"... and that someone, is you."

A new trailer for Spore from E3 '08. The game is getting more and more exciting! I already have a whole bunch of creatures created and waiting to be put in action. I also have some idea what my first planet is suppose to be like, depending on what is and is not allowed in the game. The developer walkthrough does show a lot about Spore beyond what the Creature Creator provides.

I do have some minor gripes about Spore though. I'm not sure if it's only the Creature Creator, but animations for monsters that are not bipedal are quite awkward; and you can neither make creatures that move like snakes, nor creatures without a front side.

More videos at GameTrailer.

First GW Entry

I'm such an avid Guild Wars fan, and today I suddenly realized that, despite the title of this blog being inspired from that game, I've never actually blogged about the game itself! Unbelievable.

Why the sudden enlightenment you ask? Well, today I tried something completely new (yes, after 3 years of playing). I rolled a gank assassin in AB, and with a BL character name to boot! Maybe I should blog a little about that series too some time, it's one of my current obsessions.

The reason for making this char is actually partly because I wanted a character called Hiroki Kamijou! Hey, I think it is better than people who call their characters Fish Tacos or Pay Your Taxes (even though they're amusing names, especially Pay Your Taxes at the end of April. They're good players too)

The other reason is because I have always noticed the ease of kills of assassins while I played casters. Also my Mind Blast elementalist and Toxic Chill necromancer variants don't have any kind of denial; only straight pressure and area of effect attacks for capping so ganking is not as easy. Basically, I got owned by a Beguiling Haze assassin one too many time and decided to run one myself. Not sure what that ganker's exact build was so I kinda have to fill in the blanks myself. After a few rounds I find out that a) I'm horrible at ganking and b) the build just doesn't pack enough of a punch to kill the tougher targets. So I just went to PvXwiki (Ew!~ I know :P) and loaded a random Shadow Prison ganker build with Deadly Arts.

It is indeed very easy to kill. If my target is alone, or is in a group but the other people are occupied with other things (so they aren't focus firing on me) I usually will get the kill. The build is very dangerous if I'm not shutdown quickly. Survivability is also better than at least my Toxic Chill necromancer, and probably my elementalist too, simply by knocking and spiking the targets before they kill me. It is actually very enjoyable, even more so when I'm in a somewhat organized group. I usually just need to pick a target that seemed easy to bully, then teleport in and unload. The runners that had always annoyed me is no longer an issue. You can't really run from someone who has Dash and Shadow Prison. There are many who tried, but of course failed. In the end it was a very refreshing change. I will most likely keep this assassin for awhile, and maybe make a Nowaki to go with him :)

On a side note, I also just got my most wanted Year 3 Minipet:

Mini Ooze :) It's a cute thing, given to my ranger stud muffin Raydric Lilium. Now that I think about it, if I remember correctly my second year favorite mini Aatxe was also given to him. It is way cool. Originally I made this character solely because I find rangers looked sexy (they have the perfect body proportions) and besides trapping Underworld a few times he had always been my naked mule. It is interesting that he also gets me my favorite miniatures; so happy 3rd birthday Raydric, I wish I had given you a more original name to begin with, I just totally lack creativity when it comes to names >.<

Good Gaming

Someone asked "What do you think video games should have nowadays?" in a forum I frequent. I found it to be an interesting topic, and am going to blog about it in slightly more detail. :D

For me, the criteria for good games depends on the genre, and when I actually think about it, it is quite hard to pinpoint one thing that is an absolute must have. My conclusion is that I really like games that would keep you thinking "I want to know what will happen next." It could be the story, or next stage, or next unlock, or in the case of MMO, the next patch, or the next get-together. I guess that's what entertainment means. This spreads to other kinds of entertainment as well, such as animes or novals, and is probably one of the reasons why I was never into sports. I don't get the "I want to know more" from it.

Of course, there are other things as well. A good game should probably have nice graphics, good music, and intuitive controls. These things I consider secondary, however. A game that only has nice graphics, good music and intuitive controls will not capture me. An example of this is Crisis Core. It was one of the best sellers and very polished, but I abandoned it mid-game. The plot just didn't create any sort of resonance or fascination in me. The rest isn't really that interesting either. As such, there is nothing to look forward to.

The gloss does hold a place in my heart though. If graphics or control is severely lacking, then playing would become too tedious that I would just lose enthusiasm about the game totally, and quit. A few games that have held my attention till the end includes: Yoshi's Island, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, Rockman Dash. Each in their own special way. I especially like the stage design in Yoshi's Island and Klonoa, on the other hand, Rockman Dash has an evolving story that engages me, and an interesting world to explore.

I guess you can call things I "want to know" content. So if someone asks me what I think a game should have, besides playability and polish, I'd say content that make me want more of it.

Ulquiorra Schiffer

It's quite funny sometimes where google will bring you. I happened across an Ulquiorra cosplay pic:


The likeness is so great it is almost scary! This picture is part of a photo set of hardcore cosplayers at flickr.

Preceptions, and Idle Interpretations

Yeah, Asmodians are quite misunderstood by the majority of the people. It looks like people are often hasty in judging their appearances. Since the design of the two factions resembles angels and demons, people tend to bring preconceived notions when it comes to the two sides.

Lore wise, there is no dispute. The developers have stated that the two factions do not represent pure good or pure evil. That stopped the Bible citing mob right on their track. However, when it comes to appearance the matter is not as clear. Instead of seeing the Asmodian as simply a contrast to the Elyos while sharing the same origin, the Asmodian is basically portrayed as "demonic" in appearance.

Once the label is stuck, people start to disregard the fact that Asmodians are in fact not designed as demonic. In fact, the two factions are still very similar, however, Asmodians have a more feral look. For example, Asmodians have clawed hand and feet, as well as a stash of mane that grows at the back right under the neck. That mane is sometimes mistakened for a tail because it does grow quite long. The other difference is in their wings. The Elyos wings are white and prim, complementing their proud, orderly persona; while the Asmodian wings are black and rough, which fits well with their resolute, bestial theme.

I do not know if this is merely due to lack of information or if it will improve after release; I do believe that Aion will be much more fun, if people would only drop their preconceptions.

Animal Planet goes to Atreia

More screenshot goodies from Pebble Shower. They really should work in the media!

This edition shows some of the wild life that can be found in Atreia. The pictures are taken in Elysea though.

Small creatures

Camouflaged creatures

Linked from 17173 forum.

New Asmodian Wings :D

Nice, we look even more elegant now. The new wings are also more detailed.

Image source is written on the pic.