Amateur Review - Final Fantasy VI for iOS

A few days ago I decided to purchase Final Fantasy VI for iOS. I had played the original US version, Final Fantasy III, on my neighbor's Super Nintendo and I never got a chance to finish this game. So when I had some spare funds available I decided to buy this app for my iPad 2.

Instead of starting with the usual stuff like what's great with the app, I will start with the things that changed, and things I don't really like so far. Here we go.

First off, movement controls weren't translated well to iOS. That's because I don't have an external controller, and I have no plans of getting one. The default 8-axis controls were hard to use because I have a fat thumb. I switched to the 4-axis controller, and things improved somewhat.

What's annoying with the movement controls is anywhere you tap on the iPad that's where the center pops up, so if I place my thumb near the lower left corner, the left and down axis is usually unavailable. If you ask me I would have fixed the control stick in a specific place so that you don't start accidentally moving in another direction if you accidentally reset the position of the controls.

See that "control stick" and how clunky it is?

Yep, still annoying.

The battle UI is also an issue for me, as some buttons are spaced all over the screen. The back button changes location depending on the attack or spell selected. The "select all" when casting magic was almost hidden from my view the first time I used magic. And scrolling through the various moves a character can do in combat is sometimes clunky. Targeting is also an issue when I try tapping on the opponent instead of scrolling through their names. I tap on an opponent and another opponent gets targeted. Annoying but I can live with it. Perhaps this game will translate better on iPad Minis, although I can't afford to prove this theory right because iPad minis are goddamned expensive.

Buttons are scattered across the screen.

The names of a lot of spells, attacks, and others have changed as well. Instead of the classic "Cure 1" to "Cure 3" names, it's now "Cure" and "Cura." I haven't unlocked level 3 cure yet, but I'm guessing it's something like "Curaga" if it's anything like the newer Final Fantasy games. I guess they were standardizing to the more modern spell names found in, if I remember right, Final Fantasy VII onwards.

It used to be "Cure 1," "Cure 2," and "Cure 3."

Another name change was Cyan's Swordtech, now known as "Bushido." The moves now have new names too. Sabin's Blitz attacks also have new names, or at least "Aura Blast" is now known as "Aura Cannon."

The sprite graphics have been updated as well, though if you ask me I would have preferred the original sprites used in the SNES version. I do see some inconsistencies with the art, because some enemies don't look as sharp as the newer sprites.

Portraits and sprites were redone, the environment looks like the original.

So far those are the only complaints I have. Now let's talk about the things I like about the game. Three things, actually.

Number one, it's a nostalgia trip. Like I said, I first played this game on SNES. We even customized the character names to our names, and I got Setzer and Shadow. Now I'm just keeping the names default. And I can still remember some of the hidden passages in the game.

Number two is the music. It's still the same music, and I'm glad they didn't do any revisions to the original sound. I love the midi style music.

Number three is the art. During my first job an officemate of mine introduced me to the art of Yoshitaka Amano, who did concept art for FFVI. Seeing the characters and their portraits again made me appreciate Amano's art even more.

So in closing, is Final Fantasy VI for iOS worth the USD15.99? Yes, definitely. For someone like me who played the original game and who hasn't finished it yet, I think it's a great purchase. I can play this game anytime on a very portable system, plus the storyline is so well written that you won't really be able to finish this game in a short time, and that's not including grinding levels.

For those in my age group who've played this before, get it for the nostalgia trip. For those who have never played this, get it. You'll be surprised how an excellent story trumps the best graphics anytime. And that's why I love Final Fantasy VI (and Fallout 1 and 2) because the story gets you involved.

Out.

Amateur Review - Mitsuyado Sei-Men

July 14, 2014 — My mom wanted to treat us to dinner at this ramen place she was raving about. Boy was I glad we ate there. The name of the place? Mitsuyado Sei-Men.

According to my mom, this place became known because of this cheese tsukemen dish they serve. What is tsukemen? Apparently it's ramen that is served separately from the broth. So it's sort of like dipping the noodles in the broth before you eat it.

The restaurant's facade

The inside of Mitsuyado Sei-Men reminded me of some ramen places in Japan. They have this old school look. I'd go so far as to say the decor made it look like a "classy carinderia"  for lack of a better term.

The decor inside the restaurant

There were also tons of decor from Japan. So there really is a great Japanese vibe to the restaurant. Now that we've established the ambience, how would the food fare?

The decor inside the restaurant

Mom got some chicken karaage and gyoza for starters. They were pretty decent, not that great. Personally, I think it wasn't a good idea to get the side dishes for the simple reason that the portions of the dishes were huge. The karaage and gyoza were just extra calories. I'm not saying they tasted bad, they were okay. I've had better, and I've definitely had worse.

Chicken Karaage and Gyoza for starters

Then came my main course - Jumbo Chashu Tsukemen. This is my first time ever eating tsukemen. I never bothered to try it in Japan. What can I say about my dish? It was great. The chashu was "fork tender" and almost disintegrated if manhandled with the chopsticks.

The broth was salty but not overpowering. You could still taste the other ingredients in the broth, and they complement the chashu strips and the cold noodles. Yes, I chose to have cold noodles per the recommendation of our server. And it was definitely a good call, since the broth was relatively hot. The broth was so good I finished it up with the spoon you can see in the lower right of the picture below. I don't think you're supposed to do that, but the broth was that damn good.

Jumbo Chashu Tsukemen (regular size) for me

So would I go back there again? Absolutely. I saw a couple of items in the menu that I would love to try next time (I'm looking at you, curry ramen). The price was a bit on the high side, but it was definitely worth it. The taste was good, the service was decent, and the portions didn't leave me feeling like they skimped on ingredients like a certain ramen place we went to before.

Finally, do I have some complaints about the place? Yes. One, they don't have service water. They do have service cold tea, though. Two, the ceiling aircon drips. I had a drop splatter on my menu once, then again on my arm after I moved to the side a bit to avoid it. So if you're not careful or aware, you could be slurping on aircon drippings. I hope I didn't.

Those two faults I saw were pretty minor, well not really the second one. If that gets worse it could be an issue for other diners.

In closing, despite the two minor annoyances I would definitely recommend Mitsuyado Sei-Men to anyone who likes ramen. The food was good, the portions were decent, and the ambiance was nice. Just don't sit under the aircon vents.

For those of you interested in trying the place out, I took a picture of their address. Here you go:

Here's their address in case you want to visit

Out.

Amateur Review - Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen at SM Aura

Today was Martina's Moving Up Day. After her school event we decided to go to SM Aura to celebrate and do the groceries. We decided to have lunch at Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen.

(Author's note: Martina's moving up day had some heavy snacks I ate. Then while waiting for Maica to finish her second class Martina and I had Starbucks. I was feeling pretty full when we arrived at the restaurant.)

Upon arriving I immediately notice the paper placemat.

Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen's placemat has a handy "how-to-eat-ramen" guide

Maica ordered the Miso Tonkotsu Ramen, and I ordered the Ajitama Tonkotsu Ramen. Martina and her Yaya Jill had the chicken karaage and extra rice.

Maica was starving, I was (unfortunately) full when we arrived

Here's a photo of my order. Sadly my order didn't look like the one in the menu. I was really disappointed that one of the ajitama eggs had no yolk, and the other was swimming face down in the broth - like a dead Jason Bourne at the end of Bourne Ultimatum.

Ajitama Tonkotsu Ramen I ordered

I wasn't in the best of moods, since I was feeling sleepy, but the ramen was surprisingly good. Enough to wake me up. The broth was good, the chashu was tasty, and the ajitama egg was, well, disappointing. Maybe it's because I've tasted ajitama eggs in Japan (sorry for the humblebrag). Anyway, my order was good, taste-wise. The noodles I chose were firm, as recommended by our server, and I think it fit in well with the soup.

One good thing about reading the placemat before eating was seeing the advice how to enjoy the ramen. I added ground sesame seeds in my broth and mixed in some of the pickled ginger. The sesame seeds and ginger made the ramen taste even better. I told Maica to add some to her Miso Tonkotsu and she also agreed that it improved the flavor.

Pickled ginger, chicken karaage, and some crayons for Martina

Overall we had a good experience in Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen. The place was clean, the food was good, and the service was okay. Expect to pay around Php500.00 per head (including service charge) for one order with drinks. Maybe a bit more since we didn't order drinks.

Group shot of the food we ate

Finally, would we go back there again? Not really. There's a reason why we never ate at Ikkoryu Fukuoka Ramen whenever we went to SM Aura. And that reason was Yabu. There are other reasons why we will have a hard time going back. Like Lugang Cafe, and that other ramen restaurant that opened beside Yabu.

I'm not saying don't eat there. Please, try it out. I wouldn't mind eating there again. But I also wouldn't go out of my way to eat there again.

Out.

Amateur Review - Saboten Serendra

March 8, 2014

Maica and I decided to have dinner at Saboten in Serendra. Good thing we arrived around 6pm because when we left a long line had formed outside. But I'm getting too fast here.

The place was well lit, and the prices looked reasonable. The only gripe I had with the menu is that instead of giving metric measurements for the portions they have the usual "small, medium, and large" so I have no idea how heavy the katsus were.

Took a pic of the restaurant's name in case I forget

Saboten gives customers the usual shredded cabbage and the sesame seeds that you grind before pouring the tonkatsu sauce. One bonus with the shredded cabbage is they also include slices of radish and a pickled vegetable I can't identify. I just love having the salad with the ponzu (or was it yuzu?) sauce. I have a couple of servings, and our shredded cabbage, pickles, and radish was replenished twice.

The usual katsu place "gimmick" - grind sesame seeds then pour on the sauce

My meal arrived in quick fashion. I was excited to try out the tonkatsu I got. Of course, before digging in, I decided to take a picture of my meal.

My dinner - large tenderloin tonkatsu

The tonkatsu was amazing. It was very, very tasty. And it was also very tender. I would go so far as to say as it was melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was delicious even without the sauce. I usually taste the tonkatsu by itself before I pour the sauce to see how good it is, and believe me... It. Was. Fucking. Delicious.

Just take a look at the quality of the katsu

Maica had a mixed platter. But from what she said, the portions were just right and the taste was also good.

Maica's dinner - a mixed set

My conclusion? Saboten is now the best tonkatsu I've had in the Philippines. Yes. Even better than Yabu. There, I said it.

Better in taste, in price, in bang-for-the-buck. I am definitely going back there to try the other variations of tonkatsu, just to see how well it stands against Yabu.

Out.