Well, this is long overdue...

So yeah, after putting it off for months, I'm finally putting something on this here blog thingamajiggy. I just needed inspiration, that's all. I haven't been doing much lately that's been blog-worthy (or that I could really write at semi-decent length about), and as a result I haven't done anything. That is, until now. Ho ho ho!

Thanks in part to my lovely girlfriend (who co-authors THOR with me), I'm enjoying a bit of a gaming renaissance of sorts; she's allowed me to hang on to her PSP for the last few months, and I found a few gems for download on the Playstation Store for $5.99 apiece: Wild Arms and Suikoden. Wild Arms was a game that I rented many times from my local store when I was a wee lad but never managed to get very far in. And honestly, I missed the boat on Suikoden the first time around, but I remember reading about it in the gaming mags at the time (and of course know the legacies of its sequels being highly sought-after items, both for their gameplay value and monetary value, a rarity indeed) and I know it's the bee's knees (or the cat's meow, if you prefer). I've played through the opening scenarios of Wild Arms and it's just as I remember, only this time I plan on beating it. Suikoden is on the backburner for now.

On Christmas when my family was paying some relatives a visit, I got to see my cousin, Tommy, for the first time in ages. Well, it probably hasn't been that long, but it sure seems like I only see the guy every couple years or so. I remember when I was growing up I always looked up to him, and that he had a fucking massive collection of video games. He's the reason I'm the RPG fanatic I am today, and he introduced me (inadvertently) to a game called Persona for the Playstation. Well, we were talking about games of yore on Christmas during the visit, and we got to talking about Persona. He then asks if I've played Persona 3 yet, and I reply to the negative. So he lets me borrow it.

Fucking woot.

Simply put, Persona 3 is one of the most perfectly balanced RPGs I've played in a long, long time. You have basically complete freedom in what you do from day to day within the game, but the scope of possiblities never seems overwhelming. I have yet to feel like I'm being rushed through anything, or that I have to make a decision in haste. The pace is a leisurely or as hectic as you want it to be, and I like it that way. Throw in some killer voice acting, great character designs, and a mind-blowing soundtrack... and well, this could be the first RPG I've finished since, uh... Star Ocean: Till The End of Time. Yeah, it's been that long.

I've only put about ten hours into the game, so I can't review it properly yet, but I leave you with this little tidbit from the soundtrack. It's the main battle theme, and it's badass as all get out.



Yeah, if that doesn't rock your socks... nothing will.

More on this later, for sure. (Sooner than later, I might add.)

Cold, crowds, and RPatz

For all of those who are out of the loop, and I believe that there a lot who are, Twilight is a pretty big deal right now. After the hype from the books has died down, they've revamped the excitement with the release of the first movie from book one, Twilight.

So, in order to garner even more interest and anticipation for the movie release, Hot Topic began the Twilight Tour - Starting on November 10 and ending on November 15 (though according to Hottopic.com, there's only two dates left: the 15th and the 18th). At each signing, one of the main actors (or 3 of the supporting actors) would sign a poster for the first 500 or 750 fans who purchased a special Twilight Tour t-shirt. The fan would then receive a wristband and then later on, would wait in line to get their signed poster. Despite the insistence that no one line up earlier than 6 A.M, Hot Topic eventually had to give up on this rule after the first day of the tour turned out for the worst. Read about what happened at San Francisco here.

Anyway, I just happened to be a part of the Philadelphia, King of Prussia, part of the tour. At that stop, Robert Pattinson aka Edward Cullen aka "RPatz" would be there and signing autographs for the first 500 fans. My friend Christina and I left around 10 p.m. and arrived to find numerous people waiting in line already, with tents, blankets, food, etc. We hurried into line but were told that since we were estimated to be 400 and 401, we might not get in. Well, we waited anyway to see what would happen. Soon, employees from Hot Topic were walking up the line and handing out blue pieces of paper. Each piece had a number on it, the number you would need to get into the store to buy the shirt. Turns out, my friend and I got extremely lucky and were numbers 483 and 484. Unfortunately, we weren't prepared for the long wait outside in 30 degree weather.

**as a side note, a big THANK YOU to Ally and her mother Trish for letting us huddle under their makeshift tent while it rained**

After purchasing the shirt, under strict surveillance, we were able to finally leave. Later that evening, around 6 p.m., Robert Pattinson was to start signing. As everyone waited in line (some with purchases from the other stores in the mall), the anticipation to finally see RPatz in person grew. When it was finally our turn, I smiled widely as he signed the poster for me, asking me how I was and me responding NORMALLY then asking the same. Surprisingly, he seemed extremely shy!

Afterward, there was a Q&A with him in a small corner of the mall, which was crowded with the fans who didn't get a chance to get the signed poster. He spoke briefly, and was shocked by the amount of screaming (who could blame him) then was escorted out a back way. During this time, I was hoping that the Hot Topic was going to open back up again but due to the amount of girls piled around the entrance, it didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon. Apparently, some girls thought that the Hot Topic was his only way out O_o

All in all, it was an experience for those who braved the cold and crowds. Big props to those who also waited without provisions and a big thanks to Hot Topic's CEO for providing us with pizza, coffee, donuts, and water!

Below, I've provided some news links from the event I attended. For other stories from the other events, check the local news reports from that city :)

My Fox Philly news

Philadelphia Inquirer

ABC Local

Philadelphia Inquirer

TWILIGHT BITES INTO THEATERS ON NOVEMBER 21!!!

Max Payne review (BELATED)

So, I promised a review of Max Payne and due to midterms, I wasn't able to write it immediately. No frets for here it comes!

The first thing I noticed while watching the movie was that the style felt similar to the game. Each shot was dark and contained much detail, even adding a grain effect to give the movie more "detective authenticity." The acting was phenomenal and even some of the action shots were gasp-worthy. Mark Walhberg shines in a role that feels like it was literally built for him. Mila Kunis, playing the ever so sexy yet deadly Mona Sax, definitely let her inner femme fatale show. Unfortunately, her part gets cut a little short when they basically drop her out for almost the entire third act of the movie (she does come back to save him, of course). Seeing Ludacris as Agent Bravura really surprised me. I haven't seen anything else that he's acted in but my roommate told me he was excellent in 2 Fast 2 Furious. I forgot about him being a rapper and actually thought he was a film noir actor.

While there was a good side, there most usually is a bad side. The first and foremost, this movie is NOTHING like the video game. Now, in the previous entry, I hoped that this movie would shed some light that not all video game to movie adaptations are bad. I was thoroughly disappointed when the plot went from linear to the video game, to just obscure. And what was with all this talk of Norse myths?!?! I understand that in order to make a movie cinematic, you have to include other elements that might not have been in the game. The flying Valkyries that appeared almost every two seconds.... eh.

In my opinion, I think that the screenwriter had plenty of material to work with, but essentially tossed it out the window. There were so many things he could have done (i.e- put more emphasis on Max's nightmares, take out the Valkyries, etc). Instead, the focus was put on him losing his family, and trying to find the people who did it. More suspense could have been thrown into the movie, hell, even more action could have been thrown in, not just at the end of the movie.

Honestly, your best choice is to rent this movie when it comes out. Hopefully there will be some commentary along with it that will explain all the changes made.

I give this movie: *** (3 stars)

The saving grace: The acting and the overall look of the movie.

In other news, here's Mila Kunis on Jimmy Kimmel Live, talking about Max Payne, WoW (World of Warcraft), and her love/hate relationship with the Dodgers. Enjoy!



Who would have thought that Mila played WoW? Awesome!

Max Payne: The Movie

I had some doubts when I first heard of this my freshmen year of college (2005). But, details were not yet released on imdb.com, so I didn't have any basis for my disapproval of this movie.

Now in my senior year, I see a commercial on the television and hear the name Max Payne. Immediately, my attention diverted to this. At first, I was skeptical seeing Mark Walhberg as Payne but from the action sequences following, I knew that he was an excellent choice. Here's the official trailer for the movie:



Upon closer look, you can see LUDA (Ludacris) as one of the other major roles. He's listed as playing Jim Bravura. This was surprising but workable. Another celebrity credited in the movie is Nelly Furtado (Premiscious Girl feat. Timbaland). She's listed as playing Christa Balder, though I'm not too familiar with her character in the story (it's been a long time since I've played the game). Finally, there's Mila Kunis, who's best known from That 70's Show and being the voice actor for Meg on Family Guy. I wonder how she'll do as Mona Sax but I have my fingers crossed that she'll do the part justice.

Overall, I think this movie might actually do the video game to movie genre GOOD. Most movies have either taken a completely different direction from the games, or directly adapt from the games but not in a watchable way. As a (potential) screenwriter I am hoping that the things I loved about the game will be transformed on the big screen, making me want to go home and play the game again. Hell, the trailer's already done that for me.

In closing, I'm saying that everyone should go out and see it. It's PG-13, so (some) kids can go see it as well. Hopefully later this week, when the movie is released, I'll post a formal review on it. For now, here's a fan made movie called Max Payne: Hero. This, I also remember from my freshmen year and thought it was brilliant. Enjoy!

w00t

Hello, how are you?

Welcome to the first blog for Thor: The Ultimate Blog!

Sadly, I'm not posting anything really interesting tonight but I'd just to say "hi" to anyone who's bored and stumbled onto this blog.

There will be a lot more interesting content coming soon, as well as game and movie reviews. Plus, give us a shout out if there's something we should know about or if you've just got something that you want to say. All comments are welcome.

So, I bid you adieu and hope that you'll come back again! More to come!!