SoulinEther

I think having more options in these kinds of situations, in general, would be better... but think of all the excess plot you'd have to write, and then all the coding.. and the character designs.. Perhaps it's just a matter of pragmatism on the development side.

24,500 is a bit steep, and there's no way I can abandon my actual life for 45 days. WOE IS ME THERE IS NO HOPE. Nah, but I can relate. There is a big difference between being at "home" (whether that home is a physical home or a dorm) and... not being at home. I can't see myself getting over some of my issues while at home because it's a catalyst for my compulsive behaviors (which may indeed stem from other issues, ...or it might not). IDK. On the surface, it's laughable, but there is validity to the idea. I think the first step should be counseling, though... or a form of AA for internet/video game addicts.

Not to let you down or anything... but... i'm really tired and reading your story... i'm .. left... conflicted.. and intrigued. i'll have to check this out tomorrow. my eyes are nigh bleeding.

happy birthday to .. uh, someone i've never heard of (), someone whose music i've been listening to a lot lately due to a certain project, and to someone whose ego makes me wary of providing further inflation with positive wishes... but i'll do it anyway. cheers.

Hm. Switching the brain off... I should try that sometime. I would use the grinding in Lineage 2 and mf'ing in Diablo 2 for the sake of worrying about the rest of my life. Maybe this whole PvPvE system is what I need to fully engage me into a game.

Indeed. Oh the horror.

I wish I checked out Phantom of the Zeromus earlier! I mean, I understand the more rock opera approach of the actual track on the album, but this comes off as more operatic (possibly due to the non-cookie monster vocals, guitar, and kick drum), and I wish those involved could have pursued it further (it sounds a little rough?). And, alright, the male vocals sound a little strange but they work pretty well. Path of Deception is really engaging. I'm most impressed by its structure, and of course its amazing sound. I was a little put off by its more minimal buildup (when compared to Bridge to Eternity), but once you get into the meat, it takes you places. Evoking the Dawn is my favorite rendition of Prelude + Rydia. Pretty moving stuff. The Flying Machine... wow. It weaves together three (four?) themes so perfectly. The orchestration is good, great production too. I wish it were longer, but I fear it would overstay its welcome if it were much longer. Eminence Grise and Genesis of Destruction have grown on me - an eerie, then epic culmination of everything leading up to the ending of the album. ...and Kind of Green? I am not sure what the hell's the deal with the title, but I like it for relaxation purposes. It's sort of like a happy ending to a good story. Much like FF4's. Cool.

Except knitting gives you a physical product that, spared from the lacerations caused by a violent washing machine, should be something you can take with you wherever you go for years, keeping you warm, etc...

I'm still not likely to play it, but now I have a slightly better idea of what it's like. One of my friends has been doing beta for a while, looking for all the exploits to use for himself (lol), but he hasn't told me much about the game itself. Thanks.

How does it compare to Lineage 2? Nick, you're saying it's got its fair share of grinding. Can you quest to gain levels? Or is questing more about getting gear/money? How well can you solo this game? Do you run out of mana fast as a mage? Can you recover health quickly as a fighter? I'm usually playing support - you're saying clerics have a smite nuke that often fails: does it work well against undead or does it flat out suck? Do you level skills individually, or do you level up attributes that power up skills (like Guild Wars)? Do you get stat points to distribute upon leveling, or do your stats just increase automatically every time you level?

I don't know how prices go in the UK but if that's about $700... that's not too bad. The Intel Core 2 Duo T6400-T6xxx processor might be the most you can get for your price range but a T8xxx might be nicer? Faster frontside bus and more L2 cache. I hate laptop shopping. Can't upgrade most anything... and then if they're power hogs... and you wanted something for more mobility... yeah, all-or-nothin affair, really.

Overused source aside, it's an all around keeper. Sixto + Castlevania.. should be a no-brainer. Though I'm not overly fond of the theme and variations approach for the first half (due to the fact that this source has been beaten to death) there's some other source in here (with the delayed piano I just realized that aria of sorrow references this dracula's castle theme for one of its underwater places!), and there's a very appreciable solo. It works for me, and if you're anything like me, it'll probably work for you.

i've played total annihilation and total annihilation kingdoms as my first RTS's. TA is totally customizable (and its awesome soundtrack is in regular CD audio format) with tons of new units, unit packs, total conversions, etc available. TA:K isn't nearly as customizable (or at least, it doesn't have as big of a fan base) but I personally preferred it for its setting (swords and magic as opposed to guns and nukes - note: TA doesn't have any hand to hand combat units)

i shoulda tossed in a emoticon too because i was only 25% serious (why do i always come off as serious? lol)

i mean i totally dropped passable criticism and all you did was pass it up. this thread is jacked up. (or is it... this thread is jacked up? idk i don't really see myself as being productive here.) anyway.

I've gotta try the shaking thing. That simple to make 'em fluffy?

Sorry guys, got me a case of the flu (here's to hoping its not the swine variety), + lots of schoolwork, + apathy. I won't be voting for the freeform and from where I'm standing I don't think I'll be able to write a short story. Though I did start something like an allegory, with the main character being a plastic bag...

really digging the akira one. strikes me to be more like VF1 but that's fine, lol. There really isn't enough appreciation for some of those epic themes (but if you've ever played VFPC, ironically, every song gets a form of ocremix treatment, so that's pretty cool) I can see where some people (eh hem, neblix) are saying you're sticking to some of the same structures. I don't see that as entirely the case. There are definitely variations; not all sonatas strictly adhere to the structure in the most obvious ways. I kinda see that as similar to what you're doing. Even if its not similar, I still think what you're doing works well. Apocalyptic World sounds different, good, just... i think the mixing/samples and stuff for the introduction part (esp the drum roll) could be improved but it works. Once we get into the leads of fury part (i.e. everything else) it's all smooth sailing.

Wow. Net10 is my hero of the week. Anyway, something to remember about most prepaid wireless providers is that they probably do not have their own network (unless you're dealing with AT&T, T-mobile, etc). They instead use other networks (like Verizon, Sprint, ATT, Tmobile, and whatever else exists out in the east) I guess under their own contract. Their cheapness may lie in the fact that they don't have to maintain their own network and stuff. I don't know what possible downsides may be. You'll also be looking at a limited selection of phones (usually). It seems boost only offers select motorola phones. I doubt boost does family plans. Since you want more than one phone you may be able to save more elsewhere. Depends on how many minutes you want and what services (e.g. texting) you want.

Lol! I didn't hear anything perverted in the lyrics till I checked out that misheard lyrics page. Now they're all I can hear D: Anyway, this is really hilarious: the lyrics and their delivery both work to entertain.

I do find myself humming this occasionally. Nice. I wasn't that thrilled by it at first but it grew on me. I love the soloing or whatever during and after "Tonight/Alive/Tonight"

ok i promise - tomorrow i'll vote. damn this whole higher education system.

I know, right? We're totally overlooking something here, lol.

So... I don't think I'll be renewing my subscription. IDK but it strikes me that half the article is BS anyway. Not sure if I wanna take Time seriously anymore.

That actually sounds pretty fun, though it would probably be a controller-based rhythm-fest. (And what's wrong with that? )