Spark Of Genius

Frankly, I don't know which spark of my geniuses that made me started this blog in the first place and then abandoned it after a year. I have lost interest in games since I last posted, I have lost interest in writing long reviewing crap for you guys to read coz I have to be REALLY careful of what I write, wait.. That's not true. I don't care what you guyz think of what I write, I just have to be really careful of my language.

No fuck, no shit, no damnation, no cultural and religion reference, no snide remarks to political parties (granted its hard to do it in a gaming blog) and no colorful language.

I think I am going to break that rule.

-Because I Can-

Cracked NDSL Hinge - The Reborn

There you go ladies and gentleman, my newly reborned Nintendo DS Lite with its new SHOCK! Replacement Case of Strat Clear. It took close to 1 hour give or take for the fellow from PLAYTIME Bangsar Shopping Center to change the casing. In total, it cost me RM150 for the repair and casing.

Furthermore, my DS Lite is a lot more lighter now than before. The previous shell casing it self is quite heavy. Now all I need is an invisble shield to show off my brand new casing. Woot!

 

 

 

 

-Because I Can-

Cracked NDSL Hinge - The Replacement Casing

SHOCK! Replacement Case
One of the more reputable (or so they say) and better build quality DS casing, with glee I tore open the package and found all this. I have taken to taking each and every one of the pictures.

FYI, I have purchased the Strat Clear Casing which in picture looks slightly darkish clear casing but in reality, I found otherwise.

The box containing everything is no bigger than an NDSL.

 

Everything in the box is displayed here. 

 

All the smaller buttons and the back cover. Watch out, for the buttons, if you drop it. It's very hard to find it on the floor again. I speak from experience 

 

Top part of the screen

 

 The battery compartment and the base

 

 The bottom screen

 

 Close up look

The top outer part of the casing does not contain any DS logo, making it a smooth and sleek surface which does not attract fingerprint. The inside feels more like the normal DS insides section. Slightly rough and sandy.

I am now looking for another added protection for this case. Along the line of ZAGG invisibleSHIELD. What good is a special casing If I am going to wrap it up in protecting case all the time right?

 I will be doing the replacement tomorrow if possible, going to hand it over to some shop which promised that they can replace the whole thing in less than 2 hour. Hope it works!


-Because I Can-

Cracked NDSL Hinge - The Search

Boy did I do my research, I haven't done my research as much as this since I last purchased my PSP which is 2 years ago!

I searched locally first for any replacement and the best I found is for some dude to order the casing from Dealextreme and then replacing it for me for RM150, problem is, I don't trust the fellow enough to let him muck around with my DS for a few days nor is the fact I have to wait 3 weeks for the item to arrive suits me.

Then I found two shops in the whole of Kuala Lumpur that does carry replacement case, problem is. They only have all black casing and all red casing. Don't like both the colour. So what next? I turned to the net.

Online, I found at least a dozen different site that carry all kinds of different casing ranging from all sorts of colours, designs and also special editions. But none of them I fancy, and 11 out of the dozen site does not send oversea or are very dubious in nature. Then I remembered something that I myself blogged more than two years or so ago.

SHOCK! NDSL Replacement Case

And my search ends but the bulk of my research is about to begin.

I found out online after much digging, the SHOCK! Case has good build quality but does not supplement the full range of replacement that is needed, some of the things that are missing are the inside part of the Slot-2 cover and also some nitpicking here and there.

I also found out that the Chrome Metal casing for SHOCK! case is a scratch fest. Easily scratched and also finger print magnet. After totting around my DSL for so long with a fingerprint magnet, that is the last of the design I wanted.

I mulled over the idea for over a week, trading e-mail with the surprisingly friendly retailer of the site NDS-CENTRAL. He was polite when I questioned him on certain stuff and offered to meet me in an MRT station in Singapore but since I am based in Kuala Lumpur, I had to reject. but the best part is that he quote me lower price than the one advertised on its site! Maybe their sales are not as good or maybe because he thought I am Singaporean.

Anyway, the purchased was made with no hesitation on 30 September 09 and I finally received the package yesterday night! OH JOY!!

-Because I Can-

Cracked NDSL Hinge - The Broken NDSL

So it's been 3 years since I purchased my Black NDSL and the inevitable happened. The hinge cracked rendering my whole DS spineless and unable to be "rigid".

The crack

Close look

Closer look still

As you can see, the thing is gone and the only option available is to look for a new case. Hence began my quest for a new armour for my beloved NDSL.

-Because I Can-

Scribblenauts Epicness

Stephen Totilo from Kotaku posted an interesting article on Scribblenauts where he used 16 tries to complete a mid-difficulty level. Instead of feeling frustrated, i felt that the game gets more interesting with its variety of ways to solve a level!

Below are an excerpt taken from the article

Attempt 1: Created bear to attack bee buzzing over first flower, so I could safely grab the flower. Bear killed bee. Bear then killed Maxwell. Level failed.

Attempt 2: Made bear; bear killed bee. Laid down bear trap. Died. Level failed.

Attempt 3: Made bear; bear killed bee. Laid down bear trap, ran away. Bear didn't chase. Ran back over. Caught self in bear trap. Mauled by bear. Level failed.

Attempt 4: Made bear; bear killed bee; laid trap. Bear caught in trap. Bear broke free. Killed Maxwell. Level failed.

Attempt 5: Made exterminator. Exterminator fumigated bee. Exterminator did not maul Maxwell. Has Maxwell grab first flower and placed it in basket. Approached lake containing piranha and second flower. Fell in. Jumped out. Made fishing pole. Fished piranha out. On land, piranha flopped, attacked, killed Maxwell. Level failed.

Read the full article HERE




-Because I Can-

King Of Fighters Movie in the work

 I find in myself the occasional flash of wanting to blog. Or maybe because I was just bored and found something that is vaguely interesting. Anyway, the thing is. I found something interesting online today.

King Of Fighters

Never was a fan of fighting game, I am not familiar much with this series but I have noted that there is a new KOF game coming? But then, did you also know that there is a new KOF Movie in the works? I bet you didn't know that!

Hehe, anyway. Here are the synopsis of the upcoming KOF movie planned

"The King of Fighters movie will introduce a new science fiction spin into the setting established in the games’ universe by following the surviving members of three legendary fighting clans who are continually whisked away to other dimensions by an evil power," says insider blog Movieset.
"As the fighters enter each new world they battle that universe’s native defenders, while the force that brought them seeks to find a way to invade and infect our world

What I find it interesting in this is that, It's directed by Gordon Chan. Yeap, Gordon Chan a notable Hong Kong film director.

Hmm.....

Anyway, have you ordered your copy of KOF for King Of Fighters and it's accessory? You can get some of the more interesting stuff HERE


-Because I Can-

Rest In Peace Micheal Jackson with this video

 Today at 5:31AM Malaysian time, the King Of Pop has turned into a Legend.

No amount of crying or screaming shall flatter him. But immitation is the greatest form of flattery. I present to you

Thriller by inmates of the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, Cebu





-Because I Can-

Movie Review - Transformers: Revenge of the fallen

In truth, I had high expectation for the movie. Maybe too high and the movie never reached my expectation. In fact, I would say it scored low...

Before I explain why, I would like to thank an unnamed benefactor for the free ticket to the first preview in Malaysia for Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen at Cineleisure tonight.

Next, onto the carnage that is called Transformers.

Look, let me explain before you fan-boys and fan-girls rip me to pieces and rain profanity on my blog. The movie is fan made. Simple as that, it is for the fan of Transformers and Micheal Bay or Bayformers if you would have it. The rest of you lot can either watch in silence as you wonder what the hell is going on, on-screen or watch in silence as all the carnage wreaks itself on screen, literally and metaphorically speaking.

At 2 hour and 30 minutes, this movie can best be summed up as long, loud and fun but the plot holes for and the Transformers reference to all this stuff that they never explain on the show just makes some of us feel left out. Then there is the storyline, what happened to that! Did someone went through the script with a chainsaw and mangled it? The glaring plot holes are just crazy! I am going to be spoiler free here but I'll be damned If I understand what goes on, on screen.

The fight scene is enormous and utterly gorgeous, with Optimus giving a world of hurt to the decepticon, the whole Bumblebee kungfu swashbuckling and every thing flying everywhere is just fun fun fun! But that's about it! I mean, the humor is there, the jokes are there, the quirky character was there and my gods, Megan Fox! Ouch!

All in all, let me put it this way. Transformers 2 is a fun movie to watch, but just leave your brain outside the cinema before you walk in because for the next 2 hour and 3o minutes, you won't need it. Oh and Micheal Bay? You are good with the explosive stuff but try to chuck in more storyline next time? If I would have to compare the 1st movie with the 2nd movie, I would say the 1st movie has better story and the 2nd movie has more things going boom.


Easter Egg: Try to spot the MAS logo on the opening scene.


The movie is not exactly a must watch, I would say, it tether on the brink of Have to Watch but only when all the fans have got their fill from the movie, for now. Stay back. Way back.



-Because I Can-

Ghostbusters DS - Reviewed

"Do you believe in UFOs, astral projections, mental telepathy, ESP, clairvoyance, spirit photography, telekinetic movement, full trance mediums, the Loch Ness monster and the theory of Atlantis? "

For those born in the 1980s, Ghostbuster is an icon, a hero and a faded memory now. A story about three down and out parapsychologist which has captured evidence of paranormal activity and seen a ghost, the tree Docs established a Ghost Extermination Service aptly named as "Ghostbusters" and as they say, everything else becomes history.

What with a number of successful movies and more numbers of games that is based on the movie, the Ghostbusters DS should learn from it all right?

GAMEPLAY

WRONG - Immediately after I started the game I foresee a problem. The car steering system is a monumental mistake, to accelerate, you need to press the "UP" button, so to turn, you would have to chop off part of your finger, and then attach it to your thumb so that you can press the "LEFT" or "RIGHT" button. I think they did this on purpose because they would like to leave your right hand free to tap the screen when driving but couldn't they have put the accelerate on the "L" button?!

Then we have the "Ghostbusting" part, to catch the ghost you move around using directional button and then tap and hold the ghost when you see them. This will then reduce the ghost's health and you can use the Ghost Trap by holding the L button and tapping the location where you want to deploy the trap. Fairly easy right?


WRONG! For one, the AI is as usefull as a cow ushered to the chopping board, what with their refussal to response when there is ghost around, the inability to shoot any anything without you shooting first and coupled with the utterly headache inducing layout of the map which keeps me running around the damn place before I realise that I need to either Extract all Victims/Capture all Ghost/Capture all Artifact/Close all Ghost Portal or that I left out one other thing before I can complete the mission. It's frustrating!


Granted there are SOME saving grace to the game, the jokes and the humor in game is solid and funny enough to remind you of the movie itself or a small laugh, the customizable and equipable items which can be researched, made and then re-researched and then made again. But that's about it! That's about the only stuff that is interesting for me!

GRAPHIC

The graphic is 3D and are surprisingly nice, I loved the driving part of the game where the fogs are heavy and the scene are dark, covering most of the city which keeps the graphical boundry of the game down while pushing the effect up. Nicely done there, but the graphic while you are walking around ghostbusting in a building though is slightly drab and lifeless, granted it is due to the ghost being around and what not but I wish it could have had a bit of GTA: Chinatown DS colour scheme in it. Now that game has good graphic!

MUSIC


Be prepared to feel nostalgic and all that as the music hits home, who can forget the tune for ghostbuster!

If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call (ghostbusters)
If it's somethin' weird an it don't look good
Who ya gonna call (ghostbusters)

CONCLUSION


Look, I loved Ghostbusters, I loved the movie and dearly want to love this game but I just can't bring myself to do that. It has solid jokes, lots of equipable items, great customizable stuff and all the jiggly wiggly thingy machingy that you could expect but the gameplay, the crux of it all just doesn't live up to my expectation!


If you have the money, if you loved the movie, spend the money to buy the Blu-Ray Ghostbusters Movie HERE instead of wasting the money to buy the Ghostbusters DS. Hell, you can have the whole chunk of Ghostbusters game and movie available at Play-Asia HERE but for crying out loud. AVOID THE DS VERSION LIKE A PLAGUE!

-Because I Can-

Prototype (PC) - Reviewed

Step away Hulk, Spiderman, Wolverine, Venom, Carnage & every other conceivable heroes & villains. Here comes Alex Mercer the most unassuming assuming Anti-Hero

Brought to life from the death literally from virus that run amuck in his body and Manhattan, Alex Mercer is out for blood. Based on an open world action game, the game progression is Fast. literally. Alex Mercer moves like Pepsiman, he can run faster than a helicopter on highway, up buildings and jump from one building to another, putting the likes of Spiderman and Superman to shame with his speed and agility.

In normal games, if the character is fast, other's will be traded off for its speed. This is not so with Prototype. Alex Mercer can throw a car at flying helicopter, jump onto a tank and rip the cover off without effort and also do HULK SMASH on the floor, throwing shockwave around like a length of silkcloth.

STORYLINE

The gist of Prototype is this, Alex Mercer is having an amnesia and is trying to figure out what is wrong with him after waking up in a morgue (talk about waiting up on the wrong side of the bed), he is unable to remember his past nor why is he suddenly able to run up walls, pick up another person effortlestly and do like Venom, assimilating with anyone that he wants to. Or to put it bluntly, eating anyone he wants to gain their memory, skill & looks. It is superbly fun to play Prototype as you get to run around on rooftops, unlocking intriguing story, watching the landscape of manhattan change as the infection takes over the city day by day while battling infected being and also military.

GAMEPLAY

In Prototype, you run around with your legs, instead of hijacking vehicles which you can do later on by eating up drivers to learn how to drive tanks and helipad which will then allow you to commandeer the walking destruction machine to wreak havoc on anything you deem wreackable. Baring that, you can also morph your arms into claws, blades, hammer and whip to rain hell on the monsters. But if you are up for some fun, you can also pick up weapons, rocket launchers and others and shoot anything that moves.

Being able to assimilate anyone and anything while also raining havoc onto enemies open up a number of possibility for you to approach your missions, you can either morph into anything that looks military and walks into the military base, or you can send all the military based grunts go tither to get into the base. Its up to you.

Of course, after playing the game awhile, you would realise that Alex Mercer has no problem falling from the tallest building at full speed and then standing up with the casualest among the casualty of your jumping shockwave (see what i did there? Punded!) with nary a scratch on your health bar. The fact that you can also eat everything that runs on two legs in game also means that the health supply is aplenty ingame!

MUSIC

Strictly speaking, I was too engrossed in the gameplay rather than listen to the music, but! I can tell you this! The game has superb sound effect, the sound of distressed metal as you wrench it off the floor to chuck it at the tank or just to create mayhem on the street below, the squeal of the pitifull human as the monstrority called Infected ends their life or the plead of help and beg of mercy as you wreck havoc in game is as real as it can be and blends well into the overall gameplay.

There, I filled in the mandatory Music part of this review. Onwards next to the conclusion!

CONCLUSION

This is an utterly impossible game. Taking all the conventional things that makes a game likable and fun, Prototype throws that out the window and creates its own rule and its own story. The superb gameplay couple together with the intriguing storyline and side quest will keep anyone entertained for hours end. I for one were entertained and look forward to going home and boot up the game.

P/S: BTW Prototype is an incredibly violent game, blood, gore and other things is abundance in game, the language is colourful and will make babies cry in sleep while the action is incredibly violent. Don't say I didnt warn you.... 


Prototype is available for 3 consoles, PC, XBOX 360 and PS3 click HERE to see the full list of PROTOTYPE availability


-Because I Can-

On tonight's Education: FUBAR

The things that one should know yet not know about. I have been reading on some Dresden files and the expression FUBAR popped up. A simple google found me a list of acronym within the same family of FUBAR.

For the uninititaed. FUBAR means "Fucked up beyond all repair & Fucked up beyond all recognition"

There are a list of other interesting acronym available in Wikipedia here.

Below are a list of military term when all hell break loose.

• BOHICA - Bend Over Here It Comes Again
• BOHIC - Bend Over Here It Comes
• DILLIGAS - Do I Look Like I Give A Shit
• DILLIGAFF - Do I Look Like I Give A Flying Fuck
• FIDO - Fuck It-Drive On
• FISHDO - Fuck It, Shit Happens - Drive On
• FIFI - Fuck It-Fly It
• FUBAB - Fucked Up Beyond All Belief
• FUBB - Fucked Up Beyond Belief
• FUBISO - Fuck You Buddy, I'm Shipping Out
• FUMTU - Fucked Up More Than Usual
• JAFO-Just Another Fucking Observer (guy who sits in the back of the vehicle)
• JANFU - Joint Army-Navy Fuck Up
• KMACYOYO - Kiss My Ass Colonel, You're On Your Own
• LLMF - Lost Like a Mother Fucker
• SNAFU - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
• SNAFUBAR - Situation Normal: All Fucked Up Beyond All Repair/Recognition/Reason
• SOL - Shit Out of Luck
• FUUSAB - Fucked Up Until Space And Beyond
• SRDH - Shit Rolls Down Hill
• SSDD - Same Shit, Different Day
• SUSFU - Situation Unchanged, Still Fucked Up
• TARFU - Things Are Really Fucked Up, or Totally and Royally Fucked Up
• TAUFU - Totally And Utterly Fucked Up
• Charlie Foxtrot - From the phonetic alphabet letters C and F, meaning Cluster Fuck

Class Dismissed. 

-Because I Can-

Start Walking Boy with your Personal Trainer: Walking for DS

We first had Wii Sports, Then we had Wii Fit.
Realising that the need to exercise and maybe, just maybe, the fact that the portability of DS might help more in the exercise department, the FIEND in Nintendo decided that DS Owners need their personal trainers too.

In comes the atrocious Personal Trainer: Walking.

Aptly named as Personal Trainer: Walking, this is a game that for better or not. Looks damn interesting to me. The game comes with 2 Personal Activity Meter which you clip onto your clothes or anywhere on you. It will automatically record your every step taken throughout the day and then synced to your Nintendo DS. Think of it as a cool ADD ON for your clothing accessory. The rest of it are just mumbo jumbo where it converts your walking data into colorful crayon drawings. You can also rake up points which can be used to unlock games. So if you wanna get more points, walk more. Alternatively, you can also tag the Activity Meter to your dog and let thy little wolfy do the walking.

This might just get me off from the damn couch and start walking. For real

• Users toss an Activity Meter into a pocket or purse, or clip it onto a belt, and Personal Trainer: Walking does the rest. The meters record every step taken throughout the day and can be synced to send data wirelessly to a Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi system
• The software converts users' information into fun, interactive graphical displays. These "life rhythm" readouts allow users to discover interesting facts about their levels of activity throughout the day and help them avoid being sedentary. Data for up to four users can be stored on one game card. Users can even clip a meter to a dog's collar and record walking data for their pets as well
• Personal Trainer: Walking invites users to set daily walking goals, but it also helps them to recognize their activity patterns over longer periods of time. It records up to five years' worth of walking data to help users track their progress. This collection of data can motivate people to set new goals and become more active
• Personal Trainer: Walking is the first Nintendo DS game to use Mii™ characters. Users can import their Mii characters from the Wii console or create new ones using the Personal Trainer: Walking software. Users can even create Mii characters for their dogs
• The "Walk the World" feature lets users draw pictures on the face of the Earth using the total number of steps they take, while users who have wireless broadband Internet access can see a display of the total steps taken by users around the world on their virtual journey to other planets in "Space Walk"

How much money you wanna bet that this things will take the world by force for 2 weeks and forgotten in 2 months? Or that it will eventually appear in the Bargain Bin for Playasia?

You can make your Pre-Order HERE at Play-Asia. The going price now is US$ 59.90

-Because I Can-

The Doctor is IN the HOUSE

Right, the title is a bit lame but hey, did you know that HOUSE M.D is being made into a game? And not only one game, its coming for DS, PC and WII! Way to kill your franchise in one shot guys! At least you left the rest of the big boys console out of the equation. Some might note my sarcasm and apprehension of this game. Well you are right, I am apprehensive, wait no. the word I am looking for is.... a lot worse than apprehensive.

When was the last time a TV Show turn Game has ever been successful? Or remotely even play nice? Seriously! I love House ever since introduced to it on Season 3. but making House into a game? Man....

Anyway, moaning aside you will get to play as part of House's Medical Diagnosis team which involves you solving the medical mystery, questioning patients to the point of tear or outrage, breaking into people's house and all the other thing we saw on the TV Show yet don't understand.Granted the game would be less fun if House is directing his wrath and sarcasm at us....

The game would be out in the Holidays, which one? I have no idea.

First heard of House game from Kotaku


-Because I Can-

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift for USD19.90

One of the best Final Fantasy series that ever graced DS, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift is now retailing at Play-Asia for the low low price of USD19.90 only instead of the usual USD34.90.

If you have wanted to buy this game but recoiled due to the price, then now is a good time to buy it. Even if not to play it, Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift will also be a good collection for your DS.

Grab Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift over HERE at USD19.90 NOW!


-Because I Can-

First 5! Knights in the Nightmare

Knights in the Nightmare is one of THE MOST unorthodox storyteller ever. It took me 5 hours of smashing through the game to finally allow me to grasp what is happening. Instead of the normal back and forth storyline, what you get here is back and forth in literal sense, story telling.

The history, the current event and what is happening is explained in bits and pieces scattered all over. The first few chapter have you wondering what the hell is going on, but as you progress the story will start to make sense at the puzzle fits in. It is a very unorthodox way to tell a story but it is very very interesting storytelling method.

GAMEPLAY

 The combat system in Knights in the Nightmare is a complicated and hectic affair where you would have to do 10 things at one time while making sure you don't do the wrong thing. Think of it as a chess game except that its a whole lot more complicated.

You will be controlling something that is called a Wisp, like its namesake, the Wisp is small and bright. Using the wisp, you will issue command to your troops, give them weapon to attack and the very important part. Avoiding attack by the enemy. Your troops take no damage from the enemy, only the wisp does. Hence playing Knights in the Nightmare feels at times to be playing a Dodge ball game as you frantically select the required weapon, attach it to the correct troop, dodge an attack be the enemy, charge your attack, wait for the enemy to get within range, dodge more enemy attack and then release your charged attack.

Sounds hectic + complicated? It is very hectic but complicated it is not. Just make sure you read through the tutorial at the front before starting the game and you are good to go.

Graphic

Utterly superbly rendered. A million things may be going on onscreen but the beautifully rendered color, the multi-colored attack, the seamless transition between stationary animation and attacking animation coupled together create a superb game play graphic that does not feel forced but copes well with the capability of NDS.

Music

Eerily scary at times, upbeat at the right moment and also superbly composed, Knights in the Nightmare music is a great music for this game. It creates the right mood and the right feeling for the right scene.

Conclusion

Knights in the Nightmare is one of the sleeper hit of 2009, amidst the incoming onslaught of better well-known game such as Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days,  Chrono Trigger and various others (cough, cough, Pokemon Platinium Cough, choke) Knights in the Nightmare is a must get game for this month for me.

Purchase your copy of Knights in the Nightmare HERE for only USD39.90


-Because I Can-