Friday, December 28, 2012

Too Hard Pt. 2

On the other hand, I too find myself in situations like this:

and it makes me feel like everything will be alright. I believe it's a predicament only the hardcore gamers can possibly have, and as long as I keep experiencing it, I know I'm still a true gamer!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Too Hard

I saw this on 9GAG the other day and it made me chuckle. But thinking about it further, it made me realize: are gamers becoming more and more casual as the years go by? I don't mean new players picking up controllers for the first time; I'm talking about people who identify themselves as "hardcore" gamers, true fans with passions for playing videogames. Have developers, being pressured into making games more accessible to wider audiences, unwittingly trained these players to adopt a casual preference?

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Anime of the Week: Legend of Korra

The Legend of Korra’s first season was a truly excellent follow-up to Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I honestly don't think I could have hoped for more. Korra's not perfect, but she's open to learning from the mistakes she makes, and she tries hard to absorb her mentor's teachings, all of which has fantastic messages for kids. It’s a very good show and I hope everyone watches it. You’ll love it just as much as I did and I’m pretty sure you won’t be able to wait for the next season too (which should be released this coming early 2013).

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Manga of the Week: Skip Beat

Skip Beat is one of my favorite manga that are currently running right now. This is a story of a young girl named Kyouko - about her ups and downs in life. It is one of the longest running and most popular mangas out there. It has reached its status because of its characters. You can’t help but hate Sho, love Kyouko and her craziness and adorableness, and lust after Ren. You also can’t help but root for their success in everything they do. There is also an anime adaptation that resembles the manga very much – all of Kyouko’s funny faces and expressions are captured perfectly! Read it, you won’t be disappointed.

Monday, December 24, 2012

Blaster Nation: "Mad Santa"

I looooove webcomics. Back in the day, I used to read Megatokyo, Penny Arcade, and this one webcomic about cats during the American prohibition era whose name escapes me at the moment...

But! I want to share something that is relevant to both the spirit of the times as well as the current holiday season, so here you go! Thanks, Blaster Nation!

Friday, December 21, 2012

League of Legends: Vi the Piltover Enforcer



Vi, the Piltover Enforcer is the latest champion added to the roster of League of Legends champions. Riot says that "Vi's skillset is best suited to either the top lane or jungle and her ability to apply stacks of Denting Blows, push a lane with Vault Breaker or utilize Excessive Force for AoE damage, allow her to quickly clear a lane whilst applying pressure on opponents to finish off their minions". I’m pretty sure players will make good use of Vi's Assault and Battery ultimate since her ult makes her invulnerable to stuns, snares, fears etc. With an interesting combo of skills, top lane or jungle Vi is probably going to be very popular in the Field of Justice. I have yet to see her in action but I will soon I promise. Also, I’ll be doing a Season 3 Patch and its changes soon.

''It's a shame. I've got two fists, but you've only got one face.'' - Vi

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Rurouni Kenshin: Samurai X Live Action Review



The actual movie did not disappoint at all and covered the arc that included meeting and rescuing Megumi Takani from Kanryu Takeda. It was not only a good adaptation but also a good movie in its own right. The sword fighting is amazing, the directing is brilliant, and the story is told correctly. Going to the movie house I was expecting a mediocre, cheesy retelling of the Rurouni Kenshin story, suitable only for diehard fans of the series (think Gantz and Death Note) – but I was wrong. Dead wrong.


The movie overall is adapted very well for the silver screen. It does not mirror the manga or anime plot exactly, but given the time restraints, the plot still flowed relatively smoothly while including classic original scenes and lines. After all, Kenshin is not Kenshin without his "de gozaru" and "oro".  I am a little bit disappointed with the character Saitou though. I guess I was looking forward too much to his hair. It didn’t stand much in the movie. Boo.


Reminds you of a cockroach don’t it? Heh.

Simply put, Rurouni Kenshin may be one of the single best Japanese live-action adaptations I have ever seen. All in all, Rurouni Kenshin, although not the perfect movie, is certainly worth seeing on the silver screen.

Here’s a trailer for you to watch. Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Manga of the Week: Freezing

This manga has action and fan service to boot! And done perfectly I might add. The concept and storyline progression may not certainly be top-notch but the dark and heavy atmosphere along with the unique heroines grab your attention for a very long time. What mesmerizes the readers isn't the romance side of things, but the urge to know what happens next – the intensity that grabs a hold of you and the heavy and dark feeling one gets.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Anime of the Week: Another


Sometimes you can tell where the story is going just from watching a few episodes. Another keeps you from guessing. This supernatural and psychological horror story never lets you expect things. The story does tremendous wonders destroying the protagonists emotionally and putting them into despair. So it is not only about solving the mystery but also about fighting themselves and for themselves.

Cabal

Last night, I was lurking on Youtube, and came across this video.


It’s a video of Cabal Online players dancing in sync and doing silly things.

To be honest it is kind of nostalgic, seeing these people having fun on a game that I used to play. Back then, I had a Force Blader, and most of the time I’m just goofing off in Bloody Ice.  It was really fun back then..

Well, enough of that reminiscing~! I’ve decided to go back to the game and get in touch with my old mates.

(imitates Optimus Prime’s voice…)
Anyways, I’m "ninabadgurl" in-game, and I sent this message to any veteran players of Cabal Online who happens across this blog. I’m coming back to Cabal Online. I am waiting.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Game of the Week: Medal of Honor Warfighter


When I first started Warfighter I died and died and died. I just kept on dying! Then I realized something. This isn't like a normal first person shooter, it isn't a shooting simulation either. It's an uncanny mix between the two and you just have to change your mindset in regards to confrontations and the skirmishes to find your niche. If you're a twitchy player there's a place for you here. If you're a tactical player then you will succeed. Just be true to your aim, strong with your will and faithful in your partner and I promise you, you will have a blast. The game does a fantastic job of mixing all the styles for you because it's a cover shooter with so many options underneath its class based framework. If you're sick of the time tested shoot 'em up genre you should really pick up this game. Its emphasis on immersion and cover really make it stand out among the other copy pasted shooters out there. The game is sort of difficult and will no doubt cause major rage.


Warfighter's got a number of glitches and things that make it a chore to navigate but remember importance is gameplay. After all, we tend to ignore glitches when the game is fun right? *cough cough*


I mean some multiplayer games didn't even work in the first few weeks of release. *more coughing*


Warfighter's also not totally accessible and it takes some time getting used to but once you get the knack of sliding from cover to cover, dealing damage and controlling the way you fire, you and your buddy will be on top of the charts, all day EVERYDAY. I'm gonna be straight with you, this review is gonna sound biased because of how many poor reviews this game got. But you have to believe me, this is a game that anyone who loves a shooter gotta buy.


I'm gonna tell you all the other reviews have been skipping over. Holy shit there's so many options. Don't let the class and weapon restrictions fool you, there's a lot of different ways to personalize your experience. I'm not gonna sugar coat it, each class is like 3 or four different guns, there's not a lot of unique weapons here. But you know what? That's what the real military is like.


You've got dozens of camouflages and dozens and dozens of weapon configurations. And guess what? It doesn't compromise balance. No one gun gets used over other guns here because you really have to find a gun that works for you and every upgrade you give your gun has a disadvantage. You put a larger barrel? The weight will slow you down. You decide to put a shorter stock? Your accuracy won't be as good in long ranges. Ever wanted to be a mid range stealthy operative? Take the spec ops class and give yourself a silencer and an extended barrel. Want to focus your machine gun on laying down suppressing fire? Put a 100-round mag in with a super long barrel with the iron sights and boom! You're ready to protect Omaha beach from the allied invasion.

The fireteam is the most interesting addition and it really emphasizes teamwork. While normal mode features your typical health regeneration that every single shooter has nowadays, you can get almost instant regeneration from your partner who heals and resupplies in the process. Did I mention it also adds to your score streak? Saving your buddy from danger adds to your score streak. Avenging your buddy means he gets to instantly respawn next to you if you're in a safe place and that also adds to your score streak, completing objectives together adds to your score streak, your buddy's kills and headshots also add to your own score streaks and vice versa. Kicking ass together means you both start earning towards those score streaks, score streaks will make you kick ass even harder and the points also go into your combat rating within the match and in battle log. If that's not enough incentive to work together, I don't know what anyone else can offer you.  If you hate teamwork or hate playing with friends, by all means don't buy this game because you'll hate it. If you're looking for a multiplayer shooter that doesn't feature teamwork or playing with friends I recommend Stalker or Metro 2033.


I said before that this is a cover shooter and not your traditional run and gun type of game.  Your character can peek different sides and become a tiny, tiny target. Controlling your recoil is important to hit these targets with pinpoint accuracy and checking your corners before coming out will make you win in the long run.
Every class plays differently here due to the weapon restrictions and the special class abilities. If you're not finding success playing one, perhaps you're better suited to play another class.

The game is quite good despite what other reviewers are saying. Warfighter is a well balanced shooter. It's a little differently paced and played from most first person shooters out there. The distinct emphasis on cover allows for some pretty epic scenes and there will be times you'll be reminiscing the battles with your buddy over an ice cold pint of beer. Gun customization is sexy and the class based combat opens up a lot of teamplay options. Before shooting it down just because of popular review, I suggest giving it a try. You might actually like it.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Anime of the Week: Sword Art Online

The most awesomest anime to hit 2012 is Sword Art Online. This is an anime based on a series of light novels which has just hit the midway point of its TV run. Although it’s not the first anime to have a MMO game setting, it is certainly funny and just oh so awesome to watch. This is such a fantastic anime series and everyone should watch it! If you’re a gamer, you will really looooove this.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Manga of the Week: NANA


This manga is one of my favorites as well as an anime. I've always had the fantasy that this manga portrays me! Seriously. The rocker named Nana, not the other Nana nicknamed Hachiko.

On a serious note, this is a manga about two 20-year-old women who share the same name. Even though they come from completely different backgrounds, they somehow meet and become best friends. The world of Nana is a world exploding with sex, music, fashion, gossip and all-night parties.


Tuesday, December 11, 2012

This blog is about the things we loved while growing up

Anime. Manga. Music. Games. Lots and lots of games.

If you're like me, then there's a big chance that you grew up loving these things. Remember the weekends spent watching Rurouni Kenshin (or Samurai X if you got the English dubbing), eating Pocky, waiting for all your L'arc~En~Ciel MP3s to finish downloading, and playing the crap out of every single RPG you could get your hands on? This blog exists because I don't want to forget them. I miss those simpler times.

But mostly I miss Pocky.