Sean Looi Says

Ever since I saw the preview (prototype) version of Prince of Persia 3 in E3 2005, I fell in love with it. I have been a fan of Sands of Time and the sequel, Warrior Within. Now, after a long wait, POP3 is finally HERE!

Damn, my exams are just a few days away. But no worries, I'll just put my effort into the finals and immediately after that is PARTAY with the PRINCE!!

The official site is : http://princeofpersiagame.com/

For RM99, I got this wireless controller that can be used for the PC and the Playstation (PS and PS2). For the price, I think it is a very good buy compared to the Fountech Airstyle Wireless PS2 controllers I purchased sometime in April, which cost RM120 and malfunctions quite often (pissed off).

PROS
- Works up to 20 feet (approximate)
- Strong vibration
- Turbo and Macro function
- Same shape & layout as a PS2 controller

CONS
- Analog stick responds like the D-pad i.e. when you tilt it to the right, it responds gradually from the centre to the right instead of an immediate right. (I hope I make sense).
- Prolonged use made me feel like my hands were still vibrating even after I stopped playing.

Conclusion: If you want a wireless controller but you have a tight budget, this one is good enough. Everything works perfectly well, except for the analog stick response.

As of now, I've set aside a number of PS2 games. These games include those I have already finished and those I've tried and have no interest to continue. The number of games in these two categories is SIXTY! One-third of the games were given to me by Jerry (my uncle) and the rest were bought, usually out of impulse. Think of all the money that went in, especially for those that I have played only a moment. It is such a waste and I'm feeling regretful now.

Therefore, I am striving to be selective in the games that I purchase from today onwards. So before purchasing a title, I will:
- Check and see that the game is highly rated.
- Make sure I truly like it.
- Not rely solely on the opinion of others and judge for myself.
- Read a review of the game in well-known websites i.e. Gamespot or IGN.
- Try it out and make sure its good.

Of all the games I own for the PS2, there are only a few titles that I have thoroughly enjoyed so far, and these are:
- Burnout Revenge
- Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3 (latest DBZ:Tenkachi sucks)
- FIFA Street
- Final Fantasy X
- Final Fantasy X-2
- God of War
- Lego Star Wars (perfect for family)
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Prince of Persia (since Sands of Time)
- Shadow of the Colossus
- Tekken 5

Other games for PC (and other consoles) that I strongly recommend are:
- Black & White 2
- F.E.A.R. (Best FPS ever!)
- Star Wars: Jedi Outcast
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
- Star Wars: Republic Commando

From left: Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul, Emperor's Red Guard, Darth Vader, Pregnant Padme, Random Jedi (Luke??), and Master Plo-Koon.

Needless to say, I was there and even purchased the ORIGINAL DVD. 2-DVDs for RM70 wasn't so bad, PLUS the fact that I had a free (big) poster and many other goodies too from the quiz that was held. Staff from Canon were there to take photographs and print it there and then.

Before I left, the roadshow staff mistook me for the press (possibly because I was holding those bulky-type cameras) and told me "Please come in and join us for refreshments." I thought "Wow! This is so cool." and made my way in. Then I saw the room where the refreshments was served and saw all the people in their costumes and other staff, so I knew it was a mistake.

To end it all - Darth Vader RULES!

The MR (Masterreplicas) Pre-toy Fair 2005 have revealed the new FX Sabers for the year 2006 - Darth Maul (Episode 1) and Obi Wan (Episode 3). The following links will show photographs of the lightsabers and also numerous and various products that has already been, or has yet to be released:
http://www.rebelscum.com/gallery/mr-pretoyfair-05/
http://photos.sirstevesguide.com/showgallery.php?cat=4433

Here is a picture of the Obi Wan FX from Revenge of the Sith. The neck is fatter than the original prop because it is not possible to incorporate the slim neck and still ensure the durability of the product:
Here is what is Steve (from Masterreplicas) has to say about the Obi Wan FX:
"You guys KNEW it was gonna have that obnoxious neck! I don't like it any more than you do...believe me. However, until we can defy the laws of physics, we can't put a one-inch blade into a half-inch neck. Since this is a semi-mass item, we HAVE to make sure it follows numerous federal and international guidelines for safety. If we make the necks too thin, they could break when little Johnny whacks the willies out of his sister and we would then get in trouble.Bad JuJu. Everyone screamed about the neck when the Luke ROTJ came out, but we sold so many that we had to put them back into production after we retired them. I guess people got over it."

And here is a picture of the Darth Maul FX, which looks very good and true to the movie hilt:

"Again, you are looking at a prototype. Of course, the finish will be much better on the production units. It is almost exactly 1:1 scale with the LE (maybe a TEENY bit bigger in some of the diameters) and all of the details are pretty-much identical to the LE, so it is not "off".The Maul and the Obi have "Next Generation" electronics. Better impact resistance on the blades, Obnoxiously loud, improved sound range with new speakers and pre-amps, better power management, etc.I have swung the Maul around and if you use it indoors, you can't play with it without hitting a [insert noun here] eg; wall, priceless antique, cat, wife, child, etc...It is 7 1/2 feet of Sith goodness. There is not much we can do about the knob alignment as the threads can't be "indexed" for the entire production run. We are currently looking at possible solutions for that. The coupling is steel for durability and we have beat the CRAP out of the test samples, with no breakage. That is a good thing.Since each half will be identical, once you connect them, you will have a spare adapter and two end caps, and one covertech clip to set aside. We may provide a plug for the one resulting covertech screw hole. Not sure yet."

So far, these are only prototypes and will be released next year. There will be changes for the better (hopefully). I'm not too sure how true this is, but the Darth Maul is scheduled to be released in February 2006 and the Obi Wan FX is scheduled to be released in May 2006. Releasing is one thing, ordering and receiving it is another - which will probably take around 2-3 months.

Once again, do take a look at the links and see the various toys available. There will be various products from the Star Wars series including Jedi Robes. There are also stuff from X-men as well. Cheers!

I have not been writing for a while for a number of reasons. I find myself pre-occupied with other things i.e. college, video/computer games, etc. I also downloaded the sheet music for "Flight of the Bumblebee" and I'm working on that. It's 5-pages long and only 1 minute in length. It'll take months to play properly for someone like me.

I have cancelled my order for the Luke FX Return of the Jedi version. Simply because it costs a lot and I already have two. I was advised against it and was told that "there is nothing better than money in the bank", which is very true and wise. The neck is fatter than the actual prop and the sounds used are the same as the blue Anakin (Revenge of the Sith) FX. Nevertheless, it glows a beautiful GREEN.


Since I will not be laying my hands on this, I have indulged myself with many pictures of it taken by proud owners. Here is a few for you too enjoy. There are many more you can find in the FX-Sabers website. I will post you some links:

http://fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=939.0
http://fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=934.0

The lovable, feisty, and heroic droid Interactive R2-D2 has been one of everyone's favorite characters from the Star Wars saga. The 15-inch Interactive R2-D2 Interactive Astromech Droid is packed with all the spunk and charm that made it famous. He demonstrates emotion, obeys your commands, plays games, and even has a retractable arm that holds a 12-ounce beverage!

If you would like to see R2D2 in action, as recorded by a fan/collector, click on the following links to download zipped files of the video recordings. There are three videos to download:
Video No. 1: http://www.ou-online.com/images/recreation/sw_r2d2_mov01.zip
Video No. 2: http://www.ou-online.com/images/recreation/sw_r2d2_mov02.zip
Video No. 3: http://www.ou-online.com/images/recreation/sw_r2d2_mov03.zip

Note: video 1 and video 2 are not working. Probably due to ou-online.com not hosting the files anymore.

The Luke Return of the Jedi FX Saber is available to order in Ultimate Toys. I'll be getting it for sure. It costs RM680 and will ship in November/December. It is a very limited item and will only be produced once. It is not even sold on the Masterreplicas.com website. You can find out more about it on the Ultimatetoys website.

Ultimatetoys owner, Kavin, mentioned that it is a slimmer version of the original (produced in 2002) and it takes 3AA batteries instead of 6. The blade is comprised of 64 leds compared to the previous EL. I am quite skeptical about the design because it isn't easy to slim down a lightsaber like Luke Skywalker's. Anyway, my fingers are crossed and I hope the new design comes true.

No photographs are available at the moment. But here is a sample of what it looks like. It is actually the blue lightsaber but with some tweaked camera settings. I think they look beautiful. Will post interesting stuff when I see it.

Since there are already many great reviews on these lightsabers, I won't be writing one of the Anakin ROTS and the Vader ESB. Instead, I will write about how each model differs from each other.

HILT
Both the Anakin ROTS and Vader ESB have very sturdy designs. They look very good and they feel solid as well. The Anakin ROTS does feel very much lighter compared to the Vader ESB. It's just too bad that the gold and chrome platings on the Anakin may come off in time. One won't have to worry about anything fading off from the Vader ESB. Both are almost the same size.

BLADE
Did you know that our eyes respond to blue better even though a lightmeter measures the same reading for both blue and red? Anakin's blue blade was able to light a dark room no problem! The start-up is a little blinding. And when I turn it off, I can still see some kinda 'light-shadow imprint-thing' (damn, what is it you call it)? Vader's red glow is surprisingly bright as well, but if you compare it to the blue blade, it will not seem so.

SOUND
Anakin: The sound is perfect. It is very loud and just a little scratchy. I'd like it to be louder still, especially the idle hum, and movement sounds. Clash effects are easy to set off without hitting it too hard. Startup, powerdown and motion synchronisation is good.

Vader: The idle rumbling hum is really menacing and suits the saber very well. Even though there is only one, the clash sound is a hissing-sizzling effect and is loud, I love it! However, it is difficult to set off the clash sound for my Vader ESb. I suppose it depends on the batch, there are others who don't have this problem. Powerup/down sounds are timed perfectly for both the lightsabers. The shutdown takes a little longer than Anakin's as it has this pre-shutdown sound effect.

The motion sounds of the Vader ESB are VERY SENSITIVE. There are situations that even if I hold the saber still and move it a little, i hear the swoosh (or some other effect) a few times without stopping. This is the ONLY thing that I'm not very happy about. But apparently, almost every Vader ESB owner has this issue. So I can accept that.

CONCLUSION
I'm happy I have both of these lightsabers. Ultimatetoys shopowner, Kavin, told me that production for Anakin ROTS, Vader ESB and Mace Windu AOTC will be stopping in 2005. These lightsabers are fun when you play with someone else (Masterreplicas do not recommend duelling with these collectibles).

I really hope that these lightsabers will last a long time. I'd like to display them once I have a place of my own (which will probably take 5-6 years from now). Even though they are expensive, I love them and I do not regret purchasing these two awesome lightsabers of Anakin Skywalker who turned to the dark side and became Darth Vader!

A friend of mine, Eric (http://www.friendster.com/user.php?uid=2625865), ordered a Mace Windu lightsaber sometime in June 2005. It's August 2005 now and it arrived. I just had to go over to his place to check it out. It's a BEAUTY. The hilt looks really good with the gold and is very comfortable to hold because of the soft rubber grips.

Mace Windu's lightsaber has a very unique design and it is the ONLY purple blade in the movies (how cool is that?!). The sounds are a little soft though but the clash effect is awesome. It takes 6AA batteries and is slightly larger compared to the actual prop. Do check out the photographs of this deep-dark-sexy-purple lightsaber!

Sidenote: Eric is planning to get the Darth Maul FX Saber in 2006.

I received the voice changer helmet today at the airport. It cost USD30 and the shipping cost another USD30 to be sent to Malaysia (I never expected it to be this much). I'm glad to finally get my hands on one because the helmet was completely sold out during the EP3 fever in May 2005. I’m going to write about it. If you call this a review, then I think you’re very kind. Hopefully it will help in your decision to buy it.

The plastic helmet is light (for me anyway) and flexible. It actually feels comfortable, but after some time, it’ll get a little stuffy; however, there are plenty of small ventilation holes to encourage air flow. There are plastic straps, these can be adjusted to give the best fit. Looking in, one of the things that stood out was the part that rested on your nose. It was rubberized. For me, this contributed the most to the comfort. The second interesting thing was the microphone. It was attached to the helmet via flexible and thick rubber ‘thing’. What surprised me was it did not feel flimsy at all and also there was no trace of external wiring connected to the console.

The front half of the helmet is connected to what I call the 'console' via two straps (they’re durable IMHO). The wire connecting the microphone to the console is imbedded in one of the straps. The vertical red button enables the voice changing mode (more on that later). The grey button on the far left is only for show and has no function. The middle two buttons starts Vader's breathing sound and also some popular phrases i.e. "You don't know the power of the dark side" and “Don’t make me destroy you.”

The one and only purpose I bought this is because of the voice changing. I had the mask on with the voice mode activated, but I didn’t know where to start! So I just blundered and said “Well? How is it?” (lame!) The first time I tried it, Vader’s voice was very soft. But after adjusting the microphone closer to the mouth, it was better. There is a noticeable half-second delay before your voice is being ‘Vader-ized’.

I wasn’t able to speak normally without my voice being distorted by the changer, so I had to adjust a little until it produced better results. This ‘adjustment’ is also necessary so that your voice won’t be louder than Vader’s. I made a video of myself using the mask and found that I could still hear my voice. Which means the speaker isn't very loud when it comes to the voice-changing function.

The console also functions as the speaker. It’s quite loud when playing the pre-loaded phrases and the breathing sound, I think it is loud enough to be heard from (approximately) 20ft in the house. Below the console is a switch that you can slide to numbers 0-3. “0” will disable voice mode, numbers 1 to 3 adjusts the pitch of the voice with 1 as the lowest and 3 as the highest. So adults would probably go for 3 and children with number 1.

With a little bit of practice, your voice will become Vader’s rather convincingly (repeat 10 times). It is big enough to fit adults without any problem and is also very comfortable. The console plays the preprogrammed phrases and breathing sounds clearly and loudly. This is an extremely fun toy to have. Don’t hesitate to get this one – give in to the DARK SIDE!

For Star Wars and Jedi fans out there, FX Sabers are a dream come true. Ever since we saw the Jedi ignite their lightsabers, we all have wanted one for ourselves. Now, there is no need to use your broom sticks and make imaginary sounds. Produced by Masterreplicas (http://www.masterreplicas.com), FX Sabers are the closest things you can get to a real lightsaber. We're talking about licensed collectibles people!

There is a website which is dedicated to these cool gadgets - http://fx-sabers.com. You can find all types of information there i.e. the history of the sabers, photograph galleries, duelling articles, reviews and message boards. The moderators are in close contact with agents from Masterreplicas. So the information there is accurate. There is also a new online shop which sells T-shirts and accessories. Do drop by.

In the year 2005, three models of FX sabers are produced- Darth Vader's (The Empire Strikes Back) , Anakin Skywalker's (Revenge of the Sith) and Mace Windu's (Attack of the Clones). The Vader ESB and Anakin ROTS sabers are the 3rd Generation sabers (2005). They only use 3 AA batteries, therefore the hilt size is more accurate. The Mace Windu AOTC saber is a 2nd Generation (2004) saber, it uses 6 batteries and the hilt is slightly larger than the actual prop.

I have purchased both the Anakin ROTS and Vader ESB FX sabers from Ultimate Toys (http://www.ultimatetoys.com.my). I will post up my photographs of them for your viewing pleasure and also to help those who are interested to make up their mind. I will also be posting links to some excellent reviews that I've read from fx-sabers.com. Here they are ...

Anakin ROTS review by Weylander
http://fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=268.0

Darth Vader ESV review by Weylander
http://fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=132.0

Mace Windu AOTC review by Temet Nosce
http://fx-sabers.com/forum/index.php?topic=414.0