Happy New Year Yoshi-P

Heavensturn greeting from Yoshi-P as he addresses what we might expect from patch 2.5 Before the Fall. As said, it will be split into three parts. First part will take majority of the patch by mid to end January: three new dungeons for Keeper of the Lake in Mor Dhona, and hard modes for Amdapor Keep and Wanderer's Palace; conclusion of the Crystal Tower in the World of Darkness; and a new battle for Odin, among others. Patch 2.51 will feature Manderville Gold Saucer area including Chocobo Racing and Triple Triad. Patch 2.5x will be the transition patch by end of March before expansion 3.0 Heavensward.

I don't wanna go into detail in Heavensward as you might have already read the details and rumors. Excited much. I just wanna know what they have in store for us Summoners. Maybe a Grand Summoner-esque ability to call on the Primal itself not the egi, in Yuna fashion, or maybe the watered down version of Scion summoning in Ivalice.

Anyway, what I really wanna know is the pic Yoshi-P inserted in his greetings.

Ichi-Fuji, Ni-Taka, San-Nasubi. One-Fuji, Two-Hawk (as per Google translate or should it be hawk?), and Three-Eggplant. What? It doesn't make sense. Anyway, happy new year y'all!

Y'shtola Minion

Minion for sale. WTF. 5 USD for this cute minion. I want. But I want this for free for some event quest or something. OMG! Cuteness overload!

Barriers not included.

Spotted: Jecht

Jecht cosplay from Bukarest Otaku Festival 2012.

You can be my Final Aeon anytime!


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Photo by Marino Calssara via Flickr.

Carbuncle?!

We've seen this image posted on the official Facebook page of Final Fantasy XIV. Seems like a normal pic when you realize the player is a Summoner wearing an AF+1 gear (Summoner's doublet set) while she's still has an Emerald Carbuncle as pet.

So what's the big deal?

For one, you can't wear the artifact sets without finishing all the job specific quests. That means you will have to finish the Primal quest to get the Garuda Egi which basically overwrites your Emerald Carbuncle as your Summon before you can wear these sets. 

Will we be seeing all the summons side by side in the next patch? I mean you have a choice to cast either a Titan Egi or a Topaz Carbuncle, or a Garuda or Emerald Carbuncle? Will we see a Leviathan Egi and Ramuh Egi as well? Will these summons transform into a higher form, say for instance, maybe a Suparna/Chirada version rather than a full Garuda form?

And lastly, if we fix this for Summoner, could we also have a Scholar who can cast Carbuncle? Topaz Carbuncle perhaps for an off-tank in a Light Party, anyone?

Happy Valentione

Love is in the air. Again. Even in Eorzea. And they have a subquest to boot.

You could actually get a Valentine inspired outfit from the countess herself, Arabelle de Valentione from Ishgard who will spread the love across all of Eorzea. Or at least the three citystates only.

It's just weird that the female costume looks like a bloody gothic Lolita, while the male version is a red hearty master chef costume.

Anyway, part of getting the costume is the need to trade with any female Eorzean a piece of chocolate. Males get bitter chocos as quest rewards while females get the pure heart choco. I got the entire set with 5 chocos. But I still look like some wannabe red chef or something.

Heavensturn - Uma

I'm currently playing Final Fantasy XIV on my laptop. It's so fun I tells yah.

They're having a new event to mark the Lunar new year for the Year of the Horse. It's called Heavensturn in Eorzea. Since we know Final Fantasy is known for having chocobos as mounts, it's quite funny to see a far eastern envoy presenting the horse as a new mount for Eorzea.

Funny scene when the two wackos for chocobo versus horse battle it out. Unfortunately, they are not giving out any equestrian mount.

PSP: Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy III will be ported to the PSP. I was so excited when I've heard about this. But unfortunately it would be the DS release in 3D that they'd be porting not the original 2D in high resolution like the way they did with FF4.

Japan is expecting it on the PSP on September 20, 2012.

Nothing's posted yet in the gallery section. Til then, we'll cross our fingers and hope we'll see more from master Akihiko Yoshida.


Source: Final Fantasy III Japanese Official Site

Dissidia 011

I've been playing Duodecim for like a hundred and thirty hours now... intermittently yah know. I still have life to do so yeah I barely have time to play this. Actually I've just started playing, still on my forty something days. I'm still working out who will be on my party.

I'm also enjoying the DLC costumes and I've been imagining what if they make cosplay DLCs say Cloud as Zack, or Ultimecia as Rinoa, or Yuna as Rydia. Actually I tried searching the net and I only came up with Youtube vids of (poorly made) DLCs for Lightning and others. Mostly recolors, they didn't even bother fixing up the mesh. Anyhoo, I dunno if it is just me who's late or this the coolest thing in Dissidia fanficdom happening now, some guy (or girl?) named irie had drawn heroes and villains, Dissidia-style, as if they would be facing off for Cycle 11. I'm posting it here cause they are love.

Chaos (FF 4 Heroes of Light), Shiroi Kumo Makenshi (FF Unlimited), Cid Raines (FFXIII), High Seraph Ultima (FFT), Vayne Carudas Solidor (FFXII), Garland (FF), Seifer Almasy (FFVIII), Seymour Guado (FFX), Genesis Rhapsodos (Crisis Core), Stella Nox Fleuret (FFXIIIversus).

Brandt (4 Heroes of Light), Kuroki Kaze (FF Unlimited), Snow Villiers (FFXIII), Ramza Beoulve (FFT), Ashe B'nargin Dalmasca (FFXII), Warrior of Light (FF), Squall Leonhart (FFVIII), High Summoner Yuna (FFX), Zack Fair (Crisis Core),  Noctis Lucim Caelum (FFXIIIversus).


Source: irie via pixiv.net

Matthew vs Ceodore

I've started playing Golden Sun Dark Dawn for some days now. Actually I started again cause I missed one Djinn and I checked the FAQs right after the very first road block. FAIL!

Matthew is the new hero of Golden Sun Dark Dawn, the third game in the Golden Sun series. He is the son of Isaac the hero of Vale from Golden Sun Broken Seal. He inherits his father's swordsmanship and abilities as an Earth Adept. And yes they are both blonde. He starts his journey 30 years after the events of Golden Sun The Lost Age.

Ceodore is the new hero of Final Fantasy IV After Years, the sequel to Final Fantasy IV (duh?). He is the son of Cecil Harvey and Rosa Farrell. He is part Lunarian, can sword-wield and can cast White magic (maybe from the mother side). And he did inherit his fathers platinum hair. He starts his joureny 17 years after the events of Final Fantasy IV.

Anyways, I'm just comparing Matthew and Ceodore because they are both sons of heroes of the previous installment before their time. I'm a big fan of the Golden Sun and Final Fantasy series (although I was bored with FF4s battle system). I'm excited with the FF4 Complete for the PSP. I hope they tweaked the ATB. hahah.

Dissidia Duodecim Flash Update

So there, I haven't updated much about which games I'm playing or following right now. One I'm most excited is the prequel to Dissidia, titled Dissidia Duodecim. It tells the story of the twelfth cycle war between the forces of Cosmos and Chaos. Many new characters are added in the game and this will tell you their story why there were not part of the thirteenth cycle.

Heniweys, the new combatants (or should they be old fighters since this one is a flashback of the present Dissidia, I got confused. hahah) are, in order of announcement via official site: Lightning (or miss Claire Farron), Kain Highwind, Tifa Lockhart,Vaan, and Laguna Loire. Lady Summoner has been presented via teaser in clip showing her performing her Sending ritual, and voila Yuna was last seen in a page in Famitsu update.

Lightning can change paradigm shift. Kain uses his dragoon abilities. Tifa's EX mode looks awful with her wearing somewhat an ultimate weapon which doesn't resemble her God's Hand, more like Twin Bee gloves. Vaan looks promising in this game as he is able to change weapons in battle the same way how in FFXII you can master any weapon you've learned via License grid, and he doesn't need to be in EX mode to be able to move like Gabranth. Laguna has more ranged attacks relying mostly on his bzookas and looks like an Irvine Kinneas clone.Yuna fights in her original summoner mode and her EX burst is Sending where she sends off multiple summons on the enemy (instead of sending the enemy to Farplane which should've been a lot easier doncha think?)

Other updates include third costumes. Most notable is the Edea cosplay of Ultimecia. Although she actually did possess Edea, why haven't they also tried having costumes for Adel and Rinoa? Cecil and Golbez's third costume comes from designs in The After Years. Gabranth's is the one he wore to impersonate Basch in the opening chapter in FFXII. All the rest are based on Amano's arts. Lightning and Cloud have an unlockable form based on 3rd Birthday and Kingdom Hearts respectively.

Other updates include assist system which I haven't reasearch on yet.

Final Fantasy IV Complete

Amano illustration featuring the 

The After cast headed by Ceodore.

I'm so excited for this one. I know I felt bored playing FF4 on GBA because I felt it was too slow. I haven't tried the DS version yet. And I know I can't play the The After sequel since it was only available as a downloadable content on mobile phones in Japan. Good luck to me.

Until fortune smile one day.

And here comes the PSP version, Final Fantasy IV Complete. It features the original game and the sequel in redrawn high resolution 2D graphics, plus a scenario that bridges the two games. As per wiki. Just one more problem, I have yet to buy my own PSP. hahah.

I 'm hoping to get that within the first quarter of the year. Right in time for Duodecim.

Farewell to a Legend

That was title of the petition for the Elite Mark Yiazmat. Indeed it was a legend. It took me 10 hours and 8 rounds to finish off this monster. And I'm on Level 96. It could have been shorter if I had known he can regenerate its lifebar if you let him recast all its buffs. (Make sure when you see him casting Faith to immediately debuff him with Dispel.)

Anyways, Yiazmat has 50 million HPs at Level 73, which is equivalent to 50 full screen boss bars. You can escape the Coliseum at Ridorana Cataract anytime to save your accomplishment just make sure he hasn't casted any buffs. It took me long enough but it really paid off having to use Shellga everytime to avoid being instantly killed by Death Strike. I put Shellga as my second priority gambit for Vaan. Once you're Shelled, you can have at least one party member by the stairs to avoid being crushed by his Rake which hits as much as 12 times around 2k-3k damage each. He absorbs Holy so you can't attack him with Excalibur, but who says you can't Telekinetically attack him?

If his HP falls below half, damage will be capped at 6999. Once he reaches below a fourth of his life, around 12 bars left, he casts Growing Pains to double his level effectively diminishing any level gaps you had before it. And did I mention he's immune to stat-lowering skills except Expose? Make use of that as well. After a short time, maybe 2 if you are that good (unlike me who leaves the game running to discover my party leader is dead and the game is paused), you'll see him vanishing in green light. Get your reward from Montblanc afterwards.

WTF 30,000 gil?! I can earn that in 1 hour. Screw you moogles! Good thing they threw in that Godslayer badge. Next step: Wyrmhero Blade! (Where shall I use this? The strongest enemy has already transmigrated.)

Trivia: Yiazmat is named after one of the series director Yasumi Matsumoto. He lost lots of the Squenix finances so they gave him the boot. They named the strongest beast in memoriam.

My checklist:
FFX-2 - Trema - farewell (thanks for the Iron Duke)
FFX - Nemesis - missed (I'm not good at the monster arena)
FFIX - Ozma - farewell (must. absorb. darkness.)
FFVIII - Omega Weapon - farewell (via Holy War boo!)
FFVII - Ruby Weapon - missed (where the hell in this gerdamn desert is it?!)
FFVI -  I can't remember any tough bosses here. (Vanish+Doom boo more!)
FFV - Omega - farewell (Dancer+Redshoes+Thundaga sword)
FFIV - Plague Horror - farewell - (WTF Mega-Doom)

Spoony Bard Post

Artwork for FF4 DS

Final Fantasy IV GBA

April 10, 2010

Today I've just finished playing FF4 for the GBA version. I've been retro about some of these games so I can relive the emotions. Choz! But this game has got to be the boring-est Final Fantasy ever. I mean the fight system just sucks. I know this was the first time the series put in the active time bar, but for them to not include memory setting in-battle is unforgiveable. Well, you could actually get the hang of it, but it certainly erased any chance for power-levelling via rapidfire. Actually, I'm just mad because I can't fastforward through my fights because the setting is always on 'Fight!'

Anyways, I don't think I'm writing a separate review on this game anymore. I'll just say it here: IT SUCKED! It's just bad that Cecil is one of the coolest heroes on the series* and this game doesn't give him justice. Wait, I just remembered Cecil and Rosa are on that underrated game Secret of Evermore running a store.

Anyways, I liked the Four Elemental Fiends concept borrowed from the original game of the series. The four named Scarmiliogne, Cagnazzo, Barbariccia, and Rubicante are four devils said to inhabit Inferno in Dante's Divine Comedy, although they were named differently in the original SNES translation.

The sountrack is good though. Most memorable would be Theme of Love which they added vocals for the DS release. The other one is Dance of the Calcobrena which somehow reminds me of Succession of Witches from FFVIII**.



The sequel Final Fantasy IV: The After looks promising, though I'm not sure why it was titled that way. It's like the programmers were like:

Programmer 1: Hey let's make a new game! 
Programmer 2: Not another sequel for FF7 or FFX?! 
Programmer 1: No, no. Let's do something after FF4.
Programmer 2: Yes, where everyone's older and stuff. Let's call it IV-2!
Programmer 1: Done that. How about Final Fantasy IV After Crisis?
Programmer 2: Done that as well, but I like the 'After'
Programmer 1: Final Fantasy IV: The After?!
Programmer 2: After what?
Programmer 1: Dunno. You're the one who thought about it.
Programmer 2: Who cares. ZOMG it's time to harvest my pineapples...

That Ceodore dude looks as cool as his dad. And Palom and Porom have evolved from snotty brats. This game is a cross between the main title and Chrono Trigger so yeah I think that's way better. Just add in memory setting in-battle and it'll be perfect.

But going back, they thought Edward would save this game?! That spoony bard?! Grrr... I'm on Team Tellah yah know! I'll Meteor to death this game... just as soon as I charge up to 99 MP.


Overall Verdict: 2.5 out of 5 stars. I'm feeling kind today.

____________________
*Physically and mentally: his transformation from dark to light as he conquers his internal demons.
**I know 4 came before 8 but I played 8 before 4.

Trema

Snapshot from gaiares on Youtube.

Nostalgia makes the heart feeble. It is the heart’s nemesis. Only one who renounces everything possesses the strength to transcend anything.

~Trema

At long last I was able to kill off that Trema under Bevelle's Via Infinito. It didn't even take me 30 minutes with him. Maybe if it did, my team would have died another batch. Angra Mainyu took me like 2 hours to kill.

Trema just looks like an old geezer, with torn robes. Somehow, he reminds me of Master Maechen, although I did like Maechen's speaking pattern, I hated how Trema speaks. Pyreflies can be seen trailing from behind him at one point. He uses his bare fist to inflict fast attacks.

Still, Trema could line up as one of Final Fantasy's long list of extreme bosses.

Background:

Trema is an Unsent lurking at the basement of Via Infinito's 100th level. He fights you after you defeat Paragon, which he finishes off with a flurry of palm strikes.

He is said to be the founder of New Yevon. He also started sphere hunting among Spira's youth. Fearing that the youth had no foes to slash their swords with but only shadows, he devised a plan of erasing Spira's past by destroying spheres hunted below Bevelle. In there his power grew.

Strategy: 

Well, there's tons of strategies out there on the web. I did stick with the Catnip/Gunner combo. I even forget to equip Defensive Bracers. A must have is the Valiant Lustre and walking around the garment grid. Good thing sphere changing doesn't take ATB charges. I found it useful to cast Light and Lunar Curtains which absorbs much of the damage received. You can also cast Chocobo Wings though it doesn't make much of a difference. Never forget to use Target MP or Soul Spring to prevent him from casting Ultima, he can still cast Meteor and Demi though. Just keep your Dark Knights' HP levels up using X-Potions and you're good as safe. He'll fall down easily in just a while.

Trickster

 
Tuloy na naman ako sa aking pagiging asaness Mark Hunter sa FF12. This time ang may pakana eh si Gurdy sa Mt. Bur-Omisace. Ang siste eh meron daw pinapahanap na uberwhite chocobo, di ko lang makonek bakit kelangan nya ipahunt ito eh Chocobo Breeder kaya sya.

Heniweys, go na ako sa Frozen Lake sa Paramina Rift. Dala ang aking Level 32 party. Note: ang stat ng Trickster Level 44 at 61,321 HP. Ever blinking sya kaya minsan nagvavanish sya, at ang leche takbo ng takbo. Kapag nangarag na ang life ni birdie eh bigla syang magcacast ng White Wind at sa time na to eh immune sya sa physical damage. Minsan nagcacast pa sya ng Doom. At madalas nagcacast sya ng Chocobo Comet na 1k ang damage.

May pumaparty pa sa amin na NPC galing Clan Centurio, si Monid na isang monk-like Bangaa. Actually umaasa lang ako sa kanya kasi sya lang naman ang nakakadamage sa Trickster. Ang kamalasan nga lang madalas dinodoom nya si Monid kaya on your own na kami. Ilang tries na ginawa ko pero bumubulagta talaga ang party ko. Weak!

After ng aking adventure sa Stilshrine of Miriam, mejo umincrease kami ng level. Slight lang, mga 2 levels. At dahil jan mejo nilakasan ng loob na naman akong umasa. Try ulit, di ko na hinahabol masyado si Trickster. Inaantay ko lang madamage ni Monid tapos antay na akong mag-paling sya. Sa time na yon nakaset na ako sa Drain galore. Pero nauubos ang first party ko sa Chocobo Comet. Yung second party same set up pa rin: yung isa pure Cure/Cura ang Gambit, tapos the other two Drain galore ulit. In a matter of minutes, siguro five pero di ko sure ha, ayun tumba na rin si Trickster. Zero XP at 25 LP. Pero at least meron syang plushie icon sa Sky Pirate's Den sa Clan Primer.

Orthos

Rumeretro ako sa games ngayon. At FF12 ang target ko. Mejo nabobore nga lang ako sa haba ng mga nilalakad ko everytime at dahil kuripot ako gumamit ng teleport stone. Anyways, nagmamark hunting ako at nakita ko yung Orthos quest. Rank V sya pero gumora pa rin ako. Kinaya ko nga yung Rank III quest na Gil Snapper for 20 minutes, ano pa kaya ito.

 

Level 32 lang ang party ko composed of girls: Ashe, Penelo at Fran kasi yung ang requirement ni Orthos. Tukayo nya yung mini-boss sa FF6, at may pagkaslight maniacism sya pansin nyo? Feeling ko naman ang lakas lakas ko na. Feeling ko Gullwings tong mga to na nananalo using normal attacks lang. Pero no no no. Weak sila, weak ako. Pramis. Inabot ako ng 2 hours. Walang biro. Nabubuhay lang ako kakatakbo, block at attack, Charge, at Cure. Mangiyak ngiyak na ako ng ilang beses na muntik mawipe out ang party ko. Asan ang Catnip at Triggerhappy kung kelangan ko. Walang kwenta kasi ang Quickenings leche.

Ayon sa FF Wikia, ang stats ni Orthos eh Level 34 sya na may 87,141 HP at 999 MP. Goodluck naman sa two-digit damage ko. Nung huli eh nagpa-license pa talaga ako ng Souleater para makadamage ng 349 sa kanya, pero ang damage sa akin 400+. Nasaan ang hustisya jan? Pero keri na, at least nakaka-3digit na ako. Pero di pa rin sya at par sa Darkness ng Dark Knight ng FFX-2. Buti na lang at extra si Larsa (mukha naman syang gurl eh kaya pinagbigyan siguro) na ginagamit kong dummy.

After ng lahat ng pinaghirapan ko, 3,800 lang ang reward sa Hunt ha. Kacheapan lang ha. Mas yumaman pa yata ako kakapulot ng loots sa Giza Plains. Pero ok na lang din. Kelangan ko na talaga makapag-advance sa clan ranking ko. At sa susunod lower rank na marks muna.

Moral of the story: Hindi lahat ng Girl Power eh sing-powerful ng Power Puff.

Sorceress Adel Wiki

Adelantada
January 2, 2009




Warren: Sino nga yung isa pang soceress sa FF8? Yung nasa space?

Jeremy: Sorceress Amidala?

Warren: Gaga senator yun.

Jeremy: Di ba si Miriam yung senador? Sorceress Adel yata.

Warren: Yah yung becky na nag trap ke Rinoa!

Jeremy: Akswali hit ung movie nya.

Warren: Alin?

Jeremy: Ang Tanging Ina Nyong Lahat!

Warren: Bakit naman sya nandon?

Jeremy: Anobeh disguise sya noh. Shortcut shortcutan ang nemsung. Aiai DELas alas. Kita mo yung fezz? Siyang sya yun.

Warren: Ay ano be! Magkababa lang.

Jeremy: Nadala ka lang sa mukap. Hindi mo namukhaan talaga?




Jeremy: Heniweys vortang vorta ang dating ni Adel.

Warren: Becky nga kasi si Adel.

Jeremy: Pwede ka bugbugin.

Warren: Yah me sorceress bang otoko daba, kaya becky sya.

Jeremy: Tapos ipa-implant ba naman si Rinoa. Ang shunga ng lola.

Warren: Napagkamalan nyang boobs si Rinoa. At mega cast ng drain talaga.

Jeremy: Magaling humigop!

Warren: Drainga!!!

Jeremy: San ba kasing barangay sumasali ng Ms gay yang si Adel, ang chakka ng costume ha. Hindi kasi nanonood ng Miss Universe.

Warren: Kase nga all this time nasa space sya, walang tv reception dun.

Jeremy: Wala ba silang satellite dish?

Warren: Actually galing Bulacan sya eh.

Jeremy: So mega sakay sya ng Lolo Thunder to space?

Warren: Yah. From bulacan to space. Dapat hanggang Pampanga lang. Eh umabot sa space.

Jeremy: Ahhh sayang naman, balita ko nagkecrave pa naman sya ng longganisa.

Warren: Winner si lola mo kasi 10 feet tall.

Jeremy: Kalurki. Pwedeng basketbolista.

Warren: Naman. Eh becky sya so beucon sya.