24th
February
2008
Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law is High Voltage Software’s and Capcom’s take at taking the natural extension of the Ace Attorney games into the popular Adult Swim cartoon as to make a humorous adventure-type video game. Unfortunately, the game may capture the same game mechanics as the Ace Attorney series, but the integration of the animation against the typical adventure gameplay makes for an extremely awkward and extremely short title.
I will note I played this on the PSP, but I expect that there’s little difference in the PS2 and Wii versions from what I’ve read.
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posted in Uncategorized, adventure, harvey-birdman-attorney-at-law, nintendo-wii, playstation-2, playstation-portable, review |
6th
November
2007
As with Disgaea, this is another great game to have available everywhere due to how deep and complex the gameplay can get. The transition from the PS1 title pretty much leaves intact all the graphical elements, maybe enhanced for readability on the PSP screen, plus adds a few pre-rendered cutscenes at critical moments. The most annoying graphical feature is a slowdown that occurs when you use a special attack (magic spell, rushes, etc.) which seems to be related to disk loading but may also be a element of the emulation process they have. Annoying, but well overlooked considering the gameplay that’s possible.
Plus there’s ad hoc wireless co-op and competitive battles you can take against another player’s party which is a nice addition to the game.
posted in final-fantasy-tactics, initial-impressions, playstation-portable, tactical-rpg |
6th
November
2007
Having played some of the original game for the PS1, I am glad and also somewhat disappointed they didn’t change anything with the game appearance beyond widescreen (which does help to see what the battlefield’s like from afar). Unfortunately, this means some of the text still displays a bit slowly but that’s a minor inconvenience compared to the ability to have this game available where ever you go. It’s still Disgaea with its somewhat insane but still logical rule following that once you get past the first chapter, things start to make sense of how to get in the game (plus if you die, you start the game over but with all your characters as you built them up).
posted in disgaea-afternoon-of-darkness, disgaea-series, initial-impressions, playstation-portable, tactical-rpg |
20th
October
2007
Riveria is certainly an interesting RPG, to say the least. I never played the original when it was out, but given that I’ve heard good things about it, and that Altus is behind the port, I was not expecting to be disappointed.
It is an RPG is the strictest sense, but how it plays out is strange. First, movement is done by moving between fixed areas almost like a point-and-click adventure game. Certain areas will contain “required” battles that you must fight. Depending on your battle success you then gain points that allow you to “look” at the current area, generally to find a new path or obtain treasure. Several such events require a quick response to a series of input commands to complete successfully otherwise there are consequences.
Battles are turn based, but first require you to select only 4 items to bring to battle ; items include weapons, armor, and other recovery goodies. Each character can use any item (there’s no equipping concept in this) though certain items for a character may be more beneficial (a skilled sword strike instead of just throwing it) and additionally a character may be able to gain experience with that item; once the character gets enough such experience with that item, they gain improvements in their general stats and then can use the advanced skill for that item (a more devastating attack, for example). A further oddity is that items have a limited number of uses, so you need to be on the lookout for new items otherwise you may lack even equipment to go fight in battle. Fortunately, the game allows for a “practice” battle that can be done anywhere that lets you still earn experience on items, but does not consume uses of items, those giving you a way to max out characters as soon as you come across new items with unlearned skills. Its a very odd and unique system, but it does also bring a lot more strategy in battle, which, fortunately, you’re given the opportunity to determine what your foes are and what tactics to use before you step into the combat ring.
Storywise its a lot odd, and I don’t yet see where its going, but the challenge of combat is definitely keeping me with this game. I also will add that a very large portion of the game dialog uses voice-overs, which is something rather unexpected particularly for a portable game.
posted in initial-impressions, jrpg, playstation-portable, riviera |
8th
October
2007
I’ve heard rumblings about this being a good game, and so far, it definitely is.
First, it’s a Level 5 game (Dragon Quest VIII and Rogue Galaxy, to name a few) and has some of the look and feel from a game standpoint. The character designs are less anime-ish, though look more like bobblehead figures but they still work;however, there are still anime scenes and some more typical anime type characters (including the frog that in Rogue Galaxy combined items for you, though he’s yet to shown anything beyond being a pet in this game). The game is beautiful to look at.
The game’s story is interesting as it’s a twist on the historical Joan D’Arc. Instead of being “chosen by God” to lead the French against the English, this Jeanne happens across an armband that gives her great powers in battle, and that speaks to her in her head, so she’s still treated as chosen, just in a different way. Plus, while you are fighting the English, their foot soldiers are comprised of orcs and elves and other mythological creatures. It’s a pretty nice way to set a story, and a good one for this game.
The game itself is a tactical RPG more along the lines of Fire Emblem games than Final Fantasy Tactics, in that there is some consideration for a rock-paper-scissors system, and counterattacking is the norm, not the exception. A couple interesting twists in this include the creation of a burning aura behind an enemy after you strike it which allows you to make stronger attacks from it, and possibly set up a chain of such attacks during a turn; and the ability to keep your party together as to share in defensive bonuses against attacks.
posted in initial-impressions, jeanne-darc, playstation-portable, tactical-rpg |
6th
August
2007
Played this for about 2 hours cumulative so far, and it’s pretty decent. It’s part of Namco’s Tales series, and actually is almost their take on Kingdom Hearts, in that the game involves all the characters from the past Tales games; I’ve certainly recognized those from Phantasia, Symphonia, Legendia, and the Abyss (with the last 3 retaining the same VAs from their games), and I’m sure there’s others I’ve not come across.
You play as a completely new character based on your specifications as to appearance, which allows you to develop him or her as you see fit. All the usual Tales mechanics are there: Artes and the Linear Battle System (though on a 3D map, so more like Symphonia and the Abyss), there’s cooking and other crafting skills, and the like. The game is structured by doing one quest at a time, with some quests necessary to progress the overall story. When you do a quest, you go to a field which you explore in a third-person, non-fixed camera view, fight and collect goodies. Some quests will have you work with another Tales characters or more, and while I’ve not gotten to that point, you can also hire characters for your party.
The PSP controls have yet to get in the way of the game - it plays perfectly fine.
So far, it’s a good addition to the series, and the incorporation of all the Tales games has yet to feel too out of place.
posted in initial-impressions, jrpg, playstation-portable, tales-of-the-world-radiant-mythology, tales-series |
God of War: Chains of Olympus is a prequel to the God of War series, moving from the PlayStation 2 to the PSP by Ready at Dawn studios. Despite the change of platform and developer, the game retains the great flavor that the other two God of War games in both action, setting, and presentation, with the only major mar being the poor PSP controls that the game requires. It is also a bit on the short side, but it definitely is fun while it lasts.
Me and My Katamari - the second and last sequel to the breakout hit Katamari Damacy, attempts to deliver the same great game play from that title to the PSP. For the most part, it does this, but the main failing is the lack of the subtly of the control scheme from the PS2 that simply can’t be reproduced on the PSP, causing the control scheme to get in the way of the full enjoyment of the game.
Ok, no stones please: I never played the original PaRappa the Rapper or its sequels, mainly because I wasn’t into console gaming at that time; I might have played it once or twice as demos or at a friend’s place, but my experience was limited that I can’t remember much about it, though have heard plenty. But I know this is considered a historically good title and was excited to hear news of its remake for the PSP.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (VCS), developed by Rockstar North and Leeds, and distributed by Rockstar Games, is a prequel to the events in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, but adds several new features to the game to make it feel much less like an expansion pack that Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories did compared to Grand Theft Auto 3. The new features, in addition to a new soundtrack, returning voice actors, and Phil Collins (!), really help to make this game shine as a worth sequel to Vice City, and is highly recommended for anyone that is looking for some GTA action to tide them over prior to the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.
