ReCollection #3: Harvest Moon (1997) & Harvest Moon GB (1998)

 

"Rise up with the sun, water the garden, feed the animals, and visit the town all before sunrise!"

Game Power! Sonic the Hedgehog

Blue streak speeds by...

While I don't have a ReCollection for the Sonic the Hedgehog series yet, I want to post the one-off for Sonic the Hedgehog 1 on the Sega Genesis. Since this will be an image-heavy post, I'll be hiding the bulk of the post behind the Break, so hit that Keep Reading button if you wanna see the meat of this episode.

I think like probably a lot more people than we'll ever know, the original Sonic the Hedgehog wasn't most people's introduction to the character. That honor likely belongs to Sonic 2 in the same way that Animal Crossing New Leaf probably stands as the bulk of the Animal Crossing fanbase' introduction to the series, just out of shear popularity that it as a sequel attained by word of mouth from those that played the previous game(s).

But enough about that for now. Let's get to Mobius and bop that Robotnik!

Gamer Power! Beyond Oasis #5: That's No Rancor

 

Welcome back to. . .

Traversal of the mountain was rough; Enemy soldiers were around every corner, and when I wasn't fighting soldiers, these goblin-like creatures were on my case every other step of the way! They were easy to kill, but that didn't make their presence any less of an annoyance.

Game Power! Beyond Oasis #4: Rock, On!

When I finally arrived on the distant shore, a storm had kicked up, casting the craggy lands around me into a dreary, unsettling atmosphere. I needed to get off the beach as soon as possible, so I began my search, albeit carefully, amongst the slippery rocks.

Game Power! Beyond Oasis #3: Go East Young Man, Yeah!

After defeating the gnarly Black Skull and recruiting Efreet, I ventured back to the castle and was told that an enemy army was amassing on the eastern shore, beyond the water palace. Why the king couldn't just send a troop of well-armed and combat-trained soldiers instead of a lone swordsman, I do not know, but I also agreed to continue the investigation, so off I go!

Review: Faze Pop by Ghost Energy

I "reviewed" the Ghost Sour Patch Kids Redberry drink last week as a test run for my Commercial Break series of posts where I just talk about new products that I have tried or gush about old ones that I really like while offering some opinions on its quality and flavor (if applicable).

I initially wanted to kick the series off by talking about the new Faze Pop flavor of Ghost, but the local Speedway and exclusive vendor for the flavor were slow on getting the product out on the shelf, but luck was finally on my side this morning as they had finally put them out to just as much surprise to the cashier.

I have no idea what a Faze Clan is and at this point, I am too afraid to ask so instead I shall focus on the drink itself.

If you ever had a Bomb or Rocket Pop growing up, you know what to expect based on the can alone. The red white and blue coloring of the can mimics the frozen treat with a flair that is typical of the radical imagery typically seen on energy drinks, which I quite frankly love as it tends to harken back to that 90s attitude, specifically that of the old Cherry Coke can design. I like it, very eye-catching and exactly what you want a new product to do.

Flavor: If you know what a rocket pop is, then you'll know that it's a frozen treat on a stick presented in three layers. The top is red, which is cherry. The middle is white and lemon-flavored. Finally, the bottom and smallest portion of the pop is blue raspberry for some reason. I don't quite get the infatuation with blue raspberry in products, especially when blueberries exist and taste vastly superior, even when artificial. Blue raspberry isn't even a real fruit. I suppose one could argue that it's just a vehicle for pushing raspberry as a flavor and not having another red color on the market, but whatever.

Does it work?: Yes, very well! Being a zero-sugar drink, the sweetness isn't punching you in the teeth, but the flavor profile is extremely loud. Whatever black magic GNC has performed to layer the flavors there is something else as I am getting strong notes of each of the three flavors of the rocket pop at different points of the sip, typically with cherry spearheading it with the berry closing it out. The lemon part is more of an all-encompassing presence in that the drink is imbued with its bitterness. Sometime you'll get the citrus aftertaste, and sometimes you won't.

Is it dope or does it stink?: It's dope! I can't see myself buying it too often because the other Ghost flavors are more readily available and, I don't know, exciting? I am a sucker for the candy stuff. But I would definitely recommend giving this new flavor a go if you can find it, especially if you like cherry-flavored things because that is by far and large the loudest flavor note here. 

Game Power! Beyond Oasis - #2: Efreet

 

Welcome back to the first ever Let's Play! on Channel 90! We're continuing exactly where we left off last time after the fight with The Giant Claw in the water palace.

Upon my return to the castle, I was told of another location where an elemental spirit might reside. Wasting no time, I gathered more supplies from the castle basement and set off on my way.

Game Power! | Beyond Oasis #1: It Begins Again

Like a Let's Play, but told from within the game itself!

Eventually, I'll have to write a ReCollection post to go more in-depth regarding the title of this series, but in a nutshell, "Game Power!" was something I used to record as a youngling with my camcorder. The "shows" would first start in real life and I'd get a distress signal from whatever video game I was currently wanting to record, stating that the world was in danger and that I was needed inside the game itself to save it. By shouting the words "Game Power!" I was transported - ala Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad - to the digital world where I set off on a quest to defeat the villain and save the game.

So that is how I wanted to approach my Let's Play! series, by repurposing the idea and toning it down a bit. This gives me the opportunity to practice more creative writing outside of Secret of Memoria, which is part of the reason I created this blog to begin with.

So without further ado, here's our first trip into the video game world!

I really wish that I could remember when I first rented the game, but the only few memories I have of the game are from a rental where I had messed around with the save file right before the final boss, which I failed at horribly.

In Preperation for Tomorrow Morning's Fishing Trip

 

The odd burst of inspiration always comes at the most random times. While I was sitting around watching Youtube, the thought crossed my mind that I have been overcomplicating my approach to fishing lately, making trips out a hassle at times trying to decide which rod or rods to bring. If I wanted to make it a heavy, bottom fishing trip or an ultralight topwater deal. And I get it, for some people, carrying a bunch of rod/reel combos with them out on every trip is part of the experience


But that's not for me. I like the idea of having a good mid-range combo that can tackle most situations, so I started looking at my medium-light loadout again and decided I'd refocus my efforts on just the one rod/reel. 

Thus with that in mind, I set out for Wal-Mart one Sunday evening.

Before I left the house, I did a quick inventory check for what I already had. I was good on string, sinkers, hooks, and plastic lures. I also made note of the lure weight range on my pole, equipped with its 10lb test.
With that all in mind, I headed inside.

So Wal-Mart definitely is not the best place to shop for fishing gear, but Dunham's was about to close, and plus the local store is REALLY bad about keeping shelves stocked, so I had to make do with Wal-Mart.

With some refocusing must also come new storage. I've had my eye on one of these sort of tackle sleaves for some time now, and since I had some expendable cash for the first time in months, I took the plunge.

Pictured below was my haul:

Everything fits o nicely inside, all organized and looking pretty-like. =)

And now, the gear preview!

I'm a Spincast purist. I find their ease of use still so compelling to this day, and with proper TLC before and after each trip, they last. 

The Zebco Omega Pro was a gift to myself last year for my birthday and it has treated me well ever since, even if it wasn't quite sure what it was intended for. 
Now though, it has a clear role.

The 5'6" Rhino Tough Medium-Light pole was something I bought after the new year to pair with the Omega Pro. It's a beast of a rod and feels great in the hand.

"That's not a noife"
A birthday gift from my brother. It's a beautiful little piece that looks and feels more like a dagger than a knife.

Finally, my rucksack! A gift from my parents for my birthday last year, obtaining a rucksack was something I had always wanted to do ever since I was a kid, Mostly due in part to the farmers in the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games all having them.

The Bookshelf #1: Valour, Book II of The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne

5:07PM Update: I decided I am putting it on hold. I'm having to force myself to read and am not having any fun. 

I received the complete quintet of The Faithful and the Fallen for Christmas last year. I was excited about starting a new epic fantasy series and was hearing nothing but rave reviews about this series, so I figured it'd be perfect to fill that niche I'd been missing between Stormlight Archive books. 

I blazed through the first book, Malice, in like a week. It read a lot(and continues to...) like a diet Game of Thrones, with the brunt of the happenings involving court politics, warring nations and a whole mess of giants. The epically fantastical elements that I read epic fantasy sadly have once again taken the backseat, going as far as to not even refer to magic as magic, but rather "earth power". This has been a huge thorn in my side with fantasy following the explosion of popularity of A Song of Ice and Fire in that authors are constantly trying to write fantasy without the actual fantasy elements like they are writing them for the jocks that would poke fun at the kids carrying a copy of Lord of the Rings around.

ARE there fantasy elements? Well yes, thankfully we have the aforementioned giants, wolven, talking animals, slithering wyrms, and... "earth power" and also the apparent coming of the God-War, which I imagine will resurface at some point but has since been a no-show in any meaningful way halfway into Valour. 

I am still enjoying the book for sure, as I do like Corban and his group and have some interest in seeing Maquin get his revenge against Jael, but everything else is struggling to keep my attention and that is why it's taking so long to get through this. Plus I struggle to keep up with who is who and where they hail, what their allegiances are.

Whether I continue with the series beyond Book 2 remains to be seen and if the events at the end of Valour are enough to hook me into reading the third book. Courtly fantasies are not my cup of tea and I will certainly do better to try and avoid them in the future.