Woah...

So, as you guys can probably tell, I haven't been updating this blog too much in the last month. I haven't lost interest, just a lot of important stuff has been happening all in succession. So, to start off this post with a bang, I'm gonna give you some bad news.

I entered an art contest about a month ago, and the rules were that you had to draw your favorite video game boss battle. The winner would get 60 dollars worth of video gaming money. This is all at an independent website, and they have about 4 contests a year. I entered, but didn't win. No biggie. Look at this to see my art on the internet!

So, after that, I found out that I had been accepted into the school play. This isn't a small thing, it's quite a big deal. There were auditions and everything. It's not the sort of thing that are made so parents come and say "awwww"- real reviewers come. I am playing the part of The Sentry in Sophocles' "Antigone". It's a pretty good play. Check it out sometime.

So, after those two important pieces of news, I've also started writing classes. I brought in my first piece yesterday. I aimed for something like Catcher in the Rye. It's OK, I'm not particularly proud of it, but who knows what will happen?

Andrew's Weekly Video Game Musings

Hello everybody!

Since I have become a little more pro-active on the video gaming scene, I decided I'd make a sister-blog for the blog you're reading now. It's called "Andrew's Weekly Video Game Musings", and here I'll be talking and reviewing... well, you know how this sentence ends (you do know, don't you?)

Check it out here, and whilst you're at it, why don't you follow it?

Hiroshi Inagaki's "Samurai Trilogy", and "Star Wars, The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance"

Whilst on holiday here in the Catskills, I was fortunate enough to find that the married couple who live in the house have a large collection of classic movies on VHS. Among them were "It's A Wonderful Life", "Best Years Of Our Lives", "Malcolm X", and "Scream", but by far the most unusual movies I found were in a box set and simply titled "The Samurai Trilogy". I've known about these films, but had never seen them. I thought I'd watch them.

The first in the series is named "Musashi Miyamoto", and is about how the brutal peasant Tazeko transforms into a graceful, elegant, and genteel man. He states his dreams about becoming a legendary samurai, and at the end of the film, ventures to complete the rest of his training. After watching the film, I could not help but think and wonder about Toshiro Mifune's heart stopping performances. He delivers such emotion in the role of Tazeko. Others may know him from his collaborations with Akira Kurowsawa, namely "Seven Samurai" and "Throne Of Blood".

The second in the series, "Duel At Ichijoji Temple", is about how Musashi Miyamoto finishes his samurai training, but learns that a samurai must have compassion against his enemies. This film also introduces his life-long nemesis, Hiroji Saseko, another legendary samurai. The film features a brilliant and grueling fight against 80 evil ninjas. Whilst the film slightly failed with character development, the film more than makes up for it with brilliant photography and action packed sword fights. I'd say it was as good as the original.

The third film in the series, "Duel At Ganryu Island", is about Miyamoto's final showdown with Saseko, and is the most emotional and violent of the series. This last film has it all: tragedy, romance, gory sword fights, and, of course, another legendary performance from Toshiro Mifune.

The entire series makes up a brilliant whole, and is a rare experience that nobody should miss. Even if you don't expect character development, there is plenty here. Although I am not familiar with Japanese films, and did not have any previous expectations, all these films will be in your top 10 if you ever watch them.

Other than that, I've been reading and harbouring a love for Star Wars. I've just bought a Nintendo DS exclusive video game named "Star Wars, The Clone Wars: Jedi Alliance". It is a brilliant video game, and another experience that should not be missed. All the action takes place with the stylus, so there's no more button mashing in this video game. You can play as Anakin Skywalker, Ashoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mace Windu, Plo Koon, and Kit Fisto. For me, the highlight of the video game are the spectacular "Jedi Action Sequences". I won't tell you anything about them, you'll have to play it. And, surprisingly for a video game, there is plenty of video to advance the story. If you will, it makes it's own movie with these videos, and they are all fun to watch.

So, what have you been doing? I bet you couldn't write an entry as long as this!

"Batman: Arkham Asylum" and the Future of Comic Book Video Games

Today, I was just playing my PS2. I was playing "Fantastic Four: The Official Movie Game", and whilst I was beating up Diablo, I was thinking: this is an OK game. Most of the games I have are comic-book based. I tend to go towards RPG games, and stray away from shooters. I don't like games like "Doom" and "Left 4 Dead", as I hate the violence. Not many of the comic book games I play have been absolutley mind-blowing. The one that was brilliant, however, was "The Incredible Hulk: The Official Movie Game". The game was not great with the graphics; it was pretty simple, but the playability was brilliant. One of the most addictive games I've ever played.

When a comic book game comes out, I tend to screech and say "Oh No!", as they usually end up badly. The ones I get I get on the basis of other's reviews. However, when I saw the trailer for the upcoming "Batman: Arkham Asylum", I was blown away by the playability and the graphics. And, whats more, Mark Hamill is returning for his role as the Joker! The last time he did this was in the animated series.

Hopefully, with the release of "Batman: Arkham Asylum", we will see more brilliant comic book games coming out. I'd like to see where this is going as a medium. To see the trailer, click here. And to see the official website, click here.

Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic the Hedgehog is a fairly famous video game originally created by Sega. It started off as a 2D brawler, very much in the spirit of Mario Bros.,  but has gone on to become a succesfull brand with many spin off video games. All across the internet, people have tried to create online flash versions of the original game. They are all pretty good, as they emulate the original graphics and pixels. For example, see the game below:

http://www.funny-games.biz/sonicthehedgehog.html

I was just wondering, do any of you guys know any where online that emulates the 3D versions of the games? It would be cool if there was, because the 3D versions are really addictive and have some of the most imaginative gameplay ever created.