Yet Another Video Game Enthusiast Blog

Apparently Austin Wintory thinks holding hostage the lyrics to ‘I Was Born For This’ is funny.

No joke, he told me this today when I talked to him at the Smithsonian. He’s an amusing fellow. xD

What a meanie.

Geez. With school and whatnot, I almost missed September’s goodies! If I’ve done my math right, the free games/content has officially paid for itself and a little bit more.

Month 3: Zen Pinball (full game), Blast Off (minis), and Echoes (minis).
Note: Syphon Filter 3 (PS1 Classic) was also available, but I had no interest in downloading it.

Quick-Review: Valkyria Chronicles II

Oooh Sega, why must you fail at marketing great games in North America?

Valkyria Chronicles II takes place 2 years after the events of the first game. House Gassenarl is unhappy with the “impurity” of Gallia and sets out on a rebellious ethnic cleansing campaign. But because the Gallian Army lies in tattered shambles, no one can stop them… Except a bunch of high school students/cadets at Lanseal Military Academy.

The game plays much like Valkyria Chronicles I, but is much deeper. And…that’s all I can really say about gameplay without getting into detail. XD

No, you don’t need to play the first game to enjoy the second, but it’ll certainly add to the experience. But the chances of anyone jumping into the sequel of a sleeper-hit, on a PSP of all things, are very low. Just know that it’s a really good game for the PSP, and any PSP owner who hasn’t at least played the demo is missing out.

Overall: 85/100. Read full review here

So today, Sept 9, is the birthday of the greatest console series of all time: the Sony Playstation.

Wow…15 years. We’ve all heard of those who live the Apple lifestyle. I live the Sony lifestyle…though not as hardcore as the Apple people.

I got my very first Playstation somewhere in 1997..I think. For 13 years, I played by the X, Triangle, Square, and O. I only stepped away from it for Pokemon on the Gameboy Pocket/Color….and more recently, Metro 2033 on the Xbox 360 and Indigo Prophecy on the Xbox (and believe me, I felt SO dirty for doing so).

Damn, I wish I still had my fat, bulky grey PS1. Then, I could proudly say that I own every Playstation console ever made. Though, I’ve ownED them at some point in Playstation History. …Actually…no. I skipped the PS1 Slim, PSP-1000, PSP-2000, and PSPgo.

Anyway…HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY PLAYSTATION! I hope you get to have many, many more. make.frikkin.believe.

FOR GALLIA

Thsooooo. Valkyria Chronicles II dropped today, and I, in my 5-hour-no-point-in-going-home-because-as-soon-as-I-get-home-I’ll-have-to-go-back break from classes, trekked down to my favorite GameStop and snatched it right up.

Probably won’t be able to power through it since I have such an intense course load, but I will play it and get a partial and full review up ASAP.

Though, I started playing it on the train ride home. While I don’t quite approve of the control scheme, it plays pretty much identically to the first game.

I’m not too fond of the story either…it’s too…personal at the moment. Basically, this kid gets a house visit from some teacher, saying that his older brother is dead. The kid, not believing it’s possible (despite the death certificate), decides to get to the bottom of things and tries to enlist in the military…and of course some civil conflict is very conveniently taking place at the same time (I’m more interested in the conflict, but I think VCII will want to focus more on the student’s stories and motives instead.)

LenovoPuppy: Initial Impressions

Meet LenovoPuppy, my new 14” Lenovo Ideapad Y460. I’ve only used it an hour or two, but I’m pretty happy about it.

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-520M
GPU: ATI Radeon HD 5650 1GB and integrated graphics (switchable)
HDD: 500GB 5400rpm
RAM: 4 GB DDR3

Like:
- touch sensitive volume buttons
- touch sensitive quick-launch slider
- much lighter than my 15.4” Sony VAIO
- keyboard is very comfortable to type on
- screen and keyboard can be locked

Dislike:
- it’s warm, even when not working hard
- the fan is audible, even when not working hard
- palm rests are slightly glossy, will probably attract fingerprints
- body is plastic

I’ll forgive it for it’s fan and temperature. This is a little beastly powerhouse. In the far future, I hope to swap out the HDD for an SSD. In the near future, I hope to install and run Steam and play some of the XBOX 360 exclusives that have been unavailable to me up until now.

Full, non-techy review to come later.

The Harlequin (GameStop exclusive) or The Doctor(everyone else)? If you were a North American fan of Assassin’s Creed, and had $99.99+ to spare, which would you drop money on?

If the jack-in-the-box is as big as the Ezio statue from AC2’s Master Edition..or even 3/4 that size, I’d go for The Doctor.

Goodies (besides the actual game) in the North American Collector’s Edition of Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood include:
- 2 exclusive Single-Player maps
- a hard copy of the Map of Rome
- an Artbook
- Bonus content DVD/Blu-ray (it boasts the game’s OST, but $5 says that it’s only the partial OST)

In other news, I pre-ordered it today, with no intention of picking it up.

I just wanted the multiplayer beta code. Which..I might add, is ridiculous. Why didn’t Ubisoft just work with Sony and make the beta a PS+ perk? Stupid. Anyway, when the beta opens up in September, I’ll hop on for a bit and let ya’ll know what I thought of it.

Tekken (2010 film) Tiny Review

Overall, it was a fun movie if you don’t take it seriously….and if you know absolutely NOTHING about the Tekken game series. Good for a rent at the local RedBox…or free to watch somewhere online.

Pros:
- Lotsa short, sweet fight sequences that really know how to make you wince. (it’s no Jet Li wushu film, but it’s still good)
- Pacing was really smooth for a 90-minute film. (the time in which the chain of events happens is completely unrealistic, but the movie never drags or rushes)

Cons:
- Acting is really flat.
- Characters’ designs have been messed with and are seriously out of character. (which is why it would be best not to know anything about the game)

Lulz’s:
- The script. Oh my god the script is srsly lulz. “THIS IS IRON FIST!” (300ish reference) and “Heihachi Mishima is dead…” (Tekken 5 reference) say “hi”.
- The costumes look like average cosplays.
- Some sequences/situations are just so unrealistic….they’re just…lulzy.

Month 1: WipeOut HD (full game), Fieldrunners (PSP minis), Heavy Rain: Origami Swan (avatar)
Month 2: Critter Crunch (full game), Syphon Filter (PS1 classic)

Gonna try to stick to free stuff only.
I got Fieldrunners and Syphon Filter, but let’s see if I actually play them.

I’m not usually one to post news here, but……