Level Up! Seize the Experience!

My June issue of Nintendo Power announced yet another RPG coming for the DS, Nostalgia. Apparently the game was designed with the spirit of the older games constantly downloaded on the Wii’s Virtual Console in mind. The story is an alternate historical universe set in the 19th century. The game takes you through real regions such as London and Egypt, but it still has the fantasy element of magic that most RPG gamers (like me) crave.

The article starts off saying that the game is reminiscent of Indiana Jones, and as I read through the game synopsis and elements, I could not agree more. The game starts off with an adventurer swooping in and rescuing a damsel in distress, hauls her to his airship, but the airship crashes and the adventurer winds up missing. It’s up to his son and the rescued damsel to find out what happened to him. Along the way, they’ll use airships, magic, and discover artifacts and lost worlds. There is even a screenshot of a character running from a giant, rolling boulder.

A fantasy-based Indy game? SIGN ME UP!

Scheduled release is currently set for September of this year. I hope I can speedily finish Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days so I can quickly get my hands on this potential gem.

I played Phantom Hourglass while on the plane back from Seattle, and well, I haven’t really put it down. I thought I was nearly done when I found the Ghost Ship last night, silly me. In true Zelda fashion, that is really only the START of my journey. I should have known I couldn’t finish a Zelda game with the original sword. Also there is that whole thing about freeing the Ocean King. I hadn’t done that either, so I should have realized that saving Tetra wasn’t ever really my goal.

So my conundrum is this. I’m almost done with Lost Odyssey. In all honesty, I could finish it tonight. I know where the final boss is and I have the equipment to face him. I just have a few more areas to explore, which I’m sure have sidequests. My most recent goal with Lost Odyssey is to finish it by the end of April, and I don’t have much of April left.

But, but, but…

I’m having so much fun with Phantom Hourglass that I don’t want to put it aside for Lost Odyssey. Damn that Link with his cel-shaded goodness, puzzles, and addictive mini-games. Curse you forever!

Or maybe just after I finish Phantom Hourglass…

I went to Seattle this past weekend for Sakura Con (which by the way, had a cosplayer dressed up as cross-dressing Cloud! Best costume ever!!) and I brought along my DS for the four hour flight and for any downtime I had at the con. Good thing I did it pack it, because I sat in lines far more often than I thought I would. I know I’m in the middle of Phantom Hourglass, but I wasn’t in a Zelda mood. It’s also difficult at times to just simply stop playing Zelda. If I’m in a dungeon and I save and quit, I’ll be kicked back to the beginning.

So I tried out Final Fantasy III, which kind of breaks one of my New Year’s resolutions, but that’s a blog for a different post. For starters, the quick save feature makes the game far more interruption friendly. If anyone is looking for a good game to play while waiting in lines, this one is it.

I’m only three hours into the game, but I’m liking it so much better than any Final Fantasy game I’ve played before. 1) My spikey protagonist doesn’t get stuck. 2) The NPCs actually give decent hints as to where you’re supposed to go next. 3) I’m starting to really dig traditional turn-based combat, which this game happens to feature. I think the graphics style looks a bit like the Tactics branch games, and I’m not that fond of the cutesy style. But so far, that’s all I have to complain about.

But like I said, I’m only 3 hours in, and I have at least ten times that to go.

When I heard word about Nintendo’s latest handheld, I was instantly not interested. So the screens are a little wider and it has a camera. I have a digital camera and a camera-phone, so not really caring. On top of that, it doesn’t have a GBA slot, and I still have GBA games to play.  So if I got the DSi, it wouldn’t replace my current DS. Yep, still not interested.

But then Nintendo announced DSi only games. And downloadable games like Wiiware. My interest piqued, but not enough. So then the bastards at Nintendo had to announce a Kingdom Hearts-themed DSi in time for Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days’ release. So far it’s a Japan-exclusive, but I have a feeling it will make it’s way over here. Remember my post about the collector’s mentality? When this hits our shores, I’m screwed. I will want this like I’ve wanted no other handheld, even though the design isn’t as classy as the designs for the Legend of Zelda-themed or Nintendogs-themed DS. (I’m still a little miffed that I never bought the LoZ DS. I failed as a LoZ collector.)

I shall pray that I will stay strong.

Avalon Code intrigues me for one reason: I won’t be saving the world, I’ll be rewriting it. I’ve been saving the world too much lately. It’s time to just accept that it’s going to be destroyed in one form or another and rebuild.

January’s Nintendo Power originally turned me on to the game, but then I read Amazon.com’s description (which by far beats both NinPow’s and Nintendo.com’s):

• “Plot changes based on the player’s choice of either a male or female lead character, who can regardless make enemies, alienate friends, and even fall in love.
• Unique item creation and alteration system through the mysterious Book of Prophecy.
• Developed in conjunction with top teams associated with Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy IV and the Harvest Moon and Rune Factory series.
• Highly detailed characters, landscapes and monsters fuel the addictive nature of capturing different monsters to complete your book’s collection.
• An immersive storyline in which players can lose themselves at a moments notice.”

From the first bullet point, I already have a reason to play the game more than once. It’s very rare (for me) to want to play an RPG more than once, no matter how much I liked it, because of the amount of time the typical RPG takes. Case in point, Kingdom Hearts. It’s one of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite, and I haven’t had the strength, time, or desire to play it again. It’s going to be the exact same story; the only reason I would have to play it again would be to try to defeat all of the extra bosses, even though they all made me chuck my controller at walls in rage. I think the only one I’ve tried to play more than once was Fable 2, and that’s because I played the first round as a goody-goody and I’m ready to be evil.

Your character is supposed to decide what will go in the next world by recording it in the Book of Prophecy, so I wonder if that’s another way to change how the plot goes. So are there a plethora of worlds I can possibly create? So intrigued!

I’m supposed to finish Phantom Hourglass first, as that is part of my New Year’s Resolutions, but I don’t know if I can resist buying a handheld RPG. I may be on a plane a lot this year, and the DS is a perfect companion.

These aren’t two different covers for the same soundtrack; they are two completely different soundtrack compilations for The World Ends with You video game. Both provide songs from the video game, but each presents them differently. Either way, you’re in for a musical compilation totally different from any other video game soundtrack out there. Its closest comparison: Katamari Damacy. Or I should say, the only soundtrack with possibly weirder and well, more different music is Katamari Damacy.

The black album was released before the game even was.  It contains 35 tracks of tunes directly taken from the video game, presented in the order the game presents them, no less. Want the hip hoppy tune heard while shopping for swag? This one has it.

So why even look at the silver album? Well if you’re a die hard fan. Duh. Or if you’re like me, a completionist with a collector’s mentality. Can’t do things in halves.

The silver album has 19 tracks of complete songs, a couple of them repeated for live versions. The game cuts up most of the songs and remixes them for a slight techno flair, and this collection has all of the songs in their original format.

Do I recommend one over the other? It depends what you’re looking for. If you want tracks directly from the game, buy the black album. If you like some of the songs from the black album enough to want to hear all versions of them, pick up the silver album. It’s hard to recommend buying just the silver album alone, unless you liked only a few of the songs from the game and can live without some of the random tracks, such as the tunes from the start up menu, phone menu, or shops.

But either soundtrack will fulfill your random desire for hip-hop/techno beats mixed in with a little J-pop. The game doesn’t have an orchestral score, so don’t expect to find one here either.

It’s just been a Kingdom Hearts day for me today. I about fell over myself in glee when I found out yesterday that the next Kingdom Hearts game, 358/2 Days (pronounced “358 by 2 days,” something that will apparently make sense during gameplay) will be released in the US on August 31, 2009. So imagine my demeanor when I learned Gamestop is taking preorders. I’ve been waiting for Amazon to announce the preorder — I mean, why wouldn’t they? They’ve had the Final Fantasy XIII preorder up since last year and the game won’t hit the shores until 2010 now — but it’s been silent. So screw them; Gamestop gets my business. I need to look into if they will let me pick it up at the store so I can get it on the day of release, but other than that, everything is set.

Then the mail comes in today, and in it arrives Reward Zone gift certificate for $25 for Best Buy. Always so very happy to get those in the mailbox. I hadn’t picked up my copy of Kingdom Hearts Re: Chain of Memories for the PS2 yet, so it was time to rectify that and keep my KH day going. However, I’m not sure when I’ll get around to playing it. I’ve beaten the original game, and I (sadly, yes) imported the Japanese PS2 version when it first came out because there was no word on the game coming to the US. I’ve played that version without understanding a word being said about halfway through the Sora-side of the game, and then quit when I got sick of leveling up. Running through all of the floors again and again just to level up was annoying on the GBA, so imagine how annoying it is doing it again and in a different language. The 3D effects doesn’t make it any more enticing.

So why did I bother picking up yet another version of the game? I have a collector’s mentality, so I couldn’t leave this gap in my Kingdom Hearts collection open. I probably will play it eventually and I’m sure I’ll finish it eventually, just probably not as quickly as I finished the original game. Although, seeing the cut-scenes (and in English, no less!) may be a bit of a motivation factor. I should make it a priority to complete before the next game comes out, but my stack is large enough as it is, not to mention I made a New Year’s resolution to complete Twilight Princess before the year’s end.

Can I yammer on about blah blah blah for sentences and sentences? Yes! Yes, I can!

Wordiest. Guide. EVER. When I want a walkthrough, I’d like a “go here and do this” and the end. Not a “go here and do this and then this and this and this and this will happen,” including quoting actual dialogue. You don’t even need to play the game to follow the story. Just pick up the guide and read. It will tell you everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING you want to know. You won’t miss a thing.

Despite how much it tells you about the story, it forgets to mention a few things in the walkthrough, such as picking up all of the Extra Slot stickers, where/when to pick up the Tin Pin Versus sticker, and a vital tip about defeating the final boss. I’m not saying the guide never tells you where to find these stickers. The guide has very detailed appendices regarding Noise, pins, stickers, swag, food, and other items, so you can easily find out where and when to pick them up. However, since these items only open up during certain parts of the story, shouldn’t the walkthrough mention these either in the wordy paragraphs or in the objectives list in the beginning of each chapter?

Oh and that lack of advice for the final boss… GRRRR! I was so angry while playing, and then I got even madder when I couldn’t find the answers in the guide I paid for and had to look up my answers on the free internet. All I will say is if you’re fighting the final boss and you need some tips, don’t look to the guide. It fails to mention one thing that will replenish the boss’s HP bar. I think that’s a pretty important piece of advice. It’s not fun to keep trying new pins you’re unfamiliar with on a boss and trying new strategies over and over again just to watch the dragon’s health bar refill itself and you have NO idea what is causing it. My DS almost had a horrific death that night.

It’s not the worst guide I’ve ever had. It helped me with the Reaper Review (because I’m lazy) and gave good tips on finding pins. The advice on other bosses seemed pretty sound; they just dropped the ball on the final boss (which is kind of a big ball, personally).

Totally stealing this idea from another gaming friend, but that’s how all the good ideas are fostered, right?

This list most likely says that I didn’t play much in 2008, meaning that I didn’t play many games that were RELEASED in 2008, but I think I did fairly well especially with having a baby in May. I played almost everything I wanted to play that came out this year, except for Lost Odyssey. I need to make that a priority for 2009. It will help now that I have the Kingdom Hearts 2 monkey off of my back.

But without further adieu, here they are, my big gaming moments of 2008. Be forewarned, some spoilers are contained within.

1. Zack’s Last Stand - Crisis Core

Of course I knew how the game would end, but I wasn’t prepared for the incredibly long and beautifully executed ending sequence. At this moment, it is plainly drawn on Zack’s face that he knows he will not survive this attack. After everything he has been through, after everything he has done for Shinra, he will die at the hands of their army. I’m not sure I’ve seen a more powerful ending sequence, especially not one where you continue play as Zack in his futile attempts to take as many infantrymen down with him.

2. I thought I lost my dog - Fable 2

I can’t remember exactly where I was in the game, but I was in a cave with the Hero of Strength and these nasty, tough monsters were coming out of the woodwork, literally. No matter how many we killed, more materialized. When we finally found a way out, I bolted towards the exit. Upon surfacing, I realized that my dog was not with me. I panicked. Was he killed? Was he hurt? Did he get lost? Where was he??? I tried to go back into the cave, but the game wouldn’t let me. I sat still on the couch for a few minutes, not sure of what to do, but sure that I didn’t want to play anymore if my doggie wasn’t with me. Just as I decided to quit without saving and start over, my faithful pooch came limping out of the cave. The poor guy was injured and I didn’t see it at all in my haste to escape. I healed him and gave him a bunch of dog treats as my penance. Good boy… I won’t let anything happen to you ever again. Too bad I couldn’t stop you from getting shot in the head at the end of the game.

3.Trying to pawn off C-3PO’s head to Belloq - LEGO Indiana Jones

I had never played a LEGO video game before playing Indiana Jones, so I didn’t know exactly how silly the game would be. I found out rather quickly, from the very first mission Indy goes on in the Raiders of the Lost Ark chapter. When Indy escapes the Peruvian temple, he attempts to give Belloq C-3PO’s golden head instead of the golden idol. Belloq’s reaction was a real LOL moment.

4. Wait, I’m dead??? - The World Ends with You

Yes, I should have seen that coming, especially since there are Reapers in the Game, but I was still surprised. More surprised to learn Neku was dead than I was that Joshua was the Composer. Seriously, how cool would it be if the afterlife was like this?

Well I can’t leave out the DS in Nintendo Power’s big announcement for games coming in 2009, especially since the DS is getting quite a few role-playing games. At least it’s nice to know that Nintendo isn’t forsaking the genre too badly; they’re just shoving it onto the handheld, which makes sense as I’m sure more RPG fans own a DS than they own a Wii. Not everyone is as insane as I am.

Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride - Dragon Quest fans rejoice! Square-Enix is bringing over this gem to North America. This one takes the experience factor to the extreme: you play as the hero from childhood all the way to a family man.

Infinite Space - Yes, it takes place in space. NinPow calls it an “intergalactic strategy-RPG.” If you’ve ever wanted to command your own fleet of spaceships from the palm of your hand, look no further. Unfortunately, there is no quarter-release timeframe, only the announcement of to be released in 2009.

Avalon Code - You can’t stop the world from ending, only decided what is worth saving for the rebirth. Your trusty, trusty sidekick is a giant book of prophecy. I may pick this game up just for the interesting premise.

Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume - The key to this combat is arranging your characters for battle configurations. No really, that’s all it really says about it.

Suikoden: Tierkreis - NinPow claims that it keeps many of the signature elements from the past games, and it will be Wi-Fi enabled to share characters and go on additional sidequests.

Sands of Destruction - Here’s a twist for you. You aren’t out to save the world, you’re out to DESTROY IT.

Legacy of Ys: Books I & II - This is a remake of these two games with improvements to many game mechanics, such as cut-scenes, touch-based options, and an on-screen map, but it keeps some of its 80s roots, particularly in the soundtrack.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time - It’s a port of the Wii game. Or vice versa.

Mario & Luigi RPG 3 - The big news with this latest installment: Bowser may be a playable character.

Dragon Blue Plus - NinPow didn’t say anything about it other than the projected release date is March, and they offered a tiny screenshot. I can’t tell anything from it.