Theatrhythm Curtain Call

Child of Light

I've been interested in this game for a while now, and it is getting very close to its release date of April 30th. I've linked some making of videos from Ubisoft which have some interviews with the developers and some gameplay footage. Check out Child of Light - it has amazing aesthetics and art style.

Chernobyl

I thought I'd post something a bit different today. Today marks 28 years since the disaster at Chernobyl on Thursday 26th of April 1986, in which one of the nuclear reactors malfunctioned, exploded and led to a massive release of radioactive material in the worst nuclear disaster in history. This was slightly before my time indeed (I was born on 17th October 1986), but this event has had such an impact, for me growing up I heard so much about this and the after-effects, and even now, they are working on a new concrete sarcophagus for the reactor as the original one is nearing the end of its lifespan. Even now, we are still feeling the effects of the radiation across Europe. Learning about radiation in school was something that always scared me, but amazed me at the same time, and the events in Chernobyl have contributed to the uncertainty that many have about nuclear power. The power we have discovered is intense and perhaps something of a Pandora's Box.
I have compiled some interesting links which tell different stories about Chernobyl and life in Pripyat and the surrounding area. Terrifying, fascinating and beautiful, it is a place I hope to visit one day.

So this post was very different to what I normally post on the blog, but it is something I am so fascinated in, with my interest in science. It is basically just a tribute and post remembering the hardships and struggles people endured and still do to this day.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2014/04/remembering-chernobyl-ukraine-201442665946572911.html

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/24102d/28_years_ago_i_lived_in_the_northern_neighborhood/

 http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-battle-of-chernobyl/

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/haunting-pictures-of-abandoned-chernobyl

http://www.buzzfeed.com/danieldalton/chilling-photos-chernobyl-28-years-later

http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/what-happens-when-wildlife-reclaims-chernobyl

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/europe/2006/chernobyl/default.stm

http://www.lovethesepics.com/2013/03/chernobyl-exclusion-zone-adrenaline-radiation-urbex-a-good-day-to-die-hard/

Some links

Square Enix have reconsidered JRPGs as a genre for the west, it seems. A few websites have been running this story after Bravely Default's success worldwide was a bit unexpected. Seriously...Square Enix have got to realise it is a genre that there is a serious fan base for.

http://www.siliconera.com/2014/03/31/bravely-defaults-success-west-making-square-enix-rethink-jrpgs/

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-31-surprise-bravely-default-success-sparks-square-enix-rethink

http://kotaku.com/square-enix-has-finally-realized-that-people-like-jrpgs-1555236872

Some different websites with different perspectives on that story. After finishing the game, I'm really looking forward to the announcement when we will get the sequel localised. It has to happen after all this, right?

I've been sort of half collecting some cheap DS games over the last while. Its such a solid system and I'm wanting to grab all the games I'm interested in before the 3DS kind of takes over in shops and online. That won't be for a while I think, but it has been a gradual change, with shops where I am slowly downsizing their ds selections, even preowned stuff. Most recently today I ordered the last DS Professor Layton that I was after, Spectre's Call.
Some other ones I'm wanting to get are;

Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift
The Dark Spire - HNNNGGG its not even funny how long I've been trying to get this one for
999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors - Heard so many good things about this one
Advance Wars: Dual Strike
Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon
Phoenix Wright - Any from this series, never played any and they are so rare to find ;_;
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Echoes of Time - These FF games aren't supposed to be great, but...
Pokemon Conquest

There are probably a lot more, and I'm always looking for more suggestions. Here are a couple lists of top DS games and DS RPGs for reference. (And one I found on reddit linking to neogaf that is a really comprehensive RPG essentials list)

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=503191

http://www.rpgfan.com/features/Top_20_DS_Games/index.html - Ok so some of them aren't RPGs, but whatever

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Top-10-Best-Nintendo-DS-RPGs-Role-Playing-At-Its-Finest-On-The-DS - Some weird choices, some very good choices

http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/43417/best-ds-games/

http://vsrecommendedgames.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_DS

http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/08/08/the-top-25-nintendo-ds-games-2?page=1 - I hate those multi page lists, whatever

http://kotaku.com/5878896/the-12-best-games-for-the-ds

http://www.gamesradar.com/best-ds-games/

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/402812/best-nintendo-ds-games-9-years-50-must-own-games/

http://bossdungeon.com/our-favourite-games-on-nintendo-ds/

I've also been watching a lot of Demon's Souls and Dark Souls videos on youtube. Here are a few links and articles. I still think Demon's Souls is the best out of the Souls games. Its what started it all, and for me, it was the most intense experience, with perfect atmosphere, controls and animations. There has been a slight downward trend in the animations, and to me Dark Souls II has slightly clunkier UI and animations than the other games. I need to play more of it though, perhaps once I've finished my dissertation and exams...

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-03-23-demons-souls-retrospective

http://bossdungeon.com/demystifying-demons/

http://www.rocketchainsaw.com.au/deep-darkness-demons-souls-retrospective/