SteeScribbles

Its been how long...?

2012-01-16T16:01:00.003Z

It's been a while since I blogged, and there's a reason for that. Exams. Horrible tests to see if we are worthy of taking on a course. But now they're over, I will be making blog posts here again.
A few things that have changed since October.
1: NO MORE TONSILS.
2: ALBUM RELEASED ON iTUNES
3: NEW REVIEWS ON DROP-D.IE
4: NEW LAPTOP
4a: NEW MOONFRUIT PAGE
5: I'M NOW 20 :s
6: MORE MOTIVATED THAN EVER.

Saving up for a full licensed version of Fl Studio 10 to help me out with the music as well! Would be a valuable tool to my arsenal of eletronic music weaponry! And possibly a USB keyboard. If anyone knows any decent ones under 70 quid, please comment with a URL if you can.
2012 is going to be huge!
I dare not disappoint.
s.s

Final Fantasy fans, you GOTTA see this.

2011-10-16T19:29:00.000+01:00

I dunno about you, but a Final Fantasy game with free-roam multiplayer maps, Dysnasty Warriors style strategy gameplay, flight sim, and by the looks of things, a "peeking" game sounds like the best Final Fantasy ever.
Watch this 12 minute video, and you'll see what I mean.

Zeroic Effort

2011-10-13T12:50:00.002+01:00

Remains & Rarities now on Soundcloud.

2011-10-07T12:08:00.000+01:00

Here are a few of my earliest works which are a collection of demos and samples, made using FL Studio.
Enjoy.

An update of sorts.

2011-10-07T12:02:00.001+01:00

First of all, I apologize for the huge massive delay in posts and such. I was far too busy with my site "Bargain Spyglass" along with college and personal matters.

More music will be made, I can promise you, but its going to be taken in many directions and genres, and it will take a few months before I can really get into it again. What I can promise you is this: These new tracks will follow the story of a zero, in a world full of hypocracy and prejudice.

How this will turn out, or come to fruition, I don't know.
But regardless, stay tuned.

s.s

New Logo

2011-09-27T01:13:00.003+01:00

Fancied a change.
Look up.

Midnight Thots.

2011-09-19T00:16:00.000+01:00

It's now 12:01am.

So, I'm back at college, which means music productivity is going to slow down a tad, as its second year, and I don't wanna fuck it up. There's tons of stuff this year! Log books, case studies, investigations etc! But somehow, I will fit in some time to blog and do more reviews, like the others I mentioned in the previous post. I PROMISE, I will get them done, just not yet. But soon. Right now, I'm listening to Queens of the Stone Age at the lowest volume on my dock, because A: its midnight, and my landlady has a thing about noise and disturbing other people in the building. I got the same place, just a different floor.
Hopefully, a productive autumn will lie ahead, to sweep away the incredibly awful summer.

There's not a whole lot on my mind at the moment, what with it being 12:08am, and me full of burger and chips. There's a few great album releases coming this autumn, like the debut "Honkey Kong" from Boots Electric, "Silent Running" from 65daysofstatic, and Kasabian's new one, Velociraptor!, or something dinosaurish like that.

Site's still down because of the domain expiring, but hopefully I'll get it sorted soon!

So that's it for me tonight. As always, the world is a shitty place, but whats done is done, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Laters!
s.s

Test Post

2011-09-10T00:53:00.001+01:00

This is from iPhone app. Here is a picture.

Late Night Inklings

2011-09-03T02:49:00.001+01:00

Some piano stuff for you now.
Its a bit shite, in a way that all the notes are all over the place, but regardless of that, I still uploaded it. Its a non-edited recording with no electronics.

I'll probably do some more in the future, but mix it with some synth and drums for new material.

ENJOY.

Autumn by SteeScribbles on SoundCloud

STEESCRIBBLES.COM is down for a while. Need to renew the domain and redo it a little.

And now, to sleep.

Tonight and through next week:

2011-09-02T12:23:00.001+01:00

The National - High Violet review
Edge EX (iOS)
War of the Tablets
The Book of WTF
and other stuff.

The HP Touchpad Adventure

2011-09-01T10:54:00.000+01:00

As you all are aware, the HP Touchpad was discontinued by their creators, causing a massive price cut of hundreds of euro.
32GB: €599 -> €150
16GB: €499 -> €110
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any in Ireland at the time, because I was busy looking for one in America, which was a long sharp pain in the ass.
However, I did learn a few things about the internet I didn't know before this adventure..
1: Amazon is not as trustworthy as I thought it was.
2: Package forwarding is a fucking ripoff.
3: It is SO HARD to get something thats been reduced to nothing but in high demand.
I used the following thread: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=1454986&t=3220862 which consists of over 200,000 posts including the renewed ones, to help me on my quest, as well as the website: http://justindeals.com/hp-touchpad-tablet-for-99-update-list-of-updated-merchants-status/. The thread consisted of trolling, dead ends, and slander which got fairly annoying, until this kid posted a link to Amazon which was selling the Touchpad for 99 DOLLARS which is 75 euro converted.
Unfortunately, they only shipped to the U.S., so I quickly signed on to a package forwarding company which I'll not name, due to its controversy (COUGH BONGOUS.COM) just to get a US address.
Three days later, no word from Amazon, money still on hold, getting slightly fucked off. And then it came. The bastards cancelled the order.
Not only that, the people who ordered a few hours after me got their shipment. It was like the fucking lottery to be honest. So, I tried again on Friday, this time with a company called FuturePowerPC, which cancelled my order straight away, but only refunded my money YESTERDAY!
Days went by, and aroound 50,000 posts laters, and hours of lack of sleep, and BAM! The eBay links flooded in, telling me this was my only shot. And then some genius posted a link to a 170 euro 32GB touchpad with WORLDWIDE SHIPPING! I litterally bolted through the order process, and now my Touchpad is on its way!!

If you want to get one, eBay is your best bet. DON'T TRUST AMAZON.
Go below 200 euro if you can!

More blogging in a few hours! ^^

I LEAVE YOU WITH MEMES.

Updates.

2011-07-25T12:58:00.000+01:00

It's been a long time since I've blogged (approx 25 days), and I apologize for that. I've been incredibly busy with work and other side projects that I've neglected the shit out of this. :/
But do not fret!
Blogging will resume tomorrow with a review of Need For Speed Shift 2 Unleashed, The National - High Violet, and other stuff, including some updates on things I'm working on at the moment.
As for the iTunes release of Homebrew, this will be happening before the end of August. Hopefully when college starts, there will be more productivity, especially with that forever delayed site "Retro Ain't Dead still in the works. I'll get round to it eventually, I SWEARRRR.

I'd like to make a personal shoutout to my friends in Norway, and hope to christ that they are safe and sound.

Till tomorrow then!
s.s

I GOTS TUMBLR!

2011-07-01T00:33:00.003+01:00

tasteslikedeath-lookslikefun.tumblr.com

GO LOOK AT IT :)

"HOMEBREW" album released Thursday!

2011-06-26T23:40:00.001+01:00

Track Listing
1: Breakout (Intro)
2: Apocalypse Song
3: Born With Barcodes
4: U Deplete Me
5: The Apocalypse Looks Great From This View
6: Deton8
7: Memories Spark Illusions
8: To Hunt a Lovebird
9: WWW
10: Gone Times
11: Freedom is Fleeting
12: Defected

Releasing on Vibedeck and Soundcloud: Thursday 30th June 2011
Releasing on iTunes, Amazon and other marketplaces: August 2011
Special Offer on Vibedeck until 14th July: Get album for €5

(:
SO EXCITED.

Exile, Vilify (for the Portal 2 Video Competition)

2011-06-17T11:52:00.000+01:00

Game Review: inFAMOUS 2

2011-06-13T19:25:00.001+01:00

I'm a huge fan of open-world games, especially when there is always something to do, like side-missions, collecting power-ups and things like that. In 2009, Sucker Punch released inFAMOUS, a kick-ass sandbox game with superhero qualities, (or supervillian if you so desire. The game recieved outstanding reviews, praising its unique "parkour gameplay" and compelling storyline. Enter Cole McGrath, an ex-citizen of Empire City who gains mysterious superpowers from a strange sphere that wiped out the entire city, leaving survivors to the hands of an evil syndicate known as "The Reapers" who took control. The aim of the game was to wipe out the reapers, restoring peace, or on the other hand, cause as much destruction and chaos as inhumanely possible. I won't go too much into detail on storyline as I don't want to spoil any good bits.

Moving on, this week, Sucker Punch released the sequel, inFAMOUS 2, which is very similar to its predecessor, only so much better. The story picks up where inFAMOUS left off, causing Cole, his best friend Zeke, and Kuo, an agent who is assisting Cole in becoming stronger. It's incredibly difficult to review the story without spoiling the entire first game, so I'll leave it to you to figure out what happens.
Depite inFAMOUS 2's similarities to the first game, it is entirely different. There are now new ways to boost your good or evil Karma by completing mini side-missions, such as disarming bombs, stopping muggers, or killing protesters, and stealing blast shards from pedestrians. The melee combat has been been completely redesigned with the introduction of Cole's new weapon, "The Amp", giving a better hands on experience and more realistic vibe. Speaking of realistic, the game is beautiful, with a New Orlean's vibe to it, and various other enhancements, such as better pedestrian reactions, amazing character model shading and texturing using motion capture technology. Also, Cole has a new voice actor, which I certainly approve because of his hilarious outbursts and funny dialogue.

Cole - "You okay?"
Zeke - "Yup, fit as a fiddle!"
Cole - "That's a big-ass fiddle."

There's so much more drama and depth to the story, with the introduction of boss battles and other characters to co-operate with during story and side missions. The power-up feature from the first game is enhanced with various electric abilities, karma abilities and moves for your Amp. More abilities are unlocked by finding Blast Cores, and doing side-missions.
The karma part of the game has been redesigned, phasing out Karma Moments, giving you more freedom over whether you want to be good or evil. This was disappointing as I thought them as a main component of the first game. Instead, these are replaced by the two new partners which each represent good and evil, slightly borrowed from the Black and White series. Just like in the first game, your actions determine your appearance, your powers, the missions you can do and the fate of the city.

User-generated content is a brand new feature of inFAMOUS 2, allowing you to complete missions downloaded from the internet, or alternatively, create your own. The process of creating, however, is quite fiddly and will take some adjustment to figure out what does what. These missions can be filtered using the search system, which will place the missions on the New Marais map. This can be a nuisance, as New Marais is huge and vast, not to mention full of enemies that will take you down and hinder your progress. Some missions by the Developers are available also. There will also be Playstation Move support in the near future, which should make making missions a lot more easier. The level of freedom is infinite, if you're strong enough. Neglecting key items such as blast shards, or just doing Story missions can leave you a weakling, vulnerable to huge boss battles and even simple enemies. So don't go thinking plowing through the storyline will be easy pickings.

inFAMOUS 2 is a massive game, full of cinematics, drama, beauty and non-stop ass kicking. So what if Cole can't drive a car, or swim like in Grand Theft Auto, he has freaking superpowers, and can scale skyscrapers! Sure, the camera is still a pain, but the amazing original musical score, gameplay and graphics quickly makes up for it. Trust me, once you start playing this, you'll be sucked into it, causing all your other games to weep with mercy, even the first inFAMOUS. This is definitely a pick-up-never-put-down game to remember.

JUDGEMENT:
+ Beautiful graphics and character modelling
+ Fun gameplay with no boundaries
+ Top-notch voice acting and music score
+ Limitless lifespan
- Camera's still a pain in the ass
- UGC needs some TLC

VERDICT
10/10
SHOCKING!

inFAMOUS 2 is available now on PSN for €60, retail €50 or special edition with bonus content, 50% off voucher for inFAMOUS 1, and a beta key for Uncharted 3: Drakes Deception for €55! If you haven't played the first game, and you are eligible for the Welcome Pack, pick up inFAMOUS for FREE.

COMPETITION: Win early access to Uncharted 3 Multiplayer Beta!

2011-06-13T17:47:00.000+01:00

Here's your chance to win early access to the Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception Multiplayer Beta, which begins on the 28th of June for those with a voucher code or Playstation Plus users (true that Sony has given PS Plus to ALL PSN users, but 30 days doesn't last forever, and also, the free period of 30 days will expire before the end of June.) So, really this is for those who haven't got a PS Plus subscription or haven't purchased inFAMOUS 2 Special Edition which contains the special voucher.

There is only one code available, it is free, so make sure you're you are in it to win it.
Later on in the week, there will be 3 multiple choice questions posted on the blog and also on my Facebook page, referring to the reviews I will post today and tomorrow. The first person to get ALL of them correct, wins the code. Simple as that!

Keep in mind that owners of inFAMOUS 2 SE and proper PS+ subscribers need not apply, although you could give it to one of your buddies.

So, GAME ON. (:

SteeScribbles

Scheduele for the next 2/3 weeks.

2011-06-08T16:05:00.001+01:00

Game Review: inFAMOUS
Retro Game Review: Ridge Racer Type 4
E3 Roundup of all the biggest and best announcements this year
Music Review: Lymbyc System - Carved by Glaciers
Site updates and announcements
An analysis on the corruption and sexualization of mainstream music
The PS Vita and the Wii U - Ridiculous Names, Powerful Hardware.
Possibly some more music updates, who knows? We'll see!
The return of SCRIBBLz, stop motion animation
Chapter 2 of KiTE, with flippingbook technology
Cityeye Chronicles Part 1 Proposed Track List and future direction of music
and more.....!!

Stay tuned amigos!

s.s

HD Classics? Heres a few ideas.

2011-06-03T02:32:00.002+01:00

Its becoming a craze for game devs releasing classic games in the form of HD bundles. So far, we have Sly, Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, God of War as well as Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell, Silent Hill and the amazing ZONE OF THE ENDERS coming soon!
But what other bundles could be released? Lets take a look!
Legacy of Kain series: Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2, and Defiance
Kingdom Hearts series: I, II, Birth by Sleep
Ratchet and Clank series: either 1, 2 and 3, or 2, 3 and Gladiator. Size Matters can fuck off.
Jak and Daxter: The Procursers Legacy, 2 and 3, or 2, 3 and X, OR 2, 3 and the PSP one.
Final Fantasy: obviously X, X-2 and XII. Would love to see a VII HD Compilation with Crisis Core, Dirge of Cerberus and a download coupon for VII
Omunisha: 1, 2 and 3
Crash Bandicoot : Wrath of Cortex, TwinSanity and Tag Team Racing
Burnout Series : 2, 3: Takedown and Revenge!
Viewtiful Joe: 1, 2 and Red Hot Rumble
Okami: with MOVE support
Time Crisis series: 1, 2, 3 with MOVE SUPPORT
Devil May Cry: 1, 2 and 3: SE
Theres so many others I would love to see getting the HD treatment, but these would be my top wishlist.

Notice anything different?

2011-05-31T20:26:00.000+01:00

That's right! SteeScribbles Official Blog has been updated to version 4!
+ New header. fonts, side banner
+ Facebook Like Button
+ New background

s.s

Some news about the next album.

2011-05-30T21:34:00.000+01:00

At the moment, things are going very slowly with the new album, because of personal delays, and other interruptions. So at the moment, there is no date for release, so I'm coming up with a few ideas on how to release it. I was thinking of combining this storyline: http://www.bebo.com/kitebook with the storyline of the album somehow. None of my latest tracks are related to the debut album, they are merely stand alone. It could be a possibility that both the defunct-but-soon-to-not-be-defunct KiTE book, and the Cityeye Chronicles will be viewed on the same story arc.
So, in order to do this, I need to finish KiTE before I release The Cityeye Chronicles. So yep, consider Project Kitebook open again, with Chapter 1 and 2 re-released on the 1st June 2011. This will be big, hopefully :) I've written up eight chapters so far, and hopefully the story will be finished up. The Cityeye Chronicles will NOT be a sequel but will be in the same world as KiTE.

About my previous announcement, "Project Aspies", it will also be a bit delayed, but hopefully will be released during the Summer, if all goes well.

Another bit of news for yous as well, my EP and single marketplace is now LIVE, containing my entire back discography available to buy, including To Kill A Lovebird, my latest release.

So, thats it for now. For more of my reviews on music albums, go to http://www.drop-d.ie/ where you'll find album, movie and game reviews by contributors all over Ireland, including yours truly ;D.
Also, check out http://flavors.me/steescribbles which contains every single update I can give, through Facebook, Soundcloud, here and other places too!

Until next time!
SteeScribbles out!

To Hunt A Lovebird now available to buy!

2011-05-30T00:28:00.001+01:00

Go get it now at: http://vibedeck.com/steescribbles

New Single Coming Soon, Unrelated to anything you've heard.

2011-05-21T00:33:00.000+01:00

I'm putting my heart and soul into this one. Make no mistake.
Loads of editing.
Loads of samples to make.
Loads of noise.
Loads of emotion.
This is gonna be big.

s.s

Mobile blogging!

2011-05-12T13:16:00.000+01:00

Good old google has released a native Blogger app for Android, so I plan to use it to blog on the go, including pictures etc!

Game Review - Brütal Legend (PS3/X360)

2011-05-08T13:07:00.003+01:00

Take a hack and slash game, throw in some strategy elements, some driving bits, some comedy, an EPIC soundtrack, a few of the greatest rockstars and what have you got? You have yourself a kick-ass sandbox action game with plenty of gore, and metal and.. oh wait, throw in Jack Black as well, and now we have Brütal Legend, possibly one of the funniest games I've played on a next-gen console, with the exception of Portal 2. From the opening titles to the real action, this game will have your sides splitting with JB's one liners and scenes. Oh and Kyle Gass has a cameo in it also (TENACIOUS D!).
You play as Eddie Briggs, a roadie who can build anything out of scraps of metal and junk, and also has a taste for heavy metal. Working for a band who treats metal like shit, gives him the desire to go back to where metal reigned, or the early seventies. After an incident which leaves a member of the band falling off the stage props, Eddie swoops in and saves him, ineviably being crushed by the prop, and suddenly his world changes. He's transported to a world centered around rock, where his guitar can shoot electricity, and he suddenly has the ability to swing a huge axe.
Theres a lot to do in this game, including various side quests, solos to collect, and other various game modes including an online battle of the bands, where you can build an army to destroy your opponents stage to reign victorious. It is fun, but eventually it goes tiring and repetitive.
The most appealing aspect of the game is the sound, with voice actors such as Ozzy Osbourne, Tim Curry and Jack Black himself. However, even the minor voices such as troops and other characters perform very well also. Unfortunately, for some reason, the sound effects during cutscenes is slightly distorted, and out of place sometimes, but the huge heavy metal soundtrack consisting of over 100 songs (including THE METAL by Tenacious D), and 70 minutes of original music by Peter McConnell makes up for it straight away.
Downloadable content such as multiplayer maps and new weapons are also available via PSN or XBOX Live, but since 2010, there has only been two released. Nevertheless, the game is jam-packed already.
The lack of a minimap in the game is fairly irritating as you are required to press SELECT to see the main map. Also, some of the outside quests can get very repetitive after a while, but remain fun.
Brütal Legend is a good game, especially if you are into the original heavy metal, but if you don't like metal, then this may not be for you. This game is specifically directed to those who wish to rock.

JUDGEMENT
Good Bits
+Humorous voice acting by Jack Black and others
+Amazing next gen graphics with lovely scenery, and smooth frame-rate.
+EPIC soundtrack with 107 songs as well as 70 minutes of original score
+A huge world to explore.

Bad Bits
- Sound effects sound strange at times
- Side quests can get repetitive

VERDICT
9/10
EXCELLENT!