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The sequel to 2009's Lens Flare: The Motion Picture has finally landed on DVD and Blu-Ray in Australia, and I have just had the incredible privelege of witnessing this wonderful film for myself. And let me tell you; if you were hoping for more of the flares, and the pretty colors and effects flooding the screen in this one, then you will not be disappointed. Into Darkness is a must-see for lovers of Lens Flare.

Director JJ Abrams' immense talent is on full display here. Let it not be said that JJ is a man who truly understands the fine art of lens flares. Indeed the effects are brought to life in such a magnificent and colorful manner the likes of which most moviegoers may never see again; at least until major advances in the field of optometry. Don't be surprised if there's a few oscar nominations on the way, JJ. Best use of reflections of light, and CGI to distract from mediocrity is very much in the bag. Sorry, Man of Steel.

Writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof's attempt to deliver a fun multiplayer game of Count the Plotholes, is once again a great success. Our friends and I improvised this time 'round, and opted instead for drink a shot of Wild Turkey every time a deus ex machina occurs. Needless to say, by the 30th minute, we were sprawled across each other in a naked, bodily-fluid-soaked mess, shouting the lyrics to Danny Boy. Good times.

Zachary Qunto is in fine form here, once again delivering a staggering performance hidden somewhere beneath layers of distracting visual effects. So too does the man with the most awesome name in the world, Benedict Cumberbatch, as the superhuman Khan, and Chris Pine's portrayal of Final Fantasy IX's Zidane was pretty spot-on.

Overall, Into Darkness is a solid sequel to the hit 2009 film, and well worth a rent. Keep a pair of sunglasses handy.

Score: 3 and a half lens flares out of 5.

Other recommendations: LSD, staring at the sun through a magnifying glass.

This game is broken. I keep pushing Start but nothing happens.

:(

I just got home from seeing Looper, and my head is still swirling from the whole time travel/loop thing, and my stomach is still swirling from a large popcorn and frozen coke that I really could have gone without. The last thing I want to do tonight is look at food, so how about some games instead? YES. GAMES.

Sadly, I'm still without my PS3, despite all my hopes that Sony would return to me a working 3rd Station of Play by now, I can only pray that it arrives by this time next week because my backlog is getting RIDONKULOUS.

This week I managed to score a sealed Far Cry 2 Collector's Edition. Never was a big fan of the game, but this CE is just so pretty. Ebay ~AU$50

The wooden box is splattered with some slick bloodstains. Contents include a behind-the-scenes DVD, a T-shirt, a map, a very pretty hardcover art book and of course, a sealed copy of the game.

I also picked up a new copy of Heavenly Sword. I already had this game but only a used copy with several unfortunate marks on the disc. This one is all shiny, and part of the new Essentials Range that launched in PAL countries about 2 weeks ago. AU$24

Lastly, I scored this adorable Sackboy Nathan Drake on eBay.

Click here for another shot

Unfortunately, not much else arrived this week. Damn Australia Post.

What can I say? It hasn't been the best of weeks. I've sent my PS3 away to Sony and am awaiting a replacement (no idea how long that will take). So to fight the boredom, I've been jamming on the PS2 with Metal Slug Anthology and Gunbird. That should keep me busy, right? WRONG. Picked up my DOA5 CE today and not being able to play it is torture. Oh well, lets unbox this stuff!

(Whilst I was hoping to do this in video, it really wasn't working out too well, so I opted for photos. Will try to do unboxing videos when I get CE's in future.)

Viola!

Back Cover

Tin Case
--- And open!

Swimsuit DLC

Sealed Game
--- And Back

Soundtrack CD
--- And open

Art Book
--- Inside A
--- Inside B

Poster (Shame it was folded. I don't know if I can get those creases out.) D:

Full Slideshow here

That's pretty much it for this week. I've bought some stuff on eBay, but most of it won't arrive until mid-next-week. So next week will be a busy one.

I've decided to start sharing my weekly game purchases. I often spend between AU$50-100 per week on games, so will be doing this every week from now on. What I got, where I got it and how much. I do love me some bargain hunting!

I consider myself a collector, particularly of PlayStation games and related materials from each of Sony's consoles. Whilst I still have many Nintendo, Sega and Microsoft consoles and games; since late 2011 I've drifted away from those and chosen to focus on just one brand that I enjoy. I'm also very picky, and avoid anything in poor condition, or with missing manuals and other components. And did I mention, I buy A LOT OF GAMES? Prices are in Australian dollars. Keep in mind, the typical price range for new release games in Australia is $88-109 at retail, despite the high Aussie dollar value. Yes, we are ripped off =(.

First up, with no pre-orders due this week, I was off to blow money on random stuff. Conveniently, Big W were having a small games clearance. Not a lot to choose from, however. In fact, much of what was there was in poor shape, but I did manage to find a few diamonds in the rough.

Binary Domain (PS3) New $10 - Have been meaning to try this. Looks promising.

Yakuza 4 (PS3) New $10 - Sad to say I have never played a game from this series. Wondering if I should play 1-3 first. Any thoughts?

Tekken 6 (PSP) New $5 - I couldn't resist picking up 2 of these for the price. Planning to sell or trade one.

Next stop @ EBGames to add funds to some of my upcoming pre-orders.

SOCOM: Confrontation (PS3) Used $11 - Also known as SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Confrontation... Yeah, I don't know why they did that. A good buy nonetheless, and one I've been wanting in my collection for some time.

Harvey Norman are rarely worth looking at, but this week, I was pleasantly surprised.

Uncharted Double Pack (PS3) New $29 - Eh, I already have both games, but the double pack is nice and pretty. Also came with a Nathan Drake avatar and Uncharted 3 XMB Theme.

And lastly, a trip to a local op-shop:

Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter (Wii) Used $2

Sonic The Hedgehog (X360) Used $2

Next week: Dead and Alive 5 CE and... well, who knows? Anything.

We at Zynga are proud to announce the launch of our fantastic new game, Pokem... I mean, Montopia! We hope you enjoy the game, and remember: "Gotta Obtain 'em All!".

Available right now!


And don't worry. We've got more exciting, very original games lined up for 2013!

(Mar 12)
Not Charted!: Blake's Fortunez

- Join Peter Blake and his old friend Mully on a riotous adventure across the globe to retrieve an ancient treasure: 'The Arch of the Coven Ants'. Daily special, buy 2 'Jump to Rock'(TM) packs and receive a bonus 'Scale the rocky wall'(TM) pack, valued at $6.99!

(Aug 9)
Three-quarters-Life 3

Jordan Gleeman returns. Additional ammo and portions of Full-Life total sold separately. $0.99 per bullet.

(Oct 30)
Evil Residence: Breakout

Lee Onkenidee is back and he's really pissed off! Pay $1.99 to kill a zombie. Every 1000 zombies killed will reward you with cosmetic upgrades like "Blue Shirt" and the ever-popular "Red hat". Don't miss it!

(TBA)
Cogs of Conflict
Asinine Creed: Regurgitations
SCPC: Satan Could Possibly Cry

Stay tuned!

Wiggle waggle wiggle waggle waggle.

And so on...

PSN: blendercat27

I'm Australian. I have a ridiculous tonne of games, many I haven't even gotten around to playing yet.

You may also find me on GameFAQs by the name "_hydan_" (underscores included), if you are keen to see my game collection. Well, most of it. I try to update regularly. I try.