Category: For the Geeks

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For the Geeks I See I Write

Nokia N8 – A Promising First Look

Some of you have asked if I have had the opportunity to touch and feel the upcoming Noka N8.  I would have, had I not missed the last few Nokia blogger events.  Some personal commitments still take priority.  And thanks to your inquiries, I have gathered enough courage to give Text100 a ring to see if a demo can be arranged with the Nokia team.  This post is a brief write-up based on my hands on experience with a Nokia N8.  There will be a follow-up article after I have received the review unit, within this week or so.

Before you continue reading this post, I would like to share a stop-motion animation video with you, shot on a Nokia N8 by Sumo Science at Aardman.  I was skeptical initially because there are many mobile or handheld recording devices that claim to produce amazing video quality.  But this one is special.  On top of that, it is an entertaining short clip.  Watch it on HD if you can.

N8 comes with a new design.  Slimmer, as you can see.  The casing is made of high quality aluminium.  During the demo, the Nokia product manager took out his keys and made some insane scratches onto the phone.  My heart sank as I saw the scratch marks.  And then he used his hand to rub them off.  The phone was good as new.  I probably would not try that on my phones.  But I think the point is made.  Onto the glass surface, I am told that N8 uses gorilla glass – something of a higher spec.  Fortunately, he did not smash the phone in order to show me how durable it is.  Nothing that dramatic.  I am willing to take his words for it.

The crown jewel of the N8, perhaps is the high quality camera, the vibrant screen display, and the HD capability.  The lens is Carl Zeiss Tessar optics with a xenon flash.  The sensor is 12 megapixels.  Video capturing up to HD 720p.  I have seen some of the scenic photos on the Nokia product manager’s personal phone and the details look promising, even when zoomed in.  I love the new and slick photo browser.  I was tempted to ask him to show me photos of those girls he took in a party but I resisted.  Not too professional eh?  Back to the phone, image quality does come with a trade-off on the overall design.  The lens mounting area at the back does not appear to flow with the overall slim design of the phone as the package requires a certain minimal thickness.  However, if the phone does capture images as good as those I have seen (and videos like the one showcased above), I can happily live with that.

New to the Nokia suite of phones is the USB on the go.  It is one nifty functionality.  There is a dongle provided to connect the N8 to a USB thumb drive, even to another phone for data transfer.  Taking about connectivity, there is another dongle that connects the N8 to a flat panel TV via HDMI cable for HD video playback of a good range of formats.  The N8 plays Web TV too.  Installed with the phone are some of the more popular channels such as CNN, National Geography, and E! Entertainment.  There are local channels like Channel News Asia.  If Cynthia gets to read this, she would likely to further monopolize our home TV to watch YouTube and web TV online via the phone on our TV.  Nightmare!

Nokia N8 is powered by the new Symbian^3 operating system.  The phone supports the popular “pinch-to-zoom” function like other mobile and laptop devices these days.  There are three home screens, each comes with 6 widgets.  The capacitive touch (by heat) seems OK in terms of responsiveness.  Probably need a bit of getting used to.  It is precise enough to recognize the Chinese character input by strokes.  Rotating the phone seems responsive in switching between landscape and portrait modes.  There is auto-switching between a full size virtual keyboard and a virtual traditional phone pad depending on orientation.  Nokia N8 comes with the free OVI Maps too.  I have always enjoy using their free navigation service.  Note that Nokia N8’s battery is now concealed by the casing.  Whether this is a wise move or not, perhaps too early to say (so long as I don’t need to pull out the battery to switch off the phone should it hangs due to unstable apps that I install, I am OK with that because batteries these days last).  5 colors are available here in Singapore.  They are dark grey, silver white, green, blue, and orange.

Nokia N8 is now available for pre-order in Singapore. If you have queries, write to me or drop me a comment here.  To pre-order, you can visit the SingTel site at www.singtel.com/n8 or the Nokia pre-order site at www.nokia.com.sg/n8 and click on the “pre-order” tab.

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For the Geeks

Flip Video – A Video Recording And Sharing Device That Fits Into Your Pocket

It is a coincidence that most of my recent entries are technology related.  I promise I will go back to my write-ups on outer-V and mascara, eyeliner and angled brush in no time.

One evening, I have attended a blogger event hosted by Cisco in one of the restaurants at Vivocity.  Centered to this event is a new video recording and sharing device called “Flip Video”.  Do I take videos?  Of course I do.  I have a camcorder that takes video during my holiday trips.  I have a digital camera that takes video during some of my oil painting and music playing sessions.  I have a mobile phone that takes and shares video on the go.  So, how would a “Flip Video” fit into the picture?

“Flip Video” is tiny, simple to use.  In fact, the moment I got hold of the test device, I was taking video straight the way.  Each device can take up to 2 hours worth of video in 1280 x 720 resolution (30 frames per second), which is more or less how long the battery would last as I was told.  There is an HDMI jack for you to output to your television.  And it can be plugged directly into a computer via USB without the need of a cable.  Once the device is plugged into a PC or Mac, as I have seen at the demo booth, uploading video clips for online sharing is a breeze.  There is a software called FlipShare that converts the clips into an optimal form and size and uploads the clips directly to Facebook, YouTube, or MySpace with just a few clicks.  If you are concerned about privacy, there is a FlipShare website for you to share your videos privately with your friends and family.  You can perform some basic editing within the application as well.  Sounds good so far?

I have given some thoughts on what I would use it for.  “Flip Video” does not replace a camcorder or even a digital camera if video quality is what I am going after.  But it is tiny and can be carried around quite easily.  Comparing the output from “Flip Video” with the same video clip I took using my Nokia N900, the color does not seem to be as vibrant and the picture does not seem to be as sharp (perhaps due to the lens quality?).  Having said that, the skin tone taken by the “Flip Video” appears to be more natural and if HD format means something to you, “Flip Video” recording comes with a decent resolution and frame rate.

One interesting point to note is that you can mount the “Flip Video” onto a tripod, or any mounting devices (one looks like a spider).  That is something – as far as I know – none of the mobile devices can do.  Use your imagination and it can be pretty handy.  You could mount the “Flip Video” onto the handlebar of your mountain bike and document those wonderful and humanly impossible maneuvers for sharing because no one can understand or visualize what you are raving about (yes, Robert, I am talking to you!).  You could mount the “Flip Video” onto the spoiler of your car and pretend that you are a F1 driver on ESPN sport channel.  You could self-directing your, erm, home movie at ease because you can mount the “Flip Video”onto a tripod and no longer need to creatively look out for where to put your mobile phone.

And etc.

“Flip Video” is made by Cisco and is selling at S$349.  What do you think?  Is it something you would want to carry with you?  What type of video would you shoot with it?

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For the Geeks

Starcraft II Local Retail Copy S$109 Vs US Digital Download US$59.99

Take today’s exchange rate as an example.  1 US dollar is just below 1.36 Singapore dollar.  You can do the maths and work out how much more gamers in Singapore are paying for a local copy of Starcraft II (35% extra).  I have pre-downloaded my US version directly days before the game was launched and have paid US$59.99 this morning instead of S$109.  And this is the first installment out of three.  No way I am going to get ripped off three times in a row.

Are you?

Note: You must select the US version before you begin the download. See screenshots at below.

When I first log into us.battle.net, my region is always being default to Asia. You can change it to US North America (note: Do not visit the SEA Battle.net website).

As you can see, although I am from Asia, I own a US copy.

When I first heard that Starcraft II costs S$109, I said no way.  It is selling at Amazon.com for US$59.99 (S$81).  That is a rip off.  Besides, no PC games cost that much so far in Singapore.  There is indeed another way.  Days before the July 27 launch, Starcraft II was opened for pre-download directly from Blizzard’s online store.  It took me around 7 hours to download the 7 GB game client via SingTel broadband (one reported that it would take 72 days on a StarHub network).  Blizzard has kept mummed on the price of the digital copy prior to the launch.  After the digital copy was launched on July 27 (10 am PDT), I have purchased the game key at US$59.99.

I suppose there are pros and cons of not getting a local copy.  Here is a laundry list for your consideration.

  • Digital copy does not come with a box.  I am OK not to have a box.  It takes up space and I am used to purchasing digital copies online via Steam.  If I was willing to pay more for a box, I would have imported the Collector’s Edition instead.  Besides, I am reducing the carbon footprint of PC gaming.  Good, yes?
  • US digital copy only allows you to play with the gamers within North America.  And I suppose there is a higher latency compares to logging directly onto the Singapore server.  As for me, I seldom choose the multi-player option.  I buy Starcraft II for the campaigns.  If I do want to experience playing with others, I still can.  And if I want to play with someone who has bought the Southeast Asia version, I still can.  It is because SEA gamers, as of now, are allowed to log into the US server (but not the other way round).  Why would I want to pay extra?
  • Some say support the local industry and give IAHGames the support.  I remember how they screwed up the hosting of Hellgate:London couple of years ago.  Be it as their fault or not, gamers don’t forget.  I still have the bitter taste.  If the local copy of Starcraft II was to cost the same as in America, I would not mind getting one.  Paying so much more to support a company that has failed me before?  I think not.  Some say we should be glad that Blizzard Entertainment has set up an office in Singapore and helped training the folks in IAHGames.  I have played Blizzard’s World of Warcraft on a US server for years with zero local support.  Besides the Tuesday server maintenance that happens during our prime time, I have no complain.  Donating money to IAHGames?  I think not.  But if they manage to build up a good reputation through the hosting of Battle.Net, I may re-evaluate the situation when Diablo III comes.

If you are still uncertain if Starcraft II is for you, read the game review here as I have completed the game.  Meanwhile, here is a fantastic trailer.  See it for yourself.

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For the Geeks Game Reviews

God Of War III – “You Are Dead”

Picture this.  I would be siting on the sofa manhandling my gaming controller with such vengeance and ferocity; Cynthia would be siting on the floor reading newspapers or doing her own thing.  Often when she looked at our plasma television, she would see the words in font size one million that said: You are dead.  Cynthia would look at me in puzzlement, on every occasion, and asked, “What kind of god are you?  You are dead again.”  Soon, query became mockery.  Too bad.  Cynthia was not at home when I smashed Zeus’s face until my plasma television was literally painted in blood.  What a vindication it would have been.

I was Kratos – a Spartan, a protagonist, and a demigod.  It just happens that I suck at action and platform type of game.  But with such a highly acclaiming rating, as a proud owner of a Sony PS3, I have got to give “God of War 3” a try.

The Story

Some say “God of War 3” has a story.  I am not so sure about that.  “Final Fantasy” has a story; “Heavy Rain” has a story; as for “God of War 3”, the story is merely taking down one god or titan after another till you face Zeus.  I have not played the previous installments and am a bit lost as the story develops.  I suppose this game would mean a lot more to those who know who is who and what is what.  Cut scenes are short and minimal (which could appeal to the mass public?) except the last set of cut scenes, which manage to tell a rather moving story.  But I was not attached to the characters.  I wanted to cry but I couldn’t.

Maybe “God of War 3” does have a good storyline, as an action game.  It does prompt me to research into Greek Mythology.  It is a typical story of a demigod against the titans and the gods of Olympus.  It is a journey from the Mount Olympus to Hell and back to Mount Olympus.  It can be epic, seeing from that angle.

The Sex

Sex sells.  And the sex episode in “God of War 3” could easily be the most artistically done, exceeding the “Mass Effect” or “Dragon Age” franchises.  Aphrodite – the goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality – is beautifully rendered.  The action requires ”˜participation’ using the game controller, which if your timing and accuracy is off, you could screw up the scene.  The Smith God – Hephaestus – who has fallen from the grace of Olympus, who is the husband of Aphrodite and creator of Pandora’s Box and Pandora herself, as the story goes, unable to be with Aphrodite.  That is why the goddess has to pleasure herself with two chamber maids.  And that is why you – Kratos – come into the picture.

The best part is, you can do it as many times as you like.

The Action

Broadly speaking, there are three kinds of action.  Fighting against the humongous titans is insanely epic.  That involves quick thinking and good timing of special moves as prompted on screen.  Fighting against the bosses and special enemies is insanely frustrating.  This got me thinking.  Game designers could either repeat the similar encounters many times throughout the game (like “Final Fantasy” or “Dragon Age”) or create unique and difficult encounters that require some gamers to keep trying.  The third kind of action tests gamers’ reaction time and precision in executing platform type of maneuver.  Such as flying through a tunnel full of obstacles that have to be avoided.  The tolerance of error can be so low that it can be equally frustrating.

Fortunately, there are plenty of save points.  And there are plenty of auto-saves.  The game play is about 15 to 20 hours.  I have seen “You Are Dead” for close to 300 times at God level (average difficulty).  Yes, I am an idiot.

The Puzzle and Treasure

Most of the puzzles are straightforward.  Some can be pretty hard.  All the jumping and puzzle solving reminds me of “Tomb Raider”.  There are items to be collected within the game to upgrade Kratos’s ability.  Some require venturing a little bit out of the main path or line of sight.  Some require a special technique to retrieve their locations.  Some are rewarded as and when puzzles are solved.

Wait a Minute, This Game Reminds Me Of …

This game reminds me of “Tomb Raider”, “Portal”, and “Guitar Hero”.  “God Of War 3″ only has one main quest.  The weapon and item acquisition path is fixed by the storyline.  There is only one way to solve any given puzzle, with the same set of rewards.  Not that I am complaining.  Does it mean that “God of War 3” is linear?  (On the record, I am OK with linear games, whatever linear means.)

Most Memorable Moment?

Graphically, the game is pretty stunning (running at 720p) and the battle scenes are bloody and epic in scale.  The cut scene and the environment is still not as beautiful as “Final Fantasy” but I reckon it is better than many games out there.  The most memorable moment of the game, for me, is when Kratos teams up with Pandora.  I felt less ‘solo’ and more with a ‘purpose’.  Too bad, that moment is relatively short.  The entire game seems relatively short (between 15 to 20 hours).  Perhaps that is the norm for this genre?

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For the Geeks

Hands-on With Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Mini Pro

After attending the Sony Ericsson blogger event, the devices that left the most impression were the Xperia series.  Mainly because of my curiosity to the Google Android operating system.  When contacted if I am interested to get hold of a test unit for review, my initial reaction was to wait out for the new firmware update.  But since I was told that it would not make too much of a difference to the mini version, I shall try out the X10 Mini Pro first and the X10 later.

X10 Mini Pro is tiny.  Some asked how tiny it is.  Well, a picture speaks a thousand words.  As you can see in the picture above, in today’s world whereby phones are getting bigger and bigger, I am delighted to see some phones do get smaller.  X10 Mini Pro is still quite thick.  Mainly because of the full QWERTY keyboard.  But that is the trade-off.  I have tried phones with virtual full keyboard.  Thanks but no thanks.  Nothing beats a real keyboard.  For this phone, the keys are sturdy.  My only comment is that there are gaps between the keys.  I am used to keys that are closer to one another.  But that is a personal preference.

It is my first experience with the Android operating system (version 1.6) on a touchscreen phone.  It is responsive to my touch (via fingertip, not fingernail).  Indeed, I am satisfied with the sensitivity.  Because the screen size is tiny, at times some icons seemed to get in the way when I tried to navigate.  It is a matter of getting used to, I think.  There are four shortcuts at the four corners of the desktop: message, phone, music, and address book.  The phone supports multiple desktops that are available for customization.  At the bottom of the phone, there are three physical buttons.  Leftmost is the menu button that has different set of functions for different applications and scenarios.  Middle one is the quick access to desktop and applications.  Holding the middle one brings out the active application menu for you to toggle between running applications.  Rightmost button is to go back to previous menu or acts as a cancel command.  Overall, the design is intuitive.  In no time, I was acquainted with how the phone works.

The test unit comes with several key applications.  Facebook application works within my expectation.  So do the Google applications such as Gmail, GTalk, and Maps.  Additional applications can be downloaded from the Market app.  I have tried out the MSN Droid.  It is OK.  I have also tried out the SMS function.  Messages are organized into conversations.  In rare occasions, the virtual keypad may block the view of the newest message while replying a SMS.  Besides that, it is working as intended.

The browser is a real surprise.  Some of my friends are skeptical on web browsing using this tiny phone.  Surprise, surprise, the experience is positive.  First, the browser is responsive.  Second, there is a mechanism to easily zoom out to page view and zoom back into the web page’s location you want to read.  Effectively, you can jump to anywhere in the web page without scrolling left and right, up and down.

I am a music lover and have mixed feeling on the X10 Mini Pro music player.  The interface is basic.  Most of the operations are needed to perform in the computer linked to the phone – such as creating playlists or managing tracks.  I don’t seem to be able to find the repeat track function.  While the quality of the external speaker is a real good surprise (quite possibly the best compare to other phone models), the sound quality coming out from the headphones is basic.  It is not as dynamic as I would prefer and there is a constant background noise that you probably wouldn’t notice when music is played.  That noise appears to be more obvious in between tracks.

Continue with the music player, there is an Infinity icon (same goes to personal contact) that upon clicking, relevant videos are retrieved from YouTube within the player and it is pretty cool to be able to view the videos directly without the need to open up YouTube and search for the artist.

If you need a tiny phone with a touchscreen and a full QWERTY keyboard that fits well onto your palm, Xperia X10 Mini Pro is a good option.  Personally, I am much impressed by what a tiny Android phone can do.  Cynthia thought that it would be even cooler if the X10 Mini Pro swings out 90 degrees (just like the TV series Gossip Girl) instead of sideways.  As for me, I am happy that some phones do get smaller.

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For the Geeks Game Reviews

Final Fantasy XIII Scores Very High In My Book

I have always said that Japanese’s imagination knows no bound.  And their commitment to production quality is truly an inspiration.  If I am to combine all the cut scenes from the game Final Fantasy XIII, it can easily be one beautifully made anime in full HD glory (1080p).  It takes me 80 hours to see the ending (still not completing the game yet) and I have lost track on how many and how long the cut scenes are.  Especially in the beginning, I could literally spend a few minutes playing the game and then here comes the cut scene.  It is long enough for me to make a cup of tea, finishing eating an apple, and wash my hands.  As the story unfolds, the gap between the cut scenes lengthens depending on how fast or slow you progress.

Quite a few friends of mine asked if FF13 is indeed linear.  To be frank, non-linear game does not mean that it is good.  Linear game does not mean that it is bad.  It is all about execution.  In terms of storyline, there is nothing you can do to change the outcome, unlike other games.  That also means that you do not need to play the game multiple times to see the complete set of sub-stories.  For FF13, you play it once and be totally immersed.  There is a fixed number of characters and gears you can develop,  But which ones to pick is entirely your decision based on your preferred strategy.  In fact, looking at the game play, the key feature that sets the game apart from the rest is that it has little to do with your reflex actions.  It is the strategy you deploy prior to each battle and the ability to think on your feet every 5 seconds or so during the battle.  The combat system is unique and has earned a lot of praises.  There is no need to mess around with the positioning of your characters during a battle and it does not require you to frantically press the buttons on your controller to beat the enemy.  At a macro level, you control the roles of your characters and switch them at one go by up to 5 defined sets created by you.  At a micro level, you can choose to execute a specific action for the character that you have a direct control with.  And because of the variety of enemies, you are forced to adopt a different strategy for each battle.  Be it as a different role set combination, or even a different set of characters and gears.

Another noticeable difference compares to other role playing games is that the enemies in FF13 do not level as your characters level.  You can go back and revisit your old foes that gave you a hard time and beat the crap out of them in seconds.  Or you may get trashed by some unknown enemies that are so powerful that in the early stage of the game, all you can do is to flee.  Because the enemies re-spawn, there is no shortage of action.  In later part of the game, you can explore the area in any direction you prefer.  Tackle the missions in any order you prefer.  Or if to see the ending is all you want, you could skip the side missions.

While the enemies do not level, at the end of each battle, there is a 5 stars rating system.  The more powerful you become, the target time goes down.  In another word, you still need to work hard for a 5 stars rating.  In some cases, it pays off to get that rating.  Some of you asked if there are a lot of grinding, like other role playing games.  I suppose the choice is yours.  But I find it rewarding to do a bit of grinding to get more powerful and to farm materials to improve the gears. 

Majorities of the battle are quite easy, I must say.  The boss fights from the main storyline are often long (like more than 10 to 15 minutes of intense thinking).  The boss fights from the side missions can be extremely hard.  Some of the tough battles you may take a defensive stance, sacrifice the 5 stars rating, and win.  Others will slab you with a doom counter if you are taking too long.  A doom counter is one that you must beat the boss in 3 minutes or there will be an instant death.  In short, there is no shortage of excitement.  Needless to say, some are so tough that you have to further develop your characters and return for another attempt later.

Judging FF13 from the Western standard, it may fall short a bit (it is after all a Japanese RPG).  But I happen to be thrilled by how beautiful the game is made – the colorful and unique environment, the memorable characters that are so easily to fall in love with, and the dramatic story development.  These days, it is hard to find a non-violence game that does not come with blood and gore and sex – like FF13.  If you wonder what the game play is like, here is a brief breakdown.

Part One – Stories And More Stories

In the first part of the game, you do not get to choose whose is or are in your team.  It depends on how the story unfolds.  There are lots of cut scenes.  The combat system progressively gets more complex, a good learning curve that I like.  Some comment that this part is too linear.  I happen to like the fact that I am forced to learn how to cope with different characters and different team composition.  In FF13, all the characters have different strengths and weaknesses.  Part one took me about 30 hours to complete.  It also accounts for the story of the 13 days prior to where you first started the game.

Part Two – Open Side Missions

Once you reach Gran Pulse, you get to venture to different parts of the map.  As you complete side missions, portals are open to aid you in warping to a different location in the map.  In this part, you also get to pick your team composition.  You do not have to complete all the side missions.  But they are rewarding.  It did not feel like grinding to me, although I have to pass the same area multiple times.  There is always something to be discovered.

Part Three – Head to Chapter 13

FF13 is divided into 13 chapters.  After Gran Pulse, you can do one chapter and return to do more open area exploration and complete more side missions.  The last two chapters can get pretty hard.  That is where the experience (and confidence) you gather while doing the side missions pays off.  Personally I love the story of FF13, although I must admit that I do not quite understand the logic of the Japanese.

Part Four – Open End Game Missions

This is where I am at right now.  After the final boss of the main storyline is beaten, after the story is concluded, I am brought back to the save point right before the final boss.  The difference is that I can now further develop my characters.  There are 64 missions in total.  Quite a number of them are designed for the end game.  Missions can be retaken if getting a 5 stars rating is what you are aiming for.  Or just for the fun of it.

Talking about save points, another good thing about FF13 (compares to other JRPG I read) is that there are tons of save points.  You can pick up the controller, play for 10 minutes or so, stop and do something else in real life.  I find that very useful.

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For the Geeks

Sony Ericsson Backstage Event

Last week I have attended a Sony Ericsson blogger event and got a chance to ‘speed date’ some of their recent and upcoming devices.  I must say, the last time I owned a Ericsson phone was more than a decade ago.  Back then, seemed like everyone around me was either holding a Ericsson 688 or that banana-Matrix phone.  Back then, battery packs were easily changeable.  Even the antennas.  Look how far wireless phones have evolved.  It never ceases to amaze me whenever I stop and ponder upon it.

Forward to 2010, the five Sony Ericsson phones I have had brief moments with are the Google Andriod powered Xperia X10 mini pro, Xperia X10 mini, Xperia X10 and the Vivaz and Vivaz pro (picture above from left to right).  I suppose if you are into Google Andriod, Xperia series may be your cup of tea.  For those who are familiar with the Symbian OS, you may feel at home with the Vivaz series that is able to capture media in HD format.  Sony Ericsson Vivaz comes with a 8.1 megapixel camera while the pro version comes with 5.1 megapixel.  I guess with a QWERTY keyboard, there are some trade-offs users have to make.  But still, 5.1 megapixel is pretty decent, in the context of wireless phones.

During the blogger event, quite a few of us fell in love with the Xperia mini and its little brother “pro” that comes with a keypad.  The pro version does remind me those cute little phones that were used in the TV series Gossip Girl, as one good friend of mine has pointed out.  The colorful mini series is designed with simplicity in mind, easily operable with one hand.  At the four corners are the shortcuts for popular functions.  As for me, I prefer larger screen – like the Xperia X10.  4 inches large with a resolution of 480×854.  That is pretty impressive.  I have yet to fully understand how do the Timescape and Mediascape work in real life.  There is this “infinite button” – a magic button that helps you organize your contact communications and favorite friends and artists related contents within and beyond your phone.

So tell me, are you a Sony Ericsson fan?  How do you like your Sony Ericsson phone?

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For the Geeks Game Reviews

So You Want A Final Fantasy XIII “Growth Egg” As Early As End Of Chapter 11?! Yes You Can!

Arguably one of the most important items to obtain in Final Fantasy 13, “Growth Egg” doubles the Crystogen Points (or experience points) you earn that are needed for your character development.  Who wouldn’t want it as soon as possible?  To obtain a “Growth Egg”, you need to complete a class A mission that is opened for you at the end of chapter 11.  It is a very hard mission and I reckon it is designed as an end game activity.  But if an average gamer (me!) can do it, there is a high chance that you can too!  Here is how I made it, not without blood and sweat.  And in the mist of it, I have obtained a 5-star rating and unlocked the “Limit Breaker” trophy or achievement.  That is a 100,000+ damage in one shot!

Prerequisite

After the final boss in Chapter 11, instead of moving forward and trigger Chapter 12, move backward and obtain Mission 55 “Can’t We All Just Get Along” from the rooftop of a deserted school.  I chanced upon this because I have missed out one of the components to repair Vanille’s toy (another pretty rewarding thing to do).  If you need a guide to obtain that mission, click here.

Key Strategy

For this class A mission, you have to face a very tough boss called Neochu that can take down casters with one shot.  And it has quite a few hyperactive adds called Picochus that hit very hard, very fast.  The encounter is very much like its little brother nearby (which I hope you have tried).  Take down the boss first, and then worry about the adds later.  To do that, you will need Vanille (hence picture above!).

Battle Team Setup

Interestingly, Neochu is not immune to Death spell.  So the key is to have Vanille picking up that ability (under Saboteur role) after the expansion of Crystarium at the end of Chapter 11.  To have a better chance to pull off this debuff strategy, upgrade the Belladonna Wand to Malboro Wand.  I have upgraded the weapon level to close to 40, which may not be necessary.  I have Snow equipped with Paladin and Hope equipped with Hawkeye.  Both equipments are at star level.  By the way, all the upgrade components I have obtained from mob drops (or spoils).  It is very doable if you have been doing some side missions.

I set up Snow as the tank (Sentinel) and Hope as the healer (Medic).  As for Vanille, she switches between Saboteur (for debuff), Ravager (for damage), and Medic (for extra heal).  So in total, only 3 Paradigms are required.  To manually execute the Death spell, I have picked Vanille as the leader.

Prior to the final boss of Chapter 11, all my characters have maxed out their Crystarium for three roles (out of six, for all six characters).  After the boss fight, I choose one role to specialize and max that out.  I didn’t make any special purchase for this mission.  I suppose wearing accessories for extra health points would help in some ways.

Stage One – One-shot the Boss

Preemptive strike is out so left with the options to either use the shrouds to buff up your offense or defense before engaging the boss.  I walked into the battle with neither because I forgot (see, I am your average gamer).  In retrospect, buffing up the haste level may work better.  It may speed up the process.  The target time to finish the battle is 28 minutes.  I have earned the 5-star rating.  So I must have taken lesser time than that.

I went in with Snow tanking and Hope healing (for the entire fight).  As for Vanille, I spammed Death spell.  If Neochu hits Vanille first before Snow grabs the aggro, it is game over.  If Vanille unable to land the Death spell and one-shot the boss within 5 rounds, it is also game over.  The combined damage of Neochu and its annoying little creatures is just too much for one healer to take (before end game that is).

I read that some spent hours one-shooting the boss (only to be overwhelmed with the little ones – how sad!).  It didn’t take that long for me.  Maybe upgrading the wand helps.

Stage Two – Heal Up!

Once the boss is down (which is the easy part), it is time to survive the group of cute little Picochus.  Even with two healers and a tank, my team could barely survive.  Especially when my tank lost the aggro.  You could either fast switch Vanille between the Medic and Ravager roles to heal and to spam the area of effect spell Firaga.  Or if like me, the tank was down and soon faced an inevitable wipe, I called in the cavalry.

Stage Three – Summon the Eidolon

Some say Eidolons in Final Fantasy 13 are pretty useless.  It is quite right that these god like creatures don’t seem to be as powerful as they should be (given the fact that it is such a pain to make them yield and be your own).  As for me, Eidolons have turned the tide in the past when I faced with seemingly insurmountable battles.  And I must say, I love the over-the-top animation for these Eidolon encounters.

After Vanille summons her Eidolon, Hecatoncheir, your job is to keep both of them alive for as long as you can (which is not long).  Before Hecatoncheir gets decimated by these little adds, switch to Gestalt Mode and unload some punishment to the Picochus.  I manage to half their health points, which in retrospect, it is really not bad.  Meagre amount of damage dealt aside, the beauty of summoning an Eidolon is that when Eidolon leaves the battle, all the party members are back up with full health.  Time for round two!

Stage Four – Taking Down the Adds

This is the most nail biting moment.  I mean, I have come that far.  I really don’t want to fail here.  With Snow tanking the little mad Picochus, Hope can barely keep him alive (he is my best healer in the game).  I have to switch Vanille between Medic and Ravager mode to balance between staying alive and killing off the enemies.  It is a painfully slow process.  The good news is, as you wear down the number, it gets progressively easier.  Later on I found out that I could cast Imperil debuff on the little ones to lower the spell resistance.  That made the job done much faster.  If I am to do this again, I would cast the area of effect debuff, Imperilga, before the area of effect spell Firaga.  You may be tempted to one-shot the little ones with Death spell.  I don’t like the extra aggro on Vanille.

Some find it hard to take down the adds.  At bare minimum, if you have Snow on tanking position and both Hope and Vanille on healing, you should be able to last indefinitely.  Hope should also be able to solo heal Snow most of the time (there is some randomness in FF13 after all).  If you can’t, you may need to further develop your characters and gears with the side missions.  If you can, it is simply a matter of patience.  And “Growth Egg” is a reward you would love to have.

Categories
For the Geeks Game Reviews

Heavy Rain (PS3) – Immersion Can’t Get Better Than This!

How far are you prepared to go to save someone you love? – from the theme of “Heavy Rain”

It is hard to define the genre of this critically acclaimed title “Heavy Rain”.  It is not exactly an action game, though there are some elements of action.  It is not exactly an adventure game either, though it plays like one at times.  Certainly feel like watching a self-directed movie with full fledged orchestra soundtrack – a movie of a serial killer to catch and a kid to save.  172 days of casting, 90 actors selected from 457 auditions.  You get to switch between different key players according to the key story events.  And because you as a player get to decide your course of action and to participate in the action, the story unfolds based on the decisions  and the mistakes you have made.  Believe me, if you are not an expert in using the game controller or if you are like me who tend to press the wrong buttons or move the motion sensitive controller to the wrong direction when you get nervous, you bound to make mistakes.  Making too many mistakes may lead to an alternative storyline.  Continue to make too many mistakes may lead to a character’s death.  I have learned my lesson the hard way.  I thought I could sit back on my sofa and relax, I was grossly wrong.  And because it is one continuous play-through, you have got to live with your mistakes, for better or for worse.

The characters on the screen reacts to the sequence of buttons you press as guided by the game.  Some motions also take into consideration of how fast or slow you move the game sticks or shake the controller in certain directions.  Some scenes require you to press and hold a set of buttons in a sequential order.  How tricky the combination is depends on the situation.  For timed event, you really do not want to make too many mistakes.

“Heavy Rain” runs in 720p graphic quality.  Although it seems inferior compares to 1080p games such as Final Fantasy XIII, it is by and large acceptable.  The motion sequences are realistic (due to filming using real stunt men).  My only complain is the rendering of characters.  The real actors behind the scene look so much better (I thought it should be the other way round).  The interaction between characters – like the kissing scene with the mouths not exactly locked together – has much to desire for.  Still, consider the complicity of the game based on player’s interaction and the sum of all possible paths, the game play has made up for some of these flaws.

My first play-through does not take long to complete.  Such is the characteristic of a non-linear game.  For one play-through, I have probably only seen a quarter of what the game is.  I will need to replay this game multiple times if I wish to explore different storyline, different endings.  Bonus materials are unlocked based on game progress, such as the making-of videos that are entertaining to watch.  Believe it or not, being able to play this exclusive title is one of the major reasons why I bought a Sony PS 3.  And I am very much satisfied.  I will for sure play it again but not right now.  For such a dark game (and the constant rain) – the mood, the suspense, and the sorrow, it can get a bit depressing.  Such is the beauty of immersion.

Categories
For the Geeks Game Reviews

Barking Seed Is One Mobile Games Community To Look Out For

Last week, I have had the opportunity to meet with one of the Indie game developers Breakdesign through a blogger event.  Originally from South African, now based in Singapore, it is inspiring to meet the co-founder of Breakdesign Rick and his team talking about game development with so much passion.  If indeed one of their visions is to offer free mobile gaming to all parts of the world – rich and the not so rich – looking at the latest list of top countries in the battle arena, I think they have more or less achieved that.

Mobile gaming is not new.  But what is special about this Indie game developer is the mobile games community they have created – “Barking Seed”.  Imagine, each time the game is over, you are given the opportunity to upload your score to their website, perhaps add a little comment to shout to the world.  You play to be amongst the top players.  And you play to represent your country as one of the top, stand a chance to win phones and accessories.  Just how additively fun this concept is?  During the blogger event, as our scores were posted to the website in real time, none of us were talking.  We – guys and girls – were going all out to score.

I have tried out three of their games on my touchscreen phone.  These are Flash games – responsive, pretty to look at, and does not take long to play.  Good soundtracks too.  “Monsterilla” (featured above) is my favorite.  It is a colorful puzzle game that has a strong appeal to either sexes.  There is another game that you keep squishing roaches (erm … I know) until you are overwhelmed.  It does get pretty intense and Cynthia got a real shock when she accidentally looked into my screen.  So many crawling roaches!  Looking at “That Roach Game” at a philosophical level, I agree with the co-founder Rick.  You just can’t win.  The third game I have tried is “Ninjani”.  Guys would love this.  This game tests your reaction time as well as your anticipation skill.  The fact that you can get better as you play repeatedly perhaps makes “Ninjani” one of the most addictive games of the three.

I look forward to more new game releases for the community “Barking Seed”.  I have high hope for them.  Three years it has taken this small team to bring this innovative offering to the world.  I still have no clue on how they generate revenue when the games are free and come with no advertisements.  Only time will tell.  Meanwhile, if you have a Nokia phone, head to OVI Store and download these free games.  If you have not heard of OVI Store – surprisingly many friends of mine who use Nokia phones fall into that category – there are many free applications and games for grab.  Have fun with these featured Flash games and good luck in winning!  As for me, I am going to work Cynthia hard and win me some “Monsterilla” points using my login ID.  Girls are supposed to be better at this sort of cute colorful puzzle games, yes?

External Links: Barking Seed Community Site and Breakdesign Corporate Site.