Firefox updating to 8.0 has broken Deepest Sender again. Well, not "broken", but more of disabling until DS gets updated to work on the new major version number. I don't know why this requirement is in place, other than a sideways attempt to make sure that addons are being actively updated.

-

After a long period of procrastination, I finally finished Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. I'm not sure whether I think it's a great game; it's a good game, and one I didn't actually regret playing or anything, but I hesitate to call it "great".

The main complaint I had was the wonky controls and the stupid camera angles, using the mouse and keyboard. It caused quite a lot of frustration and annoyance, and I feel justified in considering it a flaw in the game because the PC port of Assassin's Creed didn't have the same problems. Therefore, it can be done, but it just... wasn't.

SoT also felt dated, in that I kept thinking about how this or that little niggling annoyance could be improved, and the improvements have already been made in other games... that are based on this one. In other words, SoT has to compete in any potential List of Favourites with later games (ie Assassin's Creed) that improved on it. I've never felt comfortable with ranking a game on what it could have been or what it inspired/set the groundwork for, rather than what it actually is. And taking the game as it is, SoT falls short.

I've also managed to figure out just what it is about some parkour games that appeal to me, while other sorts of parkour games don't. Mainly, I like parkour games that reward exploration and puzzling out solutions, giving me leeway to experiment. I like being able to survey a room, note all the little details, and then use my toolset of moves to traverse the scenery until I get to the goal. If I'm not sure, I'd like to be able to test things out, without penalty for failing.

I don't like parkour games that rely on my twitch reflexes and ability to instantly spot openings within a split second. This is why I ended up hating Uncharted 2; I wanted to play Prince of Persia (well, Assassin's Creed), not Sonic the Hedgehog.

I've started on Warrior Within in an effort to see how the trilogy goes, but I'm kind of put off by the weird alterations to the controls. As in, a lot of it is the same as in SoT, but some of it is just different enough to throw me off, occasionally off the side of a cliff. The Grimdarkness of WW is very much present, and I've been trying to ignore it. This is strangely easier to do than in Dawn of War 2, where the Grimdark was too heavy and oppressive for me to complete the game, despite trying three times. I suppose it's because the Grimdark in WW feels superficial and shallow, like in Darksiders.

-

I'm thinking of attending Anime Festival Asia 2011, like I have for the past few years of the event. Usually I attend with friends, but I haven't really been keeping in touch with them, ever since my father died. I'm not sure what their plans are this year. I should probably contact them, but I don't know if I'll end up bringing the mood down.

Tags: gaming, sad excuse for a life

Following on from here, here's an updated list:

1. Final Fantasy XIII

2. inFamous

3. Valkyria Chronicles

4. Atelier Rorona

Yes, apparently I just need one more. Or maybe two more; I hear that Valkyria Chronicles 2 is on the PSP, which I already have, and if the story doesn't require knowledge of the first one and the gameplay is better, I'll probably get the second game and leave the first alone.

As might be obvious, I'm very attracted to cutesy anime graphics, but I should add that Disgaea and its sequels turned me off on the super-grindy aspects.

Atelier Rorona is there mostly because people have been suggesting it to cure any Recettear-induced cravings for item shop fun.

I'm still not convinced about Little Big Planet (2) and other games which need downloadable content, because I'm not sure if I can connect my potential PS3 online. I know it's supposed to be So Easy Anyone Could Do It, but I've heard the same about my PSP and I still can't connect that.

Tags: gaming

One of my self-imposed rules was that if I wanted to get a gaming console (TV or handheld), I had to have a library of games available for it.

Now, I've been wondering if I should be getting a PS3. With it, I have come up with a completely arbitrary number of five games that I absolutely must have before I actually get the console. The problem is I can only think of two.

So, recommend some PS3 games to me! The following criteria apply, though:

( Details inside.Collapse )

Suggestions?

Tags: gaming

- The eerie setting is quickly undermined by getting lost. My pulse rifle for a minimap.

- The flickering of the HUD that preludes some supernatural stuff feels like the incessant phone calls of your stalker-ish ex. The game is supposed to evoke a sense of "oh no" without the addendum of "not again".

- I never knew how much of my survival in the original game was due to leaning around corners until that ability was taken away.

- If spooky stuff is happening to all your teammates, and it usually presages something bad, it might be a good idea for you to warn your teammates whenever you experience spooky stuff. Which is, of course, why you never do so.

Verdict: Good shooter, not as good as the first game.

Tags: gaming

Spent several hours trying to get through That Tunnel Mission from Ace Combat 5, and am pleased to announce that I've finally done it. Also, I am never playing that mission ever again.

( An explanation for those curious.Collapse )

An interesting result of all of this is that after I finished with Ace Combat 5, I popped in Ace Combat Zero to try the tunnel mission in there again. Suddenly, everything seemed so amazingly easy. No high-speed chases. Clear-cut routes. No sudden inexplicable obstacles. Nobody trying to shoot you down (well, except for a few stationary AA guns; why there are AA guns inside a tunnel is beyond me). I cleared it on the first go, despite trying about half a dozen times previously.

I'd actually recommend Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero to people who like war stories (and definitely the Ace Combat Zero soundtrack to anyone), and don't mind the bizarre nature of the very heavy anti-war messages in a game about fighter pilots. (It's not hypocrisy, since soldiers don't have to like war; it's just weird.) It's just those damn missions. (To make things worse, or perhaps better, they're the second-last missions in their respective games, so it's basically those missions which are preventing you from finishing the game.)

Also, it's both games, if you want the full story. Zero (2006) was made after 5 (2004) but is a prequel, and is apparently the first Ace Combat game to deal with stuff that happened in another Ace Combat game.

I might come up with full reviews next time.

EDIT: One of the best things about the game is how you, as the player character, rise in fame as the story progresses, and your achievements are noted. In Ace Combat 5, you're originally just part of the Sand Island Squadron, which is quickly (due to combat losses) formalized as Wardog Squadron. Later you get a reputation as the Demons of Razgriz after an in-game myth, which is like calling them the Avenging Angels and thoroughly meaning it. The final mission's music is Latin chanting about you.

Which still doesn't top Ace Combat Zero, where you go from your callsign ("Galm 1") to your codename ("Cipher") to "the Demon Lord of the Round Table", whom every ace in the war is talking about ten years after the fact.

Tags: gaming

Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero would have been far, far more enjoyable if they didn't feature missions where your top-of-the-line fighter jet has to inexplicably fly through tunnels.

And not just any tunnels, but long, winding tunnels, full of treacherous twists and obstacles placed for no reason other than to trap morons who fly planes below ground level. Oh, and there are enemy planes shooting at you. And you have no allies with you, and you can't shoot back. And their missiles are homing.

It's like the makers saw the trench runs of Star Wars and thought that it was the most amazing thing ever, and sought to replicate it in every damn game. Except worse.

I suppose what makes it incredibly annoying to me is that in the Ace Combat 5 version, there is an entire army on your side. Two, in fact. Including a couple of armoured battalions. Why they don't roll in and deal with it is beyond me.

Tags: gaming, rant

The Longest Journey is a long game.

In terms of content, it's actually not that long. What lengthens the game, possibly by putting it on the rack, is the really slow movement of characters. The main character, April Ryan, can go at about a trot when told to run, but doesn't bother in the in-game cutscenes, joining every other character in the game. They slowly stroll towards their objective, go through some motions to indicate something or other, then stroll back for more dialogue.

This is especially annoying in certain parts. A major offender is when April has to read several books from a library of some sort, which leads to a sequence like this:
- April positions herself just so, before talking to the librarian.
- The librarian slowly walks over to the shelves in question.
- He looks around for a while, reaches up, and takes a book.
- He slowly walks towards a podium of some sort, and puts the book there.
- He slowly walks back to April's position.
- Then April can move to the podium, where she slowly bends over to read the book.
- After she's finished reading, she slowly stands back up, and walks a short distance away.
- The librarian slowly walks to the podium, and picks up the book.
- He then slowly walks to another shelf and replaces the book, before walking back to his original position.

Repeat for every book required, which is about six or seven of them. I have not discovered any key on the keyboard able to skip any of this.

You understand my frustration.

Some of the puzzles are very obscure, and I had to check a FAQ to get past them. In fact, some of them are obscure even after checking the FAQ, since we are never told in the game that this item has such-and-such property, or that April will, yanno, not die from doing something or other.

It is possible to play the game without a USB controller or some such. It's just really, really fiddly with getting April to run instead of strolling.

Characterization and dialogue, apart from the SLOW MOVEMENT (I'm never going to stop harping about that), is pretty good. April does some really boneheaded moves at times (made worse when the player has to do it in order to progress the plot), but at least it's believable if you assume that she's supposed to start as pretty shallow and get wiser as the plot progresses, and she does keep her "what were you THINKING" moments rare.

Some of the banter is snappy. Some is forced. Your mileage may vary.

The voice acting is pretty good, but not outstanding. It's professionally-done, if nothing else, so there won't be anything particularly jarring.

Music is understated, ambient, and forgettable. Pity.

Overall, I'd say that this would have been a great game if it had been cleaned up a bit more, particularly in the SLOW MOVEMENT. As it is, it loses replay value entirely because I really don't want to have to sit through all those cutscenes again.

Tags: gaming, review

A major problem I have with those "press X to not die" timed events in video games is that it conflicts with my usual more laid-back "watch the pretty plot unfold" gameplay style.

A more direct problem I have is that if the game tells me to press X, I have to look down to find the X button before I can press it. This may seem like something that gets eased out with practice, except that I have a Nintendo DS (X button is at the top, like the SNES), an XBox (X button is at the left), and a PS2 (X button, more like a "X-shaped button" than the letter X, is at the bottom).

I default to SNES controls anyway, which theoretically makes the DS easiest to get used to, but then they introduce the stylus.

Tags: gaming

I'm a bit sad that Left 4 Dead (I don't like the number in the name any more than you do) has turned into just another mow-them-down squad shooter among my friends rather than something with story. I'm probably the entirely wrong demographic for the game anyway.

Seeing as the game tries to present its campaigns (unconnected save for the characters; it's implied that they're in different continuities) as generic zombie horror flicks, I've been passing the time spent waiting to respawn imagining what an actual movie based on the game would be like. The four survivors of the zombie apocalypse are:

- Bill, a Vietnam veteran who's happy to get into another war
- Louis, a black salesman or office manager of some sort
- Francis, a tough biker type who's a bit jerky but is Actually A Nice Person
- Zoey, a female college student and fan of zombie movies

Note the order I named them, which is the order in which I expect them to die in that hypothetical zombie movie.

Assuming no subversions of expectations, and everything following the usual tropes, the girl always survives. It's good for ratings and ticket sales. I know that there are many movies where the girl dies, but either they're trying to demolish expectations, or the girl is a ditz/too dumb to live (Zoey, by comparison, is pretty competent), or there is at least one other girl who will survive. There's an outside chance that the girl's boyfriend will survive in her place, but that does not apply here.

And Francis has to live long enough for the audience to understand that He's Not A Bad Guy, despite his gang-biker looks and surly attitude. He's not as photogenic as Zoey, so he may not live to see extraction, but it's probably going to take most of the movie for his Character Development.

On the other end of the scale, Bill is an Old Guy who is Ex-Military and who can easily be slotted into the Mentor role for the younger characters. He's doomed.

I'm not sure about Louis, honestly. On the one hand, movie directors are trying not to have the African-American guy be the first one to die, due to the unfortunate implications. On the other hand, Louis is pretty much a mix of Token Black Guy and Fish Out Of Water comic relief, which does not bode well for his chances of survival. I'm hedging that he's going to expire after Bill, but long before Francis.

I get to think about all of this while waiting to respawn, because for some bizarre reason, my friends keep wanting to play on Expert, even though we're not very good at the game. Screw challenge, say I.

Tags: gaming

Please to be explaining this crap.

( Long pic is long.Collapse )

Tags: gaming, rant, screenshot

The uniforms of the random female NPCs in the early part of Advent Rising are really, really short. One-piece miniskirt short.

It's so anime-like that I had to stop and admire it for a suspiciously lengthy interval before reluctantly continuing the game.

Tags: gaming

I think the primary reason why I do so well with the Tau in Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War: Dark Crusade, far out of proportion to the other races, is that I play the Tau like how I'm supposed to play the Imperial Guard: spam basic units to the unit cap, and then tech them up to ridiculous levels. Not many things can stand up to fully-upgraded mass volleys (and I mean mass) of plasma fire, especially if they're melee. I've had Ork Mega Armoured Nobz (about as tough as they sound, ie very) teleport into the midst of my troops and expire in under a second.

I also have problems using melee troops, since they always have pathing problems getting to their targets after a certain number of them (dependent on unit size as rendered by the game). So the "shooty-ness" of the Tau are perfect for my playstyle.

The downside of this tactic is that I am especially vulnerable to infantry scatter. For those unfamiliar with the game, units have to be standing still in order to fire (some of them don't have to, but accuracy is greatly reduced when moving), and there's a cooldown of maybe a second or two before they can fire. Knockback effects like explosions, missiles, and leap attacks are hell on the whole "constant volume of fire" concept.

This means that my hardest fights are against the Space Marines and the Eldar: the former because they utilize a lot of missiles, and the latter because they are only marginally less shooty, but a great deal more stealthy.

In comparison, Imperial Guard may be the point of spam-units-until-capped, but their tech tree is pitiful. Chaos Marines are dangerous if they actually use their vehicles, but they so seldom do. Orks are only a threat if they rush me, but since the computer likes to build a huge army before attacking, I have plenty of time to channel the inevitable attack on my base into a shooting gallery. Necrons are more an annoyance with their random resurrections than anything else they do, since they're so slow.

And finally, campaign mode gives my commander unit so many upgrades that by the last few missions, he's taking out bases single-handedly.

I have no doubt that I'd lose spectacularly against an actual opponent, rather than the computer. And the spam-units thing probably won't work for the actual tabletop wargame either.

I also don't really want to play Dark Crusade as any other race, since that means that I'll have to face the Tau.

Tags: gaming

Beyond Good and Evil is currently unplayable due to graphical glitches.

After the constant crashing of Psychonauts, I am of the belief that Well-Received Games which I got on Steam are almost certainly going to cause me no end of technical grief.

Tags: gaming

While waiting for Fallout 3 to be unlocked on Steam (or arrive in stores here in Singapore, whichever comes first), I've been working my way through an RTS kick, which involves another Steam game, Dawn of War.

So far I'm about halfway through the first game, and I have already received my share of "lol noob" comments for concentrating on the campaign (read: story) mode. So it goes.

The last time I played the tabletop version of Warhammer 40K was when the Codex for Tyranids was released, which would make it somewhere in second edition. I hear there have been several changes to the story since then, and after the Ciaphas Cain novels, I've had my interest piqued.

I don't really remember the Eldar being characterized as irritating to talk to as the Farseer in DoW, though.

Eldar Farseer: Oh noes, teh MacGuffin!
Space Marine Captain: What? What does it do?
Farseer: You do not know what it does!
Captain: Yes, I just said that.
Farseer: We are doomed! Doomed!
Captain: Just tell me what's going on!
Farseer: Do you really want to know?
Captain: Yes!
Farseer: It will be the end of us all!
Captain: Xeno! Woman! Stop speaking in riddles!
Farseer: The center! The center! How many licks does it take?
Captain:
Farseer: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog! Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz! The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain! Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo!
Captain:
Captain:
Captain: Right, you're bloody cracked. I'm off.
Farseer: I need scissors! 61!

Tags: gaming

Normally, when I play games on my PS2, I keep the volume down so as not to disturb the neighbours. This is also partly due to the embarrassment of some of the really painful voice-acting on some games.

Recently, I decided that since I was pretty much almost done with Okami (the last dungeon is before me, and I just need to backtrack all over Nippon to get the rest of the Stray Beads I missed), I might as well listen to some of the BGM.

... wow.

That was the state of affairs until recently, when I revisited Overclocked Remix (actually in search of some random chiptunes) after a long absence, and came across a remix.

... wow.

Tags: gaming
Apparently now I am: impressed

At least, the pre-purchase.

Now I don't have to worry about whether actual physical copies will be available in stores. Also, I think it's slightly cheaper anyway, if my currency conversions are accurate.

Tags: gaming

This is incredibly tempting.

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I'm currently trying to decide which games I should be spending my money on. My options:

- Command and Conquer 3: Supposedly it's good. I can get it as a Direct Download from the EA store.

- Command and Conquer: The First Decade: Consists of every C&C-related game prior to the above. I don't know if I'll need it to understand 3. Even if I don't, I've only been able to find it in meatspace stores (Challenger, this time), and I'm worried about the dreaded curse of Out Of Stock.

- Fallout 3: This is something that I'll definitely get, but it's more a question of "when it's released" or "when I get around to it". The accusation of "Oblivion with guns" is a good thing, and even if it's not, I like the franchise anyway.

- Sonic Chronicles: Heard that it's "too easy", which is a plus point for me. I've got plenty of DS games already, though; I just don't want to find out later that I missed my chance to buy the game when it was already out, like I almost did for Okami.

Opinions?

Tags: gaming

Call of Duty 4.

Sergeant "Soap" MacTavish.

Special Air Forces.

Highly-trained sharpshooter and explosives expert.

Completely incapable of opening doors.

Tags: gaming

People seem to really like Aeon City, so that's what I'll be going with. (Also, even more wanted me to flip a d2, which came down in favour of Aeon City.) I make no promises on the accuracy on life in the American Midwest; as I said, it's as foreign to me as life in Japan.

Anyway, the main point of this post:

Recommend me a game I can buy from Steam. After the debacle with Uplink, and while I'm taking a break from the annoying control scheme of The Longest Journey, I'm looking for something else.

( Games I already own.Collapse )

Tags: gaming, question

Uplink has now achieved the Not Fun point.

( Gameplay ranting.Collapse )

Tags: gaming, rant

I'm not sure if a sixteen-year old game can be spoiled, but the remake just came out, so.

( Cut for space and spoilers.Collapse )

Tags: gaming

It had been a while since I've played FF4, and I had forgotten how amazingly, incredibly emo the story is.

More to come.

Tags: gaming

Apparently in the world of The Longest Journey, horrible diseases caused by mouth-inflating a rubber ducky that had been floating about a drainage ditch are no longer a concern.

Tags: gaming

Essentially Katamari Damacy, but less Japanese, and with more Western pop culture references. For example, there's an orangutan in the Library stage, and the trophy referencing it mentions that "he gets mad if you call him a monkey".

Also, the catchy J-pop is now slightly less catchy pop (in English), plus what sounds kind of like muzak. You also can't pick up everything like you can in Katamari Damacy, although this could be because I couldn't get big enough. Still, I liked the ability in Katamari Damacy to start with picking up little frogs and ending with picking up land masses, all in one stage.

And humans in The Wonderful End Of The World are silent. It's amazing how much the screams in Katamari Damacy as you pick up people, and then those boxes containing people we call buildings, lend to the atmosphere.

Overall I'd say that Katamari Damacy remains my collecting game of choice, but if you don't have a PS2 (or XBox 360, I suppose), then you could give this a try.

Tags: gaming, review

- The Longest Journey package, which also includes Dreamfall. Looks interesting, seems to have decent reviews, and I get to play a female protagonist.

- The Wonderful End Of The World, which seems like a Katamari Damacy clone for the PC. Kotaku appends a "but more so" (well, "on crack", to be precise, which amounts to the same thing) to it. Can't really screw up Katamari gameplay, so I'll treat this as More Levels.

If anyone has any insights into these games, do please share. Steam has succeeded in getting my money mostly because it's extremely convenient, especially after computer failures or whatnot.

Tags: gaming, notes to self

I'd probably enjoy Professor Layton and the Curious Village a lot more if I didn't have to look for hidden items all over the place.

I have not yet needed to check a walkthrough to solve puzzles (although I've gotten a few wrong guesses), but needing to check for Hint Coins all over the place is annoying.

Tags: gaming

Yet more money to set aside.

Tags: gaming, geekery

Acquaintance: Hang on, let me boot up the laptop, I've got the presentation files here.

Laptop: *Diablo 3 wallpaper*

Me: Diablo 3! \o/

Acquaintance: Diablo 3! \o/

Acquaintance 2: Diablo 3! \o/

Acquaintance 3: Diablo 3! \o/

Everyone: Diablo 3! \o/

Tags: gaming, geekery, sad excuse for a life

When I'm playing Pokemon Diamond and my (female) character gets mugged in a dark cave by a random stranger who lobs a Tentacruel at her, I have to wonder if the creators really considered the implications.

Tags: gaming, random silliness

I've been busy playing the strangely-addictive Audiosurf. I bought it on Steam for US$9.99, and complaints about Steam aside (yes, Steam, I am living in the city of Singapore, in the state/province of Singapore, in the country of Singapore, because it's the same bloody thing), I think it's definitely worth it.

Audiosurf is best described as a coloured-block-matching game done in the style of a racing game, with musical accompaniment. What happens is that you're this little futuristic spaceship-thing on a futuristic highway (very neon), three lanes, and in your path are different-coloured blocks. Touch a block to pick it up on a 3x7 grid, and if you match three blocks or more of the same colour, they disappear (of their own accord, after a short delay; you don't have to click anything for them to combo up). You control everything with the mouse, with the left and right clicks for special abilities.

This would normally not interest me as much, except that the blocks and the highway are generated according to a music file. Your music file. That's right, now you can race F-Zero-style to "1812 Overture". There's a whole lot of accepted formats, including CD and MP3, which are all I cared about. Technically, iTunes music is supported, but iTunes DRM is not; in other words, to play a song from iTunes in Audiosurf, you have to burn it onto a CD first to un-DRM it. To make a hollow laughter.

According to the website, Audiosurf is playable on older systems. Whether you believe them or not is up to you.

There are lots of options and modes to play in. I concentrated most of my time with the Mono Casual, which is the easiest to play (not counting the "watch the scenery go past" Free Ride). In this mode, there are grey blocks, and non-grey blocks, which are all the same colour (but not grey), but that colour shifts now and again, presumably so you won't get bored. (You can turn this off.) All I need to do is to collect the non-grey blocks, and try to avoid the grey blocks. There's no serious penalty to accidentally hitting a grey block, but it remains in your grid for some time, taking up space. Also, there's a substantial bonus to avoiding all the grey blocks in a level, so I suppose the penalty is not getting that bonus.

In other modes, I need to worry about colours. There's a tutorial for the game (narrated by one of the programmers, judging from the relatively amateur diction), so I'll let that explain everything. It's not a very difficult game to pick up.

Before I go into my adventures in Audiosurfing, I should mention the drawbacks. First, you have to provide your own music. Audiosurf does come with some free tracks (not many), and if you buy it off Steam you get the whole Orange Box soundtrack, but other than that, you're on your own.

Secondly, there's a volume control for sound effects (which you can also turn off), but there's no volume control for the music. Presumably you have to use the master volume control. Yeah, I don't know why either.

( The Sound of Surfing.Collapse )

Would I recommend this game? Definitely, at this price. The main disadvantage I can see is that you have to provide your own music, which means that if your music collection isn't very big, then this won't be as fun.

Tags: gaming, review