Kinda Related to Comics...X-Men, Anyway....

Heroes finally came back on television! And they're doing it right, unlike last season! It's really exciting, as all the answers we're getting are actually raising more questions. And it's shot like a visual comic book again, which I always appreciated. It's the closest thing on American television that resembles anime without being anime. I'm so in love again with the series. *sigh*

Ouran High School Host Club is coming out in about a month and a half. Soooooo excited! Tamaki-silly-goodness...aaaaaahhh....

Art Post!

This is the Prince and Farah. Found it on Deviantart. It's absolutely one of my favorites mainly because they never really get to do this ever. It's bittersweet, as you can tell by the expression on the Prince's face. This is currently my desktop background. (Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, in case you can't tell for some reason.)

This is Smile for the Camera by Bri-Chan. One of my favorites. I leave it as my desktop for giggles quite often. Bri-Chan does excellent work on DeviantArt, and a lot of it is Disney (something I'm quite addicted to). She just has a wonderful use of expression and color that her artwork always pops, no matter what the subject. She also works for Disney, which is freakin' awesome.

Also check out Mimi-na if you like a twist on Disney characters or just some awesome artwork. I might post something of hers later...

That's all for now (and randomness)! A rant on why vampires are the best monsters is coming later!

True Blood - Suck It Up!

Hee! This one cracks me up!

True Blood Trailer #2

Trailer for True Blood!

The Wisdom of Saying "Bite Me" to a Vampire

I've got to make this quick as I have to wake up reeeaaallllyy early tomorrow.

So, HBO is often known for their awesome/or controversial shows. Last great show on HBO was Rome. Now it's True Blood, based off a series of books.

True Blood follows Anna Paquin as a telepathic waitress (Sookie Stackhouse) in the Deep South (made up town named Bonne Temps in Louisiana) two years after vampires "come out of the coffin" because of a synthetic drink made by the Japanese called 'TruBlood' that satisfies their needs. Vamps are trying to integrate into society in the open now, trying to get basic civil liberties. Sookie meets a really hot vampire named Bill Compton (Sookie: "'Bill the Vampire'? Are you serious?") and both parties are intrigued right away. Sookie is a very open-minded, morally up-right quirky girl that's hard not to love. She's a virgin, as reading the minds of others has led to some really funny and horrific dates. She can't read Bill's mind, which is refreshing to her.

There's a lot of allegory to racial injustice and homosexuality and all that, which is really cool. The setting works suprisingly well, as the Deep South really is kind of a fantasy land in the U.S.A. The South is definitely a world of its own, and the Gothic South displayed here is incredibly fascinating. Plus there's deviant sex, vampire making out, and really great writing and chemistry. Also, the actors are fabulous, as most of them are British (but you wouldn't know it) or Anna Paquin (who won an Oscar at age 11). There's a lot of humor and drama, and all the great stuff in between. I'll gush more when I have the chance. So far two episodes have aired. It's on Sunday nights before Entourage.

Have I mentioned that I adore Anna Paquin? I do. She's my favorite X-men (Rogue) and one of the few young actresses who's actually talented and fun to watch. She's in a lot of indie films as well as some mainstream and is really cute and quirky. I adore her.

Still playing Prince of Persia. My desktop currently consists of some adorable Prince/Farah fanart.

Prince of Persia: Next Gen

So...I've obviously been on a huge Prince of Persia kick as of late and have been eagerly playing/reading/collecting videos and fanart on my favorite characters. Which kind of led to the realization of: "Oh yeah, there's a new PoP by Ubisoft coming out soon." This was helped along by Tony, who made me watch a few trailers and gameplay movies.

It looks amazing. So far game play looks like all the fun I'm already having except now you have a constant companion and the moves are tuned to be more flowing rather than having massive splatter death every five-to-ten minutes or so. It's cell-shaded to look like a painting. The voice acting is great (Kari Wahlgren is the female lead--I don't know who does the Prince but I like his rather blasé attitude) and the lines I've heard are funny. The combat is waaaaaaaaaay improved and more epic in feeling. The story is that you're helping Elika, some mysterious magical girl, restore the world that's been corrupted by evil influences back into the pretty happy nature we all know and love.

Cell-shaded to look like artwork? Restoring the wonders and splendors of nature? Constant companionship and fun combat and puzzles? Why does this sound eerily familiar?

Most people won't know this is ripping off Okami to some extent. I guess that's all right. To be fair, it only seems to be borrowing certain elements, and not enough to be blatently stealing Okami's thunder. Still, it does make me uneasy. As does the character of Elika.

Elika's there to aid you and even keeps you from dying. That's cool, but then it kind of makes the Prince useless. She helps you in combat and is really powerful. You have...a sword. Also a gauntlet. Woo-hoo? The gauntlet helps you in platforming in some really fun and interesting ways, but part of the fun of the Prince in the Sands of Time trilogy was that he was the powerhouse behind all of the neat platforming tricks and ruled the combat. I have lovingly nicknamed him "Monkey Boy" because of it. He also had the dagger to pull off super moves. This Prince seems like he'd be flat in comparison. Again, haven't played the game or really know much about the character, so who knows? Maybe I'm totally, totally wrong. I hope so.

I'm all for powerful female sidekicks. Really. It's just Elika seems too powerful. Where's the fun in that? Farah could hold her own for quite a while and set up one-hit kills for you (sure, it'd be nice if she managed to at least finish off one of the finicky-re-spawning bastards, but whatever). She could also hit you in battle and vice versa, but still it was kinda charming. This though...Elika's more of a device than a character. So far. Again. Haven't played, can't say for sure. These are just impressions.

Apparently you can't die, either. Not sure if that's a plus or will feel like the game is babying you. Also, the story is "non-linear". What's wrong with linear game play? I need that at times to tell me what's going on! Ah well, it does create a feeling of more freedom, which is cool.

So these are my impressions/rants. Agree/Disagree? Tell me why! Feel free to comment. ^_^

Still Playing PoP: Sands of Time

I'm only 33% through the game (damn the real world/work) but I'm still enjoying it immensely. I hate the Wall-Climb move, though. It requires specific timing that I don't always hit, so it's really annoying right now as I have to do it in the one room or fall to my doom (the castle ruins level, btw). I'm still trying to figure out where to go from there, but don't tell me--I feel all superior once I figure it out.

I love, love, love the characters. The Prince and Farah are absolutely great! The Prince is a real person: prideful, easily annoyed, snarky, and truly caring. Farah is also very realistic: willful, confident, strong, easily admitting her mistakes and foibles. It's great to see the characters growing on each other--their interactions are priceless. Once I forgot to pull a lever to let Farah up (right after the birdcage/zoo level) and she yelled at me for forgetting her:

Farah: "Hey! Where are you going? I'm still down here!"
Prince: "I was...checking ahead. Making sure everything was perfectly safe."
Farah: "Making sure I'd be safe? How thoughtful of you, Prince."

As romantic ideals/interests in gaming go, Farah is incredibly original. She's not an annoying companion you have to ferry around in guarding missions who can't stand on her own two feet. She's not an emotionless Ice Queen who can't stand chivalry. She doesn't dress like a whore, either. She is a confident girl who speaks her mind and isn't afraid to admit when she needs help. She'll help you as much as she can, but she stays true to herself. She even tries to comfort The Prince (who is essentially her captor) after he has to kill the monster his father has become. She didn't have to do this, but the fact that she did speaks volumes about her character. Farah is compassionate, confident, and witty. I adore her.

The Prince is snarky, prideful, and genuinely noble. He has a true streak of rash nobility--he takes responsibility for all his actions and even admits that he cares for Farah. He forges on ahead with the power of a steamroller--he is unstoppable. He doesn't let it go to his head either. He gets annoyed with Farah and even talks to himself, adding quite a bit of humor in the game play. I adore his voice actor. He's just so cute! I can't wait to see more cutscenes...

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

So I got the game Prince of Persia: Sands of Time last night for less than eleven dollars at a GameStop. So far the game is actually really awesome. Even the graphics hold up really well, if just a smidge too geometric. The environmental textures are seriously well done, which is good because they have to be.

I've gotten pretty good at figuring out where to go next, but I still need work on the combat. Mainly, blocking. (I suck at defense, great at offense. No matter what I play. Soul Calibur, Kingdom Hearts, Okami, KOTOR, that's just how I roll.) And I love all the story-telling things. Especially when I die. "No, that's not how it happened. Shall I continue?" The Prince is a great character--humanly flawed but basically a good guy. Haven't gotten to the point where there's much interaction with Farah yet (I did just get the game and I kinda suck at it) but I'm really looking forward to it.

I still don't really know how to use the Dagger of Time well in combat. I'll figure it out.

In a random topic change: I seem to constantly give all my female Shepards in Mass Effect big noses. I think it makes them distinguished. Y'know, that aquiline nose. If she looks too much like a supermodel I have a hard time believing she'd choose a military career. Also it's impossible to make a good-looking male Shepard. It just is.

No good new anime to look forward too. Boo.

Games I Wish I'd Played Pt. 1

One of the games I wish I'd seen or played would have to be Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. After reading a synopsis and seeing a few videos on YouTube, I'd have to say that this particular game is a real stand-out. Sure, the combat seems punishing at times, but the characterization, gameplay and plot more than make up for it. The Prince and Farah are downright interesting (and fun) and watching the Prince do his acrobatics off of walls is really cool, not to mention inventing the whole slowing-down/rewinding time thing. Prince of Persia seems very whimsical with a great story and unique setting. This is a classic that I really wish I'd been able to play, even if it was made by Ubisoft. Maybe I should hop to a GameStop for this one.

Another game I wish I'd seen (not necessarily played) is Resident Evil 4. I've seen all the cutscenes and read the story as well, and I know a lot of the franchise's storyline. I'm just not a fan of zombies. There, I said it. I hate imminent armageddon and killer robots that have already wiped humanity off the face of the earth as well. Those are my top three on the list of Stuff Jill Can't Stand. So I refused to watch this when Tony got it. Now I'm seriously regretting it. I've just started to absolutely adore horror/action games, and this is one of the best of all time. Doubled with Capcom's punishing gameplay it would've been a rollicking good time. Plus Leon's really hot. Y'know, for pixels. So while I'm looking forward to Resident Evil 5, I still wish that I'd seen 4 from start to finish.

*Spoilers Ahead*

This is a little off-topic, but I also wish I'd played the Knights of the Old Republic series in order. Or at least not known that you're Revan in the first game. I played the second one first (and it was actually my introduction into RPGs) and am still in love with it to this day. Yes, I know it's a very broken game, but at its core it has real soul. And it's Lucasarts' fault that it was unfinished for rushing Obsidian the way they did. I love the character of the Exile. How fragmented her identity is, how ripped apart she is inside. She tries to put a good face on it at times, but she's a real mess. And Atton...boy, don't get me started. I adore Atton. He's a scoundrel-turned-decent because of his protective love for the Exile and can't help but continually crack jokes all the time in his sexy voice...*sigh* Love it. I can't tell you how sad I am that I can no longer play these games on PC. (I got Vista not too long ago.) The first one is of course excellent because Bioware made it. But the second one will always be my favorite. The idea of a broken Jedi will never stop being cool to me. I wish that someone would make a follow-up game to complete the story. Anyone. Please?

*Spoilers End*

That last paragraph reminded me of something I'd been meaning to write. One day you'll see me write about Bioware on this blog at length and going through all the games of their's I've played.

Mercenaries 2

So Tony got Mercenaries 2 yesterday (strangely it was released on a Sunday) and we all sat down to watch it. I wasn't a huge fan of the first one because I hadn't been properly introduced into the story (what little there was) and hadn't seen any of the voice talent being displayed. So I was pretty against this experience.

I was so totally, totally wrong.

Mercenaries 2 is awesome. Fantastic graphics, fun storyline, and one of my favorite voice talents of all time should you choose her character: Jennifer Hale. She's here using her Bastila voice which is hilarious considering the dialogue. It's fun to hear Bastila touting the virtues of an AK-47! (HK-47 still recieves no love from Bastila.) There's also the prolific Phil LaMarr and (my favorite merc) Peter Stormare. Very, very awesome. So far the story is about revenge after not getting paid and getting shot in the ass. And yes, I made Tony play as Jennifer Mui (Jennifer Hale's character) for about half an hour 'cause I wanted to see a female protagonist.

Nothing is more fun than ordering an air strike on someone. Except for maybe a nuclear strike. Which you can apparently do in this one. I can't wait! Definitely a cathartic release and pure destructive fun. Also, looks good in HD. Definitely five starry thumbs-up or however I rate stuff.

^_~