So uh, how are the dungeon designs?

Landsknecht is apparently some sort of mercenary and the proper english words is Lansquenet or something, so that's its own thing. But Hexer instead of witch is sort of... odd.

By unlockable, maybe they mean something like in Wizardry 1-3 & 5 or FF1 where certain classes evolve into a sort of better class.

The word 'Landsknecht' looks morderately difficult to pronounce.

Great, it sounds like Wizardry meets SaGa. Someone buy me a DS >:(

Skills from rare items is sort of why SD3's class change system bothered me. I like abstract systems as much as I like... less abstract ones, but... well, you all know what Nintendo logic is.

Learning skills from items didn't really bug me in FFIX or FFTA. Then again, skill systems that don't really make sense is sort of an FF trademark. Although, FFIX's system WAS a sort of awkward half-way step between the less abstract ideas behind Espers, GFs, and Materia (which were, in a sense, different kettles of the same fish. Or something like that) and the more abstract ideas of, say, license boards and sphere grids.

Granted, I must say that I prefer more straightforward skill systems like in Fallout or something. FFV/FFT had pretty straight forward skill systems via the whole class-based gameplay thing. Pick skill tree. acquire/buy skills. Nothin' strange.

Granted, materia, GFs, and espers had the whole Pokemon/collectibility thing behind them, which is always fun.

It looks like someone finally got it up in their minds to release a proper Wizardry-style game for the handheld. About damn time considering the Wizardry Summoner localization got canned.

Granted, Wizardry Summoner looked about on par with the first five Wizardry games, whereas... yeah, Wizardry 8 was sort of miles upon miles ahead of those in terms of being better was, and Tales of the Forsaken land is probably the best way to do the classic formula........

Anyway, lots of character classes looks nice! Interested in seeing what sort of skills it has.

Just read Heinrich Böll - Die Blasse Anne. Need to reread it to make sure I got all the words and stuff.

More importantly, I finished Dhalgren. I want to reread the ending just so I get all the words there. I didn't quite understand it, really, but I have some ideas as to the ending. It's odd, though. Someone mentioned that it has different meanings depending on when you read it in your life. Being a freshman in college, I guess I'm relating some of the stuff that happened in Bellona in the book to what I've seen about college life so far. It is sort of an interesting parallel, even if it's not intentional. I think the loss of symbolism/arbitrary symbolism thing that comes up can relate to any life change, maybe?

Probably going to start reading Siddhartha in German again. That, or Goethe. It really says something about a society when the lack of higher-level language reference books pretty much anywhere drives one to randomly diving through Project Gutenburg, and misspelling it in the process. F**K.

I generally dislike minigames because they sort of take you out of the flow of the game, especially action based ones. Especially action based ones with bad control. Like FFVII.

I make a few exceptions.

Minigames are okay if.

A) It's Space Harrier.
B) They're something more turn-basedy, like a card game. Might and Magic 7 had the most amazing card minigame.
C) They're actually being displayed as a game within the game, and aren't some jarring complete change in gameplay. IE, not FFVII's motorocycle bit, but puzzle boy from SMT:N or the casinos from Persona are cool. IE games you could see your CHARACTER playing.
D) If they're inobtrusive or inconsequential if you feel like ignoring them. Namely the hunts from DDS, or the Amala Diver bits in SMT:N.
E) If it's a more actiony minigame, but it's more frequently and more well implemented. IE if the bike bit in FFVII had better control and WASN'T a once-off affair.

Philip K. Dick?

Just watched the final episode of Eva again. I liked the series a lot more this time around. I guess because the first time I watched it was via crapped RealMovie files I got off of DirectConnect which didn't have any sound and only subs :P

Spoilers, obviously.

Anyway, I like the TV ending better than EoE. Eps 25 and 26 are really expiremntal, sort of reminiscient of Koyaanistqatsi, and, realistically, relate more to the underlying *theme* of the series. EoE simply directly continues the plot without paying any real attention to the psychological aspects. I mean, in eps 25 and 26, Shinji learns to, erm... at least deal with his psychological issues. And it's a lot more hopeful, really, and the possibility that it pops up for... well, the normal world being the real one and the Eva world being some sort of schizophrenic hallucination is fascinating. EoE just... has... a lot of confused religious imagery and Shinji strangling Asuka on a beach.

Reading two right now, actually.

Samuel R. Delany - Dhalgren. I've  been reading this since last summer (August, 2005 :P). Barring MAYBE Catch-22, it's my favorite book evar. It's more like a large sculpture that you can read than a story, I guess. It's sort of something that eludes description.

Also gravity's rainbow.

Hugo was, like, the only white Karayan.

On that note, I can't bear actual bears. I fucking HATE those goddamn shagbeasts.