-Street Fighter IV Tournament:
Well my addiction to Street Fighter has succeeded in landing me 2nd in my first tournament. It was so much fun. Over 30 people showed up and the skill ranged from horrible, lol, to really good. I beat most of them up with my man Sagat, which was mostly me kicking Ken's arse multiple times. I'm sorry I like playing as Ken but enough is enough, give it a rest. The final fight was between me, Sagat, and this dude named Dave who was Ryu. It was tough but he threw crazy cancels at me. The first match I managed to cancel Sagats tiger uppercut into his super then follow up with his ultra. Now those of you that know Sagat are thinking that that should have beat Ryu, it did not. What followed my super and ultra was a maelstrom of shoryukens and hadokens canceled and chained. It was ridiculous. I managed to almost beat him one round.

So coming in second is good enough for me :). Here's what I won:

And here's what I bought, lol:



The Tournament Edition Fight Stick. What an amazing piece of craziness. Why is it so amazing? It's basically taking the arcade cabinet in Japan and sticking it in your living room. It glides without effort, the buttons are soft to the touch, and it glistens in the sunlight...sounds almost like a cheap porno doesn't it? Anyways it's great, and I love it. Only complaint I have is that the manufacturer put the damn instructions taped on the surface. Upon taking it off it left glue on it which left me no choice but to scratch it a little. Honestly who cares, but I'm anal about shit like that. On a positive note the stick is easily customizable so I can replace the face plate with no prob.


-The end is nigh:
Well it has been a while, sorry for that. This post is about change. A big change is coming for me in a couple of days. I am shipping out to boot camp for the United States Air Force. It's a weird feeling. Almost feels like my whole life has been leading up to this one moment. The Flight of the Concords put it best when they said it's business time. Yes, it is indeed business time. I have done a bit of reflection lately, looking into my life so far. So what stands out to me? Probably the college degrees and my year in Japan. Not to say all other facets of my life weren't enjoyable, they just were moments left for myself and no one else. So what do I love to do? Exercise, surf, and game out. That's the bare bones of Mike. However, things are going to change. But one has to embrace it, as some have pointed out to me. When someone says that though I immediately say to myself bullshit, or question them. Whatever. Shits about to go down and I'm locked in. So I'm leaving behind a life I really do love. I'll show you my pad...

-It's Raining Games:
Oh what a month to look forward to. As of right now my world involves nothing but work, working out, and playing games, what a life I lead. However, one aspect of my life is getting an extra jolt of enjoyment, and that is gaming. February is turning out to be quite an epic one in the world of games. Killzone 2, PS3's Halo killer is out on the 27th, Street Fighter IV is out on the 18th, and Resident Evil 5 follows soon after. There's also many other great ones, but I don't feel geekified enough to list them all sooo I decided to present to you all my very own top ten favorite video games. Interested? I thought not. Oh well, here we go:

1. Metal Gear Solid series

 

It was hard coming down to the last two. The only deciding factor came from MGS’s legacy, it’s been around for a long time. I remember playing as Solid Snake at Shadow Moses in the 90’s. The history is what made MGS4 so perfect. Playing as Old Snake brought the story full circle. I felt like I've known the guy his whole life, and really I have! Hideo Kojima did everything I would have wanted him to do. Everything in MGS4 is great. The only thing that trumps MGS in Mass Effect is scale, choice, and player empowerment. Mass Effect is Star Trek but, honestly, cool, sorry Star Trek fanboys I hate that show. You are in charge of the most technologically advanced star ship in the galaxy, and the world is your oyster. You go where you want, when you want, and the choices you make change the games storyline. The design is reminiscent of classic sci-fi films like Blade Runner, one of my favorite films. The story is, well, similarly amazing to MGS but maybe a little easier to comprehend.

 

Can a video game change your life? Well yes, in ways. I believe these games all helped shape my creativity. When you’re young, as I believe it was with most other children, your imagination runs directly from the things you do. Gaming was a hack into my head that encouraged me at an early age to read, write, and conjure up a powerful imagination. But most importantly gaming helped me escape, and when I was young that was important. I had such a crazy father. That's why I love them, they helped me get away from the chaos.

 

When it comes to gaming I always look for story first. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the occasional mindless skull splitting, ahem Tekken, but story is paramount. I can’t wait to see what’s over the horizon. Hopefully games with true V.R. Games that you have to plug yourself in like the Matrix, but without the big metal rod shooting strait into your brain, ouch.

 

-Mike news:

I start my new life in the Air Force on April 21. Took them long enough! Also, I have already talked with a few higher ups about going back to Japan and they all seem optimistic about it. However, I am Air Force property now and I have to do what they tell me. We shall see.

-In Other News:

 

"Energizer Bunny arrested, charged with battery."