Sunday 30 March 2014

Assassin's Creed Comet will be featuring... Oh No! I can't say it

Looks like my biggest fear for the AC franchise is going to be true.. (Well, my biggest fear is that the franchise will end, so I guess this is my 2nd biggest fear.)

It looks like AC Comet will be featuring a Templar instead of an Assassin! Oh no..


I have been dreading this day and have been lying to myself. I keep thinking that an Assassin's Creed game should never feature a Templar. That's just betrayal to the entire series. As fans, we are Assassins. Templars are the enemies!

However, I have to admit it isn't totally unexpected.. The signs have been there for quite a while. We played as Haytham Kenway in AC3 and just as we were connecting with his character, we find out that he was actually a Templar. In fact, Haytham Kenway has a pretty decent fan-base himself and many of them liked Haytham Kenway more than his son, Connor who was supposed to be the star of AC3. Connor's immaturity didn't help though.

What can I say, my son? They love me more than you.
In the Multiplayer Online feature, we have been controlling Templar characters. Also in AC IV, I understand that Templars and Assassins have worked together towards a common purpose/or a greater evil.  I haven't completed the game so I'm not too sure about this.

To be honest.. As much as I'm a Assassin's Creed fan and I love the Assassins.. With each game I play, I'm starting to see the rationale of both ends of the divide. While the AC games have portrayed the Templars as the 'bad guys'.. if you look at the motives behind each side, you will see that each side just have different views of how things should be.

While the Templars struggle for Order, Assassins fight for Freedom. Both have their pros and cons. It can never be concluded that one is better than the other. Every time you assassinate a target, even in death, most don't believe that what they have been doing was wrong. (Unlike criminals, where in death, they have regrets and repent..) But what I see is that they truly believed that what they did was for the greater good.

So.. is that what Ubisoft have been trying to tell us? If AC Comet is indeed a Templar game, will this game be the start of a series that shows us the opposite angle of the battle? How will this game fit into the AC Universe? The Post-Desmond plot could be even more interesting.

This could be the most exciting year for AC fans, with the 2 games.. Just as some AC fans have started to become bored with the franchise, Ubisoft could have just thrown out their best cards. The overall plot has become a lot more interesting and there are a lot of questions that have yet to be answered. 

As much as I hate playing as a Templar, this move could be a very good one for the franchise. 

Am I getting bored with Assassin's Creed? Nah.. it looks to have just begun!
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Tuesday 25 March 2014

Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls Launch Event and my Goodie Bags

Alright, so I went down to the Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls Launch Event for Singapore over at Shaw House earlier today.

Some of you would know that you guys helped me win some Goodies!

2 Goodie Bags!

Each bag contained a Funko Pop Figurine

1 of Diablo..

and 1 of Tyrael..
These are my first ever Funko Pop figurines.. Never got into collecting these but maybe these could be the start? Not really my taste but they look pretty cool, especially if you have several of them.

I'll take more pics of these figures in the next few days.

Also included in each bag was a Gachapon figure

Little balls..

I thought I was supposed to open these to find a little figure inside but..

These balls actually turrn out to be..

Their heads! So, actually the body was inside the ball. You had to open it into 2 parts and then fix it back again onto the body. Interesting!

Don't think I have ever heard of or seen these figures before. I wonder if there are other characters made in this style. A quick google search brought up images of all kinds of weird Japanese toys but no ball-headed figures.. Hmm..

Anyway... There were T-Shirts in the bag too!

Gave 1 to my brother! Shirt quality's pretty decent but I don't think I will be wearing these out.

Last but not the least.. A discount voucher!

There is a 15% voucher in it but it's only limited to certain Dell XPS Series and Alienware Series products. I actually plan to invest in a new gaming rig for my new house but sadly the voucher is valid only until 30 April 2014. Too bad..

For attending the Launch Event, I also got a Poster and a Lanyward with the Event Schedule.

I'm not sure if I was supposed to tear off the stubs at the bottom for the Lucky Draw. I only realised that when the Lucky Draw started and they were drawing similar looking stubs. 

If I was indeed supposed to enter those into the Lucky Draw, then I would like to say a big Thank you to the folks at the registration counter. You guys were so helpful in letting me know that I was supposed to enter my stubs for the Lucky Draw. (Insert Sarcasm).

I have heard a lot of complaints about the way Asiasoft handles their Launch Events but this is the first time I have experienced it.  I had to ask 3-4 people before they realised that I was there to collect my prize. There are a couple more things but I'll refrain from turning this into a bashing post.

On a more positive note, Michael Chu, the Senior Game Designer at Blizzard was there to answer a few questions, including how much he loved Pizza!

The cosplayers..

I'm not very familiar with the cosplay scene but I think I have seen the lady in the last pic at STGCC 2013.. I might be wrong.

Michael Chu also did some autographs but unfortunately I had to rush off. :(

Anyway, all the goodies again..

Ahh yes.. There was also a bottle of Mountain Dew but I gulped in down soon after I came home. What a hot day!

I'll post more pics of the figures and of course.. The Reaper of Souls' Collector's Edition in the next few days.

Once again, thanks to you guys for helping me get these goodies!
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Thank you Everyone!

Lookie here!

Thanks to all who gave me a 'Like' in PlayPark's Diablo 3 Goodie Bag Contest! Really appreciate the help and I wouldn't have been able to do it without your help! There was some very tough competition but with the help of you guys, I managed to sneak into the Top 22.

So now, I have 1 more reason to head down to the Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls Launch Event in Singapore!

Thanks again lots guys! I will post pics up of the prizes later today!
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Monday 24 March 2014

Far Cry 4 to be out in 2015!

Found an article by Eurogamer that reports Far Cry 4 is set for release in 2015 and will be set in the Himalayas.

No official confirmation or comment from Ubisoft though. But the article also reports that there will rideable elephants in the game!

The game is being planned to be released in March 2015 and an official announcement will most likely be made in E3 this year. It will also undoubtedly be on next-gen consoles & PC but not sure about current-gen consoles.

I knew a Far Cry 4 would be coming, after the success of FC3 and Far Cry: Blood Dragon but didn't expect it to be that fast. I heard a lot of good reviews about those so I'll be checking them out before Far Cry 4 is out.

Who's excited to ride elephants?!

Source: Eurogamer.net
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Saturday 22 March 2014

Assassin's Creed Unity confirmed with a Teaser Trailer!

So the recent reports have been confirmed, Assassin's Creed Unity will be the next-gen game that will be releasing towards the end of the year.



Reportedly, AC Unity will take place in 18th Century Paris and you can see some screenshots over at Kotaku.

If you look at some of the screenshots, 2 of the buttons will allow you to "parkour" up and down. Looks like this will be a new way to climb buildings and obstacles in the game.

Still no details about the plot and how this will tie up with the AC universe, but I'm sure we will have more details before E3 2014.

I'm just a little confused about something.. Why isn't this game named Assassin's Creed 5: Unity? Yes, Ubisoft has released other AC titles without numbering them; Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood & Assassin's Creed: Revelations but those were continuations of AC2.

And there's the title - Unity. I did a quick google search and this is what I got.
unity
noun
1.
the state of being united or joined as a whole.
2.
MATHEMATICS
the number one.
3.
an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting 

Meaning 1: The State of being United or joined as a Whole

This could be referring to the Brotherhood of Assassin's, all of them being united as a whole.

But, I have always believed that the AC franchise will include Co-Op multiplayer somewhere in the future. Will next-gen technology be able to support that? Will this Unity mean a team of Assassins working together to be the whole, and with different players controlling them?

A bit of a far-fetched idea though, considering they have only shown 1 Assassin in the Teaser Trailer but it's still early days.

Meaning 2: The Number One

Depending on how you look at it, this could be in contrast to the first meaning or it could support the first idea.

In Mathematics, Unity is referred as the number 1. So this could be that the Assassin is all alone, as a single person, not in a Brotherhood.

But if you want it to support the first idea, this Number 1 could be the whole, while the different Assassins are part of this whole Number 1. (Think of Fractions.)

Meaning 3: an undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting 

If you look at French History, the French Revolution took place in the 18th Century and this is the time period that the game is taking place. I'm sure that the French Revolution will be the main setting in Assassin's Creed Unity.

I'm not very well-versed in French History but this is also when many French women broke out of their subservient roles and started being more involved in political issues. This could also be one of the reasons to what Jade Raymond, referred to as her favourite historical period.

So, the unity could be referring to the uniting of France since the country is having an Internal war.
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A lot of possibilities of course..

This also confirms rumours that there will be 2 Assassin's Creed games released this year. The other, being code-named Assassin's Creed Comet, will be releasing for current-gen. 

An interesting decision which raises more questions.. Is this, AC Comet, going to be the AC V? If it's only released for PS3, XBox360 and possibly PC, what about those gamers who have already sold their consoles and moved on to next-Gen? 

Most importantly.. Why 2 games? Is it just a marketing decision to reach out to both generation of consoles or are there more reasons behind it? 2014 has become a very interesting year for Assassin's Creed fans.

What do you guys think?
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Friday 21 March 2014

PlayAsia's '20% off' Spring Sale!

Hear ye, Hear ye!

PlayAsia are having a 20% sale on all their in-stock items that were released before March. The sale will run for a week from Mar 21- Mar 28 2014.

That's an insane sale!

For full details and exceptions, check out their site: Play-Asia.com Spring Sale: 20% off in-stock products!

That's not all! Their Daily Deal for today is Thief at US$39.99 only! Pretty good deal for a new game, I think. Hurry as I see the counter for items left in stock reducing rapidly.
Thief for PlayStation 4 (PS4)

As always, all deals on the column on your right.
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Marvel Heroes Diary: Mar 21 2014 - Celebrating St Patrick's Day and my new Level 60 Hero

Celebrating St Patrick's Day and my new Level 60 Hero

Last weekend was St Patrick's Day and like always, we had themed items to celebrate.



and..
You could craft 3 of these together to get a special Legendary..

The Pot of Gold of Cassidy Keep

It's definitely nowhere near the other Legendaries and will not be replacing any of those, but it's a cool one to have for farming. I'm thinking of sticking this with my Gambit till he has enough Odin Marks for a proper Legendary. 

Found the 4th of Gambit's Uniques!

My build for Gambit is a hybrid of melee and ranged, with a lot more focus on his Ranged energy powers, so this might help to balance things out a bit.

Just 1 more for his full set of Uniques and then I can do a review of his Power Allocation. Gambit has been really fun to play with, from the start. The recent review to his powers has also made him a lot more powerful. Actually a bit too powerful, I'm thinking that they might nerf him a little. Hopefully, not too much!

Haven't really been playing anyone else since I started seriously playing Gambit, been so addicted to him :P
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Current goals:
Deadpool: Level 60 (Prestige Level 5)
Gambit: Level 60 (Achieved!)

Deadpool's Legendary: Rank 5
Earn 400 Odin Marks for Blessings for Colossus (Achieved!)
Earn 300 Odin Marks for Gambit's Legendary


Current Progress
Deadpool: Level 29 (Prestige Level 3)
Gambit: Level 60
Colossus: Level 60
Emma Frost: Level 42
Nightcrawler: Level 31

Deadpool's Legendary: Rank 4
Colossus' Legendary: Rank 5
Odin Marks:114

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Thursday 20 March 2014

Need for Speed Movie.. Same old plot but..

Caught the Need for Speed movie on Tuesday night and here are some thoughts. Minor spoilers but nothing that would ruin your movie experience.

Movie was pretty good. The plot couldn't have been more clichéd. Same old story of revenge and redemption that there's nothing I could say that could spoil the plot for you. But I will still leave out the important details.

You have the hero, who is sabotaged by the villain, who is a rich, arrogant asshole who will play dirty to win. Hero & Villain have had a rivalry from many years back, which is now re-ignited when Villain makes an appearance after many years. Villain's girlfriend seems to have had some kind of romantic past with Hero. 

Then, something bad happens, Hero wants revenge. Since this is a racing movie, Hero wants revenge but the way to do it is to beat Villain in a race for winner takes all. Of course, Villain plays dirty again but Hero still manages to compete in the race and it all ends well in the end.

There's nothing new and we have all heard and seen this plot before.. It's like they didn't even bother trying to change the recipe by adding any new twists..

But.. The plot never gets old. We all love this kind of movies. Aaron Paul's performance was good but not memorable. It really did help that he has a fan base from Breaking Bad that would give the movie more credibility. Those, who don't know who he is, probably wouldn't even remember him in a year or two. 

The supporting casts were hilarious, they added a lot of humour which made up for the protagonist's moody character. 

But the real stars in the movie were the cars. A whole load of them, but only a handful were given real screen-time but still they would appease the racing aficionados. The race action was really fantastic and the range of super-cars on show was more than I could ask for. I watched the movie at GVMax so the sound quality was really awesome, perfect for the engine roars.

Apart from the plot itself, everything else was good. It's not going to be a competitor to the Fast and Furious franchise but I enjoyed it. It stayed true to the Need for Speed series, without straying too much away from racing. 

Need for Speed gamers will spot a few Easter Eggs and the cop chases will also be a treat, with some insane crashes. The slow-mo action reminded me a lot of the games and the first-person cam action with the interface was exactly like in the games.

I really enjoyed it and I hope to see a sequel to this and hopefully even a long-running series of movies. 


Do you have the Need for Speed? (Sorry.. I just love doing that..)
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Tuesday 18 March 2014

AC IV's BlackBeard: The Lost Journal trailer

They making trailers for books now?



Pretty cool book made to replicate BlackBeard's Journal. Here's the description from their Official Site:

"Thoughtfully crafted to resemble an authentic pirate artifact, this illustrated journal delivers a unique insider's view into the world of the game through fascinating entries that provide a firsthand account of the day-to-day lives of the characters. This one-of-a-kind graphic novel-featuring beautifully etched illustrations and portraits, wanted posters, detailed ship's logs and maps, newspaper clippings, Letters of Marque, and more-brings the bold worlds of Blackbeard and Kenway strikingly to life."

I just hope the text is easier to read, Authenticity is cool but sometimes it makes it nearly impossible to read.. Will still get it just to look at the pics then I guess..
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Monday 17 March 2014

Got a Infamous Second Son T-Shirt

Seems like it's been ages since I got anything but here's one, for the first of this year!

Almost looks like a mini-book eh?

Never seen a T-Shirt being packed like this before. Pretty cool!

Very crumpled so it will need some proper ironing before I can wear it. Really digging this design. 

I also believe this is the same shirt design that Playstation Asia is giving out for those who pre-order the game in Singapore and other countries. Pretty cool!
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Friday 14 March 2014

Mafia 3 in the works?

Looks like Take-Two, the parent company of 2k Games, are hosting a casting call for actors to do voice over, motion capture and facial scans.


According to the source, the casting call are for 3 Louisana-based characters named Franklin, Tony and Mickey.

These are the descriptions given..

Franklin
Born in Louisiana, Mixed race - African American/Caucasian, Early 20s, 6', Bouncer's build - broad, not cut. An orphan in the racially segregated South who rises to criminal prominence after returning home to Louisiana from war. Having been an outsider to both white and black society, Franklin is fiercely loyal to those he considers "family." He is both street-smart and strong. Disciplined and imposing, confident yet guarded, Franklin knows how to get a job done at any cost...

Tony
Born in Louisiana, Italian, Early 30s, Thin, Immaculately dressed and groomed. A genius with numbers and statistics who runs sports betting operations in Louisiana. Tony is not your typical gangster. Meticulous and organized, Tony is more concerned about numbers and profit than people. On the surface, Tony appears quiet and socially awkward, but in reality he is more than capable of inflicting violence on anyone who disrupts his bottom line. Tony doesn't fear people; he simply does not understand or like them. 

Mickey
Born in Louisiana, Italian, Late Teens/Early 20s, Average build. A young street hustler who likes to run his mouth, Mickey likes to talk big on the streets, but when push comes to shove, he can't back it up. Mickey has a bad habit of taking credit for bigger jobs and making himself seem higher up in the criminal ladder than he really is. When confronted with this, he reverts back to the scared teenager he really is.
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There hasn't been any official announcement about a third game in the franchise but it might still be early days. Of course, it could be for another game but IGN believes 'the focus on crime makes it seem increasingly likely that Mafia 3 is what we're dealing with'.

Who's wants to see a Mafia 3 game? I'm definitely in!

Source: AGB via IGN
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Thursday 13 March 2014

Help me win a Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls Contest!

Hey everyone, need a small favour from you guys! A little embarassed to ask but I really want to win this contest.. haha!

PlayPark are giving out a pair of Diablo 3 Reaper of Souls Goodie Bags for their Launch Event to 22 winners. The winners will be the ones who have the top 22 most Facebook 'likes' on their posts. 

So, my friends, please help me win by 'liking' my post. Click here for link and give my post a 'like'. My Facebook name is Juan Veron and it's the same avatar as the one I'm using here.. Really appreciate it everyone!

Oh and of course, do let me know if you have entered the contest as well and I'll return the favour!
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Tuesday 11 March 2014

Marvel Heroes Diary: Mar 11 2014 - Celebrating Carnival and finding the last pieces

Celebrating Carnival and finding the last pieces

The previous weekend was Carnival week on Marvel Heroes and again we got themed Carnival items..




Lucky enough to get 1 of the Pancakes, for a super-high donate value!

Also found a Fortune Mark 1 Card and more luck, a Herbie Pet!


Now I got both versions of the Herbie pets!

Moving on to last weekend which was Odin's Bounty Weekend. Joined a party and over several runs of Cosmic Terminals, found the last pieces for the puzzle for my Colossus.

My very first Cosmic Ring!

and 2 Level 60 Costume Cores with the + 1 to Fighting Skill affix


Huge headache on deciding between the two but I finally stuck to the '2 secs Invulnerability'. Anyone thinks I should have taken the '25% regen' instead?

And yes! Hit Rank 5 for Norn Stones!

That was a lot of farming but the different can be felt even fron Rank 4 to Rank 5. 

Still no luck on the White Suit Jacket and Tombstone Cosmic Medallion however.

Best I got from the Odin's Giftbox was 10 Odin Marks or else I would be on my way for yet another Legendary for Gambit perhaps..

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Current goals:
Deadpool: Level 60 (Prestige Level 5)
Gambit: Level 60
Nightcrawler: Level 25 (Achieved!)

Deadpool's Legendary: Rank 5
Colossus' Legendary: Rank 5 (Achieved!)
Earn 400 Odin Marks for Blessings for Colossus


Current Progress
Deadpool: Level 27 (Prestige Level 3)
Gambit: Level 56
Colossus: Level 60
Emma Frost: Level 42
Nightcrawler: Level 31

Deadpool's Legendary: Rank 4
Colossus' Legendary: Rank 5
Odin Marks: 394

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New Altair Figure Spotted!

As we wait for news on Assassin's Creed 5 and who would be our newest Assassin, out pops an Altair figure from nowhere..

This figure looks quite similar to the coveted Crouching Altair figure but has notable differences, and of course an elaborate base.

The new figure is also a lot more detailed than the previous one. 

Looks like it's made from UbiCollectibles so it will fit right in with the other Assassin Statues from the same line. It's scheduled to be released on 15 Sep 2014, which is just a month or so before the expected release date of AC5.

So, is this Altair figure a result of UbiCollectibles listening to their fans for a cult favourite or are there other reasons why we are using Altair again? The rumours of 2 AC games to be released this year haven't been officially squashed and Ubisoft are remaining unusally quiet about what we should expect. Will we be visiting Altair once again in one of the games? 

Of course, it makes good marketing sense to release this, just before the new game, but who knows? Nothing is known, Everything is possible..
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Source: CE.org Forums