Finally found a copy but I don’t think I’ll ever play Silent Hill in the dark again... except is the door is closed and no one is trying to scare me!
Silent Hill 2 is game released in 2001 on PlayStation by Konami. The story follows James Sunderland. A man that received a letter from Mary, his wife that died of a disease three years ago, the letter says she’ll be waiting for him in their “special place” in Silent Hill. And so he went to Silent Hill knowing that his wife is long dead...
The story sounds stupid isn’t it? Well I believe that people would go through hell just to be with someone! So give James’ stupidity a chance, play the game and later torture him over and over again!
The Game Play:
Like in other Silent Hill games this is has battle scenes and puzzles, and modes of difficulty in which you want to play the game. As always it also features different endings depending on how you play the game. There are at least 6 endings available, alien ending is one of them of course and a weird ending called the dog ending.
There is another ending and another game to go with this series. From what I understand it is only available in the Director’s Cut. There you’ll control Maria, one of the characters in the game you’ll meet. Her role is the whole story is quite different from the rest of the characters.
The Graphics:
Silent Hill has a signature look on all its games. There isn’t much to say about it. One thing I will have to note is how slow the camera angle changes. I haven’t noticed the other games if it’s the same. This just frustrates me a bit cause I can’t see where James is shooting at, or maybe I’m not doing well with the controls, especially our Playstation controller is being rebellious lately (needs replacement I guess). The 3D animation is good nothing to complain there, it wasn’t too dark.
My Verdict:
I’m gonna sound bias so I’ll say PLAY IT!!! I’m a fan of Silent Hill games! I have to say, I have been wondering about Pyramid Head for a while. I mean every time Silent Hill comes up there’s Pyramid Head. I was wondering why he is so famous... and now that I played the game I totally understand why he so “controversial”.
So far I have played only one ending which is the In Water ending, quite unsatisfying ending I must say, reason for me to keep playing but this time with a walkthrough in hand, so I can get whatever ending I want.
Game stats: (remembering from memory)
Playtime: 9hs+
Saves: 30+
Ending: in Water
Battle mode: Easy (I’m a wimp... -_-;)
Puzzle mode: Normal (I’ll play hard mode next time!)
Yeah, that’s all I remember from a whole screen of my game status... off to finish the rest!
originally posted: February 15, 2010
The story begins with Sho cleaning out the remaining belongings of his recently deceased aunt Matsuko. Sho gradually learns many details of his aunt's life, and it is through his investigations that the audience learns the story of Matsuko's past.
In the early 1970s, Matsuko was a popular school teacher. However, when one of her students (Ryu) committed a theft, and Matsuko took the blame for him, this had terrible consequences for her life.
The film also reveals some details of Matsuko's earlier life, including a troubled childhood, when she struggled to gain the attention of her father. Matsuko's father's affection was mostly dominated by her chronically ill sister, which created an imbalanced rivalry where Matsuko's needs were less likely to be met.
Matsuko's relationships with men were generally troubled as well. She moved from relationship to relationship with men who gave her some inkling of affection, though it was often accompanied by abuse. She often found herself abandoned by the men she loved, who couldn't cope with her neediness. She continued to pursue her dreams of perfect love, even as her life spiraled down, and she found herself working as a prostitute, and even imprisoned.
When Matsuko met later in life with Ryu, whom she saved from the charges relating to his theft, she found that he held affection and admiration for her. She saw in him another chance for true love. But Ryu, by this time, was deeply entrenched in a criminal life. He decided that it would be best for him to disappear from her life, to protect her from the risks of life with a gangster. This final abandonment was disastrous for Matsuko, who never knew to what extent she affected the lives of the men who loved her.
my review:
The story is really good! I don't remember how many times this movie made me cry. The story is written and directed by Tetsuya Nakashima and based a Japanese novel by Muneki Yamada. Miki Nakatani is an actress and singer, who played the lead role Matsuko. This role won her the Asian Film Award for Best Actress in 2007. The some of the effects used are almost dream like that suited the movie really well. The movie also have musical numbers that is almost over the top but I guess because Love is an issue here it couldn't be helped.
嫌われ松子の一生
Kiraware Matsuko no Isshō
originally posted: February 9, 2010
This game another one of those games that have been sitting on my brother’s game shelve for years.
The Story:
Felt and Viese are orphans who lives together in a place called Eden, a place full of mana. The day that Viese became an alchemist, Viese went to the Belkhyde Gate where Felt always hangs out. Felt always dreams of exploring the world of Belkhyde. Felt then joined Viese for her to make a pact with the wood mana. On their way home to Noir, there was an earthquake that damaged several parts of Eden, they were going to report to the temple but even before they do that Felt heard a voice coming from the Azoth, a sword that Felt always tries to pull out. But that day Felt successfully pulled it out, the sword instructed him to go to Belkhyde because Eden is in danger. 7 days later, Eden is still damage, Felt went to wanted to go to Belkhyde and went to the Belkhyde gate where an illusion of a woman asks Felt’s help, then the gate opened for him. After Felt said good bye to Viese, Viese gave him one of the rings that Kreuz gave her.
When Felt entered the gate he ended up in a desert where he fainted and saved by Noin, a simsilt later to be revealed their goal is to liberate Belkhyde. Noin wants to save Max, the Simsilt leader. Felt helped her to return the favor. But because of Felt’s good nature that he acquired help of different people from Belkhyde to save Eden.
The Gameplay:
There’s a lot of different elements that is presented in this game. Let’s start with the map. The main map where you can view and access the places you have visited in Belkhyde and Eden. Since Eden and Belkhyde is two separate worlds there is two maps.
Consumable items such as healing items are not much of a problem since Felt and Viese are alchemists. They can create anything with the help of mana elements and recipes. You can acquire a lot of recipes throughout the game and it is important that you get them all, it would help a lot in different quests. It is also important that you have all your mana elements gauges full.
In the battle field there is no map so you’ll have to remember the places you’ve been to. There is also a gauge where it is indicated how many enemies you have to fight in an area. That’s basically 4 to 5 groups of enemies. But there are places like last battle in the castle and the Holy Temple where the enemy gauge is completely pointless.
In the actual battles there is a timeline where it is indicated who’s turn it is to attack. This could help in your strategy so you can plan if you want to attack or break. Break pretty much is pushing enemies away from the attack point of the timeline.
In battles you can play 3 characters at a time so when you feel you need some other a character's unique skill you can easily change the character by choose Change option.
The character’s can also acquire different skills and abilities when equipping an item and forging their weapons. This is the part that I missed, I only understood this part when I was about to finish the game. In equipping an item, it gives the character battle ability likes two turns, dodging, etc. The character have to wear the item to acquire these abilities but when you finally mastered that skill you can unequipped it and use another item to master another skill but you would still have that battle ability. The same goes for forging where you can acquire different SP skills unique to each character.
There is no MP or SP gauge for each character but there is an SP gauge to be used by all the playable character on the field. SP can be obtained by attacking an enemy it grows depending on how strong the attack made by any of the characters. A skill can cost to 1 to 3 SP.
It is important that before going to major battles you have enough mana elements and of course consumable items. But when you ran out of items this is where mana elements could help. Felt and Viese can synthesize during a battle and it consumes mana elements.
As I’ve said the in the story worlds are separated, luckily for these two characters they have the Share ring so Viese can create the items then Felt just have to synthesize when he needs to. Basically it means that the two characters have access to all the items they acquire along the story, the same goes for mana elements.
The Graphics:
This game is created 2005 but the graphics isn’t that impressive. Throughout the game you’ll be controlling chibi equivalent of the characters but the animation scenes are really done well. One thing I like about this is that you can choose to listen to the characters in English or Japanese but there will still be translations in English. I played this game listening to the characters speak in Japanese while reading what they were saying in English.
My Verdict:
The story was pretty good but it reminded me a little of Ragnarok Online because of all the merchants, alchemist and blacksmiths. Yeah considering one of my characters is an alchemist so I have a basic understanding on what I have to do... (-_-; ). The tuitorial throughout the game is a little confusing for me, it’s all text and some pictures. And since there’s a lot of things to read, I wasn’t able to understand a thing until it started to happen in the game. A reason why I only understood the gameplay halfway in the story. One thing I hate about this game is when I switch characters (from Felt to Viese and Viese to Felt). The switch is only activated when your reading the book found in the camp. In that book you can also access the Save and Load option, so sometimes when I feel I need to save I would accidentally choose Switch. The game is pretty easy to play, my first game is close to perfect.
Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana 2
イリスのアトリエ エターナルマナ2
Irisu no Atorie Etānaru Mana Tsū
originally posted: February 3, 2010
I'm not a fan of Majou Shoujo but when I saw this I just watched it cause I don't know what else to watch at the moment.
Cutie Honey is based on the anime of the same title created by Go Nasai (who had a cameo in the movie). The movie loosely tells the story of cutie Honey who battle to defend humanity and to avenge her father. Her powers came from the Imaginary Induction System or I system ("I" written as Ai japanese for the word love).
I really never heard of Cutie Honey before I watched this so I really don't know if this movie resembles the original story. The story was pretty simple, her uncle got kidnapped by the secret organization Panther Claw and she must save him. When she did, she met Natsuki Aki police officer in charge of the related cases to Panther Claw. She also met a mysterious reporter named Seiji Hayami who claims he's on Honey's side and gives her some leads.
The effects on the movie is a like too unpolised which makes it look too animated, which works of course since this movie is based on an anime.
In a review of this on TV I heard that this movie is created by the fans of the original anime. Everything on this movie is made by the fans, to costume design, to the actors who's going to play and the effects created. In short this movie is created by the fans for the fans and the others who might take interest in watching the movie.
Eriko Sato played the lead star, some fans are saying she doesn't resemble the character because of some physical features. Erika played her part well, one thing I noticed is the when Honey's personality changes her voice changes as well, when Honey is fighting her voice is almost deep and serious and then when Honey is acting her usual genki self, her voice is almost pitchy. Mikako Ichikawa played Natsuki Aki, she looks like the character and looks quite bossy. Can you believe she's 32 years old? As for her performance, she's really good, she made me like Natsuki a lot.
The costume and make-up of the Panther Claw group is really good. The details is quite fasinating!
A little warning though the movie has lots of half naked scenes. I think this targets children because of Honey's bubbly and innocent personality and the villians whose almost like those villians in Power Rangers. But because of the costumes and those half naked scenes, I don't know if this should be recommended by children... Oh well with proper guidance I think this is suitable for all ages!
originally posted: January 28, 2010
紀子の食卓, Noriko no Shokutaku
"Are you connected to yourself?" A question left me asking myself what it meant. It was a question repeatedly asked throughout the first movie. I didn't know what it meant nor how to answer it until I watched this movie...
Nokiro's Dinner Table, a prequel to the movie Suicide Club, tells the story of Nokiro a highschool student living with her parents and younger sister Yuka in Toyokawa. She always felt she's bounded and wanted to run away. She met a mysterious girl online named Ueno Station 54 and decided to meet her when Nokiro finally decided to run away from home.
The story revolved around what triggered the mass suicuide featured in the first movie, who and what made those girls commit suicide. It is set before, during and after the first movie. It does explains things and events that was a bit confusing in the first movie but there are still some things that would make you think, like who started the family circle, it can't be just Kumiko, and how about those kids in the first movie are they part of the family circle as well?
Though this movie isn't as bloody and disturbing as the first movie, it does have a message to say... like alienation and who internet plays a role, generation gap and miscommunication.
originally posted: January 15, 2010
As the the title says, it's my favorites on theOtaku today!
