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migstheruler · 4 years

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PLaystation 5 Event

initially great, despite the horrible pre-orders ordeal.

On Sept. 16, 2020, Sony pulled back the curtain on another slew of details regarding the PS5.

1. The PlayStation 5 releases on November 12th, 2020 in Japan, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United States (why these states, only Sony knows even though I think it’s because of their distinct market in each of these countries).

2. The PlayStation 5 releases everywhere else on November 19, 2020.

3. The PlayStation 5 launches at $399.99 for the digital edition and $499.99 for the disc-based edition.

*IF backward compatibility with the PS4 is important to you, I’d recommend the disc-based PS5. Sony execs have confirmed 99% of PS4 games are compatible with their new Flagship console.

The event also gave us a look into some new games coming to the PS5 for launch as well as games we can expect during the first year of the PlayStation 5’s life cycle. Honestly tho, I think some of those games indicating they were launching during 2021 is a lie. You mean to tell me you’re going to launch Horizon, God of War 2, Final Fantasy 16 all in one year…..really… If these games were dique going to launch in 2021, you would think they would have had at least a working demo or something, instead of a teaser trailer with the games logo…but I digress, I’ll touch on this later.

Below are a few games showed that caught my eye and I just had to write about them.

Overall, Sony’s PS5 presentation was a good one, with all the information we as consumers were asking for since June and 10/10 would watch again (I’ve seen the presentation 4 times already (twice to write this piece 😊)).

The presentations started with a trailer showing a slew of different games coming to the PlayStation five system, most games we covered in https://migstheruler.com/post/620830163010240512/ps5-reveal-event but just when you thought this was another trailer, boom!!!

Final Fantasy 16

A nice mix of old and new: as if the folks from Final Fantasy 11 and 12 made a 15 esque type game.

Shiva the ice goddess is back, and looking deadlier than ever throwing out chilly ice crystals sure to cause anyone level seven frostbite

Who´s a good boy? This little pup looks ready to be pet and given treats.

It looks like our trusty steeds the Chocobos are back, hopefully, they are more useful this time around )I’m looking at you final fantasy seven episode one)

Marlboros are looking as menacing as ever.

Final Fantasy 16 was pretty unexpected to be honest, especially given final fantasy seven episodes one releasing a few months ago. However, it’s a nice surprise to see Square Soft jk Square Enix working on a new Final Fantasy game, especially one that likes to expand upon the action RPG elements (Think kingdom hearts series or final fantasy 15 and even 7). Aesthetically, this is giving me hardcore fantasy elements with realism thrown in there.

Either way, what a great way to start off the presentation.

Spiderman Miles Morales:

Next up, Sony gives us a seven-minute look into Spiderman Miles Morales, which expands upon 2018’s PS4 Spiderman. Sony has said this is not a direct sequel but instead a look to further expand upon the world through the eyes of Miles Morales. The graphics and presentation of this game are sure to entice any spiderman man. The lighting coupled with Mile’s powers makes this game a visual PS5 treat.

Last time we saw Miles, he had just shown Peter Parker he too had powers to which Peter Parker joined him upon the ceiling, it was a bonding moment the two spider-men would have. Fast forward maybe a year (I’m not sure how much time has passed since the last spiderman game) we are thrusted into the shoes of Miles Morales.

“Mom I’m home” Can we take a moment to appreciate my man’s line up here, dam that shit looks crispy.

Walking through Harlem, music playing, and folks dancing Salsa in the street. I’m not going to lie, this made me cheese from ear to ear.

This is what I expect to encounter when I have to mediate between clients ready to rip each other apart in a gory fashion (above).

Okay, knowing how strong spiderman is, I fully expect the dude’s Jaw to be broken after this power punch.

I forgot to mention (above) Miles can turn Invisible and has access to electric powers (below) sure to spruce up and affect the way Miles plays. I can only imagine a focus less on gadgets and more of an emphasis on Miles’ powers.

Although I know this game stars a new spiderman aka Miles Morales, the developers sure are making sure we know we’re not playing with Peter Parker anymore.

“Insert obligatory spiderman being pulled from different directions trope here” I’m not even going to front; this image is pretty cool.

Lastly, how dope is this launch title? It is one of the first games I plan to beat on my PS5.

- I do want to say one thing regarding this title. I think it’s pretty great from a representation perspective to see a Black and Puerto Rican spiderman. Representation matters. I’m not Puerto Rican but am Latino and I do appreciate the flags littered throughout the trailer, folks dancing salsa and overall, Miles Morales as a character.

One gripe I have with this game unfortunately is Sony’s anti-consumer stance regarding those that purchased 2018’s Spiderman. Folks that purchase the Deluxe Spiderman Miles Morales edition for $79.99 get both Spiderman Miles Morales and a supped-up version of 2018’s spiderman for the PS5, yet Sony hasn’t extended an olive branch to those of us that supported their 2018 game (even making it one of their best sellers). IF you want to play Spiderman Miles Morales, you can cop it for a cool $49.99 which is dope but doesn’t include any type of upgrade for those of us with the PS4 version of spiderman. Honestly, as someone that doesn’t plan on playing the game again but it’s pretty anti-consumer to not even offer some type of benefit to those PS4 supporters. Here’s to hoping they offer some type of upgrade via a patch to the PS4 spiderman.

· Turns out the game will run natively better on the PS5 given the consoles superior power but for a truly next gen 2018 Spiderman experience, you gotta pay those $69.99 duckats.

Looks Like we’re going back to Hogwarts and I’m not talking about Fantastic Beasts or Harry Potter. We received our first look (aside from the leak that was released last year). In Hogwarts Legacy, we go back to the late 1800s to visit the Wizards of the Waverly place (I think I said this right, I’ve only seen the Harry Potter movies once all the way through). Either way, it looks like they managed to capture the magic of Hogwatz. The walls of Hogwarts look alive, books flying all over the place and magic spewing from cauldrons of unknown potions.

Our journey begins going back to Hogwarts with a cool looking Owl to boot.

The sorting hat is back babi, it seems like this is a create your own character adventure, where we as the player will get to customize our very own character, sure to get into whatever wizardly fun is to be found. Team Slytherin all day!! JK, I’m team Gryffindor babi. But really tho, I have no idea what school I’d be assigned too.

In both of these pictures, its quite remarkable the little details you see; the more you look, the more you see. Did you see the candles above, or the candlelight below

Looks like our boys are cooking up work in the kitchen aka cauldron. I’d also like to bring attention to the lighting, truly impressive. Time to eat some delicious grub with my fellow wizards!! (Below)

Looks like we’ll be facing a litany of different monsters and foes. I know with my Avada Kedavra, I’ll be blasting fools like the one below away.

Dam son, we fighting Dragons out here too, sheesh.

Looks like combat will be a big portion of gameplay as the video showed of a created character fighting some pretty large beasts.

Looks like we’ll be playing quidditch in this game, and I honestly can’t wait.

I sure do hope we’re able to feed these little cuties and pet them.

Looks like this game is open world, as the characters are seen flying on Griffins across the vista. They draw distances in this game are spectacular.

Hogwarts Legacy launches in 2021.

*JK Rowling has no involvement with this game and that’s a good thing given her recent problematic statements.

Demon Souls

Full disclosure, I bought demon souls for the PS3 back in the day but unfortunately, did not stick with the game. It was fun and I would proceed to play other From Software and souls genre games in the future such as Sekiro, Bloodborne and Nioh to name a few. But here we have Bluepoint games remaking the PS3 Cult Classic and precursor to the Souls Genre. I for one am super excited to jump back in and try my hand again at Demon Souls.

This place here is the game’s main hub that allows you to access other portions of the world map. IT’s nice to see it in all it’s HD Glory.

Our Player is borne anew: Rise from your grave!!! JK, this isn’t a Sega title.

The environments look super luscious and literal indistinguishable from concept art. The leaves, lighting, and armor are truly a beautiful sight to see. (Below)

Nothing like chilling by a bonfire, although if you’re new to the genre, every time you heal at these bon fires, all the enemies you spent tirelessly fighting repopulate.

Call me crazy but in the original, players from other games could leave each other messages written in blood, as a way to help each other out. It looks like this concept is making a comeback this time around.

Dragons are so hot right now…. (insert Zoolander Gif here)

If you have ever played a souls game, you know this is something you can expect to see even in your dreams. I remember going to bed thinking how an enemy boss had beaten me 13-times in a row, only to go to bed thinking and imaging different strategies on how I could kill the foe standing between me and the game's progress.

The gameplay looks faster than the original but the difficult elements remain prevalent. The player is seen mowing down enemies which seems a bit off given the extreme difficulty of the PS3 game. But this could be Bluepoint addressing the sometimes-outrageous difficulty by making it more appealing to casuals.

Launch Title!!!!

God of War Ragnarök:

Last time we saw our heroes, Kratos and Atreus were shacked up in their home when they receive a visit from a mysterious visitor brandishing what looks like Mjolnir on his waist. The game ended in a great cliff hanger and is sure to improve on the many aspects the PS4 game

Get the fuck out of here. Sony decided to drop a nuclear ton warhead on us with the teaser trailer of God of War Ragnarok, a sequel to the PS4’s God of War. Although they did not show any game play, they did manage to build the hype with the screen below:

And then to top off the trailer the list the following with a supposed 2021 release date which I think is highly unlikely but, we will see. Either way, “we must prepare”.

Sadly, when the presentation ended, pre-orders went live . We were told by Sony that we would have ample time to prepare to pre-order, nothing but the contrary occured. I was one of the unlucky folks who failed to obtain his PS5 preorder despite having the funds to do so. Here’s to hoping I’m able to secure a pre-order prior to the Nov 12 launch. I did manage to get a PS5 camera which is a must for me since I like to stream games online, it’s really quite addicting. Check out my channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiazQqSufhmIGo2a7odLOpQ?view_as=subscriber.

I do want to say one thing, I am very fortunate to have the things i’ve accumulated over the years. I know there are people in the world that lack even basic necessities. If you’re reading this, please donate to cause/fund or organization you beleive in. I know my life’s work is to improve the living conditions of everyone regardless of their creed and that keeps me plenty busy.

All images used in this piece were obtained from the source below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG0G44G6RI8

Credit: IGN

#ps5 #ps5 release #ps5 reveal #demonsouls #god of war ragnarok #spiderman mile morales #hogwarts legacy #final fantasy 16 #final fantasy xvi

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deliriumzer0 · 6 years

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Hey there! Any Ayu-related posts or write-ups in the pipeline?

Actually, answering this ask is a good opportunity to both review TROUBLE and explain why I haven’t up until now.

I’m having a very hard time reviewing TROUBLE for one very plain and simple reason: musically, it elicits very few emotions for me. Decent review writing is much easier when you feel something, whether that’s anger or delight, disappointment or elation with the material. Sadly, TROUBLE is a C- level effort. It follows all the rules, but does absolutely nothing more, and it only does it for 5 tracks (3 of which we heard before the “album” came out).

After two years I was hoping for some sign that Ayu had perhaps been listening to more music that wasn’t her own, that she had written more material about her struggles over the last 2 years like the deterioration of her physical condition or second divorce. Unfortunately, even putting aside the low quantity of new music, the tracks we got show approximately zero growth and it’s hard to get passionate about it. I don’t hate it, it’s certainly solid work, but it doesn’t make me FEEL much of anything. It’s just a reasonably pleasant background listen, and for me personally, that’s not music’s purpose. And it’s certainly not why I fell in love with Ayu’s music to begin with.

I know it makes me sound like the typical “I hate their new material, I liked their old stuff better” fan when I say things like “I miss Ayu’s old material.” Listeners who say things like that are often disappointed with change; they want more of the version of the artist that they fell in love with. In this case, it’s almost exactly the opposite situation. Up until A BALLADS, Ayu was frequently attempting different sounds and genres and styles. Over time, her willingness to branch out has dwindled, and since Love songs I’ve mostly been disappointed in her albums as a whole. I haven’t liked some of her more experimental moments, like the Colours album, but I appreciated the experiment at least. For the entire latter half of her career, her discography has consisted of mostly very samey material with a sprinkling of moments of inspiration and daring sound changes. Those moments always set me up for future musical progress, but I’ve ultimately been disappointed each time.

TROUBLE, sadly, turned out to be the inevitable disappointment after the bits of brilliance on M(A)DE IN JAPAN. It doesn’t take the moments of awesomeness from MIJ and move them forward (in fact it doesn’t take them at all). Sure, TROUBLE is roughly on par with the most competent A7-era material (A ONE and sixxxxxx), which is certainly not bad. But MIJ included some tracks with more daring production or an unusual amount of rawness in the mix. Songs like “FLOWER,” “Survivor,” “Break down,” and even “Mr. Darling” made me feel energized or angry or fascinated or warm. The album also had far less over-polish on her vocals; you could hear more cracks, more flaws, and as a consequence more emotion. I LOVED the vocal vulnerability I got on MIJ.

TROUBLE lacks any of MIJ’s positives, sadly.

One thing I will say in TROUBLE’s favor is that “W” is excellent. It corrects everything I perceived as an error on “WARNING.” She gave that song’s general concept and approach a second try and this one is much, much better. It is perhaps disappointing that she basically made “WARNING part 2,” but as prolific as she is I’m okay with the occasional duplication of themes as long as the new version is an improvement. (Side note, just as a counter example: when “Like a Doll” happened after “Marionette,” I was considerably less thrilled.)

Anyway, over the last few years, Ayu’s material has shown next to zero creative growth; when I do hear growth, she doesn’t develop it. She dips her toes in that water, and then pulls them right back out again. She seems either uninspired or insecure, neither of which are conducive to creating music that’s worth as much as Avex is charging for it (more on that later). Her songwriting & recording has been relegated to a process which could be nearly automated aside from the actual lyric writing process (which continues to be very solid - she’s genuinely talented and I have very little issue with her lyric writing). The demos fit within a certain creative box that she rarely moves out of.

And, unrelated to the quality of the music itself, I kinda wanna rant about Yoneda’s handling of her releases. Based on an article I read recently on the Avex Group website, he has been responsible for some… actually kind of amazing failures as far as the marketing & releasing of Ayu’s material. He seems to feel like, since Ayu fans are so dedicated and are gonna buy a certain number of copies of ANYTHING regardless of quality, then it’s totally fine to rip her fans off (and this is actually something I suspected years ago, and that article more or less confirmed it despite talking about it as though it’s a positive).

It’s no doubt him who’s deciding to call TROUBLE an “album” when in reality it’s a selection of two live blu-rays with a bonus 5-song EP included. He’s probably the one who called LOVE and again mini-albums when they’re ostensibly singles. He’s the one charging fans for bonus first-press items that are just cheap “imprint with your own logo” giveaway freebies you can order for pennies apiece yourself (you really can). He’ll call things “deluxe” or “premium” that I could make myself at home in a matter of an hour or two.

Admittedly, this is one major reason I let my TeamAyu membership lapse, and also why I have not purchased TROUBLE and likely will not buy it new. If I get it, it’ll probably be years from now, used, at a Book-Off in California or something. If TROUBLE had an inexpensive discs-only CD+BD version, I’d probably be fine with getting it. But with the TROUBLE box sets, advantage is clearly being taken and I am not on board for that.

In conclusion, friends & enemies… TROUBLE is okay. It’s not amazing. It’s not awful. It’s perfectly listenable, the lyrics are great, but if you were hoping for Ayu to continue the apparent forward development we started to hear on MIJ, you’ll be as disappointed as I was. And $110 for a 5-track CD, a concert blu-ray, a few photos, and a keychain is insane to me. But fans bought that overpriced Colours box with the candle (which smells fantastic, but you could buy it for like $5 on its own later on), so what did I expect really?(If you really wanna get mad, check out the package for the new Muse album and its price. Granted, Japanese releases are always gonna be more expensive, but why should anyone be paying more than about $60-75 for the TROUBLE CD+Blu-ray? It’s just a bad move, in my opinion.)

#ayumi hamasaki #album review #jpop #ask answer

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likestoimagine16 · 6 years

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"I'm not totally useless. I can be used as a bad example." for character/fandom of your choice :3

HI THIS HAS BEEN SITTING HERE FOREVER. But here you go, super roommates AU

Yuuri - or Borealis as he is at the moment, in his dark blue jumpsuit and iridescent mask - stands on a completely flat roof with no clear points of entry, raises a single, unimpressed eyebrow and asks, “Phichit, why.”

Phichit isn’t sure why he’s asking - he never seems satisfied with the answers. Even now, Borealis’s expression doesn’t change as Shadow Dancer swoons into his arms and asks, “Why is it always ‘why’ with you? A series of questions, stifling an artist’s creativity. It’s unbecoming for one such as yourself, when you should know that artists do not ask if the endeavor is possible - they simply make it so!”

It’s a masterpiece, truly, and Borealis shows no appreciation as he complains, “Okay, Phichit, but that doesn’t explain why we’re here.”

There’s a pause as Yuuri waits for an answer, then he adds, almost as a second thought, “Also I feel like ‘why’ is perfectly legitimate when the question is something like ‘why do the hamsters need a homemade, deluxe encampment when we’re sleep deprived college students stuck in a glorified broom closet’. Or, you know, ‘why are we, at this very moment, on the roof?’”

Phichit tilts his head back, the better to look Yuuri in the eye while still maintaining maximum swoon. It’s not quite as effective as he’d like, since he’s currently wearing his bright red Shadow Dancer mask, but it’ll have to do. “I do not know who this ‘Phichit’ is,” he announces solemnly, “but he sounds like an absolutely delightful roommate with excellent taste in best friends and hamsters.”

Yuuri, instead of appreciating him properly, narrows his eyes. “Okay, then, Shadow Dancer, would you care to tell me why you’re stuck on a roof, completely bereft of shadows to dance in, at high noon?”

“Well, there was a shadow here earlier. The building next to us casts a very nice one at ten in the morning.”

Phichit is the most logical of college students - he has no idea why Yuuri has decided to smack his forehead with his palm. Really.

“What were you doing on an empty rooftop long enough that you lost track of the shadow you came in?”

“It’s a tale of mystique and intrigue, steeped in tension and heartwarming - ”

“How did you get lost?”

“I DON’T KNOW.”

“Why didn’t you just jump back in once you ended up here, anyway?”

“…”

“Phichit no.”

“I might have underestimated how much shadow manipulation I could manage in a 12-hour time frame and played with too many shadow puppets.”

“Phichit!”

“Shadow Dancer,” Phichit says absently, before he continues, “George, Marshmallow, and Harvey needed the play time! I’ve been neglecting them.”

“We literally spent four hours last week building them a deluxe two story cage so that they wouldn’t get bored.”

“But Yu - Borealis, they looked at me with their cute little hamster eyes. How was I supposed to say no?”

“They’re hamsters. Their expressions never change.”

“Are you saying you could resist them?”

Yuuri, very noticeably, doesn’t answer him. He looks away with shifty eyes and the kind of pout that has people stopping in the streets to give him cookies, and his voice takes on a notably petulant cast as he finally mutters, “Well, I’m not the one who got stuck on a rooftop at noon.”

With a grin, Phichit announces, “You might have a point there, but you didn’t deny it, so I still win!”

“Don’t forget that I’m the only one who can get you off this roof at the moment.”

“Please don’t abandon me!” Phichit makes his best hamster face for Yuuri after that. It’s great, since Yuuri’s a sucker for Phichit and also cute things, and thus falls for it every time even when he knows it’s coming.

Sure enough, Yuuri sighs with a wry smile that says he knows exactly what just happened but can’t be bothered to be upset by it. Instead, he just rolls his eyes and says, “Fine, I guess I should probably get you back home or something.”

“Yay! Thank you, oh best friend, light of my life, blessing of my heart!”

“You realize I’m already going to help you, right?”

“It doesn’t make it any less true though, so I get to say it!” Phichit replies cheerfully.

Yuuri, with a slight chuckle, shoves Phichit away from the center of the roof with a huffed, “Okay, okay, I got it - I’m helping.”

After that, he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, stretching out his hands so that he can start refracting light.

In the space of a moment, the bright sunlight starts to bend. It’s almost normal at first, nothing stranger than a light shone through distance glasses, but the shadow slowly gains definition as glowing motes start to drift towards Borealis’s hands.

While this is happening, Borealis opens his eyes and turns to Phichit. There’s a moment when his stare is the slightest bit strange, eyes faintly glowing in a way that can’t be accounted for by just the noontime sun, then Yuuri blinks says, “You realize that you’re going to have to cook for like a week now, right?”

Phichit scoffs, “Please, I’ll cook for a month if it means we don’t have to deal with the cafeteria.”

Yuuri laughs. “I’ll accept that deal. But really, if you could make shadows like you make curry…”

Phichit feels like being a bit of a brat at the moment, now that he’s got a shadow in the making, so he gasps with all the offense he can muster and states, “Are you implying my powers are not amazing? I am offended, how dare you insult your arch enemy this way!”

“Okay, one - you’re my partner, not my arch nemesis. Two, though… I mean, I didn’t say anything, but if I weren’t here, you’d be stuck for at least three more hours. You are kind of useless right now.”

Yuuri’s wearing his troll grin at the moment, so Phichit is kind of obligated to argue. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly like he’s wrong about the whole roof thing, so all he can immediately say is, “Okay, fine, but like. I’m not totally useless.”

At that, Yuuri raises an eyebrow. It’s really unfair, because Yuuri is an actual teddy bear and has no right to look so accidentally, distractingly intimidating, but it’s also doesn’t really matter for the purposes of this discussion, so he just powers through that and says, “I can be a bad example!”

This is, apparently, the wrong thing to say, because Yuuri bops Phichit’s head with a glowing hand, trailing faint glitter, and says, “No, no you can’t.”

When Phichit whines, Yuuri just continues, “You’re a superhero, that is the opposite of a bad example.”

Phichit clutches imaginary pearls to his chest. “We don’t use that kind of language in this household!”

Really, calling him a superhero. It’s an affront to super-villainy everywhere. He is the best super villain, as is only fitting for the grand rival to the best superhero around.

Apparently, Yuuri doesn’t appreciate this, because he just rolls his eyes and turns back to his disc of shadow. It’s a good-sized circle now, large enough for two people and almost inky in the bright light. Certainly, it’s dark enough for Shadow Dancer to pull them through with little effort, so Borealis nods to himself and closes his eyes with a deep breath.

On his exhale, his eyes snap open and his hands close into fists. It doesn’t look like much has happened, but Shadow Dancer sees the tell-tale waver that says Yuuri’s locked his refraction into place. It won’t stay up for more than thirty minutes, since he’s pulled his focus away from it, but that’s all he really needs.

That’s all normal. What’s strange is that Borealis, after all of that, pulls out his phone and starts typing furiously.

It’s deeply suspicious, if only because Yuuri-as-Borealis only uses his phone for superhero business and is also kind of awful at updating his superhero twitter. Because of this, it’s with great trepidation that Phichit asks, “Yu - Borealis. What… what are you doing?”

“Getting answers.”

In short order, Yuuri has a twitter poll set up, asking if Shadow Dancer is a hero or a villain.

Naturally, the first thing Phichit does is open up his Shadow Dancer twitter account to answer that he’s a villain, since it’s literally in his profile.

The rest of the public apparently can’t read, because there’s an overwhelming majority pointing Shadow Dancer towards heroism.

Phichit has been betrayed by his own followers.

“Your followers haven’t believed you were a super-villain since like, your second week on the job. Now hurry up and get us out of here so that I can get back to sleep.”

#yuri on ice #my writing #yuri on ice fanfic #I'M FINISHED! KIND OF!#(seriously as much as I'm glad to be done I also kind of want to look over it one moretime before posting it to AO3)#anyways #Yuuri is a superhero with light powers #Phichit is a 'super-villain' with shadow powers who is actually Yuuri's partner-in-stopping-crime #but he's also like /really/ attached to his evil laughter so #(also while he can manipulate shadows and travel through them) (he can't exactly do both at the same time)

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63824peace · 4 years

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Monday, 28th of november 2005

The Japanese space probe Hayabusa has done it!

It finally landed on the asteroid Itokawa, three hundred million kilometers away! It has successfully retrieved deposit samples too.

Japan has used robotic technology to prove its excellence with asteroid probes, even though we have lagged behind the rest of the world's space development. The world's first ion engine has defied expectations and proven itself operable. Hayabusa has successfully answered our hopes, and Japanese space development has taken a huge leap forward.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) should now take pride in its work. It stared down the excessive criticism lobbed at it. It must have given dreams to nourish the gumption of students and scientists for a long time. I hope that this success inspires them to catch up on their work.

The father of Japanese rocket engineering, Professor Hideo Itokawa, gave his name to the asteroid Itokawa. Both the asteroid and the probe bear Japanese names, which highlights how thoroughly Japan's strengths define this project - its people, wisdom, intellect, and resources.

Hayabusa will depart for Earth from Itokawa in December. Apparently it can't travel straight home. It must deviate from a straight trajectory and travel an extra billion kilometers in order to return. We expect it home next June.

I feel as though I can almost identify with Hayabusa. Hayabusa seems less like a machine engineered for space, and more like a solitary traveling hero whose extraterrestrial sojourn elicits deep pathos. I absolutely want him to return safely - I wish him a safe trip.

We can read about Hayabusa's latest news on JAXA's website. They show how he has fared today as well as his position relative to Itokawa. I can't really believe that he's hundreds of millions of kilometers away when I look at the web site.

I've bookmarked the site, and I check it every day. I'm glad that we can use the internet this way.

I bought the Limited Edition of HIM's latest album, Dark Light. I had listened exclusively to HIM during October and November, especially the hits album And Love Said No. I think I listened to them every day.

I already have the imported version of Dark Light, but the Limited Edition's B5 standardized publishing format caught my eye. I was standing in front of the cashier before I knew it.

I tore into the Limited Edition's shrink-wrap immediately. It's a superb deluxe package. I made a good decision when I bought it.

It features a full-color, twenty-four page hardcover booklet that contains lyrics handwritten by vocalist Ville Valo. It also includes a bonus track (The Cage) that hasn't come on either the Japanese or the imported versions. They packaged a flyer inside with a secret code for HIM's website. We can apparently download cell phone ringtones for Wings of a Butterfly, Killing Loneliness, Under the Rose, Vampire Heart, and Dark Light.

The ringtones might only work on Nokia phones though. HIM is Finnish after all. I suppose my cell phone won't work then.

I have a weakness for limited editions, box sets, and limited first-release versions. I relish the bonuses and extras packaged with special copies. I likewise prefer limited edition DVDs.

Movies, music, and games all run off digitally reproduced copies. We can mass-produce them without compromising the content's playback quality. Yet limited editions give the impression that they have been handcrafted because publishers release so few of them.

I must be old-fashioned. I feel greater respect for the contents of a given work according to the physical artifact's material value.

I intend to do the same for Subsistence's first release. Only first-time limited editions will carry all three discs. The normal version will carry only two discs. The third disc (Existence) holds about three and a half hours of footage, and its name really reflects the idea behind a limited edition. Subsequent packages won't have the disc, so it really only exists within the limited edition.

You can make a first-run limited edition simply by adding material value to the physical artifact. It won't matter if the digital content can be reproduced flawlessly.

I ate kakesoba and butadonburi-kuro for lunch at Kurosawa. On my way back to the office I detoured down Keyaki-zaka Street and passed in front of the Hills Arena. They had an unusually heavy amount of security, perhaps in preparation for an event.

I wonder who will come today.

I considered this in light of recently released movies. I remembered having heard about a promotional event for the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and I realized that it might happen today. Did that mean that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie would come here? Was everyone rolling out the red carpet for Brangelina?

They've already erected a number of barricades, and they haven't even finished yet. That's unusual for this time of day. The guard plates have formed a labyrinth inside and out. I suppose they set it up to separate the excited crowd, disrupting the chaos of their collective energy.

The sight reminded me of breakwater dams that restrain the force of the sea. I saw that the Hills Arena guards had prepared as though executing a war strategy.

Mr. & Mrs. Smith had a huge delay between its Japanese and American debuts. It will finally run in Japan's theaters starting December 3. I always look forward to watching that kind of movie around the year's end.

Doug Liman directed the film. He had worked previously on The Bourne Identity, and that turned out excellent. He also produced the exceptional sequel, The Bourne Supremacy. We don't have many directors like him in our times... he can actually make an action movie that retains a measure of self-possession.

I've seen the trailer many times already, and I think that Mr. & Mrs. Smith will justify my eagerness.

I like the movie's plot too. An ordinary couple had married for true love, but they were really a pair of professional killers hired by competing companies.

They share a dull but peaceful home life. Meanwhile, they hide their true work as assassins from each other. They learn each other's secret one day when they receive separate assignments to kill each other.

What will they choose - the mission or their marriage vows?

We assume that we know our spouses well since we're married. We trust that we know about his or her birth, profession, and so on... but I wonder if we really know so much. Does the husband who goes to work every day really hold an honest job?

A man might hide his true profession and live his marriage without ever breaking the lie. It's not uncommon to hear about a husband who gets fired from a company and then eats lunch in a public park to hide his unemployment from his wife.

As a matter of fact, I think that a lot of married couples withhold secrets from each other. Their relationship endures because they have mysteries left unexplained.

I started thinking... what if my wife had such-and-such a profession, or such-and-such an identity?

What if she was the President of a big corporation? A Yakuza boss? A princess from some other country?

What about a murderer? A criminal? A phantom thief? A ninja descendent?

Or a vampire? A ghost? A zombie? A time traveler? A resident from Atlantis? A clone? A reincarnated spirit? A Grateful Crane from the folktale?

Maybe we could pick up a few ideas from movies. Could my wife turn out to be a runaway princess like Audrey Hepburn's character in Roman Holiday? Or could she be a secret agent hiding her identity, caught in romance and political intrigue as in the Korean action-romance Shuri? Or perhaps an adept criminal such as one of the sisters in the anime Cats Eye?

Or perhaps she's a disoriented amnesiac who stumbled into a web of mistaken identity, like in the movie Ima-ai-ni-yukimasu? Could it be that my lover is Santa Claus? No, no, that's not a movie… it's a song!

How about Samantha from Bewitched? No... that's too obvious....

I considered a whole variety of different ideas. Men seem to enjoy speculating on these kinds of things.

But the speculation should probably stay close to fantasies. I would feel uncomfortable if my imagination hit too close to my actual circumstances. I wouldn't like to muse, "Perhaps my wife is a famous game designer." Or, if I considered if from HIDEOBLOG's perspective, "Perhaps my wife is an incredibly popular and charismatic blogger."

KojiPro staff met at lunch to discuss arrangement for MG Saga. We all met in one of the fourteenth floor reception rooms. People attended whom I hadn't seen in a long time. We finally have another chance to work together.

I could see the Tokyo Tower from the fourteenth floor. It seemed different from its depiction in the movie Always, as it had appeared during the Shōwa Era. Perhaps it's because so many skyscrapers surround it now.

The Tokyo Tower changes with the times. The Heisei Era's Tower goes well with smog.

We discussed MGS4 in the glass room until evening. The air conditioning made the glass room extremely cold. I had stayed in there for a while, and now I feel a bit feverish. I wonder if I've caught a cold. Just in case, I poured a Kakkonto herbal drink down my throat.

We have completed MGA2's desktop accessory - an interactive, Touch-and-Play screen saver! I had asked Power Graphic to make it since they also made the super-cool AC!D2 Trailer.

I have already named the program....

Behold! UchidAC!D, the Interactive Screen Saver!

Users can download it from MGA2's official site starting December 2. It's trendy and entertaining!

Now users won't see what we have designed for them to play… they'll play with the design instead!

We don't see things like this very often. Our screen saver serves as an ideal medium for fingertip exercise combined with mental engagement.

You should try it too! Let's AC!D up our brains with UchidAC!D!

I stood on the Roppongi station platform and waited for my subway home on the Hibiya Line. I noticed two billboards positioned between the inbound and outbound train tracks. It had been left bare of advertisements.

I've rarely seen them like that, if ever, because that's such a popular place to advertise. The posters rotate pretty regularly. Advertisement demand should be high for the popularity.

I can't believe that anyone left those two billboards totally white, as though they had no advertising clients. I've even seen subway employees working quickly between the tracks to change the posters on those billboards.

You just hardly ever see blank ad space there.

I even suspected that it was an optical illusion. I also considered that advertisers might have deliberately expressed the idea of plainness or vacancy. I even allowed that it might hold an eccentric advertisement for a modern art showpiece.

I stared and stared, but no hidden script appeared. I concluded that the white surface hadn't been lettered with reflective paint.

I finally resolved that the billboards definitely weren't ads in themselves, but only bases for future ads. Did the station finally get caught without its ads ready? Or was this all somehow intentional?

I wonder if the little girl shutterbug would have snapped a photo. How would her eyes have seen this?

I read the morning edition of the Asahi Journal in the evening because I hadn't had time for it when it first circulated today. The information was obsolete of course, but I still ritually read "Vox Populi, Vox Dei."

Today it addressed the End-of-the-Year Jumbo Lottery tickets that I had written about in last Friday's HIDEOBLOG entry. The column addressed the same topic as my aforementioned blog, but it was written so much better! I could hardly believe we had written in the same language!

The column opened with an explanation of the lottery's beginning. The Jumbo Lottery started when Victory Tickets had been sold to finance the war during its final days. The column then connected that story with the annual salary of Hideki Matsui, the baseball player for the New York Yankees. The writing was so skillful that I had to tip my hat to it.

Now I feel pretty low. HIDEOBLOG isn't much more than a diary. It's not really worth others' time to read.

I feel like quitting.

The distance between the asteroid Itokawa and Earth is the same as the difference between HIDEOBLOG and "Vox Populi, Vox Dei."

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davedimartino · 7 years

Text

New This Week 11.17.08

Conspicuously missing from this week's list of hot new music releases is the latest album by up-and-coming pop star Kanye West--whose long-awaited new album 808s & Heartbreak is, not to worry, coming next week!

Why has it taken so long? Experts agree that West's recent pronouncement that he will "go down as the voice of this generation" might be one very significant reason!

According to one informed observer, the press has yet again blown the lovable West's innocent claims well out of proportion! Because West, whose devotion to higher education has played a part in the nomenclature of all his previous works, made that statement in reference to the petri dish he was holding in his right hand! And it contained a hearty colony of drosophila melanogaster--or common fruit fly--all of whom strongly feel West to be the dandiest vocalist they've heard in their entire lives! But no one reported that, did they?

Sorry, Kanye--but once again, the press wins and you lose! Can't wait to hear the new album, though!

Beyonce: I Am…Sasha Fierce (Music World/Columbia) A boldly titled album--after all, at least some percentage of Beyonce fans will refuse to purchase it because of its confusing title--but as always, a masterwork beyond reproach! It's a great time in music history for all of us: While Kanye West proclaims himself the voice of a generation, the much more attractive Beyonce announces that her career role model is Barbra Streisand and she is aching to play the title role in the inevitable upcoming Wonder Woman movie! Heck, aren't we all? Deemed by the label as "her most personal, reflective and revelatory collection to date," this record coincidentally arrives prior to the singer's starring role in the films Cadillac Records and Obsessed! Clearly she is going down as the voice of this generation! Do you think there will be a fistfight?

Nickelback: Dark Horse (Roadrunner) In many ways the voice of a generation, Nickelback represents everything that is great about today's record business! They sell tons of records, they are loved by fans and loathed by critics--and if you ran into 'em in a bar you would avoid eye contact with them in case they were panhandling! For a band with their sales track record, naming a new album after former Beatle George Harrison's less-than-successful former record label might seem a bold move; as would, for that matter, actually being from Canada! But with Mutt Lange's sterling production, such great tracks as "If Today Was Your Last Day," and a legacy that is spoken of with hushed, respectful whispers in parts of Alabama and Cleveland, this is clearly the Nickelback record of a lifetime! Maybe even a mammal's!

David Cook: David Cook (19 Recordings/RCA) Holy triple threat! First Beyonce, then Nickelback, and now the winner of this year's American Idol competition? Why doesn't everyone else just give up? So let's compare this album to the one released last week by Idol arch-rival David Archuleta! Both are by guys named David, both are by guys who made their careers on a TV show, and both are being released in the compact disk and digital download format! Additionally, when removed from their protective cases and bundled with fishing tackle into cylindrical lots of 50, both would hit the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean at the same time if released from a fishing boat simultaneously! My vote? Heck, they're both the voice of a generation!

Dido: Safe Trip Home (Arista) For the longest time during the recent presidential election I was waiting for somebody somewhere to make the inevitable "take the `L' out of Palin" joke, but tragically, it was not to be! I think precisely the opposite when it comes to Dido! Frankly I'm glad she's back--word is that posing for this album's cover shot was fraught with difficulty! With the assistance of producers Jon Brion, her brother Rollo, and the remarkably named Citizen Cope, Dido's made a third album that may come to speak for an entire generation! Plus, the CD comes with four Dido postcards! Count me in!

Mudvayne: The New Game (Epic) While some of us remember with affection the Golden Age of Mudvayne--when its members wore makeup and called themselves Chud, Guug, Rud, and Spug and passports were perhaps predictably hard to come by--there's no denying that this rockin' combo from Peoria are the voice of a new generation! Intriguingly, their former "tough" exterior is roundly rebuffed with this latest album, which reportedly is devoted to the age-old game "Pin The Tail On The Donkey" and features such tracks as "A Cinderella Story" and their loving ode to the Burger King franchise, "Have It Your Way"! If they're in your town, invite 'em to a Sunday brunch with your pastor and start talking business!

The Doors: Live At The Matrix 1967 (Rhino) Long bootlegged but never sounding as good, these gigs--now finally available commercially--are an eye-opening and curiosity-satisfying glimpse into the Doors during the earliest stage of their career. Recorded in the course of four nights at San Francisco's Matrix, just a few months after the release of the group's first album, the band runs through much of that album's material and tracks soon to come, including "My Eyes Have Seen You," "People Are Strange" and even "Crawling King Snake." While fidelity isn't top notch, it's far better than anything released previously--and an excellent document of the band just stretching out and gigging rather than coping with the enormously legacy that would soon be theirs as the voice of a generation! Welcome and highly recommended but…no nudity!

Belle & Sebastian: The BBC Sessions (Matador) One of the best bands of the last decade, Belle & Sebastian have released a flood of superb albums, singles, EPs, vinyl LPs, and probably cassettes as well! This collection, which documents the group's BBC exploits since 1996, comes in regular and "deluxe" servings--single and double CD--and is the sort of thing you'd want to have in your house and perhaps even play on occasion. It's quite good! Featuring a batch of material that only the group's staunchest fans have likely heard, it's simply the best representation yet of the high standard that have made Belle & Sebastian the voice of their generation! I'd buy two!

Sammy Hagar: Cosmic Universal Fashion (Loud & Proud/Roadrunner) The charismatic Mr. Hagar was of course a longtime member of the less-interesting version of Van Halen--the one that recorded the famous For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, a disc from which this new effort takes nominal hints--at least initially! Featured guests include his former Halen buddy Michael Anthony, Matt Sorum, Billy Duffy, and a cadre of aging Republican senators fascinated by Hagar's "red rocker" nickname and his defiant classic "I Can't Drive 55"! In the world of David Lee Roth replacements, Hagar stands head and shoulders as the true voice of a generation!

Shontelle: Shontelligence (SRP/SRC/Universal) She's gorgeous, she's from the West Indies, and she uses only her first name! She's got a great hit called "T-Shirt"! No one knows if she likes Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon"! Her debut album features tracks with great names like "Plastic People" and "I Crave You"! Is it any wonder that those in her homeland of Barbados consider her the voice of a generation? Also, she's cute!

Il Divo: The Promise (Syco/Columbia) "We still get nervous about what the reaction will be like when we release something and how people will perceive the new record," confides Il Divo's Seb--but worry no more, Seb! It's the best Il Divo record yet! Featuring "The Winner Takes It All (Va Todo Al Ganador)" and "Amazing Grace," The Promise is a dream come true for an entire generation of Il Divo fans worldwide! Still, scattered accusations of their being a "better-groomed Nickelback" are alarming!

Blake Shelton: Startin' Fires (Warner Brothers Nashville) Reports are that this a great record, but here's a hint: If you live in LA, walking into a record store this week and telling clerks you're interested in Startin' Fires might be deemed problematic!

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