Coming soon - Sidewinder, War of the Lions review and Aurvana Day 4+.

I made an in-faction promise evaluate Sidewinder, the greatsword veteran stance, after I acquired it on my stock fighter, Undine, seeing that I am the wielder of a Big Bang +7. It will be analyzed in an unusual manner, combining a meticulous attention to detail with a sensational splash of purple. If you don't gag from it, then we should be bed-mates.

War of the Lions

I haven't finished the game yet, so don't expect a review. Instead, impressions will be thrown into your face.

First of all, Final Fantasy Tactics is an amazing game. War of the Lions is a remake of the title, so it's already worth your money if you haven't played it. If you have, then still consider buying it for the two new classes, the impressive multiplayer modes, rewritten scripts and excellent stylized animations.

However, WotL is not a perfect translation to those with fat PSPs. There is slowdown, a considerable amount of it. The basic formula for calculating the time it will take to complete a skill with a particle effect is (N)ormal time x 1.5 = (L)ion War time. The sound is also poorly executed. Some notes, such as the party selection screen, drawl and cut abruptly. The sound of lightning striking resembles a cat filtered through a square-wave wah-wah. If you've experienced the original Tactics, you'll be frustrated. Even more so if you've played the converted PSX iso on your PSP, which has no slowdown, in comparison to original, and very little sound disruption. Still, you. . . might get used to it.

That being said, the rest of the game the FFT I know and love with a little extra difficulty thrown in. Most classes take one more job level to unlock, which is a pain when dealing with thief or classes that you don't have weapons for. (Lancer, much?) As far as I can see, nothing has been changed for the worst.

I'll cut myself there. As this is being written, I am level 40+ before heading to the waterfall, practically destroying the game with three stock characters and Ramza. All my old tricks still work. It'll take a week before I get level 99 with all masters.

Creative AURVANA DJ - Day 4+

I have one gripe about my headset. The plug is huge. It's so long that it can create enough leverage in a pocket to actually bend the pin. At one point, the end of my Aurvana was at a 45' angle and on the verge of self destruction. Luckily, I reset the pin to a mere <2' point without losing any sound quality. However, I caution owners of pockets and runners that you can ruin your set if you apply enough pressure. Still, my headset still sounds amazing and remains quite comfortable, so I suppose it's good it suffered a crooked situation. (I shall be much more cautious in the future, hah!)

At the moment, I've been picking up on more Chillout. A very complex and thoughtful style of electronic music, comforting as smooth jazz with a futuristic feel. Good for photoshop inspiration and directly responsible for the image above.

P.S.

Anyway, that's a good, fat blog post for ya', no? Also, if you're into giant robots and forum roleplay, go to Mobile Suit Awesome and fire up a character. It's well-concieved and managed by my good friend, Geomaster, and I shall also participate there as an Armored Core pilot. It's fresh, new and damn sexy.

Music - Creative Aurvana DJ Earphones - Day 1.

I haven't broken in my headset just yet, but from what I can tell, they're a lot more sensitive than Sony MDR-150s. The second I plugged them into my computer, I jumped to the conclusion that they sucked due to a nasaly sound. Before I threw a fit, I remembered that I set up my treble to get a crisper sound on my old set. Aurvana's do a great job at being delightfully clean on the first try.

These headphones do a good job of sealing off the outside world without causing much discomfort, wearing them for two straight hours with minor fiddling to get them just right on my skull. They won't automatically feel good, but once you've found a sweet spot, the 13 ounces of plastic, cushion and speakers apply a firm but reassuring pressure, expected from a set of heavy full earphones.

As far as cosmetics go, they won't make you pretty, but they're not overtly ugly. They're more like classy accents than a magical faerie grandmother. In a world where most full headphones are hideous as your neighborhood chimera, it's refreshing to see some sexy brushed-metal and rounded rectangles.

In my experience, I haven't had the funds or the joy to listen to Sennheiser 595s or Shure earbuds. I'm a cheap disciple of rhythm, but I know a good pair of earphones when I hear one. I can't make any "real" judgments on the sound quality other than they're much better than MDR-150s and a number of earbuds that I've smashed through, even before I've really broken in my Aurvanas.

Give me a week, by then I've probably given 140+ hours into these.

Music - Celebraiting 'core.

I love all variants of break beat. If it has 'core in the name, I probably listen and lust after the sound. It's unfortunate that modern music has no place in the fantasy role-play settings that I frequent, but I'm working on justifying the use of 'magical synths' and whatnot in order to convey the gripping euphoria to other characters. I'm in the process of creating a 'core-based bard too.

Of course, what does music matter? I've labeled myself a drug-factory. Not because I do any substances, but I'm exceptionally comfortable and euphoric when I have music thudding in my ears. Luckily, my brain gets that essential 'high' without killing itself.

My ears are currently turned toward di.fm's DnB and Hard Core channel. Ever since I started looking into buying a pair of Creative Aurvana DJ headphones, the desire to act like a disciple of rhythm was pounding. Granted, I've read reviews and they say the bass isn't too great, but I'm certain they're better than Sony MDR-V150s. Granted, I really want a pair of Shure earbuds or Sennheiser 595's, but since I'm head-phone fashion whore and a guy who likes going on a limb for $60, Aurvana's will be getting my bills. Yes, I can get new Aurvana DJs for $60. I'll be looking forward to breaking them in, experiencing the thrill of new, unchartered merchandise and writing about it.