Afterglow Controller

Let me start with a story.

On Black Friday, Wendy and I had planned to hit up the Best Buy website and purchase their Xbox 360/Lego video game bundle but, by the time midnight rolled around, it was sold out online because the sales had started in Eastern Time. My bad. Wendy wound up buying the Xbox 360 at Target because they had a good deal but without any games. So we headed to Gamestop and Best Buy that evening. I stumbled across these amazing, lighted controllers and bought one right away because the console only came with one. I chose blue and muses, audibly that a purple one would be even awesomer!!

So we headed across the street to Best Buy and, damn it all if they didn’t have an entire pallet of the bundle we had wanted. They also had the Afterglow controllers and, by sheer happenstance, I noticed a single purple controller. So I decided to buy it and return the other one to Gamestop, especially because the purple one was $10 cheaper at Best Buy. So I did.

And now I have owned this Xbox 360 controller and I have loved it and have been slightly annoyed with it. The biggest complaint most people will have is that it’s wired. The cable is kind of unique in that it ends with a PS2 plug (think computer mouse), then connects to a USB adapter for insertion into the console. Plug and play. Because it’s wired, it weighs a lot less than an actual Xbox 360 controller (no batteries).

It feels differently, too. The clear plastic of this controller is slick. I haven’t had an grip problems but if you’re a hardcore gamer or like to.. put on lotion while playing games (?), you might have issues. Through the glass, you can see the color. My purple is very indigo and not as fushcia as it appears on the package but it won’t kill me. You can also see the whirry rumble pack things on the front left and right, which is pretty awesome.

The start and select buttons are shaped a tad differently than the Microsoft controller and the Xbox button in the center is an opaque sticker, instead of lighting up. Otherwise, it’s about the same in terms of design.

Performance-wise, the Afterglow Controller isn’t quite as effective as the controllers by Microsoft. I sometimes find the joystick to move too quickly or slowly (although, I’m not very precise with it, period). The biggest issue I have is that the buttons that I used the most, namely the X button, seems like it’s breaking. I don’t think it will last forever, sadly. I really had to put pressure on it to make it work sometimes and the feel of the button is just.. off. Also, the rumble whirry things are already squeaking from use, which is annoying.

If, for some reason, you don’t want your controller to be awesome and light up, you can turn it off or set it so that the lights only appear when the rumbling occurs. This is interesting but, damn it, I bought a light up controller for a reason.

Considering that this controller has half the price tag as a brand new Xbox 360 controller and is still cheaper than most used ones, I can’t complain. I expect I will eventually replace it but it’s fun in the mean time. It’d be awesome if you wanted a cheaper, back up controller for friends and visitors.

There are definitely some similarities. Both are puzzle RPGS, so you complete puzzles to battle opponents and succeed at other quests. There are multiple puzzle types for competing different tasks. The gems you clear in the puzzles provides you with magic/mana to attack your opponent. You play a single character, with the option to pick up NPC party members throughout the game. There is a main plotline, with significant quests, and side quests to keep you busy. Depending on your choices of action, you may not be able to do certain quests or the game may end differently. You can purchase or create items to aid you in the game.

Pretty standard. I found it interesting because I like puzzle games. I was hoping these would get me into more complex games (RPGs) so I bought them both. There’s a few differences, though. Challenge of the Warlords is set in the traditional fantasy world with people and trolls and orcs, etc. Galactrix, if you couldn’t tell by the name, has a science fiction theme. They’re both pretty cliche in their own ways but I did find Galactrix slightly more appealing, for whatever reason.

Additionally, you outfit your character with items such as armor and weapons in Challenge of the Warlords, whereas you choose a ship and outfit it with weapons and tools in Galactrix. Again, I preferred the Galactrix method, if only because it’s simpler. Your ship can only handle so much weaponry, CPU and engine technology at once (it varies between ships). I understood that easily and enjoyed working within those confines. If you prefer RPGs over puzzles, then you may just like Challenge of the Warlords more, instead. There are no limits regarding certain “energies,” you have more options when you choose items. I personally felt like I had more opportunities to mess up my character because of this.

Another big difference is the puzzle playing boards. Challenge of the Warlords boasts a square board with grids containing circular gems, not unlike Bewjeweled. The playing board is round in Galactrix and the pieces, hexagonal. Both games require you to match 3 same-coloured gems to clear them from the board. The gems can add to your mana/Energy, experience/Intel, health/shields, money (in Challenge) or Psi Points (in Galactrix). There are also bomb pieces that inflict damage upon your opponent. Each skill or weapon equipped requires a specific configuration of gems to use. For example, you may need 7 red gems and 8 yellows to use a specific gem.

But if you play the puzzles and plan to rely on luck, you’ll probably start losing quickly. The puzzles do require skill and you have to think ahead several turns. You do not simply want to make the easier move. For example, when you get 4-of-a-kind or more, you earn bonuses such has extra gems or turns. You can earn more gems by starting a chain reaction and longer reactions may earn you additional turns.

Psi Points are unique to Galactrix. When you unlock the points (by completing side quests), you have the ability to use them against potential opponents. For example, if a pirate ship wants to attack, you can avoid the battle by using the skill. It’s interesting. I happened to notice that the game frequently froze when I used Psi skills, however.

Challenge of the Warlords offers you the option to capture your opponents and learn their skills (there exists a comparable feature to learn schematics of an enemy’s weapons in Galactrix). You may even use certain enemies as a mount and gain their skills. Additionally, you can train these mounts by beating them in times battles on the puzzle screen. In fact, each game offers some side puzzles that I enjoyed. However, those side puzzles tend to be more necessary to complete the game in Galactrix. Some players might find this annoying. I can see both sides.

In order to participate in any of those additional puzzles in Challenge of the Warlords, you must enter your citadel. You can only do this if you have successfully attacked the city you’re in. Otherwise, you have to go to the nearest city that you attacked to access the citadel. There isn’t anything really comparable to this in Galaxtrix. It’s interesting but kind of requires you to siege cities if you wish to be able to make items or train your mount at any given time.

There are more differences between the games but, for the sake of length, I’ll start to wrap this up. I have several major complaints about both games. The gems are so small in Challenge of the Warlords that I often wound up touching the wrong one with the stylus. Because it happened so quickly, I’d lose a turn for making an incorrect move. My major complaint in Galactrix is that the puzzles take a long time. There’s this little animation whenever you clear gems from the screen that adds just fractions of a second to each turn. They really add up, however. Some people prefer this because the matches can be over so quickly in Challenge of the Warlords that you might as well not even play it. Lastly, there are a ridiculous number of save and load screens in Galactrix, which also adds to the time you spend sitting around bored

In fact, a lot of my complaints about both of these games seem to center around the fact that there is a happy medium that both somehow miss. The games go too quickly in Challenge of the Warlords but too slowly in Galactrix. Different puzzles types aren’t as accessible as they could be in Challenge of the Warlords but the frequency becomes an annoying in Galactrix.

Ultimately, I enjoyed the game play of Galactrix better but I enjoyed the ending of the other. I found myself skipping through some of the interactions in the game, so I actually made a decision that ended the game without my realization in Galactrix. The plot had fewer options in Challenge of the Warlords so I easily knew where to go and what to do and why (to defeat the boss). It’s a shame because I feel like the plot of Galactrix was slightly more interesting.

Neither Puzzle Quest game was perfect but neither was horrible, either (foreshadowing: they’re both amazing compared to II’s other title: Puzzle Chronicles). You can bet I’ll eventually pick up Puzzle Quest 2. Indeed, as soon as I publish this, I’m going to check out the new website.

Using auctions is pretty easy. If I want to sell, I usually use the search feature to find an item’s database listing then click “Sell it.” Doing so directs me to a page which allows me to specify stats, auction length and gives helpful information like the Average Asking Price and, with some items, this page will also tell you the Average Auto Win and
Average Reserve prices. I could have sworn some pages show the in-game NPC price but, if this is the case, it only shows for certain, standard items but I may simply be mistaken. Regardless, it’s easy to see how much you can expect to get and where to start the bidding. If you’d like to see more averages, Basil Market also has a price list page which lists selling prices for popular items.

It’s important to note that users have to set their server preference on the settings page so their auction and price searches are relevant to the servers they play on. As I use mostly Scania, this is handy but if you play across multiple servers frequently, this could be a hassle (unless you have multiple accounts which might just be easier).

Something else to keep in mind is that the price curves on Basil do tend to differ from the prices in game. In my experience, Basil is usually a better deal than buying something from the free market or a user randomly in game but not always.

Buying is also easy as I can simply search the auctions with the search bar. Auctions are also listed on specific items pages and I can navigate to those pages via a number of methods. What I really like is the wishlist; I can add items and all the active listings will show up on this page. However, I cannot view just a list of my wishlisted items because items no available do not automatically show up.

Either way, sellers and buyers have some nice options after items are put up (either can delete bids, sellers can end auctions early) but there are a few perks. The settings on Basil do not allow for e-mails when an auction has ended, whether you’re buying or selling. The only options are to receive and e-mail and/or Basil PM when you are outbid which is pretty weak IMO. You pretty much have to sign on every day to see when an auction has ended and I hope this is rectified soon.

The biggest downfall of Basil is that it only facilitates the agreement between users. It’s up to users to sign on, meet up and exchange goods which is frequently easier said than done, especially when you consider that many people have multiple characters or live in different time zones. I’ve had more than one auction fail to be completed because of this and more than a few headaches when I tried to track multiple characters for one seller.

This wouldn’t be a problem if users could view the auctions after a week (7 days) so they could attempt to complete the auction. However, after this point, the auctions simply disappear from one’s list and users are no longer able to provide feedback. I have completed some auctions after they expired but was not able to give or receive feedback for it which just plain sucks. It would be nice if users had a little more time or if auctions were somehow archived, even if the ability to give feedback was unavailable because the only way you can even know what the auction terms are is if you write them down or save them elsewhere.

Still, I’ve completed many auctions through Basil Market. It’s helped me get some items I never would have found in and for decent prices as well as empty inventory and make more money than I would if I simply tossed or sold an item to an NPC.

Basil’s other features are equally as impressive but a bit harder to get a hang off. I frequently visit the forums and use the guides posted there but the set up is confusing. Topics which are not pinned quickly slip to the end of the list. They may be found via search but just glancing through the list often proves futile. In general, I have come to view the forums as something which lacks permanence and make new topics instead of spending a bunch of time looking for them.

One of the features I do not use but many do is the ability to add friends to a friends list and chat with them via Basil IM, a bar which shows up on the bottom of the screen. (Settings can be changed for this as well). I think it’s a generic script that I’ve seen used on other sites but it does seem to work well with the other aspects of Basil Market.

I’ll admit, I rarely use anything under the “Classes” tab. There are links to information about class specific skills, guides and items but I just search the forums or item database for that information instead. The items database is grouped by class and common items with a page for new items and a guide to making items with the item maker skill. I frequently use this section to get a feel for the items I will want for my characters depending on their class and levels.

The monsters database I use less frequently, simply because I prefer the listing on MapleTip (if only they were updated!) but groups monsters by level, event or boss. Individual monster pages show information like HP, MP, speed and mesos along with item drops but Basil Market lacks a list of locations, sadly.

The general Maplestory tab includes listings (ads for parties, friends et cetera), guides (which users can post to the forums), videos and screenshots which players can contribute, a Gachapon List (I couldn’t even begin to tell you the purpose of this) and a search feature to find friends by server, job and/or level. This miscellaneous items are helpful but I frequently find myself not realizing Basil has feature X or just forgetting about it.

In fact, although many of Basil’s features are displayed on the main page, there is simply so much content there that I never look at it. This means I miss the newest items, listings, forum posts, screen shots and videos. I’m not even sure what the “Maple blog” is but it seems to be updates from Mr Basil (the site admin, I guess. The profile pages need work to include an “About Me” blurb) about game and site topics. Frankly, the tiny text and cramped layouts often hinder my usage of Basil Market. There’s just so much to take in at all times that it’s easy to miss stuff.

I know there’s a whole team of people who work to ensure Basil runs smoothly and I appreciate that. It’s an insanely popular site (when MapleStory goes down unexpectedly, Basil’s servers slow to a snail’s pace!) and not every preference can be addressed but there are many good suggestions in this thread that have never been addressed and definitely should be. Nevertheless, it’s still the best alternative to buy and sell items in Maplestory, gets answers to questions and connect with other players that I cannot imagine not using it (and only grumble minimally when the ads ignore my pop up blocker).

Unlike actual Nexon cash cards, the $20 Ultimate Game Card can be used with games such as Runescape, Silkroad and Trickster Online. It’s also pretty ugly but that’s pretty inconsequential. ;) And, unlike a regular cash card, one does not simply go to the regular page to add a card to one’s account. Instead, I had to go through the process of selecting NX (Nexon’s currency) and then use the Ultimate Game Card as payment by selecting PayByCash. I was then taken to the PayByCash site which allows me to choose a payment method, including the Ultimate Game Card as well as these other methods:

• Cash (through the mail) – US Dollars
• Money Order or Cashiers Check by Mail
• Moneybookers
• BOKU – Pay by Mobile (Mobillcash)
• Western Union QuickPay
• WebMoney Transfer
• TravelersExpress MoneyGram

After entering my information and card number, the process was complete and I was directed back to the Maplestory site. The amount loaded into the cash shop immediately and easily. However, I had to go through the process twice because I bought a $20 card and the Maplestory site only has options for $5, $10, or $30 increments. This meant I got 4 e-mails (2 for each transaction, one from Nexon and one from PayByCash). Regardless, I now have a cute white tiger to pick up my Mesos and help me get rich.

I was surprised at the extra steps it took to redeem the card and this might be confusing for some if they don’t take the time to read the instructions on the back (I didn’t at first) but I’d probably buy the Ultimate Game Card again in the future.

At its core, Scribblenauts is about solving puzzles to get Starlites but what makes it different form your generic PuzzleAdventure2000 is how you do it. At the beginning of each stage, you are given a goal and an overview of the people, places and things in the stage with a suggestion of how many items it should take to complete (par). You can play in either Puzzle or Adventure Mode. In Puzzle Mode, the starlight drops as soon as you complete a goal. In Adventure Mode, the Starlite is in the screen but there are obstacles between it and you.

Essentially, you conjure up items (or people) with something akin to a handy-dandy notebook. These items can be used to climb, build, break, attack, chase, cover, transport, carry and more. It is the specific items you use which make Scribblenauts a unique experience for every player. The title screen is a great, interactive example of this. You can use the notebook to see what sort of items exist and let them roam around freely to see how they interact with you, other people and/or items; this also unlocks bonus backgrounds for the screen. Lots of people have toted the fun of the title screen alone and I think that says a lot about the concept of Scribblenauts.

Of course, there are limits to what you can conjure. No people (like Oprah), profanity or trademarked things so that means no Batman or Scooby Doo. Zombies, witches and aliens are all fair game, however. So are cats, dogs and any other animal you can think of (plus some you’ve never heard of). Additionally, they have certain breeds of animals; I can bring to life my own little Russian Blue and pretend it’s Phantom. You can conjure vague items like to see what it makes. “Furniture” makes a chair, I believe, while “vehicle” gives you the same little red car as “car”. Unfortunately, there is some overlap with items. Some of the people you can conjure are the same as other entries but, overall, the dictionary is immense. I am continually surprised by the sheers number of items I can use so the possibilities really are endless.

Which leads me to my next point. Although you can get through the stages using some of the same objects repeatedly (rope seems to be one I find myself using frequently and when I get lazy, I just kill enemies), you can earn more points (ollars, which can be spent at the Ollar Store for avatars or background music) or merits (achievement badges) by doing things uniquely. Using the same type of item, completely different items, killing all the characters or befriending all the characters can all result in different point combinations and ratings. In fact, once completed you can replay the stages to attempt to solve it in a completely different way than you first did.

This means a whole lot of time can be spent (wasted?) on Scribblenauts. I think it would make a great game to play while waiting for someone/thing. On the other hand, the individual stages are all rather short so it’s easy enough to squeeze one or two if you have only a little time on your hands and because all the stages are generally unrelated, it’s easy to stop whenever you have to.

As you can guess, the focus on items means this game doesn’t have amazing graphics. They’re small, cute and generally cartoonish without a whole lot of detail. There’s enough detail that you can tell an iris from any other flower but don’t expect the realism that many console games have come to portray as of late. Of course, you don’t really expect that from game made specifically for Nintendo DS (the game does depend mostly on use of the stylus), either.

There are a couple downfalls to the focus on what I call the “item dictionary”. First there doesn’t seem to be as much thought put into what the objects actually do; sometimes they act in bewildering and frustrating ways but sometimes this helps to promote creativity. For instance, a mechanic didn’t fix a car and a beekeeper was afraid of bees. You can use the stylus to move objects and can rotate them to a certain extent but some objects just do not behave true to life.

Secondly, your character (which starts out as a boy named Max but I’ve changed my avatar since then) moves in awkward ways. The controls are a little clumsy sometimes and there’s a tendency for your character to knock stuff over and get stuck which makes it necessary to repeat the stage. However, this is a minor drawback to everything else Scribblenauts brings to the plate.

While Scribblenauts might look like a child’s game initially, I was surprised by how complex some of the puzzles are and how creative I had to be to solve them. Even Ryan agreed. Yet, sometimes things really are as simple as they look! I would recommend Scribblenauts to just about anyone who is a fan of puzzle games and has a little time to spare.