The Third Shooting Star
[0 comments]Posted on 11-26-2008 at 10:10 AM


As you may know, I have recently obtained a copy of Shooting Star Rockman 3: Black Ace. The following are a list of changes and other things, none of which are spoilers besides the things inked out, like this. Some of these may all ready been known, so I'll just say them again anyways.

• The touch screen is more important. You use it for more tasks such as choosing a floor on the elevator.
• Rockman can now take the elevator.
• EX and SP cards have been replaced by V2 and V3 cards.
• You can Wave Change without the use of a Wave Hole.
• Instead of the ramps in Shooting Star Rockman 2 to get on Wave Roads, you now go to a Wave Station which will fling you up on one.
• Minor voice acting again. (Like "Ryuusei no Rockman 3: Black Ace!" on the title screen is said by either Subaru, War-Rock, or Shidou.)
• Regular Cards can now be set. If you haven't played an EXE game to know what that is, it is a card that you set to be used at the beginning of each battle. Gigas and Megas are a no-no, however.
• When you use your Visualizer, you are not able to see people, nor when you Wave In.
• Some cards are shaded out on the custom screen. If you touch these with your stylus, you can change them into Area Eater cards in which War-Rock appears and takes away part of the stage. If you are in one of the side columns, it will just remove two panels, so the field is uneven.
• Beast Swing - War-Rock's card - is mostly dependent on this. It will only attack the six panels in front of you and you can't Lock-On with it, so you must use Area Eater.
• There is also a card called "Divide Line" that will take out a row of panels, but they will not be replaced (so you have empty panels). Using an Area Eater after you do this to only two panels is a horrible idea, so you must be careful!
• If you didn't catch it, empty and cracked panels are back. There are also Noise Panels - which as far as I can tell, only prevent you from locking onto your target.
• Shidou randomly brushes his teeth when talking.
• Many minor characters from the first game get actual roles! Like Wolf Forest
• Star Cards are out, or so it appears.
• Some cards have double elements. For example, Spade Magnets is Elec/Sword and Wolf Forest is Wood/Sword.
• Giant viruses are hard to find. Your touch screen will have a "WARNING!" message when one is approaching. When the message is showing, you will not be able to save, access your menu, or Wave Out. However, you can avoid this by going onto a moving platform, or by going to a transporter panel. (You probably don't want to avoid them because they drop Noise Frags and give you Noise Changes later in the game.)
• You can trade Noise Frags in for Ability Waves. The trader is a huge Denpa-kun.
• "Teams" are new to this game. You and some in-game characters form Teams for certain things. (Ex: Misora Supporters)
• You get far more in-game Brothers than you did in the last game.
• Laplace can turn into a sword. It looks like the one from the wallpaper but it is thicker. Solo can use it without transforming. Burai uses it standard in fights. Burai also is less cool in fights. Personally, I think it looks like he is skipping with a sword. Not cool.
• You can get Secret Cards and just strong cards by getting your Noise Gauge above 100%. Jack Corvus meets Brachio Wave V2.
• A character dies. Not Tsukasa - he just disappears. =(
• In terms of the plot length: 2>3>1
• In terms of greatness: 3>1>2

I only have two chapters left~

SSR3 Ramblings
[0 comments]Posted on 09-12-2008 at 11:34 PM


I know I have been neglecting this, but I've been so zetta busy. Oh well, I'll try to work on this more. Moving on...

Solo and Laplace has been the biggest mystery to me. There are several rumors surrounding it. For example, many people have theorized that Laplace is a survivor from Mu that was released when Mu collapsed. I guess that doesn't bother me as much as the fact that Solo needs Laplace.

This is my theory. In SSR2, we know that Solo doesn't need an EM Body in order to Wave Change; he uses the power of loneliness. The first wallpaper has revealed to use the Solo seems to have some interaction with Subaru, most likely a partnership. Wait, how can that work? Is Solo gaining friends and thus not being lonely? So if Solo isn't lonely, he thus can't Wave Change into Burai.

It isn't like it'd be necessary for Solo to have a Wizard because he can transform on his own, so a Trans-Code would be pointless. I think that it'd make sense that Solo isn't quite as lonely anymore since he teamed up with Subaru, so it is necessary for him to have a Wizard to Wave Change.

Another counter-point to this is that Solo would have all ready had a Wizard before he met Subaru again and partnered with him. I think that during SSR2, Solo began to realize that Subaru might be onto something with the power of friendship and all ready started losing some of his powers as Brai. Oh well, it is just a theory.

How do I feel about SSR3? That's a tough question. As of now, there is hardly anything I really like about it. I know it is harsh, but that is the truth. The whole "Noise" thing in general reminds me too much of The World Ends With You.

I like Black Ace more than Red Joker. Red Joker looks way to bulky and Black Ace has been hyped way more, so it is the better one, amirite? I don't like Red Joker's helmet at all and it is a good thing that those arm guards are made out of Radio Waves, else I would imagine it being quite hard to maneuver.

The Noise Changes being like Style Changes amuses me. I hope beyond hope that all of the Noise Changes will be available for each copy of the game, if not, then I will be quite annoyed. Let's look at the Noise Changes I actually like the design of:

Cygnus, Ophiuchus, Cancer, Corvus, Virgo, and Wolf.

Virgo is mainly there, because I am a Virgo and I was surprised that it would actually be represented in SSR.

Onto a couple of other SSR3-related things. I really could care less if Kizamaro is able to Wave Change. I kind of hope that he doesn't. I did feel bad for him in the previous game, but a part of me says that he doesn't deserve to Wave Change. I am so nice. We all ready have Cancer Bubble as our resident pip-squeak/comic relief, so having Kizamaro being able to Wave Change seems a bit unnecessary to me.

Shidou has Barrel syndrome. They look similar and Shidou just looks like a loony scientists that would love to betray you and take over the Meteor.

Anyways, it is about time that I put my mind to rest before I start foaming at the mouth. 'Night all.

Folder Construction 101
[0 comments]Posted on 08-13-2008 at 10:40 AM


Let's begin, class. Today we are going to cover the basics of building a folder. A good folder is essential if you ever aspire to beat someone over Wi-Fi. However, a folder is only as good as the person using it, meaning that I could still probably kick your butt if I played using the Xtra Folder and with my feet.

In Star Force 2, unlike its predecessor, our formations get an elemental boost. So if you are in Ninja Tribe-On, all of your Wood-based cards (like Needle Attack) are given an elemental boost. It is common sense that you want to use this ability to your fullest advantage so it is wise that you have a lot of the same elemental cards in your folder.

Let's take a look at all of the most advantageous cards for each Tribe-On.

Ninja
Squall: This card hits multiple times, powers up over Grass Panels, and it can be used to Auto Lock-On with.
Fokx-Fu: This card is great offensively and defensively (I support it for all of the Tribe-Ons, actually). It does decent damage and it can protect you from a lethal card including Darkness Hole.
Kung Foo Kid: This card is excellent on many levels. It does great damage, it won't miss, and its attack can be boosted on Grass Panels.
Dragon Sky GX: This card is strong in so many ways. First, it does great damage. Second, it removes Auras and Barriers. Third, its range is very good.

Zerker
Voltic Eye: Pierces Invisible foes and it does decent damage. Freezes time too. Easy to miss with lag, however.
Stealth Lazor: This card, like Voltic Eye, pierces Invisible foes, stuns them, is homing, but it is a bit slow.
Flicker Kick: This card is fast, homes in, causes Blinding, but the last kick causes Invincibility, but it can easily be disregarded when you use Train Combo with it.
Gemini Spark: These card do excellent damage, breaks, stuns, and the second attack is auto-aiming.
Gemini Thunder: Great range, causes Paralysis if your opponent is in the middle column, and it pierces through Invisibility.

Saurian
Extinction Meteor: This is a Secret Class card, but it should been seen in every Saurian's folder. It cannot be blocked, stops time, has a great range, and it does very good damage.
Dance Fire: While it isn't my first choice for a card, it does have a great range and it does do some nice damage.
Leo Kingdom GX: Multi-hitting and very powerful. It can be blocked by an Aura though.
Ox Tackle: Getting into Tribe King and using this card is very deadly, but it can also be powered up fine in just Saurian Tribe-On.

Rogue
Scythe: This is the best card that a Rogue can use to pull out the max potential of its +50 ability to Swords. You need to use Area Eater first though which isn't that fun.
Berserk Sword: This card homes in and does some good damage. The last attack causes Invincibility, so it is choice for Rogue Zerkers who can use Train Combo.
Fokx-Fu: This card gets powered up (more than Ninja's) as well with Rogue's +50 ability to Swords. It is a really strong defense for Rogues.
Rogue Break: This also is powered up by Rogue's ability and it does Breaking damage.

Since we finished speaking of offensive cards, let's move on over to defensive cards.

Aura: This is a great card because it blocks so many attacks. This card alone can take on Leo Kingdom GX and still emerge victorious.
Invisible: This card blocks what Aura can't. There are few cards that can actually penetrate it and it blocks almost every Giga Card.
Fokx-Fu: Wow, this is the third time I have mentioned it. Maybe it is good or something? An excellent defense. It can block every Giga Card if your timing is right. High risk, high reward.

Finally, we have support cards. These cards are the ones that just give you an edge in combat.

Holy Panel: All damage you take is halved. Using this card with Aura (the combo is called "Holy Aura" if you didn't know) can block a large number of attacks and really makes your opponent sweat.
Paralyze Stage: If your attack lands on your opponent while it is on a Paralyze Panel, they are now paralyzed. Great for attacks covering a big area like Scythe.
Paralyze Plus: This card can be attached to another card to cause paralysis and it is a lot more efficient than Paralyze Stage. It is a great way to start off a combo.
Double Cross: This is the most-used trap card out there and for a reason. Most combos begin with a Mega Class card (such as Pegasus Magic SP) and if you can block it, you can save yourself a lot of pain.

With all of these elements combined you can have a decent folder. As I said before, a folder is only as good a the person using it. A thing to remember is that not all folders will work for you. Some people can pull off a Poison Folder while I know that I can't. Some people can use a Storm Folder well, but that doesn't mean that you can. Don't be forced to use a folder just because someone else can use it well.

The customization in Star Force is to make it so you can have a folder that fits you best. While I have highlighted some of the cards that are outstanding to use, if you can't use one, then don't use it! Fokx-Fu is a card that you can either do wonders with, or look at yourself as a Fokx and wonder, "Gee, why did I put this card in again."

Be clever and be creative. That is what folders are all about.

-Rend

("tl;dr" Now you can save yourself the effort of typing it out.)

From the Depths of the Trans Dimension
[2 comments]Posted on 08-12-2008 at 02:51 PM


The title is a lot more entertaining than what this really is.

Oy, I am Rend, following in the footsteps of Stelar by blogging for GRN. I usually write... random things and stuff. Most of the stuff that I usually write pertain to anime, but I do write some things concerning the game too. (Probably more now since the second was released.)

I enjoy playing video games, writing, reading, procrastinating, doing lame digital media things, and not answering the phone.

With that I will let you all go back to running amok around the Internet. I will hopefully get something up tomorrow. (All new stuff by the way, none of my old stuff will be recycled.)