Now…

Now playing: Tekken 6, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, Little Big Planet (PSP)

Now listening to: Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral, Muse – The Resistance, HAARP, Saosin – In Search of Solid Ground, Dead By Sunrise – Out of Ashes, Radiohead – In Rainbows

Now Watching: Batman – The animated series, Chuck Season 2

Now reading: Programming and school stuff mostly.

Saosin Rocks Manila!

Saosin's performance of You're Not Alone.

January 22nd, 2010 is a day I’ll never forget. For it was on that fateful day that I saw one of my favorite bands of all time play right in front me. Yes, Saosin, a band I’ve liked for 5 years now, has invaded Manila and has rocked its socks off.  Typecast, my hometown heroes, provided support and warmed up the crowd as the opening act. And yes, I also enjoyed their performance.

The gig took place in the A-venue music hall in Makati City, Philippines. Post-hardcore band Thursday also played a show in the venue in 2007. The stage was good to go, lights and sounds were all set up, and Saosin came out and proved that they are awesome live performers. What made the concert even more awesome was that the band played almost all of the songs that I wanted to hear live.

The setlist was a perfect mix of their old and new material. Only Bury Your Head was the notable no-show from the set. “They Perched…”, an old favorite of mine from their first EP in 2003, was the song they played in the encore!

The full setlist was:

I Keep My Secrets Safe
Sleepers
Voices
Changing
Collapse
Deep Down
It’s Far Better To Learn
The Alarming Sound of a Still Small Voice
On My Own
I Never …Wanted To
Bury Me
You’re Not Alone
Seven Years
Fireflies

Encore:
They Perched On Their Stilts, Pointing And Daring Me To Break Custom

Sparklers even fell from above the stage during You’re Not Alone making it one of the night’s best and most epic performances. The band sounded good live and the energy was really high through-out the entire set. My only gripe was that Cove’s voice doesn’t rise above the other instruments from time to time, and that he sometimes lets the crowd sing some of the higher parts of a song.

Still, it doesn’t take away from how great their performance was. Justin also did this sick guitar spin during their last song which really hyped up the crowd and ended the concert with a bang. All in all, I hope Saosin comes back in a few years. Because if they do, I’m pretty sure I will be.

I uploaded all of the photos I took to a public album on Facebook. Check it out here.

Fan game: Metal Gear Solid: Fight of Metal Gears

I’ve never read or looked into any Metal Gear fan games before but this one looks pretty good. Metal Gear Solid: Fight of the Metal Gears is an 8-bit, Megaman style, MGS fangame. What makes Fight of the Metal Gears unique though is that the game’s story is based on a Metal Gear fanfiction story of the same name.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (hands-on)Preview

Thirteen things you need to know about the PSP’s biggest game in 2010.

Note: I played the demo in its entirety in single player. I can’t comment on how the game plays when you go co-op. Also, just click the images to view better quality versions of the screenshots.

1. This Metal Gear Game is designed, written, and directed by Hideo Kojima – and the man says that this a full Metal Gear experience on the PSP. I’d have to agree based on everything I’ve seen in the demo. PW is shaping up to be one of the best Metal Gear games ever.

2. The cut scenes are a hybrid of Yoji Shinkawa and Ashley Wood’s artwork. Think of MGS 4 cutscenes and mix them with the comic-book cut scenes from MPO.

3. You can actually zoom in on the characters in some cut scenes and well, have a more “intimate look” at them.

3. The environments are more diverse, and are better designed than the environments in MPO.

4. There are 4 Snake outfits you could choose from. Each outfit comes with unique equipment, camouflage, and weapons. More outfits would probably be included in the final game.

5. The “capture and recruit” gameplay element from MPO hasn’t been completely abandoned. The game features the Fulton surface to air recovery system. You can actually capture tranquilized or dazed soldiers by sending them up using a parachute type of equipment. However, how this recruitment system further affects the gameplay isn’t actually shown in the demo. I don’t really know what became of all those soldiers I captured (LOL).

6. The CQC controls are awesome. It really makes performing CQC easier.

7. Speaking of controls, there are two types: shooter type and action type. The shooter type is similar to MGS 4 controls and the action type is more similar to MPO controls.

8. The tank battle featured in the final mission in the demo is epic. I can’t remember feeling this kind of rush in any MPO battle.

9. There is no pausing in the actual game. This means that switching weapons and equipment is now done in real time – making the game much harder.

Thanks to Snakesoup.org for this pic!

10. There are no codec calls but rather, real time messages and communications will be seen and heard during actual game play.

Guys, it’s the real Master Miller!

11. The loading times do need a bit of work. It takes pretty long to load one area/part of a mission.

You’ll be seeing a lot of this loading screen

12. A bonus PSP wallpaper will be saved to your memory stick once you get an A or S rank after completing a mission.

13. The North American release date of the game has been announced as May 25th, 2010.

Welcome to the land of “I Believe!”

Comeback Kings

Note: the following post is a blog entry by KingsFans.com moderator VF21. This entry was posted after the Kings won a game against the Chicago Bulls where they overcame a 35 point deficit. One shy of the NBA record for comebacks which was set in 1996.

It wasn’t a good game. The Kings looked flat, turning the ball over and unable to hit water out of a boat. Fans sitting in front of their TVs were faced with a couple of choices – stick with it even though they didn’t have much hope, watch something else and switch back once in a while to see how bad the carnage was, or just turn it off and wait to read the board after the game.

Regardless of what you did – or if you were planning on recording the game on DVR and watching it later – you will not forget Monday, Dec. 21, 2009 for a long, long time.

Reading the various comments in the game thread tells the tale. From disappointment and a little anger, to a glimmer of cautious hope, to outright optimism and then undeniable and unbelievable joy – all the emotions were there for all to share. And share they did!

Since the night of the draft, Kings fans have been trying to find reasons to be hopeful. And tonight? If you’re not a believer after tonight, one has to question your sanity.

Yes, I believe. One of the first things we noticed about this year’s young squad was they didn’t quit. Their heart and their hustle started to bring the fans back but after tonight, after this incredible display of pure determination, I’m guessing Arco is going to be filling up a lot more from here on out.

It’s been tough to be a Kings fan the past few years because we didn’t have much reason for hope. Well, Kings fans, it appears as though the drought is over. Being a Kings fan can, once again, give you goosebumps and take your breath away…and this is just the beginning of the ride!

I LOVE THIS TEAM!

My Top Movies From 2009

Star Trek

I chose to see Star Trek even If I had very little Trek knowledge and have not seen any previous Trek film. I’m really glad that I did though, as this movie is just absolutely terrific. It’s one of the best Sci-fi, action-adventure films I have ever seen. Also, being a reboot helps since it doesn’t require any previous Trek knowledge to enjoy the character driven story. Watching this movie made me appreciate all the stuff that trekkies have been raving about. From the star ship sequences, the phaser action, to the USS Enterprise and the fantastic dynamic between it’s officers. What impresses me most about this film though is that it’s just really fun to watch. This one was not just for old Star Trek Fans but also for people who choose to go where they’ve never gone before.

Inglourious Basterds

I thought I was going to see a Tarantino war movie with people coming in guns blazing. I was wrong.

District 9

My choice for this year’s best actor goes to D9’s Sharlto Copley. His performance in this Sci-Fi classic about Aliens being inter-galactic refugees in Johannesburg, South Africa is truly incredible. Copley plays Wikus van de Merwe, a South African bureaucrat assigned to relocate a race of extraterrestrial creatures, derogatorily referred to as “prawns”, from a refugee camp in Johannesburg to a new one outside the city. Things go wrong though as Copley accidentally inhales alien fluid and his body starts mutating and he starts turning into “prawn” himself. Wikus is now hunted as only he can operate the aliens’ DNA-based weapons. I really felt the drama in this movie as Wikus is separated from his wife, and everything else in his life. There’s plenty of action too – Wikus uses the alien weaponry to a violent extent. Oh and get this, Sharlto Copley improvised most if not all of his lines in the movie.

500 days of Summer

The movie’s tag line sums it up nicely, “This is not a love story. This is a story about love.” And this story about love delivers. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Tom) and the beautiful Zooey Deschanel (Summer) display an impressive on-screen chemistry perfect for this movie’s non-linear narrative. It also features one of the best scenes of the year – Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing and dancing his way through downtown LA – while an animated bird flys over him.

Zombieland

I knew nothing about this film before watching it, but yeah, I really enjoyed this one. It’s wicked fun. Plus, there’s not a lot to think about, yet in the end, you end up thinking about the best zombie flicks you’ve watched and place Zombieland high above that list. It’s zombies, action, horror, and comedy, all perfectly crafted together. This is a “no-brainer” (pun intended) if you’re a zombie fan.

Terminator Salvation

I don’t really understand the amount of hate that Terminator Salvation got. Sure, there were a plot-holes, and illogical elements in the script, but as an action movie, it was really good. I know that the first 2 James Cameron Terminator films were sci-fi/action movie game-changers during their time and this one doesn’t even come close. Still I’d take the awesome Moto-Terminators chase sequence, the cool homage to previous terminator movies, brilliant set design, awesome action, a good albeit a little overdone performance by Christian Bale, and an even better performance from newcomer Sam Worthington.

Yes Man

A movie about Jim Carrey saying yes to everything? Yes please. In case you’ve forgotten, Jim Carrey can still make people laugh. Oh, and Zooey Deschanel is a thing of beauty. Nuff’ said.

Note: This lists was done in no particular order. I liked some of these movies better than others but I like them all. Avatar is not in this list since I haven’t watched it yet. Expect a review after Christmas.

Muse’s The Resistance is my album of the year.

The first time I heard Muse’s The Resistance, I knew it would be my album of the year. From the catchy base lines of “Uprising”, the Queen-inspired “United States of Euresia”, and the three-part classical revolution that was “Exogenesis”, Resistance is definitely a modern day masterpiece.

Happy 15th Anniversary Playstation!

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the good ol’ Playstation and the Playstation brand as well. The PSX was first released in Japan on December 3rd, 1994. It was released in the US on Sept. 9th, 1995, and Sept. 25th, 1995 in Europe. The first Playstation is regarded by many as the greatest console ever.

Chuck Returns This January!

Who’s excited for Chuck Season 3? I Know I am. That’s right folks, NBC has just announced that the third season of Chuck will begin airing on January 10th, 2010 with 2 back to back episodes. How Awesome is that? I just bought the Chuck Season 1 DVD and this announcement of Chuck’s return has made me an even bigger Chuck fan. Hype-building for the third season is already in full swing as two AWESOME posters have been released. Also, the season 3 trailer and promo videos can now be watched online. Bring on Chuck Season 3!

Armor For Sleep disbands

A few days ago, I found out that one of my favorite bands, Armor For Sleep,  has officially disbanded. I was always wondering what was up with the band since their last album was released in 2007 and they haven’t toured or revealed any  plans on working on a new record. After a year of silence, frontman and founder Ben Jorgensen confirmed that the band has indeed disbanded and Armor For Sleep is officially dead.

My Semester is FINALLY over.

Finally got around to writing another blog entry. My semester is over and now I have a lot of time to do the things I love doing. And one of the things I love to do is to show off how smart I am. Well, not really. I am not that smart. Still, I’m pretty proud of finally passing a subject which I found to be really, really hard. So yeah, I guess I’m pretty smart…I think.