Eight Actors That Make Me Cheer

Cheer seemed like a relatively unhumiliating verb. The other options were "squee", "KYAA!", and "hehehehehehe".

So, knowing that my most avid readers are male, I decided to list all of the male actors that I love. I figured that the guys would totally be interested in my "squeeing" on this subject matter. (Ha ha, the jokes on you, guys)

If you are a girl, please read and "KYAA" with me in the comments page. If you're a guy, well, just comment anyway. I LIKE comments.

It is interesting. Usually, I fall in love with actors for one particular role. While some actors manage to make my heart strings play like a perfectly tuned harp, it's usually a singular role that makes me remember them. So, I will be listing the role I remember these actors for as well.

We have a lot of ground to cover! Let's get on with the love fest!

In no particular order....

1. Jeremy Renner      

You look nice in that shirt, my moose.

Moment of Complete Adoration -- Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Let's start out strong here. I never knew who Jeremy Renner was before I watched Mission Impossible, but he caught my eye when I did see him. He has a really special type of charisma that makes you hang onto his words. His characters always seem to hold more depth than that of other actors.

I must admit this, however. My crush kind of started when I saw his butt.

But seriously. Personality. That's what counts.

AND HE'S GONNA BE IN THE NEW BOURNE MOVIE!

You can also watch him in -- The Hurt Locker



2. Hugh Jackman

The Moment of My Adoration -- X-Men

Dude, nice tee-shirt.

Hugh Jackman was my first celebrity crush. I have always gone for the tall, dark types, and Hugh fits this perfectly. I fell in love with him when I watched X-men, but I've seen him in plenty of other movies.

But come on. Wolverine? Look at that hair! It shouldn't be possible to pull off, but he does. That's why I will always love Hugh Jackman.
My favorite expression of his is that grimace/eyebrow raise that he seems to do whenever he plays those gruff, I-don't-care-about-anything characters. (He plays a lot of them)

I am considering naming my son Hugh. Kind of manly, yes?

You can also watch him in: Wolverine, Real Steel


3. Michael Fassbender

Moment of my Adoration -- X-Men: First Class

Michael Fassbender is one of my recent loves. I met him at X-Men: First Class, and I haven't been the same.

Like Renner, Fassbender has a special charisma that oozes from his pores. He is an incredibly talented actor. I haven't seen much of his works, but from what I've seen he may be one of the best on the list.

Also, his name is Fassbender. Dude, I love that.
Fassbender. Fassbender. Fassbender. Spell check is going crazy right now. Byahahaha.

You can also watch him in: Prometheus

4. Matt Damon

I seem to have a thing for guys in tee-shirts. . .

When I Fell In Love -- The Bourne Trilogy

Matt Damon was the epitome of coolness when he played Jason Bourne. I don't think you could get any cooler with a role unless you were Aragorn or something like that. If you haven't watched "Bourne", please do so I can talk to you about it.

The particular reason why I like Matt Damon is that he's smart. You can just tell that he is really intelligent, and I like that. Out of all the guys on this list, I would probably pick him to be my best friend.

You can also watch him in -- The Adjustment Bureau

5. Mathew Macfadyen

When I fell in love -- Pride and Predjuce

Owner of the easiest to pronounce name, Mathew Macfadyen captured my heart when I watched "Pride and Predjuce".

Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books, and it is also my favorite movie besides the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Mathew's performance as Mr. Darcy is subtle, romantic, and completely sigh-inducing.

I don't think I've sighed more during a movie.

Not to mention, he strikes me as a swell guy.

I like swell.

You can also watch him in -- The Three Musketeers

6. Denzel Washington

I don't see a tee-shirt. Shh..

When I fell in love -- Deja Vu        

Denzel, how I love thee. He beats out Will Smith, and is thus the only black guy on my list. He has quite the impressive filmography, so if you are needing an actor to crush on, he would be a  great choice because he is in a lot of good movies.

Denzel might just be the coolest actor ever. He always plays a deep, interesting character. This is because, in reality, he is actually deep and interesting.

He also has a strut that would make Tom Cruise jealous. I think Denzel's "I'm awesome walk" comes in second only to Jason Bourne's.

You can also watch him in -- Man on Fire


7. Jude Law

When he caught my eye -- Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Jude Law is funny and clever and handsome. So I like him a little.

Just a bit.

He is also an excellent dramatic reader. Please, listen to Jude Law read Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" out loud. It's hilarious.

JUDE LAW IS GOOD AT READING THINGS. :)

8. Viggo Mortensen

   
                                                                 ALSO KNOWN AS
  

                                       
          

Hee Hee! Ha ha! Hahaahahahah! HAHAHAHAAAH! Hooo! Heee.....

*inhale*

Okay, I became a fan through Lord of the Rings, but that doesn't mean I just like Aragorn. Viggo (pronounced VEE-GO) is a sweet, sweet person. He's just so nice you can't help but like him. He has a strange but good sense of humor, and a great disposition.

You can also watch him in -- Hidalgo

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There you have it! My favorite actors. Do you share the same feelings for any of these actors? Now quick, run with purpose to the comment section!

Don't kidnap Aragorn, (or else I will murder you)

Esther

If I Were a Superhero

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if I were more fantastic than I already am. I realize that the only way to make a great thing better is to either cover it with cheese or make it a superhero, and since I don't want to be eaten by a rodent, I favor the latter.

So, what would I do if I were a superhero? I would save lives, naturally, but I must be practical about this. There is no way that I will get up to Superman's level of saving planets every other month. (Superman is cheap, anyway) I need to be able to do what I do in an efficient manner that allows me to be useful to the general populace, but also in a way that will prevent me from ever losing a love interest.

I've already lost Mark Wahlberg. I can't go through that again. I'm not Batman.

So, here is what I would do if I were a superhero!

I would never have a sidekick

Sidekicks make everything so complicated. Let's take a look at Batman. He has Robin and Batgirl. Robin made things complicated by either being a damsel in distress or by being just plain obnoxious, and Batgirl made things more complicated by being a woman.

Curse you, irresistibly tight costumes.

Anyway, as a superhero, I'm already going to have so many connections that having help from a constant source would be more of a hindrance than a benefit. I could get attached to my sidekick, so he would become a liability. The enemy will constantly go after him.

So my sidekicks would die so often, it would cost more to keep having them than not.

Let's take a look at Batman again. He has Robin. Did you know that there isn't ONE Robin, but tons of separate Robins? This is because most Robins have the pleasure of dying horribly. (Unless he goes solo and becomes Nightwing. Sheesh.) In fact, Robin used to die so often that one comic cover had Batman entering a room, see Robin hanging by a noose from the ceiling, and shout, "Robin! Not AGAIN!" I'm not sure why Batman keeps getting Robins. I would get a falcon.



It might be cheaper to buy and train an actual robin.

I would live in an area completely consisting of one story buildings.

This way, if my love interest or Almondo gets kidnapped, the villain can never drop him off of a building, because the drop wouldn't be enough to kill him.

Unless the kidnapper is Batman and he's counting on it.

I wouldn't have superpowers. I would be insanely rich.

Let's face it, having superpowers is actually a bit of a pain. They come will a lot of strings attached. Even Superman has his kryptonite. Rogue kills whatever she touches. Mystique's natural form is blue. Flash has to worry about running into walls all the time.

No, I shall be rich! Rich I say! And I will build whatever I need to save the day. We are getting to the point where technology can cover just about anything. I think I might have to marry Tony Stark to have access to these kind of things, but I can live with this.

The only problem with being rich is that being wealthy comes with being famous, so it would be easy for my cover to be blown. The only way to avoid this is either just give away my identity, or be so overt that I'm covert.

I would wear a practical costume.

I feel sorry for female superheroes. For some reason they feel like they have to wear outfits that give everything away. Wonderwoman wears a bathing suit, for Pete's sake. I guess that makes it easy to move around, but what are you trying to do, distract your enemies into submission with your triple D bra size?

My costume would probably be shorts and a suitable top. This way, I will be modest and not be flaunting my limited assets.

I guess I don't have the proportions to be a female superhero, anyway. Remind me to buy an inflatable bra and a corset.

I would kill my arch nemesis

I'm not sure why superheroes can't bring themselves to kill their arch nemesis. I value every human life, but certain people have wasted the gifts they have been given and chose evil instead. Some people just like to watch the world burn, and these people need to go.

I would stay away from science labs.
I told you, I don't want superpowers. Get me away from those things.

I would stay away from vats of toxic waste.

Hey! No! Why do you leave those things uncovered anyway?

I would stay away from outer space.

What lurks out there, I don't know. I'm staying away from it. Besides, I don't want the radiation from an exploding star to give me superpowers or anything. That would be awful.

I would treat everyone fairly.

People can hold a grudge for the smallest things. It's best to treat everyone equally, lest they go rotten and try to kill you. I mean, all it takes is a lab spill to turn your best friend into a bald, raging psychopath.

I would do everything in my power to make sure Gotham City never exists.

NEVER.

I would do everything in my power to make sure Metropolis never exists.

The buildings are too high.

I will resist playing games of chess with my enemy while the world descends into chaos.

Chess is fun, but it isn't that fun.

I wouldn't let my unclean elephant run rampant in the bubblegum fields.

Just . . . why?

I wouldn't get married.

The death rate of your loved ones seems to go up once you marry them.

------

Well, there you have it. Sorry for this pathetic post, but I hope you enjoyed it a little bit. I've decided that being a superhero might be too much work.

I'm going to be a ninja!

Don't go swimming in toxic waste,

Esther

Esther's Biggest Pet Peeves

You know, when I say "biggest pet peeves" I imagine a really fat peeve, which is a pet of mine with a long, cylindrical body and wiry googly eyes. Maybe I'll show it to you later. Anyway, I'm not talking about my pet peeve, which is awesome, but rather some of my many pet peeves, which are things that annoy me.

Now, I must say that I am a very calm person. I can take most things in stride, you know. Like, if if someone scribbled on my locker in blood "YoUr NeXt", I would totally be fine with it. However, upon noticing that the assailant spelled "your" instead of "you're" I would get so angry oh my goodness why THE HECK WOULD YOU DO THAT?

*Cough*

But hey, I'm good. I don't have rage issues or anything. So here are some things that annoy me just a little bit, because I'm not some rage monster.

When people are driving and they throw their cigarette butts out the window, I get annoyed.

So let's say you're driving in your car, and you take one final, glorious draw from that cigarette. Your car is filled with the thick fumes of your smoke, practically teeming with it. That's perfectly fine with you though. However, you look at that cigarette butt in your hand and you panic! What are you going to do with it? It's just so large and space consuming! If you keep it in your car, then there will be no room for your beer or goat cheese! Or your beer! So you casually roll down your window and flick your dead cigarette out of it.

"Thanks for the good times," you say.

This makes me rage for so many reasons. First, if you are content with yourself about forcing people to breathe your smoke, the least you can do is make sure that those cigarettes don't bother anyone else in any other way. But instead, these glorious people do their best to make sure that these cigarette butts land in everything. You walk on the side walk and you see the stubs stuffed in the sidewalk cracks. You see them in the flower beds. You see them in lakes. Lakes! Think about the ducks! Those adorable fools will devour anything! Do you really want our planet's ducks to eat concentrated carcinogens?

Poor ducks.

And it's all because people get lazy and dump their trash for someone else to deal with. Congratulations on discovering that if you don't see your trash, it isn't really there.

When I have to decipher text messages, I feel unhip, and so I get annoyed.Hey! how r u? I luv u! TTLY!

Um, hey. I don't know how "u" is, but it's probably fine. It's a cool letter. And I don't know why you luv "u" because I don't think letters need to wear that popular diaper brand. And why do you want to Take Tally's Little Yak? I like yaks. . .

I guess I'm not with the times, but sometimes I'm sure people text me bizarre acronyms just to josh me. (I said josh! See, I'm hip!) If I don't what you are saying, I'm afraid I can't communicate with you. And then you'll have to reiterate and that just wastes more time than typing the word in the first place. Or, what I am more likely to do if I don't understand your text, I'll just say
lol

Because I'm pretty sure lol means "I have nothing to say to that, but I feel obligated to comment".

So text it right the first time.

So I don't have to lol at you.

I don't want to have to do that.

When parents don't let their kids be kids, I feel pity for the child, and then I get annoyedI volunteer at the library, occasionally in the young people's section, so I run into a lot of parents. Now, I see a lot of good parents, and I see a lot of parents that need to practice their craft. I was manning a sign up table for the summer reading club, and a parent came up to join. Her son ran up with books from the children's section. He couldn't have been more than seven.

"He scored really well on that one reading test that nobody cares about because kids learn at different speeds," she said. Okay, maybe that wasn't what she said. But that's how I interpreted it. "He reads chapter books."

"That's great," I said.

Then she saw the books in her son's hand and said

"You are too old to read those! Go get a bigger book! You can do better!"

First, reading isn't a sport. Second, if your child has found a book he actually wants to read, you better let him doing it. Forcing him to read something he doesn't like will only make him hate reading. Instead of trying to prove how talented and grown up he is, let him be himself.

And, I still read little kid books. Who doesn't love Henry and Mudge?

When people don't bathe their elephants and then let them go play in the bubblegum field, I get annoyed.

. . . Just . . . why?

When people decide to simply loathe music only because it is popular, I shake my head and try to remind myself that we are only human. And I get annoyed.

I see posts on Facebook that Justin Bieber should die because his music is so bad. I would never wish death on anyone, not even in a joking way. But for people to say those kinds of things is just pathetic. Yes, Justin Bieber should die because he plays awful music that you must listen to all the time.

Wait, you don't have to listen to it?

Then why are you talking about it? Because you are unique for hating Justin Bieber, and you must talk about it? Sorry, if you want to prove your individuality, hating on a popular music star isn't going to get you far. Not to mention, if you are hating on him just to sound different, you aren't sounding very different because so many people are trying to sound different in the same way.

Complicated, but true.

Quick, go hate on Twilight even though you've never read it! Go!

And please, don't read Twilight. I hate Bella Swan even more than I hate Katniss Everdeen

________

There are some of my pet peeves. Honestly, it was hard to think of them. I guess most things don't annoy me. Oh well.

Maybe next time I'll just write about peeves.

Or not.

Is it melting?

Hugglebunches!

Esther P.

My 10 Favorite Video Games -- Part 2

Hello and welcome to the second and final part of my super-special-awesome countdown, spawned from the blackest depths of my perpetual writer's block. Last post, I included some of my favorite games, and while my list of favorites is somewhat protean, I think I did a pretty good job with it. There are so many good games out there, I feel guilty for only listing ten. Enough will my rambling! Commence the countdown music!

COUNTDOWN MUSIC: Uptown girl/she's been living in her uptown world/I bet she's never met a backstreet guy/I bet her momma never told her why--

Ah, the countdown music seems to be broken. I'll have to fix that later. To number five!

NUMBER FIVE: Day of the Tentacle
Genre: Point and click/adventure
Platform: PC
Release Date: 1993

Day of the Tentacle is one of the most hilarious games I've had the pleasure of playing. In it, a mad scientist's pet tentacle drinks toxic waste, causing it to turn into an intelligent and very evil madman (madtentacle?). The only way to solve this dilemma? Time travel, of course! This doesn't work and, after accidentally sending three different teens to three different eras of time, the teens must work and find their way back to the present while also trying to destroy a future in which evil tentacles rule the world.

Makes more sense than the plot of  Waterworld

This game is kind of old. In fact, it debuted a year before I was born. I grew up watching my mom play this game, so it is really close to my heart. This was created when Lucas Arts was the leader in media entertainment, when point and click games were still cool. And they are STILL cool, dagnabit! If you want a laugh and a unique gaming experience, this is an excellent game to choose. The main characters are so funny, you get to make fun of George Washington, and learn the glories of hamster power. Rodent power is the way of the future. We should all just get a bunch of hamster wheels and attach them to generators.

On a side note, it takes me a while to beat these types of games because I have no puzzle skills, and point and clicks are ultimately puzzle games (Unless you are playing Myst. Still trying to figure that one out).

NUMBER FOUR: The Curse of Monkey Island
Genre: Point and click/adventure
Platform: PC
Released: 1997

The Curse of Monkey Island is one of the many installments in the Monkey Island series, and it is the best one. I've played it four times and I still laugh every time I play it. Guybrush Threepwood, pirate extraordinaire, has been lost at sea for a very long time, and is in search of his beloved Elaine. His ship is a bumper car, which has not sunk for some reason while in the MIDDLE OF AN OCEAN. He floats into an epic battle between Pirate Lechuck, undead dude, who is trying in vain to capture Elaine once again. Things get hairy, Guybrush accidentally turns his love into a gold statue, and then she is stolen by pirates.Things get even more fun from there. If you are willing to watch 7 minutes, here is the (very funny) intro.

For a nineties game, the graphics are great, and the art is beautiful. I love the art style, and wish they would have kept it in the future installments. This is probably the best point and click game ever made, so if you play one, pick this one. You don't really need to have played the previous games before it, although it gives relevance. The soundtrack is also really pretty. I never got tired of listening to it.

Also, his name is Guybrush Threepwood.
Why would you not play this game?

NUMBER THREE: Ico

GENRE: Adventure/Rockyoursockawesome/Platform/Puzzler

Released: 2001

Ico is the prequel to Shadow of the Colossus, and it is one of the most beautiful games of all time. It stars a young boy named Ico, who was born with horns. In his village, if a boy is born with horns, he is dubbed a sacrifice and taken to a monumental castle and placed into a sarcophagus that will slowly eats his flesh. Luckily, poor Ico escapes from him tomb and finds a young girl, and together they try to find their way out of the mystic castle. Unfortunately, the girl is not meant to leave the castle, and her mother, the master of the castle, sends strange shadow beings to bring her back. Will Ico be able to protect the girl and also save himself?



One of the cool aspects of the game is that there is practically no dialogue. Barely any words pass between Ico and Yorda (name changes depending on translation) and yet they grow such a powerful bond throughout the game. In addition, Yorda has the athletic ability of a potato. In order to get through the game, you have to manipulate the surroundings to make them suit her so she can get around. Sometimes she just can't climb a ledge, and that's when you can have Ico reach his hand down to her, and call for her to grab his hand. One time, I had a shadow being come and grab Yorda just as she had grabbed Ico's hand, and the drama of wrestling between good and evil was so powerful I was in awe. It manages to be poignant and emotional game with so little. It is truly a masterpiece.

Ico did very poorly in the US. It didn't even make it to 70k units sold before production was killed. I was lucky to find a copy that was not sixty dollars on Ebay, and was thrilled. If you can find it, play it. It's awesome.

NUMBER TWO: Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: RPG
Platform: PS1
Released: 1999

Final Fantasy VIII was yet another game I watched my mother play while I was growing up. After playing twice over myself, I'm content to say that it is my favorite Final Fantasy game. It holds so many firsts for me: my first RPG, my first videogame, my first romance story, my first crush.

Oh yes. My first crush. It was on this guy:

He looks stern because Zell told Squall he looks like a woman.

Yup, Squall Leonhart was my first love. Until I realized that he was actually kind of a jerk and a bit too emo for me, he was my dream boat. I wrote stories that starred main characters with personalities exactly like his. Anyway, enough about my geeky love.

Squall Leonheart is a SEED. I don't know what that stands for, but he's a mercenary that works for a giant organization called a Garden. (HOLY SHNIKE! GARDEN? SEED? I NEVER NOTICED BEFORE) After he gets sent on his first mission, he runs into a headstrong girl named Rinoa (they met previously at a dance) and things kind of go awry after the president he is sent to kidnap turns into an undead zombie.

Final Fantasy will always be fantastical with their plots, but I love FF VIII's plot anyway. It is kind of dark, but it doesn't take itself too seriously like FF VII did. Also, the romance between Rinoa and Squall is flipping awesome, dudes, Flipping awesome. It also has one of my favorite leveling up systems. The graphics are still pretty good, as well. It has a great sound track. "Eye's On Me" is one of my favorite video game songs. The characters are cute, too.

I'm also fond of the fact that this was one of the first times the Final Fantasy series tried to fiddle with character development. FF VII never did this which is why it didn't make it on this list. (I didn't like FF VII's characters anyway)

If you don't mind spoilers and you want to spend a couple of minutes, please watch this video of Rinoa teaching Squall to dance. Yes, this probably set the precedent for all video games with romantic subplots to follow.

NUMBER ONE: Shadow of the Colossus
Genre: Platforming/puzzler/action/awesomesauce
Platform: PS2
Released: 2005

Ha, I bet you didn't see this one coming. What am I saying, of course you did! You know why? Because this game is a majestic, heart-breaking masterpiece. It begins with a nameless boy we call Wander carrying the body of his dead love across a giant bridge. He climbs his way down a tower and places her on the altar. It is quiet. And then the voices of some powerful, ancient force speak to him. Wander wants to bring her to life. They say it's impossible. He says that he must. They tell him that if he wants to revive her, he must defeat sixteen colossi. And with nothing but a sword and his trusty steed Agro, he sets out to do just that.

Hmm, I wonder how I should try to do this.

Like Ico, the magic in SotC is its simplicity. Barely any words are spoken in this game, yet you can infer a story by examining the world around you. Desolate temples, buildings, towers, all abandoned and withered with time, hint that something strange has happened here. The bond between Wander and his horse is touching, and towards the end there is a scene between the two that will melt your heart and make you cry. A lot. A lot of crying. No spoilers though, let's just say it's awesome.

The colossi are as big as buildings, and you have to climb each one of them. YAY! And to think that Wander does this all for just one girl blows your mind.

SotC has the best sound track for a game I have ever heard. I actually own it because it is that good.

I won't continue to ramble. How about you buy the game so we can talk about it, okay? I'll love you forever.
_________

And that is the end of my fantabulous countdown! You can relax, it's over! I hope you enjoyed me thrusting my opinions on you. I'll probably do it a lot because I like lists . . . ah, lists.

Hugs to the men and cookies to the girls,

Esther P.

My 10 Favorite Video Games

Hey everybody! Allow me to amaze you with my philosophical skills.

Ha ha, just joking. I'm not Hannah. And wasn't her last post pretty? I've read it like three times already. Anyway, I thought I would submit you to something really cool.

My 10 Favorite Video Games! Yay! Huzzah! Hurrah!

I've always considered myself a bit of a geek. I make obscure references to things all the time, although I'm not as extreme as most. I'm just a girl that is fond of the digital media. Throughout the years, I've encountered several video games that I loved, and I thought I would share them with you. My list of favorites changes constantly, so this is just kind of basic list. Let's start with number 10:

NUMBER 34

(oh shoot, my countdown is messed up. One sec)

NUMBER 10: Advance Wars
Platform: GBA
Genre: TBS (Turn based strategy)

I don't know about you, but I simply suck at chess. However, I simply adore the concept of chess and all its little details and strategies. Advance Wars is like chess, except instead of chess, you get people who shoot each other with tiny, adorable guns.


Awwwww!

I found Advance Wars when I was but a wee lass, nine or so, and discovering the glory that is video games. To be fairly honest with you, I was really bad at it, but I loved it to death. I've never been very good at logical reasoning. I'm more of the type of girl who throws a rock at a door until it opens kind of girl. Still, the brilliant gameplay and the cute character design still hold a chunk of my heart, and I play the first and second games from time to time.

HONORABLE MENTION: Fire Emblem, Radiant Dawn

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn is fantastically awesome, but so incredibly difficult at any difficulty besides easy that it is harder to approach than Advance Wars.

NUMBER 9: Yoshi's Island 3
Platform: GBA
Genre: Platforming

I think Yoshi's Island is probably the best 2D platformer ever, with Ratchet and Clank taking the 3D category. I cannot imagine a better set up. In it, you are Yoshi, attempting to rescue a baby Mario from the forces of evil by fighting your way through adorable and crayola-colored landscapes.

And you get to eat giant, sentient flowers. BONUS!

This game is easy enough for a nine year-old to play, but has enough nuances to please someone of any age. I'm also a die-hard Yoshi fan. I mean, he's a dinosaur that poops eggs. I love it.

NUMBER 8: Pokemon Snap
PLATFORM: N64
GENRE: Platforming, I guess.

Some of you might not of heard of Pokemon Snap. It's okay if you haven't. It's actually kind of obscure for a Pokemon game. Basically, it is an on the rail shooter, except instead of shooting things, you are taking pictures of Pokemon that pop out of the grass. It's awesome. In no other condition can you throw an apple at a Charmeleon, knocking it into a pit of lava, which causes it to evolve into Charizard, so you can take pictures of it.

You don't think he'll hold a grudge, do you?

Pokemon Snap is fun because of its surprising depth. There are hundreds of different shots you can take, and all are judged by professor Oak, the best one, you know. Its sound track is pretty relaxing, and there are a lot of different areas to explore. And, it's family friendly. Can't go wrong with that.

HONORABLE MENTION: Pokemon Puzzle League
It's like Tetris on Steroids.

NUMBER 7: Pokemon Gold
Platform: GBA
Genre: Adventure

I've played several generations of Pokemon, but Gold is my favorite. It has a plot, kind of, and this is before all the Pokemon started to look like deformed animal fetuses. It also has Entei, the lame but very pretty flame Pokemon who spawned the weirdest Pokemon movie ever. So we kind of owe it a lot.

HONORABLE MENTION: Pokemon Ruby
Simply because it was prettier and it had Shroomish.

NUMBER 6 (All I can think about is the anime now): Beyond Good and Evil
PLATFORM: PS2
GENRE: Platform, stealth

Didn't I just kill you?

Beyond Good and Evil is awesome in a can. It is set on another world that is being dominated by a mysterious company. Jade, photographer, must investigate the company by sneaking in and taking pictures of incriminating evidence that will prove that the company is up to no good. There are also mind-wiping aliens and a giant talking pig. It's also awesome for its action elements. For the most part, the enemies of the game are much, much stronger than you, so it fares you better to sneak around them instead of fighting. If you do get caught, only reflexes and timing can save you. The voice acting is great, Jade is an awesome main character, and the plot is wonderful. The game didn't do well in stores, so some people don't know about it. Play this game though, seriously.

HONORABLE MENTION: Ratchet and Clank(Any)
Ratchet and Clank is loads of fun no matter which one you play. I just prefer Beyond Good and Evil's gameplay mechanics.

NUMBER FIVE: Final Fantasy IX
PLATFORM: PS
GENRE: RPG

Oh, how I do love this game. Final Fantasy IX is great because it embraces all of fantasy's greatest strong points and meshes them together. It isn't as dark as VII or VIII, and doesn't take itself too seriously. It stars a sky pirate Zidane, who can not rival XII's Balthier by any means, but his monkey tail is pretty cool. The plot emerges after a kidnapping of a princess goes horribly wrong. I mean, kidnapping princess is always good fun, right? I LOVE kidnapping princesses. I do it in between lunch breaks.

The gameplay isn't as good as its predecessors, but its still approachable. It might hold my favorite sound track for a Final Fantasy game. It's also very pretty for a PS game.



Preeeeeeetty.

THE COUNTDOWN CONTINUES SOON! ESTHER NEEDS TO GO TAKE A NAP NOW!

Hugs and Kisses to all of the men, and winks to the girls,

Esther Perisho