Time To Cheat!

It's been awhile since I've cheated on a video game, but as I'm playing through Final Fantasy 12 again, I feel the need.

Two problems plague this game, as least concerning my tastes. First is the License System. A board you spend earned points on to unlock skills, spells and weapon/armor compatibility. The problem is, unless you have a strategy guide, there's no way to know in advance where the things are that you need to unlock, and so you end up spending precious license points on stuff you don't need and have to level grind to get the skills you want.

Yes, I do have a strategy guide, but I'm just not interested in unfolding a giant paper chart to look at anytime I want to upgrade a character's armor. I did it for awhile by my patience has run thin.

The secondary issue is combat balancing. Not as big of a deal, but now and then, even after hours of level grinding with no plot advancement, I can run into a boss that is far too tough for me. (Demon Wall anyone?)

So I'm cheating with a code for a ton of extra license points so that I can stay way ahead of the curve, if not fill up my board. And since much of the game is still balanced, instead of an experience gaining code, I'm using an "action gauge always full" code for those insanely tough boss fights, so that I can just keep hammering on the bad guys without ever stopping until they're dead. Like having haste on crack. I used it for the Demon Wall fight and found it gave me the edge I needed while still leaving me with an exciting (and not overwhelming) challenge.

I've beaten this game before without using any cheats until the very end (just to fill out my license board), but I'm less patient this time and don't want to play a game that isn't designed to my tastes.

Long live cheat devices!!

The Wolf Man (Movie Review)

Universal Studios' first attempt at a monster franchise rejuvenation comes in an update of their classic movie, "The Wolfman". With names like Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins at the top of the bill, it looks as though the studio is hoping to lend dramatic credibility to this monster genre story.

In several regards, this movie succeeds in bringing class to an often classless genre. Yes there is blood and messy violence. But there is also an engaging subtlety to characterization that only the likes of Hopkins can bring. And Del Toro's eyes have a brooding quality to them that lends darkness to his scenes while still remaining sympathetic.

The look and feel of the movie is well done. The sets and location are wonderful and transported me easily to the world they were creating.

Genre fans will appreciate the attack sequences, which usually end with multiple body parts strewn about the room. But they may also be let down by the uninspiring transformation sequences, which utilize only CGI, rather than a blend of make-up and digital effects. Even if you prefer CGI to practical "in-camera" effects, we've seen all of these transformation beats before in movies like "An American Werewolf In London" and the "Underworld" movies. They still look pretty neat in this movie, but for a franchise relaunch attempt, I wish they had taken their time and come up with a new approach to the concept.

Fans of the classic universal movies will also notice that the werewolf look in this movie is clearly inspired by the original. For my tastes, this was a bad way to go. I've seen that "classic werewolf" look lampooned too many times to avoid seeing a shaggy man that looks a little silly and with a hairdo that seems to belong in the 80's for some unidentifiable reason. The face of the werewolf in this flick just reminded me too much of "Teen Wolf" for me to feel very intimidated by it. The more wolf-like bone structure seen in other werewolf movies works better for me than the "super hairy man" look used here. Some other updates to the physicality of the werewolf worked well in this movie, but the look of the face and head fell flat.

As with any story of this nature (The Hulk, Mr. Hyde, etc.) they have opportunity to deal with man's fallen state and the beast we all have within us. This movie contains a few lines in the script dealing with this theme, but the attempt seems half-hearted. It's doubtful the film will motivate any meaningful conversation. The plot is interesting and took a few turns I didn't expect, but some of the main plot points and story beats were very predictable.

Despite my issues with the flick, this is a very solid monster movie that genre fans should see. If not in theaters, than definitely on DVD. And with the performances involved, there may even be some appeal for non-genre fans. But there's nothing terribly new here. An enjoyable yet forgettable experience.

Rated R for bloody horror violence and gore.

Quality: 8.5/10

Relevance: 6.0/10

Toilet Best For Diapers

A few weeks ago my son cooked up some "poop soup" for me. I kid you not. His diaper was a bowl of brown liquid terror.

We use cloth diapers, so unfortunately this wasn't something I could just throw away. Armed with rubber gloves and a plastic bag, I did the best thing I could think to do. I took it out in the back yard and "hosed the crap out of it".

Although the spray nozzle delivered fantastic water pressure, the procedure was not as efficient as I'd hoped. But God saw fit to give me another opportunity last night. This time I took a more hands on approach and dunked, rubbed and squeezed the crap off where it belongs. In our toilet.

That's love, people.

The Return Of The 360!

Late last week marked the return of my xbox from repair. Well technically that's not true. They gave me a "replacement unit" which I sincerely hope has the latest internal build so that I can avoid the even greater likelihood that my old unit had toward the red ring of death.

Either way, everything is working great and we rocked out to Rock Band last night after the Superbowl.

And yet, despite having my system back, I find that I am completely hooked on Final Fantasy 12 again for the PS2! So my goal is to play through and finish FF 12 before the new one comes out in early March.

Can he do it? Place yer bets folks, the race is on!

Hunter's Moon, by Don Hoesel

Today I've got a review provided by "guest brain", The Itinerant Iconoclast! Check him out at: http://itineranticonoclast.blogspot.com/


Don Hoesel's first novel, last year's Elisha's Bones, was a workmanlike effort in a genre that has been overworked in the CBA marketplace, that of the search for the supernatural artifact. It was a fine, albeit standard, thriller.

His second work, the upcoming Hunter's Moon, shows a great leap in craft. This is a much subtler novel, more akin to a mainstream literary work than the standard fare offered in the Christian publishing world. I am encouraged that Bethany House has taken the steps to publish a novel that does not fit the standard CBA mold in terms of its setting, plot, and overall feel, and hope that its publication will lead other houses to expand their offerings.

Not to say that the world that Hoesel paints is altogether unique. The main character, CJ Baxter, is a successful author from a politically-connected family with secrets to hide. Both of these worlds, of the author and of the politician, are well-worn, but Hoesel exercises a deft touch in weaving these disparate worlds together. He delivers to us a taut family drama, a story of a man coming to terms with his own failings and the consequences of his own actions.

Hunter's Moon moves at a nice pace, slowly building up tension that finally comes to a head in an exciting extended scene that covers the book's final 6 to 7 chapters. The spiritual aspects of the novel are also woven in subtly and without distraction, an accomplishment that many Christian authors would do to learn from.

The Way Of Shadows- Brent Weeks

The last few months have been a really good reading season for me. I read strictly fantasy of the sword and sorcery variety, but it's been getting harder to find authors I like. I took a chance in a bookstore in December and read the first chapter of a fairly new paperback. (I almost always buy only used.) Brent Weeks is a pretty new author, having only published the "Night Angel" trilogy so far, of which "The Way Of Shadows" is the first.

I'm not finished with the book yet, so I can't technically recommend it. But I can say how much I'm enjoying it! It has all the ingredients that have become vital to me in the last few years.

1. Sword and Sorcery
2. Dark and Brutal (Good is good and evil is EVIL!)
3. Internal Character Portrayal

That 3rd ingredient seems the hardest to come by. There are many fantasy authors who spend much time on what their characters are doing and saying, and others who spend time describing the world and environment of the characters. Few seem interested in taking me inside of the characters to experience the thoughts they are wrestling with.

I found Terry Brooks and Terry Goodkind to both be very good at this. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman also tend to do well when writing together. Robert Newcomb is a new author for me that does this well, though he has a few writing flaws that I've had to get used to. But Brent Weeks is right up there with Brooks and Goodkind in this department. The "Night Angel Books" are all over 600 pages long, but I'm flying through his chapters faster than I have on many 300 page books. Very gripping stuff!

I'm interested to see where Weeks sits philosophically. Although his characters are mostly corrupted in major ways, or incredibly broken from evil done to them, redemption is a very strong theme. He also presents a polytheism believing world in which there is also a "One God" religion. He paints its followers as good and compassionate and the religion itself is placed in a very positive light, with none of the (overdone) hypocritical- overpowering-church, (AKA,"the author has a chip on his shoulder") kind of monotheistic representation typical of most fantasy novels.

But even if Weeks happens to be a Christian, this book will never sell in a Christian bookstore due to the extremely dark content and the use of a few F-bombs and less intense swearing. A shame, really, because I think he uses the language well, without exploiting it, to present a dark world in need of redemption. And so far this book strikes me as a great starting point for discussion that would lead to examining the Bible.

Very cool stuff!

Final Fantasy 12 Better The Second Time?

As I wait for my 360 to return, I've tapped into some of the games I most enjoyed on my PS2. One that caught my attention (since the next installment will be released in early March) was Final Fantasy 12.

When I played this game the first time, the combat system took some real getting used to, but I ended up enjoying it a lot. (Still used cheats for infinite "license points" late in the game. One too many things to think about.) Since then, I've been introduced to Bioware games like Neverwinter Nights, "KOTOR" and Dragon Age: Origins, all of which use a similar hybrid between turned-based combat and "action-rpg" combat. So now that I've returned to play this game again, it's been smooth gaming from the very beginning.

I'm also not a big fan of politics in my fantasy stories. I can never remember the difference between a duke and a lord or a prime minister and a chancellor. And politically driven fantasy stories tend to enjoy giving every character a title, in addition to their name. Waaay too much for my tiny brain to keep track of. But this time around, since I'm not adjusting to the combat system, I've been able to keep track of the story a little better. I'm only a few hours in, but the plot seems much easier to follow than it did the first time. Woohoo! Maybe I won't dread cut-scenes this time through!

I rarely play RPGs through a second time in less than 8-10 years. So I've been amazed at how excited I've been lately to finish my work day or "to do" list so that I can play Final Fantasy 12! Speaking of which...