Looky! It's Shin, and he's not dead and/or kidnapped! Who'd have thunk, eh? Well, so I'm posting now, so, dammit, get used to it! A lot of shit has happened to me since I've last posted. I lost my girlfriend. The first one I ever had, but I've been over it for some time now. I think I sorta' saw it coming... so it really didn't hit me that hard. I know it sounds sad, but I'm actually very pessimistic when it comes to love... and find myself looking for the things that could go wrong. All other aspects of my life are rather optimistic... so it's a little strange. We're still friends... and frankly, I think I still love her. But enough about that junk... I'm having a great time at school. I've met a lot of really cool people, and think I've done pretty good in all my classes. I got in a show too. It's a Shakespearean play called As You Like It, and I play Duke Senior. I'll be getting $1000 dollars for the part too... so you can imagine how excited I am to finally be getting paid to do what I love the most. I also got a job, building sets for the theatre at UCR. I'm really beginning to settle down there. So... uhh... yay?

Aaaaaaaand... now video-games. I got me some GC PSO action a-goin' on. It's great to get online and se old friends... and new ones. I think rares are a bit easier to get too. I've got my hands on quite bit of them, and I'm having a blast. I also got a chance to play TimeSplitters 2 (which I bought), Mario Party 4, Shinobi, and a few others. TS2 is awesome. The character-design is great, and it plays very similarly to Goldeneye (duh!). Very solid game... even has a level editor! MP4... is another Mario Party. Not a whole ton of stuff to say about it. If you've played one, you've practically played them all. Shinobi is great fun. Getting 'tate' can be challenging, but is always cool to watch. I warn ya' though... it's a pretty tough li'l game. Sorry to not have a rating system as snazzy as Ninja... but I think you can get the gist of my opinions from my... opin... yuns...

Right now I'm at my old house, and not at school. Winter Break is here, and I'm having a grand ol' time sitting on my ass all day. Soon my parents and I are going to New Joisey to see my sis and her hubby. We'll be spending Christmas there. Whoo! Presents! Oh yeah... and peace and harmony and blah, blah, blah... ^_^

So... have a great Christmas and New Years, folks! King... hope you and Kev have a blast in Vegas. Win some cash for me! I'm goin' ta' bed! Peas!

Shinhobbes
"It's horrible to think that a fmaily can be torn apart by something so trivial... as a pack of wolves."

Ninja
"Hey, no problem, you should be back in 24 hours <cough>im lying<cough>"

Ninja
"you say that everything sounds the same, then you go buy them"

mlm

This is what most people saw when they tried to visit The Agenda the past week or so. Or so im told. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, already in progress.

Alright, where the hell is our site?!
In case you were wondering where i was, Las Vegas. In case you were wondering where the site was, ATTBroadband decided to shit on us again. No, the site isnt up and onto oblivion. It hasnt packed its bags to poop-ville. It hasnt gotten the fuck outta Dodge. And SlyFelix1, we DO love you. As my wee yahoo account EXPLODED with questions and pron links i was off getting my gamble on. Well, actually, the REAL reason for the leave was to meet up with mi parents for a wedding and to meet my step-brothers for the first time in like twenty years. It was good fun :) Hey, i hear shin has a post coming... I hear rocks make great snacks at the movies too! Snap. Im a bit outta the loop so gives meh some time, ladies and gentlemen to reorganize.

 

Kirby is beat the HELL out. Ahhhhh... now this is a nice little game that satisfies that portable hunger in me. Short but sweet, just like i remembered it. Meta Knight is a cool secret too. And when i say cool i mean TOTALLY sweet. Ive said too much. FLY MONKEYS!

 

Vegas, if anything, is quite heavy on the spectacle of things. I think the last time i was there was when i was a wee lad and the families hadnt started coming in. Everything is expensive. No, not expensive, overpriced. I think bottled water was about 4 bucks a pop. They had left a hose outside left in the dirt for us cheapos, that was only 3 bucks a pop. And when did circus-circus become ghetto-ghetto?! The atmosphere made me right at home. I LEFT the BayArea to get away from that. So many teemed casinos so little time. I had two personal favorites. The Venetian, where it had all the valets singing to old Italian songs whilst they helped you into taxis and simulated dusk and dawn ceilings so high up it basically WAS the sky high above your head. The gondolas that ran all around the inside was amazing too. The other, The MGM Grand. This place was so big on the inside it had been setup as a sort of indoors town. Only this town catered to the rich folk and teeny-boppers of the world. This is where i the wedding i was SUPPOSED to be at was. It took about 15 minutes to just walk to the chapel and it was on the same floor as the entrance. Ooo Ooo! The NewYork NewYork's Rollercoaster wins special prizes too. I didnt think 12 bucks per ride was gonna pan out how it did. If i had time i woulda gona again. I think all in all it was a very good but short trip... very good, short, full of too much drink trip.

 

to help compensate for all lack of 'Agenda ive sent up 3 (or so) new desktops/wallpapers ive fashioned from various posters ive been working on. Check em out here.

Ive rediscovered Macross:DYRL on my saturn, what a great game! Now wheres my RadiantSilvergun at?

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Best Parent Line of the Trip:

"Burn it up. Burn up that splif"

Ninja
"Arguing on GameFAQs rarely determines who is right, only who is willing to sit at their computer longer.'

Ninja
"'A Man Called Legend? What the hell does THAT mean?!"

<click the sample to goto the downloads page! Keen!>

Ninja
"sometimes it makes me want to WIIIIG OUUUT... but i keep calm'

Ninja
"from then on, i never fucked with a cobra'

I need your clothes, your boots and your motorcycle.

Its surprising how much one doesnt want to write when he/she has been scholastically forced to do so for two weeks straight. And yet i still fit in time to play games. Social life is for the birds. If you havent noticed my use of formal critical process has been for those same birds too.

 

Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (PS2) not too shabby where it counts.


This game has a weird quality to it that i thought only japanese games have had previous. Turns out this quality is called production value. EA had thrown a whole lotta cash into this, there babe. I really like the [usually] smooth transitions of the cutscenes into gameplay that everyone has been trumpeting about lately. Only on a few instances was it a bit awkward. LotR (as the kids call it) falls into the same down..uh, falls as its other genre contemporaries, long and arduous combo system inlew of solid gameplay in the first place. Still i enjoyed much of it, but i think if this game were based on another movie, let say like StreetFighter the movie, i prolly wouldnt have gotten as much joy outta it. Man, i hope they never make a game on that damn movie. HA, im sure CapcomUS isnt THAT stupid. I mean, if they do at least they will have the fucking brains to send the game east so the real fighting craftsmen can put something decent in the box. <cough>

 

I know ive mentioned this site a few times in the past. But i think its about time to make some formal thoughts on the place called RealUltimatePower.net. I guess its nothing of a surprise that we here at the agenda love the ninja (no, not moi) and all things he represents so this site is one after our own heart. Oh, and it has pirates too. I, for one, have made thus improvements thanks to the guidance of this amazing site. So abundant is the knowledge of this site that i have decided to share some of its ancient technique.


Facts:

1. Ninjas are mammals.

2. Ninjas fight ALL the time.

3. The purpose of the ninja is to flip out and kill people.


From just this sample you surely cannot misjudge the invaluable qualities REALUltimatePower contributes to all the internet, sometimes eclipsing the entirety altogether. You cannot live without seeing this site. Oh, if you are one who enjoys laughing, its fucking hilarious too.


Sega loves us. Space HarrierFantasy ZonePhantasy StarGolden AxeMonaco GPAlex Kidd's Miracle WorldGain GroundStreets of RageTant-RPhantasy Star 2Virtua RacingPhantasy Star 4Last BronxBONANZA BROS!!!!!!!!!!!!! (continue "!" to inf.)


Zapper on XBox. Wait, are kid's games supposed to be fun?!

I mean, when most games made in japan are made with a cartoony influence they are immediately canned up and shipped onto shelves as kid's games here in the states. Nintendo of America is infamous for this. Despite the ESRB rating on the front some games are not really made for kids in mind and may cause confusion and general whats-on-tv-ism due to difficulty or themes. Ok, to there own right alot of kids would be happy if you threw a cardboard fridge box in front of em and few are discerning as far as what it is they are playing. Just so long as there is a controller and a tv involved smiles abound. You can really tell when a game is made in japan cause it most of the time there is this nice, comforting level of detail and thoughtfulness that really epitomize the way they construct games. I note this cause that same feeling is there when i play Zapper. Ok, with that outta the way, i really enjoyed playing this game. If gets a few missing ramens cause of longevity and little repetition. Infogrames and Blitz have made a really simple but fun game, engaging when it needed to be and mind-numbing when it need to be. You can really tell Blitz took a step from Frogger [another infogrames atari accusation... wait, not to say Zapper IS... nevermind]. It is played by only stepping in either vertical or horizontal fashion on symmetrical squares laid out though the level. Like the ol schooler, Frogger. Only imagine it with really well-animated, endearing cutscenes and if Frogger was a cynical, lighting-bolt shooting cricket. Thats the jist, yep. The one thing that sets this apart from the japanese games i was just speakin of is this game really IS made for kids. And it shows. No points lost. Still, if you have a little bro or sis and they get tired of shooting up people and picking up drug-using prostitutes in GTAViceCity you'd be good to pick this one up, they might just like it.

 

Get your preorders in now for Zelda on the 'Cube, free disc with Ocarina and Ura (new adventure) for play on your system!

 

Zelda just came back into my life as did kirby (GBA), ill be sure to leave some notes on how they did on the final.

 

Street Fighter Alpha 3 upper. Something of a congratulatory dance is in order here.


Notice how there's a big chunk of a ramen missing above, well its for the fact that crawfish didnt try and feature the gba's only four buttons but rather try and fit the 6-button SF config onto these same four buttons, something i never thought worked well for any game. Control is everything when it comes down to it. Still, its a VERY fun game to slip back into. The animation and overall responsiveness of everything from the button movements to the amount of time different frames time out on screen is (mostly) how i remember them being on the ol CPS2 in the arcade and at home. I admit, when i read that crawfish was going to be handling the porting and subsequent extra-content development i was a bit scared. This little company whom are of little mindshare really set to make a mark, at least in the minds of the fighting community. And thanks to this game, i think they will.

 

For you halo fanatics out there whom know the entire map list by heart inside and out. Bungie posted a little short breakdown on a few maps giving a little insight to why they out that gun there and that rock here. My fav, Hang em High is aksi featured. Cheerio, pip pip, all that.

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Ninja's Favorite Season Two Simpsons Episode:

"Blood Feud" The one where Mr Burns needs a blood transfusion and Bart is made to give up some of his precious OO type blood. Man, this is a good one. It focuses on the ideas of helping one another out and forgiveness through friendship. And how to screw out the rich old folk. The protagonist is really Burns in this one, interesting.

Ninja
"Once again you have been the sobering yin to my raging yang'

-Huh, a flower.
-SonofaBITCH!

Finals are up soon, not too much time to really do much else work (farq christmas in its poopy hole) and study. It turns out this script i was looking at for future do-ige isnt quite what i had in mind. The bit site is still in mid construction, too. I had to move all the desktops to my buddy, bryteblack's attbi account. Thanksgiving was pretty swell. Im trying out a new rating method, tell me what ya thinks.

 

True Romance : Unrated Directors Cut DVD.

One of my favorite movies, first off, it gets 5 ninja ramens for being the movie it is already. The cast, even, is worth at least 5: Jack Black, Christopher Walkin, Christian Slater, Brad Pitt, Partricia Artquette, Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Sam Jackson, Bronson Pinchot, Michael Rapaport, Saul Rubinek, James Gandolfini, Victor Argo, Chris Penn, Tom Sizemore, dir: Tony Scott, writ: Quentin Tatantino. But not let that get in the way of my thoughts ^_-|| Ok, ok, so Jack Black isnt REALLY in it, he was cut and the only footage of him is on the disc as an usher at the movie theater. First off, the transfer is very top notch. I cant tell what bitrate the disc runs on, the DVD player which tells me this is a little unwilling to play discs these days, but it looks very clean through and through with little to no artifacting even with all the tons of things going on on the screen. The Special Features portion of the second disc, in this two disc set, doesnt seem as choke full of specials like i had hoped. The behind-the-scenes featurette is a nice addition but feels like it could have been fitable on the main disc. Selective commentaries are funny little peeks into each actor/characters process and memories, not bad. The prerequisite extra scenes and (though edited up) alt ending are par, though more meaty than most discs'. Everything has commentary tracks. Good buy too. Only 20 bucks. Quentin Tarantino writes another great.

 

Rygar is quite amazing.

Halverson (EiC at PlayMag)was right to give this his Action Game of the Year. Level design and score are crafted to knock you down. With respect to the game to which this one owes its lineage, the spiny yo-yo thing of bust-yo-ass-upness, called a diskarmor i believe, is much more an interactive weapon of choice than one would think when you combine a rope with a sawblade. Its surprisingly easy to wield, i dont think a sword could do better, well, maybe under tecmo's care *cough*NinjaGaiden*cough*. The only downside is yet again no japanese dialogue, the US dub is... not purposefully funny. Everything else makes makes this game worth every bit of your time. A little short, but hey, these type of games are.

 

Got enough feedback to finally make another one of these. Four versions, the normal flavor, which looks great in OSX or XP, the aggressive, got some requests to make a "darker" desktop, and the two MacOS9s with aggro and normal, much like the other two flavors. The digital clock off my dresser fell off and landed upside down. It kinda looked like japanese for some reason so i, at the VERY last minute decided to add the kanji, i think its mostly talking about the "company" Lycoming Def Sys and the advent of VTs or something. I dunno. It looks decent all over the place ^_^||. After five hours working on these i noticed that they didnt look so swell on my MacOS9 machine (menubar, doh!) so i quickly whipped up two versions, here and here, to take advantage of the menu bar being there. Wait, 'take advantage'? eh. Enjoy!

<click em up to goto the downloads page, j0z>

 

Whole slew of Panzar Orta stuff! The entire Panzar Dragoon original hidden in the game?! Pandoras Box returns?! Uh, yes.

Moved all of the oct posts to archives ^_^||

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What-the-Fuck of the day:

"Doctors set to transplant faces from dead to the living"

Ninja
"half a chance, half a chance, we still have half a chance'