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GeekNights 090107 - KO Century Beast
Tonight on GeekNights we review the '90s OAV, KO Century Beast. In the news, there's a new vocaloid character, and the Read or Die director is making a movie.
Scott's Thing - Kill the Monthly
Rym's Thing - How to take a shower at RIT
Scott's Thing - Kill the Monthly
Rym's Thing - How to take a shower at RIT
Comments
@Rym's thing, it's crucial that you watch that instructional video carefully .
I purchased this game back in November. I've been meaning to talk about it here, but I either forgot or was too lazy. I've only played a few a hours on this game, and my impressions so far is that the game is good for people already have a basic understanding of Japanese. Perhaps maybe a year because from what I've seen they don't really teach you about the basic articles of "wa" or "o". I have yet to also see any explanation of "ichi-dan" or "go-dan" verbs as well, however it could be in there in further lessons.
I've only studied Japanese for 2 years which was over 6 years ago. I was impressed that I still remembered and retained a lot of what I've learned and when I took the placement test in the game.
I think the oral part of the game is pretty cool. I like how you can record your own voice and compare what you said in Japanese with the instructor and see how well you did in pronunciation.
As for the writing, I find it a bit sub par. I do not like how they write "ki" or "sa". I was taught to not connect that bottom part character (the oval shaped stroke). If you lift your stylus just a little bit, it will count against you. There are a few others that don't separate the key strokes, so it takes some getting used to. I think it would have been better for them to have the actual character on the top screen showing the stroke order when you practice writing in Japanese instead of the phrase or word you are writing.
Overall the game is pretty cool, but for those who don't have a basic understanding or have taken any lessons in Japanese, it might be a bit more difficult.
However I think that if you play this game, and then go get real lessons afterwards, that you will have a decent head start. The game alone isn't enough to learn correctly from, but it will give you a nice outline that you can fill in with real learning at some later point in time.
I guess I can say that this game also helps for people who have already taken a few Japanese lessons, but didn't do anything after to help retain the information. If that makes any sense.
Also, the whack-a-mole game is stupid, imo.
@ Scott: Was it the lack of shower shoes that caused all your fungal infections?
Apparently, after you complete a certain number of lessons the game will open up all of the remaining lessons all at once. If you reach that point, you should be able to learn all sorts of different kanjis. It's very stupid. So is the word search game. As far as I'm concerned only the multiple choice, flash card, fading character, and write card games are of any use. The memory game is ok, but it's too annoying to try to remember where the cards are, and also try to remember translations at the same time. It would be better if there was no time limit maybe. I mostly concentrate on the multiple choice and flash cards for learning vocabulary. I use the fading characters for memorizing symbols and the write cards to test myself.
The game just told me that after lesson 30 there will be no more roman-ji. So if I can make it past that point, then the game is doing something right.
Also for those who are interested in game, using headphones or being in a fairly quiet room is a must. Try playing this game out in public = fail. However, it's mostly for when you pronounce the words and to hear how they are pronounced.
From the sounds of it, I'm going to have to find a copy of KO Beast. I think RightStuf put it out but it's not available on their site any longer.