If you have a PS2, do yourself a favor: go out and buy Okami now.
Alongside school and my escapades in SL, much of my time these days has been devoted to my PS2. And considering all the great deals I've scored lately, I'm beginning to think that the end of a console's lifespan is the time to buy. For example, I really liked Guitar Hero. I wanted to buy it, but at a pricetag of $70, it just wan't going to happen. Luckily, this week dealnews posted a link to a deal on Guitar Hero, and I managed to order it for just over $50 shipped via Frys.com, which is cheaper than the current going price on eBay. I also recently nabbed a new title, DDR SuperNova for $30 at the brick-and-mortar Fry's (and managed to nab the last copy).
But the one title I did shell out full price for (granted, it was released at a discounted MSRP of $40), was the now defunct Clover Studio's Okami. Okami follows the journey of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu who has taken the form of a wolf to save the world from the darkness unleashed by Orochi an evil eight-headed serpent. This heavy-handed story, based heavily on Japanese folklore, is played out by 'Ammy' (as she is affectionately dubbed) in wolf form, (involuntarily) accompanied by Issun, the Wandering Artist - a bug (think Link's Navi). There are in fact a number of parallels between Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on GameCube and Okami - the gameplay mechanics, most noticeably, but Okami distinguishes itself from Zelda in several ways:
The visuals are absolutely stunning. I was hesitant to buy into the hype about this game's watercolor aesthetic, but it works to a degree that has to be seen to be believed. Transitions to cut scenes are pretty much inconceivable, and everything in the environment is in constant motion. Environments consist of a blend of 3D elements with the occasional 2D sprite (like trees) which pivot with the camera in a way not dissimilar to Paper Mario, as ink shimmers across each and every object. Words simply don't do the effect justice. As you run and pick up speed, the colors and words begin to bleed, giving the sensation of speed. Meanwhile, the music is, simply put, perfect. In fact, I've got the 5-disc soundtrack on my iPod right now.
The story and dialogue is very good, and effectively balances the serious undertone with good humor. Little things like Mr. Orange performing a traditional ritualistic dance that looks curiously like breakdancing, conversations and graphics with thinly-veiled sexual connotations, and the often snarky (occasionally fourth-wall breaking) remarks of Issun and the like amuse without defacing the story.
Ametarsu is a quadruped, and she controls like one. There's a weight in her steps which is noticeably different from the precision usually afforded by characters like Link that is different. Attacks and combos are executed easily, and the celestial brush system generally works very well, as is nowhere near as cumbersome as one might imagine. Puzzles and side-quests are generally intuitive, and the attack system works well - the key is simply to determine the best order of execution of melee and brush strokes in attacking enemies. (And you even get dedicated buttons for digging and barking.) The game seems to be a bit on the easy side thus far, but that hasn't really bothered me.
So far, I've put a little over 14 hours into it and actually had the impression that I'd finished it (and consequently, was rather satisfied), though it seems now that that's hardly the case...
But don't take my word for it: Okami has not received a score from the press lower than 9/10. Put succinctly, if you have a PS2, you need Okami.
Over the Hedge is the big DVD release this week (Tuesday). Strangely, none of the circulars in Sacramento are listing prices for it, though the DVD File forums reports that Target is bundling it with a "Target exclusive bonus full-length music CD" (god knows what that would entail) for $23, ($16 sans-CD), Best Buy with a comic strip collection for $17, and Circuity City with a DK book (remember those?) for $15. I liked this film a lot (see: avatar), so I'll probably end up at Best Buy (if turns out to be an actual comic book as advertised in the circular) in lieu of going to see, oh say, Open Season...
Alongside school and my escapades in SL, much of my time these days has been devoted to my PS2. And considering all the great deals I've scored lately, I'm beginning to think that the end of a console's lifespan is the time to buy. For example, I really liked Guitar Hero. I wanted to buy it, but at a pricetag of $70, it just wan't going to happen. Luckily, this week dealnews posted a link to a deal on Guitar Hero, and I managed to order it for just over $50 shipped via Frys.com, which is cheaper than the current going price on eBay. I also recently nabbed a new title, DDR SuperNova for $30 at the brick-and-mortar Fry's (and managed to nab the last copy).
The visuals are absolutely stunning. I was hesitant to buy into the hype about this game's watercolor aesthetic, but it works to a degree that has to be seen to be believed. Transitions to cut scenes are pretty much inconceivable, and everything in the environment is in constant motion. Environments consist of a blend of 3D elements with the occasional 2D sprite (like trees) which pivot with the camera in a way not dissimilar to Paper Mario, as ink shimmers across each and every object. Words simply don't do the effect justice. As you run and pick up speed, the colors and words begin to bleed, giving the sensation of speed. Meanwhile, the music is, simply put, perfect. In fact, I've got the 5-disc soundtrack on my iPod right now.
The story and dialogue is very good, and effectively balances the serious undertone with good humor. Little things like Mr. Orange performing a traditional ritualistic dance that looks curiously like breakdancing, conversations and graphics with thinly-veiled sexual connotations, and the often snarky (occasionally fourth-wall breaking) remarks of Issun and the like amuse without defacing the story.
Ametarsu is a quadruped, and she controls like one. There's a weight in her steps which is noticeably different from the precision usually afforded by characters like Link that is different. Attacks and combos are executed easily, and the celestial brush system generally works very well, as is nowhere near as cumbersome as one might imagine. Puzzles and side-quests are generally intuitive, and the attack system works well - the key is simply to determine the best order of execution of melee and brush strokes in attacking enemies. (And you even get dedicated buttons for digging and barking.) The game seems to be a bit on the easy side thus far, but that hasn't really bothered me.
So far, I've put a little over 14 hours into it and actually had the impression that I'd finished it (and consequently, was rather satisfied), though it seems now that that's hardly the case...
But don't take my word for it: Okami has not received a score from the press lower than 9/10. Put succinctly, if you have a PS2, you need Okami.
- Mood:
good - Music:NPR - NPR: Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! for Sunday, Oct 15 20
I'm attempting to redesign the personal website again, this time from scratch. I sketched out the layout last night and re-created it with some tweaks in Photoshop, but I'm still a little iffy about the cohesiveness of the design. At the very minimum, I plan to relaunch it without the straight-up feed reprinted from this LiveJournal; I just put on a new paint of coat to reflect my latest obsession and there isn't a compelling reason to have two copies of the blog/journal anyway.
This is the last post I'll make about the film for a while, but if you enjoyed Over the Hedge at all, you really ought to check out the Behind the Scenes subsection of the official website. (And skip the rest - it's fluff for the kiddies.) They have some amusing video interviews with the entire cast, and what I personally found more interesting, a good number of images of the hand-drawn storyboards and conceptual art used in the making of the film. This isn't something I normally get excited about, but there was really some quality work done here in the pre-production stage. And there's even a bit of insight into the adaptation of the film from it's comic origins, as well a bit of the philosophy behind it all:
"If there is any message here, it's 'Boy, do we have it good.' Our world of instant food and amazing consumer electronic pleasures is a dazzling wonderland. But the other side of that message is that those things are really distractions in life. It's wonderful to have our choice of junk food or video games or hundreds of channels at a moment's notice, but what our lives should be centered around are family and friends, who can't be replaced."
As someone prone to... unhealthy obsessions, it's good to be reminded of that from time to time. (Oh and uh, DreamWorks... you can mail me my check.)
- Mood: amused
- Music:Ben Folds - Family of Me
Yesterday, I learned through the grapevine (specifically, the forums of CheapAssGamer.com) of a two-day Memorial Day sale at Circuit City, and decided to go check it out early this morning. I walked out with what I consider a steal on three PS2 games: Jak 3, Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal, and Dragon Quest VIII, for a grand total of $30. That's $150 worth of games down to $10/a pop. We (I dragged my kid-sister along) were pretty much there when the doors opened - a good thing it turns out, as I managed to grab the last copy of DQ and one of two remaining copies of Ratchet. (Most everything is unplayed as of this writing, save a playable demo of FFXII packaged with Dragon Quest which I completed. It's... interesting. Active mode plays scarily like FFXI Online, but the waiting between hits is a bit offputting...)
Circuit City also held another one of it's all CDs (under $14) for $10 deals, and on slightly more than a whim, having paid little more than passing interest to the music game for some time now, picked up the soundtrack for Over The Hedge and saved a neat four-buckaroos. And, in doing so, I've discovered Ben Folds. It's not that I haven't heard the name before, over the years I've learned to generalize mainstream music with crap, (and indie music as crap with a slightly tangy aftertaste), so I never paid any attention. But the six songs on this album (by Folds, with one featuring Shatner) are shockingly good. And for the first time, I've found myself listening to these songs moreso than the actual score. A strong piano performance, melodic harmonies, upbeat, smart lyrics, and solid vocals - it's the real deal. And it meshes with the orchestrated themes of the film better than any soundtrack I have ever heard. Disney tried this bit by employing the Barenaked Ladies for the Chicken Little soundtrack (One Little Slip), but the effort just fell flat; the song was boring and stupid and really didn't belong in the larger scope of things - the same goes for the god awful filler by groups like The Cheetah Girls (*cringe*).
Anyway, thus far, I'm quite happy with what I've heard, and look forward to picking up another Folds album in the not-so distant future.
On a more somber (and bizzare) note, we also headed down to Pier 39 in San Francisco today just to do the tourist thing, and I swear, there was a dead kangaroo on the side of the highway. I did a double-take when I saw it - what the heck was a kangaroo doing in Marin county anyway? (Maybe I really am going insane...)
San Francisco was pretty okay. Though the more I visit the city, the less I think I'd care to live there. Too many people.
Circuit City also held another one of it's all CDs (under $14) for $10 deals, and on slightly more than a whim, having paid little more than passing interest to the music game for some time now, picked up the soundtrack for Over The Hedge and saved a neat four-buckaroos. And, in doing so, I've discovered Ben Folds. It's not that I haven't heard the name before, over the years I've learned to generalize mainstream music with crap, (and indie music as crap with a slightly tangy aftertaste), so I never paid any attention. But the six songs on this album (by Folds, with one featuring Shatner) are shockingly good. And for the first time, I've found myself listening to these songs moreso than the actual score. A strong piano performance, melodic harmonies, upbeat, smart lyrics, and solid vocals - it's the real deal. And it meshes with the orchestrated themes of the film better than any soundtrack I have ever heard. Disney tried this bit by employing the Barenaked Ladies for the Chicken Little soundtrack (One Little Slip), but the effort just fell flat; the song was boring and stupid and really didn't belong in the larger scope of things - the same goes for the god awful filler by groups like The Cheetah Girls (*cringe*).
Anyway, thus far, I'm quite happy with what I've heard, and look forward to picking up another Folds album in the not-so distant future.
On a more somber (and bizzare) note, we also headed down to Pier 39 in San Francisco today just to do the tourist thing, and I swear, there was a dead kangaroo on the side of the highway. I did a double-take when I saw it - what the heck was a kangaroo doing in Marin county anyway? (Maybe I really am going insane...)
San Francisco was pretty okay. Though the more I visit the city, the less I think I'd care to live there. Too many people.
- Mood: good
- Music:Ben Folds - Still (Reprise)
In Short: I thoroughly enjoyed this film, and it's one of few I've seen this year I would recommend going to theaters for. And the fact that I've typed this short essay immediately having left the theater is something of a testament to that... as well as to my own insanity.
Minor Spoilers Ahead:
If I were to rate the movies I've seen based on the entertainment I derived from them, Over The Hedge was easily the best film I've seen this year, and undeniably one of the best films PDI/DreamWorks has produced to-date. Bruce Willis (rather surprisingly) performs admiarably as lead raccoon-cum-con artist RJ, to the point where one wonders if it was a stroke of fortune that Jim Carrey backed out of the project - it may even have taken the edge off of Steve Carell's over the top performance as Hammy, the neurotic squirrel.
The pacing was excellent, with very little getting in the way to slow down the story; in comparison it made the Da Vinci Code feel like a 6-hour affair.
The animation was incredible. Though I haven't done my homework on it yet, it's clear that global illumination was used throughout the film and the attention to detail is considerable; fur catches the light and reflects it, creating a sheen that shifts as a character does. Animal mannerisms (particularly noticeably in twitching and strutting) are accurately reproduced (and exaggerated), and overall the animation has a sense of fluidity and dynamism that looks refined and just 'feels' right.
And while it contains several topical references (Grand Theft Auto comes to mind), they don't detract from the story or slow down the film (as was occasionally the case in Shrek 2) and they're easily ignorable and well incorporated; the THX gag actually continues to drive the story - the film doesn't come to a halt so the audience can explore the notion that 'It's funny because it's true'.
No, the story wasn't incredibly deep, but here's one case where it really didn't need to be. The premise was simple and true to the comic it was based on; animal life in suburbia. Much like the comic the film is loosely based on, the film doesn't condemn urbanization, nor preach the virtues of conservation; it merely sets the stage and says this is the way things are, and this is how these characters adapt.
I'm thrilled that DreamWorks has been able to consistently succeed where Disney outright fails; they're able to present a moral value (since modern Western culture dictates that if a film features talking animals, it must be a family film, and therefore must have a moral) without shoving it down your throat. Disney has been notorious for this; the one thing that drove me mad about (their last truly good animated feature) Lilo & Stitch is the refrain "Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind." Obviously, it worked, because I didn't have to look that up that quote. But ultimately, Hedge has the same moral but feels so much less preachy, and the e-brake isn't jammed on to make sure that anyone who slept through a third of the movie still has two more chances to have this message embedded into their brain.
This film is technically remarkable, humorous, and entertaining. It is up to par with the best efforts of DreamWorks (vastly superior to Madagascar and Shark Tale, perhaps playing second banana only to the original Shrek) and as such, is on-par with the best of CG-animated feature films to date.
Minor Spoilers Ahead:
If I were to rate the movies I've seen based on the entertainment I derived from them, Over The Hedge was easily the best film I've seen this year, and undeniably one of the best films PDI/DreamWorks has produced to-date. Bruce Willis (rather surprisingly) performs admiarably as lead raccoon-cum-con artist RJ, to the point where one wonders if it was a stroke of fortune that Jim Carrey backed out of the project - it may even have taken the edge off of Steve Carell's over the top performance as Hammy, the neurotic squirrel.
The pacing was excellent, with very little getting in the way to slow down the story; in comparison it made the Da Vinci Code feel like a 6-hour affair.
The animation was incredible. Though I haven't done my homework on it yet, it's clear that global illumination was used throughout the film and the attention to detail is considerable; fur catches the light and reflects it, creating a sheen that shifts as a character does. Animal mannerisms (particularly noticeably in twitching and strutting) are accurately reproduced (and exaggerated), and overall the animation has a sense of fluidity and dynamism that looks refined and just 'feels' right.
And while it contains several topical references (Grand Theft Auto comes to mind), they don't detract from the story or slow down the film (as was occasionally the case in Shrek 2) and they're easily ignorable and well incorporated; the THX gag actually continues to drive the story - the film doesn't come to a halt so the audience can explore the notion that 'It's funny because it's true'.
No, the story wasn't incredibly deep, but here's one case where it really didn't need to be. The premise was simple and true to the comic it was based on; animal life in suburbia. Much like the comic the film is loosely based on, the film doesn't condemn urbanization, nor preach the virtues of conservation; it merely sets the stage and says this is the way things are, and this is how these characters adapt.
I'm thrilled that DreamWorks has been able to consistently succeed where Disney outright fails; they're able to present a moral value (since modern Western culture dictates that if a film features talking animals, it must be a family film, and therefore must have a moral) without shoving it down your throat. Disney has been notorious for this; the one thing that drove me mad about (their last truly good animated feature) Lilo & Stitch is the refrain "Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind." Obviously, it worked, because I didn't have to look that up that quote. But ultimately, Hedge has the same moral but feels so much less preachy, and the e-brake isn't jammed on to make sure that anyone who slept through a third of the movie still has two more chances to have this message embedded into their brain.
This film is technically remarkable, humorous, and entertaining. It is up to par with the best efforts of DreamWorks (vastly superior to Madagascar and Shark Tale, perhaps playing second banana only to the original Shrek) and as such, is on-par with the best of CG-animated feature films to date.
- Mood: happy
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