Survivor Recap: He Has Demons

After a boring pilot, things are starting to heat up at Survivor: South Pacific. Last week, Semhar was voted off the Savaii tribe after revealing her weakness at the Immunity Challenge. Then she complained about people lying straight to her face when she reached Redemption Island. Welcome to Survivor, Semhar!

After the tribal council, Cochran had his mind on starting anew. He wanted to change how the tribe perceive him as a weakling and a liability in challenges. Meanwhile, Ozzy and Keith secretly formed an alliance and plans to take Jim with them to the final three. This plan was solidified when a simple fishing trip by Jim, Ozzy and Keith turned into an opportunity for Jim to lay down his plan. The plan was for the three strong guys of Savaii to band together and pull in Elyse and Whitney to get the numbers on their side. Leaving Cochran, Dawn and Papa Bear in the mercy of their tribemates.

On the side of Upolu, Brandon revealed to Coach that he is related to the ``Russel Hantz`` by showing him his tattoo. Coach was shocked but Brandon immediately assured him that he plans to play with honor and loyalty alongside him if Coach promised not to tell anyone of his secret. That wasn`t the only demon Brandon is dealing with lately. Apparently, he isn`t comfortable with Mikayla around. Brandon thinks Mikayla, young and beautiful, is seducing the men of Upolu to her advantage in the game and plans to get rid of her the first chance he gets. 

The quest for the hidden immunity idol continues as Christine finds the clue to the whereabouts of the idol. But the jackpot was made by Ozzy who, after 2 seasons of Survivor, knew how and where the idol will be hidden. Ozzy found the idol tucked on a tree and retrieved it with ease. With the idol safe in his hiding spot, Ozzy plans not to tell anybody that he has it to avoid it being flushed early and use it post merge when the opportunity calls for the idol.

At the Immunity Challenge, the two tribes will be competing in a two part game. 4 members of each tribe will untie ribbons from a pole to get hold of a key that will then be used to release the remaining members of the tribe. Those four members must then solve a puzzle of heavy crates and release the largest piece that they have to carry across the platform to win immunity plus the reward of pillows, blankets, and hammock. Both tribes decided to leave the ribbons to the girls and the crates to the men. Upolu had a big lead with the ribbons but that slipped away when the men of Savaii breezed through the puzzle crates and secured immunity for the tribe.

At the Upolu beach, Brandon and Coach had different opinions on who should go home. Coach wanted to get rid off Christine but fearing that Christine may have already found the immunity idol, he wants to split the votes to Christine and Stacey. Brandon wants Mikayla gone and told Chirstine and Stacy about it.

Not even 5 minutes into the Tribal Council, Coach dropped the bomb that Stacey and Christine is planning to vote out Mikayla to the surprise of the tribe and Survivor host Jeff Probst. Christine denied this and got off the hook when Brandon finally came clean and admitted that he started the `vote Mikayla` thing. Only, this didn`t help Christine at all when Coach`s initial plan came to friution and sent her to Redemption Island with Semhar.

* * * * * 

I think it is safe to say that Savaii has its five locked down with Ozzy, Keith, Jim, Elyse and Whitney. The three remaining members of the tribe are physically weak and aren`t playing the best social game either. Unless something really weird happens, the five will just eventually pick of who they want to go in TC. 

Upolu has a task on their hand after this tribal council: figure out who to trust. After Brandon`s self confession about wanting to vote out Mikayla, he could be a target. Coach obviously wants his tribe to stay as strong as possible, and Mikayla being the strongest of the females, will be a valuable part of the team in challenges. This becomes a problem for the alliance of Coach, Albert, Rick, Sophie and Brandon who were supposed to be the tightest group in the tribe.

By Joe with 1 comment

8 Most Anticipated PlayStation Vita Games

Everytime I read previews and watch demos involving the new PlayStation Vita, I can't help but to salivate. Each article I read about it just makes the wait all the more agonizing! In case you haven't heard, PlayStation Vita is set to launch in Japan on December 17th of this year with 26 TITLES in tow including Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3, Disgaea 3 Return, Hot Shots Golf 6 and Blazblue Continuum Shift II Plus among others. Sony is definitely trying to avoid to make the same mistake Nintendo did with the 3DS when it launched with few and mediocre games. Sadly, no details on the NA release of the portable gaming device has been reported.

There's a ton of games in development for the Vita so I'm sure there's gotta be at least one title that would appeal to whatever kind of a gamer you are. With that said, let me give you a list of my most anticipated titles. 

8. Persona 4: The Golden

I'm not really into JRPG. The only JRPG that I really liked was the Valkyria Chronicles series. It was also the only JRPGs I've beaten. That said, I've played a decent amount of Persona 3 Portable to say that it is definitely an interesting game. And now that Persona 4: The Golden is announced for the Vita, this could very well be the game I would be buying if I feel the need for a JRPG. The reimagination of this PlayStation 2 original is said to have an additional character, new voice work, and other new content to make the Vita port appealing to fans and new adopters alike.

7. Resistance: Burning Skies

Another game genre I'm not a big fan of is the FPS genre. Go ahead call me names! But seriously, I prefer third-person shooters than first-person shooters because I get dizzy playing the latter. That is why I can't get into the whole "Call of Duty" bandwagon. So why include Resistance: Burning Skies in this list? Because it looks awesome! The Vita, having dual analog sticks, is perfect for portable FPSs and this game proves it. Plus it has some smart touch screen control that would make this game more appealing to gamers like me who  aren't as skilled in FPS games.

6. Escape Plan

Not much is known about this game but its interesting art style definitely got me to dig more info about it. The game's objective is simple: Help Laarg and Lil escape by any means without them dying in the process. Judging from the game's trailer, it's possibly a platformer/ puzzle game with quirky characters. It has been said that Escape Plan won't be using any of the Vita's face buttons so controlling Laarg and Lil would make use of the touch screen, back touch panel and Sixaxis. 

5. LittleBigPlanet Vita

Seldom would anybody say that the portable version of a game is the definitive version. But that could be true for LittleBigPlanet! This is the game that got me interested with the Vita. It is still the same "Play. Create. Share." goodness we have known the series for but with the addition of touch screen, touch panel and Sixaxis into the mix, the game becomes much more fun and engaging. I must say that judging from THIS, LittleBigPlanet is the first game to fully utilize the Vita's hardware features without it looking gimmicky. LittleBigPlanet is one of the Vita's system-seller and rightfully so.

4. Street Fighter X Tekken

I'm a fighting game fan and so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am pumped for Street Fighter X Tekken. I play fighting games on my PSP to relieve stress and since I could just jump right into a match anytime, I feel like fighting games are perfect for portables. So I almost peed my pants when I learned that SFxT is coming to the Vita. SFxT will use the Street Fighter IV engine with some tweaks on the gameplay. This would be a day one purchase for me and with the announcement of Lili being in the game, it sealed the deal all the more!

3. Uncharted: Golden Abyss

I love the Uncharted series. More than the addictive gameplay or the jaw-dropping visuals, it is the characters that made me fell in love with the series. Naughty Dog produced two of the best PS3 games with Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and I'm sure Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will continue  the tradition of quality and polish the series is known for. Now, imagine a portable Uncharted. Sweet! Developed by Resistance Retribution creator Bend Studios and with the guidance of Naughty Dog, Uncharted: Golden Abyss should be a worthy addition to the franchise albeit on a portable scale. This is touted "The system seller" by many gaming blogs and it's not hard to see why.

2. Gravity Daze

With so many Vita games that are either a port or a remake, it is nice to know that there are interesting new IPs set to debut on the system. Among them, Gravity Daze developed by SCE Japan Studio is my most anticipated. The first thing that's going to draw you in the game is the cell shaded art style that is nothing short of gorgeous (It is said to look even better on the Vita's 5" OLED screen). Add the quirky characters and a gravity-based gameplay and the game rocketed to the top to my must have games list. I'm really hoping Gravity Daze becomes a commercial and critical success to inspire more developers to make new IPs for the Vita.

1. Little King Story Vita

And finally, my most anticipated game on the Vita as of date is LITTLE KING STORY VITA!!! As far as I know, this isn't a remake or a port of the Wii original. It is said to be a sequel to the first game with muti-touch control. Sadly, I've never played the first game because I don't have a Wii. But what I've been seeing and reading around the web is enough to convince me to make this the first game I should buy along the Vita. Look at that art style! It's so charming!

By Joe with 2 comments