Operation: Midnight Ride - Mission Complete (Anime Boston '11 rundown)

Overview: Anime Boston '11 was this past weekend and it was a lot of fun, meeting up with people, seeing people from other cons ive been to, going to photoshoots/gatherings and doing whatever comes to mind. This was my first time at AB, and i found it to be good, but also kinda frustrating at times but that goes with any con, so you just need to make the most of it. The size took me by shock, being the biggest con in the north east, it was really something to see. The con center architecture was interesting as well with corridors and locations to make anyone looking for a place to do a photoshoot a place to do anything.



Gatherings: The Metal Gear gathering on friday was a lot of fun and something i havent really done in a few cons. Our location for the shoot was good but it was a bit breezy, but made shots with my bandanna floating great. Resident Evil gatherings up the wazoo were amazing. I didnt go to a few due to lack of time or not feeling it, but i still had a good time at the ones i did go to. Doctor Who gathering was the most fun for me as it was the first time i met a large amount of people who were also into the series as much as i was, made things great for me.



The Con Goers: Like many cons, this one had its share of annoying types as well as the ones who were alright. I dont think i found any problems with the people in the con at all. I found many if not all of them to be respectful and light hearted. I didnt feel unwelcome by anyone and those i hung out with were great. It really made the con for me as a whole.



Con Center: As i mentioned before, this place was not what i expected it to be, its like the center of a mall like structure that comes from four different wings. Entirely indoors, and much like the hotel i stayed at for Otakon '09 had a indoor breeze way from mall to hotel.



Offical Con Score: A- for great times, good friends and large amount of things to do

Port 2 is Back from ANIME BOSTON 2011!

Hey everyone!  We're back from the Anime Boston 2011 convention, and Duke and I are exhausted.  But good news before we do a full report!  Here's a cosplay album from our Flickr Account which you can go to see some of the pictures I took.  Duke should  be uploading his pretty soon.  More updates on that later.

What's Up with Tomb Raider?

Hey guys, it's hardcopy again.  I got another post for the new Tomb Raider game coming up later this year.  This time I'm going to be a little bit more in depth and specific about why I think the original Tomb Raider had to get rebooted and how that series had to get rebooted as well.

So it's been a while since I have even touched Angel of Darkness and any game before that.  A lot of the most popular were obviously the first through the third.  In between these projects there have been many other knock off games with more challenges and for some reason time trials.  But the whole purpose of Angel of Darkness was really a revenge story about Lara.  She is wanted in Europe for killing a friend and mentor in the past, but I don't need to say much else to explain to you why this game has to do with stealth.

The problem here is the huge lack of actually raiding tombs.  You know...like she does in all the other games but not this one?  Well basically this made for a bad reputation and a great loss of money for the franchise.  The storyline, although some say was alright, was really terrible compared to the other games according to other fans of the series.  What irked me most about this game was how frigging stupid it was to give her a possible love interest/partner in the game who you also control for a small portion.  If this happened earlier in the series (like how you can control other people in the second Uncharted), then I would have been ok with that, but so far we have been playing multiple games as just Lara.  This is a one woman career.

So this other guy on the right in this picture is Kurtis Trent.  He has a blade disk thingie and can use some type of power that I can't remember what it was actually called only because I really was so pissed off about that feature.  Basically when you play as Kurt, you throw the disk in the air like a Frisbee then you use his telekinesis to control it.  You know...with bullets...at least they go as fast as light so to speak.  But just tossing a disk in the air doesn't seem to be as practical so it's not going to cut it.  And I also think that the use of having a character like him using magic was way too far out of the Tomb Raider name and face.

The whole dark theme was also really annoying, and I mean dark as in you will not see the light of day in this game at all.  But when you see the game series's lush and well designed environment, you are completely spoiled into thinking there would be more of this only to find dark alley ways and catwalks to sneak around on.  Basically Darkness was a different change, something different, but it wasn't executed well.  Oh yeah the graphics were great for the time, but the glitches killed that experience.  Holy Lara's short shorts, Batman, there are SO many glitches.  It almost made the game virtually unplayable.

 Then Cyrstal Dynamics and Buzz Monkey came in.  Tomb Raider Legend.  Awesome game.  Tomb Raider Anniversary.  Even better awesome game.  Although the reputation for these games have been brought down so much, true fans of the series have a love relationship Legend and Anniversary.  They both got great reviews, and oh man, is platforming ever sweet.  They seemed to boost the image for Tomb Raider  but it was also getting a new fan base for those who haven't played any of the other ones for PC and so forth.  Therefore a lot of the older fan base dropped because of the different direction the series went before these two games.

So to top off the trilogy and the fail history of Tomb Raider, Underworld came out a few years ago.  I'm just going to put this out here: DO NOT PLAY the PS2 version!  Yeah, it was one of those that had to come out in both the PS3 and PS2 platforms.  The PS2 game is very different and very full of suck.  But once I got around to playing the PS3 game, my doubts weren't comforted.  They got worse.

One of the biggest issues I had with this sequel was how cryptic it was.  According to the developers, the game is supposed to be about how you see a particular scene and instead of having just one way to get somewhere, you have different options of platforming.  So to speak you'll have to use your brain and imagination instead of using a path already set out for you.  Some of the ledges are not highlighted or visible as you think they will be compared to the other games.  Sometimes you have to take a chance and dive off into a direction until you will see what platform or ledge you can use.  There are a lot of other platforming moves and attributes added to Lara's character.  But because there are so many things to do, I feel that the game is trying to cram all of it into each scene you get to.  Lara is more nimble and there are other logical things you can do with her that you wondered why she couldn't do them in the previous games.

With that said, getting lost happens all the time.  You do get a sonar map in your PDA, but because it's sonar without detail, it doesn't really help much for people like me.  Unless you have the perfect memory, I will guarantee you will be lost every once in a while.  As for me, I have a terrible sense of direction so sometimes I would be doing a level way longer than needed and that gets me tired of playing.

Another aspect that I can't stand about this game is this freaking dark theme again.  There is probably only one level where it's bright and that's it.  You're underwater, in a jungle where it's raining, in the Arctic circle, and finally down in the depths of a ruined underworld.  Too many themes of dark places, and besides, most of them aren't tombs anyway.

The glitching in this game is not as bad as the PS2.  The PS2 version was really unplayable because of the jumping glitches.  Besides that, the camera in the PS3 version is absolutely terrible, and I know for a fact that other reviewers also commented on the camera problem, too.  It sucks when you can't jump from another ledge behind you  when you can't see it.  The camera was never an issue in the other two games previous, but I guess better graphics can also alter the game to have these problems.

The last thing I absolutely despise is how enemies can run off screen even when you have a locked gauge on one.  When you face thralls and tigers, you better make sure you are on their ass because they always arrive in a group and they jump and scurry all over the place.  This makes it more difficult to dodge attacks when you can't see them.

Tomb Raider Underworld had terrible sales, and all of the same mistakes from Angel of Darkness was present in this game again.  Now we have a new Tomb Raider coming up, and this time it's published with the help of Square Enix.  Square is now the China of the world; they are going to make all of the games and gain in profits by just their name.  It's unbelievable but true.  Just watch.

We're going to deal with a survival horror game this time.  I'm excited, but I'm also concerned that this fail cycle is going to kick into place again.  You can't retire Tomb Raider, it's always going to be around because of the multiple things you can do with the game itself, such as what's going to happen this year.  I'm going to be terribly disappointed if the game after this fails the name sake.  But in the mean time, we'll see how this one goes, and if it does fail, well at least they did something different.  I am confident that Square is going to have a lot of good input, and if they don't, something is seriously wrong with having them as a publisher.

Wrestlemania 28

Lately I have been finding that the recent Wrestlemanias were not getting enough originality.  I mean I totally understand because WWE's roster is forced to stick with the legends everyone knows from a few years ago for their top card matches.

Wrestlemania 27 came and went very quickly, but already the Monday after the event, it was announced that the Rock is going against John Cena for one of the main event matches.  While there was initial shock at first, I was happy that at least a new top card match will show up at another Wrestlemania.  This Wrestlemania exploded into popularity thanks to Snooki and the Rock showing up and being involved in the matches, but seeing Taker against HHH once again (even though it was a great match, don't get be wrong) made me think that this pay per view was getting stale.

Just when I lost faith, this announcement really did clear up my doubts.  I was happy to see that another top card match with promising results will be happening next year.  It's just that there hasn't been many surprises nor never before seen top card matches in a while.  So here's to the future.  I'm looking forward to it.

Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy

Greetings programs. On April 2^nd I had the privilege thanks to my wonderful girlfriend (yeah I’m taken I know you’re all sad) to be apart of a live concert called Distant Worlds: Music From Final Fantasy. I’m pretty sure I don’t have to explain what kind of music they played at this thing but just encase you couldn’t guess it was music from Final Fantasy.

The conductor of the orchestra was a man named Arnie Roth. Don’t worry I never heard of him either. Anyway I have to say that I rather enjoyed the man. He brought energy that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a conductor before. I was also amazed at his knowledge of Final Fantasy. Overall he was just as entertaining as the music!

The best part, though, had to be that fact that none other then Nobuo Uematsu was there. I was a little surprised that he wasn’t that one conducting but the fact that he was there was still awesome. As a video game fan and overall fan of his music the fact that he was there maybe the concert every more enjoyable.

Now for the music; what can I say its great music. To hear the music live like that was an experience I can’t even describe. Hearing it all those years coming from the speakers of my TV is nothing when compared to the awe-inspiring perfection of the orchestra as one might imagine. Going into this I though that they were just going to play Mr. Uematsu’s music but featured was music by others that have composed for Final Fantasy as well such as music from Final Fantasy 13 (music was good but seeing scenes from the game made me sick).

The way the concert worked encase you have never been to one before (other good one to look out for is Video Games Live) is that they play the music and projected on a screen are scenes from the game so it’s kind of like the most awesome FMV anyone could make. I basically knew all the music unless it was from FFV, 11 or 14. They played such songs as Dear Friends from FF V (so that was my first time ever hearing that song), Aerith’s Theme from FF VII (Also one of Mr. Uematsu’s favorite pieces), The Man With the Machine Gun from FF VII as well as over 2 hours worth of music.

I have to say though the highlight had to be the last two pieces as well as the encore piece. First was The Opera “Maria and Draco” from FF VI (my favorite FF game). This had to be by far one of the most epic pieces played and the three that sung it were amazing. After that was Terra’s Theme from FF VI which played to the credits of the concert. If you ever played FF VI and remember the opening where Terra and the two guards are walking towards Narshe in the Magitech armor and the open credits were playing it was basically that. However the encore now that was something. With Mr Uematsu on stage the conductor asked us if we would like to be members of one of the largest choirs. I was confused at what he meant until he said that we would be singing One-Winged Angel. As they played with Mr. Uematsu basically conducting us the lyrics to the song played with scenes of Sephiroth. Very memorable I think.

If you are a Final Fantasy fan and like this music in any shape or form then I would suggest finding out when this concert is coming to a city near you and go see it. Its well worth the money.

End of Line.

Countdown to Anime Boston

With the first major convention of my 2011 con schedule just a few weeks away, i have been slaving over a hot glue gun making sure my gear is in tip top shape and ready for deployment at "Operation: Midnight Ride" (named after Paul Revere's famous ride). Yes folks, i name all conventions i go to in the style of military operations (ex. AnimeNEXT 08 was "Sneaking Mission: AN2K8", Otakon 09 was "Ota Colony Sweep Tier 10" etc etc).

I and uber excited about this con and i cant wait to see many of my convention friends including the friends i made at AAC '10, who welcomed me into their apartment when i didnt think i would have a place to stay that weekend.

some of the main gatherings i will be attending will be as followed:

Metal Gear Solid: Friday, 1pm
Resident Evil: Friday and Saturday: 4pm/8:30pm

I will be bringing back my Naked Snake/Big Boss cosplay after much consideration to do other things besides my original plans. I will also be appearing as the Doctor in between some of those gatherings maybe even hit a gathering for Doctor Who as well, not sure yet.

As i promised, a sneak peek into my RE5 Chris Redfield cosplay:



Note: the shirt is still being made, i should have it in time though!

I cant wait!

Television in the 21st Century: Regular Show

Hi, I'm hardcopy, and good God, what the hell did I just watch?  A show for children?  Well absolutely yes.

Inspired off of an acid trip, Regular Show is a new series on Cartoon Network about a raccoon, Rigby, and a blue jay, Mordecai, who are best friends and work on a golf course owned by Benson, a gum ball machine.  If you're not confused yet, then that's not the point.


A friend of mine showed me a couple of episodes, and let me tell you, whoever who thought of this was a complete genius.  Raccoons and Blue Jays going to see their favorite band, Fist Pump, in concert?  They need 400 dollars each to get tickets?  They hire a Japanese guy and a Japanese Coffee Bean guy, who shoots out coffee from his nipples?  This plot's amazing!  It makes way better sense than my dreams about my teeth falling out while I'm on a roller coaster to hell.

To be completely honest here, half the time I have no idea what's going on, but that's really the purpose here (at least I think it is).  There are more "whoa that was strange" funny than "that's clever" funny, unless you find this show to be as artsy instead of senseless like Ren and Stimpy.

However this guy got "inspiration" can only lead to one thing.  But for some reason kids really like this show and it's already airing another season.  What I like most about it is how the humor here reminds me of the generation I grew up in and how there were tons of shows which were funny and made no sense like Rocko's Modern Life at all.  But so far I have seen no other show on children's television like this today.  Weird comedy like this was way overdue to come back anyway.  It was just a matter of time before another Freakazoid showed up again.

Surprisingly there is swearing in here, and some of the bigger curses are somewhat censored.  In one episode Rigby and Mordecai make a hole in the wall and freak out that Benson will fire them if it doesn't get fixed.  Rigby says, "How the H are we going to fix this S."

Yeah not really outright swearing, but still, makes me question why the rating is still PG.  They also say "pissed" and "crap" a lot, but if you look back to some of the cartoons from the 90's both on Cartoon Network and Nick, those little cuss words did slip into some of the programs.  In one episode in Dexter's Lab where he gets an excuse to get out of gym, the couch comments, "What is this crap?"  And of course Helga in Hey Arnold used to say "freakin" a lot way before that word was even considered to be a swear. (On the side note, I still don't think it's a swear.)

Personally I would go check this out.  Regular Show is probably one of the biggest modern mysteries and you really can't explain Regular Show; you have to watch it. So far twenty nine episodes were aired and a few are on YouTube somewhere.  For starters definitely watch season one episodes first just to get a taste of how zany this really is.  You might find it too out there to watch when you first look at it, but trust me, it grows on you like a moldy fungus.