There wasn't anyone for miles.Something inside him died.He knew that he was going to die alone,without the presence of all his loved ones. Going to die fighting a battle where his only enemy was his own self. Fighting against the very restraints that made him who he was. Then something inside his stomach lurched. He felt a feeling rising slowly within him. A feeling of slow realization. Realization that brought upon him that he had done something wrong at some point in his life. And it was his responsibility to atone for it. Then and there he realized he would atone either by dying amongst the lonely sand dunes and the empty hollowed sky or he would die attempting to fulfill his responsibility.He had already committed the mistake.The guilt was irreversible. The death inevitable. It was the atonement that was going to be his redemption for the unforgivable mistake.It was the responsibility that was going to be the phoenix tears to his funeral ashes.

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Hello everyone,

It's been 3 1/2 months since I last blogged. It's not like I've been absent from this site nor have I been suffering from a gaming bump(quite the contrary actually).It's just I haven't felt like writing a blog. I sure had plenty of things to discuss and write but somehow I was too lazy to write anything. So the result is I have an insane amount of things to tell and it's going to be a packed blog. I'll keep most of the things short since there is quite a lot I have to cover,so without further ado let's go on with it.

Life

It's been a busy three months. First there was the tech fest in our uni where I participated in loads of events be it in stuff like breaking the code,debate on tech stuff or robotics workshop. Also had a small seminar on ethical hacking and OS Testing so it was interesting all around. Uni has been amazing so far. The people,the professors and in general the atmosphere is much MUCH better than the shatteringly depressing atmosphere I was in last two years.

From the six topics we had to take I took the four mandatory -- Maths,Chemistry,Physics and Computer Programming along with the two optionals as Electronics and Mechanics/Civil. The optional list was really pathetic for the first semester so those two were the only ones I was remotely interested in. Right now, all my assignments and projects have been finished and submitted and there are two more exams left between me and the semester end.

Social life has been quite good as well. I've basically got two sets of friends--the uni ones and the HS ones. Both are cool and hanging out with them is fun but in a different sense.As most of you may already know,I am not the wild partying one so I stay rather away from such wild parties. Not my $tyle. :P

Nothing else, you'll probably hear more about the extreme polarities of my life in the year-end blog but that is for later not now.

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He had been walking for how long he had no idea. He wasn't running. No that was not only tiring but also reminded him of those days when his life existed little outside his room. The room where he would spend his days and nights gazing lifelessly over the instruments that would grant him a better life. His elders and the members of his tribe had said to the Warrior that he must live two years of darkness in a competitive atmosphere to ensure he lived a better life in the future. An atmosphere so brutal that it crushed anyone who was weak.Where friendships were governed by numbers. Where smiles were rarely hearfelt and mostly always forced.Visions of people hanging lifelessly from the sky came to his mind as he slowly broke into a run.

He was running...again. But not from himself. But from his dark past. That part of his life was over and he didn't want to remember it anytime soon. He was running from his very own regret.

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Gaming

I'll be honest. The last one and a half month has been possibly my biggest gaming addiction month since well the summer vacations. :P

In last 1 1/2 month I finished 4 games, 1 expansion and 9 DLCs.

Let's start then.

Fable III (X360)

What can I say about this? I had a lot of expectations on this hoping this would be the series big breakthrough point. The premise looked promising,the delivery was half-baked unfortunately. Fable III is a game of inconsistencies. The missions/quests are most affected by this. On one hand you have these superbly written, filled with amazing humour and witty writing and cleverly directed quests that you can't help but love. But on the other hand you have a dozen other quests that are so horribly boring and repetitive that just thinking about them numbs my mind. "Go to this cave,kill X monsters,over". This kind of template is used over and over again that it becomes boring. Whatever happened to level design to make quests more varied?

Ditto for the setting.On one hand there are wonderfully designed and beautiful world and on the other there are bleak boring caves that give you a repetitive sense of deja vu. Then there's the combat. The combat was never the strong-point of Fable series and here it becomes more evident than ever. Fable III is a long game and always keeps putting you in battle. This gets old after about 2 hours. Every fight boils down to pressing the same buttons,for the same time and killing every enemy. It's boring. It's not addictive as in button mashers or in hack-n-slash. It's just boring.

But it's not totally bad either.The story is great.Some of the characters are amazing. The trademark British humour is sharper and more visible than any Fable game before. The streamlined parts of main menu(Sanctuary,similar to Terranigma's) and leveling system(Road to Rule) are wonderful alternate translations of such traditional elements. Fable III succeeds at times during the "king" section as well but a poor design choice at the end which I won't mention will potentially spoil and annoy many gamers if they weren't lucky.

Overall a decent sequel. Not the sequel I expected and still is more of a sidestep than anything else but still worth buying once it gets cheaper.

Score : 7.0/10

Dragon Age Origins Ultimate Edition (PC)

So finally. I get my hands on the "so-called" spiritual successor of Baldur's Gate II. I'd finally know how BioWare fares a decade later.

103 hours later, I completed every bit of this Ultimate Edition and left with a very satisfied mind. This. THIS is the role-playing game of this generation. Nothing comes close to it this gen. Mass Effect games may earn higher scores and acclaim but most of the things about Mass Effect right from general writing,dialogue and characterization utterly falls flat in front of Dragon Age. The characters are amazing.Possibly some of the best I've seen in a BioWare game since BG2 and coming from me that's high praise alright. The story rises from it's cliche and so does the setting to become something thoroughly unique. The Origins concept is well-utilized. The missions are enjoyable and some of the decisions are impactful. Lack of morality system adds more weight on such decisions by introducing grey shades into it.

The combat. While it was mostly enjoyable,parts of it fell short of my expectations. The cla$$es are firstly unbalanced. Take a mage and you'll literally steamroll the entire game. Take a rogue and well you'll find difficulty in the Tower of Ishal. The combat also succumbs to a hack-and-slash nature when the battles are not strategically set. Like for example,if only three enemies are coming to you,it becomes a hack-and-slash affair rather than a strategic one.

Another thing I had problem with was the lag between the "behind the screen" battle engine and the on-screen animation. This lag is noticeable in many battles across all platforms and this is something that could be improved in DA2.

Also was it just me or is Origins a really easy game. I was on Nightmare difficulty throughout my very first playthrough and had not much difficulty. At times I had to even check whether or not the difficulty was on Nightmare because it felt like Normal.

And Awakening,the expansion. My main character didn't fall down even once in the combat. Bah that too a warrior. I bet my Arcane Warrior/Mage/Blood Mage/Battlemage (aka the Power Gamer cla$$) will totally steamroll the enemies. :D

Overall I would say this is BioWare's finest RPG since KotOR or maybe even Neverwinter Nights.Definitely superior than any other RPG this gen IMO.

Score : 9.5/10

Short thoughts on other content of Dragon Age Ultimate Edition

Awakening -- Great expansion.The sombre post-war theme and the development of the "nature of the foe" are some very interesting themes this expansion explores. Characters are sub-par and the battles besides one or two are mostly straightforward and hack-and-slash nature(that's on PC,imagine on consoles :P ) --8.5/10

And here's my scores of the DLCs

Warden's Keep -- 6.5/10

The Stone Prisoner -- 7.5/10

Return to Ostagar -- 7/10

Leliana's Song -- 7.5/10

Golems of Amgarrak -- 6/10

Darkspawn Chronicles -- 4/10

Witch Hunt -- 7/10

Average DLCs. None are really worth recommending except Leliana's Song and Witch Hunt(ONLY if you romanced Morrigan)

Fallout New Vegas (PC)

Up next are the two Obsidian games. As everyone may know I am an Obsidian skeptic but only because I always have huge expectations from their games. First up was Fallout New Vegas.

Loved it. Similar to Fallout 3 in the basic way. But otherwise superior to Fallout 3 in the subtle more finer role-playing elements that were clearly missing in Bethesda's title. New Vegas being developed by ex-creators of Fallout franchise om Obsidian, finally included some of the deeper more enjoyable elements that made Fallout 2 such a memorable game. Reputation counters the effect of Karma and makes working for guilds both a rewarding and risky experience. Work with a guild and you will earn discount and help from the guild members.Work with a rival guild too much and you risk turning enemies out of them. Hardcore Mode is a new addition that makes "survival in Wasteland" as an actual gameplay element. Very well-done. The perks are more varied this time.

The story is FAR superior to Fallout 3. In many ways it's similar to Fallout 2 in the sense it involves more complex stories set in the nuclear wasteland. Tons of references to 40s and 50s,good jazz soundtrack,some stellar voice-acting and rewarding gameplay decisions makes New Vegas a winner through and through and the best Fallout game since Fallout 2.

Score : 8.5/10 (compared to 8/10 of Fallout 3)

Alpha Protocol (PC)

A game I feel has been unfairly criticized and bashed by critics. This is a GREAT game. If you can look past it's flaws,there is a very enjoyable and rewarding experience waiting for you. The biggest strength of Alpha Protocol is decision and it's effect. Small decisions make such a huge impact on storyline that it automatically warrants multiple playthroughs. Some of the sequences and missions are well-designed and the stealth elements while broken are great when they come together. Shooting is stat-based and is what you'd expect in a stealth game like MGS (MGS never had a good shooting mechanic,wonder how critics overlooked that ;) :P ).The dialogue system is ME-inspired and so is the Radial Menu. Despite the influences,AP does a good job of standing on it's own.

The characters are great. I'd even hazard a direct comparison that they're better than any Mass Effect has seen. Steven "Don't Call Me Steve" Heck (MOST AWESOME GUY IN A SPY WORLD! :D ) and Albatross and Sis (a mute teenage girl who's more expressive than Jacob/Kaidan).

This was potentially a big game. There are flaws some huge,some small stop it from reaching it's peak. But no first entry is perfect barring few exceptions. If Alpha Protocol 2 is made I am sure Obsidian would make a game that can potentially become a big rival to ME2's status. Unfortunately Sega has killed that idea. :(

Score : 8.0/10

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Future

Well I've still got two exams,Electronics and CP to get through. I'll try writing a blog during Boxing Day possibly detailing when and how my Year-End and Best of Blogs are going to branch out.

Otherwise nothing much to add. I am sorry I haven't blogged this long and I hope it won't happen again. :P

So what's been up with you guys and gals? :)

Ta ta and Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all! :D

C ya

Lightwarrior179

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As much as he tried running from those ghostly visions and those lonely nights and mornings of being shattered by boredom and nothingness,the feeling of lack of any purpose, he realized he couldn't run from those things no matter how hard he tried. He realized that those visions and those memories made him who he were today. He wouldn't be the same person without those two years. Without those two years, he would still be the little boy with little sense of what the world has in store for him. Without those two years, he would still be the naive teenager who thought he was everything that mattered. Without those two years, he wouldn't have known that life was something more beyond the happiness and strings of successes. It's also about survival in the darkest deepest valleys. It's about surviving alone in a hostile environment where friendship is as strong as the shape of the clouds in the sky.

He realized that those two years had made him what he was today and he would and could never run away from it no matter how horrible those memories may have been. Suddenly slowing down to a halt, he turned back and looked at the fast-approaching storm of darkness. He embraced it with a smile knowing that the storm of darkness was a part of him.

Visions and memories fleeted past him of those two years. Visions that WOULD have disgusted him and shocked him. Memories that WOULD have saddened him and made him feel alone. But all that had no effect on him now. He knew all that belonged to him and felt at peace.He knew.

He knew that by this act of self-acceptance, he had taken all but the first step into the future. It will be a harsh and difficult journey. But knowing that he had the courage to go through those two years will give him strength to do so all over again and again...and again.

Bayonetta, the latest from the creators of Viewtiful Joe and Devil May Cry is a sort of an anti-art videogame statement. Arriving in an age when there's a slow upsurge in the so-called "art" or "sensible and meaningful" videogames, Bayonetta is a graciously over-the-top action game that runs high on adrenaline-pumping action backed with solid combat mechanics and a fluid control scheme that makes the game play like a gamer's dream. It also brings back the concept of challenge and reward into action games at a time when games are criticized of being too short and lacking any sort of replay value. All that is immersed in some over-the-top convoluted story, with humour that will send you into splits and some gloriously beautiful action set-pieces that will thrill,awe and excite you mostly all at the same time. The result is one of the finest action games to come out this generation.

The first thing that strikes you about Bayonetta is it's a very well-designed game where equal and adequate thought has gone behind each of its gameplay mechanics. The Prologue which opens after an utterly hilarious opening credit sequence basically serves as a tutorial of sorts introducing the players to the combat of the game. Bayonetta, the tall sexy protagonist with adequate physical proportions and a British accent is equipped with two pairs of revolver, a pair in her hands and another at her heels. One button is designated to each of a melee attack, a ranged attack (hand pistol) and ranged attack (leg pistol). Mix and match and you get combos. The tutorial slowly reveals one move after another all filled in between by intermittent "practice screens" where you can practice the new moves on an enemy until you're satisfied. What this results is that you aren't put right in the middle of the actual combat with a new move that you try to master. Many games often do that which results in many gamers never even attempting to learn the harder combos. Platinum understands that and designs a clever little addition. Even load screens in between the Chapters serve as a "practice screen" where you can practice the combos you've already learnt. So instead of watching a static "Now Loading" image that you do in most games, Platinum smartly allows you to practice moves in between loadtimes.

There's a LOT more about the combat than plain combo-mixing that is. Early in the tutorial you'll gain access to the "Witch Time" mechanic which is quite simply the core strength behind Bayonetta's remarkable combat. Pressing the right trigger allows you to counter attacks. However, if you happen to counter the enemy's attack at the very LAST instant, making it a risky prospect, you would trigger Witch Time where the time slows down to a near-standstill for you to take advantage. This is basically a la-Bullet Time from the Max Payne games albeit it allows you to create more frenzy and havoc upon your enemies as you lay waste upon them. Another interesting mechanic that is introduced into the combat pretty early on is the Wicked Weave mechanic. Bayonetta's demonic hair can take the shape of a variety of gigantic creatures which often creates some really hilarious sequences (albeit over-the-top ones). Upon execution of certain combos, the Wicked Weave automatically initiates an attack with Bayonetta's hair taking form of a gigantic punch or a heel and destroying the enemy in front of you. This often ended up reminding me as a tribute to Battletoads and their exaggerated appendages attack more often than not. Where Wicked Weave really shines is in certain platforming/puzzle sections that are smart but also during certain "challenge rooms" called Alfheim Portals.

Bayonetta also rewards those who build up combos to kill their enemies fluently. There's a "magic" meter below the health bar which allows Bayonetta to perform special finishing/execution moves when filled. These finishing moves are highly satisfying, utterly gory and ridiculously over-the-top moves that are unlike anything you've seen in a game before. Whether you're chopping the head of an enemy on a guillotine, or tearing them into shreds of flesh and skin with a torture wheel, they're all highly entertaining, satisfying in full gory glory. There's an extension of these execution moves for certain creatures/bosses where it basically is a gateway to perform an even MORE ridiculous over-the-top moves often involving Bayonetta's hair or Wicked Weave bringing a shameful death to the boss and a satisfying victory for you.
Since Platinum's director Hideki Kamiya played a key role in Devil May Cry's creation, it wouldn't be wrong to say some if not many of Bayonetta's general $tyle is inspired from DMC but thankfully Bayonetta hasn't carried DMC's shortcomings. Where DMC's shortcomings generally consisted of incessant backtracking and large focus on combo-building, Bayonetta essentially moves in one direction –forward. It also adds few more parameters other than combo building, including time taken to beat the enemies and damage taken to judge what "medal" you earn at the end of a verse. This not only makes Bayonetta's combat more flexible in terms of removing the necessity of grinding for combos, but it also adds emphasis on speed since beating enemies faster is essential. This adds both thrill and variation to Bayonetta when it comes to combat.

In Bayonetta, there are normal battles, there are normal exciting battles with mini-bosses and then there are boss battles. Boss battles in Bayonetta are nothing short of epic-sized set-pieces that stretch across whole levels that involve you participating in cleverly timed action sequences intermittent with some appropriately-placed QTEs backed by highly tense action that will keep you on the edge of the seats and can send your heart beating at an abnormally high rate. None of the boss battles are average in Bayonetta. They're all good. But some especially a boss battle near the end of the game is so epic that it's bound to become one of the most memorable boss battles you'll ever come across in games. These boss battles fully immerse you in the battle where your skills in dodging, counter, attack and defense are put to test. They also punish any sort of attention lapses since Bayonetta often has the habit of throwing odd QTEs once or twice in between that keep you on your toes. These QTEs aren't over-used thankfully and are used reasonably to their strengths.

Apart from these epic-sized boss battles that give a similar feel to that of God of War, there are some on-rails shooter (or shoot-em-up) sequences in Bayonetta that not only provide a fresh change from the general combat but also serve as some highly entertaining action set-pieces at times and a tribute to the Bullet Hell shmups of Sega from the past. There's a flashy one on a bike that often goes so fast that it is a thrill to watch it initially. Unfortunately, this sequence is a bit too long and overstays it's welcome and is unsurprisingly the ONLY weak part of the whole game. The other shmup sequence thankfully is a tribute to Space Harrier and is a thrill to both play and watch.
There is also a minigame that you automatically have to play in between every chapter which is called "Angel Attack" that is a tribute of sorts to Bullet Hell shmups of Sega.

Bayonetta also features an in-game shop known as "Gates of Hell" where you can buy various items, weapons, accessories, new techniques or odd treasures that add an edge to your attacks. The in-game currency is Halos which are obtained after killing every enemy or earning bonus at the end of each level. There is a long list of unlockables in Bayonetta which often require more than 2 or 3 playthroughs to access. Some of these unlockables and weapons completely change the texture of the game and add a lot more challenge on some of the higher difficulty levels. Bayonetta has got a very deep replay value that extends far beyond a couple of playthroughs. It's both challenging and rewarding, something many of the action games today seem to lack. There are also the afore-mentioned Alfheim Portals which act as "challenge rooms" where you're tasked to complete a set objective. They're fun, varied and they utilize different mechanics and player's skill well.

There is also a plot in Bayonetta and it is paid attention on courtesy of some lengthy cut-scenes. It follows the journey of the eponymous Bayonetta, the last of the Umbra Witches who lost their battle against the Lumen Sages years ago and became nearly extinct courtesy of the Witch Hunts. Bayonetta comes across her old adversary (?) revisits some of the places from her past to uncover the reason behind Umbra Witch's extinction (?). While individual scenes always make sense, the overall plot never really does. At times when you feel like you close to understand what Bayonetta's complex plot really means to say, the story throws an odd twist in between to throw you completely off-track. Regardless to say, the story isn't really one that is meant to be understood. The cutscenes are often entertaining providing source for most of the game's humour. Bayonetta is a hilarious game alright. In it's cutscenes, whether it is busy pulling punches at other games (Assassin's Creed?Halo anyone?) or paying homage to an old-school Sega title or throwing a hilarious pun that generally sends someone into splits, Bayonetta will tickle your funny bone, figuratively speaking. It also has much because of it's beautiful leading lady a lot of sexual puns or lewd references or sexually suggestive poses that will appeal to the male gaming audience a lot. The only possible flaw is that some of the story-related cutscenes are quite long and can overstay their welcome more often than not seeing how the story doesn't make sense that often. Fortunately, nearly all the cutscenes are completely skippable which is a boon indeed on repeat playthroughs.

Graphically, Bayonetta is a beautiful game. Be it the lush green gardens of Vigrid or the shimmering streams of Paradiso, or the dark, rainy corridors of Purgatario or the burning flames from Inferno. Bayonetta's graphics help let the player's imagination loose on it's rich setting. The greatest strength however lies in the seamless transition of game from combat to cutscene and then to CGI. It's done in a mere millisecond interval that's a tremendous technical feat at times. The game especially on Xbox 360, doesn't much from the choppy frame-rate even during some heavy boss fights that utilize complex animations from ever pixel on screen. Bayonetta with it's over-the-top nature can fill the screen with random oddities but never overdoes it and always seem to does it with considerable grace or atleast with hilarious results.
Bayonetta being a Japanese game is surprisingly voice-acted quite well. Bayonetta's British accent is well-done and the voices of the rest of the supporting cast especially that of Rodin are done very well. The music consists mainly of upbeat tunes with sleazy jazz tunes put in between. Some of the music is done exceptionally well and the title track with part-English, part-Japanese vocals titled, "Fly me to the Moon", sexually suggestive it might be is still catchy. The battle themes are catchy enough as well.

A game with Bayonetta's over-the-top action, excellent game mechanics, brilliant game design, satisfying combat, high replay value and challenge doesn't come around very often. And if it does all it's elements are rarely executed with the near-perfect finish Platinum Games has managed to do with it. It never takes itself too seriously, pulls punches at everything, borrows slight elements from top action series be it the $tyle from Devil May Cry, the combat speed and emphasis on counter from Ninja Gaiden, or the gory finishing moves and epic boss battle set-pieces from God of War, Bayonetta never even for a single moment appears derivative or inferior to any of those three acclaimed series it borrows some of it's elements from. In fact, Bayonetta stands so confidently on it's own footing, injects enough originality within itself and apart from few small bumps in between is a gloriously entertaining thrill-ride like nothing else you've seen in a long time.

Score

C ya

Lightwarrior179

P.S : Read AND DON'T FORGET TO RECOMMEND...if you like it that is. :P

MOVIES

10) District 9 (2009)

The best science fiction of the decade wasn't a full-blown,high-budget special-effects ridden one. Nor was it marketed on the 3D craze that was eating into people's minds last year. It was this moderate-budget sci-fi thriller flick directed by this little known South African director whom Peter Jackson had taken under his wings. What we got in return was one hell of a movie that entertained like few other movies could and left us with some even more uneasy questions.

9) El Laberinto Del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) (2006)

This Spanish language fantasy flick is a visually stimulating parable of sorts featuring rich and complex worlds that ignites the viewer's imagination and sends them forth into a dark,foreign world inhabited by odd,twisted and very demented creatures all supplied by photography that was a sheer delight to witness. "Dreaming" through a movie was a phrase that wasn't fully realized before this.

8 ) Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (Spirited Away) (2001)

Studio Ghibli's magnum opus was a quiet,gentle but eerily disturbing story of a 10-year old girl's coming-of-age adventure where she meets various spirits and adventures. What sets this apart from the rest of the animes is it's clever use of metaphors nearly everywhere. Every creature and every spirit was a symbolic representation for something. Every event was a representation for something about modern-day Japan whether it is about generation gap,culture loss or economy. If any movie used metaphors to make it's storytelling into an even better experience, then this was the one.

7) Inglourious Basterds (2009)

You knew there was going to be atleast one Tarantino movie on my list. Well this is it. It brought the best of Tarantino back to it's fore albeit in a quieter and understated yet undeniably stylish manner. Right from the opening scene that's brimming with tension of infinite quantities to the climax that gives the term grandeur end a new meaning, this is a pure delight to watch. Dialogues are written as smartly as ever and there's countless little touches that make this the better Tarantino movie in the last decade over the two Kill Bills.

6) Borat : Cultural Learnings of America for the Make Benefit of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Borat came at a time when the Hollywood comedies were hitting the all-time low. Film-makers had lost the knack of making the audiences laugh. Enter Sacha Baron Cohen aka Borat. This "shockumentary" is a part spoof, a part documentary and a complete satire of near-epic proportions. There are almost 2 dozen scenes in this movie where I collapse on the ground in splits even after half a dozen times watching it. It's also a love/hate movie. Simply because it speaks one thing behind all it's humor, "There ARE no do's and don't in humor. Laugh at everything". The racist,sexist and homophobic Borat will shock and appall many but he'll make many others like me laugh for years.

5)The Dark Knight (2008 )

People wouldn't believe it. A superhero movie this was NOT. This was a movie that defied being stereotyped as a Batman movie. Dark Knight is the result of an ambitious vision by Christopher Nolan (who else could pull it off ;) ) and it's nothing people could have expected. A movie that put forward brave themes of vigilantism, the responsibility that comes with being a "superhero", of ethical decisions and of gray-morality. It gave us memorable characters, it gave us memorable dialogues and action sequences. And after all that, it still remained a true Batman movie at it's core.

4) Lost in Translation (2003)

Another love/hate movie is on my list. People who often ended up hating this movie complain,"It's a movie about absolutely nothing". People who love the movie too state the same reason. Really strange how people with exactly the same reasons can end up being on opposite sides. Well the "nothingness" concerned here is omnipresent throughout every scene of the movie. Is it drama? Is it romance? Is it about alienation and ennui? Is it an existentialist piece? None. Yet a bit of everything. Quiet scenes, gentle yet smooth visual touch and two endearing leads makes this a movie a rare cinematic masterpiece on everything abstract that exists around us. Beautiful is perhaps the only description that fits the movie.

3) No Country for Old Men (2007)

On premise, No Country for Old Men looks your average American movie about a drug-deal gone bad. Watch it and you realize how far from the truth you were. There are many things that make this movie great, not least is the manner in which the Coen Brothers capture the 80s Texas landscape in the lens. It's the way how Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem walks and talks. It's the way how Tommy Lee Jones' words on fate and circumstance ring truth. It's in the way how every scene and every word muttered by Bardem is filled with tension that's being barely restrained on the screen. This is an extraordinary film with a very ordinary premise. Be fooled to ignore it at your own risk.

2) Before Sunset (2004)

I could go all day what makes this such an achievement in film-making and writing. I can even go longer on why this is a rare sequel that works on almost every level that we expected it to. But what I really want to say is this -- I was really glad to see two "real" people in a movie make their return. Nobody watching this film could describe this characters as actors. They're real people. They converse like real people are flawed like real people, hide things, change their expressions and put forward questions in way we expect two old friends to. If the last 25 mins of this 80-min long (both in movie and real time) aren't the best 25 mins of ANY film, I don't know what is. Magic was what made the original 1995 movie Before Sunrise so memorable. 9 years later, the magic still exists but it's buried beneath all the problems two 30-something adults face in their lives. Irrespective of the ending, everyone who's fallen in love with this movie shares an unbreakable bond with it's two characters -- a bond that perhaps only strangers could share. ;)

1) Requiem for a Dream (2001)

I'll risk being cliched, but I prefer calling this movie an "experience". An unforgettable experience shared by a teenager watching this movie having not much idea what it was about. Little would this 17-year old teenager would know,that he'll be sleeping terrified,amazed and mind bustling with thoughts. Quite possibly the greatest anti-addiction movie ever made, this movie is a highly stylish (generously utilizing split-screens and various photography techniques) and highly poignant movie about four very normal people. These people are just like you and me. They have their own dreams and ambitions and their own fears. The difference? They have an addiction. The movie depicts the journey of these four intertwined stories of these characters as their lives spiral downward due to their addictions. Backed by possibly the most amazing orchesteral arrangement and a powerful, emotionally-charged title arrangement "Lux Ataerna", Requiem for a Dream is the ONLY movie that could possibly deserve this No.1 spot for me.

MUSIC

ALBUMS

20) You Forgot It In People -- Broken Social Scene (2002)

19) Alligator -- The National (2005)

18 ) Fleet Foxes -- Fleet Foxes (2008)

17) Veckatimest -- Grizzly Bear (2009)

16) Sound of Silver -- LCD Soundsystem (2007)

15) For Emma, Forever Ago -- Bon Iver (2008)

14) Person Pitch -- Panda Bear (2007)

13) Actor -- St.Vincent (2009)

12) Is This It -- The Strokes (2001)

11) Illinoise -- Sufjan Stevens (2005)

10) Dear Science -- TV on the Radio (2008)

One of the coolest bands to come out of Brooklyn are this experimental rock outfit and they proved their mettle once again with heavy bass-layered, at times fast rapping, other times emotional swooning backed by funky tunes, Dear Science was a great album that stuck in your mind for long after a couple of listens.

9) The Moon & Antarctica -- Modest Mouse (2000)

Modest Mouse's major-label debut didn't end up with a "sellout". In fact it was a deeper more introspective subject the band delved head-on into with smart lyrics dealing with dense subject matters backed by some highly ambient and at other times music that resonated in the hollow corners of your ears.

8) Yankee Hotel Foxtrot -- Wilco (2001)

Many call it the "Dark Side of the Moon" for the 2000s generation. I think it's unfair (because I kinda dislike Dark Side). This part neo-psychedelia, part textured-country themed album from this highly talented band that never quite reached such heights again. It also received a lot of references with the 9/11 attacks that happened after it's release with not only the cover but also the context of the lyrics the album described (especially on Ashes of American Flags).

7) Agaetis Byrjun --Sigur Ros (2000)

Before I came across this album, I didn't have too much idea about "ambient" music. Sure I had listened to Kid A but Agaetis Byrjun (translating as "An Average Start" in Icelandic) is a different creature. If Kid A was out-of-wordly, Agaetis' ambient music was made from the very elements that make this earth. Lush orchestrations with little to no electronica, innovative techniques like cello-bow on guitars all backed by literally one of the finest falsetto voices we've ever come across, Sigur Ros made music we had never come across before.

6) Merriweather Post Pavilion -- Animal Collective (2009)

Challenging the very nature of pop songs was Animal Collective's unspoken aim. They made the most complex,mind-boggling loops and multiple-layered songs that all had catchy hooks filled a plenty within them. Merriweather is just the summation of everything AC had strived to achieve in the past decade. If Beach Boys were into electronica and wild experimentation today this is pretty much what they would sound as. ;)

5) Kid A -- Radiohead (2000)

Calling Kid A anything other than influential would be wrong. It arrived at the turn of the millenium and was what many of Radiohead's fans called "commercial suicide". Following up possibly one of the biggest mainstream guitar-rock albums of the 90s with this ambient electronica with jazz elements incorporated isn't just a huge proof that Radiohead wanted artistic satisfaction above all. But it was simply the BRAVEST step any artist I remember has taken with an album. And what an album it really was. :D

4) Bitte Orca -- The Dirty Projectors (2009)

If any album sums up the "indie music spirit" within 10 songs, it's this. Putting a bucket load of influences within 40 minutes of wild experiementations, Led Zeppelin-esque guitar riffs, Middle-East-inspired strings and song structures that's harder to figure out than a letter in a scribbled page. For any music lover who loves to set their thoughts and imaginations free without any sort of restrictions, few albums if ANY could come close to Dirty Projectors' Bitte Orca.

3) Turn on the Bright Lights -- Interpol (2002)

Few could tell what made Interpol's debut album so special and what really went wrong for them in their latter efforts. One can only get the idea by listening to it once. No artist has ever looked more confident about their musical $tyle, their approach towards the genre and the instruments they play than Interpol did. No one knows their secret but in this album everything come together into an album full of moody NYC on a rainy night atmospherics. Interpol were like a seasoned veteran on their debut and only when they moved into their newer efforts did we realize that what we had in this album was a "stroke of genius" by a group of artists that find themselves lost currently.

2) Funeral -- Arcade Fire (2004)

There was something about Funeral that sets it above every album on this list INCLUDING the No.1. It is an album of emotions relatable to any human being. It's an album describing events which most of will have to face at some point. It's just the manner in how Arcade Fire choose to portray these emotions on their canvas filled with colours of emotional orchesteral arrangements. There are songs that give you goosebumps, some might even let a tear slip for those who cry easily. They're not songs about lives of celebrities and rich men. They're songs about any adult who's lived enough life to know the thin line that separates happiness from sorrow. Portraying the fears of an entire generation isn't an easy task for a film-maker nor an author. For an artist to achieve it through their medium of lyrics and music, it is nothing but pure talent that enables them to do so.

1) In Rainbows -- Radiohead (2007)

There is probably no reason why Funeral is No.2 and this is No.1. No fault of either the albums. Both equally deserve the No.1 spot. What makes In Rainbows special to me however is that it represented THE key turning point in my life when it comes to music tastes. I clearly remember NeonNinjawriting a review raving about this album. I was into music any teenager would be. Metal,hard rock,cla$$ic rock, pop. Anything that the media force feeded to me. I used to watch VH1 and MTV to check out the latest artists thinking they were the best source of finding new popular artists. Basically, I was a popular music listener. In Rainbows changed that. I suddenly came across music I had heard no where else. And it grew on me with every listen. I suddenly was searching the net and shops for more Radiohead CDs. What followed was a 2 year long quest which still continues of discovering new and relatively non-mainstream music and trying to challenge and redefine my tastes at every juncture. All this wouldn't have been possible without NeonNinja's recommendation and you bet I owe that son of a punk a lot of favours. :P

In Rainbows is an album about nothing. Yet it encapsulates everything. Everything Radiohead have attempted in their career sums up the music of In Rainbows. Every emotion we come across in this life is portrayed on a beautiful canvas of music in this album. Just put this. There is In Rainbows. There are the other albums. :D

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SONGS

Format : "Song Name" -- "Album Name" -- Artist Name

10) Two Weeks -- Veckatimest --Grizzly Bear

9) One More Time -- Discovery -- Daft Punk

8 ) Ragged Wood -- Fleet Foxes -- Fleet Foxes

7) Bro's -- Person Pitch -- Panda Bear

6) All I Need -- In Rainbows -- Radiohead

5) My Girls -- Merriweather Post Pavilion -- Animal Collective

4) () (#3 Samskeyti) -- () -- Sigur Ros

3) Useful Chamber -- Bitte Orca -- The Dirty Projectors

2) Neighborhood # 1 (Tunnels) -- Funeral -- Arcade Fire

1) Specialist -- Interpol EP -- Interpol

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That's it for now,folks.

I'll talk more about uni life (it's been two weeks already :D ) in the next blog.

Until then

C ya

Lightwarrior179

The cheesy horror title aside this has been a great summer personally for me when it comes to gaming. I finally ended two TEDIOUS and stressful years of high-school on a high by not only performing excellently (as evidenced by my results ;) ) in my exams but also having a wonderful trip with the family to Europe all rounded up with nearly 4 months of non-stop gaming extravaganza that almost always extended late into night once even upto 6:15 AM in the morning. :P

This summer also gave me a lot of opportunities to revisit some of the games from the past which I being the nostalgic gamer that I am always love to do. I replayed Planescape Torment not only once but TWICE after nearly 7 years. It struck a chord with me at nearly each and every point and is truly one of the most exceptional RPGs of it's era. Not to mention a very influential one. Baldur's Gate 2 may not have been the same without it. I also played Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri and was surprised to see that it had aged really well and in fact could often be compared favourably to Civilization IV. That's saying a lot for a year 2000 game. This summer I also dusted off my PSP and finally got some games I had been eager to get on the mostly-ignored handheld for sometime. Let's recap all the games I've played new or old once again with updated impressions

Bayonetta

It was my first purchase and was done just before my exams ended. It was the first thing I did this Summer and it is still what I am playing when it's about to end now. Bayonetta is simply a marvelous game that I cannot appreciate enough. It's a triumph in game design which rewards players for every bit of time and energy they devote behind it.

Like I said elsewhere,"It's like that beautiful,caring and VERY SEXY lover that gives you a million orgasms with it's fluid controls, it's seamless transition into cutscenes and it's blinding fast paced combat and then when you're all tired and feeling empty after those million orgasms, she (the game) gives you a sweet,little reward/incentive that makes you all fired up and ready to go again."

That is simply how Bayonetta should be defined. It's a dream come true for every gamer who's ever dreamed of a fast,fluid,over-the-top,hilarious and frickin' PERFECT action game. Those who haven't bought it yet deserve to be Climaxed by Bayonetta herself. Yeah,consider that a privilege. :P

Score -- 9.5/10

Fable 2

OK. I bought Fable 2 back in October 2009. But I truly unboxed and played only in this Summer.As much as I disliked and was disappointed by the first Fable, I found myself really surprised to see how much of Fable 2 I was loving. Sure it was a heavily flawed experience with an under-whelming story but it was the pure charm of the land of Albion and the flexible combat that drew me into the experience. After playing this the second time and consolidating my positive feeling about it, I am now looking eagerly forward to the quite-promising looking Fable 3. My respect for Molyneux has gone back from being in positive (due to Dungeon Keeper and Black and White) to negative (B&W2 and Fable) to positive once again. Yep, the old bugger has grown on me again. :D

Score -- 8.5/10

Mass Effect 2

I bought in from HMV in UK and got it for a reduced price since my cousin had a coupon. Mass Effect 2 is in many ways like how a middle part of a trilogy must always be like. I've heard many complain about ME2's "lack of a proper" story. Okay I'll agree ME2 doesn't progress the series' story by a whole lot. But the game is more about the events and how much they change the complexion of the universe as we knew it back in ME1 and how it perfectly sets up the trilogy for it's grand finale.

Sure there are lots of things I dislike about ME2 as well but they once again get balanced by the improvements in it's combat or improvement in the original's inventory system(which was by completely removing it.Not really necessary but it suited the game). The lack of planetary exploration is probably the only BIG negative point of ME2 otherwise besides that it's an amazing sequel standing upto nearly all expectations and then some more from the original.

Score -- 9.0/10

Final Fantasy XIII

I had heard a lot of FFXIII prior to the point where I began playing it. I heard the praises of NeonNinja or the criticisms of Legolas and I was quite intrigued by it for sure. What was I supposed to do? Play and decide. My initial impressions weren't so positive. But after a few chapters when the battle system did start developing and the bold design of the game did start sinking in I realized the risk Square Enix had taken with FFXIII. Something so uncharacteristic of a company that's become known to serving it's fanbase no matter how much milking of franchise does it result in *cough* FFVII *cough*. It was like the point where Square tells it's fans to go to hell and it shall do whatever it thinks is the best for the game.

The end result?We have got one of the most focused storytelling experiences in the series backed by possibly one of the greatest ATB-based battle system that's ever been featured in the series, a cast that slowly and eventually grows onto you (except Snow) and a world that's so beautiful that no words could provide justification to. FFXIII wasn't without it's downfalls. It's writing and dialogue let the game down big-time in many of it's important,dramatic cutscenes and the humour often felt like something 12-year olds would find funny. Besides that FFXIII is pretty much a VERY solid entry into the series.

Score -- 9.0/10

Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker

I ordered a slew of PSP games somewhere in mid-Summer and this was the first one I got down playing since it was the most recent release on PSP. I found this as a great improvement over Portable Ops. Less frustrating sequences, more epic boss battles, an excellent strategic and micro-management component adding a whole new dimension of gameplay features and replay value making it a pretty solid handheld game overall. Dragged down only by it's still clumsy controls and it's relatively generic inventory fiddling.

Score -- 8.0/10

Sam and Max Season One

I bought this off Steam in between all this since I had been looking forward to making my return to Sam & Max for quite a while. I was a huge fan of their original 1993 LucasArts game and couldn't wait to see the duo return. It certainly wasn't a letdown. A season packed with six superbly written,brilliantly voice-acted and hilarious satires on whether it's our pop culture or TV shows or the Godfather or the American politics or the best-of-all the Internet. :lol: I recently wrote a short 150-word reviewwhich I wrote a few weeks back. I intend on getting Season Two and Three eventually as well as the Monkey Island adventures.

Score -- 8.5/10 (not an average. The minimum is Episode 3 : The Mole,The Mob and the Meatball (7/10) and the maximum is Episode 5 : Reality 2.0 (9/10) )

Crisis Core : Final Fantasy VII

Calling this anything other than my most wanted PSP game would be an understatement. And it stood upto nearly ALL my expectations. In many ways this is the game that FFVII should have been. It's got a very customizable, fun and unique once you get the hang of it combat mechanics,a brilliantly told story that's very poignant even if you know what the inevitable end is going to be. The characters are immensely likeable and for once we get the protagonist we love in a FFVII game -- Zack. He's that true shining beacon that makes this game shine throughout. I even found Aeris quite tolerable and interesting thanks to some very well-written storytelling.

Score -- 9.0/10

GTA Chinatown Wars

While it's probably the best handheld GTA game, it's still quite a distance from achieving any sort of true achievement as a handheld. It still feels more often than not like a sized-down version of it's console counterpart and features enough generic missions although some of which are uniquely designed to keep your interest intact for the 25-odd hours.

Score -- 8.0/10

God of War Chains of Olympus

I probably think this is not one of the better games of God of War series because despite it's relatively short but pretty good campaign it still failed to register or stand upto any of the hype I've been hearing of the series. I guess I will need to play the console games to really find out. A decent game mostly with some brutal combo finishes. Not really my type,I must admit.

Score -- 8.0/10

BlazBlue Portable

I am surely going mad. This is my second BlazBlue purchase of the year (the first being the PAL version purchase of Calamity Trigger). Since when was I this insane about a fighting game? But then BlazBlue makes the impossible happen and this is no different. A perfect console-to-handheld transition that neither appears sized-down (like Chinatown Wars did) nor does it seem restrictive due to a single analog. Aksys has brilliantly ported BlazBlue onto handheld and with additional Conquest modes and a "Teach Me,Ms.Litchi" tutorial mode (mmm... :P ) and the same excellent fighting that made the original BlazBlue one of the greatest fighting games in years is still intact in this remarkable portable.

Score -- N/A. I wouldn't rate it since it's basically a portable version of CT. If you really want a score,then 9.5/10 is my score for BlazBlue Calamity Trigger. :P

Final Fantasy Dissidia

It was wrong timing was my first thought. Playing it almost immediately I was done messing around with BlazBlue Portable, I instantly found it's fighting to be more flash and less substance. Plain button-mashing often was all that was required to win and most of the times skill wasn't even required. If that wasn't enough the story-mode was mostly a forced idea and a letdown. Certainly not what I expected from a FF game. Sure,the fantasy of having your dream match-ups like Kefka vs Sephiroth (TAKE THAT YOU SILKY WHITE-HAIRED JERK!!) or Squall vs Cloud (Battle of the Emos.Your giant sword is gonna be your grave,spiky haired emo! :P ) or Terra vs Squall (my fave two protagonists :P ). But besides all that Dissidia is a strictly average fare.

Score -- 6.5/10

Let's do a short conclusion of the best of the top 3 things most of us generally care about.

Best Game of Summer : Bayonetta

Best Movie of Summer : Inception

Best Album of Summer : The Suburbs by Arcade Fire

I go to university from Monday. It's in the city and since I live in suburbs (can't get Arcade Fire out of my words,see :P ) I'll need to do a bit of travelling every day but that's okay. In case you're wondering we have to take up our Majors from the first year and I took up Computer Engineering. Let's see how the uni life finally turns out to be. :D

C ya

Lightwarrior179

Since I am generally known for writing elaborate and detailed review, I thought of giving myself a challenge of writing a review of 150-words just for a change especially for those of you with short attention span. :P

Here's the review :

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Sam and Max, the wacky detective duo, make their return after 13 years in this top-notch old-school adventure.
Instead of a cohesive adventure, the "season" plays out in forms of six episodes which focus on the duo getting involved in different adventures while a common plot is maintained throughout the season.

Gameplay remains faithful to old-school adventure system using simple inventory and dialogue interactions to solve the majority of puzzles.

The writing is simply brilliant and outstanding featuring numerous intelligent gags on pop-culture, fourth-wall breaking statements, satires on politics and video-games and what-not which will generally end with the player in splits.

Episodes 104 and 105 stand tall particularly because of their sharp satire and utterly hilarious gags on politics and internet/videogames respectively.

For a game that demonstrated episodic content's potential and brought old-school adventure genre back into mainstream, Season One is a must-play.

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Score

That's all for now.

C ya

Lightwarrior179

Since this rad fad is catching up with everyone on GS (just read seven blogs in a row of this kind) and since it does have some eerily random and LOL-worthy moments so let's give it a try.

It's basically putting your songs in Shuffle and then answering questions with the song titles. It's silly,but it is potentially random fun too...so let's see how it turns out.

1.If someone asks, "Is this OK?" you say

"God Only Knows" -- Beach Boys

2.How would you describe yourself?

"Here Comes The Sun" -- The Beatles

3.What do you like in a girl/guy?

"Good Hair" -- OutKast (yeah..it's true. :shock: )

4.How do you feel today?

"Hybrid" -- Siouxsie & The Banshees (kinda how I feel...multi-tasking between various fields everyday :P )

5.What is your life's purpose?

"I Might Be Wrong" -- Radiohead (yeah...to realize that this whole life is just an illusion and I am living inside someone's dream o_O)

6.What is your motto?

"Meat is Murder" -- The Smiths (BOOYAH FOR VEGETARIANISM! :D )

7.What do your friends think of you?

"Cannibal Resource" -- The Dirty Projectors (wha..my friends are going to eat me? :? )

8.What do you think of your parents?

"Things You Can Do" -- TV on the Radio (kinda like them saying to me in a motivational way I guess...or I hope. :P )

9.What do you think about very often?

"Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" -- The Smiths (not always..but true story :P )

10.What is 2+2?

"Empty Room" -- Arcade Fire ( if 2 guys and 2 gals meet each other, the room will be empty because they've gone out to watch the movies or have dinner together...this is like...DUH!! :P )

11.What do you think of your best friend?

"Southern Point" -- Grizzly Bear (yeah..I think he has got a rather long chin come to think of it )

12.What do you think of the person you like?

"Guys Eyes" -- Animal Collective (I would have TOTALLY deleted this thing if it weren't for the rules of honesty.How embarrassing for me :P )

13. What is your life?

"Anybody's Ghost" -- The National (...)

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?

"Specialist" -- Interpol (I cried BINGO! when it came up with this question :D )

15. What do you think of when you see the person you like?

"Barely Legal" -- The Strokes (um..no :P )

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?

"Wrong" -- Depeche Mode (OMG! That's bad.. :P )

17. What will they play at your funeral?

"Hello Operator" -- The White Stripes ("Hello operator?Can you connect me to the God Messenger Services and select the Retry option for me,please? ;) )

18. What is your hobby/interest?

"Jesus Saves,I Spend" -- St.Vincent (call it bad karma hitting me for my costly summer purchases :( )

19. What is your biggest fear?

"Zurich is Stained" -- Pavement (hell yeah...cuz if Zurich is stained all my secret wealth stored in the swiss banks will be stained ;) )

20. What is your biggest secret?

"I Started Something I Couldn't Finish" -- The Smiths (it actually hit me after hearing this whole song that this title could be HEAVILY misinterpreted in something that can doom my reputation for the rest of the life...now if only I had ANY reputation to begin with? :P )

21. What do you think of your friends?

"This Mess We're In" -- PJ Harvey

22. What will you put as the title?

"Femme Fatale" -- Velvet Underground

This blog was coming.

The more delayed it got, the more buckets of updates kept getting filled into it. So let's cut to the chase and talk about everything important that's been going on around me.

New Face :I changed my avatar recently which most of you must have noticed. I bid farewell to Isaac from Golden Sun who had been my "face" on GS and on many other sites where I go under the name lightwarrior179 for nearly 3 years. I felt the need to change as I was no longer a tween like Isaac (is he a tween? :P ). So naturally I chose another serious-looking frowning cool punk and that had to be Jin Kisaragi from BlazBlue. :D

Get prepared to be Frost Bite,YO! :D

World Cup : This World Cup has sprung lots of surprises at us. Not least of which was the elimination of Italy in the first round AND the manner in which they were eliminated. NEW ZEALAND of all teams bested them to doom the Azzuris to the bottom of their group. As in every World Cup, I always support Germany although this time I was hoping Nederlands would be able to grab their first-ever World Cup victory too. And guess what? Four teams left and my two-fave teams STILL exist. I should be partying all the way to moon!! :D

I was delighted with the way Brazil and Argentina were knocked out! TAKE THAT YOU SOUTH AMERICANS! :D

Also I am glad I won't have to watch Maradona strip naked which he promised to do if Argentina were to win the WC. Easily the biggest surprise of the tournament has been from Germany. Now I as a Germany supporter didn't expect them to do THIS WELL. They had a young,relatively unexperienced squad and missing their talismanic captain Michael Ballack.But the young guns have really shown the world the tough Deutschland blood running through them. Mesut Oezil,Thomas Mueller,Sami Khedira, Bastian Schweinsteiger led by their young captain Philipp Lahm and of course the two trusted front-men Lukas Podolski and the ever-dependable Miroslav Klose. :D They broke millions of hearts by first beating butts of England and then ripping Argentina apart. Up next are Spain. And my friends (most of whom are Spanish supporters) and I are highly awaiting for that match tomorrow. :D

My dream final? THIS :

The Netherlands

VERSUS

Germany

'

HELL YES,BROTHERS!! :D

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GAMES

"Our Focus Is Complete" : Finished FFXIII recently. Good game. It has it's weak moments mostly those where it's fast-moving,well-paced narrative comes to a screeching halt either due to story-related reasons or due to backtracking ENTIRE dungeon levels.Those were the only times I disliked FFXIII. Otherwise,besides that it's an awesome game. Definitely amongst the better games in the series. Easily the GREATEST strength of FFXIII is it's battle system which IMO is the best ATB-related battle system EVER.

The characters are pretty good and I have no major complaints with any one of them other than maybe Snow...but I never expected much from him in the first place. The dialogue and writing in general is a bit average which lets the story down in places like in certain serious moments the grim mood is broken by an inappropriate,highly CHEESY line like,"Your hero is coming,baby!". I am like,"Square Enix. SERIOUSLY?"

FFXIII is easily the most beautiful game of this gen,both technically and aesthetically. Some of the beautiful scenery the game graces you on the way are sights to behold and cherish. The music is pretty much likeable throughout.

Estimated Score :8.5/10 to 9.0/10. If it ends up with a 9/10 score it ties with FFVII and FFIV as my No.3 fave FF in the series. With FFVI and FFVIII taking the No.1 spot (tied,hence no No.2)

The Single-Most AWESOME game EVER : This isn't a random joke. This is grim reality. Deus Ex on it's second playthrough (I played it the first time back in 2003 when I was 11) is building up to be one of my all-time favourites. The game is just so damn perfect and the ideas and concepts it presents are so unique,innovative that it's a shame that few games if any have followed some of it's ideas. The only games I can recall following Deus Ex's seamless transition of battle $tyle was Crysis (not Far Cry,it was clumsy) and that too was due to Nanosuit. Deus Ex also breaks COUNTLESS gaming traditions and in what a manner. It allows smart,intelligent players to snoop around locations and discover potential spoilers stored for later. For example, I located "XYZ" three levels before it was supposed to be revealed according to the game script. BOOM! The game is changed, my world is turned upside down and the next three levels will never be played in the same way again. It's just EPIC,LEGENDARY SHMWASOME STUFF! :D

If Deus Ex 3 turns out to adapt it's ideas even half as good as Deus Ex does then I am already calling my GotY 2011. :lol:

Best of E3 :

Here's how I voted :

Best Downloadable Game : Limbo

Best Graphics : Gran Turismo 5

Best Stage Demo : Mortal Kombat

Most Disappointing Absence : The Last Guardian

Best E3 Trailer : Star Wars The Old Republic

Best Motion Sensor Game : Child of Eden

Biggest WTF...moment : Cirque du Soleil at MS

Best Hardware : 3DS

Best Action Adventure : Deus Ex 3 Human Revolution

Best Adventure : Gray Matter (OMG! Jane Jensen's game is FINALLY here!! I am going to pee in excitement! :D )

Best Fighting : Mortal Kombat

Best Racing : Gran Turismo 5

Best Platformer : Kirby Epic Yarn

Best Puzzle : Limbo

Best Rhythm : Child of Eden

Best Roleplaying : Witcher 2 Assassins of Kings

Best Shooter : RAGE

Best Sports : FIFA 11

Best MMO : Star Wars The Old Republic

PC : Deus Ex 3 : Human Revolution

DS : Okamiden

PSP : Valkyria Chronicles 2

PS3 : Gran Turismo 5

Xbox 360 : Child of Eden

3DS : Kid Icarus Uprising

Wii :Kirby Epic Yarn

Game of the Show : Kirby Epic Yarn

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"I'm Done Looking for the Truth" : Playing MGS Peace Walker too. Reached the final Chapter now. So far the game has been definitely more consistent than Portable Ops in it's stealth and boss battle sequences. The boss battle set-pieces are more epic and much more of what I expected from a MGS game. The strategy/recruitment options are fantastic and building up your own army is so much fun. Such micro-management of your crew on a handheld game done in such a good manner is impressive.

Estimated Score :8.0/10

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The Best of 2010 So Far... : 2010 is half over. My two best games so far in 2010 are Bayonetta and Mass Effect 2.

Playing through the Hard Mode of Bayonetta and trying to rack up achievements.The controls are like a GAMER'S DREAM.Platinum Games you guys are geniuses! :D

Finished Mass Effect 2's Renegade playthrough and my complaints and apparent flaws are more evident about this game on it's second run. Firstly ME2's Morality System is messed up. There's no arguing around it. Secondly the game despite adopting a more shooter-like approach still needs to better it's cover system as there are too many bugs/glitches and other frustrations associated with the cover.Making the combat more visceral would be nice too. I would have also liked if they had added more a bit MORE intensity during the final mission too. Mining is no excuse for exploration and that's easily another big flaw.

Besides that ME2 is easily THE greatest RPG this gen IMO and one of the must-buy games on 360.

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Music To My Ears : This has been a pretty good year for music so far. These are my Top 3 so far this year.

High Violet -- The National

The National's fifth album and their third masterpiece in a row after Alligator and Boxer. This is easily the pinnacle of NYC post-punk/atmospheric division that the genre has reached ever since Interpol's Turn on the Bright Lights. But everyone knows where Interpol went after that. In High Violet, Matt Berninger's grim monotone and the emotions of living a boring life of a common man come to fore once again this time supplied by more poignant keyboards and lyrics.

Forgiveness Rock Record -- The Broken Social Scene

This Canadian indie super-group produce their finest work as of yet with some consistent performers and a series of awesome guest-performances from Emily Haines (Metric) and Pavement's Spiral Stairs. Instantly likeable and endearing on the long run, this is a record for the happy mood. :)

This Is Happening -- LCD Soundsystem

In this James Murphy' led NYC post-punk/dance-electronica band's possibly final album, the artists touch their peak. LCD Soundsystem have been repeatedly hitting all the right notes with fans and critics alike and this isn't different. What's even better is that they're bringing many of the popular,yet long-forgotten synth ****reminiscent of Siouxsie & The Banshees back.

That's for the first half of 2010. There's Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs" ( :D ) ,The Strokes' new album and Interpol's self-titled album to look forward to name VERY few. Good times ahead!

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Movies

I've watched lots of movies on DVD and theatres lately but this I have watched TODAY.

Toy Story 3

I keep saying this every time. But THIS is Pixar's BEST movie! PERIOD (I swear I've said this more than three times already :P )

No but this time I am serious. No animated movie has brought such a wide range of emotions in me. Sorrow,nostalgia,fear and laughter to name few. The ending nearly brought me to tears but I did my best to hold it back. At that time, the images of my toys flashed in front of my eyes and I missed them terribly and wanted to say sorry to them. :(

I gave them to my younger cousin without even saying goodbye to them. How rude of me! :( :P

Without doubt, Toy Story series has grown right along with me. The first one came when I was a kid playing with my GI.Joes and vehicles creating all sorts of imaginary "action movies" with me as the director and then reviewing the movie and giving it "STARS" (I loved the reviews because of those stars which they gave as score :P ). I never really acknowledged how tremendously every one of my toy contributed to the imagination and creativity within me. THANK YOU,TOYS! THANK YOU! :D

I am going to miss this series and all it's characters--Woody & Co. a lot. I grew up watching the Toy Story movies a GAZILLION times and I will never ever forget them.

PIXAR YOU SONS OF GUNS !! YOU ROCK!! :D

Haha! :P

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That's all for now.

Catch ya later.

C ya

Lightwarrior179

Another E3 has come and gone by leaving all of us in a mix of excitement at the displayed games as well as a certain degree of frustration for those games which were completely left out (where was The Last Guardian? :evil: )

The conferences are always the best part of E3 and they're always the best way to kick off the event. Everybody is always ready to root for their favourites and rant at the things which they hate. Coming into this E3 we had a fair idea that motion control and 3D were going to prominiently feature in the developer's conference. I was personally not interested in either especially 3D because I think much of the world has already gone too high on the "3D bandwagon". Avatar was a decent movie in 3D but movies like Clash of Titans and Alice in Wonderland were awful whether you watched them in 2D or 3D.

So let's start with the conferences then,shall we.

Microsoft : While Sony had a stronger range of games last E3, Microsoft stole the headlines LAST E3 with FFXIII's announcement of it going multi-plat. This E3 we knew that Project Natal or Kinect (awful name...again!) as it was announced would feature prominiently. And this was bad news. While I had discussed some fair ideas that Natal could take with usagi704 and NeonNinja at the end of last year's E3 it had become increasingly clear that Microsoft was intent on one thing :"Our product is better than the one made by Nintendo". And they kept saying that indirectly but blatantly throughout the entire E3 this year. Sure, CoD Black Ops and MGS Rising were good starters but the show fell into total disarray after Gears 3. Kinect's apps were mundane, boring and completely lacking in imagination or innovation. At best it was Wii but without any controller.

I've been a strong believer that motion control WITHOUT buttons limits it's use in in-game applications. Kinect will never work on any proper 360 games. That's probably the reason Molyneux was smart enough to avoid Kinect support for Fable 3 and instead fulfill MS' moronic wishes with Milo (which was suspiciously MIA this E3. Thank Heavens for that! :P ). Perhaps the most distantly interesting Kinect app was Forza Kinect and that too is going to be a highly inferior and thoroughly forced version of it's proper console edition.

Besides Kinect, Call of Duty Black Ops looks more interesting than World at War or MW2. Gears 3 looked decent especially with the cool "exchange weapons" feature which will come in handy in co-op sessions. Fable 3's concept looks promising enough and it's got a Fall release date too. Easily MGS Rising was the highlight of MS' conference. Slick swordplay with the possibility of the complex MGS story is pleasing indeed.

Long story short. Microsoft's conference was a royal fiasco and they came nothing short of an epic failure especially when viewed in comparison with it's two rivals.

Final Grade : D-

Nintendo : Nintendo hasn't had a decent conference this generation. Every time they get turned into a punchbag by every gamer impersonating as "core gaming crowd" for not looking after their needs. They all complained that Nintendo had sold out for the casual crowd.

Nintendo apparently learnt their lessons this time. Their conference was a LOT more balanced attending to the needs of both casual and core gaming crowd especially the ones with nostalgic bug for Nintendo. Zelda :Skyward Sword was surprisingly NOT the highlight of the show but it still looked impressive. The art style looked neat and the control mechanics SOUNDS good. I say SOUNDS because they actually weren't working in execution. This was due to the popular problem related to Wii Motion Plus' infrared calibration. So,Miyamoto was looking like a total jerk trying to swing his Wiimote but with no effect. Luckily,they have got a good amount of time with it's Spring 2011 release date to fix the issues or BETTER remove the Wii Motion Plus support altogether.

Metroid Other M looks suspicious in gameplay department but the atmosphere seems to be back which can only mean a good thing. The emphasis on exploration can be a good thing but I fear at the mention of "Team Ninja" and "emotional story" in the same sentence. It's a VERY,VERY scary thought. :P

A surprise announcement came in the form of GoldenEye 007. This was obviously a tactic to dig into the nostalgia crowd by naming it GoldenEye even if it isn't GoldenEye. I personally am not too excited because of two reasons. A) I didn't think too highly of the original GoldenEye and B) I still don't believe shooters actually work with Wii.

Epic Mickey and Kirby :Epic Yarn had very unintelligent titles but still they looked promising. The platforming elements of Epic Mickey seemed good (although how good in comparison to Galaxy 2 I have no idea) and Kirby's art style alone was enough to earn many's attention.

But easily the highlight of the show was the 3DS. I mean..c'mon. None of us expected the 3DS announcement to be this good.And it wasn't just good. It was SO GOOD to be true. If DS has managed to dig PSP's grave,then I think 3DS will send PSP and all it's unworthy cousins (like PSPGo) with a one-way ticket to Hell. I wasn't sold on 3D without glasses but the inclusion of an analog stick and a 3D-slider is good. Did you even listen to all the possible titles coming to 3DS? Saints Row,Assassin's Creed,Resident Evil,MGS etc etc. But easily the most important 3DS game announcement was Kid Icarus. Few may have heard about it from it's NES days but this was a game I have been dying to get my hands on. We even got to see Kid Icarus 3DS for a few minutes and for that time we all forgot that we were actually watching a 3DS game and not a Wii game. :D

Overall, Nintendo were a lot balanced this time and they also cut down on the "useless cr*p" factor by removing the Vitality Sensor altogether.

Final Grade : B+

Sony : While Nintendo's may have been a better conference, Sony had slightly more in terms of entertainment value. Killzone 3 looked decent enough but not anything like "OMG.This is going to be a shooter that changes things". GT5's announcement for a November release means finally we will get to see how Polyphony's long in works title fares against this gen's other simulation heavyweight Forza Motorsport 3. Kevin Butler was the "entertainment value" I was talking of. He walked on the stage and began spewing some GOLDEN lines one after the other. He was hilarious! :lol:

Move featured initially even showing off some games it will be launching with. Move was another punch in the gut and another in the pelvic region to Microsoft's Kinect. Move will be better since it has a proper controller. Move has better looking apps. Move has got a great support when it releases. And it's got a price which at 50USD seems very reasonable if you ask me.

The mid-section of Sony's conference was as boring as MS'. They began telling the history of PS2 and how it is the second-most played console in 2009. This means that more people play PS2 than PS3 which is what Sony won't be proud of necessarily. They also began trying to "revive PSP" which isn't really going to happen. There was a BORING commercial featuring KB and some kid Marcus which nearly had me dozing (spare me guys,it was 2AM here by then :P ).

Things began to get really interesting after a certain "fat mass of flesh" walked onto the stage. This guy had apparently said back in 2007 that "PS3 is a crappy console" and was grateful for allowing Sony to appear him onstage. This guy was Gabe Newell, the Valve head and he announced Portal 2 (which looked FANTASTIC and YUMMY! :D ). More than that he literally showed how much self-esteem he had to the entire world by critcizing Sony's console and then giving them the privilege of announcing his new game. Kudos to Newell,really!!

There was one FINAL surprise in store. Some said,Uncharted 3 others said The Last Guardian. Possibly people were expecting Sony to reach heights too great. So, unsurprisingly people were in WTF-mode when the "surprise" element turned out to be Twisted Metal. For those who are unaware of this madcap vehicular-combat series, it's basically a game where you shoot and blast things in a town filled with psychotic clowns and ice-cream vans with triple rocket launchers. And did anyone notice that CRAZY,CRAZY bike with two flaming chainsaw appendages? FLAMING CHAINSAWS ON BIKES? YES PLEASE! :D

Sony were overall good but we did expect perhaps too much from them and we left with a feeling of disappointment in our minds.

Final Grade : B-

Besides the Big 3's conferences,EA and Ubisoft had strictly below average conferences. The new NFS Hot Pursuit looks better than any other NFS game in the past decade and seems more like an ode to the series' older, more realistic roots. Crysis 2 looks stunning but I still need to see more freedom and Nanosuit 2.0 options to make me satisfied. Old Republic does look good albeit many of the combat animations look robotic and unrealistic. Hope BioWare straightens them out before the Beta drops in.

The new Mortal Kombat looks STUNNINGLY awesome. The fighting looks fluid and visceral reminding us exactly what this series was loved and remembered for. I will definitely be looking into this if it develops eventually upto it's expectations. The Witcher 2 looks good and so does Deus Ex 3.

Overall, a decent E3 I must say. No big SHOCKING announcements and it is following the trend of gamers getting less gameplay footage compared to the journos. All we now get to see are CGI trailers and mostly nothing else besides that. :evil:

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I also completed Mass Effect 2 recently. I had heard many people raving about it back at the start of the year on how it is the "best game on Xbox 360" or "the game of the generation" from fans and critics alike. I wasn't sure but I had my hopes up.

ME2 stood upto each and every one of those expectations and maybe a bit more. The first two hours of ME2 count amongst the "best opening sequences" in gaming ever. The combat which is now leaning more towards shooter-genre is fluid,customizable and engaging. At times, ME2 is as good as any "good" third-person shooter can be. It's combat is SO good that you won't be able to play the first Mass Effect again after this. But at it's heart ME2 is very much a RPG and a very good one at that too. Following a "character-centric progression" for it's story,something which BioWare haven't done since KotOR days is something very interesting. ME2's cast will make you forget about the rather average-cast of the first Mass Effect. They're all very deep, multi-layered characters...all of them. The "conversation interrupts" is a brilliant idea and really improves the interactivity in conversations up by a notch. The hacking and bypass minigames have been improved by a great degree too and they're now actually quite fun.

The repetitive side-quests are now gone in ME2. Instead you now have limited but HIGHLY varied and fantastic side-quests that at times even exceed the story missions in terms of excitement and quality. Old faces return in strange yet endearing ways. The script is very-well written and it's one of those rare games where you'll never get tired of listening to each and EVERY dialogue because it's so well written and voice-acted.

ME2 is considerably darker too with couple of disturbing elements thrown into the fray.There are two things I don't like about ME2 -- 1) The mining minigame is a POOR and utterly boring excuse for the lack of planetary exploration and 2) the Paragon/Renegade morality system still sucks. Such good/evil morality systems may work in light-hearted RPGs like Fable or open-ended ones like Fallout 3 or Oblivion but for serious,story-oriented RPGs like ME2 you need a more "grey-shaded" morality system like the one featured in Dragon Age Origins.

Overall,if ME1 was "Batman Begins" then ME2 is easily the "Dark Knight". Yes it's that good! ;)

Estimated Score : 9.5/10 (although it can become 9.0/10 if the morality issue bugs me too much)

That's all for now,folks.

C ya

Lightwarrior179

Just an hour left before I leave for airport. Excited about the Europe holiday trip I am leaving for tonight for about 14 days. So most probably I'll be largely absent for that period in GS and other sites I am part of.

Today also marks the completion of 1 week of my summer holidays. And what a week it has been! I played nearly 8-11 hours everyday, read a pretty interesting novel by Simenon in the remaining time and even went to a farewell party hosted by my school (of course! How can I miss that? ;) )

So, I have basically finished BOTH Bayonetta and Fable II. I purchased Fable II nearly 8 months back but got around playing it only now.

So here are my quick impressions of the games I finished in the past week :

Bayonetta : Love it.It's amazing.Stylish,cla$$y and pure over-the-top action personified.I still can't stop loving the combat. It's nearly everything that Devil May Cry should have been. It's fast (as fast as Ninja Gaiden), it's full of easy to grasp but difficult to master combos and has got one SERIOUSLY RAD mechanic by the name of Witch Time. It's so amazing that it is truly the single biggest highlight about the game's combat. It's also got some pretty awesome,epic-scale boss fights that can stretch on for entire levels.These large-scale boss fights give a feeling of God of War games.

And it's stylish. Sure DMC is stylish too. But Bayonetta is cla$$y $tyle. The executions and climax moves they're rad.And the humor? Don't even get me started.I was rolling on the floor when the unexpected "fake credits" sequence came to an end.It's the kind of humor that these Japanese guys love so much. Random humor. :PI loved the jazz soundtrack of the game too.Suits the game and it's mood.

But there are few things that can possibly annoy you. Firstly, Bayonetta's biggest strength is it's weakness too. The over-the-top nature. Sometimes all the mayhem and confusion around you tends to get on your head. This is MOSTLY balanced by perfectly timed humor as well as a bit of unexpected hilarity from the cutscenes. But if you can't digest some of the over-the-top nature of Japanese games then this isn't for you.

I loved it regardless of that. ;)

I will give more detailed impressions on my review. I don't really have a definite score for it since Bayonetta has got bucket loads of replay value. In fact half of the weapons and accessories and techniques are available only after the first playthrough. So loads to do still.

Estimated Score : 9.0/10

Fable II : Unexpectedly good.It's no secret to anyone that I disliked the first Fable. I gave it a 6.5/10 mostly due to it's repetitive,clunky combat and poor morality choices.

Fable II is LOADS better.It's the point where Lionhead's and Molyneux's ideas are finally coming into shape. The combat is easily the core of the improvement in this sequel.It's flexible,addictive and entertaining. It's easy to grasp and never gets repetitive nor tiring. The morality decisions are handled WAY better than in the original and now you actually feel the weight of your decision upon you.

But Fable II is unlike most of the RPGs in a way much like Morrowind or Oblivion. It's more about the world than the story or characters or even combat. The world of Fable II is rich. Rich as anything you can imagine. The quality of time the developers have spent in creating this rich (again quality wise not quantity) is really appreciable. The trademark British humour lurks here too. Lines like, "The only downside of worshipping shadow and darkness is that you have to drink your tea without milk" or "That's a funny looking child.Oh wait,that's a dog" :lol: can't come from anywhere but Britain. And for fans of such type of humor it's a treat.

Much of Fable II's beauty lies in how certain decisions upon you can heavily change the world and it's towns around you.I can't wait to try it the second time around to try the alternate decisions and see how radically different the world ends up.

My score for Fable II is perhaps influenced by how I expected literally NOTHING from this game. I was heavily disappointed by my first and my expectations on Fable II were nearly zero. But it has surprised me and it's probably amongst the better RPGs of this generation.

Estimated Score :8.5/10

That's all for now,folks.

Don't forget to wave if you see me.I would post my pics (for those who don't know me on Facebook) so you can recognize me walking down your street,but nah...maybe some other day. :P

C ya

Lightwarrior179

It's been long.

This journey began in January.I hadn't anticipated it would be this much of a roller-coaster ride.There were high-points as well as low-ones.There were moments of triumph and others momentary fears of sheer failure.There was optimism and there was pessimism. At times I was this teen that couldn't stop talking about everything he loved.And there were also moments that were painful. But yes,all that fighting has made not only me but all those who have ventured into this journey stronger.

Confused? :P

I was talking about the "Journey of Exams". It began in January.And it has ended today.Has it been stressful? HELL YES! But is it worth it now that all of it is over? HELL YES AGAIN! Not only it has made us a hell lot tougher to face worse situations in the future of our life but it has also made us realize how we must enjoy and cherish every moment of our life.This has been one HELL of a Longest Journey. At times hours seemed to stretch on forever,and when we had to finish assignments on the last-day, time just seemed to dissolve into nothing. Good to know that all of that is done with.

Speaking of which,I actually finished The Longest Journey too.The original 1999-2000 one which is often regarded as one of the greatest point-and-click adventure (the REAL adventure) games of all time! It was my childhood dream to finish this game someday, since it being an adventure game I kept getting stuck at some awfully difficult puzzles for a 9-year old's brain. :P

But having played and finished it now,I could safely say it's up there amongst the very best. I've never and I mean NEVER seen such a richly detailed world with mythos so imaginative and original (which is often a rarity) that it just makes your mind explode with awesomeness! :D

But there is so much to Longest Journey.Besides combining a rare,near-perfect setting of sci-fi and fantasy, it has easily got the most brilliant female protagonist of all time--April Ryan. By the end of the game,you will have fallen in love with her street-smart personality and the amazing voice-actor behind her.Voice-acting is another strength of the game.So are the beautifully drawn pre-rendered backgrounds and FMVs! The story is excellent too combining themes of existentialism,philosophy,materialism as well as all the historical mystique the setting itself presents.

Having played Longest Journey has suddenly given me another big AIM for the summer. "TO PLAY SOME OF MY FAVOURITE POINT-AND-CLICK ADVENTURES AND SEE HOW THEY COMPARE WITH LONGEST JOURNEY". Chief on that list is of course Grim Fandango closely followed by The Last Express and The Days of Tentacle (yes the time-travelling one).

Besides that I need to finish and buy some more games from my ever-increasing 360 backlog.

Some of them which I have purchased but haven't even started or finished yet include :

Final Fantasy XIII: I want to play this so badly.It is right in my living room with Lightning staring at me as to WHEN will I..um..open her? :P

Needlessly all the ravings by my friends especially the ones by Neon,who I know is now a freshly converted FF-fanatic has made me excited enough to try this out.But there is limited time.Mainly because I am about to leave on a vacation trip with my family in about a week.That much time isn't enough to complete FFXIII and I certainly don't want to leave for the vacation with a game like FFXIII incomplete.

Mass Effect 2 :I played the opening 1 hr of this game and it was so darn good that I had to shut it down so that I could reserve this awesomeness for my vacations. Now that my vacations have started,I was actually intending to play this one...but there came TWO big interruptions.

INTERRUPTION NO.1 :Bought a PSP (2nd time).Some of you who follow me on Twitter might know this as I posted(or tweeted as the word goes) about me purchasing a new PSP for the second time along with ordering the games which made me take the decision of purchasing another one. My first PSP's UMD drive was damaged and it couldn't read any more UMDs.So it was worthless AND out of warranty!! My bad luck! :evil:

Nevertheless I got FIVE new games along with my PSP(just the normal one,not that useless GO **** and a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo. Those five new games include :

Crisis Core : It was the singular reason for me to get a PSP.I just HAD to play this game.I know it is going to be awesome.I know it is going to remind me why I liked FFVII so much.I know this is going to be BETTER than FFVII since this is based on my favourite incident of FFVII and has a protagonist Zack who I am sure WILL be better than Cloud anyday.I haven't started this yet (because of Interruption No.2) but I plan on doing so VERY soon...like tomorrow? :P

BlazBlue Portable :BlazBlue was easily the best fighting game I've ever played--2D or 3D.It's balanced roster and complex yet easy to grasp fighting that gets rewarding the more effort you put into it made me give it a 9.5/10 (the only other game to achieve that this gen were Crysis and Lost Odyssey). The Portable version looks like a pretty solid port and hey if I can have BlazBlue in my hands, I am not complaining at all. :D

MGS : Portable Ops : Alright,I may not be the biggest MGS fan plainly because I've played only ONE whole game(the original PS1 MGS). But it was good.It played horribly but I liked it's story and drama.Nonetheless I got this as a decent addition to the PSP collection since it got all such rave reviews.

GTA :Chinatown Wars :I couldn't miss this one.Not being the GTA fan I am.And that too this is being called as the best GTA game on handheld.Not that it had too much competition with the previous GTA games--GTA Advance (GBA,my score 6.5/10),Liberty City Stories(7.5/10),Vice City Stories(8.0/10) weren't that special. So hopefully this one embraces the handheld aspects instead of pretending to be a watered-down version of the console GTAs.

Dissidia : Of course this has to be on the list.The ultimate FF-fan service game.I am craving for a Squall vs Cloud game just so that I can beat that spiky-haired jerk (note,NOT Squall) to pulp. It might have a hard time though with BlazBlue Portable challenging it when it comes to the fighting aspects. We shall see.

Then comes another interruption :

INTERRUPTION NO.2 :I won't say I didn't expect to get it now.But not so soon.Oh well, just after finishing my final exam I was browsing through some game stores checking out Alan Wake (it's priced properly alright).But then there it was...Bayonetta.Priced at a 50% off price too. :shock:Surely I couldn't let such a sexy,badass witch go that cheap can I? So being the knight in shining armour I am,I rescued her. :P

Since I have been in the mood to improve soured opinions lately,I chose to play Bayonetta over ME2. So yes,my plans to play ME2 were gate-crashed being time.But I am delighted.Why? Because Bayonetta is pretty awesome.

It is everything that I liked about the first two DMCs and it's is NOT everything I hated about DMC. No backtracking,no stupid ranking that judges you by your variety of attacks. Plus Bayonetta is so damn stylish that it makes DMC look like an old hag stirring some stew in a cauldron. :lol: THAT..and it's ridiculously over-the-top right from the very first moment! (which starts with someone taking a loo on the grave stone with the name of Hideki Kamiya,the creator of Bayonetta :lol: )

The combat is fun,fluid,stylish and non-button mashing.It isn't over-reliant on QTEs(in fact very little) which is what I want from a game of this type.The story seems to be a bit too confusing but the over-the-top humor makes it entertaining.I've had some good laughs already [spoiler] (WTF! That Altair/Assassin's Creed joke took me by total surprise [/spoiler] :lol:So nonetheless I am having fun with Bayonetta. :D

About the trip I am making next week with my family it's actually a trip to Europe (yea,the tourist one).We'll be there for 2 weeks,so I'll be mostly inactive for the time between May 24-Jun 8 but I'll try to stay in touch. For all of you,who stay in Europe,wave me a hand and I might notice you! :P

C ya

Light