Atlus Spoils: Luminous Arc 2 Pre-order Goodies!

I've been meaning to get around to taking a picture of the nice bundle I got with Luminous Arc 2. Sorry about the horrible lighting ^^;;

The CD actually comes with all purchases of LA2, but the art book was a pre-order bonus. I was so happy to actually get it since I live in Canada, and we Canadians usually get "shafted" when it comes to pre-order bonuses. =(

As you can tell by the art book cover, the second game has as much fan service as the first. In this game Fatima, the shadow frost witch, is the new Vanessa. But surprisingly, most of the pictures aren't fan service oriented at all, most are beautiful full color character collages. The majority of the book is filled with character profiles, which as far as I can tell don't contain any spoilers. =)
Also, this art book has art and profiles from both games! ^______________^

The CD has eight tracks, and some really nice ones too. Actually both Luminous Arc games have beautiful musical scores!

I'm currently progressing through the game, and the story is less typical so far, than in the first game; there was plot twist that I actually didn't see coming! The voice acting is also very well done; I'm satisfied with all the castings this time. And true to the developer's word, LA2 is more difficult then the first game. It isn't hard, but it isn't easy either, and you're going to have to be more careful this time around. Also, I am very happy to report that not only are the battles more balanced, but so are physical and magic attacks. In the first game, half way through, magic became obsolete. So far, magic attacks do a good amount of damage, and your going to be using the witches as casters majority of the time. In the first game, I never made most of the witches casts spells unless the enemy was too far to reach, because they did more damage physically attacking than when casting a spell!

~Joanna

Game Review: Luminous Arc

Basic Information:

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Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: SRPG
Difficulty: Easy-to-Fair
Developer: Image Epoch
Publisher: Atlus U.S.A
Release Date: August 2007
Rating: T for teen
Retail Price: $ 29.99 US ($ 34.99 CAN)

What it's About:

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Something sinister has began to stir; monstrous fiends plague the countryside and witches, the harbingers of destruction, have began to appear. The Luminous Church has called on a special group of youths called the Garden Children to help aid in the fight against the fiends. But the group runs into a strange girl by the name of Lucia, who appears to be a witch herself, but unlike the tales, she isn't interested in harming humans. Meanwhile another witch has been spotted terrorizing a village. Something isn't quite right, and the Garden Children are determined to go after the witches to figure out just what is mere tale and what is truth.


Gameplay:

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If you have ever played a SRPG (Strategy RPG), then you will know how the gameplay in Luminous Arc works. There is nothing in Luminous that has not been seen in another SRPG; this may be either something you welcome or something you disdain. For me, it was a much welcomed return to the solid foundations of all SRPGs. That's not to say I don't like experimental SRPGs, but only that I welcome returns to the basic formula as well as diversions from it. For those of you unfamiliar with SRPGs, Luminous Arc gives you a handful a characters that become your units. The overworld map is broken down into locations that contain either random battles or story battles. Random battles happen randomly when you passover the location, but story battles only happen when you are at the location of the next story battle and you click on the menu option to progress the story. You will then read a bit of dialogue between the characters (much like in a interactive novel) which sets up the next story related fight. Luminous arc is notorious all over the internet for it's lengthy dialogue, but I for one, quite enjoy the dialogued scenes, some of which have partial voice overs. After the back story for the battle is set up, you will be allowed to choose the units (characters) you wish to bring with you for the battle; sometimes due to story circumstances, you will be forced to bring certain units along. I believe the maximum amount of units you can bring with you is 6. After you have chosen, you will move each units on a grid-like battlefield. To attack, most units will have to be next to an enemy unit; however long range weapons and magic spells or skills will allows you to attack from a distance. Each character's statistics (both your units and the enemy's) will determine how much damage a certain enemy receives, and your unit will receive experience for attacking and using support spells. The amount of experience is determined by your level compared to the enemy's, and whether or not it is a finishing blow. When your unit gains enough experience, it will level up like in an RPG, becoming stronger and sometimes learning a new skill or spell.

Once you complete a battle (either story or random) you will get the option to speak with one of the characters you used in battle. You cannot talk to Alph, the main character, as he will be the one who interacts with the other characters. Basically you play as Alph, and the story takes place in his perspective. Also note that the option to speak with the other characters only becomes available after a few story battles; thus you won't be able to talk with your units right away. When Alph speaks with the other characters, they will provide some interesting information about themselves and often ask Alph a question. You will be given three responses, and depending upon the response, you may increase that character's affection for you. You can usually tell if you replied right or not by the characters response to Alph. Increasing affection improves Alph's and the other character's stats when the two are next to each other on the battlefield. Also most female characters will give Alph hints that they are attracted to him when their affection for him grows in later dialogues. As far as I know, these dialogues do not change the ending of the game, making Alph and a certain female character the cannon pairing. Also, unlike Fire Emblem, only Alph and the chosen character can interact, other characters cannot.


Story & Characters

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Luminous has a colorful cast of characters and Atlus has done a beautiful job localizing all the text. However, don't expect deep and evolving characters, most characters don't evolve beyond the stereotypical role they are placed in, but that's not to say it's a bad thing. Image Epoch and Atlus both knew these characters were highly stereotypical, so rather then going the serious route, Atlus reinforced the stereotypes in silly and overall enjoyable ways. The worst thing a gaming company can do is try to make stereotypical characters serious. That's not to say it cannot be done, just that video games tend to be the least successful medium when it comes to making stereotypes provocative and deeper then at first they seem. Taking the silly and funny route with characters makes them much more enjoyable than they normally would be.

The story also is very typical and I knew what was coming even before the game started. But again, do not misunderstand, just because a story is obvious and a little overdone, does not mean it is bad. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, even through I knew what was going to happen. The characters really made the story more endearing because they were so off-the-wall. And some of the hidden bonus missions were treats as well; they give you a deeper look into some of the characters without the game taking itself too seriously. In particular the Vivi bonus mission was interesting, even if it left most of what it introduced into the story undeveloped.


Art & Graphics

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This is where Luminous Arc really shines. The backdrops used during dialogue periods are lovely and quite varied. The character models and mini portraits are just as lovely, and quite detailed as well. If your a fan of the art style found in most manga and anime, then you will throughly appreciate the character portraits in Luminous. There was clearly a lot of effort put forward in the art department and the game shows it. Character models are not only detailed, but come in a number a variations depicting different emotions, which only add to the overall quality of the dialogue parts. The number of emotions each character displays is astonishing, so much so that these character models seem made for a interactive novel game, not a SRPG. If you like adventure games and dialogued sequences, then you will throughly be pampered by Luminous; it has voice overs, beautiful character models depicting a varying range of emotions, and lovely backdrops to accent it all.

The graphics aren't as pampered as the character portraits and models, but they are quite lovely as well. Each of the character units is beautifully detailed, you will know who is who without a second glance. Battlefields as well are quite detailed and varied; some are better looking then others, but all are well done. Skill and spell effects are not as beautiful, but they get the work done. Luminous is one of the graphically better SRPGs available on the DS at the moment, and although it's not as refined as say FFTA2, it is still among the better graphically faring SRPGs.

As for the box art, it's too busy. There are too many elements, and the end effect isn't as nice. It's decent, but it could have been better if Atlus redesigned it and decreased the amount of characters on the front.


Music & Sound

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Luminous Arc also features really nice music; some tracks are better then others, but overall, it has some really nice music. In-battle music is energizing and makes you want to kick some monster butt.^^ Likewise, the dialogued scenes have music which fits the mood, and special "boss" fights have some of the best tracks around. Composer Yoko Shimomura really showed she has the talent to provide beautiful music for video games. Some of the really nice tracks include: the prelude, the wandering forest, traces of the journey, ancient myth, brace for battle, prayer, the spring breeze is blowing, and grief.

The voice overs are decent as well, although I had a few issue with some of the casting choices. My biggest problem was with Mel, who sounded a little too much like a crabby old lady. The luminous site did say that Mel speaks like an adult, and I assumed it to mean she speaks formally, rather then sounding like a crabby old women. But her voice actress got a lot better later on, and she sounded less crabby and more cute (or maybe I just got used to the voice). I also had a slight problem with Alph, he doesn't sound bad, but I would have liked a better voice actor for the main lead. A lot of other people had a problem with Nikolai's actor, but I actually found his annoying voice to fit Nikolai's character to a tee. =)

Below is a sample of the music found in Luminous Arc, it's the "prayer" track, my favourite theme in the whole game, I think. =)


Multiplayer

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Luminous Arc does feature Wi-fi multiplayer, but I haven't tried it out, so I can't really say how good it is. If I do eventually try it out, I'll add my thoughts here and give it a score.


My Thoughts & Recommendations

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Being an SRPG fan, this may be a little biased, so keep that in mind, but I will try to be as objective as possible. =) Luminous Arc is, in my opinion, a very enjoyable romp through the SRPG genre. It lacks the same depth that most SRPGs are now offering in gameplay, but it makes that up with wacky characters, and an interesting, albeit typical, story. I genuinely enjoyed playing the game, and even chuckled a couple of times. If your looking for a fun game of good length look no further. =)

If your a beginner to SRPGs, then this game is for you. Most of the game isn't too difficult and it serves nicely as an introductory SRPG. But be warned, there are two fights in this game that can be difficult, thankfully if you are having trouble, you can level grind. Veterans won't find much challenge, but they may find an amusing game, as I did. If your itching for another SRPG, then I recommend Luminous Arc; it's surprisingly pleasant. If your curious about the genre and are willing to give it a try, then I also recommend Luminous Arc.

Parents, be aware of the T rating on this game. It's not a difficult game, so it would be good for newcomers, but I can't recommend it to young children as some of the witches are rather skimpily clad (Vanessa in particular) and there are quite a number of sexual references in the game. As can be seen by looking at some of the witches, this game is aimed at the male demographic. However, it can be enjoyed by us ladies as well if we are able to put aside the distasteful amount of cleavage service. Quite ironically actually, Vanessa became one of my favourite characters in the game, she's got an interesting personality if you can get over the role she is given. Also, I found some of the sexual jokes funny; it was mostly Nikolai and his witch sensor that amused me because of its utter ridiculousness. When playing Luminous Arc, it's best to just enjoy the rather immature humour, I find it makes the game twice as good.lol. If you get offended by the objectification of females, then you will be offended by luminous arc. Vanessa is a sexual fantasy, that is her role. However, if you can set aside your feelings about the game's portrayal of females, you will find yourself pleasantly surprised and you may even crack a smile.
 
Conclusion

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Cons:	Pros:
*Rather predictable story *Uneven difficulty *Intermission talks do not alter ending *Lack of customization *Busy boxart	*Gorgeous music *Pretty art *Nice presentation & graphics *Generally good voice acting *Funny scenarios *Likable Characters *Intermission Talks *Fun to play *Post-game content *Wi-Fi multiplayer

Verdict: fun game worth picking up if you like the genre or want to give it a chance

~Joanna

Where Has Nintendo of America Gone??

The DS is almost bare of any Nintendo(aka first party) support of late; where oh where has Nintendo of America gone? Sadly I know the answer to that, the Wii. As much as I like the Wii, I wish Nintendo wouldn't play favourites as much as it does. Inevitably this always happens, the console is pampered, while the handheld has to fend for itself. Sure the DS is doing great, and the Wii needs more support, but why has Nintendo of America all but abandoned DS support? Where are all the great Nintendo DS titles from Japan? That is the question! Come on Nintendo of America don't leave us poor handheld owners in the cold yet again.....

1. Where is ASH (Archaic Sealed Heat)?

Yes, ASH sold poorly in Japan and it was never confirmed for North American release. BUT it did show up on the ESRB, so that at least means Nintendo of America had played with the idea of releasing it in the west. So where is the tactical RPG now? nobody knows but Nintendo; maybe it's still on the way, or maybe it was scraped. Either way, there has been no news about it since the sighting of it in May on the ESRB site.

2. Where is Professor Layton 2 & 3?

Another title that has been very hushed; nothing about the second installment has been heard or confirmed, expect for the little statement in the manual of the first Layton game:

"The sequel to this game will give you a password."

The chances for Layton hitting the west are a lot better then ASH, but the silence at Nintendo has been disheartening. There have been a few valid points as to why Nintendo of America is keeping its lips sealed. They include: the localization of a puzzle and word intensive game takes time and Layton isn't ready just yet, and/or the other regions where Layton was recently released will inevitably hear about it if Nintendo of America announces the sequel, so Nintendo is keeping quiet to increase sales. (But I don't quite understand why sales would decrease if the people in those regions heard about the sequel; if anything they would increase, because the sequel continues the tale and although having played the first game isn't required, it will help with understanding character relations and where the story left off). The other less attractive alternatives are, either Nintendo of America is waiting out the economic storm, or they dropped Layton altogether and are not planning on releasing any more games. That or they just like to irritate us fans by not giving us any confirmations =/

Edit: Level 5 confirmed that Layton 2 is currently being localized for the west, so it's definitely coming. I estimate it will be out late 2009 (most likely during the holidays)
Edit 2: It's official release date is August 24th :D

3.Where is Rhythm Heaven (Rhythm Tengoku Gold)?

So I'm not too fond of the rhythm genre and I'm not really regretting the absence of this game, but there are a lot of others who were genuinely excited about its localization. It's even been featured in Nintendo Power's News Section in issue 232 and the issue following it had the game listed in the Game Watch Forecast as TBA. Sure it hasn't had an official O.K., but the majority of the games featured in Nintendo Powers' News and Preview section get localized. So the question remains, where is it? And unlike ASH and Layton, Rhythm Heaven has very little dialogue; the only reason I can see it taking so long, is if Nintendo of America is changing some of the rhythm mini games to be more "western".

EDIT: Rhythm Heaven is confirmed! It's coming out in March I believe. Rejoice rhythm genre fans.
EDIT 2: Actually according to Amazon, it's coming in November. Well at least it's coming right rhythm fans?
EDIT 3: It was released in April along with the DSi

4.Where is Elite Beat Agents 2?

Japan has already three installments of their equivalent of EBA (i believe it's called Ouenden), but NA hasn't heard anything about another EBA game. The first Elite Beat Agents game was published over 2 years ago, so where is the sequel? Really, it shouldn't be taking them more then 3 years to develop another EBA.

5.Where is Soma Bringer?

Unlike ASH, Layton, or Rhythm Heaven, there has been nothing to suggest that Nintendo of America plans on bringing this little gem of an action RPG to NA. At a time when most companies are bringing over all the RPGs they can, I find Nintendo of America's attitude very odd. Maybe they think there is too much competition, but I just hope and pray that Nintendo of America does not become the next Namco-Bandai, which habitually ignores its awesome handheld RPGs (& related genres) as possible titles for localization. The screenshot to the left doesn't do this game justice, to see the beautiful graphics, it's best to watch a gameplay video.

6.Why is Fire Emblem coming to Europe before it hits North America?

So Europe usually gets the shaft with release dates, but this time North Americans are feeling neglected. Sure, maybe Nintendo of America is playing it safe and waiting for the economy to stablize, but I don't understand why they are not releasing this gem in december here as well as in Europe. Especially since Nintendo has nothing planned for the DS in december and the holiday rush. If they already had something to release during Christmas, then I would understand their logic, but releasing it a month or two later when they don't have anything to release for the DS this Christmas is incomprehensible, and I don't think the economy will improve drastically over two months...I think Nintendo of America needs to hire someone else for scheduling release dates.

Alright, so I may be being a little unfair to Nintendo of America, since Nintendo of Japan isn't spitting out that much lately either. But unlike Nintendo of Japan, our Nintendo has a few games that it could release, but just doesn't seem in any hurry to do so. Why oh why is Nintendo being so lazy? I want these first party gems and I want them in english, so I can actually understand what I am playing. All that is left for me is to hope Nintendo doesn't entirely turn its back on us DS owners and does publish these eventually. Come on Nintendo, don't fail me again!

~Joanna

Problems with the DS Port of Rhapsody =(

As promised, I will link up to the two Siliconera blog posts that detail the problems with the DS port of Rhapsody. Click on the picture to your left for the link to the article featuring two problematic glitches in Rhapsody. As I say in the comments, I have only experienced the second, more frustrating glitch, which prevents you from receiving a special item for completing the Egg Brother's Side Quest. The first glitch mentioned in the post is a glitch that makes the screen go black during certain musical segments in the game. Luckily, this glitch is usually fixed by reloading your last saved file; the same cannot be said of the Egg Brother glitch.

Click on the picture to your right to link to the article featuring the missing bonus content from the North American version of Rhapsody, which saw many commentators in outrage. I too was disappointed with the bonus content being cut, but since I didn't play the original game, I was at least pleased to be able to experience it. And last but not least, click on the picture of Kururu below to link to NISA's Rhapsody site and click on their "To The Rhapsody Owners" to see a formal apology about the missing bonus content. Strangely enough, they do not address what caused the abundance of glitches in this port, because doing so, they would have to admit that it wasn't the lack of resources, but also their lack of interest in the title. But then again, anyone reading it can see that they weren't expecting good sales from Rhapsody and basically didn't give two shits about the game, hence the minimal effort, lacking content, and glitches. Now if NISA really wanted to do their fans a service with Rhapsody, they could have allocated the small resources they did, but gave the title more time for at least a decent localization. Rhapsody was rushed so that it could be released along side of Disgaea; a shame really, because the game deserves of its own spotlight and much more effort.
~Joanna

Rhapsody Fan Art

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure is a charming little RPG now available for the Nintendo DS. It is a port of the PSone game bearing the same name. There are a few problems with this port discussed in a Siliconera post, which I will link to in the next post. But if you can accept its flaws, you will find yourself on a cute and funny ride with Cornet, the star of the game, as she tries to save her prince from Marjoly, a rather flamboyant, to say the least, witch. RPGFan has quite a few pieces of fan art for the game, which are positively stunning. Click the picture above to link to their fan art and enjoy it as much as I did. Look below to see a recreation of one of the funniest moments in the game, beware of spoilers! (this happens within the first hour of gameplay!)

~Joanna

Pumpkin Carving: The Results

The first picture is a little blurry, but I thought it looked pretty. The second picture has better resolution =)

If I do say so myself, I think the King Boo carving turned out rather nice. I'm quite proud of it. Next year I might tackle something harder, like a Prinny.lol. And because this pumpkin was pretty tiny (relative to normal pumpkins), the carving was a bit more challenging; one cut too far or deep and the whole carving would be ruined. So yes I am rather proud ^^

~Joanna