Devil May Cry Collectibles: Darts & Flights

Now, these are some things a pub-going video game fanboy wouldn't mind being caught with. These Devil May Cry Darts from Capcom come in a set of three with 3 pieces of interchangeable flights. Click here for the Dante set or here for the Nero set.


Additional flights can also be purchased separately in sets of 3 as well, each set depicting a character from the DMC games. Click here for purchase details for these flights.

Namco DotGraph Figure with Sound: Video Review

Here's a video review of the Namco DotGraph Figure with Sound that arrived in my mailbox yesterday:





Interested in getting one for yourself? Visit Play-Asia.com at this link for purchase details.

A Package Full Of Video Game Collectibles and Accessories

A "care package" arrived from Hong Kong today, bringing with it a whole bunch of video game collectibles and an accessory.

Here's a mug shot of the contents of this delivery:


Interested in knowing what I bought? Here's the list:

• New Super Mario Bros. Soft Magnet Collection (click here for purchase details)
• Namco Dotgraphics Figure with Sound (click here for purchase details)
• Hori Display Stand Portable for both the Sony PSP-1000 and PSP-2000 (click here for purchase details)
  

Google Adsense Cash Out!

I went to cash-out my Google Adsense earnings earlier today, at a nearby CIMB Bank with Western Union service. The amount was just shy of USD 120, but at least I got some pocket money to pay for my new pair of tyres on the car, and a short holiday with the girlfriend.

Hooray for Google!

Club Nintendo Super Famicom Classic Controller for Nintendo Wii

Here's your chance to own a limited edition Club Nintendo Super Famicom Classic Controller for the Nintendo Wii. That's right, this retro-throwback of a gamepad hooks up to your Nintendo Wii and is ideal for playing Virtual Console games.


No details on pricing yet, but Play-Asia will be opening pre-orders for this gamepad soon, so you'd better bookmark the following link: http://www.play-asia.com/SOap-23-83-47yl-71-10u-49-en-84-j-70-2f4f.html

Bak Kut Teh Run/New Balance Klang Pacers Half Marathon - Post Race

The Bak Kut Teh Run, as some runners would fondly call the New Balance-Klang Pacers Half Marathon, is probably one of the cleanest runs that I've ever participated.

Let me explain. It would seem that almost every participant knows where the garbage bags are, and actually use them to dispose off rubbish (empty paper cups, banana peels, plastic bags, etc) properly! Hence, there's no scenario like in KLIM where rubbish was strewn all over the Dataran field.

It's just too bad that the number of participants for the Bak Kut Teh Run were so few. At one point there wasn't anyone within a 20 meter radius of myself and I got bored running and started walking instead, enjoying the sights along the way.

I saw monkeys (of the kera variety) scurrying on power lines, a couple of dogs starring intently like I'm a postman, the mini wet market with a cat waiting for scraps, and of course, the mosque (yang tersergam indah) and the Istana with a different view of the stadium.

The end result: 1 hour 19 minutes. My friend was saying that any longer and that I would be out of the qualifying time. But no worries, I just decided not to put the pedal to the metal. Normally I would finish a 10km run in an hour :).


I didn't even need to queue to get a drink of Milo or 100 Plus, testament to the low participant count. Anyways, do join the run next year as the finisher medal given out is pretty nice; looks like some Superman thingy.

Grand Theft Auto Central

This week marks the release of GTA IV, and over here at Nine Over Ten 9/10, this post is dedicated to all things GTA, from where to get the game, guidebooks, and even a trip down memory lane to great granddaddy GTA and grandma GTA 2.


So, all geared up for GTA IV? If you haven't got a current-gen console, you'd probably need one in the form of an Xbox 360 or a Playstation 3. Yup, it's a release across the board but if you own a Wii, go play Okami instead.

Where to get your copy of GTA IV? Folks living in the States, Canada and even the U.K are fortunate to have good video game distribution networks (retailers, stores) and they are also spoilt for choice in terms of online options.

One way of purchasing GTA IV is via Amazon.com; the game is available for pre-order for both the Xbox 360 (click here) and Playstation 3 (click here) versions and are eligible for Super Saver Shipping.

For us over here at Malaysia, it would seem that we have to rely on parallel importers to get our GTA fix, or purchase from online sites such as Play-Asia. Like Amazon, Play-Asia has both versions of the game available for pre-order. Click here for the Xbox 360 version and click here for the PS3 version.

GTA 4 Guide Books are available at Amazon.com (click here) and Play-Asia (click here) as well.

While you won't see Rockstar Games release GTA: Vice City as freeware, you can take a free walk down memory lane on the original Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2, courtesy of the said developer. Where to get them? Head over to this link.

Now, if I just can get a PS3...

Weirdest/Coolest FMV on the Nintendo DS

The use of full motion video is getting pretty common place among Nintendo DS games, with the usual suspects such as the Final Fantasy series of games leading the way. Even the boxing game, K-1 World GP (Japanese import) utilizes FMV for its intro.

Most of the time, these FMVs are CG spectacles, designed to awe more than anything else. But have you seen anything that actually have you chuckling?

Here's one:

That's the FMV intro for Hissatsu Kung Fu: Kanji Dragon and it references old Chinese Kung Fu movies and even the Karate Kid, but look out for the Nintendo DS Lite in some scenes. The game requires knowledge of Japanese kanji characters (you write them on the touch screen) and when done succesfully, translates to kungfu moves to defeat your on screen enemy. Think Street Fighter where you have to write your combo moves instead of mashing buttons.

As you might expect, I couldn't go far with the game since I'm handicapped by my lack of kanji knowledge but for those of you out there with written Japanese knowledge, this is an interesting game to check out.

Hissatsu Kung Fu: Kanji Dragon is available at Play-Asia, click here for purchase details.

Retro Video Game Ads

1989. A year, where game ads in publications such as EGM, as well as game packaging, do not match that of the contents of the game itself. The cover might show a buffed-up Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, but in game graphics potray him as a few pixels short of being Mario.

And you'll find that in order to maximise money spent on ads, game publishers will advertise their entire catalogue of games in a single ad, hardly something you see these days.

Here are some of my favourite ads, from the very first issue of EGM..and yeah, 1989 is the only other time besides the Cold War where you can hear the phrase Soviet Mind Game. LOL.


If you have not download the very first issue of EGM, it's available in PDF form at Retromags. Click here for details.