Persona 4

Hello!

Don’t you always feel a bit out of place when you have just finished a book, movie, game etc? I certainly do. You want to do something else, but you just can’t seem to start on something completely new.

As I told you last week, I finished playing Bioshock Infinite (find the post here), and since then I’ve basically tried to find out everything about the game – obsessions are healthy, you know!

But there is a point, where you just can’t dig up any more of the good stuff, so I wondered what to do next. I concluded that a new game wouldn’t do much good for me, so I put my computer on snooze, found my extra cable for my headphones and then plugged it into my television.

It was PlayStation 2 time! Since I started playing computer games, my ps2 has been pretty lonely, but it was time to turn it on once again.

Persona 4: Golden

For the last three days I have been playing the ps2 game: Persona 4 – also called Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4. The game is published by the Japanese computer and video game developer: Atlus, and it was released in 2008. The game has been renewed as a “Golden” version, and is sold as Persona 4: Golden in the stores right now. I don’t own the console for that though, so I am not able to try it out.

 

As for the game itself; it’s a nice blend between simulation, role-playing and strategy, where you go to school, develop your social links and help people on small quests, and at the same time you find clues, save your friends and fight evil shadows.

The story circles around a small group of friends (which grows bigger throughout the game), and each of them has their own persona – their true selves whom they use to fight against shadows with. They all live in a small town called Inaba, where murders have been happening, and it is up to this group to make sure no other person dies. The game has a time limit of one year, where you have to improve the lives of yourself and your friends.

Persona 4

In combat you attack the enemy by turn, and when all team members have had their turn, it is the shadow’s turn to attack. The game uses the Press Turn System where player and enemy can take advantage of each other’s weaknesses, and you fight using either physical or magical attacks.

The great thing about the game is that you can’t just expect to be good in combat just by leveling up. You have to improve your relationships with your friends to get benefits in battle and to be able to create some pretty awesome personas.

 

To be honest I still haven’t finished the game – which is a fail from my side, but I still love the game very much, and I like the fact that I can play it and experience many surprises in the story – so yeah, I don’t know how the game  will end yet.

All in all, the game has a great plot, lovely characters, nice soundtrack (which is included on a CD when you buy the game) and a great idea for the gameplay!

Persona 4

A little hint of the game:

 

If you look at a turned off television exactly at midnight, while it is raining – your soul mate will appear on your screen.

 

What I have learned throughout all of the years I have owned the game though, is that it NEVER rains at midnight in real life!

 

Persona 4 - Opening                      Persona 4 - Trailer  

That’s all for now, I’ll see you next Wednesday!

Shia

No day but today

Ever since I spent a whole summer listening to the soundtrack of RENT, watching the movie and shedding thousands of tears it has been one of my favorite moviemusicals (yes, I have only watched the movie - shame on me) and soundtracks. I'm not sure why I didn't mention it on the list of my favorite musicals, but as you might can tell already, I forget things easily and I tend to like way too many things at once.

RENT is the story of a group of friends living in New York City. It's the early 90s, a lot of them are broke (heart and money-wise) and AIDS and HIV is suddenly a part of their world.

Following their ups and downs in a year we get introduced to what a life could be and how unexpected it can turn out; but also how we should live our live and simply enjoy it. It's too short for anything else.

There's just something beautiful over RENT and every time I watch it, I have an urge to go in there and hug the heck out of all of them. And yet, they are so, so inspiring; finding joy in what they are doing and trying to seize the day even though it might not want to be seized. It makes me happy. Simple as that.

The stories of each character are unique and yet they are all alike. It's a beautiful portrayal of how a life can turn out and how quickly things can change; how opportunities needs to be seized now and not tomorrow. There is, after all, no day but today. 

Companied by songs en masse it sets the standard for future musicals, makes you want to dance and aspire to live as if you were to die tomorrow. It's so full joy for life and I cannot recommend it enough. Also, Christopher Columbus movie is extremely pretty cinematic and it's simply a joy for the eye to watch. Definitely a musical that can cheer up a gloomy day despite its serious topics - just try and listen to two of my favorite songs:

Seasons of Love

Finale B

Until next time - keep smiling and let the sun shine in! ;)

The life of a rower

Apart from a huge amount of training (just agreed with my trainer to start row five times a week now - wuhuu!) and a painful lack of sleep (Seriously. I. Need. Sleep) there are two things that have changed quite a bit since I started rowing: 1) I don't drink alcohol anymore, and 2) I eat a horribly amount of food. I know, it sounds a bit sad (mostly the alcohol thing, because food is never sad) so please let me elaborate.

It wasn't really a hard decision to cut alcohol. Over the summer I started to get tired of drinking and partying (God knows why because it used to be my favorite thing to do) so when I decided to do competition rowing it sort of just came as a natural thing, not to drink any more. Our trainers don't want us to drink and in general there is an attitude against alcohol among us competition rowers (Even though I am pretty sure some of the boys drink more than once in a while). And honestly I would much rather be one hell of a rower than having a fun night out once in a while. I have been told that one beer ruins a whole week of training, which I am not quite sure I believe, but alcohol definitely has a bad effect on your training. And it's not like I don't go the the parties, I am just that lonely sober person sitting in the corner... No seriously, I have lot's of fun. And zero hangover, which is a very big plus. So all in all, no big sacrifice.

As far as the food is concerned I have to admit it is not at all a sacrifice. The quite opposite actually. I love food and being able to eat more is just like being in heaven (Okay perhaps I am exaggerating a bit here, I just like eating okay) And there is no need for me to get a bad conscience because I actually need the extra energy. So no harm done right? Actually I must admit that I have gained a bit of weight these past two month. But I just keep telling myself it's all muscles - and as my friend says, muscles weight more than fat. So all good, and I can keep eating. So I eat, and I eat a lot, and I don't really plan on changing that. I have actually reached a point where every time I start eating something my friends look at me and say something like this: "Are you seriously eating AGAIN? you just ate 30 minutes ago?!" Okay, maybe not every half hour, but often. A girl from my class once said to me, that "It is not often I see you without a piece of food in your hand, Christine"

With that lovely comment I will leave you guys and go drown my sorrows in lots of food, and no alcohol.

See you
Christine

Where to find the wild things

Hi there everyone!
Last week I talked about my big love for Alt-J and their songs - lyrics and beats. Well, today I’m going to talk about this movie that I got to know, thanks to Alt-J: Where the wild things are! Actually I heard a little about this movie from a friend of mine before, but I had never actually seen it, only heard some songs of the soundtrack from the movie. But no matter what, it is an amazing, adventurous and very creative movie!

The movie is based on the book “Where the wild things are” by Maurice Sendak, and it is about this boy called Max, who seems to be very lonely. His alone mother works a lot, and he does not see much of his sister, which results in a lot of daydreaming, imagining and wild games in his wolf suit. He creates great things in his mind, and has a big talent of making up stories and also lies. But one evening, when he wants attention too bad, and his aggressions get too big, he runs off, leaving his nice and safe home and family.

It seems that he finds a boat, and sails all day until he finds this land, where he goes on board. But the land is not like any normal kind, because on this land some wild creatures live, and that is ‘the wild things’! It is to these 'monsters' or so, who are controlled by their lust and inner child, Max tells a lie, because he was going to be eaten by them otherwise. So he tells them, that he once was a great king in another land, and the wild things decide to make him their king, because they hope that a king could bring them out of their unhappiness and miseries.

Max is a great king to begin with, he knows a lot of funny games and he even figures out this great castle of them to live in! But it is very hard to keep all of the creatures happy at once, and in the end, when the wild thing that Max might end up loving the most, Carol, hears that Max is a fraud, everything goes wrong. Carol gets so hurt and aggressive, that he almost ends up eating Max, and in the end Max decides to leave.  

Everything about this movie is so magical, and still it is not like the same old usual romantic story, which is all happiness and rainbows. This movie, it being a children’s movie or not, has this very fine harshness to it, and the boy who plays Max captures this role so perfect, that this harshness is absolutely beautiful. Also the soundtrack created for this movie, is amazing! I have listened to all of the songs a lot, and they are all so full of suspense, just in their sound, that I can’t help listening to them in excitement! 

I would definitely recommend this movie to any movie lover, any adventure lover, any soundtrack lover, any children’s worlds lover or just any lover of the creative, there might be. Watch it; I don’t think you will regret it!

Love, Freja

Photos: Unknown sources

The Reward

Hello lovely people, I hope the past days have treated you well - personally I have had a lot of stress because of an assigment overload in high school, luckily there is a cure for stress (or just temporary) and that is - ANIMATIONS FILMS!

In the last week I came across an awesome animated film called'' the reward.'' The animation are made ​​by the two danes Mikkel Mainz and Kenneth ladekjær as their graduation project at the animation school in Viborg. They both dream of Reward becoming an animated series - and work hard to achieve that goal together with a little crew.

 

 

If there is something I love about animation is it when you can feel the creatores ethusiame and big dreams shine through the animation - this is quite evident in'' The Reward'' where you can see, and at the same time feel how much work that has been put into both the characters and the universe - and its monsters.

 

 

 

The film is about two guys, Wilheim og Vito, whose paths crosses in a small town. At some point a hero comes riding on a horse and dropes af treasure map. Both Wilheaim and Vito wants the treasure map, which lead to a fight and a map torn in half. With their piece of the map they are now forced to Work together which doesn't pleases Wilheim.

Through their journey toward the treasure they experience both ups and downs, which is to strengthen their friendship that has slowly taken shape - and ends with an almost brother-like relationship

The journey lasts many years and you can see how both men age - but age doens't affect them in a negative way on the contrary - old age in the film is rather shown as a measure of masculinity and epicness that both of them as young boys were fascinated by.

 

 

One of my favorite parts of the film is when Wilheim and Vito finally reach the treasures location - and find that the treasure is far from what they expected. However both men come to realize that the treasure weren't that great of importance but rather the journey to find it. This insight shows simultaneously that both of them - besides their incredible friendship, strength, masculinity and epicness also been clarified with life and themselves - they have found the deeper meaning.

 

 

The Reward is by far one of the greatest short animation film from Denmark - and luckily many people has realised it's potential and are now supporting the crew behind it and their goal to make The Reward an animated series.

 

 Personally I really hope that The Reard gets it's own series - because I just can't get enough of the amount of epicness that film contains!

Here is a link for the short animation - enjoy 9:02 minutes of epicness!

 

 

See you Guys Next Thursday!

Bioshock Infinite

Hello out there!

For more than a week, school hasn’t been very generous, not at all actually. So how come I can still sit in front of my computer with a smile on my face?  Let me tell you: Games! And not just any kind of game, but the newly released and long-awaited game: Bioshock Infinite!

 

[No spoilers]

Bioshock Infinite

 

Bioshock Infinite was released on March 26 in 2013, about a month ago, but it was already announced to be made on August 12 in 2010 – long-awaited I said! Bioshock Infinite is the third game in the Bioshock series, but isn’t much like the two other games regarding setting and theme.

I haven’t played the two other Bioshock games, since I have judged them to be too scary and dark – even though I usually like scary stuff. The difference in the new game is that it’s so – bright! It’s so colorful and has actual people in it – monsters, mutants etc scares me to death!

As I don’t want to spoil anything about the game, I can’t really tell you much – But it’s basically about the handsome man Booker Dewitt (voiced by Troy Baker) who has a debt to pay, but was told that the debt would be erased if he got them the girl Elizabeth (voiced by Courtnee Draper) who is imprisoned in a tower in the city in the sky, Columbia.

From what I know Bioshock Infinite has got a similar concept and gameplay as the other two games, but since I haven’t played them, I can’t know for sure. What I do know is, that the game is utterly amazing! It has one of the best storylines I have seen in a long time, the characters’ personalities, looks and actions are so original and when the characters interact with each other, it makes your heart flutter, and what surprised me most about the game – is how incredibly beautiful the sceneries are in the game.

All in all, Bioshock Infinite was a fantastic experience, and this will not be my last time playing it at all! -  And to all of you out there, who haven’t played it yet: Buy it, play it and enjoy it! Because it’s one hell of a good time you’ll have!

 

Here's a video of me singing the song "Will the Circle be Unbroken" by Courtnee Draper from the game Bioshock Infinite - Enjoy!
 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed today’s feature – I’ll see you next Wednesday.

Shia