(Not RPG related, just a ramble ...)

So, I broke down and bought myself a new gaming console with some birthday money (yes, I should have spent it on other things... but that's a debate best reserved for my head, not for the blog).


I had been planning to eventually get it (in terms of doing research and cost comparisons for sellers; I just didn't know when I would get it), so it wasn't a pure impulse buy.


A brief background:
I grew up on the original NES, then Sega, then a few years of just playing occasional games at friends' but not my own console.. Then I had an XBOX, PS3, and Wii (at separate times, but owning each for less than a full year).
I find that I get a few games, play them obsessively, and then have no interest in replay value of the games I own, and rarely does a new game come out that warrants my attention (not interested enough for using my budgeted 'play' money) so the console just sits there until I sell it/trade it in.


But now, we're at the cusp for 4 games (Batman Arkum Asylum, Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, Alpha Protocol, Dragon Age: Origins) that I -really- want to play. So I got a new console system.

We'll see how long I stay interested before it just sits there...

But, hey, in the meantime, I do hope to have enough fun with those particular 4 titles (as well a "collection" title I'm getting just to play Phantasy Star 4, and Shining Force 1 and 2. )


Edit:
Another thing I noticed... when I was younger (with the NES or Sega) I would have friends from jr high/high school over all the time. Weekend long sleepovers with 3-5 friends where we'd switch off between video games, RPGs, movies, and random silliness when we didn't have school.

So I guess part of the eventual boredom with consoles is that I don't get that "play-with-friends" nostalgia. Hence, all I have to look forward to is the game itself, rather than the old "game experience" I got used to.

Add to that the fact that games today are not really geared towards me... I'm not much for "twitchy" games, and I lack the coordination to do fancy button combinations. In fact, my favorite games are turn-based RPGs followed by a misc of other things that are probably "slower paced" for someone who is in their teens.

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Note: Completely non-gamer interest related but this made my day so I had to share.

Brief background: My father's native language is not English (though mine is, and we both live in the U.S. so it is the common language spoken around here). So growing up I heard my fair share of silly cross-cultural and cross-language weirdness. Such as my father asking me for a torch (flashlight) and I get a mental image of pulling this tar-tipped flaming stick from my pocket, or telling me to put stuff in the car's dicky (that's trunk). Or, other times, he will hear a word that day and, thinking it sounds smart, he'll use it but in a completely wrong way. He is also quick to raise his voice when he's frustrated.

So I am in the car with him, talking over some travel plans. After 5 minutes of discussing basics, he turns to me and asks and odd question. What follows is the gist of our conversation

Dad: So, do you have your travel rooster?

Me: (silent pause thinking I miss heard him) Sorry I didn't hear you because of the traffic. What was that?

Dad: Your rooster, do you have your travel rooster?

Me: I'm sorry, I am not following what you're asking for. (rolling up car window for the least distractions possible) my what?

Dad: Your rooster. (voice raising slightly) Your travel rooster!

Me: (speaking in his own native language, so that you would also change language and perhaps be able to convey his meaning more clearly) I really don't know what you're asking for. I'm sorry. Could you describe what it is?

Dad: (not following my lead and still speaking in English; voice raised high as if the level of his anger would some how make it more clear) I said your travel rooster, (he then switches to his naive language to call me an idiot, then switches back to English), do you have it?

(Followed by ten minutes of awkward silence)

Me: Do you mean travel roster?

Dad: Yes. Do you have it?

After I got out of the car, and my father wasn't standing there, I burst out laughing. My mind kept racing with all the possibilities of what a "travel rooster" could be.

Could it be a pocket-sized rooster bred especially for traveling as carry-on luggage. "Please stow your rooster in the bin above you or under the seat in front of you."

Could it be a hefty plump rooster that you ride like a horse?

What ever it is, I plan on having travel roosters in my next D&D campaign. What do you think of when you think of "travel rooster?"

fba827

As the 827 in my screen name might suggest, today (Aug 27) is my birthday.

Happy Birthday to me!

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I admit, at first I disliked the series. Not based on it's merits, but rather only by seeing the commercials -- the animation style just seemed like a style that generally does not appeal to me (the lead character has arrows drawn on him for goodness sake!).

Shame on me!

On a random whim, I gave an episode a try... before I knew it, I was watching all the episodes to catch up! I love interconnected plots, consistent worlds, and complex evolving characters -- this show had it all.

So, I wanted to go on public record to apologize for my hasty judgment based on the commercials alone.

The series finale aired this past weekend. I thought it served well as a finale: it tied up all sorts of story lines, it had epic-level action and conflict, and it made reference to all the past episodes and characters that they met along the way.

So, for what it's worth, I give this series an A.

---
This is the part where a G.I.Joe team member walks out from behind the computer screen saying

GIJoe: This is why you should never judge a book by it's cover.

To which I would reply: And now I know

GIJoe: And knowing is half the battle

(start up music theme here... )

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