Sticking it to the Opponent

I just made perhaps the purchase that pretty much proves that I am OBSESSED with Virtua Fighter 5. It's the Virtua Stick High Grade, an arcade-style, arcade-quality controller made specially for the PS3 by Sega for use with it's upcoming high profile beat 'em up sequel. You can order the thing along with a copy of VF5 at a nice reduced price, so I ended up cancelling my previous preorder for just the game and went for the combo offer.
I'm a bit giddy... It's my first real game accessory ever- never bought a wheel or Guncon myself in all my years of gaming. On the good side, I should be able to use the thing for other fighters in the future, perhaps even on the Xbox360. So I'll try to get my money's worth of fighting action from it.

So now, The Sanctum really is turning into an arcade, complete with Hi-def LCD TV, PS3, latest hottest fighting game and a frickin' joystick controller. I'm counting the darn hours away to this game, which is set for release in Asia and Japan later this week on February 8. If nothing goes wrong and FedEx continues it's winning streak with me, I should be enjoying a Virtua Fighting Weekend very soon.

Just Chillin'

The past week or so, Metro Manila has been enjoying some exceptionally cold weather. This kind of cool is usually associated with the 'Ber' months of the last quarter, not usually at this time. Chilly breezes have lots of people dressing a bit warmer in the business district of Makati. Open a faucet, and the water is chilled, like it was coming from a cooler or from the fridge (making for particularly jumpy showers in the morning).
I love this kind of weather. It's nice and calming to come out of The Salt Mines to a pleasantly chilly evening. It's not enough for me to put on a jacket- just enough to make me shiver in a good way. I hope it goes on for a while longer, but it'll probably fade in a week or two. Better enjoy it while it lasts, I guess.

War on Widescreen

Tonight I popped in a dvd of War of the Worlds (the Tom Cruise flick) and watched it on the new LCD TV. It was pretty cool, to say the least, to see the flick almost in the same way I first saw it in a theater. Great picture, great sound... sweet. Unfortunately I had to turn down the sound a bit, to keep the neighbors from thinking there's a real alien invasion going on. Maybe I should invest in some nice surround-sound earphones.

Anyway, I still like the Steven Spielberg megged-survival horror action flick. Like the effects- awesome deathrays- like the desperate feel, like the creepy moments and all-out devastation scenes. I still HATE THE FRICKIN' KIDS. BAH. I totally identify with Tom Cruise's character. The aliens didn't scare me as much as those two freaky kids. Oh well. Good movie night anyways. Heh.

Taking Leaps

It's only about ten days to the release of Virtua Fighter 5 for the Playstation 3, and I'm suffering in the tormented state of gaming obsession. I've been waiting for this game for months. I bought a PS3 and an LCD TV just so I could play it the way it should be played, which pretty much makes it my most expensive game purchase EVER. That's okay though- you know it's a momentous game when it moves you to make the leap into new technology. Years ago, Diablo 2 moved me to purchase my first PC. I played the game to death, and when I finally moved on, the PC had become an invaluable, indispensable tool for me. I fully expect to play VF5 for a long time- perhaps up to when Virtua Fighter 6 becomes available, at least. But even now, I am really appreciating and enjoying the hi-definition visual goodness I've gotten along the way to acquiring the game.

It's these little things- things that drive us- that often push us forward to embrace new technology, or take a leap from our safety zones into new frontiers. Which brings me to the thought- what game will get me to someday have a brain jack installed?

Blood and Guts



The second and third episodes of Afro Samura from GONZO Animation and actor Samuel Jackson have come out recently, and as promised they ramp up the blood, gore, violence and sex far up from the opening episode of this 5-part series.
Episodes 2, entitled The Dream Reader, follow the titular vengeance-seeking swordsman and Number Two warrior in the world after he is sent hurtling off a cliff by an explosion. Alive but seriously wounded, he is found and tended to by Okiku (voiced by Kelly Hu), a beautiful woman who isn't all that she seems. In and out of Afro's Subconscious and Unconscious, we see his bloody past- the taking of the Number Two headband from him by some brigands, as well as the desecration of his father's remains; to his joining a kendo school and finding other children to call friends, to his first kill on his road of revenge. In between the somewhat lullish moments of the episode Afro manages to have a bit of lovemaking just before the inevitable reveal and attack at the end.
The episode ramps up the violence quite a bit with Kill Bill-esque fountains of blood spouting from more than one character in the course of the 20+minute show, the circumstances made even more dark by the sheer youth of the protagonist at the time. Yes, there's sex before the finale, though not really enough to make this a hentai feature. It's all wrapped up neatly by the end and Afro's off to continue his quest.

I guess I failed to mention the continued presence of Ninja Ninja, Afro's tag-along companion who's about as talkative as Afro is silent. I have to say that while the role gives Jackson (he voices Ninja as well) room to perform more lines in the show (Afro's dialogue wouldn't fill half a page), the character is just wrong. He's irritating and doesn't bring anything to the table aside from being annoying. The lines aren't funny or helpful, and the only mystery I am seeing in Ninja Ninja is WHY THE HELL IS AFRO ALLOWING HIM TO FOLLOW? And for someone named Ninja NInja, you'd think he'd be kinda kick-ass... but he's not. But he is hard to kill though. Does he actually have a use aside from not-comedy relief? We'll just have to see.

Anyway, Episode 3, titled Clan of the Empty Seven has Afro taking on the evil order of monks that has been following and harassing him from the start of the series. The baddies send out their big gun- nothing less than a robotic copy of Afro (apty called the Afro Droid) to take him out. Afro wins the first round and promptly thereafter starts taking out the clan one by one in fights which, while not being too exciting or slick, are certainly very bloody and gory. A return engagement with the Afro Droid follows, with a look at Afro's next opponent (a swordsman wearing, of all things, a huge Teddy Bear mask) ending the episode.

While Episode 2 was a lull and a bit of flashback, Episode 3 is all action. There are some cool animations and some wild fight scenes, perhaps a bit overblown even for this series but still quite cool. Again, blood spurts in disturbing (and by now monotonous) amounts, and Ninja Ninja once again is utterly irritating and useless. Just two more episodes to go and this one is done. Will the last few opponents ramp up the blood even more after all the carnage in the first 3 installments? Get your barf bags ready.

All in all, I have to say I'm not totally impressed by Afro Samurai. Midway in, I haven't been blown away by any revelations, any coolness to the villains (aside from Justice himself in the first episode) or any twists (no twists are coming by now, I guess... this is all a one-trick, one-track simple story). The animation is consistent at least, and the action intense as heck. I guess I am disappointed by the lack of real humor (Ninja Ninja is not funny at all) or any depth to Afro aside from the occasional glass of lemonade.
Despite all the flaws, I guess I'm seeing this to the bitter and bloody end. Maybe there's a surprise at the end. Maybe not. But I do know someone's going to die. Next ep's up in a day or two, so we'll see then.

Blizzard at the Box Office

For those who play PC RPGs, the name Blizzard is synonymous with addictive, epic gaming. Responsible for hits like Starcraft, Diablo and Warcraft, Blizzard is actually the reason why I got my first computer (I wanted to play Diablo 2. Another thing the company is known for is their incredible CG cinematics which usually bookend their games, lavish and obviously big budget mini-movies that set the tone and mood for the countless hours of gameplay ahead. These CG movies have been so good that many fans have wondered, will Blizzard ever actually do a full-length movie?

Well, apparently they ARE. Well, that's according to one preview where a Blizzard producer goes on record saying that they are indeed working on a movie project (live-action though) that fans of their games will no doubt recognize and get excited about. Most probably the first film will be based on the present focus of Blizzard's efforts, the MMO World of Warcraft, which is currently enjoying mobs of players crowd the servers with the recent release of WOW's expansion, The Burning Crusade. Perhaps once the hubbub over the actual game has sorta died down, we'll be hearing more about the Blizzard movie. Maybe. Probably. And hopefully it won't suck. Expect it to burn into cinemas by next year or so.

Recognizing Avatar

Despite the great fanbase and fanatical devotion of fans to Avatar: The Last Airbender, I actually find it quite irritating that the series is lambasted a lot by misguided folk who more often than not probably haven't even seen an episode. These cretins mostly see the show as crap simply because (A) it's from Nickelodeon and (B) it has anime influences, making it an obvious 'Anime Rip-off'. Poor fools.

Well, it's great for me to see that at least in the entertainment black market known as Ain't It Cool, Avatar has actually found recognition from one of the writers, who after watching the second season DVD has remarked that the show is 'smartly written' with a continuing story that's going somewhere, and monumental action.

Recognize, people. Avatar is the best animated show (I would say best show, PERIOD) out right now on US Television and it just deserves to be seen. Find the episodes, watch it and get enthralled by this awesome series. Now, when is that darn Third Season coming out???

Comics Thoughts

It's the new year and a new beginning for me in comics. I know that I've been very much into gaming these past several months... and I still am. But once I get the gaming juice out of my system- or at least, sate the raging beast within for a while- I'll be looking to return to the gutter... comic gutters, that is.

As I've mentioned in the past, I've decided against closing the book on Angel Ace. I'm still deciding on whether I should go into the BIG BATTLE story sooner or later. But even after that, I am seeing Angel's adventures continue- whatever form it takes, she'll always be around. I've realized that Angel isn't just one of my comic characters- she's my Muse. So whatever happens, I'll always keep Angel around.
Then there's my dark favorite. Kai will continue to stalk and sneak around in her adventures, though I am thinking to jump-start the title to make it easy to jump into. Perhaps shorter stories, smaller releases instead of big little anthologies is better. Short but sweet stuff in the vein of the recent Afro Samurai anime or the older Spawn cartoon from HBO. I want a continuing plotline but also individual little stories of mayhem, martial arts and fan service. That'll go down soon. A webcomic is also a possibility. We'll just have to see.

Kunoichi Boy continues as well, and I want to see it go through. I'm targetting the next Komikon for the next major release, so I'll have to keep chipping away at the pages of the next issues.

And finally, there's a new project I am aiming for. Nothing solid yet. It's totally new and I have just the smallest kernels of ideas for it. We'll see what happens as I nurture that little grain of rice.

More on this soon. Stay tuned for the next episode...

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.