Some Art additions to the Collection

Art prints and Art stuff are always cool to own, and if they come cheap, it makes it all the more desirable. Got some on the cheap..

Darkness Art Prints

Closer look..

Never seen this before, actually found it while buying the WatchDogs Cel Art shown below, in the same seller's listing..

Based on the sticker, at the back of this sealed print, this one was probably released in 2006 or 2007, so I'm glad to find it at the price I paid.

Also got this WatchDogs Cel Art

A closer look...

Artwork by the famous comic writer/artist Alex Ross!

Comes with a Certificate of Authenticity, this WatchDogs Art Cel is done in a similar style to the Assassin's Creed IV Art Cels. Hope to see similar Art Cels from Ubisoft in the future... Prince of Persia please!!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows Gameplay Walkthrough

One of the games coming that's coming out this August, probably unknown to be most, is TMNT: Out of the Shadows. This 3rd person brawler game will be coming out on Aug 28 on PSN (and X-Box Live and Steam.

Check out this walkthrough by IGN



Looks pretty fun! The fighting combo system looks good and the tag-team combos will be cool to pull off with friends.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of my favourite classic cartoons from back in the day so will be interested in picking this up. Haven't really been following the newer cartoon series so I hope they included villains like Rocksteady and Bebop.

Here's a compilation of the 4 character trailers 

Ubisoft Singapore in the Spotlight!

For those who have been following AC IV, you would have realised that one of the core studios behind the work of Assassin's Creed IV is their studio in Singapore. (That's where I live!!!)

Seeing an opportunity in Singapore, Ubisoft decided to open a studio here in 2008 after the local government's interest and support for the video games industry, coupled with the quality of the education here. Since their opening, Ubisoft Singapore has worked on several of Ubisoft's projects including Ghost Recon Online and fully-developing TMNT Re-shelled. However, it was Assassin's Creed III's naval game-play that earned them the worldwide recognition.

Now with naval game-play the core focus in Assassin's Creed IV, Ubisoft Singapore is now in the forefront receiving the credit they deserve.

UbiBlog recently posted an article with brief details on how Ubisoft Singapore started up including the reasons on why they chose Singapore. It also tells on how all 10 of the tomb levels that they did for Assassin's Creed 2 were selected for the final game.

Article here: Spotlight on Ubisoft Singapore

That's not all! Escapist Magazine also visited the studio and did an video interview with several of the creative geniuses behind the awesomeness of AC IV!

Split up into 4 videos, here's a behind-the-scenes look at AC IV: Black Flag!









Yes, that's the same beauty who was presenting at the AC IV Panel at SDCC 2013, Andrea Rene.

Escapist Magazine weren't the only ones visiting this little island, Eurogamer were also here in June. Here's their interview...





Edit: Looks like there are plenty more interviews done with Ubisoft Singapore. I'll keep updating as I find them. Just makes me more jealous.. 

Here's 2 more from Rev3Games

Edit (12 Aug): Another one! Destructoid's coverage of Ubisoft Singapore (and Singapore)

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All these lucky fellas! Getting to visit this studio is my dream, so hopefully with some support from all you friends, I will one day be able to do my own special interview with Ubisoft Singapore!

I'm just ogling at all the cool replicas and stuff in their studio. Saw that Jackdaw Replica?! Maybe that's why they aren't inviting me... afraid I'll run all over the place grabbing everything! Lol!

Hope you like this compilation, don't think anyone will be doubting the quality of this studio anymore.

I'm Playing: Grand Theft Auto IV

Actually I finished it.. In fact I got the last trophy for the plat! (The one where you gotta finish the game in under 30 hours).

After all these years, it was still awesome! Sure the graphics were not what you expect nowadays but the game's still awesome! Rockstar games' cutscenes are a gem, brings so much laughter whenever you sit through them. Trophy had me trying to finish the game as fast as I can but how could I skip all those epic moments?

Cousin Roman's panicky-ness, Brucie's Alpha-male confidence, Little Jacob's heavy Jamaican accent, I could watch this guys over and over again. I'm gonna share some of my favourite GTA IV moments with you below. Thanks to GTASeriesVideos who have uploaded each mission in full HD quality!

Video show the full mission; cutscenes + walkthrough so you can just end it after the cutscene.


Here we see Ice-Cold Niko Bellic being casual after seeing a dead guy in the freezer.. It's as if he sees dead people in his freezer every day..


Brucie at the height of his bull-shark testosterone madness, together with Roman forcing Niko to go on a date with a gay.. ROFL!


Epic Video! If you thought Little Jacob's accent & slang was incomprehensible, wait till you hear this guy! The look on Niko's face says it all!

The supporting characters are just as memorable, with their many antics. I could play this game all over again just for the cutscenes in the future. Next up is The Lost and Damned, before The Ballad of Gay Tony, all in preparation for GTA V!

PayDay: The Heist Promos and my Fascination with Masks

Cool promo items for PayDay 1 and 2!

Recently played this game and got hooked immediately! I even wrote a blog some time back. 

I have always have had a thing for masks so it was great to see some PayDay 2 Masks given out as promos for the sequel in the recent E3 2013.

Had to get two of these so I can give one to my heist partner ;)

Along with these masks, they handed out fake $2 bills as well...

While hunting for these on eBay, I also came across another promo!

PayDay 1 Mask! If I remember correctly, this was from SDCC 2011. A more simpler version of the PayDay 2 Mask. Here's a comparison pic.

Masks are made of material slightly better than those you can find at children's theme parks. Not very flimsy but not very durable either. Thanks again to my friend who packed these very well.

Closer pic of the PayDay 2 Mask front and back...

A recent remark by the friend about my fascination with masks got me thinking.. I have had this weird fascination with evil clowns and masks for as long as I remember. 

With Clowns and Jesters, that idea of covering your emotions to the world while keeping on a smiling face at all times was intriguing. You don't show your weakness nor do you show your confidence. A smiling face keeps the opponent guessing.

Masks were similar in that aspect. The fascination with masks did start from Jokers in fact, but took it to another level for me. While the Smiley-Jokers were meant to mask people's emotions, masks in general were to cover their identities. 

Masks are used to cover who a person actually is, but it is this that brings out who a person really is.

Sometimes covering the identity of a person can actually bring out the true nature of a person. It's as if, a mask has some magical powers but it's just a psychological thing...

Pretty deep huh?

Bad luck strikes!

Bought this cool figure from a local seller on eBay and collected it on Thursday.

Looks pretty cool from the outside. Had been hesitating getting this but it looks a lot better in person. Very nicely detailed and it's rather big. 

It all went downhill after that.. Opened the box and to my horror, I saw the figure parts all disconnected..

The ball joints at the head and upper torso were not connected.. Thinking it's a small issue, I tried plugging them back but it didn't feel tight enough. Joints were very loose and even the legs joints were loose. Not what I was expecting after seeing several Youtube videos.

I could barely get him to stand but managed to get this picture before he toppled over..

Fantastic-looking figure but I got a defective one. Trying to get a refund back from the seller. Hope it all turns out well...

Bull Crap Shit!!

Many Updates Summarized into One!

All kinds of news popping out in the Internet so I'll just make a quick update here... We'll start with a confession.. from me..

I have a confession to make: I have never played a Splinter Cell game before!

(Awkward Silence)

Yes never played one in my life, it was just one of those games that's very popular but just never strung a chord with me. I'm not sure why though but the upcoming Splinter Cell Blacklist has my interest. 

It actually started with the statue included in one of the Collector's Editions to be honest. But some of the gameplay trailers are really cool. Besides, it's been quite a while since I played a "stealth-infiltration" game. It's definitely in my wishlist for now but having looked at some comments, apparently the Splinter Cell games isn't what it used to be.. Hmm, any thoughts you guys?

Then... Rockstar has hinted that there will be Red Dead Redemption Sequel!

"Outside of our business you can look at James Bond, for example. And it's been our goal not just to preserve and grow the Grand Theft Auto franchise, but also to build other franchises that we think can be permanent, whether that's the Red Dead franchise or the Borderlands franchise or the BioShock franchise or others, Civilization, for example."

That's awesome news! I truly enjoyed Red Dead Redemption and I would invite a sequel for sure. Whether the story will follow Jack Marston or a whole new character like the GTA series, it doesn't better.
More details here!

Meanwhile, Take-Two has filed a trademark for Bully. Another Rockstar open-world classic that I'm hoping for a sequel.

Multiplayer modes for Batman Arkham Origins have also been revealed. In a three-pronged, 3v3v2 mode, you will see yourself in either one of 3 teams; Joker's thugs, Bane's thugs and a Batman-Robin duo.



Full article and details here!

Cool stuff!