As a fan of Japanese role playing games, shortened to JRPGs for those in the know, I have enjoyed some of the Gust company's Atelier titled games, namely the Arland Trilogy for the PS3.
A quick rundown of the games I've played: you (generally) take control of a young, female alchemist and over the (timed) course of so many years in the game, meet some goal. The trilogy that I had played before had me saving an alchemy shop, finding the mother of the main character who had been thought dead for some time and advancing a fledgeling kingdom. I had enjoyed many hours and several playthroughs of each game when, low and behold, Japan was getting the first game in what we fans could only hope was a new trilogy, Atelier Ayesha. And I must say, I was smitten with the ideas of Ayesha and her game.
In March of this year, Ayesha was FINALLY localized for the North American fans of the series and we got to take control of this blonde girl to find her missing sister.
Ayesha's game was gorgeous. The art was top notch, the characters all looked like individuals and the music was great. (The opening video was intriguing and haunting. See it here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UFjndHvIqk )
After playing Ayesha several times, investing money in the game's DLC (downloadable content), which made playable two interesting characters from the story among other things, I had hoped for the sequel to be announced and I just forgot about it all for what seemed like forever (keep in mind, we got Ayesha in March...) and now, those SWIFT Japanese guys and gals have announced the OFFICIAL SEQUEL to Atelier Ayesha, Atelier Escha and Logy.
(See videos for it here: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2013-05-27/atelier-escha-and-logy-3-gameplay-videos-posted )
In the new game, players will be able to choose between a female or a MALE protagonist! Escha, the girl, will be more alchemy oriented, honoring the traditional ways of the Atelier games for true fans and Logy, the male, will be more battle oriented for true RPG fanatics. As interesting as that idea is, the truly amazing thing in my opinion is the new character art and designs.
There are two new characters that I am very excited about: Reyfer Luckberry, a cowboy-looking treasure hunter who weilds a big gun and Threia Hazelgrimm, who looks like a cross between an office worker and a fashion model. Threia's weapons are perhaps the most creative weapon I've ever seen in an RPG game: She uses her earrings to attack her foes. No joke. Watch the videos. I wouldn't lie to you.
Now, sit back and wait with me for the rest of 2013 until we get this gem of a game.
I am overflowing with excitement!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby
Okay.
I had high expectations for this film before I went to see it and I must say that all of my expectations were met or exceeded.
The Cast:
I like Isla Fisher and I never cared much for Myrtle, so it was interesting to see her in this role. I knew what was going to happen to her and when it occurred (NO SPOILERS HERE), I wasn't let down. That said, I felt as if her parts were watered down and she wasn't in the film much.
Daisy was played by Carey Mulligan. I've never heard of her but I have to say that I cannot wait to see her in something else again soon. She really played Daisy well. I think that the atmosphere towards the ending of the movie really helped moviegoers to get a sense of how she really was but it is hard to portray those qualities within the allotted scenes.
Tobey McGuire and Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading male roles were great! I wasn't too excited to see Tobey in the film but I loved him. I went into the theatre thinking he was going to be the worst part of the film and I was proved wrong. Leonardo DiCaprio was charming. You rooted for him and even if you already knew how his story ended, you still hoped that he got the girl and lived happily ever after.
Tom was okay. You hate the character because he's an asshole, woman beating, cheating jerk. I don't even know who played him but he did a great job. :) If you hate a character in a film, that actor or actress has done their job!
Now, the one who stole the show for me was actress Elizabeth Debicki who played the pro-golfer, Jordan Baker! Elizabeth's scenes were my favorites. I wanted her to be in the film more! She was alluring, graceful and interesting.
The directing:
If you have ever seen a film by Baz Lurhman, then you know how he directs. He has a strange way of mixing new age things, such as music, with the old time feel. He's done this in Romeo and Juliet and now in the Great Gatsby and it works! His vision of the film was spectacular. I don't think anyone else could have done it any better.
The soundtrack:
Quite possibly one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a few years, the Great Gatsby soundtrack introduced me to bands like The XX and captivated me with seasoned favorites such as Lana Del Rey, who's sultry and endearing "Young and Beautiful" almost felt like the movie's theme song.
Closing Remarks: If you haven't seen the movie, do yourself a favor and go see it NOW! And while you are out of the house, buy the soundtrack.
Rating: 5/5
I had high expectations for this film before I went to see it and I must say that all of my expectations were met or exceeded.
The Cast:
I like Isla Fisher and I never cared much for Myrtle, so it was interesting to see her in this role. I knew what was going to happen to her and when it occurred (NO SPOILERS HERE), I wasn't let down. That said, I felt as if her parts were watered down and she wasn't in the film much.
Daisy was played by Carey Mulligan. I've never heard of her but I have to say that I cannot wait to see her in something else again soon. She really played Daisy well. I think that the atmosphere towards the ending of the movie really helped moviegoers to get a sense of how she really was but it is hard to portray those qualities within the allotted scenes.
Tobey McGuire and Leonardo DiCaprio in the leading male roles were great! I wasn't too excited to see Tobey in the film but I loved him. I went into the theatre thinking he was going to be the worst part of the film and I was proved wrong. Leonardo DiCaprio was charming. You rooted for him and even if you already knew how his story ended, you still hoped that he got the girl and lived happily ever after.
Tom was okay. You hate the character because he's an asshole, woman beating, cheating jerk. I don't even know who played him but he did a great job. :) If you hate a character in a film, that actor or actress has done their job!
Now, the one who stole the show for me was actress Elizabeth Debicki who played the pro-golfer, Jordan Baker! Elizabeth's scenes were my favorites. I wanted her to be in the film more! She was alluring, graceful and interesting.
The directing:
If you have ever seen a film by Baz Lurhman, then you know how he directs. He has a strange way of mixing new age things, such as music, with the old time feel. He's done this in Romeo and Juliet and now in the Great Gatsby and it works! His vision of the film was spectacular. I don't think anyone else could have done it any better.
The soundtrack:
Quite possibly one of the best soundtracks I've heard in a few years, the Great Gatsby soundtrack introduced me to bands like The XX and captivated me with seasoned favorites such as Lana Del Rey, who's sultry and endearing "Young and Beautiful" almost felt like the movie's theme song.
Closing Remarks: If you haven't seen the movie, do yourself a favor and go see it NOW! And while you are out of the house, buy the soundtrack.
Rating: 5/5
The XX: A Review of Two CDs
I'm going to review the band THE XX for you guys.
I listened to two full albums by the band on Spotify, after falling in love with the song they did for Baz Luhrman's Great Gatsby movie, Together. Each album, Coexist and XX, had 11 songs each on them and I must say that for a band who cranks out something like Together, I was expecting MUCH more. From both albums, I came out liking four songs and one of them wasn't even that great: it just had a fun beat.
That being said, Crystallised by the band is perhaps one of my top favorite songs of the moment and it scares me. How can I enjoy this song so much when 99% of the band's other material is repetitive, boring and at times, cheesy.
If you want to check out the band, I'd suggest following the links provided below.
Together - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoj2I6ZJLx8
Crystallised - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pib8eYDSFEI
Sunset - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGCtyvWAE3g
Fantasy - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ26_buhHfI
A few notes on each song I provided:
Together is the song that got me interested in the band. It has emotional power within the words, great vocals and amazing music.
Crystallised has amazing lyrics, gorgeous music and the harmony between the two singers is very good. I could see this song EASILY being the favorite of anyone who has heard of this band.
Sunset has great beats. I told a good friend of mine that I could see us dancing on the beach at night to this song.
Fantasy is eerie but in the best of ways. The music is almost hypnotic. It leaves me staring off into space just wondering about whatever. It's really good. I like when music touches me in one way or another and this song does!
Closing Remarks: I like the band as a whole. I like the idea of a male and female lead singer (SOMEONE HELP JED AND LUCIA BECOME MAINSTREAM) and the music they create together can be enchanting, if you pick and choose as I did.
They're definitely onto something. I just hope they can sort their songs better next album!
Mike's rating: 2.5/5 Stars
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