February '10.2

It appears as though I have been screwed over by my school loan situation. Apparently, the limit of financial aid disbursement totals in past schooling...so the 30,000 from my first degree has seemingly made it impossible for me to obtain my second degree. I have reached the federal limit or 50,000-and something and must now pay for the rest of my education out of pocket, or with the assistance of private loans. I have no idea how I'm going to do this, because being a part-time cashier at GameStop isn't exactly the most lucrative of jobs, and I've already been denied a private loan without a cosigner. It seems that my only option is to find someone who's willing to cosign for me and be tied to my educational costs for the next four years.

I'm not about to quit school considering that would simply be a waste of the last two years and I desperately am wanting to be a game developer of some sort. I suppose that all I can do is truck on and try my damnedest to scrape by in the years to come.

If that's my cross to bear, so be it.

So, yesterday heralded the first day of the new lunar year. Traditionally (and similarly to January first), this day is the day to forgive old grudges and forget about any past arguments. People wish each other long life and health. According to Chinese legend, the holiday came about because villages and towns were being destroyed by a large beast on this day. It would devour their fields, their livestock, and their children. To prevent their families from being eaten, people would set plates of food outside their doors on the new year night and hope that the meal would satiate the monster. Some versions of the story say that the beast was frightened by children in red, or by household gods dressed in red, but they all agree that the monster hated that colour and loud noises, so they would light red lanterns and throw firecrackers to keep it at bay. Today, the new year is still celebrated by decorating with red and gold, banging drums, and throwing firecrackers. The celebration itself is actually 15 days long, each day having its own set of traditions. Some days are set aside for visiting family, visiting graves, or lighting candles.

And so, Ian and I have recently bought Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. The game itself is loaded with fun...I mean, it's a Capcom versus game; how could it not be? Since it's made for the Wii, though, it feels a little dumbed-down when compared to other fighters. I don't have a problem with this, and find it to be a little refreshing to pick up and not feel the need to master combo sets and move lists. It's also interesting to play as several characters that were never hugely popular in the states.

The New Super Mario Brothers for the Wii was another new purchase. Ian definitely likes the game more than I do, but then again, I'm horrible at it. I've died more times than I can count and feel inadequate as a gamer. After playing games for most of my life, I'd like to think that my hand-eye coordination is better than this game would have you think. But overall, I suppose I would categorize it as "fun" and it has helped expand the Wii collection on my shelf. There aren't many games that are good and can be played cooperatively, and my only real complaint is how easy it is to jump off of someone's head and send them to their death, even when you're not meaning to do so.

I am once again playing Dragon Age Origins. It's amazing how involved I can get when it comes to the fictional lives of the inhabitants in the world. Right now I'm trying to rid the mage's guild of demon's from the Fade to save my once-home and family and gain their alliance in facing the Darkspawn. While there, I'm also trying to get enough lyrium to enter the Fade and defeat a demon that's possessed the body of a young boy, who's the son of a great lord, who happens to have helped raise a member of my party. It's intense.

Part of me likes the game more than its space-counter-part Mass Effect; there's more interactions between myself and those in my party, and I feel like I can connect to them more and relate with them. But with Mass Effect, I feel like it was a more solid game, like I had more control in combat.

Every game has its pros and cons, though, and it doesn't help comparing one game to another. I like Dragon Age for what it is, and am anticipating the rest of the games in the series.