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