Monday, September 29, 2008

Surprising call..

Haha, if you guys still remember, I did promote the Nintendo gathering at Corez house but I couldn't attend it because Raya is just around the corner and it would be a pain in ass if I have to go there now(not to mention the always-hard-to-get bus ticket). Much to my surprise, I received a call from them on that night.

I was wondering why would they call me on that particular night but actually they just wanna ask me to join a bulk for ordering Chrono Trigger at Amazon. At first I didnt give a second thought as they may have thought the whole thing throughly, so I quickly said yes to the whole deal. After hanging up the phone though, I started to rethink the whole matter. Is it really that cheap as they claimed? Play Asia price for Chrono Trigger is usd45 while Amazon price is usd37. While it makes sense that you might see Amazon should be cheaper but if you think deeper, actually it has no big difference. If I am going to join the bulk, the price is not usd36 alone as I still have to pay for VPost shipping back to here. Yeah I know it is gonna be cheap if more people share the shipping fee but we should know that the more orders it has, the heavier it will become. So in the end, it will still gonna cost me around usd40(don't forget that they would still have to send it to me later via Pos Laju as I am not based in KL).

On the other hand, Play Asia price might sound a tad steep but giving a serious thought, it might actually be as same as Play Asia price. The game itself costs us usd45, but seeing how relatively easy it is nowadays to get a usd10 off coupon, the game PLUS free shipping to my house will merely set me the same price which is usd40. Furthermore, I am not really keen on getting the brand new copy as I mentioned in previous post here and I have always been rooting for the used copies if the game itself is popular that it might see its light in used game market(PM, are you going to sell it again? Hehe)

I am still considering whether I should preorder it but since they are going to preorder it during mid October, so I guess I will have plenty of time to think about it. I am actually more interested in another game, Luminous Arc2 which is open for preorder as well at Amazon as it will feature the preorder goodie, the 60 pages art book that I am looking for. I am surprised that Aschia isnt interested in it considering that he has always been interested in preorder thingy. Hmm, should I seek help from Corez to order it? Oh ya, I am sure Andy is going to preorder it from Play Asia, so should I ask him whether he is interested in getting it from Amazon so that we can order together and save on the shipping?

Anyway, I am still glad that my fellow Internet friends have been supportive enough and they don't even mind going through all the hassles on that day just to call me. I can't wait to head down to KL to meet them again. I miss Andy's seductive voice, Corez baby voice and all the interactions with them, haha(no pun intended). It is so hard to find some friends who share same interest with you, at least that does happen in Perlis.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Unexpected thing at Play Asia

For gamers in Malaysia especially those who support original games, Play Asia should be no stranger. Play Asia is well known for myriads original games available for various gaming consoles and almost everything could be obtained there except for one thing that left me wondering. While it does and always offer preorder goodie and limited edition for Japan version of games, it is far and few between for USA version of games. And when it does happen, it isnt really something you are looking forward to...


Just guess what the latest game comes with preorder goodie is? It isnt something you would be interested in, which is Drawn to Life: Spongebob Squarepant Edition. This game comes with a Spongebob pouch and it is only usd34.90. Drawn to Life is not really a bad game, but this game just doesnt appeal to me even if it comes with a pouch and the price is not too expensive.

I find it perplexing that if this limited edition can make it to Play Asia, why Play Asia just cant put some effort to bring other interesting preorder goodies and limited edition like the soon-to-be-released Luminous Arc 2? When you preorder it at Gamestop, not only you can get the included soundtrack cd, you can also bring back a 60-page full color art book featuring characters and designs from both Luminous Arc. For those who live in USA, getting this should be a breeze but how about those who are not fortunate enough to stay there and still interested in it? I am sure many gamers would be more interested in this if compared with Drawn to Life Spongebob Edition. I am not trying to insult those who like Drawn to Life but it just doesnt make sense when it can indeed become available at Play Asia, the limited edition of Luminous Arc will just leave us clamouring for more...

If Play Asia primary concern is the price they are gonna impose on the limited edition will scare potential customers away, I dont think it should be a deterrent as you can see another limited edition of Japan version of game is sold at usd120 but it is still at top 100 Nintendo DS games, which is the Konamistyle Limited Edition of Castlevania Order of Ecclesia. They must be aware that if the limited edition itself is a worthy game, gamers are still gonna grab it. Also, I really dont mind to pay extra bucks for the shipping if the size is too big or too heavy provided I can get my hands on limited editions of my favourite games. Gamers out there should understand what a true collector wants. Anyone out there who shares the same feelings like me?

Megaman 9 is finally here!

All the bosses in Mega Man 9

Finally, the endless waiting is over. Mega Man will be hitting North America next week and every next gen console owner should be rejoiced as it will be hitting Wii, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on 22th September 2008. According to this, you can get the Wiiware version at 1000 wii points while both Playstation Network version and XBLA version will cost you usd9.99 and 800 points respectively. Hehe, every next gen console owner will not be left out but I have yet to own either one home console, so I cant really play this game!

And for those who are still still on the fence considering whether they should get this title which has opted to go in different and radical direction(or should I say old school?), a video review and review by IGN has popped up. These shall really clear up your mind and I know I will be getting it if I own either one of the next gen consoles.


The review could be found here. This review is actually for the XBLA version but those 3 versions dont really have any major differences and the reviewer actually pointed out that the Wiiware version is the one closest to NES version as it has the "blockiest" graphics and it succeeds in term of mimicking the whole NES feel. So if you feel like going for the version which is close to the NES games in terms of presentation, you should go for the Wiiware version and for clearer and crispier version, XBLA and PSN versions are definitely your choice.


And what more exciting is the DLC that has been confirmed for this game. Finally in the first time of series, Proto Man is a playable character. I have been itching to control him since the first time I saw him in Mega Man 3. He is always shrouded in mystery and I always feel that he is and should be a better character than Mega Man to tinker around with. Now that it has come to fruition, all Mega Man fans should wet themselves in their pants! According to this, this paid DLC will arrive the week of October 6 for for 200 Wii Points, 160 Microsoft points and usd1.99 on PSN.

Some info of Proto Man:
-He has the ability to slide and shoot charged up beams.
-He can deflect most bullets with his shield but larger bullets can still inflict damage to him and on the downside he will be pushed back twice as far as Mega Man.
-He will stop charging once he is struck by enemies.
-Rush will not be assisting him instead all the Rush adaptors have been changed to Proto adaptors.

Oh well, after this character is available, who should we look forward to become available? I hope Roll can make the cut as I am not satisfied of controlling her in Marvel VS Capcom series and it is time for the her to get some credits for saving the world instead of helping Mega Man only! And how about controlling Rush? This robotic canine has always been a great helper for Mega Man but I think it is time that he deserves to save the world on its own as it can do so many things normal dogs arent capable of like flying, providing a platform to jump higher. I have a suggestion if Rush can indeed be a playable character. Dont make him like Proto Man where he can obtain and equip weapons from bosses just like Mega Man. Instead, just make it stick to one exclusive weapon(whatever it is, I will leave it to Capcom to figure out) and this can easily be the most difficult mode in Mega Man 9. Imagine going through the whole game with just a weapon and most importantly, you are Rush. Sweet indeed!


What we can do in the mean time while waiting for the game to be available next week? I have a couple of suggestions here. First, go through the ultimate Mega Man retrospective. I have posted it here before but in case you missed it, you can catch up with it here and it really makes up as a good reading as it has tons of details of every single Mega Man that is out there currently. Secondly, go through the every single boxart available for Mega Man game here. It only has the boxart for Mega Man games and not the other series like Mega Man X, Mega Man Zero etc, but still there are already so many unseen boxarts(for me at least). Who can possibly forget the horrendous boxart above for the first Mega Man?

So guy, dont miss it. Next week is certainly the week of Mega Man 9!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Divided but decided!

If you have read my previous post regarding Blackmango, you must know that I was somehow interested in getting Luminous Arc from him and since then I have been doing research on whether it is worthy enought but I am really glad that I have done the research long enough that another good game has finally popped out and I will certainly choose it over Luminous Arc.

What is the another game you say? It is the used copy of Final Fantasy Tactics A2 that pr1me_minister finally decided to sell. Undoubtedly, I quickly pm him and furthermore called him to seal the deal as I know there is another forumer is interested as well so I gotta be quick! When I recalled, it was really fortunate that there were neither replacement class nor tutorial on monday that I could get back to my home and the rest was history.

I have been thinking of getting this game since I have played the GBA prequel and I like it a lot but I am just not willing to pay usd45 for this game(more to I dont have enough money to spend so much on it) and hence I waited for the used game to pop up. I am really glad that I would be the owner of this game soon or else I will be asking my friend, why_79 to find me the used copy if he goes to Singapore. I guess I am plain lucky!

So, pm, if you decide to sell off your The World Ends With You, I am here waiting to get it from you again!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Phantasy Star Zero announced!




Finally Sega has announced another Phantasy Star for my favourite console, Nintendo DS after they have just released the PSP version of Phantasy Star Portable. I have been looking forward to playing this series after seeing how successful this series was on Dreamcast as it was the first online console RPG.

Seriously I have never expected the news to surface as the psp version has just been released and looking at its brisk sale and currently still staying in the top 10 softwares in Japan, it is shocking to see that Sega has made the announcement so fast.

This game seems to be more interesting than Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Rings Of Fate(ok, it maybe a tad earlier to make such judgement but I can always hope for it, right?) and I really hope that it can make it to USA.

According to this, this game seems to be based heavily on the Phantasy Star Online series, which is a good thing and the sweetest deal of all is it will support multiplayer online via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection and local multiplayer as well(both support up to 4 players). I can just pray that the online experience isnt ruined by the possible lag problems. This inclusion alone beats FFCCROF in its face as multiplayer has always been the important part of this genre, so online multiplayer will just glorify and amplify the whole gaming experience. I really hope they wont screw the online multiplayer part or else this may end up hitting bargain bins not long after.

Have a look at the images above and you will realize that there are some pictures and handwritten words. How is it even possible to include them? Yeah, you are right. Finally, the superfluous Pictochat has been put into a good use. It is a brilliant move that Sega manages to utilize it and incorporate it into this game. With this feature, chatting and conveying message is a piece of cake and it is no longer limited to typing words or just some included emoticons. Who doesnt like to scribble and write their own words?(although I admit that I suck in drawing and I am pretty sure most of you wont understand what I draw)

So are you excited for this title after reading what I have written? With the installed base of Nintendo DS larger than PSP, I am sure this title is gonna be hot as well when it is released. Corez, forget Gauntlet DS and wait for this!

LYN Nintendo September gathering!!

I have been quite active at Lowyat.net Nintendo thread for sometime and I have managed to befriend with a couple of nice people over there and we both share the same interest which is having blast with Nintendo consoles be it Wii or Nintendo DS. We also have a same tradition every month where we will gather at one place(changed regularly but our favourite spot is Sunway Pyramid Harts Chicken because of its affordable price and unlimited supply of food) just to play games and have fun together. This month gathering is gonna be a little bit different and it is gonna be bigger than ever.

First of all, it wont be held at any public places but instead a nice forumer, Corez has offered up his place for us to gather and play his Wii and not to forget, indulge in the usual mutiplayer Nds session. Wii Fit will be provided and for those who wanna experience it, you guys should not really miss it. Secondly, this time instead of having their meal ordered, they will just have a BBQ party at his house after they "berbuka puasa". Chicken wings, hotdogs....my mouth is watering now thinking of it.

The thing is I cannot participate in this event as I am currently based in Perlis and it is unreasonable to head there for 1 day even if I was used to do it before simply because the date of the gathering is 5 days before the Hari Raya Aidilfitri and it would be unwise to go there because of the difficulty in getting the bus ticket back to Perlis.

However, for those who are really interested in it and would like to take this oppurtunity to know more Nintendo gamers, I seriously recommend you to join this gathering as everyone of them is very nice and very helpful. So far I have attended the gathering thrice and I ended up very happy even though everytime it was tiring as it was usually one day trip from Perlis to KL. If you are just shy or dont want trouble them, I would suggest you to bring some food or drinks there so that not only you will feel better, they can have extra food to gobble as well. So if you are interested, dont forget to go here and let them know. I wish I can go...

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Blackmango, the new official Nintendo distributor in Malaysia

I am really surprised that after one whole long hectic week and since I didnt have the chance to surf internet, never did I know there is another official Nintendo distributor again which is Blackmango at lyn.

At first Ooj(owner of Blackmango) started aPS3 blu ray movies and games rental service and it didnt really pique my interest since I dont have ps3 and it seems like his business is doing quite well that now he decides to branch out to another new gaming systems which are Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS and Gameboy. I dont know how he managed to persuade those in charge at Maxsoft to let him bring in official Nintendo stuffs since there are already 2 official Nintendo counters in KL and 1 counter in Penang but I guess that is a good thing as those counters arent really up to date with the latest softwares and most importantly, the price of those games are ridiculously expensive that I wonder anyone will be stupid enough to get their games there.

Looking at the software catalog that Blackmango offers, it seems like the Nintendo DS original games price is quite reasonable and pretty cheap for some titles like Luminous Arc which was previously sold at usd40 at Play Asia now goes for rm120 only(and 10% less for all titles if you get them before 30th September. I might get it later seeing that I have been looking up and down this title for a while). And if he updates the catalog regularly and maintains the reasonable price, I think more forumers are more than willing to get games from him rather than Play Asia which offers similar price but the only downside is the 1 week waiting period. But one thing I do notice missing from the games he offers is there are no Square Enix NDS games like Final Fantasy series. I dont know the reasons behind it but hopefully and seriously he should get hold of Square Enix games as soon as possible as there are plenty Square Enix fans around.

All in all, even though Nintendo console are very easy to modify which leads to rampant piracy in Malaysia, I am sure there are still plenty people will continue to support original Nintendo softwares here like me as long as the price is reasonable enough. All the best, Blackmango.