Gaming Journal: Dark Souls - Vol. 6: THIS is why you play Dark Souls!!!!!!

I just beat the most difficult boss in Dark Souls (so far). It took me several times and several youtube videos and guides but I finally did it. Orenstein and Smough. Or, as they'll be called from now on, quick bitch and fat bitch. You have to fight both of them at once and they are bastards. I hate them with a passion and I can't describe the relief I felt once I landed the killing blow on fat bitch. The worst part about this fight, other than having to fight them both at once, is once you kill one (which is difficult enough), the other absorbs the dead ones powers and becomes even that much more difficult. I get pains just thinking about it.

The quick bitch is, in my opinion, the best one to kill first because the fat bitch is easier by himself. I went in with 10 estss flasks and came out with none. I was down to 1/4 health and the fat bitch was grinding me down. Seriously, fighting these bitches by yourself (I had no humanity and no one to summon for help) is draining. I'm currently resting my character at the next bon fire and resting myself by doing this post. Once I finally killed the fat bitch, my heart was POUNDING and an immense amount of relief engulfed me. Dark Souls is really the only game where I've felt so much grief and frustration and then feel just as much elation and relief 5 minutes later. It's kind of amazing.

According to what I've heard, after beating these guys, I should be over half way through the game. That's kind of crazy because I've been playing it for 55 hours.

Belated Merry Christmas

I can't believe I didn't make any posts on Christmas but...yeah, I just didn't. How's that for an explanation?

How was your Christmas? Mine was pretty good, actually. Christmas Day was fun and I really do like getting other people gifts, I've found out. I received some really cool gifts (including some awesome black and orange shoes that make me smile just looking at them - you want pics, don't you?). My mom and I came up with a last second gift idea for my dad which went wrong once we actually opened the piece of shit on Christmas Day. We decided to get him a ping pong table because he, and coincidentally (or not) I, really enjoy ping pong. He hasn't played in a long time and it's been a little while for me but it's just a lot of fun. Here was the plan:

Since it was last second, we had to rush to try and find one and then get it home. Dad is the only one with a truck so we had to find someway to get it without him knowing. Luckily, he asked me to go play tennis with him and his friends Saturday morning. I decided to drive so my mom took the truck while we were gone. How she managed to get the ping pong table from the truck and into the driveway all by herself is still a mystery but she was able to hide it. So, Christmas Day, after everybody opens their presents, we giddily walk into the garage with the aforementioned "I thiiiiiink we have one more gift..." while trying not to look at dad because I'm smiling.

Long story short, we decided to put it together later after we had left the house for a bit. We come back, take everything out of the box with the intent of putting the damn thing together only to find out that the tables inside the box looked like beat up shit. Do the dumb shits at Target just throw their merchandise around when they get it off the truck? I can't believe they would even sell something in this condition. We were going to try and make a go of it but just found too much wrong with it. Dad just said "We're not paying for that shit." and rightly so. Whenever it's not rainy outside *shakes fist at window* we're taking it back. Hopefully, one day, we'll get another one.

But other than that one incident, it was a great Christmas. We never have a lot of family around for the Holidays (just the 5 of us) because everybody else lives up north, about 700 miles away. No matter, though. We make the best of it and still have a good time. So again, how was your Christmas? I don't get very many comments anymore but, to be fair, I don't really post that much anymore. Maybe I should try that again and see how it works out.

Happy Holidays!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

I am so excited about this movie...

It looks fantastic! It almost feels like I'm going back in time and getting excited all over again for the next The Lord of Rings movie. PUMPED that all of the big actors are back and having watched the BBC series, Sherlock (which you should check out if you haven't), I can tell you that Martin Freeman is going to be PERFECT as Bilbo. I really need to go ahead and read the book. It's just sitting on my shelf.

Can't wait!!!

The Dark Knight Rises

Cool trailer, right? Get you some quality head phones and watch it again. The sound is half of what makes this trailer so great. All the chanting = epic! Hearing Bane, in his bad ass voice, say "When Gotham is ashes...you have my permission to die." gives chills.

While I love this trailer, it doesn't have quite the impact the first trailer for The Dark Knight had when it came out. I didn't expect it to. I've also seen a bootleg version of the prologue and I love Bane's voice. It's a shame he only has one line in this trailer. He sounds extremely intelligent in the prologue but intimidating at the same time. I was worried about how Bane would come off in this movie but my doubts have all but disappeared.

Also, what about Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle? I think she's looking good. I know some people have hated on the casting choice but I see no problem with it. She had more attitude in her walk at 1:38 than I think I've ever seen from her. It's kinda hot. <_<

Batman is looking rugged. The story is set 8 years after the end of The Dark Knight and Batman has been out of the picture. It shows. It looks like Bane is going to lay the smack down. You know, in the comics, he actually breaks Batman's back. I'm wondering how this will all end...

Opening day guaranteed!

Brand new game: The Last of Us

There has been a lot of speculation leading up to the elusive Playstation 3 exclusive "The Last of Us" and now, finally, it's been properly revealed. The biggest surprise for me? F**king NAUGHTY DOG is developing this game. The trailer itself looked good enough but the fact that ND is the developer is huge for me. Check the debut trailer:

Get More: GameTrailers.com, The Last of Us - VGA 2011: Exclusive Debut Trailer HD, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

The graphics are definitely comparable to the Uncharted series, especially the last two games. Naughty Dog has just released some new details about the game:

"Abandoned cities reclaimed by nature. A population decimated by a modern plague. Survivors are killing each other for food, weapons; whatever they can get their hands on.

Joel, a brutal survivor, and Ellie, a brave young teenage girl who is wise beyond her years, must work together if they hope to survive their journey across the US."

Interesting. I wonder if it's going to another zombie game or if ND is going to throw in some kind of twist? I'm hoping for the latter. I was already intrigued by this game but now I'll definitely be looking out for it.

Playing Metal Gear Solid 2. Taking me WAY back.

*Notices he hasn't posted in a while...<_<*

You might not know this but I actually started the Metal Gear Solid series with Metal Gear Solid 2. Don't ask me why, I know it's stupid. I never really heard about the series much until my friends kept talking about how awesome MGS2 was. So I blindly bought the second game without knowing what I was getting myself into. For this very reason, MGS2 holds a very special place in my heart. A very crazy, convoluted, and sometimes goofy, place in my heart.

I just got the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection in the mail today and I've been playing Sons of Liberty for a little over an hour now. Playing this game is bringing back some major memories. I couldn't have known what was going on the first time I played it, or caught the little references from the first game, but I know that I loved it. There was one time when I played this game for 8 straight hours until I realized I was hungry and needed food. Which was really only to give me the energy to play more.

Traipsing around the Tanker, putting guards to sleep, stuffing them in lockers, listening to Otacon ramble on about irrelevant Chinese proverbs, it's all so oddly refreshing and nostalgic at the same time. I haven't played this game in a long time but I'm remembering why I love it. No matter how bat shit crazy and off the rails this game goes, it's still one of my favorite of the PS2 era. Yes, Metal Gear Solid 3 is a masterpiece and is a much better game. But I'm drawn to Sons of Liberty more so than the first Metal Gear Solid. Even if it's the better game, I guess having played the first one so late in the series reduced it's impact.

I am now excited to re-acquaint myself with this game and keep moving forward in this collection. Eventhough I had the game for my PSP, I never played Peace Walker. I keep hearing nothing but good things about the PS3 port, and I'm sure it's much better to play with the PS3 controller versus the PSP. And I'm sure it will look great. Which reminds me, MGS2 is very nice looking. The HD upgrade has made it very easy on the eyes.