Dissidia Final Fantasy Trading Arts

No explanation is required here, i'll let all the pictures do the talking haha. Recently Square-Enix released these set of collectibles in conjunction with the release of their Dissidia titles onto the PSP. It comes in a set and you cant buy them separately...(bummer!) So, which one do you like? ^^

Final Exam....Oh No!

My final exam is drawing near....im sorry that i havent posted any artworks lately. it seems that education gets the best of me and my time.

Soon as i get these things over with, i'll get back to my good ol' pencil and paper and start drawing again. please bear with me for a little longer.

As you can see in the piccus above, i am studying in the dark. the closer i get to the final exam, the more power failure i encounter in the dorm. I believe studying in pitch black can improve your senses and reflexes. Sort of like ninja training, yes?

Good Games You Never Thought of Playing vol. 2

ZONE OF THE ENDERS : THE 2ND RUNNER





High Speed Robot Action. That four words sum up to ZoE 2 the 2nd Runner. This is a game made by Hideo Kojima and the legendary team behind the famous Metal Gear series.

In this game, you'll gain control Orbital Frame Jehuty, a giant mecha that moves at lightning fast-speed. The animation in this game is very fluid and the anime like visual effects are
jaw-dropping awesome! There are also wonderfully done anime cutscenes in between to narrate the story.







Mecha fans will definitely appreciate this title. Haha for people who just pick it up...i think controlling Jehuty will remind you of Freedom Gundam.

This game promises tons of fun. Sadly though, there are a bit issues that's holding it down. First off, the game is incredibly short. The storyline could last only 5-6 hours and and you can definitely finish it in one seating.

Still, the game make up to this by providing a VS. Mode that you can unlock after beating it once. in VS. Mode you can unlock and play as enemies Orbital Frame and duke it out against CPU or another player.





Another issue about the game is its horrible dialogue... Nothing is wrong with the voice acting i think, its just that the dialogues are so poorly written. When you hear a gruffy old man saying "Dingo, I love you. Come back." you know something is not right here =_=;

However, despite these minor flaws, Zone of the Enders The 2nd Runner is still one of the best PS2 title out there. Mecha fans who havent try this should really pick this up.

Dissidia Updates! Squall vs. Tidus

Who would win in a fight between Squall and Tidus? finally with Dissidia it is now possible to find out the answer....ourself. Lets look at both character's arsenal and the combat mechanics, shall we?

At first glance from the recent trailer at Tokyo Gameshow, Dissidia fighting mechanism looks and feels similar to that of Kingdom Hearts. The character movements seems "floaty" and you'll be able to jump, glide and execute combat in mid-air. The square button is assigned to execute special moves.



As for Tidus, his special move is a blitzball that whooshes toward the enemy at super speed. The special attack is activated after collecting enough "Brave Points" by hitting your opponents with various sub-attacks.



Squall on the other hand had a different set of moves and a different feel. He didn't seem as nimble in the air or as quick on his feet, but he could string a number of sword attacks together, ending with a flurry of swings and a dramatic flourish. From a distance, the standard attack button initiated a carpet of lightning that sped toward his opponents. Squall's special was a circular swing of his sword that sent a flurry of red energy flying at his opponent.

As you can see from the shot above, his trademark finisher the Renzokuken makes a return. Time to hit that trigger hard! XD

Good Games You Never Thought of Playing vol. 1

When we ask people about games, the common respond we'll get would be Final Fantasy 7. Counter-Strike. DoTA. These are all the only games our people know.

Well do you know there are many more other great games out there? But they dont get the same attention that they deserve which is kinda sad. Thus i created this section to introduce you to some uber-awesome titles that you might have missed. Have some guts to pick em up if you found them they are golden classic ;)

For this first issue, let's take a look at...


CHRONO CROSS



Probably the best RPG to have ever came out on the PS1, but one thing for sure, this is the best RPG i have ever played in my entire life so far. It comes in 2 CDs. Ah, that sure brings back memories, isnt it? Rest assured because this game will leave you with many fond ones.



Chrono Cross is a sequel to famous SNES RPG, Chrono Trigger. It tells the story of Serge, a (mute?) boy who finds a mysterious portal on a beach near his village that leads him to a parallel world. Throughout the game, you will be able to travel back and forth between these two worlds. Although they look the same, they host different events and characters.



Speaking of characters, Chrono Cross has a total of 40+ playable characters that you can recruit into your party. Each of the characters have their own unique style and abilities. Some of the characters will join you along the way while others are recruited by undertaking side missions or quests. What i like the most is that the characters are presented so well...you can even tell the differences between them just by reading the dialogue they spout out. Each character has their own unique slang...theres Kid the rowdy "Australian" sheila, Harle the "French" pierrot and many more zany ones that you will encounter along the way.







The battle system in Chrono Cross is i'd say, one of a kind. The traditional "active time bar" has been replaced with a bar of seven stamina points. While the engine is still ostensibly turn-based, any character can take a turn at any time as long as they have at least a single stamina point remaining.



Enemies can even interrupt your characters' attacks. Party members can unleash weak, medium, and strong attacks, which require one, two, and three stamina points, respectively. Even though the game pauses while waiting for input, the ability to start and end a character's turn whenever you please makes for a more frantic, "real-time" experience.



Another strong point for Chrono Cross that separates it from other game is its character development system. It doesnt use the common level-up system as found in other RPGs. Instead you are rewarded after each battle you won with chraracter improvement stats such as +1 Max HP increase and so on.



More good news, there are no random battles in the game, too. The foes are all visible on the map. You can choose to maneuver and avoid them or bump into them to commence battle.

How I miss this game...


Summary:

Chrono Cross
Published by : Squaresoft
Genre : RPG
Platform : Playstation 1
Alternative to : Final Fantasy

*Images courtesy of Gamespot.

Final Fantasy XIII......Bummer!

For those of you who are stoked to get your hands on a PS3 just so you can play Final Fantasy XIII exclusively, this might be a dissappointing news for you as the game is making its way on XBOX 360 as well.

Still, nothing much has been revealed about the game. Some characters have been revealed so far, one of them is a Gunblade wielding female protagonist whom you'll be playing as. Her real name hasn't been revealed yet and up till now, she is only known as "Lightning". As for characteristics, character designer Tetsuya Nomura said that she is more of a "female version" of Final Fantasy VII's Cloud Strife.



Other characters that have been exposed are Nomchan and Mr. 33 cm.





In terms of gameplay, the battle system still uses the ATB System much like most previous Final Fantasy titles (where you wait for a meter to full before you vcan act) , but the battle animation an mechanism has been renewed to give a smooth action sequences.

As for example, in previous Final Fantasy the attack animation is limited to a single hit from the characters. But for this time, you'll be able to pull off multiple attacks and combos ( such can be seen in the trailer.) Also i was really suprised to see the visuals in the game. They are absolutely stunning (I like the effects on Lightning's hair against the wind) they are much more realistic than before.





As for me, personally i welcome the addition of Final Fantasy XIII to XBOX 360 lineup.
(Mainly because the gaming cost using XBOX 360 is much lower since now it can play pirated disc haha XD) But i hope the developer wont be doing a lazy job and blatantly jack the game straight from one console to the other as that would expose the game to various bugs and glitches.

I'll give you more updates soon! ^^

Eyes Spinning, Mouth Drooling....

Recently i've been window shopping a lot on the internet. Mostly on hobby sections.
The latest item to caught my attention was this figure of Yagami Hayate from ALTER.
The character is taken from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Strikers (such a mouthtfull name to say... =_=;)

But 'nuff said! Despite the series name, the figure is a knockout! I'm amazed by the attention of details that they've put into this figurine here...just look at the detail on the character's little fairy sidekick... Is that just amazing or what?



The hat can be removed to give the figure a bit cast-off effects. The emotion of the characters is very well potrayed.

Yagami Hayate
Manufacturer : Alter
Material : PVC
Release : October 2008