Test The (Dumb) Nation
31 August 2007
Since there's only one day left of August, and I'm well in the lead for posts this month, I thought I'd take some time off and relax. Didn't even work up a sweat. I expect there will be a parcel arriving for me soon. It should contain the crown that was so unceremoniously snatched from me last month /laugh. This is going to be a sweet victory. Anyway, onto the main news. The reason I've not posted anything for a week is because I've been playing Final Fantasy XI a lot since the update. They've changed the damage calculations for two-handed weapons, added grips, and changed several weapon skills (not least Yukikaze/Gekko/Kasha for Great Katana). This has made being a two-hand weapon user much less underpowered compared to the millions of dual-wielders and Monks. I'm doing a bit more damage in terms of regular melee attacks but it's the weapon skills that have had their damage upped. Where as before I'd be doing around 600-700 damage to Very Toughs, I'm now doing 1,000-1,100 damage (even going as high as 1,900). This has been the same for Dragoons and Warriors using Great Axes. It's really levelled the playing field. Lots of people are complaining that it's too much and it should be changed (mainly the whining dual-wielders) but I hope it stays. This has been one of the best updates they've done in a while. Square Enix have done well this time.
Last Monday was a Bank Holiday and so the BBC decided to put Test the Nation - National IQ test on. My friend and I have taken every single one of their tests since they started some years ago. We made a pact that if we ever got over a score of 130 we'd both take the Mensa test. So far we haven't achieved this, the closest I ever got was 126. This year they made the test harder by reducing the thinking time and changing the questions. It really made it tougher and as a result we both got hideously low scores. I got a measly 110 which I wasn't very pleased with. I do feel that I was cheated by the BBC though. They said that because of the increase in difficulty the same amount of correct questions from this test would equate to a higher score than previous years. Bullcrap! I only got a few questions less than my last one but I'm a whopping 16 points lower?! That's rubbish! I demand retribution for their insolence! /fume
Wow! A new record on Valkyrie Profile Silmeria. A massive 105 hits on some enemy in the Seraphic Gate. I've since completed the game and saved over the file so I won't be beating that score in a while. I've got to get through Valkyrie Profile first before I start it again.
Posted byHocchan at 12:53 am 2 comments
Narihajimeta Koi No Bell
24 August 2007
Success! I managed to get Valkyrie Profile working at last. I had to buy something called Breaker Pro from a dodgy online shop but it was worth it. I guess it's an investment since I can now play other PSX import games on my PS2/PSX. As for Valkyrie Profile, I haven't had chance to play much of it yet. I'm going to wait until I've completed Silmeria first before I start it properly (might be awhile, the last boss is a bastard). The beginning narrative is pretty long and you have to get through a lot of it before you explore your first dungeon. This is different to Silmeria where it only takes about 30 minutes until you're into your first fight. The battles themselves are practically the same, though it does feel a bit odd how you can't jump around the enemy. The timing of the attacks is also a little different, feels more rigid in a way. The menus are a daunting affair to navigate due to the complicated terminology used. Still, I shouldn't have too much of a problem adjusting. I can't wait to get started on it! One thing that did surprise me about this game was that it was developed by Enix and not Squaresoft as I first thought. Enix is the developer that produced the rival to the Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest. I guess it makes no difference since they merged a few years ago. It's one big, happy family now!
My Horie Yui CD arrived today! Possibly the most expensive single I've ever bought (final cost of over £15/$30 including postage) but it was worth it. I got the first press, limited edition version that comes with a DVD of the promotional video. As it was a first press it comes housed in a digipack rather than the usual plastic casing. The saturation on the pictures seems a bit odd at first glance but you get used to it. Being able to watch the video in full resolution makes it even better than when I first saw it. I'm thinking of doing some screen shots when I get chance. The only problem is that the plastic wrapping makes it a bit difficult to get the case out (yes, I've kept the outer wrapping). I'll see if I'm brave enough to expose it to the atmosphere again at a later date /laugh. I've already copied the songs to my hard drive so I can listen to them at my heart's content. I absolutely love the new single. I'm going to have it on repeat for the whole day I think. All right!
Posted byHocchan at 5:15 pm 0 comments
Koisuru Tenkizu
19 August 2007
Since I've received complaints from a disgruntled reader about the picture for the previous post, I'm going to revert back to Horie Yui for this one. It's highly relevant to the content of this update though since I've just ordered Horie Yui's new single "Koisuru Tenkizu" from CD Japan. The picture to the left is a magazine advert for it. The song is better than I was expecting it to be. It's the ending theme for a new anime called "Nagasarete Airantou" that Yui voices. It's got a feeling of being in the sunshine, looking out onto the clear blue skies and enjoying life. The promotional video for it is up on YouTube. I was only meant to take a quick look and see what it was like but I've had it looping several times already. There are two outfits that Yui wears in the video. One is a white dress that makes her look absolutely divine, especially with her long, slightly curled hair, and white sandals. The other outfit consists of a black top coupled with a white, half-length skirt and black sandals. I don't think Yui's ever looked better than she does now. That smile of hers still makes my heart skip a beat. And I doubt I'll ever get tired of hearing her sweet voice. I'm desperately praying that she'll release a new album soon. It's almost been two years since her last one. Just one more and I'll be happy for the rest of my life. I'll keep checking my usual sources for any news in the meantime.
I wanted to add this picture to this update because I'm quite pleased with what it shows. I've been playing Valkyrie Profile Silmeria pretty much non-stop for the last few days now and I've clocked up some nice combos. The one in the picture though is currently my best effort. I know the photo is a little blurry (that's because I was rushing to get it taken before the numbers disappeared) but you can clearly see "97 hits" in the bottom left of the screen. That's ninety-seven hits! I'll be damned if I can repeat that again. I usually average around 40-50 hits which isn't bad. I have three characters who can do special attacks with their weapons. I've not managed to get four in one attack round yet as I can't quite fill up the gauge after the third one. I'm pretty sure it's possible so I'm going to keep trying.
Posted byHocchan at 2:02 am 2 comments
Houston We Have A Problem
17 August 2007
A rather serious problem in fact. You know how I said I was going to try Valkyrie Profile out earlier? Well that plan's run into a slight hitch. My Swap Magic 3.3 that I use to play import PS2 games isn't designed to play PSone games. I could have sworn that was what the CD disc was for. Turns out that it's for playing those old PS2 games that still came on CDs (those translucent purple discs). What this means is that I currently have no way of playing Valkyrie Profile /cry. I have a friend who owns a chipped PSone. I'm going to ask if I can borrow that for awhile until I sort out a method of playing it on mine. I hope he still has it and it still works. I was looking forward to playing my game today ; ;.
Posted byHocchan at 9:28 pm 0 comments
Nibelung Valesti
I've been playing lots of Valkyrie Profile Silmeria the last couple of days. It's really getting good now that I'm getting into the swing of things. The thrill of performing combos and special attacks hasn't worn off yet. My record so far stands at 83 hits on a scorpion thing in the ruins. I got lucky with a Break mode early on and finished it with two Whirling Rippers and a Nibelung Valesti. It was a thing of beauty /laugh. I think the storyline is one of the game's strong points. It really draws you into the world, very much like the Final Fantasy games. The graphics are still impressive. Each area is beautifully rendered and lit in an astonishing way. It's just a pity that some of the character animations aren't quite up to scratch. Neither are the voices that crop up in each battle. There are also some minor niggles that affect the enjoyment of the game (like when one of your characters gets separated from the group by getting stuck on a wall) but these are thankfully uncommon. Despite the minor irritations, I think Silmeria is deserving enough to be named Valkyrie Profile. It's just a damned shame that I seem to have bought a copy that's been handled by a hyper-active three year old armed with a penknife...
As you may have guessed from the picture, I received the first Valkyrie Profile game this morning. With this copy I don't have to worry about the condition as it's brand new and never opened. And it remains that way for the moment. I've not broken the seal yet, I was planning on doing that after writing this post. From the back of the box it doesn't look too different from Silmeria. I wonder if this Ultimate Hits version has any extra bits that the original game didn't have? That is something I shall have to look into. I won't be playing it properly until I've completed Silmeria which begs the question, how will that affect my experience of it? Usually if you play a sequel first and then go backwards to the original it feels less refined. Sequels (for the most part) take the best bits from the original and make them better. Does this mean that I'm not going to enjoy it as much as if I'd played this one first? Only time will tell I guess. I also believe that Valkyrie Profile didn't gain it's legendary status for no reason. It's probably considered a better game than Silmeria by many loyal fans. With that in mind, I'm now going to load it up and see what all the fuss is about. Mata ne!
Posted byHocchan at 4:12 pm 2 comments
Valkyrie Profile Silmeria
15 August 2007
Valkyrie Profile Silmeria arrived in the post this morning. I've played a little bit of it and it's as good as I was expecting it to be. I like the combat system and the way each button controls a different member of the team. The combo system is very enjoyable and I find myself getting into fights just to see what number I can get. The graphics look really nice, not surprising considering it's a Square-Enix game, and even the voice acting which I was dreading isn't as bad as I thought (it's still rather average though). The only thing that I'm disappointed in is the condition of the game itself. As you may know, I'm a very picky person when it comes to things. If someone describes an item as 'mint' then my definition of that is next to perfect. It would maybe have one or two tiny scratches, or perhaps a slight crease in the instructions book. The copy that I received, however, was far from mint. The surface of the CD is covered with small scratches, and there are a couple of serious creases in the manual. The description also said that it would be sealed. I knew it wouldn't be the original Sony seal, but there wasn't any sealing of any sort on the case. Considering I paid quite a lot for this item I was expecting a lot better. I've e-mailed the seller and taken it up with them. I'll have to wait and see what they'll do about this. For now I guess I'll just play the game and enjoy that aspect of it.
Posted byHocchan at 5:31 pm 0 comments
My Friend
13 August 2007
I'm still waiting for my Valkyrie Profile games. They've both been shipped out now so it's just a matter of waiting for them to arrive. One's coming from Hong Kong and the other from the USA. The American one got sent last Wednesday but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the last to arrive. In the meantime, I'm playing Final Fantasy XI. I've been levelling Monk a little bit (DEAR LORD! You did hear it right. MONK!). It's almost level 40 which means I'll be able to use dual Sniper's Rings and Jujitsu Gi. Wonder if I could pull off using attack food? I'll have to see when I get there. If I can then it'll help my damage no end at that level. I'm very grateful to Zansho for lending me his Sniper's Rings and Ochiudo's Kote. They've been a big help as I've not got the money to buy them myself. Other than levelling Monk, I've been taking part in some more Chains of Promathia missions. We completed Promyvion-Vahzl last night. Now it's onto 5-3 and the three paths. I'm really getting into the storyline of these missions. I can see why it's considered the best expansion pack. I just can't believe that I'm actually progressing along it after all this time. I never thought I'd get the chance again.
I've discovered a new singer I like. It's actually a band called ZARD but since 1993 there's only been 1 member: Sakai Izumi. She sang and wrote all the lyrics for the songs herself. And the stuff she produced was pure gold. All the songs I've heard so far have that quality feel to them. Izumi's singing is top class too. It's just a massive shame that she died in May of this year. If only I'd discovered her music sooner. Even though I'm a new fan I can still feel the sense of loss. She was a truly gifted singer songwriter and world is a less interesting place without her.
Posted byHocchan at 9:11 pm 0 comments
Stand Up Against Myself
10 August 2007
I was supposed to get this post done about two hours ago but I got a little sidetracked with my new desktop sidebar. I'd been wanting to get some sort of calendar for my desktop so I did a search for one. Just so happened that I saw the link come up for Google Desktop. It seemed like the sort of thing I was looking for so I downloaded it. It's pretty nifty. I have a clock, calendar, weather report and picture viewer installed on it. I never used to like clutter on my desktop as it seemed to distract from the wallpaper. However, now it seems a little bland when there's nothing else on there except a recycle bin. I really like it looks now. Especially with Horie Yui on my wallpaper!
I forgot to mention in the last post that I went against my will and decided to open that Morning Musume CD. I'm glad I did because the songs on it are very good. I'd never paid much attention to this album. I always thought it to be the weakest of the eight that they've released. I was sorely wrong. The classic tracks are on there, along with some great songs I'd never heard before. The song "Haru No Uta" is a particular delight. I think the best song on the album has got to be "Koe". I've loved ever since I heard Niigaki Risa sing an acoustic version of it on Hello Pro Hour. This album was definitely worth getting, just a shame I didn't realise that sooner.
My friend and I went on an epic walk along the local coastline yesterday. You see, there are five piers along the Fylde coast. Our mission was to set off from the most northern pier and walk all the way down to the most southern one. That's about 16 miles from start to finish. We set off early to make sure we had plenty of time to complete the journey. Arrived at the first pier at 9:00am, took some pictures and had a quick look around. We set off for the second pier at around 9:30am. This would be the longest part of the trek. From first to second is almost halfway along the entire coast. We made a pretty good pace and got to the town centre at midday and went for lunch at Subway. I didn't get to have breakfast so that sandwich tasted so damn good it was unbelievable. With stomachs filled we resumed the mission. The second, third and fourth piers were nice and close together so it was not quite so arduous. The only problem was that it was a really sunny day and the crowds were out. Each bit of the beach and promenade was filled with people. Some more pictures and we were onto the final leg. By this point the feet were really hurting and the pace dropped. We got some refreshments from local shop and set off for the last pier. The sun beat down constantly and the pain became quite tough to bear. But by 4:00pm we finally reached our destination. I doubt many people have done what we've done. Total time clocked in at 6 hours and 30 mins. I'm quite proud of our achievement. Just don't ask me to go repeating it any time soon... my feet would drop off.
Final bit of news, I bought the original Valkyrie Profile from Play-Asia. It's not an original copy but a re-release. It's a Japanese copy but that shouldn't be too much of a problem. After all, I completed Final Fantasy XII in Japanese so this shouldn't lessen my enjoyment of the game. It's just a question of whether this will arrive first or Silmeria. I was considering buying a Japanese copy of that too if I like it. I've heard some of the American voice acting and it's damned awful!
Posted byHocchan at 11:33 pm 1 comments
Hallelujah Chance!
08 August 2007
Yet another post goes by without a response from the others. Maybe they're too frightened to take up my challenge? I bet they're having trouble sleeping due to the stress of my insurmountable power? Who knows, but one thing is for sure: no mercy! What did I want to write about today? I wanted to say a few things about Haromoni@. I've found that the last few episodes have been very good, almost up to the standard of the old Haromoni. I know quite a few people didn't like this show when it first started. I had faith in the show though, I had a feeling that it would slowly get better as the producers got a better idea of what they wanted to do. And it looks like I'm right. Last Sunday's episode was great. We had an eight year old kid who was a genius at completing Rubik's Cubes. He demonstrated his ability in front of everyone and completed a cube in just 22 seconds. This kid is quite scary /laugh. I used to know someone in school who could do them in around a minute but this was something else. They went on to set a challenge for him and the girls. The kid had to complete 5 cubes as fast as possible, and the girls had to complete one face of a cube before him. Needless to say, the girls had no chance, although Takahashi Ai got pretty close to a getting all nine cubes the same colour. This segment was pretty cool. Just seeing how fast that kid could complete each cube was entertainment in itself.
The next section had Mitsui and Kusumi with JunJun and LinLin at a eraser factory. While this may sound rather boring at first, it was totally the opposite. You see, this factory made those funky erasers that look like different objects. For example they had various sushi-shaped eraser, some scissor-shaped ones, and a spinning top eraser. They showed how they had to put each one together from the parts that came out of the machine. After this came the challenge. Mitsui and Kusumi on one team and JunJun and LinLin on the other. The task was to put together the pizza-shaped one as fast as possible from the pile of random parts in front of them. Mitsui and Kusumi managed to win pretty easily. It was good to see how the Chinese girls were bonding with the rest of the members though. They seem to be settling in very well. I think they're going to be fine.
I bought Valkyrie Profile Silmeria from eBay. It's the NTSC version. They're going to be releasing it in the UK in September but I couldn't wait that long. I doubt there'll be much difference in the releases anyway. The reason I bought it was because I'm looking for another RPG to play and this seemed like a good choice. My friend Michael recommended this to me awhile ago when it came out over in the US. Almost a full year later I've finally got the chance to play it. I knew about the original game's legendary status and was pretty interested in this sequel. I'm expecting some good stuff from it. I can't wait for it to arrive, it got shipped out today. If Royal Mail don't decide to mess about with strikes again I should get it next week.
Posted byHocchan at 9:22 pm 2 comments
Motomeyo Saraba Ataeraren
05 August 2007
An opening to warfare: part two! This post is going to be about the CDs I received last Wednesday. I mentioned a little while ago that I'd bought some Hello! Project CDs from eBay, well they arrived a little later than I expected (thanks to Royal Mail's bloody strike no doubt). I bought Petit Best 1, 2 and 3, Tanpopo's 1st album (Tanpopo), and Morning Musume's 6th album (Ai no Dai 6-Kan). I was really surprised to find that Ai no Dai 6-Kan was still brand new! The resealable plastic outer wrapping was there and the CD still had its factory wrapping on. The poster hadn't been touched, it was pristine, without so much as a single crease on it. I still haven't opened the CD yet. I'm still debating whether I should or not /laugh. It seems such a shame to break the seal. I might look for another copy of it just so I don't have to open a new copy. Yes, I have a bad case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder /sigh.
Thankfully, someone had already opened the rest of the CDs so I was free to listen to them without moral dilemmas cropping up. Tanpopo's album really surprised me. I wasn't expecting much and had only bought it because it was so cheap. But what I found was enough quality songs to warrant its purchase price three times over. It's such a shame that this sub-group didn't release more stuff. I think they only have a best of album that came out before they broke up. They were definitely one of the more successful sub-groups to emerge from Hello! Project. They have a mature feel to their music. "Tanjoubi No Asa" is a beautiful ballad which is probably my favourite songs of theirs right now. If I see their best of album for sale I might have to put a bid in for it.
The Petit Best albums were also pleasantly surprising. Being a compilation of all acts from Hello! Project, it gave me an opportunity to listen to groups that I would not normally consider. I found Melon Kinenbi's songs to be a refreshing change to the usual Hello! Project sound. In particular their song, "This is Unmei" is addictive because it's so odd sounding at first. Heike Michiyo's songs have more of a J-Rock feel to them. Her songs sound much 'cooler' than most of the other stuff on the albums. I enjoyed the summer shuffle songs a lot. They really suit the season, though it'd be even better if I was in Japan to experience it. "Dancing! Natsu Matsuri" is everything I love about Japanese festivals - the beat of the Taiko drums with the constant chanting - it's just awesome to listen to. I could go on for ages about different songs I found enjoyable from the three albums but that'd take forever and it'd probably make for boring reading. I'll just say that I'm very happy with my purchases and will be hunting down the rest of the Petit Best albums. They're well worth it.
Posted byHocchan at 12:43 pm 0 comments
BE HAPPY Koi No Yajirobee
04 August 2007
No, I'm not dead. I'm very much alive and kicking. Truth be told I've not been feeling too good this last week for reasons I won't go into. Therefore, I haven't really felt like posting anything until now. As a consequence I went and lost to Tamara in the monthly posts tally for July (for shame!). She's gone and done it now, it's war! Time to regain my crown. No holds barred. That's why I'm going to split up this update into two parts. What? Cheating, I hear you say? Nonsense. It's merely because I got too much stuff to write about... ahem.
I finished watching Proposal Daisakusen today. It's definitely one of my all time favourite dramas. I still can't believe I left the torrent sitting on my hard drive for over a month before deciding to watch it. Still, better late than never right? I just love how it can be so funny and touching at the same time. The first time I saw the 'Hallelujah Chance!' scene I was laughing for ages /laugh. And the whole series is just filled with those silly little moments that make you smile. But when it comes down to the relationship between Rei and Ken (I wish it was me /sigh), it can bring tears to your eyes. Some people complained about the ending for being too ambiguous. I don't really agree. To me it was a nice finale to the story. I'd always been wondering how they'd finish the drama, what with Tada-san being such a nice guy and all, it wouldn't seem right for him to just get brushed aside. I think they managed to strike a nice balance. I don't want to reveal any spoilers, just in case Tamara hasn't finished watching it yet. But what I will say is that I haven't enjoyed a drama so much in awhile. 10/10 series.
There. That was my first barrage of artillery fire in this soon to be intense war. I notice Michael and Tamara haven't updated their blogs for a week either. They must be waiting for me to make the first move /laugh. Well, there it was. Let's see what their response is. Saa, kakatte koi!
Posted byHocchan at 11:51 pm 0 comments
