We got a couple of really good stuff over the weekend:

• Spiderman 2 -- It's pretty good. I played the Spiderman game on PS One and always commented how I want to just swing around the city. Well I got my wish. It has an open environment like GTA, with a random crime generator. You don't have to do every crime that comes your way, but you do need to do some to earn hero points and get health.
• Shadow of Destiny -- It has a very cool premise: you are killed by an unknown assailant, but you are given a reprieve from death to solve your own murder. The problem lies not with the game, but with my PS2. For some reason and it's not the first time, the game is very jumpy. It's playable, but it hurts the eye after about 15 minutes. This upsetted Ty more than anything (he's more hyped about playing the game). I think I need to take the system somewhere to be looked at.
• Playboy 50 Years: the Cartoons -- Great book for the coffee table, a great book in general. I admit, I do like reading Playboy. What can I say, they have great article and cartoons. Anyhoo, the cartoons featured in the book ranges from cheeky naughty humor to some more morbid humor to some simple gag humor. A lot the humor requires some inkling of attention and knowledge.

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On a side note, I just got my pink slip. Whip out the Prozac and unemployment line here I come.

I went on a game shopping spree on Friday night. It was Ty's form of a birthday/ anniversary present; it's a little early due to the fact I will be leaving shortly. It blows that I won't be able to play with my new toys until Wednesday. Sigh...

I got:

- Devil May Cry 3 -- It's as hard as everyone has been saying. If I get carpal tunel it will because of this game.

- Spy Fiction -- It's stealth game. I didn't spend much time with it, but it seems good so far.

- Viewtiful Joe 2 -- I never played the first one, so it took some time for me to get use to it.

- La Pucelle Tactics -- It's adorable. There must be some problem with my PS2, the game is completely jumpy. I didn't play with it as much as I wanted to. I got in maybe a half an hour worth of play before my eyes started to hurt.

- Katamari Damacy - Between Friday & Saturday night, I manage to beat the game by doing the bare minimum requirement for the stage. For some reason, I developed this perverted pleasure in rolling people up into balls. Something to do with that blood curdling scream that makes me giggle. It has such a catchy soundtrack. Lala...

Anyho, gotta go. Last minute packing.

Sailor Yuna Make Up!

Ty recently got me Final Fantasy X2. I have been warned by my friends and my brother that this game is subpar for a Final Fantasy game, so I really had no high hope for the game. I did find myself enjoying the game to some small extent, but in all it's as they say subpar.

The gameplay is relatively simple. Instead of each person specializing in a certain class like in most previous FF games, FF X2 utilizes the Garment Grid which allows the girls to switch between preset job classes (the Dresspheres) with some bonus. It's much simpler than it sounds and a lot better than the Sphere Grid used in FFX. The downside of the Garment Grid system is that the abilities the girls learn can only be access by changing over to the related class; you can't mix and match like in FF V or FF Tactics. Furthermore, changing of class brings up a small FMV of the changing process that's remiscent of every magical girl anime show. The first few times were cute, but when you do it a hundred times, it's very grating on the nerve. I think that's why Ty have been suggesting that I finish Mercernaries or Prince of Persia.

The game is easy. There's fewer random battles, but they tend to be long due to need to change class and the girls' weak attacks. However, the battles are in active time, forcing you do a little strategizing on the fly. Unlike FFX, the game moves in a non-linear way. It's assumed that you have played FF X; you're not shoe-horned into exploring the world again, unless you desire so. It's encouraged that you do, since each area has an optional mission that the girls can complete and further the storyline and character development.

Storywise, the game is very girly and shallow, though upbeat. It leans more to Spice World (I admit, I saw the movie, but Ty saw it with me and a couple of buddies) and Totally Spies! than to Charlie's Angels. The characters never took themselves seriously. Everything just seem like fun and games to them. The dialogue is as intelligent a group of high school girls.There really no depth to the dialogue, which leads me to question... Do we (girls) really sound like this? I have no problem with some of the girlishness, but some of it is just so maddeningly frivolous. The characters are eh at best and at worst a cartoonish caricature. It just seems there's really nothing more to the character than the role they fill. The plus side is somehow Yuna managed to develop a personality.

FF X2 is not a great game, it's decent at best. The game is just overly saturated with silly girliness.

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War of the World: A Grotesque Beauty

Originally yesterday we were suppose to see a free screening of Fantastic Four, but apparently a local station was also promoting the movie and gave out way too many passes. So a lot of people who arrived on time were turned away at the door.

Instead of trekking back home, Ty and I opted to see War of the World. I never read the book, but I know the general gist of the story. I had high hopes for the movie (being it a Spielberg flick) and prayed nothing cheesy happens at the end (like a sick person sneezes and it's all over for the aliens on the spot). I was not disappointed.

The story of the movie was simple: Aliens land and attack everything in sight. A divorced man tries to unite his kids with his ex-wife in Boston. Along the way more aliens attack and more people gets vaporized.

What was endearing about the movie was that it's very emotionally charged and the characters were imperfect people. Tom Cruise's character, Ray, is anything but perfect. Ray is selfish and immature. He would put his children in danger to satisfy his childish curiousity. Though he is sadly out of touch with his children, he still loves them dearly. Ray's children aren't exactly little angels either. His teenage son, Robbie, comes off as an angry rebellious teen who thinks he knows best. The daughter, Rachel, is one of those overly doctored/ medicated children that are too mature for their age. Sadly both children don't hold their father in high esteem and feels that the only reason that they are heading up to Boston is so that he can unload himself of the responsibility of looking after them on someone else (there's some truth to it). Needless to say, their personlities clash periodicly throughout the movie. In the end, they came out it a little closer and a little more mature.

There is a certain grotesque beauty to the movie. Even though the situation is terrifying, there are scenes that are just beautiful to look at and some are reminders of old pulp sci-fi novel covers/ comics. The movie is very clean (meaning no gratitous amount of body parts flying, violent/ horrendous deaths are kept at a minimum, etc.), it still holds some moment that were very horrifying, namely the flaming Amtrack train and the river of dead bodies.

On a last note, is me or does the loud sound the aliens make prior to vaporizing people sound exactly like the first note of the music that the aliens in Close Encounter played? Ty suggested it might be a little inside joke or an Easter Egg, since Spielberg also directed Close Encounter.

I found a few things on my computer at work, thought I would post them somewhere before I clean out the folder.

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Rumble Roses

Developer: Yuke’s

Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment America

Pros:

+ Easy to learn controls

+ Good graphic

+ Diverse & engaging characters

Cons:

- Move execution is sometimes a little sluggish

- Low replay value in story mode

- A little on the sleazy side

First Impressions:

“Hon, I want this game. Before you roll your eyes, it’s a wrestling game and it’s about girl power,” my boyfriend said.

The game he wanted was Rumble Roses. Of course, me being the ever-loving girlfriend got it for him. I have to admit that a huge part of me wanted find whether this game just about the skin and jiggling factor or if there is more to it.

In Rumble Roses, you can play as one of the many women wrestlers who have joined the Rumble Roses tournament for various personal reasons. The stories come off as a little cheesy, but it’s forgivable. After all it’s wrestling, cheesiness is expected as well as lots of skin and panty shots.

Graphics:

Overall the graphic is very good. The game is in 3-D. The camera stays mostly at the ¾ view. Once in a while during special/ signature moves and humiliation, the camera will cut to a more cinematic view or you can move the camera to a more favorable angle.

There are several generic looking arenas and a beach arena populated with cheering non-descriptive male dominated audience (there are a few ladies in the crowd).

Sound/Music:

The music is appropriate for the game. Every wrestler and her alter ego have her entrance song. Entrance music ranges from Dr. Cutter’s sinister techno to Rowdy Reiko’s 1970’s Japanese pop to Aisha’s R&B vocals. The background music sounds like a tone down version of Dance Dance Revolution.

The sound effects are not spectacular, but it’s adequate to the game. Some of the effects such as the stretching and cracking are clear and loud enough to get under your skin.

Game Play:

Rumble Roses has a Soul Calibur-like control. There is a strike and a grapple button. The R1 button is your block. Your moves depend on the directional button and action button you are pushing and what direction you are facing your opponent. You can counter an opponent’s attack with a combination of the R1 + strike or grapple button. It’s not as complex as Soul Calibur. The average learning time for basic control is about 30 minutes give or take. Effectively using a character will take a little bit longer.

In Rumble Roses, you have the choice of playing the story mode or the exhibition mode. In story mode, you play the game as one character trying to accomplish whatever reason she had joined the Rumble Roses Tournament. Once you complete one character’s storyline, she becomes available in the exhibition mode. The alter ego of each wrestler is playable in story mode, but it lacks the more in-depth backstage/ locker room interaction between characters.

The exhibition mode features the 2-player option, Championship match, and the Vow system. The Vow system is pivotal in changing the wrestlers alignment. Majority of the wrestlers starts off as Face (or in simpler term, Good). The Vow system is a series of stipulation or requirement that the wrestler must fulfill during the match (hence the name Vow). There is a series of vows that a wrestler can take. Some are easy to do (i.e. don’t use weapons or do a signature move), but are worth less points. Others are a lot harder to do (i.e. win with first pin fall or win by attacking only one body area), but are worth lots of point. The point is added up at the end of the match and shifts the alignment accordingly. Once the wrestler reaches 100% of her opposite alignment, she is allowed to challenge the current champion and her alter ego is unlock, provided she wins the championship.

Enjoyment:

Rumble Roses is more enjoyable as multiplayer game and in exhibition mode. There’s not much replay value in story mode once you unlocked all the characters and their gallery. The CPU is not hard to beat once you get the feel for the game. I had more fun playing with my boyfriend in the exhibition mode, making up our own plots and shifting alignment.

Multiplayer:

Two people can play the game in exhibition mode. Plus, if you don’t feel like wrestling, you can set two CPU to fight each other.

Overall Impression:

Being a casual wrestling fan, I am impressed with the game. There is some substance in the game besides skin & jiggling. Any fan of wrestling would be impressed with the realistic moves displayed in the game. The moves that are exhibit are anything but girly. There is something pleasing in seeing woman being able to pull off some of the same moves that the guys of WWE can do.

Despite all the jiggling and skin shown and cheesy stories, these characters are believable. The attitude and personality of these woman carry are far from simple sexy eye candy. They all have unique personality. Everyone in the game is driven to achieve her goals and they are more than capable enough to achieve it. Furthermore, most of these ladies are accomplish professionals in their fields prior to joining the Rumble Rose Tournament. Among the ranks of the ladies, there is a scientist/ doctor (albeit she’s mad), an R & B diva, an Olympic judo master, and of course a woman champion wrestler.

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

It’s very obvious that this game geared towards the horny male audience. The few TV commercials I have seen plays on the male fantasy of cat fight, very reminiscence of the Miller cat fight girls that were popular a year or so ago. It’s as if the advertising department believes that only boys are interested in video games. It would be refreshing to see a commercial promoting the game as women being able to kick ass, not as pretty girls in a petty catfight.

Moving on…

I finally put off the inevitable and finished FF X. In all, FF X was a decent game. It had a good story with some good plot twist. Most of the characters are well developed. Throughout the game, they each go thru their personal emotional arc. Thank goodness, there was no goddamn chocobo breeding.

On the downside, FF X was relatively easy. It was very anti-climatic getting to the end. Often it was much harder getting to the boss, then fighting the boss. All the bosses have massive HPs in the hundred thousand range, but with haste and aeons’ overdrive that was easily whittled down. Yu Yevon took about five minutes with a party of Tidus, Auron, and Lulu hacking/casting to beat, and that was without the Break Damage Limit.

Anyhoo, I have moved on, or rather moved back, to Kingdom Hearts. I was never a really fan of Tetsuya Nomura’s design. His designs tend to be a bit on the gaudy side. Maybe I’m just a little old school in preferring function to design, but his designs for KH were great. It’s still stylish, but without the gaudiness. I should have KH done before my birthday. ^_~

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On an unrelated note…

I told Ty of my plans for my birthday this year. I am going to blow some money and get a bunch of old games I wanted to play & have forgotten about; that and a PS1 memory card. I think Tom has taken my memory card with his Playstation when we split a couple of years ago. Ty still sees him around, but whatever friendship between him and us has more or less degenerated into animosity. There’s really no point stirring up crap for an $8 dollar memory card.

I have a handful of unplayed PS1 games that are sitting in my drawer for a good several years. Among them is FFVIII, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, and couple of other games that begging me to play them. Can’t wait. ^_~

I don't know why I wrote this up. I blame FFX for it.

Anyway, I have thinking about female characters in games and started break them down into archetype. By no means is it correct or complete. This is just an observation from my experience playing. Feel free to comment, crit, etc. etc.

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Recently, Ty got me Final Fantasy X. I had been a fan of Final Fantasy since FF 3/6. I have spent a lot of money on FF related items (CDs mostly). I have been fanatical to the point of clipping articles & magazine ads for FF. But in the last few years I have been less and less enthusiastic with each release. Like a true fan, I am still buying the games, cds, etc. despite my skepticism.

As I continued to play FFX, of course, the topic of each FF game came up. We talked a lot about the plus & minus of each game. So, here’s a look back…

- Final Fantasy 4: 4.5/ 5 moogles

The nice thing about the Final Fantasy series is that each game stands alone. You don’t need to play the very first Final Fantasy to play the second. In my case, I was so impressed with FF6 that I had to go back to play the earlier games. FF4 did not disappoint. It was nowhere as grand as FF6, but the story is just as epic. FF4 was more of a tragedy. Probably just as many playable characters as FF6, but many leave after concluding their story arc.

- Final Fantasy 5: 2.75/ 5 moogles

I managed to play most of this game on an emulator about a year prior to it stateside release. It featured a small party and the class system that will be later be re-used in FF Tactics. It’s an okay game, with a great soundtrack. Other than that, there’s really nothing outstanding about it. I didn’t have a chance to finish the game after I accidentally saved over my save point & the computer went kaput.

- Final Fantasy 6: 5/ 5 moogles

I have a lot of fond memories attached to this game. It was my first Final Fantasy. Like they say, you always remember the first. That and there's a freakin' interactive opera in the game. Asides from Tactics, I don’t think the following FF titles support such a huge well-developed cast.

- Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest: 2.5/ 5 moogles

Mystic Quest was a step back from the 6 & 4 and a big step it was. Mystic Quest was meant to be a beginner's RPG, but it was way too easy and very un-engaging for me. Super Mario was harder than this, but in all, it is a wholesome cute little game. Good for your kid brother, a good alternative to Pokemon.

- Final Fantasy Tactics: 4/ 5 moogles

FF takes a plunge into the realm of strategy-based games with this game. Instead of a small group of characters to control, you have a small army. On top of it, the game has taken the class system featured in FF5 & expanded on it. The class system offers unique endless customization of your army. Now if I can only get my hand on a GameBoy Advance.

- Final Fantasy 7: 4/ 5 moogles

Aah... FF 7, a milestone for Square. FF 7 brought Square & its franchises to mainstream America. (Side note: If I hear one more person claiming that’s the first Final Fantasy ever to grace the States side, I am going to beat them to death with a Swingline stapler. It’s called Final Fantasy SEVEN for a reason) I loved the Materia System & the Limit breaks, but I hated the chocobo raising. It was a total waste of time, especially to get the few materias that late in the game. Stupid inbred chocobos.

- Final Fantasy 8: 2.75/ 5 moogles

FF 8 was a depart from the fantasy. FF 8 featured a slightly more sci-fi feel to it as well as a more realistic design to the game. FF 8 departs from the previous Final Fantasy greatly. There’s no armor or relics, your weapons require specific items to upgrade. The magic system is replaced with the draw system. Again, it sounded great on paper, but I have a hard time as learning. I think, eventually I’ll complete it, provided that I get a memory card.

- Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within: 3/ 5 moogles

FF: TSW took a big leap from traditions – no moogles, no chocobos, no summons, no magic. The only thing that really ties the movie to the franchise was ever-knowledgeable Cid. TSW is best described as a sci-fi movie with the Final Fantasy name slapped on it.

- Final Fantasy 9: not yet rated

By this point many people were complaining how the FF series was deviating from its fantasy roots. As a response, FF 9 went old school, the Orko black mage returns. It was received with mixed feelings. Personally, I liked it, or at least the half hour I have played.

- Kingdom Hearts: 3/ 5 moogles

The rabid fangirls strikes again. This game has spawned so many yaoi sites; it’s very, very scary. KH is a collaboration between Square & Disney. Personally, it was more like a Disney propaganda, it’s like saying they could be mature without being overly sappy.

- Final Fantasy 10: 3.5/ 5 moogles

Despite my reservation about the game, I ended up liking the game so far. The story is pretty engaging, though confusing at times. Most of the characters are very well developed, though I still don’t see the attraction in Yuna. For some unknown reasons, rabid otaku are attracted to the most boring characters with little or no personality. First it was Aeris, then Rinoa, now it’s Yuna.

Noteworthy Mention:

Not exactly Final Fantasy titles, but these are games from Square that I have played are worth mentioning.

- Secret of Mana: 4/ 5 moogles

This was an excellent game that plays more like an action RPG. It’s like playing Legend of Zelda for SNES except you can play with 2 other people. It provided endless hours of fun, swearing, & name-calling. I recall the term “stupid” was used a lot. Aah…good times

- Secret of Mana 2: 4.75/ 5 moogles

A total Square debacle. Instead of porting this awesome sequel, Square decided to promote Secret of Evermore. Within a year or so, a few dedicated fans translated the game & it was downloadable on nearly every ROM site on the web. The strange part was many of the people who downloaded the free ROM were more than willing to pay the $60+ for the cartridge. Why Square refuses to port this wonderful game over remains a mystery even to this day.

- Chrono Trigger: 5/ 5 moogles

The best non-Final Fantasy RPG ever! It’s another game that I have some fond memories attached. It sported an excellent soundtrack and story, awesome design from Akira Toriyama and 9 different endings. What made Chrono Trigger stand out was the New Game + features, provided weeks and weeks of replay. Despite getting most of the endings, I never found Chrono Trigger repetitive or lack in challenge. Plus, there’s a guest appearance from Vicks & Wedge.

- Parasite Eve: 3/ 5 moogles

A video game base off of a novel of the same name with a movie based off the videogame, or so they say. Game play wise, it’s okay. Personally, the story was more interesting than playing it. I heard rumors of a sequel, so fingers are crossed.

Wow... it's been over a month since I lasted posted anything. Mostly I have frustrated by my mom and lack of money.

I have trying to be good. I have managed to get myself to do at least 3-4 Downward Spiral strips per a week & did a handful of filler art. I'm seriously thinking of putting Downward Spiral on Keenspace. I like the option of loading a bunch of strips that will post automaticly on a set time. I have been slowly moving some of the old artwork from the site to Deviant Art. :D The website update have been put on hiatus. I have also been working on a small portfolio for some freelance work at Kenzer & Co.

Speaking of portfolio, this year I'm just gonna lay low for Wizard World. I don't have much in work, just Tequila Sunrise: Slime & the new Downward Spiral stuff and maybe a few illustrations. I'm just a tire of franticly scrambling for stuff to show when I have none.

I have caved in & joined a Union on Gamespot. So far I like it. All the posts are articulate and have something intelligent to say, a sharp departure from the usual posts I see elsewhere.

Anyhoo, Ty & I have traded in a couple of games for a few new ones - Prince of Persia 2: Warrior Within, Red Ninja, God of War, and Stolen.

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Prince of Persia 2: Warrior Within

When it comes to sequels, there are only two ways to go. The first way is the more desirable path, the path of improvement. Games on this path is often exhibit some degree of improvement or favorable tweaking to the system. The other way is the path of disappointment. Oftimes the game has little improvement or the gameplay is changed for the worst. Sometimes by no fault of its own, the sequel just simply cannot stand up the tall pedestal of the first game. Prince of Persia 2 falls into the later cateogory.

PoP 2 isn't a bad game. It's just not the Prince of Persia I have come to love. It suffered the same syndrome that DMC 2 have suffered. They try to make the game more "mature", more hardcore by sacrificing the details that made the game so enjoyable. I probably wouldn't have been as disappointed if I have played the second game first, then the first or if they made the story totally unrelated to the first.

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Red Ninja: End of Honor

Bad game, baaaaaaaaaaaad. Bad game make me want to microwave.

I have a very high tolerence for crappy stuff, be it movies, TV show, anime, etc. etc. I simply could not stomach Red Ninja. It was bad not because of its cliche story, nor because its crappy action/combat abilities, but because its horrendous camera controll. If you thought BloodRayne 2's camera was bad, you haven't seen anything yet. This was the first time playing video games hurted my eyes. Oh... the pain.

I finally had enough the game when stupid Akemi accidently killed me for the third time during a boss fight.

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God of War

Excellent, excellent game. It's a definite keeper in our collection.

It's a brutal, violent game. Despite that, it's very mature in handling. It has an incredible story & story telling, very Greek. The designs & music are amazing and very original. We beat the game on easy, still that was hard for us. I have never seen graphics so crisp and beautiful on the PS2.

It's also have about 2 hours of extra material that unlocks after you beat the game. Nice.
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Stolen

A decent game in the rough. Sadly the game is plagued with many serious glitches. Nothing is worse than saving a perfect mission only to find out it did not save or it spawns you way way back in the mission. That and being a very, very short game (there's only 4 levels in the game). Thank god we paid only $8 for the game (after trading in PoP 2 & Red Ninja).

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Other Noteworthy Reviews

- Samurai Champloo:
Samurai & hip hop? You would think it's like oil & water, but suprisingly it's very good series. It's from the creator of Cowboy Bebop. It's worth watching, especially now that's on [adult swim].

- Hellsing: Ruins CD:
The anime was somewhat of a disappointment. It had a great start, but it floundered at the end leaving many questions unanswer. My theory is that the manga was just starting & was gaining in mucho popularity, so the networks capitalized on it. The problem is that there's not much material to go on, so series goes kaputz.

We rented some movies yesterday to watch. We got Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Paranoid Agent, & Old School. So far we watched RE2 & Paranoid Agent, both were very good.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse - It was definitely one of the better movie translation of the game. The movie picks up a little before the first movie ended. The movie starts with spreading of the T virus into the civilian populace. As Umbrella's attempt to evacuate & quarantine Raccoon City, the virus spreads into the fleeing mass at the last gate out of the city. This forces Umbrella to close the gate, sealing the survivors in & abandoning its own men (with hunky Carlos Olivera/ Oded Fehr) with the ravaneous zombie horde .

Enters Jill, Carlos & Alice in the fray. As the survivors tries to escape, they learn more about Umbrella's shadier dealings from Alice. They also get a first hand experience with the Nemesis.

The good guys triumph in the end, Umbrella emerge as the ultimate victor as they successfully cover up the whole incident in Raccoon City.

I enjoyed it though not as much as the first movie (which is ingenius I must say), but it's a good sequel. It's worthy to any collection.

Paranoia Agent - Paranoia Agent is a surreal anime from Geneon & Satoshi Kon (Millenium Actress fame). It starts out as an assault case on a famous toy designer whom everyone feels she was making the story up. As the investigation continues & new assault case pours in, the detectives on the case start running across the same description of the assailant - a youth in a red baseball hat, weilding a bent golden baseball bat on a pair of golden inline skates.

Who is this kid & what does he gets out of this?

As the investigation continues, the case or rather the victims of these assaults get bizarre. At times as a viewer you start to question whether any of this real or not. However, one truth does emerge. When anyone is overwhelm by their problems, Little Slugger will appear to take care of the problem.

After a week of the new PS2, we definite hooked. Most of the time we have been playing Rumble Roses & trying unlock all its little secrets. We have been playing the exhibition matches. Its kinda cool, you can take up vows (stipulations) in the match that can move your characters to either good or bad.

Ty got GTA: San Andreas on Friday. THAT was a load fun. The down side of the game, the instruction manual was of no use whatsoever. We may buy the strategy guide this coming weekend.