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The Japanese spells his name "Lion"
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Aug. 11th, 2008 @ 09:57 pm
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I've been having marathon sessions of Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut over the weekend, and I've reached the point just before the dungeon where ( spoilers ). So instead of continuing with the game tonight, I dug through the accompanying artbook and made an icon of chibi-Lion. *fansqueals*
Namco should take a leaf from Square-Enix and release tons of Tales merchandise in the stores. I would blow a small fortune over Lion keychains, handphone straps, bookmarks, folders, shitajiki, mugs, plushies, pillows etc.Current Mood:  melancholy |
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Big is good!
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Jul. 20th, 2008 @ 09:01 am
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Just upgraded my Playstation 3 harddrive to 250GB. Yay!
Bring on those mandatory installs, I'm not afraid of you.Current Mood:  accomplished |
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Gaming talk: Of Final Fantasies and Fat Princesses
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Jul. 17th, 2008 @ 09:39 pm
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Yep, Xbox360 gamers in North America and Europe will get to play Final Fantasy XIII. Fine by me, as long as Square Enix isn't gimping the game because of the multi-disc problem. The act of changing discs isn't an issue; it's when the game has to be pared down towards the end because developers can't fit in the data that it becomes a problem. For those who have played the 4-disc Final Fantasy IX, remember how frustrating it was to be at disc 4 and yet be unable to fly to certain areas on the flying ship because the location data had to make way for the end-game FMV on the game disc?
Anyhow, for those who are screaming that this is a repeat of the past betrayalton when the Final Fantasy games moved from Nintendo to Sony system, I'd say, get a grip. Playstation 3 isn't losing the game totally. If you already own a PS3, like myself, you can still play the game. The PS3 is also region-free, which means that if you know enough Japanese you can even import the game and play it way before the rest of the world as Square Enix rushes to get both the English localisation and the Xbox360 port done at the same time.
Besides, the PS3 still gets to keep Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
Anyway, FFXIII has been playing peekaboo for so long (before PS3 even launched) that I'm getting jaded. Instead, the one game at the recent E3 conference that captured my attention has to be Fat Princess. The PSN title is basically "Capture the Flag" with a big fat twist. Both teams (of up to 16 members - playable both as single-player or multiplayer online) have to rescue their respective princesses who have been kidnapped by the other team. Besides killing each other into bloody pulps, each team will also try to feed the hostage princess until she becomes too fat for the other team to rescue without expending great effort as you hack down the rescuers. You can get a pretty good review and some screenshots from the IGN preview. Violent, cute and un-PC, this game is full of win.Current Mood:  amused |
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Review: Hellboy II
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Jul. 13th, 2008 @ 08:30 pm
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I vaguely remembered seeing the first Hellboy movie and not liking it. So, why am I watching Hellboy II? Two words, Prince Nuada, the elven prince who's trying to raise the Golden Army in order wipe out the human race and reclaim the world for the faery folk who have been forced into a miserable shadowed existence. Yes, he's an Eco-Terrorist, but even then, you have to sympathise with him. The humans are made out to be a really ungrateful, whiny bunch in this movie.
Nuada is played by Luke Goss (one half of the Goss twins from the pop group Bros), and his training in martial arts really shows. When he moves, he makes Orlando Bloom's Legolas look like a clumsy troll. In a fight, he would wipe the floor with Legolas, no doubt about it. I would love to see him as Thranduil in The Hobbit, though it'll probably be seen as typecasting by director Guillermo del Toro.
Overall, the best bits in this movie are when del Toro delves into the faery world, be it the Troll Market or the secret location of the Golden Army. Unfortunately, the movie sags when focus returns to the heroes and we are reminded that this is a superhero, not a fantasy, movie. It isn't a deal-breaker, and in fact, I'm comforted to know that del Toro will be in his element in his upcoming foray into Middle-earth.
Rating: 8/10Current Mood: content |
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Review: Red Cliff (part 1)
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Jul. 12th, 2008 @ 05:59 pm
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In case some folks aren't aware, Asia is getting the extended 2-part version of Red Cliff, John Woo's foray into Chinese historical epic. The second part will be shown later in the year. In contrast, the West will be getting the truncated single-film version just in time for Oscar consideration.
I'm not sure if the West is necessarily getting a worse deal.
The film, while entertaining at times, needed a strong hand to trim the excess fat. The battle scenes went on for ages. Yes, we know the Wu army is using tactic A to cut down the enemy, but we don't have to be bored by 5 min long repeats of the same tactic over and over again. We get it. While I give kudos to the director for trying to be a little more realistic by toning down the wire-fu, I find it hard to believe that a single general can wipe out entire hordes of enemy soldiers. By the time Zhao Zilong (aka Zhao Yun) did the third swipe of his lance against the enemy flood, I felt like picking up my Playstation3 controller for a game of Dynasty Warrior 6.
Lots of the scenes involving the Zhang Ziyi-lookalike actress were toally unnecessary. Oh yeah, she makes good tea, is helpless at foaling, may be a good roll in the hay, and takes hours to bandage up her wounded husband, but nothing about her scenes add value to the plot. Plus the addition of a Mary Sue ("I have a a unit of kungfu-fighting maids and I want to fight!") sister of Sun Quan just felt off. Guess the production team felt there was a need to tone down the "sausage fest".
Totally random scenes of picturesque misty mountain ranges didn't help. I blame LOTR for encouraging this.
On the other hand, it was a delight watching Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro play off each other in their roles of Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang. That made it almost worth the price of admission.
Rating: 6/10Current Mood:  tired |
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Impulse purchase
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Jul. 5th, 2008 @ 09:09 pm
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I've joined the Nintendo DS cult. Blame ![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) xandrabelle for brainwashing me. Guess it's fair since I may be partially responsible for her getting a PSP (though Sephiroth was the more likely culprit). Well, at least I didn't get Nintendogs or Brain Training.
Next, to locate a copy of Tales of Innocence.
And I'm not getting a Wii to complete the console collection.Current Mood: guilty |
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The Three Kingdoms is never the same again
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Jul. 2nd, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
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I didn't really care about Red Cliff, the new two-part historical epic movie by John Woo.
That is until I saw the trailer. Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhuge Liang and Tony Leung as Zhou Yu. Koutetsu Sangokushi, the slashiest anime interpretation of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, has forever destroyed the classical Chinese literature for me. OMG, that's Koumei-sama and "Skirt-guy" Shuuyu! *flashback of episode involving some incongruous wedding signs, topless bishies and pointy toys*
This is too good!Current Mood: amused |
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MAJINKEN!
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Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 09:19 pm
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I've completed Tales of Destiny 2 (Japanese) on my PSP. My fingers are already itching for more Tales action.Current Mood: accomplished |
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The Strange Incident of the Instant Noodle Lunch
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Jun. 29th, 2008 @ 01:57 pm
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Decided to cook packet instant noodles for lunch. Opened the first packet; no seasoning sachets inside. Dang, shoddy quality control. Replace with another packet. All's well, until I decided to add an egg. Cracked the egg. Voila! Egg had two yolks! This is weird. If this is a message from an extraterrestrial being, I'm not getting it.Current Mood:  weird |
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Dissidia!
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Jun. 26th, 2008 @ 09:49 pm
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I feel guilty
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Jun. 13th, 2008 @ 09:47 pm
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I was at a Sony store today to get a new pair of earphones for my MP3 player when I spotted a copy of Metal Gear Solid 4 (Asian LE). Now, the reviews of the game has been absolutely glowing, but I've never played a single MGS game before and have no idea what it's all about. I hesitated a while, walked around the store, fiddled with some cameras on display, and finally caved in to temptation and bought the damn game. The sales guy informed me it was the last copy. Just as I had completed my transaction and the guy handed over the goods to me, a young man walked in and asked for the game. Too bad. The English-language copy of the game is apparently sold out at most places.
( May contain spoilers )
Meanwhile, I feel guilty for having possibly denied a legitimate gamer his fun. BTW, from what the little I've seen, this game is really gorgeous.Current Mood: guilty |
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The light at the end of the tunnel...may just be an oncoming train
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Jun. 4th, 2008 @ 07:55 pm
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I have a bad feeling about this...
Eight years of observing that train wreck of a presidency in a certain Western democracy has made me cynical of idealists...especially idealists who have nothing more to offer beyond pretty words and charisma. In that sense, it would seem that the New Hope is no different than the Evil Incumbent. Their political beliefs may be opposite, but like mirror images, they're really the same at the core - they're both ambitious and hungry to grab the power at the top in as little time as possible. It's hard to convince me otherwise - we're talking about a guy who puts in the minimal hours at "middle-management" in order to qualify for a shot at the top job.
Yes, do count me cynical, but I think this man is far more dangerous than the alleged barracuda he defeated. I've always cheered on the party he represents, but this year, I'm afraid I'll have to go with the lesser of two evils and hope the geriatric wins. At least the other guy seems to be a practical man. The world needs less divisive idealists and more practical people who are prepared to huddle together and work out compromises despite their individual differences.Current Mood:  moody |
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Taking after dad...and worse
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Jun. 3rd, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
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I've been playing Tales of Destiny 2 (the real one featuring Kyle Dunamis) on my PSP. Kyle took after the dumb half of his illustrious parentage, and even then, he appears to be a bigger idiot than Stahn. What did Leon do to deserve being stuck with both father and son? Thankfully, he has Loni to share his pain. It all makes for a fun action RPG.
Of the handful of Tales games I've played, I've to say that Tales of Rebirth has the best battle system yet. Its use of Force Gauge and Rush Gauge instead of the usual TP system makes for a simple yet strategic gameplay, with some of the flashiest attacks ever on a Tales game. The hi-ougi combos are crazy.
A close second would be Tales of Destiny: Director's Cut on the PS2. Seeing Stahn or Leon do majinken in the air makes for some heart-pumping action. The skill/stat customisation for the Swordians is also pretty neat. (Namco-Bandai, if you're going to squeeze out one more remake of ToD, please let it be a PSP port of ToD:DC/ToDr...preferably with English localization.)
If one opts to fight semi-auto mode, Tales of Phantasia (I'm playing the Full-Voice Edition on the PSP) has the dumbest AI I've ever encountered. Most times, the semi-auto mode on a Tales games is very intuitive. Tap directional arrow twice and the character rushes to the enemy while the player controls the attack combos. Most times, the player won't even notice the AI taking over some basic guard stance etc. However, ToP Cless keeps running back from the enemy just when the player is about to give the command for the killing blow. It makes for some silly frustration. The plus-side is that the game sprites are so awfully cute in that old-school big-headed way. Oh yeah, and Morikawa voices Dhaos.Current Mood: chipper |
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At last!
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Jun. 2nd, 2008 @ 12:50 pm
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My Playasia swag is here! More Tales love.Current Mood: happy |
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Sweet Rain
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May. 31st, 2008 @ 09:28 pm
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Aka Accuracy of Death.
The movie is divided into three stories about a Shinigami (God of Death), played by Takeshi Kaneshiro, is assigned to follow three people for 7 days each to determine if the person should die or be allowed to continue to live. During the course of the story, the Shinigami learns about love, loss and human emotions.
It sounds like a Japanese Meet Joe Black, but thankfully, it skipped the sappy romance. Instead, we get an enjoyable movie with a heart. Even though I had expected the not-quite-twist ending, the emotional message still struck me. Eye-candy Takeshi was also a bonus.
Rating: 8/10Current Mood: satisfied |
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Something's missing
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May. 25th, 2008 @ 12:22 am
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There are many problems plaguing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Harrison Ford's age is, surprisingly, the least of them. Instead, Steven Spielberg's obsession with a certain pet subject (I'm avoiding spoilers here) dragged the movie down right from the beginning until its very run-of-the-mill ending.
The previous three Indy outings were great cinematic adventures - even Temple of Doom had many fun and fantastic moments. IJatKotCS, unfortunately, felt like a made-for-TV movie.
The movie seemed very scaled down. There is no feeling of grand adventure. Throughout the movie, one didn't particularly cared what happens to the crystallized metal-attracting football. Neither do the Russians, led by Cate Blanchett and her spoof of a bad Russian accent, appear to be any great threat. Everyone was phoning in their performances and the script was like a project in adventure-cliché writing by a class of budding scriptwriters taking turns to write. There is something wrong the film when the two National Treasure movies were far more interesting to sit through than the Indiana Jones adventure.
This movie should have been reserved for the season opener of The Geriatric Adventures of Indiana Jones.
Rating: 5/10Current Mood:  blah |
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Gah! Translate this!
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May. 19th, 2008 @ 07:59 am
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Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki the 3rd Trailer
Eiyuu Densetsu, better known as Legend of Heroes in the English-speaking PSP world, was one of PSP's most faithful RPG series. The first three were ported to the PSP in the early days when many gamers shunned the little portable console.
The series continued that faith with the Sora no Kiseki series, having released two chapters and now the third one. Unfortunately, it's Japan-only. Known as one of the most poetic RPGs in Japan, the first three PSP titles shared similar styles and were terribly cute in that Golden Sun style of cute, but fortunately without GS's endless pointless dialogues. Plus the first title (actually the second in Japan cos' the US swapped the release of LOH 1 & 2) was so slashy.
From the trailer above, the series has certainly evolved to a flashier style. It's no Crisis Core, but the best RPGs shouldn't be judged for Crisis Core graphics. Decent graphics, fun gameplay and a good long plot. Something like Tales of Rebirth. *pimps*
There are many great RPGs on the PSP, but nobody is seriously localising them yet. I wish US publishers have skipped rubbish like Astonishia Story and put more effort on the good stuffs.Current Mood: annoyed |
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*Munch*
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May. 18th, 2008 @ 10:27 pm
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These brownies are so sinfully scrumptious. kiyoshi_chan, it's all your fault!Current Mood: guilty |
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Owari
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May. 16th, 2008 @ 09:52 pm
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I've completed Tales of Rebirth! The first Japanese game that I've completed and 50 hours of my life gone! Yesh! *self-congratulatory pat*
Damn, but that ending was so bittersweet. I want to hug Milhaust, the poor dear. BTW, stupid Veigue, can't you tell that Milhaust was asking you to elope with him?
I need more Tales fix on my psp. Instead, I was a naughty girl and bought Mana Khemia for the ps2 when I still need to play Tales of Destiny.Current Mood: accomplished |
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Sunset, beach, and a boxing match
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May. 13th, 2008 @ 10:10 am
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Yep, I finally got to the famous fistfight between Veigue and Tyrtree in Tales of Rebirth. It certainly is one of the most emotional scenes I've come across in an RPG, and it didn't even involve anyone dying. Great stuff. I can see why many Tales fans consider Rebirth to be one of the best Tales games (if not the best, though that title is usually reserved for Tales of Destiny).Current Mood: satisfied |
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