Beach, MTV, club scenes, hipster culture, being an asshole gets you more women, etc. has become societal norms? Even though these are all exaggerated through the media, the influence of the media eventually surfaces to some degree of reality. An idea becomes a fictional reality, which turns into an actual reality. The point is, although all these things are dubbed "immoral", somehow the young generation gets away doing these things and having these misbehaviors and atrocities while their parents live in denial of them or are too busy/overoccupied to even notice the obscenity of their teenage kids who idolize these MTV/Jersey Shore/hipster douchebags for lack of a better term. And then the kids who like the "safe stuff", fan stuff, is considered evil. It's true. Some of my friends have to hide the fact that they are going to an anime convention or that their parents won't agree with their gaming habits. Good job parents of America. You truly set a good example to your kids. Keep punishing your kids who play their games and watch their anime while you let their douche sibling smoke weed during school hours. But oh yeah you can't notice that there's something wrong with them. They're too clever, they hide it from you. Or maybe you have noticed, but you've given up trying to help fix them. Or maybe it's just easier to lay the the blame on your kid playing Skyrim, because hey that's just totally unethical right there.

Steven Spielberg and Evangelion

I know this sounds like a completely random topic but I seriously think it deserves a bit of speculation. If you've hung out around me enough you've probably heard me mention Evangelion at least once. I cannot even begin to stress my love and fascination for this anime and franchise. From time to time I will probably spew out some of my thoughts and topics for discussion on Eva but I'll try to keep it to a minimum. So what is it about the famous blockbuster Hollywood director who everyone saw at least one movie from that I must now relate him to a 1995 anime which exploded in popularity, Internet talk, including a "revolution" on the web (that which I'm part of www.revolutionofevangelion.org), endless fan art, fanfics, merchandise, new movies, etc.? Well my friends the answer is actually quite simple. I have a theory. Eva is popular for many reasons: its psychology, religious symbolism/theories, symbolic interpretations, character development and dynamics, its violent nature, philosophies, a social commentary on Japan and life, etc. But I don't know if it ever occurred to anyone, what is one of the most basic reasons why its popular, theories and interpretations aside? And so here is my theory: No matter how much depth and complexity there is in Eva, it almost all goes back to the key players of the story- the children. These three children, Shinji, Rei, and Asuka, all facing traumatic experiences and disastrous situations. Hideki Anno does a pretty good job capturing the dilemmas of all these kids in realistic, painful glory like no other animation did before it. No series ever really dared. Sure there was Gundam, but that was adults fighting in giant robots in space part of a series of wars and politics. ADULTS, not kids. Anno presented these kids in dark ways. Each of them has a specific mental disorder (as if that's any surprise). Shinji has avoidant personality disorder (he couldn't socialize with ppl to save his own life), Asuka is a narcissist (explains all the shouting) and Rei is a schizoid ( avoids social relationships, similar to Shinji, but much more closed off) Anno had a plan laid out and he used a Psychology textbook to implement his characterizations on the kids as well as the adult characters of the anime. Spielberg I noticed has done something similar with most of his films. Ever notice in most of his films he uses children in traumatic/end-of-the-world kind of scenarios? Jurassic Park, ET (to some extent), A.I., War of the Worlds, and most recently The Adventures of Tintin? Even Super 8 even though he produced it but we all know JJ Abrams is the "next Spielberg." All of these movies in some fashion use kids in some kind of horrible situation wrapped up in a big adventure. Now think for a second. Spielberg is one of the most famous directors in the world. Hideki Anno became one of the most famous anime directors in the world solely for the work on Evangelion. What do these share in common for American fans? Both of them have the children at the core of their stories. Spielberg did it in his own kind of fascinating way just as Anno did. It seems to me that American fans really enjoy the idea of putting kids into adventures. This is kind of interesting. Why? Maybe because we are so use to seeing Superheroes, spies, soldiers, grown people do all the work when it comes to "saving the day." When we see kids fill this seat, it automatically becomes much more interesting to American fans, young ones particularly, because they can identify with the character they see on screen. If it worked out for Spielberg's films, then it most certainly did with Eva. Hell, even Harry Potter is another great example of that but I won't steer into that now. Ultimately, as young people, when we see a kid whether younger or about our age on screen performing enormous tasks whether its piloting a giant robot or dodging an alien foot, we somehow grow an emotional attachment to them, unlike the way we would with a grown Superhero or government spy.

Introduction

Hey all. So I'm about to be out of college now and this gives me a chance to express some of my thoughts I've had to people and most importantly to my friends out there. I'm 23 years old and I'll be graduating with a B.F.A. in film. I thought it would only be appropriate to start this blog out with giving you a general outline of what I like on a timeline of my growth. So here it goes:
So when I was in Elementary school, I liked watching 90's Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, and Kids WB! Aside from mostly watching Nick, TVwise I also watched the original Power Rangers. In 3rd grade in about 1998, I joined the Pokemon craze. I didn't get the GameBoy game Pokemon Red until I was in 5th grade though by 1999-2000. (my all time favorite GameBoy game!)
I discovered Star Wars during these years. The Death Star toy became my prized possession lol.
I also discovered Beast Wars (which got me into the whole Transformers sagas) and began reading Animorphs, both I believe when I was in 2nd grade to 4th/5th grade. Beast Wars was awesome and Animorphs was too until it scared the shit out of me. (lol oh those days)
My first exposure to Japanese culture was quite in fact watching all the original Godzilla movies. All these movies hold a special place in my heart honestly. W/o these, I don't think I would have gotten a deeper appreciation of Japanese culture and never would have bothered with anime and RPGs. I owe it all to the godly, scaly granddaddy monster of them all, and my early childhood hero.
During the first half of Middle School, I sucked more into the Pokemon craze, playing Red and Gold versions and collecting the trading cards ( I sucked at playing them). I also happened to discover Digimon when I was in 5th grade. I honestly grew to like this series so much more than Pokemon. It showed me the values of courage, friendship, and teamwork, this series will always be one of the favorites of my childhood.
By 2000 I also joined the Harry Potter craze. After reading the first book, I immediately read the next 3 soon after and was hooked. Having completed the entire series now along with the movies, this also holds a special place in me as a piece of wonderful fantasy literature and cinema, which by the time it all ended, I felt like a part of my childhood had drawn to a close.
Also in 2000, I saw the first Matrix. It horrified me, but at the same time it pumped a sense of inspiration and hope that stirred in me like I never felt before about the world. A great eye-opening film for me and for the world at the time.
Invader Zim came on Nickelodeon when I was in 6th grade, this show was one of Nick's last of its golden age and one of its best.
I also began collecting some issues of X-Men (Ultimate mostly) and Spider-Man during these years.
While watching Cartoon Network Toonami included, during these years, I really liked Powerpuff Girls and some Dragonball Z.
Batman Beyond was epic.
During 6th grade, PlayStation was my first and cherished game console. Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, FFIX, Chrono Cross, and the original Dino Crisis gave me lots of good memories amongst other titles. FFIX (Final Fantasy 9) particularly, being my first serious RPG and Final Fantasy, and to this day my all time favorite, as one of the best games/RPGS, best FF in my book.
During 6th and 7th grades anime I watched included: Cardcaptors, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Medabots, Digimon, and Pokemon (but not for much longer)
By the time I was in 7th grade I was finally introduced to the world of Tolkien. Before knowing Tolkien, I always thought, what could legend could possibly be more thought out and have more expanded universe than Star Wars? Well on expanded universe I was probably right but certainly not with the "thought out." My English teacher at the time was a big fan of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. He made us read The Hobbit and it quickly became one of my favorite stories. Having to see the LOTR films as well added to my awe of Tolkien.
By 8th grade I got a PS2. Jak and Daxter filled in the gap of my life where Crash and Spyro had left me and FFX (Final Fantasy X), my first PS2 game, quickly became one of the games I loved the most.
By the end of 8th grade, I discovered Cowboy Bebop. The anime's intensity and graphic nature simply blew my young mind. This series definitely broke a lot of grounds and holds so much praise for its story, ideas, art, action, and philosophy. I never finished it until 11th grade (I was watching them every once in awhile on Netflix) An amazing series. I also watched the films, Akira and Ghost in the Shell during that year. Both mind-blowing anime, much different than CB in nature, but provocative all the same.
By High School I got more into PS2 gaming. Notable titles included the first God of War, the original Devil May Cry and DMC3, the original KillZone, Jak II,  SW Battlefront II, Driver 3, the King Kong movie game, and the Guitar Hero games between HS and into early college. I honestly missed out on a lot of good games during these years, regretfully so. Although I tried out Counter Strike on PC (and failed at it miserably) Both of the the original DMCs titles took up most of my time as I was crazy addicted to Dante's over-the-top cinematic like combos.
Some movies I liked during HS included: both Kill Bill films, the Spider-Man movies, V for Vendetta, the first two Underworld movies, and the Bourne movies.
TVwise I watched Smallville (my favorite thing of Superman), Monk, American Idol, and That 70's Show.
Anime wasn't so prominent still during my HS years, not until college at least, but I did begin to watch Samurai Champloo, the same makers of Cowboy Bebop during my Senior year, and it quickly became one of my favorite things involving samurai.
Also, just before college, I watched one little, incredible movie. This movie was Donnie Darko. It holds yet another special place for me as it has so many interesting ideas and philosophies, questioning our very purpose as people and showing us that life has a meaning for all of us. For me, this movie reminds me just how spellbinding life really is.
By the time I got into college, anime really blossomed much more than it ever did, especially for me. I remember during my Freshman year I watched Death Note, Samurai 7, FLCL, Appleseed, and DN Angel. I tried out Desert Punk but couldn't last.
This year was also a turning point in gaming for me. This was the year I got my Nintendo Wii during the Fall 2007 holiday season. Super Mario Galaxy along with Wii Sports and Wii Play which came with the package were my first Wii games. During my Sophomore year in college, I got Brawl. I loved the creativity and imaginative world of Mario Galaxy, each level bringing a creative and exciting challenge and the graphics were simply beautiful. I also loved the competitive and physical feature Wii Sports had, and was the perfect game to play with friends. Brawl became one of my favorite fighting games, being competitive and enjoyable at the same time. I also played Resident Evil 4 for the first time.
Movies I really liked during that year included: Cloverfield, Ironman, Kung Fu Panda, and The Dark Knight.
During my Sophomore year I watched more anime including: Neon Genesis Evangelion (now holding a special place in me and one of the greatest anime ever), Death Note, starting Higurashi, Ninja Scroll, trying out Darker than Black, Ergo Proxy, Gravitation, Gunslinger Girl, and the Devil May Cry anime, none of which lasted with me. I also read the Death Note manga as I was finishing the anime.
Movies I liked during this year included: Underworld Evolution, Coraline, Watchmen, Star Trek,  Funny People, and I actually saw Eternal Sunshine for the first time during this year even though the movie was already 5 years old. I thought it was terrific and really moving. I also watched Dr. Strangelove for the first time, and this wet my appetite for Kubrick films.
One movie I'd like to mention particularly however which really stood out for me was District 9. You've probably heard me talk about this movie if you've hung around me enough. I can't even stress enough how amazing this movie really is. It feels like a documentary and its so realistic it's disturbing. It really shows how prejudiced humans are and the cruelty we unleash on each other. This movie has a lot of heavy themes but it executes them so well, for me, this is one of the greatest films ever made.
During my Junior year anime I watched included: Genshiken, Higurashi, High School of the Dead, Black Rock Shooter, Evangelion 1.0, This Ugly Yet Beautiful World, and Vexille. I also tried Ouran High School Host Club but couldn't last. Genshiken may I mention is one of the funniest things I've ever seen and reminds me so much of MSU's own Japan Club haha.
I also began reading Gantz. It is now my favorite manga. I also started reading Evangelion: Shinji Ikari Raising Project, one of the alternate universes to the show.
Movies I liked during that year included: Ninja Assassin, Alice in Wonderland, Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Inception, and Toy Story 3. I also watched 2001: A Space Odyssey, now my favorite Kubrick film, and Let the Right One In, the Swedish film.
I didn't play much even though I got a PS3 but only had Devil May Cry 4 on it and Bayonetta. I continued to play Brawl and Mario Galaxy.
In my Senior year anime I saw included: Appleseed Ex Machina, Evangelion 2.0, Summer Wars, Higurashi, Axis Powers Hetalia, Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, Steamboy, X-Men the anime, and I tried out Black Butler and Dragonball Kai. I'm now rewatching season 1 of Digimon.
I played much more during this year including: Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Mortal Kombat vs. DC, Mortal Kombat 9, God of War III, Fatal Frame II, Twisted Metal 2, returning to Twisted Metal 4, and Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and Final Fantasy VII. Going into my Super Senior year I've also played Final Fantasy XIII and continuing Bayonetta.
Notable movies have included: Tron Legacy, Catfish, Super 8, X-Men First Class, Deathly Hallows Part 2, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Insidious and Let Me In. I've also recently watched Dogma. I'm now rewatching Lord of the Rings.
I've also had a surge of returning into comic reading- I have a ton of X-Men to catch up with. House of M was terrific and The Dark Phoenix Saga, although I haven't finished it yet, is super.
I'm now on the revolutionofevangelion.org forum
Vocaloids has brought new reason to live.
Well, that's just about it, phew, that was a bit long lol.