Song of the Day 03/12/12

Porcupine Tree- "Trains"

Porcupine Tree is another of my favorite bands. I actually found them through Myspace back when that was still popular, and the first track I heard was "Arriving Somewhere But Not Here". I was blown away, the track was long, textured, emotional, and well written. Trains is probably my favorite track of theirs though, and I'm sure a lot of other people feel the same way. Check out the live version from their DVD "Arriving Somewhere" to get an idea of how talented these guys are. The band is pretty much the creation of Guitarist/Vocalist Steven Wilson, but the musicians that tour with him are all fantastic as well.

If you've never listened to these guys, please check them out. As usual, you'll be glad you did.

I need to include the live video too. I know most of you wouldn't go check it out, but hopefully you'll watch it since it's here.

   -Chris

Walking Dead Review: "Better Angels"

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS



Phew. This week was much better than last week. I feel like with Dale out of the way, the remaining characters are far less annoying. Glen is still acting weird around Maggie and I'm really not sure why. I can only hope that the scene where Daryl and Glen were out searching in the dark for Randall and Glen took a machete to a walker's face helped give him a little self-confidence. T-Dog has just been awesome for pretty much this entire season, even though he gets the least camera time out of everyone. I really sympathized with Andrea in this episode more so than I have lately too. I don't mind the characters reflecting on the loss of Dale, because he was an important character in their group (serving as the last voice of either reason or naivety depending on how you look at it). Honestly, I'm just glad I don't have to listen to his annoying self-righteous rants anymore.

This episode was not about any of these characters though, as once again Shane and Rick occupy the limelight. Carl and Lori also play key roles, namely setting into motion the events that occured throughout the intense second half of the episode.

"I wish I could say something more profound." "Me too dad, me too."

Speaking of Carl, what is this kid's deal? Why does no one seem to want to watch this young kid in the middle of a zombie apocalypse? After having a somewhat awkward conversation with Lori, Shane finally snaps and puts into motion his plan to eliminate Rick and apparently win Carl and Lori in the process. He was clearly delusional at this point, and what Lori said to him earlier in the day certainly played a part in that. Shane brought Randall out into the woods, broke his neck, smashed his own face against a tree to give the illusion of a struggle, and then ran back to camp to say that he had been overpowered and that Randall was out there somewhere with his gun. If that sounds crazy, it's because it was.

"Sorry that skinny kid kicked my ass Rick. If we keep going far enough into the woods I'm sure we'll find him though."

Apparently Daryl is the only person with a functioning brain left in his head though, because he was the only one that saw through Shane's plan. Eventually, Shane pulls his gun on Rick and spills his master plan. I was a little confused as to why Rick just circled around, it was pretty clear that Shane intended to kill him. Thankfully, he delayed it long enough for Rick to move in close and kill him with a knife (was that really more humane Rick?). Of course Carl was standing right there when it happened as he has always seemed to be doing during any scene where Rick is stuck with a difficult decision. Who let him out of the boarded up house though, honestly? I'm beginning to think Carl is just a ninja, and that no walls or babysitters can contain him.

Carl's weirdness aside, this was a great episode, and the hoard on the horizon set up the season finale beautifully. Shit is going to go down, there is no question about that. The finale's title "Beside the Dying Fire" leads me to believe that the farm will be lost. I've assumed all along that this was just a temporary situation, but it will be interesting to see what happens with Hershel and his family. More characters will die next week, I'd be willing to bet on that. Things will get worse before they get any better, and I fully expect the finale to shock and delight fans of the series, as well as leave us all salivating for the third season.

   -Chris

Song of the Day 03/11/12

Katatonia- "Passing Bird"

Katatonia is my third most listened to artist on my iTunes, and I couldn't honestly give you a very good reason why. They're not very technical, but their songs just reach me on a level that is hard to describe. Almost any song could have served as a good introduction to them, but I decided to go with Passing Bird from their 2001 album Last Fair Deal Gone Down. This Swedish group has transformed from a heavy metal band (featuring growling vocals from Mikael Åkerfeldt on Brave Murder Day) to an emotional dark rock group. I dig the clean vocals on all of their more recent albums, and the songs are an interesting mix of heavy guitar parts and softer passages that utilize clean guitars as well. I love their older material, but I do think they have grown as a band over time, and one needs look no farther than Night is the New Day (their most recent album) as an example of this. I know I'll most likely never get a chance to see these guys live, but they are right at the top of the list of bands I'd love to see in concert.

   -Chris

Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2

I'm no stranger to the Final Fantasy series. I've played almost every single entry in the main numbered series, as well as a few of the spinoffs. I've even played Final Fantasy X-2, the follow up to what might be my favorite game in the series (and perhaps a to DON'T list for sequel making). I love the story in every game, and I love how over the fifty or so hours, you can become totally absorbed in a fantastical world that is completely brought to life by the amazing and diverse characters, and the grand plots that guide you from start to finish.

Spira from FFX

Gaia from FFVII

World of Balance from FFVI

The Worlds of Balance and Ruin in FF6, Midgar and Gaia in FF7, Spira in FFX, are all vast worlds that take many hours to fully explore, but beyond that, for those who are willing to spend a little extra time and dig, there is so much to learn about each of these worlds by just exploring them. The worlds in Final Fantasy XIII are no different. The first game introduced the worlds of Cocoon and Gran Pulse, as well as the conflict between the denizens of each area.

A typical map from the first section of FFXIII

The game was controversial, dividing fans more so than any other entry in the series. People criticized the map design, calling the beginning of the game "the 20 hour hallway", as well as the fact that the game limits your potential battle-wise for the majority of the first 20 or so hours as well. The world of Coccoon was interesting, and the game did a good job introducing the Fal'cie, L'cie, and all the other fantasy terms that would be nearly impossible to explain if it were left in the hands of lesser developers. The story was far more personal than prior installments however, with a greater emphasis on the party itself, and their struggle to battle their own destinies. At least for me, the game lacked some of the grandiose themes that exist in so many of the other installments. There was no villain to content with Kefka, Sephiroth, or Seymour, which led to a sort of ambiguous goal moving forward through much of the game.

Who would you put here for XIII?

The game opened up greatly though when the party reached Gran Pulse, and the more traditional exploration elements of the series returned, though not completely. There weren't really towns to visit, a staple of most RPG's, and there were very few characters to meet once on the firmament.

You'll get here eventually, how does Chapter 11 sound?

The ending of FFXIII was much more focused however, and it brought the game a satisfying conclusion. Now I did say satisfying, not great. I just didn't quite have the same feeling after completing FFXIII that I usually had after investing 50+ hours into a Final Fantasy game.

Enter Final Fantasy XIII-2, the second numbered sequel in the Final Fantasy main numbered series. The developers knew there was more to this world than they took advantage of in the original game, so they set out to create another story so that fans could visit the worlds of Cocoon and Pulse once again. The fans were understandably reluctant however, seeing as the only other direct sequel had been Final Fantasy X-2, which completely threw the original game out the window, replaced it with a weird tweeny-bop soundtrack, and sprinkled some weird hot springs scenes throughout (you'll know exactly what I'm talking about if you've played it). The game was a mess overall, and not at all what fans of FFX were hoping for.

We were supposed to take this seriously?

 The game wasn't all bad though. The job system was a ton of fun, the game was non-linear, there was more variety, and eventually (after many grueling hours) the story actually became quite good. Despite the positives, fan didn't want to see another desecration along the lines of FFX-2, and especially worrisome was how quickly the game came out (the other two members of the originally planned Fabula Nova Crystallis series haven't even been released yet!).

I'm pleased to report that FFXIII-2 is a much better game than FFX-2, and probably even FFXIII.

So I hear you wanted a few more testicles in this sequel?

The story of FFXIII-2 is shorter than the original, but it feels more epic. Square-Enix has definitely been listening to much of the criticism leveled at the first game, and they addressed most (but not all) of these concerns.

The two pictures above are more typical map styles in FFXIII-2, an obvious improvement on the hallway like maps in the original.

The cast was the smallest in any FF game to date, as well as the largest at the same time. You control Serah (Lightning's sister from the first game) and Noel for the entire game. You do run into some old faces, but the emphasis has definitely been placed on these two character's quest to find out what happened to Lightning following the events of FFXIII.

While some might use this tiny cast as a criticism, I don't feel it really affected the game too much overall. The third party member slot is completely customisable, and can be filled with any of of 150+ monsters you can tame in the game (trying to cash in a little on the pokemon hype?). Catching monsters for your party was fun overall, but with a little internet sleuthing, it is really easy to determine the best party members, catch them early on, and ignore many of the other monsters you capture in the second half of the game.

All I need is you, Chichu.

The combat has been touched very little since FFXIII, and the Paradigm System is still just as fun as it was. This might just be the most exciting battle system ever implemented in a Final Fantasy game, so I'm actually glad they brought it back. The game starts off at a much quicker pace battle wise, and I feel like the developers assumed that you played the original game, because there is little to no tutorial this time around (while there was a 20 hour tutorial to familiarize you with the system in FFXIII). I found myself changing paradigms far more frequently in the early chapters than I ever did in the first game. Once you reach chapter 3 and the world opens up though, patient gamers will have an opportunity to begin the levelin up process, and essentially break the game if they choose to do so.

Even though I played the majority of the game with 3 commandos (after maxing out Chichu pictured above), there were certainly still parts where I had to utilize a fair amount of strategy to prevail. For the average gamer, the game will most likely be a perfect challenge throughout.

Battles are as flashy as ever.

The biggest new feature in this sequel though is not the monster taming, but the time-travel elements. Without spoiling too much of the plot, eventually Serah and Noel receive the ability to begin traveling through time in an attempt to piece together what is happening in the story. With the recent success of Chrono Trigger on virtual console, Square-Enix was smart to include a feature like this. It made the game feel a little more like the classic JRPG's that we all loved and grew up on. While the game doesn't make full use of the system's potential, there are some actions you can take in a certain time period that will change others. The system is a blast, and there is no shortage of areas to explore or quests to complete.

You can eventually visit all the gray circles above.

The most important element of any Final Fantasy game, whether a sequel or not, is the story though. How does this installment measure up to the classics? Favorably I would say, though I wouldn't claim that this was the strongest story in the series. I was interested in the story throughout, thanks large in part to the events taking place in the background that remain a mystery to the player for much of the game.

Caius (Left) Lightning (Right)

While Lightning remains in a mysterious place known as Valhalla for much of the game, the party bumps into Caius on multiple occasions, reminding me of the older games where you saw say, Kefka, multiple times throughout the story. Caius was probably the most interesting character in the game, and his motivations make him a sympathetic character.

While many of the sub-plots you will go through are fairly bland (such as time traveling to defeat a giant tomato monster), there are others that are more exciting. All of these sub-plots are less interesting than the main story though, and once you reach a certain point, the last 5 or so areas are visited in quick succession, driving you straight through to the end of the game, reducing the distractions players might otherwise pursue.

I was especially pleased with the last few chapters of the game, and as I learned about Noel's past (future?), the relationship between him and Yeul, and even Caius's relationship with Yeul, I couldn't wait to get to the end. I'm very glad I spent the majority of the middle of the game performing side-quests, and leveling up, because I was able to steamroll through the biggest storyline moments of the game.

The ending cutscene is a bit of a punch to the face, and I was honestly surprised with what happened. Of course, just like in FFX-2, there is a special ending for those who complete the game completely (in this case gathering all 160 fragments). I can't comment yet on this special ending, as I'm in the process of collecting the last 15 or so fragments, but if the additional scene is anything like the scene unlocked for fully completing FFX-2, the ending of XIII-2 has the potential to be something truly special.

Truly Epic

Now the quest for all 160 fragments will add a significant number of hours to your game, but for gamers who keep up with the process throughout the first run through the main story, you'll find it very doable to obtain them all. There are some that are more annoying to obtain than others (such as completing the games various rift puzzles over, and over, and over, and slaying every monster in the game), and a few of the games areas begin to really wear on you after a while, such as a platforming section near the end of the game that involves flipping switches, rotating blocks, and dozens of pitfalls to impede your process.

I need to come through here how many times?

These are but minor annoyances in an overall great game however, and should hold no substantial bearing on any final verdict on the game. Now I'm going to do something new, and attach a score to the end of my review. Some people work better with numbers afterall, so I'll try to give an accurate, fair score.

Whereas I would have likely given FFXIII a score of 7.5/10 upon beating it, I'm going to have to give the sequel the edge here, with a score of 8.5.

Final Score:   8.5/10

Thanks for reading my first video game review, I hope you all found something useful in there. I'll definitely be reviewing more games as I beat them. Look for either Mass Effect 3 or Silent Hill Downpour next, depending on which one I finish first.

   -Chris (a.k.a. the Chronosavior) 

Song of the Day 3/07/12

Aesop Rock- Tomorrow Morning

I've been listening to a ton of Katatonia and Aesop Rock lately (maybe a weird combination?) but I had to post this song. This might be the best Hip-Hop song I've ever heard. The beat is fantastic and complex, with seemingly a dozen sounds going on at any given time. The song was made to accompany a slideshow of the art of Jeremy Fish, but the piece is great on its own. Check it out even if you don't normally listen to Hip-Hop. It's definitely not my favorite genre, but this Aesop Rock is something special. Lyrically, he is head and shoulders above anyone else I have ever heard. I can't wait for his first album since 2007, Skelethon, when it releases later this year. Who the fuck is Ace Rock?

   -Chris

Song of the Day 3/05/12

Continuing my old school jazz kick, I'll post one of my favorite pieces that came out of the Count Basie's Orchestra recordings.

Lester young is one of the  more interesting people I studied in my jazz history class I took a few years back. I especially like the enigmatic relationship he had with Billie Holiday, and their nicknames they had for eachother (Pres for Lester, and Lady Day for Holiday). Though heroin was Holiday's greatest downfall, it is hard not to believe that her separation from young had something to do with it. After Lester drank himself to death, Holiday was quotes as saying on the way to his funeral, "I will be the next one to go." She died four months later.

Song of the Day 3/04/12

Modest Mouse- "Parting of the Sensory"

This is my favorite Modest Mouse song. I love the overall feel of the song, and the lyrics and vocals really tie the whole thing together, especially the strong guitar part over the "and it came down on us like it had been rehearsed" part. The "aw fuck it I guess we lost" really fits with the theme of the album, which was originally intended to be a concept album about a crew of sailors that drowned in each of the songs.

My favorite part thing about Modest Mouse has always been their versatility, and this album continues in that same direction. Every track is unique, and the song I've posted tonight sounds nothing like, say, "Dashboard". Basically, if you don't like this song, you should still check them out because there is still a chance you might like something else on that same album.

   -Chris

Walking Dead Review: "Judge, Jury, Executioner"

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER






Someone is going through their terrible twos.

Tonight's episode started off with Daryl being a complete badass, and poor Randall on the receiving end of his knife. I've liked Daryl for most of the show, and I think that this episode proves that he is especially well suited to life in this new world.

You ever peeled a scab off?

The majority of this episode focused on Dale though, and that was this week's greatest downfall. I feel like the writers have been purposefully making us hate Dale for this entire season, and when
 he gets eviscerated, I found myself relieved rather than upset. I feel like in most dramas, they make you sympathize with the main character they're about to kill, at least in their final moments. I've been sick of Dale for a long time. And now that I bring that up, I think it's also a good time to say that I finally agree with everyone else. They have drawn out far too many plot points this season. Between the search for Sophia, and now the whole Randall situation, I'm beginning to feel that the writers want this show to last longer than it probably needs to.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of character development, but the whole situation with Dale has been excacerbated to the point where I honestly sometimes feel like I'm watching a show on ABC Family.

This episode dragged on, and there was very little that actually happened. This is made more disappointing by the fact that the showrunners stated prior to last weeks fantastic episode "18 Miles Out" that the end of the season would be action packed and pure storyline. I honestly felt like they were trying to make us all hate Dale so that they could kill him off. Like I said though, this actually lessened the drama that might have existed had this event occured during the first season when Dale was still a likeable guy.

Carl was the other main plot point, and I understand what they're tryin to do with his character. He is the kid growing up in the post apocalyptic world, so he represents the new world that is emerging from the ashes of the old, and it makes sense that there will be detrimental side effects to all of this. I don't think that should serve as an excuse to radically change Carl's character though over the course of a few short episodes. The way he was acting in this episode seemed completely contradictory to the way he has acted for most of the show. I really like Carl, but felt like he desrved a good pop in the mouth tonight. That scene with Carole? Am I crazy or did that seem really uncharacteristic of him.

Then there was the main drama witih Carl and his interactions with the Swamp Walker. The way Carl threw rocks at him, and gawked at him like some sort of a caged animal shows obvious early signs of Carl becoming a sociopath. I do know that they are trying to show the way Carl is changing as he becomes exposed to more and more crazy situations, but they're trying to do it too fast, and unnaturally. There should be more of a progression here. I feel like Carl was one of the most optimistic characters on the show, but now he is proclaiming his lack of belief in heaven to the woman who recently lost her daughter. I just don't see where this fundamental change would have happened.

I'm pretty disappointed with this episode overall, but maybe my bar was set a little too high by the quotes given by the showrunners that I referred to above. There are only two episodes left though, so they better do a pretty fantastic job with them and make it up to their dedicated fans. With my limited knowledge of where the show is headed into the next season, I have to imagine things are going to get pretty crazy during these last few episodes. I think there is definitely room to improve on the way the end of season one was handled, so I'm definitely looking forward to what I hope will be the two best episodes of the Walking Dead yet.

   -Chris

Why I Support Ron Paul

This isn't a politically motivated blog,  but I'd like to take a few minutes to briefly go over why I personally support Ron Paul for president, and why I feel he is the only candidate that will have a positive influence on the United States moving forward.

I am currently finishing up my Bachelors Degree, double-majoring in Political Science and Economics, and while I don't feel that this background makes my opinion any more valid than anyone else's, I do feel that I have a solid foundation for why I believe in particular policies. I don't believe in every single one of Ron Paul's ideas (I am more moderate on foreign policy for example, feeling that in some instances,  defense expenditures not directly for defense of our own land can be in the best interest of providing national security to American citizens) but I do find myself aligning with him on most all cases.

I will list just a few of the many ideas Paul holds which I agree with, so I'll try to list the one's most important to me. Coming from an economic background, I always feel that maintaining the economy should always be the most important political goal. While other people are off crying about gay-marriage, marijuana, or abortion laws, I feel that especially today with people as distraught about the economy as they are, it should be every politician's priority to radically change the economic policies that have dominated the last decade.

The U.S. nominal debt is currently around $15 Trillion, a number that exceeds the Real GDP of 2010. Just as it is unwise to live your personal life constantly in debt, a country cannot sustain itself on policies of deficiet spending. Many people consider Ron Paul's ideas on how to cut back on government spending "radical" or "too much too fast", but the simple fact of the matter is without drastic change, we will never be able to dig ourselves out from the hole we are currently in. Things will almost certainly be tough for a few years, and a recession is all but a necessity at this point, but the importance of balancing our budget cannot be overstated. It should also be mentioned that as a Congressman, Ron Paul has never once voted for an unbalanced budget. If only more politicians had done the same, there is no way we would find ourselves in the situation we currently do.

Cuts must be made ESPECIALLY at the federal level, and I agree with Paul that the federal government has grown far beyond what the founding fathers every intended for it. Paul is a strict constitutionalist, and almost never votes for anything unless it is expressly granted by the Constitution. Part of the changes he has propsed are the complete disbandment of 5 cabinet level agencies, which include: Education, Interior, Commerce, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development. He has also proposed large budget cuts to FDA, CDC, DHS, NIH, and EPA. Ron Paul is a strong opponent of the Federal Reserve, and despises their power to freely print new money with no form of commodity backing. Paul wants to return to a hard money policy, such as a bi-metallic gold/silver standard as a way of stabilizing and lowering inflation, which Paul has many times referred to as "the most insidious of all taxes" (Paul).

Ron Paul feels, much like myself, that Social Security is little more than a massive government run Ponzi Scheme, and the fact that government borrows money from the system to augment their budgets is a testament to how corrupt and inefficient the system is. Paul seeks to honor older members who have paid into the system for most of their lives, while offering people under the age of 25 the ability to opt out of the system (a decision I would easily make).

Ron Paul is a strong supporter of all civil liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, and many of his ideas do not coincide with many of his Republican contemporaries. Congressman Paul voted against the Patriot Act, as well as the REAL ID Act, has voted to end affirmative action (calling it a system obsessed with promoting racial stereotypes, and criticizing racism in general), believes firmly in the Second Amendment as a means to prevent government tyranny, and is against the war on drugs (basically agreeing with Milton Friedman that going after the drug trade only makes things worse, and that citizens should be free to destroy their bodies should they choose to do so).

Congressman Paul defines marriage as between a man and a woman, but he also feels that it should be an issue left to the states to decide, saying that he did not want for any state to have to honor what they do not feel is a legal marriage . When asked if he supported gay marriage though, Paul responded by saying that, "I am supportive of all voluntary associations and people can call it whatever they want."A truly libertariam answer Paul, nice work.

Many liberals have criticized Ron Paul for his unwavering pro-life stance. This is a tough issue, and I won't go too far into it, but I have some slightly conservative views on the issue as well. I believe life starts at conception, but I also try to respect a woman's right to choose what she wishes to do with her body. It is almost hypocritcal that I support a woman's right to choose in many ways, but it is the decision I have made personally. I do agree with the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban (2003), and Ron Paul (an obstetrician) stated after witnessing one such procedure being performed during his residency, that it was "pretty dramatic for me to see a two-and-a-half-pound baby taken out crying and breathing and put in a bucket." Are any of us really more qualified than Paul on this particular subject?

There are so many other political issues I could go into, but I've probably already lost most people reading this, so I'll keep it down to these few key issues. If you found yourself agreeing with some of the ideas Paul has held, check out his platform on his website http://www.ronpaul.com/ , and consider making the wise decision this coming election, vote for who you want to run this country regardless of what any news channel or poll says. Democracy is an amazing system, and we all have the right to vote for whoever who wish to vote for, so examine every alternative before voting for the lesser of two evils, because there just might be someone out there running who you agree with more than you might have thought.

   -Chris (Viva la Ron Paul Revolucion!)

Song of the Day 3/01/12

:Of the Wand and the Moon: - "Nighttime in Sonnenheim"

:Of the Wand and the Moon: is my most listened to artist on iTunes by over 1,000 plays. Kim Larsen is the man responsible for creating this beautiful music, and quite honestly there is nothing else quite like it. I listen to plenty of Neofolk, including Death in June, Sonne Hagal, Sol Invictus, In Ruin etc., but no band has the same feel that ofwatm have.

Sonnenheim is the soundtrack to the nighttime hours of my life. If you don't understand how much I love these guys, check my last.fm and you'll see how big of a fan I really am.

http://www.last.fm/user/irontusk90