The Coding Dragon

stepstomarrow
When granddaughter, Jada, was born with leukemia, a donor-match was located and Jada made a miraculous recovery. In honor of her grandaughter's health, Jeanna has decided to walk across the country (in the dead of winter) to raise awareness and build support for the bone marrow registry (all that's required is a cheek swab). Follow Jeanna's remarkable journey as she travels the United States by foot.

What do yall think of this? Do you think Halo is getting old? Do you think this game will be good?

I personally have always loved the Halo saga so I'am very excited!!

I will spare you my usual rant about online games being crap, but I will mention my pet hate of people who only play games that are new and popular.

You see, after going gaga over this game since it was announced, the co-op community has been praising Borderlands none stop. I had my doubts, but finally dought it when I saw it cheap and I'm currently enjoying it. However, as I have said a million times before, no ones playing it only 5 weeks after release because it's "old". Instead everyone is back at their Halos and Call of Dutys ...I can't really call it that any more. Halos and Modern Warfares then.

I'm SabreXT on Steam, and will start a new character (sniper or tank) if you want.

Oh, on a related note, I don't have the DLC and don't plan on getting it because it should have been on the disc. If the survival mode in the new one is any good, I might get that.

To whom it may concern,

Hi, my name is Shane. I've started a community, jrpgs_and_wrpgs, dedicated to the discussion of computer and console role-playing games, both of Japanese and Western origin. This is a really niche genre, and a lot of people who play these games prefer to play mainly these games exclusively. Due to the nature of these games, they can be quite addictive, engrossing, and the object of much obsession. Furthermore, there is no community on LiveJournal dedicated strictly to them. Almost all "RPG communities" on LiveJournal are fan fiction exercises, 'RPing,' collections of Final Fantasy icons, or general fangirl/boyism around a single franchise. There is no real discussion about these games going on, and there very well could and should be. This community is yet a seed, but if you like the idea, I encourage you to join, to encourage all your friends who would like it to join, and for all of us to contribute RPG related reading and discussion. That there is nothing like this currently on LJ is good reason that it could be successful, and it will be if we want it to be. I've been on LJ consistently since 2002, so your moderator will be here to stay, as will this community with your help. Furthermore, I can promise you that I am no control freak, will only mandate enough to keep order and productivity in the community, and will otherwise not be a tight ass, anal retentive fascist with a bunch of silly rules and a god complex. So, if you play JRPGs or WRPGs, please come on over, join, and start posting immediately about whatever RPG-related business your heart desires. I'm eager to find my peers in this.

xoxo,
Shane

(to be cross posted)

Hey folks!

You ever miss the days of meeting up with friends and staying up all night, playing and beating your favorite video games, and muching all pizza and junk food till you passed out from tiredness. Well relive those good memories every other week!

If you live near the Central Pennyslvania area, Its going to be located In enola, PA. (More details will be given as the date comes closer) Otherwise, world wide, we are going to be looking for online opponents/players to join us :3

This meetup is a biweekly video game mashup of all ages! Modern gamers will be able to play classics that are timeless, while old skool gamers will be able to connect with the gamers today, and have a good time all while hanging out with fellow likeminded people.

THe meetups will have 3 diffrent sections.

Section 1 is the modern gaming room. This will house all the modern consoles (PS3, Xbox 360 and wii) and mor or less feature the largest area. This is the area where people will be able to compete or cooperate on various video games.

Section 2 is the classic game room. SNES, Genesis, NES and MAster System all rule this room. Wanna relive those days when you dropped the banana in front of your friend in Mario Kart? this is the place to do it! Show off your skills or challange other vets to achieve the top score!

Section 3 The video room. This is basicly the relaxation room. We show a movie, either a video game based one or a bad movie to let our Inner Mike, crow and Tom Servo out. Comfortable chairs and bags of popcorn await you in the room of cinema magic!

There will be a vote before the events to determine what games are going to be played in which room, and movies. HOWEVER, as time goes on, there might be a possibility for a theme night every once anda while.

Pizza and refreshments will be provided, though a donation of $5 would be much appreciated to help the cost of said refreshments. whatever is left over, we will give to the Child's play charity. For those of you who dont know what Child's play is, it is an organization that donates money and video game consoles to hospitals to put in their pediatrics department, letting children who are in long term care.

Our first meeting is on January 2nd, bring along your game consoles or snacks or whatever, Bring a friend even :3

Anyway, If you are interested, just send me a PM or an email to Chrisrb007@gmail.com, and ill give you more information as to the meetings.

taste_buds
Holidays provide a built-in excuse for indulgent entertaining. This all-purpose foodie community covers everything from homemade hangover cures to dinner party menus. Need quick advice? Get five-minute snack suggestions, low-fat ingredient substitutes, and even measurement conversions. Delicious recipes garnished with humorous advice. Yum.

naturesbeauty
Always on the lookout for compelling images, we were delighted to discover this flourishing community of artists who share a love of nature. Honoring the subject with photographs, paintings, sketches, prose, poetry, and other creative works, you'll be simultaneously riveted to your monitor and inspired to run helter skelter towards the nearest wooded dale.

(Cross-posted from my own LJ and FA journal, hah)

I watched the VGAs on Spike TV (didn't know it was on, was channel surfing, haha) and Uncharted 2 won Game of the Year. :D Will DEFINITELY be picking that up next week, was on the fence about it but not anymore.

Yes, I saw the Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 bit. RYUUIE IS INSANELY HAPPY ABOUT THIS!! *Ahem*

So, I looked around online, this is what I'm looking forward to for the upcoming year (and beyond, depending on B:AA 2's date).

Batman: Arkham Asylum 2 (PS3/360, TBA)
http://www.arkhamhasmoved.com/

Naughty Bear (PS3/360, TBA 2010)
http://www.505games.co.uk/

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3/360, March 9, 2010)
http://na.square-enix.com/ff13/

Epic Mickey (Wii Exclusive, September 16, 2010)
http://www.junctionpoint.com/EpicMickeyAnnouncement.html

What are YOU looking forward to?

Lemme just be lazy and copypasta from my description here...

So, my friend was over and I was playing DJ Hero. I made the comment "I know this song so well, I bet I could 5 star it on Expert in fursuit." He decided it would be a great idea to make it a video. Spoilers: I was wrong. But I think with enough practice, I could do it.

The main problem is this: I can't see the scratch arrows. So any time it told me to scratch, I had to try to remember exactly what they want me to do. It's even worse with the single backwards scratches, because they look no different than regular notes to me.

There's a lot of problems with this video. It has no in-game sound, and the live video is all messed up. My normal recording setup wasn't working, and I had to slap together something real quick. We were trying to set this all up at 2 in the morning. I figured it would be good enough; hopefully it doesn't cause eye strain.

This is one of my favorite songs in the game. Maybe later, I'll either perfect the song in suit or upload a version of me playing it out of suit. I really am much better at this game when I can see what I'm doing.

( Enough talking, let's get to the video! )

backpacking
Want to embrace your wanderlust on the cheap? If you're tall on adventurous spirit, but short on funds, this community can help you plan a trip to anywhere. Offering plentiful tips on how to travel light, you can post about bargain hotels and hostels if you're into urban exploration or discuss camping gear and mosquito netting for the great outdoors. Hitch your backpack, pitch your tent, and carpe diem!

**FINAL EDIT Thu Dec 10 02:15:47 UTC 2009**

So there is the final update... Over the past day we have processed around 11 million jobs out of the 12 million that were in queue at that time. Please bear in mind that over this past day, more jobs for notifications are also created. So while the queue has been dropping, we are still not fully caught up at this point, due to backlog and new jobs. We have roughly 3 million jobs still pending that involve the notification system in some manner. We had hoped we could have fully cleared the queue in a day, but unfortunately we can't clear it too quickly, since we need the rest of the site to operate normally. From our current perspective on the amount of jobs that are left in queue, and how many it has processed thus far, we believe it will take around another 8 - 12 hours to process everything.

And finally some answers to some questions:

( Read More and Get Some Answers... )

freeskiers
While some of us long to escape the cold, dark stretch of winter for hot tropical beaches, for others, there's nothing quite like whoooooshing down those shimmering sugar alps. If you're fond of freestyle skiing, get ready to slide down the slippery slopes in good company. This passionate, international community shares travel/gear tips, anecdotes, photos, and videos for those who can't get enough of the sweet stuff.

seasonal_icons
Need some extra twinkle to decorate your place? Check out these dazzling holiday-themed icons. If you're an artist, you can post your own creations, provided you abide by the simple rules (which is to say, all cheer and no politicking). Be sure to comment and give credit if you wish to borrow a little spirit (no direct links, please). If you're feeling a touch of humbug this season, this is an instant shot of festivity.

handmade_gifts
High on creativity, but low on cash? You'll find tons of brilliant suggestions for do-it-yourself crafts sure to please everyone on your holiday gift list. Offering detailed instructions, photos, budgets, timelines, and active support, you'll soon turn spare remnants of fabric and time into cherished keepsakes. Be sure to search entries and read user guidelines before you post for help!

Well I'm very much enjoying Tales of Vesperia. There are aspects of the game I feel could be improved of course, particularly the spell ring used in dungeons, though the battle system could use a subtle tweak here and there as well. The games biggest strength is the simple fact that the characters are actually likable and expressive. The story doesn't seem unusual, the music is pretty standard and the battle system is only a step or two above average, but in the presence of characters you actually enjoy watching every other aspect feels fresher as a result.

Anyhow, I'll probably put off Shattered Memories for a few weeks to give myself more time to focus on Vesperia. Knowing myself if I try to split my focus between two games at once, neither will receive the attention they deserve.

In other news, I managed to grab Final Fantasy Dissidia for fifteen bucks this week as a part of a, I would assume, cyber-monday deal. I haven't played it yet, but I'll take a look at it once I have a few other titles out of my way. In the meantime I've been enjoying the sample soundtrack that came with it, it doesn't seem like anything particularly special, but it'll give the purchase some value until Vesperia and Shattered Memories are out of the way.

Anyhow

I know it's early on all fronts except for portables, but I'm wondering what everyone is expecting from the next generation of gaming hardware. More specifically, when the PS4, DS2 HDWii or whatever finally come out, what features do you expect to see in games to make it all worth your money? I mean, Whether it was a jump from 2D to 3D, vastly improved visuals or online connectivity each generation has offered something new over the previous. So basically, what "new," features do you hope to see next time that just doesn't seem possible with the current hardware?

Anyhow, yeah once again I know its early to be asking these sorts of questions, but I really enjoy this sort of speculation.

So I've been playing Chocobo Tales on my DS, just on a whim. I thought it would be all cuteness and no content and possibly tl;dr, but I'm wowed at how developed and entertaining it is for a DS game. Also cute, but that's probably just a girl thing. Anyone else tried it?

It's also full of puns and wonderfully bad humor. Upon defeating the Jailbird character, it was said that its master was probably not going to let it off parole anytime soon. The possessed book decided to "book it" to safety. Fatass chocobo goes on smashsmashsmash rampages. For the most part it's hilarious, but some of it is just whack and tries too hard to be funny.

This came up on another forum, so I thought I would ask you lovely chaps. It's the basic Bowsers Prison/Desert Island Discs scenario. If you don't know it let me explain.

The genral idea is that you would be trapped somewhere for a year with only, let's say 4 games for entertainment. What games would you take?