December 30, 2003 - 11:04 PM
Wes Ehrlichman

New Years Top 10 List

It's been a while everyone, but with the depression of not having a job and the boredom of sitting at home I didn't have a lot to say. Now I've finally got some stuff to tell you, but I'm not going to do that. Instead I'm going to take my last update of the year (and incidentally, the first in over three months) to tell you about my favorite things of the year and the things I'm looking forward to the most next year. So without further ado... List time!

Best Video Games of 2003

1) Pac Man vs.
I know this seems like a strange game to be at the top of the list. Especially when you consider the fact that it came out over 20 years ago. But the truth is that this is the first party game I've actually had fun with in a long, long time. A lot of that has to do with how easy it is to get other people that normally won't play games to play it. Everyone knows the rules because it's just Pac-man, so all you really need to do is find a room with four people, a Gamecube, and a Game Boy Advance in it and it's immediately fun. And isn't fun what gaming is all about?

2) Prince of Persia
After the demo I was looking forward to Prince of Persia almost as much as I had been looking forward to Metroid Prime last year. When the game finally came out I power played through it in less than a week and under 8 hours of total play time. A curious thing happened though. My fingers were itching so much for a game that I enjoyed playing as much as had enjoyed Prince of Persia that last weekend I started a new game and put in another two hours, making it through 33% of the game and unlocking Prince of Persia 2 (A feat that I neglected to accomplish the first time through). I did this even after I had gotten around 10 new games for Christmas. To pull me away from 10 new games just to replay a game I'd already finished Prince of Persia is definitely something special.

3) F-Zero AX
This game is special because it reminded me of how much fun arcade games can be. Around a month before I left Japan, when F-Zero AX first came out, I was enamored with it to the point that I drove into the city almost every single one of my last weekends in Japan just to play it. The sensation of speed and the amazing cabinet that makes you feel like you're riding a roller coaster that you can control give a sense of immersion that just can't be replicated at home. At there's the tiny chance I'll run into an F-Zero cabinet again some day.

4) Warioware/Made in Wario
This could be the best thing to happen to mass transit since the Game Boy itself. If you haven't heard of it Warioware is a collection of over 200 mini games that you play in a collection of ten or twenty of in intervals of five seconds a piece. This makes an entire round of Warioware last just a minute or two, inundating you with gameplay the entire time. This makes it perfect for the trains in Tokyo because you can play two or three rounds between each stop and still feel like you're accomplishing something.

5) Disgaea
In my eyes Disgaea may be the Best Strategy RPG of all time. It's funny, it's deeply strategic, and it gets around the repetition of nonstop battles that plague other Strategy RPGs by offering three reasons to fight. You can progress through the story, you can level up your characters by replaying story sections, or you can level up your weapons by playing through dungeons hidden inside of your weapons. The fighting also allows you to play the game in your own way by letting you bring characters into and out of battle at your own pace, and setting up certain stages in ways that, if you're smart enough, you can defeat every enemy without ever lifting a sword by creating chain reactions through tetrisesque puzzles. I'm sure I'll never beat it, but I can still enjoy it.

Best Movies of 2003

1) Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
I don't feel like I really need to say anything about this movie. Ever since The Fellowship of the Ring came out in 2001 Return of the King was destined to be the best movie of 2003. The year Return of the Jedi came out, people in their mid 20s probably felt the same way. There's no doubt that when you enter the movie theater that you're going to love what you see, and it doesn't leave you disappointed. And even though I couldn't have asked for more it's good to know I'm getting it when the extended DVD comes out next year. It's sad to know that it's over, but it's great to know that I'm old enough to remember it and tell my kids about it.

2) Peter Pan
This one totally caught me by surprise. I don't think everyone is going to love this movie as much as I did, but I also don't think many people really have lives wherein the themes of a story about a boy who refuses to grow up could possibly hit home. Lets just say that most people my age don't buy Transformers anymore and don't have a 900+ game video game collection. I'm just going to say that when Peter Pan meets Wendy and he has to choose between staying in Neverland and giving all of his adventures to get married to Wendy I understand his dilemma and I feel for him. I may have to make that decision too some day soon...

3) Kill Bill Vol. 1
Bloody stuff, Japanese stuff, Kung Fu movies Paul and Randy made me watch stuff. Kill Bill takes all of this stuff and crams it into some of the most visually stunning fight scenes I've ever seen. Some of the music seems a bit off in places, but that's the only criticism I have. I can't wait for Vol. 2, but with Black Mamba returning home from Japan I don't think I'll like it quite as much. Oh well, the first half was worth it.

4) Matrix Revolutions
I'm not sure if I liked Reloaded anymore, but I know I loved Revolutions. The hour long fight scene in Zion's Dock was a giant robot Anime come to life and the Dragonball fight scene with Smith at the end was epic enough to feel like an end to the trilogy. Yes, I think the story would have had more of an impact if the series had ended with the first movie, but my eyes are glad the series went on and they gave us Matrix Revolutions even if my brain isn't.

5) Hulk
With all of the business involved with me coming back from Japan I wasn't able to see the Hulk until at least a month after it came out. By that time everyone I talked to had told me that I wouldn't like it. Half the people said there was too much dialogue, the other half said that there wasn't enough. Half said that the Hulk looked like crap, the other half said that the Hulk looked really convincing. The whole time I was convinced that I would like it. You know why? In the preview he's the size of a house and I wanted to see a green guy the size of a house smash something on a big screen in front of me. I think I'm the only person who wasn't disappointed. I guess I just really like him when he's angry.

Best Events of 2003

1) I came home from Japan
I really liked Japan and I wouldn't give up the experience for anything, but it was really nice to finally get home. I came home with a few bucks too, but I pretty much spent all that money while I was sitting at home looking for a job. Oh well, it's great to finally see my mom and my sister again, and to be able to talk to Christina every night on the phone without worrying about expensive inner-Japan phone bill charges. My hope is to make it back there some day and something tells me it will happen.

2) My name is on the cover of a book
Not just any book, but a book with real nerd credentials. Check the counter of any Gamestop and there I am. Do you know how cool that feels? Now my only hope is that I can help in some capacity on the book for Final Fantasy XII. Have you seen the pictures? Holy geez that looks good. At any rate, "best event" number 3 should probably be higher than this, but really it feels a lot cooler to be immortalized in writing and make a bunch of money than it does to sit at a desk and make a bunch of money. Alas sitting at a desk and making a bunch of money is a lot more consistent so here I am.

3) I got a real job
This actually just happened in early December. I got a job at a place called Asynchrony Solutions. My Brother in law Dave used to work there. I'm working on a product called PDA Defense that protects your Palm from attacks. I'm really happy with the job so far. Everyone I work with seems really cool and I get to fool around with cool handheld devices at work. Pretty sweet.

4) I finally got to hang out with my Nieces
So Cute! Both of them are! I can't believe I went a whole year without seeing them at least once a month. Miranda's getting so big. The cutest thing she does is throw herself down on a pillow whenever I'm in the room so that I can pick up the pillow and fly her around on it like a magic carpet. And Braiden's getting big and becoming a smartass. I can't wait until next year when I can finally give her a Game Boy! Woo hoo!

5) I grew a Mustache
Actually, I only had the mustache for about two minutes. Mostly I had a beard. Either way it's pretty freaking cool.