Pixels (2015) - Review

I just finished watching Pixels and I must say, it is a very fun movie and even better when you know the gaming references. I don't know why so many people and sites pass it off as a horrible movie. I think its just people just hate Adam Sandler and think he is irrelevant nowadays. I however think he is still a funny guy and I thoroughly enjoy his movies from old favourites The Waterboy to recent films That's My Boy.

So why watch it if so many people hate it and Adam Sandler's regular high school politically incorrect jokes are thrown in for good measure? Well if you like Wreck-It Ralph I would say you would like this too but just be careful about the amount of course language in this film. While this is Happy Madison Production film, it is bankrolled by Sony and man did they manage to get some great actors and video/arcade game stars together in the mix.

People that grew up in the 80s and 90s will absolutely be taken back by just how many arcade game characters there are. We have Donkey Kong from Nintendo, Pac-Man from Namco, Centipede from Atari, the lovable Q*bert and many more! How Nintendo let them licence Donkey Kong and Duck Hunt is beyond me but damn it was good seeing them included in this movie.

Story wise, at first you would think it was straight out from a typical alien invasion movie. Aliens come down and try to take over the world. While that is true, instead you have a movie that starts off with an arcade competition and all the best plays are recorded and sent off into space. Many years pass and aliens have received the recording and thinks its a declaration of war so they arrive at Earth and gives the humans three trials around the world for them to pass. Win two out of three and the aliens will just go scattering home.

This is where Sam (Adam Sandler) and his friends Ludlow, Eddie and President Cooper (Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage and Kevin James respectively) come in and try to save the world by taking on the aliens with their 80s arcade power skills!

I really enjoyed this movie and has some wonderful set pieces (especially the Pac-Man chase through Manhattan). If you are a fan of seeing retro games on the big screen and don't mind some cheesy moments, this is the film for you! Check out the trailer!

Devil's Third (2015) Review

Nintendo surprised us all in their E3 2014 when it was announced that they have partnered up with a MIA third party to publish Devil's Third. This is a game that I have not been looking forward to since its first announcment in 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 to its current form on the Wii U. Five years and multiple engine and platform changes certainly didn't help this game feel polished especially from developer Tomonobu Itagaki (Valhalla Game Studios) of Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive fame.

I didn't have high expectations for this game but I am a sucker for Wii U exclusives from third parties so I gave it a go. The story isn't much to write about as there wasn't really any presented to players. Pretty much you are a master assassin in a previous life, betrayed by comrades and thrown into Guantanamo Bay but let go by the government when a crisis occurs. Worldwide satellites are taken out of orbit by terrorists so the government sends Ivan to take down his previous comrades who threaten the world.

My wish for this game was that I just go and shoot and slice bad guys up, in the end it was just easier to do the latter. The shooting mechanism are just so rough that aiming has lag and gitters around, It was easier for me just to aim-down-sights all the time to get the reticule auto-aimed at the target rather than use the right stick to adjust my aim.

What Valhalla got right was the transition from shooting to melee combat. It was as smooth as just clicking the melee button and you can start chaining attacks. Each melee weapon has its own strength and combos. However I found it much easier to stick to one melee weapon as there really was no incentive than to change others when the default one works so well!

The graphics aren't much to write about especially it seems to have been stuck in the graphics of pre-five years ago. It seems all the grapic work was put into Ivan while everyone else are just generic character models. As with most FPS games, the enemies are all the same looking for each level. The music has its moments, especially during boss fights but rather forgettable elsewhere

The deal breaker for me came in a boss fight. As much as I wanted to give this game a go, a one-hit kill from a boss really ruined the game for me. As much as I chipped away at the boss, the boss will have no indicators and just throw a one-hit kill move on you and you can't fight back. BAM! Dead and have to start the fight from the beginning.

What I didn't try was the multiplayer as I have no interest in tacked-on online multiplayer in most games.

VERDICT
I now understand why Nintendo US decided not to publish the game at first because it lacked polish and just overall sucked. I would've rathered that Nintendo US didn't give in to Nintendo fans to waste money on this game and just pay attention to what Nintendo Europe and Australia have managed to not achieve with this game.

I was already overlooking the flaws in the gameplay but that one-hit kill boss fight ruined it for me. I reckon the long development time, different console platform changes and constant changing of gaming engines overcooked it and just lost the direction in the end. It was a very interesting game when announced but has since turned out to be a poorly made generic USA vs Terrorists FPS game.

3/10

soccer and gaming

Lately I have been trying to complete games but sadly, I still buy more games than I can play (thank you steam and EB). So now I am on holiday for two weeks and plan to watch world cup in the early mornings, sleep then play games when I wake up!!!!

So all the games I want to attempt to get through:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (I've been trying to get through this game for three years!)
Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
Age of Empires II: Age of Kings HD
Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Pokemon Y
Etrian Odyssey Untold Millennium Girl
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
Final Fantasy X HD Remaster
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
Tales of Symphonia Chronicles
Resident Evil 4 HD

I think thats a decent list to get through ey :)

As for the soccer part, a lot of people question why I took a fortnight off just for soccer. Well it happens every four years and it gets me and my mates around to share a common passion: watching soccer and drinking. Well the drinking part in some cases anyway. Also with my job, the soccer is too early (or late) in the morning for me to watch as I have to sleep early and wake at 5. I think its a noble reason to take some time off for.

a lot of Zelda games but I should get through a good chuck of it, I hope anyway. Lets do this!

Aiming for the Skies

Well its been nearly two years since the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and I have had three or four attempts to play it. The requirement of using motion control with the Wii Remote+ and Nunchuck just seemed like a chore in comparison to previous entries which was just using a normal controller just felt odd and exhausting. So I just gave up all previous attempts, not even getting through the first dungson.

Now after finishing Tales of Xillia (a mighty fine game I must add) and starting on Kingdom Hearts: Final Mix, I felt like going back to a game I haven't finished yet since I have finished Kingdom Hearts on the PS2 all those years ago and the Final Mix version is more of the same. 

So it was between Skyward Sword or Super Mario Galaxy 2 and knowing that The Wind Waker HD is just around the corner, I thought I'll give Skyward Sword another go. Also I bought the Hyrule Historia book that just gives all the spoilers away while reading it so yeah, better get this over and done with

This time armed with a strategy guide (because I forgot where I left off) and a Wii U console, I slipped the Wii disc into the console and away I went and haven't looked back.

So far I am enjoying it even though the graphics are not HD on my 22" Toshiba LCD TV, the game's motion controls just feels so right after I have gotten used to it and the music and atmosphere has just brought me back to the Kingdom of Hyrule. Story-wise I may have forgotton the start but as the game progresses, I am more and more captivated by it.

The 1:1 motion control is done so well in this game, you will be forgiven at the start to be just waggling the Wii Remote thanks to all the gimmicky games we had in the years leading up to this. Sadly this game came out near the end of the Wii lifecycle when the realisation of motion control is where it should have been at the start of the Wii life with all those pre-Wii E3 trailers. Hopefully more games like this will come out exclusive for the Wii U and in HD graphics as well :)

I haven't finished yet, just in the Lanayru Mini Faculty dungeon so far but I will damn well finish it now! If I have time after I finish it, I will write up a review.

All the Movies I have ever seen in the cinema v2 Retaliation

Yo guys, just continuing on from my very old movies list I posted back in 2008. I am quite sad that I didn't update this countiously so I will try my best to add movies from what I can remember.

The new stuff starts from 101 and onwards!

1. Aladdin (1992)
2. The Lion King (1994)
3. GoldenEye (1995)
4. The Phantom (June 1996)
5. Hercules (1997)
6. George of the Jungle (1997) - first movie with Eric
7. Flubber (1997)
8. Small Soldiers (1998)
9. Antz (1998)
10. The Rugrats Movie (1998)
11. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (May, 1999) - last movie with my father
12. Pokémon: The First Movie (November, 1999) - saw twice
13. The Perfect Storm (2000) - first movie with Apollo mates I believe
14. Pokémon: The Movie 2000 (2000)
15. Pokémon 3: The Movie (April 2001)
16. The Mummy Returns (May, 2001)
17. Shrek (May, 2001)
18. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (June 2001)
19. The One (November 2001) - last movie with my mother
20. Ocean's Eleven (December 2001)
21. Van Wilder: Party Liaison (April 2002)
22. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
23. Minority Report (June 2002)
24. Die Another Day (2002)
25. The Tuxedo (January, 2003) - first Jackie Chan movie
26. The Matrix Reloaded (May, 2003) - for Milamber's birthday
27. X-Men 2 (May, 2003)
28. Bruce Almighty (June, 2003)
29. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (July, 2003)
30. The School of Rock (November, 2003)
31. The Matrix Revolutions (November, 2003)
32. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (December 2003) - first and only time at Forest Hill
33. Steamboy (March, 2004) - first and only time with Cao
34. Shrek 2 (2004)
35. Spider-Man 2 (July, 2004)
36. Unleashed (August, 2004)
37. Around the World in 80 Days (August, 2004) - first movie at Knox V-MAX cinema
38. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (September 2004) - watched in Japan
39. Breaking News (2005) - first foreign live-action flick
40. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (May, 2005)
41. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (May, 2005)
42. Batman Begins (2005)
43. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (26/6/2005)
44. Initial D (July, 2005) - first movie at Chinatown Cinema
45. Red Eye (August, 2005)
46. Doom (October, 2005) - last movie with Pottsy
47. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (24/11/2005) - first movie at Crown Village cinemas
48. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (6/12/2005)
49. King Kong (12/12/2005)
50. The Legend of Zorro (26/12/2005)
51. Memoirs of a Geisha (January, 2006)
52. Underworld: Evolution (21/1/2006)
53. Big Momma's House 2 (7/2/2006)
54. Date Movie (10/3/2006) - first movie at Glen Waverly Village cinemas
55. V for Vendetta (5/4/2006)
56. Scary Movie 4 (18/4/2006)
57. Goal! (2006) - first movie at Southland Village cinemas
58. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (20/4/2006) - first movie with Satsuki
59. The Da Vinci Code (19/5/2006)
60. Mission: Impossible III (May, 2006) - first movie at Melbourne Central Hoyts cinemas
61. X-Men: The Last Stand (May, 2006)
62. Superman Returns (6/7/2006)
63. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (11/07/2006)
64. Hard Candy (18/7/2006) - first movie with Deakin Uni buds
65. DOA: Dead or Alive (September, 2006)
66. Silent Hill (13/09/2006)
67. The Departed (October, 2006)
68. Children of Men (October, 2006) - movie for my 19th Birthday
69. Casino Royale (November, 2006) - first movie watched in Malaysia
70. Death Note - the last name (2007) - second movie watched in Malaysia
71. Smokin' Aces (15/2/2007)
72. Transformers (07/03/2007)
73. Hot Fuzz (15/03/2007)
74. TMNT (23/3/2007)
75. Mr. Bean's Holiday (10/4/2007)
76. 300 (13/4/2007)
77. Curse of the Golden Flower (30/04/2007) - first movie with Ren
    
78. Spider-Man 3 (04/05/2007)
    
79. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (25/05/2007)
80. Shrek the Third (15/06/2007) - first movie with Meiling
81. Tales From Earthsea (08/07/2007)
82. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (July, 2007) - first movie with Tsukasa
83. The Simpsons Movie (20/07/2007)
84. Flash Point (August, 2007) - first HK movie I watched with non-Asians
85. The Bourne Ultimatum (August 2007) - free exclusive advance screening at Crown Village
86. Stardust (25/09/2007)
87. Rush Hour 3 (27/09/2007) - same day as I got my Ps
88. Resident Evil: Extinction (24/10/2007) - movie for my 20th Birthday
89. Rogue Assassin (1/11/2007)
90. Hitman (November, 2007) - first movie with Monash Uni buds
91. Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (December, 2007)
92. I Am Legend (15/01/2008)
93. Dan in Real Life (February, 2008) - won tickets to see advanced screening
94. Iron Man (May 2008)
95. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls (22/05/2008)
96. Get Smart (01/07/2008)
97. You Don't Mess with the Zohan (2/7/2008)
98. The Dark Knight (17/7/2008)
99. Tropic Thunder (25/8/08)
100. Pineapple Express (29/8/08)
101. Max Payne (Oct 2008) - I believe first time watching a movie with aiman and james 3, Ren tagged along too at Chaddy
102. Death Race (Oct 2008) - The start of our Jason Statham movie watching with Milamber
103. Quantum of Solace (20/11/2008)
104. Yes Man (3/01/09) - with Konami and Meiling at chaddy, first movie of 2009
105. Transporter 3 (24/2/09) - continuing our Jason Statham tradition
106. Watchmen (16/3/09) - watched this movie without knowing the source material -.-
107. Shinjuke Incident (2/4/09) - first and only movie at Highpoint and Asian with Ren
108. Fast & Furious (16/4/09) - @ Epping
109. Dragonball Evolution (Apr 09) - ran late and missed 15mins of it, hate donnie parking
110. X-Men Origins: Wolverine (30/4/09) 
111. Angels & Demons (19/5/09) - last film I watched in greensie
112. Star Trek (31/5/09) - haha first time with 32, big mistaaaaake @ Northland
113. Terminator Salvation (June 09) - with Ren and Meiling @ Knox
114. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (24/6/09) - The Great Teacher got his arm broken @ Northland
115. Brüno (18/7/09) - first and only time with the two sisters xD
116. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (Aug 2009) - Just me and the black ninja @ Northland
117. Inglorious Basterds (25/08/09) - @ Northland
118. Funny People (15/9/09) - first time with Casino Man @ Epping
119. Surrogates (Sept 09) - first time with Mars along with Rugman and Trampoline Man @ Northland
120. New Moon (Nov 09)
121. The Princess and the Frog (Nov 09) - me and Ren continuing our Disney tradition along with David @ Northland
122. Avatar (Dec 09)
123. Sherlock Holmes (Jan 10) - first movie of the year and with Milamber @ Northland
124. Edge of Darkness (16/2/10) - @ Doncaster
125. Shutter Island (Feb 10)
126. From Paris with Love (10/3/10) - @Northland
127. Green Zone (Mar 10)
128. Kick-Ass (Apr 10) - with Ren @ Northland
129. Ip Man 2 (16/5/10) - @ MC
130. Iron Man 2 (20/5/10) - @ Northland
131. Robin Hood (22/5/10) - @ Northland
132. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (May 10) - @ Doncaster
133. Toy Story 3 (14/7/10) - first movie in 3D @ Northland
134. The Expendables (10/8/10) - with Casino man and Milamber, more Jason Statham! @ Northland
135. Salt (19/8/10) - @ MC
136. Beauty and the Beast 3D (07/09/10) - missed the start song thanks to Ren overwatching Star Trek @ Chaddy
137. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (21/9/10) - @ Donnie
138. Resident Evil: Afterlife (14/10/10) - first movie with the girls and first live-action in 3D @ Donnie
139. Saw 3D (28/10/10) - also in 3D and it sucked, with the gang @ Donnie
140. Megamind (Dec 10) - dragged Konami, sis and Meiling down to Northland for this
141. Tangled (Dec 10) - i think first movie with Julie @ Crown
142. The Green Hornet (Jan 11) - First movie of the year and with Milamber
143. No Strings Attached (Mar 11) - haha first movie I watched when I came back from Thailand @ Crown
144. Battle: Los Angels (Mar 11) - free movie with Milamber @ Epping
145. Paul (Apr 11) - followed by second free movie with Milamber @ Epping
146. Fast & Furious 5 (Apr 11) - took up the whole row! @ Donnie
147. Thor (21/5/11) - first movie with new Deakin guys @ Knox
148. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (19/5/11) - probably the third biggest group session I organised @ Donnie
149. The Hangover Part II (May 11) - @ MC
150. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (29/6/11) - @ MC
151. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (July 11) - first movie with Jen Ma @ Donnie
152. Captain America: The FIrst Avenger (July 11)
153. Green Lantern (Aug 11)
154. Cowboys & Aliens (Aug 11) - first time I wore contacts to watch a movie @ MC
155. Conan the Babarian (Aug 11) - Late due to work so missed the start @ Chaddy
156. The Smurfs (Sept 11) - last movie with Lisa, first movie with small mouse @ Northland
157. Abduction (Sept 11) - blackout in the cinema, lol @ Donnie
158. Real Steel (Sept 11)
159. Johnny English Reborn (Sept 11)
160. The Three Musketeers (Oct 11) @ MC
161. Puss in Boots (13/12/11) @ MC
162. The Adventures of Tintin (Dec 11) @ MC
163. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (Jan 12) - first movie of the year!
164. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Jan 12) @ Crown
165. Killer Elite (Feb 12) - me and Milamber watching Jason Statham once again! @ Epping
166. Contraband (Feb 12)
167. The Grey (19/2/12) - first movie with Daravy and she wasn't impressed by the nature of this movie @ Glen
168. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D (Mar 12) - @ Northland
169. John Carter (Mar 12) - @ Chaddy
170. The Hunger Games (Mar 12) - @ MC
171. Wrath of the Titans (Mar 12) - @ Northland
172. The Avengers (25/4/12) - biggest and most epic group session guys! @ Donnie
173. Safe (May 12) - Jason Statham again with Milamber! @ Northland
174. Dark Shadows (10/5/12) - @ MC
175. Men in Black 3 (May 12) - @ Donnie
176. Prometheus (June 12) - During the mini-earthquake and shook the cinema, i thought it was a 4D effect, lol @ Knox
177. Snow White and the Huntsman (June 12)
178. Brave (June 12) - @ Northland
179. Ted (July 12) - first movie with Jamie and his mates @ Donnie
180. The Amazing Spider-Man (July 12) - dinner at Vincent's place then movie @ Glen
181. The Dark Knight Rises (19/7/12) - skipped work for this! @ Donnie
182. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (3/8/12) - @ MC
183. Total Recall (Aug 12) - @ Chaddy
184. The Bourne Legacy (21/8/12) - @ Donnie
185. The Expendables 2 (Aug 12) - apparently I tricked Daravy into watching this awesome movie @ MC
186. Resident Evil: Retribution (Sept 12) - @ Donnie
187. Looper (Oct 12) - First time in Gold Class thanks to Rugman @ Crown
188. Taken 2 (4/10/12) - @ MC
189. Argo (Oct 12) - @ MC
190. Skyfall (Nov 12) - @ MC
191. Wreck-It Ralph (Jan 13) - first movie @ Southland
192. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (13/1/13) - first time Gold Class for Daravy @ Southland
193. Django Unchained (Jan 13) - @ Chaddy
194. Silver Linings Playbook (14/2/13) - my first Valentine's Day movie xD @ Donnie
195. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (8/2/13) - @ Northland
196. The Last Stand (5/3/13) - @ Northland
197. A Good Day to Die Hard (25/3/13) @ MC
198. G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2/4/13) @ Northland
199. Saving General Yang (4/4/13) - Daravy's first chinese-only movie @ Chadstone
200. Oblivion (10/4/13) - second time @ IMAX and first time with Daravy

OUTATIME

Contary to what the title suggests, I am not dying, haha. Just wanted to reference Back to the Future as it is just an excellent movie! But it is kind of relevent to my plight.

Once I was a great gamer, being able to finish game after game after game and each game I bought I treasured; either for the monetary value or the game was that good I have to have it! Nowadays with me working fulltime and all, I have more money and able to buy more games than before but that comes at the price of no time to play...

Also having a girlfriend taxes a lot of your free time and I don't see it laxing anytime soon especially I really enjoy spending time with her. And looking into the future I can see me getting less and less gaming time with more and more games sitting on my shelf waiting to play.

I have generations of games from the PS2 and GameCube era that needs to be played and even some SNES and PSone games thanks to the Virtual Console and PSone Classics respectively. Also now that the Wii U has arrived, I still haven't got around to Wii games yet.

Sitting on my shelf that needs to be played before I die are:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Spirit Tracks
Final Fantasy VI/VIII/IX
Chrono Cross

Paper Mario

Sin & Punishment 1 and 2

Resident Evil 0-3 and C:VX
Super Mario Galaxy 2
God of War 2-4 and the two prequels
Tales of the Abyss

Onimusha 1

Dishonoured

DMC1-5

and many more!

It is a scary future for me where I see myself not playing them especially when I am at my most passionate about games and with money to boot!

We'll see how it turns out and now back to Ni no Kuni :)

Game of the Year 2012

Well 2012 has just ended and what a blast it has been! so many games that just ate my hip pocket and a girlfriend that kept me from playing as many games as I usually do. haha.
I have played most of the major games of this year and still got a number of them I still need to play (ala Dishonoured, Call of Duty 9 and Hitman 5) but I should have a clear winner here :)

lets start:


10. Need for Speed: Most Wanted (PS3, 360, PC)
Developer: Criterion Games | Publisher: Electronic Arts

After the lackluster Need for Speed: The Run, I was really really looking forward to Criterion's next Need for Speed outing. Thanks to their 2010's amazing Hot Pursuit entry (i still played it at the start of the year), it looked like Need for Speed was back on track and I was sooo not wrong! Adding upgrading elements into the mix was something that Hot Pursuit fans really wanted and thats what they got and really added some strategy into the mix for some fast-paced action!

Autolog was very well implemented...maybe a little too well that everything you did; such as speed through traffic cameras to how long you were being chased by the cops for were all recorded and placed online for you and your friends to see. Sometimes I found it intrusive but was actually quite fun to beat my mates at especially the racing times! For some reason I could not connect with my friends to race though so lost some points there.

Hopefully this year's entry will be just as good or EA can just give Need for Speed a rest and work on their Burnout franchises since Most Wanted is close to perfection!




9. Nintendo Land (Nintendo Wii U)
Developer: Nintendo | Publisher: Nintendo

Yes I know this is just a launch title for the Wii U and is bundled with the Premium Set of the console but it really was a very good game to be played with friends and to show off what the Wii U GamePad can be used for!

It is also the only Wii U game I play especially when theres a drought and when my friends and relatives are over. Extrememly fun and competitve and just wishes there was DLC for the game to add more attractions (mini-games) and extras! And extra points for Nintendo to allowing the good'ol Wii Remotes (MotionPlus-enabled prefered) and Nunchukas to be used on the successor. This not only saved me money but also allowed for five player gaming goodness (four wiimotes and one gamepad)!

Being a dedicated Nintendo fan also helped me enjoy and immerse more into the attractions that includes The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero etc. and really gives you a hint of what these franchises have in-store in the future!




8. Resident Evil: Revelations (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Capcom | Publisher: Nintendo

Given that I am a Resident Evil fan and dying for deep console-like game to play on my 3DS, this was a welcoming and doesn't disappoint! Sadly it needed the Circle Pad Pro accessory to fully enjoy and that cost me an extra $22 >=[ Also with currently only seven compatible games for it, seems a little steep when Nintendo should've added it into the console itself.

Anyway this game I wholeheartedly enjoyed and actually drained my battery a few times when other 3DS games have never done that. Including full voice-acting with an option for Japanese voicing was a plus when I have never heard the Japanese voice counterparts for Chris and Jill! Heading back into spooky dark territories from pre-Resident Evil 5 is a welcome coupled with enchanced gameplay (I can shoot and walk at the same time now!) and a story that explains what happened inbetween 4 and 5 gives this a must play for all Resident Evil fans!

Also did I say the graphics and sound are the best on the portable console? Looks better than the 3D games of the PSP I must say!




7. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U)
Developer: Namco | Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

Tekken! You guys definintely have your hits and misses. I always found the odd-numbered Tekkens are awesome while even-numbers are lacking. Tekken 6 while was a solid effort, just lacked polish and coupled with long load times was just annoying to play. And forcing you to play the awful story mode was just torture!

Tag has always been a favourite of mine since getting the first one on the PlayStation 2. While not a main-entry title, its more of a fanfare entry for all Tekken fans alike. Giving you up-to-4-player gaming fun, 59 characters and a young black-hair Heihachi, this is the biggest fighting game yet and everyone should play as its very easy to pick up and play!!!


6. Tales of Graces f (Sony PlayStation 3)
Developer: Namco | Publisher: Namco Bandai Games

Waiting three years for a game to come to English territories is a long time but I guess it wasn't as long as Tales of the Abyss as that took five years to come to PAL countries! This is an enchanced HD port of the same title created for the Wii back in 2009. That never came out outside of Japan so we got the better version now!

The game starts off like any JRPG, I'm a little snooty-kid that thinks he can take on the entire world until reality sinks in and have to take life seriously. This game's story is one of the strong points of the game. It deals with growing up, being accepted and responsible for your actions. It really related to me as I was one of those annoying kids that would fight against my parents but now that I am a lot older, wiser and mature, I can see from an older person perspectives that Asbel (the protagonist) was parallel to my own growing ups and I'm sure to other gamers too!

Mix in an awesome soundtrack by series composer Motoi Sakuraba, slick cel-shaded graphics and damn good voice-acting, this is one JRPG everyone has to play!




5. Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Xbox 360)
Developer: Square-Enix/tri-Ace | Publisher: Square-Enix

Everyone is saying that Square has lost the plot with Final Fantasy and that the series is doomed. While XIII-2 isn't as super awesome as back in their glory days, its still a very solid JRPG. Critics complain about JRPGs being linear but thats how JRPGs should be. JRPGs always places story first, helping you get immersed into the parties plight and how to overcome them to save the ones they love or the world.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 keeps that in-depth story-telling but mixes up the predecessors gameplay formula a lot with its crazy timelines and monster catching elements.You only have newcomer Noel and Lightning's sister Serah in the party and the third member is a monster that will help you take down Caicus from throwing the world's timeline into disarray!

Final Fantasy X and XIII's composter Masashi Hamauzu is back with his best and the graphics seems to have gotten a kick into overdrive. This game has so many things to do that I think i put in over 70 hours just to complete it satisfactory.



4. Paper Mario: Sticker Star (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Intelligent Systems | Publisher: Nintendo

What guys? another portable game makes it to the list? Why yes it does!

I have always been a fan of the Paper Mario series starting with The Thousand-Year Door on the Cube to backtracking to the original on Virtual Console. The artistic style of this game shows you that Nintendo is always innovating and knows how to draw in a crowd. I even showed this game to my girlfriend and she enjoyed playing it too (though she sucks at this game)

Thanks to the 3D imaging of the 3DS, the game looks like a pop-up book and is utterly amazing! Usually I will turn off 3D for most games but I found myself turning it on just to see Mario hammer a Goomba to the background and then having it bounce straight back into my face! Its quite a sight!

Just with any Mario RPG game, the humour is damn funny especially stuff that involves Bowser, Peach and Luigi and the music is very catchy with tunes that will have you humming the day 
away!




3. The Last Story (Nintendo Wii)
Developer: MistWalker | Publisher: Nintendo

This really is the last story for the Wii and totally lives up to its name as it was the last game I played on the Wii and what a game it was. The Last Story is the first game directed by Final Fantasy's creator Hironobu Sakaguchi since 1992's Final Fantasy V and shows he still has the stuff in town!

Graphic-wise it doesn't look as good as other RPGs on the more powerful consoles but it makes it up with a grand story, one of the most exciting battle systems ever, best English voice acting since Dragon Quest VIII and a score to die for by Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uemetsu.

Back to the battle system: most JRPGs have me dreading combat but this one was actually very engaging and so strategic that it had me coming back for more! You have to play it to believe me or see all the other reviewers that praised it for catching up tired-old turn-based battle systems and brings in something new and fresh but also fun!

I really wish MistWalker will make a sequel and not let The Last Story really be the last! 




2. Sleeping Dogs (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
Developer: United Front Games | Publisher: Square-Enix

Another new IP and this one is from Square! Being a lover of all things Hong Kong action movies and Grand Theft Auto, a blend of the both was a real blessing to me! And I loved it enough to Platinum it and put it in my number two slot!

I have never been to Hong Kong but I really felt I was right in the thick of a Triad war in the middle of Hong Kong. Painstakingly recreated, Hong Kong is live and vivid and authentic with people shouting obscenities in Cantonese, illegal underground cockfighting down to how Westerners are treated in Hong Kong.

With so many things to do (karaoke anybody?) and a Hollywood voice cast (includes Lucy Liu, Tom Wilkinson, Kelly Chen, James Hong, Edison Chen and more!), United Front Games and Square has a winner on its hands and I hope for more in the future!



1. Assassin's Creed III (PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PC)
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal | Publisher: Ubisoft

While the "present day" story never interested me in previous Assassin's Creed outings, this one actually made me sit up and pay attention. With the upcoming Mayan apocalyspe getting nearer with each entry and it being 2012 when I played it, it howed what would happen if Desmond didn't stop it by reliving his ancestor's life. 

You control Connor, a half white half red neck dude that goes a long assassinating political (Templars) people to bring order to the world. While this game was DAMN DAMN glitchy in every way possible (I heard most of the glitches are fixed now via patch) I still came back for more and more. I have never played so many minigames since The Wind Waker that I just had to play over and over again just to get 100% Sync.

The story starts out slow but once the action starts, BAM! Everything is out the window and you just feel you are in the American Revolution. My American history isn't very strong (I'm from Australia) and most of my history comes from movies but this take on the Civil War and how red necks are treated helped me learn and understand more. 

This game kept me coming back for more and I really didn't want to stop playing but had to to play other games. Its as big as the latest GTA game and oh those Naval Battles mini-games can have their own standalone game, I don't care! I want a giant wooden ship taking down pirates and finding treature to loot!

This is my Game of the Year guys!