PixlBit

When it comes to getting things done in my apartment during the work-week, I'm completely useless. I figure I'll have enough time to finish chores by a certain time or catch up on tv or movies but all I recently had time for is sleeping and eating and then cleaning up to go to work. Either I really can't manage my time well or its damn near impossible. I only feel alive and alert during the night when I'm working. 

So it's a good thing I kept finding time to finish Metal Gear Solid 3 on the Vita in bits and chunks. Truth be told, the last 4-5 hours of the time at times felt frustrating, especially when I was infiltrating the base where the Shagohod is stored. There's a certain type of camo uniform that I didn't acquire (Splitter is the name, I think) although I did grab its corresponding face paint so the best ammo I could equip only gave me 60% concealment. I kept screwing up, being sighted and having to fight my out (this really paid off during The Sorrow boss battle; I killed so many). I think it took less than 10 attempts to adequately get through the maps, obtain any items I needed and get into the facility. 

That sequence (wearing a lab coat and killing Raiden/Raikov to get his uniform) was fun and after the long cut scene I had to escape. Getting out of the jail cell is fun (I felt bad for killing Sasaki; he's hilarious) but I screwed up royally trying to get to the sewers. Holy, shit, I'm an amateur. Later on, when you sneak back into the base in daylight, the camo hardly made a difference so I'm glad the box worked.

Eventually I got to where I fight Volgin and here's the part that I felt was annoying. I don't like this character. He's like a less compelling take of Vulcan Raven; very one-dimensional and Snidley Whiplash-like. Not only that, but while I think the Metal Gear designs in previous games looked cool (flashbacks of ED-209) the Shagohod just looks dumb. So while I wasn't thrilled about the 3-stage fight with this goober I did enjoy escaping the base on motorcycle with Eva, mowing down guards with the machine gun and RPG. 

Getting back to the jungle felt wonderful, even with having to escort Eva (man, she needs to eat a lot!). The camo system is one of the best things this series ever created; I was clumsy with it at first but once I got the hang of it, getting through forestry or other landscapes was wonderful. All I wanted to do for the last handful of hours was get to the fight with The Boss and that didn't disappoint one bit. I just love this character and she was one tough cookie; it took me about 5 attempts because she killed me once and then I failed to take her down before the 10 minute countdown was over. But the animation of the flowers and the surrounding vista and the way the Snake Eater song starts up halfway through......and then there's the gut-wrenching ending, where the hud disappears and you have no choice but to push the weapon button and the loudest gunshot occurs. I held out for like 30 seconds; I really didn't want to kill her, after everything that's happened.

The final cut scene was alright with a nice reversal on Eva's behalf and the serious feeling of disillusionment on Snake's. I kinda wish I was able to go to a movie with Para-Medic; I'm a film buff so I liked talking to her on the codec. Overall, it's my favorite of the series. I still have MGS4 and Peace Walker to get to. 

The only thing I watched since the week started was the two-part, nearly 4 hour animated take on The Dark Knight Returns and it's one of the best Batman films I've seen. Well-animated, great voicework and the tone of the source material was captured perfectly. Highly recommended.

Yesterday was Halloween for everyone else but me. It was another work night and I had a football game to clean up after. Not to mention, I had lost some sleep trying to finish MGS 3 so I took some naps at work to avoid fatigue. Fuck it, it was worth it. All of my Facebook friends were posting Halloween pics, whether it was them dressing up, their kids dressing up, shots of parties or pumpkin carving attempts. I'm glad everyone enjoyed it. I didn't even get around to making a Spotifly Halloween playlist for myself to work to; I just listened to podcasts and the new Arcade Fire album instead.

Anyway, I've rambled on way too damn long. I hope the weekend is relaxing for myself and everyone else here at Pixlbit.