This monthly blog is brought to you by Hewlitt Packard and Windows 7. After 6 years of dedicated service, I have at last retired my PC and bought a new one. I usually build them myself, but systems have gotten really cheap and with the recent(?) shift to SATA from IDE, I can't cut costs by recycling old components. After some web browsing, I ended up in Best Buy purchasing an HP Athlon quad-core (2.6GHz) with 8GB of RAM and a 1TB hard drive. The graphics card is a little underpowered (512MB ATI 4359HD), but I'd have to put a bigger power supply in to upgrade it. I never bothered with Vista, so getting used to Windows 7 has taken some time. A lot of things are easier, but other things have been buried pretty deep or hidden entirely.

This monthly blog is not brought to you by Square Enix. After 10 years of buying pretty much every game Square put out, an issue with my FFXI has caused me to cease my support of the company. Back in June, after a year of inactivity I cancelled my account once again. So imagine my surprise when I see a charge for $80.90 from SE in my checking account. Someone had opened up all 16 character slots at a cost of $27.95/month and bought a $25 server transfer. Since they only bill at the beginning of the month I was hit for two months of charges. They could find no evidence of third-party access they would not refund the charges. Since the odds of someone randomly using my account number and brute forcing their way past my password without leaving a trace is pretty slim, I am left with the conclusion that the intrusion came from within Square Enix meaning I can no longer trust my personal information on their servers. I have asked to have this information deleted and to recoup my losses I have decided to purchase any future titles second-hand. Not much of a boycott, I suppose, but like I'm going to miss out on FFXIII just because they screwed me out of 80 bucks. At least I'll know that when they release their final sales numbers, they sold one less than they could have...

October Gain +1725 - 94 Achievements unlocked


October Gain - Level + 0 Trophies + 0


Backlog decreased by 1 in October

Rank 15 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard +2

Game spending vs. '08: Monthly -58% | Yearly -43 %
While I admit to holding off on all the DS RPGs, this fall still seems so quiet compared to recent years.

I never got into the 1st one and wasn't really expecting much out of this one, especially after the demo. I was pleasantly surprised by the finished product. The voices don't grate the ears, combat is quick (bosses excluded) and fun, and you have complete control over how you're characters develop their skills. Now if only the plot hadn't been pulled from the grand list of RPG cliches.
This one is pretty much on hold until I finish Dragon Age.
13:46 - Heading for the Wasteland of Silence
Juto 29/Crocell 28/Celestine 26/Argo 28

I enjoyed this so much on the 360 that I decided to grab the Game of the Year Edition and play through it again on my new PC. Actually, it was this game that finally forced me to get a new computer. When I bought it I didn't expect my old computer to run it well, but I figured with the graphics turned all the way down it might slug around just enough to be slightly playable. Instead I couldn't even get it to read the 1st install disc.
Anyway, an hour or so in and I'm in Rivet City deciding which quests I want to pursue.

This game was the subject of a fierce debate last year with a friend over the name of a character. The answer was fairly early into the game so we popped it in to settle the question. The argument was resolved in my favor and it was decided at some point in the future this fine game deserved another playthrough. That time has come.
7:20 - 8 Growth Stars
Serge/Leena/Greco - Hydra Marshes

A breath of fresh air after the disappointing Partners in Time. It is no coincidence that this coincides with Fawful's return to villain status.
18:09 - Peach's Castle
Mario 26/Luigi 26/Bowser 24

Dragon Warrior I
Level 20
The difference between levels 19 and 20 was amazing. DracoLord fell with little trouble this time.
Dragon Warrior II
Completed opening scene

Final Fantasy I
13:46 Lv 51 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Chaos defeated, game complete.
Final Fantasy II
02:36 Firion/Maria/Guy
The mission to Bafsk was a failure, guess it's back to Altair.

The first of five chapters, it won't take more than 4 hours or so to puzzle your way through the game. And the trip through was certainly worth it thanks to the hilarious dialogue. Well voiced with a rousing soundtrack and an ecclectic cast. The puzzles themselves weren't terribly difficult, though twice I found my thoughts moving in a different direction than the game required forcing trip to the FAQ. I will certainly be purchasing the complete set next year once the 5th episode is released. My score, slightly weighed down by a lack of replay value, is a 8.5.

My biggest complaint this series has slowly regressed as an RPG. In this game, the 4th entry, you're ability to influence characters at level up is down to nearly nothing. The boosts are nice, but you can only choose 3 of a hundred or so. Fusions as well, though they are extremely overpowered and really have no variety whatsoever. I don't mind more of the same, but this game's "improvements" went in the wrong direction. It has it's moments and might be worth a run or two for Marvel fans or those who enjoyed the previous titles, but overall it was a letdown. Here's hoping the inevitable sequel fixes what was broken. A 6.9.

Perhaps I'm biased towards Nintendo, but I just couldn't get into this game. While the early stages were fun at times, the later stages were just a pain in the arse, requiring pinpoint timing and a psychic ability to predict when offscreen enemies will suddenly attack. Sonic's greatest asset has always been his speed, but running anywhere is pretty much a death sentence. Most annoying was the artificial difficulty of the final stage where you were not even given a single ring to protect yourself with. Getting hit even once would send you back to the beginning of a back-to-back fight. Legions of fans swear by this game, but I can only see it as a relic of past best left there.

One genre that has not changed much over the years is the Strategy RPG. Select your units, and move them turn-by-turn across the map trying to exploit the weaknesses of the enemy. Valkryia Chronicles moves the genre ever-so-slightly forward by introducing a real-time aspect to the battlefield. As you advance your troops forward, the enemy units in range will begin shooting at you forcing you to use cover or find a way to slip behind them. Less realistic, though I certainly didn't mind, was the ability to select the same unit multiple times (with reduced movement). This was helped by tying the XP and base weapons to the troop type as opposed to the unit. No worrying about weaker units not getting the kill and the XP, you assign it at will amongst the five troop types. The main cast well voiced, though the scrubs sounded like they were phoning it in. Not that they were a part of the story at all. They each had their own idiosyncrasies, though it would take a trip to the encyclopedia to learn anything about them. The other aspect I didn't care for was basing the bonus XP and gold entirely on speed. This runs counter to my preferred slow and steady, wiping each unit out as I go and requires massive save file abuse to ensure that each move and shot proceeds exactly as planned. Missing is just not an option. Minor griping aside, the story is well told and I had a lot of fun with this. Highly recommended. It gets a 9.1 from me.

A first-person shooter wrapped in the trappings of a hack-n-slash RPG. An interesting combo and one that works quite well. It doesn't completely escape the repetiveness of the hack-n-slash; you are still killing lots of mobs, collecting loot, selling off the excess while grinding towards the next level, but the shift to FPS and need to aim does prevent the button mashing that most games turn into. The story is nothing special, the ending disappointing, and the bulk of the quests are offered through a bulletin board with no human interaction at all. some plot development would have been nice, but the core gameplay works well enough to more than make up for this. And it's even better when friends join in. 8.9 out of 10.

Tales of Monkey Islands Opening Theme
I had only only played Escape From Monkey Island once and very briefly so I wasn't sure exactly what I was getting when I started playing this, but the opening theme sure got me in the mood.

4 Pickups, 2 Additions, 1 Cancellation

Atlus and NIS America

RPG


Fallout: New Vegas

Non-RPG

More Monthly Blogs Here

Another fall is upon us, but unlike previous years this one feels a little underwhelming. I should be swimming in RPGs by now. With my focus on cost-cutting this year, I suppose I shouldn't be complaining too much and I did end up with a few more games than in previous months. Several of these games were downloads. I'm still on the fence with digital distribution. It's great in the short-term, but what happens if I want to play it in the future and the game won't verify me because the company I bought it from no longer exists. But price trumps reason and $5 a piece for Drakensang and Elven Legacy was good enough for me.
I enjoyed a week of vacation this month. While I had a few things I wanted to accomplish while off work, I managed to get none of it done. In fact all I really did was sleep and game. What an awesome week! I also refocused my gaming efforts back to my 360 RPGs that week, catching up with the Mass Effect and Fable II achievements and brought Sacred 2 back out.

September Gain +1915 - 48 Achievements unlocked


September Gain - Level + 0 Trophies + 0


Backlog increased by 1 in September

Rank 13 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard +7

Game spending vs. '08: Monthly -51% | Yearly -40 %
While I picked up a few more games than intended, three were cheaply obtained ($10) and the fourth was financed partially by trading in the individual games of the compilation (Metroid Prime).

I played it briefly when it came out last year, clearing chapter 2, but never got back to it. A regrettable mistake as this is a game worth playing. An unique blend of real and turn-based combat with a touching story.
Kind of a hands-off approach to leveling and equipment, but the lack of micro-management is a bit refreshing.
Currently in Chapter 13, the Naggiar Plains, where things just got interesting.
My 360 focus in the 2nd half of the month saw me set it aside, but it will be beaten by October's end.

This game was the subject of a fierce debate last year with a friend over the name of a character. The answer was fairly early into the game so we popped it in to settle the question. The argument was resolved in my favor and it was decided at some point in the future this fine game deserved another playthrough. That time has come.
3:07 - 5 Growth Stars
Serge/Pierre/Kid - Viper Manor

A breath of fresh air after the disappointing Partners in Time. It is no coincidence that this coincides with Fawful's return to villain status.
8:37 - Toad Town
Mario 14/Luigi 14/Bowser 17

Dragon Warrior I
Level 20
The difference between levels 19 and 20 was amazing. DracoLord fell with little trouble this time.

Dragon Warrior II
Completed opening scene

Final Fantasy I
13:46 Lv 51 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Chaos defeated, game complete.
Final Fantasy II
02:36 Firion/Maria/Guy
Minwu has left the party.

I didn't have high expectations going into this game, so I was pleasantly surprised with how well it turned out. At it's core it is a fighting game, but RPG conventions are quite prevalent and ultimately your level and equipment will have a direct result on the fight, though skill and luck can certainly make a difference when overmatched. A hero and villian from each of the first 10 games is playable, along with a character from XI and XII you can unlock after beating the game. Though I've not played as any of the villians, each of the hero characters has a unique ****combining physical and magical attacks. My favorite ended up being Terra of FFVI (go figure), whom I mostly get airborn while flinging ranged spells. The battles initially play out as a tug of war as you seek to damage your opponent's bravery stat and add it to your own, hopefully driving it to 0 for a massive bonus to your bravery. Eventually you'll launch an HP attack converting your bravery into an equal amount of HP damage. The game was quite challenging when your opponent was more powerful than you and it doesn't take long for them to become quite skillful at dodging or reflecting your attacks, forcing you to master your own timing or rely on a lucky hit. The story is... sufficient (I'll excuse it for being a crossover game) and the amount of post-game content is staggering. It will certainly keep you busy for awhile if you want it to. I do recommend it to anyone who enjoys Final Fantasy. 8.6 out of 10.

I've mentioned this elsewhere, but a long time ago when I was but a wee lad with an NES I rented a game called Dragon Warrior. The concept of experience and levels was foreign and besides, I only had 3 days to play; no time for grinding. As one might expect I didn't get far on that rental. It would be years and another system before I would even attempt another RPG. So when I began my "History of the RPG" backloggery sidequest it was with a bit of dread that I would have to play this again. Final Fantasy felt easier with each port, but this port seemed unchanged from the original. A relic from another time, it's hard to give this game an unbiased look, especially with my negative memories of it. I did find it more playable this time around. Though it did require more grinding than I wanted to give it, at least it was on my GBA and I could do/watch other things while playing. My biggest complaint is the 1 on 1 combat. While you get a few offensive spells, I found my magic best left for healing so I never used them. Which means a battle pretty much consisted of me hitting the fight command every round until I needed to heal. As with many early games, the plot was giving to you at the beginning as opposed to something that happened as you proceeded. Play it if you want to see one of the foundations of modern RPGs, but only if you don't mind devoting most of your playtime to leveling. Score pending completion of DQII.

An unimpressive title all around with a unique, but ugly grainy graphic filter. A strategy RPG, your crew of 5 never changes. They have names, though they are rarely referenced and are better known as MACE-1 through 5. In fact, once the plot starts to get moving they really don't even factor into the story. They're there, but they aren't the ones influencing the plot. An interesting tactic, certainly, but I felt it distanced me from what was going on. Your zoids are limited to just a couple of weapons and the upgraded versions. Deciding on which one to take was tough, as it forced you balance range, power, and accuracy. After the first few missions, difficulty spiked harshly. Enemies came in waves with several reinforcements, but you rarely had time to finish the first one before the next wave was on you. Constantly outgunned, outsupported, outleveled, and outskilled, it really felt at times the game was out to get you. Enemies were usually several levels ahead of you, and though I don't think it much difference statistically, it did give them more points to spend equipping skills. The 2nd run and the extra boss encounters were actually fun, but not worth the 1st trip through. Not recommended unless you enjoy a game that gives every advantage to the opponent. 5.2/10.

While it can't escape the repetiveness that is inherent in the hack-n-slash genre, it does enough things right that you don't mind. The world is vast and varied. The enemies are scaled to just above your level until you hit the region's cap, ensuring a steady stream of useful loot. The plot is perhaps the weakest point, serving really only as a means to push you to the next region. While there are 500+ side quests, they are mostly just fetch or kill so many mobs quests. Most are fairly easy to accomplish and yield good xp. Character advancement is mostly based on choosing and leveling 10 skills. There aren't enough points to max everything, so what you focus on really can make or break your character. Combat Arts don't level with you and are instead advanced by finding dropped or trading for runes. But increasing the power will also increase the recharge time. Balancing this is key to the characters that can't depend on pure melee attacks. The only decent view is a zoomed-out overhead, although that may not be such a bad thing since most enemies attack in mobs. This is a game that can keep you busy for a long time, if you want it to. My score is 7.7.

Angela - Spiral
Angela has a new album out called Land Ho! I've been listening to the band since I watched Soukyuu no Fafner years ago and heard Shangri-La and Seperation, the opening and ending themes. Atsuko has a such phenomenal voice. And Fafner is still one of my favorite animes.

4 Pickups, 2 Additions

Atlus and NIS America

RPG



Fallout: New Vegas

Non-RPG
New Super Mario Bros. Wii

More Monthly Blogs Here

After my disinterested July, I set a goal for myself to beat at least one game each week. I'm not sure how long I can maintain such a pace, but I did make it through August. Inspired by a few friends I've decided to try to drop by unfinished backlog to 80%. It is currently down .5% to 83.7%, though my September/October preorders will likely limit any progress until closer to year's end.
I've taken up biking, though my legs haven't carried me as far as expected. My current route takes me about 7.5 miles, though I plan to up that to around 10 miles soon. I have my eyes set on a 30 mile trail about 9 miles north of where I live, but I don't see myself riding it anytime soon. Maybe in the spring.
While I posted a brief entry about my recent Chicago trip, I've posted a wider selection of pictures at my website. Unfortunately, I accidentally deleted my previous set of pictures during my last hard drive format, so I couldn't rebuild the image gallery with my older pictures. I may play with the html and see if I can manually add the old gallery in there, but it isn't a priority.

August Gain +510 - 37 Achievements unlocked


August Gain - Level + 1 Trophies + 36


Backlog decreased by 3 in August

Rank 20 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard -1

Game spending vs. '08: Monthly 28% | Yearly -38 %
Splurging on the Batman Collector's Edition killed my numbers more than expected. Turns out August '08 was one of the few months I didn't go overboard.

The last of the DLC, Mothership Zeta, arrived. While previous DLC has taken you to regions around the wastelands, this one took you up to outer space. An enjoyable experience, if a little repetitive. Every section of the ship seemed to boil down to blowing up generators. The ending certainly made up for that though. I missed a few items for the last achievement, so I need to make one more trip through. Hopefully I left a save before the point of no return, else it's back to the beginning of the ship. (1530/1550)

Dragon Warrior I
Level 12
I've obtained the first of the three required objects
Dragon Warrior II
Not started

Final Fantasy I
13:46 Lv 51 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Chaos defeated, game complete.
Final Fantasy II
02:36 Firion/Maria/Guy/Minwu
The mission to Bafsk was a failure, guess it's back to Altair.

It's hard to avoid spoilers for high-profile games and Metal Gear is one of the series. I went into this game knowing much of the plot that would slowly be revealed, but even that did not fully prepare me for the multitude of cutscenes that tied the game together. The game map was far smaller than I expected and I'm pretty sure I spent almost as much time watching the game as I did playing. When actually playing, the game was solid. Remaining hidden was easier said than done and the boss required a pretty good strategy to succeed. A fun game, nonetheless, and worthy of a replay, though my stealth skills need a lot of work. 8.4.

An interesting story with a unique art design. At its heart, it's a point-and-click adventure, though it's driven more through conversion than scouring the background. For the most part the game does a good job of guiding you along and pointing you towards what you need and where to go, though sometimes (particularly late game) it leaves you with only a vague clue or nothing at all. The plot is the main focus of the game and while it relies on a large number of coincidences, it moves well and the comes to a satisfying conclusion. I'm not sure exactly how long it took, as the game clock continued to move while I had the DS in standby, but it kept me busy for longer than I expected. My score is a solid 8.

A rarity this day age other than the occasional portable Castlevania, Shadow Complex is a Metroid-like 2D platformer. The plot has a few holes in it, but the game mechanics are sound. The power-ups are standard fare, double-jump, missiles, armor, etc, though some fun can be had with the more unique foam gun and fusion helmet. While you move on a 2-D plane, the game itself exists in 3-D. These means enemies will often come at you from the background. Shadow Complex's biggest fault is that aiming at these foes doesn't always go as planned. This is fine on the easier difficulties, but on the hardest setting the extra few bullets you take could mean the difference between life and death. I've been through it several times and I haven't tired of it. I can't recommend it enough, especially to those who miss the days of 2-D. 8.8.

While I did end up enjoying this game, it's still not one I can easily recommend. Combat is fun as you try to link as many attacks and combos together, but enemies frequently jump in strength requiring hours of grinding (or some of the weapon/armor DLC, much of it free). A vast number of characters (30) join over the course of the game, but with a party limit of 4 and a significant time investment needed to level a new characters skills up to a useful level means you'll likely settle on just a few favorites. The graphics were lackluster and the 2-D character sprites didn't mesh well with the 3-D background and monster models. The story was weak as well and eventually culminated in a series of long and drawn out sequences (ending included) that went on for just a little too long. My score is a 7.1.

I picked this up on a recommendation and a leftover collector's box and must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the game. Free to travel the island, but limited by the gadgets you've obtained, slowly opening up the whole of the island. The plot was paced fairly well and kept the game moving forward, though the optional Riddler challenges kept distracting me from continuing the game. 240 of the challenges were placed in the game, ranging from simply smashing chattering joke teeth or finding trophies hidden in various nooks and crannies, to the more difficult clues that challenge to to scan a point in the room that matches the given clue. Some of these are fairly easy to figure out, but many took some deep thought and a bit of luck. I'm pleased to say I was able to solve all of them (as well as the game) without referencing an online FAQ or strategy guide. From using many of the same voice actors from the animated series of the mid-nineties to the numerous references dropped everywhere, you can tell the developer put a lot of care into crafting this game. My only complaint of note is that you spend the game fighting the same foes. Final score 8.8.

Played on co-op with a friend, we found the game quite hilarious. And when the game was moving, it was fun as well. The many puzzles seemed overly complex at first, but by the end of the first movie we had pretty much figured out what the game was asking of us there. It was these many puzzles kept the game interesting. My biggest complaint were the many sections of infinite spawning enemies. It was rather annoying being constantly harassed by enemies while trying to work out a solution. Especially when they all have bazookas. If you enjoyed Lego Star Wars, you'll likely enjoy this one, as it's much the same. 7.7 out of 10.

Shaun Barrowes - Light of the Day Dark of the Night
The ending theme to Shadow Complex.

The Arkham Asylum Collector's Edition containing replica batarang, art book with leather cover and bat-shaped case.

2 Pickups, 3 Additions

Atlus and NIS America

RPG



Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside Story | Fallout: New Vegas

Non-RPG
New Super Mario Bros. Wii

More Monthly Blogs Here

After several years of talking about it, my friends and I finally made the 5-hour journey over to Chicago. After a fairly mild summer, temperatures shot up near 90 just in time for the trip.

Our first stop was Binder Park Zoo in Battle Creek, Michigan. At times it felt more like a nature preserve than a zoo, with its nearly mile long swamp walk and the African loop.

With Binder Park down we continued westward to Chicago. With the move into Central Time giving us an extra hour we decided to walk downtown and visit the top of the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower). On the 103rd floor, with the sidewalks 1350 ft below, even the clouds were below us. Added this year were several glass balconies extending out several feet. While my friends were unwilling to step foot on the glass, I did not hesitate. Unfortunately, the Tower was too packed for me to get a decent reflection free picture of the ground far underfoot.

Day 2 was focused on Brookfield Zoo. Like much of Chicago it was quite busy, but the Zoo was large enough that only in a few sections did it actually feel crowded. It was certainly one of the most well maintained zoos we'd been too. It was well worth the trip.

The final day was spent at the Chicago Botanic Garden and Shedd Aquarium. The Garden was simply beautiful. A variety of different gardens on a pretty good size piece of land. Skipping over the Vegetable Garden and rather large Prairie trail, we had just enough time to take in Shedd Aquarium and head out of time at a decent hour. In the interest of time and the sheer crowd at Shedd (by far the busiest place we had been to), I didn't take many pictures and like most of my aquarium shots, they didn't turn out well.

It was a good trip and I hope to have a wider selection of photos posted soon (along with some previous trips as well).

This should be a short blog as I really didn't do much gaming in July. I spent a good chunk of the month watching the Tour de France. I had never watched cycling before and while I new how difficult and grueling the journey was, I never realized just how much strategy and teamwork comes into play. I found just enough time to quickly pound out one game before month's end, but for most of the month the interest just wasn't there. I'm going to cycle in some older half-finished titles in August to regenerate some interest. I think my Now Playing list may have gotten a bit too RPG heavy and my non-RPG selection perhaps too big.
I also read through a decent pile of manga. Berserk 1-15, Tsubasa Chronicles 1-13, Bleach 25-27, One Piece 20-21, and I'm up to Chapter 438 of Detective Conan.
I didn't finish my PS2 retrospective entry this month, but it should be ready within a week and hopefully the following two entries as well with the final entry coming in September. I was planning 9-10 entries, but it looks like the final amount will be 8. It's taking much longer to put out than expected, but I'm not giving up on it. I'm looking quite forward to putting the final entry together.

July Gain +930 - 32 Achievements unlocked


July Gain - Level + 0 Trophies + 5


Backlog increased by 9 in July

Rank 19 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard -4

Game spending vs. '08: Monthly -77% | Yearly -42 %
I came away with a few more games than intended, but they were fairly cheaply acquired.

Had a lot of fun exploring the beautiful African setting, but lost interest once I began the missions to further the plot. The north has been completely explored and several missions have been completed. Advanced another few missions, but I've the feeling there are quite a few left up north still. (220/1000)

The more I play it, the more I enjoy it. It's still too complex for its own good, with a cast that most Western gamers won't be familiar with (as a cross-over game, the characters are the appeal). I thought progress was going to be slow due to a need to grind out levels, but the DLC has let me keep moving forward while still being a little underleveled. Currently in Zeine 3 with my battle party at level 29. Current party: Meu (Spectral Souls), Felicia (Darkstalkers), Raze and Lily (Both from Mana Khemia 2).

Final Fantasy I
13:46 Lv 51 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Chaos defeated, game complete.
Final Fantasy II
02:36 Firion/Maria/Guy/Minwu
The mission to Bafsk was a failure, guess it's back to Altair.

It started off well enough, but by endgame I had grown weary of a camera liked to suddenly move at the least desirable moment and fighting the controls that often sent my in an unintended direction to my death. Most annoying was a glitch that forced to wait several seconds for a shuffling animation to finish every time you walked into something that halted your movement. Mythology has always interested me and I enjoyed seeing ancient Norse mythology tied into a modern setting and at least based somewhat on reality. It's a shame the game mechanics weren't as smooth as Tomb Raider Legend was. There is a good game in there, but too many frustrations to recommend. My score is 7.6.

Hikaru Utada - Beautiful World -PLANiTb Acoustica Mix-
I had no idea another retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion had been made and that this song (or at least the original) was tied to it.

0 Pickups, 4 Additions

Atlus and NIS America

RPG



Mario & Luigi: Bower's Inside Story | Fallout: New Vegas

Non-RPG

More Monthly Blogs Here

While I didn't get everything accomplished that I would have liked, I did get a fair amount done. At month's end I finally posted the fourth entry of my retrospective series. I was hoping for two this month, but that didn't happen.
Mid-month a toothache prompted a visit to the dentist. His recommendation was the extraction of a bad wisdom teeth, and the other three as well. Not the most pleasant of experiences, but the toothache is gone. Next month's big project is going to be finally getting two years worth of zoo pictures online. I'd also like to get my manga into my book database so I can get them boxed up and create some more space.

June Gain +355 - 17 Achievements unlocked


June Gain - Level + 0 Trophies + 1


Backlog decreased by 17 in June
I removed all games that I own multiple copies of from my unfinished count.



Rank 15 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard -1

Game Spending vs. '08: Month -57% | Year -34%
Back on track after overspending in May. I have no preorders for next month, so July should be even lighter.

~55 hours - Lv 35 Seraphim
A fun, fast-paced hack-n-slash. A huge world, almost too big. Story and side quests have been finish and forget, but the fairly deep leveling structure and pursuit of better loot keep you moving forward. The follower AI is terrible, and I no longer care if they die and I get a failed quest out of it. The Light campaign is at 75%, so I should have my first run completed next month.
Started a High Elf for the Shadow campaign, but that hasn't been a priority.
(360/1000)

Had a lot of fun exploring the beautiful African setting, but lost interest once I began the missions to further the plot. The north has been completely explored and several missions have been completed. It would be nice if every checkpoint didn't respawn within a few moments of leaving. It really slows the game down to a crawl. Unfortunately, I didn't get to at all in June. Im going to give myself one more month to get back to it before I consider it dropped.
(190/1000)

Complete at last. 3 and 1/3 playthroughs and nearly 186 hours. And I enjoyed every minute of it. Well, except the 10 hours I spent with a rubberband around the controller trying to trigger the "fly 100,000km" achievement while I did something else...
Thankfully, I was able to trigger the final scenes I needed for the item collection achievement immediately after getting the boat early in Act 2.
(1000/1000)

Finished both Point Lookout and Broken Steel. Broken Steel removes the ending, allowing you to continue past the conclusion of the main game. While there is little in the way of new equipment, it moves the level cap from 20 to 30, with a batch of new perks to go with it. The plotline itself was of good length, but felt more like a series of side quests than a main plot. Point Lookout offers up a pretty sizable area to explore, several new guns to play with, a handful of side quests of varying length and interest, and a main plotline that keeps you guessing as to what is really going on right until the very end. Unlike the previous two DLCs, these two actually felt worth the cost of the download. I'm up to level 26 now, but I'll likely wait until Mothership Zeta to continue the climb to level 30. (1390/1450)

Only played for a few hours. Pretty much what I expected. Last gen graphics and a weak story. Combat is a little complex than I thought it would be and I imagine it will get even deeper after I get more than 1 attack for each character. By far the largest HUD I've ever seen in a game, taking up nearly half of the screen. I have enjoyed what little I've played of it, but it's a hard title to recommend. Next destination is the first dungeon, but I think I'll need some serious grinding to complete it.
1 of 22 trophies

10:40:46 - Mai Tierra Regulation Room
Party Level 21-23
Boob jokes and fanservice aside, the game is actually pretty good. The plot has me interested and combat manages to be challenging without feeling impossible. If I have any complaints, it that even random encounters can take a long time to complete, not to mention the length of the boss fights. Now if I could just keep Kaguya from getting KO'd repeatedly every boss fight.

Final Fantasy I
13:46 Lv 51 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Chaos defeated, game complete.
Final Fantasy II
00:45 Firion/Maria/Guy/Minwu
In Salamand on a quest to obtain Mythril.

25:16:59 - Into the Labyrinth
Map Completion 021.45% - Items Collected 007.04%
I'm finding this one of the more enjoyable dungeon crawlers I've played. Might be a little too easy, though the challenge does seem to be picking back up again. It made good time killer while I was recuperating after oral surgery

Final clear time was 20:33:52. Having played Resident Evil 5, it's somewhat difficult to go back and properly evaluate it's predecessor. So many aspects of 4 were improved upon in RE5. At the same time, a lot of the challenge was removed as well. The nine item slots (or 18 with your partner) never felt as limiting as 4's briefcase. The way each chapter was a small part of a larger map that often led you back to where you had been before made the game feel far less linear and far larger than RE5. The story was good and well paced, though after the challenge of the game, the end was a little anticlimactic. It was fun, but I enjoyed RE5 more, especially when playing with a friend. My score is an 8.2.

Sacred 2 is an good example of how to do a hack-n-slash RPG. Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom is a good example of how not to do a hack-n-slash RPG. The game is short and extremely linear. I can't really comment on single player, but on local co-op the camera is atrocious; often zooming out to bizarre angles making some of the platforming aspects nearly impossible to negotiate and positioning itself behind any wall it can. Half of the loot equation is removed by not allowing you to change your weapon. While armor drops fairly regularly, it's not until endgame that it does more than just slightly alter your stats. The game caps at level 45 which was reached long before the game ended. The PSP Untold Legends were solid, but unspectacular, this one was just a disappointment. It was likely rushed out the door for the PS3 launch, but I'm not sure if a few more months in development could have saved it. 5.5 out of 10.

[video=dSc7njr_5bIKvTfb]
I found this track on a cd I put together last year, but couldn't recall at all what the song or game was. One thing I did recognize was the harp at 0:23. I'd recognize that soundfont anywhere, so I knew this was at one time a midi file. Found it eventually in my midi folder, the sequencer info on vgmusic.com and set it to video for your listening pleasure.

4 Pickups, 2 Additions

Atlus and NIS America

RPG


Fallout: New Vegas

Non-RPG

More Monthly Blogs Here

Delayed, but not forgotten, the 1000 Retrospective series returns. As integral as music was in setting a mood for a compelling, the controller is even more important. Of course, you could stick with the controller that shipped with the console and get by just fine, but that wouldn't be very interesting. This entry focuses on some of the more obscure controllers that have come my way. Necessary? No, but certainly interesting.

First up is the DragonPlus RPG DuoCon 2. A one-handed controller that feels like mouse. The lack of a flat surface prevented me from using it with any regularity, though I was forced to use it once during a co-op session of Champions of Norrath when my brother had taken and misplaced my 2nd controller. Not the best conroller for a hack-n-slash RPG.

Next is a pair of game-themed fighting sticks. The Dead or Alive 4 stick saw some brief use when I rented the game, but I haven't played another fighter on my 360 since, so it's been banished to the closet. Tekken 5 hasn't even left the box, an impulse buy after a price drop it was for the collection more than anything else.

This was my favorite Gamecube controller until the A button started to stick. While it's nothing more than a color swap, it was Japan-only and I do like the color, Emerald Blue.

I picked this up primarily for the GameBoy Player add-on for the Gamecube. It worked great for that, but the lack of an analog stick made it pretty much useless as a Gamecube controller. Not to mention the Z button being in an even worse spot than it was on the standard controller.

I spent one summer hooked on Phantasy Star Online for the Gamecube. This certainly made communication alot easier. The keys were a bit small for my fingers, but it did it's job and wasn't that bad to play with either. Resting on your lap, you don't really feel the extra weight or distance between hands. The repetitiveness and lewd gestures made toward my FONewearl would eventually drive me away and no other game on the 'cube required a keyboard, so this was retired.

This would be my most recent acquisition, the Capcom Pad Soldier for the Super Famicom. In fact, I held off posting this entry for a few days so that it could be included. That also means I haven't had a chance to try it out yet. It does feels a lot more comfortable than it looks, but I don't know if I'd still feel that way at the end of a gaming session. The button layout was made with fighting games in mind, with the packaging displaying the Street Fighter Alpha (I think) cast removing away any doubts. It would probably work well with RPGs, although any game that needed quick access to the L & R triggers would likely suffer.

A combination of a good price, a preference towards the sniper in war games, and the fact I'd never seen it before led to this purchase. Based on the size of the rather box, the fully assembled was much larger than expected. As to how well it works... No comment. When I picked it up, my Xbox was in the hands of a friend along with Jade Empire. Both were eventually returned, but by then the 360 had launched and original Xbox would see only minimal use before being boxed away.

The only way to play a flight-sim is with a flight-stick. The PS2 stick was found a lucky find at my local Gamestop. The first and only (360 included) one I've seen in the wild. The 360 one was pre-ordered and purchased new. While I never got around to trying out Ace Combat 5, I did play about half of Ace Combat 6 until my 2nd 360 RRoD'd on me. While I doubt I'll ever try 5, I would like to finish the campaign I started in 6. Eventually, I'd like to find some way to mount these as they are a little hard to use from the lap, or even from my bed which is the nearest surface.

And finally, the biggest controller for last. This 40-button beast stands 34.65 inches long, 10.23 inches wide, and 6.5 inches high (88x26x16.5cm). The game Steel Battalion was designed for this controller, and that game and it's online-only sequel Line of Contact, remain the only games that work with it. This is the most realistic mech-game you'll find on a console. The learning curve is extremely steep, and the difficulty punishing. Should you lose your mech, you are forced to eject and buy a new one (if you can afford it); fail to eject and you die wiping out your entire save file. The last time I played, I was able to reach Stage 4 of 10 before I couldn't afford another mech to continue. As much as my Atlus collection is the pride of my games, this is the pride of my controllers. Much like Ace Combat 5, I never saw a new one and was found used at my local Gamestop. Surprisingly, they actually had two at the time.

The left block of the controller. Contains a gear shift for speed, a stick for changing the direction you're facing, a hatswitch for controlling the camera, and 5 switches used during startup.

The center block. It contains various mission related buttons, communication commands, offensive weapon controls, as well as defensive controls such as chaff and a fire extinguisher. Oh, and my personal favorite button, the window washer.

The right block. This one has a stick that controls the targeting reticule, lock on, and firing, various map and camera buttons, a few more start-up buttons, and the most important button on the entire controller, the eject button.

And the final piece, the foot pedals. You didn't think you were going to give to move it with a button did you? Gas, brake, and the life-saving sidestep pedal on the far left.

--------------------

There were a few others I would have liked to included, such as the Dragon Quest Slime PS2 controller (still brand new in plastic), or the hard plastic DDR pad I imported (more notable for the badly translated warnings; when I come across them again, I'll scan and post), but initial preparations for a move within the next few years, as well as a general need to just clear space, have buried some things far deeper than I was willing to dig for one post. Also missing is my favorite N64 controller, the Super Pad 64. Dropping the rarely used 3rd handle of the standard controller, it looked and felt like a normal controller. Until the analog stick broke off and the controller was trashed.
Coming up next, and hopefully with less delaying, a look at the PS2.

Part I: PS1
Part II: SNES
Part III: Music

May turned out to be a rather mixed month. There was some good, a visit to the Star Trek Exhibit at the Detroit Science Center and a 2nd trip to the Toledo Zoo (with a far better camera this time). There was plenty of game playing, but not much else. I only managed one post on my 1000 retrospective series, didn't clear much space at all in my room, and made no progress on the coding of my game engine. I've made a change to the blog structure for this month. All achievement/trophy pictures will be displayed in one image. While I dislike losing the alt text, at an average of 125 characters per image a busy month would see a good quarter of my character allotment gone.

May Gain +810 - 46 Achievements unlocked


May Gain - Level + 0 Trophies + 0


Backlog increased by 11 in May

Rank 14 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard -1

Game spending vs '08: Month +19% | Year -28%
Slipped this month and for the first time spent more than I did last year, despite spending a bit less than I did last month. The next few months look quiet so I should be able to get back on track.

~40 hours - Lv 31 Seraphim
A fun, fast-paced hack-n-slash. A huge world, almost too big. Story and quests have been finish and forget, but the fairly deep leveling structure and pursuit of better loot keep you moving forward.(255/1000)

Had a lot of fun exploring the beautiful African setting, but lost interest once I began the missions to further the plot. The north has been completely explored and several missions have been completed. Will likely return to sometime in June. (190/1000)

Only played for a few hours. Pretty much what I expected. Last gen graphics and a weak story. Combat is a little complex than I thought it would be and I imagine it will get even deeper after I get more than 1 attack for each character. By far the largest HUD I've ever seen in a game.

4:14:46 - Mirabilis Castle Hall
Boob jokes and fanservice aside, the game is actually pretty good. The plot has me interested and combat manages to be challenging without feeling impossible. Now if I could keep Kaguya from getting KO'd repeatedly every boss fight.

Final Fantasy I
13:46 Lv 51 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Chaos defeated, game complete.
Final Fantasy II
00:45 Firion/Maria/Guy/Minwu
In Salamand on a quest to obtain Mythril.

13:40:44 Chapter 4-3
Made good progress, but at a cost. Chapter 4 has eaten up alot of my surplus ammo and herbal use was slightly faster than I was finding them. If everything goes well, I should have this wrapped up in June.

This is a hard game to review. On one hand, the core of the game is excellent. The battle engine is one of the finest I've seen since the last Grandia. But on the other hand, the story was forgettable and some of the characters were downright grating at times. For what turned out to be a rather short main plotline, I did put 85+ hours into it with the promise of many more in the two bonus dungeons. In the end, I give it an 8.0.

Over twenty years after it debuted, I can finally say I've beaten the 1st Final Fantasy. Well, the easy version anyway. Up until the final boss, I never felt the fear of not knowing if my stats were enough to triumph. Contrast to that previous versions I've played where it was necessary to grind just to survive the random field battles. I will be holding on the rating until I have cleared the other half of the Dawn of Souls compilation.

I enjoyed the first stage in the demo, but found the rest of game a little underwhelming. I wasn't expecting anything terribly long, but with infinite continues placing you exactly were you died, the entire game was over in about 20-30 minutes. An ending that sheds no light on the light story and no unlockables. All that is left is the seemingly impossible task of the perfect run. Final score 6.5.

I believe this is the first time I've seen a male lion awake and moving. Didn't have much time to snap this as he quickly retreated behind a rock and out of sight, likely going back to bed.

Atlus spoils indeed. A Jack Frost (Atlus mascot) dressed in the manner of the protagonist Raidou Kuzonoha. Once I saw a picture of the package I couldn't resist ordering a 2nd one to keep sealed and on display.

Shiny Toy Cars - Major Tom
I don't watch much television, but this song kept popping up in a Lincoln commercial during Tiger's baseball games. Not something I normally listen to, but something about this cover really caught my ear.

6 Pickups, 6 Additions

Atlus and NIS America

RPG

Dragon Age: Origins | Resonance of Fate | Fallout: New Vegas | Arc Rise Fantasia

Non-RPG

More Monthly Blogs Here

Today I take a brief break from console reminiscing and take a look at the music of my favorite games and the composers behind them. Much like graphics, a bad soundtrack doesn't kill a game if the gameplay makes up for it, nor does a good soundtrack enhance a broken game. But it certainly can add to the experience. No where is that more evident than in the RPG genre where a handful of tracks are often repeated for countless hours.

Over the years several composers have floated to the top from among many familar names and I keep an eye out for any new releases from them. While I don't import as many OSTs as I did in the past, I still like to have the physical media for the really good soundtracks.

Nobuo Uematsu

Without a doubt, the first game composer I recognized by name. For years his name was synonymous with the music of Final Fantasy. He doesn't put out as much music these days as in the past, mostly working with Hironobu Sakaguchi's Mistwalker studio, and his own band The Black Mages.

Yasunori Mitsuda

Gained my interest after Chrono Trigger/Cross, but he kind of faded away after Xenosaga I in 2002. Though he has been sighted in collaboration efforts in recent years. Several of those, Arc Rise Fantasia and Sands of Destruction, getting NA versions near year's end.

Yoko Shimomura

Composer of the 1st soundtrack I imported, Seiken Densetsu 3 (Secret of Mana 2). She is best known for her Kingdom Hearts soundtracks, though Legend of Mana is perhaps my favorite of her works. I'm looking forward to hearing her work on Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Motoi Sakuraba

I don't know how else to describe him except as a composing machine. In 20 years of composing, he's put out 70+ OSTs. From the Tales of (except Legendia) to Mario Golf/Tennis, and all the tri-Ace games. If there is anything negative to be said, it is the massive recycling he does. Particularly in sequels. He has a very distinctive ****that can be picked up on pretty quickly.

Yuki Kajiura

She was known primarily for her work in anime until she did the cutscene music for Xenosaga II. Fully expecting another Mitsuda work, I was pleasantly surprised with the end result and she quickly became a favorite, though the only other game soundtrack she would do is Xenosaga III.

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Last year I set out to compile a cd collection of my favorite pieces of video game music. The end result, though still a work in progreess, ended up being a 2 disc set of 34 tracks. In the future I'd like to bump this up to at least 40. Listed below are the top 15 from that project. Feel free to click away as all links open to their own window.

#15 Meaning of Birth - Song for Tales of the Abyss - Motoo Fujiwara

I liked the Abyss soundtrack, but I always felt the best tracks from the game were absent from the OST. That question was answered when I came across the album Song for Tales of the Abyss. Motoo Fujiwara is the composer/vocalist for Bump of Chicken who did the main theme "Karma".

#14 Pirates of Dragon Roost Isle - Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - Koji Kondo, Remixed by Tyler Heath

While much of OverClocked Remix is far too trance/techno for my tastes, every now and then a piece comes along that surpasses the original. This is one such piece.

#13 Passion - Kingdom Orchestra Instrumental - Kingdom Hearts II - Arranged by Kaoru Wada, Performed by New Japan Philharmonic

Passion did not pack quite the same punch, to me at least, as Hikari did. But the song stands well enough on its own, and definitely grew on me the more I listened.

#12 Opening - Gensou Suikoden II - Miki Higashino, Performed by Warsaw Philharmonic

One of the best opening themes I've come across in all my years of gaming.

#11 Man with the Machine Gun - FF8: Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec - Nobuo Uematsu, Arranged by Shirou Hamaguchi

Not exactly a piece you would envision orchestrated, but the end result turned out quite well sounding far better than the original, which was pretty good to begin with.

#10 March - Tales of Legendia - Go Shiina

From the only Tales of OST not composed by Sakuraba comes something completely different. While Legendia never hooked me the way other recent Tales game have, the soundtrack was spectacular with this piece standing out the most.

#9 Phon Coast - Final Fantasy XII - Hitoshi Sakamoto

This is the 1st of two FFXII pieces that really stood out from the soundtrack as a whole.

#8 Advent: One-Winged Angel - Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children - Nobuo Uematsu

Final Fantasy VII isn't really among my top FFs in either game or soundtrack, but the distinctive sound of the final fight with Sephiroth would leave a lasting audio legacy.

#7 Communication Breakdown - Xenosaga II - Yuki Kajiura

This was the piece that caused me to sit up and take notice of Kajiura, though Mezame from Mai-Hime would end up being my favorite of her works.

#6 Opening - Tina's Theme - Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale - Nobuo Uematsu, Performed by Orchestra Synfonica di Milano

Until my friend sent me a brief snippet of this piece while in college, primarily all of my game music was in midi format. Even most of the playstation music at that time was still mostly synth work. The idea of fully orchestrated game music hadn't really caught on yet. This would be one of the first soundtracks I imported.

#5 Wandering on a Sunny Afternoon - Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII - Takeharu Ishimoto

As a whole, Crisis Core's soundtrack didn't really stand out. But one track in particular would catch my attention.

#4 Giza Plains - Final Fantasy XII - Hitoshi Sakimoto

The 2nd of the two FFXII pieces that really stood out to me.

#3 Rafaello Battle - Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon - Nobuo Uematsu, Arranged by Yuzo Takahashi

Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon soundtrack consisted primarily of arrangements of Final Fantasy music and was a surprisingly excellent OST. While several arrangements made the cut, only this arrangement of FF5's "Clash on the Big Bridge" would make the top 15, exceeding Sakimoto's arrangement of the same piece in FFXII.

#2 Liberi Fatali - Final Fantasy VIII - Nobuo Uematsu

Still my favorite opening theme, even after all these years, with some beautiful CGI to go with it.

#1 Hikari - Kingdom Orchestra Instrumental - Kingdom Hearts - Arranged by Kaoru Wada, Performed by New Japan Philharmonic

The first time I heard this piece was on a trailer disc that came with a playstation magazine. I'm not sure what it was, but something touched me about it and by the end of the trailer I had tears in my eyes. Knowing Yoko Shimomura was doing the soundtrack, I initially though she was responsible for the piece. Not until I had the soundtrack in hand did I notice it was an arrangement of Hikaru Utada's work, who I hadn't heard of at that point.

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This may be a topic I revisit in the future as I revise my list. Those reading, be sure to mention some of your favorites in the comments. There is a lot of good music out there and it is easy to overlook good music. Coming up next is a look at some of the interesting controllers I've acquired over the years. You can probably guess a few of them, but I'm sure I've got a few you've never seen before.

Part I: Playstation
Part II: SNES

Spring finally approaches. Tigers are off to a decent start. The Red Wings look as sharp as ever. And the Lions... are still the Lions... Overspent a bit on games, but I'm still ahead for the year.

April Gain +720 - 40 Achievements


April Gain - Level + 0 Trophies + 0


Backlog increased by 16 in April

Rank 13 on the MyGamercard.net RPG Leaderboard +3

Game spending vs. 2008 | April -10% | YTD -37%

April Blog Entries

3 Apr: Tagged - A rare opportunity to learn a few things about me.
7 Apr: 1000 Games - A statistical breakdown of my games as I crack 4 digits.
10 Apr: 1000 Retrospective: Playstation - The first of a series exploring my collection
29 Apr: 1000 Retrospective: Super Nintendo - Part II

64:54
En II
Star Ocean finally gets my Game of the Month nod. Definitely one of the better real-time combat engines I've seen this gen. only a ton of side quests stand between me and the final dungeon. (370/1000)

2nd Run on Normal is complete and we began a 3rd run on Veteran, though we haven't gotten far yet. (465/1200)

See Completed for my thoughts. (350/1000)

Beaten as Exelica, still need to go back and do it as Crueltear.
Pretty easy to clear, but near impossible to do without dying and/or continuing.

Final Fantasy I
10:56 Lv 43 Knight/Ninja/Red Wizard/Black Wizard
Kraken defeated, water crystal lighted, on to the Mirage Tower

~5:00 Chapter 2-1 endsave
I can certainly see how RE5 was built on top of Resident Evil 4. It has felt like a step backwards in many areas. I am actually enjoying it, though.

Currently at end of Chapter 1 of 12.
I'd like to have this wrapped up before the sequel hits in mid-May, but I don't see that happening. A neat game, though the tiny battle area really hampers the combat.

Standard Clear
Sora Level 51 - ~34:10
This game took everything that was good about the first Kingdom Hearts and improved it. A deeper story, deeper combat, and a few new summons and allies. While combat still feels like button mashing, new additions such as timing-based reversals and various transformation forms add some strategy.

I'm not an Aerosmith fan, but a chance to whip out my plastic guitar for some new songs for a mere $10 was too much to pass up. That said, Guitar Hero: Aerosmith was not without its problems. With only 30 songs in career, 10 bonus tracks and a boss battle, there just isn't much content. While the difficulty in each tier seems to bounce erratically, overall the game is far easier than Guitar Hero III. A good thing in my eyes, but probably a turn-off to those who are used to playing expert in their sleep. Bargain bin fun, but not worth the full retail. 7.4 out of 10.

I haven't posted a picture in a while, so I'll post this one of Detroit Tiger's pitcher Joel Zumaya who recently returned from the disabled list and seems to finally be back to semi-normal after two injury-plagued seasons. 2 games, 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 KO, 0 walks, and 0 runs, with a fastball still around 100 mph. Not bad. I took this picture at his final game last year vs. Toronto when he throw 20 pitches, 5 for strikes, walked 3, gave up 2 runs on 2 hits, and took the loss while failing to record even 1 out.

Tales of the Abyss Animation Soundtrack - Luke -Confront-
Motoi Sakuraba did an excellent job with the Abyss anime soundtrack. A friend and I were just discussing the soundtrack and how Sakuraba didn't do it just a few days before it released only to find that he did indeed compose the OST. Oops.

4 Pickups, 0 Additions

Atlus and NIS America

RPG

Dragon Age: Origins

Non-RPG

More Monthly Blogs Here