Chapter 42.4: Back to Normal

There’s nothing comfortable about a wet butt. I was reminded of that messy lesson this morning when I carelessly sat in a puddle on the PATH train. Hopefully, that won’t be the metaphor of the day. After the train arrived in New York, I tried to act appropriately disconnected to the world as I walked up the stairs to 6th Avenue. No one tapped me on the shoulder to say, “Hey mister, your ass is wet.” And for that I’m thankful, though I never would deign to say something similar to another person in the same circumstances. There but for the grace of God …

My point in discussing that embarrassing moment is to say that New York is back to being New York. The busses and trains are back at work; as far as the strike is concerned, it’s all over but for the signing and the recriminations against leadership. My walk over the final couple of blocks included few belching busses, an abundance of taxis, and a carpenter’s union picketing a job site on 15th Street. They’ve been there as long as I’ve been working in New York, and now that the MTA strike is over, I’m starting to wonder what their point is. All part of life in the big city, I suppose.

Valkyrie Profile redux

A port of the PSOne Valkyrie Profile heading to PSP and the sequel is in development for PS2, both are Japan only for now.


I really love the art in the game and have the original PlayStation game and this awesome two volume art and game guide book. Never got around to play it though, so I might hold out for the PSP. There will probably be something extra in it, plus it should look way sharper on the portable screen.

I’m hoping to get to a backlog of Costume posts I have on my desktop over the holiday break. I got a lot of mail asking about other good costume books, so look for more on that too.

Chapter 42.1: MTA Strike, Day 2

I can feel it. People are already getting pissed. Feeling pressured. The strike has moved into its second full day, and the NJ trains are fuller than they were the day before, when they were already up about 10 percent. People stood in the aisle today on a train that left a little its station a little after 7 am -- not yet the busiest train. The PATH train was even busier, and for the first time I saw people walking down the PATH stairs at 14th Street -- New Yorkers who didn’t want to brave the cold to walk the 20 blocks up to 34th Street (or were they looking for 23rd?)

With Christmas bearing down upon us, I think any sympathy toward the workers will be gone by tomorrow. The strike will need to break today. The days of guaranteed pensions are behind us, unfortunately, and with the demise of Medicaid and Medicare not too far off in the future, we may find ourselves fighting more for the poor and destitute who didn’t know or weren’t able to save for the future. I’m not saying this strike will cause the destruction of the American retirement system. I’m saying it may expose other problems.

Chapter 42: MTA Strike

The city is much calmer without busses. I expected the NJ Transit train to be packed with people, perhaps to the point where I couldn’t find a seat. While there were a few more people than usual, the train ran without event, like any other day.

But this isn’t quite like other days. New York City is not quite as bustling as it was yesterday, and no one knows what sounds we’ll hear tomorrow. Will there be an agreement, or will hundreds of industries be affected by the decision to strike? I’m not informed enough about the union’s position on pensions to hazard a guess. I’m all for people standing up for what they believe is right as they struggle to survive during a difficult economy. But this morning, before the work day really starts to move, I’m enjoying the solitude.

Chapter 41.7: Simmering Hot Stove

I’m pleased with what Omar Minaya has accomplished already this off-season. I’m fine with the Paul LoDuca acquisition, though I’d like to know who he actually gave up for him. I’ve heard mixed reports on the kid pitcher that’s reportedly in the deal, and I’ve heard nothing about who the other player is. LoDuca has skills that should work well with the staff. His throwing isn’t much better than Piazza’s was, but he probably won’t bounce as many balls into the outfield or off the infield grass (though I don’t really know that, and he had a mediocre to poor fielding percentage).

Perhaps the Mets will be able to use Castro enough that whatever funk LoDuca goes into after the all-star break (.191 average in September last year) can be off-set. I’m assuming he gets tired. Might not be the problem.

This pitching staff is not final, though, as the recent rumors of Kris Benson moving on to Kansas City (a.k.a. baseball purgatory) suggest. One name I’m not hearing much this winter is Aaron Heilman. I was impressed with his second half last year – especially for the reactions batters had. They hated facing him. I hope Omar keeps this guy. Starter, set-up man. Whatever he’s doing, he’s going to be an important part of the staff.

On another note: Good luck, John Olerud. Not a bad career for a guy who kept his helmet on.

Fresh as Roses

Costumes are being revealed at a quicker clip now for Rumble Roses XX for the Xbox 360. I’m totally psyched for the game. The PS2 one was a bit shallow in spots, but the crazy story and very detailed character models won me over. It looks like there will be at least four costumes or should I say personalities per character.

P.N.03
I got a bargain copy of P.N.03 a little while ago and decided to give it a go. There’s not much variation in the suits other than different colors and powers, except for the Papillon suit, which is like half armor, half bikini. It’s hot looking, but you die if you take one hit so it’s only for the skilled perverts.



Tekken 5/ Soul Calibur III figures
Figures are a great way to appreciate costumes (at least that’s what I tell myself) so I like to collect the more exceptional ones. Figures for Tekken 5 (Jan) and Soul Calibur III (Feb) are set for release in Japan next year. I’m not sure if they’re worth it for me yet, I have a large slate of 2006 toys on my want list already.


Since we’re talking about figures, check this out to see an early birthday gift I received recently.


I don’t have a lot of space or budget to get every figure I want, so I love getting figure model books. My favorite is Replicant, which comes out 3 to 4 times a year out of Japan. Very high quality photos and a great selection of figures, although it’s mostly of the female variety. It’s available from various online retailers or book stores like Kinokuniya which have outlets in the states

Chapter 41.5: Yes, Please, I’d Like Some More

Quickly, before I hit the sack: Delgado and Wagner? Yes, nicely done Omar et al. Now we need a catcher. I can even tolerate having Kaz Matsui start the season at second, though it’s not my preference. But we need a catcher. Ramon Castro is not the full-time answer.

The gift of Evil

I recently picked up the from a local EB. Wow. I was eyeing a huge Japanese Biohazard book a little while ago that collected everything you could ever want to know about Resident Evil, but it was very expensive ($40+, even more since I would have to import it).

To my surprise, Brady Games went and translated the whole damn thing so I had to get it. Resident Evil Archives is a very reasonable $30 and it’s massive. The title should really be the Umbrella archives since it only covers RE material related to that storyline. That means no RE4. Still, almost everything else is in there and all really good stuff.

And of course, lots of great views of the character costumes. Even all the art from the scrapped RE 1.5. Sweet.

Makes quite a nice gift. I should have thought of that before I bought it. Could have gotten it from Santa.

Chapter 41.4: Exposing My Ignorance

Ok, there’s lots of ignorance to expose, I admit. This particular example is in regard to my appalling lack of understanding of ancient Roman history. I’ve been watching the HBO series “Rome” and have enjoyed it for the most part. It’s not “Six Feet Under” or “The Sopranos” in terms of the writing or the acting, but enjoyable nonetheless, despite some incredibly gory moments. (The fight scene from last week was perhaps the most grisly television fight I’ve ever seen.)

My point in bringing this up at all is I spent the entire season anticipating the murder of Julius Caesar. And it arrived without much premonition; there was no “Beware the Ides of March” announcement. It passed without a word between Brutus and Caesar at that crucial final moment; no spoken “Et tu, Brute.” Yet, the phrase “Thus always to tyrants,” the same words spoken in Latin by John Wilkes Booth after he shot Abraham Lincoln, arose from the Senate floor after Caesar died. I suspect I’ve been lulled into false knowledge – that perhaps those scenes were created by William Shakespeare rather than drawn from Roman historians. I do not know; perhaps I’ll read more about it.

One other point: after the dismembering and decapitations from the previous episode, the stabbings by the senators upon the body of Caesar looked more like bee stings in comparison. Deadly ones, I’ll grant (and some laudable Foley artistry throughout the series, I might add), but I found the contrast quite interesting. Overall, not quite the death or the drama I expected, but I don’t feel I completely wasted my Sunday evenings for the past three months.

Costume bargain and milestone reached

I’m still playing Beat Down off and on. I decided to try and unlock the special clothes items you get by completing the game with certain requirements. I really, really wish it didn’t load so damn much, but it hasn’t stopped me from playing.

Beat Down recently saw a major price reduction to $20 at most outlets. At that price, you should definitely give it a chance. I mean, it’s the #3 selling game in Japan! Can you believe it? And they are paying 7140 yen, which is roughly $60 U.S. dollars.

Media Alert!
My two blogs have reached 100,000 in just under a year. Much better than I would have ever predicted.

Soul Musings

Maybe I’ve built up the Soul Calibur III experience in my head, so there’s bound to be a let down of sorts. The game is definitely great and I’m fairly satisfied with the costume elements of it. I guess the graphics Czar in me can’t help but be let down by the muted colors and so-so progressive scan quality. Tekken 5 had amazing 480p output, so I was a bit surprised this technological know-how was not shared between teams.

Why does that matter to a costume-centric blog? For one thing, you can’t see the details in the outfits as well as you can in the Xbox version of Soul Calibur II. That also had rather muted colors, but the sharp rendering showed off every little nuance.

I’m still having a good time with the game, especially since there are folks actively playing in the office. The two player action is, in my opinion, much improved from part two.

My vote for most improved outfit is for Sophitia. It’s odd that the top of her toga is see-through (revealing her cool armor bra), but the lower half is not. It would be very distracting if it were, and I’m not saying it should have been. Just thinking that the cloth must be magical or something.

I’m still unlocking the massive amount of costume options for the Create-a-character, so look for a future update with lots more screens. Shortly after the current onslaught of work I’m plowing through at the office.


On a side note, I’m quite surprised by the latest trailer of Rumble Roses XX that hit the web recently. Mostly by Bloody Shadow’s new costume, which is um…very revealing. The small pic above is from the official site since I haven’t managed to take a screen from the movie itself. Just search around for it on the major sites and you’ll find it. Only the newest footage has Bloody Shadow so you can’t miss it.

Chapter 41.3: Wrong Again

As usual, my ruminations on things political have turned out to be incorrect. Even though Mr. Alito, the recent Supreme Court Justice nominee, is from New Jersey, I know nothing about him beyond what I've read in the news. To add my one-cent worth, however, if I had to make a worthless prediction, I'd say he'll get approved by the Senate. He's got a history and the Republicans have a majority. Of course, there has been some controversy about whether he's conservative enough for some in the GOP, but short of some discovery of malfeasance, I doubt he has much to worry about, no matter how loud his opponents become.

I'm more intrigued by the Senate rule imbroglio, when Minority Leader Reid invoked "Rule 21" and brought about a closed-door session to discuss why an investigation by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (chaired by Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas) has not moved to "Phase Two" of a report on the use and abuse of Iraq WMD intelligence before the war. The second phase reportedly was to focus more specifically on those in the White House and close to the President and whether that WMD intelligence may have been misused. Reid's move could be viewed as a political stunt, to be sure, but hopefully there's more to it than that, because if it was only a stunt then that's a lot of rancor to create over a ploy.

The White House may have wanted the focus to shift away from the Plame Leak issue (associated with the WMD discussion), but Reid's move effectively brought the discussion of Scooter Libby and Karl Rove back into the media's focus and away from Judge Alito. Now that Alito's hearing has been scheduled for early January, I suspect we'll continue to hear more speculation about Rove and Libby and possibly even Vice President Cheney. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Chapter 41.2: Who’s Next?

Ok, now that Harriet Miers has withdrawn from consideration for the Supreme Court of the United States, is there reason to presume that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is next to be nominated? It would be a significant nomination, as he'd be the first Hispanic on the court if confirmed by the Senate. But I seem to recall conservatives saying they were concerned about some of his decisions when he sat on the Texas Supreme Court. To me, what the Miers nomination has accomplished is to expose the dichotomy within the Republican party for all: conservatives are different than your random Republican.

Chapter 41.2: Who's Next?

Ok, now that Harriet Miers has withdrawn from consideration for the Supreme Court of the United States, is there reason to presume that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is next to be nominated? It would be a significant nomination, as he'd be the first Hispanic on the court if confirmed by the Senate. But I seem to recall conservatives saying they were concerned about some of his decisions when he sat on the Texas Supreme Court. To me, what the Miers nomination has accomplished is exposed the dichotomy within the Republican party for all: conservatives are different than your random Republican.

Chapter 41: It Is So, Joe! Cubs in 2006?

After 88 years, the city of Chicago can finally claim itself a city of baseball champions. The White Sox have won – convincingly. Though they had their share of breaks throughout the post-season, their eight straight wins in the ALCS and the World Series were impressive (A.J. Pierzynski’s third-strike scamper to first base aside, and that’s the umpires’ fault more than the player’s).

The Astros were an excellent club, and despite their age, I think they’re still worthy of consideration next year (provided that Clemens returns to form – a big if at his age and given his potential to retire).

I thought Joe Crede was going to be the MVP, but Jermaine Dye had a good series too, but I won’t argue against Jermaine Dye.

For next year, I can’t help but wonder if the baseball gods are helping the chronically underachieving. First the Red Sox (only 86 years), then the White Sox (88). Next year the Cubs (which would be 98 years)? Other than those teams that have never won, I believe the Cubs are the longest-suffering. And other than the Montreal Expos, who no longer exist per se, the Astros, Padres, Brewers, Washington Nationals (the former Expos) and Devil Rays still have many years of frustration to go before challenging the Cubs for futility.

Congratulations to the White Sox!

The night before Soul Calibur III, aka Tekken 5 revisisted.

So, some stores will get in Soul Calibur III tomorrow. Obviously I want it very badly, but there are two tempting bargains floating around. The first is the annual Toys R Us buy 2 get 1 free sale. The problems with that are there’s no telling what day TRU will stock SCIII, and if they’ll have two other $50 games that I want on hand whenever they do get it in. The other bargain is Fry’s advertised price of $37.99, but they say it won’t be in stock till after 4PM Thursday. Ouch.

We’ll see how it shakes out, but I decided to revisit a few titles to get myself in the proper mental frame. First is Soul Calibur II. Still great although mysteriously maligned by some. The one I’m playing more is Tekken 5, as there are parallels I’ll be comparing. Like Tekken 5, SCIII supports progressive scan and widescreen visuals. The picture will probably be cropped, but it wasn’t that harsh in Tekken, so I’m optimistic for SC.

More importantly, let’s go over the costume selection for a small taste of what awaits us later this week:

Hands down, Asuka Kazama’s female Yakuza-style outfit was my favorite. It’s bold, multi-layered, and fits with her rough and tumble personality.

Heihachi sported some really snazzy costume tweaks too. None were sweeter than the eye-patch combo’d with the samurai hair cut.

It was super cool that one of the items you could buy was Armor King’s mask. It’s bitter sweet though, because it just reminds me how much I miss Armor King.

You could alter her second player costume to be a bit more wild too, which is neat.

Most disappointing was the rather limited ways to update Nina. The headband and sword are just okay. She really needed some crazy accessories or at least a third outfit.

Chapter 40.8: A World Series for Baseball Fans

Wow, that was great baseball! I didn’t get a single one of my predictions correct in the championship series – correction, I predicted the NLCS would go six games, but I got the winner wrong, so it’s a moot point.

The Albert Pujols homer will fade into a pleasant memory for Cardinals fans, a step or two below what the Carlton Fisk homer in the ’75 Series means for Red Sox fans. The four complete games in the ALCS will be an interesting bit of trivia, but hardly important UNLESS it affects the Sox bullpen in the series. Are they well rested? Are they too rusty?

Bullpens will be interesting to watch in this series, because while both teams have decent pens, they also have excellent starters. I suspect we’re going to see a bunch of 2-0, 3-1 scores, maybe a 4-3 game. But I don’t expect either team to have an offensive explosion. It will come down to matchups and probably a bit of good fortune (or ill fortune, depending on who you root for).

I like the Sox starting four a hair more than the Astros’ staff, but you can’t overlook the experience level of Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens. These guys will not be shaken by the stepped-up level of play. With Clemens available twice to start and potentially an exciting relief appearance a la Randy Johnson in 2001, the Astros have a strong hand available to them. Pettitte is one of the all-time greats in pressure post-season games; he should have two starts. And in a game seven it’s all hands on deck.

The White Sox have El Duque. I’ve been impressed by his unflappable presence in the post-season over the years, but I don’t expect him to be a huge factor in the series. I could be wrong. Jose Contreras has pitched well of late, and I think he’s proven himself this season. Freddy Garcia could be the X-factor. A Garcia/Brendan Backe matchup favors the White Sox.

My prediction: White Sox in six.

Costume game of the year?

In seven short days, Soul Calibur III will be in stores.

Let that sink in for a little bit.

For as long as I can remember, I was sure Soul Calibur III would be THE costume game event of the year. That may still come to be, but I’ll have to look back after this crazy holiday software dump and tally it up.


One possible contender to the crown is Dead or Alive 4 for Xbox 360. DOA 3 didn’t have many costumes due to the rush to get released in the system launch window, so I’m cautiously optimistic about how many costumes we’ll see in 4.


The other game is not a costume game at all, but what it features does impact my expectations for next generation clothes. Check out this video of NBA 2K6, the one called "First Trailer". Towards the end of the clip, you’ll see totally insane cloth animations. Wow. The jerseys flap around a little too much, but it’s sure cooler looking than the painted on outfits we’re used to seeing.


Speaking of holiday shopping, I have a ridiculously large list of games that are being mulled over. Since a lot of them don’t involve costumery, I didn’t list them here with the now patented % of GET system. I’m working on something else in that vein though so hold tight.

I also have a back log of screenshots to games I’ve take and I’ll get to those as soon as I can too.

Chapter 40.75: Championship Series

Astros vs. Cardinals: Well, some surprises, but it’s not as though the Padres won. As I (and probably every other baseball fan outside of San Diego) predicted, the Cardinals swept into the NLCS and will face the Astros. This should be quite a series, but after the 18 inning game, I wonder whether there’ll be any residual effect on the Houston pitching staff. The Cardinals were the better team throughout the season, so I believe they’ll come through again, but it should be an excellent series. My prediction: Cardinals in 6.

Angels vs. White Sox. The White Sox won their first post-season series since 1917. That’s nice. Enjoy it, Sox, because while I’m rooting for you, I don’t think you’ll be able to top the Angels. It’s not because they beat the Yankees, because I think the Bombers were ready to fall – didn’t have the horses this year, or rather too many of their horses are heading to the glue factory. (Yes, I predicted the Yankees would win, but I don’t think I minimized the abilities of the Angels) No, the Angels are a quality team. They have hitting and pitching. Their concern, now, however, is whether Bartolo Colon is able to return. I’ve not read anything yet, so I don’t know how serious the injury is. But that uncertainty is the reason I’m making this series as close as I think it’ll be. Angels in 6.

Just looking back at my predictions: I did better with the National League, where my outcomes were exactly accurate in terms of who and how many games it’d take. I think my prediction of the Astros/Braves series being exciting was fairly prescient too, though I certainly couldn’t have expected the thriller to close it out. I was not surprised the White Sox won – well, ok, I’m a little surprised – but I was amazed that they swept past the World Series champions. Who knows, perhaps we’ll wipe out another curse this year. And in 2006 it’s time to slay the billy goat.

Hiatus coming to an end.

Been away for a little while. Back soon.

Chapter 40.7: The Playoffs

I don’t have time to do a thorough analysis, so this is my best-guess, seat of the pants version. But I’ll make predictions, so when I fall flat on my face with them I’ll take the lumps.

ALDS:
Red Sox vs. White Sox: To me, this is the most interesting series. It’s got history without having much history. That is, the Red Sox have a long-standing history of frustration, which they finally shed through their championship last year. The White Sox are now in their 88th year since winning a World Series, so they’re an even more frustrated franchise. (We won’t even go into the Northsiders of Chicago.)

The White Sox have done well with their pitching, and their hitting is more potent than most fans seem to realize. But I didn’t like the way they faded and almost lost their place to the Indians. The Red Sox are not as good as they were last year. The pitching’s not as formidable, though they can hit with anyone. My prediction: Red Sox in five.

Yankees vs. Angels: Perhaps history can repeat itself as the team with the most annoying name in sports (the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim – or whatever they call themselves) find themselves hosting the storied Yankees, whom they defeated in the ALDS in 2002 in route to their only World Series championship. The Yankees struggled to get into the playoffs this year and weren’t able to set their rotation the way they’d have liked. The Angels were the first AL team to clinch a playoff berth and have their rotation exactly where they want it.

But the Yankees always seem to come through. I hate them, but they can’t be trifled with. Their offense has incredible strike capabilities – both in the ability to strike out in the clutch and the ability to explode for multiple runs. The Angels, with Chone Figgins leading the way to Vlad the Impaler, have what I view as an 80s style offense – speed and enough power to make pitchers nervous. And it works. This should be a hard-fought series. Yankees in five.

NLDS:
Padres vs. Cardinals: The Phillies would have been a better bet against the Cardinals than the Padres. While as a Mets fan I appreciate the little guys getting into the playoffs with a record just a scratch above .500 (a la, the 1973 Mets, who should have won that World Series), but they just can’t compete with the Cardinals. I think Bruce Bochy has done a great job just to get this team to the playoffs, but that’s it for 2005. Cardinals in three.

Astros vs. Braves: Wow, this should be fun! The pitching-rich Astros don’t have the offense they had in 2004 and it’s not just because Carlos Beltran was walking around Shea Stadium this season. The Braves just keep finding ways to win the regular season.

But can they do it in the post-season? I think not. While I’m more impressed with Bobby Cox and pitching coach savant Leo Mazzone year after year, I think this year will end similarly for the belles of the NL East. Astros in four.

Chapter 40.6: Wasting Time

I haven't posted in a while, so for the sake of continuity I thought I'd pass along some random comments that will likely mean nothing to anyone.

I'm ready for baseball's post season, but I don't have any emotional investment in the teams that are likely to be playing. Even the Red Sox, who were a natural team to root for as a Yankee-hater, don't bring out the same urgency since they won last year. And they're not even definitely in the post-season.

I suppose if the White Sox make it I'll root for them, as it's been many decades since they've won a World Series. But they've collapsed and limped into a possible post-season spot. If nothing else, the series between them and the Cleveland Indians should be exciting (if it's still a contest), and the Yankees-Red Sox series the same weekend should be full of juice as well. Perhaps the current San Diego Padres/San Francisco Giants series will strike up enough tension, but it's hard to root for whichever team would win the division with a less than .500 record. What a sorry state of affairs that is.

I hope to write up my own predictions of the playoffs this weekend.

Now that fall has arrived, I'm enjoying the weather as I can. The commute means I'm getting home in much the same sunlight as when I left in the morning. I might get to jog once or twice a week on the weekends. Somehow, that doesn't matter as much this year as it has in the past. Once the November days arrive I'll turn my thoughts to preparing for 2006. With a new job and a new outlook, I believe I can really make plans: for the novel and for its successors; for a vacation; for anything that comes along.

Nightshade redux

I am still at a loss at why I bothered to beat Nightshade the few more times required to unlock these extra costumes and character. The deed is done though, so enjoy the fruits of my labor.


So the two pics above show off Hibana’s second unlockable outfit. I’m going to do something I rarely do and revise my earlier rating. It’s grown on me enough to bump it up one more point. So it now rates a 7 out of 10.


Above is Hibana’s third unlockable costume. A sort of 70s throwback, high collar trench with slacks and accosutic guitar. It’s definitely different and the alternate guitar attack is neat. I say it’s a 6 out of 10.


Hisui is the third unlockable character. Although her attacks are kind of fun, it was barely worth the trouble obtaining her. Her costume is just ugly, especially her goggles. It would not have been as bad if the in-game character wore the goggles on her head like the portrait. This is totally a 3 out of 10.

There is also a fourth unlockable character, the old school Shinobi Joe Musashi. I’m done with this game for a good long while so he’ll be forever locked away until the bug bites me again.

Chapter 40.4: Changing Seasons

The Mets are done. This is not a dramatic revelation, especially after they were swept at home by the Washington Nationals. My only interests at this stage are that they finish above .500 and that the Mets fans continue to show respect for Mike Piazza, who is likely playing his final games as a Met. Some guy calling into WFAN a few months back I thought made an excellent point. He said the Mets have not done very well in showing their appreciation for their falling stars. Keith Hernandez and Gary Carter kept playing for a year or more after they left the Mets, and not much was done to thank them for their contributions. I don't honestly remember much of their waning days with the Mets; I was still in college and unable to see many games. But the management seemed to just let them leave. They'll likely do the same for Piazza. I think it's reasonable to think he'll find a job as a designated hitter for some AL team next year, which would make it harder for the team to do something -- but not impossible. Heck, I believe Harold Baines had his number retired by the White Sox and he continued to play for another decade -- including returning to the Sox.

I don't expect the Mets to do that, not now. They may eventually retire his number, but I don't expect it to happen in the next three weeks.

I have no answer. I think that it's enough for now that the fans keep cheering Piazza's accomplishments and let him know what he's meant to the club these past several years. He may not have thrown out many runners but he clubbed a lot of homers and was at the center of a lot of happy memories for Mets fans. He brought credibility to the Mets of the late 90s and was a real threat in the lineup for several years. His hey day is behind him, but he's a hall of famer. Good luck, Mike.

Old age is the new black

I was taken by surprise at the new images of Metal Gear 4 for PS3 that just hit the web, but the good vibes have sunk in really nice now. Aside from how great the visuals look, I’m quite excited about the much older Snake (or at least I think it’s Snake, haven’t read the details yet).

Snake reminds me of the old and craggy Batman from Dark Knight Returns. I can just imagine all the crazy game play gimmicks that could come into play like maybe the guards smell Ben Gay on him or something. Of course it’s ridiculous hoping for things that may not happen.


It’s interesting how some game characters are allowed to age and others aren’t. Then again, how fun would a senile Mario who can no longer jump be. Wait a minute, the senile part would rock, just get the man an exoskeleton.

Chapter 40.2: Remember

Apparently I needed to well up today. I turned on the television this morning and watched the coverage of the anniversary at Ground Zero. I couldn't help but watch and wonder whether I'd have had the strength to go up and read names if I'd been one of the siblings of the fallen. My family members who were there that day survived, thank God. I will hold this day sacrosanct, however, for many others were not so fortunate.

That said, I believe that the tragedy that befell the Gulf Coast will have more long-standing physical and financial impact on our nation. Hurricane Katrina wiped out large portions of towns that must now be rebuilt -- not just New Orleans. And it had direct impact on people in terms of evacuation if not actually death than what occurred in New York, Washington, D.C., and the field in Pennsylvania four years ago today. Should there be a distinction between a natural catastrophe and the outright murder and willful destruction of the Twin Towers and the portion of the Pentagon? People are dead. At a time like this, I'm not going to quibble.

Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance

Beat Down has been getting roughed up in reviews and the slams are warranted for the most part. I’m about 2 hours into it and can confirm the voice acting is indeed terrible, game play is limited, and the PS2 version has horrendous load times. So it may come as a shock (or maybe not) when I say Beat Down could still end up being a must have for costume fans…when the price drops.

The concept, if executed better (and I mean a lot better), would have been great. Think Final Fight brawling action mixed with missions that are kind of like GTA, but far, far more linear. Beating up street hoods raises your police meter, so you need to change outfits to keep the heat off. Certainly a great excuse to try lots of new outfits.

At first, the clothing store has like 15 shirts/jackets/vest/bras, 12 pants/skirts/shorts, and 9 shoes/boots/sneakers (those numbers may not be exact). Everything can be bought in 6+ colors. I interrogated some thug and he told me the clothes store had new stuff. So odd that he would think that info would save him from a beat down. Anway, I head to the shop and there are like 10 new shirts, pants, etc. Awesome. Something in the thugs message indicated this was 1 of 7 clothes updates. There were some board messages that revealed the location of the six other thugs you need to find to unlock more updates. Very nice. .

Needless to say, matching outfit styles and colors then heading out to beat up gang members is pretty fun. Even so, I’m not sure if I’ll be motivated to play through Beat Down with all five characters.

Below are a few examples of what the game has to offer as modeled by Gina.


The jacket and plaid skirt make her look like she’s going out for bowling night, but her gloves say she is going to take care of bidness.


The open vest distracts horny thugs and the rugged camo pants offer decent leg protection from the abrasive street.


I like Gina in suits because it makes her look like King from the Art of Fighting/King of Fighters series.


This ensemble gives me Streets of Rage flashbacks. That’s a good thing. Any time you can match up a choker with gloves is good times.

This is just a really small taste of the variety possible. I haven't even found where the accessories store is yet. Look for another report on how Beat Down holds up as soon as I find time to get back to it.

Haunting Ground + Clock Tower 3 screen spectacular!

I captured some costume screens from Haunting Grounds with the intention of updating my previous review, but thought it might be more interesting if I presented them alongside the outfits in Clock Tower 3. Haunting Ground is the spiritual successor to Clock Tower 3, and it’s by mostly the same development team as far as I’ve been able to confirm. The similar approach to the types of costumes certainly bears that out.

I’ll start out with slightly revised text from the HG outfit review updated with pics and then dive right into the CT3 outfits.

Haunting Ground


Main outfit - Fairly unique and loaded with intricate designs along the out edges of her top and dress. I'm a big fan of chokers and sharp looking boots.
Rating: 7 out of 10


Alternate main outfit – The same as above except Fiona’s hair is down (fantastic), and she is barefoot (it doesn’t do anything for me).
Rating: 7 out of 10


Surgical Gown – A short white smock with blood splatters. Hair is once again down and sans shoes. The disturbing elements of the outfit counteract any sex appeal.
Rating: 5 out of 10


Texas Cowgirl – This is the outfit that had me playing a second time. At first glance, it may look as your run-of-the-mill sexy cowgirl outfit. Look closely at the detailed designs on her leather gloves, chaps, and boots as well as the textures on her hat. Someone worked really hard on everything she has on. On top of all that, her hair is down.
Rating: 10 out of 10


Illegal in some states – Although this skimpy leather number also looks like it’s not some slapped together outfit, the overly titillating nature of it makes it hard to take seriously. Sure the Cowgirl outfit is sexy, but it strikes a better balance. Illegal is still fun, just not very inspired.
Rating: 7 out of 10


Fiona the frog – Um, giant frog mascot suit. It’s neat for a laugh, but the killer panda suit from the Onimusha series is far cooler.
Rating: 5 out of 10


Hewie/ Normal – What is there to say about Hewie’s normal coat. It’s nice.
Rating: 5 out of 10


Hewie/ German Shepard – Nice variation, but again there’s not much to comment on.
Rating: 5 out of 10


Hewie/ Stuffed Dog – Now we’re talking. I swear the game is so much funnier with a stuffed Hewie alongside you. Very cool and ultra cute at the same time.
Rating: 8 out of 10


Clock Tower 3

Making good-looking screen grabs for this older title was rather tough, so please excuse the rather bland color palette. Alyssa has five outfits: one default, four unlockables. It’s also fascinating to see how far the graphics have come in just two short years.


Default School Uniform – Your standard school girl outfit. Nothing really special about it, but it looks nice enough.
Rating: 6 out of 10


Toga – This is Alyssa’s costume from the end of the game. Very drab, I don’t like it very much.
Rating: 3 out of 10


Roman Warrior – Not something you see everyday that’s for sure. I like the details in the armor although the jaggy graphics make it hard to fully appreciate.
Rating: 7 out of 10


Cowgirl – It’s not fair to compare this to Fiona’s awesome outfit, but I’m going to anyway. Jeans, jacket, and a hat? So unoriginal. The attempt at sexiness with the exposed bra top is pathetic.
Rating: 2 out of 10


Leather Queen – It’s not that I don’t like the leather, it’s just that it doesn’t look right on Alyssa. I don’t mean that Alyssa is too innocent, because you’re never too innocent for some leather. The fit is wrong and unflattering.
Rating: 3 out of 10

Chapter 40: Katrina

I can’t believe how poorly the government appears to have responded to the disaster after Hurricane Katrina. The storm itself was bad enough, but for the federal government to not send personnel until late in the week was simply reprehensible.

So much of the response bothers me, I barely know where to begin. I didn’t see it myself, but I’ve heard from several people that Mike Brown, the director of FEMA, said to Ted Koppel that they didn’t have “confirmation” of the degree of damage and human suffering until Thursday. Why not? Koppel asked whether anyone actually watched the coverage, but I’m thinking that perhaps they don’t trust media reports (this is the Bush administration, after all), so they were waiting for people to call. And since the cell coverage was sketchy at best, they didn’t get the necessary confirmation. I don’t know. Maybe that’s not what happened. But one way or the other, not enough was done.

I hope the Republicans in power are made to pay for this debacle by being beaten at the polls, but that’ll be 14 months from now, and people will have forgotten much of the rage they’re feeling now.

I’m a bit surprised at the lack of leadership from both parties. The governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, was recently in New Hampshire. Sure, he says it was a vacation, but politicians go to New Hampshire to set themselves up for the early primaries, establish connections with voters, etc. Whether he’s considering a run for the White House or not, his state borders Louisiana. What have they done? Perhaps the media isn’t covering such developments at a national level, but I’ve been pretty immersed in the philanthropic efforts going on, and I haven’t seen anything that specifically points to efforts conducted by Arkansas. As my link indicates, the state has done something, but people need to be told about them.

Nor has there been anything from Tennessee of particular note. And Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is more likely to make a run for president. Tennessee borders Mississippi; where’s he been? I’ve not heard anything about John McCain (R-AZ) or Hillary Clinton(D-NY). I’ve not noticed anything about Joe Biden (D-DE). I may have missed their efforts (Biden's staff hasn't updated his Web site since August 30), but if any of these people are planning on showing they have the leadership capabilities to lead a diverse country through difficult times, this would be a nice time to show it. The only one who’s exhibited any candor is the mayor of New Orleans, and he’ll probably never get re-elected because this catastrophe happened during his watch.

Leadership is the issue, in my opinion, and there’s not been enough of it exhibited. I wasn’t a fan of Rudy Giuliani, but he did a spectacular job of leading after 9/11. It wasn’t about party, nor should this effort be about party. It’s about getting information out, getting resources in, and showing that someone in government is in charge.

President George Bush’s imperial mid-week flyover was an embarrassment. The man spent his month-long vacation in Texas and cut it short as a result of the storm. Where did he go? Back to Washington. Are you telling me the most powerful man in the world couldn’t be flown into the New Orleans area to show he actually cared about people in the country he leads. Don’t tell me it wasn’t safe enough. He’s the president of the United States, with the most dedicated troop of body guards money can buy at his disposal. He should have been there. Then when he finally got there, the photos were of him hugging a few people and walking dry streets. I’m sorry, Mr. President, I’d have had more respect for you if you’d walked through the flooded roads in your hip boots. Get your hands dirty, Mr. President. This is dirty work. But necessary.

Costume Update: Nightshade

Seemingly out of nowhere I decided to beat Nightshade. You heard me, Nightshade. The pseudo-sequel to the PlayStation 2 Shinobi, but featuring hot ninja lady action. I’ve always been a big fan of the main character Hibana’s outfit, but never seriously sat down with the game until this past weekend. The platform jumping gets ridiculous in the later levels and I almost quit on several occasions. Somehow I managed to stick with it and beat the damn thing. It’s challenging and fun, but flawed in many ways. Slight spoiler: It may sadden you to find out there’s never any mention why the game is called Nightshade.

To tell you the truth, I didn’t even know there were extra outfits to unlock. That’s how cool I thought her main ninja suit was. After checking faq sites, I learned Hibana has three outfits and the other three unlockable characters have at least one extra costume each. I beat the game on Normal, which gave me access to Hotsuma (the main character from Shinobi) and Hibana’s second outfit.

There’s surprisingly little info about what the other extra outfits looks like from the fan community. That’s not shocking considering the level of determination it takes to finish Nightshade once, let alone five or six times.

So, here are some thoughts on the costumes I’ve unlocked:

Hibana, main outfit – A stunner. Very sexy, but still quite functional. Armor and spiked pads protect key areas. Some sections are exposed, but it has to be that way to allow Hibana to pull off super fast maneuvers unhindered.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Hibana, second outfit – For those who thought her ninja gear covered up too much skin, this small top and short skirt/pants with floral pattern reveals a lot more. I like seeing her face with hair flowing in the wind, but something about this costume isn’t doing it for me.
Rating: 6 out of 10

Hotsuma, main outfit – I love this outfit almost as much as Hibana’s. Exactly what I want a futuristic ninja to look like. Sleek, mysterious, and undoubtedly deadly.
Rating: 9 out of 10

Hopefully, I’ll get back to unlocking more costumes. To be continued…

Soulful costumes

There are some nice new pics of Soul Calibur III here. Along with portraits of returning characters (check out Talim’s new look), there are a host of custom costume characters. Man, it’s really a shame this game isn’t online.


I like how the SC team tweak different elements of the costumes, but manage to maintain the "feel" of the character wearing it. This outfit is very Seung Mina.

No play for cosplay
One of the questions I get in emails (maybe it's too embarrassing to ask in the public comments section) is why I won’t cover cosplay. Well, I have nothing against it. In fact, really great cosplay is awesome. At best, it looks like a game character has come to life (see Warcraft pic below). At worst…well, it’s usually a large man dressed as Sailor Moon. In the middle, which is the majority, are costumes of varying degrees of competence worn by a diverse cross section of fans.

I admire that fan spirit, and given the right situation, I don’t deny there’s some part of me that could easily succumb to costume wearing if the moons were to align just so. BUT, I feel that only showing the best cosplay would not be representative of that world as a whole. It’s something fun for mainly diehard fans to do, so the overall quality is not something that gets a costume enthusiast like me excited.

For now, the closest I’ll get to showcasing cosplay is something like Sienna Guilory playing the part of Jill Valentine.

Chapter 39.6: Final Eulogy

Well, I've given a couple days, so if anyone considers the following comments a spoiler about the final episode of Six Feet Under, that's your problem.

I enjoyed the episode, particularly the final montage while Claire was driving east through the desert, off to the unknown. As she listened to the "Deeply un-hip mix" CD from her boyfriend, Ted, her future passed before her eyes. Not just her future, but the future of her extended family. The marriage of Keith and David, Durrell learning about the mortuary business, Ruth's death with her children and George by her bedside, Brenda dying while her brother Billy rambled on about "emotional closure," Claire's wedding to Ted, and lives taken to peaceable ends (Keith's senseless murder aside).

One other little tid-bit that made me smile was Billy's t-shirt when the family visited Brenda to meet baby Willa: "What Would Jesus Bomb." I've been told these are real shirts that people can buy. I just thought it was a well placed, appropriate detail.

I'm a little confused about the end of the show for Maggie, George's daughter. Was she at a clinic to abort a child from her tryst with Nate, the night his brain exploded, was it pre-natal care, or was she simply at a doctor's appointment? I might have missed something, but the setting had to be significant, otherwise they could have placed her in any number of other spots.

I've had numerous conversations with people who don't like the show, had no sympathy for the characters, or were turned off by the subject matter. But regardless of what one thinks of the characters, I think it was good television. Interesting stories about life's difficulties. Funny quirks in so many of the people. An honesty about death that is rarely shown on television. I appreciated all of that and rarely if ever missed an episode. I'll miss the stories of Claire, Nate (who was getting rather annoying in the end), and even David (though I can't say I enjoyed watching the soul kisses he planted on his boyfriends -- so it goes.)

Rest in peace, Six Feet Under.

Chapter 39.55: Catching Up

Maureen and I visited my parents yesterday, and I read them the first two chapters of the novel. I chose that amount because it would only be about 20 or so pages, though I could have brought the third chapter as well, which is only a few pages long. Yet, if I had taken three chapters, I might not have noticed that the story doesn't really move until the third chapter, which involves a dream that sets up the first half of the book. Having taken only two chapters and reading them aloud, I soon discovered how problematic my opening is. So my decision is clear to me: I need to rework the opening chapters.

My goal remains to seek out an agent before the end of the year, but the fall will be busy with many different things to write and trips to make. I see a busy Saturday ahead of me, too, and I'd like to add the early chapter re-write into the mix. It may be put aside for deadline-related items.

Chapter 39.5: Coincidences and ESP

A friend sent me an email talking about how he seemed compelled to pick up a copy of a magazine he didn't normally read. It had nothing to do with what he does for a living, at least not directly, but he flipped through the pages and finally discovered what it was that "must" have called out to him as he passed the racks. A person he knew from college 20 years ago was quoted and photographed for the article. In his email, my friend discussed other coincidental moments that have occurred to him and openly asked if he had ESP.

I replied that it was coincidence, not ESP. What's missing from his thinking is the countless times a person sees something that he wasn't thinking of recently. You scan the TV pages to determine which rerun you want to fall asleep to, see Law & Order, flip to it, and it's an episode you haven't thought of in a few years, if you've even seen it before. You watch Briscoe make some wisecrack and soon slip off into dreamland with a cat nuzzling your ear or your heel dangling off the couch. And you never think of it again.

My point is, people remember the things they were thinking about when they pop up again. "Wow, I was just thinking of that episode of Gilligan's Island the other day, the one where Ginger gets all snuggly with the professor... Whodathunk that while flipping channels I'd run into just that episode?" But you're not thinking of all the other old movies, the episodes of Northern Exposure, that Roma Downey as an angel show, and some Robert Downey Jr. film that crossed your brain too but didn't pop into your television viewing schedule.

I used to do the same thing with digital watches. It always seemed that I looked at my watch right around the change of a minute. 58 seconds after the minute, 59, double zero, maybe 01 or 02. It seemed uncanny. Then I did the math: If I allow those five seconds of time to be significant, I have a 1 in 12 chance of catching one of those seconds. Odds aren't that tough at that point. Now, if I always seemed to catch the clock at 43 seconds into the minute, exactly ... well, even then it's one in 60.

My friend is a reporter and editor. It's odd that he saw the person he knew in the magazine, but I said, "Think of all the times you've looked at a magazine and NOT found someone you knew. You're a man of the world. You've covered hundreds of events, interviewed more than a thousand people. You're may be more likely to see someone you know than most readers. Even then, how often do you recognize a person?"

I don't want to blow the little ESP fantasy, because I do believe that some people are more sensitive to changes and patterns than others, and he may indeed be one of them. I subscribe to logic: there's usually a reason things happen. Science backs lots of unlikely, otherwise incomprehensible things -- black holes, time warps, moebius strips, the square root of negative-one.

It's one of the reasons this whole "intelligent design" thing pisses me off. I believe that God exists. I believe that he created us all and the universe, etc. I don't think he did it a minute ago in geological time. I think he created the Big Bang, like he was flicking on the lights, and said, "Wow, I haven't looked in here yet. Let me check this out for a little while." And as God explores, the universe keeps expanding. Naive, I know. But if it's with the eyes of a child that one enters the kingdom of heaven, then I'm going to keep my childish thoughts alive as long as I can.

There's more going on in the world than our eyes can see. If you you have ESP, I'm not going to tell you you're wrong. And I still believe in ghosts even though I've never seen one. But that's another story...

Costume Game Mega Preview!

There’s quite a lot of games I’ve been keeping an eye on, but for now, let's concentrate on titles coming to stores between next week (August 22nd) and the end of September. The % of GET! indicates how likely I am to buy the game.


Beat Down: Fists of Vengeance
It’s from Capcom and it’s like Final Fight in 3D. You might be thinking, isn’t there an actual Final Fight in 3D coming soon from Capcom? The answer is yes, yes there is, and no, I don’t know why they have this somewhat generic looking one coming out too. Still, I want to check it out and investigate any costume possibilities. At the very least, there’s a Nina look-a-like with lace gloves in it. Lace gloves.
90% chance of GET!



Urban Reign
What...the…hell? It's like Deja Vu. It's the early 90s all over again, when everyone was trying to make the next best sidescrolling beat-em-up. That is, until software companies jumped on the hotter one-on-one fighting genre. That Namco and Capcom would be releasing similar “street” brawlers in the same month strikes me as very nostalgic. It’s even sort of hard to tell them apart. I do know that Urban Reign, the Namco one, has at least two hidden, but playable Tekken characters. If I were a betting man, my money would be on Beat Down, the Capcom one, to have more costume unlocking goodness. Hey prove me wrong Urban Reign.
35% chance of GET!



GameBoy Micro
It’s not a game, but it does come with three faceplates…most of them tacky looking. Really, if you’re trying to get me to cough up $99, you can do better than a flower with a ladybug on it.
50% chance of GET!

Ninja Gaiden Black
Features all but one of Ryu’s costumes from the original game and one new one. What we really need are new outfits for Ayane and Rachel.
80% chance of GET!

Kingdoms Under Fire: Heroes
No bonus costumes, but what’s there looks really damn good. Very arty.
100% chance of GET!

X-Men II: Rise of Apocalypse
Apparently you have access to several variants of the X-men’s costumes. I really wish I was into superheroes like I once was.
02% chance of GET!

Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 06
Laugh all you want, but putting together a stylish outfit before hitting the links is fun, fun, fun.
20% chance of GET!


UPDATE: Modified some text above. If you care about that sort of thing.