What you can get for nine dollars at a flea market, if you look hard enough: a working copy of Age of Mythology, The Sims 2 with two expansion packs and two “stuff packs” (Sims 2 University, Sims 2 FreeTime, Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff, and Sims 2 Glamour Life Stuff), and the Foo Fighters’  second album, The Colour and the Shape (which, incidentally, has three of my favorite songs from the band).

What you can’t get for that same amount of money: the ability to instantly be a god in any of them (especially with the Foo Fighters CD…that’s a lost cause right away).

Category: Music, Shopping, Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: age of mythology, flea market, foo fighters, the sims

I get the feeling that Cross Edge is passively conspiring against allowing me to win. After making it to the second world through a side-scrolling dungeon (I was hunting Vampire Bats, and one of the in-game titles requires me to kill seven of them), I’ve triggered a special event that leads me toa  boss fight with one of Etna’s Prinnies, a pair of Sahagins and a pair of (not-so-giant enemy) crabs. Didn’t get much out of my first encounter, because the crabs are resistant to physical attacks, and the Sahagins sit patiently in the back row, waiting to wail on you with spears.

I had to take a bit of time out to level up and get some new weapons for using new skills (especially something to compliment Marie’s weak Uni attack…thank goodness for Flambeaux). When I go back to fight them again, I’m being assaulted from all sides with Power Wave attacks and Prinny Rushes (the latter of which can kill most characters in one hit at my current level). It’s a good thing the special attacks only require two turns to charge, or else I’d be at that fight all night. I did such a crappy job during the fight that the game gave me a letter grade of “I”…three worse than an “F” (I’ve received a “G” before, too, and that does not mean “good”). At least I know what to do now…start raining some more for the next battle so that I don’t get caught with my pants down (or the enemy’s level more than two above my own).

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: boss battle, cross edge, prinny

I shouldn’t be surprised that as I get closer to the “true championship”, some of the opponents start resorting more to cheating to win. Aran Ryan, for instance, comes into the ring with a hidden loaed boxing glove, and swings it around when he gets sufficiently pissed (or knocked down). Sadly, he’s a bit easier to counter this time around, and you can only cause sufficient damage by standing and taking his punches rather than trying to dodge them, because he won’t let you hit him back otherwise.

Fighting Bald Bull again gave me chills, reminding me how much harder it is to hit him in the middle of his Bull Charge…and it’s no longer an instant KO if it connects, either (though he loses all his stamina, he’ll “get back up” and regain a bit of it). Predictably, I got knocked out again when he walloped me with it in the second round.

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: punch-out, wii

Okay, I’ll be more specific…because I like video game crossovers. The King of Fighters, the Capcom vs. series, Warriors Orochi, anything that allows me to play as characters from more than two series. That’s why I went out and picked up Cross Edge. All right, I’ll be honest…I haven’t even played half of the games where these characters are drawn (Ar Tonelico, Spectral Souls, many of the Atelier games), but I felt compelled to give it a shot anyway. I’m most surprised so far to see Morrigan acting and sounding sensible rather than the lust-driven maiden I’m used to playing as in Darkstalkers (she is a succubus, you know).

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: atelier series, cross edge, crossovers, darkstalkers, playstation 3

I blew through the major circuit challengers almost as quickly as I did the first time, but I got tripped up during the rematch against Great Tiger. You’d think that with an easy-to-read pattern (he jabs when his gem blinks red, throws a left uppercut when it blinks blue, etc.), he’d be easier to beat down, but what he lacks in unpredictability, he makes up for in speed…big time. That tornado “Magic Punch” he uses reminds me of a similar attack he threw around in the NES version. Very dangerous unless you know that you’ve got to dodge in the same direction as the more solid figure…otherwise, you’ll get clobbered.

Don Flamenco, for all of his black rose-dancing, isn’t too worrisome. I think I’ll take another rest before facing Aran Ryan again. Hopefully this time he’ll stand still long enough for me to punch him.

Category: Video Games
Author: WillyFourEyes
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Tags: punch-out, wii