Pokémon X Photo Diary and Review

So it's been a good two weeks since the new Pokémon X and Y games came out for the 3DS. While I really didn't like Black and White 2, I have to say that these editions to the franchise really seemed to breathe some life into the pokémon world for me! In my file as of today, I have beaten the Elite Four and Champion and so I think I can provide an educated opinion if you're still on the fence as to if you should get it or not.

First of all, I think the general consensus is that X and Y both provide an experience that is both fresh and new. That is to say, the standard pokémon formula is still there (that we know and love), but they've made significant changes that make it feel a little something more than the next standard edition of pokémon you need to keep up on. A few of these changes include: the new look to combat (not just sprites anymore!), the new EV-training system (Super Training), Pokémon Amie (which actually has some impact in battles based on a pokémon's affection towards you), customizeable main characters and of course the new edition of pokémon added to this generation.

Such cute clothes!!!

In general, the new generation doesn't bother me nearly as much as the past couple of generations. Some of them still look a bit too out there, but just the look of them seems to fit more in with Generation 2... what do you think? Also, I really enjoy the variety of pokémon you can encounter in the world right from the beginning. In past games you'd have to unlock the national dex in order to have access to any of the Kanto pokémon, or others would simply be missing unless you transferred them from past cartridges. Here, you can encounter all sorts of surprises which I thoroughly loved! They didn't just focus on rubbing your face in the new generation, but shared the love, haha!

Team Flare (the newest team of baddies) are pretty weird. That's all I can really say about them. They're not too hard to beat, they want to make the world beautiful and yet they look like a disaster and the overall storyline attributed to them isn't all that provoking. To be honest, I really liked Black and White's storylines by comparison.

There are 'photo spots' now where you can take photos of your character with the 3DS camera.

Gym fights aren't too bad either. I think I got stuck on a couple for a few minutes but could sweep the other teams with just one or two pokémon. I think the reason for this is the new EXP share. Rather than attaching it to one pokémon, EXP share can now be turned on and off from the Key Items menu and will provide all pokémon in the party with EXP during the battle. That way your team levels at the same time and you don't end up with really unbalanced numbers if you just end up preferring one teammate over all the rest.

Along with this however, are the Elite Four battles. Never have I ever had such an easy Elite Four and Champion sweep in my entire pokémon career (lol). I usually have to grind my face into them until I finally get a break! To start, you don't fight them in a straight line anymore but can choose what order you want to fight them. This allows you to front-load your team for the first time going through, rather than not knowing what to expect during the first run. The types are Fire, Water, Steel and Dragon. All these types are easy to deal with, especially dragon which now cannot affect Fairy types. With Lapras I was able to take care of both the Fire and Dragon elites. Gogoat for Water. Delphox and Mega Lucario for Steel. The Champion seemed to be a pushover as well, even with Mega Gardevoir...

I haven't delved into end-game too much, but that's when you get access to the new Safari Zones. You can't access your own, but those of your friends only who only have access to one type and 3 different pokémon. The zones are uninspiring, with just a square patch of grass that's surrounded by a wooden fence. Either way start trading those Friend Codes!!!

The Pokémon League

In all I'm very satisfied with this game so far. I've already resolved to make a "Big Fatties" team, as well as an all-dogs team! I would recommend picking it up if you have a 3DS or plan on getting one.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf First Impressions

So last Sunday, June 9th, 2013 was the release of the new Animal Crossing game for the 3DS! I admit I've been waiting for the new game for a couple years since it was first announced. I was so excited when it finally came overseas!

I admit I'm a bit of a noob, my first game was City Folk, but it got me so hooked! It's the same kind of addicting as Harvest Moon was for me...

The premise is mostly the same though now you've got the added benefits of being the actual mayor of your town! While I miss Tortimer, being able to really customize my town with projects like fountains and extra bridges is really nice! You can also decorate the exterior of your home too which personalizes it even more. I really like these changes!

Another aspect of the game that I really enjoy now is the online multiplayer experience they've set up. You can connect locally and through wifi to other players on the 3DS! With the additions of Re-tail, the island and the HH Academy, there are more ways for me to interact with my fellow players. The only annoyance I experienced through wifi play is that when someone loses connection, both players are reverted back to before the multiplayer session. So for long sessions, it's really annoying when everything is reverted to before! Oh well...

There are a lot more townspeople you can meet too, which is nice. Molly (a cute brown duckie) is by far my favourite! SHE'S SO CUTE!!

I also really like the pacing of this game. It forces you to go through a couple of days before you have access to most of the features! Most shops will be unlocked over time.. I only just got an axe today (a week after release)! While I like it because it means I won't rush through the game, it's also a little frustrating because I have little patience for these things!

One thing that perhaps is nice.. but also a little exploitative... is how easy it is to get money via exotic fruits. If you have a friend with a fruit different than yours, through the online mutliplayer it's super easy to pay off loans, etc. I have yet to really decide if this takes away from the game or not, as there are WAY more things to spend your money on now than in past games. Saving up isn't as much of a pain though.. which is nice!

Overall I'm thoroughly enjoying my experience so far and I would totally recommend this game if you're a casual gamer who enjoys games like Harvest Moon. I think both kids and adults can enjoy this game too, as well as both men and women.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate

So it's been a week since Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate came out and I'd thought I'd share me thoughts. Sadly, there's no in-game screenshot function (that I know of), so prepare yourself for a) crappy image quality or b) ripped images from Google.

Immediately I noticed that this game had some major similarities to Tri (Wii). The home area is the exact same and the basic story line is the same. Really, the only differences that can be seen are through the addition of the streetpass features (and general online play) with the 3DS and the addition of many new monsters (which bring their own weapons and armor sets). The new online modes also included a new area called Marina Port, where you can team up with passerby at the Tavern and go hunting together. This method is nothing new to the Monster Hunter series.

Another thing that carried over from Tri is the Resource hunting area (Moga Forest). It's really handy when trying out new weapons and makes improving your farm and fishing resources more meaningful. To improve, rather than simply progressing naturally like in the old games, you work for those improvements! It can take you a while if they need rare parts, but it makes the game last longer and keeps you going.

Initially I was a little disappointed because (in my attempt to keep things as unspoiled as possible) I didn't realize that this game was different than the recently released Japanese version, in which there is a completely new area that features a gorgeous traditional setting. Oh well, that's just my fault for not reading articles before hand!

Yukumo Village... We didn't get this :'(

There are some new features added of course: the target lock-on (to help with the tricky touchpad controls), a semi-customizable touchscreen for a more dynamic view and a second companion named Kayamba. I'm likely forgetting things. One thing I was ecstatic about was the inclusion of all the weapons that were excluded in Tri. So now we can have our Dual Swords and Bows, as well as the Tri weapons like the Switch Axe.

Overall, I'm satisfied with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate! You can say this series is like Pokémon in that it's more of the same, but you still crave the experience. It improved on my Tri experience and I'm ecstatic about being able to play with WiiU users even though I have the 3DS! There's nothing more frustrating than cross-platform exclusion. This game will tide me over until 4 comes out (Japan's is released this Winter, so we'll likely get it a couple years after) which will apparently feature all new areas and monster to kill!

In case you're wondering which version to get, consider this:

Standard View

Dynamic View

The 3DS screen can get a bit cramped. With the companion chat boxes popping up, the health and stamina meters, the map and the item menu, there isn't much space left for your and the monster's models! It doesn't really come up during fights, but while gathering it's a little frustrating when trying to find things like mining spots (especially with tricky water controls). You'll obviously have more space when using a TV screen. Of course, there is the option to switch to the dynamic view, but some quick option that were available in one view doesn't carry over to the other. It's rather give and take.

The WiiU also let's you use wifi for online play, while the 3DS only has local (but the obvious benefit of being mobile, whereas the WiiU is not). Owners of both the 3DS and WiiU get all the goods via shared saved data, but then again you have to purchase the game twice, don't you...

Happy hunting!

Guild Wars 2 Wintersday 2012 Event

Hi guys!
The other day I logged into Guild Wars 2 for their Wintersday event! Actually, it's been going on for a few days now, but I haven't been able to get on.. luckily I made the finale though! They even have their own Santa named Tixx (I believe) and Lion's Arch was decorated for the holidays.

They had a bunch of mini games set up, ranging from snowball fights to an actual dungeon. Some of them were really hard, but really fun! I ran the dungeon a couple times with my boyfriend so that we could create our own mini pets! I made the plush griffon and he made the golem.

When there are things to collect in videogames I get pretty excited! I collect figures outside of gaming, so when there's something rare like these Christmas toy mini pets I couldn't help myself haha. They're so cute!
I play a Sylvari ranger named Calael de'Sylvania (add me to your friends list as TheSweetBean.2175). It's the same name I used when I played Dungeons and Dragons haha! I typically gravitated to the natural-like races like elves and classes like ranger or druid.

I really enjoyed this event! Although I wish I had participated earlier...
If you're interested, I also have a steam account! Visit here.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday! See you soon.

Birthday Weekend

Last Friday was my birthday! Hurrayyyy~~ •*¨*•.¸¸♪✧

It was a busy weekend with family and my boyfriend. My nana took me out to lunch and I basically spent the whole of Thursday with her, which was nice. 

There's a tradition in my family where whoever's birthday it is becomes the queen/king for the day and the rest of the family members are 'servants' haha. So my little brother Owen catered to me for most of the day (which included copious amounts of gaming lol.. I'm a benevolent queen haha~) and my mom made me a delicious breakfast!

My dad also went into Toronto to pick up my birthday present! A Canon Rebel T3i (or 600D in Europe). The model's about a year old, but I remember my dad looking at it when it first came out.. I've been coveting that camera for a while now haha. It's really nice!

Some quick snapshots:

I have a long way to go before I can take proper photos without the use of the automated settings haha;;
I really love it though.

I also played a lot of the Guild Wars 2 beta event this weekend! So far I absolutely love it♥ I love how you can roam the world and team up with random strangers without any formalities. It flows really well. I think it's going to be a great online community!

I made a human elementalist and a norn hunter :3

Gage made a Zangief look-alike haha.

See you later♥

a weekend of animal crossing

I went over to my boyfriend's place this weekend! It was a nice break from all of the work I've been doing recently... I played a lot of games and ate a lot of good food~

He goes to Humber College in Toronto.. but his room is really small!! I couldn't fit it all in the frame lol It's actually a lot cleaner than my room is though..

 I made a character in Animal Crossing: City Folk! Her name's Calael (which is the name I give to all of my characters in videogames :3) And I was quite pleased that her random look came out so cute!! I heard that it changes depending on the questions they ask you?
I can say that after playing the game for... 4 hours, that I can safely say that I've experienced Animal Crossing lol... it's kinda therapeutic and a nice switch from Dark Souls.

I tried playing Dark Souls, but I stink... it's too hard. Gage told me a cheat where you can use the dragon head to multiply your souls... but I still died a lot. (It wasn't as scary though because I felt overleveled lol) So I mostly played League of Legends and Animal Crossing haha!

I actually managed to collect some cool things.. and I claim myself to be the fishing MASTER.

I actually managed to make my house bigger and find other things too.... but I forgot to take a picture!!

I hope I can get a new laptop soon though, because it's been on the fritz lately.. it won't turn on sometimes and crashes often ;A; and next month I have a BUNCH of essays due and tests... so I need my laptop...!

I had a lot of fun...! It's nice to spend so much time with someone who loves you.

Until next time!

League of Legends - Chinese Patch!

So recently I've been playing League of Legends!

What's League of Legends?
It's a game on the computer where your team tries to destroy another teams base. You do this by joining teams of 3 or 5. The game has over 70 characters (called champions) to choose from, all with unique abilities and looks. There are your typical mages, melee, ranged and support characters. These champions can level up to strengthen their abilities and can also equip countless different items for a great spread of builds you can go for. Each team is also given a healthy stream of minions that can gain their own level ups as the game continues. Along the way to your enemies' base, turrets are stationed to slow your progress, creating a dynamic of strategy to the game. Communication is key for victory in order to gang-up against other players or push your team to destroy the opposite base. You can play this game against other people, or against AI bots that are leveled either Beginner or Intermediate.

There are other things like runes which you can buy to buff any character you choose, but those can be viewed and explained better in the game's online store. You can buy almost anything in the game with the virtual points you gain from playing games. You can also buy anything with credit.

Where can I find this game?!
Google League of Legends. Click PLAY FOR FREE. Enjoy! It should be in your C drive.

I have the game, what is this awesome patch you promised us?
Well, LoL features two kinds of art styles. One is what is more of a western and the other is similar to an eastern style of art. The western style is the default when you first open the game, and I find many of the characters are drawn in a rather ugly way, which puts me off of playing them. The asian style isn't actually included in the game's system and must be incorporated externally.

How to change the art style:

1. Go HERE.
2. Scroll down to the instructions section and click the first link. It'll take you to a site that'll let you download Tencent Art Pack 6.2.5.zip. Click Download Now!
3. Save it to your Desktop. You'll have to unzip the file.
4. Next go to: C:\Riot Games\League of Legends\RADS\projects\lol_air_client\releases\0.0.0.XX\deploy\assets\images\champions
5. Copy the folder called 'champions'. Put it anywhere else except your Desktop. This is important in case the patch doesn't work. This is your backup! (The western style)
6. Cut and paste the champions folder on your desktop (the asian style) to the same location in your C drive (shown above).
7. It'll prompt you to copy and replace the current champions (western) folder. Click the box that says 'Do this for the rest' and click the top option.
8. Now go HERE, click DOWNLOAD to the right. This is the RAF manager that you'll need to apply the patch for the loading screens and during matches.
9. Go into this new folder you just downloaded. Open RAFManager.exe and go through any updates it prompts you to do.
10. Now go back to the folders you downloaded back in step 4. Navigate to the 'Characters' folder
11. Drag and drop the Characters folder into RAFManager. It might take a couple seconds for this to register, so don't be hasty and do it multiple times.
12. Once it goes through, it'll prompt you to name the mod. It doesn't matter what you type, just make it something obvious like 'chinese art'.
13. Now you'll see the file pop up on the right side of the window. Click the check-mark beside the 'delete' button. 
14. Now go File > Pack. You'll see some text start to appear.
15. Once it's done, that's it! You now will see the asian style in your league of legends game! You still have the backup western folder if at any time you want to revert back!

NOTE:  RAFManager must be closed in order to play League of Legends.

Please comment below if you find this post helpful in any way.
I hope this works for you! Enjoy the patch!

Until next time!