Devil Summoner - PS2

I couldn't help it, I decided to put in some hours on another Atlus Shin Megami Tensei game. I started Devil Summoner and couldn't stop - even though I just bought a PS3.

This one is actually not an RPG, and it's not set in present day. The story revolves around a group of mages in industrial Japan. The order of "Raidou" is committed to maintaining peace in Tokyo. They do so with the power to see, combat, and summon "devils" (which are Personas in all the Persona games).

This was a major turning point in Japan, as they began westernizing and adopting technologies from America and Europe. I always felt that the days were pretty bleak there, but playing this game makes it feel very exciting. There're young men who are intrigued by the steam boats and trains and young women who want to try the sun dresses from Europe. I think I enjoy these aspects more because I was a Japanese history major in college.

(Raidou and his funny hat) The game itself is an action RPG where battles warp you to a fighting screen. You have a sword, a handgun, and the ability to summon devils. You fight in towns and then you fight in the dark world. This is the natural sequence of events in the game. Once again there is monster fusion, and it becomes like a mature version of Pokemon. Each monster has it's strengths and weaknesses and they also come with special abilities like "sneak" and "fly". These abilities enable the detective summoner to snoop in places where any normal sleuth cannot.

(the detective agency) All in all the game is fun and has a nice sense of challenge. You can go through levels quicker if you know how to hack and slash correctly, but you can also dominate the bosses if you rather level up. So it's got a good balance of "Action - RPG". The fusions for the devils make this game interesting for those who like to "collect them all".

I'm finally in Episode 8, and I think there will be only two more episodes before this all comes to an end. I'm about 20 hours in, so I doubt this will take more than 30.

Below are some scenes I took with my camera. I love the settings: the Red Light District, the old Ginza district, and a conversation with a huge demon.

Persona 4 - PS2 (part 3)

So there is an end after all. I was really hesitant in playing the end of Persona 4 because I really wanted to get the true ending. Naturally, I got the worse one the first time around. I couldn't find out who the true crook was and I got a quickie cut-scene in the end with no real boss to battle. So let me recall what happens, there will be spoilers from here on.

We learn that the delivery man was behind some of the kidnappings and he himself has the power to enter TVs. He kidnaps Nanako and Nanako's dad rushes after her. They go into a high speed chase and all three gets into a bad accident and ends up in the hospital; the same hospital. A very edgy scene ensues as everyone waits on the dying Nanako. This could have easily been made to a movie, and the game does a really good job in capturing the moment. My heart sunk when I saw the flat-line.

So that was December 18th in the game? If you did the wrong thing, that would be the end of the movie. It all corresponds to answering the right questions when you and Yosuke are arguing in the delivery guy's hospital room. If you answered it correctly, you'll still be playing the game after christmas and into the new year. You'll be given a new dungeon to capture the true culprit. I won't give away who he is, but I'll have to say the boss is actually challenging.

The last boss is a giant eyeball. Yes, he has a LOT of tricks so I'll try to break it down. I used Yosuke, Yukiko, and Teddie. You'll need to heal a lot. I chose Yosuke because he's the only social link that I maxed out, which enabled his Persona to graduate to Susano-O. Teddie's Amrita and HP recovery spells will help you greatly. Yukiko will be needed for reviving the dead. You'll need every thing you can to battle Ameno Sagiri, the big eye ball. It has like eight major attacks. For one, it has every elemental spell: fire, ice, wind, and lightning. So either way you'll get dazed. Along with that he also has Megidola. It's good to fully heal your guys every turn. He also has two turns. Galgagin Eyes will make you dazed, Nebula Oculous is a physical laser that will hit everyone, God's Punishment halves your HP, and Foolish Whisper makes you unconscious as well. When he does the Fog, it's best to heal yourself and replenish your MP. In attacking, I recommend using Loki and the strongest Bufu spell.

After a bitter fight, you should be able to knock him down. Defeating him will send you into the last few days before the new year. You've beat the last boss, congratulations! Not quite yet. There's still something that's troubling the main character. Like, how did this all start, and why did he have the power to enter the TV in the first place? Ahh yes, the troublesome nature of the curious human. What does it lead you to? Another boss, yes a boss after the last boss.

Enter, the Torii Gates to hell and Izanami. Yes, this is the same Izanami in the creation myths for Japanese Shinto. She was the wife of Izanagi and the mother of Susano-O. It is her that helped create the islands of Japan and it is her that delve into the netherworlds. In the end, Izanagi confronts him and he forces her to stay in the land of the night while he runs away to the daylight. The fact that Persona is based on Shinto is great! You'll have to travel through ten more levels of dungeons in Ashihara Nakatsu before reaching the boss. I hope you had charged up your social link with the Fox, because you'll need him to heal you from here on. There's no going back.

I won't go into the details in fighting Izanami. But it is not as difficult as the big Eye. After a difficult battle with Izanami, she will use a spell that will drag your guys to hell. You'll have no choice but to hope for savior, and there is one. Izanagi, the persona you started with. He will aid you in your time of need. After this, you're definitely definitely done with the game. Well, the first time around. I doubt I'll play it again in the near future, so this is the end for me.

• Game Time: 80 Hrs and 13 Mins (plus 2 hours)
• Completed the true ending
• Maxed out all personal statuses

Persona 4 - PS2 (part 2)

(Image: Yukiko a little tipsy after a couple of spiked drinks.) Well, this game is done! But what do I have to say about it? It took about a month and a half to do this and a so much has happened in the game. The little town of Yaso-Inaba will never be the same again. As usual, the masses do not really know what happens in the middle of the night.

(Image: Rise question's the hero's true nature.) The crew of four grew into nine, with new members that include Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, and a mysterious magic Fox. They have their days dealing with the murders, and they have their days studying for exams. There is a moment where they go on a school camping trip, and there is a moment where they all go to the ryokan. Lots of happy days, and lots of sad days. I can't believe how much I enjoyed this game and then it all ends.

There're even a few characters that are carried over from Persona 3: like Tanaka the salesman, and Mr. Edogawa, the teacher. Tanaka can be seen every Sunday morning as he became a tele-marketer and Edogawa makes a cameo appearance when the kids go to Gekkokan High for a visit in the big city. They got to stay in a love hotel and visit a night club. Somebody spiked their drinks, and they started saying more than then intended to.

(Image: Battle with Evil Teddie) All I have are all these pictures that I've taken along the way. The next post will be about the end boss, the boss after that, and the boss after that. A girl is fighting hard to stay alive in the hospital, and the the entire town is enveloped by the mysterious fog. What's left for a guy to do? But to kick-ass and take names.

Final Fantasy - NES, NDS

Well, it seems odd to have a video-game website that mentions Dragon Quest but not Final Fantasy. To tell the truth, I'm such a Final Fantasy fan that I actually thought I'd dedicate them all on a separate sight. That didn't go so well. So now I'm just going to port over some of the results from that sight.

I've played Final Fantasy about 11 times in my life, it is just one of those games that I can play over and over just to see if I can still do it over again. It's like a Rubix cube for me. So when I found out that they did a re-release for it on the GBA with extra dungeons, I jumped at the chance to play it once more. I won't go into the details, but I will just port over the results from my other blog, the Final Fantasy Challenge.

(from September of 2007)

So as you can guess, the posting isn't going to catch up with the gaming. I need to back-track and talk about the end of Final Fantasy one.

The fight up to Tiamont took up 12 hours, but the optional bosses took up another 8 hours. Our friend Garland was the culprit the last boss. Channeling the powers of time and evil he becomes Chaos. By the time I got there, I was a whopping level 77. The last time I played and beat it, I was level 43. This game definitely was made easier. Also back then my strongest weapon was the Masamune and the Excalibur, now I had the Ultima Weapon and armor that never existed back then. It was just a breeze. Well here are some stats, and I'm on my way to Final Fantasy II (not the one with Cecil, but the one with Firion).

Chaos Shrine - defeated Chaos (level 77)

• Game Time: 21 hrs 28 mins
• Total Time: 21 hrs 38 mins (10 mins added)
  
• Days: 9 of 80
• Bestiary - 93%
• Weapons Completion - 99% (missing Assassin's Dagger)
  
• Optional Bosses - 100%
• Optional Quests - 100%

Persona 4 - PS2

Well, I didn't think I would play this one so soon, but it was like opening up gifts on Christmas morning - I just couldn't wait. I played Persona 3: FES not too long ago, so the concepts of the game were still fresh in my mind. Turning on Persona 4 for the first time took me back to the end of the P3 in a rush as the animated intro started. The beginning the title theme is similar to the last score in P3. It was effortless continuity from 3 to 4. I started the game and I knew that this would be another 100 hour journey into the world of Shadows and Personas.

From the start, let me warn those that have never played these games that you don't get any control of the character until 90 minutes into the story. Lots and lots of story happens and you're not too sure when a battle will even begin. I'd say you don't fully get to a first battled until 2 hours and 15 minutes of the game. So please be patient! To me, it's like watching a movie, and I am loving it so far.

Similar to Persona 3, this chapter in the SMT world begins with a young man pondering through a train car's window. Pan to something ultra-violent, and then back to signal lights blinking and you have iconic Japanese Anime sequences. It's campy, but hey, it works. The young man is transferring from the big city to a small town of Inaba because his parents works overseas and they entrusted him to his uncle, who works as a detective in town. The young man quickly makes friends with Yosuke, an absentminded boy who works at the local electronics depot, and Chie, a super jubulent Kung-fu loving girl who is turning into one of my favorite female video-game character in recent memory. Now THAT was a geeky statement.

(Yosuke, someone who literally ran into you on the first day of school.) Let's talk about some differences between part 3 and part 4. First of all, the Dark Hour is gone. Instead, you can enter the world of Persona's through the TV department of the Junes building in the day time, usually after school. Secondly, during the dungeon stages, there is no longer just one giant Tartarus dungeon but instead sectioned off areas where you can delve into. After a battle ends, the way you attain Personas is different. The new lottery for cards causes a lot more eye strain. But there's a lot more. Thirdly, there are two more sections added to your personal status, putting it into five: Emotions, Knowledge, Courage, Diligence, and Expression. If that's not enough, you still have to level up your social links. So there is a lot to learn and a lot to do.

Igor, your guide into the Persona World.

Yukiko, another classmate of yours that is born and raised in Inaba. Her parents own an inn on the edge of town. It's where all the murders have started.

Google's Monopoly City Streets - Online

Well here goes another twenty hours wasted. Google introduced their Monopoly Streets game about two weeks ago and it has been a craze on the Internet. Like monopoly, the object of the game is to be richer than the next person. Buy streets, place houses, collect rent - these are still concepts in the game, but the big seller of the game is that these are REAL streets and you're competing with people from the entire globe!

I won't go in depth about how the game works, but the hardest part about the game is finding LONG streets so you can place as many buildings on them as the eyes and see (or the screen can stretch). You make money by collecting rent from the buildings and you can only collect rent once a day, so it's a strategy of how you use your money from day to day. Since the new rule is that every street after your first five, you will get taxed 3% of your net worth, it's advantageous to keep five or less streets. I tend to keep about eight streets, so I'm taxed about 9% every day, but I do like to know I have more streets available if people attack me. Attack, meaning people putting prisons and waste treatment plants on your street, which stops you from collecting rent.

But in any case, I started with my first street: Jackson Street in Oakland, California and started buying streets in Canada, Ohio, and even Chico, Ca. I wanted to buy some streets in Japan, but they were all taken. That's the fun of the game, you can be an absentee land-owner to real streets of the world. I never knew how many little mountain roads there are in California until I started playing the game.

Well with a little bit of math, a little know-how in geography, and a lot of effort in playing competitive games, I am finally in the TOP 10 of my local area, Alameda, California. Of course, I'm #10, but I still am proud. I'm level 5 (or 7), meaning I am worth $1,000,000,000 billion dollars. My goal is to reach level 7, then I'll call it quits. Until then, let the money bags roll in!

Eternal Poison - PS2

Another one of Atlus's RPG's for 2009. It's rare to be playing PS2 games in 2009, but I still find it entertaining. The cover dissuaded me from picking this one up because it seem like the kind of game that guys with Lolita fetishes would buy. I ended up trying it out anyway with some reserve. They bundled it with a soundtrack, but I got it used at the Game Stop and unfortunately I didn't get the CD along with the game.

The game starts with a young sorceress, the one dressed in gothic attire on the cover, Thage and her wolf companion Raki. They are Majin (magical creatures I suppose) and they are seeking the power of the "Eternal Poison" to either resurrect the legendary princess or destroy the world. Early in their travels they take up a young boy that got lost along the way named Retica. He is a half-breed between Majin and Human, so like many stories, he is conflicted between good and evil. They both battle monsters and unravel a story that intertwines with the other major characters.

So here's the deal-breaker for this game: you have to play all five story-lines to get the true ending. I hate games like this. I actually was able to complete the Thage story in about ten hours, but do I really want to go through it again? four more times? I will have to make that choice soon. This game reminds me of Saga Frontier, where you have to complete all seven quests. And yes, I did complete it all but I had a lot more time when I was a student.

Dragon Quest 4: Chapters of the Chosen - NDS

I began playing this game to ween myself away from Civilization again. It seems like every time I reinstall a new computer I install Civ. 4 and try to give it another go. It's an addiction, or perhaps it's just delusions of grandeur - we all want to rule the world.

But back to Dragon Quest 4. This is probably my favorite Dragon quest game. The idea of putting the main character four chapters later into the game was novel at the time. We spend like ten hours playing through four quests and we haven't invested any time in the main character yet. It was a breakaway from the first three Dragonquests, especially as it no longer talked about Edward. Playing it again after 17 years (it came out in 1992), I find it remarkable that I remember so much about it. I still love the Taloon quest, and so did many other fans because Taloon created some franchises out for himself in Japan. I am amazed at how smooth it runs on the NDS, nothing is lost, but a lot is gained. The game will not live up to the action packed RPG's of today, but it's definitely for nostalgia's sake. People who played this one before, will love it. The music would literally time warp you back to the time you played this on your NES.

I spent about six hours on it and got through the first three chapters. Now I'm playing the fourth chapter with Meena and Maya. It's a matter of time before I get to the end of that one. There seems to be a relative ease on game settings, because I'm able to get through them with relative ease. Hopefully I don't lose my edge in the coming dungeons.

Persona 3: FES - PS2 (part 4)

Back again, for the last time on this epic game. Where I last left, the Persona users of Gekkokan High School were given an ultimatum by Ryoji, the avatar of Nyx. They had until the 31st of January to fight the bringer of Death. What this translates to is "it's time to get your act together".

I began by leveling up some more and trying to get the final personas and fusions. This was not as easy as I thought as the stronger personas required the highest social links and higher character level of the main character to create. I had maximized about 10 social links by then but there were a couple more that I knew I could do. I wanted to do Akinori's, which only occurred on Sundays and Mamoru's, which took more time than I thought. And some new ones opened up once you got the highest personal traits: Badass for courage, Genius for academics, and charismatic for charisma. But as the game dragged on, I realized I couldn't get them all in this first run, so I just tried to finish it after the 110th hour.

The battles after the 252nd floor of Tartarus were not too difficult, all the way until you battle Nyx. Sure, you'll fight Jin and Takaya again - and you learn about their origins. The fight's are pretty much a joke with my guy at level 82 and some of the strongest personas at my disposal. I do want to say something about Nyx. He's not a push-over.

The fight with Nyx takes endurance. You should reserve about 2 hours for him and the ending that comes after. I made the mistake of playing it and having to meet someone for lunch and had to shut off during mid-battle. It's a long drawn-out fight and it would be smart to bring a lot of items (especially precious eggs for MP). My final party was Main character, Yukari, Junpei, and AIGIS. I think any party would do, but I do recommend a healer and AIGIS because she has a lot of status increase skills. You'll have to use tactics often. Nyx can be tough if you let him get advantage of your low HP, so I recommend wearing Vitality rings that add 30% more. Nyx has about 13 forms, as you could have guessed by the big stress on Arcana in this game. While most of the forms have about 1200HP, the last one has 6000HP. I learned that the hard way.

Here's what you have to watch out for. First there is his defensive spell, "Night Gown". When he does this, a reflective barrier appears and every attack that you unleash upon him will be reflected to you with an added damage. Usually this hits about 500+ HP to a character, so I highly advise not to attack or have any of your guys attack when this is up. You'll have to set characters like Junpei to "Wait" almost. It's also a good time for you to heal yourself. Secondly, he uses "All Mighty" often. This spell is like a severe holy strike spell, but he does it after he does mind charge or power charge, so it doubles the effect. You have to have defenses up if you see him do his charges; it can wipe you out if you have low HP. Lastly, there is his most animated attack, "Night Queen". This attack is similar to Final Fantasy 4's "Big Bang" attack. It's a magical attack that damages and sets random effects to your characters. Here's the thing, be sure to dis-charm those that have been charmed! A person that has been charmed with the Diarahan (full-heal) spell will use it on Nyx. That's how I found out he has 6000 HP. From there it's pretty much unload on him as usual. I use Norn with Mind Charge and "Panta Rhei" spell on him mostly, and it gets the job done.

After the battle it goes to a super charged anime scene that throws all your guys into darkness. You're in an one-on-one fight with Death himself. He's angry and pissed-off. Your guys think it's the end and find themselves stranded in space, similar to limbo. All they can do is send you their powers. Your only hope is, well as corny as it sounds, a wild card in the arcana deck. Story ensues, and you use the "Great Seal" send subdue Nyx's fury. Everything turns white, and well, you wake up days later.

The ending is good. One of the better ones for role-playing games in recent memory. A very weird scene in the end includes the main character resting himself on AIGIS's lap. She does all the talking, and you just rest there, on the school's rooftop: half awake, half exhausted from the battle. I really loved this game. Will I play the "Answer" featuring AIGIS? Nope, not in the near future. After 100 hours of this game, it's time to move on.

Completion: Beat the game,

Collected 87% of all Personas,

Maxed out personal status (academics, charm, and courage)

Hours Spent: 111 hrs and 41 mins (+ 3 hrs of dead time)

Persona 3: FES - PS2 (part 3)

I did not think this game would take this long. After a hopeful battle with the Strega, the rogue group of Persona users, the point of the game which I thought was the end, led to another big segment of the game. This is probably the longest role playing game I've played in the last five years. I was pushed to the ledge, and guess what? There's another ledge after that.

The twelth Shadow turns out to be the Hangman, and it was pretty much that. A creature that hung from his skin on a cross, one of the grossest bosses I've ever fought. But he was not that difficult to defeat. After you break the statues in front of him, just unload on him with Ziodyne; if you have the perona Thor, it is a piece of cake.

After the ordeal with the Strega and around the 70th hour of gameplay I learn that the director for SEES, Itsuki, is behind it all. He wanted you to defeat the twelve boss shadows to unite them into one super shadow to summon the "FALL", which is an event that would transform all living things into mindless drones; known as the "LOST". By this time, everyone has lost someone dear to them (and in this I realize why they really had to make this game rated-M). Akihiko lost his dear friend Shinji, Mitsuru loses her father, and Junpei loses his dear friend Chidori. And in retrospect, Yukari has already suffered the loss of his father; Ken has lost his parents due to Shinji; and Koromaru lost his master from the temple. I guess death is a unifying theme in Persona 3. With the over-coming of grief comes the birth of new and stronger Personas. One of which is most important is Yukari's, because she solidifies her role as the main healer of the team.

There is a brief episode of humor as the school kids go on their field trip to Kyoto. For a time being, you forget their high school students and it's a nice breath of fresh air away from the Dark Hour. The trip has a lot of campy jokes and a nice animated sequence for you to watch. It all culminates to a spa scene that gets the boys in a bit of trouble. Boys will be boys right?

But with that done, comes the heavy stuff. The new student, Ryoji Mochizuki is not a student. Actually he's not even human. With the coming of the full moon on December 2nd, a new terrifying revelation occurs. Ryoji is an adversary of AIGIS, and they fight again at the Dark Hour. They had fought before, and Ryoji was the embodiment of the thirteenth shadow, Death. Who else commands death? of course, the young boy in the striped pajamas, Pharos. We learn that AIGIS fought with Death ten years ago and could not defeat him, therefore she did what was next best and sealed him inside a young boy - the narator. But with the defeating of the twelve boss shadows, the powers of Death awaken and is molded into human form, Ryoji.

It's all very confusing. But with his arrival one thing is affirmed, the FALL becomes imminent. Ryoji is known as the "Appriser" to the maternal being known as "NYX". And with her return, all will be lost. She is an entity as old as the world itself and defeating her is not an impossibilty. Ryoji gives you an ultimatum. Either join the world of the LOST and live everyday lifeless and in pain, or delay the effect and have your memory wiped by killing Ryoji himself, with it the Dark Hour and Tartarus will disappear - but he doesn't guarantee that the delay of Nyx will be long. This all shall happen on New Years Eve; so the final battle awaits.

Time elapsed: 86 Hours.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - NDS (part 2)

So it finally ends, with a lightning spell to a big brown dragon - the Shadow Dragon. 

For some reason, this game felt amazingly long. I spent only nineteen hours on it in recorded time, but it felt like fifty. I guess it was because of the agonizing defeats along the way. 

Fire Emblem revolves around Marth, our displaced hero of Altea out to get revenge for those who destroyed his kingdom. Of course there is a conniving neighbor king, an evil wizard, and a dragon. I won't go into detail about the fellows he met and joined his cause, but it does help putting some names down for my final roster. I kept Abel (level 9 Paladin) and Cain (level 1 Paladin) and Frey as my knights. Then I had Wolfe, Merric, and Shiida. Tiki, the dragon princess, played a sacrificial role. I had to use Beck, the ballistician, to knock off other ballistas. I had one swordmaster and two heroes also, but they just played minor roles.

To defeat the end, I think you'd either have to have the Falchion sword, or bring the wizard up to the dragon and have him use Thorn. I didn't think it was that easy so I spent a lot of time restarting; trying to find the perfect way to get all my ways to the end without dying. It was impossible for me, so I ended up sacrificing a lot of key characters. In the end, the plan worked, and I was awarded a simple ending. I got to see Marth and Shiida finally come through with their feelings, and the credits began to roll. 

All in all, I think this was a good game for the NDS. It took advantage of the dual screens nicely; one for profiles, and one for the map. The menus were fast, and the story was quite compelling - although it was recycled from the 1990's version. I think if you can get through the defeats (and you will see the game over screen often), you'll enjoy this game. I don't think I'll be replaying it though. Next up: Valkyrie Profile, the covenant of the plume. 

Completion: Finished the game (with deaths)

Hours Spent: 18 Hrs 53 mins + 4 Hrs (dead time)

Persona 3: FES - PS2 (part 2)

As I move towards the 45th hour of game time for this RPG, I realize the people that estimated the game to be over 100 hours are not kidding: this is going to be quite a ride. I hope it has a good ending, because the story so far is enticing enough.

After the second full moon (or second boss of eight), I gain control of four more characters. Fuuka is a quiet girl that's techno-savvy and has amazing analysis ability. AIGIS is an android created by the Kirijo group that joins the SEES team after their island vacation. Koromaru is a dog that belonged to the Shingawa temple, but joins the team after Akihiko finds out that he defeated some shadows by himself. Koromaru controlls a Persona that is similar to the three-headed cerebus. Lastly, Ken, an elementary school kid joins and weilds a spear to make up for his size. This makes a total of eight, and the game is only half way.

I defeat the priestess boss that derails the train, the pair of jester-like demons that took over the school gym, the Lovers card boss that guards over a love hotel, and the possessed tank that splits into two halves in the caves. Now I am on summer vacation and I pass the days watching movies at the film festival - which actually raises my courage bar.

One thing that interests me from the start is the collection of side-characters and side-quests. You meet Maya online through a MMORPG and she discusses how her coworkers at a local highschool irritates the hell out of her. She types like a teenage girl on AIM, and it is very fun to read. Next there's a young girl who hangs out at the playground by Shinagawa shrine. You cheer her up and she opens her heart to you about her parents on the verge of divorce. Another story revolves around a couple that owns a bookstore that tries to pick up their lives after their son's death in a freak car accident. All these and more in this one video game, it's quite a package.

Summer has finally ended, and now I'll have to get ready for the next term.

Time elapsed: 45hrs

Continued on Part 3

Persona 3: FES - PS2

Persona 3: FES is the first Persona game I've ever played. I played Digital Devil Saga and got to the end, but got defeated by the boss and never got around to complete it. Another game that I played from the SMT series seems was from the Super Famicon and I can't even remember the title. But regardless of the background of this demonic series, I am thoroughly enjoying Persona 3.  

The story revolves around six high school kids from Gekkokan High, somewhere in Japan. They go to school, meet up with friends, live in a boarding house, and fight demons. Yes, they fight demons with conjured spirits called Personas. 

The game's protagonist goes to school and makes social links with his friends, which in turn powers up his Personas. He studies, plays sports, goes on dates, and gets picked on by teachers to answer test questions. He gains academic points by studying, charisma points by doing well in front of his peers, and courage points by taking on dares. In a sense, he's not like your regular RPG protagonist at all - and I'm loving these aspects!

The game revolves around a calendar and the phases of the moon. While every day you'll have to go to school and find clues amongst the students, nights are made for dungeon crawling. The only dungeon so far in the game is Tartarus. I've only gone up to the 50th floor, but it seems to extend towards infinity. Sundays are days where you're free, but you should go hang out with your friends to boost social links. Then there are the days with the full moons; these are days with boss battles. With that in mind, every day can be used to effect, or wasted if you're not careful. It took me awhile to get used to this format of playing, but once I did, I felt something I haven't felt in video-games for awhile. I get totally absorbed. 

Another aspect is the Rated-M parts of the game. I haven't played an RPG that's rated-M since Digital Devil Saga, and it does make a difference. They can say harsher words and use a lot more blood. Even bosses expose a bit more sexual innuendo than before. But all in all, I think everyone should give this game a try. I know I'll be rushing to defeat it. Hopefully Persona 4 will be just as good.  The following pictures are of the main characters: Mitsuru, Junpei, Akihiko, and Yukari. 

Continued on Part 2

Street Fighter 2 - SNES

In an effort to go along with the times, I picked April to be the month to talk about fighting games. With the release of the much talked about Street Fighter 4, I find myself thinking of all the hours I spent playing fighting games with my Junior High friends. 

Street Fighter 2 was not just a game, it was a phenomenon. It was at every arcade center and every home (when the SNES version came out). I lived on top of a small convenience store and day and night I could hear the haduken's and shouryuken's being punched out on the arcade sticks. It was part of the 90's. If you grew up at that era, you or someone you know were hooked on that game. It literally created the genre of fighting games. For the longest time before that, games like Final Fight and Double Dragon were labeled as fighting games, for they were side-scrolling games that you fought in. But Street Fighter changed that, it was a 1-on-1 fight to the end ~ with NO JUMP BUTTON. The idea of using UP for jump was so new. Of course it's natural to us now. But those guys at Capcom really were on to something. And six buttons? That was probably the only game that had that at the time. 

Now the part that I loved about Street Fighter 2 was that there was an incredible balance in the characters of the game. We all know and love Ken, Ryu, and Guile, but if one put effort into learning the other five: Chun Li,  Zangief, Dhalsim, Blanka, and E.Honda, they could be formidable too. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. I've seen Zangief players crush Ryu types, and I've seen Chun Li players lay waste to Guilde players. It was a wonderful game. 

The game went into some craze about sequels, spawning titles such as Champions Edition, Turbo, Turbo 2, Super Street Fighter, etc. But every one of them have their intricacies. Kind of reminds me of the many editions of Windows. 

I spent a lot of time playing the game. Learning combos, block patterns, offensive strategies, etc. Eventually I learned how to use a bit of every character. I think I ended up liking Guile the most, but I'll probably be able to play Ken and Ryu too; like everyone else. I even remember the stupid tricks, like the "handcuffs" freeze from Guile, and the "invisible throw" glitch. Those who know, know what I mean. I met a lot of friends at the arcades, and had my share of beat-downs by kids younger than me.  I still want to play it once in awhile, and I had the chance to re-use those skills three years ago when I started playing it in Japan with my friend Tim. It's odd how playing Street Fighter is like riding a bike. Nostalgia ensues even as I'm writing this. 

Now I if I wanted to put an hour-count on the hours (or days) I spent idling away on Street Fighter 2 and all it's sub-series, it would be close to the 1000's I think. But just for the blog's sake, I'll just say 200 plus. 

Completion: Yes, at all difficulties.

Hours Spent: 200+ hours. 

So when I learned of Street Fighter 4, I was more than happy to welcome it's return. Too bad I don't have a PS3 or Xbox 360. Nevertheless, the heart still hungers for some thumb crunching ass-whooping. Enjoy this trailer from 1up.com. Doesn't the Ryu theme remind you of all the battles of the past?

Street Fighter 4 'Ink Bleed' HD trailer

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon - NDS

Somehow I put down the Fire Emblem game for the Wii to play this game. Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon is actually a remake of the first fire Emblem game published on the SNES. It's still new to me because I completely forsaked this series, as like many people did because it wasn't ported over to the United States until much later. 

The game follows the young prince, Marth, who is chased out of his kingdom by the kingdom of Gras. He is secluded to a small city in the far marginal eastern area of the land. Slowly he gathers his forces and lauch a rebellion. He has his trusted followers: Cain and Abel, Shiida, Frey, Coyote and Wolf, etc. It steadily gets more interesting as he recruits people from every map, reminisient of the old Suikoden games. I kind of reminds me of Japan's Onin war in the Muromachi period. It took me about seven maps to totally get emotionally invested, but now I'm determined to beat it. 

The game actually does well with the NDS. Having the bottom screen as the main screen and the top screen as the profile helps you switch information quick. The mechanics move the characters quick and you can always end all the turns just by hitting START - something that happens often to me. I just want to quickly reset. I'm on map 10 now, and it seems like I'm getting better finally, dying less. Until then, I'll be playing that and Henry Hatsworth, Goodshow!

Culdcept - PS2

Putting Culdcept in front of me is like putting crack in front of a crackhead. It's hard to explain the simplicity or the addiction of the game to people that haven't invested some time into it, but I'll try my best to here. It's a game that' s like Magic the Gathering crossed with Monopoly. That's about it! You (Ceptors) have a deck of cards and you try to conquer the board by placing Creatures on the board. Upon passing them you can improve their land levels, and when an opponent lands on them, they have to pay (in the form of Mana). The Ceptor that reaches the Mana goal first gets the win. Not difficult right? Well throw in items, spells, and elements and you actually have a really intriguing game. 

I started playing it maybe three years back and I couldn't stop playing it for like three months straight. I carefully prepared my deck of 50 cards: a deck for water and wind Creatures, a deck for fire and forest creatures, a deck for non-elementals, and an all-out offence deck. I beat the game sixty or seventy hours into it, but then I discovered the Medals and I tried my best to get those too. Medals are awarded for performing special tasks on the board that are milestone-like. It took specific cards or combination of cards to complete the Medal tasks. You just can't forget the art involved in the game, and the recurring sound effects. Just hearing "Giant Bat vs. Giant Rat" makes me laugh. Everything is epic. Every card has a weakness, a strength, and a function: thats what makes the game so good, the odds of losing are always there, so the wins really give you a sense of accomplishment. But most of all, I got my brother into it, and he had made a character also. We'd duke it out and team up together, some of the greatest hours spent in videogaming. 

And now there's the new Culdcept DS (Japan Import) due to be out. Can't wait to see how the new cards are. 

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn - Nintendo Wii

Have you ever played a game that took so long, that life invariably gets in the way? When I first started playing this game for the Wii, I was planning a vacation and my company was going through some of the hottest summer days with work spewing out by the truckload. Now, 3 months later, I have already returned from my vacation, the DOW has lost another 1500 points, and I have found little time to pick up my wii-mote. Fire Emblem takes a long time, so don't go off buying it and expect to complete it in a week to return it to your local game store. 

t's the 5th of the series I believe, and it continues off of the Game Cube instalment, Path of Radiance. The DS version, Shadow Dragon is a remake of the first one, not sequential to Radiant Dawn. What makes it new is that it's the FIRST time I'm playing a Fire Emblem game, and I am liking it. It does make you whimper though, or as some reviewers say, "makes you cry like a little girl". Yes, the maps are difficult. Your guys are not superior to the enemy. Death occurs and there is no revivication. Death is death. It's part of the appeal of the game, the relentless difficulty of it. I've seen the Game Over sign countless times and it really makes me want to buy the guide. 

The game is like a rubix cube and a crossword puzzle; it makes you think, try new things, and build of answers for a complete solution. Well, you'd have to if you want your guys to survive.  You have to fiddle with it. Play through maps again and again until you realize your party's strengths and weaknesses.  You have to attack the maps from different perspectives. Once one segment is solved, other parts of the map is revealed. It's really a patient man's game. Whether it makes you patient or it's meant for patient people is a different story. 

The story is about a small group of rebels that are fighting back against a ruthless empire in the medieval times. Magic, might, and mayhem are all parts of the game. But there's also a big paper-rock-scissors. Lance takes swords, swords take axes, and axes take lances - I guess thats how it always have been in the series? What I find new is the "CARRY" command. I have played Disgaea and Final Fantasy Tactics, but never came across a game that lets you carry a person. I guess there's a a bit of that in Super Robot Wars as you can go back to the main carrier ship, but in this game, you have to use every command to your advantage. 

For now, I'm still learning the ropes as I play this in between Shining Force Neo and God of War.

Here's a video (set of videos) of a guy doing this game on a "speedrun". The blinking makes my eyes hurt, and I didn't watch anymore after the first video to prevent spoiling the game. I read that you can cut out animations only after you beat the game once, what an interesting reward:

Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen - SNES

When I first played this game, it was the only game of it's type in 1997, and well, twelve years later, I still feel like it's the only game of it's type. Ogre Battle is a RPG game that acts more like a strategy game. You control parties instead of individual characters and you send them all out from your base to defeat the enemy parties. Your characters have HP, MP, levels, and character class. Naturally there are special characters that have unique abilities. The "new" concept of the game is that you don't actually control your parties in battle, you have to learn their tendencies and just hope that the outcome goes in your favor. It was truly novelle at the time; I consider it like Final Fantasy 12 of today. It also has a great soundtrack with memorable tunes perfect for battle. The way the game is set up and the rich story of how you're the last bastion of light rebelling a giant empire (cliche nowadays?) made it an awesome game for 1997. 

I spent that summer in the 11th grade playing it for the first time. I got through it begrudgingly at snails pace and missed out a LOT of characters. It was also the first game that had good, evil, and neutral meters that reflected your actions in battle. Using your sense of morality, you can dominate over the weak or using weak characters to overcome adversity; creating a good alignment for your campaign. It had like 13 endings and I played it four times. The fourth time, with the help of a FAQ, I finally got it right, the uber ending.

Why did I bring this back up? Because I read this morning from 1up.com that this game is coming back, yes to the Wii as a Wiiware for like $8.00. Great deal for a game that is limited to 25,000 copies in North America. Ebay was selling this for at least $50.00, thankfully most of these games belonged to RPG lovers in the first place so they were kept in good condition. Ogre Battle, celebrated as an "A+" game, has finally made it's way back to our homes. 

I've included a video I found on youtube that shows how some of the battles go. I say don't go watch the ending videos, it spoils the game... even though it's 12 years old. 

Completion: Collected all characters and received rarest ending.

First Run: 35 hrs

2nd Run: 30 hrs

3rd Run: 60 hrs

4th Run: 80 hrs 

Hours Spent: approx. 205 hrs

Castlevania 1, 2, and 3 - NES

Castlevania is not just a game, but an entire franchise for Konami. Yeah, we tend to think of the Wii title that flopped recently, but it's definitely one of those series that will go on for a long time. The story is simple: Dracula is alive and well; he commands an army of darkness; the Belmont family has a tradition of killing vampires. Yes, we all remember the whips, the crosses, and funny potions. Where else can you battle the Grim Reaper, the Sand Man, Frankenstein, and Medussa in one game? Let's travel back in time for a minute and look back at these classic games. 

The first one was basic. You side-scrolled your way through levels, grabbed hearts, and fought bosses. You had a whip and a little knife to throw, and that was enough to make a classic. I know I beat this game, but I can't even remember what the pitiful ending was. It might have just been a picture of you looking at the castle with words scrolling up... which is usually the case in old NES games. 

The second one was totally different. Coined as, "Simon's Quest", it became more of an RPG mixed with elements from Metroid. You had to complete quests and find runes, all while defeating ghouls and goblins of all types. Bosses lead to more questions and questions lead to more quests. There were events in the day and events in the night. I remember beating this game, but I don't think I liked it too much. 

The third one of the first trilogy involved one of my favorite characters, Alucard (of course that's Dracula spelled backwards). He's on his quest to defeat his own father. Now the gameplay of this one is more like the first one, but for the first time, there were more than one main character. The clock-tower was one of those places that burned into my memory; something about jumping and having medusa heads loom towards you made me hate that level. 

The Belmont family continues!

Completion: Beat the game:

Castlevania - 20 hrs

Castlevania 2 - 40 hrs

Castlevania 3 - 20 hrs 

Hours Spent: approx. 60 hrs.

Check out the Angry Video-game Nerd bashing Castlevania 2:

Swords and Serpents - NES

Ahh yes, another heavily forgotten game for the NES. Another game that I am writing about because it's old and lesser known? Well, just like the Magic of Scheherazade, I owned Swords and Serpents as a kid also. It was an RPG in the first person, and boy was it boring. I think when you're a kid, you had a knack for boring things, or at least I was. 

The game consists of your four characters fighting in a labyrinth to save the world from a certain evil. Sounds like Gauntlet doesn't it? Well, it's not because it's turn-based and the graphics were sub-par. You really don't know if you've hit the monster well because all it does is blink. The map on the screen was interesting, because you basically felt like a rat in a maze. Worse of all is that a lot of the rooms are filled with dead-ends, and yes, they just kind of sucked. You had to figure out where the trick was, because sometimes you can just jump through. 

I couldn't remember what the hell the ending was to this game, but I know I beat it. It was a crazy hot summer, and I wasted too much time on my Nintendo. 

Completion: Beat the game 

Hours Spent: approx. 40 hrs.

Check out these retro videos on you-tube, amazing!

And this TV commercial of the game!