Christmas Surprises

Yeah, yeah, Christmas was like two weeks ago.  I'm lazy, get off my back.  I'm going to talk about the games that I got for Christmas, and I needed a decent chance to play them all before I wrote about them.

Everyone have a good Christmas?  I sure hope so, because I did!  Some dress shirts, a few sweater vests, 8 Disney movies (Beauty and the Beast, Tangled, Up, Wall-E, The Incredibles, Toy Story 3, Sister Act, and The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe!), and 3 video games.

Game 1:  A present from my youngest brother- Final Fantasy IV:  The Complete Collection for PSP.  Final Fantasy IV is probably my favorite RPG of all time.  I first played it on an SNES emulator that we had on our computer, but it was called Final Fantasy II at the time.  I later figured out that it was actually IV, and then it came out with Chrono Trigger as a bundle game for the Playstation.  Then they released it on the Game Boy Advance as Final Fantasy IV Advance.  Then again on the DS, but with 3D graphics this time!  And finally on the PSP as Complete Collection.  FF4:  TCC is actually 3 games in one, the Advance version of IV with updated graphics, the sequel to IV that was released in different chapters, called The After Years, AND a short little interlude between the two.
     Now...the problem with the fact that this is one of my favorite games is that I've played it a lot.  So...I know how to beat it, strategy-wise.  Also...occasionally, when I know a side quest is available from a certain point on, I will undertake that side quest ASAP.  Unfortunately, the side quests typically require me to be a few levels stronger than I typically would be in a normal RPG.  But since I know this game so well, I tend to speed through the main storyline, so I tend to be a few levels (just one or two, nothing major) weaker than I should be.  So...I'm stuck at a part where I can continue the main storyline and lose a character for a good bit, and then only have 4 characters when I go on these side quests, or I can struggle through the arduous process of leveling, which isn't usually a problem...when I have no other games to play.  However, I have the two after-game adventures that I've never played before, PLUS a few other games that I got for, or around, Christmas.  So I'm having a hard time staying focused on beating this game.

Game 2:  A present given to me by my younger brother, but really from my parents- Batman:  Arkham City for the XBox 360.  Now...I love me some Batman.  I love comic books, and superheroes, and video games, so this seems like a game right up my alley, right?  WRONG.  Now...I do enjoy this game, I'm just bad at it.  I like superhero games with teams that are more RPG-like.  For instance, the X-Men Legends games, the Marvel:  Ultimate Alliance games, and Justice League Heroes.  Games where I control one hero, and the computer controls 1-3 other heroes and we join forces to kick ass.  Those are superhero games that I like and am good at.  Action games where I have open world maps and open-end quests, and combos to learn are games that I do not excel at.  But...I own this game, and Arkham Asylum, and I asked for both of them.  Even if I never get good at them, they are games that I am proud to own.  Plus, I downloaded Catwoman, Nightwing, and Robin for Arkham City, so eventually...I need to be able to play as them.  Even if I die a lot.  But eventually (I keep telling myself that) I will play them, and be good at them, and will fall in love with them.  For now, they are that person across the food court that is wearing awesome clothes and talking to awesome looking people that I am totally in love with, but will never have the courage to talk to.

Game 3 (and 4):  A present ACTUALLY from my younger brother- Tales of Symphonia:  Dawn of a New World for Wii.  This is a game that I am actually really enjoying.  I'd never heard of the Tales series of games, or if I had, I had never paid attention to them, but I'm really enjoyed myself while playing this.  And then it dawned on me that this is a sequel to a Gamecube game, and (like many Wii sequels to Gamecube games, slash- The Fire Emblem games) there is a transfer option, so that the Wii game is ...made better/easier/whatever by things you did in the Gamecube game.  So I returned X-Men:  Destiny (which is a TERRIBLE game that I will review in a moment) and one of my dad's birthday presents (that he already had!) to McKay's and FOUND THE GAMECUBE GAME!  So I've been playing through that, and am really enjoying it.  I keep feeling like I'm at the end of the game, but thanks to my occasional glances at strategy guides and the fact that there is a second disc, I know I'm not.  But if you like Final Fantasy games, Super Smash Bros, and/or the Fire Emblem series (for some reason, Tales of Symphonia just feels like a non-strategy Fire Emblem game to me, I don't know why) then you will really enjoy these games!

Game 5:  Something I got for myself a few weeks ago, it just happened to be in December- X-Men:  Destiny for the XBox 360.  THIS IS SUCH A TERRIBLE GAME.  I'm sorry.  I love the X-Men.  They were my REAL introduction to nerdy things.  The 90's cartoon changed my life.  If I ever get a tattoo, it will be the logo from one of the X-Men movies, with the X in a circle looking all metallic-y, on my shoulder blade.  I.  LOVE.  X-MEN.  But this game SUCKS.  First- in all the press stuff I'd ever read about the game, everyone talked about the freedom of choice, and how you can choose to be an X-Man or a member of the Brotherhood.  Maybe I didn't play far enough in the game to get to that choice, but the only chances I got to choose were side missions, nothing affecting the reality of the game.  No matter what side I picked, I did this mini-game, and then I was back on the main quest.  You get to choose one of three brand-new characters, and once you pick your character, you pick their powers, and all of their upgrades.  Which, I initially thought would be cool.  If only the powers didn't suck. 
     I am a person who would (in real life) prefer a power that allows me to stay at range and beat the crap out of people from a distance, like telekinesis or energy manipulation.  Something along those lines.  However, I have found that in games, especially those action games that I am no good at, choosing long-range powers/weapons tends to put you at a disadvantage, as you have no teammates to distract the enemies while you pick them off one by one from afar.  No, all of the enemies come straight towards you, and if you have a long-distance power, you are forced to flee from them and hide behind things and generally fight very cowardly, and it is annoying.  However, I also usually hate playing as "bruiser"-type characters.  So the power choices were Energy Projection (long-range), Density Shifting ("bruiser"), and Shadow Manipulation (something in between, OR SO I THOUGHT).  Figuring (correctly) that EP and DS were what they were, I initially chose Shadow Manipulation.  After you choose your power, there's a very brief cut-scene showing your character rescue some civilians using their powers.  My guy initially teleported, like Nightcrawler, and I thought "FUCK YEAH, I GET TO BE NIGHTCRAWLER!"  FALSE.  It was more like Wolverine.  But without the healing factor.  And you can't teleport, like the game TOLD YOU YOU COULD.  So I played for a while, and got annoyed.  They kept introducing these mutants, letting them fight with you, but not in any sort of controllable way.  There's one level where you free Surge, Colossus, and Quicksilver, and the four of you are on your way to escape.  But your three comrades are all doing their own thing in battles.  PLUS THERE ARE NO HEALING PACKS AND LOTS OF SHIT TO BE KICKED OUT OF YOU.  Enemies occasionally drop health orbs, but that does me little to no good if I wasted 50 enemies and didn't get hurt, and then a super enemy comes out, kicks my ass, and then drops an orb that heals 5 health of the 230 that he just took away from me.
     Sorry...I get pissed.  This game makes me pissed.  But it had lots of things going for it!  It has an impressive cast list, and the potential to introduce lots of casual fans to more obscure/modern X-Men characters, like Northstar, Surge, Pixie, and Caliban.  And the way they kept talking about putting an emphasis on choices, I thought it would be more like an X-Men-themed Dragon Age or Mass Effect (which would be HELLA FUCKING AWESOME, Marvel and Bioware- TEAM UP!)  Alas, it was not, I was sorely disappointed, and SUPER PISSED.  So I gave it back to McKay's and got a good game instead.  And...am seriously thinking about writing a nasty letter to Marvel, because that shit was unacceptable.

The Sixth Night

I have to tell you guys about this super awesome nerdy dream I had.  It's a dream, so it obviously didn't really make too much sense, but that in no way limits its awesomeness.  First off, the dream was a mix between Harry Potter and X-Men, using elements of both universes.  From Harry Potter, most of what was used was the movie version of Apparating and Disapparting.  The version where they just kind of turn into smoke and fly around.  That one.  And Voldemort.  From the X-Men universe was the X-Men themselves, obviously.  They were kind of like the Order of the Phoenix from the HP universe.  Also, there was some sort of character crossover.  James and Lily Potter were instead Cyclops (Scott Summers) and Phoenix (Jean Grey), who in my dream were played by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer (Jim and Pam from The Office).  They did have a newborn (boy, I think, and would assume, but I'm not entirely sure about that).

Anywho.  The dream opens kind of the same way the movie flashes back to Lily and James dying.  Lily/Jean is putting the child to bed, and James/Scott is in the other room, being nervous.  Jean comes to talk to Scott about how this Secret Keeper thing is probably not a good idea, and they would be safer with their friends (The X-Men/Order of the Phoenix) around.  Scott agrees, so Jean goes to prepare their departure.  Suddenly, the front door gets blasted down and who should float through but VOLDEMORT!  Before he can raise his wand, Cyclops optic blasts him, not doing any real damage, but stunning him long enough for Scott to find Jean, who already has the baby and is ready to leave.  Jean insists they go together, but Scott says that he'll be fine, they need to protect the baby.  Jean agrees and she and the baby Disapparate out of their house, while Scott goes to confront Voldemort again.  Voldy has recovered when Scott reenters the room, and they kind of duel for a little bit until Voldemort realizes that Jean and the baby are gone.  He's about the kill Scott, but Scott Disapparates as well, but he uses the ghosty movie version, so he lingers around the house watching Voldemort wreck it trying to find a clue as to where the family has gone.  After Voldy gets pissed and is done trashing the house, he leaves, and so Scott finally leaves to go to the other safe house that they had installed (the X-Mansion, I'm assuming, but I don't know for sure because...)

The dream shifts to Jean and the baby, who have materialized in some sort of shopping center.  I don't know why she popped up here, but she did.  She starts to run towards wherever it is that she's going, when suddenly, KABOOM!  There's an explosion behind her.  DEATH EATERS!  There were a couple just hanging around who happened to notice her.  She's got her baby in her arms, so she can't use magic to defend herself (why she doesn't just telekinesis the SHIT out of them is beyond me, but whatever), so she just runs away.  Suddenly, there's another explosion, but this time where the Death Eaters where standing.  Dazzler apparently was here as well, ready to defend Jean.  Jean waves a thank-you to Dazzler, and keeps running while Dazzler stands her ground to kick some Death Eater ass.  Then the dream went into a chase scene, with Jean running through the shopping center, trying to escape the Death Eaters, while things explode and fall down all around her (I'm assuming that Dazzler is doing some of the damage).  Anyways, Jean finds her way outside again, and Cyclops comes driving up in a school bus (I don't know why).  Jean and the baby climb aboard and hightail it outta there, leaving Dazzler and the Death Eaters behind.  I feel like I should mention that it is also winter, and not a Tennessee winter.  Like...an England winter, with snow everywhere, and it's dreary and overcast all the time, and is frequently below freezing, if not zero.

Cyclops is hauling ass in the school bus, but it's a school bus, so...there's only so much ass he can haul.  Plus, there are other people on the road.  (Also, I think this scene MIIIIIIIIGHT take place in Farragut, where I live now, so bear with me)  He comes up to the Campbell Station/Parkside Drive intersection (which is a four-way light intersection, with like...six lanes on each road.  It's a fairly large intersection.)  He's trying to turn left from Campbell Station onto Grigsby Chapel, but there's this douchebag car in front of him that won't go, even though it's still a green turn signal.  So he maneuvers that bus around the car, and ends up on Grigsby Chapel.  He's driving for a little bit, and is about to turn onto Smith, when there's a TRAFFIC JAM!  He can ALMOST turn, but not quite, because he's driving a fucking school bus and those bitches are HUGE.  Luckily, Jean is right there and can levitate the front of the bus into a more turning-friendly position.  She does so, and the family sets off down Smith Road, until ANOTHER TRAFFIC JAM.  There is no real way to drive out of this one, so the family pulls over and ditches the bus.  When they get off the bus, a group of X-Men Apparate to them (I guess the bus was some sort of mystical cloaking device?  I dunno).  Storm, Iceman, Shadowcat, Colossus, and I think Havok and Polaris are all there.  And maybe Wolverine.  But the group of them work their way from Smith Road onto Union road, and are walking along with no trouble.  Someone senses something sinister (alliteration, yay!), so Storm and Iceman working together quickly create this blizzard.  Cyclops yells at them, saying that any Death Eater with any sense will immediately be able to tell where they are now, because really, how many localized blizzards are there in the world, especially when there's a known weather controller in a hunted group of heroes.  Storm explains that the center of the blizzard is a few miles down the road, and that's where all the Death Eaters will think they are.  Cyclops is like "okay, whatever, it's not like you can undo this now" and they start to continue on their trek, when SUDDENLY a caped figure stands in their way.  The X-Men assume battle positions, and before they can determine if it's Voldemort or Magneto (because Magneto is an ally, therefore a good thing), I woke up...

Also, after the Jean Grey shopping scene, there was this bizarre scene with Emma Frost, Storm, Iceman, Batman, and ...someone else, where they go to confront ...someone, and their abilities only activate when they twirl about in an anime girl fashion, so...there was that scene too.  Which I chose not to include in this narrative because 1.  Storm was a white girl with brown hair in that scene, 2.  Batman has no business being anywhere near the X-Men, as he is a DC character, and they are a Marvel franchise, and 3.  It made no fucking sense.  Yay dreams.

So anyways, that was my super awesome dream.  I sat with it all day yesterday, and I'm going to sit with it again today and see if I can't find a logical conclusion, and maybe write it out for National Novel Writing Month in November.  If I do, I'll try to post chapters here so whoever wants to can critique me.