Ralph Manzanares' blog

My newfound love for Dragon Quest

2011-08-11T10:21:00.000-07:00

This game escaped my childhood, only to re captivate me now. Growing up, I wasn't much a big fan of RPGs until Final Fantasy II (IV) was released on the Super Nintendo in 1991. My NES collection read something like this; Contra, Super Mario, and Mega Man. I remember seeing games like Wizardry, Final Fantasy, and Dragon Warrior back in the day, buy my feeble 8-9 year old mind rather be figuring out which weapon to kill which robot master or how to get to Dracula's Castle.

My first foray into the Dragon Quest world was Dragon Warrior Monsters (yes, I was infected with Pokerus like the rest of the world in the mid to late 90's). The artwork and monster designs were brilliant. What have I gotten myself into.

For years I've had a copy of Dragon Warrior VII sitting on my PlayStation shelf. I've yet to this day played it. Now let's press fast forward to the release of Dragon Quest IX.

Life as I know it will forever be changed. How did I know I'd be hooked as a Sentinel of the Starry Sky? How did I know I would attend every Canvas tagging event in a 50 mile radius of my house? Hell, who would have guessed I'd be a co-founder of a Dragon Quest IX tagging group with more than 100 members in the Los Angeles area? Not I.

I'm a traditionalist at heart. Old school Final Fantasy and other RPGs are some of my favorites. I've an avid Pokefreak, even though I've only managed to catch them all during the Gameboy and Gameboy Color era. So what was it about Dragon Quest IX that hooked me? Hell, I'll go as far to say that this game hit all my sweet spots and brought up fond memories of RPGs from an era past.

The game included the basic RPG formula that you can't go wrong with. Solid story, great music. Tons of quest to complete. I doubt I'll ever truly complete them. For a DS title, the graphics were awesome too. But there's two more things that got me hooked. Multiplayer and customization. Unless you wanted all the same Armor and hair styles, every Quester in the world of DQIX had their own distinct look. And this may sound funny, the last time I had multiplayer in a traditional RPG was Final Fantasy III on the SNES, and the only thing the second player could do was select attack commands during battles. This game lets another play enter your world to help you along with your quest, or get to the second to last floor in the Mayasuki dungeon. This game has win all over it, but every other Dragon Quest/Warrior game to be released failed to sell outside of Japan. How is this different?

Well, the marketing muscle of Nintendo was flexed in favor of this game. From TV spots and movie theater ads to a full fledged mall tour, this game was going to succeed.

But enough about IX, we all know how great the game is. Now I'm on a quest to complete every Dragon Quest/Warrior main game. Currently I own Dragon Warrior, Dragon Warrior VII, Dragon Quest IV and Dragon Quest IX. I've recently obtained Dragon Warrior III, Dragon Quest V, and Dragon Quest VI. I've located two copies of Dragon Warrior I & II and Dragon Warrior III for GBC at the local swap meet. Might take my SP with me to check if they work still before I buy. I've beaten only Dragon Quest IX and IV. I'm about to finish DQV hopefully this week, and erase my save from DQVI (I made the mistake and told Amos the truth, Momma didn't raise a liar).

So with my latest addiction to Dragon Quest/Warrior I've been reading up on every game, I even started a Caravan Heart game on the side. Too bad I missed out on the Retronauts Podcast. I still got some Dragon Quest questions I want to ask. Maybe Parish will answer them via Twitter.

It's Tatsu BAYBEE!

2011-03-04T11:23:00.001-08:00

Well, we're a few short weeks removed from the release of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. And a few things have happened since then. Let's start off by saying I have a whole new appreciation for Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars.

I've been playing it a little here and there, enough times to unlock Zero and Frank West. I'm still working on unlocking the Tatsunoko characters.. This game if fun. And I feel like it has a lot more balance. Now I wish I would have been all hyped for this game like my friend(?) John aka Cactus Boy. The controls are slick, three attack buttons and universal air dash for all. The only downfall for this game were the "Giant" characters. The multiplayer is pretty ambitious for a Wii title. And the whole friend code thing is a pain in the ass. I do like the ability to register people for rivals. Even thought most of the people I register is because we had some good games with little to no lag.

Now why would I bring up this past fighter? Well, after doing on research I've been watching the Wii/GameCube emulator Dolphin. This emulator makes Wii and GameCube games running at 720p BEAUTIFUL. So, I YouTube'd some TvC running on said emulator at 720p. Hot diggity. It looks marvelous. Now I see potential in this having some success has a PSN/XBLA title. Sell it for fifteen bones, and I bet it'll create a larger revenue than it's Wii counterpart. Especially with all the 2-D and Capcom fighting game hype taking place right now. Capcom, make it happen. Or at least port all of the Capcom cast from TvC to MvC3. Hell, throw in the Tatusnoko heads too (j/k).

In other news, I held my first cash prize tournament for Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 at my buddy's store called @Tronix. It was a 16-man double elimination tournament with a ten dollar buy in. The first prize winner took home one hundred bucks. The tournament was fun, and the top three players were all amazing. It was anyone's ball game in the final three matches. Some kid named Keanu had an amazing Phoenix, and Josh had a great Taskmaster/Wolverine/Sentinel team, but it was Brandon who took home the 1st place title and one hundred bucks with a Wesker, Dormammu, and Sentinel team (sorry if I said them in the wrong order). I'm hosting another MvC3 tournament again on March 26th, but also adding a Super Street Fighter IV bracket. Let's see how well this does.

In my general gaming news, I've beaten Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen for the Nintendo DS. Twenty two long hours, and Psaro the Manslayer is no more. Now all I have left to do is the Psaro bonus quest and finish Hoffman's Pioneer town, which I let him name "St. Ralphsburg." Just in time for some Pokemon Black and White. I am tempted to hunt down, play, and complete Dragon Quest V. So far that's two Dragon Quest titles I've beaten this year (IX and IV).

Oh man, I almost forgot my OverClocked Remix of the day. This song is brought to you by one jdproject. It's called "The Ken Song." Enjoy.

Marvel Vs. Capcom-mania!

2011-02-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well, over a decade of demand and we finally have it. Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 is here. Was it worth the wait? Does it equal the hype?

I'm an avid fighting game fan. Since the moment I stepped into a 7 Eleven for Street Fighter II to the day I waited till midnight only to lose a free copy of Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 at Wal-Mart (more about that later). First I want to go back about my experiences of Capcom's Marvel fighting franchises and it's "Marvel Versus" series of fighters.

First game that started it all was X-Men: Children of the Atom. This game was using Capcom's CPS-2 board and was the first Capcom fighter to introduce many techniques that exist in fighters today. Of these the recovery roll after being knocked down and the ability to super jump by tapping down, then up. The game made it to home consoles in the US and ported by Probe Entertainment and published by Acclaim. I spent many a quarters on this after school at my local 7 Eleven (yes, some of you may recall they did have arcade cabinets before).

A year after Children of the Atom, Capcom followed up with Marvel Super Heroes. Not to be mistaken for the Super Nintendo side scroller beat 'em up. Marvel Super Heroes kept with the main formula that made CotA a hit, with the inclusion of the Infinity Gems/Gauntlet. The Gem would bestow a special power once activated with one meter on your power bar. The character design and artwork was also a tribute to Jack Kirby, and for the most part was retained till Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. This game saw release in the US by Capcom for both the Sony PlayStation and the Sega Saturn. The PlayStation version was part of Capcom's "Fighters Edge" banner.

In 1996 Capcom raised the bar when they released X-Men Vs. Street Fighter. The first in the series to introduce Tag Team fighting and assist type moves. Replacing the "Infinity Counter" from Marvel Super Heroes was the "Variable Counter." Also, any damage taken would drop your yellow meter, and the red shadow meter behind it was recoverable once that fighter was tagged out. This game also introduced the massive Hadoukens that are now a staple in the Versus series. Also, the final boss fight introduced the first larger than life boss battles with a giant Apocalypse. This game was released only in the US for the Sony PlayStation, but the ability to tag out left it lacking. Also, it led this blogger to importing the Sega Saturn version and a Pro Action Replay with the 4 MB expansion pack. Best deal ever. The PlayStation version remained under the "Fighters Edge" banner.

A year later Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter was released. The game dropped most of the X-Men roster in favor of those left behind in Marvel Super Heroes. Nothing else really changed except a few engine tweaks to help balance the game. You still Apocalypse, but after defeating him you had to deal with Cyber Akuma. The game also got a washed down port for the US PlayStation. So if you wanted a true to arcade experience, you had to scour eBay for this puppy.

Next up is Marvel Vs. Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes. The game isn't a huge leap from its predecessors. The one major game changing change was the inclusion of limited assist characters. Which at the outset seems random, but can be chosen with a unique button hold command. Thus, we only saw Psylocke, Lou, and Colossus Assists. Another notable change was the ability to use three meters and summon in and fight with your second character for a short period of time with unlimited super meter. The game was ported to PlayStation in yet another watered down version. The Dreamcast port however was faithful to the arcade experience and was touted as a launch title only to be delayed till September 30th. The game was now under the "Capcom Edge" banner, which was formerly the "Fighters Edge."

Finally one of the biggest fighting games and still played to this day around the world in various arcade circuits. We have Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. One of the most outrageous and ambitious fighters out there. The gameplay mechanics saw the most major change with the switch to four attack buttons and the inclusion of dedicated assist buttons. The game itself saw many changes during it's life cycle with many drastic ways the game was played. From a more methodical approach, to a spacing approach, and now to a frantic rush down. The game has passed the test of time and has been ported to more recent systems such as the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade and on the PlayStation 3's PSN. Last's year's EVO Tournament series saw it's final display of Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 action. Not too shabby for being a ten year old game and to garner that much respect and still be in the spot light.

An honorable mention, and somewhat spiritual sucessor to Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 is Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. Which in my honest opinion would have been a smash hit if it was ported to Xbox 360 and/or PlayStation 3. Instead it was left to die in the wasteland known as Wii Exclusives. Many of the mechanics that were brought into this game carried over to Marvel Vs. Capcom 3, and now is also making me want to give TvC another crack. Maybe once I get a Tatsu-stick for my Wii.

Finally, Marvel Vs. Capcom 3. A game MvC2 Champion Justin Wong, stated is "easiest and cheapest fighting game that was ever made..." Which, whole heartedly I can agree with. Chip damage was a big part of MvC2, and is an even larger part in MvC3. I've yet to come across anything bad and abuse-able of the assist system. Just spamming projectiles and assists can be rather annoying. The X-Factor mode has yet to show anything negative. There are infinite combos already out there, but some are situational and shouldn't merit any alarm just yet. I've been trying to play Ranked Matches on Xbox Live and keep getting the "connection to host lost" message. Player Matches on the other hand are fun and easy to get into. As for the lack of spectator mode makes 8-player lobbies a bore.

As for a quick run down, will this game stand the test of time like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2. Yes, and no. As long as players keep supporting it, it'll go far. If Capcom keeps supplementing the title with more DLC characters (Mega Man, Frank West, please?), the legs should be long on this one. Well, thank you for reading this, hopefully I can make a more routinely return to blogging.

Also, here's my OverClocked Remix of the Day in honor of Street Fighter. Enjoy.

The Gamer Blue Print the first 16 Years

2009-02-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

So I was going to blog about some Street Fighter related items, but today I felt like typing about something else.

So today was my son's two month check in and vaccination shots. Poor little guy. As soon as he wakes up he cries. The pain must be unbearable for a two-month old. So I figured I would carry him and play some video game music. Thanks to Mega Ran, my son was put to sleep. I also played some jams from the Plasmas and Select Start. During this time I began to think, what games should I let my son play, should I just let him play what ever "Imagine Babyz/Petz/Dogz/Catz" game or should I let him begin his video game lineage the same way I began mine?

So I decided to make a chart of the years and how old I was at the time to coincide with my son's age and what not. On this list I compiled some of the best games I played during those years. For instance, in 1985 I was 4 years old, and Super Mario Bros. was the game of that year. Granted, I don't think I got my NES until 1986 or 87, but it's a good measuring stick for my son.

So here's the list of games, only in order of their release (from the top of my head).

2013/1985 (4 yrs) - Issac will be four years old. Little kids are pretty advance these days, but the game in 1985 would have been Super Mario Bros. (NES)

2014/1986 (5 yrs) - Ghosts 'n Goblins is the only game I can come up with during this time period.

2015/1987 (6 yrs) - Oh man, this is going to be a great year for Issac. The Legend of Zelda, Double Dragon, Punch Out! (with or without Mike Tyson), Castlevania, and Mega Man make this one great year to finely shape young Issac's video game career.

2016/1988 (7 yrs) - A good time for Issac to learn his first cheat code... Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start... good old Contra.

2017/1989 (8 yrs) - Time for Issac to learn the importance of great co-op play with Guerilla War. Then some great single player action with Mega Man 2, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for NES.

2018/1990 (9 yrs) - This must be a great year for "III's" as Super Mario Bros. 3 and Mega Man III are released. Also going to have to make my son watch Fred Savage in the Wizard.

2019/1991 (10 yrs) - The 16-bit era has begun. The 16-bit Wars are raging. Issac will get the best of both worlds while playing Super Mario World and Sonic the Hedgehog. Other notable games are SNES version of Street Fighter II. And one of my favorite video games of all time, Final Fantasy II (IV).

2020/1992 (11 yrs) - Super Mario Kart and the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past make this a must play SNES year.

2021/1993 (12 yrs) - My PC gaming cherry gets popped with Doom, so naturally as a part of gaming history for me, Issac will battle the hordes of demons. On the SNES side of things, the FX Chip hits big with Star Fox.

2022/1994 (13 yrs) - Another SNES dominate year. Super Metroid, Final Fantasy III (VI), Mega Man X, and one of the greatest platform games of all time, Donkey Kong Country.

2023/1995 (14 yrs) - Some of the last greatest RPGs of the 16-bit era, Earthbound and Chrono Trigger. Also, the Pokemon craze begins with Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue.

2024/1996 (15 yrs) - Super Mario RPG bids plays the SNES's swan song as hits like Resident Evil and Super Mario 64 hit the Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64.

2025/1997 (16 yrs) - Powerhouses like Star Fox 64 and Final Fantasy VII hit the market. Castlevania Symphony of the Night proves 2-D games will never die, and Goldeneye 007 brings home great First Person Shooter action to the Nintendo 64.

Hado... you know the rest!

2009-02-20T10:50:00.000-08:00

So Street Fighter IV is finally here, and now I'm realizing something... I am one lousy Street Fighter player. It started to set in while playing my friends in HD Remix last week, where I only had a handful of wins. How do I suck so much? I do no know. I can do combos, I can focus-cancel moves, and all kinds of stuff.

I'm loving Street Fighter IV, except the fact that there are so many Akuma players out there. I've beaten down a few before they could do a Raging Demon, but most of the Akuma plauyers rely on that damned move. I'm almost postive that's how most of those players have obtained their BP. Scrub out as Akuma and just Raging Demon your way to victory.

Well, back to the drawing training board...

STREET FIGHTER IV VIDEO APP

2009-02-19T16:22:00.001-08:00

STREET FIGHTER IV VIDEO APP

2009-02-19T16:20:00.001-08:00

Reedakis... you suck!

2009-02-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

Tales from Xbox Live...

Well, here's a funny story of what happened last night on Xbox Live. Lately I've been playing a little bit of Halo 3 since my Uncle Manuel finally got an Xbox 360 and Halo 3. Well, so last night we were in a Neutral Assault game on Valhalla.

Normally I just let the game start, and hardly ever speak a word. Well, some Halo newb named "reedakis" began talking smack. Asking if I was Asian or something, and making stupid remarks. I just kept answering with "What?" Ala Stone Cold Steve Austin. So right before the game begins, he says, "your going to have my d*ck in your mouth."

I think nothing of it, and just want to let my actions speak for my words. The match begins, I start off lousy. I think I died about 4 times without a single death. Then suddenly as they were about to plant the bomb I caught fire. It was great. I made "reedakis" my personal bitch. Every time I would kill him I would shout into the microphone "hey reedakis, who's d*ck is in who's mouth now?" It was hilarity. I think we ended the matching with 3 bomb plantings, with my personal kill/death ratio at 17-9 with 5 assists. It was great.

So pretty much this is for all the "reedakis" people out there. Cut the crap. Your sh*t talking was pretty much pointless. So "reedakis", you sir may kiss my ass.

Street Fighter IV...

2009-02-13T12:28:00.000-08:00

Street Fighter IV is closely approaching US Console release. It almost feels like it was yesterday when Street Fighter II made it's Super Nintendo debut. I still have calluses on my left hand thumb thanks to Street Fighter II and the SNES directional pad.

As the days get closer and closer to the release of Street Fighter IV, I feel the nerves getting tense. The anxiety is building. This isn't any fighting game release, this is Street Fighter IV. Not Super Duper Street Fighter II' Turbo the New Champions Edition, or Street Fighter Zero Max Double Upper Left Right Down Up Select Start, but a whole new digit in the Street Fighter saga.

I'm a huge fan of Capcom fighting games (Marvel Super Heroes, Street Fighter). I'm not a walking library like Marc, BigMex or even my friend John Yamamoto, but I am a Street Fighter purist. I remember evolving my game thanks to John. Throws used to be taboo untill I realized how easy it was to through, and even take sacrifice hits and throw on the recovery.

With the release of Street Fighter IV, I hope I'll be able to improve my game. Especially since the last time I played IV was at Super Arcade and Mr. Calipower himself (Alex Valle) got a perfect on me... I left the arcade with my head down, but not out.

Here comes a new challenger! Attack me if you dare, I will crush you!

STREET FIGHTER IV VIDEO APP

2009-02-13T12:06:00.001-08:00

Getting to know me!

2009-01-09T10:10:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems to be a trend going around there people are posting facts about themselves. I don't know how many I can do, so I'll just bullet them as below.

I'm the oldest of two.
Me, and two other cousins are the last males carrying our last name in my father's direct family.
My son is cuter than yours.
Final Fantasy IV and VI are far superior than Final Fantasy VII and VIII.
The first Halo game was the next Goldeneye in my honest opinion. By means of getting you together and playing with your buddies.
I've worked for Starbucks for a long time. I'm creeping up to the decade mark soon. Hopefully they find it in their budget to keep or promote me soon.
I have two seasons of Married with Children on my PS3's hard drive, and I still watch them to this day.
I'm a sucker for Gametrailers.com's Retrospective series.
The Megas are my favorite video game band, and quite possibly one of my favorite bands.
I love Nippon Ichi games, but have ever been able to complete a single one. The closest I've gotten was almost completing La Pucelle Tactics for PS2.
I take great pride in my video game collection. Many hard years and tons of game hunting have led me to obtain such a great collection.
I own a Street Fighter II' arcade machine.
I love Pokemon. I'm a sucker for the collect-a-critter-and battle your friends type game. What can I say, I'm a collector at heart.
In Street Fighter games, I like to perfect lesser used characters like E. Honda or Dee Jay.
I love Anime. Probably too much. I'm a regular attendee at Anime Expo every year.
Of recent Final Fantasy games, I thought XII was amazingly good. Like, really.
I live and die by the St. Louis Rams.
I'm a Cheap Ass Gamer.

New Year, New Love, New Life

2009-01-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

"Life is like a game of cards. The hand that is dealt you represents determinism; the way you play it is free will."- Jawaharal Nehru

So we're starting off this great year of 2009 AD! I'm excited. I've leveled up in life into the role of father. And man, it's not an easy role, but every time I look into my son's face, my heart just melts.

On December 21st, at 9:34 pm, I was there to watch a new life enter my own. Issac Daniel Manzanares was his name. I still remember when the doctor told us it was going to be a boy, I had a smile on my face you'd have to surgically remove. Losing sleep isn't fun, but it's a necessity. I have to nurture and keep this little life well. Sort of like having a Pokemon, that poops and pees a lot.

My family is overjoyed. My mother has been wanting a grandchild for a long time, and my Dad is just too overjoyed as well. My Pops told me while he's at work, he'll hide off to the side or a corner somewhere so he can open up his cell phone and look at pictures of my son (and his grand son).Granted, my gaming habits are going to be grinding to a halt, but just until Issac's old enough to play with me. Then every thing's game. I'm going to have to dust off the NES and pop in my copy of Guerrilla Wars and teach Issac how to play and beat the game. Guerrilla Wars is a game my Dad and I used to rent almost once a month and play together.

Speaking of Dads, my Dad was a great example to follow. I can only hope to be half the Dad he was to me. Taking me to Rams (football) games every Sunday while they were here in Los Angeles. Taking me to watch Hulk Hogan, then the WWF Champion, wrestle against Ric Flair (WCW's Champion at the time). My Pops was awesome. Hopefully Claudia will let me take my son Issac to all kinds of great events like Anime Expo and Comic Cons.

As for gaming news, I've been trying to polish off Final Fantasy V Advance in between the baby's nap times. Then I'll try to finish off Fallout 3, and hopefully move onto Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, with a little Disgaea 3 in there.. Some RPGs I've been meaning to beat or play. Then after that it's onto my Backloggery's fortune cookie, to see what I'm going to play next. I got some Gamestop gift cards burning a hole in my wallet. Mayhaps I'll finally get Little Big Planet or Castlevania: Order of Eclessia.

Well, till next time I blog, I hope all of you have a great
2009!

In Memory of a great blogger, a great gamer, and a great person

2008-07-08T21:48:00.000-07:00

He might have been someone I've met only handful of times. (E3, Comic Con) I never knew your first name, and I think you told me it was Christian at one point, but in all honesty. You were always going to be Ryo from 1up to me. It was the name I knew you by, and the name I'll always remember you by. I remember reading your blogs, and commenting as much as I could. Always about various topics. I remember our conversation about the whole Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O'neal drama. You were truly someone special.

Hell, you came out of your way to pick me up and take me to Comic Con two years ago. And forever I'll be grateful for that. It was one of the best times I've had at Comic Con. And that pizza joint you took me and Marie to was fantastic.

When Marie told me via Gmail about what had happened I was in shock. I'm holding back tears right now. How can someone so great as you no longer be part of this world? I feel so helpless now as the time has gone. I remember you starting up your digital ink blog iDorkus. I used to read it on my blog reader. I would see you pop online on Xbox Live. I remember having a couple message conversations on there.

If there is one thing I could tell Ryo right now, it would be thank you. You, and your family are some of the most important people on 1up. Your legacy will live on forever. In my book, you are beyond a "Total Mozart" or "Hardcore." You gave 1up a personality that'll never be replaced. Thanks for being so kind. I'll miss reading your latest endeavors.

~ Ralph Manzanares

Anime Expo

2008-07-06T14:40:00.000-07:00

Another Anime Expo has come and gone. It's actually pretty sad. I was only there half the time, and wish I had someone to go with for the other days. Ever since Issac passed away, no one's really been in love with Anime Expo anymore. Maybe next year I should just plan to go with XenSoldat (Erik) instead. Well, here's a couple shots from the Expo. I'll blog some more tomorrow.

In loving memory of Eddie Brown

2007-11-24T10:50:00.001-08:00

Life is so short. People enter and exit in an instance. Whether it be fourteen years or nine months. Most people you meet may come and go, but some will always remain in your heart.

I should feel honor to have known some people. Eddie Brown is one of those people. Since getting the opportunity to work with him at Washington and Lambert, he always made me feel welcomed. Like I was part of his store. I can't delve much into Eddie's life, but I can tell you what I knew about him from working with him.

He was a great man. He was a very likable person. He would always work hard. Never one to be too serious, but also never one to always joke around. It's funny, just a couple days ago me and my co-worker Candice were just talking about how we love him. I told her I loved working with him, and he's the kind of guy I could see myself hanging out with. Just the way he presented himself, you just wanted to get to know the guy.

My heart is torn right now. I loved this guy. How could you not? He was funny, fun, and a hard worker. Tonight Eddie Brown, you, and your family will remain in my heart and prayers. I love you man.

2007-11-20T20:54:00.000-08:00

Randy's 4x4...

2007-11-14T11:10:00.001-08:00

Ha ha, I wish.

Another breakfast

2007-11-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

You would think I'd be tired of this junk...

2007-11-08T11:56:00.001-08:00

Woot

2007-11-07T13:40:00.001-08:00

Disaster at casa de Manzanares...

2007-11-05T18:48:00.001-08:00

Raw...

2007-11-03T19:41:00.001-07:00

I tapped out at plate number two...

Ha Ha Ha

2007-11-03T19:31:00.001-07:00

Sal's shirt. Didn't get it at first.

2007-11-03T19:27:00.001-07:00

Sal and Juan ready for all you can eat Mexican. And we're not talking about me.

2007-10-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

Kellye getting in on it.

Halloween

2007-10-31T10:55:00.001-07:00

Randall's ready for Halloween.

2007-10-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

Peanut all set for Halloween.

So tired...

2007-10-29T07:47:00.001-07:00

Ah... Breakfast of Champions; Black Tea Lemonade, Bacon Avocado Wrap topped with Tabasco.

2007-10-28T22:28:00.001-07:00

WTF?! This was at a McDonalds. What kind of monsters would do such a thing... I don't even want to know where the hell Controller 1 is...

Worst Show on Turf... and Earth

2007-10-21T16:17:00.001-07:00

So, I take it after this 33-6 lost to the Seattle Seahawks, we are officially the WORST team in the league right now.

What is the problem with these Rams? It's already making me forget about the years between 1999-2003. Super Bowls. Playoffs. 6-0 starts. Now we're 0-7, more Interceptions than Touch Downs. What is the problem. Well, personally, I blame the head coach. Scott "worthless piece of shit" Linehan. How can a team get so shitty in less than a decade?

Fourth coming?

2007-10-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to put word to text and try to write up a blog for the two people who come here. This week has been a pretty exciting week for Video Gamers. Why do you ask? Well, first and foremost, Capcom finally announced Street Fighter IV. Not Street Fighter II EX Plus Alpha Hyper Deluxe... Not Street Fighter III: 4th and Final Strike... but Street Fighter FOUR.

Considering it's been ten great years for Street Fighter III, it's refreshing to know we're finally moving on. After SNK has spit out new and great fighters every year, Capcom's franchise was starting to get stale. Granted, there are great twitch-fest fighters like Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Capcom has left it's fans for dead in the 2-D fighter department. My only concern with Street Fighter IV is... Capcom USA is at the helms. I don't even know if any of the original people are even involved with IV. It'll be a shame if it's another lackluster title like Capcom Fighting Jam (Evolution). From the teaser trailer released, we're shown NO GAME footage. Maybe it'll depend on how Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix does. And I only hope well, I wants me some great 2-D fighting action, pumped out by the former king of 2-D Fighters.

As for other gaming news, I've been bitten by the Halo 3 bug. What can I say? I'm a sucker for first person shooters... especially when I can play with my friends online versus other people. I've always had a deep deep love for LAN partying up with Halo 1. And both Halo 2 and 3 are just as good as any LAN, minus the stinky dude who doesn't wipe their ass correctly. I just wish a little that Bungie made a custom game search engine. It would have been nice to find some large games of Infection. Infection: Possibly THE best game type in Halo 3. Fun by the Warthog's full!

Shinku... HADOKEN!

2007-10-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Letters from Zanzibar

2007-10-07T22:09:00.001-07:00

2007-09-10T17:58:00.001-07:00

Everyone, this is Chato. Our special little mutt, mostly Claud's. He's part... well, I have no idea. As you can see by his black widow's peak, maybe he's got a little Dracula in him. Maybe some German Shepard... 100 % jerk. Let's list the things he's broken;

Two Ikea $1.99 mini waste basket
Two pool pumps (no idea how much, but heavy duty stuff)
Red leash $14.99
Two window screens (not sure by the sq. foot)
Wood frame to sliding door ($?.??)
My tolerance to heat since we can't open back windows/doors (Priceless)

Other than that, he's a decent dog. Not every fun to take for walks. Even the shortest of walks can take an enternity. He might have some issues. He's a male dog, yet he pees like a female dog. He did have one major fear... the empty pool. But that all changed once Claudia decided to give him a bath and tie him up next to the pool. Only gave him once choice of an escape route... the bottom of the pool. Now it's like a new extension of the backyard. I should start taking him for jogs. We can look tough, since we only have a steel chain to tie him up with. All I need now is a matching spike collar... for the DOG.

From Issac S. Chin...

Also, the other evening I uploaded a whole crap-ton of Pictures to my Picasa. I even dedicated an album to my best friend Issac Chinchilla (Bronson, Beavis, Boddah). Also, he's the dude receiving, not giving. I love you dude, and I miss you.

Also, as a birthday present from Issac's mother Patty, she gave me his Castlevania clock that used to have a special spot right above the entry wall in his bedroom. I will always cherish this clock, and make sure the batteries never run out for him.

Football and hadokens!

2007-09-10T15:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I think this blog will better suit my tastes... possibly feeling a little more personal.

So it's September, and my birthday just recently passed on September 5th. Wasn't really anything too exciting going on. I'm hoping to score a new HDTV soon, especially for Halo 3. I want to enjoy that masterpiece of a videogame in all it's high definition glory.

And with September comes one of my favorite times of the year... FOOTBALL season! And already I have a feeling it's going to be a loooooooong sad season for us Rams fans. As already, we've probably just proved with have THE worst defensive in the league. To make matters worse, I just got a brand new Steven Jackson jersey to kick off the season, and he almost single handedly (or lack thereof hands) cost us our first defeat to kick off the '07 season. Well, as long as we finish the season with a better record than the Raiders, it's all gravy baby.

The other day I was reading over or skimming through a few blogs I used to visit regularily, and I came across Chris Scantleberry's blog on 1up.com. He was posting about a project started by Shoryuken.com co-founder Tony Canon (Ponder) to bring to us lag-free online Street Fighter call GGPO. Granted, it's Street Fighter Alpha 2 (my favorite of the Alphas). So far all my experiences aside from firewall issues with GGPO have been phenomenal. I've had some really good and fun matches, the most memorable ones against a fellow that goes by Sosage. GG dude! Ha ha, get it, GGPO...