Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds Singapore

Tickets - Singapore - May 22 & 23 - 2009

If I can sum up the experience in one word, it would be wow.

I had dreamed of watching the concert for years ever since I heard the very first concert CD in 2002. I knew that I would have to go to Japan to watch it and it was up there along with a lot of unattainable things at the time. I then in 2004, I heard that the Final Fantasy concert would then be coming to Los Angeles, but my schedule would not be able to meet it. Thus the wait continued.

Fast forward to 2009. After seven years of waiting, I was finally able to watch the concert that I had only dreamed of watching years before. I heard about the Distant Worlds tour coming to Singapore and I immediately signed up for updates, while at the same time, saving up money for the trip. Singapore was the closest and most convenient place I could watch the concert. I had to get the tickets at all costs.

Come the month of March I was reminding myself everyday of the date that the tickets would go on sale and I knew that I had to be one of the first to get tickets. I anxiously waited for 9am to come and I bought my tickets at 9:12am. Now that I had the tickets, I had to book the rest of my travel plans.

I have waited patiently for this day to come and it has. It's been a while since I watched a concert and eagerly looked forward to it. I had taken the morning flight of the concert since Singapore was only 3 hours away and the event was at night. I knew that I would have enough time to make it.

At around 5:30pm, two hours before the concert I decided to pick up the tickets. There was no line so I immediately got my tickets after showing them my passport and the credit card that was used to purchase the tickets. I signed for the tickets and headed out for dinner.



After walking around the Esplanade, we finally decided to eat at the sushi place. We quickly got through our meal and headed out to the concert hall.

Event sign

There was a stand that was selling various merchandise and I decided on the art book and the CD. I would've gotten the t-shirt if I had more cash at hand but it's ok.



Schwag

I was not disappointed with the seats that I got. You must admit this is quite a view.



Not bad a view

Of course those seated below were much luckier, Nobuo Uematsu sat in the audience!

It's been quite a while since I last saw a concert so this was very special. There was a lot of excited chatter in the concert hall until the lights dimmed and the spotlight focused on the leader of the Singapore Orchestra. He was shortly followed by Arnie Roth and then they proceeded to play Liberi Fatali from Final Fantasy 8. The screen above played edited 3D cutscenes from Final Fantasy 8. Although some were a bit repetitive, it was ok.

Mr. Roth would pause after two pieces and introduce the next one. Apparently, the playlist varies from place to place and Singapore was no different. Aside from the usual favorites such as "To Zanarkand" from Final Fantasy 10 and "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy 7, they played "Ronfaure" from Final Fantasy 11. It was quite a surprise to me since they previously have never played scenes from Final Fantasy Online. The actual concert was only an hour and half with a 20 minute intermission.

Since Singapore had a classical guitarist who was available, so they played "Vamo' alla Flamenco" from Final Fantasy 9. Local tenors and a soprano added their voices to "Maria and Draco" from Final Fantasy 6. Of course there was the wonderful chorus to sing for "Liberi Fatali" and "Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy Online.

The concert was over too soon and the audience demanded an encore. There was guy seated a few seats away from me who kept shouting. I believe he really was excited and a big fan of Uematsu-San. I guess some were a bit polite and weren't clapping enough, I decided to clap even harder for the others to get the idea of the encore. Eventually they came back of course and proceeded to play one piece. Of course we all thought that it would be what "I know you are thinking of", but instead they played "Terra's Theme" from Final Fantasy 6.

I knew it wasn't over yet since the chorus and orchestra weren't moving from their seats. Uematsu-San came back in with Arnie Roth. Uematsu spoke a few words in Mandarin Chinese which thrilled the audience and then they proceeded to do a short survey conducted by Mr. Roth and Uematsu-San on which battle theme will be in the next round of Final Fantasy Concerts.

"Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy 6 and "Jenova" from Final Fantasy 7. They will compile the results and make the decision from there. But definitely the next one is a battle theme.

All good things must come to an end and it wasn't disappointing. Uematsu-san stood with the chorus as the orchestra played "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy 7 with graphics from FF7 Advent Children filling the screens to the haunting tune.

I returned from Singapore tired but happy. I had fulfilled a dream I thought that would never come.

PSP Go!

According to 1UP.com, a new PSP is underway and will drop the UMD format and gain an internal flash drive. Still no second analog stick though. It will be first shown to gaming industry folks in this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles.

The PSP Go also known as the PSP-4000 is a major update to the handheld and will be released in Japan in September. North American fans will have to wait until November. With the loss of the UMD drive, it is also expected that Sony will unveil in Playstation Network store with 100 PSP games ready for download.

The public hasn't been kind to the PSP over the years. After a hotly anticipated launch in 2005, the price of the handheld and quality of games pretty much held back its growth compared to that of the Nintendo DS. The PSP was almost left for dead until recently where a revamped game lineup and a lower price tag is giving life back to this once promising console.

The past year hasn't been that good to Sony. The PS3 is getting it's sales figures kicked by the Wii and the Xbox in North America while the PSP is almost holding it's own against the DS in Japan but it now has to compete with the iPhone/iPod touch in the handheld gaming landscape. Piracy of the console is quite high. Maybe it is time to release a new PSP.

This PSP cannot be like the ones released in the past 12 months. They were just lighter, video out, built in microphone and so on. But not really a big jump from the original model. Which is why I'm still using the same PSP I bought four years ago compared to when the DS Lite came out which I got right off the bat. I hate the UMD format. It breaks easily and there's no cover for the part where the disc is going to be read. The UMD is worst kind of portable medium ever created. It's something you buy and give to your child.

This new PSP in my opinion is pretty much a risk for Sony. They are releasing a new handheld in depressed economic situation, dropping of the UMD (even though is a good thing), and no backward compatibility. Unless they plan on an exchange program for you to trade in your UMDs for a downloadable version or an add on for us early adopters to play these games. There must be something big under the hood of the new PSP for me to drop my soon to be legacy version for this one.

Rumor puts this announcement in E3 to be held in the summer.

Social networks is good for the workplace - experts

Facebook, YouTube at Work Make Better Employees: Study

Mind you this article came out on April 2. So this can't be an April Fool's joke. Well at least in Australia. According to a study from the University of Melbourne, employees who surf the internet at work for personal reasons are 9% more productive.

This is good news to us office dwellers who spend seemingly endless hours toiling away in airconditioned rooms and padded walls. Funny, it seems like I'm describing and entirely different place from what I intended it to be. But then I'm describing my office. What were you thinking of?

99

What is it with the number 99? Whether it be 99¢ or $99, there seems to be an attraction to the number. For the US, I understand it to be more related to taxes. But somehow through the years, one is more predisposed to buying an item that costs $99 than let's say if it were priced at an even $100. Even if the difference was just a penny.

Which brings me to the "magical" $99 console.

Back when I wasn't earning much and could only afford one console, the obvious choice was the PS2. I had wanted a Gamecube because of such innovative games such as Pikmin and Animal Crossing but it was just out of my budget. Then came the near holiday announcement of Nintendo in 2003 that they would be dropping the price of the console to $99. I then immediately went on Amazon and bought one. When the PS1 went down to $99, I got one as a back up to my existing console.

And now, the best selling console so far, the PS2 has entered into it's twilight years into the magical 99 dollar price tag. Gaming sites have called the price drop, "on the wrong console", and others, just a shrug. They already own one. Or two.

My take on the whole thing? They should've dropped the prices last year. The writing was on the wall that the PS2 wasn't selling as well as it used to. Most game development for the PS2 has either shifted to the PS3 or to other consoles. Not to mention that the PS3 didn't do so well last year compared to it's competitors.

It's never too late to drop prices on their products. It might have done them more good if they dropped the PSP to $99 as well. That would've made more sense since the DSi is coming out in North America in a couple of weeks.

As for the PS3 dropping to $99, that'll be the day.

Resistance Retribution on the PSP

The last very very good AAA game I played on the PSP was God of War and Final Fantasy Crisis Core and that was a year ago. Now I can add Resistance Retribution to that short list.

I'm not a big Resistance Fan. I didn't pick up the game when I got my PS3 and still didn't get it when it became part of the Greatest Hits line (note: lower priced). So picking this up was sort of a big thing for me.

As a newcomer to the series, the game has enough cutscenes to get you oriented with the setting and the story so far.

Controls are pretty well mapped. Although it took me a while to get used to the changing of weapons. It doesn't ruin the experience of the game. The secondary function of the weapon is a bit tricky since it involves the directional button.

Checkpoints are well placed but it can get frustrating at times when wave after wave of enemies come rushing in and the next checkpoint is still over that ridge.

Boss battles are relatively easy. (Of course I was playing easy, I don't play videogames to lose, I play to win) with exception of a few. There are times where you may run out of ammo. Let's put it this way, there are ammo boxes and health packs all over the place. Just not always where you want them. (Hello boss fights?!)

Overall it's a solid shooter and a must play on the PSP.

I have no review for multiplayer. Because of this game I may have to pickup Resistance 1 and 2 for the PS3 to unlock the additional weapons for the game.

One game, two versions, same price

Final Fantasy: Echoes of Time Gets A Release Date: News from 1UP.com

The latest money maker for Square-Enix, Final Fantasy: Echoes of Time has now been given a US release date of March 24 for the Wii and DS. Both will retail for $39.99. My next question is, "why?!?!"

I know "Final Fantasy" is a premium title. That's one of the reasons why they're charging so much but for two different platforms? It's not as if one is coming out on the Wii and then on the PS3. It's coming out on a home console and a handheld. Handheld!

This is such a pain. I guess we know now where SE is getting the money to pay off for Lara Croft.

Gamasutra - Square Enix Makes $117 Million Bid For Eidos

Final Fantasy XIII official trailer

FINAL FANTASY XIII | SQUARE ENIX

This is really late but you view the trailer from the official website or download it directly to your PS3 or Xbox360. Yes, I did say Xbox 360. It really is coming to the gaijin console. I'll be posting a review of the Japanese demo once I get my hands on it.

GI Joe The Rise Of Cobra Official Teaser Trailer in HD Superbowl Spot Ad

In the continuing trend in Hollywood to recreate my 80s childhood. I must say that I am definitely going to watch this movie when it comes out.

Just a question: why is the Baroness figured very prominently in this trailer?

Now that it's semi official...

Pissing Contest: World Tour Outsells Rock Band 2

Even though these two music games practically have the same set lists. The well established Guitar Hero managed to edge out EA's Rock Band. Now that that's settled, what about bringing Stan Bush as a DLC?

I don't care which developer does it first or even both. It doesn't bother me because I have both and have yet to finish Guitar Hero since it feels like playing all the same songs again in Rock Band 2 which includes a number of forgettable songs as well.

Please also release a utility that will read my PS2 discs so I can import them into the current version of the game and play those songs as well. Now wouldn't that be cool!

Goodbye Morgan, you will be missed

WebbAlert - Your Daily Tech Roundup

Posted on webbalert.com, Morgan Webb of Tech TV/ G4/ XPlay/ cover girl and gamer announced on her website that she will no longer continue with Webb Alert, the almost daily tech podcast. Also one of the few I listen to.

I looked forward to the Webbalert podcast to provide me with some tech news and such. I even remember her being a guest on Tekzilla on how she made the podcast.

I also found it amazing on how she made her podcast even while on the road while she went to the Tokyo Game Show among others.

It's good in a way that she's doing a lot more for G4 and X-Play being it's top gaming show. But on the other hand, is it because she doesn't have any sponsors for her show anymore. But at least she's not off the air completely. I sure do hope that she will not forget this endeavor and in the future may decide to revive Webbalert.

Now all we have to follow is X-Play and G4. I wonder if we can follow her on twitter...

Aquanaut's Holiday > Endless Ocean

Over the weekend I finally got myself into serious gaming and got to playing the Asian version of Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories for the PS3. First of all, the game is highly importable. Just make sure you are getting the Asian version. The whole game is in english and if needed, you can switch to chinese.

The graphics are amazing. It really feels like you are cruising underwater with the sound encoded in DTS adding to the atmosphere of diving.

There's a lot to see beneath the waters and a mystery to solve. My only gripe? There's no evening diving. It's like racing 24 hours in Gran Turismo, the sun is always up and doesn't change or set. It is widely known that there are varieties of fish that only come out during the night.

You can't use your own music while under water and the in-game music is something you wouldn't want to listen to outside of the game. Which is realy weird for a game that relies heavily on "atmosphere".

Getting around requires a skill since you can either navigate through all the tunnels and passageways to get around and then there's the NaSu. It's some sort of becon that you can set anywhere in any of your explored areas. You also need to buy batteries to supply the sonar buoys located all over in order to navigate properly. It's a good way of controlling the progress of the story. Sort of leading you from one plot twist after another compared to the free flowing exploration of Endless Ocean which would lead you well...endless searching for the next chapter.

But this is a game that the PS3 really needs and it's sad that there's no release date for North America. If you're looking for a really casual game on the PS3 then look no further. This is that game. Take a hint Sony.

AQUANAUT'S HOLIDAY opening


If you have the Wii, you're stuck with Endless Ocean. The plot is not as mysterious or as "dark" as Aquanauts but it takes a more relaxing turn. Filled with Enya-esque music, which I believe is better here than on the PS3. Just load up your music on an SD card and play away. Endless Occean provides a relaxing environment for diving and it really is diving with you and your dolphin friend compared to the enclosed submersible that Aquanauts puts you in.

Endless Ocean Trailer E3 2007(Wii)

But then there are the last generation graphics and the weird poking around of sea creatures. Then again, they do have the concept of time and moving around the map via your boat. Much easier than Aquanauts. But then again, how do you know where to go? Using the Wii-mote is easy and painless. Just literally point and swim in that direction.

But once you've finished the main story, there's hardly any motivation to pursue all the side quests. The only way to track your progress is to check your sea discoveries and aqua library. Aquanauts has the trophy integration thus providing us with a rough guide on what to complete next.

So if you have both consoles, I suggest you get Aquanauts for the real underwater adventure. If you want to relax, get Endless Ocean and just sit on the deck and watch the sunset. I'm not kidding, you can really do that.

But if you're a big underwater fan, then by all means get both. There's a lot to learn about the ocean and the secrets that it holds.

My road-trip mix tape

Supergirl by Saving Jane

Life is a Highway by Rascal Flats

Just drive

Other uses for your iPod Touch

iPod touch M110 sniper rifle: another reason to fear the Cult of Apple - Engadget



Posted over in Engadget, the iPod Touch was loaded with software that will help you with your marksmanship. Just fill in the blanks to know the changes that wind, weather and distance will make to your shots and fire away.

Now available in the iTunes App store so no jail breaking is required.

Most asked question I got last week, "What is Twitter?"

Life after 1UP

Game Industry Tweet

After the collapse of the 1UP podcasts there is an obvious void in my list of podcast subscriptions. So what else is there to do but follow them of twitter!

Yes folks! They're on twitter. Well not all of them, but at least most of them. For privacy purposes you'll have to search of them and dig deep into 1UP.com to find out what their twitter names are. This reminds me of the day when techtv was sold and all them went their own ways and fans like myself followed them wherever they went. I feel the same thing happening here.

The link above will take you to links to the twitter accounts of gaming industry personalities as well as journalists. I think the road ahead is pretty bright even though a lot of people don't think so. But as we learned from the first dot com bubble, there's a lot more to come from these talented folks.

Mega64: EGM Metaphors

I think this is how a lot of people feel about the closure of EGM and 1up.

Would you get an NDSi in April

Report: Nintendo DSi Gets Priced, Dated For U.S. Launch

Kotaku and IGN report that the Nintendo DSi will finally reach American hands on April 4.

Given the promise of DSi games will you buy another DS? But before we get to that, Nintendo has to fix certain things about the DSi before they even bring to the US.



1. Battery life. The bigger screen and the smaller form factor has somewhat diminished it's battery life as well. Thus bringing the handeheld into PSP battery life territory which isn't good.

2. Cheap camera. Reason why I wouldn't get an iPhone. Cheap camera. Reason why I got the Nokia N95, 5MP camera. Simple as thath.

3. No web browser. What's with the camera and built in wifi and all if I can't share it with my friends who aren't near me.

4. DSi is region locked. I love games from both sides of the Pacific. Why does Nintendo have these limitations on the DSi. This is a first in their history of handhelds which did not have region locks until today. Region unlocked units would make it easier to sell units across the ocean without localization problems. And how many actual users really want Japanese games in the west? I wouldn't get the game if I didn't feel it was worth it. I'm still for region free gaming.

5. All this for $180. Yes $180. That's $50 than the current DS Lite.

6. No GBA port. Yes, Japan thinks you won't play GBA games anymore. That new Guitar Hero fret bar. Wont work. The rumble pack for Metroid Pinball? Wont work. The data expansion pack for Opera. Wont work. You just got screwed.

7. Wii points and DSi points are different. This means these are separate purchases. Wha?

So are you still going to get the NDSi. Maybe if you already own the original DS and DS Lite. But if this is your first DS, I wouldn't recommend it. Just too many things so wrong about it right now. They should take their time to bring out the right product. Don't rush out to buy this. As with other machines, the first generation is usually buggy. And this one is really buggy.

The appeal of fighting games

I'm not a big fighting game fan. I only get into it casually when the need arises. I skipped the whole Virtual Fighter series when it came out and everyone was flocking to the arcades. There were a few instances I went to the arcade. There was one time in college where we spent the whole afternoon just playing Darkstalkers.

Darkstalkers

I had no idea what I was playing or what buttons I was pressing but as long as I was having fun I don't see anything wrong with that. I got myself a Dreamcast shortly before it died due to Shenmue but the office favorite was Soul Calibur. Also an office favorite was Tekken 3 on the PS One which everyone thoroughly enjoyed. I do mean everyone.

We would wait for hours for our turn on the machines at work so what better way to get through the day with a few rounds of Tekken or Soul Calibur. Marvel vd. Capcom wasn't that popular among the casual gamers. But Soul Calibur was so popular that we weren't playing anything else in the office. After that era was gone, so was my interest in fighting games.

The only thrill I got from fighting games was the high you would get when fighting another person side by side and not over the network. There was some pleasure derived from button mashing whatever button that was under my fingers and seeing amazing combos come into play.

Ah yes those were the days and now I'm feeling a little nostalgic. Especially when I saw this.

勝つための必須アイテム!? 『ストリートファイターIV スティック』

This is the PS3 wireless version from Hori.





Followed by the wired Xbox 360 model.

These pictures sure are pretty and remind me of those old arcades and the fun I had back then. It seems only prudent for me to buy the control sticks if I buy the game.

Just to let you know, I haven't decided just yet.

Can the Palm Pre make you drop your iPhone?

I must admit I was a bit curious when Palm announced after the New Year that they had something special at CES 2009. I didn't think about it much since they've been shooting themselves in the foot for the past seven years. That was until I saw the Pre.

It's a smart phone with a whole new OS and style.

Palm Pre UI demo (1 of 5)

There's a lot to love about the phone but at the same time I've got the same amount of reservations. One, I've totally separated my life from Palm. My one and only PDA was the Palm IIIc (the first colored one) and it was the best. It carried me through work until the day I completely forgot about it. Also known as, it stopped being relevant for me at the time. That would be in 2003 when I purchased my first laptop. Updates were slow and getting frustrating. I wanted a music player but it wasn't a music player. I wanted to surf the internet on it even on a cheap wifi connection or tethered on my mobile phone, it wasn't possible without a slew of add ons. Sadly I had to let go and move on. In other words, I'm afraid that the world will move again in two years and Palm might not be along for the ride again.

Two, the their track record as a company saddens me. From an unsurmountable market share in late 90s which resembles the current iPod atmoshpere to a paltry single digit share of the current smartphone market, let alone PDA. I just hope they don't lose steam or focus on what they need to do to be relevant again.

Three, where's the push email? The iPhone has MobileMe and RIM has the Blackberry, where is yours Palm? For business type people who will want this phone will want their push email.

All in all it's the iPhone + G1 = Pre. It has the openness development of the G1 and locked down apps of the iPhone but in a Palm package.

It's too early to say if this will be an iPhone killer or a G1 killer. Let's just say I'm glad I haven't bought a new phone yet.

What can a little flower do?

From the same studio that brought "flow" into the PS3, this time they are about to bring "flower" as well. If flow brought you under the sea, flower will bring you the wind as you use the sixaxis to navigate from flower to flower collecting petals along the way. If you're good enough, maybe a little music.

It is sad that very few games on the PS3 take advantage of the sixaxis let alone the motion controls. Sure it's no Wiimote but "flow" very much captured the principle of it. Heavenly Sword tried to but I can say that "flower" is a great game to use it on. I don't think you can play it anywhere else.

Very much like "flow", it's a relaxing game. No enemies, nothing to shoot, you don't die. It's something to take the stress off everyday gaming or even from the world. It's a casual game that has the ability to bring in hardcore gamers as well.

It's on my list of highly anticipated games for 2009 and a definite must buy for any owner of the console. I'll post a more detailed review when it comes out sometime in 2009. Hopefully.

Flower 'Painting' gameplay HD