Mark 3/9/10 in your calendars my fellow US Final Fantasy fans, just got a letter from Square-Enix as well as saw a fan post on dannychoo.com about the official release date of Final Fantasy XIII. Been waiting for the game for so long of course and as with any FF game, it probably is worth the wait. As most of you know, it'll be on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. I'm still going with my plan to buy the PS3..gotta watch the Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete BluRay of course ^^.
The FFXIII figures come out around the time too, so it was bit expexted that March would be the time we'd see it.
Excited to find out yesterday about Ar Tonelico 3. In case you aren't familiar with the Ar Tonelico series, think of them as a mix between a dating sim and an RPG with similar dynamics to Valkyrie Profile. At the same time the art work is amazing thus making it an anime fan's dream. Hardcore gamers might not have been too fond of the previous installments due to the large amounts of dialog (with very cute 2D girls), and old-school in-game graphics, but so far the series has delivered and the 3rd installment looks to be even better. This one is a leap ahead with cell shaded 3D graphics and looks to utilize more Action RPG commands. I'd expect it to eat up 70+ hours of my time like Ar Tonelico 2 has done (which I still need to finish). Like many good things coming from Japan soon, it won't hit stores in Japan till January and thus won't be in the states till spring or so. Right now...it's just a great piece of eye candy for us.
You heard me right, there is an anime kissing game that just came out in the iPhone app store (around Wednesday). From the upcoming Yuri series, Sasameki Koto Yuri, you get to practice your kissing skills and get trained on kissing by Ushio Kazama from the series. Mainly you get scored on how you kiss the image of Kazama. What's cool is that it's FREE, works on the iPhone + iPod Touch and is made for the English market too with English subtitles for the Japanese dialog...with directions in English as well. Just search "SasameKisscomi" in the app store and be at a wifi hotspot since this is a large file and won't download in the 3G network (like anything does anyway -_-). Oh and...be sure to sanitize that iPhone before and after using the app.
gotta love the funny misspellings and grammar errors ^^;
(like I often do on my initial blog post emails ^^;;;;)
Get practicing people, especially guys; I hear too many girls complaining about bad kissing guys.
If you are a yuri fan, check out the series once it comes out in October.
Here's part 2 of the Podcast from anime3000.com that I got a chance to star in. As I post, E3 is going on and many new things have been announced and shown off. Here's a list of some items from the current E3:
Project Natal by Microsoft which is the X-Box's answer to the Wii's motion sensor
PSP GO, the hacked down PSP in which we all spoke about in the podcast, a few days before it was officially released
The PS3 Motion sensor
FFXIII demoed on the Xbox 360, with a spring 2010 expect release date
Wii Fit Plus
New Mario games
...and much more, with more to come. Check out the work being done at E3 by Engadget
The subject of our little rant here is the future of video games. So, where do you all think it's going? Is there new stuff in E3 that you dread or love?
As per the last podcast post, here's who's staring in the post:
You hear some of me but good God I need to stop mumbling. I think I was waiting for everyone to jump in mid comment ^^;; Trust me, I don't normally mumble like that. Check out the podcast here.
This was something that me and the other panelists talked about in the second part of the recent anime3000.com podcast (that podcast still pending release) and undoubtedly is all over the internet. E3 2009 is upon us and leaked out before the event is the new Sony PSP Go. I'll admit..I prefer my current old PSP over this but it might be worthy for someone who has yet to buy one. No UMD drive and no dual analog controls sadly. What do you all think of it?
Been playing lots of Sacred 2 during the past week/week and a half. My first impressions before playing was a bit iffy. I'll admit, I'm not a D&D, WoW, PC-style fantasy game fan. First thought was "seems like a college-level video game project that looks all too much like the Sims, mixed in with medieval themes." I was dead wrong though. Sacred 2 is more like a Grand Thief Auto set in a fantasy world with a Diablo 2 feel as well.
The game is very open-ended. From the start of which ever character or path you choose, the exploring and fighting starts and thrust me....there is a lot to explore. The world of Sacred 2 is very massive and loaded with side quests. The use of mounts (horses, and other mobile creatures you can buy), obelisks and warps can make your journey much less time consuming. I chose to be a High Elf in the light campaign and the instant I opened up the gates of the town I began in...I was ambushed by enemies...almost to the point of death right there. The controls might take a bit to get used to but the action scheme is very customizable and with a decent amount of empty slots to add either magic, weapons and shields collected in the game.
Speaking of the game's items, it doesn't take too long to completely fill up all your inventory from the loot dropped by the vast array of enemies that litter the landscape or the random barrels and chests in caves and in random households (ah the old, break in to a random villager's house and steal their loot deal that you find in say..Legend of Zelda and others). Thankfully you can rid yourself of the extra inventory by saving it in a Hero's Chest for later use, selling it, or , of you are stuck in the wilderness, simply scrapping old, worthless items for stronger loot you find.
As you battle your magic/skills and you level up. The quickest way to level up though is to complete a large amount of side missions. Actually much of your time in the game will be completing side missions as there are over 600 of them! You can of course skip them and go to the story's main tasks, marked on the map in a gold circle..but expect enemies to be much more fierce. Some side quests are a bit dull, I'll admit but some are pretty fun with awesome boss battles at the end of them, so they are worth it. Having people play with you online in this is a great bonus and like MMORPGs, can lead to quicker execution of tasks.
There are some quirks about Sacred 2 though. The inventory system can get rather cumbersome and its rather tough to see which weapons are the best to use. Also, the game's frame rate will slow when thee is lots of enemies and magic being throw around. I have the Xbox 360 version but I hear the same happens on the PS3. Similarly, the game will have odd loading slowdowns in the towns...something I'll admit I'm shocked to see on an Xbox 360.
Despite some flaws, I still give the game a 8 out of 10. It has the pick up and play feel of older games, the open ended play like GTA and makes me now think about picking up similar games that I've for so long avoided like WoW, Diablo, and Everquest.
Check me out on Xbox Live to see my progress in this game and others.
My gamer tag is chuckgaff415.
I'm still playing through the game (its very long, another benifit) so any new tidbits I can add to the review, I'll let you all know ;-)
I finally got something to add to the podcast section of this site. As of a few days ago, I was asked to be part of a podcast with anime3000.com. Big thanks to Sean Russell for asking me to drop by. This is actually part of two podcasts, both pertaining to the history of video games and where we feel its heading to. The first pod cast shown here is a look back at the different generations of game consoles and of course we talked about what the game companies did well...and not so well. The rest of our recording, to be up some time soon, is essentially the second half of our 2 hour cast and is mainly us ranting on what is to come with gaming and more ranting as well. So now you all can hear what I sound like...which is either good or bad ^^;; On the panel was:
Great news KOF fans! If you haven't heard yet, Ignition Entertainment is doing a fan art contest with lots of cash and prizes to commemorate the The release of The King Of Fighters XLL for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
First place Prize is $1000 cash, second place prize is $500 with runners up getting a free $100 KOF figure and/or the KOF XLL game. Enter the "Fan Art Section" of www.kingoffighters12.comupload your work ^_^
The contest has been on since April 11th and will go on till July 31st 2009...so get the art flowing.
Speaking of KOF...this game marks the 15th anniversary of the KOF franchise. I remember being an eager 10 year old gamer back in 1994 (what is the deal with that year always coming up when anyone refers to the 90's anyways 0_o?). I would go to whichever arcade my parents would take me to, to let me play games like KOF, Street Fighter II, Turtles in Time, etc. I got some good memories of KOF and execpt for the a few recent 3D versions, KOF has kept it's 1994 graphics...which to me is fine since I'm an old timer in the gaming world.
So, who's your favorite KOF fighter?..no surprise mine is Mai Shiranui ^^;; Of course you can see why:
Anyways...get going with your art work before it's too late and don't be shy about adding your fan art to my fan art portion of the anime gallery or Flickr group as well ^_^
20 years since the Game Boy came out? Man I feel old. I was 5 years old at the time in 1989 and I was already a gamer for 4 years so...yep I indeed had one. I actually still have my original Game Boy, the odd long orange carry case (more of a reason I always refer to the 1980's as the 'awkward 80's') and good old Tetris.
From there I of course got the color adapter, then Game Boy Color, then Game Boy Advance, then the DS. (I have yet to get the DSi as of this post ^^;;)
Anyone got any good Game Boy memories?
I so remember this commercial. Was on Nickelodeon when I was watching Double Dare, Fun House and Count Duckula.
Thanks to Engadget for letting me know of the GB reaching the big 2-0.
Just recently I finished the Nintendo DS game, Lux Pain. The game was definitely something different. Depending on what type of gamer you are will determine a much different take on the game. Myself along with most of the readers of this blog will find this game more appealing than say a gamer who has no intention of getting into anime or manga.
Lux Pain in short is more of an interactive manga than say a true hands-on video game. It's akin to say a dating sim without much dating. There are moments, mainly in the bonus clips that you can unlock that almost are dates with any of the male and female characters...so almost a dating sim. Lux Pain acts more like a "mystery sim". The purpose of the game is to unlock hidden Shinen (or remnant feelings) in both the area you go to or the characters you meet to unlock the mystery behind cases of these creatures called Silent. Silent, in shor t, are like parasitic worms that feed off of bad feelings (Shinen). It sort of creates a physical reason to why people kill or commit suicide.
Finding the Shinen is not too hard at all even with a timer that appears in most searches. First time playing, you might miss one or two but a basic cycling of the stylus will let you find the Shinen withou t the need for the "Search Mode" that's available.
Eventually you will run into Silents. This is where the bulk of the actual gaming comes into play and there are three types of ways you'll have to defeat them. The latter two ways; breaking a glass shield then scratching the white orb on the screen or the "stringing corners" one, make decent use of the stylus.
Like dating sims, be prepared for ALOT of text reading. Again, this goes to my point about the game being more of an interactive manga...which is not bad since its still rare to see such games make it here from Japan; something we have been asking for.
The story is a bit confusing at first but like in any anime or manga, you will get to like many of the characters. I particularly li ked Rui and aimed much of my encounters with her first if possible ^^;; The voice acting of the characters is very good and for good reason I'll get in a second. The one issue though that you'll notice off the bat is tha t the text will not match what the voice actors are saying...it more paraphrases their statements. There are some typos and misspellings as well, but as a game developer and with loads of errors I usually catch in my own blogs, I can't bash that too much ^^; The voice acting was good and was because a bunch of popular US voice actors did take role in the game. Actors like Chris Sabat (Vegeta, Piccolo, Louis Armstrong, Kuwabara...etc), Monica Rial (Steel Angel Kurumi's Saki...and many others), and Eric Vale (the voice of my favorite male anime character, DBZ's Future Trunks)
Rui was my favorite by far.
Kudos to Ignition for getting the good dubbers but the issues in the localization can sadly be seen.
Overall, as an anime fan, I give the game a 7/10. Gamers looking for a quick and fun video game that are not anime fans might give this game a 3/10 though. My blog is for anime fans so the higher number is what you'd expect. Rent it first if you can but I didn't mind adding this game to my collection and I give it more credit than IGN or others would give it.
Here's the trailer for those who didn't see it yet:
Anime games are still a bit rare on the iPhone but they are slowly coming up in numbers. Well, this game in particular caught my eyes for two reasons. First off, its an anime game on the iPhone that has an anime girl as the main character. I downloaded Abigale which, by the way is by Japanese mobile developer, Meridian. It's a 2D side scrolling shooter with very nice graphics, a story, a bunch of levels and a few bosses as well. Better yet, it's only about $.99 for the intro rate and will soon only go up to about $2.00 or so after. The only issue really with it is that its got no music...kind of a downer but I'd expect maybe a later version will have music.
And as for the other reason why this caught my eye...well this will only be relevant to people who've followed my site over the past couple of years. On and off in my very rare "free time" I've been working on a gaming project I've called "Project Fumi" Since 2003 I've always wanted a mascot for the site and also wanted to create a game pertaining to her. This game, Abigail is basically the game I had in mind...but with some differences of course. These improvements would make the game better than Abigale...if I only had the damn time to draw better images than my first ones, the sprites and of course finish the game engine in which I have a bit done. ::sigh::
Anyways, here's the video of the game on youtube:
Big thanks to TouchArcade for introducing this app and for providing the video.
For the game Samurai Spirits comes the ever so popular Iroha. She's a unique anime/game character since she's not your stereotypical (zombie-looking) thin girl. The Samurai Spirits game is not much different than say Guilty Gear or Capcom vs. SNK but to this day more figures of her are coming up out of the woodwork.
Alright, just finished through the awesome DS game, Blue Dragon Plus. It's been some time since I've played an RPG on the DS and this one was well worth it. Took about 18 hours of game play to go through the main story line and I still have some touch-ups to do with side quests and other aspects of the game.
Here's my review of Blue Dragon Plus:
Graphics:
Don't expect the DS to simply wow you with graphics since the machine isn't a PSP but 2-D pixel junkies like me love to see the graphics doing fin in this time in video game history. As you can see from the screen shots I kept from my previous posts, the graphics looks much like that of say, Final Fantasy Tactics...which is very accurate to the game play and suitable since the game based off an anime. 3-D graphic are mixed in during real game play when you or your enemies summon their shadows. The graphics are done well in the numerous CG cut scenes that litter the beginning and end of the game's story. Granted though, as an anime fan and Akira Toryama fan, I'd rather see hand drawn anime cut scenes (much like Chrono Trigger). Nevertheless, I had no real complaints about the animations here.
Music:
The instant you hear the music, you know its famed Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu behind it. Need I say there's much similarity to the music in BDP to that of FFVII's music and that of his earlier FF titles. The battle music might get a bit repetitive but there are a few different scores for the battles throughout your course. Most of the time though, you will have the basic battle theme which will be stuck in your for a while. Not a bad thing but I can tell you I hear it right now a few hours later ^^;. All-in-all a wonderful score and what you'd come to expect from Nobuo Uematsu.
Story:
Well, the story is set after the end of the anime, I believe. I'll admit, I've only seen the first episode of the anime in which the main character, Shu (looking of course like Goku to some degree) first gains his Shadow powers. If you are a fan of Blue Dragon or plan to watch the series (like me), the game will be a be of a spoiler...but its very well encased in its own, acting like a finale movie to the story. Don't expect any flash-backs, so there will be a story gap for those who haven't seen up to this point. It still is a wonderful story that revolves much around the main antagonist, Nene and his connection to the cube the story takes place in.
It took me about 18 hours to go through like I side but it did feel that the main plot goes by very fast. That might not be good for "hard-core" RPG fans but goes well for Blue Dragon and for its platform on the DS.
Gameplay: I'm a fan for strategy games like Final Fantasy Tactics and say, Command and Conquer and that's exactly what game feels like, a mix of the two. This of course goes great with the DS's touch screen format.
Like FFT, you control a number of characters (up to 16 at once) that each have their own powers and weaknesses. The story splits up the groups into teams but most of the party can switch between these teams. Some area are only playable by certain teams based on the story.
Unlike FFT and more like C&C, Blue Dragon Plus is played in real time. Things of course can get very chaotic and tough at first to command. Eventually as the party grows and with the ability to create Mechas, to join your party, sheer numbers can be used to take your enemies...usually. I've found myself usually keeping my team together in a large group as oppose to spreading them thin. You can practically save at any point which is a big bonus if you are busy like me, once again a testament to the developers keeping with the DS's mobility.
The environment of the game is played in the cube and there's no real central hub so to say. Yet there are a few stops like a number of shops, marked by a servant robot at the location.
Another great feature is the way you can create your own robot team members. Though not really needed to get through the story, you can create robots from the Activation Units spread throughout the game. You can then customize their abilities based on a rather interesting power-grid circuit format. I wasn't able to get much play-time with this but the more powerful the robots are that you find, the more intricate their circuits are and thus more abilities you can add..that is as long as you don't drain their powers wrong on the grid. Probably will be of good use as I continue doing the side quests the game offers.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overall I really enjoyed the game and after playing it...I really need to sit down and watch the anime (uncut and un-Americanized of course).
I give this game a solid 9 out of 10.
As per my last post...check out the trailer below :
Boy has my gaming gotten on a role lately ^_^. Here's yet another game coming out that I'll be reviewing. Gotta love that we are seeing more anime games come to the US. For years games like this were "Japan Only" since US marketers thought there was no market for them...and of course we know the opposite is true. Anyways, more on this game once I get a good play-thru. Here's the details:
GAME OVERVIEW
Lux-Pain is set in historical Kisaragi City, a town plagued by mysteries from small mishaps to murders - with no logical explanation as to why these events occur. It seems “Silent”, a worm born through hate and sadness, has infected humans and forced them to commit atrocious crimes. The hero’s parents, Atsuki, are victims of such crimes. To avenge his parents, Atsuki goes through a dangerous operation to acquire Lux-Pain in his left arm, a power so strong that his left
eye turns golden when using it to seek and destroy Silent for good.
FEATURES
Investigate your surroundings and gather hints by conversing with characters in the game
Use your Psychic Powers to save potential victims from Silent Worms.
Explore the massive world of Kisaragi City
Use your stylus to: -Conduct autopsies of Silent worms found throughout the game -Find parasites before they reach the heart of the victim -Examine various items you encounter along your journey such as buildings and objects
Title: Lux Pain Genre: Adventure Platform: Nintendo DS™ Release: March 2009 Rating: T
Check out the trailer below:
Check out another trailer as well ^^:
Update: First shipments of the game will include an exclusive art book. Very cool ^_^.
Going to be reviewing another game soon. This one is Sacred 2: Fallen Angel. For both the PS3 and Xbox 360, should be an interesting game, can't wait. Here's some info on it:
Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is an action-RPG unlike anything you’ve ever played! With a massive, hand-designed game world, hundreds of monsters, two distinct campaigns and six unique character classes, Sacred 2 will immerse you in a world of adventure and magic. Sacred 2 combines the best elements of hack ‘n slash gaming, roleplaying and an engrossing story about a magical world on next-generation consoles.
Key Features
An epic adventure in a massive game world that guarantees countless hours of enjoyment across two amazing campaigns
Six unique characters that you can customize with new skills, spells, equipment and loot
Join your friends through seamless drop in cooperative and competitive play on the same console or online for up to four players
Hundreds of monster types to challenge your character’s magical powers and fighting prowess
Stunning graphics in true HD-quality
A powerful soundtrack featuring music from renowned Heavy Metal act- Blind Guardian
ESRB Rating: M for Blood and Gore, Violence Genre: RPG Also Available On: PC, PS3, XBOX 360 Release Date: March 24, 2009 MSRP: $59.99
Just got back for the 2009 New York Comic Con and before I do a full post on the events, just wanted to post about something that you'd enjoy. Of course you know that the new Nintendo DS game: Blue Dragon Plus is on its way and is looking great. I am a fan of Akira Toriyama of course since he's the man behind the Dragon Ball Sagas, Chrono Trigger and Dragon Quest. I'll admit, I've only seen a bit of this series but in a few short weeks, I'll be doing a full hands on review to this game. It was promoed at NYCC09 along with a slew of other cool games.
Here's some features and specs for some of you that don't know of it yet:
One year has passed since Shu and his companions defeated the tyrannical remnant of the Ancients, Nene. In the midst of the battle, the world split in two and now consists of a myriad of “cubes” that exploded from its depths. In one of these cubes, King Jibral stands on the balcony of Neo Jibral Castle and surveys the scene before him. He notices a mysterious cube in the distance suddenly start to move violently, and from it he sees the Shadow of a Balaur, a three-headed dragon, emerge. The enormous and sinister Shadow is just the beginning of the new turmoil and devastation to come.
Features
Single Player Campaign With Over 30 Hours of Game Play
Legion vs. Legion
Control up to 16 humans and Mecha Robos to fight against a horde of enemies
Equip your units with items and alter their composition to bolster their strength
Take Advantage of Your DS Features Through Exciting Real-Time Battles and Shadow Fights!
High Quality Dual Screen FMV’s Showcasing More Than an Hour of Story Events!
Exciting RPG Elements Such As Item Collection, Character Progression and Robot Customizations
Other Background Info:
Strong Collaboration of RPG Veterans Storyline created and directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi (Final Fantasy Series Director)
Characters created by Akira Toriyama(DragonBall Universe, Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger)
Ever since I was little I was always a fan of Nintendo's Punch-Out!! There is a remake in the works or just recently out but another great title in the small but loved boxing game genre is Ready 2 Rumble.
I remember back when I worked at Kay Bee Toys in 2000 and getting the game for Christmas since it was bundled with my brand new Playstation 2. Some can argue that it wasn't the greatest boxing game but for many gamers who then didn't see a boxing game since the good old days of Punch-out, it was a warm welcome.
It's no surprise now that the popular Wii Boxing has brought this game back for more. Here's the features as per IGN:
A roster of 18 wildly caricatured cartoony boxers, all parodies of celebrities from the worlds of sports, music and movies who enter the ring as larger-than-life "Rumble-ized" versions of themselves. Players will step right up and see if they can knock these super-sized egos down a peg or two!
Hosted by "The Voice of the Champions" Michael Buffer, famous for his "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" trademark call.
Characters are brought to life with hilarious moves, detailed facial animations, damage textures and fighting techniques including special moves, combos, extreme knockdowns and special "Rumble" combos.
An all new Championship Mode lets gamers create their own unique boxer and nurture his skills through mini-games, developing him as a fighter and creating a completely personalized Ready 2 Rumble Revolution experience.
Delivers a fun and intuitive experience in either single player or multiplayer mode.
The Wii controllers provide would-be pugilists with an intuitive and realistic feel. Using the Nunchuk controller as one glove and the Wii Remote controller as the other, players dodge, weave and throw the big punches to KO their opponents.
Looks like the eroge, Gift is finally available at the Apple App Store. Only the Japanese version is out so if you are like me and still haven't learned your Japanese yet (^^;) don't fret, the English version will come out soon.
So glad to see a real anime app for once. A bit pricey though for an app at $12.99USD, but it might be worth it.
Here's a much better set of Tifa Lockhart Wallpapers than that simple one I did a while back with smoother graphics and bigger sizes. Thanks to photobucket user altoidyoda for the 1820px x 1024px size that I edited for these. Each photo has been adjusted to the popular monitor sizes. Enjoy ^_^
