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.