I`ll make this brief. Jay-Z needs no introduction and if you by some chance don’t know him google is your friend.Has the streak of Jay-Z hit or miss records come to an end?
The album starts off with a good, yet eerie techno type beat with Jay rapping about what he is and isn’t talking about (obviously). Hov expresses his dissatisfaction with people misunderstanding his songs and his lack of will to reply and speak about those who are unhappy with him. He mildly delves into the infamous falling out with Damon Dash but whether he actually means to address things by saying he isn’t addressing it is another discussion. Good album opening.
Thank You gives us the Jay-Z braggadocio that we have all grown to love/hate over a strong horns instrumental. D.O.A., the street single everyone has likely heard by now mixes a great multi-tasking No I.D. track with Jay-Z giving an farewell to the hopefully forgotten hip-hop trends (Jay trying to reap the credit for killing it) . Run This Town has a mediocre rockish sound which is complemented decently by a Rihanna guest appearance. A blistering Kanye West verse saves this from being a disaster.
Blueprint 3 then takes pulls a yo-yo as the quality of the tracks fluctuates. The amazing New York anthem Empire State of Mind, featuring Alicia Keys is easily one of the best tracks. Ten internets to whoever can guess where he got this concept from. This song is a lot different though as it fuses light-hearted keys with some decent vocals. This will most definitely high up on the most requested remix song, and will hopefully end up with another fellow NY rapper or two. Real as it Gets, and On to the Next One…..not much to say, you’ve probably heard better from all of the people included in these cuts……on to the next one…..the album really starts to dabble in mediocrity here, and Jays “curse” shows his faults as he tries to satisfy every type of fan, including the motor heads. “Off That” really doesn’t need Drake for anything other than album clout….he bares no presence on this cut whatsoever. Another case of name slapping (the worst being an new Jay album called BP3 -_-).
A Star is Born is a tribute from Jay-Z to the superstars that he witnessed come up, who also proclaims that he is “The Blueprint” for those who came after him. The song (as well as the album) is also apparently a tip of the hat towards up and comers as it features a hungry J.Cole (Wale would’ve sufficed as well imo). He didnt get that many bars, but he definitely showed those who didn’t already know what he’s about. Low keys and claps all the way through make the rest of the albums remaining tracks seem hopeful, and right we are, because Already Home is arguably the best song on the album. A wicked hook by newcomer Kid Cudi aided by the Kanye we know = win. If you can get over the half man half mammal line you’ll love it….revision?.
Venus vs. Mars is yet another attempt by Jay to make a song that delves into opposite sex relations. Unfortunately Jay hasn’t revised his Blueprint enough to scrap songs like these. What “Girls Girls Girls” and “Song Cry” achieved will likely not be done by him again. A decent Timbo sound works where a cookie cutter chorus does not. This song could have been a lot more.
Hate. The genius of this song is that it is one that you WILL hate, or love. Your supposed to hate it. The flows are slow and the beat is bland. It’s so unconventional it’s appealing. The vanity of JaYe shows.This song is a statement saying that they set the precedent for what is considered good hip-hop now. The haters have been silenced. Young Old then tries to “remind” us of all his accomplishments over another Timbo beat. This one is a little better than the other. The jewel So Ambitious is one of the best bridges/productions you have heard from The Neptunes. Jays past/present nay-sayers and doubters are thanked for the “fuel” and ambition.
Jay when he was making "So Ambitious", "Empire State of Mind", and "Already Home".
Peep Ricky Gervais in the front.
The final cut “Forever Young” takes a stale sample and makes it…..more stale. It sounds like something that would play at a funeral. Is this what they were going for? Jay-Z flaunts his age complex stating that he will never die and forever lives on through his music. Bad song overall, the message could have used better production.
If you don’t mind shallow subject matter and the original Mr. Carter’s new pop/strictly for the money steelo….AAAND a thousand too many “Ah” ad-libs, you’ll enjoy this. Good wordplay and solid production. Totally worth the listen at least for the good parts.
To kick off the gaming year of `05, Resident Evil 4 came out to tough criticism from long time fans of the previous games and massive critical acclaim. The reason for the former being the complete revamp of the series, a decision to not include fixed camera angles and use an over the shoulder third person shooting mechanic. It may have not been much of a survival horror game, but the action was almost unmatched, possibly the reason it won plenty of game of the year awards and is still looked at as one of the greatest games of all time.
Fast forward to March of `09, and we are finally playing the long awaited sequel to one of the greatest games ever created. Enter Resident Evil 5…
Plot
The plot picks up right from where the prequel left us, and roughly ten years after the original Resident Evil. You play as Chris Redfield, BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) agent, and longtime series character. This journey follows Chris and his newfound ally Sheva Alomar (BSAA West African branch) on a mission to unravel the mystery of the Uroboros (a new bioweapon, see T-Virus) and discover the fate of an old partner, Jill Valentine.
Now, if your expecting a deep, revolutionary and engaging storyline, you’ve got the wrong game. The plot is extremely straight forward with little to no twists and no brainer decisions. It is full of “Where did he go? Over there.” moments of simplicity. By the end of the game scores will be settled, and you will sit through an ending all too akin to the other games.
However, with all of the bonus content in the game there are files and documents which you can read that include piles of backstory for those who want to know more, or simply haven’t been into the series for very long. It will make you wonder why the in-game story is so lacking, but I suppose it is better to have it all in one place rather than not at all.
Cocaine's a hell of a drug.
Gameplay and Presentation
Players of RE4 will feel right at a home. However, the selling point this time would be of course, co-operative play, a franchise first. I would strongly suggest playing with a friend, as it is definitely better than relying on the computer AI, although decent, nothing can replace a human.
While the AI has thus far suffered plenty of complaints, I for one have had a decent experience with it. Sheva will have two modes that she can enter independently or with the consent of the player, cover and attack. Cover being a form of watching your back and only attacking when a hostile gets too close, attack making Sheva pursue and shoot nearby zombies. It’s a choice between passive and aggressive that is clear as day, crystal even. She (or Chris should you choose to PLAY as Sheva) will remain at your side at all times, the most it will take is tap of the B button to call them over. Fairly simple, but not without the minor frustrations that are almost impossible to avoid when using AI, such as Sheva running in to walls and using items with almost no discretion. Why an option was not included to control Sheva when playing on your lonesome is anyone`s guess. Developer laziness?
One of the biggest downsides of Resident Evil 5 would have to be the rushed feeling of the game. You can see how little time was spent on some sections of the game when playing the later areas. You`ll find yourself running through narrow halls, and solving cookie cutter puzzles all too much.
This game just cowers in the shadow of RE4, although it IS technically a better game, it is in the wrong time era, it doesn’t feel like a fresh experience at this point. The enemies are almost identical to the last, down to their animations and actions, but rightfully so I suppose since the Las Plagas from RE4 are back. This games zombies aren`t that groundbreaking, but there is enough variety to keep it feeling fresh.
The game also boasts also boasts a more “robust” melee system, which doesn`t really feel all that new, save for joint attacks performed when teammates attack in succession.
The storage system is quite different this time around, and you’ll notice that quickly considering the favorable merchant character is no longer around. Each character carries nine items, amongst them being healing items, armor, weapons/ammo, and another type of item being treasures, which only serve the purpose of being traded for money. All of your items will be stocked for different sessions of play. Upgrades return, allowing you to tweak your utensils of destruction to perfection.
The Shenmue influenced action cutscenes (also known as Quick Time Events and QTE) return, in which players must press specific buttons during cinematics, to engage in actions further progressing the story, such as avoiding a chainswinging motorcyclist, or running away from the venomous bite of a bat like bio-organic weapon. Although fun, these queues are WAY too easy, leaving much to be desired in the challenge and quantity departments.
Mercenaries returns, this time instead of being a tool to earn new unlockables, players compete against and with each other for a spot on the leaderboards. There are eight maps, and eight character skins, which allow players into the shoes of Wesker and Jill, along with the original roster, all with at least two outfits and sets of equipment, and even some special abilities. Mercenaries provides a steep challenge, allowing players to bask in the pure action of the game.
The music sets the pace just fine, with a steady arrangement of suspenseful tunes. With that said, you will likely be hearing the same scores over and over again, don`t worry too much though as some of them are actually quite phenomenal. If you don’t like it you can always use a custom soundtrack.
Fans of the game will be able to squeeze approxiamately a good weeks worth of gameplay, since the game has a decent amount of replayability once the initial playthrough is complete (it took me a little over 10 hours on Veteran with a friend, which unlocked Professional difficulty). With The Mercenaries mini-game, unlockable outfits, weapons, files, and even digital action figures to name some, you`ll soak in a plethora of prospects. There is even an option to add filters to the visuals for slightly different experiences, such as black and white, and a noise effect. Players will likely enable things like this, and no music whilst going through their all knives playthorughs.
Overall, the game provides classic third person shooting, with just a touch of the survival horror that sparked the series, considering the stop and shoot robotic like movements are still intact, keeping you cautious, and on your toes. Veterans and Amateurs alike will find comfort here in the familiar and easy formula.
Resident Evil 5 is just another testament to Capcom`s ability to change with the times, and reinvent themselves to match todays standards of gaming, (as you can see many similarities with more recent hits like Metal Gear Solid 4 and Gears of War) all the while keeping their individual charm, winning the hearts of hundreds of gamers, including resilient veterans and fanatics. It may not exhibit their innovative talents displayed in the previous installment, but the addition of co-op play saves this from being a disaster. The game shines its brightest when playing with a dedicated friend and a great arsenal. At it`s core lies a great action game with mild scares, a no gimmicks story, decent length, and good replayabilty. If that tickles your fancy, you owe it to yourself to purchase this game.
Here’s to the next series format revamp for Resident Evil 6.
I wrote this a while ago and it was posted elsewhere, but every anime watcher needs to read this! So here!
One Piece is a weird anime, even the creator, Eiichiro Oda says so. The story is about a young pirate called Monkey D. Luffy, who aspires to rule the seas and assembles a crew to help him become King of the Pirates and find One Piece, the hidden treasure left behind by the previous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, put to death for his crimes in his hometown. You`ll watch Luffy and his crew go through their many trials and tribulations in an everlasting adventure that is still going on to this day. Doesn`t sound weird does it? You`ll see. The anime is 350 + episodes and the manga is 550+ chapters, with new installments every week. It`s still going strong and many are turned off by its longevity, but if its your kind of thing you will be hooked from episode/chapter 1 and going through the whole series will be nothing.
The legendary King of Pirates, Gol. D Roger
Visuals – At first glance it looks horrible. Absolutely horrible. It looks like its for a teletubby demographic. But believe me its not. It can be very violent just in its own way. But you will see enough for you not to place it in a kiddie category. And I know that’s a bad way to start a review but its true. I almost never picked it up because of how it looked. I saw a random episode on Cartoon Network from the universally hated 4kids dub. But it had such a unique art style that I decided to try the manga and got hooked from chapter 1. It just gave me that “Whats he going to do next? How is he going to do that?” feeling that I probably haven’t felt since.
"One Piece is a weird series!" - Eiichiro Oda
For the manga, there will be a lot of text, so if your a Bleach fan and your used to reading a chapter a minute start building your reading skills right now, sometimes it competes with the Death Note manga in text…because the story is a big part of it…and like many mangas and animes the art will look better and sharper over time.
Don't try this at home. "Viz Media & Eiichiro Oda"
Anime wise the downloadable HD episodes are nothing short of amazing.
Music – Always sets the tone perfectly. I`ve never really wanted to download tracks from animes until OnePiece. In the later story arcs you will see why.
Plot – Peerless. It never has dead arcs. Which is pretty funny considering the maker was never really a great storyteller. It is loosely based on pirates, but not so loosely that you will forget…*cough* ninjas! And there are a lot of real life references (including real life pirates). It`ll make you laugh, cry (and i know people who will testify to LITERALLY crying)…and everything in between. It’s been around so long for a reason….a good one at that. You can talk about it with others for hours and ponder “Wtf is going to happen next?” after every episode/chapter. There are a lot of easter eggs mostly in the manga from DBZ cameos to extremely important character cameos and you wont even know it. It`ll keep you on your toes and manage to shock you quite often….believe it….woops. But the reason for that is because there is always so much going on and so many unanswered questions to this day…even considering its been out for a decade. It`ll pick your brain trust me. No two arcs feel the same and they are always feel fresh and new. Dragonball was one of its main inspirations, but One Piece goes so above and beyond that its not even funny. They even did a crossover special for the manga with DBZ and OP characters.
The main characters (the crew) are very lovable, unique and ACTUALLY GET DEVELOPED evenly. You will like the other characters just as much as the protagonist if not more. And it doesn’t stop there because there are countless others who also get developed. You owe it to yourself to try this series. Heck, even the non-canon material is decent (movies fillers etc).
The icing on the cake would be again the easter eggs. I`ve never seen animes with as much real life references eggs and extras including databooks….the whole nine. A great balance of quality and quantity. Makes you really think on how long it was in the making and how premeditated it was.
In conclusion, this is a MUST try…I`d say for anyone but ESPECIALLY if you like Shonens such as Bleach, Dragonball, Naruto and unique adventures this is really a must. Now that Funimation has been doing the dub on Cartoon Network and DVDs it will be even better for those who just don’t like subs for animes.
Dont judge a book by its cover and if you dont believe me believe the millions of fans in Japan who made it one of the best selling manga ever and one of the most watched in Japan.
I’ve played the heck out of this game, fairly recently but still had to do some research to remind myself of some of the games quirks. It is awesome and I chose to review it because I really think it got underhanded here in the states in comparison to series like Final Fantasy. I know people would probably prefer to hear someone mutilate the existence of a game but this isn’t the case. Ha! too bad!
The franchise Dragon Quest, also known as Dragon Warrior in America, is one of the most renowned JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Game) ever. Don`t believe me? Check out Famitsu`s top 100 games of all-time.
However, when bringing the series over to the west, Square Enix did not have much luck. It was only overshadowed by the already dominant Final Fantasy series, which made the transition to US much more smoothly, with a defining game like Final Fantasy VII.
The game was released in 2004 in Japan to great acclaim, and roughly a year later overseas, to only decent success compared to their prior standards that were set. One can only guess why. Enter Dragon Quest VIII…
Plot
An ominous cutscene will start the game off where one of the main villains, Dhoulmagus (yes, DOOL-MAY-GIS get your laughs out now), steals a seemingly powerful sceptre from the castle of Trodain, and casts a curse on it using his new found powers to eternally petrify it`s residents….with the exception of one castle guard….you.
yeah this guy doesn't look like a tool.
You start off in humble beginnings, in the middle of a forest. The game doesn`t quite tell you how you got there yet, as you are to discover it yourself. Accompanied by two rather bulbous and short men (one of them reminiscent of a toad), an eccentric mysterious mouse, and a beautiful white horse attached to a carriage, you are immediately informed that this is going to be quite an adventure as the title implies. The player is immediately thrown into an introductory battle before finding shelter in a nearby town, taking in the games stunningly sharp score (check it out here).
The situation is quickly discovered upon entering the town as your green companion (actually the king of Trodain, King Trode, morphed into a beast by Dhoulmagus` venomous powers) has you investigate the whereabouts of a mage that may have the knowledge to help him and his daughter Princess Madea (the white horse) in their accursed state. From here you are plunged into a perilous pursuit, and you can just sit back and enjoy the story-driven classic JRPG gameplay.
The typically mute hero lacking a concrete name (you have to name him, I chose to name him ‘Hiro’ for pun) is one of the most likable main characters I can say I’ve seen. He`s intuitive, knows to keep his mouth shut, (with the exception of player ad-libs) and makes you feel like your playing a role. You`ll man him as you travel with your companions and find new ones (also controllable), to destroy Kefka`s retarded brother Dhoulmagus` curse, and maybe even find a thing or two out about yourself and why you were the only one to survive the crisis.
Those new found companions would be Jessica and Angelo (also known as Kukule in Japan), the other two playable characters along with the Hero and Yangus, the bandit berserker type character, who pledged his life to the Hero after you save it during a rather humorous confrontation, which one of the cutscenes will elaborate on later in the game.
Jessica is a voluptuous red-headed whip-wielding black mage type, who joins the crew after a heated debate with her rich mother, believing to her mother`s dismay that she should go and find her estranged brother Alistair, eventually receiving the help of the Hero and company.
Angelo is a rebellious templar who frequents the bar often for gambling and women. He wears a red costume and attacks with a rapier, with the option for bows and arrows, topped off with a touch of white magic.
Outside of the playable characters, there is Munchie the mouse, who also has his uses. Using different types of cheeses during battle will cause him to consume them, enabling special battle effects, including damage.
umm, yeah this is going to be some journey.
The end of the game will leave players mildly and moderately satisfied, but the optional ending that you acquire by completing the game once and going through a series of trials known as the Dragovian Trials, gives you a dose of much needed main character development and makes the ending way better, leaving you content with your game.
The story isn`t anything new under the sun but it is certainly one to remember, with easily lovable characters, and countless side-quests, everyone will find something to enjoy here. The twists aren`t too ridiculous and the characters (designed by the infamous Dragonball Z creator and artist Akira Toriyama) shine in all of their cel-shaded glory, from snow villages to sky citadels.
how can you go wrong?
Gameplay
Very simple and somewhat primitive even. This game does a spectacular job on building on top of what was already present. It`s easy to learn, hard to master battle system caters to all crowds of gamers. It takes what we`ve grown to love from RPGs of the past, and added a graphical facelift, with some extra quirks. If it`s not broken, don`t “fix” it. However when developers do this “fixing”, it is likely in an attempt to freshen the series, DQ8 takes the best of both worlds and executes it in an outstanding fashion by staying true to the series roots and introducing new ideas simultaneously.
In DQ8s turn-based battles, you will have four options. Fight, in which your respective character will attack with whatever weapon they have (be it a sword, rapier, bow, dagger, ax, etc.) and attack the enemy of your choice. Also under Fight will be the ability to use items, magic, defense, and skills acquired by utilizing points after gaining a level. The abilities and magic are fun animations to watch and will manage to almost never become tedious. The spells/skills include typical elemental attacks and status boosts/debuffs for the most part. There is also an option to “Psyche Up”, allowing you to charge up by the turn for maximum damage, as your character goes into a trance like state. Additionally, a team of monsters can be assembled to do your bidding for you later in the game. The option to Flee obviously is an attempt to end the battle, Intimidate does so by scaring the enemy away and Tactic is an automated set of protocols for characters, it doesn’t have much of a purpose but its existence does nothing to hurt the experience. I honestly have never experimented with it much so don`t hold me to that statement. All of this might seem a little complicated on paper, (or…monitor?) but it’s a lot easier to understand when you have the controller in your hand, along with visual aid and sound cues.
where have we seen this before...
Each of the four characters can carry 12 items, and all other items will be stored in a bag. Typically each character will have a weapon, armor, a helmet, a shield, and an accessory equipped. Whatever else you decide for a person to carry into battle is all up to you. The game menu is also very simple, four tabs for attributes, items, magic, and a miscellaneous tab for things such as the character line-up. Pressing select allows the player to see more specific statistics, like the amount of enemies obliterated, and amount of times killed. This also includes King Trode commenting on your performance thus far.
As for navigation outside of menu interfaces, players will travel amazing landscapes far and wide, talking with townsfolk, purchasing new items, taking new sidequests, and watching some of the games charming, funny cutscenes. You’ll go through your usual sequence of dungeons be it optional or sidequests. Few enemies will trek the environment, dashing towards you as you near them and engaging in battles, but for the most part the battles are randomized, although not to the point that they are annoying, considering how fun the battles can be. There are ways to turn the amount of battles down and move about quickly, with the likes of teleportation, tiger-like creatures called “sabrecats”, a boat, and even the ability to fly eventually at your disposal throughout the course of the game, giving treasure hunters a much easier life. The world map consists of several continents which can all be fully explored, granted only a few of the areas are worth noting, completionists and explorers alike are going to want to leave no stone unturned as the game tends to have treasure chests and hidden areas in the most of unlikely places. Some people are going to want to explore every nook and cranny, only to find out that they’ve missed a few things.
*Good gameplay video*
Dragon Quest VIII is a game of epic proportions and of epic delivery. Down to the polished visuals, sharp battle system, great storyline and charming characters, it is almost impossible to find a flaw with this game. Even if your not an RPG fan, you should at least try this one, and if you do decide to pick this up, try not to go in with inflated expectations just because of this review, maybe you`ll like it, maybe you won`t….but if you don`t…..you`re probably braindead ;).
mysterio 