December 14, 2003 -

Master Biscuit

I am a bastard, and I deeply apologize for the delayed post. My final exam schedule is a little something I like to call insane, and this is the first time since my last update that I've even sat in front of my computer. One final this Tuesday, and then ALL FUCKING THREE on Wednesday, for 7 hours, in a row. WOO FUCKING HOO. Anyway. Here is the final comic in the Don's Life series. It features a rather spastic Andrew, expressing his road-rage necessity for acceleration:

Ah, he's not so bad. In fact, he's my best friend. This past week, he delivered to me Dragonball Z: Budokai 2, which is, I might say, fun as hell. I was able to upload some goodies from the first game from my memory card, but not too many, which means I've had the pleasure of playing through the story mode several thousand times now. Or twice.

The game features a gameboard style map, where you (as Goku) move to various spaces, encountering whatever dangers might be on your path (the board for each of the seven levels roughly follows the story of the show from the arrival of Raditz to the end of the Buu saga, so -- the entire show). You usually get one or two allies to follow along, and usually, the overall board won't have more than 3-5 enemies. Next to your picture, you have five boxes (you start with three full). When the boxes reach zero, the character is defeated. Some spaces have items, like capsules (filled with skills you can assign to your characters; for example, you have to acquire the Super Saiyan capsule and equip it to its specific character to use that ability). Other spaces feature Mr. Popo (who teleports you on his carpet to another part of the map) or Dende (who heals whoever, good or evil, lands on his space). There are also various defense and offense spaces, and some of the spaces feature "difficulties," such as "health keeps dropping" or "ki [energy] keeps dropping," etc.

Of course, there is the world tournament mode, where you start with novice and move on to adept and hard and such, winning big money for the purchase of skills in Bulma's skill shop. You can only unlock the more difficult levels of the tournament by unlocking characters in the story mode (or Dragonworld mode, as its called).

There are also bonus levels of Dragonworld (like Babidi's spaceship, where you can fight his minions and unlock the three versions of Buu, but only if you beat the game having found all seven dragonballs -- one on each level) and the Red Ribbon Army base, stronghold of Dr. Gero, which is available for purchase in Bulma's shop for 50,000 big ones.

The game is incredibly fun, and landing super attacks like Goku's warp kamehameha or Vegeta's final flash are not only brilliant to watch, but damaging as everloving hell. The fusions are amazing (so far I've unlocked Vegito and Gotenks), and there are two additional joke fusions, putting Goku with Hercule (or Mr. Satan for you purists), and two other people who I'm sure are amusing. Oh, and Supreme Kai's fusion with Kibito.

Overall, the game's greatest moments of fun (other than destroying your roommates) are the methods of acquiring characters. For example, to unlock Android 18, you have to beat her with Krillin. To get Nappa, you have to kill him with Vegeta. True to the story (assuming, of course, you've ever seen the show, as I obviously have). The DBZ series on PS2 has proven (to me) to be the most fun fighting game available right now. With over 30 -- yes, 30 -- playable characters, you'll be customizing fighters until your little fingers fall off. Go buy this game. Now.

... Seriously, right now.

One final note, if anyone out there remembers that the United States is in conflict with the Middle East, you'll be pleased to know that we've finally captured Saddam Hussein. Spokespersons confirmed earlier at the White House that his remains will be scattered to the four corners of the Earth -- Gog and Magog -- to gather them to battle, the number of whom is as the sands of the sea.

...IT'S IN REVELATIONS, PEOPLE!

- Don