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lexielab's Profile
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Username:  lexielab
Joined:  24 Jun 2010
$poons:  95.00
Total posts:  205 [Show all]
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Post Score:  462  ( 462 / 0) [Show all]
Total votes:  123 [Show all]
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lexielab's Recent Forum Posts
The thing that annoys me about cinemas in general is the damn poor quality you get for your money. Cleaning? Forget it, if you're lucky there'll only be a little bit of spilt popcorn around the place, but beware of sticky carpets. Screen damaged? The movie will be shown anyway especially if the damage is only in a corner. Sound optimisation? Pfft, cinemas operate on the premise that people like things uncomfortably loud. Customer service? Nope, a phone conversation is more important than a queue and apparently there's no such thing as putting people on hold when you're busy.
Re: Google+ (1 year ago)
ThunderCurls wrote
Facebook is what you make it.
My year level at uni uses a Facebook group to assist in studying and helping out with each others' questions and general problems. Chaotic and disorganised it may be, but actually pretty useful around exam time.

Sure, there are actual forums set up by the uni for that kind of stuff, but this has the advantage of some privacy away from lecturers etc and manages to combine legitimate study with procrastination.
I think you should ask yourself if the course is a good fit for you. I've studied a course which didn't suit me at all - I skipped the maximum number of classes I was allowed to, and constantly submitted assignments late (partly due to understanding subject coordinators, which is a very bad thing in my opinion). What I'm getting at is that a possible reason for your lack of motivation is that you either should not be studying at all, or studying something else/somewhere else.

If you do decide that the course is right for you and you're going to continue it, you'll have to make changes in your life and impose some discipline. If you have no reason not to study, then stop making excuses to yourself and study. Part of the university experience is learning to manage time and work independently and effectively. If you're not doing this and only learning the minimum amount of work you need to get through the semester, you're cheating yourself and teaching yourself bad habits for the future.
Jessara wrote
I'm still playing through Radiant Historia on the DS. Currently into Chapter 2 in both timelines. I find that it sometimes gets confusing with which quest is where but once you get use to have time travelling works, you can really get into the game icon_smile.gif
I'm playing through this game too and am around chapter 4 in. It does a pretty good job of managing the different timelines and events that I was able to completely abandon it for the manic exam period, yet ease back in very painlessly. You can even repeat segments of the story if you want to, or completely skip any dialogue. Some games are very hard to pick up again even after short breaks, so I'm really appreciating this aspect of the game.
Pagan's Mind wrote
I'm sure I've ranted about this before but isn't a review meant to be based on absolutely no bias whatsoever? It seems that reviewers these days take some kind of personal morale stand point, "Oh no this game has gratuitous nudity! 1/10!". They should be reviewing a game on what is actually offers in terms of a gameplay experience.
A review is meant to be biased as it's a person's opinion. Part of the problem with reviews these days is that there's a perception that they should be impartial and as a result we get a lot of bland, generic scored stuff which tells you a bit about the game, but not stuff like: is it any fun?

There's a difference between rants and moral standpoints and reviews though, which is maybe what you're getting at. I'd personally like to see more bias in review overall though, they're just so bland as a whole.
I heard about this a couple of days ago, but forgive me, I'll post it now...

...Rocket Slime is getting a sequel and it will be on the 3DS. icon_biggrin.gif
Siliconera wrote
V-Jump has the jump on news about Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3: The Great Pirate Ship and Tails Troupe, which is slated for a winter release on Nintendo 3DS. The sequel to Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime heads to the ocean with slime powered ships instead of tanks.



Players can customize their ship, which is used during ship on ship battles. You actually get to sail your ship around the world. While the theme of Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 is pirates, the blue slime’s ship will dock on land eventually. This portion of Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 is similar to Rocket Slime where you stretch through an area tossing captured slimes on to conveyor belts.

Slime Mori Mori Dragon Quest 3 also supports StreetPass, online communication over Nintendo Wi-Fi, and 3D graphics.
I really enjoyed Rocket Slime for the DS. Hopefully we'll see this game localised.
It sounds like Radiant Historia is out of stock in quite a few places. I'm glad I preordered it. Can't be too long until they do another print run though. The soundtrack CD is nothing to write home about, but it was free and free things are always welcome.

I've not touched my DS since a bout of fever-induced gaming earlier in the week. I felt sick and awful and my brain was incapable of doing anything but low-intensity gaming, so I pushed through more of DQVI than I'd played in the week or two since starting the game. I overloaded on the game to the point that we need some time apart. Now I just get to play the "catch up with uni" game. Joy.

I did score myself a flying bed in DQVI. At first mention of the bed it seemed bizarre even for a DQ game, but then it turned into a tragic tale involving a sick child. Sometimes it's hard reconciling the two worlds in the game, but I really liked the way they interlinked for this quest.
I have this on preorder at Game and have half forgotten about it. According to the website, it says it's available the 17th, ditto according to EB Games. Maybe the Aussie release got pushed forward to match the EU and NA.
Strange Journey bosses can be all over the place in terms of difficulty, though I can't remember my strategy for beating this one. I'm up to the final boss but I really can't be bothered grinding/assembling the perfect team at the moment, so I'll be at this stage for a good long while yet. I really dislike bosses with a huge difficulty spike. Being challenged is good, having to grind for hours, not so much.

Though when I see the word Ouroboros, I think Our Rob or Ross, a la Red Dwarf.
So, in DQVI one of the character stats is style, no kidding. I actually resorted to looking into the manual to try to figure out what this stat did and was rewarded with the description: "a measure of a party member's stylishness." Umm, big help that.

But after some internet hunting, it turns out this stat is almost completely useless/pointless. I feel a bit bamboozled, but maybe it's little more than a joke on the gamer.
I popped Dragon Quest VI into my DS today. Sorry Radiant Historia, but DQ has my heart and maybe even my soul by now.
Jessara wrote
Why can't Square Enix do this with new Final Fantasy games? The Dragon Quest games just get better and better while the Final Fantasy games just get worse
I can't really comment on declining standards, though I do believe DQVI is actually reviewing more poorly than other DS DQs. But I've always enjoyed DQ games more than FF games. I think a lot of it comes do to the inherent humour of DQ games - they simply don't take themselves seriously. They're like an uncle who makes bad jokes/puns all the time; sometimes you laugh, sometimes you groan, but it's always meant in good fun.

I like that DQVI has Somnia - the city that never sleeps.
Luketheman5 wrote
Oh I thought you meant D as in 50%. I have gone my whole life getting D and HD then!
Having good marks can be a good thing as you probably already have a good idea of how to study and manage your time, as well as some idea of how to research and write essays.
Luketheman5 wrote
Just another off-topic question though.....How do we know if we have HW? He didn't say anything in the lecture about it and I've no idea where to check for it.
At uni, you never have homework and you always do. Most lecturers (and tutors) won't set homework except some sympathetic souls in your first year. They expect you to go over the material from class and figure out what you need to know and learn and then do it. Self-directed learning my lecturers like to call it, but my campus is an arrogant bunch. You'll also have assignments to complete - don't expect any in-class time for them, including group projects, beyond an outline of the assignment.

Doing education, your lecturers and tutors are probably a nice bunch who'll help you out if you need it, but you'll have to ask for their help. They'll simply be too busy to recognise drowning students.

One advantage of fewer contact hours is that you need to be at uni less. While that doesn't mean less work, it does give you more flexibility as to what you do with your time. But, when you go out on placements and actually start teaching classes, you won't have enough time to breathe, let alone game. Your career path isn't very compatible with free time, especially for the first year or so after graduation. Teachers work very hard.

I travel around 2 hours one way to get to uni and what with that travel, classes, study and spending time with my partner I'm barely gaming at all at the moment. That's okay, I still consider myself a gamer, but it won't kick back in again until the semester break. I'm used to having quite the backlog, so it's not much of a change for me. I think most importantly, I know that my games are there if I want to time-out and play them.
Amazon does ship some gaming products internationally. I haven't used them, and can't speak for postage costs, but this is the section of the site you want:

Amazon Global
OropherX wrote
PSP games make it to Australia since when? Gametraders might get a few copies in.
It happens, but usually in very small quantities. For example, EB games recently took preorders for Tactics Ogre and that game is about as niche as you can get. I wouldn't expect all stores to stock it on-shelf, but it's getable. I wouldn't expect too much from JB Hifi though - their game section is rapidly shrinking. If it turns up sometime on the OFLC website, a local release is much more likely.
I have my copy of Radiant Historia, but haven't started playing it yet. I thought I'd play some Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes first and then allow myself to be distracted by a DQ game or Tactics Ogre or something else... and occasionally (read: diligently) attend uni. Bugger.

I could be talked into playing it, but I'm not gaming lots at the moment. Just buy the game already icon_wink.gif

That edition of P3P looks very nice, but alas, not nice enough for me to double-dip. If you have a PSP and no P3P though, you have no excuse, go preorder now.
Re: Your newest purchase (2 years ago)
When I got home from uni today, this was waiting for me:

Now I just have to wait for my promised copy of Tactics Ogre to arrive from Ozgameshop...
Benza wrote
My pet hate is why the **** are there street names that are the same as the names of suburbs but not in the suburb they're named for?

Cleveland st is in Greenslopes not Cleveland
Eagle Farm Road is in Pinkenba not Eagle Farm
Brisbane St is in Ipswich not in the city
etc etc.
A lot of the time this is because the street goes to the suburb in question. This won't be true for all the examples you listed but at one point Brisbane St would have been the main route to get to Brisbane from Ipswich.

You see this literal naming scheme a lot more in country Australia. Often if a main road has a name, the locals just call it by the towns it links anyway.

Other times you get similar names because the roads are named after the same thing that the towns are - usually people or a location in Britain or even Europe. That means a lot of streets named after British royals.
I rarely preorder, though I'll occasionally pick up the preorder bonuses at later dates. That's not to say I do anything in particular to get them, but stores sometimes have leftover preorder stock that Johnny-come-latelys like myself get.

The best is definitely my blob figurine that I got from JB with the original de Blob. He's very charismatic and has a permanent home on top of one of the speakers in the living room.

It's a pity that EB seemed to be the only place offering the figures this time round with de Blob 2. I'd have been all over that except that I didn't want to pay EB's preorder price. I'll just settle for all the soundtrack CDs I seem to be getting at the moment.
Tales of Graces F will probably be worth owning once it gets localised. I recently purchased a PS3 and the only RPGs I own for it (or any games for that matter) are VC and Nier (picked up at the same time as the PS3).

PS3 - $372
Nier - $25
Huntsman spider attack on the way to the store, priceless.

Thing is, if I was a real Tales fan I should be ranting right now about how I totally just bought a PS3 just for ToGF and it still isn't out yet and we've know about it for like weeks and it's just a stupid Wii port anyway and that's it, I'm going to boycott everything NB and Tales until they make a personal apology to me.
From the local paper:
Quote
WENDOUREE toy and computer game retailer GAME is continuing to call on the federal government to introduce an R18+ video game rating.

The store took part in a nation-wide petition which recorded 89,210 signatures, about 4000 more than the “Work Choices” online petition in November 2005.

The Wendouree store collected 824 signatures in an eight week period making it one of the largest petition counts in regional Victoria.

Acting store manager Arron Gray said the shops results showed local residents were behind the campaign.

“It was really positive, a lot of people were very much for it,” Mr Gray said. “It helped put the issue out in front of parents and let them know how things are these days in that regard.”

Mr Gray also said staff had made a point to warn customers of games that might contain excessive violence or other warnings.

Director of PAL Game Network Games, the store’s online site, Roland Kulen said with recent support from Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor for an R18+ game rating, the campaign was gaining momentum.

“At this stage in campaign we have great news from the Commonwealth government of Australia,” Mr Kulen said.

“It will take time because we have a new Victorian government and potentially a new New South Wales government, but a significant hurdle has been overcome and the Wendouree store of 824 signatures played a big part in that.”
Ah, journalists. So close, yet so wrong. Does this mean the mod team from PALGNG get a GAME staff discount these days?
Re: Buying a PSP (2 years ago)
According to eBay, it's about $100.

New 3000s do pop up cheap from time to time - I got mine last year for under $200, and sold the game/accessories it came with to further reduce the net cost. That was from BigW. What works in your favour for buying 3000s is that Sony bring out new bundles all the time. Stores often clear older bundles to make way for new ones, but it takes diligence to spot those bargains.

PSP battery life always strikes me as poor when I've been playing my poor decrepit DSL. It also drains quickly when you're not using it, so if you're not going to play it for a week or more, removing the battery can be a good option.
Luketheman5 wrote
Unfortunately I have no idea what to say, my friend wants me to apologise because he doesn't want us fighting (he's not mad at me at all) and I DID say thank you. And he DIDN'T put her to the side she was over every day for at least 6 hours minimum.....Any ideas what to do guys?
That sounds a bit weird to me as making an apology puts you right in the middle of their relationship. Very awkward, not to mention it puts you under her thumb.

Don't apologise to the girl. Instead tell your friend you don't need to be friends with her to be friends with him. Agree to stop fighting (even if you don't think you're actually fighting) and promise not to bitch about her again (to people who'll pass the word along). You can even say you regret your actions if you're feeling particularly sorry at the time. If the girl is petty enough to not let it drop without a direct apology, it probably wouldn't be good enough for her anyway.

Very important: don't end up in the situation where you have to pretend to be the girl's friend.
Re: Gaming Bargains V2 (2 years ago)
Pagan's Mind wrote
I'd only advise CD Universe if you plan to spend over $125US. Every order I've made with them that was sent via standard post has been redirected to Sweden and taken 5 weeks to arrive.
Good to know that - I've only placed big orders with them in the past so I didn't know about the scenic postage tour. I'll keep placing my smaller orders elsewhere then.
Re: Gaming Bargains V2 (2 years ago)
Cyph wrote
Does anyone know of any US websites that ship to Australia? Videogamesplus runs the risk of getting a game in half English half French (which I absolutely hate) and the UK sites, well, I just don't want to get games from the UK after some bad experiences.
CD Universe is another possibility. Their postage is expensive if you only want a single item, but I've been given free shipping upgrades in the past to FedEx etc when I've spent over $125US.
chickenplucka wrote
It's funny, the whole 'Imagine' series as a whole is a huge success amongst younger girls, much in the same way that CoD is a huge success amongst the male demographic. Both play to stereo types and both are heavilly marketed toward a certain audience. To be offended by the Imagine series as offensive to females due to it's over the top pinkness and assumption that girls like pretty things, you'd have to also be offended by CoD and it's stereotypical men who enjoy shooting people for the sake of killing things.
Offended is the wrong word, though I brought it up. What I don't like about the Imagine series is that it shows no imagination in design and marketing. Yes "pink" is a stereotype that works, but there's nothing offered beyond that. While CoD is for different age-groups and not the greatest comparison, there's a certain complexity to those games that "pink" games completely lack. That's why they're shovelware and that's why I'm disgusted. If developers want to pursue females as a specific market, I'd like to see a little more than a token effort, even if stereotypes are maintained.
Oh yes, I recall that. Of course, then you have to worry about sales from one platform cannibalising sales from another. Though if it is as easy as Sony says, it should make games accessible to a wider market.
Alex Barkmeyer wrote
Similiar to Andy,
I think around 5% of COD players are female. Of the around 50 players I have chatted to only 2-3 of those were Female. I think that more female's should get into gaming. I think there aren't as many because other Female's think that it is only for people that 'don't have a life'
I'm not sure whether I should be flattered or offended by your comments... okay, being offended would probably be an overreaction as I'm sure you meant well.

As grim-one said, females game, just not necessarily COD or FPS games. It's hard to talk about without resorting to stereotypes, but those sorts of games are very masculinised by design. That doesn't necessarily deter women, but it doesn't draw them as other games/genres might. It's exactly like films; a blokey action flick and a chick flick/rom-com will naturally draw different gender ratios.

Having said that, I'm absolutely disgusted by the "pink" shovelware that some developers put out there. You know, the Imagine: Babysitter dross for younger girls. Give us as a gender a bit more credit please.
Jessara wrote
I ended up ordering Avalon Code for $20 from Ozgameshop today (well yesterday as it's past 12 am). The game is developed by the people who make the Rune Factory games and the group who did the Final Fantasy III & IV remakes. It's a game I've had my eye on since it was released.
I've always had at least a mild interest in this game, so let us know what you think of it.

I kinda like that RPGs are so readily found on handhelds, even if not on consoles. Ever since I first bought a DS, I've been more a handheld gamer than a console gamer. I don't expect that to change any time soon, what with train commuting and all... that reminds me I should charge my DS to take with me to the footy tonight - ah train trips and all, I will be watching the footy.

I wonder if Sony have fully considered the repercussions of the NGP. Increasing costs of development will drive studios to new platforms, as seen with the Australian gaming industry, which is shifting more towards indie/iPhone etc development than big console releases. I can't imagine JRPGs making such a big shift as a genre, but if they become less profitable we will see less of them, especially as it is such a niche genre, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest aside. People have criticised the 3DS for being comparatively low-tech apart from the 3D, but this might draw more developers in the long run from cheaper development costs.

At the same time, the Wii is definitely lower tech than the 360 and PS3 and I wouldn't say that it's really drawn the developers apart from the shovelware.
I remember when Borders were the stores with a range closest to Minotaur's and similar prices. I haven't been there often in recent years, but the range seemed to shrink to become little better than an A&R. Such a waste. They could easily have had smaller stores without crowding the stock on shelves too much.

The only books I buy locally anymore are those mainstream enough to have BigW etc releases - ie cheap books. Bargain bins are sometimes worthwhile but it's plain depressing to see books sitting in there that have been there for years past and clearly many more in the future.
I'll be picking it up in an order within the next couple of weeks. It'll most likely be in an order with Radiant Historia, Golden Sun (my sister has asked me to get her a copy of this) and ZHP. It'd be nice if DQVI wasn't a small print run, but I won't be counting on it.

I'm less excited by this order than I was a couple of weeks ago because I've been buying too many games lately. I put in a preorder for Tactics Ogre from Ozgameshop and bought a secondhand copy of Valkyria Chronicles and a new copy of Nier ($25) within the last week. I've got uni coming soon and I want to keep things not too crazy. I think I'll get more into the habit of handheld gaming on the train.

I also have a preorder for Okamiden with GAME funded by trade-ins... argh.