Road to Fame

In response to Tina's Tweet...

Yes, one can dream.

Due for an Upgrade?

June GPU Market Update: Price Compression Benefits

Today, I came across an article on the breakdown of today's graphic card offerings. It listed many powerful items at such phenomenal prices, mostly due to today's crappy economy. Going over the list, my nerdy-self raised it's head once again--I want to upgrade my computer now.

So, to assess my almost five-year-old PC's situation, here's a quick break down on what needs to be updated:

• Graphics Card: GeForce 6600(this thing doesn't even exist in market now) -> ? (~$150)
• CPU: AMD Athlon 64 -> Intel Core Duo? (~$150? $200?)
• Motherboard: ASUS ....? -> Any good Mo-Bo for Intel (<$100)
• Memory: anything that fits above (<$100?)

Add this with pre-order of Windows 7 Professional Upgrade, which runs for $99 at Amazon.com (the price will increase to $199 once pre-order is over), the total cost may be... ...

Let me forget about that for now, and just consider the bare-minimum, the graphics card. Then, all it will take to upgrade is anywere between $70~$170.

Not bad, I say. Not bad...

Splinter Cell: Conviction Behind the Scene #01

One of the strategy Ubisoft loves using when promoting its flagship titles is to release a long series of highly stylized Behind-the-Scene featurettes that spends most of the time on developer interviews, intercut with tiny segments of real gameplays.

Below is one of those for what's probably my the most anticipated game of this year's holiday season, Splinter Cell: Conviction.

Appropriately for a franchise that has gone low for a few years, this video focuses on redefining, or, in the light of today's trends, rebooting of the franchise. Shortly after I got my Xbox360, I grabbed a copy of Splinter Cell: Double Agent. While it has vivid graphics and animations, the gameplay felt rather slow and clunky. So, I am really excited about this reboot, as they promise to bring more fast-paced, action-oriented game where Sam truly feels like a deadly top-secret agent.

Enough of my words, here's the Behind the Scene video:

Video Games Splinter Cell: Conviction Behind Closed Doors #1: Redefining Splinter Cell

XBox 360 Playstation 3 Nintendo Wii

Update: This video actually got me all gloom and doom. Not that there's something wrong with it, but rather, it was just too good; I was reminded how much I'd rather work in game industry than where I am now. *sigh*

I Wanna Draw Again.

What's with Persona series? It sure looks like a typical JRPG on yester-gen PS2, but it's been generating a large fandom. There was a fan art competition, too! Anyways, that competition had one piece, the first place winner in fact, that I really, really liked. So here you go. Hope you like it!

Go here for more fan art.

Watch FFXIII Demo Playthough Video!

I must say, probably the most anticipated game, like ever, seemed to never see a release date. Yes, I'm talking about Final Fantasy XIII.

But SquareEnix somehow managed to develop it just fine, as evident by the bundled demo disc inside Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete (that's a long name...) that was released not too long ago.

As if to prove its mega-over-the-top-crazy-gargantuan hype, a gentleman from Japan, who's acquired a copy of the demo disc, has recorded entire his playthough, and have posted on YouTube. Now, you can enjoy how XIII will look and play without blowing a hole in your wallet.

Enjoy now since you never know when SE will smack down these videos off the 'Net!!!

Note: This is Part 1 of Part 5 playthough. Here are rest of the playthough links:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5-Final

So, what do you think?

Shadow of the Colossus, the Movie

I don't know if you've heard, but there's a quite a stir among gamers cause of a news from Sony: they're making a movie out of Shadow of the Colossus! If you're thinking 'How dare you, Sony?!' or 'That's impossible!', than you're on the same page.

Here's what I think:

I think it'll make a good movie. If, and only if, it were created by some revered Japanese director, supported by top of the line Hollywood special effects studios. I say this because some of the greatest Japanese movies has alot in common with the game; they're quiet, has minimal dialogues, and tone is so calm and subtle. The game, too, has very small amount of dialogues or narrations. And out of that quietness comes touching stories.

I am generally happy to see more games turned into movies. I think that as more games gets translated into movies, the better those movies will become. Going to watch those movies myself is another story. Anyways, with this one, I am worried, and rightfully so; the one holding the pen for this movie is none other than the same writer behind the epic-failure, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li.

(Que Psycho sound effect.)

Now you can freak out.

Huh? A Game Based On My Blog?!

End Of Eternity: Sega / tri-Ace Collaboration On PS3 & 360 Revealed

As you can see, this blog's title is "Eternity Begins." I have another blog called "Eternity Ends," and now, there's a game being produced with title "End of Eternity." It's a Sega and tri-Ace (guys behind Valkyrie Profile and Infinite Undiscovery) collaboration work.

While I didn't like their previous games all that much, and hence, am not very excited about the announcement (or rather, leak), the title did grab my attention. It's actually one of the titles I've considered using when I was starting the other blog.

If I did, could I have asked for some money from Sega to use the same name? Heh.

Behind the Normal Surface of Our World...

Two posts in one day. What a day!

Anyways, since I looooooooooooooooooved Dreamfall: The Longest Journey from Funcom (yes, the studio that created the largely flopped Conan MMORPG), I really don't have to tell you how excited I am to come across the following video:

This is an alternate-fantasy MMORPG game, The Secret World, headed by the same dev behind Dreamfall, Ragnar Tørnquist (How'd you pronounce his last name?). I am more excited because they'll be releasing this MMORPG on Xbox360, along with PC. Meaning, I will be able to enjoy the game without dishing out extra bucks to upgrade my old, clunky PC.

I know the video is only a CGI, and that the game itself most certainly won't resemble that (unless of course, if we're talking about Killzone 2), but still, the fact that this is the game that strays far from traditional RPG games, and that it's from Ragnar, I swear, I will jump on, as soon as they release the game.

Love you, Ragnar!

Say Good-Bye and Good Night to Raptor

RIP. Raptor

Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has announced his recommendations for the Fiscal Year 2010 defense budget, which, along with several changes, has a decision to end the production of the famed F-22 Raptor.

As a employee working at the company that produces the said product, I am rightfully disappointed, and even startled, by the announcement. The most cutting-edge, the high-point of today's technological achievement of mankind is already coming to an end. And that's without a single real combat engagement!!

Although I am relieved that I personally am not involved in F-22 program, I do fear for a possibility that the inevitable, huge influx of migrating engineers from the closing program may have an impact in my job security.

The fact that I am, or may shortly be, affected by a decision made by a top-level politician brings me a pleasant but also inconvenient insight: I am in the real world, where real things happen. My happy-go-lucky life of adolescence has really ended.

Sadness.

YouTube Just Got Better

Ah, yes. The good folks at work-productivity-killer YouTube have come up with yet another new improvement to their site's layout. I noticed the small change when I went back there to turn on a video to play in the background while I work (I swear). Take a look:

They also posted some suggestions on how to view the new layout:

Cool? I like the third suggestion myself. How about you?

Among the Pile of ...

We've seen a burst of film adoptations of comic books lately, with many of them ending up as nothing but human intellectual wastes. But I guess among a pile of shit, one shall see the rise of a masterpiece; we've seen Dark Knight, and now, we have Watchmen.

I haven't watched the film yet, but I have just finished reading the comic book. And now I do wonder the same thing so many fanatics of the book were asking themselves: How would anyone turn this into a meaningful film that really does justice to this famous, the-only-Hugo-Award-winning comic book, ever?

Now, I have to tell you, I don't worry about the mastery of the movie, because even one of the harshiest--at least to me, he is--film critic, Roger Ebert watched it twice, and was so intrigued by it that he gave it four stars(!!) and wrote a long blog post about it.

Having said all this, would you join me at the movies and watch this flick at an IMAX theater near you?

PS. One interesting trivia: the talent that penned this movie is David Hayter, who voiced the popular Snake of Metal Gear Solid videogame series.

Giant BOMB Review of 50 Cent Game.

This was just too funny to pass. Enjoy this review of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand by my recent favorite game-related site, Giant Bomb:

And yes, the guy reviewing here is none other than Gerstmann of the infamous "Gerstmann Gate" scandal.

We're All From Twitteronia

"Finally, A Use for Twitter," A foot and a half

I was listening to CNET's Buzz Out Loud podcast, and came across a funny and cute story of Twitter connecting people. In this case, a two "panzies" and the Shaq, himself.

It's a funny story, so check it out here.

PS. Shaq leaves huge tips. Damn!

Looking good, baby. Looking good.

LOLz.

Shake It!!

You gotta love SNL. Check this out:

Hollywood Does... Dragonball?????

Look how far Hollywood has fallen....-_-

Let's see how they treat Super Saiyan thing. -_- At least there's two Koreans in the movie.

Why Do Bad Guys Always Come Back Cooler?

Check this out:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Cool, eh? One can easily say the military is really backing Micheal Bay. Big time.