Saturday, February 20, 2010
Hello! Oh man, there's a whole bunch of stuff that I want to talk about, but I am being so damn lazy. Procrastination is what blogging has become for me.It's not that I don't want to write, its just that many of my posts end up not seeing the light of day because I get distracted half way through and when I come back to finish them, it always seems that the information they contain are not relevant any longer.
Oh well. I am going to start writing again! Several minor updates, which I will be talking about more in future posts:
1) Microsoft's X10 event wrapped up about two weeks ago. Lots of juicy details for upcoming games were revealed, including first ever game play videos of games like Fable 3 and Halo Reach.
2) I survived Valentines' Day 2010, thankfully!
3) On the flip side, Chinese New Year 2010 was a fail for me when it comes to ang bao.
4) I had several interesting outings over the pass few days.
5) Mass Effect 2 seriously kicks ass.
6) I'm making plans on celebrating my 18th birthday, hopefully at a chalet.
7) I've decided to stop being a pussy and go get my piercing.
8) I am beginning to love Korean girls a lot.
9) Korea has their own series of movies similar to American Pie!
10) Super secret announcement that I am really happy and proud of!
Yeah, that's 10 updates which I could think of. But I'm not going to be talking about them, because they are meant for other posts! For now, I'm going to be watching Naruto Shippuden episodes. That is, if I can get myself to playing Mass Effect 2 first. Check back soon!
posted @ 9:26 AM
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Sunday, February 7, 2010
Hello! Whoa! I got a lot of photos to upload onto Facebook! I'm not uploading majority of the random shots in school, unless they're exceptionally funny/awesome/WTF-inducing, because I'm free but not that free, but I will be uploading all those other shots soon!These include photos taken during photography, as well as outings. I lost most of my fashion photography photos several weeks ago, and I was really, really disappointed, because fashion photography was the best lesson of the whole module, but I recently managed to get half of them back! That's better than nothing, I guess.
So yes, I'll be uploading a whole bunch of photos soon!
Ugh, I am having a migraine right now. I don't know why, but I suspect it's because of the warm weather just now, combo-ed with the smell of my mother's cooking from the kitchen. It's not that her cooking smells bad, it's just that the smell is too strong. Doesn't help that my bedroom is right opposite the kitchen.
I woke up at 3pm today. Result of staying up until 4.30am yesterday playing DotA. I've already told myself that I ain't going to get addicted to DotA again, so I'm just a social DotA player! Like you know, social smokers or drinkers don't smoke or drink unless at social events. Same with me and DotA :D
Since I woke up until now, I've only left my bed four times. Once to eat lunch, once to bathe, once to say bye to my uncle and auntie, and one last time to eat dinner. I don't plan on moving anymore. Yes, today is a lazy lazy Sunday.
Maybe it's because I'm not moving, so my blood circulation and respiration are too slow, and my heart can't pump enough oxygenated blood to my brain. Maybe I should move a little so my brain doesn't suffocate to death. But you know what? I think I'll take my chances, because I'm feeling too lazy to move.
Today, I'll be starting this new segment I'll be doing on my blog from time to time. Trailers for video games and movies are released daily. Watching through a trailer once is only going to tell you the release date for the product.
You've got to watch it several times to really get every bit of information out of it. That's where I come in. Your geeky, fanatic, nothing better to do friend, Shiva! I'll be doing an analysis of the latest game and movie trailers as they are released, but only if I am interested in them myself.
To start things off, I'll be taking a look at the debut trailer for this year's biggest anime game, Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2. The first game was released exclusively for the Playstation 3 in 2007, and now, it's sequel is coming at us!
In this trailer, most of the footage is from cinematic, but there are several seconds of actual gameplay.
Here's the trailer:
The trailer begins with all the usual developer and publisher logos, then it quickly changes to a scene of Naruto and a clone leaping down to Kakashi. Kakashi is using Raikiri and Naruto and the clone are using Rasengan.
Their attacks clash and the impact causes waves to form on the water that they are fighting on. I don't recall Naruto ever really fighting Kakashi this seriously, so there are two possibilities.
One is that this is actually a Versus mode fight, but I doubt that, because it looks pre-rendered. The other possibility is that this is during the period which Kakashi and Yamato help Naruto train for Rasen-Shuriken. So maybe we'll finally get to use that move in a Naruto game? Definitely keeping my fingers crossed.
Then this pops up, pretty much confirming that the game would take place during the Shippuden time line. This was expected since the first game ended with the Naruto vs Sasuke fight of the original series.
Naruto suddenly goes into fox mode while his Rasengan clashes with Kakashi's Raikiri. As far as I can remember, Naruto only clashed with Kakashi once during training for Rasen-Shuriken, and while he did lose control many times during the training, he didn't when he clashed attacks with Kakashi. Maybe a slight deviation from the story?
The title for the game is revealed to be Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, the sequel to the first game. The calligraphy brush art style can be seen in the title, similar to the one used in Street Figther IV. I guess it is fitting, since people in Naruto's world write with calligraphy brushes.
Here we see Naruto fully entering his fox mode. I really like the attention to graphics, like the tiny glowing specs within his chakra field, the thick, sketchy lines to emphasize his rage, and his facial expression.
The trailer then transitions from Naruto and Kakashi's fight to a series of random scenes. This one looks like it's from the beginning of Shippuden, when Naruto and Sakura take the bell test again. This is definitely the impact of Sakura's punch, as seen in the trailer.
This is during the fight against Sasori. Sakura punches through one of his puppets, destroying it. Once again, attention is paid to the fine detail. Look at the individual parts of the puppet fly as it shatters! Also, seals can be seen on some parts of the debris.
This is a really random scene of a hundred copies of Naruto launching upwards to the sky like rockets, defying gravity as they do so. I like how they don't all have the same expressions. But I can confirm that this is Naruto's Shadow Clone Jutsu being used, not a cutscene.
Deidara makes an appearance. This scene is from the part where he fights and captures Gaara. Since earlier footage already showed Sakura fighting Sasori to rescue Gaara, we could assume that this part would have already been in the game, but it's nice to see that it is confirmed.
An explosion caused by Deidara. This can either be a cutscene, or one of Deidara's in game special attacks.
I'm assuming that this is from the Sasori fight, because he does have an attack similar to this in that fight, but it also looks kinda like Kakuzu doing one of his attacks as well. Maybe Kakuzu and Hidan will be making an appearance in the game as well?
Sakura gives Kakashi a punch, which he blocks. However, the impact of the punch causes the ground below to shatter. Apparently, Kakashi's body and legs are more sturdy than the rock hard ground.
More importantly, this confirms that the bell test part is in the game. Whether it will be playable or not is another question.
Deidara is confirmed for the game. I like the detail the developers have given to the mouths on his palms, like the saliva and the way the tongue wags about hungrily.
Sasori is confirmed too. He is taking out his scroll, which he uses to summon his puppets. Other than the detail to the characters, I like how the battlefield has been accurately recreated.
Sasori summons his army of puppets, confirming that the 10 vs 100 puppet fight between him and Chiyo Baasama is in the game. It is good that the puppets don't all look the same.
Here we catch a first glimpse of the in game combat. As you can see, the battlefield is huge, as compared to previous Naruto games. Also, details like Chiyo Baasama's chakra strings can be seen.
Sasori is able to control his puppet army and use them to attack the player. I hope the puppets in the background are able to move around as well, and not just remain stationary.
Kazekage Gaara takes on Deidara above the Sand Village. Look closely, and you'll notice that individual grains of sand can be seen.
Deidara dodges Gaara's attacks. I like the motion blur, and it would be cool if we could fly around using the bird when playing as Deidara.
Thousand years of pain! This is most likely a cutscene, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of it being one of Naruto's specials.
Really badass scene with Chiyo Baasama and her 10 puppets. I love how the puppets turned out, because they look exactly like their anime counterparts. In the background, you can see further evidence of how much detail was put in. To get into the cave, Sakura shattered the boulder blocking the entrance, and the remains can be seen.
This is probably part of a cutscene. Sakura is delivering a kick to what looks like the former Kazekage puppet. Details like the dust trail from Sakura's boot give the game more of the anime vibe.
One of Chiyo Baasama's puppets punches a hole through Sasori's puppet. This is definitely part of a cutscene, but I would really love to be able to play as one of the puppets during this sequence.
This is Deidara's bomb dropping towards the Sand Village.
Its mouth gets distorted by the wind as it falls towards the village.
Attention is paid to the facial expression of the characters. This look is common in the Naruto anime and manga, and it makes an appearance in the game as well.
The bomb lands on what seems like the sand village, but if you watched the anime or read the manga, you will know that Gaara saved the village just in time by protecting it with a barrier of sand.
Another in game fight scene. From the way Naruto's clones moved in the trailer, it is possible for the player to be controlling all three at once via different buttons, but I think it's more likely that the AI will be controlling them. This confirms that Shadow Clone Jutsu is in the game.
And this confirms that Rasengan is in the game. Will there be other forms of the Rasengan in the game? Like, say, Rasen-Shuriken? Pleeeease?
So the game is announced for the Playstation 3, which is expected since the first one was a PS3 exclusive.
But this time round, Xbox owners are going to be able to enjoy the game as well. I'm really hoping that they port the first one for the 360 as well, and bundle both for a limited edition. I would totally buy it.
Once again, the expression on the characters' faces changes, as we can see with Sakura above. Also, notice that whip looking thing behind her. That's actually a sword from one of Sasori's puppets, and possibly the one she uses to finish him off.
Naruto is seen standing in a foresty area, with the bell from the bell test in his hand. Again, this confirms the sequence for the game, but not whether it will be playable or not.
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 will be hitting store shelves in Fall 2010, which means the period from September to November. That is if it doesn't get delayed, which I'm hoping that it won't.
After the release window for the game is mentioned, there is a short clip of Sasuke fighting Naruto. He uses this move, which is something he learns while training with Orichimaru.
Also, Sasuke has Akatsuki robes on. This can either be just an extra costume to select while playing versus, or it could be related to the story. If it is related to the story, that would mean that the game will at least cover the events up to the point when Sasuke first joins Madara and dons the Akatsuki robe.
That includes thing like the rescue Gaara arc, the first time Naruto confronts Sasuke at Orochimaru's hideout, Orochimaru vs the 4 tails, the Hidan & Kakuzu arc, the Sasuke vs Deidara arc, all the way until Sasuke defeats Itachi. That would mean that I'll be getting my Rasen-Shuriken! :D
Of course, there are still a whole lot of unknowns for this title, and I'm expecting more information to be released as its release date draws closer. The first game was well received by majority of the critics, so I'm keeping my hopes high about this one.
The other next gen Naruto series, which includes the Naruto: Rise of a Ninja and Naruto: The Broken Bond games, is expected to release its third game as well this year end. This means that there will be a power struggle among both games to attract more Naruto fans, but you know what?
I don't really care, because it's only going to mean that I'll be having more Naruto games to play this year end.
posted @ 11:51 PM
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
But no.
The bulk of my stress producers (oooh Psychology) are gone. I'm just left with an individual speech presentation, which I'm really looking forward to, Photography group project, and one last group presentation for Psychology. Other than that, there aren't any more assignments left for Poly year 1. Even my end semester tests are already over.
So yes, I am in the holiday mood! It's basically holidays already for me people! But no, I will not rest until everything is properly finished up.
AHAHAHAHA. Who am I kidding. I just wrapped up an hour long Xbox session and then I decided to write blog.
On a side note, Bayonetta's difficulty is no joke! Getting my ass kicked while playing on NORMAL difficulty. That's the second easiest difficulty setting by the way. "This difficulty setting is for players who have played action games before" says the description when you highlight normal difficulty.
As cool as this scene looks, it's just several seconds away from a Game Over screen. Trust me.
Nothing wrong with that right? Here's how a gamer sees it. "This difficulty setting is for players who aren't complete PUSSIES" Normal mode starts out alright, but it really gets tough as it progresses.
The temptation of changing the difficulty down to easy has emerged in my mind more than once, especially during several ridiculous parts which pit you against enemies whom are tough enough for you to mistake them for bosses, but then the real boss arrives and tears you a few new holes, but I fought it back, because easy mode is automatic.
This means that all attacks and combos will be automatically performed for you by the AI, all you've got to do is continuously hit the Y button, which is basically as fun as doing a Powerpoint presentation. At least when doing the presentation, there is the challenge of needing to know when to change slides.
Ok, I just realised that I am deviating from what I was initially saying. That's what happens when I start thinking about games.
Back to what I was saying. I decided the write blog! It's been what, like a month since I last posted? Blame it on school, and all the projects and assignments that comes bundled with. But that said, I still love school, so just blame it on my inability to plan my time well :D
I finally decided to stop procrastinating and get started on my training routine! It consists of 16 weeks of proper diet, gym and cardio. Technically, the 16 weeks are going to start next next week, once my holidays begin, but until then I'm doing the cardio part.
I went swimming this morning, after like a year long hiatus. I wanted to go at 8 in the morning, where the weather would be cooling and the pool water still clean, but I only woke up at 11. Despite it nearing the worst time possible for a swim, I decided to go with it. Besides I'm already dark a little darker wouldn't do any harm.
But whoa, has my swimming stamina dipped or what. After 18 laps my body hurt like crap and I couldn't even do one lap of free style at my maximum speed. Disappointed. I'm going to train until I am back on form. I swam for an hour, then took a shower, and went to meet Say Yin.
Along the way, I dropped by at this skate shop in Queensway, because it was nearby. If I'm not wrong, this is the shop that Damien goes to because he knows the shop owner. They recommended several pair of skates for me, but all are within the $350-$600 range.
I also saw those pair of skates Damien was talking about; the ones where you just clip onto your own pair of shoes. Those were $400 if I'm not wrong. Oh well, I can't afford them just yet, but hey, my birthday is coming soon! Only 2 more months! :D
Then I went to meet Say Yin at Marina Square. We played pool for two hours or so, then we went to have Pepper Lunch. It's been a really long while since I ate there. Tried the hamburger today. I want to try the spaghetti next time I go there!
After lunch, we went down to Vivocity to pay Desiree a visit at her workplace! First time I drank a drink from the Boost store. It had strawberries, bananas and some other stuff in it. Tasted like frozen Yakult. I like.
We then went back to city area to have dinner at Wendy's, which is my new favourite fast food restaurant. The food is cheaper than Burger King and Carl's Jr, and in my opinion, tastes better too.
Only bad thing about Wendy's is the fries. They are probably one of the worst among all fast food restaurants, but that's alright because the burger makes up for it with its 3/4 pounds of SHEER AWESOMENESS.
So yeah, the holidays are now coming. Next week is going to be the final week of year numero uno. That means the last few days I'll be sharing with my awesome awesome class 1C01. We're still going to be in the same lecture theatres and all, but we're never going to be in the same class again.
As much as I know that I'm going to miss all the crazy shit that went down, I am also looking forward to the upcoming well deserved holidays. By right, there's supposed to be three more weeks before the holidays, but because we only have 1 end semester test, it was brought forward to last week.
So CMM people have holidays starting from 13 February 2010 all the way until 19 April 2010. That's 9 weeks by the way. That may be too long, and would get boring really fast under normal circumstances, but a whole lot of things are going to be happening during that period.
The most major one is of course my trip to University of Western Australia (UWA), which is in Perth, for an exchange programme. The trip has already been confirmed, and it will be from 19th March to 2nd April. It was initially stated that the cost would be $3000, but it has now been cut down to $1850, because I'm sharing a room with 3 other guys.
The trip is actually part of a module called Global Citizenship. There will be lectures and tutorials held locally for a week, a field trip during the end of that week, a 25% weightage common test (for 1 week's worth of content, lol), the actual trip, then finally a group project when we get back to Singapore.
The whole thing is expected to take up the whole holidays. Meaning that not only am I paying for the trip, I'm also giving away my holidays.
But it's ok, because 1) I'll be spending it with most of my good friends, 2) There will only be lecturer supervision for a week, 3) We're staying in a 3.5 star hotel, 4) I'll have full access to an (almost) personal gym and pool for 2 weeks and finally, 5) It'll be an experience that I won't forget.
Other than the exchange programme, there also all the outings planned for during the holidays. I'll definitely need to catch up with the guys from MSHS. And I really need to do all the things that I've wanted to do for a long long time.
I want to go jamming. I want to learn how to roller blade properly. I want to buy a new guitar. I want to buy skates. I want to complete a whole bunch of games. I want to stay over at people's houses. I want to slack the night away outdoors at certain places.
There are already several outings happening the week after next. There's the roller blade day at ECP. I want to go back to the barrage and fly kite again, this time with more people. And our 2 alliance groups need to go to ECP food village for all that good food again! TULANG LA SIA.
By the time the holidays are over and Semester 2.1 starts, I'll be 18 years old. I plan to take my driving theory soon. I want to pass and get my driving license by the end of this year, if it is possible.
I was looking at a whole list of second hand cars a few days ago. The prices ranged from $9,000 for a vintage Mazda model to $650,000 for a Lambo. Oh well, looks like the Lambo is going to have to wait for a while. A LONG LONG while.
I'll also be attempting to work from home during the holidays, rather than work outdoors. Some of you might know that I have been working on the script for this trilogy of games for several years now.
While the script for the first game is still a long way from being done, I've decided to try and do something useful for the time being.
Rather than waste my holidays away, I'm going to look for a small team of talented individuals. I need someone who can draw Western comic book style (meaning that characters look human, and have normal faces unlike the bug eyed characters found in manga), and someone good at inking and colouring. I'll provide the story.
I already have all these scenes in my head, but I'm a fail artist, so I need some one to help me put all those scenes down on paper. As for the colouring, I can do that, but I'd rather have someone dedicated to it.
If you can draw/colour/ink like this, I want you. The plan is for us to work on the first issue of the comic, then put it on as many social websites a possible IE. Facebook, Deviantart, etc. It would obviously be better to have a copyright before doing this.
We then approach as many local publishers as possible, until one decides to give us a chance. Then I would be a small step closer to realising my dream of having my own universe of characters, with manga style of storytelling but Western comic style of art.
If this whole thing is successful, whatever money we get will be split 25 - 25 - 25, no questions asked and no strings attached. The remaining 25% will be kept as back up and for promotions.
Imagine, if we make a thousand from sales, that's $250 per person. And the best part about this whole thing is that we only need to work hard at the start, then we can sit back and relax as the money comes in.
So yes, if anyone is interested, just leave a note. It would be better if I know you personality, and if you are located in Singapore. Don't just go for the money, you've got to hear me out and you yourself will have to be interested. There isn't that high a priority for this whole project, just several hours a week will be enough.
I will also be doing that 16 week training thing I was mentioning earlier throughout the holidays. This training will ensure that I get about 8-16 kg of muscle at the end, but I don't want that! I'll just be following the training schedule until I'm happy with how I look, then I'll stop.
Finally, I want to get new clothes and hair before year 2 starts. I am freakin uncomfortable with wearing other colours, but I'm going to try to do that. That means that I'll need to get new clothes soon. But I am hopeless at getting clothes, so I will need a shopping companion. Anyone?
I also want to get my hair cut properly. I have always been doing it the way my parents want me to, so I'm going to try something new for a change. I'm thinking of shaving the sides, and a little of the back, while keeping more hair on the rest of my head. I'll be keeping a little of my fail fringe I think.
The back will have to be cut in a V shape, and I'll be letting it grow into a tail. The hair on the top of my head will probably be made into a Mohawk, or I might just leave it as it is, I'm not too sure about that yet.
Something like this. Bonus points if I can rock the beard. I can grow it definitely, but will I look good with it?
I'll also be piercing my ear, since my mom has already given me the green light. I'm thinking two or three piercings on my left year. I'll probably be using those ear studs that look like nut and bolts, or those that look like bones.
So yes, the holidays are coming, and a whole lot of things are going to be happening over the next few months. So far, 2010 is shaping up to be a much more awesome year for me than 2009 was, and a whole lot of good things are already happening :D
Also, since the holidays are coming, and I'm much more free now, I'll be posting more often! So remember to check back tomorrow for more awesome shiva-ness! See you! (:
posted @ 11:17 PM
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