Natural Doctrine (Part Two)

Wow, this is a very unforgiving game! Just rage-quit ... needs to take a break. I'm already on Easy mode (I think) and am going through one dungeon that is extremely tricky and annoying. The worst part is the challenging part comes at the end -- so Game Over after already spent 15-20 minutes on clearing the earlier enemies is very %$%^$. Really need to think more carefully how to tackle this one ... and I hope to beat this dungeon relies not on luck but strategy! I'm still trying to grasp how the turn-chain works ... like, if the enemies chain together 10 attacks, then it's highly unfair on the player who only has five characters >:    

Natural Doctrine

Though this game won't be localised until this autumn (boo-hoo), Natural Doctrine is just too good a SRPG to pass up right now! Released this month in Japan, this turn-based strategy game is like Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together (one of my all-time fav games) and Valhalla Knights 3 only its battle mechanism (esp its chain of turns) is more complex. I've already spent some time grinding levels and farming accessories and am totally loving it. This is not hack and slash and a lot of thoughts go into each move so one game can last about 30 mins! The only downside is, unlike TO -- when you kinda know whose turn it is next (the "lightest" characters always move first) -- here I never quite know who will take the next turn and sometimes I stare in horror when the enemies chain up to a dozen attacks (this basically spells Game Over). But I certainly will be spending much time on this game this week.



I finally bought the disc set of this year's super popular K drama called You Who Came From the Stars, which stars one of my fav Korean actresses Jun Ji-hyun. It's totally predicable and totally addictive. So when I'm not gaming this week I will be watching/finishing this 20-episode series (am on Episode 12 now!)

Some Romancing

So I've made another crack at playing Sangokushi 12 (or Romance of Three Kingdoms 12) this weekend and I think I'll have to give up playing it (for now). It's just too complicated a game to play in Japanese. So far I've been building up my cities (just acquired a third one without entering a battle) but I'm not sure I'm playing it right (it looks far too simple). The game requires players to invest a lot of time fiddling with the tiniest details (like, are ensuring soldiers are getting fed and pay rises...) The thing is I accidentally pressed the wrong button last night and the game decided to go on auto mode and have a life of its own -- various battles were entered and played out with laborious details though I had no idea of what's going on ... well, I think it just showed how different warlords were trying to conquer China and it went on and on and on (one long battle after another). The only good thing is now I have a better idea on how these battles are fought and the strategies used.  

This game has been slammed by those who'd played this series before, notably criticising it for not being as good as its previous instalment (RoTK 11); but since this is my first RoTK strategy game, I find it quite interesting though I wish it was either in Chinese or English so I can understand it better. 

Think I'm ready to move on from Final Fantasy X-2 is well ... but the question is: which game shall I play next? New titles like Soul Sacrifice Delta and Deception IV: Blood Ties are just not really my thing (way way too bloody) and I much prefer strategic games than hack and slash. Will keep looking ... 

Hip Opening Poses

Just a quick note before going to bed. Took a stretch class this evening and all the poses were targeted at hip opening. To test how open your hips are; sit down, open up your legs and see how far your knees can go. If your knees can be pushed all the way back they form one straight line with your hips, Congrats, your hips are extraordinarily open. My knees open up at an angle (90 degrees), hence, very tight hips!