Clash Royale 2 vs 2

Clash Royale 2 vs 2 has been the most fun gaming experience I've had on my mobile phone to date. It reminds me of the time I've spent on Starcraft, or Generals, or DOTA - where you are about to pulverize your opponent's base as a group. And there's also the thrill of coming back from a game where you are about to lose your base, but a timely counter, a fireball, or rocket to a weak tower, gains you the win when time is down to 00:00. And what's great about it is it is happening on your mobile phone.

2 vs 2 requires team work and familiarity with what each kind of unit does, especially those you rarely use in your deck. It is easy to spot if there is synergy between two teammates or not. And once your opponent sees this, they can easily take advantage of the situation.

The only thing I hate about 2 vs 2 is when your teammate goes offline - perhaps because of a lag in his internet connection, and you are forced to handle two players on your own. But I guess it is part of the game, but I wish there was a way to level the playing field when this happens, maybe allow you to control your opponent's deck, too, just to prevent from being overwhelmed by two player's combined forces.

It would be amazing to see if this game can expand to 3 vs 3, 4 vs 4 or even 5 vs 5. You would probably need a bigger map. And I don't know if you would then be forced to focus on a single unit - then it would be too much like DOTA.

But the Clash universe has already made a big investment in getting their characters recognized, that might just be the next step when Clash Royale losses steam. Still, for now, 2 vs 2 is too fun to pass up. Wish the tournament for 2 vs 2 always has a free entry, that was, I don't have to waste gems on losses. It's already a tough environment, I've yet to get to 10 wins. But it's really lots of fun, and if I could forego the payment of gems, I'd be more willing to experiment with my deck combinations instead of sticking to tried and tested ones.

Thank you, Clash Royale development team for coming up with ways to make this game better. May the game play continue to improve.  

Bulging Battery on Coby CMP500 Nitrox

Coby CMP500 Nitrox

My Coby CMP500 Nitrox has served me well for almost a year and six months. But lately, it would power off on its own despite the battery charge still being above 60%. So I decided to check the battery by opening up the case.

CMP500 with the battery removed

I'm not sure if you can notice it, but the battery is bulging.

Slight bulge in the left side of the battery

When I checked the shop at SM North Edsa Annex where I purchased the unit, they said that they did not have available batteries with them. Their repair center in Manila probably has one, but it would cost around 800 pesos or roughly 20% of the original price of the unit. But with newer models from other brands costing only about 3 times that amount, I did not think replacing the battery made any sense if the unit would conk out soon enough.

Thank you Coby for a year and a half worth of service. But with unavailability of immediate service and replacement parts, you'll probably find yourself losing potentially loyal customers to new competition.