Game News

In the past couple of weeks, two much-anticipated and high-profile games in the US have been pirated before their release dates, the codes leaked into the Internet. The games include Halo 2 by Bungie for the Xbox and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PS2 by Rockstar Games.
Of course this has created a big hubbub in the US, with both companies announcing that they are going to pursue the thieves to the full extent of the law.
This brings the number of big-name pirated games to four- Halo and GTA join the company of Half Life 2 and Doom 3. This kind of occurence is a big issue in the US and Europe, where the authorities really enforce the intellectual property laws to the hilt. Well, that should teach game companies to hold onto their beta copies and master-ROMs a lot tighter.

I picked up several games recently- Dynasty Warriors: Empires is yet another game based on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms tale of warlords and warriors in ancient China. This time however, the fighting extends to a bit of strategy and conquest as you take the role of various generals and seek to take over the whole of China one province at a time. It's still essentially the same game as every DW game, with the same cast of armoured guys and spunky gals duking it out in soldier-filled battlefields. It looks fun and when I get to have some real down time I might try to carve out an empire or two.

Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a PS2 RPG that's pretty quirky and unusual in storyline and design. Set in World War I, you take the role of a youth who can absorb demonic powers as he is attacked by a beautiful German agent and her allies. Soon though, enemies become allies and the heroes come together to expose an evil plot to take over the world. The unusual character designs (one of the playable characters is a pro-wrestling vampire!), superb translation and quick gameplay makes this almost an equal to the more high-profile Final Fantasy RPGs. I'll try to check this out when I can.

Only 5 days to the release of Dead or Alive Ultimate!!! There's still a chance for me to get the game before the Todos Los Santos holidays.... Crossing fingers... Crossing fingers!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!

"Brain... Braaaaiiiinnn...."

Budjette posted an interesting article about the health and upkeep of our biggest organ... THE BRAIN, gutterboys. Well, here it is...

10 Biggest Brain Damaging Habits
Yikes!

1. No Breakfast
People who do not take breakfast are going to have a lower blood sugar level. This leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.
Uh-oh... I can probably count on my fingers the times I actually get to have breakfast in a week... And when I do, it's usually at McDonald's or Deli France...

2. Overeating
It causes hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.
HEY! Damned if you don't, damned if you do...

3. Smoking
It causes multiple brain shrinkage and may lead to Alzheimer disease.
YAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!!! One point...

4. High Sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.
Waaaahhh...

5. Air Pollution
The brain is the largest oxygen consumer in our body. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.
Let's have no illusions. ALL of us in Manila have to cross this out. Hmm. Maybe I should start taking more walks in my Mom's garden.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Sleep allows our brain to rest. Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells.
Hmmm. My average sleeping time is 2AM... Gah...

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decrease concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects.
Actually, I sleep with most of the body covered except for the head. Just gotta keep the feet covered, so monsters can't suck me out of the bed.

8. Working your brain during illness
Working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damage the brain.
YAAAAAAAYYYY!!! Why am I cheering? I get points when I get sick!

9. Lacking in stimulating thoughts
Thinking is the best way to train our brain, lacking in brain stimulation thoughts may cause brain shrinkage.
Continuing to make comics is the best medicine for this.

10. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain
Darn. I tend to be quiet at the end of the day since I'm so tired. Gotta start talking again, I guess.

WELL! According to this checklist, I should by all rights be BRAIN DEAD! YEEEEBAAA!!! I guess I'm actually a zombie, typing away at my terminal as my limbs atrophy and fall away. I guess my cologne is really good that my workmates can't detect the stench of decaying flesh. But soon, when we are many, we will take the living and rule this land... Hahahahaha....

Drained

That's what I did to my P910i's battery today. Instead of plugging in the charger during the afternoon, I let the power supply go on it's own. By about 10 PM, the redlight. This from a charge about 24 hours ago. I'll be leaving the phone on the Docking Station overnight, so we'll see if that affects the longevity of my phone's power supply. I've been told that draining the battery and then leaving it charging for prolonged times will improve the battery life. We'll see if that works. Or is it really just an urban legend?
Anyway, If this doesn't improve, I'm thinking of getting a new battery, perhaps a P900 battery, and try that out.
A day's power is fine- I have no problem with charging the phone nightly. But I'd rather it not be so stingy with energy... I bought the phone to use and enjoy the features, not to constantly worry about losing power because I want to watch a couple of videos or listen to some MP3s during the day.

Still, I have to feel lucky I guess... real PDAs don't last as long as cellphones do, from what I've read. Perhaps I am being too hard on my mobile.... Hmmm... Nah.

W.I.T.C.H Warrior


Who needs frickin' magic when you can kick butt like Orube?

I found a reason to start reading W.I.T.C.H. again. Her name is Orube, the newest member of the five heroines in Disney's magical-girl team comic zine. Replacing the rebellious Taranee, the exotic-looking young lady seems quite out of place among the elemental magic-wielding witches, with her gi-type costume and martial arts. And predictably, she's gonna step on some toes and cause a bit of trouble thanks to her lone wolf attitude. But of course, if there's a Will (pun intended), there's a way for Orube to eventually find her niche in the team. Whether or not Taranee ever returns as a full-duty guardian, I hope they keep Orube around as a member or ally of the Witches. I'm a sucker for martial arts babes, and her design is pretty cool. Finally at least, there's gonna be butt-kicking action in a Disney comic. Excellent.

The Return of the Return of the King


Something to look forward to this December.

This year has the dubious distinction of being the year that ends without a Lord of the Rings film to look forward to. Well, we're going to have to live with that, but take heart! On December 14, the final, final, final feather in director Peter Jackson and crew's collective cap will be added with the release of the Return of the King Extended DVD Set. This 4-disc collection contains TONS and TONS of stuff for the LOTR enthusiast or completist, or for any movie fan in general. Aside from the widescreen version of the ROTK film with 50 minutes of new footage, the set is bursting with over 20 hours of additional content- makings of, features, interviews and galleries aplenty. There will also be the four customary commentaries to enjoy while watching the film, from the Director and Writers (always great), the cast (which will include pretty much everyone including an exchange between Smeagol and Gollum!), the Production and the Special Effects crew of WETA Digital.
The LOTR Extended DVD Sets are truly among the best DVDs ever released in terms of production, content and quality- this final set will complete my collection. If you want to learn more about the dvds and stuff, go on to the official LOTR site, Lord of the Rings.Net. The official trailer to the DVD set is also online, so check it out for some cool peeks into the ROTK goodness coming this Christmas.

Good as Gold


DOA Ultimate is on the way.

WWWWOOOOOHHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!! YEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

Dead or Alive Ultimate has gone GOLD!!! This was revealed today by major gaming websites Gamespot and IGN, from an official announcement from Tecmo, the makers of the sexy fighting game. Whereas in the record industry 'going gold' probably refers to sales, in the videogame world it means that the production and development of the game has been finished, a 'master copy' of the final retail version is done and on the way to the presses to be duplicated into thousands and thousands of copies. Copies that will inevitably make their way into the grubby paws of slavering gamers like ME.
It's about time. The first time a bit of news on DOA Ultimate, formerly Dead or Alive Online, was revealed was more than a year ago. Initially announced as DOA2 with DOA3 graphics with online capability, DOAO changed quite a bit in the many months since the original news announcement following the release of the offshoot DOA game, DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Since then, development team Team Ninja has tantalized fans and gamers with screenshots of surpassing beauty, of huge, new interactive stages, flashy new moves and modes, a new CG movie intro (which ironically has already made the rounds on the Internet) and LOADS of alternate costumes for DOA's virtual femme fatales/fashion models. The wealth of extras dates back to the first home versions of the original DOA, for the Playstation One and the Sega Saturn. Since then, fans have clamored for extras but strangely enough, Team Ninja kept extras and fluff to a minimum in every game since... until now. DOAU marks a return to the more playful, fan-servicey DOAs, and hopefully will carry on into later versions of the game, set to appear on the next generation of gaming consoles.

For now though, DOA Ultimate is poised to make it big with gamers, with every DOA fan at fever's pitch right now in terms of excitement to grab the game. Some sites have reported a release THIS WEEK, while a couple venture an in-store presence of the game next week. The sooner it arrives, the sooner I get it here in Manila, so I'm crossing my fingers. Whatever happens though, I am looking forward to getting the game before or by the end of the month, so I can enjoy it during the Todos Los Santos this November. Crossing fingers... crossing fingers...

Anime Acquired

Over the weekend I got myself a bunch of new anime. Among them, the last 3 episodes of Inu Yasha, the rest of the episodes of Tenjou Tenge, a new disc for Samurai Champloo, and new stuff called School Rumble and Bleach. The lemon of the bunch turned out to be one of the most promising- a VCD copy of the new Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence movie. The copy was pretty horrible; it looked like a film-transfer, which gave me deja vu to the days when VCDs were being hawked on the streets and cheap DVDs were unheard of. I decided to set the copy aside and wait for a clear version that will do the film justice.
Anyway, watched the Inu Yasha finale, and felt a twinge of sadness. It's over. No more adventures with Dog-Boy for the near future. But it was nice to see the last three episodes, which contained events that I had only seen previously in the manga version. Tenjou Tenge has disappointed me as a series- it seems to dwell constantly in flashbacks, and not enough realtime action. I'll reserve final judgement when I watch several more episodes, but it's not as appealing to me as before.

With Inu Yasha done, I'm looking for a new adventure series to chew into- top of the list is the ninja title Naruto, which I already have about 20 episodes ready to watch (more than a hundred are already out though). I guess I have to eventually watch the rest of Scrapped Princess and Last Exile. Well, we'll see if I can squeeze them in as I work on K.I.A. in the next couple of weeks.

Gifting

Over the weekend, one of my pamangkins (niece or nephew for non-Filipino speakers) celebrated her birthday. Of course, I could have ventured to get her a game for her Gameboy SP on Friday, but I instead just contented myself with giving her cash. Cash rocks. No more problems of your gift not being liked, or being too big or too small, or not usable for the receiver. If they buy something and aren't satisfied with it, then it's all THEIR fault! Hehehehe. Too bad this can't do with grownups, though I have to admit I love receiving cash. Hoho...

Fly the Friendly Skies


Can Sky Captain and Polly Perkins save the world from certain DOOM??!

From the mind of filmmaker Kerry Conran comes the retro-futuristic action-adventure Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Conran, a first-time director, won the right to make his dream reality by the virtue of a 6-minute concept video he made himself on an old Mac. Ten years in the making, the film finally hits the big screen.
Set in an alternate-reality world in the 1930s or 40s, Sky Captain takes glamorous retro-fashion and camera angles, glossy sepia-toned visuals, old-style fade-ins and radio waves and mixes it with giant robots, underground empires, dashing fighter pilots, flying airbases, intrepid reporters and good ol' fashioned Doomsday Devices.
The world is under attack from mysterious war machines being sent by an unknown mastermind. On the story of her career is reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), who is contacted by a terrified scientist who mutters with his dying breath the name "Totenkopf". Ooooh.
Anyway, when giant robots attack, the only defense against them is a mercenary force led by the suave Sky Captain, Joe (Jude Law) who flies into battle in a souped-up, loaded-with-more-gadgets-than-James-Bond propeller-driven fighter plane. After the initial skirmishes, Joe and Polly soon find themselves in a desperate quest to stop Totenkopf's scheme to bring about THE WORLD OF TOMORROW.

If it all seems pretty far out and kinda corny, it is... but in a good way. Going into this movie I really felt I was watching an old serial. The visuals are quite a sight to see, and the retro designs are appealing, unusual and quite refreshing to see. On the strength of the visuals and feel alone, this movie is worth seeing.
The story is a bit leisurely in its pace, but is not short in action, and it manages to get Joe and Polly on a trek around the world and into various locales before their adventure reaches a sky-rocketing conclusion. I would have preferred that the script and overall pace of the film be a bit faster, and I would have liked that Sky Captain be more a two-fisted hero. Jude Law is quite likeable as the titular hero, but it would have been nice to have him do more fighting outside of his super-plane. He and Gwyneth Paltrow don't seem to evoke a romantic chemistry between their characters- perhaps this was intentional- but I liked the way that their relationship, and the involvement of a third party (Franky Cook, played by a sexy Angelina Jolie in an eyepatch) was played lightly as comic relief.
Sky Captain's not perfect, but I can honestly say that I was having fun watching the film. I've heard from Carl that the movie didn't do that well in the US... I sincerely hope that it does better in other markets, and on DVD- good enough to warrant another high-flying adventure. Sky Captain and the Invaders from Mars, anyone?

Watch it in theaters now!

FINALLY

... I got to watch Hero today on DVD. I've been holding off on watching it for months and months. No particular reason for the procrastination... I just never got to it. I guess watching House of Flying Daggers yesterday put me in the mood. Well, how did I like it? A lot, actually. To compare this film to House would be a bit unfair, but it's inescapable. Jet Li, Gong Li and the rest of the cast (Zhang Ziyi as well, in a minor role) are great, and the art direction, fight scenes and production are simply magnificent. The story as well is epic and brings forth a powerful message, and the whole presentation- told in various ways and versions leading up to the final truth and the story's resolution, made for a gripping watch. Beautiful.

I wonder if our country could can up with a signature film like this. No martial arts or flashy wirework, mind you- just something that fits the people, the country and our culture and way of life. I don't think it has happened yet, nor will it these days. But maybe someday, someone will finally give the Philippines a Hero.

Swords and Kisses

When I first heard of the film House of Flying Daggers, I knew at once I'd love it. I mean, how could I NOT like it? It was a period martial arts drama starring Zhang Ziyi, one of the most gorgeous faces in Asian cinema these days. Zhang Ziyi + martial arts = one kick-butt movie. Well, we've been waiting months and months for this film to finally hit theaters locally, and this week it debuted. I managed to take the time to slip into a theater after work today, to see this Zhang Yimou film and see if it would blow me away.

To put it bluntly... It didn't.

I really wanted to love this movie, to come in, watch it, and exit the theater gushing about how incredibly cool the story was, how great the fights were, how epic the adventure was and which of the scenes was my favorite. But in the end... I just came out feeling nothing really. No gushing, no imagining kung fu or fantasizing about Zhang Ziyi. It came and went.

To be fair, the film is gorgeous to look at. Many scenes show off awesome vistas of lush forests, fields and mountainsides in vibrant, lively colors. The martial arts are cool and stylized to their Wuxia Chinese sword drama roots- though you will have to enter the film accepting that people in this movie CAN do superhuman feats of acrobatics and weapon skill. You accept that Zhang Ziyi, despite being a petite charmer, is a deadly warrior and assassin. You just accept that the House of Flying Daggers somehow have the ability to turn simple blades into guided missiles of DOOM. In fact, this film would probably have rocked my world if it did center on the titular rebel group, and their apparent war against the corrupt government.

But really, all the epic elements of the film are mere backdrops to the love triangle between Daggers assassin Mei (played by Ziyi), Constable Jin (played by Andy Lau) and Constable Leo (played by Takeshi Kaneshiro). A good portion of the film has Lao and Ziyi eyeing each other hungrily, expressing sweet nothings and rolling in the grass. These slow scenes are broken by encounters with persistent soldiers, who are well-trained enough to turn into bamboo spear-throwing spidermen during the film's best fight scene. And while Zhang Ziyi is pretty awesome as a fighter, her character is diluted a bit by the fact that she is inferior ultimately to either of the two leads, and seems to lose her powers when in the arms of either guy.

The finale is the conclusion of the trio's triangular relationship, and everything else blots out, including an implied battle between the government troops and the Flying Daggers. This climax, as dramatic as it should have been, was pretty sloppy in terms of martial arts and actually elicited laughter due to the Terminator-like resilience of one of the players. Sad, but true. As for the resolution, pretty Asian. Think Crouching Tiger and Hero, and you know there won't be a happy "riding off into the sunset" ending. Oh well.
All in all, the film isn't really horrible or bad, by any length. The story's really not that deep or intriguing, but the performances were good overall, and the CG of the flying daggers was pretty cool. However, the marketing of this film gave an idea that the film was an epic, in the vein of Hero. But it really isn't... it's a love story, very asian and very dramatic. The film's original title I believe was The Lovers, and if this was what they used instead of 'House of Flying Daggers', I may have entered the theater expecting what I saw (but then again, I may not have entered AT ALL).

Well, Zhang Ziyi is still a feast for the eyes, and the bamboo forest scene was pretty cool. I don't regret taking the time to see HOFD, but I probably won't be wanting to see it again anytime soon. Sigh. Well, I hope Sky Captain satisfies me more when we see it tomorrow...

DIE, Rebel Scum!

I'm really not a big fan of shooters, but the Xbox actioner Star Wars Battlefront looks to be something I want to pick up. Basically, the game takes the greatest battles of the Star Wars universe (in all of the past films) and throws players in the boots of a foot soldier. Now, whether that soldier is a white-armored Imperial Stormtrooper or Republic Clone Trooper, a "Roger-Roger!" battle droid of the Separatists or a fighter in the Rebellion, it's up to you! Now you can finally see what it's like to be on the trenches defending the rebel shield generator from nigh-unstoppable AT-ATs, or as a combatant on the massive battle on Geonosis during Attack of the Clones. The sounds and imagery seem to be dead-on to the films, right down to having iconic characters such as Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker occasionally appearing on the sides, either against or for you. I may pick this up when I have the chance, for some mindless blaster-shooting action on the Black Box.

And best of all, you get to KILL Gungans!!! MAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!

Waste of Time

I went out with an officemate to have lunch and satisfy our mutual Jollibee craving. Afterwards, I walked around Glorietta, which was pleasantly NOT having a mallwide sale today. Then I thought I'd finally go over to the Makati branch of Sony Ericsson to have my P910i configured for MMS (apparently, there's a slight glitch which only SE itself can fix in the P9XX series' MMS function). The branch was supposedly located at Herrera Street in Legaspi Village, which was a short taxi ride away from Glorietta.
I went out and waited for a cab. But for some reason, all the cabs passing by were full, or were being driven by BASTARDS who would not stop for me (VANISHING RAY...). Then, feeling a bit energetic, I decided to walk the way.

Walk, walk, walk. Whew... It was farther than I thought.

Walk, walk, walk. I stopped by a Mini-Stop to get some band-aids for a scratch on my finger, and had to put up with an incompetently slow cashier/counter-monkey.

Walk, walk, walk.

AH! There it was! I could see the Sony Ericsson logo clear from across the street. But wait... the store seemed pretty empty... and what was that piece of paper sticking on the storefront....

Apparently, the Sony Ericsson Service Center in Makati has been moved to Glorietta 3.

GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

At which point I wanted to Vanishing Ray the whole frickin' city... but I made do with a cream bar from a nearby Mister Donuts. Oh well... Back to the office then.

GGGGGGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Crashing Back

The 15th issue of Culture Crash, the mega-popular local mangazine, is now available. Last night I got my copy along with the other comic buys. It was actually a bit of a close shave for money-short me; my withdrawal left my bank account hollow and empty, but that should change by today. WOOHOO!!! To quote Revolver Ocelot, I'm ALIVE again.
Anyway, the issue picks up from where the last ish left off LAST YEAR... yep, the last CC issue came out during the C3Con last Christmas, and now it's halfway past October already. Now, publishing is a fickle and difficult enterprise, and not even the CCCom Crew are immune to hiccups every now and then. I'm just glad they're still cooking. And from the looks of the latest release, they haven't lost their touch.
Anyway, issue 15 still has the usual suspects- Pasig by Taga-Ilog, Ryan Orosco's take on One Day, Isang Araw is getting more comfortable, Elmer Damaso's Cat's Trail revs up more action, and the talking streetfoods of Kubori Kikiam are still at it. There's a cool fanga based on the Pasig world, and very substantial anime and manga articles round up the rest of the zine with more material and style than any other local publication. Nice to see CC hasn't degraded after their hiatus.

On other local comic news, Edgar Tadeo has released his first ashcan comic, entitled YEW STUPID BASTARD!. I can describe it as excellently-drawn and laid out, but the jokes are a bit on the corny side. Still, it's worth checking out if only for the Ed's cool lines and the bare-faced good natured enthusiasm in the production.

The second issue of Jaime Bautista's CAST from Nautilus Comics is also out this week- Editor Elbert isn't slacking off on his job even though he's been making the rounds in interviews and workshops. CAST chronicles the drama and interactions that occur in a school production of an Arthurian Play, so it should appeal to teens and those into multi-faceted drama-comedy titles.

Expected out later this year are Lastikman from Mango Comics, written by Gerry Alanguilan and drawn by none other than Arnold Arre. So far I've seen the cover art, and heard comments that this is Arnold's best work yet. Can't wait to see it.

Siglo: Passion is almost complete, with just one or two holdouts left unsubmitted. I've seen the artwork for the other stories, and I have to say that the range of art styles runs the whole gamut from indie-style abstract quirkiness to international-quality graphic novel stuff. This is going to be an incredible thing to see once it comes before year's end. Will we top the first one? In quality, without a doubt. Let's see if we can win another award with it. Heh.

AND of course, K.I.A. Just a couple more stories to go- I will be working on my own requirements this weekend and into next week... If I actually pull this monster off, it'll be over 160+ pages, with art I'd stake my reputation on, and a gaggle of cool action stories laced with nice, spicy fan service. I've already asked someone to do a webpage, and once the pages are in, don't be surprised to see a sexy poster at Comic Quest to announce Kai's return.

WOOHOO!!! Lots of stuff to do still. The year's not yet over- there's still time to pull off something awesome. Wait for it. Heh.

City Myths

My favorite show these days is Urban Legends Revealed on Discovery Channel. The show, hosted by Natasha Henstridge (the sexy alien from Species), features four or five popular urban legends, and then takes them apart, finding out their origins, influences, variations and validity. These urban myths are those creepy and often macabre stories you heard from someone's friend's sister's cousin's roommate, seemingly true but... not. So far, the myths featured include the Vanishing Hitchhiker (which seems to be reflected in the local white lady stories and ghosts in general), the corpse of a scuba diver found atop a tree in a forest fire, corpses under hotel beds, alligators in the sewers and cooking babies among others.
Urban Legends Revealed is yet another creepy show that reinforces my belief that we love being scared or creeped out. It also made me think about local urban myths.

How about the story of a woman who got some jewelry stolen, and later was forced to swallow the jewelry by the thief who found out that the jewelry was fake? Well, apparently this myth has been updated, replacing the jewelry with a cellphone. Hmm.

How about the scary story of AIDs patients sticking people in theaters with a needle or toothpick dipped in HIV-positive blood?

Or the myth that looking into a mirror with a candle at midnight and saying an incantation will reveal to you either your true love or a demon?

The Philippines is still very much steeped in mysticism, supernatural beliefs and yep, a lot of urban legends. Hearsay, ignorance and fear of the unknown drives these myths, so it's safe to say that they'll be around long, long after all of us alive today are gone.
Urban Legends Revealed is shown on Discovery Channel on Tuesdays at 11 PM, with replays over the weekends. Check it out for some spooky, informative fun.

Rising Angel


Good news for the embattled heroine.

DC Comics' Fallen Angel by writer Peter David is one of my favorite titles, and really one of the few comics I really make a point to collect these days. This dark, gritty series about a mysterious anti-heroine in the shadowy city of Bete Noir has never really been a top favorite among readers- a fact that has kept the book on constant threat of being cancelled (crossing fingers...). Well, some good news, from Mr. David himself. Apparently, in order to support the launch of the Fallen Angel TPB (which collects issues 1-6), DC experimented and distributed free copies of the first issue. The result of this move was a thirty-three percent rise in sales of the trade, and a similar improvement in the monthly issues. DC, which had only confirmed the title up to issue 16 (the present issue, coming this week), has now given the go signal up to issue 20.

This is great news for me and other fans of the enigmatic Lee, and I hope this continues well for the series. I really recommend everyone who loves dark and unusual superhero fare to check Fallen Angel out; a good way would be to grab a copy of the TPB, available now at Comic Quest and other comic specialty shops.

Demon Stone


Hack and Slash action in Faerun.

Yesterday I tried out the PS2 AD&D action game, Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone. Set in the land of Faerun, the game puts you in control of a 3-member party consisting of a human fighter, a sorcerer and a female half-drow thief. Unlike similar games where you create characters from scratch, you basically work with these pre-set heroes and follow their story as they get thrown into a quest to stop a couple of evil, powerful Otherworlders (a Slaad Lord and a female Githyanki general) from unleashing their darkness upon the Forgotten Realms.
This game is more similar to the past Lord of the Rings games from Electronic Arts, which is more Final Fight than an RPG-type actioner like Champions of Norrath or Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. You basically work through a chapter with your three heroes, using various attacks and special techniques such as spells or the drow's ability to become momentarily invisible when passing through shadows. Controls are a bit on the slippery side, but the action is fast-paced and the screen is usually choked with tons of enemies to kill.
The game boasts some top Hollywood voice talent, such as Patrick "Jean-Luc Picard" Stewart as the archmage Blackstaff, and Michael Clark "Kingpin" Duncan as the evil Slaad. The graphics are pretty good, as is the music and sound effects. Playability is fine, with lots of attacks, combos and special techniques to dish out the punishment. I would have wanted the ability to customize your heroes more (such as getting the slinky drow in her skivvies. Heh...), but this is a good hack-and-slash action game to take out your frustrations at the end of a hard day.

Superman

Actor Christopher Reeve died yesterday. The 52-year old actor, paralyzed several years ago from a polo accident, succumbed to heart failure after going into a coma. The sudden passing of our generation's 'Superman' is felt quite acutely, especially among those who loved the movies starring the DC superhero. Farewell, Mr. Reeve, Chris, Kal-El, Superman.

Improved

This is what the group felt overall about the menu change at Country Waffles in Greenhills. The new waffle concoctions look great, such as the dubiously-named Uncle Jeb's Special (mapapa-Jebs ka sa sarap). We were able to try the Choco Nutella Banana waffle and it was pretty yummy. In addition, there are now bottomless soft drinks and drip-coffee available, so all-nighters can have their caffeine going till closing time. It all makes the chances of our coming back there again and again again a lot better.

Cliffhanger Ending

I just watched the final episode of .Hack: Legend of Twilight on Animax. If you found that the very abrupt ending- with heroes Shugo and Rena vanishing in a flash of light to save The World- left you hanging, then you should probably be interested to know that after the credits, there was supposed to be an additional 2-minute scene that wraps up the story. Yep, Animax (and Cartoon Network in the US, I think) did TV viewers an inconvenience by not airing the ending in its entirety.
Well, lucky for us, I did some research and found what we're looking for online. You don't have to go and get the anime dvds or vcds to watch the real ending to Legend of Twilight. Just go on down here and download the ending for yourself. I personally found the whole Legend of Twilight series pretty much on the dumb side (certainly not to the standards of the much better original .Hack series), but I am a sucker for closure for stuff I watch. Enjoy!

In case you can't download the video or don't have the time to, here's a synopsis of the ending:

After the credits, we open up in a scene in The World. It's sometime after the end of the crisis with the Wandering A.I. Everyone is meeting for an event- all the main characters, including Kamui and her assistant. Balmung remarks that the two most important people haven't arrived yet. Sanjuro assures him that they will come- The World is a place where you can meet anyone, no matter what. Then, finally, Shugo and Rena arrive, alive and as perky as ever. They get ready for their next adventures. In the shadows, the Fourth Kid looks on, perhaps having found the answer she was seeking in The World. With their friends, Shugo and Rena set off to start a whole new legend... Told you it was dumb... Heh.