Tag Archives: Blog

REVIEW: Skyfall

by

Ah, finals are over, and my exceptionally long winter break is here! With that comes the review of Skyfall that I was going to write last week!

Plot:

The plot is pretty standard Bond, actually, except for the beginning. Bond is killed mid-mission, and comes back to help fight against someone who has attacked MI6. It’s that classic, “Bond goes to get the bad guy” plot.

There are some cool twists, and some that I saw miles away, but the ones that surprised me were really good.

Acting:

I want to touch upon Daniel Craig, here. I really like him as Bond, and I really don’t. There are times when I think he’s absolutely spot-on, and there are times that I just want him to stop talking and tell him to be more…well, Bond!

This is one of those movies where I, for the most part, enjoyed him playing the part of James Bond. I think he was smooth, cool, and not the James Bond of Quantum of Solace.

Atmosphere:

The atmosphere in Skyfall is a mix of awesome, explosions, gunshots, and hand-to-hand combat. Oh, and some swag. Lots of swag. It has a lot of that classic Bond feel to it, which I loved. The music is very good, and the classic Bond melodies and riffs always send a shiver down my spine, because you know something awesome is happening.

——

Skyfall is a must-see for those that are fans of the James Bond movies and those who enjoy a good action film (like myself). Anyone looking for something more substantive might be disappointed.

Rating: 3 out of 5 (stars)

Just sayin’.

Youmacon 2012 Recap

by

1

As finals loom around the corner for me, I went with a couple friends to Youmacon the past weekend, and it was awesome! Here’s a small recap:

– My friend Mike’s rainbow radio.

– Circling the Renaissance Center 4 times before finally figuring out where to stop so I could go check in.

– Circling the Renaissance Center an additional 2 times to find parking. We got a fantastic spot!

– Detroit is a nice city at night. It looks awful during the day. And it was empty! There were a few homeless guys, but other than that, there was no one walking around except con-goers. It was a strange sight for someone who walks around Chicago almost every day.

– I forgot to bring Brawl, so I spent a couple hours looking for an ISO and downloading it, only to find that it didn’t work. In the couple nights that followed, we found that we didn’t have enough Wiimotes to play New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and Mario Kart Wii kept freezing. At least Mario Party 2 and Smash 64 worked!

– Watching CPU’s in Mario Party 2 is hilarious. LOL.

– We waited 3 hours for pre-reg on Friday. The normal registration line moved faster than we were! On the flip side, I got over 30 passes in Pokémon just by waiting in line.

– When we found the casual game room, I went to go play Brawl, and cheered for some Link player who got absolutely bodied because of me. LOL.

– After he got up and I sat down, the kid who had just won (and told me when I asked if I could get in that he, “needed a challenge,” very rudely told me that I could enter my name at the character select screen instead of in the options, and I had to explain to him that I have my own personalized controls. I then proceeded to win.

– My friend Mike then sat down, and the kid told him, as Mike was entering his own controls, that his controls were fine. He was soooo salty that he lost to me the round before. LOL. I don’t like rude kids, so I went Mario, told Mike to go Luigi, and proceeded to absolutely annihilate him. Don’t be rude to ex-competitive Brawl players, son!

– We watched two godlike American Dad and Family Guy episodes.

– Room service for the Marriott is godlike. We got a pizza on a super-fancy table, complete with silverware and glasses of water! The pizza was the best food I had the entire weekend.

– I got an ice cream cone at McDonald’s, and the woman (who was clearly stressed out) gave me a huge-ass cone, and I accidentally said, “Holy shit,” as I got it, and told her that she made the best ice cream cone I’ve ever gotten, which I’m sure brightened her evening considering all the rude people she must’ve encountered.

– For the first time, I didn’t finish an ice cream cone from McDonald’s.

– LIVE ACTION MARIO PARTY!

– I participated in the dancing mini game and totally got jipped of winning my team 10 coins because the judge systematically kicked me and the other guy off, and let the two girls participating dance for another minute until making his decision. Next year I’m gonna bust out shit that’ll guarantee me a win!

– Hanging out with the Michigan Brawl scene was super fun. I wish I could see them more often.

– I beat some kid in Pokémon with just Sigilyph because he let me set up all 6 Cosmic Powers. He was mad. LOL.

– I need to make a shirt signifying that I’m not Ash Ketchum, but Slam Dunkum! I also need a B-Ball Pokéball to make the costume complete.

– Watching Marvel was hyyyyype! I gotta start stream monstering more.

– I think I should go to more panels. I only went to one: Live Action Mario Party.

– If I had a swag coach, he wouldn’t want me to tell people that I have a swag coach, so I do not have a swag coach

– SWAG!

– The Dealer’s Room was awesome, though not as good as ACen’s. Still, I got a sweet Youmacon shot glass and some sick art from Artist’s Alley. I didn’t buy anything crazy like I did at ACen, and I’m glad I didn’t. $80 for an Espeon plush? No thanks.

– It is nigh impossible to find Clannad merchandise, and it’s impossible to find Nagisa Furukawa. I just want one Nagisa plush, dammit! Is that too much to ask for?!

– On Sunday, I walked down 46 flights of stairs with my suitcase and backpack. My legs are still sore today!

– I bought 8-bit sunglasses and wore them inside and at night. During the car ride home, when the sun was in my eyes, I didn’t wear them. LOL.

And that’s it! Overall, the weekend was awesome. If I have enough money, I’ll definitely be attending next year!

REVIEW: Code of Princess

by

A couple weeks ago, I bought Code of Princess, a new game for the 3DS by one of my coveted campaniles, Atlus. I didn’t have a lot of time when I bought it to really play and formulate an opinion on it, but now I’ve had some time and have finally beaten it. So, let’s jump into this fun little beat-’em-up RPG!

Plot:

The plot is pretty subpar. You’re Sloange, the princess of DeLuxia, and are wielding the DeLuxcalibur, a legendary sword with unfathomable power. In this world, monsters and humans have coexisted, but suddenly the monsters have become violent, and it’s up to you to find out why. Along the way, you discover that some demon is trying to take over the world and defy the Gods. That’s pretty much it. But, while it is subpar, the characters advancing the plot more than make up for it.

Characters:

The characters are, simply put, fantastic. They all have unique personalities, but the best part is they play with their own stereotypes and game. The banter between Allegro and Ali about how Allegro’s level 99 and is ‘almost’ a Sage is hilarious. The game knows its story is there just to advance the plot and give some sort of substance to the game (besides the combat), and toys around with it, which is awesome.

Atmosphere (Music/Graphics):

The backgrounds and effects are nice, and the music is good, but nothing really stands out to me. It was all very subpar, which is disappointing because I was hoping for some awesome music. I haven’t listened to the included bonus CD, so my opinion might change once I hear that, but the in-game music never impressed me.

Gameplay:

The meat of this game comes from it’s AMAZING combat. Every character has their own specific combos, strings, and special skills, and learning what chains, what doesn’t, and combining combos and strings makes this combat a very deep experience. In Campaign, you can only choose 4 characters (Solange, Ali, Zozo, and Allegro), but in Free Play you can choose from more than 30 characters, which is awesome!

Another important part of combat is locking on and bursting. Locking on lets you see that specific enemy’s HP bar, and you do double damage. It’s a nice perk, but once you burst, you do double damage to all enemies, meaning that you have a built-in boss destroyer by doing quadruple the damage you would normally do. That’s huge, and the best part is, it’s doesn’t make the game any easier because of how quickly your MP drains while using it. And, you can be doing a combo, burst midway, and still continue it, giving strategic timing to when you should and shouldn’t burst.

There’s an equipment system, but these do nothing but increase some of your stats (which, by the way, you can increase in any order after leaving up), except for your weapon. If your character can, equipping a weapon can change some aspects of your burst (like doing damage to enemies and knocking them down, having unblock able attacks while bursting, etc…) Sometimes, a certain burst is much more useful than just stunning everyone. My favorite is the one that knocks enemies down. It’s saved me in the harder missions.

Oh, and let’s not forget that this has local co-op for up to 4 players, meaning you can string together some truly ridiculous combos on enemies, making the game that much more fun.

All in all, Code of Princess is a fun little game that offers you a surprisingly deep combat experience and an awesome multiplayer. I highly recommend!

Score:

Plot: 5/10

Characters: 9/10

Atmosphere: 5/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Final Score: 7/10

Old Woman is over-powered.

Just sayin’

Assorted Reviews and Initial Thoughts

by

After two weeks of mid-terms, I can finally write in my blog again! Unfortunately, because I’ve been working on schoolwork a bunch the past two weeks, I really haven’t had time to play anything. I did, however, purchase the DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2 (NSMB2), Pokémon Black 2, and Code of Princess. I also started playing Minecraft (which is way more fun than I thought it would be). So, I’m just going to do little short reviews of the stuff I’ve played and my initial thoughts on Black 2 and Code of Princess.

Let’s jump in!

Minecraft:

Minecraft is, in a word, addicting. Last winter, I played Terraria with my friends for hours. Minecraft is basically a 3D Terraria, so I got hooked really quickly once I started building. I decided that, for my very first building project, I would construct a castle. It’s main body is 50×50 squares, and it’s got two living areas that are 50×15 squares that is 10 squares to the left and right of the castle. I’m not finished, yet, but once I am, I’ll be putting up a video. It’s nothing too impressive, but I thought I’d capture my very first Minecraft project once it’s done. I wish my friends hadn’t shown me it, though – it’s hard to stop once you get going. I do have to say, though, that it is much more difficult than Terraria, and I have found myself wanting to stop more than a few times because I died and was unable to retrieve all the stuff I had gotten and forgotten to put into chests. Learning the hard way sucks sometimes.

Either way, it’s really fun, especially with friends. Just don’t get it during school. Wait until you have some downtime.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC:

The DLC for NSMB2 is actually really good. All three packs are awesome, although I haven’t tried setting any records for the first two. By the way, the “leader boards” are only the top 5 for the week, and they have no name next to them! I wish the leader boards were cumulative and showed their name – then I could see my record (which I don’t even know if the any of the top 5 are mine) up there. The nerve-rack pack is incredible, and is definitely my favorite of the three. Golden Mario and the paratroopa level is the best. The BEST!

Pokémon Black 2:

I gotta hand it to Game Freak, they’re doing the sequel right for now. I’ve only gotten 1 badge, but I’m liking all the connectivity with the Dream Radar (which I also bought), and the whole Memory Link is cool, although my character in Pokémon Black is named Kappy…and so is my character in Black 2, so now I’ve got two Kappy’s running around (LOL!). The achievement system is…cool, I guess. I can’t really formulate an opinion on that, yet.

And why is Cheren the first gym leader? I get that he’s the new one, but he literally has a Patrat and a Lillipup! I understand why he has to have those in order to be a new gym leader and so that the first gym isn’t impossible (because if he had his old team it would be). Still, I wish he could’ve been later so that he would’ve had stronger Pokémon.

Oh, and wild Riolu is mad swag, but in the whole day I spent last Wednesday looking for him, I only found 5. That’s insanely rare!

Code of Princess:

The first character (who is wearing way too little to be ready to battle against monsters) is broken. In the ten minutes I played the game last Tuesday, I found an infinite loop with her →→B. It’s hilarious. The gameplay is fun, the voice acting seems solid (so far. I’m impressed, Atlus), and the co-op is awesome.

The co-op is really the hook for me. Unfortunately, my friend and I had only a few quests unlocked last Thursday when we played multiplayer, but it was really fun. I have yet to try versus, though.

The 3DS: your mobile entertainment hub for when you’re sick

by

Waking up at 4 AM with the stomach flu is never fun, but when I’m experiencing catastrophic abdominal pain and confined to my bed, I know I can always count on my Nintendo 3DS to carry me through the day! And why, do you ask, is the 3DS so useful for when I’m sick? It’s simple: it’s the mobile hub everyone wants!

My revelation about the wonders of the 3DS came to me this morning when I woke up and its bright screen was glaring at me, ready to play the next episode of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix. I thought to myself, “I can lay here and just continue to watch How I Met Your Mother, and I would never have to turn over to grab the remote and turn on my TV.” It hit me then: when I’m sick, moving around = bad, and with the 3DS in hand(s), I can play games, watch Netflix, and even browse the Internet without really moving at all. If it had a thermometer and a way to dispense food I’d never need another device again!

And when it comes time to bring myself out of bed and to the kitchen or the bathroom, my 3DS comes with me. That means when I’m feeling nauseated or hungry, my 3DS can sit neatly in view, allowing me to enjoy Netflix while also fighting nausea or microwaving a nice bowl of chicken noodle soup.

In conclusion, next time you’re sick, grab your 3DS and download Netflix (and if you don’t have Netflix, get Netflix) – you won’t be disappointed.

Just sayin’

REVIEW: Soul Eater

by

Fools!

A couple weeks ago, before school started, I decided to try to start watching anime again. While I haven’t started anything recently, I did manage to power through an anime I’ve been meaning to watch thanks to the godlike powers of Netflix: Soul Eater. Don’t worry, the English Dub is good! I’m starting to really appreciate Funimation and the effort they put into making English dubs great. Anyway, onto the review!

Background: Fool!

This is pretty straightforward – there’s an academy run by Death to help prevent evil (known as Kishin) from coming to the world. To do this, a human Meister and their weapon partner (a human that can transform into a weapon) must collect 99 Kishin Eggs (souls that are on the verge of becoming a Kishin soul), and 1 Witch Soul. Only then may that weapon become a Death Scythe and allow Death himself to use them.

Maka and her weapon, Soul, are two such students of the academy, and are very close to turning Soul into a Death Scythe.

Animation/Art: Fool!

The animation is very Halloween, and I liked that about the show since it ties in so well with the theme and characters. I never once saw a reduction in quality, and the battle scenes are very well-done. I think my favorite art aspects of the show are the sun and the moon, which are shown as being living things (they even have the moon bleed when there’s death, which I think is really awesome). There’s a very surreal look to it all, and I kind of wish I had watched it near the end of October.

Music: Fool!

The music was…OK. There’s one opening theme and two ending themes I really enjoyed, and during the show the battle music and other music was just OK. Nothing really stood out and really caught me.

Plot Direction: Fool!

The plot, while looking very simple at first, soon grows very complex, and I liked that it never jumped too far whenever it decided to. And most of the direction of the plot stems from the characters themselves, which is always a big plus in my book. The only iffy part to me is the ending, where they suddenly pull out all this plot-changing stuff that was never really touched on in the series. And, in the end, they do nothing to help the characters achieve their goals.

Character: Fool!

I really enjoyed most of the characters in Soul Eater. Many of the characters (Maka, Soul, Dr. Stein, Crona, Death the Kid, to name a few) all grow and change. Some stay the same, but are understandable (Liz, Patty, Death, Spirit). And then there’s Excalibur, the worst character to exist since Ryou in Clannad. Most of the characters are great. They all change, some of them who don’t facilitate the change in others well, and with so many characters in the series, it’s really quite impressive they were able to pull off the amount of change they did without leaving anyone out. I was a little disappointed with Black Star, but he does change, even if it’s miniscule.

Did I mention Excalibur is bad? I hate him. Although, I have to say, they got the perfect voice actor for him.

Animation/Art: 9/10

Music: 5/10

Plot Direction: 7/10

Character: 9/10

Final Score: 7/10

Just sayi-(Fool!).