evolving taste?

Finished Mass Effect 2 two days ago and I have to say it's one hell of a space adventure! I usually avoid games which are too futuristic/space-themed and also shooter games. Definitely not my cup of tea but after coming across countless praises for this game, I decided I had to give it a try! 

Lucky for gamers who do not own the Xbox360 or a gaming PC, this was released for the PS3 a few months back together with an interactive comic which summarizes the events of the first game and a few DLC packs. Great deal!

I was a bit skeptical when I first bought the game. Despite being a RPG, it still looked too much like a shooter but after 2 hours, I was convinced that I purchased the right thing because by then I was hooked. Busy completing sidequests and mining for more resources to fortify whatever necessary. 

Very diverse cast, each character comes with an interesting story. Each leaves a different impression and I like how I get to choose who to bring during missions. Though it's a shame that the romance options do not allow same sex relationships. I'm hoping this will be rectified in the third game (2012!?). Bonus points for no annoying voice acting, I actually dig the voice acting for the female main character though I haven't gotten the chance to try out a male character.

She reminds me of Angelina Jolie.

Though there are many terms which can be overwhelming to those who haven't played the first game, fear not for the dialogues and codex are both helpful. Difficulty setting is very flexible and it can be changed whenever possible though I don't plan on touching insanity....

Battles are fast-paced but I heard different approaches can be taken depending on which class you picked. The only thing which I really hate is the sub vehicle missions. The controls are awful; hence, the frustration. Hopefully they'll get rid of this in the sequel or at least improve it.

And because music is one of the top 3 things that I look for in a game, ME2 doesn't fail. The music isn't very impressive but there are a few memorable tracks here and there that invoke intense feelings when played. I just found out that Jack Wall is the composer. Now if I get to see him again live this year, I might ask him to sign my copy of ME2. That's if he's willing to, lol.  

Overall, the game is incredibly immersive. It's like how you want to rush it to know the end but when you're there you get this sad little feeling that it's all over and you're gonna miss the game. ME2 has changed my view towards shooter/space-based RPGs and right now I'm dying for more Mass Effect related things. Someone answer me why the hell is the first game not released on the PS3?

Frankly speaking I can't wait to start a second run, this time using a male character instead but for the time being I'll be busy with Yakuza 4 (was also very lucky to get a second hand copy; nevertheless, it was in perfect condition). :)

That wasn't the only thing I completed, I've also finished both seasons of Code Geass and I'm 101% sure that Lelouch and Light from Death Note are actually brothers separated at birth. If you've watched both animes, I think you'll agree with me. 

Picture taken from here.

I'm not sure which I prefer more but both are gems.  DN is darker and more twisted while CG is more emotional and there's more drama to it. Music-wise DN would win because its post-rock tracks are excellent but what the heck, why am I even comparing them? They're both of different genres though the main characters are amazing strategists.

Now what should I watch next.

rad lookin' free gift from Uniqlo

As expected, Uniqlo's second opening in Malaysia wasn't as crazy as the first one. Though I have no idea why they've chosen KLCC instead of other places, perhaps somewhere like Mid Valley or 1 Utama? (KLCC and Fahrenheit are both too far for me!) Upon arrival, Mey and I grabbed something quick for lunch then straight away proceeded to queue up. Thank God the line wasn't too long. We managed to enter the shop in less than 10 minutes.

I'm convinced that the one in Fahrenheit is bigger. There's only one floor for this, go figure. One of the main reasons I went there was to '8' and of course see if I could get any Evangelion or Metal Gear Solid shirts. Fortunately I wasn't expecting much, turns out that only stuff like Naruto, Dragon Ball and One Piece shirts were available (what's with the sudden OP craze anyways?). 

Pretty happy with my purchases, especially the free gift, which is extremely sweeeeeet! I'm no One Piece fan but hell, the design for this tumbler is sooooo my thing! Shots from different angles:

Luckily Mey pointed out that any purchase above 200 is entitled to this or else I would've missed the chance thanks to the blur cashier who didn't inform me at all.

Was also in Genting for a couple of days. It was fun! My last time there was like a few years back so I haven't gotten on the rides for a  very very long time. Still a chicken when it comes to Space Shot, and don't think I'll ever get on that. I've no idea whether it's me or the rides have really gotten shorter! They were longer and more thrilling when I went with my relatives during my secondary years. Ate too much, especially during the hotpot dinner, literally ate a few steaks in one go; so from now on I can't succumb to the makan-more-coz-its-holiday temptation.

what angered me and what didn't

I'm totally in the mood for big fat complaints.

Let's not touch on pet peeves or else I'll have too much to say.

THE 'wedding of the century' took place a few days ago.  'm aware that they are many people out there who respects or admire them in various ways and they'd hog the television / internet for hours to witness the whole ceremony because yeah it's g-r-a-n-d and very very elegant. Nothing's wrong with that but you know what totally irks me is those bunch of people who keeps telling others to watch it. 

They say things like,

"You're big already. You have to watch things like that".

"Such grand wedding ceremonies are extremely rare. You should expose yourself to such things".

They go on and on with the same points paraphrased. Stop it. 

People all have different interests and I for one have ZERO interests in weddings, let's not even drag same sex marriage into this or I'll talk non-stop. It's fine if you're so intrigued by this wedding. If that's the case go ahead and watch it and stop telling me to watch. I'm not bothered at all.

The worse thing is this. If such wedding were to happen in Malaysia (as in the Msia's royal families etc), would you even bother to watch it (assuming there's live coverage)? Be honest now. How many people would watch it? I know that I won't. But people who watched the recent wedding of the century, how many of them would watch it? It's safe to say zilch but of course I might be too presumptuous here. But then again adults that I've spoken to said that it's not worth watching the ones in Malaysia because hey, it's Malaysia so it's not gonna be as grand and it'll be boring, waste of time, bla.

Now you see why the young generation these days have no love for their own countries. As much as I talk bad about Malaysia from time to time, it IS SAD to see adults telling such things to kids. This will obviously lead to people having no love for their country. I admit that I'm not very patriotic but I believe that it's because of how I was brought up, very much due to nurture. My parents or family weren't exactly the patriotic kind and I believe most of us here didn't  grow up in patriotic families.

By telling your kids such things you're conveying the message that other countries are far more superior than Malaysia. Fast forward ten years, what would your kids think? Malaysia sucks, I wished I was born in America, in Japan, in this in that. Anyways yes, I just felt that it was quite sickening to hear such things from the adults I've talked to including my own mother. 

Moving on to happier things, watched Thor with Ann yesterday. Highly entertaining. Great blend of action and humor. Nothing much to dislike especially when there's Natalie Portman. Nothing much to shout about the story though, very straight forward. Also met Nigel and his mom at Coffee Bean, what a small world!

Maroon 5's concert was fun too, very energetic performance by the band. Great tracklist, they played most of my favourite songs including the not so well known Secret and they were pretty friendly with the audience, encouraging them to move forward. Had the chance to talk to the super Adam Levine fangirl aka Audrey for a very short while, wow her hair is loooong! 

On Sunday, there was a 3 page article in The Star (thanks to Mey who informed me about this) which covers common LGBT issues like bully, disrespect, rejection, prejudice and you get the idea. Good effort I say. It takes such actions to raise awareness. The article would be even better if they focused more on lesbians and ftms as well. Dr Goh was interviewed and judging from what he said, maybe it's safe to assume that HELP is pretty gay-friendly. Btw isn't this an excellent opportunity/timing to suggest to him about the LGBT club that we spoke of awhile ago? Anyone? :p