In the past , RPGs have vast world maps with towns , mountains , forests infested with monsters , deserts , glaciers and wastelands.

Now what do we have?
We choose where to go from a droplist or a simple map feature which involves the character walking from one point to the other.

I genuinely , with all my heart and soul as a gamer , prefer the map function of which the player could slowly walk towards the opposite town as they face an assortment of monsters which appears by chance.
Not to mention the various secrets which can be found from exploring certain areas ( Like the island which can only be reached by a Golden Chocobo in FFVII or the Mime Crystal area in FFV )

But now the map system is deplorable.
Either we send a cursor running across the screen or choose our destination from the menu bar - the excitement of adventure is long gone from RPGs.
The part when the player can send their heroes into some dark dungeon in search for lost treasure , into the woods to search for a Summon , into the desert to find an isolated tower amongst the sand and dive through the seas in search for submerged wealth - not to mention optional events , bosses and sequences which can be initiated by finding hidden locations.

Alas - 'tis is the lament of an old RPG fan... R.I.P RPGs

Whew , unlike the other stories I planned out this one a bit so it'll probably be slightly better than the others.
Not to mention I have received inspirations from other plots and my dreams as well come to think of it. ( I rarely do dream , so this must be a sign!! )

http://unholytales.blogspot.com/

Hanzo - I'm directing this one at you XD

Well , it's been a really , really long time since I've last touched any games. ( Games as in... well , games - I don't really think most people consider Galge games as games... )

So I really need some recommendations - any genre is fine but I seem to have taken a liking for Japanese games :o

Well , English games are fine as well but are there any decent releases as of late?

The first and second OAV for Carnival Phantasm is out - with a fair decent load of Fate/Stay Night and Melty Blood jokes.

I am the rules!

The first OAV features a parody of the Fate/Stay Night storyline and making the whole Holy Grail War look like some hilarious game show....
( PS : Caster looks good in a tennis uniform... *drools* )

The second OAV features the Melty Blood heroines hogging onto Shiki ( SHIKI , YOU LUCKY SUNNUVA...! ) and them having a Volleyball match... With their Last Arcs and Arc Drive Finishes....

... Being Shiki must hurt... but the bliss is a decent return.

Well , I've just started off playing The Sims : Medieval ( Truth be told - my first The Sim game was The Sim 3 which I've stopped playing after three generations of sons had died. The first gen character died of a fire accident when he was a century years old , the second one died of age and the third one died of age as well. I was particularly careful after the first one died from a fire accident =.= )

Truth be told - The Sims : Medieval doesn't offer as much customization capabilities as The Sims 3.
For one - it is lacking in the ability for the player to customize an entire town to his liking - certainly you can purchase buildings and customize the interiors as such but you can't adjust landmarks and buildings the same way as you can do in the Sims 3.

On the upside - things are far easier on The Sims : Medieval. For one - I remember the savage cycle of The Sims 3. Wolfing down your breakfast , rushing off to work , returning to wolf down on dinner , take a bath , had a transaction with the toilet bowl , entertain your Sim and go to sleep - thus the savage and stressful cycle continues.

Well , The Sims : Medieval is of a similar concept but your Sim doesn't particularly need to rush off to a job - they more or less simply have to handle their "Responsibilities" ( Which is a replacement of ambitions and dreams ) .

The character system of the game is also different compared to The Sims 3.
I'm not too sure whether there's an Age System since I've just started off the game but there doesn't seem to be an age bar as far as I'm concerned. ( But apparently - characters can still die from unnatural events )

The player also takes control of various "Heroes" - which is pretty much a series of characters from various occupations of significance such as the Knight or the Monarch and each of them have their own set of roles and responsibilities.

The Sims : Medieval also features a combat system - Which is fairly interesting since combat was something that's practically non-existent in the previous Sim games.
As far as I'm aware - you can challenge Sims to a duel. There are several types of duel. Sparring , duelling and fighting to the death.

My Monarch is pretty weak so he lost plenty of sparring competetions ( AS OF NOW! I WILL BE DOMINANT! I WILL - *cough* ) but your characters seems to get stronger as your "Job level" increases - learning new skills along the way.

The Sims : Medieval holds existing features of The Sims 3 - such as random events but they happen a lot more regularly compared to The Sims 3. If you enter places of which you can not follow your Sim , such as the forest or the Town Shoppe , you may encounter events and some events can prove benefeciary to your Hero - such as receiving gifts from a mysterious passerby.

The Sims : Medieval also takes a new feature into it's already deviating gameplay - a Kingdom system. Essentially - you have to build up your Kingdom from scratch. There are also neighbouring countries around your own land and your diplomatic actions will result in either a positive or negative impact on your relations with those around you.

Unfortunately - I'm not aware if warfare is actually possible ( I'm not fond of picking a fight if I could help it ) so I can't talk too much about the relations one could have with foreign countries.

Overall the game is pretty interesting but I'm still early on in the gameplay so I would see if there's anything interesting to report.

This is z827 speaking over the Gamespot news -
.... Nay , just kidding.
Over and out!

Maji de Watashi ni Koishinasai! ( Majikoi )

The interesting factor about this Visual Novel is that it doesn't toss the main character into the spotlight - every character have an equal role and their own part to play and the main character have his own share of weaknesses and strengths.
There is no complex plot structure and it is very easy to adapt to the atmosphere of this game - not to mention it is pretty heart warming to see a bunch of characters sticking together not as friends - but as a family.

Romance only starts to kick in at the later part of the game and it isn't anything really remarkable - but each heroine's route have their own distinctive taste.
The interaction and dialogues between the characters - their bond and the comedy involved is the primary selling point of this Visual Novel.

Minato Soft did well - I'd give them that - not to mention their a spawn company.

( The English Patch isn't complete but you can finish Chris' , Yuki and the teacher's route )

G-Senjou no Maou

The battle of the wits can be fairly poorly done at times ( Well , it looks more like a typical cat and mouse chase rather than the battle fo the wits ) but at the very least - the suspense does build up over time.
The plot can be fairly immersive and it may go down a different way depending on the heroine you have chosen.
At the beginning - things can get really boring and the characters would appear like a bunch of arses but as the story goes on things starts to change for the better.

Muv Luv

Well , depsite the cheesy name this is actually pretty good.
The main game is split into two discs and the first disc can actually be a bit boring.
The second disc is a major improvement as the first disc pretty much serves as a prologue more than anything else.
Muv Luv is a highly extensive series so you might want to check out the various other works that they have - though only Muv Luv Alternative was translated besides the original Muv Luv.
( All hail Mecha action! )

Sharin no Kuni

A rather interesting novel which slowly builds in suspense over time.
The entire VN may appear ridiculous at first ( Ridiculous punishments for ordinary people - such as not being able to touch a male and so on ) but the story builds up over time after a set of ordinary events.
Both the fandisc and the original are translated and I suggest checking in both of them.

Wonder if I left anything out... Oh well.

Well , skipping the Anime adaptation of Fate/Zeroand the upcoming release of Carnival Phantasm( December ) - there are other goods coming our way.

Melty Blood Actress Again Current Code - a game which was originally solely released for the Arcades - will be released alongside Carnival Phantasm as a PC Port.

Example of Current Code Gameplay

Aksys also promised the English release of the Doujin work : Fate/Extra though the specified date is unknown.

Sadly - My PSP is dead and I've already completed Extra... thrice. With all the usable Servants.

NOOOOOO!!! Now I have to replay it for the plot after purchasing a new PSP... but should I? There's the NGP coming for one.
Dileminia...

Anyways.... ALL HAIL TYPE-MOON!

Ugh... I've never expected to return to a graveyard.

Most of the groups , forums and other similar social bindings are about as empty as the cup of coffee which I've finished earlier.
Well , I'm told that it's caused by a major shift in Gamespot but heck - the forums and groups are pretty much dead.

Well , anyway , if any of the old pals are reading this - Inform me if you guys wanna make a group for off-topic purposes - y'know , to chat our heads off.
Blogs aren't exactly an ideal site for conversations and PMs tends to be missed.

I have time for Gamespot now so if I had forgotten about any groups or forums - inform me of it :X

Been ages since I've last set foot in here ( properly ) so it's going to take time for me to... ehh... "reformat" into this place.

Anyways , as a side-update , I'm currently playing Majikoi.

Mmm... A difficult choice indeed.

Jumping into her arms = Her Affection Points + Other Heroines probably -

Not Jumping into her arms = Probably major - in Affection

Jumping into Gakuto's arm = Unknown Effect... as of now.

Marvel VS Capcom 1

I've played the first Marvel VS Capcom - and none of the sequels DX
I'm planning to get the third Marvel VS Capcom but the mixed reactions is causing me to hestitate a little.
Either way , this is one of the few fighters with excellent sprites even back in the PS1 days and generally - it doesn't involve as much combo frenzy as most fighters - combos are required , yes , but not in an insane way as we see in fighters these days.
Whew.
If I remember well enough , I think I'm fond of using Spider-Man , Morrigan , Ryu and... and... ehh... I forgot DX

Soul Calibur

Well , I'm not exactly an avid fan of the series ( I've only played a fair bit of Soul Calibur - mostly borrowed from my brother )
This game have a fairly unique combat structure but I'm not all too fond of it for one reason or the other - I can't quite point out the reason - consider it a gut feeling or something.
Perhaps because of the fan services involved?
I favour the usage of... Siegfried and Nightmare.

Gundam vs Gundam NEXT PLUS

Well , it's not exactly a typical fighter of which you perform combos on a 2D platform but it realises real-time Mecha combat whilst intergrating a fighter interface and setting.
Generally , you still need to perform combos - but what I like about this game is that you require more of your reflexes than combos.
My favourite suits are probably the Burning Gundam / God Gundam , Wing Custom Zero , 00 Raiser , Exia , Wing Zero and Unicorn Gundam.

Dissidia

Well , I have Duodecim but Gamespot's Boxart for that one is smaller than my palm.
Anyways , Dissidia doesn't really take a remarkable amount of skill to play - it's more about reflexes and your constitution I suppose.
In Duodecim , foes are supposedly "harder" but in reality , they just do more damage , is slightly smarter than before , have more HP and have higher stats as a whole - but othewise it's usually possible to outsmart them or leech off their health with HP attacks.

Melty Blood Actress Again

Honestly , it wouldn't be an understatement to consider this the best fighter game I've ever played.
Tapping buttons at the right time to lower the damage you receive , a cast of unique characters ( Some characters displays a large amount of raw power whilst others are nimble and more technical ) and requires a bit of skill to master as a whole.
... Not to mention having a single overpowered boss by the name Archetype-Earth. Dang , she's almost IMPOSSIBLE to defeat.
Kudos to the developers for giving a new meaning to a balanced gameplay.
My favourite characters are... Nanaya ( Seventeen Division FTW! ) , Arcueid , Ciel , Sion and... Archetype-Earth herself... After unlocking her , you can truly feel what power means.... Even with a sub-standard combo , you can send most enemies to the Game Over screen.

Fate/Unlimited Codes

Another excellent fighter from Type-Moon's Nasuverse.
Whilst the characters aren't quite as well made compared to Melty Blood ( Feels a bit TOO balanced - some characters aren't the embodiment of raw power as they should be ) - this game requires lots of lengthy combos , skill and well , your reflexes.
Still , all in all , this game isn't really well-made since Archer's incantation takes too long to complete and it isn't as well done as Melty Blood.
Ironically , my favourite character is still Archer... and well , Gilgamesh.

BlazBlue

Well , no offence - whilst the movesets of BlazBlue is indeed unique - some of the character's movesets aren't exactly well thought out since some of the characters have an aptitude for spam.
Still , more exprienced players can get out of those problems in a flash.
All in all , BlazBlue have a rather daring cast of moves for their characters whilst making combos possible - in that sense it is an excellent game.

King of Fighers

To be exact , I've played the older versions.
Like most of the older fighters - it doesn't involve as much combo spammage.
Well , it's been a really long time since I've last touched KoF so I can't say much about it.

Bushido Blade

Not too sure whether this game can be considered a fighter but... oh well.
Generally , this game is pretty unique since it doesn't have a HP Bar system. All you do is swing your sword , cut down your enemy and... yeah , that's pretty much it.
Though much tactics and skill is involved.
The game also offers a wide variety of weapons to choose from.
Generally , I prefer the usage of a katana and occasionally - the nodachi.

Street Fighter

Well , the series had certainly gone a long way. Removing characters , replacing them , adding new ones , reintroducing characters and restructuring it's general system several times.
Ironically , it ends up pretty much the same as before - though with several changes here and there to make it less spammy and "cheap"
Though I wonder why it took them that long to configure the settings to an admirable level? :X

Pocket Fighter

Gamespot gave a far too low score for this one.
Whilst intergrating the movesets of the characters of their respective series , something "new" is added into it.
Like Ryu grabbing a sign and smacking his foe with it - or Chun Li's almighty Love Letter attack.
Items also drop from the sky to aid... whomever uses it first.
Whilst not as "action-packed" as other fighters , you wouldn't find yourself RAGING as much in this game if you had lost in a battle.

.... Ugh , I'm too lazy to list them all. Now that I thought about it , listing all the fighters I've played in my lifetime was a pretty stupid thing to do :o