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This week’s game releases include Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, and on the very same day, another game (one that’s not so kid-friendly) will be released based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. I decided that this should be a growing trend, games based on awesome literature, so here are some games I’d like to see that fit that mold:

• The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – There is a classic, hilarious 1984 text adventure based on this classic, hilarious 1979 book. But text adventures are a little hard to get into ever since games got, you know, graphics, so we need a new Hitchhiker’s Guide game. Besides maybe the Ratchet & Clank series, not enough games are funny nowadays.
• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – This mixture of a famous Jane Austen novel and, well, zombies is getting a movie made of it pretty soon. So it’s the perfect time for a video game beat-em-up adaptation to go along with it!
• The Three Musketeers – This book’s due for a comeback. Lots of good combat actions between muskets and rapiers, and a good story to back it up.

Heyy guys, I was just watching this cool movie called “Its Complicated” starring Meryl Streep, Alac Boldwin and Stever Martin. The movie was ok, not good not bad. But I have to say, Meryl Streep is gorgeous. I mean. I would love to grow old and look like that. She looks beautiful, I love her she’s amazing.

Anyway, remember the deal I made with myself about cooking and skating? Well, that’s not happening until the end of this month. Or maybe next month. I’m not sure yet. It all depends on how much I earn this month which I think wont be too much ’cause I don’t have many classes. This is the biggest disadvantage of my work as a part time art teacher. It all depends on my classes. It’s hard to explain… So… Yea life’s like that. It’ll get better.

Anyhow, what’s up with you guys? Haven’t heard a lot from you people. Its birthday season! Everyone’s birthdays are coming up. Leave me some comments or something about whats the latest on KW.

Asmi~

P.S I love you.

Whip It may seem like just a sports movie for girls, but the dizzying roller derby sequences and basic premise—that everyone needs to figure out where they belong—will appeal to guys and girls. Ellen Page plays Bliss Cavender, and yes, despite playing another precocious teen, she manages to duck out of Juno’s shadow. The only baby in this movie is Bliss’ mom—who seriously needs to grow out of her obsession with pageants.  Check out the full movie review of Whip It OR Read more movie reviews on Kidzworld.

Level-5 is the developer of our latest featured game, White Knight Chronicles. They’re an often overlooked RPG dev, with some amazing games for Sony systems in particular over the years. Here’s a quick rundown of them, and why you should pick them up if you see them for $5 in a bargain bin somewhere.

• Dark Cloud (2000) – PS2. Actually very similar to White Knight Chronicles in that it’s a regular RPG with city-building elements. A real under-recognized gem.
• Dark Chronicle (2002) – PS2. Sometimes it’s called Dark Cloud 2. It has the same city-building stuff combined with RPG stuff, and then adds in this odd photography system. It has awesome, stylish graphics.
• Dragon Quest VIII (2004) – PS2. Again, great cel-shaded graphics. Japanese magazine Famitsu called it the fourth best game of all time at one point.
• Rogue Galaxy (2005) – PS2. It’s pretty unfair to say it’s a sci-fi version of Dark Cloud 2, but I don’t have a lot of room to talk about it here, so I’m just going to say it’s like a sci-fi version of Dark Cloud 2.
• Jeanne d’Arc (2006) – PSP. A tactical turn-based RPG instead of an action one like the others, plus it’s (loosely) based on the story of Joan of Arc. One of my favorite PSP games.
• The Professor Layton series (2007-today) – DS. Not an RPG, but rather a game of puzzles set around a storyline, with some adventure-y elements. Definitely a must-have for DS owners, unless you’re really ticked off by brain teasers.

This week I read four books: Alcatraz versus the Scrivener’s Bone (book 2) and Alcatraz versus the Knights of Crystallia (book 3) by Brandon Sanderson, as well as Cyberia (book 1) and Cyberia: Monkey See, Monkey Don’t by Chris Lynch. What can I say? Both authors are amazing.

The Cyberia series follows Zane, a boy who lives in a world of techonology, high-tech computers and talking animals. But you see, Zane is the only one who can hear the animals, courtesy of his trusty ear-noodle. He discovers that the evil Vetrinarian, Dr. Gristle, is developing chips that, when inserted into animals, allow him to control them. Zane can hear the animals’ pleads for help. But how can a boy match up against a powerful, influential pet doctor?

Alcatraz took my breath away. The cover wasn’t appealing, and I naturally judge books based on that. But once again, I was wrong. Alcatraz Smedry is a 13-year-old boy who has recently discovered that the world we call home is actually run by evil Librarians. He’s part of a famous family, whose home is located in a place called Nalhalla. The story claims to be a memoir of Alcratraz’s real life experinces. He begins almost every chapter with funny, random topics that have absolutely nothing to do with the story. They let you see how quirky and hilarious Alcatraz really is. And he’ll have you laughing your pants off.

The thing that makes both these series’ so special is that they’re hilarious. The narrators are quirky and clever, and they actually make you laugh out loud. They both look and sound a little sci-fi-ish, but don’t worry. The characters are completely normal, except that they have a better sense of humor than just about anyone you’ve ever met. Please give these books a read, especially Alcatraz.

Sometimes when you’re a teenager you go through a phase of confusion. You find yourself confused about everything. Whether its shopping or a relationship. “Should I? Or Should I not?” is a question you find yourself asking a lot. Well, I may be almost 19 but I think I’m in stuck in that phase. Have been for more than a year now. Some kids have everything figured out and some don’t really care. I am one of those who’s dying to find out what am I meant to do and where is this life suppose to take me, am I going to be in love? Why does everyone annoy me so much? Ehh, it’s really confusing. Not just to the reader but also to the writer.

All I’m hoping for is that I find my way out of this messy and confusing life and end up smiling somehow. =]

Random blog,
Asmi

Tooth Fairy is a bit like a trip to the dentist–by that I mean, it’s boring and painful and you might fall asleep. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does his best, flashing those pearly whites at the camera and mugging it up with his newfound fairy wings, but not even the sight of a grown man in a tutu can save this doomed flick. It’s sad to see so much talent going to waste too–you have to wonder what greats like Julie Andrews and Billy Crystal were thinking signing up for this one. Still, if you’re under six, you might giggle at a few scenes, but anyone over seven should steer clear. Check out the full movie review of Tooth Fairy OR Read more movie reviews on Kidzworld.

Just because vampire books are popular doesn’t mean they’re good. That’s what I learned from Blood Sinister by Celia Rees. This book was more like a modern-day Dracula than the girl-can’t-resist-the-mysterious-and-handsome-vampire type of books like Twilight and Vampire Diaries. It follows a teenager named Ellen who is fatally ill. Too pass the time, she reads her great-grandmother’s and learns that vampires exist. Soon, in her dreams, Ellen becomes her great-grandmother, living her life, fearing her fears. And the vampires quickly become all too real.

The second book I read this week was Raiders’ Ransom by Emily Diamond. I was shocked to discover that this was Emily Diamond’s first book; Raiders’ Ransom read like it was written by a seasoned author. It really is a fabulous adventure story,  not too mention the striking cover art. The story follows two characters: Lilly and Zeph. About 150 years in the future there has been a “Collapse” or some sort of apocolyptic disaster. And many lands have returned to the olden-days way of life — no technology, no cars, travel by boat. Even the old societal pressures, like marrying for money or status instead of love, have returned. When the only two important people in Lilly’s life are gone, she decides to take action. The Prime Minister’s daughter has been kidnapped by raiders, the same raiders that killed her granny. Disguised as a boy, Lilly sails to London in hopes of trading a treasure for the girls release. In London, she meets Zeph — son of the raider’s boss. As a war brews, the two sides become intertwined and true emotions and values are revealed.

This week’s game release post covered Tatsunoko vs. Capcom, but there wasn’t nearly enough space to mention all the awesome characters you can play as. So, (with many thanks to Wikipedia, because I certainly did not know all these anime shows) here’s a list, along with what games/TV shows each character comes from.

Capcom Characters:

Tatsunoko Characters:

The Spy Next Door gives Jackie Chan a chance to ease up on the stunts and concentrate on goofing around with young actors like Will Shadley. Jackie plays a retiring CIA agent who’s forced to content with the nerdy likes of Will’s character, Ian, who unintentionally unlocks a top-secret formula that alerts some bad guy Russians. Check out the full movie review of The Spy Next Door on Kidzworld OR Read more movie reviews on Kidzworld.

Also new this week were the premier episodes of American Idol, season 9. The judges headed to Boston and Atlanta, where they were treated to some memorable performances. Read more on Kidzworld’s American Idol Recaps! Simon Cowell has announced his retirement, so we’ve got to get our fill of his caustic insults while we can.