Lots of DVDs this month.  Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season, which, at long last, has my all-time favorite episode "Mountain of Madness."  I'm also looking forward to seeing the Homer hot pepper hallucination episode again.  Gonna get the two-disc V For Vendetta Special Edition, and just out of sheer principle, Silent Hill. (Can't wait to watch the bonus and making-of features for this one!)   I've also picked up the slack on my South Park Complete Seasons collection.  Still need to pick up Seasons 5, 6, and 7 -- and at the same time, I'll likely pick up The Complete Eighth Season.

For games, it's all about Rhythm Tengoku; developed by the Wario Ware team (SPD1/R&D1, I believe -- but it could be Intelligent Systems), I could get hooked for months on end all over again. ^_^   CDs, Wild Arms Feeling Wind and Stacie Orrico's newest album Beautiful Awakening. (The Japanese release, hopefully, as it appears it'll contain two extra bonus tracks and a music video.)

Damn you, Angela. One can only take so much ranting and raving over Phoenix Wright and Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan before one finally gives in and buys the system that they're on. Therefore, my very first August purchase will have to be a shiny, new DS Lite. Just know one thing, Angela: I'll probably be thanking you in the future, but this month my wallet will be hating you

After playing the translated portion of Gyakuten Saiban 3, I know Phoenix Wright is right (pun intended) up my alley. So, question--where should I get my copy from? Are there any copies readily available in Manhattan or the NYC area in general? If not, I do have a friend in the UK who I might be able to snag a copy from, assuming I can manage to wrestle it from his hands.

I'm also wondering what other game I should buy. My budget will be tight this month, so I'm considering Brain Age as a good budget title to hold my interest until I can further develop my DS collection. Good choice or bad?

And damn you again, Angela. Rhythm Tengoku was completely off my radar, but just hearing the words "Wario Ware" and "rhythm" in the same sentence piqued my interest. After watching the preview movie, I'm convinced that it's another must-have title. *Sigh* Good-bye, money.

Not too many CDs this month, thankfully. Beautiful Awakening and Dancemania 10th Anniversary are what I'm anticipating most. The former is met with much anticipation after an almost three year wait. I am a tad disappointed that there won't be any dance remixes, but early word on the album suggests that it was worth the wait.

As for DVDs, it's all about Veronica Mars: The Complete Second Season and Arrested Development: Season 3. I think The Simpsons: The Complete Eighth Season is another likely purchase, and I'll probably be picking up the Maggie's head packaging just to match the previous two. Tail Spin and Darkwing Duck look mighty tempting as well, but I think I'll have to hold off on them.

By the way, for anyone who still hasn't picked up the Futurama sets, they're all 20 bucks this week at Best Buy. It's a great chance to finish (or start) your collection.

Speaking of sales at Circuit City, I noticed Sealab seasons 1-3 will only be $17.99ea... I'm tempted, but probably not enough.  We'll see if I splurge.

What I am getting though:

DVDs in order of release:
Ultimate Avengers 2:  Rise of the Panther
The Simpsons Season 8 (regular box) - the last season I intend on buying
Silent Hill
Will & Grace Season 5

Games in order of release and interest:
Dead Rising
Ninety-Nine Nights
Saints Row
(and that would double my 360 games)

I wish I knew XBLA releases in advance, but so far I know I won't get SF2 or Pac-Man.

Oooh, Futurama sets...I might have to cave in to those. ^_~

August purchases on my end are all manga and CDs that I preordered eons ago and have forgotten about until I receive notice that they're heading my way. I know I've got an Initial D Fourth Stage CD somewhere in that bunch, which is highly annying because it isn't being accompanied by Initial D manga -- come ON, Tokyopop, why are you dragging your feet on one of your hottest properties?!? Don't turn into ADV, now! Argh....

Games:

Disgaea 2 (been waiting for this eagerly since I saw the trailer in November)
GuitarFreaks and Drummania Masterpiece Silver (Konamistyle edition)

DVDs:

Arrested Development Season 3

CDs:

ESPGaluda II OST
Beatmania IIDX DistorteD OST (Deluxe version)

Stuff released before August that I'll be picking up:

Persona 3 OST
Disgaea 2 Arranged Version

Actually, this looks like a really good month.  The end of the month is especially promising (with Arreseted Development and Disgaea 2 coming out on the 29th and the GitaDora game coming out on the 31st).

You couldn't have picked a better time to take the DS plunge; the worlds-better hardware revision is officially in place, the software is varied and ripe for the picking, and you can look forward to a great wave of upcoming hits by year's end.  Phoenix Wright and Ouendan will very nearly spoil you over everything else, so you might want to try out the less "god-like status" games first.  I haven't run into any places here in NYC that's still carrying Phoenix Wright, though last I'd heard, the Nintendo World Store in Rockefeller Center had 'em in stock last month.  Otherwise, a surefire bet would be to import the Japanese version, and switch the options to English.  Brain Age didn't quite hold my interest as long as I hoped for, but I did find Big Brain Academy to have more 'game' to it.  Personally, I'd scrape up a few more bucks and go with something like, say, Wario Ware Touched! for my starting-out title.

But I'm definitely amped for Rhythm Tengoku; my order from NCSX should be coming in Friday morning -- or late Thursday evening, if I'm lucky.  (Have I mentioned how absolutely cool it is for them to be situated like five minutes away from me?  ^_^  It's just too bad they don't offer pick-ups.)

I need to pick up that second Phoenix Wright title (don't know when it's coming out), and Quendan is really itching to be played.

Dammit, I need to pick up that Family Guy movie. I finally got around to watching it with my friend, and I can't believe how far they pushed those boundries. That David Bowie/Trisha Takinawa scene was absolutely awful, but hilarious, nonetheless. f---, that entire movie was golden.

I agree that Futurama DVD series definitely needs to be picked up, too, and Family Guy, as well.

But my big purchase for this month will be the Full Metal Alchemist series. My friend and I made a deal that if I sat down and watched that series, he'd sit down and watch Turn-A Gundam, which I've been raving about forever now.

Wow, I'm really out of it.  This is the first I've heard of this game.  Looks fun.

My selections from August's releases:

Games:
-Xenosaga Episode III (PS2)
-Star Fox Command (DS)

DVDs:
-The Simpsons Season 8 Regular Edition
-Arrested Development Season 3

CDs:
-Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria Arrange Album
-Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria Voice Mix Album

I'm going to wait on these until I physically see them, because the last time Disney put out 'Volume Ones," both releases (Goof Troop and Quack Pack) had a mere three episodes each for $11. Bite me, Disney.

But I don't think I'll be buying anything this month, since as I type this, I'm merely 12 hours away from major oral surgery - extraction of all four wisdom teeth, two of which have impacted into bone and become infected. $460-odd dollars later, my entertainment options will be null.

CDs:

Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria Arrange Album
Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria Voice Mix Album
Atelier Iris Eternal Mana 2 Arrange Tracks ~Red Lucifer Rising~
Wild Arms Music the Best - Feeling Wind

Thankfully, the Tail Spin and Darkwing Duck releases are more akin to the Chip & Dale and Ducktales releases from last year, with 27 episodes each. In fact, they're better, because they actually include the pilot episodes this time. I have no idea what Disney was thinking with those Goof Troop and Quack Pack releases.

Ouch. I had four of my wisdom teeth removed a few years ago, and, spoilers! (don't read until after your surgery!): it hurt like hell. In fact, whatever they used to make me sleep wore off near the end of the surgery, and I could feel the dental surgeon sort of prodding around in my mouth. Fortunately, the anaesthesia didn't wear off, so I didn't actually feel any pain. Unfortunately, there was some sort of mix-up with my insurance and I didn't get the painkillers until a week after the surgery, and by then I was already numb to the pain and the bleeding. My brother had his wisdom teeth removed around the same time, and somehow suffered none of the complications that I did.End spoilers.

A good friend of mine who loves Wario Ware as much as I do warned me against Touched! as an initial purchase, claiming, "you can tell it was actually made by different people than the first two." I know I'll get it eventually, but I think I'm far too spoiled by Twisted! to justify getting it at full price. I do have enough for Brain Age and a second title, but I'm really torn between Super Princess Peach, New Super Mario Bros., Advance Wars DS, and possibly Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow. Any suggestions as to which one will give me the most bang for my buck?

Oh wisdom teeth.

Read this post-surgery: While I was getting my lower ones extracted, the bottom left one had roots that were actually wrapped around the bone in my jaw. When the dentist pulled it out, it snapped in half, with the roots still clinging to my jaw. I had to be re-anesthestized and had to have the dentist literally get on my chair for extra leverage and twist and twist and twist until it came out. There was blood everywhere.End of story.

Good luck, SonicPanda! The best thing about getting teeth out is the time off and all of the soup and ice cream you could ever want.

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Wisdom teeth removal isn't necessarily all that bad.  Not whiting this out because I don't know how, but don't read it if you don't want to hear that mine went well. 

...

...

Okay then - Mine were growing in at weird angles and impacted so I had to be completely knocked out for it.  I was asleep for everything and woke up *very* sore and kind of messy and wanting to go back to sleep.  I was really groggy and drugged for a while the rest of that morning and apparently even bit my mom's finger when she was trying to replace the gauze at one point but don't really remember.  However, I improved rapidly and was actually able to have visitors by that day's evening.  My jaws were still sore for a few days but my experience was SO EASY compared to most peoples'.  Hopefully yours will go like mine.  ^_^

I had the opposite experience.  I loved Brain Age and played it several times a week for over two months.  Big Brain Academy, on the other hand, seemed like a very cut down Wario Ware-esque title and it only held my interest for about two play sessions.

Aww...thanks, guys. Glad I didn't see those horror stories beforehand, though.

Other than drilling into my cheekbone and jaw to release the impacted ones, it went basically well, I guess. I don't really remember much of it, because not only did the sedation do its job, but I woke up completely freaking STONED. "Walking sideways and repeating complete nonsense phrases six times over" sort of stoned, I was told. What I do remember is taking a nap when I got home, dreaming about watching a movie with some popcorn, and waking up to find I'd eaten my gauze in my sleep. Pain-wise, I'm OK - it was much worse before. However, there's one errant stitch on the upper-left that's tickling the back of my tongue constantly and driving me CRAZY.

The downside to doing well, however, is that I'll probably have to go back to work tomorrow, and in this super-hot weather (I work outside), it won't be much fun.

DUUUUDE! I should have been more specific in my post. It wasn't that crazy sleepy dead anesthesia. It was local - I was totally awake and aware of everything that was going on. SCARY!!

.

Oh, hey, I missed the whole "wisdom teeth" thread hijacking. Sonic, hope things went well. I had all four of my teeth pulled out a couple years ago, and all things considered, that went okay. It's really the aftermath that kills you -- all the cleansing and the sticking to a liquid diet. Food suggestions are mashed potatoes, soup, yogurt, and chocolate pudding. Aw yeah, chocolate pudding. Or whatever flavor strikes your fancy. I totally forgot about that when I was limited in my foods, so I missed out on that.

Sorry, I'm kinda doped up on nasal anesthesia right now so I may be incoherent.

Still have all my wisdom teeth.  My dentist was quite blunt when she warned me when the time comes.  "It's gonna hurt like a bitch."  Something to look forward to, I guess.....

Well, yeah, there are distinct design difference between Intelligent Systems' Touched! and R&D1's previous two games.  They're not BAD differences, mind you, just.... different.  But to fair, I'm not sure if R&D1 could've made Touched! conceptually better than it already is.  On that note, I direct you back to my old review for perusal.

Draw one from a hat, as they're all excellent titles.  Peach, Mario, and Castlevania are all solid action-platformer/adventures, but if you dig the strategy genre, AW: Dual Strike is your savior.  It should give you the most bang for your buck, as far as lasting longevity goes.