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Review: LEGO Star Wars II

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
Video Games
Review
System: Windows
Score: 4/5 4 (Good)

LEGO Star Wars II is, simply, a very fun game that can be enjoyed by a wide age range. I have the PC version, so this review is specifically based on my experiences playing the PC version (using a PS2 controller), but I expect that the game plays similarly on its console ports (GameCube, PS2, and X-Box).

The game plays through the plot of the Star Wars original trilogy - Episodes IV through VI - using LEGO pieces. The characters are all built out of LEGO pieces. Every piece is a real LEGO piece, although quite a few come from the Star Wars LEGO sets. (For example, the lightsabers, C3PO's head and Darth Vader's helmet.) You could imagine the game playing out in reality out of LEGO parts, although a little imagination would be required to make the blasters work and ships fly.

Review: Final Fantasy V Advance

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
Final Fantasy
Review
DS
System: Gameboy Advance (DS-compatible)
Score: 4/5 4 (Good)

After playing Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS, Final Fantasy V Advance came as a breath of fresh air. It's basically a port of the original game to the Game Boy Advance, although the graphics and sound have been subtly improved. (Specifically, gradients have been added to the game windows, and the battle screen backdrops have been spruced up.)

Review: Final Fantasy III

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
Final Fantasy
Review
DS
System: Nintendo DS
Score: 3/5 3 (OK)

Final Fantasy III recently came out for the Nintendo DS and, while it's slightly different from the original version that was released for the Nintendo, it's almost the same game. Unfortunately, that counts more against it than it does for it.

When the original was released in 1990s, it brought a new concept to RPGs: the job system. The job system (where a character can essentially change classes) was a neat system at the time. It remains one of the favorite game systems, having been brought to perfection (in my opinion) in Final Fantasy Tactics. The version in this game is simplistic compared with Final Fantasy Tactics: you gain access to jobs by talking with crystals, and jobs contain a special ability. (White Magic for White Mages, Jump for Dragoons, Steal and Flee for Thieves, and so on.)

The UI Thread

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
Technology

Dear Developers,

The UI thread is not the appropriate place to be running long-running tasks. Setting the cursor to the "wait" cursor doesn't make running something in the UI thread OK - it just means that the cursor will let you know that the application is supposed to be completely unresponsive.

Don't forget, if you run a long-running task in the UI thread, Windows will think your application is "Not Responding."

NaNoWriMo Scrambler

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo suggests you "scramble" your novel prior to sending it in for verification. The scrambling process they recommend essentially replaces all letters with a lower-case A. This version is substantially similar, except that it handles Latin characters with accents. (So "cliché" becomes "aaaaaa" instead of "aaaaaé".) You may also optionally maintain case, so something like "Boston" will become "Aaaaaa" instead of "aaaaaa".

This requires JavaScript. Since it uses JavaScript, any text entered will not be sent back to the server.

My Firefox Extensions

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
Firefox

Mostly in an effort to ensure that I can find them again later, here is a list of the Firefox Extensions I currently use:

Mouse Gestures
Allows the use of mouse gestures to control your browser
Adblock Plus
Blocks various advertisements. I can't remember what drove me over the edge to finally install this, but something did.
Flashblock
Prevents Flash ads from playing, allowing you to click to activate them.

Vladimir Cole is an Idiot

Submitted by Xenoveritas on
Topics
Video Games
Web

This is one of those things that needs more introduction. Essentially Vladimir Cole posted a blog entry on Joystiq saying that rational gamers should prefer subsidized consoles. There’s a problem with his logic, though.

Essentially, his argument starts with “let’s assume 1 = 2.” It may make for an interesting argument, but it’s - well, not true. He attempts a simple misdirection by using the term ceteris paribus. “All other things being equal” would have worked just as well, except it makes it obvious the argument is stupid. By using Latin he attempts to lend authority to his argument. After all, quidquid latine dictum sit, altum sonatur.

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