Blogging Final Fantasy

In essentially three decades of gaming, I've managed to completely avoid the Final Fantasy franchise. That stops tonight. The original FF has been downloaded via the Wii's Virtual Console, my four-character party has been created, and I'm about to step foot into Coneria. The time is 7:08 PM. Time will tell if I have the patience and commitment to sit through this 20+ year old game.

1/23/10 UPDATE: Just over 50 hours later and the game is complete. Great run, but the level grinding can take a toll. Bring on Final Fantasy II (SNES) to the Virtual Console.

Dollars to Donuts

Due to a wonderful sale at Best Buy, it is now possible to aquire all nine seasons of The X-Files for $14.99 each. Not bad. Add in the dual Blu-ray pack of the feature films, and you've got an instant collection.

Water Temple!

After an abandoned solo run that spanned from Fall '98 to Winter '00, I've begun a FAQ run of the N64 Classic, The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time. It is now 11:32 PM, and I'm entering the legendary Water Temple. Wish me luck.

UPDATE: 2:14 AM, Water Temple in the books.

11/16/08 UPDATE: 2:38 PM, entering the Spirit Temple as Young Link. 3:36 PM, Young Link's portion of Spirit Temple in the books. Entering as Adult Link at 3:44 PM. 5:12 PM - Complete.

11/16/08 UPDATE #2: Entered Ganon's Castle at 5:57 PM, watching the credits roll at 8:39 PM. Easily one of the best video games ever created.

Schrader

Despite having a two Christmas functions (a cousin's high school choir concert tonight + party with the in-laws tomorrow) and a dentist appointment, the one thing I have to do this weekend is see Paul Schrader's The Walker. The Uptown Birmingham 8 is palying it five times a day Sat and Sun, so my goal is to free up 108 minutes by Sunday night.

SEGA!

Maybe I've been watching too much Angry Video Game Nerd, but lately I've felt like going into the console collecting trade. Thanks to eBay, last night I scored a Sega Dreamcast ('99) and 5 games for $32.50 (plus shipping). One of the games is the highly praised Shenmue ('00). Best.

12/12/07 Update: The Dreamcast is currently in KEASBEY, NJ (approx 639 miles from my house) and scheduled to arrive tomorrow via FedEx. Also, I picked up a used Sega Saturn last night via Craigslist. Hoping to pick it up in the next few days. Lord knows I'll probably never play much of this stuff, but for some reason, I MUST HAVE IT.

12/13/07 Update: Item arrived just before 5PM today. Apart from a few scuffs here and there, the system otherwise is in good shapes and appears to work just fine. Up next, finding a Sega Saturn that won't be DOA.

2007 in Tunes

Ahh. The first "Best of '07" music list from a friend arrived in my inbox earlier this afternoon.

1. Of Montreal – Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?
2 Panda Bear – Person Pitch
3. CJ Boyd – The Greatest
4. Beirut – Flying Cup Club
5. Black Lips – Good Bad Not Evil
6. Feist – The Reminder
7. Animal Collective – Strawberry Jam
8. Umphrey’s McGee – The Bottom Half
9. Devendra Banhart – Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
10. Magik Markers - BOSS

Personally I would have ranked Animal Collective over Feist, Beirut and Of Montreal, but then again, it isn't my list.

Rocktober

The Fall concert season is upon me, and in a word, I'm hoping I can pull it off.

There are 15 days left in October '07, and I've got tickets to 7 shows between now and then. Wish me luck.

10/17/07 – Wilco/Andrew Bird @ Fox Theater – Detroit, MI

10/19/07 – Morrissey/Kristeen Young @ Royal Oak Music Theater – Royal Oak, MI

10/20/07 – “The Misfits 30th Anniverscary Tour” - The Misfits @ Harpos – Detroit, MI

10/22/07 – Van Halen/Ky-Mani Marley @ Palace of Auburn Hills – Auburn Hills, MI

10/23/07 – Queens of the Stone Age/Black Angels/Biffy Clyro @ Fillmore – Detroit, MI

10/25/07 – One Under (as Three Under) @ Fishbones – Detroit, MI

10/27/07 – Ween @ Fillmore – Detroit, MI

Not to mention the two shows I've already seen this month:

10/13/07 – Spoon/The Ponys @ Majestic – Detroit, MI

10/13/07 – Deastro/We vs.The Shark/Wildcatting/Benny Stoofy @ Belmont - Hamtramck, MI

October. Crazed.

I Want Your Skull

The current incarnation of The Misfits may not get much respect from the mainstream music press or even punk fans, but sole original member Jerry Only deserves credit for at least one thing - dude knows how to market his band. Check out this blurb from the latest Misfits update:

“FIEND CLUB LOUNGE” GOES HOLLYWOOD IN PARAMOUNT PICTURES’ “HOT ROD”!

Paramount Pictures and Saturday Night Live Producer Lorne Michaels present ‘HOT ROD’ a new comedy starring SNL’s Andy Samberg & Bill Hader. Samberg stars as accident-prone daredevil Rod Kimble. When the film hits theaters on August 3rd be sure to look out for the Nutley Brass’ space-age-pop rendition of Misfits classic “Skulls” from the Misfits Records release ‘Fiend Club Lounge’ prominently featured in THE key scene in the film and included on the movie’s soundtrack album. Look for ‘HOT ROD’ in theaters nationwide on August 3rd and help Rod raise funds to save Frank!"

Earth Intruders

Got my tickets yesterday via the presale at the official Bjork site. Row EE. Best.

Icelandic Songstress Björk Touches Down In Detroit!

Björk returns to North America this fall with a new series of performances, including a stop at Detroit's Fox Theatre at 8 p.m. Tuesday, September 11.

The tour supports Björk's new release Volta (One Little Indian/Elektra), described by the Washington Post as "…enthralling, frenetic and fresh…" and heralded by the New York Post as "…2007's first must-hear album." Additionally, Spin says it "…dispels any doubts about the strength of her arty instincts" and Rolling Stone affirms it as a "…good argument for Björk to keep doing whatever she pleases…"

Tickets ($39.50, $49.50, $59.50 & $89.50) go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, July 20 and may be purchased at OlympiaEntertainment.com, the Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices, Hockeytown Authentics in Troy (without service charge) and at all Ticketmaster locations, including Macy's and Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets by phone, call (248) 433-1515. For additional information, call (313) 471-6611.

Guests are reminded to plan accordingly due to the construction on the Lodge. For more information, please visit OlympiaEntertainment.com.

Prepaid parking in the Fox Theatre garage is available when you purchase your tickets online through Ticketmaster.com.

Exterminate

A few years back, those looking for new, decent science fiction on American television didn't have many options. Sure SciFi's Battlestar Galactica was off to its brilliant early start, but other than that, Farscape had recently been canned and UPN was in the process of ditching Star Trek: Enterprise. Then the BBC resurrected the long running Doctor Who in 2005. Despite having been around since 1963, a new adventure hadn't been seen since "Doctor Who: The Movie" which aired on FOX here in the US back in the Summer of 1996.

Doctor Who's return in 2005 was a smash right from the start. The combination of Christoper Eccleston as the latest Doctor and his spunky new companion Rose Tyler (played perfectly by Billie Piper) caused such a stir, SciFi nabbed the rights to re-broadcast these new episodes here in the US. With its lighter tone and sly British humor, Doctor Who was everything Lost or Battlestar wasn't. As a result, it played as a perfect companion piece during Saturday/Sunday catch up sessions of that week's fresh recordings.

Tonight marks the third season of Doctor Who on SciFi. Eccleston and Piper have since left the show (Eccleston can currently be seen on NBC's Heroes), and to be perfectly honest, the new Doctor played by David Tennant hasn't completely won me over yet. Last season's early episodes got off to a pretty slow start and I'd be lying if I said I didn't fall asleep through a few of them, but that was until we got to the Love & Monsters episode - which in my opinion was the best 60 minutes of science fiction in 2006.

Will Season 3 be an improvement? Word from the UK where the season has already ran has been mixed. I'm also not sure how I'll take to Freema Agyeman as new companion, Martha Jones. Regardless, there isn't much else on this Summer, so the timing couldn't be better.

Back to back new episodes of Doctor Who begin tonight at 8PM EST on SciFi.