What Are You Playing Now? v3

[Collectonian]

Time for the monthly thread restart (http://www.animeondvd.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/16461/) ! As always the question is: what game or games (for the more than one at a time folks) are you playing at the moment?

For my update, I'm now on Shadow Hearts: From the New World, having finished the Las Vegas segment (so :cry:) and got Johnny's first tool update so I don't have to waste multiple turns getting pics of enemies. :D Now off to the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza!

[Chacranajxy]

Just a thought -- we need more interesting titles.

[AbeChinchilla]

For my update, I'm now on Shadow Hearts: Covenant, having finished the Las Vegas segment (so :cry:) and got Johnny's first tool update so I don't have to waste multiple turns getting pics of enemies. :D Now off to the ancient ruins of Chichen Itza!

Yay! You're playing an RPG worth playing!

Except it sounds like you meant to say you're playing Shadow Hearts: From the New World, which takes place in the Americas. Covenant takes place in Europe/Russia/Japan. ;)

[HitokiriShadow]

Sadly, nothing at the moment. I haven't played anything since sometime in early January when I played Tales of the Abyss for about an hour and that was after about a month after loosing interest in Final Fantasy 12.

This semester, I just don't have time, particularly since I want at least two hours of playtime or else I don't bother. Posting in three forums and following several series doesn't help. My RPG backlog is currently 16 games (counting the Phantasy Star games on SG Collection as individual games), and that's NOT including illegal SNES downloads. I weep.

[SilverLuz]

I'm playing:
Final Fantasy III DS
La Pucelle Tactics
and
Xenogears (which is at least as much watching/reading as playing :sigh: ) I'm enjoying the story and the gameplay, but dang, my wireless controller is going to sleep during the plot segments because they're so long.

[ADC]

The DS is seeing half duty right now, hosting Final Fantasy VI Advance. I could list a few other titles which are currently physically in their respective players, but I'm not playing anything but the second-best SNES game ever (Mario RPG being the best).

[Johnny]

From the last thread:

So I've been playing DJ Max Portable and... yeah, this is probably the best music game I've ever played... holy shit. All the music is fantastic and it's like Beatmania without a stupid gimmick controller. And there seems to be lots of unlockables. I've got the International version which adds a new song and is completely in English. Definitely get this if you have a PSP.

I really want this game but not the International version as it has some edits and stuff. Sadly, the original Korean version cannot be found anywhere, even eBay. I think I'll just grab the 2nd one when it comes out and try to track down the first later.

[GHardin]

Still tinkering with World of Warcraft. What have I done? I'm sinking further into madness! :cry:

[Chacranajxy]

From the last thread:

So I've been playing DJ Max Portable and... yeah, this is probably the best music game I've ever played... holy shit. All the music is fantastic and it's like Beatmania without a stupid gimmick controller. And there seems to be lots of unlockables. I've got the International version which adds a new song and is completely in English. Definitely get this if you have a PSP.

I really want this game but not the International version as it has some edits and stuff. Sadly, the original Korean version cannot be found anywhere, even eBay. I think I'll just grab the 2nd one when it comes out and try to track down the first later.

The international version had a couple minor edits, but it's also fully in English now and it has a new song... so I think it's a little better overall personally.

[Suwako Moriya]

Currently the only thing I'm playing is Sword of Mana portable wise. I'm still trying to decide what to play next console wise. Then again that may not be so bad. Simply be focusing more on Sword of Mana, I'll actually progress faster and who knows finish the game.

[Collectonian]

Yay! You're playing an RPG worth playing!

Except it sounds like you meant to say you're playing Shadow Hearts: From the New World, which takes place in the Americas. Covenant takes place in Europe/Russia/Japan. ;)

Doh, you are correct. Typing to fast again :P Fixed it in my original post

[malazar]

I am currently playing Phoenix Wright: Justice for All and just started playing Ar Tonelico as well.

[ADC]

I am currently playing Phoenix Wright: Justice for All and just started playing Ar Tonelico as well.
And how is Ar? There's exactly one (opened) copy in the whole of Sacramento County, at the Citrus Heights Gamestop; so I ordered it from Amazon.com along with Hotel Dusk and Contact. (The former's sold out everywhere; the latter's out of print.)

[AbeChinchilla]

Yay! You're playing an RPG worth playing!

Except it sounds like you meant to say you're playing Shadow Hearts: From the New World, which takes place in the Americas. Covenant takes place in Europe/Russia/Japan. ;)

Doh, you are correct. Typing to fast again :P Fixed it in my original post

The boss for Las Vegas was quite a shocker, no? Really scary too!! Gotta' love the monster designs in this series.

[Mateo_home]

In the rotation of two RPGs.

On the handheld I'm playing Gurumin. I can't believe I got a PSP game. I'm only at the beginning where Monster Village has been destroyed and so far this game is friggin' awesome. Graphics are a little dated, but the controls are great and easy to pull off.

On the console I'm playing Ar Tonelico for PS2. I'm up to where I have to escape to Nemo with Misha. Great battle system and old-school graphics...except for the 3D overworld ones. My only complaint is even though I've read there aren't many, are the hard dubbed FMVs. Either NIS couldn't provide Eng subs for that or just poor programming. Yeah, probably poor programming. :P

[untoldsorrow]

In the rotation of two RPGs.

On the console I'm playing Ar Tonelico for PS2. I'm up to where I have to escape to Nemo with Misha. Great battle system and old-school graphics...except for the 3D overworld ones. My only complaint is even though I've read there aren't many, are the hard dubbed FMVs. Either NIS couldn't provide Eng subs for that or just poor programming. Yeah, probably poor programming. :P

Cool, it sounds good. I picked Ar up too when I went to pick up Bleach DS 2. Been playing only Bleach DS 2 right now. Trying to unlock all the characters. I like the fact that they made touch screen user/fighters weaker since there's delays after using the touch screen to do a special but I don't like how combos from part 1 don't work in part 2, and I'm not talking super spamming or anything, just regular combos (my poor Yoruichi). Other than that, alot of nerfs to balance the game.

I hate how they nerfed Yachiru. Walk or run with her too much and she trips and fall on her face (kinda like how Ukitake coughs).

[Collectonian]

The boss for Las Vegas was quite a shocker, no? Really scary too!! Gotta' love the monster designs in this series.

Las Vegas wasn't too shocking (though so sad). But oh man, just reached the boss at in Chichen Itza...ugly ain't even the word! Very awesome design, though...definately worthy of being called monster!

[AbeChinchilla]

The boss for Las Vegas was quite a shocker, no? Really scary too!! Gotta' love the monster designs in this series.

Las Vegas wasn't too shocking (though so sad). But oh man, just reached the boss at in Chichen Itza...ugly ain't even the word! Very awesome design, though...definately worthy of being called monster!

Ugh, and the library's description for the Chichen boss sounds right on the mark. That scream could probably drive me insane and suicidal...

[Johnny]

On the handheld I'm playing Gurumin. I can't believe I got a PSP game. I'm only at the beginning where Monster Village has been destroyed and so far this game is friggin' awesome. Graphics are a little dated, but the controls are great and easy to pull off.



Ah! Someone bought the US version ^ ^
I got this last summer when it came out in Japan and really love it too. It's definitely a lot of fun.
I know the US version got new voices (is the JP track still there? Hope so as the voice acting is superb!) but was the music changed. The original had some great music. I'll probably buy the US version too at some point but would prefer to play w/subs.

[Galt]

Still working through Final Fantasy XII. I spent about 12 hours last week doing nothing but leveling and its really paid off. Right now I am at Mt. Bur-Omisace and didn't have too much trouble with any bosses.

Other games currently in progress: Bully, Madden '07

Will be starting sometime this week: Shadow Of The Colossus


Galt

[Mateo_home]

Ah! Someone bought the US version ^ ^
I got this last summer when it came out in Japan and really love it too. It's definitely a lot of fun.
I know the US version got new voices (is the JP track still there? Hope so as the voice acting is superb!) but was the music changed. The original had some great music. I'll probably buy the US version too at some point but would prefer to play w/subs.

I take it I've made a bad purchasing decision. Yes, the Japanese track is in it, however, it's in as an unlockable and you have to beat the game first in order to unlock it and it's annoying to figure out. And based on what I've read, it only works in cutscenes so the in game voices are still in English. You think Mastiff could learn something from Konami's Castlevania: PoR or a simple menu option like in Nippon Ichi games. I would prefer to play it in subs too, but the English is tolerable, unlike Ar tonelico's hard dubbed FMVs. :) Haven't read anything on music changes though. :P

[Morwen]

Currently Playing:
Phoenix Wright: Justice for All (My gosh, I LOVE Phoenix Wright/Gyakuten Saiban.)
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Tales of Symphonia (Celebrating that I can finally play it again after just getting a Wii...my gamecube had stopped letting me play it for some reason.)

Should be starting soon:
Zelda: Twilight Princess

Really should get around to finishing sometime:
FFXII
FFX
Elite Beat Agents (I love this, but I got stuck)
And several others I'm too lazy to list

[Pachi]

Currently am enjoying myself with what I can of the "Canthan New Years" event on Guild Wars. Unfortunately, being primarily located in the Canthan environment of the Factions edition of the game, and that being the one edition I don't have, I can't enjoy it to its fullest. :( But I'm fine with what I can get to do.

Rollerbeetle Racing is fun. Albeit a bit monotonous given that they only created a single track for the event. And the whole event is really getting the citizens of Lion's Arch to join together and celebrate.......by playing 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' with some random dude in the courtyard. (those in GW will understand)

[Aiia]

After coming down with a cold that prevented me from doing any work for 4 days, I spent 3 whole days playing Zelda: The Minish Cap, doing all the side quests and pulling my hair over some of the dungeon masters/bosses. Now, all that is left is the last boss, but I'm probably going to need to check out a walkthrough because I haven't been able to get in even 1 hit on him so far. :sd: Oh, and I haven't been able to fuse the 2 remaining fusions, despite talking to EVERYONE in the game at least 3-4 times. Talk about annoying!

Despite that, I really love the game and the Minish are completely adorable. Ezlo provides some well needed comic relief with all his complaining and Link has such a cute hairstyle when he has his cap off. :D All in all a really fun game, if I can just beat that last boss.....

[Suwako Moriya]

Granted I know it's only been four days since I completed Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny, but I'm having more trouble deciding which RPG to play than I thought I would. I've mainly narrowed it down to a few choices.

The first being Final Fantasy 12 which should be an easy choice. Yet I've been hesitant to play it. It's not that I don't want to play it. I do, but I keep feeling I should put the game off for later. I think part of the problem is I've been given the impression the game is long and involved. Then there is the matter of the gambit system. Will it be easy to get used to or just a mess?

The second being Xenosaga 2. It's been in the backlog for awhile and by playing it I can start on Xenosaga 3. Sure some seem to be of the mindset to just skip Xenosaga 2 and go straight to Xenosaga 3. However while that may save time, I'll likely miss out on detail if I try that route. Problem is getting the motivation to play it.

The third and final choice is really a wild card. A case of thinking that there are PS1 games I still need to play. That I should start on one of them, but it's such a wild card I can't really give an example.

So I guess it comes down to finally playing Final Fantasy 12 vs finally making progress in the Xenosaga series. It's funny I liked Xenosaga 1 enough to consider paying Xenosaga 2 and Xenosaga 3 in the future. Yet the fact I have not really played Xenosaga 2 and Xenosaga 3 questions how strong my like for Xenosaga 1 actually was. Although I can say this much if/when I start on Xenosaga 2. How I feel about playing Xenosaga 3 will depend on how I feel once I've finished/dropped Xenosaga 2.

[Johnny]

Don't think I mentioned it yet but since only Parodius and Salamander Portable turned up from Yesasia last week, with Twinbee going missing (3 games from my last 5 ordered gone missing - YesAsia are getting worse so if you use them, you may want to reconsider!) I had to reorder it on eBay as I didn't fancy waiting a month for them to resend it.

Anyway, been playing it quite a lot lately and it's definitely worth getting. Besides the original, Twinbee DA!, Detana!! Twinbee, Pop n' Twinbee and Twinbee Yahho! Fushigi no Kuni de Ooabare are included.
I've only played Pop n' before but I'd have to say that Detana is my favourite. Very fast and action orientated.

So overall, with 4 Konami compilations - Gradius, Salamander, Parodius and Twinee - now available on the PSP I'd say all are definitely worth picking up. Parodius is still my favourite but they are definitely worth your time and money.

Just a quick question - did anyone else get Diddy Kong Racing DS? I would have thought there would have been quite a few getting it and adding friend codes etc. Also, how about Ratchet & Clank PSP? I forgot (!) it was out and have just got round to ordering it tonight.

[martod]

On the handheld I'm playing Gurumin. I can't believe I got a PSP game. I'm only at the beginning where Monster Village has been destroyed and so far this game is friggin' awesome. Graphics are a little dated, but the controls are great and easy to pull off.



Ah! Someone bought the US version ^ ^
I got this last summer when it came out in Japan and really love it too. It's definitely a lot of fun.
I know the US version got new voices (is the JP track still there? Hope so as the voice acting is superb!) but was the music changed. The original had some great music. I'll probably buy the US version too at some point but would prefer to play w/subs.

I got it too. It's got tons of secrets and collectables, it's got unlockable costumes, it's ridiculously cute, and you can break stuff. What's there not to like? :D

Too bad you've got to play the whole game from beginning to end to unlock most of the costumes.

[HitokiriShadow]

The first being Final Fantasy 12 which should be an easy choice. Yet I've been hesitant to play it. It's not that I don't want to play it. I do, but I keep feeling I should put the game off for later. I think part of the problem is I've been given the impression the game is long and involved. Then there is the matter of the gambit system. Will it be easy to get used to or just a mess?

The second being Xenosaga 2. It's been in the backlog for awhile and by playing it I can start on Xenosaga 3. Sure some seem to be of the mindset to just skip Xenosaga 2 and go straight to Xenosaga 3. However while that may save time, I'll likely miss out on detail if I try that route. Problem is getting the motivation to play it.

[snip]

So I guess it comes down to finally playing Final Fantasy 12 vs finally making progress in the Xenosaga series. It's funny I liked Xenosaga 1 enough to consider paying Xenosaga 2 and Xenosaga 3 in the future. Yet the fact I have not really played Xenosaga 2 and Xenosaga 3 questions how strong my like for Xenosaga 1 actually was. Although I can say this much if/when I start on Xenosaga 2. How I feel about playing Xenosaga 3 will depend on how I feel once I've finished/dropped Xenosaga 2.

It's a long post, so I'm bolding and segmenting it for your reading convenience. With this mass of text, I think its helpful. You're mileage may vary.

FF12
I'd save FF12 for later. That's why I'm doing after playing it for 40+ hours. It's long and involved (mainly due to the need for grinding, particularly if you want to actually buy equipment) and [warning FF12 fans: personal opinion incoming!] I found the characters and story to be terribly dull. Balthier is the only remotely interesting character. None of them get much character development. Granted, I haven't finished it, but I also lost interest and haven't played it for about three months, but I plugged 40+ hours and must have been between 1/2 and 2/3 finished. This is the only FF game I dropped before at least getting to the final dungeon and that was only in the case of FFIV and V on the PS1, which had horrid load times and the story was mostly over by that point (kill the evil, everyone lives happily ever after... if they didn't die already).

The Gambit system is easy to figure out and works effectively, provided you have the necessary Gambits*, but that's part of the problem. Outside of some boss fights, you won't need to do much beyond moving your characters on the map (they'll move to the enemies themselves). When you aren't facing challenging enemies, its pretty dull. In addition, you will rarely (i.e. boss fights, if that) need to use more than two or three very basic gambits. Even then, many bosses won't pose much of a threat if you use your Mist special attacks (which are also rather dull). If you're characters are set to attack the nearest enemy and heal HP (pick your method) after it reaches a certain level, you are pretty much set for standard battles. There will be occasions when you need to change things, but not by much.

*When it comes to status effects, this is a problem. You get the necessary gambits for lesser status effects early on, but the ones that are really an issue take a while until they are avialable. You will probably be healing poison, silence, and stone manually for quite a while.

And then there is the decision to randomize EVERY SINGLE CHEST/BOX IN THE GAME. Both the appearance of the chest and the item in it are random. This makes the game both dull AND frustrating. Beat a tough boss to get a rare item? You get to walk several minutes and fight some enemies to reach a chest that has a 10% chance of appearing and a 10% chance of having said rare (or at least one that couldn't be bought for a while) item. I beat a tough optional boss and then spent another hour and a half trying to get the damn reward for it. Then I just gave up. That's bullshit. At the very least, rare items should be guaranteed to appear the first time and be randomized after that.

On the positive side, its one of the best looking games on PS2 and I don't recall any signficant load times. And Fran is hot (and has an awesome voice; a shame she doesn't talk more). And you can get a great view of her digital ass fairly easily.


Xenosaga II
As for Xenosaga II, play it just so you can understand what's going on in episode III as it doesn't do a good job of bringing you up to speed. Episode II was a significant downgrade from episode I and felt like half a game, but that's not entirely a bad thing as I didn't like the battle system. The battle system was a bit too complex for its own good, at least in terms of all of the attack attributes. Each character had 2-3 attributes for their basic physical attacks and if it doesn't match up with the enemy, it barely does shit. Even then, you have to figure out their break point (the correct combination of attacks) if you want to survive long. In some cases, the wrong enemy combination means your screwed because they are just too strong, particularly if you don't have the right party members in your group. Some may call it 'challenging' but it felt more like it was just poorly concieved and implemented.

Episode III was very good for the most part. I have two major complaints: 1) the last portion of the game was clearly a rushed (and almost certainly altered) version of what would have been another game and it still leaves a few things open. It's not bad, its just dissappointing to know that the series was forced to end prematurely. My other complaint is bigger and is why I'm never going to play the game again: BandaiNamco USA decided to remove ALL of the blood from the game. It's odd to see people shot and stabbed and not bleed, particularly since they did in previous games. Several scenes are heavily impacted by this; a death scene loses some of its impact and once scene doesn't make sense until you realize that you should be seeing a hell of a lot of blood.

A far less significant complaint, but one none the less: There are no subquests that are not related to the hidden doors and keys. There are a couple of hidden bosses (one mecah fight, one human), but once you beat them, there isn't much use for the reward if you've already reached the final boss. Unless you want to make that final fight absurdly easy as Erde Kaiser Sigma takes off about 3/4 of the final bosses health. I guess my complaint is simply that they didn't have any really challenging bosses to use those earlier rewards against. This is fairly nitpicky though, and since I'm ranting about Xenosaga's bigger issues, I decided I'd just tack it on.

If you liked the first game, finish the remaining two. They aren't necessarily worth playing again after that, but they are at least worth finishing once.

I apologize for such a lengthy post, but I hope it helps you make a decision.

[Merr]

*When it comes to status effects, this is a problem. You get the necessary gambits for lesser status effects early on, but the ones that are really an issue take a while until they are avialable. You will probably be healing poison, silence, and stone manually for quite a while.

Actually, you don't need a specific gambit to heal most status effects. All you have to do is set up Ally: Any --> Poisona/Stona/Vox/Esuna and it'll cast automatically if someone needs healing.

[NickFalzarano]

Well, after however long its been, I've finally finished Wild Arms: Alter Code F. My final time was a bit over sixty hours, but it really only took me fifty. About ten of those were me leaving the PS2 on overnight since the game won't let you save in the final dungeon. I suppose its a decent game overall, and I love some of the music (if the soundtrack were cheaper, I'd think about buying it) but the story never really interested me, so I was always kinda bored while playing the game. No, I didn't get any of the optional characters, mostly because I didn't want to take the time to do so. I would have gladly gotten them if it wouldn't have taken so much time to do so.

Anyway, I'm going to finish Rayman: Raving Rabbids on the Wii. My next PS2 game is Digital Devil Saga part 1. On the DS, I'm playing the GBA game Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation, which I'm not liking as much as Fire Emblem. Both storywise and design wise. But I'm still really early, so that could change, if I ever actually start playing it.

[Josephine]

Anyway, been playing it quite a lot lately and it's definitely worth getting. Besides the original, Twinbee DA!, Detana!! Twinbee, Pop n' Twinbee and Twinbee Yahho! Fushigi no Kuni de Ooabare are included.
I've only played Pop n' before but I'd have to say that Detana is my favourite. Very fast and action orientated.

So overall, with 4 Konami compilations - Gradius, Salamander, Parodius and Twinee - now available on the PSP I'd say all are definitely worth picking up. Parodius is still my favourite but they are definitely worth your time and money.

Just a quick question - did anyone else get Diddy Kong Racing DS?

I've got the Twinbee compilation for Saturn, which only has Twinbee Yahho and Detana Twinbee on it. Twinbee Yahho is the one that my roommate and I have played out. We never beat it, but it was an amazing game all the same, looked great. We also played Stinger (I have no idea what the real name for it is), but neither of us could get into that one. Between those shooter compilations and Castlevania, I'm going to have to get a PSP. It will hurt my pride, but it's now necessary :p

I got Diddy Kong Racing. Maybe I just didn't do my homework, but I thought it was a remake, like a completely new game. I was pretty pissed by the almost direct port we got. Some of the things are different... you collect coins instead of bananas, some of the characters are different, and the coin challenges have turned into a first-person touchscreen game for each level that is a load better than hunting the coins down, but I wish we'd gotten a new game instead of all the old tracks and stuff. I was never very good at the old Diddy Kong Racing.

Mostly I'm pissed it's not a new game, though. It's still a really fun, and I like it a lot.

Right now I'm playing Digimon World DS. I bought it off eBay when I heard it had a limited release, but the one I got wound up being a bootleg (that I paid full price for), and the only way I was going to get a refund was to ship it back to Japan. Since I wasn't going to pay another $10 to get rid of it, I just started playing it. The game is amazing, and it'll do well to hold me over until Pokemon Diamond/Pearl comes out. I actually like a lot of the systems and plot a lot better in Digimon. Great game.

I also played through about half of Contact, which is really fun and really unique. I'll go back to it when I finish Digimon.

[Suwako Moriya]

I'd save FF12 for later. That's why I'm doing after playing it for 40+ hours. It's long and involved (mainly due to the need for grinding, particularly if you want to actually buy equipment) and [warning FF12 fans: personal opinion incoming!] I found the characters and story to be terribly dull. Balthier is the only remotely interesting character.

Ah yes the money issue is one of the common complaints about the game. Although to be honest I have mixed feelings on games that limit your funds. On one hand it's extremely annoying and frustrating. Yet on the other hand if done right it can add an extra level of strategy forcing the player to actually think about what to buy. The problem is while some games successfully use limited funds to promote strategy there are many that go over board and just becomes stupid about it. So rather than being a promoter of strategy it becomes a poor excuse to extend the game. As for which Final Fantasy 12 falls under I can't make a claim either way, but then again something like this is usually a judgment call I guess.

The Gambit system is easy to figure out and works effectively, provided you have the necessary Gambits*, but that's part of the problem.

Ah so the major problem with Gambits boils down to two things. First being that you won't find much use for altering your strategy and the second being have to wait until you find certain Gambits to do things that many feel you shouldn't have to wait for.

Beat a tough boss to get a rare item? You get to walk several minutes and fight some enemies to reach a chest that has a 10% chance of appearing and a 10% chance of having said rare (or at least one that couldn't be bought for a while) item.

Hearing that it makes it sound like hunting for rare treasure is a waste of time. I mean 10% on top of 10%? Okay maybe that's not the right to say it, but still it sounds like over kill. That I'd be better off just seeking general treasure and either making use of it or selling it. Whichever the case may be.

On the positive side, its one of the best looking games on PS2 and I don't recall any signficant load times.

Well that's definitely good to know. Especially given that this is supposed to involve battles in real time and no random battles. I'd hate for such a game to start being lagged with load times. As it would just mess up the flow. Not that they don't mess up the flow in other games, but it would be worse here.

Xenosaga II
As for Xenosaga II, play it just so you can understand what's going on in episode III as it doesn't do a good job of bringing you up to speed.

Hmm I guess this means that Xenosaga 3 is not meant to bring players who skipped the second game up to speed, but rather spark the memory of the players who actually completed the second game. In that case skipping the second game does sound like a bad idea even if it is as flawed as some claim. Actually come to think of it. What's the point of playing only 2/3s of the story? If I were to skip the second game I may as well skip the third.

Each character had 2-3 attributes for their basic physical attacks and if it doesn't match up with the enemy, it barely does shit. Even then, you have to figure out their break point (the correct combination of attacks) if you want to survive long. In some cases, the wrong enemy combination means your screwed because they are just too strong, particularly if you don't have the right party members in your group. Some may call it 'challenging' but it felt more like it was just poorly concieved and implemented.

From the way you described things it sounds like one of those games where you're forced to use specific strategies to stand a chance of winning. Which honestly would sound strategic at first, but after awhile it becomes boring. It's more fun when a variety of strategies can be useful. As it feels like I'm deciding how to win instead submitting to the game's will. To be fair I may actually find this to be more strategic than it actually sounds, but so far it sounds a bit annoying.

Episode III was very good for the most part. I have two major complaints:

Ah yes given that this was originally meant to be at least six episodes and not three as it turned out to be, I'm kind of expecting part of it to be rushed. As for the whole editing out of blood, I heard about that and have to roll my eyes at the decision. The worst part is know I'm going to end up starting to imagine every scene has blood. Well maybe it won't be that bad, but it would be funny if it has happened.

A far less significant complaint, but one none the less: There are no subquests that are not related to the hidden doors and keys.

So in other words I should expect a game that's more or less linear and straight forward. Well I'll keep that in mind when the time comes to finally start on Xenosaga 3 whenever that will be.

If you liked the first game, finish the remaining two. They aren't necessarily worth playing again after that, but they are at least worth finishing once.

I think the major problem has to do with deciding how much I actually liked the first game. Actually the worst part may be that my save for the first game somehow got lost. Yeah there may still be some end saves on the card, but clearly none are mine. Since I'm near the end, but I don't really have a hacked save. Hmm come to think of it, I wonder where the first game is the house? Darn it....

I apologize for such a lengthy post, but I hope it helps you make a decision.

Length is relative to how much you need to get the point across. In this case a longer post works a bit better. As for helping me to make a decision. Well I'm still thinking about things, but it has told me a things that I will definitely need to take into consideration while I can continue to think about the situation over all.

The first is that I definitely should not skip Xenosaga 2. It's far better to just play Xenosaga 2 then play Xenosaga 3. Of course the issue is when I'll play Xenosaga 2 along with how soon after that I'll play Xenosaga 3. As stated before it will depend on how motivated I feel after Xenosaga 2.

The second is it sounds like it really was a good idea to constantly delay playing Final Fantasy 12. However at the same time I can't delay a game forever. Err ignore those games in my backlog, they're just magical figments from fairyland. Seriously the point is this. Either I'll reach the point where I can't justify putting it off or the point where I realize I actually don't want to play it. I'm honestly not sure which yet Final Fantasy 12 really falls under.

[HitokiriShadow]

Ah so the major problem with Gambits boils down to two things. First being that you won't find much use for altering your strategy and the second being have to wait until you find certain Gambits to do things that many feel you shouldn't have to wait for.

My main complaint was that it was became very boring. The lack of certain gambits being available was almost good because it gave me something to do.


Hearing that it makes it sound like hunting for rare treasure is a waste of time. I mean 10% on top of 10%? Okay maybe that's not the right to say it, but still it sounds like over kill. That I'd be better off just seeking general treasure and either making use of it or selling it. Whichever the case may be.

For the most part, its not a bad idea. Otherwise, you would go through an area once, clean out the chests, and then your only source of money is monsters. I don't mind the randomization in this respect. My problem is only in regards to rare equipment (either one of a kind, very difficult to get otherwise like a rare dropped item, or cannot be obtained until much later) particularly when you've already had to defeat an optional boss to get it.


From the way you described things it sounds like one of those games where you're forced to use specific strategies to stand a chance of winning. Which honestly would sound strategic at first, but after awhile it becomes boring. It's more fun when a variety of strategies can be useful. As it feels like I'm deciding how to win instead submitting to the game's will. To be fair I may actually find this to be more strategic than it actually sounds, but so far it sounds a bit annoying.

I think it was an attempt to be strategic but in execution it means you have a very low chance of survival if you don't have the characters with the right attack attributes and exploit the break combinations on every single enemy. Most magic (and Momo as a result) is pretty useless outside of healing and a few enemies that are particularly weak against magic. You may be able to win some battles without exploiting the breaks and attack attributes, but the battles will be long and painful and it takes its toll on your items and Ether points.

Ah yes given that this was originally meant to be at least six episodes and not three as it turned out to be, I'm kind of expecting part of it to be rushed.

It was actually better than I expected, but the last few hours are obviously forced and rushed. You had a great dungeon and a great climatic boss fight and resolution to some things. It was a great place to end had they still been planning to make another game. Then you get the last area were you fight all of the remaining bad guys that still need to be offed before things can be resolved and the story still has some issues left unresolved. If this had always been intended to be last game, I would have been irritated at those last few hours, but they did a good job of wrapping things all things considered.

As for the whole editing out of blood, I heard about that and have to roll my eyes at the decision. The worst part is know I'm going to end up starting to imagine every scene has blood. Well maybe it won't be that bad, but it would be funny if it has happened.

It doesn't ruin the game, just a few scenes. And you'll know usually know when scenes were supposed to be massively bloody. But as a general rule, if there is a body, it was probably surrounded by a lot of blood and if there someone is shot, sliced, or stabbed, they should have bled.


So in other words I should expect a game that's more or less linear and straight forward. Well I'll keep that in mind when the time comes to finally start on Xenosaga 3 whenever that will be.

It's as linear as Episode I and most other RPGs. My complaint was that in the process of doing all of the stuff involving the doors and keys (just like in Episode I), you complete every single optional area and optional boss. It's like having a single sidequest with a couple bosses in it. Actually, I take that back. I think there was ONE optional area with a bunch of puzzles (no boss) that didn't involve the Key/Door stuff.


I think the major problem has to do with deciding how much I actually liked the first game. Actually the worst part may be that my save for the first game somehow got lost. Yeah there may still be some end saves on the card, but clearly none are mine. Since I'm near the end, but I don't really have a hacked save. Hmm come to think of it, I wonder where the first game is the house? Darn it....

My brother overwrote my Episode I save data less than a week before Episode II came out. I was at the final save point, had finished all the side quests and just need to kick Albedo's ass. Needless to say, I was pissed and my brother never played the game again. However, it seems that the completion data simply gives you a little bit of extra SP and an item you can get before too long anyway (I think it was some armor or a weapon).

[Suwako Moriya]

My main complaint was that it was became very boring. The lack of certain gambits being available was almost good because it gave me something to do.

Ah that explains it. Still from what I've read and heard about Gambits it sounds like they're mainly an over glorified version of setting the AI of the computer controlled characters. I guess that would mean that there is a bright side to not needing to do much adjustment with gambits.


Most magic (and Momo as a result) is pretty useless outside of healing and a few enemies that are particularly weak against magic.

That should be considered a crime against humanity. Although knowing me, I'll be defiant and keep M.O.M.O. in my party regardless of hearing. Plus in some ways defiance has ended up paying off anyway for me. Also I'm sure I'll probably over level knowingly/unknowingly which may help anyway.

In any case I thought about it for awhile and at least for now I've decided to go with Xenosaga 2. I'll likely play Final Fantasy 12 either after Xenosaga 2 or after Xenosaga 3. Heck come to think of it. My eldest brother is still working on Xenosaga 2 himself even after all this time. So if he ends up wanting to take the game upstairs to play it, I can just play a different game like oh say Final Fantasy 12. Yeah it sounds crazy, but it could work.

In any case right now the main thing I did was establish a save. Thus I haven't gotten that that far yet. Let's just say my current party consists of chaos and Jin. Okay there's a third guy, but he apparently seems to be a story character as opposed to a playable character. In any case I don't have much I can say about the game yet, but may as well make some comments.

Okay I'm already getting the impression that this will be cutscene heavy. Yes I know I should expect this since well Xenosaga 2 is a Xenosaga game, but it's already starting to feel excessive. Then again this wouldn't be the first time an RPG has been a bit heavy in the story early on in order to establish the basic structure only to become more balanced later. So maybe Xenosaga 2 is the same way.

As for the actual gameplay it looks like has potential, but I'm still early in the game. Thus that potential can be easily ruined as I advance further in the game and the potential of the system is truly tested by enemies actually capable of fighting back. Well in relative comparison to earlier enemies in the game anyway.

So there you have it at least for now the decision is made. I'll mainly focus on Xenosaga 2 console wise and perhaps play Final Fantasy 12 when/if Xenosaga 2 is not an option. Granted things could change. After all I've ended up dropping games and leaving some games dormant for long periods. I also have no idea how often I'll play Xenosaga 2, but I'll see how things go.

Granted through since I've made decent progress in Sword of Mana and I'm nearly done with that I should probably give that higher priority than Xenosaga 2. Although come to think of it, I haven't planned anything beyond Sword of Mana portable wise. Ah I'll worry about it later. It took long enough to decide between the stuff console wise anyway. Hopefully by the time I'm done with Xenosaga 2, Xenosaga 3, and Final Fantasy 12, I'll be ready to decide between some other games like Wild Arms Advanced Third, Valkyrie Profile 1, Valkyrie Profile 2, Thousand Arms, etc.

[Damo]

After its UK release back on the 09/feb I've been exclusivly playing Okami, out of the first week of ownership a total of one-day was spent playing it, that's a lot of gaming for me.

[ADC]

My main complaint was that it was became very boring. The lack of certain gambits being available was almost good because it gave me something to do.
Ah that explains it. Still from what I've read and heard about Gambits it sounds like they're mainly an over glorified version of setting the AI of the computer controlled characters. I guess that would mean that there is a bright side to not needing to do much adjustment with gambits.
I'd say you're setting the ARP (artificial retardation prevention) more than AI, exactly, but yeah, you're about right. It's really just there to automate some of the procedural things, so that you can play with overall strategy. You'll probably never use about 90 percent of the Gambit actions because there are so many that are almost redundant or too specific.

I kind of have a taste for FF12 again. I still have my save and need to finish off some Marks and get the rest of the Espers, so there I am.

[Captain Impulse]

Besides the ever-present WoW addiction, I've been dabbling with Shadow of the Colossus and Wii Sports. Still haven't found a large enough bracket of free time to pop in Zelda: Twilight Princess...but that's coming soon.

[dejr8bud]

Currently playing Sengoku Basara for the PS2. Probably pick up the sequel soon since I doubt there will be a US release since Devil Kings(the hacked up version of Sengoku Basara) sold poorly here. The CapKore(greatest hits)version come out soon.

Also playing Guilty Gear XX Slash on the PS2 and PSP. Still trying to finish Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops on the PSP.

[Chacranajxy]

My copy of Bleach DS 2 showed up just now... so I guess I'll try that and post some impressions in a bit.

[Johnny]

I got Diddy Kong Racing. Maybe I just didn't do my homework, but I thought it was a remake, like a completely new game. I was pretty pissed by the almost direct port we got. Some of the things are different... you collect coins instead of bananas, some of the characters are different, and the coin challenges have turned into a first-person touchscreen game for each level that is a load better than hunting the coins down, but I wish we'd gotten a new game instead of all the old tracks and stuff. I was never very good at the old Diddy Kong Racing.

Mostly I'm pissed it's not a new game, though. It's still a really fun, and I like it a lot.

.

Yeah it's an N64 port with a few less characters (i.e. those now owned by MS) and a few other changes like you mentioned.

[Chacranajxy]

Soo... Bleach DS 2. Yeah. Much, much better than I expected. There seems to be a surprising amount of depth, there's a lot of characters, and the game is just... really fun. It feels like a slower version of Guilty Gear + some elements of Fatal Fury. Overall, I really think I'll get a lot of play time out of this and I'm glad Johnny pushed me over the fence on this one.

I will NOT, however, be investing in any figure skating games though.

[Johnny]

Soo... Bleach DS 2. Yeah. Much, much better than I expected. There seems to be a surprising amount of depth, there's a lot of characters, and the game is just... really fun. It feels like a slower version of Guilty Gear + some elements of Fatal Fury. Overall, I really think I'll get a lot of play time out of this and I'm glad Johnny pushed me over the fence on this one.

I will NOT, however, be investing in any figure skating games though.

What about that DS aquarium sim? Maybe Pinky Street Kira Kira Music Hour? How about that cooking game I can't even pronounce? :D

Ok, ok, in all seriousness good to hear positive impressions. My copy should be waiting for me when I come home tomorrow and I expect to put a lot of time into this one.

[Suwako Moriya]

I still have my save and need to finish off some Marks and get the rest of the Espers, so there I am.

Speaking of Espers, I'm thinking of trying to make my party in Final Fantasy 12 specialists as opposed to jack of all trades as best as possible. Although given it seems you have to search for Espers, I'm not sure if it would be better to make a dedicated Summoner or to more or less split the Espers among the group. That's one of the things I'll consider when it comes time to play Final Fantasy 12.

[Johnny]

It feels like a slower version of Guilty Gear + some elements of Fatal Fury.

Just mentioning Fatal Fury reminds me - you ordered Battle Archives 2 yet? It officially comes out this Thursday but most importers have got their stock way early. Mine shipped last Thursday or Friday so I should have it soon. Really looking forward to it :)

[Lovely]

I'm currently game I'm working on is Ar Tonelico. Currently, I'm depressed because I've reached a point in the game where I'm being FORCED to choose a girl. And... well... I really like them both ;_; .

At first, my favorite girl was Misha, but after some events with Aurica, I love her too. (That, and I feel sorry for Aurica currently.)

I don't know what to dooooooo ;_;.

You know... come to think of it, it seems I'm bad with games that give me a slight branch in storylines. I stopped playing Persona 2 when it presented me with a branch too ^^;. I guess I'm just too indecisive.

[Suwako Moriya]

I'm currently game I'm working on is Ar Tonelico. Currently, I'm depressed because I've reached a point in the game where I'm being FORCED to choose a girl. And... well... I really like them both ;_; .

This is where making a second save comes in handy. So that way you can play one route and then load that second save later to play the other. Still while I may find the choice tough myself, I consider this ultimately a good thing. Simply because the alternative is for the game to say "Worship girl X over girl Y or else!". Granted through even if you make a second save, I can't say how much you'd have to replay to see the other option. Then there is the matter of how much difference this choice between the girls makes. Either way it looks like making a second save would be important. I'll keep that in mind in the near orfar future when it comes time to finally get the game and play it.

[GHardin]

You know... come to think of it, it seems I'm bad with games that give me a slight branch in storylines. I stopped playing Persona 2 when it presented me with a branch too ^^;. I guess I'm just too indecisive.

Aren't we all? I got stuck with a different kind of choice...believe it or not, but it took me nearly an hour and a half just to figure out what I wanted to name my character on Oblivion! :D

[ADC]

believe it or not, but it took me nearly an hour and a half just to figure out what I wanted to name my character on Oblivion! :D
After changing every character's name at least twice in Final Fantasy IV (except Rose — that was easy), I can certainly believe it. When I first went to the Hummingway Cave and they were all just humming, I thought I'd broken the game! :nervous:

[Mateo_home]

I'm currently game I'm working on is Ar Tonelico. Currently, I'm depressed because I've reached a point in the game where I'm being FORCED to choose a girl. And... well... I really like them both ;_; .


Did I get past that part? I'm only up to where I have to reach the Frozen Eye. If I did, then I assume it was when Aurica and Misha joined my party after the boss fight with Bourd. I'll keep in mind about the extra save file if I haven't reached it.

My only concern is if I'm leveling up too fast. I feel like every few random battles, one or two characters level up. And I'm not running around looking for battles either. On another note, I kind of wish the arguments between Misha and Krushe were animated for some reason. They're just funny. "Of course I was worried, you owe me...". :P

[Lovely]

I'm currently game I'm working on is Ar Tonelico. Currently, I'm depressed because I've reached a point in the game where I'm being FORCED to choose a girl. And... well... I really like them both ;_; .


Did I get past that part? I'm only up to where I have to reach the Frozen Eye. If I did, then I assume it was when Aurica and Misha joined my party after the boss fight with Bourd. I'll keep in mind about the extra save file if I haven't reached it.

My only concern is if I'm leveling up too fast. I feel like every few random battles, one or two characters level up. And I'm not running around looking for battles either. On another note, I kind of wish the arguments between Misha and Krushe were animated for some reason. They're just funny. "Of course I was worried, you owe me...". :P

No, it sounds like you're still in "Phase 1". In the begining of Phase 2, (Not a REAL spoiler at all, but just in case) the group splits up, and you can choose which group to go with. this branches the storyline a bit because, from what I gather, you go to different places depending on who you chose.

There's also a little choice you need to make towards the end of phase 1. But I think it doesn't affect things that much in the grand scheme of things (I'm assuming though.)

Aaaaanyways, though in the begining of the game, I was leaning towards Misha, I've now decided to go for Aurica. It just feels like... she needs me more. She's really grown on me I guess. ....still.... I feel bad for Misha now.....




......these hybrid dating sim/rpg's make me have weird conversations >_> .

[untoldsorrow]

I'm currently game I'm working on is Ar Tonelico. Currently, I'm depressed because I've reached a point in the game where I'm being FORCED to choose a girl. And... well... I really like them both ;_; .


Did I get past that part? I'm only up to where I have to reach the Frozen Eye. If I did, then I assume it was when Aurica and Misha joined my party after the boss fight with Bourd. I'll keep in mind about the extra save file if I haven't reached it.

My only concern is if I'm leveling up too fast. I feel like every few random battles, one or two characters level up. And I'm not running around looking for battles either. On another note, I kind of wish the arguments between Misha and Krushe were animated for some reason. They're just funny. "Of course I was worried, you owe me...". :P

No, it sounds like you're still in "Phase 1". In the begining of Phase 2, (Not a REAL spoiler at all, but just in case) the group splits up, and you can choose which group to go with. this branches the storyline a bit because, from what I gather, you go to different places depending on who you chose.

There's also a little choice you need to make towards the end of phase 1. But I think it doesn't affect things that much in the grand scheme of things (I'm assuming though.)

Aaaaanyways, though in the begining of the game, I was leaning towards Misha, I've now decided to go for Aurica. It just feels like... she needs me more. She's really grown on me I guess. ....still.... I feel bad for Misha now.....




......these hybrid dating sim/rpg's make me have weird conversations >_> .




Sounds fun. I might start it up after I finish Zelda TP. I just beat Zant so I'm about to enter Hyrule Castle.

[ADC]

......these hybrid dating sim/rpg's make me have weird conversations >_> .
Y'know, I'm hardly in a position to pass judgement on it given my recent posts in the FF thread, but I'm forever entertained by the way video game girls get their hooks into the gamers. I don't know what I'll ever do if there were a Final Fantasy game with more than three girls in it — how would I make my party? how would I choose?

You know what they need to do, is make a new version of Final Fantasy the First with gender options for all six classes. Yum. Especially if they get the FFT character design team to do the work. :bignosebleed:

[HitokiriShadow]

I still have my save and need to finish off some Marks and get the rest of the Espers, so there I am.

Speaking of Espers, I'm thinking of trying to make my party in Final Fantasy 12 specialists as opposed to jack of all trades as best as possible. Although given it seems you have to search for Espers, I'm not sure if it would be better to make a dedicated Summoner or to more or less split the Espers among the group. That's one of the things I'll consider when it comes time to play Final Fantasy 12.

I've only gotten two espers, but I never even botheres using them. Like the Mist Attacks, they use your entire MP bar to summon them but, from what I hear, they are far, far less useful.

Man, I keep hearing about AR Tonelico and I want to get around to playing it. But I still have Tales of the Abyss to finish. And I keep spending too much time on crap like anime and posting in forums...

[Suwako Moriya]

I don't know what I'll ever do if there were a Final Fantasy game with more than three girls in it — how would I make my party? how would I choose?

You'd be playing Final Fantasy Tactics that's what you'd be doing with Rafa, Reis, Agrias, and Melaidoul (spelling) in your party. But wait you also want a female of each class type. Sorry I had to point out the obvious. Still yeah being able to choose the sex of your characters in a port of Final Fantasy 1 would be awesome. Then in that way people would feel less guilty about their fantasies. :>

[ADC]

You'd be playing Final Fantasy Tactics that's what you'd be doing with Rafa, Reis, Agrias, and Melaidoul (spelling) in your party. But wait you also want a female of each class type. Sorry I had to point out the obvious. Still yeah being able to choose the sex of your characters in a port of Final Fantasy 1 would be awesome. Then in that way people would feel less guilty about their fantasies. :>
Or, at least, they won't be in for a cruel surprise when they discover that the White Mage is metrosexual. :blush:

Yeah, FFT. Didn't consider it because I never use Aggie or Melly (but they're nicknamed just the same). Rafa's almost entirely useless in her Heaven Knight class, but she's also HAWT. And Reis is yummy, too. She's the only reason I bother with Beowulf.

[Suwako Moriya]

I've only gotten two espers, but I never even botheres using them. Like the Mist Attacks, they use your entire MP bar to summon them but, from what I hear, they are far, far less useful.

Okay the thing about the MP bar tells me enough. There is no way I'm making a dedicated Summoner. If/When I get any Espers I'll just split them among the party for the heck of it. It will be a case of taking turns. Okay first Esper goes to you, second goes to you, and err stop whining I'll find the third later to give to you. :sd: In all seriousness I'll view summons as an emergency thing for each character to do.

Man, I keep hearing about AR Tonelico and I want to get around to playing it. But I still have Tales of the Abyss to finish.

Heh part of me is starting to regret waiting off on getting the game, but the fact remains I have other games to work on first. Still if/when the game goes down to $30 I'd be obligated to rush out and get it. Well I'll see how things go as people comment on the game.

In any case I wish the characters moved a bit faster in Xenosaga 2. Still at least I can change my onscreen character. Oh yes I have to ask this. What did they do to MOMO? Her face looks all well wrong if you ask me. It's like an impostor. On a positive note I do like the fact she uses a bow and arrow in battle. Works for me.

Currently I'm leveling up in Xenosaga 2. It's mainly because I can stock up on whatever items I win in battle. Plus I'm mainly focused on the computer. So leveling up is the best thing I can do to make progress in the game right now. Besides eventually the leveling will slow down one way or the other.

[HitokiriShadow]

I've only gotten two espers, but I never even botheres using them. Like the Mist Attacks, they use your entire MP bar to summon them but, from what I hear, they are far, far less useful.

Okay the thing about the MP bar tells me enough. There is no way I'm making a dedicated Summoner. If/When I get any Espers I'll just split them among the party for the heck of it. It will be a case of taking turns. Okay first Esper goes to you, second goes to you, and err stop whining I'll find the third later to give to you. :sd: In all seriousness I'll view summons as an emergency thing for each character to do.

I forgot to mention that when a character gets their second mist attack, they get a second MP bar, effectively doubling the MP and making Mist Attacks and Summons only take half of your MP. And when you get their third MP bar, it is triple the base amount and each Mist Attack and Summon only takes 1/3 of the total MP. And no, you can't get more than that as each character is limited to three Mist Attacks and cannot get anymore.


Currently I'm leveling up in Xenosaga 2. It's mainly because I can stock up on whatever items I win in battle. Plus I'm mainly focused on the computer. So leveling up is the best thing I can do to make progress in the game right now. Besides eventually the leveling will slow down one way or the other.

Leveling up is a good thing in that game. The first real dungeon will be tough otherwise as it is long and there is that whole enemy combination thing. I remember it having a particular combination that frequently killed my party or at least one member and required a lot of healing afterwards. So keep leveling up and stocking up on items, it pays off.

[Suwako Moriya]

And when you get their third MP bar, it is triple the base amount and each Mist Attack and Summon only takes 1/3 of the total MP. And no, you can't get more than that as each character is limited to three Mist Attacks and cannot get anymore.

Ah that's good to know, but even so that's still rather limited. Thus I'll stick with passing on a dedicated Summoner. Hmm it will be interesting to eventually see what these Mist Attacks are like.

I remember it having a particular combination that frequently killed my party or at least one member and required a lot of healing afterwards. So keep leveling up and stocking up on items, it pays off.

Heh it's partially because I died, I ended up deciding on this level up thing. I mean let's see I'm surrounded by four guys with guns. Each shot apparently damages all three members. Yeah I can figure out how that situation will go and actually did. In any case at least I've progressed a bit further in this dungeon and MOMO is now level 16. Granted that may be overkill, but still that's ultimately the result.

In any case I did come to find one thing. Which is that while reserve members gain EXP, they don't gain skill points. Thus on occasion I should probably rotate my party. Knowing me I'll likely make Shion and MOMO permanent while rotating the rest. I just need to decide what system to use to decide when to rotate.

[Lovely]

......these hybrid dating sim/rpg's make me have weird conversations >_> .
Y'know, I'm hardly in a position to pass judgement on it given my recent posts in the FF thread, but I'm forever entertained by the way video game girls get their hooks into the gamers.

Hah, hah, well, er, my point was that I ussually tend to obsess over the video game guys ^^;. Which, as a side note, it would of been AWESOME if Lyner had the option to hit on the males in his party too. Muwahahaha. Equal opertunity pimpin'! (They really should make a game like that someday XD .)


Erm, But anyways, for some reason, with the rpg/dating game hybrid games, I tend to get more attached to the females than I would otherwise *cough*. For example, when I was playing Riviera I was desperate to end up with the pigtailed archer :blush: ....

[jojo_home]

Saga Frontier fan (or whatever alias he's using now) will be happy to know I'm finally almost done Saga Frontier 2, a game I put off for about a year. Damn, the Battle of Southtop was a pain in the ass, but I beat it.

[Suwako Moriya]

Saga Frontier fan (or whatever alias he's using now) will be happy to know I'm finally almost done Saga Frontier 2, a game I put off for about a year. Damn, the Battle of Southtop was a pain in the ass, but I beat it.

It's currently Yuzu Hieda and I'm not ready to change it yet, but I have some things in consideration for the future. So it will happen eventually, but as of right now I have yet to submit a change. Ah so in terms of that battle. Did you beat the boss himself or did you end up waiting for help to arrive? I've done both, but the first time I waited for help to arrive and that's the option I usually go for.

[martod]

Oh yes I have to ask this. What did they do to MOMO? Her face looks all well wrong if you ask me. It's like an impostor. On a positive note I do like the fact she uses a bow and arrow in battle. Works for me.



They removed the cuteness and made the characters more "realistic" looking. :grr: They made her a little more anime like in episode 3. Unfortunately her role in the story in 3 is miniscule(she is in your party the whole game, but there's literally ONE scene in the whole game where she plays a significant role).

[untoldsorrow]

Oh yes I have to ask this. What did they do to MOMO? Her face looks all well wrong if you ask me. It's like an impostor. On a positive note I do like the fact she uses a bow and arrow in battle. Works for me.



They removed the cuteness and made the characters more "realistic" looking. :grr: They made her a little more anime like in episode 3. Unfortunately her role in the story in 3 is miniscule(she is in your party the whole game, but there's literally ONE scene in the whole game where she plays a significant role).


If I remember correctly, all she says is "Daddy" or "mommy" throughout the whole game, lol.

I just finish Zelda TP for the Wii. I moved on to Grandia II for PS2. The one thing I hate about this game is the speed. Everything about it is slow...the story progression, the text, everything overall irritates me since it moves so slow but its such a great game. I just wish there was an option to increase text speed or make all the text appear when you press x or o. Millenia is the BEST!!

[jojo_home]

Saga Frontier fan (or whatever alias he's using now) will be happy to know I'm finally almost done Saga Frontier 2, a game I put off for about a year. Damn, the Battle of Southtop was a pain in the ass, but I beat it.

It's currently Yuzu Hieda and I'm not ready to change it yet, but I have some things in consideration for the future. So it will happen eventually, but as of right now I have yet to submit a change. Ah so in terms of that battle. Did you beat the boss himself or did you end up waiting for help to arrive? I've done both, but the first time I waited for help to arrive and that's the option I usually go for.


I did not know there was a plausible, non-cheating way to beat the boss.

[Suwako Moriya]

I did not know there was a plausible, non-cheating way to beat the boss.

It's definitely plausible, but takes effort to set up right. Without getting to detail the main idea is to end up forcing the boss to fight several battles in a row. Even better if you have the archers set up to do arrow support for extra damage. In other words you're supposed to over whelm him. Granted it's far simpler to just use the defensive strategy anyway.

[Suwako Moriya]

Unfortunately her role in the story in 3 is miniscule(she is in your party the whole game, but there's literally ONE scene in the whole game where she plays a significant role).

It's depressing to hear that, but at least I'll be able to use her the entire game. Plus it wouldn't be the first or final time I end up using a character who's role in the story is well minor. Also based on the images of her I've seen that are based on 3, I can already tell it's a massive improvement over 2. Plus the new outfits helps too.

[jojo_home]

I did not know there was a plausible, non-cheating way to beat the boss.

It's definitely plausible, but takes effort to set up right. Without getting to detail the main idea is to end up forcing the boss to fight several battles in a row. Even better if you have the archers set up to do arrow support for extra damage. In other words you're supposed to over whelm him. Granted it's far simpler to just use the defensive strategy anyway.

Yeah. If you order your guys to attack him you're probably gonna waste a lot of battles anyway not getting anything done. But, I thought that no matter how many battles the enemy fights, the lowered HP in successive battles is fixed no matter how many battles he fights. This means if you fail to kill even one of the knights, you wasted a round and have to try again.

I have another question. I lucked out on NOT getting Cordelia killed in Will's Alexei sceneario (I didn't know choosing her would make it happen until I recently read some FAQs) but she might as well be dead because I haven't seen much of her since anyway! And I'm already playing both Rich and Ginny's scenarios simultaneously so obviously I'm past the Will generation by now. How exactly do people know whether Will married Cordy or Labelle?

[Suwako Moriya]

This means if you fail to kill even one of the knights, you wasted a round and have to try again.

That's where the luck factor comes in and why you're trying to gang up on him with multiple units. The hope is each unit manages to kill one or more of his troops. The more troops killed before the enemy turn the better.

And I'm already playing both Rich and Ginny's scenarios simultaneously so obviously I'm past the Will generation by now. How exactly do people know whether Will married Cordy or Labelle?

It's been a long time since I played, but it's possible that during a certain scene you can see one of them in the background. Also the real question is this. Which of the two would be the considered the more proper choice? In other words is Labelle merely a replacement or is Cordelia simply screwed?

Also in case you don't know the point of no return should be "(1306) - Into the Northern Continent" or something like that. So that gives you an idea of when it's most important to have a safe save. Too bad SaGa Frontier 2 is so restrictive in some regards. Because then exploring and leveling up would be easier.

[Suwako Moriya]

Granted through since I've made decent progress in Sword of Mana and I'm nearly done with that I should probably give that higher priority than Xenosaga 2.

Well correct that I'm no longer giving Sword of Mana higher priority. Mainly because I finally completed the game. So now I can concentrate on playing Xenosaga 2. Well whenever the game gives me permission anyway. :sd: Ah well at least my hands will get plenty of rest. :D

As for my view on Sword of Mana. Let's say it's decidedly average over all. It has it's good points such as the music and graphics. However the game feels like it needs more polish than it had. Plus the companies were often more trouble than they were worth. There was definitely a story to the game, but at the same time it felt like I was missing information that I should had. The villain may as well have called him "Mr.Evil the guy who loves being evil"

Perhaps I should play the guy's quest, but I don't feel the motivation to right now. Besides look at this way. There are only two save slots. I was playing off my brother's copy. I just recently completed the girl's quest. For the record both of us ended up playing as the girl. So as you can figure there is a definite problem with suddenly starting over right now.

[Nosredna]

I don't think I've posted in this thread since v2, so now is as good as ever of a time. I've been playing a lot of Mario Kart (GC) and Final Fantasy III (DS). Mario Kart is just something I can play for a few minutes and FF III is something I've been meaning to play for a while now. Although I'm not very far in FF III yet.

[Suwako Moriya]

Although I'm not very far in FF III yet.

In that case it's your duty to progress forward. I don't want to be the only one here to experience the fun of the final area. Plus it will be interesting to see how others feel about the classes. This is of course assuming people gave the classes a chance and don't just pass on them because they don't want to experiment.

Yeah I know some guides claim certain classes are perfect and others suck, but if people actually use the class correctly they all have their advantage. I mean several people keep saying "Throw away the Scholar". Yet that same Scholar has double effectiveness with items. Which is actually totally awesome if you've been properly collecting items. Also Refia looks lovely as a Scholar.

[tuffy]

I just beat FF3 last night, actually. While all the job classes have some advantage, many of them become obsolete and I was a lot more successful when I switched over.

Luneth went from warrior to knight to dragoon. Refia went from thief to ninja. Arc went from white mage to devout. None of these gave me any trouble. Not only does Refia look nice as a thief, but she's very effective for a very long time.

But poor Ingus. He bounced around from black mage to scholar and back again before changing to summoner and then finally to black belt where he stayed. Once you're out of the areas where you have to be small, attack magic isn't worth it. You never run into enemy parties larger than 3 so multiple-enemy spells aren't that useful. In addition, bosses stop having elemental weaknesses which makes a black mage obsolete. Finally, a summoner doesn't have the defense to hold up in a long fight. So when I realized Ingus was only getting off a couple of Bahamut summons before spending the rest of the boss battle face-down, I switched him away from magic and never looked back.

It was still a lot of fun, though, so I treated myself to some Final Fantasy 3 figures (http://www.hlj.com/product/ENX40498) to guard my desk. :D

[Nosredna]

Interesting, I'm finding the game (FF III) pretty difficult, or maybe I'm just not preparing myself very well. I find that a lot of times my characters are being hit for about 1/3 of my their points.

Right now I've got Refia as a Warrior, Luneth as a monk, Arc as a red mage (although I may change him to a white mage), and Ingus as the thief. But if Refia looks nice as the thief, I may have to change her to that :blush: .

Cool figures too!

[tuffy]

FFIII reminds me a lot of Final Fantasy 1 for the NES in that new areas aren't always balanced for the party levels you have when you first reach them. So when I'd run low on white magic and potions only partway through the dungeon, I'd often turn around and go back to town to rest/resupply before tackling it again with more experienced characters.

Usually my party was strong enough to finish off the dungeon by the second or third attempt.

[Chacranajxy]

Johnny, any chance you got in your copy of Trigger Heart Excelica? I really need to find out how good that game is ASAP because according to NCSX, the game got an extremely limited print run. I must be a winner! But not if the game ends up being blah.

[Johnny]

Johnny, any chance you got in your copy of Trigger Heart Excelica? I really need to find out how good that game is ASAP because according to NCSX, the game got an extremely limited print run. I must be a winner! But not if the game ends up being blah.

Nope, not yet. Apparently Playasia (and maybe NCSX) are shipping their today. I ordered mine through a guy on the NTSC-UK forums (I'm getting one of the limited limited editions if that makes sense - it comes with some cool stuff not in the LE you'd buy from most online retailers as it's directly from Sega) who says he has my copy (as well as about 150 others :sd:) which is being posted today or tomorrow. I imagine it will be the start of next week before I get it but the w/end if I'm lucky.
I would imagine it would be a really small print run (apparently all copies of the game are sold out or almost sold out), yeah (Last Hope only had a 2000 copy first run and Karous is likely to be limited too).

If you need convincing of whether or not to pick it up, just have a look at some of the Youtube videos (http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=trigger+heart+exelica&search=Search).

[Johnny]

So, as for what I'm playing at the moment, I d/l and played through SoR on the VC on Monday night. Funny how no matter how many times I play the game (trust me, it's been a lot over the years!) no matter what console etc it's on, the only bits I always find tough are the two Blaze clones at the end of level 5 and before the final boss.

Aside from that, got Cooking Mama Wii today and it's cool. I played the DS version to death so, aside from the control scheme and a few extra dishes/characters, it's not really new. The Wii remote makes some things a lot more enjoyable and easier, but also makes some stuff harder to pull off.

Got DJ Max Portable and Bleach DS 2 waiting for me to start too :)

[DiGiKerot]

Johnny, any chance you got in your copy of Trigger Heart Excelica? I really need to find out how good that game is ASAP because according to NCSX, the game got an extremely limited print run. I must be a winner! But not if the game ends up being blah.

NCSX have sold out of the regular edition already, so if you want it, you'll have to order the LE, like, pretty damn sharpish.

[Chacranajxy]

Johnny, any chance you got in your copy of Trigger Heart Excelica? I really need to find out how good that game is ASAP because according to NCSX, the game got an extremely limited print run. I must be a winner! But not if the game ends up being blah.

NCSX have sold out of the regular edition already, so if you want it, you'll have to order the LE, like, pretty damn sharpish.

I'll probably buy it within the day. I wanted the LE anyway... this is stupid, I need to just suck it up and buy this.

[Suwako Moriya]

Actually in terms of defense it depends on what type of attacks you're facing in the first place. If a boss makes heavy use of magic then the magic like classes such as the Summoner have a better chance of surviving the damage. Plus since you're going to put them in the backrow anyway.

Still I do have to admit that the Black Mage isn't that impressive even when compared to other magic based classes. The damage of Black Magic is a bit underwhelming. Especially when you take into account the limited charges and the fact you really wouldn't bother with lower level spells that much.

The Viking should get props for one reason. It gives you an excuse to use two shields for once. Yeah there had to be a reason for that and it would be the provoke skill which can definitely be helpful due to what it does. Okay so maybe this isn't as special as doing uber damage, but it has to be noted.

Ah Final Fantasy 3 figures, I wonder if they'd make enough so you'd have each person in each possible job class. Hmm maybe that would be over kill.

[Zanza Hiro]

picked up VF5 yesterday, have been playing it non-stop since. this is my first VF, never played the previous ones. currently really liking the blond dude, Jacky Bryant. is that girl Sarah his sister? she's hawt :)

[Collectonian]

Just a thought -- we need more interesting titles.

I'll keep it in mind for next month :D

[Chacranajxy]

Just a thought -- we need more interesting titles.

I'll keep it in mind for next month :D

I appreciate it... seriously, it needs to be something like "HEY! What Are You Playing!??! BURNING FESTIVAL 2000 AND ONE!!!"

With that passionate of a title, I don't think anyone could resist posting.

[Suwako Moriya]

I'll keep it in mind for next month :D

Ah cool it will be interesting to see what the future holds and thankfully you'll have more time to think of a title. Since well you're doing it monthly and of course we're not having everything under the sun put in one thread.

[Suwako Moriya]

Speaking of new outfits in the Xenosaga series. I've progress far enough in Xenosaga 2 for certain characters to get a change of clothes. I have to admit I do like MOMO's new outfit, but not as much as the Xenosaga 3 outfit. Also Shion actually looks nice in that. In any case as for current progress? I've dived into MOMO's mind. It's kind of nice to learn a bit more about Sakura finally. I'm still in the middle of this part as of this post.

[Lovely]

A lot of people don't like it, but honestly, Shion's episode 2 outfit is my favorite of all the outfits she wears. I don't know... I just like it on her.

And yeah, Momo's design and outfit in Episode 3 is the look and style I like the most in the entire series :) .

[Suwako Moriya]

I think what may be part of the appeal of Shion's second outfit at least is it gives the impression she's become more relaxed. Not sure what to say about her third outfit right now. Still one thing is for certain there is definitely a huge difference between looking at a low res image and seeing the second outfit in the actual game.

[WRX]

I'm playing "Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters" on the PSP. So far it's excellent. I've always been a fan of the series and this one is on par with the others. The graphics are easily as good as the PS2 games.

Also been playing Wii Sports a lot. Boxing is fun way to excercise after work. I was playing Zelda too but got stuck at a spot and put it aside for a while. Rayman Raving Rabids is a lot of fun too. Still debating picking up Warioware Smooth Moves...

Might also be picking up DDR Universe for the X360 when it comes out next week. I've never really tried the series but anything that gets my fat ass off the couch can't be all bad. :)

[Johnny]

I'll probably buy it within the day. I wanted the LE anyway... this is stupid, I need to just suck it up and buy this.

If you haven't already bought it, go here (http://ntsc-uk.domino.org/showthread.php?t=67151&page=5) and scroll down a bit to the pics. That should be enough to convince you ;) Mine is one of those :)

[Zanza Hiro]

sorry guys, didn't kno where else to post this

at the end of Feb, EB says that DDR Universe Bundle will be released but the actual game doesn't get released until much later. is there a reason for that? shouldn't the bundle and standalone get released simultaneously?

thx

[Johnny]

Been playing some DJ Max PSP lately since getting it yesterday and I'm loving it a lot - even if I do pretty much suck at it. I dunno, I'm great as most rhythm action games (from Parappa to Taiko no Tatsujin to DDR to Gitaroo Man and so on) but with this game and Beatmania I get a real mental block at times and get totally confused. The level 3 4-button stuff is my limit at the minute, even with the game slowed down.
Still really enjoying it despite some frustration though. Some really great tunes on here and the K-anime is really cool.

Chacrana, how you finding the difficulty?

[Johnny]

picked up VF5 yesterday, have been playing it non-stop since. this is my first VF, never played the previous ones. currently really liking the blond dude, Jacky Bryant. is that girl Sarah his sister? she's hawt :)

Good a time to start with the series as any I guess as this is the best one so far.
Jacky is my character of choice too and yeah, Sarah is his sis.

[Zanza Hiro]

yeah

as with all fighting games like tekken or virtua fighter, i am spending a lot of time in Dojo learning to master the versatility of Jacky and put together combinations

unfortunately, i dunno if my hands aren't fast enuff or if it is the controller but, some of the longer sequences i am not able to do. it is very frustrating, i have spent almost 20 mins on 1 sequence :(

[Chacranajxy]

Well I went ahead and ordered Trigger Heart Excelica LE because I know for a fact that I will regret it if I don't do it now. Aand... yeah, NCSX is now saying sold out... so apparently, I lucked out with this. The game does look really good from the videos, so hopefully it'll deliver.

I'm also a little surprised by how good Karous looks from the actual gameplay videos... the trailer made the game look stupid, but seeing it actually played looks... really fun actually. So I may end up picking that up as well. At the very least, these new shmups will make Under Defeat's DVD style case look a little less out of place.

[Chacranajxy]

Been playing some DJ Max PSP lately since getting it yesterday and I'm loving it a lot - even if I do pretty much suck at it. I dunno, I'm great as most rhythm action games (from Parappa to Taiko no Tatsujin to DDR to Gitaroo Man and so on) but with this game and Beatmania I get a real mental block at times and get totally confused. The level 3 4-button stuff is my limit at the minute, even with the game slowed down.
Still really enjoying it despite some frustration though. Some really great tunes on here and the K-anime is really cool.

Chacrana, how you finding the difficulty?

I've only really messed around with the 4-button mode in DJ MAX Portable, but it was really, really easy for me. I finished every song in about a day. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've played piano for over a decade since it's sorta similar... sorta.

I've also started Ouendan though since I got the game today and... yeah, really like this one as well. Again, I'm not finding it too difficult, though it is definitely harder than DJ Max was for me. The music in this game is good, as I expected... haven't had much time to put into it, but I've finished 12 or 13 songs so I'm probably almost through.

DJ Max Portable is still my favorite music game ever.

[Johnny]

I've only really messed around with the 4-button mode in DJ MAX Portable, but it was really, really easy for me. I finished every song in about a day. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've played piano for over a decade since it's sorta similar... sorta.

I've also started Ouendan though since I got the game today and... yeah, really like this one as well. Again, I'm not finding it too difficult, though it is definitely harder than DJ Max was for me. The music in this game is good, as I expected... haven't had much time to put into it, but I've finished 12 or 13 songs so I'm probably almost through.

DJ Max Portable is still my favorite music game ever.

That's interesting. I found Ouendan on the easy side (aside from Ready! Steady! Go! - trust me, that one will give you grief) and DJ Max on the very difficut. I guess playing Piano would make a difference. Played more of it last night and can now clear a few of the level 5 stuff. I take it you've seen some of the crazy bastards on Youtube etc playing the game? No idea how much practice it would take to master the game on the hardest mode.

[Johnny]

Well I went ahead and ordered Trigger Heart Excelica LE because I know for a fact that I will regret it if I don't do it now. Aand... yeah, NCSX is now saying sold out... so apparently, I lucked out with this. The game does look really good from the videos, so hopefully it'll deliver.

I'm also a little surprised by how good Karous looks from the actual gameplay videos... the trailer made the game look stupid, but seeing it actually played looks... really fun actually. So I may end up picking that up as well. At the very least, these new shmups will make Under Defeat's DVD style case look a little less out of place.


Good choice.
As for Karous, gameplay wise it looks (and is said to be) very similar to Radilgy, which is no bad thing. Same art/character designs etc too.

And yeah, putting Under Defeat in a DVD box was a nice idea but it really stands out among other DC stuff.

[ADC]

Not a matter of what I'm playing now, but what I'm going to be playing soon. It was up on CAG that Children of Mana is today's Deal of the Day at Amazon.com, selling for $15 instead of $30. I tossed an Oh My Goddess! manga onto the order so I could get the free shipping (and because the bookstores around here are terrible at stocking OMG! books). Anybody looking for some Seiken Densetsu on the DS may want to check that out.

After reading Yuzu's posts on the game, I'd decided to buy it when the time was ripe. Today, the time is ripe.

[Johnny]

Not a matter of what I'm playing now, but what I'm going to be playing soon. It was up on CAG that Children of Mana is today's Deal of the Day at Amazon.com, selling for $15 instead of $30. I tossed an Oh My Goddess! manga onto the order so I could get the free shipping (and because the bookstores around here are terrible at stocking OMG! books). Anybody looking for some Seiken Densetsu on the DS may want to check that out.

After reading Yuzu's posts on the game, I'd decided to buy it when the time was ripe. Today, the time is ripe.


It's funny - I bought the game as soon as it came out and it's still sitting shrinkwapped amongst my other DS games :sd:

[ADC]

It's funny - I bought the game as soon as it came out and it's still sitting shrinkwapped amongst my other DS games :sd:
Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has. Mine's Kingdom Hearts II, which I bought last September (I think) when TRU was doing a B2G1. Still haven't got 'round to it, even though there are those who'd look at my Generation 6 collection and say it's the best game there. (They'd be wrong, just because of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, but they'd say it anyway.)

[Johnny]

It's funny - I bought the game as soon as it came out and it's still sitting shrinkwapped amongst my other DS games :sd:
Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has. Mine's Kingdom Hearts II, which I bought last September (I think) when TRU was doing a B2G1. Still haven't got 'round to it, even though there are those who'd look at my Generation 6 collection and say it's the best game there. (They'd be wrong, just because of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, but they'd say it anyway.)


Can I cheat and nominate a couple of 2000/2001 era DC games I bought recently but which are still shrinkwrapped? :D

If not then I'd say Atelier Iris 2 Euro which came out last September. Children of Mana was more October/November IIRC.

[ADC]

Can I cheat and nominate a couple of 2000/2001 era DC games I bought recently but which are still shrinkwrapped? :D
Y'know, I bet that, if you actually went through your games collection (or maybe underneath your collection of used girls' school uniforms), you'd probably find a few shrinkwrapped 2000 DC games that you bought in 2000. :P I never knew what true gamers were until I met you, sensei.

If it makes you feel better, I have some shrinkwrapped DVDs in my collection from 2004 or so. :)

[Suwako Moriya]

After reading Yuzu's posts on the game, I'd decided to buy it when the time was ripe. Today, the time is ripe.

Ah cool hopefully my posts made it clear what type of game Children of Mana is. On related note I am hopeful about Dawn of Mana even if I have seen some negative comments. Hmm I guess I could always wait for it to go down in price as a compromise.

[Suwako Moriya]

Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has.

Absolutely none unless I over looked something, but then again I'm not the only one in the house which skews things. For example I have yet to touch either Lunar game we have since I keep putting them off. However at least one of my brothers had tried them. Although in some cases I'm the one that takes first crack at a game. Such as the case with Romancing SaGa.

In any case speaking of the word saga, I'm starting to see the annoyance of the battle system of Xenosaga 2. Also playing the game after Atelier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny was a bad idea. I'm already missing the idea of dead members being automatically replaced by reserve members.

[Kurou]

Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has.)

Does an entire SNES count? I bought it when I was still working for Target, when they cleared out the SNES/Genesis stuff for the PS1 stuff.

[Suwako Moriya]

Does an entire SNES count?

Did you have any games to go along with it? If so then that's like abuse to leave the system shrink wrapped. *Sheds an over dramatic tear* :D

[Johnny]

Can I cheat and nominate a couple of 2000/2001 era DC games I bought recently but which are still shrinkwrapped? :D
Y'know, I bet that, if you actually went through your games collection (or maybe underneath your collection of used girls' school uniforms), you'd probably find a few shrinkwrapped 2000 DC games that you bought in 2000. :P I never knew what true gamers were until I met you, sensei.

If it makes you feel better, I have some shrinkwrapped DVDs in my collection from 2004 or so. :)

Funny thing is, you're partially right on the used uniforms thing :sd:
Ahem, anyway, as chance would have it, one of the DC games that arrived today (one of many, many games. Seriously, February has been completely OTT, even for me) was also shrinkwrapped and it was released circa 2001 too.

[Lovely]

Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has. Mine's Kingdom Hearts II, which I bought last September (I think) when TRU was doing a B2G1. Still haven't got 'round to it,


Ha, ha, mine was Kingdom Hearts 2 for a while as well. I bought it at the same TRU sale you mentioned. I just didn't have the enthusiasm to play it for the longest time. Heck, I wasn't enthused the day I finally DID open it. Heh.
I finally did play it about this month though, and I really got into it too. So it all worked out~ (Though since it's unwrapped now, I guess it doesn't count anymore...)

[Johnny]

So I found a cheapish copy of Cho Aniki for the PSX (a game I've been after for ages) on eBay last week and it arrived today. I've been playing it for a while and I can quite honestly say that even though I've been importing weird games from Japan for years and has, as a result, been slightly desentisized by their oddball humour, this is the weirdest game (in terms of visuals) I have ever played.

For those that aren't familiar with it, it's a 2D horizontal shmup (nothing new there) which happens to feature essentially naked men flexing muscles. No real reason for why either :sd:
There's a nice feature here (http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/choaniki/choaniki2.htm) (scroll down for the PSX/Saturn one) which will probably raise more questions than answers but hey.

Hoping for a VC release of the first 2 PC Engine games.

[Noodle]

I'm behind in this forum. :sd:

I finished Twilight Princess last weekend. There were things I thought got a bit too repetitive, and I can't help but feel like it was too "easy" but I had a lot of fun with it anyway. (Though I think Ocarina is still my favorite.) Favorite boss was probably in the Sky city (double clawshots rock, baybee).. but what is up with Link running to Midna and making happy eyes at her at the end? No Link, no! She's sexy and hot, but you have ZELDA! Zelda, remember, the hot chick you've run off risking your life for all this time!?

Man, Zelda is all about sex for me.

ANYWAY: What's next? I've been playing Four Swords for some portable fun in the meantime, but next up on the console is Tales of the Abyss. :)

[Chacranajxy]

It's funny - I bought the game as soon as it came out and it's still sitting shrinkwapped amongst my other DS games :sd:
Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has. Mine's Kingdom Hearts II, which I bought last September (I think) when TRU was doing a B2G1. Still haven't got 'round to it, even though there are those who'd look at my Generation 6 collection and say it's the best game there. (They'd be wrong, just because of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, but they'd say it anyway.)

My oldest shrinkwrapped game is... hmm... oldest as in when I bought it? Because it'd have to be Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door which I got in October of 2005... Wind Waker's also up there since I got that in December of 2005.

[Collectonian]

Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has.

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time...my brother bought it for my for Christmas 2005, and I still haven't played it (though it is in the queue)! :P

[Chacranajxy]

I still don't think Ouendan's anywhere near as difficult as people have made it out to be, but I'm at Ready Steady Go... haven't tried it yet... just considering the fact that Leady Steady Go is the most legit song in the game.

[Chacranajxy]

Finished Ouendan. What a good game -- definitely a keeper. Can't believe it took me this long to get it. Leady Steady Go is easily the best song in the game.

Edit: In other awesome news, my copy of Trigger Heart Excelica LE shipped... which is great since I was a bit worried that I might've ordered too late. I can't imagine many games being worse to seek out than a DC import with an ultra low print run.

[Jarred]

Finished Ouendan. What a good game -- definitely a keeper. Can't believe it took me this long to get it. Leady Steady Go is easily the best song in the game.

Did you finish it in Cheerleader mode? I could barely get past the first few songs at that level of difficulty.

[Jarred]

Favorite boss was probably in the Sky city (double clawshots rock, baybee)..

Yeah that was my favorite as well. Flying around with the double clawshots high up in the air was just too hawt. My second favorite was the underwater boss, as that just felt massive to me.

[tuffy]

.. but what is up with Link running to Midna and making happy eyes at her at the end? No Link, no! She's sexy and hot, but you have ZELDA! Zelda, remember, the hot chick you've run off risking your life for all this time!?

Zelda is pretty and mostly useless. Midna is helpful when necessary and provides snarky comments the rest of the time. So while the latter relationship is more realistic, Midna knows Zelda's name gets top billing on the box and so she shatters the mirror before things get awkward.

[Chacranajxy]

Finished Ouendan. What a good game -- definitely a keeper. Can't believe it took me this long to get it. Leady Steady Go is easily the best song in the game.

Did you finish it in Cheerleader mode? I could barely get past the first few songs at that level of difficulty.


What's cheerleader mode? With the hoes? I just used the regular male cheerleader types. I'd like to try a harder difficulty though simply because my problem in most songs was trying to work too fast... I'm used to hitting every note of a song, so it felt kinda weird at times.

[Jarred]

What's cheerleader mode? With the hoes? I just used the regular male cheerleader types. I'd like to try a harder difficulty though simply because my problem in most songs was trying to work too fast... I'm used to hitting every note of a song, so it felt kinda weird at times.
There are three levels with dudes: Lighthearted, Bold, and Fierce. The head dude changes with each level. After you beat hard, the hoes level opens up (Magnificent). The bubbles get smaller and much much faster.

[Chacranajxy]

What's cheerleader mode? With the hoes? I just used the regular male cheerleader types. I'd like to try a harder difficulty though simply because my problem in most songs was trying to work too fast... I'm used to hitting every note of a song, so it felt kinda weird at times.
There are three levels with dudes: Lighthearted, Bold, and Fierce. The head dude changes with each level. After you beat hard, the hoes level opens up (Magnificent). The bubbles get smaller and much much faster.


More difficulty might be my forte here.

[HitokiriShadow]

It's funny - I bought the game as soon as it came out and it's still sitting shrinkwapped amongst my other DS games :sd:
Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has.

Either Valkyrie Profile 2 or Disgaea 2. Before that, I opened everything right away and a decent number of my backlog is used anyway. My backlog makes me cry.

[Mateo_home]

Favorite boss was probably in the Sky city (double clawshots rock, baybee)..

Yeah that was my favorite as well. Flying around with the double clawshots high up in the air was just too hawt. My second favorite was the underwater boss, as that just felt massive to me.

Yes, that was an excellent boss fight. I loved that you had to use the double claw shot at top speed on those hovering things. That was cool. Zant was another fun boss fight. I didn't know that you had to use the Gale Boomerang on him. First I thought it was the old tennis strategy by deflecting his magic. The I tried bow before I figured out that you had to use the item of the dungeon. I thought the boss stage wass there just for looks and would change as you progress. Well, technically it did. :P

[Chacranajxy]

Okay, I started a new game of Ouendan playing as the extremely macho guy that you unlock when you finish the game with the bandana dude. It's actually easier for me. It just makes a lot more sense musically.

[Jarred]

Okay, I started a new game of Ouendan playing as the extremely macho guy that you unlock when you finish the game with the bandana dude. It's actually easier for me. It just makes a lot more sense musically.
Hahaha, yeah the same thing happened to me at first. The first songs on the easier levels were so slow that it was actually harder for me. :D

Don't worry, it picks up. Ready Steady Go on the Fierce level was intense for me. Took me quite a few tries to get it down, probably at least a dozen.

[Noodle]

.. but what is up with Link running to Midna and making happy eyes at her at the end? No Link, no! She's sexy and hot, but you have ZELDA! Zelda, remember, the hot chick you've run off risking your life for all this time!?

Zelda is pretty and mostly useless. Midna is helpful when necessary and provides snarky comments the rest of the time. So while the latter relationship is more realistic, Midna knows Zelda's name gets top billing on the box and so she shatters the mirror before things get awkward.

Don't destroy my dreams, tuffy.

:D

(ps: I'd chose Midna too.)

[Chacranajxy]

My copy of DJ Max Portable just got here.

But wait, didn't Chacranajxy get that already? Yes, but this is the original version. No more censorship and 2 less songs!

I'll start on the 6 button mode now that I have the legit version.

[Chacranajxy]

So apparently the edits in DJ Max Portable Internationl were pretty extensive... I've noticed quite a few visual changes... one of the funniest things in this original version is (and I don't mean to sound racist) that this martial artist in one of the songs beats up a bunch of black guys with afros... they changed those black dudes to normal, generic looking people in the International version... it doesn't sound like a big change, but it does make a difference given that there's a lot of subtle changes like that.

So yeah, keeping this version.

[Johnny]

So apparently the edits in DJ Max Portable Internationl were pretty extensive... I've noticed quite a few visual changes... one of the funniest things in this original version is (and I don't mean to sound racist) that this martial artist in one of the songs beats up a bunch of black guys with afros... they changed those black dudes to normal, generic looking people in the International version... it doesn't sound like a big change, but it does make a difference given that there's a lot of subtle changes like that.

So yeah, keeping this version.


That sucks. Where'd you get the Korean version btw? I couldn't find it anywhere until a copy turned up for sale on another forum. I know you like buying stuff new so I'm curious as to where you bought it from.

[Chacranajxy]

So apparently the edits in DJ Max Portable Internationl were pretty extensive... I've noticed quite a few visual changes... one of the funniest things in this original version is (and I don't mean to sound racist) that this martial artist in one of the songs beats up a bunch of black guys with afros... they changed those black dudes to normal, generic looking people in the International version... it doesn't sound like a big change, but it does make a difference given that there's a lot of subtle changes like that.

So yeah, keeping this version.


That sucks. Where'd you get the Korean version btw? I couldn't find it anywhere until a copy turned up for sale on another forum. I know you like buying stuff new so I'm curious as to where you bought it from.

I managed to score a copy on Ebay that was sealed... the person said nothing about it being uncensored and OOP, so that helped me with the price. Japanvideogames.com also had the game new... but I dunno how much faith I'd put in those people.

Anyway, I lucked out I think since I didn't have to wait to get a copy of the game and everything turned out all right. Hmm.... now where's that song that makes fun of George Bush?

[Johnny]

So apparently the edits in DJ Max Portable Internationl were pretty extensive... I've noticed quite a few visual changes... one of the funniest things in this original version is (and I don't mean to sound racist) that this martial artist in one of the songs beats up a bunch of black guys with afros... they changed those black dudes to normal, generic looking people in the International version... it doesn't sound like a big change, but it does make a difference given that there's a lot of subtle changes like that.

So yeah, keeping this version.


That sucks. Where'd you get the Korean version btw? I couldn't find it anywhere until a copy turned up for sale on another forum. I know you like buying stuff new so I'm curious as to where you bought it from.

I managed to score a copy on Ebay that was sealed... the person said nothing about it being uncensored and OOP, so that helped me with the price. Japanvideogames.com also had the game new... but I dunno how much faith I'd put in those people.

Anyway, I lucked out I think since I didn't have to wait to get a copy of the game and everything turned out all right. Hmm.... now where's that song that makes fun of George Bush?

Nice one. Haven't heard that GB song yet btw...

[Chacranajxy]

So apparently the edits in DJ Max Portable Internationl were pretty extensive... I've noticed quite a few visual changes... one of the funniest things in this original version is (and I don't mean to sound racist) that this martial artist in one of the songs beats up a bunch of black guys with afros... they changed those black dudes to normal, generic looking people in the International version... it doesn't sound like a big change, but it does make a difference given that there's a lot of subtle changes like that.

So yeah, keeping this version.


That sucks. Where'd you get the Korean version btw? I couldn't find it anywhere until a copy turned up for sale on another forum. I know you like buying stuff new so I'm curious as to where you bought it from.

I managed to score a copy on Ebay that was sealed... the person said nothing about it being uncensored and OOP, so that helped me with the price. Japanvideogames.com also had the game new... but I dunno how much faith I'd put in those people.

Anyway, I lucked out I think since I didn't have to wait to get a copy of the game and everything turned out all right. Hmm.... now where's that song that makes fun of George Bush?

Nice one. Haven't heard that GB song yet btw...

I saw a video of the thing and it was pretty clear why it was taken out of the International version. Pretty damn funny, but that's not really the way to sell the product to US consumers...

[Mateo_home]

Taking a little break from Ar tonelico. Currently on Phase III trying to find out what kind person Mir used to be. It was kind of strage you could finish the game at the end of Phase II. First time, I noticed that it didn't feel like it truly ended. I mean, Aurica and Lyner eating lunch in the gather? Along with a image of a music box with the words "fin." Well, you can unlock the extras menu this way. I found Aurica's Don leon costume funny, but I prefer "School Days" for the time being.

I also checked out the OVA. It's nothing great, but I enjoyed seeing the characters animated. And I wish it was a couple episodes longer.

Ah, whenever I play a fun addictive RPG like this, it's times like these I wish I didn't have a job. :P

[Nosredna]

I'm behind in this forum. :sd:

I finished Twilight Princess last weekend. There were things I thought got a bit too repetitive, and I can't help but feel like it was too "easy" but I had a lot of fun with it anyway. (Though I think Ocarina is still my favorite.) Favorite boss was probably in the Sky city (double clawshots rock, baybee).. but what is up with Link running to Midna and making happy eyes at her at the end? No Link, no! She's sexy and hot, but you have ZELDA! Zelda, remember, the hot chick you've run off risking your life for all this time!?

Man, Zelda is all about sex for me.

Speaking of Zelda, I really need to start playing it again. Especially since I now know Midna cleans herself up :blush: .

[Shadow Raven]

I am currently playing Virtua Fighter 5.

[untoldsorrow]

Favorite boss was probably in the Sky city (double clawshots rock, baybee)..

Yeah that was my favorite as well. Flying around with the double clawshots high up in the air was just too hawt. My second favorite was the underwater boss, as that just felt massive to me.

Yes, that was an excellent boss fight. I loved that you had to use the double claw shot at top speed on those hovering things. That was cool. Zant was another fun boss fight. I didn't know that you had to use the Gale Boomerang on him. First I thought it was the old tennis strategy by deflecting his magic. The I tried bow before I figured out that you had to use the item of the dungeon. I thought the boss stage wass there just for looks and would change as you progress. Well, technically it did. :P



Haha, I did the same exact thing! I went from full 17 hearts to 3 1/2 before I figured it out. After that, I didn't get hit at all after every time he switched places.

[Chacranajxy]

Oh, I've got a shmup related question for anyone who happens to know anything: How good is Border Down? I'm really close to buying a copy of the game, but it's hella expensive (as in, this would be the most expensive game I've ever bought)... so is it worth it?

[Johnny]

Oh, I've got a shmup related question for anyone who happens to know anything: How good is Border Down? I'm really close to buying a copy of the game, but it's hella expensive (as in, this would be the most expensive game I've ever bought)... so is it worth it?

Good question - I'm in the same situation. What's putting me off is a mixture of the price and the fact it's horizontally scrolling which I'm not a huge fan of. It is supposed to be excellent though.
What other DC shooters you got? I got Mars Matrix this morning and I have to say it's absolutely brilliant. Nice scoring system and difficulty and plenty of Bullet Hell moments. Looks and feels more like a Cave game than a Capcom one.

[Chacranajxy]

Oh, I've got a shmup related question for anyone who happens to know anything: How good is Border Down? I'm really close to buying a copy of the game, but it's hella expensive (as in, this would be the most expensive game I've ever bought)... so is it worth it?

Good question - I'm in the same situation. What's putting me off is a mixture of the price and the fact it's horizontally scrolling which I'm not a huge fan of. It is supposed to be excellent though.
What other DC shooters you got? I got Mars Matrix this morning and I have to say it's absolutely brilliant. Nice scoring system and difficulty and plenty of Bullet Hell moments. Looks and feels more like a Cave game than a Capcom one.

I was actually thinking about picking up Mars Matrix at some point as well since that's the best 2D shmup on the system as far as I know. I only have Under Defeat for the Dreamcast and Trigger Heart Excelica's on the Way... so I guess I have nothing helpful there. But yeah, I looked at the Youtube videos for Border Down and it looks incredible. I swear, someday my DC collection will really be complete...


Edit: oh, right, and I was also looking at Fighting Vipers 2... was that any good, or kinda crappy?

[Johnny]

I got Sonic Wii this morning and I've had a decent amount of time to play it and make some impressions.
Firstly, the most important issue - yes, this is a good 3D Sonic game and better than the recently released PS3/360 one.

So what makes it so good? Well the fact it's on rails put me off when the game was first announced but it works well. The opening level is just like Sonic Adventure 2 where it throws you in at the deep end and shows off the speed Sonic is known for.
The controls work really well too. Holding the Wiimote like a regular pad, tilting left or right moves Sonic, moving back backtracks and button 2 jumps. Holding 2 down gives a bigger jump and if there are enemies nearby, when the target on them turns red, thrusting the remote towards the screen fires Sonic towards them.
One of the things a lot of previews mentioned from early versions of the game was that the controls were too sensitive, but I'm finding them to be fine, even a little on the non-responsive side (though nothing too serious, just that at times Sonic's speed makes it hard to get from left to right quick enough). Which leads me nicely to the upgrades and RPG element. Sonic's ring can be customised with new skills earned from EXP. For instance, you can choose a ring (there are 4 to customize as you like) and equip faster running, being able to hold more rings and so on which gives the game more depth.

I've had one boss battle so far and they're pretty cool too. Still on rails and probably not as good as those in Sonic Rush but decent enough.

Anyone else got/getting/playing this?

Chacrana (and anyone else not playing their Wii much at the minute) - this is definitely worth it if you're sick of endless party game titles. Between this and Cooking Mama, my Wii is getting a lot of love right now :)

[Jarred]

I think you should just start a Sonic Wii thread, I mean we have a entire forum for gaming threads. :sd:

*drinking coffee and starting up Sonic right now*

[Johnny]

I was actually thinking about picking up Mars Matrix at some point as well since that's the best 2D shmup on the system as far as I know. I only have Under Defeat for the Dreamcast and Trigger Heart Excelica's on the Way... so I guess I have nothing helpful there. But yeah, I looked at the Youtube videos for Border Down and it looks incredible. I swear, someday my DC collection will really be complete...

Yeah, definitely do. I think you'd love it. The DC doesn't have that many shmups either - what about Radilgy? Although from what I've heard, the upcoming Karous is basically a similar game but even better.
I'm still not finished with my DC stuff either. Got maybe 10 games to get and then I'll be truly happy (and broke because after the DC I move onto the Saturn :cry: )


Edit: oh, right, and I was also looking at Fighting Vipers 2... was that any good, or kinda crappy?

It's not bad. It's no Virtua Fighter (plays like it though) but can be picked up quite cheaply. I bought the JP version this month forgetting I had the UK one :sd:

[Chacranajxy]

The Saturn didn't really have many games I'm interested in that haven't been ported... even on the import side of things. Sure, if we got a SEGA AGES Compilation with stuff like Radiant Silvergun or Guardian Heroes, I'd buy 14 copies on the day of release, but apart from stuff like that, I didn't see a whole lot I'd be interested in, which saves me money.

The only Dreamcast games I'm still considering at this point are: Bangai-O (which I don't have much interest in unless somebody changes my mind), Border Down, and Karous. Luckily, I've got pretty much everything I want and I don't have to track down shit like the UK version of Shenmue II, Project Justice, Last Blade 2 Final, etc.

[Johnny]

The Saturn didn't really have many games I'm interested in that haven't been ported... even on the import side of things. Sure, if we got a SEGA AGES Compilation with stuff like Radiant Silvergun or Guardian Heroes, I'd buy 14 copies on the day of release, but apart from stuff like that, I didn't see a whole lot I'd be interested in, which saves me money.

Problem with me is that I'll buy and play anything even remotely interesting, so it all adds up. But seriously, Saturn games tend to be rediculously cheap or rediculously expensive. There's no real middle ground.
The other problem with the Saturn is that for shmup fans like you and I, there is a rediculous amount of them on the system, most good to essential and also expensive. I bought Twinkle Star Sprites last year for £45 (not even sealed but w/spine card) and recently paid £30 for Batsugun which I'm still waiting on arriving.

The only Dreamcast games I'm still considering at this point are: Bangai-O (which I don't have much interest in unless somebody changes my mind), Border Down, and Karous. Luckily, I've got pretty much everything I want and I don't have to track down shit like the UK version of Shenmue II, Project Justice, Last Blade 2 Final, etc.

I have a copy of Bangaioh coming (although it seems to be lost in the post :cry: ) and I really can't think why I hadn't bought it before.
The remaining stuff I want is basically:

Bomber Hehheh
Border Down
Carrier
Godzilla Generations Maximum Impact
Gunspike
Jo Jo's Bizarre Adventure
Maken X
Psychic Force 2012
Super Hero Retsuden
Trizeal
Zero Gunner 2

and a couple of less essentials which I'll get if I find them cheap enough.

[Chacranajxy]

Suggestion: Don't buy Maken X. I had it at one point and while it was kinda interesting because of the pseudo-Shin Megami Tensei look... the gameplay was awful.

[Johnny]

I think you should just start a Sonic Wii thread, I mean we have a entire forum for gaming threads. :sd:

*drinking coffee and starting up Sonic right now*

Good idea...

[Suwako Moriya]

Apparently I'm already on disc 02 of Xenosaga 2. How in the heck? I've only been playing for about 12+ hours. 12 hours that may or may not includes movies that were not skipped. Note I only skipped if I died and had to retry. 12 hours that would include leaving the system running a bit while checking the forums for examples. 12 hours that would include leveling up perhaps too much.

Maybe this is one of those games where rather than the last disc being the shortest it's the first disc. Still it feels like I barely did anything in the game before being told to switch to the second disc which I have yet to even start on. When I saved I was expecting another movie barrage to be honest. All I know is something seems wrong here. :sd:

[Lovely]

Xenosaga 2, in the grand scheme of things, is actually pretty short.
The game did an interesting experiment where they made ALL filler quests and things like that optional "extras" instead of integrating any of them with the game or the story.

[Suwako Moriya]

Ah all right then. Still I guess one blessing to the game being short is I won't be spending too much time playing it. Yeah I'm not exactly that impressed by Xenosaga 2 so far. I'm almost tempted to add a second game to my playing schedule. As for what that would be I'm not sure. Probably something along the lines of killing random final bosses maybe?

[GHardin]

The only Dreamcast games I'm still considering at this point are: Bangai-O (which I don't have much interest in unless somebody changes my mind), Border Down, and Karous. Luckily, I've got pretty much everything I want and I don't have to track down shit like the UK version of Shenmue II, Project Justice, Last Blade 2 Final, etc.

Bangai-O was a pretty fun game...it can get kind of repetitive after a while, but somehow it's just fun to play. Of course, I got it at $15 from a Wal Mart a while back (along with Record of Lodoss War for the DC... :sd: ), so it's easy for me to say it was worth playing.

I remember getting Mars Matrix when it came out a while back...it was hard as hell, especially when your friend siphons all of the credits... :D But the shop kept things pretty fresh for what was five levels of bullet hell. I'm surprised that Capcom took the cheap route with this and Project Justice...$20 a pop was a steal back then. :sd:

[ColoradoJim]

Which brings me to wonder what the oldest shrink-wrapped game is that everybody has.

It is probably the non greatest hits version of Final Fantasy IX so it is probably before 2002 as I can't seem to find a release date for the Greatest Hits Version. I do remember buying the Greatest Hits version of Final Fantasy VIII (still shrink wrapped as well!) at the same time so that would narrow the release window a bit. I also have the shrink-wrapped first Tenchu game for the PS1 that was probably sold about two years after it was first released as it has a clearance price on the sticker so figure around 2000 or before. It was definately bought before 9/11 as I remember having the game before that.

I probably have a couple more around that early 2000 late 1990's period, that were bought at that time.

[HitokiriShadow]

Apparently I'm already on disc 02 of Xenosaga 2. How in the heck? I've only been playing for about 12+ hours. 12 hours that may or may not includes movies that were not skipped. Note I only skipped if I died and had to retry. 12 hours that would include leaving the system running a bit while checking the forums for examples. 12 hours that would include leveling up perhaps too much.

Maybe this is one of those games where rather than the last disc being the shortest it's the first disc. Still it feels like I barely did anything in the game before being told to switch to the second disc which I have yet to even start on. When I saved I was expecting another movie barrage to be honest. All I know is something seems wrong here. :sd:

Yeah, Xenosaga II was pretty short, particularly the first disc. I think the first disc only had two real dungeons, which as actually the same one at different times of the year.

Oh, and the game clock includes cutscenes that you did watch, but would not add in the time of a cutscene if you skipped it. I don't think any game does that. That would be... odd.

[Jaynin]

Apparently I'm already on disc 02 of Xenosaga 2. How in the heck? I've only been playing for about 12+ hours. 12 hours that may or may not includes movies that were not skipped.

Yeah, Xenosaga II was pretty short, particularly the first disc. I think the first disc only had two real dungeons, which as actually the same one at different times of the year.

It's also shorter in cutscenes too. Since I wasn't too pleased with all the stuff cut out of the bonus dvd compilation of episode 1, I went through episodes 1 and 2 again to make mayself a recording of all the cutscenes (and story important boss battles for continuity, usually just did first hit, pause, final hit, this happened more with episode 2). My recording for Episode 1 clocked in over 8 hours, my recording for episode 2 clocked in at just under 5 hours.

I kind of view Episode 2 more like an episode 1.5, since it seems to be mostly stuff that was originally planned to be in episode 1, as evidenced by it having all the scenes from the original episode 1 trailer that ended up not being in episode 1.

[Suwako Moriya]

I kind of view Episode 2 more like an episode 1.5, since it seems to be mostly stuff that was originally planned to be in episode 1, as evidenced by it having all the scenes from the original episode 1 trailer that ended up not being in episode 1.

Hmm it's been a long time since I saw the trailer and come to think of it I'm not sure if I even saw it. Still this does sounds like an interesting way to look at it. Not that it will improve my feelings on episode 2 much, but I guess it's easier to accept it as a 1.5 then a 2. It's also nice to have confirmation on the cutscene length.

[martod]

I kind of view Episode 2 more like an episode 1.5, since it seems to be mostly stuff that was originally planned to be in episode 1, as evidenced by it having all the scenes from the original episode 1 trailer that ended up not being in episode 1.

The problem with Xenosaga II is it seems while they made it they expected to make each game of the series focus on developing a different character. Unfortunately, they had to end the series at three games which killed that idea. The result is that Xenosaga I and III focus on the overarching storyline and try to work each characters backstory into it, but II focuses almost exclusively on Jr. and Albedo. It feels more like a side story than a chapter in the main story.

[Pachi]

Wii - Sonic and the Secret Rings. Just got it a couple days ago. Controls took a little bit to getting used to, but I got into it pretty fast.

PC Games - More Guild Wars, mainly. Gonna see if I can finally finish up Prophecies by starting the Fire Islands missions. Also, on an extremely less hardcore gaming note, I've been meandering through the couple copies of the PC quiz show game You Don't Know Jack that I have. I know it's supposed to be a multiplayer game, but thanks to the sarcasm of the jokes and hosts and getting to test my own knowledge on a dime, it can be fun even when playing one player. Boy, I wonder how many people even PLAY that game anymore, or are just reading this thinking, "Wow, he actually plays a game like that?". It almost seems like a dead franchise by now. Oh well, I still love it~

"Uh oh, Elmerfudd Dimestore! :D "

[Suwako Moriya]

Wasn't Xenosaga originally planned to be six games? I mean you mentioned that 1 and 3 focus on the main story while 2 focuses on JR and Albedo for the most part. Well in that case in order to have a game focus on developing a different character starting with apparently 2 you'd need more than 6 games. Either that or certain characters would share their development. Or perhaps maybe some would be ignored.

In any case I got past the first err dungeon on the second disc and in any case something to comment on here. Okay so once again KOS-MOS does the blow a bunch of stuff in space up routine to save Shion and Allen. I'm not sure what I found sillier here. The thing she was resting in turning into a bike or the thing merging with the very thing Shion and Allen worked so hard to run off with. I mean perhaps I should be impressed, but it actually feels silly in this case.

[ADC]

Hmm … I finished the important part of FF6A; I tried to get back into FF3DS but failed. So I'm taking a break from the serious gaming and had a few runs through Mario Kart DS. That's crack in the vein, especially since I've unlocked Dry Bones. I always seem to finish first with Dry Bones despite his underwhelming speed, whereas previous favorites Princess Peach and Luigi are almost always bridesmaids.

Maybe one of these days I'll reduce my wireless security and get some MKDS on via the Wifi Connection.

[Azumangaman]

I've been playing a lot of Magical Starsign lately. The games is really forming into an excellent little RPG. I'm 4.5 hours into the game, and am 1 boss battle away from getting the 4th (of 6) party members in the game. I know there have been complaints about the battle system, but I think its pretty enjoyable especially when you can tap your character with the stylus at the right time to make your attack stronger/ tap your character with the stylus at the right time to defend/dodge against the opponents attacks.
As of now, highly recommended to those on the edge!

[HitokiriShadow]

Wasn't Xenosaga originally planned to be six games? I mean you mentioned that 1 and 3 focus on the main story while 2 focuses on JR and Albedo for the most part. Well in that case in order to have a game focus on developing a different character starting with apparently 2 you'd need more than 6 games. Either that or certain characters would share their development. Or perhaps maybe some would be ignored.

Yes, it was originally planned to be a six game series, but after Xenosaga II they were forced to finish it in only three games. There was speculation that each game would focus on a different character, but I'm not sure it was ever more than that. Looking at the games it does seem that way, though. Episode I didn't have a clear focal character since it was introducing most of them. Rubedo and Albedo are clearly the focal point of episode II, perhaps Momo to a lesser extent. Shion and Kosmos are the most important characters in episode III, though the last area shoves in all of Ziggy's backstory, so I think he was supposed to have a big role in the 4th game. I guess Chaos and Jin would have fit in there somewhere in the later games, and perhaps more for Momo at some point.

In any case I got past the first err dungeon on the second disc and in any case something to comment on here. Okay so once again KOS-MOS does the blow a bunch of stuff in space up routine to save Shion and Allen. I'm not sure what I found sillier here. The thing she was resting in turning into a bike or the thing merging with the very thing Shion and Allen worked so hard to run off with. I mean perhaps I should be impressed, but it actually feels silly in this case.

Yeah, I felt the same way, that whole thing was pretty silly.

[Jaynin]

Shion and Kosmos are the most important characters in episode III, though the last area shoves in all of Ziggy's backstory, so I think he was supposed to have a big role in the 4th game. I guess Chaos and Jin would have fit in there somewhere in the later games, and perhaps more for Momo at some point.


Interestingly enough, the game for Ziggy's backstory did get made, just for mobile phones: Xenosaga: Pied Piper (http://www.monolithsoft.co.jp/left/special/pied-piper/index.html). It would be extremely nice if that got ported or remade for the psp or ds, or one of the console's download services.

[RommieSG]

I've upgraded from NASCAR 06 to NASCAR 07. It's a big more challenging, so I'm enjoying it a lot more. :)

[tuffy]

I needed a new time waster for the DS after finishing FFIII so I've moved on to "Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja". I went into it expecting an anime-styled Nethack-lite, and I wasn't disappointed. With a bit of caution I was able to get through the first dungeon without dying on my first time through. I don't expect the rest of the game will be as forgiving, though.

It's enjoyable now that I'm getting the hang of it, but it's not for the timid. Even though it's not as brutal as Nethack by a long shot, the penalty for dying is still harsh (you lose all the gear you have on-hand, permanently) and there's no way to "savescum" your way to victory (powering off somewhere other than a save point is the same as dying).

I'd recommend it for those a little tired of challenge-free RPGs. :D

[GHardin]

I'm still playing around with Crackdown...probably should return it to the video store sometime soon...already overdue. :P

I broke down and bought WoW: BC...didn't think I was going to do it, but indeed I did. :sd:

Now to actually reach the levels needed for the new content. :P

[Chacranajxy]

So I'm back at school... so that leaves me with the DS and PSP for gaming. I went back to Final Fantasy VI and handed the Kaiser Dragon's ass to him. I feel better.

[ADC]

So I got through the Mana Tower, which is just the first dungeon in the game, and I am getting to really like the game. Watching the enemies bounce off the walls and barrels and each other and basically kill themselves off with a little encouragement from me is entertaining enough. The first boss was kind of sad once his paling faded.

The second dungeon is significantly harder — possibly because I'm going too fast and need to build up Tamber more than I'd expected. So I'm going to take on some quests in the Mana Tower and get myself some upgraded armours and weapons.

I do really like the mission-based gameplay. Children of Mana is the kind of game you can just pick up and play for 15 minutes or so and feel like you accomplished something, whereas 15 minutes of Final Fantasy III DS might result in a job level up for each character but not much else.

I really do need to get after Ar tonelico and Fire Emblem (GCN), but right now I've got an Arcade Fire concert playing which was free on NPR's All Songs Considered podcast, so that takes priority. I'm told I'm supposed to like Arcade Fire, but right now they're just okay. The vocalist is a sonic dead-ringer for David Byrne, which is a serious distraction. The games backlog wouldn't be so deep if I ditched the whole music, books, animé thing and basically turned into johnny (minus the schoolgirl fetish).

(Just to clarify: I like schoolgirls as much as the next guy. It's just that, with my backlog, I have to choose between games and schoolgirls — if I'm going to turn into johnny, that is. As long as I have other things going on, it's actually easier to fit schoolgirls into my schedule, or any other kind of girls, for that matter.)

[Suwako Moriya]

Watching the enemies bounce off the walls and barrels and each other and basically kill themselves off with a little encouragement from me is entertaining enough. The first boss was kind of sad once his paling faded.

That's one of the awesome aspects of the game, but still you can end up bouncing off stuff as well. Heck even better enemies aren't immune to damage areas. *Watches as enemy stuck in moving sand keeps bumping into a tumbleweed and losing HP* Actually I found the first boss frustrating due to the whole "Where the *** is he?" thing. But things evened out shortly.

The second dungeon is significantly harder — possibly because I'm going too fast and need to build up Tamber more than I'd expected. So I'm going to take on some quests in the Mana Tower and get myself some upgraded armours and weapons.

Trust me on this doing side quests and jobs is a good idea in this game. For one thing it can be fun do stuff for others. Plus it allows you to improve Tamber for the important story parts. Plus it's a way to practice with thing. I tended to repeatedly do stuff for Tess because I think she and Tamber should get married.


I do really like the mission-based gameplay. Children of Mana is the kind of game you can just pick up and play for 15 minutes or so and feel like you accomplished something, whereas 15 minutes of Final Fantasy III DS might result in a job level up for each character but not much else.

I have to admit that Children of Mana definitely has the advantage here. Although it's less due to the speed of the Job level gain, but due to dungeon progress. In the case of FF3 DS if you die in a dungeon you lose everything. While in the case of Children of Mana you have three choices that all result in retaining most of what you gained.

If you return to the village or accept defeat. Well you have to redo the dungeon, but you keep levels and items. Alternatively if you managed to save you can reload. I'll tell you that I've done all these options through out the game.

In any case remember that this takes place ten years after Dawn of Mana. This is in a sense the second game in the time line. So play close attention as you may find some things familiar in the same way I did. Let's just say a later area made me think "No wait it can't be".

[ADC]

In any case remember that this takes place ten years after Dawn of Mana. This is in a sense the second game in the time line. So play close attention as you may find some things familiar in the same way I did. Let's just say a later area made me think "No wait it can't be".
Guess that means I'd better beat this thing before May 23, then. Plenty of time. When I knew I had to finish FF5A before FF6A dropped, I got my shit together and 1337'd Exdeath.

Before I get too deep into this game, though, I have a question: Are there any bonuses for putting Sword into Slot-2 when starting up a game of Children? If I'm of a mind to start a game with another character, I'll be interested to see what develops.

[Suwako Moriya]

Guess that means I'd better beat this thing before May 23, then. Plenty of time. When I knew I had to finish FF5A before FF6A dropped, I got my shit together and 1337'd Exdeath.

Personally I'm considering waiting for Dawn of Mana to go down in price first. I've heard mixed views on the game. I've also had enough experience with games to realize a lot of love and a lot of hatred is over blown when it comes to opinions and reviews. I figure waiting for it to be $20-30 instead of $40-50 will be like a compromise. Besides I've got other things to get and play.

Before I get too deep into this game, though, I have a question: Are there any bonuses for putting Sword into Slot-2 when starting up a game of Children?

Honestly I have not heard anything along those lines at all. So I'd safely assume that there are none. Besides in my case I find myself more motivated to play Children of Mana than Sword of Mana anyways. In part because Children of Mana has Tamber and battles flow better.

[Johnny]

The games backlog wouldn't be so deep if I ditched the whole music, books, animé thing and basically turned into johnny (minus the schoolgirl fetish).

I'm changing my ways though. I'm definitely going to be cutting back in terms of what I buy. To be honest though, I have cut back as I generally (i.e. don't count this month with various retro splurges) only buy new stuff. It's just that I have such wide tastes and also am open to UK/US/JP release schedules that I end up buying so much.

But with GoW II, Burnout Dominator, Gundam Musou, Virtua Tennis 3 and Hokuto no Ken coming next month, I'm trying to finish as much other stuff as I can before plunging into these.

(Just to clarify: I like schoolgirls as much as the next guy. It's just that, with my backlog, I have to choose between games and schoolgirls — if I'm going to turn into johnny, that is. As long as I have other things going on, it's actually easier to fit schoolgirls into my schedule, or any other kind of girls, for that matter.)

I'm gonna PM Chris to make sure that once I leave this forum/die/get banned, I get an epitaph where I will be remembered for two things - games and a slightly creepy, sometimes illegal schoolgirl fetish.
Then I can die happy.

[Johnny]

I got round to starting Fatal Fury Battle Archives 2 earlier tonight and what I thought would be a quick half hour turned into a 2 1/2 hour session.
Since most of us are familiar with the Fatal Fury series I'll just say that IMO this overtakes the mighty Garou as the best of the PS2 NeoGeo Collection titles.
Absolutely bloody brilliant!

I've also just been having a look at the stuff I've still to start (Trigger Heart, Crackdown, Naruto Wii, Ratchet & Clank PSP and so on) and if I'm honest I feel more than a little aroused. So much fucking good stuff to get through and the March stuff is going to make me orgasm.

[ADC]

I've also just been having a look at the stuff I've still to start (Trigger Heart, Crackdown, Naruto Wii, Ratchet & Clank PSP and so on) and if I'm honest I feel more than a little aroused. So much fucking good stuff to get through and the March stuff is going to make me orgasm.
Figure Skating DS has a March street date, then? Tell Cha. ;)

My March isn't going to be quite as bootylicious as yours, though, I think. SSX Blur, sure. Mario Party 8 is a game I'd probably buy for $30, not $50 (same with Warioware). But I have nothing on the list for GBA, DS, or PS2. As there's no date for Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War, I don't need to pick up a PSP yet. I guess that means March is my time to get caught up on games.

[Johnny]

Figure Skating DS has a March street date, then? Tell Cha. ;)



It's called KuruKuru Princess actually and it's out on the 15th March which coincidentally also happens to be my 23rd birthday. Two great things on one day, how about that? :P

[ADC]

It's called KuruKuru Princess actually and it's out on the 15th March which coincidentally also happens to be my 23rd birthday. Two great things on one day, how about that? :P
That'll be a happy birthday with a happy ending, then! :D

[Chacranajxy]

It's called KuruKuru Princess actually and it's out on the 15th March which coincidentally also happens to be my 23rd birthday. Two great things on one day, how about that? :P
That'll be a happy birthday with a happy ending, then! :D


AUGH.

[Johnny]

Got round to starting Trigger Heart earlier and I'm impressed with it. It's more or less a standard shmup but the way you can capture enemies and use them as a shield or fire them back at other enemies adds a nice dimension to the gameplay.

It's not like it's tacked on either as some levels (particularly #4 and the final boss) require you to be pretty good at the system in order to progress.
Fantastic soundtrack too.

A little short and a little easy but story mode is a nice addition and there's always arcade mode to come back to.

Overall very pleased with this. Roll on Karous!

[Mateo_home]

Just finished Ar tonelico last night. Overall, fun game, but a little repetetive at times. And if you have this game, you need yo get around to playing it. As for the comosphere, Shurelia had the best art of all the girls. The only downside is that you can't use her costumes outside. I like that they have an Atlier Iris costume. Shurelia has a Lita one that doesn't appear in the game, and Aurica has a Marlone one. I'm assuming Misha has one but I haven't finished her comosphere, I wanted to beat the game. I went with Aurica's ending BTW.

Now Fire Emblem: Akatsuki no Megami just arrived along with my other Wii. Connected to the VC as well and you can probably guess which two Super Famicom titles I'll be downloading.

Speaking of downloading, it's now on the US Wii, so did anyone download that "everybody votes" channel? :P

[dejr8bud]

Just playing Metal Slug Anthology for the PSP. Good to have all the games on the go. Load times could be better.

And just started God of War for the PS2(better late than I guess). Not bad with some cool moves but the gameplay isn't as smooth as Devil May Cry 3.

[Ender]

I've been playing Dirge of Cerberus, I think I have two chapters left. After that I'll probably keep working on FF IX.

[Chacranajxy]

Completely irrelvant, but I finally ordered a new monitor! This is going to replace my shitty Viewsonic G90fb with a greenish tint so I'll finally be able to see what games are supposed to look like. I got the Dell 2407 monitor, so finally, I've got something good.

I've also noticed that my current monitor is blurry as hell... so this should also help me cut down on headaches. Hooray for spending money!

[Azumangaman]

Just a heads up, Magical Starsign is 15 dollars for todays Game of The Day at Amazon.com (US) so check it out. Highly reccomended.
7 hours in and I love it. I believe its quite long, so I'll have a long update once I reach 9-10 hours.

[ADC]

Speaking of downloading, it's now on the US Wii, so did anyone download that "everybody votes" channel? :P
I voted 'yes,' but I predict that more people will vote 'no.' ;)

[Johnny]

Speaking of downloading, it's now on the US Wii, so did anyone download that "everybody votes" channel? :P
I voted 'yes,' but I predict that more people will vote 'no.' ;)

I heard Chacrana loved it. Almost as much as Wii party games and DS figure skating games.

[Suwako Moriya]

I've decided to take a break from Xenosaga 2 for a bit. Granted the fact my eldest brother took the game with him because he's visiting my sister kind of helped influence that decision. Well whatever works. Still during this period, I have decided to work a little bit on Wild Arms Advanced Third.

Now I don't expect to make that much progress in the game, but I figure I can do a few things. The first is refresh myself as to exactly where I am in the game. Which to be honest I've already done. The second is to of course improve my save a bit. The third is to hopefully make a little bit of progress in the game.

My reasons for choosing Wild Arms Advanced Third are simple. First I may as well give the game a second chance. I've actually been meaning to for awhile. Second I already have an established save for the game anyway. Third given that the plan is to go back to Xenosaga 2 shortly after my brother returns. It's probably not a good idea to randomly start up something new like say Final Fantasy 12 or one of the Valkyrie Profiles. That would only result in the juggling game.

As for how far I am in Wild Arms Advanced Third? Let's just say I'm in Claiborne for the first time. So yeah I'm still rather early in the game. In any case back to walking in circles to fight battles due to being mostly focused on the computer. At least for a short bit anyway. I'll worry about actually advancing in the story later. Ie after I go to sleep and wake up. Either way I'll see how things ultimately pan out.

[ADC]

I'm taking advantage of the compartmentalized game progression of Children of Mana to take on another game with compartmentalized game progression, which is Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. I mean to finish it before we get far enough into Q2 that I have to marathon it. If there's one thing that annoys me about the Fire Emblems, though, it's that you have to be hyper-careful with your people, keeping everybody healed. The best RPG invention ever was the Leaf of the World Tree (Dragon Warrior II).

[Mateo_home]

If there's one thing that annoys me about the Fire Emblems, though, it's that you have to be hyper-careful with your people, keeping everybody healed.

It's annoying yes, but it's what makes the game more interesting. It actually requires you think instead of just, "I'll let this low HP character I don't care for deliver some chip damage on the boss, this way he'll die and I'll use a character I do like finish the job so he gets more exp. points."

Speaking of which, I was playing FE10 today and I let Makalov die because I was pretty far in the chapter, I was seroiusly outnumbered and I didn't give a shit about him anyway. :P

[ADC]

It's annoying yes, but it's what makes the game more interesting. It actually requires you think instead of just, "I'll let this low HP character I don't care for deliver some chip damage on the boss, this way he'll die and I'll use a character I do like finish the job so he gets more exp. points."
I don't mind having to take a patient approach to tactics. That's fine. What pisses me off is when a random enemy gets a critical hit on your person and effects a one-hit kill. It wouldn't be so bad if that person were just out for the rest of the battle, or even had to take a few battles off, but the permanent death thing makes for a lot of resets.

Maybe if Lethe and Mia weren't so damn'd cute, I wouldn't care so much. I certainly sacrificed a few dudes when playing through Sacred Stones, but Neimi and Lute were off-limits.

[Suwako Moriya]

Maybe if Lethe and Mia weren't so damn'd cute, I wouldn't care so much.

Heh I'm sure that's part of the reason why I was cutting it close on the rental of the game. Although to be honest my love for Mia is much higher than Lethe. I'm also rather fond of Mist and Ilyana. Either way the point is I just couldn't accept certain deaths at all. Thankfully there were deaths that I could accept. Thus that prevented from redoing the battles anymore than I already did.

In any case I've made at least a little bit of progress in Wild Arms Advanced Third. Who knows maybe I'll actually the complete the game before 2012. I guess it depends on how much I decide to do before I get access to Xenosaga 2 again. As well as what I decide to do after I'm done with Xenosaga 2. Still some progress is better than nothing.

[ADC]

I made it through 10 chapters without a single death! Woo hoo for me! On the other hand, I'm forced to accept that Mia, though practically invincible, can hit for 0 damage until her swords break. I have a Master Seal, so I may have to give her some bonus experience and then promote her before her time. Running a mercenary group is hard work!

[Johnny]

Even though I still have a lot of unplayed stuff (some retro stuff but also newer/amazing stuff like Naruto Wii, Ratchet & Clank PSP and Yakuza 2) I've been playing some (slightly) older games recently - iMAS and VF5. Also some Crackdown and Gundam Musou thrown in for good measure.

Had some cool stuff ship recently too - Monster World Collection on the PS2 with Burnout Dominator and Virtua Tennis 3 shipping today or tomorrow most likely.

I'm also gonna have to wait for the UK God of War II as Swap Magic don't like Dual Layer disks :cry:
Takes me back to the good old days of waiting for PAL conversions :sigh:
I might just pick up a US PS2 though. Does anyone know which models will handle DL games?

[Ender]

I might just pick up a US PS2 though. Does anyone know which models will handle DL games?

You should be fine with any model as long as it has been taken care of. I have a model 30001R from 2001 that has never given me any trouble, and they are supposed to be more prone to disc errors than other models.

[Johnny]

I might just pick up a US PS2 though. Does anyone know which models will handle DL games?

You should be fine with any model as long as it has been taken care of. I have a model 30001R from 2001 that has never given me any trouble, and they are supposed to be more prone to disc errors than other models.

I take it all slimline models would/should handle them just as well, if not better? (the one I'm about to buy is a slimline).

[Azumangaman]

Magical Starsign (11.5 Hour Update):

Hot damn, is this game ever entertaining. I'm in Razen the Fire Planet, and just layed the smackdown on Gil Mudflap. Right now I'm supposed to find some guy (Grenadine I believe) but I have NO idea where he is. They say he's in Razen, but he's probably not :sd:

As I said, this game is incredibly entertaining. It's neat to see a DS RPG that uses the stylus 99% of the game (menu's, movement, battles). Whats cool about the battle system is while casting a spell, if you tap the character at the right time (called Spellstrike) your spell is considerably stronger than before. Also, when you tap your character while being attacked at just the right time, you will defend and take less damage.
As for characters, I think Moka and Lassi are awesome, Pico is decent, Sorbet is a beeotch and the main character (in my game, named Azu) has no text whatsoever, and only says yes or no (which is cool only because you can choose yes or no) but his name and his light attacks are more than cool enough to make him the best.
What's awesome about Magical Starsign is the game is just beginning. I looked through a Walkthrough, and I have WAY more to go :D

Also, my Playasia shipment arrived, so I've been playing some E21:Max Devil Power (teh awesome) and Stafi 1 (interesting, I like :P )

On the 360, I'm trying to get in as much GRAW as I can, but I'm stuck. My health is in the red, and I need to blow up some vehicles. Theres also a scrambler and I can't find it. I WISH my health was green :(

[Chacranajxy]

Johnny, that George Bush song I was talking about in DJ Max Portable -- yeah, go to Club DJing and select the set that's called "10000." It's the last song in that. It's a bitch to unlock it to play normally, but the song itself and the music video are both incredible. You need to see it at least once.

[Suwako Moriya]

I have a Master Seal, so I may have to give her some bonus experience and then promote her before her time.

Using the master seal early will only hurt her in the long run. Simply because she'd miss out on the potential stat gains from the levels she'd skip. I find the best time to use the Master Seal is when the character reaches level 20. That way you're not losing anything. I mean the next time the character levels up she becomes the new class anyway right. So in a sense the Master Seal won't harm anything if used then. Which is what I ended up doing myself.

In any case I now have access to Xenosaga 2 again so I'll probably be to playing it soon. I'd say either later today or in the next few days. Whether or not I go back to Wild Arms Advanced Third or work on something else after Xenosaga 2 will be decided later.

[ADC]

Using the master seal early will only hurt her in the long run. Simply because she'd miss out on the potential stat gains from the levels she'd skip.
You know what the Fire Emblem games could use? Propositions. Because it's tough to upgrade everybody properly when you're in the real fights (although Rolf kicked serious ass against the crows, went up three levels in that one battle). You really have to dedicate yourself to a conservative strategy and know which battles don't have to be blasted through. Some of the later battles, you get the reinforcements coming from all directions and you're flushed hounds to the hunters; makes it difficult to keep your lines together and protect Soren, Rolf, and the gang.

Yeah, a massive Fire Emblem game with about 50 main chapters and maybe 50 more side quest chapters? I'd be all over that. O' course, you'd get to Chapter 50 with a team of upgraded, level 20 nasties, but that's okay!

[Suwako Moriya]

Some of the later battles, you get the reinforcements coming from all directions and you're flushed hounds to the hunters; makes it difficult to keep your lines together and protect Soren, Rolf, and the gang.

Speaking of which both Soren and Rolf were ultimately defeated in my game along with some other characters. However I'm too lazy to try and remember everyone that got whacked.

[distantmantra]

Playstation 2:
Cowboy Bebop (JP)

Playstation 3:
Resistance: Fall of Man (US)
Gundam Musou (JP)

DS Lite:
Final Fantasy III (US)

[ColoradoJim]

I've been playing Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja for the Nintendo DS. I like it quite a bit so far but of course one has to understand that is a roguelike game which probably explains the reviews that it gets. So far I have beaten 3 dungeons.

The major differences between Izuna and the original rogue game mainly has to do with the way items and death are handled.

Comparing it with iRogue for my Palm, all items are identified for you in Izuna with stats to go with weapons and armor. In iRogue all potions and scrolls are unidentified and only identified after you use it for the first time and come across the same item again. Another important difference is that there is no need for food in Izuna - this was the cause of many of my deaths in iRogue - lack of food. No doors or hidden rooms in Izuna as well.

As far as death is handled, in the original rogue game, if you die - all your experience, gold and items are lost and you start at the beginning of a new dungeon. In Izuna the penalty isn't as severe as normally when you die, you are allowed to keep your experience. There are two ways to keep items gained in the dungeon - either beat the dungeon or use a spell either for yourself to return to town or just on the specific item which goes to the storeroom if you are defeated. Weapons and armor can and do break down so one either needs to repair them in town or by using a talisman.

Game saves in iRogue are handled only for the area you are currently in and are automatically erased when you play the file again. In Izuna the game autosaves when you die so "save scumming" is not possible. You are also allowed to save at the stairs going down to the next level of the dungeon and at the inn in town. In each case, the file is erased once you start the save file.

In iRogue, the depth of the dungeon is around 25 levels or so before you gain the amulet and once it is gained, you have to go back up through all the levels to win the game. In Izuna there are several dungeons with most having much deeper levels than in iRogue but you do not have to go back up again once you beat the boss.

Izuna has a much better customization system for the weapons and armor which allows you to create items that are great against specific enemies or traps. It also allows use of a second weapon (the ninja weapons) without the need to swap out items. In contrast iRogue's weapon and armor customization is very basic with just increases in power with either a scroll or potion. You have to switch to another weapon and equip it if you want to use something else.

Storyline is far better in Izuna compared to iRogue which is simply to get the amulet of Yemur.

There is an ultimate 100 level dungeon in Izuna which may offer a pure rogue experience where you always start at level 1 and no items. Aside from that Izuna for the most part is easier than rogue but I feel that the game play and storyline improvement make it more fun especially the part of not requiring food. I also like some of the monsters, especially those that can affect your armor/weapon or evolve on you.

It will take a while of dying a lot before you can really start customizing your weapons and armor. Once you are at that point, it's probably a good idea to bring more than one return home talisman so you don't lose your crafted items when you eventually die.

[RommieSG]

I watched Gundam SEED Destiny Vol. 1-6 within a day, so I'm on a Gundam fix. I'm going back and actually playing Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow right now, then moving back to Battle Assault 3.

[ADC]

Damn it all, Colorado Jim, you sold me on Izuna. I used to love those Rogue games, absent my unfortunate penchant for starving.

[distantmantra]

I watched Gundam SEED Destiny Vol. 1-6 within a day, so I'm on a Gundam fix. I'm going back and actually playing Gundam SEED: Never Ending Tomorrow right now, then moving back to Battle Assault 3.

You're a brave soul. Those are probably some of the worst (imo) PS2 Gundam games! I own both and have played through due to my Gundam fanaticism, but man are were they bad! Never Ending Tomorrow utilizes the awesome Encounters in Space engine, but somehow made the game nearly unplayable... hell, the Japan only Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2.5D sidescroller action title) is actually more fun.

Be strong my fellow Gundam fan, be strong. And, if you can swing it, pick up the Gundam SEED OMNI VS ZAFT and SEED DESTINY OMNI VS ZAFT II Japanese imports, they use the tried and true Capcom Gundam Vs. engine and are pretty fun.

[Johnny]

Got round to starting Naruto Shippuuden GNT EX on the Wii tonight. I have to say that after the excellent Gamecube GNT games, I was looking forward to this but had hoped the new control scheme wouldn't feel too tacky.
It's not going to be to everyones taste (the game plays like Bleach Wii where shaking the remote left/right is your combo attack, A is shuriken/jutsu and down on the d-pad is special with certain remote/nunchuk inputs needed to pull off the special) but I found it works well. The GC or classic controller can be used instead too.

Lower character count (only 14 this time around) but the new character models are nice. Sakura has improved a lot from the GC games too.

There's no more buying stuff like characters in the shop anymore. There's story mode (which follows the Rescue Gaara arc) and the usual stuff like time trial and so on.

So yeah, overall it's pretty much just GNT 4 after the time skip with less characters and better specials/controls but if you're a fan of Naruto and/or the GNT series you'll get a lot out of this.

[Johnny]

Did anyone else buy Burnout Dominator for the PS2/PSP?
I got the PS2 one yesterday and started playing it earlier this morning.
The fact that you now can't hit cars in your own lane without crashing (as in the early games in the series) makes a return and it takes some getting used to after Burnout Takedown.

The World Tour mode has a slightly better structure now too IMO.

It does feel that the series has hit the point where each new release just adds a few bits here and there. Still enjoyable, but I'm hoping that Burnout 5 will completely re-invent the series (as Criterion have been saying it will).

I also got my 360 on Live at long last and my gamertag is in the Friends Code sticky.

Wifi Adapter - £50
1 Month Gold Membership - £5
iDOLM@STER School Uniform d/l content - 1500(ish) Yen

Seeing Miki (and the other girls) in school uniform - Priceless! :D

[GHardin]

Did anyone else buy Burnout Dominator for the PS2/PSP?
I got the PS2 one yesterday and started playing it earlier this morning.
The fact that you now can't hit cars in your own lane without crashing (as in the early games in the series) makes a return and it takes some getting used to after Burnout Takedown.

Wasn't traffic checking introduced in Burnout Revenge? Or are you referring to slamming rival cars?

It just seems strange to take a step back like that...but it's not bad; it means that they're trying to emphasize more on driving. Then again, I enjoyed traffic checking while driving. :sad:
[/quote]

The World Tour mode has a slightly better structure now too IMO.

Well, that's good to hear. The structure in Revenge wasn't terrible, but it could have been better; personally, I liked the structure in BO3: Takedown.

It does feel that the series has hit the point where each new release just adds a few bits here and there. Still enjoyable, but I'm hoping that Burnout 5 will completely re-invent the series (as Criterion have been saying it will).

It looks like it's getting harder and harder to find things to add without breaking anything. The traffic checking was a risk that sort of encourages more reckless driving than before. From what I'm reading, it's a pretty barebones game compared to the previous entries; I'm guessing that this is more or less the appetizer before 5 is released. :)

I also got my 360 on Live at long last and my gamertag is in the Friends Code sticky.

Wifi Adapter - £50
1 Month Gold Membership - £5
iDOLM@STER School Uniform d/l content - 1500(ish) Yen

Seeing Miki (and the other girls) in school uniform - Priceless! :D
Congratulations on taking the plunge into madness! :> :)

[Johnny]

Did anyone else buy Burnout Dominator for the PS2/PSP?
I got the PS2 one yesterday and started playing it earlier this morning.
The fact that you now can't hit cars in your own lane without crashing (as in the early games in the series) makes a return and it takes some getting used to after Burnout Takedown.

Wasn't traffic checking introduced in Burnout Revenge? Or are you referring to slamming rival cars?

Yeah I think it was. I was just comparing Dominator to the last Burnout game.



I also got my 360 on Live at long last and my gamertag is in the Friends Code sticky.

Wifi Adapter - £50
1 Month Gold Membership - £5
iDOLM@STER School Uniform d/l content - 1500(ish) Yen

Seeing Miki (and the other girls) in school uniform - Priceless! :D
Congratulations on taking the plunge into madness! :> :)

Heh, thanks. I got your request and added you btw.

MS and Namco-Bandai are laughing at suckers like me who feel it necessary to d/l stuff like school uniforms etc in iMAS. I've already bought 2 iMAS themes as well and I imagine it's only a matter of time before I get the rest of the buyable extras :sd:

[GHardin]

Yeah I think it was. I was just comparing Dominator to the last Burnout game.

It was confusing when you were mentioning Takedown when you were referring to Revenge, is all. ;) :P


Heh, thanks. I got your request and added you btw.

MS and Namco-Bandai are laughing at suckers like me who feel it necessary to d/l stuff like school uniforms etc in iMAS. I've already bought 2 iMAS themes as well and I imagine it's only a matter of time before I get the rest of the buyable extras :sd:
Yes, downloadable content will be the downfall of us all. I don't care for paying for extra content...but if it's reasonable, I don't mind too much. Then again, I said I would never pay to play for online gaming, too (I have a 12-month gold subscription and am subscribed to World of Warcraft. So much for that vow. :D ).

[CuriouslySane]

Tired of waiting for Twilight Princess on the unobtainable Wii, I've returned to Wind Waker which my savegame file says I haven't played in roughly 4 years. I had a lot going on IRL when this came out and didn't get very far before losing interest. Returning after so long has been a bit surreal, but I'm impressed all over again by the simple but attractive art style. I might actually finish this time.

[ADC]

I finished Chapter 17 in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and have, in said chapter, incurred my first two casualties. No big deal. Tormod was less than impressive as a mage, and I only liked having Makalov because he could rescue persons and keep moving (which is now Astrid's job, along with being a pretty good archer). Ike, Boyd, Kieran, and Oscar have promoted; Mia, Rhys, and Soren are pretty close to following. And that's even though I don't have a particularly free hand with the bonus experience.

[Chacranajxy]

Hay guys. My dad went to Japan so I got:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0910.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0911.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0912.jpg

[Johnny]

Hay guys. My dad went to Japan so I got:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0910.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0911.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0912.jpg

Awesome haul there. FF Collection 2 is so damn good. Didn't think you'd buy Parappa PSP though (unless you don't own the original).
You'll have to let me know how the SamSho game is as I haven't picked that up yet.

[Suwako Moriya]

As stated in the Touhou Topic, I've been trying my hand at Megamari (think Megaman) and Super Marisa Land (Think Mario). I haven't exactly beaten either, but I've been making some progress thankfully and surprisingly.

In any case in Xenosaga 2 I defeated the psycho nun and no I don't care to remember her name. I'm still in the middle of the first dungeon on disc 2 where I can actually use the mechs. So yeah I've been very slow about things. Okay so I'm currently outside of them, but that's another story. Still speaking of that boss I have a feeling the director kept saying No, no she's still not enough of a bitch. Make her arrogant and full of herself.

It's kind of interesting how only MOMO's mech is able to actually use Ether Abilities. I guess the lesson here is both MOMO and her mech are probably more intelligent. Granted this also makes it less tempting to use her in battle in order to reap the benefits of having the EP restored.

[Chacranajxy]

Hay guys. My dad went to Japan so I got:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0910.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0911.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0912.jpg

Awesome haul there. FF Collection 2 is so damn good. Didn't think you'd buy Parappa PSP though (unless you don't own the original).
You'll have to let me know how the SamSho game is as I haven't picked that up yet.

Yeah, I love Parappa despite the fact that it's easy... never had the PS1 version though. Thankfully, the PSP version is better anyway. I'll letcha know how Samsho is when I get around to it... I'm guessing it's fantastic though... which wouldn't surprise me.

[GHardin]

Hay guys. My dad went to Japan so I got:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0910.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0911.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v341/JXYTheGreat/IMG_0912.jpg

Looking at that just reminded me that I have Jump Ultimate Stars. I don't know how I forgot I had it, but yeah. :sd:

I love Fry's...don't care for their prices sometimes, but I love their small import selection.

I may as well put what I'm playing here, I guess...

Currently playing GRAW 2. I'm enjoying it and finding myself still surprised at how nice the visuals look. I would have been willing to pay the $50 Circuit City had it at, but a day or two before I was about to do that, I learned that Fry's would have it for $35. I don't know why they would offer it at such a low price, but I'm not one to complain about great prices.

[Johnny]

Currently playing GRAW 2. I'm enjoying it and finding myself still surprised at how nice the visuals look. I would have been willing to pay the $50 Circuit City had it at, but a day or two before I was about to do that, I learned that Fry's would have it for $35. I don't know why they would offer it at such a low price, but I'm not one to complain about great prices.

I d/l the demo yesterday. It's not bad but not really my cup of tea so I don't expect I'd get a lot out of it.
Looks absolutely gorgeous though, like you said.

BTW, for anyone else thinking of buying it, the Asian version is region free and $50/£26 at Playasia.
not quite as good as the £35 you managed to get it for (seriously, why was it so cheap?) but pretty good nonetheless.

[GHardin]

not quite as good as the $35(/£18) you managed to get it for (seriously, why was it so cheap?) but pretty good nonetheless.
Well, Fry's is sort of a curious store at times...during the Winter, their "sale prices" are nothing more than the silly MSRP; they used to offer games at release for $10-$15 off, but nowadays, it's just...something else.

Their import selection is meager, but at the time, I couldn't order stuff online (no debit/credit card), so it's better than nothing. As of late, they've been dropping the prices on their imports...my guess is that they weren't selling. Now I could see getting Ridge Racer 2 or Tales of Eternia (European imports) for the PSP ($29.99 and $34.99, respectively; previously $50 a pop).


As for GRAW 2, I loved the first one, so it's no surprise that I'm enjoying the second one, despite how short the campaign is supposed to be (it's not reassuring to hear it's only 4-5 hours at most). Then again, that's what the co-op campaign is for. I would say having a 16-player co-op is a little bit on overkill, but the more, the merrier! :D

[jetex1212]

I'm playing Twilight Princess on the Wii. I have 1 dungeon left to go...

[Johnny]

Now I could see getting Ridge Racer 2 or Tales of Eternia (European imports) for the PSP ($29.99 and $34.99, respectively; previously $50 a pop).

On that note, Ridge Racer 2 PSP never got a US release in the end, did it?

Chacrana, did you get this? Playasia have it for like $15 at the minute. Wouldn't want you missing out on one of the best Ridge Racers...

[Johnny]

Double post.

[Chacranajxy]

Now I could see getting Ridge Racer 2 or Tales of Eternia (European imports) for the PSP ($29.99 and $34.99, respectively; previously $50 a pop).

On that note, Ridge Racer 2 PSP never got a US release in the end, did it?

Chacrana, did you get this? Playasia have it for like $15 at the minute. Wouldn't want you missing out on one of the best Ridge Racers...

Yeah, I've gotta pick RR2 up... it never got a US release. Any idea if there's any differences between the English language Asian version and the UK version of the game?

[Johnny]

Yeah, I've gotta pick RR2 up... it never got a US release. Any idea if there's any differences between the English language Asian version and the UK version of the game?


It'll be the same game. I have the Japanese version and most of it is in English so the Asian one will be fine and have everything the Euro one does.

On a related note, Namco have put more downloadable content for RR7 up on the PS Store. You can now d/l old RR BGM to use in RR7.
It's not free though (I think it's 2,400 Yen for the lot) but I'm considering it once I find out if there are many RR4 tracks on there (which is another great thing about RR2 PSP - it's like an extension of RR4).

[Shawaazu]

Finished Phoenix Wright 2 last week. And now I'm playing Fire Emblem GC.

Up to Chapter 19, I could've beaten it already but finally talking and getting rid of the crow boss after 3 tries, I accidently sent Jill right to the human boss and didn't realise what weapon he had :sd: ... so yeah, I shut off the game in frustration. I'm trying to pace myself with the game to around 1 chapter a day or so, depending if I can find time to play it.

[Chacranajxy]

So I'm playing Parappa on the PSP and... yeah, it's better than the PS1 version. First, the Japanese version is completely in English... the voices and text... so everything. Second, you can play it in 4:3 or 16:9 which is true widescreen rather than a stretched version. And... yeah, the game is hilarious and still extremely fun. I don't know anything about the supposed remixes that you can access in this version, but I definitely will be keeping this.

Hopefully Lammy will come out on the PSP like this since I actually like that better than Parappa. I should probably pick up the Ps1 version in the mean time.

[Johnny]

So I'm playing Parappa on the PSP and... yeah, it's better than the PS1 version. First, the Japanese version is completely in English... the voices and text... so everything. Second, you can play it in 4:3 or 16:9 which is true widescreen rather than a stretched version. And... yeah, the game is hilarious and still extremely fun. I don't know anything about the supposed remixes that you can access in this version, but I definitely will be keeping this.

Hopefully Lammy will come out on the PSP like this since I actually like that better than Parappa. I should probably pick up the Ps1 version in the mean time.

Yeah it's nice that there's an English option. I had a link a while back showing where to d/l the remixes from but I can't remember what it was. I have them sitting on my computer here but need to find out where to stick them on the memory stick.

The game is super short and fairly easy but there's a lot of replay value and the songs are super addicitive.

This really should have included Parappa, Parappa 2 and Um Jammer Lammy, but as it stands the original is so good it doesn't matter as much.
Gorgeous boxart too.

[ADC]

Up to Chapter 19, I could've beaten it already but finally talking and getting rid of the crow boss after 3 tries, I accidently sent Jill right to the human boss and didn't realise what weapon he had :sd: ... so yeah, I shut off the game in frustration. I'm trying to pace myself with the game to around 1 chapter a day or so, depending if I can find time to play it.
I just finished that chapter last night; Mia promoted during the battle and finished as MVP. On the other hand, I lost Reyson, who was kind of neat but definitely not a major part of my party. (Damn'd ballistae.) At this stage in the game I'm losing about one person per chapter. The beorc boss on that stage is über-strong and gets two hits on almost everybody, so Soren, Mia, and Ike were the only people in my party who could fight him without getting whacked.

[Greywing]

I'm on the GBA Tales of Phantasia at the moment. Just clocked Morlia Mineshaft and contracted with Maxwell, headed to the Elven Colony and am about to head into the forest to find the Black Stone.

It's the first Tales game I've played and I'm really enjoying it, although Morlia was a bitch to slog through. I do find some of the combat elements annoying, particularly how Cless will tend to run away from a target after one attack when I'm trying to get him to combo.

Speaking of combos, I found a Combo Counter recently - how do I get it to do anything? I can't seem to equip it or use it through the menu or... anything.

[DiGiKerot]

Hmmm, I got my copy of the PS2 Monster World Complete Collection. Kind of annoyingly, its not entirely complete because it's inexplicably missing the English language version of either the coin-op or Master System versions of Wonderboy in Monster Land. This is really odd given that they've got pretty much every other iteration of every other game in the series (I mean, theres about five different versions of the original Wonderboy!).

[Johnny]

Hmmm, I got my copy of the PS2 Monster World Complete Collection. Kind of annoyingly, its not entirely complete because it's inexplicably missing the English language version of either the coin-op or Master System versions of Wonderboy in Monster Land. This is really odd given that they've got pretty much every other iteration of every other game in the series (I mean, theres about five different versions of the original Wonderboy!).

How are the games? I got mine a few days ago but haven't opened it yet.

Deciding between it and the two recent Simple 2000 series games - the "Girl vs Bugs" one (yes, I have a short game with clumsy controls but lots of giant bugs and stuff hangover since Necro Nesia :sd: ) and the new Oanechan one.

Also got Power Smash 3 (Virtua Tennis 3 outside Japan) PS3 today although I think I'll buy the 360 one too for the online play. God of War II also shipped today and should be here by Saturday meaning that, as next Monday is St. Paddys day and a public holiday here meaning I'm off work, I can have a 3 or 4 day GoW marathon :D

[distantmantra]

Deciding between it and the two recent Simple 2000 series games ... and the new Oanechan one.

How is this? I haven't been able to find any impressions of it.

Picked up God of War II today, but I'm still playing Gundam Musou, so it'll have to wait.

[ADC]

Well, that was easy. Here I was thinking that arriving in 15 turns was going to be hard, but I made it in 11 and managed to talk to both of the homeowners in so doing. Astrid and Rhys promoted; they're both part of my starting team and just got more useful. (On a side note, Astrid was the MVP in Chapter 20.) Next up is Rolf, and then I get to put more work into Ilyana.

To those who've played FE/gcn, did you ever really use the Laguz? I started using Lethe and Mordecai when they arrived, but I've grown rather annoyed with their maddening tendency to become humanoid when I really need attackers. I'd been better served not to use them at all once they weren't required.

I'd like to see a massive FE collection on the DS one of these days. There are still six games that never made it to the States, after all.

[kaiyouske]

I finally got my PS3 this past weekend, so I've been playing Virtua Fighter 5. A lot. My Sarah is already at the master rank, but I still have a lot of items I need to collect....can't wait to play more! I also got my copy of Trigger Heart Exelica from Play-Asia today, but probably too lazy to set up the Dreamcast... ;p

[Nosredna]

It's been a while since I lasted posted in here.....I've been playing Final Fantasy VI Advance (GBA), I still haven't beaten the game, because I'm trying to level up some of my characters. I'm also playing FIFA 2005 (GC) and Mario Kart (GC). I play either one of those when I want to play a quick game.

[Suwako Moriya]

I actually did make use of Laguz, but I'll admit my use of them eventually lowered over time. Since well there is that whole "transform back" issue to deal with.

[ADC]

I actually did make use of Laguz, but I'll admit my use of them eventually lowered over time. Since well there is that whole "transform back" issue to deal with.
Who were your MVPs, Reirei? I think my only guaranteed starters are Ike, Mia, Astrid, Rhys, and Soren. Boyd and Gatrie have basically become cannon fodder, and Kieran and Oscar have value primarily for troop delivery. I think that I did err in letting Tormod die and not building up Ilyana earlier; this late in the game, magic-users are too valuable.

[Suwako Moriya]

I'm trying to remember. Honestly I only completed the game once and would of course bias towards certain characters. Which probably skewed things in their favor. I can say I liked making use of these characters. Iylana, Mia, Mist, Astrid, Jill, and probably a few others.

[DiGiKerot]

How are the games? I got mine a few days ago but haven't opened it yet.

Pretty good. If you've download Adventure Island on Wii (or have any of the Hudson PS2 or GC remakes) you'll have Wonderboy already. The rest of the games are side-scrolling RPG affairs. Monsterland is pretty straightforward (to the point where the lack of an English version isn't too much of a problem, though they do bizarrely have the English manual in the Gallery) since it was a coin-op, but the others are pretty expansive, almost in a Metroidvania kind of fashion.

[Johnny]

I also got my copy of Trigger Heart Exelica from Play-Asia today, but probably too lazy to set up the Dreamcast... ;p

Dude, play it now. It's awesome.

[Johnny]

ADC, Chacrana, guess what DS game (due out tomorrow) shipped today? :D
Hint: it's a game you both secretly want...

[Chacranajxy]

I also got my copy of Trigger Heart Exelica from Play-Asia today, but probably too lazy to set up the Dreamcast... ;p

Dude, play it now. It's awesome.

Is it? I've got my LE, but I haven't opened it. Eh... but then, I'm not so sure that I trust your opinion anymore now that you're telling me that your Pedo game shipped. You must really like 'em young.

[Suwako Moriya]

I managed to complete Megamari and tempted to go through it again. Well at least far enough to see what the other weapons are like for myself. Ie Marisa would get the four weapons I gave to Alice and vice versa.

I've been overly negative about Xenosaga 2 so I'll mention something positive about it. I do like how each time I load the game it gives a "the story so far" blurb which works as a decent reminder of where you are in the game. In case you were being a bit forgetful.

Edit: Screw tempted to, I am actually refacing the eight bosses to see what the other weapons are like in Megamari.

[Johnny]

Is it? I've got my LE, but I haven't opened it.

Naw, seriously, it is a damn good game.

[Azumangaman]

ADC, Chacrana, guess what DS game (due out tomorrow) shipped today? :D
Hint: it's a game you both secretly want...
BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Anyway, right now I can't get my hands off my 360. Playing DOA4 a lot recently, and am in the top 3000 (over 36000 people played this mode) for Time Attack Tag Team! Earn bronze, silver, and gold! NOBODY can stop Ayane/Hayate! Ninja's FTW!

Am also playing Madden 07, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance the most on the 360 among other things (including Just Cause, GRAW, etc.)
In my third season of Madden (with TEH VIKINGS) and am...AT THE SUPERBOWL on all-pro difficulty. Superbowl against Jacksonville (reg. season record is 13-3).

As for Marvel, *a certain stupid person* shut down my 360 while I was in the middle of beating down on Arcade. Grrr. *All it takes to turn off the 360 is a light switch...its a long story*...

I'm also 15+ hours into Magical Starsign and am getting my ass whopped by a giant tree who's keeping me from the wood millenium gummy.

[Chacranajxy]

ADC, Chacrana, guess what DS game (due out tomorrow) shipped today? :D
Hint: it's a game you both secretly want...
BWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Anyway, right now I can't get my hands off my 360. Playing DOA4 a lot recently, and am in the top 3000 (over 36000 people played this mode) for Time Attack Tag Team! Earn bronze, silver, and gold! NOBODY can stop Ayane/Hayate! Ninja's FTW!

Am also playing Madden 07, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance the most on the 360 among other things (including Just Cause, GRAW, etc.)
In my third season of Madden (with TEH VIKINGS) and am...AT THE SUPERBOWL on all-pro difficulty. Superbowl against Jacksonville (reg. season record is 13-3).

As for Marvel, *a certain stupid person* shut down my 360 while I was in the middle of beating down on Arcade. Grrr. *All it takes to turn off the 360 is a light switch...its a long story*...

I'm also 15+ hours into Magical Starsign and am getting my ass whopped by a giant tree who's keeping me from the wood millenium gummy.

I didn't realize you played DOA4. Since you're technically on my list of people who may or may not be friends, I may have to knock some sense into your head.

[ADC]

ADC, Chacrana, guess what DS game (due out tomorrow) shipped today? :D
Hint: it's a game you both secretly want...
Ah, your loli skating game. I admit that I don't have the right games to make it so, but I never thought of my DS Lite as a self-service device. :evil: Be sure to PM Cha if the ending's happy.

[kaiyouske]

Dude, play it now. It's awesome.

Yeah, I definitely should try this out probably today. Because god knows that I won't play anything else other than VF5 once I get my High Grade stick....;p

[ADC]

Astrid was the MVP again. When she promoted, I gave her Swords, then forgot to actually buy her a sword — doesn't matter! She's insane in the membrane (insane in the brain) with her bow. I did manage to acquire all of the treasure chests again, thanks to Volke; and Mia delivered the final blow. She's awesome. As usual, Boyd and Gatrie were the cannon fodder. They're not skillful enough to hit reliably, nor fast enough to hit twice, but they soak up damage quite nicely. This was a fun map, if rather long. It took me over an hour to get from A to Z.

[Johnny]

I admit that I don't have the right games to make it so, but I never thought of my DS Lite as a self-service device. :evil:

Counting down the days to DokiDoki Majou Saiban dude, counting down the days :D

And Chacrana may be getting a minute by minute account of the game, depending on how evil I feel :>

[ADC]

And Chacrana may be getting a minute by minute account of the game, depending on how evil I feel :>
A live Net feed? Or just force-feeding him updates via AOD? Either way, awesome. His head might explode before the end, but what can you do?

[Johnny]

And Chacrana may be getting a minute by minute account of the game, depending on how evil I feel :>
A live Net feed? Or just force-feeding him updates via AOD? Either way, awesome. His head might explode before the end, but what can you do?

I'm thinking matchsticks in eyes (seen that bit at the end of Clockword Orange?) so that he becomes desensitized to the madness of Japanese DS games.

[Chacranajxy]

I admit that I don't have the right games to make it so, but I never thought of my DS Lite as a self-service device. :evil:

Counting down the days to DokiDoki Majou Saiban dude, counting down the days :D

And Chacrana may be getting a minute by minute account of the game, depending on how evil I feel :>

I think that's enough for you tonight. It's way past your bedtime anyway... crazy Euro's.

[Azumangaman]

I didn't realize you played DOA4. Since you're technically on my list of people who may or may not be friends, I may have to knock some sense into your head.

It's true. Lately I actually can't get enough of the game. Decided to try out Kasumi (yes, I hardly EVER use her, I pretty much always use Ayane/Hyabusa/Hayate) in single survival today and went through 19 people (1 AWAY from Bronze...CURSE you Hitomi!)
So ya, when I get gold, I'll gladly try to beat you and fail :D