First Impressions: SpellForce 2

Today, I went to a couple of electronics/computer stores, and had a look at the prices of some graphics card for my upgrade. I was sidetracked, however, when I saw SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars displayed on the game shelves. I was waiting for this game since last May 2006 but I guess it only became available here, in the US, about a week ago. So I bought it, and hastily went home.

I've only started playing the campaign but a lot of improvements, since the first game, are already evident. The first thing I noticed was that the third-person view is much easier to control. The skill system is also presented in, the more organized, "tree" format. Your other hero companions can also gain levels, and you can even distribute some of their points. Unit commands are now available which helps a lot in micromanaging your units.

The gameplay, however, hasn't changed that much. Besides the new units, the real-time strategy elements are still the same. The dialogues are still one-liners, and the quests are horrible as before.

So far, I like SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars because, like its predecessor, its the only game, to date, that successfully blended real-time strategy and role-playing. Since it is most likely that the gameplay won't improve much later in the game, I just hope that the story will build up into epic proportions.

Reaping the Rewards

It's such a beautiful day. I don't need to worry about some certification exam and, today, I'm gonna claim my graduation gift. Although deciding of which doo-hickey I really want is a bit hard. So which one should I really get?

ATI Radeon X1600 PRO

My Radeon 9800 Pro died on me last March, leaving me with a 9200 card which can't run The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey 2. I already missed a couple of games and I'm gonna continue missing a couple more if I don't upgrade right now. Radeon X1600 PRO seems to be my only choice since I can't find a balanced AGP card (decent price and performance). I also need to boost my memory to 1GB, which requires another 512MB of RAM. The video card and the memory, will cost me $400.

30 GB Creative Zen Vision: M

A poor man's iPod. That's what most people say about Creative's Mp3 player. I say they're a bunch of conforming nincompoops. Creative Zen Vision: M performance is at par with iPod regarding sound. But the reason I chose it is because it has longer battery life and it's more compatible with Windows. Sure the look isn't stylish and it doesn't have iTunes. But hell, who needs iTunes? The Zen costs $300


Playstation Portable

Gaming on the go! The most advance handheld device out there. Not only it's gaming device, it could also play videos and music. A perfect device for a commuter, gamer, and music enthusiast like me. But there's a couple of downsides: storage capacity and battery life. PSP only uses memory cards, and 2GB is the largest. Although there's an option to add 4GB of hard drive which costs $200. Battery life is only 4 hours, and the only solution is to buy a lot of spare batteries. The PSP and hard drive cost $400

Right now, I'm still weighing my options. I need further research on all this stuff so I won't have any regrets.

Certified!

Graduation, albeit it's a big accomplishment, it only gave me a false satisfaction. The root of my dissatisfaction: The Nuclear Medicine Certification Board (NMTCB). The NMTCB, the notorious five-letter abbreviation dreaded by every would-be certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist. It is so dreadful that a lot of technologists steer clear from it and, instead, favor the less prestigious American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) certification. Its reputation is so notorious that every time you mention of taking it, other technologists gives you their blessing -with a sympathetic filling- as if you've dug your own grave. But I took it and passed.

I took the exam this afternoon (June 15 2005), around 1:30 PM, at the District City Colleges of Chicago, which is just behind the Sears Tower. I left home early to avoid the anxiety of being late. I took the CTA Blue Line train, which was filled with Chicago Cubs fans, and Chicago Cubs female fans on sweat drenched tanktop shirts. I arrived at the test site around 11:30 AM, 2 hours prior to my test. Since I was too early, I grabbed a chair at the Sears' Skydeck Plaza, reviewed my notes, and took a gander at the sweat drenched ladies that were passing by infront of me until 1:00 PM.

I went inside the test center around 1:00 PM, and immediately took the test. The booth I was in was uncomfortably hot. I even have to turn off the fan because it was blowing warm air all over me. But as soon as I started the test, the uncomfortable warmth was all but forgotten as my nerves broke and my skin turned cold and clammy. The test wasn't easy. I was presented with confusing math problems, in which you need to pick the words apart in order to form the correct equation. The first 30% of the test alone took 50% of my time allowance. Though after the 40th question, although it's still hard, I was sailing a bit smoothly and was able to catch up with the time. At this point though, I never expected myself to pass or even finish 100 questions. But at the 80th question, the test stopped. I answered a couple of survey questions, and then the result of my test came up. I passed.

This time, I'm really satisfied and glad to see the result of my hardwork -and the sacrifice of my gaming/blogging time. Because passing the NMTCB was no small feat, I am proud of myself. But challenges are always abound, and my next ordeal is finidng/keeping a job.

Last Mutant Standing

Comics-to-film adaptations are usually cheesy, shallow, and colorful. However, some film makers are smart enough to paint a more realistic setting by taking characters, and their origins, out from the comics but eschews their colorful spandex. Two of those films are Batman and the X-Men series. Today, I took my time off from my books and went to see X-Men: The Last Stand, the latest, and last, installment of the series.

The first series of the trilogy, released in 2000, was an enjoyable film. X2: United was a sublime sequel, with a much deeper plot, better characterization, and more emotional than the first one. The lastest installment, however, has lost momentum and was a little bit of a disappointment.

The core element in the X-Men setting is present, a conflict between humans and mutants and the X-Men standing between the two forces. The conflict this time comes in a form of a serum that can cure mutation. Magneto and other mutants who considers this cure as a weapon to assimilate the mutant society, wages war against humans. I find no flaw on the film's central plot, but the story was presented poorly because of other distractions, such as the return of Jean Grey.

There is also less characterization in this film. The Dark Phoenix, the new persona of Jean Grey, only had a brief description regarding her origin, and for a Class 5 uber-powerful mutant her role was downplayed. The love conflict between Rogue, Shadowcat, and Iceman never made enough spark to be very convincing and interesting. It was also disappointing to see characters like Colussus and Angel without any depth and detail.

As for the actors, Kelsey Grammar did really well on his role as the Beast. Ellen Page (left), although she didn't have any spunk, she fits well in Kitty Pryde's shoes. She's also sweet and cute enough and makes the film worth your while. Rebecca Romjin also did good, but I loved her especially when she morphed back to her "true form".

All in all, because I expected too much, I find the movie disappointing. Nonetheless it is still enjoyable and did well on ending the trilogy with its memorable scenes. But do the series really ends here? I think not!

X4: The Age of Apocalypse (Warning Spoilers from X3)

This is just my own idea of what would happen next. Mostly, it is based on the Age of Apocalypse mini-series, a big event in the X-Men and Marvel universe. In Age of Apocalypse, Professor X died saving Magneto. For his attonement, Magneto now fights for Charles dream for a peaceful co-existence between mutants and humans, and now leads the X-Men. The interesting thing is, in this series, Magneto and Rogue fell in love with each other and had a telepathic child, whom they named Charles.

In X3, Magneto had been depowered but it was clearly shown that it's only temporary. Magneto will probably develop empathy towards humans, having lived as one of them, once he regains his power. Since the Professor X died, Magneto will finally embrace his former friend's dream and will lead the X-Men.

Now about Rogue and Magneto, I don't think it will happen in the film. But I would guess that, Rogue, with her new found powers of procreating life, she and Iceman will have a telepathic kid, whom they will also name Charles.

As for the new characters, since both Jean and the Professor are dead, the X-Men will need psychics to use the Cerebro. So they'll either have Emma Frost or Psylocke (the two most hottest women in the X-Men), and for the villains there's Mister Sinister and, of course, Apocalypse (both are more mad and bad than Magneto).