Feeling Blu

Last night, I tried out my first Blu-ray movie. Blu-ray is Sony's latest try at a digital medium- kinda like DVD but not, it has many times the storage space of regular dvds, with a single-sided BD-rom having 25GBs of space. The Blu-ray disc is the medium being used for PS3 games, and for Hi-definition movies coming from, of course, Sony. Well, since I had a Blu-ray player in the form of my new PS3, I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Instead of getting some expensive but mediocre PS3 game, I'd be better off getting a Blu-ray disc of a good movie and seeing the loveliness of HD cinema.

Well, I got X-Men: The Last Stand or X3, the final chapter of the Marvel Mutants series of films. I had originally planned on getting Underworld Evolution, but the store didn't have it on stock. Well, naked Rebecca Romjin is just as good as a naked Kate Beckinsale, so why not. The movie, as expected, looks incredible... there is crisp detail in everything, more so on a fine HD TV. Scenes seemed to be more 'alive' than on regular TV or even on the DVD version of the film, with deeper colors and finer detail in stuff like hair and characters' skin. The movie still ends the same though. Unfortunately, the pounding bass of the soundtrack was lost on my non-5.1 speaker TV... hopefully I'll be able to hook up my components to take full advantage of the multi-channel sounds. Someday.

Disappointingly, the 25 Gigs of Blu-ray space wasn't taken up by any extras that weren't in the DVD version... a couple of commentaries and a gaggle of deleted/alternate scenes was pretty much it. But well, it's a fine film to show off great visuals and really, X3 is a pretty cool movie to have a HD copy of.

Will BD take over the world, or will it fall to HD-DVD and go the way of Beta? Only time and the PS3 will tell.

Return to Rome



When last we saw the toga-wearing cast of HBO's swords and sandals mini-series Rome, Julius Caesar (Ciaran Hinds) was being turned into a bloody pincushion by Brutus (Tobias Menzies) and his fellow senators as his friend Marc Antony (James Purefoy) was but yards away. A betrayed Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) watches his wife Niobe commit suicide for deceiving him, while Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) finds a little piece of heaven with his slavegirl, Eirene (Chiara Mistalli).
The first episode of the series' second and final season starts just mere moments after the last blow has felled the great Caesar. From here on, those loyal to the deceased tyrant and those who murdered him are set on a bloody war to the finish. Meanwhile, Titus Pullo tries desperately to help Vorenus recover from his grief. The episode has two funeral pyres, quite a bit of sex, politicking, conspiring and quite a few bloody corpses before the credits roll. Most of the loose ends from the earlier season seem wrapped up (and thrown in to the river...) and a couple of characters bite the dust in this one.

As interesting and gripping to watch as ever, Rome continues to keep me entertained with it's exceptional cast and the gratuitous violence, sex and language we've come to expect from this HBO title (Italy DID spawn the Mafia, after all). Historical correctness be damned, it all makes for entertaining television. As always, the duo of Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus are fun to follow, and once again prove in armor or out, they're the two most bad-ass legionaries ever to swing a gladius. What their part will be in the bloody chaos that will surely come in this season remains to be seen. For now, I give the first episode of Rome's Season Two a hearty (and bloody) thumbs up.

Who Got Game

Not me, apparently. Well, I do have ONE game for my PS3, Fight Night Round 3. To be fair, the game's got great graphics, intuitive and intriguing gameplay and depth, lots of modes and tons of real-life boxing greats to bash heads with. Unfortunately, none of that is worth jack cheese to me. Geh. What's the use of incredible and detailed graphics if they all just portray sweaty, pug-faced, bleedy boxers? What's the use of depth and technique when it's all about swaying and hitting people in the face with your fists (now, hitting people with your fist after you lock their head with your left leg and twisting them into the air with the other leg- now THAT is cool). What's the use of tons of modes when the fundamental game just doesn't do it for you?

Thanks to the PS3's online capability, I've been able to download three (count 'em) demos which give me a couple of levels to play with. One is Genji: Days of the Blade, the samurai fantasy hack-and-slash adventure; next is Gran Turismo HD Concept, the latest version of the popular driving game, and finally there's Resistance: Fall of Man, the 'best' game available right now on PS3- a WWII-meets-aliens FPS. Now I'm pretty glad that I was able to download these demos- while I do like to be able to play a bit of Genji and Resistance, I don't see myself playing the whole game (I especially don't see myself plunking down almost 4K for EACH game), and at least now I know how they play and am secure that I won't be missing much by not getting them.

But now, aside from the demo games, I have looked over the rest of the available PS3 games locally, and NONE of them interest me. One that does, Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom, is unfortunately a generic swords-and-sorcery action game that is not worth the price for the repetitive gameplay. After that- NOTHING. There IS a possibility of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection becoming available for download soon, but that's all conjecture for now. I find myself aching to buy Blu-ray discs instead so I have a use for the PS3 aside from playing jaggy PS2 and PS1 games. But I guess I'll do a bit more research before delving into that.

Virtua Fighter 5 can't come soon enough. It's still three weeks away, but darn... once I have it, I need little else. Next Gen is here, but the best is still a ways off. Oh well.

Stark Raving Fantasy

Whoa! It seems that HBO is on the way to adapting the very popular fantasy novel series A Song of Ice and Fire by author George R.R. Martin. The projected series, which will be co-produced by Martin himself, is intended to adapt one novel per season, starting of course with 1996's Game of Thrones. Seeing as how HBO did such bloody fine work on Rome, I'm pretty intrigued at how this will turn out.

A high-stakes play of power, conspiracies, sex, love, betrayal, politics, war, old magic and very flawed heroes and villains, the Song of Ice and Fire should make for a very long and colorful piece of mature fantasy television viewing. Just don't ask how long it will take to finish the whole damn series (Martin has estimated 18 movies would be required to tell his whole tale). I might well be in my forties before the war between the Starks and the Lannisters and the whomevers finally ends. Oh well... something to look forward to, I guess.

On a related note, the second season of HBO's Rome has started, and the blood runs freely in the first installment. Set moments after the end of the first season (which ended with Caesar's murder), the stage is set for a final battle between the opposing factions in the embattled empire. Meanwhile, former legionnaires Titus Pullo and Lucius Vorenus continue their travails in between the pages of history. Good, bloody fascinating stuff. Don't know when local cable will show this though... thank goodness for the internet. Hoho!

Who You Gonna Play?

There's a rumor going about online (and quite a few videos on Youtube as well) about a Ghostbusters videogame in the works. There's been no official announcement from anyone- it's all coming from some 'leaked' videos showing what seems to be a GB-themed shooter, complete with Gears of War-type handheld cam-POV shots as your character is running across open ground in a ghost-ravaged New York. Like a shooter, the Ghostbusters use their proton packs to take down ghosts, which is pretty different from the movies/cartoon (the proton streams paralyze ghosts but can't actually destroy them). Aside from shooter gameplay, a clip shows the iconic Ecto-1 zooming down a street, and yet another shows a CG-rendered Peter Venkman (Billy Murray) delivering the classic Ghostbuster pitch.

It's unknown if this is a real game in the works or just an elaborate hoax, or perhaps a sign of an upcoming sequel to the beloved movie franchise. If it's a trick, someone had a LOT of free time on their hands and quite a bit of programming skillz. Still, a comedic supernatural shooter would be something fun. We'll just have to wait and see if this proves to be legit or not.

UPDATE
Well, it seems that the rumor WAS indeed true... a Ghostbusters game was in production. Unfortunately, the operative word is 'was'... the title has been indefinitely delayed due to licensing issues. So I wouldn't hold my breath for this one. Whether it actually rises from the game purgatory it's in right now or stays in limbo remains to be seen.

The Circle is now Complete.


Impressive. Most impressive.

Today, out of the blue, I finally got the last piece of the ongoing puzzle that is The Sanctum... a shiny, black, Darth Vader-like Sony Playstation 3. I got the console from a different seller, since my previous source had backed out on me. I had to rush a bit to beat any other prospective buyers, but otherwise it was an easy buy at the best price I could get at this point in time for the still-hard-to-find gaming device- 28K, which is about the same amount I paid for the Xbox360.

I lugged the thing home- DAMN it's heavy- and it was out of the box in no time. Looking sleek and shiny with the jet-black casing, the PS3 does indeed look as expensive as it is. On the plus side, it's actually a pretty simple thing to put together, as all of Sony's consoles have been. Installing it is as easy as plugging in the power cord and TV connections, and that's that.

Out of the box, the PS3 can get connected online via a LAN cable, so you can play online (gaming is free) or conduct business at the online Playstation Store (download demos and videos, buy games, etc). But once again the current weird internet situation struck, preventing me from updating the System Firmware (required to get online, apparently). Hopefully I'll be able to remedy that soon. But even without my wanted game and just sitting there beneath the TV, the PS3 just impresses. It's one impressive bit of kit. That much I'll give the thing.

After about an hour of using the thing and getting acquainted, I can give some remarks about it.

The Sixaxis controller ROCKS. No, there's no rumble or vibration function, but the ultra-light, wireless controller otherwise looks like the Dual Shock we've come to know and love. You can connect it to the main unit via USB2 cables in order to charge up the power source. From the controller you can do everything including turning off the system, which is just too cool.

The PS3 buttons are touch-sensitive; no more pressing deep. Just pass your finger over the button to turn it on or off, or to eject a disc. It just feels so... futuristic. The future is here, now! Whooo.

The Blu-Ray disc looks just like a DVD, but supposedly houses many times more storage space- like, up to 50 Gigs. That's a lot of space to put in lots of game. It's supposedly slower than DVD though, but working along with the PS3's Hard Drive should alleviate these concerns.

The packed-in game I got, Fight Night Round 3, initially didn't interest me. I mean, come on... BOXING?? No slick martial arts, no wild characters, no hot babes... nothing but battered guys in trunks punching each others' faces to bloody pulps. I wanted to sell or trade this off at first. But after playing a couple of rounds with Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao, I changed my mind. There was technique and depth to the gameplay, and this would be an awesome 2-player game. So, I guess, it's staying in the PS3 library. Okay, Library-to-be.

I tried some of my old discs. Japanese PS1 and PS2 games play, but as I've read and heard, the graphics are less than perfect with jaggies aplenty. I won't be throwing away my PS2. But still, it's pretty cool to see the PSOne Dead or Alive playing on the PS3. Heh. All-region DVDs play fine, but once again, the region-protected discs are useless... once again, I cannot play my LOTR Extended Version discs... DAAAAAMN.

So, now, I guess, my ride into the Next Generation of Gaming is indeed here. All that's left is a suitable Destination. Virtua Fighter 5, Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII... The future beckons. See you there!

May 'K'



When I first heard about the much-talked about Krispy Kreme donut shop finally opening its doors in the Philippines, I was excited to say the least. I've been hearing of the delicious, addictive hole-pastries for years, from friends who've actually tasted the things in the US to movies. Gonuts Donuts was touted as being a 'Filipinized' version of the original KK, though for a while I was actually sated with the substitute. Anyway, it took me several weeks but I finally got my chance to grab a couple of boxes.
I made my way to the Megamall branch, and despite it being several weeks open, the store is still serving lines of customers who take out boxes of the sweet donuts. I got a dozen of the 'nuts, two boxes with 6 glazed and 6 of other variants.


The basic Glazed Donut.

So, how was it? Was it all that? Did it cause me to hallucinate heavenly visions ala Cooking Master Boy? Well, nope. But I have to say, my first bite of the basic glazed donut was impressive. The dough was soft and chewy, the donut light, slightly spongy and sweet with the light layer of glaze. Compared to Gonuts Donuts, the glazed donut of Krispy Kreme tastes better, but is also a lot lighter. Another donut, a chocolate iced donut with custard filling, was good but a bit too sweet (the local Bavarian or Boston Creme is preferable). I stopped eating after the second... have to stop...


Small, spongy and light. A bit too small and too light for the 30-peso price. But darn, it does taste pretty good.

Well, at about 30+ pesos per donut, a Krispy Kreme is pretty pricey- perhaps the priciest donut yet, and it's not that big or filling. It tastes so good though, I could probably quaff six glazed donuts before realizing what I had done in horror.

Anyway, I was just happy to finally taste the popular pastry. I won't be buying this regularly... perhaps a box of glazed donuts every month or a bunch of assorted do's to the occasional party would be swell.

Well, with that over, it's time to move onto other things. So, when is Whitecastle coming to Manila? Eh?

iPHone Video

Feeding the flames of gadget lust... here's a CBS report on the upcoming iPhone... I want it... Must haves it... My Preciousssss...

iWant.


The Next Big Thing?

Apple has no doubt rocked the online world today with their announcement on their website of their upcoming new iPhone. A slim, sleek and oh, so gorgeous-looking combination of iPod Video/Touchscreen Phone/Internet Browser/Pocket Mac, without a doubt this gadget already has Mac addicts all over salivating. With almost exclusive touchscreen operation, the iPhone's fascia looks quite minimal and elegant (much like the iPod). There will be hi-tech features up the wazoo in the thing, and it will come with the Mac OSX to get things moving. As for storage space, there won't be a 30 or 60 GB iPhone out just yet... the phone will come with a Nano-esque 4 or 8 GB storage capacity for your videos, music, photos and files.

Am I interested? To be honest, I am. It's a gorgeous-looking device, and Apple makes great gear. But basically, it does things I already enjoy on my own Pocket PC phone right now, only with the Apple style and flourish. And of course, the Ooh Aah factor. I have to admit, I'll probably queu up along with the Mac Addicts for this one, when it becomes available.

Which won't be for a while... the phone's slated for release in US/Europe in late 2007, while Asia gets it 2008. So there's more than enough time to start saving up. You can check out the phone, it's specs and capabilities at the Apple Website.

Early Signs

An intriguing bit of news passed onto me by Jamie Bautista, that is now circulating.
It seems that Paramount Pictures and director M. Night Shyamalan have signed a deal with Nickelodeon to produce three live-action films based on the critically-acclaimed and mega-popular animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not much information yet other than this. There's no telling how deeply Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino will be involved in this venture. At the very least, it's pretty intriguing. With the series as far along as it is right now, perhaps these films will tell the further adventures of the Avatar? Let the speculation begin, I guess. Will the Avatar films be slightly spooky or have a big twist at the end? Will M. Night do another one of his infamous cameos?

For now though, I'm on an Avatar fast... no word yet on the Third Season. I'm keeping my eyes, ears and fingers peeled on the Web for any sign. We'll just have to see.

Eye Candy Dispenser



In case you didn't take the time to read through the entire previous post/novella, here's the short version. I was able to save a bundle of money last year since I stopped going out Saturdays, so I bought a kick-ass HD-ready LCD TV. Unfortunately, I had to go through the proverbial wringer before I got it. But all's well that ends well. It'll take time to get used to the functions and fix up how my whole setup will settle in (I'll have to wait for the PS3 before setting things permanently). But right now, I'm feeling tingly all over. I tested several Xbox360 games and seeing them in HD resolution in widescreen pretty much got me giggling like a school girl. Can't wait to see PS3 graphics on this monster.

The Home Theater setup (DVD, speakers, sub-woofer) is pretty sweet too... the player has some regional limitations, which disallows me from playing ANY of my original LOTR DVDs (Damn), but it does play DIVX files, which is awesome since I've got a ton of those ready for playing.

All the coolest game consoles, a DSL connection and now an HDTV. Okay, all I need is a cache of rations and ammo, and I never need leave The Sanctum ever again. HOHO!

Caveat

As I've mentioned before, I've been itching to leap into the HD Era for some time now, seeing as how the Next-Generation consoles like the Playstation 3 and even the Xbox360 can only be truly appreciated and enjoyed through the use of HD or High Definition TVs. And so, with a purchase of a Playstation 3 looming, I decided to finally bite the bullet and shell out the hard cash for an LCD TV. With my savings from the past year, I finally had the moolah.

I'd love to give a nice, happy and problem-free account of how I bought my soon-to-be darling at The Sanctum, but that would be lying. To be honest, my experience with purchasing my HD-ready LCD TV was an infuriating encounter with crappy, unscrupulous salespeople and a sobering parable of the need for consumers to look before they leap.

Last Friday after work, I found myself in Cubao, at about a quarter before 9PM. I had just gotten off a bus and entered the seedy structure known as Farmer's Plaza. I had previously been looking over HDTVs over at Megamall, and of course was turned off by the high prices in the relatively posh SM establishment. Perhaps here in the bodega that was Farmer's, I would get something cheaper. I passed by one shop, where a no-name brand LCD widescreen TV beckoned to me. It was the right size, and the right price- I just had to know one thing about it. But as I headed for the door, the security guard stopped me, giving me a brusque "We're Closed, Sir." So I turned the heel and left. YOUR LOSS.
The dim corridors of Farmer's soon gave way to the more brightly-lit, fancier environs of Gateway Mall. This new shopping center had one branch of Automatic Centre near the top floor which had a gallery of HD TVs on display. I made a beeline for the shop to continue my search. There, a couple of items caught my eye. One was a Philips 32-inch Widescreen LCD TV which was in my price range. It basically had everything I needed, including HD-readiness up to the sublime 720p and 1080p resolutions (translation: Kick Ass visuals). But I really just needed to know one thing. Did it have a Video Out?
As I've mentioned, I require a Video or AV-Out in my TVs since that's the way I can capture video (through devices like VCRs or my trusty Archos AV700.

I asked one of the salesmen the question. He looked at the Philips TV and said, to my relief, that YES, it did have a Video Out. I was hopeful. Was this the one? But at about 80K, this was pushing my funds to the limit. Perhaps I should look to something cheaper. My eyes wandered to another, albeit smaller (26") LCD TV with the brand Syntax. I looked over the Syntax catalog and found that they had a 32-inch model which was at a comparatively cheaper 70+K price. I called back the salesman and asked if they had the 32-inch Syntax in stock. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), they didn't- it had to be ordered. The impatient git that I am, I balked. The salesman, who introduced himself as Manuel, then went on to sell me on getting the Philips TV instead. I then found out that if I got the Philips, I'd be getting a Home Theater System free along with it. This was pretty slick- it was the whole package; DVD player with DIVX capability, Sub-woofer and 5-piece Speaker system and all the wires. Nice! Manuel then went on to sell me instead to another Philips model.

This newer, more advanced model, he told me, had a value of 95K (and came with all kinds of perks including Philips' much-vanted Pixel Plus feature and everything AND the Kitchen Sink), but he would be willing to sell the LAST STOCK they had of it to me for only 79K. That would come with the Theater System, as well. Though I was awash with glee, the first thing off my lips was of course, "Did it have a Video Out?" Manuel nodded, saying that the outputs and inputs of the newer TV was identical to the other TV. So, it had an AV Out. Coolness! So I readily said "Sold!" and made ready. Even better, the price was further reduced since I was paying in cash. I made the downpayment, signed the papers and the deal was done. I was so happy. It was like Christmas except it was January and the first week of work.

The next day was a blur of anticipation. On the dot, the deliverers came and brought my new LCD TV just after lunch. But I had some doubts. By checking online the stats of the model I was given, I failed to find a Video Out in the specs of the model being delivered. But perhaps it was just a mistake. Manuel assured me that the TV had a Video Out... he wouldn't LIE to me, right? I looked at the box of my new acquisition and checked the diagram of the TV's input panel.

There was NO VIDEO OUT. Maybe it was a mistake on the box. I unsealed the TV and brought it out, then looked at the actual TV's panel myself.

THERE WAS NO VIDEO OUT.

What the eff? What was going on? I got on the phone and called Automatic Centre. I asked Manuel about my problem. Almost palpably, his aura had changed from being an ingratiatingly helpful seller to someone who sounded irritated that you were still bothering him after he had already gotten what he needed from you. "I'm sorry..." he said, "I guess I misunderstood that when you said you wanted a 'Video Out', I thought you meant 'Audio Out'. (WTF?) He then went on to say that 'all the new and latest TVs DO NOT HAVE A VIDEO OUT anymore.

All this was nonsense, obviously. The guy was making every excuse to make me give up on the feature that I had specifically asked for up front from what I was getting with my hard-earned money. Eventually, he told me to wait for the Philips technician who was going to install the TV... HE would know how to get past my problem about recording video from the video out-less TV. Oh-kay.
When the Philips Technician, a nice guy named Gio, arrived, I told him my problem. Immediately, he made a rueful smile and pretty much said what a BASTARD that salesman was, for promising me stuff that was beyond his capability. There was no way he could magic the output-less TV to be compatible with my Archos. And that stuff Manuel said about new TVs having no Video Outs? Nonsense, according to Gio, whose job it is to examine and service thousands of these TVs. Wonderful.

Apparently, this very salesman, Manuel, has caused some problems before of this nature- taking advantage of customers and placing his want to sell something over the specific need of the customer. Wow. Did I pick a lemon or what?

So I had him call back the Automatic Centre to try and get Manuel to fix the problem. I thought, since the other TV had a Video Out, maybe we can just return the TV I had and exchange it for that other model. But Manuel was stone-walling us; obviously, he didn't want me to return the other TV since he would look bad. So he was doing everything in his power to make me give up on getting the TV I wanted. "Sir, if you return that TV and exchange it, you will probably have to forfeit the Home Theater System." he said. I bristled at the veiled threat and was basically shouting now. I would NOT be returning the Home Theater System and he had to give me the TV I required OR ELSE I would storm back to Automatic Centre dragging the fricking TV and demand the model I require.

Unfortunately for the stubborn bastard, this whole sad affair reached the Philips' Head of Engineering, who was positively PISSED OFF at this salesman who was giving his customer a hard time and his products a bad name. After some words with him, I finally persuaded them to get Automatic Centre to swap the TVs, let me keep my Theater System and have it all sorted out in a day or two. All of this reached only after I got myself worked up with raised voices, threats and borderline expletive language. Sigh. WHY WAS THIS HAPPENING TO ME? I paid what was due. What I wanted was pretty simple and clear. WHY was I almost screaming at people I hardly knew when I should have been enjoying the pleasures of High Definition gaming and cinematic enjoyment? Well, it was simply because there are some salesmen out there who put themselves before their customers.
In the end, I got the TV model with the Video Out I needed, and this Manuel guy would be getting his ass kicked (if not outright kicked off his job for being either a deceiving son of a bitch or an incompetent who doesn't know his products' features) since his hard-headedness forced the issue to reach not only the head of Philips but the head of his branch of Automatic Centre. Unfortunately, I would have to wait a bit before the proper TV reaches The Sanctum- as I type this, it has already been delivered to the house and will be installed tonight when I go home.

The moral of the story is, curb your excitement when buying big expensive things. Try to shop with a sober friend who has experience or at least a good opinion. Don't pay in cash- if possible, pay with a check so you can cancel it if you get a lemon. Ask to see and test the product as much as possible. And always be on the lookout- smiling faces and welcoming salesmen are really just there to sell stuff to you- they're NOT your friends. Oh, and BE CAREFUL IF YOU HAVE TO SHOP AT AUTOMATIC CENTRE. Not recommended that you buy stuff there. Cut-throat bastards. On the other hand though, I have to say that the guys from Philips- Technician Gio to his boss (whom I yelled at over a cellphone... sorry)- were totally sympathetic to me and invaluably helpful in solving my dilemma. Gio is even a gamer himself and an apparent kindred enthusiast in Hi-Def TVs (I mean, you have to being a technician of these sweet gadgets).

I did a dozen things wrong in this instance, from withdrawing thousands and thousands in cash from an ATM to paying in cash to trusting someone I didn't know completely. But somehow, perhaps with help in a higher power and a bit of luck, I was able to come through and get what was due to me in the end. I may not be shop-savvy, but damn... don't make me angry. You just don't want to see me when I'm angry.

Well, hopefully with this whole sordid affair behind me, I can finally start talking about how happy I am with my new TV and how sweet watching movies and gaming will be. That is, when I actually get to watch stuff or play games on it. Whatever happens, it should be fricking sweet. And well that it should... considering what I had to go through to get to this point. Oh well. Moving on. Moving on...


The Light at the End of the Tunnel.

One Bad Mutha of an Anime


Samuel Jackson makes his animated debut in Afro Samurai.

Last night, I was able to acquire and watch the first episode of Afro Samurai. Originally a manga by Takashi Okazaki, the title has now been adapted into a 5-episode anime featuring the voice of Samuel "Bad Mutha" Jackson as the titular big-haired hero. Also lending their voices to the show are Kelly Hu (Deathstrike in X2) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy). Fans of Avatar: The Last Airbender may also recognize the voice of Grey DeLisle(Princess Azula) in the cast. The musical score was produced by Wu-Tang Clan member RZA.

The story is simple, seemingly. A legend states that there are two headbands in contention by all the greatest warriors; one is marked with the symbol for 'Number One', and whomever wears this can rule as a god. The only one who can challenge the Number One is the wearer of the cloth headband with the symbol "Number Two"... the problem is, ANYONE can challenge Number Two. The titular character, Afro Samurai, is the current bearer of the Number Two headband, and he's on a mission to avenge his father's murder at the hands of the current Number One- a demonic gunslinger named Justice. Of course, he has to face hordes of rogue bandits, mercenaries and other unsavoury dudes along the way, many of which are packing some serious firepower. All Afro has on his side is a very talkative tag-along named Ninja-Ninja (also voiced by Jackson) and his trusty sword.

As to be expected, Afro Samurai is a pretty bad-ass piece of animated action, featuring some graphic violence in the form of lethal swordfights and skirmishes aplenty, with lots of the red stuff flying around (which gives a bit more color to the often black-and-white or dull general grey tones of the visuals), along with decapitated heads, severed limbs and what not. It's very much like the anime portion of Kill Bill, very stylized violence which is at least quick enough to be artistic and not totally gruesome. Aside from the blood, there's a wee bit of titillation, some colorful language and quite a bit of smoking done by several characters of what suspiciously looks like pot. Well, at least Afro only drinks lemonade, it seems.

The first episode of Afro Samurai ends with a cliffhanger, and generally this leaves me wanting to see more. I'm still hoping for the story to get deeper, more intriguing characters to be introduced (at least give us a hot babe fighter) and funnier (or more colorful) Sam Jackson lines in the next episodes. For now, you can try to find your Afro Samurai online or at your favorite anime dealers.

Tekken Defection?

Akira and the Virtua Fighter 5 crew have already defected to Microsoft's Xbox360, but now an even heavier hit to Sony's Playstation 3 is supposedly in the works. Rumor has it that the next King of Iron Fist Tournament game, Tekken 6, is yet another title to break out of the usual exclusivity contract with Sony to make it out onto Microsoft's uber-console.

Given that Namco has already announced that they need to sell like, a gazillion copies of their games if they expect to make a profit. With PS3's about as rare as honest politicians, it's only natural that they go for the console that already has a large installed user base... the Xbox360.
The same source has also stated that even before any announcement of Tekken 360 comes to light, we'll probably be hearing about Soul Calibur IV coming out on the Microsoft box. WHOA. Now THAT is good news. More Soul Calibur is happy-happy-joy-joy for me.

This is great news and a rousing start of the year for fighting game enthusiasts like me. And this is just the first round. WOOHOO!!!

Happy New Year!

HELLO 2007!!!

2006 wasn't the worst of years, but I am, for one, glad it's over and done with.

Now we can all look forward to better things. For me, I can look forward to another year of Salt Mining, a renewed spirit of Comic Book Making, a colorful new era of Anime Watching and Frustrated Movie Reviewing, a Hi-Def entrance into the World of Next-Gen Gaming and of course, even more MAD Blogging.

May you all be with your Loved Ones and Family as the first seconds of 2007 roar in a hail of fireworks and food. Just remember... the year you start off with all your fingers intact is a GOOD Year. Stay safe, stay healthy and stay happy, everyone!

It's all about the Money... Dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb...

That's apparently what's in with the Filipino audience these days as the masa fantasy comedy Enteng Kabisote 3 won Best Picture in this year's Metro Manila Film Festival. Quality isn't so important these days in Filipino films as box office receipts. On a related note, sadly the comic adaptation Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah didn't fare too well, coming in only at 7th place in terms of ticket sales. Director Quark Henares' superhero team flick Super Noypi did better at 5th place.

Yeah, the movie moguls are happy, but this basically sends a message to filmmakers and directors... stick to what sells. What a blow to creativity and innovation.

What can you expect? The masa are the audience for our local film industry. Those expecting or wanting high quality films and movies go for foreign movies or are limited to niche releases like plays or experimental film. Does this mean that anyone wanting to tell stories above the usual sordid dramas, cheap scare tactics or usual tired comedy veins is fighting a futile battle? That there's no room for anything new or different in Juan the Streetwalker's brain? Hopefully not. Perhaps it's just knowing your venue and your market better. Perhaps it's about marketing your stuff better. Or maybe, yeah, the Pinoy just doesn't want anything new or different. He just wants something dumb and easy.

Oh well.

HDTV a.k.a. Hassle and Disappointment TV

As I've probably mentioned before, I'm thinking of getting a big-screen HDTV to go with my upcoming Playstation 3. Well, today I actually got a step closer to my 1080p dream, but then suddenly jumped three steps back. While affordable LCD monitors are available now, I discovered a distressing property of the Samsung Widescreen LCDs I am eyeing for The Sanctum... THEY HAVE NO VIDEO OUT.

This is a pretty big turn-off for me, considering that I love to record video with my lovely Archos AV700. Is there a way at all to capture video on the Samsung sets? Or must I look to other brands? I guess I have to do more research into this before I take the leap into the HDTV pond. For now though, I guess my ol' Sony Wega will stay for a while longer for my viewing pleasures. Oh well.

PS3 Bound

I've more or less committed myself to getting a Playstation 3. I've decided on getting the 20GB version- the 60 GB version is considerably more expensive for simply having 40 more Gigs of HD space, built-in card reader slots, WiFi and a spiffy chrome trim.
I can always upgrade the Hard Drive myself and use a separate USB card reader, plus I don't really need the WiFi. Not having the chrome trim hurts though...

Considering that PS3s go for upwards of 40 to 50K in malls these days, I'm getting my console quite cheaply. At least I maintain my record of keeping console purchases under 30K.
My shiny new console will hopefully arrive just after the New Year's. No hurry in any case, since my main reason for getting a PS3 is still due in February. Still, I can't say I'm not pleased... I already have the spot dusted off and ready for the new console in The Sanctum. Everything comes to him who waits. Even one who hates waiting.

Roll Out!



Here's a good look at Optimus Prime from the upcoming Transformers movie from director Michael Bay, courtesy of Empire Magazine (issue out this January). Looks a lot more complex and spiky than the Optimus we knew in our childhood, but at least the shape of his head is recognizable... and he'll sound right since voice actor Peter Cullen will once again be voicing the Autobot leader.

I've seen the trailer, and it looks more horror movie/ID4-esque alien invasion drama than action-scifi with giant transforming robots. Early impression has me thinking it's going to delve a lot more into the human characters and how they deal with the gigantic metal warriors rather than the way the cartoons presented the Cybertronians. Still, color me curious and intrigued. Of course, since it's from Michael Bay, expect lots of explosions, bad-ass slow motion walks towards the camera and monumental pans of the heroes. Heh.

Transformers, along with a shipload of other cool flicks, will be out in mid-2007.

Playing it Safe

It's about a day after Christmas and already, it looks grim on the nightly news. During dinner we watched TV Patrol report on multiple fires all around the country and several hold-ups in the Metro. It's both saddening and infuriating that quite a few Filipinos will be homeless just after the Holidays, and that there will always be degenerate individuals who are willing to knife you in the ribs just to get themselves money for a frickin' DRINK. BASTARDS. The Vanishing Ray is too good for these turds. A rusty axe would be better. A DULL rusty axe. Feh.

It's a good thing I've become more of a homebody now... It's far better to stay indoors and to keep your eyes on your home and loved ones, than to go out in crowded malls where predators are likely to be on the lookout for hapless people loaded with Christmas money. Still, I'll try to catch Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah and perhaps Super Noypi before the vacation ends. Let's try to make each hour of our break count for something other than getting back lost sleep.