Truncated Oscars

Is it just me, or is this year's Oscars the WORST when it comes to videoclips? I mean, when you watch the presentation of nominees for the various acting awards, the clips are like, 3-second one-line snippets. Whatever happened to the clips that actually gave you a sense of that person's performance? Is it because of the premium on airtime? I watch the awards mainly for the clips, darn it.

I also didn't like Ellen Degeneres' stint as host- there seems to be a lot of dead air in between her gags, and it just feels like a bigger version of how she does her own show. Her schtick seems like adlibbing her way through the night, which was entertaining to a point, but it got kinda old fast as the spontaneity wasn't quite there- it was just awkward and silly. But to be fair, EVERYONE seemed to be off, everyone fumbling with dialogue or spiels and off-kilter jokes. One particularly weird moment was when the Devil Wears Prada girls did a gag with Meryl Streep in the audience, and it was just... off. Whatever. In any case- this year's Academy Awards- the most awkwardly-scripted and executed Oscars in recent memory for me. Not even worth remembering.

Well, I haven't watched many movies lately, and incredibly enough, none of this year's big winners (not even in the animation films). So maybe that's why I'm kinda off on the awards. Maybe it just means I have to get back to watching movies. And soon. Sigh.

The 'e' in eBay stands for...

...EEEEVIL... That's the best word I can describe to this conglomeration of temptation that resides in the worldwide web. It dangles all these wonderful toys and things before your eyes... and then lets you so easily purchase these said toys and things with simple presses of a button (oh, and the existence of a verified PayPal account)... EVIL I tell you... I walked away from all of this a long time ago. But like the mafia... they just pulled me back IN... Aaaaaaah... Credit sapped... money vanishing... but wonderful toys... so wonderful...

Astonishing

One of the few comic titles I am still collecting AND reading immediately is Astonishing X-men by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. The writing of every issue is trademark Whedon, with sharp, snappy dialogue and gorgeous art that is ripe with great facial expressions to hard-hitting action. For a series that gets pretty serious and bleak at times, things can suddenly go in a totally different direction in a heartbeat, and I also found myself laughing out loud at several points in some really good gags and humorous moments. I really love the return of Colossus, having Kitty Pryde be a kick-arse heroine and the portrayals of Cyclops, Emma Frost, Beast and Wolverine. Love the new character of Hisako AKA Armor.

The arc, and Whedon's run with the series will apparently end with issue 24, but I hope that he continues with the title (and Cassaday with him) indefinitely. This book is just that good. I seriously want to emulate the writing and characterization in Astonishing- it's so entertaining and tight. I guess I should really seriously consider actually writing SCRIPTS for my comics. Heh.

Paper Cuts

If you're a fan or watch the Inu Yasha series, there are some SPOILERS ahead in case you haven't been keeping up with the manga.

While I'm more of a fan of the anime version of Rumiko Takahashi's Inu Yasha (the anime ended quite some time ago at episode 167), I did make it a point to look at updates to the manga online... at least until about a year ago. Imagine my surprise to check out Wikipedia on some charactes only to find out that there have been a couple of significant character deaths in the ongoing fantasy-adventure series.


Gone long after her time.

The more important recent death is Kikyo, the undead miko/priestess and ancestor of series' female protagonist Kagome Higurashi and former lover of Inu Yasha. After several close calls throughout the series, Kikyo finally, truly bites it after losing to her longtime nemesis Naraku, ultimately failing in her extended mission to try and stop the demon lord and his designs on the Shikon No Tama (Sacred Jewel). While this is a heavy blow to Inu Yasha, Kikyo is able to share a final moment with her first love before she finally gives up the ghost, her soul finally departing for the heavens amidst a promise to protect her beloved even after her (second) death.
The second significant death is Kanna, the child-like Youkai of Nihility who has been around for quite a long time (even longer than my personal fave, Kagura), a silent but very menacing presence. In recent issues of the manga, she stepped up her attack on the heroes, but finally succumbs after an extended battle. While she has been dismissed as soulless and totally obedient to her master, Naraku, her final parting message to Kagome- a revelation of what can destroy Naraku- reveals that there was more to her than met the eye.

I have to say though that neither death really affects me as much as Kagura's did years ago- Kikyo's a surprise, but I can't really feel bad for her seeing as how she's been dead for years anyway and this is actually a release for her- her absence though from now on in the series will surely have a big effect on things from now on, as she won't be the 'ace in the hole' for Inu and the gang. As for Kanna- well, as an enemy character you know she was going to die sometime- she went as understated as she lived, and that was at least fitting.
With Kikyo's death, the Inu Yasha manga is surely headed for it's finish, though Takahashi has stated that she wishes the series to progress and even surpass the 500-chapter mark (it's just shy of 480 as of now). Further anime installments have been speculated, but none yet confirmed. I'll probably try to grab the manga if I can soon, seeing as how things seem to be moving significantly. I want to see this story finished, at least. I wanna see how it all ends...

Pinoy Comics on the Tube



Here's a snippet from a feature on Hero TV's G3 about Nautilus Comics. It has appearances of Jaime Bautista's Cast, the Siglo series, Arnold Arre's Andong Agimat and an appearance of my own K.I.A. comic! I really want to get started on comics again, and I will... soon. Very soon! Just stay tuned. Meanwhile, you can check out my Comicspace Page, where I've uploaded pages of a lot of my past comics works- nothing new, really, but we'll fix that up soon.

Naruto Shippuden


From a pervy ninja kid to a grown-up pervy ninja!

I was able to watch the first three episodes of Naruto Shippuden last night. This is the Second Stage of the ninja-themed action-fantasy series, set about five years after the end of the last 'real' storyline of the title. When I mean 'real', I mean based on the original manga story on which Naruto is based- from episode 120 or so onwards, the anime diverges into dreaded 'filler' storylines and sidequests that really have little or nothing to do with the main plotlines. Fillers usually occur when the anime catches up to the manga version, so to give the manga time to finish, the animators go on their own paths... which is not always good. Particularly horrible filler episodes were resposible for the downfall of the Rurouni Kenshin anime (Black Knights... Feng Shui Assassins... Agh...), and could have also brought down even this mega-popular series.

I mean, delving into stuff like the backstories and experiences of the other ninja characters in Naruto isn't half bad, really- but when Naruto and company start fighting Ninja Cooks out to get his favorite Noodle Kiosk Chef, it's really scraping the bottom of the barrel.

Well anyway, after the original Naruto anime reached episode 220, the Naruto Shippuden series finally started, getting back onto the real nitty-gritty of the main plot.
Set several years after Sasuke Uchiha left Konoha Village to train with the evil Orochimaru, Shippuden sees a grown-up Naruto Uzumaki coming home after a prolonged training period with legendary Sannin, Jiraiya. In his absence, the other Gennin have not been idle. Sakura Haruno particularly has become a force to be reckoned with, not only having superior medical talents but the monstrous strength of her teacher, legendary Sannin and current Konoha Hokage, Tsunade. Everyone else has also been promoted to Chunnin, or even Jounin rank... leaving poor Naruto the only one who is still a lowly Gennin. To get them ready, Sakura and Naruto are immediately sent into a challenging test of skill... and they'll need all their new powers in the trials ahead. Far away, in the Village of the Sand, the evil Akatsuki are already moving, seeking to capture the Tailed Beasts to use for their own purposes... and their first target is Gaara of the Desert...

Watching Shippuden was a mixed bag- I love this world and the characters, and the story and action is tops. There's even a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor as the Shippuden characters occasionally interact with their younger, original series versions during chapter breaks. However, the animation of the episodes is a bit disappointing- in fact, it's downright embarrassing at parts and nowhere near the quality of the original series. Also- another thing that is consistent with the original series- it looks like the action is going to be dragged out as always. In the first three episodes, little really happens. It really gets you pumped to watch the next installment, but darn- I wish they were able to squeeze in more in each episode. Oh well.

As I said, I'm neck-deep into Naruto already, and thankfully I haven't really watched many fillers to get tired of this title. This will hopefully make up for in innovative action and cool plots and characters where it is lacking right now in animation quality.

Now to get back to my ninja training...

Aftermath

SPOILER WARNING

Okay. I got to read Civil War #7 last night and my first reaction was... WTF?

WHERE did those guys come from?? Heroes clashing left and right, people getting their HEADS caved in, power blasts flaring all around and a bunch of police and firemen appear out of nowhere to save Tony Stark's butt? EH? Man, after 9/11 these firemen and police are just stepping up to the fore, aren't they? Pretty hokey to me but what the heck. The art in the issue was consistent and cool, though I was kinda disappointed that the visual in the previous post was actually the cover, and not an interior panel. All in all a satsfactory end to the Civil War storyline- not exactly the slam-bang ending I would have wanted, but it'll do.

That said, the new status quo is intriguing and I guess there was really no way to go aside from here. I can only hope it translates well to future issues.

War's End



Marvel Comics' Civil War event has been a great ride for me, easily the best thing to happen to comics since... well, since Secret Wars. Yeah, I liked Infinite Crisis over at DC, but the resulting 52 series and the fiasco of One Year Later confusion came off a bit heavy-handed. Yeah, I'm collecting 52 and will hopefully read it all once it's complete, but for instant gratification and hard-hitting action and great art, Civil War delivers. While it was pretty clear that Cap and the Anti-registration Side are the more 'heroic' and have that underdog vibe that us Pinoys love, I must admit that I actually find some of Iron Man's arguments not too hard to swallow. Well, no matter which side wins, it's pretty sure that this issue about Super Hero Registration won't rest in peace after this issue, but will continue to work it's way throughout the Marvel Universe of titles. I have to admit I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

In the meantime, if that single panel above is any indication, Civil War #7 should be pretty awesome. I can't wait to get my hands on my copy (tomorrow, damn it). War may be hell, but darn... this war was pretty cool.

Virtua Fighter 5 Review


Beating people up has never been this beautiful.

Virtua Fighter 5 is finally on the PS3, and fighting game enthusiasts can now enjoy the elite of beat ‘em ups outside of Japan arcades. But to enjoy VF5 at it’s fullest, you’ll need not only a PS3 but a good, big-screen HDTV as well. But even if the price of admission may be a bit steep, fighting game fans won’t regret a thing once this beauty is running in 720p hi-def loveliness before their eyes. This game truly LOOKS like a big budget brawler. Thankfully though, it also plays like one.
VF5 will be embraced by those who already love the series as perhaps the pinnacle of home brawlers. For those coming in fresh to VF, this is a deep, technical fighter that rewards practice and dedication. A few glaring flaws keep VF5 from being the end-all, be-all of fighters, but this is still one impressive title that is a genuine reason to get a PS3.


The small but slam-tastic newcomer El Blaze is sure to be a favorite.

Graphics
No game looks as ‘Next-Gen’ (well, now-gen) as Virtua Fighter 5. It positively leaves every other fighting game in the dust in terms of looks, particularly with the character models. The fighters are the best yet in terms of lifelike detail, texture and complexity, and this is fitting since the game truly focuses on the fighters themselves. Characters like Shun and Lau are wrinkled and leathery, while babes like Aoi and Pai look like they can star in soap commercials. While not as expansive or interactive as in other games, the stages are awash with detail and bright color. More than one stage shows off cool effects, like individual cherry blossom petals in the Shrine Stage, reflective floors in the Mansion or impressive water ripples in the Ruins Stage.
The fighters also animate pretty much perfectly at a rock-solid frame rate, with fluid martial arts moves and satisfyingly painful reactions to various hits. Fabric and clothing also animate convincingly, even looking damp when a character gets splashed in water.

Gameplay
In terms of fighting action, VF5 is the best of a series that has made realistic fighting it’s main strength. No fireballs or super moves- just painful blows, bone-breaking grapples and dangerous-looking throws that are more or less grounded in real world martial arts. With just three buttons and the joystick, you have access to literally hundreds of moves and combos.
While you can play a shallow game of just blocking and striking hard and fast, the game truly rewards players who take the effort to learn more advanced techniques like evades, throw-escapes, counters, juggles, guaranteed moves and so forth. It will definitely require a lot of practice, but you will see the fruits of your labors with amazing matches and satisfying victories.
What’s great overall about the VF fighting system (and which fans will stand by against) is the game’s balance and fluidity- there isn’t an overwhelming emphasis on counters or dialed-in combos. There are 17 unique fighters and martial arts styles to choose, each with strengths and weaknesses you have to master and compensate for respectively. For the most part though, the best thing about VF5 is that it is far more accessible and playable particularly for newcomers to the game than previous installments. But as always, skill and practice is rewarded- the more you put into this game, the more you get out of it.


Whether you're using slippery ninja Kage or graceful dancing girl Aoi, the balanced gameplay gives every player an even playing field.

That said, in terms of modes, VF5 is, unfortunately, pretty basic. There’s no Story Mode (everything plot-wise about VF is handled off-game) at all, with just a basic Arcade Mode and VS Mode for starters. The Dojo or Training Mode is adequate, but not as helpful or deep as it could have been- more options or a bit more user-friendly options (like the ability to have the CPU demo any of the many moves) would have improved the Dojo a lot. Finally, the VF TV mode is just a glorified Watch Mode which has very limited use or appeal.

The Quest Mode will surely be the single player’s activity for the most part, letting you travel through a virtual Tokyo and challenge various A.I. opponents of varying levels. Success is rewarded with gold and various emblems and items. Still, it’s pretty basic as well- all you pretty much need to do is just beat everyone you find, with no variation of parameters or goals.
VF5’s Customize Mode is much improved from the previous games, and easily impresses as the best implementation so far of this feature. You can give your character a personal touch, radically changing their appearance with dozens and dozens of clothing variants, hairstyles, items and options. But while the fan service in VF has certainly been ramped up (all the girls have been ‘sexed up’), every option and customization is still in line with each character’s style and the game’s relatively conservative stance… if you want bikini fighters, there’s always DOA.


Shiny, sexy Dural is unlockable as a playable character by beating the game with every other character.

Sound
The sounds in VF5 are a mixed bag- each stage comes with an accompanying tune that sets the atmosphere well but is may not appeal to some. You’ll either like it or not, but none of it is bad at least.
The sound effects are the same sounds from previous VF games. Hits like major kicks or big pounce attacks slam hard, while stuff like Akira’s deadly moves boom out like thunder. It’s all impressive and cool, and gives powerful attacks a lot more emphasis.

The voices are mostly well-done, though English lines are often funny if not totally hilarious. The most painful voice samples though belong not to the fighters but to the optional English Commentary, which I prefer turned off due to the seemingly bored, flat and off-kilter delivery.

Replayability and Fun Factor
There are 17 unique fighters to choose from, and it will take hours to even begin to get good with any single one. The single player game is long if you dedicate yourself to unlocking every item and beating every A.I. opponent in the Quest Mode. However, this game shines in VS, one-on-one play with two human players. It’s a big glaring fault though that VF5 has no online capability- no online play is fine, but it would have made VF5 that much more enjoyable and rewarding if you could update the game with new moves and items like the arcade version, or if you could post replay data online to show off your best matches. More modes as well and more detailed options wouldn’t have hurt at all.
That said, there’s more than enough deep, satisfying fighting action here for any beat ‘em up fan, and that at least is where VF5’s strengths count the most.

Final Word
Virtua Fighter 5 is without a doubt the most beautiful-looking and playing fighter out right now for a home console. With the best graphics and animation around, challenging and deep fighting action that only gets better as you do, VF5 is truly a champion among fighters and finally, a great reason to get a PS3 and enter the world of HD next-gen gaming.

Schooltime Shipping


Yes, it's finally happened... Avatar goes Super-Deformed.

Yet another entry into the series of little feature 'appetizers' for in preparation for the Third Season of Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted over the weekend. It's an anime-style short entitled Schooltime Shipping, and features SD (Super Deformed) versions of Aang, Katara, Zuko and a lot of the Avatar Gang in a silly, school situation comedy. Three more shorts will supposedly follow in the following weeks/months, again to keep fans of Avatar marginally sated as they wait for the next installment of the mega-popular fantasy-adventure series.

Another development is the confirmation of the new voice actor for Uncle Iroh, Greg Baldwin, who replaces the late Mako.


To check out "Schooltime Shipping", go here. The password is 'KOH'.

Stockpile

One of the cooler things I've been able to do recently is collect piles of stuff. Piles of games, piles and piles and piles of comics and piles of DVDs and downloaded shows. The only thing is, I haven't really had time to really start on enjoying a lot of them. Scratch that... Almost all of them. I've been collecting the whole 52 series from DC, and I haven't read a single issue. That goes as well for several other titles I'm still collecting. On the digital front, I've been downloading stuff like crazy and I haven't been able to watch any yet, like Heroes and a truckload of anime.

Well, that's gonna change. I'm gonna start actually looking at the stuff I'm downloading and buying. Just this night, I popped in the creepy series Ghost Whisperer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. I really should have gotten into this series earlier, seeing as how I am really interested by the premise of ghosts and the supernatural. Anyway, GS is all about a girl who can see ghosts, often being approached by spirits for aid in 'crossing over'. Yep, it's pretty much "The Sixth Sense" the Series, but with a babe instead of a little kid. The pilot episode has humor, creepy moments and freaky bits... and of course, moments of sadness. I think I like it, and I'll probably keep watching it. It'll be a good thing to see while I'm waiting for the next episode of Ghost Hunters.

Six


Namco finally shows off its Big Gun.

After mucking about and giving its last installment a Dark Resurrection, Namco-Bandai's Tekken series finally moves on to a REAL sequel. The first time we saw signs of the sixth King of Iron Fist Tournament, it was just a CG 'concept' teaser. The second was an underwhelming trailer with graphics that really didn't impress at all (especially when placed side by side with graphics from competition like Virtua Fighter 5). But now, in a late-breaking development, Tekken 6 has finally reared it's not-at-all-ugly head from development mirk, to show up online in the form of a nifty official website, showing off two brand new characters, some screens and a slick trailer.


Hey! It's Vaan from Final Fantasy XII!

At first glance, Tekken 6 looks really slick, but once you give the trailer a closer look, some things are apparent. For starters, there are CG pre-rendered images along with the actual gameplay stuff. While the actual in-game character models are improved a bit from Tekken 5- mainly by being more rounded and smooth, and sporting lots of nice detail particularly with clothing- it's not a big departure from the last Tekken. There's that bit of 'plasticky skin' syndrome, as well as the usual lifeless eyes.
In short, it's better than before, but actually still inferior to the character models in the competition, AKA Virtua Fighter 5. I think it's mainly a bit of the details of character sculpting- faces are kinda iffy, and even females have HUGE hands. Perhaps it's the 'Tekken-ish' style of being a bit cartoony, still at work. Basically, it's still Tekken, for better or worse. As for animations, that is still up in the air. I hope that Namco went the extra mile and re-did their animations instead of recycling the same movements they've been using since Tekken Tag Tournamnet. We'll just have to see how this pans out when more gameplay footage is revealed.


Zafina brings her slinky fighting style to the table.

As for the new characters so far revealed- Leo looks like he just stepped off the Final Fantasy boat, with his blonde hair and effeminate looks. His overall look brings to mind Rock Howard from Fatal Fury; he definitely has this 'lone hero' feel- is he a new main character? As for fighting style, it's some kind of karate, not unlike Jin's. Probably the most intriguing thing about Leo though is... is he really a SHE? There's a growing suspicion among gamers that Leo just might be a girl in disguise. If so, this is probably a first in fighting games...
The second new face, Zafina, is a sexy female who sports predictably little clothing and, like Lili before her, a fighting style that's about as authentic and probable as Using the Force. She seems to slither, curling up in impossible twists and having some dangerous-looking special effects accompanying some of her major blows (though this may be shared by all the characters). Still, I can't complain about her looks. You can never have enough hot Tekken babes. Never. Heh.

Tekken 6 will supposedly feature the biggest character roster in the series, so Leo and Zafina won't be the last new fighters we'll see. Another feature is Character Customization, which will allow you to totally alter your character's look- the trailer shows Asuka transforming into a wild, punk ninja hybrid, while Gun Jack is seen with various parts that make him look like a humanoid tank. Hopefully Namco will take a page from Sega's book for some really cool and sexy custom characters. As for the actual fighting, I wasn't able to see much to judge whether Namco just recycled their animations again or if things are totally new. We'll just have to wait and see, but I'll just say that I'm hopeful. And I'll also say I want to see Soul Calibur IV too.

The website says that Tekken 6 will be out '2007', so we can only hope that Namco doesn't take too long to bring out this much-awaited new brawler. Let's see if it holds a candle to the reigning PS3 fighting champ. Round two in the battle of next-gen fighting juggernauts has begun.

To see what the next-gen of Tekken looks like, go to The Official Tekken 6 Website.

Home Arcade


My new toy, the Hori Real Arcade Pro Stick 3, with a Sixaxis controller as a size reference.

My first-ever specialized game accessory ever, an arcade-style stick controller called the Hori Real Arcade Pro Stick 3 (say that 3 times), arrived early today. Of course, the first thing I did once I got back home from work was plug it into the ol' PS3 and start playing Virtua Fighter 5. The stick works well, with a nice feel- though I have to admit it took a bit getting used to. Some characters seemed to take easily to being controlled by the stick, while some took a bit more work.
I should be getting used to the thing soon after a day or two of use. I'm still quite amazed at the size of the thing- it's quite substantial, able to cover up my whole lap with its size. It will be interesting to see how my VF5 game improves with this bad boy. Another thing this may be kinda cool to use with would be for driving games- the responsiveness seems to work well there. I should try to use this thing at every opportunity to get my money's worth from it. But what the heck- live a little, my friend always said. Heh.

Let loose the Cogs of War



Though I may be neck-deep into Virtua Fighter 5 on the PS3 these days, I got a bit of time to take a break from hand-to-hand martial arts combat and get into some relaxingly bloody firefights on my Xbox360. The game on point, Epic Games' gritty and bleak futuristic tactical third-person shooter, Gears of War.
Now, ever since it's release last November, GOW has been carving a name for itself as perhaps the Xbox360's best game- never mind Oblivion or Halo 2 or whatever... this game suddenly spread like wildfire, seemingly overnight becoming Microsoft's BFG in the war with Sony and the PS3. I got into this title late (not really a fan of shooters), but even just a couple of hours in, I can tell why.

Gears of War is set in the future, on a human-colonized planet called Sera. After a devastating war, mankind further gets pushed near total extinction during the event known as "Emergence Day", when a race of subterranean creatures known as The Locust Horde invade the surface. Ranging from brutish humanoid warriors to gigantic insect-like monsters, the Locust all have but one goal- to wipe out humanity from the face of the planet. The player takes the role of Marcus Fenix(who bears a striking resemblance to WWE Superstar Batista), a disgraced former soldier who is drafted back into the fray as the conflict reaches a turning point. With just your old friend Domingo Santiago or 'Dom', and two other members of the crack Delta Squad, you're tasked to save your race through a bloody, action-packed, multi-part campaign. Think Platoon or Full Metal Jacket meets Independence Day/War of the Worlds with a smattering of Starship Troopers and you get GOW.

What separates GOW from being a simple FPS (First-person Shooter) is that it is mainly played in Third Person, switching only to your characters' perspective when firing your weapon. A big part of the gameplay (in fact, integral to it) is the use of team tactics and cover. It is imperative to find cover and snipe at enemies from safe or at least less-dangerous vantage points, and to move into positions to outmaneuver your crafty enemies. Rushing in like Rambo is a no deal- you have to take things smartly, duck-and-shoot, roll-and-shoot, hide and outsmart the Locust as often as you'll face them. This is because for the most part you'll often be outnumbered and even outsized, and even short exposure to open enemy fire will result in death. Luckily, the game's intuitive controls make going from cover-to-cover easy, (everything is done with just one button) and soon after you begin the game you'll be moving like a seasoned vet in no time. Also important, and a minigame in itself, is the simple act of reloading your weapon. Press the reload button at the right time when an onscreen meter flashes and you'll reload extra fast- miss your mark and your weapon will jam for a bit, which just may be the difference between life or death. Ouch.

Visually, the game looks quite amazing- easily the 360's best-looking game, and it even outdos most PS3 games as well. Whether it's on standard TVs or HD TVs, GOW looks smashing, with hyper-detailed character models and environments communicating perfectly a ravaged earth being fought over tooth and nail by human and monster. That translates to sound as well, with guttural bellows and grunts mixing with your characters' cusses and cries, over rapid gunfire and explosions. War may be hell, but it's damn interesting to hear.

There are two images I'll easily remember of GOW right off the bat- seeing your character do a 'roadie run', where the camera takes a behind-and-beneath the character point-of-view as he makes a mad dash for the next bit of cover; it captures perfectly the look and feel of a handheld camera, as if some unseen war correspondent was hobbling behind Fenix as he runs. It's an iconic image that just characterizes this game perfectly.
The other trademark GOW image is that of taking out an enemy (or getting taken out yourself) with a CHAINSAW- GOW's answer to bayonets. It's gory (blood splattering everywhere) and messy but quite satisfying (heh). I'm just a few hours into the game and I have to say I'm impressed. I think I'll be seeing this Game of the Year to the end. I still hold Oblivion to be my favorite 360 game so far, but GOW is right up there with it.

If you get yourself an Xbox360, make sure this one's locked and loaded in the package.

Fetching a Stick



Even though I was able to get my copy of Virtua Fighter 5 several days ago (and have been enjoying myself immensely ever since), a little mishap prevented me from turning The Sanctum into an arcade. The specially-made Virtua Stick High Grade arcade-style controllers made by Sega specially for VF5 turned out to have a defect, causing their recall from production and an indefinite hold on any release. And so, I was up a creek without a stick. For a while, I decided to forget about getting an arcade stick, but really- the Sixaxis controller, while adequate, isn't the best thing to use with VF5's motions. Even some moves, like simple evades (just tapping up or down on the pad) is difficult, which is really cramping my style. And so, I decided to think about getting a stick again.

This time, I'm getting the Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 Stick, which came out about the same time VF5 did. It's the other PS3 arcade-style stick controller released recently, and it's supposedly quite durable and of very high quality. What the heck. It's not like I'm going to spend my dough on an expensive Valentine's Day date or anything. Heh.

Round One... Fight!

I've spent most of the weekend playing Virtua Fighter 5 and all I can say is... the damn weekend is too short. Anyways, it's been excellent so far. The game is UN-freakin-believable in terms of visuals; I have seriously never seen a fighting game this beautiful. NOTHING in any arcade in this country can compare to what I have right now in The Sanctum on my PS3. I'm enjoying a videogame that only the Japanese have had the privilege to play in arcades for the whole year it's been out, and it's great. I'll see about writing the final review soon... perhaps after I log in some more hours of serious gameplay and get into the meat of this must-have PS3 title. Well, back to playing then.

Something Wicked this Way Came


The long wait is over.

After almost four months of tortured waiting, my ordeal of counting the days away have finally ended. This morning a FedEx courier arrived bearing the package I have been waiting for such a long time. Yep, my copy of Virtua Fighter 5 for the PS3 is in The Sanctum, and I couldn't be happier. I simply have not wanted a game this much ever before... or perhaps, it was because I haven't felt this way in such a long time is the reason for my extreme euphoria. In any case, my most-awaited fighting game is here, so now I can throw away my now-useless copy of Dead or Alive 4 (okay, not really).

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to play much since I had to go on off to work. I was able to create a VF5 game file on my PS3 Hard Drive (which took several minutes), create my first custom character save file and try out some of the modes, particularly Arcade and Dojo. What can I say? The game looks absolutely amazing on my TV even though the set resolution right now is just 480p (since my Archos AV700 cannot record video in HD ). I'll be enjoying VF5 in the crispy clarity of HD once I finish recording some videos for posting online.
Anyway, my first attempts to play met with the usual result- while I beat up the first few opponents handily, later stages saw my poor Aoi flat on her back. I'll need to spend some time in the Dojo Training Mode before I start taking names with consistency. But this early, I could sense the increase in speed, the easier manueverability of the characters and the tightness of the controls. For now I'm using the regular Sixaxis controller- once my VF arcade stick arrives (God knows when), this should get even better.

I wasn't able to check out the other modes- VFTV or Customize- as much as I wanted to, so I'll save that for later tonight. Expect a full review as I strap on my fighting gear and get ready for a fabulous VF5 weekend.

It Came from Comicspace

One of the coolest things to happen lately in comics, at least online-wise, is Comicspace. It's like Myspace, but for Comics Creators/Writers and Illustrators. So now, us people with weird pictures and stories running around in our heads now have a place to compare notes, make friends and recently, show off our comics!

I've had My Comicspace Page up for a while, but until recently all it had was a short summary of who I am and a small friends list. With the addition of a Comics Gallery, I have now uploaded a couple of comics- a K.I.A. story and issue one of Kunoichi Boy! Nothing horribly new though- that'll come later. But for now, it's a great start for the webcomic presence I've been planning for a while.

Check out my page here. Be my Comics Friend! Heheh.

Ready to Rumble



Virtua Fighter 5 is OUT! The Asian and Japanese PS3 versions of Sega's latest and greatest started shipping out today from online stores like NCS and Play-Asia today, though lucky bastards in Hong Kong have apparently been playing it since Friday. Of course, this irks me to no end as I've seen one guy post a vid on Youtube of VF5 and he knows NOTHING about it. No meaning to him. Probably just picked it up because the box art is nice. GAH! I SHOULD HAVE THE GAME. I SHOULD HAVE IT NOW.

Well anyway, my copy is, as I write this, on the way. Unless anything horribly goes wrong, I should be playing it tomorrow evening. It's still a bit of a wait (isang tulog na lang) but I guess I'll just have to cope... at least I have it better than gamers in Europe, who have to wait possibly until JUNE before they get their VF5. Ouch! So expect a full review soon once I log in the hours on what is perhaps THE game for me this year.

Avatar: Escape from the Spirit World

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While Avatar fans all over the world wait with eager anticipation of Season 3, the producers of the Nicktoons mystical martial arts adventure have come up with a fun little way of bridging the gap between the disastrous end of Season 2 to the next chapter of Aang's adventures.
Avatar: Escape from the Spirit World is an online animated webcomic which tells the story of what happens to Aang after he gets fried by Princess Azula at the end of Crossroads of Destiny. Apparently, as many fans have feared, Aang's near-death experience (or probably actual death, if not for Katara's intervention) caused his former lives to scatter to the ends of the earth, denying him the use of the Avatar State (his version of the Tactical Nuke) and trapping him in the Spirit World.
In the intro to the comic, Aang is greeted by Princess Yue, the lovely Water Tribe royal from Season 1. She tells him that he must find four of his former lives and speak to them in order to become whole again. But to do so, he will cross paths with the evil Koh, the Face Stealer, an old enemy. Of course, what can the young Avatar do but go and take the challenge head on...

With some neat flash animations and simple games, the webcomic takes viewers into the world of Avatar again in these short but sweet chapters, which reveal more info behind Aang's mysterious past personas. The first chapter focuses of Avatar Roku, the Firebending Avatar who was Aang's last life. The next chapter deals with Avatar Kyoshi, the towering female Earthbender. Nick will release the rest of the chapters in succeeding weekends.

It's pretty cool and any Avatar fan should take a look at the Avatar Escape site. All you need to do is sign up for a Nick 'nickname' and you're off. Still not a substitute for Season 3, but I'll take it. Heh.