Year End Review 2019

Another year done and dusted. Lets see how 2019

Games 

Xbox One: 2 (↓ 2)
SNES: 2 (↔)
Nintendo Switch: 18 (↑ 10)
Genesis: 2 (↔)
iOS: 9 (↑ 8)

FPS: 2 (↓ 1)
Racing: 3 (↓ 3)
Puzzle: 4 (↑ 1)
Action: 11 (↑ 1)
Platformer: 3 (↑ 1)
Shooter: 2 (↑ 1)
RPG: 1 (↔)
Other: 3 (↑ 2)
Fighting: 2 (↓ 1)
Adventure: 2 (↔)

Game Played: 33 (410) (↔)
Finished Game: 28 (340) (↓ 3)

Sneaky Sasquatch: 400th game played

Game of the Year

10. Assemble with Care
9. Undertale
8. Halo 3
7. New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe
6. Grindstone
5. V-Rally 4
4. Celeste

3. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

One of the best platformers I played this year. The level design are perfect and making each jump takes skills. I was smiling everyday playing this game and it was a great time until the end credits

2. Dead Cells

A game where you keep on dying again and again. And yet you still want to continue on. The animation is buttery smooth and the combat is face paced. I only played it once but I think I'll try to go for it again

1. Bleak Sword

Who would have guess that my number one game of the year turns out to be a mobile game. This game is the only game that I can' wait to play it when I wake up. Every waking moment is spend trying to beat each oncoming horde of enemies.

Series

I've watch a lot of tv shows this year that I lost count. There are probably some memorable moments such as the Americans and the Orville

Memorable moments and shows

• The American is a great ride from start to finish
• Rick and Morty is back 
• Legends of Tomorrow is the better show among the rest of the Arrowverse
• American Horror Story 1984

Total series that I watch is 1332  (↓ 71)

Movies

Movie of the year

3. John Wick 3
2. Happy Death Day
1. Avengers Endgame

Unrelated = 38 (↑ 4)
Even more Unrelated = 147 (↑ 1)

NEW STUFF FOR 2019

1. Intel NUC Hades Canyon (Which I am using to write this review)
2. Apple Airpods (my most used item besides my phone)
3. A 2nd Nintendo switch (modded of course)

GAMES SPEND FOR 2019

$340.60 (↓ 719.68)

SPENDINGS FOR 2019

Fuel = $ 2005 Toll = $368
Groceries = $ 5094
Eating out = $ 3659

(UN)MEMORABLE MOMENTS FOR 2019

Im going to say that 2019 has been a awesome year for me. But there are some stuff that sucks as well... Here are the top 3 things that happen 

1. I totally gave up on my masters. Really whats the point. I have no motivation to do it and I am doing something I am not that passionate about. 
2. My daughter was on the brink of suicide and total depression. That was a really bad time for us as parents. We felt helpless and didn't know what to do. It's a good thing that things eventually work out for me
3. I joined a cult for 8 months. Well I hated certain aspects of the cult but it did make my body smoking hot now (well going to be).

MEMORABLE MOMENTS FOR 2019

There are also awesome stuff that happen for 2019. That why I said this is the best year for me

1. I met a new friend and she is awesome. We became the best of friends and she came down to spend 10 days with me. That was the best 10 days in a long while. Basically having my new friend does make things better for 2019. So yeah... she is a big part of it 
2. Life is peaceful and calm... Which I like I mean.. mundane things means that everything is okay... And there are more good days than bad days
3. Got to experience new and exciting stuff that I never thought that I could in a million years. Thankful for that.

 2019 New Years Resolution

1. Lose at least 10kg before my best friends wedding (Not only did I lose 10kg... but in fact I lost 16kg before my friends wedding. I'm from a size XL to a Size M)

2. Play games and watch tv rather than do the unrelated thing as much as possible (did'nt happen which sucks.. better luck next year) 

3. Go for 3 holidays with family (Yes we did. We went to Taiwan, We went to Gambang and We went to port dickson with my extended family)

4. Mandarin Hotel for 2019 (nope... that was before I found out my best friend is coming to visit me. So let's just say it all works out)

5. Save 15000 by December (yes I did.. I have more than that... But I have two different account (spending and savings which total is more than 15000)

 2020 New Years Resolution

1. Get abs for this year. Nothing fancy but I want to get rid of my belly

2. Go to Scotland and visit my friend

3. Finish phase 1 of my all gaming list

4. 4 Holidays in year (either alone, or with the family) 

5. Save another 15000 by December 

Things that happen in December

So this is the last post for 2019 before my year end review and December has been a challenging month. It starts with the arrival of my wife back from her Europe trip which did not turn out as nice as she hoped for (it wasn't her, it was the company around her), My youngest went for her first school trip and she quite enjoyed it. I went to IKEA to get my new desk for the computer. Other than that life has pretty mundane. Nothing much that happen of the first 10 days.

The next 10 days that where things start to kick into overdrive. So my wife best friend coerces her into going into a seminar. You see our weight loss is due to using a product that is tied heavily into a pyramid scheme. Their cult leader makes it compulsory for all the members to attend the seminar for 3 days and listen to what he has to say. So lets kill two birds with one stone and let me tell you on what is it about

Have you or a loved one has ever been a in cult? What is a cult? While there are a lot of definitions on what is it the main point is a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular thing. I for one was lucky enough to survive a cult-like experience. A cult use the BITE model (from Leon Festinger, Steven Hassan to influence/brainwash its members. It stands for Behavioral Control, Information Control, Thought control & emotional control.

Behavioral Control: -Promotes dependence or obedience.-Modify behaviors with rewards & punishments. -Control clothing & hairstyle -Deprive you of sleep -Exploit you financially -Restrict Leisure time & activities

Information Control -Withhold & distort information  -Forbid you from speaking to former members -Discourage access to non cult sources of information  when their company is researched on -Gaslight you to make you doubt your own reality -Require you to report activities to superiors

Thought control -us vs. Them mentality -Induce hypnotic trance states to indoctrinate -Allow only positive thoughts

Emotional control -instill irrational fears of leaving the cult -Shower you with praise and attention -Shun you if you disobey or disbelieve-TEACH THAT THERE'S NO REAL HAPPINESS OUTSIDE OF THE GROUP (everything is wrong and we're the only ones right mentality)

I basically survive this experience since my mind is open enough to see what they are doing here is wrong. The sad thing is that higher educated people are totally drinking this kool aid. If you or a family member you know that you think is in a cult. Try to get help since there are 3 things that can happen. Total brainwash, or total breakdown of your mental psyche or me... just laugh it all out since I find cults are just stupid, dumb and prey on the weak

Other than that I got myself a new dyson vacuum cleaner which is super awesome. My wife got herself a new multi cooker which makes cooking a breeze. Catch up with 3 friends. My best friend from whose is getting married in July next year. Went to bring him around to shop. My trainer, we went for a buffet dinner and my childhood friend. We went to catch up during lunch. Today we ended the day by saying goodbye to my daughters best friend who is going to boarding school. Now just waiting for the fireworks to come down... bring on 2020 with a bang..

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3

A beat em up game that is so easy to pick up but difficult to master

Game no: 340

Genre: Action

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Release Date: 2019

Gameplay

Beat-em up

Inventory Management

Point A to Point B 

What is it about?

Thanos is after the inifinty stones and it's up to the heroes to stop him at all cost. This follows the comics more than the movies 

What I liked?

The multitude of characters. There is basically almost everyone in. Each with their own sets of attacks and skills 

The story is serviceable enough. It's interesting enough to make you want to continue forward.

Basically that's about it. You plow through the game because its fun and easy to pick up

What I didn't liked?

The difficult curve is hard. The bosses are all cheap and you'll end up dying if you're not in a certain level

The game is a grind. You need to grind your characters into a certain level in order to beat the boss. Who has the time for that 

The final chapter is basically a boss rush and you'll end up dying a lot if you're on up to par

Status: Played until the 4 last boss in chapter 10. After constantly dying, I just watch the rest on YouTube

Fun Factor: This is a great game to grind and just relax (well not so much). It's fun pace and varied characters makes it a nice addition to the switch library

Ejen Ali The Movie : Misi Neo

My foreign movie for the year

What is it about?

So this movie is based on a series (apparently is already 2 seasons) about a boy who has these special glasses that makes him into a boy with superhuman abilities. He works as a secret agent of the city with his uncle and a friend.

The good 

The storyline is not bad for a local movie.

Fight scene are fast paced and good 

The comedy is spot on... 

Food animation looks good

The Bad 

The bad guys motivation is really a cliche plot 

For a cartoon there a lot of dark themes such as death, loneliness and suffering 

Really the amount of characters makes you wonder who is the real bad guys in this 

The Ugly

There are some scene that just doesn’t need to be there. 

The end scene is really like Naruto. 

After credits: Yes but since I didn’t watch the first 2 seasons... I don’t quite get the reference 

Verdict: it’s a great cartoon but it’s not for kids... 

Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

This movie hit all the right notes in my book. I think I can see why critics are being critical of it

What is it about?
The concluding chapter of the Skywalker saga that spans 8 episodes over 40 years

The good
 All of the main cast gets a moment to shine. Even if it's not that much
There are a couple great action scenes
Lightsaber battles are awesome but it's doesn't look that finesse
The last scene is awesome but I wish there were more
The plot is simple enough to understand. Movie wise that is.
John Williams score is awesome
Lots of cameos in this movie

The Bad
I really don't understand a lot of backstory behind this story. There are a lot of unanswered questions than answers
How come the emperor lives? I mean really they didn't explain it that much.
The side characters are there but I don't think they are needed to advance the plot. I mean I don't quite remember them.
Artoo didn't get his moment to shine in this movie. This is really more a threepieo movie and he is not that great of character
This movie is basically all the tropes of a good Star Wars movie. Don't get me wrong I love it but there is nothing to surprising looking forward to it
They really need to explain how does the force work because Rey is just too overpowered in this movie

The Ugly
(Spoliers)
If there are a lot of Star Destroyers in that planet... when and how did they build it since that planet doesn't seem to be inhabitable that much
Really they wasted on the 10,000 starship final battle. They didn't show that much
They need to explain why did Ben become a force ghost?
When did Rey mother was born since it's never stated that the emperor has a child (On a side note, Judi Comer is there... love her)
The three of them (Rey, Finn and Poe) really only have one scene together. Most of the time they are on their seperate missions
And finally.. how on earth do everyone seems to understand Chewie

After Credits: Nope

Verdict: It's a fun movie to watch. It's a fitting end to a 9 episode movie. Let's hope there are something new moving forward

Neo Geo

By Evan-Amos - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18260466


History 
I never own this console ever in my life. I've played a couple of games for this console in the arcades. So that's about it. I think the Neo Geo was never available in my country. Even if it is. It probably was very expensive. 

The Games
Basically all of the games are arcade games. It ranges from the fighting, shooting, driving and some action games in there. The thing I notice is that the games are face paced and are design to suck your quarters a lot.

The Good 
There are two genres that the Neo Geo excel is which is fighting and shooting. But there are only two types of fighting game that are the most popular which is the King of Fighters and Samurai Showdown. Metal Slug and any side scrolling bullet hell game. Those games are fun

The Bad
Everything else. It seems all the other games are mostly a miss. The sport games doesn't translate well to arcade (except Winjammers) and the others are just weird in a sense

The Ugly
Because they are arcade port they are insanely difficult. Its a good thing that you can have unlimited quarters.

Conclusion
There are classics in the Neo Geo but most of them are just a forgotten relic in time. Out of 136 games I've only manage to finish or enjoyed around 20 of them. They are still releasing Neo Geo games for future system. In that sense this console will never die.


NES (30/787 games) 3.81% replayability
Master System (5/280 games) 1.79% replayability 
Gameboy (31/555 games) 5.59% replayability 
Genesis ( 776 games)
Neo Geo   (20/136 games) 14.71% replayability 
Game Gear  (10/257 games) 3.89% replayability 
SNES ( 784 games)

Jumanji The Next Level

Still an enjoyable squeal

 

What is it about?
A year after the event of the first game. They are back in it but things have changed

The good
The Rock and Kevin Hart are amazing portraying their respected characters
The game changes a lot and everything is very unexpected
The comedy hasn't changed and it still funny as ever
The action is non stop

The bad
The stakes are not that high. I mean the bad guy is okay I guess
There are two new characters that doesn't shine that much probably due to been introduce halfway through the game

The Ugly 
Nothing much

After credits: No

Verdict: If you like the first movie you will enjoy the second one

Elementary

Sherlock Holmes done in a different way



Seasons: 7
Episodes: 154

What is about?
A retelling of Sherlock Holmes set in New York

What I liked?
The season starts of where Holmes is an addict and Watson (who is a girl) is his rehab partner. The show then slowly evolved into something special.
Every episode is a mystery that needs solving.
Every season there is main bad guy that they need to thwart

What I didn't liked?
There are some side stories are quite boring
154 episodes there are some that are not that great
Didn't like the addict phase

Character Development
Awesome

Verdict: A great show that ended in time.

Cobra Kai

35 years after the events of the Karate Kid



Seasons: 2
Episodes: 20

What is about?
Johnny Lawrence who lost in the first movie opens back the Cobra Kai dojo and it causes a lot a problem with his so called rival Daniel Larusso

What I liked?
Best show ever. This makes you wonder who is actual the bad guy in this show.
The karate action is top notch and it last for at least 10 minutes in a single take
It makes you root for both characters from time to time

What I didn't liked?
Nothing much. One of the best shows I've watch by far. Finish 2 season in 2 days.
Season 2 ending

Character development
The main characters have a good character development
There are some side characters that are forgettable

Verdict: Great series. Must watch

AHS 1984

Its a good story but not one of the best.



Seasons: 9
Total Episodes: 103
Episode of season 9: 9

What is it about?
A summer camp that is home to evil and there is no escaping it

What I liked?
The storyline is awesome
It's not as scary as some of the other American Horror Stories but there is always a plot twist in the end
I love how the go over the years and update on how the horrors of the camp

What I didn't liked?
Some of the characters arc is not that great.
To much occult worship which is not my cup of tea

Character Development
Satisfying.

Verdict: You should watch all the 8 seasons of the show. One of the best shows out there

Events that happen in November

Well November has come and gone and not that much that happens this month. I had my car repainted black. It’s been 10 years so it’s time for a new coat of paint for the car. We need to get ready  for my best friends wedding. He gave me the shirt and sari for the both of us. We are invited to both the temple and the reception. I went to a barber to reshaped my goatee. The problem with me is that my facial hair grow so fast that the cost to keep maintaining it is such a hassle. I saw a turtle on the road and I had to pick it up since I didn’t want it to get squashed. It must be fun being a turtle. They can carry the house everywhere they go. So on 10th November my best friend got married and we went to the temple. I am kind of the best man (he has a lot of best mans. Close to 15) and we have to follow him everywhere. There were a couple of photo sessions which was great. This is my first time being in a Indian wedding and what I found out that is that an Indian wedding is long. They give some snacks during the intermission. We stayed until the end and drove back home. The plus side is that we got to stay at a cool hotel.

I was sick from last week but slowly recovering. My mom and my brother came to the house. For the first time in a years we got to take a family picture. My brother doesn’t age well but that’s because he is stressed with work. I took it upon myself to install my new pc. It was a straightforward installation and I do find it cool. We went clothes shopping for the wedding and I bought myself a new suit. On November 16th we stayed at another hotel and we went to the country club for another wedding. My other best friend was invited and the wedding was very low key. There was a band, dancing and singing. The food was great and everyone has a good time. My wife is going for a 11 day tour to Europe with her mom and cousin so we took the girls out of school and brought them for lunch and ice cream.

Saying goodbye to my wife at the airport was a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand I’ll miss her a lot and on the other hand I’ll have some time for myself which I so desperately need. So while they left on their adventure I’m here to take care of the family. Brough my daughters and her friend to watch Frozen 2 and sushi. The movie was great. Most of my days are spend sending the kids to school. Playing games... having lunch, watching tv, talking to friends. Basically is a vacation for me. My vacation was cut short since my mom came down so I need to also take care of her. Oh well... it was fun while it lasted. I ended the month with a wedding and the week with a visit from my aunt. So yeah November has been a low key month. Nothing special happens but I am not complaining. It’s all good.