More Rambling About My DS

Added Yet Another Game to my Extensive DS Collection

I caved in; I bought another game recently, but it's not FFIV. Instead I got Apollo Justice, an adventure game that I've been meaning to pick up. I was a little worried that I wouldn't enjoy the game as much as the Phoenix Wright trilogy, but the game has so many mysteries surrounding Phoenix that it's compelling me to play just as much as its predecessors did before it.

Phoenix is also a prominent character in this game, as far as I have played (I'm on the second case). Although he isn't a attorney anymore, the biggest mysteries of the game surrounds him, and he acts as a mentor to the younger Apollo. I also like Phoenix's more relaxed and cryptic personality in this game. For anyone who liked the younger Phoenix, not to worry, Apollo is an almost identical version of a younger Phoenix, while Trucy is a lot like Maya. So the duo is back, just not as you expected!

The actual gameplay has remained pretty much the same, but instead of using Maya's magatama to reveal a character's secrets during the detective section of the game, Apollo comes with his own ability to perceive the nervous habits of witnesses during the court section of the game. As far as I have played, I have only used it once; it is also a pretty interesting addition. The game itself is also a lot longer, the first case, which is a tutorial, took as much time to finish as a regular case (expect without the detective section). The second case also had you playing detective even before you've met your client, while the previous games automatically set the next 'murder' case up.

There was one thing that I was disappointed in, the censorship! The first case involved a certain bottle, which was the murder weapon, and this bottle was clearly, no matter how you looked at it, a wine bottle, but Capcom stubbornly calls it grape juice!! Come on Capcom! AP deals with murder and it already has a T rating, so I doubt calling the bottle a wine bottle would effect the rating of this game *sigh*

Other then the censorship, AP is an enjoyable game so far. I am so very curious as to what happened to Phoenix and the relationships between the different characters. Just call me addicted =)

Still Progressing Through FFTA2

I've made more progress through FFTA2, and my total for completed missions is now up to 150. I also had a run in with Montblanc from FFTA, which resembled very much the way Montblanc met Marche. Sadly, I haven't been given the option of recruiting him yet! But it's nice that the developers included little extras like these for fans who have played the other game(s). I wonder when I will meet up with Montblanc again.....The next story mission also involves Van and Penelo from FFXII (I can tell by the title), so I'm left wondering if I will be able to recruit them after this mission (let's hope so!!).

September & the Rest of 2008 are Busy Months for RPG lovers like Me

So many games, so little time (and money T___T). Although august is a little dry for RPG (and strategy) fanatics like me, september is definitely picking up the slack with the release of Dragon Quest IV, Disgaea DS, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, Black Sigil and Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise. But that doesn't mean the other months will be bare, the rest of 2008 is just as jam packed with the release of A Witch's Tale, Luminous Arc 2, Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood, Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero, Master of the Monster Lair, and Chrono Trigger DS. Now the question is where I'm going to get the money for all these awesome games.....

Edit: Time Hollow, an adventure game, has been moved down from August to September, so that's one more title for September that I have to pick up ^^;;. I also forgot to mention Away: Shuffle Dungeon, an Action RPG, coming out around October-November-ish. And Rune Factory 2, part farming simulation, part action RPG, shipping out sometime in October. There is also Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, but that would be stretching things, since it's more of a platformer with RPG elements, then an RPG. The end of 2008 just got a lot busier!!

~Joanna