Justin Pyfrom's Blog, page 40

A Breath of Nostaglia

Name: Breath of Fire

Platform: Super Nintendo (Super Famicom)

Style: 1-player Roleplaying Game

Publisher(s): Square Soft

Developer(s): Capcom

Release Date: August 10, 1994

Date of Completion: January 24, 2018

You know something, I’ve never played a Breath of Fire game, yet, I’ve told people that I have the greatest respect for the game series. Of course, I had to fix that but I also had an ulterior motive behind it. See, one of my best mates wanted to buy my WiiU off of me and I agreed but ONLY after I completed the Virtual Console games on it. However, I realized that Breath of Fire was the only one that I really cared about – for good reasons, too.

See, like most RPGs I play, it takes place in a fantasy/medieval world. But, in this world, in addition to ordinary humans, there are various “clan” of anthropomorphic animals. That, of course, includes dragons. See, there’s a clan of humans who can transform into dragons which serve as the focal point of the game.

Long story short, many years ago, two clans of dragons, Dark and Light Dragons, feuded over the goddess’ favor eventually leading to a war that could potentially destroy the world. However, a Light Dragon put an end to the “Goddess War” by imprisoning Myria, a Dark Dragon who was encouraging the war and sealed her away using six keys. You can see what the central plot will revolve around, right?

As you can imagine, in the game’s present time, another Dark Dragon, this time an Emperor named Zog, claiming that it the Dark Dragon’s birthright to conquer the planet and intended to release Myria in order to claim it. However, there’s one person standing in his way: Ryu, an orphaned Light Dragon.

Without giving too much, it became Ryu’s task to collect the keys before Zog can which, in my opinion, lead to the most common – yet effective – RPG cliché. Even funnier, it also leads to an “Oh, that makes sense” moment at the end of the game which loved!!! I’m not going to spoil the ending for you because that’s not my style. Just know, that, like most stories, the ending brings everything together into a neatly tied bow…and Myria is a really evil jerk (trying to avoid using the other word).

The game played a traditional RPG with random battles, skills learned at a certain and suiting up your characters to maximize their stats. However, the game really shines at emphasizing that EVERY character has to be used in some capacity. See, all eight character (you heard me right, EIGHT!!) has a skill that can be used either in or out, of battle. For example, to name a few, Ox can break walls and push large obstacles, Karn can disarm traps and Bo can move through large forests. Either way, you will be using all of the characters a few times before you’re done.

Another thing that I love about the game is the music was spectacular. But, frankly, that’s to expected when Alpha Lyla and the renounced Yoko Shimomura is involved. Still, don’t know why she was uncredited but, alas, I digress.

Breath of Fire gets a 10 out of 10 from me because of it’s eloquently written story, meaningful characters – both heroes and villains, and wonderful soundtrack. Honestly, I couldn’t find anything wrong with the game…maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough. Haha.

Finishing Up A Small Series

Name: Golden Sun: The Lost Age

Platform: Game Boy Advance

Style: 1-player Roleplaying Game

Publisher(s): Nintendo

Developer(s): Camelot Software Planning

Release Date: April 14, 2003

Date of Completion: January 15, 2018

Now, December of last year, I beat the first installment of the Golden Sun series and, two years back, I beat the third installment of the same series. So, it only made sense that I finish it up by completing the second installment: Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Luckily, the game allowed me to transfer my data from the first Golden Sun game. Now, if you want to play the story for yourself, do me two favors: (1) don’t read this because I have a few spoilers and, (2) buckle up because you’re in for a really rich story.

As to be expected, The Lost Age picks up immediately after its predecessor (same world, Waywerd), which, surprisingly ended with the villains (Saturos and Menardi) being victorious in their task – even AFTER being defeated. Even worse, as a sense of irony, YOU take control of Felix, the COMPANION of SATUROS, making you the enemy of the protagonist of the first game. Yeah, confusion and misrepresentation is a bit of an understatement.

Wait, it gets so much better!!!

After finally meeting Issac, the protagonist of the first game, it’s discovered that both of them are victims of the manipulation of a grander villain. Both protagonists were forced to play their roles after having their parents kidnapped. It was also realized that they are technically on the same side as the return of Alchemy (play the game to know what it is) is evitable and, for the greater good, work to bring it to restore the equilibrium to the world.

The story is brilliantly executed showcasing the theme of family and destiny. Plus, the ending was funny as it could get: a mastermind being crushed by the power he sought without learning everything about it.

Now, as for the gameplay features, it’s pretty straightforward. It functions like a traditional RPG. You map out the party’s action, the turn plays it out based on everybody’s speed and repeat. However, there is a mechanic that alters the flow of the game: Djinns. Yep! Those cute little spites – categorized into four planets (Mercury/Water, Venus/Earth, Mars/Fire, Jupiter/Wind) – that the game have you look for three main purposes (summoning, stats augmentation and spell/psynergy alteration – both in and out of battle), all of which affects the flow of battle, adding an extra level of strategy to the game.

Plus, collecting the Djinns opens the door to even more powerful summons that can be either earned or collected from tablets. Needless to say, those little spites are the core of the game’s mechanics. So, the more you have, the better equipped you are in future battles. Which can be a headache if you’re just rushing through the game. Which leads me to one downside: the Djinns.

If you’re not careful with those little creatures, they will be your undoing and there are just some people would don’t seem to understand that. They can’t be rapidly summoned, they need to time to recover after being used for a bigger summon and, when used, they will alter your stats and psynergy which can lead you to a disadvantage, if you’re not careful. It’s a double-edged sword that requires precision.

Still, this game gets a 10 out of 10 from me due to the combined story and the Djinns game mechanic. Plus, the fact that there are some spells I can use outside of battle for puzzle solving is a plus for me – added some realism to the game…despite it being set in a fantasy world. People complained about the textboxes but I say, “What do you expect from an RPG on a GameBoy Advance?”

Only Sports Game I Played For the WiiU

Name: Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games

Platform: Wii U

Style: Multiplayer Sport/Party

Publisher(s): Nintendo

Developer(s): Sega Sports R&D

Release Date: June 24, 2016

Date of Completion: January 9, 2018

So, let me start off by saying that the WiiU wasn’t the best console that Nintendo has produced. Out of the 746 games that were created for the console, I only fifteen of them and PLAYED 14 of them to completion leaving out Xenoblade Chronicle X because I wasn’t that interested in it. And, funny enough, I only played one sport on that list: Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (my goodness, that’s a mouthful).

Playing off the publicity of the actual 2016 Rio Olympic, this game has characters from two of the most popular franchises to date: Mario and Sonic. Each character has fixed stats (power, speed and technique variation) that dictates how they will perform in a particular sport. But, wait, it gets better. The list consists of practically same sporting events that were showcased at the ceremony, with the exception of a few due to the complexity of the sport. This gave a certain level of realism to the game that I quickly grew to appreciate.

Another little tidbit that Nintendo added to the game that I thought I was cute was the “fun fact” feature. The approach was very simple: when you beat someone from a country, they will appear on the beach (HUB) and deliver a fun fact about their home country. For example, after beating someone in Belgium in a Cycling event, I got a learn that their country house a fabulous comic strip museum. I found that to be super cute in their approach to get kids urge to know more about another country thus making them want to complete more events.

Adding to the super cuteness of the game, players are able to compete with their Mii and customize their stats based on what you’re wearing at the time. This, of course, meant that you would have to continue playing to acquire more outfits to swap out in order to make your Mii excel at a particular skill (for me, it was speed).

The only “downside” to this marvelous game is, well, its charm can wear out after a while. Don’t get me wrong, the game is wonderful, and I loved playing it but I stopped after a while because I lost interest in it rather quickly. Why? Because there’s nothing else to do outside of playing events both locally and online. Like, literally nothing else. It could be that I’m not into sports as it is but, still, it was pretty damn fast. Still, I’m not going to hold that over its head because if I put it in front of a kid, they will be entertained for hours.

Now, some people didn’t like it because they think it was just cashing in on the Olympics. However, if you read the news, it was licensed by the International Olympic Committee so…yeah. Haha. That being said, I give it a 7 out of 10 because off the list of events you can play, the customization of the Mii and the fun fact feature as well as the lack of any other features outside of it.

Two New Challenges To Explore

So, starting Thursday, I’m going to be reviewing books that I’ve read and games that I have played. Why? Because I’m apart of two separate challenges that involve my participation, so I might as well keep you up-to-date with my progress. Both challenges are so much fun to be apart of and I implore you to take advantage of it when you get the chance.

The reading challenge is hosted by Goodreads and it’s pretty simple: set a goal for the year and read until you meet that goal. Completed the challenge last year by reading 40 books so I want to replicate that achievement. Plus, I want to expand my library along with trim it down with the books I got from Bookbub.com (which is A LOT!!!).

As for the gaming challenge (or as my fellow competitors would call it, Gamer’s Challenge), it’s another simple approach: beat a game and document it for everybody to see. One of the funny things about it is my friends and I are going a team battle so I’m leading a team of gamers to take down another team via a point system. We even have a document to keep track of everybody’s progress; I also have a document to keep track of my progress – both past and present.

Here’s the thing, though. This section of the blog isn’t going to be as consistent as my primary section, which is updated every Friday. Instead, it’s only to be updated when I complete a book or a game. From there, I will be discussing what I liked and disliked about it combined with a general census of the product. Plus, I already have two games that I’m going to review so this is going to be fun.

Gale Winds Towards Deserving Souls

While waiting for my background check to through on two jobs (which, let’s face it, I got the job), I got great news from my buddies at Bowlcut Studios. For four months, I have watched them advertise and promote their debut game MageQuit at various conventions garnering positive to rave “critical” acclaim from first time players.

Because of this, they were finally awarded a potential publisher and a wider variety of contacts including one for the Nintendo Switch and some high profile YouTubers thus generating EVEN MORE publicity for there. They, even, connect with people from Devolver, Multiplay (acquired by Unity, needed for online matchmaking), NetEase and Versus Evil and that’s just a small list of accomplishments. I mean, seriously, when the full game is finally released, I’m predicting a beautiful future for this company and will be disappointed if it doesn’t get some more awards.

And the boys aren’t done yet, they plan to go on tour with MageQuit for the final stretch of their marketing campaign which I think is a fantastic idea. I mean there really isn’t no such thing as too much publicity for an indie game. Especially since, they are so many AAA titles that are garnering plenty publicity – some undeserving.

So proud of my friends at Bowlcut Studio and, as always, the information about the game – as well as the links – below:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/572220/MageQuit/

“MageQuit is a wizard-brawling arena game where up to 10 players use spells and physics to do battle. As a wizard, you are granted a staff with a glowing D20, giving you unique elemental abilities. With every kill, your neckbeard and fame grow. Will you end up as Merlin, or be forever cursed with peach fuzz?”

The game is only available for Steam, right now, but it will be released for console later on in its development period. They told me that the game is still, technically, not done.

As for me, I got done with story #5, Cries of the Innocence. This short story is the first one for the villain side of Volume 2, which is exploring the age-old case of duality (good v. evil), and it took me two days to complete. Why? Because I was REALLY into the Dissidia NT Demo and it soaked up A LOT of my time. Haha. So, the next day, I took all day to finish the story BEFORE playing video games. Yeah, as I said before, it’s a process and I’m growing.

Another patch of good news is that my copyright certificate finally became visible – and physical – to me and the public. Just have to make a trip to Philadelphia and pick it up so I can put it in my “Writer’s Binder” (yes, I call it that.) This will now allow others, ideally a buddy of mine in Production, to provide with the sci-fi television…the moment he can find the right people.

Now, it’s time for me to start my day, need to get a jump on the second half of this book. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.

Wicked Whirl(wind) of Good News

Final Fantasy XIII. Final Mark, Vercingetorix. Why am I saying this dreadfully powerful monster from Final Fantasy XIII? Because has one of the most powerful moves in the game, Wicked Whirl, and it’s the best way to describe my week. I mean it, seriously, it was a drastic one.

First and foremost, I managed to finish the last hero story “A Gift to Humanity in a matter of eight hours – a personal best. It’s pretty cool, too. With Spotify running on my PS4, a nice cup of coffee and a worry-free mind (to a certain extent), I can make a spectacular amount of progress on any project. And, as a bonus, I got pretty familiar with a nifty program/service called Grammarly that assist with my very mediocre grammar talent. Later on, this week, I’m going to be working on the first story for the villain side for this installment. And THAT’S when things stir crazy.

I got a call from numerous people with numerous job offer in a matter of two days and ended up narrowing them down to two. One of them came from someone from a newly opened Ashley’s HomeStore via Insight Global, a company that reached out to me which was something I never expected. The other one came from Turkey Hill, a place I never knew existed. Both of them offered me full-time positions and both of them made to milk out the rest of money because BOTH of them gave the most rapid series of interviews I’ve ever been apart.

For three days, I’ve been ubering, traveling and interviewing with these two companies – both of which went extremely well. The only problem, now, is that I know both jobs are going to call me back with offers and I don’t know which one I’m going to take. More than likely, it might be Ashley’s HomeStore since it’s salary plus commission. It’ll make funding my writing career a little easier.

Now, it’s time for me to start my day, need to get a jump on the second half of this book. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2018.

Silent Tides

This week has been incredibly slow due to me looking for a job, waiting for an interview call while working through the last Heroes story for my Dimensions series. Winter is always a slow season for merchandiser because clients don’t need the assistance of us…at least, not until the spring. So, I have to look for an additional job. This is something I’m kinda not used to because I like having one job which won’t be the case when spring rolls around thus making it a little harder to manage my writing schedule. Something I’m just going to have to work through, I guess.

Today, I start writing the short story “A Gift to Humanity”, a personal favorite of mine. The story will explore the unsung heroes of the medical field and my experiences in the hospital as a kid. I’ve always seen doctors, and such, as white mages from RPG. Healers and all that. So, I’m going to have a grand old time with this one. After that, I’m going to keep the momentum going with the Villain side of the story before leaving it alone for a month.

But I won’t be sitting on my arse since I do have other stories that I need to write the backstory for. After realizing that I don’t like the layout for the first book for the Queerful Eyes series, formerly known as Queer Eyes (still looking for a catchy name for my LGBT+ series), so I’m tearing everything down and starting it back up, again. Always remember ladies and gents, 90% of writing is rewriting.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot to talk about since I’ve been job-hunting, playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (trying to get ready and defeat Yiazmet for the first time) and preparing to write this beautiful short story. This weekend is going to be nice…I hope…maybe if I get a call back for an interview.

Now, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the reading challenge for 2018.

Silence Tides

This week has been incredibly slow due to me looking for a job, waiting for an interview call while working through the last Heroes story for my Dimensions series. Winter is always a slow season for merchandiser because clients don’t need the assistance of us…at least, not until the spring. So, I have to look for an additional job. This is something I’m kinda not used to because I like having one job which won’t be the case when spring rolls around thus making it a little harder to manage my writing schedule. Something I’m just going to have to work through, I guess.

Today, I start writing the short story “A Gift to Humanity”, a personal favorite of mine. The story will explore the unsung heroes of the medical field and my experiences in the hospital as a kid. I’ve always seen doctors, and such, as white mages from RPG. Healers and all that. So, I’m going to have a grand old time with this one. After that, I’m going to keep the momentum going with the Villain side of the story before leaving it alone for a month.

But I won’t be sitting on my arse since I do have other stories that I need to write the backstory for. After realizing that I don’t like the layout for the first book for the Queerful Eyes series, formerly known as Queer Eyes (still looking for a catchy name for my LGBT+ series), so I’m tearing everything down and starting it back up, again. Always remember ladies and gents, 90% of writing is rewriting.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot to talk about since I’ve been job-hunting, playing Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (trying to get ready and defeat Yiazmet for the first time) and preparing to write this beautiful short story. This weekend is going to be nice…I hope…maybe if I get a call back for an interview.

Now, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the reading challenge for 2018.

A “Pint” Among Family & Mates

“Patience is a virtue, Justin. Not everything is going to come easy to you; sometimes you’ll have to work harder than normal to prefect certain skills.”

You have no idea how many times I have heard that statement, albeit in many different forms. It has been said to be when I was learning a particularly unique skill in my eyes i.e. a new physical feat, such as a fighting style (Tae Kwon Do was easier for me than Karate, if you could believe it), it takes me a slightly longer time to master it. But not by much, really.

However, this time around, I’m still having a hard time with my driving lessons. And, as you can it imagine, it’s begging the hell out of me because I’m usually good at picking up a new skill. The things that I have focus on while taking cues to my instructor is a bit overwhelming at times and it’s frustrating the hell out of me.

Of course, I’m not going to give up. I’m stubborn and persistent that way. Besides, I’m almost thirty…I need my license. I need to be able to drive properly and effectively so I have to get better at this. I just have to. I’m just going to have to take what my brother says into account: “Not everything is going to come easy to you.” This lead to an obvious, yet expected, advice: “Practice. Practice. Practice. And, calm the hell down.”

On a side note, I’ve been doing character interviews for my LGBT+ series. The main person I’ve been interviewing is my best mate, a fantastic cosplayer and humble LEBT+ supporter, David Santiago (sorry, fellas, he’s straight). See, I’m using his personality for one character (the main character’s brother) and his smoldering good looks for another character (the main character’s love interest). He has been immeasurably supportive in creating the characters for my project and even offered to model for the cover(s) of the book series – for free. However, I told him that, like with anybody who “works” with me, nobody works for free. I also told him that – after all he has done for the cosplay community and the exposure he has garnered from free modeling – he’s done working for free; he’s officially paid his due.

Expanding the topic of character interviews, he’s actually the only one I’m doing a detailed character interview for – and it’s for a specific reason. See, David and I’s friendship has been mostly forged by convention appearances and online conversations, so I have actually get to know him from the ground up. It was a fun time, with many more to come, because we both got to know each other in our respective fields. Plus, like always, the bloke is incredibly hilarious and completely helpful in my endeavor. So! In return, I plan to help him get some modeling gigs along with my book series. Maybe so gigs for some romance novels…he does have the sex appeal…being Puerto Rican and all that jazz.

Finally, my second installment of my Dimensions series is coming along swimmingly. Working on my third story (“Testament of Good Will”) as we speak and I’m hoping that I finish the rough draft before the weekend is out. This is going to be the third story on the Hero (Light) side and I’m proud of the duality that’s being portrayed this story, especially since humanity is one of the main background character that being examined.

Now, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forgot to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram and Goodread) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestion of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the reading challenge for 2017 and for 2018.

Finally, if you want to keep update with David Santiago’s cosplay life, please follow this link:

https://www.facebook.com/CapSantiago822/

Tactical Lesson; A Required Progression

This week has been nothing but a bombardment of one lesson after another. Both small and large in their involvement in this week of endeavor, all of them ended up making a big impact in my life. Because of it, I firmly believe that it is going to make a better writer and human being in the long run so that’s a plus. Oh! Right!! I need to talk about the lessons that I’m learning this week.

So, my little brother (Leon) got on my case about working on my vacation in Orlando, FL. He stated that, although he admires my work ethics, I need to seriously learn how to sit back and smell the roses. See, one of my more dominant bad habits is the fact that I count my blessings as oppose to actually enjoying them. Even though we had a good laugh about it, he made me promise him that I wouldn’t work on another vacation. Instead, I use this time to recharge and refocus my energy. You know…do what normal people do on a vacation.

Another lesson that I had to learn is that I really need to control that silver tongue of mine. While working in Holiday Matsuri and at my merchandising job, I have learned that my silver tongue can turn into acid in a matter of seconds. See, I knew I had it in me, but it usually takes A LOT for me to get to that point. I count about three times I ended up spiting acid at a person and ended up facepalming myself after the fact. Prime example of this was the conversation I had with a snippy mother at Best Buy yesterday. She was yelling at me about not a particular tablet (Samsung Tab E Lte for Kids; very popular) for her kids as a Christmas present. After a while, I lost my cool and snapped by saying “So, it’s my fault that you procrastinated and thus ruin your child’s Christmas?” And, immediately after I said that, I facepalmed myself and instantly regret it. My brother got a kick out it because, as he put it, “anger isn’t a good look on me.”

Also, I’m learning that ADHD combined with my natural overthinking attributes isn’t the best when it comes down to learning how to drive. I did okay but it could have been better if I stopped tensing up and listen to the car. It was funny, too. When I tell him that I can’t “hear” the car, my buddy tells me that I would…if I would just relax. He sounds like a broken record, but he makes a point. Ha ha

Finally, after reading my second story “A Night Among Angel”, I realized that, because I forgot my notebook, I ended up changing up the story as an experiment to see if I make it a little better and (surprise surprise) hating it because of it. So, I need to rewrite it exactly the way I had it from the beginning because it was prefect from the start. And, before all of that, I had to change up the website to make it a little nicer and add the widgets for my social media links so I don’t have to list them after every post.

That being said, it’s time for me to start my day. Please, don’t forgot to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Instagram and Goodread) which are on the right side of my web page. Also, I do love hearing suggestion of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am apart of the reading challenge for 2017 and also for 2018.