Macross Frontier has come to an end with Episode 25 providing an explosive ending (not to mention a happy one, with lotsa mecha pr0n and good-old hentai overtones). So in between watching re-runs and dying of anticipation for the upcoming movie, what is a Macross fan to do?
In two words, buy stuff. So here’s a run-down on the essential stuff a Macross-tee (Macross + devotee, geddit?) should get:
Soundtracks:
Macross Frontier Original Soundtrack - Musume Furo. Click here for details.
Macross Frontier Original Soundtrack 2. Click here for details.
Lion (Macross Frontier Intro Theme). Click here for details.
Seikan Hikou (Macross Frontier - Ranka Lee Debut Single). Click here for details.
Iteza Gogo 9 Ji Don’t Be Late (Macross Frontier Outro Theme). Click here for details.
Triangler (Macross Frontier Intro Theme). Click here for details.
Paid a visit to the brand new Tesco hypermarket nearby my house earlier today. It’s one of those new concept Tesco stores that are more like shopping centers; there’s not only the hypermarket but also lots of other, smaller shops and restaurants located under one roof.
And like many shopping centers, there’s a store, or in this case an island kiosk selling video games. While I was perusing their catalogue of games (basically binders full of DVD covers), this chap next to me asks for The Force Unleashed (which IMHO is really a poor title…TFU…total f*ck up…anyone?) and tells the sales guy in Malay: “I come from afar, so please don’t give me the wrong disc“.
I couldn’t help but jokingly chime in: “Does that happen often?“. We were all laughing. This shop not only sells current gen consoles along with the PS2, but also GBA SP and GBM knock-offs! I didn’t take pictures because getting everyone one laughing doesn’t mean an automatic license to snap away. If I’m not mistaken the SP knock-offs were called GB King. Wonder if they are of any good.
Although I’m happy to have reached the point where I own original games (for both PC and NDS), I’m in the opinion that pirated video games are here to stay for a very very long time. But before you start throwing brickbats, try telling a mechanic who happens to own a PS2 and earns probably RM 1500 (USD 436) a month about buying original games, and tell me what’s his response ya.
The Nintendo Wii and Wii Sports make for a rather engrossing combination, but there’s a brand new console in town to take on the Wii (and Wii Sports).
Enter the WiNi Sports Game console. Aside from sharing the same form factor as the Wii (and a little of the name as well), this made in China product comes with a whopping 14 arcade games, 2 music games, 8 Olympic games, 7 brain games, 4 hunter games, 3 racing games and 10 interactive sports games.
This brings an end to disc swapping and with that, gives it an advantage over the Nintendo Wii. The WiNi also comes with a pair of wireless remote controls, and now sells for about USD 100 on Ebay. Go get yours now!
Okay, enough camp. Don’t worry, I don’t encourage people to purchase rubbish like the WiNi. As you would have noticed already, the Wini is one of those Wii knock-offs that you can find on eBay or even your local supermarket/video games store. I don’t know anyone who has bought one of these stuff, and I actually stumbled on the Ebay posting while looking for cheap Nintendo DS games.
If you do have a WiNi Sports Game console, you might have been a) duped into thinking that it was the original Nintendo Wii, b) too cheap to get a Wii, or c) trying to appease a young kid with a cheap stop-gap measure (they wouldn’t know the difference), but do drop a comment on how it handles; a short review would be much appreciated as well. Lulz
The OneeChanbara games started off on the PS2 as a series of hack and slash games, featuring a beautiful bikini clad protagonist who uses a katana to go about the hacking, and slashing. Now you can find the series extending to both Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii platforms.
I was in the loo a couple of days ago, taking a crap and reading on what Jeremy Clarkson describes as a beauty of a battleship, the most beautiful of them all. He was referring to the Japanese World War II ship, the Yamato.
Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well shame on you. Nothing short of superlatives can be used to describe this gargantuan leviathan of the oceans. It was the biggest, heaviest and most powerful (having 9 460mm cannons certainly helped) battleship to roam the seas.
Sent on a suicide mission when Japan’s WWII defeat was imminent, it was sunk by Allied forces, but not before receiving the better part of 12 torpedoes and direct hits from 10 bombs.
So it’s pretty strange to then bump into a plastic model of the Yamato selling at a discount no less! This model (officially called the Super Mechanics Japanese Battleship Yamato) measures 350 mm in length and approximately 80 mm in height, and is produced by Taito!
Play-Asia is currently selling this for a mere USD 9.90 and I just ordered mine. Click here for further details, but if you need a review of this particular model, you can do so here, or wait till I get mine
What happens when you cross something that looks like it ripped off a Final Fantasy opening cinematic with a Jpop tune? You get the opening cinematic for Sega’s latest Japanese language RPG for the Nintendo DS, World Destruction.
You know what I think? It’s just too weird. I can’t imagine Square Enix doing the same as well for the Final Fantasy series. Dramatic orchestral piece + FMV FTW! Acronym, net-speak overload..omgokthxbai.
The nice people over at RD sent me the revised pricing for Rock Band (both PS3 and Xbox 360) in Singapore and I quote: “in line with a competitive pricing strategy initiativeundertaken by EA in Singapore”. All prices are in Singaporean dollars:
Playstation 3
Instrument Pack S.R.P. S$229 (~USD 161)
Standalone Drums S.R.P. S$149 (~USD 104)
Standalone Guitar S.R.P. S$99 (~USD 70)
PS3 Software S.R.P. S$74.90 (~USD 52)
Xbox 360
Instrument Pack S.R.P. S$229 (~USD 161)
Standalone Drums S.R.P. S$149 (~USD 104)
Standalone Guitar S.R.P. S$99 (~USD 70)
X360 Software S.R.P. S$64.90 (~USD 45)
Funny how the Xbox 360 version is selling for USD 10 less compared to the PS3 version. Not being Blu-ray media helps keep the price down I guess.
The first time the R4DS came out, I was like, “Wau… there isn’t a Slot-1 flashkart at the first place?” and promptly bought 1 from the first batch. If I remember correctly, it was only RM 60 (USD 17), sans the microSD card.
Nevermind the fact that I own a lot of original DS games (50 over the last time I counted), the R4 was, and still is a pretty useful device. But now, with its status as the elder statesman of Slot-1 flashkarts and a whole slew of better karts out there in the market (with among other things, SDHC support, real-time save, etc), it’s probably time for me to start looking for a replacement.
Here’s a rundown on my options, and while you are reading, you will encounter the word “apparently” often. This is because I’ve no first hand experience with the below mentioned products.
CycloDS: Apparently the best out there and supports Wii-DS Download Play, it is also the most expensive. While it was selling on a local auction site for RM 140 last month, expect to pay north of that now.
EDGE: Apparently a clone of the CycloDS. It’s cheaper, at around RM 100.
AceKard: Now this is really hardcore. It comes with both NAND memory and microSD-HC support, and has a USB port built in, making it a USB MicroSD card reader! Construction looks a little suspect though, and apparently it suffers from an ugly user interface.
So to go for the gung-ho do all AceKard or the CycloDS with its cheaper alternative EDGE. Recommendations people?
