Metroid Prime(Cube) Bitter end

Played Metroid Prime until the bitter end. I started right after deleting the Omega Pirate. It was a royal pain in the ass to find a way out of the Phazon mines after getting the Phazon suit. After going back and forth through this level several times, I was able to escape the mines. Once back on the surface of Tallon IV, I then proceeded to pick up the remaining pieces of the Chozo artifact scattered about the different levels. I had a chance to marvel again at how beautiful this game really is. I liked going through the different levels just to check out the smooth nature of the environment textures and the nice hazing, water spray and fire effects on Samus' visor. Soon enough I collected the remaining pieces of the Chozo artifact. With my prizes in hand, I went to the artifact temple and activated the Chozo artifact. A cybernetic version of Ridley, meta-Ridley promptly attacked me. This boss had some mean aerial attacks but I was eventually able to bring him down. I then pounded on him with the Purple spread cannon. This attacked worked wonders in bringing down Ridley, especially when coupled with the missile attack. Once Ridley was sufficiently weakened, the Chozo temple came alive and dope-smacked Ridley into oblivion. The Chozo then opened the way for me to the impact crater. Once inside I proceeded without much incident to the last boss, Metroid Prime. This spider like creature was a pain in the ass. I needed to restart several times to defeat this enemy. The big tips are to watch the color of Metroid Prime and attack with the same color weapon; when Metroid prime charges turn into a ball and go underneath the bugger; and shoot down any missiles launched by Metroid Prime. Rinse and repeat. Eventually I brought Metroid Prime down this way. The creature fell into a pit and I followed after. Metroid Prime spawned this new form, which zapped me with electrical charges and was invisible to my sensors. Soon enough, though, I found that pools of Phazon left by the creature could super-charge my gun and I used this to fry the best. Upon its death, I was treated to a tasty animation ; a long series of credits; a flash of Samus taking her helmet off and a save game with hard mode enabled. Overall, a fitting end to a very enjoyable Gamecube game.

Warhammer 40000K(PS2) online play

Another night of multiplayer on War hammer 40000K. Got better at staying in the fight. Went from getting wasted 15 times in a row and having no kills in a 50 death wins match to getting killed 5 times and scoring 16 kills in my last match. The weapons in War hammer are not the most visually impressive, but they are very satisfying. In particular, the Imperial bolter discharges and contacts like a mini-rocket gun. The weapon is imprecise, but devastating in a hallway or confined space. Grenades are very satisfying one shot kills, but these weapons, sadly, do not count towards your # of awarded kills. There is an M16 type automatic weapon that has a great feel and looks great discharging. But the weapon does next to no damage, which is why it is the weapon of choice that you are given when respawning. The rail gun does a ton of damage, but the aim requirements are so precise, that I cannot operate the weapon effectively in battle. The sniper rifle was very cool, I got to camp out in a corner of the death match last night and I knocked off 8 enemies in a row. Nailing some guy as they were fighting halfway across the map required precise aiming and was very gratifying when successfully done. Two nights into playing this game online and I still have not grown tired of it. This speaks to the simple, functional and enjoyable multiplayer component in this game. If the PS2 has more of these types of games, Xbox is in trouble . . .

Last Exile DVD3(Anime)

Watched DVD 3 of the Japanese Anime Series, "Last Exile". This steam punk style aerial series is typical of the state of Japanese animation in late 2003. Very advanced, computer aided animation and very stylized, complex interpretations of recurrent themes present in anime. Young boy hero, Mysterious anti-hero, experimental ship, evil empire, small girl with fantastic powers. What sets this above most fair is the animation. Very rich high frame animation throughout the episodes here. Nice palette of colors and very smooth action aided by computer graphics. The story is a bit thin, but filled with nice moments of realistic dialogue and expression. You get a real sense of adventure in the plotline and pacing for the story.

Warhammer 40000K(PS2)

Played Multiplayer on Warhammer 40000K. This is a PS2 game that uses Gamespy in order to connect interested players using a generic gaming lobby. Up to 16 players can be hosted on each game and users are authenticated using a DNAs service to verify that the PS2 CD is not pirated. I used a PS2 connected via a 802.11b wireless bridge over a 3MB/s connection to the Internet. Access to the Warhammer multiplayer lobby, text entry and game were unobtrusive and easy to navigate. The gameplay maps for Warhammer broke down into a level on a starship; running around the structural gantry of the Imperial Titan and a coliseum deathmatch level. Gameplay response was fine. The actual death graphics for opposing players were limited to a body falling down and a body exploding. Identifying friend from foe tended to be a little difficult. As a result, I blew away my teammate 5 times before I learned the error of my ways. Small matches tended to camp-outs at the spawn point. Nevertheless, being able to lay the smack down with a Rocket, rail gun or grenade was very satisfying and never got tired. The crew populating the Warhammer lobby, OneXeye and Db_killer were pretty funny in their post match commentary. I played this game until my wife came home and beeped for me to switch cars.