If it ain't broke...

Let me get a few things off of my chest:

1. I hate, hate, hate, hate random battles with the passion of a thousand suns that consume my soul. They scream laziness. It seems as if the developer thinks, "Our battle system isn't very fun, so the only way to get people into battles is if they can't avoid it." I've got news for you, I like battles in rpgs. I will usually get into them in order to learn new skills! I hate how lazy it is. I hate being interrupted in my exploration by some stupid swirling screen and new enemies. Every random battle I get into is like somebody taking their fingernails across the chalk board while imitating Gilbert Gottfried.

Hate.

2. Kaim's run is ridiculously hilarious. I guess he forgot what a full stride was when he lost his memory because he runs like my baby niece. And when you sprint, he's the Flash and everybody else are just normal people moving at normal speed. Looks really silly.



3. 1000 years stuff is really good. Unfortunately, it's a book. I read faster than all the stupid text flourishes in the world. I don't want to have one short story at a time presented to me. I don't want to have to find things that flesh out Kaim's character. This shit should be given to me. This is an actual book in Japan that, I think, should have been given out with a Collector's Edition in other territories. I've got nothing against having the stories in the game, but I like reading books wherever I please. Not when I come across another chapter in the game. As it stands, I'm going to be skipping them because they disrupt the game (for me).

4. The packaging is the cheapest thing I have ever seen in my life. Three discs come STACKED on top of eachother with one in a paper sleeve not unlike (i.e. EXACTLY like) the packages of paper sleeves you can buy at your local office max for like a penny. I was pretty upset when I opened my game.


Okay, that's the bad (for me; your mileage will undoubtedly vary). And maybe it's because I went into this game with such low expectations, but after about 4 hours...I'm really impressed.

First off, the English voice acting is top tier. It is some of the best I've heard in a videogame. It's so good (I can't believe I'm saying this), that I have, for the first time ever, been playing with English voices instead of Japanese. The Japanese voice acting really throws me off; I don't think several of the character's voices match their personalities (Seth, Jansen). That might be because prior to buying the game, I watched the first couple of hours in vids all in English. I dunno, but whatever the case, it's good. And at least you have the option of playing with either one.

Nobuo Uematsu (of Final Fantasy Fame) has really got me with this soundtrack. I haven't heard a single tune I haven't liked. The Main Theme is classic. I'm instantly reminded of Terra's theme from Final Fantasy 6 (one of my favorite game tracks ever). It's worth listening to even if you don't like the game. Makes me miss him in Final Fantasy :(.

The graphics are amazing. When the opening CG transitions into battle, I was hardpressed to tell the difference between ingame and cg. I enjoy the way "magic" looks in this world they've created. It's used to power mundane things like lamps and "magic taxis." The effects really make it look otherworldly as you're walking through this technologically advanced town. You can tell it doesn't belong there. It's subtle, but really stands out for me.

Seth, Kaim, and Jansen are great characters so far. Their dynamics and voicework are a joy to listen to. Jansen in particular has some great lines. I'm eager to see more.

I'll get more into the battle system when I have more than 4 hours into the game. As it stands, it's a great evolution of the normal turnbased fare. The timing rings add a nice touch and keep me paying attention to battles.

So, basically, even though I hate random battles (fiery passion, soul, etc), the game is GOOD. And in the end, looking over a few warts is worth it for the overall experience that is a good game.

Definitely can't wait to play more.

Thanks, Gamersyde, for the pics :D.

Light Sabers

Look at him. I wish it was a new Masters of Teras Kasi. Unfortunately, it isn't. That's Yoda. And he's in Soul Calibur 4. You see, Namco has decided that the brand isn't strong enough to sell on its own. No, no. Namco has to go whore out the name to make itself more popular. That's fine by me, actually. This means there will be a lot more people to own up online. That's a good thing.

Soul Calibur 4 was playable at CES, but there was a surprising lack of new footage there. If one was of a mind to, one could go here to check out the new trailer. IGN also has a short gameplay clip up.


These show nothing new if you've played any Soul Calibur before. In fact, the producer said that only 50% of the animations were in this build, and none of the new gameplay systems. That's also good, as it looked like a very pretty Soul Calibur 1 in these vids.


It's got a summer release, so that might mean no EVO for SC4. Still looks awesome, though. Won't be long before the world witnesses domination hitherto unbelieved possible by the trifecta of Ninjas, Whores (with umbrellas), and Valkyries.

Yoda screen courtesty of 1up.com.

Street Fighter 4

Geez, it's been too long. My bad.

It's been around 10 years since Capcom initially released Street Fighter 3 in arcades. Since then fans have been wondering, "When will we get to see SF4?" It seemed that Capcom was content to let the series fade into nothing more than memories and fond nostalgia. Sure, we got CvS2 and...Capcom Fighting "Evolution." But for fans of the series, these offshoots didn't satisfy the needs that Street Fighter gameplay has at its core. What is that, you might ask? It's like the feeling you get when you eat a warm marshmallow. Or the warm fuzzies you receive when your new girlfriend kisses you on the cheek.

It can not be defined, it just is. Accept this. (By the by, this is the reason why it's so hard to pinpoint why so many fans don't consider SF3 a "true" SF. That is an argument for another blog.)

So the SF brand would dwindle away into obscurity leaving fans looking at other, smaller companies creating 2D fighters left and right. King of Fighters, Guilty Gear, Arcana Hearts, Melty Blood...hell, even Rumble Fish. These games all served as body blows to the Capcom faithfuls. If smaller, less successful companies could continue to churn out (subjectively) high quality 2D fighters, then why couldn't Capcom with their considerably larger budgets.



And then, after years of rumors and letdowns, it happened. Street Fighter 4 is a reality and the future of the (capcom) fighting game community rest on its shoulders. And if the internet is to be believed (my opinion: it never should be. Believed, that is) then it is buckling under the weight. Most message boards will be the homes of such posts as: "Hahahaha, more like SFEX4, amirite!" Or, "WHY NOT 2D!!!"


I couldn't care less about all of that; my opinion is the game looks awesome and, imagine this, the thing that will make or break the game, and any future games on this engine, is the gameplay.

It doesn't matter that Ryu's physique makes him look like a stunt double for The Master of Greyskull. It doesn't matter that Ken's hair is straight from the 80's. No, all that matters is that I saw a crossup. I saw Ken flip into a fireball that forced him to block. I see AN ACTUAL DUCKING FORWARD animation.

If one takes off the fanboy goggles that have undoubtedly been fogged up with the rage of the sprites not being 2D, they might recognize that it looks like Street Fighter. Not Street Fighter EX. I don't know that I've ever seen a crossup in that game.

So then, the gameplay looks okay, right? Well, looks okay. I haven't played it and odds are anybody bitching about it hasn't either. I won't pretend to be clairvoyant; there is still a lot that could go wrong. We'll have to wait and see. But people are now upset that it takes place before 3, which probably means new fans favorite characters won't be present (in this SF4, anyway). It also means that we'll get to see plenty of familiar faces. What's funny is that these are the same complaints that plagued SF3 upon its release. "Only Ken and Ryu? WHAT? I AM OUTRAGED!"

What's this prove? You can't please everybody. Especially the internet.

So, here we have SF4. If it's good (hopeful) and does well in the sales department, what does this mean? A resurgence in fighting games? This could mean a revival of several of Capcom's old franchises. Street Fighter 4 producer Yoshinori Ono has already stated he has interest in making a Vampire Savior game (Darkstalkers) using this engine. Perhaps Rival Schools? Imagine a crossover game with all of these characters? If Street Fighter 4 performs well, it could very well mean we'll see all of this come to fruition. Maybe, just maybe, it means that other game developers will take note. Maybe we'll see more clones!

Who knows?

At the very least, given Capcom's track record, this means that we'll get to see Street Fighter 4: Super Third Turbo Edition.

Screens taken from Famitsu.

Street Fighter 4!!!! (!!!!!!) !!!!)!(!)

After years and years (and years and years) of Capcom teasing us. Making its fans feel like an abused wife who has somehow done something wrong (Why didn't you buy the FIFTH re-re-re-re-release of Street Fighter Alpha???), they've come out and done something beyond nice. Street Fighter 4 is a reality. While this news makes me extremely happy, I can't help but think there is some catch. No platforms have been announced. Who is developing it? What systems? IS IT 2D????? The last question perhaps the most important.

I've become jaded as far as Capcom and fighting games go...I WANT to be optimistic, but I can't help but think that there's something rotten in this apple.

New Capcom Fighter?

"Brian Dunn, also of Capcom, later extended the tease, writing "We have our Gamer's Day event in London next Wednesday (10/17), but there will be announcements and things starting to come up on Monday (10/15) and continuing all week." Dunn also added, somewhat conspicuously, to the comments thread "everyone at Capcom knows all the fans are extremely anxious for a NEW SF game, believe me. That's about all I can say about that..."

Hmmmm??? I love the emphasis on "new."

[12:10] Skilletor: or the huge announcement that was them publishing GTA in japan
[12:11] MrWizard: trust me
[12:11] MrWizard: its a huge announcement this time
[12:11] MrWizard: not some poll to vote for achievements lol
[12:11] Skilletor: that's fine, but i've been saying I WANT SF4 for years with cockteases like this from capcom

Hmmmm???

As much as I would love to believe this, and I would love it as much as I will my first born child, I will not believe anything Street Fighter and Fighting game related until screens are released. As I said, this has been ongoing for years now without capcom giving the fans what they want. I'm expecting Street Fighter: Chun Li's shower adventure to go along with the stupid movie that's coming out sometime in the future.

The King is dead. Long live the King.

Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first.

Yes, FFT does have slowdown. It happens on just about every special attack in the game.
Yes, FFT does have some wonky sound effects. Only on special attacks, though.

The slowdown is particularly annoying on spells or attacks that hit multiple characters. I hear that the slim gets rid of this problem but have not had official confirmation.

Okay then. That's the bad stuff, on to the good.

Everything else.

10 years later FFT is STILL the pinnacle of SRPG gameplay. It is ridiculous how well this game has aged. I'm a huge fan of SRPGs and have played a lot of them in the 10 years since FFT saw its initial release. FFT plays the best. Still.

I don't know if it's the active movement in the game that gets rid of the Your Phase/Enemy phase, making battles more dynamic and exciting.

I don't know if it's the job system with some of the most customizable characters ever in an rpg. FFT on psp also adds the Dark Knight and Onion Knight into the mix, although I haven't been able to unlock them yet.

Or it could be the amazing soundtrack, which still has some of the most amazing music ever in a video game.

Maybe it's the new translation which, only 10 hours in, already has severable memorable moments:

Agrias: You would have us slaughter them? That would play into Lord Goltanna's hands. All we need do is rout them.

Gaffgarion: I find dead men rout more easily.

I haven't played the original in several years, but I remember being very confused. I eventually stopped paying attention to the story and just played it for the gameplay. Not so anymore, the new translation is not only a hell of a lot better, but you can actually comprehend it. The tension between the nobles and common is palpable. The scene with Algath (was algus) and Delita after Tietra, Delita's sister, gets kidnapped also stands out.

It's probably all of these things, along with the animated cutscenes which are as great as the rest of the game, that combine to make FFT such a great game. It has its flaws, but the rest of the game is so good that I simply don't care. The entirety of the game more than makes up for a little bit of slowdown. Would I like it if the slowdown was gone? Yes, of course. But it's there and I can't change that, so no use bitching. I hardly notice it anymore in any case.

There aren't very many games that I can go back to so many years after where the gameplay is just as good as it was the day I touched it without the power of nostalgia lending a hand. Super Metroid, Castlevania: SotN, to name a couple. I'll just add FFT into that elite list of classics.

SRPGs own your soul.

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions comes out next week. For the uninitiated, shame on you. This is, perhaps, the best Strategy RPG ever created. Definitely in the top two. The new psp port comes packed to the gills (!!!) with new job classes (Dark Knight and Onion Knight), new cutscenes with voices exclusive to English Localization, and, most importantly, a new translation. That's right, lines like "Surrender now or die in obscurity" are no more. Instead the game reads much like a George RR Martin book (go read, now.) Complete with calling people "ser".

In the interim, I've been playing Crisis Core and Jeanne D' Arc. I got to Nibleheim in Crisis Core, which was just all types of awesome. Although Tifa's skirt is a lot lower than I ever remember seeing it. At about 20 hours, I've completed 31% of the missions. I probably won't try to get all of them as I don't want to turn around and do it again when I play it in English. Sephiroth still wins you and seeing Cloud as a little noob SOLDIER is hilarious.

Jeanne D' Arc is a really solid title from developers level 5. It takes the historic figure in Ms. D' Arc and turns it into a fantasy SRPG. I'm not familiar with the actual history and honestly couldn't care less how accurate this game is to it. The gameplay is great. Unlike a lot of other SRPGS, and maybe it's just me here, the game really emphasizes movement and order thanks to too systems inherent to the game: The "Burning Strike" and some guard thing that I forget the name of at the moment, haha.

The Burning Strike (Screens from IGN and also, apparently, retranslated in the final version).











This little burning thing appears behind the enemy when you attack them. A person standing in the aura will receive a major attack bonus on his or her next strike. Planning out your attacks and the order in which you have your characters go becomes a little bit more important because of this. Maybe your little thief, Colet, could use the exp. boost from killing this enemy (being so damn weak and all), so have Jeanne attack, making the enemy turn around and have Colet sneak up inside the circle for the attack boost from behind. It's a very little thing, but it adds a lot to the overall gameplay.

UNIFIED GUARD! Ha, I just remembered, just now. This happens when you have your characters grouped together. It gives everybody a defense boost, which is really useful for keeping weaker characters alive.

And, as with most level 5 games, there is a really deep skill creating system. Your characters, instead of having set classes, get to equip Skill Stones. These include magic, special attacks, and stat augments. Later in the game you'll acquire the ability to combine these stones to create even more awesomer skills (complete with a cameo from the Frog that did much the same thing in Rogue Galaxy). It's fun to combine skills only to see that you won't be able to use the damn thing for 10 more levels.

And now to continue waiting for FFT. 8 days.