CrimsonHappinessHour

Whats New This Week: Feb 20 Reading Week

2012-02-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

Sorry guys, nothing this week. I'm taking it off.

Battle Royale Review

2012-02-17T09:37:00.001-05:00

Battle Royal is a movie that is not for the feint of heart, it is brutal and it is violent but the themes it presents is a great back drop to the carnage that ensues on screen. Battle Royal is set in Japan during the nineties, where something bad has happened and the world has for the most part fallen apart. The government passes the BR act, which takes a randomly selected group of ninth grade students and pits them death match style against one another. These teens are thrust onto this island where it's kill or be killed, the last man/women standing wins their life back. Now if this wasn't bad enough, they all are fitted with a explosive dog collar that will go boom if they wander into the red areas or the time limit has been reached. What makes this movie so powerful and disturbing for some is how fast some of the students change and how some of the already bad apples become a more twisted version of their original self. The acting is top notch in this film which surprised the hell out of me, the one (evil) old man was terrifying especially his relation to the class makes him even more sadistic. However it is the kids that are on the main stage in this flick, and they are all strong actors in my opinion. It is good to see that teenagers can prove to be strong actors, especially in this type of hard movie. The sets, music, and mood of this piece are all top notch and provide almost a lonely feel to the whole picture. Almost adding another layer of hopelessness into the mix. It deals with some many issues that one would think it would flounder on one, but that is not the case. This is a great movie for foreign cinema lovers, and people who love all things Japanese. This movie isn't available in North America yet, none of the companies thought I movie like this could sell. I don't really understand that thinking as these same companies are constantly releasing garbage on a daily basis. I believe however that it is finally making it's way over here in the next little bit.

8/10
+Strong Plot and Characters
+Very good acting
+Music & Locals
-Could be difficult for some to watch

Bakemonogatari Anime Review

2012-02-15T11:17:00.000-05:00

Bakemonogatari is a mixture of a lot of things, which makes it good in so many ways. It is not for everyone however.

Every once and a while a anime comes along that blends a lot of different themes together, many anime fail to do it properly but some do it so well that the only deterrent is that it's over to soon. Bakemomogatari follows the adventures of Araragi Koyomi a suborn half vampire who helps people with their other worldly dilemmas. These stories provide a good depth to each of the girls that he helps and comes across, it is also important to note that like other anime male characters he is somewhat of a pervy lolicon. The relationships he builds with all the girls is also a joy to watch, and the amount of tsundere characters is also quite astounding. It is quite impressive to see how he handles these strong women, especially Koyomi and Hitagi. Being a half vampire he takes it upon himself to rid each girl of their troubles physically, and it is in these moments that his true character comes alive. But my favourite characters are Meme and Shinobu a middle age man and a 500 year old vampire who has regressed into a eight year old girl by one of the main characters.

The art and action sequences are simply beautiful, the transitions are great and the music provides a nice back drop to what is happening on screen. Anyway I think I've rambled on long enough, if you want to watch a great show watch this one. You won't be disappointed trust me. On a separate note, Nisemonogatari is currently airing it is a sequel that adds both his sisters stories to the mix, and delves deeper into Shinobu's relationship with Koyomi. Koyomi vamp is the prequel novel to this whole series which takes us through Koyomi becoming a vampire and Shinobu's true form. This is a great read and the movie should be hitting screens later this year.

8/10
+Characters
+Atmosphere
+Shinobu
+Art
-Too short

Artist Spotlight: Yu 佗蔵

2012-02-13T09:34:00.002-05:00

Just a super quick post as I am busy today, but check out the artists profile HERE for more goodness.

Whats New This week: Feb 13

2012-02-12T08:21:00.000-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: Bakemonogatari Review
Friday: Battle Royale Review

That's all folks

The Current State of Fighting Video Games

2012-02-10T08:51:00.001-05:00

This actually sums it up nicely

I love fighting games, I started with Street Fighter 2 on the Genesis and I played the hell out of that game as a kid. At the same time I started to play Mortal Kombat and basically any fighting game I could get my hands on. In those days fighting games felt fresh and unique, they didn't try to cater to a audience that wouldn't care for them. They had a focus with who they would market they're games to and it worked, that was apparent with the success of Street Fighter 2 in the arcades. That's where it all started the arcade's, people waited up for hours just to play one more match against the computer or that guy who was just too good. People genuinely had skill and the game rewarded you with how skilful you were. This trend continued for some time as fighters jumped into 3d and some stayed on the 2d realm and all seemed fine, sure we were being thrown so many fighters (some good, some bad) but all found their own niches and struck gold there. Then we hit the year 2000 and the next few years would see a draught of fighters on the market, Guilty Gear and BlazBlue came out in this time period and these games were reminiscent of some of the best and hardest fighters of the past. Now that isn't entirely true; Viruta Fighter, Dead or Alive, Tekken, and soul Calibur all came out with more games in this time frame and they built on their respective fan bases. Then Capcom released its behemoth Street Fighter 4 which went on to sell a butt load of copies, which was followed by two more sequels that added various tweaks and characters to the roster. Then Capcom did something that actually blew my mind in the wrong way. They released Marvel vs Capcom 3 which was to be honest just a average fighter, now where near the level it should have been, and then they release Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 eight months after the original release. Capcom has stated many times that they want to start making their games appeal to the "casual" audience to try and drive up sales, but what they don't understand is when they make games to appeal to those people I find that it can sometimes hinder the game. But what is a casual audience? Is it people who play the game less then five hours a week, or people that don't go to tournaments for it? Could I be a casual play, I mean I have played over 40 hours of Soul Calibur 5 and probably that much time or more on other fighters. Does that mean I'm not a casual player? The answer is unclear but what it seems like is that game studies would rather spend less time on tightening their game and more time adding stuff to bring in the casual market. I'm not saying all companies are doing or going to do this in the future, but we are getting to that point like we did in the late 90's where we have some many fighters being released that it is going to oversaturate the market again. My only real stance on the matter is find a game you like and stick with it, if your good try a tournament all I know is thank god I'm done this post so I can go back to Soul Calibur V.

Fighters Coming this year:

Skull Girls
Street Fighter X Tekken
Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown

May Flash Arcade Stick Review

2012-02-08T08:16:00.001-05:00

If you are looking for a arcade stick but don't want to sell your kidney's for one then the May flash is for you. Retailing for 39.99 on Amazon this stick is a steal, the fact that it is universal is also a great benefit to its price. Now this is just your bare bones stick though, but it has everything that one needs to play, the buttons seem good and it is important to note that the stick itself feels very light and when it is on your lap is actually quite conformable. This stick is also compatible with sanwa parts for anyone who wants to customize it. The only negative I have with it is that for me sometimes there is a little input lag on buttons 8 and 4, it's weird it isn't present all the time but it comes and goes. Anyway for the price this is a steal and it is a good starting point for anyone who is interested at stepping there fighting game up.

7/10
+CHEAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+Universal
-Input lag sometimes
-Bare Bones

Artist Spotlight: J-Century

2012-02-06T12:40:00.002-05:00

This guy makes some of the best 3D models I have seen in a long time, no joke it's true so check out HIS deviant page and tell him how good he is. Enjoy the rest.

What's New This Week: Feb 6

2012-02-05T09:09:00.002-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: Review
Friday: State of fighting video games

That's all folks

Soul Calibur 5 PS3 Review

2012-02-02T14:05:00.001-05:00

The soul still burns with this next instalment of a much loved fighter.

The Soul Calibur series has for me always been great, from the first Soul Edge (Soul Blade in the West) to the newest instalment this series has proven to be one of if not the best 3D fighters on the market. With that being said Soul Calibur V has a lot to live up to, and I have to say this much it is a step in the right direction and I think this one is by far my favourite one.

Being all Greek on ya

The presentation in this game is excellent, top notch graphics and visual bring out the characters, stages, and the world in ways most fighters never even bother with. Each stage is vivid and full of life, some have battle's raging right beside yours and others have similar but equally great things going on. With the addition of some two tiered stages this has set the bar high for 3D fighting stages and hopefully we see other games try and breath some life into there fields of battle. The costumes are all super detailed and a beauty to behold even if some costumes are barely there. The music is one of the series strong points and as such is impressive, while Soul Calibur had my favourite music in the game I am torn between the orchestral pieces found in this game, they are quite good. The voice work is also top notch and if your a anime fan you will notice some of the bigger stars voices in this game, but if the English voice overs aren't doing it for you then switch to the Japanese voices. Though I would have like to see a option to toggle Japanese voices on certain characters but it isn't a big deal. The sound is great as well, swords clash and bones break and the sound that accompanies them are equally great and brutal to hear. Foot steps, jumping, and the sound of break ground are all impressive and it is good to because you will hear a lot of this if you are devoted to this game.

There are a variety of modes which should sedated most players needs whether they want to go online or off. Offline there is your standard arcade, vs., training, a quick battle mode where you fight many different randomly generated characters, and the story mode. The story mode it self can be completed fairly fast which you'll need to do in order to unlock most of the characters, but honestly it's not that good, better then fours story mode by far but it needs to be better I don't even know what else to say. Online I have to say is again by far the best and most stable online fighter on the market. There were very few times if any that the connection dropped and I got kicked off. With that being said the modes are Ranked, Player (grouping fights and rooms), and in my opinion a most for fighting game the Global Colosso which is a open lobby where in real time you can see who's in it and challenge them. This is also where you can go for random matches and tournaments. This isn't tacked on online fighting, this is true fighting game multiplayer at it's best.

Create a character is back and better then ever, with so many options to choose from you will literally spend hours customising your new characters and the regular ones. Unlike the last game you have free reign over how you want to customise the main characters, except for the guest they have never been allowed to be customised. With so many options to choose from and so many options for customising it will be hard for other fighters that have a similar system to not look at this one and implement it into their next projects.

So now lets talk about the roster, many new and old characters return to battle for the soul swords. They are:

Aeon Calcos (AKA Lizardman)
Algol
Astaroth
Cervantes de Leon
Edge Master
Elysium
Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Hildegard “Hilde” von Krone
Isabella “Ivy” Valentine
Kilik
Lord Geo Dampierre
Maxi
Mitsurugi
Natsu
Nightmare
Patroklos Alexandra
Alpha Patroklos
Pyrrha Alexandra
Pyrrha Omega
Raphael Sorel
Siegfried Schtauffen
Tira
Viola
Voldo
Yan Leixia
Xiba
Yoshimitsu
Z.W.E.I.

Now a few characters didn't make it in but have counter parts in this game; Take, Sophitia, Cassandra, and Xui all have counter parts in this game and you know what I don't mind them they are different enough but still feel the same as their older counter parts. Characters that didn't make it in for one reason or another; Seung Nima, Yun Seung, Talim, Zasalamel, Rock either way I wouldn't be surprised if they found their way into this game later on this year.

In conculsion Soul Calibur V is the best 3D fighter out there and it plays and feels great, though the game play like all of them needs to be learned and tested till one finds their perfect style of play.

8.5/10

+Solid Game Play

+Create a Character

+Beautiful Music

-Learning curve is a bit steep

Soul Calibur 5 Collectors Edition unboxing

2012-02-01T00:24:00.002-05:00

This is one of the better collectors editions to come out for a long while. Comes with a art book, making of blu ray, soundtrack and a nifty case. You will see what I'm taking about in the next few photo's, oh and since I pre ordered with Game stop I got a Ivy Bubble Bud....It's not that impressive.

By the way I have a new SCV video check it out here.

Artist Spotlight: Squ-chan

2012-01-30T07:40:00.000-05:00

So today we turn our attention to Deviant Art and to a artist known as Squ-chan, Check out her profile HERE and find out why I got a lovely commission from her.

What's New This Week: Jan 30

2012-01-29T08:22:00.001-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: Movie (Up in the air) Review & Soul Calibur 5 Collector's Edition showing off
Friday: Soul Calibur 5 Review

That's all folks

Character Spotlight: Jo

2012-01-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

Jo from Burst Angel is one of my all time favourite characters ever, she was so bad ass that her only draw back was that she didn't have enough seasons to be super bad ass. I wouldn't call her a tsundere character but she can be quite testy if her friend/lover Meg is in trouble. Jo is actually a genetically modified human grown in a lab with her other sisters, angels. It was shown that there was only to be one perfect sister so they had a death match on a battleship to see who was the best. Eventually events had played out so that Jo was blasted from the ship and left drifting towards nowhere. Now she was found by a young Meg who at first didn't trust her but after awhile grew attached to her, even going so far as to have feelings for her. Eventually we reach the end of the show and Maria shows up another bio weapon like Jo. A big battle ensues and Jo beats Maria to everyone's surprise, and through this Maria learns the power of emotions and love which she shows to both Meg and Jo as she suicides into the enemy to help them escape. Eventually Jo wakes up, Meg expresses her feelings to Jo which she gives a cold shoulder to even though it is implied she feels the same way and knocks Meg out. What happens next is a orgy of action, explosion, bullets, crazyness basically. We are left with a heart broken Meg walking to the last site Jo was and finding her scarf, and then we see Meg turn into a red clad gun slinger like Jo. As of 2012 we don't know if Jo is dead or alive, because the company decided to blue ball all the fans of this anime and never start the second season. Anyway enjoy the following pictures, and the next character I'll feature is another one of my favourite white haired lady's I bet you can't guess who.

13 Assassin Movie Review

2012-01-25T08:02:00.000-05:00

13 Assassins by Takashi Miike has to be in my opinion one of his greatest films to date. Maybe that's not giving the director enough credit but by god is this one hell of a samurai movie.

The story is this, a crazy lord is set to become the next shogun. Some of the retainers for the current shogun don't want this man to gain the title, so they employ Shinzaemon Shimada a master level samurai who in a time of peace has become wanting for battle. Shimada must find 13 willing and expert samurai to slay the tyrant. This is by far Miike greatest work and while a departure from his earlier works (Ichi the Killer comes to mind) this is still a brutal and at times gory film, but don't let that discourage you this is a film that in my mind is almost as good as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. The actors portray their respective characters very well and it is a treat to see how different each is. It is also a treat to see how each samurai interact with each other and their mission, which will ultimately cost the highest price.

The cinematography in this movie is top notch, you can really tell that a master level director has held onto the reigns of his project. Especially when the climactic ending battle which is incredibly satisfying is in motion you get a sense that the director has taken his experience from past films and added everything together to create a wonderful piece of cinematic art. The battle is the main part of the film and it is in the one whole hour that we see just how awesome and brutal this movie is. We also see just how devoted each character is to the groups cause. As blades dance, blood flies, and the bodies pile we get a sense of dread as the movie shows just how brutal combat can be. The sets and locations also factor into the movie as a whole. There are no flashy, bright colours but everything is has a very sad harsh look to it, almost saying that this may be a time of peace but terrible things are happening and people are suffering. The music is also very well done, being in the perfect spots of the film and adding to it where it is found.

In conclusion this is one of the best remakes and samurai film to date, and I suggest to everyone to watch this movie at least once it is time well spent.

8.5/10

+Story is strong
+Spectacular Action pieces
+Deep Characters
-Can be a little too brutal for some

Artist Spotlight: Shirai

2012-01-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

Checkout Shirai's profile and be amazed and this high calibre level of art. You won't be disappointed.

Whats New This Week: Jan 23

2012-01-22T08:19:00.000-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: 13 Assassin Review
Friday: Character Spotlight

That's all folks

Why I love Photography

2012-01-21T20:57:00.000-05:00

Photography for me means freedom, freedom to capture what I feel like when I feel like. I love the outlet that photography gives you. It let's me be as creative as I want, and it let's me be complex or simple. It is a outlet which I have enjoyed for many years. It's something that while seeming simple at first is actually deeply complex
and requires a lot of time to hone ones skill in it. Photography is about emotions, what can be experience from the pictures. Photography is my heart and soul and I would never give it up.

This may be a short post but I think you'll understand

Burst Angel Anime Review

2012-01-18T10:26:00.001-05:00

Burst Angel was always on my favourite anime list, and while it's story isn't anything new in terms of anime it's everything else that this anime offers that makes it one of Gonzos last great titles. Hot girls, giant mecha, tsundere, moe, oppai, this anime as everything and more. Above all that the action scenes are fast and brutal and the cgi fits pretty well. The music is your standard techno/hard rock soundtrack which is pretty good, though at the time it was a little over used.

The story goes like this, in the near future a Tokyo where guns have become legal tries to come to grips with it's gang problems and terrorist activities. A group of mercenary women take up various jobs in and around the city and a young chef gets dragged into their crazy lives. You can imagine what hijinks can happen, while the story isn't oscar worthy it in my opinion is better then 80% of the anime that has come after it.

I personally love the art style, and Gonzo was known for it's great looking anime. Every episode had some action in it, and the only gripe I had was how short the series felt. The ova Burst Angel: Infinity was a great addition but nothing followed it up. There was a short trailer for what looked like a second season but it never came to fruition. All in all this is a great anime and a must watch for anyone who likes fast action and cute anime girls with big oppai.

7.5/10

+Fast Action

+Great Art style

+Cute Girls

-Too short

Artist Spotlight: ChevaSiS

2012-01-16T10:06:00.001-05:00

ChevaSiS is one of my favourite artist's on pixiv, even though the artist doesn't have a lot of art the quality speaks for itself. Go over and check out ChevaSiS profile if you like what you are about to see.

What's New This Week: Jan 16

2012-01-15T08:47:00.001-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: Burst Angel Review
Friday: Photography, Why I love it

That's all folks

Character Spotlight: Saber Extra/Nero

2012-01-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

Originally I was going to post this yesterday but I was feeling terrible but fear not because today is the day. So if you follow me on Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or anywhere you would know that I LOVE the Fate series (F/SN, F/ZERO, F/EXTRA, etc) mainly because it was my first introduction to visual novels and into the Japanese media culture. The only thing that I felt was lacking was my interest in the original Saber. Now don't get me wrong she is one of my top characters but unfortunately she felt kind of bland as a main heroine. A few years later Type Moon makes a game called Fate/Extra and yet again we are introduced to another iteration of a Saber heroine, except this one is way different then the rest. She had almost a arrogant tone to her, her chest was incredibly larger then the original's, her hair was a little longer and wilder, but the biggest difference was the crimson attire she was wearing.

Spoiler

Anyway I hope you liked that little piece about her, now enjoy her pictures in all their glory. GLORY TO THE EMPEROR!

By the way This Album is where you can go to see all my Saber pic's, but you have to be a Google + member and have me in your circles so yeah. Enjoy the exclusivity.

Bunraku Movie Review

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Bunraku is a movie that for the most part will only appeal to a set audience. There are some big names in this movie: Woody Harrelson, Josh Hartnett, Ron Perlmen, Demi Moore, and Gackt a famous Japanese Singer. The cast is surprisingly strong for this type of movie, and while it's not a terrible movie it's not a really good one as well. The plot is pretty simple, guns have been outlawed and gangs have taken over major cities. In one of said cities Perlman is the leader and his is cruel and basically everyone wants him dead. Hartnett and Gackt most team up to stop him. That's essentially it, but what's really interesting here is the martial arts segments and the whole visual style of the movie. Everything is over stylized and almost has a comic book feel to it. The action scenes are long and well worth the few scenes of story. Lets face it here, this movie would have been better without the whole story. I felt it actually took away from all the awesome fight scenes, which are also extremely bloody and brutal.

Perlman's character is both brutal and savage but you never really get the feeling that he could be the main antagonist. Hartnett and Gackt both do a decent job of filling in a lone ranger and samurai type, Moore is almost non-existent in this film which is odd but doesn't really take much away. Harrelson is pretty much like he always is in all his roles, witty at times bad ass at others he is just a fun actor to watch. Overall this is a average movie at best, not the best action movie I have seen but in my opinion way better then that bomb Cowboy's & Aliens.

6.5/10

+Awesome Fights
+Stylized Sets
-Been there done that story
-Music could have been a bit better

Artist Spotlight: Muffin

2012-01-09T08:13:00.003-05:00

Muffin's art style is one I truly enjoy, and while there are a few people on pixiv who have a similar style nothing compares to his. Checkout his profile HERE if you like what you see.

Whats New This Week: Jan 9

2012-01-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: Bunraku Review
Friday: Haven't decided yet

Stay Tuned

Star Wars The Old Republic First Impressions/ Semi Review

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Yes people it is finally over, Star Wars The Old Republic or SWTOR is finally here and as you can imagine I am hooked. The reason you will see this in three categories is simple it is something I like so it goes into my corner, it is almost a review of sorts, and it is a preview for all who want to play the game. Now let's get this out of the way first, the similarities to a certain panda game. SWTOR is a MMO of course its going to borrow from Pandaria, Pandaria borrow from every other mmo that came before it. Both games have respective audiences and while I tend to favour SWTOR I will in no means bad mouth Pandaria, the only thing that will kill that game is time as I have heard mention before.

This is a Star Wars game right to its core, from the atmosphere to the awesome scrolling text we are all accustomed to this is by far the best and biggest Star Wars game to date. The music is incredible, the voice acting sounds great, and while this is a mmo and the quest are generally the same it's still fun and enjoyable to do it in a Star Wars game done right (Galaxies in my opinion was a fail). You start off by choosing your side of the conflict: Republic or Empire, then you are taken to choose from one of four classes that once you reach the appropriate level get to choose a advance class. The advance class is permanent so choose wisely, but if you don't like a certain skill tree your in you can go back and start from scratch. Anyway once you get the class you want you go into the player customizer, which is good. Though I was a little let down at how few races there were but I am sure as new content is made available new races will join the fray. I would also like to see the body types expanded a little more, so far there are only four types but it's not too big of a deal.

Once you that's done you are thrust into the story for your class, though I have created a character for all classes just to play around I found myself growing fond of the Sith Warrior. Now not too spoiling anything but his or her story is quiet enjoyable and the people you meet and or slaughter are all intriguing. This character made me feel that I was truly on the dark path. The other thing to note that I find to be great is the addition of companions, these guys/gals can accompany you on your adventures and act as one of a few roles, plus like past Bioware games each have detailed back stories and missions you need to complete in order to gain favour with them. Some are romancable and others are just down right hilarious, but they add another layer to this experience that won't be found on any other MMO. As of right now I'm running a level 36 SW Juggernaut in the vengeance tree which gives me power and survivability this is my main. Of course however this is your game and you can play what ever way you prefer, if you want to be a hybrid then go ahead no one is stopping you. I have yet to try pvp which I am leaving till I get to 50 which should be fairly soon. I have done a few flash points ad other group things which are actually quite fun. For the hardcore mmo fan I think this game is great and while it doesn't have everything yet, you can expect it too as Bioware has stated that they want it to never be taken down or killed like some other MMO in the past. The other thing to note is how well this game does in the Asian markets and the other markets slated for release. Blizzards success was that it found a foothold in the Asian markets, even if SWTOR finds a good step in those enormous markets you can expect to see this game live long and let's be honest here this game will live for a long while.

Now for every awesome time I had, there were a few bugs nothing game breaking but some that need and probably be tackled in the near future. Some of the glitching and getting stuck in objects need to be fix but the one I always find to be the most annoying is the lag issue when going through space ports. Now I know for a fact its not my hardware as I run this game really well every other area. Now if you look at the forums you will see a ton of complaints and hate on the game. I have not experience any other things that these people complain about maybe there present and maybe there not I won't know until I see first hand. Unfortunately the forums are also filled with what we like to refer as Trolls for a said game that I will not mention in this post. These people are no lifers who think by spamming "why you should unsub" they think they can undermine a game so there preciouses could continue on for another 100 years is childish. Nobody cares about these people and they will file out eventually.

In closing I think SWTOR is off to a great start, the game is great and I will continue to enjoy it until I can't any more.

9/10

+Dialouge is great
+Music is great
+Combat feels good
+Large open spaces to roam
+Loads of quest's
-It's a MMO you'll need lots of time
-Time Killer
-Some bugs
-Trolls
-Some game lag

Ben-To Anime Review

2012-01-04T00:30:00.000-05:00

Ben-To a Anime that I never even knew existed but regardless watched anyway, does it stand up to some of the best of the season well find out after the break.

If only I found her in my Ben-To

Here is a show that you either love or hate, while it isn't a terrible show for me its right in the middle of the pack. Here's the summary of the show, people go to super markets all across the town and wait for the ben to boxes to go half price. Once that happens a hellish martial arts infused brawl takes place, the battlegrounds being the super markets themselves. The story is stuff you've seen before, a weak guy becomes enthralled with the super strong heroine. Guy gets tossed around till he becomes a bad ass and wins the eye of not just the cold hearted (but really caring) heroine but also every other pair of boobies in the series. We've all seen it before its nothing new.

While the story is lacking hard, something can be said for the art and the battle scenes themselves. The art was actually well done, which surprised me shows like this are usually filler for time and tend to be on the lower side but the art was pleasing. The fight scenes are all fluid, fast, and brutal. While I have seen some anime with excellent fight scenes and set pieces this show surprised me with how good it's fisticuffs scenes could be.

In closing, I do think there is some good to be had with this show. It's nothing special but a pretty decent venture that if they want could lend it's self another season. Though in what was one of the best years for anime I wonder if middle weight animes will ever be able to rise above their rank.

6.5/10

+Nice Art
+Fight Scenes are cool
-Story is as bland as ever
-Feels rushed/probably not enough material

Artist Spotlight: 赤提灯 (Red Lantern)

2012-01-02T08:56:00.000-05:00

So for the first Artist Spotlight of the year I thought I would bring you this artist, He has a lot of art in this style and while I am not too fond of the style I do appreciate and like his pictures. If you like his work then check him out HERE. If you like the next few pieces go over to his profile and see what else he has. PS I word of warning if you don't like nudity then I suggest putting the Pixiv filter on.

Whats New This Week: Jan 2

2012-01-01T08:33:00.001-05:00

Monday: Artist Spotlight
Wednesday: Ben-To Anime review
Friday: Star Wars The Old Republic First Impressions/ Semi Review

Stay Tuned

Whats happening next year and what I plan on doing

2012-01-01T08:29:00.002-05:00

So what plans do I have for this year, currently not too much but I will explain.

So this year I plan on doing a lot more photography and because I am not going anywhere this year so I'll have to improvise. I am also deep in my journalist studies at university so that's a big chunk of my year. I also have a Saber Extra dollfie coming in April so I will have two and I have something special planned for that. I plan to also hit the gym more then I have already which is pretty often.

In regards to this blog I will make it a mission to at least make a post every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. I may be upgrading to my own website, but that is a little far off and I have to see if it's worth it. This post is just a little filler until I come up with my set in stone plans, so look for it latter on in January.

Hope you readers enjoyed the last week of 2011 posts.

See ya on the interwebs ^_^

Artist Spotlight: Best of 2011 Art

2011-12-31T08:33:00.003-05:00

These are my picks for the best Pixiv art of 2011, now I don't go by those rankings they have on the site. All the following are what I think were the best picks of this year.

Honourable Mentions

Year in Review 2011

2011-12-30T08:41:00.003-05:00

2011 wasn't a year to forget, a lot of things happen this year good and bad.

We saw both how destructive mother nature could be and how things that are made to power our homes could also inevitably become disastrous. We saw the fall of tyrants and many deaths of famous and influential people, we saw how far popular music has fallen and the hordes of mindless followers of said untalented people. Though for all the bad things and sadness that occurred there had been equal amounts of what I like to call good events.

We saw people tearing down oppressive nations and then rebuilding them for the betterment of their fellow man. We saw people coming together to help those effected by mother natures wrath and humanities folly. We saw much happiness in dark times.

2011 has for me been one of the most exciting years of my life, I got to visit Japan a few months after their combined disasters. I was in New York right before the hurricane was supposed to hit. I kept my taste for travel sedated this year, but in my mind and heart I knew it wasn't enough. I realized that I must make it my career to travel the world and explore everything this great planet has to offer. Forget what those negative people and patriots have to say the world is bigger then you and me, the world is bigger then your own country and it is up to you to go make it something you want to care about and enjoy where ever your travels take you.

2011 was the year I discovered my true dream and while it may be different from your 2011 I hope it was just as influential as mine.

My Top 5 Experiences of 2011

2011-12-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

5. New Years Eve 2010 (all you need to know is that it was excellent)

4. April 3, 2011 This day for me was the most memorable

3. Photography 2011 (Learned a lot of new techniques)

2. My crazy cat doing crazy things (okay so I don't have that many experiences that are memorable this year)

1. Tokyo Trip

Anime Year in Review 2011

2011-12-28T08:41:00.001-05:00

Okay so this is my Anime year in review and what a year it was for me. it was the first year in which I kept up with multiple shows. Though the above image is how I feel most anime has been for the last decade.

So this year I think was one of the better years for anime, with strong titles and less fan service (which there will always be some) it was for me at least a good year. I am more of a eighties/nineties anime fan with shows like Gundam and Evangelion being where my love of anime comes from. Though for me Gundams newer series had become stale and lost their edge, which is why Gundam AGE really stands out from the rest of the series. It brings back memories of Amuro Ray and the original series which is a good thing. AGE captures the soul of the original series which is way I loved it back then. Moving on we get shows like Madoka with its ultra violence very mature rated show with magic girls which I actually enjoyed surprisingly. To a show call Dog Days which has my favourite thing in the world Monster Girls! But what really excited me the most was Fate/Zero which is by far the best Fate anime series to date. It is in my mind a near perfect version, now maybe they will bring Fate/Extra into the world of anime that would be great. Anyway this was just a quick little review on my take of anime this year and I know that there are some cool things coming out next year like the Horror title Another and the third Evangelion movie.

Mt Top 5 Anime for 2011

2011-12-28T08:22:00.003-05:00

Okay people today I present to you my top 5 anime of 2011, these are all my own opinion so chill out if you rage on.

5.Dog Days

4. Tiger & Bunny

3. Puella Magi Madoka Magica

2. Gundam AGE

1. Fate/Zero

My Top 5 Movies of 2011

2011-12-27T17:34:00.000-05:00

Here are my top 5 movies of 2011, their mine so deal with it all right. >_<

5. Bunraku

4. Limitless

3. Fast Five

2. Real Steal

1. Attack The Block

Video Game year in review 2011

2011-12-26T12:03:00.000-05:00

This year should be known as the year of the sequel as many games that came were such. Now does that mean creativity is dead, no it just means companies are cashing in on their fortunes.

Here are most of the big name sequels of this year:

Little Big Planet 2
Gears 3
Uncharted 3
Modern Warfare 3
Battlefield 3
Skyrim
Saints Row The Third
Batman Arkham City
Dues Ex: Human Revolutions
Dead Space 2

I'm sure you get the point, and I am in no way saying that anyone if these games is horrible but I am just pointing out a trend that seemed more so prevalent this year then past. Gaming in general has gotten better in the 20 or so years I have been part of it. Though for every MW3 you get ten terrible movie cash ins or games that just suck and this year we saw a lot of that. Well in truth we will always need terrible games to make the truly great ones be what they are. Now I collectively played less games this year then in the past due to University and other things taking up a lot of my time I have instead opted to play games that I know I can get enjoyment out of for months if not years. That's why I picked up Skyrim, Disgaea 4, and SWTOR because I know I can enjoy them for many months SWTOR especially. This year was a good year for gamers in general and while there is nothing I am really looking out for in the new year (with the exception of Mass Effect 3) I think the big gaming companies will continue to produce better and better products.

My Top 5 Video Games of 2011

2011-12-26T11:49:00.002-05:00

Here is my list for what I think are the top 5 games of 2011, and remember this are all my own opinion so ready yourself for some epic gaming.

5. Little Big Planet 2

Say what you will about this sequel, yes it may be more of the same but that's just it now I loved the original and the second was way better with its campaign and tools to create an almost infinite amount of levels and sack boy's or girls.

4. Disgaea 4

You have to really be into jrpgs to appreciate a Disgaea game, or be insane enough to put the long hours needed to grind in this game. Either way Disgaea 4 represents the best in the series with beautiful hand drawn graphics a quirky storyline and some of the best and addicting rpg experience in a long while.

3. Portal 2

Valve has created some of my most favourite games ever, which includes Portal 2 the follow up to one of the best games on the PC. Portal 2 not only brings back the addicting puzzle solving game play but adds in coop and much more hilarity then expected.

2.Skyrim

Skyrim is the best single player rpg ever, from the combat to the story this game delivers everything right with nothing wrong. Deep character customization, beautiful vistas, and a great soundtrack make this the most have for Elder Scrolls fans and rpg fans.

Now as you can probably tell I am a rpg fanatic, I play almost all of them and I cannot get enough but there was one game that appealed to me the most and to boot it is a very well crafted and fun game currently being enjoyed by millions. Slated to dethrone a king that has long since been the staple of the genre I give you my number one game of 2011

1. Star Wars The Old Republic

Bioware has created the single best Star Wars experience ever, not to mention a mmo that feels fresh and is actually fun to play (sorry WoW I never really enjoyed playing you). The classes and characters are fun to play and no one class feels to over powered or under powered. This game makes you part of the story which is a breath of fresh air. Combat looks cool and while this game invents nothing really new it makes up for it with flashy combat, deep rich story, companions, and many staples of the genre. If you are a Star Wars fan you owe it to yourself to buy this game you will not be disappointed. As of me currently writing this I have a character for every class in the game. Though my main is a Sith Warrior Juggernaut, I like to fool around with the Republic Trooper. I play on the Whitebeam Run server and if you want to friend me then email or join me in game.

Whats New This Week: Dec 26

2011-12-26T11:16:00.002-05:00

So I am just finishing up time with my family and I will be back to my base in the coming days. Since this is the last week of 2011 I have decided to do a post a day. So starting tomorrow when I get back there will be a post a day though I will post something today. Now I decided to do a year end or year in review type of posts for the last few ones of 2011. So I am going to lay out what you will see each day this week and I hope it interests all you lovely readers.

Monday: My Top 5 Video Games of 2011 + Video Game year in review
Tuesday: My Top 5 Movies of 2011
Wednesday: My Top 5 Anime of 2011 + Anime year in review
Thursday: My Top 5 Experiences of 2011
Friday: Year in Review 2011
Saturday: Artist Spotlight Best of 2011 Art
Sunday: Whats happening next year and what I plan on doing

Whats New This Week: Dec 19

2011-12-18T14:43:00.003-05:00

The next few weeks I'm off with family so my blog probably won't get updated, but don't worry I have some interesting things planned for the future of this blog. Stay tuned and enjoy.

Whats New This Week: Dec 12

2011-12-12T09:32:00.001-05:00

Another light week, sorry but I injured my left hand and need to take some time for myself. Though artist spotlight will happen and I'll try to put up a review this week. Thanks and happy reading.

Art Spotlight: Monster Girls Nekomimi (Cat Girls)

2011-12-08T09:02:00.001-05:00

I hope you enjoyed this little segment, I'm going through some rough times the last few weeks. I find that these few cat girl pics make me feel better....

Whats New This Week: Dec 5

2011-12-06T08:29:00.001-05:00

I know this is super late but I am really busy this week with exam studying and finishing off projects. I will make a few posts later this week so stay tuned for that.

Artist Spotlight: Maosu

2011-11-29T09:35:00.001-05:00

Checkout this artists page if you want more of his work, which is located HERE enjoy. This guy has some of the best work I have seen recently.

Whats New This Week: Nov 28

2011-11-27T12:19:00.001-05:00

Basically everything I didn't get to last week will be up for sure this week. Saying that however this is a very busy week for me so I'll have to see how frequently things will be posted. Stay tuned.

TES V: Skyrim PS3 Review

2011-11-21T10:57:00.001-05:00

The best Elder Scrolls game ever, and my pick for the best game of the year hands down. Now read the review to find out why.

The second you start your journey in Skyrim you know your in for a treat. The feeling of immersion this game provides has never been replicated in any other game before. The depth of this game is apparent right off the bat, when tasked with creating your character the game provides the single best character building tool that I have ever used. You could easily spend a couple of hours alone trying to figure out what your character is going to look like. Upon completion of that heavy but enjoyable task your are thrust into the enormous story. You soon come to realise that the world is more hostile then one would like to think. If the dragons don't get to you then the legions of undead and other creatures just might. Though I won't spoil the story, it revolves around dragons coming back and generally ruing the mood of the locals. Speaking of dragons when one decides to ruin your good mood, its up to you to put down this fiery (or frosty) lizards.

This can be as hard or easy as you want it to be, depending on your character you build. You see I decided that I would be a Nord who specializes in Two-Handed weapons, Heavy Armour, and Restoration magic. With this set up I was pretty comfortable taking on dragons. Your character has the ability of gaining extra abilities in the form of shouts which fall out side of your magic cost. Meaning they will cost you no magic points to use but require a cool down before use again. All the shouts are cool to use with only a few being useless in my opinion but don't hurt to have. Though you can't have a good story without a great soundtrack, and boy is this soundtrack stunning. The orchestral music is wonderful and picks up when you go into battle. Delve deep into dungeons and the music changes to a foreboding dark sound that spells danger as you go further into the dungeon. Speaking of sounds all the items and weapons have a very distinct sound to them, especially when you go toe to toe with blocking opponents. Hearing the sounds of battle as my claymore smashes into my opponents shield was satisfying. Or going up against a large group of undead and coming out victorious was one of the delights that I have experienced many many times on my questing in this big world.

I can't tell you enough how much there is in this game, I simply would run out of words describing all the things that can be done. Which can range from mining raw materials to making weapons and enchanting the weapons to add special abilities. The controls for the game work surprisingly smooth and fluid never feeling off from the animation on the screen. Speaking of fluidity all the in game animations look natural the added bonus of finishing moves during combat keeps everything fresh as the animation happens when enemies are in certain circumstances. The enemy npc's although not incredibly intelligent offer up good challenges and variations depending on what enemy type you face. For example when you fight humanoid characters there are four different levels of them. Light, medium, heavy, and super heavy with each having a different combat role which is fun to figure out and ultimately crush their puny resistance. The friendly npc's and companion npc's seem really dull and will most likely run in front of you in the heat of battle. Sometimes this could be funny but most times it can be aggravating though companions can't die unless you deliver the final blow which is kind of weird but whatever this is a really good game.

Did I mention that this game looks amazing, now I'm not one that really cares for how a game looks I'm more interested in how it plays and if the story is interesting. The armour, creatures, and characters all look superb followed by the locals and landscapes. The items on close inspection have a lot of detail, but unfortunately when you look closely at the land you'll start to notice how flat a lot of the textures are. though again it doesn't really take away from the game it can be quite distracting if you notice it.

If you are a rpg fan then this game is one you must get, this game also shows western rpg's can be really great when people put the time and effort to make them so great. This is my game of the year and there is nothing that can come close to it period.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

10/10

+Big open, lively world

+Hundreds of Dungeons

+So much stuff packed in

+Depth of game is insane

-Companion AI is dull

-Textures can be spotty

-on occasion may freeze completely

Saber Extra/Nero Dollfie has a new Master

2011-11-20T09:21:00.001-05:00

So I decided that I would only purchase two Dollfies, with Claire being my first a year ago and Sakuya being unobtainable at those ridiculous prices I found another more suitable dollfie. DD Saber Extra, she is by far my favourite saber and the second the preorders went up I snatched one. Though I did it on the American site so I'll get mine in April, now that I think about it I should have purchased though the international site as she ships in January but was also 200 dollars more expensive. Anyway enjoy the picks after the break, they are the official shots of her.

Whats New This Week: Nov 21, 2011

2011-11-20T00:13:00.001-05:00

Skyrim and Saints Row: The Third Reviews will go live and as usual a new Artist Spotlight.

New Sections & Updates

2011-11-19T09:33:00.001-05:00

Just a update for all you guys/gals who read my blog.

So for my regulars who visit my blog you'll notice a new category called Mike's Corner. Mike's corner is where I'll post things that are not reviews or previews, so my events, Dollfie Dream, Artist Spotlight, and 3DCG categories will all fall under Mike's Corner. Now this is only a test to see if I like it and if I find it was better off in separate categories then I will change it back, but its always good to try new things. Now some people have been asking me why some of my reviews are short while others are more in-depth, the answer is pretty simple. I like to get straight to the point a review is opinionated and shouldn't be the sole reason for you buying a game. But I like to give me opinion one what and how I feel that certain game or movie is to me. For example next week my Skyrim and Saints Row: The Third review will go live and those reviews are quite lengthy but I think they provide a good understanding on how I feel both games preformed. Anyway I'm putting out this update so people don't freak out when there fav category disappears, its not gone it just conformed to a different category.

Artist Spotlight: Takeioki

2011-11-18T22:01:00.001-05:00

Checkout the artists page HERE, what I love most about these few pics is how soft the art feels. Anyway enjoy the next few pics and don't forget to checkout the artist if you like the art.

Modern Warfare 3 PS3 Review

2011-11-16T08:42:00.001-05:00

We've been here many times before but guess what, it's still a hell of a lot of fun.

Campaign:
Plays like a Michael Bay movie, loud noises and explosions make up 99% of the campaign. That's not to say the campaign is bad and in fact it is quite good though in my opinion the original modern warfare had the best campaign this one closes the story pretty well. Though it does take some emotional cheap shots that fans may rage about but its a solid entry into this series of in my opinion stale genre. There is one part of the game where something topples over, but instead of animating the destruction that a falling structure would create they opted to instead hope no one would see it. Trust me you will notice it when you get to the Paris mission in the game, it looks ridiculous and makes me think someone was being lazy.

Multiplayer:
MW3's multiplayer hasn't been changed that much from the second game, think of it more as tweaking. Nukes are out and the last stand perk is gone. Strike packages are interesting as you can change your streaks for each different class you build. The weapons seem to be more balanced with the Type9 being the only one that has a significant balance issue but its not terrible or makes the game unplayable. Though the game play online is best describe as twitch shooting as most of the time if your not the first to shoot you will die. I have yet to encounter anything that has made me rage, like in MW2's multiplayer and that's a good thing. One last thing to note, spawn points are terrible in this game.

Visuals/Audio:
Looks exactly the same as MW2 no difference there, but it still looks pretty. The frame rate is stable with no pop in so I guess it makes a improvement in MW2 significantly. Though to be honest they made the stages and character models look better and the facial animations are pretty good. The audio is good nothing wrong with it in my opinion, the guns sounds are good and the sound of the bullets passing over your head are a neat touch. The set piece music is pretty good as well, seeing as it adds some emotional tension that you don't really find in this type of game.

Overall:
MW3 is a step up from MW2 and offers a more welcoming game then BF3 as it is easier to learn then its competition, but with that there are still some flaws especially in the multiplayer that keep the game from true excellence. One last thing to note Call of Duty Elite is pretty much unusable which is ridiculous for a company to not have something fix two weeks into the releases, I feel bad for the people who wasted their money on the service.

Modern Warfare 3 8.5/10
+Exciting Campaign
+Fun Multiplayer
-Spawn points in MP suck
-Maybe its just me but the FPS genre is getting really stale

Battlefield 3 PS3 Game Review

2011-11-14T14:09:00.001-05:00

Battlefield 3 the biggest definitely, the best probably, Dices latest is also its greatest with a few minor flaws.

Campaign:
Let's get this out of the way first, the campaign is not the reason to play this game. Most true BF players will skip it because lets face it this isn't what battlefield is. Saying that the campaign is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. It's just a generic FPS campaign that you've probably played everywhere else minus the Michael Bay quality of action. The main reason why I think most people harp on this campaign is the fact that it never truly has any wow factors like other games in this particular genre. You would think that a game like battlefield would have a campaign with a wow factor like lets say Bad Company 1+2 which had excellent single and multiplayer. Anyway the campaign is just average and in my opinion is worth playing just a few levels in to see if you like it or not.

Multiplayer:
This is where this game truly shines, like it always has. Multiplayer is battlefield domain and honestly has the best online experience and while it lacks the speed of one game everyone already knows about it makes up for it with great team play and smart tactical playing. There is a metric ton of unlocks from weapons to weapon attachments to vehicle upgrades you'll more then likely unlock something at every level. There are a few game types (Rush, Conquest, TDM) and these feel incredibly smooth and enjoyable to play, especially if you have a strong team. The maps are varied, open, and expansive. No two games will feel the same when you play on the maps.Most of the maps have vehicles ranging from Jeeps to planes and each is fun to use and the skill level required to pilot them differ they are a blast to play, especially tank on tank battles. This is the single best online FPS game period hands down. Though understand this, there is a learning curve and the action is heavier but it will satisfy those who like tactical action over run and gun style gameplay.

Visuals/Audio
Even though this is the PS3 version it still looks beautiful, not to be out done are the stellar sounds you will hear in this game. Every weapon sounds like it should but most impressive are the jet and tank sounds. They both have a distinct sound that spells probable fire death for anyone caught in there destructive paths.

Overall
Any fan should be pleased with this offering as it is the best in the series and new comers may have a bit of a learning curve but it is fun none-the-less.

Battlefield 3 9/10
+Deep rich multiplayer experiences
+Excellent game types and map design
+Sound is amazing
-Campaign been there done that
-Weapon hit detection seems a tad bit off

Artist Spotlight: Nyanya

2011-11-14T09:31:00.001-05:00

I don't have much to say about this artist as I think the art speaks for itself and don't forget to check out Nyanya profile on pixiv.

Whats New This Week: Nov 14

2011-11-13T09:10:00.001-05:00

Three reviews Battlefield 3, Modern Warfare 3, and Skyrim. Two artist spotlights and a anime review.

New Pocky Days

2011-11-10T08:55:00.002-05:00

Whats New This Week: Nov 7

2011-11-06T12:05:00.001-05:00

Artist Spotlight and a new batch of Dollfie pictures, plus Skyrim and MW3 come out this week. Though I am busy all week so expect Skyrim stuff next.

Artist Spotlight: Hideto Negishi

2011-11-02T10:20:00.001-04:00

Hideto Negishi is an artist I found on Pixiv a while back, and while he only has a few pieces up I like the art style and figured he deserved this weeks artist of the week.

You can find his other works HERE

9th Annual Toronto Zombie Walk Highlights

2011-10-31T10:43:00.002-04:00

War of the Dead Movie Review

2011-10-31T10:41:00.001-04:00

The most expensive movie in Lithuania's history, and five years in the making is War of the Dead any good or is just another stale and rotten zombie flick.....Well I'll tell you so hit the jump.

So I was in Toronto last week for the Zombie Walk and I figured I would check out the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, which is one of the best horror festivals in the world. Marko Mäkilaakso brings us a zombie movie that is well done but lacks a certain scare factor. That in no way, shape, or form is a bad thing as in my case I have yet to see a horror movie that truly scares me. You can't go into this movie thinking your going to watch Dead Snow these two movie's do involve Nazi zombies but both have different aspect on the zombie scale. The zombies in this film are your typical super speed running zombies able to jump over and onto buildings and have super human strength which is another reason for me that takes away from the horror. There is something to be said about the slow malevolent zombie horde, the fact that they will never stop in wanting to partake in a human happy meal and the fact that there are so many of them make it truly horrifying to see a large slow horde. Any the story is about a joint American and Finish task force sent in to destroy a Nazi bunker only to find that the Russians have taken it over. There are a few truly stunning and surprisingly engaging set pieces like the first battle with the Russians and the bunker scenes are great in all aspects and the use of practical effects is great. With that being said there is one scene were they use cgi and it is so bad that you would think they hired somebody who wasn't accustomed to making graphics, bottom line is that one scene is not enough to take away from a somewhat enjoyable movie. Now the negative stuff, this film is shot at night and at times can be particularly dark and confusing as you don't know what is happening. The script is okay the actors do feel like they're performance is forced and some of the actors accents make the English lines they speak a little bit tricky to understand. All in all this movie doesn't disappoint, it is a zombie movie and it is one of the better ones.

Movie 7/10

+Great Set Pieces
+Plot is good
-Over Acting
-CGI is terrible and noticeable

Whats New This Week: Oct 31, 2011

2011-10-31T10:16:00.000-04:00

That War of the Dead preview will be up today I promise as a Halloween present, Artist spotlight this week, and a few more surprise posts so stay tuned.

Artist Spotlight: Mr. Romance

2011-10-26T21:44:00.001-04:00

I found this artist while trolling through Sankaku Complex and I found his art to be interesting. Not being a Ragnarok fan I never really liked these characters all that much, but his art feels different from that games original art. Anyway enjoy the next few pics. Till next time.

JN252 Over Crowded Slideshow

2011-10-25T11:49:00.001-04:00

I found this slide show on Reuters and it is one of my favourites from that site. So let me start by breaking it down into the 7 main digital story elements.

Point of View
Dramatic Question
Emotional Content
The Gift of Voice
The Power of Soundtrack
Economy
Pacing

Point of View

It seems that the pov is how crowded the district is, and how it is possible for people to be living in a place that truly has no personal space. It's more about confinement and possibly suffering.

Dramatic Question

The slide show tells us that this place is inhabited by many people but it never really shows many instances where there is an overload of said people. It shows us that the living quarters are tiny, but it doesn't show how it effects the people living in them.

Emotional Content

It could be very emotional and in depth, people suffering because they have no space. Living in cramped spaces could lead to all sorts of mental and physical health problems.

The Gift of Voice

I didn't see much of it in this piece.

The Power of Soundtrack

Again like the one above I couldn't tell what it was.

Economy

For the most part this slide show does a good job of depicting how small these places are and how many people are living confined in them. Though there had been a few pictures that could have been better if they showed some people in them.

Pacing

The picture or seems to be well done, first comes a shot of a big crowd then back to shots of loneliness or singular people. For the most part the pacing is pretty good.

There it is, my take on the Mong Kok district slide show from Reuters.

JN252 Digital Photo Story

2011-10-23T18:24:00.003-04:00

So I went into this event with a set goal in mind and by the end of it, it had been completely changed. Simply because I failed to do what I had set out to, but instead found something else. Which was and is how this culture can bring people together and can allow people to express their interests on many different topics. Here you will find many characters (zombified of course) and you will also see how this brings people together. P.S Above picture is a Zombie Amy Winehouse, but who knew even when she was still alive she looked like on.

Ronald McDonald Zombie
Hood Zombie
Full set of Zombie Walk Pics

Whats New This Week: Oct 24

2011-10-23T16:58:00.000-04:00

A review of War of the Dead, more picture posts, and more of course.

Artist Spotlight: A Dream of Red Mansions

2011-10-19T20:00:00.000-04:00

She is a artist on Pixiv (you can find her page here). I love her chibi Touhou characters, they're way to cute. Her other art is also quite good and I recommend everyone goes to take a look at her art. She has a twitter account to if you want to follow her tweets.

9th Annual Toronto Zombie Walk Oct 22, 2011

2011-10-17T09:49:00.000-04:00

Guess what, I'll be there this Saturday for it. I just have to survive this pain in the ass week. It should be all good come Saturday, but its not all fun because I now have as opposed to last year a ton of things I have to do at this walk. Ranging from just coverage to an assignment for my classes, but I should be fun like last year.

To those of my readers who are going I'll see ya there.

JN252 Digital Photo Story Pitch

2011-10-16T20:00:00.002-04:00

This is the first assignment for my JN252 class, I won't go into too much into detail as the pictures are supposed to make the story so I'll just leave this here for you all to enjoy.

To Professor Allen I did not know how you wanted this project to be handed in so I have posted it up on here. I hope its what you want thanks.

Whats New This Week: Oct 17

2011-10-16T13:05:00.000-04:00

Photo posts and another artist spotlight is on the docket for this week.

The Walking Dead Season 2 Premier

2011-10-16T12:53:00.000-04:00

IT STARTS TONIGHT!

Watch It

JN252: Remixing the Culture, for the better?

2011-10-16T09:36:00.000-04:00

Remixing, the voice of the people. While that last statement might not be entirely correct, it's not far from the truth.

I have always loved remixes, except when the famous singers do them because it seems that's all they do and nothing else which essentially means they have no talent to speak of cough (Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber). I digress when normal people create remixes I generally find them fascinating and I always love to see what the next person does to add or take away from the original product. The concept behind remixing is not a new one and like I stated above singers have been doing it for years so why is that you say. It tends to boil down to what big conglomerations own and their stranglehold on the industry, meaning that unless you have the money to buy rights you will never be allowed to use that song for any other purposes other then listening to it.

Which I think is a bunch of Hong Kong Phooey, remixing is often a creative outlet for people to get seen and heard. Is it bad, I don't think so but most of the big guys would tell you other wise. That it takes away precious dollars from those hard working singer/songwriters or whoever is losing profit from you transgression. For that fact and many others I think it's a good thing, it brings people together and let's their creative spark ignite.

For journalists remixing is a dangerous game that nine times out of ten will net you into some major trouble. I don't believe anyone should not try remixing, but when you look at what a journalist does and what are the ramifications if some takes action against a remix a journalist did publicly it's a really tight rope to be walking on for a journalist. Anyway enough of that remixing the culture is a great way to create new types of culture from the old. It brings together people from other walks of life and generally it is enjoyed by all (except the big conglomerations, but who really loves them).

Claymore Manga Review

2011-10-13T11:05:00.000-04:00

So this was a long time coming, a review of one of my favourite manga of all time. If you like Berserk then your gonna love he hell outta this book.

Claymore is in fact so much like Berserk that you would be hard pressed not to just call Claire Guts. In actuality they are two different and epic books. Claymore has the violence and gore but also offers a good story that spans many years and generations of its story. So the story revolves around the number 47 warrior Claire. Who is number 47 because she is the weakest claymore (women who are genetically enhanced with creature parts) but it would seem she was the only warrior to want to become a claymore on here own merit. She was also the only warrior to have been implanted with the enhancements from the strongest claymore at the time Teresa. From there the story picks up as a sort of generic revenge tale but its actually quite engrossing as her story kind of resembles what Teresa did to help her. She meets other characters claymore's and monsters a like and through out her adventures finds out about her self and comes to term with her feelings and emotions as well as the boiling rage in her heart.

Anyway onto what really matters and that is the art. This manga is gorgeous, it has some of the best art I have ever seen in any manga I've read (and I've read a lot). The characters are great looking, the landscapes are nice, but what really strikes out are the action scenes which are visceral and chaotic and its impressive to see what an artist can do when they're at the top of their game. It's a good thing to because some issue have a lot of action and while I understand it can't be fights 24/7 its good to see all the blood baths before it gets to the rather dull walking scene or group meeting scenes. I have read each volume a numerous amount of times and I own all the books that have been released so far and I think that just goes to show how much I truly appreciate this story.

In conclusion, this series is a visual treat for anyone who is into this kind of stuff and while it does lack in some areas it makes up for those times with flawless art work and just all round badassery.

Art 5/5
Story 4/5
Overall 4.5/5

Tokyo Trip Best of Pics

2011-10-13T10:20:00.000-04:00

Since the last post about this got deleted I am reposting it so enjoy.

Artist Spotlight: Gia

2011-10-12T03:02:00.000-04:00

This is something new I have been wanting to start for a while, here and on my blog. In which I find my favourite Pixiv artists and show off their pics and their own unique styles. I'm not sure how often I will post these maybe two or three times a week or on the weekend who knows but I want to make this if it goes well a regular thing since most of my posting here is sporadic and I tend to only do reviews on my Blog. Anyway that's that so without further deviation here is the cool art of Gia.

I was perusing Sankaku Complex one day when this one picture caught my eye. At the time I was looking for good robot/cyborg girl pictures for a collection project I had been tasked to do. To be fair there are a ton in that category but I would have to say half had to do with Kos-Mos (not that that's a bad thing) and the other half to me was just alright nothing that was too spectacular.

That's when I stumbled upon Gia's original character called O2 now what got me interested was the design and characteristic of this picture. To me this was epic just on the fact that it wasn't a Miku picture (Complex is flooded with them) and secondly this was a picture that fit the bill I was looking for 100%. Not only is it a cool concept but the way it was presented and drawn was better then all the other robo pictures I saw that day.

Anyway I found out from that picture who the artist was and found their Pixiv profile which showcased other characters based on chemicals or Bio-hazards. They had all been weaponized as robo girls and where deceptively kawaii. In addition Gia also has other mecha and robo pictures are of a high caliber and deserves to be viewed as excellent pieces of art. Gia also does some rather impressive Touhou art which is fresh and always nice to see since there are literally hundreds of thousands of Touhou pictures. Trust me I tried to make a complete Sakuya Izayoi picture collection and as of now I have over 2000 of them and nowhere close to completion.

Anyway I digress, I'll leave you now with some of Gia's work for your viewing pleasure and as always check out my Blog and Flickr page for some exciting pictures and EPIC/insightful reviews.

Whats New This Week: Oct 10

2011-10-12T02:52:00.000-04:00

Well since I just finished adding back most of the pictures that where missing from my own blunder, I decided I should do this today. Well, I will try to get a artist spotlight up as my other ones had been deleted because I had misplaced all the photo's. I may import my Artist Spotlights from Figure.fm who knows I'll have to see how that works out. I'll do a manga review for Claymore, my most favourite manga ever and plus its been a while since I did a manga review. Other then that watch out for more pictures from me and enjoy whatever your gonna do after you read this.

Massive Image Deletion

2011-10-12T01:16:00.000-04:00

It would seem that in trying to clean up my online area a little I delete a google+ album that had apparently house all my pics from this blog. All of them are gone and deleted and I'm in a state of a semi melt down right now. I've got a metric ton of things going on in my life and this is not a help. Anyway with that out of the way I will eventually add back all the images that have been lost one post at a time.

Whats New This Week: Oct 3

2011-10-03T19:24:00.001-04:00

Unfortunately not much, reviews from last week will be posted as I didn't get a chance but other then that I'll take it day by day.

JN252: Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw

2011-10-02T09:56:00.002-04:00

I am not going to lie, a few months ago I had no idea who this journalist was or what he did. After a class in which I we watched one of his video game reviews I knew that I would like his style of reviews. Even if for the most part he bashes a few of my favourite games its no big deal to me. This guy does something with his reviews that make them fresh and enjoyable, compared to almost everyone else in the biz today. The video's are clever, funny, and for the most part insightful as he will draw your attention to things that you may have passed on before or hadn't even noticed. Anyway it's nice to see a fresh take on reviews as the industry is in my own opinion falling flat on their asses to produce suck up reviews for mediocre games and the companies that produce them. Even G4 which I loved dearly fell from grace a long time ago and is now filling their time slots with stupid pointless shows and their prime shows have become nothing more then asinine banter.

Fate/Zero Episode 1 Review

2011-10-01T14:56:00.002-04:00

Though I stated that this is a review its more of how a feel about the episode and how the series will turn out.

First off the music and animation are on par with the UBW movie and all look and sound amazing really well done I must say. Since Fate/Zero was the only one I hadn't played this story seems fresh to me and so far the characters that have been presented are pretty interesting. Even that diabolical Dbag Zoken, is even more diabolical and a dbag. Anyway I don't want to say anymore for it will ruin it for people who haven't seen it
yet.

Episode 1 8/10

+Artwork
+Music
-Almost too similar to Fate/Night

Autumn 2011 Anime in Preview

2011-09-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

I don't do these too often and generally I won't do them because people have their own opinion on what is good or not. Anyway lets take a look on what I think will be hits and misses this season. By the way this picture can be found on Fakku.

Hits: Series

1.Guilty Crown
2.Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam
3.Persona 4
4.Sakugan no Shana III
5.Fate/Zero

Hit: OVA/OAD/ONA/SP

1.Hotarubei no mori e
2.Mardock Scramble: The Second Combustion
3.Usagi Drop
4.Deadman Wonderland
5.Carnival Phantasm: 2nd Season

Miss: Series
1.Battle Spirits: Hero
2.Maken-Ki!
3.Ben-To
4.Maji De Watashi
5.Cross Fight B-Daman

Miss: OVA/OAD/ONA/SP
1.Tekken
2.Princess Resurrection
3.Prince of Tennis
4.MSG: Unicorn
5.Kimi ni Todoke

Keep in mind these are just the new shows out for this season and with what little time I have, I'll probably only watch maybe one or two. Shows that in my mind will always suck are: Naruto, Helatia, Bleach, K-on, Haruchi, and sooooooooooooo many more I don't have the time to fathom them all.

Anyway, expect full reviews of shows I do get around to watching and maybe I'll do a couple of posts on why I hate certain shows. Okay that's it for me gotta run.....

Whats New This Week: Sept 26

2011-09-25T16:17:00.002-04:00

I'm going to do the anime in review that was supposed to be last week, that will be up early this week. Other then that another artist spotlight and if I have time another two reviews I'll keep it a surprise for all those who follow this blog.

As usual let this be your happiest hour.

JN252: Youtube Storytelling

2011-09-24T10:52:00.004-04:00

Chronologically Confused about Movie and Video Game Sequels - Cinemassacre.com
So it may seem weird that a video like this speaks too me, you have to watch it to understand but be warned there is a lot of swearing. In all honesty though he tells an interesting and compelling story that few know about or are a shamed to think otherwise. He presents this story very well and while the title of the video pretty much sums up the content he provides a very good story on top of it. Bringing in his personal view points and ones that many other fan's or viewers may have had. Now when you talk about what may be the under pining of this story, you need to look at the video as a whole and then you'll come to understand what his real gripe with sequels is. The points he makes are very relate able and make you question reasoning's for asinine choices that these companies make with how they name their franchise parts. Now whether he is acting up for the camera or he is genuinely intrigued about this topic this story I would assume can have deeper meanings if you go searching for it. Though I have watched in many times and I have yet to discover its hidden feelings, but they're there under all that anger. Though what he really is trying to get at is why and how companies change and distort things between various releases of movies and video games throughout the world. Or why sequel naming and or numbering is terrible or misleading. He does in a way grab you for the whole video and makes you want to understand the situation or he has turned you off by now with all his potty language, either way he has made you feel something.

My personal favourite moment in this piece is when he talks about the Final Fantasy series, as sort of his own personal wake up call. You can tell that at that moment in time he started to get intrigued with this whole situation. Though as a viewer if you had not been intrigued already chances are this stage of the video isn't going to do it for you sadly. They way he presents the video works well in this context, he always has what he is talking about on the screen and while you'll never see him in the video he keeps pace and the subject up for review is know throughout the whole video. While I am usually against still and moving picture in a single video I think it works well and conveys a visual understanding of what he is trying to explain to the viewers. Since for the most part you are stuck with his voice over he makes it very compelling. There is a lot of emotion throughout this whole script. A lot of strong negative emotion is here but it helps to convey the anger and confusion one would get if this is a strong topic for the viewer. It is important to note that through his anger and confusion you can almost find a new sense of understanding of the material presented, what a mean is even though it is a rant of sorts he presents the information in a down to earth and enlightening way that I believe couldn't be done with any other tone.

When you sit down and watch this video a few times you realise he starts with the longest series first and then gradually gets to the smaller less known series. He starts of with video games and ends with the movies. By presenting it this way he creates a nice flow without jumping around too much. At the same time he never bombards the audience with too much information, but keeps it in small bite sized bits as too not lose the viewers attention and it works very well. Of course his channel is a youtube one where he knows he can gain an audience which he has. All his videos since this one are geared toward this type of culture and seeing something like this is refreshing, compared to all the crap thats on youtube nowadays.

Evangelion 1.11 + Evangelion 2.22 Review

2011-09-20T09:48:00.002-04:00

Evangelion was the anime of the 90's and in my own opinion possibly the best series ever. That was then, the Evangelion movies are supposed to be summaries of that series with updated art. Evangelion 1.11 is a great movie and for those who missed out on the series this is a great start to the series. Evangelion 2.22 is the direct sequel but introduces new plot and characters which is a good thing.

Evangelion 1.11 is what a great anime movie should be, from the art design to the plot this is the perfect anime movie. Better then 90% of the garbage that has been coming out for the longest time. Evangelion's story was always confusing but this first part of the series is a good start for beginners who never saw the original series and who just picked it up. Now I will not spoil anything story wise because I feel that these movies need to be experienced by the viewer. The characters in this movie are very much like their original counter parts and that's a good thing. Shinji is still a coward sort of, Rei is Rei, and the rest of the cast fall into place. The music is great and it adds to the feeling of depression that this world and its people have had to endure for the longest time. This movie looks stunning on a HD tv and the art is fresh and clean.

Evangelion 2.22 is where the series diverts but keeps the same feel as the first. In this part they introduce Asuka and a new character Mari who adds another element to the series and to be honest she feels like a great addition to the series. Don't get me wrong the first part is a masterpiece and this one is better then the last. The plot in this one is sort of split in two, let me explain. You have the original series featuring Shinji, Rei, and Asuka. Then you have another huge arc with Mari who wasn't in the original series, she has her own agenda and mission and very often she interacts and progresses with the original plot which works very well. This one however changes some of the characters and situations around, I won't say what but for long time fans it could be a little shocking but it works out in the end and it actually makes better sense to the plot then how the original did it. Music in this one is beautiful and the art is spectacular and needs to be viewed on a HD screen.

Conclusion

These are the best anime movies to come out of Japan in some time (excluding classics of course) and show how this is another form of art that can't be seen in any recent shows. Be warned that as the series progress' like the original the plot can be confusing if you don't pay attention or understand the context. But for those who understand and follow this is a rewarding show to watch. Evangelion 3.33 will be released in Japan next fall and an american release probably the following year.

Evangelion 1.11 10/10

Evangelion 2.22 10/10

+Great Story

+Interesting Characters

+Beautiful Art

-Very Heavy Story

JN 252: Why I blog

2011-09-18T15:50:00.002-04:00

Hit the Jump yo

So as most of you readers know I am a university student, to be more precise I am a journalist student. Like most of the classes I have that has come before I have been asked to maintain a blog, which as you know I have done for a few years know. I will just explain in this post why I even bother to blog and I for one think its important so I hope people will read this and enjoy it for what it is.

I like to blog, plain and simple. I like to convey my own opinion on the internet and I like that people read and follow my stuff. I like the fact that people agree and disagree with things I say and I like the fact that I can post what I want, when I want to. Know as most of you know I like to do reviews whether they be new things or old I think its important to have many opinions on any given thing, that's why I love blogging because it gives us the power to voice those opinions wherever and whenever we want. Anyway I'm not going to keep you much longer as I believe I've made my point but I do enjoy this and I hope you all enjoy it with me.

Whats New This Week: Sept 19

2011-09-18T15:38:00.002-04:00

I plan on posting some more photo's of my trip to Tokyo up on here this week. There will be a double review this week for Evangelion 1.11 and 2.22 so look out for that. Plus look out for my state of current anime this week where I'll talk about the fall of shows with great stories and characters to the rise of or more likely fall of
quality anime. This week will also see a new artist spotlight too. So to all my readers enjoy my blog and my this be your happiest hour.

Disgaea 4 PS3 Review

2011-09-15T16:39:00.002-04:00

Endless battles, endless grinding, mega damage combos, you know what game this is. Full of zany over the topness only Japan can produce so go a head and take a dump on common sense.

Disgaea 4 is what the third game should have been, but i loved that entry and I sure as hell love this one. You won't find a better or more perfect example of a hardcore Japanese turn based strategy game anywhere else. Many games have tried and those exact same ones have failed time and time again. With that being said this really is a niche game and if you don't light level grinding or any grinding for that matter then there's the door have a nice day. Disgaea 4 feels similar to the first game in the series but if it isn't broken why fix it and while it may play the same it is still addicting as it should be. Anyway lets get right into the meat of this review.

The Story

You are Valvatorez a vampire who refuses to drink human blood and as such has fallen to hades to become a prinny instructor (the least wanted job in the netherworld). While the story is long and can be a bit boring the characters more then make up for it. Valvatorez as the main character is way better then Mao or Adell ever had been and as is the case in most Disgaea games he is less demon like then he should be. Fenrich his werewolf sidekick is a tsundere type character who like our home boy is a cool character. Fuka the sole human in the story can be a little bothersome but she does have her moments. Desco whom I adore is a cute monster powerhouse and is quite possible the strongest most badass character in the game. Emizel is okay not taking away or bringing anything to the game. Last but not least is Valcanus who if you pay attention to the story is pretty obvious who she really is. Wait never mind I said that she of course is the last female and oppai extravaganza part of the team. She is one of the more likeable characters in the game. The story is long and for Disgaea fans very satisfying but unlike the other games there is no character death endings in this one.

The Visuals/Music

Are 100% better then the original and look awesome in HD. Though if you liked the old school vibe you can change it back in the options menu. There is just so much colour in this game its amazing, not to mention the amount of detail that has been added to this entry. The character models look awesome and I especially like the new robot classes as they add a cool science fiction element to the game. The outrageous attacks are all flashy, colourful, and in your face and they will make you as giddy as a school girl when you realised you just did 1 million damage.

The Game Play

Plays exactly the same as the other three. It hasn't changed which is a good thing. Though what has been added gives this game a ton more things to do: You can customize pirates and invade others worlds, create your own base and or maps, as well as send your senators to other peoples senate. It's all there and will provide hours of enjoyment. The item/character world is back for more hours of grinding and levelling as are the Mt. of ordeals and the land of carnage. Though there are less human classes in Disgaea 4, Nis decided to take away a lot of the roles with dual genders and tried to focus more on the monster classes which are good this time around. All the classes this time around are actually very useful and I find myself trying them all, though my favourite's will always be the heavy knight and the mage knight. Some people will be happy to learn that the majin class is gone....only to be replaced with the andriod class which is the same thing but has better starting stat's and if you invest the time can be your best character. The core game play is untouched and you know what it doesn't have to be, it works.

Conclusion

There are no flaws in this game, this is the perfect turn based strategy game on a console period. It is a niche game however and only appeal to the most loyal of fans.

Disgaea 4 10/10

+Story
+Customization
+Music
-Grinding can take a looooooooooong time

Whats New This Week: Sept 12 Disgaea 4 Review

2011-09-12T15:58:00.003-04:00

So this week is busy for me for many reasons which may bore the holy hell outta you guys but no big deal. So Disgaea 4 review will be up by weeks end and I am making a new category for my Journalism class JN 252 where you will find the blogs associated for that class in there. Anyway gotta get back to work enjoy your time spent on my blog and may this be your happiest hour.

Dead Island PS3 Review

2011-09-11T10:58:00.004-04:00

Zombie games are nothing new, the industry produces at least three games featuring zombies a year. However
nothing came close to a little game from valve called Left 4 Dead and its sequel. Those two games offered four player coop and a surprisingly fast fun zombie game. Dead Island is the equivalent to that and in my own opinion succeeds in most part and drops the ball in a few.

Now to be fair Techland isn't the best publisher around, just checkout the new Call of Jaurez game and you'll know what I mean. Though five years ago they announced they would do a open world zombie game set on a island. This naturally got me intrigued and I followed the development for quite some time. Though putting their track record aside they crafted one of the best if not the best zombie game in my own opinion.

The Story

Or lack of one, okay look this is not going to win game of the year based on its story. Lets face it there is one but who cares. I'll sum it up in four words Get Off The Island and that's all it really is and that's okay, I wasn't expecting a Fallout in scale story. In a game like this do we really need one? I mean look at the success of Left 4 Dead and how there was no story or even any background to the characters that you played. Anyway with that being said it is the weakest part of this game and that goes toe to toe with the voice acting. This game at least to me who grew up with classic zombie films has a B movie feel to it. The voice acting is not terrible but its not great either its like watching a soap opera but again that's not really the reason that you would play this game. Though the zombie sounds are great and there are a huge variety of them. From the scream of a infected to the roar or a tank zombie they all have unique sounds that are cool and in some cases will make you jump when you realise they are right behind you. When your fists and weapons hit flesh they have this sickening but satisfying sound. Next time your playing listen to when your using a blunt weapon and you break a zombies arm or leg and the accompanying crunch. It's sick and satisfying or with a bladed weapon and the slicing sound of zombie limbs as you fight to survive. There is one more thing to note, on the PS3 version sometimes the audio will cut out. Its annoying but it only lasts five seconds. This is a long game with at least 20+ hours to beat the main story and 30+ with the side quests.

The Visuals

Are excellent in this game, from the character models to the landscapes and buildings this is by far one of the best looking games of the year. The zombies look awesomely gruesome as you tear off limbs and preform a coup de grace on a limbless zombie trying desperately to kill you with a well placed but slow head butt. Its quiet impressive to just see how detailed and unique the three main vistas are. Each bringing a different feel and atmosphere to them. You can tell that they developers wanted to go full out on this game and it shows the power of their own engine. With that being said there are graphical problems, I found that often the textures would take up to three minutes to load and I have heard of game crashes and frame rate issues but I have never encountered these two problems. I'm not sure how prevalent these issues are on the PC version but I would assume that they would be there in some shape or form. Anyway enough negatives this game looks great, way better then any other FPS game released in the last few months.

The Game Play

No two weapons will be the same, meaning that all the weapons have different states meaning that a lead pipe found at the start of the game is vastly different then a lead pipe lets say found in the city. This is nothing new since Fallout and Borderlands had a similar system but you will like it more here and just the shear number of weapons that can be found is staggering. Each there are two weapon classes melee and ranged. With melee being broken down into sharp and blunt weapons. Blunt weapons are good for breaking bones and staggering enemies while sharp weapons are good for cutting. There are also a wide variety of guns but finding them can be a bit tricky and they are only really good against the living with the exception of the shotgun. On top of that you can mod your weapons to give them elemental properties or properties like bleeding/stun/stagger etc. Melee combat is king in this game feeling just right and you will feel satisfied when you bash their skulls in. Guns are a different story, they handle okay but you can tell that the developers put more work into the cqc of this game. The A.I on the zombies is excellent, they will flank you and rush you. They will corner and out power you very quickly. The zombies scale to your level so they are always challenging and with the addition of the special zombies the variety of battle options with and against them are high and sometimes running from a fight is better then getting into one. The survivor A.I is not so good, they will open fire when you pass by and other then being a main source of ammo are really not that hard to dispatch. Being a Action/RPG hybrid you gain levels and have the ability to pick skills from a tree (which consist of Combat, Rage, and Survival) and these skills add a depth that even Left 4 Dead never found. Now along with the standard control scheme there is one called analog which when holding the L1 button puts you into a melee stance and flicking the right joy stick allows you to attack and target different body parts. This is by far the best way to play the game and the hardest because unlike just mashing the attack button you have to time your strikes and understand the attack pattern of each zombie. It is fun and rewarding to those who play the game with that scheme. Multiplayer four person coop is a blast when you can connect to players and the game scales to the amount and level of each. It is very rewarding to run around with three other friends and become a zombie destroying unit. Though I believe that the multiplayer has been fixed with the new update.

Conclusion

By no means is Dead Island a perfect game, but it is closer to perfection them most ever get and while this game will only appeal to a set audience. The long main story and visceral combat rewards mashers and thinkers alike and while it has its flaws this game is definitely worthy of top echelon status.

I am changing the way I rate things from now one, instead of rating things out of five I will rate things out of 10. It works out to more accurate scores in the end.

Dead Island 9/10

+Visual
+Melee Combat
+Many Zombie Types
-Pop up problem
-No MaNual Save

Whats New This Week: Sept 5 Disgaea 4 & Dead Island

2011-09-04T09:49:00.002-04:00

So this week is easily one of my favourite of the year simply put two of my most anticipated games are being released on the same day, Disgaea 4 and Dead Island. Both games I have on preorder and both will be picked up on the 6th. I have decided to play Dead Island first as I have been waiting at least five years for the game and I am hoping to get to Disgaea 4 before the weekend but we will see how it goes. I assure my readers that I will have these two reviews up hopefully sometime in the next two weeks or so based on my university schedule. Also expect a anime review another picture post this week.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review

2011-08-06T11:25:00.002-04:00

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a good reboot that brings back the world conquering Apes but without the world conquering.

Now the Planet of the Apes franchise is a campy old cult classic that for the most part has better then average films. I loved the first movie with Charleston Heston and as the series progressed I found myself losing interest fast, its not to say those movies had been bad but for me they lost something that the first one had. Cue the planet of the apes movie in 2001 directed by Tim Burton and starring Mark Walhberg. The movie was enjoyable because there wasn't an apes movie for a good long while but it suffered from at least in my opinion a mediocre script, the rest of the movie was fine. Now this new Reboot, Rise of the Planet of the Apes directed by Rupert Wyatt is a far superior film then the 2001 iteration. Here we see James Franco as a scientist trying to find the cure for his father Alzheimer but what he inadvertently does is create Ceaser the first monkey with the intelligence of a human. That's all you need to know really without spoiling anything, there are other characters but in all fairness they are useless and the plot could have moved on without them. The story of this movie brings together what every single movie before it talked about the beginning of the Apes reign on the planet. The apes themselves look incredible as do all the set pieces which include their rise from being captives. The music is alright not really setting emotional value but enough that it warrants being in the film. What surprised me most is that from the trailers it would seem that this starting war between the apes and man would be huge and action packed but what ends up happening is the opposite, it is a origin story after all. Though this is a good attempt to tell the beginning of this long franchise unfortunately I left the theater feeling like I did when the 2001 movie came out which was the want for more. This is a good movie but I could have been better. Hopefully if this does well in the box office they can do a follow-up where the real war starts because this movie lacked any sort of war.

Movie 3.75/5

Catherine PS3 Review

2011-07-27T14:26:00.003-04:00

Catherine is a twisted, challenging, and ultimately satisfying unique experience that has not been seen in a video game in quiet a long time. Though this will definitely not cater to the majority of players those who are willing to spend the time to hone there puzzle solving skills will be greatly satisfied. Those people who look for excellent story will also find something comforting knowing that this tale may hit close to home for some albeit without the sheep.

Catherine tells the tale of one Vincent Brooks a man who likes the way things are, has a long term girlfriend who wants marriage but isn't quiet ready to commit. One night at the Stray Sheep Vincent's watering hole of choice a blonde bombshell his dream girl sits next to him in his table and from here things take a turn for the insane. Catherine's story is something that will never be found in any other video game you can find out there, its strange, twisted, dark, and yet very close to what some people go through in relationships. That's what makes Catherine such a unique and thrilling adventure, open to close there a twists and turns with the player able to see one of seven endings based on what he choose to text or during key conversation with npcs. That's why this game story wise is a hit, beacuse it is the players choice on how the story will be effected and ultimately what endings the player shall receive. It's filled with a lot of dark humor and erotic dilemmas that Vincent finds himself stuck in (though there is no nudity, sorry fellas gotta find your boobies the old fashioned way). The story does talk about the ins and outs of relationship (love/hate) pretty well and deserves high praise for this fact.

The graphics and art design is quiet well and for fans of the SMT or Persona games, this will be familiar territory for you. The movies are a mixture of anime style cut scenes (which are very well done) and in game cut scenes where the games own graphics take over. While this may be distracting for some it doesn't take away from the game one bit. Though the best looking parts are during the puzzle sequences when if you have time will notice how detailed the backgrounds and individual blocks are. This really is quiet impressive compared to a lot of the recent titles being released and how those stack up to each other. The music and voice overs is also high quality with the composer being the great Shoji Meguro of Persona fame and while all the set pieces are brilliant its the edition of select music from other SMT and Persona titles that make the music in this game truly shine. I was surprised to hear how good the English voice overs were and the fact that for once they actually sound like each character is full of life and each their own person.

The game play is split into two different things; the Stray Sheep bar where you'll send and receive texts, chat up other patrons access the Jukebox and play a mini game called Rapunzel (which are un-timed stages similar to the main game where you help our little hero save Rapunzel from the tower this is actually quite addicting and hard) and this is where the story progresses. Then you have the nightmare stages where to have to push and pull your way to the exit before the floor or boss gets and kills you. For those of you who think this is a simple concept are truly in a world of pain when the game hands you your balls (or boobies for the ladies) and laughs while you cry and cry you will. This game sets a new tier of difficulty settings as this games easy mode could be ranked as something similar to for instance Halo 3's Legendary mode (though that doesn't do Catherine any justice). It's a hard game and I just graduated to the normal mode but I will say when you do complete each puzzle it feels like you have conquered the world over and over again its no laughing matter. There is a co-op and vs mode that's cool but make sure you have a buddy near by because its all local which is a bit of a bummer but makes no difference. The controls are easy to grasp but will take time to fully master as the camera itself becomes one of the biggest enemies once you have to get to the back of the puzzle, but again its fine during puzzle play.

Overall, Catherine is a unique and sexy experience that can hardly be topped by any "blockbuster" tittle on the systems. It has the story and challenge that has not been seen in at least 10 if not 20 years (based on the uniqueness of the story). The puzzle's are actually quiet fun to do over to beat your scores and co-op is another fun time all together. Catherine is a must buy for any SMT or Persona fan and anyone looking for a unique game.

Game/Story 5/5

Visual 5/5

Audio 5/5

Overall 5/5

Sengoku Rance (PC) 18+ Review

2011-07-08T12:45:00.003-04:00

Sengoku Rance is possibly the best strategy visual novel I played. Its also one of the best visual novels I have played in a long time.Sengoku Rance is the 7th game in the franchise with an 8th on the way in August. Everything about this game is excellent the production values are incredibly high on this one, its too bad that it did not see the light of day in the west as the only real problem I found was the censoring anyway lets begin. There is a heavy amount of H-scenes and sex so its defiantly 18+

When I play visual novels I look for a few things:
1. Artwork and production values
2. Story (impact of said/emotional value)
3. Game play (being novels this is some what different between titles)

So when using this to critique visual novels I find that the majority of them are terrible, boring, and ugly. Many visual novels are just about having choices and coming out on a certain girls route its linear but can produce some good things (Fate/Stay and Bible Black series) and bad one's (X-Change series). Regardless I'll keep looking out for visual novels because I like them for the most part. Now Sengoku Rance is a strategy visual novel (a time consuming one) and is a very high caliber one. This game has everything a visual novel should have: beautiful artwork, great music, fantastic game play, and a story that while not being overly serious is better then 80% of most VN's I have endured over the years.

The Story

You are Rance a pervert warrior who just wants to have sex with as many woman as possible, he is strong and is a self proclaimed hero and all around sexual being. He will help anyone as long as he can have sex with a good looking female eventually. Anyway his character has not changed since the series began but that's why the series has such a following. So Rance lands in Japan with his slave Sill and makes friends with Nobunaga Oda and begins to conquer Japan. Eventually you are tasked with bringing the Oda house into possession of all Japan and unifying her. Along the way you do battle with the other houses (Takeda, Tokugawa, Mori, etc) as you tighten your grip on Japan. There are demons in this game too the youkai, some are good and some are bad. Anyway without any big spoilers you eventually have to fight a Demon King and save Japan. Now the story itself is pretty good especially the true route as it tries to bring history and fantasy together and for the most part it works. It's not as dark as Fate/Stay Night but its not as light as Shuffle! There are a ton of girls to conquer (oh boy does he conquer them) and each have a story of some sort while only the route girls have really fleshed out stories all the girls are likeable and will satisfy most people.

The Game Play

The game play takes place on a map of Japan where its divided by ruling clans. Your job is to take over all of Japan. You have the option on each turn to make two decisions, and there are many potions to choose from. You can attack adjacent clans, hire new commanders, interact with female generals, and so much more it would take me two full posts to explain everything. It all works well and is fun, but where would we be without battles and in each you get the chance to bring six generals with you. They all have different stat's and all play differently but its nice to see how much control they give you to decide on how you want to tackle the game. When you are in battle each unit has a set amount of actions they can take and when they use them up they can do anything (obviously) so you have to be intelligent on how you want to tackle each battle. If you played the others then this is fundamentally the same style of play which is a good thing and hardcore strategy players like myself will find hours of fun in this game (100+) at least. When you beat the game once a mode called free for all is unlocked in which you can choose any country to play as which is cool.

The Visuals and Music

This game is beautiful, the art is gorgeous and it goes to show that you can have a ton of characters and they can all be equally stunning in design. There are a lot of females to clear and each are incredible from the way they look to how much detail was given to them. With that being said there are about 104 cg scenarios most girls have two or three major scenes while route girls can have up to five and like before all are super high quality and is one of the best looking vn in recent years. Though my only real problem is like most Japanese things with nudity it is censored and for me it can ruin the quality of the pictures. Another thing to note is that there is no voice acting as the amount of females that would have to be hired would make the company go under but its not a big deal. The audio is all excellent and on my computers sound system sounds incredible with the set pieces being incredibly noteworthy and epic in nature.

Final Thoughts

This is a must get for visual novel players and strategy lovers alike, it will give you hours of strategy goodness and is a beaut to look at. This game is in fact better then some major releases by bigger game companies. Rance 8 comes out in August so get your sights set for that one it should be good ^_^

Game 5/5

Visual 5/5

Audio 4/5

Lasting Appeal 5/5

Overall 4.5/5

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Review

2011-06-29T01:13:00.002-04:00

The best of the series and a sure summer block buster, Transformers 3 proves that with a little bit of focus and fine tuning you can go from a mess (Revenge of the Fallen) to something that is coherent and enjoyable for what it is.

Transformers 3 does well what made the first enjoyable and just adds more onto that formula, a plot that can be followed by normal thinking human beings and robots that stay on till they die (no magic show here all bots stay on till they die or the credits roll). Anyway while not to spoil anything essentially humanity is on the brink of collapse and Mr. Shia must help the Autobots save humanity and do battle with Decepticons destroying and taking over........Yeah its pretty much the exact same plot like the last too except new places to blow up and omg people actually get vaporized in this movie. Which you would think happen but to see it in a film like this is actually quite brave (though no blood of course, cause you know the human body is mainly consisted of water). There are a few new Autobots (the wreckers in particular were a nice addition) while they killed quite a few off. New Decepticons, though Soundwave was supposed to be the main villain in this movie I did not get that vibe from his character. Another bonus is the absence of Megan Fox whose character was essentially a skank but we'll put that under the rug for now. Replacing the Incredible Mrs. Fox is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and while her performance is not oscar worthy it is fine and at least bearable. Shia is Shia he does his thing and its still pretty good, lots of screaming and Optimus' you know the deal his giving. What impressed me the most was how good this movie looks in 3D, everything looks incredible and the set pieces are pure visual bliss to watch the action unfolding. This needs to be experienced rather than just watched as the 3D in my opinion is better used than Avatar (which actually made my brain hurt cause of the 3D in that movie). Anyway solid cast, solid movie its one not to miss this summer.

Movies 4/5

Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D (3DS) Review

2011-06-28T20:20:00.004-04:00

Lets get this straight The Mercenaries 3D is a fantastic, exciting, fun, and addictive game. It has great visuals and controls and feels like a Mercs game should. This is pure shooter fun at its best plain and simple, so for anyone even thinking you'd get some story out of this clearly doesn't know what Mercenaries is.

Okay so the core game play from the consoles is found here and it works quite well even without another stick. Added is a quick heal button and the ability to move and shoot which can be helpful at latter stages of the game. The controls are tight and the ability to aim in first or third person is a welcome addition as some old school RE fans like the old over the shoulder view (myself included). The controls never feel sluggish and you won't get that feeling of loss without a controller. The touch screen is great for quick weapon swaps and handy maps for each level and when you play online or with a buddy it will show where they are on the map which is handy. I found myself enjoying the fluidity of the controls more so in this version then in the home console ones. There are eight mercs to tool around with (Chris, Claire, Jill, Chambers, Barry, Hunk, Krauser, and Wesker) and each handle fairly similarly with the only real difference is in their context moves. Which are satisfying to pull off (Barrys Miranda Rights comes to mind) and add another level of visual splendor to this game. Each merc has their own layout which and be bought with play coins and swapped with each other as you see fit. The guns all feel the same as they did in previous versions and do the good they are programed to do well. Though I'm quite fond of Krausers bow because it has infinite ammo and is stronger and fires faster then the pistols. In addition a new perk system is add which gives the player the option of assign any three of the over 20 perks available each being upgradable by three levels and each actually having worth. Its fun to tool around and swap in and out each perk to see what it does. The multiplayer option is here in full force (though only two player coop) its good and has very little lag, though only the EX missions offer a real challenge with two players.

Visually this game has got to be the best hands down, looking equally as good as anything you'll find on the big three. The eight playable characters are excellently rendered and the costumes are quite awesome especially the alternate ones. May favourite alternate costume would have to be Barry's is quite awesome and visually looks better then is default. The environment's are easily recognizable if you played RE 4 or 5 and with the addition of those respective enemies on each map make fighting on them more appealing. Explosions and gun fire looks just as good as it did in RE 5 and at times even surprised me at the visual's that the 3DS could process. Really there's nothing bad to say about the visuals in the game except that I wish there could have been a few more stages but that's not a big issue. The audio is good but can lag behind sometimes because of the tiny speakers on the 3DS, its not bad per say but it could have been improved quite a bit. On the other hand wearing headphones will solve this problem and right at the start the game tells you to wear them to fully experience the game. If Revelations looks this good (and it does) I think we should start seeing developers start to take a serious look and the true graphical potential of this console.

Just to wrap things up The Mercenaries 3D is a fun and addictive game that delivers on all fronts and while it doesn't have much else to offer it is a great game non the less and any RE fan who has a 3DS should pick up. Happy hunting and I'll see you on the Killing Floor.

Game 5/5

Visual 5/5

Audio 4/5

Multiplayer 5/5

Lasting Appeal 5/5

Overall 4.5/5

Got lots of things to review so here is the schedule I think I will work to:

BlazeBlu (3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)

Dead or Alive: Dimensions Review (3DS)

2011-06-27T11:35:00.004-04:00

So this review was supposed to be earlier but I've been pressed for time but lets start this thang. Dead or Alive: Dimensions is really well done, for many reasons which include but not limited to: look/feel of the game, the controls, variety of stages, and the amount of characters and costumes.

First things first DOA is a fighting game franchise from Tecmo, first introduced in 1996 and would eventually see many four sequels and two spinoff beach games which most people should know about. Anyway the fighting primarily consisted of powerful combo's and reversing which wasn't seen in Tekken, Virtual Fighter, Soul Calibur, etc. Though this sounds simple enough it can be hard to master perfect timing and become a reversal master. Dimensions for the 3DS follows suit with the game play that everyone would expect for the series. Though with the added screen displays combo's and tapping one will make the character perform the combo, this is actually quite useful especially if you want to learn how to manually do them. Now I've heard many people complain that by adding something like this it makes terrible players cheaters and destroys the game for the pro's. My answer to this is simple people who really solely on the touch controls are actually really easy to beat and present no challenge especially to veterans of the series. Plus in online matches you can tell when your opponent is spamming the hell out of moves. Every time a touch control is issued a little 3DS appears on screen to show both players who's using the extra help. Personally I don't mind if people play like that its there game let them play the way they want makes no difference to me. Anyway the controls for the game are time and responsive and add a satisfying pleasure when you unleash a massive combo.

The score for this game is typical fighting game music, but it sounds good and fits well with each stage. The graphics look excellent and show off what the system can do, it is pleasant to watch the detailed costumes on each character and see what has been add for the new game. Tecmo has added figures to collect like SSF4:3D which you get for winning fights and such. While these figures are nice to look at they don't really offer much except to collect and take screenshots with, they are detailed and look good. The stages themselves are multi tiered and are highly interactive especially when you throw your opponent of a bridge its satisfying and fun to watch as they fall and take massive damage. The 3D in this game works well (better in the cut scenes) but I found myself turning it off during regular matches and online play.

All the characters return in this game and each play as they should and feel responsive and look just as good as they always have. Though if your looking to play as the Spartan you won't find her in here cause this is Nintendos platform so yeah that should explain it. Anyway the characters all look excellent and the promise of new costumes is nice so each character will eventually have loads of costumes, to tool around with. Chances are if you know your character pretty well then they generally act the same in this game which is good for a portable fighter. What's the point of all these characters if you don't have good modes to play with. Which thankfully this game as a pretty decent selection to choose from. The modes are as follows: Chronicle (Story/Tutorial mode), Arcade, Survival, Tag, Free play, Training, Local/Internet Play, Throw Down, and Showcase (Figures). Chronicle is good for new plays and is nice and easy, plus its the only way to unlock the characters. The other modes are good and are the bread and butter of this game. What surprised me the most was the online play which is quite good even though I have experienced a significant amount of lag (but that's my problem). The Throw Down mode is a spot pass feature where you have the ability to fight a ghost of the Tecmo team, these range so far from insanely easy to hellishly hard but are satisfying if you win (plus you get a special figure if you win/lose).

In conclusion, this game is perfect for DOA players and fighting game fans. The modes are satisfying and so is the controls/game play/characters pretty much everything about this game is excellent. This is THE best fighter so far for the 3DS better then Street Fighter (My Favourite Franchise) and way way way better then BlazBlue (which I liked but had many problems). I suggest that people pick this game up as its one of the best so far.

My 3DS profile is: Starzky
FC: 0259-0287-6592
Be prepared to be defeated by the power of HITOMI!

Game 5/5

Visual 5/5

Audio 5/5

Multiplayer 5/5

Lasting Appeal 5/5

Overall 5/5

Got lots of things to review so here is the schedule I think I will work to:

BlazeBlu (3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS)

Koihime Musou (PC) 18+ Review

2011-06-21T22:08:00.005-04:00

Koihime Musou presents us with a story that has been done a million times (Romance of the Three Kingdoms) and spins it into visual novel form. Which means that most of your favourite Three Kingdoms characters are gonna get sexin. Oh and by the way they're all female if you are new to visual novels or this series. This game is intended for people 18 and over you have been warned it contains.....BOOBIES (GASP)

So you play as Kazuto an average student who tries to stop a theif and ends up on an adventure that stretches time itself. Now since this is based around Three Kingdoms it weaves that tale albeit with a lot more sex and less dudes, you get the picture. If your into visual novels or anything that comes out of Japan then this is pretty familiar territory. You spend your time (50 hrs give or take) speeding through the main narrative while trying to woo fair maidens hearts. In total 13 girls are selectable from the base menu and each take a while to get through but for the most part each is different enough that it never feels forced. Though only three of the girls have their own ending's the others are considered a side story that won't effect the main narrative. As opposed to other visual novels instead of picking out of a selection of paths to take you play a mini strategy game. Now its more like strategy lite as the battles are never really difficult and you will only ever use one or two formations. The voice acting in the game is pretty good, considering the amount of characters in this game. I for one never got tired of Kan'u busting Kazuto's balls both physically and mentally. The soundtrack is good for what its worth, a few nice set pieces and the closing are my favourite. Now one of the most important elements in a visual novel is the art style. While this is your standard visual novel look and feel, I found that the characters where all nicely drawn for the most part, though a few of the sex scenes in my mind needed to be redrawn or rethought of....just saying.

In closing, this is a solid visual novel for anyone to pick up but be prepared to put in so time or you will come out feeling emptyish (whatever that means). One more thing ther is a sequel "Shin Koihime Musou" which adds more characters and allows you to pick which side you want to ally with. As far as I know it hasn't been confirmed for an English translation but since the first was translated hopefully the second will follow.

Game 4/5

Visual 4/5

Audio 5/5

Lasting Appeal 4/5

Overall 4.5/5

Teamwork (Photo Story)

2011-06-15T23:02:00.003-04:00

So Far So Good

2011-05-13T18:32:00.000-04:00

Time to share some thoughts about my trip so far......

I've been in Tokyo for about a week almost and I have to say it was so worth coming here I think I made the right decision to take a trip to this fascinating and extremely hip place it was money well spent. Now I still have a week to go so I plan to just take it easy, I spent the last week running around to all the sites I think this upcoming one will just be chilling cruising slowly. As of this minute I have broken the 1k mark on pictures I have taken. Now in actuality I will probably only post maybe 100 if that on my Flickr account maybe more depending on how I feel. Plus since I took my Dollfie with me I have been taking shots with her pretty much all week. In fact today I took a few in Shinjuku Gyoen Park and I'll probably scout out more areas as the week goes by. Anyway I'm loving it here and I urge more people to come cause we all know they need the tourism dollars and I would gladly give it to them. SAYONARA! Yonde kurete arigatō and imagine me bowing. Oh I'll be doing posts when I get back, as I have no way of uploading my pictures into the hotels computer and my laptop is half a world away.

Sankaku Complex: Not so crazy as it seems

2011-05-02T12:16:00.002-04:00

I may not be the first person who has talked about this site but I do enjoy the occasional romp through its many many NSFW pages and I have to say while many of my friends don't like the site I find it quite entertaining from time to time.

Now this is kinda a review and kinda just my own opinion (lets face it its a blog) so I threw it into the review category just for s**t's and giggles. Anyway the articles are fair, there's nothing really new about any of the info that is presented especially on current events but what a do like is how each story is presented and I do like the humor that can be found throughout most articles published. The galleries are cool to peruse especially the cosplay ones. Now the main draw of this website for me is the image gallery, now all the ladies will roll their eyes but I do enjoy perusing the nudie pics area and it does make me laugh quite often bur once in a while you will see beautiful non nudie pics that are a treat for the eyes. Anyway this was kinda short but ah well this is my blog and I'll write whatever I please so here's the link and enjoy your stay.

Sankaku Complex: Enjoy Your Stay ^_^

Just A Reminder.....

2011-04-26T19:55:00.003-04:00

You can follow me on Twitter: @Mstarzky
or add me as a contact on My Flickr
or find me on Facebook
oh wait I'm also on Figure.Fm
so hit me up in all these sites to get the latest on my P.O.V
and DO NOT FORGET that my Tokyo Trip is coming up shortly and I will be sure to take a massive
amount of photo's and in a new development me Dollfie will be traveling with me so stay tuned for pictures with her in them as well ^_^

Claire in a Sexy Red Kimono

2011-04-22T15:51:00.001-04:00

Uploaded a few of these pics on my flickr account a while ago but a few are brand new and if you follow me closely you will see which ones. Anyway enjoy the pics will updated my blog pretty steadily till I leave for my trip this computer is the only thing not coming with me.