Crashed my way through Crysis

Stalking around in invisible mode and shooting enemies in the back was delightfully satisfying…
…until Crysis crashed.
Destroying tanks after tanks with my own was highly exciting…
…until Crysis crashed.
The alien environment was ceaselessly marvelous while floating through in zero gravity…
…until. Crysis. Crashed.
And so that is how I played through Crysis, in 10-30 minute segments before the game would abruptly end my fun by freezing up. They were not hard crashes, as I could escape by bringing up the task manager and force closing the game, and then refiring up Crysis again. This whole process artificially extended the length of the game. The game would also occasionally freeze up while trying to load save games, or while any adjustments to the video settings were made. My computer could not be in better shape: I updated all my drivers and Vista, no presence of virus/spyware/trojans, registry cleaned, hard drive defragmented with more than half is empty space, and yet Crysis inexplicably and incurably crashes. There are numerous accounts in various Crysis forums that echo my experience. What bothers me is that there is no support, not even a word of assurance, from EA or Crytek to sooth this (or any) complaint. Not good.
Coincidentally, I read the “exclusive review” of Crysis in the latest issue of PCGamer, and I just have to vehemently disagree with their “review”. They gave Crysis 98%, and bearing in mind that in years past the same magazine gave the original Half-Life a score of 97%. It boggles my mind how a game that is merely evolutionary (pushing the limits of graphics) received greater praise than a game that was revolutionary (proving that FPS can tell an immersive story). Not to mention the review omitted reoccurring problems that many people are going through. PCGamer’s brib…er exclusive reviews has always been questionable, but never this blatant. I have been a subscriber to the magazine for years, but their latest issue makes me ashamed of reading PCGamer. I think it is about time I let my subscription expire, after all, The Vede is gone.
Crysis was mostly what I expected. Beneath the supermodel exterior there is a decent shooter. I really wanted to like this game, I really did. It is a pity that bugs and absent support has to taint the experience.

Unreal Tournament 3

I obtained Unreal Tournament 3 yesterday, and I have spent couple hours playing it. UT3 one of those “next-generation” games where, like Crysis (which I am still in the midst of), touts graphics as one of its attractions. Although I have already been exposed to the graphical euphoria that is Crysis, I must say UT3 still have some impressive eye candy. However, UT3’s graphics has a heavy dreary theme, so the color palette consists mostly of greys, browns, and darker colors. After the initial sheen wears off, the environments starts to look monotonous. And also strangely, like Bioshock, I cannot get anti-aliasing to work in UT3. Supposedly UT3 supports AA in DirectX 10 mode on higher video settings, but even at max settings and playing in DirectX 10 mode (I confirmed it in the UTEngine.ini file), there was no AA. Forcing AA through driver software did not work, nor did using third party software like nHancer. Unreal Engine does deliver superb graphics without being too taxing on the computer *cough Crysis cough*. At stock video speeds, max settings, 1600×1200 resolution, and newest drivers, my average FPS is 45, with a low of around 30, and hitting the cap at 62. This is good enough for competitive online play.
Even with the new game vehicles, the gameplay is the same. UT3 is largely the same game as UT2004, with refinements here and there. So why is it worth a purchase? Unreal Tournament’s brand of gaming is what I played and enjoyed for years, hence I love the Unreal Tournament series. Also, in every LAN party with a group of my close friends, we have always wasted an hour or two fragging each other in UT2004. UT2004 is certainly showing its age, and considering UT2004 is a staple game in our LAN parties, this was a further reason to get UT3. Good times were had with my friends in Unreal Tournament, and perhaps future LAN memories would be even better in this newer world of Unreal.

Nemu Asakura Figure – Chara-Ani version

In my younger and more primitive years I watched an anime called Da Capo. It was a harem, centered on a brother and sister. The sister’s name was Nemu Asakura. Before there was Shinku, there was Nemu. Athough now Shinku is my zenith of females, in fiction or not, and will be until my physical heart squeezes its last ounces of blood, Nemu remains to be a special character to me, being the first anime female that I had a deep affection for. I got myself a figure of her to emphasize her significance to me. This Nemu figure is one eighth scale. It measures 21.5 centimeters from the bottom of the base to the tip of her ahoge, or about 19.75 centimeters minus the base. It is modeled after a slightly older Nemu who became a nurse in Da Capo Second Season. The good: the figure strongly possesses the likeliness of the anime Nemu. The bad: the holes in the bottom of her sandals does not quite fit snugly with the protrusions on the base. There are two small flaws, one on the left side of her right leg in the middle between the knees and ankles, and the other on the left side of her right leg’s calf, where there is a small deformation that looks like the outer layer of skin has been chipped away. Also if one looks closely, there is a small discolored patch on her clipboard, and I would have liked if there was some notes on it as well. Even better would be an actual miniature working clip on the board, so one could put arbitrary notes on there. But that is not really a complaint, just more of an idea. The most important objective of a figure is to look very much like the character it was model after. With that accomplished in this Chara-Ani figure of Nemu, I am content, and the rest of the defects are forgivable.

Ghost Hound after episode 04

The first few episodes were spent flushing out and connecting the protagonists, the trio of boys and that stoic shrine maiden girl. Upon the very first glimpse of Masayuki, I did not like him. The unctuous and manipulative personality is a type of people that I detest and avoid in real life. Fortunately, the show has revealed some of his weaknesses and distressed moments. This somewhat lessens my intense hate for him and makes him a bit more tolerable, if only because there is high enjoyment in watching him suffer and lose his composure. It is already clear that one of Ghost Hound’s strength is its intense and gripping atmosphere . You know something bad will happen, but you cannot look away. But Ghost Hound needs to be more creative in its horrors if I am to be frightened. The pale girl with face and eyes blocked by hair is so commonplace that the teletubbies are more terrifying than her.

2007-2008 Winter Season of Anime

Next month is December, which means winter will begin on the winter solstice. Also, a new barrage of animes will start to air in December. In the coming winter season of anime, these are the titles I will first try:

ARIA the ORIGINATION – More pretty girls gently rowing boats? Yes please.

PERSONA -Trinity Soul – I have not played the games. But after reading some basic information about the games and anime, I am drawn by its premise and its potential to foster a complex story.

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Season 2 – Underneath the artsy and quirky presentation, there are some good jokes to be had and obscure references to get in Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. I would not mind a second season, assuming it is more of the same.