Having to go several days without one’s primary PC makes one appreciate anything that can help replace the lost functionality. And so I spent a very intense couple of days with my new iPod Touch.
This second generation is very sexy. I’ve been interested in upgrading my Nano for a while, but couldn’t justify the iPhone to myself. As an all-in-one package for media play and portable web access, it really is a great device.
I picked up Dragonball Z: Burst Limit ages ago and was going to write a moderately positive review. I kept putting it off, and now I understand why: it’s just not that good. After giving it about 4 hours, I put the disc back in its box and moved on. I didn’t really play anything until Soul Calibur 4 came out. And that’s the true measure of how good a game is, isn’t it? After your excitement about the shiny new toy wears off, are you still playing with it?
So, what’s wrong? Nothing specifically: there’s just not enough of anything.
Let’s get the good stuff out of the way so I can pound in the mediocrity: the visuals are amazing. The use of cel-shading really hides the polygonal nature of the game and engages the player like no game in the DBZ franchise has before. It is exactly like directing a fight out of the cartoon, and that is awesome. For no other reason alone did I buy this game. If you’re a fan of DBZ, or even of fighting anime in general, then this game will satisfy the need to interact directly with the animation.
And upping your power level to go Super Saiyan or Kaio Ken in the middle of a battle looks awesome.
So now, I’ve chronicled the three days that I attended at Gencon, but haven’t really discussed a few features that really should be touched on.
Sunday is the final day of the con. You can see the toll it’s taking on the attendees. Not those casual walk-ins of course. I’ve been pretty tired, but the scheduling system at Gencon managed to give me plenty of rest time. I’m talking about those hardcore people that started play at 8 am and played straight until 11 pm for four days straight, practically ignoring the need for a proper meal and not getting the chance to visit the traders’ hall.
Saturday was kind of my D&D day. We fronted up at 9am for Tracy Hickman’s Killer Breakfast, which has to be one of the best large-group RPG events ever. Tracy and Laura Hickman got the whole audience to get on stage, six at a time, to play first-level characters and survive as long as possible. The only real rules were be creative, funny and entertaining while collectively improvising with Tracy Hickman.