ASSASSIN'S CREED ORIGINS REVIEW

Towards the end of one of the missions I was playing, I found out that my assassination target got hold of one of his enemy’s family. The wife and the daughter. My mission is to find and save them before something bad happens to them, so I immediately dropped everything and immediately ran towards the destination point. As soon as I arrived, I knew I was too late. I hear a woman crying. At the dock, I find the mother, looking by the sea. She asked me to find her daughter, so I swam towards the sea and dived til I find the kid. And then I found one of the most horrible sights I’ve seen in video games ever. Bodies, their feet tied to a rock that kept them underwater. The child was one of them. Even if she’s lifeless, she was still clutching a doll her father gave her. The doll meant to be a protector of her and their village. That’s when I knew, I’m in love with Assassin’s Creed Origins.

After a year away, Ubisoft has come back and presented us with an Assassin’s Creed game that is totally different from the games that came before. Origins has learned from its mistakes and from other open world games that made similar games.  While mature themes have been always been present in this series, Assassin’s Creed Origins has this air of maturity only seen in games like The Witcher 3.

Bayek is the main protagonist of Origin, he is a father fueled with revenge and caught in the middle of feuding rulers Cleopatra and Ptolemy. Aya, his wife is another very likable protagonist that you get to play as in the game. They have a very mature relationship rarely seen in video games. It’s so refreshing.

The game is gorgeous. Egypt is beautiful. Standing atop one of the Great Pyramids, I just imagined I was there for real. I’m playing the game on a PS4 Pro on a 1080p tv, and damn was it amazing. I could just imagine it running on a 4k screen, it must look more beautiful! Ubisoft is no slouch in terms of graphics, but past games for me did not really feel current gen. This game though, I felt like I’m looking at a next gen title. The landscape. The underwater areas. They all look fully detailed and every bush, house, fort and even inside the tombs, it’s like they’re all carefully placed and possibly looks like their real life counterparts back in their glory days.

Assassin’s Creed Origins overhauled the series in a good way. Yes, there are still the tropes of an AC game, but most of the features that stayed are now more meaningful. One of the biggest change to the game is the combat. R1 and R2 (for PS4) are now the buttons to mash to attack enemies. There’s no longer a button to run, which I felt made running a bit slow. I don’t remember if there’s a block button or parry button in previous titles from this series, but they’re here now, which makes fighting more tactical.

It is also now a looting game. In the past, killing enemies earn you money, trinkets, ammunition and generally useless things, now defeating them earn you weapons, shields and crafting materials. Everything you get has a purpose, has meaning. Every kill you make, either provides you with your most needed materials or a more powerful melee weapon or bow. If not, you can either sell the items or dismantle the weapon for crafting parts.

And Egypt is massive. The open world is so big, that 40 plus hours in, and I haven’t cleared all the fog in the entire map. Yes, it is littered with question marks and sidequests and synchronization points, all staples of the AC series, but fortunately, I didn’t feel like it’s all repetitive. Yes side quests may sometimes be fetch quests or escort quests, but they mostly have interesting fully fleshed out back stories to it. If there are grindy quests, it’s mostly the capture forts quests which require you to loot the gold and kill the Captain of the multiple forts/hideouts littered in the game.

The tweaks in the combat has its own pros and cons. I love that you can basically use any and all weapons in the game. They have their own animations, and you can really feel the crunch when metal hits bone. That is so satisfying. However, I never used the parry button in my entire gameplay. I would rather use the roll and hit style when fighting my enemies. It is pretty much effective rather than timing when to hit the parry. Either way, I don’t really get into much brawling as I played the game stealthily.

If there’s one thing I adored playing Assassin’s Creed Origins, is its attention to detail. While I was walking around the desert trying to figure out one of the papyrus puzzle, I saw a fish flopping around the sand. Shit, I thought this game was buggy as hell. Then I started hearing voices. Apparently, being in the heat for that long period, I actually started hallucinating. Brilliant!  When you crouch when cats come to you, you will be able to pet them. And I loved that if by accident you complete a sidequest before you trigger the story, by the time you get to the NPC, Bayek will tell them that he finished the quest already. It’s those little things that I remember and appreciate in my time in Egypt.

Oh, and I also loved the photo mode of this game. It’s not as robust as let’s say Horizon Zero Dawn, but it gets the job done. The photo on this post is a screenshot I made from the photo mode. Games as gorgeous as this, deserve to have this mode on. Also, sometimes, your screenshots get to be shared in other people’s world map, meaning people from across the globe can potentially see your creation. They are able to like it too.

Of course, as it is a Ubisoft game, it’s not necessarily perfect. I had to restart my game twice because I fell off the world or I got stuck trying to enter a narrow hole. Like other AC games, the enemies lack variety. I feel apart from the named villains, there are only about ten kinds of enemies. I also did not like, that the moment I get into a fight, the number of enemies that will surround me doubles or sometimes triple in number. I mean, where did they come from?! There was this one time, it took me twenty minutes to just intercept a supply convoy because there were maybe more than 10 soldiers fighting me at the same time. And then there’s the case of the microtransactions. Helix coins can be bought with real world money, which in turn lets you buy costumes, weapons and steed. Good thing is, you can get them all in the game without ever spending real money. Heck, I’ve been playing a lot of Ubisoft games, I have several coins/points I can use to buy other weapons and accessories.

The game is grindy though. Main quests are locked until you reached it’s minimum required level. That means, you can’t just blow through the main campaign. You have to do the menial tasks as a Medjay, fetch this, protect that, kill it, collect that. And that’s fine. Ubisoft wants you to experience the game, the setting, just as they intended. I wouldn’t have experienced that dessert hallucination had I not tried to decipher those papyrus puzzles. But I can understand if some will feel overwhelmed with everything the player can do in such a huge open world game. That’s how I felt with the previous titles (*cough*ACUnity*cough*)

Overall, the positives outweigh my criticism of the game. This is a great title, worthy  of putting the Assassin’s Creed franchise back in its place at the top with the other Cream of the Crops games. 2017 is a great year for video games, what with Zelda, Mario, Horizon, Persona all turning out some masterfully crafted games, Assassin’s Creed Origins feels like a game that can stand among these great titles this year. 

9/10

LATE TO THE PARTY: XCOM 2

Mikko was one of my best friends from Grade School. It was a fairly easy mission, I thought. So I chose to add him on my roster to rescue civilians during a simple retaliation mission from the Advent.

Mikko was a Specialist. He was a soldier with tech abilities, capable of healing his allies as well as provide protection in case of the alien’s attack.

I was ill-prepared for this mission. I brought him, a couple of rookie soldiers and only one experienced Sharpshooter for this fight. Because of a miscalculation of Mikko’s placement in the battlefield, he became the victim of a well placed plasma grenade.

Just like that I lost my childhood best friend.

I had to stop playing Xcom 2 for a bit because this loss, hit me hard. While yes, Mikko is only an avatar for the game I played, somehow I still have attachment to his character because he’s based on a real life person that I know in my life.

It is this simple reason why Firaxis’ strategic RPG right now is my favorite game of the generation.

Xcom 2 sticks with you long after you finish the game. It is a great turn based strategic RPG where you play the role of the Commander. You direct a squad of up to 6 soldiers per mission to complete several objectives to defeat and repel an alien invasion.

Being that this game does not have a truly structured story and characters, you are free to customize all of your soldiers. Change their names. Appearance. Personality. Their abilities. Even their backstories. You have free reign to tell a story arc independent of the main campaign. And that’s what kept me coming back to play this game.

As of writing I have gone through 4 playthroughs of Xcom 2, but only finished one campaign. The first 2 times, really got me distraught whenever I or my significant other died on one of the missions.  I made up  an intricate story for myself and my squad that’s fully independent of the campaign. I got so invested in each and everyone of my soldiers that merely getting them injured  depressed me.

That’s the magic of this game, I guess. They let you own your characters to hone, to improve, to create their own backstory, then they will emotionally devastate you by killing the character you loved!

I hated that so much. This game is very difficult. You will never be able to move forward until you accept the fact that someone will always die when you play the game. Just like in Game of Thrones, do not get attached to any of the characters because they’ll all eventually die.

Visually, this game is gorgeous. Every stage, although procedurally generated is fully detailed. Forests are lush, the cities look believable, and all of the cut scenes are truly pretty to look at.

However, the gorgeous graphics maybe a deterrent to a smooth gameplay experience. I have played this game over 50 hours in all 4 playthroughs, and I always experienced a drop in framerate and some lag. There were even times the game froze for me. And I was playing on the PS4 Pro. It was much worse when I was playing on  my original launch PS4.

And the load times are very long, even on the Pro. The time it loads from when you choose to start mission until the beginning takes at most over one minute.

Fortunately, those are my only gripes about the game. Everything else has been spectacular.  My preference in video games tend to sway towards this genre, and I have a lot of these kinds of games in my library. But Xcom 2 is the only one that got me really invested until the end. Yes, even in Easy Mode the spike in difficulty increases exponentially, but not too punishing that it will make you want to rage quit.

While the mission structure can become a bit repetitive, there's enough variety of enemies that will always keep you on the edge of your seat. This is not a game you can just play with your brain turned off. You always have to be on your feet. You have to strategize. Will this enemy be able to shoot at me even if I'm under cover? One of those citizens you're tasked to save is definitely a Faceless, which one of them will it be? Should I run the risk of losing a loot by blowing up with a grenade that effing robot that critically wounded half my squad? 

There's not one decision that is fully black or white. This is what  makes me think of this game even if I'm no longer playing it.

Yes, it gets depressing if you lose one of your soldiers, but eventually you will be OP’d enough that towards the endgame, you’re never going to worry about memorializing another Mikko again.

This is the reason why, even if 2017 flooded us gamers with truly amazing games, I still keep coming back to Xcom 2. Now I can't wait to have enough budget to play it's expansion: War of the Chosen!

9.5 / 10

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Late to the party will be my ongoing series of reviews of old games or tv shows or anything pop culture related that I really loved (or hated). Hopefully, I'll have the time to post more of these series moving forward.

(image grabbed from google)

HELLO YOUTUBE

Video Upload Date: August 25, 2017

"Hellooooooo Youtube!!!

"Did you miss me?

"You must be worried sick right? It's been what 6 weeks since I last posted a vlog.

"As you can see, my situation has gotten... worse. The doctors said I have to wear this mask now. Honestly, I don't even remember the reason anymore. My mind wanders everytime I'm in the hospital.

"I'm also bald now too. What do you think? I still look dapper, no?

"Man, this whole Big C thing is a downer. The last 6 weeks I've only been in this room. The hospital and the cancer group I joined a couple of months ago.

"I miss travelling. I miss my 'TubeDudes'! They've been off to their Eurotrip the last couple of months. I was supposed to go with you! Ang daya niyo! I watch y'all's videos and inggit na inggit ako sa inyo!!!

"Stage 4 man. It's a constant struggle to stay positive. I don't really want to think of the "D" word. But there are nights it's just there screaming at you and trying to get your attention.

"A couple of days ago, there was this lady from my group who... how should I say this? She lost the fight. I was not close to her. But it still hit me hard... her passing. One day it's going to be me.

"It's scary.

"I'm fucking terrified.

"Sorry guys. This video's not about that. I just wanted to say Thank you! I know I haven't been active in any of my social media accounts, but everyday you're still messaging me with your well wishes and support. I appreciate it so much. Reading your comments, your tweets and your messages really keep me strong this last few weeks.

"It makes me want to fight and not give up. It's like I have these super powers. Knowing I inspire you, in a way it makes me feel more powerful than my cancer.

"So thank you!

"Although I think it's weird and kinda morbid that you still follow my channel. I mean I've been re-watching the videos I uploaded since I learned about my disease.

"I'm watching me die.

"It's weird you know.

"Hey. This might be my last video in awhile. Honestly, I'm getting weaker. I'm okay. I'm mostly in pain. And I can't really carry this heavy camera anymore.

"I just wanted to make this video to let you guys know I appreciate all of you.

"I'm grateful for your support.

"And goodbye for now."




















Video Upload Date: February 17, 2018

"Helllllooooooo Youtube!!!

"Let me tell you an incredible story.

"About a miracle..."

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I've been watching Youtube lately, and this story was inspired by what happened to this vlogger named Wil Dasovich.

JOLLIBEE

Kinuha ko ang cellphone niya. Mukha siyang tangang umiiyak sa harap nito.

"Ano drama mo?" tanong ko sa kanya.

Pilit niyang binawi sakin ang kanyang telepono. "It's nothing, watch mo 'to. I can relate. Hahaha." Kinalikot niya ang telepono at binalik sakin.

Pinanuod ko ang video. Tungkol sa isang lalaking na-friendzone. Para daw sa mga taong patuloy na umiibig nang walang hinihintay na kapalit.

"Nakakarelate ka dito? Tayo ba yan?" biro ko.

 "Nah. Nakamove on nako sa'yo. I mean, right now I can genuinely say I am really happy for you."

"Di ko feel. Hahaha!"

Ngumiti lang siya. Pero parang may kakaiba.

"Change topic?" tanong ko.

"Treat mo ako ng chickenjoy, para naman may silbi kang friend."

Umoo na lang ako.

Malapit lang ang kainan. Pero parang ang haba ng naging lakad namin. Tahimik. Walang imik. Sobrang apektado ata talaga siya sa video.

I made a funny face. Sana mabasag ang tensyon. Dumila siya sakin. Gumanti ako. Nagtawanan kami. Parang gaya ng dati...

Namatay ang tawanan. Bumalik sa katahimikan.

"Are you okay? Are we good?" usisa ko.

Tumango lang ito.

Habang kumakain kami, binigay niya sa akin ang balat ng manok. Di na daw niya kayang ubusin. Alam din niyang yun ang paborito kong kainin.

"Hey, alam mo naman na you can tell me anything, right?" ang tanging nasabi ko.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Ang funny noh, how relatable that video was. Parang tayo, I mean, yeah the circumstance is very different, but yung kwento namin is really the same if you think about it."

"I'm sor -"

"No no no... Don't say sorry! You have done me no wrong. I am so grateful to you kasi despite what happened, you still stuck with me. And I am really fine that we're the best of friends. I'd rather you be that more than anything else."

Nagsisimula nang mangilid ang luha niya.

"I'm so sorry that fucking video made me so emotional today."

Niyakap ko siya. Para malaman niyang naiintindihan ko sya.

Tinulak niya ako.

"Hahaha. I'm okay. Pero fuck you bro, ginawa mo pa rin akong best man sa kasal mo. Still can't believe I said yes. So I guess fuck me too."

"Alam mo pwede ako pumili ng kahit sinong pamilya o kaibigan ko para maging best man ko. But it's not going to feel right kung hindi ikaw ang nasa likod ko. Ikaw lang ang naniwalang karapatdapat akong mahalin. Kaya kahit na ano... medyo lalambot lambot ka... alam mong di ako mawawala sa buhay mo."

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Tagal ko ring di nagsulat ng short story.
 

MY FAVORITE GAMES OF 2016

2016 was a great year for video games. There were tons of really high quality titles that went out for gamers to spend their precious time on. Below are some of my favorites that came out in 2016.

Final Fantasy XV

I had a huge backlog of games for this year. A list of games that I have not finished since the start of this console generation. However, when I got hold of Final Fantasy XV, I made sure this game is not going on that list of titles that I put on hold, unfinished or unplayed. I powered through the story and completed Final Fantasy XV. And I was happy. I have been a fan of this JRPG ever since I got hold of the PS1 Classic FFVII. Although this game looks far different and plays different, it never dawned on me that this was not a Final Fantasy game. FFXV is littered with all the tropes of a Final Fantasy title: Cid, Shiva, Ifrit, Ramuh,Chocobos, Moogles, huge bosses and even down to a confusing storyline. I have not played any other game religiously after I finished the main campaign and as of writing, I'm only 7 goals short of a platinum trophy.

Uncharted 4: A Thief's End

Nathan Drake's last (?) outing proves us why Naughty Dog is the BEST video game developer in the world. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End is a master class in storytelling, voice acting, gameplay and graphics. A rare feat only achieved by a handful of developers can achieve. This game, as long as it was, was never boring for me. I loved Nate's interactions with his supporting cast. They're funny, heartfelt and genuine. This is the reason why Nolan North, Laura Bailey and Troy Baker never ran out of voice acting work. They are outstanding in their jobs. Storywise, I am glad this game is grounded. No supernatural forces to fight, only human beings, it kept the whole game believable. I was fully immersed in this world and it was especially hard to put down the controller finally when the game ended.

Rise of the Tomb Raider

Yes I know technically this game came out in 2015 on the XBox One but I am considering Rise of the Tomb Raider a 2016 game because it was only this year that us Playstation owners got to play Lara Croft's 2nd adventure after the 2013 reboot. This game I liked. It's not as great as Uncharted, but Tomb Raider has it's moments. I preferred the exploration on this game. I loved that you can upgrade Lara and her weapons and the action on this title is just awesome. I honestly didn't care too much about the story, but tomb raiding in this game is my favorite activity. Everytime I complete a tomb, I feel a tad smarter.

The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine

I know this is just an expansion, but dammit Blood and Wine is way more addicting than any of  the big game releases of this year! This expansion's main campaign is way longer than all of the shooters that came out this year combined. If it isn't obvious yet, I really fell in love with this expansion. The Witcher 3 in itself was a masterpiece and Blood and Wine is the cherry on top of a beautifully crafted cake. The map is huge. The story is engaging and it's a  very challenging game. I had a hard time finishing this chapter more than the main campaign and Hearts of Stone.

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

This is a game that's meant to be replayed. I only played through the story of Deus Ex: Mankind Divided once, but I know there are tons of side quests and collectibles that I have missed. The freedom to go through any mission the way you want to is incredible. I had fun attempting to go stealthy on my playthrough only to go on an all out killing spree whenever I get detected by my enemies. It is not the fault of the game, it is mine. In any case, the story of Deus Ex, is a little bit lacking, but I have to put it here because I really loved the gameplay. I enjoyed leveling up Adam Jensen into a character that suits my play style. The world I played in was small, but there is a lot to discover. Like I said, one playthrough is not enough when playing Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

XCOM 2

I don't really know why I keep buying strategy games. I'm not that good at them. They're just games that add up to my backlog. But there's something about XCOM 2 that I can't stop thinking about this game. I get attached to the soldiers on my roster. 2 people already died from my team and I'm really devastated. They were two people I have invested experience to and they're gone. And it hurts. I do not know why I was so affected like this by a video game. Maybe because I can alter their looks the way I want them to look. And name them. And give them their equipments. This is such a great game and I can't wait to play more!

QUICKIES:

DARK SOULS 3 - This game is pretty... pretty hard... I just played the first hour though.

MAFIA 3 - Great story. Too repetitive to complete.

DISHONORED 2 - Haven't started the game so no impressions yet.

(all images courtesy of Google)

KWENTONG ONSE: BAKIT MASARAP MAGSULAT

Ako ay nagbalik upang ipaalam sa inyo na ngayong taon ang ika labing isang taon ng blog na ito.

11 years na akong nagsusulat... well hindi na tuluy tuloy... pero di ko pa rin siya nalilimutan i-update paminsan minsan.

Ang mga susunod ay ang mga dahilan kung bakit hanggang ngayon ay pinipilit ko pa ring buhayin ang munting tahanan ko na ito...

• Ito ang naging tampulan ko ng mga kwentong 20s ko. Karamihan ng mga escapades ko sa buhay mula nung 23 ako hanggang siguro early 30s ko ay nakasulat dito.
• Marami akong nakilalang mga bagong kaibigan sa mundo ng pagsusulat. Merong hanggang ngayon ay kaibigan pa rin, kahit medyo karamihan ay ka-social media ko na lang.
• Ito ang nagpadali ng panahon na ako ay nakaranas ng "quarter life crisis". Dito ko nalaman na maswerte ako na ang "crisis" ko ay napakababaw lamang. Naappreciate ko ang mga payong nakuha ko at suporta na galing sa mga napapadaan dito.
• Naging witness ang blog na ito sa love life ko. Although di nako nagsusulat tungkol dito (IT IS BEST TO KEEP YOUR LOVE LIFE AWAY FROM ANY FORM OF SOCIAL MEDIA), kung magbabackread ka, makikita mo ang mga unang pinagdaanan namin ng aking Kasintahan.
• Dito ko rin naisulat ang ilang mga kwentong kathang isip ko lamang. Mababaw man, feeling ko, eto ang magiging legacy ko. Kahit papaano naman,feeling ko ay may mga naisulat din naman akong proud akong ginawa ko.
• Ang sarap mag back read ng blog. Minsan maiinis ka kasi sobrang babaw ng mga naisulat ko noon, pero di ako magiging ganito katino ngayon kung di ko maaalala yung mga pinagdaanan ko noon.
• Nagbabasa pa rin naman ako ng ibang mga blog. Meron pa rin naman na buhay pa ang mga blog nila hanggang ngayon. It's nice to keep up with those people now and again.

Anyway, maraming salamat sa mga nagbabasa pa rin dito. Maraming salamat sa mga nakilala ko sa blog at sa personal at sa mga naging kaibigan ko, thank you din. 

Susubukan kong maging mas aktibo dito, gawa nang pangarap kong maging "internet famous" someday.

REPLY TO DEAR GILLBOARD 2011

Kumusta naman ba ang future? Masaya ba?

Sana ay masaya ka pa. Kasi kung tatanungin mo ako ngayong 2011, masayang masaya ako. Naaalala mo pa ba? Madaming magagandang nangyari sa mga panahong ito. May lovelife ka!!! Sana pag binasa mo ito, kayo pa ring dalawa. Wag mong gaguhin yun. Mahal ka nun. Mahal na mahal.

Sana pag binasa mo ito ay may malaking ipon ka na. Marunong ka na ngayong magdownload ng comics. Hindi mo na kailangang gumastos ng libu-libo para makapagbasa nito. Isang libo lang ang internet connection ngayon, unlimited download ka na sa lahat ng gusto mong basahin at panuorin.

Pumapayat na ako ngayon, kaya dapat pag binasa mo ito ay mas healthy ka na. Tandaan mo, singkwenta ang edad kung kelan tayo lilisan. At dahil ang dalas ko ngayon mag Dance Central, sana naman ay hindi ka na nakakahiyang tingnan sumayaw ngayon. Hopefully hindi ka kailangan magkaroon ng mga muscles, kasi dapat yun nga, kayo pa rin ni Kasintahan.

Suportahan mo yun. Laki ng pag-asang yumaman nun. Matalino. Ngayon pa lang kahit trainee, siya na gumagawa ng trabaho ng isang may mataas na posisyon. Kung sakali, matutupad ang pangarap mong magretire ng maaga. Kaya kung may mga araw na pressured siya sa trabaho, dun ka lang sa likod niya. Kaya naman niya, kailangan lang niya na may labasan ng mga  rants niya. Mataas pangarap nun, at kayang kaya niya abutin lahat ng mga iyon.

Kung sakali naman na pangatawanan mo ang pagiging Career Boy at di isang simpleng houseband, sana naman ay mataas na ang posisyon mo. Kung di man, ay malaki na ang sweldo mo. Sobrang ngarag ako ngayon sa trabaho, nag-aaral ulit para lumawak ang nalalaman sa linya ng trabaho ko ngayon. Wag mong sayangin lahat ng pinaghirapan ko. Yang mga inaaral ko ngayon, hindi lang sa mundo ng gasolinahan at lubricant mo magagamit, pwede ka pang maging IT pag nagkataon. In demand yang posisyon mo ngayon, wag mong sayangin at balewalain.

Sa mga oras na ito, wala na ako masyadong mahihiling pa. Pwede nating sabihing kumpleto tayo ngayon. Maintain mo lang yan.

Don't screw it up.

Nagmamahal,

Gillboard 2011

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May love life pa rin ako. Kami pa rin. Anim na taon na!!!

Nakapagsimula akong mag-ipon. Pero naubos din. Try ko ulit. Promise! Totoo na 'to.

Medyo namayat ako. Kailangan lang panindigan dahil naaadik nanaman ako sa shake shake fries ng mcdo.

Napromote naman ako last year. Ginusto ko yun eh. Kaya ngayon haggard na haggard nako. Dami issue. Nakakapagod. Pero gaya ng sabi ko, ginusto ko to.

Gusto ko pa sana magsulat kaya lang wala nang panahon. Pag lampas trenta ka na, iba na talaga ang focus mo. MAs maraming bayarin. Mas maraming responsibilidad.

Mapurol na nga ang talento ko sa larangan na 'to. Hayst. Balang araw makakagawa ako ng isa pang liham para sa sarili.

KWENTONG BACLARAN: A SHORT STORY

Eksena kahapon sa Baclaran habang naghihintay ng masasakyan pauwi.

May isang ate naglalakad pasugod papunta sakin.

Akala ko ako ang aawayin.

Nilampasan ako.

Tumungo sa lalaking nakatulala sa aking likod.

"Hinuhubaran mo ba ako with your mind?!" sigaw ni ate.

"Stop it! Manyak!!!" patuloy niya.

Nagulantang si kuya.

Nahimasmasan sa pagiging tulala.

Tiningnan si ate mula ulo hanggang paa.

Sabay sabi (in his most becky voice) "Excuuuse me beh."

"Hindi kita hinuhubaran... jinajudge kita.

"Imbyerna! Chaka ka beh! Chaka ka!!!"

Inirapan ng badet si ate sabay sakay ng fx.

The End.


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Welcome back to me. 

THE BIG VIDEO GAMES POST PART 2

Batman: The Arkham Knight

 Gotham City is in peril once again thanks to Scarecrow and his newest partner, the titular Arkham Knight. The third title from Rocksteady Games and their conclusion to the Arkham trilogy, was hyped up by the fans ever since the title was announced last year. Undeniably, it’s current-gen iteration is the most beautiful I’ve seen in their three games. The action was superb and as always you get a pitch perfect performance from Mark Hammill and Kevin Conroy.

 However, as much as I would like to love this game, it really isn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the technical aspects of the game, and I feel it has improved a lot since Arkham City. But it just did not hook me. I don’t know. I didn’t like the whole Batmobile sequences (and there is a LOT!). Driving in video games has been my weakness ever since, and this game has a lot of it. So much so, that you can’t progress further into the story if you don’t utilize the vehicle. And I hated it.

 Good thing Youtube has videos of all the cutscenes for this game. I have no patience to solve all of Riddler’s trophies and puzzles. I know there are over 200 of those around Gotham City. It’s too bad really because if you take those out, Arkham Knight is a brilliant Batman game. It has a solid combat system. Every villain has their own play style and fuck, all of Man-Bat’s appearances begin with a jump scare!!! The story has its flaws, but it’s engaging. It’s gripping, and they almost always require you to think on your feet. You really do become the Batman when you’re playing Arkham Knight.

 But my idea of being Batman is one where I don’t drive the Batmobile a lot.

Until Dawn™_20150908003456

Until Dawn

 Sony’s sleeper hit last August is one of the few games I actually finished this year. In the advent of huge open world video games, it’s refreshing to play a short story driven game. I loved video games that you can finish in one weekend, and this is one of the bests that came out in 2015.

 Until Dawn follows 8 teenagers headed by Hayden Panettiere,  who return to a cabin one year after a tragedy befell two of their friends. What originally was set to be a reunion of some sorts turned out to be a nightmare inspired by all of our favorite scary B-movies.

 In my gameplay, I only saved 3 of the teens, but this game has a lot of choices and consequences that it is possible to kill or save them all. I watch of gameplays online for Until Dawn, and rarely do I see similar scenes per gameplay. No, it is not an open world game, unlike the other titles on my review, but there are still a ton of things to keep your attention to. There are collectibles, clues, totem poles, sometimes I delay the story so I can walk around and find loot.

 I truly enjoyed my 8 hours of playing Until Dawn, if it weren’t for my huge backlog, I would give another try with this title. Hopefully, with all kids surviving next time.  This is not Game of the Year material, far from it. But in terms of pure enjoyment, Until Dawn delivered in droves. It is tense, suspenseful and can be funny when it needs to be. I finished this game in one weekend because while playing, I found myself not wanting to let go of the controller. I wanted to find out what will happen to Mike, Chris and the other kids I got attached to in the 8-10 hours I played this game.

 

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

 Oh Kojima you brilliant son-of-a-bitch. I have played and finished most of the Metal Gear Solid games since I first discovered it in 1999. I remember enjoying all the unique and absurd things that you can find littered all over the world of Solid Snake or Raiden or Big Boss.

However, The Phantom Pain felt different. It felt unfamiliar. It looks like something new. But not the bad kind of different, don’t get me wrong. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was excellent!

For one, this game is now an open world. You are free to wreak havoc on Afghanistan or Africa in any way you want. You can be stealthy, you can go guns blazing. You can choose to have a dog as a sidekick or a robot, or a sexy sniper. There are several ways you can go about completing missions, and you are only limited by your imagination.

There is no game like this one before. My initial impression, specially after playing Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is that I’m not going to like this game. Trailers, kind of made it look difficult. Complicated. It certainly is overwhelming, if you have not played this game before. It will not hold your hand. This game will treat you like a smart person, because it expects you to be one.

Honestly, I don’t remember the story of this game that much, because majority of my playthrough of this game was spent running around the map, fultoning people and animals to bring home to my mother base. In TPP, everything has a purpose. Soldiers you kidnap will become your followers which you can use to expand your base or to complete tasks or gather more resources. Animals you fulton will go to your own private zoo. There are over 250 missions/side missions to complete in this game. Considering how much games are these days, It’s more than worth what you paid for.

 

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

Assassin’s Creed is slowly becoming a tired concept. I have played several games in its franchise with varying levels of enjoyment. Black Flag and AC2 being the best ones in my opinion. Unity, even after all of its patches remained a broken mess when I tried to play it again a couple of months ago.

Fortunately, Syndicate is one of the good ones from this series. London is a great place to run around in. Maybe because it’s finally easier to traverse the huge map, that’s why I like this game. But the thing is, it’s still the same Assassin’s Creed.

You are shown a map with its little icons for treasures, missions and sidequests that you need to check off. 10 hours in and it’s become a bit of a chore. A chore that I don’t want to do anymore.

Jacob and Evie Frye are definitely interesting characters, that may initially play different, but eventually are the same. They are interesting characters, definitely. It’s such a shame though that their world isn’t.

I guess I’m just tired of playing around the world of Assassin’s Creed. It is no longer that awe-inspiring world. I don’t feel the vertigo anymore whenever I jump off eagle’s perches. It is a stealth game that does not really feel too stealthy. Maybe I just got spoiled by how great MGS:TPP was at stealth action. Or maybe it’s really just time for this franchise to go away for a little bit and find its purpose again.

 

Fallout 4

This has been the only game I played since it came out a few weeks ago. It has totally swallowed up what little free time I have. Fallout 4 probably will be the only game I’ll be playing until the next big game comes out in the next couple of months.

So far in the 60 hours that I have played Fallout 4 I have walked all over the upper half of Boston. I found 5 Power Armors. I freed and befriended a Super Mutant, a Synth detective, a dog, a pretty investigative journalist, a Minute Man and a heavily outfitted soldier. I finally learned how to put up a decent house, and built a three-story fortress. I have started about a hundred quests and sidequests, finished only a few and still have not moved forward in my main mission which is to find my kidnapped son.

Just like all the other Bethesda games, this will devour all of your free time. Fallout 4 will keep you playing until your head hurts and your eyes begin to deteriorate. I have spent a couple of sleepless weekends already trying to find new locations on my map. But it’s because I have been a huge fan of the developer ever since I played The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

I get though that this is not for everyone. Walking around the wasteland can be a bit boring. It’s not as fast as your typical first person shooter and not as engaging as your typical linear games. Fallout 4 requires you to be patient. It wants you to enjoy discovering. It asks you to not be afraid of its world.  This game has bugs and glitches, which are I guess a staple of the developer already. Some might say, that’s the game’s charm, but we’re now on the latest generation of consoles where everything is powerful now, so we expect games to not have floating corpses or flying Brahmins. That turns me off a little bit. Fortunately, I have not experienced and game breaking bugs on my playthrough.

But I guess, the question now is: is this a Game of The Year type of game?

It could be.

 (Images courtesy of Google)

20 MOST UNFORGETTABLE GAME OF THRONES MOMENTS

Another season ended for everyone's favorite fantasy epic, so it's time to update my list of the most unforgettable moments in Game of Thrones.

I limited this to twenty because the list would not have ended if I add them all. But there are definitely a lot that I have missed (Theon's torture scenes, Jorah and Daenerys breakup,  Ned vs Jamie, all of Ghost's kills, and every scene with Lady Olenna Tyrell) ,  feel free to let me know in the comments the ones that you think should have been here.

20 Sansa's Wedding Night (Season 5 Episode 6)

Season 5 is chock full of horrible events one episode after the other. We saw a child burned at the stake at the order of her father (some might say that this was more unforgettable... but for me Shireen's a minor character). A teen-ager poisoned after she had a heart-to-heart with her father. And a pedophile who beats on little girls getting stabbed in the eyes. But for me, the worst / most unbearable thing to happen this season was Sansa's Wedding Night. She married the vilest living villain in the series now, and he raped her while his slave Reek was watching.

19 Valar Morghulis (Season 2 Episode 10)

Jaqhen H'ghar and Arya Stark had a very interesting relationship in Season 2 of the series. Jaqhen was doing Arya's bidding. And by her bidding, I mean he's assassinating Arya's targets. Everything culminated by the end of t he season. For Arya to escape her captors, she blackmails Jaqhen to kill more men. And in the middle of their escape, Arya bumps into Jaqhen and tells her what he really is... a faceless man. Apparently, they are the coolest people in the whole of Westeros. They parted ways in the end, but what's awesome is that there is a chance Arya's path is towards that of the Faceless Men.

18 Brienne Vs The Bear (Season 3 Episode 7)

Game of Thrones is at its best when they pair up characters. Tyrion and Bronn. Arya and the Hound. Varys and Littlefinger. Lady Olenna and whoever. Season 3's best pairing however was Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister. It was an odd pairing that started antagonistically. Brienne was tasked to bring Jaime back to King's Landing in the hopes that the Lannisters will be returning the Stark daughters back to Catelyn. But what started as antagonistic ended in friendship. In Harrenhal, Jaime went back for Brienne only to find out that she was thrown into a pit to fight off a bear. To save the lady, Jaime jumped into the pit and threatened not to come out unless she's with him. And so begins Jaime's redemption.

17 White Walkers (Season 2 Episode 10)

While technically Game Of Thrones is a Fantasy show, the series is too grounded that we sometimes forget that there are dragons and shadow creatures lurking around Westeros. But one of the more fantastical creatures of the series was finally introduced in the Season 2 finale of the show. We finally get a glimpse of what the soldiers on The Wall are finally guarding. Fucking Zombies!!! And they are scary as shit!!! Winter is coming indeed.

16 Sandor Clegane Vs Berric Dondarion (Season 3 Episode 5)

Oh I put this on the list because who does not like a fight where one of the fighters uses a flaming sword? One of the coolest scenes on television. Ever.

15 The Death of Viserys Targaryen (Season 1 Episode 6)

Viserys has been a jerk. Ever since the moment we first laid our eyes on the elder Targaryen, we knew he was an ass. He sold his sister to the Dothraki so he can build an army. He let Khal Drogo rape his younger sister all for the uncertainty of them helping him take over King's Landing. He was a vile, irrational and pretty much annoying. Not only to the viewers but mostly to the Dothraki tribe. So when the time came he demanded to have a taste of the Dothraki women, and be treated like a king, Drogo fulfilled his wish. He poured a pot of melted gold. Yes it was sick, but it was only the first of many gruesome deaths that the show has in store for us.

14 The Death of Ned Stark (Season 1 Episode 9)

This was the Oh Shit moment of the first season. The first time that we realized that no one is safe in Westeros. Not even it's lead character Ned Stark. Sean Bean was the face of Game of Thrones. And he did not even live long enough to finish the season. My jaw dropped when I first saw this episode. Just like the millions of people who have seen Game of Thrones, we cried for the elder Stark. He was the one we were all rooting for to sit on the Iron Throne, and he just got beheaded. WTF right?! But it is awesome that the show has the balls to drop it's lead star just like that. If he hadn't died, Arya, Robb, Sansa, Jon Snow and Bran, would probably just be bit players til now.

13 The Birth of the Dragons (Season 1 Episode 10)

This was what kept me from dropping the show. Watching the first season finale, I was so depressed. By that time, they have killed two of the most loved characters of the series (Ned Stark and Khal Drogo). I thought Arya alone would not be able to make me sustain my interest on the show. But then, by the end of the episode, Daenarys rose out of the fire, and with her dragons. Baby fucking dragons!!! I'm glad I stayed and stuck with this show.  And we've got Khaleesi's babies to thank for that.

12 Cersei's Walk Of Shame (Season 5 Episode10)

This is a bravo moment for me because Cersei really deserved all the shit that she got for all the horrible things she's done to the show's 'heroes'. But even if it's well deserved, it was still horrible to watch. It's humiliating. De-humanizing. Just truly awful, what she had to go through in what obviously was a long walk back to the Red Keep. Imagine yourself doing that, you'd probably not last a meter without fainting. What's sadder, I guess is that it happens in real life and not just in the fictional world of Westeros.

11 The Trial of Tyrion Lannister (Season 4 Episode 6) Just read this chilling speech and tell me you're not getting goosebumps imagining Peter Dinklage's emmy worthy performance.

"I did not kill Joffrey, but I wish that I had. Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores.

"I wish I was the monster you think I am. I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you. I would gladly give my life to watch you all swallow it.

"I will not give my life for Joffrey's murder. And I know I'll get no justice here, So I'll let the gods decide my fate.

"I demand a trial by combat!"

Chilling.

10 How To Train Your Dragon (Season 5 Episode 9)

In terms of the cool factor, I think Daenerys takes the biggest slice in this series, mainly because she has dragons for her children. And the penultimate episode of Season 5 gave us the most chilling scene with Drogon. The last fifteen minutes of episode 9 starts with an epic gladiator match with Jorah kicking ass, followed by an ambush by the Sons of the Harpy. Everyone has a moment, and in the end, when everything looked dire, we hear an ear-piercing scream. Drogon arrives and kills a lot of his mother's enemies. And in a How-To-Train-Your-Dragon moment, Danny rides it and they fly off. I literally screamed like a little girl after seeing that ending.

9 The Battle of Blackwater (Season 2 Episode 9)

You see that flash of green destruction in the picture above. That's some shit that's both deadly and beautiful at the same time. This I think is the first time that Game of Thrones shows it's viewers that they can do Lord of the Rings style of war and destruction. When I saw this episode I remember being overwhelmed by how big the whole battle was. It's like watching a big budget movie. And then this is the episode that elevated Tyrion's hero status. He showed great leadership and made us want to root for the people of King's Landing even if their King is an idiot.

8 Hound Vs Brienne / Arya Leaves The Hound (Season 4 Episode 10)

I have to cheat on this one, these are two great moments that I had to combine since they all occurred together. It started when Brienne crossed paths with Arya and The Hound. Some witty banter were thrown and then Brienne and Sandor got into the most gnarly fight I have ever seen on television. Groins were kicked. An ear was bit off. And then we end the whole scene with Arya. Just staring at the Hound who was begging her to kill him. That look, it says more than any line would ever have. We know that The Hound is on Arya's list of people she wants to kill. But she's not going to let him die in his own terms. Instead, she leaves him to die a long and lonely death. That's dark.

7 The Battle for Castle Black (Season 4 Episode 9)

Mammoth-riding giant archers!!! That alone easily puts this moment or episode at the top of the most awesome GOT moments list. In season four's penultimate episode, we are taken north of Westeros, on The Wall where the Wildlings for some reason find it's time to finally take over the giant landmark. You can't help but cheer for the  crows on this one. Jon Snow showed effective leadership, as well as that other guy who we disliked on previous episodes when he disagreed with Jon Snow's suggestions. Plus, it gave us that long seamless shot of the fight inside the wall that was just breathtaking. Oh, and anytime we see some direwolf action, you know there's no wrong in direwolf scenes.

6 Hardhome (Season 5 Episode 8)

What an incredible 20 minutes. It's intense. It's action-packed. It's terrifying as shit. And it delivers it's goal of letting us know just how scary and formidable the White Walkers are. This is close in terms of action to the Battle on the Wall from Season 4 as one of the best action set piece of the entire series. The slaughter of the Wildlings from zombies was hard to watch. We may have been introduced and attached to some of the elders, so seeing them die was quite difficult to watch. And then in the end, during the staring match between the Walker King and Jon Snow, when the King raised his hands and all of the dead came back to life, all I could think of was a resounding "Oh. Shit!!! Winter is here!!!"

5 The Viper Vs The Mountain (Season 4 Episode 8)

Oh you can tell from the picture above that  this one ended nasty. All season long we know that Oberyn Martell came to King's Landing for one thing only. Revenge. He knew The Mountain did it. He knew that the Lannisters were behind it. He just wanted a confession. And when Tyrion demanded a trial by combat, the Viper knew it was his chance to finally get what he wanted. The fight  was epic. It's like David vs Goliath, and the Viper had the upper hand. Miraculously, he was able to stab The Mountain in the chest. That was great until, for one moment, while showboating, he set his eyes away from the enemy. Immediately The Mountain put him down, knocked his teeth away and slowly, while confessing crushed Oberyn's skull. Along with the hopes of Tyrion winning the trial.

4 Tyrion's Revenge (Season 4 Episode 10)

For two seasons, Tyrion has been humiliated, stripped of his power, wrongly accused of murder and sentenced to death. Right now, he's one of the very few characters in the show that we consider as the hero. And with the death of Oberyn a few episodes prior, everything looked hopeless for everyone's favorite imp. Fortunately for him, he still has friends in King's Landing, and he escaped. But not before he exacts his revenge. I think his father's death was a bit disappointing, but what he did to Shae was incredibly satisfying. Hearing her neck snap was painful to watch but you can't help but think that she deserved it after betraying Tyrion twice.

3 The Death of Joffrey (Season 4 Episode 2)

The asshole king is dead. It was a long frickin' death. The turd deserved it. And it was so satisfying. 'Nuff said.

2 The Red Wedding (Season 3 Episode 9)

This was awesome. But to be honest, this is one of the most painful scenes to watch in the entire run of Game of Thrones. This effectively eliminated some of the show's biggest heroes. In a wedding nonetheless. And they spared no one. Not even the pregnant wife of Robb Stark. Not even the direwolf. And worse, they cut off it's head and sewn it to Robb's lifeless body.  It is awesome because this is when GOT nails in the head the fact that no one is safe in George RR Martin's opus. Absolutely no one. Until now, I can still hear Catelyn Stark's last cry of pain.

1 Daenerys Takes Over Astapor (Season 3 Episode 4)

In total, I think I have replayed this scene like 15 times. This is my favorite scene of the entire series. It's a spectacle. It's grand. It's a perfect scene.  It started with Kraznys showing off his Unsullied at the same time bad mouthing the mother of dragons, calling her a pig and bitch. He was using the Valyrian language thinking the Mother of Dragons could not understand him. But then, in a grand showing of power, Dany spoke in Valyrian, telling Kraznys that dragons are not slaves and ordering the Unsullied to kill everyone holding a whip. Dracarys. With one word ending the life of the slave master and destroyed a city. The scene ended with Dany marching out of the city finally with an army she can call her own. Epic.

ANDREW

Nasaktan na ang puso ko.

Yung sakit, yung tipong hindi ka makatulog. Hindi makakain. Hindi makahinga. Hindi makagalaw. Yung tipong ayaw mo nang mabuhay dahil sa sakit. Gusto mong matapos na ang buhay mo dahil di mo na alam kung may pupuntahan ka pa dahil wala na siya.

Pero isang araw, wala na yung sakit.

Makakalimutan mo siya. Makakahanap ka ng dahilan para ituloy ang buhay.

Iba ang sakit ko.

Yung sakit na tipong hindi ka makatulog. Hindi makakain. Hindi makahinga. Hindi makagalaw. Yung tipong ayaw mo nang mabuhay dahil sa sakit. Gusto mo nang matapos ang buhay mo dahil ayaw mo nang maramdaman ang tunay na sakit. Dahil hirap ka na. Literal na wala ka nang pag-asa. 

Cancer.

May taning na ang buhay ko.

Buwan. 

Linggo. 

Araw. 

Anumang minuto, maaari na akong kunin ni Lord.

Nakajackpot ako sa Lotto ng Diyos. Bronchial Cancer. Isa sa pinakamalalang klase ng cancer.

Lotto o sadyang kagagawan ko. Naging pabaya ako sa buhay ko. Yosi dito. Isang kaha isang shift. Kalahating kaha bago matulog. Kalahati paggising.

Ngayon, 19 years matapos kong matuto manigarilyo, dama ko na ang kinahinatnan ng bisyo ko.

Apat na buwan na nakaratay sa maliit na higaan. Ilang araw  na hikbi at tunog ng makina lang ang naririnig ko. 

Pilit ko mang buksan ang aking mata, tanging mga anino lang ang aking nakikita. Alam kong pamilya ko ay nasa aking tabi, nagdarasal kahit di ko maintindihan ang aking naririnig.

Ayaw ko na.

Suko na ako.

Konti na lang ang lakas ko.

****************

"Ma, si Kuya gumagalaw!!! Bumubukas na ang mga mata niya!!!" 

Dali-daling lumapit ang pamilya ni Andrew sa kanya.

Kapit kamay ang pamilya habang pinapaligiran ang higaan. 

Ilang saglit pa ay pumasok ang doktor upang tingnan ang kalagayan ng pasyente. 

Umiling ito.

Umatras ang doktor at hinayaan ang pamilya na makasama ang kanilang mahal.

Pilit na tinataas ni Andrew ang kanyang kamay, naghahanap ng makakapitan.

Kinuha ng ina ang kamay nito.

****************

Sa unang pagkakataon matapos ang ilang linggo, bumalik lahat ng lakas ko.

Malinaw kong nakikita ang pamilya ko.

Mama.

Mahigpit niyang hawak ang kamay ko...

"Andrew, we're here... We lo...

33

Today I have the right to:

-pig out
-be lazy
-sleep all day
-play video games whenever
-complain
-forget about my diet and have a cheat week!!!

because it's my birthday!!!

33 na ako!!!

SARAP KAYA MAGTRENTA

Di ako makapaniwala na dati, takot ako na magtrenta.

Noong teenager ako hanggang early 20s, ito yung pinakakinatatakutan ko, umabot sa edad na trenta.

Dati, feeling ko ang tanda tanda na ng mga taong nasa edad na 'to. Nakakadiri sila kasama. Hindi sila cool. Dasal ko, na forever 20s na lang ako.

Almost three years ago, naging 30 nako. Hindi ako nagcelebrate, dahil natatakot ako. Dumating na ang ika tatlong dekada ng buhay ko. Pero imbes na madepress, nagulat ako, di ako sobrang nadisappoint.

At kahit lumipas ang tatlong taon, mas natutuwa ako ngayon na nasa trenta na ako.

I love my thirties!!!

Hindi ko alam kung bakit, pero mas masaya ako ngayon.

Wala na akong angst sa buhay.

At kahit medyo mataba ako ngayon, feeling ko, ngayon ako talaga pinakagwapo.

Sabi nga nila, with age comes wisdom, at ngayon ko napapatunayan yan.

Hindi na ako nagpapakangarag sa mga simpleng bagay. Mas mataas na ang confidence ko. May pera na ako. Mas may kalayaan gawin ang gusto ko. At may sex life ako.

Baka iniisip niyo na nasasabi ko lang 'to dahil may Kasintahan ako, pero sa totoo lang, kahit siguro single ako, I'll be fine in my 30s. Maaaring hindi kasing saya, pero mahahanapan ng paraan yan.

Lahat naman 'to eh depende rin sa pananaw natin sa buhay. Pero marami akong kilala na katulad ko o mas matanda pa, na sobrang nag-eenjoy sa kanilang 30s.

Sabi nga namin, if we had the confidence of our 30-year old selves and the body of our 20s, life would be more perfect. Pero... nagagawan yan ng paraan!!!

BEST OF 2014

I'm not going to wait for the year to end to post this. I have work on the 31st so I don't think I will be able to have the time to write a post then. So I'll write this while working on Rizal Day.

All images captured from Google.

BEST MOVIE (International)
LAST YEAR: Gravity

The best film is the type of film wherein days after you've seen it you still think about what you saw and it still gives you the chills. Whether it's how awesome the characters are or how disturbing the story was, it still leaves something. Gone Girl is my best movie of 2014. What a disturbing movie!!! I watched it twice and in both showing, I notice how everyone in the cinema were really talking seriously about what they just saw. It was disturbing. It was emotional. It was shocking. It was a very very effective film. On facebook, whenever I post about a film I just saw, I normally just get likes, but when I posted about this, people really wanted to discuss the movie. You don't really get that a lot. And for that reason alone is why Gone Girl is my best film of the year.
RUNNER UP: Captain America: Winter Soldier

BEST MOVIE (Local)
LAST YEAR: OTJ

I know in terms of quality, the indies take the cake for brilliance in the local film scene. But in all honesty, I have not been exposed to it as much as I want to. But to be honest, 2014 hasn't really been a good year for us in terms of quality films. Even the indies had fewer noteworthy titles to choose from. So bear with me as my pick this year is reflective of the mainstream Pinoy films that we all love to hate. But then again, truth is we still pay to see these films. We swoon when we see kilig moments. And we still smile watching all the same cliche's film after film after film. Honestly, all Pinoy films tell the same story but with only different actors. Okay, enough ranting. The best of all jologs Pinoy cheesy films of 2014 is Starting Over Again. And I choose this solely because I love Toni Gonzaga.
RUNNER UP: Bride For Rent

GAME OF THE YEAR (Console)
LAST YEAR: Grand Theft Auto V

2014 is the start of the current generation of consoles, so it's quite understandable that the games are not of the same standards as the brilliant games that came out last year. Honestly, this year only 2 games are vying for the title of the best game of 2014. A choice between gameplay innovation and sheer size. Admittedly, Shadow Of Mordor's Nemesis system is the best thing to come out of video games this year. It gives players the ability to tell it's own story uniquely his. But Dragon Age: Inquisition consumed most of my idle time ever since I bought the game a few weeks ago.  I have poured in 60 hours into this game and I don't think I'm halfway done. There are literally tons of things to do in this game world and it's clearly worth what I paid for. Oh and just like with previous Bioware Games that I choose to win GOTY, it really helps that they let players have gay sex.
RUNNER UP: Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

GAME OF THE YEAR (Handheld)
LAST YEAR: Tearaway

I bought my PS4 this year, and have played no other console as much as I did with my PS4. So my choice for Game Of The Year for Handhelds for 2014 is the only game that I played the most. Nintendo is great at creating games that allow you to kill time. With titles like Mario Kart, Smash Bros, Pokemon or even Animal Crossing, you could literally lose thousands of hours playing those games. But my 2014 Handheld game of the year is nothing like the innovative games I mentioned above. It's a return to form for classic JRPGs. Bravely Default is the best turn based RPG I have played since the time of the PS2 era JRPGs. It's tactical, challenging, and really addictive. I love getting new costumes as that meant that I will have new abilities. The characters are charming and funny and it has a very Japanese story which is quirky, imaginative and confusing as shit. Just how I like my Japanese Role Playing Games.
RUNNER UP: The Walking Dead: Season 2

BEST OF TV DRAMA 
LAST YEAR: The Good Wife

So the past few years I have been skipping on this show as the best US Drama series because there have been a lot of outstanding shows. That's why I think I've given this award to almost all of the best shows out there. That's why this year, I'm giving the award to one of my favorite shows of all time. Shameless. It's a family dramedy about a VERY dysfunctional family. The show is so taboo I don't think this will ever be allowed to be shown in our country. Regardless, the show is damn funny, brilliantly acted, and just like drugs, is so addictive. It is tasteless sometimes. It is filled with morally questionable characters and your heroes are pretty much all criminals in the making, but they are the most relatable and likeable characters on tv. I fucking love Shameless!!!
RUNNER UP: Game Of Thrones

BEST OF TV COMEDY
LAST YEAR: The Mindy Project

I am no longer the target market of MTV. I actually want to puke whenever I see something teenybopper on television these days. So imagine my surprise when I found myself glued to the television watching this year's winner. Faking It. It's a show about a couple of high school girls faking being lesbians so they will become famous in school. Just like the usual coming of age stories, one of them turns out to really be gay and falls in love with the best friend. But as cliche as this story gets, it's actually funny and it doesn't take itself too seriously (hello Glee). The show, now on it's second season, has now moved on from it's original premise and I think is getting better for it. This show may never win an Emmy, but I think it's the closest we'll get to seeing how American teenagers really are this generation. It's a cool show.
RUNNER UP: The McCarthy's

BEST OF TV (Local)
LAST YEAR: Got To Believe

What is a Gillboard Best Of post without an appearance of something directed by Cathy Garcia Molina. It would be nothing. And this year, I'm giving out the recognition of Best Pinoy TV Series to Forevermore. I love how this show makes me feel younger. It is a very Pinoy Soap Opera. It checks on a lot of boxes in the How To Make a Teleserye Handbook. The poor girl / rich guy love story. The evil future mother in law. The scene stealing supporting characters. The funny barkada of the guy. The third party. I'm pretty sure someone will get kidnapped by the end of this show. But then again, even if you do it, if you do it right. Get the script right. Get the chemistry right. Filipinos will buy the shit you throw at them. Unfortunately, I'm one who buys those shit. And come on, there really isn't anything really good on Philippine TV apart from our news and current affairs stuff. Is there? Anyway, back to Forevermore. What I like about it, is that it's smart enough that even if it ticks all those soap opera cliches, it gives us a bit of a twist that keeps us guessing if what we predicted will come true or not.
RUNNER UP: The Voice Of The Philippines

BEST IN MUSIC
LAST YEAR: Just Give Me A Reason

Let me be predictable for once. I like me some melancholy songs. And my song of the year goes to a singer who really writes great sad songs. The male or gay version of Adele as they say. Sam Smith's Stay With Me resonates for a number of  reasons. One, the song is really really relatable. Who among us have that one night stand that we wished was not just? Oh god, if I heard that song like 8 years ago, I would have sung that to that unforgettable one night stand. Two, Sam Smith. Wow, that voice!!! You could really feel his emotions in all of his songs. He's my favorite artist this year, bar none. Three. It was not overplayed unlike John Legend's theme song of the year. Four. It's just one song from an album that's full of great music. Actually, let me take back the award from Stay With Me. The Best In Music this year for me is anything from Sam Smith.
RUNNER UP: Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud

BLOG OF THE YEAR
LAST YEAR: Wickedmouth

I know I haven't been the most active blogger this year. I think I visit only a handful of blogs. And let's be honest, there haven't really been a lot of active bloggers anymore. The greats have now moved on  to better things in life. But there's been no one really who's been as consistent in writing posts as this year's winner. Regardless the posts are read or not, he still writes. I heard it's something he needs to do. For me, he is the epitome of the adage, "we write to express, not to impress". He's one blogger that I have known from like when I started blogging a few years ago, yet, he's someone I've never actually met in person. I admire this blogger because it is difficult to find things to write, but he never seems to fail to find one. From trysts, to heartbreaks, his job, to family matters. They may sometimes be deep, but they are very well written. I have given this award to people who are no longer in the blog world, but I'm quite positive, we'll be seeing his posts for quite some time more. Cheers Kuya Joms of L'Heure Bleue
RUNNER UP: Geosef's Alphabet