Elapsed time: 00 Hr 15 Min

(Note: This article is a spoof and no way related to medical practices. The author is not responsible for any effects resulting of reading this article.)

A few days ago I've attended my second ITP (Introduction to Programming) lecturer in KBU. The lecturer (a doctorate holder) mentioned about "Java is an interpreted language". This, I have to disagree.

In my opinion, there is no such thing as "interpreted language" or "compiled language" (same as how I disagree the "generations" of programming language bullshit *sorry*). Depending on the development environment, any language can be interpreted or compiled. Taking for instance Visual BASIC's debugging sequence is interpretation, while its release build mode uses compilation. Java can be interpreted, but mostly it is compiled into .class files to be run by the JVM (via JIT byte-code to machine-code conversion like HotSpot) or can be compiled into an standalone executable using gcc.

Some may argue C is definitely a compiled language - sorry to burst your bubble, C can be intepreted, as in the case of CSL. I hear you say PHP is a interpreted language - nope, PHP can be compiled into a standalone executable or bytecode to be run by PHP engine (Zend).

In a nutshell, interpretation and compilation are techniques. You are not allowed to classify a language based on code generation techniques since it is highly dependent on how the software development suite implements it.

Information:
Platform - Nintendo DS
Playtime - Around 16~20 hours
Replayable - Yes (includes bonuses)

Verdict:
Visual - 7/10
Audio - 6/10
Gameplay - 8/10
Plot - 9/10

Overall - 7.5/10

Pros:

1. Bitter-sweet plot.
2. Excellent voice acting.
3. Interesting battle-system.
4. Very nice "Tribal Skills" concept.
5. Great character development.
6. Great improvement of game-saving system (the retry option).
7. Challenging dungeon puzzles.
   

Cons:

1. Tiring and repetitive hack-and-slash.
2. Too little FMVs (might due to Nintendo DS cartridge size capped to 128MB)
   
3. Tribal skills requiring cumbersome touch-screen user interaction (breaks the flow of heated battles).
4. Lack of snapping-to-target for spells.
5. Camera angles can't be changed - limits viewing area (VERY annoying when jumping across platforms)
   
6. Disappointing audio quality (might due to limitation in Nintendo DS hardware)

Summary of Review
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates puts you as a role of a playful and adventurous young boy (Yuri), living in a quiet town with his father (Latov), twin sister (Chelinka) and a couple of wacky friends (Al and Meeth). Armed with overwhelming curiosity, Yuri, accompanied by his twin-sister frequently wanders off to dangerous places and managed to get off tight situations without a scratch (well, there might be scratches, depending on how you play =P).

One stormy night, an evil-looking person invades into Yuri's home and attempts to take away Chelinka. Their father sacrificed himself to protect both of them, resulting in a tremendous surge of power released by Yuri and Chelinka - with Chelinka remained in catatonic state due to the incident. The incident had deeply wounded Yuri's heart (e.g. digging a grave for his diseased father in the snow and taking care of his catatonic sister); from that time onwards, he have sworn to protect what he cherish the most and seek revenge on the person who murdered his father - only to find himself stucked in between of a battle between good and evil...

The battle system is of one of the newer types used by Square Enix - active battle. No bars, no fuss, no wuss - you can have up to 4 characters in a party, with you controlling one of the characters and the rest of the party is controlled by "smart" AI (that usually falls off the ledge just to follow you, and doesn't pick up items for you). One thing worth mentioning is the Tribal Skills/Abilities; From attacking abilities to Magicite-synthesis Alchemy abilities - each of the tribe abilities is unique and crucial in solving the many puzzles presented inside the game. However, some of the Tribal Skills (especially Yuri's) are troublesome to execute and easily interrupted by enemy attacks (it halts your movements, require touch-screen interface and virtually inexecutable when you're affected with damage-over-time statuses).

The characters inside the game is well portrayed with each of them having deep background storyline, and the character interactions are natural and fluid (does not feel like script-reading). However, I prefer the character design to be less 'kiddy' (less head-to-body size ratio) - but that's just a minor problem.

If you ever screwed up and getting your butt kicked by the enemies, while at the same time forgetting to save, you can restart at the dungeon entrance (or restart at the boss room if you're having a boss-fight). This feature is especially time-saving when you're trying different strategies for defeating a specifically thick skulled hard-to-die boss.

Although the dungeons have really mind-bending puzzle challenges that requires you to really sit down and think to fully utilize all your characters' special abilities to get pass the obstacles placed between you and your goal, it gets really repetitive considering you'll have to do this over and over again after each boss fight (e.g. solve puzzle - boss fight - cut scene - solve puzzle - boss fight - cut scene - repeat). They should have prepared more side quests that does not involve hack-and-slash.

Overall the game is a must-try for all Final Fantasy fans owning a Nintendo DS - but one note of advice, don't play when you're in a hurry as the game requires patience and slow pace to be fully enjoyed.

I can't help but feel a tingling sense of nostalgic as I step into the corridors of my once-called "home". Though this time, there are nobody left - the whole of castle Baron is nothing but emptiness. The quietness haunts me as if I'm walking on a broken plank, ever-readily disintegrate at any time.

Time is our enemy, we must make haste - Rosa's life is at stake. If anything should happen to her, I will not forgive myself. Drawing my sword, I rushed in and my faithful comrades followed. The King stood there watching as my men and I stormed into the throne room, grinning, as if watching a bunch of clowns trying to juggle too many balls.

I closed my eyes and concentrate, trying to recall and speak the verses I have just been taught.

"PROTECT!" I shouted, casting a glowing veil across my party, shielding them partially from incoming hostilities. At the same time, the apprentice white mage that followed us - Porom casted the Shell spell, shielding us from magick spells. What stands before us is not human, imposing as the great King of Baron. I must think fast, a leader's command is a matter of life and death.

Suddenly, water is forming beneath that beast. No, it couldn't be! A blast of Tsunami can only means death!

"Tellah, cast your strongest thunder spell, NOW!"

As the old man fumbles through his spell book, our lungs were suddenly filled with foul stench. Seeing Tellah could not even stand with both his feets, and at the same time, water starting to rise above our knees - I began to panic. If nothing is to be done now, we will be drowned alive!

"Boy ah, how do you turn on the GPS?" A familiar voice rang in my ears. Am I hallucinating myself too due to the stench? No, I must concentrate, my next step in this battle is crucial, time is running out. "Out of the water!" I shouted as I throw Zeus' Wrath towards the enemy immediately followed by a blinding yellow light blasted across the room.

Good grace, the water is gone. But our problems are far from over - I noticed a blue hint of reflective light on the enemy's skin - this could only mean Reflect is active. Before I am able to react, I was blinded by another blast of yellow light. Recovering from my vision loss, I see Tellah lying lifelessly on the ground. No, this should not have happened! I must act quick, there must be a spare Phoenix Down somewhere in my inventory.

I can hear the loud thumping of heartbeat in my head. A wrong move made would be fatal. "I should have keep his DS if he still keep playing." The voices came into my head again.

"Can't you see I'm busy?"