It reminded we why I don't really watch anime that much. One of the stories in the movie was your typical "guys just standing around talking" animes. How boring. Also, none of the stories felt all that well-written. I guess I've just been spoiled by The Animated Series and the other DC Animated Universe shows.
There's this one story in Gotham Knight in which kids tell different stories of Batman, each one with a drastically different version of Batman. Sound familiar? Yeah, TAS did it, too, and they did it much better.
The one with Deadshot was cool, I guess.
But all in all, I prefer the DCAU stories to this stuff. I mean, I spent the last three days watching as many episodes of Justice League as I can, and the writing in those shows is just awesome. And the animation, while simpler, is better...'cause when people talk, they don't usually just stand around. >=[ Also, they don't make Bruce Wayne look like Light Yagami.
I think the Special Edition of Gotham Knight comes with a few episodes of the TAS (including the original kids' stories one), so at least the people who buy that version will get some awesome animated Batman goodness. :P
While I guess Gotham Knight wasn't really bad, it just pales in comparison to the other animated Batman offerings.
Let's hope the Dark Knight doesn't disappoint either. Maybe I should lay off watching DCAU for a while. It's just soooooooo good!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wall-E is my favorite Pixar movie
8:27 PM
And the best movie of 2008 so far. Go see it, damn it.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Whatever happened to Rollerblades?
7:12 PM
I never really learned to use inline skates. It's obviously not something that I've come to regret.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
I just watched Justice League: New Frontier
6:43 PM
Pretty good. Gotham Knight needs to hurry up and come out! July 8th!
Friday, June 20, 2008
What I want in Rock Band 2
10:56 PM
Details have been revealed for Guitar Hero: World Tour. Yes, it is a Rock Band rip-off, but it's actually got quite a few new features over Rock Band, plus some good peripherals. But I have faith that Harmonix will step it up again with Rock Band 2... and if they don't, I will be disappointed. But here's what I think Harmonix needs to do with Rock Band 2.
- Compatibility with Rock Band 1 DLC. First and foremost, THE most important thing. I'm lazy. I don't wanna take the Rock Band 2 disc out to play Rock Band 1 songs that are already on my hard drive. Somehow, GH4 will be compatible with GH3 DLC, which doesn't make that much sense because GH3 was guitar-only...but yeah, I'd say backwards compatibility with RB1 DLC is a shoe in. I'd also like them to take it one step further and let you import all the on-disc RB1 songs onto your hard drive for use in RB2. Then I could just throw the RB1 disc away...or sell it or something. Then Rock Band 2 could technically have the largest initial selection of music available for a music game.
- Improved peripherals. Personally, I don't plan on buying any new instruments (aside from a new guitar for bass) for Rock Band 2, and, of course, the old instruments should be compatible with the new game. but other people would love to see the instruments be improved. Obviously, the GH4 instruments look very impressive, and they have that new touch-senstive crap on the guitars, and the velocity-sensitive and quieter drumpads. It's clear what Harmonix needs to do with their instruments: improve the guitar strum bar, quiet the drum pads, strengthen the kick pedal, and make the drums more portable. Other improvements could be making the fret buttons better (I don't really have a problem with them, though they are a little clacky), make all the instruments wireless, and maybe make the cymbals look like cymbals to compete with the GH drumset. I don't want them to add more pads to the drums, and touch-sensitive necks could be neat, but not necessary. Velocity-sensitve drumpads fall in the same category. Maybe Harmonix should team up with a quality hardware company (like Nyko or something) to make their instruments if they're not up to it themselves.
- Online Band World Tour. I'm really just starting out with the most popular requests, rather than my own personal requests, but it makes sense. Let us form bands online and progress through World Tour from...all over the world! I think that's all I need to say about that.
- Fix/simplify the profile situation. I hate it how I can't use my created characters when playing multiplayer unless the controller that's signed in with my profile is the band leader. Just put all created characters in one pool that any profile or guest can access.
- Online band vs. band. Quite obvious.
- More character/band customization options Again, obvious.
- Recored replays and YouTube support. Now we're getting into stuff that might not be realistic, but totally awesome. Lots of people like recording videos of their playthroughs of songs. But not everyone has capture equipment. Halo 3 started this on the 360, so I think every game needs it now: let us save replays and let us share it with others online. The YouTube thing, I'm talking about, comes from my experience with the Spore creature creator. The Spore CC lets you record a video, then directly upload it to YouTube through the game itself. No capture equipment required! So I think Rock Band 2 would be awesome with this kinda feature. This also leads me into another thing I think that would be awesome...
- Let us make music videos! Skate let you record skate videos, and that fits well with the skateboarding culture. Music videos fit well within in the music culture! Rock Band's visual presentation already resembles a music video, but letting us have more control over it would be awesome. Like, my band could play through a song, the session is recorded, and then we can play around with camera angles, lighting, animations, video effects, and neat stuff like that. Also, let's remove that obtrusive fretboard with all those silly colored notes on it. Those would be fine for regular gameplay videos, but this is a music video. I wanna see the virtual band playing the song. Perhaps the vocalist's voice could also be recorded and played back over the original vocals. Then, of course, with the hopeful built-in YouTube upload feature, we could upload this directly to YouTube. Oh yes, this would be awesome.
- Better online community features. I was sorely disappointed with the Rock Band "online community", which basically just featured a forum, band pages with no pictures of your band that you have to update with stuff manually, and leaderboards. I hear SingStar PS3 has some awesome community features. Basically, I want MySpace (or Facebook for the sophisticated ones) for Rock Band. And I want band pages to be automatically updated with your progress in the game. Like, if the last song your played was The Touch by Stan Bush, then your page would say something like, "Recent Shows: The Touch" and it'd show your score up there or something. I'd also like it to automatically generate photos of your band and upload them to your page, similar to how the loading screens look in Rock Band 1. Yeah, this kinda stuff would be awesome.
- Song creation. I personally don't care about making my own songs, but Guitar Hero: World Tour will let you create songs, and I see that as a good way to finally play some awesome F-Zero tracks that other people arrange. So if I wouldn't have to buy Guitar Hero for that, than that'd be cool. Of course, I'd also like to see some improvements here, like maybe adding the ability to add vocals to your song. I think I've heard the reason GH4 isn't doing it because of legal problems of copying other bands, but really, I'm sure most people would rather listen to the real band sing a song that they'd be willing to pay for the originals. But I'm no lawyer, so I dunno how all that would work. But if other people could play ASDFLL..Ka;k23's latest hits, including vocals, then I think it'd be pretty cool.
- Spectator mode online. Maybe I'm just weird, but I like to watching other people play Rock Band. Perhaps a spectator mode online would let you watch a band perform in real-time. Maybe let you talk to the band while they're playing (of course, the band with specify to allow spectators or not), or have camera support to watch them playing on their plastic instruments (while they're naked probably). 'course, I don't know if this would be a laggy nightmare or what, but I just think it'd be really neat.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Rules of The Game
3:33 PM
Now, if you're already playing the game, you just lost.
If you're not playing the game however, you're about to start!
Rules
J.R.'s Notes
* I'm always courteous enough to warn you that you have to play once I tell you, so I usually give you the choice to know the rules or remain ignorant of them. But since you're already reading this, you're already playing, so tough luck. :P
** This is how my group plays The Game. The number of minutes is 10, and immunity is granted to all those who hear your announcement of loss. Yeah, some people like to play without immunity, but whatever. I like it better this way.
If you're not playing the game however, you're about to start!
Rules
- To know The Game is to play The Game. You can never stop playing and you can never win.
- To think of The Game is to lose The Game. You must announce your loss out loud by saying "The Game", "I lose" or other variants.
- Not announcing that you lost the game is considered cheating. You're not a cheater now are you?
- If someone asks you what The Game is, you are required to tell them the rules.*
- After losing the game, you have a grace period of X number of minutes (variable) to clear your mind of The Game and focus elsewhere. After then, you are in play once more. This is an optional rule to keep people from losing constantly and having to announce the fact constantly.**
J.R.'s Notes
* I'm always courteous enough to warn you that you have to play once I tell you, so I usually give you the choice to know the rules or remain ignorant of them. But since you're already reading this, you're already playing, so tough luck. :P
** This is how my group plays The Game. The number of minutes is 10, and immunity is granted to all those who hear your announcement of loss. Yeah, some people like to play without immunity, but whatever. I like it better this way.
Nintendo fanboys really are in their own little world
3:08 PM
A world where voice chat is bad. A world where waggle is good. A world where Activision is the second-coming of Jesus. Seriously, WTF?
Not only do they think Guitar Hero is the awesomest thing ever, and think Guitar Hero: World Tour will be the bestest music game ever (They've heard of Rock Band, they've just never played it), but they're looking forward to Call of Duty: World At War. Yeah, you know the one. The one that's NOT by Infinity Ward. The one that's BACK IN WORLD WAR II. Yeah, they think it's gonna be the most awesome FPS on the Wii ever (and their standards are low, since they like Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, and they ignore Metroid Prime 3).
I bet they're also looking more forward to the next Tony Hawk game than they are Skate It. In fact, I've seen so many people trash Skate on Wii boards, and then they say they've never even played Skate. WTF?
Nintendo fanboys are encouraging companies to whore out their games, by making crappy ports for the Wii, and they seem to be discouraging original titles: they made a big uproar about Capcom's Spyborgs when it was announced, and there's also a lot of hate for The Conduit. It seems all they want is crappy ports of 360 games. They want companies to cash in, as they say, "THEY'LL MAKE THE MOST MONEY ON WII, SO THEY SHOULD MAKE A WII VERSION" even though the Wii version would suck in comparison. Some game developers don't want their work tarnished by a lesser version. This is probably why we're not see Resident Evil 5 on the Wii, 'cause a lesser version would just detract from the awesome REAL version. Of 'course, maybe they will port RE5 to the Wii, but maybe just like when they ported RE4 to the PS2, the original developers would not like it at all, but all the Wii fanboys would be happy that Capcom "sold out."
Not only do they think Guitar Hero is the awesomest thing ever, and think Guitar Hero: World Tour will be the bestest music game ever (They've heard of Rock Band, they've just never played it), but they're looking forward to Call of Duty: World At War. Yeah, you know the one. The one that's NOT by Infinity Ward. The one that's BACK IN WORLD WAR II. Yeah, they think it's gonna be the most awesome FPS on the Wii ever (and their standards are low, since they like Medal of Honor: Heroes 2, and they ignore Metroid Prime 3).
I bet they're also looking more forward to the next Tony Hawk game than they are Skate It. In fact, I've seen so many people trash Skate on Wii boards, and then they say they've never even played Skate. WTF?
Nintendo fanboys are encouraging companies to whore out their games, by making crappy ports for the Wii, and they seem to be discouraging original titles: they made a big uproar about Capcom's Spyborgs when it was announced, and there's also a lot of hate for The Conduit. It seems all they want is crappy ports of 360 games. They want companies to cash in, as they say, "THEY'LL MAKE THE MOST MONEY ON WII, SO THEY SHOULD MAKE A WII VERSION" even though the Wii version would suck in comparison. Some game developers don't want their work tarnished by a lesser version. This is probably why we're not see Resident Evil 5 on the Wii, 'cause a lesser version would just detract from the awesome REAL version. Of 'course, maybe they will port RE5 to the Wii, but maybe just like when they ported RE4 to the PS2, the original developers would not like it at all, but all the Wii fanboys would be happy that Capcom "sold out."
Meet Lobstar (Spore)
12:32 AM
I got my hands on the Spore Creature Creator demo, and I'm running it through Boot Camp, and it works! Apparently, the Mac system requirements are too high for my Macbook, but it works just fine on Windows on the same Macbook. :D
Anyway, check out my first Spore creation: Lobstar!
Isn't he awesome? Yeah, I didn't get that creative with him, but it was my first time, and I think he's cool.
Here are some other shots of Lobstar, and my second guy, Alberto.
Anyway, check out my first Spore creation: Lobstar!
Isn't he awesome? Yeah, I didn't get that creative with him, but it was my first time, and I think he's cool.
Here are some other shots of Lobstar, and my second guy, Alberto.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Confirmed: MGS4 best MGS game ever.
11:03 PM
Why? Because X is finally the "Confirm" button. Remember playing MGS2 and MGS3 and being confused because when you would press X, the game would go to the PREVIOUS menu? Well, they finally fixed it in MGS4, apparently. Awesome.
lol @ MGS4
4:40 AM
I'm watching IGN's and Gametrailers's video reviews of MGS4 (in HD), and they include lots of laughs...mainly 'cause they talk about things that I find ridiculous because of all the spoilers I've read.
Both video reviews are pretty similar, though Gametrailers's is more informative since it also points out some negatives with the game. Another thing I find weird is that both trailers use the "MGS Theme", which I hear is not even in the game thanks to that whole "plagiarism" thing. I guess the song is just so awesome, that it's association with Metal Gear will never die...Which sucks, 'cause, again, it's not in MGS4. Also, both video reviews end with a line something like, "We salute you, Solid Snake!" with a scene from MGS4 with Snake saluting. lolz. The IGN review even says something like, "an honorable end for Snake." ...lolololol.
And also, I thought the product placement ended with the iPod in the game, which I thought was excusable because it actually could be used in the game...But look at Otacon's monitor...
XD. That doesn't really bother me, but I know it'll bother other people...though I guess it'll bother me that the same people who get worked up about product placement in movies like Transformers will be fine with it in MGS4.
And c'mon, I'm sure Apple will have released better monitors than that in 2014! I'm surprised that the phones some of the characters use aren't iPhones (I think I read somewhere that they're actually Sony Ericsons[sp?]).
Both video reviews are pretty similar, though Gametrailers's is more informative since it also points out some negatives with the game. Another thing I find weird is that both trailers use the "MGS Theme", which I hear is not even in the game thanks to that whole "plagiarism" thing. I guess the song is just so awesome, that it's association with Metal Gear will never die...Which sucks, 'cause, again, it's not in MGS4. Also, both video reviews end with a line something like, "We salute you, Solid Snake!" with a scene from MGS4 with Snake saluting. lolz. The IGN review even says something like, "an honorable end for Snake." ...lolololol.
And also, I thought the product placement ended with the iPod in the game, which I thought was excusable because it actually could be used in the game...But look at Otacon's monitor...
XD. That doesn't really bother me, but I know it'll bother other people...though I guess it'll bother me that the same people who get worked up about product placement in movies like Transformers will be fine with it in MGS4.
And c'mon, I'm sure Apple will have released better monitors than that in 2014! I'm surprised that the phones some of the characters use aren't iPhones (I think I read somewhere that they're actually Sony Ericsons[sp?]).
Sunday, June 08, 2008
I want to WATCH MGS4
2:43 AM
No, I don't wanna play it, ('cause I can't...thanks to not having a PS3), but I wanna watch it. Yes, I've already read the spoilers. Yeah, I've already watched a cam video of the last boss fight. I still wanna watch it, but not some lame cam version. Not even some direct-feed YouTube video. I want someone to record it in HD. I want them to keep the gameplay in there, even, though I want them to know what they're doing, so I won't have to see a bunch of lame game over scenes.
Yeah, this is too much to ask...but c'mon...I'm not gonna get a PS3 anytime soon, and it's unlikely that MGS4 will go to the 360... So how else am I gonna watch this game?! I just wanna know how the story unfolds, and reading a few lines of spoiler text out of context isn't enough. Also, even though I read the spoilers...it still doesn't make sense, and I'm still confused! >< Damn you, Kojima!
Yeah, this is too much to ask...but c'mon...I'm not gonna get a PS3 anytime soon, and it's unlikely that MGS4 will go to the 360... So how else am I gonna watch this game?! I just wanna know how the story unfolds, and reading a few lines of spoiler text out of context isn't enough. Also, even though I read the spoilers...it still doesn't make sense, and I'm still confused! >< Damn you, Kojima!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Itagaki drama, escalated to new heights
2:06 AM
So, Itagaki is leaving Tecmo. He's also suing them. Damn. This is bigger drama than when he said "Tekken sucks" or how he said Ninja Gaiden Sigma was fail.
I never really liked Itagaki, and I've never been a fan of his games, though I recognize them as well-made. So I guess I wish him the best of luck. Tecmo, too.
"I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co., Ltd. for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen. I also announce that this complaint was delivered to the defendants on May 22nd of the same year.
In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.
Before the start of development on DEAD OR ALIVE 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment. President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me “if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.” In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.
The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.
I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.
To All Game Fans
I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. NINJA GAIDEN 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last NINJA GAIDEN I will create. I will also never be able to make DEAD OR ALIVE 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.
However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.
I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.
Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer
Leader, Team NINJA
Tomonobu Itagaki"
In addition, I hereby announce that I have today submitted a letter of resignation to Tecmo Co., Ltd. stating that I will resign as of the 1st of July, 2008.
Before the start of development on DEAD OR ALIVE 4, Tecmo Co., Ltd. had agreed to pay a completion bonus to me for this Xbox 360 title, which I produced. However, when the time came for the actual payment, Tecmo Co., Ltd. went against its previous agreement and refused payment. President Yoshimi Yasuda chose not only to violate this agreement, but also turned defiant, telling me “if you are dissatisfied with the decision not to pay the bonuses, either quit the company or sue it.” In addition, he made demeaning remarks about me to my subordinates and colleagues, causing me significant emotional distress and worsening my personal relationships and work environment. Thus, I have no choice but to resign from Tecmo Co., Ltd.
The conduct of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its president Yoshimi Yasuda towards me has been unbefitting of a publicly-listed company.
I have filed this lawsuit with a strong intent to question the social responsibility of Tecmo Co., Ltd. and its President Yoshimi Yasuda, as well as condemning them for their unjust acts. Today, in addition to announcing the reasons for this lawsuit, I make clear my reasons for resigning.
To All Game Fans
I truly feel sorry to all the fans of the games I have made. NINJA GAIDEN 2, which will launch on the 3rd of June will be the last NINJA GAIDEN I will create. I will also never be able to make DEAD OR ALIVE 5. I regret the circumstances that have forced me to leave Tecmo, where I had worked for so many years, and I regret the disappointment this will cause my fans.
However, I can no longer continue to work with President Yoshimi Yasuda, a man who chooses not to honor promises even when he is able to do so.
I truly hope that nothing like this happens again in the future.
Tecmo Co., Ltd. Creative Officer
Leader, Team NINJA
Tomonobu Itagaki"
I never really liked Itagaki, and I've never been a fan of his games, though I recognize them as well-made. So I guess I wish him the best of luck. Tecmo, too.
Monday, June 02, 2008
I am so hungry...
10:30 PM
I need to eat lots of food to get my weight up, damn it! WiiFit tells me I gain 1 pound one day, then I lose that pound the next. GAHH!
Watching this video made me hungry for some jalapeno pizza...oh God...do want.
Watching this video made me hungry for some jalapeno pizza...oh God...do want.
Guitar Hero: Metallica
4:01 PM
Seriously?
I'm sure you see a problem here. I'll leave it at that...
"In fiscal 2009, we plan to publish Guitar Hero: On Tour for the NDS; Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, Guitar Hero: Metallica, and Guitar Hero IV across multiple platforms."
I'm sure you see a problem here. I'll leave it at that...
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