HALO - The Master Chief Collection (TMCC)

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HALO is one of the best-selling futuristic first-person shooter franchise originally developed by BUNGIE but now the legacy and fate of the series is left squarely on 343 Industries (a subsidiary of Microsoft Studios).

HALO - The Master Chief Collection is a compilation of four remastered earlier Halo games; Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 for the Xbox One. The whole collection consists all the campaigns and multiplayer modes for the 4 titles, and their full set of add-on contents. There are no changes to the original story in the 4 titles. However, there are additional content that comes with The Master Chief Collection; a feature webseries called Halo: Nightfall* and exclusive access to the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta testing which is expected to commence on December 29, 2014 and end on January 18, 2015. The Master Chief Collection was released worldwide in November 11, 2014.

For Halo fans, it will be an opportunity to experience an extremely nostalgic journey through 45 remastered campaigns and over 200 multiplayer maps. For those new to Halo it will mean hundreds of hours of gameplay, just on the campaign alone. That's four games for the price of one.

The developer 343 Industries just recently released some patches to address some of the multiplayer matching issues and with more on the way. Despite all the negative feedback and complaints on its multiplayer matching glitches, the game was still able to garner an average score of 87% (www.gamerankings.com).

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*Halo: Nightfall is feature webseries supposed to tell the story of the events between Halo 4 (Xbox 360) and Halo 5: Guardians.  Halo 5: Guardians is expected to be released on December 31,2015.

Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5)

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Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) is an open world, action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. Released in September 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles. On 18 November 2014, the game was released for PS4 and Xbox One. It is scheduled to be released for Microsoft Windows in January 2015. This the 5th game in the GTA series since GTA 4 was released in 2008. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, the single-player campaign follows several criminals and their plans to commit heists while under pressure from a government agency. The open world design lets players freely roam San Andreas, which includes open countryside and the fictional city of Los Santos. 

The game is played from either a first- or third-person perspective. The player traverse through the game environment/world by walking or driving a vehicle. Players control the other three lead protagonists throughout the single-player mode with the story centered on heist sequences and many missions involving shooting and driving gameplay. The level of aggressiveness and criminality of players are measured by a "wanted" system which will trigger different levels of responses from law enforcement elements in the game. 

The online multiplayer mode, lets up to 30 players explore the open world and engage in co-op or competitive game matches. There is widespread popularity for the game with scores above 90% in the gaming and editorial community.

Warning:

The game Grand Theft Auto V is rated "Mature" and is inherently violent since the game is involved in the commissioning of criminal activities in its gameplay.

Update:
On Dec 10, 2014, the game was voted Game Of The Year 2014 (Reissue Award) on Gamespot.com.

PS4 - The Last Of Us (Remastered) - Updated Dec 16, 2014

Update:
- Dec 16, 2014, DLC for the The Last Of Us: Left Behind was voted Game Of The Year for the category PS3 (Gamespot.com - Dec 15, 2014)


The Last of Us is an action-adventure third person shooter video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released on June 14, 2013 for the PlayStation 3. The player uses firearms, weapons assembled using item found in the game environment and stealth to escape, defend and survive against humans and zombie-like creatures infected by a strain of mutated fungus in the post-epidemic apocalypse United States background. Rated "Mature".

The Last of Us has received numerous critical acclaim for its storyline, voice acting, sound quality, music and graphics. The Last of Us was the second-largest PlayStation 3 video game launch in 2013 after Grand Theft Auto V. 

Gameplay

The Last of Us uses a third-person perspective in gunfights and melee combat. For most of the game, the player controls the character, Joel, the male protagonist. Ellie and other companions are controlled by the AI. The player must travel across post-apocalyptic environments, mostly US cities while fighting off human survivors and animals/creatures, infected or otherwise, by the mutated parasitic fungus, Cordyceps. The player can attack enemies directly, or use stealth tactics to avoid combat and escape undetected.

Players can use ranged weapons such as rifles, shotguns and bows as well as short-barreled guns such as pistols and revolvers. They can assemble or improvise melee weapons using items scavenged in the game environment such as pipes and baseball bats. Objects such as, bottles and bricks, can be used to distract or attack enemies. Weapons can be upgraded using collected items/parts at workbenches found in the game environment. Joel's physical health and skills can be upgraded or improved with items such as pills and medicinal herbs. Health kits and molotov cocktails can be made using collected items such as alcohol, towels, and blades. The game also involve the solving of simple puzzles; for example, by using wooden planks to move Ellie across bodies of water, or using ladders or objects to reach higher areas. Notes, journals, maps, and comic books, can be found, kept and viewed in the backpack menu.

There are periods without combat, mostly involving conversation between the characters that will eventually developed into father-daughter relationship as the game and story progresses. That's it before anymore spoilers ruin the game for some.

"The Last of Us was a commercial success. In the United Kingdom, it debuted at number one in the sales charts and stayed there for six weeks. The Last of Us also topped the charts in the United States, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Spain and Japan. It sold 1.3 million copies in the first week and 3.4 million copies worldwide in three weeks, making it the fastest-selling PS3 game of 2013 prior to the release of Grand Theft Auto V. As of July 2014, The Last of Us had sold over 7 million copies worldwide. In its first week, The Last of Us: Remastered sold 632,000 copies." - Source Wikipedia

The Last of Us: Remastered is an updated version for the PlayStation 4, It includes the downloadable content for the episode Left Behind, previously released on PlayStation 3.

 PS4 The Last Of Us (Remastered) Bundle

Which console, Xbox One or PS4 ???

 OR 

Like most people, I have always been a late adopter of new technology. First, affordability is one of the major factors. Second, the uncertainties that comes with every new product. Of course, if money is not an issue, everyone will definitely like to try out almost everything that's new and trendy.

It has been almost a year since Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PS4 were released in November 2013. I am not going to pretend to be an expert and discuss the specifications of these consoles. There are already tonnes of reviews on the internet. However, it will help someone like me to decide which console to go for, if I ask myself these questions:

1. Affordability. What's the bundled price of these consoles today, after 1 year?

Some of the bundled price has been reduced, in particular, the Xbox One. It has been losing market share to PS4. On release, the price of PS4 was USD100 lower than the Xbox One.

2. Games. What sort of games do I like to play most or which genre?

Halo fans will most likely go for Xbox One since the Halo franchise is planning more releases in the future. And COD fans will go for the other one, PS4. This is because these games are branded and popular exclusive games which have won many awards and fans.

3. Preferences. Is it love at first touch, when you first hold the controller?

Psychologically, people seldom give up on things they are in love or familiar with. Call it habit or brand loyalty or whatever. I am sure it will take a lot of disappointment for Halo fans to switch to PS4 or COD fans to Xbox One, for example.

The above are just my personal opinions and some of the things which I considered before I bought my first console. I also read up on some reviews about the consoles and the games available on each.Below are some information on each console obtained from the internet for my own references which may alter or influence my decision on which console go for.

A. Specifications.

"PS4 wins on specs" - Yahoo News May 22, 2013. Published about 6 months before actual released of the consoles.

For those interested, there are detailed comparison on the consoles specifications on IGN, TechRadar, BGR and PC Mag. Please note the list of comparison sites is not exhaustive.

B. Popularity.

As of today, November 9, 2014, on World Versus, the popularity vote is Xbox One (30.88%) vs PS4 (69.12%).

C. Differences.

Camera.

"The Xbox One includes the Kinect camera, which provides voice control and facial recognition for the system and offers several useful features." - PC Mag

Media features.
"The Xbox One goes an extra step with its television integration. An HDMI passthrough lets you run your cable or satellite box through the Xbox One, and an infrared blaster in the Kinect can control it. This incorporates live television through your cable or satellite provider into the Xbox One's menu system, giving Kinect-based voice control over live television. The OneGuide program guide displays both live television and what content is available on services like Hulu Plus and Machinima, giving you total control over what you watch without having to pick up a remote or a gamepad. Even if you don't want to use voice controls to change channels, you can simply enjoy a split screen view of what's on television while you play your favorite game or browse the Web, thanks to the Xbox One's Snap feature. In bringing all of your home entertainment together into one HDMI input, the Xbox One wins by far." - PC Mag

Frankly, it has been 7 years since I bought my first console, the Xbox 360 in December 2007. The Xbox 360 that I have now is actually a replacement set which I obtained 3 years ago due to hardware failure because I bought an extended warranty from the retailer Courts Singapore. So, if my only console "dies", will it be Xbox One or PS4 that I will consider buying, assuming I can only choose one. I suspect most of my readers knows the answer already.

Personally, the most important factor for my decision on buying the Xbox 360 was the game itself, HALO 3. So, what is it for you, the exclusive games or the popular console?

Of course it is possible that one may choose to buy both, if one can afford the money; and the time to play the games available on both consoles.

Summary
1. In terms of price and specifications, PS4 is marginally the favourite.
2. In terms of games, its a tie. Depend on the gamer.
3. Xbox One has a live TV integration feature making it an entertainment centre.
4. Both consoles are not backward compatible. Some games can be upgraded with cost.

               

       Xbox One - Call Of Duty (AW) Bundle                PlayStation 4 Destiny Bundle + Call of Duty (AW)

~ END ~

Girls' Generations' Hits Collection - The Best (New Edition)

"The Best" New Edition (Limited)

Universal Music Japan released Girls' Generation's Japanese song, "Divine." It was made available through online stores, and users who purchase the song were able to enter a lottery for a tickets to the group's "THE BEST LIVE" concert at the Tokyo Dome on December 9. On September 29, the company released the story version promotional video of "Divine" on Entame's website. The same video was released on October 15, 2014 on Universal Japan's YouTube Channel. - Source Wikipedia

The new song "Divine" is available only in the new edition, in both standard and limited edition, of "The Best" album. The Standard New Edition contains only the music CD with 10 tracks; and the Limited New Edition contains a CD with 16 tracks and a DVD with 4 videos. 

New edition of "The Best" excludes "Bad Girl", "Time Machine", "All My Love is for You", "Beep Beep" and "My oh My" on all pressings.

On September 30, SM Entertainment announced that Jessica would no longer be a member and the group would continue their activities with the remaining 8 members. This is probably the last music video before Jessica left the group.

For whatever reasons, and whether Jessica left on her own accord, SONE has always held the conviction that the cohesion of the group can never be broken so easily. So long as Jessica is still in SM Entertainment, the miracle that SONE is hoping for can still happen. Call it fate, destiny or whatever, it is an irony that their last song together is called "Divine"......

"Divine" MV (story version) - YouTube

For all Girls' Generation's album available on Amazon.com

Disclaimer:
The two video above does not belong to be me and it is embedded for the purpose of sharing only. No infringement of copyright is intended and the video shall be removed if requested by the creator or owner.