Tuesday, August 17, 2004

4:31 AM - Mitch is still awake.

I wake up about 1 PM in the afternoon. It's my first day of my two days off of work AKA system slaving.

I fire up the PS one in my room. I start playing Parasite Eve II. I play for about two hours. In those two hours, I make some progress.

The game can be frustrating. It's pretty much a Resident Evil clone. They changed it so much from the first Parasite Eve.

It doesn't have many RPG elements in it. You don't even level up. When you get in battles, they happen in real time, there's no charging of a gauge to attack. You just attack.

You get EXP, but that EXP is used to upgrade your Parasite Powers, which are basically magic. You get these things called Bounty Points, as well, which allow you to purchase weapons, ammo, items, and armor.

You have HP. MP. You can open a menu screen and access your items, equip, mess around with things like that.

Other than that, that's all the RPG elements.

In the first Parasite Eve, there were many RPG elements--elements which were intuitive, different, and innovative. Things that hadn't been done in many other RPGs.

But the second is far different.

It's an adventure game. It contains some RPG elements, as mentioned above, but they are threadbare RPG elements.

This time around, protagonist Aya Brea moves around like all characters have in all the RE games--like a fucking tank. This makes many of the real time battles frustrating. So frustrating that you will probably die. Often.

I don't know how many times I've died because I couldn't move that well. But it's something I can't help and I have to bear with, because I guess that's the way it is. But I know that real people don't walk like fucking tanks.

I guess when you're in a survival horror situation, you move like a tank because you're so scared.

Or maybe not.

Or maybe yes.

The game gets frustrating. The game overall is disappointing, but I'm enjoying what's there. I didn't come to it expecting something on par with the original--which is quite dear to my heart--but I did come expecting something decent, that delivers entertainment.

That's what I got.

The game has excellent graphics for a PS game.

The backgrounds are all static, pre-rendered, a la RE. Otherwise, the enemies you fight, and the characters are polygonal, and look decently detailed, albeit jaggedy, like most other polygonally-built structures and/or things on the PS.

The pre-rendered backgrounds work. They give a sense of realism.

The camera's also tight on this game. It goes to different pre-set angles as you move to one spot to another, often doing interesting angles, and often taking a cinematic tune.

When I was done playing that, it was already 3 PM. I went upstairs and ate something.

There's never anything to eat, but I grabbed some blackberries and some raspberries and a banana. Then I decided to play a bit more of PE II, even if I was at a frustrating part where you're bombarded with monsters to battle in every place you go, and get all pissed because the game's battle system is so cheap.

I made it farther. About 4 PM, I saved and stopped again. I went upstairs.

My mom was leaving someplace. She wanted me to make my brother Macs & Cheese.

I set the pan out. Put water in it. Put some salt in it to lower the boiling point so it would boil faster.

I went upstairs. To the computer.

The cable modem wasn't working like it sometimes didn't. I signed onto my mom's AOL name, signed onto AIM.

My friend Ryan had called me a bit before, wanting me to come over. I wasn't able to, since my mom was leaving. We'd decided we'd play Starcraft online, then.

He IM'd me, and I told him I needed to go check the Macaroni and Cheese, and that I needed to take a shower.

I took a short shower, came down to the Macs & Cheese, drained the water out of the noodles in a strainer, added the margarine, added the milk, got two bowls out, equalled out it to each, called my brother up to eat.

We ate. I went back upstairs, in my boxers.

I told Ryan I was going to get dressed. He said to tell him when I was ready.

I got dressed, put on my Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon T-shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans.

I came up and told him I was going to brush my teeth.

When I was done, we played Starcraft for a while.

I was waiting for another game of Sunken Defense to start, when I heard my parents downstairs. My dad was home.

I went down and listened in on their conversation they were having.

My dad was talking something about how my mom didn't understand how financially fucked he was going to be if they divorced. She yelled at him. He said she was out of touch.

I said she needed a reality check. She'd have to get a full-time job. I also told her that she's being selfish. That it's all about what she wants. My dad said, yeah, it's about what you want.

She yelled at me and said this had nothing to do with me, it was between her and him.

I stood there a bit longer. My mom shouted that she didn't want to be with him anymore. She said my dad didn't know what it was like to suffer, like he's done to her.

I wanted to tell her she didn't even know what it was to suffer, but I didn't say anything.

Listening to her, I wanted to smack some sense into her. She sounded like a fool. Like a little girl. I thought, I can understand why my biological father hit her a few times.

I ran downstairs. I was ripping the last Nine Inch Nails album I'd gotten in the mail, The Fragile. I was on the second disc. I'd already gotten The Downward Spiral done.

My brother was down there, listening in on their conversation as always.

I turned on a Nine Inch Nails song loud, to block out their argument upstairs, and to make it so my brother couldn't hear.

I sat there for a while. I wasn't in the best mood, because I was really getting tired of my mom and how utterly stupid she was being.

I went back upstairs and to the computer. I signed off of AIM. I called Ryan.

He told me to call him in twenty minutes, he was eating dinner.

I went and played a bit more Parasite Eve II, and while I was Ryan called me.

We talked on the phone while I played the game at the same time. We decided we'd go to the grocery store.

When I found a save point, I told him I was coming over and I hung up.

I went upstairs, and my dad said they were going to get something to eat. I waited while they debated where they were going. They decided on Schlotzky's Deli. I said I'd go with.

As we were pulling out of the driveway, in my dad's green Tundra truck, I decided I didn't want to go and I'd rather just go to Ryan's.

I got out, went to my car, unlocked it, and drove to Ryan's.

I had called Ryan before I left to eat, and told him I was going to come over after I ate. But I showed up at his door. He didn't look too surprised.

We went in his van to Econo Foods. Before we left, I went to my car and got my book I'd gotten in the mail, Choke.

On the way there I read some of it to Ryan. I told him about the part where it said he had "Dickhead fingernails," and that he liked "fucking corndogs."

Ryan wondered if the corndogs were actually fucking, or if they were just an adjective in the sentence.

He kept talking while I read, and when he had my attention diverted, he'd say I was into the book and that I was missing what he was saying.

At Econo Foods, we walked around for thirty minutes. I ended up buying a big thing of this generic brand of Honey Nut Cheerios, which was only five dollars and worth it. Along with that, I got a 2-liter Lime-flavored Diet Coke, and shortbread cookies.

Ryan got shortbread cookies, some kind of cheese, and Ritz crackers.

We left and went to Adam's.

At Adam's I ate my generic brand Cheerios and drank my Diet Coke.

Adam was playing a game of Starcraft. Eventually he finished, and we went into his room.

I'd remembered Adam had my Kingdom Hearts game, so I had him give me that. And then Ryan decided to go get his cheese and crackers out of the car, since he left them there.

I was counting money from my wallet, but I stopped as I was, because I wanted to get my book.

I got my book, he got his cheese, and we went back in.

I started reading the book, and eventually we went up stairs to the kitchen and I had some of this cheese, to see why he had to have it. Then I had some crackers with cheese on them, and thought it was pretty good.

We went back downstairs. We sat there and they talked. I just layed down by the doorway to Adam's room. I suddenly felt tired.

I didn't say much of anything as I lay there. They kept saying I was being quiet, and at one point Adam said, "Quit being anti-social and lying there moping like a moron." I told him I wasn't moping, I was just tired.

Adam said we needed to figure out what we were going to do in thirty seconds. Adam decided we'd go to Econo Foods, he wanted some Soda, then we'd watch Pleasantville, since he had gotten it on video.

He asked if that was okay? I said fine. I didn't really care what we did. I was feeling tired. Also I was feeling somewhat horny as well.

We left, and went to Econo Foods. I didn't pay attention to much we did there. I spotted a decently attractive woman, and looked at her and her legs, while we stood at the pop.

When we left, I sat in the back just as quiet as I had on the way there.

When we were almost back to Adam's, Adam told me to talk. I said there was nothing to say. He said make small talk. I thought of saying small talk was a waste of time for me, but I didn't say anything.

Ryan randomly said I see a hippo. Adam said it was dancing. And that it was gray. Ryan said it had polka dots on it. Adam said he didn't see it.

When we got there, we watched Pleasantville, as promised. The movie is good but I've seen it too many times, and I wasn't in the mood for watching a movie, I was still sort of in an offset mood from listening to my parents bicker, and how stupid my mom was acting.

I did pay attention to the females in the film. I was still feeling that way.

I wanted the film to be over as soon as it began but I made myself stay there and watch the whole thing. There wasn't much else I could do. My car was still at Ryan's house, since Ryan had drove us over.

Towards the end of the movie, I got really antsy. I stood up and paced in place waiting for it to end.

When it was over we left, and went back to Ryan's. I told Ryan bye as I went to my car, drove off, and returned home.

I walked in, slammed the back garage door closed, automatically locked it, and stepped into the house.

They were sitting at the table, talking it looked like.

In my hands I had my things I'd bought, along with Choke and Kingdom Hearts. I set it all down, and they asked me what I had and I told them food.

My mom came up and grabbed my shortbread cookies from my hands, passing it on to my brother who wanted some.

I told my dad I wanted to keep my food downstairs but he said I couldn't. I said whatever, fine, let people eat the money I'd earned myself.

I told my mom to just give me my food, I wasn't in the mood for stupid games. She wouldn't and all I did was say fine, eat it all, I don't care.

I went upstairs and popped on the computer. Right as I got on mom came crawling up and said she needed to check her e-bay stuff and so I got off.

I stood upstairs waiting for her to get off. I was really on a short fuse and I wanted to get online, and when she finally got off I shut the door and put on some music and started writing a poem.

She came in as I was writing a poem. I wanted to be left alone and I tried to say kindly that I wanted to be left alone.

She said I can't talk to her like that. She gave birth to me. She said she sacrificed things for me when I was younger. She said because of all that, I had to respect her.

I told her she didn't get it. Respect is earned.

She said fine I can disrespect her. I said fine just go away, leave me alone. She said she wasn't leaving the room until I gave her respect.

I was really getting aggravated now. I told her she didn't deserve my respect until she earned it.

She finally left, after I'd pulled away from the computer and stared off into space until she left.

She came in again soon enough, and said don't worry I don't have to hate her I'm just looking for a magazine.

She said one day I'll regret treating her this way. I thought the irony of what she was saying was pretty damn stinging. I told her she doesn't get it, why I don't respect her. I told her she'll regret the way she's treating us one day.

She walked out and left me and I was finally alone.

I finished the rest of my first poem and went to a next one, about her since I was aggravated and fucking sick of her and how she was being.

When I was done with that, I noticed Shinmaru was on, and decided to send him some music, since I'd just burned a disc with the new music I'd gotten.

I gave him two Muse songs, an Oceansize song, and a Doors song. I told him sorry I was so quiet, I was just fucking sick of my mom's shit. He said it was fine, man. I told him to enjoy the music and he said he would.

About when I was done, Ryan wanted to play Starcraft.

I played Starcraft with Ryan--more of that new Sunken Defense map.

We beat it about the fifth or sixth try.

Then we played some Evolves games.

Then I started typing on here. I finished this at 5:19 AM.
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