Hey everyone, time for another Random Ramble, I hope you all are having a good long weekend (because I know I haven't had one because I had to work on monday) and I also giving a small shout out to my sister who turned 27 yesterday, we didn't have a big party but we had an interesting ice-cream cake, I just gave her a JB voucher and my very own B-day card

Anyway, now that I've got that out of the way. Let's move on...

A Very Special Rant in the works

Yes, I am going to rant about Sega, it was something that I had promised back on my Wordpress account. I just never had the feeling to do the rant but due to being inspired by a certain video on YouTube, I have to say my two cents about one of my favourite developer/publishers of all time (even they done really dumb desicions).

Random Facts about Me

No, I did not get tagged, I'm just doing it for a bit of fun and to express on who I am. I'm not tagging anyone else but if you want to talk facts about yourself, be my guest.

• I used to be in a bowling league during school
• I first tried alcohol when I was 16 at a graduation party
• My favourite console of all time is the Sega Dreamcast (but many of you know that by now)
• I'm a "Pepsi-holic"
• I used to hate grapes when I was younger but as I grew older, I now love them
• Power Stone, Tech Romancer and Viewtiful Joe are my favourite games made by Capcom
• My favourite anime of all time is Trigun
• My favourite slice of life comedy anime is K-On!
  
• Back when Pokemon was big, I loved playing the Trading Card Game... On Game Boy Colour
• I used to be in a public school from time to time but didn't end long as I stuck to my current school, back then
• The Super Nintendo was the first game console that started me on gaming
• I'm probably the only person in the world who doesn't find Yahtzee funny
• Despite shoving out Sonic games every year, Sega is my favourite developer/publisher
• I'm addicted to YouTube
• I prefer my plain chips thinly sliced while salt 'n' vinegar crinkle cut
• The Amazing Race is the only Reality show I ever cared for
• I used to watch a lot of Bugs Bunny and Tom & Jerry Cartoons on Laser Disc
• I had a soft spot for the Powerpuff Girls when I used to watch Cartoon Network
  
• I used to Gymnastics when I was little
• I'm a Madman fanboy
• I can't stand chart-topping music today (most of the artists suck imo)
• Research, Patience (sometimes) and Elaborate are my words of wisdom
• I've met Cathy Freeman, Dave Hughes, Andy Griffiths, James Hird and a few other little to well-known Aussie celebrities
• I used to really hate being called a "grub" by my mother when I was younger
  
• I can't be **** reading these days unless it's something that interests me
• The Sega Dreamcast is my favourite console of all time
• My favourite movie of all time is Pan's Labyrinth (so good, I haven't opened the DVD )
• Spike Jonze and Takeshi Kitano are two of my favourite filmmakers
• I was a big fan of Gameshows when I was a kid (especially the ones you watch after school)
• I get a little fearful on the train (for obvious reasons)
• Salior Moon was the first anime I ever saw
• Even though I don't pay full attention in school, I still managed to pass my work
• I never went into detention once at school
• While I'm into heavy metal, I also like to listen to some pop (but mostly Bjork), alternative, punk, hardcore, techno and a bit of Jrock/pop.

That's all I can think of. Feel free to respond if you wish, whenever it's comments or in your own blog Moving on...

Final Purchases for the Year

As Christmas season is coming soon, I'd thought I'd save the best games that I'm wanting to get at Christmas, so to save on that, I decided to try and get at least two games before then and they'll be the last purchases I'll get.

For starters, I'll be planning to get Tekken 6, whilist hearing good scores on the game (even though like most reviews, I ignore them ) I'm hoping it'll be just as fun as the past Tekken games I've played like Tekken 2 on the PS1 and Dark Ressurection on the PSP. I did hear that there are long load times in the game but that shouldn't be a problem when you install it and laggy online but since I'm not that kind of gamer, it doesn't bother me. I'm getting the Collector's Edition which has a free hoodie in it as well as some other goodies that a die-hard Tekken fan would want and there's also a Arcade Stick edition but I have no interest in that since it's too expensive and I don't like playing arcade sticks (sorry, they're just not how I play) but other than that, I can't wait to play King in High definition

Another on my list is a game titled A Boy and His Blob which I did mention in my previous blog. The remake of the 1989 Cult clas$ic of the NES (created by David Crane of Pitfall! fame and Founder of Activision) and while I didn't get a good run when I tried the game at the expo, I was still impressed on how it controlled, the art and nature of the game. While I may prefer a more faster pace 2D platformer but this seems like something that I can relax and play through all the levels without any regret and with a price point of $50AU, what can go wrong? (Especially with all the great reviews I'm seeing.)

I am considering of getting New Super Mario Bros. Wii when it comes out but I decided not to since I plan to get it as a Christmas present instead, I hear it's going to be harder than Super Mario World (crazy, ain't it? If you don't use the Super Guide feature that is).

Prince of Persia Trailer Impressions

I've recently seen the trailer for the upcoming Prince of Persia movie based on the games by Ubisoft, Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (of the Priates of the Carribean) and starring Jake Gyllenhaal (of Donnie Darko and Brokeback Mountain).

I'm not a huge fan of the franchise but I do like the games but when I heard about this movie, I wasn't sure what to think about, it may or may not turn out to be another crappy video game based movie, I just wasn't sure. When I saw the trailer, I was intriguided on the setting and the special effects that seem to capture the major essence of the game but what I'm more worried about is the story and acting, while it doesn't explain the plot (obviously), it was an odd choice to have Gyllenhaal as the main character but his accent was something interesting but a little mixed for the most part. So, I don't know what to say other than it looks pretty good, it has an interesting cast (they also have Ben Kingsley in the film as the main villan I'be noticed) and the setting feels reminiscent to the 2000 PoP games rather than the 2008 "re-birth" title which to me is a good thing, but I'll wait and see, I'm not expecting too much from this.

A 3G Nintendo Handheld? Sweet! Cartridge-Free? WTF?!

As Nintendo are planning for their new handheld system using the Nvidia Tegra Chipset, they are also planning to think of having the system functional with online capabilities with 3G meaning you can go online anywhere, which I think is an awesome idea which is what Sony could have done with the PSP but didn't but the thing that bothers me about the inclusion of 3G is that they're also considering of the system being cartridge-less which kinda null and voids their thoughts on distribution they stated a few weeks ago (I cbf finding the original link sadly) especially since I prefer to have my hard copies but I don't mind it much if it was one of those downloadable games (like the ones from the DSiware shop) but still with that said, I'd like to play my DS games on this new one if they ever do add a cartridge slot in it but if they don't, they'll probably have the same experience as the PSP Go has now.

Well, that's all for Random Rambles, Take care everybody and I'll see you all from the Dark side

(My next blog may be about two upcoming movies that I really want to see)

Hello everyone, How are you all?

I am bit worn out but not fully though, as I've had a good time at this years....

eGames Expo! Now you all know that I've been talking about this event for quite a while now and I finally got to go today with my brother with a little help from my dad to get me in for free (since the company that he works for was having a booth set up there), but before I went to the expo, I had some business to deal with my car (the air conditioning wasn't working) by taking it to an Ultra Tune but enough of that, You want to know what was at the expo.

Well, getting there was a little confusing at first but we made it just fine though. Had a bit of a look around, there wasn't much and the location of the expo was different from last year's (since it was taking place at the Exhibition Bulding instead of the Exhibition Center, Yes there is a difference, believe me), I've met some one you may all know (Darth) and as well as an old friend (who now works in video games).

Something like last year, Ubisoft was a real show stopper of the expo, having a big stall with tons of games on display ranging from PS3, Xbox 360 and the Wii. I've seen and played a few, so I'll tell you some as well as my impressions on them.

For starters, Red Steel 2. This one is something I'm looking forward to next year, as it tends to tackle all the problems that the original had and improve them. From what I've played, they certainly have but the experience would have been better if the sensor bar wasn't at the bottom of the TV which was something that infuriated me while playing the game but other than that, I was plesantly surprised on how smooth the frame-rate was when compared to the gameplay footage I've seen on the net. The Motion Plus is used for this game (as stated) and it works rather well when it comes to the swordplay, so this is something to lookout for next year.

Shaun White's Snowboarding: World Tour, the sequel to the original, cartoony Wii title that was one of the many to utilise the Wii Balance Board comes back with also Wii Motion Plus compatibility. I remember playing the original (which I do have btw) at last year's expo on the Wii Balance Board (which I don't have), I wasn't very good at it as well as this on the first try. But the second try however, I got a little better than the female staff member of Ubisoft who played the game before me (as she complimented me for that ) and I gotta say, I had a lot of fun with it but it's something that you'll have to take some time of getting used to if you're planning to play with the Wii Balance Board.

Moving away from Ubisoft for one moment was the stand from AFA Interactive as they had two games on display, some bloody fairy-tale beat 'em up game on the PSN and A Boy and His Blob on the Wii. A remake of the cult ****c NES game made back in 1989, the Wii version offers a bit more content, more easier to follow and tight control-scheme (using either the Wiimote and Nunchuk (No motion controls required!) or the Clas$ic Controller) as well as some of the most beautiful 2D graphics that I have ever seen on any console to date. It should be released sometime in November and I'm considering to add it on my list and while it may be a bit slow paced for a 2D Puzzle/Platform, it's a game that might be worth experiencing as I've seen plenty of positive feedback for it lately.

Now going back to Ubisoft and moving away from the Wii, I went into a room to see Avatar: The Game. Based on the upcoming movie from James Cameron (Director of films like Terminator 2 and Titanic) which has NOTHING to do with the Cartoon series, I've heard quite a bit about this game that it has a bit of tie-in with the people who worked on the film are also working on the game to make it equal in hoping to become a well developed licensed game. From what I've played, it's very good but it's basically just a plain 3rd-person shooter, it plays very well, it looks amazing (despite some frame-rate issues) and while the same game is outside the small room to play, but the one inside I played shows that the game has a feature that you can turn it to 3D while wearing the 3D glasses and while it doesn't go outside the screen, it definitely stands out. What's interesting to know that the HD versions show one part of the story from the film while the Wii version will show a different story (as well as utilising the Wii Motion Plus and Balance Board), so it makes the development of this licensed project seems interesting, I'll be looking out for this game (as well as the movie, if I can be bothered though).

And finally, we're onto the game that was only played as a demostration from one of the Ubisoft representitives, Splinter Cell: Conviction. The Next installment based off the book by Tom Clancy (Yes, there is a book) which was in the works for a long time, finally has a release date as it comes out in February next year. When I first heard about this game, I wasn't too keen as I wasn't impressed with the first one back in the day (as it emphisized too much on Stealth, I know it's a stealth game but a little more action could have helped) but it seems that this game has reeled me in as it looks so much different from the past games and the best part is that I don't need to know the past games in order to play this one (as the staff member told me). It does rely on stealth mechanics but it has a lot of tweaks in the game to make it more action oriented like a target lock system to plan which enemies you wish to shoot first before doing a hostage grab, there's brutal interrigations, sonar vision, a shadow replica of Sam Fisher (don't ask me what's that about, it's hard to explain) as well as seemless objectives that they show on the building walls or ground. There's more to this game but it'd take a lot for me to explain and it's hard to do so but all in all, I'm looking forward to this game as I'm impressed of what I've seen and considering of getting a pre-order .

There were more games that I've seen like Assassin's Creed II and tried like Spectrobes: Origins but I don't know much to explain it all, so I can't explain that. Sorry.

What I did enjoy the best of the expo were the store booths, mostly Madman as they had ton of anime goodies for sale as well as a store called Future Games (they'll have an online store soon) as they had quite a bit of games for sale at great prices. I've also got a showbag but it's nothing worth mention (other than it's a JB Hi-fi bag ).

Here's some of the things I got at the expo:

• Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard on the 360
• Puzzle Quest: Galatrix on the DS
• Baccanno! Complete Collection
• Rurouni Kenshin Collection 01 Box Set
• Fullmetal Alchemist Collection 2 Box Set
• Solty Rei Complete Collection
• FLCL (Fooly Cooly) Complete Collection (Slim)
• Azumanga Daioh OST Vol. 1

So yeah, that's quite a bit (money-wise) but I think it's worth it

And that's all I have for this blog, I hope you enjoyed reading it and until next time, Take care and I'll see you from the dark side.

Hey everyone, I'm back again with another blog. As I do have a couple of blogs in the works, but most of them I haven't done yet due to laziness and lack of thoughts to add in those blogs, but I will put them up so give me a break and please be patient.

Anyway, Now for the annoucement...

I will not be working for 3 days tomorrow (like I usually do) since My dad is going away on a business trip, so I can only work for two days instead and will be back on Thursday and then on friday, he has an event to go to which is affiliated with the same place and event that I'll be going to. The company that my dad works for is having a show at the Digital Life$tyle Expo which is a part of...

The eGames Expo, which I'm looking forward to but not expecting much since last year's was rather boring for the most part, although I do await some cool things happening like Red Steel 2, A Boy and His Blob and a few other games on display to give a shot at. Plus, plenty of stands to buy stuff from as well as...
.


Madman making an apperance at the event, so I'm expecting a lot of anime goodness to buy from them But they're also showcasing games (since they're now also publishing games but no major titles though) which is a big surprise. Anyway, I'm planning to shoot some video footage of the event as well as some photos but that depends if I can. I'm just hoping to get special access which my Dad said I will so we'll see what happens on that Friday.

I could have gone on either weekends (like I did in the past) but Friday is my day off and It'll be less busy which is a great thing. So best of luck that day



Now moving on to the Updates. There's not much I can say at the moment, I've been playing a lot of Borderlands and loving it so much, a very immense yet fun FPS/RPG that I believe is one of my choices for Game of the Year, but there's plenty more where that comes from (of course). I've also been playing Demon's Souls on the PS3 and so far, it works well online (which is a surprise since it's a US regional game but then again, the PS3 has no region locks, so that's no surprise in that department), I'm getting the hang of it as this game is really tough, it's no joke as I've stated numerous times. And finally, I've also been playing some more Mario & Luigi, now getting used to the battle system and where to go as I did have a bit of trouble earlier but at least now I'm making some headway.

I've also been checking a few animes lately, I've watched the first eps of RahXephon and School Rumble, I do wish to check more of RahXephon but I'm not too fussed on School Rumble even though the first ep was rather funny but who knows? I'll check it later.



But what I have been watching a lot of lately is Bleach because I have a box set (even though it's not slim) that I haven't gotten around to but have now. From what I've seen from the past ten episodes, I like it but it suffers from a very slow pace and the same scenario that happens in one episode goes onto the next which kinda bothers me a little. There are a few other things I like to point out but that may be another blog for another day. So, I'll leave it at that.

And now it's time for this month's Pick-ups but starting with a few that I got last month that I failed to mention on the GSAU forums.



I got two magazines (Nintendo Power and Edge), Gran Torino and This is England on DVD and finally Dead Space on the PS3 (re-bought it on sale) and Bleach: Dark Souls on the DS (also on sale, why buy it? Because I liked the first one).

Now on to the things I got this month...

• AC/DC - Black Ice
• Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
• Girugamesh - Border [CD+DVD Combo]
• Both Trigun Soundtracks

I only got Two DVDs this month, Pitch Black and The Boondock Saints, Both pretty cheap.

Now the games I bought this month.

• Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2: Collector's Edition
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (with 2 disc soundtrack)
• Demon's Souls: Deluxe Edition
• Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner (Special Edition, Lucky buy for $79)
• Brutal Legend (Love it!)
• Borderlands (I don't need to repeat myself )
• Uncharted 2: Limited Collector's Edition (Beaten it, I may play community night)

• Wet (bought it via Play-Asia)
• Okami (Got it cheap at a sale)
• Both Professor Layton Games (I've mentioned that in one of my past blogs)
• Super Robot Taisen: OG Saga - Endless Frontier (Such a long title!)
• Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside Story

(Not pictured: Rock Band Unplugged, Via PSN)

Free Fallout 3 Theme (Thanks to a special friend for giving me the code)

A new pair of Shoes from Vans

Now onto some anime/manga goodness I got:

• Animavericks (Vol. 19) Magazine (Got it via Subscription)
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time on DVD
• Gurren Lagann Vol. 1 and Box (With Drill Key)
• Rosario + Vampire Vol. 9 (only one more to go!)
  
• X Vol. 1 Manga
• Ouran High School Host Club Vol. 2 + 3 Mangas (Although I hate the Vol. 2 cover I bought)

And finally some random stuff I got:

• FullMetal Alchemist T-shirt
• Brutal Legend T-shirt (got it with the game)
• Borderlands T-shirt (got it with the game)
• Drill Key (from the Gurren Lagann DVD)
• Mini Tripod (A gift from Dad)

I forgot to add an issue of Filmink Magazine that I got via subscription.

Well, that's all I have for today, Thanks for reading everyone. Take Care snd I'll see you from the dark side