Added four new pictures from last Sunday of downtown Vancouver.
February 2009
All articles posted in February 2009.
Back again
Administrator • February 27, 2009 • Site InformationAfter a brief technical outage, we’re back again. Looks like everything should be back to normal. There will be some new stuff soon, I promise.
Higurashi Hearts II
Frederick Linsmeyer • February 15, 2009 • VideosAs much as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai creeps me out, this is pretty cool.
Arc the Lad review
Frederick Linsmeyer • February 14, 2009 • AnimeThe Arc the Lad series is based on the Sony PlayStation games Arc the Lad I and Arc the Lad II. Although the title labels Arc as the main character, it really is Elk that holds the spotlight.
The hijacking of an airship prompts the response of Elk to sneak on board to try and save the passengers and crew. What he comes upon is a chimera, a horrible mutated monster that was once a human being. The chimera manages to destroy the airship, but not before Elk manages to get the passengers off in the escape pods.
The air ship held many mysteries, one of which a young girl with a wolf/dog creature locked in a cabin and the arrival of men in black suits just shortly before the crash. Adding to the confusion is the mention of “White House” which awakens a horrible nightmare within Elk.
The background of the storyline appears when Elk hits a flashback of his childhood as his town is being attacked for their magical power, the power of the flame.
Before Elk’s father was shot, he saw a ship land, a ship that he believed to carry his family’s murderers. It was his vow that he would not sleep until he had confronted these people… a group led by Arc. Because of this attack, Arc was labelled a terrorist after presumably killing the king of his homeland, Smeria.
However, there is a slight inconsistency in the art as the series progresses, namely as the later episodes start to slightly degrade in quality. However, the action and suspense makes up for this.
This is just a base of the plot, but it’s full of adventure, excitement and dangers. As the epic progresses, a new darker plot arises with the introduction of a few new characters. It’s something that no anime fan should miss.
Roy
Frederick Linsmeyer • February 14, 2009 • GamingIf you know me, you most likely know about Roy. But just who exactly is he and what’s his story? Roy is the main character in the famed strategic role-playing series, Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi, who also takes a playable role in the free-for-all game, Super Smash Bros. Melee.
Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi
The opening story gives introduces us to Roy and his home.
In Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi (in English as The Sealed Sword), Roy is the son of the ruling lord in the principality of Pherae. When the kingdom of Bern invaded Lycia, his father fell ill so it was up to Roy to take command of his army. As his journey progresses, more soldiers join the young prince until he is able to seize the capital of Bern. Roy, like his father, is peaceful and just, although his course of action against the invasion shows he is courageous and can be rebellious at times. Roy can only brandish rapiers and the titular Sword of Seals, the ultimate weapon in the game. As characters in the Fire Emblem series are class based, Roy falls under the Lord class.
Eliwood, Roy’s father, is the star of Fire Emblem: Rekka no Ken (Fire Emblem for those who have the North American version). Although Roy himself does not make an appearance in the game, he is hinted at briefly in the story.
Roy only appears in Fuuin no Tsurugi, which was a Japan-exclusive release. Roy’s name is spelled as ロイ in katakana which translates roughly into Roi.
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Roy wearing his alternate colours in the Hyrule Temple stage.
Roy is an unlockable character in Nintendo’s all star game, Super Smash Bros. Melee for the GameCube. Performance wise, Roy is the clone of Marth; although a little slower and isn’t that great when it comes to mid-air combat. However, for what Roy lacks in speed, he makes it up with power.
The Fire Emblem hero’s attacks are fire-based which pack more of a punch especially with the Blazer (Up + B) combo. Flare Blade is something to be in awe of, so press and hold the B button to watch the fireworks fly. However, Roy’s greatest ability is his counter-attack which, if timed correctly, will negate any damage and cause injury to the opposing character. Only he and Marth possess this skill.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Unfortunately, Roy is not a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii. His only appearance is that of a collectible sticker.
Are Marth and Roy related?
Roy’s character design in Fire Emblem: Fuuin no Tsurugi
No, not in any way, shape or form. While both are from Fire Emblem games, they never make any appearances together. It’s like saying Cloud is Zidane’s or Tidus’ (of Final Fantasy fame) cousin or whatever. There’s no relationship and because they’re in different games, they live in different lands and face different challenges. Marth appears only in Fire Emblem: Dragon of Darkness and Fire Emblem: Sword of Light (NES, Japan only) and Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem (SNES, Japan only) while Roy makes a heroic appearance in Fire Emblem: The Sealed Sword (GBA, Japan only). Marth also starred in the Fire Emblem anime.
Just because they appear together in Super Smash Bros. Melee does not mean they’re blood relatives or are related in anyway.
Does he speak?
Jun Fukuyama performs as the voice talent for Roy in Super Smash Bros. Melee… and he does a damn good job!
Mamoru dekimono-no tame-ni, makerarenai! – For those who I protect, I mustn’t lose!
Kurushii tatakai datta. – It was a tough battle.
Shin-no tatakai-wa… korekare da! – The true battle starts here!
Boku wa makenai. – I won’t lose.
What is Fire Emblem anyways?
Fire Emblem is a series of tactical role-playing games developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. The games revolve around robust characters in a medieval setting and entrenching story lines. The first games in the series were only released in Japan, and it wasn’t until 2003, 13 years after the first Fire Emblem was released, that one was distributed overseas.
Each battle is turn based, and depending on the number of points of damage dealt are used against the current character’s life points. As each enemy is defeated, experience points are gained, however, if a playable character dies, they cannot be revived and remain unusable for the rest of the game. Should the main character be defeated, the game will end.
Screenshots (from Super Smash Bros. Melee)
Welcome back
Administrator • February 14, 2009 • Site InformationAfter moving to a new server provided by our host, nephrus.net is back. I made the decision to move away from STARDBCMS to WordPress mostly because I’m lazy and don’t feel like maintaining such a labour intensive system. That and WordPress is pretty customizable, so I can make my own unique styles. Gallery is still available online at its usual location.
I have some other things coming, hopefully in the next day or so.
