In all honesty, though, I'm probably lying. Thing is, I don't have the time to maintain this blog - and I really ought to be doing more important stuff right now, but I'm a procrastinator by heart, so I shall write a blog post then (partly since it's something I always wanted to do but kept putting in the back burner).
Something that's pretty off-tangent from my post but related to the previous paragraph: http://freelanceswitch.com/productivity/10-ways-to-make-laziness-work-for-you/
I think you can tell by the url what this website is about, and one of the ways is what I'm doing now: "Structured Procrastination", which basically means doing something less important but still is something to be done sooner or later in avoidance of doing something more important. Since I figured I'll be procrastinating in the end, why not do something I always wanted to do? So here I am~
I actually have a draft blog post on Shakugan no Shana but I wanted to do a good job for that post, so I haven't posted it up until now. And I started writing that in March. *bangs head on wall*
Anyway, enough of my rambling and get on to the 'actual' ramble: games.
Those who know me should know that I like to play games - a lot. Yeah, this is a real problem sometimes, but well... This is a post that I figure should be quite irrelevant to a lot of people I know, but this is MY blog after all, and besides these kinds of posts let you understand me more, no?
To start off, here's a partial list of the games I currently play: (by alphabetical order)
- Be My Princess for GREE
- Cause of Death
- Ninja Love for GREE
- UNO with Friends
^ Those are the games I play more often than others. The following are games I play once in a while:
- Fun Run
- Subway Surfers
- Wind Runner for both LINE and KakaoTalk
On to the games itself:
Be My Princess (BMP): skip this whole part if you are a guy/don't like romance simulation games/don't like anything related to Japanese/don't like Japanese anime/manga
This is known as an Otome game (basically, a game targeted at the female demographic, usually in the 'visual novel' style or also known as 'Choose Your Own Adventure'. Think of it as the Japanese game version of chick lit. The word 'otome' is actually Japanese, so games like this are obviously developed in Japan), so most guys won't actually play it - honestly, I would question a guy's orientation if he plays this kind of game. As mentioned, this is an otome game, so I guess I should cover some of the usual aspects of otome games:
- They almost always contain romance, and usually that's the main theme.
- Often the games are 'reverse harem' - one girl, many guys. (Nope, you don't date all of them at once. It's one at a time. Makes me feel disloyal sometimes LOL)
- The games are told in story mode, where you are the guys' love interest.
- They often provide choices which you can make throughout the course of the game and which will influence the ending of the story.
I think the main reason I like such games is because I like reading and I like gaming, and if you put them together? You get a visual novel-ish game. It's like the best of both worlds LOL. I'm actually also a romantic, so that's why otome games appeal to me.
For BMP, the story goes as this: you are a fashion designer, who was working in the world's top fashion design company until it had a scandal, and then you receive an invitation to work as an exclusive designer for a prince (yes, princes exist in this game, and the story is set in the modern world). Then you choose which prince you want to work for, and your love story progresses from there. There are six princes to choose from, and each prince has a different personality (duh!).
This game apparently became quite a big hit, I heard it's the most popular otome game in overseas countries. Guess the fairytale-like marriage between Prince William and Kate Middleton helped to revive fantasies of marrying princes, thus making this game really appealing?
So far I've completed Edward, Roberto and Glenn's Super Happy Endings (in that order), and am currently on Joshua's route. Some thoughts on them so far:
Edward: The kind of Prince Charming every little girl (and some not-so-little girls) dreams of. He's sweet, he's kind, he's nice, he treats you with respect like you're some noble's daughter (you are a commoner), he's basically perfect. This is why some gamers don't like him, they feel that he's TOO perfect. But this is the reason why I started with him: I played this game to have a fairytale experience that I'll not experience in real life. And really, if you get a Happy Ending, it's the perfect happily-ever-after to a perfect fairytale story. (I heard the Normal Endings for all the princes are quite sad :X)
Roberto: He's actually my favourite prince for now, LOL. After playing his route I realise he's the kind of guy I'll love to date: the cheery, fun kind (but who may have a serious and somewhat sad side in private....?). Playing his route after Edward also made me realise something: Edward is TOO polite. To the point I feel distant from him. (I mean that in Roberto's route, you eventually get to call him just Roberto without the Prince in front - like you're so close to him that you don't have to address him politely, a closeness few will get to have. As far as I know, you only get to do that for 3 princes: Roberto, Glenn and Keith.) I really adore Roberto; he's really fun and quite the jokester, which makes him look immature at times, but when he's dealing with important issues regarding his country (only when he's not procrastinating, LOL. We're alike in that way, Robbie!), his serious side shows - he knows his duties and he loves his country enough to be serious. Again, I love the Super Happy Ending, it's awesome!
Glenn: I had my reservations about him (one of it being his age - he's younger than the main character. I don't like stories where the guy is younger than you, haha), and in the end, I chose to play his route not for him, but for his adorable younger brother Alan and his butler Yu (there are event stories in BMP, and in past events you get to play short stories with butlers and I really adore Yu). Poor Glenny-poo (Roberto's ridiculous nickname for him, but it's damn cute at the same time lol).
But after I played Glenn's route, I realise I really like his route (probably more than Roberto's route, but in terms of prince, I still like Roberto more). The storyline's kind of cliche (actually, it really is very cliche), but then, you ARE dating a prince in the first place! Cliche kind of comes with the territory, right?
I can't remember if I did for the other princes, but I cried so many times near the end of Glenn's route. Maybe the developers spent more time on Glenn, because his route is done so that you gotta like him, and then BAM! Out comes a (couple of) heartwrenching moments (and LOTS of moments where you want to punch the other characters in the route). It's a rollercoaster ride through this one. If I ever get around to playing his Normal Ending, I think the waterworks won't stop.
Joshua: I just started his route not so long ago, so I don't have much on him. Heard some rumours on his route though, seems like there might SOME similarities between his butler, Jan, and Glenn's butler, Yu (in terms of what they did in the stories) :O and Joshua's apparently one of the most popular princes. Not sure if I'll like him though, he's part of the 'tsundere trio' with Glenn and Keith (tsundere means a person with a cold appearance, sometimes even rude, but later when you get to know him/her, you'll find that person caring a lot for you - and they're almost always very sweet then), and I like my guys to treat me nicely from the start. To sum up his route so far: that (the story) escalated quickly. XD (Yay, I get to use this phrase!)
Wilfred: Upcoming prince after Joshua. I'm terrified of his butler, Claude, though, since he seems so evil to me... D: I know what you will do to me, Claude! And it's illegal! But damn, you're a royal butler, so you aren't getting prosecuted! Grrrrr. (And just in case, he's not raping her. But it is still rather horrible!)
Keith: Upcoming prince after Wilfred. Also one of the most popular princes among gamers. He seems the most tsundere of the trio, so I'm wary. But sigh, my idea of eye-candy is guys with brown hair and green eyes, which is Keith! This is not making me feel better, since I don't really like tsundere guys.
And just for fun, I tried to match each prince's kingdom to a corresponding country in real life:
Oriens - Japan (the name implies oriental anyway)
Philip - some European country, possibly England/France/Germany
Altaria - Spain/Italy
Charles - likely another European country as well
Liberty - if America had a royal family, Liberty would be it. (As its name implies, the people enjoy a lot of freedom - and America's famous for freedom)
DresVan - if England is not already taken, this would be it. They're such a stickler for rules.
Ending off BMP, this is apparently the princes available in the second season (only released in Japan so far): the new princes make me wonder what happened to the royal families in season 1. Did their position get usurped???
Cause of Death (CoD): skip this if you don't like mystery/crime/visual novel games
This is the only game I've continued playing until now ever since I got my iPhone in 2010. I. LOVE. THIS. GAME. Again, it's a visual novel-ish game, only it has a much smaller romance focus, focusing on crime-solving instead. Some plot twists are really awesome, and the longer cases are really entertaining to play. Given that this game can be played entirely for free (the main story that is, some side stories are only available if you buy them, but they are not necessary to play the story) and the plots are well done, it's no surprise it'll be one of my favourite games. I actually like the crime/mystery/thriller feel to it (quite an interesting fact considering I went on and on about BMP, which is as girly as it gets), it makes the story feel much more significant and 'meaty' (I do like BMP, but most of the story is propelled forward by the romance, and real life doesn't consist of merely romance, making the stories seem even more unrealistic). I like the romance aspect as well - it's there, but not a very important plot device; the main focus is still on crime, which I really appreciate.
I like Mal, I really do. He's the kind of guy who believes in justice, and would do almost anything for real justice to be served (he knows the system can be abused by the rich and powerful). Too bad he's in the police force, I think he can better carry out justice as a vigilante. (I'm thinking of Iljimae and City Hunter now lol) Natara's the girl every girl wants to be: rich (her father's a businessman), smart, capable (she's a freaking FBI agent) and pretty. I almost stopped liking her in the Oscar arc, but hey, every girl makes mistakes. The extent she's willing to go for Mal speaks volumes of the depth of their relationship. (Yes, they're a couple, and the fan-dubbed name is Maltara - cute.)
Amy wasn't one of the more prominent characters at first - she kinda fit the Asian stereotype of 'genius'. But after the Ken incident she's really grown a backbone. I love her sassy attitude. But with the current plot development with Jeremy, errr... I'm not totally in favour of it yet. Developers, you gotta work harder to convince me. Azrael was perfect and you guys killed him. Sheesh.
I didn't like Jeremy at first. They initially portrayed him as a goody-two-shoes, but when he listened to his instinct and did what was right, he won me over. And when his sweet side was portrayed repeatedly (towards Blaise, generally) I adored him. Though he's in a healing process right now, I don't like how it's turning out... Seriously, developers???
If Mal was a cop that really seeked for justice, then Blaise is a superhero. You know, the vigilantes that save the world with their superpowers, except Blaise's a human. She's not above beating guys up for information to catch bad guys (those who got beaten deserve it, believe me) and is what you'll call unconventional, but I love her passionate side when it comes to catching criminals. She's a passionate person, and I thought she and Jeremy fit each other well by being each other's opposite (unfortunately, the BlaiseBird ship has sunk... for now, I hope). She's definitely somebody who deserves a happy ending.
Kai's the goofball, LOL. I don't really have much to say about him, but Kara brings out his serious side... Though sometimes I wonder if he actually HAS a serious side. He and Boone were explosive, LOL. Loved the scenes where they drove Amy nuts.
I would love to do in-depth ramble on CoD, but remember I started playing since 2010 - I've forgotten most of the stories! Genevieve Collins is an interesting antagonist, though. So darn curious to know what will happen to her and the Firstborn in the end. Argh, give me the next chapter already!!!
Ninja Love for GREE (NL): skip this whole part if you are a guy/don't like romance simulation games/don't like anything related to Japanese/don't like Japanese anime/manga/don't like traditional Japanese setting
If BMP was unrealistic, this takes it to the next level. There's magic and ninjas and samurais in this game. Makes me feel like I'm reading a storybook, though.
For this, the story is like this: You're living as the adopted granddaughter of the chief priest of the village temple, when one day a group of ninjas come into town and you learn of your true parentage: you're the (only, I think) daughter of this clan (forgot the name) who began the art of ninjutsu. Basically, you're the princess of ninjas. A war is about to break out between ninjas and samurais + turncoat ninjas (led by Nobunaga Oda, this evil guy who's trying to wipe out all ninjas and take over the world), and you have to go the town of Iga and rally the ninjas for war. But you can only travel with one ninja to avoid notice, and the chosen ninja will be your love interest.
(BTW, 2nd guy, bottom row is Hanzo Hattori, another ninja available but not reflected in the first picture)
Main thought: this game really should have a NC16 rating. Some stuff that went on are, erm, descriptive. *coughs* The stories are good, just wish they didn't have that... But I guess they have to cater to the 20-something women players as well.
I've only played Kotaro's route so far, and I'm surprised how much I love his character - he's a tsundere, for crying out loud! But his past is really sad, and that won me over. GREE really makes it hard to play the characters with their stupid barrier system which tries to force players to spend real money. Please, as if you guys haven't earned enough.
Characters I'm interested in playing: Sasuke, Munenori and Hanzo (in that order)
Characters I'm neutral (so far): Saizo, Rennoshin
Characters I don't want to play: Musashi (some gamers love him though)
Characters I can't decide if I want to play: Goemon
Quite a number of NL players also play BMP, so some tried to compare them:
Kotaro - Wilfred (seriously? I'm more or less neutral about Wilfred, and if my beloved Kotaro is like him - though I heard Kotaro's more lovable, that means Wilfred's story might still be at least okay? O.O)
Goemon - seems like a mix between Keith and Roberto (more Keith, IMO)
Saizo - ??? I have no idea.
Sasuke - So. Roberto. Same fun-loving, slightly immature personality. And cute. I think it's obvious why he's next on my to-play list.
Rennoshin - Joshua, I suppose? He seems to not want romance interfering with his life, like Joshy-poo.
Hanzo - Also Joshua, but it's because he doesn't seem to know about romance.
Munenori - seems like a mix between Keith and Joshua. Oh dear, two tsunderes?
Musashi - ??? I have no idea, but he appears to be a tsundere as well.
I see a lot of tsundere characters. Wow. Okay. Funny how I seem to like NL's storylines more than BMP though. O.o
The stories are also pretty far-fetched, but then remember its premises: this has a fantasy setting. Anything's possible. And like I said, I like the stories (look at them objectively).
One major point is that NL has music (BGM). Certainly enhances the mood while playing! One thing I noticed though: the battle theme music sounds 99.9% similar to Immortalis' (a role-playing card simulation game that targets male players generally, but I'm a cross-genre player HAHA) crystal battle music. Or should I say it the other way around, I'm pretty sure Immortalis came out later. Three possibilities:
1) It's actually a generic music for battle
2) Immortalis bought rights from NTT Solmare (the company that produced NL) to play the music
3) Immortalis ripped the music without NTT Solmare's permission.
I'll be quite sad if it's was 1, I think the battle music was quite nice and for it to be a generic music would disappoint me. I have nothing to say about 2, but if 3's the reality I'll be angry at Immortalis. It's a pretty great game that I enjoyed playing while I still played, but hey, copyright! If they thought nobody would find out because of the great contrast between the game genres, then sorry, you guys met me. I'm that girl who plays almost all kinds of games, from horror to car racing to fluffy romance simulation. And I found out.
The battle theme music I was talking about in the previous paragraph. It's only 32 seconds long, try listening!
Overall though, I'm glad Weilin recommended this game to me. It's a pretty enjoyable ride so far!
UNO with Friends: skip this if you don't like social games/you already know this game
I really have nothing much to say about this game, except:
1) Play this if you like UNO.
2) Play this if you like UNO but cannot carry the cards around.
3) Play this if you like UNO but don't have the cards on you when you want to play.
4) Play this if you want to play UNO with your friends, anywhere.
5) Play this if you like social games.
The tokens thing can be a pain if you want to play a lot of rounds at one go, but overall I think it's a relatively good app that allows you to play UNO when you want. Hate the crashing though, especially when I lose my tokens without even finishing one round of UNO. And it's too unstable recently for me to play anymore.
Anyway, that's it! I might do a post on the games I play once in a while, but no guarantees. I definitely recommend playing Wind Runner though, if you're a Ovenbreak fanatic.
Ahh, I'm tired. *yawns* Goodnight then! Time for me to get back to otome gaming~
.// &&CALZ
