'Interstellar' - A Storytelling Masterpiece

I finally watched Interstellar, and was tremendously moved by it. Not because of the science fiction facts (which I wonder how much of those are correct), but by the story, the choices that the characters made, and the repercussions that followed, be it good or bad. Every character made their choices based on what they think is best, and the choices felt real. The whole movie felt like a journey rather than a formulaic, scripted movie, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Even though I am not a sci-fi fan, I could not help but applaud Christopher Nolan and his team for creating this masterpiece. And the ending, it made me feel hopeful and happy. Highly recommended for movie-goers who like stories that are deep and thought-provoking.

KOF XIII Great Tutorial For Beginners

I have to admit: I love The King of Fighters XIII more than Street Fighter IV. But I also hate it for how hard it is to be good at this game. It has deep fighting mechanics, cool character design, beautiful animated sprites, and exciting matches to watch even if the viewer has no idea what just happened (such as a combo chain that never seems to end which depletes the opponent's health bar from full to almost none left). But to be good enough to even compete, you must be really good at it, like really, really good. Forget about the cancels, neo max, and the combo challenges. Just by trying out the game's tutorial, one realizes that the game has four types of jumps. Four! Street Fighter only has 1!

So, how does one start to learn about the game? Fortunately, I came across this amazing tutorial online that breaks down the game's mechanic into terms that are easy to understand. On top of that, the video is humorous. All that is required now is to practice the stuff presented in the tutorial over and over again. Now, if only I could find where I last stashed my Mad Catz Fightstick...

'Dead Or Alive 5' Beginner Tutorial Series

The Dead or Alive series has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I first got it for the Dreamcast. Having been away for years from fighting games, I recently returned to introduce competitive fighting games to my younger students. Despite not liking how Team Ninja took the sex appeal approach to sell their game, I could not deny the amazing game mechanics underneath it. However, I am so rusty that I needed some assistance into learning how to play the game. So when I found a series of tutorials on YouTube, I could not help but smile.

If only Team Ninja had chosen the path of Virtua Fighter, I believe this game would not be scorned or taken lightly by many casual gamers, which happens to be the target audience of this game.

Beautiful Short Film For Project CARS

What an amazing short film for the game, project CARS! Beautiful in-game footage, combined with a powerful song, in the hands of a gifted editor makes me watch this clip numerous times. After watching, I showed it to almost everyone I met that day. And then, I watched it over and over again. It made my day.

If you love cars, if you love good editing, if you love powerful music, then, watch this and you'll enjoy every minute of it.

'Suburbia' Review

According to the rule book, Suburbia is a board game where players plan, build, and develop a small town into a major metropolis. Using building tiles, players build up their residential, civic, commercial and industrial areas, as well as special points of interest that provide benefits and take advantage of the resources of nearby boroughs. The goal is to end up with a greater population than any of your opponents. Bottom line is, Suburbia is the SimCity PC game played on the table.

To check out my review, click here.

'Zombicide' Review

Zombicide is a board game where a group of heroes fight against hordes of zombies and try to fulfill their objectives. Each game last an average of 2 to 3 hours, and every minute is an intense battle to try and survive the surmounting odds. By the end of the game, whether your group survives the zombie apocalypse or not, you will have a story that rivals a Hollywood blockbuster film. It's that epic.

To check out my review, click here.

Basic Overview On Building iPad Games

I was searching on how to create iPad apps when I came upon a very interesting take on building games for iPad. Although it's very general information, I'm glad to have stumbled upon it.

'NHL 13: True Performance Skating' Trailer

Very nice trailer on the upcoming NHL 13: True Performance Skating. The skating is amazing! I never thought that kind of animation is needed to make a good game, but it can make a good game better. On top of that, the trailer was presented with slow-motions, text animation and beautiful camera angles that fits right where they should be. If it was CG pre-rendered cinematics, then that's nothing special. As an in-game engine cinematic, it's very impressive. I felt like I was watching a movie trailer. Good job to the one who made it.

Getting Things Done

Recently, I found myself busy with many things to do, yet I feel like I haven't been productive. I have been trying to organize things hoping that it will help me get my work done but it wasn't until I saw 'GTD explained in minutes' that I got my workflow going nicely. I hope those who are looking to organize their life/work can benefit from this short clip.

Video Montage Of Skyrim

Want to see how 'beautiful' Skyrim is? Here's a collection of video clips uploaded by various youtube users, collected and edited by FauveProd.

(Note: It will appear more beautiful to those who play Skyrim.)

When I first heard this song through a user's in-game video montage, I thought to myself, "Amazing song and vocal." And I tried looking for, maybe a bard in one of the inns that could play the song. However, there wasn't one. It wasn't until recently that I realized this was not the original voice for the song, but by the artist Malukah. Yet, it resonates with me so much more (maybe it's because it's more emotional). Nevertheless, enjoy the song, especially if you are a Skyrim fan.

Here are 2 other Skyrim songs sung by her:
Age of Aggression (Skyrim cover) and Age of Oppression (Skyrim cover).

Thanks to Jeremy Soule for creating such beautiful soundtrack for the Elder Scroll series.

Painterly Look Of Skyrim

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is truly a beautiful looking game. I'm always mesmerized by the painterly look of the forest, villages, and towns. Sometimes, I would spend the whole day with nature, admiring its beauty while picking up plants and herbs. Other times, I would climb up a high place and watch the sun set in the horizon and the dazzling stars that appear after that. It was always a magical moment. As I love rainy days the most, whenever it rains in Skyrim, I would take a walk outside of town just to be immersed in the rainy atmosphere. Other than real life, this is as close as I can get to experiencing the same feeling without getting wet.