Le Crappy Review - Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

Sexy monster ladies, a DBZ-esque tension system that increases your attack and defense power like heck, hard-to-level-up environment that makes you want to pull your hair out - admit it, you PS2 gamers do love Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King.

It's got a playable demo of FFXII? Hey, why wasn't I made known of this?

I'll admit though, I'm only a quarter into the game (got to find the Venus' Tear and be done with it) and even at level 16, it's a lot more challenging compared to other turn-based RPGs I've played to date (which, unfortunately, is severely limited to Final Fantasy), together with Chrono Trigger. I dunno about you, but I think I see a pattern of some sort - any Square Enix RPG game that has Toriyama's character design will leave you with a hellishly difficult level up process.

The merry team of DQVIII.

Nevertheless, the game itself is fun. The story begins with a curse: a king and his princess were cursed by a thieving jester who steals a scepter sealed within the king' castle - the king turns into a pathetic monster while his daughter turned into a horse. The course of the story is basically a quest to lift the curse off the king and the princess, and you play as the nameless hero (pictured with a red bandana and a yellow....cardigan?) who, mysteriously, is the only person in said castle unaffected by the curse. Add a bandit who turned over a new leaf, a sultry and rebellious heiress to a noble family, and a charming yet mildly lecherous young man of the church and you get an adventure like no other.

Welcome to the wide world. You're on your own now, soldier. 

The battle system operates the same way that has been the staple of many Square Enix games: turn-based. However, turns taken are determined randomly rather than having the main characters strike first before the enemy makes a move. The beauty - and frustration - of it is that you can never be sure who'll go first - you, or that Minidemon who's probably planning on launching a terrible Frizzle spell at you.

It's hero time! ....Wait a minute. That's a Ben 10 quote. o_o

One thing for sure though - definite DBZ-like references in battle. There's a 'psyche-up option that enables you to 'psyche up', which increases your tension. When your character's tension rises, their attack and defense power goes up a notch, and it always goes up in multiples of 5. When you reach 100, this is what happens:

A Super Saiyan? In MY Dragon Quest?! COOL BEANZ! 8D

Impressive, huh?

Of course, where will the battle be without cool techniques and spells to learn? Even though levelling up is hard like hell (My character, whom I've named Hiro [charming! A variation of 'Hero'!], needs 3000+ experience to reach level 17), coupled with hard-to-beat monsters (at least in my eyes), the benefits you reap from hearing the sound of invisible trumpets that indicates you've levelled up is well worth the trouble and the wasted medicinal herbs. Each character has a unique set of weapons they may master throughout the game (the only common thing being they can also fight bare-handed), and levelling up different weapons can gain you different abilities and spells with it. Uniquely, abilities are only learned with the weapon you currently use at hand, and cannot be used on a new weapon even when of the same type, so keeping old weapons is a good idea that will really come in handy.

I can't wait to get my hands on this ability.

The music itself is nice, classic and nostalgic. It provides a suitable atmosphere to the adventure, giving you the impression of a Middle-Age (if you can call it that) era full of might and magic, warriors and damsels in distress, ferocious dragons and powerful wizards, and - if slimes exist - lovable slimes. Frankly put, the music is what makes the game even more exciting.

I'll let you in on a secret: Before I picked up DQVIII, I had no idea Akira Toriyama did stuff other than Dragon Ball. So picking it up was a surprise; which is the other beauty of it, because Toriyama's style is so distinguishable from other mangaka. A little glimpse of odd-shaped eyes, and you just KNOW it's the handiwork of Toriyama himself.

Just so you know, I am a lady and I'm not a lesbian. I just find Jessica looks good like that. 

The only thing I'd be miffed about is the fact that levelling up is a great chore, but all that is nullified by the spectacular plot, charming music, and the insistently random turns you get in gameplay. Also, there are also a number of interesting sidequests you'll encounter along the way, and if you're a gambling fan....well, I've said too much already. Best find out for yourself.

What's that? You don't have a PS2? If I remember correctly, you're still able to play PS2 games on your PS3. What? No PS3? Then there's two choices: get yourself a PS2 (trust me, they're really cheap now) or a PS2 emulator (of which may require your system to be really top-notch in terms of graphics and RAM if you want to play PS2 games on your PC or laptop). Either way, I'll safely say that Dragon Quest VIII is definitely a game worth your investment.

Epic Keywords that Direct to my Blog. LMFAO

 

This is a little funny.

Almost none of these key words have anything to do with my blog. 

Almost none of them.

And yet these are the top key words that show up in my Blogger stats.

LMFAO. 

Note to self:  The "goku vegeta love" bit. Don't ask. XD

No, Facebook is NOT Shutting Down.

You probably heard about it already, whether from the Weekly World News site, frantic tweets and statuses from friends, or some other personal blog.

Just today I received news that Facebook will cease all operations on March on the grounds that Mark Zuckerberg (or however the hell you spell it) is getting too stressed from managing it.

First of all, the news is reported in Weekly World News. That supposed 'news' site has been known to post faux news - or fake news, as you'd like to put it - in their site. It's not credible, and cannot be trusted. If you actually believe in the site and its reports, then you're an idiot.

Secondly, with its gaining $500 million from Goldman Sachs and some Russian inventor in a deal, putting the company's worth to $50 billion, and an increasing number of members day to day (currently it's just less than 500 million), who WANTS to shut Facebook down? With them making great profits out of it while allowing many users to keep in touch and such, you can't expect Facebook to close down any time soon. It's profitable for Mark and them, profitable for us.

So CALM THE FUCK DOWN. Your favorite social network isn't going to kick the bucket just yet, and that's how it'll always be. Don't get your knickers in a twist. As long as they're making big bucks, they won't exit the market. It's simple business. If you're on the top of the competition, you're more likely to be able to last longer. Remember what happened to Friendster after the birth of Facebook?


So don't fret so much about the matter. Rest assured that it's not true, it's only a hoax, and keep living your life enjoying what Facebook has to offer.

Peace, brothers and sisters! 
 

Ma'al Hijrah - Let's Celebrate it By Making Changes

So, 1431 Hijriah is over and now we Muslims are steadying into 1432 Hijriah. It is marked so to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W.'s migration (hijrah) from Makkah to Madinah. 

We should be reflecting on ourselves. What exactly in the concept of 'hijrah' is relevant to us today? A physical migration to a better place? Well, it would seem fitting, especially if you live in a backwater place that does not bode well with your senses and your overall development.

But 'hijrah' means more that just moving from one place to another (You CANNOT possibly keep moving to a new house every time Ma'al Hijrah comes now, can you?). It also encourages us to change ourselves and improve, which, by the way, is also a 'migration' in itself. From being deviant to being good. From being good to becoming better. From becoming better to being the best. And ultimately, shaping yourself to be an all-rounder - a new you, a you that's better than the you before.

 

As a young Muslim, I think it's also high time all of us rethink our situation in the past years. What happened? Oh, you know - 9/11, the London bombings, war in Afghanistan and Iraq, the controversy of the offending caricature of the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W., and most recently, Terry Jones' proposal of burning the Quran. It's high time we all should go back to our roots and re-think. What, if any at all, is causing so much trouble that people think our beloved religion should be made a laughing stock?

The answer is simply because we don't dare speak. Of course, Saudi Arabia and Iran is helming the crown of defense in reciprocation towards the West's accusations that Islam is a 'terrorist' religion (thank GOD these things are starting to change!). But what about those in countries like Palestine? Or Afghanistan? Or Iraq? The Muslims there seem to have little or no voice at all. Can you really blame them for responding by way of bombing themselves?

And now I'm going to start picking on the faults on the Muslims's side. The Hadith clearly states about relationships with Non-Muslims, ESPECIALLY when they are our friends and allies. The Prophet S.A.W. clearly says this: "Whoever hurts a Non-Muslim citizen of a Muslim state hurts me, and he who hurts me annoys God." (Bukhari) And he also goes on to say the following: "Anyone who kills a Non-Muslim who had become our ally will not smell the fragrance of Paradise." (Bukhari)

So then! Why the bombings? Why 9/11? Did these people take literally this infamous verse: Quran (2:191-193) - "And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution [of Muslims] is worse than slaughter [of non-believers]...and fight them until persecution is no more, and religion is for Allah." ? The answer is simple and clear - many of us fail to take into account the social and historical context of the Quran and the Sunnah. That's why you see women wearing burqas, and men having such bushy beards. 

It won't be easy to do it. You cannot revolutionize Islam overnight. And there can be no way any perception about Islam can change now, seeing that what we have today is the end product of thousands of years of Islamic teachings. This is where the concept of 'hijrah' once again comes in: we can start moving from old perceptions and draw out new ones that are relevant to today's world. And it can start with the new generation. Who else do you think can do it? Not your grandma and grandpa surely!

 

In all cases, to those returning from Makkah after Hajj, I wish you a warm welcome back home. Your short hijrah to the holy city does not come without its rewards. How I wish I can go - I want fulfill my obligations while I'm still young and carefree - and I want to stare at the Ka'abah in awe again like I did 11 years ago. 

Last but not least, to all Muslims around the world all over, I wish you all a happy Ma'al Hijrah!

 

Peace, brothers and sisters! <3

Girls Will Be Girls - The Story of 'Gedik'

Let's say you walk in the streets of KL one day and you run across a bunch of giggling school girls (tweens, the lot of them), and imagine you don't understand a single thing they're talking about, yet you listen to them just as well. This is how their conversation would look like:

Girl #1: Eh, ko tau tak budak kat kelas kita tu?

Girl #2 and Girl #3: Mana satu?

Girl #1: Alaaaah, yang bajet hot ngan cun tue.. (okay, you know you can understand 'hot')

Girl #3: OOOOH! Budak tu ke? Eee! Tak tahan aku ngan dia tu! Asal dengan lelaki je, nak menggedik. Asal ngan lelaki je, nak menggedik! Geli aku!

Girl #2: Ko tau tak hari tu dia rampas boyfriend kawan kita si ******* tu?

Girl #1: Ye ke?  Eeee, jahatnya minah tu!

Girl #3: Aku benci budak gedik.

Girl #1 and Girl #2: *nods*

 By now you're probably wondering "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS 'GEDIK'? Have you watched "Mean Girls' before? Yes? No? Yes? If you had, then I can safely say that the gals in that story are the living definition of 'gedik'. Basically, 'gedik' is used to call a girl who are show-offs, think they're hot (and often, unfortunately they are =__=), and generally think the world revolves around them.

Would YOU want to be friends with these ladies?

Perhaps for the person living in parts other than Malaysia you have your own set of these girls. Often these are the very girls that create that maddening stereotype of 'cliques'. Frankly speaking they are the horror of your childhood or high school years. Nobody can stand them, end of story.

But I can't help but think the youth of my country are taking this 'we hate budak gedik' mentality a little too far, to the point that they feel their lives will never be in peace until these girls are properly eradicated and thrown six feet under the ground. In other words, they want these hapless girls DEAD. 

Even you wouldn't want to wish that overly-girlish girl sitting next to you dead, now, would you?

Mean as they are, they shouldn't be considered a bane in society.

Well, consider this - I was part of an 'anti-gedik' Facebook page, and I saw a lot of comments berating a girl just because she said belitting these girls is wrong and that they should be given a chance. Being the troll-in-the-making that I am, I went off trolling everyone and their dog about how silly their minds are, and complimented the girl for her profound wisdom. Actually there are a number of girls and guys with such profound wisdom that I feel I MUST add them to my friends' list. And the rest? Well, I find their reasons for hating these girls UNJUSTIFIED. Some even went as far as to - what - saying these girls came from the deepest pits of Hell! As a sane and intelligent person I am obliged to say "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Regardless of who you are and what you think, you cannot judge people just because they behave a certain kind of way. Just because they have the nerve to take your group of friends or your boyfriend away doesn't mean they are entirely to blame. Have you asked yourself as to why your friends or that boy you declared your love to chose that 'gedik' girl instead of you? Maybe the flaw is in them, and if so you are spared from having an even more miserable life. Perhaps the core of the problem lies in yourself. Maybe there's something majorly annoying about you that others just couldn't stand, and they see the other girl as much better than you are, as girlish and show-offy as she is. 

Think, don't judge, and keep your temper. It's easier than revolving your whole life making these girls suffer anyway.

And I'm Just Going to Share This...

Because this is one of the best works I've seen so far! X3 These babies here are in no way mine (doubt I'll ever be able to reach to such a high level of art proficiency XD), but they are the result of two separate commissions by a good friend, Kael.

These are just two of the commissions I had asked him to do, and there's another one coming. >:3 Even though they look simple but look at how amazing they are! I simply love his works so much - they're just breath-taking and simply professional.  I'm certain he'll go far in the field he's aspiring to be in. He sure will.

Anyway, if you want to see more of his works, you can either go to his deviantART page or to his art blog, which you can find in my list of blogs. :) Till then, bask in the glory of Kael's works!

And THIS is What the Word "Self-Evaluation" is Invented For!

You know it's a sad day when you find that all of a sudden you don't know what you wanted to put in your blog.

Oh well, I feel I live a bit of a sad life sometimes. What's that you say? JPA scholarship? Private college? "Everything JPA handle looo!" Ah, cheese it. Whoever said you get to lead the good life with a government scholarship is an idiot. Well.......of course, everything major that needs to be paid is paid by JPA, but but but the drawbacks are that I almost NEVER get in touch face to face with all the rest of my pals from high school. From Adi to Azureen, Syazwan and Mei Mei, King Hui to Faiz, Adib to Razia - oh hell, I missed them all dang it! And they get to go off for holidays for a month or so - and I get only 2 3-week holidays. THIS DOES NOT BODE WELL WITH ME AT ALL.

I almost wished I had turned down JPA and stayed in UiTM instead - but then if I did, I'd be really stupid.

Anyway, leave the emo stuff in the corner. Life ain't all perfect happiness, but it ain't all about sadness and sorrow (Hey that sounds like the Naruto song! 8D) either. Even though I might just die in the upcoming January A-Level examinations I have to say I'm still cruisin' through life. Heck, even my C2 Mathematics seem to be a breeze these days (except for some parts). In any case, the nearer I get to exams, the calmer I feel. It's almost like how it was during SPM - but that's probably because all tension and anxiety had been let loose earlier in the year.

And it got to the point where I was practically going the way Fred and George are doing up there. Can you see them? They're doing that "cruisin' through life" repertoire right there and I'm like "You guys sure had it easy don't you?" And in the end I found myself almost doing the same thing. BAHAHA

But of course, life cannot be that easy, and if you took it waay to easy - everything starts to cave in, you fall down, and you look up and hear this creepy voice saying "SHIT JUST GOT REAL, MUTHAFUCKA". And you'll go like this:

Umm. Maybe that's just way too much. Tee hee!

In any case, I try my best to focus, and keep myself from snowballing down below to the path of epic failure together with all my mistakes. I kinda feel something is not right with my life - I had it waaaaay too easy. Having it too easy just means that the worst is yet to come - so Redha! Be prepared for that! BIIIIG TIME!

On a side note

All Hail Megatron

OBEY OR I KEEL YOO.

Yes, the whole world gets to enjoy the All Hail Megatron comics, and, as a Transformers fan, I find myself seriously lacking this great comic. I hardly see the justification of being left out in the bandwagon of avid TF fans who actually get to read and enjoy the comics. Do you know how much they cost at my local bookstore?

About RM75+ in the least! 

Presenting the Battousai samurai of Cybertron! 8D

I'll have to admit that American comics these days are costlier and harder to get unlike manga. I'm tempted to blame the trend of manga preference these days for pushing away Western comics in order to fulfill the tastes of today's generation for manga. But that will be utterly superfluous, as Western comics still have it in them. Millions of people still love them and will pay good money to even get a copy. I bet the first ever edition of Transformers would sell for a million bucks if it was held for auction. 

You know he's plotting something. And Megatron knows it well!

In many cases, All Hail Megatron is one of those comic I would surely splurge my scholarship money on, even for just one copy. I'm attracted to the spectacular artwork, story and colors that splash from page to page, and what's awesome is that they present the everlasting enmity between the Decepticons and the Autobots in a rather interesting way, though I'm sure the notion had been playing in the minds of any die-hard Transformer fan. You know what I'm talking about! Decepticons win, Autobots lose. And the Autobots are fighting back. 

Megatron's a nice guy. Really.

So far all the covers you and I are seeing now screams "PROPAGANDA" at me. And whatever the case, they're doing an awful good job at it. With the likes of Shane McCarthy, Guido Guidi and Joanna LaFuente, AHM makes for an excellent complete package. And I'm not kidding. 

Okay, okay, I admit I did read the first edition of AHM from cover to cover (huzzah for bookstore assistance!) and I admit that I wanted to but it there and then (but after earning some dirty looks from friends I had to decide against it) right after reading it. AHM is just whole in nature - a great story and strong plot, reintroduction of memorable characters, and once again managing to bring in humans into the picture by presenting the Decepticons as a threat to their existence, depicting them as refugees, bringing in the military into the picture- yeah, if your country is under invasion of giant bloodlusting alien robots from outer space you'd do that too.

"Blow up whatever you can lay your hands on, boys!"

Of course, where can a story be without good visuals, no? As I said before, with artists like Guido Guidi, Shane McCarthy and Joanna LaFuente in AHM, it's little wonder you get so much thrill just reading it. I know I do, simply because my favourite characters like Starscream (hey, he's there! What a coincidence!) are in there! Words simply cannot describe just how marvellous the art and colors are. It is a feast to the eye, so to speak!

Screw it, forget budgeting and all - with All Hail Megatron, I could care less if I have to end up poorer than my friends again for the next term - I WANT ALL HAIL MEGATRON IN MY HANDS RIGHT NOW.