Hello and welcome to my personal blog. My name is Alberto or "Berto". I may deal with gaming here, comics, sci-fi or even just random thoughts on life, but hey most of us are all random anyways. I hope you guys get a kick out of the random crap here. A fair warning, I blog here when time dictates so don't expect some clockwork like schedule.

• 4Aug 07

  Transformers Afterthoughts

  After being late to the Transformers movie, I'll share my thoughts on Out of all the summer movies, this was the one I was most looking forward to. For longtime Transformers fans, there are plenty of references to the original series.

  What makes transformers so refreshing is that it keeps itself fun and simple, when most other blockbusters these days go on a plot overload which keeps the audience stuggling to keep up. The plot is paper-thin, but it works here. An average high school student Sam Witwicky and his love interest Mikaela get caught up in the war between the autobots and the decepticons.

  The Autobots are characterized very well. Each Autobot is given their own personality and traits with Optimus Prime being the noble leader, Ironhide being the commando rolling weapons nut, Ratchet being the cautious medic, Jazz being the wise cracking comic relief and Bumblebee, while not being able to talk shows a lot of humanity.

  But the plot and characterizations are not what most of you are going to see this movie for, which is the giant robots knocking seven bells out of each other and in that respect the film does not disappoint. The transformers themselves look amazing (regardless of what you may think of the new designs) and have many various moving parts and seamlessly blend in with the rest of the movie. We have to hand it to Michael Bay. Really, his effects team is outstanding and Transformers has hands-down some of the most convincing GC effects we've seen. You will believe a robot can fly.
  
  Sequences involving big things beating the stuffing out of each other is nothing new to cinema - but up to this point, there hasn't been another film that has convincingly nailed robot physics. We're talking about mammoth, supremely heavy objects here, and ILM inject tremendous physical presence into the Transformers. Regardless of your opinion on Optimus' flame decals, we think you'll be so floored by watching him carefully lift Shia up on his hands, or watching as his roadtrain cab transforms as he tears down the highway, that you'll let trivial fan-details slide.
  
  There's just something in watching cars get flipped and rolled like dominos at the hands of a Decepticon that few other action sequences can ever really come close to matching.
  
  Also impressive is Bay's insistence to include genuine stunts and set-pieces, rather than falling back, George Lucas-**** on entirely CG explosions, humans and environments. One scene, involving a bus that gets sheared in half before exploding in a shower of debris, demonstrates Transformers at its best - some of the most visceral and satisfying action we've seen in a long time. I'll also like to point out that (in my opinion) the humor great here, I was laughing so hard during the movie. This is definitely Michael Bay's finest movie yet and my favorite movie of all time.

  • Posted Aug 4, 2007 11:10 am PT
  • Category: Movies
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• 21Jul 07

  Bear Grylls Eat Your Heart Out.

  Colorado, That's where I'm heading starting today on a week long camping trip.

  Loincloth. Check. Dental Floss. Check. Bait. Check

  Bears better watch out.

  • Posted Jul 21, 2007 10:22 am PT
  • Category: General
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• 13Jul 07

  One Fanboy's E3 Journey Part 2

  One Fanboy's E3 Journey Part 2

  E3: First Impressions.

  Nintendo press conference.

  10:25 AM: Phew, after seeing Halo 3 during Microsoft press conference, I'm excited!

  10:26 AM: Jeebus, I have to wait 34 minutes till Nintendo's conference...Killzone 2 trailer!?! Oh, I'm all on that.

  11:00 AM: Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime took the stage, starting off with:

  "My name is Reggie, and I am happy," says Reggie. "To us, today is more than a press conference and a business meeting. We see today as a celebration. And by that, I don't mean just a celebration for Nintendo, but for all of us. Because we think this E3 marks a turning point..."

  He noted that Nintendo's sales figures have reached "unprecedented" levels, particularly with consumers over the age of 25 -- and claimed that women comprise one-third of the Wii's total audience of Wiimote-wranglers.

  Fils-Aime unveiled the next big Wii peripheral: the Wii Zapper which acts as a light gun-like housing for the Wiimote and the nunchuck attachment. Fils-Aime went on to describe how this peripheral could change the "dynamic" of first-person shooters, such as the upcoming Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Medal of Honor, and Ghost Squad -- all of which make copious use of the Zapper.

  Moving on, Fils-Aime discussed upcoming third-party titles like Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, Soul Calibur Legends, and Dragon Quest Swords, before moving on to the first-party games that everyone was waiting to hear about: Super Smash Bros. Brawl (releasing December 3), The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. The latter is notable for its "lock-on free aiming," which allows players to lock onto an enemy while aiming anywhere on the screen. Best FPS controls ever? That's what Nintendo claims.

  Fils-Aime also touched on Nintendo's online aspirations.

  Fils-Aime announces Mario Kart Wii with online play.

  Shigeru Miyamoto introduces WiiFit--which utilizes a new wireless pressure-sensitive sensor pad peripheral, called the Wii Balance Board (anyone getting Power Pad flashbacks?), to lead players in over 40 exercise minigames.

  The show concluded the way it began, with Reggie on stage explaining how Nintendo is and will be leading the way the industry moves. Nintendo seeks to make video games relevant to everyone, but the question remains if their new line up will be the way that further breaches the gap.
  
  I have to admit, as an avid Nintendo fan I was disappointed by the conference. No huge announcements outside of Mario Kart Wii and WiiFit. Everything else border lined in the "seen it, loved it" with the delays from Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid Prime 3 Corruption we've been seeing for the past year or two.

  • Posted Jul 13, 2007 8:30 am PT
  • Category: Games
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