Gwyneth Paltrow: That Face Is Forever

Gwyneth, you know that I adore you. Ever since I saw you in Seven and Emma, it was very apparent that you are a one of a kind actress. I still can't get over the fact that you actually managed to become extremely adorable in those cheesy Iron Man movies but then... You agreed to act in Contagion. Sure, I have not watched the movie yet but you know that when you make that horrid face - which is a really scary good expression - that it would become a trademark for that movie and that they have used that face extensively in both the trailer and the print promotions for the film. As a matter of fact, that face even shows up on a recent promotion for the movie on the X-Box 360 dashboard.

It's like your neck is about ready to melt and your head is about ready to grow spider legs...

Gwyneth, you are still captivating but that face has left a scar in me because I have seen it too many times. When I think of you now, I can't help but to think that you are that actress who did that crazy face in Contagion. I don't think that you can ever live this down but then again, that could be a compliment because I don't think any other actresses would make that kind of a face ever because perhaps they don't want to reveal that they could potentially look so... very... human (who is in some kind of hellish agony).

It Starts with 4...

After perusing the App Store on my iPad like a madman last night, I ended up with inducting four games into my Game Library. Of course the titles that I was most interested in are the bullet heaven shoot-'em-ups by Cave. I am a bit disappointed though that the newer releases are not custom made for the iPad because they are not bumped up to high resolution (unlike the recent iOS re-release of ESPGaluda II HD that easily rivals the X-Box 360 version of the game that I own) but it's still a steal to be able to get a hold of these games for the low prices you have to pay to play them. I used up the $10 credit that had been sitting in my Apple account for ages now - it was a gift from work - to acquire the following titles: the real time action strategy Battleheart, the original Mushihimesama translated for the North American release as Bug Princess, a bullet grazing shooter Danmaku: Unlimited, and Mushihimesama Bug Panic, a shooter spin-off based on the Mushihimesama games.

This screen will be filled up rather quickly...

I just cannot stop playing Bug Princess and even last night, I kept playing it in bed while waiting for the spouse to join me. I had my doubts at first when it comes to the thought of playing a Cave shooter properly using touch-based controls but thank the galaxy for the free demo downloads because as soon as I tried them, the genius visual buttons and the smooth precision of movement accomplished via finger sliding is utterly unbelievable. After using up all the avaialable cedits I had last night, I stopped myself from pursuing the other game apps out there. I do have to snatch up Dodonpachi Resurrection before January 10th though because it is on sale at the moment. I could always just get the import region-free PAL copy of that game for the X-Box 360 - which does come with HD graphics and extra game modes - but that will cost me $70. With merely $6, I can experience the core game on my iPad... The latter seems to make a lot more sense to me. Even when they eventually release the iPad exclusive HD version with Black Label, it would still cost a lot less than getting the same game on the console. Having access to choices is true gaming freedom.

I for an iPad

Back in July of last year, my spouse got an iPad 2 and though I mentioned back then that I would do some gaming on it, that ended up being a false statement. We do share each other's "toys" - though I wish that we would actually share time with my video gaming devices - but I really do not want to dominate the usage time of that iPad. Well, I have decided that it is time that I become a part of Apple's "i" family because now, I have an iPad 2 of my own.

You finally got me Apple.

What does this mean for me as a gamer? Well, I am finally going to officially game on this thing and it will become a part of my Game Library. Games I played on it will also be track via the Daily Game Log. Sure, it is not a dedicated gaming device but it has a lively gaming scene... Well, actually the same can be said about the PlayStation 3 and the X-Box 360 with all those unnecessary features they try to cram into those consoles - worst on the latter of course because you actually have to pay to access the extra contents that are free to access anywhere else. Welcome iPad 2. I hope we can be best of friends.

You Know You Want Mii!

I know that you have been waiting to add Loner Gamer's adorable little Mii into your Nintendo 3DS ever since I received the handheld and now your chance has finally arrived! Scan the QR Code below to adopt me and make me magically appear in your 3DS. While you are on it, feel free to add my Friend Code as well and leave yours here so that I can add you into my Friend List: 3566-1923-7951. I do like to Swapnote and you know that I got Mario Kart 7!

The happy looking Loner Gamer is ready to sneak into your 3DS.

Arkham City's Double Orgasm?

I think I may have found the ultimate game for achievement and trophy whores out there and it is called the Steam version of Batman: Arkham City. When the game was first announced on Steam for pre-order, I noticed back then that it would use both Steamworks that features Steam achievements plus the Game for Windows LIVE service. I was very curious back then to the way that this setup would work and since there exists a non-Steam version for the Personal Computer release, I had a feeling that the game will feature some sort of linked achievements between the two services similar to the one seen when playing Portal 2 on the PlayStation 3 with an active Steam account. Well, now that I have played through the early part of the game, I can tell you that Steam players do indeed get double achievements unlocked where one goes to the LIVE profile while the other goes to the Steam profile. This is of course, not a big deal for me whatsoever but I think that achievement whores would have twitched about in ecstasy every time it happens because two "achievement unlocked" boxes popped up on the screen simultaneously when the achievement criteria is met. I know that chie/phie whores love seeing that task unlocked icon and I am sure that seeing these double boxes would push their whole obsession with these things into the realm of pure psycho-sexual pleasure. I think game developers should start working on coupling LIVE/PlayStation Network games with Steam a lot more, ensure that the double boxes would appear, and publicize the whole double achievement thing. I bet it would make them a lot of money.

Double achievements?! Darn, I need to change my pants again!

Note on the screenshot above: Unfortunately, due to the way that the Steam layout works, I am unable to capture both achivements popping up on the screen because the Steam achievement would not appear on the actual screenshot and the game doesn't like the screenprint key at all. The icon at the bottom right is pasted there just to give you an idea on how it looks like when it happens. The pop-up at the top right hand corner is of course very real.