Kaiju // Sento

RELOCATED

2010-12-02T22:07:00.001-05:00

WE ARE NOW LOCATED ON THE NEW TOKYO HIPSTER NETWORK:

WWW.TOKYOHIPSTER.COM
WWW.TOKYOHIPSTER.COM
WWW.TOKYOHIPSTER.COM
WWW.TOKYOHIPSTER.COM
WWW.TOKYOHIPSTER.COM
WWW.TOKYOHIPSTER.COM
GO THERE!!

Here's A Squirrel

2010-10-31T12:35:00.002-04:00

I have been a tad tied up these past few days but here is some adorable footage of a squirrel I was feeding in Boston Common the other day.

I wish I got more footage of the other eating.

~C.M. Privitera

Late Updates

2010-10-26T23:57:00.000-04:00

I will have a lack of updates for a bit due to the fact that I am trying to design // work on my new website "Tokyo Hipster". I will try and put something up tomorrow if I have the time [and if any of my Kamen Rider packages arrive by then]. Stay tuned.

~C.M. Privitera

A Bit With The Busy

2010-10-23T04:22:00.000-04:00

So Ed and I finally got together on the other blog that we wanted to make [one that Kaiju // Sento will become a feature on] called "Tokyo Hipster". Basically what the blog features is everything from art // bike scene stuff to Kaiju // Tokusatsu and other nerdiness that you can usually find here. I don't when the transition will formally take place but right now it is in "alpha" and running on Wordpress with very few updates [http://tokyohipster.wordpress.com/]. Within the next few months it will be made available on any of the following domains:

japanbikeblog.com
ridetokyo.com
tokyohipster.com
and....
kaijusento.com [only after the feature // past entries get fully integrated]

It will be nice to have more than just one person constantly updating this thing as it seems that quality of content has gone down since I started going outside of the house more [joke]. Stay tuned for more information on this exciting // semi-interesting move and or integration.

~C.M. Privitera

Like a House of Cards

2010-10-21T20:42:00.003-04:00

So I finally broke down and got one of those Japanese Kamen Rider Den-O henshin belts the other day on eBay. It came with an extender because they are usually only made for those of us [kids] with like a 26 inch waist so I will be able to wear it for cosplays // fun and for that epically bad screenplay I am putting together right now [almost done with the webisode pilot so stay tuned] about a reluctant hero known as the "Henshin Hipster". It's basically an excuse for me to practice my filming // editing // After Effects skills on something fun and interesting to make. The costume concept is pretty poor as it is a hodge-podge of several pieces of other henshin // metal heroes from Japan all wrapped up in some trendy duds; you might enjoy it. I promise to try and have some concept pictures // plot information up as soon as I can.

As the belt that I bought belongs to Den-O it features all of the sweet options that are only present in his series: coloured buttons, lights, sounds and that awesome rider pass which I have actually played with before and have determined it to be "fucking awesome". I have been debating going through that "mrarmourshop" guy on Yahoo Auctions Japan to get myself an affordable // really nice looking belt for it but I don't know how practical it would be with the plans I have for it. Obviously nicer is better but if it is something that is only going to be seen in an online show then I really don't see the need to invest another $30 into it.

Expect a video of childlike Christmas excitement when the belt arrives as I am waiting anxiously to see how it looks with the rest of the costume. Now time for me to get back to writing the script.

~C.M. Privitera

Somebody // Anybody

2010-10-20T21:49:00.002-04:00

Will someone out there do me the most amazing favour ever?

Will you find a way to steal this cat for me? Thank you in advance.

~C.M. Privitera

Kamen Rider Den-O: Fifteen! [Not Even Half Way]

2010-10-20T20:31:00.002-04:00

I have been riding along with Kamen Rider Den-O now for 15 episodes [with fabulous, yet probably inaccurate subtitles] and can only describe the most recent 5 with one simple line:

"Ryutaros was introduced and Den-O has a gun"

I hate to say "that's it" but it seems that was the only real "new thing" on this disc. Ryutaros [a new Imagin who has been hiding in Ryotaro's body for a few episodes now] is pretty interesting though. He is portrayed as a crazy [young?] purple Imagin with a love of music, animals, dancing and most of all Ryotaro's oneesan [older sister]. It is not as little as it sounds though as Ryutaros starts using Ryotaro's body at random and starts doing everything from attacking people in a park [he was apparently protecting the animals] to shooting up buildings as well as a certain shark-like Imagin that for some reason refuses to die. Den-O's new Gun Form seems to be one of his most powerful; yet, dangerous forms as it seems that Ryutaros has only his best interest in mind [unlike most of the other Imagin that use Ryutaro's body].

Another thing that seems to make Ryutaros quite dangerous is the fact that he says that he is only there to defeat Ryotaro and become the conductor of the DenLiner; I don't exactly know how this works but he is pretty set on it. The only thing that seems to really control him is for someone to say that Ryotaro's oneesan would be upset if he did [insert action they want him not to do]. So far it has worked but it seems that each time Ryotaro has tried to talk him out of doing something due to her opinion he demands more and more proof that it is really her desire.

I just started episodes 16 and 17 last night so I should be up to the 20th sooner rather than later. I have a feeling these episodes will have a tiny bit more action than the last 5.

I also think that I might start Kamen Rider OOO while I am watching this because I really want to see what is going on in the most recent Kamen Rider incarnation.

~C.M. Privitera

Tiny Dog

2010-10-19T15:21:00.005-04:00

I was walking around Cambridge last night and spotted this little guy poking out of the fence. I just had to get a picture of him before he ran away.

Best part was he had a twin behind the fence with him and at one point they were fighting over which one could stick their head out of the hole. Too cute.

~C.M. Privitera

Tell Them What They Have Won

2010-10-17T22:33:00.009-04:00

Every part of my body is hurting and I am still in a post-con haze; AAC is finally over. This year seemed to feature everything from a bizarre and totally random guest appearance by Robert Axelrod [Lord Zedd on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers] to a strange woman walking around with a box of Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask "Elegy of Emptiness" Link clones [creepy]. The sale room this year was pretty weak but it didn't stop my brother from finding // buying me an awesome Kamen Rider Decade figure [about a foot tall!] that now stands commandingly above my mini Den-O helmet. It was a good time for most [minus all of the technical issues that arose] and I can't wait till next year. Let's hope they let them keep it in the same hotel so I don't have to increase my commute next time.

Back to the topic of Kamen Rider, it seems that the newest release in the Hyper Battle series has been posted for download on the forums. Kamen Rider W: Donburi's α/Farewell Recipe of Love comes in at almost 20 minutes and features another silly side story to throw into the always confusing "Kamen Rider W Canon". Just to give you an idea of what they have in store for this current KRHB release I will simply mention that food plays a role in it. I think the picture below will give you a better idea of what I am talking about.

[Not Pictured: Giant fucking chopsticks]

All you have to do is throw it on your iPod // laptop and watch it on the train to work. It will be over with before you have to get off at Park Street to transfer to the Green Line, I promise. Keeping up with all the Kamen Rider related extras is so easy!

On one last note I have been putting off starting Kamen Rider OOO [Even though I have all 6 English episodes that have been released] because I have been too afraid of getting distracted from my current Den-O mission. Does anyone have any thoughts on the series as of yet? Good? Shit? Am I wasting my time? Thanks.

~C.M. Privitera

Kamen Rider Den-O: Now We're Up To Ten!

2010-10-14T15:45:00.001-04:00

I just finished the 10th episode of my second run through the Kamen Rider Den-O series and I am still quite hooked and excited to see what happens in the next episode. In these most recent 5 episodes [on top of the previously mentioned 5 from earlier] we are introduced to 2 new anti-Imagin who add additional humour // support to the show and Ryotaro and he continues to fight off all of the evil Imagin as the all-powerful Den-O. First is Urataros who is a flirty, lying, suave blue Imagin who gives Ryotaro unlimited luck with the ladies [he ends up sleeping over some random girl named Yumi's house after a long night of "fun"] as well as access to an additional form: Rod Form. In Rod Form Den-O is able to not only swim [this comes into play when an evil Imagin dives into the water bringing Den-O with him] but wields a long range fishing pole // spear weapon allowing him to attack targets from a distance greater than his Sword Form could possibly reach. It also seems that he is able to use the "string" on the rod to somewhat subdue his enemies which comes in handy with a flying crow-like Imagin he fights later on.

The second new [good] Imagin is the mighty and yellow Kintaros [so strong he will make you cry] who meets Ryutaro while in possession of another human's body. It turns out that Kintaros has made a contract with a retired [due to health] martial artist who has made a wish to be able to practice karate again. Moved by this man's condition // wish Kintaros selflessly goes out and attempts to learn karate in an attempt to transfer his skills to the wish maker and thus completing the contract without any ill intent or violence; very unusual for an Imagin. During these attempts Kintaros injures several people at a dojo and causes large amounts of damage to the city before being stopped by Den-O who then fights, loses against and then befriends him. By saving Kintaros [whom is trapped under debris after saving his wish maker] and allowing him to enter his body Den-O is able to use an additional "Axe Form" which grants him an insane amount of power. This does the trick against a particularly hard rhino-like Imagin [whom another karate master has made a wish on] as Den-O uses the full charge "Dynamic Slash" move from the axe to cut the Imagin in half [long way].

[This guy was a HUGE pain in the ass]

The only other important thing that is introduced // revealed in these episodes is the fact that Hana's world is apparently sometime in the future and as of right now is destroyed by the time altering Imagins. Hana's attitude seems to be changing slightly after meeting Kintaros who is easily the most mature // honourable of the anti-Imagin. I am going to have to finish another 5 episodes or more this weekend to keep on track with my previously stated marathon; however, this might be difficult as AAC 2010 is this weekend [should have some free time]. We will see how this all plays out.

~C.M. Privitera

There Goes My Space

2010-10-12T15:19:00.001-04:00

Looks like I will be giving up about 40+ GB of space on my hard drive to my newly downloaded collection of Kamen Rider episodes. I managed to get my hands on every single episode, movie and special from almost every single Heisei era Kamen Rider series known to man. In other words I am going to be busy watching these shows for a few months, if not years from now. I won't be starting any of these shows yet as I need to finish my previous obligation to Kamen Rider Den-O but I am hopefully going to be placing all of these shows on some sort of external hard drive as to not fill up my laptop and make things difficult for me.

Most of the videos are SD quality being either DVD or TV rips but I managed to get my hands on the Kamen Rider OOO HD version as well as the Blu-Ray version of Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider W & Decade: Movie War 2010 which I need to find a way of burning onto a DVD so I can watch it on an actual HD screen [sorry laptop, I couldn't afford the 1080p for you] and enjoy all of the fine details. I really wish they released every Kamen Rider series // movie on Blu-Ray, it would make things so much easier when deciding which ones to download. Don't get me wrong, SD is certainly not bad [my Kamen Rider Black is not exactly perfect in quality] but these recent HD releases have just opened up a whole new world of quality to me which I never knew was available to American fans. Now all I want is more HD Kamen Rider to ensure that I am getting the best quality viewing at all times.

Thanks goes out to #TV-Nihon [they have anime and stuff too] for providing these awesome DDLs // torrents [as well as a wealth of information], I advise everyone to check them out and be sure to seed those torrents after downloading. Nothing is more frustrating than finding the perfect torrent and having 1-2 seeds in which to take from. It's a community!

~C.M. Privitera

What I Saw @ NYCC 2010 In Under 2 Minutes

2010-10-12T13:51:00.000-04:00

As you all know I went to the 2010 NYCC and has myself a pretty decent time. I didn't take too many pictures // videos but I believe the clip below sums up the convention pretty well.

Looking back I kinda wish that I took a tiny bit more footage. Oh well, enjoy.

~C.M. Privitera

Don't Judge a Zombie Movie by its Shitty, Shitty Cover

2010-10-11T03:27:00.008-04:00

Yes, it is currently 3:30 in the morning here in Buffalo but I am just getting to bed...a combination of beer and Tim Hortons' coffee is responsible for this predicament. Taking into consideration that this coffee was consumed close to midnight I knew I would be up for the better part of the night and decided to fall back on my go-to plan when I can't sleep:horror movies. With the company of my friend Paul I embarked on a double-feature of demons and zombies (cue refrain from "Best of Both Worlds" by R. Kelly and Jay-Z) with the movies Paranormal Activity and Zombies of Mass Destruction. Taking into consideration that unless you've lived in a cave for the last 5 years the majority of Americans are familiar with the movie Paranormal Activity and how much of a disappointment it was: I agree. Taking this fact into consideration, I will be focusing on the latter, less-known movie. Right off the bat, this is the worst poster I have ever seen for any movie in my life. Do NOT let this advertising miscarriage deter you from reading the rest of this post as I assure you it in no way reflect the type of movie you will see. Set in the small, somewhat religious island town of Port Gamble (think of Nantucket) in a state which is never specified (Ohio plates are on all the cars however) Zombies of Mass Destruction follows the survival story of a young Iranian girl (Frida) a homosexual couple (Tom and Lance) and a gun hating mayoral hopeful (Cheryl) all while delivering a "believable" yet dumb zombie origin story (terrorist attack) peppered with gratuitous violence and surprising funny moments.

Long story short: an assumed terrorist strike from an infamous international terrorist results in one infected person becomes many infected people via a series of zombie bites and the aforementioned main characters are rescued after a series of trials and tribulations (i.e. zombie killings). 6 months later the town is rebuilt and life continues on: THE END. I know a lot of people (myself included) could care less about a storyline for a zombie movie though it should be mentioned that this is one of the few lower-budget horror movies I've seen in a while that had decent character development: they were all pretty enjoyable people. On to the most important part of any horror movie: the gore. The effects in this movie, although low-budget, never left me with a "what the fuck?" feeling during a death scene. Blood was everywhere and people looked like people should when they get eaten alive by zombies and have their face peeled off (first death scene involves Frida's fuck-buddy getting de-faced). As far as other effects go my only complaints were the shitty post-production gun-shot explosions and the horrible CGI helicopters toward the end of the movie though neither of this effect the over-all zombieness in any way. Although this would be considered a horror movie, it was made to be a somewhat funny one.
Within the first 20 minutes you see a little girl get hit by a car the force throwing her body a humorously great distance leaving only her now severed arm in Frida's grasp; this scene alone is worth watching the movie for as it comes out of no where and should be enough to make anyone laugh. Taking into consideration that 2 of main characters make up a homosexual couple it should come as no surprise that there are a handful of gay jokes which are not overdone and, due to the Iranian ethnicity of the main heroine, one or two Muzzy jokes. One final note now that the race card has been drawn: there are no black people in this movie. Zero. Not a single one. Just thought it was kinda weird.

~Adam

NYCC = Busy

2010-10-10T20:18:00.002-04:00

I have been unable to really make any updates since Thursday night due to the fact that I have been at the 2010 New York Comic Con and without any real free time // internet connection which = no updates. The convention was good and from what I understand totally sold out which I didn't know it technically could. The convention was packed with a ton of awesome booths [Capcom, IGN, Sega for example] and offered 2 game demos I was dying to play: Mega Man Universe and Marvel vs Capcom 3, I also got the chance to meet the creator of Mega Man Keiji Inafune and got my hands on an awesome Mega Man Legends 3 poster signed by him.

I only saw // met a few people there such as Kirkland from Toybot Studios, LASH [got myself an awesome Sludge Demon] Lamour Supreme and [of all people] Stan Lee who was with me in the artist alley bathroom and stopped after washing his hands [accompanied by 2 other gentlemen] to say hello before he booked it past about 30 photographers outside of the restroom; it was surreal to say the least. I have some pictures and very little video from the whole weekend but I will be sure to post it when I get back to Boston. All I am concerned with right now though is getting home and getting to sleep, check back soon for an actual update.

I hate the fact that the only bus that we could get back home leaves at 10:00 P.M. and doesn't get back till a little after 2 in the morning.

~C.M. Privitera

PieFest 2010 Memories

2010-10-06T23:29:00.007-04:00

PieFest 2010 has come and gone just like every other year; however, something was different about this year. This year I killed a mouse by accident.

You will be missed random office kitchen mouse, that is of course unless you are haunting me this very minute. I hope you don't hold your accidental death against me forever.

~C.M. Privitera

Kamen Rider Den-O: The First Five Episodes [English Subtitles!]

2010-10-06T13:42:00.005-04:00

After realizing that Kamen Rider Decade involved the hunting and destruction of 9 other Kamen Riders [Den-O and Kiva included] I have decided to change the way I will be watching my newly aquired // English subtitled Kamen Rider DVDs. I have decided to start with watching Kamen Rider Den-O [tokusatsu at its best] in its entirety as well as the movies because it happens to fall first in the Kamen Rider timeline, that and it is the series I am most familiar with so there won't be too much new information to take in. I made it through the first 5 episodes [first DVD] last night so here is a very brief summary.

Ryotaro [the main character] is a very unlucky guy who seems to always be in trouble or injured. The way he goes about his life with an almost childlike ability to end up in terrible situations is both frustrating and comedic, but mostly frustrating. One day after getting away from some bullies Ryotaro discovers the DenLiner Rider Pass and tries to turn it into the police [stupid] because he thinks that someone has lost it. A strange girl [Hana] in a magic train appears and attempts to get the pass back from Ryotaro but fails.

[Kamen Rider Den-O features more coffee loving monsters than you are used to]

The show takes a turn at this point as focus shifts from "hey let's watch Ryotaro get injured again" to "holy shit, a fucking train just came out of nowhere"; things pick up fast. We are introduced to Momotaros [red oni] the Imagin and his ability to possess Ryotaro and make him super powerful // super scenester as well as Imagins in general and what their powers are [wish on Imagin = certain doom]. Apparently Imagin are making contracts with humans and then stealing their memories and lives via some kind of fucked up time travel and this needs to be stopped. Ryotaro also discovers that he is a "singularity point" which means that he can exist outside of time // if he is possessed by a Imagin it can be controlled.

After discovering that the item that he found was actually a DenLiner Rider Pass [allows anyone be they human or Imagin to ride on the DenLiner] Hana explains to Ryotaro that not only can he use it to ride the train but because he is special [and a singularity point] he can use it to transform into the only person who can destroy all of the evil Imagin: Kamen Rider Den-O. The first enemy Imagin appears and Den-O then transforms into Sword Form [channeling Momotaros' power and turning redish] and destroys it with little effort. This is how things kick off.

All 5 episodes involve the same thing: a person makes a contract with an Imagin for something [money, key holders or soccer skills in these episodes] and then the Imagen grants their wish and goes inside of their memories. This is the part of the episode when Den-O must go back in time [using the motorcycle-powered portion of the DenLiner] and stop the Imagin from destroying both the wish maker and the world. Not to give anything away but for the most part he wins without much trouble [minus a fight with Momotaros about the ethics of theft // embezzlement in which he gets beat up for a bit] and then makes a slight change to the past to create a brighter present. In episode 5 we are introduced to the second turn-coat [goodguy] Imagin Urataros [blue] who has the ability to turn Ryotaro into a smooth talking ladies man and make Momotaros very mad.

The show so far has been both epically awesome [I am happy to have subtitles this time] and quite heartwarming as you see stories of people's bad memories replaced with something much nicer. At the end of the day everyone is happy [more or less] and Den-O and the others ride off on the DenLiner back to 2007 to relax and wait for the next Imagin to do something stupid so they have a reason to destroy them. What's not to love about a story like that?

~C.M. Privitera

Because I Need More Kamen Rider

2010-10-05T00:02:00.014-04:00

I have finally started watching my English subtitled episodes of Kamen Rider Den-O and have been spending some of my free time re-watching all of my favourite Den-O related videos.

If only Imagin were this playful in real life.

~C.M. Privitera

Pink Nightmares

2010-10-04T23:05:00.000-04:00

This is my current status:

So I am going to get to bed. I get my Kamen Rider DVDs tomorrow so I am going to busy with those for a bit. I will try and post as many Kamen Rider Kiva, Kamen Rider Den-O and Kamen Rider Decade episodes as I can. Stay tuned.

~C.M. Privitera

EDF: It's On Now

2010-10-04T22:56:00.000-04:00

My wildest dreams have come true: they are making a new Earth Defense Force game. Finally I will have a chance to kill thousands more insects with a character that walks like it has a stick up its ass.

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon is actually looking a ton better than its predecessor and is slated for a quarter 1 2011 release. Let's hope that they add some customization // leveling options that the first game desperately lacked. It would be nice to have a custom squad // guild thing going online and not just have a million of the same character running around.

~C.M. Privitera

Introducing: Combo Weapons

2010-10-03T17:55:00.000-04:00

One of the coolest features of Dead Rising 2 are the new // interesting combo weapons that the game lets you make. These weapons can be made by mixing 2 items together on one of game's many workbenches and allow you [if you have the matching combo card] earn double the experience when you kill with them. These weapons range from strange gem shooting leaf blowers to uber deadly lightsabers capable of slicing zombies into pieces and add an almost alchemical aspect to the game. I find myself spending just as much time collecting combo cards // items to combine as I do taking on the game's various quests.

This is just a small sample of the combo weapons available in the game which is apparently something like 45 or 48 [not sure]. This should however give you a good idea of what type of weapons you can create // use in the game. It is definitely much more entertaining than just using the weapons that are normally lying around; another reason why Dead Rising 2 is so much better than Dead Rising.

~C.M. Privitera

No Caturday! 2-OCT-2010

2010-10-02T01:57:00.001-04:00

So we decided to take a week off from our regular Caturday activities to stop in at the Sam Adams brewery in Jamaica Plain [pretty much Boston] for a tour. More soon!

Sorry cats, we will see you again soon.

~C.M. Privitera

Dead Rising 2 Is Pretty Awesome

2010-09-29T22:30:00.044-04:00

I was one of the first people to drive at intense speeds to Waltham, MA's Gamestop to grab my copy of Capcom's newest title, the long awaited Dead Rising 2. I also grabbed a copy of Front Mission Evolved only because I am a fan of the series; however, this recent title does not really impress me; so back to Dead Rising 2. As you have probably heard before the game is pretty much a nicer looking version of the previous game with a much larger map and weapon // item selection. You take on the role of Chuck who has been framed for a zombie outbreak that has changed the booming Fortune City into a giant zombie filled nightmare. It is up to you [within the time limit of course] to find out who framed you and why in an attempt to clear your name before the military arrives to destroy the zombie outbreak and restore peace to the city.

As I just mentioned the game is very similar to its predecessor Dead Rising which was unfortunately only available on the Xbox 360. It's you, some survivors that need saving, thousands of zombies and an entire city full of deadly // interesting objects that you can either use as they are or transform into insanely powerful weapons using combo cards. This new combo card system gives you "recipes" for different weapons to include IEDs, baseball bats with nails in them and light swords [flashlight + gems] that allow you not only to look totally awesome using them but earn 2X the PP while you do it. Other than that major change the gameplay is pretty much the same. Your character still walks way too stiff, dying without saving is still a huge frustration and the psychopaths are back and more annoying than ever as they seem to pop out of nowhere to kill you mid quest thus bringing you back to square one.

The multiplayer is pretty much everything you could possibly want from the series and includes several modes. First is the Co-Op mode which puts you and a friend in the shoes of multiple Chucks progressing through the game and its quests with all of the features from the single player available. The only real complaint with this mode is the fact that only the host actually progresses through the game, the others just get money // levels. The second mode is the Terror Is Reality mode which puts you against other players on TK's gameshow having you doing everything from killing zombies with chainsaw motorcycles to giant American Gladiators style battle balls. These allow you to earn cash which can be used in the main story and also give you a chance to unwind from the tedium of running and finding survivors // Zombrex all the time.

Don't get me wrong, I love the game [not to mention it's insane amount of Capcom fan service] but I just wish that they just made it a little more user friendly, that's all. Legend has it that Frank West from Dead Rising [as well as his photography skills] will be made available to players in an upcoming DLC package [only confirmed for the Xbox 360 as of right now] that should be available sometime this fall. Perhaps mixing the combo system from Chuck and the PP gathering picture taking of Frank will add a little more variety to the game, maybe not. I am still hoping that the DLC makes its way to PS3 though.

~C.M. Privitera

Gamera That I Gotta Do

2010-09-28T10:11:00.028-04:00

So I have had my hands on both of the new Gamera Double Feature DVDs for about a week now and I have yet to do so much as remove the wrapping from the cases. I have seen 2 of the 4 films already but in very low quality .mpg files that I found on the internet. The one I am most excited about seeing in good condition is Gamera vs Viras solely based on the fact that Viras is one of my favourite Kaiju ever. I hear good things about the others [and will obviously watch them because I love Gamera] but I am wondering if this is a sign that there might be additional Gamera re-releases coming soon. I would kill to get my hands on a real copy of Gamera 3 [regarded as possibly the best Kaiju movie EVER] that wasn't burned on a 750MB compact disc.

I should have some free time eventually to actually spend the time watching these classics but that probably won't happen till the weekend. In other news I think I have started getting a cold which is going to be a huge problem because I have to be at the New York Comic Con next weekend and then I have an important PT test soon after which I can't be all congested for. I will be sure to drink plenty of tea and water to hopefully kick this thing before the end of the weekend. If not it's going to be a few days of laying in bed and sleeping early [as soon as I get out of work] so I can be less contagious for the convention. Let's hope this Airborne X Vitamin Water combo does the trick.

~C.M. Privitera

Kamen Rider Megathon

2010-09-27T15:17:00.047-04:00

I am a huge fan of Japanese tokusatsu [live action] shows and have been for as long as I can remember. There was just always something awesome about the Japanese shows in comparison to the American ones that sucked me in and got me hooked onto hero shows such as Ultraman and Kamen Rider when I was young. The characters were awesome, the monsters were weird // unique and I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying, it was great. I have spent many days marathoning all of the various "Ultra" shows that I am in possession of [Ultraman, Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Max, Ultraseven X etc...] but it wasn't till last year that I decided to take a crack at a Kamen Rider marathon, things didn't go as planned.

Turns out that all of the Kamen Rider DVDs [VCDs for some of them] I had were 100% Japanese with no English subtitles whatsoever. At the time I didn't care and continued to watch Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Den-O without the slightest clue what anyone was talking about. I was fine with this until the other day when looking at how amazingly popular the Den-O series was in particular and all of the awesome story I totally missed out on. I felt cheated and wanted to fix the situation the only way I know how: English subtitle marathon.

As one can semi-clearly assume // see, I have gotten my hands on English subtitled versions of Kamen Rider Kiva, Kamen Rider Den-O and Kamen Rider Decade as well as all 4 of the Den-O movies. I have set up a schedule for next month to force marathon every episode of these shows [2-3 hours of viewing a day] before the end of Halloween. I will probably go crazy but it is worth it to force this much awesomeness into my brain in such a short time. Here's to bootleg DVDs and how they allow us to watch any show, from any country in English regardless of how obscure they might be in Western culture.

~C.M. Privitera

Neglect // Something Like That

2010-09-26T17:52:00.000-04:00

So it has been almost a week since I last touched my EyePet and I am a tad concerned. Can this thing die? I am currently updating my PS3 firmware 3.50 [no more exploding controllers] so I have a few more minutes to wait before I can find out the answer to that question but I am wondering if there is such a thing as neglect in the game.

I am probably going to watch some episodes of Bored to Death while waiting so I hope I don't get too sucked in and forget about the PS3 running. Let's see if I can't get to the next "level" [day] in EyePet before the end of the day. It can't be that hard, can it?

~C.M. Privitera

Class'd Up The Place

2010-09-26T13:49:00.000-04:00

My room was in need of some serious flair and it just so happened that my friend Ryan [Evoker] was selling some of his amazing original paintings. Needless to say I immediately hopped on 2 epic pieces that have brought my room to a whole new level of awesomeness.

Check out more of Evoker's work on his official site.

~C.M. Privitera

Happy Caturday! 25-SEP-2010

2010-09-25T00:24:00.015-04:00

It's Caturday again and to my surprise the cats at the MSPCA were actually quite boring today. Aside from a few active kittens and an orange cat that refused to leave me alone everyone wanted to just sleep and eat. Not a problem though.

No matter how boring cat actions appear they always look 1,000X more awesome // interesting when put to upbeat // playful music. You would swear the cats were having a fucking ball. Just be sad that you weren't invited.

~C.M. Privitera

Spriterday

2010-09-25T00:22:00.000-04:00

I have found something fun to do with my free time whilst waiting for videos and pictures to process on my computer.

I am back to making awesome 8-bit power ups! I am probably going to make like 100 E-Tanks before I get bored of them. Tutorial coming soonish.

~C.M. Privitera

My EyePet is Learning Too Fast

2010-09-22T23:49:00.040-04:00

So I finally got a chance to really play around with my copy of EyePet after getting home from my recent Buffalo trip and got hooked pretty easily. There is a ton of different things that you can do from feeding, cleaning and playing with your new monkey-dog thing to dressing him up in all sorts of outfits [such as a blue sweater with a hamburger on it] and changing his hair style, colour and length.

Every day you have to scan your pet to make sure that all of his needs are met. These include creativity, strength, happiness and hunger and are raised // lowered by doing various events. One of the more interesting need satisfying activities is having your pet draw in his sketch book; an activity that raises creativity.

[I wish there was a way to share these with the EyePet world]

There are 2 ways that you can accomplish this:

1. Draw something using the PlayStation Move Motion Controller and your pet will redraw it in their sketchbook.

2. [Much more interesting] Draw something on a white sheet of paper and hold it up to the PlayStation Eye and your pet will redraw it [with pretty decent accuracy] in their sketchbook.

The second option allows for some much more interesting [and finely detailed] results but I would advise making your lines thick and using a dark colour [brown or black] when drawing. Remember that the scanned result is only as good as the image that the PlayStation Eye reads; and for those of us with shitty lighting, that might be an issue.

~C.M. Privitera

Weekend Updates

2010-09-22T20:38:00.002-04:00

Weekend updates are going to be a little slow but stay tuned because I have some highly enjoyable EyePet footage for you check out as well as some more info about the recently release codes for Phantasy Star Portable 2 which unlock everything from pizza box shields to EVA plug suits. Also be expecting more information about my current progress is Cladun and Cho Aniki.

~C.M. Privitera

And They Forgot About Cho

2010-09-21T13:30:00.027-04:00

Oh, and Chō Aniki: Kyūkyoku Muteki Ginga Saikyō Otoko [or just Cho Aniki] also came out for download for the PSP // PS3 [on the awesome new PSN Imports service] but no one gave a fuuuuuuck.

[This is just the first boss]

Cho Aniki is possibly the weirdest shooter series [or game for that matter] ever released in the history of mankind. This entry [originally for the PSX] is the hardest one in the series [no pun intended] and features digital photography based characters // enemies as opposed to the sprites that were used in the previous games. The whole game also takes place in very weird settings such as dark space stadiums, gardens and oceans and features some amazing but almost scary music. This creates some of the most disturbing visuals you will ever see in a game and will have you trying your hardest to get to the next stage to see how much weirder it could possibly get.

Play this game if you want nightmares for the rest of your life.

~C.M. Privitera

Cladun = 3D Dot Game Heroes Portable

2010-09-21T12:41:00.051-04:00

I was very excited today to get my hands on Cladun: This is an RPG; pretty much the only interesting looking game put out by NIS recently, for the PSP. The game was a bit expensive for a PSN-PSP game [$19.99] but so far has been pretty good.

I am going to be 100% honest in the fact that I have no idea what the story is; however, that does not take away anything from the game whatsoever. The game looks like an old 16-bit RPG with basic textures, details and highly pixilated sprites and plays a bit like The Legend of Zelda involving you running through dungeons, collecting treasure and destroying monsters in order to gain experience. Players have the ability to customize their character just like 3D Dot Game Heroes [the whole game carries the feeling of 3DDGH] and can even go as far as to choose and name their endgame nemesis.

Music in the game comes in 2 forms: standard or retro. The standard music style features the actual ballads from the game while the retro features awesome 8-bit style chip tune music which does a great job of setting the game. There is standard weapons, shield and armour equipment as well as a system called "Magic Circle" which involves you surrounding your main character with others to act as human shields // stat boosts. The best part about this system is the fact that after a dungeon is complete everyone in your magic circle also gains experience allowing all characters to level up at a decent pace. The game also features multiplayer but sadly I know no one else who decided it would be a good idea to pay for // download this one.

[The Magic Circle can get pretty fucking crazy]

The game is a decent grab even at the $20 price tag but it is definitely not a "new" experience by any means. A nice title to have on your PSP though in case your current UMD is boring you to tears.

~C.M. Privitera

PlayStation Move Doesn't Suck

2010-09-20T16:22:00.045-04:00

We knew it was only a matter of time before I had the guts [and the funds] to invest in the newest gaming accessory: PlayStation Move. I had doubts and fears about this brand new motion capture device; however, my worries were quickly put to rest after my first few seconds of playing Sports Champions, the title that came with my $100 PlayStation Move starter kit. Watch the video below because I can't possibly explain how awesome this experience is.

[I am whispering because it is 4:43 A.M.]

The game was beyond entertaining pitting myself [and RaaB] against each other armed with a random melee weapon and a shield. The game captured every movement, turn and thrust of the Move controller with stunning accuracy and speed making it feel like you were truly fighting someone. Not only was the movement accurate but also the speed and location of each of our swings was dead on. This allowed for me to execute such attacks as a never ending hammer spin or an golf swing so powerful that it would knock a player out of the ring. The more you physically get into the fight the better your actual character will perform; something I have never seen in a game before.

Not all of the PlayStation Move titles are this awesome though and that's why I have taken the time to assemble a list of the good and the bad to make sure that you don't blow your money on something awful [like I did with Aragorn's Quest].

Good:

1. Sports Champions

2. EyePet

3. R.U.S.E.

Bad // Meh:

Everything else

As you can see there is not a whole lot of awesome out just yet so it might be in your best interest to wait a little while before picking this device up. Early adopters however should be satisfied with the selection of games available now at least until the new // awesomer ones come out. Here's to not being just a shitty Wii clone.

~C.M. Privitera

Caturday Wedding

2010-09-18T13:34:00.016-04:00

I think the title of the entry sums things up. Needless to say I was a bit tied up for the day [thus not a formal Caturday post].

The wedding was awesome and was an excellent excuse to dress all fancy [myself dawning the classless button down collar]. RaaB and I grabbed Playstation Move [including Sports Champions, EyePet and that tennis game] during the pre-reception break so I will be sure to post some information // impressions of it as soon as I have a free minute.

~C.M. Privitera

Happy Caturday! 18-SEP-2010

2010-09-18T00:00:00.012-04:00

I won't be stopping in at the MSPCA today for some cat interaction but thought that this week should not be catless so here is a story about some dude who made a city for cats.

[Hulk is getting soft in his old age.....brother]

I will try and post some random cat Hipstamatic shots if I find any today. If not I will probably just draw one, lie and saw that it is actually a picture of a real "hand drawn" species of cat.

~C.M. Privitera

On Vacation Again [Mega Worm]

2010-09-17T13:21:00.023-04:00

I am going to be out in Buffalo, NY for my friend's wedding this weekend and should return to Boston [and regular blogging] next Tuesday. I will try and post while I am out but it is always hard to find time for content when I am out visiting friends and family. In the meantime I will leave you with some advice for anyone who owns either an iPod Touch or iPhone: buy Super Mega Worm.

Super Mega Worm is possibly one of the most mindless yet awesome games I have ever played on the system and puts a dark twist on the classic game of Snake. SMW is pretty much Tremors the game; players control the Mega Worm [a mutant environmental avenging worm] as it tears through the landscape, vehicles, animals and people exacting revenge for mankind's poor treatment of Mother Earth. You have a health bar that slowly goes down over time and can only be refilled by destroying // consuming everything in sight. Each stage gives you a specific amount of humans that you must eliminate by any means in order to progress to the next level [and length] and after every 5 levels you are rewarded with an evolution which grants you additional destructive powers such as destructive spit or EMP charges.

[It is as awesome as it looks]

The game is a bit on the difficult side towards the later levels but even if you die you can start all over again from the first stage with ALL of your previous evolutions, minus the length of course. I can't stress enough how awesome this game is and for $2.99 [or $1.99, I can't remember] it is a deal for fans of the Tremors series, giant mutant worms or mindless destruction. Hop on it now and hope to god that the good people at Deceased Pixel put out some more content for it.

~C.M. Privitera

I Remember This

2010-09-15T23:52:00.054-04:00

So I decided to break down and get my hands on a copy of Phantasy Star Portable 2 on launch day [some other game came out that day too, Halo--something] and have pretty much gotten myself into MMO mode again. For all of those who don't know, I have a terrible habit with MMOs that takes up a ton of my time with almost no reward. What I do is I spend as much time offline as humanly possible in order to build up my character and get access to better weapons, armour and magic so my online debut makes me stand out as a more powerful character. While this all sounds well and good [in theory] I always tend to spend too much time offline and when my online game starts I am always the overpowered but totally clueless [community wise] player who ends up being more of a pain in the ass spotlighter than someone who brings anything positive to the "team". It is kinda a drag.

I am trying to counter this in PSP2 by forcing myself to go online the second I hit level 13 [just high enough to equip those new brass knuckles and green armour] to allow me to be decently strong amongst the other players but also makes it so I have to interact with the team and this build my community skills at the same time as leveling up. After I get a grasp on things though, then I can go ape shit and play as long as I want offline [breaks at the office] and get my character to some insane level. Finally I have found some sort of balance that I might stick with. Now back to the game.

As many of you can guess the game is pretty much more of the same when it comes to Phantasy Star Online // Portable. The player is given a few races to select [Human, Newman, Cast and Beast] each with their own specialties, benefits and detriments [I chose the Newman because they rock at magic]. Then the player goes through and pretty through customization process choosing everything from their starting clothes to the colour of their hair, this allows for a wide variety of characters seen throughout the online lobby and keeps things more interesting. After all is said and done on the visual aspect of the creator the player must then decide which type [class] their newly designed character will be. PSP2 offers 4 classes which I will quickly sum up:

Hunter: Kill everything via melee and have piles of health [see Warrior, Knight]

Ranger: Kill everything with guns and bows and have decent health [see Ranger, Gunman]

Force: Magic user with limited access to weapons [see Mage, Sorcerer]

Vanguard: Jack of most trades with moderate everything [see Artisan, Adventurer]

I ended up picking the Vanguard type because that option has never been offered in the PSP series and it seemed to be pretty interesting. You have the ability to level up and change your type at any time but each type carries its stats with it so you will have to continue where you left off with that class if you change [or start from scratch if you never used that particular class before]. The class system seems to be the same as PSP1 with one MAJOR improvement: no more weapon restrictions. I have a Newman Vanguard carrying around 2 machine guns whilst still being able to switch to a wand // shield combo and light everything on fire. This allows you to truly make the character you really want. Something that caught me as weird though was when I was using the character creator it seemed like it was going to let me make a FoCast [Force // Cast] which is technically impossible [or useless]. I will have to check that a tad bit more to see if it was legit or not.

I am pretty impressed with the game so far [I am level 11 and just encountered the main antagonist in the burned down Kasch Village] and things just seem to keep getting better. I can't wait to see what the online play mode has to offer. Oh, and there are some WEIRD collaborations in this game, but I can assume that the pictures gave that away.

~C.M. Privitera

Elegab's Hitogomira = Nightmare Beast

2010-09-14T13:20:00.001-04:00

Elegab has recently revealed pictures of their newest soon-to-be vinyl monster: the nightmarish Hitogomira.

[Left: Prototype // Right: Concept art]

So far the protype seems to capture the creepiness of the monster but I hope that they detail out the human bodies a tiny bit more before it is finished. I was wondering why the prototype has giant teeth while the concept art has none and why there appears to be a lack of a tail in the prototype as well, not too important though. No news as to when [or how for that matter] this one will be released but it shouldn't be too long before we get a solid date. I wasn't really digging the previous Oil Shock release but I am pretty into Hitogomira already. Hope I can get my hands on one.

~C.M. Privitera

Got My 4G iPod Touch!

2010-09-14T00:29:00.004-04:00

So after a little over a week of waiting my new 4G iPod Touch is here and my are there improvements over the previous generations. First of all the cameras are the most welcome additions allowing me to take really awesome pictures [thanks Hipstamatic] or surprisingly detailed 720p video [perfect for YouTube HD]. I have not taken anything in the video mode worth saving but believe you me as soon as I do it will be up. Another feature that the cameras are used for is the greatly underrated "facetime" application which I used to call Ed the other day. The only issue that I noticed with the facetime app was [and I called this at the iPhone 4 launch] the fact that both parties [even iPhone 4 users] must be on Wi-Fi in order to video chat, kind of a drag in this day and age but still pretty awesome.

I went a downloaded a few apps since getting the device to include titles such as Words With Friends, Angry Birds [you knew that], Hipstamatic [obviously] and the newly released Oregon Trail app. Now I am a huge fan of the original Oregon Trail but this new one is just a little too chubby // cartoonie for me to really get into or take seriously. It has all the features of the old game but the presentation just makes me feel like I am playing a Nick Jr game or something. Where is the grit? The danger? Those really awful graphics that still give me nightmares to this day? The charm of the original seems to be all but lost in this cute and cuddly re-imagining but there is enough nostalgia in there to keep you playing for at least a little while.

I did have something very funny [and totally not in the original] happen to my wagon train whilst playing: a fucking bird swooped by and stole one of my people. I pretty much stopped playing right there and thought it would be best to count my $1.99 investment as a loss, for now.

I am in the works of a lot of new things for the site but I will try and cram some test video from the iPod Touch to show you how it looks on a larger screen. I promise it is much better than you might think [except in the dark, it sucks in the dark].

~C.M. Privitera

WTF!?

2010-09-13T21:44:00.000-04:00

You might have been wondering what those last 2 entries were and why I posted them. The answer is simple: I am trying out the Podcast thing again. The ones I posted were just "dummy" casts that Harris and I did a while ago for the hell of it, no I will not be putting them on iTunes. Just ignore those updates for now as they were solely made as a test format for iTunes publishing // integration.

~C.M. Privitera

Book Art

2010-09-12T13:03:00.009-04:00

Just a quick update on the subject of my recently release book, some of the inside illustrations are done. I still have about 7 or 8 more to go before I would say that they were 100% complete but at least it is a start.

[Picture semi-unrelated]

Now time to play Angry Birds [see above] on my new iPod Touch [fucking amazing btw] and fall asleep.

~C.M. Privitera

It's Caturday [Again]

2010-09-11T15:29:00.018-04:00

It's that day of the week again. It's Caturday afternoon and we headed off to the MSPCA to keep up our weekend tradition of petting adorable // sad cats and kittens. Here are some of the [sexy] highlights:

The selection was a little less interesting than last time but I always enjoy seeing those cats. Maybe the week after next [there will be no Caturday activities next weekend due to me being out of town] will bear more interesting [and hopefully mustached] cats.

~C.M. Privitera

Happy Birthday

2010-09-10T01:08:00.005-04:00

Today is my 25th birthday, sweet.

One quarter-century down, 3 more to go. Maybe.

~C.M. Privitera

Droid X

2010-09-09T12:27:00.022-04:00

So I finally got my Droid X today and I am truely impressed by it. It is so much better than the pre-4 iPhones and manages to run apps and multitask without any slowdown or issues. Going from the EnV2 to this has been quite the interesting transition; I only wish I did it sooner. I got a bunch of the basic apps up like Foursquare, Barcode Scanner, Angry Birds [love] and a Mega Man soundboard but am still in the process of checking out what photo apps I want to commit to.

[Taken with Vignette demo]

They don't offer my favourite photo app Hipstamatic for the Android OS but they have the next best thing: Vignette. Vignette is a pretty decent camera app that has a ton of filters, setting and frames that allow you to change the way your pictures come out [not unlike Hipstamatic]. My only real complaint with it is the fact that the actual picture taking process involves no bells and whistles, just a black frame around the normal view finder. I would have nothing to complain about if they just had some sort of visual flair while you were taking photos, that's all. Hopefully a little more playing around with it will make me like the app more. at least until my new iPod Touch gets here and I can download the real Hipstamatic that is.

~C.M. Privitera

Book Arrival // Drops [First 2]

2010-09-08T14:15:00.040-04:00

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting my printed copies of I've Got Nothing To Say: Volume 1 have arrived and I am excited to say that the first 2 drops have been completed. Sad news is that both of them are in the People's Republic of Cambridge, MA.

If you are interested in being one of the first to read this epic short story of heroism, love lost and overcoming all odds then be sure to stop by one of the locations listed below [or follow me on foursquare to see up to the minute posts of new drop locations] to get your hands on a free public read:

Algiers Coffee House

40 Brattle Street

Cambridge, MA, 02138

[On the table in the men's washroom]

Gutman Library

6 Appian Way

Cambridge, MA 02138

[On the outside reading table]

Try and get out there soon because I have no idea how long these will last in their drop locations without being stolen, thrown or or destroyed. Thanks again everyone for all of your support on this silly project, I hope you all enjoy reading it [probably not] as much as I enjoyed thinking of a way to waste your time and take your money.

Oh, on a final note I have decided what foundation will get some of the proceeds from the books [total about $7.00ish right now]: Loop Dreams. Kanye West's "Loop Dreams" was created to help combat the severe dropout problem in schools across the United States by partnering with community organizations to provide under-served youth access to music production programs that will enable them to unleash their creative ability and reach their full potential; and they are a 100% tax write-off for me. Thanks again Kanye!

~C.M. Privitera

Lazy Tuesday Night

2010-09-07T21:28:00.000-04:00

It's almost 9:00 P.M. and I am sitting [clean shaven for the first time in months] in Boston Tea Stop downloading the leak of Weezer's Hurley album [which I am going to buy when it comes out anyway], counting all the money I made this week selling Kaiju and wondering why all the stuff I ordered [iPod Touch, books, Droid X] last week isn't here yet; life isn't too shitty. Also as I mentioned before, Ed and I have decided on our Japan dates as well and will be getting our tickets relatively soon. Add the 2 trips to Buffalo [Verona, PA too] I am taking in the next 2 months and it looks like I am going to be busy for a bit.

I am hoping to get that iPod soon [before the first Buffalo trip] so I can take video and pictures on the go without having to deal with either of my bulk cameras [video and DSLR]. I am most excited about having the new iPod because it will enable me to finally download and use my own copy of the app Hipstamatic, this awesome photo filter app that can make the iPod // iPhone camera shoot like a plastic lomography piece; truly awesome. It will make documenting the Verona // Buffalo trip much more fun and visually pleasing than just using a normal unfiltered camera.

As I said before I have been selling Kaiju this week and got another request that I always find myself getting: "Can you send me some art swag with it." This usually involves adding a few stickers, pins, flyers or mini-mags // zines to the box along with the products sold and has never been a problem. Today however, I looked in my "extras" box and saw something disheartening: it was totally empty. Desperate to give the buyer some sort of swag I scurried around my desk and grabbed the following items:

1. Mini Ultraman

2. Mini Kaiju [for Mini Ultraman to fight]

3. A toy Soldier

4. A pack of Army playing cards

5. A photo of a man sleeping in the streets of Toronto

6. A Canadian Loonie

I included a letter explaining myself and my current situation and set it on its way. I can only hope that the buyer on the other end understands my shortage [if not I will feel pretty bad haha].

I have a few more items to ship out tomorrow and then it is time to lower some of the prices and repost to get people buying again. I don't care how much [most] of it goes for, the only thing I care about is making a little money and clearing out some space in my apartment. Thanks again to all the buyers who read this blog, you guys have been awesome! Oh, and Hurley is a pretty awesome album [just so you know].

~C.M. Privitera

Japan 2011

2010-09-06T20:00:00.002-04:00

So after a long meeting [Castle Crashers and Scott Pilgrim vs the World gaming session as well] Ed and I have locked in our dates for Japan 2011:

**23 MAY 2011 - 13 JUNE 2011**

We are obviously both excited as fuck for our third trip to Japan and will be buying our tickets and booking our hotel in the next few weeks to ensure that the prices still stay low.

This time we plan on starting out in Tokyo and working our way through Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto and hopefully Sapporo; a bit more coverage than our last trip. We will both be equipped with cameras and HD camcorders so be expecting much more [interesting] content. We will be hitting the very beginning of the rainy season which should not cause much [if any] of a problem so this trip should work itself out to be the best yet. Wish us luck [again].

~C.M. Privitera

AHLTA Training

2010-09-04T20:48:00.003-04:00

I think they regretted teaching me how to use the cut and paste feature for AHLTA at my office.

I can't be 100% professional all the time now can I?

~C.M. Privitera

Tokyo 2011: It's Decided

2010-09-04T20:46:00.000-04:00

So it looks like American Airlines has taken all of the guess work out of Ed and I's next trip to Japan.

Coming in at a dirt-cheap $589 a trip in May seems like it would be a great idea [after Golden Week that is]. We are waiting a few weeks to buy the tickets to make sure that everything is in line in regards to school and work but I think it is safe to say that May 2011 is going to mark our third; but certainly not last, trip to Japan.

~C.M. Privitera

Monster Hunter X Dead Rising 2

2010-09-04T20:36:00.000-04:00

As if there is not enough of a reason to envy the Japanese [and their amazing, exclusive game selection] Capcom drops another amazing video game mash-up, this time featuring Monster Hunter Frontier and Dead Rising 2.

On September 30th [October 28th for PC gamers] those who purchase Dead Rising 2 will get vouchers to unlock Dead Rising 2 themed items in either the PC or Xbox 360 versions of Monster Hunter Frontier. Those items include knifegloves, a boomstick [a shotgun with a pitchfork on it], a moose head, and several different colours of the "Terror is Reality" racing suit. I so wish that this was coming to the U.S.

~C.M. Privitera

Mega Man Universe [MM1 // MM2!?]

2010-09-04T20:29:00.000-04:00

So more images have surfaced for the upcoming and amazing Mega Man Universe including what appears to be a reveal of some of the possible boss; or maybe even playable, characters in the game.

This highly gamma'd the fuck out image reveals some of the confirmed playable characters such as Rockman, Mega Man and Ryu but if you look closer you also notice characters from 2 specific Mega Man titles [MM1 // MM2] including Bubble Man, Cut Man, Flash Man and Guts Man.

Judging by the fact that Metal Man's ability was clearly seen in the recently revealed trailer [see previous post] I think it is safe to infer that these Robot Masters will continue to be power-yielding enemies in the game. The real question though: will they be playable as well? PAX is still going on [although Duke Nukem Fotever seems to be stealing most of the press] so hopefully we will get more info before the end of the weekend.

~C.M. Privitera

New Monster Time

2010-09-03T19:58:00.037-04:00

Well the inevitable happened: my satanic wolf [Tiger breed] beast from Monster Rancher DS finally decided to get sick and weak on me leaving me with only one option: I had to freeze him. After putting him on ice I was going through my encyclopedia of other monsters to decide what to mix his remains with in order to make a new monster and continue on with the game. There were Golems, Bakus, Pixies, Mochis and one of those Mew Mew things but only one species stuck out as the best candidate for my next monster: A Suezo.

I decided to use the Suezo as the primary and the Tiger part of my previous monster as the secondary which resulted in a furry, blue and white hybrid that should be more on the powerful side than the intelligence side [Suezos are more brains-based monsters that tend to be better at hoarding guts and attacking afar via teleportation or spit]; finally some hope to take on the A cup [my previous monster had just completed the B cup before his illness].

So far I am noting some issues with my new creation:

1. He had low attack despite the fact that his power is almost 200.

2. He lands few hits [best attack is 59%] making him a guts waster.

3. His defence is shit.

I am hoping that all of these issues are easily solvable by rigorous drills // training but he is almost a year old already and only recently earned his place in the D cup. Promising? I think not.

Also, my books did not come today, boooooo.

~C.M. Privitera

Mega Man Universe Gameplay

2010-09-02T16:14:00.002-04:00

So thanks to my friend Dave I was finally able to see the first gameplay trailers for the upcoming PSN title Mega Man Universe.

The game looks just as amazing as I had hoped, I just pray that there is a ton of customization features in the game because I really want to play as something that resembles Dust Man or Flash Man. I can't wait to see what they reveal this weekend at PAX.

~C.M. Privitera

The iPod Touch I Have Been Waiting For

2010-09-02T07:03:00.016-04:00

Something magical happened at yesterdays Apple press event, they made my iPod Touch dreams come true: they gave it 2 fucking cameras.

One of my biggest complaints with the iPod Touch was the fact that it was so similar to the iPhone yet it lacked the camera which disabled the use of the awesome app Hipstamatic as well as a few other camera related programs; I was pretty sad. It took another 2 generations of waiting but finally the iPod Touch that should have been is being released.

Apple did one better on this release though giving it 2 cameras [front and back], a new higher resolution display, HD video recording // editing and video chat capabilities. This thing seems to have all of the abilities as the iPhone 4 but without the annoying AT&T contract which is why it took me about 30 seconds to order one off their site yesterday after their unveiling. I can't wait to put this thing to good use, check back next week [same week I get my Droid X as well] for the unboxing as well as some test videos // pictures.

~C.M. Privitera

Tokyo Jungle

2010-09-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

There have been a few strange games that have found homes on the Playstation Network. First there was Flower which basically had you controlling the wind and manipulating the area around you without any real action of depth; it was boring but relaxing. Then there was The Last Guy, a title that involved you walking groups of survivors out of monster ridden photo-realistic [Google Maps-like] cities in hopes of reaching an evacuation point. It seems as if these games were just the tip of the unique ice burg that is the PSN.

Enter Tokyo Jungle, a game that; in my opinion, is even more bizarre than 10 The Last Guy titles. The concept is simple [sort of]: it's modern times and something has taken out all of the humans on Earth, it is up to you [an animal] to try and figure out how // why. There is apparently a survival mode as well in which you choose an animal and then see how long you can survive in the "Tokyo Jungle".

[Horses run and jump across the wrecked Yamanote line]

Slated for a winter release in Japan I can only hope and pray that this strange, yet interesting title makes its way overseas for a U.S. release sometime soon [if ever]. Come on Sony, The Last Guy can't be the weirdest thing you let us play with over here, can it?

~C.M. Privitera

Books Are Semi-Interesting

2010-09-01T11:51:00.000-04:00

The past few days have been semi-interesting to say the least. First of all that awful book I was working on I've Got Nothing To Say: Volume 1 has been finished, sort of. The first short story Cookie Island Nightmare; which might be the worst thing you will ever read, was published // released the other day and is heading to my house right now for distribution to the public reading locations all over Boston // Allston // Cambridge, MA. I will have the list of locations up as soon as the books have been placed so be sure to look for the nearest drop and give it a read.

We are still taking submissions for the "official" release of Volume 1 which will hopefully come it at around 300-400 pages in length. Check earlier entries if you are interested in getting in on this awesome // awful indie literary collective. For those of you who refuse to listen to my warnings and still want to grab your own copy of the Cookie Island Nightmare single story go nuts, they are $5.00 for the printed copy and $3.99 for the eBook. As soon as I finish my research I will let you know what charity the proceeds will be going to; probably something to do with writing or cancer, yeah one of those.

~C.M. Privitera

New Yakuza Demo!

2010-08-31T12:29:00.000-04:00

So the PSP entry into the Yakuza series has gotten my attention since it was revealed a few months back. I have been hoping that there would be a U.S. release scheduled some time soon [yeah right] but as we remember with Yakuza 3 these things take time. In the mean time however 4Gamer.net has posted a demo of the game to wet the palettes of those interested in seeing how the epic franchise will run on their pocket system.

The demo just needs to be downloaded off of their site [easy], extracted and saved to your PSP [no region issues of course] in order for you to play it; just don't plan on understanding anything in it. Legend [the site] has it that completion of this demo grants the player access to an additional costume when the game is release [Japanese only so far], all the more reason to put in the time to complete it.

~C.M. Privitera

Monster Rancher: It's Been a While [Fuck You Genki]

2010-08-30T20:20:00.001-04:00

The year was 1999, or 2000; one of those. I forget what grade I was in but I remember it was the year my older brother bought us a Playstation gaming console; it was the best day of my life. I was excited about having the system for many reasons especially the fact that now we had a system that they were still making games for [before the PS we had a SNES and a Saturn]. There were a ton of amazing titles out that I wanted to buy and play; however, my money was tight as a young Privitera [too young to work].

[The OG MR [MF for you Japanese]

One particular game that I was exposed to earlier via a PS Jampack demo that my friend Brett used to play at his house was very unique [at the time] Monster Rancher. The game was simple yet deep; a player would create a monster by placing a compact disc into the Playstation and then raise that monster on a farm doing everything from feeding, training, battling and exploring with it. The best part of the game though was the sheer amount of monsters that were in it and how interesting they looked. You could pretty much mix any two breeds together to get really bizarre looking monsters such as wolves made out of stone or giant cow-like beasts with red eyes and horns all over their body; the options seemed limitless. I loved Monster Rancher and it seemed that every one released after the second title were awful; the series lost its awesome; till today that is.

[All of your favourite monsters are back long after the death of that awful cartoon]

I noticed at my local game shop that they just got in Monster Rancher DS; pocket version of my all time favourite breeder, I had to try it. Was it going to be crap just like all of the PS2 sequels that deviated so far off the path set forth by the first two? I didn't know, but I knew I had to try it. Thankfully the game is great and actually manages to provide a similar feeling of joy as the previous [good] games did. Instead of inserting a disc to create a monster [on the DS that is impossible] you can use one of three methods:

1. Draw something.

2. Say something into the mic.

3. Write a "magic" word.

Having random monster creation back in the game is awesome and these new methods work just as good as the disc method; finally the series is back on the good road. It's not the prettiest game out there but it is a far cry gameplay wise from the crap that the years 2002-2009 had brought us. Thank you Tecmo for not fucking it up again. Now if you'll excuse me, my Suezo requires attention.

~C.M. Privitera

Ideas: I Have One

2010-08-27T12:40:00.002-04:00

Sooner or later the City of Boston is going to be dealing with the brain child of my boredom: I've Got Nothing to Say, a collection of awful short stories written by me. I am not a person who likes writing [even though I keep this blog regularly updated] but recently I have developed an interest in actually taking all of the twisted ideas in my head and turning them into some sort of tangible form; thus creating a book.

[Problems: I have a few]

After I finish writing and publishing [thanks Lulu] this piece of crap I have some plans as to how to market it to the city via force:

1. Get about 25 copies of the book printed [@ $3.00 each]

2. Get hold of a pricing gun from the following stores: Newbury Comics, Borders, Barnes and Noble and Trident Booksellers and label them with a price that is too cheap to ignore for a "newly released" book. Something like $5.00 // $6.00.

3. Place a few copies of the priced books at the aforementioned store locations.

4. Hope that someone for whatever reason purchases one* and then blogs about how awful it is and wait for the hits to come in; marketing complete.

Not the best plan ever but hey, it's a start. It will be a few months before everything is complete so to those who read this blog and are interested in upsetting random book readers I make a proposition: send me the worst short story [30 page minimum in Microsoft Word 2003-2010 format] you have ever written, or write one in the next few weeks // months [deadline for submissions is 30 October 2010] and send it. All submitted stories will be added to the I've Got Nothing to Say collective and you will get full credit in the book as well as a copy for yourself [a $3.00 value!]. Think of it like a McSweeney's that is full of nothing but disappointment; let's do this thing.

~C.M. Privitera

*Note: even though the book will not be in the store's system for scanning purposes the presence of a price sticker and barcode will be enough for them to type it in manually thus still allowing for the sale of the book.

Koreans Have All The Luck

2010-08-26T13:30:00.000-04:00

[I was awoken by this image in my inbox this morning. I fucking died]

So Capcom has finally relesaed an amazingly epic trailer for the upcoming MMO title Mega Man Online [not the same as Mega Man Universe mind you].

The trailer looks amazing [nice Drill Man remix for the music] but there is a problem: Mega Man Online is exculsive to the PC and to South Korea; bummer. There is no news as to whether or not we are going to see this title in the U.S.A. [it is speculated that Mega Man Universe could be similar to this game thus our version of it] but nothing has been confirmed. I really hope it gets over here though because I would pay good money to play a Mega Man MMO.

~C.M. Privitera

I Don't Enjoy This, Sorta

2010-08-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

It feels like it has been raining forever here. I have been unable to ride my bike, walk around outside or even walk from my car to my apartment door without getting totally soaked. If there is one thing I hate more than the unbearable heat [sans air conditioner] that has been hitting us this summer it the presence of rain in addition; this sucks. I have so much to do this week and for some reason it seems that the rain is making it seem like I am not going to be able to accomplish anything other than writing // League of Legends. It is supposed to stop soon [tomorrow] though which should give me enough time this week // weekend to get out of the house and do something. The rain has; however, given me some awesome opportunities to get some much needed cleaning // reading done.

I have finally decided to cut through some of my Kaiju figures and start turning the investment pieces into what they were eventually meant to become: piles of money. I have also decided that in addition to selling the more "pricey" pieces [Kaws pieces of course] I would also go though the remainders and sell the Kaiju that I was not the most fond of [that I only moved on because they were cheap] and thus be left with only the figures I really like such as Chaoses, Maneki Nekos, Darumas and of course Zags. The money made from the figures should be enough to finance about 2 trips to Japan [all inclusive] or maybe a trip and an amazing new laptop.

I love making money from home.

~C.M. Privitera

Dear God, It's On

2010-08-23T23:28:00.000-04:00

Stop the presses, hold the horses and cue the Etta fucking James. You're telling me at long last [since June 2010 apparently] I can finally order an entire footlong flatbread at Subway?! No fucking way!

Turns out that this dream concept is as real as you and me [as I found out tonight whilst enjoying a turkey // veggie footlong] and is better than I could have possibly imagined. Looks like I actually have a reason to stop into a [non-Japanese] Subway now. Even though I had one tonight I am sort of tempted to get another one tomorrow, damn addiction.

~C.M. Privitera

Adorable Inception

2010-08-22T10:31:00.006-04:00

I saw this adorable Inception themed drawing the other day.

Quite a departure from the actual events of the film but I love it.

~C.M. Privitera

X DOTA

2010-08-21T10:40:00.003-04:00

I have always been a fan of the Warcraft 3 mod Defense of the Ancients [DOTA]; a hero-based // base defense map, since the day I played it. It almost felt like tower defense to me [a favourite genre] but you had direct control via your hero to jump in and turn the tide of combat by tearing apart enemy forces, heroes and towers; it was fucking awesome. Inspired by DOTA a game was released back in 2009 called League of Legends which promised the DOTA experience but with constant content updates, a wide selection of heroes and a better match making tool for multiplayer. All of this was free to access [minus premium content] and was client // server based allowing only online play.

I originally shied away from this game due to many reasons:

1. The game was online only.

2. Premium content cost-based games usually give payers [I refuse] a much better chance of defeating non-paying players.

3. The game looked like shit.

4. Did I really want to waste my time?

It took a little over a year for me to finally give the title a second look and actually convince myself to play it. The outcome: why didn't I play this game a year ago?

I am still in the warming up stages of the game [only at like level 5 or so but hey, I have only played like 6 games] but I am coming along quite well with a hero named Warwick [an anthropomorphic wolf who hates everything // steals life]. Anyone interested in playing should add my account name justsotired [same as my Starcraft 2 Battlenet account name] and shoot me a message, I am always interested in either fighting or cooperating in pretty much any game if I am not tied up [especially Supreme Commander].

~C.M. Privitera

Yamobazooka > You

2010-08-20T15:41:00.000-04:00

So the Yamomark Yamobazooka [Hawaiian colour way] I purchased off of the forums is here [that was quick] and I am beyond impressed. This is actually the first Yamomark figure I have ever gotten my hands on and now I see what I have been missing all along: amazing texture, solid construction, great details and very interesting design [seriously? A lizard with Mega Man's arm cannon!?]; I love it.

Another neat feature about this monster is the fact that he has battle damage to include exposed ribs and an exposed skull [different sides].

It's like he was involved in some fucked up Kaiju war that I never even knew existed [write a better story because mine sucks] or something. I really have to invest in some more Yamomark figures soon [that turtle with the mace is pretty fucking awesome btw] because one of these guys is definitely not enough. Oh Yamobazooka, you so cool.

~C.M. Privitera

I Love My Bike [Still]

2010-08-20T08:55:00.002-04:00

My I Love My Bike Book photo came out awesome [I look a tad "big and angry" though]! I can't wait to see the book with all the text when it comes out next year.

Thanks @ Matt Finkle from I Love My Bike for taking the time out of his day(s) [several, believe me] to photograph myself and numerous other bike enthusiasts from around the Boston area. They all came out great.

I almost forgot to mention that Ed and Jed got a picture in the book as well.

Turned out that the Boston Tweed Ride event was happening at the same time as the Open Bicycle Ride // I Love My Bike photo shoot their picture looked a little different than the others that are in the book. Fucking hilarious, my friends are awesome.

~C.M. Privitera

Cat Face

2010-08-19T17:30:00.001-04:00

This is magical.

That is all.

~C.M. Privitera

Light Art Tonight

2010-08-19T15:40:00.000-04:00

Tonight is going to be awesome. Ed, Jed and I are going to spend a few hours in Cambridge playing around with a thing called light art. What is light art you ask? Light art is created by setting a camera to a very slow shutter speed [mounted on a tripod of course] and "drawing" things [shapes, creatures, text] with lights [LEDs in our case] in order to create an image after the shutter has closed. Obviously the longer the shutter is open for the more time you have to create // brighten your project.

The results can be amazing depending on how coordinated the light artist is as well as what type of light is used. We find that the LEDs [the little pocket light ones] create such a bright // steady light that they are pretty much the best choice for creating constant // sharp images. I have a multi-row LED camera light that I am dying to try out tonight which should be able to create some really thick strokes with minimal exposure.

Now we didn't make the above image but it gives you an example of just how cool // interesting the end product can be. See how the spider things have actual depth and radiate light like a shadow? I am dying to see the results that we get tonight because we are going to have 3 people going at it with several colours of LEDs which should make an interesting effect. I will be sure to post the more interesting pieces later tonight [if I don't pass out after getting home] as well as some video of the "how to" process.

~C.M. Privitera

The Reason I Don't Want To Live Anymore

2010-08-18T15:50:00.000-04:00

The Honey Dew Dounts chocolate frosted donut. The bane of my existence.

Via Honey Dew Donuts:

"In this magnificent creation, our spongy yeast rings are dipped in our secret glaze -- and get this -- frosted with rich and creamy chocolate, one at a time BY HAND! If there's one donut that exemplifies what we are all about, this is the one."

This thing has 280 calories in it!! How can I continue to have one of these for breakfast every morning when I know that they contain nearly 300 calories each!? I just wish they weren't so god damn delicious. Time to go for a run.

~C.M. Privitera

Web O' Lies

2010-08-18T14:56:00.000-04:00

So I was asked for some important information today about who I am and what I am doing now. The image below explains the conversation better than an entire entry possibly could.

I am a terrible, terrible person but at least we will all be laughing about it later [especially me]. I hope they don't do their homework on this one because that would be embarrassing.

~C.M. Privitera

Dream Pet

2010-08-18T13:40:00.001-04:00

Everyone knows that I have an unhealthy obsession with all things one-eyed. If you haven't realized this already then a quick look at my home [office] or tattoos will reveal numerous cyclops creatures from yokai and darumas to cats and skeletons. It was my love of these things that got Lizzie to show me a video last night of possibly the coolest pet ever: a baby cyclops turtle.

I keep wishing that this was an actual breed and not just a birth mutation; sigh, I want a one-eyed turtle.

~C.M. Privitera

Hallowtheme

2010-08-17T23:48:00.004-04:00

In case you have been wondering how to get your hands on awesome Dragon Quest IX items such as the Skull Cap or the Pumpkin Head look no further than the DQVC.

This week [15-21 August] the DQVC is doing a Halloween themed item promotion releasing some of the more interesting and previously unavailable equipment [such as the entire Skull Costume] to those players who just so happen to have a ton of gold lining their pockets [and a want for strange attire]. It seems that there are 1-2 themed items available on each release day so it's slim pickings. I am just glad to see that they are finally putting out the items I had written off as "missing" from the main story // grotto chests.

So far the Jolly Roger Jumper [previously available during DQVC's summer promotion] and the Skull Cap [a full skull mask] are the most interesting items released this week [costing almost 20,000 gold each]; however, if you are interested in collecting all the pieces of the Skull Costume for trick or treating [or Metal Slime hunting] this year be sure to check back every day after 8:00 A.M. for the newest releases. I know I will be haunting my game till I get my hands on the Pumpkin Head for my Pyro Jack costume.

~C.M. Privitera

Mega Man 9

2010-08-17T00:03:00.000-04:00

Mega Man 9 is a title that took me forever [honestly] to complete. The game was insanely hard and I really didn't have the time to pour into it forcing me to put it on the back burner for about 2 years [or however long it has been since it's launch]. Compared to all the other titles [even the semi-recently releases Mega Man 10] this one still stands out as borderline impossible for me; however, during an extended waiting period for the release of the Scott Pilgrim video game [it took forever] I managed to tear through both Mega Man 9 and Mega Man 10 in just under 3 hours. The secret? Protoman.

[Obviously]

I found that even though Protoman took double damage from attacks his shield blocked projectile attacks if used correctly allowing me to avoid almost all non-direct hits from both enemies and Robot Masters. I managed to save up a ton of bolts to purchase and carry the max amount of E tanks with me [as well as 10 lives] to ensure that no matter what happened I would be able to complete the game, even if it took all night [sorta did]. I used a guide online to help me with the Robot Master order [start with the chick obviously] and finally got to Wily's castle after about an hour and a half of play. I will now direct your attention to a video someone posted of them getting past the 8 Robot Masters in a little over 20 minutes.

Enjoy and watch in disbelief as someone tears through each difficult level with ease [untouched in some of them]. I wish I was this good at Mega Man.

~C.M. Privitera

Epic Win X2

2010-08-16T19:22:00.012-04:00

Guess who got a free $10 Starbucks gift card that he is going to spend right nowish [thank you awesome stranger in Lexington, MA].

[This guy]

Oh, and I also got my hands on that epically adorable // awesome Shawnimals moustache with a moustache. Today just keeps getting better.

~C.M. Privitera

Monsters N' Stuff

2010-08-15T10:21:00.001-04:00

I had a bit of free time today while hanging around Newbury Street and decided to start coming up with some more monster concepts. Nothing that I am too excited about except the reoccurring hammer wielding Box Pander [this time with an Ittan-momen] but this will give you an idea of what stencils // buttons you will be seeing this fall. Expect a much better product once the monsters get out of the "sketch" phase though [obviously] and into the awesome stage of computer editing.

[Box Pander // Ittan-momen, again]

Other than that nothing else really happened this weekend. I beat Scott Pilgrim vs the World and managed to start the construction [very basic] on that tower concept I had for Little Big Planet.

[Yeah, that one]

I am on room 2 right now but room 1 still needs a ton of fine tuning before it is at the level that I want it to be at. For some reason the crushers are working but hit the metal base with such force that they break apart on impact; this is a problem. Another issue I am trying to resolve is that I have everything mapped out in dark matter [floats, can not be destroyed] so I need to take some time to convert it to a material that can be blown up [poly // cardboard].

It is going to take some time but I have a feeling that this tower will be an amazingly epic level once it is complete. Expect some more LBP video updates very soon. Also [good news] the next Marvel Superheroes pack [Green Goblin, Storm, Magneto, Hulk and The Punisher] comes out on 17 August; finally I can get my hands on the rest of them! Time to get ready and head out to the B.o.B. show at the House of Blues. This is going to be awesome.

~C.M. Privitera

It's Caturday

2010-08-14T23:07:00.000-04:00

I honour of Caturday we decided to spend some time at the MSPCA harassing // petting the cats that were laying around. There were less interesting cats this time around which was a let down; however, we managed to find some that peaked our interest.

One particular favourite was this adorable cat that refused to leave their little fabric house. Only issue with petting it was the fact that their little hiding spot was soaked with cat urine and made touching it a tad disgusting. Adorable cat though, wish I could have coaxed it out for a second.

~C.M. Privitera

Look At That Hungry Bird

2010-08-13T23:57:00.000-04:00

So we were walking around Canobie Lake Park [Salem, NH] today and noticed something quite interesting walking around by the concession stands. Something not human.

It looks like this silly peacock is just trying to get his elaborate wings on some of that delicious [yet fattening] fried dough. He didn't manage to get any when we were watching him but I can only hope that he managed to walk away with a few bites before they sent him back to his awful cage located next to the less than entertaining ride the "Jungle Jumper". I wish we took you home you hungry little bird.

~C.M. Privitera

Skull Toys // Real X Head Cat

2010-08-12T23:43:00.017-04:00

My awesome new limited edition [out of 15] Super Festival 53 Skull Toys // Real X Head epic collaborative just came today in the mail.

This recent joint creation from the Japanese artists came in the form of a 7" Real X Head Maneki Neko that was hand customized by Takeuchi Yu of Skull Toys fame. Each of the 15 cats is unique in some way, I am quite happy with mine which came out amazing. I really love these joint releases from Mori and Takeuchi, I can only hope that more will be coming out in the near future.

~C.M. Privitera

Landshark

2010-08-11T14:24:00.006-04:00

Well it looks like the idea that Ed and I had for a web series has been taken by someone else. I guess Shark Week inspired more than just us with creative ideas.

No idea what this image is from but it seems to touch on a few of the concepts that we had for our Landshark monster. We discussed at the bar one night [during Shark Week] that the newly created and somewhat terrifying Sharktopus was only scary to those who were in the water. Our Landshark idea consisted of a shark that walked the Earth [urban landscapes of course] with 4 giant muscular arms for leg, it was pure terror. I guess the idea was too good for just one mind, sigh.

~C.M. Privitera

Kanye West: Power

2010-08-11T14:16:00.001-04:00

So who saw the video for Kanye West's single "Power"? If you just so happened to not be one of the 6,000,000+ [and counting] people who checked it out already this is what you are missing:

Sure, it looks impressive and makes sense [King Kayne = Power] but why on Earth is the video only a tiny part of the song? I saw this posted online and thought that it was just the teaser for the music video and not the entire thing. I was a little shocked to find out that this was the whole deal, nothing more. I can't help but feel a tad bit cheated.

~C.M. Privitera

Work With What You Have

2010-08-10T15:36:00.003-04:00

Ed and I were playing around this weekend in Little Big Planet utilizing the water DLC [of course] to create and pilot interesting boats. As I posted before I ended up losing all of my save data for my copy of LBP [saved all my DLC though] when I transferred to a new slim PS3 so I lost all of the awesome vehicles that I had created including the legendary Obama Boat and Spider Sky Bomber. As awful as that is it gave us the need to create even more powerful // interesting boats in order to navigate the digital high seas which led to hours of fun.

This video is a cut from an hour long play session between Ed and I. It started with an equal boat battle [same boats] and ended with me having to make a getaway on a vessel made of rubble. It is put to the song "Where I'm Going" by Cut Copy and really has no point, enjoy.

And Yes I am playing as Venom.

~C.M. Privitera

Trapped!

2010-08-09T15:32:00.000-04:00

A fellow Dragon Quest IX player [Dan] and I discovered a bug with the multiplayer use of the Starflight Express which leaves one of the players trapped inside the flying train even after you land it.

I think it goes without saying but if you are inside another player's Starflight Express while they are flying around make sure you know when they plan on landing. If you are in a conversation with any of the characters on the train when the host decides to land you will become trapped inside the Starflight Express. The only way to fix this issue is to have the host summon the train again and then re-land while your character is not engaged in conversation.

BTW there is an embarrassing photo of me from the event [somewhere on the internet] looking very sad and holding my DSi next to Dan who is holding up a promo King Slime shirt. We were the only ones who bothered to show up to the event.

~C.M. Privitera

Boooooooourns

2010-08-08T21:27:00.000-04:00

Shark Week is over everyone.

You can all go home now.

~C.M. Privitera

Inception Art

2010-08-08T15:11:00.019-04:00

I am really falling in love with all these Inception inspired timelines I keep finding on the different image boards [not 4chan]. Each one shows a visual interpretation of the events in the movie in one single image. It's pretty awesome and explains the entire movie in seconds.

I like this one because it is graphic heavy and very colourful but not in a way that makes it look hokey or anything. I love how they have they little graphics for the dreams // kicks, reminds me of something made with Vizio.

This one is a little less graphicy but is so clean and professional looking that you would swear that it was official. I like this one the most.

I wonder if I could buy prints of either of these somewhere online; probably.

~C.M. Privitera

Real Young Donuts!

2010-08-06T19:33:00.000-04:00

So I was searching for my beloved Young Donuts earlier today and managed to stumble on an Amazon.jp link that just so happened to be selling boxes of them for 700 Yen each [20 dounts per box]. There is only one problem: they only deliver to Japan.

Just when I thought that my chances to obtain my precious prepubescent treats were lost I realized something very important: I signed up for Tenso a few months back [I was trying to get that sick Dragon Quest business card holder] which means that I DO have a Japanese shipping address. Now the only problem is navigating the Japanese Amazon and trying to fill out all of the fields with the right information. Young Dounts, here I come! Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Play Pokémon

2010-08-05T16:04:00.001-04:00

So earlier this week the Pokémon Company decided to change the name of their events program from "Organized Play" to simply "Play Pokémon". This progam encourages people to engage fellow trainers in the real world by pulling out their DSi and battling them whenever paths are crossed, basically a community thing. Yeah, we get it, Pokémon is cool for everyone again so encourage the community by making new "pokéfriends" They also promise to host and promote events [battles and such] on the Play Pokémon site.

Regardless of the awesome logo and possible events I still think that I am going to wait till the release of Pokémon Black // White before I decide to jump back into the world of monster capturing // training // battling. My copy of Soul Silver is just sitting on my dresser though, hmmmmm. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Screening Round 2

2010-08-04T22:00:00.022-04:00

So today I went to the second early screening of Scott Pilgrim vs the World and managed to enjoy the movie even more the second time. There were certain things I didn't notice before [Vegan Police hemp bracelets for example] that stuck out this time; very glad I went again.

The best part about this particular screening however was the fact that the director Edgar Wright and some of the cast [Michael Cera, Jason Schwartzman and that chick that is also in Twilight] were present for a Q and A session after the movie was over [Michael and Jason are fucking hilarious]. All together it seemed like people asked a lot of stupid questions [join my band Michael Cera for example] but one person asked about the source material changes made to the movie. Edgar Wright's answer was simple: some of the things that appear to be "changes" were actually based on Bryan Lee O'Malley's original concepts and ideas for how the story would flow.

[Michael and Jason sit uncomfortably close together]

The movie was starting to come together when only the third book was out so it was to be expected that no one really knew 100% what would have happened with the story. Bryan had some ideas and shared them and the sketches with Edgar thus allowing him to continue work on the movie without waiting for the release of the other books. Some of the ideas and bits of story changed [not too much obviously] which created most of the "changes" that we saw in the movie. After hearing this answer I can't really hate that the film was a tad different from the comics because it makes perfect sense; things changed but they were Bryan's ideas. I wish other adaptations had the same level of author control // input as this movie. Maybe then we would see some better movies being made. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Racing Fever

2010-08-04T01:19:00.001-04:00

So other than getting past the introductions for Little Big Planet I also hopped back into the world of ModNation Racers, a game I have never played online before. The online mode is pretty awesome allowing players to share their creations [karts, mods, tracks] as well as race each other in either 1 on 1 grudge matches or in a standard race. The game plays just like Mario Kart but the controls seem so much cleaner // tighter. I also love the fact that almost everything in the game can be made by players so you seem some real talent come out in the online mode [also some real crap].

ModNation Racers may also be the only game where I get to play as my automotive dream team: EVA 01 driving the Mach 5. This is the shit that dreams are made of. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Back Up!

2010-08-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

After months of not being able to get online with my PS3 and missing all the updates, releases and multiplayer fun of the system I finally cracked and got a new one with WiFi. The result? Me spending my time transferring // re-downloading data from the Playstation Network and trying to get the newest firmware up and running on the system.

I also found it to be the perfect time to blow all of my PSN cash [gift card] on the new Marvel Super Hero Costume Pack for Little Big Planet that got released after SDCC. I love them all but for some reason I thought they listed off more on the site prior to it's release; oh well they are great anyway. Everything is up and running now and I just finished waiting for the last tutorial to play through while my laundry was drying [damn towels]. I have so many costume options now it's crazy; however, there is only one costume I can even think of dawning this week.

[Yes, we ALL remember this]

I have decided in honour of Shark Week I will only allow my LBP sack person to wear the shark costume and focus on my skills in water related building, physics and gameplay. Maybe I can actually make something awesome this time around and not just stupid Obama Boat. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Good Mourning

2010-08-02T12:39:00.000-04:00

What better way to start the Quarterly Muster week than with a dead hawk laying outside my office. Yeah, that's pretty sweet.

I am going to take this as a sign that things this week are going to be fucking awesome and that no problems will arise. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Zoma Down

2010-08-02T10:32:00.001-04:00

It may have taken a few more hours of grinding, getting money for new equipment, creating that Uber Miracle Sword I have had my eye on via alchemy and a revocation but I finally managed to get my team to [barely] kill Zoma.

I earned no experience from the fight though because I chose to give the points to him thus leveling up the map and providing me with a much harder; however more rewarding, battle. After the first level up I fought him and won 4 more times giving me a few mini medals and a silver orb which I can only assume is for alchemy. The map is at level 6 now and has become too difficult for me to tackle at this point so I will have to work a little bit more before I can challenge him again.

The only drag is that the map only levels up 1 level at a time which makes my goal of getting it to level 99 a very long and boring task. I need to get a few of my friends in on this one to at least give me people to talk to while I fight the same boss 94 more times. Oh Dragon Quest IX, I love to hate how addicting you are. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Mini Airman

2010-08-01T13:25:00.002-04:00

I just blew my recent stash of eBay Bucks on something that needed more than anything else I could find on eBay. Something so awesome that it trumped every other product on eBay [at that current time at least].

[The coolest fucking Air Man figure this side of 1988!]

This awesome Super Modelling Soul of Rockman Air Man figure is about 10 cm tall and features a fully coloured body with incredible details true to the actual Air Man character design // art. They have a few others [Bass, Mega Man, Proto Man, etc..] but I might wait till the price goes down to pick em up. I can't wait for my new office mate to get here to spice up my desk. I hope they release a few more of the Robot Masters in this format [Dust Man please] because I would pour quite a bit of money into an entire set of those. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

Early Shark Week

2010-08-01T13:02:00.003-04:00

As we all [some of us] know Discovery Channel's Shark Week event kicks off today with [as you guessed it] hours upon hours of shark related programing. What does this mean? Not much for me because I really only watch shows that are online and rarely delve into the world of cable; however, I thought it would be a perfect excuse to head to Asian market in Allston and get myself a themed treat.

[Warning: this entry has nothing to do with actual sharks]

The treat of choice was this delightful // interesting Korean popsicle called the "Jaws Bar". It was hot out and I needed something cold to eat, that and the product looked intriguing. I mean seriously, look at that! The package just screams "buy me".

Now the wrapper clearly shows a bright blue ice pop with a red centre; however, the actual product was a tad different. A tad very different. I mean seriously though, how legit would this thing have even been if it was bright blue? Sharks are not bright blue.

The popsicle was actually "shark grey" in colour but trust me, it tasted much better than it looked. It was also designed with a little mouth and eyes to make it look more like a tiny shark on a stick which was awesome. I see a lot of posts saying that the flavour that most people who have tried this treat have encountered is grape with a strawberry centre. This was definitely not the case with my mine though, the label clearly showed oranges on it and surprise, it tasted of orange as well.

The inside was the same as everyone said it was though: softer and strawberry flavoured. It was not a bad purchase [$1.09] and was the perfect way to kick off Shark Week which I may miss entirely due to my office Quarterly Muster going on, oh well.

In totally non-shark related news I put another 2 hours into Dragon Quest IX last night doing the final 2 gladiator quests [it was a pain] only to tap the bottom corner of my DSi; by accident, only to have the entire system shut off losing all of my progress. Now I have to do it all over again and waste another 2 hours doing the same thing, boo. I guess it gives me something to do while I wait for my laundry today. Go Shark Week!

~C.M. Privitera

In Case You Missed it: Dragon Quest IX Connect // Play Event

2010-07-31T18:03:00.003-04:00

For all of those who have an actual interest in Dragon Quest IX you either attended or missed a pretty good map release at your local [but possibly not close] Gamestop. About 20 people showed up at the store I went to [Downtown Boston] and I was able to collect player data from about 15 of them and about 4 maps [all sucked but 1, thanks "Bill"]. There was also a player that appeared as NOA1 [or something like that] who held the promotional map that Gamestop was advertising.

The map entitled Zoma Map Level 1 is beyond difficult as it pits you against Zoma, the final boss of Dragon Quest III. This map is also one of the fabled "legacy maps" which allows you to give the experience points that you earn at the end of the boss fight to the defeated boss to increase the level of the map [up to level 99]. Increasing the levels allows for harder monsters, better treasure and an all but impossible boss at the end. I don't think I will be beating // leveling up this one any time soon but I will be sure to take a crack at it every day until I completely lose hope // interest in defeating him.

The thing that kills me is the fact that Zoma was not even 1/10th as hard in Dragon Quest III as he is in this dungeon; he was actually pretty easy. I am wondering if all of these legacy bosses are going to be this hard or if Zoma is an exception. A brief look through my bestiary proves that is the case, damn. It looks like I have a few days worth of grinding left before I can get started on any of this extra content. For those enthusiasts [or casual DQ players] who may have missed todays event will have the chance to get in on another connect and play event at their local Best Buy this Saturday, August 7th from 12:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M.

No word on what the map is going to be [might still be Zoma, I hope not] but it is sure to be an awesome chance to collect maps and find other players in your area. Double check with your local Best Buy to see if they are participating though because it turned out today that all the Gamestop locations close to me weren't doing it and I had to make a trip into the city to participate. I hope to see all the Boston DQ fans out there.

~C.M. Privitera

New Layout

2010-07-30T23:57:00.000-04:00

Not sure if I like it 100% but I switched out that old brown // grey layout for something a little more, modern. Let me know what you think. Also watch this trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World the video game.

I need to get that new PS3 I have been putting off so I can actually jump on WiFi and download this one and actually start playing some of the games I own online. It has been forever since I have updated my system and it feels bad knowing that there is a newer firmware out there that I don't have. Maybe I can get that done this weekend.

~C.M. Privitera

Hunter Blade = Lawsuit Waiting to Happen

2010-07-30T14:54:00.000-04:00

I checked out the new trailer for the Chinese developed Hunter Blade today and noticed that the game has gone from looking a little bit like Capcom's Monster Hunter to pretty much becoming Monster Hunter in every way [character design, creatures, weapons]. I can only assume that something probably needs to be changed in order for these guys to avoid a lawsuit of some sort. Watch and decide for yourself.

I can't understand how a company can make such a blatant ripoff without anything happening. Wake up Capcom, someone is stealing your ideas!

~C.M. Privitera

Pokemon Black // White Game Information

2010-07-30T11:10:00.000-04:00

Just caught this awesome new game information trailer for Pokemon Black // White this morning. There seems to be a ton of great info about the game in it [the gears, combat, multiplayer, Internet connectivity] but unfortunately I can't understand all of the Japanese in the video.

I think the most interesting things are the fact that it looks like you can go into other players games [I think] and the Internet Pokemon thing they show which looks like it involves you putting your Pokemon up online to interact with // look at. I hope some more information [in English] comes out soon. Serebii will probably have it out before anyone else of course. I am actually excited about Pokemon again [the remakes just struck me as been there // done that].

~C.M. Privitera

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Review

2010-07-29T22:44:00.001-04:00

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is not out in theatres yet but I managed to score some passes to a showing yesterday in Boston. I have never been so excited for a movie in probably my entire life and I could see that every single person in the theatre was beyond psyched to see Edgar Wright's live-action adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim comics. My verdict: awesome and funny as hell, but a bit different from the comics. Seriously though, what did you expect from a 2 hour movie made from 6 [awesome] 100+ page books?

[Review under the jump]

What I liked:

1. Cast: Not since the casting of Christian Bale as Batman [I loved him in American Psycho so I was interested to see how he would do as a good // bad guy] have I agreed with cast selection so much. Every character is represented as well if not better than I imagined while reading the books. Some of the best were Kieran Culkin as Scott's gay roommate and unexpected life coach Wallace Wells and Mark Webber as Stephen Stills, the "Talent" behind Scott's band Sex Bomb-omb [whose own band hatred and panic episodes were beyond funny], you really grew to like and get attached to them. Even minor characters such as Julie Powers[played by Aubrey Plaza]; Stills' ex-girlfriend and super bitch, were everything I could have hoped for.

The only complaint I have in regards to casting was the choice of Mary Elizabeth Winstead to play Ramona Flowers. I just got this vibe that she was much older than Scott [not true] which is not how she is portrayed in the comic [they are only 1 year apart]. I just think they should have gone with someone who was on the same level of "youth appearance" as Michael Cera who we all know looks like he is 17. All together though the cast was wonderful and Michael Cera actually played a pretty awesome Scott Pilgrim without coming off as too much of a loser [standard Cera fare].

2. Filming Style // Effects: I can't quite put my finger on how to describe it but the way Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was filmed was unlike any movie I have ever seen. There was enough [not over the top] special effects to make the entire movie look like it was truly a comic book that had been brought to life with real people. Things such as hearts coming out of Scott and Ramona when they kissed, bio cards showing up next to the characters upon their introductions and visual onomatopoeias [knock, pow, slam] popping out of active characters and objects really made this movie unique and [as dumb as this sounds] fun to watch.

The movie also retained one of my favourite elements from the comic: the defeated exes bursting into coins. The only drag was the fact that Scott only collected and tallied the money once throughout the entire movie, every other time it was left totally abandoned [save for one the time Stephen Stills starts filling his shirt with currency after the Gideon fight] which left out the humour of the increasing // decreasing dollar amounts based on who Scott was fighting.

3. Music: Everything from the chiptune Universal opening, the Beck-written songs performed by Sex Bomb-omb and the well places video game melodies [lot of Zelda in there] fit the film perfectly. Not a single track fell at an awkward time [like the illy timed use of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" during a sex scene in The Watchmen] and each one had enough catchiness that it merits either purchasing [or pirating] the soundtrack. Even the silly [very Bollywood] song that Matthew Patel performs during his battle goes well with the movie; although I would never listen to that track on its own. I would have liked to hear a little bit more from The Clash at Demonhead [just Metric in disguise] but I guess there really wasn't time for that.

What I didn't like:

1. Slow Down: I loved the movie, I really did. I loved it so much that I was actually sad when it seemed that the 2 hours I spent sitting in the theatre and watching [whist consuming a giant blue Icee] was really about 10 minutes; the movie flew by. Now flying by can be a good thing but in this case I almost wish the movie was longer. There were certain parts of the comic that they brought into the film that just seemed to be a flash in the pan.

The Katayanagi twin fight for one involved a musical battle of monsters made out of energy that was cool // interesting but lacked the length and actual Scott X ex interaction that made all the other fights so enjoyable. I don't even remember them saying anything to Scott to be honest which kind of upset me. It almost seemed that the last 3 ex fights [Gideon aside] were all done way too fast and could have used a tad bit more time to explain the ex and show the battle in all of it's unique glory [as true to the comic as they could]. I am hoping there are some epic extended scenes on the DVD // Blu-ray release because I could watch those fah dayz.

2. The Little // Big Things: I know it's a movie and I know it had to condense the contents of the 6 books down to a mere 2 hours but there are certain key elements [and little details] that were left out of the film that actually left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I know there is not enough time to include the Knives Chau // Knives' dad story arc or the Kim Pine kidnapping // rescue from the Katayanagi twins but why did they leave out this important stuff:

a. Scott and Ramona lived together in the comic and it was a BIG deal.

b. Lisa Miller was the cause of Ramona's original doubts // mistrust in Scott.

c. Ramona had a cat named Gideon which is the object of Scott's suspicions about Ramona throughout books 5 and 6.

d. Subspace was used often and was also a key element in Gideon's spying.

And these little things that could have [possibly] been added but weren't irk me:

a. Scott's sword "The Power of Love" was supposed to have a heart shaped hilt bottom. It was NOT a generic katana.

b. The Todd, Katayanagi twins and Roxy battles were COMPLETELY different and lacked the charm of the comic.

c. Scott is supposed to be a much bigger dick.

d. Scott sort of had a job [kinda].

It was the best adaptation I could have hoped for [given the unusually low success rate of most comic to film adaptations] and I plan on seeing it again on it's actual release date of 13 August 2010. Great job Edgar Wright, you did the series justice.

~C.M. Privitera

Map Upgrades

2010-07-28T10:10:00.000-04:00

Awesome Dragon Quest IX Hint 2:

The level of the treasure maps you earn in the grotto boss fights is determined by numerous things such as how many times you had to be revived, your characters levels and the rank of the grotto you are currently in [fighting the boss, duh]. The easiest way to determine what rank the grotto you are in is to check out the type // difficulty of the enemies around. Is a Cumulus Hex flying around? You might be in a rank E grotto. Pale Whales beating you to a pulp at every turn? That might be a sign that you are in a rank S grotto.

The higher the rank of the grotto the harder the enemies, boss [usually] and the better the treasure. Some items only appear in the higher ranked grottos such as the Metal Slime Sword and Chronocrystals, so you have to keep beating bosses of high rank grottos in hopes of getting an ever higher rank map and in turn a chance at some seriously awesome treasure.

~C.M. Privitera

It's Your Birthday

2010-07-27T22:05:00.000-04:00

Awesome Dragon Quest IX Hint 1:

If the date on your DS clock matches your hero's birthday [if it is your birthday - duh] then the drop rate of items from battles greatly increases allowing you to get your hands on all those rare // awesome items that the grotto [treasure map] bosses and other monsters drop. Now time for me to get the rare drops from Shogum and Atlas, that son of a bitch.

~C.M. Privitera