ICO ~ review

I fondly remember the day when I first saw the review for ICO when I was a teenager. I didn't remember what they say about it, but what I did remember were the hauntingly good background music and a scene of a boy running up a staircase (or was it running down?) while fighting shadowy creatures. It was a fond memory indeed. I made a promise to myself to look for this game if I ever get myself a PlayStation 2 in the future. Time goes by and I didn't get a chance to buy one, and the memory of the game slowly fades away. At times I can still visualize the boy fighting the shadowy creatures but I can no longer remember the name of the game.

Fast forward to 7 or 8 years later, I finally purchased the game and completed playing it. I stumbled upon the game accidentally as I was browsing for PS2 games to buy. Although I didn't quite recognize it at first (I forgot the name of the game) but memories started flooded back to me and I immediately made my choice and bought it. The promise I made years ago was worth it because ICO is a beautiful, unique and heart-warming video game I had ever played.

ICO is about a young boy with horns who was locked away in a seemingly abandoned fortress by his village men since boys born with horns are considered as a bad omen. As he tried to find a way to escape the fortress, he met Yorda, a young girl with glowing skin, caged in one of the room. He freed her and together they explored the huge fortress to find escape while running away from mysterious shadowy creatures that relentlessly tried to abduct Yorda, and a mysterious Queen of the fortress who controlled them.


As I was playing the game, I was mesmerized by the beauty of the scenery in it. Even in a room filled with fallen rocks and ruins, I cannot help but amazed with the visuals. The lighting effect displayed in the game was spectacular. You can see that the developer are keen on the details. Although the visuals would not match the standard of today high-definition games on XBox 360 and PS3, they do have their own magic to captivate any gamers. Characters can appeared quire sharp on the edges on screens but I tend to oversee that due to the beautiful overall appearance of the surrounding environments.

Playing the game was quite simple; no health bar, no list of items, no instructions. You just go and do what you felt that needed to do. Guide Yorda through tricky places and figure out puzzles to overcome obstacles. Pick up sticks or sword and slash through the shadowy creatures once they appear. Call Yorda or take her hand and run if you must. I made it sound too simple for pleasure but ICO does give an emotional experience. The horned boy and Yorda did not speak the same language but somehow you felt their connection and bonding. They trust each other and language was not a barrier to them. It was really sweet seeing them fallen asleep next to each other on the glowing couch that act as a save point. And the cutscenes, especially towards the ending, was really heart-breaking. Story-wise, ICO is perfect.


One major complaint that I noticed from gamers around the world was the length of the game. Having played it, I must admit, it was short compared to the rest of the games that I had played. Nevertheless, the experience was priceless. There is simply no word that can accurately describe my feelings towards the game, therefore, I recommended people to buy this game and experience it yourself, if you haven't play it already. It is indeed a hidden jewel among all the blockbuster games that filled the market. It is worth every single penny.

For me, ICO is a masterpiece.


Images courtesy of Wikipedia and Gamespot.

Feast for little fishes

Piranha 3D is scheduled to be released in August 2010. It's a remake of the 1978 movie. Some of the stars include Elisabeth Shue, Richard Dreyfuss, Ving Rhames, Dina Meyer and Adam Scott.

It looks a little bit cheesy but kind of interesting too. I hope it will not be too predictable like so many movies featuring ferocious creatures that I've seen; bait it, trap it, then blow it.

Here's the trailer courtesy of IGN. Enjoy!

Attack of the Korean girls

We have seen an emergence of a lot of girl groups from South Korea in the last few years. With catchy songs, sexy dance moves, cute faces, they have melt the hearts of not just music lovers in Korea but all across the globe. As the Korean Wave has strongly swept the Asian region and rapidly making its way beyond Asia, I present you my Top 3 favourite Korean girl groups that had catch my heart with their lovable music. Get ready for these hot girls.

Image from here

3. Brown Eyed Girls

Also known as B.E.G., the group consists of four members and they are; Jea, Ga-in, Narsha and Miryo. Debuted in 2006, some of their hit songs are L.O.V.E and How Come. In 2009, they change their image into a more mature and provocative style with the release of their new album, Sound G. The single from that album, Abracadabra, became a huge success and also sparked some controversy regarding the music video.

Although Abracadabra had been such a huge hit on the web, my personal favourite single from them is How Come. My favourite music video from them is, of course, Abracadabra. With sexy swinging hip moves, what not to like about it. Their latest single, Sign, is also quite addictive to listen to. You can check out the links below for their music videos on YouTube;

How Come
Abracadabra
Sign

Image from here

2. 2NE1

Made up of members CL, Dara, Park Bom and Minzy, the group is more like the girl version of the Korean boy band Big Bang. Created by the same company, YG Entertainment, their debut single Fire was a huge success. Their 2nd single, I Don't Care, was also a big hit. After that, they focus on solo careers before joining back together to release a new single, Try to Follow Me.

Although they have not as many singles as some of the other groups (at least single released as a group, not solo efforts), but their up-beat songs and extraordinary fashion style really caught my attention. Just watch the music video for Try to Follow Me and you'll understand what I mean. CL is definitely my favourite member from the group...no, wait, she's my favourite from all the Korean girl groups that I've known. She's really stood out. You can check the links below for their awesome music videos on YouTube;

Fire
I Don't Care
Try to Follow Me

Image from here

1. Wonder Girls

Currently consists of Sunye, Ye-eun, Sohee, Yubin and Hye-rim, Wonder Girls debuted in 2007 with their single, Irony from their mini-album. Then they released their full-length album, The Wonder Years that feature the hit single, Tell Me. It became so popular that the dance feature in the music video had been followed by fans all over the world. Their other notable hits are So Hot and Nobody. In 2009, they begin to venture into the American market by promoting the English version of the single Nobody. They also joined the Jonas Brothers in their North American leg tour.

Although I had listened to several other Korean female groups like Fin. KL and Baby V.O.X. before, Wonder Girls was the main reason I'm into K-pop right now, and that's also why they are on top of my list. Their infectious songs and dance moves really lightened up my day. And I think I had a crush on Sunye. Anyway, I had posted their music videos in my blog before, just click on the link below. I had also listed the links for the videos at YouTube;

K-pop section
Tell Me
So Hot
Nobody


I hope you enjoy my post about these amazing talents. Feel free to add some comments if you have anything on your mind.

Poor vocabulary.

I was reading back my review of Iron Man 2 and I realized I used the word 'entertaining' about 6 times (!!!). I really need to work on my vocabulary. I'm pretty poor in that area...among other things that I poor of. Sad but true. LOL.

Iron Man 2 ~ review

Iron Man 2, starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Mickey Rourke, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, is the sequel to Iron Man which opened in cinemas in 2008 with great acclaim.


To be honest, I'm not really a fan of the 1st Iron Man movie. I like Spiderman trilogy, X-men trilogy and The Dark Knight more. But Iron Man 2 really is more entertaining that the 1st movie, in my opinion at least. Set 6 months after the end of the 1st film, this movie explores more on the struggles of Tony Stark after he announced that he was indeed Iron Man. The US Government wants him to turn over his suit, his image as the peacemaker of the world, and his blood toxicity from the palladium in his arc reactor that could cause his death; all of these pressures ultimately strained his relationship with his love-interest, Pepper Potts, and his friend, Lt. Colonel James Rhodes.


Plot-wise, it was good and entertaining but at times I felt a bit overwhelmed. There's too much going on and some things were not even properly explained or explored. I think Ivan Vanko's character is underdeveloped and his vengeance to destroy Iron Man was not strong enough. He would be an even more great villain if they just spend a little more time exploring his past. But the lines, especially from Tony Stark, in this movie are brilliant. I love watching confrontation between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, they are even more entertaining than the cool gadgets and action sequences.

Speaking of action sequences, there are quite a few in this movie which are entertaining and fun to watch, and some are more extravagant than the 1st film. Watching Scarlett Johansson kick some butts was entertaining too. But honestly, I think the action sequences were like distractions to the overwhelming plot. Not to say it was bad, it just that I wish the plot could have match the quality of the action sequences.


I have no complaint for the acting in this movie. Every actor plays their parts extremely well. Although Tony Stark was supposed to be the center of attention, but I think Pepper Potts was quite stood out too. I was doubtful when Don Cheadle made his first appearance in the movie as Lt. Colonel James Rhodes, the change of actors for the role made it felt like it was a totally different character altogether. But by the end of the movie, I think he did well.

To sum it up, Iron Man 2 was fun and entertaining with a few hiccups here and there. But don't worry, if you love the 1st film, you would love this one too. 3 stars out of 5 from me.

Alan Wake...fight the darkness with light!

I know I already post something about Alan Wake before but it doesn't hurt to post about it again. This game looks so good I can barely surf the net without first watching a video about it. The visuals are stunning and the light effect seems very realistic. Gametrailers has a few videos showing the gameplay for the game and it looks pretty awesome. Click here to go to the first part of the video (out of 4 parts).

The game drops 18 May 2010 in the US and we will see whether it is worth the wait.

Images courtesy of Gamestop.