Gaming Update: Summer Gaming Coming to a Close

So summer vacation is now finished, but I still haven't made much of a dent on my backlog. If anything the monster grew. ^^;;; Anyways, here is what I'm currently playing:

1.Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (NDS)
I was playing this before, but I put it down for months because I got distracted and I basically forgot what I was doing, so I decided to restart from the very beginning, case one. I have finally made it back to case three, which is where I was when I put the game down. Hopefully, I can finish this game now without any interruptions. Well at least I'm pretty determined to do so >:)

No new impressions, since I've barely started case three, and I've already played the other two before. But I just want to say that it's pretty amazing how much I still recall and how much I've forgotten. Also, what is up with Ace Attorney/ Gyakuten Saiben always having those innocent frail girls turn out to be conniving little b*tchs? hmmm? Well at least case three doesn't seem to have any fake innocent girls, not that I hate these types of villains, because I don't; I think the type is used well in the ace attorney games. It's just that after a few of them, I want a different type of villain to mix things up a bit. =)


2.Knights in the Nightmare (NDS)
I was really excited about playing this game when I heard Atlus was going to publish it in North America, but I was sad to learn that it would be released when I would be out of the country. Thankfully I managed to procure a copy even after it had been released for over a month; the only down side is that I didn't get the beautiful pre-order bonus art book. *sniff* =(

I'm really enjoying this game and it has exceeded my standards. I'm about half way through (I think), but I'm making really slow progress. ^^;;; I'm pretty busy even without school so I play it here and there, and I am currently on Scene 32. Plus, because the battles are so intense, I tend to grip the stylus too hard and it digs into my hand, so I can't play this one for long periods of time. ^^;;; (Yeah I'm pathetic)

Still I'm really happy with this game and I am enjoying it a lot. The combat is so unique, I don't think anyone has ever mixed a shooter with a SRPG, and even though it sounds impossible, it really works well. Sometimes the bullets (especially during boss battles) can be overwhelming, but the resume (or was it replay) button makes things a little easier. The story is pretty good as well, but a little disjointed because it's told in fragments. Art and music are very very beautiful. I think the only aspect of the game that is not done as well is the characters. This is mainly because only the story related characters actually get flushed out, even with the pause talks, the regular characters still don't feel as important or developed as Maria, Capehorn, or Yelma (the latter two are villains). Not that I mind because as long as gameplay is solid, I'm happy; story, art, music, and characters are nice bonuses (which I appreciate a lot as well). I can tell that Knights has had a lot of effort put into the game, since not only is the gameplay solid, but so is the art, story, music, and the characters. Everything is well done, and this game is another gem from Atlus. It's also my first Sting game, so I'll be looking out for more games from this developer from now on.

I just want to point out once more that he art is amazing. I currently have an image of maria as my wallpaper and I've saved a few more images to use in the future. The artist is really talented and I really regret missing out on the bonus art book. The music is also very pretty and each piece fits the mood; there is also a lot of variety, for which I am also thankful. The music on the title menu is very pretty and I could listen to it for hours on end. =3

SPOILER ALERT: The following deals with characters and the story and my thoughts on it so far!!!!

-I like the relationship between Maria and Melissa, I hope we get to see these two interact more (but I doubt we will because the last battle with Melissa made it seem that she was destroyed for good).
-I cannot believe Wilmgard has a lover, it really doesn't fit his character. =/ And it also felt out of place in a story about loss.
-I don't understand why all the characters refer to Nordich as the selfish prince. In the flashback, the prince was worried about his father and kingdom. It seemed like he didn't know what Capehorn was up to, although I will admit he did seem awfully fixated on his own kingship and authority. Still even so I don't think he is selfish, but I guess the other characters wouldn't know this since Capehorn was acting as the mouth piece of the prince.
-The underworld has made its move, yet Asgard, the realm of gods has not, I wonder why. Maybe it has something to do with Melissa?ok that's all for the spoilers and knights in the nightmare. It seems like this is going to be yet another long post. ^^;;

3. Children of Mana (NDS)
I picked it up again after a year, thankfully because there is practically no story, I was able to jump right back in. As a mana game, it disappoints, but it's good for some random pick up and play. I usually play it when I feel like picking something up for a bit; it's mindless hack 'n' slash, so it's good for killing a few minutes. I think I'm pretty close to the end, but with this kind of game, one can never really know.

Also I cannot help but feel that the art direction and music was wasted on this game. The art is so lovely and the music is nice, but the gameplay is generic. This art and music would have benefited from being used in a typical mana game (like sword or secret of mana). In such a generic and mindless hack 'n' slash game, the art and music, although nice, cannot save the game's shortcomings and they would have benefited a better game more. Regardless, I'm still mildly enjoying Children of Mana because it's easy to pick up and play and a good mindless time waster. This one will be coming with me to school a lot, so I'll probably finish it before 2010 rolls around. =)


4. Shinning Force (GEN)
I'm on the last chapter, but I've been playing it sparsely (as usual for me). I still have a bit of level grinding to do. But I finally managed to promote Adam and I got him at level 10 unpromoted two battles ago, which is insane this late in the game. Thankfully Tao learned boast not too long ago so I was able to use boast and get him to level 20 that way. I had to use boast because his attack stat was pathetic since he was unpromoted and without boast he was doing 1 point of damage. This is why I do not understand the logic behind giving the player such a low leveled unit this late in the game, unless it's to piss off, I mean challenge us completionists. I'm currently attempting to get all my characters to level 10 promoted because I want to max them all out and complete this game in one go. Getting them to level 10 now will make it more manageable to max them later (level 20 is the max). All my units are around levels 6-8 right now, so I still have a bit of grinding to do.


6. Super Mario Advance (GBA)
I'm suck on 5-3 T__________________________T
Near the end of the level you have to steal a flying carpet from an enemy and ride it to the other side, but the carpet disappears after some time and I keep dying because the carpet disappears before I make it to the other side. The one time I did make it to the boss, I died before I could finish him because I have one life left. sob sob. This game is somewhat on hold because I'm a little too frustrated to play it. Speaking of frustration....


7.Professor Layton and the Curious Village (NDS)
I am stuck on puzzle 135, the last of the professor's challenges. It's so frustrating because I finally discovered how to solve 134 (which was also giving me grief). That stupid red block, I can't get it out. sob sob. I keep repeating the same moves over and over again. I know I'm missing something, but I can't seem to figure it out. T___________T
This one is currently on hold because it gave me too much grief. :/

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