Kizyr

Ok, both Jenner and I will be there. I've also added us to the OCR Room Block, so now nobody can escape. ...er, I mean I'll see all of you guys there. KF

Both Jenner and I will be going. We have our prereg. and hotel booked and everything (even though we are local...). KF

Awesome. Love the song {^^}. KF

I would really, really love to go. But after MAGFest and some other expenses (past and upcoming), I don't think it'd be a good idea for me to do so. ...maybe if it were later in the year, but not so soon. ...of course later in the year it gets a little hot, so I get it. Maybe next time? KF

Duly noted! I think I'll make that one next on my backlog after Grandia is done. (And now that I have a Japanese PS1, I don't have to fiddle with emulators anymore.) I wonder if anyone else was disappointed with, Tales of Destiny, or if I just gave up on it too quickly. I'm surprised so many people (myself included) didn't get around to finishing the entire Mass Effect trilogy until last year. I'd just assumed I was late in the game. KF

These are such awesome videos. Thanks! {^^}. KF

Ok, first the obligatory confirmation: yes, I am 100% down for doing this. Anyway, to be perfectly honest, the logistics of travel, luggage storage, etc., is actually relatively easy once we have a place and time set. (Especially with enough time in advance.) The main issue now is pinning down (a) how many people we will likely be, and ( what the per-person cost can be (too high and many can't come, too low and we may not be able to get anything). Regardless, this is way too awesome an idea not to do everything possible to make it happen. KF

My list may be a little different from most. In 2013 I actually made great progress in cutting down my game backlog, tackling some stuff I'd neglected for over a decade. ...so, you may notice that nothing on this list was released last year. Metroid (NES/US) Yep, I've never played Metroid before, so I got to experience it for the first time. I did play through and beat it, no mods or cheats, although I used a strategy guide's map to find my way around (hey I don't have that much free time). I gotta say, the best thing about the original Metroid is how completely scary they made metroids when you first encountered one -- 4x the size of any other creature, moving through walls, and unable to be killed by normal means... Policenauts (SAT/JP) Policenauts has been on my shelf for 6 years, and I just now got around to it. The game and storyline are fantastic -- I actually enjoyed it even more than Snatcher (perhaps because the storyline was able to go in a different direction and didn't have to stick too close to a Blade Runner-style plot). Bioshock (X360/US) I'm not big on FPSs, but... well, the storytelling in Bioshock is simply so amazing. I can't gush about it any more for fear of inadvertently diminishing the experience for anyone else who hasn't yet played it. Mass Effect Trilogy (X360/US) I'd held off on playing this until I had the entire trilogy, and I knew I'd have enough time. My first love has always been Sci-Fi, so I knew once I started that this would be all I'd be doing for... months. ...I was right. I put over 500 hours collectively into the trilogy plus the DLC, playing through as three completely different character archetypes, reading every scrap of codex and planet information, etc., and loving every minute. ...and I actually like the ending. Grandia (SAT/JP) I started this after Mass Effect, and am about 3/4 of the way through the game now. It took a couple hours to really warm up to the story, but by now I really like it -- not as much as, say, Lunar, but it's definitely in the same vein (plenty of the same folks did work on it). I think that's all of it. I did briefly start Tales of Destiny but... quit pretty early in the game to move onto Mass Effect. The story just wasn't doing it for me. (And I loved Tales of Phantasia, so it was a little surprising. I may just skip ahead to Eternia.) KF

Oh man, MAGFest was incredible as always. So glad that I got a room this year, since that meant we didn't have to miss a minute -- had it not been for that, I would've had to pass on MAGProm, the DJ Battle, and just hanging out in the OCR suite 'til like 3AM losing at Super Bomberman. Anyway! So much to say... The biggest regrets are (a) not getting a flu shot, since I and Jenner both caught MAGFlu (her worse than me) and had to miss out on all the post-MAGFest get-togethers, and ( ...there were just so many people I wanted to see or hang out with, and not enough time. I suspect that most people have a combination of those two. But more importantly, the highlights. I already made a FB post with this, so I won't go into exactly as much detail. The best part is, as always, getting to see so many of OCR in one place -- both old friends and new. I didn't see as many bands, but enjoyed what I did. I made sure to at least see Random/Mega Ran & K-Murdock, and The Megas. Seeing Triforce Quartet for the first time was incredible -- both in the lobby and a packed Stage 2. OverClocked University is better than ever {^^}. Mentioned this already, but both MAGProm and the DJ Battle were excellent. For the latter I just caught Blind, Ben Briggs, and Flexstyle, but nevertheless that was perhaps my favorite night of the convention -- of any convention, for that matter. The OCR suite was a great idea! Loved having a place to just drop in and see what's going on. Maybe next year we'll also be part of the OCR block -- depends on who we're rooming with and if they're up for that. 8-player MarioKart, 4-player Super Bomberman, all good, even when I'm losing. ...badly. ...and comically. Impromptu performances in shedspace, the hallways, and the OCR suite are always fun. Phew! And now that I'm no longer (as) sick, PMD is setting in... =( See you next year, or before then! KF

Hey everyone! On the last day of MAGFest, some of y'all may know there's a semi-OCR-tradition of heading out to someplace for brunch -- the last 4-5 years it's been at Busboys & Poets in Shirlington (4251 South Campbell Ave., Arlington, VA 22206). It's a fantastic place that I always recommend to folks. Anyway, the last two years, the group's kind of gotten too big for everyone to go altogether, and last year there was so much difficulty coordinating everyone's checking out and getting there at the same general time. So... with that, here's my suggestion. If you want to go, organize into groups of 4-8 beforehand, and plan to get there by 2:30pm. That's the best group size to sit together, and the best time for checking out and getting there on time. As for me, I'm afraid I can't organize any larger effort than this, especially last-minute... But, my tentative plan is still to go.

It's been ages since I played DDR, so I'm definitely up for that (I'm only half as good at Pump it Up... I just don't do diagonals very well). KF

Ok, here go my resolutions... Pass JLPT N1 in December 2014 (which involves a lot of studying before then) Finish updating all the remaining content sections of LunarNET Translate 2 of the Lunar Drama CDs Complete the rest of my gaming backlog, excluding anything I buy this year Continue regularly posting on the OCR forums ...that's all I can think of for now. I might add a couple more later. KF EDIT: I forgot! I'm also resolving to keep posting on the OCR forums. I love this place and keep ending up taking inadvertent hiatuses... hiatusis... ...hiatii? KF

Ok, so let's see how I did! (NOPE) Haven't even touched a brush in the last year... (YES!) I'm actually over the 50% mark and it looks like I'm on-track for next December! (NOPE) Didn't even get started on this translation project... (NO!) Nor this one... (NO, RESUBMIT) Nor this one! ...grumble... (YES!) I'm playing Grandia (Saturn) now, before that it was the entire Mass Effect series (three times over), and Policenauts (Saturn). I didn't do a formal count, but I definitely made a big dent in the list of games I've been meaning to play for the last decade. (YES?) Yeah, work has actually gone quite well. So all-in-all, not bad actually. The only main thing that fell through were the translation projects, and for those I had a good reason: I spent most of that time fixing up the LunarNET site and completing the entire 9-part games section to where there's a ton more content (plus all the soundtracks). Maybe next year I can get to those translation efforts. KF

Hey folks! I just updated the MAGFest - Guide to the National Harbor for MAG XII/2014. Among my favorite changes, the Godiva Store has been replaced with SPAGnVOLA Chocolatier, which is much much better. We also had the chance to check out a couple more restaurants since last time. Also, Arrow, you think you could add me and Jenner to the list? We're definitely going, for the first time we got a room at the Gaylord and everything (so no more missing late-late-night stuff)! ...less than a week left! KF

Ok, I just updated the first post for MAGFest XII / 2014, now that we're just a week away! One of the things that has me most excited is that the Godiva Store has been replaced with SPAGnVOLA Chocolatier. SPAGnVOLA is one of my favorite chocolate-makers (second only to Lindt), and their quality is fantastic -- way above Godiva. Assuming it's the same as other SPAGnVOLA stores, they'll have hot chocolate, gelato, and coffee at about normal prices (and like bonbons/truffles for crazy prices). Oh, I also had the chance to try Fiorella (when Larry decided to come into town), and Harrington's -- so both of those descriptions are now updated. I actually liked Harrington's well enough. Anyway, see you all at MAG! KF

You're probably thinking of the issue with the Balance & Ruin kickstarter? While I don't know the details, that fortunately was never a lawsuit (so there was nothing that had to be "settled") -- they just worked something out, and restarted the kickstarter. KF

I always try to draw a distinction between something ridiculous based on corporate, versus what individual employees are doing. Most of my issues with GameStop (and Best Buy, and several other places) deal with the former more than the latter -- I'm not gonna get irritated with the person trying to upsell if I know management basically forces them to. Wait I didn't know eStarland had a physical location that was that close. I'm gonna have to stop by there the next time I'm out that direction. KF

I'd forgotten that GameStop keeps the games behind the counter, not in the cases. So when he handed me the boxes and receipt, no, I wasn't watching to see if he opened the boxes and put a game inside. I mean, *now* I know to check, but only because places like GameStop make me paranoid that they're going to rip me off or steal money from me. But since most of the other game stores I go to just keep the game in the box, by now it's a moot point. KF

I'm kind of stuck here. I came around and really do like Civ 5 (though I still think Civ 4 and Civ 4:BTS are better). And I really want to get both Brave New World & Gods and Kings. Unfortunately, it makes my current computer really hot. By the time I'm in the Industrial Era, it shuts down from overheating and I can't play anymore (eh, unless I really want to risk wrecking my machine). It didn't always do this, no other programs present the same problem, and I can't figure out why the hell it's running so hot (software, not hardware, is more my forte, so I'm lost). Not willing to get a new computer just to play BNW and G&K (or Civ5 in the first place)... so I suppose I'm stuck until this machine just craps out altogether. KF

The main reason I swore off shopping at GameStop was because the last time I did, I paid $60 for two DS games, got home, and found out both boxes were empty. They did give me a refund a week later (I got the games to play on a trip, so wasn't back in town until then), though the employee gave some line about being out of stock (which begs the question of why charge me $60 and not actually put the games in the damn box, so no points there -- it was clear he was covering for being distracted the first time I bought the games). There're several other things I don't like about GameStop that are kind of general things about a lot of vendors (low price for trade-ins, always up-selling or trying to sell plans, etc.). I mean, these things are irritating enough to get me not to shop there anymore. Not enough to get me to -hate- the place, just enough to where I always go with alternatives. KF

Huh, I guess I never got around to posting in this thread. Jenner and I got married back in September last year. We even have a few OCR witnesses. One of them stole my shoe. But it's a lousy shoe so I'm better off without it. Marriage is awesome but it's always more work than you expect, even if you have high expectations. KF

NO DON'T DO IT MARRIAGE ISN'T WHAT YOU TH-- *ehem* Seriously, though, congratulations! I'm really happy for you two. KF

Albert Odyssey is one of my favorite soundtracks (and ranks as #1 if I had a list of most overlooked soundtracks). It's okay. The harp's the main highlight; the choir does sound rather unnatural (as was already said). Though also, considering it's only a 90-second theme, there's not much to work with so it's a challenge to make sure that it doesn't sound repetitive if you expand it. KF

NO STEVO I'M NOT TRANSLATING ANY MORE OF YOUR POR-- wait... n/m... ...sorry, habitual response. I usually don't bring it up unless it pertains to the conversation. So, like, unless we got on the subject of import games or vacations I prolly wouldn't've mentioned it. KF

I usually set goals based on life events rather than the start of the year, but this time coincidentally I have a few right about now that could be resolutions. 2012 was a pretty big year for me (finished my Master's program, moved to a new apartment, got married) so a lot of this is based on now having a bunch of free time that I didn't before. Skills Pick back up calligraphy (had to set this aside 4 years back, but I still have all my brushes and ink) Study 50% of the material I have for the JLPT N1 (my long-term goal is to pass N1 by December 2014) Projects/Entertainment Translate the remaining Lunar manga (3 volumes) I have yet to translate Translate 2 of the Lunar drama CDs Start the Magical School Lunar Let's Play I've been planning for years Clear 50% of my game backlog Work My work-related goals are important, but they'll sound dull if I list them here