Soup of the evening... beautiful soup

So Jen and I were watching the 1999 Hallmark/Jim Henson version of "Alice in Wonderland" tonight and I began to think of the many versions we own and which characters were my favorites. I must say that my favorite characters all come from (almost) the same version of the film: Through The Looking Glass done in 1998 by the BBC.

This version is by far the most accurate in that it keeps almost all of the words from the story and adapts the whole very well onto the screen. This version has my favorite renditions of the Tweedles, of the White Queen (although I hold Carol Channing dear in my heart), the Jabberwocky poem (where a young boy in cardboard armour is truly the vision of true youth), and of Alice (Kate Beckensale... even though she's older than 7 1/2). But my favorite character from this version must be the White Knight played by Ian Holm.

In this veersion he recites a poem I had never heard before entitled "A-Sitting On A Gate". I must say that the poem is not the best poem I have heard but it is indeed the way that he recites it that pulls at my heart. It is deep and meaningful and the visual of him as a Charlie Chaplin-ish character makes it even more meaningful and artistic. I tear-up every time I hear his reading of "A-Sitting On A Gate".

If you are interested, you can find this DVD in Entertainmart for fairly cheap. I would highly suggest it as it stays true to the book and even adds in the "missing chapter" of "A Wasp In A Wig".

On a side-note, I have contacted the good people at Mind Candy (the makers of Perplex City) and they are sending me some swag to share with my friends. If you haven't started playing Perplex City, then expect to get some cards from me very soon. (smile)

On a more personal level, I am currently ranked 138th out of 2500+ people in the world in the game.

Majora's Mask: FAIL

Ok. I can't finish it. I can't. I have tried to kill this boss made of bats (his name doesn't even respect mentioning). I know I have to shoot the green orb and then hit him with my sword, but he turns on the scythe of pain and hits me into death every time. So, I'm done. 6 (yes six) hours spent trying to kill him is enough for me.

GAWD I hate failing this game. I was really enjoying it until this damn mini-boss in the stone temple. So, I really hope that I can get some sort of hint and re-visit it so that I don't feel like I lost this game. This is really my favorite game even above Ocarina of Time.

So, I start on the next game in the series: Oracle of Seasons. I have had a much better average with the handhelds... so here we go.

Weekend Goodness

Well my wife has been a bit down on herself lately, and it's been a very tough couple of weeks. This week was a difficult one as well.

So, my mom came down to go to tea with us and to a Sky Sox baseball game, but my mom was concerned about the weather (with the HUGE gray clouds rolling in) and didn't want to go see the ball game. Little did I know that THAT hit Jen really hard... but she, being the sweetie she is, didn't tell me so that we could have a good day.

When my mom left at 5:20pm (the game started at 5:05pm) she really got sad. I finally got her to tell me what was wrong (like pulling teeth, I tell you), and she said how sad she was to not see the game. So, letting her know that we didn't miss much and trying to boost her up, I got her in the car and we took off for Sky Sox stadium to see the game ourselves.

We had (as per usual) a great time. We only missed the first three innings and still had plenty of game to enjoy. It didn't rain, and was quite fun (Sox won 7-1).

Sunday we went out to get my hair cut and she wanted a change herself. So, she got a perm. I haven't seen her so happy for (literally) MONTHS! What a change it did for her own happiness. And here I thought that she couldn't possibly look any more beautiful... but here she is! MAN! She looks like she's from Italy or Greece. Gorgeous!

On a personal note (not that my wife isn't the most personal person in my life) I finally got the USB/NES and USB/SNES adapters I ordered from RetroZone... and they look and work like a charm. Well worth the wait. With these two beauties and my new camcorder... that project shall be getting off the ground shortly.

Then, even better, I got this email from Cliff Johnson:

Justin,
Next year, I'll finally be able to do another April Fool's day contest — congratulations again on your 4th place win.

And... I truly appreciate your show of support in pre-ordering this game — thank you!

A quick recap, I’ve tracked down the Macromedia Director/Flash memory bug and I am in the process of re-wiring/re-working the couple dozen Flash programs. Then, a final beta test. And then DONE!

This April, or thereabouts,
I shall ship your copy of The Fool and his Money.

Your name shall be immortalized in the Compendium of True Believers inside the game as:

Justin Carmical — see a preview of your name.

This weekend Jen and I have been going over his game "Three in 3" again (since I didn't finish it the first time). She seems to be enjoying the puzzles and (most of the time) is faster on the draw to figure them out than I am.

I love her so much... and I'm SO glad she's happy again.

Majora's Mask: 26 Hours

Finally, I am at the last temple: the Stone Temple.

I face the entrance and feel a lot of pride for having gotten so far on my own. I know this is only a video game, but I think about the amount of flack that video games have gotten over the past several years (especially in the shadow of the recent shootings)... and here I am having just reached this area... and I don't feel any need to shoot-up a school, night club...

I just feel pride for having gotten this far and being so close to saving the world. ;)

Who's the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?

So I just made a BIG decision today: I will wait on a bigger TV.

Why? Well, one Jen and I really need to save for our trip to England next year. A big TV would be fun... but I can't afford it. So I'll save... but it'll still be a while.

And two................ um... I bought a game. Not a Wii, DS, PS2, or any console game... but a Mac game. A Fool And His Money.



Lemme explain my reasoning behind this almost $50 purchase.

So I love puzzle/logic/cryptogram games almost more than anything else. Really. I love them. I started when I got my first issue of Games Magazine, and I never looked back. Hell, I even made my own Meta-puzzle game for here in Colorado (which nobody has won yet). I was the first person to crack the language of the little alien Prospero in the comic PS-238 and one of only 14 people to decrypt the Legend of the 5 Rings RPG Hare Clan adventure's puzzle.

I discovered "A Fool's Errand" when I was living with Collin (along with the great title "Heaven & Earth"). I didn't play it until I moved in with Jen in 2002/2003. WOW! What a great game! I immediately jumped into his other classic game "3 in Three" and STILL haven't finished it. Man, that one's tough.

So for years, now, I have been waiting for Cliff Johnson's sequel to The Fool's Errand... and waiting and waiting and waiting (for 3 years... as it is pushed further and further back). I have refused to pre-order because I always expected it to be a hoax (hence the name)... but deep in my heart I knew it was "real".

So, with that game in mind, I went to the site and just decided to go through with it. Hopefully it ships this month. If it's HALF as good as Fool's Errand was, or even three-quarters as intense as his 2005 April Fool's Day Challenge was (in which Jen and I placed Fourth Place by a mere 5 hours... there's a GREAT story to go with that as well) I'll be satisfied with this purchase.

You can download "Fool's Errand" and "3 In Three" for free from his website HERE. Please play them. They're MARVELOUS games and WELL worth the play.

My interview with GameJew

YAY! The interview is up (Son Of Cheese Podcast #45), and it's not as bad as I thought. It was my first interview and I was VERY nervous... but it came out pretty well (great googally moogally was I giggly). Thanks again to Derek for allowing me the chance to interview GameJew on his show.

SO ENJOY!

Song Link:
Snow Fort

Majora's Mask: 23 Hours

Well, after being FOCED to use the new Google Blogger (grumble grumble) I post this weekend's Majora's Mask update.

So I didn't get much done since I have been working on a new project for the Gamer's Haven Anachronism Card Game crowd... but I got quite a ways for the few hours I played.

Perhaps I'm just getting better at figuring out things, or this part is simpler... or it may even be the ninjas giving you hints (which I especially like), but this part of the game seems to be swimming by quicker than I thought it would. I am eager for it to end (as I really want to give that mask-kid his come-uppance).

Camcorder, Interview, Majora's Mask

Well, the interview with GameJew (Jonathan Mann) went along really well. He's sincerely one of the nicest guys I have ever talked to, and it was a pleasure to have my first interview be with him. Great guy. I'll let you all know when the interview is to be posted on Derek's site. It will be either this Wednesday or the next, I think.

Ordering the camcorder from online tonight. Very excited.

Now, onto Majora's Mask info: Majora's Mask: 21 Hours 15 minutes

So finding Epona was a chore and a half. I am quickly realizing that the Zelda games are meant to be enjoyed and not zoomed through (as I have mentioned before) bit I really am enjoying all this running around although these hint-less Zelda games are getting a bit tiresome. Very soon I can just sit down and enjoy Twilight Princess... but for now, Majora's Mask calls.

I hope to have this game finished by the end of the week so I can delve to the GameBoy Color for the next games... and one-step closer to Twilight Princess.

GameJew Sketch

GameJew has been growing his beard out recently and wants to get it very big and thick to make the GameJew persona have something more than just the hat, overalls, and no-shirt.

Then, recently, he has teased about shaving off all his head hair. Bald.

Wow.

So what would GameJew look like bald? Well, I'm not very good at sketching/caricatures... but here's what I sketched quickly this afternoon.



Ok... I couldn't do it. I took one look at the sketch with him bald and I thought: Jewish Redneck! I just HAD to put on a hat. I really did. If I didn't, all matter in the universe would have imploded should GameJew have seen it.

Ok... if you clicky the image, you can see he 'bald' version.

I'll try to do a better sketch of him this weekend. I can do better... ;)

GameJew and Majora's Mask update

Well, GameJew has a STELLAR new song on his (now pseudo-daily) blog/videocast site. Give it a listen because it's typical GameJew tunes. Great stuff. He also talks about shaving his head. I can't wait to see what comes from that.

Another weird thing is that GameJew's birthday is on Monday the 9th. Mine is on Wednesday the 11th. Very groovy.

Now, to the Majora's Mask update: 14 Hours 56 Minutes.

The game is quickly outracing to become a better game (in my own humble opinion) than Ocarina of Time. I just really enjoy the three days thing... and (so far) NOT having that darn side-quest that's imperative to winning the game. You can play the main game and win just fine or you can search for everything. Love it love it love it!

Now to find Epona...

Majora's Mask: 5 Hours

Luckily, the tricks and tactics I learned in Ocarina of Time have helped GREATLY while playing this game. I have beaten the swamp boss, collected the 15 faeries of that area and am working on getting into the mountain area.

I am thoroughly impressed at how this game works. The three days that you re-live over and over and over have SO FRIGGIN' MUCH to do! I sometimes really need to focus on my objective and try to avoid some of the side-quests (I can do those when I'm almost finished).

If you have played Ocarina... I think you need to pick up Majora's mask.

What a fan-TAS-tic ending!

So I go home from work on Thursday sick. I'm tired as hell, but when I lay down my eyes are glued open. So what to do... what to do... might as well try to finish this game...

And just as the 35th hour rolled around, I defeated Gannondorf. HURRAY! Then I needed to escape the tower.

"Huh? Strange ending..." I thought. Then... I realized that it wasn't over... and I had to fight GANNON! And what an epic battle it was! That I had the uber-two-handed sword made it that much easier... the trick is: (SPOILER ALERT!!!)
...
...
...
...
...
...
Attack the crotch.
...
You heard me right. If you stay facing his 'package' you can eventually slip between his legs and hit his tail. He can't hit you if you're that close to him.

And then I enjoyed the fruit of my labors: the ending (at 35 hours and 46 minutes). And what an ending it was! Truly, one of the top three best endings from any game I have played (best one still being 'Kingdom Hearts').

Review time!
It took me some time to get used to how Ocarina of Time wanted me to think as opposed to the other games. It was different and annoying at times, but I enjoyed the game all-in-all.
The graphics were really good. And while they were very much Playstation 1 graphics genre... I loved having no loading times. I'll pay more for no loading times. The princess (grown-up) was absolutely stellar. She was well-rendered and quite beautiful (for a video game character) with her eyes that spoke volumes... (dreamy sigh)

The only bit I didn't like about the game was the expected venturing about. I did discover that the game map helped out more than I thought it did in that every location had a circle. If it was flashing, something there was unresolved. If it had an arrow, then the main side-quest had something there next.

For giving me such a fun game and for a really wonderful ending, I give Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 4 Driving Warios

Now, I have the cart for Majora's Mask and a RAM expander for my system. I'm sick at home this weekend (and pretty tired right now as I type this) so I'll start when I feel better.

Ocarina of Time: 30 Hours

13 and 3/4 hearts, 5 sages found, the UBER two-handed sword, all but 2 seeds planted, and 4/5 of the Desert Dungeon cleared, it's night, I'm on Epona, and I'm wearing the silver gauntlets.

Let's roll.

Zelda was right!!

So, the comic of Wario wondering how the doors open when torches were lit was very funny... I wondered that myself...

But I'll be damned if an ancient inventor didn't figure it out!

Heron of Alexandria made many cool devices including the world's first VENDING MACHINE! And one of those inventions (I sh*t you not) was a door that was opened by lighting torches.

Ocarina of Time: 27 hours

Ok... this is rediculus. The dungeons are great. The story is fantastic, and the characters are really intriguing.

"GETTING THERE" SUCKS @$$!!!

To find the Din's Fire spell I had to go to an area that was a dead end in a place that I would never have gone. To get to the Water Princess I needed to show a letter to her father... but the letter specifically told me not to.

So many hours later, I'm changing the rules. YES! You heard me right. These N64 games are completely different. They're not even like RPGs... they're relying on you spending tons of time wasted looking around. they don't even give you clues. "Look for Din's Fire to light all the torches". I would have even accepted "I hear that there's a spell to make a circle of fire. I've looked everywhere except on the way to the castle."

How hard is that, folks?

So... rules change...

"Because of the requirement of playing the game in a swift manner, if in Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, or Twilight Princess the player spends more than 2 hours looking for an entrance in vain they may refer to a walkthrough."

Ocarina of Time: 22 hours

Ok, I have been sick recently so I have gotten little gaming in while I rest my aching head... but I have come to a realization:

WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!

Let me explain.

I am finding that things that I have encountered before in the game will be revisited... no matter how small. This is upsetting. In fact, it's downright frustrating.

So folks... when you play a Zelda game make sure you write down everything people say. Make sure you write down interesting features around the land so you can re-visit it later on.

Me, I'm screwed. I'm gonna have to go all over the land TWICE (now that I can time travel). Anyways, I'm working on the Ice Dungeon.

Ocarina of Time: 17 Hours

Ok. I figured out what was wrong with my playing this game. I was playing it thinking it would be swift like the previous games. Well, swift in that I could do it in less than 24 hours. I also forgot that this was SUPPOSED to make you venture around and enjoy the game that way.

Now, I am 7 years older in the game and the familiar side-quests are gone. That's when I knew that this game was different than the rest... and that's when I really started to FEEL this game. I'm gonna slow down and try to think differently now (a little too late). Perhaps I can reconcile myself with this game.

GameJew sings to Miyamoto

'THE' Miyamoto. As in Shigeru Miyamoto. As in the creator of Mario, Link... yes THAT Miyamoto!

CHECK THIS OUT!

That's all there is to it: GameJew is groovy. I'd really like to meet him someday.

Ocarina of Time: 7 Hours 20 minutes

Thanks again to Psyguy for letting me link to the Wario-in-Hyrule comic 'Greed'.

Well, I played more Zelda last night and i'm getting pretty frustrated with how this game plays. It's becoming too much like II and IV for my taste.

I am getting used to the controls, but this "figure this out on your own with no hints" is getting REALLY OLD REALLY FAST! I can't buy bombs, the Goron guy won't talk to me... and he hates both my songs (Zelda's lullaby and the Sun song), I can't get into the spinning pot although I could land on it when it wasn't spinning, and what the hell are all those bomb-flower thingys? And why do I need to talk to people three times to get information out of them? I don't want to talk to them three times... THEY TALK TOO LONG AND YOU CAN'T SPEED UP THEIR TEXT!!!

And why does that irritating bunny-eared/winged faerie thingy keep interrupting my travels?

"Hey! Listen! Let's brag to Saria about us saving the world?"

"Listen! She'd be impressed! Let's tell her!"

"LISTEN!! YOU'LL GET LAID IF YOU TELL HER!!!"

(swat) (flutters to ground)

THERE! Now you're a floor-rie!

A Wario comic!

Ok. This is just too weird. A comic about Wario... who goes to Hyrule!

Too cool.



Looks like he's having the EXACT same problems I'm having!