Final Fantasy Tactics Advance 2

Another game in the Ivalice Alliance (after FF Tactics in PS1, FF Tactics Advance in GBA, FFXII in PS2, FFXII-2 in DS and FF Tactics War of the Lion in PSP). Those games are all connected in someway. Storywise, I'm not sure how they are linked, but all the games take place in the same world Ivalice, but different time.

Game was released in June o8, and got this game along with other great games like FFIV. That's why it's not until last week when I decided to play it. And since then, I have been playing it everyday ha. Haven't finished this game yet, but I could say, this is a 'must-play' nds game.

Gameplay
The game ability learning system reminds me of FFIX. In both of these games, to learn an ability, you need to equip a weapon or armor to learn its ability by gaining ability point after battle. Once you have learnt it, the ability stays with you even after you unequip that weapon/armor. Kinda like such system. Battle can be abit long, when there are too many monsters, and you need to watch every move of them to reach your turn, when it's get even more frustrated when you have 'slow' effect on you (or haste effect on them). I still remember yesterday I fought a battle on my way from home to Jusco. I started the battle in KT, and when I beat that one single battle, I almost reach Jusco~ The battle was hellishly long, but it was also very fun to play.



Graphic and Music
Environment is beautiful. Graphic wise, nothing to complain about for a ds game. Animation of magics and abilities are pretty well done too. And the music is actually very good. Composed by H. Sakimoto (he did music for FFXII and FFXII-2 too). Some reused musics from FFXII too. Anyway, nice OST overall.

Pictures show 1) Thunder magic and 2) Curaga magic being casted.

Story
Plot is so far nothing very spectacular, but certainly not a boring one. More to be updated~

Defintely worth to try this game out. It's a strategy game which requires some patience and thinking. After getting into 1-2 battles, you gonna know if this game is for you or not. You are either gonna like it alot and get addicted, or find it boring and keep it away immediately.

Blood of Bahamut

Mozart Sonata No8 in A minor, K310

I was not familiar with this sonata, and I'm pretty sure I have only listened to this song once when I shuffle my ipod songs like many months ago. So there is no way I remember the melody of this song well. But....................., few days ago, in my dream, I heard this sonata, and of course I didn't know the song that I was listening during the dream was this Mozart sonata K310, but after I woke up, I was sure I knew that song somewhere sometimes. And so searching through my ipod classical songs, and I found it.

~Another wonder of the dream~

NUS to Ang Mo Kio

It has been one week since I moved to Ang Mo Kio from Jurong. That week (when I was busy with moving house stuff) was also my busiest week in school of this whole semester. Bad coincidence. 2 presentation projects and 1 termpaper all due within that same week. Tired like hell. Glad that all these have ended already~

Last week I have been trying many different bus route from AMK to NUS, hoping to find the best way to go NUS. First attempt was bus 74 from AMK interchange to SIM, then change 151 to reach NUS YIH, as suggested by Serene. But to take such route, I have to take another bus from my place to interchange, change to 74, then to 151, and reach YIH, to take NUS shuttle bus to reach my lab. 4 buses~ lol This route take abit more than 1.5 hours.

Frustrated with the bus waiting time (the bus journey isn't long, the the waiting time for 4 different buses is killing), I decided to find different way. So i take bus 165 from my place to clementi interchange (suggested by Dad). On the way from AMK to Clementi, I accidentally saw 151, but I didn't change, as I want to know how long is it to reach Clementi, and very soon, I regretted it. To reach Clementi interchange, it takes more than 45 minutes, not to mention the waiting for bus 96 to reach NUS central library. And so, this route is another big NO-NO.

But there is 151 that meet 165 somewhere on the way. So that day i tried taking 151 from nus, then change to 165 afew bus stops before SIM. On the way on 165 to AMK, miraclely I saw 95!!!

So the next day, I take 165 to Holland V and change to 95, which take me to my lab bus stop, lol. and the whole journey takes only 1 hour (counted in the bus waiting time + traffic jam).

Anyway, just wanna share with you the best buses to take if you wanna go from NUS to AMK.
From NUS, take 95 to a bus stop right after the bus turns out from Holland V, then go to the opposite bus stop to take 165 to reach AMK. 165 distance and 74 distance to reach AMK is about the same, but bus 74 will pass by SIM, Ngee Ann, and some JC (including Hwa Chong). So many students. Maybe it takes longer to wait for those students alighting at each bus stop.

Well, I almost forget to mention about my own place in AMK. It's 2 bus stops away from AMK Hub and interchange. Cathay cinema, Cristofori, YCK Swimming pool are all nearby. Another good thing is, now going back to Malaysia is even easier from AMK. Shorter distance, compared to that from Jurong, and not to mentioned sometimes got car to go back~ lol