Because I was just reminded of this, and want to talk about it. Even when I have a ton of work to do.
Last year, I lived in St. Mary's Hall (I go to Villanova, for those who don't know). As many people who go to 'Nova know, St. Mary's has a reputation of being haunted. It's pretty understandable why, the hallways have a crazy echo, it's a pretty old building, and there are so many little nooks and crannies that it's just inevitable that someone's ghost would take up residence. Or that people would think that it's haunted, but since I like ghost stories I'm going to agree with them and say it is indeed haunted.
But, anyway, this is a story of when I lived there. I spent little actual time in my room except for the weekends, preferring to spend my time in the Astronomy Lounge my friends and I propagated. That's not to say I didn't like my room, I loved it a lot. It was just the right size, it had its own sink, it had an extra desk where I could put up my TV and game consoles, it was just a nice little room.
One morning, as I was heading to the shower, I heard something. It was pretty customary to hear music or conversations from my hallmates, but this was different. It was a tune, only five notes that played at the edge of my hearing. I'm afraid I can't describe it without actually using my voice to try to emulate it, but know that it sounded, well, different. It repeated once or twice. I didn't think much of it at the time and went on with my day. It must be some weird New Age tune. I thought.
Then I heard it again that night as I was returning to my room. The same five notes at the same volume. I paid more attention, but again didn't think much of it.
I heard it the next day. And the day after that. Soon it came to pass that I thought it odd when I wasn't walking through the halls of St. Mary's men's dorm. Even after Winter Break, I heard it.
I had guessed that it was down the right end of the hall, toward the stairs that I always used, but that was only a guess. The hallway had a crazy echo, and if someone yelled at the far end of the hall it would sound like it was right next to your door. This made it pretty much impossible to gauge distance, direction being only slightly easier.
And every time I heard it, I always wondered who it came from. Was it just some guy down the hall that liked this one tune, or was it something more interesting? Was it the ghost of St. Mary's playing a lonely tune, was it some kind of echo from the past? Whatever it was, I always used to strain my ears to hear it when I walked through the hall, as it used to change in volume occasionally.
I've been to St. Mary's this year, even walked through the hall once or twice, but I never used to hear it.. Granted, I was with friends at the time and their voices likely drowned the ghost song out. But I wonder what would happen if I walked that hallway late at night, straining my ears like I used to....
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Black Company
While I was on my vacation this year, I read an omnibus of three books of The Black Company series by Glen Cook. I bought the omnibus earlier this year, but only just got around to it on vacation. The story as to how I bought the book is kind of funny. I was in a Borders in December buying volumes 3 and 4 of Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I see this book "Chronicles of the Black Company," with a really cool cover design. I would have bought it then, but I recalled past experiences of buying books based purely on the cover and synopsis alone and not liking them. Upon getting home, I hit up Amazon for more information and reviews for the books, and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were actually rather good. I bought it later with a gift certificate I got in January.
The Black Company series is dark fantasy, detailing the history of the titular Black Company through approximately 40 years of its history over 10 books. The main character of these books is a physician/Annalist called Croaker, a man I believe in his 20s when we first meet him. I say "Annalist" as Croaker himself is writing these books as chronicles of the company. They are part of a larger series of books, the Annals, written by many different authors and chronicling the company throughout its centuries-long history. At the beginning of the first book, the Black Company is hired by an empire in the north as part of its army as it tries to conquer the world. The ruler of this empire is an enigmatic sorceress known only as the Lady, whom Croaker develops something of an interest in, mostly because she's so mysterious. I'm afraid I can't really reveal any more, as that would be spoiling this great tale. I don't even know the whole story, as I've only read the first six, the next four have yet to be released in convenient omnibus form.
What I like about these books most is their treatment of morality. The Black Company has been hired by many various people and causes that could be called "evil", but the company itself has a strict code of honor that ensures they are never led away from their ideals. The Lady's Empire mentioned earlier is certainly an evil empire at first glance, but we learn that it is actually a rather ordered and even safe society. That's not really a spoiler, don't worry. Even the Lady herself, my favorite character of the series, isn't one-sidedly evil, she's actually quite human and multifaceted. We learn quite a bit about her throughout the series, somewhat ironically as we are first introduced to her as a very mysterious person.
These are some of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while, and recommend you reader(s) to look into them.
The Black Company series is dark fantasy, detailing the history of the titular Black Company through approximately 40 years of its history over 10 books. The main character of these books is a physician/Annalist called Croaker, a man I believe in his 20s when we first meet him. I say "Annalist" as Croaker himself is writing these books as chronicles of the company. They are part of a larger series of books, the Annals, written by many different authors and chronicling the company throughout its centuries-long history. At the beginning of the first book, the Black Company is hired by an empire in the north as part of its army as it tries to conquer the world. The ruler of this empire is an enigmatic sorceress known only as the Lady, whom Croaker develops something of an interest in, mostly because she's so mysterious. I'm afraid I can't really reveal any more, as that would be spoiling this great tale. I don't even know the whole story, as I've only read the first six, the next four have yet to be released in convenient omnibus form.
What I like about these books most is their treatment of morality. The Black Company has been hired by many various people and causes that could be called "evil", but the company itself has a strict code of honor that ensures they are never led away from their ideals. The Lady's Empire mentioned earlier is certainly an evil empire at first glance, but we learn that it is actually a rather ordered and even safe society. That's not really a spoiler, don't worry. Even the Lady herself, my favorite character of the series, isn't one-sidedly evil, she's actually quite human and multifaceted. We learn quite a bit about her throughout the series, somewhat ironically as we are first introduced to her as a very mysterious person.
These are some of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while, and recommend you reader(s) to look into them.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Chrono Crossing
There is a story I wish to tell. Now, many people already know this story because I enjoy telling it, but after reading my friend Jared's hilarious blog post concerning cheese, I was inspired to write on this ignored blog. Plus, there's a few people I know of who haven't heard this story.
I'm a big fan of the Chrono series. A few years ago, I played Chrono Trigger for the first time and loved it. I then set out to buying Chrono Cross, the sequel. After a while, I found a copy on the Gamestop website which I purchased. I was pumped, I couldn't wait to play this game. When it arrived at my house, I popped it in. After starting a new game, the opening cinema played, seemingly normally. But then was the first indication that I had gotten screwed. Towards the end of the movie, one of the scenes froze, with that really annoying sound which is just the sound at the time lagging and thus repeating. Hopefully you know what I'm talking about. It froze like that for a few minutes, then continued normally, if laggy. I hoped that was the end of it. But this was only the beginning. This disc was beyond scratched.
Chrono Cross is very much a JRPG, so keep in mind those mechanics as I weave this tale. The next problem I found was that whenever a character cast a red and sometimes white spell in battle, their casting animation froze in place with that annoying sound again. Strange thing was, the music still played normally, and I could pause the game. This continued for another few minutes, then the animation finished. As you can imagine, I rarely used red spells. And so I progressed through the game like this, for around 10-15 hours of game time.
Then I reached Fort Dragonia, a location in the game. When you first reach the fort, a cinema plays showing you what it looks like. This movie froze, too. However, no matter how long I waited, it never continued, the game actually froze there. Even after I cleaned it around three times, it still would never proceed. As you can imagine, I was pissed. But I figured out a way around it, eventually. I got my hands on disc images of the game, a Playstation emulator, and when my birthday came around, I also got a PS2 adapter for my computer and a DexDrive, which allowed me to put my PS1 memory card's files on my computer and vice versa. With this, I finally managed to play past this part and continue playing on the PC. I eventually put this save file on hold while I played other games.
Fast forward to last weekend. While at a retro video game store near me, I came across a new, sealed copy of the game, for only $20. As you can expect, I bought it as fast I could. I also bought a pretty sweet Chrono Cross clock for $5, so I really made a killing that day. I'm playing through the game again, and it feels so good to play it without it freezing all the time. Now if I only hadn't accidentally spoiled some of it already....
I'm a big fan of the Chrono series. A few years ago, I played Chrono Trigger for the first time and loved it. I then set out to buying Chrono Cross, the sequel. After a while, I found a copy on the Gamestop website which I purchased. I was pumped, I couldn't wait to play this game. When it arrived at my house, I popped it in. After starting a new game, the opening cinema played, seemingly normally. But then was the first indication that I had gotten screwed. Towards the end of the movie, one of the scenes froze, with that really annoying sound which is just the sound at the time lagging and thus repeating. Hopefully you know what I'm talking about. It froze like that for a few minutes, then continued normally, if laggy. I hoped that was the end of it. But this was only the beginning. This disc was beyond scratched.
Chrono Cross is very much a JRPG, so keep in mind those mechanics as I weave this tale. The next problem I found was that whenever a character cast a red and sometimes white spell in battle, their casting animation froze in place with that annoying sound again. Strange thing was, the music still played normally, and I could pause the game. This continued for another few minutes, then the animation finished. As you can imagine, I rarely used red spells. And so I progressed through the game like this, for around 10-15 hours of game time.
Then I reached Fort Dragonia, a location in the game. When you first reach the fort, a cinema plays showing you what it looks like. This movie froze, too. However, no matter how long I waited, it never continued, the game actually froze there. Even after I cleaned it around three times, it still would never proceed. As you can imagine, I was pissed. But I figured out a way around it, eventually. I got my hands on disc images of the game, a Playstation emulator, and when my birthday came around, I also got a PS2 adapter for my computer and a DexDrive, which allowed me to put my PS1 memory card's files on my computer and vice versa. With this, I finally managed to play past this part and continue playing on the PC. I eventually put this save file on hold while I played other games.
Fast forward to last weekend. While at a retro video game store near me, I came across a new, sealed copy of the game, for only $20. As you can expect, I bought it as fast I could. I also bought a pretty sweet Chrono Cross clock for $5, so I really made a killing that day. I'm playing through the game again, and it feels so good to play it without it freezing all the time. Now if I only hadn't accidentally spoiled some of it already....
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Shine
I'm writing this while listening to the Mirror's Edge main menu theme, and eventually the main theme to Mirror's Edge, Shine.
I love Mirror's Edge. It's one of the most brilliant ideas I've ever seen in gaming, and it was executed beautifully. The City it takes place in is beautiful, working with simple colors (most buildings are either white stone or black glass), and any actual color is simple. No gradients, nothing like that. It's beautiful in its simplicity. It also feels like I'm not really missing anything when I'm running full bore across rooftops (Of which there are sadly few, more on that later).
God, this music is so relaxing.
I also really like the main character, Faith. She's, well, human. It's easy to side with her, and she doesn't talk much while running, so it's easy to imagine what she's thinking. The other characters are really just there to advance the plot, so they're not really that important in the big scheme of things. Faith is the real star here, and it's a very personal experience to control her. It kind of feels like I'm really her when I play this game, it's a game that I can get immersed in very easily. Soon after I start playing, I start to think like a runner, like she would. It's amazing. Try to find character like this in Halo's Master Chief or Gears of War's Marcus Fenix. I dare you.
I have two main qualms with this game. First off, it's very easy to die. I died so many times getting through the campaign, whether it was mistiming or misaiming (That's a word, right?) a jump, or getting shot to Hell by the many soldiers later in the campaign. But, I can forgive Mirror's Edge for that. I die all the time in games like this, so I'm used to it. My second qualm is that there aren't nearly enough actual rooftops to cross in this game. Half of the campaign is set elsewhere, like warehouses, office buildings, or even freighters. I don't have that much of a problem with that, but I would like a lot more of the open freedom of rooftops in this game, I don't want to have to rely on the time trial maps for this. Granted, a lot of the non-rooftop areas were still interesting, with the same great level design, but come on.
Mirror's Edge is pretty much my favorite game of 2008, except for Metal Gear Solid 4, since, well, it's freaking MGS4. I'm so glad I own this game, and I really can't wait until they come out with a sequel. I'm going to preorder that as soon as it's announced, I assure you. What do I want in ME2? Other than more rooftops and maybe even a few gameplay enhancements, more than anything I want a free roaming mode. Think the Spider-Man games, I want to be able to run around the city not really doing anything, except maybe find some hidden items or something like that, but nothing really obtrusive, more like something to keep in the back of your mind while you play.
I don't think I've ever played a game where I've felt so immersed in it. As I said before, as I was running across rooftops, I quickly started thinking like Faith would, thinking of possible ways to go forward. It was an amazing experience, one I haven't felt in any other game. I just have to pray that EA and DICE don't screw up the sequel.
I love Mirror's Edge. It's one of the most brilliant ideas I've ever seen in gaming, and it was executed beautifully. The City it takes place in is beautiful, working with simple colors (most buildings are either white stone or black glass), and any actual color is simple. No gradients, nothing like that. It's beautiful in its simplicity. It also feels like I'm not really missing anything when I'm running full bore across rooftops (Of which there are sadly few, more on that later).
God, this music is so relaxing.
I also really like the main character, Faith. She's, well, human. It's easy to side with her, and she doesn't talk much while running, so it's easy to imagine what she's thinking. The other characters are really just there to advance the plot, so they're not really that important in the big scheme of things. Faith is the real star here, and it's a very personal experience to control her. It kind of feels like I'm really her when I play this game, it's a game that I can get immersed in very easily. Soon after I start playing, I start to think like a runner, like she would. It's amazing. Try to find character like this in Halo's Master Chief or Gears of War's Marcus Fenix. I dare you.
I have two main qualms with this game. First off, it's very easy to die. I died so many times getting through the campaign, whether it was mistiming or misaiming (That's a word, right?) a jump, or getting shot to Hell by the many soldiers later in the campaign. But, I can forgive Mirror's Edge for that. I die all the time in games like this, so I'm used to it. My second qualm is that there aren't nearly enough actual rooftops to cross in this game. Half of the campaign is set elsewhere, like warehouses, office buildings, or even freighters. I don't have that much of a problem with that, but I would like a lot more of the open freedom of rooftops in this game, I don't want to have to rely on the time trial maps for this. Granted, a lot of the non-rooftop areas were still interesting, with the same great level design, but come on.
Mirror's Edge is pretty much my favorite game of 2008, except for Metal Gear Solid 4, since, well, it's freaking MGS4. I'm so glad I own this game, and I really can't wait until they come out with a sequel. I'm going to preorder that as soon as it's announced, I assure you. What do I want in ME2? Other than more rooftops and maybe even a few gameplay enhancements, more than anything I want a free roaming mode. Think the Spider-Man games, I want to be able to run around the city not really doing anything, except maybe find some hidden items or something like that, but nothing really obtrusive, more like something to keep in the back of your mind while you play.
I don't think I've ever played a game where I've felt so immersed in it. As I said before, as I was running across rooftops, I quickly started thinking like Faith would, thinking of possible ways to go forward. It was an amazing experience, one I haven't felt in any other game. I just have to pray that EA and DICE don't screw up the sequel.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Something I just recalled.
A week or two ago, I was at the local mall with my friends. I was looking for a copy of Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All, the second game in the series. I checked both Gamestops, but they didn't have any copies. I felt, well, depressed at this, since I psyched myself so much for finding a copy here, and I was so disappointed by the selection they had anyway, as I usually am. So, after getting dinner, my friends decided to keep walking through the mall while we waited for the shuttle to bring us back to college. We happened upon a small calendar vendor, and, recalling I needed a calendar for my dorm room, I broke from the group to buy one, a pretty nice one showing pictures of really pretty golf courses.
After I paid for it, I started walking in the direction they went, though I knew they were probably gone. Apparently they weren't too far gone, as I saw a few others down the way. Fast forward a bit and we end up in a Sony store, me still feeling a little depressed and thoughtful. I break from them again, and look at some of the digital cameras and ogle their copies of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a game I really want to play but I may never get to. I eventually wind my way around to the laptops, where I try to find out their specs as they're weren't really listed on the tags. A store clerk asks if I need any help, and I reply that I'm just wasting time.
He responds with this (paraphrased), "You shouldn't waste your time, you know. You only get a limited amount of it, and the clock ticks faster every year."
I reply with a simple "Ain't it the truth?", then the conversation kind of ends here. My friends leave a few minutes afterwards, and I say goodbye to the clerk. As I exit the store, I start realizing what this quote really meant to me, and how much I think I needed to hear it. If anything, it's a very interesting quote in a pretty interesting setting, this random guy in this random store I entered that I probably would have never entered in any other circumstances. It's almost something out of a novel, the random guy giving a gem of wisdom to a character who doesn't know what to do, the statement giving him/her a sense of purpose again, while the speaker is never seen again, existing in the story to merely give the statement.
God, I'm such a writer. Or "English major", as my friends put it.
After I paid for it, I started walking in the direction they went, though I knew they were probably gone. Apparently they weren't too far gone, as I saw a few others down the way. Fast forward a bit and we end up in a Sony store, me still feeling a little depressed and thoughtful. I break from them again, and look at some of the digital cameras and ogle their copies of Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, a game I really want to play but I may never get to. I eventually wind my way around to the laptops, where I try to find out their specs as they're weren't really listed on the tags. A store clerk asks if I need any help, and I reply that I'm just wasting time.
He responds with this (paraphrased), "You shouldn't waste your time, you know. You only get a limited amount of it, and the clock ticks faster every year."
I reply with a simple "Ain't it the truth?", then the conversation kind of ends here. My friends leave a few minutes afterwards, and I say goodbye to the clerk. As I exit the store, I start realizing what this quote really meant to me, and how much I think I needed to hear it. If anything, it's a very interesting quote in a pretty interesting setting, this random guy in this random store I entered that I probably would have never entered in any other circumstances. It's almost something out of a novel, the random guy giving a gem of wisdom to a character who doesn't know what to do, the statement giving him/her a sense of purpose again, while the speaker is never seen again, existing in the story to merely give the statement.
God, I'm such a writer. Or "English major", as my friends put it.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Bathroom Philosophy
Disregard any feelings you have about the title, this is a good one.
Upon returning to my dorm room (I'm a sophomore in college for those who aren't in the know) and entering the bathroom to use the facilities, as it were, I stumble across a very interesting event. I first hear someone talking, presumably into his cell phone. Not thinking much of this, I proceed into the last stall. Then I hear a second person. The two were having a conversation across the stalls. At first, I'm not listening to their conversation as I'm kind of shocked that this is happening, then I eventually start listening to what they're saying.
I don't quite remember the entire thing, but they were talking about comparing two fish to each other, assuming they were the only things in sight, though I believe they were talking about the only objects in the Universe. Almost the same thing, really. If I recall correctly, one guy's argument was that it would be impossible to compare them, as there would be no reference point, no "average" fish, and therefore you wouldn't know which fish was "better" as you would have no idea what a good fish was. Interesting stuff, really.
This eventually led into a conversation about women, and what one's soulmate would be. They were using the same analogy as the fish, you don't really know who your soulmate would be as you don't (usually) know what kind of person your personal ideal man/woman is. At least, I don't. By this time, they went to wash their hands and I was finished with my business, so I opened the stall door and got a look at them. They looked...well...normal, which was kind of surprising.
As they were leaving, I got their attention and said, "I must admit, this is probably the weirdest conversation I've ever walked in on."
They laughed and one of them said, "Great 'shit conversation', eh? You should have joined us."
"Next time." I replied. I certainly hope I get the chance again, this was a very interesting scene, and it makes me happy that people such as this are living in this building.
It would appear that, as Leigh Hunt once said, "There are humanities in the house."
Upon returning to my dorm room (I'm a sophomore in college for those who aren't in the know) and entering the bathroom to use the facilities, as it were, I stumble across a very interesting event. I first hear someone talking, presumably into his cell phone. Not thinking much of this, I proceed into the last stall. Then I hear a second person. The two were having a conversation across the stalls. At first, I'm not listening to their conversation as I'm kind of shocked that this is happening, then I eventually start listening to what they're saying.
I don't quite remember the entire thing, but they were talking about comparing two fish to each other, assuming they were the only things in sight, though I believe they were talking about the only objects in the Universe. Almost the same thing, really. If I recall correctly, one guy's argument was that it would be impossible to compare them, as there would be no reference point, no "average" fish, and therefore you wouldn't know which fish was "better" as you would have no idea what a good fish was. Interesting stuff, really.
This eventually led into a conversation about women, and what one's soulmate would be. They were using the same analogy as the fish, you don't really know who your soulmate would be as you don't (usually) know what kind of person your personal ideal man/woman is. At least, I don't. By this time, they went to wash their hands and I was finished with my business, so I opened the stall door and got a look at them. They looked...well...normal, which was kind of surprising.
As they were leaving, I got their attention and said, "I must admit, this is probably the weirdest conversation I've ever walked in on."
They laughed and one of them said, "Great 'shit conversation', eh? You should have joined us."
"Next time." I replied. I certainly hope I get the chance again, this was a very interesting scene, and it makes me happy that people such as this are living in this building.
It would appear that, as Leigh Hunt once said, "There are humanities in the house."
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