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I never felt so alone again.

About an hour or so and I will be heading back to the beauty and wonder that is Valparaiso, Indiana. A couple more months and I will be done with my 2nd year of college, how wack is that?

This week is looking to keep me fairly busy, which will be a nice change of pace after sitting on my ass all this week. Two tests (who schedules mid-terms after a two-week break?) and then 24 interviews for management positions at the radio station next year. The cool thing is, I will have a full staff after this week. The rough thing is, I will have quite a few difficult decisions to make between now and Friday.

I got a sweet e-mail from a guy named Bretthew this week. Apparently, due to frustration and desire to play Brawl, he ordered two copies of the game. He said he is sending me a copy which I will definitely be waiting for anxiously and will appreciate greatly. Thanks again Bretthew.

Hope you get some more gaming time here soon. Hopefully after this week I will get some real serious time with Brawl. I can't wait to really tackle single-player and online stuff.

Best of luck to everyone else this week, I will definitely need it. Hopefully I will get another post up here fairly soon.

So, I originally wanted to get my first taste of Brawl through some Four48 action. However, due to being on spring break and just not being able to get the team together while we are spread around the country, it didn't happen. My friend Mike did pick up a copy of the game and I got about 5-6 hours of play with the monumental release, so I figured I would post some quick impressions.

Throughout the couple hours we played, I had a chance to play or witness about an hour of single player and the rest was in multi-player mode. I have to note, I didn't get any online play in. I really wish we could have played a bit of it, but it didn't happen since we had a fairly large group of players.

First things first, the characters all seemed very balanced and the level design is very well done. Over the last month or so, I have gotten some rounds of Melee in with Dillon and Matt Green. The one thing I remember from the GameCube title was that I found myself hating most levels besides Final Destination and Corneria. Maybe it was because we were still early into our overall playtime with the title, but I thought each level was very enjoyable (except for maybe the Mushroom Kingdom level and the Donkey Kong level). The characters also seemed much more balanced. I played primarily as Link (he's my homeboy, obviously) but tried out a variety of other characters. I found even what considered to be the weaker characters easier to use and be successful with.

The items all play really well, but their actually seems to be too many items in my opinion. I think this primarily comes from the new assist trophies. This feeling primarily comes from the experience of being on the receiving end of weapons and just not knowing what has happened and what idea was used and what the ultimate result of it's use will be. However, I think this is just an early response to the items and that with more play time I will learn to adapt to each better defensively without feeling so confused about each.

I also found myself using the GameCube controller most. I think this is because I am well experienced in Melee and this controller makes Brawl feel just like it's predecessor. The game controls like Melee and that is definitely not a bad thing. The controls were tight in 2001 and they remain the same way today.

The Space Station Emissary(is that the correct name/spelling?) felt a lot like Melee's adventure mode with additional cut scenes. There is a basic story, but it definitely isn't the reason you will be playing. Overall, it seems like a great addition and something I would personally like to play through to the end.

Hopefully these quick impressions give everyone a quick look further into the game if you haven't had a chance to play it yet. If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at Cameron@CameronBanga.com or leave a comment and I will try to respond back to you quickly.

"I came to this strange world hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take."

It's pretty late here, 1:30 or so in the AM, but I have decided to take some time to update since it has been about 3 weeks and I have taken an extended vacation.

I guess I should start by kinda recapping my last couple weeks. Some big events have kinda transpired I guess. They are somewhat the reasons behind my lack of postings.

First, I got a sweet new job for next school year. As some of you may know, I am currently the news director at WVUR in Valpo. I produce a show that runs 5 times a week and keep people updated with the happenings in the world. It's a pretty sweet gig and I enjoy it a bunch.

However, after an interview and application, I found out that I was chosen to be general manager of the station for next year. It's a pretty nice opportunity (we're the second largest organization on campus) and will give me a lot of great experience. However, after learning that I got the job, I had a couple weeks of crazy work in preparing a budget and getting ready to interview people who will make up our staff next year. I am also on spring break now and worked 40 hours this week, which accounts for my lack on time the last 5 days or so.

Anyways, I apologize, the gap is definitely unacceptable and I will work on it.

With regards to games, not so certain that a Brawl release special will be happening. We kinda had some stuff come up and with people being on break, I don't think it will happen. Sorry to disappoint, but it would just be a poorly executed marathon which we know you guys wouldn't want. It would also maybe only be Matt Green and I and you may not want that either (except for the person who wrote that homo-erotic fan fiction). Don't fret too much, we will see another big release or two before long (Mario Kart anyone?).

In other Cameron Banga news, my girlfriend returns from a week-long trip tomorrow. You guys may not care, but that means a lot to me. I should hopefully see her tomorrow and I am pumped.

The Chicago Fire also kick off their season here pretty soon. I have been following MLS news here for a couple weeks pretty hardcore and I am ready as ever for the season. Is anyone else a Fire fan? I got season tickets this year and am pumped as ever.

Well, I am off to bed now. Peace up everyone.