The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was a piece of shit.

Gamespot's review for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword received tons of backlash from fans. I actually thought their score of 7.5 was TOO generous. Sigh, Zelda fanboys. They're like the Apple community. They're like Michael Jordan jockers. If you have any experience with these types of people, you know what I mean.

Man, I thought Twilight Princess sucked hard. I couldn't imagine Nintendo making more crap out of their flagship series. I was proven wrong with Skyward Sword. My goodness this game started out slow. SLOW. Only to set you up for one of the most irritating game experiences in the history of the medium.

How can you bozos out there think that Skyward Sword was a masterpiece? So apparently to many of you, a perfect 10 game is one where your hand is held all the time, everything is repeated at least twice by an annoying sidekick, "exploration" being mandatory repetitive fetch quests and backtracking for petty reasons, frustrating motion controls, and tedious traveling mechanics. Wow, sounds like buckets of fun! NOT.

Let's look at the "masterful" gameplay of Skyward Sword: "Ah, motion controls! A gaming novelty that forced me to spend $30 on a new controller just to play this game. ::Enemy approaches:: Die! (wack wack wack) Oh wait, THIS swing will work.. (wack wack) ::enemy dies:: Aw, no hearts, no money? Up yours. (plays more) Okay, my arm is tired, I don't want to fight anymore. ::Another enemy approaches:: Okay go away, swinging this damn controller is getting exhausting and old. Gah, I miss actual buttons now! And I wish there was some kind of real payoff to all these repetitive, tiring, unrewarding battles! ::Yet another enemy approaches:: Okay these stupid mindless fights just keep interrupting the game, I just want to get on with the main quest already. But the power-off button is feeling more of an attractive option at this point..."

The same feeling goes with the stupid dowsing sections. I reach an interesting-looking area that I want to look into more, only to be forced to do some long-winded favor for some NPC I don't care for. Awesome: not only does the actual game halt for a while (which happens again and again), I know I also get to engage in MORE tiring fights. You Zelda jockers find this shit fun? It's not fun, it's WORK. I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't play video games to do work. By the time I reached the 3rd area of the game, I was already feeling the grind. If I wanted to do chores, I would've signed up for a slave labor camp.

But wait, there are NEW features in Skyward Sword! Like.. ::drumroll:: ..the STAMINA METER! Big whoop. I was sure Nintendo will place idiot-proof areas throughout the game that will allow (force) you to use this tacked-on feature to effortless effect. And of course I was right: "Hmm, it appears that Nintendo cleverly designed this cliff to give you enough room so that the stamina meter won't entirely run out on you. Brilliant!" Not. Then Nintendo decides it was a lovely idea to put upgrade-able items in the game. Great, MORE work. Nice way to pad up this piece of crap title even more.

If repetitive, padded, idiot-proof play mechanics wasn't enough, there's Skyward Sword's disjointed overworld. I'd rather mindlessly sail and shift winds for 30 straight days in The Wind Waker than put up with Skyward Sword's ridiculously choppy travel system. There's no convenient flow to getting around in the game and the overworld design is just illusory vastness. And do we HAVE to keep doing activation swings with the controller just to get around? Considering the number of times the game forces you to travel.

It's hard to enjoy yourself in this game. Something is always blabbering away, something always needs a motion control, something always needs to boss you around to do trivial shit, something always gets in the way and interrupts any flow that will possibly save this trainwreck of a game. Having sex is an infinitely better option than to play Skyward Sword.

One of the worst video games I've ever played. Goodnight.

The only franchises that validate the overrated Nintendo

Something about Nintendo's games just don't "grab" me. I always feel there's something missing in them, something in their design philosophy that is continuously off-putting. They just don't strike a chord with me the same way Sega and SNK games do. There's this distinct lack of finesse, depth, personality, risk, and payoff in Nintendo games. Sorry fanboys, it has to be said.

In the NES era, I wasn't a big fan of Mario. Nor did I care much for Duck Hunt, Ice Climbers, Excitebike, Donkey Kong, Punch-Out.. pretty much any of the flagship Nintendo titles that everybody had. Nintendo was fortunate to have Square, Konami, Capcom, Taito, Namco, and Tecmo on board to make up for it. Even on the SNES, which games were the ones worth noting? Again, the games made by the developers mentioned above. I realized the main reason why I own Nintendo's consoles in the first place is because of the other companies' games.

I was a fan of Zelda for a long time, until 2002's Wind Waker (the last Zelda game worth its attention). I've sworn off the series since then. I could never get into Metroid, and while Super Metroid is a classic, I still felt it lacked the atmosphere achieved by Dracula X and the smooth platforming mechanics of Shinobi. Then there's Pokemon. Well I gotta admit I enjoyed the cartoon as a kid. But that's all I have to say about Pokemon.

So which series of games DO I like from Nintendo? Well here's a short list of what I think are good Nintendo franchises that they should be investing more into:

1. Pikmin

Now here's a franchise that is fresh, charming, and distinct. Terrific design. You really feel for the Pikmin. You can't really put Pikmin into a specific genre, but that's why it's good: it defies conventional design.

2. Pilotwings

A very fun simulator series. I've always loved the different tasks and situations and all the uniquely designed maps; the replay value seemed endless. That's the sign of a good game.

3. Mario Paint

No, this is not a Mario game, more like a brilliant game slapped with Mario's face on it. Its sequel, Mario Artist, was released for the 64DD and some features were carried into the WarioWare series.

4. Advance Wars

This is actually a sub-series in the Nintendo Wars lineup of games, but it's the most known and well-loved. A very fun, addictive turn-based war game. Quite a handheld achievement.

Now, I'm actually fond of F-Zero and Star Fox, but the way Nintendo has handled those two franchises has been suspicious for a while. I guess I can't ask for too much considering they peaked at their N64 incarnations, in my opinion. It's safe to say I can swear off those franchises the same way I did Zelda.

So there you have it. Let the flaming commence.

Movie spotlight #1: Kundun

So I'm gonna start a mini-series of reviews of movies that I personally like and recommend. These are movies that have always stood out to me, and movies that, in my personal view, take the medium of film to another level.

Kundun, 1997

Kundun was film directed by Martin Scorsese and was released in 1997. I first watched this film as a pre-teen; I don't remember exactly what year but I reckon it was some time in late 90's. The remarkable thing about this film is the personell behind it: Scorsese was its director. I became a fan of his when I first saw GoodFellas earlier in the decade (the first film to truly "shock" me, the little inexperienced kid that I was then).

Kundun was Scorsese's film after 1995's Casino, another mobster epic akin to 1990's GoodFellas, but the style of Kundun is totally unlike those movies. And unlike Scorsese himself, for that matter. For starters, none of the primary cast members are professional actors. For a directing career full of star-studded films, Scorsese's approach with Kundun seemed risky in a good way, almost admirable. But that's the thing: the movie wouldn't have been half of what it was if it full of Hollywood. This gives the movie a more honest heart about its subject matter.

Kundun is a visual and meditative film. Its hypnotic narrative style, fittingly, feels like a manifestation of the Tibetan Buddhist theme. It tells the story of the 14th Dalai Lama, the current one we know today, from his holy anointment as a child to being a marked man in exile. While most movies explicitly talk you through the story and the characters, Kundun makes you feel the story and characters. It puts you in the heart of Tibet's struggles with change, with grisly dream-like sequences that evoke the young Dalai Lama's worries and fears about his people.  

One of the the film's beloved qualities is its grand musical score, which was composed by minimalist titan Philip Glass. Glass (a Buddhist, by the way) injected his trademark musical style with Buddhist instrumental and vocal influences. The resulting effect is genius; a match made in heaven. The music is exotic, reflective, and tragic, like the story itself. It's difficult to imagine the movie without Glass's music, and vice-versa. The music certainly made half the movie.

Kundun isn't a film for everyone, but I still say give it a shot. Not only is it a haunting historical tale of one of mankind's most intriguing figures, it's also a love letter to Tibetan Buddhism and it shows in the feel and presentation. You won't find many movies where sound and picture come together so brilliantly. I don't mind if it's one of Scorsese's less popular films; hidden treasures tend to be more cherished when not as exposed.

I'm in the James Bond spirit

Markee's Breakfast Smoothie

Markee's Breakfast Smoothie

Got no time to cook and eat breakfast? Here's a nice meal replacement drink that is tasty and filling if you're on-the-go:

2 cups of whole milk 

1 banana

1 and a half tablespoons of peanut butter
1 tablespoon of almond butter

Half a cup of rolled oats

1 teaspoon of Nutella

1 teaspoon of chocolate protein powder 

Half a teaspoon of honey

Half a tablespoon of cinnamon

Ice

Blend all ingredients and enjoy!

Goodbye, summer

I approached my friend Tse to do this video. It was a time when I noticed she was into photography, which I respect, and at the same time, I had some music inside me I wanted to get out. I felt both artforms could mutually come together as one. This project (haphazardly named "Lonely Summer"; fitting eh?) was the result. Special thanks to her for helping to make this idea a reality. Her blog can be read here.

In the end, all we have with us are memories. Even if any of us disappear tomorrow, we still did something together. Never stop creating memories. There will be good and bad ones, but all memories shape us into who we are. It was a very lonely summer, but at least we immortalized its memory.

Interesting album covers

Dream Theater - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory (1999)

My personal favorite album from progressive metal band Dream Theater happens to have one of my all-time favorite album covers. It's an assembly of photographs united to form a human face set against an eerie dark backdrop. Simple yet effective; very fitting for the album's story-driven lyrical content. The cover art was designed by Dave McKean.

Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970)

Eric Clapton hid behind the alias of "Derek" for this album, which was basically a collection of love letters to Patti Boyd, the then-wife of George Harrison. I've always been intrigued by its cover art: it's stark yet colorful, with an air of mystery to it. It's like one of those photo albums tucked away on the shelf you want to open up and discover the stories inside it. 

Pink Floyd - Animals (1977)

One of the greatest concept albums of all time, it's only appropriate that Animals has an iconic cover. Upon first glance, you would think that it's a painting, but it's not. It's a real place: the Battersea Power Station in South West London. What really makes this picture is the pig floating between the two smokestacks. Those who know the music know its significance.

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew (1969)

Miles Davis dropped a bomb on the Jazz world when he released this album; it shouldn't be a coincidence that it had one hell of a cover. I honestly don't know what the cover art is trying to convey, but it's as shocking and brilliant as the music itself, which I can only describe as a soundtrack to a nightmare. Genius stuff. Ahead of its time. 

Michael Jackson - Dangerous (1991)

By far, Michael Jackson's wildest cover art out of all of his albums. There are so many things going on here, it's almost overwhelming. This came during a time when Michael was going through a lot of public scrutiny, and, as an artist who never shied away from expressing himself, released this. The cryptic images that litter the artwork still fascinate today. 

Iron Maiden - Powerslave (1984)

Now this is an epic album cover. Iron Maiden has always had a knack for great album cover art, but this one is my favorite. The band's mascot, Eddie the Head, is portrayed here in a different manner than all the other albums, woven into the scenery and theme with such convincing authority. The art itself is beautiful; it's not as creepy as Killers or The Number of the Beast, but just as metal. \m/

Meat Loaf - Bat Out of Hell (1977)

Meat Loaf always has great cover art for his albums, but in choosing only one, I gotta go with the one that started it all. Bat Out of Hell has one of most classic covers in music history- the indelible image of a Herculean man bursting out of the depths of hell on a motorcycle. Can you get any more badass than that?