elusive.nu

Want to turn your iPod Nano into a watch but all the bands you’ve seen haven’t been what you expect? Are you looking to make your Nano look more like  a watch instead of a Nano attached to your wrist?  I recommend you take a look at the Hex Icon Watch Band.

This band is perfect for those that want their Nano look like an actual watch. It looks very nice doesn’t it? Depending on where you shop, you can pick up your own band between $29.95 -$39.95 USD. They range in different colors and you can buy from retail stores and online websites including Apple, Zumiez, and Karmaloop.

Image taken from shophex.com

Last week I received my preorder for the  Crossbones toy by  Johnny Cupcakes in the mail. I was lucky enough to order one during New York Comic Con where the company had a booth. The clothing brand has released their logo into a collectible 3D version. These blind box toys come in ten different colorways and are individually scented. The scents include vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, bubble gum, grape, blueberry, orange, banana, green apple, and marshmallow.

This one smells like an orange, and while you may be tempted to take a bite it’s important to remember that this is a toy. But don’t fear; if you order through Johnny Cupcakes directly you might receive a few treats. These toys will go for $10 USD each. Be sure to check out the Johnny Cupcakes online store to order your own. I know I will; I plan on getting more myself when they go on sale this holiday season.

I have a new obsession. I don’t care what critics say; this movie was awesome. The tag line was right in saying to “open your mind” because if you take the movie at face value then you will not get the symbolism and metaphors used. It’s a shame that people gave this movie such crap because they didn’t get it.

The last E3 webcast I watched online was Nintendo. I was very impressed with what Nintendo released last year; I considered their press conference the best out of the big three (yep, even better than Microsoft and Sony combined). But for some reason I expected this year’s briefing to be bad.

I was bored for the first 40 minutes, mainly because I’m not interested in The Legend of Zelda franchise nor do I feel the need to pic up a Nintendo 3DS. That’s not to say there weren’t some good titles-Super Mario 3D and Tetris look like they could be fun. But I’m still not going to drop money for a handheld I’ll get a headache from.

I’m super interested in the Wii U console. I keep reading other saying Nintendo is late with the concept, or that the oversized controller looks like a glorified iPad. Yeah, and? I like the design of it. Is this something that marketed to me in opposed to the hardcore gamer? Are those gamers feeling left out? That’s how I was feeling at Sony’s conference. Also, doesn’t Sony they have their own new handheld coming out soon which is somewhat similar to Nintendo’s Wii U (technically speaking that is)?

Eventually, Sony & Microsoft is going to have a new console similar to the Wii U. Everyone that says that the Wii U is stupid are most likely the same people that said the motion detected gaming was stupid. Now all three consoles have it.

Just saying…

Last year, I was very disappointed with what Sony brought to E3. Very disappointed. And after the whole PSN hackers incident earlier this year I was curious to see how Sony was going to handle their press conference. At times I thought their briefing dragged on for way too long and maybe it was their energy that turned me off. So I watched the archived webcast on G4 as well to see if the feeling was the same.

The demos for Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception and Infamous 2 were great, but then again the graphics on the PS3 were always superior to the other consoles (yes I said it). I’m still not sold on the 3D feature for television and games, so I won’t be getting a Playstation 3D monitor. I’m also not convinced to buy a Playstation Move just to have another way to play a game.

I lost all interest when the discussion of their newest handheld Playstation Vita was brought up. I wasn’t impressed by it. It looks like a product that Sony made for the hardcore gamer. It’s not to say the Vita isn’t a great concept; the technical specs are impressive. Do I feel the need to get it? Nope. I also wish Sony went into more detail about Playstation Suite instead of glazing over it, even if they announced it earlier this year in Japan. It would have been nice to hear more about it.

So, was I disappointed with Sony this year? Not as much as last year, but I wasn’t jumping out of my seat. After watching it a second time, I was still a little bored.

While it’s always great to see what Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo has going on during E3 it’s nice to see third-party game developers have in the works. I was able to view the Konami‘s pre-conference briefing online, and later in the week viewed live webcasts for the Electronic Arts and Ubisoft press conferences.

I never played a Konami title before. I was interested in Metal Gear Solid last year, but I decided against buying it. I caught the trailer for their game Neverdead in their briefing. That might be something to pick up in the future. It’s still in the works so I have time to decide.

I like Electronic Arts, so I really did want to check out their conference. I read about the development of Need For Speed: The Run earlier this year and quickly disregarded it (I’m still enjoying NFS: Hot Pursuit eight months after the release). But the demo that EA had of the next installment looks amazing, and I like that they’re adding on-foot action into the racing. Other EA titles I liked were Overstrike and SSX*.

As for Ubisoft, I felt a little let down. I wasn’t super excited for any of their titles. I MIGHT be interested in Just Dance 3, but barely. I enjoy Just Dance 2 and thank that game for helping me lose weight. But there’s just something about this new version that makes me nervous, that it’s not going to be as good as Just Dance 2. However, the next Assassin’s Creed installment looks beautiful as always. I’ve played the game before and the graphics blew me away. It’s visually pleasing but it takes more than that to make me want to keep playing.

*Yes, SSX is another reboot of a franchise but I have good memories playing this on my PS2. It’s a nostalgia thing.

Last week was the Electronic Entertainment Expo. And like all the previous years since I started following E3 coverages Microsoft was first of the three major press conferences.

I’ve always been nervous to play games like Call of Duty, mainly because I just go into those titles blindly shooting I also consider myself to still be a noob so I know I’d get whipped by some hardcore player. However, I’m willing to get over my fear to play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 that’s coming out November 8, 2011. The demos I’ve seen from the gameplay are impressive and make me wish that it was fall already. This is the first time I actually want to play COD. I just need to decide what console to get the game in.

Microsoft also showed a demo for the Tomb Raider reboot (scheduled to come out 2012) and a preview of the revamped Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition (scheduled to be released November 15, 2011). Just like movies and television, I’m not a fan of revamps or reboots. But I did like the changes that were done for Tomb Raider. And considering I’m late in enjoying Halo (the first game I got was ODST), I might be convinced to try the Anniversary edition.

The rest of the press conference didn’t hold my attention. I’m still not convinced to get Kinect, and I’m not amused that soon I’ll be able to get YouTube clips off of XBOX LIVE.

I was surprised to hear that there will be at least three new Halo games in production, with Halo 4 scheduled to come out around Holiday 2012. These new games can be really good for the franchise, or it could be like the Star Wars prequels.

So far, I liked what I saw what Microsoft had to offer this year. I wasn’t completely turned off with like last year, so that’s a plus.

I was one of the few people in my area that picked up Rockstar Games’s L.A. Noire at midnight tonight, and in an even rarely case I played a bit of the game before bed. I’ve been playing a bit of ODST and a trial version of LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean for the past week, so L.A. Noire is a drastic change. I’m a sucker for the 1920s to 1940s so I had to pick it up as soon as possible.

They game actually requires you to THINK before acting, or else there would be some consequences. So far I suck at the interrogations-I don’t trust anyone I talk to. Since I know about how corrupted Hollywood was back then (it probably is today, but more accepted/hidden) I think even my partner has something to hide. It’s a nice change from the shooters and arcade games.

The graphics are amazing, and I love the vibe I get from playing it. It doesn’t feel like a game when you play it so a casual gamer may actually enjoy it.

Sometime over this past year I met END of Argonauts Resin. I’ve been eying his Tuttz resin figurines for awhile, but unfortunately I haven’t had luck in obtaining one for my collection. Tuttz are released in waves, and the releases are sold out usually within five minutes.

Fortunately END was kind enough to make me one of his Tuttz minis in one of my favorite colors. He was also nice enough to make me a custom version of a Jelly Bot, a collaboration he did with The Jelly Empire this year.

Aren’t they beautiful? Baby blue pearl is such a great color. I don’t care how much I’m offered, these babies will never leave my hands.

I haven’t been gaming a whole lot this year so far, but when I do play I have been playing more on my Wii and PS3 (been enjoying Just Dance 2 & it’s health benefits and chasing speeders in Need For Speed Hot Pursuit). I’ve had some issues with my PS3-always updating its software, not being able to get online, not used to the controller (blame using a 360 controller for 2 years-it’s hard to make the switch)-but it’s still a great system with amazing graphics. Plus it doesn’t hurt that it’s my blu ray player.

When I read that the Playstation Network was down (Day 1, that is), my first reaction was “Not again!” and then I moved on. It’s now been over a week since the PSN has been down and it looks like it was all due to a hacker that was able to obtain personal information including credit card numbers and expiration dates. I wouldn’t be so worried about this if it wasn’t for the fact that my personal information (including my card info) could have been compromised. And after reading this article about how the personal information taken off of the PSN is being sold on a forum, I’m worried for my personal information.

Needless to say, I’ll be checking my balance frequently this weekend.