Waiting for Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Wii owners are currently rioting, people are arguing in Wikipedia, and the news come trickling in everyday. Yes, it's the much ballyhooed Super Smash Bros. Brawl. So what the hell is this game about anyway?

The more you hit, the harder they fall.
Known best for its multiplayer, SSBB is a fighting game that has a different system from traditional fighters. Instead of the conventional life bar that you have to empty, the game utilizes damage percentages. The more you damage an opponent, the more likely they get to fall down the stage and lose a life. And also unlike traditional fighting games, you don't need to memorize unique control schemes for every character, you can unlock each one's potential with the same controls, and hell, at least you don't need to memorize, what? almost 40 controls?!

Big Depth
Delays were made in its release many times due to the "unprecedented game depth". Hell, if it's penned by its creator and a Final Fantasy writer, why complain, right?

It's all about something called The Subspace Emissary in which you go through several unique (!) storylines and features a group of antagonists as well as bosses. Not everyone knows about how it will go yet, but judging from Famitsu's perfect 40 rating of the game, it's gonna be huge.

More Playable... Pokemon?!
Yes, you can now summon different Pokemon and play them by way of selecting the Pokemon Trainer who summons them. Actually, you can only fully control 3 (plus Pikachu, Jigglypuff and Lucario as confirmed standalone characters) Pokemon- Charizard, Squirtle and Ivysaur. They may be the oldest Pokemon, but they're still fan favorites. Plus, it helps that their ultimate attack is a combination of Solarbeam, Hydro Pump and Fire Blast. Complete with text box.

Other indirectly controllable Pokemon include Rayquaza (as a boss), along with a slew of random Pokemon that go out of the Pokeball items in the stages. They're practically invincible and they will aid you to victory.

The match 20 years in the making
It's old news (along with everything in this post), but third-party characters such as Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog and Konami's Solid Snake join the fray. They get their own moves, and Snake even gets to decapitate Mario, which is quite funny because Mario's head... is big!

As for Sonic, well, Mario and the blue speed demon was already paired in an Olympic competition, but it disappointed. So to make up for that, SSBB is getting him into the roster, and the 20-year old debate would finally end!

Getting relevant
Japan-only Nintendo characters existed in its predecessor Melee, and they come back here for more. The developers actually wanted to get them (Japan-only characters) out of the game, but when Radiant Dawn, a former Japan-only franchise that made it to North America, met success, they decided to put them there anyway. And for North American gamers to know more about them, they decided to put up a so-called "Masterpieces" section that would utilize the Wii's emulation software and enable a player to experience a part of the game of an unknown character. That was a smart move, because they could potentially generate more revenue if they import more Japan-only games and make them English.

The online experienceDon't get me started with this picture.

The game takes advantage of Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connection so you can brawl with players around the world, share your best moments (by capturing video or taking a pic and even putting it on an SD memory card) and even build your own stage! Of course, you can download the stages and pics and videos of others, of course! "Chatting" is also present.

Do I waggle?
Actually, there are four kinds of control. 1) Wiimote sideways, 2) Wiimote + Nunchuk, 3) Classic controller and 4) GameCube controller. And yes you can set it to your preference and, for the Wiimote, send it for on-the-go convenience.

There is actually mild waggling for the so-called "Smash Moves", but other than that, it's all button-based "for the full SSBB experience".

Mysterious Aura
Even if the game is almost getting released in Japan (Jan. 31) and a bit longer in the English language (March 9), the game is still subject to a hell of a lot of dispute... Just looking at the discussion forum in Wikipedia is making me nauseous already! What character is this, which is going here, are they reprising their roles? LEAKERS ARE RELIABLE! and stuff like that. Well, at least all this will end when the cat gets out of the bag in just 2 days (on Friday as of this writing) albeit in Japanese.

Closing Remarks
My God is the game going to be epic. It is the seventh game to receive a perfect rating in Famitsu ever (a sure sign of things to come), it features a lot of fan service, its trademark gameplay has remained intact, and the campaign is even written by someone working with the Final Fantasy staff. With all this and a lot more, what. can. go. wrong?!

SOURCE: Wikipedia, Smash Bros. DOJO!!

Lamenting my lost wallet...

Ohh crap. Why did I even bother bringing wallets every day? The black Diesel wallet I've been with for almost 4 years has left me. Damn P.E. pants and my drowsiness! Hahaha.

I guess I'll move on now.

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AY POTIK. MOA MONEY KO PALA IYON.

Hahaha. Anywayz, my mother merely joked about it because my cousin who just came from Hong Kong (honeymoon) gave me a wallet last night. "What great timing!" LOL.

Nuevo, na-hospitalize pala.
Grabe naman ata 'yung stress sa Bigkasan. After that little cheat in their competition held in De La Salle, as you may already know, he had a fever and now it has reached forty! Na-mimiss ka na nila, lalo na ni Sir Maru! Hahahaha. Ayeee... joke lang! Get well soon.

A new way to convey your ideas
There's yet another new innovative web idea: Doodle, narrate and embed your ideas the natural way. If you had to use video editors, audio editors and PowerPoint to present your idea in a cumbersome way, never fear for SketchCast is here!

So what's SketchCast you ask? This piece of web application enables you to centralize the use of PowerPoint, video and audio editor features and rolls it into one. So if you are currently in a hurry to create a little video to convey your idea which you will have to present in a group web page, you can talk as you doodle your idea out and embed it in a sec. If you want to burn it in a CD/DVD, you'll definitely have to download it separately (using RealPlayer 11 beta or other apps). Here's the address: http://sketchcast.com (Duh.)

(SOURCE: CNET)

Miss vibration in your SixAxis PS3 controller?
If you currently own a PS3 and miss the "force feedback" you find in the PS2, Sony just announced the good news in TGS '07: PS3 SixAxis DualShock 3 controllers will be sold in 2008. Current hits will be updated to support this while new titles will come with this feature (Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear Solid 4, etc.).

Still, with the release of Halo 3 and the Wii's increasing dominance (plus, it has a motion-sensing, vibrating controller by default!), the PS3 is gonna have to cover more ground. This one is a baby step, but it's progress.

(NEWS SOURCE: CRAVE CNET BLOG)

Square Enix showcases Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XIII
At this year's Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix unveiled their sequel portfolio to be unrolled next year. And boy was Kingdom Hearts, though expected, was ironically surprising. It will come not only in 1 or 2 iterations, but in 3! One for mobile, one for PSP and one for DS. Though it will not come as a surprise if there is naught a PS2 release, the lack of PS3 release is a bit of a letdown. But at least fans can enjoy the diversion.

The thing is, the stories for the three platforms are entirely different with Kingdom Hearts Coded (MOBILE) wherein Jiminy Cricket, who was browsing through his journal, encounters a little quote he can't decipher: "We must return to free them from their torment." so he consults King Mickey who digitizes the journal and searches the answers himself, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS) wherein you play 'the other main character' Roxas as he goes to join the Organization XIII and sees a fourteenth member, apparently a woman, join them and starts off after Chain of Memories (PS2 version), and Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep (PSP) which is the prequel that travels to the time when keyblades were plenty, exactly what the secret footage in Kingdom Hearts II depicted.

For Final Fantasy XIII, nothing new was unveiled except for the world outside 'the Cocoon', the world protected by a crystal that represents peace, which is christened the Pulse where no one can supposedly survive... until a female character shows up. The trailer ended with the words 'For PlayStation 3 Only', giving emphasis on PS3 exclusivity.

There is also another iteration of FF13 in the name of Final Fantasy VERSUS XIII wherein only landscapes, cityscapes and a few new characters were unveiled. Aside from that, nothing.

Then there is that other FF game called Dissidia: Final Fantasy wherein the trailer depicted someone from FF7 fighting Squall Leonheart of FF8.

GameSpot doesn't have authorized trailers but hopefully YouTube does. XD

(NEWS SOURCE: GAMESPOT)

Halo 3: RELEASED
Boy is the PS3 gonna have to cover lots of ground after this.

Microsoft Game Studios and Bungie Software's latest sequel of its monster franchise Halo has finally been released and Gamespot gives it a 9.5 together with an Editor's Choice, citing that "though it's everything you expect in a sequel, it has new content that will keep the series spinning in exciting directions". It's not much of a surprise since there is a video recording feature, Forge map editor, online file sharing, 4-player (via X-Box Live) campaign, exciting multiplayer and the magnificent audiovisual experience as well. Microsoft is sure gonna get more cash with this baby. A LOT MORE.

Thing is, how about the developer, Bungie? Will they be able to churn out more interesting stuff after Halo? To quote Gamespot: "Since it has a LOT of replay value, Bungie can use all that time to think about their next move after Halo.". This is an exciting prospect since Bungie has been doing a magnificent job so far.

(SOURCE: GAMESPOT)