The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies

We are finally here. The epic climax of the movie. The movie has very little dialogue than the previous. Its 2 hours non stop fighting. Like most of the reviewers this movie is bit too long... But enjoyable one

5/5 orcs

Last movie of the year

Big Hero 6

Watch this last week with the kid. Awesome movie based on the Marvel comic. The main character is obviously Baymax. Wish there were more segments with him. The other side characters were cool too.

4/5 tralalalala

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1

Almost forgot about this one. Well this I can say is the best among the trilogy. Since it doesn't deal with the game but more on a propaganda which is a good thing. After seeing this end I decided to wiki the whole book. It turns out that part 1 is only the first 30% of the book. How on earth they are going to fit the rest in the second act. 7 more months

5/5 mockingjays

Interstellar

Its been a while since I went to the cinema. What better way to start by watching a Christopher Nolan epic. I can say this movie has a great premise BUT... damn there are a lot of things that can be differently in the movie. Like they have all the ideas for space travel but somethings just leave you scratching your head. Overall is a movie about the relationship about a father and daughter. Nice movie but its seriously too heavy. Plus TARS is awesome

4/5 corn fields

Nvidia Shield the FAQ review

Last week I got my Nvidia Shield. It may be second hand but it still looks and plays great. I'm going to do a FAQ review on it.

What is it?
It's a portable andriod gaming console develop by Nvidia.

Why does it looks like that?
There are a couple portable gaming controllers for android devices that give people the feel on tactile feedback. Nvidia went and 1-up the competition by making an actual gaming controller that is stuck with a 5 inch screen.

So does that mean the screen can't be detachable?
Correct... The screen acts like a clamshell. It protects the buttons from being accidentally pressed.

Can we type on it?
That's very subjective. Yes we can. But it's not that convertable touching the screen when the controller is sticking out. But at least they gave the option of typing with the joystick.

So it only can play games?
It was design with games in mind. it's just basically like any android device. You can do anything an android can.

Is the controller comfortable?
Yes, it fits most adult hands. It has 4 face buttons, 2 joytisticks with pressure points. 4 shoulder buttons. A start button,  sound. A tegra zone button, home and back button but...

But....
The device is 1- 1.5 kg heavy. So holding it in the air too long can cramp up your hands.

What about the screen?
The screen is nice and sharp. it's 5 inch so it's just right for personal gaming.

Ok enough about the device. What about the games?
Here is the best part of the review. the games I can say it plays games extremely well. The touch controls for Android games are automatically map to the controller. But that's not the best part about the device...

It's not?
What you got in your hand is a history device. I say that since this device is able to emulate all type of consoles from the 8-bit era to 128-bit...

Get out....!!!!!
So far let me list down what it can emulate
NES, Mega Drive, SNES, Genesis, N64, PS1 and Dreamcast (yup no joke) = 7 home consoles
Gameboy, GBA, Game Gear, Nintendo DS, PSP = 5 portable consoles
And a couple of arcade emulators.

So basically what you have in your hands is a collection of 7000 games in your fingertips. (Emulation is wrong unless you already have the Rom in your hands... Disclaimer)

So it is worth it to get this rather than just use a normal phone? Anything exclusive for this device.
That's a subjective question. Like me I don't game on my phone. I like a dedicated gaming device. This fits all the right criteria of a gaming console. There are only 2 exclusive games on the shield. which is Portal and Half-Life 2. Yup the PC ports are available exclusively for this device in the play store. You can just go download it in your smartphone. It won't recognise the hardware....

Overall... I'm giving this machine a 5/5

Bonus Round Questions

Can I fit this in my pocket?
No... Too big. You can put it in your bag

What games have you been playing?
A lot of real racing 3 and star wars racer for the N64.

So what about your other handhelds?
Ps vita is on temporary hiatus...
3DS is powered down after Smash...
I'll get back to that eventually.

Super Smash Bros 3DS

It's been a while so let's gets started

Context: Before I start the review. I can say I've been playing a lot of SSB. Until the item I accidentally brick my 3DS... So while my 3DS is out of commission. Let me review the game

Game: Super Smash Bros for 3DS
Genre: Fighting
Platform: 3DS
First 3 Hours: Got all of the characters in less than 2. All 54 of them. My favourites are Greninja and Sonic. After finishing the main smash. I was still playing it for the challenges. There are 105 challenges that range from the easy to the impossible. The actually a big grind to get it all. And don't forget about the trophies.
What I liked: Gameplay, Characters, Challenges, Greninja, Little Mac, Trophies
What I didn't liked: Little Mac, Smash Run, Classic Mode
Status: All characters, All stages, 73/105 challenges completed. 235/600+++ trophies collected. Going to go again after a couple of months

Mario Tennis Open

Game: Mario Tennis Open
Platform: 3DS
Genre: Sports
First 3 Hours: Gameplay is fast paced. I still don't get what are the colourful circles on the court are for. But it makes for an intense match
What I liked: Gameplay, Courts, Characters
What I didn't liked: Lack of variety.
Status: Finish a single tournament with Mario. There are still a couple modes. Probably get that later
Score: 4/5 Tennis balls

Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon

Game: Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon
Platform: 3DS
Genre: Adventure
First 3 Hours: Besides the title sounding like a Transformers movie. The game is awesome. It's Ghostbusters with a vacuum. There are a lot of interesting ways to catch a ghost and the feeling on sucking them in is utterly satisfying
What I liked: Storyline, Level up system, the vacuum, Stages
What I didn't liked: No jump, no checkpoints, restarting the same mission over again
Status: Finish the main story mode and rescued Mario
Score: 5/5 dark moon pieces

The Maze Runner

Just watched another dystopian teen survival movie. It's basically the same premise but with an added bonus. A maze to run in. Seriously, for a movie called the maze runner I would expect it to focus more on the maze. It has little to do with the maze running and more to do with the characters. Not to say it's a bad movie. It ended with a cliffhanger. Had to Wikipedia to find out what's the story about.

3/5 Mazes

The State of Gaming

Since there is nothing new to report I am just going to write about the state of gaming in my home country Malaysia. Where to start? Let me break it down the the consoles, genre, players and environment since that the best way to gauge how Malaysian view gaming. Its going to be a too long too read article.. but since no one views my blog anyway... I would say this is just for me to keep a record of things

Gaming is divided into 2 categories. Console and PC gamers. Which is also divided into 2 different categories. Those people who plays a single game (i.e FIFA, DOTA 2) and people like me who likes the art of gaming. 

DS

Let's start with the most popular Nintendo console ever (in my opinion). Over here piracy is king. Don't get me wrong there are people who still buy original games. But I could say that is less than 15% of the market. Most of everyone who owns a DS, will own an Acekart, R4i gold or a generic flash cart to play backup roms. The funny thing is that the roms are damn easy to find and all you need is a micro sd card to put all the games in. A single 64gb card can fit close to 400 or more games. I believe that the reason that the DS manage to sell a lot of units. Who doesn't want a console that can carry a lot of games and that is portable. I rarely see people play a DS on the street. Probably is because of...

PSP  

Actually this is not the reason. The main reason why handheld gaming is less than 5% of gaming in Malaysia is because of the apples and andriods of the world. In a world where you can unlimted supply of games in your tablet. Who wants to bring a dedicated gaming machine.'Well, as I said in my previous post that everything here, piracy comes first. This console is no stranger. With CFW (custom firmware), players are able to download and load any game they want. For me the best game on this machine is still Killzone Liberation ad-hoc multiplayer wifi. I think handheld gaming is almost dead here since everyone has a smartphone and they can get better games (so they say) on that...Personally pressing a screen is nothing compared than pressing buttons. Which brings me to...  

PS3, XBOX 360 and Wii

I'm doing all three last gen console at once since they all share a common theme... Piracy. Don't ge tme wrong there are still people who buy original games. I think there are around 100k-150k people still buy original games in order to access the PS Network, Xbox Live and err.. whatever Nintendo does... But the main issue here is old people (37++ age group) view console gaming as toys for kids. I've seen kids who can't even reach the third row of a shelf play Grand Theft Auto V and COD Modern Warfare... I think they think that the parents are idiots. I think that the parents are not bothered to educate themselves on what the kids are playing. So they will just go to a store and buy the game that little Timmy has been wanting to play for a long time...Idiots... Where was I, oh yes, parents will see consoles as babysitting tools. So they don't want to fork up a lot of money on original software. Since you can get a game here for as low as $3, why don't just buy that. So that why these 3 consoles are popular with the old people. As for the young people, they are practically cheap (gaming is an expensive hobby, no denying it) It's better to save a couple bucks then to buy original software. Among the 3 console, the most popular is the Xbox 360. Its easy to hack, games are cheap and most people just want to play FIFA on it. The Wii is more like a 15 minute of fame type of console. Once you are done with Wii Sports, you are practically done. I almost forgot to touch on the best console of all. The...

PC

Master Race. So that what people like to call it. I used to be a PC gamer until the games were just to advance for my PC to handle. Now I just use it to stream movies. PC gamers are a funny bunch. Since 100% of PC software you can get it for free. Most of them already play free-to-play games. Young kids nowdays love to play DOTA 2. I honestly have no idea what that game is all about... Doesn't look like fun when your face looks like its going to poop all the time. Seriously... that game is fun as a kick in the nuts... I have never seen anyone crack a smile while playing this game. Maybe that's just how the game is played. Seriously... Another famous game is Counter-Strike. I call it the poor man FPS but its still a cracking good time when you load it up. Oh yeah... and of course FIFA... You can't forget about FIFA. PC gaming has become the most expensive gaming medium. Every 1 year, your technology becomes obsolete. Upgrading is the same cost of buying 4 consoles your machine needs a fine tuning every now and then. If you stick the low spec games, you should be fine for another 10 years. I would like to end my rant with the...

FUTURE

The Future of gaming in Malaysia. Lets see... In the handheld department, the 3DS will have loyal Poke'mon and Nintendo followers (ie Me). It is hackable but from what I heard recently, the console with the specific hacking firmware are selling like hotcakes. Sooner it will just be another rare item on the list of pirate goods. The Vita is cheap.. but there has little traction over here. Since the console is not modding friendly, the game carts cost a lot of money. Plus the memory cards are also not cheap. A lot of people over here (90%) don't seem to know that the Vita is the most profitable console of all since you can get free games with a yearly subscription of $50. The only console that is doing well over here is the PS4. Those stuff are selling like hotcakes. FIFA (of course) is one of the best seller. The Wii U is like a unwanted mole... Nobody wants it and no shop wants to keep it in their stock. Its like the kid in the group that no one likes to be friends with (but I really wanted a WII U :((....). The Xbox One has only 10 followers. I say 10 since I saw 10 shops carrying it... So probably 10 people will snatch it... The current generation is one step ahead of the pirates. But its going to be a  matter of time until the pirates figure a way to bypass all of the systems countermeasures. Probably in another 5 years. Until then... I would say.. Its a great time to be a gamer... rock on 

New Super Mario Bros 2

Game: New Super Mario Bros 2
Platform: 3DS
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: You can't go wrong with Mario. The game is pretty straightforward. Lots of hidden paths to get star coins. Fun times all around.
What I liked: Golden Tanooki Suit, Stages,
What I didn't liked: Progression based on Star coins is hard
Status: Finish the game with 60 Star coins
Score: 5/5 golden tabookis

Injustice Gods Among Us

Game: Injustice Gods Among Us
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: I'm been playing a lot of this game. Almost close to 72 hours. I still can't beat the impossible battle. It's a good game to pick up and play.
What I liked: Everything
What I didn't liked: WiFi connectivity
Status: Beat all the star labs missions, story mode, now at level 59.
Score 5/5 heat blasts

PlayStation Battle Royale All Stars

Game: PlayStation Battle Royale All-Stars
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: A fighting game like smash but you only have a super move to drop your opponent. It's gets repetitive after a while.  What I liked: Characters.                                What I didn't liked: Gameplay.                   Status: Finished Raiden single.player mode. I'm done.

Score: 3/5 smash moves

Sega Rally Championship

Game: Sega Rally Championship
Platform: PC
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: Not applicable
First 5 Minutes: That how long it took to finish the game. This game didn't age well. I remember Sega Rally being slow. But afterr booting it up on my laptop. It damn fast. 3 tracks in 5 minutes. Straightforward enough
Score: 2/5 dirt roads

The Typing of the Dead

Game: The Typing of the Dead
Platform: PC
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: The house of the Dead being made into a keyboard shooter. They should do this if anyone wants to be a great typist.
What I liked: Gameplay
What I didn't liked: Cheap shots
Status: Finish the game in one sitting.
Score: 5/5 keyboards

Mario Kart 7

Game: Mario Kart 7
Platform: 3DS
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: Mario Kart. What's not to love. The series has changed over the years. With the addition of gliders it does feel a bit different. It's still good but nowhere close as the DS version.
What I liked: Gameplay, Karts
What I didn't liked: Some tracks are quite boring
Status: Finish one cup. Want to try again
Score: 5/5 karts

Super Mario 3D Land

Game: Super Mario 3D Land
Platform: 3DS
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: Finally got a GW card for my 3DS. The first Nintendo game on my list is the best platform game ever. It didn't disappoint. Awesome stages. Great music
What I liked: Everything
What I didn't liked: Nothing
Score: 5//5 Golden Tanooki

Lumines Electric Symphony

Game: Lumines Electric Symphony
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Puzzle
First 3 Hours: Lumines is a game about connecting 4  or more blocks. It's also part rhythm game.
What I liked: Gameplay, Music, Graphics
What I didn't liked: Difficulty
Status: Played the game till level 35. It had around 80 levels. I'm consider done.
Score: 4/5 blocks

Hot Shots Golf Invitational

Game: Hot Shots Golf Invitational
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Sports
First 3 Hours: It's a simulation golf game with an arcade feel. The courses are great and challenging. This is the first game that made me buy more stuff in the PS store.
What I liked: Courses, Characters, Super shot
What I didn't liked: Difficulty, Wind
Status: Played till the silver cup. Maybe will continue again
Score: 4/5 golf balls

Retro City Rampage

Game: Retro City Rampage
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: A parody of lots of games made into an open world adventure. The idea is great but there sure a lot of things to do.
What I liked: Graphics, Variety of gameplay
What I didn't liked: Backtracking
Status: Played 12 hours of this. Not sure I will want to continue again.
Score: 3/5 pixels

Need For Speed Most Wanted

Game: Need For Speed Most Wanted
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: I've played this game but now I'm going to really play all the racers. My goal is to get all cars and racers
What I liked: Everything
What I didn't liked: Nothing
Status: All racers. All cars, 92% complete
Score: 5/5 pursuits

Sly Cooper Thieves in Time

Game: Sly Cooper Thieves in Time
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Never played a Sly Cooper game before. This game is quite enjoyable. The storyline is great and the ability to use multiple thieves from multiple times is great
What I liked: Gameplay, Boss fights, Mutiple Sly, Hacking
What I didn't liked: The Murray, Ending
Status: Finish the game in 1 week.
Score: 4/5 Cooper canes

The Walking Dead

Game: The Walking Dead
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Adventure
First 3 Hours: This game has no linear progression. Every decision you make effects the game in the long run. The game test your conscience to make the right decision. But there is no fear of dying.
What I liked: Storyline, Gameplay
What I didn't liked: Ending.
Status: Finish all 5 chapters. Great game
Score: 5/5 Zombies

Mortal Kombat

Game: Mortal Kombat
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: I've played this game in 2010 for the 360. Now playing it for the vita with touch controls. Gameplay is fun as expected.
What I liked: Fighting mechanics, Storyline
What I didn't liked: Touch controls
Status: Finish story mode, Tower challenge, Touch tower challenge, All krypt items unlocked.
Score: 5/5 fatalities

Resogun

Game: Resogun
Platform: PS4
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: First PS4 review. First PS4 game ever. Resogun is the most beautiful PS4 game I've seen. It's a shooter where you have to get the highest score while saving the civilians
What I liked: Fast paced gameplay, graphics, Boss battles
What I didn't liked: Too short
Status: Finish the game like in a couple of hours. Still a good game to pick up and play.
Score: 5/5 multipliers

PlayStation 4

When the first announced the PS4 at the end of 2013. I was like... meh. Graphics look nice but there probably won't be any good games for it. That change when they showed the trailer for Batman Arkham Knight. After seeing that, I must have this console just for this game.

Fast forward to 2014. My wife decided to surprise me by throwing a birthday party 3 months early. And my gift was a PS4 with a copy of Battlefield 4. Awesome...

After hooking it up, I noticed that I don't like battlefield. So after downloading a lot of free PS+ games. I notice a couple things about the PS4.

1) There are not great must have games... Yet
2) Remote play with the vita only works if the WiFi is good.
3) It's very quiet
4) Updates can be run on standby mode.
5) It's the most beautiful console design since the GameCube.

Killzone Mercenary

Game: Killzone Mercenary
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: FPS
First 3 Hours: This is my first Killzone game. I liked it. The game is easy to pick up and play. Plus the touch controls add a certain element to the game.
What I liked: Gameplay, melee combat, touchscreen controls
What I didn't liked: Length (but got 4 more missions)
Status: Finish the story mode. That's about it
Score: 4/5 grenades

Smart as

IGame: Smart as
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Puzzle
First 3 Hours: This game is basically train your brain. But the thing is that, it trains your brain on how fast you answer the questions. It's a 10 min game that you pick up once a day
What I liked: Puzzles, touchscreen usage
What I didn't liked: brain power is based on how fast you could answer the question
Status: Played the game for 3 months than call it quits
Score: 3/5 brains

Stealth Inc.

Game: Stealth Inc.
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Puzzle
First 3 Hours: A puzzle game with platforming elements. You are a robot that have to navigate obstacles. But you use shadows to avoid detection
What I liked: Puzzles
What I didn't liked: Lasers. Dying
Status: Finish all the levels but didn't have the extra characters
Score: 3/5 lasers

Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate

Game: Batman Arkham Origins Blackgate
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Batman game on the handheld. Made by the guys who made Metroid Prime (Armature Studios). What's not to like... I was wrong. The game is great. It's like console batman for the handheld. But after to explore the environment. Everything becomes barren. You end up backtracking but there is no bad guys to pound. Everything becomes a tedious chore. But when there Bad guys, you become awesome. The game is a carbon copy of arkham asylum.
What I liked: Gameplay, Storyline, Gadgets
What I didn't liked: World map overview, barren landscape, backtracking
Status: Finish the game with new Game plus in hand. Going to try it again. But not now
Score: 4/5 batarangs

Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed

Game: Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: A Mario Kart game from Sega. I was expecting this game to suck. But after I start playing it , I can say the game is better than Mario Kart (not all). The track combines land, sea and air. The tracks are interactive, the characters all have a certain balance. Everyone has a super move that you use to gain the upper hand
What I liked: Tracks, Characters (AGES), the story mode, progression level
What I didn't liked: Weapons,
Status: Finished the game with 180 stars. Got all characters and finish the story mode
Score: 5/5 panzer dragoons

Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots

Game: Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: I started this game in 2013. Played a while... Stop since life got in the way. Now I got a portable Gaems monitor. I've been bringing my PS3 to the office. Love this game...
What I liked: Gameplay, chapter 1,4,5, Boss battles, inventory systems, unlimited ammo, egg frying
What I didn't liked: chapter 2,3, Snake sucks, storyline to convoluted
Status: Finish the game in 1 week. Love the ending. Fitting end to a great series. Even though MGS 5 is coming soon.
Score: 5/5 eggs

Bit.Trip Runner 2

Game:Bit.Trip Runner 2
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: It's part music rhythm game. Part platforming. Awesome music and narrated by the guy who did Mario's voice. The level design are clever. Makes you want to to get all the keys and secrets.
What I liked: Gameplay, Level design, Music, Storyline??
What I didn't liked: Nothing
Status: Finish the game with 85% secrets completed.
Score: 5/5 bit.trips

Urban Trial Freestyle

Game: Urban Trial Freestyle
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: Long time ago there was a flash game that share the same gameplay. Fast forward in the future, we have this game. It's fun and challenging. The crashes are epic.
What I liked: The track, the crashes
What I didn't liked: Star progression... Difficulty
Status: Played it half way and stop. Probably bored.
Score: 3/5 diet tracks

Limbo

Game: Limbo
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Puzzle
First 3 Hours: First game of 2014. This is quite an old game. The art style is monochromatic. It's just a linear game from point A to point B. The puzzles are tricky. It takes a while to get that ah-ha moment.
What I liked: Puzzles
What I didn't liked: length
Status: Finished the game in a couple of days
Score: 5/5 spiders

Year End Review

Lot of great games this year. Hopefully next year will be better. Got my vita this year. So it's my most played console this year. That plus PlayStation+ really got me into the free gaming mood.

Adventure: 2
Action: 13
Racing: 3
FPS: 1
Puzzle: 3
Shooter: 4
Fighting: 2
Platformer: 4

ps3: 5
360: 2
PC: 1
PSP: 9
Vita: 15

Game played: 32
Finished game: 24

Worse Game of The Year: Everyday Shooter
Best Game of The Year: The Last of Us

The Last of Us

Game: The last of us
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: The last game I've played also seems to be the best game for me. The storyline is superb. The gameplay combines metal gear stealth with Uncharted exploration.
What I liked: Storyline, Gameplay,
What I didn't liked: Limited inventory (meets with the survival theme)
Status: Finished the game in normal. 18 hours
Score: 5/5 clickers

Injustice Gods Among Us

Game: Injustice Gods Among Us
Platform: PS3
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: A game where Batman can beat the living shit out of everyone. I'm in. Played though the story mode
What I liked: Fighting mechanics, Destructive environments, Storyline, Combos
What I didn't liked: nothing
Status: Finish the story mode with level 33
Score: 5/5 super moves

Metal Slug XX

Game: Metal Slug XX
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: Love the Metal Slug series. But it damn hard... Good thing they have unlimited lives
What I liked: Gameplay, Weapons
What I didn't liked: Difficulty
Status: Finish it one one sitting
Score: 4/5 Tanks

Machinarium

Game: Machinarium
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Adventure
First 3 Hours: Loved the style of the game. I love to play point and click games. But I feel that it's too damn hard. Most of the time I will rely on cheats. But this game is so open wide that it's hard to understand it.
What I liked: Art, storyline
What I didn't liked: point and click games
Status: Played for a couple of hours with help until I came to a place where I am. It sure where to go
Score: 3/5 nuts

Oddworld Strangers Wrath

Game: Oddworld Strangers Wrath
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: love the concept of an action fps shooter. The game was great at first. Then it became repetitive. The combat also lack depth. Unimpressed
What I like: The FPS element, platforming
What I didn't liked: Ammo, repetitive segments, adventure mode
Status: Played a couple hours of it and call it a day. Didn't touch it since, maybe not anytime soon.

Gravity Rush

Game: Gravity Rush
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: I couldn't make heads or tails about this game. First the controls gets a while getting use to. But after that it becomes second nature. Awesome open world gameplay.
What I liked: Storyline, Gameplay, combat
What I didn't liked: Repetitive combat, orientation
Status: Finished the game in 13 hours
Score: 4/5 gravity balls

It's my birthday today

It's my birthday today. I'm 30 years old. There are things that I already planned to get but that doesn't seem to be happening. It's ok. I feel that I can persevere and hopefully things will be better in the next 10 years. Here is hoping

Transcendence

Watch this movie because my best friend said it was movie of the year for him. Now I know why movie review are subjective. Since this movie is all over the place. The plot is simple enough. Group of people trying to design an artificial intelligence that can think by itself, where eventually humans can upload their brains in computers to achieve singularity. Some haters hate the premise and shot the hero (Johnny Depp). His wife played by the hot Rebecca Hall then uploads his brain into a computer. He then became sentient and wants to hook to the internet. Basically after that shit hits the fan... Eventually. This movie reminds me of what the Terminator and The Matrix is before it became that movie. It's like what happens in between. There are a lot of plot holes in the movie but it's hard to justify why shit happens. Overall the movie makes you think that this is so illogical. It's not movie of the year in my book. But it's a good watch

3/5 quantum processors

Hotline Miami

Game: Hotline Miami
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: seen this game in action. First impressions was I won't enjoy the top view experience. But after picking it up and playing a couple stages. I really enjoyed it. The dual vita thumbstcks really add depth in gameplay.
What I liked: Weaponsq, Gameplay, Story... Quite confusing but entertaining.
What I didn't liked: the insane difficulty, dying countless times.
Status: Finish the game with all chapters completed.
Score: 5/5 katanas

Wipeout 2048

Game: Wipeout 2048
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: I knew the Wipeout series way back in the 90's. The gameplay is still face paced and challenging. The cars are mostly the same.
What I liked: cars, tracks, weapons
What I didn't liked: weak ass shields.
Status: Finish the game with all tracks and cars
Score: 5/5 Wipeouts

Saint Mora

Game: Saint Mora
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: This is a 2D side scroller shooter with 3D cutscenes and graphics. Each jet has it own unique abilities. Storyline is quite good. The boss battles are hard.
What I liked: Storyline, vehicle variety and abilities, graphic.
What I didn't liked: Too short (4 Hours) Hard boss battles
Status: Finish the game after dying a couple of times
Score: 5/5 scatter shots

Zero Escape: Virtue Last Reward

Game: Zero Escape: Virtue Last Reward
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Adventure
First 3 Hours: This game reminds me of Professor Layton. Sloving puzzle is awesome.
What I liked: Storyline, Puzzles
What I didn't liked: confusing gameplay
Status: I am not sure I beat this game or not. After beating a chapter it restarts back to the beginning. Need to revisit it again
Score 3/5 bunnies

Batman Arkham Origins

Game: Batman Arkham Origins
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: The newest Batman game which is also a prequel. Didn't quite like the riddler missions. Storyline is the same of all Batman games.
What I liked: Being Batman, Storyline, Boss battles, Gadgets
What I didn't liked: Riddler missions, firefly.
Status: Completed main storyline
Score: 5/5 batwings

Rayman Origins

Game: Rayman Origins
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: This game is so addictive. It's easy to play but hard to master. Love every minute of it.
What I liked: Characters, Stages
What I didn't liked: Challenge. It's too hard.
Status: Finish the game and got all of death ruby teeth. Unlock the night of the living damned stage. Took. 5 hours to master that stage. It turns out you have to go through it in one sitting
Score: 5/5 fairies

Uncharted Golden Abyss

Game: Uncharted Golden Abyss
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Finally got PS Plus in end of April. So trying all the free games that comes with it. Starting with Uncharted. It played just like the console version. The touchscreen parts are tedious. But it's a good thing that it's optional.
What I liked: Gameplay, Puzzles, Story
What I didn't liked: Touchscreen, repetitive segments
Status: Finished the game in 1 week. I love my vita
Score: 5/5 golden abyss

Grand Theft Auto V

Game: Grand Theft Auto V
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: I knew when I booted the game up I was in for something special. Best game I've played hands down. The car mechanics are awesome. Storyline is great. The choice of game play is varied. There are some mission that sucks.
What I liked: Heist, driving mechanics, storyline, long gameplay hours
What I didn't like: Shooting mechanics, repetitive of some mission
Status: Finished the game twice since it was that damn good. Bought a tank. Call it a day
Score: 5/5 Tanks

Crash Bandicoot Trilogy

Game: Crash Bandicoot 1,2 and 3
Platform: PSP (PSX)
Genre: Platformer

Factory Sealed: 129
First 3 Hours: The game is pretty straightforward. We need to get to point B from point A while avoiding obstacles. The game gives you enough of a challenge to make it interesting. Story doesn't make sense and uninspired.
What I liked: Gameplay, challenges,
What I didn't liked: Story, Cheap Boss battles
Status: Finish all 3 in the span of 1 year
Score: 3/5 for Crash 1
             5/5 for Crash 2
             4/5 for Crash 3

Castlevania: Symphony of the night

Game: Castlevania Symphony of the night.
Platform: PSP (PSX)
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: I love castlevania games. This was one of the best games our there. I tried it and I love it. Alucard is the best hero ever. The best part is sword trumps whip.
What I liked: Gameplay, items, bosses, level up
What I didn't liked: Getting to level 100 is a chore
Status: Played the castle. Beat all bosses in normal mode. The castle then inverted with harder challenges and I still beat it. Play time around 30 hours.
Score: 5/5 bats

Dokuro

Game: Dokuro
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Puzzle
First 3 Hours: The stages are short. The puzzles are relatively easy in the first few stages. But after that it gets increasingly difficult. Plus the controls are not that smooth.
What I liked: Puzzles.
What I didn't liked: Controls
Status: Finish until level 4. Decide to call it quits since I keep dying at the same spot. Rage quitting.
Score: 3/5 bones

Guacamelee!

Game: Guacamelee!
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: This game is metroidvania. But with some luchador fighting with it.
What I liked: Combat system, upgrades, storyline
What I didn't liked: The difficulty can be quite daunting
Status: Finished the game... In 2014... lol. I'll count it as 2013
Score: 5/5 wrestling masks

Tekken 6

Game: Tekken 6
Platform: Ps Vita
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: Same Tekken just different characters
What I liked: You can't go wrong with Tekken
What I didn't liked: Tekken is getting stale
Status: Finish all the characters
Score: 3/5 king masks

Metal Gear Solid 2. Sons of Liberty

Game: Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty
Platform: Ps Vita
Genre: Action
Factory Sealed: 151
First 3 Hours: Same metal gear game. Difference is first person. Can put people in lockers. But the biggest kicker of all. You can't play as snake for the whole game... Raiden is also good enough
What I liked: Gameplay
What I didn't liked: Convoluted storyline, vamp, raiden
Status: Finish the game on the vita.
Score: 4/5 stealth suit

Metal Gear Solid

Game: Metal Gear Solid
Platform: PSP (PSX)
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: 2nd game in the series. This game was design with no fancy graphics and not free moving camera . Gameplay still rocks.
What I Liked: Gameplay, Storyline, Psycho Mantis
What I Didn't Liked: Sniper Wolf. No free roaming camera
Status: Finish the game with Meryl.
Score: 5/5 cyber ninjas

The Expendables 3

If I could sum up this movie. It could be that, this is where all the old action heroes go to die. Everybody is in this movie. Except the kitchen sink. The movie plot is pretty straightforward. The plot is not award winning stuff. Stallone doesn't age well. I think that the 3rd is the worse among the 2. Maybe that's because the stakes are not high. Well besides their death. Nothing else is high. The most disappointing part is Jet Li doesn't not fight.

3/5 expandables

Guardians of the Galaxy

First movie review for this year. The first movie I decided to see in a long time is the awesome Guardians of the Galaxy. The is by far the best Marvel movie to date in terms of character and story line. I love Star Lord and Rocket. They practically made the movie awesome. Groot is the most lovable plant creature with limited vocabulary. The other two are just filler to make them into a team. The action sequence are not as epic as Captain 2, but there are some moments. The 70's - 80's music is also awesome. The only problem I have is that we didn't get to see too much of Thanos. Instead we got his B grade lacky... Oh well.. Avengers 3 then

5/5 Infinity Stones 

Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater

 







Game: Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater
Platform: PS Vita
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Finally got my vita and to celebrate Im playing the first Vita game I own ( This was before I got PS+) The vita is a perfect deivce for this type of game.
What I Liked: Storyline, Gameplay, Eating Snakes (apparently you can't eat dogs)
What I Didn't Liked: Nothing
Status: Finish it under 20 hours. Great game. Long story. Can't wait for MGS 1
Score: 5/5 Snakes

Killzone Liberation

 







Game: Killzone Liberation
Platform: PSP
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: Finish this game in 2008. Want to try it again. Didn't quite go like I planned.
What I Liked: Gameplay, Shooting stuff
What I Didn't Liked: Nothing much
Status: Didn't finish it due to the fact I've already played it
Score: Unavailable due to the fact I've already played it

Outrun 2006

 



Game: Outrun  2006
Platform: PSP
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: Love the outrun series during my time at the arcade. Trying this new outrun for the PSP. Gameplay is pretty straightforward. Lots of different Ferarri cars to choose from.
What I Liked: Tracks and cars
What I Didn't Liked: Timer gameplay
Status: Finish it in one sitting
Score: 3/5 testarosas.

Everyday Shooter

 







Game: Everyday Shooter
Platform: PSP
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: They say this game is great... Maybe it was not so great in the PSP version
What I Liked: Nice colours
What I Didn't Liked: Everything else.
Status: Bleh... didnt even try.
Score: 0/5 I dont even want to try

Thomas was alone

 


Game: Thomas was alone
Platform: PC
Genre: Puzzle
First 3 Hours: A Simple game of matching the blocks from point A to B. What makes this game interesting is the narration by a David Attenbourgh kind of guy. Which makes the game very interesting.
What I Liked: Puzzles and storyline.
What I Didn't Liked: The ending was very abrupt.
Status: Finished the game in 3 days. Awesome
Score: 5/5 boxes

Call of Duty Black Ops 2

 




Game: Call of Duty Black Ops 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: FPS
First 3 Hours: Man, I got to stop playing this game. Same game different story.
What I Liked: Same call of duty stuff
What I Didn't Liked: There is this new segments of strategies I don't quite like
Status: Didn't finish it. I find the game repetitive.
Score: 2/5 grenades

Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed

 






Game: Sonic All Stars Racing Transformed
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: Love the concept. A different style from the mario karts I've been playing. Love the tracks and stages. Gameplay is quite hard.
What I Liked: Characters, Transforming karts, Stages
What I Didn't Liked: Difficulty
Status: Just try it on, was not to keen on playing it
Score: 3/5 airships

Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception

 







Game: Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Final game in the Uncharted series. Most anticipated game in my book. Starts of slow but then it picks up.
What I Liked: Boat scene, Plane Scene, Desert Scene
What I Didn't Liked: Boat Junkyard, Underwater shooting
Status: Finish it in less than 1 week. Awesome experience.
Score: 5/5 mirages

Journey

 


Game: Journey
Platform: PS3
Genre: Adventure
First 3 Hours: This is the first game of 2013 I've played. This game is very minimalist. Go to point A to point B. The visual style is very artsy. The gameplay is very short. No boss battles. But it has a certain sense of accomplishment.
What I Liked: The Journey to the end, Visuals, Sunlight
What I Didn't Liked: Nothing
Status: From the sands to the mountains in less than 3 hours.
Score: 5/5 scarfs

Year End Review 2012

All games this year is good. I can safely say there is no bad games for me. Let's break it down

Types of Platforms: 3
PC: 6
PSP: 1
360: 10

Types of Genre: 7
Action: 3
FPS: 1
Racing: 2
Adventure: 1 
Shooter: 5
Platformer: 3 
Fighting: 2

Game played: 17
Game Finished: 12

Worse game: Ape Escape On The Loose
Game of the Year: Transformers Fall of Cybertron
2nd runner up: Need for Speed The Run 

Contra

 




Game: Contra
Platform: NES
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: I used to own a NES when I was a kid and this was my first videogame. It still holds up. Had to enter the Konami code just to make sure I don't die after the stage 4.
What I Liked: Gameplay, Co-op, 3D effects
What I Didn't Liked: The difficulty. Like most 80's game it doesn't have a storyline.
Status: Finished it in 1 hour
Score: 5/5 spread guns

Gears of War 1 and 2

 


Game: Gears of War 1 and 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: This review I am covering 2 games at once since I am doing a marathon. This game are the same ol same ol. Nothing new that I can report on
What I Liked: Storyline, gameplay, Shooting system, The worm
What I Didn't Liked: Playing alone sucks
Status: Finished both and trying to finish the 3rd one.
Score: 5/5 chainsaws

Sonic Generations

 




Game: Sonic Generations
Platform: PC
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: This is by far the best sonic game ever. The 80's version is awesome. The modern version is a mixed bag. The running sequence is good but the combat and jumping are a bit off
What I Liked: 80's Sonic. 80's Level design
What I Didn't Liked: Modern Combat and Jumping. Bleh
Status: Finish all of the stages. Still loving the the 80's one
Score: 3/5 rings

Full Throttle

 







Game: Full Throttle
Platform: PC
Genre: Adventure
Factory Sealed: 157
First 3 Hours: Best point and click game south of grim fandango. I had to play this with a guide since I don't like clicking the same thing over and over again.
What I Liked: Storyline, Motorbikes
What I Didn't Liked: Slow gameplay, hard without a guide
Status: Finished it 2 days . Awesome
Score: 4/5 chains 

Need For Speed Most Wanted

Game: Need For Speed Most Wanted (2012)
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: This game is an open world gta style racing game. The cars are all scattered around the city. The racers are on the streets with traffic cars. Hard ones you get hit by one
What I Liked: Cars, Tracks, Most Wanted
What I Didn't Liked: Mission based, Some racers are just impossible.
Status: Played and finish all 11 Most Wanted cars. And that was it.
Score: 4/5 Aventadors

Ape Escape On The Loose

 



Game: Ape Escape On The Loose
Platform: PSP
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: This is basically Ape Escape 1 on the PSX but they remade i for the psp. I can't say the remade does not hold well. The reason is because of the psp one thumbstick configuration. It makes the game a bit unplayable
What I Liked: Ape Escape
What I Didn't Liked: One Thumstick. Camera angle sucks.
Status: Did even past the 3 world due to frustration in the controllers.
Score: 2/5 monkeys

Resident Evil 6

 






Game: Resident Evil 6
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Great game. They did change in dramatically from 5. I find it too be more gears of war rather than resident evil. Best played with some but that someone needs to be competent enough to survive
What I Liked: The obscured storyline, Gameplay
What I Didn't Liked: Gameplay. Lack of ammo.
Status: Finished chapter 1 but Im stuck at warehouse with limited ammo and enemies that doesn't seem to quit. Really need to start it again. This time with less difficulty
Score: 3/5 shotgun shells 

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom

 \






Game: Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: This game is awesome... but... boring. Unless you played it with someone. Playing it alone can give you ample time to train. But after you go through the roster and seen all the super moves. Don't see why do you want to stick around.
What I Liked: Roster, Tag Team, Super moves
What I Didn't Liked: Playing alone. No story mode
Status: No story mode means that this game is practically complete
Score: 4/5 plasma cannon

Red Dead Redemption

 





Game: Red Dead Redemption
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: Didn't manage to pass the first hour. This is game is great. I probably find it too boring for my taste
What I Liked: Can't decide since I played it for like 20 mins
What I Didn't Liked: I can't see myself playing this game
Status: I have to revisit the game with an open mind again.
Score: Unavailable due to lack of playing.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

 



Game: Tekken Tag Tournament 2
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Fighting
First 3 Hours: Tekken is pretty much the same formula ever since the first tekken. I've played TTT for the ps3 before. This game is about the same. The roster is crazy huge. This is more a multiplayer game rather than a single player one
What I Liked: Tekken stuff
What I Didn't Liked: No storyline...
Status: Played it a while but since there is no apparent storyline I just stop playing
Score: 4/5 KO's

Transfomers Fall of Cybertron

 


Game: Transformers Fall of Cybertron
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Action
First 3 Hours: The follow up to the best game last 2 years. This is better and bigger than before. And we can even control metroplex (sort of)
What I Liked: Metroplex, flight stages, Jazz
What I Didn't Liked: Shooting mechanic, too confusing when there is too many on the screen
Status: Finished it with Autobots ending. Did it again with Decepticon ending. Not much difference.
Score: 5/5 Metroplexes

Need of Speed The Run

Game: Need for Speed The Run
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Racing
First 3 Hours: This is probably the most underated game in the NFS series (if you count this and prostreet) But I really enjoyed this game. Cross country over 2000 miles is awesome. Not awesome tho are the quicktime events...
What I Liked: Racing envvironment, The very long racer track, Cars, Weather
What I Didn't Liked: Quicktime events, Need to beat a certain level to progress. Which could be frustrating sometimes
Status: Game finished and it was awesome
Score: 5/5 Mustangs

Gears of War 3

 



Game: Gears of War 3
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: Need to finish the story since I've played one and 2. Boot it up. The thing I notice is that this game is freaking hard. Even on easy. The new lambent bad guys are hard to kill. And harder if you play this alone.
What I Liked: Everything that made Gears great
What I Didn't Liked: Single player sucks.
Status: Played till chapter 4 and I stopped. Probably because I keep on dying. Really need to revisit this game again.
Score: 3/5 Chainsaws

Note: Score will change (or not) depending if I have finish the game

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

 


Game: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
Platform: PC
Genre: FPS
First 3 Hours: Had to play this since the trailer was redonkulously awesome. Cities crumbling down. The stakes are high. Everything was multiplied by 10.
What I Liked: Set pieces, Stages, Weapons, Storylines
What I Didn't Liked: Final boss battle
Status: Finish this awesome game. Super awesome
Score: 5/5 sub machine gun

Super Mario Land

 


Game: Super Mario Land
Platform: Gameboy / PC Emulator
Genre: Platformer
First 3 Hours: Best game for the Gameboy hands down. Plus mario got to ride a plane, submarine. Who doesn't like that.
What I Liked: Stages, planes and submarines
What I Didn't Liked: Monochromed gameboy screen.
Status: Finish it in one sitting.
Score: 4/5 Mushrooms

Gunstar Heroes

 


Game: Gunstar Heroes
Platform: Genesis / PC emulator
Genre: Shooter
First 3 Hours: 2012. I decided to do a retro gaming night every friday where I play old games and see if its good enough. With hacks mind you. This game was good. I can see the appeal in shooting from left to right
What I Liked: Weapon Types,
What I Didn't Liked: Difficulty. I don't see me beating this without cheats.
Status: Finish it under 3 hours with cheats of course. Still counts.
Score: 3/5 star rifles