tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58319246079347351442023-11-16T13:36:07.263-03:00Missing SpagoniaAnime, manga, board games, videogames and a bit of everything else.Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-64681467756526713272013-07-31T21:40:00.000-03:002013-07-31T21:40:41.673-03:00The Pr0n is on your mind...<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">
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<a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1443868_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1443868_md.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Disclaimer:
This post contains questionable content, so if you feel offended... do yourself
a favour and grow up a bit before surfing the internet.</span></i></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Some days
ago, scrambling in the ideological melangerie that is </span><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">BoardGameGeek</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> i
found a very interesting post by a very active user of the comunity when
regarding games with fanservice.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The comment itself was refering <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/65282/tanto-cuore"><span style="color: blue;">Tanto Cuore</span></a>, a deck-building board game with an
anime theme where you are a mansion master and have to employ your maid staff.
And, like anything involving maids and anime, the game offers the classic
fanservices of the trade. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Simon Lundström (</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/user/Zimeon"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Zimeon</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">)
answered the post of a user wondering why people feel disturbed about games
with suggestive depictions of men/woman.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>"Running the risk of sounding obnoxious, I think
what people ACTUALLY have something against, is the fact that they're <i>drawn</i>.
It's considered unhealthy to be attracted to fiction. Or something."</b></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Simon stroke true in one of the concepts that has
always bothered me about social apreciation for suggestive art (i´m not even
saying erotic).</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic715793_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic715793_md.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The offending cards from Tanto Cuore</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">For some reason, our society considers that is morally
acceptable to behead a man in 3d full definition but not to show some skin...
okay that is something <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com.br/2012/07/state-of-art-and-hypocrisy-of-eros.html"><span style="color: blue;">we´vegotten through in previous posts here at Missing
Spagonia</span></a>. But once we get to actually show some skin, most
bystanders consider that it´s acceptable to have photos or videos of girls/boys
in suggestive poses for recreative purposes (we´re animals after all... how
can´t we be attracted by an attractive member of the opposite sex?). But if the
same exact same poses are drawn, the situation changes a bit...</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Some months ago I was talking with a fellow colleague
at work and showed him some of my drawings (the SFW ones)... his comment, while
I knew was just mocking me, caught me off guard:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b>- Oh, so you´re one of those guys who faps to
drawings?</b></span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
The comment directly implied that being attracted to drawings was invalid. It
was not healthy. Probably it would stand somewhere dark in the plethora of
filias between S&M, incest and even maybe Zoofilia.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Why is it that being attracted to artistic depictions
of humans is not as valid as being attracted to a video or a photo? Photos and
videos are a newborn technology compared with the thousand years of tradition
of sculpture or painting. Seduction through art came a long way before kids
could go to the news-stand and convince the shopkeeper to sell them a Playboy
under the clandestinity of a hoodie and some dark glasses.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Who decided from one day to the other that feeling
attracted to drawings was wrong? I mean, come on... do you think that 50 Shades
of Gray sold that much due to it´s profound literature? Drawings, as well as
writing are the basic ways the human expresses feelings that he cannot voice
out loud. Through art and literature we give birth to fantasies that usually
are not possible or morally right in our society. They are a way of
transgression that reaches to our most primary steps<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs"><span style="color: blue;"> in Maslow´s pyramid of needs</span></a>. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Before there was video, or photo, even pencils or
inks, there was human imagination! Those were the good times for pr0n... where
everything was made possible by your mind. In your mind is where arousal lies,
floating in the fluid liquid of emotions next to fear, love and hatred. We can
be scared by books! We can hate throught poetry! We can express
indignation or even dignify gods through drawing! Feeling aroused from a
drawing is a natural reaction too. Art is just a conductor. The pr0n lies in
your mind!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Different
knifes for the same bread</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">On the same lines
above, another discussion on BoardGameGeek, this time on <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/127920/kanzume-goddess"><span style="color: blue;">KanzumeGoddess</span></a>. Many people stated that strangely
enough, when playing games with suggestive depictions, the most adverse
reactions are from the male sector in the table.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Let me put you in
picture... you walk into the table and find a guy and a girl playing this game.
Both of them have these cards in front of them. How will they react to the
passer by?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3Z7bkCBL8xEYknTzXyf5mSoDbmRJ8R7_pRUHu9JYV2_rUXWtayv3DFHfCWH4NTrBqVuVky8_ltiC4nKfwANNz1I9hLPIOSJeiR7jjnfSOovqVXZaRX659QQjMYC-8jUn_VEK9REQeYE/s1600/peches_mignons_au_musee_DE_-4030-2008-15-01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm3Z7bkCBL8xEYknTzXyf5mSoDbmRJ8R7_pRUHu9JYV2_rUXWtayv3DFHfCWH4NTrBqVuVky8_ltiC4nKfwANNz1I9hLPIOSJeiR7jjnfSOovqVXZaRX659QQjMYC-8jUn_VEK9REQeYE/s320/peches_mignons_au_musee_DE_-4030-2008-15-01.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's see who is ashamed...</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Well, girls are
by now more than used to see sugestive depiction of girls (i´m not saying they
agree to being depicted like that, just saying that they are more confortable
around them). Guys on the other hand seem to feel quite more unconfortable:
What if someone comes by and sees me with this scantilly clad female on my
hand? What he/she would think of me? Would he/she think i´m into drawings?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Guys shift and
shuffle on the chair, not because of the drawing making them ashamed, but
instead they are ashamed of an external passerby perceiving them as depraved or
immoral. They will be probably okay playing this alone or at home with close
friends, but they would not dare to play in a cafeteria or bring it to a new
player group witch they are not yer acquainted with. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/064/188/a682304df44a1d570c6f0e2766c67df2_large.jpg?1341965632" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/064/188/a682304df44a1d570c6f0e2766c67df2_large.jpg?1341965632" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh... so you're into THAT!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Girls usually
don´t have that problem even when holding cards of seminaked males, because no
one would usually would associate the ideas of girls+onanism (yeah, girls
masturbate too, but for some reason society seems oblivious to that), and
usually fanservice is not targeted at them (which i particularly find stupid
because everyone knows that rabbid fangirls are the most powerful force to
reckon in the universe, just look at the absurd sale numbers of products
targeted at them).</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Also, when girls
have suggestive products, they are so proud of showing them that it makes me
equally proud for them for having the courage to admit publicly they are not
ashamed of showing they like their fanservice share. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Going back to the
double standards, the same is also applied to sculpture. If we glance at the
miniatures of Kingdom Death Monster´s survivors.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GORXT7kChiQBTfvPT4G8NFnKz6LjZj-UhdQruDiu0BxvuIwE0yaSpCr17YCJKrAQhqMHdQA9Eu4S4Nfbfu2ak-C9RglNRRcJ4FTP2lwMltDuID2xi3A5BkjXkUEZdUThvjvIzTAOzaQ/s1600/kingdom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-GORXT7kChiQBTfvPT4G8NFnKz6LjZj-UhdQruDiu0BxvuIwE0yaSpCr17YCJKrAQhqMHdQA9Eu4S4Nfbfu2ak-C9RglNRRcJ4FTP2lwMltDuID2xi3A5BkjXkUEZdUThvjvIzTAOzaQ/s320/kingdom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh... that's some sexy... paintjob!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While it is clear
that the four figures are "dressed" exactly with the same amount of
nothing if you show the models separately to a bystander the reaction would be
probably on the lines below:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Male models:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Oh, those are some cool sculpted minis. You are
going to paint those?</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Female
models:</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> Teehee...
now i know why you were interested in this game!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Summing up, it´s
no longer important why did you get the miniatures in first place, the public
opinion will always see females as a sex fantasy object and taunt you by
exposing that you might be atracted to something inanimate, something that
ironically has been a valid standard in human culture for thousand of years...</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">So if you are one
of those people who squirms in the table, or is ashamed of playing games with
suggestive themes i strongly suggest you revisit your core values. If you like
the idea or what it implies, it doesn´t matter if it´s art, book, or whatever
media you are using, you shouldn´t be ashamed of it. If you are aroused or
attracted by suggestive art, it means that the author has reached his goal with
his art piece. By negating that is condemning the author to ostracism and not
recognising that he did an awesome work: Transmiting the pr0n to your
mind!</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-13221218383683777952013-07-22T21:24:00.000-03:002013-07-22T21:27:07.869-03:00PWN: Combat Hacking - An iOS review<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4QGmKV6vFll2hhtSbx-l8EXZZutA6UNMUZfuW4QjkXAiNOkJAMrh-F-NzlLcrDh7XnJl8RFjfU95rsG1KadW-PZ4Bn7NOzV6tprbszBkIpEI_aUZJP3TdD3cen28GfvCPXTCbdVCG8o/s1600/IMG_0281.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz4QGmKV6vFll2hhtSbx-l8EXZZutA6UNMUZfuW4QjkXAiNOkJAMrh-F-NzlLcrDh7XnJl8RFjfU95rsG1KadW-PZ4Bn7NOzV6tprbszBkIpEI_aUZJP3TdD3cen28GfvCPXTCbdVCG8o/s400/IMG_0281.PNG" width="400" /></a></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US">Sometimes among the sea of mediocrity of the
appstore you can find some little jewels that grab you for good. This is the
case of <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/es/app/pwn-combat-hacking/id548633784?mt=8" target="_blank">PWN: Combat Hacking</a>, a game I got when it was free for a day and I got
so engaged by its magnificent simplicity that now I feel bad for not having
paid for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;">What is this all about?</span></span></h3>
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<span lang="EN-US">PWN: Combat Hacking is a game about… (suspense music)
- hackers. In a future world controlled by corporations, these professionals are
highly valued both to protect and to do black ops for the benefit of these
corporations. Thus, they stage great tournaments to find the most promising
ones and offer great contract deals to the winners. Some others though enter
the tournament with more shady motives. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">There are 8 main protagonists to choose, each
one specialist in one of the 8 different abilities of the game. Each one starts
with his unique skill and in a Megaman-esque way needs to beat all the other 7
characters to unlock their abilities and finally make it to the tournament
finals.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbJIlU_6ZvM_OgykYNMyUatsggH1QSh1LqgbvND26AAbEflrqGKd-7GjLnznp4Tk7H548KtHFvzBjJc0FtqxWhYZ3oQXqUXX8FNc5V4P2ZTCPkWEyc1T7TN7wFaxN_psIxTQdkGkuI2U/s1600/IMG_0279.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqbJIlU_6ZvM_OgykYNMyUatsggH1QSh1LqgbvND26AAbEflrqGKd-7GjLnznp4Tk7H548KtHFvzBjJc0FtqxWhYZ3oQXqUXX8FNc5V4P2ZTCPkWEyc1T7TN7wFaxN_psIxTQdkGkuI2U/s320/IMG_0279.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Optik Scanners are the best in the game. Beat her and she might teach you to use them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;">The game</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Each game of PWN features a network of interconnected
nodes. Victory is achieved by either completely suppressing the other hacker´s
presence on the network or by controlling a certain number of main computers
that may be present in the network. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">To do so, all the players have the ability to
capture nodes. Simply by taping a node adjacent to a node you own a capture
percentage bar will start to load until you take control. Neutral nodes are
faster to capture than the opponent´s, and if you have more than 1 node connected
you will also gain speed multipliers to any capture. On the other side if you
lose the attacking nodes capture will be interrupted.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzR8oxVR7RPp99XsDScrckW-Dmcfzf31yTxSV1DN3UUF44aSlKSqXLI5hX8yqml-nva6X4_quuTr7pT9gYPFZbosiFEXRtcORzlnIrMCWnMwacEB4qWYe7FGQ0B0GaRtNcclHa1jVL8-U/s1600/IMG_0278.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzR8oxVR7RPp99XsDScrckW-Dmcfzf31yTxSV1DN3UUF44aSlKSqXLI5hX8yqml-nva6X4_quuTr7pT9gYPFZbosiFEXRtcORzlnIrMCWnMwacEB4qWYe7FGQ0B0GaRtNcclHa1jVL8-U/s320/IMG_0278.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having more than a node will double or triple the capture speed bonus. Encrypt that node!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is important to note that this capture
percentage stays on the node even if you abort capture or are forced out so a
later attempt to capture will start from the previous capture percentage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Additionally, if any of nodes are isolated from
your main network, they become vulnerable. So detecting weak points in the
anemy network and exploiting them is one of the main strategies of the game.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Adding Spice</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">With that the game would end up being pretty
basic, but then the 8 abilities come into play adding a lot of flavor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Encrypt:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Adds a second capture bar to a
node, harder to remove, thus increasing the time needed for capture. It is vital
to secure chokepoints, and if applied to a node being captured it restarts the
requirements for capture, thus being a good counter to capture. If it gets
isolated from the network though, it will be easier to capture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Overclock:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Overclocked nodes increase
passively your capture speed and are good at capturing encrypted nodes. The bad
thing is they also speed up virus spread on your network and if the enemy
captures them they keep the overclocked bonus so it´s good to keep them out of
reach.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_yWF0jm1SiuTwJjgagV3jTKUSrH6edR-nhLgxnyqWZDw6k6ohwfpFn0VuBuO7BBLocwBi5rIi6ArisB5pUEgbgRA-93_cyxmEE-GaVVN89qMvD4exAGwvOWV74zjVbomgMYEkcOzJlo/s1600/IMG_0275.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_yWF0jm1SiuTwJjgagV3jTKUSrH6edR-nhLgxnyqWZDw6k6ohwfpFn0VuBuO7BBLocwBi5rIi6ArisB5pUEgbgRA-93_cyxmEE-GaVVN89qMvD4exAGwvOWV74zjVbomgMYEkcOzJlo/s320/IMG_0275.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An overclocked node in the frontline is usually a heavily disputed position.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Spike:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Spike targets adjacent nodes and disconnects
them from the network for some seconds. It can be used aggressively to split
your enemy network in half and attack the isolated nodes or on your own network
to prevent capture of critical positions. However spike doesn’t affect
Encrypted nodes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Virus:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Viruses target a set of adjacent
nodes and start a simultaneous capture. If any of the nodes falls to the virus It
spreads to the adjacent nodes. The virus can be cleansed by touching the
infected nodes, but as the capture percentage stays, using scanners to “heal”
the nodes is critical or else a second or third virus could cripple half your
network. Viruses cannot capture or spread to firewalled nodes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Backdoor:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Backdoors are placed on enemy nodes
and by all effects they always count as adjacent to your network so you can
start captures or launch attack skills through them. They cannot be placed on
Firewalled nodes though, and they can be detected by Scanners. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Firewall:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Firewalls block Viruses, Backdoors and
Trojans to access adjacent nodes so they are a defensive ability. However if a
firewall node is capture it is not destroyed but it changes allegiance so it´s
important to place it far from your opponents reach. Also, Spiking the firewall
node will leave the adjacent nodes vulnerable again while the firewall is down.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXMR1HxiIq2YbxIdFRKAKt_LKLrAfWzFpLngiPiKgtCZR0B_Um6KJHT12rgVeFLc3iif9Wf1MN5TzyOx0rEAa9jia9aAbs8lRgIufKKcI_cgu-l5K9OTMVgztT28sF-XGbJhkfEHRCow/s1600/IMG_0282.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXMR1HxiIq2YbxIdFRKAKt_LKLrAfWzFpLngiPiKgtCZR0B_Um6KJHT12rgVeFLc3iif9Wf1MN5TzyOx0rEAa9jia9aAbs8lRgIufKKcI_cgu-l5K9OTMVgztT28sF-XGbJhkfEHRCow/s320/IMG_0282.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Axiom's mastery of Firewalls proves too much for Phantom´s Backdoors</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Trojan:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> It´s a Trap!! – Set a trojan in a
node, and when the enmy captures it…BAM. You keep the node and take with you
the attacking nodes and maybe some other adjacent. They are an excellent way to
capture overclocked nodes without the hassle of tearing the cryptography and If
you manage to do it this way you will keep the encryption for yourself when you
capture the node!. Trojans can be detected by a Scanned though and are easily
deactivated when the enemy is aware of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><span lang="EN-US">Scanner:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"> Scanners remove enemy presence from
your nearby nodes, effectively “healing” the nodes. They can also detect
Trojans and Backdoors so they are a very efficient defensive tool. However, as Firewalls
and Overclocked nodes, they change allegiance when captured so you need to keep
them away from the front lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Thinking out of the node</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The game can only be described as frenetic.
It´s like having to play rock paper scissors lizard spock with ten hands simultaneously.
You have to keep guessing and assessing the situation in real time and thinking
of effective ways to counter or lock down your opponent into submission. And
even though, just one error can mean defeat, so it´s a very intense game where
nothing is decided until the last second.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboMnUBi7eMrj1DLkAW1Gv_Bp3I1b9J5cYpDPUjH87K3Isz0Tpa5TNCPa7VOxyKlUOrC96ztlpj6qIxpDgJxEHuvtRa7PtUGRV_5fW6G-ZgreO9kYyXgFCIE6RCmGSCB6_-ec_gm0dxRQ/s1600/IMG_0277.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhboMnUBi7eMrj1DLkAW1Gv_Bp3I1b9J5cYpDPUjH87K3Isz0Tpa5TNCPa7VOxyKlUOrC96ztlpj6qIxpDgJxEHuvtRa7PtUGRV_5fW6G-ZgreO9kYyXgFCIE6RCmGSCB6_-ec_gm0dxRQ/s320/IMG_0277.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even cornered, Paragon still has a chance if he manages to split Cipher´s network in two.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Many times I had victory at my grasp when I detonated
a Trojan and lost half my network, leaving the weakest areas exposed. Or a
rogue virus broke havoc into my heavily overclocked network. On the other hand I
also grasped great victories by crippling a superior enemy with a well placed
Spike.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">To make things harder, PWN networks are in 3d,
and, while most of them can be usually seen completely from a certain angle,
giving you access to all the nodes in a glimpse, there are some exceptions, and maps like Diamond or Axis
will test your nerves as you will have to change camera view by spinning and twisting continuously to grasp
everything that is going on in the network a la Minority Report.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjij-HBoVLYsP7XJJBS_122zDgjReV65bSY1KPioo-0tPUv3YaWYHJrLodRt71WX64Y-HEguLHasHrf74dXKpy2zpIFsxA4BGUWZwFIeaGNaSptQ6Aa0agQ3QdRo80HeUX8UberAky_56A/s1600/IMG_0276.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjij-HBoVLYsP7XJJBS_122zDgjReV65bSY1KPioo-0tPUv3YaWYHJrLodRt71WX64Y-HEguLHasHrf74dXKpy2zpIFsxA4BGUWZwFIeaGNaSptQ6Aa0agQ3QdRo80HeUX8UberAky_56A/s320/IMG_0276.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Endless Fun</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Overall the experience is challenging and fun.
The campaigns increase in difficulty and offer an incredible amount of
different network patterns with their chokepoints and weaknesses and while some
will favor different playstyles, in the long run, only the most aware hacker
will be the only successful. The AI is also very good and makes for a great
challenge, adapting to your strategies and effectively punishing you for
playing recklessly. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The only major problem I saw in the game, after
all my playtroughs is that the AI on games where you do not have full map
vision is very difficult to beat. It´s a bit frustrating to fight a fast
responsive machine opponent when you cannot see the blows coming or can´t clearly
discern where the nodes are connected. The most grievous injury is the use of
Virus in these maps: you will rotate spin and turn frustratingly to have visual
to the nodes that are half hidden while the virus spreads and you can´t just
tap them fast enough. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Even though, this ended up feeling like a
challenge. You see, every map you beat is unlocked to your collection, so if
you want to be able to play on that network later, you need to beat the AI. So
in the end it feels like a boss fight with a small reward… and there are
achievements too… who wouldn´t like some achievements?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxQjIPCiZPKPkAZ7rrO_HEokCKnxPC9PbLjPVNdyEj1fZKyDGj33QEcEcArB6M3VzG1YoZEuLe7Itkw8YsLKoGWZBPq3gx3ThBe1Up11wi6KlA1WE5fyKelAbaTKyaxwYfDmvewSyTEM/s1600/IMG_0280.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxQjIPCiZPKPkAZ7rrO_HEokCKnxPC9PbLjPVNdyEj1fZKyDGj33QEcEcArB6M3VzG1YoZEuLe7Itkw8YsLKoGWZBPq3gx3ThBe1Up11wi6KlA1WE5fyKelAbaTKyaxwYfDmvewSyTEM/s320/IMG_0280.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So... many... maps!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Summing up</span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you like games that make you think and test
your fast reflexes, get PWN. You will not be disappointed. It´s a game with a
lot to offer in a very simple presentation and that will keep you grabbed to
your ipad for hours to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #38761d;">You will like it:</span></span></h4>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">If
you are into fast strategical thinking.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">If
you always wished hacking was like in Hollywood movies.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">If
you are used to have a cube as a best friend.</span></li>
</ul>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #990000;">You won´t like it:</span></span></h4>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">If
eye-hand coordination is not your forte.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">If
you get frustrated easily by challenges.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;">If
you always thought Encryption was the name of Superman´s dog.</span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-39887813085310040732013-05-18T09:45:00.000-03:002013-05-18T22:49:59.675-03:00Sid Meier's Ace Patrol - A dogfighting experience review.<div style="text-align: center;">
<img height="238.33333333333334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-_xS76m7MlVhgvPeaDxVdLffTL2B8Dix2r_7u5G-_2ajEGybz5zAUNWVTDA_ak5a1n5Vn5KLMKX0KukVBGNWpQ3qMD9cMmNL2_OsinrelGeDm5ZPc1mKNzWcMhYog7FHSrJbYg7QOTo//" width="650" /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There was a time in my life, after finishing my degree in aeronautical engineering, where i became a true fanatic of aerial combat. Inspired by <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31552/wings-of-war-deluxe-set" target="_blank">Wings of War</a> and <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/107148/wings-of-glory-ww2-starter-set" target="_blank">Dawn of WWII</a> boardgames i started to look after books, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogfights_(TV_series)" target="_blank">tv series</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimson_Skies_(video_game)" target="_blank">games</a> that would instruct me in the noble art of dogfighting without ever entering a cockpit.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Air simulators were too complicated and couldn't easily represent cooperative maneuvers unless you played online, boardgames were too slow-paced and couldn't handle big fights easily, arcade fighters were too light on representing g forces and the difficulty of certain maneuvers... Today i want you to meet the game that at last gets the best of the dogfighting experience in a small priced tag package, courtesy of one of the biggest game designers in the business: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sid_meier" target="_blank">Mr. Sid Meier</a>.</span></div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #144565; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The game</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ace Patrol is set during WWI: during the dawn of combat aviation. In the game you will start as a rookie pilot in a certain squadron of one of the 4 nations in the conflict (British, French, American or German) and will be taking a series of missions through 4 campains were you will have to shift the tide of battle in favor of your country by performing attack and defense missions across the front.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Your pilots will progressively evolve as the war goes on and they score downed planes, learning new maneuver sets like drifts and rolls to enhance their moveset or ace maneuvers like the Immelman turn or the Wingover to outwit their enemies... But the enemy will also evolve so it's important to keep your rookies safe and out of the enemy ace sights.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgijBGSYYVLb9FtqewHOylOsEseRRB6KWrWS-UpWzF6XvhjKfeIpSg1Ei3m03Uka9e8S-NmfHdT1QqfODlBshPr-y3PUl9PdbLF1ffRp7DAela7LNzKfPSf0SIsMKt9pqVY4rvF10ii2_Q//" style="height: 384px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 513px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Show me your moves!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Defining the mission you will take on is also part of the strategy of the game. Some missions will require more pilots than others, require faster or sturdier planes, some may give more points or be set in enemy territory... Missions in enemy territory will cause your pilot to be captured if he is downed or crash lands, so sometimes you'll need to gauge the risk of keep fighting or risk to lose a squad member for several battles. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember, a hero is the man who survives to claim revenge, and there is no shame to flee from the battlefield if the odds are against you. One of my favourite missions so far pits one single pilot of yours trying to deliver a lethal payload to an enemy base, against 3 sturdy german planes. Fighting is not a sane option, so you will have to take your best ace and make severe use of the clouds and erratic maneuvers to evade and outwit your pursuers and the antiaerial fire until you strike the base, and then make it safely back home.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYBUAjKBf6gziVXiuQ6WCvVhxaY6Dt1Eqa4Glx3TgVO18Cfdu9_lSdtk3k5sn2KmBvevpLjfYu0pgtemxSu0AUxgQtBB47JaBHR31CNxresFH4U3tG6GxXLNFrxnq7pMbgVw9ddhLeQ_c//" style="height: 379px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 505px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Choosing your mission is your first concern. As choosing wrong and losing may start a chain of losses due to unavailable pilots.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #144565; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The action</span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Action in the game is turn based but still fast as it's cleanly and cleverly implemented. Your planes always act in the same order and will show you their available moves on the hex grid that makes the battlefield. Selecting any of the movement arrows will show you a card with a visual representation of the maneuver and a series of icons stating the properties of your move (climbing, diving, evading, high speed, rolling, etc...). The game will also present you in a different color the moves where you have clean shots on enemy planes and a green cross will mark the point where you can do maximum damage.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KR7QGQMd6HotIDKIHcGiPs1ry-rZ7QQCNm35VDD9U6ALRCna8n-jPUhivzLei2ItJlklQCiTJ5Sptq9vwPacbfltYIpClgcbFhhZBUSwA_HGcYi13L-NJYoa9cyPbO622nb39tv4oVA//" style="height: 345px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 512px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The grey arrow indicates an unavailable move due to orientation or speed of the plane.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the things that I like the most about this game is that the available moves shown to you correspond to the plane reality, so if you banked hard left on the previous turn, you wont be able to make any turn right but you will instead be able to skid left as your plane is slightly rolled. On the same way, you wont be able to loop if you are not flying straight at high speed or wont be able to force a stall at high speeds... So basically this is not like one of those arcade aviation games where you are free to move wherever you are pleased, whenever you are pleased.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By the way, as i said on the intro, the fact that you control all the squad makes possible and really fun to pull classic cooperative combat maneuvers like the Scissors on the enemies, or use your more mobile and evasive pilots as baits to trick the enemy into offering their six for a heavy damaging shot.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhD2WONqNkxAUlpKOs9ee6ZxLhrX5ReIXeogRSIewG7CQFn5LT34enh7R-pM73eGSkTC7vB3bzuapOOfP46tE_NplNUozVGwrSO5IXTQ712v3Vv0SmVzyaapG17d5n1RtTG_YAAtzN1E//" style="height: 385px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 522px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How to guarantee your enemy has nowhere to run 101</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The battlefield features areas of cloud, where planes are invisible and can't be fired into, as well as areas protected by AA fire where you wont like to enter or you'll want to lure your pursuers into. This only two terrain features are enough to turn the tides of many battles and play an important part of the dogfighting mindgames. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BylswFdxN4TyXz2cXolTgj0eTvFjA6p9qwz2iqH7glZNrWNgEOjtjyXZoSvqZwsRjMR83Q_qiDswI8eKhXgB92wOAl995ie296FN0M8D0JAXKySHDhMfgSXsvqKf4-75bQOEh3F9K3A//" style="height: 370px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 494px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And if strategy fails... dive into the fuzzball!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #0c343d;">Replayability and other cool features</span></b></span></h4>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Replayability is one of the main selling point of this game. Even if you don't buy the other nations packs, you will have 4 different starting pilots with various abilities at start, and all your pilots will be upgraded differently from time to time... Missions available are varied enough to not feel repetitive and to add an increased variety, the enemy squads rotate randomly so the enemies in each mission are always determined randomly from an available set.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, the pilots portraits evolve as they are promoted and their kill count increases, but also they change when they are downed, injured or captured by the enemy.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNl1kuIbW06761Hk28tky7dvgWJ5J7WgyU7AzZ8K3BsqJnigAkbPjbp2djOTu_A-pk1iIeUwv4KuvE3kS2K-Ae48pjfWs8-ZdzaqqMylldBjxCmVJkU5c7pVWJgKA4VZY58duFzzvd5Dk//" style="height: 367px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 489px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank god Immelman is not flying today. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Another cool feature is the possibility of watching the battle replay without pause after the battle ends, displaying as a continuous movie you will get to feel more of the awesomeness of the maneuvers you just managed to pull. It's a real pity though that this replays can't be saved or shared, which would be nice in an update. Also, fixing the camera in the replay would be cool as it sometimes it jumps too fast between places and you lose sight of the action.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIi8l6LVY5HoP7RBQ8cIViUkEOKVUxCqo8L40TWXtJJD_5x6e1zcMtdgXGeIGPuBiq5O17F8fo4-hRApZVwMqztlTcq5pS5uQbxZ8-3o7r56VjX4ApP_DA54sjcZTDtpf9RYrhKO1lXuM//" style="height: 354px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 472px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Replays are a cool way to check your mission faster and in a cinematic point of view.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The game also offers 5 difficulty settings that you can choose at your base after the tutorial missions. Each will upgrade the enemy AI and give you a bonus multiplier on your missions. Currently i´m playing in Ace difficulty (medium) and the game starts to get challenging from campaign 2 onwards. Not only because of the difficulty of the game per se, but because having a downed or severely damaged plane will leave your pilots out of the next battles. If you have 2 consecutive losses you might see yourself out of pilots and unable to challenge the enemy on the next missions. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
This is cool because it makes you think more about your pilots safety so you won´t be taking excessive risks, and many a time you will prefer to skid or roll away from a chase in order to save you from a wingman targeting your 6. </div>
<h2>
<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); color: #144565; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="color: #144565; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pricetag</span></span></span></h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The game is free to download and play for the first campaign. From there on, you will have to decide. If you want to keep playing as the brits, you will just have to make Mr Meier 1$ happier. Surely though, once you have cleared the first campaign and seen what the game has to offer you will probably be buying all nationsa in the 5$ pack. If you are a true fanatic of WWI dogfighting, you might even want to buy the aces. At a dollar each, they are special skins for some of the planes, featuring the ace pilot with a special ability or set of maneuvers from the start. So for example you can buy Max Immelmann and start the game with a rookie Immelmann that already knows how to pull his trademark Immelmann turn!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Additionaly, there are 3 one time 1$ upgrades that buy you field hospitals and heal all your downed pilots, reducing future injuries in 1 battle each. This means, buying the 3 will reduce the time of healing from 5 to 2 battles. After losing some pilots you might see yourself considering this ones too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6YVIoWZ4KEZTH6AnUyGXNxlJYJS6CnyVmUTjnuypQZVkSFHnuaLGaPYoYnHTHWuOVcdekZjA2hCcHi7L6rK924mR4S379_72awsiHjEeGO6NIwh1NMxBgbnBuqCv6W7x9efKvKCzSMjA//" style="height: 395px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 527px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The various planes of every nation have different performance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: #38761d;">You will like it:</span></b>
<br />
- If you love dogfighting and combat aviation. If you are a <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31552/wings-of-war-deluxe-set" target="_blank">Wings of War</a> or<a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22532/wings-of-war-the-dawn-of-world-war-ii" target="_blank"> Dawn of WWII</a> player, this game is a must have for you.
<br />
- If you are looking for a turn based strategy game different of what you've played before.
<br />
<b><span style="color: #660000;">You wont like it:</span></b>
<br />
- If you are looking for a campaign with a lot of storytelling involved.<br />
- You need the feel of the cockpit view to savour the kill.Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-82070346851113233252013-04-15T01:51:00.000-03:002013-04-15T01:52:44.871-03:00Voyage of self-improvement<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjI7Y1CV7EZ1ZQKOoEYEdyFgxR013wFn02DpaRBC4fvuKkZs1DAZgjC7-Dl7SsjaqYpn90d7s-_rDaIO1-Ox5h6LicU8Kagwu-T3Ki83rQJsphPLx6gfG13N9njdxQQ7q699a79q35XM/s1600/vitruvio.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="161" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJjI7Y1CV7EZ1ZQKOoEYEdyFgxR013wFn02DpaRBC4fvuKkZs1DAZgjC7-Dl7SsjaqYpn90d7s-_rDaIO1-Ox5h6LicU8Kagwu-T3Ki83rQJsphPLx6gfG13N9njdxQQ7q699a79q35XM/s400/vitruvio.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Sometimes in life you have to make a stop, step
back from your path and watch all you have done so far to understand where are
you heading, or why are you even heading that way. I guess it´s a little moment
of introspection and selfdiscovery you sometimes have to dive into to set up
new goals for your next steps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Lately, due to my exile situation i kinda felt like
i was letting myself fade from the general view. I was so troubled with
external problems i didn´t left time enough for my self-improvement, so i
decided to invest a bit in myself and my external world visibility, both personal and professional. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Through the last weeks i discovered lots of
interesting websites that caught my attention and i decided to share with
whoever is in need of a bit of self-loving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.coursera.org/" target="_blank"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #047ac6; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Coursera</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Coursera is an
online e-learning platform that allows you to partake in classes of
international universities, from your home, whenever you want, free...
Yeah, not joking. It´s not everybody that has time or money to afford
higher education this days so this option comes like a blessing for those like
me who still want to learn something but want to do so while on pajamas at
home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhUINzL-XK93wyeVyjYAMKrV29RAfVt-jHmVXPWRVQ3Ggh1Ug8597b86wa3Lm_zx3_F5UEU33xkvbc0vr1EWioiQIW_D2A0htZexOJOWypnIBMNuNfqUyarZ0hau0v030U-MGnqyjaC4/s1600/coursera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhUINzL-XK93wyeVyjYAMKrV29RAfVt-jHmVXPWRVQ3Ggh1Ug8597b86wa3Lm_zx3_F5UEU33xkvbc0vr1EWioiQIW_D2A0htZexOJOWypnIBMNuNfqUyarZ0hau0v030U-MGnqyjaC4/s320/coursera.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of coursera´s course offering.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">While the offer is great, I didn´t found any
appealing course until some weeks ago when i enrolled in two courses that have
resulted in a very engaging and interesting experience.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/innovation" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #047ac6; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Strategic Innovation on Organizations</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">, from Vanderbilt University and</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.coursera.org/course/gamification" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #047ac6; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Gamification,</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> from the
university of Pennsylvania. The professors are very knowledgeable and provide
clear explanations and interesting debates, and the best point is i don´t feel like i have that pressure from
taking lectures at the university. I really recommend any of you willing to
learn something new to head to coursera to check out all they have to offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://www.accredible.com/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #047ac6; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Accredible</span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I found accredible through a fellow coursera
colleague. Accredible is a really new platform (in fact it officially launched
this week) that allows you to create online catalogues of information for the
courses you have taken. The original point is to prove you actually did that
course to a possible employer, but it also doubles as an efficient place to
store your course notes and assignments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgJ5WoxGs5PoOKhO3P-VqDqoFK5aJxLscSxENbe3Gr9NypO6X2g9HnPE5VE1vEb7r_w8vMqLLL9PAzYBavB7K9NI13KIDSHKZ5OD9j_GMRZGfmQPGPFgL2zgfxC8ZgJZdFA0Q-H0hsSc/s1600/accredible.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEgJ5WoxGs5PoOKhO3P-VqDqoFK5aJxLscSxENbe3Gr9NypO6X2g9HnPE5VE1vEb7r_w8vMqLLL9PAzYBavB7K9NI13KIDSHKZ5OD9j_GMRZGfmQPGPFgL2zgfxC8ZgJZdFA0Q-H0hsSc/s320/accredible.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of Accredible certificate.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 17.15pt;">The page is still new and they still have some improvements to make but they seem to be heading on the right direction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 17.15pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 17.15pt;">I highly recommend you give it a try, especially to those who do online
courses in platforms like coursera, as is a good place to store online the info without the risk of getting your notes lost in your closet or HD. Highly recommended too if you want to enhance your skills
visibility for possible employers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="http://smarterer.com/" target="_blank"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #047ac6; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Smarterer</span></b></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Smarterer is a collaborative website that produces
tests about different skills and bases the difficulty of the answers in the
amount of people who managed to answer them correctly. This way provides tests
that scale in difficulty with your level for a variety of skills.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9AQZoRH50OKT9IbgA9Dbvkw38OjVhYdr4hSVYSu5nqqWfbE8opmY84AeRHbA3qOABYVae9xzi8SJ6PkpHUKLb5JwE6WAI9lsSQWerPIFKzU4tT1_EqqIV-dhj__MkbA4Me9KMNpCmGw/s1600/smarterer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio9AQZoRH50OKT9IbgA9Dbvkw38OjVhYdr4hSVYSu5nqqWfbE8opmY84AeRHbA3qOABYVae9xzi8SJ6PkpHUKLb5JwE6WAI9lsSQWerPIFKzU4tT1_EqqIV-dhj__MkbA4Me9KMNpCmGw/s320/smarterer.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of a Smarterer Scorecard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The point is that the test grades your level on the
skill and assigns a point based value, displayed on a badge on a scorecard that
you can share with others, for example, in LinkedIn (which is currently
integrated) to show others what your skill level truly is instead of just have
your personal word on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Also, highly recommended for you guys looking for a
new job.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><a href="https://about.me/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #047ac6; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">About.me</span></a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">About.me is a service that offers you a simple,
visual homepage where you can centralize your online presence. It can be linked
to all your social media accounts, your blog, and some other nice features like
your Smarterer scorecard. It´s ideal if you are looking to have a place where
people can find you or your work with ease. I´ve already created my page and i
plan to use it as a signature for emails and blogposts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 17.15pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> -----------------------------</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I hope all this pages are useful for you as they
are being for me. I´ll try to post some more webs and apps that I find interesting
during this voyage of self-discovery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-44673216352706664022013-03-07T22:51:00.001-03:002013-03-07T23:03:46.984-03:00Phantom Breaker: Battlegrounds - A chibi review<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNdCQjt_Kg4lHI0iGTCbr__AM2AWkpIEiHMTPr1Bbqc-LGHewKcmTp34tPSBAQxZ9X2oHXNmaiZ0blD-YsRoV6ncjlkFigv1OG7uvu3uBUxKFYPiy8qx7vaXlAUxm2iImJB_PtYXztK8/s1600/phantom-breaker-battle-grounds-advert.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJNdCQjt_Kg4lHI0iGTCbr__AM2AWkpIEiHMTPr1Bbqc-LGHewKcmTp34tPSBAQxZ9X2oHXNmaiZ0blD-YsRoV6ncjlkFigv1OG7uvu3uBUxKFYPiy8qx7vaXlAUxm2iImJB_PtYXztK8/s640/phantom-breaker-battle-grounds-advert.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Phantom
Breaker Battlegrounds is a recently released addition to the plethora of beat’em’ups
currently available at the Xbox Live Arcade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>With magnificent Pixel Art visuals and good chiptune music, he delivers
a lot of fun for a small price. Apparently the game is a sequel/spinoff to
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_Breaker" target="_blank">Phantom Breaker</a>, a title currently on hold on the American market and in risk of
being cancelled, so it’s good that we at least get to see a bit of this new
franchise in this game. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">From the
very moment you enter the game you will see that comparisons with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Pilgrim_vs._the_World:_The_Game" target="_blank">Scott Pilgrimvs the World</a> will be unavoidable, as the game offers the same high quality
pixel art, and the menus and HUD look practically the same. What sets aside
both games? Well, both have their highs and lows, and while they look tailored
to the same audience, you will feel that having one won’t necessarily set you appart from playing
the other.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Setting</span></b></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Phantom
Break is set in a hypothetical Japan where young ones have received powers and
weapons from an unknown entity called Phantom, urging them to fight with
promises of various wishes. The use of those powers affects the space-time
fabric, causing Phantom to release itself into the world. Battlegrounds is set
after the events of that game, where Nagi, the sister of one of the
protagonists is kidnapped and the team needs to rescue them facing Phantom’s
minions on an alternate mirror dimension of Japan.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gameplay</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Unlike
Scott Pilgrim, gameplay in Phantom Break is based mainly on combos and special
abilities. No items to grab and throw through the screen. Instead all
characters have a weak, medium and strong attack button commands, plus a
special attack command. Combining those leads to insane combos that can be
button mashed or tailored to your needs depending on how you feel like
playing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFDbeiZpdx_w5BKot4-EbLg5g3hjEWzeizE1002TNo7VYpYmylyoI1pgGwCpVx8tpCsxkLluI9c1OBteoE3P-hpjaVglhz2LPn08HLFQdXq6M8xq0L8S1t503XtPn3rZKIJla519cVQg/s1600/pbbg+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFFDbeiZpdx_w5BKot4-EbLg5g3hjEWzeizE1002TNo7VYpYmylyoI1pgGwCpVx8tpCsxkLluI9c1OBteoE3P-hpjaVglhz2LPn08HLFQdXq6M8xq0L8S1t503XtPn3rZKIJla519cVQg/s400/pbbg+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Punching through enemies is fast and furious... specially if you play Cocoa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Button
combinations will also trigger special abilities like ranged attacks, blocks,
c</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ounter attacks… Doing defensive abilities is easy as usually involves pressing
an attack button at the moment of the hit, which probably you would be doing
anyway, so overall the game feels more accessible to players all ages and
doesn’t feel as technical and punishing as Scott Pilgrim once you know the
tricks of the trade. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The stage
is set in two depth levels where you and enemies can switch back and forth
during gameplay. This helps minimize the frustrating feeling of pixel-guessing
while trying to hit an enemy that is not in the same plane as yours as it
happens in some free movement classics like Streets of Rage. The system has his
flaws though, and it does not exempt all cases: Flying enemies do not vary
enough in size when switching as to know when they are in the front or later
row, so you will see yourself jumping like an idiot a lot on some stages. Also,
as the game goes on and enemies grow in size, the front row can virtually
blackout the back row vision witch can leave you helpless to enemies ganging on
you from unexpected sides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CzSom8AbkKwEFz9o5cpn0FhyphenhyphenNy6QIDQUHPqcysbDH7Cb8HoAQD-5dZ1PAlC2UYgk7t2lLlTbRdVi6Bk7VyqMCoUI5d0n_9FhQOJKo3JYlKKM_Clkh0J9GbBYoHq1a1wm5Jou1pCsG4w/s1600/pbbg+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3CzSom8AbkKwEFz9o5cpn0FhyphenhyphenNy6QIDQUHPqcysbDH7Cb8HoAQD-5dZ1PAlC2UYgk7t2lLlTbRdVi6Bk7VyqMCoUI5d0n_9FhQOJKo3JYlKKM_Clkh0J9GbBYoHq1a1wm5Jou1pCsG4w/s400/pbbg+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you go to the back line when facing big enemies you are pretty much blindfighting.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Story and
Game Pace</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While the
story is not the main point of the game it helps the game moving forward with a
nice pace, and helps alleviate some other faults of the game. Humor is always
present and various emotion animations created especially for the characters
during their story interludes are<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>nice
and help build up a bit on the characters personalities in a game that has not
much room for that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Sadly, some
internal jokes or info on the series seems to have been lost in translation and
you will see yourself wandering why Cocoa doesn’t want a random demon egg
smashed, so far as to sell her allegiance, or some puns impossible to translate
like the “Panda Cocoa” joke late in game.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPJ-v6c4v6i5IFx-6sQ2z07SFKR3duIKqSaOL6c6ehmPek8KbMDivPL-yd_7Vcn2XSfr5F9e5tvEn7XlxrJSKCOqECtYodjvHZ5Gox2wrn5rDrnrqneUjJE8t1HmzE3xv6enkbKuWrlg/s1600/pbbg+chars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="105" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYPJ-v6c4v6i5IFx-6sQ2z07SFKR3duIKqSaOL6c6ehmPek8KbMDivPL-yd_7Vcn2XSfr5F9e5tvEn7XlxrJSKCOqECtYodjvHZ5Gox2wrn5rDrnrqneUjJE8t1HmzE3xv6enkbKuWrlg/s400/pbbg+chars.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The four starters feature different playstyles and a lot of Moe!.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The game
also suffers from a very weird plot decision that lead to a completely
anticlimactic development: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somewhere
near the end of the game you will face Phantom, M and Cocoa together in a
rooftop, in a very climatic scene that could have been a nice game ender, to be
then thrown into a labyrintic maze that lags down the game pace, and later into
a monotonous background cave with an easy final boss never before introduced
during the game plot (still being a major antagonist on the main series).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This makes the last stages a bit of a
disappointing ending for a game that was really fun and engaging.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Character Design
and Progression</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With 4
starting characters, plus 6 unlockables and some crossover DLC characters
coming in next days, the game offers quite a lot of variety when choosing your
chibi maiden in distress. Every one of the girls (and guy) features 10 color
schemes to choose from can be switched later on. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">All of them
look distinctly different both in design and gameplay, especially once they
start to unlock their special abilities. Thus you will have some fast hit and
runners like the shuriken throwing Yuzuha, some who prefer grabs and rush-down
tactics like Cocoa, or range-keepers like Waka and her sister Nagi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Characters
will level up based on the amount of red drops of experience they catch while
fighting. This will allow more points to be distributed on their character
sheet, with 3 stats and an ability progression tree that, while being the same
for everyone, will perform very different on every character, depending if he
favors combo or special abilities. The best of it is that the skill tree and
stats are customizable between stages, so if a certain configuration didn’t
suit your needs you can just redo it for the next game.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQURQPibuh41jCDNgKgiA1NmF99tSjFG5Su1xfrSB8MiBCtOigi_t1EojXbdFFdxDe9a9UqTLfRbceBAg_7DDNAnKbfAvGKeNuJQS1yWslaB6rkuKw7QBg7QYOV6dsBRjcA-HP5Y6IV9s/s1600/pbbg+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQURQPibuh41jCDNgKgiA1NmF99tSjFG5Su1xfrSB8MiBCtOigi_t1EojXbdFFdxDe9a9UqTLfRbceBAg_7DDNAnKbfAvGKeNuJQS1yWslaB6rkuKw7QBg7QYOV6dsBRjcA-HP5Y6IV9s/s400/pbbg+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's see... how I'd like to mince my enemies today?<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This gives
the game a lot of replayability and a more distinct feeling to the characters
so changing characters does not just feel like switching skins, but actually a
gameplay style decision.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Visuals and
Music</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The game
visuals are stunning, without doubt. While the menus are simple, the characters
and backgrounds have a lot of detail and personality, especially on the city stages,
where you can lose yourself admiring all the pretty details in the background.
On the other side though, some of the last the stages do not have as much variety and charisma in their backgrounds (yet are still impressive to behold as a pixelart masterwork). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY7tngzIsAHmUIeozsoKMmdLOLl7S7wEl0hsE4WGzOE-D6X0r7Zo61155wdB56HpiZ2WZcCeKx_jDHy0tHqTa9f_uCMyR-mzR-H4s4Yu_3GfngXPQ6-_sJ8fshAF7VGBOWrhyvDDeMbY/s1600/pbbg+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigY7tngzIsAHmUIeozsoKMmdLOLl7S7wEl0hsE4WGzOE-D6X0r7Zo61155wdB56HpiZ2WZcCeKx_jDHy0tHqTa9f_uCMyR-mzR-H4s4Yu_3GfngXPQ6-_sJ8fshAF7VGBOWrhyvDDeMbY/s400/pbbg+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at that store in the background!! It looks so good you´ll actually want to be there!<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Enemies are
pretty varied as well offering a range of various variations in each of the
designs, not just a pallet swap. While the first monsters modeled after nerds
and ganguro girls are somewhat strange, the evangelion-esque demons or the
shrine maidens appearing later on are very cool. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Music is
good old chiptune, it plays nice and gets you into the atmosphere, but by any
means manages to rival the awesome music that Anamanaguchi composed for Scott
Pilgrim vs the World. I don’t particularly remember any stage music, what
pretty much says that the music isn’t that memorable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Closing
Comments</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Overall,
Phantom Breaker is a great game for his price. Though it feels somewhat shorter
than his most direct counterpart, the amount of variety in characters and
customization totally makes up for it. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b><span style="color: #274e13;">You will
like it:</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you are an old school gamer or
have a passion for anime graphics.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you enjoy cooperative games, be
it couch or online.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><b><span style="color: #990000;">You won’t
like it:</span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you are expecting a long and
entwining story.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you are too young to understand
the beauty of pixelart and chiptunes.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxteHuLOwBzgdgVqCTDhj_dgM8S2nckcFSX2gCu4wkx-BmCPkqFfxY-T72VWJ8U3cV0b-wNviwTgQhzxOoum0tr5l3t2DIau3OYjBGraCAS6jCTpazWAg3yjVknyoD1gc76Xp-nwLhV5k/s1600/pbbg+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxteHuLOwBzgdgVqCTDhj_dgM8S2nckcFSX2gCu4wkx-BmCPkqFfxY-T72VWJ8U3cV0b-wNviwTgQhzxOoum0tr5l3t2DIau3OYjBGraCAS6jCTpazWAg3yjVknyoD1gc76Xp-nwLhV5k/s400/pbbg+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A DLC is set to be released this month featuring... Kurisu Makise!! A treat for Steins Gate fans!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-43506016316436658412013-02-18T21:22:00.000-03:002013-02-18T21:24:33.297-03:00Sasami-san@GambaranaiWell, i guess it's time t start with season 2 of Missing Spagonia, and i'm doing so with a recommendation of a great series that is running this season.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKCkSbgQYMnK0zbn08rfnkJ6f4rdeb2xrZTq_6XmIumM0yE73bLWrt0WF6tjVnPtOomSXMfpmsDOIymAyX9T1qbyrcDHneH6bfHS_x6pPdu9Y1u0LxZlSXgcO6cKcotQnfE0wAcXzozA/s1600/sasami2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRKCkSbgQYMnK0zbn08rfnkJ6f4rdeb2xrZTq_6XmIumM0yE73bLWrt0WF6tjVnPtOomSXMfpmsDOIymAyX9T1qbyrcDHneH6bfHS_x6pPdu9Y1u0LxZlSXgcO6cKcotQnfE0wAcXzozA/s400/sasami2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sasami-san@Gambaranai follows the story of the hikikomori girl Sasami, after which the story is named. She lives secluded in her room dwelling on the internets for most of the time while her brother Kamiomi teaches at a local school.<br />
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Nothing would be notable if it weren't because Sasami and Kamiomi are heirs to the power of the godess <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amaterasu" target="_blank">Amaterasu</a>, which can shape and twist reality to their user's will. This is not explained until episode 2 and not clearly identifiable in episode one wich makes the first episode very random and fun to watch, as lots of weird shit start to happen for no apparent reason, reminding of the classic Gainax anime <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FLCL" target="_blank">Furi-Kuri</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQySdF3QU0u_Ldkf92_ZwOaWAowlLtlCk3ukgD2TZ2pOUPCuUFW7BP1Mxu5cJvDg_7_iTOv4t2tAkznKHW7b4XnAlFfm8sab5PZpnXyhO9KvQaY1GVjccor1Wwer2H8RZM5sDOSC-EROs/s1600/sasami4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQySdF3QU0u_Ldkf92_ZwOaWAowlLtlCk3ukgD2TZ2pOUPCuUFW7BP1Mxu5cJvDg_7_iTOv4t2tAkznKHW7b4XnAlFfm8sab5PZpnXyhO9KvQaY1GVjccor1Wwer2H8RZM5sDOSC-EROs/s320/sasami4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing says insanity like unwanted appendages.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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During the following episodes the series goes on various explanations that clear everything up, from the insane situations to the strange incestuous relation between Sasami and his brother or even Kamiomi's habit of covering his face with the most ridiculous objects at hand.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRZASUSe1pfkARE85ZD3Rp86i-aUTyUFCvw_f_8SUJUZ6HSmZVydml9tzz-OlPEsz_VT3AeQlJP7rf19XA36TDAIdFWWLrUPQ7heSVhioJHw8FeeY0tsZp7ry07LtkEyoPnqEBXBqHwg/s1600/sasami5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRZASUSe1pfkARE85ZD3Rp86i-aUTyUFCvw_f_8SUJUZ6HSmZVydml9tzz-OlPEsz_VT3AeQlJP7rf19XA36TDAIdFWWLrUPQ7heSVhioJHw8FeeY0tsZp7ry07LtkEyoPnqEBXBqHwg/s320/sasami5.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kamiomi using her innate ninja ability for hiding in plain sight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The action in the stories is provided by the three Yagami sisters (named after<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Regalia_of_Japan" target="_blank"> the three godly treasures of japan: The sword, the mirror and the magatama</a>). This trio of godly origin try to maintain order in the city and protect Sasami from the chaotic situations that their powers cause.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVabS18tbWQWU7F79JluYUQ9esbeCfsuo6w9C5Pdv9zb_1lhEusvsh-zoXMR_jtS4szy_8gVNivLTKwdQG0xVRTGSxKVBIi5heLDu_Rr5uCYG8G5niqgBXnxy4NKbo6T-yjPmcznT844/s1600/sasami1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkVabS18tbWQWU7F79JluYUQ9esbeCfsuo6w9C5Pdv9zb_1lhEusvsh-zoXMR_jtS4szy_8gVNivLTKwdQG0xVRTGSxKVBIi5heLDu_Rr5uCYG8G5niqgBXnxy4NKbo6T-yjPmcznT844/s320/sasami1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peace through the use of superior firepower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The animation in the series can't be qualified less than superb: Beautiful colors and textures, mixed with lots of artistic effects make for a delightful experience that surely will make lots of anime appreciators shudder in pleasure.<br />
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The animation is also notably better than most animes nowadays and the combat scenes look both dynamic and spectacular, but still perfectly readable so you always know what is going on scene.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaYYyemU9HlHwnGWNAUg5eBbPNHe3q_x8_lB3I0AJnyB9-6UlcA-FYEhBBz5Tu3S5tH-lJP3elQZfbwzOrjtPaETkqmJ5180z5uEmW4Ot9DbktVSu-ft7JiI1CjEWyrpAxsz6RePGyec/s1600/sasami3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPaYYyemU9HlHwnGWNAUg5eBbPNHe3q_x8_lB3I0AJnyB9-6UlcA-FYEhBBz5Tu3S5tH-lJP3elQZfbwzOrjtPaETkqmJ5180z5uEmW4Ot9DbktVSu-ft7JiI1CjEWyrpAxsz6RePGyec/s320/sasami3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sasami´s attempts to escape her seclusion are among the best animated on the series.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Overall i'm having a great time watching this series and i hope for new episodes to be released.<br />
Sasami-san @ Gambaranai is a breath of fresh air in an anime industry that has seemed very stale in the last years with very few notable animes worth mentioning.<br />
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I'm having really high hopes that this one will set a new benchwark and pave the way for new high quality animes.Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-71622383049198491412012-11-14T22:07:00.000-02:002012-11-14T22:07:45.326-02:00Cynthia: The mission - a manga review<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF8fqzWsF_frfzqJ1aWVxECnnWO9kqJuA6fWEef7X6y_zln97C-1AskmPaOMZPjm4fR156xKTNjv16IIopDby_qmmT32BV3oxK10spNW7hAPpoPn7bg5z78j6qSGAPGQRiDt2RP7V21s/s1600/61MX5B1DGNL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOF8fqzWsF_frfzqJ1aWVxECnnWO9kqJuA6fWEef7X6y_zln97C-1AskmPaOMZPjm4fR156xKTNjv16IIopDby_qmmT32BV3oxK10spNW7hAPpoPn7bg5z78j6qSGAPGQRiDt2RP7V21s/s400/61MX5B1DGNL.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Cynthia the mission is a martial arts shounen i had my eyes on for quite some time. Some weeks ago i managed to find some time to read it and i must say it has surprised me greatly... for the most unexpected reasons.</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Plot</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Cynthia revolves about a teenager loli who works as a hitman for the HongKong mafia. As heir of the family business and kung fu techniques, Cynthia was trained by the best assassins his old grandpa could pay for, mastering infiltration, espionage, gunfight and sword-fighting.</div>
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After the mafia sends her to japan to finish off a rival mafia leader, Cynthia's team is eradicated by a mysterious fighter, leaving her as the lone survivor. While investigating about the mysterious assassin, she loses her will to fight and instead tries to leave her past behind by becoming a regular student, and finding a bunch of new friends, each of one as dangerous fighter as she was.</div>
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Obviously, it doesn't take long for the Hong Kong mafia to want Cynthia back.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOZLXEiGzbPmvriuxdA2V2U7h1LeeXkMny5umVmqUPlUUras4w0Uvmm-J2dXzdCg2-zfZWVbOUR3iIS8YasQZ5FiGb9MCWORoWVHA9McMinYUVvGa4B3sgWAHRggZctRUo1ChyphenhyphenB9TAPE/s1600/IMG_0182%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvOZLXEiGzbPmvriuxdA2V2U7h1LeeXkMny5umVmqUPlUUras4w0Uvmm-J2dXzdCg2-zfZWVbOUR3iIS8YasQZ5FiGb9MCWORoWVHA9McMinYUVvGa4B3sgWAHRggZctRUo1ChyphenhyphenB9TAPE/s320/IMG_0182%255B1%255D.JPG" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Assasins come to retrieve the loli in a regular basis.</td></tr>
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<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Characters</span></h2>
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The problem with Cynthia starts at the very title. This isn't a manga about Cynthia but about the awesome characters she meets in japan. As new characters are entering the scene you realize all of them are way cooler and have more interesting stories that the hitman loli, making Cynthia progressively slide out off the fighting scene. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtW3nRVYUhxfGhcZunuWokdmvteMGALgyzwARNrTJ2hbwl8zqMCSIyhph8yvsG6hlCtVFzqCeNgOoy0SNWAd2gE30w4WuojNUUH_HgGUE70GZEnwqOyqVHA41l0SfDTOeT7bX_f1aAms/s1600/IMG_0178%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtW3nRVYUhxfGhcZunuWokdmvteMGALgyzwARNrTJ2hbwl8zqMCSIyhph8yvsG6hlCtVFzqCeNgOoy0SNWAd2gE30w4WuojNUUH_HgGUE70GZEnwqOyqVHA41l0SfDTOeT7bX_f1aAms/s320/IMG_0178%255B1%255D.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Both good and bad guys have some story to tell... even that faceless guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
A split personality girl who hides a killer boy inside (responsible for massacrating Cynthia's team), a high school <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=banchou" target="_blank">Banchou</a> girl, a teacher heir of an ancient mind controlling technique, a pro-boxer...</div>
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All of them have cool stories and design and can match in strength or even overpower Cynthia. Additionally, they have a lot of starring time as the manga focuses heavily on long flashbacks from times where the loli was not involved. </div>
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This goes for foes as well. With original yet interesting designs and enough story to make you really care for them. You will really feel bad when the bad guys are trashed or die.</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Violence as a narrative resource</span></h2>
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While not being over the top, Cynthia shows good artwork and well drawn fighting scenes. The art is clean and kinetic lines do not disturb the flow of the story, that is generally bright, shifting constantly between tension and comedy,</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pzolxCz2mnnv9dZCjGylc59h0VeIHd9_Ni-bDIUCXj5jGGd-b126cinRdf5pFvd5steK9EFUHbt2KD75zXKEl-XEXGiIEAolCFDmD7Dto2NeGGe43d0z-sQ45lVpNv5YPJ5mulDb8mQ/s1600/IMG_0180%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1pzolxCz2mnnv9dZCjGylc59h0VeIHd9_Ni-bDIUCXj5jGGd-b126cinRdf5pFvd5steK9EFUHbt2KD75zXKEl-XEXGiIEAolCFDmD7Dto2NeGGe43d0z-sQ45lVpNv5YPJ5mulDb8mQ/s320/IMG_0180%255B1%255D.JPG" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The love story of the boxer and the banchou grabs you right from the start.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some people may distance from this title as violence is plenty, brutal and explicit in Cynthia.</div>
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Bones are painfully broken and some organs may even find it's way out of the bodies from time to time. This added to the fact that most characters are ruthless assassins or completely psycho gives a lot of room for painful imagination.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ionCOM54MJUVDpiAB3S7Epws9JkOXCbIoa1HtjLCfiCS5cwl014UojVhakxcxMVRmX2PJTEJEspZRV-1YRK3t9zXa51KYTjyCCFPvv0CikmXGyYbfVQO9JVrfB2CsB5H_1SAh4mkj8/s1600/IMG_0181%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF1ionCOM54MJUVDpiAB3S7Epws9JkOXCbIoa1HtjLCfiCS5cwl014UojVhakxcxMVRmX2PJTEJEspZRV-1YRK3t9zXa51KYTjyCCFPvv0CikmXGyYbfVQO9JVrfB2CsB5H_1SAh4mkj8/s320/IMG_0181%255B1%255D.JPG" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Losing your virginity... the painful way.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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But, while other manga show violence just for the sake of violence, in Cynthia violence is instead used masterfully as a plot hook that keeps you grabbed to the reading.</div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
For the first time in my life i read a shounen where wounds feel real. Bones are not magically restored, organs do not come back and scars are there for you to know the beating the character has taken... And of course, death is death. </div>
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Characters carry with them every single scar they have taken from the beginning of the series to every next appearance, and those scars that were made before will probably be explained in a later flashback. After every fight they will usually spend some time at the hospital and, as real athletes, they'll have to train to hone the skills that have rusted while inactive on bed. </div>
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Most characters won't fight more than 3 or 4 times during the series, mostly due to being through recovery or aware of the risks of the fighting. Even Cynthia who is a veteran killer is later revealed to have performed around 13 assassinations only (not counting collateral henchmen damage). This makes your heart come to a stop when you see some of your favorite characters (or even villains) are stabbed, disfigured or maimed. You know every wound will be there for the chapters to come... Or might end with the character at once.</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Whose mission?</span></h2>
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Cynthia is kind of strange when it comes to protagonist roles and drama point definitions.</div>
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During the first volume Cynthia is a cold blood killer, not having any remorse or doubts when having to kill her former master in her very first mission in the series, a scene that would probably be much more impressive if it was left for later.The interest of the author in starting the manga with this seems to hint he wanted to reinforce this dissafection for life, but in the very same volume Cynthia turns unexplainably to be an innocent lamb and lose her will to fight just because a bunch of unknown henchmen were killed.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MSW6zwT08HNuwjkDMNPdl-x71GhdP4NTD1cT8kJRiFARWZ3KR0EiYGD4x04k9LDEnXsw0KmEITiMKcq6v4wX-ixXzY3e8OO4YyRCLPP82p6rp3RlOB_NYM9vltmG8xUgXkAdy_99xLc/s1600/IMG_0177%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0MSW6zwT08HNuwjkDMNPdl-x71GhdP4NTD1cT8kJRiFARWZ3KR0EiYGD4x04k9LDEnXsw0KmEITiMKcq6v4wX-ixXzY3e8OO4YyRCLPP82p6rp3RlOB_NYM9vltmG8xUgXkAdy_99xLc/s320/IMG_0177%255B1%255D.JPG" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well... maybe having her brain turned to dust had some impact.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
From volume 2 to the last in the series she only takes part as the main character in 2 major plot line fights, as she basically avoids most combat and she was not present in japan during the numerous flashbacks. This creates a bizarre situation as you end up having no interest whatsoever in Cynthia and she becomes just an excuse to tell everyone else's story.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
During the following chapters her story seems to be stalled until the appearance of her sister who sets up the final story arc, and by then you kinda have let go already on the character. This makes Cynthia progressively fall back as a background comedic character, losing all the appeal she should have as a reliable and strong shounen character, which is a pity.</div>
<h2>
<span style="font-size: small;">Summing up</span></h2>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Cynthia the mission is a great manga but it suffers from an inconsistent main character. Thankfully compensates with a thrilling story for secondary roles that pack lots of charisma.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Art is great and combat vicious and thrilling, so if you are into shounen manga and you don't mind the bloodspilling, you should really give it a try.</div>
<h2>
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: small;">You'll like it:</span></h2>
If you like combat to be thrilling yet credible.<br />
You grow attached to characters.<br />
You like your blood with a dose of humour.<br />
<h2>
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: small;">You won't like it:</span></h2>
If you don't like excessive violence.<br />
You like to follow just one main story.<br />
You looking for a rememberable main character.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIf8a_M1iMaqCUoBXTx99vpegB3A5OPM-jWYlQ6WDJL8x8PqTsUdsZBhXSedWUMYrM6Ntl8YRSb8cNwQi08b0-Zp-fc9ShyqJyV4gr4_1xMkWgwrh5KzJq3JLm7LpXQOLeySOKmCT5uVM/s1600/IMG_0179%255B1%255D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIf8a_M1iMaqCUoBXTx99vpegB3A5OPM-jWYlQ6WDJL8x8PqTsUdsZBhXSedWUMYrM6Ntl8YRSb8cNwQi08b0-Zp-fc9ShyqJyV4gr4_1xMkWgwrh5KzJq3JLm7LpXQOLeySOKmCT5uVM/s320/IMG_0179%255B1%255D.JPG" width="281" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The country of fighting? Seriously?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-47971429104102716032012-10-16T22:56:00.000-03:002012-10-16T22:56:55.482-03:00Neuroshima Hex - A board game Review<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-6GPuPbeoKTUgyfTpMv0oEgp64jQIjguMYMe2JTCKF2NVwxnuFXqtGD2gZLZKqVlUTjz8wTxh_N_gudIbuh6Kyw9qCoCBZkopKAGcUBREEebx7LR2k0UWQ0wuYWwc8QpIKHMdhjGJSk/s1600/neuro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-6GPuPbeoKTUgyfTpMv0oEgp64jQIjguMYMe2JTCKF2NVwxnuFXqtGD2gZLZKqVlUTjz8wTxh_N_gudIbuh6Kyw9qCoCBZkopKAGcUBREEebx7LR2k0UWQ0wuYWwc8QpIKHMdhjGJSk/s400/neuro.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One of my favorite board games is getting a new ios app update: Featuring the newest army <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/121425/neuroshima-hex-steel-police" target="_blank">Steel Police</a> Neuroshima Hex number of armies rises to a grand total of 9!! </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you haven't give it a try yet, now it´s a great time to start!!</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">The game</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Neuroshima Hex is a polish tactical board-game
for 2 to 4 players based in an obscure polish RPG called Neuroshima and has
gotten a <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/neuroshima-hex/id391297152?mt=8" target="_blank">pretty successful adaptation for iOS</a> and Android. The game sets us as the
commander of a post-apocalyptic army during conflicts for supremacy on the
barren wastelands of a devastated USA.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Neuroshima’s premise is simple: the good and
old “kill’em all”. Translated to game mechanics:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you have to tear down your opponents
headquarters, or be the one with more life points remaining when the dust sets.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The battlefield is set on a small board of
hexes where players will have to set their troops and maneuver to overpower all
the opposing armies into submission. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Each turn, the player will receive at
random 3 hex “cards” from his stack of available resources. They will then choose
one of them to be discarded and up to two to be used or placed on the board. Any
hex not used or discarded will remain in your hand and since you draw until
having 3 hexes in hand there is really not a solid reason to hold on to them,
so you pretty much always play 2 hexes per turn.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2D7ZI-j_6pDX9Vqs0207CR8zXt4qtAjSL3cpNqtzlwwbmIf1Iaq-QC8BE9uakBbQKXfpZSLElu4ABC26nyBiigTzlTQvfXwTCDXwUzlXNjiNMemNr85iKqP4DaSq5DuFxf6icSZZXzBA/s1600/IMG_0002.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2D7ZI-j_6pDX9Vqs0207CR8zXt4qtAjSL3cpNqtzlwwbmIf1Iaq-QC8BE9uakBbQKXfpZSLElu4ABC26nyBiigTzlTQvfXwTCDXwUzlXNjiNMemNr85iKqP4DaSq5DuFxf6icSZZXzBA/s320/IMG_0002.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 tiles... yet so many options.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Battle hostilities will only start when a
player plays a “Battle!” hex from hand, or when the board is full, so you are
never quite sure when battle can begin unless you play the battle card yourself.
This forces you to always be wary of every movement and placement on the board
as to react accordingly and keeps the tension always high in a cold-war like
style.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Battle</span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh809bpg1EFHbiUJvV8IACmWuzsXlMelvwkne0XTI3FSGgQdZj8xFRiSYzGyxOaEFMyaSLKXi5ybY7XZ9XegVXpZVDubMjbwQ8QRp8j3gAEtNRe8N5L2QmpC49lAb_7vaBZfhUTCac2Fao/s1600/blogslider+board2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Every troop hex has one initiative stat, and
may have a various number of attack powers in every facing of his hex, as well
as some special abilities. This makes positioning and facing crucial as you may
be a monster facing one certain direction and a harmless hex while facing <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the wrong side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr></tr>
<tr></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When battle starts, attacks will resolve in
decreasing initiative order. Starting with the highest initiative, all hex will
attack their targets and place damage, when all of them have attacked, damage
will be calculated and casualties will be removed from the board before
proceeding to the next initiative tier. This means controlling initiative is a
crucial point of the tactics in play, as you can eliminate potential threads
before they are able to attack and harm<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>your much powerful but slower units.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh809bpg1EFHbiUJvV8IACmWuzsXlMelvwkne0XTI3FSGgQdZj8xFRiSYzGyxOaEFMyaSLKXi5ybY7XZ9XegVXpZVDubMjbwQ8QRp8j3gAEtNRe8N5L2QmpC49lAb_7vaBZfhUTCac2Fao/s1600/blogslider+board2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh809bpg1EFHbiUJvV8IACmWuzsXlMelvwkne0XTI3FSGgQdZj8xFRiSYzGyxOaEFMyaSLKXi5ybY7XZ9XegVXpZVDubMjbwQ8QRp8j3gAEtNRe8N5L2QmpC49lAb_7vaBZfhUTCac2Fao/s400/blogslider+board2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Each troop and army has a different flavour, fitting various play styles.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Some hexes
have special abilities, giving extra healing capabilities, extra attacks or
initiative boosts for the troops around them, while some play as instantaneous
effects that allow you to snipe enemies, nuke them or even make them turn
cloaks.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Multiplayer</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While the game plays the same for all armies, factions
are asymmetric and their troops and special actions are usually focused to
enhance one type of play. Thus, faction specializations vary from close combat,
to ranged, to mobility… some even have the ability to turn enemies into their
own troops! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This makes the game very dynamic, and due to
the randomness factor of the hex drafting, you will rarely see a typical
pattern that players stick too. This makes it more a tactical game that
strategic, as you cannot plan in advance and are always reacting to the very
specific conditions on the board. This also means that a significant amount of luck is involved though, which may annoy some players. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuwcHjTVD8hvzdeFlxMXBXlFkiXfctSeQK5kDKjeIJTPI-e_GZqxrrmfmB7HFU3Oq1TVAdii_j_TDhnUn_fu0WizZUT_iLEuZiTR1Y5lN0rimX2qXewZ_3KWO21Fn3qMqcbWJ6-B3XyM/s1600/IMG_0004.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguuwcHjTVD8hvzdeFlxMXBXlFkiXfctSeQK5kDKjeIJTPI-e_GZqxrrmfmB7HFU3Oq1TVAdii_j_TDhnUn_fu0WizZUT_iLEuZiTR1Y5lN0rimX2qXewZ_3KWO21Fn3qMqcbWJ6-B3XyM/s320/IMG_0004.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The game features 4 different armies, but there are lots of expansions which further the choices.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The design of the board is one of my favorite
points of the game due to its deviousness. By being hexagonal and tiny, players
can’t easily position themselves symmetrically and can’t flee from the fight.
In 4 player games, the board gets crowded very fast, and as many hexes have
multiple attack sides, there is no way that you can maintain alliances or
non-aggressions. Everyone is forced into a battle royale, and being like this
for everyone people don’t get so upset when you target them.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;">Overall:</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">A fun
and fast game to play. It will keep you coming once and again until you try all
different armies and manage to get a hold of their strategies, and even then
you still be coming back just for the mindless fun of a 4 player game battle
royale. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I definitely recommend this one for people used to tactical games, but
i should not throw it at casual gamers as may probably scare them off. Also purist strategists may find it unappealing due to the luck factor and the fact they can´t plan in a long term focus.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #38761d;">You will
like it:</span></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you
are into some fast thoughtful fun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If people
who hide in multiplayer games annoy you.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">You like collecting expansions</span></div>
<h3>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">You
won’t like it:</span></span></span></h3>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you
can’t focus on more than one thing at a time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you
like long term strategic planning and a luck based draft sound too casual.</span></div>
Post-apocaliptic settings scare you.Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-38310542281536045432012-10-12T11:39:00.000-03:002012-10-12T11:39:17.532-03:00Groove Catch for iOS - Small review<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8b77_3b_oNXFG_pqSGZAHl1KUeiapJWRsYmMMt-0bo9TbP8Y2i8ZdtVdbeerk_ekIdWvV7Ksnoo_K463pvTe91CNwgzv4eaZJbPr_79As2n4pXZlqMe69J8DeMqUrWnzaNIVI_R8qSc/s1600/Groove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR8b77_3b_oNXFG_pqSGZAHl1KUeiapJWRsYmMMt-0bo9TbP8Y2i8ZdtVdbeerk_ekIdWvV7Ksnoo_K463pvTe91CNwgzv4eaZJbPr_79As2n4pXZlqMe69J8DeMqUrWnzaNIVI_R8qSc/s400/Groove.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This last
weeks i´ve been spending some time with rythm games on the ipad so i´m gonna
make a small review of some of them that have caught my interest.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Groove
Catch</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Groove
Catch is a fun game that features lots and lots of cool
music to play with. </span>4 modes are
available all of them played on portrait screen mode.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the
first two ones, notes appear on the screen while a line marks the tempo going
top to down on the screen and reappearing back on top at the end. When the tempo line hits the notes you have
to activate them to count toward your score depending on your precision with
the timing. On one mode you touch directly on the notes on the screen (like
Ouendan or Elite Beat Agents) while on the other a small keyboard at the bottom
of the screen is your activation method, in a gimmick to Guitar Hero/Rock Band.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWxhnHKfmtE9JalVzq9wDv4orWY5COHpZGaAl1xX0zbXNjs-6THU3DkkjV8Too1VQWicuBaGHR73zwgEiH2P2Q41Zt-fvxKOaLXc0q5S3LYOP_Z9GM8261SrTegCT8jFbAndNrHGjjHI/s1600/IMG_0055.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWxhnHKfmtE9JalVzq9wDv4orWY5COHpZGaAl1xX0zbXNjs-6THU3DkkjV8Too1VQWicuBaGHR73zwgEiH2P2Q41Zt-fvxKOaLXc0q5S3LYOP_Z9GM8261SrTegCT8jFbAndNrHGjjHI/s320/IMG_0055.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anime graphics are plenty. Including that chibi version of Cutie Pai´s Vocalist.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The two
others are a bit different and instead become a Catch game where you have to get
as much of the falling fruits and ice cream as possible. The modes are in fact variants
of the same game which different control modes, be it touch or tilt-based.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Groove Catch features 3 difficulty modes for each track, but also tracks range a lot in
speed which also increases difficulty. This that should be a good point is kind
of confusing as you will find that even in easy mode some tracks are insanely
difficult! To make things worse, when you start missing some notes an alarm
sound starts to play and the screen starts to blink in intense red: result it’s
even more difficult to see the notes and hear the tune when losing, effectively
killing you for good. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74-dNbv7xMkCY2csVy4JGDLMUZIIlYNE-q4virXGS2-DC4fZFw0qVyXNbPXPE-vmfBO-u3LdwDychJ_mNyBndWPUaWp9LYN84jIOexJWp-WGeCpbnCtmBPpbQhMiaPEy9Lap8z9BGsWk/s1600/IMG_0052.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg74-dNbv7xMkCY2csVy4JGDLMUZIIlYNE-q4virXGS2-DC4fZFw0qVyXNbPXPE-vmfBO-u3LdwDychJ_mNyBndWPUaWp9LYN84jIOexJWp-WGeCpbnCtmBPpbQhMiaPEy9Lap8z9BGsWk/s320/IMG_0052.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where is your skill now?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The game
features a lot of music from indie Japanese bands, with very diverse music
styles that will send you from the Vocaloid tunes of Hatsune Miku to the rock
of Broken Doll and back to the j-pop of the girl band Cutie Pai. Some
electronic tunes and even gothic can be found for those fans of Ali Project.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The game is
now priced at 1$ (it was 3$) and has 14 playable tracks (the developer has
already promised 5 more on the next update), and 14 more buyable DLC tracks –
At 1$ each. (With more to come, too). While it does not seem very different proportion from other music games. The fact of
seeing so many locked tracks in a game you have already paid for kind of makes you feel like you were tricked. I
think they seriously need to place a store somewhere in the app to leave the locked songs there, as it gets annoying to have them mixed with the songs you bought
already.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YvtXzg0C6sfyQ40v1a6bgOGBCxXeUQxPObygOmu1DYxJK6Zdb9zHPy3hJwm3cEtW6pgXzRXdYPidLaoRrbpVz4CbhHhh0oVfZ00FW7bMkN6bCGUh1laTPjHlQOtGmdoV8L6d5A9rVUA/s1600/IMG_0053.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YvtXzg0C6sfyQ40v1a6bgOGBCxXeUQxPObygOmu1DYxJK6Zdb9zHPy3hJwm3cEtW6pgXzRXdYPidLaoRrbpVz4CbhHhh0oVfZ00FW7bMkN6bCGUh1laTPjHlQOtGmdoV8L6d5A9rVUA/s320/IMG_0053.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The game and the store being mixed is quite annoying.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">As a side
note, the developer offers the possibility for other indie bands to feature in
their game and get them to be known, which I find to be a very nice symbiotic
initiative. The game also enhances this by publicizing the artist´s itunes
albums, so if you like the tunes you have quick access to a place where to buy
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">You will like it:</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are into japanese music and vocaloid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You like insanely difficult rythm games.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>You won’t like it:</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If high pitch voices annoy you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you don't like being continuously rubbed in the face the DLC you don't want to buy.</span></div>
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Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-84588911810504779692012-10-07T12:13:00.003-03:002012-10-07T12:15:18.151-03:00Busou Shinki: First Impressions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHb98F9u8RZry_-hVYWBj_mzsvdGN8tuPM9XmT-miRJJcuoCCA5BuhXPn_-wzyor07DNZORkAqx6kZx14V1SksP2YBUWbl3y6Qz0Okfk3nWKVvQX23rbvt2KYp7ETCwGYxvPNJevBMxns/s1600/busou2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHb98F9u8RZry_-hVYWBj_mzsvdGN8tuPM9XmT-miRJJcuoCCA5BuhXPn_-wzyor07DNZORkAqx6kZx14V1SksP2YBUWbl3y6Qz0Okfk3nWKVvQX23rbvt2KYp7ETCwGYxvPNJevBMxns/s400/busou2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
While i´m aware this season is going to be one of the weakest when it comes to anime releases i had to give some of them a chance at least, so my first pick was Busou Shinki.<br />
<br />
While i´ve always liked the Mecha-Musume theme, the last animes on this issue didn´t make the cut for me. I was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_Stratos" target="_blank">really disapointed by Infinite Stratos</a> who forgot about battles and degenerated into a harem, a bad one even. So i´m kinda hoping that Busou Shinki doesn't turn the same.<br />
<br />
Busou Shinki comes with a premise very very reminiscent of Clamp´s now vintage anime <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelic_Layer" target="_blank">Angelic Layer</a>. In the future, people has access to 15cm dolls (Shinki) that keep them company and make chores. Some people suit them for combat in arenas where tournaments occur, this warrior dolls are thus called Busou Shinki. The main character has been living outside japan and now returns with his 3 busou shinki, to start a life alone as a highschooler in his childhood home.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILajdzTV4p2p0ccykBE5hWLxRa8zeR-jxHWJUbWLGtkdrbeEzEHUCYqp-uCth4ZnMgqnbQRMZtbsjtc_S4HBvQCSdwzlQZh4f5Y2Xgr_P38k0b1FbyUyo0-5CxClLon6ZaC9dRh8jcTQ/s1600/busou1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILajdzTV4p2p0ccykBE5hWLxRa8zeR-jxHWJUbWLGtkdrbeEzEHUCYqp-uCth4ZnMgqnbQRMZtbsjtc_S4HBvQCSdwzlQZh4f5Y2Xgr_P38k0b1FbyUyo0-5CxClLon6ZaC9dRh8jcTQ/s320/busou1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hamster in the house is kinda funny.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Judging from the first episode, the series expects to focus more on the dolls point of view that the master´s one, and we get to see how they deal with their daily lives and struggles, with some combat scenes to maintain the combat doll idea in an otherwise low paced presentation episode.<br />
<br />
The quality of the animation in the battle and action scenes is great and i hope it isn´t just because of being the first chapter and we see more of this on the future ones.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QBKvD7Sof04WjIESwUwJMJC6bkBZHnVmaIYL6miLwhJlSO_pVlqy9Ca1HYK8Pc-Ol8BFR0o8IVEkK8D8ovPMUj6nlRJaRjKBj-oAHB5NjawExXg_nRe_oG676E-ytoxFrhDkDXosyJ4/s1600/busou4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QBKvD7Sof04WjIESwUwJMJC6bkBZHnVmaIYL6miLwhJlSO_pVlqy9Ca1HYK8Pc-Ol8BFR0o8IVEkK8D8ovPMUj6nlRJaRjKBj-oAHB5NjawExXg_nRe_oG676E-ytoxFrhDkDXosyJ4/s320/busou4.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Combat scenes are fast and beautifully animated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
On th other side of the spectrum the opening and ending scenes are nothing worth even mentioning. The opening music (Install Dream) is not really appealing and the animation is also quite generic, so don't expect to be seeing them more than once.<br />
<br />
My first impression on the chapter´s plot is so-so... while the animation is good the theme does not seem promising and the characters are very plain. At first glance you can already see the personalities of the girls without even having said anything.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQy9lXaABtAuUChdtCJLdtb2NClBZm-9ZNt_0EjqKiEdzJYyLK-Qsiui1YtFbicdXa0qDemIH5C34D2Dg6dx8JIyOKsTr2G8YA-Bk3SM3GwQBhftAls8al9Qvp8hqvHfsv_L7dmc6HzI/s1600/busou3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHQy9lXaABtAuUChdtCJLdtb2NClBZm-9ZNt_0EjqKiEdzJYyLK-Qsiui1YtFbicdXa0qDemIH5C34D2Dg6dx8JIyOKsTr2G8YA-Bk3SM3GwQBhftAls8al9Qvp8hqvHfsv_L7dmc6HzI/s320/busou3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I kinda liked the design of the middle girlñ But you can tell she's a tsundere miles away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll probably give a chance to chapter 2 or even 3 but still has to improve substantially for me to see this through it all.<br />
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<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-80055681813502805502012-10-02T21:26:00.000-03:002012-10-03T11:39:37.873-03:00Queen’s Blade - Hide and Seek - A manga review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3S_FjaXA4hYhlQ9ZpzVFUQWrX91ghgxN01zqZBBHKqNrTHhjKETgeABBW0bYsCGtpcSmO1TlaZJBxBWZMFmXxYdYfXuHQRJhiD5mXkH0sG8oiOLpQvk87Dn3Mcxl-wzXH6xcDaiAUKw/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3S_FjaXA4hYhlQ9ZpzVFUQWrX91ghgxN01zqZBBHKqNrTHhjKETgeABBW0bYsCGtpcSmO1TlaZJBxBWZMFmXxYdYfXuHQRJhiD5mXkH0sG8oiOLpQvk87Dn3Mcxl-wzXH6xcDaiAUKw/s400/IMG_0074.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">After <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com/2012/09/sundome-manga-review.html" target="_blank">reading Sundome</a> i was in need of something new to spend my bus trips with and I was glad it took me no time in found Queen’s Blade: Hide and Seek. If you are familiar with anime you should know by now that Queen’s Blade, together with Ikkitousen and Seikon no Qwaser are probably the paramounts when comes to erotically charged anime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I know that there is a lot of people who is taken aback by this constant nudity and never even give a try to the series. And that’s a pity because Queen’s Blade has a decent story and some cool character designs, created by renowned japanese illustrators.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Thankfully Hide & Seek fills the void to provide the best of Queen’s Blade to a Teen rating audience, changing eroticism into comedy.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uIYZ-vG9wuqWn18toMNFnJsVPZZA_mW0yGUctTWYU7iNL1fmHWklG9hhoq6cYhgzpIvffGgCkPVo64EMidrYCjmJlWXl2VQb5SEpsBTw_w4kP68IrHjF4x7T-mEjfaFdL76BNriI4Zo/s1600/IMG_0037.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1uIYZ-vG9wuqWn18toMNFnJsVPZZA_mW0yGUctTWYU7iNL1fmHWklG9hhoq6cYhgzpIvffGgCkPVo64EMidrYCjmJlWXl2VQb5SEpsBTw_w4kP68IrHjF4x7T-mEjfaFdL76BNriI4Zo/s320/IMG_0037.PNG" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elina is paired with a dubious crew on a new revision of the story.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Sister</span></span></b></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US">For those unfamiliar with the series Queen’s Blade story revolves around a fantasy land where every 4 years a new queen is elected to rule the kingdom. Such Queen may be a girl from any race or class condition as long as she manages to win in singular combat the actual Queen. However, to earn the right to fight the Queen, the aspirant must first win the Queen’s Blade, a tournament where the strongest girls from every part of the kingdom gather to earn that honor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8oFWmA4vaEqA30SAcVQBS1LM4dGV_lvHf7kkXtKJV7aN-YJmg4qEBB-uwvkTRpyQruW00J6-1aJ4CKkINwmXII8yojb9PN2lPw5t3pLe__T3o-IGWNCguuFBnFbp73450zexrXrf5Ug/s1600/IMG_0069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM8oFWmA4vaEqA30SAcVQBS1LM4dGV_lvHf7kkXtKJV7aN-YJmg4qEBB-uwvkTRpyQruW00J6-1aJ4CKkINwmXII8yojb9PN2lPw5t3pLe__T3o-IGWNCguuFBnFbp73450zexrXrf5Ug/s320/IMG_0069.JPG" width="215" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aldra, the reigning Queen and champion . Though in this series her role is secondary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hide & Seek is set during the events of the first season of the anime. Unlike the main series, who follows the ascension to power of the wanderer warrior Reina, daughter of the Vance Earl. Hide & Seek accompanies the story of her little sister Elina as she searches for Reina to bring her back to her duties as heir to the Vance household.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">During her journeys, Elina herself will meet some of the cast of the Queen’s Blade tournament like the Iron Princess Ymir or the Dark Elf Mercenary Echidna, as well as some new characters created exclusively for this series like the knight apprentice Florelle, that will aid Elina on her quest, as she gets dragged to participate on the tournament.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29d2Xj1P4WlwBhveRPapDP7TDpIqLW4GYoF4037ig-pVpjQlj9ODJYDAYP2BwuQWa1p4D_Z0P5oI7iYfl7z2grfhGYZryLNo4vim2o0ouQN0xNW1dwbFl5yVj3nqUR5StMtsafwz54P8/s1600/IMG_0072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj29d2Xj1P4WlwBhveRPapDP7TDpIqLW4GYoF4037ig-pVpjQlj9ODJYDAYP2BwuQWa1p4D_Z0P5oI7iYfl7z2grfhGYZryLNo4vim2o0ouQN0xNW1dwbFl5yVj3nqUR5StMtsafwz54P8/s320/IMG_0072.JPG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Claudette and Ymir form the relationship that will lead to the events in Queen´s Blade: Rebellion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Characters</span></span></b></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US">I must confess that when I thought of Elina as the main character I wasn’t really thrilled about it. She was one of my least favorite characters in the series universe, mainly due to being very plain character (in a place already filled with one-dimensional personalities). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRiVJqixs3UnP7krhMhT0KbWhQDJKvkpzwVHDQVWm9GBkaVcqKTDRAiUEx2V6BaI8n6bLANrGqSxxcC9JQSYvTjX7qL5T4LvQXcoAqb0-sX3LcgK6uzFQsQvPfQS92qXzOa5o9PgkNH0/s1600/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRiVJqixs3UnP7krhMhT0KbWhQDJKvkpzwVHDQVWm9GBkaVcqKTDRAiUEx2V6BaI8n6bLANrGqSxxcC9JQSYvTjX7qL5T4LvQXcoAqb0-sX3LcgK6uzFQsQvPfQS92qXzOa5o9PgkNH0/s320/IMG_0071.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elina was vicious since child.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US">This manga though, while not increasing much the character deepness, looks at Elina with an augment glass, magnifying all her extreme personalities into comical exageration, especially her catlike behavior. She is short-fused and arrogant, prone to mindless aggression and with almost zero consideration for any other than herself and her family… basically, a cat in girl dress…or a cat dressed as a girl dressed as a tiger to be accurate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The rest of the cast mostly enacts their same roles of the main series with the notable exception of Ymir that is quite childish and a weakling; though through the series she will evolve to fit their anime persona. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Claudette, and Echidna get a lot of scene time too, so if you are fan of this two you should probably look forward to read Hide & Seek.</span></div>
<h2>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Less nipples, more chibis.</span></span></b></h2>
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<span lang="EN-US">Hide & Seek breaks the norm of the house by reducing the nudity considerably. While there are some ecchi scenes, specially once the perverted Echidna tags with the group, you won’t be seeing the usual cloth tearing and gratuitous panty shots that are a stapple of the anime. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Instead humour and chibis are all over the place introduced by some recurrent gags, like Elina’s unhealthy passion for sausages, or her ability to snap into a trance state where her mind becomes one of a cat for a certain period of time when conditions are met.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Ymir also is part of most of the jokes during the first volumes, as she is treated like a child until she gains strength to make herself respected. It is true that some of the jokes are still sexually oriented, but being otherwise would deny the very essence of many characters inside jokes (like the pantylessness of loli half-elf Nowa).</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBDObwa73J_zQ8LJnJosScCY0RWVZCBrYB6OlSqS-YSIHr9iaZXEg6Qf66tRicYzHimeUTp4-80zCK2sEElE5ItHndal-2qZjAZMr03WwIHmo19jliDH7QYLsKqnx-ySLFx21tFRvroA/s1600/IMG_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisBDObwa73J_zQ8LJnJosScCY0RWVZCBrYB6OlSqS-YSIHr9iaZXEg6Qf66tRicYzHimeUTp4-80zCK2sEElE5ItHndal-2qZjAZMr03WwIHmo19jliDH7QYLsKqnx-ySLFx21tFRvroA/s320/IMG_0068.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We caught a glimpse... of something secret.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Despite this, this change of perspective opens the series to a whole new target audiences, and I know for sure that some girls have given this a chance and liked it. It kinda leaves me wondering if the anime was done like this would have hit higher demographics and wouldn’t be discriminated as sick otaku material.</span></div>
<h2>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;">Fight!</span></span></b></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The manga features fights aplenty and they grow in number and intensity as the Queen’s Blade grows near at the apex of the series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Unlike other manga protagonists, Elina is not a fair fighter. She is ruthless and savage in combat, with no mercy even for her friends, and always fights at her best, never holding back. This makes her combat scenes some of the best of the manga, as she pulls moves you wouldn’t expect from more “noble” characters like Nowa, Reina or Claudette.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HofMHGG-p5U2J4fW5h4ihhcsdg33S0xSBV2kVftprMFY_p0Kg-yLUQ9pTiP5HldQYJr9IF8Y4_fF5pw2bW3m5IPSODpNWL0Bfr3QtkBycXbjxbOfxWWXjsPK1UhjXDGzavhML7QHknI/s1600/IMG_0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HofMHGG-p5U2J4fW5h4ihhcsdg33S0xSBV2kVftprMFY_p0Kg-yLUQ9pTiP5HldQYJr9IF8Y4_fF5pw2bW3m5IPSODpNWL0Bfr3QtkBycXbjxbOfxWWXjsPK1UhjXDGzavhML7QHknI/s400/IMG_0070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another one bites the dust!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">While some minor fights of the tournament are played on the background most of the important fighting is given attention. Those are well narrated and illustrated in detail, so you can actually feel the rhythm of combat as swords clash panel after panel, and the clean artwork let’s you clearly understand what is going on without having to look twice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Also, unlike the anime, Hunt & Seek is more interested in showing impressive fights than clothes being torn so no more bizarre camera angles or nipple-shots.</span></div>
<h2>
<b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: small;"> Overall</span></span></b></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Be it that you are a Queen’s Blade fan or not, I really recommend you to check Hide & Seek if you are into shounen manga. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">You will like it:</span></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you are looking for a light shounen with sexy girls, but you are not into mindless fanservice and hentai.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you are a Queen’s Blade fan (a must read if you are into Elina, Claudette, Ymir or Echidna)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #990000;"><b>You won’t like it:</b></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you thought the nipples and pantyshots were the best Queen’s Blade could offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">If the idea of lesbian incest does not seem like a valid plot hook to you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-76749122229876732052012-09-25T20:51:00.000-03:002012-10-02T21:45:05.123-03:00Torchlight 2: First Impressions<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNACvLx_rxFu87aUIje85R5dCqHjsGAhyMm2TJpbJALP0hfPoHvv34-M_M27epmlPbA7xmsHsWX82iwKsF-EGGqX5vjQijS426WSvpSC_3IEhgf_FswJ3mY-hMY2eVn9FzDcowuug50Y/s1600/tl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNACvLx_rxFu87aUIje85R5dCqHjsGAhyMm2TJpbJALP0hfPoHvv34-M_M27epmlPbA7xmsHsWX82iwKsF-EGGqX5vjQijS426WSvpSC_3IEhgf_FswJ3mY-hMY2eVn9FzDcowuug50Y/s640/tl2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">While I’ve never been a fan of the Diablo franchise, I was a
great fan of the previous Torchlight, so I was really looking forward to grab
the new Torchlight 2. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">With some friends we
grabbed a 4-pack as soon as it hit the Steam store and got down to business.</span></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">Back to Torchlight… now
with Multiplayer</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One of the things we most repeated while
playing Torchlight 1 was – “this game is so frigging awesome, pity it doesn’t
have multiplayer…” – Well, now that suffering has come to an end. Torchlight 2
does feature multiplayer, and does it well. My first multiplayer game was a 7
hour marathon with very fast response and no lag whatsoever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was one of the critical points to me, as
the battle speed in Torchlight is frenetic.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My first choice to delve back to the dungeons
was an Outlander. The ranged, was my first class in Torchlight and I recall I
loved the ricochet shot mechanic. So I tuned up a bit my visuals, got my pet (a
ferret) ready, and dropped to the lobby where my two friends were waiting. Just
then I noticed one of my friends had grabbed an Outlander too. So we ended with
two Outlanders and a Berserk in the group.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxaJTRuQo3fP-q659-rLKC5FS-gdVS_YRYM52PxBPLMA19J2O0EP2B9Dq1r_64YZH1KIzBbon88w9z1bXHyGISzZNNjnVJ30bhpFDaddzHufEMLSHgAuxRfTfSsn6ey7mmkNd8nGoHDw/s1600/2012-09-24_00006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPxaJTRuQo3fP-q659-rLKC5FS-gdVS_YRYM52PxBPLMA19J2O0EP2B9Dq1r_64YZH1KIzBbon88w9z1bXHyGISzZNNjnVJ30bhpFDaddzHufEMLSHgAuxRfTfSsn6ey7mmkNd8nGoHDw/s400/2012-09-24_00006.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My second character, a sturdy Engineer girl, with a fellow Outlander friend.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">Character Customization</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The first thing I loved in this game is the
great amount of customization of the characters, either via items or skills.
Despite we were having two outlanders in the group, we were different like
night and day. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Skills are grouped in skill trees but they have
no previous requirements aside from level, so you can freely pick the best of
each world to fit into your play style. Never we had to worry about a skill
being mandatory to progress and through the 25 levels we upped, only 2 skills
we shared: the starting burst shot, and some bat invocation shot.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">My friend decided to max his dual pistols and
his passives abilities, thus choosing range and damage output as his primary
focus. He is not fond of the keyboard so he limited himself to two maxed
spammable skills. His pet was a bulldog, his armor, looked like a barbarian archer
of sorts.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I, on the other side, love having lots of
skills, so I soon found myself cross-building between the different skill trees
for a lot of variety. Some Ricochet shots, and glaive throwing abilities, made
me less dependent on the weapon, so I kept going from bows to pistols to
shotguns as items got better. I paired the damage with utility skills that
allowed me to back-flip out of combat and debuff enemies, so in the end I made
myself a not so powerful, but far more versatile skillset. My tunic-like armor
finished the picture for a complete different character played on the same
Class.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKdXE6T5U-scvIv7aK_Ca45KTsLb2RWO3ie92vVuYkZlC9muoq4idxCD79l7HfPLP-pfZ0WjTSBL2MOh44Kb4s-IRaAfDrazGyEU_0m67oPFk9pB2n-GAyTwrH4ENcOG4BasU5zBvgKE/s1600/torch3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZKdXE6T5U-scvIv7aK_Ca45KTsLb2RWO3ie92vVuYkZlC9muoq4idxCD79l7HfPLP-pfZ0WjTSBL2MOh44Kb4s-IRaAfDrazGyEU_0m67oPFk9pB2n-GAyTwrH4ENcOG4BasU5zBvgKE/s400/torch3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Outlander and his pet - as you can see, nothing to do with my friend´s Outlander.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">Difficulty and leveling</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One of the things I have to praise Runic for is
the way enemies adapt to the parties. While you usually drift through lone
monsters meant to be just “time-killers” to be munched upon, they are tough
enough to justify using skills instead of auto-attacks, yet weak enough to not
suppose a real threat. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When you get to the ambush points or mid-bosses
you will face quite a challenge though. While they are not impossibly strong,
the enemies can hold their ground and pack some punch. You will have to manage
your resources well if you don’t want to be re-spawning at the nearest city.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuvLAZwcOGesnP8M-__37IZquAx6EDKUdInAtOrjQuR8VN3VQLWDd1u0gJV_nP_-xdhJgnsrIMkDMni_et0-rEGrgzSQG0O7AdsXurABIk77WRPh3WHbATzFibyUKZGGtSNMCozllOsc/s1600/2012-09-24_00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuvLAZwcOGesnP8M-__37IZquAx6EDKUdInAtOrjQuR8VN3VQLWDd1u0gJV_nP_-xdhJgnsrIMkDMni_et0-rEGrgzSQG0O7AdsXurABIk77WRPh3WHbATzFibyUKZGGtSNMCozllOsc/s400/2012-09-24_00003.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even alone you can charge into the horde and obliterate them without mercy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Even if you stray away from the group, neither
you nor your friends will be obliterated as the mobs seem to adapt to the
number of present teammates, thus you will always face a decent challenge so
the game doesn’t get too easy or too hard.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Leveling is also done at a steady pace, and it
never took more than 10 minutes to reach the next level. This is one of the
things that keeps me grabbed to the game: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the skill points flow you have always your
eye in the next best thing you can buy from those tempting skill trees.</span></div>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">Explorable Areas</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The first impression on the game areas was
really nice, the overworld is big and vast, with lots to explore, and if I am
to judge by my friends in-game comments it is randomly generated because it
didn’t match their previous gameplays. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">One of my previous concerns about the original
Torchlight was that the dungeons got repetitive due to few environment
variations as you delved deeper.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAUYp06_RTM2rXkf3zUV5SM4JP0jCofqFm5UkF92VO9xR80Mq_jRPK9LtcQNpZuHCw5wKGtyGeqi2GZeUrmAwDWeqriFLjOAz6umz1pdrCXIyfb3jSXtXYt0Zzn7ijV4tRw9J3CsYrrw/s1600/2012-09-24_00004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRAUYp06_RTM2rXkf3zUV5SM4JP0jCofqFm5UkF92VO9xR80Mq_jRPK9LtcQNpZuHCw5wKGtyGeqi2GZeUrmAwDWeqriFLjOAz6umz1pdrCXIyfb3jSXtXYt0Zzn7ijV4tRw9J3CsYrrw/s400/2012-09-24_00004.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dungeons are still there and have a lot more detail now.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In Torchlight 2 you don’t get that boring
feeling due to the dungeons being randomly fit on the overworld. This keeps you
constantly switching from open surface environments (with their day/night
cycles), to the tight passageways of dungeons sprawled across the land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">Loot, portals and the
meaning of live.</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Torchlight loot is evenly distributed between
the players, who don’t see what is dropping for fellow players. This is good
because you usually don’t worry nor rage about what other’s drops are, and
instead you keep chatting alive with news of notable items that might be
interesting to others - or keep in secret items you are too greedy to share.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-OIJOQKTRMgHyDJ4QW_OrTASjr5tUsf6YjqBqRPpqnvj5ksKrD2Gf43HdkKo6GiWjJhDuzfFtT-HjRHM_J7tw6QyqZQQYSYikM7PdXCDevchGD2ajHGaI6-F0amplRMgs48qx3pkWO8/s1600/2012-09-24_00007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-OIJOQKTRMgHyDJ4QW_OrTASjr5tUsf6YjqBqRPpqnvj5ksKrD2Gf43HdkKo6GiWjJhDuzfFtT-HjRHM_J7tw6QyqZQQYSYikM7PdXCDevchGD2ajHGaI6-F0amplRMgs48qx3pkWO8/s400/2012-09-24_00007.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can have the weapon but the pokémon is mine!! <span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Portal waypoints in multiplayer are pretty
cool, as each player can keep an active portal, which any player can use as a
destination in his travels. To add on that, you can always teleport to your
friend’s location from a portal waypoint so even if you die in the middle of a
boss fight, you can re-spawn at the city for no cost and then portal your way
to the fight in less than a minute (I talk from personal experience on this
one).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">This means death is almost a zero penalty issue
in multiplayer as you will never lose anything from dying as long as your
friends keeps themselves alive.</span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">PvP</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We’re not much into PvP but once we came back
to town from our long dungeoneering we tried some for fun. I really doubt the
game is meant to be balanced for PvP, as even at the same level, the ability of
the Berserk to wipe Outlanders was out of question. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As long as you stay at the city you can die
without worries or penalties so turning the cities into a battlefield is fun
from time to time.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqXtIIiPubpqWi4LAqNo4thY9UWvhznA7ZjBQubSTABslkCVewxYDZuNK0K-SiaW4mwP9M_z79Ab4EOC8TtV8sQxY-rkJXR3KeEMPvJto2N_qhFc-ouYU2t-0suexhEfjwzHI_Li9mrM/s1600/torch1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGqXtIIiPubpqWi4LAqNo4thY9UWvhznA7ZjBQubSTABslkCVewxYDZuNK0K-SiaW4mwP9M_z79Ab4EOC8TtV8sQxY-rkJXR3KeEMPvJto2N_qhFc-ouYU2t-0suexhEfjwzHI_Li9mrM/s400/torch1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An example of badass enemies and cool environments.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h2>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #073763;">Closing Comments</span></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am really
glad I got Torchlight 2 and certainly is worth every one of the 15 bucks I paid
for it. While the first Torchlight kinda got old with the time I’m sure I will
be playing this one a lot for the next months, especially as soon as mods start
being released.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Overall I
highly recommend it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will not compare
it to Diablo as I never played any of them, but for my hack and slash needs it
has totally lived up to my expectations. </span></div>
<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-1881896136325393902012-09-19T22:34:00.000-03:002012-09-19T22:36:38.792-03:00Sundome - A Manga Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHc5bkcwUWOxhtPTPkCixDzN-PbaB8Lfhd_VRpG8X2xqVVXtWJKncWJpmXPmYm4gjb_rmQfl15HRp7_WsRqf40fNfj80A3MvdyWiNOZXLwLzH5fUSLBxsEGni0NxuguoyVwaRXhADQKM/s1600/sundome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZHc5bkcwUWOxhtPTPkCixDzN-PbaB8Lfhd_VRpG8X2xqVVXtWJKncWJpmXPmYm4gjb_rmQfl15HRp7_WsRqf40fNfj80A3MvdyWiNOZXLwLzH5fUSLBxsEGni0NxuguoyVwaRXhADQKM/s320/sundome.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">There are many things that could describe
Sundome, but probably the first one to say is that is not a manga for everyone.
Not only because it’s an adult manga, but because the theme that explores through the lenght of the series might be controversial for some and disturbing
or disgusting for others.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Certainly is a manga that you wouldn’t like
anyone catch you reading if you want to prevent wrong interpretations of your persona, but on the
other side, the story enthralls you in such way that once you grab it it will
be difficult to stop reading. So watch out!</span></div>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Okay,
that’s cool, but what is it about?</b></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Sundome tells the story of Aiba, a high-schooler
belonging to the Roman Club, a club who seeks for traces of paranormal
activities, UFOs and such other misteries. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Graduated Ex-members of this club are notable
members on Japanese society and will help club members to achieve their desired
career after graduation with only one condition: they must remain virgin
through highschool. To prove the members are worthy, the ex-alumni regularly
send women to tempt the club members into giving their virginity (these girl´s are often refered as Assasins).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The story begins the day a new transfer student
named Kurumi Sahana appears at Aiba’s class making him fall instantly in love
with her. </span>Sahana discovering Aiba’s interest in her starts to
power-play Aiba into a master-servant relationship, allowing him to have all
kind of sexual experiences with her, with one condition: under no circumstance,
even if they were the last people on earth, she will let him have sex with her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgmk8Q2eXmDVIvPeDsvmmjJwmZeHdOyPMFaltPsQ3lFCnT_PBQ3iIL2JsSJhWACvsS3cQ3NTrERjK_UjPh7huU14NRf1_96r1ls89c0-x9GzkC2YdfwxIgcvyx8vrH9pev_ZkaashcVY/s1600/IMG_0022.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgmk8Q2eXmDVIvPeDsvmmjJwmZeHdOyPMFaltPsQ3lFCnT_PBQ3iIL2JsSJhWACvsS3cQ3NTrERjK_UjPh7huU14NRf1_96r1ls89c0-x9GzkC2YdfwxIgcvyx8vrH9pev_ZkaashcVY/s320/IMG_0022.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sahana has some "peculiar" ways to show she cares.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Aiba, desperately in love with her, will accept everything and go to high extremes to satisfy her mistress while improving to be a better person as to better please her.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Uh… is this as weird as it seems?</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Sundome in japanese stands for “the instant
that precedes the orgasm” and this is the concept that is played around during
all the story: while Aiba is always wanting a bit more of Sahana she is always
managing to let him go only until when she allows it. This concept is further
reinforced by the chapters, called “collars”, in reference of how Sahana is
always in command of Aiba.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">While this may seem at the beginning like she
is getting advantadge of Aiba, as the story unfolds you will see that Sahana is
in fact quite in love of Aiba too, and despite of her sexual preferences she
cares a lot about him and helps him become a better person through their
relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDudCdRC9P56yTLsgrECwbsp3Rw_Jt2V5bU9j5lLjOx6r5275Yo-pOOBZ0ackKXuhuJGh0_d_SN1-2iS-Opwd_YnOJ6qYCAoQc1ZJ6MzCUfXZsN2BFTiu0VoVqLOLTw03zSsR06ydGFwg/s1600/IMG_0024.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDudCdRC9P56yTLsgrECwbsp3Rw_Jt2V5bU9j5lLjOx6r5275Yo-pOOBZ0ackKXuhuJGh0_d_SN1-2iS-Opwd_YnOJ6qYCAoQc1ZJ6MzCUfXZsN2BFTiu0VoVqLOLTw03zSsR06ydGFwg/s320/IMG_0024.PNG" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aiba will turn to be a reliable person thanks to Sahana</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Why I cannot read this with people around?</b></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">To give you an idea: Sahana’s first request is
to see Aiba masturbating himself... with a nail… from then on
she will start to control when and how is he allowed to jerk off, and they will
together go through various sexual experiences, from funny to completely kinky, going in some cases into various degrees of bondage and domination play, including
breath play and even golden shower. As Aiba is negated almost all physical contact without Sahana´s permission, she starts to treasure every last bit of her like an invaluable thing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The fact that you have to read this in
solitude kind of helps you to feel more into the atmosphere of the story.
Sundome is about sexual discovery, is about secret encounters and love
practices seen as devious from most people, even in the series. But also is a story about love,
about people that holds secrets and specially about how we deal with confidence in our
relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11cjCpNlzDr2WEF0GdU4L4zfjnAweWjwTa1TiNbhvY3ojGaLhGteWkz8NTieb112sxsvmSic2RkBsVWCZ6EeEjl9r4Wp5EWbukKinx94Pimhkydcs7aPo20KlxGZh95o_DupJ9xDwoO4/s1600/IMG_0016.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj11cjCpNlzDr2WEF0GdU4L4zfjnAweWjwTa1TiNbhvY3ojGaLhGteWkz8NTieb112sxsvmSic2RkBsVWCZ6EeEjl9r4Wp5EWbukKinx94Pimhkydcs7aPo20KlxGZh95o_DupJ9xDwoO4/s320/IMG_0016.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You end up feeling like a silent voyeur of Sahana and Aiba´s peculiar relationship.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>This looks like a dense story…</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Fun thing is it isn’t. While the story about
Aiba and Sahana is playing through secret encounters, the main day by day of
the story follows the adventures and misadventures of the Roman club, a bunch
of really pervy nerds while they scout for ghosts, ufo and other phenomena.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The typical chapter structure for sundome is
always the same: The Roman club plans an activity, some comedy scenes will
occur and then Sahana and Aiba manage to have some alone time which will lead
to either some sexual encounter or some dramatic scene. This helps from keeping
the mood either too gloomy, or too hilarious for two much, attaining a great
balance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The Roman club members and their relationships
are hilarious on their own, and when a secondary love story emerges within the
club (between Tattsun and the new girl Kyouko) you have one more story plot
that will grab you to the book until you finish. In some chapters you will in
fact be more thrilled with Tattsun’s story that Aiba’s. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bp5HeyNG0lI2OYI_TL-YVR9AG9r7cyYz7aRAGTzr9OWu6XixaH72VpsO6fquM5Xxg6jguT82AYA4Wd6_D433Qn2vD0Pbige1va0KPcXLBuCHN4d9tBlg24TcN_EDKmiQFWS-mS3FVbo/s1600/IMG_0018.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Bp5HeyNG0lI2OYI_TL-YVR9AG9r7cyYz7aRAGTzr9OWu6XixaH72VpsO6fquM5Xxg6jguT82AYA4Wd6_D433Qn2vD0Pbige1va0KPcXLBuCHN4d9tBlg24TcN_EDKmiQFWS-mS3FVbo/s320/IMG_0018.PNG" width="294" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tattsun and Kyouko have a peculiar story on the background.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>You kinda left me curious: What other things I
should worry about…</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The art may not be for everyone. While I
personally loved it, the art style shifts from extremely detailed and dark on
the heavy sexualized encounters or dramatic points, to caricaturesque plain
characters with crowded panels on the more comedic points.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">While inconsistent, I think it shifts well with
the mood of the story so I gave it my personal thumbs up. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Also, as the story unfolds it progressively
turns more dramatic. And while I personally didn’t cry over this one <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com.br/2012/03/ano-hi-mita-hana-no-namae-wo-bokutachi.html" target="_blank">as i did in Ano Hana</a>, I know
quite a handful who did. So be warned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgO70isuh3yuDqzMGNwTC8zclTgsgfYWxdUUikphIEMIVneXFbTjEjkAcw15tBkZJls8DOooHltqtZrw5hlveDnNjGewqNY9rXJZqBAArt8ebhTQxw0csVM6Vg9UMtsdG6eEIFuZ5zB0/s1600/IMG_0020.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYgO70isuh3yuDqzMGNwTC8zclTgsgfYWxdUUikphIEMIVneXFbTjEjkAcw15tBkZJls8DOooHltqtZrw5hlveDnNjGewqNY9rXJZqBAArt8ebhTQxw0csVM6Vg9UMtsdG6eEIFuZ5zB0/s320/IMG_0020.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From drama to terror to humor to fanservice... Sundome has it all.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b>Conclusion</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">If you really are a thoughtful adult and not
shaken by out of the standard sexual practices (hell, you may even be into it) I would
totally recommend you to grab this one. I devoured the 8 volumes in 2 days and
certainly I consider it one of the best love stories I have read so far. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The manga has been adapted into 4 live-action movies which suffices to say that it made quite a success on Japan. They have picked my interest so i´ll try to see if they live up to the magnificent story the manga is.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
That said, there is only one thing left to do...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROaDhZylqWXzVOUrrEHvzA03OZOkQswRSGcc2tP4NST7CADZcSsiZr1p3toVu4VvmMPXdDJF54_d5wu6RTm_KKXF_eGGPuv8hn4Ved3jDBuyXBYjFxcxjqHZ-q1gCQPY9CsHrvBUmyaM/s1600/jerk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROaDhZylqWXzVOUrrEHvzA03OZOkQswRSGcc2tP4NST7CADZcSsiZr1p3toVu4VvmMPXdDJF54_d5wu6RTm_KKXF_eGGPuv8hn4Ved3jDBuyXBYjFxcxjqHZ-q1gCQPY9CsHrvBUmyaM/s320/jerk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-82460830753833948432012-09-17T22:22:00.000-03:002012-09-17T22:22:55.756-03:00Burn the City - an iOS app review<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aJQq9WhmjUmmFrYEvdPlH23sxYVDY-rKoMhA-OmpYPgco8gnp0n65Me-6T3_YSCdYLDVOszE5W5Wxg0A-0Kxuhq5IzlpA7QzoCtUJv4DGovhzVHc9hTYva9O2iTfCDobn6k4IPZyIR4/s1600/burn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aJQq9WhmjUmmFrYEvdPlH23sxYVDY-rKoMhA-OmpYPgco8gnp0n65Me-6T3_YSCdYLDVOszE5W5Wxg0A-0Kxuhq5IzlpA7QzoCtUJv4DGovhzVHc9hTYva9O2iTfCDobn6k4IPZyIR4/s400/burn.jpg" width="400" /></a><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Burn the city is a small casual game that puts
you in the skin of a giant firebreathing lizard with no other purpose in life
that to put cities ablaze for shear amusement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The game relies basically on physics and the
"angry birds" catapult model to offer a lot of fun in a small
package.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5iwdW6V2XyKoll7TJSZ3ROvhpNL0RQWTckx_yOaihxZPbQE_KDFTMbBSFOwLsHzs8QjQGNbWS3hJD4939uTBip3av9yqkTqugbzr-M-EMq16fG21MRGGW5_5bB8cZLtBrk4UGWSmb9s/s1600/IMG_0183.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5iwdW6V2XyKoll7TJSZ3ROvhpNL0RQWTckx_yOaihxZPbQE_KDFTMbBSFOwLsHzs8QjQGNbWS3hJD4939uTBip3av9yqkTqugbzr-M-EMq16fG21MRGGW5_5bB8cZLtBrk4UGWSmb9s/s320/IMG_0183.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tried and true mechanics at the purpose of mindless destruction. YAY!!
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Unlike angry birds, in Burn the City you won't
be restrained by a limited number and shots and ammo. Our little lizard and his
unlockable companions all have a basic fireball attack, that causes impact
damage to buildings, sets them aflame and even bounces a bit when stroke on the
right angle. This removes the frustration factor of the game as you can
practice most shots before wasting your precious special ammunitions on them.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Special ammo, must be obtained in the very
stage, and comes in 3 forms, sniper, explosive or remotely detonated. The first
is not affected by gravity so can reach targets beyond normal firebal range,
the second goes boom on everything it touches, bouncing up to 3 times, while
the last wont explode until you touch it which will allow to hit onto other
surfaces and enter ducts without exploding.</span>
<br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">From chapter 2 onwards meteorological effects
like rain and wind will also affect the performance of your shots so you'll
have to learn to use it in your favor while aming for the weakest spots of the
city, like energy generators, nuclear plants or oven overflying airplanes that
you can take down into uncovered buildings (i wonder if they'll ban this game
on the USA).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Usually there is more than one way to clear a
mission, but only one way to score tons of points. This is tood because
encourages you to retry mission until gaining gold, but rarely you'll find a
mission that blocks your progress. Only a handful of missions can actually be
failed due to being dependant on timing of a shot and but not usually on
precision. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgI8zoWZROb9Q_AYEY5SklrDt2N5ClI6cnzgloFU09PrGrw1Gd-J2tmqJTrfrKqMFMmXev7Fjri4P1R2byYrBjWs6oaTTCAW_IO_NJ4jeZZ4g1MCyPJAFshJmpH1XvFEbmVx8Lt4dmCo/s1600/burn2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZgI8zoWZROb9Q_AYEY5SklrDt2N5ClI6cnzgloFU09PrGrw1Gd-J2tmqJTrfrKqMFMmXev7Fjri4P1R2byYrBjWs6oaTTCAW_IO_NJ4jeZZ4g1MCyPJAFshJmpH1XvFEbmVx8Lt4dmCo/s320/burn2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You must admit that the dino is kinda cute.<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span><br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The game never penalizes failed shots, in fact
scoring is only dependant in the amount of destruction you can cause, and you
will get multipliers from striking multiple targets and causing chain
explosions with a single shot. This is a good point for a tactile game because
we all know that aiming is not always easy in a handheld device and is kind of
frustrating to repeat a 10 shot chain just because you missed a milimeter on
the last shot, or unvoluntarily touched the screen causing a rogue fireball to
launch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The game also includes a "Battle"
mode where you have to survive an onslaught of copters and tanks coming from a
big city. The time and precision is critical on this mode, as well as taking
profit of the ricochetting nature of the fireballs to strike multiple moving
targets.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3znTjz5Xi5F0ZE4B-DynRA2GPSuHeNsuZ0k26T6It-DyKTdKryuTGzYb4kSyithI5szKpA5NzLlxZUP7zSL7PKWwwGmFGoI3oJyNWUhVpMQaIPnge6Aw8vjthlABwo2tXZpIOo5cg_gg/s1600/IMG_0187.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3znTjz5Xi5F0ZE4B-DynRA2GPSuHeNsuZ0k26T6It-DyKTdKryuTGzYb4kSyithI5szKpA5NzLlxZUP7zSL7PKWwwGmFGoI3oJyNWUhVpMQaIPnge6Aw8vjthlABwo2tXZpIOo5cg_gg/s320/IMG_0187.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In battle mode you can score big by bringing aircrafts in flames down to the buildings.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Overall the grafics, though simple are clean
and the physics are well represented, specially in the final stages in space.
The backgrounds are plain and simple, and the music and sounds are not
memorable, decent at much, but they complement the game enough and are not
annoying.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The game totals around a 100 missions, some of
them with some hilarious setups (special mention for the Space invaders mockup
stage). Shame is the most original ideas are used only on one or two missions.
In the end of the game you feel that some ideas could have been used more into
further extending the fun. I wish we see updates with new missions on the near
futuro.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MsRWqBwjN38VLcw0fErvVzBE6CmC9thfLYqORsAbQmRtVZQ40tQ5AU0p_LvrhvULbubbmLs5_kAtHSNCOUtjttr5oAofnM9u8SyyufS8UBsNhL9zlcEw4V64S0rgEebHJNVzJvpHj-4/s1600/IMG_0175.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MsRWqBwjN38VLcw0fErvVzBE6CmC9thfLYqORsAbQmRtVZQ40tQ5AU0p_LvrhvULbubbmLs5_kAtHSNCOUtjttr5oAofnM9u8SyyufS8UBsNhL9zlcEw4V64S0rgEebHJNVzJvpHj-4/s320/IMG_0175.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The space invaders stage closes the game with golden key.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">There are 3 additional dinos, all unlockable
with points earned in game, but none of them affect gameplay, just are small
graphic variations.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Overall it's good fun game that will keep you
entertained for some hours.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">You will like it</span></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you like mindless destruction or thoughtful
destruction, whatever.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you hate casual games with frustrating
bottleneck stages.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you are into dinosaurs.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #990000;">You wont like it</span></span></h4>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If you´re looking for really tough challenges.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">If the idea of throwing planes into buildings
makes you shiver</span></div>
<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-79387183539132814622012-09-14T22:34:00.000-03:002012-09-22T12:46:29.113-03:00A Clean Desktop for Efficient Working<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHJIPJ02q4-b_qg99N28fXiCCpcbwWKZz_H0llvFRiuG4FtSos_XX7GDXFVpkbKSXTSaeuMMQuwuiHj8ql297mY5mhnDheZfneIWorKsEqTuLy19wGeWwEC6sWIUy0tESm-hzDTCUDs8/s1600/realdesktop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBHJIPJ02q4-b_qg99N28fXiCCpcbwWKZz_H0llvFRiuG4FtSos_XX7GDXFVpkbKSXTSaeuMMQuwuiHj8ql297mY5mhnDheZfneIWorKsEqTuLy19wGeWwEC6sWIUy0tESm-hzDTCUDs8/s400/realdesktop.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Since some months ago i´ve been a computer order junkie. After some virus fought valiantly and forced me to make a system restore of my manufacturer settings, the subsequent work to reorganize together with the amount of info lost made me realize that I needed to do something to keep my virtual life tidy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For the good or the bad I had search around the internets to find the proper solutions to the things I wanted to achieve, so today I’m starting a series of articles to explain how I managed to find inner peace within the madness of my previously chaotic virtual self.</span><b style="color: #0b5394;"><br /></b></div>
<h4>
<b style="color: #0b5394;">A Dock to keep it all in reach</b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></span></span>
</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I love wallpapers, I really do. I have a collection that probably goes above the hundreds, rotating randomly in my computer background every 30 minutes. They inspire me when I’m out of ideas and sometimes bring me a smile when I recall images I haven’t seen in a while.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But in order to appreciate my wallpapers I need to keep my desktop clean. This is quite difficult when your desktop icons keep shifting from place to place constantly due to changing screen resolution and/or screens.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My first incursion on the clean desktop world was lead by apple style docks. Mainly <a href="http://rocketdock.com/" target="_blank">Rocket Dock</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Docks are small instant access bars that remain hidden, but hover over your desktop when your mouse comes near their screen edge. They allow to have some amount of quick access icons to recall your defined programs in a visually appealing way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1PPg0mOk-6zBZMrkoxp8DyudWHxtg1vJKax-_jsV2Toc0HaFqGKhj7X-GN_Qew3QPzXGJwrXp7h14IJ1A_ZV9oV8CicCn__edGELXp5_PGqQ57-EEiyStIKsPH5SRgDaXWUTbbjEYjg/s1600/rocketdock-13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1PPg0mOk-6zBZMrkoxp8DyudWHxtg1vJKax-_jsV2Toc0HaFqGKhj7X-GN_Qew3QPzXGJwrXp7h14IJ1A_ZV9oV8CicCn__edGELXp5_PGqQ57-EEiyStIKsPH5SRgDaXWUTbbjEYjg/s320/rocketdock-13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocket Dock in action</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">Though I used docks a lot during the last two years, they still left some issues to deal with:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">First: In order to not overcharge the dock with useless things you should only place a handful of programs on it, thus, if you ever used a higher variety of programs, you will have to go back to the classic Windows Start menu and search them out.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Second: Documents you are working on are not so long-lived as to place them on the dock, yet, they are important enough to not leave them on the confusing mess of a constantly shifting desktop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Third: The dock has two activation modes – under windows or over windows – this means that you either have to go back to your desktop with no active windows maximized to open it, or you can activated over your maximized windows, usually resulting in the dowck beckoming a constant a**hole by popping out when you don’t need it.</span><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Organizing desktops with Fences</span></b></span>
</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Part of my dock problem was solved when I found another tiny and useful program called Fences. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/" target="_blank">Fences</a> allow you to set a group of contained areas in your desktop where icons stick to whatever happens in the outside of the fence. So you can for example define a IMPORTANT fence with all the docs you are working on, and another fence with something like PENDING ORGANIZATION. No matter what sorting order you apply to the Desktop, the fences will remain in place and the contents of them won’t get mixed with the others.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I myself love to have the recycle bin in the lower right side of the desktop, so I have her in her own fence so I’m always sure she will always be there no matter how I mix and shuffle other things around.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">For almost a year the Dock/Fences combo did it for me until I met WinLaunch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb37fi5FGUAblHJsX0IcG0DUxBiyxO3PQmkQBriVN7rxi2wOSaRtL4IfAfF7TLxsQICV4_oXHi50uj9Pm6WQxkrNUWPFHV3qxUVB_-oTjUtIkFlS9rPTNMSPjk9kGhfN-lHwZPa8sYKI/s1600/Fences.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEb37fi5FGUAblHJsX0IcG0DUxBiyxO3PQmkQBriVN7rxi2wOSaRtL4IfAfF7TLxsQICV4_oXHi50uj9Pm6WQxkrNUWPFHV3qxUVB_-oTjUtIkFlS9rPTNMSPjk9kGhfN-lHwZPa8sYKI/s320/Fences.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How Fences can keep order on your desktop</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>WinLaunch - The temptation apple</b></span></span>
</h4>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am an ipad user, and though I’m not an apple fanboy, I must confess I really find peace on the organization system of the icons in OSx. So when I met <a href="http://winlaunch.bplaced.net/" target="_blank">WinLaunch</a> I decided I needed to give it a try… and I loved it.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Winlaunch loads on startup and remains hidden from sight as long as you don’t activate a certain command on your computer (mine is Ctrl-Alt-F in order to not mess up with some gaming keyboard configurations). When you do, your desktop blurs to an ipad like icon shelf, where you can place as much icons you want, acting like a second desktop of sorts. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This not only allows you to keep a clean Windows desktop, but also prevents that unwanted attention to your desktop contents, especially important when you use to carry your computer around to job meetings, roleplaying sessions, or have a meddling girlfriend.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLJI_LrEqIFUGGI_feAAGPveY9CAa6nEA99vyajF5xpY1XidV5L4qsHG-MTMOysjoOeZCDn5nJ6CdFR_IbbTV_xxf6bgbgqvySpnJvDY2Ldn6uXoT0S2WaTbpA1apgBVc1leFj24heos/s1600/Winlaunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLJI_LrEqIFUGGI_feAAGPveY9CAa6nEA99vyajF5xpY1XidV5L4qsHG-MTMOysjoOeZCDn5nJ6CdFR_IbbTV_xxf6bgbgqvySpnJvDY2Ldn6uXoT0S2WaTbpA1apgBVc1leFj24heos/s320/Winlaunch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winlaunch will blur your desktop and put everything one or two clicks away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Icons can be further organized into folders, and will always remain in the place you left them so you don’t have to worry about them shuffling around. Also, as they are not crowding your wallpaper now, icons can be considerably bigger, allowing faster identification.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Folders will open on the exact way they do on OSx, showing their contents in a small strip but without cramming your screen with lots of open folder windows. This that may be something stupid sums up with the decision to open programs with a single clic, and auto-hiding the WinLaunch app after opening. At the end of the day, you won’t need to close all folder windows opened while searching for the app. </span></span><br />
<h4>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><b>Conclusion</b></span></span></h4>
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I hope that if you are in the same journey of self organizing as i am this article has been helpful and shown you some tidying options. During the next weeks we will talk on some other ways to help you achieve order on other places of your computer, so don't miss it!</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh, by the way, the header image is from <a href="http://www.real-desktop.de/" target="_blank">Real Desktop</a>, some fancy thing if you are into the visual, but i guess if you were reading this is because you don't want that kind of desktop to begin with.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-36538861823574047002012-08-05T21:11:00.002-03:002012-09-22T12:44:13.393-03:00Battlecon for iOS - An App Review<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yGhqZVsWFfoIZtJ38oC8JBDuCo1GBlw6mjCfrsDnneSOCfvqPXqe5cIMgHA0aXzmguLtDOkzd4ohvWIRDjEmm_2TU80fcyKG9t_wDsRd5Wpr_KUVH4DQdm3JeDV9m2uoR32kOudTv_A/s1600/Battlecon2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yGhqZVsWFfoIZtJ38oC8JBDuCo1GBlw6mjCfrsDnneSOCfvqPXqe5cIMgHA0aXzmguLtDOkzd4ohvWIRDjEmm_2TU80fcyKG9t_wDsRd5Wpr_KUVH4DQdm3JeDV9m2uoR32kOudTv_A/s400/Battlecon2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Some time ago i made an article about Battlecon, the fighting card game from level 99, and promised i'll be back to discuss about the iOS implementation. So today we're back to fulfill that promise and discuss about this portable playing version that hit the apple devices some months ago.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><br clear="none" /></span></div>
<h4>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><b>Gameplay</b></span></h4>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">I'm not going to extend much to talk about the game itself as i covered that<a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com.br/2012/06/battlecon-war-of-indines-fighting-game.html" target="_blank"> in my previous article</a>. Suffices to say that Battlecon is at the moment one of the card games in the market that best represents a 2D fighting video-game. Your objective is simple: Beat your opponent to KO by reducing his/her life or be the one with higher amount of hit points remaining after a 15 turn countdown. To do so, every turn you would combine 2 cards, one Base, and one Style, to create a unique attack to threat your opponent with.</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">The presentation of the game is very good and truthful to it's board counterpart, with characters moving around their 2d board centered on the screen while cards in your hand appear to both sides of the screen. Some of the visual decisions of the design actually help the game to be easier to play: For example the physical separation between bases and styles for easier management of your turn choices as well as the life bar accounting for the total life points of both contestants, that turns partially blue depending on the amount of HP the opponents are guarding against. </span></div>
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<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaepZ0yuhgTAYlivfQT6T6lX-qoFHv_EPONQoXGKpNe8lD50uPDjVvFWlEi0E3qquT2K8e2aTvH-SCu2u310N-zp4M67AJ8Our27tCVJIww2AmMXTAOjNWy3zwHGjPW9X_4HADM1aBl8/s1600/IMG_0104%5B1%5D.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaepZ0yuhgTAYlivfQT6T6lX-qoFHv_EPONQoXGKpNe8lD50uPDjVvFWlEi0E3qquT2K8e2aTvH-SCu2u310N-zp4M67AJ8Our27tCVJIww2AmMXTAOjNWy3zwHGjPW9X_4HADM1aBl8/s320/IMG_0104%5B1%5D.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The separation between bases and styles helps accelerate your decision-making.</td></tr>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Everything is automatically calculated after each player plays his cards and ante for their turn, stopping only to ask the players when they need to take a decision based on their cards rules. While this makes the gameplay faster than the board version, players who never played the board game have complaint about not knowing what exactly happened, as the played cards have little screen time before the auto-play begins, thus not allowing you to read the opponents attack. This will annoy players not familiar with every character, but for experienced players will offer increase game-speed, so it's kind of a two edged knife.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">While the mechanics are all rightly translated to iOS screens, Battlecon suffers some very nasty bugs, from annoying rule-breaking situations to even more serious app-crashers. Some of them easily repeatable. While this is usually not a problem for most iOS developers due to constant updates Battlecon has had no updates since the initial release and if we are to judge from other products from them, lvl99games is not one of the fastest companies to pull updates, if they pull them at all, mostly to the small size and wide amount of projects the company tries to embrace. </span><span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">(I'm still waiting for the much commented RPG cartographer update that was to allow graphic importing).</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><b>Characters and AI</b></span></h4>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Battlecon's board game version shines from the amount and variety of his cast, offering a wide range of options to find a fighter that suits your style. The iOS version sadly only offers half of the 18 member original cast: The four characters from the board-game demo version are free to play, while 6 more can be unloqued at 1$ (0,79 euro each) or by winning battles online (good luck with that). Additionally it has two temporarily exclusive chars from the upcoming Battlecon expansion but both of them can only be bought at 2$ each.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73WuTFLqG9IiueL_eX14E4IcE_mLw8zOBc5ZdW6c42PRXMYkWBtZyYEuOOCweicKAO4bDTWPo42a5Xms3y4PvxyDr4XRzu3isbUcv92GFRHuWoT7NDuUVQ9Y-8zRtz2XWR2XL2AfiDZc/s1600/IMG_0154%5B2%5D.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj73WuTFLqG9IiueL_eX14E4IcE_mLw8zOBc5ZdW6c42PRXMYkWBtZyYEuOOCweicKAO4bDTWPo42a5Xms3y4PvxyDr4XRzu3isbUcv92GFRHuWoT7NDuUVQ9Y-8zRtz2XWR2XL2AfiDZc/s320/IMG_0154%5B2%5D.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The full cast totals 16 characters. And allows using their alternate art versions.</td></tr>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">To add insult to injury only the four free characters are playable by the AI. The game has no arcade mode whatsoever so if you want to face against the other characters you bought you will only be able to do so in the local asynchronous multi-player mode (if you plan to do that, i'd recommend you to buy the board-game instead) or try your luck on the on-line synchronous mode. I only managed to play on-line once, two days after the app release, for the rest of the time the lobbies remain deserted, which makes quite impossible to win the more than 500 matches you need to unlock all the cast without paying unless you have some friend in game-center who also diggs the game. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">What's even worse about the four included AIs is that they cannot think out of the box, only planning based on their character and never on the opponent's, which makes them perform always the same opening move every time. This is pretty serious issue for Cadenza as his opening move would crash the app against some other character´s Shot.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZTA7VF2aRvF8nyAuPYQ_QPMlSZXPVptL7pvM6xF7i61S_GGqanwJtbNEHrSUL4UpPSIO_3OW6sTBAR4cApwdf_si6fvpIIp9tce2WdruQNVCVelQwwGo8hwLPAgO_82BFSkQrgq_9Hs/s1600/IMG_0155%255B1%255D.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZTA7VF2aRvF8nyAuPYQ_QPMlSZXPVptL7pvM6xF7i61S_GGqanwJtbNEHrSUL4UpPSIO_3OW6sTBAR4cApwdf_si6fvpIIp9tce2WdruQNVCVelQwwGo8hwLPAgO_82BFSkQrgq_9Hs/s320/IMG_0155%255B1%255D.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buying 8 chars that you're not be able to play against is kind of annoying.</td></tr>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">One of my favorite things about this apps is the wise selection of musical themes befitting each character. They really help get in the mood, and having one theme per character helps transmit that 2d fighter feeling. Some of the themes like Hepzibah's "Pound for Pound" or Magdelina's "Epic Evolution" will remain on playback mode in your mind for hours after playing if you are not careful.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">On the art side, the game maintains the board-game visuals, but all bought characters have also their 2P alternate art version unlocked (only Print and Play for the board game), which will allow you to play with the version of the art you like the most. Sadly, the four free characters alternate costume must also be payed for 1$ wich is quite pricey just for an alternate image, and being some of them the worst offenders when it comes to under-leveled art, their alternate version for them feels like a must. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">As much as i love Battlecon as a board game and i like most of level99games iOS products i must admit that Battlecon for iOS while not being a bad app, fails to meet the Battlecon fan's expectations and probably will disappoint many other iOS board-game fans. The app charges too much money for the amount of content it offers (14$ if you want to unlock every content available) and at the moment seems like a rushed app that could have been way better just by delaying a bit it's release to playtest more, and given an AI for every character.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><b><span style="color: #6aa84f;">You'll like it:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">If you want to test the mechanics before buying the boardgame.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">If you have a bunch of other friends into Battlecon, that have iOS. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">You won't like it:</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">If you want it to play solo against an AI or an unknow rival on the internet.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">You get annoyed by AI rage-quitting by forcefully crashing the app. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;"><b>Closing Comments: </b></span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Level99games is already working in an update for the app, that includes 3 more characters and a full playable cast of AI chars with improved AI performance, that you will be able to battle in the new Arcade mode. I've been able to try the unreleased update, courtesy of Brad Talton, lead designer of lvl99games, and i must say that the improvements seem like will bring the app to the place it deserves between other great iOS boardgame adaptations like Ascension or Neuroshima Hex. For the moment though we can only wait for the update, but we are still left with the feelings that this new version should have been the first released version. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first update has just been anounced. You should look forward to it.</td></tr>
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Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-74468101493593254362012-08-03T22:12:00.001-03:002012-09-15T12:29:53.255-03:00Tentacle rape is awwwwrite<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmhmG0biBaZDMJJ3R3FFITGznUxNGYOaG6lwTdcMRCUnYr8hdOY0KlXiPqJjQVLUo_hayd85EndMsFpHdz5ayCN_GWk4RdhtYaKKyyHpK1yOKS1uNgFu87jKsHlbOOUu9Qe17Jk7DYXs/s1600/tentacle-rape-1024x640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOmhmG0biBaZDMJJ3R3FFITGznUxNGYOaG6lwTdcMRCUnYr8hdOY0KlXiPqJjQVLUo_hayd85EndMsFpHdz5ayCN_GWk4RdhtYaKKyyHpK1yOKS1uNgFu87jKsHlbOOUu9Qe17Jk7DYXs/s400/tentacle-rape-1024x640.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Sodapop miniatures has been always one of my favourite companies on the gaming market for their vision to link the traditional gaming with the japanese style visuals in their visually stunning range of miniatures and boardgames. Just recently i went back to their site since i was disconnected from the community from some months and learned their first card game: <a href="http://girls.sodapopminiatures.com/content/fund-tentacle-bento" target="_blank">Tentacle Bento</a>, was forcefully removed from Kickstarter after being successfully funded under accusations of encouraging girl abuse, rape and molestation.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">OMFG...Seriously?</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Did you remember <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com.br/2012/07/state-of-art-and-hypocrisy-of-eros.html" target="_blank">last time i talked about moral defenders</a> and how they are a harm for illustrated society? I'm starting to think some people need to cool off a bit.</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">The idea behind Tentacle Bento is fun and parodic. For you guys who are not familiar with this issue, i'm gonna enlighten you with some history: </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Japanese censorship laws forbid any explicit depiction of genitals in any way and format, which it's even extended to porn movies. In orther to overcame this issue without having to paste censoring mosaics over every scene, japanese artists created an entire hentai anime genre in which the male counterpart was replaced with a slimy tentacled entity that would abduct the girls and perform all kinds of acts that looked obscene to the viewer.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI8y-7awmB6ggaMGhHC8L0tihjsLQ6_e0JFs1y2vPMIN83liN-6bMYY6Kxy-S1lr4lPgkJ8HVRJz55NXthaoUI7TCZyrl3VGsUjAXop612jdiKfL0p_sUI3eNbLbN93GEBj4d4aBL1uo/s1600/142267__468x_shoko-tan-tiny-pussy-exposure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcI8y-7awmB6ggaMGhHC8L0tihjsLQ6_e0JFs1y2vPMIN83liN-6bMYY6Kxy-S1lr4lPgkJ8HVRJz55NXthaoUI7TCZyrl3VGsUjAXop612jdiKfL0p_sUI3eNbLbN93GEBj4d4aBL1uo/s320/142267__468x_shoko-tan-tiny-pussy-exposure.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what a pussy looks like to a young japanese virgin.</td></tr>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">I refrain from saying they were having sexual intercourse, because that statement would depend on the fluff behind the story: Devouring energy, gen stealing, eating, assimilating... whatever the wording it involved lots of tentacles groping and/or penetrating the girls in various fashion, with or without her consent (yeah, there is consensual tentacle sex, look for it on google). </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Whatever the case, this genre of erotic-horror movie is deeply ingrained in anime culture, something that Sodapop is aiming to parody in Tentacle Bento. In the game you play as a tentacled monster and your aim is just to abduct more girls than your other slimy fellows. No sexual reference whatsoever is made to the girls destinies after abduction as the game just revolves about pairing cards to form combinations.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGTtqNY3XePzSG7WJzr1GlH5pp60cwxyZMKE-8ppANZu7xl-e-MbVzkjyF7fS5MWNpzh2s6WYrehdIsVWmlM1eAY6hKtRszI5wDr89LwBEcunrMnceXozG7ITN8Mf5nCF6gInONXb19E/s1600/Tako_to_ama_retouched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGTtqNY3XePzSG7WJzr1GlH5pp60cwxyZMKE-8ppANZu7xl-e-MbVzkjyF7fS5MWNpzh2s6WYrehdIsVWmlM1eAY6hKtRszI5wDr89LwBEcunrMnceXozG7ITN8Mf5nCF6gInONXb19E/s320/Tako_to_ama_retouched.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tentacle porn in japan goes down a long history.</td></tr>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Tentacle Bento could be perfectly called Area 51, have dark art and revolve about grey-man aliens abducting american farmers and animals, and probably no one would have given shit about the game. Just by changing their art style to anime and the alien type to a tentacled alien is it suddenly encouraging rape? Oh, come on!!</span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">Guys, are we insane or what? Games are games, are meant to have fun, are meant to be parodic and hilarious situations. Saying Tentacle Bento encourages rape and molestation it's like saying that playing <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/33581/mwahahaha" target="_blank">Mwahahaha!</a> encourages genocide and building weapons of mass destruction or <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/19237/cash-n-guns" target="_blank">Cash and Guns</a> encourages bank robbing, forming of criminal organizations, gun-shooting problem-solving, agression of federal agents...and a long etc... and that extends for looooots of other board games. (I won't even enter about discussing video-games because it would be unfair for them).</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn6NmkbUn88uFujhd3EzVs1TXp4ucNr6ZAY98wMuxiC6Qd5RGWdqEENffP0naX_jLCx-pg967UNseewdVU_BAuGFdv0qnYJtskGLHLvH3HvkCagI4hsYeT-CFc1aCWuO8rFN3vy_THNQ/s1600/MJV-ART.ORG_-_158677-1123x794-jiji%252B%252528artist%252529-shinryaku%252521%252Bika%252Bmusume-ika%252Bmusume-girl-long%252Bhair-solo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqn6NmkbUn88uFujhd3EzVs1TXp4ucNr6ZAY98wMuxiC6Qd5RGWdqEENffP0naX_jLCx-pg967UNseewdVU_BAuGFdv0qnYJtskGLHLvH3HvkCagI4hsYeT-CFc1aCWuO8rFN3vy_THNQ/s320/MJV-ART.ORG_-_158677-1123x794-jiji%252B%252528artist%252529-shinryaku%252521%252Bika%252Bmusume-ika%252Bmusume-girl-long%252Bhair-solo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ika Musume: the bastard product of a successful human-tentacle love encounter.</td></tr>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">I understand that there's people who might be offended by this, but if everytime everyone was offended by our actions we stopped doing them, humanity would have never evolved. I know there is very bizzarre shit going out on the world and the corners of the internet, but i simply don't meddle with it and live my life while letting others leave theirs as long as they do not do harm to real people in the real world. </span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px; font-family: Tahoma;">If there is people backing a project is because they want that to be real. And let's get real, no harm comes of something that cannot harm anyone. I'm sorry but "making apology"of something is the worst excuse of a crime i've ever heard and in my opinion goes against freedom of speech. No one that calls himself civilized should be offended by some guys at their home playing a boardgame, no mater the theme. </span></div>
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<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-9767797226681516192012-07-16T21:44:00.002-03:002012-10-07T11:46:40.346-03:00State of the Art and the Hypocrisy of Eros<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXWK-hXXeNzZUSZXrOTnohRLgOHUL1DzZfpykJ56GSjXvP_yGynp59BsJmae6c52nstgo0waBVAwULL6vySX-BkekNMSjvSnU1YCYCpKGUfVsROJiOycy_kT8siaSsFthjJ2p_NDKT7I/s1600/erotic-art-jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKXWK-hXXeNzZUSZXrOTnohRLgOHUL1DzZfpykJ56GSjXvP_yGynp59BsJmae6c52nstgo0waBVAwULL6vySX-BkekNMSjvSnU1YCYCpKGUfVsROJiOycy_kT8siaSsFthjJ2p_NDKT7I/s320/erotic-art-jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Art by Jean Pierre Ceytaire</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Today i'm gonna talk about something that really bugs me and sets me aflame with indignation. Erotic art and the way it's treated by society.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Since young, drawing has been my passion, i've spent a reasonable amount of money and time learnign from the best masters i could afford and getting me the equipment that best suited my needs. While other guys spent saturday evenings dragged on the sofa watching shitty tv or getting drunk for that night's happy hour, i spent my time perfecting my techniches with pencil, paper and drawing pads.</span><br />
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My inspiration came from two main sources. The erotically charged mangas from the land of the rising sun, coupled with the exuberant art and comical eroticism of Adam Warren on his works on Gen13, Livewires, and his most recent Empowered. My style rapidly aligned with my likes, and soon my drawings were filled with curvy women on scanty dresses and innocent looking lolitas while I searched for the perfect female forms.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX-jPKqtoE0zDoD0VlDZ03wffzOc-giYWDf-PdXo9glLZxBPsEl7OfSf-cY7lg_Z8mjHhzJ4mjgH5Quex8VPYkOd7rzJNZ4JfZcQG1QP904QgU9zDckM8gvM324L3a9T92kh6RJfhE6w/s1600/EMPOWERED_2__s_back_cover_illo_by_AdamWarren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX-jPKqtoE0zDoD0VlDZ03wffzOc-giYWDf-PdXo9glLZxBPsEl7OfSf-cY7lg_Z8mjHhzJ4mjgH5Quex8VPYkOd7rzJNZ4JfZcQG1QP904QgU9zDckM8gvM324L3a9T92kh6RJfhE6w/s320/EMPOWERED_2__s_back_cover_illo_by_AdamWarren.jpg" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Empowered from Adam Warren is all about damsels in distress.</span> </span></td></tr>
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It was not long since I found myself admiring erotic and hentai artists from all over the world. Guys capable of creating lust with just a pen and a paper. And i understood that to be the ultimate goal for any artist. After all, what we all seek is to leave an imprint on those who follow our art, and the best way to do so is by creating a powerful sensation that will leave a permanent memory.<br />
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Through art I've met wonderful humour artists, i've read stories that left me in deep sadness, I've found the most pure forms of love, or found the awesomeness of the common world. So i wanted also to leave my imprint through one of the strongest appealing feelings of the human being: lust.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZNFx22m1cmm43AgYTnwCDS38Q5KseDeqGjkWV7gdYtbf8HdozFBLfgozRWPV5CkO-Mosb2G-YZ-HZ51FqIkW-HQBjNjcQGnDOcALg17yufPNua-O8GsaIOW5Kt0Myeg2xdy4cyTDQsE/s1600/Georgina+Kincaid+Series+Novels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZNFx22m1cmm43AgYTnwCDS38Q5KseDeqGjkWV7gdYtbf8HdozFBLfgozRWPV5CkO-Mosb2G-YZ-HZ51FqIkW-HQBjNjcQGnDOcALg17yufPNua-O8GsaIOW5Kt0Myeg2xdy4cyTDQsE/s320/Georgina+Kincaid+Series+Novels.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">Richelle Mead Succubus Blues series is an excellent example of narrative use of sex.</span> </span></td></tr>
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Sadly though the world is too hipocryte to understand this kind of motivations and erotic artists are often overlooked and treated as if their work was nothing worth of admiration. They often accuse us of wanting to attract visibilty by offering nudity and sex, and no one considers how that fits into the personal experience we want to transmit or deliver to our audience.<br />
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Sometimes sex is not a excuse for lust, but a vehicle for humour. Sometimes, it's a vehicle to understanding a higher state of love. Sometimes sex can be violent or dirty, and used as a vehicle to transmit anger or loath.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">The paragons of virtue</span></b><br />
The worst comes when you cross paths with the piercing eyes of the ones who thing they are in charge of guarding humanity's morals. All around the internet and the real world this guys seek, destroy and humiliate without criteria.<br />
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They do not respect freedom of speech nor artistic freedom, and hunt nudity around the internet without any criteria. Instead of creating filters to prevent acess to those who don't want to acess that content they instead ban and delete art who is supposed to be a cultural legacy of mankind as a whole. This my fellow readers is a book burning crusade on a digital media.<br />
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The worst of this is that no criteria is followed at all to determine who is guilty and who is not.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vLDJa71CcPb5gpHz6NLx_8wsm5A7ClsOYRCmPT5oNJ-MZFhoyOEYw_ULaag4nZkraNmdBcOA0ShNApUc-8xjePJB2axCrIoP95UBuHO0dDxS2NQH-b9b-eBzwP0AGGlvNrlRhVUmDzM/s1600/Eros-e-psique-Canova.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vLDJa71CcPb5gpHz6NLx_8wsm5A7ClsOYRCmPT5oNJ-MZFhoyOEYw_ULaag4nZkraNmdBcOA0ShNApUc-8xjePJB2axCrIoP95UBuHO0dDxS2NQH-b9b-eBzwP0AGGlvNrlRhVUmDzM/s320/Eros-e-psique-Canova.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Eros and Psique</span></span></td></tr>
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One of the worst villains of the bunch is ironically the greatest reference for art around the internet: <a href="http://www.deviantart.com/" target="_blank">Deviantart</a>. On Deviantart like in real life exists the justice of the strong: Small artists with little followers have their art removed or are banned by drawing a girl showing a nipple mark under a wet shirt, while powerful photographs with leverage make a living by posting daily photos of vaginas and erect dicks.<br />
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Soon classifications are made. Artist are tagged as pornographers, pornographers are tagged as artists. Moral zealots go to church happy thinking they made the world a better place while a lot of rapist, pimps and pedophiles roam the land unpunished, or even worst, protected by their moralist friends who just deleted your erotic drawing.<br />
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<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-76066428271915185262012-06-25T22:00:00.003-03:002012-09-22T12:49:16.609-03:00Sonic 4 Episode 2 - Review - The return of a lost friend.<br />
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It was about time that I did a post about sonic, taking in account how he is the main inspiration for this blog's title. Today thoughh i'm not going back to spagonia but instead i venture forth in the new episode of Sonic 4 episode 2, which tries again to pull a necromantic spell on the saga after Generations success and episode 1's fiasco.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Everyone here? Let's get this party started!<b><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></b></td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Second parts were never good?</span></b></h2>
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Whoever said that never played Sonic. The blue hedgehog can count his second episode as one of his best of the modern days, getting closer to the 16 bit era of the awesome titles like Sonic CD. For that reason, after the frankenstein catastrophe of episode 1 where sega pulled all the corpses of games to create a dead game with little of fun moments in it, episode 2 has managed to gather the best of the old and the best of new Sonic, in that particular way that Generations set as the right direction.</div>
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Graphics are fantastic and in some stages like Oil Desert you will find yourself staring at the wonderful background of dark clouds moving menacely. The essence of the old games was captured with the level design and constant hints to the past, like the use of Badniks as enemies instead of the modern Egg Pawns and platforming areas clearly separated from high speed ones.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">The clouds... so beautifuuuuuul!</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify;">Episode 2 Sonic moves faster, and the physics are better (in my opinion even better than generations where jumping was kind of weird). He moves very similarly as how it did on the mega drive with the exception of the homing attack. Now let me say this, and i'm sorry for all the sonic haters out there, but the homing attack is very good when the stage does not conspirate against you, and here it certainly helps the game flow with a nicer tempo. </span></div>
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Sega has learnt from the errors of the past and the stages do not have many "run into deathtrap" issues, as they tend to slow you down before the most dangerous areas taking benefit of terrain. I only recall one place in the game where you run into a trap and is on one of the last zones. All of the deathpits are nicely identificated with the new bright red alert signs introduced in generations so you can see them coming and prepare your secret weapon...</div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>Tails</b></span><span style="color: #073763;"><b><br /></b></span></h2>
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...where have you been all my life?! Seriously, the new coordination mechanic that makes the orange fox cooperate with you is one of the best things of the game. I wonder why nobody thought of this before. </div>
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Now by pressing one button you will have your sidekick automatically come to the rescue to get you of a tight spot. Cooperation is fast and does not interrupt the flow of the game so you can jump full speed ahead into bottomless pits and call Tails for the catch keeping the game fast. He also has the submarine ability as well as a new combined roll attack that makes the classic spin dash pale in comparison by momentum and punch. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Close call buddy!</td></tr>
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Unlike Sonic Colours where sometimes the use of abilities was kind of repetitive, here sega has managed to achieve the balance between necessity and fun. Some bosses will have to be killed with coordinated moves as well as some areas will need Tails to be traversed, but still it wont be that often that it becomes a tiring routine that will spoil the fun, and most of the times there will be an alternative to it.</div>
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Now you really feel like you have a sidekick instead of an orange inmortal shadow (even though, Tails is still quite immortal, wonder why Sonic doesn't send him alone to save the world). </div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">No one can destroy the Metal</span></b><b><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></b></h2>
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Sonic 4 Ep 2 brings back metal sonic from the grave and man he does one hell of a return. Fights and races against Metal Sonic are the best boss fights from the game and you'll get to face him up to 4 times to prove which hedgehog pwns harder.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Damn!! I know I shouldn`t have make him run on Windows Vista!!!</td></tr>
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As a clear declaration of intentions, SEGA has prepared some stages and scenarios reminiscent of Sonic and Metal previous encounters, with a brand new boss theme exclusive for him (that sounds awesome). White Park boss encounter is a cool fight atop of a rollercoaster where speed will be critical to land hits similar to Generation's boss fight, while Death Egg MkII features a payback race replaying the events of Sonic CD, with a complete remake of Stardust Speedway´s japanese theme song.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Soundtrack</span></b><b><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></b></h2>
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While Episode 1 could count just a few tracks beyond Lost Labyrinth and Mad Gear worth the listening, Sonic 4 ep 2 has some brilliant tracks that recall the glory of the 16bit era Sonic, with limited tones but still in magnificent HD. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Three charged missiles and for some reason Metal thinks is funnier to throw you the disabled ones.</td></tr>
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Sylvania castle acts start with a good music, highly reminiscent of first stages and Ruin classical stages. White park has good festive tracks (though in my opinion 1st act sounds more like Ragnarok Battle Offline than Sonic), but it's at act 3 where it captures more the atmosphere of the stage. </div>
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Oil Desert has a magnificent beat to it reminiscent of Sonic 1's Scrap Brain Zone, but it's in Sky Fortress second act where things go from good to fantastic. A free runnin escapade atop of the deck of one of the Egg Fleet airships, with little obstacles to atop you and listenning to this awesome tune... Probably the most Sonic moment of the game. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White Park is a pretty good Stardust Speedway successor.</td></tr>
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For finishers death Egg MkII has a killer tune too: with a short main theme repeating every two seconds, it would have been obnoxious in a stage full of hazards, but in this highspeed gravity paranoia it does so well! The iterating theme feels like a warning danger alarm that keeps you moving forward at top speed.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Better with friends</span></b><b><span style="color: #073763;"><br /></span></b></h2>
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Multiplayer feels as nice as single player in the ipad's bluetooth system and I managed to play some games where the coordination factor between Sonic and Tails players added quite a bit to the fun.</div>
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In multiplayer, Tails will change Sonic's homing attack for his classic flight, so now for the first time Sonic has an ability no other character in the game shares (it was about time). Still both of them can call a coordinated move so it is possible to save your friends ass of a dangerous situation of you are well compenetrated.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3ijCeqaVY5uZ-4UZ83vFxoUUgIh1C5NIPQruNqfYqWgZ8RvYLz-EG-5vV8MQfCaBng8by7qhYfQajXpDS9wjX7Thg3m7vYkQTr06T4QQiNen9wWzcjq1I6pUz_KZ6lt2cQ-SIeBZZJc/s1600/IMG_0117.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht3ijCeqaVY5uZ-4UZ83vFxoUUgIh1C5NIPQruNqfYqWgZ8RvYLz-EG-5vV8MQfCaBng8by7qhYfQajXpDS9wjX7Thg3m7vYkQTr06T4QQiNen9wWzcjq1I6pUz_KZ6lt2cQ-SIeBZZJc/s320/IMG_0117.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">...That's the kind of faces you make when you aren´t.</td></tr>
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To help to achieve that, the screen is limited to follow the fastest of the team, and warping the lagging member into position with the same momentum so it can fastly addapt to the teammate movement.</div>
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<span style="color: #073763;"><b>For closings: </b></span></h2>
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Overall: Quite enjoying I must say. The new mechanics may dissuade players looking for a greater challenge (the game is not that difficult aside from some punctual areas), but deffinitely is a game worth buying and having into the collection and a total must if you are a Sonic fan. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">You will like it:</span></b></div>
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If you need a good platformer for your moments of enjoyment in the portable devices.</div>
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If you want a game that plays fast for those little interludes in the bus.</div>
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If you have fangasms while raiding air vessels at top speed while listening to awesome music.</div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">You wont like it:</span></b></div>
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If you are looking for a insanely difficult game.</div>
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If you are looking for a deep profound story.</div>
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If you hate water stages (this one packs quite a bit)</div>
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If you think Sonic 2 was the last good Sonic game (You Sonic hater, GTFO of my blog!!)</div>
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Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-83823990268370245122012-06-19T22:52:00.001-03:002012-09-15T10:17:27.068-03:00BattleCon - War of Indines: A fighting game Review<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnd5209i9z7t-DwenXBpmU9TEPMYs2x6rUOaAggNUQphvwGFrCo6aQz11a7Dj-lPDHibgUetoMzWysrCX2-0JDLEUqtmTPxRaxIln545AwMJtYmjPpNy-jWI1F4BBLu9lfQkJUgzIi1s/s1600/4in-promotional-square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnd5209i9z7t-DwenXBpmU9TEPMYs2x6rUOaAggNUQphvwGFrCo6aQz11a7Dj-lPDHibgUetoMzWysrCX2-0JDLEUqtmTPxRaxIln545AwMJtYmjPpNy-jWI1F4BBLu9lfQkJUgzIi1s/s320/4in-promotional-square.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It was not so much time ago that i took my time to write a <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com.br/2012/01/cornerstone-of-new-paradigm-review-of.html" target="_blank">review about Mystic Empyrean</a>, the pioneering RPG who opened the way for digital RPG rulebooks in tablets, by <a href="http://www.lvl99games.com/" target="_blank">level99games</a>. Today I’m back to talk about another of their creations, the board game Battlecon - War of Indines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I must say that when I saw Battlecon in kickstarter some time ago it didn’t call me much in first place. Now I regret not having invested a bit on it knowing already the previous curriculum from this developer. Let me show you what I missed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>The game</b></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">Battlecon is a 2 to 4 player game that tries to represent a classic 2D fighter game and truth to be told he does it pretty well. The game manages to capture the movements and the forward thinking required in 2D fighters, and does it in a swift manner, with games that last no more than 15 minutes for experienced players, and maybe 10 minutes more for novices. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The rules are pretty basic and can be summarized in one or two text pages, which makes it pretty simple and straightforward to learn and to teach new players into it. But do not be blinded by that, as the game offers a great deal of strategy, for as you would expect each of the characters in the game has a very particular way of fighting, and a varied range of difficulty, and getting to know every one of them and their matchups will require some time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Each game turn has both characters creating their own “custom” attack, by mixing one of their style cards unique to their character, with one of the general base cards, shared by all the cast. This way even if you never played against that particular character you can predict at least half of your opponent’s attacks as they come for a common pool of generic fighting moves (strike, dash, grasp, shoot…). The style card will give the attack that personal character’s flavor by turning it stronger, faster or with special effects.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixCDl3MP62kfKASJPiUmEzk853Htp34f1VFAa3YEyqp6rRUTazszU6yvkeJFrLYEr1uqHB59nXi_3fKkYVQYtoLqsrTUMacjPqxPkhoYxHg1hPrNyTYaxd8TagU9V5jBEY416xBql7qM/s1600/pic935887_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixCDl3MP62kfKASJPiUmEzk853Htp34f1VFAa3YEyqp6rRUTazszU6yvkeJFrLYEr1uqHB59nXi_3fKkYVQYtoLqsrTUMacjPqxPkhoYxHg1hPrNyTYaxd8TagU9V5jBEY416xBql7qM/s400/pic935887_md.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Style Right: Base. Adding numbers on both sides will give the attack's final stats.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white;">Moving and spacing becomes an important part of the game as it is on the screen, so you have to calculate well the range of the attacks or move out of range of the enemies. Pulling/pushing and cornering also become part of the game and you will soon be planning your combos various moves ahead to perform deadly setups that will break through your enemy’s life as a knife through butter.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Also simultaneous selection of the attacks and the possility to negate your opponents attacks by stunning them before attack, force you to be always fully aware of the cards discarded by your opponent. Card pairs used will be unavailable for 2 turns until they cycle back to your hand, thus impeding that certain attacks just repeat constantly, so by knowing what your opponent does not have available, you can tweak your strategy. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Once you know the basics you can start getting confident with the characters themselves, and with 18 characters (plus some promos) you have a wide range of combat options to try. Long range fighters, close range rushdowns, trappers, or bulky stalwarts… there is sure one of them that will pick your interest. (and if you're not satisfied, a standalone expansion with 18 more characters is already in development!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Characters are overall well balanced with the exception of some specific matchups, and all play well with their flavor. My personal problem though is the inconsistency of the art on the character cards, ranging from exceptionally good renditions to amateur depictions. Level99games offers an alternate art edition of the game (For those mirror matches as player2), but it’s only print and play and suffers from the same inconsistency. I found myself wishing I could mix both or either buy both as a boxed set (mayhaps a future Deluxe edition… wink wink). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kSvkNqx2Z-zAQvl10lK8YAuVVX_rUvsWDdvU7_fBtVRnbdpy6Li2W-n2SkY3zhH76mvhCNrWTYemSZK1sjjbqCotLlWj0aZxlxjvflwHF_4OD1Ii3_XADv3QbRAQJkecKa5l7UM8HWk/s1600/Mag_Hep_Wide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kSvkNqx2Z-zAQvl10lK8YAuVVX_rUvsWDdvU7_fBtVRnbdpy6Li2W-n2SkY3zhH76mvhCNrWTYemSZK1sjjbqCotLlWj0aZxlxjvflwHF_4OD1Ii3_XADv3QbRAQJkecKa5l7UM8HWk/s320/Mag_Hep_Wide.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The World of Indines setting has some cool chars, sadly, art varies from awesome like this one to amateur.</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">One of the most brilliant moves of Battlecon in my opinion was the rules to play tag duels (KOF style) or 2vs2 combats, which allow for a greater group of friends to join into the fight. Also the game features alternate base cards that can be used to power up characters so you can play a 2vs1 game with one EX or Almighty characters, as a boss encounter of sorts. This opens the game for a wider range of options of play definitely increasing the already wide replayability of the game. (As a Guilty Gear fanboy I totally loved this and was the final decision maker for buying).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If this caught your interest and you want to give it a try do not hesitate and jump right to Battlecon´s site where you will be able to download a print and play, free demo version, on which you will be able to test 4 characters with varied play-stiles and get to know the mechanics. If you are not into printing you have also the option of playing those 4 free chars on the free ipad app or the demo Vassal module.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Additionally, the <a href="http://www.battleconnection.com/" target="_blank">Battlecon site</a> offers some great amount of freebies to tune your games, from deck cases to 16 bit character stands, which add even more personality to the game.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNgq5gWSAfbg_jk85DNq5LwPEtD6CFYyOR2JeSnEZbSAcwLOI_Mre6vWzQw0hNfBeaokmK-e6CxVw2196wcgJZLQkmiyqK7YXbhMYhRkQNxwfVRLaQ8ixOzuF-ogqxfli1tzcpzCYaUA/s1600/pic1215054_md.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNgq5gWSAfbg_jk85DNq5LwPEtD6CFYyOR2JeSnEZbSAcwLOI_Mre6vWzQw0hNfBeaokmK-e6CxVw2196wcgJZLQkmiyqK7YXbhMYhRkQNxwfVRLaQ8ixOzuF-ogqxfli1tzcpzCYaUA/s320/pic1215054_md.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kahrolyn, Heketh and the rest of the cast in wonderful 16bit resolution.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US"><b><span style="color: #073763;">You will like it:</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you are into card games.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you love fighting games.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US">You are looking for a fast game to setup and play (less than 30min). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="color: #073763;"><b>You won't like it:</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If card games to you mean spending your budget in booster packs.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you play fighting games performing Hadouken one after another.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Next time, <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com/2012/08/battlecon-for-ios.html#!/2012/08/battlecon-for-ios.html" target="_blank">I will review Battlecon’s iOS app</a>, so stay tuned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-69440056249479447462012-05-22T22:59:00.001-03:002012-09-16T22:15:28.713-03:00The fields of justice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpU83SIS9-BtCeGQKVLmY-whApA7HJ2wrCPW-UtNuGDTxdKnuCsBTXJb_XQRh5dSX40WCQ2dxFyTaQ1Pg6L0kYMmJev75ErH1lmaS9xG2tnkaNwiLUf5OjjtEuQFcVKMbe_SIywBu9NQ/s1600/League_of_Legends-11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrpU83SIS9-BtCeGQKVLmY-whApA7HJ2wrCPW-UtNuGDTxdKnuCsBTXJb_XQRh5dSX40WCQ2dxFyTaQ1Pg6L0kYMmJev75ErH1lmaS9xG2tnkaNwiLUf5OjjtEuQFcVKMbe_SIywBu9NQ/s320/League_of_Legends-11.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'm not eating much lately, i'm even sleeping less than i should... Some may say i'm being lazy and that this is just a symptom of single behaviour. However i know better to notice this started some weeks ago, when a friend of mine introduced me to League of Legends.<br />
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The premise of the game is simple: two bases, and two armies of minions condemned to fight eternally in equal conditions, and a jungle full of creeps in the middle. Players take control of a hero on one of the sides of the battle, trying to overpower the balance into victory, gaining experience and gold as they progress through the enemy ranks, Ultimately turning into ultimate machines of destruction that can chop through enemy hordes as a knife through butter.<br />
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But of course the enemy heroes are there to prevent you to do so. There is where the fun starts: try to single handedly kill an enemy hero and you may be the first corpse of the day. Teamwork is the key of winning in LoL and coordinating with your team and taking advantadge of your strengths is the funniest part of the game. Running for your life and suddenly see your team spring from the bushes to ambush your unaware pursuer or coordinating a full scale attack on the enemy team are the most rewarding moments of the game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcON1WClsrpCOAosLTWr8L0tJQKGRmThPAJhDTJMqhAmT_cCPfVOuVkay8r8_t-nhjZ84e6ZWLcaoQY6ipwrM8jgvY98p0Q7UToQ8nVWibu-kHgBL5eEAaM1JIIOlheK1olFWlFzvI6QQ/s1600/450px-Gragas_Screenshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcON1WClsrpCOAosLTWr8L0tJQKGRmThPAJhDTJMqhAmT_cCPfVOuVkay8r8_t-nhjZ84e6ZWLcaoQY6ipwrM8jgvY98p0Q7UToQ8nVWibu-kHgBL5eEAaM1JIIOlheK1olFWlFzvI6QQ/s320/450px-Gragas_Screenshot.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The best thing is that all of this is free to play! Lol has hundred or more champions to try, each with his strengths and weaknesses, and every week, 10 of them are free to play, the rest of them can be unlocked with the ingame currency that will be rewarded after every game. If you want to look fancy or shortcut your way to a certain hero though you can spend some real cash to do so, supporting the developers. But remember cash does not buy power in LoL. Every one, regardless of their player level starts the match with a hero in equal conditions, this means that only ability decides the victor.<br />
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It will take you quite some time in the beggining to grasp how to keep yourself alive until you find a hero that fits your playing style. It took me almost one week of trying until i found myself confortable playing with Kog'maw, and this week i found another nice hero in the armored armadillo Rammus. Having ten heroes to test each week helps you in trying new things until you decide where to invest your hard earned IP points.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOUnv1DweDZA5trPM9q9ZS_cRxzYh-_2_NzDIB99QIglWkjXHjWQnM89sv1IwCLOBaPH2lifvsCB-mqUzIsLhYsoXB7QDUG4wJhwA7kD8Z4M_dUmnhV3E2QdDMLLUDzmzf-Zv84_qrME/s1600/img_35915_league-of-legends-kogmaw-champion-spotlight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOOUnv1DweDZA5trPM9q9ZS_cRxzYh-_2_NzDIB99QIglWkjXHjWQnM89sv1IwCLOBaPH2lifvsCB-mqUzIsLhYsoXB7QDUG4wJhwA7kD8Z4M_dUmnhV3E2QdDMLLUDzmzf-Zv84_qrME/s320/img_35915_league-of-legends-kogmaw-champion-spotlight.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If this caught your interest, come <a href="http://signup.leagueoflegends.com/?ref=4fa51b3267164871768957" target="_blank">join me in the League!</a>Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-82631034732879902942012-05-14T21:57:00.005-03:002012-05-14T21:58:43.268-03:00Love, Lust and Morals<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjgBfoSI9ni1hTA1BudMS6iLug6oONfF3KfEAq3kwoST1UVgwyddlOnHZNw4mRW7zJGByC4OEiA3vea-Qh2sA8nWy9oRNugG4i8tI2bepqrxF8vLEqSnyE4fZBPDNzFkIR1XNaxhqVT0/s1600/220px-Succubus_bracket_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQjgBfoSI9ni1hTA1BudMS6iLug6oONfF3KfEAq3kwoST1UVgwyddlOnHZNw4mRW7zJGByC4OEiA3vea-Qh2sA8nWy9oRNugG4i8tI2bepqrxF8vLEqSnyE4fZBPDNzFkIR1XNaxhqVT0/s1600/220px-Succubus_bracket_02.jpg" /></a></div>
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This week I finished reading the fifth adventure from my favourite succubus: Georgina Kincaid, from the american writer Richelle Mead. Georgina's constant drifting between love, lust and morals, as always, has stirred some thinking and restlessness inside me.<br />
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I've always been a honest man, and i'm not ashamed to say that like many man, lust drives my thoughts more often than not. Rarely i would deny a chance to get down and dirty with any girl as I don't believe in the common moral code of having sex only with your loved one, though that doesn't mean i actively hit on every girl that crosses my scope.<br />
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Sex for me means deepening the connection with someone you care. I've had a fair amount of friends which whom i got down to business: No love, no regrets, just a deep and profound care and respect for each other, and the promise of fun while it lasts. There will be no breakfast in bed, no bouquets and no future implications. Just a friendly sly look each time your eyes cross: recalling how you shared something special.<br />
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On the other side, i do believe in love. I have experienced it to the last of it's heartbreaking consequences. It's a feeling that can make you cross barriers never trespassed and face harms you won't endure for any other reason. My last relationship was pretty damn long and i always thought that was to last forever. I was a faithful companion and was rewarded with a long period of happiness and partnership. The pain of the loss was something i certainly won't like to go through again, but i managed to overcome. On the downside however i became more unable to feel than i ever was: i have the feeling that i burned with so much passion that now i'm dead cold inside.<br />
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I don't care much about horoscopes, but if something is true about what they write from my sign is: I don't love easy but when i do i really mean it.<br />
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Sometimes people ask me if i do believe in gods. My only answer is that i don't. No religion and no god whatsoever has the right to intervene on my life. I only live with my own ethics and morals, and for me every girl is a temple. Something that should be revered and respected.<br />
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I can't stand the hipocrisy of those who say themselves pure and honorable and then treat their partners like trash. And by this i don't mean beating them (though i have some girl friends with some kinky fantasies) but also psicologically threaten or abuse them. It's just plain wrong.<br />
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Unfortunately though life has put me in a moral crossroad. One of those relationships based on lust, awfully gone wrong, as my partner grew more and more attached to me and I still feel dead cold inside my chest. Almost a year has gone by, and she has become one person i care and hold dear, but to whom i can not give the thing she truly wants for me.<br />
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Twice i tried to end our relation in fear it would harm her more, but twice i failed as life circumstances drew us back together. Time keeps going by, and we just grow closer but on the insides i can almost hear a tic-toc of a bomb ready to explode. A bomb that grows whith every passing day, menacing to place me one day in front of someone i'd really love, and shattering the dreams i hopes of someone who has a high esteem of me and which i hold dear.<br />
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I pictured myself on the same situation Seth Mortensen goes through volume 5 of the Succubus Blues series. On the same situation Boq endures with the Witch of the East on Wicked. Unable to obtain true love, they end up accepting a faux couple life with someone they care and hold dear, but whom they do not love. This situation is sustainable only with great insatisfaction of her romantic life and a heavy toll of mental stress, until they blow up their unsustainable microcosmos bringing pain to those around.<br />
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Now the morals come around. Should you be egoist? Should you pursue your own happiness? even if that means shattering someone else's hopes? Sometimes you even wish something wrong will happen, something that will make that decision for you, but until then... The clock keeps on ticking.Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-9850608932047678402012-05-09T23:12:00.000-03:002012-09-22T12:57:29.193-03:00MonTowers: Legend of Summoners<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7kOuuZMJC7ltQdMNfLMI_XIYkQzrMlnk3t_WeAyY4DpXYdv_3eg3szWSjS4Atih_e_WGm5k_DXY5v6IHfd47UFgxZn2OlZZzcr0qEbVrLmxYB8mVm-nhwK2TeAPAm0XrKLu2ppNAZcQ/s1600/montowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil7kOuuZMJC7ltQdMNfLMI_XIYkQzrMlnk3t_WeAyY4DpXYdv_3eg3szWSjS4Atih_e_WGm5k_DXY5v6IHfd47UFgxZn2OlZZzcr0qEbVrLmxYB8mVm-nhwK2TeAPAm0XrKLu2ppNAZcQ/s400/montowers.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've always been a pokemon fan, and had a tendency to gravitate to monster collecting games. So it was natural that was one of the first things i looked for to download when i got my ipad. Sadly though, the amount and quality of the offer in monster games lacks in comparison with Nintendo's powerhouse.</div>
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This week though i discovered a small island in that vastness of desolation: MonTowers.</div>
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A small casual menu based game that promises hundreds of monsters to collect and some hours of fun for a small price.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC5FNkbJcYsmpXJcgbd-jSWfN3W4_zXDHnjrZvWkwxKfWuijTQl4FovSE8Ti-IgA5Gk8VMZbPdepgN3aEG-SQBol_BqlItWPAnME6qx1bygi5gEE1lNyVr-a4NhHPJk-AsrryVzpAiUM/s1600/IMG_0072.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyC5FNkbJcYsmpXJcgbd-jSWfN3W4_zXDHnjrZvWkwxKfWuijTQl4FovSE8Ti-IgA5Gk8VMZbPdepgN3aEG-SQBol_BqlItWPAnME6qx1bygi5gEE1lNyVr-a4NhHPJk-AsrryVzpAiUM/s320/IMG_0072.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful anime graphics and easy to play.</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Gameplay</span> </h2>
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MonTowers setting is nothing spectacularly creative. You take the role of a summoner in his quest to be the master of all monsters while climbing up various towers with a monster challenger in each floor. To do so you will have to capture and summon the monsters you've defeated to fight by your side (well, more like fight for you). </div>
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In order to summon the captured monsters or upgrade them you will have to head to the field to collect the elements you will need to perform the summoning, consuming a little of your energy on the process. You can also mix monsters into new ones by combinng them with the appropiate recipe, as well as upgrading the monsters through 3 levels each one.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahbaWfgWSlbzwbG7AKZdY6YSZd0mMf1K3uT_YYWENx0xeBPqzLMnolhIxs1wQ_dtjDLjCsZZVqvfCxauWF1uVqTBdkcw1r4wHxnyDz1KfLv95G4j4yGYvUdf9TZSeXRx4zHR1svuJRUw/s1600/IMG_0071.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjahbaWfgWSlbzwbG7AKZdY6YSZd0mMf1K3uT_YYWENx0xeBPqzLMnolhIxs1wQ_dtjDLjCsZZVqvfCxauWF1uVqTBdkcw1r4wHxnyDz1KfLv95G4j4yGYvUdf9TZSeXRx4zHR1svuJRUw/s320/IMG_0071.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Combining monsters adds some unique monsters that can't be found in any other way.</td></tr>
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With your summoned monsters you can now head to the towers themselves, where combat will await. Three of your monsters will face an overpowered version of one monster on each floor. Unlike pokemon, your monsters don't have attacks you can choose nor types that produce extra damage. They do have abilities that affect their combat performance though, like improved defense, regeneration, double attack and so on.</div>
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Your interaction in combat is limited to heal your monsters when they are in need and determining initiative by playing a small tapping minigame which is a bit pointless unless your monsters are close to be dead.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp1B5KdBUgztOAy4Gs23LWDgkS6gzDCrPPR3-68VFo-3qWfLQzhumDy7mwMjtm4xJZDLsxsv4FnqaYwyYBRnZm-LuzJc7P9DMtYtahLH04dB6id_PIhlQSwmdbMtWt_nsZBVqZFUAt0c/s1600/IMG_0076.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpp1B5KdBUgztOAy4Gs23LWDgkS6gzDCrPPR3-68VFo-3qWfLQzhumDy7mwMjtm4xJZDLsxsv4FnqaYwyYBRnZm-LuzJc7P9DMtYtahLH04dB6id_PIhlQSwmdbMtWt_nsZBVqZFUAt0c/s320/IMG_0076.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tap the ball in the red area to pwn the sexy Mummy.</td></tr>
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Even being bland, the combat manages to be thrilling just by the fact that a monster's death is actually a death and not a fainting, effectively removing him from your summoners list. So you will have to be keeping a balance between using to much of your limited potions or letting die that monster that took a lot of resources to raise to Master level. </div>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Time Attacks</span></b></h2>
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If you are familiar with menu games you should already knew the hateful timing mechanic that they use to control your gameplay time. Usually you have to spend energy to perform actions that let you advance on the game, thus when you are depleted on energy you can do nothing, nada, rien, until waiting a set amount of time for your energy to refill. Montowers uses this timing concept for energy and monster regeneration but in a way so subtle that it wont make you just stop playing but instead keep you coming for more. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRouwqyuShz2AfLgPtxYerDvn6fOUWRKY_G_Zf2bFdpgo-lOiO4xlox7_krgpd5EZWnm0l4MUqsoJKWBojmCZnIpdekSpO-r1KoHctUYAiZBeolH2QRrZ5TVPd5J8vFbxUb-IS6cRvujY/s1600/IMG_0073.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRouwqyuShz2AfLgPtxYerDvn6fOUWRKY_G_Zf2bFdpgo-lOiO4xlox7_krgpd5EZWnm0l4MUqsoJKWBojmCZnIpdekSpO-r1KoHctUYAiZBeolH2QRrZ5TVPd5J8vFbxUb-IS6cRvujY/s320/IMG_0073.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your ability to collect materials is limited by time. So you have to play carefully.</td></tr>
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Energy is not linked to the fact of you actually climbing the tower, so you are free to fight and farm as you please on the towers without that hindrance. Instead energy controls how many resources you can extract from the field, thus conditioning your ability to summon and upgrade monsters. As your monsters progressively look weaker as you climb higher, due to enemies growing stronger every floor, you will find yourself cautious to risk the next challenges without appropiate companions, thus backtracking to easier levels for monsters you didnt manage to capture on your first fight. </div>
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This is a nice strategy, because the game does not deny you the chance to play but instead puts a great challenge with a great risk on you with the promise that you will be able to overcome it in some time, what makes you keep coming in to fight that monster later. And if you are in really need of energy you can also buy it with tokens you get as a reward from quests ingame.</div>
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The fact that monsters die and are not supposed to be equiparable in fighting qualities between them makes creates the need to be constantly changing your teams ranks as you progress throught the towers. This removes the attachment of other games with the creatures and keeps the game changing, unlike pokemon where once your team is firmly stablished you will rarely go through all the trouble to train replacements.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkj9l09Jc-viEYLqpeYY-RJutzC-WI-EeDy3FK9CvQ4zR_gKEfP8BSnBgGGACvKRoUSg71yktA-g-mHWGt18mQ6EyGJYVniTZeYfIFoMfMmgLek7uzfgWbHTPz9WWmqRUrRPo45BmLI0/s1600/IMG_0074.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglkj9l09Jc-viEYLqpeYY-RJutzC-WI-EeDy3FK9CvQ4zR_gKEfP8BSnBgGGACvKRoUSg71yktA-g-mHWGt18mQ6EyGJYVniTZeYfIFoMfMmgLek7uzfgWbHTPz9WWmqRUrRPo45BmLI0/s320/IMG_0074.PNG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be ready to keep a team storage of 10 or more monsters to endure heavy damage through stages</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #073763;">Art and Character Design</span></h2>
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The game description says that the game has about 220 monsters. Well, that won't be accurate per pokemon standards as each of the monsters has three levels of evolution that, while retaining the name, vary on the visuals, having different clothes or physical aspect (female monsters have a tendency to get sexier as they level up). This sums up a grandtotal of 660 monsters where you certainly are to find some that meet your likes.<br />
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Despite the main idea being bland the artistic department is fantastic and reminds me of other great anime style games like Fantasy Defense. Graphics are clean and sharp, and monsters are drawn expertly and full of detail. Attacks also have nice animations on the style of old first person view rpg's. Only the poor summoner's assistant seems to not stand to the overall level of greatness as her face seems blurry during animations.
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One of my favourite features is the gallery mode. A place where you can view all monsters you have collected on full screen with up to 4 different backgrounds. Having the iphone/ipad the ability to screenshot means you can save the pics of every monster you collected. </div>
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As all monsters are classic rpg monsters and PC classes (you wont see any bizarre turtle with cannons and the likes) and mantain an artistic coherence as they rank up, this is an awesome monster database for pen and paper rpg masters out there. I would love to see more backgrounds for the gallery, maybe inspired from the tower's backgroungs.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Master level Living Doll shows his sexyness in fullscreen.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Conclusion</span></b></h2>
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As a casual monster catching/taming game this totally gets my seal of approval. Can't do nothing but love sexy monstergirls and games that drain your life away. A fair warning though: as a casual game you might find yourself playing more than you should.</div>
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I hope this company pushes this idea further in future games and shows us a game with more options during battle, but they certainly have a headstart on quality and quantity of monsters.</div>
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The game is now priced at 1$ so if you are into monsters collecting or rpg it would be a shame not to try it. If you are not into this niches though you might not find any appeal on it (unless you are a <a href="http://www.4chan.org/" target="_blank">4chan</a> denizen and you are looking for sexy monstergirls)</div>
Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-43389528077742425352012-05-06T22:58:00.000-03:002013-04-15T02:46:07.087-03:00Grown up kids.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DhiWrveVH67YoeV-LmDwuFEp1vAqLJBnMhCEBkDlBYoNzMuo0vIcLnNwH-qf0_eFW31xrYFi8UVw41x97A8ETwLk2TLTMRsJVCMIaibtDdmjil7AFWNxTg1NfsXcgMUfRAeG8nC2oao/s1600/grownup_kid-thumb-250x252.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6DhiWrveVH67YoeV-LmDwuFEp1vAqLJBnMhCEBkDlBYoNzMuo0vIcLnNwH-qf0_eFW31xrYFi8UVw41x97A8ETwLk2TLTMRsJVCMIaibtDdmjil7AFWNxTg1NfsXcgMUfRAeG8nC2oao/s1600/grownup_kid-thumb-250x252.jpg" /></a></div>
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I was writting a review of an ipad game in the bus when my head drifted to watch around on my colleagues. I caught a glance of an engineer colleague of mine, probably on his 40s watching in his laptop an episode of Thundercats. I had to stop my trail of thoughts to write about it at that very instant.</div>
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Some time ago, i met another aeronautical engineer, a respectable and hard working colleague which whom i shared some time in the company. Once, he gave me a ride on his elite-salary-can-buy car, and when i was to seat on the back seat i almost landed on a set of famous brazilian child comics ("Turma da Monica"). He told me "beware my daughter's comics back there".</div>
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He went on explaining on how he loved those comics as a kid. He even had a huge collection, until his wife bullied him out of it. Now, his daughter has provided him his escape route. "i must confess that i read them more than she does, now at least i have an excuse to buy them again".</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every brazilian has read one of this at least once during his life.</td></tr>
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I´ve always been a kid. I'll be on my thirties in a few years and my favourite passtimes include watching anime and playing videogames. My room in Barcelona was full of anime figures of girls in skimpy dresses and manly anime guys in heroic poses. I spent a lot of time drawing and painting wargame figures and everytime i got asked why i did want to become an aeronautical engineer my answer has always been: "to have time and money to spend drawing, which is my true passion"</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6d30865MYxePtl4gUF3g1Ffb96bBNIRcVLaEOCOk4C6veOvzMJ89kBNCy39Oq1TuaXIYrF-HzNfflzSBqBnpJzHioK7ISv8Y_tZgVtjDEt09vqS-AJg0UHdnig4fYJeL5Ownvf-f8u8c/s1600/rltop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6d30865MYxePtl4gUF3g1Ffb96bBNIRcVLaEOCOk4C6veOvzMJ89kBNCy39Oq1TuaXIYrF-HzNfflzSBqBnpJzHioK7ISv8Y_tZgVtjDEt09vqS-AJg0UHdnig4fYJeL5Ownvf-f8u8c/s320/rltop.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kind of things you can find back at my home.</td></tr>
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However, on high tech or corporative enviroments a level of seriousness and commitment is expected, making it look like this kind of behaviours are something to be ashamed of. For this reason I admire those who are not afraid to show themselves as they are in this situation.</div>
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Let's face it, we all love the series of our childhood, and those friends with children confessed that they steal their kids videogames to play all night long. It's alright to play poker, but not to play Magic? It's alright to play chess but not warhammer? It's okay to lose your life in front of the stupid box of propaganda that is the Tv but not to spend an evening with your friends fragging zerglings or spartans?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCoN1c1wPbGNQl2KFE1k7STjeZ06aQBxWFQDQarOxhvAwvJCPeQKzgfAOJosnZIYFj38Nx8KoaeiAlQzubj2Cy2vMWc7-pMRzeSneEiEvboDsfa4dcmed5n9mlH1eJurz2ZmHoVES4ag/s1600/8308547-father-and-son-playing-video-games-sitting-in-the-sofa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCoN1c1wPbGNQl2KFE1k7STjeZ06aQBxWFQDQarOxhvAwvJCPeQKzgfAOJosnZIYFj38Nx8KoaeiAlQzubj2Cy2vMWc7-pMRzeSneEiEvboDsfa4dcmed5n9mlH1eJurz2ZmHoVES4ag/s320/8308547-father-and-son-playing-video-games-sitting-in-the-sofa.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kind of father's we'll be.</td></tr>
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Get over it! We're children still inside and we love it! People who live just for work are just tossing her life away. It's no use to overwork yourself to get extra pays if you dont have a way to make that money useful to you, and by that i mean profit from it for your own happiness, not for bare necessities.</div>
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Colorful things are not just children territory. Colorful things just spell FUN in capital leters, and as humans we tend to gravitate toward them. Remember that day where your mom tossed out all your toys. Do you recall the sadness of losing something that was treasured to you. Remember that day the college kids made fun of you becuse you still played Pokemon on your DS. Do you remember how you were bullied by doing publicly what all the others did in hiding?</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPJdTL1DRUhyphenhyphenahtZU_by_F3gkpIw9d6sDi0agB28zRdPjXDSXMLPUnYl4RJHqeQhhBrlcx8b7ooosDdtbn95H49dQCRKXvt4QSJnn0pkXf0lj7Nn_UOeFXrsjopDox597kA6DXxRo7C8/s1600/Thundercats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPJdTL1DRUhyphenhyphenahtZU_by_F3gkpIw9d6sDi0agB28zRdPjXDSXMLPUnYl4RJHqeQhhBrlcx8b7ooosDdtbn95H49dQCRKXvt4QSJnn0pkXf0lj7Nn_UOeFXrsjopDox597kA6DXxRo7C8/s320/Thundercats.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Don't you dare mock my childhood!"</td></tr>
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There's a saying in spanish that goes something like: "Be I warm, and let them laugh"</div>
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This means: as long as you are happy/safe/confortable with something you shouldn't be ashamed. I say, go there and grab back your life, the things you treasured, and if someone ever has a pointy comment or disaproving look, stare him dead in the eyes and say: "At least I haven't forgot who I really am."</div>
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Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5831924607934735144.post-25033266380905535712012-04-22T23:44:00.000-03:002012-04-23T00:00:53.039-03:00Tsundere: The Iron Virgins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-HZcXSjLGYT-RyZpFEKWpSIMnvxm7uVa32wq4gkbgW84dfsrOdkL9DE_O1cTl3QPHh5lbrmOAI6XsoJ8r_8svLJAgk9_7AfLJ_kUtzqTjUfYf4eenzrosoXIQR8Q4Mjj8bMMaKhOMio/s1600/c29b9c2c71ad8b32aa80664234cfded0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl-HZcXSjLGYT-RyZpFEKWpSIMnvxm7uVa32wq4gkbgW84dfsrOdkL9DE_O1cTl3QPHh5lbrmOAI6XsoJ8r_8svLJAgk9_7AfLJ_kUtzqTjUfYf4eenzrosoXIQR8Q4Mjj8bMMaKhOMio/s320/c29b9c2c71ad8b32aa80664234cfded0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a passion for tsunderes. I think is something written deep inside my mind since my childhood when i got in touch with my first animes. Looking back, probably i can trace tsundere characters back to Ranma's Akane Tendou or even further to Lum the invader girl.<br />
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For those unaware of the terminology involved, a "tsundere" is one kind of girl personality: It defines a girl who tries to act strong and tough around others (Tsun Tsun in japanese) but she is soft and squishy on the insides (Dere Dere in japanese). Due to japan's strict society, this is a common personality trait often reflected in anime and manga, and has produced many memorable characters. Even a certain seiyuu, the magnificent <a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rie_Kugimiya" target="_blank">Kugimiya Rie</a> has specialized on those kind of characters, giving voice to acclaimed tsundere characters as Shana, Louise (Zero no Tsukaima) or my personal favourite: Aisaka Taiga. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopjLDbti6i1D5wnR0RrJ1sK8LKlY3UD_F-aDUBKnGUH0hrVCQ0y1Hk-AnTHJIh_Utkt0s8iRPOt8DCm8UzgzFk7FNu-QnzntH22DNiSe5Ri-FYAUAoNHsJc-_qU6YOVoRYye4Po9WfUQ/s1600/taiga.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopjLDbti6i1D5wnR0RrJ1sK8LKlY3UD_F-aDUBKnGUH0hrVCQ0y1Hk-AnTHJIh_Utkt0s8iRPOt8DCm8UzgzFk7FNu-QnzntH22DNiSe5Ri-FYAUAoNHsJc-_qU6YOVoRYye4Po9WfUQ/s320/taiga.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taiga Aisaka in Dere mode: the main reason Toradora is considered one of the best animes of the decade.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Too much TsunTsun for too little DereDere</span></b><br />
The rules to tsundere characters are simple: They tend to be girls with problems to express their feelngs, mainly due to an overexcess of shame in accepting behaviours that may be perceived as weak for external onlookers (a trait usually more common to men), like love, thankfulness or admiration.<br />
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To shield themselves from that shame they go to great extent in forging an external character facade of agressive behaviour destined to pull away any who tries to aproach their inner feelings.This can make them go to various ranges of confrontation, from verbal harrassment to physical assault (and even the use of badly maiming weaponry), usually preceded by heavy blushing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQsBD8y5p6meWpdkzaHyVzL5mggikEyQG4tgsqVmwuA5r6wuEAa8n6Hm3f3bxLCe69f6XT8MSRe2ODOljXVPetVklk8J8gadxu-DvHr9W9v3MQV5VEqDrDAaERESabpzl8ErT0R0P6S8/s1600/Alice+Tsun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQsBD8y5p6meWpdkzaHyVzL5mggikEyQG4tgsqVmwuA5r6wuEAa8n6Hm3f3bxLCe69f6XT8MSRe2ODOljXVPetVklk8J8gadxu-DvHr9W9v3MQV5VEqDrDAaERESabpzl8ErT0R0P6S8/s1600/Alice+Tsun.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alice Margatroid depicting one of the classic Tsun expressions.</td></tr>
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Even though tsunderes are cute in their effort to act strong, wich has granted them a considerable amount of fans, not all tsunderes manage to become famous. Some even break the mold to search new areas of personality, with various amounts of success.<br />
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One of the most infamous cases of tsundere going wrong may be Yozora, the main female character from Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai. Presented to the watcher giving verious clues of tsundere personality. Ufortunately once paired with the external factor of Kashiwazaki Sena, her series feminine partner, the crescent rage she develops against her transforms her into a sadist.<br />
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Her soft and lovey moments are reduced to almost none, while on the other she makes the habit of constantly verbally abusing and humiliating Sena even without motive, going as far as to frequently calling her "pig" or "meat", as well as making her object of some pretty sick jokes which make Sena cry. This extremely sadic behaviour basicaly negates any possible cuteness the character may have, effectively turning a promising tsundere into a complete bitch.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZcbR3ZGzx0z8Nkt6wiE4FUQxqAWCiuH7eup2IJikgf630K7IbCBS5DGxTi9ftJufr8bNRZkjh_qHOEu_Tgo1nmBm47YULxGYBOWVfD1_VkgCra0dQj8owbWMJL9M9U1KEEvFp9TLoNY/s1600/sena+yozora.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZcbR3ZGzx0z8Nkt6wiE4FUQxqAWCiuH7eup2IJikgf630K7IbCBS5DGxTi9ftJufr8bNRZkjh_qHOEu_Tgo1nmBm47YULxGYBOWVfD1_VkgCra0dQj8owbWMJL9M9U1KEEvFp9TLoNY/s320/sena+yozora.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Sena and Yozora in one of their frequent quarrels</td></tr>
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This has produced an interesting phenomena, where Sena has grown a bigger amount of fans that simpatize with her, outshining the main character in the series. (In fact going as far as to creating an alternative series: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai Plus, where the same story is retold with Sena as the main feminine character instead, leaving Yozora a seconary role).<br />
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<b><span style="color: #073763;">Tsunshun</span></b><br />
Other interesting new variant of tsundereness we can find on this season´s alternative to the <a href="http://missingspagonia.blogspot.com.br/2012/02/kuroshitsuji-2-one-hell-of-butler.html" target="_blank">Black Butler</a>: Inu x Boku SS protagonist Shirakin Ririchiyo is a cute and sexy black haired loli with a serious case of badmouthing. Most tsunderes usually only present her agresive trait against the main masculine characters they are fond of, but Ririchiyo is a bit diferent. She is desperately trying to make friends, but due to her difficult past of isolation the only way she knows of communicating with others is via verbal harrassment and depreciation.<br />
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This will push her during the series through a growing amount of frustration as she is unable of basic human comunication to say a simple "thank you" to the people she cares about. Most of the series humour moments revolve about her inner conversations, trying to muster the courage to speak nice things and not just being an asshole to everyone (and usually failing miserably).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofOIgcqSdv6Yq4s0AM2moIYWbL2RAE7OCXAn6ItF1x0TVRrd7BsTx-CUkKqzLIRiBwvlRxYOJTuvL_6NlUG7DzQd4B9mDFqP72RQtORyqp002-nC44SxSdYUQODRibvr-zCcJMt4iJl4/s1600/tsunshun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofOIgcqSdv6Yq4s0AM2moIYWbL2RAE7OCXAn6ItF1x0TVRrd7BsTx-CUkKqzLIRiBwvlRxYOJTuvL_6NlUG7DzQd4B9mDFqP72RQtORyqp002-nC44SxSdYUQODRibvr-zCcJMt4iJl4/s320/tsunshun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ririchiyo is referred by her roommates as a tsunshun as she gets depressed after yelling at people.</td></tr>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #073763;">The future</span></b><br />
Unfortunately Inu X Boku is a seasonal anime wich has just finished airing with a pretty conclusive ending giving little room for new seasons, so any further tsundere needs for the rest of the year will be dependant on the what the new anime season will have to offer.<br />
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Luckily, after the closing seasons of Zero no Tsukaima and Shakugan no Shana have been aired, and with no perspectives for new seasons of Toradora!, character designers have a safe spot to tweak the tsundere stereotype in search for a new girl that will captivate a new generation of tsundere lovers.<br />
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<br />Gravitypoolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02271878772439604190noreply@blogger.com0