Today's NES Finds: March 12th, 2015

Today's game finds: fucking awesome! Dragons crown, soul sacrifice, NES games! Can't beat it's.

NES Games I Beat #44: Fire N’ Ice

                Fire N’ Ice (because it was 90s and the N’ makes it cool!) is a puzzle game as well as the prequel to Solomon’s Key (its known as Solomon’s Key 2 everywhere else). It was late release by Tecmo of Ninja Gaiden and Tecmo Bowl fame, coming out March 11^th, 1993, just less than a year from the end of the NES. Being that Solomon’s Key was a fairly successful arcade game which saw a port to the NES, it’s prequel   

                As you may have guessed, this meant poor sales especially coupled with the fact that it released in limited quantities given that the SNES was now dominating the market. In the excitement and heat of the console wars, gems like this flew far under the radar. It’s a shame that one of the best puzzle games out there with some of the most addicting, challenging and brain teasing gameplay never had its chance to become a classic. Even the box itself sports a warning label claiming there are “Highly addictive logic puzzles within” and to “use caution and restraint”.     

                The story is this game isn’t too deep but for its time its completely understandable. Basically, Dana, a young wizard, is granted the power to create ice by the Winter Faries of Coolmint Island so that he can stop the evil Druidle from melting the island. Also Druidle kidnapped a girl and her little sister who are the damsels in distress for that “Dude, save yo girl!” message most classic NES games had.  I also like how it’s being told by a grandmother to her grand kids like it’s a fable or a storybook, that’s a nice touch.   

                The gameplay itself is a ton of fun as it’s easy to pick up and learn the mechanics. Quite simply, your objective is to put out the fire enemies using blocks of ice which our hero Dana (very manly name) can create in an empty spot below him diagonally. There are also blocks arranged in certain patterns in each level and the variety of arrangements is what keeps the game fresh and always interesting. While it starts off very easy, the levels past world 4 get deceptively and progressively harder. A good tip is to always keep altitude on the opponent because if Dana traps himself below and can’t reclaim his footing, then you’ll have to restart the level in order to slay that fireball. This is where the challenge exists, not getting stick while at the same time finding a way to the enemy and then killing it with ice.

                While there are a total of 100 levels spread across 10 worlds which can be done in any order you choose, it is more feasible to just do the levels in order, especially if you’re a new player. The game does a solid job of building on its mechanics through gameplay and constantly stumping you with new, mind bending obstacles for how to traverse the stage and reach enemies. Often times when pushing blocks around you’ll get stuck in a corner with no way back up. Luckily there are no pesky lives or continues to worry about, simply hit start and hit “try again” with the only punishment being starting the level over. And hey, if the level you’re on is infuriating you, just exit out and try a different stage. Since you choose the stage, you choose when to take on the more challenging levels. On top of that, there’s a password system that can be accessed from the map screen by pressing B to back out and choosing the quit option. It’s not too long and it’s a great addition considering this is a pretty lengthy NES title and you won’t likely beat it in one sitting.   

                At the end of each world there is a boss fight which is usually just a bigger puzzle to solve, often with lava chasing you upward. Theses stages are unique and for the most part feel very rewarding and vastly more challenging than the regular stages. There’s even some levels where the stage cycles vertically and the player has to adapt and use this to their advantage. Those were some of my favorite stages because they really pushed you to think ahead and leave gaps for when you’re climbing upward again from the bottom. The final boss is a tad anti climactic, as he’s easy when you know how and only takes 5 hits, but he was still a pretty cool addition none the less. Also once you beat the game there’s 50 more levels and a sound test that can be unlocked. There’s even a stage editor that allows for customized levels which, much like Excitebike, cannot be saved. It’s still a neat thing to have and there’s definitely a lot of bonus content here.  

                     They certainly aren’t lying about that, this game is addicting and it puts the player into a zen sort of mood. The first 4 worlds gave me a warm feeling and the first time I played them, it was clear to me I had to pick up the cart as soon as possible. Often times I’d lose track of hours of time because I couldn’t put the game down. One of this game, and most puzzle games’, biggest strengths is making the player feel the knowledge induced satisfaction of finally figuring out a puzzle after serious trial and error. Beating a level is generally super satisfying because I was finally able to have that “aha” moment and execute the perfect solution. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of when everything falls into place. It reminds me of my experience with Catherine and how certain puzzles drove me nuts until I finally cracked the code and solved it.

                This does however bring up the biggest downfall to this game, the fact that the internet makes this challenging and satisfying glory ride into a cheap cake walk that becomes boring and repetitive due to the corrupt GameFaqs and Youtube playthroughs. It’s a morality issue that stands out here more than most games. It’s like having the answers to the test or being spoiled for a big twist in a movie. I will admit I had to use these to make it through on occasion but I always tried to figure out the solution prior to looking it up as there’s no fun in just mindlessly slogging through such an inventive puzzler. In defense of these playthroughs, they did help make the game less frustrating at points for me and definitely helped me navigate some really obscure methods of completing certain ridiculous levels and in that light, I owe me beating pieces of this game to them. One Youtuber in particular, MMDE, was a Godsend. Also, I can tell he’s got good taste in obscure games as he has a Tomba as his pic and did a full playthrough as well!

                Visually, the game is rather stunning and I love all the animations on the enemies and Dana. There’s even a gag where if you leave the game unpaused for more than 10 seconds without moving, Dana will fall asleep until you make a move. It doesn’t affect anything but it’s cute touches like these that make games stand out. All the bosses are well detailed too and theirs all sorts of variety like a magician, a griffon, a troll, a dragon, and the creepy final boss wizard Druidle. While none of them really do much to stand out, their designs are neat and they all have solid animation as well. The only gripe I have with the visuals is the lack or change in the areas. The map screen boasts forests, caves, mountains, palaces, mines, even a volcano and while the backgrounds do at least change color scheme and patterns, they don’t truly reflect the areas they promise. In this sense, the worlds sort of blend together for me and it seems a missed opportunity to have the worlds all pop with a unique flair. Still, what’s here is good and the aesthetic feel doesn’t disappoint. The soundtrack on display has some really memorable pieces while others are just ok. Overall the quality of the sound is great.

                Despite it’s late release, Fire N’ Ice was actually featured in issue #49 of Nintendo Power with a short walkthrough of some of the more challenging levels. While it never got a full review back then, critics now are actually considerably kind to this game. Most understand its complicated and brilliant gameplay and can truly appreciate this under looked title. It is unfortunate that it has shot up to almost $150 for the cart as only a year ago I obtained mine for $80. Given that it’s one of the top 50 rarest NES games, it’s a most own for any serious collector. For modest collectors I recommend checking out the ROM first and if you fall in love with it like I did then consider getting the real deal. According to some people it’s not worth it but I think it’s more dependent on what kind of collector you are and if it means enough to you to purchase it or not.

                This is a truly special game and is not only one of the best puzzle games ever (right next to Catherine for my favorites) but it is also most certainly the definitive puzzle experience on the NES. With great, inventive, brain teasing , and challenging gameplay, as well as excellent music and visuals, with a steep but rewarding learning curve this is an extremely fun gem. An absolute must play! I’m giving it a 9/10! It feels good to finally put it behind me after this past year!

Game Reviews: Zone of the Enders

Zone of the Enders Review

February 20th, 2015

Well, I finished Zone of the Enders. What can I say about it? It's an interesting concept with a minimalistic presentation overall. The gameplay is its strongest feature as its simply fun to take on enemies and explore levels. The mechs look really cool and overall the atmosphere is good though the cutscenes really categorize this as early PS2. The story is nothing special though they do try to establish a lot of character and interesting concepts by the end. Overall, it's a competent game but it's story seems weak when compared to Kojima's other works like the Metal Gear franchise. It's not about the story though, its about the feeling of piloting a mech and feeling awesome while doing so. Eureka 7 wasn't out yet but I think that has the same conceptual characterization and story done a million times better. Is it worth playing? Yeah, it depends. It was pretty fun for the 6 hours I got out of it. I'm gonna play the sequel at some point but for now eh 7/10. Pretty good.

Game Review: Person 4 Arena

Persona 4 Arena Review

February 5th, 2015

                Persona 4 Arena (that’s the first one not Ultimax its sequel) is a 2-D fighting game released by the untouchable Atlus along with Arc Systems in 2011. It is an extension to the stories and universes set forth in its predecessor titles Persona 3 and Persona 4 utilizing their characters in a one on one fighting engine.

                In terms of story, for a Persona title which is generally an RPG heavy franchise, it reflects that quite well with some costly mistakes in the presentation of said story. While the story goes that the Midnight Channel has returned and Yu is apparently back conviently on schedule with its resurgence a few months after closing out the incident of Persona 4’s story, so his celebration is cut short by the “disappearances” of Kanji, Rise, and Teddie. In actuality it was a series of misunderstandings (Kanji fell into his TV, Teddie got shoved in a locker, etc.). The Midnight Channel now boasts a fighting tournament ad rather than an embarrassing tell all of ones secrets, the main cast all being included and so now the questions arise of why an evil “Teddie” and “Rise” are hosting a tournament between their friends. All it amounts to is a lot of running around a warped version Yasogami High, fighting your friends due to the illusory powers of Labyrs, an anti shadow weapon in the vein of Aigis, and following the story of whichever of the 12 characters you choose. For a plot to a fighting game, it’s decent enough but the rigorous conditions of a fighting game’s mechanics make story telling difficult. T

                There’s 12 different fighters on semi unique journeys that tend to contradict one another but sometimes overlap making for a confusing mess of a universal plot. Yet, it’s not all bad. Each character has a twist perspective on the situation and for the most part its completely unpredictable as to which opponents/ order you’ll be fighting in. I give them props for half trying to make each story feel unique but it led to a lot of skipping of dialogue in instances like the bickering before matchs due to the illusion that the opponent was egg them on or when a certain event would play out almost exactly the same way which is understandable in the sense that they had to get a solid narrative across and the main points of the story while making parts unique. It just comes off more as a hindrance though for the repetitive nature of this formula and given that each and every story is necessary in order to not only unlock all the characters but then actually finish the stupid cliffhangers the first run through gets you for each story. In the end, for a fighting game they took the time to actually explain why they felt the need to fight one another and while mostly it was silly nonsense, it’s that fourth wall breaking nonsense. It knows it’s a game and it plays on that.

                The best part of the story was the addition of Persona 3 characters, their role being to seek out Labyrs who had escaped the Kirijo Corporation’s grasp. The return of Misturu, Akihiko, Aigis, Fuka, and even Elizabeth was great and the interactions with the P4 characters in fanservice candy. Of the 12 characters Labrys and Elizabeth had the best stories because they fleshed out two characters we knew very little about. It feels like the story writers had three really good stories in them which were repitiously spread through the appropriate characters from each game. The Labyrs back story of being an experimental android enfused with a sick child’s mind and heart and then forced to destroy other similarly driven androids with human levels of thought and emotion was incredibly moving in comparison to the rest of the story, to say the least. It’s a concept for a story I’ve always been completely interested in: the will of the mechanical to become more human like and obtain emotion. In this case she, much like Aigis, was able to confront herself and her past to wield her persona which is a fascinating angle that I love, robots wielding a soul and forming bonds just like humans. The other great story is that of Elizabeth,  which may be the most aggravating 11^th hour inclusion as her story isn’t unlockable until you’ve completely over 80% of the game, but what an inclusion it was as it fleshed out her role and that of the Velvet Room even further with an ethereal plain of souls. Not only that but she even learns it is not the power of the wild card but the bonds that make for true strength and it was rather refreshing to see Elizabeth learn this ascend to a higher state of being. Also, she just happens to be my favorite of the Velvet Room girls because of her funny ways of understanding the foreign concepts of our world and the way she talks which makes for an entertaining time every time.

                The other stories were fine, they spoon feed details well, but the insistence on doing them all becomes tedious for a 97% rate finish that only gets changed if you replay certain characters and choose different dialogue options. Pass. The main problem also seems to be in how there is a large focus on the inner thoughts of each character which is given in plain white text between spoken sequences which also accounts for most of the action in the game that is not either a fight or the few animated scenes so there’s a lot of reading an imagination required at some points. While it’s a tad lazy, I guess its fine not expect full drawn cut scenes or anything but it just really would drag explaining the smallest of things. Most of it I skipped but occasionally for my favorite characters like Naoto, Aigis, Elizabeth, and especially Labyrs, it was well worth reading over. It was also fun to see P3 characters enter the TV world, I know random but it’s just a cool little tidbit. I feel like the story was admirable, ambitious, but just over stayed its welcome at some points which isn’t bad considering the limitations most fighting games would have done. It’s more the fact that the fighting is often stretched out a ways for the sake of the story (sometimes initial investments could be a half hour plus before a single fight) so its maybe just a balancing issue if anything. They pull a twist and a cliff hanger, looking forward to Ultimax.

                In terms of presentation, the backgrounds out of battle are good and detailed and it was a nice touch to see Yasogami High in the TV world all messed up and shadowfied. In battle, the backgrounds were even more lively. The characters themselves are beautifully and so fluidly animated. All the moves and movements are a treat to watch given the anime stylization and the crisp/ keen look of the detailed character sprites. I could sit there and watch the gifs of their movements for hours, it’s stunning. Not to mention the game obviously takes advantage of the HD now that it’s on PS3. In a nutshell, everything looks gorgeous so huge fucking props to that. The only complaint I have is they add lip movements to dialogue scenes which sounds trivial but it fucks those up pretty bad in terms of visual appeal as its just not done well and I prefer the facial expression, nonmoving mouths of the past in this series. If it aint broke don’t fix it! Except when…    

                The sound department is serviceable. This game is a fan servicey game intended for us so the music is mostly the soundtracks to Persona 3 and 4 which is ok but I would have preferred some original stuff with the occasional old tune or some remixes would have been nice. There is a handful of unique tunes that are fairly good! The voice acting is pretty much on point aside from a few new voice which is understandable after the 3 year gap. Still, after a while my ears adjusted to Teddie and Chie’s VAs being different and Yu having a voice which still seems a bit off but no big deal.

                There’s not much to say about the game play either as I don’t know the ins and outs of fighting games and I mash a few buttons but it’s good for casuals and hardcores as there’s definitely a ton of moves to master and remember if you’re into that stuff. There’s a whole host of amazing characters and at least one is bound to resonate with you and you’re play style.

                In short, the story is pretty fantastic if not a little overbearing, the visuals are amazing, the music is tight but not original for the most part, and the game play in depth and solid. It’s a great game for multiplayer (although Ultimax is obviously superior with more characters, stages, and shadows). It obviously can’t touch it’s RPG master piece counterparts but it’s a really good effort to make a fighting game spinoff that captures the personality of those titles and for the most part it succeeds in that right. It’s a game for fans of Persona or just fighting game fans in generally as there’s a lot to like here. In the end, I really enjoyed this game so I’ll give it an 7.6/10 for a really solid spin off fighting game! See you next round in Ultimax!  

Game Reviews: Persona 3 Portable

Persona 3 Portable Review

January 30th, 2015

                With the sheer impact and gripping force that Persona 4 had on me, it was inevitable I was going to eventually try some other game in the series. While originally I had intended on starting from Persona (the first one) and working my way up, I found the first entry to be a very standard RPG that, I would come to find, had none of the social links and going into a second world that I adored about P4. Rather, in the first two entries the world itself begins to be infested by the shadows which is interesting enough for some but the gameplay didn’t engage me on the same level and it was lacking the balance of what made Persona for me as it had not been integrated into the series yet. The first entry to implement these features was Persona 3 of which I became curious given the crossover storylines of P4 arena and in Persona Q. Most fans consider the P3-P4 universe its own anyways due to certain similarities and I’m sure some of those questions will be answered in the previously mentioned crossover sequels.

                For now though I have the honor of reviewing the similar game in the vein to my sixth favorite game of all time (Persona 4) which is none other than Persona 3. How does it stack up? Well it’s worth mentioning these games have a very distinctly different tones from one another. The feeling of Persona 3 is an insistence on saving the world and braving the corridors of Hell to climb a single while fighting shadows on the side in the Dark Hour of the real world. The Dark Hour is a 13^th hour added onto the day just past midnight where the true nature of humanity is shown while most sleep soundly. The objective of P4 is more personable in the sense that you deal with the shadows of individuals who eventually join your team once you’ve saved them. There’s a distinctly more characterized quality to Persona 4’s way of connecting you to the characters. While Persona 3 has this its more told through cutscenes and dialogue which could make it harder for some people to get interested. You have to make investments in the characters rather than having seen their darkest secrets upfront.

                This isn’t much of a problem though. I feel like there are some really memorable and interesting characters here just like in P4, you just get less chances of interaction given  your cut off from their social links until you max any one stat, of which there are 3 not 5, Academics, Courage, and Charm. From the start I knew I was going to make Yukari my girlfriend so I constantly did events to raise my charm. These can be found through answering questions in class right or doing odd tasks like karaoke. There were certainly a lot of ways to improve stats. The system is vastly more simple than it is in P4 to where certain things were unavailable certain days. I really like the variety of shops and areas though. Vincent from Catherine even makes an appearance in the club Escape. There were also a ton of little references and connecting threads like Rise’s show being cancelled getting mentioned, the teacher, Tannaka being a social link, as well as all the references made in the Tastumi Island segment of Persona 4 in which the characters in that game visit Gekkoukan High, the high school Persona 3 centers around.

                In that regard the high school setting as well as the city are all cool locations and feel pretty alive. Tarturus was a great concept but it really lacked visual life and uniqueness for me. Perhaps it was just the small screen and the PSP’s limitations showing but it’s a mood point given I originally played the lively and very unique dungeons of Persona 4 on the PS Vita. Other than that, I quickly adjusted to the point and click style and honestly the world looks good enough for what the PSP could do.

                One thing this game does really well is pushing social links and clubs on you which was a good way to get me to notice whose social links I had access to. Most of the secondary characters and their social links were done very well. The only problem is that they are a minefield when it comes to not getting into a relationship. As  I stated previously, much like Yukiko in P4, in P3 I made a commitment in my mind from the start to date Yukari. I dodged every bullet with the numerous other girls I did social links with and in an eleventh hour social link somehow I managed to make Yuko also think I was interested when I specifically turned her down many times previous. Luckily there wasn’t a situation at that point to fuck up with multiple relationships but it still sucks to feel like I was unintentionally cheating on Yukari with Yuko. But hey, you can give your girlfriend a Jack Frost doll or flowers and other gifts so that’s neat! Too bad that wasn’t carried over to P4. There’s also reverse links if you say or do something stupid which is hilariously bad if you pick the worst option in a conversation or just weren’t paying attention. Anyways, the social links were good and with the choice addition of the female lead (basically deemed noncanon by the fact that the boy main character appears in Q) allows you even to do a social link and relationships with characters like Akihiko and Junpei, so score one for equality! You can even date the much younger grade school student apparently which is weird and uncalled for but you know Japan can’t stay classy so yeah… I just feel like you connect more to the characters in P4 because you get to see their inner turmoil and fears upfront thanks to the midnight channel and their shadows  when you help them face themselves. To me that’s a much more resonant concept. No disrespect though, the characters here work together well and are special in their own right.

                While social links are my favorite part of this game, the story was no slouch. The ideas about the lost and ridding the world of shadows as well as facing Nyx were great but again the mysteries in Persona 4 really were a better framing device. It’s not that P3 is framed bad, just differently and it works in that right. There are genuinely emotional moments like the passing of certain characters and just some dismal moods that often hang over the crew for various reasons. I really felt the mood of January’s inevitability and it resonates. The story is really interesting and it’ll be a joy to see if Tarturus or the Dark Hour have anything to do with Arena or Q’s story lines.

                A quick note about the music, it sets the darker, creepier atmosphere very well and while not as hip and upbeat as the masterful tunes of P4, it catches a more edgy vibe. Not to say some of the stuff for the school and malls aren’t upbeat because they are, just there’s a lot more rap and electronica here than j pop and rock. In a way that’s a really good comparison for the games as well.

                The other half of these Persona titles is dungeons and combat which feels a bit more of grind here due to the optional climb to whatever barrier is blocking you further path. This can result in a determined player like me who wants to do on block in a single go having to ascend anywhere from 20-50 floors as opposed to the 10-13 level floors of P4. The floors seem shorter and are definitely a lot easier skip as the stairs are often right next to you but still it feels more tedious given how often your expected to do so. Not to mention once you get to the top, another night Elizabeth will tell you that you have to save people who sometimes wind up in Taturus somehow which means scaling most of those floors again to search for those dumbasses. It’s not actually that bad though. In the original PS2 release you couldn’t even control your characters actions which was thankfully fixed here. Personas and fusion is all the same. The combat is fine and fun and its awesome they milked that Earthbound surprise your enemies from behind thing for it’s worth. There’s mini bosses at certain intervals in Taturus or on full moons there is 1 of 12 shadows to fight. The final boss Nyx was pretty awesome given you have to fight every Arcana one by one which makes for a super great fight all while a pumped up rendition of Aria of the Soul plays. It’s something brilliant.

                So I’m super tired after having finished this so I know this review isn’t the most complete picture of this game. Even though I mostly compared it to Persona 4 its just because that’s the one I personally love more and why not? It’s the superior game for my tastes but that doesn’t mean Persona 3 isn’t just as badass in its own right because it is! Persona 3 has great social links, fantastic characters, a gripping narrative, a sweet location, a decent dungeon system, kicking tunes, and solid combat all balancing out to a pretty spectacular RPG when stood on its own merits. It has most of the charm and appeal of P4 and it was almost as addicting too. The magic certainly shines through. It’s one of Atlus’s best titles and it has their signature passion and flair in terms of quality. I loved it. 9/10. I’m definitely making another run so I can date Aigis, the android that develops feelings and pretty much becomes human. I really liked her character a whole lot. Now onto P4 Arena finally! 

Game Reviews: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Review

                

January 3rd, 2015

              This review is going to be over Uncharted 2 but I suggest you read the Uncharted 1 review first if you haven’t as this is more or less an extension to that one. This 2009 sequel to Sony’s flagship series has been universally praised as one of the greatest games of all time with nearly every gamer I’ve ever heard talk about it calling it a huge improvement over the first. I tend to disagree with both of these claims for reasons I’ll crack into but for the most part I’m just establishing I went in with very high expectations not by my own doing but by the hype around the series itself and this game’s status as the crowning glory in it. After all, the next title Drake’s Deception has been almost universally panned, not on Splatterhouse levels, but I’ve heard they fucked up somehow so for me that’s a bit frightening considering the revisions needed in this game.

                In my first review I mentioned that the platforming bugged me and everyone assured me it improved to perfection in this game. I simply do not agree, it’s still a major pain in the ass to find where you need to go and what you can jump on. Again I’ll mention what is the challenge other than a cheap death of “oh guess I wasn’t supposed to jump there” and the trial and error gameplay present. I still think it’s a cool gimmick but it has not been more than slightly refined for this title which led to a ton of stupid and frustrating deaths and even some legit rage at points when I was clueless as to what to do. I feel that the platforming is less intuitive and much cheaper than in the first title as now they tease you with short jumps that kill you and hard to see objects to climb on. Shout out to that neat fight where you’re on a billboard and you have to mange to kill all those guys, that was inventive. The train segments and car hopping also stick out to me as good. So I’ll say for me, I just don’t think I’m a fan of the Uncharted series’ platforming. Since this is a major part of the gimmick of these games, essentially we’re left with a story driven treasure hunt that is a solid third person shooter.

                 In terms of combat, the one gripe I had still exists majorly here. I was also told they’d ironed out the cover mechanics for this game and while it may be slightly better, I’d desperately try to cling to walls or duck at times and would get hit hard for lack of being able to do so. I know I’m spoiled by that near perfect control of The Last of Us where you can essentially duck everywhere but it’s really still a legitimate problem here. The stealth is a lot better though and the game definitely seems to be tooled more around it so props to Naughty Dog for fixing that. Other than that everything is similar with new weapons like the chain gun and crossbow being awesome. Overall, most of the good parts were carried over but that cover mechanic really hurts my enjoyment at some points.

                The story this time was trying to be bigger but in my opinion really didn’t grip me as much as the first one. Not only did (spoilers) Drake not walk away with anything other than saving the world kind of by destroying the “stone” (really just a sap that makes you marginally stronger) but it never amounted to much more than that. In the first game there was the angle about those experiments in that awesome segment where it turns into survival horror for a second and while this game tried that with its orc looking people it just didn’t seem as cool. All the characters are back though with some new ones and their all fine but there’s nothing too deep here, it’s an action game after all. I give it credit for trying but I definitely enjoyed the pay off of the first one much better rather than getting gyped here in terms of payoff treasure wise. While the story is nothing special, it’s decent enough.

                The atmosphere, while being much more dark and tonal here, is really brilliant in its own regard. Winter is a cool sort of appearance to have in games and wile games like The Last of Us blew this winter segment out of the water, it’s still really spectacular when put in the context of its time and still looks really good today. At points I had to sit back and remind myself I was playing a game and that some guy programmed all these areas which is a great testament to how good it looks and feels. This also works against it in the sense that I remember that some asshole programmed a ledge or a platform to be so well hidden that I’d search for it forever but I’ve already been over that. The music is still top notch which is a major plus because I really appreciate that stuff. Good work there.

                So where do I stand on this supposed masterpiece? I just didn’t like it as much as the first but I can kind of see why some might. For me, what’s broken generally remained broken. Fixed stealth aside, the platforming is still not for me as it’s frustrating and at times cryptic. The story was lacking and while I enjoyed the characters it was nothing too special.  The combat, while a bit stilted by the cover system at times was still rather enjoyable. The atmosphere was great but an obviously stark contrast at points in terms of colors to the darker winter vibe which is fine, I just prefer the jungle and ruins of the first. When it comes down to it, it boils down to a very solid fun, but just sequel as hell experience for me. It’s more Uncharted and if you like the first, it’s likely you’ll love this one. I’m in the minority that honestly thinks the first one had more personality to it but it doesn’t detract from this being a pretty good title with problems. I’m surprised it doesn’t bother anyone but me and I suppose the controls were probably state of the art for their time but nowadays we’re spoiled and it’s hard to go back sometimes. Regardless, this title earns a 7/10 for me. A good title but I weirdly prefer the first or God give me the Last of Us over both any day!             

Game Reviews: Persona 4 Golden

    Person 4 Golden Review

November 7th, 2014

     Well,I did it. I somehow manged to beat Persona 4 in 65 hours with a nearly flawless run in my opinion. Golden Ending and all. I played it every night this week and that tiredness felt from such a thing may have made me careless enough to leave my Vita collection somewhere (not sure yet, will look harder after some sleep and once my headache from playing too much today subsides. I'm not gonna write some elaborate thing, though I'd like to, about why this game is good because headache and such but let's just say this game fucking blows because Yukiko and the main character never once kissed despite me being in a relationship with her and visiting her all the fucking time. So yeah 0/10. Worst game. Actually that's a joke and is reminiscent of how this game will "end"30 hours too early if you fuck up bad enough. All joking aside, this is one of the most excellent, finely crafted RPG/ social simulation games I've ever played. Here's the short of it: It's Atlus at their prime. The animation is good, the story is gripping with PLENTY of fucking twists, the characters are lovable, the social link system and the pressure put on you by the time mechanic are genus and make for genuine bad feelings if say you don't hang out with somebody if they asked you to, the romance system was nice touch, making me always feel loyal to Yukiko even though Rise pushed herself on me until the damn end, the music kicks ass, the combat is great, the world and theming feel alive and vast. There's never not something to do in the down time. The amount of depth in your choices during dialogue is staggering (where the fuck was the kiss though fucking seriously guys you altered other scenes for me and they nearly did on Valentines Day... you bastards at Atlus...), hell the depth to everything in general is amzing and incredible. I got the feels constantly. I near cried at the end because the amount of emotion and my impact was palpable to the entire town and community. Look, in short, the game is incredible and words do it no justice. Please for the love of God play it on PS2 or if you happen to somehow own a Vita that version is great. This is without a doubt one of my top 5 RPGS ever and would make a top 20 list of favorite games of all time. I was so fucking addicted to this game that it seeped into my life and that's what I'm saying, it feels so real. The depth here mimics reality. In the week I've played this game there was not a single day where I didn't invest over five hours. That kind of game where I HAVE to play it, that's fucking good. Sorry this rather incoherant, I have a giant headache from finishing this game today and investing a large part of this day doing so. These are just my exhausted ramblings about it. I'm going to bed. Good night.