Life with a New Device

How much have I been using my new device? Not much. Why? I've realised a fundamental flaw - I lack the courage to use it. It's been here for quite a while - but I dare not use it as much as I think I would. It's with me all the time - I want to play it. There's nothing quite like killing stuff on the go, or racing at unrealistic speeds, and soon a little more than I would have expected. The device would change what I had thought it could do. Its battery life had become immaterial in face of all the things it could do. I had condemned the device before for its battery life, its lack of many things - but things change when you actually look at it.

I saw this device for real, in actual use - and I felt it was practical for all it was worth. I had seen all the things it could do - and I would believe for the most part that it would become a success not in the market most people thought it would be fighting for. The device is meant to hit more markets than just the gaming market. It was meant to hit the average consumer. The average person should walk around with one - not because this average reasonable person thought it would be nice, but because it has other more practical uses in store.

I highly doubt this device is outselling its competitor in certain regions because of the same reason its competitor is outselling it in Japan, but likely due to its other attractions.

Wait for my full review of this device soon. ;)

What to Look at for Saviors of Kamigawa

Here's my take on what's good and fun - they may not be stellar choices, but they'll be funny cards. 1. Akuta, Born of Ash - black should be pretty good at wisdom - since you'd likely be whacking your opponent for his cards to gain card advantage - its that simple. 4 to cast 3/2 - not too bad for a recurring creature. 2. Ayumi, the Last Visitor - 5 to cast 7/3 - with legendary landwalk - its 3 toughness makes it hard to burn with Shock, but the legendary landwalk makes it valuable in Standard - being low cost - soul shifting this is also good. 3. Blood Clock - are you thinking what I'm thinking? Control the board! 4. Kirin - I believe most of the Kirin are really good things to play - always play an expensive spirit spell. *grins evilly* 5. Captive Flame - Firebreathing across the board is never bad. 6. Charge Across the Araba - Game ender - proves that red isn't the only one who can sacrifice lands for damage! 7. Choice of Damnations - This, I suspect - is gonna cost hell of a lot - it's 6 to cast - and at that kind of late game, it's likely to end it also. 8. Dense Canopy - Turn flying into shadow (hehehehehehe...)! 9. Descendant of Masumaro - This is a funny card that can grow or shrink - but while the ability is green, you cannot play a monogreen and expect this to grow - it's a card you have to play in combination with other cards to gain supreme advantage. 10. Elder Pine of Jukai - More and more mana acceleration is in Kamigawa - which leads me to believe Ravnica is going to use some of this madness. 11. Enduring Ideal - Hondens, anyone? 12. Eternal Dominion - What's more fun than taking your opponent's stuff to use as your own? Owning him in Magic by doing nothing but that. :D 13. Evermind - seems useless? two mana per card per spirit or arcane spell isn't bad - plus, it adds to wisdom! 14. Feral Lightning - Expensive - but helpful once you've slaughtered everything else! 15. Footsteps of the Goryo - Reanimate something that does something useful when it lives, or when it dies. A Legendary Dragon Spirit would be fine. 16. Gaze of Adamaro - How else would you deal with a wisdom based opponent who has card advantage? 17. Ghost-Lit Redeemer, Ghost-Lit Stalker - 'nuff said! 18. Glitterfang - Spirit spell that stays to trigger spiritcraft for as long as you like... (I'm thinking Evermind...) 19. Gnat Miser - *grins evilly* What about taking away your opponent's wisdom? 20. Hand of Cruelty - get this if you play black - undeniably useful. 21. Hidetsugu’s Second Rite - a burn spell that is truly value for mana. 22. Homura, Human Ascendant - play it, kill it - have fun with your 6/4 flying Viashino Sandstalker or 3/3 Glitterfang. 23. Ideas Unbound - looking for one card? This is what you need. 24. Iname as One - nearly not usable, but adds to the cool factor when you win with it. ;) 25. Kaho, Minamo Historian - I can't stress more how useful this is in games - so I won't. ;) 26. Kataki, War’s Wage - see that annoying Jitte? Make him pay for it! 27. Kiku’s Shadow - not completely useful, not completely useless. 28. Locust Miser - make life more difficult, shrink your opponent's hand. 29. Manriki-Gusari - hate equipment (thinks Jitte) - kill it! 30. Measure of Wickedness - bored? Play this and have fun! 31. Michiko Konda, Truth Seeker - seek the truth - and kill weenies and blasters. 32. Murmurs from Beyond - How to get what your opponent's think you don't need... *grins* 33. One with Nothing - What's this for? Many people can argue this out for years. I'd say - seek and ye shall find! 34. Oppressive Will - Card advantage = Blue, Counterspell = Blue, Card advantage dependent couterspell = Genius 35. Overwhelming Intellect - Saw that Iname As One? Wanna get something from it? 36. Pain’s Reward - you willing to pay for four cards? Go ahead! I dare you. 37. Pithing Needle - anti Ravager - but that's not around anymore now, is it? 38. Promise of Bunrei - creature generation 39. Promised Kannushi - Something you play to kill, and get something better back. 40. Reverence - Rever me - or actually... 41. Sakashima the Impostor - mirroring was never this flexible 42. Sakura-Tribe Scout - no comment needed 43. Seek the Horizon - I seek land, so give it to me! 44. Sekki, Seasons’ Guide - chase this card to the depths of the ocean, 8 to cast 8/8 annoyance. 45. Twincast - What could be better than to double your take?

Game Review: Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose

I'm writing this at college while doing quantitative analysis homework, so don't complain about any incongruence or disjointedness in this review. :D And yes, I remember the title by heart - somehow fun phrases of German words are quite easy to remember.

OK, since we all know how lengthy and deep the storyline of Xenosaga goes, let's be simple, and come down to the just the gameplay, graphics and music, shall we?

For an RPG, Xenosaga II takes a very different approach for most of the game - it aims to be simpler to the casual gamer. As a result, you will find that there are very few items in the game - and somehow, weapons never come into play on your characters ever, unlike in Xenosaga Episode 1, where cryptic model numbers usually indicated which equipment was better and more advanced. *sweats*

The Abilities (stats boost, counters and so on) and Ether (something like magic) system has been combined with one another, but the special Tech Attacks have disappeared from view. Abilities and Ether have been placed into something like a hierarchy system, requiring you to complete unlock a class before being able to move on to a higher level and so on. Ethers and abilities have been combined into one complex system - and every character has an identical hierarchy - some slots are locked at the beginning, and cannot be unlocked the storyline has ended.

Most of the game is actually after the end of the storyline instead of during or before the final boss battle - in contrary to most typical RPGs. In this game, a massive portion of time has to be dedicated to the game after the storyline has ended.

The music composer has changed, and in my belief, Yuki Kajiura has done a great job of following up the great music we had in Xenosaga I from Yasunori Mitsuda. The music is great, although quite a lot of tracks are filled with chanting - the chanting is used to a great effect - and I foudn myself memorising some of the nonsense that I heard.

The graphics of Xenosaga 2 however, have changed focus. Xenosaga 1 had a lot of full motion video sequences which were pretty cool to look at, while Xenosaga 2 does use FMVs, they are made to blend in seamlessly with the in game graphics - this means while we no longer see any more impressive looking sequences, the entire game appears to never leave real time rendering - which I can't say is better, or worse.

The game on overall is an improvement over the first game, although many may argue that some of the factors that were nice in Xenosaga I (cuter, anime like characters) are gone in favour of more mature and realistic looking models now. In fact, when some of the initial screens of the new Shion showed up, I thought it was a new character they were going to introduce. XD

Chapter 0-00: Prophecy Part 1

"As the gods fight in the sky, the rain of fire and ice will begin - and the end of the war will follow. Some people will survive, and some will die. For most, these gods will never be known to be gods, but more as mortals that will eventually fade away. Yet, these great ones will have enough power to end the universe - although they will never use that power. However, their war will spread - and no other than this planet on which this stone sits - will the destructive rain fall from the sky. The winner is already known, it is none other than one whose strength is the embodiment of all the races within the future alliance of beings - and it is this united strength together with the one known as the gatekeeper which will triumph."