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Can anyone explain how the simplest applications could become so addicting?

I can't. But I'll try.

Somehow, with life's real complications, we turn to games that act out our fantasies or emulate our realities and cut them into smaller chunk versions which are easier to handle (with a click of the mouse!)

The games started out as comical copies of life, until the developers just got better at it that the games mirrored reality all too well. Then, it's the games itself that cause your life to be complicated.

Somehow, the simpler games turn out to become a vacation from all these; relaxing, if not hypnotizing.

So here goes another list (as seen on the right). An invitation list of whomever is interested in joining my crew, posse, clan, or whatever.

I'm addicted. Again.

Until the next really innovative MMOG comes out.

Meet Max

Just want to share an interestingly intriguing flash game.

Meet my friend, Max. He'll show you around.

Pachelbel to Rembrandt

Actually, I haven't played that long in Pachelbel, but there were interesting circumstances about it:

I picked Pachelbel by accident. I didn't realize I created my Twilight-inspired diPenombra family in that server until it was too late. What was interesting though, was that as I was reading the series... The word, pachelbel, showed up. Somewhere in the third book, the Pachelbel for the Potomac was used. If you have checked out the music I have included on top, it is a very beautiful piece.

This has inspired me to log into Granado Espada again... And I was surprised. Pachelbel has been merged in with the other servers. Pachelbel is now Rembrandt.

The Sims

If there's one game I trully miss... It's the Sims.

I remember spending hours building dream houses and impossible houses. Making real relationships simulated, and wishful-thinking relationships 'real'.

I didn't hesitate to buy the original copy of Sims II when that came out. (Only to loose the CD's a year later) :(

I wouldn't mind having that game installed in my PC now. Somebody give me a copy!!!

Oh, and of course, I always had my magic credit card, Kaching. :D If only I could type that into my reality.

SpeedShifting and Nostalgia

This is the fastest shift ever. The moment Granado Espada had their 'day off', I was tired playing with it. I don't know if I would still play it... But I have already begun playing Crazy Karts. And Travian. But I'm not as addicted to them as well.

I just play when they pass my thoughts.

Crazy Kart is this fun racing MMO game. I almost spent 300php on it, just to buy the Ferrari-like kart. Almost, because fate decided to intervene and make a booboo out of the load up. It was for a reason, because I just found out I'm going to need the money. And I will still be buying that Ferrari.

Travian. I have been bugged by their ads for a looong time. I have managed to ignore it until I accidentaly clicked on the ad. I thought I would give it a try. It's a website game that's like Civilization only much more basic.

That reminds me of the games I used to play before the internet invaded these shores. I was most addicted to Diablo. There were also the Age of Empires, Civilization, Counter Strike, Sims, Sim City, etc.

Who could forget Pacman and Tetris? And the Lemmings! 

What about the Family Computer games? Mario, Rambo, Battle City...

My first ever game was the Alphabet Zoo. I was still a baby! All I had to do then was type the letters as they fall down the screen, kinda like Mavis Beacon for preschoolers.

Nostalgia, don't mind me. Haha!

The Making of diPenombra

The Granado Espada fever has begun.

I have created a new family at Pachebel named diPenombra, meaning 'of Twilight' in Italian, since the characters of this family were inspired by the book series, Twilight.

Obviously, it's the 'machinima-bility' of this game that inspired me to play again. I have so far created the Cullen's family with Bella. I'm levelling them slowly, I'll add more when I finish reading the series.

Reminiscing Romatic

I am patching up Granado Espada right now. I have not played this game for a long time, but reading the first two books of the Twilight series has inspired me to. I guess the romanticism of the book reminded me of the game.

Somehow, I knew when I was deleting all the games on my computer, that there was a reason I wasn't able to find the heart to delete Granado Espada.

I wonder how long my fleeting ways will hold on to this game.

Jumping, Jumping

I have been wondering why I keep on moving from one game to another, being addicted to whatever it is I'm playing at the moment, then getting tired of it a few months after. Am I the only one going through this thing?

Cabal Online Philippines just jumped off my boat, and Gaia Online has been nagging my waking hours. I wouldn't even be blogging about it if not for the fact that I can't seem to access Gaia's servers.

Weird enough though, you couldn't possibly compare a hack/slash game like Cabal Online to a cutesy avatar role-playing game like Gaia Online.

Weird or not, I am currently going gaga over Gaia Online. Particularly the Jigsaw Puzzles!

The End

Why I can't stop playing Cabal:

• It is a gateway to keep in touch with old and new friends and family.
  
• I am committed to my in-game twin. Xinn and Zinn cannot part.
• I am committed to my guild. I may not be the best, but these people has warmed up to me.
• I've been playing this game since the first day it opened it's doors to the RP.
• I have just convinced a friend to start from scratch to join me in my server.
  

Why I quit anyway:

• I have to admit reality: I have grown tired of the game.
• Some old ties had to be cut. It's not fun seeing them around 'town'.
• The good ties quit ahead.
  
• New friends seem harder to come along because I'm too busy grinding.
• New people in my (real) life are more fun to be with that I can't find time to play as hardcore as before.
• The game is boring if you're not playing hardcore.
• I heard the guild disbanded.
• I'm far from being the best.
• My in-game twin has agreed to adopt my character and take really good care of it.

It's a landslide.

Cabal will always be a beautiful memory, but it's time for me to move on.

There will always be that option: "Resurrect in town".

Gamer's Block

I've been in a looong gaming hiatus lately. I'm not sure if I'm just not home long enough, or I'm avoiding someone in-game, or I'm in a metamorphosis of some sort.

I was able to log in to my account in Cabal yesterday. Period. I just logged in, and did nothing else but let my character waste server space standing idly in that mechanical town I couldn't even remember the name of.

I just couldn't find the old excitement that rushed through my blood before.

Question now is.. Is it just a temporary 'gamer's block' or am I actually growing out of this gaming business?

It can't be! My sentimentality for these games still stands.

Sigh.

Guild Fun!

Here's my guild, AionForce fooling around...

Video captured and edited by 'Xinn'.

Cabal Addict. It's Official.

Days has passed since the beginning of Cabal Open Beta. Fewer days are to be counted for the commercial release of the game.

The difference in time from this blog to the last should prove how addicting Cabal could be. I have been having the time of my life in-game!

I have finally reached the 50th level, just in time to keep my interest back in the game, after the numerous quests which were starting to get redundant... I enjoyed reading the summary of all the quests I've been taking. Who would've thought all the 'silly things' the NPC's have been asking me to do, had a purpose after all? AND that these quests are linked to each other to tell a 'bigger picture' story? (Okay, there were times I didn't care reading what the quests were about, so I might've just been missing the 'bigger picture' all along, but I still enjoyed the kinda 'finale' for all those)... It makes you wonder what more this game has to offer... It makes you want to go deeper into it...

AionForce. That's the guild I'm in right now.

It all happened one day while I was passing through the warp gate, a few levels after realizing I wouldn't 'just' be able to build my own guild (or revive the one we had in Mu) because of the 10M Alz requirement...

Back to the warp gate (sorry for ranting)... This request to join a guild I haven't heard of kept on pestering my screen. I kept on ignoring it, who were they anyway? I still wanted my own guild! I had so many people I wanted to be in the same group with!!!

Well, master 7thAndZ finally sent me a nicely concocted PM asking me in a manner I obviously appreciated, if I could join his guild. I still didn't take it seriously, but I accepted anyway. The only thing I'm regretting about it now, is that I couldn't find the heart to leave now... My guildmates have been fun to be with, and in the short time we've hung out, I was able to warm up to them...

I have also had a mini-reunion with Alexi and Lianna... My guildmates back in Mu Online Philippines. They're playing Cabal as well... I heard some other old guildmates have reappeared in the game, but I have yet to add them (PrinceJNS, where are you?)... 'Death to all who oppose!' I miss the Deathrow days...

If by chance Deathrow would be reincarnated, I'd be in trouble... Haha! Please don't make me choose... T_T
Thinking about it though, my newly exed bf is a part of this guild. (Has been the GM actually, so call me the ex-first lady... Haha! -okay, corny) Personal matters might be a basis here... I'd rather not think about that yet... Hehehe... Change topic!

Visit our guild's blogs at http://aionforce.blogspot.com! Check us out in Friendster as well as aionforce@gmail.com!

Zinn the Blader

Zinn had a great time at the Cabal Online Philippines - Closed Beta Testing held on the 15th-19th of May'08. It was all shortlived, but I'm sure her spirit will continue on to the Open Beta and the main game itself.

There is no news yet on what dates these events will fall on, but I'm on the edge waiting... This may be the game I've been waiting for all these years...

The End of the Beginning...

Cabal Online - Philippines Closed Beta Testing launched today...



*We were considerate enough to keep the crazy character's identities blurred. Videos shot and edited by Daryl.

It's obvious... The people had a blast! And if initiating a disco party is a crime, then ban me from the game... Hehehe... (Seriously, don't do that, I can't deal with yet another heartache)

We were practically scrambling with ourselves (did I say that right?) to be able to play the game, and I must say, all the wait, the excitement and frustration was well worth it.

The game, for me is easy to catch up with. I must admit I still kept on pressing the spacebar and double-clicking on the monsters (when you were supposed to use the function keys)... But hey, I'm only human...

I don't know if it was just my settings or my video card but I think the characters could get more realaistic. (Thinking about Granado Espada's high note on details here)- I was expecting sexier outfits too! I would say though, the animation was cool, the skills (best on force users), the way the background moves, the way the sand gets blown by the wind, and the rain falls on the ground...

The first few minutes were chaotic! Everyone's running everywhere! After the first berzerked moments though, a brand new community was born. Sawsaw-eroids, Skyrocketing prices, a lot of newbies, helpful folks, and I'm guessing: invisible GM's... All that considering all these will be wiped out in less than a week.

The quests could get boring, we'll have to wait what other things are in store to spike things up... Or watch how well the community grows...

Oh, I already made a booboo on the skills, I got the wrong one... I wonder if such a thing could be 'repaired'...

Twins Bladers!

Introducing Xinn & Zinn... The twin bladers... (Sounds a bit like Gilette eh? - But trust me, we're going to be much sharper than that! Harhar...)


Vid c/o Daryl

I've always loved the idea of twins, so imagine my excitement when my friend, Daryl put out the idea of building twin characers! (It all started with the, 'What character are you building?' question, followed by a, 'Me too!' answer...)

He let me have the dibs on the character details, so with my recent obsession with the name Zi, and my cousins new nickname that sounded like it which is cool with me; Xiner from Maxine, plus the fact that the characters would be similar to assassins (or sin for short), Zin and Xin were born.

This is just the Closed Beta Test game, a wipeout will happen in a few days, so I'm more great ideas will be sparking up in leu of the real deal!

Let the Search Begin

I've been jumping from one game to another the last few years. I just couldn't find a game I could really immerse myself with. I would get psyched about one game for a few days, then I'd get totally bored by the time you'd spell MMORPG.

With that, I have yet to give up on the search for my game. Next on my list is Cabal Online, Philippines. I was able to snatch myself a Closed Beta Testing Account, and 'testing' starts later at noon.

In a bored note, I should say... 'I'm excited!'

A Gamer

Historically, a gamer was usually someone who played role-playing games or war games but more recently the term includes computer and video game players as well. While the term technically includes those who do not necessarily consider themselves to be gamers (i.e., casual gamers) it is commonly used to identify people who spend much of their leisure time playing or reading about games.

Noob: A person who is new, or is really bad at all games or one game. A casual gamer but could have once been pro.

Casual gamer: A person who enjoys playing games with simple rules or which do not require large blocks of time to play. They might not even identify themselves as a gamer. They are totally not pro. Because even the most occasional game player qualifies for this category, it is likely the largest in size.

Hardcore gamer: A person who spends much of their leisure time playing games. There are many subtypes of hardcore gamers based on the style of game, gameplay preference, hardware platform, and other preferences.

A "girl gamer" is a female who:
Works in the game development industry, or
Regularly engages in the practice of playing video games, role-playing games, or other games (colloquially referred to as "gaming"). This can be from the most casual interest to the most serious professional gaming, where female players often draw extra attention due to their rarity.

-wikipedia

I am a bit of all.

I play MMORPG's mostly.

I like collecting the characters, making one of each kind.
(or two, or three...)

I play with my characters
like girls play dress up with their dolls,
like boys collect their action figures.

I like giving my characters a story.

I like them sexy.

Ragnarok.
Mu Online.
Gunbound.
Pangya.
RAN.
Supreme Destiny.
Rappelz.
Perfect World.
Lineage II.
Granado Espada.