World 1-Castle

Hello everyone! As some of you may know by now from the title of the post, this is the last post for this blog. 

I've been writing this blog as a way to express myself and to see if blogging is for me. It's really not; it's quite a lot of work trying to find the right images and words to say, and I really don't think it's worth the effort. I may not have the best conscience while writing this as I had insufficient sleep, but I think that ending the blog is for the best. I'll just resort to short and simple Facebook posts; who cares if I get berated for posting irrelevant things in their eyes. Or maybe I'll post to another social networking site, who knows. 

So long paragraph short, it's not worth my time. I only decided until an hour ago that I wanted to stop, so I haven't prepared anything special. I'm sorry. It's not as if you'd expect much from a casual blog like this anyway (excuse my self-depreciation).

Even though we've reached the limit of this world, we can still go beyond it. Keep on travelling through the stages of life.

And with that, see you in the post game! 

World 1-9 PNM Spotlight #3

Before we get to today's spotlight, let me give a tutorial on the game's interface. Please look at the the screen below:

Elements on the interface:

• Score - Speaks for itself. The maximum is 100,000.

• Combo - The maximum combo you've attained. 

• Character on the left: The character that represents you. Your character will react according to how well you do, whether you're doing well/missing or passed/failed the stage.

• Character on the right: The rival character. They react the opposite way compared to your character. So if you're missing, your rival character will react positively.

• Groove Gauge: A meter that fills when you hit the markers and decreases when you miss. You need to be in the red zone in order to pass the stage.

• Total Bad/Good/Great/Cool Count (below the Groove Gauge): Tells you how many notes have been judged Bad/Good/Great/Cool. Cools are only available when you're playing Cho-Challenge Mode. 

• Song Title (at the top): Speaks for itself.

Now the bottom right part of the interface is very important: 

The BPM states the tempo of the song. Some songs change their BPM mid song, and the speed the falling markers change accordingly.

The Hi-Speed (Blue) changes the speed of the falling markers in intervals of 0.5. This is extremely important, as it can make the difference between passing and failing the song. The higher the HS, the faster the markers fall, and makes the notes easier to read (but don't make it too fast!) For pros, I multiply the BPM with the HS to judge whether the markers are falling at the correct speed.

Hidden/Sudden (Yellow) changes how the markers appear and disappear. The markers disappear before the red line in Hidden, and the markers appear very close to the red line in Sudden. Hidden-Sudden is a combination of the two, giving you very little time to read the markers.

Pop (Green) changes what the falling markers look like. Beat-Pop turns markers into notes from the game Beatmania and Character Pop turns markers into an icon of the rival character.

Random/S-Random (White) changes the position of the falling markers. Random keeps the pattern of the markers but puts them in a different place, where S-Random changes the position of all the markers (which is useful to break up staircases.)

To the left of the coloured icons is the difficulty icon of the song (Normal, Hyper or EX). These icons are one of my favorite things of the game because they change from game to game.

Now with that out of the way, let's get on with today's spotlight!

Today's Spotlight:

From pop'n music 16 PARTY

Artist, Composition, Arrangement: ELEKTEL

BPM: 128 

Difficulty: Normal (21), Hyper (32), EX (38)

Rival Character: Izumi-san

Comment: A very lively song with very catchy vocals. I can just imagine myself in the café with some hot chocolate in my hands, listening to this song from a portable jukebox shape radio. By the way, I don't like coffee.

I've passed all the difficulties of this song, and I think the EX version was the first 38 I've passed. It's full of simultaneous pressing of 2-4 buttons, which is my strength. 

Since the tutorial was pretty taxing on my writing power, that's pretty much all I want to say about it, so let me share you that picture and let's call it a night.

And with that, see you in the next stage!

World 1-8 Video Game Spotlight: HarmoKnight

Rhythm just might be my favorite genre; Elite Beat Agents, Rhythm Heaven and 'that game that I keep talking about' are some of those game that I've played and really enjoyed for a long time. Adding to that list is HarmoKnight, which is a rhythm game for the Nintendo 3DS. 

The main gameplay consists of the Tempo (the main character) running automatically to the right, and it's up to you to make get him safely to the end while gathering up as many purple notes as possible. Press A to attack with your musical staff and B to jump. Holding A will allow you to charge your staff; when it glows, you can unleash it on an enemy or the Percussiplants in the background to gain an extra note. Notes determine the rank which you get at the end; there's Great, Good, and So-so.

The boss stages are different, however; it's a Simon Says game where you repeat the inputs that the game gives you, whether it's HIT!, JUMP! or any direction with an exclamation mark at the end. You need a perfect run in order to attain Great rank, which is far stricter than the normal running stages.

If you collide with any hazard in any stage, you lose one of your hearts (your hit points). If you lose all your hearts, then you're forced to start over as there are no checkpoints in the game. Bottomless pits, as well as missing any boss inputs that flash red, will instantly kill you no matter how many hearts you have.

The game's main story is the usual save the princess fare, and you get to meet up with a generic brute named Tyko (with his cymbal monkey companion Cymbi) and a generic classy action girl named Lyra. Whoopee. The characters are about as flat as you'd expect, but we're not in it for the story. As far as I want to know, they're just there to freshen up the gameplay, as occasionally Tempo will switch out with either of them and they do whatever. Tyko and Cymbi smash enemies up with a mallet and cymbals respectively, while Lyra shoots them with arrows from her harp. 

It will take about 2-3 hours to get through the main story, which may be a bit disappointing to some. But for completion's sake, you could try to get all Great ranks in all the stages, including all the fast stages, which are basically the same stage sped up. Doing so will unlock concept art and personal satisfaction. 

As this game was created by Game Freak, we get to see some obligatory Pokémon stages ranging from the Bicycle theme to the Trainer battle theme of Black/White. It's a really neat crossover, and I'm wishing they'd make a full crossover if they ever make a sequel.

If you're a 3DS enthusiast looking for a rhythm game, then HarmoKnight is a good option along with Rhythm Thief and the Emperor's Treasure and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (I do not own either of these, only their demos). It can be occasionally frustrating (remove 'occasionally' when you get to the final world), but just running, hitting and jumping to the music is so very satisfying. 

You can buy this game (or download the demo) from the 3DS eshop. 

And with that, see you in the next stage!

World 1-7 Bonus Stage #2

If you were browsing through the internet and wondered, 'I wonder what Vincent Chia likes to browse on the internet?' Well, you're in luck, because I have a list to shows just that, unless you're talking about another Vincent Chia somewhere in Hong Kong or something... if that was the case, then never mind.

Anyway, here's the list:

• Youtube - I mostly watch video gaming videos, for example vinesauce, Nerdcubed and Gamexplain. I also like to listen to video game music as well :)  

• Gonintendo - My go to place for Nintendo news. I am mostly a Nintendo gamer, so it fills my need for the latest info.

• Hotmail - The anticipation of getting new mail is kind of a daily thrill for me, but I know full well that it's only just stuff I only care a little about, except for Youtube comments on my channel. Yes, I have a Youtube channel; I'll talk about it someday.

• Gamefaqs - The guides there are very helpful, but one must take caution where lurking about the forums. There's quite a lot of venom between the posters, but I find it to be the most active video game board so far. 

• Imgur - I'm in it just for the top comments; they are absolutely hilarious. Youtube used to be like that, until Google changed the layout with its Google+ integration >:(

• Cheezburger - Mainly the Memebase, Video Games and Pokémemes categories. That's all I want to say.

• Facebook - That's where I post my blogs to the general public. I don't like to directly post things there because people might complain about me putting rubbish on their feeds. I try to make my contributions a treasure, but to another person, it can be trash.

• hellwork.jp/popn/wiki/ - Now don't be put off by the name; it's a Pop'n Music database for players with skill levels from 29 to 50 (I currently sit at around 39). They have links to Youtube and NicoNico Douga for me to access and practice. Everything's written in Japanese though, so Google Translate is very helpful in searching for the song you're looking for.

That's all the main sites that I open all at once every morning. What I like from you is, what sort of sites do you frequent? I've often been swayed by recommendations, so if you've got a site to share, then by all means, let me know in the comments below. Or in the Facebook post, wherever's convenient.

See you in the next stage!

World 1-6 PNM Spotlight #2

Now before we head off into today's spotlight, I've decided to give you a tutorial on how selecting a song works.

If you play the video above, you'll notice that you'll go through three screens before playing the song. I'll focus only on navigating the first screen you see, that is the Music Selection screen. 

The Blue buttons scroll along the songs up and down.
The Green buttons scroll through the main categories.
The White buttons scroll through the subcategories.
Press both yellow buttons together to change difficulty from Normal to Hyper to EX to Normal again. 
And finally, the Red buttons confirms your selection.

The Categories you're likely to see are:

• The songs from the current Pop'n Music entry
• The songs from the past Pop'n Music entries (subcategories are the different pop'n music numbers)
• TV/Anime songs
• Songs sorted by name or artist (subcategories are the initials in Japanese Katakana)
• Random 

Here's an example for looking for a specific song:

Let's say you're looking for French Cine Jazz on EX difficulty.

• Use the green buttons to go the 'Pop'n 1-X' category. 
• Use the white buttons to scroll to 17 (THE MOVIE).
• Use the blue buttons to scroll to find the song.

If you don't understand Japanese like I do, then it really helps to know what Pop'n Music game it's from, what the banner looks like, and the Normal difficulty number. The songs are listed by Normal difficulty number by default.

An example of a banner

• When you find it, press both the yellow buttons at the same time twice. You'll easily know if you're at EX from the red colour theme.
• Then press the red button to confirm.

Check out 'http://vjarmy.com/wiki/index.php/Pop%27nnomicon' to find detailed info about the songs. It's where I get the data for my spotlight. 

Today's Spotlight: 

Artist: ELEKTEL featuring Mayu-chan

Composition/Arrangement: polymog

From pop'n music 17 THE MOVIE
Featured Character: Belle

Difficulty: Normal (23), Hyper (33), EX (40)

Comment: So it's no surprise that my example is today's spotlight, right? The reason why I love this song is that it's really different from all the pop and rock songs. It gives me the imagery and vibe of being at a French Cinema Festival (if it ever exists). I love the different vibes that songs like this put you in, whether you're travelling through the Andes or even the airport.

I've passed all the difficulties of this song, and for the most part, it's really quite tame. The dangerous part is where there are long staircases (see 0:49 and 1:57 in the video below) that can easily mess you up.

Now that's it's time to close the spotlight, here's that picture that I wanted to share:

And with that, see you in the next stage!

World 1-5 Video Game Spotlight: Sonic Unleashed

Source: http://psx-scene.com via Google Images

When I went to the Shearing Shed in Lynnmall to get my hair cut, I saw this game displayed on one of the monitors in the waiting area. The monitor was suspended from the ceiling, the screen was really dim, and I had to use a PS2 controller, so I did really badly. I shouldn't be blaming the equipment for this, but dang, it was a mess.

This wasn't the first time that I've played the game; I've rented this game from either Gamehog or Gamekingdom (both are dead) for the Wii. The Wii and PS2 versions are the same.

I found it to be a great game overall, although there was one part which made me cry in frustration (Eggmanland Time Trial for those who've played it). The main feature of the game was the day/night cycle. By day, Sonic is his usual true blue hedgehog self, but by night, Sonic transforms into a beastly Werehog. Stages were split up between the two times, but they very heavily favor the night stages. For each Day Stage, there were about 3 or more night stages. I'm actually glad it was split up, for I think in the PS3/XBOX 360 version, the night stage is singular and goes from 10 minutes and up. The idea of having a Werehog makes quite a few Sonic fans foam at the mouth, but for me, I find it to be just fine. I liked the contrast between the fast paced day stages and the slow platforming and combat in the night stages. 

Top: Day Stage
Bottom: Night Stage
Source: Google images, always.

The secondary theme of the game is 'Around the World'. There's a reason why it's called 'Sonic World Adventure' in Japan. I find it to be amazing, as it brings a whole lot of musical and visual variety for me to savor. Whether you're running across the rooftops in Spagonia (Italy) or having a jungle joyride in Adabat (Thailand), it really brings out an adventurous feel to the table... I love that. Here, have some music:

I'm not going to go and comprehensively cover the entire game (given I've got other commitments and all), but I can say that if you can get past the concept of the Werehog, I will heartily recommend the game. There's a lot of collectibles in the form of artwork and videos, the setting and music is amazing and the day stages are just what we expect for a 3D Sonic game.

To be honest, I really would like to try to XBOX 360/PS3 version of this game, because the graphics and day stages are much better the the PS2/Wii version. I wish there was a PC port of the game, but given the controversy and all, it'll almost never happen. But I shall give it a little bit of hope.

See you in the next stage!

World 1-4 Bonus Stage #1

Welcome to the Bonus Stage! This is where I'll free to post whatever I want, whether it's gaming or non gaming. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for you, it's the former!

Do you remember waaaaay back when I did that Video Game Spotlight about Tomodachi Life? Those pictures way taken by the screenshot feature built in game, and I have taken a LOT of them. Out of the several hundred photos I've taken, the best hundred or so are next cycling through my desktop. And now I'll narrow it down to eleven for you, in no particular order:

Captain Falcon and Phoenix Wright get in a fight with each other by throwing random things at each other (and missing). They're having quite the most mature discussion, aren't they?

That's me, blasting off into outer space after eating my all time favorite food: Olives. This is not accurate in real life, but it would be pretty astounding if it was. 

Jacinta (right) is giving some important life tips to Rachael (left). The café is a place where Miis hang out and talk about random Miis and objects like crisps. 

Looks like it's a Girl's Evening Out at the Amusement Park. The Amusement Park has a Carousel, a roller coaster and a Ferris Wheel... lame. My Roller Coaster Tycoon parks are a million times better than that.

Mario and Samus Aran getting married. First came love, then came marriage, then comes the baby in the baby's carriage! Except there's no baby yet.

You know when you're having a bad day when your own Mii lookalike destroys you in a matching game. Sigh...

The Compatibility Tester is a device that determines how friendly or in love two Miis are. Did you know Professor Oak has 100% compatibility on two other women? What a stud!

One of the dreams that your Miis can have. In the American Version of the game, they say "All hail the (object)!" It can be anything, even the Virtual Boy!

A 3DS Party featuring Vincent, Rachael (friend), Jacinta (sister) and Steve (friend). Sean (friend) was absent from this picture because only four people can be in the same apartment at once. Rachael, Steve and Sean are my best friends.

The Concert Hall is where you get to make up your own lyrics in a pre built song, where your Miis will sing your lyrics while dancing. I get the most enjoyment out of freezing everyone in mid air with their eyes going O_O. 

This isn't a dream! This is a nightmare! A horrible nightmare! 

... I think I'd better finish this blog post quickly.

And with that, see you in the next stage!