Following on from reading a friends blog (Roman_Irishman) on here, I would just like to discuss anime and Japan in general - I am no Japanophile I must stress, and I don't worship everything they do. I have a heavy interest in history and world cultures. Anyway, I have recently been in an anime kinda mood, thanks to watching one of the best anime films I've seen in a recent years - The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. I'm not here to promote the film (even though it was great by the way). But it did get me in the mood to watch another one of my favourites: Princess Mononoke. Princess Mononoke has alot of hidden references and messages about Japanese culture, and more importantly, Shinto. Some people fail to realize how big a role Shinto plays in the Japanese way of thinking and doing things. I don't pretend to know everything there is to know about this subject, and I'm always learning and am fascinated with it. If you look through alot of anime, and games, you'll see a general running theme about the relationship of humans and nature - this isn't just restricted to Miyazaki's masterpieces. You'll often see it in games like Final Fantasy, Zelda and Okami (obviously). Shinto and Japanese culture are inseparable. Running themes of feeling or being impure, and wanting to clear ones mind and/or body through their actions. The coming of Spring and signifying a fresh beginning. Having harmony with nature. Anime and games alike draw inspiration from these. I'm not entirely sure where I'm trying to go with this, I'm just rambling on about what I see. If anybody is also interested in this subject, or just want to discuss it, then feel free to comment. I've only just quickly wrote this, so I may write some more on the subject once I've done abit more thinking.

I'm finally getting my hands on Street Fighter IV. I'm not actually a massive fan of Street Fighter 2 if I'm honest. But Street Fighter 3: Third Strike is my favourite 2D fighter ever. I've seen SFIV in the flesh many times, and I've thought it came across as the best of 2 and 3. I won't be getting my hands on it until about 10 days time, but if anyone wants to add me on XBL, then feel free. My Gamertag is on my profile, as you can see.

So, finally, at long last, I'm reading some solid evidence that Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is coming to XBLA, and I cannot wait. There's already an achievements list up at xbox360achievements.org. I know MvC2 isn't the most balanced of fighters around, but it's still one of my favourites just for the pure fun which can be had. I hope all they do with the port is tastefully sharpen up the visuals, that's really all that needs to be done. Let's also hope it's a maximum of 1,200MS points, as I think a tenner is well worth it. Also, I'm hearing rumours of Garou: Mark of the Wolves coming to XBLA. That would be great news too. Mark of the Wolves is certainly one of the best 2D fighters I've ever played - which has only been on MAME.

Played the first couple of chapters. Good so far. I wasn't happy to find out there's no manual save, I love my multiple saves in Resi games. Seems like nearly all games these days are going down the auto-save route. I'm... abit iffy about Sheva at the moment. Not the fact with her getting into trouble, or nicking everything (although if you move towards a barrel/chest she holds off breaking it.) The reason I'm iffy is when I'm trying to soak in the atmosphere while walking down a dark corridor, she's right there... walking along side me with her twitchy run stop animation. That's a minor flaw at the moment. Definitely enjoying it so far though. I've stuck it on Veteran straight away. I may live to regret it, because one hit from a melee weapon takes nearly half my energy. But meh, I'm hardcore enough to take it!

So, this is the week. The week I've been waiting for for about... 4 years to come. What, you may ask, have I been waiting this long for? The new Resident Evil game of course, what else?! It's by far my most anticipated game of this current generation, and I can bloomin' well wait to get my hands on it. RE4 is in my top 3 games of all time. Yet, I certainly don't expect the 5th game in the installment to top it, not at all. I know there's been alot of moaning and discussion about is it still really Resident Evil, or have Capcom gone down a route they really shouldn't have? I personally feel Capcom made the right decision with the changes they made to the franchise - which they brought in with RE4 mainly. People might say, but where are the zombies? Well, zombies have never been the only enemy in the games - there's always been a diversity of scum to dispatch. Recent (ish) films such as 28 Days later have made the fast moving infected popular. The slow, lumbering brain-dead creatures of the classic Romero films have been replaced in today's popular culture - I'm a big Romero fan by the way, and love his films and respect the fact that RE was inspired by them. The hardware in which game developers have at their disposal has become more and more sophisticated over the years, thus meaning the game worlds have become more rich and varied in their appearance. To restrict the user to static cameras, and slow lumbering enemies wouldn't be a wise gameplay choice. I also feel the term Survival Horror has changed. You couldn't make a game like RE 1-3 for today's market, it just wouldn't be that well received. The way people play games has changed, and is constantly changing. I feel people are sometimes blinded by nostalgia. I get the impression Capcom can't win. There are people moaning about not being able to run and shoot at the same time. There are people moaning of the lack of zombies and the fact that the game is giving you plenty of ammo and health. I say this, is the game first and foremost fun to play? If the answer is yes, then get the fack on with playing it and stop moaning! See you in Africa, stranger. By the way, excuse the massive first paragraph. Glitchspot isn't having any of it, in terms of breaking the thing up. So I'm stuck with what you can see. Sorry if it hurts you eyes! Also, I must give a shout out to MagisterBurner for tweaking my profile banner and making it look cooler. Thanks!

No, nothing to do with self harm or the alike. I've just gone and purchased the Mission Mode for Ninja Gaiden II - thought I'd take advantage of the Deal of The Week price drop, it's now 560MS points down from 800. I personally really liked NGII, even though it felt slightly unfinished and was a bit glitchy when it was released. I managed to complete the game on Warrior (Medium) on my first run. Then Mentor (Hard) on my second without too much hassle. I've got about half-way through Chapter 1 on MNM, but thanks to getting absolutely spammed by projectile throwing swines, I haven't really gone back. But yeah, wish me luck with the Mission Mode. Should be fun!

So I hear the new Street Fighter film, it's about Chun-Li if you don't know, has been getting rather luke-warm reviews. Who in their right mind would ever think this film would even be above average?! C'mon now. Just look at the cast! Where I think exceptions do need to be made when making a film from a book or a videogame, something like Street Fighter you really just need to make an epic martial arts film, plain and simple. Look at the recent (ish) works of Tony Jaa, there are more than enough properly trained martial artists out there who would fit these roles better. Instead Hollywood, yet again, feel the need to try & train proper actors in martial arts. Oh look, they look rubbish on screen, what a surprise.

Well, I have just finished Half-Life 2: Episode 2, for the third time now. I re-bought the Orange Box for the PC about 2 weeks ago, after owning it for well over a year on the 360, and went through HL2 and both the Episodes back-to-back. But, it's Episode 2 which really does blow me away the most. I never get tired of that game. I managed to get the "Neighbourhood Watch" achievement during my run aswell. If anybody has tried to do that achievement, they'll know how hard it can be. I also got it on the 360 version, but thanks to the mouse/keyboard setup, it seemed easier on the PC. You've just got to watch out for the low fast moving Striders - they're the ones which destroy the buildings instantly. Once you know where they're coming from, it should be fine. Alot of quick saving and 4-5 reloads later, and I did it! But yeah, hurry up Valve and bring out Episode 3 already!

I know, I know, I should have expected it. A new class pack is released for Team Fortress 2, and everyone and their dog wants to get the new unlocks as fast as possible and try them out. My main class is Pyro, I was on a team the other day with me (Pyro) and at least 8+ Scouts! I know it'll all calm down soon enough, plus it's kinda fun burning most of the newbie Scouts. My head was spinning last night while trying to heal most of my Scout team as I switched to the Medic. About the new Sandman bat and ball, it doesn't overly bother me. I've been stunned by it a few times now. It's quite funny watching people get stunned, especially a Heavy. I haven't found that it's instant death if you do get stunned - usually the Scout will stun me, and then be slightly wary to move in for the final kill if there's more than a couple of my teammates around me firing at him. I hope the Demoman is next for an update, as he's my second most used class. Also, I want a "Meet The... Pyro" video please Valve. :D

Those Japanese certainly love their RPG's. Thanks to the game Star Ocean, the 360 outsold every other console on the market - including the Nintendo Wii. 21,013 Xbox 360 were sold during the week ending on February 22, compared to 16,900 Wii units and 15,967 PS3s. It just goes to show, give the Japanese a game they want to play, and they'll buy your machine to play it. I've personally been itching for a decent JRPG since playing Final Fantasy XII. I loved that game, and it was one of my highlights of the last generation of consoles. All the recent JRPG releases have been abit disappointing, especially on the 360. I may give this Star Ocean a look. If that doesn't quench my thirst, then I'll just have to wait until FFXIII is unleashed!