The wait is finally over for the West to grab their hands on one of the most anticipated games for 2010, Bayonetta. As a global release (US, EU and AUS) last week, I manged to grab my copy last Thursday to ensure I had a high chance in grabbing the exclusive collectors item of the Scarborough Fair Gun along with my Climax edition. :)

Credit goes to one of my team leaders for allowing me to take an extended lunch break or I would’ve missed out. He knew what I was coming back with. LOL

cd soundtrack

As many are already aware, the Climax edition contains more than just the game as it also includes a 36 page hardcover artbook and a CD soundtrack featuring 6 songs packed in a slipcase. When the game was first released in Japan a few months back, I didn’t see any collectors edition or any other special items bundled with the game so with SEGA  approach in releasing a collectors (climax) edition to it’s western region is a nice way in saying thanks it’s people for the wait. Heck, I was close in picking up my Japanese version from Play-asia but I’m very happy the patience has paid off even if I had to fork out a couple more bucks for the climax edition other than the game alone.

Artbook

After digging into the game for a couple of hours, I can honestly say this is the most wildest game I have ever played. The story is original and captivating and the fight scenes are just wicked and crazy at times. One moment you could be fighting angels and demons and the next moment you could be facing a boss 10 times the size of you and at times, there are critical moments where it’s either life or death so if your caught off guard for a split second, game over. :)
The gameplay is fun and easy to learn. At first I had doubts in being able to play such a fast paced game with so many different executions of attacks and combos to learn but SEGA made it very easy with a 2 button combination setup and with over 30 different combination of attacks, your likely to hit one on the spot. I guess the difficulty is knowing the attacks you did since there are just too many to remember. lol

Finally, a look at the exclusive Scarborough Fair Gun. Please note once again, the gun is not included with the climax edition as it’s a standalone item. At a few stores for example eb games, the gun was only available for people who preordered the climax edition but if you were lucky to be able to buy the climax edition on the day it was released, you would’ve had a good chance in grabbing one like I did at jb-hifi.

You can slight see the rough finish. :(

Overall, the gun was a nice collectors item to have but the quality was very disappointing. The paint job looks sloppy and the colours are kinda off. If you look closely at the paint job, you can see the colours are not in between the lines and what you can’t see is the paint feels very rough. It’s not a polish finish as I would expect it to be but given the fact it’s a limited collectible, it’s should’ve been at least an above average quality but I can’t even label that. Even the colours doesn’t help in improving that polish finish as I mentioned earlier, they look kinda off. You can’t see it well because of the lighting during the times of these shots but the guns has this goldenish colour but what we get is a dark yellow that looks like mustard. At least I find they got the other colour right but if they worked on the quality a bit more, I wouldn’t bother at all about the colours since quality is my top agenda.
On a whole, I didn’t pay a cent for the gun and I consider it as a free gift so I’m not too picky about it. It’s nice to see something game related in the living room. :D

Something random. :)

For the price of $118AUD for the Climax Edition with the gun, it was indeed worth every cent but I understand it’s pricey for some. The game alone is $98AUD RRP and honestly, it’s worth every cent. If adventure and fighting are your type of genres then this game is a MUST HAVE!!! Reviews has been positive all the way and if this game was released before the end of 09, it would’ve been a serious contender for the game of the year. ^^

Launch Trailer

Yesterday I received my batch of DVD’s from rightstuf.com after it was backlogged for quite some time. In addition, I headed to my local Kinokuniya before work to pick my usual magazines and see what else they have interesting on the shelf. After that, I hoped downstairs and headed to JB-Hifi to pick up a certain PS3 game that was released today.

So what Anime DVD’s, magazines and PS3 game I got, lets jump into it together shall we. :D

First up, the 4 boxset from rightstuf is as shown as above. They are:

• Rozen Maiden: Traumend
• Gunslinger Girl: Teatrino
• School Rumble Season 1 + OVA (Extra Class)
• Sola

To begin with, the Sola boxset is not mine, it’s an order for a friend. He’s been waiting for the Sola boxset for a long time and considering he doesn’t want to go through all the registration work in signing up and verifying your credit etc. he wanted me to add it into my order. I didn’t mind considering the shipping is cheap when you buy anymore than 1 item regardless if it’s 1 DVD or 1 boxset. Still, the US is better off as postage is free there at a certain limit.

Gunslinger Girl: Teatrino and School Rumble Season 1 was picked up from the Funimation sale they had early last month. Intentionally I was planning to pick up School Rumble locally but the price here is not as welcoming as the price during the sale. Considering the Aussie exchange rate is good now, I still save heaps. Gunslinger Girl: Teatrino was a no-brainier as I’m a big fanboy of the series and as for Rozen Maiden: Traumend, it was another no-brainier considering I’m a huge fanboy of the series as well. Saw it in the weekly specials bin so why not as it was half price as well. ^^

Next up is the 2 magazines from Kinokuniya. As seen above, they are:

• Nyantype Vol. 3
• Megami Magazine Vol. 114

Unfortunately I missed out on Megami Vol. 113. I knew I had a chance to pick it up if I went to Kino during that week it was in stock but I couldn’t be bothered and I decided not to as I kinda went over budget last month. Despite that, there was really only one poster I wanted in that issue and to my surprise, it has reappeared in this volume but in a different format.
I’m just happy (and lucky) I didn’t need to pay $24 bucks just to get it. You will find out soon what it is. xD

Last but not least, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 was the PS3 game I picked up at JB-Hifi. I decided to grab the collector’s edition for an extra $20 bucks and wow, it was sooooooo worth it.

The collector’s edition comes with a mini artbook/comic book which includes a little mini -strategy guide inside and the OST. Flicking through the artbook, there are some top-notch illustrations and the comic segment is pretty good. In addition, it includes a segment about the creators of the game. I can tell you, this book alone is worth more than $20 bucks and considering it’s bundled with the OST, your looking at a value of $50 bucks for just an extra $20. The game alone will cost you $95~$100AUD so why not go for the collector’s edition?

Each collector’s edition comes with a code to download a free costume. ^^

I would suggest to get it now before it’s too late as I’m sure they will sell like hotdogs. :)

Well that’s it for the week. I’ve got another 3 shift long weekend coming up and considering it’s not a long weekend compared to last week, it is for me and I need to be mentally prepared for it. -_-

Just giving you guys and gals a heads up that this weekend I will be attending my 2nd Sydney Anime and Manga Show (SMASH!) at the University of New South Wales. Off course I will doing my own little coverage for it so look forward to it early next week.
Unfortunately, this year is 2 day weekend event and I will be only be there on the Saturday. Because I support clients in the medical field, we provide a 24/7 service, hence I’m required there at least 1 day on a weekend. That’s according to how the schedule is structured at the moment. -_-

So if your there on the Saturday then I will see you there. I will be wearing my Dingo bag attached with an Alvis keychain from Last Exile. I will likely be hanging out with Koshiko and Adun as well so find them and you will find me. xD

In other news, I picked up 2 magazines yesterday night at Kino when I met up with M12. I had to make it quick as he was starving waiting for me. lol
As you can see they are:

• Megami Magazine Vol. 112
• Nyantype Vol. 2

Source: Gamespot

I was intending to review Vol. 112 today but Street Fighter IV kept me busy the whole entire day. I was so into it, I didn’t realised my thumb was hurting after 4 hours later. Despite the pain, I still kept going and now they are red sore. -_-
Let’s just say, I haven’t had a good time playing Street Fighter for a while now and I’m gearing for a re-match with my workmate. I’m down 2-0 at the moment but I’m confident I can beat him in the best of 10 rounds. *fingers cross* xD

Source: Gamespot

My favourite (and most used character now) is Sakura so if you feel like having a round or 2 with me, please feel free and add my PSN ID “MrBigGaz” without the quotation. Just do me a favor and mention it here so I know who you are. :)

E3 09 has come and gone but that doesn’t mean the excitement has left us all. Well, not to me that is. ^^

There was a lot of awesome games announced at this year event. While I was impressed with most of them, quite a few surprised me and many others just blew me away.
I’m just gonna touch base on the ones I’m really looking forward to. Theses are the ones which impressed me the most where I can’t wait and get my hands on.

(Note: Games featured below are either on the PS3, Wii and DS as they are the consoles I have. Even though there was some great PC games announced, I won’t be naming them as I already retired from PC gaming. Considering I won’t be playing them, I don’t see the point mentioning them.)

Bayonetta

Devil Man Cry anyone!? I’ve heard this game gameplay style is similar to DMC. Despite not played the DMC games, I’m really looking forward to this one. The trailer just blew me away and the gameplay style looks EPIC.

Super Mario Galaxy 2

After loving the 1st one, I can’t wait for 2nd one. This time, Yoshi is in and you can ride him through the galaxy which is cool. One thing I would like to suggest is to make the bosses a bit more challenging. They were just too easy in the 1st one.

Metroid: Other M

I bet a lot of people didn’t expect this one when Nintendo announced it towards the end of their conference. I didn’t expect another Metroid game to be out for a long time after Corruption. Still, this will be one game fans will be raving about. It’s said, it will be a whole new metroid experience and that alone has got me excited. With the Wii MotionPlus  coming out soon, I betcha they will take advantage of it and give players that whole new experience. ^^

Final Fantasy XIII

Yup, the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII game is almost upon us. 360 owners has something to smile about as well as it was announced at last year E3, the game will not be a PS3 exclusive. What makes this game special to me is, it will be my first ever FF game on the playstation system. Having not owned the PSOne and PS2, I know I’ve missed out on a lot of classic FF games but that’s all about change from this point onwards. No  more missing out on the fun or watching from behind. Living that FF experience is playing it. ^^

Final Fantasy XIV

Another big surprise from Sony press conference where it caught everyone off guard. Final Fantasy XIII is not even officially out yet and now they bring out FF XIV. Kinda skeptical on this one as I don’t wanna think to far ahead but looking at the first trailer, it does look promising and it’s online as well. I guess I will wait for more news to come on this one.

Final Fantasy CC: The Crystal Bearers

Okay, the gamecube version was kind of a letdown but this one does look very good and fun to play with. I think a has a good solid storyline and the battle controls looks pretty funky as well. Definitely getting it to try it out. If I don’t like it I can always trade it back but I hope that won’t be the case.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Not really a Castlevania fan but seeing the trailer with some gameplay footage has made my jaws drop. One word: EPIC.
I can’t wait. Could be one of the best games on the PS3 or the 360.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days

Not really a big Kingdom Hearts fan but I am looking forward to this one. I’ve played the original GBA version of “Chains of Memories”  and I really liked it despite not being able to finish the game. Let’s just say, I had a hard time playing my cards right at the final boss if you get what I mean. >_<

Golden Sun DS

Yes, I know a lot of people will be looking forward to this one. I never got a chance to play the original on the GBA but i read it was one of the best RPG’s ever. Well, it’s never too late to get started huh. xD

Well, I know there is plenty more to mention and this post can go on forever but I know I will be boring you (unless you were already bored halfway through lol). It’s gonna be an expensive financial year to come and I don’t think I can afford all them unless I make some certain cut backs. >_>
Might need to get a 2nd job to fun my gaming needs. LOL

So which game are you most looking forward to? Any surprises that made your jaws drop? xD

Did a bit of game shopping with my brother  today.

As seen above, I picked up Dynasty Warriors 6 on the PS3 and he picked up 007:  Quantum of Solace on the Wii.

EB games is currently having a big sale. They always have these big sales around this time every year where they slash $30 to 1/2 of the RRP price. I assume every EB store around the world have these sales so it’s not uncommon not to take notice.

I have yet to play either one of them but I read some mixed reviews on both. Dynasty Warriors was one of those PS games I enjoy but never really got into it. Considering the PS3 is my first PS console I have ever owned, it’s hard to follow on a good series when I don’t have a PS2 to play on. Playing the past Dynasty Warriors games at my cousins place was the only brief enjoyment I have on the series. Now all that’s about to change and I’m not only just talking about Dynasty Warriors. ^^ *holds the urge in not screaming out FFXIII* xD

As for Quantum of Solace, I have yet to watch the movie so I wanna watch that before playing the game. What’s unique about the gameplay is the Wii-Zapper can be used. It was one of unique features which got him interested and me, finding about it today has got me pretty excited as well. ^^

Speaking of games, I should finish Eternal Sonata first. I’m playing the mystery stage called something Union and it’s freakin’ hard. After that, it’s the last boss of the game.

So which games are you playing at the moment?

Readers can check out the trailer.

Dynasty Warriors 6

007: Quantum of Solace

Over the pass week or 2, I’ve seen some impressive rooms over many blogs  at Dannychoo.  Some were great and some just made me blink twice. xD
Well, without further holding back, let’s take a tour in my one. ^^

After the renovation several months ago, I’ve been taking my sweet ass time putting everything back out. While all of my scale figures are on display, I’m working slowly to unbox and display my figmas and sticking my posters up. As this is the 1st Version of my room post, I will give a 2nd Version when everything looks more complete.

My double bed where I do all of my Artbooks and Magazines Reviews. A few posters and my main bookcase.

My 2 bookcases which holds almost all of my goods and the Aoi Sakuraba sexy wallscroll.  (closer look below)

All of my figmas are on the top shelf or still in the box. I have like 16 which I have yet to open. 0_0

A closer look at my top 2 shelves

I've made some more room for future figures. xD

Entire DVD collection. I've lost count to be honest. lol

Games and more DVD's (not anime related)

My desk is kinda dull at the moment. You can see my desk setup before the renovation.

Posters and Jigoku Shoujo Wallscroll

The signed copy of the Gunslinger Girl Limited Autographed Lithograph where I picked up from Rightstuf.

You can't miss her when you exit my room. ^_______^

Well, that’s about it for now.
It’s not as big as it looks but it sure is cosy. xD