December 2022 Entry:
2022 has come to a close.
MISC=========================
- NXT Deadline was fun (12.10). I was super into the Iron Survivor matches. Didn't think they would hook me as much as they did.
- Level 350 in Ring Fit Adventure (12.11).
- Got around to trying Survival Golf in Nintendo Switch Sports (12.11). I was not a fan of golf in Wii Sports, but there was something about Survival Golf that was enjoyable. Sure did help that I got first place in my first run, ha.
- Twitch Recap 2022 (12.13)
- Nintendo Switch Recap 2022 (12.14)
https://twitter.com/ArnellragasA/status/1603042138542903298
- Went for my biannual ENT appointment (12.15). First I had some fun with the receptionists as they talked about the weather. One was getting grumpy and the other helping me and myself both took a step away as we both jokingly reacted. Then my hearing test was the fastest ever, which I was a little concerned about because it could have been horrible. Then I waited for the doctor. He came in laughing saying "everything is okay." It's funny because it confirms what he knew that every visit fluctuates. And here we are 3 years later and my hearing is the best it has ever been even though I do nothing different. As he was checking my ears, we got into a discussion about old games and in particular Final Fantasy II/IV. We learned it was both one of our favorites. But he also learned there are newer versions of it since the SNES version. I got him to check on his computer to see the different iterations of it as well as point him towards some documentaries that he can watch when he's on call. All in all, best ENT appointment ever.
- On the same day I picked up Crisis Core, my copy of River City Girls Zero arrived (12.15). A seven and a zero. River City Girls Zero is scheduled for February (anniversary of streaming River City Girls) and Crisis Core is scheduled to be played in March (stream anniversary month of Final Fantasy VII). It technically started at the end of March and was eventually finished in the beginning of April, but I put it in March since we already have an RPG for April.
- My cousin invited me to her 30th birthday party (12.17). It was 90s themed and I had an old Houston Rockets jersey from the days of Clutch City. She moved recently, but was still far out (90 minute drive). But it was good to see her and other family members as well that I had not seen in about 3 years. Her dogs grew so big and her place is amazing. Got to meet some of her friends and coworkers and they were nice. Ate some good food, played some silly games, and just had a good time. Happy Birthday, mangostick15.
Then I drove back to go to a Friendsmas gathering on the same day. I dropped by there beforehand to deliver presents as I didn't want those sitting in my car all day. I arrived as they were playing Rock Band. We exchanged gifts, ate and drank (I brought food from my cousin's party), and played more Rock Band. I mainly sang as I knew I was never good on any of the instruments. But that was a fun way to cap off an eventful day.
- And good thing I stayed awake because SquareEnix opened up orders for the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on Switch at midnight (12.18). It was odd that they did it at that time, but I did secure a copy. It was more expensive than I thought it would be and it sucked that priority was the only shipping option so I paid even more. I did not splurge on the collector's edition as I didn't think it would be worth it. I just wanted the games. And whenever I get my copy, I already know I won't be streaming them. If it came out earlier, maybe, but there's also the possibility to do that in the future after the hiatus. They'll definitely be played during that hiatus at my own leisure.
- Isabelle is amiibo 203 (12.19). Not only that, but it's also the 3rd amiibo gifted to me. And that means I now own the entire Animal Crossing amiibo set. Not going for the amiibo cards.
- Back in April, my dad had surgery on his left knee. This time he had the same surgical procedure on his right knee (12.20). Everything was pretty much the same, except that this entire stay was 4 hours faster than last time. No complications and he seems to be healing a little faster. As of typing this (01.10), I'm still driving him to physical therapy and am doing more around the home until he's back and able to do things on his own again.
One thing that I'm doing differently this time around with his physical therapy is taking my Switch with me. Before I would just check my phone constantly as I waited. I'm exclusively playing Wheel of Fortune as I can get a good 2 full games in and it's nothing I have to be completely engrossed in (12.22). I have started to pick up on more of the glitches that occur such as the host magically changing suits during the game and more. But this audio glitch has never happened.
- On Christmas, I watched Mortal Kombat (2021) (12.25). It was mainly because I'd be playing 11 Ultimate the day after and I figured people would ask if I had seen it. It's a good movie. Not perfect by any means, but I like that there can be a sequel. I still prefer the original, but that's mainly nostalgia fueling that.
- My physical copy of Save me Mr. Tako arrived (12.25). In case you don't know, I played the original release of this game on Switch during my first year of streaming. It was the first time a developer came into my stream and I had kept contact with them. They even showed up when I played the Definitive Edition when that came out. It feels great to be supporting them and that they eventually got to release the game in physical form. And the Mr. Tako plush is proudly on display.
- Another Wheel of Fortune incident happened as I was waiting on my mom during a doctor's visit (12.29). There's a wedge on the wheel called Express. If you choose to "ride the express," you can continuously guess letters without the other players getting a chance. If you get one wrong at any point, you go bankrupt. I had gotten it all the way to the point in the linked photo, but was stuck. I even tried looking it up online, nothing. Since the waiting room wasn't busy, I asked one of the receptionists and he didn't know. But when the other receptionist returned, the first one asked if I had solved it yet, which I had not. So we enlisted his help and were still unsure. Then another coworker came out and they immediately recruited her to help. A few minutes later, the first receptionist was able to come up with the answer. That whole stint went on for maybe 15 minutes, but felt satisfying when it was solved. Also the last coworker had brought a dog to work, a cute pug. It pooped in the reception area at one point, ha.
- My Christmas gift to myself arrived in the form of BoA merchandise (12.30). That includes the two versions of her 3rd mini album and her latest concert. Outside of all her Japanese singles (which there are a lot of), I own all her physical albums and concerts.
- Did nothing special for New Year's Eve (12.31). Short stream as I didn't want to go long. I was getting tired though as it was getting closer to the turning of the year, but I'm not at the point where I want to sleep through new year's.
H.E.R.========================
- It didn't happen. I am incredibly disappointed that we could not revive HER. One whole year was dedicated just to finding a place and we either found something too small within our budget or something with plenty of space but out of our budget. I was thankful for my realtor friend who found some places for us, but since she mainly dealt in living spaces over commercial, she passed us over to a friend of hers who did. And unfortunately, nothing ever came from her. We never met in person and she mainly sent me to places that I thought were up for grabs, but were just so I can see the size. And I mentioned in a previous entry how when we actually found a spot and were going to meet, how it ended up not happening. Since then, I have heard nothing from her. That kind of was the final nail in the coffin. I still kept an eye open for places, but not as much as I had in the past.
So I have to give up on this dream. Could it happen in the future? I would like it to, but I don't think I can spearhead it like I tried this time. I can gather the troops again, but someone else needs to find a place for us. I really wish it happened. I don't want to give up, but I don't have it in me at this point to keep trying to only find a place. Thank you to Agent PQ, Blue, and Ocean for trusting me to make this happen. I'm sorry that it didn't happen in the end.
For now, this chapter of HER is officially closed. And to help with that, I'm going to stop including stories in these blog entries. It's part of moving on and I didn't want to have to scrape the bottom of the barrel for stories. Not only that, I've definitely forgotten more over the years as trying to recall briefings have become hard for me. So outside of this, unless others ask me, I probably won't talk about HER anymore, but I do expect those that knew I was trying to bring HER back to ask how it's going. I'll still wear the shirts although I won't be surprised if I phase that out as well.
Agent 7012 lives on, but is unfortunately retired.
GAMES=========================
- The Solitaire Conspiracy was the favorite from Demo Showcase 86 (stream 692) (12.02). I enjoyed it, but thought the ending was a little flat. Credits rolled, but it didn't feel like anything was resolved or definitively ended especially as you can redo missions that randomly pop back up. Still liked it.
- Thomas Was Alone was added to the secondary wish list from Demo Showcase 77 (stream 628) (12.03). I completely understand why this platformer gets the praise it does. For it being a December game, I knew it was going to be included in my wrap up of favorite games. Not top 3 in favorite overall, but in a top 3 in one category.
- Rakuen was announced for Switch, yay (12.04). I had always hoped and knew they were working on it, but to know there's a definitive date now is awesome. Not only that, Mr. Saitou being a new game in that universe was a plus. Can't wait to finally play them.
- Demo Showcase 100 happened (12.05). The bad; the Twitch VOD was split into two because OBS crapped out for a second. The good; a pretty good set of demos voted on by those in Discord. I had two guesses as to what would be the favorite and I was correct. I didn't add the other to the secondary wish list, but I added something else. Being vague so if you really want to find out, go watch it.
- EarthBound Beginnings was our NES game of the month (12.07-12.09). It's not perfect. The main thing I had an issue with was the frequency of random battles being high. Otherwise you can see the foundation for what became EarthBound on SNES.
- GGSN Ep. 02 was fun (12.10). Another crop of Wii game show games. Spoilers; I was the ultimate winner. I didn't win every game though. I do like that we added predictions for the chat to spend channel points on who they think would win each game. If you haven't tuned into an episode of GGSN yet, tune in in February.
- Bayonetta 3 was so fun (12.13-12.16). While I understand the gripes about how the ending went, I still enjoyed playing it. Originally it was going to be only two streams, but after talking to MyNeighborJess, I decided to make it three. I didn't want it to end up like Metroid Dread did where I spend the money to get the collector's edition and only play the game two times. Plus I didn't have to feel like I was rushing through it and not even try any side quests or show off any extras.
- Okinawa Rush was our last sponsored stream of the year (12.19). I was given the game code from the developer after Demo Showcase 96 (stream 779) earlier in the year. And they showed up for this stream. Tough game, but I do think people can get into it and do some crazy stuff with the combat.
- Turbo Shot was our free-to-play game of the month (12.21). This was surprisingly fun. Fun twin-stick game with upgrades and PVP. The downside is that getting batteries to play the single-player story is time based. You can buy them with real money or wait for one battery every 40 minutes (I think). I would have kept playing that, but I died a few times and had to spend batteries to retry.
- I Beat 50 Games In 2022?! is G's latest YouTube video (12.22). I made an appearance in the video twice. Watch it and find out which games I beat on stream with him.
- Raji: An Ancient Epic was the favorite from Demo Showcase 78 (stream 639) exactly one year ago (12.24). Gorgeous game, but it's fairly empty. And unfortunately the lack of invincibility frames does not work out. There is a dodge button, but it's not the best.
- I got Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate for 75% off (12.26-12.28). It goes down to that price at least once a year and I decided to go for it this year. Plays well, but the character models take a hit. It's very noticeable when you play story mode and it transitions from cutscenes to the fights. It also froze a few times trying to make progress in the Krypt. Still had fun with it and even wore my Sub-Zero and Scorpion masks as I played as them during Klassic Towers.
- reky caught my eye when it was announced (12.30). Got it on sale and...it didn't click with me. Sometimes it did, but the poor controls didn't help. Short stream. Was glad to only spend $2 instead of $10.
- And the final stream of 2022 was our N64 game of the month; Mario Party (12.31). This wasn't what was originally slated to be last, but when it was announced, it felt fitting. If you could play less than 20 turns, I would have unlocked and played each board. But we only got through 4 of them. I won twice. I wished that chat was active especially since I was putting predictions up for viewers to wager channel points. Regardless, it was fun to replay after 20+ years and brought back some fun memories of Mario Party in general.
ETC=========================
- BoA - Merry-Chri (MV remastered)
- Red Velvet x aespa - Beautiful Christmas (MV)
- SMTOWN - Jingle Bell (MV remastered)
- ITZY Ryujin & Chaeryeong - Caution
This was awesome to see. A classic song that's still fun. Glad to see Ryujin and Chaeryeong perform it.
- SMTOWN - My Angel My Light (MV remastered)
- TWICE - Merry & Happy (2022ver. Mini MV)
- SANA MELODY PROJECT - Mood Indigo
Happy Birthday, Sana.
- SMTOWN - Dear My Family (MV remastered)
- 2022 went by fast despite it being very similar to the last two years. The main bright thing I'll hold onto was that multiple bonds of friendship were stronger. If that didn't happen, it would have been a miserable year overall.
That's a wrap on December 2022. Thank you for your support. Be cool and be kind.
"Reprise the theme song and roll the credits."
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