Right now, I’m trying to save money for an important trip. Every dollar helps. That means I probably won’t renew the domain name for the site, and just let it default back to problemgamer.wordpress.com (for now). That’s really not so bad. If someone else grabs it from me, I’ll be pissed, sure, but I’ll live.
It would be better if I was more active where the community lives and breathes, like on ScrewAttack. I’ll try to make that my objective.
Well, my domain’s coming up for renewal in 10 days. I plan to keep it. I think I’ll carry on and start trying harder to produce episodes, get myself out of the mud. 
I’m going to begin work on the next episode shortly, which I know I’ve been saying a long time… but it will be such a fine opportunity to go through Panzer Saga again. HOo boy, have I ever been baiting you with that?!
It might take a “Let’s Play” format, since it’s an RPG and all, and those do tend to go on … and on… and so forth. Plus, this one is kind of a special case… only 30,000 copies exist, so I think you might want to see it And since it’s only in the realm of 20-25 hours, I want to get it done this month.
Then there are my travel plans that have been long in the making… Here’s hoping for everything!!!
An update!
I beat Final Fantasy XIII, which, I will concede, has its flaws, but was overall a very enjoyable undertaking. High point: the battle system, which, while introducing a layer of abstraction by design, keeps you keenly and thoroughly involved. I loved mastering it–having to know when to change paradigms in a flash, what the benefits and drawbacks were to each, and exactly what instant I would need to change again–and in strategizing that way, ride to victory. Other high points: world, graphics, drama (sometimes), and the boss BGMs. Next goal: to do more of the hunts, so I can ride the Chocobos.
I’m opening a new section on Strategy starting with this game. It won’t be by any means be exhaustive, but it might help someone, and could contribute to a FAQ if anyone will take it. And so.. a few bits of advice to follow for anyone having some boss trouble late in the game. (Note: I’m including a “More” tag for a reason. o.o) Read More
Whimsy for a Time Gone By (file download)
or.. the Youtube version (with video):
… subtitled “A Totally NOT Derivative RPG Town Theme”, this is a little ditty I put down in Finale PrintMusic yesterday. I thought it turned out pretty nice, so here you go! I might want to use it in an RPG Maker project one of these days…
It also functions as a stop-gap measure til I get a new real video underway
Ain't nothin' gonna break my stride.
So I beat Mega Man 10 last night. I really adore those games–any given pixel arrangement, any carefully-placed bleep or bloop, can trigger a firestorm of fond associations and transport you instantly back to the heyday of 8-bit. When one plays MM10, it doesn’t seem very long ago that everything seemed so novel, yet simple; that games were done so right on all the most basic levels.
One might wonder, after 6 games on the NES and several more on later hardware, what refinements there could possibly be left to make to the original mould. Capcom would seem to answer this time and again, saying, “Since you asked, here’s your ass-kickingly awesome, eight-bit gamergasm. We trust you’ll find all the series mainstays, as well as the many design innovations, to be quite to your liking.”
Or, to quote Phoenix Wright: “TAKE THAT!”
The game stands a Light-beard above its predecessors in difficulty–even Mega Man 9. While this shouldn’t keep anyone from beating it (that is, with a careful application of items from the Shop), there were times that my Mega Man should have been hurling from over-imbibing of E-tanks. (Blade Man in particular made me a near a tankaholic.) A boss gauntlet in the Wily fortress will be the ultimate test of skill; the next worst thing may be the Purple Demon boss of the game… you really should see it for yourself.
With the development of your muscle and rote memory, you’ll eventually have the game begging you for mercy. In the meantime, Mega Man can just lean his head off the top of a ladder if he needs to.
They said it couldn’t be done. They said it was crazy. Horses would never fly, and another Problem Gamer video would never appear. But they forgot about the Pegasus.
What I mean to say is, here’s the newest Problem Gamer video In this episode, you’ll learn a little more (emphasis on little) about this stellar shooter, see a few of the game highlights (*hack*NOT filler*cough*), and get to see some footage from the alpha stages of its development. How I long for the times when owning the disc could make you feel special…
It’s great to be back. I hope you enjoy.
Some time ago, I mentioned I was playing Tales of Symphonia for Gamecube, after my customary 7-year wait to play all new games. (Okay, that’s pushing it a bit, even for me.)
I also have a video to show for it, which marks my official return to video–otherwise known as “getting off my ass and doing something”.
Anyway, I overcame the glitch that almost killed my hopes of finishing this game, and after 58 hours, IT IS DONE. Hmm.. maybe I’ll get some flack for saying this, but it’s my feeling that ToS rates in the 7-to-7.5/10 area. I have my reasons, but I won’t elaborate here, for fear of letting the Anal-Retentive Gamer take control… suffice to say, it has tempted me to start a new RPGMaker project with a totally flippant attitude towards the staples of the genre. I think it would go over a lot better than my more serious attempts with that program.
In unrelated news, I stated in a comment on the latest Gaming Pains video that I should like to have a new, full-fledged Problem Gamer episode out by the end of the month or the beginning of the next. Undying thanks to the people who haven’t given up on me! Your prodding keeps me going 
I won’t leave you high and dry forever.
It’s been a month and a half since the new year began, and there’s still been no Problem Gamer. No Gaming Pains. No nothin’, really.
Well, I hope before this break is out that I’ll have something to show for it on this site. Y’know, something related to Problem Gamer… like a video. It could happen, folks! It’s just daunting to me, for some reason. And the more time passes, the larger it looms.
Well, I want to thank everyone reading this for dropping in, despite the lack of activity. It’s not over. I don’t want it to be! I love making videos for everyone. It’s very satisfying.
Thanks again. See you soon.
I grew up adoring the Olympics, and this year’s Games, more than the last two Olympiads, have been rekindling that fondness. Being on Reading Week is a license to watch 12 hours a day of the 21st games–but the fact that it’s me doing it comes as a bit of a surprise. After my rabid immersion in the games of 1992, ’94, and ’96 (Nagano was kind of hazy territory), I had become pretty lacklustre about Salt Lake City and Torino; same goes for Vancouver.
Anyway, I figured I had better to do than watch a bunch of lousy liars in an over-hyped, muscle-bound cheat-fest.
But I find, to my pleasant surprise, and against my better cynicism, that I actually care again. The athletes have done a great deal towards that–the organizers, on the other hand, have made me question the readiness of this country for a production on the world stage. All the screw-ups and oversights have left me shaking my head a little, but I know it could be far worse. These Games haven’t been touched by scandal or doping charges (yet), and if the athletes keep doing their part, the rest becomes secondary.
What really burns me up is the image of our country being broadcast by the semi-incompetent monopoly of CTV. The commentators verge on the asinine in their remarks, and have engaged in a role-reversal with American networks, such that Canada is now the one to almost single-mindedly push its athletes. Not content with a little jingoism, they also nearly pray for the under-achievement of other countries’ contenders if it means a higher spot for one of ours.
So, I hope you will forgive us, world, and me, too, as I allow myself to be taken in by the undying charm of this competition, in spite of the growing number of “worst games ever” medals.
I’m just taking it in on NBC whenever I can.
Gotta love the internet. In days of old, we had to buy valentines for thirty of our closest classmates, and in those days, a gamer’s choice was pretty much… Mario. Thinking about it now, kids giving kids sweets and cards is not really even a practice that should be condoned on a “romantic holiday”.
But if the teachers of today still make their classes do it, one can at least print off geeky, game-themed valentines from the internet for a fraction of the cost! Some are even child-friendly. Take a gander at the fine offerings on the Capcom Unity blog, including Mega Man, Phoenix Wright, and Super Street Fighter IV-inspired love notes.
The author and artist of VGCats also produced some of my favourite valentines on the internet in years past. I’d say Link and Phoenix are safe for children under 14.
Purely ingenious.
problemgamer
