MG XXXG-01D2 Deathscythe Hell

Picture from the Gundam Wikia

I've had a pretty long hiatus from Gundam assembling so this month I picked up two different models, the XXXG-01D2 Deathscythe Hell is the first of the two that I decided to build. I picked this one up from looks alone, because I mean the whole demon-wings thing looks pretty intimidating right?

This model is from the "Endless Waltz"anime from 1997, that's all I really know about it but apparently it is "both a sequel and prequel to the Gundam Wing series"whatever that means. Seriously though, at some point I'll actually watch these things.

he has a really small head for some reason 

Of the two I bought I decided to build this one first because it's mostly dark which means I can mess up on the cutting and and it won't be too noticeable. Also, I usually don't do much lining on darker models since you can't tell, so this one was a nice model to build to get me back on the proverbial horse.

nothing says profesional like a bunch of toys on your desk

Although I wanted an easier model to help me get my groove back, I'm a bit let down by the Deathscythe. It has very little movement compared to the others, the hands don't move independently instead you select one of three separate hands and snap it on, and there's only one real weapon for it, compared to the four or five that come with the other models. Still, the Deathscythe got it's revenge and drew blood from me, so there's that.

there should be a bunch of decals there, but there isn't

Although the build was mediocre I still think the finished product looks nice, although I messed up some of the decals and so I didn't add them to the wings. 

Review: Portal 2

Portal 2 is Valve's sequel to their Orange Box hit, Portal. The game is a platform puzzler that uses portals to create some pretty unique chin scratchers.

Having played and enjoyed the original, and not having bought a game for some time, I figured I'd give Portal 2 a shot. [That was a pun because in the game you have a portal gun that shoots portals, get it?]

Gameplay

The game is a first person platformer. You control... well actually I don't really know her name. You control her as she goes around the testing facility after the events of the first game. I don't really want to give too much away, although the story in this game isn't really that riveting or necessary for the enjoyment. Even if you didn't play the first game you won't feel too lost.

thinking with portals

As the title would suggest it, you use portals to solve your way through a set of testing chambers. The portal mechanics are pretty easy, you shoot two different ACME-like holes that are connected. Go in through one, get out the other, simple. The sequel also introduces gels, and that blue thing you can see in the picture above.

The original game was on the PC and controlled by mouse and keyboard, while I played Portal 2 on the PS3. The game controls pretty similarly and given the choice I think I like the console version better, each portal gets assigned a separate shoulder button and you use the normal one joystick to move one joystick to look setup.

The puzzles range from pretty simple to "I'll try again tomorrow" and overall the game doesn't feel as short as the original did. Plus with the addition of co-op multiplayer, although I only tried it on split screen because Sony has decided that it's Asian customers don't deserve PSN even though they themselves are an Asian company but I digress, a full retail price feels justified.

Presentation

the game does look pretty

The game looks very well made, it supports HD output and the on screen action takes advantage. There's plenty to see beyond a cold testing chamber and even a couple of different venues that had me surprised.

The voice acting is well done, with a return from GLaDOS, although the character you control is very much the silent type. The humor from the original carries through, and there's plenty hidden around the world to make you stop and smell the roses instead of just running for the exit.

Recommendation

Overall the game is good, although like other sequels fails to live up to the shadow of the original. If you didn't play the first Portal you should definitely get the sequel, and if you did play the first Portal then you should definitely get the sequel.

these are actually the good guys

With more and more FPS releases, Portal 2 is a refreshing change of pace from the typical run and gun of other games. It's well made, funny at times, and with the co-op multiplayer it's a good way to match brainwaves with a friend.