North Carolina Misadventure: Unto These Hills

The latest misadventure sees us returning to the Great Smoky Mountains in the western edge of North Carolina. Back to Bryson City!

unto1

Last time we took a tour of the mountains via the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. This time we’re off to the Cherokee Reservation to see…a play.

Continue reading

3-Month Gaming Challenge – END

*ding ding ding ding ding*

Gee, would you look at that? Looks like three months are up, and the Gaming Challenge has officially drawn to a close. So, what are the end results?

As you know, there are two parts to the challenge. One part is to complete the following twelve games:

- (Wii) Super Mario Galaxy
- (Wii) The Last Story
- (DS) Kirby Mass Attack
- (DS) Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland
- (3DS) Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
- (GBA) Sonic Advance
- (GBA) Drill Dozer
- (PS1) Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman
- (PS3) Ni no Kuni
- (PSP) Fate/EXTRA
- (PSP) Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of Time
- (Steam) Dear Esther

This was a GREAT SUCCESS, with all twelve being beaten within the time limit. On top of that, three additional games were finished as well:

- (PS3) Atelier Totori
– (PS3) Skylanders Giants
– (SNES) Super Mario Kart

But then there’s the other part of the challenge. The “no buy games” part. The end result?

forshame

A GREAT FAILURE. Not only did I get new games, I got a new console. Talk about botching a mission!

So the challenge ends at 50/50. Good going, me! And shame on me at the same time! Here are some final thoughts on the games…

Continue reading

New Figure GET

Originally I wanted to do an Unboxing! for this particular gal. But EH, who cares about a (relatively nice) box?!

vanillaware

Orange-clad Kongiku arrived today, completing my Alter/Vanillaware set. They all look great displayed together. No telling who the next character in the line will be. Another Muramasa character (YUZURUHA! YUZURUHA, PLEASE!), or maybe they’ll finally make Odin Sphere’s Velvet? Or will they move on to Dragon’s Crown?

welldressedfox

Here’s Kongiku with fellow kimono-clad “kitsune” Tamamo.  I can only hope more of these are made. If I could have at least one more kimono-clad fox…that’d be nice. So, Alter, if you’d be a dear and make that Yuzuruha figure…

On an unrelated note, the exciting conclusion to the 3-Month Gaming Challenge is coming up. Stay tuned to see the end result.

An Odd Assortment of Gaming Goodies

Buy video games long enough and eventually you end up with a collection of weird game-related items. Here are a few I’ve managed to acquire…

Continue reading

New Link & Site Updates

Added a new link to the blogroll: The Toy Box Philosopher!

This one is for you doll collectors out there, be it Disney Princess, Monster High, ball-jointed dolls, etc. Be sure to check it out.

As for the site, the TRAVEL PAGE has been restored and fully updated. Also, photos have been added to the older DOUJINSHI REVIEWS so please check that out as well if it strikes your fancy.

New posts coming soon.

Space Misadventure Cobra: John F. Kennedy Space Center

Warning: This post is VERY IMAGE HEAVY!

space1

It’s been quite some time since our last trip to…well…anywhere. So let’s go ahead and change that with a visit to Florida’s world famous John F. Kennedy Space Center!

Continue reading

3-Month Gaming Challenge: Weeks 5, 6 & 7

UGH, LONG GAMES ARE LONG AND TAKE FOREVER TO FINISH.  So, three weeks have passed since the last update. Jeepers! What got finished in that time, you may be wondering?

Only two games. ;_; But, they were two long ones! Take a look.

- Virtue’s Last Reward (3DS)
- Ni no Kuni (PS3)

Virtue’s Last Reward was damn amazing. Not quite on the same level as its predecessor (Nine Persons, Nine Hours, Nine Doors), but still a great game in its own right. The difficulty of the puzzles was definitely ramped up from 999. This game required some serious “outside the box” thinking. It also required serious “mathematics” thinking, which I’m godawful at. I did get partially affected by the dreaded “PEC Room Glitch” that the 3DS version of VLR is infamous for. While I didn’t lose my save data like so many other unfortunate souls, the game did crash on me while in the PEC Room.

REMEMBER KIDS. PLAYING THE 3DS VERSION OF VLR? NEVER EVER SAVE IN A PUZZLE ROOM, ESPECIALLY THE PEC ONE! SAVE ONLY DURING NOVEL SEGMENTS!!!!! That seriously cannot be emphasized enough.

After finishing VLR, curiousity finally got the best of me and I started up Ni no Kuni. Originally it was going to be the “final boss” of the Game Challenge. Oh well!

So, what are my thoughts of Ni no Kuni?

…it’s okay. I mean, I’m certainly not giving it a 9/10. Or even an 8/10. There were way too many issues weighing it down, and the plot was pathetic. Still a good game. Gorgeous visuals, excellent music and voice acting, and lots of content. I really wanted to LOVE Ni no Kuni, though. Pity that didn’t happen.

With these two games down, that leaves only…
– (GBA) Drill Dozer
– (PS1) Rising Zan: The Samurai Gunman
– (PSP) Growlanser IV: Wayfarer of Time

Three games left. Five weeks to go. It’s only now that I realize…three months is a really long time! Shit.

- G.K. Sil Kamina