a word to the wise...

I own assassins.

[FFXI] Test Server Dat Mine 24/02/2012

I bring gifts.

all under the cut.

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Final Fantasy XIII-2 comes out in English for North American audiences today!

And I've actually been playing it for about 3 days now, due to my import of it coming in early.

Seeing as I play pretty fast, and that the main scenario for the game isn't very long (about 22 hours or so), I've actually reached the end of the main game, and have been loving every moment of it.

Honestly, after clocking in about 22 hours of game time, I can say that this is one of the best modern Final Fantasy games yet. Based on what I'd heard about the game, I was expecting it to be on par or slightly better than FFXIII, but this game really blew me away.

Pros

- Expansive gameplay. The story is not just non-linear but allows you to backtrack and explore at your own will. In fact I think one of its strengths is that it gives you a reason to go back to the older areas you've been to, such that you'll find yourself wanting to explore even more. By this I mean gameplay elements like the mog toss, item hunting, unlocking more areas and doing quests for fragments.

- Customizing options. Since the 3rd character in the battle party is a monster, you have a lot of options to choose from. I was under the impression that there wouldn't been that much to customize but I was so wrong. There are many opportunities to build strong party members and devise strategies for battle.

- Replayability. Pretty much the whole game is replayable. Like, even the main story. This allows you to try different strategies on the same bosses and discover new things about the story by choosing different paths (and there are many options!). This is in stark contrast with FFXIII, where the game is basically a linear path to the end, and you'll pretty much never see an area again after clearing that chapter.

Cons

- Lack of polish. I feel that in order for them to have implemented all these drastic gameplay improvements with quests, platform elements and so on, they had to compromise a bit on presentation quality. For example, there aren't as many cutscenes with specifically directed cameras panning or zooming from certain angles and timed pauses. It's more conversation and generic actions. I've had a few "open" cutscenes where random NPCs would walk through my conversation. Nothing major but in terms of visual presentation its one step back.

- Short game. The main scenario is a bit short, even for modern RPG standards, but then again its not like the game forces you down one path all the time. The point is probably that people try out the side quests and do various things along the way, prolonging the experience. With all the side quests and the main story included, it probably builds to a decent length, which I'm fine with.

My qualm is mainly with how fast I reached the end of the story - I was enjoying it so much I didn't want it to reach the conclusion so soon. That said, even after clearing the entire game with a Platinum trophy I believe you can spend hours on it creating specific monsters to suit your playstyle.

Overall verdict.
10/10

not like I reviewed FFXIII before in the same way, but if I did, that would have been a 9/10.
This  is actually on par with my favorite Final Fantasy (VIII). An unbelievable score, if I may say so myself. Too bad it's not a main lineage title.

Orchids on Parade

Ok, so this post is a liiiittle bit way overdue, but pardon me, I've been busy.

Did you go for the 20th World Orchid Convention this last year? No? Let me fill you in.

it was held somewhere in that building.

It's basically THE orchid event of the year. If you really love orchids, this event might be what your idea of heaven looks like.

paying to see flowers. not something many people would do, or so you'd think.

I mean, it was literally orchid overdose that day. You could see them in all shapes, sizes, colors. You name it, and it was probably there on display.

For lack of a better word to sum up my experience with  the flowers, I must say that they truly are pretty. Very very pretty.

One of the exhibits.

But a huge part of my enthusiasm for going to (and paying for) this event was really the preview of the Flower Dome over at Gardens By The Bay. It's like a futuristic dome that doubles as a greenhouse for temperate plants situated along Marina Bay.

beautiful Gardens by the Bay / futuristic dome!

stuff inside the dome...

beautiful desert rose.

and of course, camwhoring. 花痴！

I thought it was damn cool the way they arranged everything in there. If you like plants and flowers, or if you like fancy futuristic greenhouses for its architecture, go check this place out!

Oh wait, you can't, the Flower Dome only opens in June next this year. Something to look forward to I guess.

Go here for more info on Gardens by the Bay.

catch up with the dragon.

OMG. 


I HAVE TO CATCH UP WITH ALL MY BLOG ENTRIES!

as in.. I've actually quite a few entries drafted out, but because I never got down to editing and sizing down pics I never got to post them. And some of them are months old now.

GAH. It's always a bother to deal with backlog.

And now my goal is to try to clear them all before this coming Monday... partly because its a holiday for me, and also because it's the start of the lunar new year.

According to the Chinese zodiac, its gonna be the Year of the Dragon, which is kinda cool for my blog because it's titled Wild Dragon Chase.

2012 is the year of the Water Dragon, which may look something like that.

Whilst I can't wait for the lunar new year to come (because its a pretty huge festive holiday, and typically quite fun to celebrate), I do also want to start it afresh. 

I personally value the lunar calendar new year more than the Gregorian one.. so in this sense I'm really looking at the start of a new chapter coming very soon. 

And one of the things I hope to clear off before this new chapter starts, is my backlogged blog entries. 

So let the blogspam begin!


edit: HAHA NOT HAPPENING. But I do have some posts that are about ready to publish so they're coming out soon.

3 reasons why SOPA shouldn't be passed.

We're in the midst of the 24 blackout being staged by Wikipedia and various other online portals.
If you're an active wikipedia user like myself then this image should be pretty familiar to you.

(the workaround for this is ridiculously easy, btw)

All this is happening because of the SOPA or Stop Online Piracy Act, which is a bill that was recently introduced in the US Congress. It's aim is stop online piracy, but the ramifications of such a bill, if passed, are severe.

At this point I must say awareness for SOPA really skyrocketed because of the blackout being staged, but a lot of people are blindly opposing it without knowing what it does, or thinking that it does something that it really doesn't. Either way, its gotten A LOT of attention, and rightfully so.

I am personally against the bill, and would like to speak my piece on the matter.
Here are my 3 reasons why SOPA should not be passed.

1. Too Vague

The bill is simply too vague about how it will address the issue of online piracy on the Internet. I am of the belief that this stems from the notion that practically none of the people who wrote the bill have any technical knowledge or experience in the matter they are dealing with, nor did they consult with any subject experts either. This strikes me as odd because the Internet itself is a relatively new and complex form of media that really cannot be dealt with using existing assumptions from other media.

Because of the lack of technical specifications within the structure of the bill, it can be easily abused by corporations who can interpret the bill to their favor, by removing content from entire online portals based on minor infractions. This brings me to the 2nd reason, which is...

2. Lack of Due Process

If passed, the bill allows companies to seek to shut down websites that potentially promote piracy based on the activities of their users. This effectively removes the safe harbor status that most online social sites have been relying on to stay out of trouble. It also means that website owners are liable for actions they have no control over.

The lack of due process kicks in when no proof is required for authorities to take action against websites which have users potentially (or actually) infringing on copyrights or IP. Once again, this makes the paper extremely exploitable, and can be easily used to affect thousands (even millions) of innocent users should any company choose to stake any claims in this manner.

More importantly, it becomes a tool for which Internet censorship can be recklessly dished out. I don't see myself completely agreeing with the notion of a completely uncensored Internet, but if censorship exists, it cannot be done without due diligence on the matter, which won't happen because of the lack of due process.

(This is probably where all that stuff where people are saying "If SOPA passes, there will be no more YouTube, Twitter, Google, Wikipedia, Facebook and many more sites you love to use!" stems from. It technically isn't true at all, but is one of many possible outcomes.)

3. The Price of Ineffectiveness

This bill will NOT solve piracy - I can say that in all brutal honesty. In fact, piracy can never be completely eradicated, just as unemployment or crime cannot. I am not saying that because of this we don't try to lessen piracy, but that this bill is not the way to do it.

For one thing, all this will really do is move the pirates elsewhere, such as to places where legislation is more lax. Chances are that tech-savvy pirates would easily be able to circumvent blanket banning and DNS blocking (which they have already done, by the way), but in exchange for such provisions, both the integrity and utility of the Internet are being undermined.

In other words, the effects of the bill are too much considering the minimal if not insignificant impact this would actually have on real online piracy.

...
As such, I feel that SOPA really shouldn't be passed. I empathize with its intentions, but a lot more work has to be put into the paper before it comes close to being suitable for passing without causing too much damage to users of the Internet.

As mentioned earlier, I feel that the most important things to be addressed are the lack of technical details to the legislature, as well as the lack of due process, both of which combine to give you a bill that could impose unlimited liability on innocent parties.

Maybe a future bill could be passed that would actually work well towards curbing piracy, or perhaps the solution lies outside the realm of the legal framework.