by: QUIK
I think the last two movies are the only instance in which movie (or movies in this instance) was better then the book. I am really excited about this trailer to the final chapter in the Harry Potter movies.
by: QUIK
So I’m browsing Japanese websites. Every once and again I like to watch something which creates artificial bridge between Japanese and western culture. Examples of this can be Japan-o-rama with Jonathan Ross or watching an episode of Akibatteru with wonderful Hiroko (youtube: Akibatteru). So for an example when watching Hiroko talk about a massage / relaxation therapy studio in Akihabara (and shows a website for it) I type that into my browser and see what’s what. My google Chrome settings indicate that I want all Japanese websites to be automatically translated into English so I got to check out the girls working at the studio, I got to check out their Twitter feeds (also translated automatically via Google Chrome) so I can follow the links they find interesting, I discovered some weird random website through this method ( see the website I am talking about by clicking here). It asked me to type in my name (through Google Translate: rarely summerized in one word of your existance). I typed in Piotr which is my name in Polish. My result was: “Piotrの存在を一言にまとめると「変態の神様」です。” which apparently (according to Google Translate) means: “To summarize the existence of Piotr shout "God of Transformation" is”. It may sound weird and boring to you but I feel like a tourist traveling alone without a guide in Japan except I do it through their internet domains =D
Trust me, if you’re bored and you wanna have a fun internet adventure try something like this. You dream of traveling to Africa, try to find a website that bridges the gap between your culture and the local coltare of the country you want to visit (like a forum or irc chat) and just go nuts going to all the local business websites, fun websites (games, entertainment reviews etc) anything local with decent amount of hits so you can see the internet through the eyes of a person living there. It’s kind of hard to explain really, but internet tourism is fun and educational. Worst comes to worst, you got google translate, wikipedia, youtube, google itself so many websites and services to assist you that will make this experience super fun (you will feel a little like Indiana Jones following clues), services not often available (or just not as good like google translate) couple of years ago.
Just something I wanted to share with you all and have fun internet surfing foreign waters ^_^
I would be so proud if this was my daughter.
Honest review by: QUIK
I have a love / hate relationship with rhytm games. They do seem fun to play from time to time but who wants to spend tons of money on plastic instrument looking controllers? On top of that the music selection is usually hit and miss with miss being preeminent.
Rhytm Zone is an indie game made by Sonic Boom Inc. At first glance the gameplay and the “feel” of the game bring to mind the Guitar Hero game series yet it is quite different. First of all you do not need to own an expensive controller. The game is simple to control and I honestly don’t think even a PC gamepad would make this game any easier to play. I use the “asdf” keyboard keys for the four channels where the beat points come at you. Rhytm Zone comes with a bunch of indie music you can download but here is the best part: you can add your own music. Whether your music is on a cd, it’s in your mp3 library or a purchased iTunes track you can add that song to the game and play it almost immediately. The game searches the last.fm database to make sure the tags in the track are correct and you can compete on the leaderboards to any and all of your songs! I had a blast today when I added the song by Jason Steele of the FilmCow studios (Charlie the Unicorn fame) called “Put a Banana in Your Ear”. The points where you have to press the rhytm buttons seemed perfectly matched, even parts where the music “extends” for lack of a better word where nicely matched to the points where you have to press the button longer for bonus points. I even made the top 10 scoring second place! <bows graciously>
The best part is the game costs only 7,99€ on Steam and you can add any music you can possibly think of for free! If you enjoy rhytm games I think you will enjoy this indie title. The game plays great and looks very beautiful in 1080p.
Honest review by: FATED
This game is by far the best recreation of the Japanese late-medieval period I have ever experienced. If you have ever watched Richard Chamberlain swing around a Katana or a Kirosawa movie, or just enjoyed playing Shinobi as a kid, you have likely had your imagination enchanted by the beauty of old Nippon. This game lets you live out that imagination in the most beautiful, violent and in some ways tragic period of history for the nation.
It is a war game, but one with a deeper heart and soul. The music is all authentic, the art Japanese wood block and watercolor, the writing Japanese poetry, and the quotes come from places like the Book of Five Rings. There is an Encyclopedia, which alone can give you very interesting insights into the culture and history of the land. It is a war game but without the cold, mathematical and abstract tokens one typically sees in titles like Eastern Front. It is a war game where you can command 10,000 troops but can also zoom down to see two men duel among the chaos.
I’ve beaten the game once, I am halfway through a second replay, and I expect to be enjoying my time with this game for many months to come. Shogun 2 is designed so well there are many themes and approaches you can take with your campaign. You can play as several different clans. On their face, they are similar, enjoying only slight bonuses. However, in practice, each is a very different game. The geography of your regions, your resources, your neighbors and political situation, your contact or lack thereof with European traders and the encroachment of Christianity, your distance from Kyoto or isolation on a separate island make for tremendous strategic differences. In addition, how you approach the game can be wonderfully varied.
That first play-through, I picked a clan with bonuses for peasant soldiers, and played very aggressively as a daimyo intent on unifying Japan under his rule at any cost. Huge mobs of easily panicked spearmen and archers were my mainstay, and professional samurai and gun equipped enemies my dread. Taking a castle with troops whose morale wavers merely at the sight of the walls was a fun challenge.
My second play-through, I decided to play a very traditional warlord who would be conservative and peaceful. I chose a clan whose strengths lie in their Samurai troops. I only fought wars declared on me and accepted peace treaties when offered. I developed my lands, crushed rebellions, established trade with China and other clans, and developed my Clans lands and castles.
The battles are completely different. Having a unit you can count on, in heavy armor, who instills fear in their opponents is much different from leading an army of countless peons. I purposefully ignored the time limit so far, and am not playing to win. I am playing the way I would rule, benevolently, with an eye towards preserving my culture, traditions, clan honor and values. I have only 7 provinces under my banner in the time it took me to conquer all of Japan before, but I’m having a blast playing this way.
The next campaign, I am going to turn on Drop-In battles, which allows a real person to control the enemies in every battle you play in your single player campaign. That should be a nice challenge, as the battle AI is excellent, but I have found several exploitable behaviors already. Besides, a human player is unpredictable and far more dangerous. I wonder how I will fare.
