Finishing Final Fantasy XIII-2

I wanted to finish the game at least once before writing my thoughts about it. I was hoping FF 13-2 would be one of the best games of 2012. The developers seem to have meshed some of the best elements of past RPG classics. Capture monsters and have them fight other monsters is Pokemon inspired. Travel back and forth through time is Chrono Trigger inspired. Even the paradigm formations have their names based on Chrono Trigger party formations.

Have only three members in a party permanently was probably provoked by Secret of Mana (although I might be stretching here a bit) and is good for character development. (What I mean by this is that in most RPGs, you rarely even use the 5th to Nth additional available characters since you usually have your favorite 3 or 4 who rotate in your party). Bring back Mog as a party member (although technically, he is a weapon) has been enkindled by FF 6. So combine everything that was good about past RPGs and hope that you come up with another classic. This was probably the thought in the developers minds.

But they have also removed some of the better elements of FF13-1 such as item / accessory /weapon creation based on the Star Ocean series. Another element removed is the summoning of guardian forces or espers or eidolons or whatever you want to call them, that have been a final fantasy trademark if you will for a long time. And while having only 3 members in your party, and at that only 2 are characters, it can get a bit stale after just playing with the same members whose crystarium points have been maxed out. Perhaps if there were 10 characters whose crystarium points needed to be maxed out, then that would add to the game's replay value.

I actually think that the battle engine of FF 12 was the best among a lot of FF games. (Sure, it literally became auto-battle for non-boss battles if you have programmed it right). FF 13-2 also lacked an addictive side game like FF8's card battle. Sure, bring back the chocobo races. After a few laps, it just becomes boring.

And when will players ever get to control an air ship (or a space ship) and explore the world? (But since this is a time travel game, it might not be necessary, but they also used portals in FF XIII so I'm thinking developers are just lazy).

Now for the part of the game has me currently pissed off. And if you want to avoid me spoiling your fun, you should stop reading. Again I say stop reading this post. Don't say I didn't warn you. This is the first Final Fantasy game that ends with TO BE CONTINUED....

Are you kidding me? This idea was probably borrowed from Xenosaga, but in that game, players expected a 3-part series even before they purchased the game. I don't recall any other FF game ever ending with TO BE CONTINUED... and as an FF fan, I never want any game to end that way.

"We just want to make more money by making you buy half a game" was probably the thought in the minds of the business managers at Square Enix. "And we might not even release the 3rd installment on the PS3, but wait for the PS4". I have played FF since 6 and the skipped a few games such as 9 and 10-2. There hasn't been an FF game in a long time so I decided to pick up XIII-2. And if not for the story, perhaps its major redeeming quality, I would have skipped this game too.

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Alteil: Pre-built EX Holy Knight Lapierre

A few days ago, Alteil released the pre-built file of Lapierre's Legion. The main reason players will buy this deck is in order to get their hands on a full set of Holy Knight Lapierre, which was one of the most dominant cards after set 5 and would have remained dominant if it was not nerfed. The original card healed all friendly solar kingdom units for 20 HP, similar to Safiria's auto skill. 

The card set also contains 2 copies of White Sage Kaldrao, which made Lapierre files even harder to beat. This was the reason why Kaldrao was also nerfed. He (although the picture really looks like a she) used to have a +5 DF buff that came along with the 10 HP buff, that made units tougher each turn. His stats even had 5 DF making him tough to kill initially.

I guess it makes me kind of sad that after being one of the few players who had a complete set of HK Lapierre, it will become all too common now. I remember sacrificing a lot of cards in order to complete her back when EX 5 was released. 

But from a business standpoint of earning, Alteil is doing the sound thing. Lapierre is not very competitive in the current environment where the cards in meta files would probably be Dilate, Emana, or Rucca. They did the same thing when they offered Eternal Morning decks with a complete set of Solar Prince Verlaat, the deck to beat during the earlier sets of Alteil.

So later on, a few sets from know, players will probably be able to get their hands on full sets of Dilate, Emana, and Rucca, when these cards are no longer "must have" and new metas are in play. Change is important for the game not to become stagnant and boring. But with practices like this, I just hope Alteil continues to be a favored game for years to come.

Boracay 2012 Zuzuni

If you ever get the chance to visit Boracay, make sure to try out the food at Zuzuni. I really enjoyed the bacon, egg, and potatoes breakfast they served us. Their bacon is better than Country Styles'. The potatoes are nicely cooked and combined with fresh butter.

My friends enjoyed their lava cake and ice cream. It's called lava cake since the hot chocolate oozes out of the volcano shaped cake once you slice into it. I must admit, I am not much of a dessert person, but I still enjoyed these too.

Combine everything with a Starbucks frapuccino and I'm all set.

The people serving in Zuzuni are really courteous and helpful too. They will willingly share their knowledge of other tourist destinations on Boracay and give you helpful tips on how to reach these places. Good food and great service are always a part of a winning combination. Kudos Zuzuni.

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Boracay 2012 Kite Surfing

Perhaps one of the best tourist attractions I saw in Boracay was a shore filled with kite surfers. Since the waves in Boracay are not as strong as in Hawaii, surfers need to take advantage of the wind in order to generate fast surfing speeds. And with the right wind, the speeds they attain are comparable to a jet ski, and sometimes, if they are lucky or really really skilled, they can launch themselves around 6 feet up in the air, perhaps even more.

I was amazed at how the kite surfers were able to avoid bumping or tangling into one another, in what appeared to be a shore filled with surfing enthusiasts. I was able to speak with one of the kite surfing business owners and you actually have to have a license in order to rent kite surfing equipment. They also provided 3 level training lessons, from beginner, then intermediate, then expert. And the beginner lessons are supposed to teach the aspiring kite surfer the lessons on safety and surfing etiquette.

The lessons don't come cheap though. Beginner lesson's prices cost around 3,000 PHP (for 1.5 hours of training) while the Intermediate lessons cost around 14,000 PHP (for 7 hours of training). I didn't even bother asking how much the expert level lessons would cost. The equipment costs around 80,000 PHP but I was able to see some signs around the island stating they were selling used equipment for around 500 USD.

At the time of this writing, the surfing spots were at the Northeastern coast of Boracay, but I was also informed that they shift to the Southwestern shore then cycle back once a year.

If I could afford it and if I had more time, I would have loved to learn how to kite surf. Perhaps someday, if the Lord chooses to bless me, I would be able to do so. And if you already know how to, then you are blessed.

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Boracay 2012 Vacation

I am thankful to the Lord for a vacation I never imagined I would have in my lifetime. Boracay is a really nice and clean beach to spend a few days of vacation if you can afford to. It is an island located near the Northwestern tip Aklan, Philippines. If you are coming from Manila, your air travel options are either a plane to Kalibo Airport or a plane to Caticlan Airport.

Kalibo Airport is the older airport and is farther from Boracay. You will probably have to allot 2 hours of travel time from Kalibo to Boracay. From the airport, you can either spend the night in Kalibo, especially if you are arriving late in the evening or even in the wee hours of the morning. Most of the boat rides from Caticlan's port to Boracay are from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. so it is better to travel during the daytime so you can enjoy the boat-ride scenery. The van ride from Kalibo to Caticlan will cost you about 100 Php per person while the boat ride and port fees (Terminal fee and Environmental fee) will set you back by about 155 Php. And then from Boracay's port to the beach, expect to shell out another 100 Php (no distinction whether group or individual) to tricycles to bring you there.

Caticlan Airport was constructed to improve tourism to Boracay. Landing there will shave off an hour from your travel time. And once you get from Caticlan airport to the seaport, it all becomes similar to the previous guide above.

Once you are at the beach, finding a suitable place to stay in would probably be your first priority. We were fortunate enough to have been able to book the place we were staying at online, before coming to Boracay. We stayed at the Luna Rosa beach resort. The room was clean and decent. Air condition, Cable TV, and a hot shower are usually all I am after and all these amenities were present in the room. I would say this though, the staff could use a lesson or two in customer service.

Boracay's long white sandy strip is divided into three stations, dubbed Station's 1, 2 and 3. And just like in marketing, this division is meant to segregate customers into classes A, B, C, D and E. It doesn't mean that people can not move from one station to another. But in terms of spending, I think that you would have to have more money to stay in Station 1 than in Station 3. Station 1 boasts of the high-end hotels and restaurants. Station 2 is the place for the middle class, where familiar eating spots like Starbucks, Yellow Cab and Shakey's Pizza are available. This is also where the D'mall is located, where you can shop for clothing and souvenirs. Stations 1 and 3 are much quieter in my opinion than Station 2.

There are lots of daytime activities to keep a tourist preoccupied. Beach volleyball and soccer are popular activities for big groups. Kayaking, sailing, and "banana" boating are also options for individuals who want to spend time above the water. Helmet diving and snorkeling are options for those who want to spend time underwater. If you want to just lie down on the beach, there are masseuse and tattoo artists willing to lend their services while you relax. Food stalls and shops are abound so you will never go hungry as long as you have money to spend. And the local resorts have their own private pools if you happen to be their guest. But if I had the money to spend, I would have loved to learn kite-surfing, a really expensive but fun-looking sport that I will probably write about in another post.  

At night, people would usually eat at an all-out seafood buffet. Just make sure to ask which items are included in the buffet. You would think that giant crab, giant lobsters, and giant shrimps should be part of the all-you-can-eat experience, but these are usually paid for separately and are paid for by the ounce (or by the gram). Nighttime is also singing and performing time. A lot of bands, and acoustic performers come out to entertain dining guests. Fire dancers also display their talents. I've also seen bands turn into Karaoke services, inviting dinner guests to be their lead singer, and this often turns into a funny scene, and results to the chagrin of some listeners.

Overall, Boracay is really an enjoyable experience. It is like placing the amenities of a local mall beside a white sand beach. So go get that mocha frapuccino and then find a spot on the beach and watch the quiet waves as the sun sets. And through all of this may you find God's peace and rest.

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