'Tis the season to think about buying things for other people, but...
Here are some things I've bought for myself recently. :)
* Plants vs Zombies soundtrack
I really like this soundtrack, I'm glad it's available to buy and download (with no DRM, hooray!). I've played through the whole game on PC and on Xbox 360, it's one of the few "defense" games I like, and I really like it. The music is really cute and easy to listen to on a loop forever without getting boring!
* Shatter soundtrack
I really like this soundtrack too. But, um...... I started this game on PS3 then played it on PC (because the PC version was going really cheap). It's breakout / Arkanoid with different shaped levels and a "suck" and "blow" function. Never finished it on either platform, but I like the soundtrack a lot. :)
Over the last weekend in November - which is a time for big sales in America, the weather was awful so I stayed in and bought myself lots of games in the sales.
PC games on Steam:
- Alien Zombie Megadeath
- Ion Assault
- Runespell: Overture
- Astro Tripper
- Tobe's Vertical Adventure
- Star Ruler
- The Witcher: Enhanced Edition + Director's Cut DLC
- Gundemonium Recollection
- Hitogata Happa
- GundeadliGne
- Demolition, Inc.
- Dungeons of Dredmor
Another PC independantly:
* a 2D platform "Metroidvania" style game called Celestial Mechanica which was going especially cheap (1 US dollar).
A preorder for a bundle of games:
Indie Royale Really Big Bundle
(which ended up containing some games I already owned but it was cheap enough - about £3 - and ended up containing a lot of free soundtracks for the games, so I didn't mind)
And downloadable games on Xbox 360 Live Arcade:
* Stacking (it was half price at 600 points, it's a game by Doublefine so I expect it to be charming and/or funny)
and
* Beyond Good and Evil HD (it was down to 240 points)
...I've hardly made a dent in playing these games!
The only one I regret out of all these is "The Witcher", and that is not down to the game, but because Steam is an annoying system that won't let me install my games wherever I want - and there isn't enough room on my SSD to install all 15GB of it, so I can't play it unless I reinstall Steam somewhere else or buy a bigger hard drive or something. :/
Sunday, 4 December 2011
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
My Gundam RX-78-2!
Look what I assembled!
It's a Gundam RX-78-2 and it's a High-Grade Model Kit. Nicely articulated! ^_^
My camera is not doing too well, so these are the only photos I could squeeze out tonight. One picture, stick the batteries in the recharger, another picture... it drains the battery so fast!
It's a Gundam RX-78-2 and it's a High-Grade Model Kit. Nicely articulated! ^_^
My camera is not doing too well, so these are the only photos I could squeeze out tonight. One picture, stick the batteries in the recharger, another picture... it drains the battery so fast!
Monday, 19 September 2011
2012 anime calendar time!
It's mid-September, so it's time to think about the new year. Time flies you know.
As always, I'm shopping at CD Japan. There's a special offer there at the moment: spend 5000 yen (paying by PayPal) and get 1000yen's worth of loyalty points back, which works out as kind of 20% off, so that's good. There is a catch that the points are only valid for 90 days though, so it's not as good an offer as it could have been. Still, it's fairly good. It's valid until the 8th of October 8 2011 (Japan Standard Time GMT+9).
Anime calendars my brother is interested in:
ONE PIECE Release date: 2011/09/17, Price: 1500yen
SUITE PRECURE Release date: 2011/09/17, Price: 1500yen
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu 2 Release date: 2011/10/01, Price: 1600yen
Shinryaku! Ika Musume Release date: 2011/10/22, Price: 1600yen
Some fun (and some funny) series ^_^
I want either the "Yotsuba to" one, or the "Chi's Sweet Home" one, but... I can't tell whether the Yotsuba one is another one that's full artwork or photos with Yotsuba being cute in them like it was the other year, and I can't tell what the Chi's Sweet Home one is like either, aside form being a wall calendar and slightly more expensive than the other calendars.
Yotsuba to (aka Yotsuba&) Release date: 2011/11 (sometime), Price: 1500yen
Chi's Sweet Home Wall Calendar 2012 from Kodansha Release date: 2011/11 (sometime), Price: 2200yen
I normally get myself an "All That's Ultraman" calendar as well, but I am not sure about that this year. I think I just want a super cute calendar. Decisions decisions!
One thing I have decided is that I want a copy of MIO (MIQ) The Perfect Best with the rebate points I get. :)
As always, I'm shopping at CD Japan. There's a special offer there at the moment: spend 5000 yen (paying by PayPal) and get 1000yen's worth of loyalty points back, which works out as kind of 20% off, so that's good. There is a catch that the points are only valid for 90 days though, so it's not as good an offer as it could have been. Still, it's fairly good. It's valid until the 8th of October 8 2011 (Japan Standard Time GMT+9).
Anime calendars my brother is interested in:
ONE PIECE Release date: 2011/09/17, Price: 1500yen
SUITE PRECURE Release date: 2011/09/17, Price: 1500yen
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu 2 Release date: 2011/10/01, Price: 1600yen
Shinryaku! Ika Musume Release date: 2011/10/22, Price: 1600yen
Some fun (and some funny) series ^_^
I want either the "Yotsuba to" one, or the "Chi's Sweet Home" one, but... I can't tell whether the Yotsuba one is another one that's full artwork or photos with Yotsuba being cute in them like it was the other year, and I can't tell what the Chi's Sweet Home one is like either, aside form being a wall calendar and slightly more expensive than the other calendars.
Yotsuba to (aka Yotsuba&) Release date: 2011/11 (sometime), Price: 1500yen
Chi's Sweet Home Wall Calendar 2012 from Kodansha Release date: 2011/11 (sometime), Price: 2200yen
I normally get myself an "All That's Ultraman" calendar as well, but I am not sure about that this year. I think I just want a super cute calendar. Decisions decisions!
One thing I have decided is that I want a copy of MIO (MIQ) The Perfect Best with the rebate points I get. :)
Kingdom Of Loathing
I've been playing Kingdom Of Loathing a lot over recent months. I'm nearly done with my second ascension (i.e. I finished the game and died, and got reborn, and have nearly finished it again).
It's... a web-based RPG that's free-to-play (though there is premium content), where all the graphics are stick people, just about all interaction is done via clicking links and things in menus, and it's all implemented in php, javascript and html forms. It's also several years old, but I only really discovered it about 2 months ago.
It's very tongue-in-cheek and funny; most of the time it's word-play and absurdity, a lot of the jokes are referential, some are just plain crude. I spent a lot of time just having fun reading battle text and descriptions of items.
And it's kind of an MMO but really not very at all. You don't really directly interect with any other players for the main core play of the game, you only really talk directly to others in chat (which is ever present but optional). There are clans and PvP but it's all optional. You can buy a shop in the mall or sell items through the marketplace to other players, so it does have an economy too.
All the same, it seems to have a friendly and active community, and it receives regular updates. It was even advertising a KoL convention and comic book coming out, recently.
Related links:
wiki,
fan site,
forum,
calendar,
foodstuff chart,
buffbot
It's... a web-based RPG that's free-to-play (though there is premium content), where all the graphics are stick people, just about all interaction is done via clicking links and things in menus, and it's all implemented in php, javascript and html forms. It's also several years old, but I only really discovered it about 2 months ago.
It's very tongue-in-cheek and funny; most of the time it's word-play and absurdity, a lot of the jokes are referential, some are just plain crude. I spent a lot of time just having fun reading battle text and descriptions of items.
And it's kind of an MMO but really not very at all. You don't really directly interect with any other players for the main core play of the game, you only really talk directly to others in chat (which is ever present but optional). There are clans and PvP but it's all optional. You can buy a shop in the mall or sell items through the marketplace to other players, so it does have an economy too.
All the same, it seems to have a friendly and active community, and it receives regular updates. It was even advertising a KoL convention and comic book coming out, recently.
Related links:
wiki,
fan site,
forum,
calendar,
foodstuff chart,
buffbot
Friday, 19 August 2011
"Russian Unicorn" video is funny :)
This music video is great.
Russian Unicorn - a bad lip reading of Michael Bublé
Some people took the music video to Michael Bublé's song "Haven't Met You Yet" and placed a complately different song over it, perfectly timed and lip-synched to match the original.
I really like the Russian Unicorn song. I had heard the original song a lot on the radio, and... I really don't like Michael Bublé's style of singing; it's more like talking in a smug way, in different tones. I had never seen the music video until today.
Ah, I like the way the Russian Unicorn song has such a different style and attitude to it, so you can interpret the pictures to mean such different things. Maybe... maybe the Russian Unicorn song actually fits the video better than the original! :D
Russian Unicorn - a bad lip reading of Michael Bublé
Some people took the music video to Michael Bublé's song "Haven't Met You Yet" and placed a complately different song over it, perfectly timed and lip-synched to match the original.
I really like the Russian Unicorn song. I had heard the original song a lot on the radio, and... I really don't like Michael Bublé's style of singing; it's more like talking in a smug way, in different tones. I had never seen the music video until today.
Ah, I like the way the Russian Unicorn song has such a different style and attitude to it, so you can interpret the pictures to mean such different things. Maybe... maybe the Russian Unicorn song actually fits the video better than the original! :D
Friday, 22 July 2011
Tramlines - Sheffield music festival
Well, I just made it back home after the first night of the Tramlines free music festival.
I went out tonight and...
* Visited the Kid Acne exhibition in the Millenium Gallery (mostly I went into there because it was cold outside and warm inside but it turned out to be a cool exhibition). There's a lot of his street art around town. I really like his drawings, especially his warrior women dotted around the place, but hate the slogans he's painted around town. Especially on Paternoster Row. There used to be some cool art on one wall - which was his own - but he painted over it with "You'll thank me one day". And it's rubbish in comparison! :(
* Went to a pub called Henry's because my colleagues had told me that our friend (another ex-colleague) was playing there later. I bought a drink and sat about 9ft from the stage (a very small and slightly wobbly stage), and I heard:
- a lady called Emily who was really excellent, and seemed really sweet and nice and friendly, and somewhat shocked at how much the audience liked her. Which was A LOT. :) But most of her songs were about being angry at someone, and she was certainly expressive about it!
facebook
myspace
She was much better than on her myspace recordings! She said she's playing Soyo tomorrow, then taking a break from gigging for a while to record an EP with a record label. :D
During one of the songs, one of my friends - Ali - was on the phone and there was a quiet moment in a song and all anyone heard was "I'M IN THE BEER GARDEN - IN HENRY'S". Everyone laughed and eventually she did too. At the end of the song everyone in the place was laughing, and she thanked everyone in the room.... EXCEPT HIM.
XD
And the next time started off with lyrics that were along the lines of "you don't care and you never listen" and everyone was in stitches.
XD
Carried on like a pro after that, pretty super awesome. :)
- the Don Barrel Gents. A two-piece guitar group who are cool and always good to listen to.
http://donbarrellgents.co.uk/
I used to work with Lee, the one of the two who doesn't sing and likes tuning his guitar. Even if I didn't know Lee, I'd still like them. :) The one of the two who sings has a really unusual way of playing his guitar - he uses it as a percussion instrument sometimes, and Lee does twiddly bits. :)
* Then I went out to the area in front of City Hall and saw Heaven 17 perform "Temptation"!
Well, they had a set starting at 9pm but we decided to stay and listen to our friend... well, no-one could remember more than one song, so we figured if we arrived at 9:45 we'd get that song. And our plan worked! :D
It was better than the original, but... well, the original is a good song, I like it a lot, but the vocals were a bit out of tune, and they've got better since. :)
So they played that and everyone jumped around and cheered, and then they performed "Being Boiled" (which is a Human League song)... and that was it. The guy who's lead shouted "Up the Owls!" and there was a lot of booing, but maybe it helped make everyone clear off sharpish. :P
And then I came home. A friend mentioned they plan to meet up a The Shakespeare tomorrow to attend Lee's gig, but I have no specific plans I am dedicated to at the moment. There's tons going on, and I can only be at one place at a time!
I can hear live music coming from outside still, I guess it must be at the Riverside Cafe. I am too tired to venture any further though.
I went out tonight and...
* Visited the Kid Acne exhibition in the Millenium Gallery (mostly I went into there because it was cold outside and warm inside but it turned out to be a cool exhibition). There's a lot of his street art around town. I really like his drawings, especially his warrior women dotted around the place, but hate the slogans he's painted around town. Especially on Paternoster Row. There used to be some cool art on one wall - which was his own - but he painted over it with "You'll thank me one day". And it's rubbish in comparison! :(
* Went to a pub called Henry's because my colleagues had told me that our friend (another ex-colleague) was playing there later. I bought a drink and sat about 9ft from the stage (a very small and slightly wobbly stage), and I heard:
- a lady called Emily who was really excellent, and seemed really sweet and nice and friendly, and somewhat shocked at how much the audience liked her. Which was A LOT. :) But most of her songs were about being angry at someone, and she was certainly expressive about it!
myspace
She was much better than on her myspace recordings! She said she's playing Soyo tomorrow, then taking a break from gigging for a while to record an EP with a record label. :D
During one of the songs, one of my friends - Ali - was on the phone and there was a quiet moment in a song and all anyone heard was "I'M IN THE BEER GARDEN - IN HENRY'S". Everyone laughed and eventually she did too. At the end of the song everyone in the place was laughing, and she thanked everyone in the room.... EXCEPT HIM.
XD
And the next time started off with lyrics that were along the lines of "you don't care and you never listen" and everyone was in stitches.
XD
Carried on like a pro after that, pretty super awesome. :)
- the Don Barrel Gents. A two-piece guitar group who are cool and always good to listen to.
http://donbarrellgents.co.uk/
I used to work with Lee, the one of the two who doesn't sing and likes tuning his guitar. Even if I didn't know Lee, I'd still like them. :) The one of the two who sings has a really unusual way of playing his guitar - he uses it as a percussion instrument sometimes, and Lee does twiddly bits. :)
* Then I went out to the area in front of City Hall and saw Heaven 17 perform "Temptation"!
Well, they had a set starting at 9pm but we decided to stay and listen to our friend... well, no-one could remember more than one song, so we figured if we arrived at 9:45 we'd get that song. And our plan worked! :D
It was better than the original, but... well, the original is a good song, I like it a lot, but the vocals were a bit out of tune, and they've got better since. :)
So they played that and everyone jumped around and cheered, and then they performed "Being Boiled" (which is a Human League song)... and that was it. The guy who's lead shouted "Up the Owls!" and there was a lot of booing, but maybe it helped make everyone clear off sharpish. :P
And then I came home. A friend mentioned they plan to meet up a The Shakespeare tomorrow to attend Lee's gig, but I have no specific plans I am dedicated to at the moment. There's tons going on, and I can only be at one place at a time!
I can hear live music coming from outside still, I guess it must be at the Riverside Cafe. I am too tired to venture any further though.
Capcom, oh Capcom...
It's funny... almost seems like a lot of Japanese companies that used to be kings of the video game world about 10 - 15 years ago have kind of imploded in recent years... destroying themselves from within.
In recent times, Capcom have:
* Implemented DRM on certain downloadable PS3 games so you need to be connected to the playstation network in order to play them, even games with no online features. See: source. This is because they don't like people "sharing" games by logging onto more than one PS3 with their account and downloading the game so it can be played on both consoles. Really didn't work out well when PSN was taken offline for several weeks.
* As far as I know, they're not going to publish any more Ace Attorney games in English. :(
* Implemented Evil DRM for the new Resident Evil spin-off game on 3DS, where you can't restart the game over from the start. Source. This is because they make no money on 2nd hand games and don't like that. So you can't ever replay the game you bought from the start. If there's any point where you mess up and want to start over and do it better you can't. If you want to go back and replay the early parts of the game with the knowledge of what you know in later stages to see how it pans out, you can't.
* Took some characters out of Marvel vs Capcom 3 that people were really looking forward to, just so they can sell DLC..... but that's turned into another version that comes out in a few months time. To make loyal fans buy the same thing twice.
* Streetfighter IV DRM
and now.... cancelled Megaman Legends 3, which I was kind of looking forward to; I liked the PS1 Megaman Legends games (and the Tron Bonne game... actually I just like Servbots!)
And they blame the fans for not creating content for the game.
There are various online campaigns running at the moment; fans begging for the game.
I'm thinking if Capcom don't want to continue the project, and the original creator has jumped ship already, it's a bad idea to force them to make it just for the money. They might just take the name of the thing you liked, put a "3" on the end, and release something heartlessly created - derivative but without the magic. And then people will spend money, but they won't like what they've bought and will complain even more.
I can't think of an appropriate equivalent in videogames at the moment. I'm thinking we'd end up with Bat out of Hell 3. But with Servbots.
In recent times, Capcom have:
* Implemented DRM on certain downloadable PS3 games so you need to be connected to the playstation network in order to play them, even games with no online features. See: source. This is because they don't like people "sharing" games by logging onto more than one PS3 with their account and downloading the game so it can be played on both consoles. Really didn't work out well when PSN was taken offline for several weeks.
* As far as I know, they're not going to publish any more Ace Attorney games in English. :(
* Implemented Evil DRM for the new Resident Evil spin-off game on 3DS, where you can't restart the game over from the start. Source. This is because they make no money on 2nd hand games and don't like that. So you can't ever replay the game you bought from the start. If there's any point where you mess up and want to start over and do it better you can't. If you want to go back and replay the early parts of the game with the knowledge of what you know in later stages to see how it pans out, you can't.
* Took some characters out of Marvel vs Capcom 3 that people were really looking forward to, just so they can sell DLC..... but that's turned into another version that comes out in a few months time. To make loyal fans buy the same thing twice.
* Streetfighter IV DRM
and now.... cancelled Megaman Legends 3, which I was kind of looking forward to; I liked the PS1 Megaman Legends games (and the Tron Bonne game... actually I just like Servbots!)
And they blame the fans for not creating content for the game.
There are various online campaigns running at the moment; fans begging for the game.
I'm thinking if Capcom don't want to continue the project, and the original creator has jumped ship already, it's a bad idea to force them to make it just for the money. They might just take the name of the thing you liked, put a "3" on the end, and release something heartlessly created - derivative but without the magic. And then people will spend money, but they won't like what they've bought and will complain even more.
I can't think of an appropriate equivalent in videogames at the moment. I'm thinking we'd end up with Bat out of Hell 3. But with Servbots.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Thursday, 16 June 2011
New Dancing Eyes game announced for PS3 Move
official Dancing Eyes website
Yesssss. :D
Coincidentally, I was playing the 1996 version on the arcade machine at work last week to the vast amusement of a crowd of braying colleagues, staring on in disbelief and rapture, and suggesting "choose the schoolgirl! Yes, he's nice".
I was just browsing the list of games and someone was "what is that??" so I started it up at his request.
It's that lovely mixture of bizarre and somewhat NSFW-ness that added to everyone's entertainment.
Did anyone suspect that this is one of my all-time favourite arcade games? That it wasn't just luck and I have played it through to the end before? ...well, I forgot myself and picked it up straight off without instructions, so, er, something something something. ^_^
I was thinking at the time "I wish they'd made another game like this. Maybe someone like Tecmo would pick it up"
And here we are.
I dunno what's with this website, though; it seems to repeat the some things over and over, and I don't see any release date or price.
And I still kind of have a wish for Tecmo ladies.
This, and the Time Crisis / Razing Storm / Deadstorm Pirates pack (also from Namco) are the only things that are making me think "maybe there is something on PS3 / Move I'd like to play after all".
Yesssss. :D
Coincidentally, I was playing the 1996 version on the arcade machine at work last week to the vast amusement of a crowd of braying colleagues, staring on in disbelief and rapture, and suggesting "choose the schoolgirl! Yes, he's nice".
I was just browsing the list of games and someone was "what is that??" so I started it up at his request.
It's that lovely mixture of bizarre and somewhat NSFW-ness that added to everyone's entertainment.
Did anyone suspect that this is one of my all-time favourite arcade games? That it wasn't just luck and I have played it through to the end before? ...well, I forgot myself and picked it up straight off without instructions, so, er, something something something. ^_^
I was thinking at the time "I wish they'd made another game like this. Maybe someone like Tecmo would pick it up"
And here we are.
I dunno what's with this website, though; it seems to repeat the some things over and over, and I don't see any release date or price.
And I still kind of have a wish for Tecmo ladies.
This, and the Time Crisis / Razing Storm / Deadstorm Pirates pack (also from Namco) are the only things that are making me think "maybe there is something on PS3 / Move I'd like to play after all".
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Thoughts on the recent gaming website hacking incidents
The website for the computer game company Codemasters got hacked and announced it earlier today - a friend of mine at work was pretty miffed when he got an email about it. He was complaining that gaming platforms have been targetted by hackers so much his same details must have been stolen about 4 times now.
Another developer joined in and started lamenting the fact that the same rules that apply to online financial institutions (PCI DSS) don't seem apply to other websites who hold personal data.
Things are difficult to secure these days. Soon after PSN was hacked, Bloomberg reported that Amazon's EC2 elastic cloud servers had been used. For a small amount of money, a person can use a huge amount of processing power, and this includes brute force attacks on passwords - last year, SHA-1 was shown to be broken within 40 seconds. I suppose it is to be expected that if you allow people to hire Superman as a cheap labourer, someone will get him to rob a bank.
I've seen people seriously suggest that bcrypt is used to store passwords simply because the algorithm is slow to execute, in order to slow down attackers.
You can try and put in all the stops you can think of - for example, if they get 20 passwords wrong in quick succession, lock the account. That sort of thing. But if the attackers have already got in and can attempt to decrypt your data at their leisure, slowing them down is all you can do.
I still think when you're buying digital property, you shouldn't need to give out all this information. Why should you need to hand over your address etc, and why do these companies think they should be keeping this information?
All they need is temporary use of payment - perhaps an external payment provider - and perhaps some login credentials to their system. If card details need to be stored, tokenization will help (but note what I said earlier).
Earlier this week, the 3DS eshop came online and I added some funds onto the wallet for my 3DS to buy Legend Of Zelda : Link's Awakening DX (which is as brilliant as it always was!), and all it asked for were card details. They put through the transaction and Nintendo don't retain the card number, because they have no need to.
So a few weeks ago when the hackers broke in to Nintendo's systems, there was nothing there for them to take. And they said there was "no harm" meant, but it sort of seems more like "no paydirt".
It's a bit like... if there's no way to fully secure things, or you don't want to put money into seriously beefing up security, don't store anything valuable. Same as - if you're going to park your car somewhere you know people are likely to break a window to steal stuff, you don't leave your sat nav, wallet, ipad, work tools, or other valuables on display.
I also read that three people in Spain have been arrested for allegedly hacking the Playstation network. I hope they have the right people, and if so, that justice is fully served!
Another developer joined in and started lamenting the fact that the same rules that apply to online financial institutions (PCI DSS) don't seem apply to other websites who hold personal data.
Things are difficult to secure these days. Soon after PSN was hacked, Bloomberg reported that Amazon's EC2 elastic cloud servers had been used. For a small amount of money, a person can use a huge amount of processing power, and this includes brute force attacks on passwords - last year, SHA-1 was shown to be broken within 40 seconds. I suppose it is to be expected that if you allow people to hire Superman as a cheap labourer, someone will get him to rob a bank.
I've seen people seriously suggest that bcrypt is used to store passwords simply because the algorithm is slow to execute, in order to slow down attackers.
You can try and put in all the stops you can think of - for example, if they get 20 passwords wrong in quick succession, lock the account. That sort of thing. But if the attackers have already got in and can attempt to decrypt your data at their leisure, slowing them down is all you can do.
I still think when you're buying digital property, you shouldn't need to give out all this information. Why should you need to hand over your address etc, and why do these companies think they should be keeping this information?
All they need is temporary use of payment - perhaps an external payment provider - and perhaps some login credentials to their system. If card details need to be stored, tokenization will help (but note what I said earlier).
Earlier this week, the 3DS eshop came online and I added some funds onto the wallet for my 3DS to buy Legend Of Zelda : Link's Awakening DX (which is as brilliant as it always was!), and all it asked for were card details. They put through the transaction and Nintendo don't retain the card number, because they have no need to.
So a few weeks ago when the hackers broke in to Nintendo's systems, there was nothing there for them to take. And they said there was "no harm" meant, but it sort of seems more like "no paydirt".
It's a bit like... if there's no way to fully secure things, or you don't want to put money into seriously beefing up security, don't store anything valuable. Same as - if you're going to park your car somewhere you know people are likely to break a window to steal stuff, you don't leave your sat nav, wallet, ipad, work tools, or other valuables on display.
I also read that three people in Spain have been arrested for allegedly hacking the Playstation network. I hope they have the right people, and if so, that justice is fully served!
Friday, 10 June 2011
Watching Utena in remembrance...
I read in the news on ANN earlier today that an actress had died. It was Kawakami Tomoko (nb: lastname, forename). According to the news article, she was 41 years old, and retired suddenly in 2008 with a hospitalisation, and has now died of ovarian cancer. It is terrible, very tragic indeed. She used to be quite prolific.
It's also quite tragic when I think of some of the characters she played, also dying young.
I wonder whether she was aware she was seriously ill in the run up to her sudden retirement.
This evening, I decided to begin watching the new remastered DVDs of Shoujo Kakumei Utena which she starred in. A great series, one of my all time favourites, one that was really instrumental in getting me into anime many years ago. Yet, I haven't watched it in years.
These new Nozomi version DVDs really do the series justice. The 5.1 Japanese sound works really well, and the picture is far, far better than the old Software Sculptors DVDs... though those are some of the worst official US DVDs I own (the VHS version was better than those DVDs!)
There's been far too much death this year. But it's best to remember in life.
It's also quite tragic when I think of some of the characters she played, also dying young.
I wonder whether she was aware she was seriously ill in the run up to her sudden retirement.
This evening, I decided to begin watching the new remastered DVDs of Shoujo Kakumei Utena which she starred in. A great series, one of my all time favourites, one that was really instrumental in getting me into anime many years ago. Yet, I haven't watched it in years.
These new Nozomi version DVDs really do the series justice. The 5.1 Japanese sound works really well, and the picture is far, far better than the old Software Sculptors DVDs... though those are some of the worst official US DVDs I own (the VHS version was better than those DVDs!)
There's been far too much death this year. But it's best to remember in life.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
2 player play using 3D TV tech
At E3, Sony demonstrated a way that 2 people can play a game on the same TV and look at 2 complete different images, without split screen.
When we saw it (watching a video at lunch at work), we all guessed how it could be done.
I found something that mentions how it's done: It works on any 3D TV; each person wears 3D glasses, one sees "left" the other sees "right" but they are two different 2D pictures.
Sounds like a cool use of existing technology! :)
When we saw it (watching a video at lunch at work), we all guessed how it could be done.
I found something that mentions how it's done: It works on any 3D TV; each person wears 3D glasses, one sees "left" the other sees "right" but they are two different 2D pictures.
Sounds like a cool use of existing technology! :)
Sunday, 5 June 2011
Nintendo 3DS
I ended up buying a 3DS when it came out. Mostly because it was heavily discounted on Amazon. It still costs a lot more than other consoles in the DS range.
I quite like the machine, I just wish it had some great games out for it. It doesn't even have a game as good as "Project Rub" for showing off the features. Mostly what is out are sequels, ports and the most anticipated game is a remake of Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time. I'd like something truly new, showing off some innovation.
The eshop comes out tomorrow, everyone gets a free copy of Excitebike 3D (which I imagine will be like the visualiser in the 3DS's MP3 player - an 8-bit game with 3D in layers, découpage style), and a free 3D Pokedex application compatible with Pokemon Black and White.
Quite fun, but still not quite the killer app.
I have played two 3DS games on cartridge:
* Lego Star Wars III The Clone Wars, which I borrowed from a colleague and finished really quickly (71% overall completion). It's not bad, but feels quite shallow and bland - not nearly as good as the Lego Star Wars games on Xbox 360.
* Puzzle Bobble Universe, which I bought for £12.99 on Amazon thinking "it's puzzle bobble, how could it go wrong?" but... it's far too easy, and there's no Arcade mode. I've started playing "endless mode" and it truly is endless - I've been going 7 hours now, I've gone past level 2700 now, and it's not getting difficult. I am quite bored, but it's against my nature to simply give up. :(
Super Street Fighter IV seems to be the most popular game around, from what I have detected on players I have passed in town, but I don't think I need another copy of that game. I already own it on my home consoles and haven't played it that much. Dead Or Alive Dimensions might be good, but I will wait for the price to drop.
The built in software is much better. Streetpass is kind of a meta-game, you seek out other people in the real world carrying 3DSes, to pass by and collect puzzle pieces, or work as RPG characters in a simulated quest. The games don't have much substance, but it's fun to think about where in town you're likely to find people with 3DSes. The detection seems a bit flaky though - sometimes it would pick up a friend's 3DS, other times not. Even if they were right next to each other, and could pick up other people's consoles!
Face Raiders - where you take a photo of someone and shoot little balls at it, as it's stretched to pull funny faces - is far more fun than I thought it would be. It's genuinely funny!
The 3D... I usually leave it on minimum setting, the less I notice it, the better it works, is my opinion. Overdone 3D is just annoying - I am hoping that people will "grow out of" doing it like that - a bit like when they first invented colour films and dressed everyone up in the most outgrageously gaudy clothes to show the technology off. It'll be better when they forget to show it off.
The 3D technology doesn't work at all on my brother, he finds it immediately irritating. Fortunately, all the applications and games look great with the 3D switched off. :)
3DS games are all region locked, but DS games appear not to be. I've been happily playing both European and American DS games. The screen size is larger on 3DS than on DS, so it's upscaled via software, and as with all different models of DS, the colours are a bit different. Some games (e.g. Ghost Trick) look great on 3DS, other games (e.g. Pokemon White) look a lot better to me on DS.
Battery life on 3DS seems great when leaving it on sleep mode for Streetpass, when playing DS games, and Puzzle Bobble Universe (but it does appear to be a very simple game). It was not so good with Lego Star Wars III, and I understand it's very short with some other games. I am mainly using it as a DS these days, so it's not much of an issue for me.
So, that's all I have to say about 3DS so far. Seems a good little machine, I use it every day, but is so lacking in retail games that sometimes I can't help but feel like I am the proud owner of a brand new Neo Geo Color Pocket. :/
I quite like the machine, I just wish it had some great games out for it. It doesn't even have a game as good as "Project Rub" for showing off the features. Mostly what is out are sequels, ports and the most anticipated game is a remake of Legend Of Zelda Ocarina Of Time. I'd like something truly new, showing off some innovation.
The eshop comes out tomorrow, everyone gets a free copy of Excitebike 3D (which I imagine will be like the visualiser in the 3DS's MP3 player - an 8-bit game with 3D in layers, découpage style), and a free 3D Pokedex application compatible with Pokemon Black and White.
Quite fun, but still not quite the killer app.
I have played two 3DS games on cartridge:
* Lego Star Wars III The Clone Wars, which I borrowed from a colleague and finished really quickly (71% overall completion). It's not bad, but feels quite shallow and bland - not nearly as good as the Lego Star Wars games on Xbox 360.
* Puzzle Bobble Universe, which I bought for £12.99 on Amazon thinking "it's puzzle bobble, how could it go wrong?" but... it's far too easy, and there's no Arcade mode. I've started playing "endless mode" and it truly is endless - I've been going 7 hours now, I've gone past level 2700 now, and it's not getting difficult. I am quite bored, but it's against my nature to simply give up. :(
Super Street Fighter IV seems to be the most popular game around, from what I have detected on players I have passed in town, but I don't think I need another copy of that game. I already own it on my home consoles and haven't played it that much. Dead Or Alive Dimensions might be good, but I will wait for the price to drop.
The built in software is much better. Streetpass is kind of a meta-game, you seek out other people in the real world carrying 3DSes, to pass by and collect puzzle pieces, or work as RPG characters in a simulated quest. The games don't have much substance, but it's fun to think about where in town you're likely to find people with 3DSes. The detection seems a bit flaky though - sometimes it would pick up a friend's 3DS, other times not. Even if they were right next to each other, and could pick up other people's consoles!
Face Raiders - where you take a photo of someone and shoot little balls at it, as it's stretched to pull funny faces - is far more fun than I thought it would be. It's genuinely funny!
The 3D... I usually leave it on minimum setting, the less I notice it, the better it works, is my opinion. Overdone 3D is just annoying - I am hoping that people will "grow out of" doing it like that - a bit like when they first invented colour films and dressed everyone up in the most outgrageously gaudy clothes to show the technology off. It'll be better when they forget to show it off.
The 3D technology doesn't work at all on my brother, he finds it immediately irritating. Fortunately, all the applications and games look great with the 3D switched off. :)
3DS games are all region locked, but DS games appear not to be. I've been happily playing both European and American DS games. The screen size is larger on 3DS than on DS, so it's upscaled via software, and as with all different models of DS, the colours are a bit different. Some games (e.g. Ghost Trick) look great on 3DS, other games (e.g. Pokemon White) look a lot better to me on DS.
Battery life on 3DS seems great when leaving it on sleep mode for Streetpass, when playing DS games, and Puzzle Bobble Universe (but it does appear to be a very simple game). It was not so good with Lego Star Wars III, and I understand it's very short with some other games. I am mainly using it as a DS these days, so it's not much of an issue for me.
So, that's all I have to say about 3DS so far. Seems a good little machine, I use it every day, but is so lacking in retail games that sometimes I can't help but feel like I am the proud owner of a brand new Neo Geo Color Pocket. :/
Harsh reality...
Occasionally, I see news articles about such and such a person complaining that video games are unrealistic about death. That people do not turn into shiny gold coins.
But...
As a very rare drop, I have a shiny gold coin. Or rather, a cheque for a shiny gold coin, bequeathed to me. It took a lot of work, mostly from my aunts.
A human being, 8 decades of life, and of memories, and what does it turn into in the end? A collection of shiny gold coins. That's all.
I'd trade any number of them to get my granny back. R.I.P.
But...
As a very rare drop, I have a shiny gold coin. Or rather, a cheque for a shiny gold coin, bequeathed to me. It took a lot of work, mostly from my aunts.
A human being, 8 decades of life, and of memories, and what does it turn into in the end? A collection of shiny gold coins. That's all.
I'd trade any number of them to get my granny back. R.I.P.
Sunday, 8 May 2011
Marvel Pinball Soundtrack available for free
The soundtrack to Zen Studios' Marvel Pinball is now available for free:
Marvel Pinball Soundtrack
I like the Spider-Man tracks best. Well.... the Spider-Man table is my favourite to play too.
I'm looking forward to the Fantastic Four table in a few weeks, and apparently Zen are getting ready to release one table per month after that! I have high hopes for them!
Marvel Pinball Soundtrack
I like the Spider-Man tracks best. Well.... the Spider-Man table is my favourite to play too.
I'm looking forward to the Fantastic Four table in a few weeks, and apparently Zen are getting ready to release one table per month after that! I have high hopes for them!
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
PSN got hacked...
PSN went down over the weekend. That's no big deal, people can't play games online... well, it also meant that people can't download the games they own on PSN - which is not so good.
The news got worse. Lovefilm and Netflix - entertainment delivery providers who have services on PSN - also went down.
Now it has emerged that all PSN data has been stolen!
Source: Ars Technica
If you use the same password on PSN as other services or whatever online, I suggest you change that password. Also, keep an eye on your credit card account and on the lookout for evidence of identity theft.
Now, I had a think and for me.... I think they have stolen one out of date home address, and two fake overseas addresses.
All the same, I'm furious at Sony for this. The thieves should not know people's passwords. It's the absolute basics - you one-way encrypt passwords. You seed encryption so hackers won't be able to crack the encryption by just having a look at the data. You compare hashes, not passwords. That way it should be impossible for hackers who've just got the data to know what people's passwords are.
If they haven't been doing that, what kind of yahoos are these?
I'd expect hackers who've gotten onto the servers to be able to crack credit card numbers before they know everyone's passwords!
The news got worse. Lovefilm and Netflix - entertainment delivery providers who have services on PSN - also went down.
Now it has emerged that all PSN data has been stolen!
Here is the data that Sony is sure has been compromised if you have a PlayStation Network Account:
* Your name
* Your address (city, state, and zip)
* Country
* E-mail address
* Birthday
* PSN password and login name
"It is also possible that your profile data, including purchase history and billing address (city, state, zip), and your PlayStation Network/Qriocity password security answers may have been obtained. If you have authorized a sub-account for your dependent, the same data with respect to your dependent may have been obtained," Sony announced. While the company claims that there is "no evidence" that credit card information has been compromised, it won't rule out the possibility.
Source: Ars Technica
If you use the same password on PSN as other services or whatever online, I suggest you change that password. Also, keep an eye on your credit card account and on the lookout for evidence of identity theft.
Now, I had a think and for me.... I think they have stolen one out of date home address, and two fake overseas addresses.
All the same, I'm furious at Sony for this. The thieves should not know people's passwords. It's the absolute basics - you one-way encrypt passwords. You seed encryption so hackers won't be able to crack the encryption by just having a look at the data. You compare hashes, not passwords. That way it should be impossible for hackers who've just got the data to know what people's passwords are.
If they haven't been doing that, what kind of yahoos are these?
I'd expect hackers who've gotten onto the servers to be able to crack credit card numbers before they know everyone's passwords!
Friday, 22 April 2011
A year of pokewalking
1944690 steps - that's how far I've walked in the past year. Well, when I've been carrying a pokewalker, anyway. Very nearly 2 million steps. No wonder my boots are so worn out.
It averages out as only about half as far as people are supposed to walk in a day to be considered healthy and active...
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Osamu Dezaki has passed away
Osamu Dezaki died recently, at the age of only 67 - of lung cancer.
When I found out the news, I momentarily turned into a detailed painting at the shock of it all.
There's a nice obituary for him on the Manga Entertainment website. They've published quite a few of his films in English, for example Golgo 13, Black Jack, and Space Adventure Cobra.
He is my all-time favourite anime director. He had a long and distinguished career spanning from the 1960s to almost the present day (as a result, I thought he would be older than he was). I'd been slowly making my way through his works, and enjoy the vast majority of what he's done, if not all. I'm currently watching "Hakugei: Legend Of The Moby Dick" and am really enjoying it.
His best works out of what I've seen so far:
* Rose of Versailles (he did the 2nd half of the series)
* Oniisama e
* Ace o Nerae
* Ashita no Joe
* Air (the movie adaptation)
I haven't seen the whole of Ace o Nerae or Ashita no Joe.
I'm feeling quite a sense of loss. May he rest in peace.
When I found out the news, I momentarily turned into a detailed painting at the shock of it all.
There's a nice obituary for him on the Manga Entertainment website. They've published quite a few of his films in English, for example Golgo 13, Black Jack, and Space Adventure Cobra.
He is my all-time favourite anime director. He had a long and distinguished career spanning from the 1960s to almost the present day (as a result, I thought he would be older than he was). I'd been slowly making my way through his works, and enjoy the vast majority of what he's done, if not all. I'm currently watching "Hakugei: Legend Of The Moby Dick" and am really enjoying it.
His best works out of what I've seen so far:
* Rose of Versailles (he did the 2nd half of the series)
* Oniisama e
* Ace o Nerae
* Ashita no Joe
* Air (the movie adaptation)
I haven't seen the whole of Ace o Nerae or Ashita no Joe.
I'm feeling quite a sense of loss. May he rest in peace.
Monday, 14 March 2011
Free .NET MVC 3 training videos
I'm watching some .NET MVC training videos here:
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2011/03/09/free-video-training-asp-net-mvc-3-features.aspx
They're free to view until the 18th of March 2011.
http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2011/03/09/free-video-training-asp-net-mvc-3-features.aspx
They're free to view until the 18th of March 2011.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Pokemon Black and White - UK events
Here's the list of remaining events for Pokemon Black and White in the UK:
Pokemon UK Black & White events
26/02/2011 - 27/02/2011:
Glasgow Fort - 285 Provan Walk, Glasgow Fort Shopping Centre, Junction 10 - M8, Glasgow, G34 9DY
Brighton - 43-44 Western Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2EB
Preston - Unit 8, Fishergate Centre, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 8HJ
London Hamleys - 188-196 Regent Street, , London, , W1B 5BT
Reading - Unit 18, Oracle Shopping Centre Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2AQ
I went to one at a branch of GAME in Meadowhall, Sheffield last weekend. Mainly because everyone who brought along their DS and a recent pokemon game could download a free celebi. I got three of them - one for HeartGold, one for SoulSilver and one for Diamond. :)
This celebi unlocks a cool story event in HG and SS. Also, when a player transfers this celebi and the three shiny HG/SS legendaries to whichever version they choose of the new game, some kind of special event happens. I wish I could store more than 3 Wonder Cards. I've currently got one for Mew, one for Jirachi and one for Celebi, and it seems a pity to have to delete one just for the Johto trio. :/
There were four pokemon Black & White demo machines available. They weren't demonstrating the game on Nintendo 3DS, but on DS lites. (Though they had one in the store and the games have special features that are enabled on 3DS). The demo cartridges were unusually long!
I played the demo of Black (it was too crowded to choose which to play). The demo was quite short; you are a trainer with a level 25 [starter pokemon]. All the menus seemed to be disabled except for one that detected other B & W players nearby. You battle someone, someone else, and go to Dragonspiral Tower to see the legendary of the game. It says "The legendary pokemon have appeared at last. What could they want? A new adventure awaits!" and fades to black, and restarts itself with a different random trainer and starter pokemon.
I didn't learn much from the demo other than there are new pokemon, new legendaries, new setting.
But is there really anything more you could want in a pokemon demo? :)
There was also a special pokemon artist at the event who was painting pictures of the new game starters on people. She was really really good! I didn't ask for one to be painted on me, though!
The only shop I have seen in the UK selling Pokemon Black and White with preorder bonuses is Toys R Us (online), so I have preordered a copy of each game from them. It's just an accessory pack, but that might be good. :)
Pokemon UK Black & White events
26/02/2011 - 27/02/2011:
Glasgow Fort - 285 Provan Walk, Glasgow Fort Shopping Centre, Junction 10 - M8, Glasgow, G34 9DY
Brighton - 43-44 Western Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 2EB
Preston - Unit 8, Fishergate Centre, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 8HJ
London Hamleys - 188-196 Regent Street, , London, , W1B 5BT
Reading - Unit 18, Oracle Shopping Centre Reading, Berkshire, RG1 2AQ
I went to one at a branch of GAME in Meadowhall, Sheffield last weekend. Mainly because everyone who brought along their DS and a recent pokemon game could download a free celebi. I got three of them - one for HeartGold, one for SoulSilver and one for Diamond. :)
This celebi unlocks a cool story event in HG and SS. Also, when a player transfers this celebi and the three shiny HG/SS legendaries to whichever version they choose of the new game, some kind of special event happens. I wish I could store more than 3 Wonder Cards. I've currently got one for Mew, one for Jirachi and one for Celebi, and it seems a pity to have to delete one just for the Johto trio. :/
There were four pokemon Black & White demo machines available. They weren't demonstrating the game on Nintendo 3DS, but on DS lites. (Though they had one in the store and the games have special features that are enabled on 3DS). The demo cartridges were unusually long!
I played the demo of Black (it was too crowded to choose which to play). The demo was quite short; you are a trainer with a level 25 [starter pokemon]. All the menus seemed to be disabled except for one that detected other B & W players nearby. You battle someone, someone else, and go to Dragonspiral Tower to see the legendary of the game. It says "The legendary pokemon have appeared at last. What could they want? A new adventure awaits!" and fades to black, and restarts itself with a different random trainer and starter pokemon.
I didn't learn much from the demo other than there are new pokemon, new legendaries, new setting.
But is there really anything more you could want in a pokemon demo? :)
There was also a special pokemon artist at the event who was painting pictures of the new game starters on people. She was really really good! I didn't ask for one to be painted on me, though!
The only shop I have seen in the UK selling Pokemon Black and White with preorder bonuses is Toys R Us (online), so I have preordered a copy of each game from them. It's just an accessory pack, but that might be good. :)
Nintendo 3DS - first impressions
I had a chance to try a 3DS in a shop over the weekend.
It didn't have any games for it, the lady demoing it was just taking 3D pictures with the built-in camera, and there was a little Augmented Reality game where you shoot a floating head in the room where you're standing.
It was kind of ok, but I didn't really like it.
It's got a 3D effect and if you move your head a little to the sides, it moves along with that, but if you move too far it really breaks the picture and you see two completely different ones.
I ended up feeling a bit odd after looking at it for a while. Mildly disoriented.
I don't really like it.
I found myself thinking.... it's really not going to be good as a proper portable like that; I mean, if you're planning on using it while on a bus or train - the bumps as you travel are going to mess things up.
Oh and it probably won't be the same for proper games, but when you switch the console from 3D to 2D, and you're looking at a photo, it makes the photo seem horribly fuzzy and low res.
So now I've seen one, I am definitely thinking [no thanks].
I dunno, when all you have to compare is *actual reality*, the fake 3D effect just isn't impressive.
It didn't have any games for it, the lady demoing it was just taking 3D pictures with the built-in camera, and there was a little Augmented Reality game where you shoot a floating head in the room where you're standing.
It was kind of ok, but I didn't really like it.
It's got a 3D effect and if you move your head a little to the sides, it moves along with that, but if you move too far it really breaks the picture and you see two completely different ones.
I ended up feeling a bit odd after looking at it for a while. Mildly disoriented.
I don't really like it.
I found myself thinking.... it's really not going to be good as a proper portable like that; I mean, if you're planning on using it while on a bus or train - the bumps as you travel are going to mess things up.
Oh and it probably won't be the same for proper games, but when you switch the console from 3D to 2D, and you're looking at a photo, it makes the photo seem horribly fuzzy and low res.
So now I've seen one, I am definitely thinking [no thanks].
I dunno, when all you have to compare is *actual reality*, the fake 3D effect just isn't impressive.
My new PC
It took a few months, but I bought myself a new PC. Here it is:
It's one of these:
3XS H55 Performance GTS - Custom Series
...except that I customised it so it's got a 40GB SSD drive as the main hard drive, there are a 1TB and a 2TB drive as well for storage, there's a card reader in the front which can also hot-plug SSD drives (!!!), there's a Creative soundcard (mainly because I want to rip my vinyl record collection, and Creative cards come with good features and tools), and I went with Windows 7 Pro rather than the default home edition.
This is the first desktop PC I've bought in nearly 10 years, so I went to a shop that would offer a good system at a mid-range price, then let me customise it with fancy stuff.
...and then they took a month to build it, but I don't really mind. They also got my name wrong almost every time, and gave the courier the wrong address. I don't really mind that either. Well, not much. Well.... enough to mention it in public. :P
This is the first time I've had a PC where the graphics card is almost as big as the motherboard! :)
Things to note:
I didn't specifically choose the boy-racer style case with a window and lights inside, but it is a good case and has lots of ventilation.
It's speedy and quiet. :)
It's one of these:
3XS H55 Performance GTS - Custom Series
...except that I customised it so it's got a 40GB SSD drive as the main hard drive, there are a 1TB and a 2TB drive as well for storage, there's a card reader in the front which can also hot-plug SSD drives (!!!), there's a Creative soundcard (mainly because I want to rip my vinyl record collection, and Creative cards come with good features and tools), and I went with Windows 7 Pro rather than the default home edition.
This is the first desktop PC I've bought in nearly 10 years, so I went to a shop that would offer a good system at a mid-range price, then let me customise it with fancy stuff.
...and then they took a month to build it, but I don't really mind. They also got my name wrong almost every time, and gave the courier the wrong address. I don't really mind that either. Well, not much. Well.... enough to mention it in public. :P
This is the first time I've had a PC where the graphics card is almost as big as the motherboard! :)
Things to note:
I didn't specifically choose the boy-racer style case with a window and lights inside, but it is a good case and has lots of ventilation.
It's speedy and quiet. :)
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