The collectors Edition of Catherine comes with many goodies

Those opting to purchase Atlus new game Catherine might actually want to hold out for the Collectors Edition instead which is called "Love is Over". This version comes with some snazzy items like an art book, soundtrack, and t-shirt. They even packaged Vincents signature underwear in here. The pillow case is a bit much for me though. I can't even imagine what my girlfriend would say if she saw this pillowcase in my little ole' room. Good luck explaining that to your girlfriends, mothers, or friends, guys. Kinda borderline creepy/nerdy but hey, it has Catherine sprawled all over it. Remember to wash it people.

This "Love is Over" edition will cost ya $80 and will be out July 26th for the PS3 and Xbox 360. I previewed the demo for Xbox 360 here. Here is a little trailer for Catherine below:

The Weird but Highly Engrossing game called Catherine

Atlus is known for making odd games that usually blends a mixture of genres. My last Atlus game was Persona 3 which fused RPG elements with a dating/life sim. Odd as it is, the game was incredible. After I sold my PS2, I had no way to replay Persona 3 and I was a bit devastated. I waited and hoped that Atlus would release a new game for the Xbox 360 as a nod to my PS2 nostalgia. And they finally have.B

Catherine is their new game and it's their most oddest title to date. Yeah it's weird as hell yet it has that Atlus style all over it. I heard about this game from various game site and made sure I kept it under my radar. Just recently a demo for Catherine was released in the Xbox marketplace and I snapped it up right away. The first thing I noticed about the game was that Art direction and anime cutscene were similar to Atlus past game. Story events play out in the cut scene and in the in-game sequences. During the start of the demo, we are treated to a cutscene depicting a newscast breaking a story about a number young males being found disfigured and dead. As we cut to main story, we play as the main protagonist named Vincent. He's just your ordinary 30 something year old guy who wants a no commitment relationship with his girlfriend, Katherine. When they meet, she hints about them getting married but Vincent is reluctant to. After a few cutscene having Vincent alone at a bar, he knocks out and we enter his dream world and this is where things gets crazy.

We see Vincent in nothing but his chonnies standing on blocks that stack up high. The atmosphere is dark and brooding and it appears he's in a nightmare. Suddenly you hear a screech and a menacing creature lurking at the bottom of the blocks quickly climbs upward attempting to kill Vincent. This is the games action sequences which plays as a puzzle game. Once we are granted control of Vincent, we are told to move Vincent up the blocks. He can pull blocks and push blocks to make paths to climb. He can also hang on to the blocks and move from each visible side. There is a lot of elements to the puzzle game but it seems very simple and from the few deaths I caused for Vincent so far, it can get challenging real fast.
After the first puzzle sequence, we find Vincent alone at the bar and thus we he meets a mysterious but tantalizing young women named Catherine (yeah thats Catherine with a C). She quickly introduces herself and find a seat near him. The next morning, Vincent wakes up to find that he and Catherine spent the night together at his house. I can imagine things will only get more interesting from here.

I am definitely looking forward to this game when it releases for the PS3 and Xbox 360 on July 26.

Netflix Price Change!!

Netflix has just announced a change to their pricing structure. If you want to rent one dvd at a time unlimitedly per month, it will net you $7.99 and come sans streaming service. Another streaming-only service will also come at the same price. You can bundle unlimited dvd and streaming for $15.98 per month. Netflix's price change might be brought about by their expansion plans and pursuit to acquire new content which would demand much more money from Netflix.

So yes, this price change does suck. I'm more content with the streaming-only service because I find waiting for a dvd arrival to be a pain (even though netflix's dvd delivery system has made dvd renting much more convenient). Before, I would hang on to a dvd for the longest time before returning it. If I wanted to watch a new movie right away without waiting for the arrival of the next dvd in my queue, then I turn to Redbox. I actually dreamed of a streaming-only Netflix that offers more incredible content and new movies. Netflix better deliver after setting up this new pricing scheme.

In the end, this price change is likely to affect the more frequent dvd renting/streaming people and I'm afraid some might not stick around to see the price change take effect.

Old members will not be grandfathered into the new pricing plan. Instead, their new subscription rates won't take effect until September 1st. New members will be ushered into the new subscription models immediately.

Netflix Blog



Source: : Hacking Netflix

10-minute Gameplay for Bioshock Infinite

Here is an amazing gameplay trailer for Bioshock Infinite taken from E3 2011.



and a second brand new trailer showing 15 minutes of gameplay. This trailer shows the protagonist alongside the character Elizabeth who you are sworn to protect. It gives a glimpse into the aerial perspective and the rail mechanic. View it below



Judging from this trailer alone, I can already hear my wallet burning away what's left of my money. Damn it to those must buy video games.

J.K. Rowling's new Project: Pottermore

J.K. Rowling has a new project up her sleeve. Before news of this new project came around, I prayed and prayed that she had in the works a new novel based on the Potter World. Turns out it's not a new novel at all. Instead she shed some insight to her new project called Pottermore. Partnering with Sony, J.K. Rowling is developing a site dedicated for fans which is like a Authentic Harry Potter Encyclopedia with input from Rowling and from the fans of Harry Potter. It is intriguing of course to see what the site has to offer. Anyone starved for any written material from the author of Harry Potter will find Pottermore delightful. Currently the website only has a video of Mrs. Rowling talking a bit about Pottermore which I posted below and an email sign up. As more information turns up, I will make sure to keep you informed.



Sign up for Pottermore here

Anyone Down For a Harry Potter Movie Marathon IN theatre?

Yes you read right, all eight Harry Potter Movies playing back to back on the big silver screen, split over 2 days of course. Cinemark wanted to celebrate the last installment to the Harry Potter movie franchise by giving movie goers the ability to re-watch each movie back to back leading up til the Death Hallows part 2. Showings of the first four movies will begin on July 13th and the final four movies the following day, July 14th. Best part is that you pay just one set price. Not all theaters will be running this promotion so please check the Cinemark website here to see if your city is listed.

Dang two days to dress in kick-ass wizard attire, hell yes... nah, I'm just joshing all of ya'll about dressing up, or am I.

My friends living in Sacramento, here are the theaters that will be participating in the Harry Potter Movie Marathon:

Roseville - Century Roseville 14 & XD
Sacramento - Century 16 Greenback Lane & XD
Sacramento - Century Stadium 14

Make sure you buy you ticket soon Potter fans.

RedBox Movie of the Week: I Love You Phillip Morris

No Idea what movies to rent from Redbox? Well my 'RedBox Movie of the Week' can help.

Jim Carry in his most amusing role yet in this Drama/ Comedy. So if you don't mind Jim Carry playing a flamboyant man along side Ewan McGregor then this movie should be a great watch. Rotten Tomatoes gave it %71 rating.

Taken from the movie site at Phllip Morris Movie, here goes the sypnosis:
"I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is the improbable but true story of a spectacularly charismatic conman’s journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, brilliantly escaping from the Texas prison system on four separate occasions – all in the name of love."

Find it on Redbox here. The ratings shown on RedBox is from viewers not realizing that Jim Carry plays a gay guy in this movie. That shouldn't have any effect on the movie in my opinion. It is Rated R.

Image Source: Courtesy of movie I Love You Phillip Morris

Dont Be Afraid of the Dark: Guillermo Del Toro's next horror project

Guillermo Del Toro is a visual genius and an amazing storyteller. Each of his movies that he directed or produced, he leaves his signature mark through character design or story, and it shows. Pan's Labyrinth, I feel, embodies all aspect of Guillermo. It is a work of art and it is distinctively his own. If you compare the monsters from this movie to another film of his, Hell Boy, you can see the designs of the creatures sharing stark similarities.
Guillermo has been readying his new US horror movie, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark. From production pictures that I have seen so far, it follows in the same footstep as Pan's Labyrinth. Katie Holmes is casted as the girlfriend of Alex (played by Guy Pearce). Bailee Madison plays as Sally, Alex's young daughter, who arrives in Rhode Island to live with her father and his girlfriend in his 19th century Mansion that he is restoring. As she explores the mansion, she comes across a hidden basement that hasn't been opened for nearly a century. Opening the basement, Sally unleashes evil creatures that dwelled inside. Now it is up to Sally to try to convince her dad that their house now is host to these dark creatures.
I'm a huge fan of Haunted House horror movies and this movie seems to be that. After seeing the trailer for this movie, I instantly thought Pan's Labyrinth and I can't be more excited. For starters, we follow the story of a young girl and then the creatures resembles Guilermo's past creature design. It's a dark fantasy mixed with horror and mystery.
I believe that horror movies shouldn't just be cheap scares, but it should be able to leave a long lasting feeling of being afraid. There should be horror movies that are considered art house films (like A Tale of Two Sisters) or even be critically acclaimed. Although this movie won't be either, it should still fill the empty void of fantasy horror.

Here's a trailer of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark:


And new Images from the Movie:

Anime Expo 2011

Although I'm not that big into Japanese Animation like I was many years ago, I always wanted to attend an Anime Expo Convention. Its geeky and nerdy, but it looks pretty damn fun. Anime Expo is being hosted from July 1-4 at the L.A. Convention Center. The big draw is that everyone gets to Cosplay which is dressing up like a character from a series or video game. Let you inner fandom free here. Theres game, shows, panels, and merchandise. If you do go, make sure you bring a wad of cash. Well maybe next year I'll get a chance to go.



You can check out Anime Expo 2011 here

I'd love to see some cosplay so if you have any Anime Expo 2011 cosplay picture, you can send them to my email here or send a link on a comment and I'll post the best ones.


Image Source: LA Weekly at  link

Transformers 3: The Dark of The Moon

Explosions. Destruction. Adrenaline.
Another Michael Bay movie is out and it's the third sequel to the Transformers series, The Dark of the Moon. I just came back from this super action packed movie and I must say it is LONG. There is no shortage of action scenes in this two hour and fifty minute movie. Those expecting Megan Fox to sex up the screens will be sad to see her missing in this movie. Instead Victoria Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is the new love interest of Shia Labeouf's character. Michael Bay made sure to show that his latest transformer had every bit of fan service in it compared to his previous movies, starting with a scene showing a close up of Rosie's amazing booty as she makes her way up the stairs, all in the first 20 minutes. So yeah, Michael pretty much has 'everything' in this movie: Explosions, Robots, cheesy humor, and a super hottie.
I opted for the digital showing instead of the 3-D digital version. Personally, I'm not a big fan of 3-D movies in theaters. Most movies are converted from standard version to 3-D and the transition actually ruins the movie. 3D also takes away the realism of the movie, making the CGI look horrible. So I rather not pay that extra 3 dollars for something that isn't necessary for the enjoyment of a movie.
The CGI in this movie is incredible and the Autobots and Deceptacon look realistic. Michael Bay really stepped up in improving the technology in the movie. It looks great. The most epic scene in the movie is *spoiler, but not really since this scene is shown in trailers* when the snake-like Deceptacon wrapped itself around this tall skyscraper building and tore it down. Explosions are  more intense. Buildings, Cars, and city are all destroyed beautifully.
The story, a slight step down from the first movie, is a continuing saga, picking up from where the last Transformers: The Rise of the Fallen has left off. Optimus Prime and the Autobot crew are now working for the CIA helping fix the turmoil of man. With the Autobots busy, the Deceptacon are busy planning something huge. And huge it is. There is some small plot lines that really don't work but none of that actually affects the overall story.
Summer Action flicks can't get any bigger than this. Although the movie is long, it is pretty enjoyable and does out-do the Rise of the Fallen (but not the first Transformers).
*Side note: My girlfriend pointed it out and I think it's pretty funny. Near the end of the movie, pay attention to Rosie's shoe. Yeah, she made it through all that with those on.*

Image Courtesy: Courtesy of Michael Bay and Transformers: The Dark of the Moon