Mac and Me



One of the cool things to happen this week at The Salt Mines is that our department all got new Macbook Pro laptops. It's been more than three years since we were issued our first Mac Powerbooks, which we got back then on a lease-to-own arrangement. Well, now that our Powerbooks are now OURS, we can take them home or do with them as we like while brand-new, replacement portables have been made available.

As opposed to the first batch of Macbook Pros which were notorious for bugs and defects (our department head went through two lemons before settling on one that worked fine), the new Macs seem fine. The widescreen LCD screens are gorgeous, and brighter by a large margin than the Powerbooks (though age may have something to do with this). Processing power is great, with Intel Core Processors now running under the hood, with 2 GBs of DDR RAM. More than 80 Gigs of Memory are there for use. Battery life seems excellent as well, with a full charge lasting about four hours or so (the Powerbooks were lucky to last three hours). I particularly love the new power cords, which attach to the laptop via magnets instead of your standard plug... this allows the power cord to detach easily without danger of damaging the laptop or someone accidentally tripping over the line and pulling the laptop off the table and to the merciless floor. Oh, and the keyboard lights up with a lovely white glow when you turn off the lights, for some moody night-typing. Awesome.

But I am of course trying to keep a modicum of distance from my new laptop, since it's technically not 'mine' (though we do have an option to buy them in a few years). I won't even dare bring this out of the office unless it's totally necessary. But darn, it's a gorgeous thing.

As for my old Mac laptop, it's now sitting at home in my Mom's room. I'm more of a PC user anyways, and The Sanctum's desktop does all my requirements perfectly. For now, the Mac can serve to get Mom up to speed with using keyboards and touchpads, typing and sending e-mails to my brother and sister abroad, or using Skype to make internet calls. You gotta love technology. Being a gadget freak these days is bliss.

Hot News


The Gaang sport new looks in Avatar Season 3: Book of Fire.

Okay, perhaps another bit of premonition on my part. On the heels of my recent Avatar musing came this bit of surprising but thrilling news. Early yesterday, Paramount Home Video has just announced the release date of the first DVD volume of the YET UNAIRED Season 3 of Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as the cover art (yeah, that's it up there). The street date for the set, which will contain the FIRST FIVE EPISODES of the new season, is on October 30 (in the US). This has gotten some sites online speculating on a possible LATE SEPTEMBER premiere of Avatar: Book of Fire.
This has, to say the least, caused a furor online whether or not this news is legit. According to reliable sources at Avatar.net, one of the best Avatar fan sites around, it IS.

Anyways, take a gander at that art. Aang with HAIR. The whole gang present, with Katara (with a new 'do instead of her hair loopies), Toph and Sokka... in Fire Nation garb. My gosh. This is just getting me goosebumpy and giddy. It's been so long. TOO LONG. I want questions answered. Issues laid to rest. Cliffhangers hanged. Screw LOST. Screw HEROES. Screw frickin' 24. AVATAR is THE series on TV, man. All I want. NOW. NOW. NOW. NOW. One more would be pushing it but what the heck. NOW. Man, I am so happy about this that I don't mind that Aang's disguise, despite the nice hair, is kinda iffy since YOU CAN STILL SEE THAT BLASTED ARROW. Heh.

I hope this isn't some sick joke. Gah. Anyway, for the full news article that has started this buzz, look here.

Taxi Tale

So here I was along Katipunan one morning, waiting for a cab to whiz me off to Makati. After a bit, one comes along and I flag it down. I open the door and peer inside at the old driver.

"Makati?" I asked.

The driver grimaced and said, "Naka-tsinelas lang ako, eh." (But I'm just wearing slippers.).

Here's me, in outrage. "NASA LOOB KA NG KOTSE!!!" (You're in a frickin' CAR!!!)

Anyway, he drives off and I'm left thinking after, yeah, maybe it was better for me to have to wait for another cab. God FORBID anyone I know sees me in a cab with a driver who only has slippers on. I'll never live that down.

Feh. At the very least though, that was the first time I heard THAT excuse. Oh well.

Avatar Watch

Man, it's been months since the end of Avatar: The Last Airbender's Season 2... and STILL there's no Season 3 in sight. Well, at least, until now. An Avatar Panel has been confirmed for this year's San Diego Comic Convention! Last year, the first peek of the later episodes of Season 2 were featured; this year promises to have Avatar Fans foaming at the mouth with anticipation.

The SDCC's website describes the Avatar Panel as follows: 10:30-11:30 Into the Fire Nation: Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender, Season 3 Sneak Peek".

Get a first look at what's to come in the third season, including clips from new episodes, a visual tour of the Fire Nation from show creator Bryan Konietzko and director Joaquim Dos Santos (Justice League); insider information from the show's head writer Aaron Ehasz (Futurama); and a voice-over demonstration from Dee Baker (The Fairly OddParents), who voices Appa and Momo.

Well, I don't think I'll be able to make it to San Francisco, but I'm pretty sure videos of the Avatar event will make their way online soon after. The SDCC happens at the end of July. As for Season 3? My gut is that we'll be lucky to see the first episode or two before 2008 ends. If it happens, maybe November or December. Sigh. Oh well... it's sure to be worth the freakin' wait.

Simpsonified



This is what I would look like in The Simpsons world. Yeah, my Simpsons Avatar is kinda lacking in detail and... well... depth... but it was the best I could do with what was available. Anyways, if you want to see what you would look like in Matt Groening's reality, zip on down to simpsonsmovie.com and have some fun Simpsonifying yourself or tinkering with the site's other features. The Simpsons Movie will be out later this month in Metro Manila theaters... after more than a decade and eighteen seasons, it's about time.

Die Hardest


Stone Cold Steve Austin- er, John McClane is back to save the world from evil.

The latest installment in the long-running Die Hard series of movies hits theaters in Manila today. Preceded by mixed reviews with an older, balder McClane and a PG-13 rating, does this latest terrorist-fighting outing hit hard or die out?

SPOILERS AHEAD

Things haven't been easy for Detective John McClane (Bruce Willis) of the NYPD. After at least three instances of being thrown into 'The Wrong Place at The Wrong Time' and battling terrorist threats hand to hand, you'd think that the hero cop would be living the high life. But nooo... McClane is divorced from wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia doesn't show up- neither does pretty much anyone from past movies aside from Willis) and fighting with his now-teenage daughter, Lucy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). He's got an average pension and quite the jaded, world-weary attitude... so when a ruthless cyberterrorist named Thomas Gabriel (Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant) starts a plan to plunge the United States back into the dark ages, getting back into the game is the last thing you'd expect from McClane. But jump in he does, with the veteran attitude of a guy who's seen a LOT of action, since he's John McClane. He's just that kind of hero.

Taking on a plot against national security and homeland defense that's ripped straight from the headlines and scary History Channel specials, Die Hard 4.0 (or Live Free or Die Hard in the US) concerns the threat of cyber-terrorism. While it may still be mystifying to some how a guy with a laptop can cause real, physical harm to anyone, the plain fact of the matter is that a genius hacker with a computer is about as dangerous as a terrorist with a loaded nuke in his backpack, just on different levels. Pretty much everything in the US is controlled by computers- traffic, power and light, security, the stock market... and if someone messes up with that, all HELL is going to break loose.

That's exactly what Gabriel and his crew of hacker-henchmen are out to do- take down the US one important piece of civilization at a time. Muck up the traffic control networks and the roads get clogged up with pileups and jams. Turn off the lights to blind the frightened masses. Take over the news and spread the terror even faster. Gabriel's thought of every scenario, prepared for every stage of his master plan (which, invariably in the Die Hard series, always ends up with a big pay-off)... except, of course, for an old-fashioned, technophobic arse named John McClane.

Given the premise that this is about 'virtual terrorists', you'd wonder if McClane was going to engage in a game of Counterstrike or Doom to put in some action. Luckily, Gabriel's minions include a small army of foreign mercenaries, including beautiful but lethal Mai Lihn (Maggie Q. from MI:3) and the Parkour-expert Rand (Cyril Raffaeli). The rest of his troops are effectively faceless thugs and goons from Mercenaries-R-Us... not as colorful or filled with personality as Hans Gruber's gang, but they do the job of shooting a lot of guns and dying in various colorful ways. As for the Big Bad himself, Tim Olyphant acquits himself well in the role of the evil hacker-supreme. He's not as suave or as cunning as Alan Rickman's Hans (Darn, who is?), nor does he have the face value or sheer villainous chops of Jeremy Irons' Simon or even the military zeal of Colonel Stuart. But with his quiet menace and ingenious use of computers to wreak absolute havoc and set up dastardly situations for McClane to tumble into, Thomas Gabriel makes for a formidable Die Hard villain; not a trained killer or veteran terrorist like previous heavies, but a thoroughly ruthless manipulator and puppet master whom McClane has to claw his way at to the very end. To his credit, Gabriel actually gets the closest to offing McClane, perhaps even closer than even Hans... and that's something.

Luckily, McClane isn't alone in his latest outing. Justin Long (the Mac guy) plays Mat Farrell, a hacker who was crucial to developing Gabriel's plans. His relationship with McClane is marked by generation gap conflict and the simple fact that he's more used to facing baddies onscreen than in real life. Thankfully, Long's character doesn't become too annoying at any point in the movie, and soon proves his worth getting dragged along.
Probably not as useful but just adding drama to the precedings is FBI agent Bowman (Cliff Curtis), who plays the series' resident "Sympathetic but Ultimately Useless Ally" for this time around. Usually seen in the middle of an office or command center full of government agents and personnel doing pretty much nothing except look pissed, Bowman is just there to clean up after McClane's messes and that's it.

Other characters include comics personality Kevin Smith as The Warlock, another hacker and Farrell's mentor- he's kinda-sorta funny and reminds me of The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons, just not as sleazy. He's not that bad and gets to act a bit more than his usual 'Silent Bob' role at least. Finally there's Lucy McClane, who surprisingly enough cracked the audience up when she proves herself to be McClane's daughter in more than just name. The way she's portrayed is priceless, and gives a bit of a different spin to the hostage/damsel in distress role she's been given. Aside from that, she's darn HOT, so all's well.

The plot and pacing of Die Hard 4.0 is pretty fast, though you do notice the film's length, in a good way. You don't really figure out what the bad guys are up to until near the third act, but when it does it's not really earth-cracking; it's all about the money, after all it's Die hard. The action, as expected, is loud and flashy with lots and lots of gunfire, the odd 'special' death or stunt, and lots of McClane getting bruised and bloody. What I can say is that the stunts though seem to get more fantastic with every sequel. The first Die Hard had gritty, thrilling but pretty realistic action sequences, which got ramped up to more high-octane hi-jinx in the second and third installments. Well, Die Hard 4.0 pumps up the action to superhuman levels. How would McClane know that a car would fly up high enough to nail a chopper (it's in the trailer anyway) instead of just smashing into the ticket booth like any normal car would? Is it really that easy to jump off a speeding vehicle at full tilt? And that bit with McClane versus the JET FIGHTER... it's borderline Schwarzenegger-fantastic. I mean, I expect that McClane could jump into the Transformers Movie and kick Decepticon arse all by himself with a half-empty gun and a band-aid.

That said, it's all fun if a bit overblown. Scratch that- pretty overblown. Still, it's all fun and quite a crowd-pleasing romp with an old friend. Despite it all, McClane is still McClane- complete with that silly laugh and the "Yippie-Kay-Yay-Mother-" (insert gunshot here) at the end. If you love the Die Hard series, you will want to see this. And if you're not, it's a pretty cool and slick action movie that shoots and scores.

To end... is there room for another Die Hard? Well, as long as Willis can still lift a gun, why not? Or maybe they can spin-off and make a movie with a lady Die Hard starring Lucy? Or team her up with daddy? Who knows. All I can say is, I'll be there to see it.

Die Hard 4.0 is now showing in Metro Manila theaters. Watch Hard.

iPhone

In the US, the Apple iPhone is out. All over Youtube (who by the way deleted my original account for some reason- BASTARDS), there are tons of vids of proud new owners of Apple's newest and brightest tech device. I've watched a few and so far I've gathered quite a bit of info.
First of all, the iPhone looks incredible, with it's HUGE glass touchscreen (glass means it's resistant to scratches, which is great). The touchscreen does seem to live up to the hype, being far more sensitive and versatile compared to previous device screens- we've all seen the vids. Pinch and draw your fingers out to zoom in or out. Throw your finger to scroll up and down and marvel at the way the simulated physics keeps the momentum going.

The screen makes for a great viewing portal for surfing the web, watching movies and browsing photos. You can watch Youtube vids (it's one of the iPhone's built-in apps) and listen to your tunes. It certainly is the best iPod yet, as promised by Apple.

While it does have a Youtube app, it does not have flash; the videos played are converted to Apple's format through YT's agreement with Apple. As it stands, you cannot really watch every Youtube vid, only 'featured' and 'most popular' vids, and some limited access to the search function. Eventually, this should extend to the whole Youtube repertoire. Maybe.

However, along with the perks are coming some quite glaring flaws.

For one, you WILL need iTunes to sync and put in your vids and tunes. Treat it as an iPod (though I have never owned a pod, so I can only speculate) when loading stuff- you can't just drag and drop with abandon. The iPhone plays only mp4 videos or the native Apple format vids- DIVX, XVID and WMV libraries must be converted. GAH.

The iPhone's 2 megapixel camera is... pretty bland. Apparently you cannot adjust or tweak anything. There's no option to do anything aside from the one button to snap pics (which are pretty good anyway). No flash or auto-anything. AND, you can only take stills- no video. In any case, the iPhone's screen makes for a huge viewfinder at the very least...

There is apparently NO WAY to check how much free memory you have.

There are widgets (small apps that do various functions) in the phone, but no games. Third Party developers are barred from the device, so any app will come from Apple and that's that. You can't put in or set up your own custom ringtones, and apparently no way to put them into the phone. No themes or much in customization aside from the ability to put up a wallpaper. Perhaps personalizing stuff will come later- Apple isn't as used to this stuff like Nokia or Sony Ericsson, after all.

It's an expensive toy- the price ranges from $499 for the 4 GB model, $599 for the 8 GB phone. Then you have to pay about $1000 for the phone plans. As mentioned, the iPhone is exclusive to one carrier in the US (Cingular, I think) for the next few years.

Phone call quality is apparently BAD. Perhaps software updates will remedy this, but initial impressions with texting and calling has been less than stellar. Apple makes great iPods, but it all just shows how much of a neophyte they are in phonemaking.

Battery life is apparently pretty good- at least better than similar devices. Supposedly it will give you up to 7 hours playing video, and 24 for music. The battery is replaceable but Apple estimates that they would last for at least 400 charges (or two years).

Well there it is. So far, the iPhone's on the surface niceties are real- but beneath the lovely, huge, mirrory screen lies quite a few things that potential users will have to take notice off. Apple still has a lot to learn from making phones, but that should be remedied by later models. The one year delay between the initial US launch and the eventual Asian debut of the device will hopefully give us a more updated, user-friendly, even better iPhone. Still, I'm not really that hot with it. I'll probably stay with Windows- DIVX/XVID videos, drag-and-drop ease, third party apps and games aplenty, lotsa customizations and more are just too good to drop for looks and gimmicks alone.

But DAMN that screen looks freakin' beautiful. Dammit.

Transformed



The Transformers Movie. Or is it Transformers the Movie? Or just Transformers? Well, Transformers the Movie was the animated epic that was based on the classic Hasbro cartoon. I say based because the movie was a glossier, better-animated version of the TV show, where heroic Autobots actually died and things were really, really serious and dark. I can say I was a fan of the franchise, at least of the original series up until that first, momentous movie- I kinda outgrew the toys and like how I lost interest in the X-men when they suddenly splintered into various mini-teams, the Transformers went into CG, turned into weird animals or even- gadzooks- became anime-style shadows of their former selves. But when I heard word of the Transformers live-action film, I admit that I was intrigued. Michael Bay was doing it? I was intrigued and not a bit worried. I've read and heard of the many 'Bay-isms', the iffy stuff like Prime having lips and Megatron not transforming into a gun... but I was willing to give this a fair shot.

And now, after watching the adrenaline-rushing, turbo-charged, all-cylinders rolling action of the flick, I guess my worries have been allayed, and I have to say 'Yea' to Bay.

Transformers, based on the classic cartoon, opens up with the war between two factions of a robotic race, the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons spilling onto present-day Earth. Basically, the Transformers are all looking for an object known as the Allspark- the source of life and energy that created their world, which is now hidden somewhere on the planet. The Decepticons are also looking for their leader, the maleficent Megatron (voiced by an almost unrecognizable Hugo Weaving trying his best to channel original voice Frank Welker), who came to Earth many years before but disappeared.

For the first third of the film, we see mostly the Decepticons as they go about infiltrating the US military network, gathering information on their missing leader and the all-important Allspark. The movie opens with a sinister, silent chopper landing on a US base in Quatar, and you just KNOW something is wrong. The copter turns out to be a Decepticon and the kick-ass destruction that happens soon after is just a taste of the chaos to come.
Meanwhile, the Autobots are also on the move- one of them, plucky little Bumblebee, making contact with Sam Witwicky (Shia La Beouf), an American teen and grandson of the explorer who found Megatron and the Allspark several decades ago. From here on in, it's a running battle between the Autobots led by Optimus Prime to link up with the humans and keep the ultimate power from falling into the hands of the ultimate evil.

First off, this is a Michael Bay film, so it's all here- magnificent panoramic panning shots of bad-ass soldiers, dramatic slow-mo shots of everyone else at the most innocuous times, romantic moments in the midst of deadly danger, kinetically-exciting action and big, big explosions with lots of military hardware flying around. Oh, and there will always be someone waving a signal flare around. But what separates this from films like Bay's The Rock, Bad Boys II and Con Air are GIANT FREAKIN' AMAZING TRANSFORMING ROBOTS. The CG used to bring these metal menaces to life is unbelievable- convincing and utterly seamless. AND they put in the classic transforming sound in there too. Awesome!

Of course, this ISN'T our Transformers. Not really. Yeah, Peter Cullen is in there, bringing the classic tones of Optimus to life and giving the film instant validation. However, that's about it. Optimus is the closest in look, personality and feel to the original bots- everyone is radically different and more organic in design. It's actually quite hard to discern this from that bot, save Optimus and Bee. But you know what? It works. The Transformers look and move awesome, and that's what keeps this film alive and kicking you in the nuts and keeping you on edge with some explosive action when the big robots leap and transform and body-slam each other larger than life.

A lot of the movie though has to do with the flesh and blood actors, and you have to deal with quite a bit of set-up, a lot of over-the-top and pretty overblown performances and lots of shouting- enough that you'll start to tap your fingers and wonder "Where are the frickin' robots??!" But at least the humans are cool. Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas) and Tyrese Gibson play bad-ass special forces troopers serving in Saudi Arabia who have to switch from fighting terrorists to battling shape-changing aliens, and you'll root for them the whole way because they're pretty cool (Bay's military characters are always cool). Megan Fox as Sam Witwicky's love interest Mikaela is... well, a FOX and you just can't take your eyes off her (heh).

As the lead human, Shia La Beouf is likeable in the pivotal role of Sam and the spiritual successor to the cartoon's 'Spike' character- the human youth who bonds with the Autobots. He pulls it off with a character who's part-loser, part-normal guy and all-hero once the chips are down, and it works. John Turturro is borderline psychotic as the movie's answer to the Men In Black. He's over the top so much he walks a thin line between being funny and thoroughly annoying. There are tons of other oddball characters, from Jon Voight's apparently thoroughly-out of the loop Defense Secretary who ends up fighting the 'Cons hand to hand, to Sam's oddball parents, the hot Aussie government analyst babe and her weighty hacker friend. Everyone gets a lot to say- far more than the robots. Even extras and bit players on Bay's cast get to ham it up- which strangely fits in the movie since it really doesn't take itself overly seriously.

It's a loud, eye-blistering ride- laughs come with gasps, and Transformers fans will have giddies passing up and down their spines all throughout. After a ways of setup, when the Autobots finally gather onscreen, transform before your eyes (Gotta LOVE Jazz's ultra-cool transforming sequence) and Optimus finally speaks, you just know it's IT. It's frickin' Transformers. For real.

Of course, it's not perfect- there are parts that kinda drag, and there are iffy bits like how the big honkin' robots can just walk around seemingly unnoticed even though in plain sight. The 'Soundwave' of the movie- a little 'Con named Frenzy- is much too jittery and cartoony for such a sinister character- almost part Gremlin and part Jar-Jar. I wish that the individual Autobots and Decepticons had more character moments (perhaps on the DVD?). And I wish that some of the bigger action scenes could have been a bit easier to discern... a bit too much of the shaky-cam, sadly.
But for the most part this movie succeeds in one important thing- it makes you believe that Giant Transforming Robots EXIST. It's a pleasing, rabble-rousing popcorn flick which hits the right buttons with all the little cool bits, nods to the original and the high-octane action. A winner, in my calculation.

So what are you waiting for? Till All are One? Get off your rockers now, transform and ROLL OUT to the nearest theater!

Stoked

That's how I feel for the Transformers movie, which I'll be watching over the weekend. I've heard great things about this action-blockbuster, mostly about how awesome the action and special effects are, and how bad-ass the Autobots are compared to their TV cartoon incarnations. I was a pretty big fan of the original animated series right up to the animated Transformers movie, but I drifted away when the franchise took to weirder directions (like mechanical CG animals and worse, anime-style). I loved the old-school Prime-Megatron rivalry, Starscream's duplicity, Soundwave's menacing digital drawl and his menagerie of mini-monsters, the cool fights and big explosions. There were spotty, iffy moments, like that crappy ninja girl robot and the over-abundance of subgroups like the aerialbots, predacons and what the heck-ons that came after. But all in all, the Transformers hold a special place in my fanboy heart.

This weekend, perhaps on Sunday. We roll out. WOOHOO!

Erudite

This morning, while I was being driven by my Dad over to my drop-off point to work, he got into this talk that once he and my Mom retire completely, they'll probably sell one of our two vehicles. At present, we have two cars at home- an old but still well-maintained and excellently-running Toyota and an equally-well maintained but slightly newer mini-van/CRV type. He goes on to say they'll probably sell the Toyota and keep the CRV. Since they'll be retired, they don't really need two cars, and they can use the cash. He continues saying that perhaps when he wants to go out he'll just commute.

This pretty much horrified me, to tell the truth.

I commute every day. I do so because it's what I've been doing since I was a schoolkid in shorts. I've seen a lot. I've been through torrential rain, mud and puddles, molasses-thick traffic, sweat-stinking crowded jeeps/buses/MRTs, pickpockets, stick-up men, vagrants, annoying street urchins, plain bad-mannered bastards, bloody groupies, dirty cops and stuff that will make you want to pull out a machete and start hacking away at whatever and whomever is in range.

I do NOT want my Dad or my Mom having to go through that.

I will try my best to convince them to keep the cars. Both of them, for emergency purposes, or for simple convenience. I will try my best to make sure that my Dad never entertains this ridiculous idea of him ploughing into the wide world unless it's from the security and sure convenience and safety of a private car. They do not need to start commuting and mingling with the sea of humanity known as Rush Hour at this point of their life. Call me paranoid. Call me alarmist or an overprotective fuddy-duddy. I don't care. That's the kind of son I am.

A Game of the Highest Calibur



Some scans of the upcoming issue of EGM popped up online, allowing me to glean a few tidbits of information about the upcoming Namco-Bandai Beat 'em Up, Soul Calibur IV.

The game will supposedly look AWESOME, with graphical quality on a par with (or perhaps even surpassing) that of the current visual masterwork, Virtua Fighter 5. Character models and costumes are supremely detailed- the leather straps on Ivy's costume, for example, will actually leave realtime impressions/imprints on her body. The developers are going as far as to render stuff like Taki's nipples separately under her tight leotard. How's that for a job, eh? "Oh, I go to work rendering a ninja babe's BOOBS." Wild. So it looks that the character model of Ivy shown in the Soul Calibur IV trailer IS indeed in-game. Awesome!

As for gameplay, there are some juicy bits- how the usual lifebar works will change, and there will supposedly be a way to end a fight or round without needing to completely deplete an enemy's lifebar. One-hit kil? Disarms? Intriguing.

Character Creation, or Create-a-Soul, one of the more compelling additions in the previous installment, will return revamped and improved. There will be lots of new parts, clothing/armor and items to attach to your Ultimate Fighter, and some parts will even have an effect on gameplay. It will be more detailed and this time you will supposedly be able to tinker with stuff like character voices and other aspects. Hopefully the custom character models will equal the quality of the established fighters. The developers are working hard to ensure that players will be able to take their customized characters to combat online, and in a nod to players' demands, will allow you to now take your custom fighters' files and bring them with you for use on another console- something not possible with customized characters in the recent PS3 release of VF5.

The roster will supposedly see most of the cast returning, including the newbies from Soul Calibur III. Tira, the psycho-girl with the killer hula-hoop, in particular gets a new look as well as a more evil disposition and animations. As for new characters, Namco is keeping mum at this moment, preferring to reveal more about any new faces only when the game's release gets closer. Guest characters as well are a possibility- perhaps drawing upon swashbuckling characters from popular recent movies. Savvy?

With all this news (and just from less than half of the supposed 14-page blowout article in EGM), Soul Calibur IV looks to be even more incredible and intriguing a game than it's cousin, Tekken 6! With both awesome fighters set to release on Xbox360 and PS3 in 2008, it seems that Namco-Bandai will be taking the fight to new heights next year. I'm already sharpening my blades in anticipation. It's great to be a gamer. Heh.

Taking the Fight Online

Some intriguing early word from the humongous Soul Calibur IV blowout article in the new issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly. It's apparently now confirmed that the latest installment of Namco-Bandai's mega-popular blades-brawler will be coming to PS3s and Xbox360s with online capability. Yep, players will be able to slash and hack their friends from across the world via the internet. Even better, it seems that they will be able to do so using their own customized, created warriors as the game will sport a revamped, improved Character Creation mode. This feature, introduced in the previous Soul Calibur III, allowed players to select their custom warrior's gender, appearance, voice and weapon/skills, but at the time did not allow them to go online with their creations. Soul Calibur IV though, WILL.

This is great news, and bodes well for players who have been clamoring for online gaming with their beat 'em ups. Once again, 2008 can't come soon enough. The whole story can be found in the new issue of EGM, out on stands July 3. I'll be keeping my eyes out for this ish. WOOHOO!

Reel, Real and Unreal

If you are familiar with the live-action, testosterone-charged male soap opera that is the WWE, you'll probably have heard about the recent 'death' of Vince McMahon, via an apparent car bomb that exploded the WWE Chairman's limo... with him in it. This Sopranos-like demise (which was more Sopranos-like than the actual Sopranos finale) is, for the information of those unfortunate few who need some grey matter exercise, a WORK. Faux. It's the WWE's answer to the 'Who shot Mr. Burns' storyline from The Simpsons. Unfortunately, it seems that this big storyline now has to be put on hold, or even scrapped entirely given the most recent and tragic loss to hit the WWE.

Former WCW and WWE champion Chris Benoit was found dead with his wife Nancy and their 7-year old son Daniel in their home, the cause of death as yet unknown, but it has been ruled that it was a double murder-suicide. Things are still sketchy, but this just blows my mind.

Tonight's edition of Raw, which was supposed to continue the Who Killed Vince storyline, has been cancelled, giving way to a three-hour tribute to the late Superstar. According to news, Vince himself announced news of the tragedy to the gathered wrestlers and crew. Waiting fans outside the venue were told to go home and the wrestlers were allowed to leave the building and mourn the loss of a colleague, friend and wrestling icon.

Known as 'The Rabid Wolverine', Benoit was unequalled in his passion, dedication and work ethic in the WWE. The high point in his career was a couple of years ago, when he became the WWE Heavyweight Champion alongside his friend, Eddie Guerrero, who had also won the title of WWE Champion. Tragically, Guerrero would pass away shortly after. Now, Benoit is gone as well.
This news hit me like a ton of bricks today. Benoit was a great, great superstar and I truly enjoyed his reign as champion. He wasn't a big guy, so his 'underdog' image but bad-ass grappler style made him a favorite. His passing is a true tragedy. My sincere condolences go out to his family, friends and colleagues for this loss. I wish it wasn't true. I wish it was a work. But it seems to be real. Which makes it all the more unreal.

Kicking Back

In about a month, the Green Valley Country Club, where my parents have their Pro Shop (a service center for bowling), will close down for renovation. Actually, it's more of a rebuild as a new high rise will take the place of the aging recreation building. The estimated construction will take 2 years, so that pretty much spells the end of their present occupation.

I'm kind of worried... not really about the income, though, since I don't think we really rely too much on the sales/fees from the shop. The Pro Shop has seen better years... in fact, the last couple of years has seen my parents come home with little to no sales or profit. AND they still have an employee to give wages to. But I think it was more the fact that it gave them activity and something to do. A routine to follow, a job to keep you busy and active (even thought they pretty much only worked from late afternoon to evening). What happens when that disappears?

I'd like to think that it will be a good thing. My parents are both in their seventies or late, late sixties, and they've earned a relaxed retirement. It would be better for them to just stay home instead of hieing off to the club four or five times a week for little profit. My mom has her barkada and friends to keep her occupied. I'm actually thinking maybe she could start catering and selling her awesome spaghetti. But my Dad- he's got no visible hobbies or interests that I can discern. No activity or challenge means you age faster, so I really want him to have something when he finally retires. Perhaps a pet? A nice little dog (small so my Mom won't be bothered). Or maybe an aquarium to maintain?

I don't know the answer, but hopefully it will present itself soon. One month.

Tekken 6 Video



Here's the latest media on Tekken 6 straight from the private show held recently in Japan. The game is supposedly at about 50 percent completion, with about 40 characters in the roster including pretty much everyone from the previous installment and the new additions. It's the first time we see Miguel, the matador seeking revenge, in action and in his CG cinematics. The video features quite a lot of stuff, although there's no sound and the frame rate is pretty choppy. Shown are stages, some of which have multiple tiers/levels, some gameplay, tons of characters in action, character customizations (which seem more detailed and extensive ala Virtua Fighter 5), the special item attacks (Anna's shoe fling is finally seen, along with other item attacks), the Rage System and more.

We also get a glimpse of the CG cutscenes, one clip in particular showing what appears to be a dragon-like humanoid monster straining against some chains... pretty easy to figure out that this bruiser is probably waiting at the end of the story mode as the Boss. Just what is he/she/it? We'll just have to wait and see.

I'm stoked, really... this and Soul Calibur IV have made me a Namco fan again. The fighting game race is once again on with the champions of the genre throwing their hats into the ring. All I can say is, it's about time.

Heir Apparent


My next mobile?

After more than a year and a half, I'm still with my O2 XDA IIi, which has served me well and continues to be my all-in-one device. I really don't see myself changing phones, but in the case that I suddenly have a windfall or my lovely IIi is snatched from me by an army of assassins armed to the teeth, I should think about a possible replacement. After all this time, I really don't see myself going to a 'regular' phone, or even a smartphone of Symbian OS. I'm a Pocket PC phoner through and through, so any upgrade will be in that vein.

I finally found a desirable option in the O2 XDA Flame. The phone, which is roughly the same size of the XDAII series I've been using, sports a larger 3.6 inch VGA-quality screen, 2 GB of onboard flash memory (in addition to 128 Ram), 2-megapixel camera with flash, 3G and Windows 2005 OS. It also sports a video chip which on paper gives it as much graphical power as an Xbox. That's hot. On the sound side, it's got what seems to be surround-sound. Sounds good!

While the phone's use of a Micro-SD card irks me (WHY NOT FULL SD?!? WHY, Gaddemmet!!!), the built-in 2GB alleviates this, along with a new USB-to-go feature, which basically allows you to link the phone to any flash device (including those nifty small flash drives) via a nice adaptor cable, and then transfer files as you please on the spot. That basically gives you even more memory expansion possibilities.

And then there's the TV-Out feature, which lets you view documents, videos and anything on the Flame's screen on a TV via a cable. Now that is awesome. All these amount to a phone that just screams ME ME ME.

Problems? Well, it's mighty blocky and bulky-looking... even more than my already pushing it XDA IIi. But given the features, I can live with that. But the rich features also seems to translate to poor battery life... nothing a charger at the office can't help (but that's a definite problem). Then there's the cost. A brand new Flame may cost upwards of 50k. Steep, but well... after a PS3 and HDTV, this doesn't seem too bad.

Learning about the Flame makes me glad that I didn't get fixated on the Dopod 900. This phone looks like the real deal for me. But I'm not in any hurry. For now, I'll enjoy my XDA IIi a little while longer.

Fighter's Fan Service

Some news on the upcoming Tekken 6. With already three new faces revealed (first were cross-dressing tomboy Leo and Voldo-esque Zafina, then revenge-seeking matador Miguel), it has been mentioned in an update over at SD Tekken that there will be four more all-new competitors revealed soon. The game is testing in Japan, so there will be probably a lot of news about the game shortly.
Right now though, here are a few tidbits.

The game's graphic, powered by Next-Gen technology, makes the characters more beautiful and realistic (a given). The game will feature 12 new stages, some of which will have multiple areas and breakaway parts (think DOA's multi-section stages). Once again reiterrated is the fact that this will be the biggest Tekken with the largest roster of characters. The game will feature new moves as well as redone old moves, with overall game balance overhaul. A new 'medal system' will be making its debut.

There will be a new feature in the game called the Rage System. The lower your life bar goes, the higher your attack power gets. I'm not too sure about this- I can only hope it doesn't imbalance the game.

Tekken 6 will feature character customization beyond simple color/palette swaps or items/accessories, making for drastic changes in appearance (Yay). 'Concept' items will give the customization a 'rapid evolution'. There will also be 'move items' which provide new moves to the characters once equipped- we assume this are the special items like Anna's throwable high heels. It has been mentioned that Marduk will hit opponents with an iron bar, while Bruce Irvin will 'breed chickens'... what the HELL?

Tekken 6 looks to be a BIG step to shaking up the franchise, which frankly has gotten stale in it's later years (thankfully Tekken 5 and DR were fairly good games). Again, it's due for release in arcades in late 2007, while a PS3 conversion is expected in 2008. I think there's a fairly good chance I'll be seeing this locally.

On a side note, a full-body image of the Ivy CG model from the upcoming Soul Calibur IV has popped up online, and really- Miss Valentine is positively POPPING out of her barely-there costume. The showy ensemble is a much skimpier version of Ivy's default P1 outfit, with little more than cords of cloth covering her body, including her big BIG bumpers up front. All I can say is WHOA. Hopefully more about SCIV (and more Ivy) will be REVEALED soon as well. The Namco slasher is set for release on home consoles in 2008 as well. Next year's going to be awesome for the fighting game fan.

Now... where the heck is DOA5?

Justice For All



The 12-issue Maxi-Series by iconic comic artist Alex Ross is now complete. It's been a loooooong 2 years, but it's been worth it every issue. Ross' tale of DC's superheroes being sent to the threshold by an alliance of villains is a visual feast, once again showcasing the same style that made Kingdom Come a classic. It's not always easy to figure out what's happening in every panel, but darn- it's damn fun to figure out. No one quite gets it like Ross, and there are quite a few who try. The main draw of course is that simply, this is probably the closest we'll ever see a live-action, super-high budget Superfriends vs The Legion of Doom movie. It was awesome to see Ross' interpretations of the many heroes and villains, even if some looked like cosplay due to their 'realism'. But what the heck- his version of Poison Ivy is the best. Heh.

Anyway, I'll enjoy re-reading this series again to soak it all in more thoroughly, and to see the tons of stuff I probably missed in the panels. Afterwards, all that's left is to wait for the third hardcover collected edition, just for completist's sake. This is one keeper of a series, and hopefully Mr. Ross will revisit his unique universe again someday.

My Personal Ninja Girl


Coming soon to the pages of Mangaholix!

One of the coolest recent developments for me in the local comics scene is my getting involved with the cool crew behind Mangaholix, the latest manga comic-magazine from local producers/publishers. I was invited by the group's biggie, Emmanuel Javier, to submit some stories and was lucky enough to have one approved for inclusion in next few issues.

The story is Ninja Girl KO! While on a field trip to the forests of Northern Luzon, hapless student Anton Alcazaren crosses paths with the cutest Japanese war straggler ever- the beautiful and skilled kunoichi, Michiko Yamashita! Sooner than you can say, 'Belldandy in a gi', Anton's got himself his own personal ninja assassin at his beck and call. High-kicking, katana-swinging, shuriken-throwing chaos and comedy soon ensue!


Japanese war stragglers don't come cuter or deadlier than Michiko here.

I am doubly honored by the fact that the comic will be drawn by none other than Kriss Sison, one of the best local manga-style artists we have right now. I've been a fan of Kriss's work since I first saw him do pages of the Voltes-V sequel series in Questor Extreme Mangamania, and seeing my scripts come to life with his lovely art is just a giddy-inducing pleasure for me. If all things go well, NGK will see five issues. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

For now though, the first issue of Mangaholix, with three action-packed pinoy manga titles (Aporia, Kraust and Midknighters) is available for sale at National Bookstore outlets all over the Metro, and in comic shops and magazine stands. Check it out!

Surf's Up!


Silver Spoilers Ahead.

As part of my birthday celebration, I took the time to watch a movie today. I was actually trying for Ocean's Thirteen simply because it would have been cool to watch it on the 13th of June. But schedules didn't work for me, and I ended up getting to watch The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. And to be honest, It all ended up for the better as this sequel, thankully, more than rises to the occasion.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer reunites the entire cast from the first FF movie; Ioan Gruffudd as Reed Richards AKA Mister Fantastic, Jessica Alba as Sue Storm AKA Invisible Woman, Chris Evans as Johnny Storm AKA The Human Torch, Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm AKA The Thing and finally Julian McMahon as Victor Volt Doom. Set some time after the first film, the movie opens with an ominous sight- that of a planet exploding a fiery death, a silvery bolt streaking out from the ruin towards our own pearly blue orb. Meanwhile, the world is proceeding as normal. The Fantastic Four, popular superheroes and celebrities (it is so refreshing to see heroes being treated either as the heroes that they are or just regular joes) who are knee-deep in preparation for Sue and Reed's wedding. Unfortunately, the arrival of the mysterious Silver Surfer wreaks havoc wherever he appears, and that spells bad news for the impending wedding.

However, it soon becomes apparent that the Surfer isn't the real threat. He's just the prologue to the real danger from the stars. In order to save the world from being devoured by a force beyond all comprehension, the Fantastic Four must defy the US military and fight their hardest against a ruthless, power-hungry nemesis who soon attains the unlimited Power Cosmic himself.

What can I say? I like this movie. In fact, I can say I loved it. I liked the first FF movie, and well, the sequel kicks more ass.

The cast is back together, and that is a good point. All are more familiar with their roles and are as likeable as ever.
Ioan Gruffudd is brainy, nerdy Reed and gets as much laughs with his powers as he does cool stunts (albeit Elasti-Girl still rules as the best execution of a stretch-o-hero).
Jessica Alba is still piping-red hot, and hilariously finds herself naked AGAIN in public- darn, when Reed says at one point that he's marrying the Hottest Girl in the World, you believe him. Anyway, she's as sweet and strong a character as she was in the first film, never a damsel and having lots of chances to show her stuff. In fact, you can tell that Sue is the glue that holds the team together.

Michael Chiklis' Thing is, once again, perfect, and provides laughs gamely along with Chris Evans' Torch- gladly we see him several times as a normal human as well as covered in the Thing costume (or is it CG?). It's refreshing to see him adjusted well to being the Thing, with little or none of the angst in the first film.

As for cocky boy, Johnny Storm gets a much bigger role here, providing both humor as well as some drama as the Torch is forced to become more serious. Try as his character needs to be an obnoxious, cocky flyboy, you can never really dislike the Torch- he's just having too much fun and more importably, he's never irritating too much- this is the right way to do a young, cocky teammate, which past superhero flicks never really got right. At the end, he gets to take the brunt of the action in the finale, ala Super Skrull with all the FF's powers, and it just plain rocks.

I even like Julian McMahon's Doom- which is no wonder since I did like McMahon's smarmy, confident villain even in the previous film, electro powers and all. Yeah, he's no longer deformed in this film (well, what can you expect... his actor is from Nip/Tuck), which throws another facet from the comics out the window, but darn- he still has the scary mask, a bad-ass cowl and cloak, and gets a great fight scene/battle at the end. That's all a supervillain could ask for.

As for the Surfer- the CG is pretty slick and awesome. He does seem so solid in the movie, and his back-story, personality and everything seems spot-on. And of course, he sounds like Morpheus, which is excellent. Will there be a Silver Surfer movie? Why not. Maybe someday.

Comic geeks will no doubt be disappointed about Galactus- and how he doesn't appear in the film as he did in the comics. He's more presented as a force, a god-like entity of unfathomable power. The familiar shape DOES appear, albeit vaguely, and I think it works, and works pretty well (it certainly will keep non-comic fans from needing to know why a giant guy with a dopey over-sized helmet is such a big deal).

All in all, FF:ROTSS works as an enjoyable, tightly-paced and entertaining superhero flick. It does pretty much everything right- comedy, drama and action are all mixed in well in the correct doses; the Thing-Torch horseplay never gets old, the Reed-Sue drama never grates or drags, the special effects, fight scenes and action work very well throughout. Even Stan Lee's cameo was kinda cool. And the Fantasticar ROCKS, appearing at just the right moment and staying for the duration. I can honestly say that with all that, I enjoyed Fantastic Four more than I did Spider-man 3. Really.

So don't believe some bogus negative reviews online- just bring the kids to the theater, buy some popcorn and get ready to enjoy the best superhero flick out so far this year. Nuff Said!