Hurricane Wilma

Well, Wilma has come and gone and left us in the stone age down here in Miami. Thankfully we’re not even close to the levels of devastation left behind by Katrina in states like Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi (those poor people). We still have a functioning society, but, without power you really tend to notice how much we take for granted in this age of technology. Everyday things like flipping the light switch when you’re going to the bathroom at 2 a.m. or taking a nice hot shower, really seem like bigger deals when you can no longer do them. Luckily, I have a gas stove so I can still cook hot meals, but I know many others aren’t so fortunate.

Estimates for when the power will be restored are anywhere from a day to four weeks. Not every unlucky soul will have to wait the full four weeks to receive power, but you never know. It’s now been 2½ days and it feels like an eternity. It really sucks when come 7pm and everything gets dark, there really is little to do. Especially when you have Ninja Gaiden Black and Shadow of the Colossus just begging to be played.

Now, I don’t want to sound shallow or heartless considering there are far more pressing issues after a hurricane than whether or not you can play a bloody video game, but you know, this blog is about gaming, so dammit, I’m going to write about gaming!

The night before the storm hit I made it to the end of Ninja Gaiden Black (at least I think it was the end). I didn’t actually beat it, but I know I am close. I fought the boss a few times and died and decided to give the game a rest since I had already been playing for about four hours (like I said before, the game is like crack!) I popped in Shadow of the Colossus which I had just purchased and immersed myself in its goodness. I took down the first four colossi before I had to stop playing (I had to get to my dad’s house to start putting up hurricane shutters). The game is dreamy. Each colossal encounter has been a memorable one. The graphics are beautiful. Yes, it has some technical hiccups. The frame-rate and camera can act up a bit and the resolution isn’t the sharpest around (of course, after playing nothing but Ninja Gaiden Black for a week, any game’s resolution will look under par). But the total package of the visuals and art style delivers a truly magical experience.

I’ll write more on this game as I sink my teeth into it further. I’ll also write my thoughts on NGB’s finale. Hopefully, this will happen sooner rather than . . . in four weeks. =(