2011 Apr 07
We recently added a PS3 to our household and the first game I got was Final Fantasy XIII. Since we’ve had a Nintendo Wii, I’ve been missing out on the big Final Fantasy titles so I was pretty excited to find FF XIII for the low price of $29. I guess it’s been out over a year so it’s considered a PS3 oldie or something. Anyways the game is amazing! Visually, the 1080p graphics are stunning. The artwork is so detailed and the opening cutscene is incredible. I really like the movie-like feeling of the game. I switches from cutscenes to playable portions seamlessly and the story flows quite well. Granted I’ve only completed about 5% of the game, but the momentum and pacing seem perfect.
Like in all FF games, there’s a lot of combat in it and this worried me a little. I didn’t want to get bogged down in really intricate battles, or be turned off by fights that were stop/start turn-based. FFXIII avoids those situations by using an active-battle system, and simple menus. Basically you have a timer bar which dictates how quickly you can perform your attacks, then you have a choice of attacks to use. It’s all just one or two buttons away. The battles keep moving even if you just stand there, so there isn’t much time to dawdle. There are also battle stances called “paradigms” that you can switch to during battles. This helps out a lot because you can go into defensive mode if you need healing, or full offense if you want to deal maximum damage. These paradigm shifts are also easy to execute so you don’t waste time fumbling with the controller.
There’s so much more to the game and it’s been reviewed extensively by all the major game sites, but I have to add that the storyline is really engaging. The characters and voice-acting are excellent and the backstory is interesting. There’s a journal that you can pull up at any time that has the story explained so you don’t miss out on anything.
Right now, this is one of my favorite games and I’m trying not to go through it too quickly. I’d like to enjoy it for as long as possible! On the horizon is FFXIII 2, so hopefully I can finish the first game before the second part comes out.
2011 Mar 08
Several months ago I was talking with Bay and Koa about a funny song/video named “Eat It”. I told them it is the funny version of another song by Michael Jackson. They had never heard of Weird Al and didn’t know anything about Michael Jackson, but after watching all the Weird Al videos on YouTube and then the Michael Jackson originals, the kids were hooked — on Michael Jackson!
I downloaded the album Number Ones
from Amazon.com and it has been in heavy rotation on my iPod whenever they are in the car. I think it’s funny the songs they chose as favorites. Of course they love “Thriller” and “Beat It”, but I was surprised that Koa loves “Man in the Mirror” and Bay really likes “Dirty Diana”. Just recently we watched Michael Jackson: This Is It
on Netflix, and really enjoyed it. It’s a shame that he passed away before that Tour began because it looked like it was going to be amazing. I’m not a huge Michael Jackson fan, but I do have a lot more appreciation for him after watching that video.
Below is my favorite tune from Number Ones, “Rock With You”:
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I was obsessed with the film Diva, so when Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Betty Blue was released, it was a must that I see it in the theater. Since it was an artsy foreign film we saw it at the Bijou Theater in Hermosa Beach. I loved the movie so much that I went back to the theater a few months later and asked the manager if he had a movie poster. He went into the back room and brought it out for me! I think I still have that at my folks’ house.
The story follows the relationship of Zorg and Betty, as she slowly becomes unstable and ultimately goes insane. But despite the dark parts of the film, there’s lots of funny and touching moments. And the soundtrack is fantastic!
2010 Dec 21
I was jumping around YouTube watching music vids when I came across one of my all-time favorite songs: Ano Natsu no Hanabi by Dreams Come True. It goes back a ways! I think when I first heard this, I was making up my mind to move to Japan and this song kind of clinched it for me. I love it. Here it is from one of their amazing concerts, then the album song below, and lyrics (with rough translation) below that. Natsukashii!
Japanese
Tooku kara mune furuwasu oto ga hibiite kuru
Mushiatsui yami no mukou ga yakete iru
Senkou ga yobisamashita ano natsu no hanabi wo
Kawakaze ga hakonda kayaku no nioi wo
Hito de afureru teibou hagurenai you ni
Majika de mita juugou dama mabataki wo wasureta
Imagoro anata mo dokoka de omoidashiteru no?
Ano hi no koto
Tomodachi ni hiyaka sareta mou natsu no hajime ni wa
Futari shite hana to hoho dake yakete ita
Kawa ni ochiru hanabira ga kieteku magiwa ni
Tateru oto ga setsunakute me o sorasenakatta
Imagoro anata mo dareka to kotoshi no hanabi wo miteru no?
Chitteku kisetsu wo issho ni ikite yukeru hito mitsuketa?
Nokoru kemuri kasumu daisankaku
Shuyaku ubawareta hachigatsu no seiza
Imagoro anata mo dokoka de omoidashiteru no?
Ano natsu no hanabi wo
Kotoshi mo kirei ne ano hi to onaji you ni kagayaku hanatachi
Imagoro anata mo dokoka de chitteku kisetsu wo ikiteru
Imagoro dareka to…
English
From far away, heart-shaking sounds are echoing
steaming heat—burning in the darkness
flashes awakened—that past summer’s fireworks
carried on the river-wind, the aroma of gunpowder
Riverbank so overflowing with people, probably not able to peel off
seen nearby the #10 shell’s flash was forgotten
These days do you too, somewhere, recall… that day…
Teased by friends at the very start of summer
as a couple, only our noses and cheeks were sunburned
flower petals falling into the river, on the verge of disappearing
pattering sounds gentle, couldn’t turn my eyes away
These days are you too, with someone, seeing this year’s fireworks?
Did you find the person compatible through the falling-away seasons?
The remaining smoke, hazy Great Triangle [Altair, Vega, Deneb]
leading part taken away, August’s constellation [Sagittarius]
These days do you too, somewhere, recall… that past summer’s fireworks…
This year too, so beautiful, the same as that day, the shining blossoms
These days, are you too, somewhere, living through the falling-away seasons
These days, with someone…
Translations from DCTJoy.com
