Strider Hiryu

Yea I remember that and can only imagine the pain he went through. This shit is no joke and I'm glad I caught in when I did, the surgeon said it probably would of burst had I waited any longer. It's just funny how I was perfectly fine that morning (I've been sick all week so I wasn't 100% ok but I didn't have pain), went to work and about 5 hours in I just felt a stabbing pain in my side. Honestly had my mother not convinced me to go I probably wouldn't have and waited until shit got worse. I should watch House, take lessons and the proper way to pop Vicadin
Ouch is an understatement DX >.>
Also found out I have Sleep Apnea (one of the worst cases my surgeon and nurses have seen apparently) as well which means I get to go back to the doctor for confirmation testing some time soon (yay, because I oh so love spending the night at the hospital). Man when shit hits the fan with me it hits hard.

All I have to say is Tom, you know what I mean (it's the only part of Fellowship I actually enjoyed outside of Moria, I really wish they would of put him in the movie). Everything else before the Council meeting could pretty much be left out (I could care less about how many meals a Hobbit has in a day or how a proper Hobbit should live). Don't get me wrong I love Tolkien's work and I love how he crafted an entire world in just 3 books (technically LotR is one book just split in three) but seriously I don't need all this set-up just for it not to mean a damn thing in the next two novels (as much as I love the Ents they're probably the only real downside to The Two Towers (though they do redeem themselves).
I honestly can't believe people actually thought that. "Fly" has more than one meaning, get a fucking dictionary people. The context it's said in is a dead giveaway as to what he meant because how the fuck do you fly out of a mine (with a Balrog on your ass at that). As much as Tolkien is great at alluding to certain things in his books there is no denying he meant "run for your fucking lives" and not "fly on the backs of eagles". Nerds will never cease to amaze me (yes I say that knowing full well I am one).

The thing you have to remember about Hellsing is the manga was still publishing when the first series was created which is why is ended like it did (believe me when I tell you shit gets a lot darker and fucking crazy later in the manga). Hellsing Ultimate (the one you should watch (if you have and still have those thoughts I just don't know about you anymore :P) adapts the actual manga into 10 50 minute episodes (definitely the version to watch if you haven't, I've only see up to ep 4 but I have it all to watch, just need to find time to actually do so (so much shit to watch on Crunchyroll and I just started watching Rick and Morty so I have that to get caught up on as well)).
Meh, I might have to check that out if I find time to (Crunchyroll does have it so it wouldn't be out of my way to do so).

God I'd love to have a cat/kitten but like both of you I'm allergic (and not mildly, I've almost been run to the hospital more than once due to an allergic reaction brought on by a cat). It fucking sucks because cats adore me and always come near me (and I have to pet them because KITTY!). I am thinking of getting a Siberian in the future though pending on whether I can handle their fur or not (they're one of the 5 breeds that don't set off most people allergies that are allergic to cats. Sadly they're also $1200 for a kitten from a breeder).
I can handle dogs fine (though I am mildly allergic). It's a good thing because I get stuck watching my parents dog quite a bit (cute little scamp but annoying as all hell).

Wow. I can bury my face in my dog's fur no problem. Cats love me though, they always try to get on my shoulders and rub on my face. A few of my friends have them and they always come sit in my lap and cuddle when I come over. When I wore contacts I'd wash my hands super thoroughly, and rinse my contacts extra long... but sometimes it didn't matter somehow. I'd pop one in and the veins shot across my eye like a Hollywood earthquake movie fault-line. I'd take it out fast enough and rinse it some more, but my eye would be pink and irritated for a good 30 min to an hour.

Not entirely sure when the issue was resolved (see below) but I finally got through the mission on Sunday morning when 2 servers on my Data Center crashed allowing people to get through it (two of the highest pop servers at that, no wonder no one could get through). They were getting DDoS'd the other day but that seems to have stopped.
Sadly I'm not as far as I'd like to be (I'm almost done with the story and almost 70) because after I finally got through that quest my fucking modem decided to die on me so I spent two days without internet until I could get my ISP out here to fix it (which in the long run is better, I now have a new modem I didn't have to pay for (and they'll replace it at their own cost if it dies) and my speeds have been upped to 120 dl/20 up). Tell you this much I'm not used to a desktop anymore or my computer chair, fucking shoulders/neck/back are killing me from sitting here for 10 hours a day (yea, I pretty much wasted the majority of my vacation in front of my computer). Think I might need to invest in a new computer chair when I finally get my new desk.

The problem is this is an issue that should not be an issue. If they'd of fucking rented extra servers for the month to help alleviate the congestion that comes with every major expansion launch everyone would be happy right now (or for fuck sake they could put this and the other two instanced story missions behind a fucking queue so people could get through it but no they opted to put a hard cap of 1 person per server on it and it's like trying to win a radio call in contest (its all about timing and luck) to get through). There is no way SE didn't know how many people would be playing early access, they have the fucking sales numbers and the early access code redemption's to go off of. They're other mistake was releasing early access on a Friday when fucking everybody would be able to get on after work to play. They really fucked up and now they're trying to fix issues for the 1% of the player base that actually made it through Raubahn Ex (it's what we're calling the problem, the npc that starts the mission is name Raubahn) instead of helping the 99% that can't.
Yea I'm fucking salty about this. It's day 3, I'm nowhere near getting past this MSQ, I got up at 1:30 am to attempt to get through when server load would be at it's least (which it isn't, everyone seems to have had the same idea), and now servers are going down to fix the issue I mentioned above instead of helping out those of us who can't progress. I'm seriously debating canceling my subscription and demanding a refund on my copy of the expansion when I get it. I've never seen such blatant disrespect for players and paying customers like this (fuck even Blizzard has done better at placating the crowd when shit hit the fan in WoW). Like I told a guild mate yesterday I pay $210 a year to play this fucking game (I pay in 6 month blocks plus I also pay for an additional 2 retainers (our version of a bank/storage facility)) and I dropped $230 on the Collector's Edition of Stormblood, I don't think it's too much to ask to make sure you fucking give answers to the issues at hand instead of saying "We're looking into it, keep trying on your own to get in" or "Working as intended, quick your damn bitching" (note the last one has never been said but most of us are starting to feel like this is what they're trying to say).

The problem is this is an issue that should not be an issue. If they'd of fucking rented extra servers for the month to help alleviate the congestion that comes with every major expansion launch everyone would be happy right now (or for fuck sake they could put this and the other two instanced story missions behind a fucking queue so people could get through it but no they opted to put a hard cap of 1 person per server on it and it's like trying to win a radio call in contest (its all about timing and luck) to get through). There is no way SE didn't know how many people would be playing early access, they have the fucking sales numbers and the early access code redemption's to go off of. They're other mistake was releasing early access on a Friday when fucking everybody would be able to get on after work to play. They really fucked up and now they're trying to fix issues for the 1% of the player base that actually made it through Raubahn Ex (it's what we're calling the problem, the npc that starts the mission is name Raubahn) instead of helping the 99% that can't.
Yea I'm fucking salty about this. It's day 3, I'm nowhere near getting past this MSQ, I got up at 1:30 am to attempt to get through when server load would be at it's least (which it isn't, everyone seems to have had the same idea), and now servers are going down to fix the issue I mentioned above instead of helping out those of us who can't progress. I'm seriously debating canceling my subscription and demanding a refund on my copy of the expansion when I get it. I've never seen such blatant disrespect for players and paying customers like this (fuck even Blizzard has done better at placating the crowd when shit hit the fan in WoW). Like I told a guild mate yesterday I pay $210 a year to play this fucking game (I pay in 6 month blocks plus I also pay for an additional 2 retainers (our version of a bank/storage facility)) and I dropped $230 on the Collector's Edition of Stormblood, I don't think it's too much to ask to make sure you fucking give answers to the issues at hand instead of saying "We're looking into it, keep trying on your own to get in" or "Working as intended, quick your damn bitching" (note the last one has never been said but most of us are starting to feel like this is what they're trying to say).

Meh, that was mostly there for those who hadn't read The Hobbit before getting into LOTR (I know I hadn't read The Hobbit before I read LOTR, was a nice little intro into what happened before the events currently taking place).
Don't get me wrong some of Tolkien's best work is in The Silmarillion (in fact it is my favorite book out of everything he's written) but like I said its a pain to read through all of it. I actually like that Tolkien took the time to actually set up his world and give us the details, it made it feel more alive). Too many books these days don't take the time to do that and just throw you into the fray without even a "Hey, this is whats kinda going on just so you know". Shit just wait until you get to the appendices in The Return of the King (if your copy has it, mine did). There is so much information on who's who, the elven language (which is actually a language, Tolkien was a Linguist), another few pages of story not mentioned in the book proper (like the Grey Havens scene from the movie, what happened after Sam and Frodo got back to the Shire, what Pippin and Merry were up to after everything, etc), and so much more (The Silmarillion has something similar but its not as bad).
Reading Tolkien is a huge commitment and is something I learned the hard way back when I first started reading his work. If you can put up with the amount of information he throws at you the reward is well worth the boredom.

Problem is why would you shell out money for a console with a 4k BD Player if you don't have a TV capable of playing it? I think this is the reason Sony didn't go with one, why waste money and potential sales due to cost when most of your consumer base doesn't have the tech to run it. Then again I say this after buying a PC more powerful than the XBoneX/PS4 Pro will ever be (though I do not have a 4k BD player or 4k monitor and I wouldn't waste money on it. 4k gaming is a pipe dream that only the super rich can afford and at that it's not true 4k gaming since most PC's aren't powerful enough to run it). I didn't really catch the conference since I've lost all interest in E3 (I get more excited for TGS and Gamescom) but I got the gist from Twitter (and most people were pretty underwhelmed by MS's showing).
Reason why Sony has more exclusives is because they are actually focused on gaming, not being the center entertainment hub of you're room (which is MS's big thing for the XBoneX).

Eh, I didn't think of copying the files over (not like I don't have enough external storage to do so). A fresh install is for the best though as FFXIV had some issues on my laptop and I'm afraid they might of transferred with (plus I'm less than a week from early access for Stormblood so a fresh install is probably for the best). Plus the folder structure is a nightmare (the main game is under Program files but everything else is under a folder in My Documents (fucking weird if you ask me, WoW had a similar set up to GW2 so I'm used to that).
I'll have to look into the creators update since I was forced into Windows 10 (I got the Professional version and I actually like it more than the Home version, I'm still going to have to customize it more to my liking either tomorrow or Sunday because some of these UI elements bug the hell out of me), haven't really had time to update Win 10 or the graphics drivers yet.

Nah, everyone was too green to even know the "Pharmercy" combo or they just weren't using it. Honestly I barely ran into anyone on the opposing team playing Phara (maybe two and they sucked, I easily killed them as Lucio). Out of 10 matches I only lost one because my team wouldn't play worth the shit and kept letting me die (I was playing Mercy and no one would protect me. I kept getting flanked by Genjis, Sombras, and Tracers). I was honestly surprised by how well we were doing, I'm not wondering if some of the players I was with were high levels playing on a different profile (some of them were too good to have just picked up the game). All in all I had a great time. Wished the game was like this when it launched as I might of actually bought it once I got a job (still might but that lack of free time is what will kill me. Well that and short on funds since the computer purchase (which I still haven't gotten, that's for a rant on another day)).
No wonder Lucio felt like a god last night. I didn't know they buffed his gun damage. I got a 15 player killer streak with him and was wondering if it was a fluke (honestly didn't feel like I should of done that well). I was murdering fools left and right (and I went one on one with a Junkrat in a small room and won, I'm going to blame it on lack of skill because he should of killed me multiple times). Funny you should say that about Orisa because I was eating Reinhardt's for lunch last night. Did he get nerfed because he seems to be a lot more squishy then I remember him being (I was chewing through him with Lucio and actually killed one three times with melee attacks (that had more to do with his skill then him being weak))? Like I said I never played Orisa but the teammate who was playing as her must of knew how to play her well because they did amazing, only dying once because I was brought down by a Reaper flank. I forgot to mention that the Play of the Game I got with Lucio shutdown a Hanzo and a McCree before they got off their supers (was hilarious to hear Hanzo start his chant to all of a sudden hearing him die), thought that was worth mentioning since I've never did that before.
Meh, I've heard that about comp. I've also heard it's become a cesspool as well, much like LoL/DOTA/Smite when it comes to party chat. It's probably a good thing no one talks on PS4 (previous comment was made based on the Xbox Community). Honestly I'd probably just end up doing what you do but that's mostly due to lack of free time. I'm used to people not talking in competitive games, R6S rarely has anyone talk during a match. While frustrating it doesn't bother me since I always play objectively to begin with so as long as I'm pulling my weight I don't care how the match ends (though I will admit to fits of rage in R6S when people don't play correctly or fucking ignore me when I'm calling out enemy locations or for help).

Digital hording is horrible for me. You should see my inventory on my guild wars 1 & 2 characters and every final fantasy game I've ever played.

Sad thing is half of that is just anime and the sadder thing is I haven't watched half of the anime either (which is why I'm glad I got a CR sub, I'm whittling that down slowly now) . Oh I'm not even mentioning the stacks of DVD-R's and CD-R's I have with shit burned on them to help conserve space. I really do have a problem, maybe I should apply to be on that Hoarder's show (I wonder if they consider digital hording to be hording ).

Finished Grimgar tonight and I really enjoyed the ride. Great characters, good story, awesome soundtrack, and so many damn feels (god damn Mary's backstory is freaking tragic). I'd really like to see a 2nd season of this as I know there's more to the story (so much more from what I've gathered but I won't ruin it for everyone), so please give me one. Solid 9/10 for me and I can't recommend it enough (I think I liked this better then Seasons 1, 3 and 4 of SAO and both seasons of Log Horizon (I might be stretching a bit there, Log Horizon is a damn good show in its own right)). I just noticed last night that Funimation is releasing this in May on DVD/BD so I think I'll have to pick up the BD when it releases (definitely plan on re-watching this one, nice relaxing show that really hits you in the feels when you don't expect it).

Considering I slogged my ass through the whole entirety of Dragonball Z and GT (so much god damn filler and pointless fights stretching for 10+ episodes (yes Frieza I'm looking at you)) I think I can survive One Piece (plus I pretty much know what happens throughout most of the show/manga (thank you One Piece Wiki and my insatiable need to read about things that interest me (damn you and your amazing awesomeness Whitebeard)) and I've seen up to the recruitment of Chopper (sadly through the dub) so I could always start there if I didn't feel like slogging through the first set of episodes) and the Desert Arc (again I already know what happens so I could skip this arc as well). Plus I've always meant to watch the anime due to a friend of mine and his obsessive fandom of the show (I originally had the first 300 episodes on my external because of him but before I could start watching it that HDD bit the dust and I didn't have back ups of the One Piece episodes (may you RIP Chikane-chan (yes that was the name of the external HDD) and manga but could never find the time to actually sit and watch it (this was back when I was still in college). Honestly I still watch a lot of anime in SD so it doesn't bother me any (over half of my fansubs are from before HD became the standard and all DVD's are SD quality) and One Piece's art style actually looks good in SD as compared to other series.
Meh, I already know how Naruto ends (I read the last few chapters of the manga when it finished because I didn't think I'd ever get around to watching the series) but I still plan on watching the rest of it. I already slogged through countless amounts of filler eps to get where I'm at (which sadly is even more filler) so I can slog the rest of the way through (I'm right at the start of the Fourth War). Plus I could finally get around to watching The Last: Naruto the Movie (yea, I'm holding off on it until I finish the series).

This is generally why I like British TV more than American TV, no pointless drama and the shows are actually well thought out and funny (I adore the original version of the Office more than the American version, so much better and funnier). If you compare the original version of Being Human to the American version that was on SyFy you would see a remarkable difference (the British version was more focused on the characters and their problems, you actually felt connected to the characters unlike the American version).
I might have to give the show a shot. Sounds like its a lot more relaxing to watch then the crap we get over here for reality TV.

Only if I hate myself and wish for no free time what so ever (I mean if I really wanted to I could work on the Anima weapons for my Scholar, Summoner, Dragoon (which I might, I mean I have a little over 4 months before Stormblood releases and that lance is sexy as hell), Monk, Bard, Machinist, and White Mage but I don't feel like selling the rest of my soul to FFXIV atm (and sadly that's not all the jobs in game atm those are just the ones I have at 60 (I'm missing Paladin, Warrior, Dark Knight, and Astrologian)).
Chances are pretty high I'll end up continuing to main Ninja so I'll only have to worry about one weapon but with the changes they're making to the relic system in Stormblood I might not even attempt to get one (they're linking it with an new optional area called Eureka The Forbidden Land (FFV anyone?) and if it's like they're talking I'll probably skip the relic this time around, I'm not hip on their exploratory areas and it sounds like they're going to make this one even more difficult to get). However if Samurai is everything I want it to be I might switch mains over and get myself a super sexy Katana relic or if it's not and Red Mage is better then I guess I'll be getting a sexy as hell Rapier. God I hate it when I get two things I really want and don't know which one to choose first x.x I almost wish they'd of released a job I have no interest in so I could focus on the other one. Damn you SE *shakes fist*

Pfft, Pro Controllers. Who uses those?
Meh, this is why you don't pre-order consoles. It's just not worth the hassle trying to find a place to get a pre-order at and who needs a console at launch honestly (especially with the lack of launch titles the Switch even has)? This is why I wait a few months until stores get more stock in before I buy my consoles (worked wonders for when I bought my PS4 (though I did have to go to 4 different stores before I finally found one that had them in stock (ironically it was Wal-Mart in which I could of just bought one at the one I worked at))). Ironically I love how Nintendo said there wouldn't be a stock shortage for this launch and we already have one a month before its release. GG Nintendo, way to drop the ball again.

Meh, I didn't really get another chance to put much time into the beta again after my initial time (I did play a few rounds of Dominion again but it was Player vs. A.I. so not much to add). I did unlock Orochi and try her out, she's not bad but definitely not my play style. She's too squishy and I just don't like her play style. Not to mention she's so much weaker then the Warden it's not funny (her attacks don't do as much damage but she makes up for it in other ways). I will say I mastered the play style of the Warden though and am a force to be reckoned with when I play her (at least for the A.I., never did get a chance to play against other players), went on a 10 player kill streak in the last match I played (again A.I. players).
Overall with the little time I put into it I'm certainly intrigued by it. I might drop the money on it when it releases on the 14th as it's enjoyable enough but with Horizon coming out next month as well I'll have to see how funds are doing (all this overtime is helping but I'm, once again, trying to save up for a new computer). If you get a chance once it releases I'd say give it a shot if you got the chance, see if you like it (I don't mean go out and buy it of course but if a friend gets it try it out). As I said the combat isn't exactly easy to master but once you start to get the hang of it it's extremely enjoyable. All in all if I'd say this is a solid 7/10 just based on the beta alone.

This is my initial impressions based on Dominion with A.I. controlled enemies and A.I. or Human controlled allies (yes you can fight against the A.I., a positive for this game):
1. You can play as any hero no matter what faction you decide to support for the Faction Wars. This is awesome since it allows you to try every hero out and choose the ones you prefer while still earning points for your chosen faction (Samurai for me but who didn't see that one coming). There's a whole War Assets thing that goes along with the Faction War but they really don't go into much in the beta about it. This is just a nice thing I wanted to point out that has nothing to do with Dominion.
2. Combat is hard, don't let any of the videos fool you otherwise. It's extremely hard to land attacks with heroes that use slower but harder hitting weaponry as the enemy has more then enough time to block or otherwise counter your attack (if they're on a hero that can counterattack). I favor the heavy attack on the Vanguard which is why I noticed this so fast and (at least with A.I. enemy) you can see what direction their attacking from giving you time to block if they're using a slower swinging enemy. However, combat is extremely fun and intuitive. Once you get used to how it works it flows extremely well from attack to attack, trading blows or going from a block into a brutal attack. Before I got off tonight I was on an eight player (A.I. controlled) killing spree going from one enemy hero to the next. While watching Matimi0 play the other night I noticed the assassin classes are extremely squishy but attack fast and often but do a lot less damage then their heavy attacker allies. They make up for this with the ability to counterattack but I'm not entirely sure how that works.
3. Learning to use you're heroes abilities is a must as they can turn the tide of a loosing battle greatly into your favor. Take the Vanguard for instance (the female knight you see in a lot of game play footage). Her base abilities are actually pretty powerful when used the correct way like her ability to strengthen troop morale (which can really help when trying to take a point), her ability to heal herself (up to 4 times), or her ability to call in a catapult strike (which is hilarious when used against large groups of soldiers). I only use her as an example as she's the only hero I've actually played (I plan on unlocking Orochi (the Samurai's assassin class) tomorrow when I get on it again).
4. While you might think the A.I. would be easy to fight against you'd be dead wrong which is why I'm glad this game has the option to fight bots. They play to the hero's strengths quite well (like ambushing you as an Assassin hero or defending allies with the shield heroes). Quite honestly I feel the A.I. might be a little to good as certain heroes in an A.I.'s hands feels wrong (those shield heroes are hard to kill while being controlled by an A.I.).
5. The maps are small but rather intricate with areas where you can easily push opponents off the side of the map to kill them. I like this as it allows the fights to get more intimate with little to no running around except between capture points. Plus the amount of detail put into the maps is extraordinary.
Honestly, as I said, these are just initial impressions. I plan on putting more time into it tomorrow between leveling my Consular in TOR and farming light for my Relic weapons in FFXIV (so close to it's final form I can taste it, plus my Guild Master wants to do some raid runs for extra light). I also plan on actually trying out Duel and Brawl (2 vs 2) as well as doing Dominion againt Human controlled heroes. I'm actually thinking of dropping the money to get this next month as it'd be a nice time waster until ME: Andromeda releases and it's a hell of a lot more fun then BF1 (and that hurts so damn much to say). I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I am but it's not as competitive as I thought it would be which is nice (I mean I can see this becoming an extremely competitive game, maybe e-sports level, but it's nice it has options for gamers like myself to play against A.I.).

This is my initial impressions based on Dominion with A.I. controlled enemies and A.I. or Human controlled allies (yes you can fight against the A.I., a positive for this game):
1. You can play as any hero no matter what faction you decide to support for the Faction Wars. This is awesome since it allows you to try every hero out and choose the ones you prefer while still earning points for your chosen faction (Samurai for me but who didn't see that one coming). There's a whole War Assets thing that goes along with the Faction War but they really don't go into much in the beta about it. This is just a nice thing I wanted to point out that has nothing to do with Dominion.
2. Combat is hard, don't let any of the videos fool you otherwise. It's extremely hard to land attacks with heroes that use slower but harder hitting weaponry as the enemy has more then enough time to block or otherwise counter your attack (if they're on a hero that can counterattack). I favor the heavy attack on the Vanguard which is why I noticed this so fast and (at least with A.I. enemy) you can see what direction their attacking from giving you time to block if they're using a slower swinging enemy. However, combat is extremely fun and intuitive. Once you get used to how it works it flows extremely well from attack to attack, trading blows or going from a block into a brutal attack. Before I got off tonight I was on an eight player (A.I. controlled) killing spree going from one enemy hero to the next. While watching Matimi0 play the other night I noticed the assassin classes are extremely squishy but attack fast and often but do a lot less damage then their heavy attacker allies. They make up for this with the ability to counterattack but I'm not entirely sure how that works.
3. Learning to use you're heroes abilities is a must as they can turn the tide of a loosing battle greatly into your favor. Take the Vanguard for instance (the female knight you see in a lot of game play footage). Her base abilities are actually pretty powerful when used the correct way like her ability to strengthen troop morale (which can really help when trying to take a point), her ability to heal herself (up to 4 times), or her ability to call in a catapult strike (which is hilarious when used against large groups of soldiers). I only use her as an example as she's the only hero I've actually played (I plan on unlocking Orochi (the Samurai's assassin class) tomorrow when I get on it again).
4. While you might think the A.I. would be easy to fight against you'd be dead wrong which is why I'm glad this game has the option to fight bots. They play to the hero's strengths quite well (like ambushing you as an Assassin hero or defending allies with the shield heroes). Quite honestly I feel the A.I. might be a little to good as certain heroes in an A.I.'s hands feels wrong (those shield heroes are hard to kill while being controlled by an A.I.).
5. The maps are small but rather intricate with areas where you can easily push opponents off the side of the map to kill them. I like this as it allows the fights to get more intimate with little to no running around except between capture points. Plus the amount of detail put into the maps is extraordinary.
Honestly, as I said, these are just initial impressions. I plan on putting more time into it tomorrow between leveling my Consular in TOR and farming light for my Relic weapons in FFXIV (so close to it's final form I can taste it, plus my Guild Master wants to do some raid runs for extra light). I also plan on actually trying out Duel and Brawl (2 vs 2) as well as doing Dominion againt Human controlled heroes. I'm actually thinking of dropping the money to get this next month as it'd be a nice time waster until ME: Andromeda releases and it's a hell of a lot more fun then BF1 (and that hurts so damn much to say). I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I am but it's not as competitive as I thought it would be which is nice (I mean I can see this becoming an extremely competitive game, maybe e-sports level, but it's nice it has options for gamers like myself to play against A.I.).

Never even heard of it (another one that slipped by me), just got done reading a summary of it on Wikipedia. It actually sounds a lot like Log Horizon just in a different world and different circumstances (sounds like the main character is trapped in the world by himself with all the NPCs). I'll have to see if I can find fansubs for it as well, definitely sounds like a show I'd like.
The memory thing is actually a major part of the story later on in Season 2 when the players actually start realizing they're loosing their memories every time they die. At first its nothing major (insignificant stuff like names of places they used to visit and what not) but as they continue to die more and more memories disappear and they start turning into mindless Thralls (which is covered in the season 2 during one of the story arcs) who can think of nothing more then dieing in combat to get back home.

I was in tears the minute I read it on Twitter (my entire twitter feed has been nothing but wonderful tweets about her, that's what I get for following most of the Star Wars cast and a whole bunch of Star Wars nerds). It was almost like loosing Leonard Nimoy all over again, that's how much it hit me  My nerdom pretty much started when my Dad and I first watched A New Hope together and I have her (and her cast mates) to thank for it.
Besides Ron Glass and Alan Rickman this is the biggest kick to the nuts all year. I just hope we get though the next few days without anyone else being taken from us.

They pretty much butchered Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada to make this frankenstein of a show coherent enough to follow a plot line (I know most of the story points for each show were left in tact but other then that they had to butcher them to make it coherent enough to follow through three different anime). I can't stomach Robotech, it's an atrocity that should of never been made but thanks to licensing agreements conflicting with each other we got this horror show. Plus I'm a pretty hardcore Macross fan (I've seen every series with the exception of Delta which I have downloaded just haven't had time to watch it yet) so the whole concept of the show rubs me the wrong way. You might have seen it in the past. I know it aired on Toonami's Midnight block with Uncut Gundam Wing back during it's original run so you might of caught some of the later episodes that take place during the Southern Cross or Mospeada arcs (or Robotech Wars 2 and 3 if I remember their nomenclature right).
Thankfully the original version of Macross got a faithful release over here before ADV imploded (I think Southern Cross did as well but I can't remember for sure) but I don't know if there are any copies in circulation still (but this is definitely the version to watch).