09.13.07
Musings On Gamings
So, I’ve already covered my thoughts on Veronica Mars, and I’ve given a pretty brief overview of the results of Writing Day as well. Both are in the forums, if you happen to not have seen them; we’re also discussing the Frybar Gloer Gor Bari; all are invited to join the discussion, be you Rue Lef, Sif, or Sos. In the immediate, I’d like really quick to go over some of the more interesting bits to come from the runup to the Tokyo Game Show next week.
The news that has me the most excited is, without a doubt, Rez for Xbox Live Arcade. There’s a reason why I would be excited to re-purchase the same game I’ve already bought at least twice over, and it’s not the HD graphics (though those are greatly appreciated) or rampant fanboyism. The reason, actually, is quite simple: downloadable content. I’d always maintained that Rez was too short– at only five core stages and one and a half bonus rounds, it’s not exactly a game that had much in the way of staying power (though unlocking Direct Assault was an excellent way to extend the life by a little bit). By adding full stages, or at least holding out the hope that it will have this option, Rez can become an even bigger phenomenon than it already is– simply by just being more of what it was. The game desperately cried out for a sequel, and the dissolution of UGA dashed hopes for it; but this may indeed be the closest we come for quite some time.
Next, let’s move on to a topic that’s potentially scarring. Japan still seems to be in the midst of Haruhimania, as evidenced by the non-stop stream of videos parodying or homaging one or more of the anime’s theme songs. What compounds this somewhat is the upcoming Haruhi game, which sets her and her merry band (well, all right, her band– “merry” is a stretch for Kyon) in a fantasy world of some sort. Details for Anglophones are somewhat scarce but that could not stop the news that did show itself this week. Namco Bandai, the game’s publishers, are running a Haruhi floor show at TGS to promote the game. Yeah. Speaking as someone who survived– barely– the floor show NB put on for E3 2006, I can honestly say that my prayers and condolences are with anyone who is brave enough to endure such pain. For those of you who want to simply be mildly discomfited, there is instead a freaky Haruhi head for one to interact with/be forever scarred by.
On a brighter note, the Star Ocean series is getting its propers after quite some time; the first two titles are slated for remakes on the PSP. Initial screenshots show a more expressive conversation system for both titles, while the core gameplay/story should remain quite stable. I’d mentioned that I never finished Star Ocean Second Story, actually, and this has always stuck with me as being something of a sore point. I really dug the setting and storylines, to say nothing of the characters– Ashton remains one of my favorites. The game’s relentless bosses and unforgiving curve just frustrated me too much, however, and I think I gave up shortly after the first few hours of Disc 2.
Oh yeah, one thing I think Pez asked me about. Dragon Quest IV DS is on track for a late-November Japanese release. While there’s no official word on an English-language version, but I would venture March or May of 2008. Still no solid dates for DQ5 and 6 DS, nor for DQ 9 DS (though Summer/Fall of 08 is likely for all three). Finally, RPGamer has a propaganda shot of grown-up Rydia in art and polygonal form. I’m not sure what to make of the new style, actually.
Shifting away from new games, let’s get old. I did indeed restart my GameFly subscription earlier this month, and I’m not sure if I mentioned that I was dissatisfied with Odin Sphere. I’ll say it, then: I did not like Odin Sphere. I played about an hour’s worth before realizing that this was, more or less, Legend of Mana on a toroidal playfield, grafted onto Valkyrie Profile’s map system. Separately, they’re good systems; fused, it just don’t work. The art style was nice, but not to my particular liking; and to be brutally honest, the combat was mediocre and somewhat irritating. I didn’t run into some of the problems that other folks who’d played it had encountered– specifically, the bits about standing still to recharge a stamina gauge– but that could be because I was just too blasted bored by the game to play that far. It got sent back posthaste. On the stack now are Valkyrie Profile 2 and Star Fox Assault– I’ve been thinking about VP2 for a while now, and I figure it’s better to rent SFA than to re-buy it just for one play-through every year or so (though it remains on the Reclamation list for eventual purchase, probably one of the last ones). I’ll probably blitz through SFA this weekend and send it back, just in time for MySims to land later next week. (I’ve finished it before, so it too does not count towards the 2007 tally. Which reminds me, I finished Super Princess Peach again over the weekend.)
Not much else going on. If I can blitz through more VM this weekend (I don’t think SFA will take me longer than about five or six hours), I’ll have more news on that. In the meantime, catch you guys tomorrow. This whole “work week” thing is nice. Very nice.