Armored Core: The Most Bogus Series on the Planet; and other Updates

I've made it a habit of conquering some of the hardest games there have ever been. Among them have been Megaman games, Castlevania games, The Red Star, and several others that have been known to be near impossible. However, there is a type of game and crowd that I despise. It's something I call the Fraternity genre. This is a genre of games that are absolutely unbeatable without finding a needle-in-the-haystack glitch, or item that allows the game to be played. In games like these, those who stumble upon it, are so proud of themselves that they keep it as a hush secret amongst themselves, and enjoy watching newcomers give up one by one. Armored Core is such a series.

 I had the privilege of first experiencing this game around the age of 13 at a good friend's house, as we used to play games almost every day after school. In fact, he was an undercover tech head. He was into extremely sophisticated and complex games, usually revolving around military combat and espionage. I was drawn in slowly to the games, and I recall a few vividly as I watched him control and play a completely convoluted HUD, navigating through ambiguous missions effortlessly in these games. I was awe struck. I didn't really get into them myself until years later, when he was long gone. He sort of planted the seed. Armored Core was one of those games. The others were games like Space Griffon VF9, and some other game possibly Urban Strike related. When I got my Sega Saturn, I was a freshman in High School. It was 1998. That was some of the last times that me and my friend hung out. I believe we lost contact during the 10th grade. He was in high school in the Bronx, where I lived, but I was commuting to another school, so we hung out after school, which is still shocking because he lived pretty far from me. I remember having very fun memories of playing some games that were right up his alley, being that he groomed me into the genre. The same way he showed me and played Armored Core, I introduced him to Soviet Strike and Crusader: No Remorse, both of which really impressed him. I also brought a funny game over that I really loved starring the hated Kirk Cameron- The Horde. We both memorized the lines from that. I loved those days.

 When I got my own PS2 several years later, Armored Core  was one of the games I purchased immediately just off of nostalgia. I didn't really play it that time around. I didn't have the PS2 for long. In fact, looking back, I don't know why. I had a pretty good library. I had Final Fantasy 10, Hajime No Ippo, Armored Core, NBA Street, and King of Fighters. I think I traded for my Dreamcast, which I still have if I'm not mistaken. When I got my PSP at launch in 2005, not long after, I saw articles showing previews of an Armored Core game coming out. This was when Sony reared the beginnings of their atrocious advertising. The game was depicted like a mech simulator that was based off of Armored Core, with really good looking graphics, where you don't directly control your mech, but set it up to fight in an automated battle. Because of that misinformation, I declined to purchase it at first. It wasn't until later that I purchased a copy of Armored Core Last Raven for my PSP Go.

 I had it on tab to play later, as I was finishing games like Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, Prinny, and Killzone. All of those games were ridiculously hard, as you would know if you are a gaming enthusiast. I didn't get into Armored Core until a few years ago actually. I started the campaign, and then took a break. The controls are very unique for the PSP, as I heard, but I got used to them pretty quick. Building the mech is where the learning curve is. The thing is that you can't keep your mech exactly the same, yet you must maintain your overall ability to take on the harder stages towards the end. It's like a rubik's cube, which I was good at, then bad at in the past. First off, when I found out that Armored Core was a full on port, I was amazed that such a huge game was on the PSP. I've had to get used to the jargon of parts names, ammunition, and weapon types, and statistical  modifications of the Armored Core universe. Online, whenever I looked for help with the game, I would meed a message board of players who sound like a room of Brain Surgeons discussing breakthrough procedures. It's like staring at a floating island. There's no way on. I've done coding somewhat- also known as computer programming, and studied some of Stanford's courses, as well as online tutorials. I know frustration. There is nothing like pining sheets of code looking for the command error causing a program to crash or freeze. Yet, this game is somehow worse.

 Just when I thought I had the gist of the game, the complexity seemed to lose me again. The game has a AI system that adjusts to not only how you play, but the construction of you mech, making already difficult battles, just about impossible. When I looked online, I noticed that all Armored Core games have mechs that zip around the screen, and fire insanely powerful weapons non-stop at the enemy, all while staying airborne. You have no idea how difficult that is to do schematically. It's not the controls that are an issue. It's the limitations of the parts. Most of the advanced parts have to be found in the corners of stages in the game. Many are useless, or won't be found without being told where to look. The standard parts just don't get good enough to compete with the middle to late levels. It just leaves me wondering where the players who beat this game are getting the parts they have that allow them to fly constantly, have a huge sight scope, and move like flies around the level. Often, CPU enemies will do that, and I feel like my character is in the wrong game. Then, I remember that it's a fraternity game. Armored Core let's you carry over mech data throughout the series. If you just got on board, you're way behind in that regard.

 I hate, and covet fraternity games to a degree. Part of me likes the fact that games exist that only few can hang with. I enjoy it once I'm in. However, I loath having to learn something that I would never know on my own, in order to get by.


  Anyway on another note, my job is breaking me down mentally and physically. I actually almost fell asleep on the road today. It was a surreal moment waking up at the gas station. I went in and out of consciousness so many times on the road, I forgot I made it to the station, and was shocked when I woke up. I've been forgetting a lot lately due to overworking myself on these jobs. We'll see what happens. I've been working on some musical and art projects. I have a lot of ideas, and new techniques I want to employ musically and artistically. Much inspiration has come from my buddy Dave Chisholm's album Calligraphy. I've also been working on trying to complete some of these games that have. I'm the kind of person that refuses not to enjoy life. I don't care what work or trials come my way- I will make the most of what's in front of me. I just always hated to be that person that collects things that I never use. It bothers me to let books sit and collect on my shelves, ideas and notes remain in my logs or draft sheets, music to be left unfinished in my folders, and games to be piled up that I always wanted to play, but didn't. I'm continuing the Coming of Age project, which I've sort of decided will be accompanied by an album, which is really sounding good right now. However, with all that's going on, it is holding it up. I'll be updating soon.

Caitlyn and Cosby

I just have to speak on the reactions I'm seeing towards Caitlyn Jenner, after receiving the ESPY award for Courage.

The sad thing is that he is revealing what is growing from an undertone in America and the world, to a loud cry. Look at how embraced he is and was, even before this award. Look on the internet, and look at the shift in transgender and "alternative" preference in the last few years. If you just look around carefully, you can see this has been shifting for some time, and now with the change in laws, and Bruce stepping forward, that was an adrenaline shot that is speeding it all up. I've personally caught a few men I know, who swear they are straight, talking about how attracted they are to Caitlyn. I think that there are a large number of undercover, or in-between people, that are going to be surfacing as the climate becomes more favorable. What is considered normal and straight has been broadening for a while now.

The whole crowd rose to their feet and America embraces and loves not only Caitlyn, but anything besides what was once normal. It's almost as if they have tired of doing things according to their original intentions, and praise any who defy. I keep thinking about the discussion I had with someone when they said one day, being what was once normal will have YOU discriminated against. You already know how I feel about this, as I've written about it several times now. But just seeing how confused people are is amazing. Caitlyn says she still likes women. Apparently, she kept some of her male parts from what I've heard. She also retains Bruce's voice. People don't realize they are applauding and calling courageous, what is merely mischievous confusion. He lived the life of an alpha-male. He had and raised 6 children. He hung with his male friends of many decades regularly, and did everything normal fathers do. And he's stating that he didn't mean any of that. As far as being with women, he is now putting Lesbians in a position where if they choose to be with him, it draws into question what exactly drove them down the path of an alternative lifestyle in the first place. There are so many holes in what is now a lifestyle respected as a race, that it is ridiculous. I'm actually interested to see how it plays out with her, because I feel that she will get more pressure and response from men than she will women. I already said earlier to prepare yourself to hear that she likes men eventually. I see a rollercoaster coming, already started off with the fatal car accident that she caused. There has been an underground growth in so-called straight men lusting for shemales. There was a documentary years ago called, "Hip Hop Beyond Beats and Rhymes." Several homosexual males and transgenders were interviewed and said that many high level stars frequently sought them out. At the time, it was ignored as nonsense, but now it's becoming clear how real that was. Look at the news reports surfacing lately about stars like Travolta making advances towards a number of males, or some of our favorite child stars being suddenly on the fence sexually or on the other side completely.

Whenever you see people who live what you are being trained to call normal, doing sick acts, it's another side of that coin. Even heterosexuals like Bill Cosby. He iss apparently a womanizer, but society praises that any other time. It's praised all the way up until something goes wrong. That's today's thinking. I had a friend who used to berate me for being a religious and principled guy, saying that when I mature, I'll see how I'm supposed to be- a womanizer. He said it all the way up until his nasty divorce, where his whole life was turned upside down. Try to think about consequences. Cosby's case isn't that isolated. Don't let the the allegations fool you. These women consented to what was a womanizer. What he was doing was wrong, but it is also common. That fact is blighted by the fact that the story is painted as him dominating, and raping dozens of women, which is insanely stupid. One of the victims said she had an affair with him for several years, when suddenly, he raped her. Put that together if you can. It's like me and a coworker said, if YOU, I, or the president had a truckload of sedatives, there is no way in the world any of us would be able to walk around town and scoop up hundreds of women and use the drugs to rape each of them without any consent. People so easily forget how many levels and stages there are to human interaction. The fact that the story is starting to hold up is amazing.

We've all heard of the "Date Rape" drug. You know that to use it, you have to be in a situation where the female is already around you. The predator also has to time his actions and have a plan. Not that Cosby is incapable of that. The thing about it is all of this going unnoticed initially. He is said to have paid women to keep his affairs silent. What this comes down to is money. These were mistresses. The way the media spins it is as if you can walk into a restaurant and use the drug to slip out with someone's wife, with no one noticing, and no consent. The drugs aren't that magical. The most common date rape drug agent is alcohol. By definition, any drug can be considered one. The rape takes place when an incapacitated person is assaulted. The truth is that there is always so much room for accusation. But thus far, there have been no accomplices named in the Cosby case. Being the celebrity he is, he was said to have taken these women to his private quarters during these occasions. The fact we can't ignore is that these women entered into intimate settings with him. If a girl doesn't like a guy at all in that way, she usually won't enter into a date like setting, and if she does drink with him, there will usually be others around. I doubt he carried lifeless bodies away from a crowded room. Some of this would be plausible with an average person, but the fact remains that he was a high profile individual doing this. The odds are that they were in one-on-one settings where he was allowed to give them the drug. Suddenly, decades later, each victim now speaks. They may be victims in a sense, but they each had more of a hand in it than they are saying.

From what I've heard, Cosby had to use the drug to get sex because females weren't that physically attracted to him. He would talk to them, and they would be into him somewhat, but from what I heard, they themselves would on occasion, choose to use the drug to tolerate having sex with him. I don't know how true that is, but I do believe at least some of these women had to be interested in him in some way for all of this to go down. In the end, he is a disgusting womanizer, and adulterer who is now seen as such. But he also represents, in a sick way, the American male ideal. The scary thing is that people don't notice.

Sports Update

In the world of sports, I've been loosely watching the Summer League of NBA, and the Knick acquisitions performing. I actually will be eager to see how this upcoming season plays out. This past weekend was one of the few joys in Fight weeks I've had in a while. With all of the upsets, it was good to see my boys pull through. Connor McGregor, Keith Thurman, and Robbie Lawler all delivered in their performances, in spectacular fashion.

 Robbie Lawler was defending his new title, and silencing any who doubted him still. He was facing a game  opponent in Rory MacDonald.  The fight started very methodically, and was called dull in the start, when it wasn't. Chess escapes fools. It ended with fireworks, and Robbie KO'ing Rory after some explosive standup, having been rocked himself at one point. I like the wrinkles Robbie has added to his game with very smooth boxing, and level changing. His takedown defense is getting even better. Not only does he stuff the takedowns, he makes you pay dearly with counters in the process.

 Keith Thurman has been under the microscope as a potential Mayweather opponent for a while, especially after his several rants calling Floyd out. I wasn't a fan of the matchup myself, but Keith id definitely improving. I didn't like how slow and defenseless he looked in his last fight with Robert Guerrero, who hurt him late in that fight. In this fight, he faced a small looking Luis Collazo. At first, it seemed like a mismatch. Collazo starts slow, and waits to explode. When Collazo lets his hands go, you can see why he stopped a game Ortiz and Berto. He has hard, relentless shots, and a very hard chin. Keith actually stepped his game up. His defense was excellent, and he really didn't take clean shots upstairs. It wasn't until the 5th that we saw him in trouble. He took the kind of liver shot that stopped De La Hoya, and would have stopped most people. How he stayed up is beyond me, but his defense afterward, recovery, and offensive wizardry, really impressed me. He survived the round, then came out and controlled the very next round, leading to a corner stoppage. He apparently had a wrist injury. Like Teddy Atlas said, I didn't see explosive power there much, which could be due to the wrist, but as far as technique, I definitely see an argument for a Mayweather fight there. It would be interesting, but I would rather he fight Khan first. That fight, at this point would be good.

  Lastly, I have to mention the greatest magic of them all- my boy Connor. Connor McGregor is a great warrior. He is living proof that belief takes you far. And not blind belief. I mean drive. Ever since he was in Ireland, he as known he would be champion. With all of the tests in front of him, it's hard to see a way for him to dominate like he promises each time, and yet he always has. When he was set to face Aldo, I felt that he might fade and crumble in that fight. Aldo pulled out due to rib injury, and was replaced by Chad Mendes. I honestly felt that Chad was the tougher fight for Connor, and I still do. Chad hurt and tested Aldo in both of their fights, and has the added wrinkle of being a great wrestler. That's a recipe for a Connor nightmare. Yet, Connor says he has no worries, and promises to cut Chad in half, and the first thing I say to myself is, "How the heck is he going to do that?" Chad is a complete fighter who will test even the greatest and most perfect fighter, if not destroy them. But Connor is special. Just watching his media workouts, I was blown away. He isn't just talk. He takes it back to the very basics of martial arts and technique. He has polished his movement and strikes in such a way, you just don't see that anymore from most fighters. The kind of perfect kicks and punches and just the right time, that most fighters dream of throwing, Connor can throw at will, anytime, perfectly, in rapid succession if need be. He has taken it back to what it truly means to master technique, not just learn it. I was shouting and on my feet watching some of the back kick counter combos he was putting together at the workout. All of that artistry went completely over the heads of the viewers, who didn't know what they were seeing, so resorted to talking about girlfriends in the background. I knew that it was what made him amazing.

  When Connor started the fight, his standup was on display immediately. Not since Jon Jones have you seen a fighter who's timing and striking is amazing at every moment till Connor. Carlos Condit and Josh Thompson are up there, but Jon and Connor are in a class themselves in how majestic they execute. When it was looking bad, Chad resorted to his takedown game, which I thought would be a problem for Connor. He got the takedowns, and went for elbows, and grinding. I was worried that would be it. Connor showed that he can maintain control, even from bottom position, and also took some nasty shots very well. He was taken down a few times, and always found a way to stand. His striking was so amazing that he still seemed to edge the rounds. Then in the 3rd round, when Chad got another takedown, it seemed that he would grind to some kind of finish, but Connor found a way to stand again, and delivered a decisive straight that leveled Chad and ended the fight. It was the kind of amazing that Connor promised and always delivers. When he got the belt, he was in tears. I don't know if Aldo has what it takes. Connor McGregor is everything I told people he would be.

Then and Now

  With the recent, and tragic loss of Nintendo's president Satoru Iwata, I really had a very nostalgic day earlier this week, just thinking about the changes in eras that have happened from the mid 90's to 2002, when the former president of Nintendo- Yamauchi resigned, to 2005, when he completely stepped down from consultant, to 2008-2009, where there was a total change in the fabric of society with the takeover of social media and smartphones, up to today, in 2015, where the world has undergone such radical moral changes in the past few years. It's all so overwhelming, and while I was thinking about my childhood, and the video game memories attached, I couldn't ignore how in sync it was with changes in the world. It's amazing to contemplate. There are a few throwback pics here.

   I think that the loss of Iwata is tragic, and I remember when he took the position. I find it odd that there is a bigger outcry over his death than the death of Yamauchi. If anything, much of the memories that made Nintendo great, are attributed to Iwata instead of Yamauchi by the public, which is wrong. I remember those transitions very well, and Nintendo made a steep down turn when Yamauchi completely stepped down. The difference is tangible enough to cut a knife through. I have to touch on that briefly. I remember growing up, I was raised in a Sega household. We had the Master System starting off. My brother gave it to me when he went to college in 93' I believe. I didn't become obsessed with it right away. I had some memories of trying to beat Zanoni, or whatever the boss' name was in Astro Warrior. It was when the power cable broke, and my parents forced me to throw the system out, that I really started loving it. We would later own Genesis years later, but I immediately took to Nintendo in the mid 90's. I remember getting my mother to buy me a Gameboy with Fifa 96'. I played the crap out of that game. She later got me Street Fighter 2, which I played incessantly. I went on to buy Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, Turtles, Iron Man, and a few others over time. I followed Nintendo faithfully, getting SNES when I got enough money, and Nintendo 64. I still have my  Gamecube. However, for years, I watched companies rival Nintendo's handhelds with impressive specs like GameGear, Lynx, Game Com, N-Gage, etc. They all fell in defeat due to Nintendo's support. I was okay with it at first.

   Then, I was in High school, when the Gameboy Advance launched. We fell in love with it. Me and my friends played so many classic titles on that system, and loved it even more, when the backlit SP version was released. That was one of my favorite systems of all time. I still remember Kingdom Hearts being the last game I beat on it. When president Yamauchi stepped down as president, it was 2002. I was a junior in High school. Immediately, I was worried. The Gameboy Advance, and the Gamecube had just launched in 2001, and showed so much promise. We were further worried, when we heard Iwata talking about the changes the company would be making. In fact, there were already discussions about the new Nintendo Handheld that would use 2 screens. I was annoyed, being that I was in love with what I was already playing. I was glad to hear Yamauchi announce that he would stay on as a consultant. That was probably one of the most powerful moves in gaming history, and many don't get that. By doing that, he pushed back some of those radical changes, and kept the quality of games very high until the mid 2000's. The Gamecube had a stellar library, and I will probably never sell my unit. I still love playing Smash Brothers Melee, as it holds so many memories of a golden era I had hanging with friends and bonding over it.

   Iwata gets a lot of credit for many of the legendary releases such as Metroid Prime, Melee, Zelda: Wind Waker, Mario Kart, Mario Sunshine, etc; being that he was president at the time, but if you pay attention, you can see that Yamauchi was probably the main catalyst. After he completely stepped down in 2005, you can see a sharp turn in the company, and the quality of titles change completely. I'm pretty sure he didn't put the idea of the Nintendo DS out there himself. He no doubt backed it, as a consultant, but what it became is not what he would have intended. The balance of titles was lost somewhat. Now don't get me wrong, the DS had titles that I liked as well, such as Trauma Center, Nanostray, Hoshigami and Metroid Prime: Hunters. DS launched in the US before Japan, which in itself speaks volumes about the companies change in direction. I remember hearing the American CEO of Nintendo at the time, talk about the changes that were coming, with this possessed look in his eyes. Almost none of it sounded good. But, if you look at the library on the DS, you notice the same pattern. All of the great titles that kept the system relevant, were either released, or in development by the time Yamauchi stepped down. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to see the correlation.

  When the DS launched, I noticed something else that changed. Their marketing approach, and fidelity. Nintendo was the company for years that was the honest Bob. They told you what you were getting, delivered, and sucked you in with their consistency and support. However, in the campaign leading up to launch, they promised games, and graphical prowess that were lies, to sell over the competition of the Sony PSP. That was when things changed for me. I tried to convince myself to get a DS, but something didn't feel right. Then I saw the crappy launch titles, and wondered why they kept showing pictures of these Sonic games that wouldn't come out for years. They knew they had the inferior hardware, and they were trying to hoodwink the public. I didn't bite. I chose to trust Sony. I knew that no opponent of Nintendo ever succeeded in the handheld market, but something felt different. The rest is history. I never really enjoyed a Nintendo Handheld again. I had a DS at one point, and even a 3DS, but it never delivered. The only reason they succeed is because of the enormous revenue of Nintendo, and the ignorance of the public, who figure quality handhelds have to be Nintendo, and think the PSP is an unsupported Playstation 1 ripoff.

   It's amazing to think that all of that occurred in an era of no social media. I read game magazines, and went to my local game store, researching everything. Back then, I used the internet to play games sometimes, or go to art galleries. I hardly stayed on the computer at that time. Isn't it amazing to think that we've gone from that to now, where 80 year olds are attached to their phones and networking sites. No one can get off of the computer. It's used more than it ever was, because now there is a constant excuse for it. In fact, life has almost left outside, and retreated into the computer, where you must go to find it these days. It's amazing. I always loved to create and write, but I never imagined back then, putting any stock into writing blogs, and running sites like this. What a change in culture.


 The other day, I was sitting down, scrolling through the channels when I came across "Bulletproof Monk." I started to turn away, and then eventually turned back, and watched it. That came out in 2003, and there was something so emotional about seeing a movie from the later stages of an era that held some of the last innocence. I was sitting and thinking about what I was doing at that time. I was graduating from High school, pursuing spiritual goals, and transitioning into adulthood. During those years from 2002 - 2005, I really had a golden era. I got a lot of encouragement physically, and spiritually from the group of friends I hung around. I remember having deep talks with a friend at the time about the days to come, and being so optimistic about things, just from being able to discuss all of that with friends. When I graduated secondary school in 2005, I felt reborn again, but during those years, a lot of that support was waning. Friends were either beginning to leave or changing. It didn't happen right away. We hung out, and had fun for a while. Then by 2008, they were mostly gone, and so much began to crowd in on me. And the lack of that group of friends and constant support stunned me. I eventually drifted into chaos myself. In fact 2008 was a historic year, because I did so freaking much in that year I still can't believe it, from art, to sports, to music, etc. I can't believe how much I crammed into that year, and how many highs and lows I hit as well. I went through a lot of growth then.

   I remember, during that time, having time to do a whole lot of self analysis, and the solitude was actually rejuvenating. I joined the Shenmue initiative in early 2009, and found a new thing to do in that. I did alot that year too. Barack became president, and more radical change was to come. It was late in that year that I had for the first time in almost 5 years, another mentor/friend who helped me a lot. When I was getting myself together, my friend Andy, who studied with me, really got me back into shape mentally. That's the last time I can remember having a friend who leveled with me, and stepped all the way into my life. He was firm, yet compassionate. And I'm the kind of guy who gives results like that. Once I have your trust, I'm like a pit bull- loyal. He had me on point. My whole study habit and behavior was refined hanging with him, and I still marvel at that to this day. Friendship is something you can't force. And there's no getting around the fact that friends share common interests in the plural sense. Those are just things that I haven't had in so long, I forgot how they feel. I've had associates from time to time, but even when they seem like they're close to friend material, they reveal in some way, that they want anything but that. It's just a different world. People are guarded, and not expressive like we were back then. I remember my friend Solomon who I met through my friend JP. I didn't hang around him for a bunch of years, but he was like a brother almost right away. There's that thing that clicks when you're around someone who just gets you, and who you get. I used to let him drive my car while I ate in the passenger seat, when we went to Taco Bell after football practice. I never do anything like that, but with him, I just did. I miss having that, and I think this is just a world that isn't designed to hold it.

  That's what these recent events made me think about. So much has changed over the last decade. So much. I was playing some old Nintendo games and telling a youngster what he missed, and it's so amazing to think about it all. That's why hearing a breath of fresh air like the Soul singer- Leon Bridges is so good. I honestly never thought music would ever go there again. To me, it seems like a territory that holds no profit or interest to the public. I felt that for someone to do that, it would have to be for love, and at great cost. He sounds like the rebirth of Sam Cooke, and has fresh material that seems like it was pulled from a lost era. I can't get enough of his new album- "Coming Home."Things like that make me feel like there is still more to do.

New Concepts

This is some concept art I'm working on right now. I've been really stagnant lately, and haven't been finishing ideas. I want to get back on my guitar, and get my theory solidified.