Nintendo Switch Game Review: Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

After playing this game for 175 hours (and not even finishing the entire side quests haha), I beat it about a year ago? Haha I know that was a long time ago for me to actually create this post now but whatev. It's a beautiful game, obviously not without flaws, but still amazing and satisfying.

Here are some of my thoughts about this role-playing game:

1) The combat system was a bit confusing for me at first, to the fact that I basically played the first one third of the game without knowing most of the battle system (I mean this was my first JRPG, so maybe cut me some slack), but as I progressed through the story, I managed to comprehend everything and from then on, the battles ran smoothly for me. The driver arts, chain attacks, driver combos, element orbs, there are lots to take into account, but they're all parts of the learning process. Once I knew all the battle system, the game got even more interesting and fun! Plus, I got to be technical and created strategies to defeat my enemies.

2) Notwithstanding the fact that Switch is not as powerful as other game consoles, the graphics and designs of XC2 are really breathtaking, and since this is an open world game, you are able to explore various areas. I especially love Gormott and Leftherian Archipelago. I think each time I was tired of fighting, especially in areas which I wasn't fond of, I'd go back to Gormott and spent 15 minutes just enjoying the beauty of the area (and accidentally got killed by Level 81 Territorial Rotbart while at it). Anyway, kudos to the game designer!

3) The OSTs of XC2 are aurally fantastic. Each major area (or gamewise, known as titan) has its own theme that fits perfectly with the scenery, quests, and overall feelings of it. Listen to "Gormott (Day)" theme and tell me it doesn't evoke a spirit or adventuring into the unknown, which nails perfectly with the area? Also, "Counterattack" OST is LIT!!! I really love "The Tomorrow with You" OST. This plays almost at the end of the game and really it tugged my fragile heart. Seriously, Yasunori Mitsuda really packed a punch in his music for the game. Talking about audio, not a lot of games use British English accents as the characters' voices, so it is a pleasant surprise indeed. I know some people don't really like the voices of certain characters in this game, but I personally think they are charming, although yes, I do agree some characters (well, mostly Rex haha) need more emotions especially for some pivotal scenes.

4) The side quests for me are okay. Some side quests are fun, some are just meh... but well I did most of them hahaha just to pass time when I didn't feel like doing the main story. I think having more variations of the side quests would be great. There are also quests that you have to do to increase your level and go to the next chapter (hey, what's new?), so watch out for that. This include the Mercenary system in the game. The Heart-to-Heart scenes are a pleasant touch to the game as it improves the bond between the characters, thus improving their stats, but also for their fascinating and sometimes humorous short scenes.

5) The main story itself is incredible. Well, it might be a typical JRPG fare, but honestly, for me, it was a good story. The last part is especially emotional. I wish it could be a film haha. When the game ended and Monolith Soft logo appeared, I damn near cried, but I managed to hold my tears. Frankly, I wish I could go erase my memory of the game and go through it again. That's all I want to say.

6) The characters of the story are lovable and endearing. I found myself rooting for all of the characters, especially Rex and Pyra, though I am bias towards Mythra... and I also finally understand the meaning of "waifu" hahaha. Side characters also add to the charm of the story. Poppi the artificial Blade and its master slash creator, the nopon Tora are really funny. Nia was not my favourite character at first, but she kinda grew on me.

Some things that I think could be improved upon are the map because it is as confusing as hell! There were moments when I couldn't find some places for quite a long time and that frustrated me. Besides that, in the story, spoiler ahead, Mythra has this Foresight power, which was touched upon in the story. I wished it could be implemented in the game itself, but probably the battle system is a bit too much already I guess? Oh perhaps, next time, when teaching the battle system, more clarity should be provided hahaha.

Anyway, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is indeed an impressive piece of JRPG. Please let yourself be immersed in the beauty of this game. You'll end up wishing it is longer, even when it is already quite long. It is a world you want to live through again.

Parasitic Nature of Humans - A Review of the film Parasite

The film “Parasite” or in Korean, “기생충” (Gisaengchung), directed by Bong Joon-ho is a satire that is worth the watch. A great black comedy slash thriller in its commentary of the social and economic gaps between people of different social classes and within a similar social class, many issues arising amongst the characters in the movie have their roots due to these gaps. Here is my analysis and commentary of one of the questions brought up in the film. Mind you, I’m not going to explain the whole plot of the story (you can go to Wikipedia for that), but it’s safe to say, spoilers ahead.

Who are the real parasites?

The most obvious thing in the film is the disparity of wealth and the difference in social classes of the Parks (the rich family) and the Kims (the poor family), along with Moon-gwang and her husband, Geun-sae, who are even below the Kims. Living in a cramped and impoverished semi-basement, the prospect of working with the Parks is a way for the Kims to at least get enough money to slightly get away from their destitute living. As we watch the film, at first we see that the infiltration of the Park household by the Kim family members through their portrayals as skilled and qualified characters makes them seem to be the titular parasites of the film. We can see how they usurp the positions of the other staff of the house one by one through design and tactics, all to get a better life together.

The fact is the promise of money and a better life have clouded the Kim family of their humanity, treating their fellow working-class people as nothing but hindrance in their target of getting money. They start to bask in the glory of richness, treating the house as their own home when the Parks are gone for a family outing. In their minds, they imagine a life far beyond poverty. The con committed by the Kims would seem to be a tell-tale sign that they are the titular parasites as they manipulate and exploit their affluent employers through various aspects, all when their employers pay their wage for their services. They are supposedly symbols of low-class workers not caring about what they do in order to get ahead in life…

…but that would be a misguided view of the film.

The rich Parks are, by their very nature, parasites as well. Their richness has caused them to be detached from the reality of life. A heavy downpour one night causes flood in Kims’ semi-basement house, effectively destroying many of their belongings, but for the Mr Park Dong-ik and and his wife, Choi Yeo-gyo, it only cancels their camping trip for their son’s birthday. Add to that, Mrs Park comments how the rain cleans the air for their enjoyment, not realising that her household workers are displaced by the flood. The Parks’ comfortable life is also highly dependent on and aided by the Kims (and their former household workers). Director Bong Joon-ho has stated that the Parks are parasites in terms of labour. They can’t even wash dishes or drive themselves, so they leech off the poor family's labour. The dependency on their employees is even apparent as they don’t even check the backgrounds of their workers and only depend on words of mouth. This can be seen when Ki-jung, the daughter of the Kim family suggest a replacement for the chauffeur (who is fired due to Ki-jung’s manipulation), she gives a fake company card and recommends her father (although obviously this is not to be divulged). A proper person would have check the company and the background of the driver first, but Mrs Park does not do that. One could say she trusts her staff but is it really a hard thing to basically examine things first? In fact, throughout the story, it is shown that Mrs Park does not really play a role as a homemaker or a proper mother to her children. Meanwhile, Park Dong-ik is away with work almost all the time, only to come back at night.

So, who are the real parasites? Undeniably, the two families are entangled in a bond of a parasitic nature – each sucking the marrow of life from another. The Kims, facing poverty, are of course trying their best to ensure that they are free from all the troubles that follow poverty. Thus, they need the Kims to buoy them from drowning under poverty and fight uncertainties every day in getting scraps to keep themselves alive. The Parks, of course think they are good employers and wouldn’t think twice about the salaries given to their staff as long as they do their work well. This also means they feed off their workers (sometimes in ways that are problematic to the staff) and expect them not to go beyond the invisible line that divides the social class.

As much as the film portray both of them as parasites, all of them are not inherently depicted as heroic or villainous. The Kims are grateful to receive large wages from the Parks, while the Parks (although still in the bubble of ignorance far detached from real life issues and keeping noticeable socially crafted distance from their employees) are still quite good employers. All of them have dubious behaviours and do things for the sake of their wellbeing. They all have flaws, and the flaws come from their places in life. They are reflections of today’s society in which people get one thing or two from one another in order to move ahead and gain advantages. The rich has always been in need of the services from the lower class people, and the poor use the rich people to get money and goods through their employments. The social roles of these people have been preserved for aeons and will continue to go on. In our society, 

It is easy to blame only one party on being parasites, but we need to accept that parasites sometimes don’t have to look malicious.

Have a Heart

Artwork given to me by Laura Melissa Williams

We hate because we are taught to hate.

Here’s the thing, not all of us face racism in the same way. We might not be able to fully grasp or understand the severity of racism against people who are different than us. I’d dare say that sometimes, we might even go through our lives without worrying whether any racial issue affect us or not, but that doesn’t mean we should be silent.

Racism is a universal issue. In fact, many racial issues in the United States (and other countries) are similar or almost similar to the ones at home, which proves that where the issues happen just does not matter. Instead of staying silent, we should take time to reflect and analyse their impacts and similarities on the racial problems of our own country. Use them as a mirror to examine our system, behaviours and attitudes. Have we had racist tendencies? Have we shown discriminatory behaviours towards people of different ethnicities? How can we be better? How do we advocate for a better environment for everyone? What direct actions can we do to ensure justice?

Expressing our thoughts and opinions against racism is not a mindless thing to do, and we (especially the new generations) have to amplify those thoughts to make them heard across various communities. Let’s inform ourselves of the issues and strive to prevent occurrences of racism, big or small from happening in our home. Let’s face it, I don’t believe that racism will ever disappear, but we can help to reduce it. If you think that not caring about racism in other countries has nothing to do with us, you are being complicit towards injustice, oppression, and violence in your own nation.

Don’t be ignorant, don’t be apathetic, don’t use our privileges just for our personal sakes, don’t be complacent, don’t be quiet.

Especially if we are teachers (I am one of them). We do make mistakes in our lives. They did, you did, I did. We all did mistakes. Don’t make being hushed in racial issues and discrimination one of those faults. Within the four walls of our classrooms, we could magnify the voice of people who are oppressed due to their skin colours. Teach our pupils to be sensitive. Teach our pupils to see beyond their own bubble of safety and privilege, teach our students to view things with open minds and proper analysis. Most importantly, show them that they can be the catalysts of changes, that their opinions matter, and they have the opportunities to make Malaysia a better country for everyone.

To end this post, I’ll say this humble opinion of mine – even if the only person you are capable to stop from having racist tendencies is yourself, that's good. We need less racists in this world. We need people who try to bridge the differences and diversity amongst people and celebrate who we really are as humans. Sometimes, we can't guide other people due to circumstances that are against our way, but if we are learning to stay vigilant, be knowledgeable and informed, and take actions on our own for our own selves, that is a commendable thing.

We hate because we are taught to hate, but we could learn to love.

"...a white has no superiority over black, nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action."
(The last Sermon of Prophet Muhammad)

"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
(Matthew 22:39)

I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.

(Martin Luther King, Jr.)