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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Review: Cthulhu Saves the World/Breath of ... - Bits 'n' Bytes Gaming

Review: Cthulhu Saves the World/Breath of Death VII (Xbox?360/PC)

Posted by Pascal Tekaia on July 22, 2011 ? Leave a Comment?

Rising From the Grave

The Japanese RPG hit its console peak during the SNES/PS1 eras. With the advent of more powerful current-gen systems, rising development costs, and an increasing popularity in Western RPGs, old-school JRPGs?are few and far between on consoles. Handheld systems have given the genre a new home, but every now and then, a developer will eschew this trend and release a traditional turn-based RPG on a home console (as well as, in this case, on the PC). Such is the case with Zeboyd?Games and its two new downloadable RPGs, Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII.

Let me say from the outset that I?m reviewing these games together since they?re virtually the same game, albeit each with its own plot, setting, and characters. In Cthulhu Saves the World, you?re tasked with helping the squid-god attain hero status to recover his lost powers (with which he can then destroy the world!). In Breath of Death, the world?s population has already been annihilated by nuclear apocalypse, and the Earth has now been repopulated by the walking dead and undead. The differences are minimal and will be pointed out in due detail.

There's an homage as well as a joke in there, for those in the know. Got it yet?

Breaking Chains and Smashing Walls

Cthulhu and Breath are as much game as they are parody. The games feature a heavy amount of tongue-in-cheek humor, and frequently break the fourth wall to caricature traditional RPG conventions. For example, at the very outset of Cthulhu, the title character?s evil powers are sealed away by an unknown wizard. The narrator lets the player know what Cthulhu?will need to do in order to regain his evil powers. With a triumphant grin, Cthulhu himself then pipes up and taunts both the narrator and player by revealing to them he was eavesdropping on the narrator, and now knows what he must do to reclaim his powers.

In a similar move, Dem, Breath of Death?s main hero, is a take on the silent protagonist featured in much of traditional JRPG history. However, in Dem?s case, he?s silent not by his own choise or through some game design mechanic; he?s tacit because he?s an undead skeleton and has no tongue! The narrator quickly realizes that not hearing your hero speak can be a problem, so he kindly turns on the ?Thoughts-Subtitle-O-Matic?, which from that point on enables the player to read Dem?s thoughts.

The games lampoon just about every other JRPG convention, such as new characters joining the player?s party throughout the adventure. Breath of Death?s Dem is a loner, and heavily objects when new characters attempt to join his party. However, since he also can?t talk, he?s unable to make his objections known, and so his companions ?forcefully join his party?, against his wishes. Meanwhile, Cthulhu?welcomes his first party member, love-smitten?Umi, proclaiming, ?Yes! The great Cthulhu requires groupies! You shall do.?

The writing is continuously hilarious, first poking fun at and then completely skewering RPG tropes one by one. This does come at the expense of a serious and strong plot; you should know what type of experience you?re opting for before purchasing these titles. On the whole, I found the story in Breath of Death to be more solid (as much as either of the games has a ?solid? story), since Dem?s party members usually have a specific goal or quest they want to pursue, whereas Cthulhu?s plot is much looser, with the squid-faced god generally just looking for heroic deeds to perform.

Fresh Meat for the Grinding

So much for the similarities. In terms of gameplay however, the games are virtually identical. You?ll navigate towns, dungeons, and the world from a top-down perspective, with battles occurring?in dungeons?and on the world map. Towns feature your standard inn, shop, and aimlessly wandering citizens to speak to. When outside of towns, you?ll be able to earn experience battling groups of enemies. The battles are random, and each area of the game has a cap to the number of encounters you?ll be able to participate in. So, in a particular dungeon, the maximum number of?encounters may be set to 50; however, I was always able to advance through an area/find the treasure/defeat the boss well before I had won the maximum battles allotted. However, this can be a problem, as later bosses (and some large groups of enemies) get incredibly powerful, and without some serious grinding your party will be too underpowered to succeed against these foes. There is also an option in the menu to fight additional battles after the maximum cap has been reached.

Graphically, the battles can be a bit underwhelming for those of us used to gorgeous 3D FMV-quality graphics. The enemies are static sprites, who don?t move at all (each enemy type has one or two additional frames of animation for certain status effects). Your own party is not represented on the battlefield at all; battles play out in a pseudo-first person perspective. Characters can attack using a wide variety of attacks, abilities, and spells. It is important to finish battles as quickly as possible, since each round that passes by gives your foes a percentage boost in power.

At the end of each battle, all your characters ? even those with 0 HP ? have their health fully restored, and a number of MP is restored to each character, depending on how quickly the battle was won. You?ll also earn XP for defeating enemies. Each time a character levels up, you?re given two perks to choose from. Generally, they will be two different sets of stat bonuses or two similar spells with?slightly different effects. You?ll need to choose wisely, as whichever perk you opt against is gone for good, and you won?t have a second chance at it with your next level-up. This lets players assign roles to their party, such as tank and DPS, and lets you develop each character in their specific direction.

Unfortunately, since we tend to look back upon the past with rose-tinted glasses, we forget that this sort of simple?turn-based grinding does get repetitive after a while. In addition, modern games have spoiled us with providing turn gauges to help plan out an attack strategy of sorts; I found that this mechanic would have been very valuable and would?ve added a nice element of strategy to the combat in these games. Overall, I found it best to take these two games in short chunks to keep from getting burned out on the battle system too quickly.

Back in Style?

Cthulhu Saves the World and Breath of Death VII are essentially two different stories set?in the same game. Cthulhu does feature battlefield backdrop graphics, whereas Breath places enemies in a black void ? Cthulhu?s slightly higher price point nets you a little more polish in the game. Additionally, the upgraded edition Cthulhu?Saves the World: Super Hyper Enhanced Championship Edition Alpha Diamond DX Plus Alpha FES HD ? Premium Enhanced Game of the Year Collector?s Edition (without Avatars!) comes with a developer?s commentary and a few extra game modes at no extra charge. Despite these differences, it?s the humor and the old-school feeling that are the main attractions, and you can?t really go wrong with either game.

I think my son unintentionally captured the spirit?of these games when he?walked in on me?playing the games and commented, ?This is?a 360 game? It looks like a Super Nintendo game.? Yes, indeed?they do, and?for a small?price,?these games will lovingly caress your fond memories of that golden 16-bit era of JRPGs.

Source: http://bnbgaming.com/2011/07/22/review-cthulhu-saves-the-worldbreath-of-death-vii-xbox-360pc/

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Worth Of Physical Therapy To Recover Maximum Fitness ...

The body can be exposed to consistent pressure and strain and it may suffer from a personal injury at any particular time. The personal injury could possibly be slight like a bruise or possibly a cut, or it can possibly be anything major which would require surgery treatment. In spite of these personal injuries as well as damages the body heals slowly and aims to go back to the original self. Physical therapy helps in the management of physical damage as well as allows hurt people to attain their own maximum potential.

Physiotherapy helps with the rehabilitation time of the individuals. The entire plan comprises of actions that re-establish physical condition and vigor to the hurt sections of the entire body. Physiotherapists are qualified medical specialists that perform physical therapy Boise on folks experiencing any condition which causes physical inability. These types of experienced therapist will let you recover more quickly as well as increase the range of motion in the event of an accident or damage.The therapist may evaluate the health as well as determine what process you must comply with to get okay quickly.

The physiotherapists may come up with a complete report on exercises that you have to complete so as the bodily functions get back to standard. They are going to suggest you a set of exercise routines which need to be done routinely on specific time frame as well as in the specified way. In every single of physical therapy sessions the therapist will highlight precisely how the physical exercises need to be completed. They?ll then assess the progress in the future sessions. They will determine if your range of motion inside the damaged area is actually recovered or otherwise. If you don?t show any kind of response to the procedure, they will recommend another workout routine. This might be considered a time-consuming approach, but ultimately, if you carefully follow the habit, your body will certainly indicate certain improvement and you?ll maintain much better condition compared to that which you were in after you had started out.

Although physiotherapy is employed to recover your problems and bring you normal again, if you don?t perform the physical exercises right or when you pressurize your body very much, you may end up hurting the system more. Thus, you should take care that you just do all the actions reasonably to have optimum advantages. There are different physical therapy programs and the entire body may need a particular routine. Just a qualified health professional will be able to direct you effectively.

This particular mode of healing is way more effective as compared to popping drugs as well as using other type of medication to treat the system. Physical rehabilitation makes use of the capability of body system to recover by itself. Do not be suspicious about the procedure when you?re getting started out. When you may have confidence in the therapist, they?ll be able to assist you. Talk about all the worries as well as fears about the exercise regimen they provide you with. Don?t wait to ask all of them to swap a few exercise in case you are not too happy with it. A decent relationship with your physiotherapist can yield very decent outcomes in your treatment as well as assist you to recuperate faster.

It?s important to check with a fantastic physiotherapist to be able to have a physical injury free body.

Source: http://www.sickabodsane.com/worth-of-physical-therapy-to-recover-maximum-fitness/

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Saturday, July 23, 2011

Paul supporters form Super PAC (Politico)

Ron Paul supporters have formed a Super PAC to put more money and muscle behind the Texas congressman?s presidential campaign.

And for those who have already reached the $2,500 legal limit for contributions directly to his campaign, the unlimited contribution Revolution PAC will give Paul donors another avenue to help pour cash into his run.

?There will be a significant amount of people who meet the contribution cap to the campaign, and we hope those people will use us as an overflow,? Revolution PAC president Gary Franchi told POLITICO.

The PAC didn?t specify any fundraising goals in announcing its formation Wednesday, but the goal is to make independent expenditures on TV, newspaper and billboard advertisements supporting Paul?s campaign.

?As grassroots supporters of Ron Paul, we?ve always sort of just acted on our own,? Franchi said. ?This is really more of a formalized way to solidify and execute grassroots support for the candidate.?

The new PAC comes as Paul is running a more serious campaign than in 2008, making significant early-state TV buys and an all-out organizing push ahead of next month?s critical Ames straw poll. Money is already coming in to the PAC, Franchi said, and he hopes that this will allow them to be active in Iowa ahead of that vote.

Mitt Romney and Rick Perry also have Super PACs formed specifically with the intention of helping their presidential campaign.

The latest example of Paul?s fervent supporters? transformation from the largely political neophytes of four years ago to people more schooled in conventional electoral politics, Revolution PAC was formed by over a dozen conservatives who have been active in Paul?s political orbit. They include Joe Becker, counsel to Paul?s 2008 campaign; Penny Langford Freeman, Paul?s former political director, and Thomas Woods, an author who?s 2009 book features a foreword by Paul and who has spoken at many of his events.

Super PACs have grown popular in recent months because they can accept unlimited corporate and union cash, but Franchi said Revolution PAC wouldn?t accept contributions from corporations not ?in tune with our values.?

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article listed Jack Hunter as one of the organizers of the Revolution PAC, using information from the group. He has recently been hired by Paul?s campaign and cut his affiliation with the PAC.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0711_59519_html/42312153/SIG=11maeqqdq/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/59519.html

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Friday, July 22, 2011

Police fire tear gas to break up Sudan water demos (AFP)

KHARTOUM (AFP) ? Police used tear gas in Khartoum on Friday to break up three separate protests at the lack of running water, witnesses said, two days after a similar demonstration in neighbouring Gezira state.

About 300 people took part in the first demonstration, in a southern suburb of the Sudanese capital called Debra, which grew when people going to the mosque for Friday prayers joined them at about 1:00 pm (1000 GMT), several of the protesters told AFP.

They closed the road, burned tyres and shouted: "We want water!" with a small number of them also calling for regime change, before riot police fired tear gas to disperse the protesters and beat them with batons.

In the nearby suburb of Sahafa, and also in Omdurman, the capital's twin city just across the Nile, between 200 and 400 people took to the streets also to demonstrate against the lack of water, protestors there said.

Riot police again used tear gas to scatter the crowds.

Khartoum sits on the confluence of the Blue and White Nile, whose levels have has risen in recent months, due to seasonal rainfall upstream.

But the water is muddy and the pipes in many parts of the city have been dry for days.

The water authorities were quoted in the local papers on Thursday blaming the lack of rain in the Khartoum area, which is unusual for this time of year and which they say would clean the river water, for their inability to supply households in the city.

On Wednesday, at least 500 protestors took to the streets of Wad Madani, the capital of Gezira state, to complain about the lack water, insisting that they were not demonstrating for political reasons, according to several witnesses.

But a large number of riot police deployed in the area and again dispersed the protesters with tear gas, the witnesses added.

Activists seeking to emulate events in Tunisia and neighbouring Egypt tried to organise nationwide anti-regime demonstrations in Sudan earlier this year.

The sporadic protests failed to gather momentum, however, partly because of the zero-tolerance policy of the authorities.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110722/wl_africa_afp/sudandemowater

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Space Shuttle's Legacy: More Tech Spinoffs Than Apollo Era (SPACE.com)

After years of development and decades of flying, the now-cancelled space shuttle program has left more to future generations than pieces for museums and fond memories of exploration.

Its legacy lives on in an artificial heart device, NASCAR racing cars and rescue tools used to reach car accident victims. The entire array of NASA technology spinoffs could even be greater than the number of spinoffs from the Apollo moon missions.

Whether or not the space shuttle program was worth its $209 billion price tag remains a separate debate for human spaceflight advocates and critics. But NASA's official count of tech spinoffs that went on to become commercial products suggests that many people on Earth have seen benefits from the shuttle's human spaceflight program.

"People always think of NASA's heyday as the Apollo era, but the shuttle has produced about 50 percent more spinoffs than the Apollo era," said Daniel Lockney, technology transfer program executive at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C.[Space Shuttle Program in Pictures: A Tribute]

The shuttle spawned roughly 120 commercialized spinoffs, versus about 80 for the Apollo program, Lockney said. That's in part because the shuttle program ran for three decades as opposed to Apollo's one decade, but also because NASA created a more formalized system for spinning off innovations after the Apollo era.

"NASA has gotten better at the transfer of technology from the launch pad to the laboratory to the public," Lockney told InnovationNewsDaily. "The shuttle program was a huge benefactor of that." [End of Shuttle Era Opens Doors for Robotic Space Exploration]

One case emerged just as NASA was designing the space shuttle during the energy crisis of the 1970s. Per government request, the space agency tried redesigning boxy semi-trailer trucks to become more aerodynamic so that they could save on fuel. Shortly after NASA showed off its prototype design, the trucking industry chose to debut its own sleeker designs.

"If you ask the trucking industry if it took these designs from NASA, you'll categorically get a no," Lockney said. "But a year or two after NASA's tour, you see a sea change in the industry."

More recently, NASA supercomputers that had simulated fluid flow in shuttle rocket engines helped model the flow of blood in a tiny battery-powered heart pump just 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. The resulting changes led to the MicroMed DeBakey VAD device that keeps blood pumping through the hearts of ill patients awaiting heart transplants.

Leftover rocket fuel from the space shuttle launches has gone into flare devices that disable or destroy land mines. And material that protects the space shuttle from the fierce heat of re-entry has helped protect NASCAR drivers from the engine heat of their racing cars.

Even the explosive devices that separate the shuttle from its rocket boosters have become miniaturized for use in a more lightweight "Jaws of Life" device, a tool that rescue squads use to cut into car wrecks and reach accident victims.

Could NASA have created similar spinoffs if it had gone with a spacecraft other than the shuttle? That's a tough alternate-reality question to answer, Lockney said. But he emphasized that any space spinoffs represent unexpected benefits from an agency with a focused mission.

"It's important to recognize that these aren't the primary missions of NASA," Lockney said. "If you wanted to create a heart pump, building a rocket that will launch it into space wouldn't be the practical way to go about it."

You can follow InnovationNewsDaily senior writer Jeremy Hsu on Twitter @ScienceHsu. Follow InnovationNewsDaily on Twitter @News_Innovation, or on Facebook.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20110720/sc_space/spaceshuttleslegacymoretechspinoffsthanapolloera

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Thursday, July 21, 2011

European Travel Insurance | The Travel Blog

Article by Peter Smyth

Whether or not it?s the romance of Paris, the history of London or the passion of Spain, Europe has some thing for everybody. There?s barely a person among us who hasn?t dreamed of traipsing the old cobblestone lanes of London or whiling away a few weeks in Mediterranean. Still, in the rush to pack and organise our European holiday of a lifetime, we can frequently forget to tick one particular of the most crucial boxes on any overseas holiday: travel insurance. Travel insurance coverage is not just getting prepared in the occasion that some thing goes wrong on your trip ? travel insurance coverage provides us a great deal of peace of mind, too. With travel insurance coverage in Europe or anyplace in the globe, you know that wherever your adventure will take you, you?re covered. No matter what happens when you?re on your European holiday, whether it?s lost luggage, cancelled flights, sickness or injury, you can rest assured that you?ll be taken care of. While Europe may not be the world?s least expensive holiday destination, your travel insurance coverage doesn?t need to have to price the earth. These days, there are a assortment of cheap travel insurance coverage possibilities available for Europe. Whether you?re on the tightest shoestring price range, or you?re going all out, you can be positive there is a tailored European travel insurance coverage resolution for you. So how do you find the travel insurance that?s proper for you? The simplest, most hassle-free way to organize your European travel insurance is using the internet. On the web, you?re capable to examine and examine various travel insurance plans for Europe ? or anyplace, for that matter ? right up until you uncover the one particular that?s correct for you. Whatever travel insurance coverage program you decide on, make sure it will offer you the degree of cover you and your companions want for your Europe holiday. Even though there are a quantity of low cost travel insurance coverage plans for Europe obtainable, you need to make positive your plan covers you for all the items that you may possibly want on your trip: medical insurance, such as cover for evacuation protection against loss or theft of luggage or personalized products and cancellation, delay or flight alter costs are just some of the essentials you require to think about for your holiday.No matter who you are ? no matter whether you?re the most adventurous backpacker, or the most cautious and safe of travellers ? you shouldn?t head off on your European holiday without having very first creating sure you?re covered with travel insurance.

About the Author

Peter Smyth is the Marketing and advertising Manager at 1Cover Travel Insurance coverage ? the finest people to speak to about travel insurance coverage ahead of you head off the beaten track. For any trip to Europe ? travellers insurance coverage is an absolute need to, so be sure to get very good globally travel insurance coverage just before you leave.

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Finding the right place to stay can make or break your trip. You definitely don't want to arrive in the south of France in the middle of summer to find out your hoteldoesn't have air-conditioning!

Trust me, that can ruin your trip. You would think that hotels in hot locations would have air-conditioning, but you would be wrong.
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