Hell is...

(Edit: I originally stated T.S. Eliot as the author of No Exit. Heh, oops. It's Jean-Paul Satre. Sorry Senior Satre!)
Satre's famous line "Hell is other people" from his short, existential play No Exit recently floated out of my subconscious the other day and I spent some time pondering its relevance to me.  Sure, there are days at my place of work (which, sadly, has nothing to do with creativity, games, or much else that is fun) that I can certainly identify with this phrase.  I'm also not exceptionally social, as I greatly enjoy my time alone to write fiction and play my games.  In fact, most days I don't feel the need for social contact (I don't even have a facebook profile) - but not always; I recognize the benefits of being with friends and when a good opportunity arises I'll find myself having a few drinks and laughing with these other humans.  So, as amusing and thought-provoking as Satre was, I wouldn't tattoo "Hell is other people" to my forehead and avoid humans like the devious little devils they can be.  No, to me hell is not other people...

It is this:  I'm in the seemingly alluring Ovei gaming pod:

but once I close the side door I realize the ultra-comfy lounge seat has been replaced with a pole sticking up from the floor, and on the pole is a disturbingly skinny, and nearly cement-hard, bicycle seat.  I grudgingly sit down, knowing that what awaits is complete gaming immersion - crisp audio, beautiful colors from the monitor, and all of this enhanced by the lack of outside stimuli as the pod closes me off from the outside world.  But, wait...

There is no monitor to dazzle the eyes, only a 13-inch black and white television, the kind my grandparents used to have in their family room.  I used to hook up my Sega Genesis to this and attempt to play Sonic and Phantasy Star in tight-lipped denial that I wasn't having a horrible time.  But there is not even the luxury of the Genesis' 16-bit glory in this gaming pod, only an NES, one controller, and a game cartridge with no label.  The air in the pod grows slightly warm and I tug at my collar as I try the door, which I find to be locked tight.  I decide I can handle playing a classic NES game, and I smile as I realize by the light of the static buzzing on the small television that the blank cartridge is Zelda-Gold in color.  I cringe as I sit on the bicycle seat, and find myself deep in the ritual of blowing on the cartridge and turning on and off the NES as I wait for the static to give way to some classic gaming.

Finally, my labor is rewarded by a black screen and... the Sunsoft logo?  My eyes widen in terror as I realize Zelda this is not.  The title screen for Fester's Quest greets me, nay, mocks me in the dim and now stifling hot gaming pod from hell.  I curse at the prospect of playing this horrible game once again.  I once rented it from a small video store down from my home and spent a couple of days trying to mine some amount of fun from its deviously futile gameplay.  I found no fun; and, in fact found my mood extremely dreary after having played it so much.  And now it stares me in the face, after all those years of trying to forget its horrible effect on me.  I attempt to throw down the controller and find it impossible, my hands having fused with the flat grey plastic. I weep and look around for something awesome in this dismal pod.  I find nothing awesome.  I weep some more, the bicycle seat becoming uncomfortably familiar with my backside.

Then, from all around me comes the sound of rock and roll!  My mouth gapes in hope that I might hear Black Sabbath, or Motorhead, or, for god's sake, anything but the Fester's Quest theme song!  It is none of these, it is Ted Nugent's awful, awful, awful "song" Wango Tango.  Wherever the unholy speakers are in this pod, they are all at full blast and I begin to feel my head pound like a Jack Daniels hangover.  My hands begin shaking as the song comes to an end, and to my horror begins to repeat ad nauseum.  Nausea.  I feel the need to vomit but can't quite make it happen.  Wango Fester.  Tango Quest.  Head pounds.  I begin to play Fester's Quest, and start chewing my bottom lip in hopes that I bleed to death before my ears cave in.  Hell is not other people... it is the worst parts of the things you love dearest coming to a head.  Wango.

My hopes for Skyrim DLC

DLC... an acronym that at once excites and annoys.  I can't say I'm against the concept, I only wish more developers would release worthwhile extensions to their games.  The PC crowd used to call these extra morsels "expansions".  The word alone promised a hefty handful of extra content that was well worth the trip to the store; and I think it also helped keep developers from spooning out content like rations (good luck releasing horse armor under the "expansion" monicker).  Fastforward to the future and the word expansion is all but forgotten - even in the PC arena.  Modern day console owners are finally tasting what PC gamers were ten or so years ago in the form of extra content for their favorite games.  Unfortunately, the shift from "expansion" to "DLC" has allowed developers to release extra content that can be underwhelming (extra weapons or even weapon skins for a buck or more) - this isn't across the board, but it's a common occurence.  Thankfully, certain developers go out of their way to produce something more akin to the now defunct term "expansion" - Rockstar and Bethesda to name a couple.  I could go on and on discussing the pros and cons of DLC, but I'd like to focus on one particular game: Skyrim!

What follows is basically just me dreaming, and expecting way more than is perhaps reasonable from Bethesda.

Recently, one PC gamer found the lands of Morrowind and Cyrodiil fully mapped out beyond the reaches of Skyrim.  They are not quite to scale when compared to their original counterparts, but the geography is certainly there.  Using no-clip, he managed to traverse a path not meant for the average gamer and came across views of not only the Red Mountain in Morrowind, but even (far, far in the distance) something that could only be the White Gold Tower in Cyrodiil.  The reality of this find is likely not as exciting as I would like it to be, though I can dream - and so I will...

Here's my (very unlikely) theory:  Apparently Todd Howard wanted Skyrim to recapture the feeling of excitement and discovery that Morrowind was brimming with, which I thought was lacking in Oblivion.  Bethesda certainly succeeded in this, in fact they completely out-did themselves on every level.  What if this enthusiasm carried over to the DLC?  I think it's possible, as Howard himself has said that the amount of Skyrim's DLC would be less than previous games, but also "more substanstial", as he told Wired.com.  Certainly sounds more like...what was that word again?  Oh yes!  Sounds an awful lot like "expansions" to me, from that forgotten era when extra content meant more than just a new multiplayer skin for other people to raise an eyebrow at before blowing its head off.

Imagine, if you will, revisiting the lands of Morrowind and Cyrodiil with Skyrim's shiny, new engine.  It would be interesting to see how the landscapes and people of these areas have changed over the past few hundred years - especially after the volcanic eruption in Morrowind.  I say send us back, Bethesda, and give us an expansion that bests even the excellent Shivering Isles from Oblivion.  Give us a game that we can play for the next few years, always knowing that each time we fire up our console or PC something new is waiting for us.  As far as content is concerned, Skyrim is at least double that of Oblivion's; so if the drive to create a base game so large as Skyrim is there, then it seems logical that any expansions are going to be equally ambitious if even on a smaller scale.  We may not get the entirety of Morrowind or Cyrodiil to explore, but even a small chunk of each area could be filled with a good hundred or so hours of gameplay.  On a side note, considering the possible size of said DLC, it seems likely that the geography of these two lands were included to reduce the size of the files upon release, thus making for a quicker download and a happier customer.  I can't say it enough: the inclusion of these lands is intriguing and makes the nerd in me daydream about the possibilities at every opportunity. 

So I say yes, Mr. Howard, by all means have your talented team tack on another few hundred hours of gameplay. And take your time too, because Talos knows this milk-drinker has awhile to go before he's bored of Skyrim.

Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is Dreamy

Sequels are both a horrible bane and a great blessing in the world of video games. They can vault new and classic franchises to heights of greatness, or they end up in the doldrums, sharing premature bargain bin space with your Devil May Cry 2's and Lost Planet 2's. And then sometimes the developer strikes a chord with its audience, and can release multiple sequels of more-of-the-same; which works for your Call of Duty's, because it's still fun, familiar, and safe. The best kind of sequel, obviously, would be the kind that manages to improve on a familiar, even classic formula. This kind of sequel still retains the cozy, security blanket familiarity of the original; but improves upon nearly every aspect to the point that the end product feels new and exciting. For the most part, Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams achieves this precarious balance. I was instantly familiar with the gameplay, but also surprised to find a much deeper experience than the previous entries. Despite the game's many successes, though, I still found a few supremely pesky flaws in the design.

Before digging in to the actual gameplay, though, let's talk a little about story first - this is an rpg after all (well, kind of). If you've played any of the previous Onimusha games, you're familiar with the bug-like genma, their offering of false power to various greedy humans (read: future boss fights), and their obsession with taking over the world. There isn't much here in terms of depth; however, the handful of party members you acquire throughout the game help hide the lack of substance in the main plot-line. There is Akane, a nimble female ninja; Ohatsu, a gun-toting warrior; Roberto, who punches the crap out of things and could easily cross right over into a game like Street Fighter; Tenkai, a white-haired yet youthful man who fights with pole arms; and let's not forget the main character, Soki, a deadly sword-wielder. Their interactions are always amusing, even funny at times, and their relationships with each other run the gamut between hate and love. Sure, eventually they learn to appreciate each other; but the long road to the end credits sometimes felt like a soap opera, which I actually enjoyed.

As the game progressed, I found myself exploring many types of environments, each with its share of simple but often fun puzzles forcing me to use the character-specific abilites (Akane can sqeeze through tight spaces, Tenkai is able to speak with the dead to obtain useful info and keys, etc).  The game also threw an admirable assortment of enemy types at me, which helped keep the action fairly fresh - a must for this twenty-five hour playthrough.

Let's be honest though, the real draw of the Onimusha series is its combat. The first two games may have served well for their time; but tank-style controls and swordplay just can't stand the test of time. With Onimusha 3, and now Dawn of Dreams, Capcom thankfully injected new life into the series by adding full 3D environments and camera control. I popped in Onimusha 2 shortly after completing DoD and frankly - it was painful, and really made me appreciate the added control of the two latter games. Gameplay is nice and responsive, and each character is fun to play. There are also scads of weapons and items to collect, as well as abilities to upgrade, that will certainly take more than one playthrough for the average gamer to obtain them all. That said, replay value is through the roof here for the Onimusha enthusiast.

Despite pretty much falling in love with this game, I found myself cursing certain elements more than I would have liked. First of all, this game is absolutely brutal. Don't get me wrong, I love difficult games, even crave them from time to time; but for all the love put into DoD's combat it seemed I was outmatched in many cases without any other option but that of flailing wildly or blocking. There would be a handful of small to large enemies in front of me, some behind, and then some other enemies shooting at me from a distance. In fact, most of the latter part of the game seemed like one long gauntlet and I found myself scrambling through some areas just to avoid fighting the mobs. Maybe I sort of suck at this game, but I also didn't get the sense that I could effectively dispatch every enemy in every area without consuming all my health items.

Another failing of this game - one that I am sure was not due to any lacking of ability on my part - was the annoying camera. Okay, I just praised the rotational camera earlier; but it is far from perfect. More times than I could count I found myself flailing at enemies just beyond camera range. One particular boss fight I actually spent the majority of slashing at the edge of the screen, the boss just out of camera shot. During those many heated battles with the games many mobs I also found the camera shifting to look down at my character's head, again leaving me flailing wildly at the edge of the screen until I could turn the camera or run away. The 3D camera of DoD is a far cry better than the static environments of Ye Older Onimushas; but it is far from perfect.

After effectively praising and then, perhaps, lambasting this great game let me end on a good note: the boss battles. Are you a fan of boss battles? I sure am, and this game dishes them out like beads at Mardi Gras. They are frickin' everywhere, and most are just plain awesome. In fact, the last chapter of the game is a series of boss battles totaling (if I remember right) eight tough fights in a row. Be sure to brush up on each character's moves before tackling the final chapter, you'll be glad you did.

Improved graphics, improved/broken fully rotational camera, memorable characters, satisfying combat mechanics, and an almost criminally hard difficulty make this one satisfying playthrough if you don't mind those pesky PS2-era jaggies. Even after playing the likes of Bayonetta and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, this aging game holds up very well and may deserve another spin in my Playstation sometime soon.

Xenosaga II: A Rant

So why am I choosing to blog about a game that released to bad to moderate reviews, and was overall a great disappointment when compared to its predecessor? I have no good reason other than I sat through the entire game and feel the need to vent a little and offer up some warnings to those classic minded rpg-ers wanting to take these games for a spin. I'm not offering up a complete review of the game as I don't feel the need; but if you're planning on getting into the series (quite a bit late, anyway) there are a couple things you should know.

First, the good:  Yes, the story is still compelling, complicated, confusing, and so well-written and unique that it's worth slogging through the second entry. Also, Episode II sports 5.1 surround sound and some pretty amazing cutscenes that hold up well to this day. The level design is so-so and...oh, starting to feel like a total review. Let's skip ahead to...

The bad: While I continued playing solely because I'm fond of the story and knew that I would have the good Episode III waiting for me at the end, it was still a very painful experience. Sure, I'm upset they changed KOS-MOS's voice actress; but the combat system was the real let-down of the game. A scenario if you will: Battle begins. There are three enemies of moderate power to take down - but surely nothing that KOS-MOS, Jr. and Ziggy couldn't handle, right? Oh, wait a minute. You mean in order to stand a chance against said "moderate" enemies I have to "Stock"? In layman's terms this means I choose a menu option (the "Stock" option) which adds one bar under my characters' hit points. And each character has a total of three bars to fill up for a grand total of nine bars? Wait, so each character gets to attack an extra time for each bar; but, isn't that nine total turns spent not attacking? And, wait a minute again. I'm getting attacked over and over by this gnosis that managed to boost (basically cutting into the attack line) and now half of KOS-MOS's life is gone. So now I have to spend a turn or two healing her and anyone else, all while stocking? Yes, yes, yes it's all true and is more laborious than carrying a three-hundred pound man up a "down" escalator. Sure you might make it to the end, but you'll be tired, annoyed, and left hating the heavy man. Okay, Monolith Soft, I appreciate that you tried to add depth and complexity to the battle system; but you forgot to add the "fun", which is kind of a key component of any video game. Sarcasm aside, though, I'm a little ways into Episode III and am relieved to see the battle system has more in common with the great Episode I.

Should you consider playing this classic trilogy? If you want one of the most unique JRPG experiences around then hell yes, you should. Just be warned that the second episode is trying at best; but is a merciful twenty-five hours long if you don't go after all the optional bosses, which you won't want to. Between all of the crappy combat, however, are some of the best cutscenes in JRPG history and shouldn't be missed, especially if you're planning on sticking around for Episode III. For me, it was worth it. Barely.

Will Still Make You Pee Your Pants - Retro Review of Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly

By the time Fatal Frame II released survival-horror conventions were well established: creepy settings, numerous locked doors, funny-shaped keys to unlock said doors, convoluted narratives, and lots of backtracking. Tecmo’s foray into this genre clutches to these very conventions like a frightened child to her mommy, while at the same time throwing the finger to anyone brave enough to criticize her for it. While the format is familiar to the seasoned horror gamer, it is undeniable that this ends up being one of the classics of the genre, and is still creepy eight years after its release.

Players are introduced to the game via a short cut-scene in which twin sisters Mio and Mayu are running headlong through a forest. Mayu begins to lag behind slightly, and eventually falls down a slope, leaving Mio scared and alone, wondering what to do. This is where things take on the familiar “wait…what’s going on?” vibe as the two girls are instantly back together, and approaching a tiny, uninhabited village. As exploration ensues the player is filled in on what happened at the village (surprise! there was a ritual!) through scattered diaries, notes, old-school film reels, and the interesting Spirit Stones which provide minimal (albeit creepy) voice recordings when used in the aptly named Spirit Stone Radio. Pieces of the narrative fall together fairly nicely, provided you read everything you pick up. The only problem is that occasionally a note or diary entry is picked up out of order, making it seem like you're trying to read the script to Pulp Fiction. It can make for a confusing read, though this added confusion does serve to emulate what Mio and Mayu must be experiencing.

And what they are experiencing is downright scary! Sure, this game is roughly eight years old, and the character models have the whole "jaggy" effect that was commonplace with consoles of last generation; but in a dark room, alone, and with some decent surround sound this game still gave me both sudden scares, as well as that all-important feeling of despair that all decent horror games exude. The small village, both inside the many houses and out, is nicely detailed and complemented with the occasional ghost appearance. You definitely have to dispatch some of these ghosts, but there are many that are simply scattered about, continuing the activities of their past lives. I never knew when one might appear right in front of me, or to the side of the screen; and the simple fact that I knew of the inevitability of these encounters caused me to see things that were never even there. It's brilliant that a game can be so unnerving that it doesn't even have to scare you intentionally.

And speaking of intentional scares - the combat is also quite good at making you squirm in your seat, at least until you get a grip on the controls, upgrade your camera via easy to find Spirit Stones, and learn the movements of your spectral foes. This was my first encounter with the Camera Obscura, and once I realized that I would be forced to stand (almost) still as the game's ghouls meandered towards me I thought to myself, "That is freaking awesome!". In other standards of the genre (Resident Evil, Silent Hill...) you always received a gun or something sharp or blunt to rage at your attackers; but this game required me to stand helpless with a camera as I awaited my doom - but, not so much, as I eventually learned. There are only a handful of enemy types, and once I learned their hotspots for attacking and had to kill them over and over, the scare factor dropped immensely and made me anxious for the end of each battle so I could move on to the next creepy room. Also detracting from the overall scariness was the fact that I regularly had ten to twenty healing items in my inventory at all times. Fear of death was never an issue (despite the usual stupid mistake), and this was a shame. Also of note are the numerous instances of backtracking through the same few houses, as well as the frustrating camera work in which angles would shift so suddenly that losing my orientation was a common experience. These last two are traits common to the genre, but they are so prevalent here that I feel they are worth mentioning.

On the upside, Fatal Frame II has a nice, minimalist soundtrack that suites the dreary setting, and sound effects that will make your skin crawl. A highlight for me was when Mayu would chime in with her eerily detached, small voice with something like: "It's cold in here," or "I think somebody's here,". This was but one of many small touches the developers threw in to constantly keep players on the edges of their seats.


Despite its eventually stale combat system and other, small issues, I have to agree with the sentiment I've heard over and over about this game - it is one of the best entries in the survival horror genre, and must be played by anyone with a love for a good scare. I may have played it eight years late, but I think the game still looks good, sounds good, and feels...well, creepy as hell. Obtain a copy of this increasingly hard-to-find game any way you can. You will not be sorry.

There Will Be Money: An Argument For the Longevity of Video Games

Is it too bold a statement to say that video games will always hold a place in our society? How about that there will always be quality titles available? Or even artistically valid and thought-provoking titles? I think it’s reasonable to expect this sort of future – and here’s why.

The movie industry is pretty big, right? I would say so, considering that movie stars are pretty much the closest thing to royalty America has. The industry has been hit by financial woes in various ways over the years; but let’s face it, it still rakes in a mind-boggling amount of money because people (me, you, and probably everyone we know) love to watch movies. They are the main topic of conversation among many people I know. They make us happy, make us cry, make us this and that and nearly everyone loves it. Movies reach and affect so many people due to one very important thing: variety. No matter what someone's interest is, there are movies to coincide with it. There is a market for any interest; and there is always money to be made which guarantees more and more options.

Video games are not quite as mainstream as movies are; but they are steadily getting there. No longer is the average gamer left to sit alone and become socially inadequate in his mom's basement. Now we see throngs of people of all ages waiting in line to pick up the newest Call of Duty, and yet other folks connect through games on Facebook. I have heard countless discussions at work between grown women about certain Wii games that I never expected to hear. Slowly but surely the medium of the video game is permeating our society, creating new markets for developers as interest grows among the populace. The unfortunate stigma of the gamer as weird, nerdy and awkward is dissipating; and in its wake dollar signs are twinkling in the eyes of developers and publishers all over the world. I don't want to suggest that game makers are greedy (not all of them anyway), but let's face facts - opportunities for profit are continually opening up and it's only natural someone will be there with a product to sell.

Here we run into what I think is a large misconception among some people. Let us consider the music industry now - I have heard time and time again that no one is making good music these days. It is a common lament and frankly an unfounded one. It's true that popular opinion changes, creating a flood of mimics as everyone tries to cash in on "what's cool"; but if any self-respecting music fan digs past the mainstream onslaught they will find something that suits them. And for me, sometimes finding that diamond in the rough makes the discovery that much better. To an extent, the same can be said of video games. Notice I say "to an extent" - this goes back to my statement that video games aren't quite as mainstream as they will be. Currently, to dig past the Call of Duty's and Facebook games (not that these are all bad, mind you) and find something suitable to the discriminating gamers' tastes, some concessions may have to be made. Call of Duty not "deep" enough for you? Then try the third-person Mass Effect 2; there's plenty of action as well as top-notch story telling. Whimpering that there are no good horror games anymore? Well, you may have to pony up for a decent PC so you can try Frictional Games' amazing Amnesia. It's certainly not ideal, but there are options even now if you look hard enough and have the means to play what you find.

I say give it time. Today the average movie lover can enjoy mindless action, tear-inducing love stories, and deep and thought-provoking films that some may even call art. And as the popularity of video games increases so will the number and variety of games increase. Some gamers want the instant thrills that online multiplayer games provide, while yet others want that deep and time consuming experience that is the RPG. There are markets for all types of video games, and through the years we will see these markets grow and shift - yet they will be there and so will future developers and publishers. There will be demand, there will be money to be made, and there will be plenty of options for us gamers in the future.

*On a side note - this is all assuming there is no global economic meltdown; and in light of recent events let's hope things improve.  ; )

Well That Was Nice - A Magna Carta 2 Review

After the veritable RPG factory that was the PS2 it is strange to be talking about such a game on the Xbox 360; but this is the future, and things ain't what they used to be. What sets a game like Magna Carta 2 apart from the current trend in RPG's - that is, the western RPG - is that it is undoubtedly old school in its formula. For all intents and purposes it is, dare I say it, a JRPG, despite its South Korean development house. This game employs the same tried and true formula we've seen over the years from titles such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Legend of Dragoon and many, many others. That said, if you have played a JRPG before then you will feel right at home with Magna Carta 2.

The story begins with the young and hapless Juto, who is coping with a textbook case of amnesia with the help of the sisterly Melissa on the scenic Highwind Island. After some perfunctory introductions to their characters, a tutorial on how the fighting system will work, and other hijinks between Juto and Melissa, a sudden invasion of this once peaceful island begins. Here we are introduced to the the two warring factions in the game - the Northern Forces and the Southern Forces. Without giving too much away in terms of plot, it would seem that the Northern Forces are creating powerful warriors called Sentinels which require something called a Kamond, a physical manifestation of the game world's version of magic, and have suspicions that Highwind Island houses such a thing. This is where the Southern Forces (the good guys) step in, with princess and soon-to-be close friend to our hero Juto, in tow. Before we know it Juto is swept up in an epic story of power, greed, love, and intrigue. I will admit that, although the plot is very familiar, it tells an interesting story and takes a couple unexpected turns that guaranteed I would stick around for the ending.

Combat can also be a high point in the game, though it is carrying its own bevy of flaws. The player's party consists of three members that can be switched on the fly with any of the three reserve members. Once a party of three is chosen, the player is then able to fight as any one of the members at the touch of a button; which can be fun as well as annoying. Take this scenario for instance: I hit the A button a number of times to pull off a combo move with Juto as his "Overdrive Meter" fills up. Once the meter is in the red I can then hit X to pull off a special move, and once this is done Juto cannot move for a number of seconds. So I now switch to Zephie and use her until her meter is in the red, meanwhile Juto's meter is seen going back to normal below Zephie's. If I can successfully pull off a combo and/or use a special attack, putting her into overdrive as Juto's meter refreshes, then her meter will refresh instantly and she is free to attack once again - this is what the game calls a "Chain Attack". Sound confusing? It can be, and I didn't fully grasp this concept until about twenty hours into the game. Perhaps I wasn't paying proper attention, but even after I understood what to do, actually pulling off these combos effectively was not always possible. There were times I would have all three characters in overdrive, walking around dumbly waiting to attack while getting smacked by various large implements of war. My teammates' pathfinding AI was also a big problem at times, as I would finish off a combo with one character, and switch to another to find them twenty yards away running into a rock. Not only was my party unnecessarily split up, but now my party member actually in battle is left to drool on himself while I guide everyone over to save his skin. Granted this doesn't happen a lot, and when things are working as they should combat is actually great fun, but there were more than a handful of occasions I found myself shaking my head in amazement.

There are also certain graphical flaws, which may just be inherent to its use of the Unreal engine. Texture pop-in is commonplace, but when everything is painted in properly things look very nice. There is also a nifty, dreamy blur in the distance, which likely also serves to boost the framerate in certain cases due to the large playing fields scattered between the many narrow trails. Thankfully, the world is fairly fun to explore, as treasure chests are a common find and the scenery varies from lush, green forests to barren, lava-scarred terrain. The music, however, left little impression on me and more often than not was forgotten behind the sounds of battle.

I have my gripes with Magna Carta 2, but in the end none of them detracted too much from my overall enjoyment. The story begins as a rehash of familiar conventions, but ends up being quite a gripping tale that brought forth unexpected feelings of ambivalence in me. The combat, when it works, is rewarding and addicting, drawing you back into the field for just one more level before calling it a day. And the attractive fantasy world of Lanzheim, while at times seemingly empty except for enemies, is a satisfying romp. I have been neglecting this thinning genre of RPG lately, and playing Magna Carta 2 was like trying on an old pair of "footie" pajamas and realizing they still fit comfortably. I can't say I desire another immediate playthrough of it, but I would definitely purchase another entry in the series. Here's to hoping that the next Magna Carta is a more-polished gem of JRPG goodness.

At Long Last...

Ahhhhh.... that's better.

See that scanned photo above? I finally found a copy of one of my most sought-after horror titles: Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly! I remember reading reviews of this after its release and for some unknown reason never plunked down the cash to play it. Before I gush more let me get this out of the way - I am a horror game junkie. I don't know if I would say it's my favorite genre, as I like to play the "fair dad" and say I love them all equally, but there is something primal and satisfying about feeling absolutely alone and scared to death. It takes a special talent for game design to achieve the atmosphere needed to draw you in and creep you out without knowing it right away, and in this respect I think few compare to Amnesia and the Silent Hill games (except Homecoming, which can die in a fire as far as I'm concerned), but something tells me that I'm going to dig the hell out of Fatal Frame II for this very reason. Just a hunch.

I could have easily found this sooner by purchasing it online, or perhaps having my local GameStop ship it from another store. So why didn't I? Good question, and I suppose it's due to the same reason I didn't buy it upon its two separate releases (both PS2 and Xbox). What that reason is is a complete mystery to me. Perhaps my subconscious has been swaying my hand when selecting which game to buy, knowing through some ethereal grapevine that something horrible would happen should I let my PlayStation consume this disc. Or maybe I just should have bought this instead of Condemned 2. Either way I plan on tempting fate as soon as I finish with my first playthrough of Mass Effect 2 (I know, talk about late to the party), which should be fairly soon. Hmmm...I feel a retro horror review coming on...

A Letter to the JRPG: I'm Sorry

I was recently playing Beyond Good & Evil HD, when during an action-packed chase sequence my screen went black and my 360 controller began vibrating nonstop. I sat dumbly for a minute, refusing to believe the last hour I had played just vaporized before my very eyes; when finally I vaulted off the couch, cursing the bad luck and manually turned off my Xbox. I then remembered I had Magna Carta 2 in the disc drive and thought I'd give that a whirl in favor of replaying the last hour of my life. Okay, so BG&E is a classic, a must play, a creative gift from Michel Ancel that helped keep him relevant after Rayman's magic had begun to fade; but I was in the mood for immediate gratification, and the thought of losing another hour to a random game crash was obviously unappealing.

So Magna Carta 2 it was; and now we come closer to the point of this posting.

I never had chance to play the first Magna Carta, though I always kept it on my radar in case funds allowed. Alas, other games caught my fancy at the time and I never worked it in to my gaming budget. Time passed, and the JRPG began to fade from American shelves in favor of games such as Knights of the Old Republic, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and a handful of others. Without realizing it, what I had come to expect from an RPG had begun to change. I wanted to roam free in large worlds, take part in branching dialogue trees that determined if I was good or evil (or just meh, as the case was sometimes), and I wanted to own my character in a way that had never been done before - i.e., customized armor and weapons with immediate cosmetic effects, and unique facial features courtesy of a nearly limitless character generator. I also began to turn my nose up at what used to be my old favorites. When I poured over my old game collection, which happens on a regular basis, I would find myself looking at the cover of games like Final Fantasy VII and thinking to myself how limiting those games were, and how I much preferred open-world exploration and taking part in side-quests that were actually entertaining. In short, JRPG's could keep their linear progression - all I wanted was open countryside. I never forgot about my desire to play the first Magna Carta, I just stopped caring about it.

And then, one day while I was perusing the local Walmart's bargain bins for games I had missed out on, I came across Magna Carta 2. For a moment I was transported back to 2005, and despite my recent opinions on the JRPG genre, I felt compelled to give this game a go for old time's sake. Sure, it wasn't the one I had been eyeballing back in 2005, and it wasn't the first American entry in the series, but it received tolerable reviews and it was only twenty bucks. I left Crackdown 2 sitting on that shelf at Walmart and went home with my old girlfriend, the JRPG.

For some of you schooled game enthusiasts out there who are crying foul right now, let us clear something up before I continue: the Magna Carta series is a South Korean-developed franchise, and is technically not a Japanese Role-Playing Game. I realize this. It does, however, emulate the essence of the genre to an extent that it is indistinguishable from a true JRPG. If someone had told me that Softmax was a Japanese developing house after I had played this game I would have been completely convinced by it. Now moving on...

I began Magna Carta 2 with limited expectations, knowing full well what I was getting into. Sure enough, after finding out my main character had amnesia and was about to be swept up into a world-saving epic story that involved buddying up with a princess I had to stifle some groans before I trudged ahead. Now, roughly twenty-five hours into the game, I would like to retract any negative thoughts I had on the genre and admit that, okay, I still like my good old JRPG's. Let's admit it, gamers are a fickle bunch, and when it comes to new and amazing technology I'm as guilty as the rest. Sure, Oblivion is much more immersive than Final Fantasy VII in terms of its environment; but these are also vastly different games and vastly different experiences, which is something I failed to take into account until recently. You might be saying, "But they're both role-playing games! It's still the same genre!" Fair enough, sir or madame, but I disagree. Gears of War is certainly not Call of Duty despite the heavy focus on guns and shooting things with those guns. They do share many similarities, but they also feel vastly different than each other, and I think that is something only a true gamer can recognize. It's similar to a wine enthusiast saying this brand is nothing like another brand - the average person may think they are identical in color and taste, but the wine enthusiast knows better and sips smugly knowing that he/she knows better, that he/she has discovered something few people can appreciate.

And so I plan on smugly playing Magna Carta 2, and eventually I hope to pick up Lost Odyssey and Eternal Sonata as well. I also own but never finished the Xenosaga games, which is a shame, and easily fixable considering I can get through the admittedly disappointing second entry. So what's the draw to this genre then? For me it is the sense of immediacy they mostly share. The western RPG has a definite story to tell, but it also lets you roam and if your attention span is tenuous allows you to meander down a path far away from the main quest line, so much so that it can be easy to forget why the hell your character made it to where they were in the first place. This is something I love about western RPG's; but this lack of immediacy can also be considered a fault in terms of storytelling, which is where the JRPG steps in. The JRPG is, in most cases, completely in love with its own story and guides you through it unapologetically. Many critics bash this genre on its linearity, which is actually a characteristic I now appreciate after spending many hours wandering aimlessly in the wastelands in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. Playing a JRPG is akin to reading a novel, sure it's a novel that's been written many times before, but if you let yourself forget tired conventions (ahem, amnesia) and just try to enjoy the ride for what it is you may find something other gamers cannot see for themselves; or, in my case, you may find something that you have forgotten to appreciate. JRPG - I'm sorry.

Birth of a Blogpost

Here it is!  Bursting out of the belly of Blogger (without the gore, sorry all) is my first post on my first blog!  I know, good for me, right?  I have no clear direction for this posting other than to pretend someone might read this and care.  So for my one or two viewers I would like to say:

Thanks for visiting my black-hole of a blog.  Don't panic, if you feel yourself getting sucked in and don't like the sensation just quickly hit the "back" button at the top left of the browser and all should be well (if the tingling sensation continues you may need to seek medical attention).  On to business then...

Here at The Game Rambler I plan to ramble about all things video game and hope that someone finds it amusing and/or informative enough to keep coming back.  Problem is... I have no content right now because I wasn't planning on doing this tonight - yeah, the back button is at the upper left, I see you eyeballing it.  So check back sometime if you are so inclined and I should have a juicy morsel of new text waiting to amaze you, as well as some nifty graphics to dazzle the eye.

asleep at the wheel...