Life, weather, video games, and blogs.
I was going to do some laundry and go to the store today, but it's just too damn cold outside. It's not extremely cold but colder than it usually is for this region at this time of the year. Suddenly 40F degree weather sounds nice and balmy compared to this bellow freezing temperature of 18F or so. The weather hasn't gone above 22F all day and tomorrow it'll be just slightly warmer at 29F. To pass the time I've been doing the usual Sunday chores, working on web-related stuff and playing Daxter. I realize that I'm just too cold and uncomfortable down here to even think about console games (which I haven't touched since Ohayocon).
While I'm on the subject of video games, I did make some small strides on the DS. I finished Phoenix Wright: Justice For All on Thursday which despite being the shortest of the three games, felt pretty long at times. Overall I felt the game ranged from good to mediocre. Unlike the original Phoenix Wright which was so addictive I couldn't put it down I had a harder time picking up Justice for All. Out of the four cases in the game two of them were fairly lackluster, while two were fairly good. There wasn't a bonus case that made use of the DS's features which was a little disappointing since in hindsight that was handled pretty well in the original game. On the upside, the last case of the game was so interesting and involved that I felt like jumping into Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations right away.
On Friday I actually did play through the first case of Trials and Tribulations to get a feel of what the third and final Phoenix Wright game would be like. I got to play as Mia in a case that took place five years before the original Phoenix Wright storyline and it played just like the second game. The case was fairly interesting and had lots of charm, when it wasn't hard. I've noticed just how difficult the games have progressively become. In the original game the first case was so easy that I could be done in about an hour without the need to carefully press a witness. It was obvious where contradictions in a witness's testimony lay and presenting evidence without a second thought was easy. The second game required a little more caution and the case itself was a little longer. The third game is by far the hardest, and the first case took me about three hours to finish. I have the feeling that the last Phoenix Wright game will be quite hard at times. I just hope the series' end lives up to all of the reviews and comments that others have written about it.
With that said, I am not in a rush to finish it before Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney comes out next month. I'm interested in the game but I might give the Phoenix Wright universe a rest for a while after I finish Trials and Tribulations. Even that game is on hold as I play Daxter on the PSP. I'm finding the platformer genre to be a refreshing change of pace from RPGs (although I'm not sure where Phoenix Wright lies among video game genres) even if I am rusty.
In non-video game related news, I've set up a blog using Movable Type software on my server. Sure my LJ could technically be called a blog, but I still see it for what it was in 2002 when I started it, an online journal. It has some of the elements of a blog but it would be a far stretch to call this a true blog. I want to point people (possible future employers and fellow journalists) to a site where I write about my opinions on a variety of issues that interest me. My journal here is just way too personal for that. The majority of my entries are public but I made the decision long ago to make this journal non-searchable on search engines and it's connected to my fursonia more than I'd probably admit.
As for content on my blog, I can always copy and paste or link to entries of interest. And if for some reason I write something interesting here I can always tweak it and paste it there. My blog is still a work in progress so other than those I've already showed the link to, no one will see it yet until I'm fully ready. Actually, the truth is that I'd like to have some content up and contributors helping me so I can make it worth showing. I'm hoping with my class, publishing to the web I can somehow apply what I learn to my blog. The best part is that Movable Type is so flexible that I can set up as many blogs and categories as I want to, so I'm not limited to just one.
While I'm on the subject of video games, I did make some small strides on the DS. I finished Phoenix Wright: Justice For All on Thursday which despite being the shortest of the three games, felt pretty long at times. Overall I felt the game ranged from good to mediocre. Unlike the original Phoenix Wright which was so addictive I couldn't put it down I had a harder time picking up Justice for All. Out of the four cases in the game two of them were fairly lackluster, while two were fairly good. There wasn't a bonus case that made use of the DS's features which was a little disappointing since in hindsight that was handled pretty well in the original game. On the upside, the last case of the game was so interesting and involved that I felt like jumping into Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations right away.
On Friday I actually did play through the first case of Trials and Tribulations to get a feel of what the third and final Phoenix Wright game would be like. I got to play as Mia in a case that took place five years before the original Phoenix Wright storyline and it played just like the second game. The case was fairly interesting and had lots of charm, when it wasn't hard. I've noticed just how difficult the games have progressively become. In the original game the first case was so easy that I could be done in about an hour without the need to carefully press a witness. It was obvious where contradictions in a witness's testimony lay and presenting evidence without a second thought was easy. The second game required a little more caution and the case itself was a little longer. The third game is by far the hardest, and the first case took me about three hours to finish. I have the feeling that the last Phoenix Wright game will be quite hard at times. I just hope the series' end lives up to all of the reviews and comments that others have written about it.
With that said, I am not in a rush to finish it before Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney comes out next month. I'm interested in the game but I might give the Phoenix Wright universe a rest for a while after I finish Trials and Tribulations. Even that game is on hold as I play Daxter on the PSP. I'm finding the platformer genre to be a refreshing change of pace from RPGs (although I'm not sure where Phoenix Wright lies among video game genres) even if I am rusty.
In non-video game related news, I've set up a blog using Movable Type software on my server. Sure my LJ could technically be called a blog, but I still see it for what it was in 2002 when I started it, an online journal. It has some of the elements of a blog but it would be a far stretch to call this a true blog. I want to point people (possible future employers and fellow journalists) to a site where I write about my opinions on a variety of issues that interest me. My journal here is just way too personal for that. The majority of my entries are public but I made the decision long ago to make this journal non-searchable on search engines and it's connected to my fursonia more than I'd probably admit.
As for content on my blog, I can always copy and paste or link to entries of interest. And if for some reason I write something interesting here I can always tweak it and paste it there. My blog is still a work in progress so other than those I've already showed the link to, no one will see it yet until I'm fully ready. Actually, the truth is that I'd like to have some content up and contributors helping me so I can make it worth showing. I'm hoping with my class, publishing to the web I can somehow apply what I learn to my blog. The best part is that Movable Type is so flexible that I can set up as many blogs and categories as I want to, so I'm not limited to just one.