*TekkieBrek

Yup, I'm back (finally!), after surviving on a diet of Easter eggs, religious documentaries, and Leanne's Nintendo 64 w/ a collection of games. I had wanted an N64 when I was a kid after having my first taste of Nintendo goodness through the original Game Boy. My mother got me a Playstation instead, as that was cheaper, and I never really looked back since then

Nah, I can't say I'm one of those fans who felt Nintendo games and consoles were 'like a parent', or one of those fanboys/girls who think Nintendo haven't done a foot wrong or done anything detrimental to the fans (ask someone who's played a Virtual Boy for over 30 minutes). That said, they do have some good quality games- possibly a better hit ratio than the Playstation consoles (some gems amongst a sea of generic sports titles and crap) or the XBoxes (shooter, shooter, shooter, shooter, port, shooter), and a good example of this are the 4 games I fiddled about with over the weekend.

Super Mario 64: Well, this was the classic 3D platform game- the game that broke the mould for 3D roaming games and led us to Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, Spyro, and Crash Bandicoot (or was he before this?), and t'was a game people thought couldn't be bettered after Super Mario Sunshine turned out to be less-than-spectacular to people. After Super Mario Galaxy, it seems a successor has been found, but this is still a top quality game, and fairly tricky in parts I feel- though it's not arse-breakingly hard. At least if you get a game-over, you can go back to your last save point and continue from there- not quite admirable if you're a hardcore, non-death, straight-through gamer, but I personally take any chance I can get Overall, it's worth its reputation (though analogue control of the camera could've helped, but with the N64 pad, it's either that or analogue character control).

Super Mario Kart 64: This game is said not to have lived up to its SNES predecessor for reasons I'm unsure of- tracks weren't as challenging or something like that- but it's an beginner-friendly racer that's handy if you've got some friends over. The graphics are smoother than on Super Mario 64, but then you're not really doing as much here as in that game. You keep your finger on the accelator, slide around corners, pick up weapons, and fire them off at your opponents. Simple eh? Even the recreation of the SNES's notorious Rainbow Road was easy enough for me- a novice- to handle. It was easier than the turnpike track anyway If it's a challenge you want, you may wanna try another racer, or try...

Lylat Wars: I doubt many have heard of this one...namely because it's supposed to be Starfox 64, but because Germany had produced a different game named 'Starfox' for the Commodore 64, the SNES game and this one were renamed to Starwing and Lylat Wars. The other games have all been called Starfox Assault/Command/Bumhunter, etc after this game though. The legal deals on the name can't have been that heavy though, given the team is still called 'Star Fox', and the intro screen opens with the words 'Starfox in...'. Ah well, that's red tape for ya.
This game is my favourite of the bunch, and the game that actually got me used to the N64's rather innocuous-looking joypad. It's simple to pick up, though mastering it is another matter, particularly on the harder stages such as Aquass or the upgraded Star Wolf team x.x but luckily you'll notice your own improvement in the game after a few plays. The only gripe I really have with this game is that, while you can skip through the Star Wolf and mission intro cutscenes, you can't do that for every other scene in the game, such as the Mission Complete/Accomplished scenes, or the credits before and after the main ending. It gets you in a mood to shoot stuff, but it leaves you waiting in between the end of one mission and the next. It's not a big flaw, but it's an annoying habit.
Also, unlike SM64 and its saves, it has an old school game mentality in that, once you lose all your lives trying to beat a level, then it's game over and you go back to the start, so all you gotta do is practice, practice, practice- which is good if it lets me shoot stuff down

The other game is Diddy Kong Racing, which I have yet to play, but I will let you know how it goes.

Outside of that, I've finally handed in my Kumamoto application form (and got a private tuition session out of it >_O informative, but not quite what I was expecting), so that's done and dusted...for now. Now I can spend the rest of my Easter Holiday relaxing properly...and revising of course x.x

REQUEST LIST SO FAR:
Feel free to make a request!

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1- Full figured harem/school girl pin-up - DONE
2- Giantess Series -
1st Pic- DONE- WIP Preview
2nd Pic- DONE -WIP Preview
3rd Pic- DONE -50% Finished WIP Preview
4th Pic- DONE - Rough Draft
5th Pic- DONE
6th Pic- DONE
7th Pic- DONE
8th Pic- 18% Complete
9th Pic (Conclusion) - Pending

- Sandstorm line-up
1- Kyoden Hayami - DONE w/ original scrap image
2- Yumi Kawashima - DONE
3- Solaris Salinas - DONE
4- Dave/Damon Heat - DONE
5- Adikkt - DONE

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1- Alexandra Kraven OC corset pin-up - DONE
2- Ryu Hayabusa and Ninja Marta - DONE
3- M. Haylo - DONE
4- Kill Bill Style: Ryu Hayabusa and Ninja Marta- 15% Complete - 15% WIP Preview
5- Kristel Ninja Marta w/ Hayabusa- 63% Complete
6- Tori & Belle- Pending

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1- Jay OC drawing - DONE
2- Demon Fia OC horror colour pic. - DONE


1- Jean-Genie - DONE


1- Selected Photo:Lust As A Drawing - DONE


1- The Manga-Off; Ouran High School Host Club- Tamaki w/ Haruhi In Ichigo Mew Mew outfit- Pending


1- Portrait - DONE


1- Pencil Sketch - DONE


1- Bee Bryant- DONE...or is it?

Josh (Uni Friend)
Vulcan Raven- DONE

Leanne (Uni Friend)
Kyoto Temple- Pending

Paula (friend of Leanne)
Spider-Man Mosaic- DONE - 50% WIP Preview

PROJECTS:
James Clephane-Cameron, an old high-school and 6th form friend, has provided me with an interesting proposition- something which should interest fantasy fans out there (Tolkien-D&D-Warcraft ones, not Final Fantasy ones). He requires someone to illustrate some character races for his RPG project and, well, guess who he asked? Here's how it breaks down (like requests, it'll have a progress rating beside it).

Viking (standard viking complete w/ horned helmet) - Pending.

Celt (tartan-clad warrior)- Pending.

Elf (tall, jewellery-covered forest folk)- Pending.

Troll (Orcs in Romanesque outfits- yeah, this time, the green guys are the supposedly civilised, not the typical barbarians- this is gonna be fun to draw)- Pending.

Vampire (Romany/Russian look rather than Castlevania Bishie)- Pending.

Beastkin (Middle Eastern Anthro's)- Pending.