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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

DENY DEATH AND YOU DENY LIFE

Tales from Earthsea, aka Gedo Senki, from Studio Ghibli marks the debut for Goro Miyazaki, son of Hayao Miyazaki (director of Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle).

Tales from Earthsea

I just watched it, loved it and plan on buying the English version as soon as it's out (hopefully on Blu-ray).

Tales from Earthsea

It may not be as wonderful as the other Ghibli movies but it's great on its own right. You may want to read this review since I don't feel like writing one right now.

Tales from Earthsea

If you are a Ghibli fan, you may want to check this and this.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

LATE TO THE GAME: JEANNE D'ARC

At long last I was able to get my hands on Jeanne D'Arc for the PSP and boy is it worth the trouble. This definitely is the best PSP game out there (look out Kratos and Zack).

Jeanne D'Arc cover

I was never a true fan of Strategy RPG games. I still have to finish a single game from this genre and hopefully Jeanne D'Arc will be it. Nevertheless, this didn't stop me from enjoying each and every bit of the few hours I spent with this game so far. I actually find myself compelled to say that this game is very sexy and attractive to look at. The colors, graphics, art style, character design and overall presentation are first class. Level-5, creators of wonders such as Rogue Galaxy and Dark Cloud, did a fabulous job brining this epic journey to PSP's small screen. The anime styled cutscenes coupled with nice voice acting and sweet script do a good job presenting the story. I also find myself thrilled to mention, though this might be considered as a spoiler and out of character for me but I'll say it anyway: the transformation version of Gilles is absolutely the best I've seen in or outside of video games. It's very cool and you better be looking forward to it.

Jeanne D'Arc battle

One of the reasons I don't really like Strategy RPG games is the grid battle system and the complexity developers add to the combat trying to make it deep while only making it inaccessible to anyone other than the hardest of core. Here, you are introduced to different features, strategies and gameplay mechanics in a well paced manner through cute tutorials.


Jeanne D'Arc cutscene

In IGN's review of the game, they state a fact:

"Extremely deep gameplay. Balanced tactical strategy and fast paced action with rich game mechanics. An intriguing twist on a well known tale. These three statements only scratch the surface of Jeanne d'Arc, which manages to deliver on all of these fronts."

But they also state that "transformed characters sometimes being too powerful" to which I ask: Did you play one of 2007's best games, Heavenly Sword? There's a section in Heavenly Sword where Kai gets the sword back to Nariko who's having trouble fighting Roach's "pets." Once you take control of the sword, the game asks you to "annihilate" your enemy but you will most likely find a hard time surviving the battle. One asks: Isn't the sword supposed to be the ultimate weapon? How come I'm loosing still? Well, that was not a smart design choice in Heavenly Sword and thankfully Jeanne does not have the same problem. In the contrary, transforming the selected few of your characters, which can be done once per character per battle, brings great deal of power to your party turning the tide to your favor just as it should.

Jeanne D'Arc

In another review, Shane from 1UP, the same guy who gave Final Fantasy XII a very low score of 8.5, says that Jeanne is "an instant no-brainer for fans of the genre" to which I say: This game is for all gamers and is worth getting a PSP for.

I just want to conclude by saying that I am very much looking forward to Level-5's upcoming PS3 game, Shirokishi (aka White Knight Story or White Knight Chronicles).

Jeanne D'Arc

Since I'm here anyway, if you like RPG games and Anime then you should definitely buy Persona 3.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

NO MORE HEROES

Are you 17 or older? Do you consider yourself a gamer? Got a Zelda-playing-machine Wii?

No More Heroes cover

If you answered "Yes" for all previous questions, do yourself a favor and buy No More Heroes.

No More Heroes

Remember when us, gamers, bitched about not having games for our taste to play on the Wii. Well, our bitching should stop for now as this game is quite the answer to our prayers. The script is wonderful and full of humor. The character design is cool (check out the hot Sylvia Christel below). This is a gamer-game quite more than just about anything you could pick off the shelf these days.

No More Heroes

Is she HOT or what?

No More Heroes

This game got style.

No More Heroes

Bikes are cool, right?

No More Heroes

Proof of purchase.

Travis & Sylvia

I can hardly believe such a game exists, and on the Wii nonetheless.

Monday, February 11, 2008

MAKE IT A MILLENNIUM ACTRESS

I just watched Millennium Actress and I gotta say: it's one of the best animated films I have watched. Overall, it's certainly better than Perfect Blue and Paprika from the same director, Satoshi Kon.

Millennium Actress

Millennium Actress is a love journey that stretches across diverse eras in Japan's history. This movie is a masterpiece that should be watched by those looking for something different, sweet and entertaining regardless whether they are anime fans or not.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

MAY THE DEVIL CRY

So why am I writing about Devil May Cry 4 though I didn't finish my first play-through yet? Maybe because I can't play it right now, thanks to a certain someone. Maybe because it's so good, I couldn't wait till I hit the credits.

DMC4

This game is keeping me away from playing Burnout Paradise, Pursuit Force Extreme Justice and No More Heroes. Nero, the new hero, is bad-ass and Dante returns as the experienced Devil Hunter making his new appearance cooler than ever. I just want to add that I just finished one of the best boss battles in my whole gaming experience. The fight pictured above is one piece of pure awesomeness that you'd want to experience over and over again.

Sunday, February 03, 2008

IMO: Folklore is RPG of 2007

Folklore cover

A sleeper hit is a fitting description for Folklore on PS3. Published by SCEA and developed by Game Republic (developer of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai for PS2 and Brave Story: New Traveler for PSP). Though Game Republic's debut on PS3 with Genji: Days of The Blad fell flat on its face, their take on the RPG genre sets a new bar for this generation's games in general and RPGs specifically. Now lets dive deeper into the ocean of Folklore and discover the treasures sleeping deep within.

Folklore

Story

I'll try to keep this blog spoiler-free, so don't worry if you haven't finished this masterpiece released on the 9th of October 2007 (hey, I just finished it a couple of days ago myself). Though the story starts with a girl looking for her mother, by the end of the Prologue, or even earlier, you'll know that there's more to it than meets the eye. The plot is filled with twists and interesting characters. The setting is a small village called Doolin but its more epic than you could imagin on a first impression as you'll be visiting different Realms filled with magical creatures known as Folks. Folklore refers to the strongest type of Folks, which cannot be acquired, and make up most of the bosses that you'll face in the game. There are moments in this game that rival even that moment in God of War II where Gaia is introduced. You'll play as both Ellen and Keats and collect different pieces of the bigger picture through their view. You could also dig deeper into the story through different side quests. Most of the story unfolds through manga-like cutscenes where different frames show different dialog pieces in text bubbles which I have enjoyed more than most cut scenes in any video game you could name. These parts give the dialog a clear presence that is as memorable as it is fascinating allowing you, just like in manga, to enjoy each frame of the scene at your own pace. I often found myself staring at the same frame treasuring its delecation and absorbing its magic.

Folklore story scene

Gameplay

You will be collecting different Folks from different Realms by pulling out their souls or Ids holding the R1 button and doing some gestures and motions in one of the best uses of the SIXAXIX. There are a few differences between the two characters as you can transform Keats(called Ranscendence) by pressing R3 and L3 simultaneously. Also, Ellen calls the Folks themselves to help her while Keats imitates the attacks himself while a transparent image of the Folk appears above him. This gives a different feel controlling each character and establishes a need for different strategies positioning your character. As in most games these days, you move your character using the Left Stick while controlling the camera with the Right Stick (or the D-pad). L1 locks onto enemies allowing you to focus your attack and attention on a single target. Each of the face buttons (Triangle, Circle, X and Square) is assigned to a single Folk meaning that you can equip up to four different Folks at a time. Luckily, L2 calls up a list of all the Folks you've collected so far (ordered by Realm or attack element which could be any of the different thirteen elements). The Folks behave differently based on the character being controlled. This does not only affect their animation but also attack range and type. The Habetrot, for example, does Sleep area attack when controlling Ellen while doing an Earth area attack when playing as Keats. R2 is the dodge button which, in combination with the Left Stick, allows to move quickly in a certain direction. Start button brings different menus for settings, items and Folks while Select button brings up a map and objective screen. There's also a mini-map on the upper-left corner of the screen.

Folklore

You'd want to explore each level or Realm before facing the Folklore at its end (usually heading North, or up, will get you there) as you will need to collect different Folks and pages. Each Realm has a book that gives hints on which Folks are weak against which and how to defeat the different bosses. This book is very similar to Drake's diary in Uncharted which gives hints to solving the different puzzles throughout the game. Think of it this way: each Folk, Folklore and boss is a puzzle that you need to solve using different Folks in different stages of the battle. There are different items in the game that could be used to upgrade your Folks or unlock their Karmas but I finished the game without using any of them since some Karmas could be unlocked through meeting different criteria like collecting five Ids of the same Folk or beating specific Folks using a certain Folk (meaning killing them without acquiring their Ids).

Folklore book

Beauty

Looking at this game is a treat for your eyes. This game has colors that you won't see in most of this generation's games. The different Folks and characters designs are bizarre and the levels show creativity. I would love to talk about the different Realms and how shockingly awesome their look and art direction are. Alas I don't want to spoil anything for you, so you will have to trust me on this one as you will be filled with surprise and joy as you progress through the game.


Sound

Though forced to use my headphones throughout most of the adventure, thanks to my roommate, I enjoyed the different notes and sound effects to an extreme. In Folklore, just like in every good game, the music compliments and completes the experience. The different piano and violin solos strike the right mode of the current event and each Realm's background music matches its design and theme. These event-critical solos and music masterpieces are as memorable as One Winged Angel from Final Fantasy VII (arguably the most recognizable track in video games history). The Folks possess sounds that bring them to life and add depth and character to them. Suffice to describe the voice acting by saying that I could not ask for more.


Runner-ups

It wouldn't be fair to finish this writing without mentioning some of the best RPGs of 2007, games like Odin Sphere and Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 for PS2 and Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions for PSP, as they present great stories and beautiful art directions. And let's not forget Mass Effect despite its lame story and stupid save system since it has one of the greatest dialogs and sci-fi themes in recent memory, even outside the world of video games.