BioShock: Infinite "Lamb of Columbia" Trailer

Irrational Games released today a new trailer for BioShock: Infinite called Lamb of Columbia. In the floating city of Columbia, there's a lot of mystery - The city's history, the people who live there, the civil war in Columbia, that damn songbird we keep seeing, and more importantly, Elizabeth. 

Together with the release of the new trailer, Irrational Games announced that BioShock: Infinite has finally gone gold. It's finally done, and all that's left to do is mass production of the final product. It's been in development for five years, and I just can't wait to experience the world of this new BioShock game.

BioShock: Infinite is out on March 26 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Recent Buys: Episode 21 - Asura's Revengeance

Even though I've been out of commision for about a week due to computer problems but that hasn't stopped the video game purchases. This iteration of 'Recent Buys' is a bit crazier than usual, not just because of the intense anime violence in the new games I got but because of the fact that I got so much stuff in such a short amount of time.

Starting off with the videogames. I pre-ordered Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on the day before release because I only found out about the pre-order that very same day. I've been asking the people in Datablitz about it constantly but all they've ever told me was that there were no pre-orders for it and that you could get a poster if you get the game early on it's release day. Apparently the pre-order only started the weekend before release, giving you only 4 days to pre-order. Datablitz pre-ordering system gripes aside, I did get the game, a poster and 2 costume DLC codes codes. One of the costumes being the Metal Gear Solid Grey Fox Cyborg Ninja skin and the Commando Armor which is the same Revengeance body but with a jungle camo pattern.

Next up for the videogames is the rage filled, multi-armed (literally) Asura's Wrath. When this game first came out, I believe it went for 1800php and as much as I wanted to play the game, I thought that the price was way to high for what little content the game actually has. Right now, it's going for half the price at Datablitz which I think is a fantastic deal. I might get the Street Fighter IV DLC for this game but most likely after I beat the main story and if the game does leave me craving for more "surface of the Moon" fights.

Now on to something that I don't usually get, gaming accessories. Both of the items that I got were purely impulse buys. Well, impulse buys that I contemplated about purchasing which lead to repeated trips to Datablitz before convincing myself to buying them. Yes, I don't handle money well. First of is my first ever gaming headset. I mean I've bought headsets and headphones before but none with the words "gaming headset" on the box. This is the Dragon War Garand 4-in-1 Professional Gaming Headset. 4-in-1 because the box says that it works on PS3, Xbox360, PC and Wii. The whole 4-in-1 thing didn't really catch my attention as I just wanted a USB headset for my PS3 and PC. what did catch my attention was it's unique connectors. The headset has 2 RCA audio male input jacks which have female RCA audio inputs behind them. It's a little hard to picture because it's something that I've never seen before but once you see it, you'll get it. I got this headset from Datablitz for 1590php (cash) and offers 5.1 surround sound.

This last one I got purely out of curiosity and bought just because I had a bit of money on me. It is the Gioteck AC-1 Ammoclip Ultra Slim Charging Station for PS3 (quite a mouthfull to say). Basically it's a PS3 controller charging base that, when folded up, looks like a steelbook case for a PS3 game. Simple as that. Nothing more, nothing less.

That's it for this episode of my Recent Buys. Hope you guys enjoyed reading about my hauls. You can tell us about your hauls in the comments section. Who knows when the next Recent Buys post will happen but there are a lot of games coming out so it'll probably happen sooner than you think.

Pick 5: Games that could join the PS4 reveal

The big meeting from Sony is tomorrow and everybody (including me)suspects this is will be a console reveal. For a few minutes, let's just all assume that yes, this is indeed the Playstation 4. Great specs, amazing features, but  the important question is - What games will be available in the future? This I believe is crucial for Sony since there has to be games that we can't wait to play on the new console, and with their horrible presentation with the PS3 reveal, I'm sure they have been waiting for the chance to redeem themselves. Here are possible candidates that might just join the reveal.

Killzone 4

Sony has been trying long and hard in making Killzone the go-to FPS game for PS3 owners and I don't see them stopping anytime soon. FPS is still one of the most famous genre's, so their exclusive FPS franchise should definitely make an appearance to satisfy the shooter-crazed fans. Just please Sony, no more "use the Sixaxis to turn on the valve" gimmicks, please.

Naughty Dog game reveal - Uncharted, Jak and Daxter, maybe Crash Bandicoot?

Okay, maybe Crash Bandicoot was a bit too much, but one can only hope right?

Naughty Dog; Makers of the Uncharted series, Jak and Daxter series, and currently working on their new game The Last of Us, might just make a game reveal during the meeting. They have become an important part of PlayStation's exclusive title line-up thanks to the success of the many titles in the PS3. It might be a sequel to their old franchises, maybe even another new IP is planned, but I'm positive Sony has asked Naughty Dog to start working on something big.

The Last Guardian

Ah, a game that has been in development for how many years now? The latest entry from Team Ico (Shadow of Colossus, Ico) has been in development limbo for most of the PS3 's lifespan. With a new console now entering the market, it doesn't make much sense anymore for it to hit the PS3. My guess is - They stopped any development news and updates to upgrade the game to next-gen. Let's just all hope that if it does hit the PS4, it actually gets released once and for all.

Another new game from Quantic Dream 

Yes, I know Quantic Dream (Heavy Rain) is currently working on Beyond: Two Souls, but David Cage talked to Game Industry saying that there are three more games planned after Beyond and is already in development. My bet is that one of those games will be used as a tech demo for the PS4, then later revealed as a full title exclusive to the new console. David Cage always talks about innovation, and the power of story-telling in video games, so it's a perfect opportunity to showcase something during this week's meeting.

LittleBigPlanet

Every console has their "cool" features. PS3 had the sixaxis, and later got the PlayStation Move. The next console will be no exception. LittleBigPlanet as a franchise has been a success for Sony, and with it being appealing to all ages, a new LittleBigPlanet game would be an ideal place to showcase the new features of the console, be it motion control or touch screen features. And to be honest, I think Sackboy is a perfect mascot for PlayStation.

There are still a lot of possible candidates to join the reveal like a new Gran Turismo, or a ne Infamous game, but what about you? What would you like to see get revealed alongside next PlayStation console?

The big 2013 Sony meeting is happening tomorrow at 6PM PST (6AM in the Philippines)and I'm pretty hyped for what they have planned for everybody. You can the event live here on Twitch.tv. We'll be updating our Facebook and Twitter  accounts for any updates regarding the reveal.

[Updated]Sony looks back at the evolution of PlayStation

[UPDATE] - A new video was released which focuses on the classic games of PlayStation.

Ever since Sony informed the world that they have a big announcement planned on February 20, they have been releasing YouTube videos looking back at the history of PlayStation,  making it more clear that this big meeting happening this week could potentially be the next PlayStation console reveal. Each video gives us a quick history lesson of how PlayStation has evolved through the years, talking about each hardware released so far.

The Beginning

PlayStation 2

PlayStation Portable and Playstation Vita

PlayStation 3

Evolution of PlayStation: Games

Sony is keeping quiet about this February 20 announcement but it's pretty clear at this point that we'll be seeing the next PlayStation. If not, then they sure fooled us. The PlayStation 3 was released in 2005, so another console coming in on 2013 sounds about right, what's surprising is that it's rumored to be available at the end of the year.

I'm ready for another PlayStation console. While I do think the PlayStation 3 has a couple of years left, It's about time we see a glimpse on how the next generation of gaming would look like in the future. For me, as long as it's not motion control heavy and still requires you to have a controller to play, I'm all good.

This big announcement is coming on February 20, 6PM Eastern Standard Time, which is February 21 at 6 AM in the Philippines.

[Source: Playstation US]

Final Fantasy Trading Arts Kai Mini No. 06 - Lightning

The night after I got the Squall figure, I looked up what other characters got the chibi treatment. While the other figures are cute and all, none of them really seemed to click for me except for this one figure. You'd think that figure would be Cloud since my first Final Fantasy game was Final Fantasy VII. But it wasn't Cloud that stood out for me. It was another Gunblade wielder. The pink haired rule 63 female counterpart of Cloud Strife, Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII .

As with the other figures, the box is pretty standard fare. The same box design with a picture of the character on both sides of the box and a clear window up front where you can see the figure as well as all the accessories that it comes with.

The back shows you the figure in some poses along with the included speech bubbles and sign. You also get a shot of 2 other figures that were released along with Lightning.

Opening the box gives you the figure and it's accessories in a nice clam shell packaging, an instruction sheet and the display base, stand arms, sign clips and the speech bubbles on a plastic sprue. It's too bad that the sprue is on stuck to the red backing via a blister pack. Meaning that you have to rip the red backing to reach the sprue.

Here's Lightning with all her accesories. She comes with her standard clothes from Final Fantasy XIII, an extra right hand holding her Gunblade, an extra paid of hands holding Odin's swords, Odin's horse, 3 extra faces, 2 speech bubbles, the ATB command menu in FF13, a base and various stand arms and clips.

The 1st face, which is on the figure by default has the classic angry Lightning eyes and scowl. The eyes have a bit of a squint on them which is very cool.

The 2nd face shows more cutesy anime eyes with a bit of a smile. Both of Lightning's arms can swivel forward and back. You can also twist the hands for a little variety since they peg into her arms.

The 3rd face is what sold me on this figure. It has these sort of "whatever", "don't care" or sarcasm eyes which I think suits Lightning's character perfectly.

The 4th face is still the blank eyeless face that comes with all the figures where you can draw your own design pretend that she's brooding over something anime style.

To have her riding on Odin's horse, detach her legs which connect via a peg up to her torso. The horse already has a pair of legs attached with a similar peg to connect Lightning's upper half. Essentially you replace her legs, with a pair of legs on a horse. You might this this is cheap because you'd expect them to just have a separate body with the horse and just do a head swap. I say that leg swapping is better alternative because you keep the arm articulation on both legs and the leg swap gives you an added wait twist.

I still can't read Japanese so I have no clue what the speech bubbles say but it's cool that each figure comes with two. The command menu has a more solid print on it compared to Squall's.

The Lightning figure is from the 2nd wave of the Trading Arts Kai Mini line and doesn't have the issues I had with the Squall figure. Lightning clips on her base easier and nothing was paint stuck. Now the problems I had with Squall may all just be a QA thing and I just got the short end of the stick. Luck of the draw I guess.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the bases can tab into each other.