The (fan) anticipated expansion for Resident Evil 5 has been released and I’ve gotten the chance to play it. (Spoilers)

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A new video promoting the upcoming game (or expansion rather) Super Street Fighter IV. Street Figher IV has had amazing promotional videos and this one certainly isn’t an exception. Chun Li and Cammy fight it out with newcomer Juri, who is one of the more interesting characters that are being added in the new game. I wonder if she’s going to be the one that will stop me from playing a shoto character such as Ryu. d:

People kept praising how great this Xbox Live Arcade game was and that it played like the 2D Metroid series. The game was the deal of the week so I went ahead and bought it. I had no idea it looked THAT much like Metroid (which is a good thing). It reminded me of how good the Metroid games were and I miss them. It’s not that the Metroid Prime series are bad (in fact, they’re awesome) but it didn’t give the same vibe when I played Super Metroid for the first time.

The similarities are ALL over the place. The map layout, searching for ammo expansions, getting gear that unlocks other places, … I could go on like this forever.  A few notable ones were the speed booster, the fact that you have to get all key components in order to get the last upgrade (in Super Metroid, you had to kill all pre-bosses first before you could fight the final boss) and the achievement Jason Bailey (it’s a cheat for Metroid that gave you all equipment). Think about it, if an Xbox Live Arcade game can be this good, how awesome would another 2D Metroid game be? We can always hope…And don’t forget Metroid: Other M just yet.

Firstlook is the largest gaming convention in The Netherlands. I went over to Amsterdam with two friends and here are my impressions…

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Do you remember the good ol’ MS DOS days? I sure do. When I was little, my dad used to buy me these 25 in 1 game CDs that contained many shareware games.  One of those games was a demo version of One Must Fall 2097, a fighting game. Oh, how I wanted the full version of that game. The gameplay, graphics and especially the music were fantastic at the time. Even now, the music stays a classic.

Unfortunately, no other sequels have been released except for One Must Fall Battlegrounds which turned out to be disappointing. One Must Fall 2097 can be downloaded here. You’ll need the DOS emulator DOSbox as well.

A video after the cut shows you a gameplay video along with the nostalgic soundtrack.

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What a wonderful little game Frozenbyte has brought us: Trine. While a bit on the short side, it’s been a while since I enjoyed a side scroller this much. The graphics are great (the game surprisingly asks alot of your videocard), the gameplay is amazing and the music is just spot on.  In fact, I’m listening to the OST right now. Composed by Ari Pulkkinen, he’s certainly one to be followed for his future works.  The game was a bit too easy because the checkpoints resurrects your heroes and gives them a certain amount of health. That’s a good thing ofcourse, but not when quite a few battles take place NEAR the checkpoints, giving you the oppertunity to gain health each time you’re getting hit. The only time I died a lot was the last stage. Unfortunately, the game didn’t have any boss battles. Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the game.

I’ve taken the oppertunity to record my playthrough and uploaded the videos on Youtube in HD quality. Level 2 is shown after the cut, the rest can be found here (playlist).

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Guys, do you recognize yourselves? Become Street Fighter yourself!

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E3 Expo is well over  now, but it definately left us some impressive previews of earlier announced AND new games.

The big companies (Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony) have held their conferences and here’s a list of games that stirred me:

(All trailers and gameplay videos from E3 can be viewed on http://www.gametrailers.com/e3/)

Final Fantasy XIII

It seems that the Xbox 360 version is (being) finalized. The latest trailer showed an English version of FF XIII along with English voice acting. It also featured the summons Odin and Shiva (yes, bring back the old summons please!). Damn, Shiva looks weird by the way. Twins that turn into a motorbicycle? Here’s hoping to Leviathan! I can’t wait to play this game!

Final Fantasy XIV Online

I’m not sure what to expect from this one. It definately was unexpected. I’m still a bit sceptic about it and hopefully, it won’t turn out as Final Fantaxy XI HD…

Alan Wake

Having heard from this game a few years ago, it was a pleasant surprise to see the first gameplay trailer. I’m glad they’re still planning to release this game next year. The game is probably going to be very Silent Hill-ish and I have no idea what to expect, but it did look impressive. Definately will be watching this one.

Metroid: Other M

A new Metroid! Who would’ve thought that? After Retro Studio’s announcement of Metroid Prime 3 being their last one, I wasn’t expecting a Metroid game any time soon. This time, Metroid: Other M (weird name) is being developed by Team Ninja, the same developer of Ninja Gaiden. Some say they’re going to screw up Metroid, but I for one am glad to even see another Metroid!

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy was fun but I’m not sure if I want to play a second one. Still, a nice surprise for people that absolutely adored Super Mario Galaxy. Good thing: Yoshi’s back!

Golden Sun 3

OH MY GOD *SQUEAL*. I didn’t foresee a new Metroid but I DEFINATELY did not see this one coming! Oh my god, Golden Sun 1 and 2 are one of my favorite games and I’ve been craving for a new sequel ever since I finished Golden Sun 2. That’s almost 7 years! I’d buy a Nintendo DS in a heartbeat for this beauty.

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

A nice surprise, as I love Capcom’s Street Fighter IV. I’m mostly interested in Capcom’s characters though, as I don’t know most of the Tatsunoko ones. But good fighting games? Anytime!

Mario & Luigi 3

I started playing Mario & Luigi 2: Partners in Time and ended up finishing it within a few days. It was that much fun. The Mario RPG series has a nostalgic feel to it since it keeps it’s timing gameplay ever since it was introduced on the SNES game Super Mario RPG.

Dead Space: Extraction

I recently finished Dead Space on the Xbox 360 and man, it was awesome. A pleasant surprise really, as most people would say. Dead Space: Extraction will be an on rail shooter with co-op play and while it probably might not be as ’scary’ as the non rail shooting Dead Space, it’ll certainly still give you an exciting adventure with amazing graphics and gameplay.

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

Another on rail shooter from Capcom, revisiting Raccoon City with Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield. It seems they’re also going to involve Code: Veronica. Let me shoot some zombies already!

Bayonetta

A game with DMC-esque battles and gameplay, Bayonetta might become one of the best hack ‘n slash games of this year. Who knows…

Lost Planet 2

Despite not having played Lost Planet, the co-op multiplayer in Lost Planet 2 with huge boss battles seems to be amazing! Let’s not forget the graphics either.

Metal Gear Solid: Rising

Remember the Metal Gear 5 post? Big Boss was shown because he’s going to star in a new PSP MGS game called Peace Walker while Raiden is going to star on the multiplatform game Metal Gear Solid: Rising. Not much is known other than that however…At least it’s coming for the Xbox!

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

No particular interest in Castlevania itself, but the trailer did look impressive. Plus, it’s being produced by Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid) and that can’t be a bad thing, right?

Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Unique art direction and some good ol’ hack ‘n slash. What else do you want?

I wasn’t expecting another Metal Gear title after MGS4: Guns of the Patriots. Hideo Kojima also stated MGS4 would be the last one. Recently however, Kojima Productions has put a teaser site online for their next project. The site contains a counter and shows a rainy field with lightning strikes. Each time lightning strikes, it briefly shows a number or letter. If you wait a bit longer, you’ll see Big Boss’ face! I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that one. Hopefully, they’ll announce more news at the E3 Expo, probably at time when timer runs out (78 hours left from now). Go multiplatform, Hideo! *fingers crossed*

It’s been a while since I wrote a blogpost and it’s partly because of the exams and deadline projects for school (the other part is me being too lazy to write, haha). Here’s an update of what I’ve been up to lately:

Watching Leverage

A friend of mine recommended me to watch TNT’s Leverage. The show’s about four (solo working) thieves who each have their own specialty and an ex-insurance investigator who knows how to combine each specialty into one team that gives ‘leverage’ for those that need it. Each character has a distinct and interesting personality which, combined with some witty humor and clever plots for each episode, makes the show worth the watch. I’ll definately be looking out for season 2, that is going to air this summer in USA.

Enjoying with friends after our exam and before our practical test

Photos of that day can be found here: dukath.fab4.be/wendy. I haven’t selected any pictures yet to upload them on my own album. Basically, this day was planned because we had mad fun the first time we did it and it was meant for us to relax a bit after a busy period which actually wasn’t over yet due to the practical test that was planned for next week. It was a succes nevertheless. (Don’t mind me hula hooping on the Wii Fit…)

To the cinema with my sisters

In the same week before the practical test, my two big sisters came to visit us and decided we should do something nice. Apart from all the physical examinations I did to practice (thanks!), we also wanted to go to the cinema. It was “He’s Just Not That Into You” vs. “X-men Origins: Wolverine”. With my exceptional convincing power ( :whistle: ), I managed to drag my lil sis (my big sisters didn’t mind) to X-men Origins and eventually she actually wanted to watch more Hugh Jackman (X-Men Trilogy, Australia). I can’t blame her.

I had big hopes for X-men Origins (I get that feeling each time a (famous) superhero movie is being released, though). My hope started to sink a bit in the beginning because the story progressed very, very slow. Luckily after the break, the pace fastened and it ended up being a decent movie that was worth the money spent. Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed (Sabretooth) definately stood out while Taylor Kitsch’s role as Remy LeBeau (Gambit) was disappointing at best.

Practical test

The practical test is where your med skills are tested through various (little) tests that are observed and graded. This is probably the stress moment of the year for most first year med students. Luckily, I had a few friends who were willing to undergo some horrid examinations (thanks ). Things I had to do were a neurologic examination, put a bandage on a hand (which didn’t really go to well ), heart examination, abdominal examination and venapunction. Just like most students, I was friggin’ nervous about the test but things went smoothly.

Two new X-box 360 games: Dead Space and Infinite Undiscovery

I’m still playing Resident Evil 5 but I managed to get two games that I really wanted for a while now. They were cheap too, Dead Space being a bestseller and Infinite Undiscovery doesn’t go for more than $10 in the US now. Dead Space is one of the scariest third person shooters I’ve ever played. After playing Dead Space, I might understand why people were a bit disappointed with the scareness level of Resident Evil 5 (Resident Evil being the mother of survival horror games). Resident Evil 5 pretty much wasn’t scary at all. Both games are awesome nevertheless and I definately do not regret buying Dead Space. I have mixed feelings about Infinite Undiscovery (something you wouldn’t expect from a Tri Ace and Square Enix game). The game looks great, has a very fun combat system but there are a few things that are really nagging me. First of all, lip syncing is totally off, the dialogues (sometimes) are SO cheesy and sometimes the voice overs are missing (only subtitles are being displayed)! And secondly, the game isn’t always as clear as you’d like when it comes to objectives; so unless you’re playing with a guide, you’ll be stuck running around hoping you’ll find the way. The combat system is Infinite Undiscovery’s best aspect and I’ll continue to play the game because of that.

Playing as a photographer at a 25 year marriage party

I was invited to a party by a friend because his parents needed a photographer. I’m not (by a long shot) a professional photographer, but I do enjoy making photos and was very glad they asked me to do it (they didn’t necessarily wanted a professional photographer). I took the oppertunity to practice my skills and shot a bit less than 300 photos. That’s probably the biggest photoshoot I’ve done so far. Alas, bigger isn’t always better but the photos came out pretty nice and I hope they like them too (I’m still awaiting opinions as of now ).

Upcoming events

Right now, I have two more deadline projects to finish in the upcoming month and one more course to go before the summer break.

You might have noticed a “today’s events” and “upcoming events” header on the right side. That’s a new plugin called calendar in which I’ll put stuff that interest me (such as series/movies/games release dates and the like).

I’m anxiously waiting for:

Montyoum’s Dead Fantasy III and IV (May 20)
Resident Evil 5 Formula Setting Artbook (May 25)
Star Ocean 4 (May 28)
Terminator Salvation (June 3)
Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (June 24)