Thursday, December 12, 2013

OCEAN F.A.Q.

== ENGLISH ==

Q: What is Sergei Savenko’s Ocean?

A: It’s an indie first person shooter for Windows, MacOS X and Linux, developed by Sergei ‘EinhanderZwei’ Savenko.

Q: Which engine does it run on?
A: Aleph One (http://source.bungie.org), which is an open-source continuation of the Marathon 2 engine; enhanced by the fan community.

Q: What are the system requirements?
A: They are extremely low by modern standards - please see the system requirements for Aleph One on the official site above.

Q: Are you the single developer?
A: Yes and no. All the design (gameplay and visual), scripting, mapping, graphics are handled by me. The soundtrack is taken from the collections of Andrew ‘Necros’ Sega (http://necros.gibdon.com), with all credits provided. Several Wikimedia Commons images are also utilized; primarily the ecology-themed stock photos and portrait shots of Cillian Murphy.

Q: Cillian Murphy?
A: Yes. The main character’s visual design is traced over Cillian Murphy. The reason is thematic and visual similarity between Ocean’s plot and two movies he starred in - Sunshine (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448134/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) and 28 Days Later (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1).

Q: Any other movie influences?
A: Of course! Aside from the movies above, they include:
* The Abyss (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096754/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Leviathan (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097737/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2),
* Aliens (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Day Of The Dead (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Outbreak (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Resident Evil (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Virus (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3),
* The Thing (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Jurassic Park (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* Gravity (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=rvi_tt),
* ...and plenty other underwater / survival horror / alien / zombie movies.

Q: How about gaming influences?
A: Obviously, the Marathon Trilogy (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/marathon-series), and also System Shock (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/system-shock-series), BioShock (http://www.mobygames.com/game/bioshock), Alien-licensed games (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/aliens-licensees), Resident Evil (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/biohazard-resident-evil-series) series, Parasite Eve (http://www.mobygames.com/game/parasite-eve), Half-Life (http://www.mobygames.com/game/half-life), Dead Space (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dead-space).

Q: What is Ocean essentially about?
A: You play as Sean Crichton, a security guard on the underwater complex named Oberon 1. One day, a terrorist attack results in an outbreak of deadly experimental mutagen that turns all the personnel into flesh-devouring half-zombie half-aquatic creatures. Your task is to escape alive, punish those responsible, protect as many survivors as possible and even resolve some mysteries from Sean’s past.

Q: Who are those ladies constantly present on the concept arts?
A: Marina (a mermaid-like girl) is one of the love interests Sean can obtain. Nataliya (a short-haired ‘regular’ girl) is another one. Svetlana (a girl in the business suit) is a supporting mentor/coordinator character, sort of like Ms Martin in Leviathan.

Q: Two love interests?
A: Yes, the game has two endings dependent on which girl Sean ends up in a romantic subplot with. To simplify things, the choice would be given mid-game, and the following events would be affected by it.

Q: Sounds like a spoiler! Any more plot twists up your writer’s sleeve?
A: Plenty of them! I guarantee I will deliver on that aspect. ^_^

Q: What is the current development status?
A: I have finished the main story skeleton, including the tricky parts that depend on which lady Sean joins up with. Next up is the character designs and writing detailed specifications for each map - which part of the plot would it be responsible for, some mapmaking drafts, terminal text, all that jazz.

Q: But is anything ready for now?
A: Yes! The main character designs, some weapon sprites, the weapons list are complete and won’t likely change.

Q: When would we expect the release to happen?
A: According to the trailer, tentative date is Q2 2014.

Q: Oh my! A trailer?
A: Yes, you can view the Ocean Teaser Trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-cmC-v1vMc (please force enable the subtitles though, or it will be unclear).

== RUSSIAN ==

Q: Что такое Sergei Savenko’s Ocean?
A: Независимая (инди) компьютерная игра в жанре “боевик от первого лица” для Windows, MacOS X и Linux, разрабатываемая Сергеем ‘EinhanderZwei’ Савенко.

Q: На каком движке она построена?
A: Aleph One (http://source.bungie.org) - модификация движка игры Marathon 2 с открытым исходным кодом, дополненная и расширенная поклонниками.

Q: И каковы системные требования?
A: Чрезвычайно низкие по сегодняшним меркам - можете обратиться к требованиям для движка Aleph One как такового на официальной странице выше.

Q: Ты один всё разрабатываешь?
A: Вроде да, а вроде и нет. Весь дизайн (геймплея и визуальный), сценарии, создание карт, графика лежат на мне. Саундтрек собран из работ Эндрю ‘Necros’ Сига (http://necros.gibdon.com), с указанием авторства, разумеется. Также используются стоковые изображения и фотографии с Wikimedia Commons; в частности, хроникальные фото на экологическую тематику и портретные фото актёра Киллиана Мёрфи.

Q: Киллиан Мёрфи?
A: Да. Внешность главного героя основана на нём по причине тематической и визуальной схожести Ocean и двух фильмов с его участием: “Пекло” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448134/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) и “28 дней спустя” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289043/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1).

Q: А другие влияния кинематографа есть?
A: Конечно! Помимо двух вышеуказанных, они включают такие фильмы, как:
* “Бездна” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096754/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Левиафан” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097737/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2),
* “Чужие” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “День мертвецов” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088993/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Эпидемия” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114069/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Обитель зла” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120804/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Вирус” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120458/?ref_=fn_al_tt_3),
* “Нечно” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Парк юрского периода” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1),
* “Гравиация” (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1454468/?ref_=rvi_tt),
* ...и множество других фильмов с подводной / инопланетной / зомби-тематикой.

Q: А влияния других игр?
A: Очевидно, трилогия Marathon (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/marathon-series), а также System Shock (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/system-shock-series), BioShock (http://www.mobygames.com/game/bioshock), игры по лицензии франшизы “Чужой” (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/aliens-licensees), серия Resident Evil (http://www.mobygames.com/game-group/biohazard-resident-evil-series), Parasite Eve (http://www.mobygames.com/game/parasite-eve), Half-Life (http://www.mobygames.com/game/half-life), Dead Space (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dead-space).

Q: Итак, о чём, по сути, идёт речь в Ocean?
A: Персонаж игрока - Шон Крайтон, сотрудник службы безопасности подводного комплекса “Оберон 1”. Действие начинается с того, что на станции происходит террористический акт, в результате которого высвобождается смертельный экспериментальный мутаген, превращающий всех подряд в плотоядных наполовину зомби, наполовину гибридов морских существ. Ваша задача - сбежать в целости и сохранности, покарать виновных, защитить как можно больше других выживших и даже разгадать кое-какие загадки прошлого главного героя.

Q: Что это за девушки, постоянно присутствующие на концепт-артах?
A: Марина (девушка, похожая на русалку) - одна из возможных романтических линий Шона. Наталья (“обычная” девушка с короткими волосами) - другая. Светлана (девушка в деловом костюме) - типичный персонаж-обозреватель и координатор вроде Мисс Мартин из “Левиафана”.

Q: Две романтические линии?
A: Да, в игре будут две концовки, зависящие от того, с кем из девушек Шон сблизится в итоге. Чтобы упростить этот процесс, выбор будет незаметно происходить уже в середине игры, и от него будут зависеть последующие события.

Q: Похоже на спойлер! Наверняка это будет не единственный внезапный сюжетный поворот, правда?
A: Да, сюрпризов будет много! Я гарантирую, что не разочарую. ^_^

Q: И на каком этапе разработки сейчас всё находится?
A: Уже готов основной костяк сюжета, включая и развилки в зависимости от напарницы Шона. В ближайших планах - утверждение дизайна персонажей и написание подробных спецификаций для каждой карты - как будут разбиты части сюжета, черновики для редактора, тексты терминалов и всё такое.

Q: А нечто готовое уже есть?
A: Да! Дизайн основных персонажей, спрайты некоторых видов оружия, список вооружения уже закончены и уже вряд ли изменятся в будущем.

Q: Когда же ждать релиза?
A: Согласно трейлеру, произойдёт он во втором квартале 2014-го.

Q: Ух ты, трейлер!
A: Да, его можно посмотреть здесь: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-cmC-v1vMc (правда, не забудьте принудительно включить субтитры).

Monday, December 9, 2013

OneLiners - Issue #3

The Thing - Rewatched it for the millionth time, and eh, it's official now: I think it's my most favorite horror movie! I can't say anything about it that hasn't been said by everyone already, so just relax and enjoy this masterpiece of special effects and suspense if you still haven't. 9/10
Road House - Easily one of Patrick Swayze's best movies and one of the best action flicks ever made. I can't do it enough justice, so I'll just quote the slogans: 'Dalton lives like a loner, fights like a professional. And loves like there's no tomorrow', 'The dancing's over. Now it gets dirty', 'Dalton's the best bouncer in the business. His nights are filled with fast action, hot music and beautiful women. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it'. Also, it has Sam Elliott and some of the greatest badass dialogue I ever heard. The last spoken line always destroys me with laughter. 9/10
Rampage - A good movie by Uwe Boll? Yeah, why not! I liked the opening act, even though it felt a little long, and to be quite honest, the rampage itself was not as gory and ultra violent as everyone made it out to be. Either I'm a desensitized sicko, or I remember Dredd being way gorier... or both. 8/10
Assault On Wall Street - Another movie from Herr Boll, another one not being a video game adaptation, another one surprisingly dramatic in tone, and like Rampage, it's a serious and realistic take on the concept of Postal, this time revolving around the world economic crisis no less. Loved the cast, the action, and one scene in the middle even made me cry a bit (won't tell which one, 'cause it will be a spoiler). Oh, and the last thing to mention - we got Edward Furlong and Michael Pare sitting at one table in a diner. Unbelievable! 8/10
Next Of Kin - I guess this little action flick suffers from the same thing that was in all John Irvin's movies that I've seen so far (Dogs Of War, Raw Deal and this one) - interesting opening and action-packed ending are bridged by an extremely boring second act. The only thing that made me sit through the boring parts was Liam Neeson as a crazy hillbilly version of Paul Kersey. He was great! But the lack of Swayze is desperately felt in this one. 7/10
Stone Cold - Amazing biker action flick from the director of Dark Angel no less! The action scenes, while not John Woo material, are pretty fucking badass and remind you why shaky cam technique should be banned. Loved the performances, loved the 1% biker culture shown, as dumb and stereotypical as it probably was, but especially loved the overall tone, how it starts off cheesy and over the top Cobra style and gets really friggin' dark and violent by the end. 9/10
Homefront - An interesting idea executed poorly. The action scenes are terrible, the plot is overlong, some characters are pointless, and please oh please don't have Jason Statham do family drama... The Mechanic, as batshit dumb as it was, still left more impact on me. The only thing I gotta give the filmmakers credit for is trying to carry a serious tone and write some memorable characters. They failed, but at least they tried. 5/10
Hunt For The Red October - Amazing thriller directed by John McTiernan, adapted from the Tom Clancy novel, starring Alec Baldwin and Sean Connery, constantly referenced in all the 'Top N Action movies' lists. What the hell was I thinking to never watch it before?! The last 15 minutes were pure action platinum. 9/10
Crimson Tide - Very interesting psychological (sort of) techno-thriller from Tony Scott. Hackman and Washington are great, and the whole moral dilemma the plot's built around results in the consistent feeling of suspense that makes you sit on the edge. Superb study on the risks and ideology of management as a profession. I had it on DVD for a few years but never watched... and hey, it finally happened! 8/10
Micro Men - Part reenactment, part documentary about Clive Sinclair and Chris Curry, detailing the competition between ZX Spectrum and Acorn computers in the late 80s UK. From what I've read about Sinclair as a person, I think they captured his personality really well, and some of the events depicted, as crazy as they were (ex. the pub fight) did actually take place! The soundtrack and humor were awesome, too. 8/10
Ender's Game - Never read the original book, but the movie was a mixed bag. I liked the whole idea and the twist ending, but I dunno, something didn't click with me. Probably, it had something to do with acting, which was some of the worst I've seen in years, and that includes Harrison Ford. What the hell was he doing there in the first place?! 6/10
The Graduate - You've probably all seen this one already, so I don't see much point in reviewing it; this movie is just too famous, and I liked what everyone liked about it - you know, the comedy, the drama, the message, the soundtrack, the ending, the bittersweet aftertaste it leaves... Legendary heartwarming drama that, after 46 years, still doesn't feel obsolete. 9/10
Dracula & Son - A pretty funny, yet boring at times, comedy with Christopher Lee as, surprise, Dracula! Not the best vampire comedy ever (I especially disliked the ending), but still a nice fun flick. 6/10
Psycho (1998 Remake) - It wouldn't be as bad as everyone says if someone else was cast to play Norman. Vice Vaughn is too intimidating for the role by his stature alone, and this really ruins the character. Although he was kinda cute in drag by the end, LOL. Still glad I saw it, though. 6/10
Land Of The Dead - My least favorite in George Romero's classic 4-part zombie series. Unlike Dawn and Day Of The Dead, it doesn't really seem to do anything new, and it had the misfortune to come during the same period as the Dawn Of The Dead remake and 28 Days Later, which managed to reinvent the zombie genre and make it batshit scary again, so Land Of The Dead seemed to be too dated to most viewers, me included. I mean really, the lack of anything special strongly distracts from the movie. Did like John Leguizamo and Dennis Hopper though, and Asia Argento is a hottie as always. Eh. 7/10
Species - This is one of those movies that prove why some Alien knockoffs (Leviathan, Species, Within The Rock) work and some (Carnosaur 2) don't. It's an interesting example of high-budget B-movie, something sort of a loose remake of Tobe Hooper's Lifeforce. Sexy seductive murderous alien killer babe? Check. Fun and memorable characters? Check. Classic British actor (Sir Ben Kingsley in this case)? Check. All around fast-paced entertaining flick; though I didn't like the kidnapped woman subplot, so much so I can't give it 8, as I originally wanted. Oh well... 7/10
Absolon - One of the worst movies I've ever seen, so hysterically bad it's good. Every post-apocalyptic cliche in the book is here, Lou Diamond Philips' acting is horrible, Ron Perlman has barely a cameo, the script is like a stream of piss in your face... The only things I liked about this trash bomb were Christopher Lambert's performance (as useless as he was in such a cheap movie), hot actresses (which doesn't really compliment the characters, eh?) and how cheap I bought the DVD (while Tanya managed to get it even cheaper!) 1/10
Eraserhead - David Lynch's feature debut and art house classic. The director himself stated in a rather recent interview that to this day, nobody managed to understand the full meaning of this movie, so I won't even try. But what I do have to say is that it's perfect to be watched in the dark at home; you feel like a portal to another world opens before you; well, much like the Radiator Theater... ???/10
Gravity - Best movie of 2013. The less I say the better. 9,5 / 10

My Top 10 Video Game Ladies (REVISITED)

Yep, this is a franchise reboot of this post, because hey, why not? :3

10. Nekolyss (OpenArena)

You're probably thinking I'm crazy to put an over-the-top 'sexy' player model from the open-source re-imagining of Quake 3 that I've barely played, but I have several reasons to do so: first, I'm a male subject after all, I find her hot and I still love catgirls, no matter how exploitative all those My Little Felicia Digital Art Tributes get lately; second, I love FOSS and everything about it; third, I love Quake 3 and id Tech 3 engine overall; fourth, and most importantly, she was created as a satire of over-the-top 'sexy' characters made up with a sole purpose of cheap drool-inducing eye candy and nothing else. Don't believe me? The OpenArena developers have stated it themselves!



9. Lara Croft (Tomb Raider series)

When Toby Gard's infamous cup of coffee fell on the Core Design office floor, and Laura Cruz's (sic!) breast size accidentally got three times bigger than the developers originally wanted, the ultimate video game sex symbol was born - just as Tomb Raider the game set the tone and template for all the games in what we now call action adventure genre. To be honest, it wasn't the best of its kind, but who cares when the game's protagonist is hotter than any video game heroine was before?!



8. Taki (Soul Calibur series)

No video game characters list is complete without a ninja, and Taki always nails the 'sexy kunoichi' fetish for me. It was a real catfight to pick from - can't we forget Nina (Saboteur 2), Ayane (Dead Or Alive/Ninja Gaiden), the unnamed protagonist from The Ninjawarriors, and so on. But the kunai-sliced cake goes to Taki, for several reasons: her combos are easy enough to be mastered by a beginner (remember, I suck ass at fighting games), her costumes are always stylish, and of course she's lovable to look at as the blue moon on the star-filled night with the sakura petals flying across the sky. ^w^



7. Eve (Parasite Eve)

Call me a retard, but the supporting cast is the major reason I never played the Parasite Eve sequels. Aside from all quirks, the first PE is one of the iconic survival horror games to me, and the majority of its charm goes to the main villain. Melissa/Eve (eh, calling it a spoiler - now that's retarded) has it all - sex appeal, raunchy personality, gruesome The Thing-inspired mutation cycle, disturbing biography (counting the Parasite Eve book, to which the game is a sequel), and just the fact that she does horrible evil things onscreen, right from the goddamn opening cinematic. Speaking of 'God damn', to any Adam this Eve is certainly one hell of a forbidden fruit.



6. Konoko (Oni)

One of the most badass action adventure heroines out there, this cyber cop doesn't really show off cleavage or anything, but her character and personality are what Konoko-chan is all about. Essentially, she is a walking nuclear reactor, ready to go off every minute and explode into a rainy cloud of blood and limbs (there was gore in the beta version), always aiming for heads and breaking the necks. Bravo Bungie for indulging our perverted fantasies yet again!



5. Cryss (Unreal Tournament)

What, another network FPS player model? Seriously? What's different this time? Well, unlike OpenArena, I've played the Epic Games' definitive multiplayer classic to death, so this Goth hottie has such thing as the nostalgic value going for her. The player model/skin I'm always playing is Necris/Malakai, so in the single player team events, Cryss is a frequent partner. You know, it's always pleasing to see a badass dark warrior princess running around fighting by your side!



4. Claire Redfield (Resident Evil series)

Hands down my favorite Resident Evil lady, since the day the (arguably) best game in the franchise was released. Unlike Jill Valentine, she's not a pinup sex symbol, unlike Ada Wong she's not forced to be considered a sex symbol at all, and unlike half of the other female cast, she's not pointless. Oh, and she also starred in another game that makes the RE2 supremacy arguable, and I'm of course talking about Code Veronica. Well, on the negative side, we also have all the newer games to wipe their feet on her by giving her lame attempts at badassness and dressing her up in glasses and cleavage, but I still love the gentle, sympathetic, humble self-defending-never-attacking-first young biker girl who was just forced to become a zombie slayer at Umbrella's mercy.



3. Samus Aran (Metroid series)

The late Gunpei Yokoi and his gang at Nintendo R&D1 were certainly watching too much Alien, otherwise they'd follow their own game manual and make Samus a man. But luckily (and shockingly for all the gamers back in 1986), the Metroid development team was the first to show that the girls in video games would never remain reduced to damsels in distress anymore. With her amazing full body armor and arsenal of deadly weapons, Samus Aran is permanently memorized as the first REAL video game heroine, from the groundbreaking original, through the epic Super Metroid, to modern days.



2. Rayne (BloodRayne series)

The final cut of 'sexy vampire' fetish and my all-time favorite fanservice-ready video game heroine. Rayne is a redhead vampress wrapped in tight leather, carrying a military arsenal and big, I mean BIG blades to slice down the Nazis, and not to mention her fantastic curves. What's not to like? Terminal Reality knew they came up with an awesome character, by making her moan like a porn star while drinking the Nazi gore and deliver F-bombs almost as frequently as gunshots, slashes, bites and stabs. Bad girls go everywhere!



1. Feena (Ys I&II)

Lovable, caring, tender, supportive - a complete opposite of what a typical female video game character usually is. No cleavage (for the most part), no sex hotline voice, nothing that can qualify as 'hot' and 'sexy', like, at all. What won me over about her was her character, so kind and gentle that nobody else will top her charm. Encouraging Adol to go fight the evil forces, praying for him, helping him out, expressing her gratitude for everything - never did I see a personality person so fleshed out by the writers and more likable because of her inner beauty, not only the exterior (which still happens to be cute as well), although ironically she's onscreen during, like, 15% of the time in both games. But seriously gentlemen, she's one of the best love interests ever in video games, period.


Wednesday, November 20, 2013

NekoHybrid: Awesomeness Is Imminent


Support the Victims of Typhoon Yolanda by ~NekoHybrid on deviantART


Yes! Yes! God, at last! You actually did it! God bless you NekoOverlord, you've outdone yourself again! Of course, the first thing every sane person thinks about when they hear 'horrible tragedy that took hundreds of lives', the very first thing to associate it with is a bunch of copyrighted characters that don't exist carrying over the copied and pasted boxes of charity that don't exist! Including the Divine Felicia! Well, of course!!! :3

Originally, I wanted to leave a trolling comment under your Philippines-related Journals, saying something like 'oooh honey, maybe do a sexy pose of Felicia to cheer up the ones who lost their families', but considered it too cynical and sick even by my own standards - but hey, in the end it wasn't even necessary!

I wish you Godspeed in all your future enterprises, you are truly the king of digital tribute artists!

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Megiddo: Reboot Is Imminent?

This is the worst news ever... Some assholes I'm sure they're awesome developers have released an Android game called EPOCH, with the story copying Megiddo absolutely note for note! Check it out:

A lone robotic soldier wakes up in a barren post-apocalyptic wasteland with his charge nowhere in sight. On a search to find the last outpost of humanity, the robot must shoot his way through menacing robot hordes. EPOCH is powered by fantastically crisp graphics and an intuitive control system that makes combat fluid and easy to learn.

Official site for this... this.

Oh, and it's available on the latest Humble Bundle, too...

Shit, I guess it's the franchise reboot and total rewriting time!

Don't worry Dawn, we'll get them next time. Next time.


Her Name Is Dawn by ~EinhanderZwei on deviantART

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Some Of My Favorite Disaster Movies

Originally posted on DeviantArt, but because DeviantArt sucks, I think I'll also repost it here!

DISCLAIMER: All (or at least, most of) the movies referenced here were actually big hits when they came out, and are well known to the viewers of my age or older. However, the point of this is to introduce the younger audience to some awesomeness they're missing out.

Alright, so... Those who know me might think that a post like this will be devoted to action, sci-fi or horror genres, and while some of the list entries do have some sci-fi and action elements, I'm gonna talk about my another all-time favorite kind of movies: The Disaster Films! Okay, let's get this pun out of the way: I think none of them were box office bombs and/or critical victims, it's just that they deal with some kind of natural or technological disasters and characters trying their best to deal with those, resulting in all kinds of action-packed, suspenseful and dramatic moments.

Outbreak (1995)

Easily one of my Top 10 all-time favorite movies, this is one suspenseful ride from the very first frame to the end. It's from the director of NeverEnding Story, it has its first plot twist occurring during the opening credits, and is just an all around memorable thriller with top notch performances from Dustin Hoffman (one of the rare occurrences of him playing almost an action hero), Cuba Gooding Jr, Renee Russo, Morgan Freeman, Donald Sutherland and Kevin Spacey. If this cast doesn't make you go rent/buy it, then I don't know!

Also, I reviewed it here already.



The Abyss (1989)

This interesting hybrid of old-school sci-fi and hyper-realistic adventure flick is one of James Cameron's lesser known gems, and I scratch my head why. To me, it's the definitive underwater movie, with everything needed for a great oceanic adventure. Yeah, the message may be too blunt and hammered in by today's standards, but the emotional impact is still there, as is the care about characters. Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn are the stars, but everyone else is excellent, too, in this grand sci-fi epic. Of course I recommend the Director's Cut, but be warned that it lasts for 3 hours. Although I'm sure you'll be kept at the edge of your seat for that whole time!



Speed (1995)

One of Keanu Reeves's best roles and one of the action genre's proudest moments, this movie was a colossal hit when it was released, and for the right reasons. Director Jan De Bont and screenwriter Graham Yost weren't pioneers in non-stop, almost realtime storytelling, but combined with the excellent action scenes and building suspense throughout the whole course, this movie is perfectly watchable today as it was back in the 90s. Aside from being a gigantic blockbuster, it launched the careers of Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock and added one more memorable bad guy role to Dennis Fucking Hopper's resume. Get ready for rush hour!



Daylight (1997)

This was the second film by now-famous Rob Cohen, who I'm a fan of. I know it's not physically accurate by any means, but if you throw the disbelief uot of your window and sit back to experience this wild ride with Sly Stallone to the Hudson River tunnel crumbling after a horrible explosion, it will be one hell of a thrill. I especially love how the situation gets even worse over the course of the film, and the solution our hero(es) devise are probably idiotic, but plausible enough to never let the tension go; so it's best to do as the tagline says - hold your breath.

Already reviewed it here, too.



Ladder 49 (2004)

Saw this one in theater, and it was a killer experience. Every Soviet boy was dreaming to become either a spaceman (see below) or a firefighter once he grows up, and it's a dream to be praised. Unlike the rest of this list, Ladder 49 doesn't really focus on one particular big disaster, but rather shows the firefighters as normal everyday funny guys willing to put their lives at stake to save the innocent. So basically it's a work drama with some action scenes here and there, showcasing how terrible a firefighter's job can be at times. Of course, I also have to mention great acting from John Travolta and Joacquin Phoenix.



Deep Impact (1998)

Another theatrical experience I won't soon forget. Yeah yeah, it came the same year as Armageddon, and I saw both (in the same theater, which is funny); and as much as I am a Michael Bay fan (suck it down haters), Deep Impact impressed me more. It's more serious and dark in tone, despite having the same exact plot, but everything that Armageddon is accused of to this day is, I think, absent here. No stereotyped Russian spacemen, no awkward romance, and I personally think Tea Leoni is prettier than Liv Tyler (although she's a beauty, too!). And if you've seen this movie already, you may exactly imagine how heartbreaking it was for a 10 yr old boy (me) to see an ending like this one... not to spoil anything, but I think I got teary-eyed. I don't care if Deep Impact is scientifically accurate, it's a must see for science fiction fans.


Monday, October 28, 2013

Happy Birthday John Romero!!!

YES! Today (Oct, 28), one of the greatest game designers in the world turned 46!

Big hugs and cheers to the creator of all our favorite old-school first person shooters, Mr Alfonso John Romero! *hugs*


So to celebrate, go NOW and play some Wolfenstein 3D, DOOM, DOOM II, Heretic, Hexen, Quake or even Daikatana, or else... he's gonna make you his bitch!

Happy Birthday John!


Friday, October 11, 2013

The Best Of Nancies' Rage

Alright, so quite a while ago I had a cute little holy war with three Nancies (as I call them) about how it's not too good to jerk off to mediocre 3D models instead of having a life. Let's recap, shall we?

So, it all started with this shit:


12 Years Later... by ~NekoHybrid on deviantART

You thought that picking an obvious perverted furry sex symbol Felicia is to represent a real tragedy where real people, not fairytale furries, really died with no chance of magic revival through the Power Of Love is going a little tiny bit too far? Apparently, you're crazy!

Of course, I left a distasteful comment underneath this exploitation. And of course, the author, or as I call him, Mr I'm-Spamming-DeviantArt-With-Lousy-Screenshots-Of-Models-I-Didn't-Make-Posing-Before-Backgrounds-I-Didn't-Make-Either-To-Trigger-Lines-Of-Faves-And-Comments-From-Drooling-Hikkies-And-This-Is-Actually-Called-Digital-Art-Although-The-Only-Artsy-Part-Is-Me-Pressing-Print-Screen, didn't tell me anything directly, because I must be too much of an Untermensch to him. Instead, he unleashed several of his altar boys upon me. Here's what they had to say:

OK, let's get something established. It's his way of showing tribute to people who have lost their lives and as long as he's in control, he can draw what he likes. It's not up to you to decide what he draws. Heck, I might not approve completely but I stand by his right to draw it.

BTW folks, be used to the word 'tribute', as this is the only way those sorry arses defend their Master; as well as to the word 'draw' as this is considered actual art that requires actual effort.

Now, back to our Nancies:

Nancy: Got damn is this Einhander guy fucking stupid. Felicia is American. The only thing wrong with this picture is that Felicia looks out of place - just like Mario would look out of place - any video game character would look out of place.

I mean, imagine if I put Gunstar Heroes trying to tribute to 9/11. SOMEONE WOULD THROW A BRICK AT ME!

Nancy: Felicia might be created from the imagination of a Japanese artist, but she was made with a American nationality. She might not look the part, as you seem so adamant on finding fault on her appearance, but she was made with the best American ideals, which is to be kind to others, helping those in need and a cheery, optimistic and confident attitude in making her dreams come true.

A tribute is still a tribute, no matter how bad you find the medium to be. This piece clearly shows tribute for the victims of 9/11, and I'm sure others will definitely take comfort in that. Unless this piece clearly/subtly shows disrespect towards the memories of the victims, it is an honest tribute.

Nancy: So what if the character's not from the US and it's properly represented? It's still a commemoration regardless.

Do you honestly think that the creator uploaded this for sex appeal? Do you see anybody here making comments like "I wanna bang her so much"? or "Forget 9/11, bring on the boobs!"

I didn't think so.

I'm sorry if this is not to your liking but I can't help that and neither can anyone else. Stop nitpicking about the smallest details or better still, find something to look at that doesn't offend you.

* * *

Nancy: First and foremost. Felicia. All raging hormones aside, she's a fantastic work of art, and seemingly very original if I've ever seen such a character. The first character to come along looking nude while also self censoring naturally, and getting away with it. FAN FUCKING TASTIC. You'll not find many characters that look like her, and even if you do, most of them came AFTERWARDS. Also, the only other character that may or may not predate her is from a hentai, which by itself, makes it obscure in the first place. I'm not too much of a fan of her personality, but hey, Japan. Bound to happen.

Now I understand that you hate felicia. That's cool. You can hate her. Especially for the idiotic, buffoon reasons that you call standards. You even erroneously think that you've grown by acquiring more "sophisticated" tastes in female characters. But here's the deal, you can bash, everyone else can bash you too. :D

I seriously can't find where to begin making fun of feminists. It's like, they absolutely hate the female form more than Muslims. It's like voluntarily oppressing oneself, and acquiring some sort of joy from it. What's even more funny, is that nudity is natural, and if it weren't for sexual stigmas and clothing, it would be more ingrained into our culture, which would lead to seeing a naked woman not automatically equating to sex. What's also funny, is that you feminists try to defend your point of views totally ignorant of what females are allowed to do NOWADAYS. If I had a nickel for every pregnant male, boy dressed as a girl, boy with female proportions, yaoi and slash pairings...... For goodness sakes, the things I've seen girls get away with today are far more annoying than just one nude fucking woman. Hell, a trillion nude fucking women aren't as fucking annoying to look at as a fucking biological mechanically fucked up idea as male pregnancy. Where are your complaints about Gill, Seth and Urien? Firebrand? The nude Ogre demon from Dungeons and Dragons Shadow Over Mistara? Soul Calibur 5's final boss as a hidden character (he practically only wears a thong). Tekken's Ogre? Seriously, these days are an open free market for whatever the fuck you want as a character, so where in the living fuckshit do you get off criticizing ONE fucking character? Go ahead, try to pick on other female characters - there's a barefoot, bare chested man for every single one of them.

And yes, I know you're a guy, I simply address you as if you traded in your pair for a nice set of tits, because what retarded husk of a man is willing to become a feminist these days? We as a society have advanced far enough to know that gender equality is no longer an issue (and if it is, it's because you're not the one getting what you want, which means you need to work harder to get your ideas across you lazy sack of shit - i.e. if you think there's too many women in this play, you need to write your own fucking play). It shouldn't even fucking come up. The issue has been explored by more intelligent people, and the conclusions have already been drawn: as persons, we're pretty much equal. You got that?

Now, reading through your comments and all the arguments, I've come to one conclusion....

You're a sad sack of shit. Seriously.

Let's take everything fucking seriously and even more so, let's dictate to others how they should do the things they want, appropriately. Then the moment someone decides to impose on YOU, it's time to take up the arms and hit the fences. What a crock of shit.

Now I'm not a Nekohybrid supporter - I actually can't stand him at times. Why must Felicia be plugged into everything? Why does he constantly have to abuse the XNALara program to get every single pose he can think up out of his mind? Etc - but I support him having the right to do whatever the fuck he wants. Did I find something wrong with him making a 9/11 tribute with Felicia as the focus character? Hell yeah I did, but in the same way I'd find fucking Super Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog out of place sobbing over the twin towers. Looks out of place and goofy.

To be honest, I don't give a damn about the twin towers (don't know anyone who's lost anybody), and there are many people around the world that don't give a shit either. We can't impose our feelings on them, demanding they respect our sensibilities on the subject - that'll only make them even more hostile towards you, as it certainly would me, because you don't come up to me throwing your stupid "feels" in my face demanding SHIT. What exactly would you expect? Tell someone they should dance along to your tune if they want to please you, as if they were trying to in the first place. Respect is NOT setting a standard and expecting everyone to follow it. Respect is the "holding of something in high regard" and everyone has their own opinions on what's worthy of respect. Anyone attempting to force others to respect them and their ideas/beliefs/sensibilites without sound objective reasoning is wrong period.

What's worse, this guy is actually making tribute here, and you're even finding fault with THAT. How much of a sensitive little shit are you? I'm hoping you're a troll, because people who truly demand to be sheltered from all the negativity that others may have to say and trying to actually force others to accept that is one of the reasons I think all of humanity should burn slowly in a raging hellfire created by unknown causes.

And guess what, I'm a Christian :D. If Felicia was nailed to the cross, I'd give no flying fucks. Jesus was not the only person nailed a cross you idiot, crucifixion was a common punishment in ancient times. Regardless of what we Christians say, he doesn't OWN the cross. Such logic would be ass backwards, and contradictory. Imagine someone telling you that you own the concept of other people's demise. Yeah, I thought so. Fucktard.

Mois: Oh look, seems like Ash has finally unleashed Slowpoke! Let's see how soon will you slip into lame jokes as opposed to nitpicky arguments :) Let me break up your tablecloth of a mesage to paragraphs and reply to each individually:

1. No honey, not aside. Have you seen the comments to her genie 'fanart'? Developed character with a personality and detailed backstory, indeed. As a side note, she wasn't original. C'mon, no love for Nina from Words Worth?

2. I do not hate Felicia. I do not care about Felicia. Connecting her reputation to 9/11 is what disturbs me.

3. Sorry sweetie, I was honestly trying to come up with an elaborate reply on feminism, but the thing is, it has nothing to do with my rage, and besides, swearing doesn't make you adult and sophisticated. Kinda sorry.

4. Why should I think ALL the thoughts someone else thought if as a sophisticated being I can think my own?

5. (drum roll)

6. Behold, The Master Of Wise Criticism! I mean wow, even Leonard Maltin and Roger Ebert weren't as elaborate in their reviews as a person I don't know branding me a sack of shit. I think I'll go suicide now, because my life is ruined, OK yeah.

7. You obviously don't, as you keep pushing the Irate Gamer standards of swearing.

8. If you actually sort of agree with me, then why did you write this War & Pieces in the first place?

9. Now that's the point I'd like to note that no Christian talks like that. By saying you don't care about 9/11 makes me think you are a misanthrope, and this reply of yours is pointless and driven by self-affirmation only, which makes my reply pointless, too, LOL. Anyway, I do not want things go MY way, because it would make life boring and predictable. I just want this notion of women as lumps of meat around the vaginas to stop, that's it. I just want as much people as possible to be grown up dignified sane adults. Since when did it become something bad and deserving a megaton of 'fucks' and variations?

10. See item 8. I find the whole idea of SUCH tribute a fault, and you even do, too. Ah, and one more abuse of the word 'tribute', and I'm afraid I'll start searching for that ignore button.

11. You're not a Christian. I think you're just a poser who got into Christianity just to be allowed inside YMCA, but that's just my thought. And as I've already said, calling names and swearing like a sailor doesn't make you clever and reasonable, as well as doesn't make me take you seriously. I'm trying to, really hun, but I can't! Although at least you don't have a My Little Pony avatar, so you can still be saved. :)

Bottom line: if writing such a long post dedicated to a response to a flame war that was over 36 hrs ago over a disrespectful image of a busty anime girl symbolizing the tragedy she has nothing to do with doesn't alarmingly indicate that you need to get a life, then I'm beyond unsure what does!

Nancy: How ironic for you of all people to call ME slowpoke. For goodness sakes, you're a male feminist. If there were any brains in that skull of yours, youd've already grown out of that horrendous way of thinking and be disgusted with yourself for ever having fell into it to begin with.

Anyways, I'll reply to the stuff worth replying to. A lot of the bullshit you speak is just that, bullshit.

1. Here's one of the major reasons why feminism doesn't fucking work, even at a fundamental level. We can at least agree, that everyone counts as an individual, correct? As such, everyone interprets/perceives and experiences things differently, right? Okay, we got all that down. Now, with all that said, regardless of how obvious something may seem, a character thrown out there with such seemingly base sex appeal may not necessarily come off to everyone as such. It sure as hell didn't with me - I fucking hated Felicia when I first saw her at the age of 14. Being that was almost 16 years ago, details elude me, but from what I could remember, I didn't like the fact that I couldn't take her very seriously. Big feet, big hands, white getup and a huge fucking blue lion mane did much to turn me off back then. The one detail that DID NOT come across my mind was that she was naked. It wasn't until I saw her animated that I pushed back all my hatred - I was a weird kid, and hated most everything before I eventually came to like them. It wasn't some bullshit sense of sexism (a word that the most advanced of human beings have already moved past) or any other garbage, it was her exaggerated features that bugged me, her boobs/ass/jiggly bits didn't even fucking come to mind. I didn't think it was normal of a woman to dress like that, I didn't think it was weird or out of place either, I simply just went with it, and gave my opinion, even at that early age. To think about how old you are, that you would let such meaningless details bother and bog you down. What a joke.

And wow, it took me having to throw you a bone for you to even correctly guess Nina from words worth as being the origin of fur censor catgirls. She may have been the first, but Felicia was the first to actually have stylized patterns in her fur to create the censor. Now top that.

2. You're a fucking prude. Enjoy your AIDS.

8. Hey dumbass, you do understand the differences between why we "seem" to agree on this felicia picture, right? Here's the Care-O-Meter, in reference to our reactions to seeing "12 years later" by NekoHybrid:

You: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------(useless FEMEN driven nerd rage)

Me: --(lol, what is this, why is this? XD )

YOU are offended to the point of making call out journals appealing to your shitty ass watchers. I am simply puzzled as to why someone would bother using a video game character to honor the fallen. We are NOT on the same side whatsoever. Not even close. We don't even share adjacent views on ice cream, our thoughts couldn't be any more at odds.

9. I'm fine with being a misanthrope. People let down a lot more than they correct, fix, create or build. Which leads me to my next point.

There's no such thing as maturity, you fucking fool. It's just a shitty manipulative mechanism created by society in order to promote conformity. Seeing as I've already stated that everyone has their own idea of what should be held in high honor (respect), they have their own idea of when, where and what occasion one should restrain themselves from acting out in any way, and each has their own concept of how responsibility in general should be handled (THESE ARE THE THREE MAJOR ASPECTS OF MATURITY, MIND YOU), and seeing as there's no clear cut, completely objective definition of maturity that every single person in existence can agree with, the only LOGICAL conclusion is to assume that there is no such fucking thing as mental/behavioral maturity in anything other than the ability to handle/comprehend/keep in mind more complex details and situations. It's more logical to assume that society, which has measures of control lurking around every fucking corner, is trying to manipulate you into being the all positive being that "Adulthood" is 'supposed' to represent. You're an idiot, you haven't already come to this conclusion. Congrats.

Your bottom line: No, the problem is that you're projecting - it is YOU that need to get a life. If something like this is worthy of you going fucking nuts in an online journal, then obviously you're not getting out enough to get into some real drama. Fuckwad.

Cleverly placed reply to 10. Well here's the thing: if I can get over my hatred of seeing homosexuals intimate in public by constantly being subjected to randomly placed gay porn GIFs when browsing 4chan, it can be said that desensitization through overexposure is the best method of coping. You need more of it:

Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute Tribute

NEKOHYBRID MADE A TRIBUTE TO 9/11

NEKOHYBRID MADE A TRIBUTE TO 9/11

NEKOHYBRID MADE A TRIBUTE TO 9/11

NEKOHYBRID MADE A TRIBUTE TO 9/11

NEKOHYBRID MADE A TRIBUTE TO 9/11

SUCK A DICK AND FAVE NEKOHYBRID'S TRIBUTE TO 9/11

Mois: So you're saying you're about 30 yrs old, but I've seen 15 yrs old emo boys talking more politely. Kinda sad. I think I'll call you Nancy then.

So Nancy, I can come over the fact that you think swearing will make me take you seriously (spoiler: it really doesn't, trust me dear Nancy, I tried!). You're not the first of your kind, and surely you won't be the last.

But why do you offend my Watchers, sweet little Nancy?

Nancy: Lol, dumbass thinks that talking politely is a necessity. If the message was sent, read it. The same necessary information would've been there regardless of how I stated it.

Projecting again - you think that I think that my cursing is going to make you take me seriously, when srsly 4 reelz, I just curse for the fuck of it.

Again, for the fuck of it :). Usually, watchers tend to +1 anything the person they're watching says, and yeah, you're right, I should be treating them all as individuals and not generalizing. Ouch, my bad? Like I said, for the fuck of it.

Mois: Mmm, oh Nancy, you're ridiculously Christian!

Nancy: Damn straight. Tough love for everyone.

Mois: You? Straight? Oh stop you ^_^

Nancy: Oh behave! :-*

Nancy: The funniest part of all this is how you were actually a fan of his XNALara screenshots before you decided "OMG, he's making tributes to dead people with Felica and I'm offended!" *mean pouty face*

Mois: So a person who says he's got a life wastes time browsing through the dino shit old Favorites of a sad sack of shit like me ^_^ Oh Nancy, you're adorable!

Nancy: 1. I never proclaimed to have a life.
2. This is my day off of work, I'll spend it lounging around if I want! :D
3. Who said I looked through your favorites? I simply determined you were just a troll by asking Nekohybrid if you were a fan of his and he provided links of you going from nice guy to batshit insane douchebag. I already wasted my time, what's another couple of replies going to hurt?

Mois: You have a work?

Nancy: Unbelievable, isn't it!

Mois:Beyond Nancy-chan, beyond ^_^

* * *

Nancy: Felicia might be created from the imagination of a Japanese artist, but she was made with a American nationality. She might not look the part, as you seem so adamant on finding fault on her appearance, but she was made with the best American ideals, which is to be kind to others, helping those in need and a cheery, optimistic and confident attitude in making her dreams come true.

A tribute is still a tribute, no matter how bad you find the medium to be. This piece clearly shows tribute for the victims of 9/11, and I'm sure others will definitely take comfort in that. Unless this piece clearly/subtly shows disrespect towards the memories of the victims, it is an honest tribute. To label something as politically incorrect, would be because the art piece describes the tragedy with something offensive/insensitive (12000 dumbasses get pwned because they didn't think Arabs could actually crash planes into their big buildings, etc). So far, the character only displays sadness, and her appearance is exactly how she actually looks like (her character really doesn't wear clothes), so this piece is in no way meant to be offensive.

Mois: Again, the only real argument I am seeing is sticking the word 'tribute' everywhere. Let's just wait for the first person who lost someone in 9/11 to see it and say 'WTF's that 3D boobs shit?!'. Let us just wait.

Nancy: Still waiting.

Mois: As I've said to another drooling fan somewhere here in the comments, we can also wait for the next Easter for Mr The Divinely Almighty :nekohybrid: to produce a tribute to Jesus Christ with Felicia nailed to the cross. Tribute! Proper representation! Not offensive to anyone! ^_^

Nancy: You've missed the point of this conversation, but whatever.

Mois: Judging from another defender calling me sick and going 'FFUUU', I struck a cord anyway xD

Nancy: Now you just pulled that out of your ass. I simply told you that the character isn't as bad as you think she is, but it appears you now just want to appear like you "won" an argument. Since I had a similar experience with somebody like you, I'm pretty sure I'll just forget about it. People like you will only want to see the flaws, so go ahead while I look at both good and bad of the character.

Mois: You're saying it like it has something to do with Felicia's character. I didn't say she was bad (I explained it in a nother journal). I just said that using this obviously perverted furry sex symbol as a poster girl to a real tragedy that had nothing to do with Capcom, Darkstalkers and/or sex appeal, where so many lives were lost, is too much. And even worse is calling it a 'tribute' all the time, like you and your fellow droolers do. You wouldn't consider a tribute taking a pair of anime tits, nailing it to the cross and writing 'HAPPY EASTER' below, right? Why're you defending this act of distaste with so much foam in your mouth then?

And those 'persons like me' you mentioned are called 'grown up adults with a sense of taste that have lives'. I'd strongly recommend getting one, too, it's really cool! You don't have a My LittlePony avatar, so you're not hopeless :)

Nancy: Actually, I knew you were basing on the fact that Felicia doesn't look like a decent poster girl for a terrible tragedy. As I had told you, Felicia was designed by a Japanese company, but she was designed as more or less, a sort of representation of the country. The game she is from, Darkstalkers, features monsters from around the world coming together to brawl. Its a really cool concept, especially when you see who they choose to represent a country (London gets a sullen Werewolf, Canada gets a rowdy Sasquatch, etc).

You say Japan has nothing to do with America, but that is incorrect, as Japan actually heavily relies on America for national security. In turn, America also imports quite a lot of their entertainment services. In a way, they actually do rely on each other and if tragedy struck (9/11) the other has a high chance of being affected.

Back to the character, Felicia is designed with no clothes at all, but then again one of the American's favorite sports is cheerleading, where basically hot, skimpily-dressed women dance for the masses (like Felicia does). When I first saw her, I was pretty shocked when I realized that wasn't a suit. But then I read her bio, and I liked her more for that. If you can get past the blatant fanservice, she is a really kind and caring soul who just wants everybody to get along and be happy. In short, in a way, Felicia could be seen as the positive values of America, which I find refreshing unlike all the crap their government keeps getting during the past 5 years.

A tribute is a tribute, there is absolutely no limit to what a artist can create. The only real consequence is how others will react towards the completed piece. You could actually create, like you said, "taking a pair of anime tits, nailing it to the cross and writing 'HAPPY EASTER' below", the end result would be just you losing your watchers. You could also create an effigy to Jesus from the flesh of unborn babies, the end result would be you sent to jail. The bottom line is, anything can create anything they want, but they should be mindful of public opinion. Since this art piece is getting mostly positive comments so far, I can say NekoHybrid did something right. Disliking it is your opinion, but being a dick about it is not right.

As I recall, the person like you was a 19yr old guy who kept claiming that he somehow "owned" fighting game girls (Felicia was actually his main obsession), and that only he was allowed to draw rather distasteful pictures of his character having a relationship with them/having sex with them. He would constantly go upon other people's profiles and harass them if they showed even an ounce of attraction to Felicia, going on and on about being the "god of Darkstalkers" and that they can't have a relationship because his word was somehow law.

He particularly hated a popular pairing with Felicia, and he would really go out of his way to slam and even try to take down works depicting the pairing. Subsequently, he was kicked out for being rude, racist even. He tried evading ban quite a lot of times, which was how I met him. I then had him kicked out time and time again.

Since your attitude is kind of similar to his, I would strongly advise not to follow his footsteps.

Mois: Hm, well... you think that cheerleading being a popular kind of sport that may be even called 'a career' (heard this in a movie; can't remember the title though) is okay? Isn't it another variation of presenting women as objects/products - the main thing that pisses me off and where all my subsequent pissoffs emerge from? And besides, I would be enraged if my country was represented by a blatant furry sex symbol. Actually, thanks to Hetalia it sort of is! Hey, Ukraine has big boobs, ha... ha... Now what's left is to draw an art of her cleaning up Chernobyl or something. Top friggin' notch.

And speaking of that 19-year old fella; sure, I'd like to apologize for an unjust insult, since this person is completely not what I imagined, but... But:

1. Darkstalkers happens to be one franchise where I never cared about the story and characters. Like, at all. I kinda like the gameplay, I think, but OF COURSE I picked it up before thanks to Felicia being there and me being a 15 yrs old spermatoxic dummy. But then I discovered the magic of an action called 'getting a life', so the rest is history. I do not know what pairings did Felicia participate in, and I didn't care even back then, so it's not 'sticking to canon' my motivation.

2. A few months ago I've actually had a campaign of all my distasteful images deleted from my Gallery (excluding several ones, but I provided the reasons), along with the comments, faves and so on. Conscience made me kill them, and I still don't regret.

2a. Hilariously coincidentally, for some time my most viewed, most commented and most faved 'artwork' was a lousy PSP wallpaper of Felicia's image I didn't draw placed on a background I didn't shoot. It wa sooo popular and made me SO disgusted of myself that I deleted it; again, not regretting it now at all.

2b. Since I had all my genuinely sexist images killed off, the only ones I'm keeping that may qualify as 'sexy' are actually made for the purpose of satirizing all the pointless sex appeal splooged all over dA. And yes, of course I had to make a fanart of Felicia, too, because instead of a poster girl for 9/11 (as consistently its okayness is hammered into me recently), to me she's an established poster girl for what's wrong with this damn site to me (and don't say it doesn't make sense please; you've described such an example yourself!). You know, like Rocky said - you may not be a whore, but you shouldn't behave like one. And seeing all these really Uncanny Valley worth bland screenshots of her a la 'she's in a cowboy hat now!', 'she's dancing samba now!', 'she's a mermaid now!' - I'm sorry, it does leave an impression that he behaves so in the hand of the author. Badly behaves.

2c. Even the distasteful images that I drew thinking that I'm making artworks-of-art didn't feature anyone else's copyrighted characters, because I think I'm mature enough not to go this low. There was an exception here and there, but the external OC's author accepted it wholeheartedly.

Hope it clarifies all the decisions I took on this cute little flamewar of ethics.

Nancy: Well, technically cheerleading is actually pretty extreme, you are basically launching girls so high and in such awkward positions, if you fail to catch her, she could break her neck. The cheerleaders in my school have to maintain a very strict diet and physique to actually do the launches, thats why I know its no picnic. The bottom line that I was trying to say is don't be too much of a dick towards something you don't like. I didn't minded that you didn't like the picture, you've got your reasons (as you've said). I myself am uncomfortable with nudity on this site, but I generally ignore it. It was within the artist's means to draw/create such things, and it is up to people to decide if they like it or not.

Mois: Well, cheerleading may be as extreme as it wants, but if that extremity is reached, again, for the sake of parading the female looks only, it's kinda fishily pointless.

And yes, for some time I was keeping silence and did ignore what I didn't like. I ignored, and it got worse and worse without some external quality control reached through bad reviews. I was silent when one of my Watchers joined five different groups dedicated to masturbating on farting anime girls. I was silent when the now-infamous NekoHybrid made a 'tribute' (seriously, two more and this word will completely change its meaning for me!) to Michael Jackson featuring Miss Take-A-Shitty-Guess-Who. And yes, I know all those 'to each his own's well. And yes, I willingly produce sick shit of an art now and then. But... how low will the ethics drop if everything will be automatically respected, and nobody will ever express negative criticism? Seriously, some really violently defended worthless 'artworks' more, and Anal Cunt's songs 'Kill Women', 'You're Too Ugly To Rape, So I Beat The Shit Out Of You' and 'Woman - A Natural Punching Bag' would seem a proper politically correct representation, or a tribute if you will.

Someone has to break the silence and show these exploitation pricks their place, and why the hell can't it be me? It's the glasses, right?

Nancy:Frankly, Americans like motivation and the feeling of achieving something. Lots of them are honest folk who just wish to feel like whatever they strode for meant something, the fireworks at the finish line. Thats why they host half-time shows (with the cheerleaders) and ask celebrities to host shows, its a big part of their culture. They want that spectacular knockout blow.

Well....I've never heard of Anal Cunt, maybe I shouldn't look into that. People had been breaking the silence, some stuff is wrong, and can be seen as offensive. However, too many people end up twisting their cause, or end up having a selfish, hidden agenda for their persecution (like the guy I told you about, he kept claiming how drawing any pairing work beside his kills Darkstalkers or something). Sometimes, other people do like what you don't like, and sometimes what seemed offensive isn't considered offensive to others (I saw real corpses being used by Buddhist monks to study the human spiritual biology, all of them in various stages of decomposition). Just remember that this is the internet, the more you surf, the more you will see such things.

Mois: Well, my attitude is mostly based on repulsion of not only offensive stuff, but mostly the fact that there is someone somewhere that thinks it's fine and doesn't mind it. There's tolerance to other people's tastes, and then there's tolerasty... Everywhere you look around these days, there is awkward to forced sexualization all over the place. Nobody has to be creative, inventive anymore, nobody cares about quality - you drew a horrendoud background? Quick, add some gazongas at the foreground, so nobody will notice! You know nothing about the character and/or you came up with a really bland undeveloped one? Give it giant tits, and everybody will go all out praising how they love this character! And what, women are okay with that, they don't mind and/or complain (well, not all, of course, but for the most part)! I just wanted to leave the tits aspect out of 9/11 at least, because that was beyond inappropriate...

Nancy: There isn't much you can do about these kinds of things, it is the internet after all. The best you can do is to recognize the ones that you feel are good, if not, comments like these will make you seem like a jerk no matter how you try to spin it.

Mois: Oh, right. Two things I like the least:

1. Constant tits everywhere and everybody okay with it.

2. EVERYONE waving their hands and saying nothing can be changed. Pfft, sure it can't if .

God bless SOPA.

Nancy: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for us.

* * *

Nancy: I see nothing wrong with it.

Mois: If you do not, then why did you get pissed off and dislikey by my 'sarcasm'? Those hypothetical Chernobyl/Kevorkian/Sharon Tate 'arts' would be totally srs bzns and A-okay with the almighty you, as far as I understand!

Nancy: You know jackshit about what you're talking about. As Neko-Hybrid said, it was not in any way meant to be fanservice.

Mois: :) Then he would've used someone who has more clothes, LOL. And male gender.

Nancy: He could've. But he used he wanted. Like I said, it's not up to you on what he draws.

Mois: So, going back to what ignited my disgust - isn't it way too ballsy to stick CG boobs at every subject matter there is and calling it 'a tribute'? BTW, love how you said 'drawn', that was kinda funny.

Nancy: How many tributes to 9/11 have you seen on here use CGI boobs? None. So I've got no idea how that point you made came into your mind. Like I said you nitpick too much, trying to point out every little flaw you can in my arguments.

Mois: Uh huh, while you're trying to impress me with how generic ('you don't know jack shit') you can get. And besides, wasn't I pissed off in the first place because I did see a piece of exploitative pseudo art with the actual CGI boobs that the author had the ball testicles to call a 'tribute'?

Nancy: See, you're doing it again, pointing out the flaws in my argument to cover up the fact that you can't make a strong argument. And I love how you've resorted to using fancy words in an attempt to make it look and sound more rational.

Mois: Who, me? Oh, I'm just looking forward to next Easter to see a 'tribute' to Jesus with Felicia being nailed to a cross, and you saying it's completely okay and not offensive at all. Now that'd be a sight to behold!

Nancy: Wow. You really are a nasty piece of work, you know that?

Mois: But why? Won't you say it's a proper representation and a tribute?

Nancy: Because of your attitude. I don't like it.

Bottom Line:

YOU DON'T FUCK WITH FELICIA, YOU DON'T FUCK WITH 15 YRS OLD DEVIANTART MASTURBATORS, AND YOU DON'T FUCK WITH THE 15 YRS OLD DEVIANTART MASTURBATORS ON FELICIA!




An Artsy Artwork Of Art Of A Tribute x3 by ~EinhanderZwei on deviantART

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Riddick (2013) [sci-fi, action] - POSSIBLE SPOILERS!!!


...and it sure did deliver at that


Well, to be honest I'm not into doing an elaborate review on this magnum opus of lame, so let's just say that I have discovered the Riddick franchise relatively recently, but quickly was suckered in and became what you may call a fan. I loved Pitch Black, even The Chronicles were better than everyone said, and Dark Fury was so so... it was okay. Have yet to play Dark Athena, but I have it all bought on Steam. So naturally, I was anticipating part 3 of the voyages of starship Diesel Prize, I followed the news, I was worrying for Diesel and Twohy to get enough budget money without resorting to Kickstarter, and after Riddick finally came out, I went to the theater and was royally disappointed!!! I'll just list what I did and did not like about it, because going through all the problems in detail (like it was with Prometheus) would not be worth it.

Pros:
* The cinematography is very beautiful-looking, especially for the tiny budget they got
* The end action scene was hardcore, but... (see con 1)
* A compeltely pointless, yet cute full nue of a hot Goth girl, but... (see con 2)
* The machinery and weapons used by mercs and cops was awesome, with a realistic approach - they got this aspect of Pitch Black perfectly

Cons:
* If the return to Pitch Black style means ripping off its iconic scenes, then Twohy did one heck of a job - not only he returned, he practically remade it. ...But why do that?!
* Lots of pointless gory and a couple of nude scenes made in just to get an R rating. However, if cut them out, the movie will lose nothing at all, if not become actually a little better
* The first 30-40 mins were boring as sin
* The humor was not only present, but it was some of the worst I've seen in years. Every joke was stupider than the previous one, to the point when they actually distracted from the plot!
* Karl Urban's 1.5 lines
* Riddick going all horny and picking up Dahl - wasn't it the same Riddick that treated women first and foremost with respect in all three previous installments (not counting Dark Athena, because I haven't played it yet)?! Did the franchise really desperately need all these sex jokes and Dahl's almost shark-jumping final line?!

My Rating: 6/10 (Twohy, I am disappoint)

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

PC Engine [1987] (NEC, Hudson Soft)

When talking about the old-school video gaming consoles, pretty often I mention an unknown (for the speaker) device called 'PC Engine'. But I never got it why was such a machine got unsuccessful and pitifully lost in the shadow of SNES and Genesis. Its library of games is not that large, surely, but the quality of the most is just stunning at times. So right now, when someone nostalgically sighs remembering the NES days, I usually sigh at no ability to get the PC Engine in my possession in the past, now or in the future. Sure it didn't have hardcore CRPGs, flight sims and turn-based strategy games (with some exceptions), but what a massive array of shmups, platform games, RPGs, arcade ports were released on it - there was even an FPS! Such focus on arcade-style games was already enough to beat up Genesis, but alas... So today, I present you - NEC PC Engine!

Developers: NEC Corporation, Hudson Soft
Generation: Fourth
'Bits': 8 (main CPU), 16 (graphical processing units)
Release Dates: Oct, 30, 1987 (Japan), Aug, 29, 1989 (US)
Media: HuCards, CD

      



I. BRIEF HISTORY

PCE was created by the NEC Corp. in the late eighties. In 1987 it was released in Japan, and in 1989 it came to USA and Europe (however, in the latter it was available only via import). Its sort of weird full name - PC Engine - may be a reference to the famous line of PC88/PC98 home computers created by the same company, a platform that gave birth to many now-famous video game franchises. However, in USA and Europe, the console was renamed to TurboGrafx-16. In a weird twist, its success worldwide was just as polar as the titles: PC Engine became a hit in Japan, subsequently outselling even the NES, but the numbers in the US weren't as hot, despite the aggressive marketing campaign, a mascot attempt named Johnny Turbo and constant picking on Sega Genesis. The whole bit war of 'NES vs Genesis', which later mutated to 'SNES vs Genesis', earned PCE the reputation of a niche product for hardcore gamers only.

II. TECHNICAL SPECS

The console was equipped with 8-bit CPU and 16-bit video system consisting of two chips, which led to average in complexity yet colorful graphical capabilities.

Here is the quick specifications comparison with NES and Genesis (the info is taken from Wikipedia):

ParameterNESPCEGenesis
----
Processor8-bit Ricoh, based on 6502 core8-bit MOS Technology 65SC02 a.k.a HuC6280 by Hudson16-bit Motorola 68000 (or compatible) + 8-bit Zilog Z80 (or compatible)
CPU Speed1,79 MHz (NTSC), 1,66 MHz (PAL)1,79 or 7,16 MHz (software-dependent)7,67+3,58 MHz (NTSC), 7,61+3,55 MHz (PAL)
Video ProcessorPPU, Picture Processing UnitTwo 16-bit processors — HuC6270 and HuC6260VDP, Video Display Processor
Screen Resolution256 x 240256 x 216Up to 320 x 224 (NTSC), up to 320 x 240 (PAL)
Max Onscreen Sprites646480
Max Onscreen Colors48 and 5 shades of gray512512
Video Memory2 Kb, can be expanded by the cartridge memory64 Kb64 Kb
Sound Unit5 channels (frequency, triangle, white noise, Delta-DAC)8 bit PCM stereo / 6-channel stereo6 channels w/frequency modulation, additional 4-channel PSG chip
RAM2 Kb, can be expanded by the cartridge memory8 Kb (32 Kb for TurboDuo)64+8 Kb
Storage CapacityUp to 48 Kb, expandableFrom 256 Kbit up to 24 MbitUp to 4 MB (32 Mbit)

For the storage media, PCE used an interesting brand of cartridges called HuCards (or TurboChips in the US), although something similar was already familiar to the gamer audiences with Sega Master System cards. But the real, true innovations introduced by the console, existed just as well:

1. The first CD-ROM console add-on in history. Yes, PC Engine is actually the first platform ever that used CDs to store its games. To play those, an additional module had to be purchased, dubbed PC Engine CD-ROM2 (interestingly, the US manufacturers instead produced a combo unit with CD drive included, branded TurboDuo). Thankfully, instead of stuffing the discs with grainy videos like Sega CD did, the developers took way better advantage of its capabilities, resulting in a lot of excellent titles - again, unlike Sega's counterpart.

2. 99,9% compatible portable version. PC Engine GT (TurboExpress in the US) was marketed as a separate system, and unlike Game Boy or Game Gear, it utilized exactly the same carts as the 'big' console. From the technological point of view, PCE GT was also superior to both competitors - for example, it supported TV output, a feature that became industry standard only recently. Unfortunately, what strangled this system was its price - $299 for a handheld is too much even nowadays. Ironically Nomad, a similar effort from Sega, was also a flop among gamers.

III. THE GAMES

To this day, PCE holds a solid reputation of the number one console for shmup (shoot 'em up) fans, and it was gained for a reason. No other system may compete with it in this regard, having so many games of this genre in its library that are still fun, playable and considered great classics today. After all, it's the quality of proposed games that makes the customer decide to stick with one system or another, and PC Engine does not disappoint. Here's a brief list of my personal favorites:

- HuCard games:

Super Star Soldier - one of the more famous titles for the system. Amazing graphics, catchy music, hot dogfights with hordes of enemies and tricky bosses - awesome!

Soldier Blade - to be honest, it's my most favorite game on the system, also being my second favorite game in the shmup genre (next to Tyrian). Everything here is just perfect. Limit-pushing visuals, complicated segmented bosses, incredible soundtrack and perfectly balanced gameplay and difficulty curve - I'll never get tired of praising this game, it's that good.

Gradius, Salamander, Parodius - very good ports of the classic Konami shooters.

R-Type - another solid port of the legendary Irem shooter. By the way, this is likely the only cartridge-based video game in history that was released on more than one storage unit (two carts, in this case).

Turrican - let's mix up the lineup of classic Japanese shooters with a classic European shooter. Not exactly the best console port (that'd be the one for Genesis), but a great portable experience for the owners of PCE GT.

Download, Heavy Unit, Cyber Core - some more decent-to-good shooters. Download is especially remarkable for its hilarious obscene English on the Game Over screens.

Raiden, Image Fight, Chase HQ, Splatterhouse, Street Fighter II' - more good arcade ports, and not only shmups this time.

Bomberman series - that's right, here's where it all started.

Jackie Chan's Action Kung Fu - a great platforming game, with especially memorable musical score. There's also an equally solid NES port.

Silent Debuggers - this is the FPS I was referring to in the opening. OK, not strictly one, as it's more like a dungeon crawler, but still a decent game, complete with good graphics.

Adventure Island series - yeah, that's where this started, too!

Blazing Lazers - can't say that I'm a huge fan of this game, but I'm well aware that it is considered a classic. So worth a mention for sure!

Bonk's Adventure series - see Blazing Lazers.

- CD games:

Gate Of Thunder - believe it or not, the survival of the whole idea of having games on CD depended on this game's success. As evident from the games of today, it was a hit! This legendary shooter from Hudson looks worthwhile even today, with beautiful pixel graphics and the immortal soundtrack, recorded in crystal clear Redbook quality.

Lords Of Thunder - a spiritual sequel to the previous game, shifted towards so-called Euroshmups with their in-game shops, health bars and pretty tame difficulty. But there are highlights, including the fantasy setting and upbeat rock soundtrack. Was also released on Sega CD.

Akumajou Dracula X: Chi No Rondo - before the Dracula X Chronicles for PSP was released, this game was a forbidden fruit for gamers outside Japan. Of course, such fruits tend to be the sweetest, and it's very true here - by some (including myself) it's rightfully considered the best Castlevania game of pre-SOTN era.

Cho Aniki series - if you're not disgusted by such term as 'homoerotic space shooter with bodybuilders in speedos', you'll enjoy these pretty fun and campy games. They are actually well-made, there are some sequels on other platforms, and the music is, again, excellent.

Download 2 - a nice sequel to a nice HuCard game. Same good ol' cyberpunk and ridiculous (im)maturity - the main character smoking was actually a shocking sight back then.

Psychic Storm - yet another decently made shmup, a solid A-. Besides, it's the first shmup I ever 1CC'd, but that's not a big deal, since it's very easy - and it's not a bad thing, since in this case it's good for the beginners!

Ys Books I & II - sort of a port/remake of the first two games in Falcom's cult action RPG series, not the only one, but one of the more famous. This version is notable for having an official English localization, above-average voice acting and the ability to beat both games as one large adventure (which it is, practically).

Ys III: Wanderers From Ys - remake/port of the third Ys game. Again, considered to be one of the best.

Seirei Senshi Spriggan - a shmup from Compile, godfathers of the genre. Excellent graphics, interesting setting and, as usual for Compile games, a mind-blowing arsenal of weapons.

Valis series - very interesting lineup of platforming slashers a la Castlevania, more famous on the Sega Genesis. Unfortunately, unlike the Genesis entries, there were no official or fan translations for the PCE...

IV. CONCLUSION

As you may've read between the lines, I really love PC Engine. Excellent hardware (first of all, the video system and the CD drive), excellent games, and hours of fun spent playing them - this is what comes to my mind whenever I think of it. Don't hesitate to familiarize yourself with it and its one-of-a-kind library, and you'll see how many more awesome retro games are waiting for you to beat!


^_^