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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