Jak 3 on November 5th

I usually update Cyborg Haven on Mondays but I seem to be a day late.     
     I played Jak 3 the past Thursday night, and I only ended up completing one mission, which was "Beat the Pillar Ring Challanges."  The next mission I have to complete is called "Find Hellcat Fighter."  But it was nighttime (in my world, not necessarily Jak 3's world) so I just wanted to play it light and focus on collecting more Metal-Head skull gems and, especially, the all-important Precursor Orbs.  I'm back on the water side of Haven City, where it is easier to find the Metal-Heads that still have the skull-gems.   There is also a good number of Precursor Orbs that are in this side of Haven City, up on those towers.  (If anyone requests it, I can give a tip on how to get to those Precursor Orbs). 

My Notable comments while playing:

• "I'm gonna show the Precursor Statue that I am worthy of punching his nose by beating this Pillar Ring Challenge."
• After I finished all the ring challenges: "I did it!  I'm worthy of punching his nose!   Yaayyyyyy!  Trial and error, baby,...trial, and error!"  (Remembered that the way I said this was reminiscent of the way Daxter said his line in Jak 3, "Fish in the barrel, Jak!  Fish  in the barrel."  And then Jak raises his eyebrows twice in that adoralbe way...at Torn??)

   

Cyborg Haven Update #3

The following item has been added to my list of games I played:

     Sega Super-Stars Tennis (PS2, only NiGHTS and Sonic)

It was interesting seeing NiGHTS playing tennis either alongside Sonic or against Sonic, but I only rented the game just to experience it.  I love the music for the MonkeyBall-themed tennis court and the Samba de Amigo tennis court.  I found myself mechanically pusing the X button and listening to the music rather than paying attention to the game.  Oh well, I still had some fun with it.

My Nostalgia for Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

NOSTALGIA!!!!!
     I am still celebrating the release of the Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier video game for the Playstation 2.  I've decided to buy both the video game and the strategy guide, because the strategy guide has a lot of goodies in it (like character bios and the list of the game's secrets) besides tip for helping me play my best.
     But I couldn't help it.  It's been almost a decade since the first game Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy was released--and it's been seven years ago (early summer 2002) since I first played that game.  I completed it in about three months (and then September 20, 2002 I bought Kingdom Hearts ^.^ ).  I'd like to play it again for a third run (yes, third), but I'm still finishing up Jak 3 for my second time playing it.  So I decided to see if the beginning of the first Jak and Daxter game was available on You Tube.  I found a bunch, but one in particular includes a couple of extra-nostalgic things:  the Playstation 2 logo, and the Naughty Dog logo (with Daxter dancing and Jak pushing the Naughty Dog logo into the screen.  Squeeeeeaallllll!!!!!)  Jak was a baby there!  Now he's a man with two girls chasing after him (Keira and Ashlin).  For those who want to see the video (in case you sold your old copy of Jak and Daxter, don't feel like digging your collection for it, or are just curious about it and wanna see it anyway :) ) then here's the link for this blast of nostalgia from this 2001 video game:

     Jak and Daxter: #01 Starting Movies 

Man, I love Jak's expression when he first sees that Daxter is turned into an ottsel.  His eyes were so wide, like "WTF did you just do to yourself?! (Oh wait...I did that ^.^ ;;)".   I still appreciate the music of this great game, especially from Sentinel Beach and, um... I really want to play that game again.  I'm starting to forget the names of the areas.  By the way, there are other videos that include some gameplay of Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy.  They should show up on Related Videos on the You Tube page of this video.

^,^

Dreamed about NiGHTS again ^.^

I love it when I dream about NiGHTS!

     It was yesterday in the afternoon when I took a short nap on a vinyl chair (not the best place for me to snooze, but I was tired enough to).  In my dreams somehow, I think I was playing a NiGHTS video game, but it was different.  I didn't see Elliot or Claris from NiD, or Helen or Will from NiGHTS: JoD.  But somehow in the middle of it, NiGHTS turned into a baby (Chibi-form, if you will) and was wearing a pacifier.  Odd.  @.@   But I thought NiGHTS was sooo adorable  as a baby.  I think Reala was in the dream too.  I forgot what he did though, or what happened.

      Next, some dreamer was having nightmare problems because of Reala's [possible] intervention into his unconscious??  The dream turned into a comic book sort of style (boy I reeaalllly wish I didn't miss out on those NiGHTS into Dreams comic books by Archie Comics, espcecially the first 3 issues, and unfortunately they're out of print.  It was 12 years ago I believe).  Police were trying to find answers, and the dreamer was scared.  Maybe I should write this as a fan-fiction.

      Hahahaha...NiGHTS into Dreams...and then I dream about NiGHTS, or NiGHTS related stuff.

     I really should join a NiGHTS  fanclub or something.  I know there is a forum in NiGHTS into Dreams.com that I can go to, but I have to register first before I can participate.  I should at least read some of the posts before I begin to sign up and submit something of my own.  I have attepmted to draw NiGHTS  and even Reala before, but I don't know when I'll submit them if I even do any drawings, anyway.  I'm not an artist in terms of drawing or sketching.  Sigh... :(  But I want to show other NiGHTS fans that I'm a fan too!  And a Reala fan as well.  Why can't I just take that first step and join the forums?!!!  I even have my very own fan-made NightMaren that I want to develop  a story for and draw, and share with other fans.  Sigh, rant rant rant...I'm just ranting.

     In N:JoD, I am just inches away from finishing the game, but I've only collected 11 DreamDrops.  Or was it 10?  Ergh.

     NiGHTS!!!!  ^,^

                  

I enjoyed playing Jak 3...finally got past that annoying mission

     On Thursday October 29th, 11:35pm, I returned to playing Jak 3 once again.  This time, I had some luck on my side.  My right thumb got a nice long vacation from the X button, and the first mission for the night, "Take Out Marauder Stronghold," was a little less frustrating since I knew what I had to do.  I had to be careful and not let Jak get his Dune Hopper buggy caught next to a rock or a difficult hill, otherwise it slows him down and the Marauders get away.  And then there are other Marauders in dune buggies trying to prevent Jak from chasing the ones in the actual mission, and I go "Aarrghhhhh!  F*** youuu!"
   Well, after much trial and error, I realized that the sooner I got rid of the sought-after Marauder, the easier it will be to catch the next one.  There were four of them, and of course the last one is always the hardest.  *^*
     Here is a list of the other missions I completed that night:

• Defend HQ from Attack
• Find Switch in Sewers
• Find Cypher in Eco Grid (a mini game reminiscent of Pac-Man)
• Destroy Metal-pedes in Nest (Jak is accompanied by Sid here)
• Chase Down Metal-head Base  (with terret gun; Sid drives, Jak shoots, and, LOL, Sid tells Jak to "get in, sit down, and shut up."

     I left off at the point right before th emission of "Beat Pillar Ring Challenge," stopping right after returning to Haven City.  It is nice to have Jak on his feet again rather than having me push the X button non-stop to drive the Dune Buggies.  According to the Load File screen, I am 75% done with the game at 14 hours and 45 minutes.  That's pretty darn quick, compared to the near 40 hours it took me the first time I played Jak 3.
     I should return to Jak 2 also, if I don't get Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier by then.  Playing Jak 3 helps me deal with that wait... *,^

My Decision about Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier

Earlier today I just got my December issue of Playstation the Official Magazine in the mail (and sexy Bayonetta is on the front cover…but it’s just an advertisement, not a cover feature :'(  ).  In this issue I came across a preview of one of my most anticipated titles Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier.  I squeal. :D

     But reading the preview helped me make a particular decision about this game; that I want to get the Playstation2 version, rather than the PSP version. Why? Cuz I don’t want to worry about the PSP’s battery power when I think I might be playing this game for about two-and-a-half hours at a time. That’s an average amount of time that I spend on the PS2. I’d have to limit my time on the PSP for no longer than an hour and a half average (for Sonic Rivals 2, I have enough patience to give it 45 minutes). I will have Dissidia: Final Fantasy to eventually get for the portable unit and still, there is also that Sonic Rivals 2 and some of the old retro games like Ristar and Vector Man from the SEGA Genesis Collection.

     Heh…^.^;; I only got to those two older games once ever. They are fun, though. I gotta get back to ‘em. Maybe because Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is my go-to game for the portable unit. And then hopefully when the price of Dissidia is lowered, so will that game be my next Final Fantasy goodness.
     Anyway, I am used to playing the Jak and Daxter series on the TV screen, so I'd rather go with the tried and true after all.

On feeling nostalgic with Sonic Mega Collection Plus: Sonic 3-D Blast music

   After playing Sonic Chaos yesterday from 11:30pm to almost 1am, I had to indulge myself in Sonic music goodness that is the Sound Test for Sonic 3-D Blast.
     I got the idea when I was browsing through the video game manual section of the Sonic Mega Collection Plus, and I happened to look at the one for Sonic 3-D Blast and I had this sudden urge to listen to my favorite songs from that game, so I went to the Games menu and selected it right away.  I listened to and danced to these Sonic tunes:

• level 2  Rusty Ruin Zone, act 1  (Makes me nod my head and dance.  Love the beat.)
• level 4  Diamond Dust Zone  (This one brings me in a cheerful, upbeat mood.)
• level 5  Volcanic Valley Zone, act 1  (I love the bass!)
• level 6  Gene Gadget Zone  (I love the bass here too.)
• Final Fight  (I love the percussion in this one!)
• Robotnik fight music #2  (Like it better than the #1 Robotnik song here.)
• level 1  Green Grove Zone  (A happy tune.)

     I had to sing along with the melody of the Green Grove Zone just to see how closely I remembered it after not hearing it for so long.  "It pays off to listen to the music over and over again while playing, GOL."     GOL= giggle out loud , by the way.
     I actually remember all the music to this game and can remember which level each song belongs too.  It's a nice experience to hear it again with my ears, rather than only my mental iPod (aka brain).  I ended up listening to the music from 1:10am to 1:45am.
      I love early Sonic music. :)

On playing Sonic Chaos on Sonic Mega Collection Plus

Does anyone remember the SEGA Game Gear?
I do...but I never played on one, let alone owned one.
    So when Sonic Team at SEGA came up with the Sonic Mega Collection Plus a few years ago for the Playstation 2, it made it possible for other Sonic gamers like me to experience those old games.
     This time, instead of going to my usual favorite Sega Genesis Sonic games, I wanted to try a video game from the collection that I've never tried before, which is the Game Gear retro Sonic Chaos.  This was a game that starred Sonic and even his friend Tails.  In this game, Tails can fly.  But since it was my first time playing this game (and on a bigger screen at that), I wanted to play as Sonic.  Okay, here goes...
     Of course, the music sounds very old, retro for a game that was for the Game Gear.  I call it "Nintendo-ee."  There was an intro that showed Sonic chasing after Robotnik, and after they go off-screen, Tails runs on-screen to follow Sonic.  Then when the Title Screen comes up and I "Press Start," I have to chose between Sonic and Tails.  I chose Sonic and I pushed the X button, and nothing happened.  I pushed the O button, nothing happened.  I pushed the R2 button, nothing happened.  I pushed a bunch of the buttons one by one, and my choice was confirmed.  Somehow.
     I started out at the Turquoise Hill Zone.   It is a typical colorful/nature-like enviroment that all Sonic games start with.  At the end of the act, he passes the post with Robonik's face and it turns into Tails' face or a blue bird's face.  Then the screen says "Sonic Has Passed 1."  Uh...one what?  The first act.
     At the start of the next act, as Sonic runs I said, "For a hedgehog, he has pretty big feet."
     After I fight the boss for this zone, Sonic automatically runs away, soon off-screen, and I shouted, "Sonic runs away from the crime scene!"
     The next level was the Gigapolis Zone.  This was the first level that I start losing lives.  I was down to one life, and there are NO Marking Posts, so if Sonic loses a life, he has to begin at the start of the act.  Then somehow I came across an area full of rings, and I picked them up until I got 100 of 'em.  This took Sonic to a Special Stage.   He picks up rocket shoes, and then gets as many rings as possible.  I picked up about eight extra lives.  But usually in a special stage you get a Chaos Emerald, right?  I didn't find one...yet, probably.
     Sigh, long post...
     I didn't have to finish the act because it took me to the next one.  The boss one  :O  Sonic died two times fighting this ball-worm boss.  So then I say, to my sister watching me, and I quote myself: "The beauty of Final Fantas--er, Sonic Mega Collection Plus for the PS2 is that you can save (sic...I meant load), WHEN YOU SCREW UP!"  lol.
     In reaching the next level, the Sleeping Egg Zone, I came to a conclusion that "there is a motivation to getting a hundred rings:  You not only get extra lives, you are entered in a Special Stage."  I was able to get a blue Chaos Emerald in this second attempt in the Special Stage, and I realized that the Chaos Emeralds can in fact be found in the Special Stage after all.  They are somewhere;  you have to find the one for that stage before the time runs out (I think it's about one minute).  I got two Continues too.  Yay!
     Then I left off at the Mecha Green Hill Zone.  The boss is a tough one...I lost life after life so had to leave off there.  Not a powerful start, but so far so good for my first try of Sonic Chaos .
    
     Other notable exclamations :

• After finishing an act, I didn't move Sonic for a few moments, so he looked at me: "Sonic looked at me like, 'You can do better than that, c'mon!"
• As Sonic waits for me to move him, he taps his foot and looks at me, then glances at his wrist, then looks back at me: "You don't have a watch, Sonic, c'mon!"

                                           *,*    

Using an mini audio cassette recorder as I play...

In finding a way to take my gaming notes and save time while playing, I came upon an idea I should have used a long time ago.  Like, from the beginning.  Heh heh.
     I will occasionally, if not frequently, be using a mini-cassette audio recorder to record:  the areas of the game that I reach (or names of Sonic game levels), items my character acquires, funny things that happen, my exclamations while playing, and more things that I otherwise would have to pause the game and write on a piece of paper as the clock ticks.  It's an Olympus Micro-cassette Recorder, and I've had for at least five years now.  It was a holiday gift; I wasn't sure how often I'd use it or for what, until now.
     This would especially be helpful for when I play Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, because when I pause the game to take notes, the PSP's battery power decreases as I stop playing.  I only want to put it in sleep mode when I need to stop it for five minutes or more.  Recording my exclamations (that is, my comments/reactions to things that happen in the game as I play) will save time, and I can play without much interruption.
     Most of the time when I do use it, I can just record for five or ten minutes at a time, so that I don't have too much to listen to--maybe just for something that I think I want to expand on.  It may be as long as a half hour, if I forget to pause the recorder.  With the recorder, my blog posts can be more detailed, and hopefully, more entertaining.  ;)

Finally Returned to Sonic Unleashed

I forgot what I enjoyed about Sonic Unleashed until I returned to this game on Friday the 16th.  The time was from 10:30pm to 12:45am.
      I don't make a big deal out of failing in a light misson.  For example, if the ones where Sonic is supposed to do a task correctly (like avoid breaking items or collect 270 rings in 1 minute 30 secs) doesn't go so well (I fall in the water, in some cases), Sonic shouts "NNOOO!!" and then I am given a choice to Retry or Quit the mission.  But here is what I think is hilarious; the theme song of the game is playing, but it plays in a way that sounds like all the musicians in the orchestra are terrible at getting the right notes.  Kind of a la "Silent Night" in the middle of the comedy Bad Santa.  The first time I failed at a light mission and this happened, I could not stop myself from laughing because I can figure out when the notes are flat or sharp (in other words, the notes are totally wrong).  :p  It makes me feel better about screwing up in the game.  I wonder if the game developers at SEGA thought it would affect other gamers the same way so that we can keep on loving this game.
     I also love that Sonic wipes his nose if you get a "B" grade or higher in the daytime missions (he certainly wouldn't do such an adorable thing as the Were-hog).  So cute.  Gotta love that Sonic.

     Anyway, (light spoilers next?) I had Sonic leave off at the continent of Adabat, and it started out at the nighttime levels.  I hardly got through the first one; I lost all nine of my lives...eight of them just by falling into the water...and Sonic cannot swim.  Of course, I tried again, with two lives to spare.  The nighttime missions in Adabat are difficult; so each new continent has harder nighttime missions.  They test my patience. I am stuck now at the second nighttime mission because again I lost many lives just by falling in the water...or rather, jumping into the water when I meant to land on a moving platform.  So then I just tried to improve my score on some of the earlier daytime  "Reach for the Goal" missions in Chun-nan and Holoska to calm down.  I'll get back to the hard level when I can begin with it.
     I like how Were-Sonic can climb and grap onto some ledges.  My favorite thing about Were-Sonic is how he can run on all fours like a wolf.  It's pretty handy when he comes across a large gap he needs to jump over.