Happy weekend, y'all!
Just a quick note for all you gamers:
If you missed out on the epic 2k Steam sale, you'll have another chance--Humble Bundle is offering the same games on sale this weekend, as well as sales on select games from Bethesda and Sega.
Also, Sony is running a promotion this weekend: use the code LQ8ERDQH3A for 10% off of your order. It's a one-time use code only and some exclusions apply. But if you've been holding off on getting something, this isn't half bad.
That's it for now....Miss Scarlett, signing out!
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Friday, March 20, 2015
Checking in!
Hi, everyone! Miss Scarlett here, checking in on the Hobby Haven. I've been so busy with family stuff lately--and work, I'm in the midst of a very stressful and time-consuming project--that I haven't really even thought about the blog lately.
I have been thinking, though, about what I'd like to do for next year.
I have been thinking, though, about what I'd like to do for next year.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Why I'm Excited for Persona 5.
I just can't stop watching the trailer. Shoji Meguro's theme for the trailer--and I hope to God this is the actual game's main theme--is the perfect blend of electric guitar and synth, with enough riffs to keep you bobbing along the entire time. I'm consistently amazed at how he can produce such different feels using the same instruments.
But the trailer's visuals! It's slick and stylish in a way that 3 and 4 weren't. The latter Persona games have been about rocking that whole "secret powers/double life" vibe. I mean, Persona as a whole is urban fantasy at its best, but the latter games have been focused on the concept of living an everyday life on the surface, with the frequent escape to an otherworld to fight an enemy beyond normal comprehension. We don't know a whole lot about 5 right now, although from what I've seen, the main cast seems to be running around in the real world, not some other alternate place like the Midnight Channel. Their double life is--so far--confined to something more realistic. We don't know how they get their Personas, and what or where the snippets of the dungeon scenes mean. But the whole thing so far promises an intrigue and excitement that didn't really come across in the earlier games.
1 and 2, your characters are fighting to save a friend in jeopardy and to right the wrongs said friend committed, along with fixing the world in the bargain. 3 and 4, your characters are fighting for justice, to protect the world from weird forces threatening people. (Yes, I've distilled the plots down to really simple elements here, but work with me.) And of course, your characters in all the games are working through their own issues at the same time. Character development (internal) and plot/world development (external). What do we know of 5? Our character are facing personal issues that entrap them, and so far, their reaction is to turn to crime (albeit fun, glamorous, decidedly non-violent crime) as a way to cope. We've got really no idea what else could be happening in this world, what the external forces going on are.
We're given a glimpse of a subway train driver losing control of the train and crashing it; his face gives us hints that he's perhaps being possessed or even cursed? Persona has long been full or urban legends, charms, and curses, so perhaps Atlus is weaving this in as an external force the protagonists must fight against? Could there be some malevolent force at work, preying upon the citizens of Tokyo?
There is just something about the idea of magic and fantasy within an urban landscape, Maybe because it's just such the epitome of civilization, of science and progress and modernity. Of...humanity, I guess. And the idea of primal forces beyond man's control or comprehension seeping through the cracks of the pavement...it's exciting and thrilling in so many ways.
I got into the Megami Tensei franchise back in 2009, well after the release of Persona 4. Since then, it's been so much fun to be present for the release of new mainline games, plus spinoffs (Devil Survivor) and even ports of games we never got before (Soul Hackers). But being present for the first new Persona game in a long time is something special, For once, I'm on the same page as everyone. I'm not discovering something new that people have known about and talked about for years; this something unknown, with secrets hidden away that nobody but Atlus knows about.
I'm just excited beyond words at the chance to be a part of something new like this. I can't wait for more news.
But the trailer's visuals! It's slick and stylish in a way that 3 and 4 weren't. The latter Persona games have been about rocking that whole "secret powers/double life" vibe. I mean, Persona as a whole is urban fantasy at its best, but the latter games have been focused on the concept of living an everyday life on the surface, with the frequent escape to an otherworld to fight an enemy beyond normal comprehension. We don't know a whole lot about 5 right now, although from what I've seen, the main cast seems to be running around in the real world, not some other alternate place like the Midnight Channel. Their double life is--so far--confined to something more realistic. We don't know how they get their Personas, and what or where the snippets of the dungeon scenes mean. But the whole thing so far promises an intrigue and excitement that didn't really come across in the earlier games.
1 and 2, your characters are fighting to save a friend in jeopardy and to right the wrongs said friend committed, along with fixing the world in the bargain. 3 and 4, your characters are fighting for justice, to protect the world from weird forces threatening people. (Yes, I've distilled the plots down to really simple elements here, but work with me.) And of course, your characters in all the games are working through their own issues at the same time. Character development (internal) and plot/world development (external). What do we know of 5? Our character are facing personal issues that entrap them, and so far, their reaction is to turn to crime (albeit fun, glamorous, decidedly non-violent crime) as a way to cope. We've got really no idea what else could be happening in this world, what the external forces going on are.
We're given a glimpse of a subway train driver losing control of the train and crashing it; his face gives us hints that he's perhaps being possessed or even cursed? Persona has long been full or urban legends, charms, and curses, so perhaps Atlus is weaving this in as an external force the protagonists must fight against? Could there be some malevolent force at work, preying upon the citizens of Tokyo?
There is just something about the idea of magic and fantasy within an urban landscape, Maybe because it's just such the epitome of civilization, of science and progress and modernity. Of...humanity, I guess. And the idea of primal forces beyond man's control or comprehension seeping through the cracks of the pavement...it's exciting and thrilling in so many ways.
I got into the Megami Tensei franchise back in 2009, well after the release of Persona 4. Since then, it's been so much fun to be present for the release of new mainline games, plus spinoffs (Devil Survivor) and even ports of games we never got before (Soul Hackers). But being present for the first new Persona game in a long time is something special, For once, I'm on the same page as everyone. I'm not discovering something new that people have known about and talked about for years; this something unknown, with secrets hidden away that nobody but Atlus knows about.
I'm just excited beyond words at the chance to be a part of something new like this. I can't wait for more news.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Disney Tsum Tsum Chip and Mickey Review
Hey, everyone! Welcome to the Hobby Haven!
Today's review is a new variation on an old theme. This past Christmas, I was gifted with some of my new favorite stuffed animals from the Disney Store: Tsum Tsums. I'd been planning on getting some more at some point, so this actually works out pretty well. (Thanks to my friend Mrs. Peacock who got these for me!)
Let's take a look at these babies!
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Miss Scarlett checking in!
Whew! I just finished writing up and scheduling a whole bunch of reviews for you guys. I've got reviews and whatnot ready to go up to the beginning of May, and that's when I should have a whole bunch of things come in...and I start the reviewing all over again.
Now, some odds and sods:
Now, some odds and sods:
Friday, March 6, 2015
Media Review: Funimation.com's "Cowboy Bebop" BD/DVD Limited Edition
Hi, amigos! Miss Scarlett here! How y'all doin'? Now it's time for "Media Review," the column that tells all about different media sets that I've purchased!
Shucks, howdy! Today is something I've been salivating over, the long-awaited Blu-ray release of Cowbo Bebop, the great jazz-themed space Western. This is probably one of the best anime ever created, and if you haven't seen it, it is available streaming for free on Hulu. If I can indulge in a bit of nostalgia here, this is one of the first anime I ever watched, and for my generation--fans in their mid twenties to early thirties--this is one of our "gateway" anime. This has aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami and Adult Swim programs for years, constantly drawing in new crowds of fans.
Cowboy Bebop is frankly, a classic. Well-directed, with action, mystery, hints of noir and classic Western elements merging together in a sci-fi setting that explores how humanity lives and changes--or doesn't change--after we ruin our home and expand into the galaxy. The art design is sharp, unique, with color palettes that shift to meet the mood as needed. It is one of the few shows that I urge fans to listen to in both Japanese and English audio, because both are outstandingly performed. And the soundtrack is just phenomenal, from the punchy, brass-heavy now-iconic opener "TANK!!" to the slow, moody closer "The Real Folk Blues."
WATCH THIS SHOW.
Ahem. Now, onto a review of the limited edition.
Shucks, howdy! Today is something I've been salivating over, the long-awaited Blu-ray release of Cowbo Bebop, the great jazz-themed space Western. This is probably one of the best anime ever created, and if you haven't seen it, it is available streaming for free on Hulu. If I can indulge in a bit of nostalgia here, this is one of the first anime I ever watched, and for my generation--fans in their mid twenties to early thirties--this is one of our "gateway" anime. This has aired on Cartoon Network's Toonami and Adult Swim programs for years, constantly drawing in new crowds of fans.
Cowboy Bebop is frankly, a classic. Well-directed, with action, mystery, hints of noir and classic Western elements merging together in a sci-fi setting that explores how humanity lives and changes--or doesn't change--after we ruin our home and expand into the galaxy. The art design is sharp, unique, with color palettes that shift to meet the mood as needed. It is one of the few shows that I urge fans to listen to in both Japanese and English audio, because both are outstandingly performed. And the soundtrack is just phenomenal, from the punchy, brass-heavy now-iconic opener "TANK!!" to the slow, moody closer "The Real Folk Blues."
WATCH THIS SHOW.
Ahem. Now, onto a review of the limited edition.
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