Monday, May 7, 2007

   Pokemon Diamond - GameFreak - Nintendo DS
Okay, don't laugh. We've ALL played at least one Pokemon game in our life, and this is no exception. I skipped out on a generation of Pokemon, so I decided to hop back in it. It was a great time to do so too.

The basic understanding of Pokemon is simple: To capture and train all of the Pokemon there are. I think currently there are over 450 different types of Pokemon. Yeah, that's a lot.

This game in particular has added a lot of new features to the game. The battles can be all touch screen now, with a wonderful layout to assist in it. The graphics have also been updated, with 2D character sprites, and 3D world maps. Its pretty awesome looking.

The Pokemon themselves, well, I'm not sure what to say. I personally think they should have stopped when they had 252, but that's just me. They've started losing the originality, resulting in names like Kricketot, and Bidoof. However, its not enough to skip the game entirely.

If you're a fan, or haven't played a game in a while, this is definitely a must have for any DS owner, however if you've been playing hard core for the past 8 years, then maybe you might wanna wait this one out. The features are nice, but you're not getting too much new, minus some fancy touch screen perks.

Rating:
Been playing - 6.5 / 10
New/skipped generations - 7.0 / 10
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Sunday, May 6, 2007

   Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - Capcom - Nintendo DS
Haha, at first glance I didn't even want to touch this game. I mean, how much fun can a lawyer game be anyways? How mistaken I was.

The game stars you as Phoenix Wright, a brand new defense attorney fresh off the bar and into the world. Your mentor, Mia Fey, is there to guide you through your steps as a lawyer, and its up to you to (obviously) win the cases.

The gameplay isn't so much like action adventure. I'm not entirely sure what to call this genre of game besides like text base logic or something like that. The game itself is pretty straightforward, with no multiple path endings or anything like that. However, the characters within the story are amazing. Each one seems to have his or her own outstanding personality, and really add a unique touch to the game. The dialogue is also quite hilarious, with Phoenix doing a lot of witty thinking when characters are talking. The game also has some unique twists in the storyline, which keep you guessing a good bit of the time. There hasn't been a time yet when I've been able to solve a murder case just by looking at the characters.

Overall, the game is solid, and its actually quite hard to write a review on this kind of game in particular. Howeveer, I do recommend you at least giving it a shot. I have no doubt in my mind you'll enjoy it a lot.

Rating:
7.5 / 10
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Sunday, April 1, 2007

   Children of Mana - SquareEnix - Nintendo DS
Ah, this game is a very solid game indeed. Those of you who enjoy the Mana series games are in for a treat, and for those of you whom have never played a Mana game in your life are going to be surprised that despite the cartoony enemies, this game is worth picking up.

You start off by picking a character and naming him or her. Each character has something they excel in, and there are four to choose from. You may also pick from four different colors, so as to make the options a little more diverse. The characters are bright, and beautifully illustrated, along with the rest of the game. If you're big on the art of a game, you will not be disappointed in this game.

Children of Mana plays as an action game, with RPG elements tied in. Defeating enemies gain you experience, which works towards your level, better armor and weapons to help you fare better, etc. What adds to this though is the gem frame system they have. There are special gems (over 100 total) that you can pick up and place in a gem frame that add to your abilites. Some are minor, increasing your attack or defense by a bit, but others are very useful, such as using an herb when you're poisoned to quickly remedy it, or having the healing items double the recovery. The combinations are endless, and the results invaluable.

The game really hasn't been that difficult, provided you leveled properly throughout the game. Those of you who have played a game where leveling is a priority, and didn't do enough of it, know the brutal rape you will sustain when going into a fight underleveled. But it remains at a moderate pace, not being too hard, nor too easy, though I must admit some of the bosses could be a bit tougher. They seem somewhat like larger forms of the regular enemies.

The enemies themselves, as stated before, are very cutesy. But do not let that fool you. These guys still pack a punch, especially in the later levels. The acquisition of a mana spirit also adds to the diversity of the game. The multiplayer is also an added bonus, allowing up to three other friends join you in your adventure. The dungeons are randomized, but they all have the same general design, making exploring them feel a bit tedious, and relentless.

Overall, the games diversity with the gems, character creation, and mana spirits are pluses, the simplicity of the boss battles and tediousness of the dungeons get a little timely at times. But don't let that stop you from at least playing. I would most definitely recommend at least playing for a few hours before actually ruling it out of your library of games. It feels like it would be a hit or a miss game to fans, depending on what your tastes are. Despite its downfalls, I still feel it is a really good game. Unfortunately, my opinion cannot affect the rating of a game.

Rating:
7.0 / 10
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Saturday, March 24, 2007

   Final Fantasy XII - Square-Enix - Playstation 2
Oohh maahhh gawwwd.

You are Vaan, a young orphan living in Rabanastre, trying to get your life back together when the empire killed your parents and your brother. He is joined by his best friend Penelo, along with the Sky Pirate Balthier and his attractive Viera friend Fran, the ex old empire soldier Basch, and Princess of the old empire Ashe. Each character has their own specific goal in mind but it all leads to one thing: overthrowing Emperor Gramis Solidor, and his two sons, Vayne and Larsa.

Kay well first off, this game steers off the beaten path for being the first non online FF to not have a turn based battle system. Lots of people were skeptical on it, saying as how it tears away from the "classic" feel. Let me reassure you, if this doesn't feel like a true FF game, then President Bush is my uncle. I assure you, he's not. FFXII's new battle system is so much more entertaining than the original its a wonder why they didn't make this earlier. They've now implemented a new system called the Gambit system, which allows you to create an AI for each character. Playing through a totally new dungeon? Keep the gambits off, and make decisive actions that could cost you your life. Running through an area with creatures you can kill in one hit? Throw the gambits on so you don't have to sift through the menu every time. The new active battling along side of the gambits make for an interesting prospect on FF gamers.

The Licensing system is another new feature added into FFXII. Basically what it means is when your character owns a weapon, he or she cannot use that particular weapon unless they have the license to do so. To earn LP, you just kill monsters. They are gained right along side EXP. The LP are also used to power up your characters with more gambit slots, additional HP, or added attack power. With the license system in place, no two people's characters will be the same, and you have nearly all the control to develop a character the way you want them. If you want to have a group of white mages be your party? Then by all means do it. The choice is yours.

The graphics are the third thing that stand out. They are truly phenominal. The CG's are absolutely breathtaking. Its hard to tell that I'm still playing a PS2 when they show those gorgeous scenes. And even during gameplay, its hard to tell the difference between a CG and the game itself. Don't get me wrong, the change is noticable, but its not out of control like in FFX or below.

With all the new features, its easy to see why FFXII would be a scary game to purchase. They say never to fix what's not broken, and believe me, before XII, Final Fantasy was far from broken. But you know what? Who takes a perfectly good car to a modification shop and says, "Please take everything off and put it back on again!" You gotta try something new every once in a while, and Square-Enix has done that, succeeding every step of the way. With a cast of highly lovable characters, beautifully created worlds, and a vivid storyline, you'll recognize the true Final Fantasy magic once you've experienced it first hand.

Rating:
9.9 / 10
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Thursday, March 22, 2007

   Lost In Blue 2 - Konami - Nintendo DS
Well, I never played the first one, but I heard it was really good, so I decided to go out on a limb and give it a shot.

While on a cruise ship, a terrible storm hits the boat that you are on, and you are washed ashore of an unknown island. Armed with only your wits, and physical strength, it is up to you to work together with the only other survivor to make it off the island.

Sounds a bit cliche, ya? Well, it gets better. First off, for being a DS game, the whole thing is 3D. The DS is a very powerful handheld it seems, and is quite capable of squeezing out graphics slightly better than the N64. I've not played through the whole game yet, but the island is MASSIVE. There is plenty to do to keep you occupied.

The game starts you off by asking which character you wish to play as. The boy (Jack) and the girl (Amy) are both used, but whom you pick not only determines the outcome of the game, but who you primarily control. The game has multiple endings according to how you interact with the other character. Its very interesting though. The game has 4 gauges, provided on the top screen. The first is a stamina, which determines whether or not you can run, and what activities you can perform. The second is a hunger meter, which is self explanatory. The third is a thirst meter, again very self explanatory. Should any of these three fall to 0%, then you affect the fourth meter, which is your HP.

The game is challenging at first. Trying to find a balance of progressing through the story, and keeping your characters fed and watered is really hard. It takes a long time to fish or gather fruits and vegetables, but it takes even longer to explore, and there are only so many hours in a day. The mixture feels just right though, and once I got the hang of it, I didn't find it to be a nuisance, but rather a new and refreshing challege.

There is one drawback that I've noticed so far. During certain parts of the game (such as when its raining), there have been parts where the game actually slows down. Its a little annoying, but not exactly something to make the game not worthwhile. If you own a DS, and are either a fan of Konami or are looking for a game with a new type of feel to it, Lost In Blue 2 is the way to go.

Rating:
8.0 / 10.0
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