I May Be Paranoid, But Not An Android

• 4Jul 09

  Filling Up The Void of My Absence

  Heya dudes and dudettes,

  It's been nearly a month since I wrote my last blog which was the one about the post-E3 impressions. It's not that I've completely vanished from GameSpot, since I've been around doing the usual things (friend's blogs,unions,news etc) Often, I found myself on the New Blog Entry screen and typing a few paragraphs about random stuff and then just deciding against it. Let's just say I haven't been in the mood to blog.

  I've been gaming yea. Occasionally,when I feel like doing it. Mind it the last time I played a game anywhere above 1 1/2 hr was months ago when I discovered all my old PC games. I just feel like this isn't the right time to game with all the tedious studying and assignments,projects--the usual academic pressure one expects in 12th grade.

  So,I've probably decided that I won't be buying ANY new games until May 2010. That's because that'll be when my 12th grade ends with all the freaking pressure. And the last thing I need is to get distracted before that .So,that's it. NO new games till then. When May 2010 arrives, I'll buy like a dozen 360 games to fill up the "void" this 12th grade is filling into me. Anyways, I do have my current 360 games AND many unplayed PC games to accompany me until then. So,I'll remain sane!

  In fact,the thing that has been mostly keeping me sane in the recent year is music. Believe me, I haven't listened to so much music in my ENTIRE life as I have in the last six to eight months. Approxiamately have listened to 110+ complete albums and have come across 59 new bands. I guess that pretty much shows how much of music-listening I've been doing lately.

  I am glad I have done that because by doing so, I've come to know about a wider variety of music than the "media" lets us know (that is the commercial music) and I have let such music redefine my tastes. So,yea while I do enjoy listening to cla$$ic rock and an occasional pinch of metal (not much though),my tastes do not remain fixed to any one genre. Sure,I hate hip-hop and R&B but besides that I like a little bit of most of the genres although alternative still remains my choice.

  I just thought I'll give a quick review of a select number of albums,old and new I've listened over the past six months or so. So here we go (NOTE : IF YOU ARE NOT INTO MUSIC,THEN SKIP THIS BLOG COZ IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE TOO LONG! ):

  

  The Piper at the Gates of Dawn--Pink Floyd--(1967)

  I've always wanted to listen to this debut album of Pink Floyd being a fan of them AND because it is the only album to feature it's founder Syd Barrett who later withdrew from the band due to his deteriorating mental health. So,whether you consider Barrett a mad-man or not,his influence in psychedelic beginnings of Floyd is marvelous. Add lyrics about scarecrows,gnomes and space travel and you have one hell of an album.

  Must-Listen Songs : Lucifer Sam,Scarecrow,Interstellar Overdrive

  Rating : 4/5

  

  OK Computer -- Radiohead--(1997)

  While not a concept album, the themes of alienation,modern malaise,political stagnation have never been more clear amidst music that will DIG your soul hollow. A one-of-a-kind musical $tyleassociated with heavy bass and electronica,this is an album that transports you to the world we all live in but yet we choose to ignore it's harsh realities.

  Must-Listen Songs :Airbag,Paranoid Android,Subterranean Homesick Alien,Karma Police,No Surprises,Climbing Up The Walls

  Rating : 5/5

  

  Fleet Foxes--Fleet Foxes--(200

  I first heard them when their Giant Sun EPcame out in 2007. They were amazing. But,they had stored their best for the eponymous debut album. Fleet Foxes is one of the freshest things to happen to modern day music in recent years. Soft ballads break into four-chord arrangements which end up into beautiful crescendos. Fleet Foxes define their music as "Baroque Pop" which is definitely what it is. If this band from Seattle stands upto the promise it showed in their first album,then there might be another musical revolution (akin to the early 90s) that might arise from this city.

  Must-Listen Songs :White Winter Hymnal,Ragged Wood,Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, He Doesn't Know Why,Your Protector,Blue Ride Mountains

  Rating : 4.5/5

  

  Revolver--The Beatles--(1966)

  One of the two Beatles albums (the other being Abbey Road) where I think all the four members of the bands were at the individual best and each and every song on the album contributed in someway towards the legacy of Beatles. Electronic guitar,reverse guitar samples,first signs of electronic music,and songs about lonely people,this is without doubt my favorite Beatles album.

  Must-Listen Songs : Taxman,Eleanor Rigby,I'm Only Sleeping,Here There and Everywhere,And Your Bird Can Sing,Tomorrow Never Knows,Yellow Submarine

  Rating : 5/5

  

  Fantasies--Metric--(2009)

  Metric fully realises their potential and the direction their music should take in the fourth album,Fantasies.Often peppered with heavy guitar tones that aim at rocking the stadiums, it is at the album's quieter moments that it really shines. As the name suggests, the music and the theme of lyrics range from hallucinatory observations to real-life emotions. Emily Haines does well to sustain the tempo of the album throughout.

  Must-Listen Songs : Help I'm Alive,Satellite Mind,Twilight Galaxy,Collect Call

  Rating : 3.5/5

  

  No Line on the Horizon--U2 (2009)

  At first you're appaled. Then you feel it's obvious. U2 are at their creative worst in this album. Not that they have done much about the creativity since their 1991's Achtung Baby! but what the hell is this? Bono sounds like he is a mid-40s guy still searching for his puberty, The Edge seems to be suspiciously ripping off his own guitar solos from his older albums and the lyrics are...oh well..just take this example from the album's "leading single"

  "Night is falling everywhere,rockets at the funfair,Satan loves a bombscare, but he won't scare you...Sexy boots,boots,Get on your boots!"

  That is U2 today,my friends!

  Must-Listen Songs : Listen to U2's older albums like War,October,The Joshua Tree,Achtung Baby if you want to.

  Rating : 1/5

  

  Pablo Honey--Radiohead--(1993)

  It goes without saying that Radiohead are my favorite artists by far. So,Pablo Honey is naturally an album which I HATE. Hate in the sense I don't even consider it a Radiohead album because it's shockingly unoriginal,derivative from the cross-Atlantic grunge bands of early 90s and plain repetitive. All those things which Radiohead are not (and they've been proving that again and again after their second album). So, if you have listened to Creep (which is thankfully the second song on this album),you can shut this album off and keep it hidden somewhere deep.

  Must-Listen Songs : Creep

  Rating : 1.5/5

  

  Kid A--Radiohead--(2000)

  Reviewing Kid A would be an injustice. Because words alone cannot describe the "cold Arctic beauty" concealed beneath the intermittent orchesteral chords,electronic beeps,sweeping crescendos and the beautiful falsettos and generous contributions from the ondes martenot and celestes. Kid A isn't an album by a rock band. No,Radiohead were something else back then. They were a band that challenged the very foundation of commercial music. Freaking genius!

  Must-Listen Songs : Everything In It's Right Place,The National Anthem,How To Disappear Completely,Optimistic,In Limbo,Idioteque,Motion Picture Soundtrack

  Rating : 5/5

  

  Amnesiac--Radiohead--(2001)

  Kid A and Amnesiac make up for the most interesting album study ever. Both were born out of the same recording sessions and have often been described as "disjointed twins separated at birth". While Kid A was gloomy,quiet with occasional bursts of beauty,grandeur and alienation. Amnesiac is a dark,disturbing album with lyrics on suicide and paranoia. While Kid A might be a more "complete album", Amnesiac has powerful songs and hence calling them "b-sides" would be plain injustice.

  Must-Listen Songs : Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box,Pyramid Song,You and Your Army,Knives Out,Amnesiac/Morning Bell,Life in a Glasshouse

  Rating : 5/5

  

  Actor--St.Vincent--(2009)

  Actor is an album of paradoxes. The soft-voiced angelic voice of St.Vincent (real name Annie Clark) is sometimes accompanied by chiming church bells and choruses which suddenly give way to ear-shattering guitars. There are songs where drums gradually rise in volume towards a crescendo with the bass. Lyrically,Actor is a wonder as well. Taking a view on urban romance from a "satirical glass",Actor is an amazing example of indie music in today's age.

  Must-Listen Songs : The Strangers,Save Me From What I Want,The Neighbors,Actor Out of Work,The Marrow,Black Rainbow

  Rating : 4/5

  

  Hot Fuss--The Killers--(2004)

  I still haven't understood why people like The Killers so much and I hoped to find that out by listening to Hot Fuss and Day & Age. Hot Fuss was a sub-mediocre attempt at establishing a foothold during a time when post-punk revival bands like Franz Ferdinand were topping the charts. Unfortunately,The Killers take the wrong road in their first album for me. Brandon Flowers has an average voice that occasionally breaks when he tries to do a wail or a falsetto. Average Joe album.

  Must-Listen Songs : Mr.Brightside, Somebody Told Me

  Rating : 2.5/5

  

  Tonight--Franz Ferdinand--(2009)

  Admit it. Franz Ferdinand's first two albums rocked the house off. And while their third album experiements into europop or the "Duran Duran" territories ( ),some of it's best songs are still the ones that sound like the Franz Ferdinand we know.

  Must-Listen Songs : Ulysses,No You Girls,Twilight Omens,Send Him Away

  Rating : 3.5/5

  

  Veckatimest--Grizzly Bear--(2009)

  Some say Grizzly Bear comes across as a boring band. They're probably right. Only that being boring has no relation with how freakin good the music is. In Veckatimest,Grizzly Bear make music that feels claustrophobic with looping melodies and then suddenly clears the way for a sweeping ballad. One of the revelations of this year,IMO.

  Must-Listen Songs : Southern Point, All We Ask, Two Weeks Later,Fine For Now,While You Wait,On a Neck

  Rating : 4/5

  

  Light Tribe--Shaa'ir+Func--(200

  One of India's leading indie acts which also happen to be my favorite artists from this country, released their second album last year titled "Light Tribe" which talks of people who constantly reinvent themselves to find their true self. S+F sure hold to their promise and change their musical $tyle from the synthpop melodies of their first album (New Day) to the bass-electronica combo. Talented they are,they handle the transition with ease making almost every song sound freakin amazing.

  Must-Listen Songs : Light Tribe,Together Again,Lord Inside,Embrace,Freedom,Selling Our Souls,Across the Universe

  Rating : 4/5

  
  

  

  X&Y -- Coldplay--(2005)

  Another one of the main reasons why I dislike modern rock and the wannabe rockstars. Okay,Coldplay aren't a bad band. They make good music and have some genuinely killer tracks. But coming off the success of "A Rush of Blood to Head", Coldplay thought of themselves as something of rock legends. They get self-indulged,sound repetitive, Chris Martins sounds worse than he usually does and it's an album falling flat on it's own ambitious dreams.

  Must Listen Songs : None. Listen to Viva La Vida or A Rush of Blood to Head instead.

  Rating : 1/5

  

  21st Century Breakdown--Green Day--(2009)

  Green Day try to become the "punk band" of their generation by dishing out another rock opera,this time a slightly stronger one lyrically. Much of the political statements,Green Day makes goes through well,but it's the mid-tempo rock and the blasting guitars and little experimentation musically that often lets down this album.

  Must Listen Songs : 21st Century Breakdown,East Jesus Nowhere,21 Guns

  Rating : 3/5

  
  

  

  Relapse--Eminem--(2009)

  I've always liked and appreciated Eminem's music and lyrics especially the ones that critique the government (White America). Relapse is Eminem's return after almost six years and he's at his chauvinistic best. There are various songs that will make feminists pull out their hair and are honestly not likeable at all. I didn't expect Eminem to droop to such levels in EVERY song. But then there are some Eminem specials as well like 3 a.m (about serial killers) and another about child abuse. So,maybe he hasn't lost all his talent in the six years he's spent in and out of rehab.

  Must-Listen Songs : 3 a.m,Deja Vu,Insane,Bagpipes from Baghdad

  Rating : 2.5/5

  

  Sounds of the Universe--Depeche Mode--(2009)

  With a promise to generate music from the "parallel" universe, Depeche Mode sure tried to look cool. And in some flashes in the album they do sound like they might have done something unique but often the heavy electronic beeping that stretches on for seven-minute songs makes this album impossible to hear in one go for those who aren't much into electronic music.

  Must-Listen Songs : Wrong,Spacewalker,Jezebel

  Rating : 2.5/5

  That's all for now,folks. There are still more albums waiting for the reviewing which will be done somewhere in the future.

  C ya

  Lightwarrior179

  
  

  • Posted Jul 4, 2009 12:34 pm PT
  • Category: Music
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• 6Jun 09

  Final Thoughts on E3 (with a bonus rant included)

  Hello friends,foes or fellow GameSpotters in general,

  For anyone who's been around the videogaming community for a last few days knows that it has been one helluva time with all the news flowing out of the L.A Convention Centre (some of it sweet,some of it bitter) this E3 and the gamers talking endlessly like a sewing circle about anything and everything related to games.

  Nobody can deny the fact that this E3 has stood upto everybody's expectations in some or the other way. Sure there were some absences and omissions in the E3 line-up, but it had enough spice in it's ingredients to cook up a memorable "dish" ( ) that will keep the gaming world going on for a while.

  So let's cut to the chase and I'll start right away with my thoughts on this supposedly crucial E3 of this generation.

  Thoughts on E3

  The Big 3 Conferences

  For many people, E3 starts and ends with the Big 3 conferences. I don't see any wisdom in thinking that way but I can see where their thoughts are coming from. Often, many of the gamers just see these gaming conventions like E3,TGS,GDC as an event where the Big 3 comes to "compete" each other. Since everybody loves taking sides of a particular console manufacturer and loves EVEN more to bash it's rivals (HAH! Take TAHT you NERDIY NINTENDO or YOU MONEY-StEELERs MICROSOFHT or YOU PATHETIC SONY FANBOY (spelling?) ).

  For most of such people and a few others, they are just interested in seeing what their beloved side of Big 3 has to show and then nervously hopes that the rivals perform better. If that doesn't happen, they usually tend to get depressed and eat tons of pizza and soda, but well that's a story we all have often heard,right?

  The Big 3 conferences ARE a vital part of E3 but not the sole important part as well. I think they are important in the sense that if a console is going through a rough patch, these events like E3 are the times when the console manufacturer gets a chance to bounce back. Microsoft and Nintendo found themselves in a position like that this time.

  Grading System : Relative Grading

  Dunno how many of you are familiar with this but I'll sum it up in short. The topper (or the best conference) gets an A+. Then the other two conferences are graded WITH respect to the topper. Sweet,simple and effective,IMO.

  
  

  Microsoft Press Conference

  Pre-E3 expectations :Microsoft were coming to E3 the first time this console generation with their backs against the wall. It's not a particularly pleasing feeling for anybody in that kind of a situation,but MS knew they had to fight against that. People expected them to fire some of their much-dormant "cylinders" (like Mistwalker,Rare,Team Ninja,Turn 10).

  Highs :

  Project Natalwas the clear winner of the MS conference for me. I know that there were motion sensing controllers shown from all the Big 3, but for me Natal was a winner not only because it DIDN'T try to emulate the Wii and it's Nunchuk, but also because I see it's application extending to a lot of things which mainly go BEYOND gaming. For Microsoft and it's plan to expand living room entertainment I think this goes pretty much in sync with that. Moreover, I was just wishing that Natal would have been used with some of the mainstream action games like Halo 3 and Gears 2. While not everything might look so goody-goody (look at the Cons section for more), but no one can deny that Natal has got potential. Oodles of it actually.

  Alan Wake, the psychological/mystery thriller from Remedy Entertainment finally made it's entry confirming it is not vaporware after all. What we saw at E3 just confirmed that Alan Wake is looking to be worth all the wait with some seriously promising storyline and pretty solid looking gameplay. Plus all those stylishly-shot flashbacks will only add to the "cool" and "wow" factor. This is what we expected as the next-step in narrative from Remedy after Max Payne 2.

  Forza Motorsport 3 has been probably the most successful racer on the Xbox and the 360 with probably PGR being the only one holding any contention to the title. But, I strongly RESPECT and ADORE Forza Motorsport to the core. Not only because it's such a fantastic and deep racing game, but because it balances both the "simulation" and "arcade" $tyle driving so brilliantly. FM3 was an expected announcement and outside environments,400+ cars is just something a car-buff wants. But the biggest thing was that it is releasing THIS year. Which strengthens the 360 lineup in 2009 to quite an extent.

  Left 4 Dead 2 accompanies FM3 in strengthening the 360-exclusive lineup further this year. I had forgotten until recently that L4D was a 360 exclusive when it came to console,which in my opinion is a HUGE advantage. Because in my opinion,the first Left 4 Dead was quite simply THE best zombie game since Dead Rising probably (which means better than RE5 as well ). More co-op,more LAN parties, more hilarious zombie-battling and CHAINSAWS!! HELL YEAHZ!

  Metal Gear Solid Rising. Well, concerning all the press rumor and hype surrounding how Kojima was supposedly "jumping ships" for a MGS game on 360,we were all excited. When the announcement was made (in an amazing fashion. I almost had my heart in my throat when the trademark MGS "alarm" sound rang), there was some genuine excitement and some disappointment. A new MGS game on 360 is good. It NOT being MGS4 is bad. But it's game that is supposedly the follow-up to it anyway and it features Raiden (not a big fan of him from MGS2 but usagi say he's great in MGS4).

  Mids:(meaning neither THAT good nor THAT bad) :

  Assassin's Creed 2, Crackdown 2 and both the Halo games (Halo 3 ODST and Halo Reach)qualify in this category for me. I can't say I am genuinely excited by them since I haven't played Crackdown nor Halo. But I look forward to see how they perform. I was one of those who HATED the first AC for it's awful controls and I am hoping that the game improves this time around.

  The Beatles Rock Band saw McCartney and Ringo come to stage with Yoko Ono ( ) and I was amused by McCartney's summing up of the game saying, "It's a good game. It's got good graphics!" I would still want more songs from Revolver in the tracklist though.

  Lows :

  Project Natal once again appears in this one as well. For all the praise I mentioned about it, I must also say that I see it's applications in the games "slightly" limited. I think for it to be developed into a proper controller, special games have to be made for it. As for our dream of playing Halo and Gears 2 with Natal, it might take a little MORE vision and approach to do that,IMO.

  The absence of major MS-oriented developers like Mistwalker,Rare and Team Ninja (more on the latter in Nintendo section) was disappointing to say the least. Both Mistwalker and Rare were quiet enough before E3 for us to hazard a guess that they might be upto something. E3 has whizzed past and still we don't know what they are working on.

  While I respect Microsoft's aim to revolutionise "living room entertainment", I thought that they "wasted" too much time on explaining all the new XBL stuff like ability to visit Facebook or Twitter through XBL. I mean, I don't CARE whether I can access FB or Twitter from TV or from Web. Why waste so much freaking conference time on that? I laughed loudly when I heard the few boos and sarcastic cheers in the crowd upon the announcement of Facebook on XBL.

  Grade : A-

  Nintendo Press Conference

  Pre-E3 expectations :They were expected to do a LOT better compared to last year's disaster. Plus they've had a rather mediocre year so far,IMO.

  Highs :

  Without doubt, Metroid : The Other M not only because it is another impressive looking Metroid game that looked slightly different from it's trailers but ALSO because it's development is being handled by Team Ninja ( ). Knowing Team Ninja, and the talented bunch they can be, I am sure they can come up with a brilliant Metroid game.

  A lot of people expected to see a new Mario game but not many expected it to be Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to 2007's hit-Wii game. From it's promos, it looked to be pretty similar EXCEPT it had Yoshi back and Mario riding on Yoshi across the levels is UBER-COOL...so yeah!

  New Super Mario Bros. was also another pretty big announcement and that too it's on Wii. I was pretty surprised that this hadn't come earlier. But nonetheless, it's an important game that I am sure many look forward to.

  Golden Sun DS is undoubtedly MY pick from Nintendo's conference. I was a HUGE fan of the first two Golden Sun games on GBA, and even my avatar boasts of Isaac, the protagonist of the first Golden Sun ( ) . While many Golden Sun fans are groaning over the fact that it's 3D, I am looking optimistically on that fact.

  Mids :

  Professor Layton, Mario & Luigi : A Bowser Story, Tatsunoko vs Capcom are few announcements I am merely looking forward to in mild anticipation. Nothing else to add here. Dementium 2 and Silent Hill are some of the games in this category as well.

  Lows :

  Nintendo faced it's woes once again and I knew it the moment they began announcing the women-focused games and the "tween-centric" games called $tyle Savvy. This was Nintendo's mistake last year and this year, they did almost the same thing by taking sides. I don't understand Nintendo's policy on this and while they were trying to please the casual crowd with all this but I still say they went a little too overboard.

  Nintendo's conference was better than last year but stilla severe lack in two departments -- FPS and RPGs remained.The Conduit was shown but I still have lots of doubts on how well a FPS can perform on Wii with it's motion-sensing controls. Sure, Metroid 3 was pretty strong in that sense, but really we haven't had much in the FPS department on Wii and that's for a reason. FPS games and motion-sensing controls don't exactly go hand-in-hand.

  Wii also needs a JRPG and I don't mean all those awful Crystal Chronicles from Square Enix that is SUPPOSEDLY a part of Final Fantasy series (yeah..right!)

  Grade : B

  Sony Press Conference :

  Pre E3 Expectations :Sony with the amazing year they've had so far were expected to have the best line-up this E3. But numerous leaks before E3 seemed to have severely dampened their "line-up"....or so we thought.

  Highs:

  Hmm...there are so many things announced in Sony press conference that there's hard to choose any one. But if I am given a chance to choose one, it'll be God of War III without doubt. I mean,c'mon, it's PS3's biggest game in most of the people's eyes. Sony knows that and they had a stunning gameplay video of it prepared which was jaw-droppingly amazing to say the least. The kind of combos and gore on the screen could make any action-minded gamer go wild.

  A massive announcement this E3 at Sony's was also Last Guardian, Team ICO's (the minds behind critically acclaimed "arthouse" games like ICO and Shadow of the Colossus...the two games I so badly want to play) new game which was previously titled Project Trico. With a stunningly beautiful trailer,it did well to arouse enough interest in it. Sony knows it's a huge game for them as well.

  Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves comes next for me. Besides the much-improved looking platforming mechanics, the graphics swept me off my feet. I have to admit hands down, that this is one of the best looking games graphically in a technical sense. Either this or Heavy Rain. Besides,this game achieved enough popularity with it's first game to warrant enough attention to it's sequel.

  A game that took my attention atleast was The Agent, a Rockstar North made PS3-exclusive whose development is supposedly being headed by the Houser brothers (the ones who have made all the GTA games till date). I think this might turn into something big if Sam and Dan Houser put their heads together rightly.

  ModNation Racerswas another title that caught everybody's eye. Mario Kart-ish racing! Hooray! Custom made-sackboy (of LBP fame) like racers! Woot! And custom-made tracks which are made with utmost ease! Double woot! That should sum it up. Looks SH-WEET!

  Square Enix and Sony finally let the lid off some of their older titles. FFVII finally saw the light of the day on the PSN this side of the world along with a few other upcoming games like King of Fighters and almost 50 PS1 cla$$ics. Impressive!

  Mids :

  Most of the PSP-announced titles cla$$ify into this category for me including the PSP Go! . Being an ex-owner of PSP (would have still been an owner if it wasn't for an "accident"),I think the main gripes of the handheld were it's weak battery and long loading time. With PSP Go! and it's sleek looking control panel and the introduction of digitally distributed games instead of UMDs,the long loading times are eliminated. Yet, I believe it's seriously over-priced and I think the weak battery problem will still exist.

  The PSP games like Assassin's Creed, Gran Turismo, Persona, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid : Peace Walker are an interesting bunch of titles but none that really catch my eye.JRPG fans should check out the rare PS1 Persona coming out on PSP. It's definitely worth a play.

  Ratchet and Clank : A Crack in Time along with the new Jak and Daxter(it's on PS2 as well) game come in this category for me as well. And the mere announcement of Shirokishi Monogatari (White Knight Chronicles) is an okay news I guess.

  Lows :

  Sony had the least lows from all the 3 conferences,IMO.

  I personally thought that MAG was awful. Lame graphics,cluttered screen, poor HUD layout...not much good to say about here!

  Use of iToys as motion-sensing controllers looked intuitive in the beginning but once this fact hits you hard, that it's basically the same emulation of Wii and it's Nunchuk, it doesn't seem a big deal to you. Some of the stuff,they used it for were cool but I said it wasn't an original idea and plus it wasn't implied on mainstream games.

  Grade : A+

  Multi-platformers were the shining stars this E3 as well. Crysis 2 coming to consoles is A HUGE news as well. Thank god,I won't have to buy a supercomputer now.

  Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age Origins, Heavy Rain, Modern Warfare 2, Dead Rising 2,FFXIII,the new Zelda game and countless others caught everybody's eye and kept them excited about the future...because hey...after all it is about the future...right?

  With that..it's a wrap.

  C ya

  Lightwarrior179

  --------------------

  Bonus Content :

  RANT!!!!!

  How do you feel when somebody stabs you once and then stabs you AGAIN at the same point? Painful,isn't it? I have of course not been stabbed, but I think I have felt a pain that is very close to that. In plain simple words....

  FINAL FANTASY XIVONLINE MMO COMES OUT IN 2010!!!

  This announcement was met with shock EVERYWHERE! After people recovered from the shock, there were all kinds of excited talks and stuff like, "I can't wait for FFXIV...ooh..it looked so awesome from it's trailers!" or some more stuff like, "This is going to be another Final Fantasy cla$$ic. So glad to know that we won't have to WAIT for this one much longer!"

  On one hand, someone might rightly say that the never-dying optimism of the Square Enix fans is amazing. Their undying and unquestioning trust and belief on it's company is amazing. Maybe yes,maybe no.

  But then there is a stream of pessimism flowing around as well. I don't know how large this "stream" is (most SE fans I've come across cla$$ify in the above category barring a few),but I can say I am one of those pessimists. They say you need pessimists to maintain a balanced society. I don't give a freaking hell about that.

  I have problems and a HARD time accepting this FFXIV fact BECAUSE :

  A) I don't think JRPGs make good MMOs. Maybe someone needs to whack me or tell me I live in 2117 where JRPGs have advanced beyond imagination, but JRPGs at the present stage do not meet the required conditions to be a good MMORPG in my opinion. 95% of MMOs have hack n slash games with minor variants and a large questing system. FFXI was turn-based and most likely FFXIV will be one as well. Do you seriously think that a turn-based RPG will keep MMO addicts ADDICTED ONLINE for 100+ hours? I say no.

  B) Some people say this is good and hope they get to play it for FREE. I say not. PSN is a free service. But since it's free, the developers have to manage their OWN servers online. So, if you play FFXIV on SE's server they will charge you a subsciption fee to play it. On the contrary, Xbox Live is a paid membership. MS manages all the servers for the devs. So,playing a MMO on 360 is free as long as you're a Gold member. So,FFXIV will not be free (also because it's on PC and that's a paid subscription no doubt).

  C) My MAJOR problem is something which will come across as me acting foolishly. I personally think that EVERY numbered (in the sense I,II,III and so on) hold a special place in every FF fan's heart. Every FF had something different and something memorable. I see FF I and I am reminded of the simplistic plots which were great in it's heart and so on. BUT, the "tradition" of this broke when FFXI came out. When people tried to think about FFXI,they couldn't remember anything. Because it had nothing that fans could relate to the series (not talking about chocobos and all here). No memorable characters,no emos, no twist endings and stuff like that. NOTHING. Say what, most of the old-time FF fans I know have never even played FFXI unless there was a free trial-period. So, do you expect they will play FFXIV by any chance?

  I don't understand why SE are trying to be something they're not. Some call it adventurous. Other pessimists like me call it utter foolishness. I call it "degrading the series by using a numbered game for a MMO".

  Alright,forget it. I am being plain foolish or something.

  *RANT END*

  • Posted Jun 6, 2009 12:26 pm PT
  • Category: Games
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• 31May 09

  Less Than a Day Before THE Day

  Hello dudes and dudettes,

  It's that time of the year,isn't it? When all the pages of gaming websites are filled upto every nook and cranny about happening in some weird-city called Los Angeles (oh dear ) called E3. Well,guess what? I will help the cause and "spam" the gaming sites by writing a blog about my predictions on what may happen over the next four days.

  Firstly, many people believe that this E3 is going to be the most crucial E3 of this generation so far. And I second those who say that. Because it's that time of the console wars when each of the Big 3 have had their moments to shine. It will be determined from now onwards that which of the three is going to carry forward the momentum each of them may have built over the past three years and carry it across to the finish line (or the end of the seventh-generation which I assume should be another 3-4 years). Also,this is also an important E3 due to the fact that Microsoft is going to E3 on the back of a poor show for the first time this gen, whereas it's the complete opposite for Sony.

  Let's begin without any further ado about a couple of predictions I've got to make about E3. We'll follow the order in which the conferences will actually take place :

  Predictions for the Microsoft Press Conference :

  Like many have said before, Microsoft is going to E3 at the back of a mediocre display in the first half of the year. Halo Wars and Ninja Blade being at most average hits and only few XBLA titles like The Maw attracting a fair bit of attention. Infact, MS strength so far this year has only been the exclusive DLCs--the GTA one and the Fallout 3 ones (which if I am not wrong are now coming to PS3 as well)

  So,that is why Microsoft has to be at their best this E3. I definitely see Turn 10 showing us something related to ForzaMotorsport 3 this E3 and perhaps even giving us a tentative release date somewhere in Q2 2010. Rare has been quiet for sometime,which makes me suspect they might be upto something as well. There are rumors floating that it could be a new IP altogether. I would go along the lines of a FPS that would be along the lines of their old hits like GoldenEye and Perfect Dark with an art $tyle that will go slightly more along Rare's cutesy one..

  I'll make a risky guess at this point and say that Tecmo and Team Ninja will announce a new game. It might be a wild guess but I think it most probably should be a new DOA game or something called Project Progressive that Tomonobu Itagaki was working on. There's also a very good chance that Peter Molyneux will show his new "non-Fable" game. It will be interesting to see with what the guys at Lionhead come up with. Besides that MS recently acquired a certain "BIG" studios,so it might announce a new game.

  I think that it will also be a great bonus at this point for MS, if BioWare reiterates that they plan to keep Mass Effect 2 exclusive to their console. Because MS know it well, ME2 is a BIG title they have and would like it to remain exclusive. I also expect and AM EAGERLY looking forward to some sort of trailers related to Mass Effect 2.

  Without a doubt, Alan Wake is the biggest exclusive on 360 that has the possibility of releasing in 2009. Remedy has been very quiet about it for long and I think E3 is the ripe time for them to blow covers of what they've been working at. I am very excited about this and it looks damn promising as well.

  Also Hironobu Sakaguchi-led Mistwalker is rumored to be planning to announce one of their own games as well. This might be an indication that their "previously-cancelled" project "Cry-On" might be under works once again,which would be amazing indeed. Or it might be the sequel to Blue Dragon?

  Other than that there are the usual suspects like Halo 3 : ODST and Splinter Cell 2 which are 360 exclusives and which once again will be something MS should focus on as well. I don't care about the motion-sensing controller MS has been talking about but it's still something that will feature prominiently in their shows.

  A slightly over-hyped rumour to say the least has been the prospect of MGS4 appearing a port on 360. I see this as a possibility but doubt it. But then nobody knows Kojima as well as himself, and that man can take wild decisions. So,Solid Snake appearing on 360 may not be a total impossibility.

  Predictions for Nintendo Press Conference

  Everybody knows that Nintendo made a big and bad mistake last E3. They tried alienating the casual crowd to supposedly "rub-off" the tag of "family games" that they've earned over the years. The result? Nintendo clearly had their worst Q3 and Q4 probably ever and a very poor showing overall. One had to go back to Mario Kart Wii in April to find a big Wii game.

  But this year,they've started off in a decent manner once again. MadWorld impressed everyone with it's unique art design of depicting gore. Punch-Out!! is an old cla$$ic revived once again. And House of the Dead Overkill is earning praise in some sections of gaming community as well. So,not a bad year for them. But then,they will have to please both the sides of the crowd this time. I expect them to announce a new Zelda game alongside the supposed Mario game (which shows their desperation in many ways) that's coming out. Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports Resort should keep the casual crowd more than satisfied. The Conduit, a futuristic FPS from Sega looks promising and I think SUDA51'S No More Heroes 2 will also feature somewhere in E3.

  An area where Wii is massively lagging behind is the JRPGs. It was never Nintendo's forte but now both of their rivals have gained some sort of influence over that genre. I think at this point,even the slightest hint of that "new Mario game" being Super Mario RPG (SMRPG) would create a massive delight in many fans. I too would wish such a thing would happen. I would also not be surprised to see if the "new Mario game" turns out to be Paper Mario. That would be awesome as well.

  I think DS has once again proved why handheld shouldn't be considered any less than consoles and it has already delivered some really interesting games this year. So a few more games to accompany the already announced Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks would be good enough.

  Predictions for Sony Press Conference

  Sony who were criticised and bashed from Day 1 of the seventh-gen are finally coming onto a E3 with a massive amount of momentum courtesy to their smash-hit exclusives this year so far like inFamous,Killzone 2 and then the PSN ones like Flower. This is the first time since E3 04, that Sony is coming with that much attention and momentum centered around them. Sony's ability to silence their critics is something I applaud them for.

  They are also coming to E3 with the strongest lineup to boast about as well. God of War 3 is going to almost prominiently feature anything Sony this E3. The series has almost become like a flagship franchise for Sony. So it's a massive game yeah. Gran Turismo 5 is also a game that has been constantly evading any sort of trailers and info on it. I expect Polyphony Digital (the so-called perfectionists and hence their excuse of taking so long) to reveal something about GT5. This would make a head-on-head battle between the two "simulation-drivers" in Forza 3 and GT5.

  Heavy Rain : The Origami Killer is a game that drew loads of attention back in E3 06 with a stellar trailer titled "The Casting", back when the "Mad World" trailer from Gears of War 1 was wowing everyone. Heavy Rain is from Quantic Dream,a French-based developer for whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration. They previously made Omnikron: The Nomad Soul and Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit. Having played Fahrenheit, I can easily call it as one of the most immersive "movie-like" gaming experience in recent years. No matter what people say about it's over-reliance on Quick Time Events (QTE), it was a great achievement. Heavy Rain is utilising an insane amout of technology. If you just go through the "Casting" tech demo once again,you'll see what I am talking about.

  There has been a lot of hoopla surrounding "a new MGS" game featuring Big Boss and Raiden. Supposedly, a leak has reported this to be a PSP game. I think most likely it will be "a follow up" and not a full-fledged sequel to MGS4. It will be like what ODST is to Halo 3.

  We've all been waiting for a long time to hear something about Shirokishi Monogatari (or the White Knight Chronicles),Level 5's RPG that released last year in Japan. I think WKC got a Winter release date in NA, and if that is true then there's a VERY good chance we are going to hear something about it. I wonder if Level 5 will keep the much-criticised online component intact in the NA version of the game.

  The new 16GB PSP Go! has already been leaked. My real concern is not whether it's 16GB or 16000GB. My concern is whether it has UMD or not. And even without the UMD,does the long loading times and weak battery issue still exist? Let's face it. PSP would be twice better the handheld if it weren't for those two of it's problems. So,let's hope it doesn't have those gripes.

  On the Neutral Side...

  I don't think I can even list the possible number of multi-plat titles that can be shown in E3. Because,with each growing day, more and more games are taking that route. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a few like The Beatles: Rock Band, Dragon Age : Origins, Max Payne 3, Red Dead : Redemption, Ghostbusters :The Game, Mafia II to name a few.

  So,let's hope for a swell of a E3 and here's hoping I can once again write a blog similar to last year's when I wrote one while in a state of shock and ecstasy at FFXIII was announced for 360 as well.

  Cheers!

  See ya

  Lightwarrior179

  P.S : Thanks to all of you who commented on the last blog!

  • Posted May 31, 2009 3:52 am PT
  • Category: Games
  • 24 Comments
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