Spring is coming!

Whoosh its already March and daylights savings has already gone by! wow a lot earlier than it was last year. I haven't updated this thing for a while and currently procrastinating on a paper so of course its the perfect time to do this! >.>

Hmm what have I been up to...nothing much really. School and work is kinda stressful but I'm getting by. Not much trouble yet really, enjoying Japanese class though =] とのしです！Typing in Japanese and actually being able to read it is awesome! Except theres still an issue with Kanji ans some Katagana but its still awesome =]

Currently playing an awesome RPG. Star Ocean: The Last Hope (SO4) on the Xbox 360. Since I don't have much to talk about I'll talk about this game for a bit. Star Ocean, famously known for its AWESOME gameplay and somewhat lacking plot. Plot usually ignored and is more focused on gameplay. Which isn't too much with SO4 this time around. Plot is actually decent. WWIII has occured and the aftermath of it was bad enough to make Earth's atmosphere pretty much impossible to live in. Thus, went into Space to settle in and possibly search for a planet that resembles much like Earths. Story takes place in A.D. 2097 and in this game, they refer it to S.D. 10, meaning they started S.D. (Space Domini) in 2087, where the first successful space warp has been achieved. You take control of Edge Maverick, the hero of the story and take on missions from the SRF, eventually taking control of your own space ship the Calnus and going to planets.

The battle system is personally my favorite of all. Just like Star Ocean: Till The End Of Time on the PS2, its free roam and is able to control all the characters in battle (only up to four in the battle field but can switch out and replace members if you have a large party). Pretty much like Tales of Symphonia battle system. Theres a feature called Blindside which makes your character rush behind the enemies' backs and the first hit is always a critical. Regardless, its really fun and I can never get sick of battles which makes grinding a lot more fun.

Graphics are gorgeous due to the 360's hardware. Environments are lively and has much details like wind movement, shadows, and reflections to name a few. Gameplay graphics are really good for an RPG and doesn't stray too far from the CG cutscenes. My only HUGE complaint is obviously, the DUBBING!. First off, it doesn't fit the characters mouth flaps at all. Looks terrible. And the voices on SOME characters, not all, are just terrible. But its a dubbing so I expected much.

Other than those issues, the game is great. I has some references from Star Ocean: The First Departure on the PSP but I believe SO4 is a prequel to that, making it jsut fine for first time gamers for the series. Battle system is awesome as usual, plot is somewhat lacking but thats how Star Ocean is. The characters are pretty awesome and their PAs (Private Actions) are interesting. Has some romance in it which is a plus to me. Its a long game, 3 freakin discs, which isnt a bad thing. Still havent finished it but i just got to the second disc. Overall, if you have a 360 and is an RPG gamer, definitely take a look at this. Its great.

Well I should get back to this paper =_= really wanting to play SO4 but must not give in....this month is pouring with birthdays and other events, one of them being tomorrow. So i must say
たんじょうびおめでとうございます！(Tanjoubi Omedetou Gozaimasu!) or Happy Birthday! Still 30 mins before tomorrow but thats ok! =]
愛してるあなた！