Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo (PS VITA)

Take everything you know about anime mechs, throw in some shmup shooting, and hack & slash arcade style action along with some impressive customization options, and you have yourself "Damascus Gear: Operation Tokyo". At the core this simple yet rich experience which is basically an action RPG offers the gamer a unique story that makes it's own place amongst other anime inspired video games. Of course it is it's own game in plot, and delivery, but one can't help to recall anime like 'Gundam', or 'Neon Genesis Evangelion' as they play through the game's entirety. As far as said plot goes you'll find an organization known as Freya doing their best to fight off an invasion of living mechs called the 'Rage'. These giant monstrosities which were originally manned machines called GEARS have taken on a life of their own, and destructively so. As Irony would have it, you, the game's protagonist will be piloting a GEAR mech against these living, unmanned Rages.

Through some supportive military manufacturers the faction known as Freya is able to supply their small army of pilots with their very own customizable war machines, and enable them to wage war against the insurmountable odds ahead. This is of course where you, the main protagonist come into the picture. As an up, and coming GEAR pilot (with a name of your choosing) you are put through some training missions against some very real threats in order to test your skills. Once you've proven your worth on the training grounds you are put to good use immediately by the heads of the department, and are sent out as mankind's last hope.Your duties as one of humanity's few surviving saviors comes in the form of making transport runs, clearing cities of the Rage infestations, and other tasks that involve both the confrontation of your enemy, and the evasion of said enemies. You'll even find yourself participating in arena events that pit you up against fellow GEARS pilots for the sake of keeping citizens distracted from their unforgiving reality. Mission by mission, and fight by fight it is up to you, and your brothers/sisters in arms to combat the Rage, and prevent the extinction of the human race.

Destiny of Spirits Shutting Down In June 2015

This morning I turned on my PS Vita to get my daily dose of "Destiny of Spirits", and found some disheartening news regarding it's service. It seems that the game in it's entirety will be shutting down, and will be no longer accessible come a scheduled day in June of this year. I have personally invested a sh*t ton of hours into the game, and have currently amassed a collection of 153 spirits mostly comprised of SR's and R's. Hearing the bad news really put a damper on things, and has unfortunately turned me away from playing the game any longer. I feel rather let down that the game did not last all that long, and that the hours, weeks, days, and months I've invested in it will be for naught. I feel pity on those who bought spirit orb DLC as their monetary investment will also be snuffed out.

As far as the game itself goes I've been addicted to it since launch, and have played it rather religiously. I've always thought that it was the prime example of what a free-to-play game should be. Instead of forcing the gamer to pay up for DLC to get the more rare spirits for the in-game lottery Japan Studios made it so that there were easy ways around it if the player were only to log in daily. I suppose the distraction of other games, and the loss of dedicated players may have played a role in the game's demise. The developers may also have hit a brick wall in the way of providing new content, or may not be able to afford to keep the servers and maintenance running. Whatever the case may be I will definitely miss this PS Vita gem. I just hope that Japan Studios, and it's co-producers don't give up on their free-to-play vision, and that perhaps they bring a more permanent version of the game to gamers who have invested their time and money into it. If not maybe they can up the ante, and make an all new experience that is as captivating as this one. One can only hope.

Slender: The Arrival (PS4)

Slender man, and the creepy lore he was derived from have become a household name in terror in many ways, and across many forms of entertainment. Initially developed as a Steam game for the PC, Slender Man took the simple premise of clue collecting, isolation, and an unusually sinister stalker, and combined them to make an experience that could best be described as a living nightmare. The protagonist in the original games, and in this follow-up sequel who were made to suffer the nightmare usually had only a flashlight, and camera at their disposal. They were made to wander abandoned areas of varying sorts to collect pinned up clues that basically held a warning that the Slender Man was watching them, and that he was coming to get them. As you trekked through darkly lit forests, abandoned buildings, and whatnot as these characters you would catch glimpses of the Slender Man moments before the camera suffered from static interference. The mere sight of this lanky apparition was meant to frighten the gamer in a jump scare fashion, and keep them on the edge of their seats as they set out to complete the game, and for the most part it did it's job. The point of the games, and expansions, if there was one was to find all eight pages, or clues before the Slender Man got to you. You either did it, or you suffered that fatal final scare. In a slightly similar fashion as that of the first games, and expansions 'Slender: The Arrival" once again incorporates the eight page theme, and adds a twist with some objective based levels that build upon the simple nature of the original Slender Man tale.

My New Netsuke

For those of you who do not know it "Netsuke" are oriental statues, or carvings that originated back in the late 16th, and early 17th century in feudal Japan. Most netsuke were usually used as clothing accessories to show heritage, lineage, and standings within the feudal Japanese communities. Nowadays these keepsakes that are carved from bone, ivory, and other base materials are highly sought after, and are considered one of the finer traditional Japanese collectibles. They come in a variety of different forms including erotic nudes, animals of varying sorts, and Japanese deities/spirits. As far as me and the netsuke go I've collected a few here, and there, and have picked up most of my netsuke at antique malls, or flea markets. I do love buying them when I can find them for a reasonable price.

When it comes to value not all netsuke are genuine, or created equally though. The more authentic, and aged pieces are usually carved from some sort of bone while the modern pieces are sometimes resin in build. It's usually easy to tell the difference between the two as bone carries distinct markings, and modern resin copies are usually too perfect for their own good with non-porous non-skeletal structures. Modern netsuke also usually have a line around them from the mold they were cast in. Another sure fire way to tell a fake from a genuine netsuke is to look at the symmetry of the figure. Details like the persons', or deity's ears, or facial features can tip you off to a fake. It is hard to carve out a perfect netsuke, and without visible asymmetry present you can usually guess that the figure is a reproduction, or fake. actual distinct carving marks will also tip you off as to whether, or not the netsuke in your possession is fake.