Persona 4 Arena!

I know that I've been a very bad blogger lately. Every time I sit down to write a review, I get a text from someone who wants to hang out. Considering how I had been completely alone in the sticks for about 6 months, I like all the attention I can get.

This week, my friend gave me the flu. He only had a slightly sore throat, he said. And only in the morning. I haven't been actually ill for about 3 or 4 years so I got hit with a full body aches and pain, shivering and fever, flu.

With my forced containment, I cracked these babies out:

I caved and bought Persona 4 Arena new. I had to buy myself my own copy of Persona 4. I got it for a good price and $1.99 shipping. Can't complain...and I HAD to buy it so shut up.

Persona 4 Arena!

I've been playing for two days. I don't have a full review in mind for this one. I'm not done, but more than half way done story mode. There is a bit of a spoiler section at the bottom that I marked. Beware if you haven't finished the game yet! Also, did I not buy a second controller?! People come over to my apartment,  I finally have a game for us to play, and where the hell is my second controller?! I rarely lose things. Now I have to play this by my lonesome *forever alone*  


Story Mode

Too much boring dialogue. Hey, I like reading. I like it so much, I fucking advocate it daily. In fact, I think I'll marry it, I love it so bloody much. But story mode is so repetitive. My problem also is that if you've played Persona 4 this is just ridiculous. It also goes into Persona 3's story as well. And I just finished playing that game, again. I don't need a recap, stop it! I've feel like I've played it so much I was there myself watching from the sidelines.

Pro Tip
I read way faster than the dialogue goes, even on the fast text speed. I learned the hard way that you DO NOT want to keep pushing the A or X buttons without being sure that there is another line of text already started on the screen. I did this blindly with Chie, and I accidentally chose the option to make her jump out a window chasing Akihiko because she smelt steak. Serious. I got her gag ending. Which was cute, but I didn't even know there were gag endings. I saved past where I could have gone back and gotten her real ending. This game still pretends that it's an RPG, and you can occasionally choose certain responses. Don't blindly click away.

Voice Changes 
The only voice change that really stands out to me is Chie. Dear lord I hate her new voice. It's not that the voice is bad, it is just isn't terribly close and at times it just sounds so bad. I really wish they had her voice. Miss President's accent is AMAZING. However, I got sick of it super fast. Luckily the harshness of her voice goes away as you go through everyone's story mode. Makes me think that Yu's story was the first they recorded and she was getting used to the role.

Ending (SPOILERS!!)
Seriously? This is what the Arena is?

Can we please get away from the whole "robots with a heart" thing? Please? Please think of different things for future Persona games.   

I don't like what the truth turns out to be. It's just dumb.

I'd really like to see more of "The Shadow Operatives"-the Persona 3 team after the events of their story. Akihiko is pretty badass in college. It also makes me less of a creep when people ask who is my favourite Persona 3 guy.  

Revenge Season One!

Maybe you remember my rant of Revenge, over here.  I went on and on about how Emily Thorne is so badass and that I love her to bits. Well, today my copy of season 1 came in the mail! I pre-ordered it, but I didn't think I'd get it one day after release. I have a 62 hour work week this week, but I'm going to be glued to the tv every moment that I have free :) The only criticism I have is of the image that is always used for this series- the one with Emily in the black dress that goes to thorns at the bottom. Maybe it's just the fit of the dress, especially the top part. Gah. But season 2 is definitely coming. I didn't get to see all of season 1 when it was on tv, as my city kept having power outages when it was on. No kidding, for like three weeks in a row. And now I get to watch Emily being badass to my heart's content!  

Silent Hill: HD Collection-No Xbox 360 Patch Rage

(Updated with new from August 12th 2012 at the bottom of the page.)
(Updated August 22nd 2012 below the previous update.)

I originally found the news here at Inner Fear and double-checked with Joystick over here.

The Xbox 360 version of Silent Hill: HD will NOT be getting a patch. But the PS3 version will. What the flying ass fucking fuck?

They can’t because of "technical issues and resources."

Ok, let me take this over. I got this one. You can all thank me later.  

Dear Konami,

Are you telling me that I used my resources (money) and traded for a product, a flawed product at best, and now you're telling me that you don't have the resources to fix this? But you have the resources to fix it for the PS3? 

Fuck you.

Love,
Ester York.

If the fact that SH3, my favourite, most beloved SH game of all time, got the SHITTIEST, MOST ANNOYING redub WITHOUT the option of switching to the original voices was bad enough, this is. SH3 of the HD Collection is broken as fuck. Not unplayable, no. Some will say that it is, but it isn't. But I'll tell you one thing. I WILL be playing my PS2 version. It is my "go-to" game that never gets old. I don't particularly give many shits about it being HD. Maybe just one shit, but definitely not two. If it never happened I would not have noticed. I'm not one of these pre-pubescent pansies who have nervous break downs over pre-HD quality game graphics. SH2 of the HD Collection is broken to a shit- filled hell too.  Unlike most of the Silent Hill fan base, SH2 isn’t my favourite SH game. Not my least favourite, but it’s down there. It doesn’t hold a particularly special place in my heart. Do I still want to see a glitch filled pathetic HD update of it? No. If you’re going to make something, do it right.   

Why the fuck do game companies release broken as fuck games? Yes, we can download patches. Though I have to remind you that there are, in fact, places in the world that have shitty internet connections. Up until a few months ago my parents, and therefore my younger siblings, had dial- up, and it was the slowest dial-up I’ve seen and completely unreliable. For a while they had no internet at all. They bought a game and played it as is. Game companies have to stop releasing games full of bugs to patch it later. Why don’t they, I don’t know, make a product to the best of their ability? Something that they can be proud of? If a game is rife with bugs, here’s a radical idea: DON’T FUCKING RELEASE IT. DON’T TAKE MY MONEY. Hang your head in shame and hold it back. Let’s face it, SH games are pushed back all the time. Video games in general are pushed back all the time.

What also pisses me off is that they don’t have the fucking RESOURCES. Oh, and there are fucking TECHNICAL ISSUES. Well then. Those are totally good reasons </sarcasm>.

#1. RESOURCES. I gave you my fucking money. You gave me a piece of shit not worth my time (as stated, I’ll be playing my PS2 version instead). I gave you my fucking resources in exchange for goods. Suck it the fuck up. At this point, this is your fucking fault. When I worked in a coffee place, if I made your coffee wrong and you brought it back, I apologized and made another one. You eat the fucking cost because YOU royally fucked up. I didn’t go “Shit, no can do, yo. That would cost more money.” You know, I didn’t shrug my shoulders and give up because I have an IQ above a fucking shoe box full of rocks. And because I’m not a morally deplorable dip-shit.   

#2. TECHNICAL ISSUES. The whole fucking product is a technical issue. IT’S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU RELEASE A PIECE OF SHIT. Did they port it and not even test it? Did they get a four-year-old to test it? Who the fuck can’t see these glaring issues? Who the fuck at Konami looked at the final product and thought it was passable? Fuck you and your technical issues. Oh, these are just too fucking hard to fix, eh? Boo fucking hoo. Why don’t you release a game FREE OF ISSUES so you don’t have to fix these TECHNICAL ISSUES AFTER WE GAVE YOU OUR MONEY? Oh, fuck, is this concept just too hard?      

So what, all Xbox 360 owners are shit out of luck? Sure, we could trade in (taking a loss, btw, because trading in NEVER gets a decent return) and get a PS3 version. Except, you know, for those of us who don't own a PS3. And I guaran-fucking-tee that if they don't have the RESOURCES to fix these issues, they don't have the fucking RESOURCES to buy me a PS3.

Conclusion: Making a patch just for the PS3 and not the Xbox 360 is ass-fucking Xbox 360 owners with something long and sand-papery. Don't release broken pieces of shit to begin with. Thank you Konami for taking my money and giving me a piece of flaming rat shit in return.     

Update: Konami has released that they will exchange the Xbox 360 version. IF YOU HAVE YOUR RECEIPT AND BOUGHT IT NEW. Not only that, it isn't a refund. It's an exchange. 90% of the games on the list (you can find it here along with the news) are crap (at least to me). It's like you buy a new TV. You get it home and it's ok, but you look at the resolution and it just isn't that great. Not as sharp as it claims to be. The audio kind of sucks. It's not worth the money you paid. Maybe it's just broken. You bring it back and instead of giving you your money back or fixing it, they offer to give you something else. A radio. Well, fuck me, that's not what I want. If I wanted a crappy game from your list, I would have bought them myself. Hell, some of the games, like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories, I already have and it was a disappointment too. If I order a burger and you make it wrong, don't offer to take my burger and give me only an apple pie. Apple pie is fantastic, but it isn't what I paid for. It isn't what you promised to deliver when I gave you my money.

Update: Konami still has not offered to buy me a PS3. 

The Dark Knight Rises-Catwoman

Yesterday I went on a date and I got to see The Dark Knight Rises. While [T]he date was a bust was the start of something great, at least [and] I got to see the newest Batman film. The film was ok. Just ok. Way too long, yet on the top of my head I can't think of anything to cut out. Bane wasn't a terribly scary villain. However, I also acknowledge that a new villain will never outshine Heath Ledger as Joker. The main thing I want to talk about is Catwoman.

Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises,
played by Anne Hathaway. 

When I was a kid, I loved Tim Burton's Batman Returns mostly because of Catwoman, played by Michelle Pfeiffer. I know the character has appeared before this, and that she is always evolving. I get it. But TDKR’s Catwoman is not so much a cat. Just a lady cat burglar named Selina Kyle.

Catwoman in Batman Returns, played
by Michelle Pfeiffer

No whip, no claws, no crazy meowing, no licking herself. Even the Batman: Arkham City Catwoman is more Catwomanish. I liked Anne Hathaway’s acting, and I think her looks were perfect for the role. But other than her little cat ears that go over her eyes when she needs them, what is so “catish” about her? Sure, maybe the way she seduces and then strikes. But is that enough? She doesn’t have to be crazy like Michelle Pfeiffer’s character, though it give a much more interesting aspect to her, especially concerning her relationship with Batman.

I wonder why they decided to make her less cat like? I wonder why they decided to go so far away from the Batman Returns kind of Catwoman? I think it might be because her mental instability would be too jarring for the sensitive minds of today’s audience. What is the new Catwoman’s motivation? A clean slate. Good enough, though it makes her seem regretful and less badass than she should be. But what about the old Catwoman? She wants revenge on the jerk who pushed her out the window in an attempt to kill her. Don’t we all, Catwoman? Don’t we all...

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft Review

Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft by Jody Gehrman

Spoiler Free!

Bree Ogden, Jody Gehrman’s agent, asked on twitter if bloggers would review her book, and I volunteered. Soon I was sent a pdf of awesomeness and I was sent to reviewer heaven.

This book is, as the title announces, the guide book to Audrey’s life as she is introduced to an unexpected magical life. Perhaps best described as a supernatural thriller, it is definitely a coming of age story. It begins the day her journey beings, and that is the day that her mother goes missing. This is the story of Audrey discovering her identity and her new abilities. Instead of other YA lit protagonists who adamantly refuse to accept the changes associated with young adulthood, Audrey wants it. Now. Not because she wants to be more mature and have all the responsibilities-she wants to save her mother from the big bad that threatens them.

Characters

Audrey is a believable protagonist. Not perfect, but protective. She makes mistakes. A lot of them. Her heart is always in the right place. She has a talent for baking and science, which help her very special talent. Snarky. Intelligent. Fierce. Funny. 

Without her mother, Audrey has to learn from another witch, Sadie. Sadie is cool, beautiful, and has a thing for animals and plants. But she is not the same type of witch as Audrey. It’s slow going, especially considering that Audrey was not raised with the knowledge of her mother’s hidden past. And really, nothing is known about Sadie other than she just showed up...          

I like Meg, the little sister. Instead of being the secondary character of blah place-holding, Meg has her own unique characteristics. White-blonde hair, beautiful, seductive, and she's in a band that leaves audiences rapt. She’s not pinned as the annoying character, the sweetheart that everyone loves, or the obvious character to be killed off dramatically. I would have to say that she’s probably more emotionally complex than Audrey.   

Other Things...

The “Canadians had only slight accents” bit made me giggle, eh?  

The cover is gorgeous! Not really sure where to place Audrey in that red dress, but I will let it slide.

The incantations are not corny but still mysterious and believable. The way that Gehrman writes the alchemy that goes on inside of Audrey is rich with details that make it so convincing.   

I kind of wish she wrote in her book more. Even if she just mentioned that she was writing something down in there. She writes down spells and recipes (like one for a killer chocolate cake) and other “How To” lists.

Maybe it is because I am, in fact, not a teen, that I saw the big reveal a mile away. I’d like to ask some teens one day if they saw the trope before the big moment.

The ending has so many loose ends, making it not enough of an ending for me, but it definitely sets itself up for a sequel, which I would be more than overjoyed to read.

Judgement!

I would love to do a book club with this book in the future. It does not have the crass and crudeness that this conservative community might run in fear from while making the cross symbol with their fingers. Okay, it has witchcraft, and that might get them in a tiff, but its good witchcraft! Overall, it is a fantastic book that I highly recommend.

Jody Gehrman's  blog is over here, and her website is here. 

   

The author is giving away free copies of her book every dark moon, the next being August 16-18, so get in on it!

Catfish Review

Spoiler Free!

A little while ago I was watching a DVD (might have been Paranormal Activity 2) with someone and the previews for Catfish came on. We both thought it looked pretty cool-documentary style (more on that in a minute) horror about meeting someone you met online in real-life. I had my fingers crossed for the person to be a serial killer. 

The previews lied-it's not a horror movie. It's a...sad but sometimes funny film.

Painting of Abby's mother, Angela.

Yaniv (Nev) Schulman

   

It starts with Yaniv (Nev) Schulman getting a painting in the mail from a little girl named Abby, who is a prodigy artist. This painting, of one of his photographs of two dancers, sets off a pen-pal relationship. It's very cute and lovely. And then social networking becomes involved. Everything is peachy and he begins to friend all of Abby's family, including Angela, her mother, and Megan, her sister.

Message from Meg

Things roll along and he and Meg become close. They've never met at this point. Things get more involved. They start to fall in love.

And then he catches her in a lie. And another. And a few more. He doesn't know how to feel anymore, so he decides to go meet her, face to face. After all, he has feelings for her still.

The reveal was pretty good, I'll give it that.

Documentary?

Some quick Googling will bring up some different opinions about the authenticity of this film. To me, I don't particularly believe that it is real. That three friends would start filming the pre-stages to the entire relationship, the moments with Abbey and her paintings, doesn't make much sense to me. Does it really matter? I still enjoyed it with my doubt.

Final Verdict

It was a pretty good film. Had the warm and fuzzies, sadness, and some funny moments. If you like soft drama documentaries I recommend it. For me, it was a good, non-serious movie to watch. I certainly wouldn't buy it, but worth the watch.

Big Brother 14

I was at someone’s house on Thursday and we were just hanging about and on the satellite listing I saw it: Big Brother 14. No one else in the room had much of an idea of what it was. “It’s like Survivor but they’re in a smallish house and the challenges are fun and there is a lot more lying and deceit going around and sometimes they think they can date each other and it's funny.” It was a hard sell but everyone was nice enough to humour me.

And we had an awesome time watching the first episode.

Boogie!! <3

Dan



Britany



Janelle

 

I don’t really have a favourite HG at this point. Jenn is cool, but I'm not a fan of obnoxious and loud people. But Boogie is a Coach! I can honestly say that I’m 90% sure that one of Boogie’s people will win. If it isn’t one of Boogie’s, it will be one of Dan’s. Brittany is a stupid bitchy blonde who got played and who doesn’t have much of a place as a Coach. Don’t even get me started at the huge joke that is Janelle. I was hoping that Evol Dick and Will (with Boogie, of course) would come as Coaches. Having Janelle and Brittany is a joke. I would HATE myself if I got on Big Brother and got either of them. With Boogie, as long as you listen you have a great chance of winning the social game. Dan is a close second. But the girls? I’d just pack my bag because I could play a better game than them and I can’t stand lying to people.

Jodi

Jodi was evicted first. I don’t feel bad at all because she kept pushing her whole “I’m so FIT and IN SHAPE!” attitude. Sorry, but she has WAY too much jiggle in her wiggle. Normally, I don’t give a shit if someone has some extra pounds. I don’t like people who are deluded. If she was in such great shape the first challenge would not have been so hard for her. Good riddance.

The next episode is tonight, but at my own apartment I don’t have cable (let’s face it, I don’t watch much tv). I can get it through various internet sources, but the power has been going on and off today. In the worst case scenario I can watch it later in the week. Also, I won’t be blogging about BB every week or episode unless something HILARIOUS happens and it’ll be a short post. 

All pictures are from Big Brother Buzz.